ã€ŠHidden Marriageã€‹


 Chapter 1: Seven Months Pregnant

    <h4>Chapter 1: Seven Months Pregnant</h4>

    Her body burned hot likeva inside a volcano. The only one who could save her now was the man before her eyes.

    She clung to his icy, marble-like skin, her desperation to survive leaving her with no other choice but to surrender herself.

    After the pain ended, pleasure began to fly, like fireworks exploding inside her mind, making her feel as though she was in the middle of a sea of fire.

    Drifting in and out, there was no escape.

    "Hey, wake up¡­ the air conditioning is cold here. Don¡¯t sleep or you¡¯ll catch a cold ¡ª"

    The weight on her shoulder woke Ning Xi, her eyes opening disorientedly to see the nurse standing before her. She felt slightly embarrassed and her small face blushed red; she could not avoid the nurse¡¯s gaze.

    Damn, it happened so long ago already. shes of that night when she had gotten drunk and fooled around with Su Yan would often appear in her dreams.

    Because she had consumed too much alcohol, she couldn¡¯t remember much of what had transpired that night. She didn¡¯t know how she could face Brother Yan.

    The nurse saw that she was awake and passed the paper in her hand to her: "You forgot to take your pregnancy report with you! Dr. Zhang would have wanted you toe back again next week if you had left it here!"

    Ning Xi received the report with a sweet smile and put it away safely in her purse.

    Su Yan had been studying abroad and would return today. When Ning Xi thought about meeting him tonight, she couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous.

    Because Su Yan had gone to a very remote ce, she hadn¡¯t been able to contact him until their child had be seven months old.

    Thinking of the shock Su Yan had received from knowing about her pregnancy, Ning Xi was tense.

    Perhaps her pregnancy was making her rather sensitive and on edge? Ning Xi felt that Su Yan was not as happy about the news as she was.

    The doctors had reassured her that with their first child, men would always appear indifferent and in denial at first.

    However¡­ the matter of getting married, she couldn¡¯t possibly mention it to him first, right?

    When she left the hospital, the sky was clear and the sun was scorching.

    Supporting her hip with one hand, Ning Xi was about to call for a taxi, when suddenly, a shy, red sports car sped towards her.

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she immediately retreated backward.

    The sound of brakes hurt her ears as the red sports car stopped, brushing the edges of her clothes.

    Ning Xi was so scared, her heart almost stopped beating, and she could barely stand straight. Opening the door in a tight-fitting red dress which revealed a lot of cleavage, Ning Xueluo stepped out of the car.

    "Ning Xueluo, are you crazy?"

    Looking at her, Ning Xueluoughed with deep meaning. Crossing her arms, she sauntered over to stand in front of Ning Xi. In her high heels, she looked down arrogantly at big-bellied Ning Xi. "What? Are you scared I¡¯ll crash into you and kill the bastard inside your stomach?"

    Ning Xi immediately protected her belly and took a few more steps backward while worriedly observing her: "Ning Xueluo, don¡¯t cross the line!"

    She always knew that Ning Xueluo was hostile towards her, but Ning Xi had never thought she could say such poisonous things.

    "I cross the line? I should say you crossed the line! Getting drunk and then getting pregnant with a stranger¡¯s child. And yet you still want Su Yan to y the dad. Tch¡­ Ning Xi, do you still have any face left?"

    Ning Xi froze and asked, "What did you say?"

    "You, do you really believe the person you slept with that night was Su Yan?"¡ª Ning Xueluoughed hysterically ¡ª"You always say you grew up with Su Yan, that you¡¯re childhood sweethearts, yet you don¡¯t even know what his body is like?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s face got paler and whiter with every word she said. Standing here on such a blistering hot day, her whole body felt ice-cold.

    That¡¯s right, that man that night¡­

    She had thought¡­ that perhaps because of puberty, his body was bulkier than she had originally imagined.

    But with Ning Xueluo¡¯s reminder, she now suddenly recalled that besides his build, nothing else about that man resembled Su Yan¡­

 Chapter 2: The Strangerâ€™s Bastard

    <h4>Chapter 2: The Stranger¡¯s Bastard</h4>

    "I¡¯ll tell you the truth right now! That night you drank wine which I spiked. You were so lustful and unsatisfied that I found two good men for you. Who knew that you wouldn¡¯t appreciate my kindness? You even barged into a stranger¡¯s room and took advantage of that man¡­" Ning Xueluo said disgustedly. "Brother Yan is far too gentle and kind for his own good because when you woke up, he was afraid you wouldn¡¯t be able to ept the truth, so he told you that it was him that night!"

    "You¡­" Ning Xi had started trembling as she heard this. She finally couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer and grabbed Ning Xueluo by her arm. "Why do you treat me this way? Why?! Haven¡¯t you screwed me over enough?"

    Ning Xueluo furrowed her brow, and just as she was about to push Ning Xi away, she noticed Su Yan approaching them behind Ning Xi. Her voice immediately softened and her expression turned pitiful, "Older Sister, I know I¡¯m wrong. If you want to hit or yell, do it to me, please don¡¯t me Brother Yan¡­"

    Ning Xi paused, and in the next second, Ning Xueluo fell to the ground as if Ning Xi had pushed her.

    "Ning Xi! What are you ¡ª" Someone said usingly behind her.

    Ning Xi turned around and saw an unfriendly-looking Su Yan.

    Su Yan brushed past her and helped Ning Xueluo up. "Xueluo, are you alright?"

    Ning Xueluo pressed nearly her entire body against Su Yan. "Brother Yan, I didn¡¯t mean it, I really know I¡¯m wrong¡­ this only happened because I wronged Older Sister¡­"

    "That¡¯s enough! Don¡¯t me yourself. No matter what happens, you have me!" Su Yan patted her shoulder and helped her into the car. "I¡¯ll exin everything to Ning Xi."

    Ning Xi¡¯s mind was nk as she watched Su Yan stride towards her and open his mouth.

    He spoke for a long time.

    He spoke of the past and their happy childhood. He spoke of the struggle he went through when he fell in love with Ning Xueluo. He spoke of his fury and anger when he found out Ning Xueluo had schemed against Ning Xi. He spoke of the fright and regret he felt when he found out about Ning Xi¡¯s pregnancy. He spoke about how he epted Ning Xueluo¡¯s apology¡­

    In the end, he said, "Ning Xi, I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t marry you ¡ª not because of that night nor because of the child that I don¡¯t want ¡ª but because I cannot wrong Xueluo and because I can¡¯t lie to myself about my feelings."

    He and Ning Xueluo had been travelling outside the country in the past few months, and having been with her morning and night, it was harder to separate from her now more than ever. Although he had initially wanted to ease Ning Xi¡¯s pain by pretending that he did indeed have intercourse with her, in his heart, he had already chosen Ning Xueluo.

    That was why after finding out that Ning Xi was pregnant, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from immediately going to the Ning family and exining everything to the Second Master. Despite this, he had not told the truth to Ning Xi herself.

    "You mean¡­ Su Yan¡­ from the start, you knew that it was Ning Xueluo who drugged me and ruined my innocence? Just because you wanted to protect her, you told me the person that night was you?" Ning Xi finally found her voice, but could only look numbly at Su Yan.

    "Ning Xi, Xueluo didn¡¯t mean it. She¡¯s still young so she might be impulsive¡­"

    "Then what about me?" Ning Xi looked up at Su Yan hopelessly. "Did you never once consider what it would be like for me?"

    Su Yan did not speak, and there was a long moment of silence before he reached out for Ning Xi¡¯s hand. "The sun is too hot, let¡¯s return home¡­"

    "Don¡¯t touch me ¡ª" Ning Xi immediately pped his hand away andughed aloud.

    Ning Xi felt that her whole life until now had been a joke.

    For Su Yan, she had worked hard to get into B University toe to the city where he lived.

    For Su Yan, she had abandoned her dream to be an actress.

    So that their family statuses would match, she had pushed aside her adoptive parents in order to return to the Ning family, and she had stupidly tried to please those so-called upper-ss families.

    And as a result of all her efforts, she only received: "I cannot wrong Xueluo."

    Ning Xueluo had not only stolen her identity and her birth parents, but today¡­ she had even stolen the person she loved most. Ning Xueluo was young¡­ but even so, how could she be forgiven? If she really did forgive her, then who could she me for her life''s misfortune? She didn''t even know who the man from that night was!

    Ning Xi covered her face, her body quivering, for she had reached the limit of her despair.

    Su Yan watched as Ning Xi mindlessly started to cross the road, and was about to chase after her when from behind, Ning Xueluo tugged on his sleeve. "Brother Yan, where are you going?"

    In Su Yan''s moment of hesitation, there was a loud bang; Ning Xi was thrown back on the road and she hit the ground hard.

    "Help! Help! A pregnantdy has been hit!"

    In the piercing light, Ning Xi could make out two silhouettes and faces which made her want to throw up. She felt her stomach cramp, and she slowly started to lose consciousness from the intense pain. She blinked, and the blood trickling down her forehead flowed into her eyes¡­ she entered a world of darkness.

 Chapter 3: The Little Boy In The Bar

    <h4>Chapter 3: The Little Boy In The Bar</h4>

    5 yearster. In Eden Wine Bar, in a corridor on the top floor.

    Ning Xi had apanied the investors in drinking all night. She was experiencing a splitting headache, and was trying to find a quiet ce to refresh herself. She didn''t think that Chang Li would follow her out, and she could only prepare herself mentally to deal with her.

    "Sister Chang, do you have something to say?"

    "Ning Xi, let me ask you: did you apply to audition for the female lead in <The World>?"

    "Yes, and?"

    You cannot go tomorrow!" Even though Chang Li was Ning Xi''s manager, here she was advising her not to go to an audition for such a huge role in the entertainment industry.

    Ning Xi was unsurprised at her words and merely raised an eyebrow as she asked, "Reason?"

    "First of all, you kept quiet about this and did not tell me, yet you still dare to ask me for a reason? Not to mention, don''t you know thepany has already arranged for Ning Xueluo to audition for the role?"

    "If I audition for the role, that doesn''t sh with thepany''s arrangements." Ning Xi smiled at her. "Did Ning Xueluo ask you to speak to me about this? Is she scared a little unknown rookie like me might actually steal her role?"

    "Do you even have the talent topete with her for roles? You''re insane to even talk about such an impossible dream! Let me tell you now, don''t waste your effort. The Ning family invested 30 million yuan into this drama, so the role will definitely go to Ning Xueluo!"

    "Is that so? Then why do you need to be so nervous?"

    "You''re my artiste! You have to listen to my arrangements for you!" Chang Li said as a matter of course.

    "Oh, so Sister Chang, you do know I am an artiste under you."

    "Ning Xi, I don''t have time to waste with you. Since you don''t ept my kindness and want things the hard way, don''t me me for being merciless!"

    As soon as she said the words, Ning Xi felt a force hit her, and caught off guard, she was pushed into the bar¡¯s storeroom, her cellphone also stolen away.

    BANG! The door mmed shut.

    ¡­

    The footsteps outside the door gradually became quieter as they went further away.

    Knowing that shouting would be useless, Ning Xi leaned against the door and slid down to sit on the floor without a word.

    When Ning Xi had just joined thepany, Ning Xueluo still knew how to restrain herself, and had ordered Chang Li to arrange various viin roles for her;tely, it was bing too much that even such underhanded tricks like locking her in a storeroom were being used.

    If she couldn¡¯t get the role she auditioned for this time, she definitely needed to find a way to leave Starlight Entertainment.

    As she pondered this, she suddenly heard a small sound.

    Don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s a rat?

    Ning Xi nced in the direction the sound hade from, and was shocked.

    Behind a stack of boxes, she could see a little boy.

    The kid appeared to be around four to five years old, with features like finely carved jade, and white and soft like a small bun. He was hiding in the corner shivering, his ck eyes full of wariness and rm.

    Huh, why is there a kid in this bar¡¯s storeroom?

    No way some customer could be preposterous enough to bring a child to a bar, right?

    "Hey, Little Bun, who are you? How did you get in here?"

    "Did you sneak in?"

    "Did someone lock you in here?"

    "Do you eat candy?"

    After asking for what felt like half a day, the child still did not speak, and his trembling only became worse, like frightened prey.

    Ning Xi stopped talking. This didn¡¯t have anything to do with her anyway.

    Thus, an adult and a child each took a corner of their own as they continued to coexist idly.

    At this time, the ceiling light started to flicker, and then went out.

    In the darkness, Ning Xi could hear a chattering sound. After carefully analyzing the sound, she realized it was a noise made by the chattering of teeth.

    Ning Xi couldn¡¯t help butugh, and faced the little bun. "Are you afraid of the dark?"

    The chattering stopped for a second, and then began even louder than before.

    Oh, how could he be such a coward?

    Ning Xi patted her butt as she got up, and walked towards the kid.

 Chapter 4: Saved A Little Bun

    <h4>Chapter 4: Saved A Little Bun</h4>

    The little bun was so scared of Ning Xi, his entire face went pale with fright.

    Meanwhile, she sat down next to the little bun and didn''t do anything except close her eyes to sleep.

    All night, Chang Li had dragged her around to drink with people; it would''ve been even more surprising if her head wasn''t hurting.

    After waking up from a short nap, Ning Xi felt that her leg was warm. She looked down to see the little bun clinging to her, clutching the hem of what she was wearing.

    Ning Xi couldn''t help butugh.

    When she had still been living in the countryside, she had raised a cat. It had been especially cowardly and was deeply afraid of people. The moment it saw anyone, the cat would run. However, if you didn''t pay the cat any attention, it would slowly lower its guard after understanding you didn¡¯t mean it any harm, and the cat would then start to cling to you, and even climb onto your knee to sleep.

    The little bun noticed her gaze and his small face went red with embarrassment, but he no longer showed any fear like before, and instead was filled with curiosity.

    He really resembled that cat, so much so that even his facial expression was the same.

    Ning Xi curled her lips and felt her hand itching until she couldn''t restrain herself, and tousled the little boy''s hair.

    When she touched him, she frowned.

    Why was his forehead so hot?

    "Do you have a fever?"

    Chang Li was going to lock her up in here at least until tomorrow, after the audition was over, and maybe even longer after that.

    If this child were to continue burning with fever, it could prove to be quite fatal.

    In her moment of panic, she realized something wasn''t right. The light in the storeroom had obviously died earlier, so why was there still light inside this ce?

    Lifting her head, she realized there was a very small skylight overhead which was letting light in. Searching the storeroom, Ning Xi found adder, which she ced beneath the window.

    "Little Bun,e here! I''ll help you escape!"

    The little guy showed a reaction for the first time. He shook his little head, and seemed determined not to leave.

    Looking at him, Ning Xi understood what he meant, and smiled while pinching his cheeks.

    "Why do you speak of loyalty? Do you want to stay and suffer with me? Go up, the window''s too small for me, so I can''t leave with you. But you can head out and find someone toe save me."

    Seeing the kid¡¯s hesitation, Ning Xi picked him up directly and put him on thedder.

    "Quick, be a man. Don''t waver. I''ll be down here guarding you!"

    After finally delivering the child safely outside, Ning Xi went down thedder, but started to feel dizzy. In that moment of sudden lightheadedness, she slipped and fell.

    Outside the window, the little bun''s originally expressionless face contorted in terror as he witnessed the scene.

    Ning Xi forced a word out. "Leave¡­"

    Under the starlight, her face was pale and fragile, but it did not overshadow her ethereal beauty. Her eyes, especially, held a sparkling and spirited elegance that mirrored an ocean brimming with a constetion of stars.

    She was no longer the same country bumpkin and ugly duckling from the past.

    However, what use was that?

    Ning Xi smiled bitterly. She hadn¡¯t gotten her revenge yet, and here she was, about to die from a fall.

    At least before dying, she had aplished a good deed; she had saved the little bun.

    If her child had not died that year, he would probably have been the same age.

    Five years ago after that car ident, the Ning family, ashamed of her, had sent her to M country, to a misceneous university for profligate, second-generation rich kids. They had left her to fend for herself.

    She had withdrawn from that school to apply for Nanjia University, where she went crazy learning whatever she could.

    Because she wanted to defeat Ning Xueluo, to reim all of what should have been hers!

    Most importantly, acting was her ultimate dream.

    After returning to the country, she had used her looks and talent to gain Chang Li¡¯s attention. She then sessfully entered one of the biggest entertainmentpanies, Starlight Entertainment.

    Originally, the path under Starlight should have been vast with possibilities. But then Ning Xueluo also entered thepany, and then bribed Chang Li to constantly suppress Ning Xi¡­

 Chapter 5: The Young Master Is Found

    <h4>Chapter 5: The Young Master Is Found</h4>

    Meanwhile, inside the guest room of the Eden Wine Bar, the atmosphere was very tense.

    The bar owner, manager, security, and all rted staff trembled together in a huddle, as if they were all about to face imminent disaster.

    This was all because the Lu Corporation¡¯s young heir, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s precious son, had gone missing in their bar.

    Sitting on the sofa, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression was very cold. He was like an ice sculpture, without the slightest trace of emotion, but he exuded such tremendous pressure that everyone standing before him felt their legs shake, and their sweat fall like rain. No one dared to make a sound.

    At his feet, a young man cried while wiping his snot and tears. "Brother, I¡¯m sorry, this is all my fault! I shouldn¡¯t have brought Little Treasure to a bar! If anything happens to him, I wouldn¡¯t be able to live with myself anymore!"

    After he stopped talking, a kick flew at his chest.

    The sound of bone crunching caused goosebumps. Everyone who was present trembled a bit.

    Lu Jingli clutched his chest and coughed, before climbing back up to resume grovelling.

    Right now, his parents were on vacation outside the country, and did not know that Little Treasure was missing. If they knew, they wouldn¡¯t do something so simple as a kick like his brother ¡ª they would carve him alive.

    Lu Jingli was feeling hopeless and pathetic, when suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

    Standing the closest to the door, the bar owner opened it, and found it odd when he saw no one. But then he lowered his head, and was stunned. "Young¡­ Young Master!!!"

    "Little Treasure¡­? My god! Little Treasure! My darling! Where have you been?" Lu Jingli rolled himself up and hugged him tightly. He was so emotional; he cried bitterly while his snot ran freely.

    Everyone in the room was relieved and felt as though they¡¯d survived a disaster.

    Lu Tingxiao walked a few steps towards the door. He grabbed Lu Jingli by the cor and threw him aside. He then knelt down to speak to his son. "What is it?"

    Finally having escaped his second uncle¡¯s monstrous grip, Little Treasure seized Lu Tingxiao¡¯s hand and hurriedly pulled him forward.

    Lu Tingxiao drew closer to his son and could smell not only the scent of wine, but also a faint fragrance; it wasn¡¯t heavy like perfume, but more like flowers growing out of a cier, emitting a light and cool scent. It gave him a sense of vague familiarity, but also a small dose of fear.

    Noticing that Lu Tingxiao was not moving, Little Treasure pointed in a direction with his small finger with an extremely worried expression.Lu Tingxiao picked his son up in his arms and started in the direction his son wanted him to go.

    Behind him, the remaining people looked at each other helplessly before following.

    Five minutester, the group was standing before the door to the bar¡¯s storeroom on the top floor.

    Little Treasure twisted his body to get down from his father¡¯s arms and started banging anxiously on the storeroom door.

    "What is it, Little Treasure? What¡¯s in there?" Lu Jingli¡¯s forehead was covered in sweat.

    Without expression, Lu Tingxiao ordered, "Open the door."

    "Yes, yes, yes!" The bar owner repeatedly nodded his head, then turned around to look at the female manager beside him. "Manager Ye, why are you still just standing around? Open the door quickly! Where are the keys?"

    "Ah¡­ open¡­ open the door?" The female manager went rigid.

    What bad luck! That woman Ning Xi was still in there! She had promised Chang Li that she would lock her up in there at least until the audition was over!

    However, with the Lu family¡¯s two masters and her boss waiting, she couldn¡¯t say no. She could only tremble as she took out the keys to open the door.

    Once the door was opened, everyone saw a woman lying on the floor unconscious.

    "What is this? Why is there a woman in here?" The owner flew into a rage.

    "I¡­ I don¡¯t know! I checked this area earlier and there wasn¡¯t anybody here!" The female manager hid her guilt as she defended herself.

    "Quick! Let¡¯s just save her first and then discuss it!"

    Just then, someone ran over to Ning Xi. Little Treasure threw himself onto Ning Xi, his expression fierce, not letting anyone approach her.

 Chapter 6: The Sparkling Golden Prince

    <h4>Chapter 6: The Sparkling Golden Prince</h4>

    "President Lu, this¡­" The bar owner felt helpless; he didn¡¯t understand at all how this situation hade about.

    Lu Tingxiao nced coldly at the female manager¡¯s guilty expression, then looked at thedder, which was under the skylight in the ceiling, big enough to allow a child through. He could roughly deduce what had happened here.

    He waved his hand to dismiss everyone, then walked over and directly picked the woman up in his arms.

    In his embrace, the soft, cool scent from before returned, and was even more distinct.

    Seeing Lu Tingxiao pick her up, Little Treasure did not stop him, but his expression showed his unwillingness. It appeared as though he was saying that if he wasn¡¯t so small, he¡¯d pick her up himself.

    ¡­

    In the First People¡¯s Republic Hospital in B City.

    By the time Ning Xi woke up, it was already the next morning.

    When she opened her eyes, she could see a man sitting on a chair by the window.

    His long legs were casually crossed. He wore a slim-fitting tailored suit which emphasized his broad shoulders and slender waist. His white shirt was buttoned all the way up to the cor. He was bathed in sunlight, but his body appeared to be shrouded in an ancient frost. His cool and calm demeanor was like that of an olden day emperor.

    The man noticed her observing him, and directed a gaze as deep as the ocean at her. His chilling stare seemed to pierce through her.

    The look he gave her felt intrusive, like a sharp surgery knife dissecting her piece by piece; it made her bones shudder.

    Ning Xi decided to join the battle, unwilling to lose to this stranger and his ufortable gaze. She asked impatiently, "Mister, if I may ask, how did I end up here? Did you see a little boy? He¡¯s four to five years old, doesn¡¯t like to speak, appears white and soft but also a bit dull!"

    Dull¡­

    The man raised an eyebrow at her description, then nced to her right, his voice as cold as his appearance. "Are you talking about Little Treasure?"

    Ning Xi quickly followed his line of sight and saw a white, soft little bun lying asleep on the small bed by her side.

    "Right! That¡¯s him! His name is Little Treasure?"

    Ning Xi let out a sigh of relief and reached over to feel Little Treasure¡¯s forehead. His fever had already subsided.

    Before, when she had helped the child escape, she had regretted it a bit. He was just a child, and with a fever, in such a rough ce like that wine bar, what would she have done if something had happened to him?

    Ning Xi then turned around to face the ice statue. "You are this child¡¯s¡­?"

    As soon as these words left her mouth, Ning Xi realized she didn¡¯t even need to ask.

    The man and the child seemed to havee from the same mold. It was apparent that they were father and son.

    Still, the ice statue replied, "Father."

    "Hi beautiful, you¡¯re awake. I¡¯m Little Treasure¡¯s Second Uncle!"

    Abruptly, arge face rushed over towards her, causing her to retreat backward until she saw the man¡¯s face and stopped. "Lu¡­ Lu Jingli?"

    He was the Lu Corporation¡¯s second prince, Glory World Entertainment¡¯s boss, but leaving his stunning looks and titles aside, he was a yboy. He had made more scandalous appearances in the media than many celebrities and artistes.

    She could never mistaken his face.

    If the ice statue was Little Treasure¡¯s father, and Lu Jingli was Little Treasure¡¯s second uncle¡­

    Then wouldn¡¯t the ice statue be Lu Jingli¡¯s older brother, Lu Tingxiao?

    Lu Tingxiao was Jing City¡¯s famous God of Fortune. His existence was like a king sans a crown!

    Who would have thought the child she had saved was the mysterious illegitimate son of Lu Tingxiao, the sparkling golden prince¡­

 Chapter 7: Big Bun Wants To Pay With His Body

    <h4>Chapter 7: Big Bun Wants To Pay With His Body</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao carefully sized up the woman on the hospital bed, scrutinizing her expression to see if it was real or fake.

    After a long time, he finally believed that she had not known about Little Treasure¡¯s identity and circumstances. He calmly said, "State your request."

    "Ah, what request?" Ning Xi did not understand at all what he meant by those three words.

    "My brother means to thank you for saving Little Treasure, so he¡¯s asking if you have any requests!" Lu Jingli looked at her as though to say, you¡¯ve hit the jackpot.

    Ning Xi¡¯s brain started to turn, and she said seriously, "Actually, you don¡¯t have to thank me. I saved Little Treasure, and in turn he also saved me. If it wasn¡¯t for Little Treasure going out to find someone, I would have still been trapped inside, so we¡¯re even."

    Although she had indeed saved the young master, how could she dare ask for a reward? The more money one had, the more likely they would be deluded into thinking others were out to get them, especially since this was the Lu family, one of the wealthiest and most prominent families around. It would be good enough they didn¡¯t think she had nned all this. Look at how wary Lu Tingxiao was when he watched her.

    To avoid potential problems, it was best to end all rtions with them here.

    Ning Xi thought her reply was faultless, but Lu Tingxiao still looked dissatisfied. Seeing this, she felt fearful.

    Did she say something wrong? Why was his face so scary?

    "Brother, your expression is so scary, if I didn¡¯t know you were trying to repay her kindness, I would have thought you were here for revenge!" Lu Jingli couldn¡¯t help saying, as he couldn¡¯t bear to see a beauty so frightened. He then turned to Ning Xi to say, "My brother doesn¡¯t like to owe favors, so please just ask for something! Don¡¯t be so courteous!"

    Were there people who would actually force requests out of others?

    Ning Xi curled her lips. "I¡¯m not being courteous, but really, there¡¯s no need. I¡¯ve only said the truth, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can check¡­"

    "No need," Lu Tingxiao said sinctly; his expression became impatient.

    Lu Jingli opened his mouth. "We¡¯ve already checked the security camera in the bar storeroom. Little Treasure ran in there himself, and as for you, the manager has already admitted to locking you in there, so don¡¯t worry. We don¡¯t suspect you of anything, and you did save Little Treasure, so just request something!"

    Amazing, now we¡¯re back to where we started!

    Finally, Ning Xi ran out of ideas, and under Lu Tingxiao¡¯s chilling gaze, she gave in and said, "How about¡­ you give me money?"

    Don¡¯t all rich people like to solve problems immediately with money?

    Lu Tingxiao should also be the type to think the same way!

    If she didn¡¯t ask for money, they might think she wanted one of the young masters instead.

    Right when she believed she had made the right request, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression turned even uglier.

    Ning Xi was about to cry. Why did he have to be so taciturn? Can¡¯t you just say what you want to say? Would a few words kill you?

    Lu Jingli rubbed his nose as he tranted, "My brother believes that giving money insults the other person."

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart was howling: No problem, just insult me!!!

    The Lu family was too unique, she really couldn¡¯t think of a reasonable request at the moment. It was at this point in their stalemate that Lu Tingxiao opened his mouth ¡ª

    "Marry me."

    Ning Xi froze for a second, then began coughing heavily, almost choking herself to death on her own saliva. "Cough cough cough¡­ what did you say?"

    After finally seeding in stopping her coughs, she immediately looked at Lu Jingli.

    Second Master, please trante!!!

    But this time, it was not just Ning Xi who was stumped; even Lu Jingli was also dazed. "Brother, what did you mean? This time, I really cannot trante!"

    Ning Xi suddenly had a lightbulb moment. She asked in a haltering tone, "Is it because I saved your son that you¡¯ve decided to repay me with your body?"

    Lu Tingxiao inclined his head slightly and thought about it before he nodded. "You could say that."

 Chapter 8: Donâ€™t You Like Men?

    <h4>Chapter 8: Don¡¯t You Like Men?</h4>

    Ning Xi felt like she was dreaming as she stared at the cold, expressionless face on the man before her. She held her forehead weakly, "Doctor¡­ where¡¯s the doctor? I think I might have hit my head so hard that my brain is not working properly. I¡¯m hallucinating¡­"

    On the side, Lu Jingli¡¯s expression was guileless. "I didn¡¯t hit my head, did my brain break down too?"

    At this very moment, Ning Xi simply could not ept the reality before her.

    She had saved Little Treasure, so now his father wanted to repay her with his body?

    If this was anyone else, that would have been fine. If it was someone just a bit handsome, then it could be considered a lucky romantic encounter.

    But this person was Lu Tingxiao, Lu Tingxiao!

    When it came to looks, she was not bad, but Lu Tingxiao was the kind of beauty even the most gorgeous of women might have never seen before.

    If he just fancied her, she wouldn¡¯t be so surprised. If Lu Tingxiao only took her looks into consideration and wanted to y around with her, that was understandable. But he had said: "Marry me," which was the most frightening of all.

    Most importantly¡­

    "Don¡¯t you like men?" Ning Xi blurted out.

    "Bahahaha¡­" Lu Jingli wasughing so hard, he fell over.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face became ck like the bottom of a pot, instantly filling the whole ward with a dark atmosphere.

    After a long time, Lu Jingli finally stoppedughing. "If my brother likes men, where did Little Treasuree from?"

    "Hm, surrogate pregnancy and artificial insemination?"

    "If my brother likes men, why would he offer you his body?"

    "To cover up his true sexual orientation?"

    "Hahahahaha¡­ brother, I really can¡¯t help you anymore¡­"

    "I also heard¡­ heard that the two of you are together¡­" Ning Xi¡¯s meek gaze shifted between the two brothers.

    "Cough cough cough¡­" Lu Jingli was so startled, he choked. "Bullsheet, those tastes are too heavy for me! Though, this young master is indeed very handsome, I could be both ady-killer and a man-killer¡­"

    At this time, a stormy person slowly rose from his chair, his long legs striding over towards Ning Xi. "Jingli, take Little Treasure out."

    "Ah? Brother, what are you going to do?"

    Lu Tingxiao fixed his sleevesnguidly. "To prove my true sexual orientation to Miss Ning."

    Seeing his expression darken, with a gaze which looked as though he wanted to devour her whole, Ning Xi was so scared, she fell off the bed. She hid behind Little Treasure, and almost wanted to hide under the bed.

    "Mister Lu, it has nothing to do with me, it¡¯s what other people are saying, I¡¯m just repeating it! Also, you really, really don¡¯t have to thank me, but if you really, really want me to request something from you, then my request is that you don¡¯t ask me for a request again¡­ Ah, I¡¯m sorry, I have a really important audition right now, so I¡¯ll be leaving first! If fate shall have it, let us meet again then ¡ª!"

    Ning Xi hastily finished speaking and was about to escape.

    But after having only taken a few steps, Lu Tingxiao said in a cold voice behind her, "Did I allow you to leave?"

    Ning Xi was so scared, her legs began to tremble.

    My life is over!

    A few secondster, under Ning Xi¡¯s ready-for-death gaze, Lu Tingxiao handed her a sheet of paper and a pen. "Could I trouble Miss Ning to write a note for Little Treasure, to prevent him worrying when he wakes up?"

    That¡­ that¡¯s it?

    She had survived a disaster!

    "Of course, of course, no problem at all! I can even write ten thousand words and that wouldn¡¯t be a problem!" Ning Xi breathed heavily with relief and picked up the pen to begin writing.

    After she was done writing, she immediately ran off in a frenzy.

    Watching her back as she left, the man¡¯s gaze turned contemtive, as though watching prey that had already been cored.

    After Ning Xi left, Lu Jingli sidled over to his brother and bounced up and down. "Brother, am I dreaming? Do you really like Ning Xi? After all these years, even a dull piece of metal like you can be carved into a fine needle. You¡¯ve never once fancied a girl. Even I, your own brother, was beginning to wonder if you were bent¡­"

    The moment the word "bent" came out, his older brother cut him off. "Shut up."

    "En," Lu Jingli choked.

    His belly was filled with gossip, and not being able to ask for the truth was really killing him!

 Chapter 9: The Girl Who Didnâ€™t Come For The Audition

    <h4>Chapter 9: The Girl Who Didn¡¯t Come For The Audition</h4>

    It was currently rush hour, so there was a traffic jam. Although Ning Xi had rushed over, by the time she reached the building hosting the auditions, she was alreadyte.

    Chang Li walked out of the building with a very happy Ning Xueluo, who was surrounded by people congratting her.

    From a distance, seeing Ning Xi drenched in sweat as she came running, Ning Xueluo looked at her with the exact same expression from five years ago.

    She looked at her as though she was looking at an ant.

    Ning Xi watched Ning Xueluo get into her van and immediately depart. However, Ning Xi did not leave, and instead rushed into the building.

    It was still not toote!

    About halfway to her intended destination, she ran into a group of people who were chatting happily. They were the casting judges for the drama <The World>.

    "I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte!" Ning Xi bowed deeply.

    Noticing Ning Xi unexpectedly blocking their path, a few of the judges began to frown, expressing their displeasure.

    Was there anyone who liked tardy people?

    The assistant director grimaced. "The auditions are already over. What¡¯s the point in rushing over now? Youngsters are getting worse and worse these days!"

    "I¡¯m not here to audition for the female lead!" Ning Xi replied.

    "Eh? If you¡¯re not here to audition for the female lead, then what did youe here to audition for?" the screenwriter asked curiously.

    "I want to audition for the second female lead, Meng Changge! From what I know, thest time there were auditions for the second female lead, you still weren¡¯t able to find someone suitable!" After she finished speaking, she lifted her head.

    The moment Ning Xi lifted her head, there was a five-second silence, and the unpleasant expressions cleared.

    They could only notice the girl¡¯s red lips and white teeth, her ck hair falling down to her waist. She wore a red, cored dress that was very showy; however, it did not overshadow her beauty, but insteadplimented her.

    She stood there quietly with an aura as deep as a forest, like she was a thousand-year-old fox spirit, with bewitching eyes that could cause people to drown unwittingly in desire. She exuded a mature and seductive aura, yet seemed so innocent. Her eyes had a crystal clear depth to them.

    "What¡¯s your name?" It wasn¡¯t until Director Guo Qisheng spoke that all the casting judges came back to their senses, as if from a beguiling dream.

    "Ning Xi."

    Director Guo shared nces with his assistant director, the producer, and the screenwriter before saying, "That sounds familiar. You¡¯re an artiste with Starlight Entertainment, correct? Go back and prepare, the role is yours! When we start filming, we¡¯ll contact you."

    "Thank you, director! I will work hard to prepare!" Ning Xi bowed her thanks.

    From the start, Ning Xi¡¯s goal had been to be the second female lead.

    For this role, she had practised for three months, working hard to understand Meng Changge¡¯s feelings and the impression she gave, in order to impress the judges with just one nce.

    Although she had endured a lot of hardships, it had been worth it. She had seeded.

    After Ning Xi left, Director Guo couldn¡¯t help but feel admiration. "We tried so hard to find an actress, but she found us instead! Even though this girl is signed with Starlight, she doesn¡¯t have enough work experience, and with such poor qualifications, I never once thought of her for the second female lead. Who knew in real life she would be so much more beautiful than in her photos!"

    The screenwriter, Ye Ling Long, couldn¡¯t resist saying, "Her most admirable qualities were her temperament and manners. Her gaze was absolutely perfect. Meng Changge was a domineering female general before she became the disastrous beauty that she is, and this girl perfectly captured this. She can be seductive without being vulgar and can even maintain a sense of purity and detached intelligence. In the previous auditions for the role, all the actresses acted as though they were ying the queen of a brothel. I almost died of anger!"

    "Hahaha, don¡¯t be angry. Haven¡¯t you finally found your long-awaited Changge?"

    ¡­

    At the same time, in the First People¡¯s Republic Hospital in B City.

    The VIP patient room which Little Treasure was staying in was in chaos.

    The kid was crouched atop the windowsill, his emotions extremely vtile. No matter what the doctors or nurses said, he wouldn¡¯te down.

    Below Little Treasure, Lu JingLi tried to coax and calm him down, but the one being pleaded with didn¡¯t give in to his uncle''s cajoling.

    Left with no choice, Lu Jingli could only make a call to thepany to ask Lu Tingxiao toe back.

 Chapter 10: Little Treasure Rampages

    <h4>Chapter 10: Little Treasure Rampages</h4>

    "Brother, you came back. Your Little Treasure suddenly threw a tantrum!"

    "What happened?" Lu Tingxiao asked in a low voice.

    "I don¡¯t know what happened. When he woke up, he started trying to find someone. I thought maybe he was searching for Ning Xi, so I told him that the pretty auntie had left. After saying that, he started going wild. Little Treasure really seems to like Ning Xi, he wouldn¡¯t listen to anyone and became like this!"

    This was the first time in a while that Little Treasure was this emotionally unstable.

    After hearing the whole story, Lu Tingxiao went to Little Treasure.

    The kid became rmed and shrank back after noticing his approach. His eyes were reserved and cautious. He wouldn¡¯t even acknowledge his own father.

    Lu Tingxiao stopped three steps shy of Little Treasure and calmly said, "When your second uncle said Auntie left, that¡¯s exactly what he meant. She is well physically, and only left the hospital to go home. She did not die and leave this world, not like your grandmother who died and never came back. Do you understand?"

    Lu Tingxiao could only be this patient and speak so much with his son.

    Lu Jingli was speechless. "Are you kidding me? I only said two words ''she left'', and he imagined so much?"

    Actually, it wasn''t strange at all for Little Treasure to have an erratic state of mind, since he had been traumatised and frightened by seeing Ning Xi fall.

    After hearing Lu Tingxiao''s exnation, Little Treasure stopped screaming, and instead remained motionless on the windowsill.

    Lu Tingxiao then took out a note. "She wanted me to give this to you. Do you want to look at it?"

    Little Treasure paused, and like someone flicking on a switch, he raised his head and spread his arms, indicating for Lu Tingxiao to pick him up.

    Lu Jingli: "¡­"

    All the doctors and nurses present: "¡­"

    Everyone had worked so hard to the point of near copse, yet Lu Tingxiao had handled the situation with a single note?

    Before, when Lu Tingxiao had asked Ning Xi to write a note, Lu Jingli had felt his brother''s action was meaningless; however, he was now impressed.

    Lu Tingxiao picked up his son and sat down on the sofa before he handed the note to him.

    Little Treasure impatiently took the note. He had already long learned how to read and write.

    "Darling, thanks for saving me, you''re amazing¡­"

    Seeing the words on the note and the little drawing of a heart on the back, his eyes glittered, his face flushed red and he couldn¡¯t help but smile, puffing his cheeks up. His face was undeniably adorable.

    Lu Jingli looked like he had seen a ghost. "Bullsheet, am I going blind, brother? Our Little Treasure actually smiled! I can¡¯t remember how long it has been since hest smiled! What did Ning Xi write in that note?"

    Lu Jingli tried to take a peek, but Little Treasure hid the note away like it was treasure.

    But Lu Jingli had already seen it. It was just a simple message, and yet it could bring such happiness to Little Treasure? This Ning Xi was really not simple!

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything, and only looked at his son with a gentle gaze.

    Now that Little Treasure was awake, Lu Tingxiao brought him home after canceling all his business matters just so he could apany his son.

    ¡­

    Late at night, at the tinum Residence No. 8.

    In arge, cold and cheerless living room, two people ¡ª one big and one small ¡ª sat at a dining table facing each other, their expressions just as cold.

    Lu Tingxiao: "Eat."

    Little Treasure wouldn¡¯t listen.

    Lu Tingxiao: "I¡¯m saying it onest time."

    Little Treasure remained unmoved.

    Lu Tingxiao: "Do you think by refusing to eat, you can sessfully threaten me?"

    Little Treasure, like an old monk sitting in meditation, waspletely immersed in his own little world, hardly reacting to anything from outside.

    The father and son pair continued to face off against each other.

    One hourter¡­

    Lu Tingxiao dialed his brother Lu Jingli¡¯s number. "Send Ning Xi¡¯s address to me."

    In the end, starvation proved to really work.

    Lu Jingli was efficient, and immediately sent Ning Xi¡¯s address to his brother¡¯s cellphone, followed by a bunch of questions trying to satisfy his gossipy nature, which Lu Tingxiao of course ignored.

    This time, without Lu Tingxiao even saying a word, Little Treasure immediately followed suit after noticing his father pick up a coat and his car keys.

    Lu Tingxiao nced down at his son walking next to him, and had no choice but to pick him up in his arms. "Just this once."

 Chapter 11: Big Bun And Little Bun

    <h4>Chapter 11: Big Bun And Little Bun</h4>

    After Ning Xi returned from the audition, she freshened up before heading out to the supermarket to buy hot pot ingredients, some dishes, and beer.

    After experiencing such an ordeal, she had to have a hot pot celebration at home!

    A single person having hot pot by herself was really the ultimate level of loneliness.

    However, she had always been by herself, so she was used to it.

    Right after she had started heating up the pot and finished preparing the dishes, the doorbell rang.

    Who could possibly visit at this hour?

    Ning Xi opened the door curiously, and was shocked.

    On her doorstep stood Lu Tingxiao in a neat suit under arge, ck coat. In his arms, he carried Little Treasure, who was holding a colorful fruits basket.

    This was an¡­ odd pairing?

    "Mister Lu?" Ning Xi felt so frightened. "Why did youe here? It''s quitete. Is something the matter?"

    "To check on your health," Lu Tingxiao replied curtly.

    Check on my health?

    Personallying over to her cete at night, bringing Little Treasure with him?

    She had only been hurt slightly, she could still run and jump around.

    "Ah, Mister Lu, you''re too kind. Pleasee in. I apologize since my home is a little messy." Ning Xi couldn''t process the situation fast enough. She felt extremely flustered as she invited them in and then hurriedly tidied up what she could, shoving magazines under the sofa and her scattered clothes under the bed.

    "Sit wherever you like. Would you like anything to drink? Will tea and milk do?" She tried to guess what Lu Tingxiao would want, but he was too much of a mystery for her to figure out.

    "That''s fine." Lu Tingxiao nodded his head, his expression making him seem like a soldier reporting to his superiors.

    Ning Xi boiled some water for Lu Tingxiao''s tea and poured a ss of milk for Little Treasure.

    Lu Tingxiao''s long andnky figure made him appear a bit squished on the couch with Little Treasure beside him.

    Not only did the father and son pair have cool, handsome features, even their expressions appeared the same.

    They were both expressionless.

    And wouldn''t speak.

    And created the same cold, silent atmosphere.

    When Ning Xi saw this, she wanted to cry, but had no tears.

    Really, what did these twoe here for?

    At this moment, the pot started to wheeze, and an enticing spicy smell filled the air.

    To break the silence, Ning Xi casually asked, "Have you two eaten dinner yet? I prepared a hot pot, would you like to eat together?"

    Lu Tingxiao: "Okay."

    Little Treasure nodded his head.

    She simply asked out of politeness, what were they implying by agreeing so readily?

    One was a big CEO and the other was a young master. What treasures and delicacies had they not tried, and yet they would run over to her ce to eat amoner''s spicy hot pot with her?

    Ning Xi couldn''t bear to bring out the food.

    But since she had already offered, she could only be thick-skinned by leading them to the table and putting out another two sets of chopsticks and bowls.

    "The soup base I bought is pretty spicy. Can you handle spicy food?" Ning Xi asked restlessly.

    Lu Tingxiao: "That''s fine."

    Little Treasure nodded again.

    Okay¡­

    Ning Xi brought the prepared ingredients over.

    Lu Tingxiao didn''t eat much and for the most part, he cooked vegetables for them; however, Little Treasure loved spicy food as much as she did, and the two of them couldn''t stop eating once they tasted the spiciness in their mouths.

    After a while, Ning Xi felt a little worried. "Isn''t it bad if children eat too much spicy food?"

    If something happened to the little prince, she wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the responsibility.

    "He''s not that weak," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Hearing this, Ning Xi didn''t say anything else.

    "How was the audition?" The silent and cold machine Lu Tingxiao had finally taken the initiative to speak first.

    Ning Xi was shocked, but recovered quickly and replied, "It was sessful, that''s why I prepared this hot pot celebration tonight!"

    Lu Tingxiao raised his cup. "Congrattions."

    Who knew the first one to congratte her would be Lu Tingxiao?

 Chapter 12: Staying Overnight

    <h4>Chapter 12: Staying Overnight</h4>

    Ning Xi smiled genuinely and lightly nked her beer against his cup. "Thanks!"

    The moment she smiled, Lu Tingxiao felt blinded.

    After Ning Xi said her thanks, she looked at Little Treasure. "This is also thanks to Little Treasure. If it wasn¡¯t for him, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to rush over for my audition. Come darling, let¡¯s have a drink too!"

    Little Treasure looked at his ss of milk and then looked at Ning Xi and his father¡¯s beers. He felt unwilling, but ultimately, he clinked his cup against Ning Xi¡¯s beer and chugged all his milk.

    Ning Xi found his serious demeanor amusing. Did he know about drinking away his sorrows like adults?

    Halfway through dinner, Lu Tingxiao went to the patio to receive an iing call.

    Ning Xi nudged Little Treasure and handed her beer to him. "Hehe, are you curious about the taste? Quick, while your father isn¡¯t here, have a little bit! But only one sip!"

    Little Treasure¡¯s eyes lit up like stars in the sky, and he lowered his head to drink a bit.

    Although the taste wasn¡¯t good, he was extremely happy nheless.

    After Lu Tingxiao finished his call and came back, Ning Xi was sitting properly and pretending nothing had happened.

    Little Treasure was even more professional, slowly drinking his milk. Nothing out of the ordinary.

    Lu Tingxiao looked as though he hadn¡¯t notice anything, but a brief warmth flickered in his eyes.

    The three of them had pretty good appetites. Ning Xi had bought a lot of groceries, but they still managed to finish everything.

    Ning Xi saw the time and realized it was getting prettyte. Just as she thought about whether or not they should head back soon, lightning shed outside the window, followed by loud booming sounds of thunder. It looked like the onset of a heavy storm.

    "I watched the weather channel today, and they announced that tonight there was going to be a storm followed by a typhoon¡­"

    Ning Xi felt a headacheing on as she looked at the rain outside her window. Little Treasure looked at Ning Xi, as did Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Finally, after being stared at by the father and son pair for a while, she said, "It¡¯ste. The weather isn¡¯t looking good, so if Mister Lu were to bring Little Treasure home, it might be dangerous. How about¡­ you two stay the night here with me?"

    She had said this out of courtesy, and she felt that Lu Tingxiao would definitely not agree to it.

    In the end¡­

    Lu Tingxiao: "Alright."

    Little Treasure nodded his little head repeatedly.

    What, he agreed again¡­

    Lu Tingxiao is too unreserved!

    Why did she feel as though they both had been waiting for her to make the offer?

    She was about to go crazy!

    In the end, Lu Tingxiao and Little Treasure would stay the night.

    The residence herpany had given her was not big: it only had a bedroom and a living room. Deciding where the three of them would sleep was going to be a problem.

    "Tonight, I¡¯ll sleep in the living room. Mister Lu, you and Little Treasure can sleep in my bedroom. I¡¯m going to go change the bedsheets first¡­"

    "No need, I¡¯ll sleep in the living room. You can sleep with Little Treasure in the bedroom." Lu Tingxiao¡¯s tone allowed no further discussion.

    Ning Xi felt that she had sinned; not only did she let the big CEO eat a cheap hot pot, she was making him sleep in the living room.

    If it had only been Lu Tingxiao without his son tonight ¡ª even if it was hailing ¡ª she wouldn¡¯t have allowed him to stay, since a single man and a single woman under one roof would only be trouble, especially after what Lu Tingxiao had said to her during the day. But she had no choice, and there was also Little Treasure.

    For Lu Tingxiao to bring his son home in such bad weather would be really dangerous. With Little Treasure here, the situation couldn¡¯t be so bad, right?

    Ning Xi could only ept her fate. "I¡¯ll go see if I can find some clothes for you both so that you can wash and change¡­"

    After rummaging through her closet, she really did find some.

 Chapter 13: Having A Child Is Really Not Easy

    <h4>Chapter 13: Having A Child Is Really Not Easy</h4>

    Ning Xi had some props from one of her part-time jobs, one of which was a pair of Pikachu costume pajamas for children. She had casually packed it away, but now it was perfect for Little Treasure to wear.

    Finding clothes for Lu Tingxiao was even easier since her younger brother had left some of his clothes at her ce.

    After reuniting with her birth parents, Ning Xi had felt guilty towards her adoptive parents. She couldn''t bring herself to face them properly, and so she slowly lost touch with them, only keeping in touch with her brother, Tang Luo.

    After finding all the clothes, Ning Xi also found a nket and pillow for Lu Tingxiao.

    The sofa in the living room wasn''t big enough, and could not amodate Lu Tingxiao¡¯s long legs, so she could only add a chair to extend the length.

    Little Treasure was really good at not letting others worry about him, as he had already showered by himself, put on the pajamas, and climbed into bed.

    After Ning Xi finished showering, she put on some conservative sleepwear and confirmed she wasn''t revealing any inappropriate parts of her body.

    "Then¡­ Mister Lu, I''m going to bed now. If you need anything, just call for me."

    "Alright." Seeing a Ning Xi who had just showered, Lu Tingxiao was disoriented for a moment. Soon after, his gaze became focused, and his vision was filled with only her.

    Her hair was tied into a simple bun and she was wearing the most basic design for two-piece pajamas. She wasn¡¯t wearing any makeup, but her jade-like skin had a natural flush from the steam of her hot shower.

    Seeing that Ning Xi had purposely dressed conservatively, there should be nothing inappropriate about her appearance.

    In Lu Tingxiao''s heart, however, there was a problem, because he noticed that a certain part of his lower body was slowly rousing itself.

    ¡­

    Ning Xi went into her bedroom, and suddenly noticing the little creature on her bed, she felt intrigued.

    Sincest night, a lot of unexpected things had happened that were beyond her control.

    "Quickly go to sleep." She knelt next to Little Treasure after turning off all the lights except for the small one by the side of the bed.

    Little Treasure kept his eyes open, indicating his intention to stay awake.

    Ning Xi started to have a headache.

    A bedtime story was required to lull a child like this to sleep.

    Ning Xi helplessly threw up her hands. "I don''t know how to tell stories, so how about I sing you a song?"

    Little Treasure nodded his head, his face expectant.

    And so, Ning Xi lightly patted Little Treasure''s back and began to sing softly:

    "On a somewhat cold and warm autumn day

    Tranquilly by your side

    Quietly watching the flickering light dance

    The wind carries a few red leaves

    Stirred up hearts go on and on

    Between being half drunk and half awake

    Iugh uncontrobly

    Let me float like the snowkes amongst the clouds

    Using my frigid coldness to kiss others lightly

    Bringing out waves of their emotions

    Leaving behind who knows how much love in the world

    While weing fleeting life and its many changes

    ¡­"

    Ning Xi stopped singing here because the next line was: "Doing joyous matters with your lover¡­"

    How was this lyric appropriate for such a young child?

    "Cough, Auntie won''t sing the rest of this song so I''ll sing a different one for you!"

    Little Treasure was very cooperative and nodded his head in agreement.

    Ning Xi searched her brain for the safest, most appropriate song for a child: "In a happy pond, there was a little frog. It jumped and danced like a prince had possessed its body. With its handsome gaze, no other frog was more beautiful. Then one day, it was awakened by a princess. I believe in miracles, I believe I will one day be your partnerll¡­"

    After singing the frog song three times, she finally heard the sweet sounds of breathing by her side.

    Having a child is really not easy!

    She suddenly felt great admiration towards Lu Tingxiao as a single father.

    She didn''t know who Little Treasure''s mother was, but why did she give birth to him and not stay with Lu Tingxiao?

    Was it because her status was too low and the Lu family wouldn''t ept her?

    Or had she and Lu Tingxiao quarreled over some unknown matter?

    While thinking of all these possibilities, Ning Xi gradually sumbed to the dream realm.

    Halfway through the night, Ning Xi was scared awake by a sound from the living room.

 Chapter 14: Lighting A Fire Is Really Easy

    <h4>Chapter 14: Lighting A Fire Is Really Easy</h4>

    Little Treasure slept heavily as Ning Xi lightly got off the bed to find out what had happened.

    Opening her bedroom door, she saw Lu Tingxiao pouring himself a ss of water, one hand clutching his stomach and his face ghastly pale.

    Ning Xi rushed over. "Mister Lu, are you alright?"

    "It''s nothing."

    "Do you have a stomachache?"

    Lu Tingxiao was silent.

    Ning Xi knew she had guessed right.

    Lu Tingxiao couldn''t handle spicy food. But if he couldn''t handle it, why had he still eaten it?

    "Wait a second, I''ll get you some medicine."

    Luckily, her house was well-stocked with medical supplies.

    Ning Xi hurriedly brought over the stomach medication. "You have to eat both pills."

    "Thanks." Lu Tingxiao took the caplets from her palm, the coolness of his skin lightly grazing hers and giving her a shock which engraved itself into her heart.

    It was currently veryte into the night, and with a beauty standing before her, in such a difficult, dangerous situation, it was very easy to light a fire!

    Ning Xi silently recited math equations in her head to calm her heart. As she watched Lu Tingxiao take his medicine, she felt it wouldn''t be appropriate to just leave, and decided to apany him for a while.

    "Is it better now? Do we need to go to the hospital? I''m sorry, I didn''t know you couldn''t eat spicy food¡­"

    Originally, she was worried about Little Treasure eating too much spicy food, but in the end, Little Treasure was fine but Lu Tingxiao was not. What kind of situation was this¡­

    "It''s no big deal."

    Both of them didn''t say anything for a while before Lu Tingxiao finally opened his mouth: "Tonight we came to bother you because Little Treasure wanted to see you."

    Ning Xi felt surprised. "Little Treasure wanted to see me?"

    "Since you saved him after the scare he received in the bar storeroom, Little Treasure is now very reliant on you," Lu Tingxiao exined.

    Ning Xi realized that if Little Treasure was nearby or whenever the topic of Little Treasure came up, Lu Tingxiao''s unfathomable cold demeanor would soften; he was not as frightening as he had been at the hospital during the day.

    "So it was like this¡­" Ning Xi nodded her head.

    The atmosphere created from being up thiste at night tended to make people lower their guards and confess their worries, so Ning Xi asked a question she''d been thinking about a lot. "That, if I may boldly ask, does Little Treasure not know how to speak?"

    She had never heard Little Treasure utter a single word. The little guy only knew how to nod or shake his head.

    "It''s not that he doesn''t know how, he just doesn''t want to speak," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    "So it''s a psychological issue?" Ning Xi furrowed her brow.

    "Yes." Lu Tingxiao didn''t intend to hide anything.

    "This¡­" It was almost as she had guessed.

    As for the issue of what had happened to trigger the child¡¯s trauma like this, Ning Xi dared not ask further about such a secret.

    "Miss Ning." Lu Tingxiao suddenly fixed his attention on her. His gaze was cold, yet it gave her a scorching hot feeling which excited and exhausted her.

    "Yes?" Ning Xi froze under his gaze.

    "Have we met somewhere before?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    If anyone else had asked this question, Ning Xi would assume that the other person was hitting on her using apletely worn out pick-up line. But the person speaking was Lu Tingxiao. Also, there was an entirely serious and honest expression in his eyes.

    "I don¡¯t think we have. If I had seen a person like you before, Mister Lu, it¡¯s impossible that I would have no recollection of it whatsoever¡­ that, is there a problem?" Ning Xi¡¯s tone was firm. Even if she was the eldest miss of the Ning family, there was absolutely no possibility of having met Lu Tingxiao, who was of a higher and different ss.

    "It¡¯s nothing." Lu Tingxiao directed his gaze, dark as the night outside, towards the window. He seemed forlorn.

    If this kind of t¨ºte-¨¤-t¨ºte continued, the atmosphere would not be good!

    "Mister Lu, if you¡¯re alright now, I¡¯m going to head back to bed," Ning Xi said carefully.

    Lu Tingxiao saw through her and waved his hand. "No rush. Sit."

    No rush! She was really rushed, okay!

 Chapter 15: You Want To Sleep with Me But Not Marry Me?

    <h4>Chapter 15: You Want To Sleep with Me But Not Marry Me?</h4>

    With a face like she was about to cry, Ning Xi sat down obediently, like a student in ss.

    Lu Tingxiao rested his head in one hand. "Are you that scared of me?"

    Ate night Lu Tingxiao was much more unreserved than the daytime Lu Tingxiao, so he was even more dangerous.

    Ning Xi shook her head like a rattle, but then nodded her head. "You¡¯re a king. Who wouldn¡¯t be afraid of you?"

    Lu Tingxiao swirled the water in his ss, and said faintly, "So because other people are afraid of me, you are afraid of me? Then, all the other women want to marry me, but why don¡¯t you?"

    This question nearly scared Ning Xi into falling off her chair. She thought she had already dodged this bullet during the day, but she was just too na?ve.

    This question made her feel like a thousand knives were directed at her. How was she supposed to answer it?

    Ning Xi raised a shaking hand. "Before I answer this question, can I ask a question first?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Sure."

    "Why me? Is it because Little Treasure is reliant on me? I think this is only temporary; wait until his emotions settle down, and it¡¯ll be fine. Even if he is always going to be like this, you don¡¯t need to¡­ you don¡¯t need to force yourself¡­" Ning Xi earnestly advised and persuaded.

    Lu Tingxiao lowered the ss in his hand and lifted his eyes to meet hers. "Miss Ning, I believe that I exined very clearly in the beginning: because you saved Little Treasure, I decided that I would repay you with my body."

    This kind of exnation is so weird, it blinds me. There¡¯s no way I could ept this, alright? Ning Xi howled in her heart.

    Ning Xi felt that she couldn¡¯t possibly get through to him if they persisted in this vein, so she could only put on an apologetic face and say, "Mister Lu, I really appreciate your intention, but I¡¯m not a person who wants to get married, so¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao furrowed his brow. "So you only want to sleep with me? And you don¡¯t want to marry me?"

    "That¡¯s right¡­ pah! No, no, no¡­ I don¡¯t mean it like that!" Ning Xi was ready to just kneel before him. Can you not say such horrifying things?

    "How regretful, I only ept sexual rtionships with marriage as a prerequisite."

    "Who would believe that¡­" Ning Xi could not help saying. Didn¡¯t you have a child outside of marriage?

    Lu Tingxiao looked out the window with a slightly absent-minded expression. "Little Treasure was an ident. Even I don¡¯t know who the mother is."

    "¡­" Why did this sound so bad?

    "Is it because you mind that I have a son?" Lu Tingxiao abruptly asked.

    "Impossible!" Like Lu Tingxiao had said, if you cut open the brain of every woman who lived in the city, you would know they all wanted to be Little Treasure¡¯s stepmother. How could she mind such a thing!

    "Then why?"

    Seeing his expression, she knew that Lu Tingxiao would not let her go until she answered the question.

    Ning Xi raised her head and let out a deep breath. "Mister Lu, marriage isn¡¯t a game. Whether it¡¯s to repay me or for any other reason, we should at least get to know each other. Do you know what kind of person I am? Do you know my past?"

    "The one I want to marry is the present you. Your past has nothing to do with me." Of course this would be Lu Tingxiao¡¯s answer. It was as tyrannical and overbearing as it could possibly be.

    Ning Xi¡¯s expression turned frosty. "Except to me, my past is a part of me. I can¡¯t cut out that part of me to marry you. Mister Lu, there is no point in being together with someone who follows different principles. I sincerely advise that you take back your ridiculous offer."

    Her statement was followed by a cold silence.

    Right when Ning Xi thought the other party was so furious from shame he was about to fly into a rage, Lu Tingxiao opened his mouth and calmly said, "I understand."

    Ning Xi rxed, and replied, "I¡¯m going to bed then. Good night."

    "Good night."

    The man stared at her seemingly fragile silhouette, his gaze unfathomable like the ocean; the only thing unchanged was the boiling heat at the bottom of the sea.

 Chapter 16: You Really Are My Son

    <h4>Chapter 16: You Really Are My Son</h4>

    The next morning, Ning Xi was awakened by a low male voiceing from the living room.

    Hearing footsteps behind him, Lu Tingxiao lowered his phone, and asked in a gentle tone, "Did I wake you?"

    Ning Xi stared at the man in front of her, her eyes wide like copper bells.

    Lu Tingxiao wasn¡¯t wearing a shirt, so when she opened the door, the first thing she saw was his bare skin. The impact was too much.

    She rubbed her nose. Thankfully, she hadn¡¯t embarrassed herself.

    Lu Tingxiao didn¡¯t seem to have noticed her strange behavior, and calmly picked his shirt up from the sofa. As he buttoned it on, he said, "There¡¯s an emergency at work, I have to go. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to go wake Little Treasure up."

    "Oh, okay!" Ning Xi nodded and quickly went to do so.

    But she didn¡¯t have to; when she turned around, she saw a soft and cute little Pikachu standing in the doorway. His eyes were staring intently at his father, Lu Tingxiao, and he appeared displeased.

    "Little Treasure, go change your clothes," Lu Tingxiao ordered this son as he put on his coat.

    The reply he received was the loud bang of the bedroom door being mmed shut.

    Ever so merciless.

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­"

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao went to turn the doorknob, but it was locked. He looked at Ning Xi. "Do you have the key?"

    Ning Xi awkwardly shook her head. "I do have one, but the key is also inside the room!"

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the skin between his eyebrows, and said in a cold, unfathomable tone, "I¡¯ll give you three minutes. If you don¡¯te out, don¡¯t think you¡¯ll ever get toe here again."

    Three minutester, there was still no sound or motion behind the door.

    "Get out here! If you¡¯re waiting for me to force you out, I won¡¯t be as nice as I am right now!"

    There was still no movement.

    That Little Treasure was really not giving his father any face.

    Watching from the sidelines, Ning Xi wanted tough, but didn¡¯t dare to. "I have workter, but it¡¯s no big deal if Little Treasure stays to y for a while."

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression was irritated and displeased as he took out his phone to make a call.

    Ning Xi took a sneaky peek, and saw that he was calling a psychiatrist. She was at a loss for words. Wasn¡¯t it too extreme to call a psychiatrist for such a small matter like this?

    Ning Xi coughed as she urged, "How about letting me try?"

    Lu Tingxiao hesitated slightly before nodding.

    Ning Xi pressed against the door and used a gentle, soothing voice. "Little Treasure, Auntie has to go to work so I can¡¯t take care of you. Follow your father home first, okay?"

    There was still no sound from inside.

    "How about this, we can exchange phone numbers so we can instantly contact each other? We can even video chat!"

    Sounds of footsteps approached the other side of the door.

    "If Auntie iste, the director will yell at me, our director is really mean. Auntie is so pitiful¡­ wu¡­"

    The door unlocked with a kachi sound and then opened.

    Lu Tingxiao, who was already prepared to fight a long war, felt that he was dreaming. He stared at the woman standing beside him with bewilderment.

    With just three statements, she had managed to coax Little Treasure into obedientlying out by himself.

    If only he had known her when Little Treasure had locked himself in the attic thest time this happened. His entire family of four, all the butlers and servants, the psychiatrist, even a negotiation expert who had been hired as ast resort, had all been useless despite spending an entire afternoon trying to talk him out of the attic. In the end, they broke the door down and the little kid ignored everyone for a whole month.

    Ning Xi of course didn¡¯t know about any of this, and only thought the child was really obedient despite his tragic air. She picked Little Treasure up. Seeing his depressed expression, she was unwilling to scold him, and praised him instead. "Little Treasure is so obedient. Thanks, darling!"

    Little Treasure appeared happier with the praise, and he silently gave her a note. On the paper, there was a string of numbers.

    Ning Xi epted the note. "Ah, is this your phone number? Alright, I¡¯ll save it, and when I¡¯m not busy, I will definitely give you a call!"

    Lu Tingxiao felt it a bit strange; Little Treasure didn¡¯t have a cellphone, so what phone number did he give her?

    Using his height to his advantage, he looked at the note. That was his phone number.

    You really are my son!

 Chapter 17: The Duo Who Rushes Marriage

    <h4>Chapter 17: The Duo Who Rushes Marriage</h4>

    Starlight Entertainment.

    Inside the office, apletely flustered and exasperated Chang Li eximed, "Ning Xi auditioned and was cast as the second female lead!"

    "Second female lead?" Ning Xueluo creased her forehead at the information. "Wasn¡¯t she ying some random role in an unknown movie? When did she have time to audition for the second female lead?"

    "I originally thought it was strange too, but after asking around, I found out it was after the auditions for the first female lead ended; the casting judges were leaving, and it just so happened that they ran into Ning Xi. The moment they saw her, they immediately decided she fit the role of the second female lead. They only gave her one nce and it was decided like that! No wonder you feel threatened by her, what a schemer she is! Who knows who she had to seduce to get this role!"

    There were some things Chang Li didn¡¯t dare say. Ning Xi¡¯s looks were her best weapon; the fact that the casting judges decided on her with just one nce was not strange at all.

    She thought back to when she had first signed Ning Xi as an artiste. She had been prepared to nurture her, but out of nowhere came Ning Xueluo.

    On one hand, a new artiste with no power or backing; on the other hand, an already famous celebrity with a strong and powerful family background. Anyone would know how to choose.

    The entertainment industry was not a ce where you could survive on beauty alone.

    Ning Xueluo was displeased. "Even if she¡¯s not the first female lead, this is still a huge production!"

    Chang Li could hear in her tone that she did not want Ning Xi to be cast in this role.

    She felt conflicted. "I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be difficult to remove her. Ourpany invested a lot of money into this drama, and the boss is really happy after being able to secure the first and second female leads. If there was someone from ourpany who could rece her, that would be fine; however, everyone else has already failed the auditions. So there¡¯s no good reason to remove her¡­"

    Who knew what Ning Xueluo was thinking, but she suddenly calmed down and began filing her nails. Sheughed. "Never mind. Since she wants to y the role of a fox demon, then let her! ying a seductress who brings disaster really suits her!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi soon received a phone call from Chang Li notifying her that her casting in <The World> as the second female lead was confirmed. She was also told to properly prepare for the part.

    In the movie <The World>, the first female lead was righteous, brilliant and courageous, and would help the male protagonist ascend the throne. Meanwhile, the second female lead brought cmity to the country and the people. She was treacherous and cunning, and was spurned by all. To everyone¡¯s satisfaction, she would ultimately meet her end with the first female lead making her jump off a cliff.

    Because it was such a character, it was unsurprising that Ning Xueluo wasn¡¯t bothered to interfere with the casting.

    Although Ning Xi hadnded the role of second female lead, she still needed toplete her existing work. Today, she still had a production she needed to run to. Her role was a husband-stealing vixen, and she only needed to film thest five minutes. Under the blistering sun, she would be surrounded by angry people and beaten violently for five minutes.

    However, the reality of film was that these five minutes actually took a little over two hours toplete, because the group of actors was inexperienced. Their expressions were not in sync, so she had to be hit repeatedly.

    Returning home, Ning Xi turned on the television as shey on the sofa,pletely exhausted.

    A news broadcast was on, and then a familiar person appeared on the screen.

    Such flourishing beauty; such broad shoulders, a slim butt and long legs; such height and such an ascetic temperament¡­ who else could it be but Little Treasure¡¯s father, Lu Tingxiao!

    Lu Tingxiao appeared to be in the middle of a signing ceremony, and was shaking hands with several foreigners.

    The host sounded very enthusiastic when introducing the sessful coboration between Lu Corporation and the Italian DR brand; entering the European market would possibly double thepany¡¯s stock value.

    After watching for a while, Ning Xi finally realized that she had forgotten to give Little Treasure a call!

    ¡­

    At the tinum Pce.

    The two elders of the Lu family had returned from overseas, and the family of five were having dinner together.

    The business deal the Lu Corporation had pursued for three years was finally sealed, making the old master very happy. He praised Lu Tingxiao very highly; even Lu Jingli got somepliments.

    After he was finished, however, he brought up the most crucial issue.

    That while work was important, his precious grandson took even more priority!

    Master Lu: "Tingxiao, work is very important but you can¡¯t just neglect Little Treasure. Since you will be less busy in the uing days, spend more time with Little Treasure!"

    Madam Lu: "But if you¡¯re really busy, then find someone to help you take care of him! Little Treasure is already so big, you should really consider finding someone!"

    Master Lu: "Your mother is right!"

    Lu Jingli gave his brother a meaningful nce. Look, our parents are starting again.

    Lu Tingxiao focused on eating dinner, not uttering a single word.

    Little Treasure held his father¡¯s cellphone, not moving at all.

 Chapter 18: Hopes Of Having A Daughter-in-Law

    <h4>Chapter 18: Hopes Of Having A Daughter-in-Law</h4>

    Madam Lu watched the father and son pair, who were both stiff like wood. It really broke her heart. "Tingxiao, did you hear what I said? And what¡¯s going on with Little Treasure? He hasn¡¯t eaten a grain of rice all night. My baby darling is only staring at the cellphone!"

    Lu Jingli was still chewing on the sweet and sour ribs, so when he spoke, it was unclear. "Little Treasure is waiting for the pretty auntie¡¯s phone call!"

    Madam Lu was confused, "What pretty auntie?"

    Lu Jingli waved his hand. "Aiya, dad and mom, you don¡¯t have to worry. My older brother already found someone he likes!"

    Madam Lu was shocked but still disbelieving. "Are you telling the truth? Old Two, don¡¯t lie to us!"

    Master Lu¡¯s expression was serious as he put down his chopsticks to observe Lu Jingli.

    "Why would I lie? This is the truth! If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask my older brother!" Lu Jingli said while looking at his brother.

    "Tingxiao, is what Jingli said true?" Master Lu asked gruffly.

    "Tingxiao, why don¡¯t you say something?" Madam Lu urged.

    Lu Tingxiao: "Yes."

    Madam Lu felt as though she was going to die of impatience; like she had waited half a day to only hear a single "Yes". Her stomach was full of anger. "You brat, why can¡¯t you say more than one word? Talking to you is such a waste of effort!"

    Lu Tingxiao said, "Is that so?"

    Great, so he could say more than one word.

    Madam Lu still wasn¡¯t reassured, and asked suspiciously, "Tingxiao, the person that you like¡­ is it a he or she?"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face went ck, his teeth nearly gnashing together, and he spat out, "Female."

    Lu Jingliughed so hard, he nearly fell off the chair. "Of course it¡¯s a woman, and a very beautiful one. Our Little Treasure likes her so much that he¡¯s even waiting for her call!"

    When Madam Lu heard this, she was ecstatic. "The ancestors have blessed us, the ancestors have blessed us! Tingxiao, which family¡¯s young miss is this? How old is she? Where did shee from? What does she do? How big is her household? Why didn¡¯t you tell us sooner¡­"

    Lu Jingli hurriedly cut her off. "Mom, calm down! Nothing has even happened between them yet. We didn¡¯t tell you because we were afraid you would intervene and ruin everything!"

    If they found out who Ning Xi was, about her less than ster reputation and the fact that she was currently working in the entertainment industry, their ns would surely go sour.

    At this time, Master Lu said, "Since Tingxiao likes this person, then she must be decent. Don¡¯t worry so much."

    "What don¡¯t worry? Aren¡¯t you worried yourself? Who is it that worries so much he can¡¯t sleep at night and has to go out to the porch to smoke?" Madam Lu mercilessly exposed her own husband.

    But after hearing what her husband had to say, she rxed a lot. "Tingxiao¡¯s standard is so high, the girl he likes must be pretty good. Even Little Treasure likes her!"

    After everyone quieted down, the cellphone Little Treasure had been holding all night suddenly rang.

    This was Lu Tingxiao¡¯s personal cellphone, so not many people knew the number.

    Lu Jingli rushed over to see. Indeed, it was Ning Xi¡¯s phone number.

    "Is that girl calling?" Madam Lu excitedly asked, rushing over as though she was going to meet her daughter-inw.

    Lu Jingli nodded his head and then helped Little Treasure answer the phone. Little Treasure didn¡¯t know how to use cellphones. Lu Tingxiao had bought him a cellphone before, but he hadn¡¯t like to use it, and who knows where it went.

    At the same time, the entire table of people were focusedpletely on the cellphone.

    Lu Jingli was the most shameless, pressing against the side of the cellphone to eavesdrop.

 Chapter 19: The Two Elders Are Shocked

    <h4>Chapter 19: The Two Elders Are Shocked</h4>

    Ning Xi had struggled for a long time about whether to call or not, but in the end, she made the call.

    Due to the incident five years ago, she was actually not too fond of children, and even avoided getting close to them.

    It would only cause her to think of unhappy memories and to think of the child she had lost¡­

    That child had once carried her warm hopes, but also represented the dirtiest part of her past.

    For some unknown reason, Little Treasure didn¡¯t difort her at all. On the contrary, the more she saw him, the more she liked him, and couldn¡¯t help but want to be closer to him.

    It was really strange.

    "Hello¡­ hello?" The call connected, but there was no sound.

    Ning Xi knew that it had to be Little Treasure, and sheughed lightly. "Is it Little Treasure? Sorry, Auntie just finished work and just remembered to call you."

    Little Treasure wasn¡¯t capable of replying, so Ning Xi could only talk like she was talking to herself. With no proper topic of conversation, she had to find something to say.

    "Darling, have you eaten yet? You¡¯re too skinny, so you have to eat a lot, okay?"

    "Children shouldn¡¯t be picky, only then will you grow quickly. Actually, being chubby would make you even more adorable! Although right now, you are already cute enough¡­"

    "Oh, right, I just saw on TV that your father sessfully closed a big business deal. He¡¯s really amazing, so help me congratte him!"

    ¡­

    Ten minutester, Little Treasure put down the cellphone and took out a tablet that had not been used in a long time.

    He quickly wrote something down: Congrattions.

    Even if Little Treasure could not speak, he was very fluent in Chinese and English. He felt, though, that Chinese was bothersome to write, so for the most part, he would write in English.

    However, he had not written anything in a long, long time.

    Because he had had no desire tomunicate.

    The two elders werepletely shocked.

    Lu Jingli had witnessed this before, so he was rather calm about it.

    Lu Tingxiao had secretly heard what Ning Xi had said on the phone, so when he saw the word on the whiteboard, his usually frozen face disyed a rare smile as he rubbed his son¡¯s little head. "Thanks."

    After Little Treasure had finished writing, he started to eat his dinner in a serious manner.

    He was even eating the carrots he hated most.

    The two elders remained in stunned silence.

    Their eldest son had smiled, their good grandson had written a word, their good grandson was taking the initiative to eat dinner, their good grandson was even eating carrots¡­

    Madam Lu finally recovered from her incredulity and immediately asked, "Jingli, what did the girl on the phone say to Little Treasure just now?"

    Master Lu¡¯s face showed that he also wanted to know.

    Questioned by his parents, Lu Jingli slowly replied, "Nothing much. She only told Little Treasure not to be so picky with his food and to have Little Treasure pass on her congrattions to my elder brother."

    Madam Lu¡¯s face was filled with disbelief. "That¡¯s it?"

    Lu Jingli shrugged his shoulders. "What else would there be?"

    Master Lu¡¯s face was full of gratitude. "One phone call from this girl can already do this much. The results are already even better than one year of working with the psychiatrist."

    "It really is!" Madam Lu was both surprised and delighted. "Thisdy is really not bad. Tingxiao, work hard!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "Yes."

    Madam Lu didn¡¯t give her eldest son a second nce before turning to her youngest son. "Old Two, your brother is a piece of wood. He won¡¯t know how to woo girls, so you have to help him, do you understand?"

    "Now you realize how useful I am!" Lu Jingli chortled. "Rx, I will definitely use my lifetime of knowledge to help my brother! But we have to make a deal that you two cannot intervene! Parents are always the easiest way to ruin rtionships!"

    The two elders agreed. "We understand, we understand, we were just asking!"

 Chapter 20: Her Exes Are Everywhere In The Entertainment Industry

    <h4>Chapter 20: Her Exes Are Everywhere In The Entertainment Industry</h4>

    When the two elders left after dinner, Lu Jingli went to find his brother for a reward, like a dog wagging its tail. "Brother, wasn¡¯t I great? Wasn¡¯t I great?"

    His brother threw something small at him.

    Lu Jingli caught it with one hand. "What y thing is this?"

    Looking at it properly, his eyes widened.

    It was a car key. The key to the 100th anniversary Bugatti race car he had been eyeing for so long, the only one of its kind ever made!

    "Oh! My beloved little darling!" Lu Jingli hugged the car key and kissed it madly. "Brother, I love you!"

    Lu Tingxiao had never given in no matter how Lu Jingli had pestered his brother before. Who knew his brother would throw it right at him just for casually saying a few words in front of their parents?

    That Ning Xi held a higher ce in his brother¡¯s heart than he had expected!

    The more Lu Jingli thought about it, the more anxious he became. "That, big brother, are you sure it¡¯s Ning Xi? You¡¯re not ying and you really want to get married?"

    "Married." Lu Tingxiao¡¯s voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt or any other possibility.

    Lu Jingli sighed. Since he had experience, he had to give some advice. "Then let me remind you to prepare yourself. Chasing after a woman like this is like ying a video game. There are different levels: easy mode, normal mode, difficult mode, and hell mode. And Ning Xi is definitely hell mode!

    Women usually have weaknesses, but with Ning Xi, you want to use money? Even with her looks, she¡¯s still doing so poorly in the industry, so she definitely isn¡¯t the type to ept a financial sponsor or shady deals. You want to use love? Take a look at the lovers she had when she was overseas. Her exes are everywhere in the entertainment industry, and each and every one of them is extraordinary. When I first saw the list, I was impressed, and I¡¯ve never been impressed by something like this before!

    And if you want to get her pregnant? Don¡¯t even bother to think that will work, she¡¯spletely focused on her career right now, and does not want children. Even if I try for her myself, it¡¯d be an 80% chance of a GAME OVER for me; a newbie like you would just be sacrificing yourself to give her Experience Points!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked coldly at him. "100%."

    Lu Jingli smirked. "Okay, okay, okay, it would 100% be GAME OVER for me, don¡¯t sweat the small stuff, alright? The point is, I bet that Ning Xi is just like me, someone who never wants to get married or have kids. This kind of person is skeptical of rtionships and love, freedom is their life. If you want to y around? That¡¯s easy. If you want to get married? That¡¯s really difficult!"

    "That¡¯s only because you haven¡¯t met anyone you want to marry or have children with yet."

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s usually frigid and cold face seemed gentle in the moonlight from the window.

    Lu Jingli counted how many words his brother had said with a disbelieving face. "Ah, people who are in love really are different, even someone with no experience is giving me lessons! But what you said makes sense! So, now what? Do you need your beloved younger brother to help with anything?"

    Lu Tingxiao gave him two curt words. "No need."

    Lu Jingli was concerned. "What do you mean ¡®no need¡¯? Wooing girls is different from doing business. Think about it carefully. Don¡¯t you really need a smart and handsome god-level girl-chasing coach¡­"

    Lu Jingli was doing his best to promote himself when suddenly, the door to the study room opened with a creak.

    The two brothers turned their heads to look.

    Little Treasure was standing in the doorway.

    Surprise shed in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes.

    "Ah, Little Treasure¡­" Lu Jingli was also surprised.

    Little Treasure had actually left his bedroom at this hour?

 Chapter 21: Little Treasure Wrecks Havoc in the Sky Palace

    <h4>Chapter 21: Little Treasure Wrecks Havoc in the Sky Pce</h4>

    Everyone knew Little Treasure preferred peace and quiet. Normally, he would hide away in his room after dinner. Once the servants finished their duties, they were to return to their rooms and note out; they were not to make a single sound, lest they provoke Little Treasure into throwing a tantrum or going out of control.

    Madam Lu had been worried about Little Treasure before, and had entered his room a few times to offer him some food. The result was Little Treasure locking himself in the attic¡­

    This was why Little Treasure refused to move in with the two elders even though they loved him so much.

    Yet right now, Little Treasure had actually left his room on his own?

    Not only that, Little Treasure ran directly to Lu Tingxiao and hugged his leg.

    Lu Jingli guffawed. "What¡¯s Little Treasure doing? Does he want something?"

    Already seeing through his son¡¯s intentions, Lu Tingxiao rejected the unspoken request without skipping a beat. "No, you already went therest night."

    Little Treasure then looked at Lu Tingxiao¡¯s cellphone.

    "You already had one phone call at dinner." Lu Tingxiao refused again.

    Watching from the sidelines, Lu Jingli finally understood. So the little guy was missing Ning Xi.

    Little Treasure saw that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get what he wanted from his father, so he ran over to Lu Jingli and also hugged his leg.

    Lu Jingli was overwhelmed and ttered. "No, no, no, baby darling, don¡¯t use this act on me. You know your Second Uncle can¡¯t win against your cuteness!"

    While Little Treasure was normally nearly always impassive, when he wanted something, his expression and mannerisms would turn so adorable, one could just die ande back to life from it.

    Once he looked up at you with those big, beautiful, shiny eyes, you couldn¡¯t help but want to fly into the sky to bring him the stars.

    The only person in the entire household who could resist Little Treasure¡¯s appeal was Lu Tingxiao.

    Lu Jingli threw his hands up in the air. "Little Treasure, acting like this won¡¯t work, I can¡¯t defeat your dad!"

    Hearing this, Little Treasure let go of Lu Jingli.

    A ruthless resolution.

    The little guy looked as if he had been separated from his lover by cold-hearted parents. Lu Jingliughed so hard he had to use the wall to support himself. "Ah, Little Treasure, you don¡¯t have to be in such a rush. There¡¯s a saying that lovests longer when lovers are separated since absence makes the heart grow fonder. Wait until your dad marries Auntie Xi, then you can see her everyday!"

    His words had no effect.

    The little guy ran out the door.

    Lu Jingli shrugged. "What do we do now?"

    "He ate a lot tonight," Lu Tingxiao said.

    His words meant that a hunger strike couldn¡¯t be used any time soon as the ultimate threat.

    Lu Jingli rxed at his brother¡¯s words.

    But they underestimated Little Treasure.

    He was a child, so he didn¡¯t need to scheme big; just one word, ¡®havoc¡¯, was enough.

    Right after they were done talking, there was a loud bang from the living room downstairs.

    Lu Jingli and his brother nced at each other, and they sprinted downstairs.

    In such a short time, the entire living room was already a mess. A big vase, originally as tall as a person,y shattered on the floor. Anything that could be pushed over or broken had shared the same fate.

    "LU JINGYU!"

    Lu Tingxiao only used Little Treasure¡¯s full name when he was truly angry.

    If even Lu Jingli couldn¡¯t handle that frightening pressure, how could Little Treasure?

    Little Treasure quivered with fear at the sight of his father¡¯s enraged face. He became even more agitated and his emotions ran wild. He started screaming at the top of his lungs and ran around to break more things.

    Lu Jingli immediately chased after him, cautiously aware of how there were so many broken shards on the floor; it would be disastrous if they fell.

 Chapter 22: Immediately Calling for Emergency Backup

    <h4>Chapter 22: Immediately Calling for Emergency Backup</h4>

    "Brother, we can''t continue like this, why don''t we just call Ning Xi over?"

    "We cannot call her," Lu Tingxiao replied coldly.

    Lu Jingli did his best to persuade him. "Brother, Little Treasure is a child, not a work employee. Don¡¯t be too harsh with him, there¡¯s nothing wrong with spoiling him a bit. What child doesn''t throw a tantrum?"

    "It is not your ce to teach me how to raise my child." Lu Tingxiao''s expression was icy. It appeared that he was determined not to let Little Treasure get used to acting out in order to get his way.

    It was a real headache for Lu Jingli, caught in-between this father and son pair.

    If the situation got any further out of hand that the two elders heard about it, the fact that he had brought Little Treasure to a wine bar would be exposed once they started looking deeper.

    God, someone quicklye and save him!

    While Lu Tingxiao went to catch Little Treasure, Lu Jingli sneakily sent a hasty text message to Ning Xi¡¯s cellphone¡­

    ¡­

    That evening, Ning Xi was at home reading her script while messaging some people online at the same time.

    Evil Fairy King: Little Ning Xi, can¡¯t you change your old-fashioned QQ name? It irritates my eyes!

    Loneliness Like Neverending Arrows in the Void: And Evil Fairy King isn¡¯t irritating? You have the nerve to criticize me?

    Evil Fairy King: Cough, I¡¯m back next month,e to the airport to pick me up!

    Loneliness Like Neverending Arrows in the Void: Not going, busy.

    Evil Fairy King: Come pick me up!

    Loneliness Like Neverending Arrows in the Void: I said I¡¯m busy!

    Evil Fairy King: Are youing or not?

    Loneliness Like Neverending Arrows in the Void: The other party doesn¡¯t want to speak to you and throws a dog at you.

    Evil Fairy King: The other party catches your dog and screws it.

    Loneliness Like Neverending Arrows in the Void: The dog feels as though it¡¯s been pierced by a needle.

    Evil Fairy King: F***! How are you dirtier than me! Also, what are you saying is a needle!

    Loneliness Like Neverending Arrows in the Void: You started it, I¡¯m not going to banter with you anymore, I still need to take a look at my script.

    Evil Fairy King: It¡¯s just a small role, what¡¯s there to look at! We used to date, are you really going to be so unfeeling?

    Loneliness Like Neverending Arrows in the Void: I¡¯ve dated so many, which number were you?

    Evil Fairy King: Little Ning Xi! Just you wait!

    Ning Xi turned off herputer to focus on her script.

    After reading for a while, her cell phone suddenly rang, disying an unfamiliar phone number.

    She was worried that it might be the production team, so she instantly picked up the call.

    "Hello, Ning Xi, help!!"

    "You are¡­"

    "I¡¯m Lu Jingli,e to the tinum Pce quickly. Something¡¯s happened to Little Treasure!"

    "What? What about Little Treasure?" Ning Xi immediately felt anxious.

    "Just know it¡¯s an emergency, please hurry, hurry¡­ Bro bro bro, could you calm down¡­ the child is still young¡­ Little Treasure, Little Treasure, you can¡¯t break that¡­ ah¡­"

    Lu Jingli sounded so serious, and the sound of things crashing and shatteringing through the phone made Ning Xi even more nervous. She hurriedly started to change as she replied, "I¡¯m on my way!"

    She herself didn¡¯t know what was wrong with her, but she couldn¡¯t sit still after hearing that something had happened to Little Treasure.

    She had only known him for a few days, but in her heart she already couldn¡¯t let him go.

    The tinum Pce was pretty far away; taking a car would take approximately forty minutes. Worried that it would take too long, Ning Xi got her motorbike out of the garage and sped over.

    What would have been forty minutes took just ten.

    She assumed Lu Jingli would have notified the security guards, and after giving them her name, Ning Xi was let in directly. She rushed to Vi no.8, where a maid was already waiting for her.

 Chapter 23: Challenging the Big Boss

    <h4>Chapter 23: Challenging the Big Boss</h4>

    Since she had taken her motorbike, Ning Xi had worn a skin-tight ck leather top and leather pants. After rushing over, she removed her helmet and gloves, her long hair falling to her shoulders like a waterfall. She looked so graceful and dashing, and was simply too beautiful.

    Seeing her appearance, Lu Jingli almost couldn¡¯t stop himself from whistling.

    "Lu Jingyu, did you really think I wouldn¡¯t dare touch you?" In a corner of the living room, Lu Tingxiao had caught his son, who had nowhere else to run. In his arms, the little guy was struggling to escape, like a crazed little beast shing its small ws.

    "Don¡¯t!" Ning Xi hurried over to snatch Little Treasure away.

    Little Treasure lifted his little head to see who it was, and froze for one second before hisrge eyes turned red and he dove deeper into Ning Xi¡¯s embrace, clinging tightly and refusing to let go.

    Seeing the cute and soft little bun from yesterday trembling with so much fear in his eyes, Ning Xi¡¯s heart twisted painfully.

    So angry that she no longer cared that the other party was a fearsome big boss, she fired words off at him. "Mister Lu, I know I¡¯m an outsider and it¡¯s not my ce to say anything, but I still need to say this one thing. There¡¯s something wrong with the way you raise him. Children this young need warmth and love, especially since Little Treasure¡¯s condition is so unique. He¡¯s had a huge trauma and doesn¡¯t have a mother by his side, you should be more patient and tolerant with him. How can you be so fierce with him? Can¡¯t you see how scared he is? And yet you would raise your hand against him!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "I was wrong."

    Lu Jingli: "¡­" Hehe.

    Hearing his own big brother so inly admit his wrongs, Lu Jingli could onlyugh to himself.

    When I told you that there¡¯s something wrong with the way you raise children, you chewed me out straightaway. And yet when Ning Xi tells you the exact same thing, you obediently listen!

    After Ning Xi¡¯s arrival, Little Treasure was like a puppy who had seen its owner and obediently listened to every word,pletely unlike the wild and fierce little lion from before. He allowed Ning Xi to hold his hand, and was led back to his room.

    On the sofa, Ning Xi lightly caressed Little Treasure¡¯s head. "What happened? Everything was still fine in the morning, right?"

    Lu Jingli puffed up. "What else could the problem be? Little Treasure missed you and wanted to see you, but my brother wouldn¡¯t allow it. He wouldn¡¯t let him call you because he was afraid we would be disturbing you. In the end, Little Treasure started throwing a tantrum and running everywhere, and thrashed the living room. My brother didn¡¯t want Little Treasure¡¯s tantrums to be a habit, so the two of them quarreled. And that¡¯s when you got here¡­"

    "Just because Little Treasure couldn¡¯t see me and couldn¡¯t call me?" Ning Xi found the exnation a little hard to believe. Even though Lu Tingxiao had said earlier that Little Treasure was now reliant on her, did she really have that much of an impact on him?

    "What do you think? You really underestimate your influence!" Seeing that she still just wouldn¡¯t understand, he exined, "That day in the bar storeroom when you fainted, Little Treasure wouldn¡¯t let anyone near you. In the end, my brother had to personally carry you to the hospital!"

    Reflexively, Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao. Lu Tingxiao personally carried me to the hospital¡­?

    "And then in the hospital, Little Treasure saw that you weren¡¯t there and thought you¡¯d died. He ran riot and nearly jumped out the window. He only calmed down after my brother gave him the note you¡¯d written for him. Last night, Little Treasure wanted to see you, so he starved himself to threaten my brother. As for tonight, because you called and told him to eat, he ate too much, so he couldn¡¯t use starvation as a tactic, that¡¯s why this happened¡­"

    Ate too much? Earlier, she had told him to eat a bit more during the phone call, so was this her fault?

 Chapter 24: Calabash Brothers

    <h4>Chapter 24: Cbash Brothers</h4>

    The impact of Lu Jingli¡¯s words was too much ¡ª it took Ning Xi a long time to digest them.

    She looked down at the little bun who was clinging to her tightly. "Little Treasure, you broke all those things because you wanted to see me?"

    Little Treasure nodded.

    Ning Xi frowned, "Don¡¯t you know what you did was wrong?"

    Little Treasure shook his head.

    Ning Xi finally understood why Lu Tingxiao was so strict. This child probably had been spoiled so much that he felt everything should go his way.

    Ning Xi¡¯s gaze turned serious. "Auntie is telling you now, what you did was not right. Only bad children act that way, so don¡¯t be like this ever again, alright?"

    Little Treasure nodded.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression was hard to describe.

    Little Treasure was unruly, but if he nodded and agreed to do something, he would do it without fail.

    The psychiatrists had tried everything to stop Little Treasure¡¯s habits of using starvation as a scare tactic, locking himself in, and even breaking things, but Little Treasure had remainedpletely unmoved.

    As for more forceful methods, the two family elders could never bear to use them, and would only persist halfway before giving in and letting their precious grandson have his way.

    The influence Ning Xi had on Little Treasure was greater than he had expected. Of course, he was delighted by this.

    Ning Xi scolded Little Treasure a little more before gently coaxing him into bed. "Mm, shall I sing you a song today?"

    Little Treasure nodded obediently.

    "Keke, what should I sing¡­ I know! Cbash Brothers, Cbash Brothers, seven flowers on a branch, unafraid of any storm!"

    Leaning against the door, Lu Jingli almost fell over. "Little Treasure is a very intelligent boy, how can he possibly like such a childish song?"

    But he realized the little guy was actually listening intently. What was even more amusing was that his own brother was doing the same¡­

    After Little Treasure finally fell asleep, Ning Xi stretched out. "I sang almost all of the children¡¯s songs that I know¡­"

    Lu Jingli couldn¡¯t help but cry andugh. "Then why did you sing children¡¯s songs? You can sing other songs! Those kids¡¯ songs nearly killed me!"

    Ning Xi used a rubber band around her wrist to tie her hair up, and lifted her bright, phoenix-like eyes. "Other songs? Besides children¡¯s songs, all the songs I know are inappropriate for children!"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s mind shed back to when Ning Xi had sung under the moonlight.

    Lu Jingli became excited after hearing this. "Hahaha really, really? What songs, sing them for me!"

    Lu Tingxiao red at him.

    Lu Jingli was so scared, he immediately stood up. His brother was actually the jealous type!

    "Were you nearby?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Otherwise how could she have gotten here so quickly?

    "No, I was at my apartment, but I rode my motorbike over! Wasn¡¯t it fast?" Ning Xi felt proud.

    No wonder she was dressed like that.

    Her outfit today was even more stunning than yesterday¡¯s. Yesterday, she was dressed like a conservative spirit; today, she was a wild and free demoness.

    "That¡¯s very dangerous." Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression was full of disapproval, his gaze bing even icier as he nced at Lu Jingli, who had been the one to call her toe.

    "Not at all, I¡¯m very good on my motorbike!" Ning Xi waved her hands in protest, and then yawned. "Since Little Treasure is fine, I¡¯ll be leaving then!"

    Just as she was about to leave, Lu Tingxiao said, "Miss Ning, I have an audacious request."

    Since she had already vented all her anger at him earlier, she was back to her normal self, and replied respectfully, "Mister Lu, please speak freely. I¡¯llply if it¡¯s within my capabilities."

    The Lu family was very powerful in both respectable and underground circles. Demon King Lu was someone who could attack at a single word he didn¡¯t like.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at his son, his gaze heavy. "What happened when the two of you were locked inside that bar storeroom traumatized Little Treasure more than I realized. Right now, it seems you are the only one who can console him, so until Little Treasure recovers, I hope that Miss Ning can live with us temporarily for that period of time."

    Ning Xi froze after hearing Lu Tingxiao¡¯s request. "Ha¡­? Move here and¡­ live together?"

 Chapter 25: So Just Like That They Now Live Together?

    <h4>Chapter 25: So Just Like That They Now Live Together?</h4>

    "Yes."

    Ning Xi tugged on her hair nervously. "This¡­ isn¡¯t this too inappropriate? If Little Treasure wants to see me, I cane anytime to visit him!"

    Lu Tingxiao appeared tired as he rubbed his forehead. "There are too many unpredictable factors involved here. Especially if at night there was an emergency situation, it would be too dangerous for you to speed over here again. Because of my position, it¡¯s not convenient to keep taking Little Treasure over to see you. I know this is a troublesome request, but I¡¯m still asking this as Little Treasure¡¯s father. I hope you can agree to it."

    Ning Xi¡¯s head hurt.

    If Lu Tingxiao had tried to use his power to forcibly ask this of her, she would have outright rejected him and then left, but he was asking so earnestly, with no thought at all to his own identity and position. Not to mention, faced with such supreme beauty, how was it possible to say no!

    Standing on the side, Lu Jingli stared intently at his brother.

    Amazing!

    Who knew his brother could use such a high-end technique, turning a disadvantage into an advantage that would take out all obstacles on the path to winning Ning Xi over.

    Little Treasure¡¯s existence was no longer his weakness, but now his biggest advantage.

    Suddenly there was a loud bang. Little Treasure had jumped off the bed in fright, knocking the bedsidemp over.

    When he saw Ning Xi, the fear in the kid¡¯s eyes eased, and he shot like an arrow towards her.

    The intense fear in those eyes would twist the heart of anyone who saw it.

    Ning Xi quickly bent down. "Darling, why are you awake?"

    The little guy rested his head against her and his small arms hugged her tightly around the neck, not letting go.

    "It¡¯s okay, Auntie is here. Don¡¯t be scared, don¡¯t be scared¡­" Ning Xi lightly patted his back. She could smell a sweet milk scent on him, and her emotions became a littleplicated.

    She actually avoided getting close with children, so why couldn¡¯t she bring herself to dislike it when it came to Little Treasure?

    Ning Xi coaxed Little Treasure to sleep once more before closing the bedroom door softly anding out.

    She noticed that the mess in the living room downstairs had already been cleaned up by the servants.

    As expected of servants of the Lu family; not only were they efficient, they were also well-trained. They all knew of and were curious to death about Ning Xi¡¯s visit; still, no one gave her a second nce or dared speak a word of gossip. They only went about their business and left quietly.

    Lu Tingxiao noticed she hade out, but didn¡¯t say a word to pressure her. He only silently looked at her.

    Ning Xi was hesitant. She thought of the expression Little Treasure had made when he wouldn¡¯t let go of her sleeve, and finally she gave in to her feelings. She breathed in deeply before letting it out. "Alright, Mister Lu. I¡¯ll agree to your request. Consider it me paying Little Treasure back for saving mest time."

    Lu Tingxiao visibly rxed. "Thank you."

    "Little Treasure could wake up at any time, so it looks like I won¡¯t be leaving tonight, but all my things are at my apartment¡­" Ning Xi was troubled.

    "That won¡¯t be a problem, I¡¯ll have someone go fetch them for you," Lu Tingxiao said, and then ordered the butler to head out.

    Lu Jingli, who hadn¡¯t said a single word throughout, was stunned at how quickly the situation had escted.

    So¡­ so just like that they were now living together?

    "Did you still need something?" Lu Tingxiao nced at Lu Jingli.

    "I¡¯m leaving now!" The third wheel who was discarded by his own brother quickly left.

    He had thought that Ning Xi was fierce, but his brother was no weakling either.

    He finally realized that his brother wasn¡¯t clueless when it came to chasing girls. It was just that for the past 32 years, he had simply never let himself go¡­

    Lu Tingxiao showed Ning Xi to a room next to Little Treasure¡¯s. "From now on, you can stay in here. I¡¯ll find someone toe redecorate it in whatever style you like."

    Ning Xi waved her hands in protest. "No need, no need. I¡¯ll only be living here for a few days, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s permanent. Redecorating is too troublesome!"

    "It¡¯s not troublesome."

    Lu Tingxiao took arge set of keys from the butler and handed them to her. "These are the keys to the house. You cane and go as you like. The main entrance uses a passcode, 591414. This is the key to the attic, you should keep it with you since it¡¯s Little Treasure¡¯s favorite hiding ce, so he likes to steal it. This is¡­"

    Seeing that Lu Tingxiao was about to give her the key to the safe in his home, Ning Xi cut him off. "Wait wait wait wait¡­ Mister Lu, you¡¯re being a bit too carefree! Aren¡¯t you scared I¡¯ll rob you?"

    "What do you want? I¡¯ll find someone to help you move it." Lu Tingxiao seemedpletely serious; he didn¡¯t look like he was joking at all.

 Chapter 26: Ning Xi, We Have Long Days Ahead of Us

    <h4>Chapter 26: Ning Xi, We Have Long Days Ahead of Us</h4>

    "Cough cough cough¡­" Ning Xi feltpletely defeated by Lu Tingxiao and hurriedly said, "I¡¯m just kidding¡­ it was a joke¡­"

    It seemed as if Lu Tingxiao was addicted to giving away keys, as he gave her yet another one. "It¡¯s not easy to catch cabs in this area, and going to work might be inconvenient for you, so you can drive this car."

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    Why¡­

    She was only going to live here for a short time, why did she feel like a mistress?

    No, that¡¯s not right, if she was a mistress, she would be hidden away outside, not given the keys to the main residence, and even responsibility of a child¡­

    Wow, this felt like being a newlywed¡­

    Suddenly, she thought of the first time she¡¯d met Lu Tingxiao, and how he had abruptly proposed to her¡­

    She thought that she understood everything about men, but the one standing before her was like aputer program with a top-notch firewall that she just couldn¡¯t hack.

    She didn¡¯t know whether agreeing to his request in a moment of sympathy and weakness was going to be a disaster or good fortune¡­

    Little Treasure¡¯s frame of mind that night was rather unstable, so as a precaution, Ning Xi slept beside him on the same bed.

    In the middle of the night.

    The door of the bedroom was pushed open gently and silently.

    Footsteps drew closer, and a man knelt by the side of the bed.

    In the soft, yellow light from the bedsidemp, the woman on the bed looked like she had been patting Little Treasure before drifting into sleep, her breathing shallow and expression warm. Her soft lips were like summer cherry blossoms, and slightly parted as if in unspoken invitation¡­

    After a while, a dark shadow encroached on the faint light as the figure of a man crept closer¡­

    He was only a breath away ¡ª just a bit more, and their lips would touch. But abruptly he stopped himself, before leaving a cool kiss on the woman¡¯s forehead.

    Ning Xi, we have long days ahead of us.

    ¡­

    The next morning.

    Ning Xi had thought at first that she wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep on an unfamiliar bed, but she had slept so well through the night without any dreams.

    When she woke, she realized that Little Treasure was already awake.

    The little guy was reading a book at her side in a serious manner, not making a single sound.

    He was clearly such a good child, she really couldn¡¯t imagine what the little bun was like when he threw a tantrum¡­

    "Darling, good morning." Ning Xi sat up and greeted him warmly.

    Little Treasure looked up happily from his book. Though he didn¡¯t say anything and his expression seemed unchanged, Ning Xi could tell from his eyes how pleased he was.

    Amused, Ning Xi stretched out a hand to flick an unruly lock of hair away. "Today, Auntie doesn¡¯t need to work, so I can keep youpany!"

    At her words, the little guy was so visibly happier, he even smiled a little.

    Ning Xi was practically bleeding out from all the cuteness. She couldn¡¯t help but squeeze his little cheeks. "Darling, smile more. You are too cute when you smile!"

    After showering, she went downstairs where breakfast had already been prepared.

    Ning Xi didn¡¯t see Lu Tingxiao, and none of the servants mentioned anything about waiting for him to eat, so she assumed he had already gone to work.

    After breakfast, Ning Xi was worried that she didn¡¯t really know how to take care of a child; what would she do if she didn¡¯t care for him properly¡­

    In the end, her worries were for nothing.

    The whole morning, she was on the sofa looking at her script, while Little Treasure sat at a table next to her reading books or drawing. They didn¡¯t bother each other, but shared a harmonious air.

    The servants only appeared once the whole time to bring some dim sum and fruit. Their movements were very quiet and light, as if afraid to disturb him.

    It appeared Little Treasure especially liked peace and quiet.

 Chapter 27: Fauvism

    <h4>Chapter 27: Fauvism</h4>

    Standing in a corner, the old butler silently observed the two people, one big and one small, inside the living room.

    He realized that Ning Xi was not behaving as he had imagined she would. He thought that she would desperately do anything to win the young master over, but instead she spent the entire morning reading her script.

    Meanwhile, the little young master was reading his books and drawing as usual. Nothing much was different, but if one observed carefully, they would realize he would asionally nce at Ning Xi, and he would then appear vibrant and at ease.

    Women who are too beautiful easily cause others to feel insecure, which was why when the old butler had first seen Ning Xi, he had been worried and afraid that the eldest young master had been deceived.

    From his observation so far, she wasn¡¯t doing anything inappropriate, but she could just be biding her time¡­

    So many women in the city were covetously eyeing the position of Missus Lu, scheming many ways to be Little Treasure¡¯s stepmother.

    Two years ago, that horrible incident even happened because of this, and little young master¡­

    So when he saw for himself that this woman had gained the eldest young master¡¯s trust, that the second young master wasn¡¯t intervening in their affairs, and that even the little young master seemed to really like this woman, he decided to be on his guard against her. He couldn¡¯t help but be cautious.

    Unknowingly, two hours passed.

    Ning Xi was pretty much done with her script when Little Treasure also finished his drawing, which he brought over to show her.

    Ning Xi lifted her head to look, and was surprised. "This¡­ this drawing is me?"

    One really couldn¡¯t tell that while Little Treasure seemed calm and quiet in nature, his preferred drawing style was fauvism.

    Fauve artists tended to enjoy using bright and heavy colours with straight and heavy strokes, creating vibrant and powerful artworks expressing their emotions and passion.

    Although the person in the drawing looked a little strange, it captured all her important aspects, so Ning Xi could immediately recognize herself.

    Little Treasure nodded as he gripped the drawing nervously, as if scared she wouldn¡¯t like it.

    "It¡¯s¡­ so beautiful! Can I take a picture of it to use as my phone wallpaper?" Ning Xi was not trying to purposely tter Little Treasure ¡ª these were her true feelings. She had always particrly loved art in the Fauve style for the vibrant contrast in colors. Looking at Little Treasure¡¯s drawing with her basic understanding of art, she felt he was already a master in the style!

    Little Treasure felt shy as he pressed his lips together and gave her the drawing.

    Ning Xi pointed at herself. "You¡¯re giving it to me?"

    Little Treasure nodded his head.

    "Thank you! I love it so much!" Ning Xi hugged Little Treasure and kissed him on his soft cheeks.

    Little Treasure froze briefly before his little face started to blush red. His nk, sullen eyes finally sparkled with some life.

    During this warm exchange, Ning Xi heard footsteps from above.

    She turned her head to see Lu Tingxiao slowlying down the stairs. He was wearing casual home clothes and his hair was messy, most likely from having just woke up.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s usual appearance was already very mesmerizing, but the gap between his current dishevelled look and his usual image was sorge that the impact was even more powerful. He was so sexy, there was no cure for it.

    Ning Xi felt dazed for a moment beforeing back to reality. "Mister Lu, you didn¡¯t go to work today?" Wasn¡¯t today a Monday?

    "Yes, I took the day off." Lu Tingxiao nodded his head.

    Ning Xi thought it was understandable. He had just signed a major deal which had taken a lot of effort to secure. It was natural to take a break after that.

    So even Big Boss Lu knew how to sleep in. Suddenly, the distance between them seemed to shrink a bit¡­

 Chapter 28: Overbearing CEO

    <h4>Chapter 28: Overbearing CEO</h4>

    "This is the first time Little Treasure has drawn a portrait," Lu Tingxiao noted after ncing at the drawing Ning Xi was holding.

    "Really? Then I¡¯m honored!" Ning Xi was pleased.

    "What do you want to eat in the afternoon?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    It seemed not just her living expenses, her food expenses were also covered.

    Just when Ning Xi was about to reply, her cellphone suddenly rang.

    Chang Li was calling.

    Did she arrange another minor role for her?

    "Hello, Sister Chang."

    "Ning Xi, the opening ceremony for <The World> will be held at noon at Pearl Hotel. Don¡¯t bete."

    "What? Noon? Today at noon?"

    "That¡¯s right. Today."

    "Sister Chang, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? It¡¯s already almost eleven!"

    "What do you mean earlier? Aren¡¯t I telling you an hour early now?"

    "One hour might not be enough time for me to get there, not to mention I still have to dress and do my makeup¡­"

    "That¡¯s your problem, not mine. I¡¯m busy, so I¡¯m hanging up now."

    As soon as she finished speaking, the line was cut off.

    "Chang Li! F*** your grandpa!" Ning Xi threw her phone.

    In the silence that followed, Ning Xi froze.

    Little Treasure froze.

    Lu Tingxiao also froze.

    Ning Xi wiped her face, hating herself and wanting to dig a hole to hide in.

    She had been too impulsive, forgetting that she was in the Lu residence and there was even a precious child present¡­

    She didn¡¯t care about acting like a well-breddy in front of Lu Tingxiao, but it wouldn¡¯t be good if Little Treasure learned anything bad from her.

    "Cough cough, Little Treasure, let¡¯s pretend you didn¡¯t hear anything just now! You can¡¯t copy Auntie and scold people like that, because the one Auntie was scolding isn¡¯t even a person!" Ning Xi exined seriously.

    Little Treasure blinked a few times, and then nodded like he understood.

    A sh of amusement flickered in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes. "What happened?"

    Ning Xi clenched her jaw. "The opening ceremony for <The World> is at noon. It¡¯s nearly eleven and my manager only told me about it just now. It takes at least fifty minutes to get to Pearl Hotel from here. Am I supposed to appear on camera bare-faced?"

    "Why not? You¡¯re pretty enough as it is."

    Ning Xi was stunned for a moment. She never thought Lu Tingxiao would say such words, and she shook her head embarrassedly. "Cough, I thank Master Xiao for his praise¡­ but for these sort of events, it¡¯s only polite to be dressed properly. Most importantly, I don¡¯t have anything appropriate to wear, and there will be a lot of paparazzi there. Ahhh, so frustrating¡­"

    "Wait a moment." Lu Tingxiao raised his hand to let her know not to worry, and then carried his cellphone to the courtyard to make a call.

    Ten minutester, a person rushed over, gasping for breath.

    "CEO Lu, the things you wanted are all here. Do we start now?" The person who had arrived was wearing ripped jeans and a grey cotton top; there was a very striking dark blue piercing in his left ear.

    Ning Xi was startled to find that this person looked very familiar.

    Of course, what Ning Xi meant by ¡®familiar¡¯ was that she knew him, but he did not know her.

    This was Arthur, the person under Glory World Entertainment known as the Godly Hand, and personal stylist to the queen of films, Su Yimo.

    This was someone so famous, a small fry like her could only admire him from afar!

    "This is?" Ning Xi¡¯s face was filled with suspicion.

    "You don¡¯t recognize him?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "This is the famous Arthur, of course I recognize him! I meant why did you call him over¡­"

    "Naturally, he¡¯s here to style you," Lu Tingxiao said matter-of-factly.

    Dark lines appeared on Ning Xi¡¯s forehead as she moved closer to whisper in his ear, "You¡­ you would actually make Glory World¡¯s people style me? Are you kidding! Don¡¯t you know I¡¯m an artiste under Starlight Entertainment? Glory World Entertainment and Starlight Entertainment are practically enemies!"

    "So what?" Lu Tingxiao wore an overbearing CEO¡¯s expression.

 Chapter 29: Bossâ€™s Future Wife

    <h4>Chapter 29: Boss¡¯s Future Wife</h4>

    So what?

    Ning Xi was choked with speechlessness. "Big Boss Lu, do your employees know you are asking them to help artistes from anotherpany?"

    From the looks of it, they didn¡¯t have any idea. Right now she was an unknown, how could this god possibly recognize her?

    She really felt defeated by Lu Tingxiao.

    Glory World Entertainment is a subsidiary of your Lu Corporation!

    Though Lu Jingli managed Glory World, the ultimate boss behind the scenes was Lu Tingxiao.

    Five years ago, Lu Corporation stepped into the entertainment industry when they took over Glory World Entertainment, and created an entertainment empire which was able topete against the oldest and most established entertainmentpany, Starlight Entertainment.

    The current rivalry between the twopanies was very intense. Employees in the differentpanies, from the artistes and managers to the stylists and assistants, never got along. shes were inevitable when bothpanies had employees on the same set¡­

    Lu Tingxiao nced down at his watch. "The minivan is in the front outside. You can do your makeup on the road. You should have enough time to get there. Whether you go or not is up to you."

    Ning Xi¡¯s stomach tightened painfully, and she clenched her jaw. "I¡¯m going!"

    Since Lu Tingxiao didn¡¯t seem to care, then she wouldn¡¯t care either!

    She was surprised when Lu Tingxiao followed her. "You¡¯re going too?"

    "Who else is going to drive? Also, Little Treasure wants to be with you a bit longer." He made it sound so natural and logical, like she had asked a silly question.

    Next to him, Little Treasure nodded his head enthusiastically.

    "All right¡­"

    In the end, four people, including the stylist, Arthur, got into the minivan.

    Lu Tingxiao, who hadn¡¯t even changed out of his home clothes, was in the front driving, while Ning Xi and Arthur were in the back, with Little Treasure climbing slightly over his seat to observe them.

    Arthur¡¯s gaze was approving as he assessed Ning Xi. "Thisdy has near perfect features and very good skin, light makeup will do. If I may ask, what event are you headed to? It would help me pick out the best outfit."

    "Um, it¡¯s an opening ceremony for a movie¡­"

    Ning Xi was afraid she¡¯d be beaten up if the other party found out she was an artiste with Starlight. Thankfully, Arthur didn¡¯t ask too much, only nodded to show he understood and continued to help her do her makeup.

    The timing was perfect ¡ª Ning Xi¡¯s makeup was done just as they reached their destination.

    Lu Tingxiao parked the car and turned off the engine. He turned around, arm on the back of his seat, and looked at the woman who had just finished dressing up.

    "How is it?" Ning Xi asked, a little nervous.

    "Not bad."

    For a harsh man like Lu Tingxiao to say ¡®not bad¡¯ was really not simple. Little Treasure, moreover, was looking at her with an expression of wonder.

    That gave Ning Xi more confidence, and she hugged Little Treasure apologetically. "Darling, I¡¯m sorry I have to break my promise, but Auntie promises once work is over, I¡¯ll rush over to apany you!"

    Little Treasure was reluctant to let go, but he knew she was in a hurry, so he released her and waved goodbye.

    Seeing the two people behind her, one big and one small, Ning Xi¡¯s heart felt full¡­

    After being alone for so long, it was the first time she experienced such warm feelings.

    After Ning Xi left, the position of driver naturally switched to Arthur.

    Arthur couldn¡¯t resist the gossip in his heart, and as he drove, he carefully asked, "Boss, who was thatdy just now? Is she a new artiste at ourpany? Howe I¡¯ve never seen her before?"

    Mother! Their Big Boss actually had a woman. This was huge news!

    Lu Tingxiao dropped his chin in his hand as he casually replied, "Starlight Entertainment¡¯s artiste."

    Arthur: "¡­"

    In that instant, Arthur felt he had been unjustly used.

    Big Boss! You actually had me style an artiste from Starlight!

    How could the boss actually help an enemy and betray his ownpany!

    Even the second young master does not date anyone from Starlight, okay?

    If it were the second young master sitting here, Arthur would definitely curse him unreservedly.

    But the person sitting here was Demon King Lu Tingxiao¡­

    He could only bite his tongue and feel wronged.

    What made his heart go cold was that he couldn¡¯t help but suspect that this no-name artiste from Starlight might possibly be their boss¡¯s future wife.

    After all, this was a woman who got along well with the little prince.

    It was truly not simple¡­

 Chapter 30: Opening Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 30: Opening Ceremony</h4>

    The opening ceremony of <The World>.

    The cast and crew were all there; lights shed repeatedly, the paparazzi amassed like clouds, and arge group of fans hovered on the fringes.

    The majority of the fans were around the main female lead actress, Ning Xueluo, and the main male lead actor, Zhao Sizhou.

    One was Starlight¡¯s precious leadingdy, the other was an Academy Award winner. Such a good-looking and striking pair was bound to attract a lot of attention.

    "Xueluo, we all know that this is the second time that you and Sizhou will be ying a couple on screen. Do you think you could fall for him in real life?"

    "Haha, Sizhou is very attractive, but it¡¯s not possible, because I don¡¯t have any more space in my heart for him!"

    All the reporters went into a frenzy at her words.

    A year ago, Ning Xueluo had publicly announced that she had a boyfriend, and everyone had scrambled to find more information. In the end, they found out that the other party was the son of Su Hongguang, the CEO of Yifeng Corporation. He had status, money, and looks. He was practically perfect, and everyone else couldn¡¯t help but feel envious.

    The fans felt sad, but the fans of today were no longer like those in the past who would get upset over their idols dating and getting married. The majority nowadays wished for their idol to find a good partner.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s poprity hadn¡¯t suffered even after she revealed her rtionship status; on the contrary, she maintained her fame through topics like "Handsome Rich Boyfriend" and "A Winner at Life".

    Beside her, Zhao Sizhou also knew how to respond. He immediately clutched his chest, acting like his heart was in pain. "Miss Shangguang, you are truly ruthless. This prince has already given his heart only to you!"

    For the movie, Ning Xueluo was going to y the female lead Shangguang Yingrong while Zhao Sizhou had been cast in the role of the prince.

    The reporters loudlyughed as they teased Zhao Sizhou. The atmosphere was very lively.

    After the leading actor and actress, the next person everyone looked forward to seeing the most was the actress for the supporting female lead. A group of people surrounded Guo Qisheng.

    "Director Guo, howe we don¡¯t see the actress for Meng Changge? Will shee today?"

    "Of course she will."

    "ording to some rumors, Jia Qingqing¡¯s audition wasn¡¯t sessful because you felt that she wasn¡¯t beautiful enough, is that true?"

    They were clearly trying to stir up trouble with such a question.

    But Director Guo wasn¡¯t new to this game, and his reply was wless. "It¡¯s true that physical beauty is a very high requirement for the role of Meng Changge, but it¡¯s definitely not the only standard we were looking at. Jia Qingqing¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t the issue, she just unfortunately didn¡¯t have the aura we were looking for."

    "I heard that the actress for Meng Changge is a rookie, is that correct? Your standards for the role of Meng Changge are so high, can this rookiepletely meet all expectations?"

    What was going on today? Were there not enough red packets? The reporters¡¯ questions were bing more pointed, all of them targeted at the second female lead.

    "This question can wait until the movie is out, everyone please look forward to it!

    But the reporters wouldn¡¯t let go of the issue, and asked aggressively, "Director Guo, is the actress for Meng Changge prettier than Jia Qingqing?"

    When was it going to end?

    Yes! She was far prettier than Jia Qingqing!

    So what if Jia Qingqing is the kind of beauty thates once every hundred years, once you see Ning Xi, let¡¯s see if you still dare bring up Jia Qingqing again!

    "This, everyone is unique, unique in their own way¡­ wait ¡®til she gets here, then you¡¯ll know¡­"

    Director Guo was getting impatient with the questioning when at that moment, a figure appeared at the start of the red carpet. His gaze was frozen for three seconds, before he came out of his reverie, andughed. "Speak of the devil!"

 Chapter 31: You Really Have Sharp Eyes!

    <h4>Chapter 31: You Really Have Sharp Eyes!</h4>

    Director Guo had an expectant look on his face after he finished speaking.

    Naturally, the reporters turned to look in the direction Director Guo indicated, and were all stunned silly.

    Ning Xi was wearing a magenta dress made ofce today. The cut of the dress perfectly emphasized her mesmerizing waistline, and the neckline exposed her elegant corbone. The color was even harder to pull off than pure red. Although the design was exquisite, the dress would only look tacky or even scary on most people.

    But the dress looked as if it had been made just for Ning Xi ¡ª it made her so beautiful, she dazzled everyone.

    Ning Xi had personally felt that she couldn¡¯t pull off the dress when the stylist had picked it out for her, and she had only been convinced after she put it on.

    As expected of Glory World¡¯s Godly Hand, his eyes were just too keen. Just one look at her and he already knew her better than she knew herself.

    Although it was Ning Xi¡¯s first time at this type of event, she was, after all, an actress. She had taken on various roles and personas, which naturally included celebrities, so walking the red carpet was not difficult at all.

    Each step, each smile, and her every action was just right. She found the best camera angles, and gave the perfect expression.

    The reporters froze for a far longer time than Director Guo had before they came back to their senses.

    This¡­ this was the actress for Meng Changge, Ning Xi?

    A no-name rookie with no experience worth mentioning?

    This¡­ isn¡¯t she too beautiful?!

    There were no words that could describe her, she was simply stunning!

    Just a moment ago, they had actually tried to push Director Guo into dering who was the bigger beauty between Jia Qingqing and Ning Xi. No wonder Director Guo¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t seem right, they now realized how ridiculous their question was.

    Before an unparalleled beauty like Ning Xi, even an attractive celebrity like Jia Qingqing was practically just another face in the crowd.

    Ning Xi posed for the cameras in the middle of the red carpet, before turning around to pick up a pen from the tray to sign her name on the wall.

    Her turning around caused another wave of gasps and the sound of camera shutters.

    The dress was designed to be backless; when the stylist had chosen it, the aspect had factored heavily into his decision.

    Ning Xi¡¯s shoulder des were too perfect; one could say that they were the sexiest part of her body, and it would be a real waste to cover them.

    Female celebrities who walked the red carpet tended to especially reveal cleavage to attract attention, but Ning Xi had taken an alternate route, elevating her far above the rest.

    After burning through countless rolls of film, it was time for the interview.

    The reporters today were very pitiful.

    They had initially prepared questions like: "Do you think your looks are good enough for the role of a vixen like Meng Changge?", "Who do you think is prettier, you or Jia Qingqing?", "Rumor has it that you received the role through unofficial channels, what was the reason for it?"¡­

    Now they couldn¡¯t use any of those questions¡­

    Anyone who wasn¡¯t blind could tell that nothing had happened behind the scenes ¡ª her face was convincing enough.

    She was the most suitable person for the role of Meng Changge.

    The reporters started asking questions.

    "Miss Ning, if I may ask, the dress you¡¯re wearing is a Karl Lagerfeld design, is it a custom piece?"

    Ning Xi froze.

    This dress was designed by Karl Lagerfeld?

    She had actually casually put on a dress worth millions?

    Demon King Lu, can you not be so devious!

    But what was even more terrifying was still toe, when the same reporter then asked, "Miss Ning, was this outfit styled by Arthur?"

    You can even see that?

    You really have sharp eyes!

 Chapter 32: Troublesome Exes

    <h4>Chapter 32: Troublesome Exes</h4>

    "That¡¯s not right, I must be seeing it wrong¡­" Luckily, without waiting for Ning Xi to respond, the reporter took back his question.

    It was probably because he remembered that Ning Xi was an artiste under Starlight, so how could the personal stylist to Su Yimo from Glory World Entertainment possibly style her?

    Ning Xi let out a sigh of relief. Afraid they would continue asking simr questions, she opened her mouth first to say, "Today is the opening ceremony for <The World>, everyone should ask questions rted to the drama!"

    "That, Miss Ning, if I may ask, is this your first drama?" someone from the crowd asked.

    "Of course not, I already started acting when I was in university, but I didn¡¯t have many scenes, so no one recognizes me," Ning Xi answered honestly, not at all minding that her r¨¦sum¨¦ was rathercking.

    Any reporter could dig out her past if they tried, so why not respond humbly?

    "What kind of roles has Miss Ning yed in the past?"

    It was a very normal question, but a bit awkward for Ning Xi. However, since it had already been asked, she couldn¡¯t not reply.

    "Some of the roles I¡¯ve done¡­" Ning Xi began listing all the roles she¡¯d yed since returning to the country from overseas.

    When she had been studying overseas for the past four years, she had spent nearly all her free time acting. She had had a few roles in quite a number of well-known dramas and films. Considering that countries abroad usually disliked using Chinese actors, for her to have such a r¨¦sum¨¦ was really not easy.

    The reason she avoided bringing up her overseas acting experiences was because of her rtionship history from that time¡­

    Although it had been nothing immoral and had just been normal dating, the identities of her ex-boyfriends stood out too much.

    Right now, what she needed most was a role that she could publiclyy im to. If her debut was shrouded by gossip about her previous rtionships, the public focus on her personal life might give her a moment¡¯s poprity, but would stunt the potential growth of her career.

    Ning Xi tried hard to recall all the roles she had done since her return to the country, but the reporters were speechless at the list.

    These roles were rather¡­ ah¡­

    A mistress, fox spirit, demoness, country bumpkin, brain-dead eldest miss, even an evil old woman¡­

    For such a beauty, why did she have this kind of preferences?

    Why did she like these sorts of roles?

    In the end, someone finally asked, "Why are all your roles of viins?"

    Ning Xi obviously couldn¡¯t point her finger at Chang Li in an event like this, so she replied ndly, "I never really noticed. Acting is what I love doing most, and every character, every role has its own charm, whether they¡¯re small roles or big ones."

    The reporters asked several more decent questions, and even without the guidance of a manager, Ning Xi answered all of them perfectly.

    Guo Qisheng nodded his head as he watched. "This girl is not bad! With such quality and intelligence, why has she onlye this far after being in this industry for a year¡­ Old Wang, what do you think?"

    The producer, Wang Taihe, said heavily, "Either the upper echelons of Starlight Entertainment are blind, or¡­"

    Trailing off, he gave Director Guo a knowing look.

    Clearly, someone in Starlight was purposely suppressing her exposure.

    Director Guo looked sympathetic. "What a pity for such a promising seedling!"

    "If it¡¯s gold, it¡¯ll shine eventually. If not, doesn¡¯t she have you?" Wang Taiheughed.

    At that moment, Ning Xueluo¡¯s nails were digging into her palms; her face twisted at this intolerable scene.

    When she¡¯d had Chang Li deliberately notify Ning Xi of the ceremony just an hour before it would start, she¡¯d never imagined that not only was she notte and did not make a fool out of herself, she had even arrived looking wless enough to stun everyone.

    Damn it, the outfit Ning Xi was wearing was worth several millions. Where did she get that much money?

    Clothes could be rented, but then who had styled her?

    I actually underestimated that country bumpkin!

 Chapter 33: Want To Trip Me? Not A Chance!

    <h4>Chapter 33: Want To Trip Me? Not A Chance!</h4>

    "Xueluo, Ning Xi is your junior. What are your thoughts towards her acting as Meng Changge?" A reporter asked Ning Xueluo.

    Ning Xueluo immediately switched back to an easygoing and elegant expression as she replied, "My junior sister has a lot of talent. I believe she won¡¯t disappoint everyone¡­"

    When asked about Ning Xi, Ning Xueluo was all praises andpliments.

    Anyone who didn¡¯t know would assume she was only promoting her junior, but Ning Xi knew very well what a schemer Ning Xueluo was.

    She wasn¡¯t really helping her, but setting her up for a fall instead.

    The opening ceremony hadn¡¯t begun yet, but Ning Xueluo was alreadyplimenting her to high heaven ¡ª with such high expectations for her, even the smallest mistake would cause severe disappointment.

    Unfortunately for Ning Xueluo, Ning Xi wasn¡¯t going to allow her nasty n to work.

    After training hard these past five years when it came to acting, she had confidence that she could sincerely convince everyone.

    Want to trip me? Just you wait and see!

    After the interview segment was over, Ning Xi let out a breath of relief, only to be confronted by Chang Li.

    "Ning Xi, where did you get this outfit? Don¡¯t think thepany will cover the costs! You¡¯re only a second female lead, how can you steal the spotlight like this? Don¡¯t you know the rules?" Chang Li berated her as soon as she saw her.

    Ning Xi yed with a loose strand of her raven ck hair as she casually said, "I didn¡¯t want to either, but who told Sister Chang to make mete for the event?"

    "You¡­" Because there were a lot of people around them, Chang Li could only forcibly hold her tongue. "You better behave at dinnerter. Don¡¯t spout nonsense that will embarrass thepany. Xueluo can¡¯t hold her liquor, so remember to drink on her behalf! Do you hear me?"

    Ning Xi couldn¡¯t help butugh. "You want me to drink for her? Miss Chang, are you dreaming? You should be d already that I don¡¯t pour wine over her!"

    Chang Li was on Ning Xueluo¡¯s side, so even if she grovelled and begged, Ning Xi wouldn¡¯t fall for it. Ning Xi could be more resolute in her refusals and Chang Li wouldn¡¯t dare overstep in retaliation.

    Chang Li was enraged. "Ning Xi, you¡¯re really too much, it¡¯s just a minor second female lead role and you¡¯ve alreadypletely forgotten your ce?"

    Ning Xicked the patience to deal with her, and turned around to leave.

    Chang Li watched Ning Xi as she left; even though it was just a silhouette, she was still mesmerizing.

    She suddenly felt anxious.

    Even before, she already had had a sense of foreboding, and she was scared they couldn¡¯t rein Ning Xi in any longer.

    This woman was born to be an actress.

    Once her star started to rise, there was no way Ning Xueluo would be able topete with her.

    Since things hade to this point, she could only continue to suppress her as much as possible and deny her any chance to grow.

    After the opening ceremony was the evening dinner.

    All the cast members were gathered in the banquet hall, eating and drinking and getting to know one another. The atmosphere was very rxed and lively.

    Noticing Ning Xi¡¯s arrival, the screenwriter, Ye Linglong, was the first to stand up and pull her over to sit beside her. One could tell how pleased she was with her.

    "Speaking of coincidences, our two cast beautiese from the samepany with the samest name!" The assistant director Zhang Rui expressed enthusiastically.

    Ning Xi smiled coldly.

    Haha, really a coincidence.

    The samepany under the same manager; however, their situations werepletely different.

    One was the star of Starlight while the other was wing her way up from the very bottom.

    As they were speaking, the producer and director suddenly stood up and headed towards the door. The reason was because their biggest sponsor, the chairman of the board of directors of Ning International, Ning Yaohua, had arrived.

 Chapter 34: A Good Show Between A Benevolent Father And Filial Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 34: A Good Show Between A Benevolent Father And Filial Daughter</h4>

    "I never thought Chairman Ning would take time out of his busy schedule toe to our opening ceremony! It really is such an honor!" Director Guo eximed.

    "Come, Chairman Ning, sit over here!" Producer Wang offered his seat so that Ning Yaohua could sit next to his daughter.

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s expression was filled with fatherly love when he looked at Ning Xueluo. "You¡¯re too polite, Director Guo. My daughter is under your care."

    "Chairman Ning, the apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree, and your daughter is already so outstanding, she doesn¡¯t need my care at all!"

    "This child is usually so busy, I rarely see her. If it wasn¡¯t for my trip here today, this father would never see her at all!" While Ning Yaohua might sound annoyed, the expression on his face was indulgent.

    "Hahaha, Xueluo is so hardworking, you should be happy. But Xueluo, you¡¯re also in the wrong, no matter how busy you are, you should still go home to visit!" Director Guo scolded.

    "Yes, Director, I¡¯m wrong! Dad, don¡¯t be mad. Tomorrow night, I¡¯lle home for dinner!" Ning Xueluo cajoled as she hugged Ning Yaohua¡¯s arm, acting like an obedient daughter.

    "See, even I need the director to say some words on my behalf for her to find time to visit!"

    "Dad, there¡¯s so many people here ah, give me some face!"

    "Yes yes yes, you¡¯re a big star now, I can¡¯t say anything anymore!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi thought she had already steeled her heart, but seeing this good show put on by this benevolent father and filial daughter, her chest felt so stuffy that she wanted to run away.

    While her emotions were in turmoil, she thankfully was able to maintain a serene expression. She breezily engaged the screenwriter sitting beside her in conversation, as though she had not noticed themotion.

    She could pretend not to have noticed, but some people didn¡¯t feel the same. Ning Yaohua¡¯s gaze was like a knife stabbing through her. Her appearance at the opening ceremony was an embarrassment to him.

    In the end, Ning Xi escaped the room by excusing herself to the restroom. She walked to an open window at the end of a hallway for some fresh air.

    She grabbed some cigarettes and a lighter from her bag, but contemted for a while before putting them back.

    She was trying to quit smoking.

    Today was the first time in a while she felt the urge to smoke.

    The night breeze blew on her face and made her feel a bit better.

    At that moment, there were footsteps behind her.

    Ning Xi¡¯s back stiffened, but when she turned around, her expression was imprable, like a mask. "Chairman Ning came looking for me?"

    Ning Yaohua looked at her with a severe expression, extremely unhappy with the way she was dressed.

    Ning Xi looked down with a small smile. "Ah, Chairman Ning, back in the other room, you kept staring at me. Aren¡¯t you afraid others will misunderstand that gaze?"

    After all, to outsiders, he was a sponsor and she was a beautiful, small-bit celebrity. It was very easy to develop false impressions about their rtionship.

    "You bastard, what do you think you¡¯re saying?" Ning Yaohua was immediately enraged.

    Ning Xi furrowed her brow. "Obviously I¡¯m speaking in a humannguage. Does Chairman Ning not understand humannguage?"

    "You¡­" Ning Yaohua lifted his hand.

    Before it could fall, a delicate hand grabbed and held it in ce.

    There was no way she would let Ning Yaohua hit her again.

    He had no right.

    Ning Yaohua was almost angered to death and snatched his hand away. "You better quit this role right now. You would just be an embarrassment to me if you continue like this in public!"

    Ning Xi¡¯s expression went cold. "I got this role honorably, how is that an embarrassment?"

    "You always have to copy whatever Xueluo wants to do. Look at you, you can¡¯t possiblypete with her. Rushing into the entertainment industry, are you just waiting for someone to find out about that incident to shame my Ning family?" Ning Yaohua red at her, his eyes filled with extreme disdain.

 Chapter 35: That Youth No Longer Exists

    <h4>Chapter 35: That Youth No Longer Exists</h4>

    To this day, there were still people who would joke about how Ning Yaohua¡¯s daughter had drunk the lemon water meant for washing hands, and how she had worn counterfeit clothes to a banquet. If people were to find out about the incident from back then, would he still have any pride left?

    At Ning Yaohua¡¯s words, Ning Xi went pale.

    That night, that stranger, that dead baby¡­

    This was her weakness.

    That year, the Ning family had hushed up everything for fear of the shame, and Ning Xueluo kept quiet for fear of being exposed herself, but that was still Ning Xi¡¯s darkest nightmare.

    "I¡¯m giving you face letting you leave on your own terms, but if you refuse to, then don¡¯t me me for not acknowledging our father-daughter rtionship."

    "Oh, so there¡¯s actually still a father-daughter rtionship between us¡­"

    "Dad, Xiao Xi¡­ what¡¯s going on?" Ning Xueluo¡¯s astonished voice came from behind them.

    Noticing Ning Xueluo, Ning Yaohua immediately switched to a loving expression. "Nothing for you to worry about. When you go backter, ask yourpany if they can find a better second female lead.

    The meaning behind his words being that Ning Xi should be reced.

    Ning Xueluo was pleased, but put on a nervous face. "Dad, why? The role of second female lead has already been given to Xiao Xi ah!"

    "It¡¯s good enough if she can do small roles and cameos, but how can she possibly y such an important role? I didn¡¯t invest 30 million yuan into this drama for her to fool around!"

    "But dad, Xiao Xi put in a lot of effort to get the role¡­"

    "Xueluo, don¡¯t defend her anymore. I¡¯ve told you before not to help her, but you never listen! You still actuallyplimented her in front of the reporters! Does she even deserve all that praise?"

    "But Xiao Xi is still your¡­"

    "Be quiet, such things must never ever be mentioned. I¡¯ve already said it before, you are my only daughter!"

    "Dad, don¡¯t be mad. I won¡¯t say anything else, alright?"

    "I still have business to attend to, so I¡¯m leaving first. When you have time, help me persuade her to stop being stubborn!" Ning Yaohua gave Ning Xi onest cold look that told her to behave herself before turning around to leave.

    After Ning Yaohua left, Ning Xueluo¡¯s sweet and obedient expression changed, as she said innocently, "Ning Xi, don¡¯t say this time that I wanted to make things hard for you. Originally, I was going to give you a chance. What a pity¡­"

    "Ha¡­" Ning Xi couldn¡¯t help butugh, but it was a sorrowful sound.

    Who could possibly have guessed that in the end, the person to destroy all her efforts and throw her back into the dust would be her own father.

    She had worked hard for so long, devoted herself to preparing for the role, but for what?

    Just like that, everything was gone¡­

    When the opening ceremony ended, it was a little past eleven.

    Looks like it¡¯s true that it¡¯s easy to get drunk when you¡¯re upset.

    Ning Xi felt that she hadn¡¯t drunk that much that night, but when she got up, she was unsteady and her head throbbed painfully.

    So of course it was right at this moment that she saw the one person who would make her feel even worse¡­

    Su Yan¡­

    Beside her, the cast and crew, especially thedies, were loudly expressing their surprise when they saw the person approaching.

    "Ah! It¡¯s Young Master Su! He¡¯s so handsome! He¡¯s actually a hundred times better looking in person than what rumors say!"

    "He must be here to pick Ning Xueluo up! I¡¯m so jealous, she has a great acting career,es from such a good family, and her boyfriend is so handsome! As expected of the Winner at Life!"

    "These types of people were already winners since they were born, we don¡¯t even have the right to be envious!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi used the wall as support, her gaze frozen on the man walking towards Ning Xueluo.

    The Su family had done well in recent years. Su Yan¡¯s status was like a boat on a high tidal wave, while Ning Xi was a faded shadow of his past.

    The boy back then who had been convalescing in the countryside due to his lung illness, who had be her warm and gentle Brother Yan who would always read to her ¡ª that boy had already died with the passing of time.

 Chapter 36: Which God of Fortune is This?

    <h4>Chapter 36: Which God of Fortune is This?</h4>

    "Brother Yan, why did youe? Didn¡¯t I say you didn¡¯t have to pick me up?" Ning Xueluo was like a little bird as she fluttered happily over to her man.

    "I was worried. It¡¯s raining outside." Su Yan took off his jacket to drape over her, his gaze unhappy. "Why are you wearing so little?"

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression was as sweet as honey. "Oh you, how old do you think I am, you still treat me like a child!"

    Ning Xi was unsteady as she pressed against the icy cold wall, and felt that she was really unlucky.

    All night, if she wasn¡¯t witnessing the parental love directed at Ning Xueluo, then she was a spectator to Ning Xueluo¡¯s love life.

    As if this wasn¡¯t enough, Ning Xueluo purposely grabbed onto Su Yan¡¯s arm and led him towards her, saying warmly, "Junior Sister, I can tell you¡¯ve drunk a little too much. How about we leave together? I¡¯ll have my boyfriend drive you back!"

    Ning Xueluo intentionally emphasized the word ¡®boyfriend¡¯.

    Only then did Su Yan notice Ning Xi. The moment he saw her, his pupils contracted.

    Ning Xi¡­

    It had already been a long time.

    They hadn¡¯t met even once during those years that she was gone overseas, and after her return, he had only seen her from afar when he picked Xueluo up from thepany a few times.

    He was not prepared for what he saw ¡ª she had changed so much that he almost couldn¡¯t recognize her.

    That girl who had always worn braids and floral dresses in the past had somehow be a woman who could capture the hearts of all men¡­

    Noticing Su Yan¡¯s gaze on Ning Xi, a trace of hostility shed through Ning Xueluo¡¯s eyes as she tugged on his arm. "Brother Yan, what do you say?"

    Su Yan then came out of his reverie and immediately nodded his head. "Yes, let¡¯s go together."

    "Junior Sister Ning¡­ Junior Sister Ning? Are you alright?" Ning Xueluo pretended to be worried.

    Ning Xi waved her hand and shook her head. Because of the alcohol, her mind was growing more muddled, her heart was beating faster and her blood was rushing backwards. It felt as though there was a beast roaring inside her body, wanting to break out and tear the two fake faces before her to shreds.

    "No need¡­" Ning Xi stumbled in the direction of the bathroom before she lost control.

    Ning Xueluo smirked at Ning Xi¡¯s sorry-looking escape, but when she turned around to face Su Yan, her expression was one of hurt. "Brother Yan, Xiao Xi doesn¡¯t seem like she wants to forgive me¡­ I already worked so hard to make it up to her. In thepany, I tried to take care of her, and yet she shows me a face like that. I really don¡¯t know what else I can do¡­"

    "Don¡¯t worry, Xiao Xi is always like this. Give her time and she¡¯ll eventually forgive you!" Su Yan consoled her in a soft voice.

    Outside the hotel,dies from the crew were excitedly admiring Su Yan¡¯s high-end car.

    "I just checked, this Maserati is worth at least 10 million, it¡¯s so expensive!"

    "I also want to find a rich boyfriend, just how many years will it take me!"

    "More importantly, he¡¯s so handsome! So many celebrities marry rich, but they¡¯re all to fat, middle-aged men, seeing that really turns my stomach¡­"

    ¡­

    While everyone was gossiping, they all saw Su Yan and Ning Xueluo leave the hotel together.

    A good-looking couple standing together really drew the eye.

    Everyone watched enviously as Ning Xueluo, with Su Yan¡¯s jacket draped over her, stepped into the luxurious car, and only after the car was out of sight did they release longing sighs.

    But not long after the car had left, there was a sudden piercing sound as a silver-white silhouette appeared and drew closer. It was a sports car speeding over, stopping right at the entrance of the hotel.

    More importantly, this car¡­

    This car was too dazzling!

    Such a handsome, low chassis, a smooth body and cool scissor doors ¡ª it was a work of art¡­

    Even more importantly, the price¡­

    "F*** me, that¡¯s the Bugatti Veyron SuperSport, the world¡¯s most expensive sports car. It costs approximately over a billion yuan¡­ mother¡­ which god of fortune is this¡­"

 Chapter 37: Entering the Womenâ€™s Bathroom to Find Someone

    <h4>Chapter 37: Entering the Women¡¯s Bathroom to Find Someone</h4>

    In the car, Little Treasure was staring at the cellphone with a heavy expression.

    Lu Tingxiao released his safety belt. "I¡¯ll go in to look, wait here for me."

    Little Treasure immediately tugged on his father¡¯s sleeve, indicating he wanted to go as well.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at his son. "If by chance she is drunk, do I carry you or do I carry her?"

    Little Treasure puffed up his cheeks, expressing his disagreement. He didn¡¯t need anyone to carry him.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression darkened. "How unfortunate, after what happenedst time, my trust in you has hit rock bottom. I don¡¯t believe that you can take care of yourself. If it happens again, even I cannot handle the consequences. Do you understand?"

    Little Treasure drooped his head, looking dejected.

    Realizing that he had been too harsh, he tousled his son¡¯s hair. "I¡¯ll be back soon."

    "Old Zhang, drive the car to the underground parking."

    "Yes, Young Master."

    Under the gazes of the crowd standing at the hotel entrance, a car door opened and a man stepped out.

    He was wearing a whole suit of steel grey and his body was like that of a jade statue, exuding tremendous pressure.

    "Ah ¡ª it¡¯s Lu¡­ Lu Tingxiao ahhh! Just now we were wondering which god of fortune it was going to be, who knew it was really the God of Fortune! I say, besides the God of Fortune, who else can drive such a luxurious car! Compared with Master Xiao, the Su family is practically nothing!"

    "My god, hold me. I¡¯m so shocked, I¡¯m about to faint¡­ I only saw him once in a magazine, who knew that bying here, I would see the real thing! I really want to get a signature! Sign my panties!!!"

    "Those famous, good-looking actors can only kneel down before our Master Xiao. If he ever entered the entertainment circle, who would even bother with those small fry!"

    "Dream on, just encountering him like this from afar is already worth a person¡¯s entire lifetime of luck, you even want him to enter the entertainment circle so you can admire him everyday?"

    ¡­

    Even after that person had entered the hotel, the crowd standing outside the entrance still did not disperse and was still gossiping like before.

    "Big Boss Lu has never gone anywhere without prior announcement. I wonder why he came alone to the hotel sote at night. What did hee here for?"

    "Who knows, it¡¯s not like he came here to find a woman!"

    "What a pity. He¡¯s such an outstanding man but doesn¡¯t get close with women! Why do you think he doesn¡¯t get close with women?"

    "He likes men!"

    "That¡¯s nonsense, if he liked men, where did his sone from? I think Master Xiao is a sentimental person, and is still hung up on his child¡¯s mother. He must have loved her so deeply that he remained celibate all these years!"

    ¡­

    When Lu Tingxiao reached the top floor of the hotel, he realized that the cast and crew had already left. The crowd just then must have been thest batch of people, but he still did not see Ning Xi.

    He continued down the hallway trying to find her as he called Ning Xi¡¯s number once more.

    She was still not picking up the phone.

    As he passed by a restroom, he suddenly stopped walking. From the restroom, he could hear the faint sound of her ringtone.

    He stood there and listened for a moment and realized the sound came from the women¡¯s restroom.

    Lu Tingxiao hung up his phone and the sound from the women¡¯s restroom also cut off.

    After finally finding the person he was looking for, he let out a breath of relief, before creasing his eyebrows.

    He had no choice but to enter the women¡¯s restroom to find her.

    Her cellphone had rung so loudly yet she had no reacted. It seemed she must be quite drunk.

    "Ning Xi?"

    He tested by calling out, but there was no reply.

    He stood between the men¡¯s and the women¡¯s restroom and pinched the skin between his eyebrows. His expression was the same one he wore when working on a 10 billion yuan deal.

    A few secondster, his long legs stretched forward as he headed towards the women¡¯s restroom.

 Chapter 38: You Are The Big Demon King

    <h4>Chapter 38: You Are The Big Demon King</h4>

    CEO Lu was lucky; because it was veryte at night, there was no one else in the women¡¯s restroom. He immediately saw that Ning Xi was extremely drunk as she sat on the floor, leaning against a cubicle door.

    She had kicked her high heels off into different directions, and the contents of her bag were spilled across the floor; her hair was hanging messily all over her face. She was apletely different person from when she had left looking wless.

    A sh of affection flickered in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s gaze as he went over to pick up her bag, and one by one, collected the things thaty on the floor. He then picked up her shoes and put his arm around her waist to support her up.

    Just as he was about to carry her, Ning Xi suddenly grabbed the cubicle door, refusing to let go. She looked rmed and entirely drunk as she stared at him. "You are¡­"

    "Lu Tingxiao."

    "Lu Tingxiao¡­" Ning Xi was entranced at first, and then she abruptly bellowed, "You¡¯re a liar! Do you think I¡¯m stupid! This is the women¡¯s restroom!"

    Was this girl really drunk or pretending to be drunk? She seemed to still have retained somemon sense.

    "I¡¯m not lying to you."

    "Liar¡­ I won¡¯t go¡­ I won¡¯t go with you¡­" Drunk Ning Xi was like a little hedgehog that had been scared by something, fully on guard.

    Ning Xi utterly refused to leave, so Lu Tingxiao could only put down her things and try to coax her. "What do I need to do for you to believe me?"

    "Show me some ID!" Ning Xi looked like a cop inspecting a drunk driver.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s lips curved into a smile, and like a good civilian, he took out his leather wallet to retrieve his ID and give it to her.

    Ning Xi held the small card shakily, her eyes practically touching the words as she read, "Lu¡­ Ting¡­ Xiao¡­ you are Lu Tingxiao¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded his head. "Now can we leave?"

    "I¡¯m not leaving! I won¡¯t go with you! You¡¯re the Big Demon King¡­ won¡¯t go won¡¯t go won¡¯t go¡­" Ning Xi became even more agitated.

    "Big Demon King¡­" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face turned ck. So that was how she thought of him. He thought that he had treated her quite warmly.

    The two of them were at a stalemate, when suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps outside.

    "Ning Xi¡­ Ning Xi, are you inside there?"

    Lu Tingxiao froze. If someone were to see him inside the women¡¯s restroom, he would never be able to show his face in the capital again.

    The footsteps drew closer and closer, to the point they would soon be able to see the other person¡¯s clothes. Lu Tingxiao cursed under his breath, then quickly grabbed Ning Xi¡¯s bag and shoes and pulled her past the door she was clinging to.

    The person outside the restroom was the screenwriter, Ye Ling Long.

    Ning Xi was a rookie and didn¡¯t know anyone in the film crew; only Ye Ling Long noticed that she had gone to the restroom and had nevere back, so she came looking for her.

    Shocked after being suddenly hustled into the cubicle, Ning Xi tried to struggle out of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s embrace. Ye Ling Long obviously noticed the ruckus inside.

    "Ning Xi, is that you?"

    Hearing the person draw closer, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face was as ck as the bottom of a pot. Just at that moment, Ning Xi bit the hand he had over her mouth. It hurt so much that his eyebrows creased together.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression showed that he was on the verge of copse. Had he ever been in a more difficult situation?

    After taking a deep breath, Lu Tingxiao spoke in a rough, hoarse voice, "Don¡¯t rush¡­ I¡¯ll give it to you now¡­"

    Ye Ling Long was about to knock on the door when she suddenly heard a man¡¯s voice. She froze for a moment before understanding the situation, then her face went red as she quickly hurried out.

    Who would have guessed she would run into a couple doing ¡®business¡¯ there?

    This was a hotel, so why didn¡¯t they get a room if they wanted to do it? It was really impossible to understand some people¡¯s preferences!

    Apart from that, the women¡¯s restroom was empty; this Ning Xi, just where did she run off to?

    Ye Ling Long never imagined that the female ¡®doing business¡¯ in the restroom cubicle was the Ning Xi she was trying to find.

    Hearing the footsteps retreat, Lu Tingxiao breathed out in relief.

    He was sitting on the toilet, and he loosened his tie as the little woman throwing a tantrum sat on his knee. He said coldly, "Stop being so noisy!"

    Or else the act will be real.

    The man¡¯s tone was so terrifying that it stunned Ning Xi, and she started huping, her small face revealing an expression of being wronged.

    After scaring her, Lu Tingxiao helplessly started patting her back as he tried to console her. "Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have scared you."

    But the person in his arms became even sadder, and tears began to fall from her eyes.

    He felt helpless.

    Why was this girl even harder to take care of than Little Treasure?

 Chapter 39: Not Thick At All

    <h4>Chapter 39: Not Thick At All</h4>

    "Screw him! Who do they think they are?!" All of a sudden, Ning Xi threw a violent punch. If Lu Tingxiao hadn¡¯t reacted fast enough, based on the strength of that punch, he would have ended up with a broken jaw.

    "Girls shouldn¡¯t say vulgar things." Lu Tingxiao frowned.

    Although, she was also very cute when she was swearing.

    Ning Xi was incredibly drunk, but she still had some awareness left. She felt that the person hugging her meant her no harm and was incredibly gentle, so she slowly let her guard down. She remained in hisp and no longer struggled in his embrace, only continuing to speak in her drunken stupor. "This old woman doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s worth doing¡­ otherwise, otherwise based on this old woman¡¯s face¡­ I can find an even bigger¡­ the biggest and thickest thigh to hug¡­ you all think you can suppress me¡­ then I¡¯ll go out and find¡­ I¡¯ll go now¡­"

    Hearing this, Lu Tingxiao raised his eyebrows, then roughly took hold of her hands and ced them between his thighs. "The one with the thickest thighs in the capital is right here. Do you still want to go and look for one?"

    Ning Xi randomly squeezed the muscles in his thigh and felt around before eximing loudly, "Not thick! Not thick at all!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­"

    He was actually given the cold shoulder because his was not thick enough.

    There was no way that any man would ept this.

    What was worse was that her hand had touched a ce that shouldn¡¯t have been touched, and she had even patted him there. "Hm, what is this¡­ so annoying¡­ it poked me¡­"

    Her tone was filled with disdain.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression turned ugly.

    If he let her continue on like this, he might do something that would go against his morals.

    The person who had been outside was already long gone, so Lu Tingxiao immediately opened the door and carried Ning Xi out.

    They reached the underground parking.

    The one who smugly opened the door for them was Lu Jingli.

    "Why is it you?" Lu Tingxiao frowned.

    "I went over to your ce to find you, but both you and Little Treasure weren¡¯t there, so I came over to look for you two! Brother, you really don¡¯t know the bro code. When did you even buy this car? It¡¯s even cooler than the one you gave me! I feel like I don¡¯t know anything!" Lu Jingli looked like he had been wronged.

    Lu Tingxiao ignored him and carried Ning Xi into the back seat.

    Lu Jingli was sitting in the front, and turned his head to scrutinize Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi¡¯s disheveled clothing, his face that of a gossipmonger. "Where did you pick her up? Why did you take so long? Look at Little Treasure, he almost became the Amah Rock!"

    Little Treasure had pressed himself against the ss window as soon as he had seen Ning Xi.

    Lu Tingxiao was originally worried that Ning Xi would be a rowdy drunk, but who knew that when Little Treasure approached her, she didn¡¯t react in any extreme way, only looked at him and then hugged him like afortable pillow.

    Lu Tingxiao was not the type to feed gossip, and he slowly took off his tie and jacket. "What happened today?"

    At the mention of what he was best at ¡ª investigation ¡ª Lu Jingli immediately lit up. "ording to my sources, everything went well. You even used Arthur, so of course Ning Xi sessfully wowed the whole crowd, and the media responded positively towards her!"

    "Who did she see tonight?" Lu Tingxiao asked another question.

    Lu Jingli tried to remember. "Besides the cast and crew, there was Ning Yaohua, and there was¡­"

    Lu Jingli nced at his brother¡¯s expression, and gulped before continuing. "Su Yan¡­ my guess is that she got drunk like this because she saw her ex-boyfriend, who is now with her arch nemesis, Ning Xueluo, so she probably didn¡¯t feel good¡­"

    Although Lu Jingli had deliberately taken care to speak carefully, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face still darkened in a sh.

    He was really terrifying.

    ¡®To hug a big / thick thigh¡¯ is to curry favor with someone, usually a person with more power or status.

    Amah Rock is a natural rock formation in Hong Kong ¡ª the Chinese name Íû·òÊ¯ means ¡®keeping watch for her husband¡¯.

 Chapter 40: Darling, I Really Want to Marry You

    <h4>Chapter 40: Darling, I Really Want to Marry You</h4>

    "Cough, it¡¯s really hard not to put the me on him. When Ning Xi was overseas, all the people she was with were only flings. After she was done with them, she threw them away. She¡¯s really so cool, but this Su Yan should be the only man she¡¯d ever truly loved."

    It would have been better if he hadn¡¯t said anything. After his exnation, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression was even more unsightly.

    Lu Jingli felt a bit speechless. You two haven¡¯t even started dating, what gives you the right to look like you want to massacre all her exes?

    "Brother, even if you n to wait for her to fall for you, you should bring her over to Glory World first ¡ª it¡¯s inconvenient that she¡¯s still with ourpetitor Starlight! From what I know, she¡¯s miserable working over there with Ning Xueluo," Lu Jingli grumbled.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at the quiet girl hugging Little Treasure. "It¡¯s not the right time yet."

    After the trouble of bringing this person back to his ce, another problem came up after they got out of the car.

    When Ning Xi saw the silver-white sports car, she stopped with a bright glitter in her eyes, then threw herself on it as if she would rather die than leave the car, her expression like that of a teenage girl who had found her dream man. "Oh! Little White! My darling!"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression went through several transformations as many emotions flickered over his face.

    He had suffered so much, going into the women¡¯s restroom to pick her up, and she hadn¡¯t even treated him nicely. She even called him a big demon king, and now she was hugging his car and calling it darling?

    "Hahaha¡­ brother, you can¡¯t possibly be jealous of a car! Who told you to drive this car out? When Xiao Xi Xi was overseas, she was practically on the level of professional race car drivers, and she especially loves sports cars. Obviously, she¡¯d be powerless against the allure of the world¡¯s top sports car!" Lu Jingli said on the side, delighting in his brother¡¯s misfortune.

    And then he realized that there was someone who was even more jealous than Lu Tingxiao.

    And that was Little Treasure.

    Watching his nickname "Darling" used on a car, the little guy was about to cry.

    As for the one responsible for all of this, Ning Xi was still running her hands all over the car with a besotted expression. "Darling, you¡¯re so so handsome¡­ really too dreamy! I really want to marry you!"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s knuckles cracked, itching for some violence.

    When he proposed to her, she treated him like she had encountered a beast, and now she was actually proposing to a car?

    Lu Tingxiao rolled up his sleeves. "Old Zhang, bring me a hammer."

    Lu Jingli immediately stoppedughing. "Don¡¯t! Brother, calm down! This car is worth nearly two billion! If you don¡¯t want it, then give it to me, I¡¯ll take it away and I promise you won¡¯t ever see it again!"

    After he spoke, Lu Jingli¡¯s world spun as delicate-looking Ning Xi threw him over her shoulder.

    "Who dares touch my Little White?!" Ning Xi¡¯s face was filled with killing intent, as if she would go so far as to ughter gods.

    Lu Jingli held his hip. "Good warrior, please spare me, I was wrong¡­"

    This girl seemed to be a veteran practitioner of judo. He felt like he had lost half of his life after that one flip!

    Ning Xi then climbed into the driver¡¯s seat, hugging the steering wheel tightly. "Little White, don¡¯t be afraid¡­"

    "Eldest Young Master, this¡­" Old Zhang, who had been chased away from the car, was bewildered.

    Lu Tingxiao could not help but feel a headacheing on as he waved his hand, signaling for him to leave.

    He then looked at his son. "Little Treasure, it¡¯ste, go to sleep first."

    Little Treasure, who was in a daze from losing Ning Xi¡¯s favor, shook his head like a rattle.

    Lu Tingxiao didn¡¯t get angry, only replied ndly, "You should know, girls don¡¯t like it when the people they care most about see them in their worst state."

    Hm, the people they care most about¡­

    Little Treasure thought about it deeply for a few seconds before obediently turning around to leave.

    Lu Jingli widened his eyes. "Brother, aren¡¯t you going overboard? You would even lie to a small child!"

    "Is there anything else?"

    "Of course there is something else, I want you to feel the zing warmth of this incredibly huge light bulb!"

    He could feel the piercing frosting from his brother.

    "Fine, I¡¯ll leave, I¡¯ll leave¡­" Lu Jingli walked forward before ncing back.

    A man, a woman, and a car. Don¡¯t tell me something might happen¡­

    Hehe, it was time for the record-breaking 63x optical zoom range camera that he had bought to shine!

    In Chinese, ¡®to be a lightbulb¡¯ is to be the third wheel.

 Chapter 41: Want More?

    <h4>Chapter 41: Want More?</h4>

    "What¡­ what do you want?" Seeing Lu Tingxiao slip into the passenger seat all of a sudden, Ning Xi gripped the steering wheel tightly, as if he was protecting what belonged to her.

    Lu Tingxiao sat back, his eyes darkening.

    Heh, what did he want?

    It was better for her not to know.

    Lu Tingxiao was now only wearing a white shirt; his cor was too tight, so he violently ripped the first button open, then the second, then the third¡­

    Ning Xi watched Lu Tingxiao next to her keenly, lost in seeing a handsome man rip his own shirt off to reveal his firm chest, to the point even her beloved Little White was forgotten.

    Lu Tingxiao didn''t noticed her looking at him. Trying hard to suppress his ridiculous, unreasonable jealousy over a car, he lit a cigarette and took a long, deep drag before releasing a breath of smoke.

    The moment that Lu Tingxiao pulled out the cigarette, Ning Xi could no longer stand it. She stared unblinkingly at this man: the slight movement of his Adam¡¯s apple, that white cigarette held loosely between his thin lips, and the smokeing out of his mouth¡­

    Lu Tingxiao felt the burning stare on him, and when he turned his head, he saw the look of "hunger" on Ning Xi¡¯s face.

    For a moment, Lu Tingxiao was almost tricked by that look; then he realized it was not him she was craving for.

    She was "hungry" for the cigarette between his lips.

    If nothing else, Lu Jingli was good at gathering information; his background check on Ning Xi had been extremely detailed, from her upbringing to hobbies, even the fact that she was trying to quit smoking¡­

    Lu Tingxiao understood immediately that Ning Xi was having smoke cravings.

    It wasn¡¯t just an ex-lover and a car he had lost to, now even a cigarette was more attractive than he was.

    Lu Tingxiao had never felt more frustrated or more insecure in his entire life.

    From the very first moment Lu Tingxiao saw Ning Xi, he wanted her for his own. However, he decided to take it slow to protect her feelings. Ning Xi, on the other hand, had never really been interested in him, and was always setting boundaries.

    She would rather hug someone else¡¯s thigh, than be his wife.

    People say that if an ex cannot be forgotten, it means the new lover is not good enough. Does that mean he really wasn¡¯t good enough? She had even gotten ridiculously drunk over someone who had dumped her.

    He clearly knew that the best approach was to take it slow, and had always followed this rule. He had never imagined he would lose reason to this extent, that something this insignificant could blow all his senses away.

    Lu Tingxiao smoked the cigarette as his thoughts chased themselves all over the ce. The red glow of the cigarette tip was reflected in his eyes, and he asked in a deep, low voice, "Want some?"

    Ning Xi nodded without hesitation; it wasn¡¯t clear if she was attracted to the cigarette or to the man beside her.

    Lu Tingxiao flicked cigarette ash away, and took one more drag on the cigarette under Ning Xi¡¯s naked stare; in the next moment before she knew it, his cigarette-vored lips were firmly pressed against hers¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes shot wide open; she was surrounded by the strong scent of tobo apanied by the man¡¯s cool breath; a secondter, her lips were gently pried open, and smoke breathed into her mouth¡­

    Distracted and unprepared, Ning Xi started coughing severely from the smoke.

    The cigarette was now half gone; with a gloomy look on his face, Lu Tingxiao took another drag. With tears in her eyes from coughing, the person next to him was more attractive than ever, and Lu Tingxiao asked, "Want more?"

 Chapter 42: Goodnight, My Girl

    <h4>Chapter 42: Goodnight, My Girl</h4>

    Coughing, Ning Xi stared at Lu Tingxiao angrily like he was a huge bastard.

    "Heh." Ning Xi¡¯s cute look made Lu Tingxiaough; humor rippling in his eyes. He stubbed out the cigarette and breathed out all the smoke before turning his head and leaning in again to cover her lips.

    Ning Xi¡¯s first instinct was to escape, but a hand on her waist held her still, and that low, hoarse voice was in her ear again. "I¡¯ll do it slowly this time."

    And then before she knew it, her senses were overwhelmed by fierce, almost violent, tobo-vored kisses¡­

    Ning Xi was kissed until she waspletely addled and dizzy, as if she was floating on a cloud.

    The only thing she was still aware enough to be sure of was that this man was more dangerous than cigarettes.

    Bang. The seat back was lowered, and a man¡¯s burning hot body followed her down.

    Ning Xi could hardly breathe; she felt her whole body start to fall, deeper and deeper, deeper and deeper, until she hit the bottom of the ocean¡­

    When the person under him stopped moving around, Lu Tingxiao lifted his head to see that she had heartlessly fallen dead asleep, and was even snoring slightly¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s red eyes turned back into their usual ck, and the ming rage in his heart disappearedpletely.

    Heh, was he insane? Getting all serious with a drunk¡­

    It¡¯d only been three days.

    They¡¯d only known each other for three days.

    What was he rushing for?

    His attraction to this little girl made no sense.

    The first time he hadid his eyes on her, he had the crazy feeling that he had been brought back to life.

    Even though they¡¯d never met before, it felt like she was someone he knew from the past.

    The moment he picked her up in his arms in the bar storeroom, he had feltplete, as if she had been the one thing that had been missing before in his world.

    He wanted her, all of her, for his own, and did not want to wait one second more.

    He couldn¡¯t afford to lose her, so waiting was his only option.

    Lu Tingxiao grabbed a nket and a pillow from the back, and adjusted the temperature of the air conditioning before lying down next to her, kissing her gently on the forehead.

    "Goodnight, my girl."

    Early next morning.

    Ning Xi woke up wrapped in warm arms.

    She rubbed her eyes a bit, and through the window above her head, she saw green leaves, bright sunshine streaming in between their gaps to warm her body, the sound of birds singing in her ears¡­

    Hm, where was she?

    She looked around and was surprised to find herself sleeping in a car ¡ª or more precisely, in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arms.

    Oh my freaking God!

    Ning Xi scrambled up, hitting her head on the roof of the car roof hard.

    She¡­ Lu Tingxiao¡­ in a car¡­

    Damn it, what the hell happenedst night? Why did she have to deal with all this crap right after waking up?

    It was hard not to misunderstand what she was seeing!

    "What are you thinking?"

    Ning Xi bit her finger nervously, her brain spinning, and answered without thinking, "I¡¯m wondering if I really had car sex with the Big Demon Kingst night¡­ that would be horrifying¡­"

    "Big Demon King¡­ car sex¡­? If that was really the case, you think you would still have the energy to jump around and imagine ridiculous things the next morning?" The man sounded like he was gnashing his teeth.

    "AH¡ª" Only now did Ning Xi realize that Lu Tingxiao was awake. She jumped in surprise, and almost hit her head again. Luckily, Lu Tingxiao anticipated it, and covered her head with his big, strong hand.

    "Mister¡­ Mister Lu¡­"

    "Use my name." Lu Tingxiao sounded a bit cold.

    She called him "Mister Lu" when she was hiding things from him and "Master Xiao" when she didn''t want to piss him off, and he despised both.

    Maybe she was imagining things, but after one night, she felt that Lu Tingxiao somehow seemed different¡­

 Chapter 43: Bite Again

    <h4>Chapter 43: Bite Again</h4>

    Or maybe it wasn¡¯t that he had changed, but that he had hidden it too well, so she never really knew him at all.

    Ning Xi noticed bloodstains on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s hand, and asked without thinking, "Lu¡­ Lu Tingxiao, what happened to your hand?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the delicate little teeth marks, then looked at her with a smile. "What do you think?"

    Ning Xi swallowed. "Well¡­ these teeth marks look familiar¡­"

    There was praise in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression. "Good eye."

    "Cough, thanks." Ning Xi smiled awkwardly, and then asked more carefully, "Was it me?"

    "You think I¡¯m trying to frame you? You can take anther bite and see if they look the same," Lu Tingxiao suggested, and held out his hand.

    Ning Xi waved her hands in embarrassment. "No need, no need, it was me! I did it! Then again¡­ what on earth happenedst night? Everything¡¯s in pieces, I only remember going to the bathroom, the rest after that is a blur¡­ how did I end up here?"

    "You cked out in the girls¡¯ room, I went in to get you, you didn''t want toe with me and you bit me," Lu Tingxiao answered sinctly.

    Ning Xi was confused. " You¡­ you went into the girls¡¯ room?"

    She had reallymitted such an unforgivable sin! The Big Demon King had sacrificed too much for her¡­

    "Then why was I sleeping in the car?" Ning Xi gathered the courage to ask.

    "Because you refused to leave your little darling." Lu Tingxiao deliberately emphasized ¡®your little darling¡¯.

    Ning Xi looked at the car she had worshiped for so long, and understood Lu Tingxiao¡¯s words immediately.

    "I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯ve caused you so much trouble!" Ning Xi apologized weakly.

    It was only the second night since she¡¯d moved in, and already so much had happened, she truly felt bad about it.

    Lu Tingxiao didn''t respond to her words, and instead asked something unrted, "Why did you get so drunkst night?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s face suddenly saddened¡­

    Looking at how her face changed, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s inner beast started to raise its head.

    Ning Xi wasn''t used to sharing her worries with others, but this weight was too much to bear; she sank listlessly into the car seat, looking at the greenery above her head, and murmured, "I didn''t get the Meng Changge role¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao was surprised. "What?"

    "It¡¯s just a small second female lead role, I know a big CEO like you can¡¯t possibly understand, but you don¡¯t know how hard I worked for this day, you have no idea how happy I was when I got it, none of you understand¡­" Ning Xi covered her eyes with her hands as she spoke.

    All this time, Lu Tingxiao thought that she had gotten so drunk because of Su Yan; he never thought this would be the real reason.

    She was not sad about losing Su Yan, but about losing the role?

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s brightened after the gloom he had felt all night, but seeing Ning Xi¡¯s sad face, his heart clenched.

    How could he not know how important her dream was to her.

    She wouldn¡¯t be so stubborn otherwise, choosing to climb up step by step even though there were shortcuts she could have taken.

    "Don¡¯t be sad, you are already doing well." Lu Tingxiao lifted her head to rest it on his chest.

    So Su Yan wasn''t the culprit, it was¡­ Ning Yaohua.

    Ning Yaohua was the biggest investor for <The World>, so he had arge say in whom to cast in the movie.

    No one was allowed to bully his girl, not even her own father.

 Chapter 44: Flirting Skills Awaken

    <h4>Chapter 44: Flirting Skills Awaken</h4>

    Only after Ning Xi calmed down did she realize she had cried in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arms for almost half an hour.

    Damn it¡­ what the hell¡­

    Except when it had been necessary when acting, it had been five years since shest cried.

    "Uh, I''m sorry I dirtied your clothes¡­" She was very embarrassed when she saw the mess she had made of his shirt with her tears.

    Lu Tingxiao said with a hint of a smile, "It was an honor for my shirt."

    Ning Xi was stunned, and her heart went crazy.

    She had always thought that Lu Tingxiao was the kind of genius who had a high IQ but low EQ.

    She could never have imagined that the Big Demon King could flirt so smoothly!

    She was jealous! He was better at it than she was!

    Lu Tingxiao reached out to smooth her hair in a natural gesture. "What will you do next? Look for a big thigh?"

    Ning Xi blinked, not understanding. "Huh? Look for what thigh?"

    "Last night, you said you were going to look for a big and thick thigh; you even rejected mine as not thick enough." Lu Tingxiao gave her a deep and meaningful look.

    "Cough cough cough¡­" Ning Xi almost died choking on her own saliva.

    Damn it, was there no end to the ridiculous things that had happenedst night?

    "Master Xiao, don''t listen to my rubbish, I was very drunkst night. There¡¯s no way your thighs aren¡¯t thick enough, yours are the thickest in the capital!" Ning Xi said obsequiously, but then she realized her words might be a little ambiguous.

    Her ttery put Lu Tingxiao in a good mood, and humor danced in his eyes. "Then why don¡¯t you hug mine?"

    "I, I, I¡­" Ning Xi stumbled over her words.

    Lu Tingxiao rubbed her head and finally decided to stop teasing her. "Enough, I won¡¯t tease you anymore. Get out of the car and go sleep inside the house. Then you will have more energy to face your problems. Or do you want to stay a little longer with your little darling?"

    "No, no, let''s go back to the house!" Ning Xi was naturally anxious to get out of the car.

    When Lu Tingxiao got out of the car, he stood by the door and suddenly paused.

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "What is it?"

    Lu Tingxiao walked with long strides towards a patch of foliage.

    Ning Xi followed curiously and then saw¡­ Second Young Master Lu, sleeping sprawled in the underbrush with a camera in his arms.

    She knew that Glory World owned not just one managementpany, but also more than three hundred media outlets, and Second Young Master Lu was also the boss of the paparazzi.

    But this guy was going a bit overboard, going so far as to collect gossip on his own brother¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s lips twitched slightly. "This Second Young Master¡­ should we wake him up? Won¡¯t he catch a cold sleeping like this?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded, and then kicked him hard.

    Lu Jingli woke up with an "Ouch!"

    As soon as he was awake, he started to cry. "You¡¯re too much, why are the windows of the car so imprable! No matter what I did, I couldn¡¯t see anything inside!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked down his nose at his ridiculous brother. "Come to my studyter. I have something to discuss with you."

    "Oh¡­" Lu Jingli rubbed his eyes and stood up, and then looked back and forth between them, muttering. "Why didn''t the car shake? Did I miss it? No way! With my brother''s stamina, it should have been rocking all night¡­"

    Ning Xi: "Why do you know what your brother¡¯s stamina is like and how long he can go for¡­?"

    It''s easy for people to misunderstand, okay?

    Lu Jingli scratched his head. "Because he can beat me up all night!"

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    Fine, you win!

    After returning to the room Lu Tingxiao had arranged for her, she waspletely speechless.

    In just half a day and a night, he actually managed to get the guest roompletely redecorated.

    The original cool and minimalist style of the room had been reced by warm tones. Not just that, there was a full range of clothes in the closet all in her size, from pajamas to casual wear to evening dresses with matching essories and handbags, all of which were top limited editions¡­

    This was¡­ inhuman wealth¡­

 Chapter 45: Repayment Method

    <h4>Chapter 45: Repayment Method</h4>

    "What¡¯s wrong? Not satisfied?" Lu Tingxiao stood behind her.

    Ning Xi facepalmed. "This is not a question of satisfaction¡­"

    "Then what''s the problem?"

    "President Lu¡­"

    "Use my name."

    "Fine, Lu Tingxiao, don''t you think you''re being¡­ a little too good to me?" He was being so good that it was easy for her to get the wrong idea.

    "You finally realize I''m good to you." Lu Tingxiao looked on her as if she was a student worth teaching.

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    Noticing her subdued mood, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes dimmed for a second, but he quickly recovered. "You saved Little Treasure, and he may need your help for a long time. Is there any problem, then, if I¡¯m good to you?"

    He paused, and then looked at her. "Otherwise, do you want me to repay you in other ways?"

    It turned out that she had been thinking too much. Feeling that a weight had been taken off her mind, she hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no, it''s fine like this¡­ it¡¯s quite alright¡­"

    Forget it, I don¡¯t need to be repaid in other ways.

    She and Lu Tingxiao were frompletely different worlds; if he ever knew about her sordid past, he might forbid her from seeing Little Treasure ever again.

    "It''s still early, have a rest. We¡¯ll have breakfast downstairster."

    "Alright."

    After Lu Tingxiao left, Ning Xiy down on thefortablerge bed, but was unable to sleep.

    How could a person sleep when waiting for bad news?

    Even if the director and his team were satisfied with her, in the end, could they withstand the pressure from the investors?

    I can''t just sit around waiting for it to end.

    She sat up and turned on herputer to log into MSN.

    Loneliness Like Neverending Arrows In the Void: Are you online?

    Evil Fairy King: Wow, is Superstar Ning actually free to look for sheetizens like me?

    Loneliness Like Neverending Arrows In the Void: Do you have any money? Can you lend me eight million yuan?

    Evil Fairy King: What happened?

    Loneliness Like Neverending Arrows In the Void: Can you not ask me for the reason?

    Evil Fairy King: I just invested in a winery, it may take me some time to get the money.

    Loneliness Like Neverending Arrows In the Void: How long?

    Evil Fairy King: Three days.

    Loneliness Like Neverending Arrows In the Void: Thank you.

    Evil Fairy King: Hehe, darling, this is the first time you¡¯ve asked me for help.

    Loneliness Like Neverending Arrows In the Void: When will you be back? I''ll pick you up.

    Evil Fairy King: Ning Xi, you¡¯re heartless!

    Seeing that Evil Fairy King had gone offline, Ning Xi felt suffocated in her heart.

    Unless she was forced to, she didn''t want to owe anyone any favors, especially an ex.

    She knew that her doing this type of equivalent exchange had hurt his feelings, but she had no choice.

    She had stopped having feelings long ago, and she didn¡¯t want them ever again.

    She didn¡¯t want to borrow money from Lu Tingxiao because she had involved the Lu family enough already, and she really didn''t want to be even more involved with them, especially when it came to money.

    An hourter, she finally got the call she had been dreading.

    It was Chang Li.

    Ning Xi¡¯s hand curled into a fist, and she took a deep breath. "Hello?"

    "Don¡¯t forget that filming starts at nine. Find your own way there, I have to look after Xueluo, so I have no time for you. But since you''re so capable, you don''t need me anyway!" Chang Li was sharp-tongued as ever, but today her tone was particrly biting, as if Ning Xi owed her a lot of money.

    "What? Filming?" Ning was stunned.

    "Are you still asleep? Hurry up, don''t bete on the first day!" Chang Li said impatiently before hanging up.

    Holding her phone, it took Ning Xi some time toe back to earth.

    What was going on? Hadn¡¯t she been reced?

    Ning Xi rolled out of bed and paced for a bit before finally calling the director. "Hello, Director Guo, sorry to bother you so early, but I have something to ask you!"

    "Is this about Chairman Ning wanting you reced?"

    "Yes." Ning Xi immediately felt anxious; Ning Yaohua had really gone and done it.

 Chapter 46: You Are My Angel

    <h4>Chapter 46: You Are My Angel</h4>

    "Ning Xi, Producer Wang, Writer Ye and I are very pleased with you, but reality is cruel. We can¡¯t make films on feelings alone, the most important thing is funds. Sometimes we have no say when ites to casting. Who does? The one who puts in the most money!"

    As Ning Xi listened, her heart sank like a stone falling to the bottom of the ocean. Had she been reced after all? Then why had Chang Li told her to go to the filming?

    "Chairman Ning did look for mest night. He felt you were too new, and was not in favor of using you. However¡­" Guo Qisheng paused.

    Ning Xi wanted to pull the director out of the phone and shake him. Can''t you just say it all at once?

    "But you were lucky, Ning Xi. Another investor was very impressed with you, so make sure you do your best!"

    "Really?" Ning Xi¡¯s fallen heart was suddenly lifted. Don''t be too excited! She felt that she had been yed by the director. "Director Guo, you did that on purpose! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

    "Hahaha, how can youngsters be so weak-spirited?"

    "Can you please tell me clearly, have I been reced or not?"

    "You haven¡¯t, you haven¡¯t. That investor put in fifty million, which is the sum of the Ning family and Starlight Entertainment¡¯s investmentsbined, so he has the final say!"

    "Aren¡¯t the investors of the movie just the Ning family and Starlight Entertainment? Where did a third onee from?" Ning Xi felt it was a little strange.

    "The investment came in at thest minute, you¡¯ll find outter." Guo Qisheng was in high spirits.

    An investment of fifty million yuan out of nowhere, added to the existing funds, amounted to a total of one hundred million. What was more, Ning Xi, whose casting he was the most satisfied with, wouldn¡¯t be carelessly reced on the whims of an ignorant investor. How could he not be happy?

    "Okay! Thank you, director!"

    The moment Ning Xi hung up, the door was opened by a little, sleepy-eyed bun.

    She was so happy she screamed, then rushed to hug him and kiss him fervently. "Darling! You are indeed my lucky star! You save the day for me every time!"

    Outside, the Big Demon King was gloomy as he watched Ning Xi kiss his son warmly.

    When it was actually because of his efforts¡­

    Well, forget it. As long as he could see her bright smile, nothing else mattered.

    Lu Tingxiao strolled over to them. "Why so happy?"

    Ning Xi cuddled the little bun, who was giddy from her sudden affection. "The director just told me I haven¡¯t been reced, and that the drama¡¯srgest investor is very impressed with me!"

    "Really? Congrattions!" Lu Tingxiao told her in a deliberately serious manner.

    Ning Xi stroked her chin thoughtfully. "But the director didn¡¯t tell me who the investor is. It has to be someone with exceptional taste, and an extraordinarily good eye, and also extraordinarily handsome!"

    Lu Tingxiao smiled. "Do you really think so?"

    "Of course!" Ning Xi defended, but then something urred to her. "But I¡¯ll be filming probably throughout the day, and sometimes in the evening. What do we do about Little Treasure?"

    Lu Tingxiao didn¡¯t reply, and just stared at his son.

    Ning Xi¡¯s hugs and kisses had absolutely delighted the little bun, and even with this piece of bad news, he still looked happy. He ran to his room.

    Ning Xi was nervous at the thought that he might lock himself in again. Unexpectedly, he quickly returned, a tablet in his hands.

    On the tablet: fighting.

    Ning Xi was almost moved to tears. "Thank you, darling. You are indeed my angel!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at them embracing each other with unprecedented gentleness in his eyes.

 Chapter 47: Red Roses Everywhere

    <h4>Chapter 47: Red Roses Everywhere</h4>

    Filming started today in a studio backlot on the outskirts of the city.

    The first scene to be shot was the pce banquet, where the Emperor was receiving visiting envoys. Seventh Prince Chu Beichen and his consort Shangguang Yingrong were engaged in a battle of wits with the envoys. Ning Xi¡¯s character Princess De only had a minor role in the scene; she only needed to act as an enchanting ornament sitting beside the Emperor.

    Even so, for just a small role, wearing so manyyers of the traditional dress on such a hot day was a real pain.

    It didn¡¯t help that Ning Xi¡¯s costume was extremelyplicated. Her clothes weren¡¯t just the thickest, her headpiece itself also weighed several kilograms.

    After one shot, she was drenched in sweat inside her costume, though no one could tell.

    The director yelled, "Cut." Ning Xueluo¡¯s two assistants came up to her straightaway. One gave her a hand fan and the other a bottle of water. A cooling mat had already been arranged for her on her chair.

    Ning Xi didn¡¯t even have one assistant; she didn¡¯t even get to drink any water after filming. She had another scer, so she couldn¡¯t take the costume off yet. She could only undo her cor to cool off.

    Everyone was praising Ning Xueluo¡¯s acting, and the director alsoplimented her performance. However, he turned back to the camera to review Ning Xi¡¯s scenes.

    Although she had no lines and only appeared a few times, her expression was on point; she looked idle and bored, yet also carried an air of contempt for the people around her, since she was preparing to destroy the country with her own two hands.

    Good, he wasn¡¯t concerned anymore.

    At this time, the production assistant Xiao Li shouted excitedly, "Teacher Ning, your boyfriend is here to visit you!"

    Of course, by "Teacher Ning" he meant Ning Xueluo.

    Dressed in a refreshingly casual style, Su Yan walked over, and behind him two of his men followed with arge box filled with ice cream for everyone.

    "Wow! It¡¯s Haagen-Dazs! Thank you for the treat, Master Su!"

    "Teacher Ning is so blessed, her boyfriend came to visit on the first day!"

    "Oh my god! They are so lovey-dovey!"

    ¡­

    "Why are your mouths still pping when you¡¯re eating!" Ning Xueluo pouted. She then took some ice cream over to Ning Xi.

    "Junior Sister Ning, have some!"

    "Thank you." Ning Xi epted it politely.

    This woman never got tired of pretending to be an angel in front of other people, especially when Su Yan was around, whereas Ning Xi was tired just watching her. It was a good thing her specialty was acting, so she didn¡¯t mind ying along.

    After she returned to her seat, Ning Xueluo looked at Su Yan. It seemed like she had something to say, but was unsure whether to say it or not. She eventually said hesitantly, "Brother Yan, I¡¯m a little worried about Xiao Xi¡­"

    "Why? What¡¯s wrong with Xiao Xi?" Su Yan asked immediately.

    "You know howst night was the opening ceremony? My dad also came, and he saw Xiao Xi there. I don¡¯t know what Xiao Xi said to him that made him so angry. He even talked about switching out the actress for her role¡­"

    "How did it turn out like that?" Su Yan frowned.

    "I don¡¯t know either. When I went over, all I saw was Dad¡¯s angry face!"

    "Then what happened? It seems that Xiao Xi was not switched out?" Su Yan nced at Ning Xi. Despite the sweat running down her face, she was reading the script attentively. Her small face looked pitiful under the sun, but it was still eye-catching.

    Ning Xueluo seemed reluctant to continue speaking. "Dad called the production teamst night, and they promised they would use someone else, but this morning, someone anonymous suddenly invested fifty million yuan into the movie, with the only condition being that the second female lead has to be Ning Xi¡­ I¡¯m worried that¡­"

    Su Yan¡¯s face had grown darker as he listened, and eventually he said heavily, "I know Xiao Xi. She would never do that kind of thing."

    "Brother Yan, you are too na?ve. What kind of ce is the entertainment industry? Who wouldn¡¯t change after entering this industry? I am so lucky that I have Dad and you to support me, but Ning Xi does not have a good rtionship with the family and refuses to ept our help. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know what happens to a pretty girl with no power or influence in the entertainment industry?"

    Su Yan¡¯s face grew more nk as he listened, and he looked lost in thought.

    "Ning Xi, someone is looking for you!" The production assistant yelled then, his voice sounding very excited.

    In that moment, everyone turned to look.

    Because it was too eye-catching.

    Red roses¡­

    Hundreds of red roses were being slowly brought in¡­

 Chapter 48: My Exes Wanting to Trap Me

    <h4>Chapter 48: My Exes Wanting to Trap Me</h4>

    Before anyone could react, the whole filming site had be a red ocean.

    Ning Xi was holding a card, and her face was ck.

    There was one sentence on the card: Remember to pick me up ¡ª Evil Fairy King.

    "Miss Ning, please sign for the delivery."

    "This, can I not sign? Leaving it all here would be a nuisance for work!" Ning Xi tried to politely refuse the delivery.

    "Unfortunately no, we promised the customer that we would only leave after you signed for it!" The flower boy looked troubled.

    Beside her, the props manager hastily said, "Ning Xi, ept it, ept it! It just so happens that we need to use rosester for one scene. Thanks to you, we won¡¯t need to spend so much effort preparing themter!"

    Since the props manager had said so, and Ning Xi didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for the delivery boy, she could only rub the skin between her eyebrows and sign for the flowers.

    At this time nearby, everyone was gossiping with admiring faces.

    "Oh my god! So many roses! So romantic! Who sent them?"

    "Still need to ask? It must be an admirer! Beauties are really treated differently, someone already sent flowers on the first day! And hundreds of them!"

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s assistant, Cui Caijing, then said in a seemingly casual way, "It looks like a lot, but actually doesn¡¯t cost that much!"

    Right after she spoke, yet another person suddenly came over looking for Ning Xi.

    It wasn¡¯t anything borate this time; the person carefully handed her a small box.

    Everyone was insanely curious as they stole looks at the box, trying to figure out what it was.

    Ning Xi opened the box with a suspicious expression. Inside was arge, sparkling diamond, with a note that had four words on it: Long time no see. It was signed: YS.

    Seeing these two initials, Ning Xi¡¯s face grew cker.

    F***! Did these two arrange this together? She just wanted to keep her head down, why did it have to be so hard?

    Ning Xi had received both the flowers and the diamond before half the day was over. The drama crew was already gossiping like mad.

    "Oh my god! That diamond is crazy big! It¡¯s so bright, I¡¯m going to go blind!"

    "Ning Xi¡¯s admirers are crazy!"

    This time, Cui Caijing had nothing to say, but still whispered waspishly, "Who knows whether the diamond is real or not anyway?"

    Ning Xi sat down heavily in a chair, and looked as if her life was ending.

    What was supposed toe, woulde¡­

    There was nowhere to hide¡­

    There was no helping it, Ning Xi could only apologize to the director. "I¡¯m sorry, Director Guo, I didn¡¯t mean to trouble the crew¡­"

    Guo Qisheng did not mind, and smiled as he waved his hands. "It¡¯s natural for a fairdy to have admirers! It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright, we¡¯re going to use your flowers after all."

    Not far away, Ning Xueluo looked calm, but was in fact gnashing her teeth so hard in hatred she almost broke them.

    How could she not be jealous? This country bumpkin who had been like dirt then could now make men mad for her, and could easily obtain the things that Xueluo had to scheme so much for.

    Before filming for the next scene started, Ning Xi found a corner to make a quick phone call.

    "Hey honey, did you receive my delivery yet?" The voice on the phone was easygoing.

    "Jiang Muye! F*** your uncle! You did this on purpose, didn¡¯t you?" Compared with the voice, Ning Xi sounded much angrier.

    "Tut-tut, you are the first one to receive my roses, yet you don''t want to f*** me but my uncle instead! You have such bad taste."

    "Don¡¯t try to change the topic! What do you really want?"

    "I don¡¯t want anything, I¡¯m just reminding you to pick me up at the airport. You promised me already!"

    "You still dare ask me to pick you up? You¡¯re not afraid I¡¯ll bring a 40-meter long knife with me to chop you to death?" Ning Xi suppressed her desire to kill this person.

    "Are you backing out on your promise?" The voice on the phone turned cold.

    "The condition for picking you up was that you would lend me eight million, but now I don¡¯t need it anymore. Didn¡¯t I already send a message to tell you?"

    "I don¡¯t care, you already promised me. Even though you don¡¯t need the money anymore, I agreed to help as soon as you asked, and it was for such a big amount. I was sincere. You hate to owe people favors, right? Doesn¡¯t this count as a favor?"

 Chapter 49: A Little Young Master Who Likes To Make Fruit Juice

    <h4>Chapter 49: A Little Young Master Who Likes To Make Fruit Juice</h4>

    Ning Xi clutched her forehead and paced back and forth. "I won¡¯t talk about how you sent flowers to trap me now, but you know that the news about youing back next month has already been leaked; your fans and the media will all be at the airport! You want me to pick you up? You want them to tear me apart? Jiang Muye, I dumped you once and you want to take revenge just for that?"

    "Do I? I¡¯m giving you a free pass to be famous, so many small stars pray for this kind of opportunity and can¡¯t get it."

    "NO! NEED!"

    "Fine! If you don¡¯te, I¡¯m going to let the whole world know that you dumped me! I don¡¯t care that I¡¯ll lose face, I want everyone to carry out justice for me!" The man on the line said, like he couldn¡¯t care less anymore.

    "You¡­" Ning Xi was so angry that she felt her lungs would explode. The most stupid thing she had ever done in her life was to provoke the disaster known as Jiang Muye.

    Small one, you think I don¡¯t know how to deal with you?

    Ning Xi smiled with contempt. "Fine, pick you up, right? I¡¯ll be there! Don¡¯t regret it then!"

    Actually, it wasn¡¯t difficult to deal with Jiang Muye. He was just unhappy about being dumped by a girl for the first time, so he just wanted to make some trouble for her ¡ª he would stop once he was satisfied. Her biggest headache was the devil who had sent the diamond.

    Forget it, forget it, she didn¡¯t care anymore. There is always a solution to a problem!

    "Ning Xi, someone¡¯s looking for you ¡ª "

    As soon as she was done, Ning Xi heard the production assistant Xiao Li calling for her, which made her really want to run away.

    Who was it this time?

    It still wasn¡¯t over!

    Everyone in the crew was excited. Was it going to be something even more borate this time?

    In one corner, Cui Caijing¡¯s expression was one of disdain. "These tacky old men only know how to waste money! So low!"

    "Miss Xiao Xi, he¡­ hello!" It was a timid girl this time. She looked unhappy and nervous, as if she had done something wrong.

    In front of a girl like this, Ning Xi couldn¡¯t be angry even if she wanted to. "It¡¯s okay. You were looking for me?"

    "I¡¯m here to give you something." The girl opened what looked like a white cooler box. As cool vapor poured out of the box, Ning Xi saw three bottles that looked like they contained red, yellow and green fruit juices.

    "This is¡­?" Ning Xi¡¯s lips twitched a little. She had watched a lot of pce dramas, and her first reaction was that someone wanted to poison her.

    "This was personally made by our Little Young Master. This is watermelon juice, orange juice and green bean juice," the girl replied.

    "Who is your Little Young Master?" Ning Xi asked suspiciously, trying to recall whether she had offended a little young master who likes to make fruit juice.

    The girl indicated she should read the note on the bottle.

    Taking the note off, Ning Xi saw just one English word written on it: fighting, followed by a drawing of a heart.

    Ning Xi could imagine how the other party must have blushed and pursed his lips when drawing the heart.

    "It¡¯s Little Treasure¡­" In an instant, the look in Ning Xi¡¯s eyes turned soft, and her turbulent mood immediately calmed.

    At first, she had been most worried about having too high a profile when starting her career, which could stir up unnecessary trouble and gossip.

    But now, when she thought about it, why should she care so much about the opinions of people who cared nothing for her? If she constantly worried about what people thought of her in this industry, wouldn¡¯t that just be too exhausting?

    Back then, it was because she cared too much about what those contemptuous ss elites thought of her, about her parents¡¯ attitude and Su Yan¡¯s thoughts, that she gradually lost her confidence and her own identity¡­

    She already understood this, yet had let one instance like this shake her.

    She just needed to be herself and keep a clear conscience, and one day, she would prove herself using her own strength.

    She was fighting only for the people who cared about her.

 Chapter 50: Sarangheyo

    <h4>Chapter 50: Sarangheyo</h4>

    "You can put it down, help me thank your little young master!" Ning Xi said. She took out her cellphone to send a text message to Little Treasure.

    While the people in the production crew looked like they were busy doing their jobs, all of them were actually staring in Ning Xi¡¯s direction, very curious about what had been sent to her this time.

    In the end, it seemed to be three bottles¡­ of juice?

    The first time, Ning Xi had looked troubled by the roses. The second time, she hadn¡¯t seem very surprised or pleased with the diamond. But now, she had a happy expression on her face, and was texting cheerfully.

    Everyone eximed:

    "Ah, sure enough, money doesn¡¯t work on beauties these days, it¡¯s the heart that matters the most!"

    "That¡¯s right, didn¡¯t you hear the girl say just now that the juice was personally handmade! That¡¯s so sweet!"

    "I bet the one who sent the juice will be the one to win the heart of the beauty in the end!"

    "Then I bet it¡¯s the one who sent the diamond!"

    "Why is no one betting on the person who sent the flowers?"

    ¡­

    ¡­

    After drinking the fruit juice and green bean soup, Ning Xi was fully revived as they continued filming.

    At the same time, Lu Tingxiao was at home, having taken the time off to apany his son, when his cellphone sounded with a ding.

    It indicated that there was a new text message from Ning Xi.

    Lu Tingxiao opened it, and then the corners of his mouth tilted upwards slightly.

    [Darling, thank you for your juice and green bean soup! They were super super delicious! Sarangheyo!]

    Lu Tingxiao looked at it for a long while before beckoning to his son, who was motionless as he looked nkly out the window. "Little Treasure,e here."

    Little Treasure ignored him.

    Lu Tingxiao sighed slightly. "It¡¯s a message from your Auntie Xiao Xi."

    Little Treasure ran at him like a rocket, and jumped up to reach for the cellphone.

    Lu Tingxiao raised it out of his reach. "I can show it to you, if you call me ¡®dad¡¯."

    Little Bun¡¯s face was full of protest as he refused to cooperate.

    It was only until his son was so fitful that he almost cried, that Lu Tingxiao finally relented and handed him the phone.

    Looking at his son read the text message with pure satisfaction on his face, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression was worried.

    It was probably because there was very little in the world that could distress him, that god had sent Little Treasure to test him.

    Little Treasure was very clever; he had only been six months old when he started speaking. Although he had a quiet character and didn¡¯t speak much to begin with, ever since that ident, he had not spoken ever again.

    He had missed too many parts of Little Treasure¡¯s childhood, and when he wanted to make up for it, he found that it was toote.

    He wondered if the day would evere that he could hear him call him ¡®dad¡¯ again¡­

    Little Treasure stared at the phone for a long time, as if there was something that he didn¡¯t understand. Then he went over to his father, and pointed at the phrase "Sarangheyo" with his little finger, probably asking him what it meant.

    "Modal particle, it doesn¡¯t have any special meaning," Lu Tingxiao replied seriously.

    "Pu - oppa, you¡¯re not cultured, don''t misguide Little Treasure! ¡®Sarangheyo¡¯ means ¡®I love you¡¯ in Korean, okay?" Lu Jingli skipped over, making the shape of a heart with his hands.

    When Little Treasure heard this, he gave his father a disdainful look, then ran off to continue juicing fruit.

    Lu Tingxiao was fluent in twelvenguages. If Ning Xi had written in Korean, he would have definitely known it, but written this way, he didn¡¯t understand it at all.

    "You don''t have to work?" Lu Tingxiao looked askance at Lu Jingli, with the expression of a boss managing his employee.

    Lu Jingli immediately moved a chair over to sit in front of him, a thrilled expression on his face. "Boss, I have something very important to report to you!"

    Lu Tingxiao couldn¡¯t be bothered to speak, his expression indicating that if Lu Jingli wanted to fart, he should just do so.

    Lu Jingli waved his hands with extreme excitement. "Do you know what I just heard? Today, Xiao Xi Xi¡¯s admirers sent her gifts on set!"

    "The fruit juice and green bean soup that Little Treasure sent her," Lu Tingxiao answered calmly.

    "I know, but before those, other people had also sent her gifts. Furthermore, it was two of them. One sent red roses which covered the whole film site, and the other sent a big diamond!"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s slowly started to grow cold; on such a hot summer day, it helped immensely to relieve the heat.

    ¡­

    While ¡®oppa¡¯ means brother in Korea, it¡¯s only used by women to address men older than them.

    Ning Xi used the transliteration of the word ¡®Sarangheyo¡¯ into Chinese pinyin.

 Chapter 51: Yet Another Ex-boyfriend

    <h4>Chapter 51: Yet Another Ex-boyfriend</h4>

    "Did you find out who they are?" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression implied that once he knew who they were, he would kill them on sight.

    Lu Jingli knocked on the table. "That is what I wanted to tell you. Even with my intelligencework, I¡¯m actually drawing nks at finding out who they are. It looks like we can only wait for them to make another move before we can try again."

    But the Big Demon King looked like he could kill someone now, could he actually wait until they made another move?

    Lu Tingxiao immediately made a phone call, and said in a tone as cold as the winding off a cier, "Cheng Feng, help me investigate two people."

    Lu Jingli¡¯s face was extremely surprised. "Wow, you¡¯re even using your Jin Yi Wei!"

    His gossipwork couldn¡¯t bepared with his brother''s intelligencework, which could dig up a person¡¯s secret past as long as there was even the smallest clue to work with.

    "Brother, I told you before, Ning Xi¡¯s past isn¡¯t simple, do you believe me now? I think you should tell Cheng Feng in passing to also investigate Ning Xi properly!" Lu Jingli suggested meaningfully.

    "That isn¡¯t necessary." Everyone had a past that they didn''t want to tell others about. He wouldn¡¯t touch what she didn''t want to be touched. If she wanted to tell him, then she would tell him.

    Filming finally wrapped up at six o¡¯clock in the evening.

    The main scenes today were all of the male and female leads. There weren¡¯t many shots of Ning Xi, but she still had to appear in the scene, acting like a vase for the whole day.

    Being a vase was also very tiring. She felt like her neck was about to break from wearing such a heavy costume, and her body was also breaking out into a rash.

    After changing her clothes and getting her makeup removed, she put on a mask as she prepared to take the subway.

    She wasn¡¯t famous yet, so nobody knew her. It was very convenient to take the subway, plus she didn¡¯t have to deal with traffic jams.

    She was about to walk towards the station, when a ck Maserati pulled up beside her.

    The car window rolled down, and Su Yan smiled at her. "Xiao Xi, let me drive you home!"

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    Ex-boyfriend¡­

    Why was it yet another ex-boyfriend¡­

    Couldn¡¯t they just let her have some peace and quiet?

    "No need." Ning Xi walked away directly, as she didn¡¯t want to see his disgusting face.

    However, Su Yan refused to leave, and drove slowly after her. "Xiao Xi, can we talk?"

    Ning Xi sneered. "What is there to talk about? Do you hate the fact that there aren¡¯t enough scandals about me today? Do you want someone to take a photograph of us and send them an even bigger scandal?"

    Su Yan frowned, a little unused to these cold words and attitude from a girl who before had listened to and done everything he said. "Xiao Xi, that¡¯s not what I meant, I do have something important to talk to you about!"

    Ning Xi was afraid they really would be photographed if she continued tangling with him on the street.

    This guy¡¯s car was too eye-catching.

    Ning Xi looked left and right to make sure there was nobody around, then quickly opened the door and got in the car.

    Half an hourter, in a room at some restaurant.

    Su Yan called the waiter over and ordered a number of dishes, most of which were Ning Xi¡¯s favorites. "Xiao Xi, I haven¡¯t seen you in a long time, so I don¡¯t know whether your taste has changed. How have you been all these years overseas? I sent you some money, but you returned it all to me, and in the end changed your bank ount number¡­"

    "Say what you want to say." Ning Xi put her hand against her head and buried herself in texting Little Treasure, letting him know that she would be back a littlete.

    Resignedly, Su Yan pushed a check at her.

    Out of the corner of her eye, Ning Xi gave the check for eight million yuan a quick nce before narrowing her eyes. "What is the meaning of this?"

    Su Yan¡¯s eyes became stern. "Xiao Xi, don¡¯t do anything that you will regret."

    Ning Xi put down her phone and looked at him with a disingenuous smile. "Oh? Tell me, what did I do?"

    "Then tell me, how did you get this role?" Su Yan said abruptly with heavy emphasis.

    ¡®Jin Yi Wei¡¯ were imperial guards in the Ming Dynasty which eventually became something like a Secret Service.

 Chapter 52: Healing Kisses

    <h4>Chapter 52: Healing Kisses</h4>

    "How do you think I got it?" Ning Xi crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in the chair as she asked casually.

    It seemed that Su Yan was worn out of patience, and he pped his hand down on the table. "Ning Xi! You know better than me what a girl like you will encounter in the entertainment industry! Why do you have to be so stubborn about wading into these waters?"

    "Heh, a girl like me¡­" Ning Xi smiled slightly. "What kind of identity is Young Master Su wearing to say such a thing to me?"

    If she had been who she was back then, hearing this, she probably would have be hysterical.

    Back then, Su Yan had told her repeatedly that he didn¡¯t want his future wife to enter the entertainment industry, yet when it came to Ning Xueluo, he fully supported her. Even now, he still dared to criticize Ning Xi for the way she lived her life.

    "Xiao Xi, even if we broke up, I¡¯ve always treated you as my little sister, and I just want to help you. Can¡¯t you be less stubborn? Take this money, cancel your contract with Starlight, and leave the entertainment industry!" Su Yan advised her earnestly.

    "Heh, help me?" Ning Xi''szy eyes suddenly became very cold. "Now that I think about it, I actually do need Young Master Su to help me with something! I hope that Young Master Su can help me tell the Ning family the truth, and testify in court that Ning Xueluo bribed two men to rape me. Will you help me with this?"

    "Xiao Xi, I¡­" Su Yan paled. "If I do that, it¡¯ll be over for Xueluo¡­ at the most, her actions back then can only be considered an attempted crime. You were the one who entered the wrong room, and slept with someone else¡­"

    Though it was the answer Ning Xi had expected, her heart still throbbed painfully. She sneered. "So what you¡¯re saying is, back then, the two of you did nothing wrong? It was my fault she got me drunk, my fault I was drugged, my fault I was raped, my fault that I got pregnant with someone¡¯s bastard and gave birth to a dead baby!"

    Su Yan frowned. "Xiao Xi, I didn''t mean it like that! Xueluo and I have already apologized to you for this matter, and have been trying to make it up to you for so many years. Why can''t you just let it go?"

    Ning Xi picked up her bag and stood up. "Heh, you ask me to let it go? When your Xueluo is raped by someone and has his bastard, you can shake hands with him and happily be a cuckold, then you can ask me again!"

    Su Yan¡¯s face instantly changed. "Ning Xi! How can you say such a thing!"

    "Huh, I¡¯m just talking about it, and your heart already hurts this much. You won¡¯t know how much it hurts unless it happens to you, right? Expect me to forgive the two of you? I¡¯m not that saintly!" Ning Xi stalked away after saying her piece.

    What bad luck!

    She shouldn¡¯t have bothered with Su Yan, it had made her so sick that she didn¡¯t feel like having dinner tonight.

    She should hurriedly go back and cuddle Little Bun to heal herself.

    As soon as Ning Xi reached the door of the Lu residence, she saw a soft, white little bun running towards her.

    It appeared that he had been at the window waiting for her.

    Ning Xi really was instantly healed, and she gave Little Bun a super big kiss as usual.

    "Darling, have you eaten yet? I sent a message saying that you didn''t have to wait for me, and you should be good and eat first. Did you do it?"

    Little Bun nodded.

    "Good boy!" Ning Xi kissed Little Bun again as a reward.

    "You go y first, Auntie is going upstairs to change clothes and take a bath!"

    Little Bun nodded.

    The two people walked inside hand-in-hand.

    Standing by a window on the second floor, Lu Tingxiao looked at the scene below him, and felt rather mncholy. He had never known he was such a jealous person.

    He was even starting to envy his son.

    As soon as Ning Xi came back, she had kissed his son, not just once, but twice.

    While he could only look at her from a distance.

    The first thing that Ning Xi did when she returned to her bedroom was to take. Off. Her. Bra!

    It simply was torture to wear this thing on a hot summer day, alright?

    She reached behind her to unsp the back, then started to pull the bra out. When she had pulled it out halfway, the door behind her creaked open.

    "Ning¡­" Lu Tingxiao barely said one word before he froze, his hand still on the door where he had pushed it open, and a startled look on his face at the situation inside the room.

 Chapter 53: Did I Please You?

    <h4>Chapter 53: Did I Please You?</h4>

    Ning Xi froze in an awkward position, her bra half-out; she couldn¡¯t pull it fully out or put it back on. It was the most miserable situation ever.

    The worse thing was that the bra she was wearing today was custom-made, with the triangr Superman logo printed conspicuously on each side.

    Lu Tingxiao obviously noticed the Superman print, and raised his eyebrows slightly. But being the gentleman he was, he didn''t make a big deal out of it, just coughed and said, "Sorry¡­ the door was open, so¡­"

    He started backing out of the room.

    "No worries, my fault, I didn''t close the door!" Ning Xi pulled her bra out as she answered, like nothing had happened, and hid it under the covers. She fanned herself with her hands. " Keh, it¡¯s steaming today, you men would never understand this kind of girl trouble. That, did you need something?"

    "Why are you back sote? Had a date?" Lu Tingxiao asked casually.

    "What date! I ran into a real jerk, and talked trash for a bit," Ning Xi grumbled, like she had been very unlucky.

    Lu Tingxiao rxed after hearing her absolute denial about going on a date. "I saved some food for you, take a shower ande eat."

    "I can look after my own meals¡­" Ning Xi felt a bit embarrassed.

    "It¡¯s just one more person."

    "Um, alright."

    As soon as Lu Tingxiao left,Ning Xi locked the door.

    The one time she forgot she wasn¡¯t in her own home, Ning Xi actually made such an embarrassing mistake.She needed to pay more attention from now on.

    After a shower and dinner, Ning Xi made herselffortable in bed and started to browse the news online, while Little Bun was at the table with a thick book.

    "Ning Xueluo expressed her affection for her handsome, rich boyfriend in public, award-winning actor Zhao couldn''t hide his jealousy"

    "Ning Xueluo praised Ning Xi as the perfectbination of beauty and talent"

    "Ning Xi - No.1 Beauty in the entertainment industry"

    "Meng Changge looking stunning at the opening ceremony of <The World> (Images)"

    "First day of filming for <The World>, Ning Xueluo¡¯s handsome rich boyfriend paid her a loving visit"

    "Breaking down the number of uing actress Ning Xi¡¯s wealthy admirers, red roses piled up on set on the first day of filming (Photos)"

    ¡­

    ¡­

    It was all normal headlines, but they gradually turned strange, like, "Ning Xi - a secret mistress", "Who¡¯s the money guy behind Ning Xi?", "Ning Xi and her multiple men", "Ning Xi¡¯s personal life is a mess"¡­

    Ning Xi had already been prepared back at the film studio, so she wasn''t too upset at seeing these.

    She knew that even if the incidents with Jiang Muye and YS hadn¡¯t happened, sooner orter there would have been gossip about her public image anyway.

    These tabloids used ambiguous wording and had no supporting evidence, but when repeated enough, people might buy into them eventually, regardless of whether they were true or not.

    "Need help?"Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi sat up with thep-top in her arms, cradled her jaw andughed."Big Boss Lu, you want to make this go away for me?"

    "Can¡¯t I?" Lu Tingxiao handed her and Little Treasure each a cup of milk. "Yours is low fat."

    "Thanks!" ttered, Ning Xi epted the cup, and then said, "Thank you for your consideration, but it¡¯s unnecessary, I believe time will prove everything."

    "I believe you," Lu Tingxiao said.

    His words stunned Ning Xi, and she touched her forehead helplessly. "Lu Tingxiao, has anyone ever told you that you are really good atLiao Mei?"

    "Liao Mei?" Lu Tingxiao looked suspicious; obviously he didn¡¯t know what this Inte term meant.

    "Mm¡­ it means that you know how to hit on girls!" Ning Xi exined.

    There was a smile in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes. "Thank you for thepliment. So does this mean that I actually pleased you?"

    With that, the atmosphere turned intimate.

    Ning Xi blushed, regretting what she had said. ¡ªWatch what you say! It¡¯s led to such a dangerous topic!

    Luckily, Lu Tingxiao knew when to stop. "I¡¯m going to go through some documents in my study, you two rest well, good night."

    Ning Xi: "Good night~"

    Little Treasure: "¡­"

    Though Little Bun didn''t say anything,"Hurry up and leave, don¡¯t disturb my time with Auntie Xiao Xi" was written all over his face.

    ''Liao Mei'' is a Chinese ng that literally means ¡®to tease a girl¡¯.

 Chapter 54: Sister-in-law

    <h4>Chapter 54: Sister-inw</h4>

    The next morning.

    After Ning Xi left, an uneasy Lu Tingxiao gave Lu Jingli a call.

    "Send someone on set."

    "Bro, are you worried someone¡¯s bullying Sister-inw? This is something anyone who wants to be a star has to go through, it¡¯ll make her tougher! If she doesn¡¯t experience this for herself, she¡¯ll never be able to stand on her own!" Lu Jingli used the same tone Lu Tingxiao would take when he was lecturing someone.

    Lu Tingxiao: "She doesn''t need those."¡ª meaning, he would be the one to protect her.

    Lu Jingli: "¡­" Hehe.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s heart was deste at his brother¡¯s biased treatment.

    Last year without saying a word you threw me into the mess that was Glory World, and wouldn¡¯t even let anyone help me.

    "OK OK, I¡¯ll arrange for someone to be on set to make sure not even a single strand of her hair is harmed!"

    "You can take a week off next month," Lu Tingxiao suddenly said.

    "Huh¡­ bro, what did you say?" Lu Jingli couldn''t believe his ears. "You¡¯re letting me take time off, and it¡¯s even a whole week? You haven¡¯t let me take leave in three years!"

    "Don''t want it?"

    "Want, want, want! Of course I want it! But¡­ why are you suddenly treating me so well?" Lu Jingli didn''t understand, and tried to recall their earlier conversation.

    Finally, he realized: it was all because of that word ¡ª Sister-inw.

    Just because he had called Ning Xi Sister-inw?

    This break was making him both happy and sad.

    "Eldest Young Master, Doctor Qin is here." The maid¡¯s voice came from outside the study.

    A slim man in a simple suit was standing next to the maid; he had a gentle look and a warm smiles, and seemed a very pleasant person.

    Lu Tingxiao hung up the phone and turned to the visitor. "You¡¯re here, have a seat."

    Qin Mufeng put his bag down and sat on the sofa. "What is it? Is Little Treasure not feeling well?"

    "You can see for yourself, he¡¯s in the kitchen," Lu Tingxiao answered.

    "Kitchen?" Qin Mufeng lifted an eyebrow, and then headed to the kitchen.

    A momentter, Qin Mufeng came back smiling. "When did Little Treasure pick up juicing as a hobby? Also, he seems happy! Did something happened?"

    "Something did happen recently. A few days ago, I was too busy to look after Little Treasure, and then Jingli took him to a bar without my knowing¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao exined the situation to the doctor simply.

    Qin Mufeng¡¯s face changed as he listened to Lu Tingxiao, and in the end, he said happily, "Something good came out of abad situation for Little Treasure! I¡¯ve mentioned before, he¡¯s too uninterested in everything; something that interests or motivates him is good for his recovery.What¡¯s more, this is a living person! You didn¡¯t have that girl stay on as Little Treasure¡¯s nanny or tutor?"

    Lu Tingxiao: "Because she is Little Treasure¡¯s future mother."

    "Cough cough cough¡­" Seeing Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expressionless face, Qin Mufeng was astonished. "What did you say? Are you doing this for Little Treaure, or for yourself¡­"

    The cold expression on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face melted slightly. He looked outthe window and said, "Doctor Qin, I think your previous conclusions were correct."

    "You¡­ you¡¯ve fallen in love with this girl?" Qin Mufeng got very excited. "I knew I was right! How could you be an asexual! Tell me more, when you see her, does your heart speed up and your blood boil? Does it make you want to get closer to her and make love to her?"

    Lu Tingxiao thought about it for a bit, and said, "That¡¯s basically correct!"

 Chapter 55: Everybody Wants to Teach Him How to Chase Girls

    <h4>Chapter 55: Everybody Wants to Teach Him How to Chase Girls</h4>

    He had once asked Qin Mufeng how it felt to really like someone; Qin Mufeng had told him that he would know when he met that person.

    Back then, he had thought it was such rubbish.

    After meeting Ning Xi, he realized it was all true.

    "Congrats! So many asexuals may their entire lives never meet the one for them!" Qin Mufeng congratted his old friend wholeheartedly.

    Asides from heterosexuals and homosexuals, in this world, there are also asexuals.

    Asexuality is not an illness and does not mean an unclear sexual orientation or fear of intimacy; to put it simply, it was "ack of interest in sex."

    Because of this affliction, his mother had even urged Lu Jingli five years ago to drug his own brother¡­

    "This must be what they call a double blessing. So when do I get to drink your wedding wine?" Qin Mufeng teased.

    "I¡¯m working on it." Lu Tingxiao, who always seemed invincible, had rare uncertainty on his face.

    Qin Mufeng was shocked. "It actually still hasn¡¯t happened? I thought Big CEO Lu would have had it in the bag by now. Well, a girl able to catch your interest must be quite something. So is the reason you asked me toe over this time to teach you how to chase girls? While I can¡¯tpare with Second Master in practice, I''m pretty good with theory!"

    Why did everyone want to teach him how to chase girls?

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face darkened. "Don¡¯t bother with that, I wanted to confirm the effect of her appearance on Little Treasure, that¡¯s all."

    Qin Mufeng returned to the real issue after joking around. "It¡¯s like this, there are two sides to everything; it could be good for him, but you told me Little Treasure thrashed the house in order to see her, so most of it depends on your guidance.

    Whether it was out of selfishness or not, having her stay in the house for the time being was the right thing to do. I would suggest the next step to take is to ask that girl if she can take Little Treasure out more, perhaps even take him to school when the time is right, and slowly ease him into a normal life. She might be able to do what I couldn¡¯t even after 2 years¡­"

    "I understand, I¡¯ll try."

    ¡­

    Studio backlot.

    All the whispering stopped as soon as Ning Xi walked onto the set; everybody was looking at her.

    Obviously, the gossip had spread.

    In one corner, someone spoke in a weird tone, "Who does she think she is, a rookie like her arrivingte; doesn¡¯t she see how Teacher Ning was early to arrive?"

    Actually, Ning Xi wasn''tte at all, it was Ning Xueluo who was early.

    "Teacher Ning, you and Ning Xi are in the samepany, is the gossip online true?"

    "People say that she slept her way up through the production team to get this role!"

    "Shameless! Doesn¡¯t Starlight Entertainment care about this kind of unfairpetition?"

    ¡­

    Faced with the crew¡¯s barrage of questions, Ning Xueluo put on a helpless face and sighed. "Everyone has his or her own way, thepany won¡¯t say anything¡­"

    After saying that, she appeared to suddenly realize she had said something wrong, and quickly continued, "I¡¯m not saying Junior Sister really did those things, online gossip is not creditable!"

    The way she said it made it sound like she was trying to cover up something, which made the crew think it had to be real.

    It was only after Director Guo came over and urged everyone to hurry up and start work that the gossipy crowd finally left.

    The helpless look on Ning Xueluo¡¯s face also disappeared, and she called her assistant to her side and asked in a low tone, "How did it go?"

    "Don¡¯t worry, Sister Xueluo, it¡¯s all set! You told me she¡¯s allergic to metallic things, right? I put metallic power in the makeup artist¡¯s kit without anyone noticing. When she puts it on, her whole face will be ruined¡­"

 Chapter 56: A Punch on Cotton

    <h4>Chapter 56: A Punch on Cotton</h4>

    Ning Xi was going to shoot in a dance scene today, so her costume would be lighter than the pce costume from yesterday, which was a relief.

    When she entered the dressing room, she was surprised to see Jia Qingqing.

    She had thought Jia Qingqing would no longer being.

    Jia Qingqing had failed the audition for the second female lead, but the director had invited her to y the third female lead Princess Xian.

    While the third female lead would also bring disaster to the country, it was a smaller role than Ning Xi¡¯s. Furthermore, she would be tortured terribly by Ning Xi in the movie.

    Although her manager had epted the invitation on Jia Qingqing¡¯s behalf, she was very unsatisfied and had not attended the opening ceremony. It had even been rumored that she would refuse the role.

    Ning Xi guessed that she hade obediently after hearing that the movie had received arge additional investment.

    It was a huge project of one hundred million after all.

    Jia Qingqing was getting her makeup done when she saw Ning Xi in the mirror. She stared at her with cold contempt and undisguised hatred.

    Like Ning Xueluo, she had a rich father, so she always behaved arrogantly and was unpopr on set. But her water army was very skilled and had remade her image into an outspoken and straightforward person. They even gave her the title of No. 1 Beauty in the entertainment industry.

    So of course she deeply hated Ning Xi, who had robbed both her role and fame.

    "Hm, isn¡¯t this our No. 1 Beauty in the entertainment industry? With so many rich sponsors supporting you, you still hang out in the dressing room with small fry like us?" Jia Qingqing sneered.

    Ning Xi leisurely found a chair to sit on and began to read her script,pletely unaffected.

    She was the type of person who would wholeheartedly focus on work as soon as she arrived on set, and wouldn¡¯t be affected by anything or anyone.

    "Ning Xi, are you ignoring me?" Jia Qingqing dropped herb with a tter.

    Ning Xi continued reading her script as if she hadn¡¯t heard.

    At that moment, the makeup artist next to her couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer, and coughed. "Ning Xi is wearing earphones, so she may not have heard you!"

    Only then did Jia Qingqing see the two little white earbuds in Ning Xi¡¯s ears. She felt like she had just been punching cotton.

    B****! Who knew whether she was doing it on purpose?!

    Of course Ning Xi was doing it on purpose.

    The moment she saw Jia Qingqing, she had taken out her earphones and put them in so that she could pretend she couldn¡¯t hear her.

    Because in this case, no matter who was right or wrong, as long as there was conflict, it wouldn¡¯t be good for her. It was better to just avoid trouble altogether!

    "Miss Jia, it¡¯s done. Are you happy with it?" The makeup artist spoke cautiously, obviously aware that she was dealing with a difficult client.

    "No! Do it again!" Jia Qingqing said without even one look.

    "Which part are you dissatisfied with?" The makeup artist asked.

    "Everything!"

    The makeup artist¡¯s face was stiff with anger, but she could only remove the makeup and start again.

    Seeing how Ning Xipletely ignored her, Jia Qingqing became angrier, and continued to find fault with everything the makeup artist did.

    The makeup artist dared not show her attitude, so she could only re resentfully at Ning Xi sitting in the corner.

    She also knew that Jia Qingqing¡¯s aim was Ning Xi and she had just been dragged into it.

    Apart from the male lead and female lead who had their own dressing rooms, everyone else shared one room, so if Jia Qingqing wasn¡¯t finished with her makeup, Ning Xi would have to wait interminably.

    Atst, it was only when Jia Qingqing¡¯s manager came in to get her that she left reluctantly, not forgetting to throw Ning Xi another angry re as she did.

    Literal trantion of Ë®¾ü, which is Inte ng for individuals or groups who are paid to post onlinements to help shape or sway public opinion on an issue.

    In this context, ¡®to punch cotton¡¯ is to do something that is a useless gesture, i.e. doesn¡¯t have any real effect.

 Chapter 57: Definitely Exciting

    <h4>Chapter 57: Definitely Exciting</h4>

    When it was time for Ning Xi to get her makeup done, the makeup artist banged things around and called in a loud and cold voice. "Ning Xi,e and do your makeup!"

    Ning Xi put her script down and walked over. "I appreciate it."

    The makeup artist was reluctant to do her makeup for her; Ning Xi nced at the makeup tools and suddenly stopped her with one hand.

    "What are you doing?"

    Ning Xi said humbly, "Sister Amy, can I use my own makeup? My skin is rather sensitive and I might be allergic to other brands¡­"

    "No way, that¡¯s not what we do. Will you take responsibility if the makeup turns out badly? Weren''t you fine with it yesterday?" Amy was very impatient, and gave her a look that said she was being a bother.

    Ning Xi took out a red packet from her bag and surreptitiously ced it in Amy¡¯s palm. "Sister Amy, I hope you will kindly make an exception for me. After all, people doing this sort of work rely on their faces, and for me, too, this is just in case¡­"

    Amy felt the thickness of the red packet, coughed slightly, and then said reluctantly, "Fine! But in return, if the director says there¡¯s something wrong with your makeup, you must take responsibility!"

    "Of course. I definitely won¡¯t get Sister Amy involved!"

    In this circle, enemies didn¡¯tst forever. Amy¡¯s mood improved a lot after receiving a big red packet, and she took care with Ning Xi¡¯s makeup; in the end, she looked better than she did yesterday.

    After the makeup artist left, Ning Xi crossed her arms looking at the costume she would wear today from head to toe. Then she took a big ma out of her bag, and like a security inspector, she ran it over the clothes and then the shoes.

    Fortunately, there were no problems with either.

    Ning Xi put the ma away, tutted, and thought: how unprofessional! A needle should have been sewn into the clothes to prick and hurt you everywhere, and you wouldn¡¯t be able to discover the problem, no matter how hard you looked. Small thumbtacks should have been embedded into the soles of the shoes, so you would feel nothing when walking normally, but with more robust movements, things would definitely be more exciting¡­

    Unlike Ning Xueluo, who had been protected her whole life and didn¡¯t truly understand what suffering meant, Ning Xi had been fumbling around at the bottom of the industry for so many years; she had seen so much, there was no way she wouldn¡¯t see through the small tricks yed on her.

    Although she couldn''t check the makeup kit earlier, Ning Xueluo knew that her skin was allergic to metal, and it was very likely that she had tampered with the makeup.

    By the time she had finished changing, the dance instructor whom the director had arranged for her was already waiting outside. While the other actors were acting, Ning Xi followed behind the instructor and learned her dance moves.

    After the rest were done filming, the director came to check on the results. "Ning Xi, how is it? I saw in your profile that you''d learned dance before, so I felt half a day should be fine for you. If it''s not enough, I can give you a few more days."

    "I think I''m ready¡­" Ning Xi didn¡¯t want to be overconfident.

    Guo Qisheng looked at the dance instructor. "What do you think, Miss Zheng?"

    The instructorughed. "You can see for yourselfter!"

    "In that case, let''s begin!"

    Scene 13: Princess De¡¯s Intoxicated Dance

    Characters: the Emperor, Princess De, Princess Xian, some concubines, eunuchs, and servants.

    Recently, arge number of new girls had been selected to enter the pce. The Emperor had various concubines and princesses convene in his chamber for drinks and entertainment.

    The Emperor was so besotted with the newly selected girls that he even ignored his favorite Princess De.

    Before Princess De, Princess Xian had been his favorite, so when she saw how Princess De was being ignored, Princess Xian gloated. "In this pce, the new alwaysugh and the old always cry. Did she think her looks were good enough for her to keep the Emperor¡¯s heart forever? Let¡¯s see how long she can take it for!"

    Perhaps it was because Princess De was yed by Ning Xi that Jia Qingqing, whose acting skills had never been that outstanding, performed well as Princess Xian this time. Seeing this, the director was very satisfied.

 Chapter 58: Dreaming Of Riding An Armored Horse to Cross A Frozen River

    <h4>Chapter 58: Dreaming Of Riding An Armored Horse to Cross A Frozen River</h4>

    Surrounded by lively noise, Ning Xi reclined on a chaise lounge and drank as if she was in a different world.

    The wine slipped past her red lips and down her long, elegant neck, sliding seductively into her cor¡­

    The scene was so beautiful that all the men on set stared dazedly.

    The cameraman deliberately zoomed in for a close-up.

    "The strong wind carries the rain over the rivers to the dark vige, the downpour on the mountains around us is like waves raging hard¡­" As Ning Xi recited the poem in a drunken haze, she stood up unsteadily.

    In the next second, she threw the cup away with a tter, and then started to dance with messy steps. "The wood is burning and my felt is warm, my cute cat and I stay inside¡­"

    That slender waist was like a willow branch, bending softly as far as it could go before springing back up fiercely. Light gauze danced as if on the wind; her seductive gaze flowed over you like silk.

    "Lying stiffly in bed in a deste vige, I don¡¯t feel sad for myself, I still want to go to war and do my duty for my country¡­" She picked up a gon from the table and drank it all in one go.

    While it might be called a dance, those captivating movements looked more like a war dance on the battlefield. She instantly transformed from an enchanting spirit into a general who led troops into war, and the difference was amazing.

    Princess De¡¯s true identity was the female general Meng Changge. For generations, the Meng family had fought for the nation, but in the end, the entire family had been executed, except for her. Because of that, she had infiltrated the pce, not just to kill her enemy, but to also overturn the world¡­

    Not far away,pletely unaware of the danger, the Emperor had been pulled in by the beauty before him. He clutched a cup and stared, and did not move for a long time.

    Seeing the rekindled frenzy and obsession in the Emperor¡¯s eyes, Princess Xian, the new girls and the other princesses were full of envy and hatred.

    "Lying down in the depths of the night and listening to the wind and the rain, I dream of riding an armored horse to cross a frozen river¡­I dream of riding an armored horse to cross a frozen river¡­I dream of riding an armored horse to cross a frozen river¡­"

    Ning Xi recited thest sentence three times, once vaguely, once sorrowfully, and thest time resolutely.

    With that, she leaned alluringly into the emperor¡¯s embrace, bewitching him; she was determined to continue on her road to vengeance¡­

    Once the scene was over, the director almost forgot to yell "Cut!"

    "Cut! Fantastic!" Guo Qisheng was the first to p his hands. "Ning Xi danced well and was very professional. The hardest was expressing what I wanted, everyone¡¯s expressions were also very good. Old Feng, I don¡¯t need to mention you, and the rare one was Qingqing, your expression just now was perfectly on point!"

    Jia Qingqing¡¯s face was as ck as the bottom of a pot. That was her real envy and hatred, of course it would be on point.

    The Emperor was yed by Feng Yibo, a veteran actor who always yed emperors and had worked with countless beauties. He couldn¡¯t help butugh as he said, "Director Guo, that wasn¡¯t an act, I really was stunned!"

    "Just as I said, Junior Sister is very capable!" Next to them, Ning Xueluo joined in the praise, but was actually about to grind her teeth down to nothing.

    When it was over, Ning Xueluo drew her assistant aside to question her.

    "What¡¯s going on? It¡¯s the afternoon already, there¡¯s been no reaction at all!"

    The assistant looked frightened. "I put it in myself, in the blush, the eyeshadow, the highlight powder, I put a bit in all of them! Maybe it¡¯s ate reaction?"

    Ning Xueluo stared at her. "Impossible, if she had touched any of it, red dots would have started appearing on her skin within half an hour!" She had used this method before to disgrace Ning Xi at her birthday dinner.

    "Then the only exnation is that she didn¡¯t use any of them at all¡­" the assistant said feebly.

    "You¡¯re useless! Why didn¡¯t you have a backup n, and put something into her clothes?"

    "I didn¡¯t expect it. Don¡¯t be angry, Sister Xueluo, I won¡¯t fail next time!"

    Ning Xueluo suppressed her anger. This time had just been a miscalction. There would still be plenty of chances anyway. It was possibe that she didn¡¯t have to do anything; earlier, Jia Qingqing had looked at Ning Xi with enough hatred to swallow her up.

    Ha, Ning Xi, did you thinknding this role would be a good thing for you?

    I¡¯ll lift you up even higher so that you¡¯ll fall harder!

 Chapter 59: The Second Male Lead Is A Very Handsome Big Star

    <h4>Chapter 59: The Second Male Lead Is A Very Handsome Big Star</h4>

    Although Ning Xi had proven her acting skills this time, her reputation hadn¡¯t improved in the slightest; because she had performed too well, making people see her as a vixen, they even thought she wasn¡¯t acting, but just portraying herself.

    Director Guo was afraid that her mood would be unstable, and went to console her before she left. "Ning Xi, take it easy. Your second male lead will join us next month, there is more toe!"

    Ning Xi smiled bitterly. "Director Guo, who on earth is my second male lead? You have been very secretive from the beginning, no hint of it at all. I can understand if you¡¯re keeping it from the media as a gimmick, but can¡¯t you tell even us?"

    "I can''t say it, what if someone spilled the beans? Anyway, what I can tell you is that the second male lead is a big star!" Guo Qisheng said mysteriously.

    Jia Qingqing was passing by when she heard this, and she muttered with a disdainful expression, "It¡¯s just a second male lead, how big can he be? Can he be as famous as king of the movies Zhao Sizhou? Sister Xueluo, don¡¯t you think so?"

    Ning Xueluo smiled and didn¡¯t say anything, but it was clear that she also felt that Director Guo was exaggerating.

    Ning Xi ignored Jia Qingqing''s taunt, and stuck closely behind Guo Qisheng as she started asking questions. "Then is he handsome? You can tell me this, right? In the script, the second male lead is supposed to be so handsome that all the youngdies in the capital pretend to be sick in order to see him!"

    She would have quite a number of intimate scenes with the second male lead. Not only would she have to flirt with him, there were also several sex scenes. What was more, they would always be cuddling and kissing, so it was hard for her not to care about this.

    "Of course he¡¯s handsome, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be very satisfied! When the timees, if you don¡¯t pass out from the excitement, that would be a surprise!"

    "No way, Director Guo, don¡¯t trick me! I¡¯ll take it for real!"

    ¡­

    Time passed in a sh, and it was now August. She had been living at the Lu residence for two weeks, and her rtionship with Little Treasure was getting better and better. Her work on set at the moment was also going pretty smoothly.

    Ning Xueluo and Jia Qingqing had formed an alliance, and now and then would y tricks on her. Though she had seen through all of them, it was too tiring being wary of them every day, so she was looking for the right opportunity to defeat them once and for all.

    Talking about this, it was strange, but she had the feeling that there was someone on the production team who was helping her behind the scenes. There had been several times when she had missed something, but was given very subtle hints. It was likely that there were people who disliked Jia Qingqing''s arrogant and domineering way of doing things. Ning Xi didn''t think too much about it.

    Right now, the biggest headache for her was going to the airport tonight to meet a certain annoying guy.

    The whole of today, while she was on set, that guy had continued calling her to death to remind her.

    After finishing work, Ning Xi went back to the Lu residence first because she wanted to get her equipment.

    "You¡¯re back. A nice hotpot restaurant opened recently, shall we take Little Treasure out to eat tonight?" Lu Tingxiao was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper. Seeing she hade back, he asked her the question in a very natural manner, as if he was asking a wife.

    Ning Xi was surprised by her thoughts. It was only just over half a month, but she was already used to the way she and Lu Tingxiao got along.

    The two of them, along with Little Treasure; it really did feel like they were living as a family of three.

    Ning Xi shook her head to get rid of those strange thoughts, and said awkwardly, "I''m afraid I can''t tonight. I''m just about to go to the airport to meet someone, and I¡¯ll probably be back veryte. Does Little Treasure want to have hotpot? Why don¡¯t you take him out to eat?"

    "If you¡¯re not here, he won¡¯t go out with me."

    "Cough¡­ alright. Then let¡¯s have it next time!"

    Lu Tingxiao put down the newspaper and looked at her with dark, deep eyes. "Meeting a friend?"

    "Well, kind of¡­" Ning Xi nodded a little reluctantly.

    "Man or woman?"

    "Uh¡­" Wasn¡¯t this question overstepping a boundary?

 Chapter 60: Love You For Ten Thousand Years

    <h4>Chapter 60: Love You For Ten Thousand Years</h4>

    It wasn¡¯t that Ning Xi hadn¡¯t noticed that Lu Tingxiao¡¯s attitude towards her was unusual, but Lu Tingxiao always stopped at the right point. If she overreacted, it would unavoidably seem like she was assuming he had feelings that might not actually exist.

    So as if she was hearing a normal question, Ning Xi gave a normal reply: "Male!"

    Lu Tingxiao narrowed his eyes imperceptibly. "Are youing back tonight?"

    This question¡­ hearing it sounded more and more like¡­

    Ning Xi brought out her acting skills, and pretending this question wasn¡¯t ambiguous at all, she said nonchntly, "I¡¯m not so sure about that, when the timees, I¡¯ll call you. I¡¯m runningte, I¡¯m going upstairs first!"

    Tonight, many unexpected things were bound to happen; what if she couldn''t take it anymore, and wound up beating up Jiang Muye that guy the whole night?

    Ning Xi quickly ran upstairs to grab a big ck satchel before hugging Little Bun and kissing him goodbye at lightning speed.

    Looking at the back of the girl as she swiftly ran off, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression instantly changed, bing like snow in August.

    Apart from Ning Xi, Little Bun cared for nothing else, including his own dad. But looking at his father¡¯s oppressively dark face just then, he bent his head and wrote something on a board. Then he reached out to poke him with his little finger.

    Feeling the slight pressure on his arm, Lu Tingxiao looked down, then saw the question mark his son had drawn on the board.

    "Are you asking me why I¡¯m unhappy?" Lu Tingxiao lifted an eyebrow, paused to think, then said slowly, "If the dayes that your Auntie Xiao Xi bes someone else¡¯s, calls him darling and kisses him good morning, goodnight, and goodbye, has hotpot with someone else, and you are no one special to her, without even the right to ask how she is, would you be happy?"

    Little Bun looked nk for a bit, before his expression instantly shattered, as if the world was ending.

    And so, a certain father finally found some equilibrium.

    Little Treasure started sobbing, and grabbed his evil father¡¯s cellphone toin to Auntie Xiao Xi.

    He sent Ning Xi a crying emoticon: (>©n<.)¡«

    Ning Xi, who was on her way to the airport, saw the text and thought that Little Bun was upset about not having hotpot, and she hurriedly gathered sweet words together to coax Little Bun: [Aiya, what¡¯s the matter, darling, not happy? Don''t be sad, if you¡¯re sad then Auntie is sad too! Today Auntie really has something on, tomorrow night we¡¯ll definitely go out for hotpot, okay? Muah muah! Love you for ten thousand years! I love darling¡¯s smiles the most!]

    Seeing her reply, Little Treasure¡¯s tears instantly turned to smiles, and he proudly gave the phone back to his dad to take a look.

    Lu Tingxiao saw the sweet words that Ning Xi texted, "¡­" and his heart was struck a blow¡­

    Two hourster, at B City¡¯s airport.

    Even though Ning Xi had been prepared before arriving, she was still shocked by the scene.

    "Ahhhhhh! Jiang Muye! Jiang Muye! Jiang Muye!"

    "Hubby, look over here! Hubby, I love you! Hubby, I want to have babies with you!"

    "Muye, Muye, you are the most handsome! I¡¯ll support you forever!"

    "Muye, Muye, you are the best! I¡¯ll protect you forever!"

    ¡­

    Most of them at the scene were young female fans; she even saw quite a number of auntie fans and some male fans. All of them were screaming their hearts out. All the airport security personnel hade out, but the situation was still out of control.

    "My dear wives, quiet down, okay? Don''t disturb other people! Shhh!"

    In the crowd, a sexy voice made itself known. The fans went dead silent for one second, before they broke out into wild screams that almost broke the roof. Far from quieting down, the scene became even more explosive.

    Ning Xi hid behind a pir some distance away to watch, her head covered in ck lines.

    This man really still held a grudge, he really wanted to get her killed!

    If she went out now to meet him, could she live through the night?

    Luckily she hade prepared¡­

 Chapter 61: Good Grandson

    <h4>Chapter 61: Good Grandson</h4>

    Ning Xi ran in a smoking trail to the restroom behind her. Entering a cubicle, she opened that big, ck satchel and pulled out some tools, then started to apply her makeup.

    When Ning Xi emerged from the restroom, she was already an old granny with a head full of gray hair.

    Her phone beeped.

    Ning Xi took it out to take a look; as she had expected, it was from Jiang Muye.

    Evil Fairy King: Ning Xiao Xi! I give you five minutes to show up in front of me, or I will instantly expose our rtionship to the public!

    F***!

    Ning Xi checked her makeup onest time, and hurriedly ran to where the crowd was the thickest.

    Ning Xi looked helpless and anxious. "Cough cough, let me through, let me through¡­ cough cough, kind-hearted young girls, can you allow this old granny to look at Ah Ye?"

    "Ah! Guys, don''t push! There¡¯s an old granny here!"

    "Eh, granny, why do you want to see our Muye? Are you his fan, too?"

    "Holy moly! Our Muye really gets them all, the young and the old! He even has a granny fan! Guys, let the granny through!"

    "How old are you, granny?"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi bent and thumped her back, thanking them repeatedly. "Young girls, thank you, I thank all of you. I¡¯m eighty years old, and I, I especially like this young man, because, because he looks so much like my own grandson! My grandson is working in a really far-off ce, and I only see him a few times a year¡­" Saying this, she started to wipe her tears.

    "Muye! Muye! There¡¯s a granny fan of yours here! Come and see her!"

    "Yes, please see her! Poor granny¡­"

    With warm help from all the fans, Ning Xi quickly and smoothly squeezed her way inside.

    In the center of the crowd, Jiang Muye ran fingers through his wild blond hair, and took off his sunsses. A faint trace of suspicion shed across his handsome face. "Granny fan?"

    "Yes, yes! She¡¯s already eighty years old! She came especially to see you at the airport in such hot weather! She said she really likes you because you look like her grandson, who¡¯s working overseas!"

    Once the fans stopped speaking, Jiang Muye followed the path that the crowd had made for him, and saw an old granny with a wrinkled face, wearing dusty, rough clothes, and leaning on a walking stick¡­

    Jiang Muye¡¯s expression instantly became twisted. "Fuuu¡­"

    He had enough sense left to swallow the rest of that f-word, and stared hard at that "granny" with an expression of wanting to strangle her.

    Of course, all this happened within a short second, and the fans didn''t notice anything unusual.

    "Ah¡­ grandson¡­ my good grandson¡­ granny missed you so much¡­" Ning Xi flew at Jiang Muye like an arrow, messing up his blond hair with her hands and crying so broken-heartedly¡­

    The young girls around them all started weeping when they saw this heartwarming scene, and there was a wave of shutter clicks from the media cameras.

    "Ning Xiao Xi! Just you wait ¡®til tonight!" Jiang Muye gritted his teeth and said angrily in a low voice next to her ear.

    "Ah, grandson, grandson! Why do you look so skinny! Granny¡¯s heart aches!" Ning Xi was fully into her character, and Jiang Muye¡¯s hair,, which he valued the most, had already turned into a chicken nest.

    Seeing that Jiang Muye was about to explode, his manager Lei Ming hurried over to save the situation. "Cough, make way, this granny¡¯s very emotional, and her body is quite weak, we¡¯ll help send her home!"

    Jiang Muye maintained his gentle, caring expression, but he secretly pinched a certain someone''s hand hard as they swiftly left the airport .

 Chapter 62: Kiss Me Here

    <h4>Chapter 62: Kiss Me Here</h4>

    Inside the ck RV.

    "Good grandson, you know where granny lives?"

    "Ning Xi, try calling me grandson one more time?"

    "Grand¡­ son~! I just did, so what?"

    "I¡­ I¡¯m going to kill you!"

    "Do it! I thought you¡¯d never do it!"

    "Ah! You damn woman, you actually hit me for real!"

    ¡­

    The back of the car rocked with banging sounds. Lei Ming, who was driving, was lost for words. "Muye, I already told you, you can¡¯t outwit her, but you didn¡¯t believe me, and now? Tomorrow¡¯s headline is not going to be about getting picked up by beautifuldies at the airport, but by an old granny¡­"

    His arm pinned behind his back by Ning Xi, Jiang Muye said angrily, "Shut up!"

    Lei Ming watched the progress of the battle in the rearview mirror. Though there were ck lines all over his head, the corner of his mouth twitched. "Ning Xi, can you be a little gentler with him? I¡¯m begging you! He still has a film, amercial and a magazine cover to shoot this month¡­"

    "Got it, Brother Ming, I won''t hit his face¡­ be still!"

    The handsome confidence and high spirits that Jiang Muye had had at the airport were long gone; now he was pressed into the back seat with his hands handcuffed, looking remarkably like he had just been ravaged.

    "Ning Xi¡­ you forced me to do this¡­"

    Ning Xi was happily hitting him, when Jiang Muye suddenly caught her off guard by locking his handcuffed hands behind her neck, then pulling her down¡­

    Seeing his face suddenly so close, Ning Xi backed away subconsciously, and put on a careless smile. "What, you can¡¯t beat me in a fight, so you¡¯re using a beauty trap now?"

    Just before their lips met, Jiang Muye suddenly turned his head. "Ergh¡­"

    "Hahaha¡­" Ning Xiughed so hard that she had gripped her stomach and rolled around. "Come,e! Dearest, kiss me here! Isn''t granny¡¯s makeup pretty today?"

    Looking at the wrinkles and pockmarks on Ning Xi¡¯s face, Jiang Muyey there like a dead fish and didn''t have any will to live.

    Ning Xi finally finishedughing, and she gasped for breath as she sat up. "What, are you really angry? Who asked you to set me up first! Am I not allowed to take revenge?"

    "Asshole, we haven¡¯t seen each other for so long, didn¡¯t you miss me even a little bit? The first thing you actually did was to beat me up!" Jiang Muye stared at her angrily, but there was a trace of hurt in his eyes.

    Ning Xiughed. "Of course I missed you. I told you at the airport, granny missed you a lot!"

    "¡­" In order not to die from anger, Jiang Muye finally stopped trying tomunicate with her, and raised his handcuffed hands as he said furiously, "Hurry up and get these off, where the hell did you get these handcuffs? They¡¯re forbidden in China!"

    Ning Xi touched her chin. "This, I got them from a sex shop on TaoBao! 20% off, it was only $9.90!"

    Jiang Muye: "¡­"

    Lei Ming: "¡­"

    Worried they would start fighting again, Lei Ming hurriedly switched the topic. "I¡¯ve gotten rid of the reporters and fans, where to next?"

    Jiang Muye took out a small mirror and started fixing his hair. He didn''t even raise his head as he answered, "To my vi in the outskirts."

    Ning Xi instantly lifted herself up. "Then drop me off on the roadside, I¡¯ll take a cab back myself!"

    "Heh, you think you can run away tonight? Let¡¯s see where you can run!"Jiang Muye gritted his teeth with an evil expression, and locked the car doors.

    "¡­"Ning Xi¡¯s head was covered in ck lines. she knew this would happen.

    On their way, the further they traveled, the more Ning Xi felt something was not right; why was this direction so familiar?"

    "Tycoon Jiang, you have property in B City? Might it be at the tinum Pce, by any chance?" Ning Xi tested by asking.

    Jiang Muye humphed. "It is, so what? It¡¯s toote for you to hug my thigh now! Unless you call me grandpa!"

    At this moment, Ning Xi was feeling a little despondent.

    What was this coincidence, that Jiang Muye¡¯s vi was at tinum Pce too?

    For some reason, the the "du du du" sound of an rm started to y in her head, giving her a bad feeling that something terrible was going to happen¡­

 Chapter 63: Fight Three Hundred Rounds

    <h4>Chapter 63: Fight Three Hundred Rounds</h4>

    The car drove through the main gate, and Ning Xi asked casually, "Jiang Muye, what number is your vi?"

    "No. 6."

    "¡­"Ning Xi¡¯s expression was slightly stunned, it was actually No.6.

    Vis at the tinum Pce were divided into different sses. The best was undoubtedly Big Demon King Lu¡¯s No.8 castle. It covered the most territory, with a bigke and flower garden behind it, and a personal golf course. The next was Lu Jingli¡¯s No.7 vi. No.6 was of the same standard as No.7.

    Nobody knew who the owner of vi No.6 was. She hadn¡¯t expected that it would actually be Jiang Muye this guy.

    Seeing Lei Ming about to go right, Ning Xi instinctively reminded him, "Ai, Brother Ming, don''t go this way, it¡¯s blocked¡­"

    "How do you know it¡¯s blocked?" Jiang Muye asked instantly.

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart thumped, but on the surface, she calmly gave him a haughty look. "Didn¡¯t you see the warning sign on the side?"

    Actually, some drunk rich heir had had an ident on that road; she had seen it with her own eyes when she passed through there yesterday.

    Jiang Muye saw the "Construction Ahead" sign by the side of the road, and said, "Oh".

    Ning Xi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

    Even though she had a proper reason to stay at Lu Tingxiao¡¯s, it was still too troublesome and tooplicated to exin; she might as well save herself the trouble!

    When they arrived, Ning Xi was feeling bitter; how she wanted to sneak home directly and hug Little Treasure!

    Lei Ming got out of the car and said to Jiang Muye, "You can move in directly since someone has been keeping it clean while you were gone. Do you want to stay here or at the apartment that thepany arranged for you? If you stay here, it might be a little inconvenient for you to get around. "

    Nearby, Ning Xi was thinking privately, don¡¯t stay here! What if one day they ran into each other?

    "I¡¯ll see, let¡¯s decideter!" Jiang Muye waved his hand impatiently, and looked at Lei Ming as if urging him to get on with it.

    Lei Ming sighed as he looked at both of them, and gave a worried reminder: "Don¡¯t stay up toote, the both of you. Muye, don''t forget tomorrow, you have¡­"

    "Got it, got it!" Jiang Muye didn''t pay much attention to him, and dragged Ning Xi inside the house, like a bandit vanishing in a wisp of smoke.

    Lei Ming: "¡­" He already knew the two of them wouldn''t be able to get up early the next morning¡­

    After entering, Jiang Muye pulled his fingers one by one, with the face of someone preparing for battle. "Don¡¯t listen to Brother Ming, Ning Xiao Xi, you have to fight three hundred rounds with me tonight! See if I don¡¯t torture you to death!"

    Ning Xi looked at him disdainfully. "Hehe, as you wish! You¡¯ve already suffered defeat at my hands, you still dare say such big words! I¡¯ll make you beg to call me granny!"

    "You wish! You are the one who¡¯s going to call me grandpa!" Jiang Muye buried his head in his huge travel case as he searched it. "I brought back thetest equipment from overseas, no need to thank me!"

    Saying this, he looked at her in pain. "Can you go and freaking wash your makeup off, it¡¯s killing my eyes! You want to use this to lower my fighting strength? Shameless! I¡¯m telling you now, if I lose, I won¡¯t admit it!"

    "Lower my butt, I¡¯m the one who had to lower myself, you think I enjoy being like this?" Ning Xi took the heavy wig off with a harsh pull and unbuttoned her cor. This was a lose-lose situation for both her and him equally.

    Jiang Muye turned on the mega-screen TV in the living room, and started to hook up the cables. "I have clothes in my room, go and look for something to wear yourself! Hurry, hurry! My battle soul can¡¯t endure the thirst and hunger anymore!"

    "¡­"Ning Xi looked speechlessly at his excited appearance.

    Other people would look for a hot girl to hook up with after returning from abroad, but this guy had dragged her here by all means necessary to y games with him, and even wanted to y through the night! What a maniac!

 Chapter 64: A Late-night Visitor

    <h4>Chapter 64: A Late-night Visitor</h4>

    Jiang Muye expertly set up all the game equipment, grabbed a few bags of jelly, chips and dried fish from who knows where, and took out a bottle of good wine from the wine cer while he hummed a happy tune.

    Everything was ready, and he sat on the floor with his legs crossed and rubbed his hands together. Just as he was about to familiarize himself with the game, the doorbell outside suddenly rang.

    Jiang Muye¡¯s face immediately turned ck. He didn''t answer the door, and instead, directly called Lei Ming and said bad-temperedly, "Stop ringing! I¡¯ve already promised I¡¯ll be on time tomorrow morning, isn¡¯t that enough? Every day bossing me around like I''m a pet, not even letting me y some games, you don''t believe that I won¡¯t be able to take it anymore and quit?"

    "Ah? Ring what?" On the other end of the call, Lei Ming was utterly baffled.

    Jiang Muye choked and paused. "You¡¯re not outside ringing my doorbell?"

    "I¡¯m pretty far away from your ce now, and I¡¯m driving!" Lei Ming was innocent.

    "Then who can it be¡­ not many people know I live here¡­"Jiang Muye murmured suspiciously.

    "Don¡¯t tell me your address was leaked? Be careful, don''t open the door, what if it¡¯s the media! Ning Xi¡¯s still there!" Lei Ming immediately turned vignt.

    Jiang Muye humphed, not caring in the slightest, "So what if it¡¯s the media! So what if they see her here?"

    Lei Ming said helplessly, "Muye, I¡¯m not lecturing you, but even if you want to help her, she needs to ept your help first! It¡¯s already clear that Ning Xi doesn¡¯t want to get on your pirate ship¡­"

    Jiang Muye immediately exploded. "What pirate ship! Who are you calling a pirate ship!"

    The doorbell was still ringing, at five-second intervals in a very regr pattern.

    "I won¡¯t talk to you anymore, I¡¯m going to go open the door! It¡¯s sote, who on earth could it be¡­"Jiang Muye hung up and walked impatiently to the drawing room.

    Jiang Muye deliberately checked the electronic monitor first to see who was outside, and was stunned, like he had seen a real ghost.

    "F***! Lu Tingxiao!!! Why is he here¡­"

    The man at the door was wearing gray home clothes and a pair of slippers, and was carrying a few things in his hands. Even though he was dressed extremely casually, for some reason, Jiang Muye felt as if a gust of wind off a cier was blowing down his neck, so cold it made him shiver.

    Like a rabbit that had just seen a wolf, Jiang Muye paced frantically in circles. After the doorbell rang twice more, he took a deep breath, and opened the door.

    The moment he opened the door, his attitude from before suddenly turned cautiously respectful. "Eh, why are you here¡­"

    "To visit you," the man answered emotionlessly.

    "Oh¡­e in please! Come in¡­"Jiang Muye busily weed him in.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at the game controllers on the floor, and also the snacks and wine, then sat down on the sofa.

    Noticing what Lu Tingxiao was looking at, Jiang Muye coughed and exined, "Cough, work is tiring, I seldom have time to rx."

    This was of no concern to Lu Tingxiao. He asked casually, "When did you arrive?"

    "Not that long ago." Jiang Muye searched for a while and finally found a pouch of tea leaves, but there was no hot water, so he could only take out a bottle of mineral water from the fridge. "I haven¡¯t boiled any water here, is this okay?"

    "No need to fuss, I won¡¯t stay long." Lu Tingxiao pointed at the few boxes he had brought. "These are from your mother"

    "She could have sent someone to bring these here, why is she troubling you to personallye here yourself at night!" In his heart, Jiang Muye reproached his mother a hundred times over. Why would she, without any rhyme or reason, ask him to bring things over! Didn''t she know he was terrified of this person the most? ¡­ Fine, it was obvious, it was because his mother definitely knew, that she had sent Lu Tingxiao to check up on him¡­

    ¡®A pirate ship¡¯ is a figure of speech that refers to a venture of dubious merit.

 Chapter 65: An Unreal Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 65: An Unreal Meeting</h4>

    "How long will you be staying?" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s tone was like that of both an elder and a boss.

    Jiang Muye sat straight, and answered like a good student. "If all goes well, I¡¯ll stay back in the country this time. Even though a lot of people in the industry are pushing overseas this year, our local film industry has been growing quickly these past few years; plus, the market is extremely big. Going abroad to learn is necessary, but I don¡¯t want to get ahead of myself. I think I still need toe back to my roots and principles here in the country."

    "Mm." Unexpectedly, Lu Tingxiao nodded at his words in agreement.

    Jiang Muye rxed a bit, then asked concernedly, "How¡¯s Little Treasure?"

    Lu Tingxiao: "Not bad."

    "Ah, right, I brought him toys and some small gifts for you. I was going to visit you tomorrow, I didn¡¯t expect you woulde see me first¡­" Jiang Muye went to grab the gifts from the suitcase.

    Lu Tingxiao: "Thanks."

    And then¡­ then it was followed by silence.

    Hence, in that moment, the sound of running water in the bathroom could be clearly heard¡­

    Feeling a bit awkward, Jiang Muye scratched his head.

    Lu Tingxiao seemed to understand the situation, and stood up with a few more words. "I¡¯m leaving, if you have time, go home and see your mother."

    "Sure, sure, I¡¯ll walk you out."

    Feeling like he had been given a reprieve, Jiang Muye was about to walk Lu Tingxiao out, when suddenly there was a furious voice behind them ¡ª

    "Jiang Muye ¡ª what kind of sheetty clothes are these?! How can I wear something with such a big hole in the back?!"

    Lu Tingxiao, who had been about to leave, froze like he had been pierced by acupuncture needles when he heard the voice. A secondter, he slowly turned around, and shot a sharp and icy look in the direction of the voice.¡­

    The girl was bare-foot, her hair damp and her cheeks flushed from the hot shower. She stood outside the bathroom door, exasperated; there was a big hole near the waist on the right side of therge men¡¯s T-shirt she was wearing, which exposed her white, smooth skin¡­

    Not paying attention to Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression, Jiang Muye just felt like dying. The man had been about to leave, why couldn¡¯t that damn girl have waited a little bit longer toe out?

    "I forgot to throw it away after I tore it when I fell from my bicycle. There were so many to choose from, why did you pick the one that was ripped?!" Jiang Muye felt like he was at his wits¡¯ end with Ning Xi. He then turned in embarrassment to face Lu Tingxiao and make introductions. "Cough¡­ this is my friend, Ning Xi¡­"

    After saying that, Jiang Muye suddenly noticed the weird look on Ning Xi¡¯s face.

    She stood still as a statue as she stared at Lu Tingxiao¡­

    This damn girl, even if Lu Tingxiao was pretty good-looking, she didn¡¯t have to stare at him like that¡­

    Jiang Muye was very unhappy seeing Ning Xi act like this, and he said stiffly, "Ning Xi, this is my uncle, CEO of Lu Corporation, Lu Tingxiao. Why are you standing there like a rock? Say hi!"

    In that moment, her hair dripping water and her hand clutching the sides of the hole in the T-shirt together, Ning Xi finally found her voice. With a mystified expression, she dropped the sybles nkly. "Un¡­cle¡­?"

    While Ning Xi said the word like a question, to Lu Tingxiao, it sounded like an affirmative tone, as if she was calling him uncle., Instantly, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face looked like that of a big demon king who had just doused all 18 levels of hell in blood. His whole body emitted a cold and frightening air, scaring the two of them so much they shivered¡­

    Who knew how long that strange atmospherested for, before Lu Tingxiao¡¯s icy gazended on Ning Xi. "The person you said you were going to pick up, it was Muye?"

    Standing next to him, Jiang Muye was shocked at his words. " Ning Xi, you know my uncle?"

 Chapter 66: You Promised to Keep Me Company Tonight

    <h4>Chapter 66: You Promised to Keep Me Company Tonight</h4>

    This situation was quickly driving Ning Xi insane. She said to Muye in a low voice, "I should be asking you that! How do you know Lu Tingxiao?!"

    Jiang Muye: "I told you, he¡¯s my uncle!"

    Ning Xi: "Then why didn''t you tell me earlier?!"

    Jiang Muye: "You never asked!"

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    "How do you and my uncle know each other?" Jiang Muye looked between the two of them; the more he looked, the more he felt that something wasn¡¯t right, but he couldn¡¯t tell exactly what it was.

    "It¡¯s a long story¡­" Exhausted, Ning Xi touched her forehead. These four words were to both Jiang Muye and Lu Tingxiao.

    Jiang Muye looked like he was dying to ask questions, but didn¡¯t dare open his mouth in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s presence.

    She smelt nice after having just showered. Therge, baggy T-shirt showed off her slender, white legs, and one hand was still trying to cover the hole in the shirt. It was a view that made the blood boil, and knowing that she looked like this in another man¡¯s house made Lu Tingxiao want to suddenly destroy something.

    While he raged a few times over in his heart, it happened in the space of a few seconds which almost went unnoticed. On the outside, Lu Tingxiao just had a slightly cold expression, and he red at Ning Xi. "Are you nning to stay here, or go back with me?"

    The words were said tly, but carried unimaginable weight.

    Jiang Muye caught the underlying meaning, and he looked at Ning Xi in shock and disbelief.

    What was the meaning of this?? They didn''t just know each other, they were also living together?

    Ning Xi looked at the icy cold Lu Tingxiao, then looked at the furious Jiang Muye. She swallowed with difficulty. "I¡­ I¡¯ll go back after all."

    The cold air Lu Tingxiao was emitting thawed slightly.

    Jiang Muye lost his temper and immediately grabbed Ning Xi¡¯s wrist, his beautiful, light blue eyes filled with both nervousness and the rage of betrayal. "You promised to keep mepany tonight!!!"

    As soon as he said the words, Ning Xi wanted to send him flying with one punch. Young man, don¡¯t make things sound so misleading!

    She lifted her head and looked at Lu Tingxiao; as expected, he looked like he was quickly reaching his limit, as if there was only one metal bar left before the beast came bursting out¡­

    Ning Xi took back her hand and held onto her temper as she persuaded, "Muye, I need to film tomorrow, didn¡¯t Brother Ming say you also have something on in the morning? Let¡¯s wait for a day when we¡¯re both free, then I¡¯ll y PC games with you another time, alright?"

    Ning Xi emphasized "y PC games" on purpose.

    After she finished speaking, she quickly grabbed her big, ck bag, and without changing into something else, she ran for her life from this troublesome ce, hand still covering the hole in the shirt.

    Lu Tingxiao looked intensely at Jiang Muye before catching up to Ning Xi.

    Seeing the backs of the two as they left together, as well as Lu Tingxiao¡¯s provoking look as they left, mes burned in Jiang Muye¡¯s eyes¡­

    Damn it! No wonder that woman knew that road was blocked¡­

    Ning Xi, how much are you hiding from me!

    At that moment, Ning Xi was trembling as she ran back, when the weight in her hand was suddenly removed; Lu Tingxiao was helping her carry her bag.

    Then she felt something settle on her shoulders; Lu Tingxiao had put his coat on her.

    "Thank you¡­" Ning Xi thanked him in embarrassment.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face remained cold, and he didn''t react at all.

    Any reaction would have been good; as long as there was one, she would know how to respond ¡ª thisck of reaction made people the most nervous¡­

 Chapter 67: Kiss In The Moonlight

    <h4>Chapter 67: Kiss In The Moonlight</h4>

    Lu residence.

    After returning to her room and changing into her pajamas, Ning Xi ran with lightning speed to look for Little Bun.

    "Little Treasure, Auntie¡¯s a little afraid of the dark tonight, can I sleep with you?"

    Little Bun was of course very happy, and dly gave up a huge space on his bed to her.

    "Thank you darling~ good night darling~"

    Auntie¡¯s lucky charm, I¡¯m trusting you to keep me safe tonight¡­

    Everything that had happened today had been too exciting, her heart was still beating fast.

    She could sense that after today, the hazy barrier between herself and Lu Tingxiao was already so fragile that it would break with a single touch¡­

    If it broke, she really wouldn¡¯t know how to deal with the situation¡­

    Luckily, Little Bun in her arms was a great sleeping aid; she huffed for around half an hour before gradually falling asleep¡­

    Ning Xi had Little Bun to help her sleep peacefully, but one particr person couldn¡¯t sleep; in the middle of the night, the study was full of smoke so thick they were like clouds.

    Heh, no wonder Cheng Feng couldn¡¯t find out who the two people that sent presents to Ning Xi that day on set were, even after investigating for so many days. It turned out one of them was a "hidden traitor".

    Evil Fairy King¡­

    Only now did he recall; they had a family group chat, and this kid Jiang Muye used this weird nickname in the group. It was just that he hadn¡¯t made the association before.

    As for the man with the initials YS, he still didn¡¯t have the slightest clue¡­

    In the dark, he stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and walked out.

    He gently pushed the door of the guestroom open, but there was no one inside.

    Lu Tingxiao lifted one eyebrow, and turned to go to the next room.

    As expected, Ning Xi was sound asleep, holding Little Treasure.

    Smart girl.

    But did she really think things were fine like this?

    Lu Tingxiao walked towards the small bed and gently removed Little Treasure¡¯s little hand where it was clutching Ning Xi¡¯s clothes. Using a plush doll as a recement, he then picked Ning Xi up and left.

    Little Treasure knitted his little eyebrows together as he dreamt, reached out little hands as if searching for something, then hugged the doll to him.

    After tricking his own son, Lu Tingxiao took Ning Xi to the master bedroom.

    He gentlyid her on the bed, then sat on the edge. With a slightly rough hand, he gently stroked the girl¡¯s hair, her eyes, her cheeks¡­

    He was like a wild beast about to eat; he was patient as he savored this moment before feeding.

    Finally, he sighed and covered those soft lips with his own, pushing deeper and twining their tongues together. She tasted as sweet as he had imagined.

    Then he moved to her cheeks, her ears, and slipped down to her neck, before he stopped at her corbone¡­

    In the past 32 years, he had never been in love, and didn''t think love was anything meaningful. For him, love was probably the most useless thing; was there anything wrong with living without lust or love?

    He never thought that one day, love would so utterly engulf him, and that this girl 8 years younger than him would turn him into someonepletely unfamiliar.

    For him, life was no longer about cold ns and data, but was soft, hopeful, warm, sweet,plete¡­

    But at the same time, it was apanied by a quick temper, violence, impulsiveness, desire¡­

    Thinking of seeing her at Jiang Muye¡¯s ce earlier, the violence in his heart leapt out of its shackles, and he unconsciously used more strength. In the next second, the taste of blood bloomed between their entwined mouths¡­

    The girl under him creased her eyebrows, and Lu Tingxiao froze. He watched as she licked her lips for a bit before falling back to sleep. She waspletely heartless¡­

    Lu Tingxiao gently touched her lush, red lips with one finger, ming desire in his eyes. Impulsively, he wanted to ignore the consequences and just kiss her awake¡­

 Chapter 68: Very Angry, But Keep Smiling

    <h4>Chapter 68: Very Angry, But Keep Smiling</h4>

    Ning Xi slept all the way to the next morning, and woke up naturally.

    She slept so wellst night, but something didn¡¯t feel right. Why did a part of her tongue feel sore? Did she bite her own tongue in her sleep when she was dreaming¡­?

    To bite herself was really too vicious¡­

    Everything was as usual at breakfast.

    It seemed that Lu Tingxiao was going to work today; he looked refined in a business suit as he sat drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. He had on his typical cool and aloof expression, as if nothing had happened at allst night.

    Ning Xi breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she was being too sensitive?

    Lu Tingxiao might have some vague feelings for her, but surely not to the point of jealousy? Let alone being jealous of his own nephew¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression looked normal, but Little Bun looked a little strange.

    Little Bun had been sullen the whole morning, as if he had been robbed of something.

    Ning Xi gave him a soup dumpling and asked concernedly, "Darling, what¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re not happy?"

    Little Bun looked at his nonchnt dad, his expression bing angrier, but remembering that Auntie Xiao Xi liked his smile the most, he tried hard to smile to show that he was fine.

    I¡¯m very angry, but I must keep smiling!

    Only then did Ning Xi rx, and quickly finished her breakfast. "Then I¡¯m leaving first. Enjoy your breakfast!"

    The second male lead would being today, so it was better for her to arrive at the set a little earlier.

    Just as she was about to take her bag and leave, Little Bun suddenly went to her side, his small hands plucking at her clothes.

    Ning Xi was confused. "What is it?"

    Knowing she didn¡¯t understand, Little Bun looked aggrieved and like he was about to cry, as if he had fallen out of her favor.

    Ning Xi scratched her head and thought a long time, but still didn¡¯t understand what she might have done wrong. Atst, she could only look to Lu Tingxiao for help.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at her, and simply reminded her, "You forgot to give him a goodbye kiss."

    "Ohhh, sorry!" Ning Xi pped her forehead as she finally remembered.

    She didn¡¯t know when it started, but they had a little routine where she would kiss his face everyday before leaving, and Little Bun liked it very much. Today, she was in so much of a hurry that she had forgotten.

    Ning Xi didn¡¯t leave until after she had hugged and kissed him.

    Little Treasure waved goodbye to Auntie Xiao Xi. Then he turned to face his father, his face showing extreme anger, as if saying, "Don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll forgive you just because you helped me just now."

    Lu Tingxiao didn¡¯t seem to notice his son¡¯s furious re, and sipped his coffeeposedly. "Sorry, I don¡¯t understand your expression. If you have something you want to tell me, open your mouth or write it down."

    Little Treasure immediately got even angrier after hearing that.

    Even with Ning Xi¡¯s help, currently he could only sometimes write down words and draw expressions or symbols, never writing sentences which were too long, to say nothing of speaking.

    In the end, he furiously wrote one word on the tablet: "thief".

    Lu Tingxiao nced at the word, and pretended to be puzzled. "What? Our house got broken into?"

    Little Treasure crossly puffed up his cheeks, lowered his head, and with a swish, wrote several words in Chinese: "You stole Auntie Xiao Xist night!!!"

    Seeing the string of words in a grammaticallyplete sentence, Lu Tingxiao was finally satisfied. He lowered the newspaper to look at this son, and asked meaningfully, "Don¡¯t you want Auntie Xiao Xi to be my wife?"

    "Mine!" Little Treasure wrote on the tablet.

    Lu Tingxiao raised his eyebrow. "I regret to tell you that the both of you don¡¯t match; you¡¯re neen years younger than her, would you make a girl wait so many years for you to grow up?"

    Little Treasure buried himself in drawing a rotten egg.

    Seeing that realistic-looking rotten egg, a light smile appeared on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face. "But I¡¯m speaking the truth, aren¡¯t I?"

    After saying that, he paused, then continued in a very beguiling tone. "But it¡¯ll be different if she were my wife, because she would be your mother."

    Mother¡­

    Hearing this, Little Bun was stunned. He lowered his head silently, his face showing some struggle and hesitation¡­

 Chapter 69: So Handsome My Legs Are Weak

    <h4>Chapter 69: So Handsome My Legs Are Weak</h4>

    The production crew today was the same as usual, and didn¡¯t act differently just because the second male lead would be joining them today.

    The main male lead Zhao Sizhou was surrounded by girls whose faces were worshipful as they listened to him talk about his glorious history in the entertainment industry. Jia Qingqing and Ning Xueluo¡¯s rtionship had recently been getting better, and they were cheerfully talking about the diamond bracelet her dad had bought her.

    It was only Ning Xi who was on tentherhooks. After all, she had a lot of scenes with the second male lead, and the quality of his acting would have a huge impact on her.

    Jia Qingqing yed with the sparkling diamond bracelet around her wrist, a scornful look on her face. "Sister Xueluo, look at how she¡¯s waiting so eagerly! She actually believed the director¡¯s words; does she think that if she waits like that, a Pan An will appear?"

    Ning Xueluo said helplessly, "You, don¡¯t always pick on Ning Xi. She has the most scenes with the second male lead, it¡¯s natural that she would be more concerned than we are!"

    "Hehe, yes, so many kissing and bed scenes! Luckily I didn¡¯t take the role from the start, otherwise who knows how much I would be taken advantage of!" Jia Qingqing rejoiced. She then looked admiringly at Ning Xueluo. "Sister Xueluo, you are still the luckiest, your boyfriend is so handsome, your partner is also so handsome¡­"

    ¡­

    At that moment, Director Guo Qisheng¡¯s excited voice could be heard at the studio entrance ¡ª

    "Come,e, everybodye here! Our second male lead who is the actor for the miracle doctor Sun Huanqing is here! Come and greet him!"

    There was hardly any response from the crew. Zhao Sizhou didn¡¯t look like he wanted to stand up at all; the girls were still gathered around him, scrambling to have him read their palms.

    Jia Qingqing made a dismissive sound and didn¡¯t even bother to look outside. Ning Xueluo touched up her makeup before getting up and saying persuasively, "We should greet him, we are all colleagues, after all."

    Reluctantly, Jia Qingqing followed her out.

    Ning Xi had naturally flown over at the very beginning and was craning her head to take a look. In the next second, her whole body felt like she had been struck by the Ninth Heaven God of Lightning.

    The guy beside the director was¡­

    That eye-catching golden hair¡­ she couldn¡¯t deceive herself that her eyes were mistaken, even if she wanted to¡­

    Why would the second male lead be that guy¡­

    This. Is. Not. Real¡­

    At the entrance, the production assistant Xiao Li suddenly screamed as if he was being murdered. "Ah¡ª ahhh¡­"

    Jia Qingqing furrowed her brow. "Are you crazy?! What are you shouting about?"

    As soon as she spoke,, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man behind the director at the entrance¡­

    "Ah¡­" She couldn¡¯t help screaming either.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Ning Xueluo asked.

    "Jiang¡­ Jiang Muye! Sister Xueluo! It¡¯s actually Jiang Muye!" Jia Qingqing excitedly pinched Ning Xueluo¡¯s arm.

    "What?" Ning Xueluo followed her gaze.

    The director was walking ahead with a cheerful and hospitable attitude. Following next to him was a blonde man in trendy shorts and a T-shirt. Hands in his pockets, his face showed his special brand of yuppie arrogance, and when he smiled, he showed his very cute canines¡­

    Jiang Muye¡­ the second male lead was actually Jiang Muye¡­

    Even Ning Xueluo was astonished at this oue.

    The girls who had been around Zhao Sizhou earlier now rushed the entrance like hungry wolves:

    "Wo! Jiang Muye! Is it really Jiang Muye? Am I going blind? Quick, somebody pinch me!"

    "My god! He really is sex on legs! He¡¯s crazy handsome! So handsome my legs are weak! I heard he even has granny fans! Even eighty-year-old grandmothers can¡¯t escape!"

    "No one stop me, it¡¯s so hard to meet the real person, I must sleep with him! A life where I can¡¯t sleep with Jiang Muye isn¡¯t any different from the life of a salted fish!"

    ¡­

    Pan An ÅË°²: Describing a man as Pan An in Chinese is the highest praise that can be given for his looks.

 Chapter 70: A More Intense Connection?

    <h4>Chapter 70: A More Intense Connection?</h4>

    Who was the hottest young hunk in the entertainment industry at the moment?

    No matter who you ask, everyone will give you this name, Jiang Muye!

    Jia Qingqing still couldn¡¯t ept the fact until now, and she paced back and forth irritably. "Is this a mistake? Shouldn''t Jiang Muye be filming overseas? Even if he¡¯se home, how could he act as a minor second male lead?"

    Ning Xueluo said thoughtfully, "Everyone says that Jiang Muye doesn¡¯t y any other role apart from the male lead. Also, the main investor for this movie is Starlight. Why would he, a Glory World artiste, act in it?"

    Jia Qingqing, who had just been thinking how lucky she was that she wouldn''t be taken advantage of, was about to go crazy. "Damn it! Why is it like this? How did Ning Xi get so lucky? Jiang Muye should be mine, he¡¯s mine! It¡¯s because she shamelessly stole my role!"

    Everyone around her looked at her with sympathy, and weren''t surprised by her frenzy.

    Because everyone in the entertainment industry knew that Jia Qingqing liked Jiang Muye; she had publicly expressed her affection for him before on Weibo. Even though Jiang Muye paid no attention to her, she still frequently forwarded information rted to Jiang Muye on Weibo like a fan.

    It took Guo Qisheng a great deal of effort to finally calm the crazy girls down. He couldn¡¯t help teasing, "Muye, look how you¡¯ve captured our girls¡¯ hearts! A handsome boy is really treated so well!"

    Jiang Muye went along with the director¡¯s teasing and joked, "Director, didn¡¯t you hear it just now? They only want to sleep with me, so you must protect me!"

    "Hahaha¡­ rx, your partner is the goddess of war Meng Changge, she can protect you! That¡¯s right, where¡¯s Ning Xi? She kept hounding me before about who her co-star would be. Why hasn¡¯t she appeared yet?" Guo Qisheng looked around.

    Jiang Muye gave a strange halfugh. "Don¡¯t tell me I scared her away?"

    "That really is possible, almost all the girls are your fans, and Ning Xi might be one of them. Perhaps she was surprised at seeing her idol!" Guo Qisheng said with a smile.

    As they talked, Ning Xi came over.

    Within a short time, the expression on Ning Xi¡¯s face had be imprable, and she offered her hand to to the person in front of her with a smile. "Senior Jiang, hello, I¡¯m Ning Xi. I¡¯m honored to be able to work with you."

    Although they were the same age, Jiang Muye had started his career earlier and was her senior, so he should be treated with more respect.

    "Hello¡­" Jiang Muye smiled and gently gave her his hand. In the next second, he almost threw her hand away.

    This damn girl, she almost crushed his bones.

    It was an effort for Jiang Muye to maintain his cool expression, and he pretended to suddenly realize something. "Ah, Ning Xi, it¡¯s you¡­"

    "What? You know each other?" Guo Qisheng was surprised ¡ª not just the director, now the rest of the film cast and crew had their eyes fixed on Jiang Muye.

    He smiled meaningfully. "Naturally."

    Hearing his flirtatious tone and seeing everyone stare at her strangely, Ning Xi was so angry that her hands started shaking. She almost couldn¡¯t control the primal urge to hit him!

    Noticing how her face paled with anger, Jiang Muye said slowly, "We worked together before on ¡®The Blue Bird¡¯."

    "Hmm? Why didn¡¯t Ning Xi mention that?" Guo Qisheng was surprised.

    Ning Xi felt like she had just had a narrow escape; her back was drenched in sweat. She answered humbly, "Director Guo, I was just the martial arts stand-in for the first female lead. I never thought that Senior Jiang would remember me."

    Guo Qisheng was pleased to hear that. "Oh, who knew the two of you would share such a fate! That¡¯s good, since you¡¯ve worked together before and you know each other, you shouldn¡¯t need too much time to get used to each other. Shall we directly try a more intense connection?"

    Ning Xi: "Uh¡­" Connection? More intense? No, director! They¡¯re not familiar with each other!

    Jiang Muye smiled joyfully. "Ok!"

    Seeing his evil little canines, Ning Xi really wanted to pull them out with her bare hands.

 Chapter 71: A Bully Stealing Away A Pure Flower

    <h4>Chapter 71: A Bully Stealing Away A Pure Flower</h4>

    "Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry. Let me see what scene would be a good one!" Guo Qisheng paged excitedly through the script.

    Ning Xi thought frantically: Director, director, choose Scene 46! If you let me y this scene now, I guarantee I¡¯ll y it especially well!

    It was the scene where Sun Huanqing was seduced by a girl whom he had rescued in the barracks. Hot-tempered Meng Changge misunderstood and thought he had cheated on her, so gave him a good beating¡­

    It was as if Jiang Muye had read her mind, and he bent slightly to whisper in her ear: "Dearest, are you very eager to y the scene where you beat me up?"

    Ning Xi abruptly moved away as if she had been electrocuted. "Asshole, stay away from me!"

    Because of this guy, the hatred directed at her was now so solid that nothing could remove it.

    She could already imagine the storm that Jia Qingqing and Ning Xueluo, but especially Jia Qingqing, would unleash on her next.

    Her days were already hard enough, this was just making it worse.

    Ning Xi was doomed to be disappointed; there was no way the director would arrange for the scene where she beat Jiang Muye up for his first day on set. After thinking for a while, the director said, "Then, let¡¯s do Scene 37!"

    Ning Xi already knew the script by heart. She only needed to think a little to remember what Scene 37 was about, and her face immediately turned ck.

    Even though it wasn¡¯t a bed scene, nor a kissing scene, it still wasn¡¯t any better.

    This was the scene where Meng Changge teased Sun Huanqing¡­

    The director called the two persons over and began to tell them about the scene.

    "The Meng family served as generals for generations, and umted much illustrious military sess. But their increasing merits caused the emperor to fear them, putting the general¡¯s family in danger. The current emperor is mediocre and muddle-headed, and prone to believing nder, which resulted in the death of Meng Changge''s father in battle. Luckily, Meng Changge¡¯s elder brother, Meng Changfeng, was able to take up the responsibility and take her father''s position, allowing little Changge to still lead a carefree life. She who ys with chicks and dogs is a little devil in Changan City¡­"

    When the director talked about the little devil, Jiang Muye smiled, nced at Ning Xi, and mouthed: Very like you.

    Ning Xi ignored him and continued to listen seriously to the director.

    "The little devil, dressed as a man all day, did not seem like a girl at all until she saw Sun Huanqing on the street when she was 16 years old. She fell in love at first sight, and from then on, began to pester him every day¡­"

    Jiang Muye raised his hand and said, "Director, isn''t this the female version of a bully stealing away a pure flower?"

    Ning Xi: "¡­" You are the real bully!

    Guo Qisheng coughed lightly and said in praise, "Muye, you understand very well, it''s pretty much that meaning. So the key point I want to emphasize is that the characters which you¡¯re used to ying are stronger and more active, but this time it''spletely the opposite, so you must take note of the change¡­"

    Hearing this, Ning Xi also got a bit worried. The characters this guy had yed before were all overbearing CEOs, overbearing school seniors, or overbearing lords; could he y Sun Huanqing, who was a bookish and weak doctor?

    Jiang Muye looked serious as he nodded his head to show that he understood. "I understand, director, I¡¯m the weak one who is being forced!"

    Guo Qisheng looked at them anxiously. In fact,pared with Jiang Muye, he was more worried about Ning Xi ¡ª he was worried that she was too feminine to y Meng Changge, who was a street bully and a rascal.

    "I chose this scene because it will bring out the feelings between the two of you the most. Most of the time in the scene, one of you ys a cynic, and the other is gentle and patient. If you can act this scene out well, there won¡¯t be anyrge problems with the rest of your scenes. Alright, I¡¯ll stop here, let¡¯s see it in practice. Both of you, go get your makeup done and change into your costumes!"

 Chapter 72: Completely Suppressed By Me

    <h4>Chapter 72: Completely Suppressed By Me</h4>

    Ning Xi was the first toe out after getting her makeup done.

    She was neatly dressed as a young swordsman in red and white, with a high, handsome ponytail and thick, ck eyebrows. She showed a domineering, heroic spirit, and was exactly what 16-year-old Meng Changge was supposed to be.

    Even those who had always been against Ning Xi had to admit that her image was wless.

    Guo Qisheng had been worried that Ning Xi, who was too beautiful an actress, would only be able to perform one particr type of role. Who knew she could be so flexible? Satisfied, he gave her a few words of praise, but advised her a little worriedly, "Ning Xi,ter you have to let yourself go a little. Don''t think about your appearance at all, do you understand? In this scene, the more of a ruffian you are, the better!"

    "Don¡¯t worry, director, I''m sure she can definitely do it!" At that moment, Jiang Muye also came out from the dressing room in his costume.

    The moment he lifted the curtain aside, there were audible gasps around the set; even Ning Xi raised her eyebrows in surprise.

    After makeup, Jiang Muye¡¯s whole temperament had changed. He was in a long, blue robe with a bamboo print. Hisplexion was clear as jade and his features gentle and kind. It was as if he had emerged from an ancient painting.

    Pleased, Jiang Muye nced at a stupefied Ning Xi, and whispered: "How is it? Isn¡¯t this brother handsome enough to split the heavens?"

    It was a pity it was ruined when he opened his mouth¡­

    Ning Xi maintained a modest expression, as if she was discussing the plot with Jiang Muye, and spit out three words: "Very weak bottom."

    "You¡­"

    "Me what? I¡¯m sorry to tell you that in this movie, you will bepletely. Suppressed. By. Me!"

    "Really? Then howe I seem to remember a scene where I go on a counterattack? Furthermore it¡¯s a bed scene. Tsk tsk¡­"

    ¡­

    Not far away, Jia Qingqing looked at the two people bending their heads together and whispering to each other from time to time, and was so envious that she was quickly losing all rationality.

    As soon as he had arrived, Jiang Muye had focused all his attention on Ning Xi, and hadn¡¯t looked her way even once; she had had no opportunity to even greet him.

    Beside her, Ning Xueluo was forting" her in a soft voice. "Qingqing, don''t be angry anymore, things are already like this. After all, luck is also a part of one¡¯s strength in the entertainment industry. Ning Xi is indeed lucky to be able to act with Jiang Muye. I¡¯m guessing that after shooting this movie, she will enter the ranks of second-tier actors at least, maybe even the first tier is possible."

    "Tch, first tier? Stealing what is mine, do you think I will just let her be?" Jia Qingqing''s fair face became extremely twisted at that moment.

    "Qingqing, don''t be too impulsive, thepany is prepared to spend a lot of effort on nurturing Ning Xi. If you quarrel with her, I¡¯m afraid¡­"

    "So what if I quarrel with her? Why should I be afraid of a vixen who only knows how to seduce men?"

    Hearing that thepany was prepared to nurture Ning Xi, Jia Qingqing became even more enraged. After all, the type of roles she and Ning Xi yed were simr. If thepany supported Ning Xi, that would mean taking a lot of her resources away.

    Looking at Jia Qingqing who was already fully provoked, Ning Xueluo secretly smiled.

    Using Jia Qingqing as a knife, she didn¡¯t need to lift a finger at all, but just sit back and let them fight it out themselves.

    However, recently Ning Xi seemed a bit too lucky, she had to be wary of her¡­

    "Where¡¯s Little Cui? Is the prop ready?" Guo Qisheng shouted.

    "Here, here. Director, is this ok?" The props manager brought over a length of hemp rope.

    "That¡¯s fine!" Guo Qisheng nodded, and then beckoned to Jiang Muye. "Muye, I¡¯ll have to inconvenience you for a while!"

    "No problem, this is necessary for filming!" Jiang Muye seemed very dedicated as heid down on arge, carved bed and allowed the props manager to tie his hands and feet up.

    That''s right, like the director said, this scene was very intense¡­

    Meng Changge confessed her affection for Sun Huanqing, but was rejected, so she kidnapped him and brought him home¡­

    ¡­

    ¡®Bottom¡¯ ÊÜ is a term for the man who takes the bottom position in a homosexual rtionship.

 Chapter 73: Continue, Donâ€™t Stop

    <h4>Chapter 73: Continue, Don¡¯t Stop</h4>

    The girls who were watching on set started going crazy again.

    "Ahhh! Muye bondage y! In my dreams I want to tie Muye up and throw him onto the bed!"

    "What are you so excited about, you¡¯re not the one going up thereter!"

    "I¡¯m so mad! So mad! Why does it have to be that hateful vixen?!"

    "Seriously, it sucks, can''t Muye tell the director to switch her out? She doesn''t deserve Muye at all!"

    ¡­

    "Ahem¡­" Guo Qisheng coughed to signal for everyone to be quiet, then he pped his hands and shouted, "Okay, everyone get ready! Three, two, one, action!"

    Ning Xi was not the slightest bit affected by the talk around around her. At the director¡¯s words, Ning Xi¡¯s eyes suddenly changed.

    They were the eyes of a 16-year-old girl, clear and lively. Thezy, devil-may-care expression on her face was also perfect.

    She lifted the hem of what she was wearing, raised one foot, and kicked open the door to her room.

    The camera then cut to Jiang Muye.

    Seeing the young man with his hands and feet tied, lying on top of the red covers of the bed, the color making his face look paler and weaker, really made people want to ravish him.

    Hearing the kick at the door, Sun Huanqing slowly opened his eyes, and looked dazedly at the girl approaching the bed, silhouetted against the light.

    Meng Changge sat down beside the bed, and from her bosom, she plucked out a small bag made from oil paper. "Sugar-fried chestnuts from the Fuxing building, I had to queue for an hour to buy them. Want any?"

    Sun Huanqing turned his head away and closed his eyes, refusing to respond.

    Meng Changge peeled a chestnut and tossed it into her mouth with a twinkling smile. "Not eating? Then I''ll feed it to you! And I¡¯ll do it in a way that might make you shy¡­"

    "You¡­" Sun Huanqing immediately opened eyes that were filled with three parts anger and seven parts humiliation. "How can you be so shameless as a girl?!"

    Meng Changge nted him a sideway nce and raised her eyebrow. "Shame? What use is shame? Can shame y your enemies, or get you a daughter-inw?"

    Sun Huanqing''s face was full of indignation. "The Meng family has been loyal for generations, your ancestors always fought on the frontlines, but you¡­ you spend your days being a good-for-nothing and a tyrant, how can you face your ancestors?"

    Meng Changge had already heard too much of this sort of talk from the people around her, and she stuck her fingers in her ears. Then she said loudly around the chestnut in her mouth, "You¡¯re so old and you¡¯re still unmarried; among the three ways to be unfilial, having no sons is the worst. Can you face your Sun ancestors?"

    Sun Huanqing was infuriated by her twisting his words back on him, and said sternly, "This and that are two different things. Moreover, I have an ambition beyond this!"

    Meng Changge braced herself on the edge of the bed with one foot andshed Sun Huanqing over and over again with a whip she held in one hand. Finally, she lifted his chin in a gesture that was neither soft nor rough. The expression on her face was like that of a little, cunning, naughty fox. "Doctor Sun, what about this? I¡¯ll be your wife. When I be your wife, then I¡¯ll listen to everything you say. If you want me to go east, I won¡¯t go west. If you want me to learn to be good, I¡¯ll also obediently listen to you. This way, won¡¯t we all be able to face our ancestors?"

    Sun Huanqing was stunned, and a sh of urgency slipped over his face. "You¡­ don¡¯t talk nonsense!"

    Meng Changge looked like she had discovered a new world. She drew closer to him until she was almost right up in his face. "Hmm? Doctor Sun, you¡¯re blushing! You actually like me, don''t you? So why don¡¯t we do something that cannot be undone?"

    "Cut ¡ª"

    Until the director yelled "cut", everyone had been full of anticipation. Why did they stop, why don¡¯t they continue?! We want to keep watching! We want to see what cannot be undone, done!

 Chapter 74: Like His Body Had Been Hollowed Out

    <h4>Chapter 74: Like His Body Had Been Hollowed Out</h4>

    Both actors were well-matched and delivered great performances, especially Ning Xi, who was able to bring everyone into the story sopletely that it swept away all their biases against her.

    At the beginning, nobody wanted Ning Xi toy her hands on their idol, but now that had changed to them avidly hoping she would hurry up and do it. Seeing her do it was as exciting as if they were the ones doing it themselves.

    Of course, once everyone regained their senses, they were still envious of Ning Xi. They surrounded Jiang Muye to ask after his well-being and to praise his acting as amazing.

    Today, apart from Jia Qingqing, the person who was probably the most gloomy was Zhao Sizhou.

    Initially, he had the highest position with the crew, and was the most popr among the girls, but now with Jiang Muye¡¯s arrival, all the attention had been drawn away, instantly leaving him cold.

    Of course, the happiest person was the director.

    Today, the scenes between Ning Xi and Jiang Muye all went smoothly. The two of them yed off each other so well it was as if they had rehearsed the scenes a hundred times before.

    But today for Ning Xi could be summed up in two phrases: surge forth, life after cmity.

    As soon as work wrapped up, Jiang Muye was surrounded by people who wanted to treat him to dinner to wee him. Ning Xi was gathering her things when in her bag, her cellphone rang.

    On the screen, she saw: Lu Jingli.

    Lu Jingli had forced her to save his number into her phone a few days ago.

    Why was this person calling?

    Suspicious, Ning Xi quickly found a corner to answer the call in.

    "Hello, Second Young Master?"

    "Hello¡­ Xiao¡­ Xi¡­ Xi¡­"

    On the other end of the line, Lu Jingli sounded weak, like his whole body had been hollowed out¡­

    Ning Xi was a little speechless. "What happened?"

    "What happened¡­ I¡¯m the one who wants to ask you what happened! What did you do to my brotherst night?"Lu Jingli blew up as he interrogated her.

    Ning Xi was confused. "Huh? What are you talking about? What could I possibly do to him?"

    "If you didn''t do anything, then why is he in such a bad temper today? We¡¯ve been in a meeting since 8 o¡¯clock this morning until now, it¡¯s already been 12 freaking hours!"

    "Eh¡­ this is yourpany¡¯s issue, it shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with me, right? Maybe it¡¯s because he''s been on leave for too long, so there are a lot more things he needs to deal with?"

    "Not possible, I¡¯ve known my brother for so long, I can tell what he''s thinking about with just one look, and this definitely has something to do with you! You are the one who did this to us! Right now he''s about to torture every single person in thepany to death!" Lu Jingli was sure it was Ning Xi¡¯s fault.

    Ning Xi really felt wrongfully used, and said helplessly, "I really didn''t do anything!"

    The only possible reason fromst night was that she had picked Jiang Muye up from the airport and then had taken a shower at his ce, where she had bumped into Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Was this really the reason?

    But didn¡¯t he act as usual after that?

    "I don¡¯t care, I don¡¯t care! It was definitely you! You did this, you have to fix him! Otherwise, when we die and be ghosts, we won¡¯t let you go! Just now, the head of our finance department already passed out from the torture, his spirit is definitely looking for you now¡­"

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    What the hell was going on? She simply got shot even when she was lying down¡­

    What was she supposed to do now?

    How could she save them?

    Was this some kind of joke on her?

    While Ning Xi was busy worrying, she received a MMS.

    Lu Jingli had sent her two images.

    One was of an unconscious man being taken away in an ambnce. The other one was of a meeting room ¡ª everyone who was sitting around the table had terrified expressions, as if they were going to be beheaded. Big Demon King Luwas in the main seat,looking like Yama about to pass judgment on them.

    Ning Xi could feel the ominous, icy air even through the photo¡­

    ¡®To get shot even when lying down¡¯ is to be unfairly used or involved in something just by being present.

    Yama is King of Hell.

 Chapter 75: Honey Trap?

    <h4>Chapter 75: Honey Trap?</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao was ying "The Last Judge" over there, why should she go and save them?

    Lu Jingli¡¯s phone call waspletely ridiculous!

    At first, Ning Xi was going to wash her hands of the situation, but for some unknown reason, she felt a little guilty deep in her heart¡­

    Damn it! Why did she care?

    The moment she decided to leave it alone, Lu Jingli again sent her a video.

    In the video, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s icy expression was like a knife piercing right through the screen and frightening Ning Xi. She stared nkly for a bit before she realized that he in fact should be looking at Lu Jingli.

    "Lu Jingli, you have half an hour to redo this proposal. Do it right here; if you can¡¯t get it done, go to the finance department and get yourst paycheck!"

    Then the screen went ck.

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    The second before the screen turned ck, it was as if she could hear Lu Jingli¡¯sst bloody cry for help¡­

    Even an outsider like her knew that redoing a proposal in half an hour was impossible.

    But!

    She really, really didn''t know how to save him!

    Ning Xi¡¯s brain spun, and she flipped through Sun Tzu¡¯s Thirty-Six Stratagems in her mind¡­

    Wait at leisure while the enemy exhausts himself? Lu Jingli¡¯s ghost would kill her!

    Defeat the enemy by capturing their chief? Lu Tingxiao was the king himself!

    Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao? He had no weaknesses for her to attack!

    Then¡­ the honey trap? No no¡­

    In the end, Ning Xi smacked herself over the head. "Got it! Lure the tiger away from his cave!"

    Ning Xi took a deep breath, calmed her mind, and dialed Lu Tingxiao¡¯s number¡­

    Meanwhile, at Lu Corporation.

    In the meeting room, the projector which was connected to Lu Tingxiao¡¯s cellphone was screening internalpany data.

    A group of senior staff was 12000% focused on the presentation, as Lu Tingxiao was going to ask them questionster.

    The terror was too much like primary school, when the teacher was about to ask questions¡­

    At that moment, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s cellphone suddenly rang.

    Lu Tingxiao picked up the call without looking, and in the next second, a girl¡¯s sweet and soft voice came through the meeting room¡¯s speakers ¡ª

    "Hello, Lu Tingxiao, are you busy?"

    Huh?!!!

    The room froze, and all the senior staff were struck dumb, with utterly bewildered looks on their faces.

    What was happening?

    This was the boss¡¯ personal cellphone, right?

    A woman had actually called him, sounding so sweet and calling him by name¡­

    But what was even more shocking was yet toe¡­

    When Lu Tingxiao heard that voice, his entire aura changed subtly¡­

    Like a gentle breezeing into the world to touch dead souls¡­

    Buried in the impossible task ofpleting the proposal, Lu Jingli was moved to tears when he heard Ning Xi¡¯s familiar voice.

    Sister-inw, you¡¯vee, sob sob sob¡­

    Lu Tingxiao paused in the middle of speaking, then unplugged the cable connecting his phone to the projector. Raising the phone to his ear, his expression still looked the same, and he spoke with the same cold tone. "What do you want?"

    On the other end of the line, Ning Xi felt a little like retreating when she heard that scary voice. In the end, however, she managed to gather her courage, and did her best to use a softer and more pleading tone, as she asked hesitantly, "That, will you being back tonight? We promised Little Treasure we would have a hot pot today!"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face was cold. "Not sure, I¡¯m busy."

    ¡®Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao¡¯ is to distract the enemy by attacking their weakness, i.e. its Achilles heel.

 Chapter 76: Almighty Sister-in-law!

    <h4>Chapter 76: Almighty Sister-inw!</h4>

    After Lu Tingxiao had unplugged the cable, Lu Jingli couldn¡¯t hear what Ning Xi was saying, and could only guess that she was asking Lu Tingxiao to go back.

    Hearing his bother¡¯s cold answer, he screamed inside: No! Why didn''t even Ning Xi getting personally involved work?! Do the heavens really want me to die like this?

    Ning Xi¡¯s voice became even gentler. "But I¡¯m worried about taking Little Treasure out by myself. What if something happens? Little Treasure definitely wants you toe too! Come back, ok? Ok?"

    Lu Tingxiao was silent for three seconds, before he opened his mouth: "Alright, I¡¯ll be back soon."

    Lu Jingli was stunned, and then suddenly felt the radiance of the sun shine down on him ¡ª he was in heaven!

    Sister-inw is almighty!

    I knew she could do it!

    He had thought his brother was really unmoved, but it turned out he was only pretending to be annoyed!

    After ending the call, Lu Tingxiao said two words: "Meeting adjourned."

    Everyone looked at each other, not daring to believe they¡¯d been let off just like that!

    Lu Jingli was so proud of himself: everyone thank me, I¡¯m the one who called our life saver, all of you were saved because of me!

    Shortly after the meeting ended, Lu Jingli was surrounded:

    "Second Young Master, did we hear wrong just now? A woman actually called Boss Lu!

    "Who was it? With just a phone call, she got Boss Lu to leave in the middle of a meeting!"

    "I know, right? Does Boss Lu actually have someone by his side? Which family¡¯s young miss is it? Second Young Master, tell us everything!"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli stared at all of them warily. "What! Asking me who it is, what do you want? Want to hug her thigh now? No way! Only I can hug my future sister-inw¡¯s thigh! You people don''t even think about it!"

    Everyone:"¡­" Couldn¡¯t they hug even just one toe?

    ¡­

    In the corner of the studio backlot, Ning Xi ended the call feeling relieved.

    Finally, it was sorted¡­

    There shouldn''t be any more problems after this, right?

    It clearly had nothing to do with her, it was really selfless of her to help!

    Just as she was about to leave, her phone rang; it was Lu Jingli again.

    "Second Young Master, what is the matter now? Wasn¡¯t that enough?"

    "No no no, Xiao Xi Xi, your honey trap was just too perfect! It solved the problem beautifully!"

    Ning Xi¡¯s face turned ck at his words. "What honey trap! That was luring the tiger from his cave! Have somemon sense!"

    "Whoops, I understand, I understand! That¡¯s it, I¡¯m hanging up. I¡¯ll treat you to food the next time you¡¯re free!"

    Ning Xi was speechless as she looked at the disconnected phone.

    What did this person understand?

    "Ning Xiao Xi, why are you hiding here? Let¡¯s go eat!" She hadn¡¯t noticed Jiang Muyeing over.

    Looking around nervously, Ning Xi rxed after making sure no one had seen hime look for her. Wearily, she leaned on a big, red pce pir behind her. "I have something on tonight, you guys go, I don''t think I can make it."

    "What?" Jiang Muye¡¯s face changed after hearing this. "It¡¯s my wee dinner, and I¡¯m your film partner! You¡¯re actually noting?"

    Ning Xi knitted her eyebrows together. "I know, I know, my fault, but I really have something very important on tonight, I¡¯ll treat you next time, alright?"

    "Not alright!" Jiang Muye did not buy her exnation in the slightest, and looked intently at her. "What do you have on that¡¯s so important? Who are you going to see tonight?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s voice turned a bit stern. "Who I see is noneof your business."

    After she spoke, Jiang Muye¡¯s face immediately turned ugly. "You¡¯re going to see Lu Tingxiao, aren''t you?"

 Chapter 77: Want To Kidnap Him Home

    <h4>Chapter 77: Want To Kidnap Him Home</h4>

    Jiang Muye¡¯s interrogative tone made Ning Xi ufortable, and she knit her eyebrows together. "So what if I am? So what if I¡¯m not?"

    Jiang Muye paced angrily in a circle, then red at her. "Ning Xi, you really want to get yourself killed. You even dare to y games with Lu Tingxiao, aren''t you afraid you¡¯re ying with fire?"

    "I¡¯m happy to y with fire, what¡¯s it to you?" Annoyed at Jiang Muye¡¯s words, Ning Xi¡¯s attitude also turned bad to match his.

    "You¡­" Jiang Muye almost got carried away by his anger, and in the end he punched the pir behind her. "Ning Xi, I¡¯m not trying to scare you, I¡¯m giving you a friendly reminder, otherwise you won''t even know how you died when the timees! Don''t you know who Lu Tingxiao is? You think he¡¯s the same as all those fobs you dated in the past?"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes. "Do you think I¡¯m an idiot? Of course I know!"

    "Then why are you still¡­"

    "Still what? What¡¯s it to you if I¡¯m sleeping with Lu Tingxiao?"

    "You¡­" Jiang Muye slowly calmed down; actually, deep down, he knew that Ning Xi wasn''t silly enough to do that, so he tried to curb his anger, and took a deep breath. "Then tell me, what is going on?"

    Ning Xi also knew she was being childish, bickering with Jiang Muye. It was just that she had just been too provoked by seeing this person today, and she was so irritated that the smallest thing set her off.

    Ning Xi also calmed down, and exined, "I saved Little Treasure previously."

    Jiang Muye was a little shocked. "You saved Little Treasure? What happened to Little Treasure?"

    "About half a month ago, Lu Jingli took Little Treasure to a bar. In order to escape the noisy crowd, Little Treasure identally hid in the storeroom, and the staff locked him in without knowing he was there¡­"

    Jiang Muye gaped slightly. "Lu Jingli took Little Treasure to a bar? That does sound like something that my unreliable second uncle would do. And then? What did that have to do with you?"

    "That time, I was preparing to go to the <The World> audition, but Chang Li locked me in the same storeroom to stop me from going¡­" Ning Xi briefly exined what happened after that.

    Jiang Muye patiently listened to the end. "OK, I understand now, you got to know Lu Tingxiao because you saved Little Treasure. Then what should have happened next is the Lu family giving you a hugepensation as thanks, and then GAME OVER, the two of you go your separate ways! Why are you still in touch with Lu Tingxiao? You even moved into his house!"

    Ning Xi had omitted the part about Lu Tingxiao wanting to repay her with his body. "Because Little Treasure suffered a shock and I saved him, he¡¯s very reliant on me, so Lu Tingxiao asked me to stay at the Lu residence until Little Treasure¡¯s condition is stable again. I have to be prepared at any time to act like a sedative for Little Treasure, understand?"

    Hearing this, the anger in Jiang Muye¡¯s expression finally started to fade, but he still felt a little uneasy. "Are you sure that¡¯s all? So many women want to marry into the Lu family, and right now, you¡¯re in the position with the best chance to do so. Do you really have no designs on him?"

    Ning Xi lifted an eyebrow, and said half-jokingly, "If we¡¯re talking about that, I do have designs on Little Treasure; he¡¯s just too cute, I want to kidnap him home to be my little sweetheart!"

    Jiang Muye looked at her speechlessly, then touched his forehead. "Anyway, it¡¯s best that you don''t think about things you shouldn¡¯t be thinking about, powerful families are not what you think they are!"

    Ning Xiughed coldly. "As if you know what I think about powerful families."

    She hated those people in the upper-ss circles the most, who only pretended to be civil and wore fake masks¡­

    It hadn¡¯t been easy to leave the Ning family, why would she jump into the fire pit again?

 Chapter 78: That Scared Of Me Becoming Your Auntie

    <h4>Chapter 78: That Scared Of Me Bing Your Auntie</h4>

    Jiang Muye felt relieved when he saw Ning Xi¡¯s look of loathing; he understood Ning Xi, and he knew that she hated being tied down the most.

    To Ning Xi, the Lu family background was probably as scary as severe floods and fierce beasts¡­

    "OK, you''ve asked your questions, now it¡¯s my turn." Ning Xi looked at him with her arms crossed.

    Jiang Muye shrugged his shoulders. "What do you want to know?"

    "Doesn¡¯t Lu Tingxiao only have one younger brother, and no sisters? How are you his nephew?" Ning Xi asked.

    Jiang Muye lit a cigarette and slowly answered, "I¡¯m not rted by blood to the Lu family, it¡¯s because my grandparents were family friends with them. They died in a car ident when my mother was still young, and the Lu family adopted my mother. So based on order of seniority, I have to call Lu Tingxiao uncle!"

    "I see¡­" Ning Xi said as she stared fixedly at him. "I¡¯m trying to quit smoking, don''t tempt me!"

    "You¡¯ve been alright with it all this time, why are you quitting?" Jiang Muye knitted his eyebrows together.

    "Do I need a reason to quit a bad habit?"

    "Who was it once told me, that smoke when you can smoke and drink when you can drink, and whoever wants to quit smoking and drinking is a dumbass¡­" Jiang Muye stubbed out his cigarette as he made fun of Ning Xi. "I¡¯ve told you whatever I can, is there anything else you want to ask?"

    "Of. Course.There. Is!" Ning Xi gritted her teeth as she red at him. "Tell me honestly, why did you take the Sun Huanqing role? It¡¯s only the second male lead, and not even the type of character you like."

    Implying that he was here to deliberately give her trouble!

    Jiang Muye answered with an innocent face, "What¡¯s wrong with me ying the second male lead? Who says I can¡¯t? And what¡¯s wrong with me ying Sun Huanqing? I want to expand on my acting and challenge myself, is that not allowed? Isn¡¯t it boring always ying the same type of character? Didn''t I do well in the shoot today? You tease me, I tease you, it was so much fun!"

    "Fun your head!"

    At the verytest, she was going to cry tomorrow¡­

    "That¡¯s it, no more chit-chat, I have to go, I promised Little Treasure we¡¯d have hot pot today." Ning Xi looked anxiously at the time on her phone.

    Jiang Muye looked unhappy. "With my uncle, too?"

    "Of course, I don¡¯t dare take Little Treasure out alone, what if something happens?"

    Hearing this, Jiang Muye got incredibly angry. "So you know, right? Little Treasure is the very life of the entire Lu family, and especially to the two elders, he¡¯s the apple of their eye; if anything happens to him, they might very well bury you alive! Why do you still want to hold this hot potato in your hand?"

    Hearing this, Ning Xi became unhappy. "What nonsense are you spouting, what hot potato? My Little Treasure is the cutest!"

    Jiang Muyeughed coldly. "Seems to me your head¡¯s been turned by a certain someone¡¯s beauty. He just opens his mouth to ask you for something, you forget everything!"

    Ning Xi didn¡¯t have the patience to deal with him. "Whatever¡­will you stop nagging? How can I dare say no to Big Demon King Lu¡¯s request? Would you? Look at how scared you are now, are you that scared of me bing your auntie?"

    "Aun¡­ tie¡­" Jiang Muye felt so much unbearable pain at the word "auntie" that he was struck speechless.

    "Good boy!" Ning Xi patted his head like a puppy and skipped off after sessfully gaining the upper hand.

    After grabbing her bag and exining to the director and everyone else that she had ns for the night and couldn¡¯t join them, Ning Xi took her leave.

    Looking at this girl leave in such a hurry, a thickyer of frost formed on Jiang Muye¡¯s face.

    ¡®Severe floods and fierce beasts¡¯ is an idiom for things that are extremely dangerous or threatening.

    ¡®A hot potato in the hand¡¯ is a difficult or troublesome problem.

 Chapter 79: Adorable Bunny Ears

    <h4>Chapter 79: Adorable Bunny Ears</h4>

    After work wrapped up, Jia Qingqing finally found an opportunity to make a move. The best thing was that Ning Xi wasn¡¯t around, so she approached Jiang Muye with a shy expression. "Brother Muye, where shall we go eat? How about we go to Rivers Hotel for seafood? My father is a member there, we can use the VIP room!"

    Jiang Muye stretched dispiritedly "Forget it, I¡¯m not going, I¡¯m too tired today!"

    Hearing this, Jia Qingqing was worried. "Ah? But it¡¯s your first day on set, we should celebrate with a meal no matter what!"

    Jiang Muye''s face darkened slightly. "Who makes the rule we must have the wee meal on the first day? If you want to eat it so much, just go yourself!"

    In fact, everyone knew that in private, Jiang Muye didn¡¯t really have a good temper.

    If he was in a good mood, then he would be very good-natured. If he was in a bad mood, then¡­

    This brat was obviously in a bad mood right now.

    Shocked by his outburst, Jia Qingqing¡¯s eyes instantly turned red. "I just thought it was the polite thing to do. Brother Muye, how can you say that¡­"

    Who the f*** is your Brother Muye?

    Jiang Muye was annoyed and about to explode. Guo Qisheng next to him saw that the situation was starting to deteriorate, and quickly intervened. "Maybe some other day. Muye is really too tired today. I should have let him rest and familiarize himself with the environment on the first day, who knew we would end up shooting so many scenes. Everybody go back early today and rest, we¡¯re not in a hurry to have the dinner party!"

    "Alright¡­" Given an out, Jia Qingqing reluctantly nodded, and at the same time hated Ning Xi even more in her heart. It was Ning Xi¡¯s fault for upying Brother Muye all day and making him so tired that he didn''t even want to eat!

    Jia Qingqing bowed her head and secretly flipped through a few photos in her phone, before she smiled viciously.

    You just wait and see, Ning Xi! I¡¯ll make you pay!

    ¡­

    Lu residence.

    "I''m back, darling!" Once Ning Xi was home, all of the day¡¯s exhaustion waspletely swept away.

    Hearing her voice, Little Treasure deng deng deng ran to meet her, a ss of cold fruit juice in one hand.

    "Darling, you¡¯re too sweet! Love you!" Ning Xi took the ss and drained it in one go. Then she said happily, "Come here, Auntie¡¯s going to get you changed into a cute outfit, we¡¯re going out to eat hotpotter!"

    The little bun, who before would run to the attic upon hearing he would be going out, obediently allowed Ning Xi to take him upstairs.

    In the bedroom, he then allowed her to dress him up in one outfit after another.

    "This one¡¯s too in, this one¡¯s too dull, this one¡¯s too unimaginative¡­ my god! Who bought these clothes for you? What kind of taste is this! No need to ask, it was definitely your father! Did he forget you¡¯re only five, not thirty-five?"

    While Ning Xi mocked Lu Tingxiao, she continued rummaging around, and at the bottom of the cab, she finally found a satisfying outfit. "Wow! This one is cute!"

    It was a little white short-sleeved shirt with a hood that had two long bunny earsing out of it, with a matching pair of dungarees that had a big pocket in the front like Doraemon.

    "Looking at this style, it was definitely your second uncle who bought you this one! At least he¡¯s somewhat reliable in this, little kids should wear cute and bright clothes!" Satisfied, Ning Xi nodded, then asked, "How is it, darling? Do you like this one? If not, Auntie can look for another one for you!"

    Ning Xi didn¡¯t forget to ask Little Treasure for his opinion even though Little Treasure always agreed with her.

    Sure enough, Little Bun nodded without hesitation.

    So Ning Xi happily helped Little Bun put on his clothes.

 Chapter 80: Throw A Card Without Saying Anything

    <h4>Chapter 80: Throw A Card Without Saying Anything</h4>

    After helping Little Bun change his clothes, Ning Xi also went into her room to get changed.

    Very coincidentally, she had an outfit that was very simr to Little Treasure¡¯s. She immediately dug it out to wear, pairing her shirt with a pair of denim overalls.

    When she came out after changing, Little Bun¡¯s eyes lit up as soon as he saw her.

    He looked at her, then looked at himself. His face was full of joy and satisfaction, even reaching out to touch the rabbit ears on her hood. He was clearly very happy to be wearing the same clothes as Auntie Xiao Xi.

    When both of them were ready, the sound of a car¡¯s engine could be heard at the entrance.

    Lu Tingxiao was back.

    The temperature outside was as high as 30oC, but it was as if Lu Tingxiao had returned from and of ciers and snow as he strode into the living room on long, slender legs and with a haughty demeanor.

    When his eyes fell on Ning Xi and Little Treasure on the sofa in simr clothes, as if they were wearing mother and son matching outfits, his whole body was like a cier thawing, starting with his cold eyes¡­

    Little Treasure¡¯s outfit was naturally very cute. As for Ning Xi, the cute rabbit ears and overalls made her look even younger; sitting side by side, she and Little Treasure looked more like siblings.

    Seeing that Lu Tingxiao had returned, Ning Xi immediately pulled Little Treasure up off the sofa. "We¡¯re both ready, can we go?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded, his eyes on the girl for several seconds before he looked away. "Let''s go."

    In the car, Ning Xi asked excitedly, "Hey, Lu Tingxiao, don''t you think Little Treasure¡¯s outfit is cute? I had to look for a long time before I found it."

    "Cute." Lu Tingxiao replied, but he was looking at the girl in the rearview mirror.

    Ning Xi was content. "Told you so! From now on, you should buy more cute outfits for Little Treasure!"

    "Mm." Lu Tingxiao replied, then took a ck card out and handed it to her.

    "What¡­ what¡¯s this?" Ning Xi blinked, unable toprehend that she was looking at the legendary Infinite ck credit card, which she had only ever seen online.

    Lu Tingxiao: "Buy."

    Ning Xi: "Uh¡­"

    This wasn¡¯t what she meant, okay?

    Without saying anything, you just crush me with money?

    Whatever, since I already have it, I¡¯m going to buy some more better-looking clothes for Little Treasureter!

    At their destination.

    Lu Tingxiao got out of the car first, then like a gentleman, opened the car door for them. He looked at Ning Xi and asked, "Are you fine with it?"

    After spending enough time with him, Ning Xi had gradually gotten used to Lu Tingxiao¡¯s brief manner of speaking, and knew he was asking her if she had any problems appearing in public.

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "Should be fine! Not many people recognize me now, and anyway, I''m also dressed like this!"

    Saying that, she took out a pair of amber round sses without any lenses in it. "It should be okay with this!"

    "Fine." Lu Tingxiao nodded.

    The three of them walked to the hot pot restaurant.

    Ning Xi had guessed right; truly, no one recognized her.

    However, she had forgotten about Little Bun and Lu Tingxiao.

    The father and son pair were simply too eye-catching, especially when they were together; they attracted everyone¡¯s attention.

    In fact, Ning Xi was also very eye-catching today, because she was wearing matching parent and child clothes with Little Bun.

    "Ah! Look at that father and son, too good-looking! The adult is handsome and the kid adorable!"

    "The sister beside them is also very beautiful! The whole family is good-looking! Is dad taking the siblings out? Where¡¯s mum?"

    On hearing this, Lu Tingxiao''s face darkened visibly.

    Luckily just then, the man next to the woman said, "What dad and his kids! It¡¯s a family of three, okay? That girl is obviously the man''s wife and the little boy''s mother!"

    "No way! That girl looks very young!"

    "What do you know, it¡¯s a married couple with an older man and a younger woman. The way that man looks at the girl is different, alright? Obviously it¡¯s the expression of a man looking at his wife!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 81: The Little Deer Is Dizzy

    <h4>Chapter 81: The Little Deer Is Dizzy</h4>

    When Ning Xi heard their words, her heart immediately started pounding.

    Big brother, take it easy, how can you possibly tell the way Lu Tingxiao looks at me is different?

    Moreover as if he¡¯s looking at his wife¡­?

    "Cough cough, that big brother probably has bad eyesight!" Ning Xi said to Lu Tingxiao.

    As soon as Ning Xi said the words, the woman nodded in agreement. "You¡¯re right, it¡¯s true! Look carefully at the little boy, he looks a lot like his dad, but his eyes are actually very simr to his mom¡¯s, especially when he smiles¡­"

    Ning Xi was about to copse. "Ahem, that big sister may also have bad eyesight¡­"

    How could Little Bun look like her? She wasn¡¯t Little Bun''s mother!

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl¡¯s eyes calmly. In fact, they did look a bit alike.

    He had already noticed before, when Little Treasureughed, his features and his air was like Ning Xi¡¯s.

    If it was a coincidence, it was really a happy fate¡­

    This little episode passed quickly.

    After sitting down, Ning Xi sighedfortably. "Ah! Having hotpot with air conditioning on in summer is the best! Little Treasure darling, I swear you''ll love this feeling!"

    It was the first time in two years that Little Bun was eating outside. He was a little curious about everything, looking here and there, but he needed to hold hands with Ning Xi the whole time to feel calm.

    Ning Xi flipped through the menu, and asked Lu Tingxiao for his opinion. "You can''t eat spicy food, so how about we order a mandarin duck pot?"

    "You decide." Lu Tingxiao nodded, took off his coat, and casually rested one arm on the back of his chair.

    It was a normal gesture, but the way he did it oozed so much masculinity that the little deer suddenly started jumping around madly.

    For some reason, it seemed this was happening more and moretely. The little deer was getting dizzy from jumping around so much!

    Was Lu Tingxiao doing it on purpose or not?

    The pot and food they ordered was quick to arrive, and Ning Xi pushed everything to the back of her mind in favor of immediately satisfying her appetite.

    Big Demon King Lu ate the hot pot in a very meticulous way. He calcted everything very exactly: which dish came first, which cameter, how long each one should be left in the pot. He served her and Little Bun regrly throughout the meal, and was even more professional than when they ate at her ce thest time.

    Ning Xi had never eaten hotpot sofortably before, since it was enough for her to just be able to eat. Every dish was cooked right, unlike hers, which always inadvertently ended up cooked too little or too much.

    In the middle of eating, Lu Tingxiao suddenly asked, "Are Muye and you in the same movie?"

    Ning Xi was taken aback a bit before she responded. Jiang Muye was the hot idol fawned over by Glory World, and also Lu Tingxiao¡¯s nephew, so it was not surprising that Lu Tingxiao would know about his recent situation. She nodded. "Yes, he joined the crew today. Actually, I also only just found out today, and I was surprised to see him¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao gave her a fishball, and asked casually, "Do the two of you have a good rtionship?"

    Ning Xi scratched her head and felt that there was nothing to hide, so she answered directly, "This¡­ my rtionship with him is a bit difficult to exin. We dated for a short while, but it¡¯s been a long time since we split up. Now, we¡¯re friends! But I reckon that¡¯s going to end soon. This guy, sinceing back, has caused me to get a lot of hate, he¡¯s about to get me killed¡­"

    "If he bullies you, let me know," said Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xiughed. "Haha, he won''t. I¡¯m the one who bullies him in our scenes. As for outside filming, hmph, if he dares bully me, I¡¯ll just be his auntie, and use my status all the time to suppress him!"

    As soon as she said the words, Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao were both stunned.

    Ning Xi hated that she couldn¡¯t smash her head against the ground: Why. Couldn¡¯t. She. Control. This. Loose. Flirty. Mouth!

    A ¡®mandarin duck pot¡¯ is a hot pot that has been divided into twopartments, usually one for a spicy soup base and one for a mild soup base.

 Chapter 82: Are You Very Eager To Leave?

    <h4>Chapter 82: Are You Very Eager To Leave?</h4>

    Ning Xi desperately gave him some dishes. "Hehe, I¡­ I''m just kidding¡­ don¡¯t mind me!"

    Lu Tingxiao did not look the slightest bit angry, and in fact looked like he was in a good mood. He smiled lightly. "Good idea."

    Ning Xi was stunned silly: "¡­" He actually thought it was a good idea?!

    "Ning Xi." Lu Tingxiao looked at her suddenly with a serious expression.

    Being the focus of those deep eyes made Ning Xi nervous: "What¡­ what is it?"

    "If you change your mind,e and find me anytime," said Lu Tingxiao.

    When Ning Xi heard this, her heart thumped. She knew he meant the issue of "marrying him"¡­

    Even though he hadn¡¯t brought it up again after her clear rejectionst time, she could feel that his attitude towards her had been different all along. She could also feel the atmosphere between them growing more and more ambiguous¡­

    The worst was her heart, which was starting to thump out of her control¡­

    Was what Jiang Muye said actually true, that her head had been turned by Lu Tingxiao¡¯s beauty?

    After what she had experienced five years ago, she thought she would never fall in love again. There was even a long period of time when she had had a huge psychological problem. She extremely hated and waspletely repulsed by men; especially when she saw bastards, she couldn''t suppress the evil spirits that burned inside her, and she was obsessed with annihting them, like meting out divine justice¡­

    Her frame of mind had calmed down a lot in recent years, but she still rejected men in general, what more finding someone to marry. That was simply too impossible for her.

    But this man in front of her, who always had on a poker face, and had a frightening aura that often scared her¡­ somehow he had cracked the thick shell surrounding her heart¡­

    After the hot pot, Little Treasure was tired, and fell asleep in the car on the way back home. He was so small and soft in her embrace that Ning Xi didn¡¯t want to let go of him.

    Oh, it was terrible! Big Bun had already made her so confused, and Little Bun¡­

    She realized that the more she spent time with Little Bun, the more she liked him, to the point that if she didn''t see him for even just one day, she would miss him. If she didn''t hug him today, it would feel like she was missing something.

    This was not a good sign¡­

    When they got home, Ning Xi carefully carried the little guy into his bedroom.

    Lu Tingxiao leaned against the doorframe, and looked at with a gentle expression. "We¡¯ve troubled you these few days."

    Ning Xi tucked Little Treasure in, and then came out after closing the door. "It''s nothing, I also like Little Treasure very much."

    After hesitating for a moment, she said with a relieved smile, "Little Treasure is getting better and better, so it looks like soon, I won¡¯t need to live here anymore!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s face suddenly turned ck. "Are you very eager to leave?"

    Ning Xi step back under his fierce gaze. "This¡­ the n had always been that I would leave after Little Treasure recovers, I would also be a bother if I stayed for so long!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "You¡¯re not."

    Ning Xi had no choice, she could only raise her head and look him straight in the eye. "But I would feel troubled."

    Lu Tingxiao frowned. "Troubled?"

    "Yes." Ning Xi took a deep breath and spoke. "To be honest, I''m not a very disciplined person. If I stay here, I have to always mind my behavior¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao: "You don¡¯t have to."

    Ning Xi facepalmed, and said with resignation, "Okay, even if you don''t mind, I also need a private life. asionally, I¡¯ll have friends over. I¡¯ll also need to rx after work sometimes, and ride my bike, or hit the bars and nightclubs. If I meet a good-looking guy, it''s unavoidable that I''ll bring him back for the night¡­"

    "Enough!" Lu Tingxiao''s face had be uglier the more he listened, until he couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, and finally interrupted her.

 Chapter 83: Woken Up By Wild Kisses

    <h4>Chapter 83: Woken Up By Wild Kisses</h4>

    Late at night, Ning Xiy in bed with her thoughts flying around.

    As if she would bring a guy home ¡ª in the case of the guys who had wanted to mess around with her or sleep with her, she¡¯d dragged them into alleys and beaten all of them up.

    Especially the married men with the mark of a wedding ring on their fingers, those she beat the hardest until they cried for their mothers.

    As for her sex life¡­

    It sounded sad, but the only time she had sex was that night five years ago¡­

    Maybe that experience of her first time really traumatized her; she felt like vomiting whenever she thought about having sex.

    She really pissed Lu Tingxiao off tonight, but there was no other way; she would have had to bring it up sooner orter, might as well get it over with now before things got out of control.

    It was better that she distance herself first, before he shunned her after her ugly, naked side was exposed.

    Because of her restless heart, her night was tangled up in bad dreams.

    In her confused dreams, she could hear different voices in her ears¡­

    "Ning Xi, what makes you think you can fight me? Apart from your blood connection, you are nothing!"

    "You still have face to ask about that bastard, what are you trying to do? Don¡¯t tell me you actually nned to give birth and raise him?"

    "That kid was premature, and died as soon as he was born, I¡¯ve already dealt with the body!"

    "Ning Xi, I¡¯m telling you, from now on, I, Ning Yaohua, no longer acknowledge you as my daughter! You have nothing to do with our Ning family any longer!"

    "Xiao Xi, I¡¯m sorry, let¡¯s break up! I won''t stop caring about you, I¡¯ll treat you like my own little sister¡­"

    ¡­

    She ran and ran with all her might, trying to escape those horrible voices¡­

    She ran to the top of a hospital; below her was an endless abyss which seemed to have some dark attraction, luring her closer, step by step¡­

    Atst, she closed her eyes, and jumped¡­

    The moment she fell, she didn''t wake up from her dream as she usually did, but instead fell into another surreal dream¡­

    This time it wasn¡¯t a nightmare, but a¡­ a wet dream¡­

    She had had this kind of dreams before, and they were always apanied by tremendous fear and helplessness, but this time, something seemed different.

    One after another, cool, reverent kisses fell on her forehead, her eyes, nose, lips¡­

    She didn''t find it disgusting or filthy this time, but instead felt that she was being cherished by the other party, like the most precious treasure.

    Who¡­ was he¡­

    Ow, that hurt¡­

    Why did he bite her?

    Even though Lu Tingxiao had done his best to restrain himself, in the end he still couldn¡¯t stop himself from entering her room. He knew he shouldn''t wake her up, but his actions had unconsciously be a little aggressive.

    This woman drove him crazy so easily!

    "If I meet a good-looking guy, it¡¯s unavoidable that I¡¯ll bring him back for the night." These words were like a meteorite crashing at high speed, smashing all his reason to dust.

    As he kissed the girl¡¯s neck, he could no longer contain the rapid swell of desire in his chest, and he bit down hard, like a beast conquering its prey in the most primitive way¡­

    "Eh¡­ that¡­"

    The instant the taste of blood pervaded the air, he heard the girl¡¯s weak voice¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s back instantly stiffened, and his whole body felt like a bucket of icy water had been poured over him.

    The man still had his head buried in the crook of her neck. Ning Xi had almost screamed at the pain of the bite on her neck, but she could only endure it and awkwardly remind him: "Cough, that¡­ I was just sleeping, not dead asleep, your¡­your actions were more than enough to wake me up¡­"

    At first, she had wanted to pretend for a bit, but in the end she really couldn¡¯t take it, that bite really hurt!

    Meanwhile, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s deep, dark eyes had already blended with the night. He raised his head slowly and locked eyes on her. With one finger lightly caressing her jaw, he spoke as if he was an incubus from hell, "Mm, I woke you¡­ so what?"

    As soon as he said that, he grabbed her hands tightly and pushed them above her head, pressed down, and kissed her without hesitation¡­

 Chapter 84: Was He Sleepwalking?

    <h4>Chapter 84: Was He Sleepwalking?</h4>

    "Mmm¡­" Ning Xi instinctively wanted to escape, but her hands were caught and her legs were pinned down by the man¡¯s knees, as if she was asking for it.

    What kind of strange situation was this?

    Was she still dreaming and actually hadn¡¯t woken up at all?

    It was only until Ning Xi almost couldn¡¯t breathe from the growingck of air in her chest that Lu Tingxiao finally released her lips and moved back to her neck where he had just bitten on. His hot tongueved the wound, as if trying to soothe it, but it made her flesh creep¡­

    "Hey, Lu Tingxiao¡­ Lu Tingxiao¡­" Ning Xi called his name several times, but he didn''t react other than to get busy with her body.

    The man at that moment was not the usual gentleman, and also did not have that gentleness which she was familiar with. Those sharp teeth slid with desire down her neck to her corbone, and went even lower¡­

    "No¡­ no!"

    The dormant memories in her mind rose up to engulf her, like a thick swamp pulling her in inexorably, making her body quiver and convulse.

    Just as it hurt so much that Ning Xi wanted to die, the movement on top of her suddenly stopped, leaving a body as heavy and solid as a mountain pressing down on her, unmoving.

    That deep, suffocating feeling disappeared instantly, leaving her with extreme confusion¡­

    "Lu¡­ Lu Tingxiao?" Ning Xi tried patting the man¡¯s shoulder, but there wasn¡¯t the slightest response.

    After ten seconds, the other party still hadn¡¯t moved. Carefully, Ning Xi tried to gently turn him over to the side.

    With the moonlight streaming in through the window, she saw that he was lying peacefully with his eyes closed, like a king in deep slumber, as if that terrifying beast from before hadn¡¯t been him at all.

    What the hell, what was going on?

    "Don¡¯t tell me¡­ was he sleepwalking?!" Ning Xi murmured to herself.

    It seemed this was the only exnation that made sense.

    But wasn''t Lu Tingxiao¡¯s sleepwalking a bit too unique? Coming into her roomte at night, biting her like a vampire, and even able to have a decent conversation with her?

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s breaths were long and steady; it seemed that he really was asleep now.

    Ning Xi didn''t dare wake him, in case he started acting crazy again, but it worried her to leave him like this. But thiste at night, who could she go to for help?

    After some consideration, there was one person she could think of.

    She picked up her cellphone and called Lu Jingli.

    "Hello, Xiao Xi Xi! Wow! You¡¯re actually calling me at this hour! What¡¯s happened, what¡¯s happened?" Lu Jingli¡¯s voice was very loud, almost as if he was shouting.

    At first Ning Xi had been worried that calling sote would be disturbing him, but things on Lu Jingli¡¯s end sounded lively and very noisy in the background. It appeared he was partying the night away.

    "Lu Jingli, let me ask you something!"

    "Ask, ask!"

    "Your brother¡­"

    "My brother what, what?"

    "¡­" Was this person a recorder? He was repeating everything!

    Ning Xi was speechless for a bit, then asked anxiously: "Does your brother suffer from sleepwalking?"

    Since she was on the phone, Ning Xi didn''t notice that the man lying stretched out next to her had stiffened subtly at her question.

    He had onlye up with this idea to get himself out of the situation, he never thought that Ning Xi would actually call Lu Jingli. If by any chance Lu Jingli that idiot ran his mouth¡­

    He would break his legs!

 Chapter 85: Sleeping In The Same Bed

    <h4>Chapter 85: Sleeping In The Same Bed</h4>

    On the other end of the line, Lu Jingli was suddenly silent for a few seconds, which agitated Ning Xi even more, and she hurriedly chased an answer: "Second Young Master, does he or does he not sleepwalk?"

    If it was just sleepwalking, then it shouldn¡¯t be anything serious, but if he had some other illness, then she had to get him to the hospital as soon as possible!

    Suddenly turning into a werewolf in the middle of the night, and then suddenly passing out asleep was really scary, alright?

    "Oh, I was just finding it strange that you suddenly asked this, he really does have this problem. How do you know that my brother sleepwalks?" On the other end of the call, Lu Jingli answered with a voice that didn''t sound any different.

    Ning Xi was relieved to hear it, and rxed as sheughed. "It¡¯s not a big deal, I went downstairs in the middle of the night to get some water, and saw him standing all stiff and still in the living room. It scared me, that¡¯s all!"

    "Really?" Lu Jingli spoke in a funny tone, then switched to a serious one. "Well, it¡¯s nothing new, just leave him alone. Whatever he¡¯s doing now, just let him continue doing it, and don¡¯t wake him up, he''ll go back to his room on his ownter!"

    "Ah? Let him continue¡­ and don¡¯t wake him up? O¡­okay, got it!" Ning Xi hung up the phone quickly, worried that Lu Jingli would hear something strange in her voice.

    She looked at Lu Tingxiao lying next to her, and didn''t know what to do.

    Don¡¯t wake him up, does that mean just let him sleep here?

    What if he started sleepwalking again?

    She was really worried to death!

    Because of this sudden change, the fears that Ning Xi had almost drowned in had already disappearedpletely.

    She looked at the man sleeping unaware next to her, getting angrier and angrier, until she finally pinched his face hard to vent her anger. "Asshole, you scared me to death, and yet you¡¯re sleeping sofortably¡­"

    The Lu Tingxiao who was no longer acting crazy was obedient and looked harmless, and she pinched him several more times before she was satisfied enough to stop.

    Looks like the only thing she could do now was to wait for him to leave on his own. She had heard that sleepwalkers might get a huge shock from being woken up, and even die.

    But clearly she was the one who had had the bigger shock¡­

    At first Ning Xi was going to sleep after Lu Tingxiao had left, but hearing the steady heartbeat next to her ear, she fell asleep without her knowing¡­

    After a long while, the man next to her slowly opened his ink-ck eyes, looking relieved.

    Then he stared nkly at the girl beside him, gently touching the wrinkles on her forehead with aplicated look on his face¡­

    The next morning, Ning Xi was woken up by a phone call.

    Her first reaction wasn¡¯t to pick up the phone, but to turn her head and look beside her.

    It looked like Lu Tingxiao had already left.

    Then she searched for her phone in a daze before picking it up. In the next second, Chang Li¡¯s furious voice came through the phone¡­

    "Ning Xi, you¡¯ve done it now! I warned you at the beginning to watch your behavior and don''t embarrass thepany, but look what you¡¯ve done! The wholepany¡¯s reputation is at stake because of you!"

    Ning Xi¡¯s mind cleared instantly. "What happened?"

    Angrily, Chang Li said, "Check Weibo for yourself!"

    Ning Xi climbed out of bed, turned on herptop, and logged into her Weibo ount.

    Then she saw that her Weibo ount had exploded!

    Normally, the Weibo ounts of most artistes were managed by their agencies, but Ning Xi of course didn¡¯t have that kind of special treatment. She hadn¡¯t bought any followers, and hadn¡¯t run anything special on her ount. She only had 30,000-plus followers on Weibo, even less than for an online celebrity. She usually liked to share small things about her daily life, and each post wouldn''t have more than 100 likes.

    But now, thousands of mentions andments had suddenly popped up overnight.

    She quickly browsed all the information, and finally understood what had happened.

 Chapter 86: Let The Storm Rage Even Harder

    <h4>Chapter 86: Let The Storm Rage Even Harder</h4>

    Ning Xi had been ndered, and pretty nastily.

    Yesterday at midnight, a popr gossip blogger had put up a long Weibo post titled "How calctive b*tch Ning Xi climbed her way to the top, have never seen someone more shameless".

    The general content was that she had slept with directors all over in order to get roles, had hooked up with rich, old men and tricked them into giving her gifts, and had deliberately taken advantage of Jiang Muye while they were shooting¡­

    The Weibo post even said that she always left her room door open during filming, so that anyone who wanted to sleep with her could go right in and do so. Itpletely made her sound like a loose and totally unprincipled whore¡­

    As a result, Jiang Muye¡¯s fans had exploded, and were staging a group protest against their idol being paired up with a woman like that. They were putting intense pressure on the production team to switch out the second female lead.

    Comments under Ning Xi¡¯stest post were simply unbearable; they were all abusive words, with everyone saying that "Ning Xi should leave the entertainment industry"¡­

    "See it clearly now? You better release a public apology immediately to save thepany''s image!" Chang Li ordered her angrily.

    Ning Xiughed coldly. "Public apology?"

    When an artiste encountered this sort of problem, the agency would usually arrange for a specialized public rtions team to minimize the artiste¡¯s involvement and reduce the impact. Chang Li, however¡­

    As if she wanted Ning Xi to save thepany¡¯s image; instead, she wanted to destroy herpletely. If she apologized, it would mean that she acknowledged doing everything mentioned in the Weibo post¡­

    "Yes, I want to see it online before 8pm tonight! A video would be the best, as it¡¯s more sincere! Otherwise you can wait to be kicked out of the film production! By that time, even thepany won¡¯t be able to protect you!" After throwing these threatening words at her, Chang Li hung up.

    Ning Xi was no longer feeling sleepy after the call.

    She had already known this would happen, but hadn¡¯t expected it to be so soon.

    It seemed Jia Qingqing really couldn¡¯t wait another second, and with Ning Xueluo fueling the mes behind her, Ning Xi had been pushed into the eye of the storm in one short night.

    Very well,e!

    She was starting to think they would never take action!

    Ning Xi straightaway got out of bed and washed up, then started to put on her makeup.

    After half an hour, she looked in the mirror, and nodded with satisfaction at how the makeup had transformed her face into a pale and fragile one.

    Right after she tidied up the table, there was a knock at the door.

    Ning Xi stood up and opened the door, and then was a little stunned to see that it really was the "werewolf" fromst night, Lu Tingxiao.

    After what happenedst night, it felt a bit awkward to see him now¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression turned cold as ice when he saw Ning Xi¡¯s deathly pale face, and without waiting for her to speak, he took out his cellphone and started to look through his contacts.

    Out of the corner of her eye, Ning Xi could see his finger stop on the name "Liang Feixing".

    Liang Feixing, Director of Public Rtions at Glory World, had the hands of a magician, which had beautifully resolved many artiste scandals and saved their images. It could be said that he was a textbook example for all public rtions personnel to follow.

    Ning Xi instantly reacted, throwing herself at Lu Tingxiao like a tiger and taking his cellphone away. "What are you doing, Lu Tingxiao?"

    "Fixing that problem." Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression was very ugly; obviously he already knew about the online situation.

    "¡­"Speechless, Ning Xi looked at this big boss from the enemy side, who without saying a single word, wanted to help her cheat her way out.

    Last time, when Lu Tingxiao had called Su Yimo¡¯s personal stylist toe over and save her, that had really frightened her, and luckily no one had noticed. She really couldn¡¯t bear it to happen again.

    If Glory World suddenly got involved in this situation, she would be used of yet another thing: being disloyal with her foot in two camps.

 Chapter 87: You Need A Woman

    <h4>Chapter 87: You Need A Woman</h4>

    Ning Xi said easily, "If I can¡¯t take even this small strike, how can I survive in the entertainment industry? Didn''t you sayst time that you believed in me?"

    "But you don''t look convincing at all right now." Lu Tingxiao had a solemn expression on his face.

    Ning Xi was confused by his words, then she finally remembered her makeover, so she exined, "This pale face and the dark circles are all just makeup which I did myself! I¡¯m not pretending to be happy or tough, I can wipe it off to show you if you don''t believe me¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao suddenly reached out before she finished speaking, and touched her cheeks and eyes gently.

    It was just a gentle touch, but Ning Xi felt like she had been electrocuted, and couldn¡¯t contain a shiver.

    Ning Xi¡¯s reaction made Lu Tingxiao more concerned, and he quickly took his hand back. "Don¡¯t try to be tough."

    Ning Xiughed. "I won¡¯t, if I can¡¯t handle it, I¡¯ll definitely fly right back to you and hug your thigh!"

    Ruffled feathers smoothed down, Lu Tingxiao slowly rxed. "Good."

    After that, Ning Xi scratched her head and looked at him as if she had something to say.

    "Something you want to say?" Lu Tingxiao asked in a gentle voice, like he was a totally different person fromst night.

    Ning Xi looked at him with aplicated expression on her face for a long time, and in the end couldn¡¯t help saying, "Uh, that, Lu Tingxiao, have you ever thought about finding a woman to keep youpany?"

    "What do you mean?" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression immediately turned cold.

    "Don¡¯t me me for being nosy, I just think¡­" Ning Xi considered her words carefully, then patted him sincerely on his shoulder. "I think you need a woman; in some matters, holding it in for too long is not good for your health!"

    Wasn¡¯t there a saying, one dreams at night what one thinks about in the day?

    Lu Tingxiao looked like he kept his distance from girls, but fromst night, it was clear that he really needed it¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face was now thoroughly ck.

    Damn woman, who do you think did this to me? Who do you think left me in an awkward position and forced me to endure after I had tasted the flesh in my mouth?

    Seeing Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression turn worse and worse, Ning Xi coughed and quickly sneaked away. "I¡¯m going to bete, I¡¯m going to say goodbye to Little Treasure then head out to filming! Bye~"

    Movie backlot in the suburbs.

    The moment Ning Xi appeared, a group of Jiang Muye¡¯s fans, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately ran at her in a frenzy.

    "Ning Xi! Ning Xi¡¯s here! That whore is here! I can¡¯t believe she dared toe!"

    "Disgusting b*tch! You¡¯re not allowed to get close to our Muye! Hurry and leave the production!"

    "Ning Xi, leave the production! Ning Xi, leave the entertainment industry! Leave!"

    ¡­

    It was a chaotic scene; only a few guards protected Ning Xi as they moved forward. The rest of the production crew was just enjoying the spectacle, now and then pointing and sneering at her.

    The attention on her was like knives cutting into her inch by inch, and the malicious looks were like sinister poisonous snakes and ferocious beasts, ready to tear her to pieces.

    Ning Xi couldn¡¯t help thinking about a female movie starst year, who had been at the height of her poprity, but in the endmitted suicide because of vicious rumors; after she died, her suicide note only had a few words: rumors are lethal!

    The crowd continually threw rotten eggs and vegetables at her, and someone even threw a rock, which almost hit her¡­

    Seeing that the rock was about to hit the stylist Amy, who was enjoying the spectacle, Ning Xi¡¯s expression changed, and she leapt agilely to block that rock with her arm, when it was about half a meter away from hitting Amy.

    In the next second, the spot where her arm had been hit started to bleed severely¡­

 Chapter 88: A Tyrannical Flower

    <h4>Chapter 88: A Tyrannical Flower</h4>

    The frenzied fans at the scene were stunned when they saw this, and Amy was also scared witless.

    With a pale face, Ning Xi¡¯s cold gaze swept over the fans. "If you want to make trouble,e at me, don''t hurt innocent bystanders."

    "You¡­ stop being so hypocritical!"

    "Yeah! Stop pretending to be a good person! You''re such a shameless fox!"

    Ning Xi''s eyes became sharper: "What are you using to decide whether I am a good or bad person? An unsubstantiated Weibo post? Or a groundless rumor? You¡¯re young, but I hope you can use your brain before you act. Idols are the ones who have to pay for their fans¡¯ behavior, what you say or do represents your idol. Don''t let someone else use you without your knowing, otherwise you¡¯ll tarnish your idol¡¯s reputation for no reason!"

    Ning Xi knew that they wouldn¡¯t listen to whatever she said at the moment, except when it was rted to the idol they cared about.

    "How is it your ce to lecture us!"

    "Actually, I think she has a point¡­ the person who threw the rock just now,e out! Didn''t we already agree that we¡¯re not allowed to use violence, and at the most just eggs?"

    "Yeah! Who was it?! We¡¯re here for justice, not to tarnish Muye¡¯s reputation!"

    ¡­

    The rioting fans had calmed down for the moment, and Ning Xi finally squeezed her way into the filming site.

    When Guo Qisheng saw that she hade, he hurriedly called her into the lounge. "Ning Xi, you¡¯re here! Come and sit down!"

    "Director Guo, I¡¯m sorry for causing the production team trouble¡­" Ning Xi''s face was full of guilt, and she bowed deeply.

    Looking at the girl''s haggard appearance, Guo Qisheng quickly consoled her. "The one who stirred up trouble wasn¡¯t you, it was someone who doesn¡¯t understand you, I¡¯m very clear on this. Saying that you can¡¯t act, that is simply rubbish! As for saying¡­ cough, saying that you slept with members of the production team¡­ how can I not understand, as an involved party? I¡¯ve seen this kind of thing happen a lot, I am clear in my heart on who is right or wrong!"

    "Thank you, Director." She really appreciated that Guo Qisheng could still stand by her at this time.

    "But this really has been too hard on you, you look so haggard. How about you take a few days off and have a good rest?" Guo Qisheng suggested.

    Ning Xi immediately said, "No need! Director, I would like to continue filming! The film crew has already suffered a lot because of my matter, if filming is slowed down because of me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to absolve myself of the guilt even if I die a thousand times!"

    Seeing her resolute attitude, Guo Qisheng was satisfied. "Well, alright! But if you can''t go on, you must tell me!"

    After parting with the director, Ning Xi was suddenly pulled by a strong force into an empty corner.

    The man''s face was so anxious that even his golden hair looked listless. "Ning Xi, is your arm okay?"

    "A minor injury, I¡¯ve dealt with it." Ning Xi didn''t care.

    Jiang Muye was irritated. "I was going to make a statement to exin the situation to my fans, but Brother Ming changed my Weibo password to prevent me from logging in, and said that I would be doing you more harm than good if I stepped out now¡­"

    Ning Xi patted her chest with a happy expression: "Luckily Brother Ming is intelligent."

    Jiang Muye instantly looked hurt. "Woman with no conscience, I was going to help you!"

    NingXi said with resignation. "If you really want to help me, then I¡¯ll give you a warning ahead of time. Later, I¡¯m going to pretend to be a little white flower, cooperate with me. Don¡¯t go overboard, otherwise don''t me me if I really cut all ties with you!"

    Jiang Muye dug out his ears and made an incredulous expression. "What did you say you were going to pretend to be?"

    "A little white flower, got a problem with that?"

    "Are you sure that a tyrannical flower like you can aplish such a difficult challenge?"

    "Get lost!"

 Chapter 89: The Real Drama Is Just Beginning

    <h4>Chapter 89: The Real Drama Is Just Beginning</h4>

    It was also a coincidence that today, most of Ning Xi¡¯s scenes would be with Jia Qingqing.

    As Ning Xi was sitting in the shade of a tree and studying the script, an odd voice suddenly sounded in her ear ¡ª

    "Yo, isn''t this our big star? Ning Xi, you¡¯re really famous now, everyone knows you! Hehe, I knew you did all those disgraceful things! You''re really so shameless, to daree here after what¡¯s happened!" Jia Qingqing said with a gloating expression on her face.

    As long as Ning Xi was kicked out of the production, she could seize this chance to rece her, then she could y opposite Brother Muye.

    Ning Xi bit her lip and her body trembled; she silently looked embarrassed.

    Jia Qingqing was even more satisfied seeing this. She approached Jiang Muye and said girlishly, "Brother Muye, you should stay away from this sort of person, otherwise she will ruin your reputation! She''s already making you start to lose fans!"

    As Jia Qingqing drew near, a strong smell of perfume immediately drifted over. The veins on Jiang Muye¡¯s forehead popped. He was about to blow up on the spot, but at the thought of Ning Xi¡¯s warning, he took a deep breath and managed to bear it.

    Seeing how Jiang Muye wasn¡¯t responding to her, Jia Qingqing thought that encountering this situation had put him in a bad mood, so she thoughtfully consoled him. "Brother Muye, don¡¯t worry! Sooner orter, the production team will be pressured to switch Ning Xi out!"

    "You''re very noisy." Jiang Muye had to exert all his self-control to rece all the curses he wanted to say with three words.

    "Sorry, Brother Muye, I won''t disturb your rest." Feeling a little aggrieved, Jia Qingqing walked away.

    She was unhappy that Jiang Muye¡¯s cold attitude was still unchanged, but after thinking for a bit, she quickly felt reassured. Anyway, once shended the role of the second female lead, she would have the opportunity to get along with Brother Muye.

    At the thought of the intimate scenes, she couldn¡¯t contain her excitement.

    Having said that, why did the director still want her toe today and continue acting with Ning Xi? What a waste of time!

    But she really liked the scene they would be filming today, since there was a part where she would p Ning Xi¡¯s face.

    Hmph, I¡¯ll definitely show you then!

    "Director, I think for this scene, the effect would be better if I really pped her. What do you think?" Jia Qingqing, who had never shown much interest in shooting, actually sought out the director of her own ord to talk about the scene.

    How could Guo Qisheng not know what she was thinking? He said heavily. "For the majority of it we¡¯ll do a cheat, at most it¡¯s enough for you to just touch her face!"

    "Got it!" While Jia Qingqing¡¯s mouth replied agreeably, shepletely had no intention of following his words. She had made up her mind to deliver a real p, and to do it several times, and make this b*tch suffer.

    Anyway, this wouldn¡¯t be the first time she had taken personal revenge through her acting, and she had always been sessful.

    When all the departments were ready, filming began.

    In this scene, Meng Changge had just entered the pce under the alias Nan Wumeng. She was only a little pce maid, but because the emperor had been eyeing her, Princess Xian had be envious, and had called her to her chambers to embarrass her.

    "Shameless b*tch, you dare seduce the emperor right under my nose!" After Princess Xian had finished speaking, she pped her hard.

    The moment Jia Qingqing brought her hand down, Ning Xi¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, and she turned a little to the side, cleverly avoiding the camera and Jia Qingqing¡¯s hand. But her body looked as if it had been struck with huge strength, sending her whole person falling to the ground. Then her face twisted, and with a "ptui" sound, she spat out a mouthful of blood.

    "Ning Xi ¡ª" Guo Qisheng was shocked, and the other staff who were watching were also stunned as they gathered around her.

    "Jia Qingqing, is this your first day acting? You can¡¯t even control your own strength?" Guo Qisheng, who was usually good-natured, was really angry this time.

    He could not meddle in things outside of the movie, but if someone took such a cheap shot in his movie, there was no way he would tolerate it!

    "I¡­" Jia Qingqing herself was also shocked; while it was true that she had deliberately used some strength, it was definitely not to the point that could make Ning Xi fall down and spit blood. Also, just now, she clearly felt that Ning Xi had avoided her, and she had not hit her at all. Hence, she straightened her neck and cried out in protest, "I just pped her gently, I didn¡¯t use any strength at all! She¡¯s pretending!"

    In filmatography, ¡®to cheat¡¯ is to change the rtive positions of actors or props in order to shoot the same scene from different angles.

 Chapter 90: Playing A Little White Flower

    <h4>Chapter 90: ying A Little White Flower</h4>

    Unfortunately for Jia Qingqing, she had a very bad reputation in the entertainment industry, and she often did this kind of thing. Furthermore, she had been targeting Ning Xi from the start, so no one believed her.

    "Director, I''m fine, I just have a small cut in my mouth, it¡¯ll be alright after I put some ice on it for a bit. Sister Qingqing might have just wanted to create a better effect, there¡¯s no need to be angry¡­" Ning Xi¡¯s face showed that she had been treated unjustly, but that she was struggling to bear it. Her expression was one of tolerance and understanding.

    Seeing that expression made not just the director, but also everyone else sympathize with her.

    Jiang Muye was watching nearby, and the corners of his mouth twitched as he almost died from shock.

    This person could really pretend to be a little white flower¡­

    Seeing her frail and delicate appearance, Jia Qingqing immediately blew her top. "Ning Xi, you faker! You clearly did it on purpose! You''re the one who bit yourself! Do you have a blood capsule hidden in your mouth?!"

    "Jia Qingqing, enough!" Guo Qisheng rebuked her sternly.

    Next to her, Jia Qingqing¡¯s assistant was afraid that the situation would get out of hand, so she hurriedly pulled her back and persuaded her, "Sister Qingqing, forget it! Don''t make the director angry! After all, we''re also to me¡­"

    Obviously, she also thought that Jia Qingqing had deliberately hit Ning Xi; she who was always around Jia Qingqing had seen this type of thing many times.

    Jia Qingqing backhanded the assistant across the face. "Get lost! How is it your ce to tell me what to do!"

    Like Ning Xi, the assistant also fell to the ground after being hit, and blood dribbled out of the corner of her mouth.

    The staff around them, especially those who, like the assistant, didn¡¯t have very high status, all rushed to help her up, and they looked at Jia Qingqing in disgust.

    Although Ning Xi¡¯s private life was chaotic, she had never let it affect other people, and she wasmitted to acting. But this Jia Qingqing, simply put, was a shrew!

    This was the first time that Jia Qingqing had been unfairly used. When she saw that everyone didn¡¯t believe her, her face turned blue, as if she was going to pass out from fury in the next second.

    Just as she lost control and was about to recklessly tear Ning Xi apart, suddenly a person came up to her and grabbed her wrist ¡ª

    "Qingqing, really, I know you want to perform well so that the director would see you in a new light, but you don''t have to be so serious. People who know you will say you¡¯remitted to your work, but what about the people who don¡¯t understand you?"

    The person speaking was Ning Xueluo, who had just arrived.

    Ning Xueluo didn''t have any scenes today, so she didn¡¯t actually need toe. But she still came, for the purpose of seeing Ning Xi¡¯s hapless state. Who would have thought that she would arrive to such a scene¡­

    What the hell was this Jia Qingqing doing?

    She had such good cards, how could she y them like this?

    Seeing how everyone was starting to feel sorry for Ning Xi because of the extremely loathsome Jia Qingqing, Ning Xueluo hurriedly stepped in to salvage the situation.

    When Jia Qingqing saw Ning Xueluo, it was as if she was seeing her family member. She immediately took her hands and started to cry. "Sister Xueluo, this b*tch is ndering me!"

    Afraid that Jia Qingqing¡¯s big mouth would annoy people again, Ning Xueluo dragged her into a corner. "Why did you lose your cool? Ning Xi will be kicked out sooner orter, why are you provoking her now?"

    Jia Qingqing was incoherent with rage. "At the beginning I wanted to teach her a small lesson, but I didn''t even touch her at all. She was the one who dodged it herself, and even deliberately made it look like I had hit her hard enough for her to spit out blood!"

    Looking at how the director continuallyforted Ning Xi, who had a magnanimous expression on her face, Ning Xueluo could immediately see what she was scheming, and hastily thought of a way to save the situation. "Qingqing, it¡¯s no use if I believe you, the problem is that no one else believes you. Because you didn¡¯t exin the situation clearly, the best thing now is for you to apologize to Ning Xi immediately¡­"

    Hearing this, Jia Qingqing blew up. "What? Me apologize?! I won''t! Sister Xueluo, how can you stand on her side and defend her?!"

 Chapter 91: Counter-attack

    <h4>Chapter 91: Counter-attack</h4>

    This brainless moron was quickly angering Ning Xueluo to death. "Don''t you see, because of this situation, everyone is starting to sympathize with her. Are you going to let her stand up and continue to partner with your Brother Muye?"

    Jia Qingqing hesitated for a moment, but refused to relent. "Anyway, I won''t go! Want me to apologize to that b*tch, might as well ask me to die!"

    What kind of effect could such a small incident have? She just needed to buy some small giftster to shut these people up!

    Seeing that she couldn¡¯t be persuaded in the slightest, Ning Xueluo could only give up and hope that she wouldn¡¯t make any more mistakes from now on.

    It was a foregone conclusion that Ning Xi¡¯s reputation was ruined. No matter what schemes she had, she could only y this type of small trick. How could she possibly turn things around?

    It wouldn¡¯t be long before the anonymous sponsor dumped her ¡ª who would want a lover with a messy reputation who would cheat on him?

    At the thought of this, Ning Xueluo calmed down a little.

    In the end, Guo Qisheng decided to avoid conflict, and didn''t have them redo the scene. They would just use the clip of Ning Xi spitting up blood after being hit.

    The second scene to be shot today was when Meng Changge was dered the Imperial Concubine, and Princess Xian, who had lost the Emperor¡¯s favor, was banished to the Cold Pce. Meng Changge went to the Cold Pce to visit Princess Xian and reveal her true identity to her.

    Luckily it was a safer scene, which didn¡¯t involve much action, and was focused instead on expressions and dialogue.

    "Three, two, one, action!"

    Filming began.

    In the Cold Pce, Princess De sat on a wide chair and looked disdainfully at the pathetic woman who had fallen at her feet as if she was already dead. "Princess Xian, do you know why I hate you so much? Why I have to put you to death?"

    "B*tch! You''re just jealous of me! Jealous that the emperor likes me! Jealous that I have his favor!"

    Princess Deughed as if she had heard a really good joke. "Me, jealous? Jealous that you have that disgusting old man¡¯s favor?"

    "Princess De! You¡­ are you crazy? I¡¯ll tell the Emperor! I''ll tell the Emperor that you were being insulting¡­"

    Princess De suddenly looked at her with somber eyes, silencing Princess Xian. Then she said, very slowly, "Princess Xian, do you know who I am? Do you still remember¡­ the name Meng Changge?"

    "You¡­ you¡­ you¡­" Even after a long while, Jia Qingqing couldn¡¯t say anything more than that.

    Guo Qisheng yelled "Cut": "Again!"

    The second take started.

    "Princess Xian, do you know who I am? Do you still remember¡­ the name Meng Changge?" This time, Ning Xi¡¯s eyes were sharper than in the previous take, like a hangman¡¯s noose strangling the other party to death.

    "You¡­ you are¡­ are¡­"

    "Stop, again!"

    The third take started.

    "Princess Xian, do you know who I am? Do you still remember¡­ the name Meng Changge?" With each take, Ning Xi¡¯s mood had be more and more intense. This time, she said the line in the tone of a malevolent, vengeful spirit, and even the people watching could feel her endless, overflowing anger and resentment.

    "You¡­ you¡¯re Meng Changge? How can you be¡­ be¡­ be¡­" Jia Qingqing was like a stuck radio, and she forgot the words yet again.

    "Cut!" Guo Qisheng finally lost his patience this time, and he dropped the script in a furious temper. "Jia Qingqing, what''s the matter with you? You can''t even recite such a simple line, have you even read the script at all?!"

    Guo Qisheng really couldn¡¯t be med for his anger; Ning Xi¡¯s mood this time had been so amazing, he couldn¡¯t help but be excited. He could have had the perfect take, but it was ruined by Jia Qingqing''s idiotic mistake.

 Chapter 92: A Pig Teammate

    <h4>Chapter 92: A Pig Teammate</h4>

    The staff who were watching this all showed scornful expressions:

    "Is Jia Qingqing retarded? Repeating the same line over and over again, even I can recite it now! You are Meng Changge? How can you be Meng Changge! Meng Changge is already dead! Such a short line, how hard can it be to memorize it?

    "That post said that Ning Xi¡¯s acting sucks, but they really should see Jia Qingqing, then they will know what real bullsheet is!"

    "Actually, Ning Xi¡¯s a good actress, do you realize that up to now, all her scenes were done after only one take? Her only NGs were because of mistakes by other people."

    "You¡¯re right! I thought she was just being herself, but she did a great job pulling off a young Meng Changge yesterday! Even though she was teasing Jiang Muye, for some reason, it didn''t make me feel ufortable; instead, it actually made my heart speed up!"

    "That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! I was so excited watching it yesterday. If someone else is switched in, I wouldn''t be happy about it at all! It feels like in my heart, Ning Xi really is Meng Changge!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo hadn¡¯t expected that an even worse situation would ur, and she immediately cursed Jia Qingqing hundreds of times in her heart. On the surface, she pretended to show concern as she walked over to her.

    "Qingqing, what happened? Are you not feeling okay today?"

    Jia Qingqing was caught up in her anger, and going crazy. "I also don''t know what¡¯s wrong with me today; when I look at Ning Xi, my mind just nks out, like I¡¯ve been cursed!"

    "How is that possible?" Ning Xueluo actually didn''t believe Jia Qingqing, and assumed it was because of her own normally bad acting andziness. However, she held on to her patience andforted her. "Take it slow, I¡¯ll run the lines with you!"

    Ning Xueluo ran the scene with her, and in the end, Jia Qingqing recited the lines fluently.

    "See, you can do it, right?" Ning Xueluo encouraged her.

    Jia Qingqing immediately regained her confidence, and ran to look for the director. "Director, I¡¯m ready now!"

    During this time, Guo Qisheng had calmed down, and his expression was more rxed. "Then let¡¯s start!"

    However¡­

    This time, Jia Qingqing still forgot all her lines.

    She was unsatisfied, and tried again and again; in the end, she continuously NGed 28 times in total!

    It was such an easy scene, yet the two of them filmed until night fell, and still weren¡¯t done. In the end, the whole production crew wound upining.

    They were filming a movie, not a TV show, and had to use a lot of film. That many NGs was a waste of manpower and money!

    By the 33rd NG, Jia Qingqing stood there nkly, then suddenly screamed like a maniac, and rushed furiously at Ning Xi ¡ª

    "Ning Xi, you b*tch, what did you do to me! Why can¡¯t I remember my lines?! Why?! It¡¯s you! You did this¡­"

    All the assistants waiting by the side quickly ran to pull her away, but in her madness she pushed all of them off her, even scratching Ning Xueluo, who was trying to help.

    This really made everyone hate her.

    "She is such a retard, still able to me others for the fact she can¡¯t remember her lines? Does she think other people can drill into her brain to steal her lines? She doesn¡¯t even feel the least bit guilty for making everyone work sote!"

    "Poor Ning Xi, to have provoked someone like that!"

    "Don¡¯t you think what happenedst night was pretty weird? This thing happened to Ning Xi as soon as Jiang Muye came on set!"

    "If Ning Xi was kicked out of the production, who would benefit the most?"

    "Do you still need to ask?"

    At these words, everyone had knowing looks on their faces.

 Chapter 93: Clean Hands Need No Washing

    <h4>Chapter 93: Clean Hands Need No Washing</h4>

    In the end, everyone wrapped up unhappily, and after Jia Qingqing¡¯s outburst, the director stopped filming for two days for Jia Qingqing to get herself together.

    As Ning Xi was about to leave after getting her makeup taken off, Ning Xueluo came in without her noticing, and crossed her arms as she looked down on Ning Xi. "Ning Xi, I never knew you were such a schemer!"

    "Huh? Am I?" Ning Xi looked with a half-smile at the wound on Ning Xueluo¡¯s arm where Jia Qingqing had scratched her, then blinked, an innocent look on her face. "Isn''t it that you have too good an eye, and really know how to pick your teammate?"

    "You¡­" Ning Xueluo gritted her teeth, her chest aching with anger.

    How was she to know that Jia Qingqing could be so brainless. There was already so much dirt on Ning Xi, yet Jia Qingqing was able to wipe her clean of it, to the point that everyone''s attitude towards Ning Xi was starting to change!

    She had to think of a way to counter Ning Xi¡¯s next move; she couldn''t let her stand back up again, no matter what.

    As Ning Xi walked out after that little confrontation with Ning Xueluo, her cellphone beeped with an iing message.

    Evil Fairy King: I¡¯m waiting for you at the alley in the front.

    Ning Xi replied cautiously: We leave separately, see you at home, I¡¯ll look for you at your ce.

    An hourter, at the tinum Pce No.6.

    As soon as Ning Xi arrived at the door, Jiang Muye immediately pulled her inside, peering left and right as if he was an underground spy.

    Before, he hadn¡¯t minded if people thought that there was something between him and Ning Xi. In fact, he had actually wanted people to know that they were acquainted, but after this incident, he couldn¡¯t help thinking about all his previous actions.

    Ning Xi put her bag down, kicked off her shoes, and sat cross-legged on the sofa. The first thing she asked, with her hand out, was: "Did you take the video?"

    Jiang Muye looked speechlessly at how she didn¡¯t care about her image. This damn woman, she had never seen him as a man, had she? Why was she always so casual and thoughtless in front of him, like a hooligan, exactly like the one she was in the movie!

    "Do you think I¡¯m also a pig teammate? Of course I filmed it!" Jiang Muye ill-naturedly handed his phone to her.

    When she had said she was going to pretend to be a little white flower, he had guessed what she was going to do, so of course he had recorded the highlights.

    Ning Xi took the phone and pressed y, nodding in satisfaction, "Good job! One more drumstick for you!"

    After saying that, she logged onto Weibo and put up a post on her official ount. Of course it wasn¡¯t an apology, like Chang Li wanted, but just one phrase: Clean hands need no washing.

    After she posted it, she logged into her side ount and messaged a gossip blogger who covered everything about Glory World, and sent him the video of Jia Qingqing¡¯s continuous NGs.

    As expected of twopanies that were sworn enemies, it wasn¡¯t long after Ning Xi messaged the blogger that he immediately posted the video, along with an eye-catching title, "NGed 33 times, no.1 flower vase in the entertainment industry gives you an example of real sheetty acting".

    Jiang Muye looked at her. "You only sent this one? You¡¯re not going to use the others? It was hard for me to film secretly!"

    Ning Xi was busy readingments. "This one is enough to get the ball rolling ¡ª do you think you were the only one who took videos?"

    "By the way, why didn''t you use that move earlier on Jia Qingqing? If you had done it sooner, she would have been switched out long ago, and all this drama wouldn¡¯t have happened. I still had to endure that woman for two days!" Jiang Muye grumbled inint.

    Not one person on set understood why Jia Qingqing had NGed non-stop; only Jiang Muye knew exactly what had happened.

    In Chinese ng, ¡®flower vase¡¯ has the same meaning as eye candy.

 Chapter 94: Canâ€™t Restrain The Flames Of Love

    <h4>Chapter 94: Can¡¯t Restrain The mes Of Love</h4>

    It was because of Ning Xi¡¯s deliberate "pressure acting".

    Pressure acting was something only very experienced actors could pull off. By deliberately amping up their acting, an actor could put extreme mental pressure on the other party, making them act abnormally, forget lines continually, or more seriously, even leave the other party with a lifelong psychological trauma which would be hard to ovee.

    There were very few in the entertainment industry who could do this. The most important thing was that it was very difficult to pick out, as you couldn''t be sure whether the other party was just acting really well or was deliberately"pressure acting". Therefore, it could be said that this method could hurt people invisibly, without leaving any trace.

    Ning Xi gave him a haughty look. "Of course you can¡¯t simply let loose your ultimate move!"

    This method could only work under certain circumstances, like in today¡¯s scene with Jia Qingqing. The other thing about this method was that it seriously slowed down the speed of filming, so she would only use it as ast resort.

    Jiang Muye couldn''t help recalling some unpleasant memories, and he curled his lips. "Then I really am honored to be one of the few on whom you let loose your ultimate move!"

    Ning Xi had used this pressure method on him years before, but he wasn¡¯t like Jia Qingqing that trash; in the end, he had stood firm and overcame it, and his acting had developed by leaps and bounds for it.

    After speaking, Jiang Muye stared at her with a sudden light in his eyes. "Dinner tonight? You promised to eat with me, just the two of us! You also promised to y PC games with me!"

    It was true thatst time, Ning Xi had been in the wrong, so she could only sigh and say, "Okay okay okay, I¡¯ll eat with you and y PC games with you, okay? Just let me text Lu Tingxiao to let him know."

    Hearing this, Jiang Muye¡¯s expression instantly changed. "You¡¯re just a temporary sedative, why do you have to report to him that you¡¯re not going back? What is really going on between you and Lu Tingxiao?"

    "Even though this text is to Lu Tingxiao, it¡¯s for Little Treasure, okay?"

    Ning Xi waszy to respond to him, and focused on texting: [Sweet darling, Auntie is busy tonight and will probably be home veryte, make sure you eat properly and sleep well, next time Auntie is free, I¡¯ll buy you some cute outfits! Love you, muah muah~]

    Seeing the text, Jiang Muye got so angry that his eyes turned red. "Why are you being so gentle with Little Treasure? When you were with me, you were never that gentle, and instead you always beat me up at a single word!"

    Ning Xi nted a look at him. "You deserved it! Little Treasure is so cute, how can youpare with him?"

    mes burned in Jiang Muye¡¯s beautiful eyes. "Ning Xi! Did you ever like me at all? Did you get close to me just to¡­"

    Ning Xi looked at him in surprise. "Nonsense, of course not."

    "You¡­ you, you¡­" Jiang Muye pointed at her, unable to speak at all.

    Ning Xi cradled her jaw and smiled as she looked at him. "So? Are you done being angry? Still want to eat?"

    Jiang Muye gritted his teeth: "Yes!" He definitely couldn¡¯t fall into her trap!

    At the same time, at the Lu residence.

    Lu Jingli sat on the sofa with a pillow in his arms. If he had a tail, it would be wagging fast enough to fly off. "Bro, bro, bro, tell me, tell me, what on earth happenedst night?"

    Because of Ning Xi¡¯sment that morning that he needed a woman, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face was still gloomy, and he wasn''t in the mood at all to satisfy Lu Jingli¡¯s gossipy heart.

    "Was it because you couldn¡¯t restrain the mes of love, lost control, and ran off to attack her in the middle of the night, but in the end, before you got serious, you woke Xiao Xi Xi up, and you found yourself in a dilemma, so you simply decided to pretend you were sleepwalking?" Lu Jingli¡¯s ability to fantasize was the real deal.

    Lu Tingxiao raised his eyes to look at him. Did this person use all his intelligence on this kind of thing?

    Lu Jingli knew he had guessed right after seeing his brother¡¯s expression, and immediately started to think highly of himself. "My god, I¡¯m just too smart! Brother, am I not the apple of your eye?"

 Chapter 95: The Consequences Of Going All The Way

    <h4>Chapter 95: The Consequences Of Going All The Way</h4>

    Lu Jingli looked like he was expecting praise and a reward. Lu Tingxiao responded generously. "Vacation extended to a month."

    Lu Jingli was so excited he almost jumped up to do a whole set of exercises right there, but instantly he felt immeasurable regret. "Brother, you¡¯ll start to lose momentum if you let this drag on, why didn''t you seize the chance to go all the way with her? Such a pity!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at him coldly. "What do you think the consequences would be if I had done that?"

    "Hmm¡­" Lu Jingli stroked his jaw, and spoke in a low voice. "You¡¯ve been using Little Treasure as an excuse all this time to make her lower her guard, so that she would slowly be less wary of you. If you give the game away now¡­ Xiao Xi Xi would immediately run for the hills!"

    Lu Tingxiao:"¡­"

    Even though it was the truth, hearing Lu Jingliy it all out so bluntly really spoiled his mood.

    Actually, he had intended to go all the way with herst night regardless of anything, but Ning Xi¡¯s extreme rejection and fearful reaction had cleared his head in a sh.

    What happened after that proved that his method for dealing with it had been right, otherwise he might have really scared Ning Xi away in that situation.

    Why had she reacted that way, what had she experienced before¡­

    "Brother, can I ask you something? Why has your mood been so erratictely? Did something happen?" Lu Jingli asked cautiously.

    Actually, Lu Jingli was putting it mildly; in reality, his brother had been acting just like a woman on her period, with an irritable and unstable temper.

    Lu Tingxiao tapped out a rhythm on the arm of his chair with one long finger, and said quietly, "Jiang Muye was the one who sent the flowers that day."

    "What did you say?" Lu Jingli nked out for quite a while before reacting to what Lu Tingxiao had said, and he immediately jumped to his feet in anger ¡ª

    "Sheet! Jiang Muye is the Evil Fairy King! Didn''t he just get back the day before yesterday? I even got word that he was going to y the second male lead in <The World>!"

    He didn''t expect Jiang Muye and Xiao Xi Xi to have this type of connection. There had to be a hidden reason for why that kid had suddenly returned to the country, and why the first movie he was starring in aftering back happened to be this one! If it was because he knew that he and Xiao Xi Xi would have many intimate scenes together, tsk tsk¡­

    "Mm, let me think, did he and Xiao Xi Xi meet up? And you saw them? And furthermore, what you saw was an incriminating scene?"

    Lu Tingxiao:"¡­"

    Lu Jingli¡¯s guesses, all correct.

    "My god, no wonder you¡¯ve been acting so strangetely!" Lu Jingli paced back and forth. "I can¡¯t believe we have a traitor in our midst! What about YS? Did you discover anything?"

    There was a dark light in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes. "The man who delivered the diamond disappeared after leaving the set, and the diamond¡¯s origin can¡¯t be traced; most likely, it was smuggled in."

    Lu Jingli¡¯s lips curled, and he was a little speechless. "Yet another headache, don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s someone who is also connected to the Lu family? Y¡­ S¡­ is there anyone with these initials around us? I don¡¯t recall there being any!"

    Sigh, his brother¡¯s love life was soplicated. Other people had the romanticedy, his brother had the detective mystery!

    At this moment, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s cellphone beeped; it was a text from Ning Xi.

    After reading it, a dangerous creature slumbering in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes started to move.

    Curious, Lu Jingli approached him. "Xiao Xi Xi¡¯s text¡­ what did she say?"

    Why did his brother look like his wife had cheated on him?

    Lu Tingxiao stared at the text for a few seconds, then made a direct call.

    In vi no.6, Ning Xi quickly picked up the call. "Hello, Lu Tingxiao, what¡¯s up? Did you see my text? Don''t forget to show it to Little Treasure!"

    "I saw it, where are you?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi looked at Jiang Muye, who was busy in the kitchen trying to show off his cooking skills. "I¡¯m at Jiang Muye¡¯s ce, I have something I need to discuss with him, plus he just returned from overseas, so we¡¯re eating together as a wee for him."

 Chapter 96: You Said Nothing Was Going On Between You And Him

    <h4>Chapter 96: You Said Nothing Was Going On Between You And Him</h4>

    "Okay, got it, I¡¯ll be there soon," Lu Tingxiao said calmly.

    Ning Xi on the other end was shocked. " Ah? You¡¯reing?!"

    "Why, problem?" Lu Tingxiao answered with his own question, his tone cold.

    "No¡­ I guess¡­" Lu Tingxiao sounded so matter-of-fact, that she couldn¡¯t object in that moment.

    Seeing Ning Xi¡¯splicated expression after the call, Jiang Muye asked, "What¡¯s up? Who was it?"

    "Your uncle, he said he¡¯sing¡­"

    "What?" The soup spoon dropped from Jiang Muye¡¯s hand to the floor. Heartbroken, he pointed at her usingly. "Ning Xi, you said nothing was going on between you and him. This is our dinner together, did you ask him toe?"

    "Calm down, can you not get angry so easily?" Ning Xi gave him a haughty look. "I didn''t invite him, he asked where I was, and I replied truthfully that I was going to give you a wee dinner, then he said he wasing. Maybe he¡¯sing here to have dinner together because as your elder, he feels he should show you some concern? This is normal logic!"

    Jiang Muye threw a bowl on the floor. "Normal your butt! Do you think Lu Tingxiao is that amiable and approachable a person? Even eating with me? When my mom invites him over for dinner, she has to be scheduled in, sometimes up to six monthster! Unapproachable is his middle name!"

    Ning Xi threw a pillow at him impatiently. "You hopeless kid, can''t someone show you some concern? And why do you always put me and Lu Tingxiao together? In what way are we actuallypatible?"

    Jiang Muye murmured to himself, "This is a man¡¯s instinct¡­ what do you know!"

    As they were fighting, the door bell rang.

    Ning Xi red at Jiang Muye to warn him not to speak nonsense, then stood up to answer the door.

    As soon as the door opened, Ning Xi¡¯s eyes lit up, because a little bun was standing next to Lu Tingxiao.

    As soon as Little Treasure saw her, he threw himself at her with open arms, like a little sparrow seeing its mama. Ning Xi¡¯s heart melted as she quickly picked him up and hugged him. "Darling, you came too! Just now Auntie was still feeling sad that I couldn¡¯t have dinner with you tonight!"

    In the house, Jiang Muye looked at Ning Xi holding Little Treasure, then at Lu Tingxiao, who was looking at the two of them indulgently. They gave the impression of being a family of three.

    He didn''t expect Ning Xi to be this close to Little Treasure.

    Little Treasure was an even more difficult existence than his dad!

    As for Lu Tingxiao, his attitude towards Ning Xi was very strange.

    Even if it was for Little Treasure¡¯s sake, given Lu Tingxiao¡¯s personality, how could he tolerate living under the same roof with an unfamiliar woman¡­

    "Hey hey hey, don¡¯t forget me, I¡¯m also here!" Close on their heels, Lu Jingli elbowed his way in, two bottles of wine in his arms.

    Looking at the three Lu family members, Ning Xi instantly gave Jiang Muye a "See, they organized a group visit to show care for a junior family member, you think too much" look.

    "Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, even Little Treasure is here,e in¡­" Jiang Muye had to obediently invite them in even if he wasn¡¯t happy to.

    Who asked him to have a low rank in the family¡­

 Chapter 97: She Was The One Who Chased Me

    <h4>Chapter 97: She Was The One Who Chased Me</h4>

    After the three people came, things basically had nothing to do with Jiang Muye.

    Lu Tingxiao invited Michelin star chefs toe and cook for them, Lu Jingli had brought two bottles of fine wine from home, and Little Treasure monopolized Ning Xi.

    Five people sat around the table in a strange atmosphere.

    It was fortunate that Lu Jingli was here, which helped prevent an awkward silence. They ate and chatted idly.

    "Come, let¡¯s wee home our big star! Second Uncle raises a ss to you!"

    "Thank you!"

    "By the way, I haven¡¯t been able to ask you yet, how do you know Xiao Xi Xi?" Lu Jingli fished for information casually for his brother.

    Hearing this question, Jiang Muye¡¯s expression turned a little bad. It seemed he was reluctant to talk about it, and he replied vaguely, "We knew each other at school overseas. We graduated in the same year."

    Lu Jingli squinted at him, and spoke meaningfully. "I don¡¯t think it was that simple, right? Don¡¯t tell me she was one of the ex-girlfriends you chased and then dumped? After all, the women around you, if they¡¯re not your mother or your fans, they¡¯re your ex-girlfriends!"

    Jiang Muye: "¡­"

    Ning Xiughed and gave Lu Jingli a thumbs-up. "Second Young Master, you''re brilliant!"

    "Oh, it seems I guessed right!" Lu Jingli was pleased with himself. As expected, there was nothing in this world that he couldn¡¯t guess correctly, haha.

    "Only half right!" Jiang Muye contradicted with a blue face.

    "Hmm? What do you mean?" Lu Jingli didn¡¯t understand.

    "She¡¯s my ex-girlfriend, that¡¯s true, but she was the one who chased me, and she was also the one who dumped me!" Jiang Muye said, ring at Ning Xi in front of him like a bitter housewife.

    After he said that, there was a faint gleam in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s cold eyes, as he helped to cut up steak for Ning Xi and Little Treasure.

    Even Lu Jingli was stunned. After all, it was the first time his guess was wrong. He pped his hands on the table with a bang, and asked excitedly, "Really? True or not? This doesn¡¯t make sense!"

    Whatever Ning Xi did when she was abroad, she couldn¡¯t have been as absurd as Jiang Muye this kid, so he always thought that of the two, he could at least be sure that it had been Jiang Muye who made the first move. Who would have thought that in the end¡­

    Jiang Muye poked angrily at a steak rib. "If you don''t believe me, you can ask her!"

    Why did this issue have to be dragged up again when everything was going so well? Ning Xi said helplessly, "It was aplete ident!"

    Lu Jingli, who at first had simply intended to fish for information for his brother, was now thoroughly fired up by the gossip, and was insanely curious to hear more. "What on earth is going on? Quick, tell me! Quick, quick, quick!"

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    You¡¯re an elder, should you be gossiping about your junior¡¯s private life?

    Ning Xi saw how ugly Jiang Muye¡¯s face had be, and she also didn''t intend to embarrass him in front of his elders, so she replied, "Nothing special. At that time, so many girls in the school liked him, and I was just one of them. As for breaking up, it was probably because after we got together, I realized he was different from what I had imagined, so I was a bit disillusioned!"

    Ning Xi¡¯s words didn¡¯t seem odd, but Lu Jingli knew that things weren¡¯t that simple, otherwise Jiang Muye''s expression wouldn¡¯t be like that.

    Tsk,ter I¡¯ll force Jiang Muye that kid to drink a little more wine, then see if I can get anything more out of him.

    Because Little Treasure was there, Ning Xi didn¡¯t drink tonight. After she finished eating, she sat at the table feeling a little bored, so she asked, "Mister Lu, can I take Little Treasure to go y games for a while?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Go ahead."

    The way he spoke to Ning Xi didn¡¯t seem very different, but it gave off the feeling that he was gentler with her than with other people.

    Jiang Muye looked gloomy. It was clearly his game console, and thetest equipment that he had specially brought back home, yet she asked another man for permission, and took yet another man to go y!

    Even if that man was only five years old!

 Chapter 98: Only You Can Cure Me

    <h4>Chapter 98: Only You Can Cure Me</h4>

    Two hourster, Lu Jingli had sacrificed himself gloriously, but before he passed out, he still hadn¡¯t been able to get even half a word out of Jiang Muye that kid.

    In fact, Jiang Muye was also on hisst legs, but it was clear that Lu Jingli had been trying to get words out of his mouth, so he had endured until now.

    It was really hard having such a gossipy uncle¡­

    He had the vague feeling that there seemed to be some other reason for Lu Jingli being so determined to figure this thing out, but his mind was mush by now, and there was no way he could think properly.

    Lu Tingxiao was the only sober one at the table.

    Lu Tingxiao called his butler over to pick up Lu Jingli. Then he stood up and headed for the living room.

    The huge game screen had one big word "Pass" on it. Ning Xi and Little Treasure were sprawled on the sofa fast asleep.

    Lu Tingxiao walked over lightly.

    The girl held a white, soft little bun in her arms. Her sweet sleeping face made him want to impulsively give up all his fame and power, and just like this, apany her in peaceful sleep for the rest of their lives.

    In the dining room, Jiang Muye in his thick haze saw Lu Tingxiao slowly lean closer and closer towards Ning X¡­ his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he immediately regained his sense.

    Lu Tingxiao almost couldn''t help kissing the girl''s sleeping face, but he stopped at thest minute, and turned to Little Treasure to wake him up gently.

    Little Bun rubbed his sleepy eyes, his hair sticking up in bunches on his head. He looked cuter than usual when he had just woken up.

    Lu Tingxiao rubbed his little head. "Can you walk by yourself?"

    Little Bun nodded.

    Lu Tingxiao showed a satisfied expression. Then he bent to gently pick up Ning Xi, who was still sleeping, and lowered his eyes to look at Little Bun. "Let''s go."

    Little Bun obediently followed his papa, without the slightest awareness that anything was wrong.

    Jiang Muye: "¡­?!"

    Jiang Muye rubbed his eyes vigorously. He must be so drunk that he was hallucinating, right? That must be it!

    Why was Lu Tingxiao behaving so unusually?

    He had the butlere to pick up his younger brother, shook awake his son who had been sleeping soundly, was careful not to wake Ning Xi up, and carried her back himself?

    Seeing Lu Tingxiao carry Ning Xi in his arms, with Little Bun following behind him as they left, Jiang Muye still felt confused. In the end, he toppled forward onto the table, and finally passed out drunk¡­

    Lu residence.

    Little Bun wanted to sleep together with Ning Xi.

    Lu Tingxiao: "Men and women shouldn¡¯t touch."

    Little Bun raised five fingers, which meant "I''m only five years old".

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Very good, you know you''re not a three-year-old child but a five-year-old adult. Now go back to your room and sleep by yourself."

    Little Bun: "!!!"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face became serious. "Do you want to be Auntie Xiao Xi¡¯s darling forever? I can only get her to stay for three months at the most. If I can''t marry her by then, she''ll leave you for good."

    Hearing this, Little Bun¡¯s face finally changed, and he ttened his lips as if he had been wronged. He looked wistfully at Ning Xi, turning back to look at her with every step he took as he finally left.

    Lu Tingxiao sighed softly.

    Although Little Treasure was his biggest help, he was also his biggest obstacle. It was fortunate that he could finally be persuaded for the time being.

    Lu Tingxiao gentlyid Ning Xi on the bed and took off her shoes. He then called the maid toe up and help change her clothes.

    In a daze, Ning Xi felt she was back in her soft bed, and there was a blurry figure in front of the bed¡­

    Drowsily, she reached out her hand to touch that familiar presence. "Hmm, Lu¡­ Tingxiao¡­ are you sleepwalking again?"

    Lu Tingxiao had been taken aback when she had touched him of her own ord, and he immediately covered her small, warm hand with his own big palm. "Yes."

    Ning Xi frowned and muttered, "It¡¯s a disease¡­ should be treated¡­"

    He chuckled in a low and husky tone, and kissed her palm. "Only you can cure me."

 Chapter 99: Smashing Windows Early In The Morning

    <h4>Chapter 99: Smashing Windows Early In The Morning</h4>

    Late at night, Public Rtions Department of Glory World Group.

    Liang Feixing was stressing over the scandal of Su Yimo driving while drunk and hitting someone, when his personal cell phone suddenly rang.

    He had been prepared to impatiently throw his phone aside, but in the next second he was frightened into a cold sweat when he saw the caller ID. He immediately flipped over to sit up, and received the call in a flurry ¡ª

    "Hello, President Lu, my apologies! We¡¯re dealing with this matter, and will definitely solve ittest by tomorrow evening!"

    "What?" The man''s cold and distant voice came through the phone.

    "Ah? It''s about Su Yimo¡¯s drunk driving¡­ you weren¡¯t looking for me because of this?" Liang Feixing was confused. So Big Boss wasn¡¯t calling thiste at night to interrogate him?

    "No."

    Liang Feixing immediately sighed in relief. He was really very busy, and President Lu had never gotten involved in the business of Glory World. Even if the matter involving Glory World¡¯s First Sister Su Yimo was a huge issue in their eyes, for Lu Tingxiao, it likely didn¡¯t make even the smallest ripple.

    So, why was Big Boss personally calling him at this time?

    Liang Feixing felt even more uneasy. "So the reason you¡¯ve call me¡­?"

    "Make Jia Qingqing leave the entertainment industry within 24 hours." Lu Tingxiao directly gave him an order.

    "Jia Qingqing? President Lu, which Jia Qingqing is that?"

    "Starlight Entertainment."

    Hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, Liang Feixing was greatly surprised. So it was that gaudy-looking Jia Qingqing who nevertheless had been hyped up by Starlight Entertainment as the "The No.1 Beauty in the Entertainment Industry"?

    He had wondered what type of big shot it was!

    Liang Feixing was still bewildered, but he dared not ask too many questions. He responded readily. "Yes, President Lu, I understand! As far as I know, Jia Qingqing recently had a falling out with a female artiste in theirpany. The other party wasn¡¯t the good type either, and she had a lot of ckmail material on Jia Qingqing. She really knew how to get someone else to do her dirty work, and she gave the lot to a big V gossip blogger on ourpany¡¯s operations team. Jia Qingqing has offended too many people. This time, everyone¡¯s going to kick her when she¡¯s down, I reckon it¡¯ll be hard for her to get away. But if we want to force her to leave the entertainment industry, we¡¯ll need to fan the mes!"

    "Handle it quietly." Lu Tingxiao instructed him.

    "Yes. Don¡¯t worry, President Lu!"

    After hanging up the phone, Liang Feixing immediately passed everything he had been handling to the deputy director, then dealt with this matter himself.

    The matter this time really was too easy. Asking him to handle it was simply like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The artiste who had been fighting with Jia Qingqing had already done 80% of the work, he just needed to deal thest blow.

    But she was just a small, B-list artiste, what on earth had she done for Big Boss to personallymand that she be cklisted?

    No matter how much Liang Feixing tried, there was no way he would have guessed that Lu Tingxiao''s real purpose was not to cklist Jia Qingqing, but to support Ning Xi, a little actress who was even less famous than Jia Qingqing, and whose name till now Liang Feixing probably didn¡¯t even remember¡­

    The next morning.

    After Ning Xi woke up, she was a bit confused. Why was she in the Lu residence?

    She clearly remembered that she had yed games continuously with Little Treasure for two hours, and finally had been so tired that she had fallen asleep on the sofa in Jiang Muye¡¯s living room.

    While she was puzzling this out, suddenly there was a bang at the window behind the bed.

    Startled, Ning Xi quickly went over to see what was going on.

    As soon as she opened the window, she saw a golden head¡­

    ck lines appeared on Ning Xi¡¯s head. "Jiang Muye, what are you doing?"

    Jiang Muye, who paid the most attention to his image, was actually still wearing the same clothes fromst night, now crumpled, and his hair was also a mess. He had an agitated expression on his face. "Ning Xi, get down here! I need to talk to you about something! Hurry up!"

    Head aching, Ning Xi sighed. She had known it wouldn¡¯t be a good thing for this person to know that she was staying here. He actually came running early in the morning to smash her window¡­

    Big V ¡®´óV¡¯: a verified ount, usually on Weibo, with arge number of followers

    Big V ¡®´óV¡¯: a verified ount, usually on Weibo, with arge number of followers.

 Chapter 100: Aiming For The Stars

    <h4>Chapter 100: Aiming For The Stars</h4>

    "Jump straight down, quickly! Don¡¯t pretend to be ady!" Jiang Muye urged her agitatedly.

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched with speechlessness. cing her hands on the sill, she jumped down from the window.

    Jiang Muye immediately dragged her over, spun her around a few times to see if she had any suspicious marks on her, then stared at her with bright eyes. "Did anything happenst night?"

    Ning Xi almost passed out from him spinning her round, and she said crossly, "Jiang Muye, what''s wrong with you? It¡¯s still early in the morning, shouldn¡¯t you still be asleep? I was sleeping so well, what could have happened to me?"

    The veins on Jiang Muye''s forehead popped violently. "Ning Xi! Are you a pig? Don''t tell me you don¡¯t know how you got back herest night!"

    "I really don''t know!" Ning Xi had an innocent look on her face.

    Jiang Muye took a deep breath as he calmed down. He gnashed his teeth. "How is it you haven¡¯t been sold off when you¡¯re this stupid? Last night it was Lu Tingxiao who personally carried you back here!"

    Ning Xi was a bit rmed to hear that, and immediately argued, "So what? It was definitely because darling Little Treasure was reluctant to wake me up, so he asked his father to carry me back!"

    Because it was like that time in the bar. Little Treasure wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to touch her except Lu Tingxiao, so she didn''t think it was anything strange.

    Jiang Muye was half-dead with anger. "Ning Xi, can¡¯t you be a little more careful? Lu Tingxiao obviously has a thing for you, okay?"

    Ning Xi sighed deeply, then ced her hands on Jiang Muye''s shoulders, and said earnestly, "Brother, this sister is aiming for the stars, I won¡¯t stop for the flowers or grass. Therefore, even if you kneel down to cry and beg me to be your Eldest Auntie, I won¡¯t give you this opportunity, okay? Please stop being delusional, go back, take a shower, and sleep!"

    Hearing this, Jiang Muye¡¯s mood became veryplicated. He sighed in relief, but at the same time, looked at her with confusion. "Are you really prepared to be unmarried forever? What if you meet someone you like? Miss Little Ning Xi, your way of thinking is dangerous and no good, do you understand? Let me tell you, even though work is important, for a woman, it¡¯s marriage that¡­ ah¡ª"

    Ning Xi couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and kicked him. "Jiang Muye, are you done? Did you deliberatelye here to pick on me? It looks like it¡¯s been too long since yourst beating that your body can¡¯t stand it!"

    "You just beat me up the day before yesterday!"

    "Obviously I didn¡¯t beat you enoughst time. Today, this sister has to beat you into submission. Let¡¯s see if you still dare to spout nonsense all day!" Ning Xi rolled up her sleeves, ready to take action.

    Jiang Muye covered his head and fled in terror, but he suddenly looked behind her and said, "Uncle¡­"

    Ning Xi smiled darkly. "Rescue? However hard you yell today, no one wille to rescue you!"

    Before Ning Xi¡¯s devil ws dropped down, Jiang Muye shouted, "No¡­ it''s my uncle!"

    Ning Xi¡¯s back stiffened. She turned her head mechanically, then saw Lu Tingxiao standing against the light, dressed in a tracksuit. Sweat was rolling off his skin; it looked like he had just finished his morning run.

    Caught red-handed about to beat his nephew up, Ning Xi racked her brains, then immediately pointed at Jiang Muye and opened her mouth. "Mister Lu, this person came running early in the morning to smash your house window. In the end, I found out, and I was just about to help you beat him up!"

    Jiang Muye stared at her. "Shameless¡­"

    "You still dare say you didn''t!" Ning Xi spoke in a righteous tone.

    Lu Tingxiao reached out a hand to remove a de of grass in the girl¡¯s hair, then his big palm rubbed her head in a natural gesture. "Don¡¯t be mischievous, go wash up, it¡¯s time for breakfast."

    "Yes, right away!" She made a face at Jiang Muye and ran away.

    At that moment, Jiang Muye really wanted to grab Ning Xi and yell at her: Once! Twice! Three times! Lu Tingxiao is so obvious, are your titanium alloy dog eyes blind?

    In Chinese, the words ¡®uncle¡¯ and ¡®help¡¯ share the same pinyin (phic alphabet), jiu.

    This is actually a pun on the actual expression ¡®ÁÁÏ¹ÎÒµÄîÑºÏ½ð¹·ÑÛ¡¯, which literally trantes to ¡®so bright it blinds my titanium alloy dog eyes¡¯, and describes something incredibly mind-boggling or shocking.

 Chapter 101: Fancy Little Carp Prince

    <h4>Chapter 101: Fancy Little Carp Prince</h4>

    After returning to the room, Ning Xi suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to do something very important ¡ª after causing a stir with that video, she had yet to check how things had developed after that.

    It was all Jiang Muye that guy¡¯s fault, ever sinceing back, he had created a lot of trouble for her.

    Ning Xi booted up herptop and quickly skimmed all rted news.

    Last night, the video of Jia Qingqing¡¯s 33 NGs had been pushed to the top of the list of hot topics. Thements below were filled with criticism, while Ning Xi, who had surprised people with her exquisite acting, received a lot of positivements. Instantly, one after another, people started to suspect that the online post about Ning Xi sleeping her way up was untrue.

    Soon after that, anonymous side ounts disclosed how Jia Qingqing took advantage of filming to act out her personal grudge: she pped Ning Xi on purpose during filming; in private she was arrogant and domineering, and had pped her assistant; she acted like a diva on set and made things difficult for the staff¡­

    Eventually, artistes and staff who couldn¡¯t stand Jia Qingqing all joined the battle as they shared simr experiences, thoroughly destroying the fake mask which Jia Qingqing put on in front of her fans.

    Stylist Amy: At the beginning I hated Ning Xi, because Jia Qingqing usually targeted her, and to make things difficult for Ning Xi, she would take out her anger on us staff. Simrly, to make Ning Xi wait, she would find non-stop excuses to make me redo her makeup over and over again; this happened almost everyday. At first, I thought I suffered because of Ning Xi, so I hated her for a long time. In fact, she did nothing wrong at all.

    I know by saying this, I will definitely get in trouble with some people, but I would feel guilty if I didn''t say anything. That day when Jiang Muye¡¯s fans created trouble on set, if it wasn¡¯t for Ning Xi directly using her own arm to help block a rock thrown in my direction, my face would''ve been ruined!

    Production assistant Xiao Li: What ¡®frank and outspoken¡¯; abhor sin and lies, Jia Qingqing is an arrogant and domineering diva, the cancer on the production crew. She iste almost everyday, and leaves early without telling anyone. She¡¯s always ordering us around arrogantly, andpletely doesn¡¯t see us staff as human. I can¡¯t count how many times she makes me run around doing things for her in a day, does she think I¡¯m her servant?

    As for Ning Xi, even though she¡¯s usually on her own, and looks a little aloof, she is always polite to us staff, and always thanks everyone each time filming wraps up. Even though we were biased towards her and never replied, she still did this every time.

    Assistant director: I¡¯m nobody, but I still want to rify something. The only time that someone sent gifts to Ning Xi was on the first day of production, and I¡¯ve never seen Ning Xi act intimately with any guy. It¡¯s normal for a beautiful woman to have a few admirers, who knew the news would change and spread like that!

    Director of photography: Ning Xi¡¯s professionalism is faultless, the camera favors her, and she knows what to do. Unless it is because of other people, she basicallypletes all her scenes in one take, so filming her is the most rxing for me. As for Jia Qingqing¡­ she is probably every DP¡¯s nightmare! She¡¯s had too much stic surgery, her nose is a weird shape, and she alwaysins it¡¯s because my skills are terrible. Does she think I have to photoshop everything for her?

    Director Guo Qisheng: The rumors online about Ning Xi are all untrue. This is an insult not just to Ning Xi, but also to the whole production. At first we nned to wait until the movie was released, so that everyone who saw Ning Xi¡¯s acting would be clear about the truth. But now since things have escted to the point that it is seriously affecting the filming progress, we are releasing an early tidbit, so you can see for yourself! [video]

    Producer Wang Taihe: Sigh, since everyone has expressed their opinions, I¡¯ll also say something! I have seen so many people say that our movie suddenly received an additional fifty-million yuan investment because of a sponsor backing Ning Xi. To clear up this rumor, I obtained permission from the investor to reveal his identity as @Fancy Little Carp Prince.

    ¡­

    Ning Xi had anticipated that for a lot of people in the production crew, their tolerance of Jia Qingqing had already reached the limit. It only took one person saying something first, then everything else came pouring out. But she hadn¡¯t thought that as they condemned Jia Qingqing, they would also give Ning Xi some praise, which was an unexpected bonus. After all, it was always nice to have one¡¯s efforts recognized.

    Wang Taihe¡¯s post intrigued her, and she hurriedly clicked on the Fancy Little Carp Prince ID to see who the investor was¡­

 Chapter 102: Fake Daughter, Real Mistress

    <h4>Chapter 102: Fake Daughter, Real Mistress</h4>

    In the next second, Ning Xi¡¯s head was covered with ck lines.

    The Fancy Little Carp Prince ID was verified as: CEO of Glory World Entertainment, Lu Jingli¡­

    You are the boss of a big entertainmentpany, can you not use such ame ID? It¡¯s like some freaking 13-year-old!

    Who knew thest-minute investor would turn out to be Lu Jingli, but it wasn''t unexpected, and in fact it made sense. After all, this was Jiang Muye¡¯s first film after returning from abroad, it was natural for Glory World to give him full support.

    But fifty-million for a mere second male lead, no wonder people said Glory World was the richestpany in the industry.

    Wang Taihe¡¯s Weibo post cleared up the situation, and all the stains on Ning Xi¡¯s reputation had beenpletely wiped out. Jia Qingqing ended up with the reputation as a difficult diva and trashy actress. Anyone with good sense could see that it was Jia Qingqing who had been secretly ndering Ning Xi, it was a shame there was no concrete evidence to prove it.

    Up to this point, everything had gone ording to Ning Xi¡¯s expectations, but she never thought that there would be even more shocking developments after this.

    In the early hours of the morning, Jia Qingqing¡¯s manager Han Ying put up a Weibo post.

    Han Ying posted evidence that Jia Qingqing had hired her water army to nder Ning Xi, even arranging for people with side ounts to infiltrate Jiang Muye¡¯s fanbase and rile them up, to use the fans to attack Ning Xi.

    What was even more shocking, Han Ying actually exposed the fact that Jia Qingqing wasn¡¯t the daughter of the rich man she called her father, but his mistress!

    The rich man Jia Qingqing spoke of as her father was not her real father at all, and instead was her sugar daddy. He was even married with kids.

    Han Ying¡¯s Weibo post contained plenty incriminating chat records and scandalous photos. No matter what Jia Qingqing said, she wouldn¡¯t be able to deny it.

    There was only one road for Jia Qingqing now ¡ª retirement.

    Even if she could still make aeback, in the entertainment industry, where the new was always recing the old, her chances of making aeback was next to none.

    After viting the professional code by exposing the private life of an artiste under her care, Han Ying¡¯s own career as a manager was also ruined. Who knew what kind of conflict she had with Jia Qingqing, that Han Ying would take her down with her in such an intense way.

    After the issue blew up, Starlight Entertainment attempted to delete all posts, topics, andments, but there were too many to be able to do so; furthermore, this only made online users even angrier.

    So to appease public anger, Starlight could only release a statement saying that they would seriously investigate Jia Qingqing for her role in maliciously ndering Ning Xi. As for the matter of Jia Qingqing being a kept woman, thepany so far was tight-lipped. They had released a neutral statement about investigating that matter further, but obviously, they were reluctant to give up on Jia Qingqing, for the big money they had spent on her.

    Ning Xi didn''t have any scenes today, and at first she was prepared to rest at home for the day, but because this issue had blown up so much, she received a call after breakfast to go to thepany.

    In the meeting room, Ning Xueluo, Chang Li, and Jia Qingqing were all present, along with the Director of Public Rtions, Feng Haoyang.

    Jia Qingqing had her head down, and there were huge dark circles under her eyes. As soon as she saw Ning Xi walk in, she stood up in extreme agitation. "Ning Xi, you b*tch! Now are you satisfied? I won¡¯t let you get away with this!"

    Ning Xi picked helplessly at her ear; it was more or less the same speech each time, she was getting callouses from listening to it so many times.

    "Shut your mouth, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve caused enough trouble?" Feng Haoyang rebuked her impatiently.

    Jia Qingqing was extremely unwilling, but she only could sit down feeling aggrieved. Her cowardly sugar daddy had disappeared after the truth of their rtionship had been revealed. Her entire fate nowy in Feng Haoyang¡¯s hands.

    "Sit." Feng Haoyang said shortly to Ning Xi, his had expression full of hesitation, as if he was still deciding something.

    At this moment, Chang Li spoke up. "Ning Xi, you should already know what happenedst night. Here¡¯s the thing, in a short while, Qingqing is going to post a public apology for ndering you. When you respond, say that you were also at fault; be a little more generous, and say that you¡¯ve forgiven her."

 Chapter 103: Whose Fault Is It When a Mad Dog Bites Someone?

    <h4>Chapter 103: Whose Fault Is It When a Mad Dog Bites Someone?</h4>

    Ning Xueluo also spoke up to persuade her. "Sister Ning, I know you¡¯re notfortable, but after all, you really were at fault, you can''t drag thepany down because of this personal drama between the both of you! The only way to resolve this now is to minimize the impact!"

    Ning Xi looked at Ning Xueluo, who appeared as if her main concern was to protect thepany, and murmured, "Senior Sister, if I remember correctly, from the beginning to the end, it was Jia Qingqing who targeted me and framed me. I have always been mindful of Sister Chang¡¯s teachings to not embarrass thepany and to always prioritize thepany. I suffered in silence until now; even when I was being ndered, I didn''t dare trouble thepany, until some kind-hearted online friend stood up for me, only then was my reputation wiped clean!

    Now what the online users and fans are angry over is Jia Qingqing being a mistress. Clearly, Jia Qingqing is the one who is not thinking about thepany, framing an artiste from the samepany and tarnishing thepany¡¯s image, right? Senior Sister, are you saying that if a mad dog chases someone down and bites him, and in the end falls into a ditch and dies, it is still that person¡¯s fault?

    If she posted on Weibo forgiving Jia Qingqing, all her hard-won efforts to regain her reputation would definitely crumble at thisst hurdle.

    To indulgently forgive this type of person during this furore, did they think she was stupid?

    Ning Xueluo almost choked to death at Ning Xi¡¯s words. What kind-hearted online friend, it was clear that Ning Xi was the one who had released that ckmail material, yet she could say all that with calm innocence.

    On the side, Jia Qingqing, who hadn¡¯t been quiet for every long, immediately exploded at these words. "Ning Xi, who are you saying is a mad dog! Say it clearly! You¡­"

    Seeing that Jia Qingqing was getting worked up again, Feng Haoyang spoke up to cut her off. "No need to put up a public apology."

    "Really?" Jia Qingqing was instantly happy, but in the next second, she heard Feng Haoyang continue, "Qingqing, write a statement to say you¡¯re leaving the entertainment industry."

    Jia Qingqing immediately screamed. "What? You¡¯re making me leave the entertainment industry? Why should I leave?! There¡¯s no way I¡¯m writing that kind of thing!"

    Feng Haoyang became impatient. "I¡¯m already giving you face by letting you write that statement yourself! Don''t take myst kindness for granted!"

    "Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because of being a kept woman! There are so many female stars in the entertainment industry who are kept women, so many who be mistresses, why should I be the one to leave?!" Jia Qingqing wasn''t convinced.

    "Because you are the only one dumb enough to let the whole world know about it!"

    "What¡¯s that got to do with me, it¡¯s all because Han Ying that b*tch betrayed me! Why haven¡¯t you gone after her?!"

    "How can I, when she¡¯s already resigned? Han Ying was the most easygoing manager in the wholepany, so ask yourself, besides her, who else would have been able to tolerate your temper? It was bad enough that you were always yelling at her, but when her son had a fever of more than 40oC and she wanted to take him to the hospital, you wouldn¡¯t let her go no matter what. In the end, when she rushed there in the middle of the night, her son was so sick he had to be admitted into the ICU! So far he is still in critical condition!" Feng Haoyang listed her misdeeds. It wasn¡¯t just Han Ying, he had already long been fed up with having to deal with Jia Qingqing¡¯s mess non-stop.

    Jia Qingqing didn''t think she was wrong in the slightest, and said in a careless manner, "He didn''t die, right? There are doctors for that sort of thing, what use would it have been even if she went? She would destroy me over something like that?"

    Jia Qingqing still didn''t understand how someone with a timid personality like Han Ying could suddenly do something like this. She was divorced, and her son was a chronic invalid. Every month, she spent so much on medical expenses. Without this job, how could she make a living?

    She could never have guessed that a powerful figure like Liang Feixing would deal with a nobody like her personally.

 Chapter 104: Who Doesnâ€™t Have Dirt On Themselves

    <h4>Chapter 104: Who Doesn¡¯t Have Dirt On Themselves</h4>

    Feng Haoyang pinched the skin between his eyebrows and finally gave up onmunicating with her. Trying topete with a fool was the most idiotic thing to do.

    Thepany had spent a lot of effort on Jia Qingqing, but because of this matter, things were beyond recovery. However great the loss was, she could only be discarded.

    Seeing that Feng Haoyang had made up his mind, Jia Qingqing rushed to Ning Xueluo, clutching at straws. "Sister Xueluo, help me! Let Sister Chang manage me! I guarantee I¡¯ll definitely be obedient! I promise that I¡¯ll post a letter of apology!"

    When Chang Li heard this, she instantly became frightened. Get her to take over Jia Qingqing? Ning Xueluo wouldn¡¯t trap her like that, right?

    Of course, Ning Xueluo wasn¡¯t as brainless as Jia Qingqing, so she put on a troubled expression and shemented regretfully, "Qingqing, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not helping you. You heard Ning Xi¡¯s words just now, she¡¯s not willing to help. Besides, this is thepany''s decision, I also have no choice."

    After this issue hade out, she knew Jia Qingqing was finished, but she still wanted to use her to the very end to drag Ning Xi down with her. It was a pity that Feng Haoyang had realized early on that an apology would bepletely useless, and might also drag anotherpany artiste into trouble; in the end, he just directly gave up on Jia Qingqing.

    She had thought Jia Qingqing would be a good knife to use in dealing with Ning Xi, who knew she was stupid enough to get pulled in herself, and even make Ning Xi¡¯s poprity soar. There was no way she would continue wasting energy on this type of person.

    "Ning Xi! You b*tch! B*tch! B*tch! Wait and see! Even if I die, I¡¯ll drag you down to die with me!" Jia Qingqing finally lost hope, and took her anger out on Ning Xi, until Feng Haoyang called security and she was dragged away.

    Towards this kind of person, Ning Xi didn¡¯t even bother to hate her, and could only pity her; even until now, she still didn¡¯t know that she had been used as cannon fodder.

    Feng Haoyang looked at Ning Xi with a far more rxed expression on his face. "Ning Xi, act well in this movie. If the oue is good, thepany will focus on cultivating you. But what Ning Xueluo said just now makes sense. You should keep your head down for now, and don''t stir up unnecessary trouble."

    The whole affair was simply the perfect public rtions crisis management scenario, from Ning Xi being knee-deep in scandal to being washedpletely clean, and instead Jia Qingqing being forced to leave the entertainment industry.

    Although Feng Haoyang suspected that someone was working behind the scenes, he couldn¡¯t find the slightest w, and could only attribute it to Ning Xi¡¯s good luck.

    "Thank you, Director Feng, I will." Ning Xi pretended to be surprised and nervous.

    Aftering out of the meeting room, Ning Xi went to the washroom, and Ning Xueluo followed her in.

    Ning Xueluo crossed her arms over her chest and sneered at her. "Ning Xi, you¡¯re so good at digging up dirt on other people, aren¡¯t you afraid your own unsavoury past will be exposed one day?"

    Ning Xi''s eyes narrowed slightly and turned cold. She turned around, and said unconcernedly, "Who doesn¡¯t have dirt on them, in this industry? You don¡¯t? Eldest Miss Ning!"

    Ning Xi deliberately emphasized this form of address, Eldest Miss Ning, then pretended to be suddenly enlightened. "Ah! I¡¯ve just realized, Jia Qingqing¡¯s title ¡®fake daughter, real mistress¡¯ unexpectedly is also very suitable for describing you! When the timees for me to expose you, doesn¡¯t it save me the trouble of finding a title for you?"

    This hit Ning Xueluo¡¯s sore spot, and she immediately got furious. "What false daughter real mistress! Since I was born, I¡¯ve always been part of the Ning family. I¡¯m the only daughter Father has recognized. As for Su Yan, you¡¯re the one who was useless and couldn¡¯t keep his heart. Do you think anyone would believe your nonsense?"

    Ning Xi heaved a long sigh. "Then¡­ shall we test it? Go ahead and expose that dark part of my past! There are so many people out there, so I haven¡¯t been able to find the whereabouts of the two male hookers you bought off. Who knows, perhaps the general public might help me strike unexpected gold."

 Chapter 105: Buy Buy Buy For Little Bun

    <h4>Chapter 105: Buy Buy Buy For Little Bun</h4>

    This time, Ning Xueluo''s face changedpletely, and she almost screamed out. "Ning Xi, you lunatic!"

    She wasn¡¯t afraid of Ning Xi, who was getting ahead of herself,peting with her for status or a man. The thing she was most afraid of was that she would reveal everything in order to ruin her.

    "Hehe¡­" Looking at how Ning Xueluo had turned white with fear, Ning Xi couldn''t helpughing, and patted her shoulder with a rxed expression. "Eldest Miss Ning, rx, I¡¯m just kidding. It¡¯s not worth dying together with scum like you¡­"

    At this point, Ning Xi¡¯s unconcerned gaze suddenly became iparably cold. She lowered her voice, her tone like that of a devil which had crawled out of hell in Ning Xueluo¡¯s ears. "But if you threaten me with that again, I cannot say for sure that I¡¯ll be able to control myself from doing something terrible. To use the words of your pig teammate, even if I die, I¡¯ll drag you down to die with me! Jia Qingqing that idiot was just all talk and couldn¡¯t back it up, but I¡¯m different!"

    After she was done, Ning Xi let go of Ning Xueluo¡¯s shoulder and walked out with her head high.

    Ning Xueluo, who had meant to threaten Ning Xi, was the one who had been threatened instead. The instant Ning Xi left, her whole slumped to the floor. Then her face became very dark, and she kicked the door hard.

    No, she had to think of a way topletely destroy Ning Xi!

    Otherwise, as long as she existed for even just one day, all the things she had could disappear at any moment! She would never allow this to happen!

    ¡­

    After leaving thepany, Ning Xi had nothing on in the afternoon, so she got ready to go to the shopping mall, sincest time, she had promised to buy clothes for Little Treasure.

    The moment she thought of Little Treasure, her gloomy mood instantly became sunny, and she happily went shopping.

    When Ning Xi arrived, she went straight to the children''s clothes section.

    There were so many different types and styles of children''s clothes, as far as the eye could see. Ning Xi simply dove right in; as if she had been injected with stimnts, she went even crazier than when buying clothes for herself.

    Having said that, some aspects of her life had really changed a lot since she met Little Treasure. Before, she would detour around stores selling baby products, children''s clothes, and other simr ces. But now she associated them not with her suffocating memories, but with the adorable Little Bun.

    As long as she saw cute, interesting things, she wanted to buy them for him. It felt the same as being in love!

    All the things in this mall were of famous brands, and were generally very expensive. It was the same for the children''s clothes. But because they were for Little Treasure, she was naturally very willing to buy them. She just had to buy less makeup, and she would be able to afford them.

    Today, Ning Xi was wearing a dress by a designer she liked very much, but who wasn¡¯t very famous. Although it looked good, it couldn''tpare with a big LOGO.

    The sales-girls liked to judge based on appearance, so they ignored her, and instead, they gantly followed behind ady dressed in full Chanel.

    Ning Xi walked around, and finally, in one corner, saw something that really excited her.

    It was a little sapphire blue suit. It wasn¡¯t just the color that was dazzling; on the breast pocket, there was also an adorable printed badge of the Superman S logo. Most importantly, she had many Superman-themed clothes, so she could wear matching parent and child outfits with Little Treasure at any time.

    The words "parent and child outfits" popping suddenly into Ning Xi¡¯s mind made her stomach drop a bit. She was startled to suddenly realize that this feeling which was simr to love, of always wanting to give your partner the best things, was actually also how parents treated their children.

    Ning Xi¡¯s mood wasplicated, and she was silent for quite a while before she came back to reality. Then she went to look for a salesgirl. "Miss, I''ll take this suit, please wrap it up for me."

    The salesgirl didn''t respond immediately, but instead, pointed out in a cold tone, "This suit costs 12,000 yuan."

    "I know, I saw the tag. Help me wrap it up."

    Only then did the sales-girl''s face be a little more pleasant, and she smiled slightly. "Do you need me to help you pack it in a gift box?"

    Before Ning Xi could respond, a hand with a jade bracelet on it suddenly shot forward and snatched the outfit. "Oh, this is not bad! I''ll take it!"

 Chapter 106: Encountering One Of A Kind

    <h4>Chapter 106: Encountering One Of A Kind</h4>

    "Um, I''m sorry, thisdy has already taken a fancy to this outfit." the salesgirl pointed out apologetically.

    The woman who had grabbed the outfit happened to be thedy who was wearing Chanel. When she heard this, she raised her chin unhappily. "Has she paid for it?"

    "That, not yet¡­"

    "As it hasn¡¯t been paid for, no one owns it. I¡¯ll take it. Give me the bill right away!" Chanel ordered, as if it was a matter of course.

    But right after she spoke, her hand was suddenly empty, and the outfit was back in Ning Xi¡¯s hand.

    Chanel instantly got furious. "What do you think you¡¯re doing, snatching my clothes!"

    Ning Xi¡¯s tone was even more matter-of-fact than hers had been. "Didn¡¯t you say that since it hasn¡¯t been paid for, no one owns it? What, you can snatch it away, but no one else can?"

    "You¡­" Chanel was about to blow her top, but suddenly she stopped and stared at Ning Xi¡¯s face in surprise and doubt. "Ning Xi¡­ are you Ning Xi?"

    As if she had discovered something really funny, Chanel dragged herpanion over. "Xuanxuan, quick,e here and see who it is. That Ning family country bumpkin is actually in this type of ce fighting me for clothes!"

    "Did you say Ning Xi? Impossible¡­" Seeing the woman in front of her, herpanion was surprised. She had long, ck hair with natural curls, and her ssic makeup was perfect. She was wearing a light purple strapless dress that wasn¡¯t a famous designer brand, but which specially showcased her disposition. Her whole being gave off a proud and noble air. There wasn¡¯t even a shadow of the timid and spineless country wench from before.

    "It¡¯s her! I won¡¯t mistake that face, a peasant girl is a peasant girl. She might have changed her wardrobe, but she¡¯s still inferior stock!" Chanel said in a sure tone.

    Herpanion looked again carefully, and realized that that face really did belong to Ning Xi. Actually, five years ago, Ning Xi had had a good foundation, but shepletely didn¡¯t know how to make herself up, and was always dressed in uncool styles. At the banquet that year, she had worn an A-line dress that was obviously one size too big and in an old-fashioned color, which left a deep impression on people.

    "Why is she buying children''s clothes? I haven¡¯t heard that she¡¯s married!"

    "Who knows which wild man the kid belongs to. Maybe it was an illegitimate pregnancy! Wasn¡¯t the reason Su Yan dumped her before was that she had been having an affair with another man?"

    ¡­

    As the two women traded words back and forth for a long time, Ning Xi finally remembered who they were.

    Chanel was called Ying Fanglin, and herpanion was Jin Xuanxuan. They were both socialites in that circle, Ning Xueluo¡¯s group of girlfriends. Back then, these were the two who hadughed at her the most.

    Later on, she heard that Ying Fanglin had married well, and in the first year, she had given her husband a son, so she had be even more arrogant. Jin Xuanxuan also had a fianc¨¦ from a well-off family.

    Who knew she would encounter these high quality goods, wandering around the children''s clothes section?

    It seemed that these two didn¡¯t know that she had entered the entertainment industry, and Ning Xi didn¡¯t want to quarrel with other people in a public ce, so she directly ignored them and said to the salesgirl, "Miss, the bill, please."

    Although those two didn¡¯t look easy to deal with, it was Ning Xi, after all, who had seen the suit first, so the salesgirl hurriedly gave her the bill and swiped her card.

    But a problem popped up with the card.

    The sales-girl¡¯s face looked a little ugly. "I¡¯m sorry, Miss, you have insufficient bnce on your card."

    "Ah?" Ning Xi looked at her nkly.

    Only then did Ning Xi recall thatst month, she had switched out the engine in her beloved car for an imported one, so there wasn¡¯t actually much money on her card¡­

    When Ying Fanglin saw the situation, she immediately started tough mockingly. "Hahaha, you¡¯re really killing me, you have no money, but you still want to bite off more than you can chew!"

    Jin Xuanxuan also shrugged her shoulders disdainfully. "I would have thought in thesest few years studying overseas, you would have progressed a little. As expected, a pheasant is still a pheasant, and will never ever be a phoenix!"

    Ying Fanglin looked smugly at the salesgirl. "Miss, can you give this outfit to me now?"

    "Yes, madam!" After replying, the salesgirl was about to take the outfit out of Ning Xi¡¯s hands.

    Ning Xi held on and refused to let go.

    Ying Fanglin immediately yelled, "What, you have no money and you¡¯re still trying to act tough? Do you think this is the country?"

    With the outfit in one hand, Ning Xi used the other to rummage around in her bag and take out a ck card, which she passed to the salesgirl. "Swipe this one."

 Chapter 107: A Man In Love

    <h4>Chapter 107: A Man In Love</h4>

    At first, Ning Xi had been prepared to pay with her own money, and buy it for Little Bun as a gift. She never expected this awkward situation to happen.

    She really liked this outfit, and thinking how something that was meant for Little Bun would be snatched away by someone like Ying Fanglin, her whole body couldn¡¯t bear it. In the end, she took out the ck card which Lu Tingxiao had given her.

    When Ning Xi took the card out, it was the salesgirl and those two women¡¯s turn to stare dumbly.

    The salesgirl was very experienced and knowledgeable, and with one nce she had recognized the card. Ying Fanglin and Jin Xuanxuan had never seen the real thing before, but women in that circle were inherently sensitive to this kind of thing, so they also instantly recognized that this was the "King of all cards", only a few of which existed in the world, the legendary Infinite ck credit card.

    The limit on this card was extremely high, and the annual fee was shocking, but the cardholder would receive first-ss service worldwide. As a result, it wasn''t avable to the public, and you couldn¡¯t apply for it. Only 1% of tinum card holders were selected and invited to hold this card, so even the wealthy couldn¡¯t necessarily hold it. The only ones who could obtain this card were important politicians, billionaires, or celebrities in society.

    Ying Fanglin¡¯s face was stiff, and she hmphed coldly. "It¡¯s probably a fake card! Miss, you have to check it properly!"

    While the salesgirl had seen it before, it had actually only been once. She took the card cautiously, and then started the process of swiping it.

    After ten seconds, the salesgirl instantly had a megawatt smile on her face, and she gave Ning Xi a 90-degree bow. "Miss, you¡¯re all set, I¡¯ll wrap the suit up for you right away."

    Ning Xi nodded. "Thank you."

    Ying Fanglin and Jin Xuanxuan stood there in shock. They exchanged looks, and stared at Ning Xi like they had seen a ghost.

    Ning Xi picked up the wrapped outfit and straightaway turned around to leave.

    Seeing Ning Xi leave in her high heels, Ying Fanglin gnashed her teeth, her face full of malice. "So what, it¡¯s definitely because she¡¯s be some rich man¡¯s mistress! Does she think if she gives birth to a son, she can marry into blue blood?"

    "That¡¯s right, the real wife will definitely make her suffer to death one day!" Jin Xuanxuan echoed the sentiment.

    ¡­

    After leaving the children¡¯s clothes section, Ning Xi passed by the men¡¯s section on the floor below.

    Mm, that over there looked like the brand Lu Tingxiao usually wore.

    It was totally Lu Tingxiao¡¯s style, mainly in shades of ck, white and grey, and looked aristocratic yet restrained.

    After staring at it for a bit, her gaze fell on a newer brand which had be quite popr in recent years. Comparing them, the newer brand had more vibrant colors and trendier styles.

    Ning Xi stroked her chin, and suddenly wanted to buy some clothes for Lu Tingxiao.

    That was women for you, they¡¯d go out intending to just buy a pair of shoes, but in the end,e back with a pile of other things like clothes, bags and essories.

    So after buying something for Little Bun, she couldn¡¯t help the urge to fix Lu Tingxiao¡¯s style.

    After hesitating for three minutes, Ning Xi decided, buy!

    So she entered the shop and straightaway bought the suit off the mannequin at the entrance, which was in the same shade of sapphire blue as Little Treasure¡¯s clothes.

    At the same time, in the CEO¡¯s office at Lu Corporation, Lu Tingxiao, who was listening to Lu Jingli¡¯s reports, received two text messages.

    Checking them, they were message notifications from his bank.

    Ning Xi had used his card?

    A contented smile suddenly appeared on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s cold face.

    Seeing that expression, Lu Jingli understood clearly. "A text from sister-inw?"

    Lu Tingxiao: "No."

    "No?" That was strange!

    Curious, Lu Jingli approached the table for a look. Hmm, wasn¡¯t this two message notifications from the bank? And they were expense notifications, not ie notifications! Did he have to look so contented over them?

    Aiya, it was really hard to understand a man who was in love!

 Chapter 108: Donâ€™t Put On Any Clothes

    <h4>Chapter 108: Don¡¯t Put On Any Clothes</h4>

    Once night fell, Ning Xi returned to the Lu residence with her purchases.

    Seeing the old butler watering flowers at the entrance, Ning Xi greeted him in a hurry. "Grandpa Butler, where¡¯s darling Little Treasure?"

    The old butler was in a ck tailcoat, with a neat bowtie. Seeing Ning Xi, he said respectfully, "Miss Xiao Xi, you¡¯re back, Little Young Master is drawing in the garden."

    "Ah, he¡¯s drawing, then I won¡¯t disturb him. Then, where is Mister Lu?"

    "Eldest Young Master is upstairs."

    "Okay, thank you!" Ning Xi went upstairs happily.

    Looking at the energetic back of the girl, the old butler was in aplicated mood. In the time that he hade to know her, no matter how guarded he had been, he couldn¡¯t help developing a good feeling about this girl.

    A beautiful girl with good manners would be weed anywhere. What was unexpected was that she was mindful of her actions. She never tried to cross the line with the eldest young master, and even at times didn¡¯t pay any attention to her image at all.

    It was actually very easy to see if a woman had intentions towards a man; at the most you could hide it for one or two days, but certainly not for very long.

    Likewise, it was also very easy to see if a man had intentions towards a woman.

    Perhaps other people couldn¡¯t tell, but he had seen everything from the beginning to the end, so he was the one who was most clear on this matter. The eldest young master obvious had feelings for this girl. He had actually designed the guest room she was staying in himself, even personally picking out the bedsheets and curtains, and the clothes and essories in her closet. Not only that, the first day she arrived, he had told the chef about her eating habits, and always had some food saved for her each time she came backte. There were other simr details, too many to count¡­

    Even if it was because she had saved the little young master¡¯s life, the eldest young master¡¯s meticulous actions seemed a bit too much.

    Actually, if she was a nice youngdy with a spotless background, it would be a happy thing if they became a couple. After this youngdy had moved into the house, the eldest young master had be more animated and the little young master more cheerful. The old butler had watched the both of them grow up, so naturally he was overjoyed to see all this.

    So, what he was worried about now was not that Ning Xi had wicked intentions, but that she didn¡¯t have any at all.

    Upstairs, Ning Xi couldn¡¯t wait to show off her purchases, so she straightaway opened the door to Lu Tingxiao¡¯s room.

    "Lu¡­"

    As soon as she opened the door, her vision was filled with flesh ¡ª Lu Tingxiao¡¯s hair was wet and he was half naked, a white towel wrapped around his waist. Water drops slid down his toned abs and into his V-line¡­

    It was a scene you couldn¡¯t turn away from, so her first reaction was not to close her eyes, but to open them wider.

    She was a little put off by the idea of sex, but that didn''t stop her from appreciating beautiful things.

    Maybe the trauma after being betrayed that year had been too much; she herself didn''t know when she had changed. Five years ago, she would have blushed to see a man even in a simple tank and underwear. Aside from Su Yan, she had never spoken to any unfamiliar men, and no matter how good-looking they were, she never paid any attention to them¡­

    It was probably a full five seconds before Ning Xi regained her senses, and with a "swoosh" she turned around and covered her eyes with her hands, still carrying the two shopping bags. "I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I forgot to knock!"

    Lu Tingxiaoughed lightly. "My fault, I forgot to lock the door."

    In reality, he hadn¡¯t forgotten, he had left his door unlocked even since she got back.

    "Did you need something? Wait a moment, I¡¯ll put on some clothes first."

    The girl had stared at him for a short yet long time, and it had felt like a fire burning his skin inch by inch. Fortunately, she had turned away in time, otherwise, the uncontroble reaction of a certain part of his body would have given him away.

    Lu Tingxiao was about to open his closet to get some clothes, but behind him, Ning Xi suddenly shouted, "Ah, no! Don''t put on any clothes!"

 Chapter 109: Dont Bring Men Back Here

    <h4>Chapter 109: Don''t Bring Men Back Here</h4>

    Never expecting that the girl would make such a request of him, Lu Tingxiao was obviously taken aback. He looked at her back and asked lightly, "Why?"

    Even though he was very happy to satisfy such a wonderful request by this girl.

    Realizing that her words were too ambiguous, Ning Xi quickly made a "Pei" sound. "Don¡¯t misunderstand! I meant it literally, there wasn¡¯t any deeper meaning! Er, actually, the literal meaning also seems very dirty¡­ cough, in short, what I meant was I bought you some clothes when I was shopping today, do you want to try it on? Trying it on now saves you having to change clothes and take them off and change again. Aren¡¯t I clever?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked a little surprised at her words, and seemed a bit overwhelmed by her consideration. "You bought it for me?"

    He thought that she had definitely bought them for Little Treasure.

    "Yes, but, cough cough, I used your card!" Ning Xi looked a bit embarrassed as she scratched her nose. "Actually, I was prepared to use my own money, and to buy it as a gift for Little Treasure. But who knew after getting a new car motorst month, my card would have no money on it, so I had to use yours. Then, on the way back, I saw a man¡¯s suit in the men¡¯s section which perfectly matched the color of the clothes I bought for Little Treasure, so I couldn¡¯t help buying it!"

    "I see." Even though she hadn¡¯t specifically intended to buy something for him, it was enough to cheer him up.

    "I asked the salesgirl, if you try it on and don''t like it, you can return it. Quick, go try it on and see whether you like it or not!" Ning Xi rushed him.

    Lu Tingxiao didn''t hesitate at all: " I like it." She bought it herself, and it was the first time she bought him clothes, how could he not like it.

    "You haven''t even seen what it looks like!" Ning Xi muttered, before stepping back and handing him one of the shopping bags.

    Lu Tingxiao took the bag. "You only bought for me and Little Treasure, you didn''t buy anything for yourself?"

    Ning Xi sighed. "Eh, I don¡¯t have money, wait ¡®til I earn some, then I¡¯ll buy."

    Just as Lu Tingxiao was about to say that she could swipe his card, Ning Xi took out a ck card from her bag. "Oh, right, here you go! Using this was just so cool! Today, it made a woman who was fighting me for the clothes I wanted to buy jealous to death!"

    Lu Tingxiao could only sigh and say, "Keep it, I¡¯m usually too busy to have time to buy things for Little Treasure. If you see anything suitable, buy it straightaway. Of course, I would be very happy if you helped pick something out for me."

    "Are you that confident in my taste? Then don¡¯t change your mindter when you try it on!" Ning Xi didn¡¯t stand on ceremony with him, and took the card back straightaway. "Then I¡¯ll give this back to you when I move out. I¡¯ll leave you to get changed!"

    Just as she was about to go, behind her, the man suddenly grabbed the hand that was free.

    That startled Ning Xi, and she was about to turn around again when she remembered that Lu Tingxiao was still half naked, so she could only remain in that twisted position, her arm caught behind her. "What is it?"

    Lu Tingxiao tightened his grip on her hand slightly. "Ning Xi, Little Treasure¡¯s condition has improved a lot recently, and he¡¯s not always bothering you anymore. He listens well, doesn¡¯t disturb you, and doesn¡¯t disrupt your work. As long as everyday, he can see you, wait for you toe home, and know that you¡¯re sleeping in the next room, he¡¯s very happy and calm¡­

    I know I no longer have a reason to keep you here, but as Little Treasure¡¯s father, I haven¡¯t done enough for him at all, and I really hope for this kind of happiness tost a little longer for Little Treasure.

    Three months, can you stay for three more months, at the most? If you want to leave after that, I won¡¯t force you to stay. During this time, you can treat this ce as your own home; do whatever you want, you don¡¯t have to be polite.

    You can swear when you¡¯re angry, eat durian and garlic, drink at a bar ande backte¡­ I only have one request. In these three months, can you show some restraint, and don''t bring men back here?"

    Ning Xi had almost been moved to tears by the first part of his speech, but by the end of it, she almost vomited three liters of blood.

    The more she listened, the more Lu Tingxiao sounded like a gentle and virtuous wife, while she was the scummy, degenerate husband.

 Chapter 110: You Can Become a Groom Straightaway

    <h4>Chapter 110: You Can Be a Groom Straightaway</h4>

    Ning Xi said sullenly, "Lu Tingxiao, are we really going to talk in this kind of position? Why don¡¯t you put some clothes on first?"

    Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be able to focus on the issue!

    "Fine." Lu Tingxiao finally said behind her.

    It was as if Ning Xi had been given a pardon, and she hurriedly fled the room.

    Sigh, Lu Tingxiao was certainly a natural public speaker. In a few words, he had managed to pull at her heartstrings, especially when it was rted to Little Treasure.

    It was just that if she continued to stay here, and for three more months at that, she was afraid that it really would be a little inappropriate¡­

    As she was debating the issue, she suddenly felt something soft on her leg. Looking down, she saw it was Little Treasure, who hade running without her noticing. As usual, he hugged her leg, and in one hand he held a painting.

    Ning Xi bent to hug the little guy. "Darling, you¡¯ve finished drawing?"

    Little Treasure nodded.

    "What did you draw? Can Auntie see it?"

    Little Treasure instantly gave her the picture.

    With one look, Ning Xi¡¯s eyes filled with tears.

    It was her in the picture.

    The colors in the painting were bright and dreamy. She was lying on a small bed with a storybook in her hand. Little Treasure had drawn it from his point of view, as if he was lying next to her and looking up.

    The whole painting radiated Little Treasure¡¯s happiness and satisfaction at being glued to her side as he lifted his head to listen to her tell him a story.

    "Darling, this is amazing!" The scales in Ning Xi¡¯s heart hadpletely tipped to one side.

    She drew a deep breath to calm herself down. Then she kissed the little guy on his forehead and said happily, "Auntie bought you new clothes, do you want to try it on?"

    Little Treasure nodded with sparkles in his eyes.

    After Ning Xi helped Little Treasure change and was just about to look for Lu Tingxiao, Lu Tingxiao walked out of his room after also getting changed.

    Ning Xi had been confident with the outfit she had picked out for Little Treasure, but she hadn¡¯t been as certain with Lu Tingxiao¡¯s outfit. After all, she had never seen Lu Tingxiao wear anything that was not ck, white or grey, let alone a vibrant color like sapphire blue.

    But after seeing Lu Tingxiao in the outfit, she waspletely dumbstruck.

    This¡­ this fit him too perfectly¡­

    At first she had thought it might look too out-of-ce or awkward; she never expected such an amazing result.The suit showed off his wide shoulders, narrow hip and long legs perfectly. Most importantly, his heavy and solemn temperament had instantly be brighter, and even made him look a lot younger.

    Lu Tingxiao was pleased by the admiration in the girl¡¯s eyes. "So?"

    Ning Xi nodded, "So handsome! Pin a big red flower to your chest, and you can be a groom straightaway!"

    Lu Tingxiao:"¡­" The way this girl praised people was really unique.

    "Little Treasure, don''t you think so? Isn''t your papa handsome?" Ning Xi lowered her head to ask the little bun, who was a mini-version of Lu Tingxiao.

    Even though Little Treasure didn''t care too much for his dad, he had to admit that this version of his daddy looked much better than the normally ck one, so he nodded generously.

    Ning Xi was instantly pleased with herself, and she snapped her fingers, "I never realized my eye was that good! Of course, CEO Lu already has a good foundation, you look handsome in anything! But I think you should wear bright colors like this more often, it¡¯ll lift your employees¡¯ moods, and they¡¯ll be more productive!"

    Hearing the words "good foundation" and "you look handsome in anything", Lu Tingxiao couldn¡¯t help curling his lips. "Mm, in the future, if you see anything else suitable, buy it for me."

 Chapter 111: Exterminate Every Last Cheating Dog In The World

    <h4>Chapter 111: Exterminate Every Last Cheating Dog In The World</h4>

    "Okay, okay, leave it to me!" Ning Xi patted her chest confidently. The more she looked at these two, one big and one small, the more excited she became. "Aiya, I can¡¯t take it anymore, I really want to take photos of the two of you! Come here,e here, stand together, a little closer, hold hands¡­"

    With each instruction she gave, father and son posed for her very cooperatively.

    With each photo Ning Xi took, she became more and more addicted, andpletely turned into a fangirl. Out on the balcony and in the small garden, she took photos non-stop of the father and son pair.

    Standing next to her, Lu Tingxiao leaned in closer to take a look, and praised her. "Well taken."

    Ning Xi waved her hands modestly. "My technical skills are so-so, plus I''m using a phone. But the two of you are such good models, and the background is also amazing, so all the photos look like magazine shots! By the way, Lu Tingxiao, do you have WeChat? I¡¯ll add you and send you all the photos! I¡¯ve been meaning to say, no one uses SMS anymore nowadays, it¡¯s too troublesome! Andter, teach Little Treasure how to use WeChat, too!"

    "I do, search for my number." Lu Tingxiao was starting to rejoice that Lu Jingli had forced him to open a WeChat ount.

    "What? Your ID is just Lu Tingxiao¡­ that¡¯s too boring!" Ning Xi teased as she instantly added him as a friend.

    Lu Tingxiao lifted an eyebrow, and when he instinctively looked at Ning Xi¡¯s nickname, he realized that he actually didn¡¯t recognize some of the characters in it.

    Loneliness Like Never-ending Arrows in the Void?

    Why was this nickname so strange? What did it mean?

    Lu Tingxiao really wanted to ask, but was worried that this was online ng. Asking would expose the generation gap between him and her, like thest time, so he decided to keep silent.

    After adding each other as friends, Ning Xi sent him all the photos.

    When Lu Tingxiao received the pictures, he inadvertently noticed Ning Xi¡¯s personal signature: by the sword in my hand, I will one day exterminate everyst cheating dog in the world!

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­"

    Only after she had finished sending the photos did Ning Xi realize that Lu Tingxiao was staring at her signature with aplicated expression on his face. She immediately became embarrassed as she exined, "That, well, I created this signature when I was going through a phase in middle school, and I forgot to change it since! Ridiculous, isn¡¯t it?"

    Lu Tingxiaoughed softly: "Not bad."

    There was going to be a day when he would be the reason for her to change this signature.

    "And my nickname, cough cough, it¡¯s Martiannguage, it was quite popr online back then. It looks silly now, but I¡¯ve gotten used to it, so I haven¡¯t bothered changing it!" Ning Xi scratched her head as she exined.

    "Not bad, can you help me switch to something simr?" Lu Tingxiao requested.

    "Huh? You¡­ you really think it¡¯s not bad?" Ning Xi was shocked at Lu Tingxiao¡¯s taste.

    "Yes." Lu Tingxiao looked very serious.

    "Then¡­ then I¡¯ll think of something for you!" Ning Xi regretted it as soon as she made the promise. She couldn¡¯t imagine how his circle of friends on WeChat would react when they saw his nickname changed to one in Martian. That scene would be simply too beautiful¡­

    "Thank you."

    Lu Tingxiao hardly ever used WeChat, so after signing in this time, it wasn¡¯t long before a lot of messages popped up in the family group chat.

    It looked like the Lu family elders wereining to their rtives that they hadn¡¯t seen their good grandson for so long, becausetely, it seemed that their eldest son had a girl he liked, and was actively trying to court her, so they didn''t dare disturb him.

    This wasn¡¯tining, but in fact, showing-off!

    Hehehe, our eldest son finally has a girl he likes! It¡¯s. A. Girl!

    Lu Tingxiao didn¡¯t know whether to cry orugh at his parents¡¯ words. Then he simply sent all the photos Ning Xi had just taken to the group.

    A few secondster, the whole family group chat exploded.

    ¡®Martiannguage¡¯ is the unconventional expression of Chinese characters online. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martiannguage)

 Chapter 112: Sister-in-law Is Unbelievable

    <h4>Chapter 112: Sister-inw Is Unbelievable</h4>

    Everyone¡¯s first reaction was, the king of eternal lurking, Lu Tingxiao, had actually showed up in the family group chat.

    The second reaction was, my god, this father and son pair were simply too much, as if they had stepped out of a magazine!

    Really wanted to steal Little Treasure away!

    Really wanted to marry their daughters into that family!

    It was only because marriage between rtives was forbidden in contemporary society, that the countless family members who had daughters weren¡¯t already beating each other¡¯s brains out for the opportunity.

    [Aiya, my good grandson is too cute, aiya, my son is too handsome!] Madam Lu was so excited she didn''t know who to praise first.

    [Tingxiao ah, who picked the clothes for you and Little Treasure? Was it the girl you like?] With one nce, Madam Lu could tell that this was not her son¡¯s style at all.

    [Yes.]

    [I knew it, you would never choose this style! Look at how bright the color is, it looks so good! It¡¯s nothing like the dull clothes you wear all the time, and Little Treasure has to suffer the same dull style too! As expected, this house does need a woman!]

    [She also took these photos?] Master Lu couldn''t help asking.

    [Yes.] Lu Tingxiao was still a man of few words.

    [Not bad.] Master Lu was obviously very pleased.

    Since he was young, Lu Tingxiao hated taking photos, Little Treasure even more so. So there were very few photos of the two, and even less of them together. Acting in unison, the two elders secretly saved all the photos.

    [Damn, my future sister-inw is unbelievable! She can actually make you wear this color, and you even let her take photos! I gave you some clothes in a simr color before, and you looked at me so scornfully. You even belittled my taste!] This time it was Lu Jingli who spoke.

    Since Lu Jingli had also joined the chat, calling the other party "future sister-inw", all the aunties couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore, and all of them started asking Lu Tingxiao which family¡¯s young miss it was.

    Lu Tingxiao directly replied with two words: "It¡¯s private."

    Meaning this is my own private affair, no one is allowed to interfere.

    Just as they were about to pester him for details, all of them no longer dared to act rashly.

    The Lu family n was massive, and the core person who stood at its helm was Lu Tingxiao. He was like a Dragon Leader; the brilliance and glory of the Lu family, the respect and wealth which they possessed, was all dependent on him. His words could not be doubted, and were like Imperial edits.

    At the same time, there was someone else in the group who had seen the photos and the chat: Jiang Muye.

    Jiang Muye stared hard at the words"Was it the girl you like?" for a long time, then messaged Ning Xi privately.

    [Ning Xiao Xi, did you take photos of Lu Tingxiao and Little Treasure?]

    [Yeah, how¡¯d you know? You saw us?] Ning Xi recalled Jiang Muye also didn''t have any scenes today. Don¡¯t tell me this person came running over sneakily!

    [Huh, my uncle posted them in the family group! Everyone is talking about them now!]

    Seeing this, Ning Xi was happy, and she replied quickly: [Hahaha, really? Are they praising my photography skills?]

    Jiang Muye was so angry he almost threw his cellphone: [Can you focus on the main point?]

    [What should I be focusing on?]

    [I tell you, just now¡­]

    Jiang Muye wanted to tell her that Lu Tingxiao had admitted himself in the group chat that all the photos had been taken by the girl he likes, but he remembered how he had already told her three times in a row, and she still hadn¡¯t believe him. He also felt that this evidence wasn¡¯t enough, and in the end she might just beat him up again, so he decided to collect irrefutable proof first in order to convince her.

    [Tomorrow, we¡¯ll be shooting together, don¡¯t bete!] Jiang Muye changed the topic.

    [When have I ever beente!]

    [If I remember correctly, it¡¯s a kissing scene, if you dare eat garlic or durian before that, you¡¯re dead, you hear me?]

 Chapter 113: Three Months (To Make Her My Wife)

    <h4>Chapter 113: Three Months (To Make Her My Wife)</h4>

    After dithering for a while, Ning Xi went to look for Lu Tingxiao after dinner.

    On the quiet balcony, Lu Tingxiao wasn¡¯t in a hurry, and just stood there waiting patiently for her response.

    Ning Xi took a deep breath, turned to the man next to her, and finally said determinedly, "Lu Tingxiao, that thing you talked about, I¡¯ve thought about it. I promise I¡¯ll stay for another three months, but I really will have to leave after that."

    Even if there was nothing going on between them, it would be suspicious for an unmarried woman to stay in someone else¡¯s house, and would easily create unnecessary misunderstandings.

    "Thank you." Lu Tingxiao breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, a dark light shed unnoticed in his eyes.

    "You have filming tomorrow?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi gave a long sigh and nodded. "Yes."

    Seeing her ufortable expression, Lu Tingxiao asked concernedly, " What¡¯s wrong, is tomorrow¡¯s scene very difficult?"

    Ning Xi cradled her chin, leaned against the railing, and said, "I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s difficult, it¡¯s just a kissing scene, but with Jiang Muye. I¡¯m really worried that I won¡¯t stay in character! What if halfway through acting, I can¡¯t take it anymore and I hit him? It could also turn into a blooper!"

    "Kissing scene¡­" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. Even though he knew there would be kissing scenes in the film, he had been painstakingly trying to avoid this issue, for he was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to control himself from doing something that would make her despise him.

    At this moment, Ning Xi suddenly thought of something, and patted her head. "Ah, right, Lu Tingxiao, there¡¯s something¡­ I need to thank you for."

    "What?" Lu Tingxiao asked a little distractedly.

    "I just found out that it was Second Young Master Lu who invested the additional amount into the movie, so you were the one who privately instructed that I should be the second female lead, right? So, thank you." Ning Xi thanked him sincerely.

    "I¡¯m d you don''t me me for doing that."

    "I¡¯m not that ignorant, I know when to be thankful!"

    "You¡¯re wee, it was just convenient." The truth was, he had done it all for her, the one for whom it was convenient was Jiang Muye.

    Ning Xi tried her best to convey what she wanted to say. "Even if it was just convenient, it was a huge gain for me. It¡¯s not enough for me to just say thanks. How about next time I¡¯m free, I¡¯ll cook for you and Little Treasure? Normally I¡¯m toozy to cook for myself, but I¡¯m actually a good cook. If I hadn¡¯t entered the entertainment industry, I might have already be a chef!"

    Lu Tingxiao smiled. "I look forward to it."

    The next day.

    When Ning Xi arrived at the movie backlot, she saw in the distance arge group of girls near the film set. There was one particrly eye-catching golden head in their midst. With one nce, she knew it was Jiang Muye and his female fans.

    Ning Xi instinctively was about to make a detour, but she didn¡¯t expect that just as she was about to slip away, someone in the crowd screamed ¡ª"Ah! It¡¯s Ning Xi!"

    In her heart, Ning Xi thought she was done for, and was about to protect her face. She never expected the group of girls to line up in rows, bow, and speak in unison. "We¡¯re sorry ¡ª"

    After apologizing, the girls all looked at her with stars in their eyes, and talked all at once:

    "Miss Ning Xi, we¡¯re sorry, we misunderstood you! Please don''t hate us, you must keep ying the role of Meng Changge!"

    "That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Your acting is really amazing, we all love you and Muye acting together!"

    "I yed that ten-second scene of you and Muye on repeat for a whole day at home!"

    ¡­

    Dazed by these girls¡¯ actions, Ning Xi looked instinctively at Jiang Muye.

 Chapter 114: Anyway Iâ€™d Be The One To Forcibly Kiss You

    <h4>Chapter 114: Anyway I¡¯d Be The One To Forcibly Kiss You</h4>

    Jiang Muye was in a good mood as he came over to exin. "Didn¡¯t Director Guo post a behind-the-scenes clip? It included the bondage scene which we shot that day. After that, they turned from being your haters into your fans. Really, is everyone so happy to see me being pushed down?"

    "Uh¡­" So that was it.

    Fans were infatuated with their stars, but very few wanted to have any interaction with them in real life, since it was too impossible. Hence, films and other media had be channels through which fans could fantasize.

    If a female star was going to co-star with your male god, your first reaction might be a little jealousy. In particr, if that actress was very terrible, fans would feel that it was unfair to their idol, which would create a mood of huge resistance. But if the opposite was the case, fans would imagine themselves as the person ying opposite their idol, which was the ultimate satisfaction.

    This was Ning Xi¡¯s current situation.

    "Muye, Muye, I heard the two of you have a lot of intimate scenes, is that true? Is there a kissing scene?" A fan asked excitedly.

    Jiang Muye raised an eyebrow. "Yes, there¡¯s one today."

    "Aaaah!" Immediately, there was a wave of excited screams.

    "Can we watch? Can we, can we?" The girls created a racket as they asked repeatedly.

    "Today¡¯s scene will be filmed outside, you should be able to see it from the fringes, but at that distance it might not be very clear," Jiang Muye replied.

    "No problem, no problem, we brought our equipment!" The girls took out binocrs, which were a must-have for a fan.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    With so many people watching, the pressure on her was going to be intense!

    In the lounge.

    Ning Xi couldn¡¯t help asking, "It''s a kissing scene, but which one is it?" Because too many things had happened recently, the schedule had changed a lot. She only had a general idea and hadn''t been given specifics.

    Jiang Muye flipped through the script excitedly. "It¡¯s the one of the Lantern Festival. I asked the directorst night."

    Ning Xi immediately recalled the story. "Lantern Festival? Isn¡¯t that the scene where Meng Changge and Sun Huanqing kiss for the first time?"

    "That¡¯s right, that¡¯s the one!" After saying that, Jiang Muye approached her warily and sniffed her. "Do you remember what I said yesterday, you didn''t eat anything you shouldn''t have, right?"

    Ning Xi pped him away. "Do I seem like such an unprofessional person?"

    "Remember what you just said, otherwise, if you¡¯ve cheated me, I''ll tell the director!" Jiang Muye stared at her distrustfully. She had yed too many tricks on him, he didn¡¯t dare lower his guard at all.

    Ning Xi gave him a haughty look. "You¡¯re so old already, yet you¡¯re still ying at tattling to the teacher! Are you a kid?"

    Jiang Muye snorted and turned away. "I¡¯m not talking to you anymore, I want to study how to act in this scene!"

    Ning Xi swung his chair around. "What do you need to study? Anyway, when the timees, I¡¯ll be the one to force a kiss on you! Nowe here, I have something to ask you!"

    Jiang Muye: "¡­" The heck, can¡¯t he study how to be forcibly kissed?

    "What do you want to ask?" Jiang Muye said unhappily.

    "How are they going to deal with Jia Qingqing''s role now?"

    "Of course she¡¯s going to be reced. I heard from Brother Ming that she¡¯ll be reced with someone from our Glory World. It seems it¡¯s a new singer! Her looks are not bad, but she doesn''t have any acting experience at all. I don¡¯t think she can act well. That¡¯s right, have you heard about Jia Qingqing?"

    "What happened to Jia Qingqing?" Ning Xi was confused.

    "What else could it be? The issue became so big that the man¡¯s legal wife found out. She got people to strip her on the streets and beat her up, and told her to leave the capital, otherwise next time she would just kill her straight away! At first, I was still worried what that woman would do to you after being driven into a corner. Now it looks like there¡¯s nothing to be worried about!" As Jiang Muye spoke, he felt that something didn¡¯t seem right. "Ning Xi, why do I feel that all this is going along too smoothly and too well?"

    At this moment, the director''s voice came from outside ¡ª

    "Ning Xi, Muye, get your makeup done, the next scene is yours!"

 Chapter 115: The Calm Before The Storm

    <h4>Chapter 115: The Calm Before The Storm</h4>

    At present, night had just fallen and the light was perfect. The props team had already set up the scene, and all the actors were in their ces.

    After changing into his costume, Jiang Muye was unexpectedly a little nervous.

    Although he and Ning Xi had dated before, he hadn¡¯t even touched a finger, let alone kiss her.

    He had never expected that the first time they would kiss wouldn¡¯t be when they were in a rtionship, but instead while they were acting.

    He was about to take a deep breath to adjust his mood, but was suddenly hit in the back by a huge force. It was Ning Xi, who was in a smart, tight-fitting costume with her hair up in a high ponytail. Lazily, she put one arm around his shoulders. "What¡¯s the matter, blondie? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re nervous?"

    "Get lost! Who¡¯s nervous! I¡¯ve shot more kissing scenes than you have eaten rice!" Jiang Muye pushed her away ill-naturedly, and the shoulder she had been leaning on felt like it was burning.

    At this moment, Guo Qisheng walked over to them anxiously. "We can¡¯t clear the film site, will the two of you be okay?"

    When filming this kind of scene, the site would sometimes be cleared so that only staff remained, to avoid actors bing too embarrassed to act well.

    Ning Xi¡¯s face was rxed as she shrugged. "I¡¯m okay! Senior Jiang says he has filmed more kissing scenes than I have eaten rice, so it¡¯s unnecessary to clear the site!"

    Guo Qishengughed loudly. "Then let¡¯s start!"

    After saying that, heforted the both of them. "Because this is the most important kiss in the whole film, I¡¯m going to ask more of you. But after all, both of you are just starting to adapt to each other, so it doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t do well at first, we¡¯ll take it slow. It¡¯s fine for you to try it several more times!"

    Hearing the director say they could try several more times, Jiang Muye¡¯s mouth twitched. He totally didn¡¯t feel he was beingforted; instead, his heart beat faster.

    What the actual hell, it¡¯s just a kissing scene! Why is your heart beating so fast!

    No one realized that above their heads, a few mini HD camera drones were hovering in the sky. Furthermore, less than one hundred meters from the film site, a ck car was parked quietly on a street corner.

    In the backseat of the car, multiple frames of the scene were being clearly projected onto a screen.

    Lu Tingxiao was in a dark-colored suit, his shirt scrupulously buttoned to the top. He braced slender fingers against his forehead, and his dark pupils reflected the light of the screen. He looked silently at the girl who had appeared on the screen after changing into her costume.

    Beside him, Lu Jingli poked his head out of the car to look around one moment, then watched the screen inside the car the next. He had a bewildered look on his face. "Brother, are you really just going to watch them like this, and do nothing at all? Then wouldn¡¯t it have been better for you to stay home? Out of sight, out of mind. Isn¡¯t this just asking to be tortured?"

    With that, he stared in dread at his brother¡¯s perfect profile in the dim light, and murmured to himself, "If you don¡¯t explode in the silence, you¡¯ll die in it¡­ why do I have a bad feeling about this!"

    After all, he had grown up with Lu Tingxiao, and he understood his personality too well. On the outside, this guy might seem particrly cold, proud and desirous of nothing, when in fact, he was scarily possessive of anything that he had deemed as belonging to his territory.

    Ever since Ning Xi had shown up, almost all the expressions Lu Tingxiao wore showed his bright and gentle side. But Lu Jingli knew, as long as there was something he wanted, there was nothing he couldn¡¯t obtain. This was the patience of a beast on a hunt. This appearance was just a flimsy one; it was hard to say when it would give way with a bang, sted into bits.

    Lately, he had been living on tenterhooks. After discovering that Jiang Muye that kid had actually dated Ning Xi before, he had sweated a lot for him.

    Ah, for the sake of that boy who was his nephew, he had to find an opportunityter to give him a warning! Otherwise, when the time came, he wouldn¡¯t know how he had died!

 Chapter 116: When They Actually Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 116: When They Actually Kiss</h4>

    Filming began.

    Hawkers sellingnterns or hostingntern riddles lined the streets, and people bustled about withnterns in their hands. There was cheerful chatter andughter everywhere.

    Sun Huanqing had been confined in his clinic seeing patients, so Meng Changge had dragged him out.

    The camera followed the two people. Under the lens, a boy and a girl ran along Changan Street, which was aze with light. It was an iparably beautiful scene¡­

    This scene didn¡¯t have a lot of dialogue, and focused mainly on the scenery and changes in the main characters¡¯ expressions.

    Meng Changge was in high spirits. Sun Huanqing had been reluctant in the beginning, but was eventually infected by the girl''s enthusiasm. They walked together in the crowd.

    After a while, Sun Huanqing suddenly realized that the girl was still pulling on his hand, so he hurriedly struggled to free himself.

    Meng Changge held on obstinately, her expression proiming that the hand belonged to her.

    Sun Huanqing said urgently, "Miss Meng, please behave yourself. Men and women are forbidden to have intimate contact!"

    Meng Changge frowned as she stared at him. "You nerd, if I let go and we¡¯re separated, then what?"

    "If we get separated, then so be it!" Sun Huanqing was so annoyed and ashamed that he spoke without thinking.

    "Sun Huanqing! You¡­" Angry, Meng Changge threw his hand away and ran into the crowd.

    Seeing the red of her clothes gradually disappear into the crowd, Sun Huanqing¡¯s expression gradually became more anxious. Recently, there had been rumors of a rapist in the capital, and girls from a number of households had already gone missing. It was so chaotic in the street today, and she was just a girl, what if something happened to her!

    At this moment, Sun Huanqing only felt concern for Meng Changge,pletely forgetting that she was a little devil ¡ª even if she encountered the rapist, he would be the unlucky one.

    The camera lens began to follow Sun Huanqing as he searched non-stop for Meng Changge. Just as Sun Huanqing was about to copse, someone suddenly patted him from behind on his shoulder.

    When he turned around, he saw a lively person in a mask standing in front of him, who spoke in a triumphant voice. "Doctor Sun, you were looking for me!"

    Hearing the girl''s familiar voice, Sun Huanqing came alive again with joy, and pulled her into his arms.

    Sun Huanqing was always so pedantic and conservative, and it was clear that Meng Changge hadn¡¯t expected him to act that way, so she instantly froze¡­

    The next scene was when Meng Changge would initiate a kiss with Sun Huanqing. The fans watching at a distance held their breaths in excitement, and were afraid to make a sound. Just imagining the first kiss between the two people, they knew it would definitely be the most beautiful scene!

    At the same time, there was a person who was even more afraid to make a sound, and that was Lu Jingli, sitting in the ck car.

    Lu Jingli curled up against the window as far away from his brother as possible, so scared he didn¡¯t even dare open his eyes to look.

    He definitely didn''t believe that his brother could watch them without doing anything; just now, seeing Ningxi hold Jiang Muye¡¯s hand, and the image of the two people hugging, the temperature in the car had already plunged to freezing. What would happen when they actually kissed?

    There wasn¡¯t going to be a bloody scer, was there?

    Whatever Lu Jingli let himself think, he still couldn¡¯t figure out how his brother would stop the scene without making Ning Xi angry.

    Lu Jingli carefully looked at the screen between his fingers, and saw Ning Xi slowly remove her mask. She looked at Jiang Muye with deep affection, reached out to pull Jiang Muye down by the neck¡­

    Over, over, it was over! Someone was going to die!

    As Lu Jingli wailed in his heart, he suddenly saw thenterns on set go out one by one, as if they were being extinguished by his brother¡¯s silently burning rage. What a terrifying sight!

 Chapter 117: This is Defying The Heavens

    <h4>Chapter 117: This is Defying The Heavens</h4>

    "Ah! It¡¯s raining ¡ª" There was a cry from the crowd.

    Because thenterns were made of paper, and some of the lotus-shaped ones weren¡¯t even covered, they were instantly put out by the rain.

    Ning Xi, who had been just about to kiss Jiang Muye, stopped because of this sudden change, and instinctively covered her head with her hands. "Why is it raining? Ouch, it hurts! Why does it seem that it¡¯s even hailing?!"

    Jiang Muye had been so nervous that his heart had nearly stopped beating, but as a result of the abrupt stop to the scene, he almost passed out fromck of air. "Damn it! Hasn¡¯t there been a drought recently? It hasn''t rained for months! And why the hell is it hailing on such a hot day?!"

    In the car, Lu Jingli was baffled.

    Raining? The weather had been fine, how could it be raining? Eh, wait¡­ hearing the thumps on the roof of the car, it seemed like it was even hailing heavily¡­

    At this moment, Lu Jingli had a sh of realization. His mouth twitched as he stared speechlessly at his elder brother, who was still as a mountain and didn¡¯t look the least bit surprised. "You actually made it rain¡­ brother, you''re defying the heavens! And isn¡¯t this a little too fierce? It¡¯s even hailing!"

    Seeing how filming had been forced to stop, the pressure around Lu Tingxiao retreated like a tide, and his thin lips spit out one cold word: "Drive."

    "Yes, Eldest Young Master." The driver started the engine, and in the dark, the ck car silently left the filming site.

    Guo Qisheng also hadn¡¯t expected such a situation to happen, and was very distraught. If the filming earlier had continued, it would definitely have been an incredibly beautiful image.

    "Ah, forget it, nothing goodes easy! Let''s call it a day! But don''t leave yet, let¡¯s have dinner together! Last time we weren¡¯t able to have a dinner to wee Muye, so we must do it today!" Guo Qisheng said to everyone.

    The production crew had been suffering a lot of setbacks recently, so this was a good time to mingle and bond with each other.

    The staff who had been listless because of the sudden change in weather instantly perked up and cheered.

    Jiang Muye gave an unenthusiastic response ¡ª he was clearly in a bad mood.

    Ning Xi threw a towel at him. "What kind of expression is that? Are you disappointed that I didn¡¯t force a kiss on you?

    "Rubbish, I¡¯m just not happy that I have to act it out with you again!" Jiang Muye red at her, then said in a warning tone, "Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re busy again tonight?"

    "I¡¯m not, why would I be busy!" Ning Xi said as she sent Lu Tingxiao a message out of habit to let him know.

    Jiang Muye sneaked a look at her phone to see the text she was sending, then realized something wasn¡¯t right. "Ning Xiao Xi, why did you change your WeChat nickname?"

    The original "Loneliness like Never-ending Arrows in the Void" had been changed to "Sugar Xiao Xi".

    "Mm, because of Lu Tingxiao," Ning Xi replied.

    Jiang Muye''s pupils contracted. "Lu Tingxiao made you change it? He told you to change, then you did! You used that nickname for so many years, no matter how much Iughed at you before, you were toozy to change it! But you actually changed it when he made you do it?"

    Ning Xi looked haughtily at him. "Can you not get so worked up? He didn''t ask me to change it, okay?"

    "Then why did you change it?"

    "It¡¯s because he didn''t make me change it, and he even said my nickname wasn¡¯t bad, and wanted me to help think of a simr one for him!"

    Jiang Muye: "¡­" F***! His uncle had savage skills in picking up girls! Even this could work?

    Ning Xi sighed. "You know, it¡¯s fine for a rough guy like me to use such a shocking name. But he is the CEO of a listed corporation, if I lead him astray with Martiannguage, wouldn¡¯t I bemitting too big a sin? So I spent a long time trying to persuade him that Martiannguage was obsolete, and to prove it, I even changed my own nickname!"

 Chapter 118: The Meeting Between Two Exes

    <h4>Chapter 118: The Meeting Between Two Exes</h4>

    Ning Xi was toozy to type, so she directly sent a voice message. "Mister Lu, the production crew is having dinner together tonight, can you please let Little Treasure know, and tell him not to wait for me to eat."

    Very quickly, her phone buzzed with Lu Tingxiao''s reply, which was also a voice message.

    Ning Xi opened it, and Lu Tingxiao¡¯s clear and caring tone came through the phone. "Okay, have fun."

    "Ning Xiao Xi¡­" Next to her, Jiang Muye gloomily said her name.

    "What?"

    "You¡¯re not just blind, are you deaf,too? Don''t you think there¡¯s something wrong with the way my uncle talks to you?"

    "Jiang Muye, do you want to get beaten up again?"

    "¡­" Jiang Muye resolutely stayed silent. Hehe, Ning Xiao Xi, you just wait. By the end of tonight, I¡¯ll definitely find evidence to convince you! Con. Vince. You!

    Pearl Hotel.

    This time, basically all the people in the production came to the dinner party. Even Ning Xueluo and the others who had had no scenes today came.

    One after another, everyone weed Jiang Muye, and the atmosphere in the room was very warm.

    After three rounds of drinks, Amy suddenly picked up a ss of wine and stood up. "Ning Xi, I misunderstood you before. This toast is to you, take it as my apology as well as my thanks!"

    "You¡¯re too kind, Sister Amy!" Ning Xi drained the wine in the cup she was holding.

    All the people cheered. After that, many people came over to drink a toast to Ning Xi, and she didn¡¯t refuse any of them, as if they were resolving all hard feelings with wine.

    Seeing Ning Xi get along well with the people on the crew, Ning Xueluo smiled slightly with a satisfied expression on her face. "Just as I said, there¡¯s no way little Junior Sister can be that kind of person!"

    Towards the end of the meal, suddenly a slender figure knocked at the door and came in.

    "Aiya, it¡¯s Young Master Su!"

    "Young Master Su is here!"

    "Brother Yan, why are you here?" Seeing him arrive, Ning Xueluo immediately went to greet him, her face full of surprised happiness.

    ¡­

    In one corner, a drunk Jiang Muye immediately regained his senses. His eyes burned like torches as he red at the man in the doorway who was wearing a white suit and disyed a courteous manner.

    Su Yan!

    So that was Su Yan?

    The only man it was said that Ning Xi had ever loved?

    Su Yan the perfect boyfriend would show up every time Ning Xueluo needed backup. At the moment, Ning Xueluo held on to his arm, and his face was kind as he said hello to everyone. "I invited some friends to eat here, and heard from Xueluo that all of you were also here. You can order whatever you want, and put it on my tab!"

    Everyone cheered:

    "Wow! Young Master Su¡¯s too rich!"

    "It feels like we¡¯re always benefitting because of Teacher Ning!"

    "Then we¡¯ll help ourselves!"

    ¡­

    At this moment, there came a cold snort from the corner. "Why should I let you pay for my dinner party? I''ll pay for it!"

    This was probably the battle of jealousy between exes. When Su Yan appeared, Jiang Muye hadn¡¯t bothered to disguise his hostility.

    A man was always very sensitive to another man¡¯s hostility. From the beginning, Su Yan had already felt that Jiang Muye wasn¡¯t very friendly towards him, but he still had a warm smile on his face as he spoke steadily. "Since this is a reception banquet for Mister Jiang, it stands to reason that Mister Jiang shouldn¡¯t be the one to pay for it himself."

    "That¡¯s right, let us treat you! You can regard it our duty as hosts," Ning Xueluo echoed.

    What duty as hosts! I¡¯m capital born and bred, okay? Why do I need you to perform a duty as the host?!

    As Jiang Muye was about to drunkenly blow his top, next to him, Ning Xi subtly gripped his shoulder behind him, and drew close to his ear. "Are you retarded, he¡¯s a sucker with more money than sense, why wouldn¡¯t you use him? Let him pay!"

    Jiang Muye''s face turned even uglier."Hmph, are you sure you''re not defending him? He¡¯s your ex-boyfriend, after all!"

    Ning Xi raised an eyebrow. "Aren¡¯t you also my ex-boyfriend?"

 Chapter 119: The Same Birthday

    <h4>Chapter 119: The Same Birthday</h4>

    "Ning Xiao Xi! Don''t change the subject!" Hearing this, Jiang Muye¡¯s mood grew even more sour, and he thought in his heart, Even if I¡¯m your ex-boyfriend, can Ipare with your Brother Yan, who is your childhood friend? You even call out his name when you¡¯re dreaming.

    Ning Xi was helpless. "Fine, fine, fine. But I¡¯m not changing the topic. Why does it seem like you¡¯re being so noisy because you want to expose my rtionship with you and also with Su Yan, in front of everyone?"

    When will this guy stop being so childish?

    Finally, Jiang Muye subsided.

    "If you want to pay, go ahead!" In the end, Jiang Muye simply threw out a perfunctory remark.

    Su Yan saw Ning Xi whispering in Jiang Muye¡¯s ear, and he frowned subtly. Was it his imagination? He had always felt that Ning Xi and Jiang Muye¡¯s rtionship was as more than just colleagues¡­

    Noticing that Su Yan was looking nkly in Ning Xi¡¯s direction, Ning Xueluo shook his arm to draw his attention back, and said in a coquettish voice, "Brother Yan, did you bring the thing I asked for?"

    Su Yan came back to himself. "Yes, I did."

    With that, he passed her a stack of invitation cards, then said to everyone, "Tomorrow is Xueluo¡¯s birthday, I hope everyone cane to her birthday banquet tomorrow evening!"

    "Ah! It¡¯s Teacher Ning¡¯s birthday tomorrow!"

    "I must go!"

    "Teacher Ning''s birthday banquet will definitely be a high-ss affair, we have to experience it for ourselves!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo smiled sweetly as she gave out the invitation cards one by one. When she gave one to Ning Xi, she didn''t forget to specially say, "Junior Sister, you muste!"

    Ning Xi turned the cup around in her hands aimlessly, her face expressionless as she stared at the red invitation.

    When she was about to give the invitation to Jiang Muye, he didn''t move. "Don''t bother, I¡¯m not going."

    Hearing this, Ning Xueluo¡¯s face stiffened slightly, but in the next second, it smoothed back into a soft expression as she asked concernedly, "Muye, do you have something on tomorrow? Can you postpone it? I really do hope you cane! Please, please!"

    She had already promised a number of her close friends who liked Jiang Muye that she would definitely have hime.

    There was no way any man could resist a request made by a gorgeous beauty in such a pleading tone.

    But Jiang Muye didn¡¯t buy it at all, and his eyes even showed a bit of disdain as he said impatiently, "I can''t postpone it, it¡¯s also one of my friends¡¯ birthday tomorrow!"

    Saying that, he nced in Ning Xi¡¯s direction.

    Ning Xi took a sip of wine, and said nothing.

    "Ah¡­ what a coincidence! Your friend has the same birthday as me! It must be a very important friend to you? That''s really a pity! Once you¡¯re done, feel free toe over any time, as our party will run through the night!" Ning Xueluo said considerately.

    Damn it, if she failed to invite Jiang Muye, wouldn¡¯t she lose face in front of so many of her close friends?

    Who on earth was Jiang Muye¡¯s friend? Not only did they have the same birthday as her, they were also important enough for Jiang Muye to turn down her invitation in front of so many people!

    Wait, the same birthday tomorrow¡­

    Bewildered, Ning Xueluo looked hesitantly in Ning Xi¡¯s direction.

    She suddenly remembered that Ning Xi also shared the same birthday, and it was also tomorrow!

    Don¡¯t tell me the friend Jiang Muye was talking about was Ning Xi?

    Just then, she suddenly remembered something. Wang Taihe had announced that the person who invested the additional funds into the movie was Liu Jingli. Her father had also told her that the other party had surreptitiously arranged with the director to have Ning Xi take the second female lead. Why did Glory World¡¯s Lu Jingli want Ning Xi to be the second female lead?

    If her spection was correct, and Ning Xi and Jiang Muye were actually acquainted, then it had to be Jiang Muye who had helped Ning Xi out by putting in a good word for her.

    If that was the case, everything that had happened until now made sense¡­

    This Ning Xi, had she seduced Jiang Muye?

 Chapter 120: Die Under a Peony

    <h4>Chapter 120: Die Under a Peony</h4>

    After Su Yan left, Jiang Muye was still in a bad mood. He nted Ning Xi a sideways nce and snorted coldly. "That was the guy you were once hopelessly in love with? There¡¯s really something wrong with your eyes!"

    Ning Xi nced at him casually. "I think it¡¯s your eyes that aren¡¯t working. Out of ten points, Su Yan this type of man can get at least nine points, okay?"

    Hearing this, Jiang Muye exploded. "F***, why is it nine points, so high? How can he get so many points!"

    Ning Xi said matter-of-factly, "Because he¡¯s a man I once loved. If I say he¡¯s bad, wouldn¡¯t that mean I¡¯m just smacking myself in the face? And regardless of my bias, there¡¯s no denying that he is indeed worth nine points, objectively speaking.

    Su Yan''s appearance is not like yours, which blinds people with just one nce. He wins in terms of temperament, and he has a gentle and elegant style. In a fairytale world, he would be the prince, in ancient times, he would be the son of nobility. A man of unparalleled dignity and elegance¡­ In short, he was the type I liked the most when I was a young girl, the kind that I would fall for at first sight!"

    The fire in Jiang Muye¡¯s chest burned even hotter. "F***, Ning Xiao Xi, do you still have feelings for him? You''re praising him to high heaven!"

    Ning Xi looked askance at him. "It¡¯s only because I really don''t care that I can talk with you about him in such a calm and objective way, alright? Why is your IQ so low!"

    Furthermore, the person she was describing was the lively and perfect teenage boy who lived in her memories, not the current Su Yan.

    Sometimes it was because the memory was too perfect that the reality was even more brutal inparison.

    It took Jiang Muye a long time before he calmed down, and asked in a thick voice. "Then how many points would you give me?"

    Ning Xi stroked her chin, and under Jiang Muye¡¯s nervous gaze, said, "9.9 points! Your face can already get you that many points!"

    After hearing this, Jiang Muye was immediately soothed, and he touched his face with a bit of pride. "Of course! This brother depends on his face to make a living! But why did you deduct 0.1 point?"

    Ning Xi looked at him like he was an idiot. "Do you still need to ask? It was obviously deducted because of your IQ!"

    Jiang Muye: "¡­"

    Forget it, forget it. He already had a high score of 9.9 points, there was no point arguing with this damn girl.

    Jiang Muye''s eyes flickered, and he couldn¡¯t help asking, "Then¡­ what about Lu Tingxiao? How many points would you give him? What kind of man do you think he is?"

    "Hm, Lu Tingxiao ah¡­" This question was a bit hard for Ning Xi to answer. She thought about it for a long time before she replied, "I don¡¯t dare grade the Big Demon King. As for the type of man he is, one way to describe him is that he can be appreciated at a distance, but cannot be yed around with.

    The sea may seem calm on the surface, but you never know how scary the dark currents of the deep ocean can be. This kind of man is unfathomable, if you rashly draw too close to him, you¡¯ll probably meet your end at the bottom of the sea!"

    Jiang Muye''s face softened a lot at her words. "Hmph, so you do still have a little sanity!"

    "But¡­" Ning Xi mused again.

    "But what?" Jiang Muye nervously asked.

    With her chin in one hand, Ning Xi smiled, "But, if I die beneath a peony, I¡¯ll still be charming as a ghost!"

    "Sheet! Ning Xiao Xi!"

    "Hahaha, just kidding, just kidding, don''t get so excited!"

    Jiang Muye was almost angered to death. "I think the wine¡¯s loosened your tongue! From the beginning, I already suspected you had designs on Lu Tingxiao! Do you really want to sleep with him?"

    ¡®If I die beneath a peony, I¡¯ll still be charming as a ghost¡¯ can also be (whimsically) tranted as ¡®If my body should perish, girls I¡¯ll still cherish¡¯ .

 Chapter 121: Gatecrashed a Tycoonsâ€™ Party?

    <h4>Chapter 121: Gatecrashed a Tycoons¡¯ Party?</h4>

    "Is there a woman in this whole country who doesn''t want to sleep with Lu Tingxiao?" Ning Xi retorted.

    "Well, all the women in this country want to sleep with me too, but you didn¡¯t!" Jiang Muye blurted out.

    Ning Xi raised her voice as she said, "How do you know I didn''t?"

    Jiang Muye was taken aback, then his ears instantly flushed red.

    In the next second, Ning Xi let loose a "puchi" sound as sheughed aloud.

    Jiang Muye realized that he had been tricked, and got angry. "Ning Xi! Stop right there! I¡¯m not done with you!"

    If not for the other people around them, he would''ve already gone all out against her.

    Realizing that she had finally really pissed him off, Ning Xi quickly waved her hands and ran off to the restroom.

    Ai, she really had drunk too much tonight, she loved to tease people when she was drunk, especially Jiang Muye that bonehead.

    After using the restroom, Ning Xi wobbled her way back, but there were so many turns in the hotel corridors, and it took her a long time to finally find the room.

    But when she opened the door, she stared dumbly¡­

    The room was full of strangers. Further more, it was clearly bigger and far more sumptuous than the room the production team were using. To describe it as ¡®gold and jade in glorious splendor¡¯ would be putting it mildly.

    "Sorry, wrong room¡­"

    After apologizing, Ning Xi was about to leave when a fat, oily hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, then a mouth stinking strongly of alcohol almost touched her face. "Aiya, where did this little lostmbe from? This must be fate, how about staying and have a drink with us!"

    That man who had grabbed her wrist and refused to let go was probably in histe 40s. He was very fat, his cheeks were flushed red, and his eyes were filled with lust as he looked her up and down as if she was naked, his gaze finally stopping on her chest¡­

    The room instantly filled with mockingughter.

    At first, Ning Xi¡¯s instinctive reaction was to throw him over her shoulder, but as her gaze swept across the room, she realized that there were many faces which often appeared on the covers of financial magazines. She looked more carefully, holy sheet, half of the top ten tycoons in the capital were here¡­

    What were the chances, this was like a little eunuch blundering into the throne room in the middle of morning court after taking a wrong turn!

    In short, there was no one in this room she could afford to offend, so Ning Xi immediately withdrew thoughts of violence.

    It looked like it would be hard to get away tonight, it just had to happen when she had had too much to drink and was still dizzy.

    "Comeee¡­ pretty girl,e in quickly!" That fatty dragged her into the room, not forgetting to grope her at the same time.

    With great effort, Ning Xi broke free of the fatty¡¯s hand, and said apologetically, "Excuse me sir, I really did walk into the wrong room, I have friends who are still waiting for me!"

    Hearing this, the fatty suddenly became furious. "You slut! You clearly entered the wrong room on purpose, what¡¯s the use of pretending to be innocent? You should consider yourself lucky that I¡¯ve taken an interest in you!"

    Ning Xi cursed silently; a top ten-ranked tycoon had this sort of character?

    She recognized this fatty as the tenth and at the bottom of the ranking. He was the CEO of Feng Rui Real Estate, Zhu Xiangcheng, and was known as an especially lecherous person.

    That fatty reached out to grab her again, and seeing that he wanted to pull her down onto the sofa, Ning Xi racked her brain for a way to escape. At this moment, there was a sudden weight on her shoulders. From behind her, a familiar aura, as cold as a cier, wrapped tightly around her¡­

    Then the weight on her shoulder pulled her to take a step back with great but gentle strength. In the next second, she was already in a pair of strong and warm arms¡­

    ¡®gold and jade in glorious splendor¡¯ is an idiom to describe something that is utterly luxurious and magnificent.

 Chapter 122: Have Your Back For The Rest Of Our Lives

    <h4>Chapter 122: Have Your Back For The Rest Of Our Lives</h4>

    "Eh, Boss¡­ Boss Lu¡­" Just now he had still refused to stop bothering Ning Xi, which had instantly turned into shock. But his expression quickly turned fawning. "Boss Lu is also interested in this chick? If that¡¯s the case, you first, you first!"

    In the room, everyone who had been enjoying the spectacle changed; what was going on?

    That Lu Tingxiao who, when he attended any social engagement, was always cold as ice and never showed interest in any woman ¡ª today, why was he interested in a drunk woman who had stumbled into the wrong room?

    Ignoring their reactions, Lu Tingxiao only had one person in his eyes at that moment.

    He knitted his eyebrows together as he looked at the tipsy girl in his arms. "What¡¯s going on?"

    "Lu¡­" Ning Xi almost called him by name before she stopped herself in time, and murmured, "I walked into the wrong room¡­"

    The light in the room had been quite dim, so she hadn¡¯t realized Lu Tingxiao was there.

    Admist a sea of beer bellies, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s presence was simply a breath of fresh air.

    "Which room are you in? I¡¯ll walk you back." Lu Tingxiao didn''t care about all the stares behind him as he walked Ning Xi out.

    Earlier he had been resting with his eyes closed. He had heard theughter in the room faintly, but hadn¡¯t really paid attention, until he heard Ning Xi¡¯s familiar voice. When he opened his eyes, he saw Zhu Xiangcheng about to pull Ning Xi in and make a move on her.

    In that moment, he had felt the impulse to surge forward and break that man¡¯s hand.

    But he couldn¡¯t scare his girl, so he tamped down his rage with effort, and pretended to be a stranger as he rescued her.

    After they left the room, Ning Xi finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Lu Tingxiao, thank you, if not for you, I reckon I would have caused a lot of trouble tonight!" For she would have be violent, if that man had refused to listen to her.

    "So what if you cause trouble? I¡¯ll help you clean it up. If you encounter a situation like this next time, don¡¯t let yourself be taken advantage of again!" Lu Tingxiao lectured her with a serious expression.

    Ning Xiughed and sighed. "Ai, it feels good for someone to have my back!"

    Once she left the Lu home, and Little Bun no longer needed, did they mean she and Lu Tingxiao would be strangers too?

    For some reason, thinking of that made her feel a little sad¡­

    Lu Tingxiao stroked the girl¡¯s head. As long as you agree, I¡¯ll have your back for the rest of our lives.

    Ning Xi waved away thoughts she shouldn¡¯t be having. "I¡¯m fine now, I can make it back on my own!"

    "Are you sure you¡¯ll be fine on your own?" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face showed that he wasn¡¯t convinced.

    "Yes yes, hurry and go back!" Ning Xi waved her hand as she backed away.

    Lu Tingxiao had known the production crew would be eating here tonight, which was why he had epted that boring party invitation from those people.

    Of course, he was very clear on which room Ning Xi was in.

    So when he saw Ning Xi heading in the opposite direction, he sighed helplessly and caught up to her with long strides. "Forget it, it¡¯s better that I walk you back! What''s your room number?"

    "Mm, it¡¯s 801!"

    "801 is not in this direction." Lu Tingxiao guided her in the right direction.

    Only when he had walked her to the door did Lu Tingxiao stop. "Go in, don''t run around anymore after this. If you¡¯re going to the restroom, make sure you find a friend to go with you. If you can¡¯t find anyone, Jiang Muye will do."

    Huh, look for Jiang Muye to apany her to the restroom?

    "Got it! Thank you Big Boss Lu for walking me back personally!" Ning Xi made a heart with her fingers.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s lips curled up, and thest bit of his dark thoughts were swept away. "Text me when you¡¯re done, we¡¯ll go back together."

 Chapter 123: A Kiss To Stake His Claim

    <h4>Chapter 123: A Kiss To Stake His im</h4>

    After Ning Xi came back, Jiang Muye finally breathed a sigh of relief. "What took you so long? I thought you fell into the toilet!"

    "Worse than a toilet, I fell into a den of wolves!" Ning Xi sank down onto a sofa, still in shock.

    "What do you mean?" Jiang Muye frowned.

    "I walked into the wrong room. You won¡¯t believe it, it was all the tycoons in the capital under one roof! There was even one disgusting fatty who wouldn¡¯t let me go, and forced me to drink with him!"

    "What?" Jiang Muye¡¯s face instantly changed, and he checked her anxiously from head to toe. "Then how did you escape?"

    Ning Xi snorted. "Because I was lucky, and bumped into the biggest Boss of all the bosses."

    Hearing this, Jiang Muye¡¯s facial expression darkened. "Don¡¯t tell me it was Lu Tingxiao?"

    Ning Xi snapped her fingers. "Bingo! Correct, Big Boss Lu was so cool and saved me in time, he even walked me back to the room in person!"

    Jiang Muye: "¡­" Where was the rumored high IQ and low EQ? Was this person who was so good at picking up girls really the Lu Tingxiao that he knew?

    After the gathering, everyone said their farewells.

    "Ning Xi, how are you getting back? Do you want me to give you a lift?" Ye Ling Long asked.

    "Thank you Sister Ye, it¡¯s okay, my friend is nearby, and will give me a lift back."

    "Then I¡¯m heading off!"

    "Okay, drive safe!"

    "What about Muye? How are you getting back?" Guo Qisheng asked.

    "I¡¯ll wait for my manager."

    "Okay, then I will see you two tomorrow. If the weather is good, we¡¯ll pick up from where we left off today. Today¡¯s rain and hail was really too strange!" Guo Qisheng muttered gloomily.

    After everyone in the production crew left, Jiang Muye and Ning Xi were thest two waiting at the main entrance.

    Ning Xi was both sleepy and drunk. It was clear that she was fast bing unable to prop herself up, and she leaned on the golden pir behind her, squinting like a dead dog.

    Jiang Muye nted her a look. "Brother Ming will be here in a bit, what friend are you waiting for, just directly go back with me! Wait, don¡¯t me you¡¯re waiting for¡­"

    Before he had finished speaking, a man in a suit and leather shoes walked out of the hotel lobby. Under the moonlight, his steady steps drew closer to the sleepy Ning Xi, and his voice was like a summer night¡¯s breeze. "Ning Xi."

    Ning Xi could barely open her eyes. "Lu Tingxiao."

    To her, the man before her eyes had already be synonymous with safety. As soon as he appeared in her field of vision, she finally let go of thest bit of her consciousness, her body rxing and falling to one side¡­

    Beside her, Jiang Muye was rmed, and was about to reach out and help her, but someone else was faster, and had already taken a step forward so that the girl fell right into his arms.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s gaze was tender as he helped the girl fix her messy hair, then one arm went under her knees to gently lift her up.

    At the same time, a ck Maybach came to a silent stop in front of the entrance. The driver quickly got out of the car to open the car door.

    Seeing Lu Tingxiao act as if he wasn¡¯t there as he carried Ning Xi into the car, Jiang Muye couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He turned on the voice recorder on his cellphone, then called out from behind. "Uncle!"

    Lu Tingxiao slowed down and turned his body slightly, his eyes asking if something was wrong.

    Jiang Muye gritted his teeth. He still needed to ask if something was wrong? Could he not look so matter-of-fact about it?

    "What exactly are your intentions towards Ning Xi?" Jiang Muye asked directly, giving him a deadly stare.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl in his arms. "Towards Ning Xi¡­"

    "Yes! Don¡¯t you think your attitude towards her is too strange and too intimate?" Under the huge pressure from Lu Tingxiao¡¯s presence, Jiang Muye forced himself to keep talking, and held his phone in a death grip at the same time, waiting for an answer nervously.

    Lu Tingxiao looked indifferently at the youth in front of him. "I thought I was already obvious enough, but since you still don''t understand¡­"

    In the next second, Jiang Muye¡¯s pupils contracted sharply!

    The man in the dark in front of him didn''t speak directly, and instead lowered his head to gently kiss the girl on the lips.

    Three secondster, the expression of profound adoration which the man had been wearing changed, reced by an icy cold gaze as he stared at the youth gaping in dumb shock. "Do you understand now?"

 Chapter 124: So Stupid Thereâ€™s No Cure

    <h4>Chapter 124: So Stupid There¡¯s No Cure</h4>

    Late night.

    tinum Pce No.6.

    On top of the bed, a golden retriever rolled around like a spinning top. "F*** f*** f*** f*** f***¡­"

    Lei Ming was sitting on the sofa opposite, his face one of helplessness as he yawned. "You¡¯ve said f*** 258 times already, what on earth happened tonight?"

    Immediately Jiang Muye¡¯s eyes burned with rage, and even his tiger canines glinted coldly. "Don¡¯t mention 250 to me! I¡¯m really a total 250! Ning Xi said that thest 0.1 point was deducted for my low IQ, and she was absolutely right! F*** f*** f***¡­ I¡¯m really so stupid, there¡¯s no cure for me! What damn use is a voice recording! Why didn''t I secretly record a video! Why why why¡­"

    Lei Ming¡¯s mouth twitched. He had no clue at all why he was acting all crazy.

    But there was one thing he understood, watching him like this. Every time he acted crazy, it had something to do with Ning Xi. "Muye, do you want to get back together with Ning Xi?"

    Jiang Muye froze like stone, and said furiously with a heng sound, "I would be nuts to want to get back together with that asshole! It¡¯s because of her that I still have nightmares even now!"

    Lei Ming looked silently at the expression on Jiang Muye¡¯s face, which was like a woman scorned. He clearly liked her, but still refused to admit it.

    Actually, he had always suspected that back then, Jiang Muye¡¯s y-acting had turned into real feelings for Ning Xi. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been so angry after knowing the truth.

    As for how he felt about Ning Xi now, could it be hatred caused by love? But it could also be that what is unattainable is forever the best!

    As Jiang Muye continued to roll around, his cellphone at the head of the bed rang.

    Jiang Muye was not in a mood to answer it at all. In the end, it was Lei Ming who picked up his phone to take a look. "It¡¯s your father."

    "My dad?" Instantly, Jiang Muye sat up.

    He and his father had fought like enemies over him entering the entertainment industry. Why would he take the initiative to call him ?

    There was a faint spark of unease in Jiang Muye¡¯s heart, and he instantly picked up the phone.

    They hadn''t spoken for too long, and still had unfinished business with each other, so Jiang Muye didn''t greet his father, and just asked bluntly in a cold voice, "Thiste at night, what business does CEO Jiang have with me?"

    There was a helpless sigh on the other end of the line, and a man said in a tired voice, "Muye,a back, thepany¡¯s about to copse¡­"

    Jiang Muye¡¯s expression changed instantly. "What do you mean thepany¡¯s about to copse? What happened?"

    "There¡¯s a spy in thepany, and there¡¯s been a problem in our coboration with HN. Right now, I can¡¯t trust anyone ¡ª the only one I can rely on is you. Don¡¯t tell me you have the heart to just watch everything I¡¯ve worked for my whole life be destroyed in one go?" Jiang Tingguang sounded like he was almost begging.

    Jiang Muye gripped his phone even tighter. "I won¡¯t leave the entertainment industry! And I¡¯ve already told you that I won¡¯t take over yourpany!"

    "Muye, I¡¯m not asking you to leave the entertainment industry, and it¡¯s your decision whether you want to take over thepany or not. I¡¯m just hoping you can spare a bit of time toe back and help me!"

    Jiang Muye was a very stubborn person, but hearing his domineering father, who was like a tyrannosaurus at home, speak to him in such a disheartened way for the very first time, there was no way he could bear it, so he didn''t immediately refuse, but said vaguely, "But I¡¯ve been very busy recently¡­ let me think about it!"

    After Jiang Muye hung up, Lei Ming immediately asked concernedly, "Did something happen at your dad¡¯spany? Family is important, I can help you make adjustments at work."

    250 in Chinese pinyin is ¡®er bai wu¡¯, which in Chinese ng refers to a stupid person.

    ¡®Hatred caused by love¡¯ is a Chinese idiom to describe growing to hate someone because of unrequited love for that person.

 Chapter 125: Little Bun Is Angry

    <h4>Chapter 125: Little Bun Is Angry</h4>

    Jiang Muye had a huge headache. "But what about the movie I¡¯m in the middle of doing¡­ do I have to drop out?"

    Lei Ming muttered to himself, then concluded, "Not necessarily. <The World> is a movie set in ancient times, and has a lot ofrge scenes, so the shooting schedule runs for a bit longer. I can speak to the director about moving all your scenes to the end of the schedule, and we¡¯ll take responsibility for any losses during this period of time. I believe Guo Qisheng will agree to it."

    Jiang Muye grabbed his hair in agitation. "Looks like this is the only way. Sheet, why has the whole world been against metely? That coboration with HN was a done deal, what could have gone wrong there? And filming a kissing scene in summer, only for it to even hail¡­"

    The more Jiang Muye spoke, the more he felt something was off, and finally, he punched the mattress. "F***! Lu Tingxiao! You are just too shameless ¡ª"

    ¡­

    Lu residence.

    Seeing papa bring a drunk Auntie Xiao Xi back, Little Treasure¡¯s face was filled with me and usations.

    Lu Tingxiaoid Ning Xi on top of her bed, then met his son¡¯s gaze with a raised eyebrow as he exined, "I wasn''t the one who made her drink."

    Little Treasure still looked using.

    Lu Tingxiao was helpless. "Fine, it was my fault, I didn''t take care of her properly."

    Hearing the sincerity in his papa¡¯s voice, Little Treasure finally stopped looking unhappy. He ran dengdengdeng to the bathroom, and not long after, came out with a hot towel. Taking off his shoes, he climbed onto the bed and sat by Ning Xi¡¯s side as he carefully and seriously wiped her face clean, then her hands .

    Watching him act like the perfect filial son, Lu Tingxiao was pleased, yet he sighed.

    He had never received such treatment, even though he was the real father.

    "Ugh¡­ my head hurts¡­"

    Little Bun''s heart hurt so much when he heard Ning Xi¡¯s murmurs of difort that he hurriedly bent over Ning Xi to blow the pain away.

    There was a glint in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes as he looked at his son and said, "This is part of Auntie Xiao Xi¡¯s job, and even I can''t interfere. But if it¡¯s you, you can try persuading her to drink less from now on, she listens to you more."

    Little Bun thought that this was a very decent suggestion, and with a serious face, he nodded to indicate that he would take on this important task.

    The next morning.

    When Ning Xi woke up, she saw Little Bun leaning over the edge of her bed with a stern little face; he looked very unhappy.

    Ning Xi hurriedly sat up. "Mm, what¡¯s wrong, darling? Has something happened? Why this face? You look like your dad!"

    Sheughed and squeezed his little face.

    Little Bun swiftly took out writing pad from behind his back, and started flipping the pages one by one.

    Teacher Little Bun had drawn a vividic book, with excellent illustrations and text describing the harmful effects which drinking can have on the heart, blood, bones, stomach, liver, and so on¡­

    After he had finished flipping through all the pages, Little Bun continued to look at her with that serious face, and his meaning was clear.

    Ning Xi coughed softly. "Cough, that, little darling, actually drinking is not as scary as you think it is, it can help to reduce cholesterol, increase your confidence, stimte the brain, even control your weight gain¡­"

    Ning Xi listed the benefits on her fingers. She knew that Little Bun was worried about her, but she couldn¡¯t simply promise a little kid something she couldn¡¯t do; how could she quit drinking in this business?

    Hearing this, Little Bun¡¯s ck eyes filled with anger and disappointment, and he turned around to run out of the room.

    "Ai¡­ don¡¯t go¡­" Ning Xi grabbed her hair in embarrassment.

 Chapter 126: Love You More Every Day

    <h4>Chapter 126: Love You More Every Day</h4>

    After a while, Ning Xi went downstairs after washing up, and greeted Little Bun as usual. "Hi darling, morning!"

    But Little Bun ignored her, and even turned his face away.

    Ning Xi: "Uh¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao had been reading the newspaper at the table. Seeing this surprising situation, he raised an eyebrow and looked at Ning Xi questioningly. "Did the two of you quarrel?"

    That was really rare.

    Ning Xi rubbed her nose. "Little Treasure just advised me to give up drinking, and I told him that drinking actually has a lot of benefits. Then he got angry¡­"

    So that was it. Lu Tingxiao nodded understandingly.

    Ning Xi had a sh of inspiration, and instantly looked for an ally. "Lu Tingxiao, can you tell Little Treasure, there are a lot of benefits to drinking, right?"

    She assumed that Lu Tingxiao would also need to drink at the social engagements which he attended regrly, so he would definitely stand on her side.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at an expectant Ning Xi on his right, and at his son¡¯s angry expression on his left, and coughed into his fist. "Drinking is indeed beneficial¡­"

    Immediately, Ning Xi was so excited that she pped her thigh. "Little Bun, see, what I said wasn¡¯t wrong!"

    Little Bun instantly cast an extremely contemptuous look at his dad. He was the one who proposed itst night, yet he had switched sides the moment Auntie Xiao Xi asked for his help.

    He had no principles whatsoever!

    Noticing his son looking at him like he was a traitor, Lu Tingxiao couldn¡¯t helpughing, and he continued speaking. "However, the harm far outweighs the benefits. Besides, it is only beneficial in moderation. So unless it¡¯s particrly difficult to avoid, it¡¯s better to drink less if possible."

    With these words, he also added, "Recently, I¡¯ve started to abstain from drinking."

    As he finished speaking, Ning Xi instantly showed a listless expression as she bent over the table. "Lord Boss, we were supposed to be allies¡­"

    After a long while, she finally epted the fact that Big Bun and Little Bun were in an alliance together, and raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I got it. From now on, if I can drink less, I¡¯ll drink as little as possible. No showing off, no drinkingpetitions, no drinking non-stop! Can you forgive me now, darling?"

    Little Treasure looked carefully at her expression to determine that she was sincere before he finally nodded. Then he reached out a hand that had filled out a fair bit recently to rub her head gently, mimicking her usual way of encouraging him, as if he was saying that she was a good kid like this.

    Ning Xi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. But beyond that, her heart was filled with warmth from his care and concern. She hugged Little Bun and kissed him with a muah. "Darling, you¡¯re so cute even when you¡¯re angry. What do I do, I simply love you a little more every day!"

    Little Treasure¡¯s eyes shone brightly, and he was very happy.

    Opposite them, Lu Tingxiao who suffered abuse every day: "¡­"

    For the thing his son could obtain as long as he acted cute and adorable, he had to n deliberately, work assiduously and ovee the eighty-one cmities¡­

    Chairman of the Board¡¯s office at Feng Rui Real Estate.

    Zhu Xiangcheng¡¯s fierce-looking face trembled as he banged the table and stood up. "This is impossible, we¡¯ve always done things this way and Lu Corporation has neverined. Why is there a problem this time?"

    The manager also looked very anxious. "It may be because of recent changes in Lu Corporation¡¯s policy, and they¡¯re stricter now about quality control. This matter all depends on what Lu Corporation has to say. If they turn a blind eye to it, we¡¯ll pass, but if they get serious, then ites down to our problem with quality control, and we would be the ones breaking the contract¡­"

    Irritated, Zhu Xiangcheng paced back and forth . "Then what should we do now?"

    "I heard that it was Lu Tingxiao who personally gave the order to reject the arrangement, so it seems we can only solve this by approaching the man himself¡­" The manager mused.

    When Zhu Xiangcheng heard this, he became even more irritated. "Lu Tingxiao that person won¡¯t be persuaded or coerced Money and women won¡¯t work on him. Trying to approach him is just a dead end! No¡­ wait¡­ women¡­ maybe there is someone who can¡­"

    The ¡®eighty-one cmities¡¯ refer to the eighty-one dangers or trials which the monk Tripitika and his disciples underwent in the Chinese ssic novel

 Chapter 127: Will Do Whatever You Want

    <h4>Chapter 127: Will Do Whatever You Want</h4>

    When Ning Xi arrived on set, she was informed that the whole filming schedule had been changed because Jiang Muye had asked for extended leave to attend to family matters.

    That guy would chatter constantly about every little thing to her, but this time when such a big thing happened, why hadn¡¯t he said anything to her at all?

    Ning Xi immediately called him to ask.

    From his tone, Jiang Muye sounded in a very bad mood. "Why would I need to tell you? Don¡¯t you hate me causing you trouble, or being a busybody? Weren¡¯t you eager for me to stay as far away from you as possible? Now you¡¯ve gotten your wish!"

    Hearing this, Ning Xi also got angry. "Jiang Muye, why are you in such a temper?"

    Jiang Muye felt depressed; he was angry at himself for being too stupid. Finally, he forced himself to calm down as he spoke. "I''m at my dad''spany at the moment, and today I¡¯ve been working like a dog, there is definitely no way I¡¯ll be able to get away. If you¡¯re free in the evening, log into the game, I sent you something. Happy birthday!

    Also, I sent a few things to your inbox. Go see it for yourself, whether you believe it or not is up to you! That''s it! Bye!"

    "This guy¡­" Ning Xi looked helplessly at the phone after he hung up.

    At this moment, Guo Qisheng came to let her know, "Ning Xi, you probably know about Muye! We were going to continue to shoot your kissing scene from yesterday, but given the adjustments, we¡¯ll be doing the scene where you fight Ning Xueluo. Later I¡¯ll get someone to give you the new shooting schedule!"

    Ning Xi nodded. "Got it, Director!"

    After speaking with him, she found a secluded corner under the shade of a tree to read the script.

    While she was absorbed in her reading, she heard the sound of footsteps, and out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a figure that disgusted her. It was Su Yan who hade over.

    Su Yan had sent Ning Xueluo to the set today. Because it was her birthday, Su Yan had specially taken a day off to spend the whole of it apanying her, and the girls in the production crew were all going crazy with envy.

    Ning Xi had no patience to speak to him, and only lifted her gaze as a way of asking him what he wanted.

    Su Yan offered her a bottle of iced drink, and asked carefully, "Xiao Xi, will you being to Xueluo¡¯s birthday party?"

    Ning Xi didn¡¯t take it, and looked at him like he was an idiot. "Are you sure you want to ask me such a brainless question?"

    "Xiao Xi, today is also your birthday. If you cane back, we can help you celebrate! I¡¯ve already spoken to Uncle and Auntie, they¡¯ve already agreed!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes. "Thank you so much for helping me celebrate my birthday in passing!"

    Su Yan frowned slightly and heaved a deep sigh. "Ning Xi, I really hardly recognize you anymore. When will you return to the kind and considerate Ning Xi¡­ back then it was all my fault. If it wasn''t for me, Xueluo wouldn''t have done that. If you want to me someone, me me, Xueluo¡¯s innocent. She has been living with the guilt all these years, and her biggest wish is to receive your blessing. I really hope you will be able toe!"

    "Guilt?" Every time Ning Xi spoke to Su Yan, she felt like she was listening to a joke. "Guilty of snatching my identity? Guilty of stealing my parents? Guilty of sleeping with my man? Then she has a lot of guilt! Also, don''t mention the word ¡®kind¡¯ to me. Back then I wasn¡¯t kind, but stupid!"

    Su Yan¡¯s face was unsightly, and then he said firmly, "Xiao Xi, as long as you can forgive Xueluo, I¡¯ll do whatever you want, except for testifying in court!"

    "Are you sure?" Ning Xi raised an eyebrow.

    "Yes." Su Yan nodded.

 Chapter 128: A Real Eyesore

    <h4>Chapter 128: A Real Eyesore</h4>

    Ning Xi put down the script in her hand and looked at him with calmposure. "Very well, I want you to dump Ning Xueluo at the birthday party tonight. Compared with the humiliation I suffered back then, you only need to dump her. Isn¡¯t that very kind and considerate of me?"

    Su Yan¡¯s face paled slightly. "Xiao Xi, this¡­"

    "Ning Xi! How could you ¡ª" Ning Xueluo¡¯s tearful voice suddenly came from behind her.

    Ning Xi crossed her arms across her chest and said in a leisurely tone, "How can I what?"

    Ning Xueluo looked at her with anger and pity. "You hate me so much because you still can''t let go of Brother Yan, and I stole him from you! But how can you be so selfish to use this despicable tactic to tear us apart! Brother Yan doesn''t love you at all, what''s the point of you doing this?"

    Seeing that Ning Xueluo was getting too agitated, almost as if she was gasping for breath, Su Yan hurriedly patted her on the back. "Xueluo, calm down, I¡¯m sure it was a careless remark, and Xiao Xi didn¡¯t mean anything by it¡­"

    Ning Xi smiled widely as she watched the two people act out a life and death scene. "I didn¡¯t say it carelessly, unless what you said just now about doing whatever I want was your careless promise!"

    "Brother Yan, look at her! We¡¯ve begged her sincerely for forgiveness, but what does she do! She makes things difficult for us again and again! You won¡¯t really agree to such a brazen request, will you?" Ning Xueluo looked up at Su Yan with a face full of panic and helplessness.

    "Silly girl, how could I¡­" Su Yan touched her head, then looked sternly at Ning Xi. "I¡¯m sorry, Xiao Xi. I cannot agree to this request!"

    Ning Xi finally stopped ying around and sneered with fading interest. In the next second, her eyes were like des. "Then get out of my sight."

    "Ning Xi, what is with your attitude! If there is fault, then it was my fault, and has nothing to do with Brother Yan. How can you treat him like that?" Ning Xueluo stood up for Su Yan as if defending him from injustice.

    Ning Xi pped her hands as she apuded them. "Your feelings are so touching, they can move people to tears! So, Ning Xueluo, you must be willing to do anything to atone, and you¡¯ll do anything for Su Yan, right?"

    Hearing her words, Ning Xueluo frowned. Who knew what trap this woman had dug for her? But she could only have one answer for this question: "Of course! Now what do you want?"

    Ning Xi deliberately mused for a long time, and under Ning Xueluo¡¯s watchful gaze, said, "If that¡¯s the case, Su Yan doesn¡¯t have to dump you. You just need to give up the identity of Eldest Miss Ning in the capital and go back to Tang Vige in Chunfeng Town to be Tang Xueluo, then all the debts among the three of us will be settled. How about it?"

    Ning Xueluo widened her eyes as if she had heard something extremely terrible, and she shook her head wildly. "No¡­ you can¡¯t! Ning Xi, how can you be so cruel! How can you force me to leave my father and mother, to leave the ce where I¡¯ve lived for more than twenty years. I¡­"

    Ning Xi impatiently waved her hands to interrupt her. "Enough, enough. Your acting is so bad, just stop, it¡¯s a real eyesore! I¡¯ve already told the two of you to stay as far away from me as possible, but you¡¯re the ones who keeping to me to ask for forgiveness over and over again, even swearing you¡¯ll do anything I want. And when I do tell you, you still give me an expression that says I¡¯m so ruthless, so shameless, so unreasonable!

    Heh, what reparation? You make it sound so nice, but you¡¯re only willing if it¡¯s a measly act of charity which doesn¡¯t harm your own interests! The fact that you don''t think you¡¯re being hypocritical is sickening! So I can only give you two words. Get. Lost!"

 Chapter 129: Like An Alluring Spirit

    <h4>Chapter 129: Like An Alluring Spirit</h4>

    Su Yan and Ning Xueluo went back to the dressing room, the two of them feeling frustrated.

    Ning Xueluo stood in front of him, at a loss. Tears fell from her eyes. "Brother Yan, do you me me? me me because I couldn¡¯t agree to Ning Xi¡¯s request."

    Su Yan lovingly reached out to wipe away her tears. "How could I me you!"

    Ning Xueluo immediately jumped into his arms, as if she had been redeemed. "Brother Yan, thank you. Thank you for believing me and understanding me. It¡¯s not the Ning family''s wealth or rank that I can¡¯t let go of, but I just can¡¯t leave father or mother. At the thought of leaving them, at the thought of never seeing them, I¡­"

    "Hush, don''t cry. I know, I know everything¡­" Su Yan patted her gently on the back and sighed. "I was too naive to think that she was the same as before. Xueluo, I promise you that from now on, I won¡¯t let you be mistreated again because of her, and I won''t let her hurt you ever again!"

    "Brother Yan¡­" Ning Xueluo looked infatuatedly at the man in front of her. She put her satiny arms around his neck, and kissed him.

    "This is the production set, if someone sees us¡­"

    "So what if they see? You are my boyfriend!" Ning Xueluo pouted yfully as she sat directly on hisp. She ced her fingers on his chest and undid his buttons one by one.

    Heh, Ning Xi, I''m going to sleep with your man, take that¡­

    A momentter, amorous gasps came from the dressing room.

    "Hmm¡­ ah! Brother Yan, you¡¯re amazing! Hard! A little harder¡­"

    "Brother Yan, between me and Ning Xi, who do you think is better? Hmm? Who''s better?"

    "You, of course!"

    In terms of looks, Ning Xi had an edge, but she was too bashful and timid. In particr, she knew absolutely nothing about sex, let alone think about actively doing something to make him happy.

    At first, he had actually liked how pure and simple she waspared with other girls, but it became too boring over time.

    But the current Ning Xi was apletely different person to her old self; instead, she was just like¡­

    Like an alluring spirit¡­

    While her personality had be so terrible and so unreasonable, it was impossible to look away from her¡­

    The man¡¯s gasps became more urgent, and in thest moment, it was that indifferent half-smile that he saw in his mind¡­

    "Sister Xueluo, filming is going to start soon, can I call the makeup artist toe in and do your makeup for you?" The assistant¡¯s face was red as she stood awkwardly outside the door.

    She had gotten used to such things after being with Ning Xueluo for so long.

    What fresh and pure virgin¡­she was clearly a sex fiend. People should listen to how wanton the goddess of their heart was in bed¡­

    Ning Xi had already been ready since early on, but she had to wait for half an hour before Ning Xueluo finally strolled over.

    "I¡¯m sorry to have kept everyone waiting, but my skin isn''t very good today, so it took a while to get my makeup done," Ning Xueluo exined apologetically in a hoarse andnguid tone. She looked at Ning Xi with a slightly smug and goading air. When she walked past her, she deliberately pulled at her cor, revealing a red kiss mark on her neck.

    Her face was flushed, her eyes sparkled, and there was a sweet scent on her, as if she was afraid no one could tell what she had just done.

    The veins on Ning Xi¡¯s forehead bulged slightly. If it wasn''t because they were shooting a scene, she didn''t want to breathe the same air as her for even a minute, she was just so disgusted.

    Guo Qisheng pped his hands. "Alright, since everyone is now here, let¡¯s get started! Everyone take your ces, ACTION!"

 Chapter 130: After I Die Comes the Deluge

    <h4>Chapter 130: After I Die Comes the Deluge</h4>

    At dusk, in a sea of bamboos.

    Two women stood opposite each other, one in a gorgeous red dress and the other in a wless white dress.

    Shangguan Yingrong had a solemn expression on her face. "Meng Changge, you can be forgiven for taking revenge over your brother¡¯s death, but just killing Princess Xian wasn¡¯t enough for you, do you want to destroy the world as well?"

    Meng Changge¡¯s long red sleeves fluttered like mes in the wind, and she looked contemptuously at the person before her, as if she was looking at an ant. "It was my Meng family whoy the foundations of this world to begin with, so what if I destroy it?"

    Hearing this, Shangguan Yingrong was outraged. "You¡­ you are so unreasonable! You were also a general, and you protected thend. Why are you being so narrow-minded now? Are you really willing to see everything burn in the mes of war and let the people suffer for the next hundred years?"

    Her ck hair dancing in the wind, Meng Changge lowered her eyes to stroke her delicate, long fingernails, and said in a mad tone, "After I diees the deluge¡­"

    "Perfect!" Guo Qisheng was so excited that he didn''t know what else to say.

    Ye Ling Long had specially visited the site for today¡¯s scene. When she was done watching, she breathed a sigh of relief, and felt reassured. "Actually, in this movie, the role which I put my heart into writing the most was not Shanguang Yingrong, but Meng Changge. And from the beginning, I didn¡¯t set Meng Changge up to be a viin. Whether she is righteous or evil will be up to the audience to intepret it. And how the audience interprets it all depends on how the actress performs. If she can¡¯t perform well, she¡¯ll be the big viin that is hated by everyone, but if she pulls it off, this role will have great depth!"

    Ning Xi was obviously thetter.

    Guo Qisheng was very excited, and said in a confident tone, "I have a feeling that Ning Xi will win an award for this role!"

    Wang Taihe also nodded his head repeatedly. "She¡¯s a good prospect. Starlight lost Jia Qingqing, but Ning Xi emerged, what a huge gain!"

    "Cut! Great! Take a break, and we''ll continue with the next scene!"

    Again, the scene waspleted in just one take, and Guo Qisheng, who had been feeling gloomy because of Jiang Muye¡¯s sudden departure, immediately felt a lot better.

    After returning to the lounge, Ning Xueluo called her assistant over as soon as she sat down. "What were the director and the rest of them talking about?"

    The assistant was about to say something, but stopped, as if she didn¡¯t know how to say it.

    "Were they praising Ning Xi?" Ning Xueluo sneered.

    The assistant nodded. "Director Guo said Ning Xi acted perfectly, Writer Ye said Ning Xi¡¯s acting was so good that she had turned Meng Changge into a righteous person. Producer Wang also praised Ning Xi, mainly saying that her future development would be better than Jia Qingqing¡¯s. And Director Guo even said¡­"

    "What did he say?"

    "He even said that Ning Xi could win an award for this role¡­" The assistant said weakly.

    Ning Xue banged on the arm of her chair. "Big words! To win an award nowadays you also need backing, can you get awards just like that? So what if she gets an award, it¡¯ll just be for the best supporting actress, and it would be for supporting me!"

    The assistant agreed with everything she said. "What Sister Xueluo is saying is right! She¡¯s acting the part of a vixen, how can shepare with you! The audience is not blind!"

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s face softened a bit, but the cloud between her eyebrows still didn¡¯t disappear. She lowered her voice. "The matter we arranged before, we can carry it out now!"

    The assistant cried out, and then hurriedly covered her mouth. "Are we really going to do it? But it''s too dangerous! If you¡­"

    "Don¡¯t talk rubbish, just go and do what I¡¯ve told you to do!" Ning Xueluo looked impatient.

    "Got it. I''ll go and tell that person¡­"

    At this moment, Su Yan¡¯s concerned voice came from behind. "What''s wrong, Xueluo? You don¡¯t look very well?"

 Chapter 131: An Accident Or Not

    <h4>Chapter 131: An ident Or Not</h4>

    Seeing he hade, Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression instantly turned coy. "It¡¯s your fault, you wore me out!"

    "Hey, you were the one who came on to me!" Su Yan said helplessly. He lifted the stic bag he was holding in one hand. "I bought chicken congee so that you can recover your strength since you¡¯re alwaysining you¡¯re tired!"

    "Don¡¯t tease me!"

    ¡­

    The second scene was a follow-up to the previous one, and was a fight in the bamboo forest.

    Shangguan Yingrong thought that Meng Changge had be a demon ¡ª she wouldn¡¯t listen to anything she said. After a short hesitation, she was ready to kill her on the spot to avoid any future trouble.

    After being instructed by the stunt director for over two hours, the two persons were finally more or less ready.

    At first, the director had been prepared to use stunt doubles, but Ning Xi was good at martial arts, and had even been a stunt double for other people before, so she certainly didn''t need it, while Ning Xueluo also said she wanted to do it herself.

    Naturally, Guo Qisheng also wanted a better film effect, so he agreed.

    The professional stunt master helped the two of them into the wire rigs, and checked them many times to make sure that there was no risk at all. Then the shoot started.

    "Meng Changge is dead." Shangguan Yingrong closed her eyes, and said it with pain and regret.

    Standing before her was just a beautiful and dangerous shell, a lethal weapon which would destroy the world.

    In the next second, the eyes of Shangguan Yingrong became violently murderous, and she swiftly drew the long sword from her waist and attacked Meng Changge¡­

    Meng Changge seemed to have already anticipated her move, and her stance was calm and leisurely. It was only when the sword was a hair¡¯s breadth away from her nose that she glided backwards like a bird, her arms spread and her toes brushing the ground, rapidly retreating to avoid Shangguan Yingrong¡¯s attack.

    Shangguan Yingrong snorted coldly and brandished her sword again.

    Meng Changge took her time avoiding her attack, like a cat ying with a mouse. Finally, she drew out a sword that had been tucked into the waistband of her red gauze dress at the back, and moved to retaliate aggressively.

    After more than ten moves, Shangguan Yingrong was gradually getting pushed back, and several times had almost been knocked off the branch by Meng Changge.

    Even if Shangguan Yingrong was very good, before Meng Changge, who had killed thousands of troops in the past, she was just a child.

    Shangguan Yingrong thought too highly of herself, and thought that Meng Changge¡¯s skills had deteriorated after living in the pce for so long. By the time she helplessly realized that she had underestimated her enemy, it was toote.

    In the end, Meng Changge had had enough of ying around. With a cold gaze and the might of ten thousand armies, she thrusted the sword at Shangguan Yingrong¡¯s chest¡­

    Fizz ¡ª

    It was the sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh.

    Shangguan Yingrong clutched her chest painfully, and like a broken paper kite, fell from the top of the bamboo sea¡­

    The next shot was a close-up of Meng Changge. Guo Qisheng was watching Ning Xi¡¯s expression attentively, and realized that something wasn¡¯t right.

    "Ning Xueluo¡¯s hurt! Save her! Quick!" Ning Xi, who was still hanging in the air on wires, suddenly shouted.

    There was a stunned moment before the staff reacted to the fact that this wasn¡¯t a line from the script. Ning Xueluo had really gotten hurt!

    The scene instantly turned chaotic, and everyone gathered around Ning Xueluo.

    After getting Ning Xueluo down, Ning Xi hastened to press down on the bleeding wound. "Call an ambnce, quickly!"

    Just then, her body was suddenly and violently pushed to one side. It was Su Yan, who had run over in fright. He held Ning Xueluo tightly in his arms. "Xueluo! Xueluo, are you alright?"

    "Brother Yan¡­ it hurts¡­"

    "Don''t be afraid, I¡¯m here! You''ll be fine! You¡¯ll definitely be fine¡­"

 Chapter 132: These Were Her Parents

    <h4>Chapter 132: These Were Her Parents</h4>

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    Bloody hell, are you a moron, I¡¯m putting pressure on the wound, you suddenly push me away, then put on a loving face and watch her bleed out! Are you addicted to soap operas?

    If only because it wasn¡¯t the right time for it, Ning Xi really wanted to scold him with her hands on her hips.

    "What¡¯s going on?!" Guo Qisheng ran over with rage on his face.

    Ning Xi knitted her eyebrows together. "I felt something was off after I thrusted the sword at her, the de didn''t bounce back!"

    This was a prop sword, the de should have bounced back automatically when it met resistance. Nobody expected such an ident to happen.

    Guo Qisheng was beyond furious. "Where is the props master! Come here this instant! I asked you to double check them a million times to prevent this kind of mistake, what on earth were you thinking!"

    The props master stumbled over, sweat on his forehead. "Director Guo, it was fine when I checked it, there definitely shouldn''t have been any problems!"

    Guo Qisheng threw the script directly in his face and roared, "Then how did this happen?!" Problems kept happening one by one in this production, and he was reaching the limits of his tolerance.

    At this moment, Wang Taihe suddenly asked, "Then who was thest person to handle this prop?"

    "It¡­ it should¡¯ve been Ning Xi. I gave the sword to her after checking it, and she was practicing with it the whole time after that. It¡¯s my fault, I should''ve checked it one more time before shooting!" The props master apologized over and over again.

    Hearing this, Ning Xi¡¯s pupils shrank abruptly. If she still didn''t understand what was happening after this, then she was wasting her time in the industry.

    In that moment, everyone on set had varying expressions.

    Guo Qisheng stared at the props master, and gave Ning Xi aplicated look before finally controlling his temper. "We¡¯ll talk about thister, get her to the hospital now! Also, block any news about this from leaking out!"

    The First People¡¯s Republic Hospital in B City.

    Su Yan was with Ning Xueluo, dealing with her wound inside the ward, while in the corridor outside, Ning Xi leaned against the cold wall, her brain spinning.

    Ning Xueluo really was the original little white flower, even her ploys were in a ss of their own; hadn¡¯t she been scared she could have been stabbed to death?

    It was a pity that Ning Xi had held back as soon as she had felt something was wrong. The wound wasn¡¯t deep, and at most it was a light injury for Ning Xueluo, but the consequences of this incident were going to be very troublesome.

    What she needed to do now was to think of a way to prove her innocence¡­

    As Ning Xi was contemting, suddenly she heard the sound of anxious steps.

    She had just raised her head when pa, a burning, solid pnded on her face.

    "Brute! How could you do such a thing to Xueluo! If you want to hate someone, hate me! I was the one who made her stay in the Ning family, I was the one who loved and pampered her! What wrong has Xueluo done?" The person raved hysterically at her, and looked at her as if they were sworn enemies.

    Ning Xi wiped away the blood on her mouth, and raised her head to look steadily at the elegant, luxuriously-dresseddy before her ¡ª her mother.

    Behind Zhuang Lingyu stood Ning Xi¡¯s father, Ning Yaohua, who was wearing a simrly hateful look. "If Xueluo is badly injured, I won¡¯t let you get away with it!"

    As soon as they had arrived, these two in front of her, one her biological mother and one her biological father, had hit and threatened her without even asking what had happened at all.

    Ning Xi had so many malicious things that she could say to them to make them foam at the mouths, but in that moment, she felt like she had been drained of all energy. She didn¡¯t say anything, and only looked at them with cold eyes.

 Chapter 133: I Choose My Own Path

    <h4>Chapter 133: I Choose My Own Path</h4>

    "Evil creature! What is with that look!" Ning Yaohua was enraged.

    Just as he was about to explode, the door to the ward was opened from inside.

    Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu forgot about Ning Xi for the moment, and hurriedly went over. "Su Yan, how is Xueluo?"

    "For the time being she¡¯s fine, you can go in and see her." Su Yan looked tired when he answered, then he looked solemnly at Ning Xi, who was standing outside the door with a swollen, red cheek.

    Zhuang Lingyu sprang to Ning Xueluo¡¯s bedside, and checked her from head to toe. "Mummy¡¯s baby, how are you? Does it still hurt? Where does it hurt?"

    Ning Xueluo smiled weakly. "Mom, I¡¯m fine, the doctor said it was only a light injury."

    Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s heart hurt, and she stroked her hair gently. "You are a girl, how can it be okay for you to have such a big scar! If the sword had gone in a little deeper, you could have died! That damn girl, how can she be so evil! You still call her your elder sister!"

    "Towards me, elder sister¡­" Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression dimmed, and she forced herself to speak. "Dad, mom, don''t me elder sister, it wasn¡¯t her fault, it was a problem with the prop!"

    Ning Yaohua made a cold heng sound. "Silly child, how can you be so naive! That prop waspletely fine, how could there have been a problem with it?"

    Then he shouted furiously at Ning Xi, who was still at the door. "Beast, why are you still dumbly standing there? Get yourself in here now and apologize to Xueluo!"

    The indifferent look on Ning Xi¡¯s face was like an imprable mask. "I have nothing to apologize for. If you want an apology from me, fine, get proof. If there is any, even my life I¡¯ll give to you."

    Ning Yaohua pointed at her with a shaking finger. "You still refuse to repent even now. The only reason I¡¯m not investigating it is to give you face. You won¡¯t shed a tear until you see a coffin, is that it? Do you really want to make me lose face?"

    Heh, in Ning Yaohua¡¯s eyes, ¡®face¡¯ was always the most important thing.

    Ning Xiughed coldly. "If I really wanted revenge against her, what you would be looking at now is her corpse, then when would you still have a chance to put on this father and daughter drama?"

    Ning Yaohua banged a table hard. "Don''t get mouthy with me! Ning Xi, are you going to apologize or not? If you properly acknowledge your mistake and apologize, then leave the entertainment industry, I¡¯ll pretend this never happened, but if you insist on this path¡­"

    "Thank you, I¡¯ll choose my own path!" Ning Xiughed scornfully and waved one hand before she walked way without a backward nce.

    Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s face was filled with disbelief. "Look at her! I absolutely cannot believe I gave birth to such a wicked thing!"

    Furious, Ning Yaohua paced in circles. "Monster! She¡¯s a monster! She makes me so angry!"

    Ning Xueluo anxiously tried to persuade him. "Dad, it¡¯s fine, don''t be angry at elder sister, it¡¯s not good for your health!"

    "I already let her get away with itst time, but in the end she did this sort of thing, hurting you with her own hands. Next time she might really kill you, I absolutely cannot leave this as it is!"

    "But, Dad¡­"

    "It¡¯s fine, leave it to me and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll deal with it."

    "That¡¯s right, let your father deal with it, you focus on recovering. Your father will definitely wrap things up satisfyingly for you!"

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s eyes turned red as she struggled not to let her tears fall, her face full of gratitude. "Thank you, Mom and Dad, you really don''t have to, I¡¯m fine¡­"

    Su Yan, who had been silent all this time, patted her shoulder. "Xueluo, you are too kind! But Ning Xi really went too far this time. What Uncle said is right, we absolutely cannot let her do whatever she wants anymore!"

 Chapter 134: Changed Into Pajamas And Spread Flower Petals

    <h4>Chapter 134: Changed Into Pajamas And Spread Flower Petals</h4>

    It was already veryte at night, when Ning Xi left the hospital.

    There was not a single star in the sky, no moon, either, only a few bikers and pedestrians on the street.

    She admitted that Ning Xueluo¡¯s schemes were really clumsy and had absolutely no technical content, but, she still seeded.

    She always used the things that she once cared the most to strike her.

    Like Su Yan, like her parents¡­

    Sometimes she really doubted herself, maybe it was all her fault, she was theme one, so unbearable that everyone hated her, brittled her, abandoned her¡­

    She even doubted if all her efforts and suffers to this day were meaningless.

    So what if one day she achieved her goal and owned everything, nobody would care in this world, she would still be alone.

    Ning Xi was lost, wondering on the street, didn''t realize a ck car with no license te was following her secretly¡­

    When she walked to a ce with no one was near, two guys came out of the car swiftly, one covered her face with a wet towel, one tied her up with strings, and dragged her into the car with great strength¡­

    The whole process didn''tst longer than 5 seconds.

    When Ning Xi finally recovered her consciousness, she already lost all of her strength and was tied up tightly, there was no way she could fight back.

    A weak smile showed up on Ning Xi¡¯s pale face.

    What a rich birthday, first she was set up, then she was kidnapped¡­

    The car drove steadily for a long time, there was a ck cloth over Ning Xi¡¯s eyes and she didn''t know where this car was heading to, no to mention where did these guyse from.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s people?

    Shouldn''t be, she already seeded today, no need to do this.

    Then who are shy? Whom did she have an issue with recently?

    Ning Xi couldn''t think of anything, she heard one of the two guys, who sat in front, talking on the phone:

    "Hello, Boss Zhu¡­yes, all done, we are on our way¡­yes yes yes, don¡¯t worry, will deliver her to you on time! She''s a knock out, even we have a crush on her! Hahaha, we don''t have the guts to! She''s all yours!"

    Ning Xi was shocked, Boss Zhu¡­?

    She suddenly thought about the Pearl Hotel issue, when she identally went into the wrong box.

    Boss Zhu was Zhu Xiangcheng?

    He didn''t get what he wanted that day, still not letting it go and sent people to kidnap her?

    Ning Xi was more confident about it as she thought about it more, and cursed him on the inside, when she tried to escape, the anesthetics started to kick in, she became more and more unconscious, fell into aplete darkness atst¡­

    When Ning Xi got her consciousness back a little, she was still blind-folded.

    There were two women voices in the room, she couldn¡¯t hear that exactly they were talking about. Only felt that they were getting her clothes off and put her into an extremely thin night gown, and put petal-like things all over her body¡­

    Ning Xi felt something was not right, an impatient person like Zhu Xiangcheng wouldn¡¯t take so long to get a woman he wants, must had her as soon as she was here, and now, got her changed, spread petals, even put perfume on her¡­

    Nasty fat pig! Old pervert! Why didn''t he just kill her directly, why all this fuss?

 Chapter 135: Prepared a Woman

    <h4>Chapter 135: Prepared a Woman</h4>

    Zhu Xiangcheng heard that there was a business drinking party that night, and that Lu Tingxiao would be there.

    He got there early and had specially made a few preparations, but as he had expected from the beginning, Lu Tingxiao really could not be coerced or persuaded.

    Lu Tingxiao hadn¡¯t even nced at the priceless antique calligraphy painting which he had acquired with difficulty, and when he had looked at the fresh, unplucked girl that had been discreetly sent to him, it was no different to as if he was looking at a cauliflower.

    Zhu Xiangcheng was feeling very anxious when his phone rang.

    "Hello, what took you so long, is it all done?"

    "Yes, we have her, we¡¯re on our way!"

    "Hurry up! Make sure to get her here in ten minutes! Room 808, don''t get it wrong!"

    "Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get her to you on time! Tch, Boss Zhu, this girl is a knockout, even we were moved!"

    "If you dare touch her, don¡¯t even think about getting the rest of the money! I have an important use for this woman! There better not be even a single hair missing!"

    ¡­

    Not far away on the opposite end, Lu Tingxiao checked the time on his watch, fixed his sleeves, and stood up, looking as if he was ready to leave.

    At this moment, a man broke the surface of the swimming pool and tossed his hair, creating a cool and refreshing ssh. He had healthy, tan skin, a beautiful six-pack above his belly button, and below it, a mermaid line that countless men enviously wanted¡­

    The man lifted his arrogant, handsome face, and with one wet hand, grabbed Lu Tingxiao¡¯s leg just as he was about to leave. He said with a dissatisfied air, "Hey hey hey, Lu Tingxiao, I was the one who organized tonight¡¯s event, can¡¯t you give me a bit of face? It¡¯s only been half an hour and you¡¯re leaving? And this is a drinking party, you haven¡¯t even had a mouthful since arriving! We have so much wine and women, is there nothing that can make you stay a little longer?"

    "Let go." Lu Tingxiao knitted his eyebrows together, and looked like he was going to break his bones in the next second.

    At this moment, Lu Jingli walked over with a ss of wine in his hand, andughed, "Brother Tian, can''t you tell my brother isn''t really here tonight? He already gave you face by staying for 30 minutes!"

    Mo Lingtian sat on the edge of the swimming pool, a rakish smile on his face. "Where could his heart be if it¡¯s not here with me? He doesn¡¯t have a woman!"

    Lu Jingli had the look of someone about to reveal something shocking as he humphed. "Who says he doesn¡¯t, he will very soon!"

    "What! That''s too much!" Mo Lingtian really was shocked, and he straightaway climbed out of the swimming pool, his face full of betrayal. "We said we¡¯d be brothers forever, and whoever gets into a rtionship first is a dog!"

    Lu Tingxiao gave him an emotionless sideways look. "I don''t remember agreeing to something so stupid."

    Lu Jingli couldn''t help teasing him. "Brother Tian, as a single man, you can fool around as much as you want, but my brother has a son, and he has a responsibility to find him a mother!"

    "Then who is the woman?" Mo Lingtian frowned as he asked.

    Lu Tingxiao checked his watch again, his expression clearly showing his impatience. With long strides, he left just like that, actually ignoring himpletely.

    "F***! He actually ignored me! Choosing a girl over his sworn brother!" Mo Lingtian cursed behind him.

    Lu Jingli followed Lu Tingxiao and also took his leave;pared with a boring wine party, he¡¯d rather see how his brother picked up girls.

    "Hey hey hey, brother, are you rushing back because you want to celebrate sister-inw¡¯s birthday? Tell me quickly, what surprise did you prepare for her? I can give you some suggestions!"

    Lu Jingli was chattering non-stop behind Lu Tingxiao when a "fat ball" suddenly appeared in the corner of his eye.

    "Boss Lu, Second Young Master!" The man¡¯s forehead was wet with sweat. It seemed like he had rushed to catch up to them.

    Lu Jingli slowly lifted an eyebrow. "Yo, CEO Zhu! Why the rush?"

    "I, I¡¯m looking for Boss Lu!" Zhu Xiangcheng looked at Lu Tingxiao ingratiatingly, and handed him a thin, golden room key card with both hands. "Boss Lu, this is my small gift to you, please ept it!"

    It couldn''t be more obvious that he had prepared a woman for Lu Tingxiao in the room.

 Chapter 136: Could It Be, The Person In The Room Wasâ€¦

    <h4>Chapter 136: Could It Be, The Person In The Room Was¡­</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao wasn¡¯t inclined to deal with anyone at the moment, so to prevent the other party from wasting any more of his time, he took the key card directly, then continued walking ahead with long strides.

    Zhu Xiangcheng was relieved to see him ept the card, but was still worried about whether he would actually go or not.

    Lu Jingli followed behind him with aplicated expression. "Wow! Brother, you have some luck with women! You forced Zhu Xiangcheng into a corner, so he had to prepare something big for you. The woman he found for you must be exceptional! Brother, do you want her or not? Mm, but you have sister-inw already, so you definitely won¡¯t even take a look! Then why don''t you give the key card to me, I¡¯m really curious about what kind of goddess Zhu Xiangcheng has found!"

    Lu Tingxiao flicked a finger, and in the next second, the key card flew over to Lu Jingli.

    Lu Jingli caught the card between his two fingers and looked excited, "Then I¡¯m going!"

    "Wow, 808, isn¡¯t this the Presidential Suite!" Lu Jingli hummed to himself as he happily headed over to the suite, key card in hand.

    The elevator reached the top floor, and with one hand in his pocket, Lu Jingli walked towards the room, which was at the end of the corridor.

    Arriving at the door, he swiped the card, and the door opened with a beep.

    Before he opened the door, Lu Jingli had an awkward thought. It was only because he was curious that he hade to take a look. What was he going to do if the woman inside fell for him and wouldn¡¯t let him go?

    Even though he didn¡¯t believe in marriage , he was still an honorable man, and would only ept serious rtionships.

    The door finally swung open with a squeak.

    After opening the door, he saw a king-sized bed covered in red rose petals. A woman was lying in the middle, and through the rose petals, he could tell that the night gown was transparent. Her long legs were white and slender¡­

    These beautiful legs were already enough to make any guy fall head-over-heels, Zhu Xiangcheng had really gone all out this time!

    Lu Jingli took another two steps while he was thinking, then he saw the woman¡¯s face¡­

    Even though her eyes were covered by a whitece cloth, he could still recognize who the woman on the bed was.

    Holy Mother of F!!!!!!!!!!!

    Lu Jingli was so scared that he jumped and fell backwards, as if he had seen a ferocious beast, and his whole body mmed into the door with a loud sound.

    Immediately after that, he banged the door shut and ran like the wind downstairs .

    He ran wildly to the entrance of the parking garage, and saw Lu Tingxiao¡¯s caring out. He immediately flew over to block the car¡¯s path.

    With a loud screech from the brakes, Lu Tingxiao barely stopped the car in time, and his expression was very ugly.

    Li Jingli pped repeatedly on the car window, and before Lu Tingxiao could open his mouth to lecture him, he dragged him out of the car and urged him on as if their house was on fire. "Brother,e with me, quickly!"

    "What is it?"

    "It¡¯s urgent! An urgent matter! Juste with me and you''ll find out!"

    "There is only one thing I care about now."

    "I know right now you¡¯re only thinking about sister-inw, this has something to do with her!"

    Lu Tingxiao followed him immediately.

    In this way, the two of them rushed back to Presidential Suite 808.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at the door in front of him, his face cold as a cier. His eyes said that Lu Jingli better have a good exnation for why he had suddenly dragged him here.

    Lu Jingli wiped his face and opened the electronic lock with a beep. "Go see for yourself."

    Hearing this, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression changed slightly, and he reacted almost immediately ¡ª could it be, the person in the room was¡­

 Chapter 137: Quickly Going Crazy

    <h4>Chapter 137: Quickly Going Crazy</h4>

    In the next second, Lu Tingxiao stretched out his arm and quickly pushed the door open, and with one look he was struck dumb.

    The air quickly became very cold, and the man''s eyes were like des piercing Lu Jingli. "Did you see?"

    Lu Jingli was so frightened that he stuck to the doorframe, and said in a weak tone, "If I didn''t see her, how would I have known she is my sister-inw! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re jealous over even that? She¡¯s covered with petals, and I couldn¡¯t see anything! Besides, if it wasn¡¯t for my curiosity, I wouldn¡¯t have realized it was her, who knows what could have happened to her tonight. No matter what, my merits outweigh my shorings, okay? Except for darling Little Treasure baby, where else can you find as godly an assistant as me? I¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao: "Out!"

    "Yes, thank you for your kindness, my lord!" Lu Jingli, who had had a narrow escape, immediately and swiftly retreated.

    He already knew curiosity killed the cat, but even if he had escaped death ten thousand times already, he still couldn¡¯t break this bad habit!

    After Lu Jingli left, Lu Tingxiao immediately closed the door. Ten steps away from the bed, his mind instantly went nk.

    It was a big, white bed, and covered in red petals atop it was skin white as porcin. The girl¡¯s eyshes trembled under a strip ofce cloth. A thinyer of sweat made the material of what she was wearing cling tightly to her body. Her toes, white as jade, were curled up because of extreme fear and anxiety¡­

    This scene was simply cruel torture for Lu Tingxiao, who had endured for a very long time!

    He felt his throat dry up, and his cor felt so tight he almost couldn¡¯t breathe, so he reached up to roughly loosen his tie.

    Probably because the noise made by the movement was so loud, the girl in the bed was instantly so startled that her whole being began to tremble, and she tried with slight movements to get off the bed. But it seemed she had been drugged, so she had no strength at all. After so much effort, she only moved less than two centimeters, and was so tired that she gasped for breath, her chest heaving and the hair at her temples wet with sweat.

    Such a scene was like a drop of water sshing into boiling oil.

    As if he was bewitched and under someone else¡¯s control, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s legs carried him step by step to the bed until he stood beside it.

    The girl was keenly aware of someone standing by the bed, and she was biting down on her lip hard enough to tear it. She struggled even harder to escape.

    Lu Tingxiao was in a trance, and he slowly reached out to the girl¡­

    The rough pad of one finger finally touched the skin that he had desired for so long, and it felt like the heat traveled through his finger to burn up his whole being.

    But in the next second, there was a sudden, sharp pain in his finger.

    The girl had bitten him hard.

    Bright red blood quickly welled up from the wound on his finger.

    Seeing the girl''s red lips bite down on his finger, even his pain turned to delight.

    Lu Tingxiao felt he was quickly going crazy!

    Even the pain didn''t clear his head, but in that instant, the girl who had bitten him suddenly lost her strength, and her face showed empty despair. It was like he had been dunked in cold water, and he came to his sensespletely.

    Damn it! What the hell was he doing?!

    He clearly knew how scared she was at that moment, that every minute and every second in darkness was all torture and suffering for her!

    Lu Tingxiao quickly reached out to remove thece cloth covering her eyes.

    The girl''s eyshes flickered violently, then she opened her eyes slowly, like a slow motion rey of Sleeping Beauty waking up after a thousand years of deep sleep¡­

 Chapter 138: Luckily Itâ€™s You

    <h4>Chapter 138: Luckily It¡¯s You</h4>

    In the next second, the girl opened her eyespletely.

    In the instant that the man¡¯s figure was reflected in her limpid and despairing eyes, she froze in confusion at first, then her eyes quickly misted over with tears, which becamerge drops that rolled down her face one after another, in a seemingly endless fall¡­

    "Ning Xi¡­" Lu Tingxiao waspletely flustered by the girl''s tears. "What''s wrong? Where does it hurt? I''m sorry I''mte¡­ don''t cry¡­ I''ll take you to the hospital¡­ you¡­ please don''t cry¡­"

    His heart almost stopped beating.

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes were red and her tears still wouldn¡¯t stop flowing. She stretched out her hands, but dropped them halfway.

    "Do you want to get up?" Lu Tingxiao immediately leaned over to help her sit up.

    As he was about to help her off the bed, the girl suddenly put her arms around his neck and burrowed her head in his shoulder. She cried hard, her body shaking and her tears quickly making his clothes wet as they flowed down his neck¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s heart felt like it had been stabbed. He patted her gently on the back with one wide palm, as if he was handling fragile ss. "Don''t be afraid¡­ it''s alright now¡­ it¡¯s alright¡­ I''m sorry¡­ I''m sorry¡­"

    Because of the extreme panic and fear, Ning Xi cried for over ten minutes before she stopped, then started to hup.

    Lu Tingxiao patiently helped her to smooth out her breathing, but he was afraid to startle her, so he didn''t dare move his stiff body.

    After a long time, Ning Xi finally calmed down, and said hoarsely in his ears in a soft and helpless voice, "Luckily it¡¯s you¡­"

    She said: Luckily it¡¯s you.

    These words struck him hard in his heart, and echoed over and over again.

    Maybe she herself didn''t realize it, but somehow along the way, she had alreadye to trust him so much.

    With some effort, Ning Xi gave him a slight, bitter smile as she said disjointedly, "Lu Tingxiao, you don''t know, it¡¯s been a really bad day for me¡­ before I saw you¡­ I was already doubting my life, I was already giving up on this world¡­"

    She had thought that she was indestructible and that nothing could keep her down, but when what happened that night five years ago had been about to happen again, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and broke down.

    She had already thought about it, that even if Zhu Xiangcheng didn¡¯t use her himself, he would definitely give her to some other person. Birds of a feather flocked together, so any man who mixed around with Zhu Xiangcheng would definitely be even more disgusting than him.

    At this moment, she was so d that her guess had been wrong. She never expected that the person Zhu Xiangcheng wanted to please would actually be Lu Tingxiao.

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyes shed with murderous intent, but when he spoke, his voice was gentle. "I''m sorry, I¡¯m the one who got you involved. I only meant to rescue you that night, but Zhu Xiangcheng misunderstood the situation. I never anticipated that he would do such a thing."

    "How can I me you, you did it to help me." Only then did Ning Xi realize that she was still leaning against his shoulder, and she tried to get up as she said embarrassedly, "I''m sorry, I¡¯ve dirtied your clothes."

    The girl knelt there with tears on her cheeks. Without the petals to cover her, the material she was wearing was so thin, it was as if she was wearing nothing at all.

    Lu Tingxiao coughed slightly and looked away. "It¡¯s fine."

    Ning Xi¡¯s body shook as soon as she stood up, and Lu Tingxiao quickly steadied her. "Are you alright? I''ll take you to the hospital!"

    Ning Xi blushed and she shook her head. "It''s no use going to the hospital for this type of drug! Um, that¡­ Lu Tingxiao, can I ask one thing of you?"

 Chapter 139: Null Is Sex and Sex Is Zero

    <h4>Chapter 139: Null Is Sex and Sex Is Zero</h4>

    "What?" Lu Tingxiao''s nerves became tightened subconsciously.

    "That piece of cloth for blindfolding¡­Can you use it to blindfold me again?" Ning Xi requested in a low voice.

    A look of startle flickered across Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face. "Why?"

    Ning Xi said with resignation. "Because, out of sight, out of mind!"

    Although the remark of Ning Xi was very inexplicable, but Lu Tingxiao understood instantly. With a slight cough, he picked up the whitece cloth that had been thrown to the ground, gently covered her eyes and tied it.

    The desire inside Ning Xi¡¯s body med up the instant Lu Tingxiao came near, so she hurried to silently read "Null is zero and sex is zero". The turmoil in her body slightly calmed down until he had a safe distance from her and her eyes became dark again.

    If the one who came was a wretched sick man like Zhu Xiangcheng, but it was Lu Tingxiao. For her who had had APHRODISIAC, Lu Tingxiao was a catalyst that infinitely amplified the drug effect and could make her have lethal chemical reaction.

    "Is it ok?" asked Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi nodded. "I have another thing need to bother you. I have no strength at all. Would you please help me go to the bathroom? It¡¯ll be ok for me to take a cold bath!"

    "Wait a minute. I''ll get you water first."

    "Thanks."

    The sound of a crash in the bathroom was clear and audible in the quiet room.

    It was the same situation that her eyes couldn¡¯t see, but she felt matchlessly secure.

    A momentter, the sound of water stopped, and the sound of footsteps came into his ear.

    "Can you walk?" asked Lu Tingxiao.

    "I should be ok. Just help me up."

    Lu Tingxiao stretched out his arm to help her up, and very considerately kept distance with her, only using arms to touch her.

    After the body of Ning Xi finally dipped into the cold water, she sighfortably. "Hmm¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao became nervous. ""I''m going out first. If you have something, you can call me. Don''t bath too long to catch a cold."

    "Ok."

    Lu Tingxiao turned away and left. His figure was in some haste and difiture, as if he was running away.

    After going out, Lu Tingxiao pulled the hotel door open, and then saw a figure who fell flop in the room without being supported.

    When Lu Tingxiao climbed up and pped his butt, he peered into the house, behaving stealthily like a thief. "Oh, heh heh¡­I just worry about you¡­Just worry¡­Absolutely don¡¯t want to gossip¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao who seemed to have expected he would hide at the door said in a cold voice: "Fetch me the papers in the car."

    Lu Jingli¡¯s mouth opened like an "O". "Brother, do you make a mistake? You''re going to read papers in this case? Are you a man?"

    Lu Tingxiao, gave him a nce shing with knives and swords. "Need I prove to you?"

    "No, no, no! You needn¡¯t! I¡¯ll go at once! At once!" the proving method of his brother must be a specially masculine beating.

    After bringing the papers upstairs, Lu Jingli listened to the faint sound of water, sighing with extreme grief. "What cold bath! Be decisive and be the antidote for her in person. What a waste! Too wasteful!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "You can leave now."

    "Actually I don''t want to leave, actually I want to stay ~ stay with you each spring summer autumn and winter~~~" when Lu Jingli sang, he iparably wistfully left.

    Back in the room, Lu Tingxiao tried hard to ignore the blurry figure behind the frosted door in the bathroom and forced himself to focus on the papers in his hand.

    Well, it was rather efficient¡­he had read two pages for half an hour¡­

    Just then, there came a sudden cry of Ning Xi in the bathroom. "Lu Tingxiao--"

 Chapter 140: Hurry Up And Help Me

    <h4>Chapter 140: Hurry Up And Help Me</h4>

    "Lu Tingxiao! Lu Tingxiao ¡ª"

    Lu Tingxiao quickly dropped the things in his hands and ran to the bathroom door. "Ning Xi, what''s the matter?"

    "Lu Tingxiao!"

    "I¡¯m here."

    "Come in!"

    "¡­" Go in?

    "Hurry up! Hurry up! Ahhh¡­"

    "What¡­ what''s wrong?" Lu Tingxiao''s tone became more and more nervous, but he didn''t dare to rashly open the door.

    "I have a cramp in my leg! Hurry up and help me! Ouch¡­"

    "¡­" Lu Tingxiao face palmed, both relieved and resigned, and hurriedly open the door to enter.

    Because the water was cold and there was no steam inside, her wet clothes werepletely transparent, and Lu Tingxiao¡¯s Adam''s apple bobbed slightly. Although he wasn¡¯t drugged, the extent of his suffering at the moment was not any less than Ning Xi¡¯s.

    "Lu Tingxiao¡­ Lu Tingxiao?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s urging brought him back to his senses, and he quickly walked over. "Which leg?"

    "Right leg, right leg!" Ning Xi¡¯s face was white with pain.

    Lu Tingxiao stopped thinking so much, and promptly took hold of her ankle with one hand and stretched and massaged her thigh with the other.

    "How is it?"

    "No good, no good! It¡¯s still cramping! Harder!"

    "What about now?"

    "Ah! It hurts! Softer!"

    "Is it alright now?"

    "Almost, almost¡­"

    ¡­

    In just a few minutes, Lu Tingxiao was wet through with sweat. Exhausted, he gently lowered her leg.

    In the next second, out of the corner of his eye, Lu Tingxiao suddenly noticed that there were several harsh, red marks on her torso and legs, and his face instantly turned cold. "What is that on your body? Did Zhu Xiangcheng hurt you?"

    "On my body?" Ning Xi subconsciously stroked where it ached on her thigh. "Do you mean here? These are from the suspension wires today."

    Only then did Lu Tingxiao''s face rx, but then he frowned. "I''ll buy you some medicine."

    Saying that, he looked at her in concern. "Come out of the bath, any longer and you''ll get sick."

    Ning Xi subconsciously pulled herself a little further under the water, and stretched out ten fingers. "Ten minutes. Give me ten more minutes. I was almost ready earlier, but then you came in, so¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­" Alright.

    Lu Tingxiao left the bathroom, and opened the door of the hotel room again.

    Sure enough, Lu Jingli rolled inside again.

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­"

    Lu Jingli: "¡­"

    Lu Jingli got up in a second, and bowed. "I''m sorry, brother, I''ll leave at once!"

    "Wait, go downstairs and help buy me some medicine." Lu Tingxiao stopped him.

    "What medicine?" Lu Jingli wagged his big tail; there was an ambiguous expression on his face.

    "For swelling and bruising, something like that."

    Lu Jingli''s eyes instantly lit up like a lightbulb. "Brother, did you finally demonstrate your prowess?"

    Lu Tingxiao stared coldly at him.

    Lu Jingli: "I''m sorry, I was wrong. How can you do so in such a short period of time? Your humble servant will run errands at once!"

    In less than five minutes, Lu Jingli came running back with the medicine he bought, and he said brazenly, "Brother, how about you let me directly guard the door, and I¡¯ll run errands for you anytime you need it?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked sideways at him. "If I see you again for the third time."

    The consequences will be very severe¡­

    Liu Jingli could only sigh regretfully, then he slyly took a small, square box out of his pocket. "Brother, I also bought this, it¡¯s definitely better than whatever the hotel has to offer. Are you sure you don''t need it? Ouch ¡ª"

    Lu Jingli was kicked out.

 Chapter 141: If My Inner Beast Comes Out

    <h4>Chapter 141: If My Inner Beast Comes Out</h4>

    After putting down the medicine, Lu Tingxiao was about to knock at the bathroom door to ask whether Ning Xi was done, when it was pulled open from inside with a bang.

    Ning Xi was wrapped up tightly in a huge bath towel, and she was hopping up and down like a caterpir as she came running out.

    "Watch out!" Lu Tingxiao was worried that she could not see and would fall down, so he hurriedly came over to help her.

    Ning Xi sighed and said meaningfully, "It¡¯s not me that should be careful, it¡¯s you, Lu Tingxiao!"

    "What do I need to be careful of?" Lu Tingxiao didn¡¯t understand.

    Ning Xi looked at him matter-of-factly. "Be careful of me, of course! My strength has recovered a bit after bathing for a while, but the fire in my body could erupt at any time, like a dormant volcano! So it¡¯s better if you stay away from me! If my inner beastes out, the consequences would be terrible! Let me tell you, even I am afraid of myself when I go crazy¡­"

    The corner of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s mouth tilted upwards slightly. He didn¡¯t know whether to cry orugh at her exaggerated words.

    In fact, he looked forward to such a consequence.

    "The medicine is here, do you need me to help you?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "Of course not. For the sake of your virtue, I better do it myself!" Ning Xi said righteously.

    "My virtue¡­" Lu Tingxiao curled his lips.

    Ning Xi blinked. "Didn''t you say before that you would only ept a sexual rtionship as part of marriage?"

    This type of good man who was disciplined and righteous was like a needle in a haystack. She would bemitting a huge sin if she was the one to destroy his principles.

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the skin between his eyebrows. Was it toote for him now to take those words back?

    Ning Xi then said vaguely, "That, I¡¯m not wearing clothes inside."

    Lu Tingxiao nodded, handed her the medicine, then stepped back. "I''ll wait for you outside."

    "Okay, oh, by the way, please help me see if my own clothes and bag are outside!"

    "Okay."

    Lu Tingxiao walked into the living room, and after a short search, found a clothes basket in one corner with all of Ning Xi¡¯s things inside.

    There was a sh of light inside her bag; it was an iing call on her phone, which she had muted.

    Lu Tingxiao took a casual nce, and in the next second, his pupils abruptly contracted.

    Two letters shed clearly on the caller disy ¡ª YS.

    It was the man whose identity he hadn¡¯t been able to discover until now.

    The call didn¡¯t cut off, and the screen kept shing.

    Lu Tingxiao stared at it for ten seconds, then with slender fingers, picked up the phone and pressed the button to ept the call.

    On the other end of the line, there was a faint sound like someone pouring wine, and then came a husky male voice. "Hello, Sissy, did you receive the gift? Happy Birthday."

    "¡­" Lu Tingxiao said nothing.

    "Hello?"

    About five secondster, as Lu Tingxiao wondered whether the man would say anything more, that slightly evil-sounding voice sounded again. "Heh, you aren¡¯t Ning Xi, are you?"

    Lu Tingxiao remained silent.

    Following that was the familiar sound of a wine ss tapping against ssware, and the man continued to speak in an interested tone. "Then who are you? Let me guess¡­ it must be a man¡­ a man who is still with her at this time of night¡­ a one night stand? Or are you dating?"

    The man paused, then chuckled huskily before speaking in a tone filled with dangerous malice. "Heh, if you¡¯re in a rtionship, then has she told you, she has one foot in two camps? Yes, that¡¯s right, the other camp is me."

    What did he mean?

    Just as Lu Tingxiao was about to prod him for more information, the phone suddenly went dark. It had actually running out of battery, and had turned off automatically.

 Chapter 142: Damn Making Love

    <h4>Chapter 142: Damn Making Love</h4>

    They had been thinking that YS was one of Ning Xi¡¯s ex-boyfriends. But hearing what the person had said on the phone, were he and Ning Xi still together?

    Otherwise, why would he use the phrase "have a foot in both camps"?

    Ning Xi had a boyfriend, but she just never mentioned it?

    At the thought of this possibility, Lu Tingxiao''s face instantly turned stormy.

    But he calmed down quickly, since he couldn¡¯t exclude the very high possibility that the other party had deliberately said such a thing to strike his love rival a blow.

    "Lu Tingxiao, I¡¯ve rubbed on the medicine! Are my things here?"

    "Yes." Lu Tingxiao came to himself, and took her things in.

    After Ning Xi changed her clothes, Lu Tingxiao walked in again.

    After changing into her own clothes, Ning Xi felt much morefortable. The atmosphere was also not that strange anymore, so she took the blindfold off.

    As soon as she removed the blindfold, she saw Lu Tingxiao looking at her with aplicated expression. She subconsciously touched her face and asked confusedly, "What''s wrong?"

    Lu Tingxiao sat down by the bed. "Can you tell me about yourself, Ning Xi?"

    "About me? What about me?"

    "Anything is fine."

    Ning Xi was sure that Lu Tingxiao was deliberately trying to distract her, so she thought for a while before she said, "In that case, let me tell you something about my hometown!"

    It was not the answer he expected, but it was just using different means to reach the same goal, and it would eventually lead to that matter.

    Furthermore, it was the only time, and also the first time, that she was speaking about herself in front of him.

    So Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Alright."

    "Lu Tingxiao, there is a small town outside C City called Chunfeng Town. Do you know it? Mm, it¡¯s so small, you definitely wouldn¡¯t!"

    "I do, the scenery is not bad. Was <Hero in Troubled Times> shot there?"

    When Ning Xi heard this, she became excited. "Yes, yes! You actually do know! The scene in <Hero in Troubled Times> where the actor and the actress make love in the billowing wheat was shot in our town!"

    Uh, damn making love! Why did she mention making love at this time! She was talking so much to forget about the topic of making love!

    Ning Xi hurriedly cut off this dangerous talk. "Cough, the main point is that because the town isn¡¯t developed, the environment is especially good and the air is especially great!"

    "A few years ago, Lu Jingli made some noise about going fishing there, but I was busy with work at the time, so I didn''t go," Lu Tingxiao said a little regretfully. If he had gone at that time, would he have met her a little earlier?

    In a sense, Lu Jingli really was the matchmaker for him and Ning Xi.

    Although he hadn¡¯t gone, he had still met herter.

    It was also only because Lu Jingli had taken Little Treasure to the bar that everything else happened.

    Hmm, he would reward him properly when he got back!

    "Then if you have the chance, you have to go at least once, you definitely won''t be disappointed! I can be your guide then!" When she spoke of her hometown, Ning Xi¡¯s face was full of excitement, but it slowly darkened. "Over twenty years ago, the air was better. Back then, a lot of rich people woulde on holiday, and there were even a number of them who came because of their pregnancies, including the Ning family¡¯s madam, Zhuang Lingyu, twenty-four years ago."

    With these words, Ning Xi suddenly became silent.

    Lu Tingxiao didn¡¯t urge her to continue, and quietly waited.

    Ning Xi took a deep breath, and continued her story. "Madam Ning had nned to stay in Chunfeng Town while she was pregnant, then go back for the delivery. Unexpectedly, she identally inducedbour, and the child was born premature¡­"

 Chapter 143: Couldnâ€™t You Just Play Along?

    <h4>Chapter 143: Couldn¡¯t You Just y Along?</h4>

    "Because they couldn¡¯t get back to the city in time, she was sent to a small hospital in Chunfeng Town. That night, there was another pregnant woman who was also admitted¡­"

    "Then?" Lu Tingxiao asked, even though he could already guess what happened after that.

    Ning Xi shrugged. "Then it was all drama! That small hospital didn¡¯t have enough staff and was poorly managed. They mixed the two baby girls up, and made a mistake thatsted eighteen years! Do you know Ning Xueluo even has the same blood type as me, that¡¯s why nobody realized anything!"

    "Then how did they find out?"

    Ning Xi turned her head and smiled at Lu Tingxiao. "As for that, it was thanks to my wild second uncle!"

    "Ning Yaobang?" Lu Tingxiao had heard of this person, but didn''t really know him; he only knew that back then, he had been a well-known yboy in the capital.

    "That¡¯s right, my second uncle was a total yer, and he was still fooling around with women outside even after he got married. He messed up a lot of lives, and in the end, had one son and three daughters in total!

    "The Ning family wasn''t sure if it was a feng shui problem, but in this generation, Ning Yaohua and Ning Yaobang just couldn¡¯t have boys, so that illegitimate son of my second uncle became the only male Ning heir in my generation.

    "My second uncle was especially cocky when he thought his son could inherit the family¡¯s fortune, but who would have thought that he wouldter find out that his male heir wasn''t even his real son. That outside woman had totally cuckolded him, haha! Then can you guess what happened after that?"

    Lu Tingxiao really loved how Ning Xi¡¯s eyes sparkled. He thought for a bit. "Your grandfather was angry, and had DNA tests done for all the Ning family grandchildren, and found out that Ning Xueluo wasn''t a Ning family member?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s head was covered with ck lines. "Couldn¡¯t you have just yed along¡­ there¡¯s really no fun trying to keep you in suspense!"

    Lu Tingxiaoughed lightly. "Sorry, I¡¯ll do better next time."

    Ning Xi humphed, and continued. "After they investigated, they realized that Ning Xueluo and I had been identally switched at the hospital that year, so I was taken back to the Ning family!"

    Hearing her breezy tone when she said this, Lu Tingxiao rubbed her head gently. "They didn¡¯t treat you well?"

    Ning Xi didn''t think anything of it at first, but when Lu Tingxiao patted her gently on the head, for some reason, she suddenly felt that she had really been treated unjustly.

    As expected, you only realize how aggrieved you are when someone cares for you; if no one cares about you, who would you share your sorrows with?

    Seeing Ning Xi¡¯s depressed mood, Lu Tingxiao opened his arms wide. "I can lend you my embrace."

    Ning Xi startled, and she turned her head. "No! Do you understand that this would be tempting me intomitting a crime against you?"

    Lu Tingxiao didn''t say anything, just kept looking at her. "What about your foster parents, did they treat you well?"

    Talking about her foster parents, Ning Xi¡¯s mood lifted a bit. "My grandmother favored sons over daughters, and really didn¡¯t like me. When I was born, she almost drowned me in the river, and she also once ditched me somewhere. But my dad found me and brought me back. My mom¡­ she was also very good to me, I also have a thoughtful and obedient little brother!"

    Hearing how she had almost been drowned or thrown away, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s heart clenched. And when she talked about her mother, her expression had seemed a little off, but he didn''t ask further.

    "I really like my old family, when they told me I wasn''t their real daughter, I felt my whole world crumbling down. But the Ning family is too powerful, I couldn¡¯t make any other choice. Back then, if I had rejected them with all my being, there might have been the slight chance that I could have stayed, but¡­"

 Chapter 144: No One Is Better Than You

    <h4>Chapter 144: No One Is Better Than You</h4>

    Ning Xi sighed. "But that time, I was in love with a man, and needed a status to match his."

    A light shed in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes. "Su Yan?"

    Ning Xi nodded, then smiled."Do you think it¡¯s strange how a country girl like me back then could have met a young master like Su Yan?"

    Before Lu Tingxiao guessed the situation again, Ning Xi also didn¡¯t keep him in suspense, and directly answered her own question. "Su Yan¡¯s lungs weren¡¯t very good when he was little, so for seven years, he stayed in the countryside in the house next to mine.

    "The first time I met him was when I found him copsed on the road, so I carried him on my back and took him home.

    "So we got to know each other after that, and we fell in love. Childhood friends and innocent ymates, how beautiful! Heh, but in the end, reality showed me it wasn¡¯t a Cindere story, but the story of Mister Guo and the wolf!"

    "No need to be sad, he''s not good enough for you." Lu Tingxiaoforted her.

    She never expected to somehow end up talking about her ex-boyfriend with Lu Tingxiao. Ning Xi scratched her head, and felt a little awkward. "That was off-topic, back to the Ning family¡­ Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu hated to let go of Ning Xueluo, whom they had raised for eighteen years, so when I went back, they didn''t give Ning Xueluo back to the Tang family, and to the Ning family, Ning Xueluo was still the apple of their eye.

    "Then you can probably guess the rest. You can¡¯t make up for an eighteen-year gap overnight. In front of Ning Xuoluo, who grew up in a wealthy and powerful family, and who had received eighteen years of an elite education, I was an uncultured country bumpkin.

    "I was too na?ve back then, and at first I actually thought she was my friend. But she abused my trust, and tricked me into believing that I could drink the lemon water for washing hands, and gave me an imitation dress to wear for a banquet. One by one, she used these tricks to drive me out of the Ning family¡¯s social circle¡­

    "The people in the circle were all already familiar with Ning Xueluo, and were all on her side. They treated me well on the surface, but in privateughed at me for being a hick. Even my own biological parents hated my existence, and felt that I was a stain on their name¡­ then it was Su Yan¡­

    "After Su Yan, my reputation, my innocence, my dignity ¡ª the things most important to a girl, they were all ruined and destroyed."

    Ning Xi slowly hugged her knees. "Today on set, there was a problem with a prop, I identally used my sword to injure Ning Xueluo. At the hospital, my mother, my biological mother, didn''t ask me a single thing before she pped me, and my biological father had nothing but me and threats for me¡­

    Ning Xi stared nkly outside the window at a night that was ck as ink, and her voice sounded far away. "For some reason earlier, everything I had been holding in for five years suddenly broke. I suddenly felt that everything was meaningless, that I was such a failure. Was it because I was so terrible that everyone hated me? Trying hard for so long, was it worth it?"

    As soon as she finished, Lu Tingxiao suddenly grabbed onto her shoulders tightly. "Ning Xi, look at me. Not everybody hates you, they are the ones who are terrible. Understand?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes reddened slightly.

    No matter how hard she tried to pretend she was fine, she was still only a girl just over twenty years old.

    Lu Tingxiao pulled her into his arms and gently kissed the top of her head¡­

    Ning Xi only felt a slight weight on her head, and didn''t know what it was.

    Lu Tingxiao gave her a deep stare and said seriously, "Ning Xi, if you doubt yourself, then try believing in me. You are more than good enough."

    In this world, no one is better than you.

    Ning Xi broke intoughter. "Of course I believe Big Boss Lu¡¯s words!"

    Lu Tingxiao breathed a sigh of relief; that earlier moment had rmed him immensely, to see her lose all hope.

    After a short silence, Lu Tingxiao spoke up. "Ning Xi, can I ask you something?"

    ¡®Mister Guo and the wolf¡¯ is from the Chinese fairytale The Wolf of Zhongsan, which tells the story of a wolf¡¯s ingratitude after being saved by a schr.

 Chapter 145: Become Your Brainless Fan

    <h4>Chapter 145: Be Your Brainless Fan</h4>

    "What is it?" Ning Xi tilted her head.

    Was it because he liked her, so no matter what she did, he thought it was cute? Lu Tingxiao couldn''t help touching her little head lovingly. "Do you like diamonds?"

    "Ah?" Ning Xi hadn¡¯t expected that he would suddenly ask such a strange question. "Why do you ask?"

    "Today is your birthday, Little Treasure helped me prepare a birthday gift for you. It seems he picked out diamonds. I¡¯m helping him ask in case you don''t like it." Lu Tingxiao acted normal.

    "So it¡¯s like that¡­" Ning Xi scratched her head, then said, "Well, diamonds are supposed to be a girl¡¯s best friend, right? But it¡¯s just a birthday, and he¡¯s a little kid, he shouldn¡¯t be getting me something so expensive, so I¡¯ll have to say no. Something handmade would be better!"

    Lu Tingxiao said casually, "It¡¯s not something so costly, unlike the one you received on set that day, which was truly valuable. I¡¯m just worried that after seeing that, anything else would pale inparison for you."

    Hearing that, Ning Xi immediately facepalmed. "So you also know about that! News really does travel fast¡­ don¡¯tpare yourself with that weirdo, he¡¯s mental!"

    "Is that person your boyfriend?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi almost choked on her own saliva. "Cough¡­ no way! What made you think of something as scary as that?"

    "Because you seemed really close," Lu Tingxiao said in a slightly despondent voice.

    Ning Xi¡¯s head hurt. "My God! How is that close? Is scolding someone for being mental considered being close?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "To me it is. You are always so polite with me, and have never been frank or sharp with me."

    Ning Xi simply didn''t know what to say. Was Big Demon King Lu secretly a masochist? Did he like being treated a little more harshly?

    "In short, he has nothing to do with me now! He¡­ he¡¯s just mental, and stupidly likes to throw diamonds at people! If I ever see him again, I¡¯ll definitely throw it right back at him!" Ning Xi said in a rxed tone, but there was a hint of dread when she was talking about that person.

    "Nothing to do with you now, then does that mean there was something there before?" Lu Tingxiao picked up on this point specifically.

    Ning Xi coughed. "That¡­ you could maybe say we dated before¡­ if just one day counts¡­"

    For some reason, Ning Xi cared about Li Tingxiao¡¯s opinion of her. She grabbed her hair. "Lu Tingxiao, do you think it¡¯s bad of me to have dated so many guys before?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked very serious, and replied as if he was answering an extremely important question: "No, everyone has their own way of living, and they have things they don¡¯t want anyone else to know. People who don¡¯t know the truth have no right to stand on a high pedestal and punish or denounce other people."

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart was warmed, and she smiled. "Lu Tingxiao, you sound like my brainless fan, no matter what I say, you¡¯ll think I¡¯m correct, right?"

    "Brainless fan?" Lu Tingxiao didn''t quite understand what this meant.

    "That¡¯s right, it describes thosepletely irrational fans who support their idols whether they¡¯re right or wrong!"

    Lu Tingxiao thought for a while, then murmured, "Mm, that¡¯s very urate."

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    Ning Xi looked like she was silently struggling to contain some kind of emotion, and after a long beat, she sighed deeply. "Lu Tingxiao¡­ do you know¡­"

    "What?"

    "Do you know, you are scarier than the aphrodisiac!" The look on Ning Xi¡¯s face was twisted as she pulled on her cor painfully.

 Chapter 146: Unable To Take Anymore Of Your Flirting

    <h4>Chapter 146: Unable To Take Anymore Of Your Flirting</h4>

    Sheet, they had chatted for so long to distract her, but it had been all in vain!

    How did this man start hitting on her without warning!

    The scariest thing was that he actually didn''t realize he was doing it at all!

    If the saying was that no action was the best type of action, and no flirting was the strongest form of flirting, then this was the highest level of flirting¡­ ptui ptui ptui¡­

    Her brain was already in a mess, and she didn''t know what weird things she was thinking about¡­

    "Are you feeling unwell again?" Seeing her condition, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression immediately turned tense.

    Ning Xi rubbed her throbbing temples. It wasn¡¯t as simple as just feeling unwell. This tide that had surged again was scarier than the first one. In her eyes right now, Lu Tingxiao was just like the male lead in a shoujo series, who came with his own emotional background music and romantic pink cherry blossoms special effects¡­

    Her inner reason shed with the intense, bewitching, pink rays of light he brought with him, and she felt like she was quickly being possessed.

    In just a few short seconds, Ning Xi had started gasping for breath and was sweating profusely. Seeing this sudden change, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s own expression immediately changed. "Where does it hurt, weren¡¯t you already feeling better? What¡­ what kind of pain¡­ is it that¡­ or something else?"

    Lu Tingxiao felt slightly embarrassed when he remembered what she said earlier about him being scarier than the aphrodisiac.

    This was perhaps the biggestpliment he had ever gotten.

    There was a red light in Ning Xi¡¯s eyes, and she stared at him without blinking.

    Under that gaze, Lu Tingxiao felt as if his body was on fire.

    With some effort, Ning Xi shook her head, then threw herself onto the big bed and looked at the ceiling helplessly. "Ai, I think I still have to endure it tonight¡­ Lu Tingxiao, if I lose control of myselfter, remember that you have to knock me out!

    Lu Tingxiao muttered, " Actually, I could¡­"

    Ning Xi immediately stopped him. "Stop stop stop, don''t say it! Please my lord boss, pardon me, this humble servant right now is unable to take anymore of your flirting!"

    Lu Tingxiao lifted an eyebrow. "What are you thinking? I was saying, I could leave the room."

    "Eh¡­ oh¡­" Ning Xi was embarrassed as she rubbed her nose and murmured, "But it¡¯s too¡­ too boring to stay by myself!"

    She was embarrassed to say that she would be scared.

    Lu Tingxiao understood her worries, and asked gently, "How about we go home?"

    Go home¡­

    Ning Xi was in a daze after hearing those two words, for it was the image of the Lu residence which instantly and naturally popped into her head.

    "Better not, in my current state¡­" She didn''t want to bring this utter filth back to that ce.

    Out of the corner of her eye, Ning Xi saw documents andptop which Lu Tingxiao had ced by the side of the bed. "You do your own thing! If I meditate for a bit, I won''t run or do anything rash¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao smiled. "Okay."

    In the quiet hotel room, there was only the sound of the cking of keys on the keyboard. It was like the gentlest luby in the world¡­

    With a peaceful expression, the girl slowly closed her eyes¡­

    Noticing the long, steady breaths next to him, Lu Tingxiao stopped what he was doing, and carefully covered her with the nket.

    The girl made an indistinct noise, then unconsciously grabbed his finger and murmured, "Lu Tingxiao¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s body trembled, and there was an iparably moved expression on his face.

    She was calling his name.

    "Yes, don''t be scared, I¡¯m here." Lu Tingxiao bent down, and his appearance was gentle as he kissed the corner of her mouth.

    But tangled up in that gentle appearance was a dark cloud of turmoil¡­

    ¡®Shoujo¡¯ is Japanese for ¡®young girl¡¯.

 Chapter 147: Little Treasure Tears The House Apart

    <h4>Chapter 147: Little Treasure Tears The House Apart</h4>

    Ning Xi, what should I do¡­

    I¡¯m not as good as you think I am.

    It frightens me sometimes when you look at me with such trusting eyes.

    If one day you find out that I¡¯m really not what you think I am¡­ would you leave me?

    ¡­

    At five in the morning, Lu Tingxiao was woken up by the sound of the doorbell.

    He opened the door to see Lu Jingli standing outside anxiously. "Brother, don''t get mad at me, this is really urgent. If you don''t go home now, Little Treasure will tear the whole house apart! They couldn¡¯t get in touch with you, and Ning Xi¡¯s phone isn''t working, so I had no choice but toe here!"

    At this moment behind him, Ning Xi instantly sounded wide awake. "What¡¯s wrong with Little Treasure? I¡¯m going back right now!"

    Saying that, she grabbed her bag in passing and helped pack up Lu Tingxiao¡¯s things in ten seconds. "Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!"

    The three of them rushed back to the Lu residence.

    As soon as they entered the courtyard, Ning Xi was stunned.

    "What¡¯s going on? What are those?" Ning Xi rubbed her eyes, and stared in shock at the shiny, silver man-shaped figures walking around. She felt as if she¡¯d travelled to a different dimension.

    Lu Jingli blinked. "Can¡¯t you tell? They¡¯re robots!"

    Ning Xi almost went crazy. "Of course I can see that¡­ but, why are there so many of them?"

    Lu Jingli¡¯s head hurt. "This is one of Little Treasure¡¯s hobbies, it¡¯s just that he hasn''t taken them out in a while. But now that he¡¯s been provoked, he¡¯s put them all out, like zombies attacking the city¡­"

    They could see a few dozen robots on the spot, and they were all wrecking things.

    Digging up the ground, running around crazily, knocking into trees, destroying flowers; one even lifted a maid up¡­ nearby, the servants cried out in rm. The whole scene was a mess¡­

    Seeing that the maid was about to fall out of the robot¡¯s arms, Ning Xi opened the car door and rushed over to catch the girl before she hit the ground.

    "Are you okay, Wan Wan?"

    Wan Wan was still in shock as she patted her chest, then she looked at Ning Xi thankfully. "Thank you, Miss Xiao Xi! You¡¯ve returned, please go see Little Young Master quickly!"

    At the Lu residence, all the servants, especially the maids, took a hostile attitude towards Ning Xi, they just didn''t dare show it in front of her. But Wan Wan had helped Little Treasure bring fresh juice to Ning Xi on set often, so she started to get to know Ning Xi more, and she felt that Ning Xi wasn''t taking advantage of the doting attention from Eldest Young Master and Little Young Master, and wasn¡¯t an overbearing bully for it. She was very modest and spoke well, so Wan Wan had a very good impression of her.

    Seeing how Ning Xi had nimbly taken action as "the hero saving the beauty", in the car, Lu Tingxiao had a helpless expression on his face.

    Lu Jingli stuck his head out of the car window and cried intively, "Xiao Xi Xi, you¡¯re not supposed to do that! You stole my job! Ouch! Help ¡ª"

    As he was speaking, a robot had mped onto one of his arms.

    "Brother, save me! Hurry up and turn these things off!" Right after he made noise about being the hero to save the damsel, Lu Jingli now had to be rescued himself.

    Lu Tingxiao had on an expression of someone who wanted to help, but didn''t know how. "Little Treasure changed the programst time, I¡¯ll need an hour to crack it."

    "An hour! Then I¡¯m going to lose my arm! Ahhhh, hurts hurts hurts¡­"

    "Then where is Little Treasure now?" Ning Xi hurriedly asked.

    "He should be in theputer room." Lu Tingxiao swiftly came out of the car. "I¡¯ll take you there."

    "Okay!" The two of them ran to theputer room quickly.

    Lu Jingli watched their backs as they left. "Two of you, hurry!"

 Chapter 148: Carry Me

    <h4>Chapter 148: Carry Me</h4>

    A momentter, Lu Tingxiao told the butler to prepare a small open-top car, simr to a sightseeing car, and swiftly brought her to a small, detached building behind the golf course.

    The shape and design of the house was utterly fantastic; it looked like it was made of ss or some unknown metal. With one look, she could tell it was especially high-tech and had a very futuristic feel.

    The Lu residence was too big; Ning Xi had lived there for so many days and still hadn¡¯t seen everything. This was the first time she hade to this ce.

    "There is a mechanical device at the base of the house which turns with the sun. The coating on the exterior walls of the house can absorb sr energy, and everything inside the house is sr-powered. The housekeeper and the servant are all robots," Lu Tingxiao exined as if he were a tour guide.

    "So cool!" Ning Xi¡¯s face lit up. She was so excited, she looked like a little kid.

    "If you like it, you cane and y whenever you want. I''ll set up the ess rights for youter. I didn¡¯t think you would be interested in this type of thing, which is why I never brought you here," Lu Tingxiao said.

    "No, no! I actually really love this type of thing! When I was a child, I always dreamt of being taken away by an alien spaceship one day, and when I was older, I thought about falling in love with a robot. Ah! It¡¯s so romantic just thinking about it!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­" Maybe it was better to not give her ess after all.

    They both walked to the door, and no sooner did they see a robot lying on the ground when its eyes suddenly glowed red, as if scanning Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao.

    "Master¡­Master¡­"

    After scanning Lu Tingxiao, the robot struggled to speak in an electronic voice. "Master¡­ Master¡­"

    This tragic robot, which could only say "master" brokenly, and looked like it wanted to disclose something but couldn''t, was probably the housekeeper for thisputer room.

    Lu Tingxiao sighed, and opened a panel in the robot¡¯s back. She didn¡¯t know what he did, but the robot''s eyes then became dark, as it stopped reacting.

    Ning Xi approached nervously and touched it. "Why isn¡¯t it moving anymore? It¡¯s not dead, is it? Ah, that¡¯s not right¡­ it hasn¡¯t broken down, has it?"

    "It''s fine, it just needs to be fixedter."

    Ning Xi sighed with relief. "Oh oh, that¡¯s good, otherwise it would be a waste, this one looks very handsome!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­" Maybe it was better to leave it out ofmission.

    Lu Tingxiao wiped his face and entered the main building. Ning Xi followed behind him and looked around with an anxious expression. "Where on earth is Little Treasure?"

    The hall was full of robots moving back and forth. When they detected Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao, they immediately turned and took aim at them.

    Then, they ignored Lu Tingxiao and rushed straight at Ning Xi.

    "Ahhh, what are they trying to do? Why are they all rushing at me!" Ning Xi was startled. Although she was good at fighting, she couldn¡¯t beat a robot with an irond shell!

    Liu Tingxiao lifted her up by her armpits and gently moved her from side to side to avoid one robot¡¯s mechanical w. He sighed helplessly. "Because you don¡¯t have ess, so they regard you as an intruder."

    "So what do we do now?" While they spoke, Ning Xi had been swung from side to side by Lu Tingxiao several times already.

    "Come close to me," Lu Tingxiao ordered her.

    "Ah! How close?" Ning Xi said nkly.

    "Little Treasure is in the main control room on the top floor. We have two choices. First, defeat them and break in."

    "How can we fight so many robots! What¡¯s the second choice?" Her hands already hurt just looking at the material the robots were made out of. She didn¡¯t want to fight them!

    "The second¡­" Lu Tingxiao lowered his eyes to look at her. "I carry you up, since they won''t attack me."

    Ning Xi blinked, then reached out without the slightest hesitation. "Carry me."

 Chapter 149: The Perfect Kabe-Don Pose

    <h4>Chapter 149: The Perfect Kabe-Don Pose</h4>

    Seeing the girl open her arms to him of her own volition for the first time, emotion rippled in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s cold eyes.

    "Ahhh! They¡¯reing again! Lu Tingxiao, hurry!" Ning Xi had already thrown herself at him.

    Sure enough, as soon as she stuck to Lu Tingxiao, the robots immediately didn¡¯t dare touch her.

    How amazing!

    It was only when that warm, soft and sweet-smelling body abruptly rushed at him that Lu Tingxiao, who had been in a trance, finally reacted. He bent and grabbed her around her waist, then walked towards the spiral staircase.

    This was probably the first time that he had been so close to her when she was clearheaded.

    He really wished this road would nevere to an end¡­

    If Lu Jingli knew what his brother was thinking at the moment¡­ ugh¡­

    When Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi both went upstairs, the robots followed them at a certain distance .

    Ning Xi put her arms around the man''s neck to keep her bnce. Breathing in his cool, pleasant scent, and looking at the swarm of robots following them up the curved stairs, she somehow felt that this was an extraordinarily romantic scene!

    However, this pink bubble didn¡¯tst long.

    Just as they reached the top floor without a hitch, and were about to open the silver-white main door, the robots behind them suddenly made cking noises, and then lifted their metal arms in unison. The arms stretched and withdrew, and something shot out, like the bullet from a gun.

    Ning Xi immediately turned pale with fright. "Holy sheet! Is that for real? I thought they were just toys!"

    Was it really okay to allow a mere five-year-old to y with such dangerous and lethal things?

    She didn¡¯t know how to criticize Lu Tingxiao¡¯s parenting method anymore.

    "Now what do we do?" Ning Xi was already ready to cry.

    They were just looking for Little Treasure, why did they have to experience so many hardships, as if this was a copy of a game.

    Lu Tingxiao grabbed her shoulders to push her against the door behind them. Then he used his whole body to cover her, leaning one arm against the door at her back.

    Ning Xi was silent for three seconds, then swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and quietly said: "Lord Boss, do you know that you executed the perfect kabe-don pose?"

    "Kabe-don?" This was clearly another term that Lu Tingxiao didn¡¯t understand.

    Ning Xi face-palmed. My dear, flirting without meaning to is the most deadly of all!

    Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Ning Xi saw a robot opposite them fire a shot directly at Lu Tingxiao¡¯s back. "Lu Tingxiao! Watch out!"

    But it was toote. Lu Tingxiao was guarding her tightly, and she heard a smothered groan.

    "Lu Tingxiao ¡ª" Ning Xi was thoroughly panicked.

    "I''m fine." Lu Tingxiao raised his head slowly.

    "How can you be fine? Lu Tingxiao, how do you feel? I''ll take you to¡­ ugh¡­" Ning Xi stopped talking mid-sentence, and her stomach suddenly churned. "Lu Tingxiao, you stink¡­ what is that awful smell?"

    With a ck face, Lu Tingxiao took off his coat. On the back was something sticky and incredibly disgusting-looking.

    Ning Xi covered her nose. Even as she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he was fine, she was dumbfounded. "What is that thing? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s sheet?"

    Lu Tingxiao flung the coat as far away as possible to the bottom floor, and said emotionlessly, "Canned herring, it¡¯s said to be the smelliest canned food in the world. It was Lu Jingli¡¯s idea."

    Ning Xi curled her lips. "Second Young Master is indeed talented¡­ it¡¯s not just smelly, it¡¯s really a biochemical weapon!"

    As soon as she stopped speaking, the door behind her all of a sudden opened outwards on its own¡­

    ¡®Kabe-don¡¯ is a trope often used in romance manga/anime series whereby characters trap their love interests against a wall by leaning one or both arms against the wall beside them. In Japanese, ¡®kabe¡¯ means wall, and ¡®don¡¯ is the sound of something hitting a wall.

 Chapter 150: The Most Romantic Birthday

    <h4>Chapter 150: The Most Romantic Birthday</h4>

    "Let¡¯s go." Lu Tingxiao held her hand and walked inside.

    It was an extremely natural gesture.

    Ning Xi looked at their joined hands. Even though she knew that Lu Tingxiao was just worried that something else would happen, there was a small, strange feeling inside her heart.

    The lighting in the control room was really dim; the only illumination present was the cold light from dozens of workingputers.

    Ning Xi followed Lu Tingxiao as they walked pass theputers, and finally found Little Treasure beside the biggest machine.

    Beneath that colossal machine, with countless wires attached to it, Little Treasure looked so small as he sat in a custom-made chair and stared numbly at countless sequences shing across the screen. Standing next to him was a robot that looked like a smaller version of him. In its hand, it held a gun barrel which was pointed in Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao¡¯s direction.

    Looking at the cold, lifeless expression on Little Treasure¡¯s face, Ning Xi felt as if her heart was being squeezed tightly by iron ws, and she almost couldn¡¯t breathe from the pain.

    "Little Treasure¡­" she said shakily.

    Staring at the screen, the little guy didn''t react at all.

    Ning Xi was really scared, she had only heard Lu Tingxiao and the others talk about it before; she had never seen with her own eyes what Little Treasure was like when he was ill.

    "What should we do¡­ this is all my fault¡­"

    "Ning Xi, don¡¯t me yourself, it¡¯s alright, this happens to him quite often. Call his name a few times, and he¡¯ll be fine," Lu Tingxiaoforted her.

    In reality, it was only because it was Ning Xi that Lu Tingxiao said that to her. If it had been anyone else, there was no way it would be that easy.

    With some effort, Ning Xi calmed herself down, and step by step, carefully drew closer to Little Treasure.

    The little robot¡¯s head turned with Ning Xi¡¯s every move, but Little Treasure still didn¡¯t react.

    When Ning Xi reached Little Treasure, she bent over slowly, and carefully held one little hand. "Little Treasure¡­ Auntie¡¯s back¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ something happenedst night, so Auntie couldn''te back in time¡­"

    Ning Xi couldn''t exin to him what happened, and could only hang her head in pain.

    She didn¡¯t know how much time had passed until suddenly, a little fist appeared in her field of vision.

    Then, that little fist opened slowly, and in the middle of that soft little palm was a pink hair clip. The clip had a hundred little diamonds on it, which formed the shape of a heart, and it twinkled brightly under the cold machine lights.

    "This¡­" Ning Xi immediately lifted her head, both surprised and happy, even though there was still no expression on the little guy¡¯s face.

    On the side, Lu Tingxiao looked at the hair clip in his son¡¯s palm, and said, "This is Little Treasure¡¯s birthday gift to you."

    "For me¡­"It really was diamonds!

    At that moment, Ning Xi felt a little ufortable.

    Lu Tingxiao understood her feelings, and exined, "They¡¯re just normal crystals, and not expensive. But Little Treasure glued on all ny-nine crystals himself."

    Ning Xi was immediately deeply moved after hearing that. She didn''t take the hair clip, but said to Little Treasure, "Can you help Auntie put it on?"

    Little Treasure was a little sluggish when his gaze moved to the hair clip. Then he reached out one small hand, and clumsily pinned the hair clip next to her ear.

    Ning Xi touched the clip with happiness written all over her face. "Does it look good?"

    Little Treasure nodded.

    Finally getting a response from Little Treasure, Ning Xi could no longer help herself, and pulled the little guy into her arms.

    At the same time, the little robot beside them shot out colorful ribbons with a bang, and started to y a birthday song.

    Ning Xi teared up when she lifted her head to look at the colorful ribbons fluttering in the air. "Thank you darling, this is the most romantic birthday I¡¯ve ever had!"

 Chapter 151: Couldnt Love Him Enough

    <h4>Chapter 151: Couldn''t Love Him Enough</h4>

    Little Bun had carefully prepared a birthday gift and surprise for her. He had been eagerly looking forward to it at first, then his anticipation had started to wane, then when he panicked and became scared when he couldn¡¯t get in touch with her¡­

    Wasn¡¯t this too cruel a thing for him to experience?

    Thinking about this, Ning Xi felt a knife twist in her heart, and for a moment she hugged Little Treasure and refused to let him go.

    Lu Tingxiao didn''t want to disturb the two of them, but out of onest bit of brotherly concern, he reminded her, "Ning Xi, ask Little Treasure to call back those robots."

    "Oh oh oh¡­ right¡­"Only then did Ning Xi remember that there was still an army of robots out in the front destroying the house, and Lu Jingli¡¯s arm was still being held hostage!

    So she hurriedly said to Little Bun, "Darling, can you call them back?"

    Little Treasure nodded, then faced the screen, his tiny fingers moving swiftly on the keyboard.

    Ning Xi was very impressed by his skills, and gasped in admiration. "Darling, how are you so amazing, I thought you could only draw! This is too too too amazing! Thesest few years, I¡¯ve been studying so much, and I went crazy trying to learn everything and anything, but this is the one thing I could never grasp. What programming, what Cnguage, C++, it was a real nightmare for me, but you¡¯re only five years old, and you¡¯re so smooth! You¡¯re a genius!"

    Little Bun¡¯s expression was still wooden, but the light in his eyes brightened.

    But nearby, Lu Tingxiao could no longer leave things as they were, and sighed slightly. "Ning Xi, this is not the time to praise him."

    "Eh¡­ that¡¯s right!" Ning Xi finally reacted to the huge mess that Little Treasure had caused.

    Troubled, she scratched her head and looked at Lu Tingxiao. "You¡¯re not going to make me instruct him not to do this again, are you? He did everything he promised me he would. He¡¯s not starving himself anymore, he¡¯s not throwing things around. In the end, he elevated his methods! If I tell him not to do this anymore, what are we going to do if next time, hees up with something even more advanced?"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­" With Little Treasure, it was very possible.

    Ning Xi spread her hands. "To summarize, I think it¡¯s better that I don¡¯t say anything."

    Actually, she was being selfish. She didn''t want to criticize Little Bun for what happened today. She loved him too much, and just couldn¡¯t love him enough; how could she say anything harsh to him?

    Fortunately, Lu Tingxiao in the end didn''t insist.

    Basically, in front of Ning Xi, his principles became nothing.

    The three of them took the open-top car back to the entrance of the Lu residence.

    Ning Xi was surprised to see that all the robots, which had been causing so much chaos just now, had lined up neatly in two rows, one on each side, as if to wee them. It was a pretty grand scene.

    The only thing to spoil it were the anguished wails nearby ¡ª

    "Brother, what took you so long! My freaking arm is dislocated!"

    "You scream like this for just a dislocated arm!" Ning Xi looked at him disdainfully and jumped out of the car. She pressed down on his arm, and pulled and lifted it with a kaba sound.

    "Ouch¡ª" Lu Jingli screamed like a pig being ughtered.

    Ning Xi patted his shoulder. "Stop screaming! It¡¯s done, check it!"

    "Huh?" Lu Jingli blinked, and moved his arm; it really was fixed.

    But he was still worried, and he murmured, "Did you put it back in the right spot?"

    "Of course! I¡¯m very experienced!" Ning Xi said confidently.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s face was full of suspicion. "May I ask why are you experienced with this type of thing?"

    Ning Xi: "Because I used to fight with Jiang Muye a lot, and he dislocated his arm quite a few times. I was the one who helped him put it back!"

    Lu Jingli: "¡­"

    Are you sure they were fights, and not you beating him up one-sidedly?

    He really worried for his brother''s future, would it contain domestic violence? Forget it, what was he worried about, even if his brother got beaten up, he would definitely take it dly¡­

    Little Bun had carefully prepared a birthday gift and surprise for her. He had been eagerly looking forward to it at first, then his anticipation had started to wane, then when he panicked and became scared when he couldn¡¯t get in touch with her¡­

    Wasn¡¯t this too cruel a thing for him to experience?

    Thinking about this, Ning Xi felt a knife twist in her heart, and for a moment she hugged Little Treasure and refused to let him go.

    Lu Tingxiao didn''t want to disturb the two of them, but out of onest bit of brotherly concern, he reminded her, "Ning Xi, ask Little Treasure to call back those robots."

    "Oh oh oh¡­ right¡­"Only then did Ning Xi remember that there was still an army of robots out in the front destroying the house, and Lu Jingli¡¯s arm was still being held hostage!

    So she hurriedly said to Little Bun, "Darling, can you call them back?"

    Little Treasure nodded, then faced the screen, his tiny fingers moving swiftly on the keyboard.

    Ning Xi was very impressed by his skills, and gasped in admiration. "Darling, how are you so amazing, I thought you could only draw! This is too too too amazing! Thesest few years, I¡¯ve been studying so much, and I went crazy trying to learn everything and anything, but this is the one thing I could never grasp. What programming, what Cnguage, C++, it was a real nightmare for me, but you¡¯re only five years old, and you¡¯re so smooth! You¡¯re a genius!"

    Little Bun¡¯s expression was still wooden, but the light in his eyes brightened.

    But nearby, Lu Tingxiao could no longer leave things as they were, and sighed slightly. "Ning Xi, this is not the time to praise him."

    "Eh¡­ that¡¯s right!" Ning Xi finally reacted to the huge mess that Little Treasure had caused.

    Troubled, she scratched her head and looked at Lu Tingxiao. "You¡¯re not going to make me instruct him not to do this again, are you? He did everything he promised me he would. He¡¯s not starving himself anymore, he¡¯s not throwing things around. In the end, he elevated his methods! If I tell him not to do this anymore, what are we going to do if next time, hees up with something even more advanced?"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­" With Little Treasure, it was very possible.

    Ning Xi spread her hands. "To summarize, I think it¡¯s better that I don¡¯t say anything."

    Actually, she was being selfish. She didn''t want to criticize Little Bun for what happened today. She loved him too much, and just couldn¡¯t love him enough; how could she say anything harsh to him?

    Fortunately, Lu Tingxiao in the end didn''t insist.

    Basically, in front of Ning Xi, his principles became nothing.

    The three of them took the open-top car back to the entrance of the Lu residence.

    Ning Xi was surprised to see that all the robots, which had been causing so much chaos just now, had lined up neatly in two rows, one on each side, as if to wee them. It was a pretty grand scene.

    The only thing to spoil it were the anguished wails nearby ¡ª

    "Brother, what took you so long! My freaking arm is dislocated!"

    "You scream like this for just a dislocated arm!" Ning Xi looked at him disdainfully and jumped out of the car. She pressed down on his arm, and pulled and lifted it with a kaba sound.

    "Ouch¡ª" Lu Jingli screamed like a pig being ughtered.

    Ning Xi patted his shoulder. "Stop screaming! It¡¯s done, check it!"

    "Huh?" Lu Jingli blinked, and moved his arm; it really was fixed.

    But he was still worried, and he murmured, "Did you put it back in the right spot?"

    "Of course! I¡¯m very experienced!" Ning Xi said confidently.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s face was full of suspicion. "May I ask why are you experienced with this type of thing?"

    Ning Xi: "Because I used to fight with Jiang Muye a lot, and he dislocated his arm quite a few times. I was the one who helped him put it back!"

    Lu Jingli: "¡­"

    Are you sure they were fights, and not you beating him up one-sidedly?

    He really worried for his brother''s future, would it contain domestic violence? Forget it, what was he worried about, even if his brother got beaten up, he would definitely take it dly¡­

 Chapter 152: Switched To â€œShadowâ€ Mode

    <h4>Chapter 152: Switched To ¡°Shadow¡± Mode</h4>

    Ever since Ning Xi came back, Little Bun hadpletely switched to "shadow" mode; he went where she went, keeping close to her.

    Downstairs in the living room.

    Lu Jingli also had "shadow" mode switched on; he followed Lu Tingxiao wherever he went.

    "Bro, brother, my dearest brother¡­ the two of you¡­ what did the two of you do the whole night?"

    Lu Tingxiao made coffee and sat on the sofa: "We talked."

    Lu Jingli choked, as disappointed as a puppy that had not gotten its meat bone. "Fine, forget I asked."

    "What progress have you made on the thing I asked you to do?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Lu Jingli instantly switched to business mode, and he answered seriously, "Things have started moving already; within a month, Zhu Xiangcheng¡¯s Feng Rui Real Estate will have disappeared from the capital.

    "What about Ning Xi¡¯s issue?"

    Lu Jingli organized his thoughts, then said, "Because the production crew stopped the news from leaking, I didn''t hear about it in time. As for now, there¡¯s no way the one who set her up would continue obstructing the news, and it has spread online already. What¡¯s worse is that the props master imed in an interview that Ning Xi bribed him to tamper with the prop. So now it¡¯s no longer just a public opinion issue, if Ning Xueluo files a charge, the police might take Ning Xi away to be investigated!"

    The violent currentsing off Lu Tingxiao could devour the whole world. The sofa under him had be the skeleton throne of the Big Demon King, and each word he spit out was like ice. "I would like to see them try."

    "No no no¡­ sister-inw has you to support her, nobody would dare touch even a strand of her hair!" Lu Jingli hurriedly ttered him, then said in a positive tone, "Brother, don''t worry, I¡¯ve already had someone secretly bug the props master¡¯s house. In this period of time, he will definitely get in touch with the person behind all this. There¡¯s no need to worry that we won¡¯t obtain evidence, we¡¯ll see who gets taken in by the police then!"

    Lu Tingxiao wasn¡¯t satisfied, and he tapped one finger on the coffee table. "Efficiency."

    Hearing this, Lu Jingli got upset, and he muttered, "This is a good idea, how is it not efficient!"

    From the depths of the TV cab, Lu Tingxiao pulled out a gun and threw it directly in front of him.

    The corner of Lu Jingli¡¯s mouth twitched. "Sheet! You¡¯re too simple and uncivilized! You have no finesse at all!"

    As they were talking, there came the sound of footsteps.

    Lu Tingxiao silently put the gun back, then turned his head to look warmly at the person who hade in. "Is Little Treasure asleep?"

    "Yes, finally!" Ning Xi answered, then said in a rush, "That, Lu Tingxiao, I have an urgent matter to attend to, I need to go out for a bit, I¡¯ve already left Little Treasure a note, my phone is fully charged, you can contact me anytime, I¡¯ll be back in not more than three hours! That¡¯s it, see youter!"

    As soon as she finished, she ran away like the wind.

    Lu Jingli rubbed his chin. "Brother, where is sister-inw going in such a rush?"

    Lu Tingxiao had a contemtive expression on his face as he looked in the direction that Ning Xi had disappeared in, then he said to Lu Jingli: "Get someone to follow her."

    For Ning Xi to suddenly leave at this hour, there had to be more to it. He would go after her himself, but he couldn¡¯t leave Little Treasure at home alone in his current condition.

    "What get someone to do it, I¡¯ll go!" Lu Jingli immediately took the mission happily.

    Lu Jingli went back to his ce and drove out a fairly low-key ck car to follow Ning Xi, who was driving her motorbike like a tornado on the road.

    After twenty minutes, he followed Ning Xi to a stop in front of the apartment where she had been staying before. While he monitored the activity over there, he gave Lu Tingxiao a real-time report.

 Chapter 153: Unless You Can Offer a Better Price

    <h4>Chapter 153: Unless You Can Offer a Better Price</h4>

    When Ning Xi returned to her apartment, she immediately pulled out a metal suitcase from the bottom of her big closet, then she carefully checked and cleaned its contents.

    Taking a look at the time on her cellphone, Ning Xi threw everything into her bag, then rushed downstairs.

    Not far away, Lu Jingli was reporting to the person on the other end through his Bluetooth headphone as he drove: "Ning Xi went back to her apartment, and came back down in less than five minutes. We are currently on Xi Jiang Road, headed towards the outskirts¡­"

    After half an hour, Ning Xi finally stopped.

    Lu Jingli looked at the dpidated houses around him in shock. "Sheet, isn''t this where the props master lives? Why did Ning Xie here all alone? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s to reason with him? That¡¯s just too na?ve!"

    "Turn on the monitor."A cold male voice came through the Bluetooth headphone.

    "Oh oh, right, I almost forgot!" Lu Jingli hurriedly grabbed hisptop from the backseat.

    "Brother, wait a sec, let me broadcast it through my phone for you!"

    Before Lu Jingli finished speaking, he suddenly realized that he had lost control of hisputer, and he was instantly dumbfounded. "Brother, you actually hacked myptop¡­ I already said I would use my phone to broadcast it to you! Can you not be so impatient!"

    ¡­

    Zhang Qiang¡¯s wages in the production crew were pretty good, but because he was a gambler, he had no savings and had a lot of debt, which was why he was living in these slums on the outskirts.

    Ning Xi had heard all this when he was drinking and talking with the other people on set.

    Dong dong dong, Ning Xi knocked three times.

    There was no sound from inside.

    Ning Xi kept knocking, until she heard a bang from inside, apanied by the sound of slippers on the floor. The rusty iron door was pulled open from inside noisily.

    "Who the f*** is it! Want to die first thing in the morning¡­"He was mid-speech when he properly realized that the person at the door was Ning Xi, and his expression changed abruptly.

    "Teacher Zhang, I trust you¡¯ve been well since west met." Ning Xi smiled and looked at him.

    Zhang Qiang was going to close the door straightaway, but then he thought of something, and changed his mind. He said in azy tone, "What a surprise! It¡¯s Big Beauty Ning! Come in!"

    A fetid odor overwhelmed Ning Xi as soon as she entered. It was the stench of alcohol mixed with smelly socks and the odor of mold, as deadly as the smell of canned herring from that morning.

    "Make yourself at home." Zhang Qiang lit a cigarette, then his muddy eyes were glued to Ning Xi¡¯s body, sweeping over all her aspects impudently.

    Ning Xi sat on what was probably the only clean chair in the house, and immediately got right to the point. "Let me be clear, I¡¯m sure Teacher Zhang knows why I¡¯m here. I need your confession, please exin the truth, that Ning Xueluo was the one who directed and acted out her own little show, and that I wasn¡¯t the one who set her up."

    Zhang Qiangughed after hearing her words, as if he saw through her. "Little girl, are you recording this? Do you want to trap me? Hehe, you are too na?ve! Sorry, what I told the reporter was the truth!"

    Zhang Qiang was a like a dead pig which wasn''t afraid of being scalded by boiling water, and a shrewd light shed in his eyes. "Unless, you can offer a better price¡­"

    Ning Xi narrowed her eyes slightly; she had already expected this from the beginning.

    After taking Ning Xueluo¡¯s money, Zhang Qiang wouldn¡¯t run, he would just continue gambling, and most likely lose everything again in the end.

    Now, he even wanted something from both sides!

    ¡®A dead pig unafraid of being scalded by boiling water¡¯ means that a situation is so bad that making it worse would make no real difference.

 Chapter 154: Big Sister, Calm down

    <h4>Chapter 154: Big Sister, Calm down</h4>

    "What if I say no?" Ning Xi looked at him with a half-smile.

    Zhang Qiang¡¯s eyes wandered between her chest and her buttocks pervertedly, and he rubbed his chin. "If you have no money¡­ then we can figure something else out! If Big Beauty Ning can sleep with me for a night, I think I could give you some useful information."

    The implications were clear: if you want a confession, gave me money, or your body.

    In fact, for someone as deceitful as Zhuang Qiang, even if he got what he wanted, he still wouldn''t confess, and by then she would have lost both her body and money.

    At the same time, downstairs in the car.

    Looking at what was happening on the monitor, Lu Jingli was reminding his brother via his headphone nervously, "Brother, calm down! Don''t get agitated! You need to calm down! You have to be gentle with my littleptop! I have hundreds of gigabytes of treasure on my hard drive!"

    "Go upstairs, now." Themand came through the headphone.

    "Yes, yes, yes! I¡¯m going right now!" On the monitor, Zhang Qiang was getting closer and closer to Ning Xi. Lu Jingli held hisptop in his arms as he started to run wildly.

    At the same time, Zhang Qiang walked over to Ning Xi¡¯s chair and ced his hands on the arms of the chair, his breathing bing more excited. "Well? Isn¡¯t this a good deal? Not only do you get what you want, you can also have fun!"

    Ning Xi lowered her eyes, her expression hard to see in the dark, and from her cherry lips came a light mockingugh.

    In the next second, Zhang Qiang felt something cold and hard pressing against his waist. He looked down, and his face immediately turned white ¡ª the thing pressed against him was a ck gun.

    "You¡­ you, you¡­" Zhang Qiang¡¯s first reaction was to flee.

    At that moment, Ning Xi¡¯s dark, coldugh came from behind him. "That¡¯s right, run. Try it, and we¡¯ll see whether you¡¯re faster, or my bullets are."

    Zhang Qiang¡¯s sweat fell like rain. He turned his body stiffly, andughed in a rxed tone. "Little girl, you really had me going! Trying to fool me with a toy gun? Shoot! That is, if you have the skill! Here, right here!"

    Ning Xi moved her fingers slightly, and with a small "kaba" sound, she screwed on a ck, tube-shaped muffler on the gun, and fired ¡ª

    With a"pu" sound, a bullet grazed Zhang Qiang¡¯s arm as it flew past and cut a line of ring sparks across the floor.

    All this happened in less than three seconds.

    Zhang Qiang covered his stinging arm and fell to his knees with a thump. "Sister! Big sister, calm down! That¡¯s a real gun! It¡¯s not a joke!"

    "Confession." Ning Xi threw a recording pen at him, and took a look at the time on her phone, her face showing that she had run out of patience.

    Little Treasure was sleeping at home, he would definitely worry again if he woke up and didn¡¯t see her. She needed to get back to him quickly.

    "I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯m recording it now!" Zhang Qiang rolled over to grab the recording pen and press the button himself to start recording.

    "It wasn¡¯t Ning Xi! Ning Xi wasn''t the one who bribed me! It was someone else who asked me to tamper with the prop! But I don¡¯t know who that person is! I received an anonymous email with all the instructions in it, and ten thousand yuan was deposited directly into my ount. They said that I would receive another ten thousand after it was done!" Zhang Qiang watched Ning Xi carefully as he spoke.

    The woman opposite him looked extremely impatient and dark. Her eyes were red, and her fingers patted the gun-barrel neurotically; shepletely looked like a murdering psychopath, and just looking at her made his hair stand on end.

 Chapter 155: How Cruel

    <h4>Chapter 155: How Cruel</h4>

    Lu Jingli was about to break into the room to rescue her, when he saw the situation inside flip 180 degrees, and he just stood where he was, stupefied.

    "Single-handedly¡­ and even with a gun! Holy sheet! If I¡¯m right, that¡¯s a Beretta 92F! Where did she get that from?" Lu Jingli was impressed.

    Then a miserable thought floated through his mind after that: his second chance today to be the hero who saved the beauty had fallen through yet again!

    Inside the house, Zhang Qiang stared intently at the gun in Ning Xi¡¯s hand, afraid that she would fire at the slightest provocation like earlier. She left him no leeway to react at all, how cruel!

    "I, I, I¡­ I¡¯m telling the truth! Every single word is true! Otherwise, may the heavens strike me down with thunder and lightning!"

    Ning Xi didn''t say anything, and he didn''t know if she really believed him or not. She spun the gun in her hand skillfully.

    My little grandaunt! Please don''t set it off identally!

    Zhang Qiang almost pissed his pants as he watched, and he asked nervously, "Do¡­ do you want me to create false evidence by naming someone¡­ if you want me to say it¡¯s Ning Xueluo, Then Ning Xueluo it is! Without conditions! I¡¯ll do whatever you say unconditionally! It is whoever you say it is!"

    False evidence?

    She wanted concrete proof!

    Ning Xi pointed the tip of her gun at his chin and said, "Give me the number of the bank ount that the other party sent you the money from, and the email you received."

    "Okay, okay, it¡¯s all in myputer, I¡¯ll go and get it! But the email was anonymous and it was a foreign bank ount, so it might be useless to you¡­" Zhang Qiang grabbed aptop out from under his covers, and showed her the email and all the details of the money transfer.

    Ning Xi nced over everything to make sure there were no issues, and said, "Thisptop belongs to me now, do you have a problem with that?"

    Zhang Qiang shook his head quickly, "No, no, Grandaunt is free to take it! Whatever you want to take, just take!"

    Ning Xiughed coldly. Heh, she jumped all the way from big sister to grandaunt.

    This kind of asshole wouldn''t listen to reason, and if you gave him an inch when discussing conditions, he would take a mile.He was even more deceitful than you could hope to be at ying tricks, so the only way to deal with him was to fight fire with fire.

    After returning to China, this was her first time using this gun. There was no way she wasn¡¯t nervous, but she was a good actress, and as long as she pretended she was acting, she could instantly calm down.

    She just picked the role of a murdering psychopath to y, looks like things turned out nicely.

    Acting was her passion and her career, and also the means by which she protected herself.

    "Then, Grandaunt, is there anything else?" Zhang Qiang realized that she wasn''t leaving, and he swallowed nervously.

    Ning Xi looked at him like she was thinking of cutting him into pieces. "Mm¡­ let me think¡­"

    "Think¡­ think about what?"

    "Of course I¡¯m thinking¡­ whether I should kill you to silence you. What if you turn around to tell other people that I forced a confession out of you?" Ning Xi said in a matter-of-fact tone, her expression deadly serious.

    Zhang Qiang¡¯s legs gave way and he fell to his knees again. "I wouldn¡¯t! I wouldn¡¯t dare no matter how much courage I have!"

    He really was telling the truth, for he was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong, and this time Ning Xi had really scared him out of his mind.

    He had never expected that such a gentle and delicate-looking little girl could actually be this frightening. He didn''t even dare look into those sinister eyes, for fear he would have nightmares.

    Ning Xiughed lightly, and patted his cheek with the gun. "Don¡¯t worry, not only will I not kill you, I¡¯ll even send you money."

 Chapter 156: Where Is Your Hand Touching

    <h4>Chapter 156: Where Is Your Hand Touching</h4>

    Zhang Qiang''s first response was to beg for mercy. "I don''t need it, I don''t need it! Grandaunt, please give me a break! I was possessed and spouting nonsense before, there¡¯s no way I would dare ept your money!"

    "Who says I''m going to give you money?" Ning Xi kicked him.

    Zhang Qiang rolled to this feet quickly, his face full of innocence. "But didn''t you just say¡­"

    This temperamental person in front of him was really driving him mad.

    Ning Xi looked at him coldly. "Wait at home to hear from me. As long as you behave yourself, there¡¯ll be lots of money waiting for you. Otherwise¡­"

    Ah? She wanted to contact him again? Hadn¡¯t he already given everything to her? Shouldn''t their paths no longer cross anymore? Why was he still being badgered? He didn''t want money! He wanted his life more!

    Zhang Qiang had a lot of bitterints, but could only thank her profusely as he saw her off.

    Downstairs, Ning Xi put on her motorbike helmet, started the engine, and drove straight for the Lu residence.

    When she arrived, she was an hour earlier than she had arranged with Lu Tingxiao.

    When she entered the living room, Lu Tingxiao was still in the same position as when she had left, sitting on the sofa in the living room. It seemed that he hadn¡¯t moved at all.

    Ning Xi didn¡¯t think too much about it, and immediately asked, "Lu Tingxiao, I¡¯m back! Has darling Little Treasure woken up?"

    "No."

    "Ohh, that¡¯s good, I''ll go upstairs to see him!"

    "Wait." Lu Tingxiao suddenly stopped her.

    "Eh, what''s wrong?" Ning Xi somehow felt that there seemed to be something off in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s tone.

    "Where did you go?" Lu Tingxiao''s tone was calm, but it gave her the impression that it was hiding some dark undercurrent.

    Ning Xi was subconsciously aware of the danger, so she replied in a rush, "I went to deal with a private matter, it has now been solved! I¡¯m going upstairs first!"

    After saying these words, she was about to slip away when suddenly one arm stretched out, and in the next second, she was caught off guard by a strong strength that pulled her to fall onto the sofa.

    To be exact, she fell into Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arms.

    Ning Xi was rmed. But what rmed her even more was: "Lu Tingxiao! You, you¡­ what are you doing? Where is your hand touching!"

    Lu Tingxiao ignored herpletely, and continued to directly feel about her body.

    "Hey, if you continue like this, I''m going to fight back! Don''t me me for hurting you then!"

    "Then do it."

    Ning Xi was about to have a breakdown. "Sheet! Lu Tingxiao! What are you trying to do? How did you know I can''t hurt you?

    Lu Tingxiao stared at her expressionlessly: "Why can''t you hurt me?"

    "I¡­ because¡­"

    That¡¯s right! Why? If it was anyone else, her first reaction would surely have been to beat him up badly¡­

    As Ning Xi racked her brain for an answer to this question, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s hand fell on an object tucked into her waistband.

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes immediately turned cold. She was going to stop him, but it was already toote. The gun hidden at the back in the waistband of her pants was instantly in Lu Tingxiao''s hand.

    Lu Tingxiao threw the gun directly onto the coffee table in front of him. His expression, which was usually very soft for her, was now as cold as ice and frost, and every wording out of his mouth was like an ice de: "Exin."

    Ning Xi immediately felt nervous, as if she had been caught cheating in an exam by the teacher. Her face turned pale and she wrung her hands together as she tried to put on a rxed expression. "Hehe, this is fake! A toy gun! I bought it to y around with!"

    "Really? Does a toy gun need a muffler?" Lu Tingxiao looked sideways at her, picked up the gun, and fired it at a palm-sized, white jade vase in an opposite corner.

    The vase shattered immediately.

    The calm expression that Ning Xi had been trying hard to keep on her face shared the same fate as that broken vase¡­ it also broke¡­

 Chapter 157: Flattery Failed

    <h4>Chapter 157: ttery Failed</h4>

    The air was dead silent.

    After a very long time, Ning Xi swallowed hard, and started to speak incoherently as she tried to change the subject. "Haha¡­ Lord Boss, you¡¯re a crack shot! Awesome, awesome! But that was such a waste! That vase must have been very expensive, right?

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes were cold: "If you don¡¯t want to talk about it, you don¡¯t have to."

    Ning Xi bowed her head in dismay. "But your expression is saying that if I don''t confess, you¡¯ll cut off all ties with me, you¡¯re not being sincere at all."

    Apart from confessing for leniency, did she have a second option?

    Ning Xi sighed, and could only exin to him the ins and outs of the matter. "I told you about the problem with the prop, right? When I hurt Ning Xueluo by mistake? Now the props master is saying that I bribed him to tamper with the prop, isn¡¯t he pushing me towards death? With his one statement, not only will my career be destroyed, I¡¯ll also be imprisoned!"

    Lu Tingxiao stared at her: "So?"

    Ning Xi coughed, and faltered. "So I forced that guy to tell the truth!"

    Looking at her indifferent attitude, Lu Tingxiao''s face turned stormy. "Ning Xi, do you know how dangerous it was for you to do that? You''re a girl¡­"

    Ning Xi lowered her head. "I know, I know! But wasn¡¯t I forced to do so because I had no other choice? You don''t know Zhang Qiang. That man is a hoodlum and a scoundrel, I could only use this simple and crude method to deal with that type of person!"

    "I said before, you can look for me if you need help. Instead, you would rather choose such a dangerous method than speak to me?" Lu Tingxiao''s eyes were filled with heavy disappointment.

    The look in his eyes made her heart throb painfully for some reason.

    This was the first time Lu Tingxiao was so angry with her, and Ning Xi was anxious. "No, no! I¡­"

    In the end, her head hurt as she sighed. "I¡¯m just used to it¡­"

    Used to solving everything by herself, used to not relying on anyone else.

    They both became silent again.

    "Hey, but, how did you know I had a gun on me?" Ning Xi suddenly remembered, and asked him suspiciously.

    "Smell." Lu Tingxiao answered with a cold face.

    "Eh, so that¡¯s it! Is it the smell of gunpowder? I didn''t expect Lord Boss to have such a keen sense of smell, hehehe¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao''s face was still as cold as ice, the kind that was a thousand years old.

    ttery failed.

    Ning Xi said helplessly, "Lu Tingxiao, it¡¯s really not because I didn¡¯t want to tell you, but for this kind of trifling thing, you don¡¯t have to personally take action. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t it just be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut? But now I really, really need your help with one thing! You definitely must, must help me! I¡¯ve thought about it over and over again, and only you can help me with this thing! If you won''t help me, I''ll pester you to death!"

    This time, even though Lu Tingxiao still looked cold, he finally looked at her. "Speak."

    Ning Xi felt a little relieved, and then she hurriedly said: "It¡¯s like this! Although I have Zhang Qiang¡¯s confession and the email sent by the other party and details of the money transfer, the evidence can only be used to clear suspicion against me, and can''t help identify the person behind this.

    "A real person must take revenge on his enemies. It''s too easy for her if I let her get away without being punished! So I¡¯ve been thinking, is there any way to trace the other party¡¯s bank ount information and IP address?

    Darling Little Treasure is so amazing even though he¡¯s very young, it¡¯s definitely because of Lord Boss¡¯s superior genes. So Lord Boss, you must definitely be even more amazing at this, and you definitely have a way, right?"

 Chapter 158: Get Away From Me

    <h4>Chapter 158: Get Away From Me</h4>

    "Right, right, right?" Ning Xi sped her hands together, her face expectant and sparkles in her eyes, partly to curry favor with Lu Tingxiao, and partly because she in fact really needed the help.

    Lu Tingxiao was silent for three seconds, then he finally opened his mouth: "Yes."

    "Really? You really have a way?" Ning Xi almost jumped with excitement. "How long will you need?"

    "An¡­" Lu Tingxiao was about to say an hour, but changed it at thest second. "A night."

    "So fast! That¡¯s amazing!" Ning Xi was overjoyed, and hurriedly took aptop out. "This is theptop I took from Zhang Qiang, do you need anything else? I¡¯ll get it for you!"

    "No need." Saying that, Lu Tingxiao stood up and went upstairs straightaway.

    Ning Xi immediately scrambled after him.

    When they reached the study, Ning Xi darted forward to attentively pull out the chair for Lu Tingxiao, then ced theptop on his desk, and ran off to pour him a ss of water.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her, then sat in his chair.

    Lu Tingxiao took his ownptop out and connected the twoptops together with a cable. After browsing through the evidence that Ning Xi had mentioned, he opened an unknown software and typed in a series of codes into the box on the monitor screen.

    Curious, Ning Xi moved closer to take a look, but as expected, she couldn¡¯t understand a single thing. While she was profoundly confused, everything seemed amazing to her even though she didn¡¯t understand any of it.

    As Lu Tingxiao was typing, he suddenly heard light breathing in his ears. His fingers abruptly stopped typing, and he knitted his eyebrows together.

    "What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?" Ning Xi asked nervously.

    Lu Tingxiao sounded a bit cold: "Get away from me." It was very hard for him to concentrate with her being so close to him.

    "Ah¡­"Ning Xi¡¯s head instantly drooped, like an eggnt weighed down by frost, and sadly moved to the far corner of the room.

    Seeing the girl¡¯s miserable state, Lu Tingxiao almost opened his mouth tofort her, but held back in the end.

    Ning Xi hugged a pillow in her arms and quietly observed Lu Tingxiao¡¯s side profile as he worked seriously. She secretly savored the view, and realized that what people say about men being the most attractive when they were seriously concentrated on something was so true!

    For a while, only the soothing sound of cking keys on the keyboard could be heard in the study.

    For a long time, Ning Xi sat there struggling with something, and in the end, she couldn¡¯t help asking, "Lu Tingxiao¡­can I ask you a question?"

    "Go ahead."

    "You¡­ why didn''t you ask me?"

    "Ask you what?"

    Ning Xi curled her fingers tightly into fists. "Ask about the gun! You¡¯re not going to ask me why I have a gun? Don¡¯t you think that in many ways, I¡¯m different from what you think I am? Don''t you think that¡­ that I¡¯m scary?"

    Lu Tingxiao: "No."

    Ning Xi: "Oh¡­"

    Ning Xi¡¯s conscience bothered her when Lu Tingxiao didn''t ask anything. He treated her as a friend, and didn¡¯t hold back in the least in order to help her, while she hid things from him all the time.

    Therefore, even though Lu Tingxiao didn''t ask, Ning Xi spoke up herself. "You know that M Country isn''t a very safe ce, and having guns is legal there. When I was there, I learned how to use a gun.

    Back here, this gun was smuggled in. I don¡¯t know the specific details, it was my friend who gave it to me. He was also the one who taught me how to use a gun. It¡¯s only as ast resort to defend myself. This is the only time I¡¯ve used it sinceing back!"

    Lu Tingxiao stopped what he was doing: "Who is that friend of yours?"

 Chapter 159: You Think Iâ€™m Dangerous?

    <h4>Chapter 159: You Think I¡¯m Dangerous?</h4>

    After hearing this question, Ning Xi looked a bit embarrassed and scratched her head. "I mentioned it to you before, it was that one-day ex-boyfriend."

    That man again.

    If they only dated for a day, why did she have so many ties with him?

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression immediately became very severe. "Do you know that the channels through which guns like this are smuggled in are monopolized by three groups? No matter which group that friend of yours belongs to, they are all targeted by the authorities. That includes that diamond, it was most likely smuggled in illegally as well."

    Her head lowered, Ning Xi murmured, "I know¡­"

    "You know?" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face became even more unsightly. She knew and yet she had still been with that kind of person? Also, since she had insider information on the other party, that meant her situation was even more dangerous!

    Ning Xi exined hurriedly, "He can be a little dangerous, and I¡¯m really sorry that I can''t tell you anything about his identity, but he would never hurt me; that, I¡¯m sure of¡­"

    After she finished, she realized that Lu Tingxiao ¡¯s expression had be the worst ever.

    At that moment, Ning Xi felt like a naughty kid who had done something bad and had been caught by her parents. She gripped her fingers together tightly, and didn''t dare to make a single sound.

    The Big Demon King¡¯s aura was too scary when he was angry!

    Lu Tingxiao finally spoke after a long while. "Give me the gun." Ning Xi had nearly destroyed all his reason earlier when she had defended that man.

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi immediately obeyed and gave him the gun. "What are you going to do with it?"

    Lu Tingxiao was ruthless as he took it. "Take it away from you."

    Ning Xi immediately rushed forward and cried, "Ah! No! This is my lucky charm! I promise I won''t y around with it! And won''t let anyone see it!"

    Lu Tingxiao gave her a cold sideways look, opened a drawer, and took out another gun which he gave to her. "Use this one from now on."

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes immediately lit when she saw the gun which Lu Tingxiao had given to her. "This is¡­"

    She couldn¡¯t tell what model it was, but with one look, she knew it wasn¡¯t an ordinary gun.

    "Can I dismantle it to take a look?" Ning Xi asked cautiously.

    Seeing the girl¡¯s sparkling eyes, Lu Tingxiao nodded.

    Having received permission, Ning Xi happily took the gun apart, and was amazed when she saw its inner structure. "P226?"

    "I made some modifications, it¡¯s safer now." Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression still wasn¡¯t very pleasant.

    Because Ning Xi¡¯s knowledge about guns, how to use them, and how to dismantle one, had clearly all been taught to her by that man.

    Ning Xi loved the gun, and couldn¡¯t put it down as she stroked it. Then she looked at him timidly. "Um, people who own a 92F are very dangerous, but you actually managed to get a P226¡­"

    The 92F was said to be the best gun in the world, but few knew that it was the P226 that was the real deal. It was just that it was too expensive, so it wasn¡¯t asmonly used as the 92F.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face immediately turned cold after hearing this. "You think I¡¯m dangerous?"

    Ning Xi shook her head like a rattle-drum. "No, no, no! How is that possible! Lord Boss is the best! You are my guardian angel! Are you tired, are your shoulders aching? Let me give you a massage! Keep it up, keep it up!"

    Without another word, she ran behind him like a groveling underling, and put her back into massaging his shoulders.

    Even though he knew she was ttering him on purpose, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s stormy face still immediately brightened at the girl¡¯s sweet, soft voice, but quickly he tensed up again.

    The girl¡¯s soft, supple hands were using the right amount of strength to massage his shoulders and were very professional when they moved to massaging his neck and temples.

    The warm touches and the right amount of strength used were veryfortable, and also very lethal.

 Chapter 160: Iâ€™ll Feed You

    <h4>Chapter 160: I¡¯ll Feed You</h4>

    "You can stop now." To prevent himself from losing control if this continued, Lu Tingxiao called a stop.

    "Oh." Ning Xi didn''t think too much of it. She continued to study the gun, then looked in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s direction uncertainly as she asked, "This gun¡­ are you really giving it to me?"

    Lu Tingxiao: "Take it as your birthday gift."

    This was really a special birthday gift¡­

    Ning Xi touched the body of the gun gently. "Thank you, I like it a lot!"

    The safety performance of this gun was definitely better, plus with its low-key appearance, nobody would know what kind of gun it was unless they took it apart. It was also a lot more convenient to use.

    As she kept looking at it, Ning Xi couldn¡¯t stop herself from tearing up. "Lu Tingxiao, thank you¡­ nobody has ever been this good to me¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s heart was moved, and just as he was about to speak, Ning Xi said feelingly, "It feels just like having a father!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­"

    This evaluation¡­ was very high, but it also gave him a very strong urge to bothugh and cry.

    "It¡¯s already sote, you must be hungry, let me make you ate night snack!"

    After Ning Xi eagerly ran out of the room, Lu Tingxiao calmly took that gun apart.

    As he expected, the serial number had been erased.

    But with this, the possibilities concerning the other party¡¯s identity had been drastically narrowed down.

    After ten minutes, Ning Xi entered carrying a steaming bowl of food.

    "Lu Tingxiao, are dumplings okay? I saw some left in the fridge fromst time, so I cooked some up for you!"

    "Put it there."

    "Okay!"

    Ning Xi felt a little bad seeing Lu Tingxiao so busy for her sake, so she lifted the bowl up. "Shall I feed you?"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyebrows knitted slightly. At first he was going to refuse, but in the end couldn¡¯t bring himself to reject her.

    "I¡¯ll feed you, I¡¯ll feed you! You just keep doing what you¡¯re doing!" Ning Xi hurriedly picked up a dumpling and blew on it carefully, then raised it to his mouth.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at theputer screen with a solemn air, and with an emotionless face, opened his mouth and ate that dumpling.

    Why didn''t he remember them being this delicious thest time he ate them?

    Ning Xi continued feeding him the dumplings one after another, until they were all gone.

    "Go and rest, I¡¯m almost done here." Lu Tingxiao gave Zhang Qiang¡¯sptop back to her, then started to concentrate on his ownptop.

    "Oh, okay." Holding theptop, Ning Xi sat on the sofa in the corner.

    She started to mess around with Zhang Qiang¡¯sptop out of boredom, to see if there might be any other type of evidence on it.

    In the end, she really found some.

    She found a folder titled "Important Secrets" in the D drive. Clicking it open, she found many video files.

    Had that guy hidden more evidence from her?

    Ning Xi clicked open one of the files suspiciously.

    Ning Xi felt something was wrong as soon as it started ying, but by the time she reacted, it was toote. In the next second, grunts and groans to make the face turn red and the pulse race came out of theptop, and in the quiet study room, it sounded even clearer¡­

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­"

    Ning Xi really wanted to find a hole in the ground to bury herself in, and in her panic, she couldn''t close the video no matter how many times she clicked on it.

    In the end, Lu Tingxiao couldn¡¯t just watch anymore, and walked over to help close it for her.

    Ning Xi threw theptop aside andined, "There was a folder called ¡®Important Secrets¡¯, so I thought it would have some sort of evidence in it¡­ sheet! I should''ve known!"

    This type of suspicious folder on a man''sputer, of course it would be this kind of thing!

    Lu Tingxiao rubbed the skin between his eyebrows as he looked at the girl¡¯s indignant expression, and heaved an extremely helpless sigh. "It¡¯s done,e take a look."

    It was because he was selfish that he had said it would take one night to get it done ¡ª he wanted to spend more time with her.

    But if she continued to torment him like this, he didn¡¯t know what might happen¡­

 Chapter 161: Didnt See Him As a Man

    <h4>Chapter 161: Didn''t See Him As a Man</h4>

    Hearing this, Ning Xi immediately pushed the embarrassment to the back of her mind. "Done? All of it?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded, and signaled for her to take a look herself.

    At first, Ning Xi was worried that she wouldn''t understand what she was seeing, but then she realized that Lu Tingxiao was showing her the results straightaway without going through all theplicated processes.

    The IP address of the sender showed that the email had been sent from the apartment that Ning Xueluo was staying in, Regal Riveria, and that the anonymous foreign ount belonged to Cui Caijing, Ning Xueluo¡¯s assistant.

    "I thought this kind of hacking only existed in TV shows! Especially for anonymous ounts, they have high levels of security, so you need to hack into the bank¡¯s system in order to break it, it¡¯s almost an impossible mission¡­" Ning Xi was so excited she couldn¡¯t speak for a long while. Atst, she hugged Lu Tingxiao. "Lord Boss! You are absolutely brilliant!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­"

    In that moment, Lu Tingxiao realized that he was now facing a problem.

    Even if Ning Xi didpletely trust him now, she trusted him a little too much¡­ to the point of forgetting the fact that he was a man!

    To put it simply, she treated him like a good teacher and friend, even like a father, but didn¡¯t see him as a man.

    This was really a headache¡­

    But it was also a good sign. The moment he had been waiting for was quickly approaching.

    "What are you going to do with this evidence?"Lu Tingxiao asked after sorting out his emotions.

    "There¡¯s no rush in making it public yet, I¡¯ll let Ning Xueluo continue making a fuss. Therger the fuss she makes, the worse it¡¯ll hit her when the timees! I¡¯m going to¡­ to¡­"

    "To do what?"

    "Mm¡­ Lu Tingxiao, can you help me, why do I suddenly feel like the floor¡¯s spinning¡­"

    At the word "spinning", Ning Xi cked out, and she fell to the floor with a hard thump.

    "Ning Xi ¡ª" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face changed abruptly, and he quickly picked her up.

    The soft body in his arms was burning up like a fireball. He felt her forehead; as expected, it was hot to the touch.

    He had noticed it a bit earlier, but had thought the heat was just his imagination. He never expected that she would really be sick.

    With the person in his arms, Lu Tingxiao ran downstairs: "Uncle Yuan! Get the car!"

    The old butler was rmed to see what was happening. "What is wrong with Miss Xiao Xi?"

    "I ¡­ don¡¯t know." Lu Tingxiao¡¯s ice mask, which hadn''t changed for a thousand years, fractured.

    He didn''t know! He didn''t know whether it was a left-over effect of the drug or if it was just a fever, or maybe Zhu Xiangcheng had given her something?

    In that moment, Lu Tingxiao was drowning in self-recrimination. He should have taken her to the hospital for a check-up in the first hour; not only hadn¡¯t he done so! He had dragged the time out for so long, and made her exhausted from running up and down.

    So much had happened this time, and she was under such immense pressure.He was afraid that she had now finally reached the limits of her endurance¡­

    "Eldest Young Master, don''t worry too much, it looks like Miss Xiao Xi just has a fever, how about we call the family doctor toe and take a look at her¡­"

    In that moment, Lu Tingxiao was already deaf to anything anyone could say, and when the driver came around with the car, he immediately got in with the person in his arms. "To the hospital!"

    Then he said to the butler outside the car, "Tell Qin Mufeng toe, too!"

    "Yes." The butler was helpless to do anything but obey.

    If he still had the slightest uncertainty, seeing Eldest Young Master¡¯s expression in that moment swept it all away.

    This girl was most likely their future Eldest Young Mistress.

 Chapter 162: Oh My, My Wife is Really Cute~

    <h4>Chapter 162: Oh My, My Wife is Really Cute~</h4>

    When the butler made a call to Qin Mufeng, he was at the bar. Lu Jingli had pulled him into a conversation to gossip.

    Once they heard that Ning Xi had suddenly fainted, the pair rushed over to the hospital.

    At the First People¡¯s Republic Hospital in the capital, in the VIP ward on the top floor.

    Once Qin Mufeng and Lu Jingli arrived, they saw a sickly pale Ning Xi lying on the hospital bed, her arm hooked up to an IV. Sitting in a chair beside her was Lu Tingxiao, his face heavy with worry and his expression overcast.

    Lu Jingli and Qin Mufeng gazed at each other, and realized they were both frightened by Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression.

    At this moment, a nurse carrying medication came over, and Lu Jingli hurriedly pulled her aside to ask, "How¡¯s the condition of the patient? What¡¯s wrong with her? Is it serious?"

    "The patient has a fever of 39.6oC," the nurse replied.

    "Oh, a fever¡­ what? She has a fever?" Lu Jingli appeared confused. "Are you sure it¡¯s a fever? Only a fever?"

    "Yes, we¡¯ve already done a full body check. There¡¯s no other issue so you can all rest easy. Just now, the mister inside the patient¡¯s room has already asked multiple times," the nurse said, not appearing the least annoyed because¡­ whether it was the one inside or the two standing outside the door, they were all too handsome! Even if they asked her a hundred times, she would always be willing to answer!

    Lu Jingli weakly held onto the door frame for support, feeling his heart that''s still beating heavily in his chest. "Dear brother, are you trying to scare me to death? She only has a fever, so what are you doing looking like you have some incurable disease?"

    Qin Mufeng, who stood beside him, also appeared helpless. "You even called me toe here. Although I am a doctor, I¡¯m a psychiatrist!"

    Lu Tingxiao focused his gaze, and nced coldly at Qin Mufeng. "Right now, Ning Xi has already reced you, so perhaps I should save on some expenses."

    In other words, he would be fired.

    The sum that he spent on Qin Mufeng was not a small amount.

    "Cough, don¡¯t! Actually, I have plenty of other uses! I know an extremely famous nutritionist at this hospital. I will go and personally request that he help nurse Ning Xi back to health!"

    Qin Mufeng did indeed have a slightly guilty conscience. Ever since Ning Xi had appeared, he had a lot more free time. Whether it was Little Treasure or Lu Tingxiao, neither of them required his assistance much anymore. Even the weekly therapy sessions had stopped.

    After Qin Mufeng left, Lu Jingli saw that Lu Tingxiao had lowered his head, and was looking down at his cellphone. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Brother, what are you looking at?"

    Since when had his brother be an inte-obsessed youth?

    As a result, once he went closer to take a look, he was shocked.

    His brother had actually transferred the footage from the secret video into his phone.

    "Sheet! Brother, what are you doing looking at this for? Xiao Xi Xi looked so frightening that when I first saw it, I had goosebumps! I couldn¡¯t even tell she was acting, it was so real¡­" Lu Jingli said as he shivered.

    But right now, his brother was actually watching intently with an "Oh my, my wife is really cute" expression on his face¡­

    Man, there really was no hope for him anymore¡­

    "But you two really couldn¡¯t be any more alike, even your ways of thinking are the same! You¡¯re both equally simple and violent! Cough cough, you¡¯re really a family!" Lu Jinglimented.

    Lu Tingxiao lightly touched the face of the girl on the bed, his expression full of extreme pride.

    To avoid being blinded by this sight, Lu Jingli could only helplessly turn his head. "Have you already discovered the other party¡¯s identity? Are we going to follow up with a public announcement online to clear Xiao Xi Xi¡¯s name? Should I start working?"

 Chapter 163: He Didnâ€™t Have Such Heavy Tastes

    <h4>Chapter 163: He Didn¡¯t Have Such Heavy Tastes</h4>

    Coldness shed through Lu Tingxiao¡¯s gaze. "No rush."

    Lu Jingli rubbed his chin. "True, after all, she has us as her backup, so she can make some more noise. Then things will be even more fun!"

    "Prepare a contract for Ning Xi," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    A sh of light flickered in Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes. "Contract? Brother, are you finally preparing to pull sister-inw over to Glory World?"

    "Prepare a copy of all the profiles of all the managers working at Glory World for me." This statement indirectly answered Lu Jingli¡¯s question.

    "I got it, I got it! You want to personally help Xiao Xi Xi pick a manager, right? Really, if you treated me a thousandth of how you treat Xiao Xi Xi, I¡¯d be satisfied!" Lu Jingli sourly whined.

    Lu Tingxiao shot a nce at him, and suddenly reached out his hand.

    Lu Jingli thought that he was about to hit him and instinctively dodged. "Did I say something wrong again!"

    In the end, Lu Tingxiao had only reached out his hand to pat him on the back of his neck.

    To him, it was already considered a very intimate action.

    Lu Jingli was so surprised, he was practically ready for heaven. His ears were slightly red. "Brother, you¡­ what are you doing?"

    Lu Tingxiao furrowed his brow as he looked at him, but his tone was gentle as he said, "Don¡¯t only focus on ying around. Work hard and find a person whom you would like to spend the rest of your days with."

    Lu Jingli appeared distraught, and he sucked in a deep breath. "Oh my god! You scared me to death! Brother, you suddenly treating me so gently like this is even more horrifying than you beating me up!"

    "Later on, I will focus on helping you with your marriage," Lu Tingxiao said.

    "What?! Don¡¯t! Brother, you should just continue to let me be free!! Please let me be free! I won¡¯t ever mess with you again!!! Please just continue to be cold again!!!!" Lu Jingli was so scared, he nearly pissed himself.

    What if his brother picked a woman as frightening as him? What would he do then?

    If he picked one that was exactly like Xiao Xi Xi, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to take it!

    He didn¡¯t have such heavy tastes! He liked women who were more gentle!

    At this moment, Lu Jingli suddenly had a sh of brilliance. "Brother, this kind of thing isn¡¯t for men to worry about! You should focus on sister-inw and then let sister-inw introduce someone to me, right? My sister-inw¡¯s eyesight must be really good!"

    Hearing this, Lu Tingxiao thought for awhile. "Alright."

    Lu Jingli patted himself on his chest, finally letting loose a breath. That had been a very narrow escape from death.

    Before, he had switched girlfriends very quickly, but it was now over half a year since hest dated.

    Even he didn¡¯t know why, but he felt that it was bing increasingly meaningless. At the moment, he really didn¡¯t want to have a girlfriend.

    Especially after seeing his brother with Ning Xi, he further realized that his previous rtionships had beenpletely shallow.

    Fine, he¡¯d admit it. He was jealous.

    He was jealous that even though his brother had had to wait thirty-two years, he had finally met his true love. Meanwhile, he himself didn¡¯t know if he could wait until that day¡­

    The more Lu Jingli thought about it, the more sorrowful he felt, so he decided not to torture himself any longer. "Brother, if there¡¯s nothing else, then I¡¯ll be leaving first! The things you wanted, I will quickly prepare and send them over to you! Bye~"

    ¡­

    ¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s slumbersted untilte into the second day.

    When she finally opened her eyes, her body felt light, as if it was floating. Her state of mind was one of confusion, as though a lifetime had already passed.

    When Lu Tingxiao pushed open the door to enter the room, he saw a girl wearing loose-fitting hospital clothes under the sunlight from the window¡­ She appeared to have just woken up, and was sitting absentmindedly on the in white hospital bed. Her expression was wooden and nk, and anyone who saw it would feel their heart hurt and make them helplessly want to embrace her¡­

 Chapter 164: Do You Have The Strength To Eat?

    <h4>Chapter 164: Do You Have The Strength To Eat?</h4>

    "You¡¯re awake." Lu Tingxiao was afraid of scaring and disturbing her, so he lightly walked over and brushed his palm gently over her messy hair.

    "Lu Tingxiao¡­" Ning Xi was slow to look at him.

    "Yes, how does your body feel?"

    Ning Xi appeared dazed. "Is this the hospital? What happened to me?"

    "You faintedst night because of a 39oC high fever." Recalling that moment yesterday when she had suddenly fainted caused Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression to darken.

    Ning Xi shook her head. "I had a fever? Why does my body feel so light, like I don¡¯t have any strength!"

    "You must be hungry. You slept for nearly a whole day and night," Lu Tingxiao said as he helped her unfold the meal table on her bed. Then he ced a pillow behind her back. "I assumed you would be up soon, so I bought dinner for you just now."

    "Thanks¡­" Ning Xi looked at the busy man before her. She pressed her lips together, and couldn¡¯t resist extending one hand to touch his chin.

    The warmth of her fingertips caused Lu Tingxiao to freeze, and he looked at the girl, whose gaze was iparably warm. "Yes? What is it?"

    Ning Xi furrowed her brow as she looked at his worn-out appearance and the stubble above and below his mouth. "Did you take care of me all night? All your stubble has grown out!"

    "It¡¯s alright. I did sleep for a while." In reality, he hadn¡¯t rested his eyes for even a minute, nor had he been in the mood to wash his face or rinse his mouth. Only when she woke up was he able to rx.

    "Eat your dinner. Since you can¡¯t have anything too fattening right now, there¡¯s only in congee. Wait until you¡¯re better, then I¡¯ll buy you something tasty." Lu Tingxiao ced the bowl of congee and spoon into her hands. "Do you have the strength to eat? Do you need my help?"

    Ning Xi didn¡¯t say a word, and she also didn¡¯t move.

    Lu Tingxiao raised his head suspiciously to look at her. "What is it? Are you feeling ufortable somewhere on your body? I¡¯ll go call the doctor¡­"

    Ning Xi quickly pulled him back, "Ah, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just notpletely awake, so I¡¯m a bit out of it¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao let out a breath of relief. "Right now, what you need the most is rest, so don¡¯t think too much."

    "Mm." Ning Xi nodded her head before diving into her bowl of congee. But she still did not appear to be in good condition, and looked only half-conscious.

    Lu Tingxiao treated her so nicely, she almost felt terrified.

    It was not as though she was dense, but from the beginning, the way he treated her had always been like this. She had continuously overlooked it, until she had gradually be ustomed to it.

    Everything which the man before her had done, was it all simply to repay a debt of gratitude?

    Even if he saw her as just a friend, would a friend do so much to this extent?

    Because her mind had been filled with too many messy things she had had to deal with, in the end she only thought of this fleetingly¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    After eating dinner, Ning Xi finally felt that she had recovered some of her spirit.

    She quickly shifted through all theplicated thoughts inside her brain, and began dealing with the important issues. "Lu Tingxiao, is my phone here?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not look pleased. "I just said you need to rest well."

    Ning Xi sped her hands together. "I¡¯ve rested enough after sleeping for so long. Also, I¡¯m full from eating. If you don¡¯t let me do something, I¡¯ll start rotting!"

    Lu Tingxiao saw that she did look a lot better, and couldn¡¯t resist her pleading gaze, so he ended up handing the phone over to her.

    Afterwards, he brought the thermometer over. "Let¡¯s take your temperature."

    "Ah¡­" Ning Xi obediently opened her mouth for the thermometer, and then immediately went on the Inte to go through the entertainment news.

    <The World>¡¯s Production Team Performs <Beyond the Realm of Conscience>, Vicious Beauty Climbing Up Using Unorthodox Methods

    Ning Xueluo Wounded, An ident Or Attempted Murder?

    Starlight Entertainment Publicly Announces Decision To Firmly Boycott Unfair Competition, Protecting The Lives and Safety Of Artistes

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s Office Sends Out a Lawyer¡¯s Letter, Ning Xi¡¯s Sudden Disappearance, No Reply Until Now

    ¡­

 Chapter 165: You Truly Deserve To Be Called The Great Demon King!

    <h4>Chapter 165: You Truly Deserve To Be Called The Great Demon King!</h4>

    After that, Ning Xi opened Weibo, only to see a page full of cursing. It was even several times worse than that time with Jia Qingqing, but after all,pared to Jia Qingqing, Ning Xueluo was much more popr. Her fans¡¯ battle power was much more powerful.

    [That slut Ning Xi keeps hiding and won¡¯t appear, so she must be guilty! She must have seen that she¡¯d been exposed so she ran off, right? After all, she¡¯s already attempted murder! If they were to go to court, she would definitely have to go to jail! ]

    [To be vilified once is just others being jealous, but she¡¯s been in the same situation so many times, so it must be her character that¡¯s the problem! This time, she was even caught in the act! ]

    [Xueluo has such a good reputation in the entertainment industry and she has even supported this junior sister so many times. Who would have thought that she would actually return kindness with enmity, like a Schweinhund! It¡¯s because of people like her that the entertainment circle¡¯s trends are getting worse! ]

    [Don¡¯t you guys feel that this might have been Ning Xi¡¯s scheme from the start? She gets rid of Jia Qingqing first so that she can secure the role of the second female lead, and then hurts Ning Xueluo to get the role of leading actress! ]

    [That¡¯s so terrifying! I¡¯m so scared! As expected, a beautiful woman is not a good thing! ]

    ¡­

    Lu Tingxiao nced at her cell phone out of the corner of his eye, and knit his brows after seeing the viciousments. "Don¡¯t look anymore."

    Ning Xi was sitting cross-legged, the thermometer between her lips as she replied unintelligibly, "It¡¯s nothing. Seeing these is actually really fun!"

    "Measure it properly, don¡¯t speak."

    "Mm." You¡¯re the one who made me speak¡­

    Having finally finished measuring, Lu Tingxiao looked at the thermometer. "37.1oC."

    Ning Xi was immediately pleased as she said, "I said I was alright! Actually, my body is really healthy! So can I leave the hospital now?"

    "You still need to be hospitalized for a few days for observation."

    "Ah? I still have to be hospitalized? But I really miss darling Little White!" Ning Xi decisively chose to bring up Little Treasure.

    "He¡¯s already on his way here," Lu Tingxiao said in a tone which left no room for discussion.

    "Ah, okay¡­" Ning Xi finally had nothing more to say.

    Lu Tingxiao tidied up and put the meal table away, then sat in the chair besides the bed. "What do you n to do now?"

    Ning Xi immediately remembered something. "I actually was about to tell you about it. Can you send a copy of the evidence to my phone? I need to prepare to first send it to a person!"

    Lu Tingxiao nced at her. "Zhang Qiang?"

    Ning Xi was already used to Lu Tingxiao¡¯s quick intelligence, but she still couldn¡¯t help but admire him. "You truly deserve to be called Lord Boss! You¡¯re so quick-witted! I¡¯m preparing to make Zhang Qiang fight his own allies by using the evidence to ckmail Ning Xueluo!"

    After Ning Xi excitedly finished saying her piece, she immediately coughed and anxiously looked at Lu Tingxiao, "Doing this¡­ would I be too vicious?"

    Lu Tingxiao didn¡¯t reply, and after some consideration, he said, "The main issue is that this doesn¡¯t bring you any benefits, and you¡¯re really letting Zhang Qiang off easy."

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "What you said is not wrong, but my main priority is to cause trouble for Ning Xueluo. I didn¡¯t really think about anything else."

    Lu Tingxiao thought for a moment and then said, "Instead of letting Zhang Qiang gain profit, why don¡¯t you do it yourself?"

    When Ning Xi heard this, her eyes bulged out in surprise. "Would¡­ would this work?"

    "Why not?" Lu Tingxiao countered, and then continued to borate. "Based on Ning Xueluo¡¯s capability, you should be able to extort about eight million from her. This is your best opportunity to dissolve your contract with Starlight Entertainment. You can use the money to pay the penalty fee."

    "¡­" Ning Xi was utterly speechless after hearing Lu Tingxiao¡¯s words.

    At the most, she had only wanted to incite other people, but the Big Demon King was truly excellent. Not only did he not admonish her actions, he even taught her how to be even worse¡­

    ¡®Schweinhund¡¯ is German for ¡®pig-dog¡¯, and is considered an extremely offensive insult.

 Chapter 166: An Even Faster Method

    <h4>Chapter 166: An Even Faster Method</h4>

    However, this maneuver was so perfect!

    The only issue was that extortion, this kind of thing, if one were to personally go and do it, the conscience wouldn¡¯t easily allow it¡­

    Ning Xi bit her lip as she remembered everything that had happened that night, and sheughed coldly inside her heart. Ah, what conscience, they had even gone to that extent!

    Ning Xi quickly made up her mind. "Alright, send it to me. I¡¯ll contact Ning Xueluo!"

    "No need, I¡¯ll help you. That way, no one can track down your IP address," Lu Tingxiao said.

    At this moment, in Ning Xi¡¯s view, Lu Tingxiao was no different from a god. Her eyes glimmered as she said, "God Lu, I¡¯ve realized your abilities are too heaven-defying! Do you ept disciples?"

    Seeing the girl¡¯s worshipful gaze elevated Lu Tingxiao¡¯s mood a lot. He nced at her. "I don¡¯t ept."

    Ning Xi immediately appeared disappointed. "Ah¡­" As expected, he wasn¡¯t epting any! Big Boss Lu had so many things to take care of, so how could he possibly ept any disciples¡­

    Lu Tingxiao continued to gaze deeply at her. "If you want my level of capability, there¡¯s an even faster method."

    "What is it, what is it?" Ning Xi instantly perked up as she asked.

    Lu Tingxiao: "Marry me." If she married him, everything that was his would also be hers, what else would she still need to learn?

    "Cough cough cough¡­" Ning Xi nearly choked on her own saliva.

    This method, you really couldn¡¯t say he was wrong¡­

    It was just that¡­ did she just get hit on again?

    Lu Tingxiao admired the girl¡¯s embarrassed expression, before asking, "Have you thought about whichpany you want to join after you dissolve your contract?"

    Ning Xi rubbed her chin. "This¡­ I''m still thinking it over¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao was undeterred as he continued. "After you''ve cleared your name, your poprity should be on par with first- and second-tier artistes. It''ll be much easier to find apany then."

    Ning Xi sighed. "It''s actually very troublesome. Smallpanies aren''t verypetitive and don''t offer a good future, while bigpanies will be hard to get into because of myck of background. I might appear very well-known, but most of my famees from bad press. I don''t have even one finished work, so my position is pretty awkward¡­ hmm, Teacher Lu, do you have any ideas?"

    Regarding such an important decision, Ning Xi had already intended to ask Lu Tingxiao for advice.

    Lu Tingxiao poured a cup of water for her before replying: "From my perspective as a businessman, you are a very explosive stock full of rising potential. I believe you will prove your worth in the future. Therefore, I naturally hope you will join Glory World."

    Ning Xi speechlessly widened her eyes in disbelief, and was frozen for a while beforeing back to her senses. "Is Lord Boss trying to personally poach me right now?"

    Lu Tingxiao slightly smiled. "What you said is not wrong. I really do want to poach you. So, will youe?"

    Damn it! This manner of speaking was foul y!

    Ning Xi gulped while calming her heart, and then seriously replied, "To be direct and honest, if this time, I am able to smoothly leave Starlight Entertainment, thepany I most want to join is Glory World. Today, Glory World has already surpassed Starlight Entertainment and has indisputably be the best entertainmentpany in this industry, with the best future prospects¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao appeared very pleased and nodded. Then he extended his hand towards her. "Then let¡¯s have a pleasant cooperation."

    "Ah?" Ning Xi subconsciously extended her hand. "Let¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s have a pleasant cooperation."

    What¡­ what was this situation? Just like that they were going to happily work together?

    Just like that she hade to an agreement with Glory World?

    The Great Demon King was so efficient even in poaching people¡­

 Chapter 167: Our Feelings Are Mutual

    <h4>Chapter 167: Our Feelings Are Mutual</h4>

    "Eh, so our cooperation is considered confirmed?" Ning Xi was still a little dumbfounded.

    "I think highly of you, while you already have your heart set on Glory World. Our feelings are mutual, so is there an issue?" Lu Tingxiao replied with a question.

    "¡­" Our feelings are mutual, this phrase could even be used like this¡­

    Ning Xi felt that she could trouble anyone in the world except Lu Tingxiao, which was why she asked in an extremely solemn tone, "You don¡¯t need to think things over again? I feel that I¡¯m rather troublesome, and if by chance, I bring trouble to you¡­"

    "If you could handle everything so well on your own, then what would you still need a managementpany for? That¡¯s the purpose of my existence."

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi rubbed her nose.

    Anyway, she had already noticed that the Great Demon King normally said very little, but when he did speak, each word was a gem. She could not win against him.

    Ning Xi thought carefully for a moment. Up until now, Starlight had wronged her so many times, so it would be considered normal for her to suggest dissolving their contract. She wouldn¡¯t be creating any reason for gossip, and even her termination fee would be taken care of. Clearing her name was only a small issue, so it shouldn¡¯t particrly trouble Lu Tingxiao.

    Thinking of it like this, she finally rxed.

    "Lord Boss, to repay your kindness, from now on I will work hard to earn money for you. I won¡¯t disappoint you!" Ning Xi immediately expressed her heartfelt sincerity.

    At the very least, she was very confident in her own capability!

    Lu Tingxiao smiled. "Yes, I look forward to it."

    At this moment, Ning Xi¡¯s cell phone suddenly rang.

    The disy name was Evil Fairy King.

    Jiang Muye had called countless times, but because she had been too busy and had suddenly fallen ill, she had never managed to pick up his calls.

    Ning Xi didn¡¯t hide it from Lu Tingxiao, and directly answered, "Hello, Jiang¡­"

    Not waiting for her to speak, a roar so loud that her eardrums almost exploded came from the phone ¡ª

    "Ning Xiao Xi, where in hell have you roamed off to! Do you know that you¡¯re being bad-mouthed by everyone!

    He went to the Lu residence once to find her, but the butler had informed him that she wasn¡¯t there, and neither was Lu Tingxiao. That day happened to be her birthday, and with the two of them missing, how could he not overthink it!

    Ning Xi wordlessly pulled at her ear. "What do you mean ¡®roam¡¯! I¡¯m currently in the hospital!"

    Jiang Muye froze when he heard this, and his voice immediately became frantic and nervous. "What? In the hospital? Are you okay? Don¡¯t tell me you got beaten up?"

    Ning Xi curled her lips. "You¡¯re the one who was beaten up! It¡¯s just a fever!"

    "Which hospital are you at, I¡¯lle see you right now!"

    "No need, you¡¯re so busy. You should just worry about the stuff at home first. My fever has already gone down, and Lu Tingxiao is here, not to mention, Little Treasure will being soon."

    The cell phone suddenly went silent for a few seconds, and then Jiang Muye spoke in a somber tone: "Ning Xi, have you seen the email I sent you yet?"

    "Not yet, I haven¡¯t had the time. Ever since the day before yesterday, I haven¡¯t been able to take a break from all the problems! In short, there¡¯s too much to talk about, I¡¯ll tell you everythingter when I have the time."

    Jiang Muye took a deep breath. "Just remember to take a quick look. Also, let me ask you, what are you going to do about Ning Xueluo? Originally, I was prepared to help you deal with Zhang Qiang that bastard, but in the end, when I sent someone over to stop him, his ce was already empty. Because you belong to Starlight Entertainment, I can¡¯t use mypany¡¯s public rtions department, so I¡¯ve discussed with Brother Ming and personally contacted a reliable public rtions team¡­"

    When Ning Xi heard this, she gratefully replied, "Thank you Jiang Muye, but there¡¯s no need. I¡¯ve found evidence to clear my name."

    Jiang Muye ground his teeth. "Was it Lu Tingxiao AGAIN?!"

 Chapter 168: Love Her a Little More

    <h4>Chapter 168: Love Her a Little More</h4>

    "I got it myself, alright? But after that, Lu Tingxiao did help me a lot."

    "Got it, as long as you¡¯re okay. I¡¯m hanging up! Remember to check the email I sent you!" Taking into consideration that she was still sick, Jiang Muye suppressed his anger with effort. He wasn''t in the mood to ask how Lu Tingxiao had swept in like a hero to rescue her, and simply ended the call forcefully.

    Damn it! If Lu Tingxiao hadn¡¯t used dirty tricks to stall him, right now he should be the one standing by her side and helping her through this crisis!

    Shameless, he was too shameless!

    "Jiang Muye called?" Lu Tingxiao asked casually.

    "Yes, he asked me if I needed help! And he also said he emailed me, I¡¯m don¡¯t know what it is, but he kept reminding me to take a look. He was all mysterious about it, I¡¯m guessing it must be some kind of trick birthday gift. He did the same thingst year, and sent me an especially scary video. I was so angry I beat him up three times before I was satisfied¡­"

    Ning Xi grumbled to herself and wasn''t in a hurry to read the email. She continued scrolling through her texts and missed calls to see if there were any she needed to reply to.

    The missed calls were mostly unknown numbers, which would definitely be from the media and press. As she scrolled down, she saw a name; the call had been made on her birthday.

    Seeing the two characters, Ning Xi¡¯s indifferent expression turned warm and soft. "I thought he forgot my birthday!"

    "Who?" Lu Tingxiao tensed unconsciously.

    "My little brother, Tang Nuo."

    Lu Tingxiao nodded, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

    He was already jittery at the thought that it could be yet another ex-boyfriend.

    Ning Xi called back immediately. "Hi, Xiao Nuo~"

    "Sis, you finally returned my call! How are you? Is everything alright? Did those people give you a hard time? I saw it in a newspaper article¡­"

    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine!"

    "But that woman said she was going to sue you!"

    "Your sister is not someone to be trifled with, we¡¯ll see who gets sued in the end!"

    "Are you really okay?"

    "I¡¯m really alright! If you keep worrying about me, I¡¯m going to suspect that you¡¯re not seventeen, but seventy years old instead!" Saying this, Ning Xi paused. "But do you really trust me that much? Maybe I really did lose my mind, and stabbed Ning Xueluo on purpose?"

    On the other end of the phone, the young man¡¯s voice was clear and bright: "Who would I trust if not my own sister?"

    At these words, warmth spread in Ning Xi¡¯s heart. "You brat, you¡¯re good with words!"

    "I¡¯ll stop worrying now that I know you¡¯re okay. Ah, that¡¯s right, I still haven''t wished you happy birthday, but it¡¯s past already¡­"

    "No big deal, saying it now is the same. Thank you, my dear handsome, thoughtful little brother~"

    "Don¡¯t be so sappy! I won¡¯t talk to you anymore, school¡¯s going to start soon, I need to catch up on my holiday homework!"

    "Go, go! Fighting, young man!"

    After the call, Ning Xi¡¯s mood was instantly sunny.

    Seeing her good mood, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s own mood was also lifted. "The two of you are very close?"

    "That¡¯s right! Even though we¡¯re not rted by blood, we¡¯re very close. My grandmother favored boys over girls when I was little, right? Back then, only Xiao Nuo got to eat all the good food at home. I couldn¡¯t even eat at the table, but Xiao Nuo would always hide some food away for me. And every time Grandmother found fault with me, he would alwayse out to protect me. He¡¯s such a good brother!"

    Saying this, Ning Xi felt a little downcast. "Isn''t it strange? My own blood treats me like the enemy, while the one I have no blood rtions with is my family. I should¡¯ve known from the start, interests always outweigh family in that circle¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao gently patted the cute little hair bun on top of the girl¡¯s sad, drooping head. "You¡¯ll find better."

    Every time he heard her speak about her childhood, he couldn¡¯t help wanting to love her a little more, to dote on her a little more, to give her back double of everything that she had lost.

 Chapter 169: Really Want To Steal Him Home

    <h4>Chapter 169: Really Want To Steal Him Home</h4>

    Ning Xi finished going through her calls record, and had moved on to her messages when she was taken aback by one in particr.

    [Dearest, I really underestimated your courage.]

    Sender: YS

    What did this guy mean by sending her such a statement out of nowhere? What did she do?

    Lu Tingxiao had deleted the call log, so Ning Xi naturally didn''t know about the call between the two men that night.

    "What is it?"Lu Tingxiao asked, seeing something was off about her appearance.

    "Nothing¡­" Ning Xi just assumed that person was acting crazy, and paid it no mind. She put her phone down and asked, "When is Little Treasureing?"

    "He should be arriving soon."

    Hearing that, Ning Xi immediately fixed her hair subconsciously. "Where¡¯s the hair clip Little Treasure gave me?"

    "Here, I put it away for you." Lu Tingxiao opened the bedside table drawer, took the pink hair clip out, and passed it to her.

    Ning Xi immediately clipped it back on happily.

    Seeing the hair clip in Ning Xi¡¯s hair, Lu Tingxiao felt a little regret; if he had known earlier, he wouldn¡¯t have given her a gun. If he had given something like a ne, bracelet or earrings, she could at least wear it on her¡­

    Actually, he had already prepared a gift a long time ago: a ring. Unfortunately, it still wasn¡¯t the right time to give it to her.

    As the two of them were speaking, there was a knock on the door.

    Ning Xi rolled out of bed to open the door, and sure enough, Little Treasure had arrived.

    "Darling, you¡¯re here!"

    After Little Treasure entered, he used his little hand to pull urgently on her clothes, as if he wanted her to bend a little.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Ning Xi crouched down.

    Little Treasure immediately bumped his little head into Ning Xi¡¯s forehead with a serious face.

    Ning Xi couldn''t helpughing aloud. "Heh, darling, are you taking my temperature? Don''t worry, I just measured it, and the fever¡¯s already gone!"

    Little Treasure¡¯s face was still full of worry, and his heart hurt to look at the bruises on the back of her hand from the IV drip.

    Ning Xi embraced the little guy in her arms and patted himfortingly. "Don¡¯t frown, Auntie is all healthy now after seeing you!"

    Little Treasure was a miracle cure, she really wanted to steal him home.

    "Want to take a walk?"Lu Tingxiao suggested.

    "Yes, yes!" After sleeping for a whole day, Ning Xi was ready to move about, and it also wasn¡¯t good to make Little Treasure apany her in the ward either.

    On their way to the elevator, the three of them passed a ward which had a horde of reporters crowded noisily around its entrance with their cameras, all of them trying to interview the woman in the room:

    "Xueluo, have you gotten in touch with Ning Xi yet?"

    "Not yet, I haven''t heard anything about her."

    "Ning Xi fled to avoid being punished, what do you have to say about this? What do you n to do next?"

    "I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ until now I still can¡¯t believe she could do such a thing¡­"

    "We¡¯ve heard that Ning International and Starlight Entertainment have already withdrawn their investments in protest, is that true? Has there been any reply from the production team? Will they rece Ning Xi?"

    "I¡¯m not sure about this, you can ask the representative for the production team."

    "If Ning Xi apologized to you, would you forgive her?"

    "If she really meant it with her heart, I could personally forgive her for this confusion, but the negative impact which she has had on the entertainment industry cannot be fixed with an apology, and I also wouldn''t be in a position to forgive her for that!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi couldn¡¯t help raising an eyebrow at Ning Xueluo¡¯s white lotus drama, and it was only at that moment that she realized that she was in the same hospital and on the same floor as Ning Xueluo.

    At this moment, one of the reporters noticed Ning Xi standing by the elevator opposite the ward, and immediately shouted, "Ning Xi ¡ª"

    ¡®White lotus¡¯ here refers to Ning Xueluo pretending to be vulnerable and innocent.

 Chapter 170: How Can It Be Ning Xi

    <h4>Chapter 170: How Can It Be Ning Xi</h4>

    "Ning Xi? Where, where?"

    "Ning Xi¡¯s here? No way! She actually dared to show up?"

    "There, over there!"

    ¡­

    All the reporters turned to look in unison, and one after another lifted their cameras, ready to shoot thetest news.

    Ning Xi frowned. She didn¡¯t care about herself, but her first reaction was to protect Little Bun and to not let anyone scare him.

    But before she could hug Little Bun, arge palm had pressed her head forward so that she was enveloped in warm arms, and one of her hands was gripped tightly by Little Bun¡¯s soft little hand, almost as if he was telling her to not be afraid.

    As for those reporters, they all stopped ten steps away.

    Two huge men in ck and wearing sunsses appeared out of nowhere. Their expressions were fiendish, and like door gods, they blocked the path.

    "Hey, who are you people, get out of the way! Good dogs don''t get in the way!" All the reporter was thinking about was grabbing a headline, and he spoke without thinking.

    But there was also a smart one in the crowd, and he pulled the guy who had spoken to a stop, his face full of fear as if he had seen something extremely frightening. "Are you out of your mind! Those are bodyguards for the Lu family!"

    "Lu¡­ Lu family¡­ you¡¯re not saying that Lu family, are you?"

    "No kidding! How many Lu families are there in the capital!"

    "But how do you know? It¡¯s not like they have letters carved on their faces!"

    "Are you a moron? Didn''t you see the emblem on their clothes?"

    After being reminded, everyone retreated three steps, and those who had acted rudely apologized non-stop, their faces full of terror. "These two big brothers, we¡¯re sorry, sorry! We didn¡¯t recognize who you were! Please don¡¯t hold this against us!"

    Holy sheet! These were the personal bodyguards for the Lu family? Then who were the three behind them?

    The reporters wanted to figure out the situation, but as soon as they carefully extended their gazes, they were all scared into retreating back, their faces drained of color.

    The tall, strong man who held the girl in his arms had a face as cold as frost, like a god. But his eyes were so severe, and his aura too oppressive. The more experienced reporters were the ones who were the best at reading people, and they instantly understood that this was not a man to be trifled with. At the same time, when they settled down, they felt that something wasn¡¯t right¡­

    What Ning Xi, you saw wrong! That¡¯s a family of three! How can that woman possibly be Ning Xi!"

    "Exactly! Did you go crazy with wanting that headline too much? Everyone looks like Ning Xi to you!"

    "One look at this person and you know he¡¯s not someone to be trifled with, you want to get us all killed?!"

    One by one, the reporters started to grumble at the person who had first shouted.

    "Eh, I probably saw wrong, but she really looks simr, you guys also got confused at the beginning, didn''t you¡­"

    "Simr my butt! That Ning Xi is a poisonous snake, but you can tell this miss is a good wife and loving mother. She has a noble and refined temperament, how are they alike!"

    "Exactly! So gentle and so cute! How could she be Ning Xi that wicked b*tch!"

    ¡­

    By now, the elevator had arrived with a ding.

    Even after the three of them had disappeared in the elevator, the reporters were still sighing:

    "Aiyaya, did you see that little boy just now, he was so beautiful! He looked like an exact copy of that man, you can tell with one look that they¡¯re father and son!"

    "Who on earth is he in the Lu family? His aura was so scary!"

    "I keep thinking that man looks a little familiar¡­ eh¡­why do I feel that¡­ he looked a little like the God of Fortune?"

    "Shut up, he really did look like him! Then that little boy¡­don¡¯t tell me that was the legendary little prince?"

 Chapter 171: The Most Beautiful Princess~

    <h4>Chapter 171: The Most Beautiful Princess~</h4>

    This guess was instantly like a tossed stone stirring up a thousand ripples:

    "How is that possible! Lu Tingxiao is single, alright? He has a son, but he definitely does not have a woman by his side!"

    ¡®If it really was him, then that was really big news, tut tut tut¡­"

    "No matter how big it is, so what? Would you dare report it? Did you forget how VIO Magazine crashed and burned back then?"

    "Eh¡­ of course I remember, it was because they secretly took a picture of Lu Tingxiao, and even dared to publish it¡­"

    At this point, everyone gave up on this juicy piece of news, and hands that had been quick to take photos were now shaking as they started to delete all of them.

    Lu Tingxiao was famous for being low-key in the circle, and he refused to do any media interview. The little prince was protected even more tightly. Although they were very curious about today¡¯s circumstances as well as about that woman¡¯s identity, no media outlet would dare touch that lethal headline.

    In the elevator.

    Ning Xi tilted her head in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arms. She looked at Big Bun, and then at Little Bun, with mixed feelings.

    So this was how it felt to be protected by someone¡­

    "Are you alright? I¡¯ll get you moved to another hospital!" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face was still a little dark. He hade here in a hurry, and had also only just realized this unpleasant coincidence.

    "No need for the trouble, I¡¯m okay now, how about we go home? Actually, I really hate being in a hospital¡­"

    "Alright."

    "By the way, where did those two bodyguardse from?" Ning Xi asked suspiciously.

    "They are always nearby. Given your particr situation, I had them guard you, just in case." Like when she had been attacked and hurt by fans ¡ª he wasn¡¯t going to allow something like that to happen a second time.

    "I haven''t signed with Glory World yet, and already I can enjoy this type of privilege?" Ning Xi felt spoiled. As she finished speaking, she suddenly saw herself in the elevator¡¯s mirror¡­

    Ning Xi touched her own face in the mirror, "Mm, were those reporters blind? They didn''t recognize me even when I was standing in front of them! And they even said¡­ I look like a good wife and loving mother, so fresh, gentle and cute? Clearly the stepmother in Snow White, or the Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood is a more suitable description of me!

    She checked herself in the mirror as she spoke, then realized that she didn''t have any makeup on at the moment, and was wearing a loose-fitting hospital gown. Her hair was pulled back into a messy braid for convenience sake, and she had on the pink hair clip that Little Treasure had given to her. The expression on her face did appear gentle and refined¡­

    Damn it! She really had be a gentle girl!

    Ning Xi was surprised by herself.

    Had she been like this all along in front of Big Bun and Little Bun? This wasn¡¯t like her at all!

    At this time, after hearing what Ning Xi said, Little Bun suddenly took out a pocket-sized notebook, and bent his head to scribble in it for a bit, then urgently held it up in front of her.

    "Darling, what are you trying to say?" Ning Xi took the notebook, and after reading it, she blushed.

    "What is it?"By her side, Lu Tingxiao asked the question after seeing the strange expression on Ning Xi¡¯s face.

    Ning Xi covered her burning cheeks, her eyes full of usation. "It¡¯s all your fault, Lu Tingxiao! Look at what your son wrote!"

    "What is it?"Lu Tingxiao had been unjustly med when he was innocent, so he took a look at what Little Treasure had written. After reading it, he was silent.

    Carefully written in the notebook:

    [You are the brightest star in the sky, your eyes are sweeter than chocte, whenever I look at you, I see a fairytale princess who has eternal beauty.]

 Chapter 172: The Pupil Surpasses His Master

    <h4>Chapter 172: The Pupil Surpasses His Master</h4>

    After hearing Ning Xi¡¯s self-deprecating words, Little Treasure had resolutely yed his best hand¡­

    Ning Xi was moved and worried at the same time. "Lu Tingxiao, Little Treasure definitely got this from you. He¡¯s too good at making girls happy! What is he going to be like when he grows up! I don¡¯t dare imagine how much more infatuated I¡¯m going to be when he starts talking!"

    Especially thatst sentence, it had hit her straight in her heart.

    He actually said she was a princess¡­

    She had always wanted to be a queen, because only then would she be able to face all her hardships fearlessly.

    But in front of Little Treasure calling her "princess", the little girl which she had been hiding deep inside her was drawn out¡­

    There wasn¡¯t a girl who didn¡¯t want to be a carefree princess; she just hadn¡¯t been in a position to choose that option.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his own son and felt rueful in his heart. This wasn¡¯t a case of gics anymore, but of the pupil surpassing his master.

    Seeing Little Treasure standing there looking at her with an earnest face, Ning Xi gave a soft, helplessugh, and then bent over to hug him. "Okay, okay! I understand! I know I¡¯m the most beautiful in your eyes! I won¡¯t undervalue myself anymore, okay?"

    Only then was Little Treasure satisfied, and copying what she always did as a reward for him, he kissed her gently on the cheek.

    Ning Xi couldn¡¯t help squeezing Little Bun in a hug again. "Ai, what am I going to do, I so badly want to steal you away when your dad¡¯s not paying attention!"

    Little Treasure blinked and looked very expectant. He nodded approvingly, as if to say, "Hurry up and steal me away!"

    Ning Xi: "Pu¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­" Why did he feel like he was the third wheel?

    At the same time, in Ning Xueluo¡¯s ward.

    The reporters could only return to continue interviewing Ning Xueluo when chasing Ning Xi hadn¡¯t resulted in anything.

    Everyone was now searching high and low for Ning Xi, but she seemed to have vanished off the surface of the earth, without a single trace. The reporters camped out at her apartment, on set, at thepany, but all for nothing.

    If they knew Ning Xi had actually been on the same floor as Ning Xueluo in the same hospital, and that they had even encountered her briefly, they might go crazy.

    Su Yan was worried about Xueluo¡¯s health, and interrupted the reporters after a few more questions. "I¡¯m sorry, everyone, Xueluo is still recovering from her injury, and her body is weak, this is the end of today¡¯s interview!"

    "Yes, I¡¯m not feeling so well, sorry everyone!"

    While the reporters were unwilling to go, they could only express understanding and hope for a good recovery, before leaving in unison.

    Chang Li walked them out politely. "Thank you for all your concern towards our Xueluo, I believe that justice is naturally ingrained in a person¡¯s heart, and all of you are able to judge fairly. It must have been inconvenient for everyone toe here in such hot weather, this is a small token of gratitude for you!"

    After saying that, the assistant Cui Caijing started to distribute red packets.

    The reporters were well aware of the situation, and one after another expressed that they would definitely help Ning Xueluo find justice.

    In bed, Ning Xueluo had a suspicious look on her face as she thought of something. "Brother Yan, what happened with those reporters earlier? Why did all of them suddenly run out? Was it really Ning Xi?"

    "No, they mistook someone else for her." Su Yan tucked her in. There was a slightly absent-minded look on his face.

    Those reporters hadn¡¯t seen Ning Xi in person before, but he was different. When he caught a quick glimpse of that figure, it really had looked like Ning Xi, and he was almost sure that it was Ning Xi herself.

    But how could that be possible? Why would Ning Xi be so intimate with a man, and furthermore even have a kid with them?

 Chapter 173: A Lesson

    <h4>Chapter 173: A Lesson</h4>

    Late night, Lu residence.

    Ning Xi had been browsing the entertainment news online for a while, and was ready to go to bed, when a few messages suddenly popped up on MSN.

    They were from Su Yan.

    Su Yan: [Xiao Xi, where on earth are you now? I saw someone in Xueluo¡¯s hospital today, was that you?]

    Su Yan: [You really went too far this time, you can''t use our guilt towards you against us, we¡¯re running out of patience with you!]

    Su Yan: [Running away won''t fix anything, you owe Xueluo an apology!]

    ¡­

    Ning Xi scoffed softly, and typed a swift reply: [I bought a watchst year!]

    At this moment, someone knocked on the door.

    "Come in~"

    Lu Tingxiao pushed the door open and walked in with a ss of hot milk in his hand. He frowned to see that she was still on herptop. "Why are you still on theputer? You need rest."

    "I was about to, but I got disgusted at something right before bed," Ning Xi grumbled.

    Lu Tingxiao walked over and handed the milk to her. "What happened?"

    Ning Xi took the milk and thanked him, and since there was nothing worth hiding, directly showed him the chat history.

    Lu Tingxiao took one look, and his face darkened. Then he asked suspiciously, "I bought a watchst year, what does this mean?"

    "Pu¡­" Hearing Lu Tingxiao say this sentence aloud in such a proper tone, Ning Xi almost sprayed milk from her mouth. She exined embarrassedly, "Cough, cough, this is an online term, it¡¯s a¡­ a ssic phrase for swearing at someone!"

    "Really? What does it mean?" Lu Tingxiao humbly asked.

    Ning Xi had no choice, and could only start to seriously teach him: "The abbreviation for ¡®I bought a watchst year¡¯ is WQNMLGB¡­ umm¡­ got it?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded, having understood instantly.

    Ning Xi sighed in relief. It was a good thing the Big Demon King was so intelligent, otherwise it would have been really embarrassing for her to have to say "F*** your mother¡¯s pussy" straight out.

    On his end, Su Yan saw Ning Xi¡¯s reply, and instantly sent a slew of agitated messages, the gist of all of them being that a person could still survive if they mended their ways. Adopting an ¡®out of sight, out of mind¡¯ attitude, Ning Xi logged out directly and turned off herptop.

    Seeing how Ning Xi had decisively given Su Yan the cold shoulder, Lu Tingxiao was in a very good mood. "I¡¯ve already contacted Ning Xueluo for you."

    "Really? What did you say?" Ning Xi asked instantly.

    Lu Tingxiao took his phone out and opened an email to show her.

    Ning Xi quickly drew closer for a look, and was speechless after viewing it: "¡­"

    Apart from the evidence and a bank ount number for the money transfer, Lu Tingxiao had sent just a few words, without any punctuation at all ¡ª eight million yuan in twenty-four hours.

    This was totally Lu Tingxiao¡¯s style.

    "Not bad, not bad, the less you say the more panicked she will be, very nice." Ning Xi nodded her head and praised him sagaciously.

    "After you receive the money, you can discuss the termination of your contract with Starlight. When the timees, I¡¯ll arrange for awyer to go with you in case they try to deliberately make trouble for you.

    "I¡¯ve already asked Jingli to prepare the contract with Glory World for you to sign. Tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll bring it to you. If there is anything that needs to be amended, we¡¯ll discuss it when the timees.

    After you¡¯ve signed the contract, Glory World will hold a press conference for you when the time is right, and we¡¯ll release the evidence. After that, we will start taking legal action¡­"Lu Tingxiao¡¯s deep voice reverberated like a cello as he calmly told her the n and arrangements going forward from here.

    Ning Xi was stupefied as she listened, and could only nod from time to time. Then she asked subconsciously, "So is there anything else I need to do?"

    "Eat, sleep, and get well."

    "Oh¡­"

    ¡®I bought a watchst year¡¯ is a phrase used in ce of ¡®F*** your mother¡¯s pussy¡¯, since the pinyin for both sentences in Chinese gives the same acronym, WQNMLGB.

 Chapter 174: Midnight Fright

    <h4>Chapter 174: Midnight Fright</h4>

    The First People''s Republic Hospital in the capital.

    Ning Xueluoyfortably in the hospital bed, a ss of red wine in one hand as she browsed Weibo with the other. Seeing how Ning Xi was being cursed at online, she had never been happier.

    As Cui Caijing massaged her calf, she said in a ttering tone, "Sister Xueluo, your legs are amazing, so long and straight!"

    Actually, they looked only a little better than that of the average person. Every year, she spent millions on maintenance and stic surgery, how couldn¡¯t it look better than legs belonging to the average person?

    Ning Xueluo liked these types ofpliments, and said in a pleased tone, "I was born this way."

    Chang Li nearby felt a little uneasy for some reason, and said in a worried tone, "Xueluo, do you think it¡¯s possible that the reason Ning Xi hasn¡¯t shown up in so long is because she¡¯s thinking up ways to get back at us?"

    When Ning Xueluo heard her words, she sneered disdainfully. "You think too highly of her, even if she sleeps with a hundred men, there is no way she can turn this situation around!"

    "That¡¯s true, in the entertainment industry, for an artiste who has such a bad record, the consequences will be no less severe than they were for Jia Qingqing. It¡¯ll be useless no matter who tries to clear her reputation!" Slowly, Chang Li rxed. "By the way, I just sent an email to give Ning Xi an ultimatum. If she doesn¡¯t make an appearance at thepany before six o''clock tomorrow evening, we¡¯ll cklist her. I don¡¯t believe that she won''t appear tomorrow!"

    "Remember to arrange a few more reporters to wait for her!" Ning Xueluo smiled broadly.

    She was just about to reply to her fans'' concerns about the state of her injury, when a new email notification popped up at the top of the screen.

    Who had sent her an email sote? Furthermore, it was to her private inbox¡­

    Ning Xueluo didn¡¯t think too much about it as she opened it. But with just one look, she instantly froze up, and the red wine in her hand spilled all over her.

    "Oh my, what''s wrong, Sister Xueluo?" Cui Caijing hurriedly grabbed some tissues to clean her up.

    "What''s wrong, Xueluo?" Chang Li asked suspiciously after seeing how frightened Ning Xueluo looked.

    "See for yourself!" With trembling hands, Ning Xueluo threw the cellphone in utter fury at Cui Caijing¡¯s head. "How the hell do you do things, you actually made such a big mistake! Why did you send that email from my apartment? And didn''t I tell you a thousand times to use an anonymous ount to send the money?"

    Dizzy from being hit, it took Cui Caijing quite a while to regain her senses. With one hand covering her forehead, she read the email on her phone, and also froze. She said with a panicked expression, "Sister Xueluo, you can''t me me for this, I did use an anonymous ount! As for the email¡­ you were also there when I sent it, and you didn''t say anything at the time!"

    Ning Xueluo threw down the winess, and it shattered. "Even if I didn¡¯t say anything, can¡¯t you think for yourself? If you just do everything I tell you to do, then why would I need you at all?"

    After Chang Li read the email, she looked grim. "The thing that I was most worried about has actually happened! I was afraid that if someone discovered a weak point¡­ who on earth sent this email? Don¡¯t tell me it was Zhang Qiang?"

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression was dark, and she said in a confident tone: "Impossible! Zhang Qiang is just a hoodlum and a scoundrel with just a primary school education. He doesn¡¯t know anything about IP addresses and anonymous ounts!"

    "Then this is just too strange¡­ in any case, apart from us, only Zhang Qiang knows about this matter. He must have been the one to leak the news! Is he conspiring with someone else? But Zhang Qiang has long run off, we have no way of asking him!" Chang Li said anxiously.

    Ning Xueluo paced back and forth irritably in the ward. "What''s the use of spouting all this rubbish? The most important thing now is how are we going to solve this problem!"

 Chapter 175: Finally Make An Appearance

    <h4>Chapter 175: Finally Make An Appearance</h4>

    Chang Li calmed down andforted her: "Calm down, Xueluo. The email said that we have twenty-four hours to send eight million yuan to that ount, so obviously it¡¯s about money! Just give them the money! Anything that can be solved with money is not an issue!"

    Ning Xueluo said agitatedly, "Eight million yuan! And only a day to get it! Where am I going to get so much money?"

    Although she was made of money, she spent extravagantly. To keep up appearances in order to curry favor with the Ning family and the people in the industry, all of that required money.

    "If we collect it from different sources¡­ we can somehow gather that amount!" Chang Li muttered. Privately, she thought that the other party had really quoted the right price; that was just about the maximum amount they coulde up with.

    Just then, Ning Xueluo suddenly thought of something: "Since the other party was able to trace our information, why can''t we do the same?"

    Chang Li shook her head. "Is an anonymous ount so easy to trace? We have to hack into the bank¡¯s system! Even if we pay someone to do it, we don¡¯t have the time to look for a hacker with that type of skill. Besides, even if we find out who it is, then what? They have ckmail material on us. This money¡­ no matter what, we would still have to give it to them!"

    "Damn it¡­" Ning Xueluo red fiercely at Cui Caijing, who was hiding in a corner. "You can¡¯t aplish anything, but can spoil everything!"

    If it wasn¡¯t because she had ckmail on the woman and could use her without fear of being betrayed, she would have kicked her out a long time ago.

    Cui Caijing wanted to retort, but didn¡¯t dare say anything no matter how angry she was. She really waspletely innocent, alright¡­

    With some effort, Ning Xueluo recovered from her earlier fright, and struggled to remain calm as she urged, "Sister Chang, help me go and raise the money now! Hurry! Also, hire more water army to make sure that within a week, there is no longer any room for Ning Xi to turn around and clear her name!"

    "Xueluo, we have Zhang Qiang''s confession anyway, do you think¡­ should we just have her thrown in jail once and for all?" Chang Li tentatively suggested.

    "No, even if the Ning family don¡¯t care for her, they won¡¯t go so far as to have her go to prison. Remember, don''t let her cancel her contract. It''s better that she remains in thepany her whole life, otherwise, if she''s desperate enough to run back to the Ning family, it¡¯ll be harder for me to control her then¡­

    Also, in case something unexpected happens tomorrow, I¡¯ll arrange a capablewyer for you!"

    Ning Xueluo racked her brain and gave instructions for every aspect she could think of. Only after she was certain that she had missed nothing did she rx.

    Everything had been going smoothly, and she had never expected such a huge mess to crop up halfway through. Fortunately, Chang Li was right; anything that could be solved with money was not an issue. For what was toe, she definitely wouldn¡¯t allow another mistake to happen again!

    ¡­

    The second day.

    Ning Xi received the eight million yuan without a hitch. At six o''clock in the evening, together with thewyer Lu Tingxiao had arranged for her, she headed for Starlight Entertainment.

    It also happened to be the time when employees were getting off work, and everyone who saw Ning Xi were stunned, before they immediately started crazily spreading the news. Messages and photos popped up in online groups on Weibo - Ning Xi, who had previously vanished without a trace, had finally appeared!

    "My god! Ning Xi! It really is her! She actually dared to show up!"

    "That¡¯s right! She¡¯s really bold! If I were her, I would definitely have run away, what¡¯s she trying to do,ing back now?"

    "That¡¯s right, there¡¯s no way she can survive in the entertainment industry after this, she might even be charged and imprisoned, she should have just run away!"

    "Did you see the man with her? He clearly looks like an elite! What¡¯s his background?"

    "He doesn¡¯t seem like a lover. Is he her assistant?"

    "No way! She¡¯s already fallen to this extent, can she still hire an assistant?"

    "Don¡¯t you think she could just sleep with a sponsor?"

    "Hehe, I¡¯d like to see what kind of sponsor is able to fix such a huge problem for her!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 176: What I Want To Change Is The Company

    <h4>Chapter 176: What I Want To Change Is The Company</h4>

    Reception room.

    Seeing that Ning Xi had shown up, Chang Li¡¯s expression was predictably smug. "Our big star Ning is finally willing to make an appearance! You really made me wait!"

    As she spoke, she gave the cold-looking man next to Ning Xi a funny look. "Who is this man? Don''t you know that you can¡¯t simply bring strangers into thepany?"

    Ning Xi looked askance at her: "Mywyer."

    "Heh, you even have awyer!" Chang Li thought she had simply hired one for appearance sake, and she snorted disdainfully. "Even now you¡¯re still putting on airs and defying me. Do you know how badly you¡¯ve blundered this time? If I hadn¡¯t interceded with thepany for you over and over again, you would have been cklisted a long time ago!"

    Ning Xi raised an eyebrow slightly and chuckled. "Heh, you, intercede for me? Then please, what was the result of your intercession?"

    Chang Li threw a document at her. "Thepany will hold a press conference. As long as you give a public apology at the news conference, and leave the <The World> production of your own ord, Lady Xueluo will be the bigger person and won¡¯t prosecute you, and will give you an opportunity to turn over a new leaf. But for a morally bankrupt artiste like you, even if I do everything to protect you, I¡¯m afraid no production team will ever dare use you again."

    After condemning her, Chang Li then offered a way out, as she spoke with a meaningful expression, "But don''t lose heart. If you repent sincerely, thepany won''t cast you aside. You know that there are some directors who don''t care about scandal, and about this, I''ve already epted another film role for you. As long as you behave well, you will still have a chance to stage aeback!"

    Ning Xi looked at her with a disingenuous smile, and said indistinctly, "A big-budget production¡­ which big-budget production has Sister Chang epted for me?"

    Seeing that Ning Xi had taken the bait, Chang Li gave her a disdainful look as she said, "Are you still afraid that I¡¯ll trick you? Have you heard of <Laughing In The Spring Breeze>?"

    Ning Xi tapped her fingers fitfully on the arms of her chair. "Jiang Penghai''s new film?"

    "That¡¯s it, it¡¯s Director Jiang! You also know, Director Jiang¡¯s films might not sell well, but he was already making films in Hong Kong when Guo Qisheng was still unknown!"

    Listening to Chang Li praise Jiang Penghai so earnestly, Ning Xi almostughed aloud, and her eyes shed coldly. "Sister Chang, if you want me to sell myself, just say so! You don''t have to beat around the bush!"

    This Jiang Penghai started his career by filming X-rated videos, and could neverpletely clean up his image. The thing people reviled Jiang Penghai for the most was his behavior.

    The man was especially lecherous, and had slept with almost all the actresses he had worked with. Last year, he had nearly been taken to court for having sex with a minor.

    She really had to hand it to them, they had taken such great pains to dig up such a movie for her to do, and with such a director.

    Hearing her words, Chang Li frowned. "What telling you to sell yourself! Isn¡¯t the rating only just a little high? What, you aren¡¯t willing? For trash like you, if it wasn¡¯t for my strong rmendation, he might not even have wanted you at all! Think about how much you¡¯ve caused thepany to lose this time. Are you thinking of leeching off thepany, if you can¡¯t get any roles?"

    "Sorry, I won''t be taking it." Ning Xi didn¡¯t feel like continuing listening to Chang Li as she reached new lows, and straightaway refused.

    Chang Li lost her temper on the spot, and she pped her palm down hard onto the table. "Ning Xi, again and again, you never listen to my arrangements for you. Do you see me as your manager or not? I¡¯m telling you, even if you don¡¯t want to, you have to take the role in Director Jiang''s movie!"

    "Manager?" Ning Xi smiled coldly. "Soon enough, you won''t be any longer."

    "Heh, you still want to change managers? It also depends on whether there¡¯s anyone in Starlight who would dare take you!" Chang Li had nothing to be afraid of.

    "What I want to change, is thepany."

 Chapter 177: Unexpected Reversal

    <h4>Chapter 177: Unexpected Reversal</h4>

    "You want to cancel your contract?" Chang Li¡¯s expression finally changed, but she quickly calmed down. "Ning Xi, don''t use this to threaten me, do you know how much the termination fee is? You still have four more years with thepany. At two million a year, thates to eight million in total!"

    Ning Xi gave thewyer next to her a look.

    With an emotionless expression on his face, thewyer took out a ck suitcase and opened it to reveal that it was full of money, all cold, hard cash!

    Ning Xi pushed the suitcase towards Chang Li. "Here is eight million, want to count it?"

    "You¡­" Chang Li was struck dumb at the sight of all that cash, "Where did you get all this money?"

    Ning Xi was impatient. "It¡¯s none of your business, is it?"

    "Heh, so you sold your own body for money! What''s there to brag about! You think eight million is enough!" Saying this, Chang Li threw a thick sheaf of documents at her; it was the termination agreement. It looked like she had prepared for this.

    Ning Xi took the agreement and skimmed through it. The more she read, the more amused she became. "Sister Chang, why didn''t I know I was this valuable?"

    A penalty fee of 60 million! Why didn''t this woman just go rob the bank?

    She knew terminating her contract wouldn¡¯t be so easy. These people would definitely think of ways to give her a hard time.

    Chang Li was regained her cool. "Our professionalwyer calcted this total. It¡¯s clearly stated in the agreement, aside from the eight million termination fee, you need topensate thepany for its losses from this incident!

    "Because of you, our project was shelved and the investments were all withdrawn, our biggest money-maker was seriously injured¡­ in total, this is already the least you need to pay! If you don''t have the money, then we¡¯ll see you in court!"

    Hearing this, Ning Xi creased her forehead. She didn¡¯t know how good Lawyer Chen was, and whether he could handle this¡­

    Lawyer Chen just took a casual look at the agreement, his expression still calm and his mood indecipherable.

    Chang Li noticed Ning Xi¡¯s hesitation, and sensing a weak point, immediately softened her tone, "Ning Xi, think carefully, do you really want to do this? There¡¯s still room for discussion. If you don''t want to do <Laughing In The Spring Breeze>, we can arrange something else for you. I have a few scripts on hand, all big projects, you can choose any one of them."

    Inside her, Ning Xiughed coldly. Big projects my ass, they were definitely all the same sheetty plots, just with different titles!

    The only reason Ning Xueluo didn''t want Ning Xi to leave Starlight was so that she could keep a close eye on her and keep her under her thumb forever, even if she was afraid that Ning Xi was desperate enough to go back to the Ning family¡­

    At the same time, there was a knock on the door; Starlight¡¯swyers had arrived.

    Three of them at once.

    Ning Xi knew one of them, he was the seniorw advisor for Ning Corporation, Cai Yingyong.

    F***! Ning Xueluo really wanted to crush her this time!

    On her side, Ning Xi looked at the lonely Lawyer Chen, and felt even more unsure.

    After Chang Li¡¯s backup arrived, she crossed her arms, her expression coolly arrogant. "Ning Xi, you can still change your mind."

    Law wasn''t Ning Xi¡¯s field, she really didn''t know much about it, and could only depend on Lawyer Chen.

    Lawyer Chen¡­ still didn¡¯t make a sound.

    Next to him, Ning Xi was about to worry herself to death. Wasn''t awyer supposed to be eloquent? Why the hell was this guy not only stone-faced, he was also acting like a mute? Could he actually do it or not!

    But then¡­

    What happened next, was like a fantasy drama to Ning Xi.

    Lawyer Chen stood up slowly, produced a pile of papers from his briefcase, and finally opened his mouth: "First of all, as far as I am aware, yourpany withdrew its investment to threaten the production crew. That has nothing to do with my client;

    "Secondly, Ning International has nothing to do with my client, my client is not obliged topensate for any of its losses;

    "Thirdly, yourpany¡¯s employee was injured on set, yourpany, the production crew and the insurancepany should jointly bear responsibility. My client has not been convicted in any court, and is not obliged to bear any responsibility.

    "Furthermore, ording to the evaluation of the injury sustained by yourpany¡¯s Miss Ning Xueluo, it was only a superficial wound. The most we willpensate you for is 252.40 yuan in total. As for the additional expenses of staying in a VIP ward and service fees, these should not be borne by my client¡­"

    In a stand-off against the threewyers, Lawyer Chen fired his words off rapidly. He spoke for half an hour without pausing to take a breath, and in front of his direct attack, the three Starlightwyers were left speechless, their sweat falling like rain. After sessfully helping her terminate her contract, apart from the eight million, they didn¡¯t pay a single cent more¡­

    Oh, that wasn¡¯t right, they paid an extra 252.40 yuan¡­

 Chapter 178: Ning Xiâ€™s Sponsor?

    <h4>Chapter 178: Ning Xi¡¯s Sponsor?</h4>

    The end result was that the other party agreed to settle the matter privately, and no longer dared mention taking it to court.

    Ning Xi¡¯s mind was still going round in circles. So it turned out that Lawyer Chen had been in cool-down mode at first, waiting until his strength was fully recharged before unleashing his ultimate move?

    Chang Li was even more stupefied than she was.

    It was the same for the three opposingwyers.

    As Ning Xi and Lawyer Chen were leaving, Cai Yingyong, the Ning familywyer, stood up abruptly, his face bewildered as he looked at Lawyer Chen and asked: "Wait! If I may be so bold, are you¡­ are you Big Lawyer Chen, Chen Jing?"

    The other twowyers next to him were stunned at his words. "What¡­ Chen Jing? Which Chen Jing? It¡­ it can¡¯t be Big Defender Chen?"

    At first, they hadpletely looked down on this taciturnwyer whom Ning Xi had brought with her, so they never bothered to ask who he was. Now, the more they thought about it, the more something felt off.

    They had never seen Chen Jing in person, but they had long heard about the way he worked.

    He was normally a man of few words, and people who didn''t know him would assume he was a mute. But once he started working, it was as if crazy mode was switched on: rapid-fire speech, clear logic, words like des,bat power which hit the roof¡­

    Lawyer Chen paid no heed to Cai Yingyong, his steps never faltering as he directly walked out of the meeting room.

    Behind them.

    Chang Li copsed into her chair like a dead person.

    It was over!

    Ning Xueluo had told her repeatedly not to let Ning Xi terminate her contract with thepany, but now, it was a mess.

    Was thewyer whom Ning Xi had hired the topwyer in the whole capital, Big Defender Chen?

    Why would Big Defender Chene running to help Ning Xi with a small contract termination?

    Knowing that thiswyer charged by the minute, it would cost a fortune to hire him!

    Maybe¡­ maybe Ning Xi¡¯s sponsor was Lawyer Chen?

    ¡­

    Even after they left Starlight Entertainment, Ning Xi was still unable to wrap her head around the whole thing. Who would have thought this stuffy and stone-facedwyer would be so fierce?

    Were all thewyers in Glory World Entertainment this amazing?

    While she was still absorbed in her thoughts, a flood of reporters suddenly descended upon her at the main entrance ¡ª

    "Ning Xi! Ning Xi! Did youe back to confess your crime?"

    "Do you have anything to say about your premeditated attempt to murder Ning Xueluo?"

    "Ning Xueluo has generously expressed that as long as you apologize, she is willing to give you a chance to turn over a new leaf, don¡¯t you feel ashamed of yourself?"

    "Did you also mastermind the previous incident with Jia Qingqing?"

    "Is it true that Starlight Entertainment is going to terminate your contract and cklist you?

    ¡­

    Those reporters crowded Ning Xi in a frenzy. Ning Xi was outnumbered, and it also wouldn¡¯t be good for her to be violent with the reporters in this situation. Just as she was thinking of a way to escape, five well-trained bodyguards dressed in ck came out of nowhere, and in less than ten seconds, they had contained the situation, protecting Ning Xi tightly in their center.

    The reporters looked at each other.

    What was going on?

    Where did these peoplee from?

    How could a two-bit artiste like Ning Xi, with no status, power, or background, afford bodyguards? And five of them!

    In order to not create rumors or bring trouble to Ning Xi, the bodyguards this time weren¡¯t wearing the Lu family emblem, but were still more than enough to scare the reporters off.

    Protected by the bodyguards, Ning Xi paused, and spoke calmly in front of the reporters: "Firstly, I¡¯m not guilty, so there¡¯s no need for me to turn myself in for anything, and I have nothing to be ashamed of; secondly, the incident with Jia Qingqing was already rified a long time ago, please don''t spread misleading lies, otherwise, that is nder; thirdly, I did terminate my contract with Starlight, just a while ago. But I was the one who initiated it. Fourthly, want to cklist me? They can try."

 Chapter 179: Sexual Orientation Isnâ€™t Clear

    <h4>Chapter 179: Sexual Orientation Isn¡¯t Clear</h4>

    After she was done speaking, Ning Xi ignored the uproar behind her as she directly got into the ck car that had stopped right beside her.

    Luckily, Lu Tingxiao had arranged everything meticulously. He had already anticipated that she would be besieged by the reporters today, which was why the bodyguards and the car had appeared just in time.

    "Miss Xi, where to next?" the driver asked.

    "Let¡¯s go home." Ning Xi paused, and then couldn¡¯t help asking, "Why do all of you call me Miss Xi and not Miss Ning?"

    Now that she thought about it, everyone in the Lu residence, from the maids to Lu Tingxiao¡¯s subordinates, all called her either Miss Xi or Miss Xiao Xi¡­

    "It was CEO Lu who ordered it," the driver answered.

    "I see¡­"

    This man was really too thoughtful¡­ he knew that she didn''t like her Ning family name!

    At the same time, at the Lu residence.

    Lu Jingliy limp on the sofa like a dead fish. "Brother! You¡¯ve been deciding the whole day! We have so many outstanding managers in thepany, is there not a single one up to your standard? What about Lei Ming? He¡¯s been with us for a long time, is very experienced, and has a lot of local and overseas contacts. He and Ning Xi also know each other!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "He¡¯s Jiang Muye¡¯s manager."

    Lu Jingli: "Okay¡­ what about Hao Shuai? He has no connection to Jiang Muye, right?"

    Lu Tingxiao: "No males."

    Lu Jingli¡¯s mouth corner twitched. "Then Ye Shenn! A top manager! Her professional capabilities are well established!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "Her sexual orientation isn¡¯t clear."

    "Pu¡­ it¡¯s true there are rumors that say she¡¯s into women. Holy sheet, brother, you know way too many details!" Lu Jingli¡¯s face was full of frustration. "What about Mei Xin then? Female, her boyfriend is Su Yimo¡¯s ex-manager, her work performance was ranked number onest year in thepany!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "Her character¡¯s problematic."

    Lu Jingli waspletely dumbfounded. "Picking imperial concubines for the emperor is easier than this! What the hell do you want!"

    Lu Tingxiao paused for a moment, then asked: "Why didn''t you give me Lin Zhizhi¡¯s information?"

    "Lin Zhizhi is on leave, and she said she wouldn''t take on new artistes in the near future. I figured she was trying to avoid Jiang Muye tut tut¡­"

    "I want her." Lu Tingxiao decided straightaway.

    "Eh¡­ Brother, you¡¯re too evil¡­" In his heart, Lu Jingli observed a moment of silence for Jiang Muye, then he started to do the same for himself. "Why are you always making things difficult for me! Lin Zhizhi already said she wasn¡¯t epting new artistes!"

    As the two of them were discussing, Ning Xi returned ¡ª

    "I¡¯m back! Anybody home?"

    As soon as she said it, one of her legs was hugged tightly by a soft little bun, and he had an aggrieved "three hours felt like three years" expression on his face.

    Only after Ning Xi hugged him for a long time did the clingy little bun give her a smile.

    "You¡¯re back, did it go smoothly?" Lu Tingxiao asked as he walked over.

    Talking about this, Ning Xi became all excited. "It went so well. Thewyer which thepany arranged for me was amazing, he took on threewyers by himself and trashed them in a battle of words! Chang Li that monkey wanted to extort sixty million from me, but in the end I didn''t pay a single cent! Oh, wait, I actually paid 252.40 yuan for Ning Xueluo¡¯s medical fee! He was just so cool! Are thewyers in Glory World Entertainment all as amazing as him? I heard them call him Big Defender Chen¡­"

    At this moment, Lu Jingli said faintly behind them: "Whatwyer for Glory World Entertainment, Chen Jing is the senior legal advisor at Lu Corporation!"

    "Pu¡­" Hearing this, Ning Xi was stunned, and she looked at Lu Tingxiao in pure disbelief. "Lu Tingxiao, you asked yourpanywyer who frequently deals with billion-dor financialwsuits to help me solve my tiny eight million yuan case?"

 Chapter 180: Sold To You And Help You Count Money

    <h4>Chapter 180: Sold To You And Help You Count Money</h4>

    This felt too much like the emperor sending a state official to help a peasant like her find out who stole her pig¡­

    "Just in case," Lu Tingxiao answered calmly.

    When it came to her, no matter was too small.

    Ning Xi already didn''t want to say anything else, the Big Demon King always had his own extraordinary way of doing things.

    "Have you looked through the contract I gave you this morning?"Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi grabbed her hair. "It¡¯s so thick, I read it until my head was going to burst. Anyway, I skimmed through it, and signed it already, I¡¯ll give it to youter!"

    Lu Tingxiao frowned. "Do you trust me that much?"

    Ning Xi shrugged. "The worst thing that could happen is that I get sold off to you. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll help you count the money!"

    Lu Tingxiao smiled indulgently.

    Lu Jingli: "¡­" Ouch, my dog eyes! I¡¯m going to go blind! It¡¯s impossible to remain in this house any longer!

    "If everything goes well, you can report to thepany the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, take the day off and rest at home," Lu Tingxiao said.

    "Oh, okay!" Ning Xi nodded.

    Lu Jingli wanted to smash his head in when he heard this. The day after tomorrow? Didn¡¯t that mean he only had one day to convince Lin Zhizhi?

    This was too inhumane!

    It was as if Lu Tingxiao could hear Lu Jingli¡¯s internalints. He looked at him and said: "After this, you can take a vacation."

    "Awesome! I¡¯m on it!" Lu Jingli was immediately revived.

    ¡­

    That night, in the VIP ward at the First People¡¯s Republic Hospital in the capital.

    Ning Xueluo was staring daggers at the woman on the TV screen.

    At the main entrance of the Starlight building, Ning Xi, who had been missing for several days, made an appearance. Not only did she not look weak or haggard, she had shown up looking radiant. She was tightly protected by five bodyguards in ck, and her expression was firm as she faced the horde of reporters: " Firstly, I¡¯m not guilty, so there¡¯s no need for me to turn myself in for anything, and I have nothing to be ashamed of; secondly, the incident with Jia Qingqing ¡­ Fourthly, want to cklist me? They can try."

    Hearing thest sentence, Ning Xueluo threw the bedsidemp hard at the TV. The screen fizzled and smoked a bit before turning ck.

    "Chang Li! What is this? Cui Caijing was bad enough, even you can make this kind of low-level mistake! I already told you so many times, we cannot let her terminate her contract!"

    Ning Xueluo was the type to me others whenever things went wrong. Chang Li was already used to it, but her face still darkened. "I warned you a long time ago, with Ning Xi¡¯s traits, if she found herself a powerful and influential sponsor, even I wouldn¡¯t be able to suppress her! Now that you¡¯ve pushed her to this point, we should have expected this result¡­"

    "So was I supposed to do nothing and just watch her reverse the situation? I forked out so much! I paid eight million for nothing!" Ning Xueluo was hysterical, unable to bear setback after setback.

    "Xueluo, things are not as bad as you think. Ning Xi¡¯s reputation has already been ruined in this industry. Even a sponsor can¡¯t save her image. Besides, who would dare use an artiste that has been cklisted by Starlight? This is the end of her career!

    "Not only that, think about it, this incident has left a huge impact on the industry. She spent eight million like it was nothing, had bodyguards to protect her, and was picked up in a ssy car. Who wouldn¡¯t think that she¡¯s be a mistress? Can the Ning family ept her even after this? Do you think she¡¯ll still be able to return to the upper-ss circle?"

    Hearing this, Ning Xueluo¡¯s rage finally cooled a little. "With the water army, have you made arrangements yet?"

    "Don¡¯t worry, when this happened, I already handled it; we won¡¯t need to lift a finger, and those reporters will definitely depict it the way we want in their articles!" Chang Li said with certainty.

 Chapter 181: I Have Never Regretted It

    <h4>Chapter 181: I Have Never Regretted It</h4>

    Ning Xueluo nced over the most recent news on her cellphone, and only when she saw a screen full of titles like "Ning Xi talks arrogantly after obtaining a sponsor"; "Ning Xi suspected of bing a mistress"; "Ning Xi refuses to admit her crime and shows no remorse", did she rx: "Good, make sure public opinion doesn¡¯t change, and definitely no more setbacks after this!"

    Just as she finished saying so, someone knocked on the door.

    Ning Xueluo immediately looked at Chang Li nervously.

    Chang Li hurriedly tidied up the pieces of the brokenmp and covered the TV with a cloth before opening the door.

    Outside the door, Su Yan was a little surprised to see Chang Li in Ning Xueluo¡¯s ward at this time. "Were you discussing something?"

    "I had some work matters to discuss with Sister Chang, we¡¯ve just finished. Brother Yan, why are you here sote?" Ning Xueluo changed the topic.

    "Then you guys talk, I¡¯m leaving first!" Chang Li took her leave, giving Ning Xueluo onest look before she left.

    Su Yan didn''t notice the exchange between the two. He was frowning a little, and looked a bit down.

    Seeing him like this, Ning Xueluo probed, "Does this have to do with Ning Xi?"

    Su Yan didn''t say anything.

    Ning Xueluo bit her lip, and her body quivered slightly. "Brother Yan, are you ming me? For pushing Ning Xi to this point?"

    Su Yan sighed. "You, why does your imagination always run wild, this whole thing is her fault, how can I me you? I just¡­ me myself¡­ for not settling everything before now, and making her go this far¡­"

    "I also never expected that she would rather sell her own body than apologize to me¡­ why does she hate me this much? What on earth can I do to pacify her? Is leaving you really the only way?" Ning Xueluo¡¯s face was full of pain.

    Su Yan¡¯s face changed instantly, and he said in a harsh tone, "Xueluo, you¡¯re not allowed to say this, we''ve been through so much to be together, don¡¯t tell me you want to give up over such a small thing?"

    Ning Xueluo hurriedly snuggled into his arms, her expression scared. "I¡¯m sorry, I won¡¯t say it again, I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll regret it, regret being with me¡­"

    Su Yan stared at her nkly before saying firmly, "I have never regretted it."

    As the two of them were talking, there was yet another knock on the door.

    Su Yan went to open the door, and was surprised to see Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu. "Uncle, Auntie¡­"

    "Dad, Mum¡­ why are you here?" Ning Xueluo was surprised, and was about to hurriedly get off the bed to greet them.

    Zhuang Lingyu pressed down on her shoulders. "Don¡¯t move around, you¡¯re still injured, be good and lie back down. It¡¯s nothing, we just wanted to see you!"

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s face was dark: "Xueluo, don''t worry, I came here to tell you that I will find justice for you, even if I have to tie her up and drag her here to apologize to you!"

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. "Thank you, Dad and Mum, actually I¡¯m alright, I just hope Sister realizes her errors and mend her ways; as she is right now, her whole life will be ruined!"

    Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s face was especially unsightly. "I never expected she would actually do such a dishonorable thing. What crimes have our Ning familymitted to deserve this! If I had known earlier, I would never have brought her back. Having Xueluo is enough for us, but your grandfather wouldn¡¯t listen, now look at what has happened¡­"

    Ning Yaohua became anxious. "Enough, stop prattling on, I¡¯ll deal with this. Also, don''t let the old man know about this!"

    Now was the crucial period in his fight with his younger brother to im the right of inheritance.

 Chapter 182: Because She No Longer Cared

    <h4>Chapter 182: Because She No Longer Cared</h4>

    Lu residence.

    After coaxing Little Bun to sleep, Ning Xi applied a facial mask, and was just about to get some beauty sleep, when the screen of her cellphone suddenly started shing with an iing.

    The call was from Ning Yaohua¡­

    Ning Xi narrowed her eyes, then walked out onto the balcony before picking up the call.

    "Hey¡­"

    "What hey! Don''t you know how to greet your father? Where are your manners!"

    "Are you sure you want to fight with me over this again?"

    "How I wish the Ning family didn¡¯t have someone like you, but the Ning blood runs through your veins, and no matter how much I try, that can¡¯t be erased! The dirty things that you do outside, in the end reflects back on our Ning family, and we¡¯re the ones who lose face!"

    "Heh, the dirty things I do¡­ was it something Ning Xueluo said again?"

    "Does it have to be from Xueluo? It¡¯s all over the Inte now! They say that you¡¯re poisonous andpletely unrepentant, and¡­ and that you¡¯ve even be someone¡¯s mistress. You don¡¯t think it¡¯s shameful, you actually think it¡¯s an honor, and you unt it off publicly in front of people!

    "Don¡¯t say that I¡¯ve used you wrongly again, I had people waiting outside your apartment for days, but you never returned. Why don¡¯t you tell me where you¡¯ve been staying thesest few days? And where did you get that money from?

    "I¡¯m warning you, Ning Xi, this is yourst chance,e back at once and apologize to Xueluo! Also, I¡¯ve arranged proper work for you at our Singapore branch. I¡¯ve booked the flight ticket; pack your things and leave the day after tomorrow!"

    Heh, he had banished her once five years ago, and five yearster he actually wanted to banish her again¡­

    Ning Xi enunciated every word as she spoke: "Chairman Ning, I do have the Ning blood running in my veins, but apart from donating one single sperm, you have done nothing for my upbringing. Even if you lose face, and lose it all the way at the very bottom of the Pacific Ocean, it¡¯s not for you to lecture me, and even less for you to meddle in my life!"

    "Ning Xi! You impudent¡­! Think carefully about the consequences of making me angry! You¡­"

    Ning Xi hung up directly, cutting off the roar from the other end of the line.

    This time, she felt unexpectedly peaceful inside; there was no anger, no disappointment, and definitely no sadness.

    "Ning Xi¡­" Suddenly, there was a gentle call from the side.

    Ning Xi turned her head, and saw Lu Tingxiao looking at her worriedly from the balcony of his room next door.

    Ning Xi was surprised. "Eh, Lu Tingxiao¡­ why are you still awake?"

    Lu Tingxiao walked to the edge of his balcony where it was closest to her. "I heard noises on the balcony, so I came out to take a look. Are you alright?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s looked the same as she shrugged. "I¡¯m fine, it was Ning Yaohua, and the same old speech every time he calls me. I can even recite what he¡¯s going to say."

    Lu Tingxiao wasn¡¯t so good atforting people, but he reached out over the balcony rail to touch her head gently. "Don¡¯t be sad."

    Ning Xi smiled, and under the light of the stars, her countenance was light and serene. "I¡¯m not sad at all. In this world, the only people who can hurt us are the ones we care about. The more you care, the more you get hurt. But now, I won¡¯t get hurt anymore."

    Because she no longer cared.

    That time at the hospital was thest time she would feel sad because of those people. That wasn¡¯t going to happen anymore.

    "Okay! I¡¯m going to bed! I still have to get up early tomorrow morning! Good night!" Ning Xi waved at him.

    "Early morning? There¡¯s nothing on tomorrow, you can sleep in."

    "I¡¯m waking up early to go grocery shopping!"

    "Groceries for what?" Lu Tingxiao didn''t understand.

    "Of course to cook! Last time, I promised to cook for you and Little Treasure. It kept getting put off, and till now, I still haven''t done it yet!"

    "You just recovered, there¡¯s no need to rush."

    "I¡¯m just going to buy some groceries and cook, it¡¯s nothing tiring, plus it¡¯s just nice that I have time tomorrow, so that¡¯s settled! Oh, right, remember not to eat too much for breakfast, save some space in your stomach, I¡¯ll definitely make you wish you had two of them!"

    Looking at the girl¡¯s pleased face, Lu Tingxiao smiled. "Okay."

 Chapter 183: Married And A Wife

    <h4>Chapter 183: Married And A Wife</h4>

    Early next morning.

    Ning Xi wore a light pink dress with a pair of white low-heeled sandals. She wore light makeup, and her natural curls had been straightened so that her hair fell in a wave over her shoulders. As usual, the pink heart-shaped hair clip had been pinned into her hair at her temples. In short, she looked very much like a good wife and loving mother.

    Lu Tingxiao was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, and he was stunned for a moment when he saw her. "This appearance¡­"

    If it wasn¡¯t a special asion, Ning Xi tended towards a simple and light style most of the time. This was the first time that he had seen her dressed like¡­ like a truedy.

    Ning Xi bounced excitedly in front of him. "So, so? Do I look like I¡¯m married and am a wife?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her, and there was a meaningful and profound light in his eyes: "Very much so."

    Married and a wife.

    There were no more beautiful words than these.

    "Hey, hey, that¡¯s good! This way, I won¡¯t be ripped off when I shop at the market!" Ning Xi nodded in satisfaction. "Then I¡¯m leaving!"

    Just as she was about to take a step, she couldn¡¯t move her legs.

    It was Little Bun hugging her leg again.

    Ning Xi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry as she looked at her "leg essory". "Darling! Why are you up so early?"

    Little Treasure rubbed his sleepy eyes and stretched out his arms, indicating that he wanted a hug.

    Of course Ning Xi had to pick him up. "I¡¯m just going grocery shopping, I''ll be back very soon!"

    Little Bun still clung to her neck.

    "Can we go with you?" At this time, Lu Tingxiao spoke from the side.

    Ning Xi blinked. "Ehh, the both of you want to go as well?"

    "It¡¯s just nice, we can take Little Treasure out for a walk," Lu Tingxiao said.

    Little Bun also nodded his head vigorously.

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "Of course you can go! But a ce like the market may be a little chaotic! I''m not going to the supermarket, but a big market a little further away. The ingredients there are the freshest!"

    "That¡¯s not a problem. Let¡¯s go." Lu Tingxiao put down the newspaper and picked up a car key.

    And so Ning Xi¡¯s solo trip became a three-man expedition with Little Bun and Big Bun.

    Underground garage.

    Looking at the row of shiny cars, Ning Xi swallowed her drool, especially when she saw her male god "Little White".

    Noticing Ning Xi staring at the white Bugatti sports-car, Lu Tingxiao asked her, "Shall we take this one?"

    Ning Xi came back to herself, and shook her head hurriedly. "Of course not! We¡¯re just going to the market, how can we drive a sports-car there? Do you have a more low-key car?"

    She nced around the garage. There really wasn¡¯t any¡­

    There was no way he could have any¡­

    But Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Yes, I do."

    After that, he pressed some switch, and then a ck car was delivered out from another partitioned area of the garage.

    It was a family car, priced at about five hundred thousand yuan, and it looked new.

    Ning Xi nodded repeatedly. "This one¡¯s great!"

    But why would Lu Tingxiao have a car that was so out of ce here?

    Lu Tingxiao seemed to know what she was thinking, and exined, "This was prepared for you when you first came, but you never drove it."

    "Ah¡­" It turned out to be the car that Lu Tingxiao had prepared for her in the beginning.

    Seeing the slightly lonely expression on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face, Ning Xi felt as if she had made a huge mistake, so she hurried to exin, "That¡¯s because I usually take the subway since it¡¯s more convenient, and there''s no traffic jam!"

    With these words, she quickly changed the subject. "Let''s hurry, if we¡¯re just a littlete, the good stuff will have been snapped up by other people, and that will affect my performance!"

 Chapter 184: A Special Date

    <h4>Chapter 184: A Special Date</h4>

    On the road, Ning Xi rolled down the car window. The morning breeze was cool, and it felt nice on her face. It also blew away the depressed mood she had been in for days.

    Lu Tingxiao turned on the radio, and instantly, light music floated out of the car.

    Confession balloon / blown across the street by the wind / I saw a smile in the sky

    You said you were difficult to chase after / you wanted me to give up

    You don''t need the dearest gift / but you want leaves from the Elysee

    Oh / I will take you on a romantic date / not afraid to screw everything up

    Owning you is owning / the whole world

    My love / I love you / since I met you / everything is sweet

    My love / Don¡¯t refuse / your eyes

    Are saying you agree.

    ¡­

    The melody of this song was very sweet; it was as bright and crisp as a summer day, but listening to it, Ning Xi felt something was strange.

    They were just going out to buy groceries, why was it turning out to feel like a date?

    And the lyrics¡­ for some reason, listening to them made her feel strangely bashful.

    After half an hour of this strange atmosphere, they arrived at the market.

    "Do we need to buy you a mask?" Lu Tingxiao asked her with some worry. In order not to be disturbed, this time he did not have bodyguards follow them.

    "No need. The people whoe here don''t have so much time to care about gossip. Besides, today I¡¯m dressed like such ady, definitely no one will recognize me. Compared with me, I think you and Little Treasure need the masks more!" Ning Xi teased.

    Although it was still very early, there was already a lot of people at the market. It was bustling with activity, as crowds of people came and went.

    Worried that Little Treasure wouldn¡¯t be used to it, Ning Xi bent down to pick him up.

    It was Little Treasure¡¯s first time in a ce like this, and there was so much to see around him. His little head shifted from her left shoulder to her right shoulder as he looked around very intently.

    However, Little Bun had recently put on a little more weight, and was really getting a little heavy. After a while, Ning Xi was starting to feel the strain.

    Next to her, Lu Tingxiao took Little Treasure away from her just in time. "I¡¯ll hold him."

    Little Bun was already in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arms, but his hands still clung tightly to Ning Xi¡¯s neck.

    Lu Tingxiao looked solemn. "Do you know you''re very heavy?"

    Hearing this, Little Bun immediately looked like he had been dealt a huge blow, like a girl who had been told that she was fat.

    Ning Xi found it very funny, but still hurriedlyforted him. "Don''t listen to your father¡¯s rubbish. You are not heavy at all, and you can still be a bit fatter. But your dad can hold you a little more steadily. He''s also taller, so you will have a better view if he carries you!"

    Little Treasure reluctantly agreed, but he wasn¡¯t in the mood to look at the scenery. Instead, he stared fixedly at Ning Xi the whole way, for fear that she would be pushed out of his sight by the crowd. As soon as she was a little further away, he would stretch out his hands towards her.

    "Wow, the fish over there looks really fresh!" Like a loach, Ning Xi bored her way through the crowd to reach the front of one stall.

    Lu Tingxiao gave the girl a look, and then freed up one of his hands to hold hers.

    "¡­" Ning Xi was startled, and instinctively looked at their joined hands, her palm burning a little.

    "Little Treasure is very worried that you¡¯ll get lost," Lu Tingxiao said with a resigned expression.

    Ning Xi gave Little Treasure a look, and only then realized how anxious his expression was.

    "Hey, madam, do you still want this fish?" the fishmonger auntie asked.

    Ning Xi hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, yes! I¡¯ve looked around, Elder Auntie, your fish is really fresh!"

    "Madam, you have a good eye. You can ask anyone, everyone knows that our fish is the best in the whole market!" The elder auntie was very proud.

    Only after quite a long while did Ning Xi realize that something was wrong ¡ª this elder auntie called her "madam"?

    It was obvious that she had mistaken them for a family of three¡­

 Chapter 185: All Your Family Members Are Handsome

    <h4>Chapter 185: All Your Family Members Are Handsome</h4>

    Forget it, it was troublesome to exin, and Ning Xi couldn¡¯t be bothered. "Elder Auntie, give me one!"

    "Okay!" The elder auntie was very honest in weighing the fish, and even charged her less for it.

    After selling the fish, the elder auntie looked admiringly at the man next to Ning Xi holding a child in his arms. "You¡¯re very lucky, madam. Your husband and your son are both so handsome!"

    Even in a ce like the market, what¡¯s more with a baby in his arms, Lu Tingxiao still had an extraordinary temperament; this really was a kind of talent.

    "Haha, really? But I¡¯m also very handsome!" Ning Xi said jokingly.

    "Yes, yes, yes, your whole family is handsome! Especially your little darling, he really is too lovable! Hepletely inherited yours and your spouse¡¯s strong points! Come, let Elder Auntie give you a small fish as a gift!"

    Ning Xi touched her face subconsciously. Little Bun had inherited all hers and Lu Tingxiao¡¯s strong points?

    It seemed that this wasn¡¯t the first time she had heard this¡­

    After that, Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao, who was holding Little Treasure, more or less became the focus of the whole market. Wherever they went to buy something, the stall owners all wanted to give them something; onions, garlic, eggs, fish, shrimp, there was a bit of everything. Ning Xi¡¯s basket was quickly bing full to bursting.

    Ning Xi¡¯s expression was that of someone who had hit upon a new way of getting rich. She sighed with excitement: "I never expected that bringing Little Treasure would be such an advantage! I¡¯ll bring him again next time!"

    Little Treasure nodded his head repeatedly.

    Lu Tingxiao: "Okay."

    Finally, the three left to return home with their gains.

    The whole way back, Ning Xi was in a very good mood. Halfway there, she suddenly remembered something, and shouted, "Lu Tingxiao, do you know my apartment? Turn left at the intersection ahead!"

    "I do, do you want to go back?" Lu Tingxiao drove his car to her apartment, familiar with the route even if he had only been there once.

    "Mm, I''ll go get my super secret spice! Wait for me!"

    "Alright."

    Ning Xi ran into the apartment building and was quick to grab the spice before going back downstairs. As she passed through the lobby, the girl at the front desk quickly called out to her. "Hey, wait, wait, are you Ning Xi? You have two express deliveries which have been sitting here for several days, do you still want them or not?"

    After saying this, prying eyes eager for gossip sized Ning Xi up. She was thinking that Ning Xi hadn¡¯te back for a very long time, and probably had be a mistress.

    Ning Xi pretended to not notice her look, directly picked up one big box and another smaller one, and left.

    When she exited the main door, she saw from a distance Little Treasure pressed against the window of the car on the other side of the road, anxiously waiting for her.

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes became warm, but in the next second, three men suddenly appeared in her line of sight. They were dressed in ck, and with one look, she could tell that they were up to no good, as they rushed directly at her¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes grew hard with conditioned vignce. In that one moment, she put down the things in her hands, forcibly ripped the hem of her dress apart, and then instantly kicked one of the men when he rushed forward.

    Caught off guard, the man¡¯s whole body flew back from the kick, and the two other men were stunned for a long moment before they came back to themselves, and advanced on Ning Xi with even more ferocious looks on their faces¡­

    Ning Xi was dressed toody-like today, which hampered her actions, so she was unable to instantly defeat the two men.

    As she was fighting them, another man came up behind her to grab her by the arm and try to tie her up with a rope.

    Ning Xi was about to retaliate when the man''s hand was suddenly whipped away from her arm, and he screamed in extreme pain.

    She almost heard the crack of bones in his hand¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s gaze followed the man''s arm up to see Lu Tingxiao gripping the man¡¯s wrist firmly. She didn¡¯t know when he hade out of the car; he looked icy as frost, and gave off a murderous aura¡­

 Chapter 186: Sweet Nickname

    <h4>Chapter 186: Sweet Nickname</h4>

    She didn¡¯t know what twisting move Lu Tingxiao made, and only saw the man¡¯s whole body spin horizontally as he was tossed aside. He fell to the ground like a sack, and didn¡¯t move after that¡­

    It was probably because Lu Tingxiao had been so savage in his attack, that the other three men looked at each other before instinctively retreating.

    "Are you alright?" When Lu Tingxiao turned in Ning Xi¡¯s direction, there was still a hint of violence in his eyes.

    Ning Xi nodded nkly. "I''m fine¡­"

    She had never seen Lu Tingxiao fight, and had even assumed that for therge part, he was a mild and refined person. She had never thought that he would be so good¡­ at fighting¡­

    Just then, a ck Ferrari pulled up nearby and slowed to a stop. A person stepped out of the car.

    Dressed in a high-end, tailor-made Giorgio Armani suit, it was Ning Yaohua.

    Ning Yaohua looked at the man beside Ning Xi as if he was looking at trash, and then nced contemptuously at their parked car. "Ning Xi, is this the man you''re been dallying with thesest days, and the reason why you¡¯ve never returned home? Driving a shabby car worth just several hundred thousand yuan!"

    Hearing this, Ning Xi was so angry that she almostughed aloud. "You judge a man¡¯s worth by the car he drives?"

    From his words, it turned out that he didn¡¯t care about her bing a mistress, only whether the person was powerful and influential enough.

    Was it more noble for her to be the mistress of a man who drove a Bentley instead?

    "If I don''t judge by the car, am I supposed to judge by his face? I thought you had found someone distinguished, it turns out he¡¯s some no-good boy toy! Really, the more you live, the worse you be!" Ning Yaohua cursed at her.

    The man¡¯s looks were not bad, but since he drove this kind of car, at the most he was only a small-time businessman of a smallpany.

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    He actually called Lu Tingxiao a boy toy¡­

    After scolding Ning Xi, Ning Yaohua gave Lu Tingxiao an overbearing and arrogant look. "Who are you? Do you know who she is? You dare to fool around with my, Ning Yaohua¡¯s, daughter! Don¡¯t you know that I can destroy you in the capital!"

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    In front of outsiders, Lu Tingxiao never spoke needless words. In front of Ning Yaohua, he appeared even more condescending as he looked askance at him, not even bothering to give him a proper look.

    Ning Yaohua was about to continue berating and humiliating him, but for some reason, a sliver of fear shed in his heart, and he was suddenly unable to speak.

    He was just a small-time boss, why was he so imposing¡­

    Hmph, this good-for-nothing daughter of his must have definitely been deceived by this pretentious appearance!

    "Ning Xi, what I saidst night is still valid, it¡¯s not toote if you choose to go back with me now!" Ning Yaohua said, as if he was performing an act of charity.

    Ning Xi curled her lip and held onto Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arm in an intimate gesture. "Sorry, I choose my boy toy! You should just go back to wherever you came from!"

    "Ning Xi! You''ll regret this!" Seeing them leave arm-in-arm, Ning Yaohua flew into a rage, then with a dark face, ordered the bodyguard next to him, "Follow them!"

    Too many things had surprised him today, one of them being Ning Xi¡¯s skill in martial arts. He had had the impression that this daughter of his was physically very weak.

    The other was that man.

    For some reason, he felt something was off about that man¡¯s identity¡­

    Back in the car.

    Ning Xi immediately scratched her head and apologized to Lu Tingxiao. "Sorry! You were scolded for no reason because of me¡­"

    "It¡¯s fine." Although Lu Tingxiao had been scolded, at that moment, he was not angry at all.

    The reason, naturally, was because of the way Ning Xi had hugged his arm at the end. Even the words "boy toy", because she had added "my" in front of them, became a sweet nickname.

 Chapter 187: Mysterious Package

    <h4>Chapter 187: Mysterious Package</h4>

    "Darling, were you scared?" A little worried, Ning Xi looked at Little Treasure.

    Little Treasure shook his head, and clung to her arms. He didn¡¯t seem frightened, and in fact, looked a little depressed.

    Why was he only five years old?

    He really wanted to grow up quickly.

    That way, he could protect her, and not just watch from afar.

    Lu Tingxiao obviously saw right through his son''s thoughts: This is your father''s job, stop trying to do it.

    "Only a few people know my address, who would send me these packages¡­" Ning Xi grunted as she picked up one of the express boxes. She looked at the name of the sender, but the handwriting was so indistinct that she couldn¡¯t make it out clearly.

    Lu Tingxiao was about to ask her if she needed a knife, but Ning Xi had already skillfully ripped the package open by hand.

    This was probably a skill every girl should have.

    After opening the outeryer of the package, she saw a bottle of very nice-looking perfume in an exquisitely wrapped gift box. There was also a very simple note: Happy birthday.

    In the rearview mirror, Lu Tingxiao looked at Ning Xi¡¯s extremely happy expression: "Friend?"

    Ning Xi carefully put the perfume back, and then said, "It''s my cousin! I told you before that my second uncle has a son and three daughters, right? The son is not his, and two of his daughters are illegitimate children which he had with women outside. My second auntie only had one child, my cousin Ning Tianxin!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked a little relieved. So it was her cousin. Good, a cousin was very good.

    Ning Xi had a longing expression on her face. "When I was living with the Ning family, she was the only one who was good to me. Although she looks very cold, it¡¯s only on the outside, she¡¯s actually a warm person.

    "It was a pity that at the beginning I didn¡¯t get too close to her because she looked too cold. I didn¡¯t take her words to heart when she considerately reminded me several times to be wary of Ning Xueluo¡­

    "In fact, Sister Xin¡¯s character is very simr to yours. You both look very cold but actually are very nice!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­"

    He had been praised. But he didn¡¯t know if he should be happy. Was this the legendary nice guy status?

    After Ning Xi said that, she opened the second package.

    While the writing wasn¡¯t illegible, the name of the sender wasn¡¯t written anywhere at all.

    "Eh? An anonymous package¡­ I¡¯ve been mmed so badly recently, isn¡¯t it better if I don¡¯t casually open an anonymous package?" As Ning Xi spoke, she shook it. There was no sound from inside, and she couldn¡¯t hear anything.

    "Let me open it for you." From the driver''s seat, Lu Tingxiao stretched out his hand.

    "Ah?" Just as Ning Xi was about to remind him that he was driving and so couldn¡¯t help her, she saw Liu Tingxiao take his hand off the steering wheel, but the car continued to travel along steadily, even turning itself when they reached an intersection.

    Ning Xi waspletely stunned. "What¡­ what is with this car?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied indifferently: "Its system was modified a bit."

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    It was not unusual to have a car that could drive itself nowadays. But you actually modified it yourself???

    Only then did she realize that, while the car looked like a several hundred thousand yuan model of a generic, mid-range brand on the outside, the features inside the car were quite different.

    Did Lu Tingxiao wind up just using the shell and changing everything inside?

    Was the seat under her butt actually real leather? The metal armrest was so lustrous, was it made from some high-tech material? The jade pendant hanging in the front for protection was exceptionally translucent, was it¡­ an ice jadeite¡­

    She simply didn¡¯t dare to continue thinking¡­

    Ning Xi came back to herself with some difficulty, and then nervously reminded Lu Tingxiao, "Lu Tingxiao, you must be careful! In case the package is really¡­"

    Just then, there was the sound of a "bang"¡­

    The jadeite is perhaps the world¡¯s most expensive gem, and the ice jadeite the rarest of them all.

 Chapter 188: Do You Like This Style?

    <h4>Chapter 188: Do You Like This Style?</h4>

    Sparkling powder exploded in a mushroom cloud, covering Lu Tingxiao¡¯s head and clothes.

    A closer look revealed that scattered in the mess that had exploded were lots of shiny objects that¡­ looked like¡­ diamonds¡­

    This familiar way of sending things, she didn¡¯t need to ask, she already knew who the sender was.

    It was just that his taste had be worse.

    While a certain someone crushed people with money, this person crushed them with diamonds!

    Although the carat size wasn¡¯trge, there were so many of them, that if each one was made into a ring, there would be hundreds of thousands of young men who could propose marriage to their sweethearts!

    It wasn¡¯t just Lu Tingxiao, Ning Xi and Little Treasure in the back seat had also been caught a little in the exploding mess, and their bodies shed and glittered with it.

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­"

    Little Treasure: "¡­"

    Ning Xi wiped her face, and then helped Little Treasure wipe his. Then she quickly leaned over to help pick at the mess that was stuck to Lu Tingxiao. "I''m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­ are you alright? Did any of it get in your eyes?"

    Lu Tingxiao ran a hand through his hair, shaking loose a small shower of tiny diamonds, and a piece of paper.

    He picked it up and read what was written on it: Dearest, happy birthday. You still like this sort of thing, right? - YS.

    "You¡­" Lu Tingxiao looked at her with a slightlyplicated expression. "Do you like this style?"

    He started to reflect on himself;pared with the simple and straightforward methods which other people used, was the way he expressed his intentions too vague?

    Ning Xi was speechless. "Do I look like I like this type of thing? While you can still call it a surprise, but this is a horror thriller, alright? Lu Tingxiao, although you are very rich, you must not ever chase a girl like this in the future! If you want to chase someone, I can teach youter! It¡¯s a promise!"

    When Lu Tingxiao heard this, the corners of his mouth tilted upwards slightly. It was exactly what he wanted: "Okay."

    At this moment, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a car following them in the rearview mirror.

    It looked like Ning Yaohua¡¯s car.

    Seeing something off in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression, Ning Xi followed his gaze, and also saw the car. "F***! This guy just doesn¡¯t stop!"

    "Do we need to throw them off?" asked Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi thought about it gloomily, then shook her head. "Forget it, ignore him, they can''t get in anyway. And Little Treasure is still in the car, it would be too dangerous to drive fast."

    "Mm."

    Ten minutester, tinum Pce.

    Lu Tingxiao''s small ck car, whichpletely did not match the luxury carsing and going, slowly approached the front gate.

    When it was a few meters away, the guard saluted respectfully and then gantly opened the gate for them, and kept watching the car until it drove out of sight.

    But Ning Yaohua, who was following them closely, was immediately stopped.

    "Hello, please show me your pass." The guard had a business-like expression on his face.

    Ning Yaohua looked anxiously at the ck car, which disappeared around a corner, and asked impatiently, "What pass?"

    "If you don¡¯t have a pass, you may have the resident inside call to let us know to let you in," said the guard.

    Ning Yaohua frowned. "Then why could that car just now enter so easily?"

    "He is our resident," the guard answered.

    "What?" Ning Yaohua¡¯s face instantly changed.

    Was there a mistake?

    It was tinum Pce! The gathering ce for the wealthiest people in the capital! Not just anyone could live there!

    How could that boy toy driving that shabby car be a resident here?

    Or¡­ or could he be a housekeeper or assistant, or someone¡¯s illegitimate son?

 Chapter 189: Apron Play

    <h4>Chapter 189: Apron y</h4>

    After a number of extraordinary events, the three of them finally arrived back home.

    After taking all the bags to the kitchen, the first order of business wasn''t to cook, but to take a shower.

    The three of them were covered in varying amounts of fairy dust and little diamonds. Any one of them could be dropping thousands of yuan as they moved, and Ning Xi watched each step she took very carefully, which was torture.

    After a shower, Ning Xi changed into afortable outfit which was easy to move around in, taking on the stance of someone about to go all out.

    "Need help?" Lu Tingxiao came downstairs with Little Treasure.

    Little Treasure smelt so nice after a shower, and Ning Xi squeezed him in a hug. "Call Wanwan toe help me, the two of you only need to go watch TV and wait to eat. You just showered, there¡¯s no point in getting dirty again!"

    "Wanwan¡¯s not around, I gave all of them the day off," Lu Tingxiao said.

    "Day off?" Ning Xi thought for a bit, and realized that it might actually be good for Little Treasure to get involved himself, so she said, "Then the two of you help me out. Do you have aprons? I forgot to buy them when we were out shopping just now!"

    "We should have." From the pile of stic bags, Lu Tingxiao took one bag out and opened it to reveal three aprons inside, all in the same color and pattern. Two wererge-sized, and one small.

    "Huh? When did you buy these?" Ning Xi asked in surprise.

    "The girl selling the crabs gave them to me for free."

    "Eh, okay¡­" They really gave away all kinds of free stuff these days!

    Ning Xi took the small apron and called Little Bun over. "Little Treasure,e here, let me help you put this on."

    Little Treasure obligingly raised his short arms in great expectation.

    Ning Xi helped him put it on, tied the apron strings at the back, and tutted, "Darling, you¡¯re so cute even in an apron!"

    Saying that, she turned her head and saw that Lu Tingxiao had put the pink apron on over his casual suit¡­ unexpectedly, he still looked dazzlingly handsome.

    It also created an unexpectedly cute contrast.

    "Ahh, that¡¯s it¡­ I can¡¯t help it, I need to take photos again!" Ning Xi ran off to grab her cellphone and started to take photos non-stop, from time to time giving Little Bun things like tomatoes and ribs, anything that could be used as a prop, to hold.

    Next to the cute little bun was a cool big bun, who should have looked a little out of ce, but together, they looked iparably loving.

    "Shall I take some of you?" Lu Tingxiao asked suddenly.

    "Huh? No need¡­"

    "You and Little Treasure together." Lu Tingxiao helped her put the apron on as he spoke.

    Little Treasure couldn''t contain himself any longer, and flew over to Ning Xi.

    Actually, Ning Xi selfishly didn''t want to leave too many traces and memories, but she was helpless to resist Little Treasure¡¯s expectant eyes.

    Forget it, what was the point of thinking so much! Enjoy the wine today, and leave the worries for tomorrow!

    The photos of Ning Xi and Little Bun together looked a lot more natural, as Ning Xi led Little Bun in doing plenty of funny gestures and movements.

    Like having Little Bun hold a bunch of lotus roots and posing as if he was releasing shockwaves with them, and Ning Xi acting as if she was being blown away by it¡­ in the end, they had so much fun they forgot all cooking!

    "Damn it, Lu Tingxiao, you can do everything! Why are you so good even at taking photos! Theposition and the lighting, everything is too perfect!" Ning Xi was browsing through the photos on her phone, and was deeply amazed.

    She really wanted to use these as her phone wallpaper¡­ but that wasn¡¯t possible.

    After all, Little Treasure¡¯s circumstances were very unusual, and she was usually very careful to not divulge any news rted to him.

    If she had such a cute son, she definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to stop herself from posting pictures of him all day everyday, until everyone unfriended her online!

 Chapter 190: Wanted To Be Someoneâ€™s Wife

    <h4>Chapter 190: Wanted To Be Someone¡¯s Wife</h4>

    With three people working together, they were quick to finish preparing a full table of dishes.

    Fried pig¡¯s trotters with chili and salt, crayfish in special sauce, spicy crab, grilledmb leg, pan-fried beef steak¡­

    Most of them were main dishes, and more meat than vegetarian. For someone like Ning Xi, who was always on a diet, this dinner was a majormitment!

    After all, Little Bun was still a little too skinny, and Lu Tingxiao also needed more nutrition since he was usually so tired from work.

    Looking at the table full of appealing and delicious dishes, Lu Tingxiao was surprised. "Now I believe what you said before."

    "About what?"

    "About bing a chef."

    Ning Xiughed merrily. "You thought I was exaggerating! I¡¯m a little out of practice, but years of experience don¡¯t lie!"

    "Did you want to be a chef at first?" Lu Tingxiao didn''t understand.

    Ning Xi¡¯s smile faded. "Don¡¯tugh when I tell you this, but it wasn¡¯t because I wanted to be a chef ¡ª I wanted to be someone¡¯s wife ."

    Lu Tingxiao narrowed his eyes a little, and the slightest hint of ice came off him.

    "To be someone¡¯s wife", what a touching sentence, but that "someone" wasn''t him.

    "I was too naive back then, I thought the way to a man¡¯s heart was through his stomach! Who would''ve thought¡­" At this point, Ning Xi suddenly stopped, and nced apprehensively at Little Treasure, who was staring at the soup pot attentively. She moved slightly closer to Lu Tingxiao, and continued in a low voice, "Who would¡¯ve thought that I ced my hand too high. The true position is three inches below the belly button. I cooked for him for years, but Ning Xueluo only had to sleep with him for one night. Pathetic, right?"

    "He¡¯s the pathetic one, he will regret it." Lu Tingxiaoforted her as if he was stating a fact.

    Ning Xi admitted that she really wasforted by his words, andughed lightly. "Okay, today is such a happy day, let¡¯s not talk about things that¡¯ll spoil the mood. After the soup is done, all I need to do is to stir fry some vegetables, and we¡¯re all set!"

    Lu Tingxiao took a look at the vegetable basket. "We didn''t get any vegetables."

    "We didn¡¯t?" Ning Xi stared dumbly. "What about cauliflower? Carrots?"

    "None."

    "Eh¡­ so I actually only bought meat? How can we eat all this without greens? It¡¯ll be too oily! We did get some eggnts as a gift, but it isn¡¯t enough for a dish¡­"

    So far, they had eight meat dishes and just two vegetable dishes, lotus slices in cane sugar and cold sweetened tomato slices¡­

    "It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll go over to Jingli¡¯s ce and pick some."

    "Huh? Second Young Master has this kind of thing?" Ning Xi was astonished.

    "Mm, he has a greenhouse for vegetables at the back."

    "Awesome! But I should be the one to go! You definitely don''t know what to pick!"

    "Alright, then I¡¯ll watch the soup. Let Little Treasure take you, since the guards don''t know who you are," Lu Tingxiao reminded her.

    "Okay! Be right back!"

    ¡­

    Because Little Bun was with her, Ning Xi was able to enter the greenhouse in the courtyard behind Lu Jingli¡¯s house without a hitch.

    The vegetables in the greenhouse were really amazing, they were rich and juicy, and much fresher than those at the market, since they were just harvested, after all.

    Lu Jingli that guy really knew how to eat well¡­

    As she carried a basket and plucked vegetables with Little Treasure, a series of sharp rm sounds suddenly went off above their heads.

    Ning Xi lifted her head. "What¡¯s going on?"

    Soon after that, there was a loud roar behind them ¡ª

    "Ho! You little thief! You actually dare to steal this young master¡¯s vegetables! Eh¡­ Little Treasure¡­ Ning Xi¡­" Lu Jingli was in pajamas, his hair was messy from having just woken up. He had a stupefied expression on his face as he looked at the two of them.

    Holding the basket, the corners of Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched. "You put an rm system in your greenhouse¡­ Second Young Master, was it necessary to go that far? Do you have gold buried here or something?"

 Chapter 191: I Think Itâ€™s Better If We Just Eat Them

    <h4>Chapter 191: I Think It¡¯s Better If We Just Eat Them</h4>

    Lu Jingli stared at her with bitterment all over his face. "Jerk! Of course it¡¯s necessary! Put down the carrots, green vegetables and cabbage you¡¯re holding right now! I grew each and every single one of them myself! I watered them, fertilized them, yed them music and told them jokes everyday! They are my babies! Hundred times more precious than gold! Haven''t you noticed how rich and juicy they are! They¡¯re not just normal vegetables! Can normal vegetables be this pretty!"

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    She thought that he grew them for eating; she never expected in a million years that apart from chasing girls, Lu Jingli would have such a weird hobby¡­

    "Put them down right now! Or I¡¯m going to be violent with you!"

    Ning Xi blinked. "But I picked them already! How about I give you money for them?"

    "You dare to insult my little babies with money! Ning Xi, I¡¯ll fight you!" Lu Jingli rolled up his sleeves and ran at her.

    Ning Xi had ck lines on her head. She pulled Little Treasure after her. "Run ¡ª"

    The two of them ran away panting. When they were still some distance away from the main entrance, Ning Xi shouted, "Lu Tingxiao! Help ¡ª"

    "What is it?"

    As soon as Lu Tingxiao came out of the house, Ning Xi immediately pulled Little Treasure with her to hide behind him.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s face was full of usation as heined, "Brother, do you care or not, your family¡¯s two brats actually stole vegetables from my vegetable patch!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "I told them to."

    Lu Jingli: "¡­"As expected, behind bratty children was a bratty parent!

    "You¡¯re too much! I don¡¯t care, give my little babies back to me!"

    Ning Xi stuck her head out from behind Lu Tingxiao¡¯s back. "But your little babies are all dead!"

    "And whose fault is that! What, I can¡¯t bury them and say a prayer for them?"

    "Mm, I think it¡¯s better if we just eat them!"

    "You, you¡­ you cold-blooded woman! If I can¡¯t get my revenge, then we¡¯ll die together!"

    Before Lu Jingli could reach Ning Xi, his way was suddenly blocked by a handsome-looking robot.

    Little Treasure, who was controlling the robot, stared at him calmly, as if warning Lu Jingli not to bully his precious auntie.

    Lu Jingli beat his chest with his fist and stamped his foot. "Ai! Where is the justice! Little Treasure, I¡¯m your second uncle! Why are you helping an outsider!

    Seeing three brats and one robot about to get into a fight, Lu Tingxiao knitted his eyebrows helplessly. "Nobody is fighting anyone. Jingli,e and eat with us."

    "Hell no¡­" But before Lu Jingli finished speaking, he suddenly smelled the aroma of delicious food "Brother, you gave the maids the day off, right? Who cooked?"

    "I did!" Ning Xi instantly raised her hand.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s face was full of disdain: "You can cook? Is it edible?"

    But when he walked into the dining room and saw the table full of delicious dishes, Lu Jingli was dumbfounded. "Did you really cook all these?"

    Ning Xi quickly cooked up three dishes using the vegetables she had stolen from Lu Jingli¡¯s ce.

    Having seen it with his own eyes, Lu Jingli had to believe it, but he still begrudged her for stealing his vegetables, and humphed haughtily. "What era is it now, that you still believe that foolish nonsense about the way to a man¡¯s heart being through his stomach? Three inches under the belly button is the main point, okay?"

    Ning Xi couldn''t helpingughing; she and Lu Jingli were amazingly alike in their thinking and values!

    Nevertheless, the only person who could say she was stupid, was herself.

    "Oh, is that so?"Ning Xi lifted an eyebrow meaningfully, then picked up some rice and rib, and stuffed it into Lu Jingli¡¯s mouth.

 Chapter 192: My Future Sister-in-law

    <h4>Chapter 192: My Future Sister-inw</h4>

    "Mm, what did you put in my mouth! Poison¡­" Lu Jingli was about to spit it out, but in a second, his face changed. "Sheet! This is really good! What is it? Crispy on the outside, but it melted in my mouth when I bit into it! It¡¯s delicious! How can it be this yummy!"

    "You still think through the stomach is useless now?"Ning Xi crossed her arms and asked calmly.

    Lu Jingli nodded enthusiastically. "It¡¯s useful, it¡¯s useful! I would definitely go home to eat every single day if I had a wife who is this good at cooking!"

    At first he had felt sympathy for his brother, but now there was some merit to marrying Ning Xi!

    "Now do you still want to bury your little babies?"

    Lu Jingli said earnestly: "No, no, no, your pot is their perfect tomb! From now on, you can pick all the vegetables you want! As long as you let me join the dinner! Woah, the crayfish so good, aww, and the beef steak is great, too, what spices did you use? I¡¯ve tasted good food from all over, and haven''t eaten anything tastes this special!"

    "It¡¯s a closely guarded secret, how can I tell you the recipe¡­ hey, hey, hey, enough, slow down, the three of us were busy cooking until now, and we haven''t had a single bite!"

    "Cough, excuse me, you guys sit, sit! Eat up! No, no, no, wait! I need to take a picture and post it in my WeChat Moments! It¡¯s so freaking tasty! Xiao Xi Xi, I really would never have been able to tell that you have such a talent!"

    Lu Jingli took a few pictures as he spoke, and posted in his WeChat Moments with captions: [Aww! Everyone! Let me tell you! My future sister-inw cooks so so so well! I am seriously so jealous of my brother!]

    "What are you posting?" Curious, Ning Xi came closer to take a look

    Lu Jingli immediately put his phone away. "How can you invade someone else¡¯s privacy!"

    "Privacy my butt, you already posted it in your Moments! Hmph, I¡¯ll take a look myself!" Ning Xi took her phone out and opened WeChat, since she had added Lu Jingli as a friend there anyway.

    In the end, she didn''t find anything.

    "F***! Lu Jingli, what on earth did you write that is so secretive? You actually set me as invisible!"

    What do you care what I wrote! I¡¯m free to write whatever I want!"

    "But I was the one who cooked the dishes in your pictures!"

    ¡­

    While Ning Xi and Lu Jingli squabbled like kids, Lu Tingxiao took a look at his phone without being noticed, then saw what Lu Jingli had posted, and the words "future sister-inw".

    No wonder he had set it up so that Ning Xi couldn¡¯t see it.

    It had only been a few minutes since it was posted, and already so many people hadmented.

    [Mo Lingtian: Holy sheet! I thought you weren¡¯t being seriousst time, he really has a girlfriend? Looks like she has pretty good skills! I never thought Lu Tingxiao would be interested in the housewife type!]

    [Qin Mufeng: That¡¯s unexpected, she can actually cook? As someone who analyzes people professionally, I really can¡¯t tell that she''s the housewife type at all!]

    [Master Lu: Not bad.]

    [Madam Lu: Aiyaya, this girl is really not bad! Nowadays there are not many girls who can cook! Is that my good grandson Little Treasure¡¯s hand in the bottom right? It looks like he¡¯s gained weight! Good good good!

    And there were many otherments saying things like Lu Tingxiao being a lucky guy, and asking when was he going to introduce her to them, and when could theye over for free meals.

    "By the way, Xiao Xi Xi, your manager has been decided!" Lu Jingli quickly changed the topic.

    As expected, Ning Xi¡¯s attention was immediately diverted. "Really? Who, who?"

    "Hehe, not telling you! Unless you promise to cook me another meal!" Lu Jingli looked like he was happy to keep her guessing, and needed to get beaten up for it.

    Ning Xi gave him a disdainful look before turning to Lu Tingxiao next to her. "Lu Tingxiao, who is it?"

 Chapter 193: What Am I Going To Do After Youâ€™re Gone

    <h4>Chapter 193: What Am I Going To Do After You¡¯re Gone</h4>

    Lu Jingli gave his brother a meaningful look, but Lu Tingxiao didn''t give him a single nce, and was unsympathetic to Lu Jingli¡¯s ploy when he answered: "Lin Zhizhi."

    Lu Jingli: "¡­"

    My poor little heart! Didn¡¯t your wife feed me just one rib? And even for that you needed to immediately take revenge!

    Hearing this, Ning Xi was astonished. "Lin Zhizhi? Who single-handedly made a in nobody like Leng Manyun into an international movie star, that Lin Zhizhi? She''s my manager? Lord Boss, don¡¯t tell me you opened the back door for me again? Isn''t Lin Zhizhi managing Leng Manyun only, and not taking on any new artistes?"

    Lu Jingli¡¯s heart was full of unspoken criticism. No kidding, of course he opened the back door!

    Because his brother had ordered him to,st night he had flown to H City and spent the whole night persuading her!

    "Because Leng Manyun wants to retire," Lu Tingxiao said, as if it was just a coincidence. He didn¡¯t mention the fact that Lin Zhizhi was on leave and had refused to take on new artistes.

    Ning Xi was a little rmed. "So the rumors are true, that Leng Manyun is retiring?"

    "Yes, she decided not too long ago." Lu Tingxiao nodded.

    Regret was written all over Ning Xi¡¯s face. "Then that¡¯s a real pity. At the peak of her career, she chose to get married and have kids¡­ but she had the best chance of breaking Senior Song Lin¡¯s record of twelves awards to be the first actress to win every major acting award!"

    An actress who would win all the major awards, that was also Ning Xi¡¯s ultimate goal!

    After saying this, Ning Xi. "But everyone has different goals, it¡¯s not for other people to judge! So, Lin Zhizhi agreed to manage me? I heard that she¡¯s very strict!"

    "She did, but only if you pass the test she will set for youter. Only then can she decide on how to develop your training and image," Lu Tingxiao answered.

    "Oh, oh, okay, I will do my best!" Hearing Lu Tingxiao mention that she still needed to take a testter, Ning Xi conversely felt a little relieved.

    Nearby, Lu Jingli tutted as he listened to their conversation.

    It looked like his brother had already set his heart on Ning Xi for life. Every time he helped her, he would rack his brains for an honorable and fair way of doing it. He didn¡¯t give her the slightest pressure, or make her feel indebted to him¡­ he really was infatuated¡­

    Seeing how Ning Xi was starting to trust his brother more with each passing day, he felt that the day he could call her his sister-inw for real wasn¡¯t that far away anymore.

    Great, then he could eat good food all the time after that, hehehe!

    At night.

    Little Treasure slept early after ying hard all day. It took Ning Xi less than five minutes to put him to bed.

    Ning Xi kissed the little guy on the forehead gently, then softly closed the door behind her.

    Lu Tingxiao was leaning on the banister outside the door, and looked up when he heard the door shut. "Little Treasure¡¯s asleep?"

    "Yup, sound asleep."

    "Thank you for today."

    "It was nothing, I also had a good time!"

    "That was the first time that Little Treasure ate two bowls of rice."Lu Tingxiao looked gratified.

    Ning Xiughed. "I must thank Little Treasure for his support! As long as I¡¯m not busy, I¡¯ll definitely cook lots of good food for him to eat."

    Lu Tingxiao frowned, then refused: "No."

    "Why not?" Ning Xi didn''t understand.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her, and there was a lingering sense of mncholy about his appearance. "If you feed him so well now, what am I going to do after you¡¯re gone?"

    What am I going to do after you¡¯re gone¡­

    It sounded like any normal sentence, but the meaning behind it hit her heart hard like a heavy hammer¡­

 Chapter 194: First Day At The Company

    <h4>Chapter 194: First Day At The Company</h4>

    Ning Xi hadn¡¯t slept well after hearing Lu Tingxiao¡¯s wordsst night.

    She had had weird dreams the whole night, even dreaming of that night when Zhu Xiangcheng had drugged her. She dreamt that she had lost control and pushed Lu Tingxiao onto the bed, and the scene had continued to spiralpletely out of control¡­

    Ahhhhh! Why would she have this kind of dream!

    Ning Xi grabbed and pulled her hair.Turning on the tap, she sshed her face with cold water.

    Cheer up, today was the first day at her newpany!

    Just as she was leaving, Big Bun and Little Bun gave her encouragement.

    Lu Tingxiao: "Good luck."

    Little Treasure raised his tablet: fighting!

    The robot next to Little Bun let off fireworks, and also said in a mechanical voice, "fighting, fighting".

    "Thank you, thank you!" Ning Xi kissed Little Bun and bowed to Big Boss, but was unable to look him in the eye.

    Because in her dreamsst night, she had almost assaulted him¡­

    Finally. she reached Glory World Entertainment.

    Standing in front of the grand, tall building, facing a whole new beginning, new opportunities, and new challenges, Ning Xi¡¯s blood boiled in her chest and pumped her up.

    As she walked into the Glory World building, she only had one thought in her mind.

    No. Freaking. Mercy!

    This resplendent and magnificent decor, she didn''t even need to think about it to know that this was that dumbass Lu Jingli¡¯s taste.

    Following Lu Jingli¡¯s instructions, Ning Xi took the lift directly to the seventeenth floor, and made her way to thest office on the level.

    "Come in,"a woman inside said in a formal tone.

    After entering the room, Ning Xi felt that her eyes had been purified.

    She had nearly been blinded by the decor earlier, while this office was mainly in ck, white and gray hues, and was decorated in a very simple style.

    She saw a woman wearing ck-framed sses and a champagne-colored suit sitting at the desk.

    "Hello, Sister Lin, I¡¯m Ning Xi, I¡¯vee to report for duty!"

    "Hello, Ning Xi. From today onwards, I¡¯m your manager, Lin Zhizhi. I think you already know that I wasn''t taking on new artistes, but now that Manyun has decided to retire, thepany needs to nurture a new person to seed her," Lin Zhizhi exined simply. At the same time, her eyes swept her from head to toe like a searchlight. While it gave Ning Xi a sense of pressure, it didn¡¯t make her feel ufortable.

    The girl in front of her waspletely different to Leng Manyun, who was in in appearance. At first nce, this girl was beautiful, and it was an extraordinary and unbridled beauty.

    This quality would undoubtedly be her selling point in the entertainment industry, but at the same time, it was also a double-edged sword; it would be easy to p thebel ¡®flower vase¡¯ on her, and even easier to be entangled in messy gossip and sex scandals.

    Ning Xi was a bit rmed when she heard Lin Zhizhi¡¯s words; she was to be nurtured to seed Leng Manyun?

    Wasn''t this standard a bit too high?

    However, the more difficult it was, the more excited she became. Plus, this had been her goal all alone!

    "Although thepany will nurture you towards bing her sessor, let me be straight with you. The test period is six months, if you can¡¯t meet my expectations by then, you are out. You can stay in thepany, but I won¡¯t be managing you anymore. Understood?" Lin Zhizhi spoke coldly.

    Ning Xi immediately nodded her head seriously. "Understood."

    At this time, someone knocked on the door, and a chubby, amiable-looking girl walked in.

    "This is the assistant I¡¯ve arranged for you."

    "Sister Xi, hello, I¡¯m Hu Tao, you can call me Little Peach!" The girl introduced herself timidly.

    "Hello!" Ning Xi had a very nice first impression of her chubby little assistant.

    ¡®Flower vase¡¯ is a term for someone who is just a pretty face.

 Chapter 195: Not Allowed To Date

    <h4>Chapter 195: Not Allowed To Date</h4>

    After introducing the assistant, Ling Zhizhi gave her a bunch of keys. "This is the apartment that thepany has arranged for you. Move in as soon as possible."

    Out of the corner of her eye, Ning Xi glimpsed the small characters engraved on the key: Regal Riveria Hotel.

    God! Arranging for her, a neer in thepany, to stay at Regal Riveria Hotel?

    The most expensive vi residences in B City was tinum Pce, and the most expensive apartment building was Regal Riveria Hotel. Both were projects developed by the Lu Corporation.

    She remembered Ning Xueluo also lived in Regal Riveria Hotel¡­

    As expected, Glory World had deep pockets!

    Ning Xi looked a little troubled. "Thank you, Sister Lin, but¡­ I might not be able to move in for the time being¡­

    Ling Zhizhi gave her a nce. "Have a boyfriend?"

    Seeing that Ling Zhizhi had misunderstood that she was living with a boyfriend, she hurriedly exined, "No, not because of a boyfriend! I have to stay with friends for a while because of a particr matter. Once things are sorted out, I¡¯ll move in. I guarantee that it won''t affect my work. Also, the ce I¡¯m staying at now has very good privacy."

    Ling Zhizhi did not ask anymore questions after that, but she looked serious. "As long as you are clear about it in your heart. I won''t interfere too much in your private affairs, but I have one basic condition that you have to follow. At this stage, you¡¯re not allowed to date anyone. I don¡¯t have to exin the reasons for it, do I?"

    Leng Manyun, whom she had nurtured as a neer, suddenly wanted to retire for a man; this had been quite a blow to her.

    The feeling of being abandoned by a teammate, after everything they had been through together, had left her very disheartened.

    "Sister Lin, you don¡¯t have to worry on this point, right now, I¡¯m only focused on doing well as an actress," Ning Xi said in a determined tone.

    After Ling Zhizhi heard this, her expression remained nd, and she had nothing special to say.

    As soon as a woman encountered love, she would lose her head; even if Ning Xi vowed it to her a hundred times now, it would still be useless.

    Next, Ling Zhizhi briefed her on thepany''s rules and regtions, and handed her a document: "Today, Starlight Entertainment is holding a press conference with the main intention of announcing that they have cklisted you.

    "We are also going to hold a press conference on our end. It¡¯ll be at nine o''clock tomorrow morning. This is the procedure and matters that need attention, as well as questions that the reporters might ask at the press conference. Go back and read it carefully."

    Ning Xi took the document: "Sister Lin, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll try my best to do well!"

    Though Ling Zhizhi always looked cold and seemed to be very strict, Ning Xi didn¡¯t feel ufortable at all, and instead, actually felt extraordinarily safe.

    With thepany arranging and settling everything behind the scenes, she only needed to focus her energy on acting well, which would be much easier to do now than before.

    Seeing the sincere gratitude and sheer fighting spirit in the girl¡¯s eyes, the good feeling which Ling Zhizhi had about her increased even more. Forget it, she would give it a try for the time being. While Lu Jingli was usually not very reliable, at least his eye for people was good, and all the people he had scouted had all be well-known.

    "Mm, you can leave. There are some other details which I¡¯ll slowly tell you aboutter. If there is anything that you don''t understand, you can give me a call me anytime."

    "Okay, then see youter, Sister Lin!"

    ¡­

    When Ning Xi came to Glory World today, she had driven the ck Audi which Lu Tingxiao had prepared for her. Her recent exposure was so high that it would be very troublesome if she was recognized on the subway.

    On the way back, Ning Xi excitedly tried the auto-drive function, and after determining its position and navigation, the car began to drive itself automatically. She leaned back against the driver''s seat, and did whatever she wanted.

    As expected, it was so cool!

    Technology could really change lives!

    Starlight Entertainment¡¯s press conference should have ended by now. Ning Xi picked up her cellphone to open Weibo and scroll through the reactions on the Inte.

 Chapter 196: Complete Pandemonium

    <h4>Chapter 196: Complete Pandemonium</h4>

    After the press conference,izens¡¯ anger had reached unprecedented heights:

    [Starlight Entertainment did a splendid job, this kind of b*tch really should be cklisted!]

    [She¡¯s still so arrogant after her wrongdoing, are you kidding me? It¡¯s just a shame for <The World>, which had such a great script!]

    [Why are you all just scolding Ning Xi? I hope someone stands up to hit her!]

    [I think Ning Xueluo is too soft-hearted, she should just file a case against her!]

    [Who the hell is the sponsor helping Ning Xi do all this? Dox him!]

    ¡­

    Not only that, if somebody stood up for Ning Xi, everyone would rush to attack that person, making it so that no one dared to disagree.

    She had probably made Ning Xueluo desperate. It was obvious that she wanted to finish Ning Xi off with one blow, and suppress her to the point that she would be unable to recover.

    As Ning Xi refreshed the page, she realized something was wrong. Her Weibo ount was suddenly going crazy with people mentioning her, and thements were starting to pile up rapidly¡­

    Eh, what happened?

    The screen on her phone cked out several times before Ning Xi was finally able to open it with difficulty. Then she finally understood what was happening.

    Just now, Lu Jingli had posted a message on Weibo ¡ª

    Fancy Little Carp Prince: Wee, ssmate Ning Xiao Xi, to our Glory World family~ @NingXi

    Bloody hell!!!

    Ning Xi couldn¡¯t stop staring wide-eyed at the message. She even thought she might have misread it.

    Lu Jingli this guy, wasn¡¯t he a little too high-profile?

    As soon as it was posted, all of Weibo exploded, and all theizens came flocking in.

    [F***! What did I see? Ning Xi that b*tch actually joined Glory World Entertainment?]

    [I don¡¯t believe it, I don¡¯t believe it, I don¡¯t believe it! Someone must have hacked into my adorable little carp¡¯s ount! That must be it! ]

    [That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! In the industry, Glory World Entertainment is well-known for its good reputation. There is no way they would sign Ning Xi this despicable, shameless b*tch!]

    [If this is true, then Glory World¡¯s reputation will be forever tarnished! I¡¯ll never watch anything starring Glory World artistes ever again!]

    [I always thought well of Lu Jingli, I never thought that he would be the one helping her behind the scenes! That¡¯s so disappointing! They could sign anyone, why sign this kind of person? Just because she¡¯s beautiful?]

    [Sheet! Don¡¯t tell me Ning Xi slept with my Carp Prince male god! No one stop me! I want to kill her!]

    ¡­

    Ning Xi face-palmed. She knew it would be like this¡­

    Did Lu Jingli this guy have to be this impatient? Why didn¡¯t he wait until after the press conference to announce it? This was just asking to be scolded on purpose!

    Seeing the furore of the crowd, which was even affecting other Glory World artistes as online users started to scold and curse them on their Weibo ounts, Ning Xi was wondering whether she should do something or not, when in the next second, she suddenly saw something that utterly dumbfounded her.

    What what what¡­ what did she see¡­

    She actually saw that Lu Tingxiao¡¯s main ount had forwarded Lu Jingli¡¯s Weibo post!!!!

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s main ount was lifeless, full of generic things such as the corporation¡¯s anniversary, the setting up of new departments, thepletion of important project coborations, or professional economic theory that nobody could understand, but seemed awesome anyway¡­

    But Lu Tingxiao had a lot of fans.

    He was a male god, so even if he only updated after half a year, and it was all advertisements, there were still brainless fans who followed his ount.

    Now, Lu Tingxiao, who was only concerned with big corporation news, had forwarded Lu Jingli¡¯s Weibo post, and had even typed a few words: Wee, Ning Xi.

    This wasn¡¯t just something as simple as pandemonium anymore. Traffic on Weibo immediately surged. The system couldn''t bear the load, and even crashed for several minutes before it could recover¡­

 Chapter 197: The One Who Has Been Swayed by Sex Is You

    <h4>Chapter 197: The One Who Has Been Swayed by Sex Is You</h4>

    Furthermore, online public opinion had been instantly and magically reversed:

    [God! What did I see! I need to go to the washroom and eat three catties of sheet to calm down!]

    [If it was just one, the ount could have been hacked, but how can it be false if even Lu Tingxiao forwarded it? Glory World Entertainment really signed Ning Xi! And even Lu Tingxiao has made a move! What is the worlding to!]

    [Since Lu Tingxiao forwarded it, it means that he must know the truth, and even agrees with Glory World¡¯s decision. Lu Jingli¡¯s head might have been turned by sex, but there is no way Lu Tingxiao would be! So, something smells fishy!]

    [Yes, something is definitely fishy! Glory World might be about to do something big! Wait quietly for the reversal!]

    [I won¡¯t say anything, I¡¯ll wait quietly for the reversal! I firmly support my male god!]

    [I¡¯m waiting for the truth! Trust my husband!]

    ¡­

    In short, after Lu Tingxiao forwarded the post, public opinion, which had been one-sided before, had pulled back, and theizens were starting to adopt a neutral stance, and finally beginning toe back to their senses.

    As Ning Xi browsed Weibo, this progression of events made her gasp in amazement.

    As expected, when the Big Demon King made a move, it was an exceptional one!

    It was mainly because Lu Tingxiao¡¯s image was too perfect. Since taking over Lu Corporation, he had never made any wrong decisions. In the economic crisis five years ago, numerouspanies dered bankruptcy, but the Lu Group not only remained standing, it even bucked the trend to climb to the top. He was basically like an oracle, and there was no one who wouldn¡¯t believe his words¡­

    In the meantime, in the living room downstairs at the Lu residence.

    Lu Jingli was holding his cellphone as he rolled around screaming on the sofa. "F***! The sheet these bastards are spouting! What my head can be turned by sex, but you absolutely won¡¯t! This injustice is just too much! The one who has been swayed by sex is you! It¡¯s you, you, you! Ow, this is Snow In Midsummer! I¡¯ve been wronged¡­ I''ve been wronged more than Dou E¡­"

    As he was howling, Ning Xi came back.

    "Second Young Master, I could hear you howling from far away, what are you going on about?"

    "Nothing!" Lu Jingli instantly sat up. Even if he had been wronged, he couldn¡¯t say it.

    Lu Tingxiao, who hadn¡¯t spared Lu Jingli even a single nce as he rolled around hundreds of times, immediately raised his head from the book he was reading. "You¡¯re back. Have you seen Ling Zhizhi?"

    Ning Xi nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Sister Ling is very nice, andpletely the type I like. I feel safe when I see her cold and unhappy face!"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­"

    It sounded like everything went well, but why, when he heard it, did it make him feel insecure?

    With these words, Ning Xi immediately stared at Lu Jingli. "Second Young Master, you¡¯re also too impatient. Why did you announce that I signed with Glory World now?"

    Lu Jingli gave her a sagacious look. "Of course it was to increase your poprity! Look at how famous you are now, everyone is talking about you!"

    Ning Xi snorted and looked askance at him. "If it wasn¡¯t for Lu Tingxiaoing to the rescue, we would both have been cursed out for being an adulterous couple, okay?"

    When Lu Jingli heard this, he finally felt a little guilty, and quietly muttered, "If they want to scold, let them. The truth wille out tomorrow anyway!"

    He had expected that theizens would be angry, but hadn¡¯t thought that their abuse would be so ugly, even thinking in that direction¡­

    Just now, his brother¡¯s face had turned green after reading thosements¡­

    "Now you can post on Weibo announcing the press conference tomorrow," Lu Tingxiao reminded him.

    "Oh, oh, right, I¡¯ll do it now!"

    After Ning Xi posted on her Weibo ount, Lu Jingli forwarded it, and not long after, so did Ling Zhizhi.

    At this moment, the screen of her cellphone shed with an iing call. The caller ID - Jiang Muye.

    One catty is equivalent to roughly 600 grams.

    Dou E is a character in the popr Chinese y ¡®Snow In Midsummer¡¯, who was wrongfully used and then executed for a crime she did notmit.

 Chapter 198: He Kissed You Right in Front of Me

    <h4>Chapter 198: He Kissed You Right in Front of Me</h4>

    "Hey, Jiang¡­"

    "Ning Xiao Xi! You actually signed with Glory World!!! Why didn¡¯t you discuss it with me! Did you see the email that I sent you or not?!" Jiang Muye roared down the line.

    "Eh, aren¡¯t you busy? I didn¡¯t want to disturb you. Anyway, what does it have to do with the email you sent me?" Jiang Muye''s voice was really too loud. Ning Xi smiled at Lu Tingxiao awkwardly, and then took the phone with her upstairs.

    Behind her, Lu Jingli touched his chin, and gave his brother a meaningful look. "Brother, it seems that someone wants to get in your way! Heh, that poor thing, to actually like the same woman as you! Fortunately, Xiao Xi Xi is not my type, tsk tsk¡­"

    Rivals in love were too scary!

    On the phone, Jiang Muye was about to die from all his anger. "Until now you still haven''t seen the email?"

    "I¡¯m sorry, I forgot! Is it very important? I thought it was another spoof video or something¡­"

    Jiang Muye took a deep breath, and said very slowly, "You, now, at once, immediately, this very second, open your inbox and look at what I sent you. Don''t hang up, open it right now!"

    "Ok, ok, ok! I¡¯ll take a look at it now!"

    Ning Xi turned on herputer resignedly, and found the email which Jiang Muye had sent to her. She then downloaded the attachment in the email.

    It contained an image and an audio file.

    She opened the image first. It was a screencap of a WeChat chat.

    [Aiya, my good grandson is too cute, aiya, my son is too handsome! Tingxiao, who picked the clothes for you and Little Treasure? Was it the girl you like?]

    [Yes.]

    [I knew it, you would never choose this style! Look at how bright the color is, it looks so good! It¡¯s nothing like the dull clothes you wear all the time, and Little Treasure has to suffer the same dull style too! As expected, this house does need a woman!]

    [She also took these photos?]

    [Yes.]

    [Not bad.]

    [Damn, my future sister-inw is unbelievable! She can actually make you wear this color, and you even let her take photos! I gave you some clothes in a simr color before, and you looked at me so scornfully. You even belittled my taste!]

    ¡­

    Looking at the chat, she saw that it was Lu Tingxiao, the two Lu family elders, and Lu Jingli.

    "Are you looking at it?" Jiang Muye urged her.

    "Yes." Ning Xi nodded, aplicated expression on her face, and then clicked open the audio.

    After a few rustling sounds, Jiang Muye¡¯s voice came out¡­

    "Uncle ¡ª what exactly are your intentions towards Ning Xi?"

    Then there was the sound of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s voice: "Towards Ning Xi¡­"

    "Yes! Don''t you think your attitude towards her is too strange and too intimate?" Jiang Muye asked.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s tone was bothnguid and dangerous. "I thought I was already obvious enough, but since you still don''t understand¡­"

    Listening up to this point, Ning Xi¡¯s heart was suddenly in her throat, as if she could feel Jiang Muye¡¯s mood while he waited for Lu Tingxiao¡¯s reply.

    Lu Tingxiao¡­ what would he say?

    She waited for three seconds, which felt like three centuries. Then Lu Tingxiao¡¯s voice finally sounded again.

    He said: "Understand?"

    Ning Xi was confused. What situation? Understand what?

    Just as Ning Xi thought she had missed something, and was about to rey the video, Jiang Muye¡¯s cold voice came through the phone. "You don¡¯t need to listen to it again. You didn''t hear wrong, he really did only say that one word. But before he said it, he kissed you in front of me."

 Chapter 199: Donâ€™t Just Care About You

    <h4>Chapter 199: Don¡¯t Just Care About You</h4>

    "Wha¡­ what¡­" Ning Xi was dazed. "Howe even I don¡¯t know about this?"

    "You were drunk that night, it was when the production crew had dinner to wee me," Jiang Muye reminded her.

    Ning Xi finally remembered¡­

    It was the night that she had walked into the wrong room, and Zhu Xiangcheng had tried to take advantage of her.

    Later, Lu Tingxiao had personally walked her back to the production crew¡¯s room, and told her to wait for him after she was done, and they would go back together.

    Muchter, she had been so drunk when she saw Lu Ting Xiao, that she had no memory of what happened after that. At that time, Jiang Muye was next to her, so that was most likely when he and Lu Tingxiao had talked¡­

    Noticing that Ning Xi hadn¡¯t said anything for a while, Jiang Muye, who hadn¡¯t been very hopeful to begin with, became even more downhearted. "You still don¡¯t believe me, is that it? I know these are not really conclusive as proof. You can take the screenshot as Lu Tingxiao just cating his parents. And with the audio, I didn¡¯t even record the most crucial thing. You only have my word for it¡­"

    After quite a long time, there was a sigh on the other end of the line. "Jiang Muye, whether I believe it or not, it doesn''t affect my decision to sign with Glory World. Even if he really had feelings for me, he would make a clear distinction between work and personal matters, and he wouldn''t use his position against me. More than that, he would never force me."

    When Ning Xi said this, Jiang Muye knew it was over.

    He had never thought that Ning Xi would trust Lu Tingxiao to this extent, even though they had only known each other for a few months¡­

    Ning Xi continued, "Thank you, I know you¡¯re worried about me. There¡¯s going to be a press conference tomorrow, and I need to concentrate on preparing for the final battle. When this is over, we¡¯ll talk more!"

    When this is over, you¡¯ll be in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s trap and won¡¯t be able to escape anymore!

    No, she was already in his trap right now¡­

    So what if he knew? He couldn''t do anything.

    And¡­ I don''t just care about you¡­

    What right did he have to despise Lu Tingxiao¡¯s methods, when what he was doing was no more honorable¡­

    A deep sense of powerlessness came over Jiang Muye. "Alright, you¡¯re busy, I¡¯ll see youter."

    "Mm, bye."

    Ning Xi hung up the phone. Suddenly, it felt like her body had beenpletely drained of strength. She threw herself feebly onto the bed, her expression nk as she stared unseeingly at the ceiling above her.

    She was still recovering from Jiang Muye¡¯s remark, "He kissed you in front of me".

    It was probably because an actor had a better sense for framing scenes and picturing narratives, she could almostpletely reconstruct the scenario of that time in her mind.

    Her heart beat faster and faster¡­

    Ning Xi picked up her phone and quickly sent a WeChat message to Lu Tingxiao.

    [Boss, I want to go through and memorize the n for the press conference, so no need to call me for dinner tonight. It¡¯s enough for me to have some fruit. I ate too much meatst night, so just nice, I should lose weight ^_^]

    She tried hard to make it sound like nothing was wrong.

    With this, he shouldn¡¯t be able to tell, right?

    Even though the thing she was best at was pretending, she had no confidence in front of Lu Tingxiao.

    Downstairs in the living room, Lu Tingxiao looked at the WeChat message that Ning Xi had just sent him. He lifted his eyes slightly, and looked in the direction of Ning Xi¡¯s room with an indecipherable expression on his face.

    Lu Jingli quickly flew closer to sneak a peek, then showed a disappointed expression. "Damn it, sister-inw¡¯s not cooking tonight? I looked forward to it for nothing¡­ sad¡­"

    After saying this, something urred to him, and he put his arm around his brother''s shoulder, and said meaningfully, "Is Jiang Muye that kid feeling cornered? Were we too terrible in what we did this time?"

 Chapter 200: A Critical Hit

    <h4>Chapter 200: A Critical Hit</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao looked away, his face like ake that had been stirred by a breeze, rippling but quickly bing calm once again.

    He knew that sooner orter, this day woulde, and he had been waiting for it.

    He had been walking on eggshells during this period, but had weathered it without mishap. This was already the best situation that he could have hoped for.

    The only thing he could do now was to wait.

    Looking at his brother''s expression, Lu Jingli couldn¡¯t help worrying about him.

    His brother had almost used up his whole life¡¯s worth of endurance and restraint in thest few months. If something went wrong¡­ he didn¡¯t dare imagine what he would be like then¡­

    Since meeting Ning Xi, he had changed, and not just a little. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that it was a whole transformation. Lu Jingli really didn¡¯t want him to revert back to what he had been like before, or to be even scarier.

    He had decided, he would go to the temple tomorrow to pray for his brother, and kneel for a longer period of time for him!

    ¡­

    Ning Xi, who had said she wanted to memorize the n, had been in bed for at least two hours.

    Her mind waspletely empty, and waspletely clear of any thoughts she might have.

    Whenever she encountered something extremely difficult to solve, she would relieve the pressure in such a way. When this way couldn¡¯t help, she could only choose a slightly more extreme method¡­

    But it had been a long time since she had been bothered by something to this extent.

    It was only when she saw on the wall clock that it was almost ten o''clock that Ning Xi got up, and spent an hour memorizing the data that Lin Zhizhi had given her.

    Her knowledge of lines that actors used was solid, so this was quite easy for her to memorize.

    Only at this moment did she suddenly realize that Little Bun hadn¡¯te looking for her the whole night, likely because Lu Tingxiao had exined to Little Treasure that she was busy.

    After memorizing the data, Ning Xi was ready to check on Little Bun.

    At the door to Little Bun¡¯s room, Ning Xi was sure he would be asleep already, so she straightaway opened the door quietly.

    But when it was open a crack, she saw that the warm yellow bedsidemp was on.

    She saw Little Bun leaning against the headboard, ying with a Rubik¡¯s cube with fixed, single-minded focus. Lu Tingxiao was sitting on the edge of the bed, a hint of helplessness on his cold, hard face.

    "It''s ten fifty-four. In six minutes, it¡¯ll be eleven o¡¯clock," said Lu Tingxiao.

    Meaning that it was already veryte, it was time for bed.

    As if he hadn¡¯t heard him, Little Bun continued to turn the cube in his hands, assembling it within seconds so that the colors on each face matched, before shuffling it and reassembling it again, in a repetitive and tireless process.

    Lu Tingxiao picked up the fairy tale book which Ning Xi had bought; it had a colorful drawing of a little rabbit and a wolf on the cover. Lu Tingxiao asked expressionlessly: "Which story do you want to listen to?"

    Little Bun finally lifted his head to look at him, but his eyes seemed somewhat disdainful¡­

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the skin between his eyebrows, then picked up <The Prince>.

    Little Bun was dismissive.

    Lu Tingxiao picked up <A Brief History of Time>.

    Little Bun was still uninterested.

    Lu Tingxiao finally gave up. Looking at his watch, his face began to darken. "It''s eleven o''clock."

    Noticing that Lu Tingxiao was about to lose his temper, Ning Xi quickly coughed and knocked on the door. "Little Treasure darling, aren¡¯t you asleep yet?"

    As soon as she said the words, Little Bun, who had been as unmoving as a mountain on the bed, threw the Rubik''s cube away and ran towards her like a little tornado. He clung to her leg and tilted his little head back, his big, expressive eyes blinking up at her.

    Ning Xi clutched at her chest, as if she had suffered a critical hit.

 Chapter 201: Goodnight, I Love You

    <h4>Chapter 201: Goodnight, I Love You</h4>

    Seeing that Ning Xi hade, Lu Tingxiao looked relieved. "Are you done?"

    "Well, I¡¯ve almost memorized the whole thing." Ning Xi nodded, carried Little Bun to the bed, and tucked him in.

    Little Bun immediately stretched his hands to pick up the colorful fairy tale book which he had rejected, gesturing for her to read it.

    "Continuing from where we stoppedst night?" asked Ning Xi.

    Little Bun¡¯s little hands gripped the edge of the quilt and he nodded sweetly.

    "Well then, today let¡¯s read <A Polite Little White Rabbit>¡­" Ning Xi cleared her throat and began to recite the story, "On the hot summer day, the bird cried in the tree: ¡®Hot, hot!¡¯ The beautiful little white rabbit wearing a beautiful floral dress hummed a song while skipping over a bridge. It was on its way to pick mushrooms¡­"

    While Ning Xi read the story, Lu Tingxiao sat in a chair next to her, tilting his forehead and listening quietly to her soft, sweet voice.

    He seemed to understand why his son insisted on listening to such childish stories every night before bed.

    What mattered was not the story, but who was reading it.

    After less than five minutes of listening, Little Bun became sleepy-eyed, and Ning Xi patted his back. Very soon, the little boy was sleeping soundly.

    "Sorry to trouble you," said Lu Tingxiao, thanking her.

    "No trouble," replied Ning Xi with an expression of mixed emotions. "Lu Tingxiao, did you know? Actually, I used to really hate children!"

    "Hate?"

    Ning Xi nodded, but did not tell him the real reason. "I just thought kids were very annoying. I wanted to hide every time I saw one¡­ I never thought that I woulde to like Little Bun as much as I do. It¡¯s hard for me to express it, but I always feel some kind of special connection between us. It¡¯s probably fate, like in the stories!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her deeply. "There are no impossibilities in this world, only what you have yet to experience."

    Ning Xi was slightly stunned and vaguely replied, "Probably. It''ste, I''m going to have a bath. Boss, you should also sleep early!"

    "Alright." Lu Tingxiao nodded and suddenly leaned towards her.

    Ning Xi was startled and reared back subconsciously. Lu Tingxiao came so close that he was nearly cheek to cheek with her, but he just moved past her, kissed Little Bun behind her, and quietly said, "Goodnight."

    Later that night, while Ning Xi was half asleep, she felt like she had a dream. She dreamed that Lu Tingxiao was sitting on the edge of her bed, kissing her lips, and saying, "Goodnight, I love you¡­"

    Well, another strange dream¡­

    Why did it feel so real even though it was just a dream¡­

    Meanwhile, at the Regal Riviera Hotel.

    It was alreadyte, but the lights were still bright in Ning Xueluo¡¯s apartment and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

    Chang Li and Cui Caijing sat in a corner of the sofa, neither daring to make a sound.

    Since it hade to this, was she going to me them again?

    Who could have expected Ning Xi to sign on with Glory World Entertainment right after being driven out of Starlight?

    It would have been easy to deal with her if it were any otherpany. Those otherpanies would not have been able to promote the artiste who had been cklisted by Starlight.

    But this was Glory World!

    In front of Glory World, Starlight Entertainment¡¯s ban was just a piece of worthless paper.

    Chang Li wanted tofort Ning Xueluo, to tell her that Ning Xi was so infamous, even Glory World wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything.

    However, she really didn¡¯t have the confidence to say anything.

    After all, this time, even Lu Tingxiao hade out¡­

 Chapter 202: Lineup of A Lifetime

    <h4>Chapter 202: Lineup of A Lifetime</h4>

    Not only did they underestimate Ning Xi, but they had underestimated her to a ridiculous degree!

    To them, the press conference being held by Glory World at nine o''clock tomorrow morning was like a timebomb. Anything could happen.

    Starlight¡¯s press conference had only just ended, but Glory World¡¯s reaction was so fast that there could be no doubt it had been premeditated.

    At present, even their water army was unable to reverse public opinion. What people everywhere were waiting for was tomorrow¡¯s press conference. All of the city¡¯s media correspondents would probably attend.

    Irritated, Ning Xueluo paced through piles of smashed objects, looking like a caged beast. "What exactly is Glory World¡¯s press conference supposed to be about? You haven¡¯t heard anything?"

    Chang Li shook her head. "We¡¯ve tried all kinds of methods, but Ning Xi¡¯s matter is probably only known by some members of Glory World¡¯s senior management team. No one else heard anything about it until they read Lu Jingli¡¯s Weibo message. We can¡¯t learn anything at all!"

    "What about Lin Zhizhi? Didn¡¯t she forward Ning Xi¡¯s Weibo message? She must be her agent! She must know something!"

    Chang Li noticed Ning Xueluo¡¯s obviously chaotic appearance, and sighed. "Before, when Lin Zhizhi was also in charge of Leng Manyun, we fought and grabbed her role. How can we possibly learn anything from her?"

    Ning Xueluo was infuriated. "This doesn¡¯t work, neither does that. Do we have to just sit and wait until morning?"

    Chang Li would have liked to reply that there really was nothing they could do but sit and wait.

    Ning Xueluo downed the rest of the wine on the table, and a sharp light shed through her eyes. "That bumpkin! So what if she joins Glory World? So what if she has them backing her! Does she think she¡¯ll be able to rest easy after joining Glory World?"

    Cui Caijing hurriedly seized the opportunity to approach and say something nice. "Yeah! Sister Xueluo, as long as she still has that stain, she¡¯ll be unable to lift her head before you all her life! Besides, there must be an inside story to her joining Glory World, we¡¯ll have plenty of chances to catch her doing wrong! With people like her, Glory World would also be incriminated by association sooner orter¡­"

    ¡­

    The next morning, Pearl Hotel banquet hall.

    All the reporters and media correspondents were ready and anxiously waiting for the main attraction to show up.

    The entertainment industry hadn''t had such big news for a long time.

    They felt that any selling point today could be a headline.

    In addition to the reporters on the scene, all the people who were following the matter with interest were sitting by a TV, waiting for the live telecast.

    At nine o''clock, the people of Glory World took their seats one by one.

    In the middle sat Ning Xi with Lin Zhizhi on her left and Lawyer Chen Jing on her right. The Director of the Public Rtions Department, Liang Feixing, and Lu Jingli were also present.

    Just the lineup alone had already stunned numerous reporters.

    "God! My dog eyes! Ning Xi¡¯s agent is actually Lin Zhizhi! This is like covertly announcing that Leng Manyun¡¯s retirement is real! What does Glory World mean by arranging Lin Zhizhi to be Ning Xi¡¯s agent? Do they want her to be Leng Manyun¡¯s sessor?"

    "Why does the man on Ning Xi¡¯s right look familiar? Isn''t he thatwyer, Chen Jing, who handled that big economic case some time ago?"

    "Liang Feixing also appeared in person¡­"

    "So what if it¡¯s Liang Feixing? The General Manager, Lu Jingli, is also sitting there, okay!"

    "God! This lineup! How amazing! A lifetime series!"

    "Yeah! Which press conference for an artiste has ever had this kind of turnout?"

    ¡­

 Chapter 203: A Huge Plot Reversal

    <h4>Chapter 203: A Huge Plot Reversal</h4>

    The first to speak was Lu Jingli. "First, allow me to introduce you to the newest member of our Glory World, Ning Xi."

    Ning Xi stood, bowed to the media and the cameras, then sat back down.

    The photographers shot photos one after another.

    Today, Ning Xi was wearing a ck woman¡¯s suit with neutral makeup on, very suitable for formal asions.

    Lu Jingli continued, "Next, the questions regarding our Leng Manyun that manyizens have asked will be answered by her agent, Miss Lin Zhizhi, one by one."

    If it had been before, anything about Leng Manyun would definitely be the focus of attention, but now it unexpectedly became a topic that everyone hoped would finish as soon as possible¡­

    Luckily, Lin Zhizhi¡¯s style had always been very efficient. She used a few words to simply announce Leng Manyun¡¯s marriage and her intention of focusing on her family in the future, which affirmed people¡¯s guesses that Ning Xi was indeed being trained as Leng Manyun¡¯s sessor.

    At that moment, a reporter spoke up, asking, "We only want to know why Glory World wants to sign an artiste with no morals, and even set her up as Leng Manyun¡¯s sessor! Isn¡¯t Glory World afraid that doing so will ruin you?"

    He was echoed by other reporters.

    "Aren''t you ruining Glory World''s good name, a single rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel!"

    "Have all your senior managers been bewitched by witchcraft?"

    "Glory World, I would like to see if you can exin this properly!"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli and Chen Jing eyed each other. "Now we will be hearing from Lawyer Chen. Please, keep quiet."

    Lawyer Chen?

    They had been wondering why awyer would be invited to this press conference, so they all curiously turned to Chen Jing.

    Chen Jing used his mouse to click something on theptop screen before him, then everyone heard a voice through the speakers ¡ª

    [It wasn¡¯t Ning Xi! Ning Xi wasn''t the one who bribed me! It was someone else who asked me to tamper with the prop! But I don¡¯t know who that person is! I received an anonymous email with all the instructions in it, and ten thousand yuan was deposited directly into my ount. They said that I would receive another ten thousand after it was done!]

    The voice paused and there was three seconds of silence, then the audience screamed.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes became cold. "Keep silent, please."

    The reporters reined in their shock and breathed hard, staring.

    Then, the big screen behind Chen Jing lit up to disy two images. One was of the IP address which sent the anonymous email; it was unexpectedly at the Regal Riviera Hotel where Ning Xueluo was staying. The other image was of the anonymous ount which had been cracked. It belonged to Ning Xueluo¡¯s assistant, Cui Caijing.

    At that moment, the shouting could no longer be suppressed.

    However, it wasn¡¯t over yet.

    Chen Jing next disyed Ning Xueluo¡¯s certificate of injury and her doctor''s diagnosis report, proving that at the time of the incident, Ning Xi had quickly pulled back her hand, withdrawing her strength almost immediately after realizing that something was amiss. As a result, Ning Xueluo had only sustained a very light skin injury and could have left the hospital that same day.

    Despite this, Ning Xueluo had remained in the hospital for several days, pretending to be very weak due to her ¡®serious¡¯ injury and blood loss.

    After disying the evidence, Chen Jing brought out awyer''s letter and said that he had filed a formalint against Ning Xueluo for ndering Ning Xi.

 Chapter 204: We Certainly Have A Special Relationship

    <h4>Chapter 204: We Certainly Have A Special Rtionship</h4>

    Compared to Lu Jingli, who had the distasteful hobby of keeping others guessing, Chen Jing¡¯s quick and efficient presentation of evidence took only three minutes, leaving everyone on site confused and disoriented. It was like atomic bombs had been set off one after the other.

    Sitting beside him, Liang Feixing suddenly found that there was not much left for him to do, so he touched his nose and said, "Okay, let''s move on to the question-and-answer session. You can ask anything you want!"

    Reporters: "¡­"

    What¡­ what could they freaking ask!!!

    The dramatic reversal had been like a tornado; they had no idea what to ask!

    In fact, they had guessed from the start that Glory World might have been nning to clear Ning Xi¡¯s reputation, and they even considered the possibility that Zhang Qiang had been bribed to frame her.

    But no one could have guessed that the person who had bribed Zhang Qiang was Ning Xueluo herself, or that this whole charade had been directed and acted out by Ning Xueluo from behind the scenes.

    Had Ning Xueluo been fooling those reporters who prided themselves on being righteous, together with all the enthusiasticizens who had denounced Ning Xi, all this time?

    It was extremely difficult for them to ept this fact, but the irrefutable evidence was right in front of them and couldn¡¯t be denied.

    Finally, after a long time, one hand was weakly raised from within the crowd.

    Liang Feixing signaled for him to ask his questions.

    The reporter who had raised his hand stood up and looked at Chen Jing. "I would like to ask thewyer, how did you get this evidence? Is it legal? How can you prove its authenticity?"

    Chen Jing nced at the reporter and then spoke. "I am here, that is enough to prove its authenticity."

    "Er¡­" The reporter was speechless, and unable to contradict him.

    After all, Chen Jing''s authority and professionalism were well-known, so his asking such a question was really just him embarrassing himself¡­

    "The channels through which we acquired the evidence are also legal. The police have already been involved in this matter." Chen Jing¡¯s face as he said these words looked impartial and trustworthy. He didn¡¯t bat an eye.

    All the reporters nodded and no longer doubted the validity and authenticity of the evidence.

    Embarrassed, Ning Xi tucked her hair behind one ear. She really admired Big Lawyer Chen. Sitting beside him, she felt extremely guilty, okay?

    What legal means? The oral confession had been extorted through torture, and the evidence had been obtained through Lu Tingxiao¡¯s hacking¡­

    No wonder she¡¯d felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu when she¡¯d first met Chen. She finally understood that it was because Chen''s work style was very simr to that of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s.

    Sure enough, birds of a feather flock together.

    One after another, the reporters then broke out of their shock and came to their senses beforepeting to ask questions.

    Reporter: "I want to ask General Manager Lu, why are you spending so much time and energy helping Ning Xi? Do you have a special, private rtionship with Ning Xi as the rumors say?"

    Lu Jingli touched his chin and thought, they certainly had a special rtionship. Ning Xi was his future sister-inw!

    "The rtionship between Ning Xi and me is, to put it briefly, like Bo Le and a swift horse.

    "As for why I am spending so much time and energy, it''s because I believe in my eyes and ability to judge people. She is worth it.

    "I will say this here today: in the future, you will realize that this is the greatest investment I have ever made, and Starlight will be sorry for losing Ning Xi!"

    ¡­

    Bo Le was a famous Chinese horse tamer.

 Chapter 205: Make More Money for the Boss

    <h4>Chapter 205: Make More Money for the Boss</h4>

    Lu Jingli gave a wless, perfect answer.

    The journalists realized that they couldn¡¯t get what they wanted from Lu Jingli, so they moved on to Ning Xi.

    Although Ning Xi was the star of today¡¯s press conference, Glory World was providing her with watertight protection. She didn''t need to personally deal with anything.

    Journalist: "Ning Xi, as far as anyone knows, you have a close rtionship with Ning Xueluo. What is her motivation? Is there a misunderstanding between you two?"

    Ning Xi: "This question, I think you are asking the wrong person."

    Journalist: "The staff at your apartment said that you left it a few months ago, what do you have to say about that?"

    Ning Xi: "Nothing. It¡¯s my freedom to live wherever I want."

    Journalist: "So where have you been staying for all this time? Can you tell us?"

    Ning Xi: "At a friend¡¯s ce."

    Journalist: "Does Jiang Muye know about your joining Glory World? It¡¯s said that you two have a good rtionship as fellow cast members, is he involved in this incident?"

    Ning Xi: "He knows; yes, we are ok; and no, he doesn¡¯t."

    Journalist¡­

    Ning Xi was really difficult to deal with, it was impossible to get any gossip out of her¡­

    The journalists were helpless, so they had to give up on the sensitive questions and asked about something else: "To be able to join Glory World can be seen as a blessing in disguise, what are your thoughts on that?"

    Ning Xi: "I n to work hard and make more money for my boss, to thank him for his appreciation and prove him right."

    The journalists assumed the boss she mentioned was Lu Jingli, only Lu Jingli knew that she was talking about his brother.

    Tut Tut, his brother would be so happy to hear that!

    "Ok, this is the end of today''s press conference. If you have further questions you can make appointments for private interviews. From now on, Ning Xi¡¯s manager, Ms. Ling Zhizhi, will be responsible for her public issues." Liang Feixiang stood up and ended the conference.

    The journalists couldn¡¯t get enough of it; Starlight¡¯s press conference hadsted three hours and used Ning Xi in various ways, but Glory World had exposed such explosive news in only 30 minutes. Who had the upper ground was clear to see.

    As the journalists were about to leave, Lu Jingli suddenly spoke up. "Wait."

    What?

    More news?

    The journalists all turned around excitedly.

    Lu Jingli smiled nicely, as always, and kindly reminded them, "Haven¡¯t you all forgotten something?"

    Eh, forgot what?

    The journalists looked at each other, confused.

    Lu Jingli was still smiling, but there was no warmth in his eyes. "Ning Xi has been med by you all for so many days and was made to carry so many false usations. None of you will say anything about that? That¡¯s not very polite, right?"

    The journalists were all embarrassed and hurriedlypeted to apologize to Ning Xi, all while hating Ning Xueluo on the inside.

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows and thought that this funny little corp was pretty good at scaring people when he got serious!

    However, Lu Jingli returned to his usual self as soon as they were backstage and happily jumped up and down¡­

    "Little Xi Xi, Little Xi Xi, my dearest Little Xi Xi¡­ You have nothing scheduled for this afternoon, shall we eat at home tonight? I will buy materials, wash the vegetables, and clean up the dishes, all you need to do is cook!"

    "¡­" At once, Ning Xi took back all of her previous thoughts and just wanted to kick this dummy''s ass¡­

    Did he know how easily his words could be misunderstood?

 Chapter 206: The Truth Comes Out

    <h4>Chapter 206: The Truth Comes Out</h4>

    Liang Feixing was so shocked that he didn''t even noticed his ss had fallen over and the water sshed everywhere¡­

    He finally understood; no wonder the Big Boss himself had asked about Ning Xi sote at night. Ning Xi and Lu Jingli had that kind of rtionship?

    In her mind, Ning Xi beat Lu Jingli 100 times; outwardly, her smile was so stiff that her face looked paralyzed. "Young Master, I can''t tonight, I made ns with friends. I¡¯ll have to take a rain check!"

    Then, in a natural manner, she turned to Liang Feixing, Ling Zhizhi, and said, "Director Liang, Sister Ling, Lawyer Chen, if you¡¯re avable, do join us! I once imed to be a good cook and Young Master kept it in mind all this time. He is always asking me to cook for him to express my gratitude; I can¡¯t let him keep all the good stuff to himself! Thank you all so much for today! Thank you!"

    After she finished, bowed deeply.

    Just like that, Ning Xi was able to resolve all the embarrassing misunderstandings with just a few words.

    Ling Zhizhi nodded in appreciation and thought that this artiste was good at crisis management. She had also done well in the press conference, she was indeed a good investment.

    As for her rtionship with Lu Jingli, it seemed easily to misunderstood, but there was obviously no chemistry between the two. They should just be very close friends.

    ¡­

    Regal Riveria Hotel, Ning Xueluo¡¯s apartment.

    Su Yan brought nutritious food on his early morning visit. After some sweet talk, Su Yan looked at the time and turned on the TV.

    On the screen, the Glory World Entertainment Press Conference had just started and Lu Jingli was introducing Ning Xi as a new member of thepany.

    Ning Xueluo hadn¡¯t slept at all, she had to put on a thickyer of makeup just to cover the dark circles under her eyes. She¡¯d stayed awake to see the live broadcast, but didn''t expect Su Yan¡¯s arrival.

    She didn¡¯t know what would happen, so she didn''t want to watch it with Su Yan.

    Ning Xueluo clung to Su Yan¡¯s arm like a little girl. "Brother Yan, what''s so good about watching TV, pay attention to me instead! Let¡¯s do something else?"

    Su Yan patted her hand and continued to watch the screen attentively. "Xueluo, be quiet."

    "Brother Yan, why do you care so much about Ning Xi?" Ning Xueluo pretended to be jealous of her.

    "Don¡¯t you care? You don''t want to know what the conference is about?"

    "I¡­" Ning Xueluo choked. "Of course I care about Xiao Xi! I just don''t like that you¡¯re giving her all your attention!"

    "Ok, don''t act like a child. Be quiet and watch with me." Su Yan was abnormally firm about it.

    Ning Xueluo gnashed her teeth and could only sit there like she was sitting on needles, watching the broadcast.

    Ling Zhizhi was exining Leng Manyun¡¯s decision to retire from the entertainment industry, then a reporter stood up and asked why Glory World wanted to sign on Ning Xi.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s heart was in her throat, she wished the situation would descend into chaos and end poorly.

    Unfortunately, this was a Glory World event. Even if the journalists wanted to make a scene, they wouldn¡¯t be able to voice more than a fewints.

    Ning Xueluo cautiously watched Su Yan¡¯s reaction, but realized that Su Yan¡¯s eyes never once left Ning Xi, even though Ning Xi didn''t say a word throughout the whole process.

    Ning Xueluo suddenly felt danger approaching; at the same time, thewyer clicked his mouse and a familiar voice started to y¡­

    It was Zhang Qiang¡¯s voice!!!

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s heart sped up and sheforted herself non-stop. Even with Zhang Qiang¡¯s testimony, Ning Xi would only be able to prove herself innocent. Nobody would find out that she, NIng Xueluo, was the one behind everything.

    What happened next, however¡­ smashed her hopes one by one¡­

 Chapter 207: How Can I Continue to Trust You?

    <h4>Chapter 207: How Can I Continue to Trust You?</h4>

    The remote control dropped on the floor, Ning Xueluo¡¯s whole face was colorless and twisted.

    She¡¯d thought the worst-case scenario would Ning Xi sessfully proving herself innocent; she wouldn''t have expected in a million years that Ning Xi would be able to find concrete evidence to expose herself.

    The sender of that anonymous email benefited from both sides? ckmailed her for 8 million and then turned around and sold the evidence to Glory World right after?

    On the TV, a reporter was asking Ning Xi: "Ning Xi, as far as anyone knows, you have a close rtionship with Ning Xueluo. What is her motivation? Is there a misunderstanding between you two?"

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s fingers quivered and she quickly turned off the TV, threw away the remote control, and then tightly grasped Su Yan. "Brother Yan, let me exin¡­"

    Ning Xueluo felt Su Yan trembling all over after she hugged him, his tightened fists creaking, and his gentle face looked extremely pale and awful¡­

    She had never seen Su Yan like this before!

    Profound fear swallowed up Ning Xueluo¡¯s heart, she could only grasped Su Yan tighter and exin in a rush, "Brother Yan, it wasn¡¯t me¡­ It truly wasn''t me¡­ I didn''t know anything about it¡­ I didn''t expect that Cui Caijing would do such thing! Maybe she wanted to set me up because I called her names several times when I wasn¡¯t feeling well?"

    Su Yan let her grasp him however she wanted, but he didn''t move at all and his voice was without warmth as he spoke. "If Cui Caijing was framing you, then why would she ask Zhang Qiang to set up Ning Xi? What benefit could she get?"

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s face froze and she spoke up again immediately, "She wanted someone to be a scapegoat! She followed me everywhere and knew that Ning Xi treated me horribly in private, so if she put the me on Ning Xi, I wouldn''t suspect her at all¡­"

    "Even if I believe your far-fetched exnation, what about your injury?" Su Yan continued asking.

    Ning Xueluo had managed to calm herself down a bit and exined as if she was the one who had suffered an injustice, "I said from the beginning that I was fine, daddy and mummy were just too worried about me and asked me to stay in the hospital all that time. Brother Yan, you know that I was mentally and physically exhausted at that time and felt horrible. How could they ckmail me like that!"

    Deep sorrow shed across Su Yan¡¯s numb face. "Xueluo¡­ how can I continue to trust you?"

    Ning Xueluo bawled her eyes out, grabbing his hand tightly and looking at him as if he was her only redemption. "Brother Yan! Trust me! Please trust me! People must be criticizing me everywhere out there, if you don''t trust me, how will I be able to move on? The people who don''t know me, I don''t care about them, but don''t you know me? You think I would do something like this to Xiao Xi? Brother Yan, please¡­ please¡­ don¡¯t abandon me¡­"

    Su Yan looked sluggish and absentminded; he had no reaction.

    Ning Xueluo stared at him nervously.

    After half an hour, Su Yan finally took a deep breath and pushed her hand away, then staggered out the door.

    Ning Xueluo panicked. "Brother Yan, where are you going?"

    "Don¡¯t follow me, I need some peace and quiet."

    "Bang," the door was shut.

    In the room, Ning Xueluo, like a piece of rotten y, crashed to the floor like she had just been struck by a huge disaster, then swiftly called Chang Li¡­

 Chapter 208: When Did I Flirt?

    <h4>Chapter 208: When Did I Flirt?</h4>

    Su Yan tumbled downstairs and drove aimlessly on the busy streets.

    All he could think about was that day when Ning Xi had covered Ning Xueluo¡¯s wound and called out for help, and how he had rudely pushed her away¡­

    About how Ning Xi had been stubborn at the hospital, refusing to lower her head in front of the unfair usations from Mr. and Mrs. Ning¡­

    About all those hurtful and usatory words he had sent to her, word by word, sentence by sentence¡­

    After the incident, he hadn¡¯t considered for even a second to stand by Ning Xi¡¯s side and to listen to her exnation.

    He¡¯d said himself that he would treat her like his own little sister even though they were no longer in a rtionship, but he had been hurting her all this time.

    Xueluo had him, her loving parents, thepany, and her fans¡­

    What about Ning Xi? She had been med by the whole world and bore everyone¡¯s usations, bore all the injustice, all by herself.

    In the end, it was aplete stranger who had found her justice, not those who imed to care for her¡­

    Through the car window, he could see Ning Xi answering the reporters¡¯ questions on the shopping mall¡¯s big LED screen with a serious face: "I n to work hard and make more money for my boss, to thank him for his appreciation and prove him right."

    He knew that she wasn¡¯t saying those things for show. She was being sincere. That¡¯s how she was; those who showed her even just a bit of kindness, would in turn be treated with all her heart¡­

    He¡¯d thought that she was the one who had changed, but the truth was, it was him who was no longer the same.

    Like crazy, the image of Ning Xi walking out of the hospital gate all by herself kept repeating in his head¡­

    That helpless, lonely view of her back¡­

    His heart hurt like it was being twisted by a knife¡­

    ¡­

    At night, VIVI Bar.

    This wasn¡¯t a big bar, not in a good location, either, but it was very tastefully decorated. All the industry people went there. It was private enough, so they could rx and have gatherings.

    When Ning Xi arrived at the box, Jiang Muye was already there, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed. There were a few empty wine bottles on the coffee table.

    Ning Xi removed her mask and sunsses. "Hey, hey, hey, started all by yourself?"

    Jiang Muye made a disdainful sound. "Didn¡¯t you quit drinking? What¡¯s the point of waiting for you, I would be drinking by myself anyways!"

    Ning Xi shrugged. "Ok, forget it, you go on! Ordered me some fresh juice yet?"

    "Order my ass! How can you find fresh juice in a bar?" Jiang Muye stared at her impatiently.

    Then Ning Xi pressed the service button.

    A handsome young man came in and smiled. "Miss, what can I get you?"

    Ning Xi took out a big bill, put it in his pocket, and winked. "Handsome, can you go buy me two bottles of juice?"

    Stunned, the young man blushed and smiled. "At your service."

    Jiang Muye opened his eyes so wide that his eyeballs looked like they were going to fall out. "Ning Xi! Stop it, why do you flirt with all the good looking guys?"

    Ning Xi instantly gave him a kick. "Screw you! When did I flirt! A dirty mind makes for dirty vision!"

    Jiang Muye dusted the dirt off his pants. "Don¡¯t talk about meaningless things! Get to the point!"

    "You started the meaningless talk first!" Ning Xi gave him a contemptuous look and leaned on the back of the sofa, then let out a long sigh. She could no longer hide the exhaustion she had been suppressing all day, and released it all out from between her eyes¡­

 Chapter 209: Repay You With Myself

    <h4>Chapter 209: Repay You With Myself</h4>

    Jiang Muye had seen her like this before and asked awkwardly, "Why are you so tired today? Didn¡¯t the press conference go well?"

    Everything was arranged perfectly by a certain someone¡­

    "It¡¯s all your fault! I¡¯m tired mentally!" Ning Xi was annoyed and quickly rolled up to look at him with a burning stare. "Let me ask you something, that day¡­ that day Lu Tingxiao¡­ really¡­ kissed me?"

    Jiang Muye tossed back a drink. "If I lied, I¡¯ll burn all my equipment and never y PC games ever again!"

    Ning Xi nodded. "Ok, I trust you now." Such a deadly oath for him to make.

    Jiang Muye tried not to scream. "You freaking tell me, how many times did I remind you! You never listened! Why haven''t you died from stupidity! How long have we known each other and how long have you known Lu Tingxiao? Why don¡¯t you trust me?"

    Looking at Jiang Muye¡¯s sad little face, Ning Xi sighed. "In fact, when I first met Lu Tingxiao, he said it."

    "Said what?" Jiang Muye got nervous.

    Ning Xi gestured with her palms. "Said he would marry me."

    "Pff¡­ cough, cough, cough¡­ what did you say?" Jiang Muye almost choked to death on his drink and coughed severely.

    Ning Xi patted his back hard. "I was more shocked than you are right now."

    "Then?" Jiang Muye asked in a rush.

    "Then I asked why! It was totally unscientific!"

    "What did he say?"

    "He said that I saved Little Treasure and that he wanted to repay me by giving himself to me!"

    "WTF! Then what did you say?"

    "I said that I saved Little Treasure and then Little Treasure saved me back, so let¡¯s call it even, no need to repay me with anything, and then I ran away!"

    Jiang Muye quickly stood up and paced in circles crazily around the room. "I freaking want to strangle you. Lu Tingxiao wanted to take advantages from you from the beginning and even said it out straight, so why didn''t you keep your distance?"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows. "Come on, how can anyone reject anything in front of Little Treasure¡¯s innocent face? Plus, I always thought that Lu Tingxiao only said he wanted to marry me for Little Treasure¡¯s sake. I rejected himter and he didn''t force me anymore, so what else could I do?"

    "Why would it be for Little Treasure¡¯s sake? That¡¯s so fake! And you, you¡¯re such a pig!" Jiang Muye finally stopped walking in circles, looked at her, and said, "Let me put it this way, normally, in a hero-saves-beauty situation like this, if the beauty is not interested in the hero, she would say, ¡®thank you for helping me, I will work for you like a cow or a horse to repay you!¡¯ So here¡¯s the question, what if the beauty IS interested in the hero, what would she say? Ning Xiao Xi, please answer!"

    "Hmm¡­" Ning Xi touched her jaw. "The beauty would say, ¡®I will repay you with myself¡¯?"

    "So, now you understand the meaning of ¡®repay you with myself¡¯?! It means ¡®I freaking like you, I¡¯m keen and interested¡¯!"Jiang Muye impatiently shouted next to her ear.

    Ning Xi picked her ears, which had gone numb from his loud screaming. "Sounds reasonable¡­"

    Jiang Muye said, "This is the freaking truth!"

    Ning Xi stood up and dusted off her butt, then grabbed Jiang Muye¡¯s shoulder, calmed him down, made him sit on the sofa, and said slowly, "Ok, since you asked me, let me also ask you something!"

    Jiang Muye looked at her cautiously. "What do you want to ask?"

    "I want to ask you, if you walked into a room and saw the person you like was drugged, wearing a transparent night gown, and lying on a king sized bed covered with rose petals, what would you do?"

 Chapter 210: I Have a Crush on Him

    <h4>Chapter 210: I Have a Crush on Him</h4>

    Jiang Muye fell into a daze for 3 seconds and his ears started to burn up soon after. He pushed her away. "Ning Xiao Xi, you have such a dirty mind!"

    "Screw you! Stop pretending to be so innocent and seriously answer your big mama¡¯s question!"

    "Why did you ask something like that?" Jiang Muye tried to avoid her eyes, not wanting her to know that what she¡¯d just said had been too graphic and that the only feeling he had was¡­

    "You answer me first!" Ning Xi rushed him.

    Jiang Muye hesitated for a long while before finally saying in a blurry voice, "Of¡­ of course I¡¯d go along with it! All normal men would do it, ok? Unless the man didn''t like her in the first ce!"

    Ning Xi looked at him with a half smile, having gotten her expected answer.

    "Why are you looking at me like that? Am I wrong?" Jiang Muye felt ufortable with her expression.

    "You¡¯re right."

    "Now can you tell me why you asked me that?"

    Ning Xi rested her jaw in her hand and said absentmindedly, "Do you know what Lu Tingxiao did when he met with this situation?"

    Jiang Muye¡¯s expression changed immediately. "When Lu Tingxiao met with this situation? What do you mean?"

    Ning Xi exined the causes and effects briefly. "¡­ then Zhu Xiangcheng tied me up and left me on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s bed!"

    "What¡­ What did Lu Tingxiao do?" Jiang Muye¡¯s voice changed out of nervousness.

    "He didn''t do anything." Ning Xi recalled what happened that night. "Heforted me and talked to me to distract me. He didn''t cross the line even a little for the whole night, just quietly kept mepany through the most difficult and helpless night of my entire life."

    Jiang Muye bit his lips hard after hearing that. He couldn¡¯t say a word.

    Ning Xi stared at him. "Why do you think Lu Tingxiao didn''t do anything? Is he not a normal guy? Does he not like me?"

    Jiang Muye tightened his fists. "He likes you for sure!"

    The way Lu Tingxiao had handled it didn''t mean that he wasn¡¯t a real man, on the contrary, it proved that he was a man among men¡­ If it had been himself, he couldn¡¯t promise that he would be able to do the same¡­

    Ning Xi nodded. "I wasn''t sure at first and didn''t dare to confirm, but now I¡¯m sure that he likes me, too. So, there is a third possibility."

    That got Jiang Muye¡¯s attention instantly. "What is it?"

    "It¡¯s not that I was stupid, it¡¯s that he is on a whole other level. I¡¯m not surprised, nor do I regret having a crush on him at all¡­" After she spoke, settledpromises appeared in her foggy and cloudy eyes.

    Jiang Muye¡¯s voice shook and he could barely finish a full sentence. "You have a crush on him?"

    Ning Xi smiled. "Although I don''t want to admit it, and have been avoiding it for so long, it¡¯s the truth."

    Jiang Muye mmed his fist onto the coffee table, hard, and his red eyes exploded with jealousy. "Ning Xi! How much do you know about him? How much? You only see what¡¯s on the surface! You think Lu Tingxiao is really as gentle as he looks? Did you know that Jia Qingqing died in the wilderness? Do you know what happened to Chu Xiangcheng? Did you know that he used the aviation aircraft to make artificial rain, just to stop your kissing scene? And the incident at my house¡­ he is the one behind everything!"

    Ning Xi fell into a long silence, then said in a low voice, "But, Jiang Muye, he never did anything to hurt me. If I get scared of him because of all that, keep my distance from him, and resent him, it¡¯s not fair to him. You can think of me as someone who doesn¡¯t know right from wrong or that I¡¯m naive about life-and-death matters, but I only know that he treats me well. Very well. Nobody has ever treated me as well as he does."

 Chapter 211: Do You Want to Be His Girlfriend?

    <h4>Chapter 211: Do You Want to Be His Girlfriend?</h4>

    Jiang Muye looked dejected and spoke with a hoarse voice. "Do you want to be his girlfriend?"

    "How could that be possible!" Ning Xi looked sideways at him. "I still have self-knowledge."

    Jiang Muye frowned. "I don''t mean that. I don¡¯t mean you are not good enough, but Lu Tingxiao is too calctive and dangerous. The environment in the Lu family is not suitable for you¡­"

    "Bro, thanks for ttering me. I clearly know what kind of person I am in my heart." Ning Xi interrupted him and her expression recovered. "Rx. Loving someone doesn¡¯t mean losing my mind. I know what I¡¯m doing and what I should do from now on."

    When Jiang Muye heard her words, he wasn¡¯t at all happy; instead, he felt like his chest was stuffed with a sponge soaking up water, which made him unhappy. "What kind of person you are? You work hard to make progress. You seem to be cynical and heartless, but you actually pay close attention to detail and are clear about what to love or hate. You deserve the most suitable man for you!"

    Ning Xi froze for a moment and then looked surprised. "Golden hair, what a surprise! My image in your heart is so great? Aren¡¯t you falling in love with me?"

    Jiang Muye¡¯s back instantly became rigid. "F*** you!"

    "Hahaha¡­" Ning Xi held her stomach as sheughed for a moment, then looked at him in a subtle way. "To paraphrase what you said before, what do you know about me, Jiang Muye? How much do you know about me? You only see the side that I''m letting you see. Do you really think I''m exactly what I show?"

    The moment Ning Xi looked at Jiang Muye, he almost thought that she had seen through his heart, and that she had deliberately said what she had to remind him topletely give up on his idea¡­

    ¡­

    Lu Mansion.

    Lu Tingxiao was sitting on the sofa in the living room, holding a German book and reading it attentively.

    On the other hand, Lu Jingli spent the whole night wandering the house, appearing as though he had been stabbed in the butt with a needle.

    "Brother, the man Xiao Xixi is meeting with is Jiang Muye, that boy! Don''t you want to know what they''re talking about? I have a hunch! The topic of conversation will be very thrilling! And it¡¯ll mean a lot to you!"

    Lu Tingxiao turned a page, not raising his head at all.

    "Ay, it¡¯s all your fault, brother. You¡¯re too old-fashioned. I said that I wanted to bug the ce, but you stopped me! Now you can only stay at home and be anxious!" Lu Jingliined.

    Although, ording to the present situation, it seemed only he, himself, was suffering from anxiety.

    Finally, even Lu Tingxiao, who was so patient, could no longer bear the noise. "Keep silent or go back."

    "No! I won¡¯t go!"

    He still wanted to wait for Xiao Xixi to return so he could fish for information! Otherwise, how could he sleep tonight?

    "It''s almost eleven o''clock. Why haven¡¯t they returned?" While Lu Jingli was scratching his head, his phone rang. It was an unknown number.

    "Who''s calling me sote?" Lu Jingli picked up his mobile phone and went to the yard to answer it.

    Ten minutester, Lu Jingli rushed in like he¡¯d been injected with a stimnt.

    --

    "It really came right on time! Brother, guess what I just got? It¡¯s the recording of the wiretap from the box Xiao Xixi and Jiang Muye are using! I didn¡¯t set it up, it was secretly recorded by an innocent paparazzo from a gossippany. Luckily, his boss is sensible and stopped it immediately after receiving it, then called me to apologize in order to suck up to me!"

 Chapter 212: Could He Be An Ex?

    <h4>Chapter 212: Could He Be An Ex?</h4>

    When Lu Tingxiao heard his words, he didn¡¯t even blink, and coldly spoke two words with his thin lips. "Destroy it."

    Lu Jingli immediately felt like a basin of cold water had been dumped on him. "What? Even God is helping you! You won¡¯t even listen to this?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked colder. "Need I say it twice?"

    Noticing that his brother was really angry, Lu Jingli hurriedly nodded like a chicken pecking rice. "Okay, okay, okay¡­ I¡¯ll destroy it¡­ I¡¯ll destroy¡­"

    Ai, he didn''t know what to say about his brother. Apart from when he was in front of Xiao Xi Xi, he was too principled and inflexible at any other time!

    Nevertheless, he was different from him. He said yes, but in his heart, he knew he wouldn¡¯t really destroy it.

    Tsk, it was ok to secretly keep it¡­

    It woulde in handy someday!

    While Lu Jingli was sighing, a small figure suddenly ran like the wind downstairs and outside¡­

    "Is Xiao Xi Xi back?" Lu Jingli hurriedly followed Little Treasure.

    When he reached the gate, he saw that it really was Ning Xi, sitting in Jiang Muye¡¯s car.

    He couldn¡¯t see anything unusual about their expressions, but Jiang Muye seemed to have drunk a lot, while Ning Xi seemed to have drunk very little.

    Ning Xi left the car and picked up Little Treasure, who had rushed to greet her, saying with resignation and love, "Darling, it''s already eleven o''clock. Why did you stay up sote again? Didn¡¯t we agree that you wouldn¡¯t wait for me!"

    Little Treasure clung to Ning Xi¡¯s arms, tightly wrapped his arms around her, and stared at Jiang Muye behind her. His little face was full of vignce and rejection.

    Jiang Muye curled his lips. How freaking unfair! This was an iparable aid for Lu Tingxiao! An iparable aid!

    Lu Jingli read Jiang Muye¡¯s mind with just one look, and came to pat him sympathetically on the shoulder. "My condolences, that you have no son!"

    Jiang Muye¡¯s heart jolted. "What do you mean?"

    Lu Jingli came close to his ears and whispered, "Don¡¯t pretend. You like Ning Xi, don¡¯t you?"

    Jiang Muye panicked, then put on a straight face. "Second uncle, are you kidding me? How could I like her!"

    Lu Jingli touched his chin with a contemtive expression.

    It was strange, really strange. What the hell had happened between them? It was obvious that Jiang Muye that guy liked her, but he wasn¡¯t willing to admit it even now¡­

    Ning Xi was about to walk inside with Little Treasure in her arms, when the phone in her bag rang.

    She casually pressed the answer key. "Hello, who is this?"

    "Hello, is this Miss Ning Xi? Your boyfriend got into a car ident and is currently being treated at the hospital! Pleasee immediately!"

    Ning Xi looked puzzled: "What? My boyfriend?"

    Immediately, Lu Jingli, Jiang Muye, Lu Tingxiao, and even Little Treasure all focused their eyes on Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi coughed, embarrassed. "Ahem, aren¡¯t you mistaken? I don¡¯t have a boyfriend!"

    "But the number that the patient left before passing out was yours, you had bettere soon! Our hospital¡¯s address is¡­" After that, the person on the phone hung up in a hurry.

    Ning Xi held her phone and stood there with an overwhelmed expression. "Holy sheet! Who the hell is he?"

    Jiang Muye leaned against his car and hummed as he looked askance at her. "He¡¯s one of your exes, isn¡¯t he? He left your number when he almost died in an ident! He really is desperate for you!"

    Ning Xi kicked him. "Be less sarcastic!"

    "Then, Xiao Xi Xi, will you go?" Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes were sparkling. Although he was asking her, his expression said that he really hoped she would go!

 Chapter 213: It Is Better to Choose Lu Jingli

    <h4>Chapter 213: It Is Better to Choose Lu Jingli</h4>

    Ning Xi painfully pinched the skin between her eyebrows. "A human life is of greater value than anything. I had better go! What if he is someone I know! But what to do with Little Treasure¡­"

    Before she could continue, Little Treasure tightly threw his arms around her neck, as if, after finally seeing her return, he would never separate from her.

    Little Treasure wouldn¡¯t let go no matter what, so Ning Xi would have to go with him.

    Little Treasure wanted to follow her, so Lu Tingxiao definitely needed to join them.

    And Lu Jingli actively volunteered to drive them.

    Jiang Muye saw that the three people of the Lu family were all unashamedly ready to go, so he decidedly also squeezed into the car.

    The final result was that everyone went with her.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    At the hospital, several ambnces were at the door, the paramedics were bustling about, and the stretchers were full of bleeding patients, as if there had been a major traffic ident.

    Ning Xi put her hands over Little Treasure¡¯s eyes, to keep him from seeing these bloody things, and softly coaxed him. "Darling, it¡¯s very messy now in the hospital. Would you please wait for me in the car?"

    Little Treasure held her waist, his little head drooping as if he was being abandoned. He was actually so sleepy that he dozed off, but he still refused to sleep.

    Ning Xi leaned over and kissed his little face. "Little Treasure, listen to me! I¡¯ll be back very soon!"

    Little Treasure, who had been kissed, recovered a bit and nodded.

    "Then, I¡¯m going!" Ning Xi said to all of them.

    Lu Tingxiao: "I¡¯ll go with you."

    Jiang Muye: "I want to go, too!"

    Both spoke almost simultaneously.

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    "You going alone is unsafe." Lu Tingxiao frowned.

    Jiang Muye snorted and said, "I just want to see who the hell he is!"

    Ning Xi¡¯s head hurt. She looked at Lu Tingxiao and then looked at Jiang Muye. Her eyes finally fell on Lu Jingli.

    Lu Jingli innocently blinked. Why was his sister-inw looking at him?

    Atst, Ning Xi spoke. "I don¡¯t know the situation inside. It¡¯s really improper for me to go alone. So, Second Young Master, pleasee with me! Lu Tingxiao, you¡­ you¡¯d better stay here to apany Little Treasure!"

    There was a flicker of darkness in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes. "Ok."

    "As for you, Jiang Muye, stop this! Don¡¯t you know how easily your face creates trouble? Running to a hospital sote at night, you want to create headlines, don¡¯t you?"

    Jiang Muye looked angry. Why are you so mad at me? But you speak so softly to Lu Tingxiao! Why?

    "Go, go, go! Xiao Xixi, I¡¯ll go with you! I¡¯ll go with you!" Lu Jingli exulted. He was so excited that he almost danced on the spot.

    Happiness came too suddenly! It was really a quarrel which benefited only the third party!

    In the hospital¡¯s Emergency Room.

    It was a mess. It took Ning Xi a long time to find the doctor who had called her before.

    "Hello, I¡¯m Ning Xi. Where is the friend you mentioned before?"

    "You¡¯re Ning Xi! He has been through surgery and is now in Ward 307 on Floor 12. Go identify him quickly. He has nothing to prove his identity!"

    "Ok, thank you!"

    Ning Xi and Lu Jingli hurried to go upstairs, but the elevator was so crowded that they had to climb the stairs. Twelve floors! How miserable!

    Ning Xi was terribly tired, while Lu Jingli was still cheerful like it was nothing.

    She finally understood why Lu Jingli had been able to run Glory World Entertainment with such excellence. This guy''s passion for gossip was simply unmatched!

 Chapter 214: Itâ€™s All Over

    <h4>Chapter 214: It¡¯s All Over</h4>

    They finally arrived at ward 307.

    Out of breath, Ning Xi bent over, and unable to wait any longer, Lu Jingli pushed the door open before she could straighten up.

    A secondter, Ning Xi still hadn¡¯t seen who was inside when Lu Jingli¡¯s face suddenly sank and he closed the door. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her outside, saying, "Xiao Xi Xi, go, go, go¡­ forget about it! This Junior Master was looking forward to it all this time, but it turned out to be this thing! Let him die!"

    "Who is it, why are you acting like this?"

    "Well, you won¡¯t regret leaving, regardless!"

    "Su Yan?" guessed Ning Xi.

    Lu Jingli straightened his face. "Hell yeah, it¡¯s him! Now we can go!"

    "We can¡¯t leave if it¡¯s him!" Ning Xi pushed Lu Jingli¡¯s hands off her shoulders and turned to walk inside the ward.

    Lu Jingli anxiously stomped his feet. "Xiao Xi Xi, why do you care about him! You, you, you¡­ it¡¯s still not over between you two?

    Ning Xi didn''t answer and walked straight into the ward.

    It was Su Yan in the ward. Lying quietly on the bed, his head was covered by a thin veil and an IV drip was in his hand.

    Ning Xi lightly sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to fix his hair. The look on her face was gentle, and she spoke even more gently, "Brother Yan¡­"

    Lu Jingli: "¡­!!!"

    What the f*** did I just see! What did I hear!

    Ning Xi still liked this guy? Luckily, his brother wasn''t with them, otherwise he would get mad!

    As Lu Jingli was thinking, a wave of iciness blew in from behind him. He turned his head and saw¡­

    His brother was right there!!!

    "Bro¡­ bro¡­ why are you here?"

    Little Treasure was in his arms and Jiang Muye was behind him; all three of them hade.

    He imagined that Little Treasure had been unable to wait any longer and wanted toe up, so his brother brought him and Jiang Muye followed them.

    Now¡­ it was over!

    In bed, Su Yan looked pale and frowned, slowly opening his eyes. "Xiao Xi¡­"

    "How are you feeling?" asked Ning Xi.

    Su Yan looked at the girl before him in a daze. "Am I dreaming?"

    Every time he met Ning Xi, they argued and things would end unhappily. He couldn¡¯t remember how long it had been since shest spoke to him so nicely.

    The moment he woke up, he saw concern for him in her eyes. She even called him Brother Yan¡­

    Ning Xi stood next to the bed and returned to being her cool self. "You just had an operation, the doctors said that you¡¯re fine now. You only have a small concussion remaining and need to stay in the hospital for a bit longer to recover. If there¡¯s nothing else, I should go¡­"

    She turned away as she finished speaking, but suddenly her wrist was grabbed¡ª

    "Don¡¯t leave me! Xiao Xi, don''t go¡­"

    "Anything else?"

    "I¡­" Su Yan struggled, then watched her as he let everything out in one breath. "Although I know you don''t care for or need it, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I still want to tell you that I¡¯m sorry! I misunderstood you! You know what? When I thought I was going to die, at that moment, I couldn¡¯t think of anything except how I still haven''t had a chance to apologize to you¡­"

    Outside the door, Lu Jingli looked at Ning Xi¡¯s wrist, which was being grabbed by Su Yan. He quaking in fear and swallowed, then turned and saw his brother''s face. As expected, it was abnormally scary¡­

    He was really mad, what was Xiao Xi Xi thinking?

 Chapter 215: Little Treasure Freaks Out

    <h4>Chapter 215: Little Treasure Freaks Out</h4>

    "Su Yan, you don''t need to apologize. Even if you were given a second chance, you would still choose to believe in Ning Xueluo."

    Su Yan hurriedly exined, "I wouldn''t¡­"

    "Don¡¯t say that you wouldn¡¯t, take this incident as an example. Ning Xueluo told you that she was innocent and put all the me on Cui Caijing, correct? And you, you believed her again, right? If I told you that she lied to you, would you believe me?" Ning Xi spoke slowly and clearly.

    Su Yan subconsciously avoided her eyes and said firmly, "I will put more effort into investigating the matter!"

    Ning Xi smiled and shook her head. "True belief doesn¡¯t need investigation. Back when you chose to believe in her, you didn''t listen to me at all."

    "Xiao Xi, I¡­"

    "Brother Yan¡­"

    "Xiao Xi!" Su Yan suddenly raised his head. This time, he clearly heard it; she called him "Brother Yan."

    Ning Xi looked out the window, into the darkness, and felt as if she¡¯d gone back in time. Her voice became blurry. "Brother Yan, do you remember? When I was 9, I really wanted that back pack with my idol¡¯s picture printed on it, but my parents wouldn¡¯t buy it for me. Then 50 yuan went missing in the house. My grandma was sure that I stole it, my parents became suspicious, and even Xiao Nuo, was always on my side, even he thought that I took the money, because he knew that I really, really liked that male star¡­"

    Su Yan couldn''t bear to continue to listen. After hearing just half the story, his body was shaking and his eyes had turned red.

    Ning Xiughed at herself, seeming to lose her voice. "Only you, back then, only you believed that I didn''t take the money. You took me out of the house, went to all the kids who came to y at my house, and knocked on one door after another until you found the kid who took the money¡­

    You know what? Back then, I thought that when I grew up, this guy in front of me would be my future husband!"

    "Xiao Xi, stop¡­" Su Yan closed his eyes in embarrassment.

    Outside the door, Lu Jingli was screaming inside, sister-inw, stop!!!

    I¡¯m afraid the whole hospital will disappear overnight!

    Just then, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s energy was horrifying, even overshadowing Jiang Muye¡¯s jealousy. Lu Jingli coughed lightly and stepped further away from his brother.

    While everyone was looking into the ward, Little Treasure, who was standing next to Lu Tingxiao, threw off his father''s hand and quickly ran into the ward.

    Like a wolf pup, the little guy swiftly snatched Ning Xi¡¯s hand, then tightly sped his arms around Ning Xi¡¯s thigh. He stared at Su Yan angrily, with rage ming in his pretty eyes¡­

    "Darn it! Little Treasure¡ª" Lu Jingli was really scared, but as he was going to run after him, Lu Tingxiao blocked him with his arm.

    Lu Jingli understood in a second that it would be moreplicated if he also went in.

    Little Treasure, who ran inside all of a sudden, scared Ning Xi. "Eh, darling¡­ why are you here?"

    She looked out through the little window in the door and saw Lu Tingxiao and the others all standing in the corridor.

    Little Treasure looked up at Ning Xi with his little head thrown back. Tears welled up in his eyes and he soon started crying, the tears falling down his cheeks in big drops¡­

    Ning Xi saw them and became worried. "Ai, don''t cry! What is it? Be good, don''t cry! Auntie will take you home right away!"

    Ning Xi held Little Treasure in her arms and prepared to leave, when Su Yan called her to stop after finally returning to his senses¡ª

    "Xiao Xi! This kid¡­ who¡­ who is he?"

 Chapter 216: Lost Love Rekindledï¼Ÿ

    <h4>Chapter 216: Lost Love Rekindled?</h4>

    Ning Xi subconsciously raised Little Treasure¡¯s face to her shoulder, gently patted his back, and answered casually, "My friend¡¯s kid. I have to go, get well soon! I will inform Ning Xueluo toe hereter."

    After Ning Xi left, Su Yan stared at the door, still in shock.

    What was with that kid?

    Why, for a split second, did he think that the kid actually resembled Ning Xi, especially in the eye area?

    He recalled the horrible memory of that dead fetus from five years ago. If that fetus hadn¡¯t died, it would have been around the same age¡­

    Sheet, what was he thinking about! It was simply mad! That fetus died 5 years ago!

    Yes¡­ died¡­ it was already dead¡­ there was no way it could have survived¡­

    Ning Xi came out 5 seconds after Little Treasure had run in. Lu Jingli couldn¡¯t help but snap his fingers at Little Treasure, well done!

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face and knew instantly that he was going to criticize Little Treasure. She hurriedly defended Little Treasure before he could speak. "Don¡¯t me Little Treasure, he''s just a kid! He didn''t disturb me at all!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked helpless. "You are spoiling him." Funny, when he criticized Ning Xi, he didn¡¯t sound at all angry.

    Jiang Muye, who was standing at the side, saw how Lu Tingxiao contained all of his anger as soon as Ning Xi came out. He even looked loving instead. The speed at which he changed his expression was faster than turning a page in a book. The shock he felt was indescribable¡­

    Fake, so fake!

    "You treat him so strictly, I''m just making up for it!" Ning Xi touched Little Treasure¡¯s head and a hint of sorrow unnoticeably shed across her eyes.

    If she didn''t spoil Little Treasure now, she never would. She wouldn¡¯t be able to in the future.

    After leaving the hospital, they returned to the car and Ning Xi carried Little Bun in her arms, trying to put him to sleep. He passed out very quickly.

    Lu Jingli had held it in for so long and finally couldn''t bear it anymore. He looked at Ning Xi through the rearview mirror and asked in a rush, "Xiao Xi Xi, calling him ¡®Brother Yan" and reminiscing with him, what was all that about? Has your lost love for him rekindled?"

    In the passenger seat, Jiang Muye humphed. "Rekindled my ass! I was also almost fooled by her, she was acting like a little white flower again! Not just that, she even added a beauty trap on top!"

    Ning Xi held her jaw and lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "My golden retriever got smarter, he even saw through me!"

    Sitting next to Ning Xi, Lu Tingxiao still looked bit cold.

    He¡¯d discovered with a single nce that Ning Xi wasn''t being sincere with Su Yan; what really upset him was¡ª

    The beauty trap¡­ she used it on someone other than him¡­

    "Ah, I still need to call Ning Xueluo!" Ning Xi still had Little Treasure in her arms; she moved slightly to grab her phone.

    "Give him to me." Lu Tingxiao took Little Treasure from her.

    She dialed the number and Ning Xueluo¡¯s sharp voice sounded on the other end. "Ning Xi? Heh, why do you call me? To show off? B*tch! You must be so pleased to see me lose everything, huh? I¡¯m telling you, don''t be so happy just yet! You think that Brother Yan, mummy, and daddy will believe your nonsense? You are just a shameless bumpkin who found¡­"

    Ning Xi let her finish her curses before speaking up slowly, but surely. "Miss Ning¡­ let me remind you that you are on speaker right now, and that Su Yan is right next to me¡­"

 Chapter 217: I Could Be Worse

    <h4>Chapter 217: I Could Be Worse</h4>

    Ning Xueluo: "¡­"

    There was a long silence on the other end on the phone, then she hung up.

    It was hard to imagine Ning Xueluo¡¯s face after hearing those words, and how panicked she must have been when she hung up the phone.

    "Pff! Xiao Xi Xi, you are so bad! You probably scared that woman so bad!" said Lu Jingli in admiration.

    "You call this bad? You are so green and inexperienced! Now, I will show you something much worse!" Ning Xi bit her lip and pressed a key on her phone. The next second, a recording of her conversation with Ning Xueluo started to y.

    Yup, she¡¯d recorded it.

    She had originally nned to call Ning Xueluo in front of Su Yan, then put her on speaker and let Su Yan hear her directly, but Little Treasure¡¯s entrance had changed the n.

    Good thing was, it hadn¡¯t changed the result.

    Ning Xi edited the recording a little before sending it to Su Yan, then sighed in pity. "Pity that I can¡¯t use this kind of trick on her anymore, she will be more cautious when talking to me from now on. Just this once is still great though!"

    She¡¯d expected from the start that Ning Xueluo wouldn¡¯t admit to framing her, so today she¡¯d wanted to solidly nt a seed of doubt in Su Yan¡¯s heart. Now all she needed to do was watch two dogs bite at each other¡­

    Lu Jingli shivered and his voice shook. "Xiao Xi Xi, if I ever do anything to upset you, please tell me straight or beat me up to release your anger, don''t use such evil tricks on me! I¡¯m scared¡­"

    Ning Xiughed lightly and replied straightforwardly, "Don¡¯t worry, for your brother¡¯s sake, I won¡¯t care too much about you."

    Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes brightened. "My brother has such a privilege?"

    Ning Xi red at him resentfully. "Of course, he¡¯s my Boss, my life savior! For him, I¡¯m willing to work like a horse!"

    After hearing her answer, a beam of light streaked across Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes like a meteor, leaving an endless darkness in its wake¡­

    Even though she usually tried to act cautiously, he¡¯d still noticed that her attitude towards him had changed after she¡¯d returned tonight.

    From bringing Lu Jingli with her to the hospital, to purposely acting close to Su Yan; she¡¯d even acted like a schemer to make him resent her, then casually brought up his position as her boss to rify the boundary between them¡­

    It was like he¡¯d steeped a frog in warm water, nurtured it, and slowly allowed it to get used to his presence and ept him subconsciously, but then it learned his tricks and began to distance itself from him¡­

    No doubt about it, she was a good student, able to apply what she learned in real practice.

    It was like he¡¯d bitten his own tail, trapping himself in a cage he¡¯d personally designed. He knew clearly what she was doing, but couldn''t do anything to stop her.

    Late night, Lu Mansion.

    Ning Xi was lying in her big bed, counting sheep. She couldn¡¯t sleep.

    She picked up her phone and opened WeChat.

    She browsed the moments for a bit and was absent-minded, then typed: Had I not seen the Sun, I could have borne the shade, but Light a newer Wilderness, my Wilderness has made.

    It was a poem by a female poet, Emily Dickinson. Ning Xi wasn¡¯t sure why, but it suited her mood unexpectedly well¡­

    The first one toment was¡­ Lu Jingli¡­

    [A, everythinges back to life, flowers blossom in warm spring, now is the time when animals¡­ Ah, bah! I smell love!]

    The corner of Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched, Lu Jingli, this bastard, replied so fast. Didn''t he need to sleep?

    To her surprise, Jiang Muye wasn''t asleep either, even though it was sote. Hemented: [So sour that my freaking teeth are falling off!]

    Ning Xi was gonna send a few words back at Jiang Muye, but something suddenly caught her attention. She heard a creak as someone pushed her door open¡­

 Chapter 218: She Can do Whatever She Wants

    <h4>Chapter 218: She Can do Whatever She Wants</h4>

    Ning Xi subconsciously put her phone down and held her breath; she wasn''t rmed or guarded, but rather, nervous.

    She recognized Lu Tingxiao¡¯s footsteps.

    Why was Lu Tingxiaoing to her room at this hour?

    It was 3 in the morning!

    The strangest thing was, Lu Tingxiao would usually never enter without knocking¡­

    Just as Ning Xi was inplete confusion, that familiar figure came to her bedside.

    She didn''t have the lights on in her room and there was no moon tonight, so it was so dark in the room that she could only see a blurry shadow.

    That shadow stood there quietly, motionless.

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart was in her throat. She was about to make some noise to break the grueling silence, when she suddenly had a realization and an idea formed in her head.

    Lu Tingxiao was a sleepwalker!

    She swallowed the words back quickly, so as to not wake him.

    Cough, but¡­ what did he want?

    After around 5 seconds, Lu Tingxiao took another step forward, sat down on the edge of her bed, opened half of the covers, and then¡­y down next to her, just like that¡­

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    He wasn''t even finished yet; as soon as Lu Tingxiaoy down, he reached out with his long arm and pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly like he would hold a pillow.

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    Ning Xi¡¯s face was seamlessly forced against Lu Tingxiao¡¯s chest. His steady breathing was above her head and his hot palm was on her waist. Ning Xi was ovee with his cool smell mixed with a light scent of the cologne he used¡­

    I¡¯m going to die young! I¡¯m going to go mad!

    On the inside, Ning Xi wildly ran 800 miles while shouting to the sky, but in reality, she had to endure to the point of getting internal injuries.

    Thinking back to the first time Lu Tingxiao had sleepwalked, she was sure it had been because "what you thought of during day was what you were going to dream of at night," and had told Lu Tingxiao to find himself a woman the next day¡­

    Now, she finally understood!

    Understood the true meaning of "what you thought during day was what you were going to dream of at night"!

    So, who could tell her what she should do now?

    Wait it out and let Lu Tingxiao walk away on his own?

    It was ok to do nothing when she still didn''t know anything, but now that she knew about it, how could she do nothing?

    Ning Xi tested out the situation and tried to move her body away, but the result was that while she was pouring sweat and out of breath, a certain someone was still motionless.

    She didn''t want to wake him up, so she couldn¡¯t use too much strength.

    Without options, Ning Xi gave up.

    Ai, forget it, let him sleep then! He won¡¯t remember anything after he wakes up anyways¡­

    Outside the window, a breeze fiddled with the gloomy clouds and the moon reached its head out from behind them, sprinkling silver moonlight all over the room.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face was so close that it was right in front of her, catching her unprepared¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart sped up, like a beating drum.

    She was afraid her heartbeat would wake him up.

    Unsure whether it was because of the beautiful moonlight or because of this man in front of her, Ning Xi couldn¡¯t help but touch the man¡¯s cheek with her hand. "Lu Tingxiao¡­"

    Right now, no matter what she did, he wouldn''t remember or retain a memory, right?

    Mm, then it meant that she could do whatever she wanted?

    This thought woke up the wild beast which had been locked up at the bottom of her heart¡­

    Ning Xi touched the man¡¯s forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, and finally stopped at his lips¡­

 Chapter 219: Sex Drives People Nuts

    <h4>Chapter 219: Sex Drives People Nuts</h4>

    As time passed, Ning Xi slowly inched closer to the man, before stopping just 1 cm away from his lips.

    Um¡­

    To kiss, or not to kiss¡­

    That was the question.

    "It¡¯s not nice to take advantages from him, right?"

    "But he came into my bed himself, I didn''t force him?"

    "And he bit mest time!"

    "Sheet, what am I doing! Sex really does drive people nuts! It¡¯s driving me nuts!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi talked to herself for a long time before sheid back down to her original spot.

    The man beside her rxed his body and was very disappointed at the same time.

    It felt unbearable being turned on half way¡­

    However, in the next second, the girl who had given up and peacefully returned, moved all of a sudden, harshly locking her warm lips with his¡­

    The tip of her tongue licked his lips, biting on them several times as a test, then she tried to open his mouth¡­

    Lu Tingxiao almost lost it.

    The feeling of not being able to kiss back while being kissed so fiercely was killing him!

    The girl wasn''t a good kisser, she was just licking and biting, but that still turned him on big time¡­

    After kissing, Ning Xi wiped her mouth andid back down contentedly, murmuring to herself, "Who cares if I¡¯m nuts or not! Such a good opportunity, it¡¯s better to make good use of it and kiss up! So I can leave no regrets in my life!"

    After hearing that, Lu Tingxiao didn''t know if he shouldugh or get angry.

    Just some kisses, then no more regrets?

    My dear, your life¡¯s goal was really nothing.

    I want to give you so much more¡­

    It was even harder for Ning Xi to go to sleep after kissing him, so she started browsing the news on her phone.

    As expected, Ning Xueluo immediately came out with some statements, putting all the me on Cui Caijing and making herself out to be a victim again.

    This time, however, Glory World wasn''t going to let her get away with this. Liang Feixing was the best at controlling the direction of public opinion.

    Under Liang Feixing¡¯s management, Ning Xueluo¡¯s statement didn''t have any effect, mostly people thought that she was trying to get out of taking responsibility. After all, why would a nobody assistant put so much effort into taking revenge for just a few criticisms?

    Some people thought that Ning Xueluo did it for Jia Qingqing, for their friendship, while some thought that Ning Xueluo was jealous because Ning Xi was better looking than her. Others even thought that Su Yan liked Ning Xi, and that was why Ning Xueluo wanted to get rid of her¡­

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s gentle, generous image was severely jeopardized.

    Aside from this situation, fans were mostly concerned about future developments involving <The World>, as was Ning Xi.

    Thepany was dealing with it, they just hadn''t gotten a confirmation yet.

    She¡¯ll call Lin Zhizhi tomorrow to figure this out then!

    After browsing the news, Ning Xi logged onto Weibo and found that her number of fans had increased a lot through this incident. A lot of new passers-by fans had written all sorts of encouragingments.

    Ning Xi thought for a while and posted a Weibo¡­

 Chapter 220: Want To Go Out And Have Fun

    <h4>Chapter 220: Want To Go Out And Have Fun</h4>

    [It¡¯s better to keep our dignity and beauty rather than care about the treachery or unkindness of others. That which can¡¯t kill us will in the end make us stronger!]

    There were a lot of people who sleptte on Weibo, and the number of forwards and likes on her post climbed rapidly.

    Less than five minutes after she posted, Jiang Muye also forwarded it with a decent message of support.

    Below the forward, the fans were too excited they cried. The couple in the movie had actually entered the samepany in reality ¡ª then wasn¡¯t there even more of a chance of something happening between them?

    To Ning Xi¡¯s surprise, among the hotments below her Weibo post, in addition to caring for and supporting her as well as gossiping about her and Jiang Muye, the most poprment on the top of the list was unexpectedly ¡ª

    [Goddess, goddess! Lu Tingxiao actually forwarded the Weibo message about youst time! Have you ever seen Big Boss Lu at Glory World Entertainment? Have you ever spoken to him? Is he handsome or not, handsome or not! Begging for photos! Begging for fortune!]

    Ning Xi¡¯s head was covered in ck lines. "Have I ever seen Big Boss Lu? Of course I''ve seen him! He¡¯s lying next to me, you silly human! Send photos? Forget it! A male god must of course be kept to one¡¯s self¡­"

    Ning Xi muttered to herself as she continued to browse online. As a result, the more she looked, the more energetic she became.

    Ai, she shouldn¡¯t have browsed Weibo when she couldn¡¯t sleep.

    What she needed now was a book on advanced mathematics!

    As she fretted, there was an iing call, the caller ID showing that it was Jiang Muye. Fortunately, she had put her phone on silent.

    Ning Xi epted the call and lowered her voice. "Hey. What do you want?

    "I was also going to ask you, why aren¡¯t you asleep yet, sote at night?"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes. "I could say the same to you ¡ª"

    "Why is your voice so low?" Jiang Muye asked suspiciously.

    "Do you want me to shout at you sote at night?"

    "Something¡¯s off¡­" Jiang Muye said in a firm tone, like he was Sherlock Holmes. "There¡¯s someone next to you!"

    Hearing this, Ning Xi cursed in her heart, then said with conviction, "I¡¯m sleeping with Little Bun. How? Do you need to be so surprised?"

    "Really?"

    Ning Xi suddenly felt that the hand on the waist seemed to have tightened a bit, and she almost lost concentration. She hurriedly replied, "If not, then what? Can the person lying beside me be Lu Tingxiao? You¡¯re too paranoid!"

    Jiang Muye curled his lip, also figuring that he was thinking too much himself. "I was just asking!"

    "By the way¡­" Ning Xi suddenly thought of something, and frowned. "How¡¯s your family situation?"

    Jiang Muye was silent for a while, and then replied: "Almost resolved already. After I met with youst night, that partner who had been refusing to let go all this time suddenly relented. This is really a coincidence!"

    Meaning, Lu Tingxiao had obviously guessed something¡­

    "Then that¡¯s good." Ning Xi was relieved. "Then are you free tomorrow?"

    Jiang Muye snorted. "Why? I¡¯m very busy!"

    "Oh, then forget it." Saying that, Ning Xi was about to hang up the phone.

    "Wait, I¡¯ll be free tomorrow. What do you want?" Jiang Muye hurriedly asked.

    Ning Xi said slowly, "It¡¯s going to be autumn tomorrow. The weather¡¯s great and just nice, I don¡¯t need to shoot scenes. Want to go out and have fun for a bit?"

    "What?" Jiang Muye¡¯s first thought was that he had heard wrong. After all, she had seen him as a bringer of misfortune since his return from abroad, and had been avoiding him. "What¡­ what are you plotting?"

    "Why do you have so many questions? If you¡¯re not going, let¡¯s forget it!"

    "Going!"

 Chapter 221: Whoâ€™s Going On A Date With You

    <h4>Chapter 221: Who¡¯s Going On A Date With You</h4>

    Late at night.

    After the girl''s breathing had evened out, the man finally opened eyes clear and cold as a deep pool.

    Under the moonlight, he quietly watched the sleeping girl¡¯s peaceful face, and gently kissed her lips.

    From the first moment he had seen her, he had wanted to lock her up at home and confine her to the bed, so that she couldn¡¯t go anywhere and no one would look at her; only he could look at her, and she would look at only him¡­

    Even he himself was astonished at how he had managed to endure it until now.

    After a light kiss, the man pried open the girl''s lips and forcefully entwined his tongue with hers, until the girl frowned and almost woke up from theck of air¡­

    After a long time, he finally drew away. He touched the girl''s cheek, and sighed imperceptibly. "Ning Xi, don¡¯t test my endurance. I can''t promise that I¡¯ll be able to endure for much longer¡­ I also can¡¯t guarantee¡­ what I will do¡­"

    The next morning.

    Ning Xi didn¡¯t know exactly when she had fallen asleep. Anyway, when she woke up, Lu Tingxiao was predictably no longer in bed.

    It was almost nine o''clock when she got up after having slept toote.

    There were a bunch of missed calls on her phone from Jiang Muye, who sent WeChat messages scolding her, wondering if she had stood him up again.

    Ning Xi scratched her head and sent him a message telling him toe over. She went to wash up, then went downstairs.

    Lu Tingxiao had gone to work, and Little Treasure, who hadn¡¯t disturbed her while she was sleeping, was sitting quietly on the sofa reading a book.

    "Darling,e here!" Ning Xi waved at Little Treasure.

    Little Treasure immediately put down the book, and deng deng ran over to her.

    Ning Xi picked the little guy up and said, "Auntie will take you out to y today, alright?"

    Hearing this, Little Treasure¡¯s face was full of surprise, and he nodded furiously.

    At this moment, a honk sounded at the gate.

    Ning Xi held Little Treasure¡¯s hand as they went outside.

    When Jiang Muye saw Ning Xi, he was stunned. Today, she had her hair up in a ponytail, and was wearing a pair of overalls and a floral white T-shirt with a cartoon figure on it. With a shoulder bag slung across her body, she looked like a student.

    "Let¡¯s go!" Ning Xi took Little Treasure to the car.

    Jiang Muye looked wide-eyed at Little Treasure next to her. "Don¡¯t tell me, you want to take this little kid with us on our date?"

    Ning Xi looked askance at him. "Who¡¯s going on a date with you! I taking Little Treasure on an autumn outing and a pic, okay?

    Jiang Muye goggled. "Then why did you ask me toe?"

    "To drive the car, of course! I thought about it for a bit, but you are the only person who was free today!"

    Lu Corporation was in talks for yet another huge venture, so both Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli were busy during this period.

    "¡­" Jiang Muye choked, dumbfounded.

    "Are you going or not! If we don¡¯t go now, the sun will go down soon!" Ning Xi urged him.

    Following orders, Jiang Muye got into the car. "Aren¡¯t you afraid that someone will recognize us?"

    "It¡¯ll be fine with a little disguise!"

    Jiang Muye was startled a bit, and said uneasily, "What are we disguising as? A family of three?"

    "You wish. I¡¯m the sister, Little Treasure is the little brother, and as for you¡­"

    "Who am I? The dad?"

    "Bah! You¡¯re the driver!"

    Jiang Muye: "¡­"

    "Remember to go to the supermarket first! We have to buy a grill, plus meat and drinks!"

    "Got it." A ck cloud hung over Jiang Muye. This asshole really knew how to trap him!

    After shopping at the supermarket, Ning Xi found a spot by a small river with good scenery and no one around. Humming a song happily, she taught Little Treasure how to skewer meat.

    Jiang Muye was singing as he put together a fishing rod: "It¡¯s sunny today, but you showed up with your little brother. Seeing his face, my mood became cloudy, like salt on my wound¡­"

    Ning Xi stood up with her hands on her hips: "Enough! Sing a merry song for master!"

    "It¡¯s fine weather today, the scenery is good, it¡¯s good¡­"

 Chapter 222: Bragging Failed

    <h4>Chapter 222: Bragging Failed</h4>

    Jiang Muye was listless, but once he started eating, he regained his energy.

    At least Ning Xi this person was really good at cooking. It was just a regr BBQ, but she made it taste so good.

    Guessing that it had been hard on him, Little Treasure, who didn''t care about anyone else apart from Ning Xi, actually personally passed him amb skewer.

    Jiang Muye was overwhelmed with gratitude.

    Also¡­

    He realized that Ning Xi hadn¡¯t been exaggerating before.

    The little kid was really too lovable when he was being good! No wonder Ning Xi was so good to him¡­

    Damn it, it was so unfair, how did someone like Lu Tingxiao produce such a cute son? Gic mutation?

    Jiang Muye chewed his meat as he yed around with a small idea. Even though he hade along asbor, who would know?

    He kept seeing Lu Tingxiao¡¯s daily posts in WeChat Moments showing off their PDA, now it was his turn¡­

    Jiang Muye secretlyughed a few times, and took a sneaky photo of Ning Xi¡¯s back with his phone. He posted it in his Moments smugly ¡ª [Aloha! Picking!]

    Given Lu Tingxiao¡¯s discerning eye, he would definitely recognize the view of her back!

    Very quickly, his gang of rascal friends startedmenting:

    [Wow! She¡¯s a knockout! Can tell she¡¯s a beauty just from her back!]

    [Jiang Muye, you bastard, where¡¯s your loyalty to your friends, bring the girl for us to take a look!]

    [A photo of her face, a photo of her face! Don''t be stingy!]

    [Why does she look so young? Is she of age yet? Jiang Muye, are you breaking thew now?]

    ¡­

    After a while, Lu Jinglimented: [Ouch! The BBQ meat looks so good! And chicken wing, grilled fish¡­ you brat, you didn''t call me, your uncle over for such good food!]

    Lu Jingli¡¯s focus of attention¡­ really was different from normal people¡¯s¡­

    After a long while, the one he had really been waiting for finally made an appearance. Refreshing his feed, he saw that Lu Tingxiao had just replied.

    Jiang Muye hurriedly clicked on it, but after reading it, his face turned ck¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯sment: [Don¡¯t let Little Treasure eat too much, recently he¡¯s been a little overweight.]

    F*** f*** f***!

    Little Treasure! How did Lu Tingxiao know Little Treasure was with them?

    Jiang Muye looked at his picture again, and finally realized the problem.

    In the photo, Little Treasure¡¯s figure was reflected on the river¡¯s surface¡­

    F***, he had too good an eye!

    Jiang Muye¡¯s bragging had failed. His head drooped and he retreated like a beaten roster. Then he saw Ning Xi making a call on her phone.

    "Who are you calling?" Jiang Muye asked casually.

    "Sister Zhizhi~"Ning Xi answered. After bing more familiar with each other, Ning Xi had started calling her Sister Zhizhi instead of Sister Lin.

    Jiang Muye took a sip of his juice. "What straight, what turn!"

    "My manager, Lin Zhizhi! Zhi as in the mushroom ling zhi, alright?"

    When she said that, Jiang Muye spit out the juice he had been drinking. "You said who?"

    "Lin Zhizhi, Leng Manyun¡¯s manager! You didn¡¯t watch the press conference that day? Why are you so slow!"Ning Xi gave him a belittling look.

    "F*** that! I knew what the result was going to be, why would I still watch it! Lin Zhizhi, why her?"

    After finding out that Ning Xi had joined Glory World, he had been agitated. He only had a rough idea of the situation, and hadn¡¯t watched the press conference. Who knew Lu Tingxiao would drop such a big bomb on him!

    Ning Xi was confused. "Why can''t it be Lin Zhizhi? Why are you so agitated? Don''t tell me she was your ex-girlfriend?"

    Jiang Muye: "¡­"

    Seeing that Jiang Muye was unusually silent, Ning Xi snapped her fingers. "Aiya, I¡¯m such an idiot, I guessed it, didn''t I?"

    "Don¡¯t talk to me¡­ I need some peace and quiet¡­"

    ¡­

    Jiang Muye mistakens the zhi Ö¥in Lin Zhizhi¡¯s name for zhi Ö± which means ¡®straight¡¯.

 Chapter 223: Couldnâ€™t Tell The Dogs From People

    <h4>Chapter 223: Couldn¡¯t Tell The Dogs From People</h4>

    Jiang Muye had lost this roundpletely.

    Strictly speaking, he was the one who had started the war, but he had stepped on a mine himself, and couldn''t take another step¡­

    The enemy was brutal!

    Ning Xi couldn''t believe it. "I never expected that someone like Sister Zhizhi can also be blind at times!"

    Jiang Muye red at her: "Watch your mouth! What blind? You are the blind one! You even liked trash like Su Yan!"

    Ning Xi sighed. "Ai, just me it on us being young and naive, we couldn''t tell the dogs from people!"

    "You¡­" Jiang Muye was so angry that he couldn''t continue, then in the end exploded. "Now do you know how evil and scheming Lu Tingxiao is? He used such a shameless trick to stop me!"

    After saying that, he thought he would see regret on Ning Xi¡¯s face, but instead, he saw her act all silly and infatuated ¡ª

    "Lord Boss really is so wise and such a strategist, always prepared and able to n victories from a thousand miles away¡­"

    Jiang Muye¡¯s face was as ck as the bottom of a pan. "Ning Xi, there is no hope for you anymore!"

    Ning Xi suddenly moved closer, a cheeky expression on her face. "Hey, what happened between you and Sister Zhizhi? Looking at your face, it doesn¡¯t seem something as simple as an ex-girlfriend!"

    Jiang Muye this guy wouldn¡¯t be this apprehensive over something as trifling as an ex-girlfriend.

    "Mind your own business first!" Jiang Muye wasn¡¯t in a good mood, and asked hesitantly, "What did you guys talk about just now?"

    Ning Xi shrugged. "Not much, she let me know the writer is revising the script, and filming will resume in half a month."

    "Brother Ming told me the same, there¡¯ll be more emphasis on Meng Changge and Sun Huanqing¡¯s story after the rewrite. As for Ning Xueluo and Zhao Sizhou, it¡¯s not clear yet whether they will be reced, but since Lu Tingxiao cares about you so much, I bet he¡¯ll definitely get rid of them!"Jiang Muye analyzed the situation.

    Ning Xi shook her head. "Wrong, if Lu Tingxiao really knows the way I think, he definitely won¡¯t have anyone reced. Because, using my strength to thoroughly defeat Ning Xueluo in the movie, and reducing her to nothing more than a foil for my role, for me, is the best way to get revenge!"

    After saying this, Ning Xi¡¯s phone beeped with a notification for thetest entertainment news.

    She subscribed to some important entertainment news sites, and each time, thetest news would pop up themselves.

    The corners of Ning Xi¡¯s mouth couldn¡¯t help turning up after she read it; she looked simply like a silly girl in love¡­

    Terrified by the expression on her face, Jiang Muye drew closer warily to take a look ¡ª

    It was Glory World¡¯stest announcement: Lu Corporation had stepped in to rece the investments withdrawn by Ning International and Starlight Entertainment. The <The World> project now belonged to Glory Worldpletely. Out of consideration for the shooting schedule, none of the cast would be reced¡­

    Jiang Muye felt suffocated by the tacit understanding which Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi shared. "It looks like you¡¯ve beenpletely ensnared, and you don''t even know it. You like Lu Tingxiao this much¡­ can you really endure not being with him?"

    Ning Xiid down on the grass and plucked a piece of bristlegrass and stuck it between her lips. "Who said that if you like someone you need to be with that person? Is it any less than the people who get together because they like each other? How many of them reallyst? This¡­this is already good enough¡­"

    The best-case scenario was them bing good friends and confidantes. But even if the worst-case scenario came to pass, forgetting with the flow of time wasn¡¯t a bad thing; the memories would then remain forever in a time when they were the most beautiful.

 Chapter 224: Enemies On a Narrow Road

    <h4>Chapter 224: Enemies On a Narrow Road</h4>

    There was no way she could waste a half-month break. The next day, Ning Xi also took Little Treasure out to have fun.

    "Miss Xiao Xi, do you want to wait for Eldest Young Master toe back from work first before going out together?" The old butler couldn¡¯t just watch anymore, and started to prompt her like a matchmaker.

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "Better not¡­ he¡¯s so busy! We can go by ourselves!"

    She had deliberately chosen a time when Lu Tingxiao wasn''t around, there was no way she would wait for him toe back from work first¡­

    "Then, please let them follow you. This is Eldest Young Master¡¯s instruction, we can¡¯t take Little Young Master¡¯s safety lightly." The old butler gestured at three bodyguards wearing ck clothes and sunsses nearby.

    It was a reasonable request¡­

    Of course Ning Xi could only agree.

    This way, she didn¡¯t need to look for Jiang Muye to do the work¡­

    Why did she have a feeling that Lu Tingxiao had arranged it like that on purpose?

    Ning Xi¡¯s n for today was to buy Little Treasure some toys and clothes. Of course, since she hadn¡¯t received her pay yet, she still had to use Lu Tingxiao¡¯s credit card.

    While they were shopping, she found a newly opened kids¡¯ clothing store, which sold very trendy and cute clothes, and she switchedpletely into "buy buy buy" mode.

    "Darling, darling, this one is good too, go and try it on!"

    Little Treasure nodded, and obediently went to the fitting room.

    While Ning Xi was waiting for Little Bun to try on the clothes, she saw two familiar figures passing by outside the store.

    Ning Xueluo held onto Su Yan¡¯s arm intimately as they walked and chatted together.

    "Wow, this kids¡¯ clothing store is so cute! Brother Yan, let¡¯s go inside and take a look! Fanglin¡¯s son¡¯s birthday is next month, shall we get him some clothes as a birthday gift?"

    "Mm," Su Yan answered passively.

    "Have you seen Fanglin¡¯s son? He¡¯s so fair-skinned and chubby, so cute! Brother Yan, if we have a son in the future, do you think he will be as cute?" Ning Xueluo asked shyly.

    "Probably." It was obvious that Su Yan¡¯s mood was low as he gave a perfunctory answer.

    Ning Xueluo looked like she was at a loss. "Brother Yan, are you still angry with me? I already publicly apologized on Weibo, and you heard Caijing¡¯s exnation for yourself. As for that phone call¡­ it was because you suddenly wouldn¡¯t talk to me, so I had a little too much to drink. I was so desperate and anxious, and I didn''t know what I was saying¡­ I really regret it¡­"

    "Xiao Xi¡­"

    As Ning Xueluo was exining, Su Yan suddenly said Ning Xi¡¯s name. She followed his gaze, and unexpectedly saw Ning Xi standing next to a clothes rack opposite them.

    "Sister¡­" Ning Xueluo¡¯s tears welled up, and she immediately ran over to hold her hand. "Sister, finally! I wanted to apologize in person so badly, but you didn''t pick up my phone calls these past few days, and I don¡¯t know where you¡¯re staying¡­

    "When everyone was asking me about this before, I did say that I didn''t believe that you did all that, and then it turned out to be a misunderstanding, I knew you wouldn''t do anything like that!

    "Now the truth hase out, but you were still hurt by it. I was a victim too, but no matter what, this incident happened because of me, and I pulled you into it. So I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry! You can hit me, scold me, do whatever you want, as long as you stop being angry with me!"

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s speech gave the impression of sincere feeling, and sounded natural and unforced, even making it sound like Ning Xi was still bullying her without reason.

    Ning Xi didn''t say anything sharp to her like she did before, and only threw a resigned and tired look in Su Yan¡¯s direction.

 Chapter 225: Failing At Provocation

    <h4>Chapter 225: Failing At Provocation</h4>

    Her eyes made Su Yan¡¯s heart feel as if it was being nibbled on by lice, and he hurriedly drew Ning Xueluo away from Ning Xi. "Xueluo, calm down a little."

    Ning Xueluo did not notice Ning Xi¡¯s little action, her tears falling down. "Brother Yan, help me talk to sister. You know best how much I¡¯ve hurt and me myself thesest few days. I really hope she can forgive me! Otherwise I really¡­"

    Looking at the woman crying brokenheartedly in his arms, Su Yan finally relented. "Xiao Xi, I''m sorry, Xueluo mes herself very much for this."

    When Ning Xueluo heard this, her mouth twitched with the hint of a smug smile. While she wept sadly on the outside, inside she was secretly expecting Ning Xi to explode.

    Every time she had asked for forgiveness before, Ning Xi would definitely be very agitated, and she would say every nasty thing possible, which made Su Yan dislike her even more.

    It would definitely be the same this time¡­

    Ning Xi tiredly pinched the skin between her eyebrows, and then sighed. "Forget it, Ning Xueluo, I saw your apology and I also received it. Since it was a misunderstanding, then forget it. I forgive you."

    "What¡­ what did you say?" Ning Xueluo¡¯s face changed instantly, full of disbelief.

    On the other hand, Su Yan was very delighted. "Xueluo, are you relieved now?"

    Ning Xueluo couldn¡¯t say a single word, her face turning the color of liver.

    On the other side, the door of the dressing room opened, and Little Treasure stepped out in the clothes he had tried on.

    A hint of warmth instantly flickered over Ning Xi¡¯s fake mask. She walked over to pick Little Treasure up with a smile, and then said to the salesgirl, "I want all the clothes that he just tried on, and he¡¯ll directly wear this one out."

    "Understood, I¡¯ll ring them up for you right away!" the salesgirl answered with a dimpled smile.

    Ning Xi nodded to Su Yan to indicate she was leaving, then with Little Treasure in her arms, walked directly out of the store.

    Behind them, a bodyguard in ck settled the bill, picked up all the shopping bags, and followed after them.

    Ning Xueluo was struck dumb at this scene. Then an extremely excited expression appeared on her face. "Is what Fanglin and Xuanxuan said true? Last time they told me they saw Ning Xi buying children¡¯s clothes at the mall, but I didn''t believe it! Sister she¡­ don¡¯t tell me she really has be the mistress of an old rich man, and even gave him a son¡­"

    It was a pity that Ning Xi had left so quickly; she hadn¡¯t been able to see the child¡¯s face clearly, and also wasn¡¯t in time to secretly take photos as evidence¡­

    "Xueluo! Stop talking nonsense!" When Su Yan heard this, he immediately interrupted her with a solemn face, looking in the direction of Ning Xi¡¯s departure. "I saw this child once. Xiao Xi already said, he¡¯s just the son of a friend!"

    Ning Xueluo said hurriedly, "Brother Yan, you are too na?ve. Can she be so good to him if he is just the son of a friend? Look, she has a bodyguard following her, and she paid with a ck card. This sort of family would have plenty of nannies and bodyguards, why would she need to help take care of the kid?"

    A hint of struggle and hesitation appeared on Su Yan¡¯s face. But then he seemed to think of something, and in the end he still said in a determined voice: "Xueluo, in my heart, Ning Xi is my little sister. If you insult her, you insult me. Don''t let me hear such words again! Other people can doubt her, but we can''t, understand?"

    Ning Xueluo hadpletely not expected Su Yan''s attitude towards Ning Xi to change so drastically after what happened this time.

    Damn it! What kind of spell had Ning Xi cast on him in the hospital that day? Su Yan suddenly had so much faith in her, even turning a deaf ear to Ning Xueluo¡¯s words¡­

 Chapter 226: Why Is Everyone Helping Out

    <h4>Chapter 226: Why Is Everyone Helping Out</h4>

    "I¡¯m sorry, Brother Yan, I know I¡¯m wrong, I won''t do it again!" Ning Xueluo gritted her teeth as she said the words.

    It seemed like the incident this time had aroused the guilt inside Su Yan, and he wouldn¡¯t doubt Ning Xi so easily anymore.

    But so what, even if he wouldn¡¯t believe what people said, she would find an opportunity to make him see it with his own eyes. Then they¡¯d see whether or not he still wouldn¡¯t believe it!

    It would be too easy to find Ning Xi¡¯s weak point. Her rtionship with Jiang Muye had always been unclear, and now there was a kid in the mix. Things were getting more and more interesting!

    But she would have to temporarily endure it during this period, and wait for Su Yan¡¯s guilt to decrease before she could do anything else¡­

    ¡­

    On the ground floor of the mall, Ning Xi was ready to take Little Treasure home, when she suddenly discovered that the car which had been waiting for them at the entrance was gone.

    "Huh, where¡¯s our car?" Ning Xi was confused.

    It couldn¡¯t have been stolen, right?

    But that wasn¡¯t possible, since the driver had still been in the car¡­

    Behind her, the bodyguard replied, "Miss, our car has already left because the boss called just now to say that he woulde get us after work."

    "Ah?" Ning Xi said stupidly when she heard this, then hurriedly continued, "Then we should go by ourselves. What if he has to work overtime or is dyed by something¡­"

    Before she finished speaking, a ck Maybach pulled up smoothly. The window of the back seat rolled down slowly, and an expressionless face appeared. "Finished shopping?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s expression was stiff as she nodded her head.

    She had been getting upte and sleeping early thest two days to avoid running into him, so even though they lived under one roof, she hadn¡¯t seen him for two whole days.

    "Going home?"

    "Yes, yes!" Ning Xi opened the car door and helped Little Treasure into the car. Then she opened the door of the front passenger seat, prepared to sit in the front.

    However, one of the bodyguards came up to her in anxious worry. "Miss, the front passenger seat isn''t safe, so let me sit here. It¡¯s better for you to sit at the back, it¡¯s very roomy."

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi opened the back car door again, and got in.

    After getting in, even though Little Bun was between them, Ning Xi tried her best to stay on her side of the car.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s attitude was the same as usual. With aptop on his knees, he was busy tapping away rapidly on his keyboard.

    Seeing this, Ning Xi breathed a little sigh of relief.

    However, ten minutester, Lu Tingxiao seemed to have finished his work. He put theputer down, settled a drowsy Little Treasure onto hisp, ced theputer on his other side, and then naturally turned in Ning Xi¡¯s direction.

    The familiar cold aura suddenly intruded onto the safe distance, making the hair on Ning Xi¡¯s whole body immediately stand on end. She subconsciously pressed her body against the door again, her face almost glued to the window¡­

    "Ning Xi¡­" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s voice sounded in her ears.

    "Ah? What is it?" Ning Xi turned her head to him.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her, and spoke unhurriedly. "Are you hiding from me?"

    "Ha! How¡­ how is that possible! Why would I need to hide from you! It¡¯s just that the red clouds at sunset outside the window are very pretty! I¡¯m looking at the view¡­ just the view¡­" Saying that, Ning Xi turned back around with a whoosh.

    But at that moment, she didn¡¯t know what the driver was doing, but he suddenly made a sharp turn, causing Ning Xi¡¯s body to fall towards Lu Tingxiao.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned, and stretched out one arm to protect her shoulder. After that, he didn¡¯t take his arm back.

    "I''m sorry, boss, a car suddenly swerved into thene just now!" reported assistant Cheng Feng, who was driving the car.

    Lu Tingxiao: "Mm, drive a little slower." Cheng Feng was getting a pay rise when they got back.

    Cheng Feng: "Understood!"

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    Was it her imagination, or was everyone, from the butler to the bodyguard to the assistant, helping Lu Tingxiao out?

 Chapter 227: I Miss You A Lot

    <h4>Chapter 227: I Miss You A Lot</h4>

    After returning home, Ning Xi continued using dieting as an excuse for missing dinner, and the first chance she got, went up to her room.

    She was really thankful for hers and Little Bun¡¯s skyrocketing weight thesest few days; it gave her such a good excuse!

    After a while, there was a knock on the door. Luckily, from the sound of the footsteps, it wasn¡¯t Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi had just showered, and she was drying her hair as she went over to open the door.

    Wan Wan was standing at the door, holding a tray of food in her hands. Seeing how breathtaking Ning Xi looked after a shower, she was clearly stunned.

    The girl in front of her was just too beautiful. Right after a shower, her white skin had a red flush to it that made her even more alluring, so much so that even she as a woman was captivated. No wonder Eldest Young Master¡­

    Wan Wan quickly shook her head and came to her senses, as she said: "Miss Xiao Xi, Eldest Young Master had me bring you something to eat. Even though it¡¯s important to watch your weight, you shouldn¡¯t starve yourself. All these are low in calories and fat, eating them will be fine!"

    "Okay, thank you, Wan Wan!" Looking at the cute servant, Ning Xi¡¯s nervous mood eased a lot. "Wan Wan, you changed your hairstyle. It¡¯s cute, it suits you very well!"

    "Thank you, Miss Xiao Xi!" Wan Wan happily touched her hair, and then said hesitantly, "Miss Xiao Xi, you are a very good person. In fact, I think you and Eldest Young Master are especiallypatible. It would be wonderful if you could be our Eldest Young Mistress! Otherwise, if some other scheming woman joined the family, we would definitely be very miserable!"

    Ning Xi: "Uh¡­"

    Why was even the maid starting to help him?

    Please cut me some ck!

    Later, Wan Wan knocked on her door again, and gave her a ss of milk.

    When there was a knock at the door for the third time, Ning Xi was leaning against the balcony railing as she blew-dry her hair. Thinking it was Wan Wan again, she directly said toe in.

    It was only when the footsteps got closer that she felt something wasn¡¯t right.

    She turned around, and as expected, she saw Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face within reach¡­

    "Lu Tingxiao¡­" Ning Xi subconsciously tightened her grip on the railing. "Did you need something?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not speak, just stood there looking at her silently.

    The girl in front of him was wearing a long royal-looking nightgown which reached her ankles; what should be covered was coveredpletely. After a blow-dry, her hair was still a little damp, drifting softly in the night wind. Her cheeks were still flushed from the steam of her shower, and her alert eyes shed with a hint of startlement and vignce¡­

    When Ning Xi¡¯s scalp almost tingled from being stared at, Lu Tingxiao finally spoke. "Ning Xi¡­"

    Ning Xi: "Huh¡­?"

    Lu Tingxiao: "I miss you very much."

    Ning Xi instantly goggled, and almost thought that she had heard wrong. "Cough, cough¡­ wha¡­ what¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao reached out to gently pick up a strand of hair by her ear, and said in a dreamy tone, like the chill rising from a pool of cold ice, "It feels like I haven¡¯t seen you for a very long time¡­"

    It was just two days, okay?

    Argh, this wasn¡¯t the main point!

    The point was that Lu Tingxiao had just said that he missed her?

    He directly said that he missed her?

    This wasn¡¯t how things were supposed to turn out!

    She was definitely hallucinating, right? She had to be!

    But as Ning Xi kept thinking of a proper reason for Lu Tingxiao¡¯s actions, Lu Tingxiao took one step forward, put a hand around her waist, drew her gently to him, and then embraced her¡­

    At the same time, his other hand came up around her, and in an extremely exhausted and yearning gesture, he leaned down to softly bury his head in the crook of her neck.

    Ning Xi: "!!!"

 Chapter 228: Let Me Hold You For A Little While

    <h4>Chapter 228: Let Me Hold You For A Little While</h4>

    Ahhhhhhhh! OMG!

    What was this situation?

    It was as if Ning Xi¡¯s brain had been invaded by a virus, throwing the coding into wild disarray. When she finally came back to her senses, her first reaction was to push him away quickly.

    But Lu Tingxiao tightened his arms, and the voice in her ear sounded a little pitiful. "Don¡¯t move, alright? Let me hold you for a little while¡­"

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    How was she supposed to respond to this request?

    Damn it! What the hell was Lu Tingxiao ying at?

    She had been avoiding him these two days, and had been very careful not to stir him up. Why was he suddenly¡­

    Ten seconds passed¡­

    Thirty seconds passed¡­

    One minute passed¡­

    Three minutes passed¡­

    It was supposed to be a little while only!!! Too untrustworthy!

    The moment Ning Xi couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, Lu Tingxiao released her. "Sorry. I forgot myself."

    Ning Xi swallowed. "Uh hehe, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine¡­"

    F*** it! He almost scared her into a heart attack, and he thought he could make it alright with just a "forgot myself"?

    What made her even more miserable was that she couldn¡¯t say "no"!

    Seeing the sullen look on the girl¡¯s face, there was an imperceptible sh of amusement in his eyes. "Go to bed a little earlier. Good night."

    "Hehe, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight to you too¡­"

    Good night her butt, she didn¡¯t need to sleep tonight!

    ¡­

    The next morning, Ning Xi, who as expected had tossed and turned in bed the whole night, didn¡¯t dare to get up.

    Finally, she covertly gave Wan Wan a phone call.

    "Wan Wan, has your Eldest Young Master gone to work yet?"

    "No! But I think Eldest Young Master is very busy. His phone hasn¡¯t stopped ringing since he got up and came downstairs. Assistant Cheng also came over in a hurry, and it seems he asked Eldest Young Master when would they be heading out¡­"

    "And then?"

    "Then Eldest Young Master hasn¡¯t left! He¡¯s been downstairs all this time! I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s waiting for¡­"

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    It looked like she couldn¡¯t avoid him!

    Ning Xi took several deep breaths, adjusted her mindset, put on an imprable mask, and went downstairs with a calm, natural expression.

    She saw Lu Tingxiao sitting leisurely on the sofa. Nearby, Assistant Cheng was holding a stack of documents in his hands, looking very anxious but not daring to urge him to hurry.

    Ning Xi stretched as she came down the stairs. When she saw Lu Tingxiao, she deliberately showed an astonished expression. "Ehh? Lu Tingxiao, it¡¯s already this time, why haven¡¯t you gone to work yet?"

    Lu Tingxiao heard the girl''s voice, and raised his eyes to look at her with a soft expression. His eyes were like yarn, warmly and gently twining around her¡­

    "I was waiting for you," Lu Tingxiao said.

    Ning Xi was lifeless: "¡­"

    Why was she suddenly unable to speak properly with him?

    While Ning Xi had a foolish look on her face, Lu Tingxiao had already stood up and walked towards her.

    Ning Xi¡¯s instinctive reflex was to retreat, but as if they had some intangible power, the man¡¯s eyes held her in ce, and she couldn¡¯t move.

    Within a moment, Lu Tingxiao was already in front of her. He rubbed her head with hisrge palm. "If I don¡¯t wait for you now, then I¡¯ll be unable to see you for the whole day again."

    Ning Xi was still lifeless: "¡­"

    "I¡¯m going to work." Saying that, Lu Tingxiao leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

    Ning Xi: "¡­" She was now totally dead.

    Behind them, Cheng Feng startled as if he had been blinded, then looked away with a flushed face, as if he had seen something inappropriate.

    This was too inhumane, he had not only almost gone crazy with anxiety so early in the morning, he was also being oppressed as a single man!

 Chapter 229: Really Canâ€™t Win Against Him

    <h4>Chapter 229: Really Can¡¯t Win Against Him</h4>

    Long after Lu Tingxiao had left, Ning Xi still remained rooted to the same spot, her fingers unconsciously touching her forehead where he had kissed her; it was still burning with sensation¡­

    Although it was just a kiss on her forehead, although she had already secretly kissed him before, it was still the first kiss that had happened when they were both sober.

    At this moment, Ning Xi understood atst¡­

    Lu Tingxiao had definitely known about her strategy early on, so he had switched tactics!

    If he had continued pretending like before, that would have been fine. But if he simply didn''t conceal it anymore, changing dark to light, what could she do?

    F***! It was over!

    She really couldn¡¯t win against him!

    If she was pushed to the point where she had toy all her cards on the table, then there could only be one oue, and they might part on bad terms, or worse¡­

    As Ning Xi was panicking, she suddenly felt her pants leg being yanked. Looking down, she saw Little Treasure, who was tilting his little head up to look at her.

    "Little Treasure¡­" Ning Xi saw Little Treasure holding a watercolor painting in his hands, and said in surprise, "Did you finish drawing already?"

    Little Treasure nodded shyly, then stared expectantly at her.

    Ning Xi¡¯s ns for the near future was all about apanying Little Treasure. She had already arranged the itinerary yesterday, she would take Little Treasure to fly a kite, and furthermore, they would make it by hand themselves.

    After clearly seeing what Little Treasure had painted, Ning Xi was a little amazed. "This, you painted¡­"

    Apart from her and himself, Little Treasure seldom painted portraits, and people never appeared in the scenery that he painted, but this time, Ning Xi realized that there were three people in his painting.

    White clouds floated in a vast boundless sky, and there were three people sitting on the clouds: a man, a woman, and a little boy between them.

    Little Treasure had still used an abstract painting style, but from their characteristics, Ning Xi could still recognize the people in the painting at a nce: they were her and Lu Tingxiao, and Little Treasure.

    Little Treasure had always never been fond of Lu Tingxiao, and when he drew, it was only ever her or the both of them together; he had never drawn Lu Tingxiao.

    This was the first time that Little Treasure had also painted Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Ning Xi was a little startled, but she quickly recovered. She took Little Bun¡¯s hand. "Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s use it to make a kite! Grandpa Butler should have already helped us prepare the bamboo canes for the frame!"

    Little Bun nodded, but he seemed a little disappointed.

    ¡­

    Ning Xi flew a kite with Little Treasure the whole day, and personally cooked that night.

    She had taken Little Treasure out to eat thest two days, then hade back veryte at night, and had hidden in her room as soon as she returned. Now that it was obvious that this ploy had failed, she didn¡¯t need to continue with it.

    Just as she finished cooking, Lu Jingli that guy eagerly came running over after following the scent like a dog, wagging his tail.

    "Wow, oh ¡ª these are all my favorites¡­ sister-inw¡­ bah, cough, cough, cough, Xiao Xi Xi, I¡¯ve been waiting for you to cook again!"

    Speechless, Ning Xi looked askance at Lu Jingli. This guy, did he slip just now and call her "sister-inw"?

    "Go and tell your brother that dinner¡¯s ready."

    "Oh, oh, okay!" Lu Jingli ran off in a hurry, but at the same time, his heart was full of suspicion. He had identally bbed it just now, which had made him break out in a cold sweat. But unexpectedly Ning Xi didn¡¯t react? Did she not hear him clearly?

    At the table, the more Lu Jingli, who had an keen instinct, looked at the two people, the more he felt that there was something off about them¡­

    "Something is wrong, something is wrong¡­" Lu Jingli gnawed on his chopsticks, and drew closer to his brother''s ear to whisper, "Brother, did you do something to Xiao Xi Xi? Why does she look so scared of you? She doesn¡¯t even dare look at you!"

 Chapter 230: Dog Food Thrown In His Face

    <h4>Chapter 230: Dog Food Thrown In His Face</h4>

    "I didn¡¯t do anything,"Lu Tingxiao answered. There wasn¡¯t the slightest hint of anything unusual in his emotionless expression.

    "Is there something wrong with my sixth sense then? Not possible¡­"Baffled, Lu Jingli scratched his head.

    Atst, the meal ended like that.

    Ning Xi felt that eating this meal was more tiring than fighting a war; she had to be on her guard every second.

    After the meal, Ning Xi immediately stood up and started clearing the table. "I¡¯ll wash the dishes!"

    Lu Jingli finished thest sweet and sour rib, and spoke with his mouth full. "Let me do it!"

    "It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, I''ll do it!" Ning Xi scrambled to do it; if she didn¡¯t find something to do, she would go crazy.

    Lu Jingli looked apprehensively at Lu Tingxiao next to him, and said hurriedly, "How can we let you wash the dishes after you worked hard to make them! I ate the most, of course I should be the one to wash the dishes!"

    Saying that, Lu Jingli looked at his brother, like he was waiting for a reward.

    However, Lu Tingxiao looked at him indifferently and said, "Let Ning Xi do it."

    "Huh¡­"Lu Jingli was utterly stunned.

    Did the sun rise in the west today?

    This wife-protecting maniac was letting Ning Xi wash the dishes?

    This wasn¡¯t logical!

    No matter how hard he thought, Lu Jingli was still confused. Lu Tingxiao looked at him, and said slowly: "You are the guest, after all."

    Stupefied, Lu Jingli pointed at himself with his finger. "What??? I¡¯m the guest???"

    In other words, it was Ning Xi and him that were family?

    Since when had he be the guest here?

    On the side, Ning Xi blushed. She put her hand to her forehead, with the expression of someone ready to die, then quickly ran upstairs¡­

    Little Treasure watched Auntie Xiao Xi suddenly run away with a lost expression on his face. He didn''t know what was wrong with Auntie Xiao Xi, but he could tell it was his papa who had done something to her, so he gave Lu Tingxiao an unhappy stare, then followed behind her on his short legs.

    Lu Jingli was caught off guard by the way Lu Tingxiao had brutally thrown dog food right in his face. Looking dumbly at Ning Xi¡¯s fleeing back, he said helplessly, "Brother, this is what you call ¡®nothing¡¯? Your teasing sent even a tough girl like Ning Xi running away, alright?

    "I knew there was nothing wrong with my sixth sense! What on earth are you trying to stir up! I act so carefully everyday to not sell you out, but in the end, you¡¯ve suddenly be so unrestrained in your approach. Whatever the case is, at least tell me about it, so then I¡¯ll know how to coordinate with you¡­"

    Lu Jingli nagged for a long while, and Lu Tingxiao responded with three words: "Go wash dishes."

    Then he turned to walk upstairs with cool aplomb.

    Lu Jingli: "¡­"

    He had been tortured to the point he lost all his skin and almost vomited blood, and in the end he still needed to wash the dishes?

    He had only been used for his brother to show off their affection? Where was the humanity? Where was the reason? And where was the brotherhood?

    The night was quiet and peaceful, and Ning Xi was lying in bed with her eyes wide open.

    It had already been a few hours, but her heart was still beating unusually fast.

    What the hell!

    She had already experienced and seen so much of the world, yet with one sentence from a man, she was panicking this much. Her heart was racing, just like a naive teenage girl who waspletely inexperienced in love¡­

    She almost already didn¡¯t dare imagine what the future would be like¡­

    No, no, she couldn¡¯t continue like this, just waiting to be killed!

    At this time, the clock struck midnight with a dong.

    Ning Xi rolled out of bed, and started searching everywhere for something¡­

    ¡­

    A single person can be colloquially referred to as a ¡®dog¡¯, so couples who unt their PDA are pretty much ¡®throwing dog food¡¯ in single people¡¯s faces.

 Chapter 231: Break The Obsession With The Big Demon King

    <h4>Chapter 231: Break The Obsession With The Big Demon King</h4>

    After searching for a while, Ning Xi changed into a silver, sequined camisole, ck tights, and high heels twelve centimeters tall. She then put on smoky makeup even her own mother wouldn''t recognize her in¡­

    Cindere changed into a beautiful gown at midnight, and went to the pce in a pumpkin carriage to meet her Prince Charming. Her, she had turned into a hussy at midnight, and was going to hit up a nightclub to provoke the Big Demon King¡¯s disgust¡­

    Sigh¡­

    These two days, Lu Tingxiao had been very busy, he should still be awake at this time, right?

    Ning Xi ran out to the balcony and looked in the direction of the study. As expected, the lights in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s study were still on.

    So she ran over and knocked on the door decisively.

    Mm, she needed to do her best to blind him!

    Dong dong dong, after she knocked three times, there came the sound of steady footsteps, and then the door opened.

    After clearly seeing who it was outside the door, Lu Tingxiao stared nkly. "You¡­"

    "I¡¯m going out drinking with some friends, I just came to let you know!" Saying this, Ning Xi waited expectantly for Lu Tingxiao¡¯s reaction.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s surprise was for just a moment, and after that he nodded in understanding, as if he didn''t see how exaggeratedly dressed she was. "Alright, have fun."

    Saying this, he still even asked: "Do you need the driver to send you?

    Ning Xi was disappointed. "Cough, no need, I¡¯ll take my motorbike¡­"

    She took a deep breath to pull herself together, and just as she was about to leave, Lu Tingxiao suddenly approached her.

    What did he want now?

    Ning Xi took an instinctive step back, but still couldn''t avoid Lu Tingxiao¡¯s hand reaching out to her¡­

    His finger touched her earlobe and squeezed it a little. All the hair on Ning Xi¡¯s body stood up, and she immediately covered her ear, looking at Lu Tingxiao as if she was looking at a perverted old man.

    The corners of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s mouth twitched, and he pointed to where he had touched her. "You have a mole here¡­"

    "So?" Why bring up her mole so randomly? Ning Xi¡¯s mind was already a mess, and at the moment, she could understand his logic even less.

    "People might not recognize you in this outfit and makeup, but this mole is very distinctive and exposed, it¡¯s best that you cover it,"Lu Tingxiao said.

    Ning Xi stood two steps away from him. "It¡¯s just a mole, surely no one will notice it?"

    "No harm in being cautious."

    "Okay, what you say is reasonable,ter I¡¯ll put on some big earrings to cover it!"

    "Mm."

    After that short encounter, Ning Xi finally left the gate on her motorbike.

    Why was it even though this round had just started, she felt like she was going to lose it miserably?

    No, no, no, stay clear-headed, you have to break this obsession with the Big Demon King!

    ¡­

    In the bar.

    Enjoying a rare moment to herself, Ning Xi ordered a bottle of wine at the bar counter, and sat down to pour herself a cup.

    The dance floor was crowded with people dancing madly, but she wasn''t the slightest bit interested, as she stared absent-mindedly into her ss.

    She had had enough of the bar scene when she had lived overseas. No matter how wild or exciting it was, to her it was no different than a ridiculous pantomime¡­

    After she had one bottle, Ning Xi ordered another one¡­

    Alcohol didn''t rx her; on the contrary, it made her anxious.

    At this time, a man walked over with a ss of wine in his hand. "Miss, are you alone?"

    The man looked thirty-something in age. He was immactely dressed, like some elite, and had an egoistic appearance.

    Many guys in the bar had noticed her while she was polishing off her first bottle of wine, but in this getup, Ning Xi looked like an old hand at this scene, and the average person didn¡¯t dare make a move.

 Chapter 232: Youâ€™ll Turn Green If You Donâ€™t Do Anything

    <h4>Chapter 232: You¡¯ll Turn Green If You Don¡¯t Do Anything</h4>

    Out of the corner of her eye, Ning Xi looked at the man¡¯s ring finger on his left hand.

    Even though he wasn¡¯t wearing a wedding ring, the skin color around that area was obviously lighter. Obviously he took it off when he was picking up girls.

    "I am!" Ning Xi answeredzily, one hand supporting her head.

    The man¡¯s face lit up. "May I join you?"

    "Sure." Ning Xi smiled lightly, an obvious suggestion lurking in her eyes.

    That man was almost unable to conceal his pleased look, and he opened with an outdated pickup line, "Bad mood?"

    Ning Xi sighed, "Yup, bad breakup!"

    "Who would break up with a beauty like you? Which kind of man doesn¡¯t know how to cherish what he has?" The elite had an astonished expression on his face.

    "I dumped him."

    "Cough cough¡­ then he must have pissed you off!"

    "That¡¯s right! I just came to pick up guys to fool around with now and then, and when he found out, he made such a big deal out of it, isn¡¯t that so ridiculous?"

    "Eh¡­"The elite finally couldn''t say a word.

    Why did he find these lines so familiar?

    It was like how he had beenining to hisrades just now about how his wife nagged him the whole day¡­

    But he was so taken by this woman''s every gesture, as if he had been bewitched, that hepletely didn''t realized that he was being yed with.

    After a few drinks, the two of them walked out of the bar together.

    "Where to? Royal Riveria or Pearl?" The elite couldn''t wait any longer.

    "What hotels! Here¡¯s good!" Ning Xi dragged the man into a small side alley.

    The elite panted with excitement, and pressed her into the wall, "Mm, you¡¯re right¡­ here¡¯s more exciting¡­"

    While the two of them were talking, they didn''t notice at all that five steps away from them, a ck car without car tes was parked there like a ghost.

    In the car, no matter how calm a person Lu Tingxiao was, this time his entire being was already covered in a thickyer of frost.

    In the front passenger seat, Lu Jingli was regretting his decision so much that his intestines had turned green with repentance.

    He had had a strong feeling that something big was going to happen tonight, so he hadn¡¯t gone to bed at all. In the end, he happened to see out his window Ning Xi and his brother leaving the house at different times, so he had shamelessly followed them. But he had never expected in a million years¡­

    Something this big would happen!

    He couldn''t stand his brother¡¯s horrifying face anymore, so horrifying that it could stop an infant from crying at night.

    In the alley, that man¡¯s hand was already on Ning Xi¡¯s waist. Even if Lu Tingxiao was a god that had descended to their level, his endurance should be breaking by now.

    Lu Jingli could tell that Lu Tingxiao¡¯s patience was hanging by a single strand of hair. "Brother, what are you still waiting for?"

    Lu Tingxiao said in a voice cold as iron: "Wait a little longer."

    Lu Jingli was panicking. "It¡¯s already at this point! What are you waiting for? You¡¯ll turn green if you don''t do anything! Xiao Xi Xi restrained herself thesest two years, but she has a history of being wild. Learning to be good is not easy, but it¡¯s too easy to be bad again¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao: "Shut up!"

    Just as Lu Jingli closed his eyes and didn''t dare to watch, suddenly there was a terrible scream opposite them¡­

    "Huh? That sound¡¯s not right¡­" Lu Jingli opened his eyes immediately, and saw that man covering his manhood as he screamed like a pig being ughtered.

    Ning Xi immediately gave him another harsh kick, and the man fell to the ground. Just as he got up, Ning Xi stepped on his back, and his jaw hit the ground hard, blood flowing out of his mouth¡­

    Lu Jingli felt pain just looking at the scene, and he covered his eyes when he couldn¡¯t bear to watch it anymore. "Sister-inw is too brutal, ow ow ow¡­"

    ¡­

    ¡®To turn green¡¯ is to make yourself sick.

 Chapter 233: Instead Of Being Happy Alone, Itâ€™s Better To Be Happy Together

    <h4>Chapter 233: Instead Of Being Happy Alone, It¡¯s Better To Be Happy Together</h4>

    Ning Xi¡¯s technique was perfect, her movements natural and fluid, as if she did this a lot¡­

    In the end, she left one foot nted on the man¡¯s back, and rested one arm on her knee. The seductive genie from earlier hadpletely turned into a gangster. "Give me your phone!"

    The scumbag had been beaten until he couldn''t tell up from down. He had no strength to fight back, and hearing her words, he hastily begged, "It¡¯s in my pocket, my wallet too, and there¡¯s a ring inside my wallet, everything is yours! Please spare my life, Wonder Woman!"

    He wouldn''t have thought in a million years that he would get robbed while out looking for a hookup! And the robber was a knockout! From her skills and her murderous aura, he could tell that she was a professional!

    Ning Xi didn''t care if this scumbag was misunderstanding the situation. She took his phone out straightaway, then waved it in front of him, "Put your hand out, unlock it for me!"

    "Un¡­ unlock it? What do you want to do?"The scumbag said warily.

    Ning Xi pped him hard with barely a pause. "I told you to unlock it, so much rubbish! You don¡¯t believe I can disable that thing three inches under your belly button?"

    "I¡¯ll unlock it, unlock it! Right now!"The scumbag was scared sheetless, and he quickly unlocked it.

    Ning Xi found his wife¡¯s number in his contacts, and facetimed her.

    She picked up quickly.

    A woman¡¯s face appeared on the screen. She could tell that the woman¡¯s foundation was not bad, but maybe it was because she had stayed home too long doing housework and had neglected her skincare, she she looked sallow like wax. It was a typical housewife¡¯s face, the kind that scumbags loathed.

    "Who¡­ who are you?" The woman¡¯s expression changed instantly when she saw Ning Xi¡¯s stunning beauty, but then she said in an extremely exhausted voice, "I don''t care who you are, from now on he can love whoever he wants or be with whomever he wants; I¡¯m ready to divorce him, and I don''t want any money from him. Whatever he does after this has nothing to do with me anymore! So leave me alone!"

    Hearing this, Ning Xi shook her head in disappointment. "Tch, you¡¯re going to let him off so easily? Sister, you¡¯re too kind!"

    That woman hadn¡¯t expected Ning Xi¡¯s unconventional attitude, and she couldn¡¯t help but stare nkly, before she asked warily, "What¡­ what do you mean?"

    The corners of Ning Xi¡¯s mouth ticked up, and she pointed the phone¡¯s webcam at the scumbag she had beaten ck and blue, lying under her foot. "See that?"

    After getting a clear view of the man on her phone, the woman waspletely dumbfounded. "You¡­ the two of you¡­ what is this?"

    Ning Xiughed lightly. "So? Does that feel good?"

    That woman recovered her senses after a long while, and even though she didn¡¯t understand what was going on, she looked at that man all banged up, and subconsciously said, "Yes!"

    After saying that, her lips twisted with a trace of bitterness.

    Not so long ago, if he had gotten even a small scratch, she would have been worried to death. But now, seeing him cut such a sorry figure, she was unexpectedly pleased¡­

    "Heh, that¡¯s great! I didn¡¯t have any other reason to call you, just that instead of being happy alone, it¡¯s better to be happy together, which is why I wanted to show this to you.Now everyone can be happy together!" Ning Xi said in a careless manner.

    "¡­"The woman was still in a daze, and didn''t know how to react to this bizarre situation.

    As for the man under Ning Xi¡¯s foot, that pig¡¯s face was all twisted up. He hadn¡¯t expected that this woman would insult him not only physically, but also mentally, and that she would show his wife, who had always admired him, this ugly state he was in¡­

 Chapter 234: Protecting Love And Justice

    <h4>Chapter 234: Protecting Love And Justice</h4>

    This woman didn''t want money or valuables. Then why the hell was she messing with him?

    He really was so unlucky to have met a screwball like this!

    But he didn''t know, the worse was yet toe¡­

    Ning Xi suddenly thought of something, and patted herself on her head. She reminded the woman on the phone: "Ah, that¡¯s right,ter I¡¯ll send you a recording of him and his trash friends talking, it¡¯ll prove that he''s having an affair!

    Why on earth wouldn¡¯t you want money out of the divorce? Did you knock your head on something? Get what you should get, and not a cent less! Understand?"

    "Yes¡­ yes, I understand!"The woman was in awe of Ning Xi¡¯s aura, and she replied subconsciously.

    Ning Xi nodded in satisfaction, then said in a lecturing tone, "Yup, that should be the way. With money, you can look for any guy you want. Even if you encounter some that are not sincere, in any case, you can still keep a harem of studs and boy toys! And if they don¡¯t listen to you anymore, you can kick them out anytime! Wouldn¡¯t that be nice?"

    Woman: "¡­"

    scumbag: "¡­"

    Not far away, Lu Jingli: "¡­!!!" He actually felt that sister-inw¡¯s words were reasonable¡­

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­"

    The woman on the other end of the line was still utterly puzzled, and couldn''t help asking: "Thank you! But, who¡­ who on earth are you? Why are you helping me? Have we met?"

    Ning Xi smiled at the phone¡¯s webcam "No need to thank me, you can just call me Lei Feng!"

    Saying this, she ended the call, kicked the scumbag aside, then turned and left abruptly¡­

    Lu Jingli¡¯s jaw had dropped in stunned amazement. "Brother, there are some things that shouldn¡¯t be said, but I have to¡­ sister-inw is so f***ing cool, ahhhh! I¡¯mpletely falling¡­" in love with her!

    Lu Tingxiao wasn''t in the mood to deal with an overexcited Lu Jingli. He knitted his eyebrows tiredly, and there were traces on his face of him having just survived a disaster.

    Lu Jingli looked at his brother admiringly. "Brother, you are amazing. If you hadn¡¯t endured it, we would¡¯ve missed such a great show!"

    After saying that, Lu Jingli seemed to think of something, and he said with extreme excitement, "Talking about this, I suddenly remembered something; I was only able to get a list of names of the people Ning Xi had dated back then. But they were all trash, without exception. Furthermore, in the end, it was Ning Xi who dumped them. If you take Jiang Muye into ount, and the fact that Jiang Muye always tries to avoid talking about the time they dated each other¡­

    "I wonder if the reason she dated those trash men was simr to what she did today. Trap them, then carry out heaven¡¯s punishment, , protecting love and justice¡­"

    Lu Jingli sounded like he had just discovered something big, but Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression showed that he wasn''t the slightest bit moved.

    He had never believed that she was that type of person.

    And even if she had been, it didn''t matter to him.

    Ning Xi hummed a tune as she rode her motorbike. She felt refreshed, so refreshed, after beating up that scumbag.

    As expected, torturing a trash man was the best way to destress!

    Ning Xi nced at the time on her watch. It was four in the morning, still too early, she needed to wait until at least six o¡¯clock before she returned.

    Then way, she could coincidentally bump into Lu Tingxiao in the living room¡­

    And so, Ning Xi took a turn and headed west.

    Half an hourter, she arrived at a river bank.

    After she parked her motorbike, she sat down on the soft grass.

    Just nice, the cool breeze would sober her up in the cool breeze¡­

    And there was another good point about this location, which was¡­ it had lots of mosquitos!

    Ning Xiy down and chanted to herself, "Mosquito, mosquito¡­ it¡¯s meal time,e bite me¡­"

    ¡­

    ¡®Lei Feng¡¯ is a term for the model citizen.

 Chapter 235: These Are Obviously Hickeys!

    <h4>Chapter 235: These Are Obviously Hickeys!</h4>

    Here was too spacious and empty; there was nowhere to hide the car, so they had to park further away.

    Luckily, Lu Jingli had a fly-sized drone with him, and because it was infrared, it could film at night. It was flying above Ning Xi¡¯s head right now.

    "Hahaha¡­ brother, I told you it would be useful!" Lu Jingli was so pleased with himself that his tail was sticking right up to the sky.

    On the car monitor, Ning Xi was lying on the grass under the dark sky, murmuring "mosquitose bite me" repeatedly¡­

    "Is sister-inw drunk? Speciallying all the way here to feed the mosquitos?" Lu Jingli was speechless.

    Lu Tingxiao didn''t say anything, as if he didn¡¯t think it was strange at all, all of his attention on the girl on the screen¡­

    Ning Xi rxed as the alcohol started to work. She closed her eyes, feeling dizzy. In her daze, she heard footsteps approaching her from behind, and the buzz of mosquitos in her ear gradually disappeared. Her body, a little cold from the night air, was covered with warmth¡­

    The moment that familiar smell wrapped her up, thest bit of consciousness which she had been holding on to faded away like smoke.

    Because she was on her own, she hadn¡¯t dared to getpletely drunk.

    She didn''t know when it had happened herself, but there was unexpectedly someone in front of whom she could be safely drunk.

    Lu Tingxiao chased the mosquitos away, and covered her with his coat. Then he put his arm under her head as a pillow, so that the grass wouldn''t prick her skin.

    The girl clung to his clothes, sound asleep. Even through the heavy makeup she was wearing, he could see the child-like innocence on her face, and it couldn¡¯t help but make him want to dote on her¡­

    When Ning Xi woke up, the horizon was already fish-belly white. She checked the time and saw that it was five thirty in the morning.

    She had only taken a nap, but had actually slept for so long?

    Ning Xi dusted her butt off, and looking at herself, she realized that unexpectedly, she hadn¡¯t gotten many mosquito bites at all. Nheless, there were just enough that she could use¡­

    She thought that since she had slept for so long, she would definitely have gotten hundreds of bites. But if that was really the case, it would be have been too fake anyway.

    What was also strange was that though it waste autumn and she was next to the river, after waking up from her sleep, her body still felt, and she wasn''t the slightest bit cold¡­

    Was it because of the alcohol?

    Half an hourter, she returned to the Lu residence.

    It had just turned six o¡¯clock. In the living room, Lu Tingxiao was as usual drinking tea and reading the newspaper like a retired senior.

    So far, so good.

    "Lu Tingxiao, morning!" Ning Xi entered the house and greeted him.

    "Morning, you''re back." Lu Tingxiao lifted his head from the newspaper.

    Ning Xi was watching Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression secretly, then she realized that it was too difficult to observe anything on a face that looked paralyzed in ce.

    That was because he was expressionless most of the time, and this time was no different.

    Ning Xi didn''t give up, and directly sat down on the sofa opposite Lu Tingxiao. She deliberately touched her neck.

    There was no way that he wouldn¡¯t see it from this close, right?

    As expected, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes wandering over her neck and those incriminating red dots on her bare skin, then he knitted his eyebrows together more heavily.

    Ning Xi pretended she didn¡¯t noticed, and yawned. "So tired, I¡¯m so sleepy!"

    "Why do you have so many mosquito bites?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "Pu¡­ cough cough cough¡­" Ning Xi almost choked to death on her own saliva.

    Are you kidding me?

    I dress like this to go to a nightclub, and I¡¯m only back the next morning. As a normal, red-blooded man, seeing these incriminating marks, shouldn''t you assume straightaway that they are hickeys?

 Chapter 236: One-Sided Crush

    <h4>Chapter 236: One-Sided Crush</h4>

    What bitten by mosquitos?

    She had gone to a bar! A bar! How could she have been bitten by mosquitos?

    Lord Boss! Where is your high IQ and logic?

    But she also couldn¡¯t eagerly tell him that this was a hickey. That would be too weird¡­

    The n failed, and Ning Xi felt like she was in so much pain she didn¡¯t want to live anymore.

    At this moment, Lu Tingxiao put down the newspaper and stood up to open the drawer below the TV cab. He took out a small white bottle and walked over to her.

    Ning Xi raised her head and watched him warily. Big brother, what are doing now?

    "This medicine oil is very effective for mosquito bites." Saying this, Lu Tingxiao took the lid off, poured some oil into his palm, then ced his warm palm on her neck¡­

    The instant he touched her neck, Ning Xi jumped up as if she had been electrocuted. "I¡­ I¡¯ll do it myself!"

    "Don''t move. There is all medicine all over my hands," Lu Tingxiao admonished her. His rough fingers were iparably gentle as he applied the oil on her neck, her corbone, and what he could see of her back. Massaging the oil into her skin, his expression was serious, as if he was carrying out a solemn and important task.

    Because of the oil, the ces where his fingers touched felt cool, but under her skin, it was slowly burning up¡­

    After quite a while, Lu Tingxiao was finally done. "How is it?"

    Ning Xi came to her senses. She touched the ces where the mosquitoes had bitten her, and blinked. Then she said in a very amazed voice, "How strange! It really isn¡¯t itchy at all anymore! What medicine is this? Why is it so eff¡­ effective¡­"

    Right after she said it, Ning Xi really wanted to bite off her own tongue.

    She actually let it slip herself! F***!

    It looked like her premonition had reallye true¡­

    She had really failed utterly miserably¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s head drooped pathetically like a miserable, defeated cat, and she muttered discontentedly, "Lu Tingxiao¡­ I went out drinking¡­"

    "It''s okay to drink asionally. I''ll help you keep it a secret from Little Treasure."

    "I went to a nightclub¡­"

    "Mm, as long as you¡¯re careful."

    "I stayed out all night!!! Lu Tingxiao, aren¡¯t you angry at all?" Ning Xi finally got angry.

    "Do you want me to be angry?" Lu Tingxiao said lightly, gazing at her with deep eyes.

    Ning Xi goggled: "¡­!!!" He actually turned the tables on her!

    Lu Tingxiao helped her remove a de of grass stuck to her hair. "I''ve said before, you can consider this ce your own home, and do as you like."

    Saying this, Lu Tingxiao suddenly paused, and then returned to the previous topic: "Actually, I don''t like it at all when you go out on your ownte at night to ces like the bar or nightclub, since it makes me so worried that I can¡¯t sleep the whole night. However, I still respect your freedom."

    ".¡­" With a poof, Ning Xi¡¯s chest was struck by Cupid''s arrow.

    Ugh, she couldn¡¯t fight this battle anymore¡­

    The enemy was simply one. Sidedly. Crushing. Her!

    ¡­

    Ning Xi continued going to bars for a week, but it didn¡¯t work at all.

    The only effect was¡­

    Because she had taken care of quite a number of scumbags in session, almost all the bars in the city started to impose a new rule: to strictly investigate any beauty they encountered.

    s¡­ everything was going wrong.

    In the end, Ning Xi eased up a little. Of course, she never forgot the most important thing, and continued to concentrate on taking Little Treasure out to y, as they went almost everywhere in the whole capital.

    The biggest gain during this period was that Little Treasure had be more open in herpany. He wasn¡¯t afraid to go out anymore, and apart from still not speaking and being a little introverted, he was almost already like a normal child.

    What a relief¡­

    This way, she could finally rx when she left!

 Chapter 237: Sending Little Treasure Over

    <h4>Chapter 237: Sending Little Treasure Over</h4>

    On one particr morning, Ning Xi went downstairs and saw a scene that she hadn¡¯t seen for a long time.

    Little Bun and Big Bun sat opposite each other at the table, one face cold as an iceberg and the other face cold as a little iceberg. It was clear from the atmosphere that they were at loggerheads.

    What was this situation?

    This father and son pair hadn¡¯t quarreled in a long time.

    "What¡¯s wrong with the both of you?" Ning Xi asked suspiciously.

    Hearing Ning Xi¡¯s voice, Little Bun immediately clung to her leg as if he had seen his saviour, then stared warily at Lu Tingxiao, as if his father was about to sell him off¡­

    Ning Xi held Little Treasure andforted him for a bit, then looked in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s direction. "Lu Tingxiao, what¡¯s going on?¡¯

    Lu Tingxiao raised his eyes: "I¡¯m sending him to stay with my parents for several days. They haven¡¯t seen him in a long time, and they miss him very much."

    "So it¡¯s like that!" Ning Xi nodded in understanding.

    Seeing this, Little Bun became anxious, and the watery gleam in his big eyes quickly became ayer of misty tears.

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart was instantly softened. Scratching her head, she looked at Lu Tingxiao. "This, there isn¡¯t any other way?"

    Lu Tingxiao nced at her. "There is. Have my parents stay here for several days."

    "Uh, it¡¯s better to send Little Treasure to them after all!" Ning Xi said decisively.

    Sorry, Little Bun, Auntie also has no choice¡­

    Little Treasure was instantly struck a great blow. With the expression of a child unloved by his dad and mom, he ran upstairs to hide in his room¡­

    "Uh¡­" Ning Xiughed hollowly. "That, I¡¯ll go persuade him!"

    "Mm."

    Upstairs, Ning Xi knocked on Little Treasure¡¯s room door.

    "Darling, would you please open the door for Auntie?"

    There was no reaction from inside the room.

    "Are you really going to ignore me?"

    There was still no reaction from inside the room.

    It seemed he was really angry!

    Ning Xi sighed, but she couldn¡¯t do anything about it. She could only go back downstairs, and then she walked outside.

    When Lu Tingxiao saw this, he didn¡¯t even lift his head. "Don¡¯t climb with your bare hands. Have the butler prepare adder for you."

    After hearing his words, Ning Xi nearly tripped. Was this guy a worm in her stomach? How did he know she was going to climb the wall and get in through a window?

    Damn¡­

    Lately, she realized that Lu Tingxiao was understanding her better and better. There were plenty of times where with just one expression in her eyes or one small gesture, he knew what she wanted to do in the next second.

    Five minutester, Ning Xi climbed adder and entered Little Treasure¡¯s room without a hitch.

    As soon as the little guy saw her, he threw himself into her arms with his eyes full of tears. His little expression was indescribably aggrieved¡­

    Just now, when there had suddenly been no more reaction outside his room, he had thought that Ning Xi really didn¡¯t want him any longer.

    Ning Xi held Little Bun lovingly. "Darling, Auntie is on your side all the time. It¡¯s just that this time, Auntie really thinks you should go. Think about it, your grandparents only have you their precious grandson, and they clearly love you very much, but they respect your wishes and so don¡¯t daree see you¡­"

    Little Treasure hung his head. After a long while, he took up his tablet and wrote one word: Together.

    Meaning that he wanted Ning Xi to go together with him.

    Ning Xi coughed softly with embarrassment. "I can¡¯t do that¡­"

    How could she go to Lu Tingxiao¡¯s parents¡¯ house at such a time!

    "Because Auntie is going to start work soon, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have the time!" Ning Xi found a good excuse, then hurriedly coaxed him. "But Auntie and your dad can send you off together! Be good! Little Treasure is already a five-year-old little man, and you¡¯ve made such great progresstely. You¡¯re getting better and better, and more amazing. You can definitely do this small thing, right?"

    Ning Xi held Little Bun, and kissed and coaxed him as she talked to him for half an hour. Atst, the little guy relented.

 Chapter 238: Sheâ€™s Wonderful

    <h4>Chapter 238: She¡¯s Wonderful</h4>

    The old Lu residence stood halfway up a mountain, and upied arge area of mountains and forests. It took over twenty minutes to drive from the front gate to the house. There were lush trees on both sides and the scenery was very beautiful.

    The rumor was that the dragon vein was located here, in the feng shui jewel of the capital.

    Thanks to Little Treasure, she was also expanding her knowledge!

    Through the window, Ning Xi saw the two Lu elders already waiting at the door, their faces full of eager anticipation, and no different from the average grandparent who doted on their grandson.

    Ning Xi patted Little Bun in her arms. "Go on! Don''t forget what Auntie said to you, good luck!"

    Looking at the encouragement and expectation in Ning Xi¡¯s eyes, Little Bun nodded his head resolutely, and Lu Tingxiao took him out of the car. With every step he took, he would turn around to look at Ning Xi.

    Seeing their precious grandson, the two elders were overjoyed, and hurriedly went to meet him.

    Madam Lu was so excited that her eyes were wet, and she grumbled as she looked at her eldest son: "Brat, we endured so many months not seeing Little Treasure! In the end you still haven¡¯t given me my daughter-inw!"

    Lu Tingxiao coughed slightly, and motioned at the person in the car behind them. At this distance, it was likely that Ning Xi could hear them¡­

    As a matter of fact, Ning Xi really did hear it.

    Relying on the fact that with the car¡¯s particr windows, people outside couldn¡¯t see inside, Ning Xi had directly pressed her ear against the window to eavesdrop on what they were saying. Then she heard Madam Lu¡¯s remark¡­

    Madam Lu was instantly excited. "Oh, my! The daughter-inw is here as well? Have her get out of the car to meet us!"

    "Mum¡­" Lu Tingxiao said helplessly. "She¡¯s shy, don¡¯t scare her."

    Ning Xi nodded furiously. Yes, yes, yes, I¡¯m shy, please don¡¯t ask me to get out of the car!

    Fortunately, Master Lu¡¯s words at this moment diverted everyone''s attention.

    "What is Little Treasure writing?" Master Lu asked suspiciously.

    Hearing her husband¡¯s words, Madam Lu then also realized that at some point, Little Treasure had started busily writing something.

    A momentter, Little Treasure raised his tablet and looked at his grandfather and grandmother with eyes as clear and bright as ck pearls.

    On the tablet ¡ª

    [Grandfather, Grandmother, Little Treasure missed you very much!]

    After clearly reading the words on the tablet, Master Lu and Madam Lu looked at each other thunderstruck, then their eyes turned red.

    Madam Lu looked at her husband in disbelief. "Did¡­ did I read that wrong? Little Treasure finally called me grandmother!"

    Even though it wasn¡¯t a literal "call", it was the first time that Little Treasure had addressed her as grandmother!

    Before, he always ignored them, and even rejected them¡­

    "He also called me grandfather!" Master Lu said solemnly, yet proudly.

    "He even said he missed us very much¡­" Madam Lu couldn''t help herself anymore, and cried as she hugged Little Treasure. "Grandmother''s darling! Do you know how happy grandmother is?

    Master Lu sighed, then looked at his eldest son, and said seriously: "Tingxiao, the one you like, she is very good. She¡¯s taught Little Treasure very well."

    He only knew that Little Treasure had opened up a lot more, and was now willing to go out, but he hadn¡¯t expected in a million years that Little Treasure''s progress would be this amazing!

    It was really too surprising!

    "Isn''t she? And he¡¯s well-fed. Look at how fat my grandson is now! He¡¯s put on even more weight than thest time I saw in the photo!" Madam Lu was very pleased.

    "Mm, she''s wonderful." Lu Tingxiao looked in the direction of the car behind him, his gaze iparably tender.

    Master Lu patted him on the shoulder, and said meaningfully: "Boy, good luck! It¡¯s natural to have to work harder to obtain the best. We¡¯ll support and assist you in any way we can!"

 Chapter 239: A Single Man And A Single Woman?

    <h4>Chapter 239: A Single Man And A Single Woman?</h4>

    Including Master Lu and Madam Lu, Lu Tingxiao had splendidly achieved his goal of "full assistance from the whole Lu family".

    Inside the car, seeing Lu Tingxiao bid his parents and Little Treasure goodbye and then walk back in her direction, Ning Xi hurriedly sat up, and pretended that she hadn¡¯t heard anything.

    On the way back, Lu Tingxiao suddenly asked, "What are you doing today?"

    "Today?" Hearing this question, Ning Xi stared nkly.

    That was right, today she didn''t need to apany Little Treasure, and because it was Saturday, Lu Tingxiao didn¡¯t need to go to work¡­

    Wouldn''t that mean that she had to spend the whole day with him, a single woman and a single man, at home¡­ alone?

    Realizing that she had fallen into a trap, Ning Xi just felt stupid.

    This was a one-step, one-trap pattern, and as soon as she wasn¡¯t careful, she would fall in¡­

    At this moment, her cellphone rang.

    Picking the phone up to take a look, Ning Xi¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly.

    Chang Li?

    Why was she calling her?

    Ning Xi picked up the call, and said in a surprised tone, "Yo, Big Manager Chang, who is always so busy with work, actually has time to personally call me?"

    Hearing the words "always so busy with work", Chang Li felt so much hatred she almost bit through her gums.

    Before, while Ning Xueluo¡¯s career was flourishing, she had naturally been so busy running around every day, it was like her feet didn¡¯t have time to touch the ground. But after that incident, the number of endorsements, and film and TV opportunities for Ning Xueluo all plunged. Not just that, manypanies which had signed endorsement deals with her before were now demandingpensation, and Starlight had also asked Ning Xueluo to keep a low profile during this period until the incident had passed.

    Apart from Ning Xueluo, she had no other sessful artiste under her, which meant that she would have to live on air for the next half a year!

    Chang Li said crossly, "I''ve called to tell you to move out immediately! You¡¯ve already betrayed thepany and broken your contact, do you think you can still upy thepany''s apartment? In that area, we can rent it out for more than a thousand yuan a month!"

    Heh, in the capital, was a monthly rental of more than a thousand worth bragging about?

    Ning Xi didn''t have time to talk nonsense with her, so she casually said, "Got it. I¡¯m hanging up if there''s nothing else¡­"

    Before she could do so, Chang Li scolded her aggressively. "Ning Xi, search your heart and ask yourself, wasn¡¯t thepany good to you? Nowadays, whichpany would provide an obscure, new artiste with amodation? Many small-time artistes can go months without a job, but you at least always had work!"

    Thepany had been prepared to nurture you and make you popr! Even though that thing happened to you, thepany didn¡¯t give up on you! But you¡­ you forgot your roots and climbed your way up by stepping all over us!"

    Ning Xi made a "tsk" sound. "Manager Chang¡¯s talent at inverting right and wrong is really improving every day! If you¡¯re so justified, why don¡¯t you just share it online?"

    Chang Li instantly choked; she actually had said all this online, the end result being that she had been viciously scolded and cursed at byizens.

    Unwilling to admit defeat, Chang Li snorted and sneered. "There are lots of big names at Glory World Entertainment, and thepetition there is fiercer than it is in Starlight. Do you think that as soon as you jump across, you¡¯ll get your moment to shine? How ridiculous! You¡¯re just a chess piece thepany is using to attack Starlight! Do you really think that Glory World values you that much? When the timees, don''te crying and begging to me then!"

    Saying that, she hung up the phone with a loud bang.

    Ning Xi shrugged, and gave Lu Tingxiao beside her a look. "Now I have something to do today!"

    "What?"

    "Chang Li just called to tell me that they¡¯re taking back the apartment which Starlight arranged for me. My stuff is still there! So, I have to move out!"

 Chapter 240: Uniform Temptation

    <h4>Chapter 240: Uniform Temptation</h4>

    "Mm, let¡¯s go." Lu Tingxiao nodded and drove in the direction of her apartment.

    Ning Xi had thought she had dodged a bullet, but seeing what he was doing, she became nervous. "I can go myself, I have so many things, I¡¯ll ask the movingpany toeter and pick them up with a truck!"

    "It¡¯s fine, they¡¯ll fit."

    In Ning Xi¡¯s heart: no matter how spacious your car is inside, there is no way it¡¯ll be able to fit everything, do you think you¡¯re Doraemon?

    But Lu Tingxiao looked certain, so she didn¡¯t want to argue further, and could only let him drive all the way to her apartment building.

    Forget it, forget it, moving house together was a safer option; at least it wouldn''t create anything remotely close to an intimate atmosphere.

    When they arrived at the apartment, Ning Xi pushed the door open. Everything inside the room was covered with ayer of dust since no one had been living there for a while. At some point, the window had also been blown open by the wind, and there were leaves everywhere¡­

    The cold autumn wind blew through the window. Lu Tingxiao stood at the entrance, a tall and slim figure. He swept his gaze over every corner of the room with some warmth in his cold eyes.

    "What is it?" Ning Xi didn''t understand as she looked at him.

    "Nothing." Lu Tingxiao stopped looking around.

    This was a tiny, run-down apartment which Starlight had arranged for her, but it held precious memories of the two of them.

    Mm,ter he would arrange for someone to purchase the building straightaway¡­

    "What can I do?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi scratched her head, and found arge empty box, then pointed at the tall bookshelf "You¡¯re tall, can you help me pack all the books in here?"

    "Alright."Lu Tingxiao rolled his sleeves up, ready to begin.

    Ning Xi looked at his clothes, which were probably more expensive than this apartment, and touched her forehead as if she had a headache. "Wait¡­ wait a minute!"

    Saying that, she pulled out a doctor¡¯s white coat from who knows where, and stood in front of him. "Take your coat off and put this on so that you don¡¯t get dust on your clothes."

    Lu Tingxiao obediently removed his suit jacket, looking at the white coat with curious surprise. "Where did you get this?"

    "It¡¯s a costume, I was working with a production team that was too poor to buy their actors clothes, so I bought it myself!" Saying this, Ning Xi gave it to him to put on."Luckily it¡¯s quite loose!"

    As soon as she said that, she looked at Lu Tingxiao and was struckpletely dumb. She couldn¡¯t help swallowing, and couldn¡¯t hide the impressed look on her face¡­

    Lu Tingxiao looked too good in a white coat!

    This was straight-up uniform temptation, hey!

    Holy sheet, even moving house was not safe!

    "What¡¯s wrong?"

    Ning Xi shook her head and came back to her senses. "Nothing, nothing¡­ then let¡¯s start! I¡¯ll go pack up all my clothes!"

    "Mm."Lu Tingxiao nodded, and looked at Ning Xi¡¯s fleeing back before he started packing up the books.

    Lu Tingxiao might look unhurried when he did things, but actually he was swift and very productive, and he cleared the bookshelf very quickly.

    As he continued to move books, a picture fell out of a book of Shakespeare¡¯s collected works¡­

    Lu Tingxiao picked it up.

    There was a group of young people in the picture, wearing clothes in punk and metal styles. Ning Xi was in the middle; she had extremely short hair, was dressed head to toe in a ck motorbike suit, and had a free and confident smile on her face, looking like a handsome young boy.

    Her arm was resting on a man¡¯s shoulder, and she had turned her head to talk to him; they looked intimate, so presumably they were very close to each other.

    As for that man, his head was turned to the side as he lit a cigarette, plus the lighting was dim, so instead of a clear image, he was nothing more than a blurry side profile¡­

 Chapter 241: Teach The Big Demon King How To Chase Girls

    <h4>Chapter 241: Teach The Big Demon King How To Chase Girls</h4>

    Instinct told him¡­ this was YS, the person Ning Xi once said was extremely dangerous, but she believed would never hurt her¡­

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the man¡¯s side profile for a very long time.A thought shed through his head, but it was so quick that it was gone by the time he tried to catch hold of it.

    What did he feel that¡­ this person was somehow familiar?

    Was it someone he knew¡­

    "Lu Tingxiao, I¡¯m almost done here! Are you done?" Ning Xi dragged a huge suitcase behind her, and turned her head to ask.

    "Mm, done." Lu Tingxiao put the picture back without being noticed.

    Ten minutester, Ning Xi was standing downstairs with bags of different sizes.

    Then, she finally understood why Lu Tingxiao was sure that all her things would fit.

    A Lincoln limousine was parked outside quietly¡­

    Ugh¡­

    There was no humanity in the world¡­

    Ning Xi hastily pulled down the brim of her cap, and as swiftly as possible, carefully stuffed all her things into the car, then quickly urged the driver to start the car.

    Because things had happened so suddenly, she hadn¡¯t had time to get changed, and if she was photographed now, it would absolutely make the news headlines!

    Sister Zhizhi had already told her to keep a low profile during this period, since she had created a big enough buzz; if things continued like this, it would be easy to attract negative public opinion.

    As if sensing her worry, Lu Tingxiao said, "Don¡¯t worry, reporters recognize the car tes."

    Meaning, they would in no way dare to mess with the car owner.

    "Eh¡­ ok¡­"She was thinking too much. The Big Demon King was always prepared.

    On the way to her new apartment, Lu Tingxiao suddenly said her name: "Ning Xi."

    Ning Xi raised her head from where she had been absent-mindedly lost in thought. "Ah? What is it?"

    Supporting his head with one hand, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s gaze was deep as he looked at her,"I seem to remember you saying before that if I wanted to chase a girl, you would teach me."

    A bomb exploded in Ning Xi¡¯s head. She cursed herself in a very quiet voice, thenughed awkwardly, "I¡­ I said that? Surely not! Hehehe¡­"

    "You did. And you even said you would make sure I learn the right tricks. On the day we went to your apartment to get your spices, you received two package deliveries. One of them was a birthday gift from your ex-boyfriend. You said that he wasme at chasing girls, and told me not to learn for him," Lu Tingxiao reminded her as he recited all the details.

    Ning Xi wanted to p herself so badly: watch your mouth! Why didn''t you think before you speak! Digging your own grave!

    "So¡­ so there is a girl you want to chase now?" Ning Xi could only pretend to be thick-skinned and ask.

    "Mm." Lu Tingxiao nodded. There were stars in his eyes, and he looked at Ning Xi as if she was the whole world. "So, teach me."

    F***! Teach her butt!

    You only need to use that expression to look at any random girl, and they will alle flying themselves! Why would you need to chase them?

    No choice, she had said it herself, there was no use crying over spilled milk¡­

    Ning Xi coughed lightly, and acted like she didn''t know anything as she lectured: "There¡¯s a popr online saying, if she is not worldly enough, take her to see the bustling world; if she is experienced, take her on a carousel. Meaning, give the prescription ording to the symptoms! What type of girl is the one you like?"

    "She¡­" Lu Tingxiao paused, like he was thinking about something, and after a while, the ice in his eyes melted, and he said with a tender smile on his face, "She knows the world but isn''t worldly, she''s a wild spirit but is kind and gentle, she has experienced so much, but has maintained her purity and innocence all this time¡­ she is the most wonderful girl I have ever met!"

 Chapter 242: Pull That Carrot Out

    <h4>Chapter 242: Pull That Carrot Out</h4>

    Knew the world but wasn''t worldly¡­

    A wild spirit but kind and gentle¡­

    Experienced a lot, but maintained her purity and innocence all this time¡­

    The most wonderful girl¡­

    Aiyaya! The teenage girl inside this old madam!!!

    Ning Xi clutched her chest, feeling like her crazily pounding heart was about to fall out.

    Was there anyone who didn''t like to hearpliments about themselves?

    Not to mention, Lu Tingxiao had hit her in all the softest spots in her heart with his sincere and skilful words.

    Wasn''t Lu Tingxiao supposed to be above mere mortals, restrained and cold? It wasn¡¯t logical that he was so good with words!

    The Big Demon King was seriously waiting for her next move¡­

    Ning Xi really wanted to give him three big kowtows and beg him to let her go!

    You ultimate level, mighty big name, you still need me to guide you?

    Ning Xi coughed slightly, and said heavily, "Lord Boss, the way I see it, with your inner and outer qualities and your levels of perception, you totally don''t need me to teach you at all. If the other party still hasn¡¯t fallen for you the way you are, then there is only one possibility."

    Lu Tingxiao put his hand down and narrowed his eyes slightly. "What possibility?"

    Ning Xi took a deep breath, and said decisively, "You are not her type!"

    "Not her type¡­?"

    A gust of freezing wind blew in from the north with these words¡­

    Ning Xi swallowed, and fought to meet the Big Demon King¡¯s gaze, which was like cold des. She nodded with certainty. "Yes. To put it another way, some like carrots, some like cabbages, and those who like carrots won¡¯t like cabbages, no matter how good they are!"

    Lu Tingxiao tapped the armrest of his seat with one finger. After three seconds of silence, he said slowly, "What if I¡¯m sure, I¡¯m a carrot?"

    Ning Xi: "¡­!!!"

    F***!

    What do you mean you¡¯re sure you¡¯re a carrot?

    Are you so sure that this old woman likes you? How can you be so¡­ so smart¡­

    "Then¡­ then maybe she has another carrot in mind? One carrot, one hole, that hole already has one carrot in it, of course it¡¯s not easy for another carrot to get in!" Ning Xi twitched at her own metaphor, why the heck had she chosen to use "carrot", out of all things¡­

    "Another carrot she likes¡­" Lu Tingxiao murmured, a glint in his eyes. "Who?"

    Now, the freezing wind had be a tornado!!!

    Ning Xi, who was in the center of it, felt there was no hope for her anymore. She pretended to look at the view outside the window, and said with an awkwardugh, "I¡¯m not a fortune teller, how would I know! I think it¡¯s better that you keep things as they are right now to be safe, otherwise what if the other party really likes someone else? When the timees, and you can''t even remain friends anymore, then what?"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s lips were pressed together, and his face looked like frost. He didn''t say a word for a long time, and the air pressure inside the confines of the car was so low it was as if it was going to start hailing¡­

    Just as Ning Xi felt that she could no breathe because of the pressure, Lu Tingxiao finally opened his mouth and said ¡ª

    "Then¡­ I will pull that carrot out."

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    Pull¡­ pull that carrot out!!!

    Big brother, why do you have to use such scary words!

    At first she had wanted to find a shield, but could it stop the Big Demon King¡¯s hit? It couldn''t even stop a strand of hair!

    Pathetic,munication failed again¡­

    Would only her ultimate move work? She hoped it wouldn¡¯te to that point¡­

 Chapter 243: To Coax Girls

    <h4>Chapter 243: To Coax Girls</h4>

    Ning Xi¡¯s new ce was on the seventh floor of the Regal Riveria Hotel. It was a three-bedroom apartment with a living room, decorated in a simple style and veryfortable. There was a beautiful view of the river from the balcony. Compared with her old, small apartment, the difference was like between heaven and earth.

    She and Lu Tingxiao, plus the driver, took all her things up in three trips.

    Looking at the bits and bobs in the apartment, Ning Xi wiped her sweat. "There¡¯s one more bag, I¡¯ll go get it!"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Mm, I¡¯ll start organizing."

    "Wait, I forgot something¡­"Ning Xi took out a rectangr gift box from one of the boxes.

    "What is this?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi smiled mysteriously. "Use this to coax girls!"

    Downstairs.

    Ning Xi finally had the veryst bag. When she walked into the lobby, she saw the young female receptionist sizing her up. When she saw that Ning Xi had noticed her, she immediately put her head back down and pretended to be busy.

    The receptionist at the Regal Riveria had seen so many stars, and was used to it, but Ning Xi had be too popr recently, so suddenly seeing her had been a bit of a surprise, not to mention that she hade today with an especially mysterious man¡­

    Ning Xi smiled easily at the young girl, then walked over to her.

    The receptionist was astonished to see her walk over herself, then she screwed up her courage to say, "You¡¯re Ning Xi, right?"

    Ning Xi nodded. "Yes, I just moved in today."

    Saying that, she gave her the ck gift box. "Nice to meet you, this is a little gift for you, I hope we¡¯ll get along well."

    "Ah¡­ this¡­ I can¡¯t ept this!"

    "It¡¯s okay, someone gave this to me, it didn''t cost anything, please take it! You have beautiful lips, they will definitely look good on you!"

    The young girl touched her lips and blushed. "Then¡­ thank¡­ thank you!"

    "You¡¯re wee."

    After Ning Xi left, the young girl opened the box to take a look, and was very pleasantly surprised.

    It was actually twelve tubes of lipstick, all in different colors.

    God! She loved this brand, but it was just too expensive for her to buy, and her boyfriend was too dumb to think of getting them for her, instead always giving her bizarre things. Sheet, was it so hard to get her one measly tube of lipstick!

    She never expected that Ning Xi would be such a good person¡­

    Even though she had gotten many gifts from stars, they were all given with an arrogant attitude, and some gave away things that they didn''t want anymore, like it was charity.

    Ning Xi was different, making her so happy with her gift! It was obvious with one look that the gift had been carefully prepared.

    Most people looked down upon employees like her. Little did they know that given her job, she knew so many secrets¡­

    At the elevator.

    The elevator doors opened with a ding.

    Outside the doors, Ning Xi got a clear look of the person inside, and she knitted her eyebrows together; she never expected to run into Chang Li here.

    "Ning Xi¡­" Chang Li said in surprise, then addressed her as if she was a thief. "What are you doing here?"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes. "Is this your house? Are you the only person that cane here?"

    Chang Li crossed her arms and looked down her nose at how she was covered from head to toe in dust. "Heh, even if this isn¡¯t my house, it¡¯s still not a ce people like you cane to!"

    Ning Xi walked past her to directly enter the elevator, and she pressed the button to shut the doors. "Well excuse me, I live here!"

    Struck dumb, Chang Li was rooted to the spot as she watched the doors close with suspicion¡­

 Chapter 244: Slapped In The Face

    <h4>Chapter 244: pped In The Face</h4>

    Ning Xi lived here?

    Impossible!

    But you needed a key card to get in and out, so how did she get in?

    Chang Li muttered to herself as she walked.In the end, she gave in to her curiosity, and went to ask the receptionist.

    "Xiao Fang, the girl who came in just now¡­ that was Ning Xi, does she live here?" Chang Li asked.

    Xiao Fang had both a polite and troubled expression on her face. "Miss Chang, that concerns the privacy of our residents, which we cannot disclose, you already know how strict management is!"

    Chang Li slipped a gift card into her hand. "Little sister, do me a favor! I just want to know if she really lives here, it¡¯s not a sensitive issue, and won¡¯t affect you!"

    Xiao Fang nced disdainfully at the gift card as she thought in her heart: you always boss me around so arrogantly, and now that you want something from me, you know how to talk and act nice?

    She wanted to give it back, but then changed her mind. Taking the card, she said, "Yes, she lives here, the information was registered with us around half a month ago."

    Hearing this, Chang Li¡¯s eyes lit up. "Who¡¯s the owner?"

    Seeing her expression, Xiao Fang knew instantly what she was thinking, and said, "It was registered under Glory World Entertainment; no doubt herpany arranged amodation for her!"

    Chang Li blinked dumbly. "What? Are you sure?" She had thought she could catch Ning Xi out with this¡­

    Xiao Fang said in a confident tone, "How can it be a mistake, that suite is the best one in the whole of Regal Riveria. It¡¯s facing the river and the view is especially good. It had always been vacant, up until half a month ago, when Glory World staff brought workers in to redecorate the whole ce, and wrote down her information on the registration form!"

    "Got it, thanks¡­" Chang Li¡¯s face was ck as she left.

    Sheet, was Glory World Entertainment insane? Actually giving a newbie like Ning Xi such good privileges!

    She thought about her conversation with Ning Xi not too long ago, about how nice it had been of Starlight to arrange amodation for her¡­ this simply felt like she was pping her own face¡­

    Looks like she needed to keep an eye on Ning Xi, and figure out once and for all who the person supporting this slut was!

    ¡­

    With Lu Tingxiao¡¯s help, Ning Xi finished unpacking her things in half a day.

    Looking at everything in their ce and how organized things were, her mood brightened up.

    She had been feeling that everything was surreal after signing with Glory World; now, looking at what would be her home for the near future, she finally felt reality start to creep back in.

    Ning Xi gave Lu Tingxiao a new towel to wipe off his sweat, and thanked him, "I¡¯m really grateful for your help today, how about I treat you to dinner?"

    No matter what, Lu Tingxiao had been busy the whole day helping her move house, the least she could do was treat him to a meal.

    "How about we stay in to eat?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "Ah, but the gas hasn¡¯t been connected yet in the kitchen, and there¡¯s nothing here, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to cook¡­"

    "It¡¯s fine, you don''t need to do anything, today has been very tiring." Lu Tingxiao made a phone call and only said two words to the person on the other end: "Come in."

    In the next second, the doorbell rang.

    Ning Xi opened the door suspiciously, then jumped in shock.

    People in uniform were standing neatly in two rows outside the door, each one of them holding a gourmet dish in their hands.

    The young brother standing in front of them held a big bouquet of lilies.

    Standing tall and straight, Lu Tingxiao walked over with strong, steady steps and took the flowers from that young brother, then turned to Ning Xi. "For you."

 Chapter 245: Was This A Confession?

    <h4>Chapter 245: Was This A Confession?</h4>

    Seeing that big bunch of white lilies, Ning Xi blinked in a daze, and took it reflexively.

    Then the waiters came in one after another to spread a tablecloth and put down candlesticks. Within five short minutes, they had set up an iparably exquisite candlelight dinner. Bowing, the well-trained waiters then left.

    So this was what Lu Tingxiao meant about staying in to eat.

    She thought he meant to cook at home!

    She was too na?ve!!!

    Just now she had seen that the waiters¡¯ uniforms were engraved with the words "Red Chamber". Red Chamber was the most famous private restaurant in B City¡¯s aristocratic circle. It cooked for only one table every day, and reservations were lined up until next year.

    This restaurant also had a rule that you couldn¡¯t order any dishes ¡ª you ate whatever they cooked. It was this type of restaurant, yet Lu Tingxiao was actually able to get them to do take-outs¡­

    Ning Xi looked at the flowers, and then looked at the candlelight dinner¡­

    "These¡­ aren¡¯t these all the signs of a confession?" a small voice in Ning Xi¡¯s head whispered fearfully.

    Lu Tingxiao had deliberately sent Little Treasure away today, arranged these things in advance, and even asked her how to chase girls, which was a very leading question¡­

    Was he really going to¡­

    Why was it that the more she thought, the more she panicked?

    The next second, her gazended on the little dessert stand next to the table. Er, there can¡¯t possibly be an engagement ring hidden in the cake, right, cough, cough, cough¡­

    Impossible! Impossible! Given Lu Tingxiao¡¯s character, there was no way he would use a method that was so easy to guess!

    "Don¡¯t like the food?" Seeing that herplexion wasn¡¯t good, Lu Tingxiao frowned slightly, and then picked up the phone. "I¡¯ll have them remove these and bring other ones."

    Ning Xi hurriedly waved her hands. "No need, no need! They¡¯re all dishes I like! What I meant was¡­ I should be the one treating you, how did it turn into you treating me!"

    "It¡¯s the same," Lu Tingxiao said indifferently. Then he pulled out the chair for her like a gentleman.

    "Cough, thank you¡­" Ning Xi could only sit down.

    She cautiously observed Lu Tingxiao, then realized a particr detail.

    Today was not a work day, so ordingly he should be dressed in casual clothes. But today he was dressed up smartly, and had put on a bowtie for the first time!

    After sitting down, Ning Xi realized in her absent-mindedness, she had forgotten that she was still holding the flowers in her arms, so she hurriedly looked for a vase to arrange them in.

    "Like it?" asked Lu Tingxiao.

    "What?" Ning Xi was taken aback.

    "The lilies."

    "Er, I like them very much¡­"

    "Mm, I think lilies suit you very well."

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    Was he talking about how the lily stood for "purity", or "a harmonious unionsting one hundred years"?

    "Eat up." Lu Tingxiao passed her some food with his chopsticks.

    "Uh huh¡­ it¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll help myself!" To conceal her anxiety, Ning Xi began to wolf down her food.

    When she ate until her stomach started to feel ufortable, she finally realized something was off. She had a half-eaten cake in one hand, and she knitted her brows as she looked at the man opposite her.

    Lu Tingxiao hadn¡¯t eaten very much, but he had opened a bottle of wine which he had been drinking by himself. The bottle looked like it was almost empty now¡­

    "Lu Tingxiao, why are you just drinking wine, and so much of it! I didn¡¯t see you eat very much, hmm¡­ pu¡­"

    Ning Xi still had had some cake in her mouth when she spoke, and while she was talking, she suddenly bit down on something hard, and hurriedly opened her mouth to spit it out.

    "What the hell, what is this thing, my teeth are numb¡­"

    With a ding, a sparkling ring¡­ fell onto the white porcin te in front of her¡­

 Chapter 246: A Deeper Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 246: A Deeper Kiss</h4>

    Ning Xi goggled and stared at the ring on the te, her eyesrge as bulbs and her expressionpletely stunned.

    F*** me!!!

    Ning! Xi! You! Are! A! Crow! Mouth!

    She had actually hit the nail on the head¡­

    She had been on guard against him the whole time! She had always subconsciously thought that in chasing a girl, the Big Demon King would swoop in with one single brilliant move that would be impossible to guard against. How could she have expected such an¡­ such an old-fashioned method!

    And yet, the end result was still impossible for her to guard against.

    Had the Big Demon King deliberately act the opposite of his normal behavior?

    At this moment, what Ning Xi regretted the most was not swallowing the ring straightaway to destroy the evidence¡­

    Beneath Ning Xi¡¯s lifeless gaze, Lu Tingxiao finished thest of the wine. He put down the ss and looked at her with deep eyes: "I have been drinking because I¡¯m nervous."

    Ning Xi: "¡­" He was nervous? Who should actually be the nervous one!

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face changed from cold ice to tipsy mist, but his eyes, dark as the night, were clear and bright. His cool voice was like raindrops falling into a deep pool: "I have never done anything that I¡¯m uncertain about, but this time, I did.

    "This is probably the most impulsive thing I''ve ever done in my life, but I have no choice, and I have no room for regret.

    "No matter whether I step forward or retreat, you have already decided to keep your distance from me. It''s just the difference between doing itter or sooner.

    "I have been nning this day from the first day I met you, and I¡¯ve made countless ns. But you are bing more and more afraid of me, and for you now, it seems that all those ways would only frighten you, so I chose the most traditional and gentlest method."

    Ning Xi was speechless when she heard these few words: "¡­"

    The gentlest method¡­ thank you so much for being so considerate!

    But I¡¯m still freaking scared, okay!!!

    Liu Tingxiao paused, then raised his head and continued speaking. "No matter what way I use, I¡¯m not confident that I can fully move you. Though the n today is already the most dependable one that I can think of, I calcted that it only has a seventeen percent chance of sess."

    Ning Xi: "Huh?" What seventeen percent? How the heck did hee up with this magical number?

    "Uh, cough, cough, cough¡­ that¡­"

    Out of her wits, Ning Xi unconsciously reached for some wine. Discovering that Lu Tingxiao had finished it, she poured herself a full ss of fruit juice, and gulped it all down.

    Ning Xi set the ss down with a bang, and finally found her voice ¡ª

    "Lu Tingxiao, you¡¯re practising how to profess your love for the girl you like, right? Mm, great, great, traditional and ssic, low-key but not losing any of its meaning, the lines are sensational enough¡­"

    Liu Tingxiao silently looked at the girl opposite him. He pushed his chair back slightly, stood up, stretched his long arm across the table, used his fingertips to pinch her chin, and in the next second, he leaned over to kiss her lips¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s voice was abruptly cut off.

    It was only three secondster that she reacted, but Lu Tingxiao gripped the back of her head and kissed her more deeply¡­

    The room was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. There was only the sound of quick breathing, the sound of clothes rubbing against each other, and of lips and tongues tangled together. The temperature in the room rose quietly¡­

    Some indeterminate timeter, Lu Tingxiao finally broke the kiss. He slowly moved away from her lips, but his palms still cradled the nape of her neck, and he leaned his forehead against hers softly¡­

    ¡­

    A ¡®crow mouth¡¯ is a doomsayer.

    A ¡®crow mouth¡¯ is a doomsayer.

 Chapter 247: Even Using A Honey Trap!

    <h4>Chapter 247: Even Using A Honey Trap!</h4>

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes were closed, her eyshes flickering slightly, and when she spoke, her voice was a little hoarse. "Lu Tingxiao, why won¡¯t you listen to your teacher?"

    It hadn¡¯t been that long ago that she had told him that he should maintain the status quo and not act rashly. In the end, he had turned the other way to directly profess his love and propose. This was simply the biggest trap¡­

    "The teacher teaches the trade, but the apprentice¡¯s skill is self-made," Lu Tingxiao could still say in a very reasonable tone.

    "Teacher didn¡¯t teach you to act indecently!"

    "But this was the only way to let you know that the one I like is you, teacher."

    "Then this is being insubordinate!"

    "Then that must be because teacher is too cute¡­" Lu Tingxiao leaned his forehead against hers, and took hold of her slender fingers with his big palm to ce them over his heart. At that moment, his clear, cold eyes burned likeva, and it was as if he was casting a spell on her with his persuasive tone. "Teacher, be with me, and everything that I have will be yours¡­"

    "Stop talking!!!" Ning Xi¡¯s brain was in a mess, especially when he called her teacher, which gave her a strange sense of shame¡­

    She tried to cover her ears, but was still toote¡­

    Lu Tingxiao said ¡ª"Little Treasure is also yours."

    Ning Xi¡¯s pupils suddenly contracted: "¡­!!!"

    Liu Tingxiao quietly observed her reaction. When he saw her staring at him with big round eyes, the corners of his mouth tilted upwards slightly. His palms kneaded the sensitive flesh at her nape, as if he was teasing a kitten. "So what is the percentage now? Hmm?"

    Ning Xi covered her face and subconsciously answered: "It¡¯s already half and half¡­"

    As soon as she said it, she really wanted to bite her tongue off. "Sheet! Lu Tingxiao, you¡¯re too shameless! Even using Little Treasure!"

    "Little Treasure is my natural advantage, how can you say I¡¯m using him?"

    "Then what do you say to using a honey trap on me?!!" Ning Xi was indignant at the injustice done to her. Even if she wanted to break free of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s palms, which were keeping her where he wanted her, Lu Tingxiao wasn¡¯t using any force to keep her in ce, so no matter how she wanted to, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to break out of his hold.

    "Did I?" Lu Tingxiao sounded innocent.

    "Okay, okay, okay. You didn¡¯t use one, but it looked lewd to me, so it was lewd, alright! Mm¡­ Lu¡­ Tingxiao¡­" Ning Xi was angry, but halfway through, she suddenly felt something was wrong.

    "Hm?"

    Ning Xi paled and she clutched her stomach. "My¡­ my stomach hurts¡­"

    "What? Where does it hurt?" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face immediately became serious.

    "Stomach, stomach! It really hurts! It¡¯s getting more and more painful¡­" Sweat rolled down Ning Xi¡¯s forehead.

    "What''s going on? You were perfectly alright, why do you suddenly have a stomachache? Was there something wrong with the food?"

    Ning Xi coughed slightly. "Erm, it shouldn''t be¡­ I think¡­ maybe I ate too much¡­ just now after I drank arge ss of orange juice, I already felt there was something wrong with my stomach¡­"

    Only at this moment did Lu Tingxiao realize that she had eaten almost all of the many dishes on the table, not to mention that she had drunk such arge ss of juice. Lu Tingxiao immediately got angry: "Ning Xi! Are you an idiot? You ate so much but you didn¡¯t realize you were overdoing it?"

    Ning Xi was angrier than he was: "Wasn¡¯t that because of you! You scared me to the point that I kept eating to calm down! You finished all the wine by yourself, not leaving even one drop for me! So the only thing I could drink was orange juice! And you actually scold me for this!"

    After saying that, she clutched her stomach and howled even more miserably.

    Lu Tingxiao instantly stopped being angry, and hastily cated her. "It¡¯s my fault¡­ I¡¯ll send you to the hospital right now!"

 Chapter 248: Obviously A Prodigy

    <h4>Chapter 248: Obviously A Prodigy</h4>

    Hearing his words, Ning Xi looked embarrassed. "What? Let¡¯s not, going to the hospital in the middle of the night because of overeating is too humiliating!"

    "Is face more important than your body?" As he spoke, Lu Tingxiao grabbed his wallet and phone, then quickly lifted her by the waist.

    Ning Xi immediately waved her hands. "Ergh¡­ Lu Tingxiao¡­ no¡­ switch to a different position¡­ maybe it¡¯s better if you just help me walk slowly¡­ this position makes me more ufortable¡­"

    "You¡­" Lu Tingxiao was both angry and concerned, and could only put her down and carefully help her walk out.

    When they reached the hospital¡¯s emergency room, Ning Xi¡¯s clothes and hair were wet with sweat.

    Because Ning Xi had been clutching her stomach and Lu Tingxiao had an expression suggesting that the sky was about to copse, a nurse immediately met them and gave Ning Xi a hand. "Is the babying? Quick! Get onto the stretcher!"

    Ning Xi lifted the mask she had been wearing to avoid being recognized, and with ck lines on her head, exined, "No¡­ that¡¯s not it, Sister Nurse! I overate!"

    "¡­" The nurse was speechless for a second, then looked down at her stomach, and realized that it was only protruding a little, and in fact wasn¡¯t like the stomach of a pregnant woman. "For stomach issues, please turn left!"

    "Thank you!"

    At midnight, after a period of torment, Ning Xi¡¯s diagnosis finally came out.

    She had acute gastritis caused by overeating and stress within a short period of time¡­

    Lu Tingxiao touched the girl¡¯s pale cheek as shey in the hospital bed, his own face full of pain. "Does it still hurt?"

    Ning Xi nodded bitterly. "Yes, but it¡¯s not as bad as before¡­ that, Lu Tingxiao, there¡¯s one thing¡­"

    "What is it? Tell me."

    Ning Xi hesitated for a moment, then embarrassedly said, "Seems like the ring scraped and broke the skin on one side of my gum. I didn''t feel anything earlier, but now it hurts a lot¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao facepalmed, and didn¡¯t know whether to cry orugh. He ruffled her hair. "Wait for me. I¡¯ll get you some medicine."

    "Mm."

    After Lu Tingxiao left, Ning Xi let out her a long breath of air, and then stroked her round stomach¡­

    She never expected her stomach would work so hard during a critical moment!

    But¡­ the feeling of overeating was really ufortable! She never wanted to feel it for a second time in her whole life!

    Before, there had been times when she had been too busy to eat, and as a result, had once also gotten a sudden acute case of gastritis at midnight¡­

    The difference was that at that time, she couldn''t get a taxi at midnight, so she rode her motorbike to the hospital herself, registered herself, got her medicine herself, and sat on a cold bench in the corridor with an IV drip by herself¡­

    Lu Tingxiao came back quickly.

    He sat down on the edge of the bed with the medicine, and opened the bottle and said seriously, "This medicine is topical. Open your mouth and I''ll help you put it on your wound."

    Ning Xi obediently opened her mouth, but her tongue identally touched it, and she frowned. "Bitter¡­"

    "Endure it for a bit, don¡¯t touch it."

    "Oh."

    After applying the medicine, Lu Tingxiao looked at her with gentle eyes and said softly, "Teacher¡­"

    A little startled, Ning Xi was nk for a bit before she realized that he was calling her. "Ah?"

    "I''m sorry¡­" Lu Tingxiao sighed softly with self-reproach, then took her hand and gently kissed the back of it. "me this student who has no skill, causing you to get hurt."

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart skipped a beat ¡ª

    Damn¡­ sixty percent¡­ sixty-one¡­ sixty-two¡­ sixty-three¡­ it continued increasing¡­

    How is this no skill!

    He was obviously a prodigy!!!

 Chapter 249: Beauty Was Dangerous!

    <h4>Chapter 249: Beauty Was Dangerous!</h4>

    Ning Xi shook her head and quickly ended the dangerous and ambiguous "teacher-student" talk. She then switched to employee mode, raised her hand, and said primly¡­

    "Boss, I would like to apply for a period of consideration without disturbances!"

    After thinking about it, Lu Tingxiao agreed without reservation: "Granted, how many days do you want?"

    Ning Xi counted with her fingers, then said weakly, "Um, can I count in years?"

    "I¡¯ll give you seven days." Lu Tingxiao ignored her unreasonable request and made the decision for her.

    "Okay¡­ seven days it is! Then, after I leave the hospital tomorrow, can I stay at my apartment for the time being? You just agreed, no disturbances! Little Treasure isn''t home, and I need to be at thepany the day after tomorrow, and the apartment¡¯s a little closer to it!" Ning Xi did her best to give a legitimate reason.

    "You can." Lu Tingxiao nodded without the slightest hesitation.

    "¡­"Hah, that was it? When he suddenly stopped tripping her up, she was not used to it.

    Ning Xi narrowed her eyes, a fox-like expression on her face. It seemed she had discovered the best way to deal with the Big Demon King¡¯s tricks! To bet on her own health?

    Was it because earlier, the doctor had said that she shouldn''t put too much stress on herself?

    Ai, this only worked because he cared for her too much¡­

    When she thought this, the number in her heart shot up to eighty percent!

    ¡­

    Next day.

    Because her condition wasn¡¯t serious, Ning Xi was discharged from the hospital in the morning.

    As he promised, Lu Tingxiao sent her to her apartment, stopping by the supermarket on the way to buy things to fill up the fridge with, and ordered three meals every day for her, warning her repeatedly to watch what she ate.

    Ning Xi sat on the sofa, watching Lu Tingxiao go back and forth busily. After checking the fridge, he still stood there trying to think if he had missed anything. Ning Xi couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and coughed lightly. "Lu Tingxiao, no need to trouble yourself anymore, I can take care of myself!"

    Lu Tingxiao turned and walked towards her. "Then I¡¯m heading out."

    Even as he said that, his face was still full of worry, as if she was a three-year-old kid who couldn¡¯t do anything for herself at all.

    Ning Xi struggled to keep the number inside her heart unchanged. "Mm."

    "You sure you¡¯re alright now?"

    "Yes! Yes! My stomach isn''t hurting at all anymore! My body recovers very fast!"

    "Mm,that¡¯s good." Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes grew darker, and he nodded in satisfaction.

    Ning Xi: "¡­" There was nothing wrong with what she¡¯d said, but why did she feel like she had been tricked?

    She was lost in thought when Lu Tingxiao suddenly leaned in towards her.But before he got close, he stopped halfway, then retreated a bit. He stretched out one hand to rub the top of her head. "No disturbances."

    Ning Xi: "¡­"

    You! Are! Disturbing! Me! Already!

    She finally understood, this person didn¡¯t need to do anything, his existence was a huge disturbance itself.

    After Lu Tingxiao left, Ning Xi finallypletely rxed. She hugged a pillow in her arms and fell into a daze on the sofa, thinking about everything that had happenedtely¡­

    In the end, things had stille to this point. She had had a premonition, and she had also been prepared, but now that they were here, her brain was still nk and everything was a confused mess.

    She gave her a score of zero for this appearance of hers!

    Actually, she nned in the beginning to say some deliberately brutal things to make Lu Tingxiao give up on her. But when she looked at his face, she couldn''t say a single word, and her originally resolute heart was starting to waver. What she had always thought would never happen, was slowly starting to change¡­

    No wonder there had been incapable rulers in their history!

    Beauty was dangerous!

 Chapter 250: First Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 250: First Encounter</h4>

    Next morning, in Lin Zhizhi¡¯s office at Glory World Entertainment.

    "Sister Zhizhi, I¡¯m notte, am I?" Ning Xi had rested at her apartment the whole day yesterday, and was pretty much fully recovered. It was only that she still looked a little wan, so today she had chosen to wear a trendy outfit with a boldbination of colors to brighten her skin, making her look young and energetic.

    In front of the desk in the office, Lin Zhizhi as usual did not have a single strand of hair out of ce. She wore a suit jacket and an A-line skirt in cool colors, and was working on some documents. Seeing that Ning Xi hade, she sized her up first before raising her head. "No need to be nervous, it¡¯s nothing important today, I just wanted to show you around thepany before shooting starts tomorrow. Even if you normally won¡¯te to thepany often, you still need to be familiar with thepany¡¯s basic department structure."

    "Okay, thank you, Sister Zhizhi!"

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Ning Xi nodded, and followed her out. With Lin Zhizhi¡¯s guidance, she familiarized herself with eachpany department, and met a few of her new colleagues.

    Whatever they thought inside, on the outside, everyone was polite to her.

    Even though everyone tacitly understood that this was a battle between Glory World and Starlight, and Ning Xi was thepany¡¯s weapon in striking at Starlight, it was the undeniable truth that thepany was prepared to nurture Ning Xi, so nobody wanted to court bad luck by harassing her during this critical period, when public opinion of her was flourishing.

    "Tut, this Ning Xi is even better looking in person, no wonder Second Young Master likes her!"

    "I have a feeling, as long as her EQ is not too low, she¡¯ll definitely be a hit!"

    "That¡¯s hard to say! Leng Manyun just left, do you think people will allow her to make it big so easily? Anyway, do you think she and Lin Zhizhi will get along? Doesn¡¯t Lin Zhizhi hate those type of actresses the most, the ones who rely on their good looks to climb their way up?"

    ¡­

    Thepany was actually pretty big, and Ning Xi followed Lin Zhizhi for more than an hour before theypleted the tour.

    As they were about to take a look at the film sets and recording studios behind thepany, they unexpectedly ran into someone in the corridor.

    "Yo! Isn¡¯t this our Big Manager Lin? Finally stopped bing a hermit? I thought you wouldn¡¯t being back to the industry after your setback!" The woman speaking was around thirty years old. She wore sexy and trendy clothes. Her hair was in big waves, and she had exquisite makeup on. She was dressed up even more magnificently than any star.

    Because she often appeared in newspapers and magazines, and she had seen her from a distance on production sets several times before, Ning Xi instantly recognized that this was Su Yimo¡¯s manager, Zhao Meixin.

    Faced with Zhao Meixin¡¯s provocative words, Lin Zhizhi¡¯s eyebrows didn¡¯t even twitch, and she said ndly, "With Sister Meixin still working hard, how can we youngsters slow down."

    "You¡­"Zhao Meixin was pissed.

    On the side, Ning Xi struggled not tough out loud. She hadn¡¯t expected that Lin Zhizhi, who looked inflexible and severe, to have such a vicious tongue!

    Zhao Meixin ground her teeth and hmphed coldly. "Lin Zhizhi, I didn''t think you would do well to begin with, but I can¡¯t not admit that you have some skill, being able to raise Leng Manyun that in nobody up to such a high level. But now¡­"

    Zhao Meixin deliberately paused, and nced disdainfully at Ning Xi. "After Leng Manyun, you went and found yourself such a flower vase, who besides scandals and her looks, doesn¡¯t have one good thing about her. I remember that you hate artistes who rely on their good looks the most. So? Have you fallen so low now?"

 Chapter 251: Su Yimoâ€™s Backer

    <h4>Chapter 251: Su Yimo¡¯s Backer</h4>

    Ning Xi narrowed her eyes slightly after hearing this.

    This was already not the first time that she had heard other people say that Lin Zhizhi hated artistes like her.

    It was impossible to say that she didn¡¯t care.

    After all, this was the person who would fight this battle with her in the future. If their beliefs were ipatible from the beginning, how would they be able to continue cooperatingter?

    Lin Zhizhi noticed the worry that shed through Ning Xi¡¯s eyes. She looked at Zhao Meixin, and said evenly, "It seems that Sister Meixin has misunderstood something about me. Everyone knows that being beautiful is a gift in this industry. It¡¯s the golden meal ticket from God, the one thing other people can ask for but won¡¯t get, why would I hate it?

    "What I hate are the flower vases who have the looks butck substance and professionalism.

    "Everyone loves beautiful things, I¡¯m sure Sister Meixin understands this point the best, right?"

    After hearing this, Zhao Meixin¡¯s expression changed. What she would understand the best?

    This was obviously a jab at her!

    She used to be an actress, but because she hadn¡¯t been attractive enough, she had struggled to turn herself around to be a manager. She still cared a lot about her looks now, and often got facials and minor cosmetic operations done¡­

    This damn Lin Zhizhi, either she didn''t talk much, or everything she said were jabs into her flesh! It was really true that the dogs that don¡¯t bark are the ones that bite the hardest!

    "Are you so sure she isn¡¯t just a flower vase?" Zhao Meixinughed coldly.

    "Whether she is or not will be demonstrated through her work, and not judged based on her looks, the way Sister Meixin has done." With that, Lin Zhizhi walked directly past her and left.

    "You¡­"Behind them, Zhao Meixin stomped off in anger.

    After that short encounter, all of the gloominess in Ning Xi¡¯s heart was swept away, and she bounced happily after Lin Zhizhi.

    "Sister Zhizhi, you were so cool just now! You give off such a safe feeling! But don''t worry, I¡¯m definitely not a flower vase, and even if I am, I am at the very least a blue-and-white porcin vase with ocean waves, lucky clouds and dragon patterns on it from the Qing Qianlong dynasty. A co-existence of good looks and strength!"

    Lin Zhizhi gave her a look, the corners of her mouth twitching imperceptibly. "You better practise what you preach. Filming starts tomorrow, when the timees, I¡¯ll apany you there.

    "Also, it won¡¯t be just me, the production crew will open the set to the media, so there will be a lot of reporters.

    "I¡¯ve emailed you thetest script and shooting schedule. You also know, you have an important scene tomorrow, and it¡¯ll really test your acting skills. This is your first battle, make sure you¡¯re prepared for it!"

    Actually, during this period, she had already studied Ning Xi¡¯s r¨¦sum¨¦ and works, and found that this girl¡¯s acting was actually not bad, so she was looking forward to tomorrow¡¯s scene¡­

    "Got it, I will do my best!"

    As she spoke, Ning Xi secretly looked Lin Zhizhi up and down. No matter how she looked, Lin Zhizhi appeared a very reliable person, and the more Ning Xi thought about it, the more she felt regret on her behalf. How could a woman like Sister Zhizhi fall for Jiang Muye, that unreliable, fickle golden retriever?

    Because Lin Zhizhi was still busy with other things, Xiao Tao took Ning Xi around on the rest of the tour.

    Xiao Tao was very lively, and talked non-stop. Ning Xi learned a lot ofpany gossip from her.

    "Ai, when Sister Manyun left, Su Yimo and Zhao Meixin were the happiest about it, since they don''t have any rivals anymore! Su Yimo is a bigger name than Sister Manyun, but look at what she¡¯s acted in, they¡¯re all trashymercial films. Most of Sister Manyun¡¯s movies might have been art films, but they received so many international awards because of them. She is simply in a ss above Su Yimo, alright? But it can¡¯t be helped, who asked Su Yimo¡¯s backer to be so strong! She clearly doesn¡¯t have the ability, but shamelessly holds the No.1 Actress title at Glory World!"

    "Su Yimo¡¯s backer is very strong?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Of course! Sister Xi, you don''t know?" Xiao Tao was astonished, then she sidled closer to whisper in her ear, "Su Yimo¡¯s backer¡­ is our CEO Lu!"

 Chapter 252: High Energy Ahead! Torturing Single People Again!

    <h4>Chapter 252: High Energy Ahead! Torturing Single People Again!</h4>

    "Of course! Sister Xi, you don''t know?" Xiao Tao was astonished, then she sidled closer to whisper in her ear, "Su Yimo¡¯s backer¡­ is our Boss Lu!"

    "CEO Lu? Don¡¯t you mean Lu Jingli?" Ning Xi¡¯s first thought was of Lu Jingli;it was obvious how little integrity Lu Jingli had in her heart¡­

    Xiao Tao shook her head, then pointed her finger upward, meaning the person above Lu Jingli.

    Now Ning Xi was really surprised, and she lifted an eyebrow. "Lu Tingxiao?"

    Xiao Tao nodded vigorously, looked around, and said, "Not so loud¡­ as long as you know about it!"

    Ning Xi stroked her chin. "But why hasn¡¯t anybody dropped this bomb? There¡¯s not even a hint of it outside."

    "Who wants to die, if they dare make noise about the Big Boss? So only people in thepany know about this!" Xiao Tao exined.

    "I see¡­"

    Not waiting for Ning Xi to ask for more details, Xiao Tao already couldn¡¯t hold herself back, and straightaway started telling her all the gossip. "At first, Su Yimo was just a second-tier, third-tier actress, there were so many bigger names above her. In the end, nobody knows how she hooked up with our Big Boss and obtained his favor. In a short while, all thepany resources were presented to her to choose from, and she straightaway went up like a rocket¡­"

    The more Xiao Tao spoke, the angrier she became. "Our Sister Manyun took ten years to get to where she is today, but ended up being overshadowed by her like that, it¡¯s so unfair¡­"

    Ning Xi listened to the way Xiao Tao described the rumors as if they were fact. She was sure that it was true, the only thing she didn''t know was what kind of rtionship Lu Tingxiao and Su Yimo had¡­

    Though Xiao Tao hadn¡¯t said it clearly, but from her tone, it sounded like they¡­ had "slept together"?

    But given her understanding of Lu Tingxiao, Ning Xi naturally couldn''t believe all of Xiao Tao¡¯s gossip.

    Xiao Tao, who had been talking non-stop, suddenly realized that talking about someone else¡¯s might wasn¡¯t proper, so she rushed tofort Ning Xi, "Cough, but Sister Xi, your backer is also very amazing, you were brought in by our Second Young Master after all!"

    Though Xiao Tao said this, she still sounded a little disappointed.

    She used to be Leng Manyun¡¯s assistant, and this time had moved with Lin Zhizhi together to work with Ning Xi.

    When she had been with Leng Manyun, everyone showed her respect, but Ning Xi was a nobodypared with Leng Manyun, and as her assistant now, thinking about how from now on, she would have to lower her head whenever she saw Su Yimo¡¯s manager and assistant, it was hard to avoid the unfairness she felt in her heart.

    There was no way Ning Xi could have missed the disappointment on Xiao Tao¡¯s face, but Xiao Tao¡¯s reaction was a normal one, so she didn''t take it personally.

    But, that thing with Su Yimo, she couldn¡¯t let it pass that easily¡­

    After all, during these seven important days, any tiny detail could affect her decision.

    Consequently, since Ning Xi had no time to figure it out herself, she took her phone out directly and texted Lu Tingxiao¡ª

    [What is your rtionship with Su Yimo?]

    At the same time, Lu Corporation.

    Lu Tingxiao was in a meeting when his cell phone suddenly beeped.

    As he continued to listen to his subordinate¡¯s report, Lu Tingxiao took a look at his phone.

    Then, all the employees sitting in the meeting room witnessed something that only happened once every thousand years¡­

    When their Lord Boss, who almost never smiled when he was at thepany, looked at his phone, his face rxed, and he let out a delightedugh¡­

 Chapter 253: I Am Your Private Backer

    <h4>Chapter 253: I Am Your Private Backer</h4>

    "Meeting adjourned."

    With two words, Lu Tingxiao took up his phone and walked out of the meeting room.

    Ning Xi was waiting for Lu Tingxiao to text her a reply, and was startled when he directly called her back instead.

    Ning Xi let Xiao Tao know she was picking up a call, then hurriedly found an empty corner to do so.

    "Hello¡­"

    "I saw your text." Lu Tingxiao sounded happy.

    Ning Xi picked at the ceramic tiles on the wall with her fingernail. "Oh."

    When she had sent the text, she hadn¡¯t thought anything about it, but why did she now feel that something was off?

    "Jealous?" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s low, rough voice came through the line.

    "Cough cough cough cough cough¡­" Ning Xi was so rmed by the word that she burst into furious coughing, then said angrily, "Who¡¯s jealous! I was thinking that it was important to be clear about the rtionships inside thepany, so I just asked, that¡¯s all!"

    F***! No wonder she felt something was off! It looked like she was jealous!

    "If it was just a random question, then I refuse to answer,"Lu Tingxiao said.

    "Ha¡­?" Ning Xi was struck dumb. Never in a million years had she expected that Lu Tingxiao could actually be so childish. "Then what do you want, before you¡¯ll tell me?"

    Lu Tingxiao: "Recall my question."

    Which question? About being jealous?

    Actually¡­

    When she heard Xiao Tao guessing that it was an intimate rtionship, and she thought about Lu Tingxiao with another woman, in her heart, she had in fact felt a little ufortable¡­

    But how could she admit that!

    So Ning Xi said casually, "Forget it, if you don''t want to answer, I¡¯ll just believe that you¡¯re sleeping with Su Yimo. Just that can directly send your score down to zero!"

    Lu Tingxiao sighed, and helplesslypromised. "Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s nothing between us, you don''t need to be concerned with her in thepany."

    "Then why do people say that you are her backer? And all the resources she had, didn''t you ask people to give them to her?" Ning Xi didn¡¯t understand.

    "I am your private backer," Lu Tingxiao answered.

    Her face hot, Ning Xi immediately said seriously, "Answer the question! Don''t mess around!"

    Lu Tingxiaoughed. "Heh¡­"

    "And noughing!"

    Lu Tingxiao finally stopped teasing her, and coughed softly. "I did give the order, but I had nothing to do with it after that. The reason I gave that order was because you could say that she saved Little Treasure¡¯s life once."

    "What? What happened to Little Treasure?" Ning Xi instantly became anxious as she asked.

    "Before, in order for him to socialize more, I tried sending him to school. In the end, he lost control of his emotions and ran outside, and almost got hit by a car. Fortunately, another car at that time suddenly rushed out and hit that car, saving Little Treasure¡¯s life. The person driving that car was Su Yimo. She had been driving drunk, which was why her car had rushed out like that. So through a strangebination of events, she saved Little Treasure¡¯s life¡­"

    Ning Xi was struck dumb by each thing that she heard. "Sheet! I really don¡¯t know who was the lucky one, Little Treasure or Su Yimo! So to repay her, you gave that order?"

    She could understand why Lu Tingxiao had done it. Even if she had saved Little Treasure by ident and not by design, she had still saved him.

    "Yes."

    "Tch, she actually really saved Little Treasure¡¯s life! That time, why didn''t you repay her with yourself?"

    Lu Tingxiao killed her with one stroke: "Do you think I would do that for just anyone?"

 Chapter 254: Whatâ€™s My Score Now?

    <h4>Chapter 254: What¡¯s My Score Now?</h4>

    As if that wasn¡¯t enough, Lu Tingxiao gave her yet another cold-blooded stab: "What¡¯s my score now?"

    "How can I tell you that! You think I¡¯m dumb? I¡¯m hanging up! My assistant¡¯s waiting for me!" Ning Xi hung up quickly.

    She was pathetic! As expected, she shouldn''t have any contact with Lu Tingxiao for now!

    On his end, when Lu Tingxiao finished speaking to Ning Xi on the phone, the smile on his face still hadn¡¯t faded. Suddenly on the side, a big face popped into view,ining bitterly ¡ª

    "Brother~ tell me~~ are you hiding something from me?"

    Lu Tingxiao didn''t deny it, and lifted an eyebrow, "That obvious?"

    Lu Jingli was struck a blow, and he almosty down to roll around on the floor. "Argh, you really are keeping something from me! I¡¯m your brother, your best right-hand man, your warm jacket! How can you hide things from me!"

    "Aren¡¯t you very good at guessing?"

    "Huh! Fine, I¡¯ll guess, then!" Lu Jingli paced back and forth in the room. After three minutes, he stopped abruptly, and looked in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s direction. "The day before yesterday, you deliberately sent Little Treasure away. At that time, that was two days before Ning Xi would start work, and she would be busy getting ready for it, which meant that you didn''t have much time either, so these two days, you would definitely do something big! Something big¡­ don¡¯t tell me it was a confession?"

    Lu Tingxiao: "Go on."

    Did that mean he had guessed right?

    Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes lit up, and he continued guessing: "The result? Most likely you failed! Otherwise how could you still be at thepany, you would definitely be in bed¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao: "¡­"

    In the end, Lu Jingli made a finger gun at him, and concluded confidently, "There can only be one truth! You confessed, Xiao Xi Xi didn''t ept it, but she didn''t reject you either, and she¡¯s thinking about it. Furthermore, the possibility at the moment that she will give you a positive reply is very high! That¡¯s why you¡¯re in such a good mood!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his little brother¡¯s glowing face, and the corners of his mouth twitched with imperceptible gentleness¡­

    He had an aloof personality and was bad at getting along with people; even his emotional connection to his own biological parents was very thin. The only exception was this little brother. When other people avoided him and were afraid of him, only his little brother would follow him around the whole time; he never cared or got angry that Lu Tingxiao, who always had a cold face on; he went right on making his own guesses since Lu Tingxiao didn''t like talking, and when it came to Lu Tingxiao, he always guessed right¡­

    Lu Tingxiao already felt that he was blessed, and had never expected that destiny would also allow him to encounter Ning Xi¡­

    Next day.

    From mid-summer to early autumn, after experiencing so many ups and downs, the production crew of <The World> was finally about to start shooting again.

    Because of changes to the script, Ning Xueluo and Zhao Sizhou had much fewer scenes, and the three remaining fight scenes which Ning Xueluo and Ning Xi had yet to shoot had also been taken out, meaning that from now on, Ning Xi would no longer encounter Ning Xueluo on set. That was a huge weight off Ning Xi¡¯s shoulders, and she could finally focus on her acting.

    Today they would mainly be filming two climatic scenes with Ning Xi and Jiang Muye. It wasn¡¯t just Ning Xi¡¯s manager Lin Zhizhi who hade, Jiang Muye¡¯s manager Lei Ming had also made an appearance, which was telling of how important these two scenes were.

    Ning Xi and Jiang Muye arrived at almost the same time.

    "Hello, Senior Brother Jiang~" Ning Xi greeted him sweetly, obediently changing her address of him from "Senior Jiang" to "Senior Brother Jiang."

    "Mm, hello, Junior Sister!" Seeing Ning Xi act like a good little girl gave Jiang Muye goose bumps, and he shuddered.

    After that, his gaze swept carelessly over the person standing next to Ning Xi, Lin Zhizhi¡­

 Chapter 255: Who Said Sheâ€™s My Ex-Girlfriend

    <h4>Chapter 255: Who Said She¡¯s My Ex-Girlfriend</h4>

    Lin Zhizhi was speaking to Lei Ming, and took no notice of Jiang Muye¡¯s gaze at all. When she was done, she turned to Ning Xi. "Ning Xi, I have some things to discuss with Brother Ming, please go through your scenes with your Senior Brother."

    "Okay, Sister Zhizhi, you go ahead~""

    As soon as she had obediently sent Lin Zhizhi off, Ning Xi instantly returned to her demon self, and she looked at Jiang Muye mockingly. "Tut tut tut, golden retriever, see it, did you see it just not? After I found out that Sister Zhizhi was your ex-girlfriend, for a long time I felt so sad and regretful for her. I was worried when the two of you met, she would be embarrassed. In the end, our Sister Zhizhi didn¡¯t even spare you a nce! So cool! I¡¯m really liking her more and more!"

    Jiang Muye ground his teeth and stared at her angrily. "Who the hell told you that she¡¯s my ex-girlfriend?"

    Ning Xi blinked at him. "Didn¡¯t you say it yourself?"

    "F*** off! I never said anything like that, you made it up yourself!"

    "Who asked you to have such an easily misunderstood expression¡­" Ning Xi grumbled. After that, she became even more curious. "Even if she¡¯s not your ex-girlfriend, what on earth happened between the two of you? Why are you so tense around her?"

    "When have I ever been tense around her? Ning Xiao Xi, can you stop imagining nonsense!" Jiang Muye was tormented almost to the point of copse.

    In order to get the truth out of him, Ning Xi used a gentler, cating tone. "Okay, okay, I¡¯ll stop imagining things, so tell me yourself! What on earth happened?"

    "What else could have happened? She just used to manage me, that¡¯s all!" Jiang Muye flipped through the script in his hand crossly.

    Ning Xi was stunned, and widened her eyes. "No way, Sister Zhizhi managed you? She was your manager?"

    Jiang Muye gave her a disdainful look. "What, got a problem with that?" What was that expression on her face?

    Ning Xi shook her head, and sighed, "That is even more pitiful than being your ex-girlfriend¡­"

    Jiang Muye¡¯s wild personality was well-known in the industry; none of the assistants that worked for him hadsted over a week.

    The reason why Lei Ming this manager hadn¡¯t been switched out after so long was because, despite his burly appearance which made him look a little fierce, he had a very good character and was very patient, and so was able to work with Jiang Muye for this long.

    Ning Xi felt relieved knowing that Lin Zhizhi and Jiang Muye hadn¡¯t been involved in that way, otherwise if something went wrong in this love triangle, it would be very easy for things to be awkward between the three of them.

    At this time, Xiao Tao had someone bring over a super luxurious deck chair. "Sister Xi, use this!"

    On set, only the male and female leads or the actors with a higher status could enjoy this privilege. Ning Xi used to sit on a little wooden stool in a corner, or on a normal chair at the most. She never expected that she would one day actually experience this kind of treatment¡­

    "Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Tao!" Ning Xi said gratefully.

    Even though Xiao Tao had been feeling sorry for herself since Leng Manyun left the industry, and she was also not satisfied with her lot in life at the moment, she was still dedicated to her work.

    "Want to run some lines?" Ning Xi raised her script and asked, determined to carry out her Lord Manager¡¯s orders.

    "Run lines my ass! I didn''t sleep the whole night! I need a nap! Leave me alone!" Jiang Muye covered his face with his script and promptly when to sleep.

    "¡­"Ning Xi silently lit a candle for Lei Ming, and after that, rejoiced for Lin Zhizhi, who had already luckily escaped from this abyss of suffering.

 Chapter 256: I Am Your Man

    <h4>Chapter 256: I Am Your Man</h4>

    Even when getting makeup done, Jiang Muye had his eyes closed, and he slept all the way to the start of filming.

    Director Guo was already calling for everyone to take their ces, and he was still sleeping. Ning Xi couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and kicked his chair.

    Only then did Jiang Muye slowly wake up.

    Today, they would be shooting a fight scene from a battle.

    Meng Changge¡¯s elder brother had been killed by the ipetent Emperor and the enabling Princess Xian. Little overlord Meng Changge grew up overnight, put on armor, and entered the battlefield, hence starting her long military career¡­

    The general¡¯s mansion had undergone a huge transformation, and Changan City no longer had a little overlord.

    After Meng Changge left, Sun Huanqing finally realized his feelings for her, and resolutely followed Meng Changge onto the battlefield, bing a military doctor.

    Normally, a film was shot in order of which backlot the crew was currently on, not ording to the development of the story itself. Therefore, they jumped a whole seven years to today¡¯s scene, when Meng Changge had made a name for herself through her oustanding military achievements, even surpassing her father and elder brother¡¯s aplishments.

    Incited by his treacherous ministers and Princess Xian, the Emperor had started to fear Meng Changge. He had demanded that she relinquish control of the military, and in order to restrain her, had also arranged her marriage to the ipetent twelfth prince.

    Naturally, Meng Changge would rather die first.

    And so, during a battle, she encountered the same fate that had befallen her elder brother; she wasn¡¯t defeated by the enemy, but set up by her own people.

    Theycked supplies, and no reinforcements arrived. After a while, they fell into despair¡­

    Finally, the ultimate battle for life was at hand.

    On set, all the staff members were in their ces, and the reporters who had been previously invited had all arrived.

    No one was more nervous than Director Guo Qisheng. If anything went wrong again this time, he would really bang his head to death!

    Naturally, he wasn''t worried about Ning Xi, but earlier, just as they were about to start, he had seen Jiang Muye still sleeping, as if his condition wasn¡¯t very good. It was really stressing him out, ai!

    "Okay! Ready, set! Action ¡ª"

    After Guo Qisheng yelled "action", Ning Xi, who at thest second had still been discussing with Xiao Tao what to eat for lunch, instantly transformed.

    Dead bodies littered the battlefield; only half of her men were left. Meng Changge was covered in blood; her eyes were scarlet and her face was murderous. She was a weapon on the move: meet god, kill god; meet Buddha, kill Buddha.

    The moment when her strength almost failed her, and she was attacked from behind,, suddenly, the thin figure of a man in blue rushed over as he shouted in warning ¡ª

    "Changge! Watch out ¡ª"

    Only with the man¡¯s warning was Meng Changge able to avoid the sneak attack, but when she saw who it was, she was instantly furious. With one bloody hand, she grabbed the man by his cor: "You¡¯re in the way, who said you could be here?! Leave!!!"

    Sun Huanqing didn¡¯t move. "I¡¯m not leaving! If you die, I die!"

    Meng Changge flung him back hard, her face full of ridicule and disdain: "If I tell you to leave, you leave! A pretty boy without even the strength to truss up a chicken, what makes you think you are qualified to die with me!"

    Sun Huanqing stood up from the mud and sand, and with a sh of a silver needle, he slit a man¡¯s throat open, blood sttering his fair skin; at this moment, he didn¡¯t have thepassionate eyes of a doctor, only a cold, killing intent ¡ª

    "How about now?" he asked, looking stubborn and determined.

    Meng Changge turned her head away, a struggle on her face.

    At that instant, countless,plicated emotions shed across Ning Xi¡¯s face. Atst, she sighed heavily, "You¡­ forget it, do as you like¡­ but don¡¯t expect me to protect you!"

    Jiang Muye stretched out a hand to gently wipe away the blood on Ning Xi¡¯s face. His expression was tender and loving, and on a battlefield of smoke and blood, it was like a blossoming white lotus. "Changge, I am your man, I should be the one protecting you."

 Chapter 257: Abnormal Skill

    <h4>Chapter 257: Abnormal Skill</h4>

    "Cut ¡ª"

    In one take!!!

    Everyone watching burst into apuse; the reporters looked like they were about to p their hands off.

    This scene was an action scene and also an emotional one, so it could be said to be veryplex. Absolutely nobody expected it to bepleted in one take, so everyone was very pleased and surprised.

    "God! Jiang Muye was just so cool! I thought acting as a weak doctor this time would ruin his image! In the end, it was such a surprise!"

    "That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Jiang Muye¡¯s broken out of his stereotypical roles! I also feel that his acting this time has progressed a lot! I don''t care about the male lead anymore, I only want to see more scenes of my Doctor Sun!"

    "Especially hisst line just now, ¡®I am your man¡¯. Don¡¯t you think that was too moving? So deep with emotion!"

    "Me too, I feel the same. Before, when he said simr lines to other actresses in emotional scenes like this, I always felt something was missing. Now I finally understand, it¡¯s feeling! Jiang Muye this time was acting with feeling!"

    ¡­

    Nearby, Guo Qisheng was so excited he was about to cry, and he hugged his assistant director.

    So touched!

    He never expected things to go this smoothly! The response from the reporters was also especially good!

    It was a brilliant start!

    In the lounge.

    Pleased with himself, Jiang Muye hmphed. "See? I told you there wouldn¡¯t be a problem! All of you were worried for nothing!"

    Ning Xi tutted disdainfully. "That was because your partner was this big sister. If it was someone else, with your sheetty condition today, you don¡¯t believe you wouldn¡¯t have NG-ed at least twenty times?"

    "Stop ttering yourself! If it was someone else¡­ NG neen times at the most!"Jiang Muye said carelessly.

    Of course he knew it was because his partner was Ning Xi, which was the only reason why he could act without worry! He wasn¡¯t stupid!

    Ning Xi¡¯s strongest ability wasn¡¯t just pressure acting, she was also able to instantly bring her partner into the story, and getting them to pass in one take.

    "Tch, Ning Xiao Xi, this skill of yours is really abnormal¡­"

    "You¡¯re the perverted one!"

    ¡­

    As they were trading insults, Lei Ming and Lin Zhizhi walked in.

    Lei Ming was very excited, and he happily poured Jiang Muye a drink and gave him some snacks. "Not bad, not bad, you did great today, Muye! Totally exceeded my expectations! You must keep this up!"

    Seeing how Muye was being praised, Ning Xi wasn¡¯t happy, and she looked at Lin Zhizhi like a cheeky kid who wanted candy. "Sister Zhizhi, what about me, what about me?"

    Lin Zhizhi wasn''t as excited as Lei Ming, but was obviously very satisfied. "Very nicely done, but don''t get cocky, the next scene is the most important one for you."

    "Understood!" Ning Xi was already more than happy to get a "very nicely done".

    Nearby, Jiang Muye gave Lin Zhizhi a sideway nce before turning his head away to mutter, "Who would have thought, after all these years, the tigress would turn gentle! You were never this gentle with me!"

    At this time, Lin Zhizhi finally looked at him, and said emotionlessly, "Put yourself in my shoes, if you were me, would you be able to be gentle with yourself?"

    "¡­"Jiang Muye choked.

    F***! Had he really been that much of an asshole back then?

    Seemed like¡­ he had been pretty bad¡­ and he was still an asshole now¡­

    After thinking about it carefully, if he was Lin Zhizhi, he would really want to punch himself¡­

    At this moment, the reporters outside were all anxious to interview Ning Xi and Jiang Muye, but were stopped by the director, who told them that they would be given enough time to do interviews after shooting was done, so everyone quietened down after that¡­

    ¡­

    The word bian tai ¡®±äÌ¬¡¯ in Chinese can mean both abnormal and perverted.

 Chapter 258: How The Enchantress Was Forged

    <h4>Chapter 258: How The Enchantress Was Forged</h4>

    After a break, shooting for the second scene began.

    Why was this scene the highlight?

    It was the most torturous scene, and the climax in the whole movie, the important turning point for Meng Changge entering the pce for revenge.

    This was a crucial turning point, which directly set up Meng Changge¡¯s character as well as the audience¡¯s perception of her for the second half of the movie.

    Because of the huge disparity in strength between the two armies, Meng Changge had still lost this battle.

    She had watched with her own eyes her right-hand man, who had been through fire and water with her, go down under an enemy¡¯s horse, his neck broke; she had watched with her own eyes her beloved little brother beheaded by the enemy, his head raised on the tip of a sword as an insult¡­

    She had been separated from Sun Huanqing in the middle of the battle, and by the time she found him, she saw him pierced through by the enemies¡¯ arrows¡­

    She hadn¡¯t even been able to bid him goodbye¡­

    "Huanqing ¡ª"

    Thest string in Meng Changge¡¯s heart snappedpletely; broken, she dashed over, rolling and crawling.

    She slumped to the ground, staring nkly at the body full of arrows in her arms, before screaming in utter despair¡­

    Tears streamed down her cheeks, creating two wet trails through the blood which covered her face¡­

    Everyone jolted with shock at Ning Xi¡¯s sudden outburst; they had all been brought into the story, their minds and hearts fully engaged.

    In the next second, Meng Changge picked up her sword, and fought wildly with the rest of the enemy.

    Though the enemy outnumbered her, they were weak before her demonic fury, and she ughtered almost a hundred of them single-handedly¡­

    Ning Xi didn''t use a stunt double, and acted the fight scenes herself. Her emotions were on point and her movements beautiful, and she exuded an exquisitely tragic air.

    After the battle was over, she was the only living person left on the vast battlefield.

    The entire battlefield was covered with blood andyer onyer of dead bodies, and the enemy¡¯s broken g fluttered in the wind¡­

    Tottering, Meng Changge clutched at her chest before falling to her knees. She gasped for breath, her spirit weary and her strength exhausted.

    After her extreme sorrow and rage were spent, she gently lifted her beloved¡¯s head so that it rested on her knees, and cleaned off the dirt on his face with an emotionless expression.

    This moment of silence was for post-editing to put together a series of images depicting memories of the two of them, but Ning Xi¡¯s expression was enough to touch the audience even without images of the memories. The silence also wasn¡¯t obtrusive, but made everyone follow the subtle changes in her expression as she recalled all the little details of her and Sun Huanqing together from the moment they met¡­

    Shortly after, the memories ended.

    Meng Changge¡¯s eyes were empty as she stared into the distance ¡ª

    That look crossed the battlefield, the snow mountains and grasnds, and over an endless desert, to a flourishing capital city. It flew over the pce walls into a pce hall full of artifice and treachery, and wandered into the golden pce of rotten pleasures,ing to rest atst on a corrupted emperor and his evil consort¡­

    As if a strong gust of wind rife with the smell of blood had blown by, she lifted her chin and closed her eyes.

    Gradually, the corners of her rosy, blood-red lips lifted unhurriedly, like peach blossoms flowering in winter.

    Mystical, and extremely beautiful.

    A smile that could level cities.

    In the next second, that general who had protected families and guarded the country had already died. Born in her ce was an enchantress who would destroy a nation and its people.

    Generations of the Meng Family had been loyal to the country: her father, her three elder brothers, her youngest little brother, the love of her life ¡ª they had all died on the battlefield, while the emperor that she had dedicated her service to, the people that she fought to protect, were forcing her step by step towards her death¡­

    This family, this country, this world, why did it deserve her protection?

    If that was the case, then¡­ let it alle to ruin!

 Chapter 259: Simply A Beast

    <h4>Chapter 259: Simply A Beast</h4>

    All the deep and resounding grief, the pain and hatred that wouldn¡¯t fade ¡ª with just one sinister smile, Ning Xi was able to convey it all.

    This time, everyone was utterly silent.

    Until the end of the shoot, no one dared to make a sound, not even to breathe loudly, afraid of disturbing that sad, beautiful soul.

    There were even a number of people whose eyes had turned red, and their tears fell without them realizing it.

    It wasn''t until Director Guo Qisheng signaled that filming had ended and the site started to clear that everyone suddenly came back to their senses, and recovered from the sorrow.

    "Holy sheet, I actually cried while watching the scene!"

    "Wah wah, so did I, so did I! My heart felt so heavy! Doctor Sun! My Doctor Sun actually died!"

    "Ning Xi¡¯s acting is just. Too. Awesome! I realize now, that extras clip they released was just a drop in the bucket! And I finally understand why Guo Qisheng stood his ground and insisted on using her!"

    "Why isn¡¯t Ning Xi the female lead? Compared with the endlessly virtuous and moral female lead, Shangguang Yingrong, Meng Changge this character is much more profound!"

    ¡­

    In the dressing room, the pain and murderous aura around Ning Xi hadn¡¯t faded after her makeup had been removed, to the extent that Xiao Tao, who brought her lunch, didn¡¯t dare approach her.

    At this moment, Jiang Muye pushed the door open and entered. Used to the situation, he said, "Leave the food here, and leave her alone, she¡¯ll be fine after a while."

    "Oh." Only then did Xiao Tao put down the boxed lunch and scurry off, still a little frightened. Ning Xi¡¯s appearance just now was really terrifying, as if she had been possessed.

    About five minutester, Ning Xi got rid of her possessed state, and quickly came back to her senses.

    She stretched, twisted her neck, andined, "F***! I went too deep this time, I almost couldn¡¯te back!"

    Jiang Muye looked askance at her with a ck face. "Can¡¯t you be content? Other people who want to act at your level would need at least several months toe back! Some might even go crazy with it! But for you, you came back in less than an hour, what more do you want? You beast!"

    Because he had been "dead" the whole time in the scene just now, he didn¡¯t know how Ning Xi had done. When he especially went to watch the yback, he had beenpletely stunned!

    He almost felt Ning Xi¡¯s love for him, as deep as the ocean and which wouldst forever!

    "Hm, where¡¯s my Sister Zhizhi? I haven''t asked Sister Zhizhi about her evaluation of me!" Ning Xi panicked.

    As soon as she said it, Lin Zhizhi pushed the door open just then and came in. She was looking at her watch, and she said with a rushed expression, "Ning Xi, I¡¯m going back to thepany in the afternoon, will you be okay by yourself?"

    "Ah? So you¡¯re leaving!" Ning Xi was a little disappointed.

    "Because I¡¯m already not needed here," Ling Zhizhi said with a rare smile.

    Hearing her words, Ning Xi waspletely refreshed on the spot; this was undoubtedly the greatest affirmation of her skills and the greatest trust Sister Zhizhi had in her!

    "Then go ahead, go ahead! I¡¯ll be fine myself. I¡¯ll be good!"

    "Mm, if there¡¯s anything, contact me anytime."

    "Okay, I¡¯ll walk you out!"

    ¡­

    After Ning Xi walked Ling Zhizhi out and returned with a spring in her step, Jiang Muye looked at her disdainfully. "Look at your smarmy behavior!"

    Ning Xi returned his disdainful look. "Hmph, you¡¯re just jealous that my rtionship with Sister Zhizhi is so good! As a matter of fact, I need to thank you. It¡¯s because she had to endure scum like you, that Sister Zhizhi cherishes me this obedient baby more."

    Jiang Muye sneered coldly, his expression saying that she was just too simple and naive. "Go ahead and be pleased with yourself! You¡¯re going to have a difficult time in the future! Do you think that woman is easygoing? When the timees and you¡¯re tormented until you start crying for your parents, don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you!"

 Chapter 260: Ning Xiâ€™s Criteria for A Spouse

    <h4>Chapter 260: Ning Xi¡¯s Criteria for A Spouse</h4>

    Thepletion of the two main scenes was meant to take the whole day today, but because they werepleted in one take, they wrapped up within half a day.

    Therefore, there was more than enough time for interviews in the afternoon.

    Ning Xi and Jiang Muye had a good dynamic, and they basically answered all the questions they were asked. The reporters also gave them face, and didn¡¯t bring up any sensitive topics.

    Seeing that the atmosphere was very good, and after interviewing them about the movie, the reporters began to tentatively ask some personal questions.

    Reporter: "Muye, I have a question which seems to be asked every time. I can¡¯t avoid asking it, and I also want to ask once: what type of girl do you like? In reality, would you like a stronger and more active girl like Meng Changge?"

    Jiang Muye cupped his chin in one hand, and thought for a bit. "I used to like the type that are like cute little birds, but as I¡¯ve gotten older, I feel that an active and strong girl like Meng Changge is very brave and also very real."

    After asking Jiang Muye, the reporter naturally turned to Ning Xi: "Then Ning Xi, what kind of man do you like in reality? Or, what is your criteria for choosing a spouse? Mind telling us a little bit?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s head hurt a bit, because such a conventional question was actually very difficult for her.

    She never wanted to get married, and had never thought about finding a spouse, how would she have criteria for that?

    But the instant the reporter had asked the question, the figure that had shed through her mind for one quick second was¡­

    Ning Xi shook her head, and concentrated on answering the reporter¡¯s question.

    "My criteria for a spouse are that he should be the same age as me, and sharemon interests and views!" Luckily she had prepared for this question, so she was able to reply appropriately.

    Mm, this answer was not perfunctory, and it was also very reasonable, they shouldn¡¯t be able to find any fault with it.

    But at this moment, a female reporter said excitedly, "In that case, our Muye meets at least two of your criteria! The first, Muye and you are of a simr age, and the third, you are both actors, so you should share the same views! As for the second, although at present we don¡¯t know whether your interests are the same, since two of the three are already the same, the possibility that you share the same interests is very high!"

    Ning Xi curled her lips and swatted the topic aside. "Hehe, actually there are many who meet this criteria! It is all up to fate!"

    Beside her, Jiang Muye also cracked a joke to head the topic off, and deliberately said, "Don¡¯t listen to her exnation, it¡¯s just a cover-up. She is actually using me her Senior Brother as her standard for a spouse!"

    Ning Xi yed along and said, "Senior Brother, do your fans know how narcissistic you are?"

    ¡­

    Two hourster, the interview was over.

    Although the two gripping scenes which the reporters had seen today couldn''t be released since it contained plot spoilers, it was fine to release a few clips and extras.

    Also, the interview had gone very smoothly, and had been rich in content. Ning Xi and Jiang Muye had a good dynamic in and outside of the movie. There was plenty to write about or broadcast, and all the reporters left feeling satisfied.

    After the reporters left, Ning Xi stretched. "I¡¯m so tired! Today¡¯s battle has been sessfully won! I''m going back to the hotel to sleep!"

    Jiang Muye nced at her. "Hotel? Why are you staying in a hotel?"

    Ning Xi flipped through the thick script, and sighed. "It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know how important my part is going to beter on, and I have quite a few night scenes. Running back and forth consumes too much energy, so I discussed it with Sister Zhizhi. During this period, I¡¯ll be living with the production crew."

 Chapter 261: Countdown To The Big Demon Kingâ€™s Outburst

    <h4>Chapter 261: Countdown To The Big Demon King¡¯s Outburst</h4>

    In the evening at tinum Pce No.8.

    Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli were the only two people at therge table.

    "Ai, Little Treasure is not around, neither is sister-inw, which leaves just you on your own. See how considerate I am, speciallying over to eat with you!" Lu Jingli sighed, hating that the house was too cold, so he ran to turn on the TV.

    Of course, what he tuned into would be the entertainment gossip channel.

    It was currently airing news of the conference for Su Yimo¡¯stest movie, <The Sea of Stars>. It was a grand asion, with many stars present.

    Su Yimo was dressed in an ice blue, high-quality, custom-made evening dress by WECOUTURE. She gave off a magical air, like a goddess. She was worthy of the title of "National Goddess".

    But Lu Jingli, as the boss of Glory World, looked at her with knitted brows. "She has so many resources at her disposal, and so many scripts to choose from, in the end why does she always choose this kind of thing? It¡¯s always a goddess, she¡¯s going to be a professional goddess soon. Can''t she break out of her stereotype¡­ ah, by the way, there¡¯s quite a number of people in thepany who think that you and Su Yimo are involved that way. Sister-inw probably would have heard it too. Have you exined it to her yet? Don''t create any dramatic misunderstandings!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked calm. "Yes."

    "What, so efficient?" Lu Jingli was trying to guess if it had been during that conversation which they had on the phone yesterday, when the image on the TV screen suddenly changed, and Ning Xi¡¯s face appeared¡­

    "Wow! It¡¯s sister-inw! Look, look!" Lu Jingli immediately focused his attention on the TV.

    Lu Tingxiao put down his chopsticks and turned towards the TV screen, his expression attentive and serious.

    "This morning, our front-line entertainment reporters visited the production set of <The World>, which everyone has been talking about recently, and were able to catch a wonderful extra¡­"

    After the host finished her introduction, the image switched to therge screen behind her.

    Ning Xi was dressed in bloody armor, and held a long spear in one hand. She stared angrily at Jiang Muye, who was dressed in blue. "Don''t expect me to protect you!"

    Jiang Muye smiled softly, and reached out to wipe the blood from Ning Xi¡¯s face. His eyes were full of deep emotion and love: "Changge, I am your man, I should be the one protecting you."

    "Pu, cough cough cough cough¡­" Who would¡¯ve thought that they would show such an explosive scene at the start? Lu Jingli hurriedlyforted his brother. "Brother, it''s just acting, it isn¡¯t real, it isn¡¯t real!"

    But it wasn¡¯t over.

    The scene quickly switched to another one where Ning Xi held Jiang Muye¡¯s body, pierced by arrows. The despair in her eyes at losing her beloved made people feel as if they were experiencing it themselves¡­

    Lu Jingli nced covertly at his brother¡¯s dark, restrained face, and emphasized with a hollow smile, "Uh, sister-inw''s acting is amazing! Her acting is amazing!"

    But in the end, this TV seemed to hate him. As soon as he said that, it began to y a clip of the reporters interviewing Ning Xi.

    "Then Ning Xi, what kind of man do you like in reality? Or, what is your criteria for choosing a spouse? Mind telling us a little bit?"

    "My criteria for a spouse are that he should be the same age as me, and sharemon interests and views!"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli began to count on his fingers silently.

    Simr age: his brother was eight years older than Ning Xi, and it was nearly a three-generation gap. No matter how he looked at it, their ages couldn¡¯t be considered simr.

    Common interests: there was an even bigger gap there¡­

    Common values: before, the main reason Ning Xi had refused his brother was that "People with different values cannot be together"¡­

    On the other hand, Jiang Muye fulfilled all three criteria which Ning Xi had for a spouse¡­

 Chapter 262: Do I Harvest This Carrot Or Not?

    <h4>Chapter 262: Do I Harvest This Carrot Or Not?</h4>

    At this very moment, what was running through Lu Tingxiao¡¯s mind was¡­ radish.

    He recalled Ning Xi¡¯s reminder to him the other day, ¡°Carrots and greens are preferred; those who like carrots, as perfect as greens may be, they would still not take a fancy to greens.¡±

    At that point in time, he was confident that Ning Xi reciprocated his feelings. She was most likely just making up excuses, which was why he didn¡¯t pay much thought to her words, but now¡­ he had no choice but to acknowledge this problem.

    Maybe, he really was just considered to be greens, and was not her carrot¡­

    Lu Jingli observed his brother¡¯s cold stare at the te of carrots in front of him and a shiver went down his spine, ¡°Bro, are you okay?¡±

    Why is he staring at a te of carrots with such a murderous vibe?

    With a poker face, Lu Tingxiao pressed the bell to call for the butler, telling him to get rid of the carrots and to never serve such a vegetable on the dining table ever again.

    Lu Jingli, ¡°¡­¡±

    Lu Jingli was baffled. Even if he was a genius beyondparison, he would still never be able to understand the thoughts of a man in love¡­

    In the meantime, the man from Video City came to the hotel.

    Ning Xi had put on a face mask and was ready to hit the sack when her doorbell rang.

    Taking a peek at who was outside, Ning Xi eximed in shock, ¡°Jiang Muye? Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m following a team too. I will be living on the floor above yours!¡±

    Ning Xi was speechless, ¡°I¡¯m only following a team because I have too many scenes. What are you joining in the fun for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to save time so I can y more video games, can¡¯t I not?¡± said Jiang Muye quite matter-of-factly.

    ¡°Fine! You win!¡± Ning Xi showed a big thumbs up, then asked, ¡°So, why are you here and not ying your video games?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jiang Muye was unhappy. ¡°y, my ass! The inte speed is so freaking slow that I lost five games in a row, I even lost levels! Quick, apany me to the cyber cafe to y! Quick!¡±

    Ning Xi said exasperatedly, ¡°I¡¯m not going to y with you. I was about to sleep!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only slightly after 9 p.m., why are you sleeping?! Are youing with me or not? Remember when you¡¯d call me at 3 a.m. for someone to faithfully apany you? Do you remember who that someone was? It¡¯s only 9 p.m. now and I can¡¯t make youe with me anymore? Hehehe¡­¡± Jiang Muye smirked, judging his friend.

    s, the days of messing around had to be returned in favour someday!

    Ning Xi had no choice but to give in, ¡°Okay fine, I¡¯ll go, okay? Let me change my clothes first!¡±

    Ten minutester, both of them were changed into nondescript clothes, before entering a cyber cafe with masks on.

    Because this was Movie City, cyber cafes often had celebrities visiting, so the owner didn¡¯t find it weird to see two people with masks on at night. They were even let in without having their identification cards checked in detail.

    There were no more private rooms, so they had to find separate rooms to make do.

    It had been so long since she logged in to y video games that Ning Xi had forgotten her password. ¡°Uhh, blondie, what¡¯s my password again?¡±

    Jiang Muye rolled his eyes at her and started typing away a series of possible passwords.

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Ning Xi said as she clicked the ¡®Enter¡¯ button to login.

    Once logged in, a bunch of system messages popped up non stop. Ning Xi lighted up at the sight of all the pop up windows, ¡°Woah! RKOI! Why did you send me so much skin? It¡¯s even limited edition!¡±

    Jiang Muye was shocked when he heard this, ¡°Dude, I can¡¯t believe you haven¡¯t seen the birthday present I got for you. How many days has it been! Haven¡¯t you been logging in before this? No wonder you could forget your own password!¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Ning Xi knew it was her fault. She guiltily scratched her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m pretty busy okay!¡±

    Jiang Muye pokered his face and replied, ¡°That¡¯s just an excuse, you just don¡¯t care!¡±

 Chapter 263: There Are People Who Ship Us Togetherï¼Ÿ

    <h4>Chapter 263: There Are People Who Ship Us Together?</h4>

    ¡°Sorry, okay, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know how forgetful a person I am! Thanks for your present, I love it so much! I¡¯ll apany you all of tonight, okay?¡±

    ¡°Apany me all night, aye? You¡¯re the one that said so!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the one that said so! I¡¯ll help you regain all your levels and powers! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡­

    Ning Xi kept her promise as a faithful friend and yed games all night with Jiang Muye.

    Jiang Muye finally got to y to his heart¡¯s content since returning to the country, even winning 10 games in a row! Finally, he could enjoy his long awaited win!

    It had been awhile since Ning Xi rxed, and she too enjoyed herself ying the games. She yawned and said, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing the both of us don¡¯t have many scenes in the morning, so we can catch up on some sleep!¡±

    Little did they know that as they were snoring away in their rooms, it was chaos outside¡­

    Atst, both were woken up by their managers before they were called to Lei Ming¡¯s house.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there still an hour before work? Why did you disrupt my sleep so early in the morning?!¡± Jiang Muye grumbled sleepily with a visible bed head.

    Ning Xi wasn''t doing all that great herself either, almost falling asleep as soon as she sat down on a chair.

    Ling Zhizhi walked around the house several times in a circle with her arms crossed before she turned to the both of them and asked with a stern tone, ¡°What did the both of you dost night?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything!¡± The both of them picked up on the tone and knew that something was amiss, which was why they shook their heads and defended themselves in unison.

    Lei Ming seemed to have expected their response and sighed helplessly before showing them the screen of her phone, ¡°Then tell me what this is. Exin yourselves.¡±

    Ning Xi rubbed her eyes and, ¡°Aah¡­isn¡¯t this fromst night¡­?¡±

    Wasn¡¯t this a picture fromst night of her and Jiang Muye ying games together?

    Jiang Muye immediately came to his senses, ¡°Please! This is only a silhouette of our backs right? How did they even recognize me under all that disguise?¡±

    Then, Lei Ming flipped to the next picture - this time, it was not just their backs but a clear picture that was taken from the front. Even though Ning Xi still had her mask on, Jiang Muye did not, clearly exposing his entire face.

    Jiang Muye scratched his head a little and said, ¡°Uhh¡­I was just a little too excited in the moment so I took my mask off, but it wasn¡¯t even ten seconds! How did they get this photo taken?¡±

    Ning Xi blinked at the picture and said, ¡°Well at least I didn¡¯t reveal any ws, right?¡±

    Ling Zhizhi pointed at her earlobe, ¡°Your mole. The person in the picture already looks like you, plus this mole was so recognizable, it¡¯s not hard for people to connect it to you.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s this? Such an eagle eye¡­¡± Without Lu Tingxiao¡¯s reminder, Ning Xi had really forgotten this little detail¡­

    Jiang Muye¡¯s face darkened, ¡°But when we went we specifically used the identification of crew members, not our own. Who¡¯s the one that so pathetic as to take these pictures and post it online? They could even notice Ning Xi¡¯s small mole?¡±

    Lei Ming casually spected, ¡°Probably one of your fans, in fact, it¡¯s a fan who ships the both of you.¡±

    Ning Xi widened her eyes at hearing that, ¡°A fan who ships us? We still have such fans?¡±

    At this point, Ling Zhizhi¡¯s expression was unusually serious. ¡°Ning Xi, I think you should remember that since your first day of work with us, we have discussed that you are not allowed to be in a rtionship at all in your current circumstance.¡±

    She was too careless this time, she really should have noticed earlier. The way Ning Xi and Jiang Muye interact with one another, including the chemistry between them when they are acting and facing reporters, as well ying video games together all night. It was obvious that they had known each other from long before.

    Especially the way Jiang Muye looks at Ning Xi, it was quite unusual¡­

    Ship - A ng that means to endorse a romantic rtionship.

 Chapter 264: An Ominous Premonition

    <h4>Chapter 264: An Ominous Premonition</h4>

    ¡°No, no! Definitely not! Zhizhi, you¡¯ve misunderstood us! We¡¯re not dating!¡± Ning Xi furiously denied and turned to Jiang Muye for support. That bastard, couldn¡¯t he exin our rtionship to Ling Zhizhi?

    Jiang Muye did not say anything, and just shot her a nonchnt look.

    Ling Zhizhi was Ning Xi¡¯s manager. The decision to tell her or not to tell her would lie in Ning Xi¡¯s hands.

    Ning Xi deliberated for a while, then decided that there was no other choice but to tell the truth, ¡°Zhizhi, it¡¯s like this. Senior Jiang and I have known each other since we went to school abroad, and at that point in time¡­we did date for a while. But it was only for a few days before we broke up, and now we¡¯re purely best friends! I know I should have told you such an important thing much earlier but I thought that you were Jiang Muye¡¯s ex-girlfriend, and so I didn¡¯t want to say anything to make things any more awkward¡­¡±

    Ling Zhizhi was eximed in shock, ¡°Who told you I was his ex-girlfriend?!¡±

    As soon as she finished her sentence, she red at Jiang Muye.

    He defensively said, ¡°Why are you looking at me? I said no such thing - she made those assumptions herself.¡±

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him, ¡°Only because you were behaving so oddly! Can you me me for overthinking?¡±

    It looked like the two of them were about tounch into an argument, when Ling Zhizhi massaged her temples and sighed, ¡°Ning Xi, Jiang Muye and I are purely just former manager and artiste, you need not worry.¡±

    Immediately,a cold expression shed across Jiang Muye¡¯s features.

    ¡°Mmm, I know that now!¡± Since Ling Zhizhi said it herself, Ning Xi naturally believed her.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s discuss a solution to this issue now.¡± Having cleared up the misunderstanding, Ling Zhizhi began to address the serious problem at hand, ¡°Previously, Jiang Muye¡¯s fans didn¡¯t quite like you, and that was due to some malicious intentions. Now, that their attitudes have changed 180 degrees, there are now a lot of fans that ship the both of you.

    Therefore, Ming and I have discussed that when the both of you respond to the reporters and the public about this, you can be ambiguous with your responses without denyingpletely. Just exin that the both of you work in the samepany, haveplementing personalities, admire one another, and are currently very good friends. Leave them some ambiguity for their imaginations to run wild.¡±

    Ning Xi nodded obediently, saying, ¡°Oh, okay, I¡¯ll do whatever you say!¡±

    Jiang Muye, with a hand supporting his chin,zily replied, ¡°Noments! Now can I go back to sleep?¡±

    Ning Xi immediately pped him and said, ¡°Sleep, your head! Quickly wake up! We¡¯re starting work soon!¡±

    Jiang Muye frustratedly scratched his head and asked, ¡°Which scene are we filming this afternoon?¡±

    Ning Xi stared at him unhappily and replied, ¡°The kissing scene! Don¡¯t you dare tell me that you haven¡¯t even looked at the script once since it was changed! If I was Ming, I would have punched you 800 times a day!¡±

    Since Ling Zhizhi now knew about their rtionship anyway, Ning Xi could finally stop pretending to be polite to Jiang Muye.

    Jiang Muye heard this and scoffed, ¡°Pft, the higher ups are nning to make it a summer release, there will be many underaged audiences so the scriptwriter has already removed all the kissing and erotic scenes, what kiss scenes are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Most of it has been removed, but wasn¡¯t there still a little left? One scene of our first kiss, one sex scene within the military camp. The kiss scene is the one we did right before the hailstorm started and we had to stop. The director said that shots from the front could be used, we just need to supplement it with one more shot of a quick kiss!¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± Jiang Muye muttered.

    For some reason, the tip of his eyebrows started pulsating, in a way that signified an ominous premonition.

 Chapter 265: The Devilâ€™s Arrival!

    <h4>Chapter 265: The Devil¡¯s Arrival!</h4>

    The Lu group, CEO¡¯s office.

    Lu Tingxiao made a quick call for Lu Jingli toe over.

    Lu Jingli immediately made his way to his desk, ¡°Brother, you called for me?¡±

    ¡°Have you prepared the materials for the meeting?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s done, here you go.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, inform every department that we¡¯ll have a meeting in half an hour.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± Lu Jingli did not immediately leave, but seemed worried and absent-minded.

    Lu Tingxiao lifted his head up and gave him a questioning look, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Lu Jingli was frightened and replied, ¡°Nothing, really! It¡¯s nothing!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao put down his pen and stared at him with eyes that seemed like he could see through people.

    As if he was being examined on the military field, Lu Jingli stood rigidly straight and tried hard to remain calm, when his guilt was terribly obvious.

    Five secondster, Lu Tingxiao finally looked away.

    As Lu Jingli was about to release a sigh of relief, he saw his brother quickly type something on the keyboard and then clicked enter.

    He saw clearly what Lu Tingxiao had typed, ¡° NINGXI.¡±

    Oh no!

    His brother was searching it by himself!

    My dear brother! Why do you have to be so smart?

    After Lu Tingxiao searched through the results, thetest and hottest news about Ning Xi immediately popped up¡ª

    [Jiang Muye and Ning Xi yed Video Games All Night, Interacted Intimately. Suspicions of Feelings Blooming]

    [Simr in Age, Interests and Are Like-Minded, Jiang Ning Are A Great Match!]

    [Both Parties im That They Are Just Good Friends, Fans Excited For Them To Get Together!]

    [Jiang Ning Are Said To Be ¡®Couple of The Year¡¯]

    ¡­

    Obviously by now, Lu Tingxiao had seen too much of everything, even more than he should have. Lu Jingli shut his eyes tightly, afraid to see his brother¡¯s expression.

    Lu Tingxiao shut down hisptop, pulled his chair out, and put on his coat as he instructed, ¡°Jingli, get the car ready.¡±

    ¡°Ah? What about the meeting?¡±

    ¡°Postpone it to tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going now then?¡± Lu Jingli swallowed nervously, following closely behind.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to inspect.¡±

    ¡°Inspect? Can it be¡­?¡±

    At this very moment, at Movie City in Beijing suburbs

    Due to the fact that shooting the first kiss scene at thentern festival required a huge amount of money and manpower, they strived for perfection. Ning Xi and Jiang Muye put on such a ster performance that the director only needed to shoot some supplementary outtakes for the second half of the scene, saving time and money.

    To ensure that the actors performed better, he even asked for all crew members who were not required to leave the set.

    When everything was finally ready, just as Guo Qisheng was about to shout ¡°Action!¡±, the producer Wang Taihe suddenly stormed in. He pulled Guo and the assistant director aside and told him some urgent news.

    Guo Qisheng expressed his shock about the news, ¡°Glory Word corporation¡¯s boss ising to personally inspect? Why all of a sudden? But no worries, Muye and Ning Xi¡¯s acting skills are wless, let hime if he wants to!¡±

    Wang Taihe eximed in response, ¡°Ah, my dear director, if it¡¯s only the Senior Vice President, why would I be so nervous? It¡¯s the big boss himself! The CEO of the Lu group!¡±

    Guo Qisheng was stunned. ¡°Who? You can¡¯t mean¡­Lu¡­Lu Tingxiao, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly who¡¯sing! Guo, hurry ande along with me to wee him! Zhang Rui, you go quickly and tell the crew members and both the actors about this!¡±

    ¡°Right away!¡±

    ¡­

    They were already ready to shoot and yet there seemed to be a dy, and even Guo Qisheng and Wang Taihe were suddenly nowhere in sight. Seeing Zhang Rui run towards them, Ning Xi immediately asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

 Chapter 266: What? Itâ€™s A Kissing Scene?!

    <h4>Chapter 266: What? It¡¯s A Kissing Scene?!</h4>

    ¡°Who¡¯s here?¡± Jiang Muye couldn¡¯t help but ask, his brows furrowing intensely.

    Zhang Rui rushed to exin to them, ¡°Later, Lu group¡¯s CEO Lu Tingxiao ising over to observe the shoot. The director has gone to meet him. I don¡¯t think I need to further exin how important this shoot is, do I? Make sure that the both of you put on your best performance, okay?

    Ning Xi gasped, stunned, ¡°Lu Tingxiao? Assistant director, are you sure you¡¯re not mistaken? You mean Lu Jingli right?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not mistaken! Lu Jingli is here too! Quickly go get ready!¡± Zhang Rui hurriedly rushed off to alert the other crew members.

    Ning Xi turned to Jiang Muye and said, ¡°Blondie, did I just hear him wrongly? Did assistant director just say that Lu Tingxiao ising over?¡±

    ¡°No, you heard him perfectly. Just as I did!¡± Jiang Muye said, as he started to look uneasy. Damn it! No wonder he kept having ominous premonitions, this was what was waiting for him!

    Zhang Rui swiftly cleared the set and dismissed all the crew members, before preparing chairs, drinks and an umbre.

    They soon arrived. Leading the entourage was the charismatic Lu Tingxiao in a suit, followed closely by Lu Jingli, who was looking around. They were surrounded by the core members of the directing team, with Wang Taihe exining profusely about the production team¡¯s progress.

    Guo Qisheng enthusiastically led them to the best viewing spot, ¡°Mr. Lu, Senior Vice President, please have a seat! You¡¯vee on the right day. Today¡¯s shoot is an exciting one!¡±

    ¡°Really? What is today¡¯s shoot all about?¡± Lu Jingli popped a grape into his mouth, asking interestedly.

    Guo Qisheng started exining what had gone on, and then, ¡°¡­after the script was changed, now we are only left with this kissing scene that we are striving to achieve the best effect¡­¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Lu Jingli started wiping the sweat of his face. What? A kissing scene?! We made it in time for the kissing scene. In fact, it¡¯s probably the scene with the man-made rain! What luck is this?

    Lu Tingxiao seemed expressionless throughout it all, yet as he sat there, he had an air of arrogance, heeding no attention to anyone else.

    Guo Qisheng felt a little awkward. Thankfully, he had already heard about this CEO¡¯s temperament previously and was not moved by his apprehension. He continued, ¡°Ning Xi and Muye¡¯s acting skills are excellent, with such great chemistry. Their scenes are almost always a one take wonder!¡±

    Guo Qisheng thought to himself, there¡¯s no harm inplimenting their ownpany¡¯s artistes, is there?

    Lu Tingxiao casually took the cup of tea that Lu Jingli was serving him, and said with a cold, distant tone, ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Indeed! I¡¯m not sure if you saw the behind-the-scenes footage online, but even the two difficult scenes we shot yesterday were a one take¡­¡± Guo Qisheng continued as he felt a shiver run down his spine.

    Lu Jingli cleared his throat at this moment, in an attempt to interrupt, ¡°That¡¯s enough, let¡¯s start.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start now!¡± said Guo Qisheng, relieved. ¡°Lights, props, cameras¡­everyone, please get ready! Actors, please be in position!¡±

    The crew nervously prepared themselves, worried that anything might go wrong. After all, the big boss was here to inspect! Lu Tingxiao was a busy man. He did not have time to bother about the trivial matters of his smallerpanies, much less personally observe what they were up to. This visit was something that he had never done before, and it was definitely an asion to brag about!

 Chapter 267: A Tensed Atmosphere

    <h4>Chapter 267: A Tensed Atmosphere</h4>

    When the set was ready, the two lead actors made their way out from the resting area.

    The moment Ning Xi appeared in a red and ck outfit¡­Guo Qisheng was not sure if he imagined it, but it seemed as if Luo Tingxiao¡¯s arrogant and distant demeanor warmed up a little¡­

    Ning Xi looked towards Lu Jingli and Lu Tingxiao from afar. Lu Jingli immediately gave her a sneaky wink and pointed at his camera, indicating that his brother had found out about everything.

    Ning Xi slowly shifted her sight to look at Lu Tingxiao, who was looking at her in an aggressive, possessive manner, like a predator that was hungry for its prey.

    The pperboard sounded and Ning Xi gathered her senses again, immediately sinking into her role for the scene ¡ª

    Meng Changge furiously ran away after fighting with Sun Huanqing. As the night fell and the sky darkened, Sun Huanqing who started to worry about her whereabouts.

    Actually, Meng Changge had already found Sun Huanqing much earlier. She just did not want to appear, instead mischievously following closely behind him. Observing his grave concern for her, her usually tough demeanour softened.

    Ning Xi urately portrayed the feelings of a girl who was in love yet abashed to admit so.

    Finally, Meng Changge couldn¡¯t resist letting her husband Sun worry any longer. Just as Sun Huanqing was about to break down, she tapped his shoulder from behind, wearing a mask that she had bought from the market. With a delighted tone, she said¡ª

    "My dear husband, were you looking for me?"

    Jiang Muye was first stunned, then revealed a face shining with joy, before pulling her into his arms, "Changge¡­"

    Lu Jingli¡¯s first reaction was to stop watching the scene, but to look at his brother¡¯s reaction. He was shocked and quickly nudged his brother¡¯s fingers, saying, "Bro, bro, bro, not so hard. This cup is made of ss and not of steel. Remember, this is only acting¡­"

    Before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud crack¡­the tea cup was broken¡­

    Lu Jingli looked up and only saw Ning Xi slowly removing the mask from her face, revealing eyes that were filled with love, looking at Jiang Muye. Then, she leaned forward, slowly approaching his lips¡­

    "Oh no¡­this time there was no preparation at all!" Lu Jingli did not dare look and had to cover his eyes, yet he could not help but peek through the slits between his fingers.

    One second passed¡­

    Two seconds¡­

    Three seconds¡­

    Four seconds¡­

    Wait, what¡¯s happening?!

    Five secondster, Ning Xi who had yet to nt the kiss suddenly buried her face in her hands and apologized, "Sorry, I wasn¡¯t ready, let¡¯s do it again!"

    Ning Xi actually had a bad take!

    All the crew members, including both directors and producers were shocked! However, they could understand the reason for the mistake - having the CEO there was a huge distraction!

    They were only on the sidelines but already felt the tremendous pressure, what more Ning Xi.

    "No worries, let¡¯s get ready and do it again," consoled Guo Qisheng.

    Xiao Tao quickly passed a bottle of mineral water to Ning Xi, "Sister Xi, you can do it!". Ning Xi finished the entire bottle at one go.

    Jiang Muye who was on the side shot her a look, "Who knew you¡¯d have stage fright too!"

    With a pale face, Ning Xi replied, "You better make less sarcastic remarks! You know how scary your uncle is. Imagine if you were the one being stared at - we¡¯ll see if you can still perform normally."

 Chapter 268: So, Are You Kissing Me Or Not?

    <h4>Chapter 268: So, Are You Kissing Me Or Not?</h4>

    Without any further dy, the second take began.

    Meng Changge tapped his shoulder from the back, saying, "My dear husband, were you looking for me?"

    Sun Huanqing turned around to hug her, "Changge¡­"

    Guo Qisheng, "Cut! Ning Xi, watch your expression, why are you suddenly losing focus?"

    Ning Xi bowed her head in shame and said, "Sorry!"

    The third take began.

    Meng Changge, "My dear husband, were you looking for me?"

    Sun Huanqing, "Changge¡­"

    Gui Qisheng blurted out, "Cut! Ning Xi, you took too long staring at him. The most you should take is three seconds before you nt the kiss, okay?"

    Ning Xi mumbled, "Okay."

    The fourth take¡­

    Guo Qisheng eximed, "Ning Xi, you are being too stiff and inexpressive! What are you looking at?"

    And then there was a fifth time¡­

    And a sixth¡­

    ¡­

    In the end, Ning Xi had six bad takes in a row!

    Even Jiang Muye was about to break down and he started eximing in the restroom, "Dude! I¡¯m about to get a heart attack! Are you going to kiss me or not? Can¡¯t you hurry up?"

    Ning Xi pulled her hair in frustration, "Ahh! I¡¯m the one who¡¯s about to get a heart attack okay! Can¡¯t you get your uncle to leave? His staring at me is like an X-ray screening! Who would be able to kiss like this?!"

    Jiang Muye scoffed, "He came for you, what can I do to make him leave?"

    Ning Xi pulled off her wig in exasperation, "Dang it! I really can¡¯t stand it!"

    "Hey, please watch your reputation¡­," Jiang Muye cautioned. Ning Xi was about to lose her temper due to the intense pressure. He had never seen her been this irritated.

    From a different perspective, it could also be said that¡­Lu Tingxiao¡¯s influence on her was pretty significant¡­

    More significant than he had thought¡­

    At least previously, no one else affected her acting performance.

    A profusely sweating Guo Qisheng entered the restroom to give Ning Xi some advice, "Ning Xi, what¡¯s wrong with you today? Is Lu Tingxiao¡¯s presence making you nervous? Just take it easy! Now is not the time to panic!"

    Ning Xi looked down apologetically and said, "I¡¯m sorry for troubling you, director!"

    "Sigh, it¡¯s fine. Which actors don¡¯t have bad takes? Who knew that the big boss would havee today? Everyone was taken unaware! It¡¯s not just you, everyone else on set is equally nervous! Do you want to call your manager over?" Guo Qisheng suggested.

    Ning Xi shook her head, "No need for that, let¡¯s not trouble Zhizhi. I can do this, please get ready for the next take!"

    "You sure?"

    "I¡¯m sure."

    ¡­

    Three minutester, the seventh take began.

    Ning Xi walked to the camera with her teeth clenched and narrowed her stare at Lu Tingxiao. He was ying around with the tea leaves using the cover of the cup, with a smug expression on his face.

    The bastard, he was definitely doing this on purpose! His negative presence was clearly trying to make her distracted and under perform!

    "Changge¡­," Jiang Muye hugged Ning Xi. Actually, wasn¡¯t he just as pressured? Every time he hugged Ning Xi, he felt like he was being stabbed at with a million arrows from the back!

    Ning Xi took down the mask off her face, and looked at him longingly for three seconds, before slowing leaning towards him¡­

    Up to this point, everything was going smoothly. However, as she was about to touch his lips, the hostile stare of the person behind her forced her to lose focus, and she just couldn¡¯t nt that kiss, no matter what.

    Dang it!

    In a sh of an eye, Ning Xi unexpectedly put the mask back on.

    In the next second, using the mask as a second identity, she nted a kiss on Jiang Muye¡¯s lips¡­

 Chapter 269: The Ice Cold Devil Who Left Angrily

    <h4>Chapter 269: The Ice Cold Devil Who Left Angrily</h4>

    Under the bridge, withnterns that lit up the surroundings, the wind blew steadily as a young girl kissed a stunned young boy, separated by a mask¡­

    This scene was unexpectedly more beautiful and moving than a direct kiss¡­

    "Cut! Good!" Guo Qisheng came to his senses and called the scene to a stop.

    "Not bad, Ning Xi, the way you dealt with this by hiding half of your face actually resulted in a better effect!" Guo Qishengplimented, while the other crew members also nodded their heads in agreement.

    "Director, as long as you¡¯re satisfied, all¡¯s good," said Ning Xi, forcing herself to smile. Dang you! I was just acting out a romantic kiss scene, not a crime scene, yet I had to act till I was physically and mentally exhausted!

    Her eyes then involuntarily shifted to a certain direction¡­

    Opposite her, the producer was saying something to Lu Tingxiao while he sat there quietly, like a dull oil painting that had been sitting in a dark corner of an old castle for many years, cold and lonely. Somewhere within his eyes, there was a heart-wrenching sort of loneliness¡­

    Ning Xi was taken aback by that sight, hurriedly turning around to leave.

    "Sister Xi, where are you going?"

    "The toilet!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi quickly sent a text message to Lu Jingli as she walked down the corridor ¡ª

    [Senior Vice President, what is your brother trying to do???]

    Lu Jingli replied her swiftly, "How would I know? He was already acting weird yesterday when he saw the TV y your interview and behind-the-scenes footages. Then, this morning he saw the tabloid news about the both of you ying video games all night, so he immediately postponed a meeting and came here to inspect!"

    [Did he let you know what he¡¯s thinking about doing, or if he has any ns?] Ning Xi quickly asked, since she knew that the best strategy to win was to know her enemy!

    [It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know how my brother is like - he would never tell me this kinda things!]

    [Then¡­then was there anything that was odd about him? Try to recall anything!]

    [Odd¡­yes, I think there was one incident! Yesterday, after he finished watching TV, he suddenly red at a te of carrots coldly, and then told the butler to never serve this dish! Isn¡¯t that weird? As smart as I am, I can¡¯t seem to understand what this odd behaviour means!]

    [¡­] Ning Xi¡¯s head immediately shed across the words "harvest the carrot". It looks like Lu Tingxiao had entirely misunderstood her and Jiang Muye!

    Ning Xi thought for a while, and typed again, [How¡¯s your brother now? He should be okay, right?]

    She had already used up all her brain juices toe with the idea of kissing through a mask¡­

    [No way. The moment you kissed him, the air turned so chilly that I felt like I was ten million meters underground in some thousand year old ice cave.]

    [Uhh¡­]

    [Oh, right, little Xi Xi, where are you? Be careful! My brother¡¯s currently not in sight, and I don¡¯t know where he went. My guess is that he¡¯s probably gone to look for you, be careful okay!]

    As soon as Ning Xi finished reading thatst sentence from Lu Jingli, a silhouette fell from behind her, and someone was forcefully pulling her away.

    She felt a hand grabbing her waist and when the world seemed to be spinning around her, she was pushed into the toilet, and she heard the sound of a door closing. Then, she felt her back pressed up roughly against the door and before she could call out in pain, her voice was muffled by a hot, crazy, and hungry mouth¡­

    At that moment, because Ning Xi could barely breathe, the only thought that crossed her mind was ¡ª

    "Dang you, Lu Jingli! You did this on purpose, didn¡¯t you!"

    She refused to say out loud, "You could have warned me earlier!"

 Chapter 270: An Irrational Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 270: An Irrational Kiss</h4>

    All along, she had always thought of Lu Tingxiao as a serious and restrained gentleman, yet this kiss was urgent, almost savage and primitive.

    The grip on her waist was like iron, and her mouth was filled with the metallic taste of her own blood as her lips were being bitten. Her tongue was also getting pulled to the point of numbness, and she felt as if she was getting devoured¡­

    "Mmm¡­Lu¡­" Whenever she attempted to fight back, he held her down even tighter and was more ruthless.

    She winced at the shooting pain in her neck and looked at the man in front of her who had lost his control. He was such a stranger to her that she was worried¡­

    Ning Xi discreetly took off the wooden hairpin from her head and quickly pointed the sharp end at his neck when he had his guard down, warning him, "Lu Tingxiao, you¡¯d better calm down or else¡­!"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s kisses stopped at her corbone, but only for a moment. He seemed as if he was deciding where to continue, before he found his way to her lips again, with no sign of stopping¡­

    "You¡­," Ning Xi felt helpless.

    This guy, can he read minds?

    He knew that she would not hurt a single hair on him, he knew that¡­she would not be able to bring herself to do it.

    Her mind shed across to a story she once read, about a girl¡¯s beloved who was cursed to be a monster, yet the girl could not bear to leave him. She even let him have her flesh and blood so that he would not hurt the local vigers and get killed in the process¡­

    When she had finished reading the story, she thought the girl was a total idiot. But now, she had be that idiot.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s kisses lingered repeatedly at her sensitive earlobe, when Ning Xi finally had the chance to quickly say, "Lu Tingxiao, did you forget what you promised me? Or are you breaking your promise?"

    When he heard her voice, some rationality passed through his eyes and he paused before replying mellowly, "Inspection."

    Ning Xi almostughed at this. "Inspection? Who inspects like you? With you sitting there, who wouldn¡¯t be distracted from their acting?"

    "Professionalism," he replied monotonously.

    "Are you trying to say that I¡¯m not professional? You¡­Fine! I really haven¡¯t been very professional today, but there will be no next time! Also, if you¡¯re just here to inspect, then what are you doing right now?" Ning Xi questioned.

    Lu Tingxiao wrapped her tightly in his arms, as if hugging his favorite toy that he had just snatched back from other kids, and did not say a word more.

    At this point, Ning Xi was a mess. All the negative thoughts she had tried so hard to suppress surfaced, forcing her to face the music and make a decision¡­

    Moments passed, and as Ning Xi was about to go limp in his warm, intoxicating embrace, she came back to her senses. She took a deep sigh before saying, "Lu Tingxiao, you gave me seven days. Well, you don¡¯t have to wait for seven days, I can just answer you now."

    "I don¡¯t want to hear it," said Lu Tingxiao, whose expression tightened and he immediately went in for a kiss again, in an attempt to stop her from saying more.

    Ning Xi had a look of despair as she dodged him, "Lu Tingxiao, listen to me."

    As if afraid she would hesitate, Ning Xi squeezed her eyes tightly before looking at him and said ¡ª

 Chapter 271: No One Can Replace The Person I Like

    <h4>Chapter 271: No One Can Rece The Person I Like</h4>

    "Lu Tingxiao, I¡¯ve already told you from the start - there is already someone that I like, very, very, much! Even though there are reasons that I can¡¯t be with him, he will live in my heart forever, filling it to the brim, so much so that no one else can rece him. There just isn¡¯t any more space for anyone else. Even if that person was more wonderful, and even more perfect, it would still be a no, do you understand?" Ning Xi blurted out before she could stop herself.

    With Ning Xi¡¯s every word, Lu Tingxiao felt his entire body stiffen, his face aloof. His fingers touched her chin as he denied, "Lying! Ning Xi, you¡¯re lying!"

    Ning Xi raised up two fingers, and stared at him with determined eyes, "Then I¡¯ll swear, that if I was lying, I would never be famous in this lifetime, I would get hit by lightning and thunder, I would get hit by a car¡­"

    "Stop it!" Lu Tingxiao could not stand this any longer and burst out of the room.

    Listening to the sound of his footsteps leaving, Ning Xi felt herself somewhat relieved.

    You did the right thing¡­Ning Xi, you did the right thing¡­

    You should have done this from the start¡­You were just greedy for too long¡­You just did not cut it off earlier¡­

    When Ning Xi slowly walked out, she was surprised to find someone leaning quietly against the wall with a cigarette that was practically burnt out in his hand, indicating just about how long he might have been standing there.

    "Jiang Muye¡­," Ning Xi trailed off in shock.

    Jiang Muye breathed out a long ring of smoke, looked down andughed to himself, "The one you said whom you like very, very, very much¡­so much so that no matter how amazing others may be, they could not rece this person¡­you¡¯re talking about Lu Tingxiao, aren¡¯t you? Hah, it¡¯s seldom that Lu Tingxiao who¡¯s usually quite smart could be fooled by this¡­"

    Ning Xi remained silent.

    Jiang Muye turned his head to look at Ning Xi and quietly said, "It was you who rejected him, yet it seems like you¡¯re worse off than he is¡­"

    It had been a long time since he had seen her like this. She seemed like she was at someone¡¯s death anniversary, engulfed in a dark aura with no sign of light or energy¡­

    Jiang Muye suddenly did not know what to say, and frustratedly lit another cigarette.

    After hearing Ning Xi reject Lu Tingxiao, not only did he not feel happy at all, instead he felt slightly sorry for them.

    He knew, Ning Xi was officially head over heels for Lu Tingxiao¡­

    But if even Lu Tingxiao could not seed, what more him? Someone who did not even have the guts to admit "I like you"¡­

    Jiang Muye sighed, and finally said the words he had been in a dilemma whether to express or not, "Ning Xi, you don¡¯t have to be this way. If you really like him, then just get together with him!"

    As soon as he said that, he actually felt a slight sense of relief.

    Ning Xi bitterly smiled back and said, "Jiang Muye, weren¡¯t you the one who was against this?"

    Jiang Muye raised his brows and replied in a casual manner, "I was against this only because I didn¡¯t want you to be my aunt! But you are my good friend after all, I hope that you can be happy¡­"

    He earnestly looked at her, "Ning Xi, before this I didn¡¯t believe that Lu Tingxiao would be sincere, but now¡­if he really did like you, he wouldn¡¯t care about your status and your job. He also even has the power to protect you from further harm!"

    Ning Xi¡¯s face darkened as she pleaded, "Jiang Muye, just stop."

    If the underlying issue was just because of her status, that would be but a minor bump in the road. No matter her status, her ss or her job, as long as she lived, she could change her circumstances. But how would one change the past? How could she change that?

    How could she change the fact that she was raped five years ago and had given birth to a bastard?

 Chapter 272: Itâ€™s Over

    <h4>Chapter 272: It¡¯s Over</h4>

    When Lu Tingxiao returned, Lu Jingli knew it was officially over.

    The sky was falling.

    The way his brother looked was even scarier than when he first took over thepany years ago. At that time, father suddenly fell severely ill and was on the brink of death several times. Everyone was eyeing the position of the heir, so much so that some even tried to break apart the siblings, causing quite a blood shed among the family empire¡­

    The Lu Tingxiao at that time had no emotions, forgetting all meanings of kinship and even using harsh means to defeat all those who tried to stir trouble within the Lu family empire¡­

    Now, Lu Tingxiao was akin to a beast who had just been awoken from his slumber, awash in a murderous vibe.

    Lu Jingli initially wanted to console him, but Lu Tingxiao chased all the house¡¯s maids away and then locked himself up all alone in the bungalow. He even instructed that no one but himself was allowed to enter.

    Lu Jingli was afraid that something would happen to him, fearful that he might even blow up the house, so he waited worriedly outside.

    He waited the whole night.

    Yet, Lu Tingxiao still had note out.

    On top of that, something worse had happened¡­

    Early in the morning, Father Lu personally gave him a call with an unhappy tone to drop by the old home.

    Lu Family¡¯s Old Residence.

    In the living room, Father Lu and Mother Lu were sitting on the sofa with crestfallen expressions.

    The rm in Lu Jingli¡¯s brain was going off frantically and almost immediately, he could guess what had gone wrong.

    Indeed, something had gone terribly wrong. Father Lu raised his voice, "Bastard, exin to me what¡¯s happening here!"

    White A4 papers and photographs were scattered all over the floor.

    Lu Jingli briefly skimmed everything, and it was all Ning Xi¡¯s pictures and personal information. Ning Xi¡¯s identity had been exposed.

    Sigh, why does this have to happen now, of all times¡­Lady Luck is really not on my side!

    Mother Lu¡¯s expression was full of heartbreak and anger as she stared at her younger son and scolded, "Jingli, you have really disappointed me! You can mess with other things, but this is your brother¡¯s marriage we¡¯re talking about! How could you not understand the implications of this and help him hide this from us!"

    "I thought it was someone from a proper household of suitable ss and status, but it turns out she is just a little actress girl, with a veryplicated private life! How could someone like this be our Lu family¡¯s daughter-inw, and be the mother to my grandchildren?!" Father Lu shouted as he mmed the table.

    Lu Jingli shuddered and cold sweat trickled down his face as he thought about how he had left Little Treasure under their care.

    "What spell did that woman cast onto your brother? The fact that she could let the arrogant Lu Tingxiao fancy her!"

    "Thank goodness we noticed this early. Otherwise, the both of you would have only told us after all was said and done, right? This is ridiculous!"

    ¡­

    Both parents went on and on their tirade for at least half an hour.

    Initially, Lu Jingli did try to exin himself but he soon gave up. He sat on the sofa and idly started counting the tea leaves in his cup as they scolded him.

    Mother Lu gave him a death stare and said, "You little punk! Are you listening to us or not?"

    Lu Jingli put down his teacup and blinked twice before asking, "Eh? Are the both of you done talking? Can you please let your dear son, who¡¯s been scolded harshly, have a say now?"

    Father Lu scoffed, "Fine! You speak! I would like to know what you have to say for yourself!"

 Chapter 273: Another One Down

    <h4>Chapter 273: Another One Down</h4>

    Lu Jingli adjusted his cor before standing up and said, "Firstly, upation. Being an actress is a decent job, there¡¯s nothing shameful about that. Yes, the entertainment circle is a little messy, but you can¡¯t just generalise and discriminate everyone in it. Even I¡¯m the boss of Glory World Entertainment! Since you have investigated, then you should also know that Ning Xi has been nothing but decent since she entered the industry. If not, with a face like hers, she would have been famous beyondparison by now, and not just a B-list newbie.

    "Secondly, education. Before Ning Xi went abroad, she managed to get into Imperial University with excellent grades. Later, it was only due to disagreements with her family that she was forced to further her studies abroad. Within those four years, she didn¡¯t receive any financial assistance from her family, and relied on herself to get into the Southern Film Academy. Her grades were ster and she received schrships every year ¡ª why did you selectively ignore this point?

    "Thirdly, private life. Every one of Ning Xi¡¯s ex-boyfriends were rtionships of open and decent nature. She was neither a third party in any of them, nor was she being taken care of by a sugar daddy, so which part of this is messy? If you guys can ept the fact that I, your son, have had 800 ex-girlfriends, can¡¯t you ept that Ning Xi had eight ex-boyfriends? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re imposing a double standard here? Let me remind the both of you that we¡¯re in the 21st century; men and women are equal!

    "Fourthly, family background. Indeed the Ning family has be increasingly outrageous in recent years. They ignore the real treasure of their family and instead side her unruly sister." But don¡¯t forget, Ning Xi¡¯s maternal grandfather is Zhuang Zongren. Years ago, they only disowned Zhuang Lingyu because she insisted on marrying Ning Yaohua. Though Ning Xi is still considered their granddaughter, this is a fact that can¡¯t be denied. Zhuang Zongren¡¯s granddaughter is more than enough to match us Lu family, isn¡¯t she?"

    Father Lu and Mother Lu were both still angry, and initially they were not prepared to listen to Lu Jingli¡¯s defense. However, now that he said his piece, their expressions started to change¡­

    At this point, Lu Jingli added, "Fifthly, I forgot to mention the most important thing."

    "What is it?" both parents eagerly asked.

    Lu Jingli told them, "The both of you are worrying too much for no reason! Just yesterday, Ning Xi has already rejected big bro. So, stop worrying because Ning Xi is not bing your daughter-inws, nor your grandchildren¡¯s mother. From hereon, she won¡¯t have anything to do with us Lu family."

    All of a sudden, a piercing sound came from behind ¡ª

    Lu Jingli and his parents both turned towards the direction of the sound, only to find Little Treasure¡¯s small figure standing there with broken ss pieces on the floor¡­

    "Little Treasure¡­"

    Without waiting for the Lu parents to console him, Little Treasure ran into the house and mmed the door shut.

    Lu Jingli sighed, "Great, another one down! After big bro got rejected, he¡¯s been locking himself inside the house and hasn¡¯t left sincest night till now!"

    Mother Lu who was worried for her son and her grandson was now even more anxious and scolded Lu Jingli, "Bad son! Can¡¯t you watch what you say? Now that Little Treasure has heard us, what do we do now? Little Treasure likes that woman so much!"

    Lu Jingli looked innocently and replied, "The day was going toe anyway! Ning Xi only promised big bro that she would apany Little Treasure for three months, and three months is about to be up. Even if Ning Xi hadn¡¯t set things straight with him, she would eventually have to leave!"

 Chapter 274: I Have A Date Tonight

    <h4>Chapter 274: I Have A Date Tonight</h4>

    "Did you just say¡­that your brother is locking himself up in the house?" Father Lu pondered.

    Lu Jingli was just about to say something when his handphone suddenly rang - it was Cheng Feng.

    "Second master, help!"

    "I know, I¡¯m on my way!"

    As soon as Cheng Feng uttered those words, Lu Jingli knew what was up. He hung up the phone and shrugged at his parents, saying, "Brother¡¯s assistant just called, he¡¯s finally left the house and gone to the office, so I¡¯ve got to go provide support to myrades! Bye!"

    As they watched Lu Jingli leave, the Lu parents just sat there and looked at one another.

    "Chongshan, what do you think about this?" Mother Lu asked worriedly.

    Father Lu merely responded coldly, "Let¡¯s just wait further and see how things go. Who knows if that girl is just using reverse psychology?"

    Mother Lu bit her tongue as she thought about her son¡¯s confession. Which stupid girl would continue ying tricks when they had already seeded in making him fall for her?

    "What about Little Treasure then?" This was what she really wanted to know.

    "I think Little Treasure has almostpletely healed, so it¡¯s no big deal. Stop worrying for no reason. The past few days that he has been with us, that girl wasn¡¯t by his side, and he looks just fine, doesn¡¯t he?"

    "But¡­"

    ¡­

    At the same time, in Movie City

    Ning Xiid on her bed, mmy with cold sweat as her body seemed to writhe with torture written all over her face¡­

    She was having a wonderful time, or at least it was a wonderful dream.

    She dreamt that she was wearing a beautiful white wedding dress, her hand held by the one who gave her hope and light, and slowly they walked into the sacred church. However, as the pastor was reading the vows, the world around her started to be engulfed in darkness¡­

    A man was forcefully tugging her hand, and no matter how loud she shouted, he wouldn¡¯t let go¡­

    Atst, she was finally dragged into the hell hole behind her¡­

    "Ding dong, ding dong¡­"

    The doorbell rang urgently and woke her up from the nightmare.

    Ning Xi immediately sat up and realised that her entire body was damp from sweating profusely, and her head hurt so much it felt like it was going to explode.

    Last night, she barely got any sleep. When dawn came, she finally got some shut eye, but she might as well have stayed awake because her sleep was ruined by all sorts of nightmares.

    "Ding dong¡­"

    The doorbell was still ringing incessantly.

    With a heavy head, Ning Xi dragged her feet to open the door.

    "Who¡¯s there?"

    "I bought extra breakfast do you want¡­ some¡­" responded Jiang Muye who did not finish sentence, as he stared wide-eyed at Ning Xi as if seeing a ghost. "My God! You look frightening! You better be careful not to let the paparazzi see your face or they might think you¡¯re on drugs!"

    Ning Xi snatched the breakfast out of his hands and snapped, "Stop acting so shocked! Haven¡¯t you seen a victim of heartbreak?"

    Jiang Muye replied, "I¡¯ve seen other heartbroken people, but I¡¯ve never seen you heartbroken, all you do is break the hearts of others¡­"

    Ning Xi took a bite of the bun and said, "Then you¡¯re in luck today!"

    Jiang Muye sighed worriedly, seeing through her facade, "Ning Xi, are you really okay? Would you like me to drink with you tonight?"

    Ning Xi smiled and waved, "Apologies, but no thanks, I¡¯ve already got a date tonight!"

    "What! I was just feeling sorry for you, but you¡¯ve gotten a date already?!"

    ¡­

    It was a good thing Ning Xi only had war scenes today, so her face was covered in ck charcoal, strategically covering up her pale skin, otherwise she would definitely have dyed the shooting progress.

    As much as she tried her best to focus, she still did make a few mistakes. Some of her kung fu moves almost caused grievous harm to other actors but thankfully, nothing too terrible happened.

    Ning Xi knew that she could not continue in her current condition, or else, she would not be able to shoot any longer.

 Chapter 275: Little Treasure Is Unhappy

    <h4>Chapter 275: Little Treasure Is Unhappy</h4>

    Ever since Little Treasure identally overheard Lu Jingli¡¯s words, the Lu parents were uneasy, but they breathed a sigh of relief at lunch time.

    Little Treasure opened the door to let himself out and obediently finished his rice, drank his soup, and even ate some fruits after his meal.

    Everything seemed normal but in the past, the little guy¡¯s every move was filled with energy, and now he just seemed like a robot who was just following instructions.

    After the meal, Little Treasure took his drawing book and went to the garden.

    The Lu parents spied on him from afar, trying very hard to see what the little guy was drawing in an attempt to figure out his thoughts.

    But the little guy just sat there and stared nkly into the distance without drawing a single thing.

    "I knew it the moment that I saw him - our Little Treasure is unhappy!" said Mother Lu mournfully.

    Father Lu walked in a few circles, his arms behind his back, finally concluding, "Completely breaking this off is a good thing. If only Tingxiao was just getting a wife, that¡¯s fine, but because of Little Treasure, we can¡¯t be hasty about this! Will you be at ease leaving Little Treasure in the hands of that girl?"

    "But what Jingli said today makes sense too. That girl might not be as bad as we imagined her to be. Besides, she did teach Little Treasure quite well! Didn¡¯t you yourself say she was doing a good job too?"

    "That was because I was fooled by those two punks!" Father Lu started to be incensed again talking about this. He warned his other half with a stare, "Don¡¯t you be nice about this, no more further discussions about this! The most important thing you have to do now is to hurry up and choose a suitable wife for Tingxiao. Make him give up on the girl."

    "If you want to choose, you go ahead! My dear grandson is already like this, I¡¯m not in the mood to deal with such nonsense now!"

    "What would it look like if I did the choosing?!"

    "Whatever it is, I¡¯m not going! I want to apany my grandson!"

    "You¡­"

    ¡­

    Late at night at Dragon Bay

    A group of avant garde fashionable youths gathered together.

    One of them was a ck short-haired youth that particrly stood out. His entire face was covered with an exaggerated skull, with a tattoo sleeve on his arm. He had a ck coloured earring on his left ear and chewing gum in his mouth, he said to the white haired youth beside him, "Ah Ka, is my car ready?"

    Ah Ka tapped the car that was shined to sparkle beside him and said, "It¡¯s ready, here¡¯s the car! Have a look see if you like it!"

    The skull-faced youth looked critically at the car, and said stiffly, "It¡¯s not bad I guess, but it doesn¡¯t have my ckie¡¯s cool factor."

    Ah Ka rolled his eyes, "Please, I can make your car look like this is considered not too shabby in just one day, alright? Right, Xi Zi, where¡¯s your car? Where¡¯s your ckie?"

    "I sent it for maintenance, it¡¯s still not done yet," slurred the youthzily. Her car was still with Lu Tingxiao. It was not too convenient to get it now in their current situation, so she had to borrow another one.

    Ah Ka nodded and pped his hands to get everyone¡¯s attention. "Everyone¡¯s here, right? Let me reiterate thepetition rules! We¡¯ll start here from Dragon Bay, and the destination will be Death Valley. First ce gets to have our princess Xiang Xiang for one night of fun!

    The crowd started to cheer loudly.

    A sexydy with a devilish body stepped out of the crowd to p the back of Ah Ka¡¯s head. "Pfft, please! You hooligan! One night of fun, in your dreams!"

    Despite getting hit, Ah Ka grinned as if he had just swallowed honey. Heughed and said, "Haha, I was just joking! Let¡¯s start again! The grand prize will be a kiss from our princess! Additionally, there¡¯s a prize money of five million dors!"

 Chapter 276: My Handsome Xi

    <h4>Chapter 276: My Handsome Xi</h4>

    As soon as Ah Ka finished his announcement, he smiled giddily and walked up to Xiang Xiang. "Xiang Xiang, wait for me, tonight your kiss is definitely mine!"

    Xiang Xiang rolled her eyes at him with a look of disgust, and then walked up to the skulled-faced youth, clinging onto him, "Xi, you can¡¯t lose, okay? I hate those guys, I only like you!"

    When it came to Tang Xi, she would be more than willing, even if it was just a one night stand¡­

    "Hey, Xiang Xiang, you¡¯re a little biased, aren¡¯t you? Why do you hate us and only like Xi Zi?" The crowd started to get dispirited.

    Xiang Xiang put one hand on her waist and said, "Obviously it¡¯s because Xi Zi is the most handsome!"

    Someone from the crowd shouted back, "Please! Every time he ys with us, he covers his face with such ridiculous makeup, How would you know if he¡¯s really handsome or not?"

    Xiang Xiang scoffed, "I just know! Handsomeness is not just about the face, you¡¯ve gotta look at the charisma too, okay! What do you rogues understand?"

    "Fine, we don¡¯t understand! You better be careful of the day that Xi Zies bare-faced and scares you to tears with his ugliness!"

    "Who knows? Maybe if he was stripped naked, he might be a woman! Hahaha!"

    ¡­

    "You guys¡­," listening to the guys ridicule her, Xiang Xiang became furious. She turned her head towards the skulled-faced youth who was familiarising himself with the car and said, "Xi, torture them all!"

    The youth¡¯s lips curved into a smirk, and with a hand saluted, "Your wish is mymand, my princess!"

    Xiang Xiang was so electrified and starstruck that she felt faint, "Ohh ¡ª my Xi, you¡¯re so handsome!"

    On the side, Ah Ka jealously said through clenched teeth, "Pfft! This little punk, I knew you¡¯d try to act cool! Watch me defeat you today. The first ce is definitely mine!"

    When the crowd was done fooling around, the midnight race finally officially began.

    Xiang Xiang picked up the starting gun and stood at the starting line, "Everyone, please get into your positions! Get set, ready, go!"

    At the crack of the gun, all the cars elerated forward.

    "Xi, all the best! I¡¯ll be waiting for you at Death Valley!"

    Death Valley was true to its name because of the narrow and steep roads. It was a ce where many idents had happened. Yet, it was also a heaven for daredevils who indulged in extreme sports as hobbies.

    Ning Xi knew this group of people because when she first returned to the country and sped along the roads, they often had altercations but atst, they became friends.

    All these people were from the same racing club but Ning Xi only joined them to race illegally once in a while.

    However, as her job became increasingly busy, plus her meeting with Little Treasure and Lu Tingxiaoter on, she did not need such extreme and dangerous sports to release and relieve her stress anymore.

    That was why it had been such a long time since she had gone out with them, until tonight, that was.

    Her nickname Tang Xi and her dressing up as a man was all for convenience. Especially with her current situation, she would have to be extra careful doing something like this.

    The sound of the car engine drumming against her ears and the strong wind howling past her as she sped through made her feel as if her soul was being elevated. She could feel the stress that was suppressing and suffocating her leave her body at that moment in time. Even if it was just a momentary relief and calm, it still led her to chase the thrill like a moth drawn to a me¡­

    "Xi Zi! If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m going to go ahead first!" Ah Ka mocked as he sped past her at a turning point, sessfully overtaking her.

    Ning Xi¡¯s lips curved up into a smile, not caring. She continued to follow her own momentum of driving, maintaining her spot at second ce.

    Until thest round. The most dangerous round.

 Chapter 277: Regaining Her Best Form

    <h4>Chapter 277: Regaining Her Best Form</h4>

    Ning Xi lowered her body, shifted gears and slowly increased her speed. At the one of the steepest curves that closely shaved the side of the cliff, she dangerously overtook Ah Ka.

    "Jesus, you¡¯re crazy! Do you really want to die?!" Ah Ka furiously cursed her.

    The final results were obvious because no matter how good you were, you could never beat someone who would risk their life.

    At the finishing line, Xiang Xiang cheered happily and jumped into the arms of Ning Xi as she held the trophy and prize money. She pouted her red lips to offer a kiss.

    Ning Xi did not reject this and she smiled as she leaned forward to receive the kiss. But as she was about to nt the kiss, Ning Xi repositioned a little, so Xiang Xiang¡¯s lips did not reach hers but found her cheek instead.

    Xiang Xiang went red with embarrassment, and she sulked, "Xi, you¡¯re so mean!"

    Ah Ka, who had to watch his dream girl kiss someone else, was so angry that he threw his helmet onto the ground and said, "Goddammit, how could you actually kiss such a face?!"

    Xiang Xiang ignored him while continuing to cling onto Ning Xi¡¯s arm and said, "Xi, we¡¯re having something on tomorrow night, do you wannae along?"

    "No, thanks, you guys go ahead," rejected Ning Xi.

    Xiang Xiang looked disappointed, then she asked that had been bugging her for a while now, "Xi, you¡¯re really mysterious. What are you busy with everyday? What do you actually do for a living?"

    "It¡¯s a secret!" Ning Xi responded as she revealed a secretive and sneaky smile, before she waved and slinked away.

    As she watched Ning Xi¡¯s carefree shadow leave, Xiang Xiang was practically a puddle of infatuation¡­

    She had to get him!

    ¡­

    Returning to the hotel before dawn, Ning Xi was prepared to crash as soon as she got to her bed.

    Despite having slept for only slightly over three hours, she felt much better than she had yesterday.

    Today was another day of intense battlefield scenes, with another scene at night.

    Ning Xi perfectly performed from start till the end wlessly.

    When they wrapped up, Guo Qisheng was overjoyed and said, "Not bad, Ning Xi, your form is much better today! At this rate, we can definitely catch up on our progress!"

    Ning Xi breathed a sigh of relief, "I will work harder to keep it up!"

    Upon returning to the hotel, Jiang Muye circled her like a watch dog.

    Ning Xi punched him and asked, "What¡¯s wrong with you? You¡¯re giving me a headache! Bing a golden retriever now, are you?"

    Jiang Muye looked at her with squinted eyes and said, "Ning Xi, you better tell me honestly, what did you dost night? How are you suddenly so much better today?"

    "It was just the rest. What else could I have done!"

    "Liar. Last night, I rang your doorbell many times, but you weren¡¯t even in your room!"

    "Pfft! Why did you ring my doorbell for?"

    "Don¡¯t change the topic! I¡¯m saying, Ning Xi, you wouldn¡¯t be doing anything illegal, are you?"

    "Mmm, I think it is slight illegal. If I got caught, I would have to go to jail¡­"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi still did not reveal what happened that night, so Jiang Muye could only silently worry for her. He had to check that she was not out all night for the next two nights before he felt at ease again.

    For the next two days, Ning Xi continued to keep up her steady performance.

    In a blink of an eye, it was soon three days since she had straightened things out with Lu Tingxiao.

    Within those three days, Lu Tingxiao did not contact her at all. She too had intentionally avoided any news about him, focusing all of her energy on working. Only sometimes, she would randomly have shbacks to that night¡­

    Lu Tingxiao suddenly hugged her from the back and said, Ning Xi, I¡¯ve really missed you, it feels like it has been so long since I¡¯ve seen you¡­

 Chapter 278: Obedient Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 278: Obedient Little Treasure</h4>

    Lu Family¡¯s Old Residence.

    Little Treasure sat unmoving in front of the easel, the horizon of the sunset to his side. His small silhouette seemed especially lonely and pitiful.

    "Little Treasure,e have dinner now! Grandma made your favourite sweet and sour mandarin fish! Little Treasure¡­Little Treasure?"

    After Mother Lu called out to him for about five or six times, Little Treasure finally reacted.

    He started packing up his easel without saying anything, and looked a few more times towards the direction he had been staring at for the entire afternoon before entering the house obediently.

    The dining table was filled with various kinds of both Chinese and Western dishes.

    "Little Treasure, eat more, okay? These are all your favourites!"

    "Yes, eat more! Come, let grandpa feed you."

    Little Treasure looked at the dishes stiffly, and then picked up his chopsticks to get the nearest dish before starting to eat with his head bowed down. He did not need any coaxing.

    Seeing Little Treasure this obedient, the Lu parents were relieved.

    Father Lu gave his wife a look and said, "See, I told you it will be okay!"

    That night, Little Treasure continued to eat a lot, even more than usual, in fact. It seemed like he had a really enormous appetite.

    Three calm days passed and nothing out of the blue happened. Father Lu was very happy and Mother Lu finally felt assured again.

    Yet, that night itself¡­

    The sound of the maid¡¯s screams from Little Treasure¡¯s room suddenly pierced the night.

    "Master! Madam! Something¡¯s wrong! Little master he¡­quicklye and see!"

    "What are you saying? What happened?"

    Both of them rushed over.

    When they reached the room, they saw Little Treasure bending forward and vomiting the dinner he had had all over the floor. He even started retching bile.

    Mother Lu hurriedly patted him on his back and eximed, "Ah! Little Treasure! Little Treasure, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you vomiting so much?!"

    Father Lu calmly said, "Kids vomiting once in awhile is no big deal. Maybe he just ate too much, don¡¯t be so shocked."

    Yet as he finished his sentence, the little guy went limp and passed out.

    "Little Treasure!" screamed Mother Lu.

    Now even Father Lu could not stay calm any longer, and he started to turn pale and shouted at his butlers and maids, "Why are you still standing there?! Quickly call for the doctor!"

    Within a split second, the entire residence was thrown into chaos.

    Mother Lu hugged a pale Little Treasure and was so worried that she was frantic, she grumbled to Father Lu, "It¡¯s all your fault for saying that there was nothing wrong! Look what has happened now! Must you torture my grandson? So what if Tingxiao fancies that girl, as long as she can make our Little Treasure happy!? Even if she was a beggar on the streets, I would still let her in!"

    "You¡­what are you saying now?"

    "What¡¯s wrong? Did I say something wrong? I just want for my dear grandson to be happy! He was so much better previously, to the point that he was already healed! And now, he¡¯s be like this. It¡¯s really breaking my heart to pieces."

    "Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s breaking my heart too? I¡¯m only worried for Little Treasure¡¯s future."

    "What future is there if Little Treasure is dead?!" Mother Lu said this as she suddenly remembered something and turned to the maid, ordering, "Xiao Rong, go get little master¡¯s drawing. I want to see it!"

    "Okay, madam, I¡¯ll go immediately!"

    The maid immediately brought over Little Treasure¡¯s drawing from that afternoon.

    The Lu parents scanned the drawing.

    Little Treasure did not draw a single thing on the nk canvas, but upon closer inspection, they saw that in the middle of the canvas was a sentence written with miniature font in pencil¡ª

    Aunty Xiao Xi

    Little Treasure has been very good

    Why don¡¯t you want Little Treasure?

    ¡­

    Mother Lu¡¯s tears started to pour as soon as she saw this, she cried, "Who said Little Treasure was fine? He was only forcing himself to be obedient! Even though he couldn¡¯t finish his rice, he still made himself do it. Even though he wanted to throw a tantrum like he used to, he forced himself to be obedient¡­all because he promised someone else that he would be."

 Chapter 279: Days Without The Sister-In-Law Sucks

    <h4>Chapter 279: Days Without The Sister-In-Law Sucks</h4>

    At night, the Lu group¡¯spany building was brightly lit. As of three days ago, the entire Lu group had been on alert mode.

    Winter had arrived early¡­

    Assistant CEO¡¯s office.

    "I know, I know, you guys are bearing the brunt of suffering, but it really was your fault. Before this, my brother was in a good mood, but you guys took it easy, so now you regret it, don¡¯t you?"

    "At this point, the only thing you can do is to just not let my brother find any loopholes, so he can¡¯t mess with you guys, okay?"

    "Yes, you guys are scared of him, but do you think I ain¡¯t scared too? Jeez. Damn you, the person who¡¯s in the most danger now is me okay? Don¡¯t even bother whining to me."

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli was feeling frustrated thinking about dealing with the next wave of workers whining when his private handphone rang.

    It was an even more troublesome worry.

    "Mom, what is it now? I can guarantee that the girl hasn¡¯te to look for big bro, and big bro hasn¡¯t gone to look for her either. If you don¡¯t believe me, juste and ask anyone in the office! Big bro has been working 24/7 for the past few days, without resting for a second!"

    Mother Lu on the other end quickly stopped him and said, "Jingli, get your brother toe home! Something¡¯s happened to Little Treasure!"

    Lu Jingli¡¯s expression suddenly changed before he asked, "What did you say? Didn¡¯t you say Little Treasure was fine before this, and that we didn¡¯t have to worry? How did this suddenly happen? What has exactly happened?

    "Little Treasure¡¯s not feeling too well, and he¡¯s in a really bad shape. Quickly get your brother toe home, hurry!"

    As he stared at the phone which his mother hung up on, Lu Jingli momentarily copsed onto his desk.

    Sigh, days without the sister-inw sucked¡­

    There was no one to ask for help from now on. It seemed like he could only rely on himself. By God''s grace, he prayed that he would survive!

    Lu Jingli anxiously walked to the door of the CEO¡¯s office.

    He took a deep breath and was about to knock the door when a bunch of people swarmed up to him and stuffed all sorts of documents and proposals into his arms¡­

    Lu Jingli shouted back at them, "Jesus! You bunch of cowards, you better watch out!"

    Goddammit, the true colors of everyone revealed in trying times. The fact that everyone was waiting for him!

    "Second master, please, and thank you. You¡¯re our only hope!"

    "Exactly, second master, we¡¯re desperate!"

    "Only you, second master, can go in ande out alive. Please help us!"

    ¡­

    "Stop sucking up to me, everyone get lost!" Lu Jingli shooed away everyone, and then knocked on the door to his brother''s office.

    He did not actually need to shoo them, because everyone disappeared in the blink of an eye¡­

    "Come in," said a coarse voice from inside the office.

    "Brother, these¡­" Lu Jingli could not even finish his sentence because he started coughing and almost choked to death inside. He had to back up a few steps before moving forward again.

    Jesus, was this Hitler¡¯s gas chamber or something?

    How many cigarettes had he smoked?

    The curtains were closed, even the windows were shut! He really was not afraid of suffocating himself to death, was he?

    Lu Jingli put down the documents and hurriedly pulled opened the curtains and windows for some venttion.

    He saw Lu Tingxiao leaning back in his chair with his expressions hidden by the shadows. The cigarette between his fingers was almost burnt out and about to reach his fingers¡­

    The side coffee table still had the lunch and dinner his secretary had served him, none of it was touched.

    Lu Jingli slowly looked over to see a stack of information beside Lu Tingxiao, all about the Jiang family.

 Chapter 280: A Motherless Child Is A Sad One

    <h4>Chapter 280: A Motherless Child Is A Sad One</h4>

    Lu Jingli suddenly lost all color in his face. My God¡­brother is not going to mess with the Jiang family, is he? Is he really going to forfeit all kinships?! Even if they are not rted to the Jiang family by blood, they are still connected to Jiang Muye¡¯s mother¡¯s generation and their parents really care about this rtionship!

    After some thought, Lu Jingli knew something was not right.

    Based on his brother¡¯s personality, if he was going to do anything to the Jiang family and Jiang Muye, he could have done that much earlier. There was no way he would have kept quiet for the past three days¡­

    What was up then?

    "Is there something you want to say?"

    The air around suddenly filled with an icy voice, causing Lu Jingli to shudder and return to his senses. He quickly exined, "Yes, Mother and Father called earlier and they said that Little Treasure is not feeling too well, so they want you to quickly go home!"

    Lu Tingxiao stubbed out his cigarette butt and then lit another one again, "Get the car ready."

    "Okay!"

    Lu Jingli quickly sneaked out, secretly grateful.

    It was a good thing that his brother had not forgotten all kinship to point of neglecting his son¡­

    Lu Family Old Residence.

    Mother Lu was anxiously pacing about outside the door. As as soon as she saw Lu Tingxiao, she immediately went up to greet him and said, "Tingxiao, you¡¯ve finallye home! Quickly go and see Little Treasure!"

    Father Lu was obviously unhappy and scolded him, "Oh you finally know your way back home do you? Little Treasure is ill and yet you couldn¡¯t even be contacted! How are you suitable enough to be his father?"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s pale face was devoid of any expression as he replied calmly without fighting back, "Weren¡¯t the both of you going to get me a wife? You can go let those women take care of him."

    Father Li''s eyes flew wide and he shouted at his son, "You bastard! How could you say something like this? Little Treasure is your son! You don¡¯t take care of him yourself and yet you expect strangers to do it for you?"

    Lu Jingli scoffed. He could not help himself and said, "Father, please, can you be more sensible? It was the both of you who were in a hurry to find strangers to take care of Little Treasure! Brother did find Little Treasure an extremely reliabledy to take care of him, but it was the both of you who didn¡¯t trust his judgement! Now he¡¯s agreeing to let the both of you choose for him, yet you¡¯re still unsatisfied. What do you want him to do?"

    "You¡­" Father Lu was so angry that he was speechless. Then his expression changed and he said, "You punk, I almost fell for your trap! It was he himself who didn¡¯t have the ability to get her, don¡¯t me it on me."

    Uhh, exposed¡­

    Lu Jingli rubbed his nose and then said again, "But¡­this means¡­that if he manages to get her then you wouldn¡¯t be against it anymore?"

    Father Lu grumbled, "Don¡¯t try to be smart with me. Quickly go see Little Treasure!"

    "Little Treasure, what¡¯s wrong? Where are you not feeling well?" Lu Jingli asked the boy.

    Mother Lu wiped her tears as she said, "It¡¯s probably because that girl had previously taught him to be obedient, so these few days he has been a very good boy, always eating and resting normally without rebelling. Until today, not too long after dinner, Little Treasure suddenly vomited everything he ate and he even fainted¡­"

    Mother Lu took out a drawing and cried even harder as she told him, "Later on, after I saw these words on Little Treasure¡¯s drawing, only did I realize that he wasn¡¯t fine at all, that he has been suppressing everything¡­"

    Lu Jingli took over the drawing, looked at it, and started sobbing within seconds. "My goodness, poor Little Treasure¡­a child without their mother is a sad one¡­"

    "Exactly, I am so heartbroken by this!"

    Both mother and son cried in each other¡¯s embrace.

 Chapter 281: Taking Turns To Cheer Up Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 281: Taking Turns To Cheer Up Little Treasure</h4>

    Father Lu was frustrated as he looked at his stone-hearted eldest son, then turned to see the crying mess that was his wife and younger son. "The both of you, stop crying already! It¡¯s not like Little Treasure is critically ill or anything. Didn¡¯t the doctor say that he was only suffering from indigestion because he was suppressing his feelings?"

    Mother Lu anxiously responded with, "What do you mean he isn¡¯t critically ill? He¡¯s suppressing his feelings! Little Treasure¡¯s autism was just about to be better, but what if he gets depression now?"

    "It can¡¯t be that serious, I don¡¯t think children can suffer from depression¡­"

    This was when Little Treasure¡¯s room door opened and Qin Mufeng came out, cleared his throat, and said, "Mr. Lu, from a medical perspective, children can suffer from depression too. And based on Little Treasure¡¯s current situation, there are indeed such symptoms."

    "See! Even the doctor said so!"

    Father Lu¡¯s expression hardened before he asked, "Then what if we get a girl who looks simr to that woman to apany Little Treasure? Isn¡¯t there something called the shifting of affection in psychology?"

    "Well¡­" Qin Mufeng didn¡¯t want to be too blunt and he chose his words carefully.

    Lu Jingli on the other hand didn¡¯t restrain himself and directly replied, "Father, Little Treasure is just introverted, not mentally retarded. You fooling him like this is too mean!"

    "Don¡¯t run, you little punk, I¡¯m going to hit you!" Father Lu said angrily. As he was about to hit him, Lu Tingxiao raised a hand to deflect the blow.

    Lu Jingli was so touched he almost cried tears of joy! His brother had actually defended him!

    "You brothers are trying to get on my nerves, aren¡¯t you?!"

    "That¡¯s enough, what are you fighting for? And so loudly! Don¡¯t frighten Little Treasure now," said Mother Lu who rushed to calm everyone down. "Tingxiao, quickly go see Little Treasure and speak to him!"

    Inside the room, Little Treasure was just as obedient as Mother Lu said he had been.

    When Lu Tingxiao entered, the little guy was holding up his own cup to drink his medicine.

    How could Lu Tingxiao advise his kid when his expression barely even changed? He only said to him robotically, "Every person has a life of their own with choices that they make. Over-attachment will only slow you down, so you should learn to let go."

    His expression and tone would have easily led one to misunderstand that he was offering his condolences.

    Little Treasure¡¯s face was still, as if he did not immediately understand the meaning of his father¡¯s words. Then suddenly, his little eyes started to fill with immense sadness¡­

    Mother Lu was suddenly concerned and said, "I told you to cheer him up, why did you go ahead and give a five-year-old kid life wisdom advice?"

    She buried her face in her hands and sighed, "I¡¯m so silly. Why did I call you, an emotionless person, back for? We would have been better off without you! You¡¯ve made Little Treasure sadder now. Jingli my good son, youe and try!"

    "Ah, me?" Jingli scratched his head a little and walked over, softly saying, "Hey Little Treasure, let Uncle sing for you, okay? Cough cough, gourd doll, oh ,gourd doll on a seven flower vine, unafraid despite the storm,¡­"

    In the next second, Little Treasure¡¯s eyes suddenly filled with hot tears that started to pour¡­

    Mother Lu was so upset and angry that she hit Lu Jingli on the back, "Dang you! Why did you sing that song? You¡¯ve made Little Treasure cry now!"

    Lu Jingli felt falsely used, "Please! This is on me too? I sang such a happy song! He used to love listening to his Aunty Xiao Xi sing songs, okay! Uhh¡­fine, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have sang this song¡­"

 Chapter 282: A Heartâ€™s Troubles Has To Be Resolved

    <h4>Chapter 282: A Heart¡¯s Troubles Has To Be Resolved</h4>

    He had identally made Little Treasure sad again¡­

    "Go, go, go! Everyone go away! You¡¯re all useless! What did I call you hear for? If you can¡¯t think of how to cheer up Little Treasure, no one¡¯s going out for dinner!" Mother Lu was frantic as she chased Lu Tingxiao, Lu Jingli, Qin Mufeng, and Father Lu all out of the room.

    For the next few days, everyone in the Lu household tried their luck yet no one could cheer up Little Treasure. Instead, they saw him bing more and more depressed as the days went by.

    He was still obediently finishing his meals, though he would often vomit soon after eating. He would also obediently go to bed, but he would always have nightmares, and his spirit was getting worse¡­

    Because of this, Father Lu hired a team of psychologists from abroad, yet nothing worked. They all replied that a heart¡¯s troubles had to be cured by resolving it, or else it might take a long period of medication and therapy to prevent the condition from deteriorating.

    Father Lu was infuriated. If he could resolve the heart¡¯s troubles, why would he have hired them for?

    He needed a cure with thirty percent of drugs, but that woman was practically seventy percent drugs! How would he dare use this on Little Treasure?

    A motherly figure yed such a huge role on a person¡¯s life and growth.

    As of now, the Lu family¡¯s third generation only had Little Treasure as the sole heir. If anything bad were to happen to Little Treasure due to her mistake, how would he exin that to histe ancestors?

    Nightfall, Rivers Hotel.

    The shoots had been going extraordinarily smooth recently, so the progress had advanced quite a bit. To let everyone rx a little, Guo Qisheng invited everyone for a dinner gathering.

    "Everyone has been working really hard, especially Ning Xi who had particrly more scenes. When we¡¯re done shooting, I¡¯ll definitely treat everyone to another feast! Cheers!"

    "Cheers, everyone!"

    "Cheers! Thanks for the treat, director!"

    ¡­

    As Ning Xueluo who sat in the corner heard the words, "Ning Xi who had particrly more scenes", she clenched her fists so hard that her nails were cutting into her palm. Yet, on the outside she could only maintain a polite smile.

    Now that the entire drama team¡¯s financial sponsorship came from the Lu group and Glory World Entertainment, she had no support or say in the production at all.

    Thankfully, she knew the drama team would not dare change her position as the lead female character. Even with all that had happened, her poprity and standing was still evident as she still had lots of diehard fans.

    She just had to temporarily endure this.

    As much as Ning Xi might have stood out, she was still a supporting rolepared to hers. Glory World only spent so much money because of the marriage proposal!

    Since that incident, everyone in the drama team obviously distanced themselves from Ning Xueluo. They only spoke around Ning Xi and Jiang Muye; the two of them were even more popr than the lead actors themselves.

    Ning Xueluo felt awkward as she was being ignored, so she turned to Zhao Sizhou beside her who was suffering from the same fate. "Sizhou, the fish today is not bad, you should try it!"

    "I don¡¯t like fish," replied Zhao Sizhou indifferently.

    Initially Jiang Muye had already stolen his limelight, andter he was implicated by this woman¡¯s nuisance. All of that caused him to have significantly less scenes, so why should he be nice to her?

    "Oh, never mind then," said Ning Xueluo who could not mask her displeasure further, getting up to leave for the restroom.

    In the restroom.

    Ning Xueluo was trembling angrily when she shoved everything off the sink and watched it fall to the floor. "Ning Xi, be happy all you want right now, but watch out, I won¡¯t let you be that way for too long!"

    "Your Highness, I will be waiting!"

    "Ah! You¡­Ning Xi¡­" suddenly a voice came from behind her and frightened Ning Xueluo, who turned around to find Ning Xi standing there.

 Chapter 283: What Are You Going To Do About It?

    <h4>Chapter 283: What Are You Going To Do About It?</h4>

    Ning Xueluo very quickly regained her posture and said with a look of disdain, "Huh, Ning Xi, I was wondering how amazing you¡¯d be off stage, but you¡¯re just with a small time actor!"

    News about Ning Xi and Jiang Muye¡¯s scandal had been making rounds for the past two days, but naturally, she was one of the first to know.

    She did secretly hire someone to spy on them, but who knew - she didn¡¯t have to do the work herself as they would be exposed by fans. In fact, it was the total opposite of what she had predicted would happen based on previous circumstances. Instead of ruining Ning Xi¡¯s reputation, she gained lots of new fans and poprity.

    Damn you, witch, you actually managed to handle Jiang Muye. No wonder the signing of the contract with Glory World sailed smoothly.

    Even though she had said "small time actor", she knew in her heart that Jiang Muye was not just any celebrity.

    Jiang Muye¡¯s mom, Tan Jingxian was Lu family¡¯s goddaughter. Jiang Muye actually referred to the Lu parents as grandmother and grandfather, while calling Lu Tingxiao his uncle!

    With such connections, even if they were not rted by blood, it was already considered a close kinship.

    With the Lu family¡¯s support, the Jiang family¡¯s business had expanded massively. As the Jiang family only had Jiang Muye an only son, the family business would definitely be inherited by him.

    However, with Jiang Muye¡¯s personality, he was probably only messing around with Ning Xi for a while. Ning Xueluo doubted she would reach to the point of marriage. What a proposterous thought!

    "If you look down upon actors, then what are you?" Ning Xi asked with eyebrows raised.

    "I¡¯m still Mother and Father¡¯s daughter, and Ning family¡¯s eldest daughter. Naturally, I¡¯m nobler than you are!" Ning Xueluo said this arrogantly, obviously purposefully boasting about how Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu did not hold a grudge against her for that incident.

    She chose this industry not only because she loved being sought after and enjoyed the feeling of getting what Ning Xi could not, but the best part was that she could widen herwork.

    This time too, it was thanks to the fact that she pulled some strings to help Ning International close a big deal that she could walk away from the shadow of framing Ning Xi. She really had to be more careful from then on.

    As she thought about this, Ning Xueluo suddenly felt empowered and haughtily said, "You sold yourself for merely eight million, someone like you don¡¯t deserve to beparing and negotiating with me."

    "Pfft¡­" Ning Xi burst outughing as she heard this.

    "What are youughing at?"

    Ning Xi looked at her unbothered and said, "I¡¯mughing at the eight million!"

    Ning Xueluo frowned, "Ning Xi, you can stop being weird with me. What do you mean?"

    Ning Xi shook her head and sighed, ""Miss Ning, I¡¯m really sorry but I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d be this stupid. I can¡¯t believe you still don¡¯t know where I got the eight million from."

    Ning Xueluo scoffed coldly, "Isn¡¯t it from you prostituting yourself to Jiang Muye? What is there that I don¡¯t know about?"

    Ning Xi had a smug expression as she leaned forward to her ear and said in a low voice, "That eight million dors worth of breach of contract fee¡­didn¡¯t you give that to me yourself?"

    "What? I gave that to you?! Ning Xi, you¡¯re crazy, aren¡¯t you? Why would I have¡­" Ning Xueluo stopped mid-sentence before she widened her eyes and said, "Ning Xi¡­it was you¡­the person who threatened and intimidated me was you!"

    "Yeah, it was me. What are you going to do about it?"

    "You were ckmailing me! I¡¯m going to sue you!"

    "Ahhh, I¡¯m so afraid!"

    "You¡­you¡­" Ning Xueluo was furious.

    She never would have thought her hard earned money would have ended up in Ning Xi¡¯s pocket as her breach of contract fee.

    The incident had finally subsided and she could never mention it again. Besides, she didn¡¯t have any evidence. She had long hired people to decode those anonymous letters and the bank ount but to no avail.

    Atst, she had no choice but to swallow her defeat.

 Chapter 284: A Rapid Change Of Style

    <h4>Chapter 284: A Rapid Change Of Style</h4>

    After Ning Xi left, Ning Xueluo gathered herself before giving Su Yan a call.

    "Yan, when your meeting¡¯s over, can youe fetch me?"

    "I¡¯m sorry, Xueluo, I have a dinner meeting tonight, it might end quitete. How about I get the driver to fetch you? Hello? Hello?"

    The other end of the phone was silent, only quiet sounds of held back tears were heard. Su Yan immediately asked, "Xueluo, what¡¯s wrong? Are you crying? What¡¯s happened?"

    Ning Xueluo choked on her tears and said, "Yan, I¡¯m really sad¡­everyone in the drama team is ostracizing me. They¡¯re all fawning over Ning Xi and Jiang Muye, no one will speak to me¡­

    "Just now, I was just asking Ning Xi out of concern about her and Jiang Muye. I told her that if she needed money she could ask from me, that she shouldn¡¯t do anything stupid. She said many mean things in return instead, and even said that I don¡¯t deserve to care about her¡­"

    Su Yan sighed and said, "Xueluo, rumours about Xiao Xi and Jiang Muye¡¯s scandal have already been making rounds recently. Your question mighte across as an interrogation, that¡¯s why she¡¯s unhappy about it. You even asked her if she needed money, clearly implying that she¡¯s getting her money from Jiang Muye."

    Unexpectedly, Su Yan just gave such a casual reply, causing Ning Xueluo to clench her first further. "Yan, you¡¯ve changed! Just because of that incident, now no matter what happens you¡¯ll only believe Ning Xi, won¡¯t you? She and Jiang Muye¡¯s scandal has already been photographed by fans, plus they are usually already so close within the drama team, who wouldn¡¯t know about their rtionship? Need I say more?"

    "Xueluo, it isn¡¯t I who has changed, it¡¯s you who has a problem with your mentality. You¡¯re such an understanding person, why can¡¯t you try to be on Xiao Xi¡¯s side and choose to believe her? Even if she really did have anything going on with Jiang Muye, can¡¯t it just be normal dating? If that is so, we should wish her the best!"

    "Yan, I¡­"

    "Okay, I have to go back to work now. I¡¯ll talk to you again when I¡¯m free."

    ¡­

    When Ning Xi returned to the room, everyone had already finished eating and were singing.

    "I can never look back, I will write my own rules. The fierce shing eyes of the werewolf¡­"

    Jiang Muye made everyone cheer with his song. When Ning Xi returned, he quickly called her over to sing, "Ning Xiao Xi, sing us a song! Your favourite is still ¡®The Boundless Sea and Sky¡¯, right?"

    This was a must-sing song for Ning Xi every time she went to the KTV. Every single time she had to sing, "Forgive me in this lifetime for I won¡¯t let love be free".

    But today, Ning Xi waved and said, "I¡¯ll choose by myself!"

    "What are you going to choose?" Jiang Muye looked over, worried that she would choose a song that was too extreme.

    Once Ning Xi chose her song, she leaned on the sofa and picked up the microphone to begin singing¡ª

    "Look at what is before me with the lights on: the huge room, lonely bed. Without the lights, they were all invisible, the hurt in the heart, with no one to share¡­"

    Jiang Muye was shocked, "Jesus! Ning Xi, your style has changed a little too quickly, hasn¡¯t it? Where¡¯s the Ning Xi who enjoys singing about animals, flesh, and toxic?"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him, "This is not a private gathering, do you think I would sing that kind of song at this asion?"

    Ning Xi once said that a lot of the songs she knew were not underage-friendly, so she wasn¡¯t kidding. The three songs Jiang Muye just mentioned were the ssics.

    There was once she drank till she was high during those years of studying abroad. She sang the song ¡®Flesh¡¯ live and set the bar so high that they had to increase the security measures by three times, and yet they could not control the crowd¡­

 Chapter 285: I Really Miss You

    <h4>Chapter 285: I Really Miss You</h4>

    Ning Xi continued to sing¡ª

    "Life slips away with the years, grows old with white hair, leaves as you do, leaving happiness unheard of¡­"

    As he listened, Jiang Muye knew something was up. Why did he feel like this song wasn¡¯t a casual choice, but was sung for a specific person?

    "I really miss you, I do, but I reveal no signs, I still think of you, I still let memories take over, I still pretend to be okay¡­"

    ¡­

    "I really miss you?" realization dawned on Jiang Muye. Indeed, she was singing for someone!

    At this moment, no one knew but outside the room door stood a tall figure.

    He was initially only passing by, but found himself stuck and mesmerized at the door.

    His partner noticed him stopping and could not help but called out, "CEO Lu, is there a problem? CEO Zhang and CEO Wang are still waiting for us upstairs."

    "Quiet."

    The coldness of his tone rendered his partner speechless.

    Then, a girl¡¯s low and sultry voice was heard from the room¡ª

    "I really miss you, I do, yet I lie to myself, I really miss you, I do, but let¡¯s just keep it a secret, I really miss you, I do, I¡¯ll just keep it to myself¡­"

    Even when she had stopped singing, he stood at the same spot, not moving for a long time before he left.

    Late at night.

    Lu Family Old Residence.

    In the garden on the jade colored stairs, he held a cigarette between his fingers. He did not put it to his lips at all till it burnt out, lost in his own deep thoughts.

    "Bro, it¡¯s already sote, why haven¡¯t you made your move?" Lu Jingli rushed over to ask.

    Lu Tingxiao put out his cigarette and said, "What?"

    Lu Jingli shot him a look, "Stop pretending! You¡¯ve nned such for Father Lu to be outstation. Wasn¡¯t so you could call Xiao Xi Xi over tonight? Father Lu will rush home first thing tomorrow morning. If you don¡¯t call Xiao Xi Xi now, we won¡¯t make it! Look at our poor Little Treasure, doesn¡¯t it break your heart? I¡¯m heartbroken as his uncle! Don¡¯t wait till he really gets depression!"

    "You can try, but the probability of her agreeing to it is zero," said Lu Tingxiao as he got up and walked into the house.

    "No way! I can definitely persuade her toe over!" Lu Jingli said, full of confidence as he took out his handphone.

    After the gathering ended, all the drama team members left one after another.

    Just as Ning Xi reached the hotel, her handphone rang.

    She took a look at the caller ID. It was Lu Jingli.

    She didn¡¯t immediately pick up, but instead she let it ring several times until the caller hung up.

    After a while, her phone started to ring incessantly again.

    Ning Xi hesitated momentarily before finally answering the call.

    "Hello¡­"

    "Hello, Xiao Xi Xi? Are you asleep?"

    "Nope, the drama team¡¯s gathering just ended. Second master, it¡¯s already sote, is there anything?"

    Lu Jingli had too many things that he wanted to say and rant about. He immediately blurted non-stop to her and asked, "Xiao Xi Xi, what did you actually say to my brother that day? He locked himself inside his room for a whole day after that. When he came out, he pretended like nothing happened and began to work without stopping for three whole days. Only until Mother called to tell us that Little Treasure was feeling unwell, then he returned to the old residence, and then these few days¡­"

    "Little Treasure is ill? What¡¯s wrong with him?" Ning Xi quickly caught Lu Jingli¡¯s key point and stopped him.

    "¡­"

    Lu Jingli paused for a moment for his brother. Indeed Xiao Xi Xi still cared about Little Treasure the most! Poor brother!

 Chapter 286: Always Been This Quick-Witted

    <h4>Chapter 286: Always Been This Quick-Witted</h4>

    "Dr. Qin says he has slight depression," said Lu Jingli with a heavy tone.

    "Depression? Why does he suddenly have depression? How is he now?"

    For the past few days since she hadn¡¯t heard any news from the Lu family, she thought that the best news was no news. She thought Little Treasure had entirely healed under her care. Based on what she knew about his reactions, he could really have kicked up a fuss. Had Lu Jingli and the rest sought her earlier, it might not have been like this¡­

    "Now his condition is getting worse, even when we¡¯ve had many doctors over. It¡¯s all not working, Xiao Xi Xi, you have toe visit Little Treasure quickly!"

    "Where is Little Treasure now?"

    "At the old residence, where my parents live!"

    Ning Xi¡¯s end of the line was silent for a few seconds, and then there was a slight shift in her tone, "Lu Jingli, you¡¯re hiding something from me."

    "What? No¡­No, I¡¯m not! What would I hide from you?"

    "Little Treasure has already been ill for a few days now, logically you would have called for me earlier, at the very least, a call, but you didn¡¯t. Not until now, when it¡¯s already sote at night, that you¡¯re rushing for me toe over. Plus, Little Treasure is still at the old residence¡­" Ning Xi paused, before she continued, "Father and Mother Lu, they found out about my identity, didn¡¯t they? They¡¯re against me and Lu Tingxiao getting together, and they don¡¯t let me go near Little Treasure anymore, right?"

    "Uhh¡­well¡­" Lu Jingli was used to being the one who guessed everything correctly. This was his first time being exposed with no way to hide. He suddenly turned sour and grumbled, "Xiao Xi Xi, since when did you be this quick-witted?"

    "Hey! I¡¯ve always been this quick-witted!" Ning Xi rolled her eyes, frowned and asked with a tired tone, "Second master, you know how Lu Tingxiao and I are like now. If I go over it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate, what more with your parents'' opinion of me now.

    "I promised Lu Tingxiao I would take care of Little Treasure, and actually¡­tomorrow will be the final day of the contract. I would have to leave eventually.

    "Even if I went right now, what about next time, and the next time?

    "Little Treasure has the best doctors, his grandfather and his grandmother, and you guys to take care of him. I believe that as the days go by, he will soon forget all about me¡­"

    Ning Xi said all of this in a single breath, not knowing whether she said those for Lu Jingli or for herself.

    Of course she was worried about Little Treasure, but if she visited him now, she was almost sure that she would give in the moment she saw Little Treasure, to the point that she might even agree to all of his requests¡­

    She had already persevered for so many days, she could not just give up now.

    "But, sister-inw, a heart¡¯s troubles can only be cured by resolving it. Little Treasure¡¯s illness happened because he misses you too much. Every day, he looks forward for your return, do you really have the heart to¡­hello¡­hello¡­"

    The line went dead, and Lu Jingli was suddenly at a loss.

    Damn it, I have actually failed!

    Seems like Xiao Xi Xi had really hardened her resolve this time.

    What do I do now? My poor baby!

    Lu Jingli had no choice but to report the situation to his brother.

    After searching everywhere, he finally found him in Little Treasure¡¯s room.

    Lu Tingxiao sat at the bedside while Little Treasureid on his bed with his eyes close, unsure if he was asleep as the little guy had been having trouble sleepingtely.

    Lu Tingxiao only needed to see Lu Jingli¡¯s expression to know the oue. He replied in an expectant tone, "She rejected, didn¡¯t she?"

 Chapter 287: Only You Can Protect Her

    <h4>Chapter 287: Only You Can Protect Her</h4>

    Lu Jingli could not bear to break the bad news in front of Little Treasure and only nodded after much hesitation. "I''ve said all that I could have, but she is really determined this time. The worst part is, she managed to guess that our parents have found out about her identity and their sentiments towards her¡­"

    "Give me your handphone," said Lu Tingxiao, holding out his hand.

    "What? Why do you want my handphone for?" Lu Jingli begrudgingly handed over his phone.

    Lu Tingxiao picked up Lu Jingli''s phone, entered the password, and took a picture of Little Treasure''s room. He then opened his message inbox, searched for Ning Xi''s contact number and sent the picture to her.

    "Jeez! Bro, how did you know my phone''s password? That''s too much! It''s like I don''t have any privacy at all!" Lu Jingliined and snatched his phone back.

    Almost immediately, a new message came in. A reply so soon?

    Lu Jingli immediately opened it to see what Ning Xi had said.

    All he saw was a whole lot of exmation marks¡ª

    [Lu Jingli! You asshole!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fine! I''lle right over!]

    "Woah! Xiao Xi Xi, why did you scold me? Bro, what did you send her? I''mpletely innocent! It was you but now I have to take the me. How unfair can this be?" Lu Jingli whined, and then quickly opened to see the picture, curious about what was it that prompted such a quick response.

    After seeing it, he finally understood.

    His brother had sent Little Treasure''s nk drawing canvas that only had those few short sentences to Ning Xi.

    If not even Father Lu could stand seeing this, what would Xiao Xi Xi''s reaction have been if she saw it?

    It was entirely predictable¡­

    Jeez! He said so much to her but to no avail, yet all her brother did was send a picture over to her and she immediately changed her mind!

    If that was the case, why didn''t he just send that picture right from the start?

    What followed was another message from Ning Xi: [Your brother¡­is he at the old residence too?"]

    Lu Jingli was about to subconsciously reply with a "yes", when the phone was taken away by Lu Tingxiao. He immediately sent: [No.]

    Ning Xi immediately replied with: [That''s good then, I''ll reach within half an hour.]

    "Uhh¡­" Lu Jingli silently felt sorry for his brother again.

    The three words: "That''s good then" was so heart-wrenching to hear!

    No reaction could be seen from Lu Tingxiao''s expression, and with a poker face he said, "I''ll avoid herter, you just let her in."

    "Oh okay, understood!" Lu Jingli nodded.

    After Lu Tingxiao finished exining to Lu Jingli, he walked to Little Treasure''s bedside and said, "Little Treasure, there are a few things I need to exin to you."

    Little Treasure did not react.

    Lu Tingxiao continued, "It''s about your Aunty Xiao Xi''s safety. You too know that her visiting you tonight would result in bad consequences if your grandfather found out."

    Little Treasure still did not open his eyes.

    Lu Tingxiao knew he was listening, so he carried on, "What I''m about to say, you must remember. Now the only person who can protect her is you, only you¡­"

    At the same time, at Jun Lai Hotel.

    Ning Xi was crying as she ran out.

    When she clearly saw what Little Treasure had written, whatever principles and whatever determination she had not to be shaken, every bit of her preventive efforts, were all wiped out in a heartbeat.

    Darn it! She really wanted to kill that Lu Jingli!

    Why did he have to show her that drawing!?

    She had to muster a lot of determination to suppress her urge of visiting dearest Little Treasure!

    Now she just wanted to do something a little illegal, like secretly bring Little Treasure home with her¡­

 Chapter 288: Take Little Treasure Away

    <h4>Chapter 288: Take Little Treasure Away</h4>

    It was a good thing she still had the car she borrowed from Ah Ka. After Ning Xi briskly changed her outfit, she made her way to the old residence.

    She followed Lu Jingli''s advice to drive to the back door of the old residence. She could see from afar that Lu Jingli was waiting for her, anxiously walking back and forth.

    "Xiao Xi Xi, you''re finally here!"

    "Where''s Little Treasure?"

    "In the house! Come with me!"

    "Can I really just walk in like this? Will anyone find out?"

    "Don''t worry, my father has gone outstation today and will only be returning tomorrow morning. I''ve already dismissed the maids and butlers. Actually, my mother is no longer against the both of you anymore, she just wants Little Treasure to be happy. It''s just my father; he''s still too hard-headed and I can''t seem to get through to him just yet¡­" Lu Jingli went on and on as he showed her the way into the house.

    In the garden, Ning Xi suddenly stopped midway and looked up.

    "Xiao Xi Xi, let''s go! What are you looking at?" asked a confused Lu Jingli.

    "Nothing¡­I just keep having the feeling that someone''s watching me¡­maybe I''ve just been a little bit paranoidtely¡­" said Ning Xi, before she continued following him.

    Lu Jingli, on the other hand, was relieved. He subconsciously looked up and thought to himself, Xiao Xi Xi, you aren''t paranoid, you''re just too alert!

    His brother was up there evading her.

    Lu Jingli brought Ning Xi to Little Treasure''s room, "Dun dun dun! Little Treasure, look who hase to see you!"

    Little Treasure was zoning out on the bed, and despite hearing Lu Jingli''s voice, he did not react at all.

    "Uhh¡­" Lu Jingli awkwardly rubbed his nose and let Ning Xi pass through, "You go!"

    She was slightly nervous. On the way here, she wanted to travel at the speed of light. Yet, now as she faced Little Treasure, she did not know what to do or say.

    Her mind shed the little man''s mncholic question repeatedly in her head, "Aunty Xiao Xi, Little Treasure has been very good, Why don¡¯t you want Little Treasure?"

    She underestimated the feelings Little Treasure had for her, and cruelly thought that he was only a child, that he would forget her eventually as the days go by. She didn''t know that she would inflict such harm onto his emotional well-being.

    "Baby, I''m so sorry¡­" Ning Xi lightly held the little bun''s hand. It had only been a few days since shest saw him, and already the little bun had lost some weight. It had not been easy for her to plump him up.

    Little Treasure only blinked slightly, but there was no other reaction.

    Ning Xi fell silent. Apart from apologising, she did not know what else she could say. She knew she was unable to keep any of her promises, unable to promise him that she would apany him forever, unable to irresponsibly use such words just to coax him.

    But she had to find a way to cheer him up.

    Lu Jingli started to be anxious as he looked at Little Treasure who remained stiff and not reactive, then looked at Ning Xi who was silent.

    This was not what he had expected at all. Why was Little Treasure still so motionless? I hope it''s not because Little Treasure''s illness is so severe that even Ning Xi cannot help him feel better?

    "Second master, I have an unorthodox request," Ning Xi suddenly said.

    "Ahh? What is it? Just say it!"

    "Can I take Little Treasure away tonight?"

    "What? You want to take Little Treasure away!?" Lu Jingli was bbergasted.

    "Yes. If I stay here long, I would have to be on alert all the time, and I can''tmunicate properly with Little Treasure. Besides, if I''m guessing correctly, Little Treasure has already been in here for quite a number of days, right? What he really needs now is a change of atmosphere to lighten up!"

 Chapter 289: A Midnight Date

    <h4>Chapter 289: A Midnight Date</h4>

    Lu Jingli sighed, "The psychologist has mentioned this as well, but Little Treasure wouldn''t even move away from the old residence at all. I''m guessing he must have been waiting for you to take him home!"

    When Ning Xi heard this, she felt her heart tighten.

    "The only thing is, letting you take Little Treasure away is too heavy of a decision, one that I don''t dare to casually allow¡­"

    Lu Jingli was just thinking about what to do when his phone suddenly rang.

    It was a message from his brother¡ª

    [If she wants to take Little Treasure away, let her]

    Woah! His brother had urately guessed Xiao Xi Xi''s thoughts again! He was caught off guard again.

    Once he had received the decree, Lu Jingli changed his stand and said, "Xiao Xi Xi, just take him away! Bring Little Treasure anywhere, it''s fine! I''ll leave it to you now!"

    Seeing him change his mind faster than flipping a page, Ning Xi was suspicious, "Didn''t you just say that the decision was too heavy and you didn''t want to easily say yes to me?"

    Lu Jingli only replied matter-of-factly, "I really didn''t dare to casually say yes to you, but now I''ve thought it over properly, so it wasn''t too casual a decision. I''m seriously telling you, yes!"

    Ning Xi was speechless, then she said, "You can rest assured, I''ll bring Little Treasure back before tomorrow morning."

    "You can do that, but it''s alreadyte at night, where do you n to bring Little Treasure?"

    "What''s wrong with it being at night? It''s more romantic to rx at night!" Ning Xi shot him a condescending look, implying that he was shallow. Then she took out her cosmetics bag and started putting on makeup.

    Technically, it was a disguise.

    Practice made perfect. Ning Xi very quickly made up her face to take on a futuristic sci-fi robot look. Then, she put on her short-haired wig and earrings.

    Ning Xi''s skin now looked like there was no flesh underneath, but as if it were made of metal and steel. She looked very cool.

    Lu Jingli watched this with astonishment and eximed, "Xiao Xi Xi! Why did you make your face look like this? It''s really cool though! You look like our Robot Butler 1!"

    Ning Xi sprung a finger onto him. "This is a skill that all actors must master if they want to maintain a free soul!"

    "Pfft, this skill ain''t bad. Even if you stood on the busy streets, no one would recognise you!" As Lu Jingli said this, he noticed that when Ning Xi was putting on her makeup, Little Treasure''s empty eyes started to react, and he was staring at Ning Xi.

    When Ning Xi was done with her makeup, she reached to grab Little Treasure from under his armpits, and lightly carried him to sit on herp. Then she picked up the makeup tools again.

    Lu Jingli raised his brows at this and asked, "Even Little Treasure needs makeup?"

    "To be safe! Little Treasure''s handsome little face is going to attract more attention than mine, okay? Besides, making him up like me, wouldn''t that be cool? Don''t worry, these makeup are organic, they''re not harmful to the skin," she exined before starting to work on Little Treasure.

    Little Treasure sat obediently in Ning Xi''sp without moving an inch, as though he was the most perfect little model.

    Ning Xi got it all done very quickly within five minutes.

    "Wah! So handsome! I want makeup too!" Lu Jingli said with shining eyes.

    Ning Xi scoffed, "You stay aside, don''t ruin the dynamic between Little Treasure and I!"

    Lu Jingli squatted aside, feeling defeated.

    "Fine, since you''ve helped me and Little Treasure so much, I''ll help you make your face up next time when I''m free! Now, I''ve to take this cutie out!!"

    "Okay I''ll hold you to your word, yeah, you''re not allowed to break your promise. I''ll pre-book my makeup for Halloween with you then!"

    "No problem!"

    Lu Jingli was satisfied, then he quietly led Little Treasure and Ning Xi out of the garden.

 Chapter 290: Being Both The Mother and The Father Figure

    <h4>Chapter 290: Being Both The Mother and The Father Figure</h4>

    Back door of the old residence.

    Ning Xi carried Little Treasure in one arm, while she retrieved a children''s helmet from her motorcycle''s storage with the other, before she took out a safety belt.

    Lu Jingli who watched from the sidelines watched in astonishment and said, "Wow, you''re really well prepared! You already thought of taking Little Treasure away from the outset, didn''t you? Those who didn''t know might think you were eloping!"

    "I wouldn''t elope!" Ning Xi secured Little Treasure''s helmet, and then used the safety belt to fix him tightly behind her waist. "Hold tight, Little Treasure, off we go!"

    As he watched Ning Xi go off with Little Treasure, Lu Jingli mumbled to himself, "I wonder if Xiao Xi Xi is making up for Little Treasure''sck of motherly or fatherly love¡­"

    Under normal circumstances, it should have been the father who brought their sons out to explore, shouldn''t it?

    It wouldn''t usually be the mother who brought their sons out with motorcycles in the middle of the night¡­

    But to let Lu Tingxiao bring Little Treasure out like that?

    No way!

    That was why he thought that Xiao Xi Xi was amazing - she could be both the mother and the father.

    Tonight, with the moon hanging brightly in the sky and a chilly breeze blowing, it was the perfect weather.

    "Speeding ??at seventy, feeling free, hoping the end is the Aegean Sea, running ahead and dreaming of the other side, we want to roam the world¡­running with the wind with freedom as your direction, chase after the power of lightning and thunder, fill my chest with the vast ocean, even the smallest sail can voyage¡­"

    Ning Xi drove her motorcycle at 40 yards per hour instead of the usual 400 yards, sang a few small tunes, and brought Little Treasure to explore the city¡­

    After a while, there was a familiar rumbling of motorcycles.

    She turned around to look, and as expected, it was Ah Ka and the gang.

    Ah Ka, too, had noticed Ning Xi.

    Xiang Xiang who was sitting in the back of Ah Ka''s car excitedly screamed, "Ah Ka, slow down! Why does that motorcycle in front of you look so much like the one you lent Xi?"

    Ah Ka slowed down and adjusted his headlights to look at the motorcycle, "You''re right, that''s the one!"

    "Hurry, follow him!" Xiang Xiang excitedly urged, as she waved one hand to shout, "Hello¡ª Xi¡ª"

    When both motorcycles met, Xiang Xiang immediately whined, "Xi, you''re so mean! Thest time we invited you, you wouldn''te. Atst you came here yourself!"

    "Since we bumped into each other, let''spete a little! The destination is our old gathering spot!" Ah Ka suddenly sped up, and the other motorcycles quickly followed suit.

    Because it waste and dark at night, coupled with the fact that Little Treasure and Ning Xi wore the same ck color clothing, no one saw that Ning Xi had a little one with her.

    Ning Xi steadily followed after them, and reached out to touch the little hand holding on to her waist and said, "Little Treasure, hold tight, I''m going to speed up, okay!"

    Little Treasure''s hand gripped onto her clothes much tighter.

    Ning Xi elerated and rode ahead¡­

    Tonight, Ah Ka and the gang were riding on the road that was not as dangerous as Death Valley and were not showing off their skills. It was just a normal highway, and speed was what mattered.

    "Little Treasure, are you happy?" Ning Xi shouted into the wind.

    A short whileter, she felt a light knock on her back from the little helmet.

    That slight knock melted Ning Xi''s heart, and so she asked, "Then do you want to go faster?"

    The little helmet knocked on her again without hesitation.

    Ning Xi smiled widely and continued to pick up speed.

    Of course, Ning Xi''s "eleration" was only inparison to her 40 yard per hour speed, definitely iparable to the speed of Ah Ka and the rest¡­

    When Ning Xi finally brought Little Treasure to the destination, Ah Ka and the gang were already sitting around smoking. Some were even so bored that they brought out the poker cards for a few rounds of games¡­

 Chapter 291: My Wife Is A Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 291: My Wife Is A Beauty</h4>

    Ah Ka put out his cigarette as he watched Ning Xi make her way forward with no sense of urgency, and rolled up his sleeves to exim, "Jesus! You''re fooling us. At what speed were you riding that? Why''re you riding my precious ride like any other rides? Are you looking down on me?"

    He finally beat Xi once, yet there was not a tinge of pride in his sess. Instead, he wasughed at by everyone, even worse than losing.

    "Exactly, Xi, you''re too mean! We''ve all been waiting for you here for at least half an hour now!"

    "Xi, you''re so annoying! You made me lose a kiss, but I won''t honour it. Ah Ka didn''t even win it fairly! You mustpete again before I''ll be convinced!"

    "Sure, we canpete again, I''m not afraid! I want to beat him fair and square!"

    ¡­

    Everyone started to speak over one another while Ning Xi did not say a word, as she took of her helmet, got off the vehicle, let the ride lean steadily on the side and slowly carried Little Treasure who was on the back seat.

    "Eh? Xi, what''s on your backseat?"

    "Why does it look like a kid? Xi, you didn''t kidnap him, did you? You can''t do such immoral things okay!"

    "Exactly! Xi, you''re usually so secretive. It wouldn''t be because you''re from a children trafficking organisation, are you?"

    Ning Xi took the helmet off Little Treasure, rolled her eyes at everyone, and angrily replied, "Please! This is my son!"

    "What??? Xi, you have a son!?" Xiang Xiang looked like her world was crumbling. "You actually have a son this old, no way!"

    "Jesus! Xi is actually married? And even has a son?"

    Suddenly, everyone surrounded the little boy beside Ning Xi.

    The happiest person then was definitely Ah Ka. He was so angry earlier but now he felt overjoyed, "Xi, my good bro! You''re amazing! You even have a little one! Good one! Look at your precious son with his big eyes. You better be honest with us, your wife must be a beauty right?"

    "Mmm, my wife¡­" Ning Xi touched her chin and thought about Lu Tingxiao''s ice cold face and said, "is indeed beautiful!"

    Ah Ka suddenly burst outughing, "Hahaha¡­I knew it! Xiang Xiang, you can give up now!"

    Xiang Xiang stomped her feet and whined as she clung onto Ning Xi, "I don''t believe you! Xi, is your wife as pretty as me? You don''t like me at all? You even let me kiss you!"

    The moment Xiang Xiang got close to Ning Xi, she abruptly felt her back go cold. She looked down and saw that the cute kid was looking at her with ice cold eyes, akin to a little werewolf who was defending its territory.

    Ning Xi cleared her throat before she picked up Little Treasure andforted him.

    The moment the little guy was carried by Ning Xi, he changed from a little werewolf back to a cute little bun again. His short little hand clung onto Ning Xi''s neck while his head leaned on her shoulders obediently.

    Ning Xiforted the little bun on one hand and looked apologetically at Xiang Xiang on the other hand and said, "I''m sorry, Xiang Xiang, those were just the rules of the game. If I had led you on in any way, I''m truly sorry. I''ve only got eyes for my son''s mother, she is the only one I will love the most forever!"

    Ning Xi hopped on this good opportunity to let Xiang Xiang give up on her.

 Chapter 292: My Baby

    <h4>Chapter 292: My Baby</h4>

    "Tang Xi, I hate you so much!" Xiang Xiang cried as she ran out.

    Ning Xi nudged Ah Ka''s shoulder and said, "Why are you still standing here? Quickly go chase after her!"

    Ah Ka was stunned for a moment, before he gave Ning Xi a fist bump and then running after Xiang Xiang.

    After chatting with everyone, Ning Xi put the helmet onto Little Treasure again and said, "My fellow bros, I brought my son today and it''s gettingte so I shall make a move first. Next time, grilled meat and beers on me!"

    "Xi, I''ll take your word for it!"

    "Exactly! You''re not allowed to ditch us! Oh yeah, remember to bring your beautiful wife for us to meet!"

    "Haha, yes, bring her along!"

    Ning Xi shot those guys a look and replied, "Please! I already said she''s a beauty, do you think I''d bring her for you pack of hungry wolves to drool over?"

    "Jeez¡ª" The crowd booed.

    The night started to fade away as the sky turned to light.

    Ning Xi drove along the road and reached a quiet alley.

    From afar, one could smell the tempting aroma of food.

    She stopped her motorcycle and carried Little Treasure down. "Hungry, are you? Aunty will bring you for some good food!"

    Ning Xi held Little Treasure''s hand and walked into an old but refreshing breakfast diner. She ordered a bamboo steamer of small steamed buns and two bowls of dumplings.

    The steamed buns had thin skin and were filled with lots of juicy meat, while the dumplings were thick with fillings. With a drip of special sesame oil and a sprinkle of chives, Ning Xi gobbled it all up within seconds and asked for a second bowl.

    Looking up, she saw the little bun too had scarfed down a big bowl of food and licked his lips in a way to show he wanted more.

    Ning Xiughed, "Your little stomach is only so big. Even if it''s that good, you can''t eat too much at a go, so one bowl is enough! Try this small steamed bun, it''s really good as well!"

    She picked up a bun, dipped it in vinegar and put it into his little bowl.

    This time, the little bun ate it slowly, as if he did not want to the bun to end so quickly.

    Ning Xi leaned her head on her hand and looked at the little bun. The longer she looked, the more her heart hurt. She had to take a breath before she took her eyes off him.

    The little bun finished his small steamed bun and looked like he was at a loss.

    "Next¡­" Ning Xi was about to say, "Next time, I''ll bring you here again" but she had to stop herself.

    Once they were done with breakfast, Ning Xi took a look at the time on her phone. It was almost six o''clock.

    She still had two more hours before she had to send the little bun home, and start work¡­

    Regal Riveria Hotel was not too far away, so Ning Xi first brought Little Treasure to her condominium and cleaned him up, so as to not frighten the Lu parentster.

    From the way those two were careful and worried about Little Treasure, they definitely could not ept what Ning Xi had been doing with Little Treasurest night¡­

    Little Treasure suddenly sobered up when he saw that his face was restored to normal.

    Ning Xi picked up a pink brush from her dressing table and dressed him up with a pink nose and beard, making him look like a cute little kitten.

    Then, she drew the same thing on her face. "Meow! It''s cute, eh?"

    Little Treasure touched the cat whiskers on his cheeks and he seemed to be cheered up again.

    Ning Xi carried the moody little bun to sit on her and asked, "Baby, are you sleepy? Want to sleep for a while?"

    Little bun immediately shook his head and widened his eyes.

    "Mmm, then what should we do? Let me think¡­"

    Ning Xi thought hard as she only had an hour left. What else could she do with the little bun, or what else could they do that would make him extra happy?

    As she was thinking, she did not know why, but suddenly her mood changed and she felt like she was about to break down. The tears that she had suppressed for so long could no longer be kept in¡­

 Chapter 293: The Little Bun Was Dumbfounded

    <h4>Chapter 293: The Little Bun Was Dumbfounded</h4>

    Maybe it was because she had suppressed her feelings for too long. Even with the little bun in front of her, and despite knowing that she should not act this way as it might frighten him, she really could not hold it in any longer¡­

    The little bun sat on the bedside and stared at Ning Xi who cried with her face down on her pillow. He was dumbfounded, his eyes wide with helplessness and panic.

    After a whileter, he tried using his little hand to pat Aunty Xiao Xi, the same way she usually did whenforting him.

    Yet, as he lightly patted her a little, Ning Xi suddenly started to cry harder.

    ittle bun was frightened, he dared not do anything that might provoke her further.

    His little eyes were full of worry as he watched Ning Xi sob her heart out. Slowly, he felt his eyes tear up and he felt like crying too.

    But no, he must not cry!

    Aunty Xiao Xi still needed him!

    Little bun blinked away his tears and took out a little handphone from his pocket.

    Actually he really hated such lifeless objects, he didn''t like that he could only contact his Aunty Xiao Xi through it, so he refused to use it.

    He wanted Aunty Xiao Xi to be able to hug him, to pat him on the head, and to kiss his little cheeks¡­

    This was the first time in the past few days that the little bun made the initiative to use the new phone that Lu Tingxiao had prepared for him.

    Little bun quickly sent a message to his father saying¡ª [Crying]

    Lu family old residence, in the study room on the second floor. Lu Tingxiao, who was sitting in front of his desk, immediately stood up after reading Little Treasure''s message, and almost spilt the cup of water in his hand.

    He quickly replied: [Who''s crying? Aunty Xiao Xi?]

    Little Treasure replied: [Mmm]

    Lu Tingxiao immediately knew why Ning Xi was crying.

    However, he was clueless as to what to do when he faced his son''s call for help.

    As to how to cheer up a crying girl, he really did have no experience at all.

    Lu Tingxiao switched hisputer on and started to do all sorts of research.

    After Little Treasure messaged him twice, Lu Tingxiao hurriedly sent a picture to Little Treasure. It was an image of a joke. He typed: [Try telling her this]

    Little Treasure quickly showed Aunty Xiao Xi the image, his little face full of unsettled worry.

    Ning Xi lifted her tear-filled face and looked at the words on the phone, "A long long time ago, Apple and Pear were good friends. But because Apple had to move, they made a pact to meet somewhere in ten years''time. After ten years, Apple returned to their meeting spot, but he waited for very long and Pear did not appear. As the Apple waited and waited¡­he became sma ."

    "Pfft!" Ning Xi burst outughing through her tears, and started tough uncontrobly, "My dear, your joke¡­it''s toome!"

    In fact, the joke weirdly gave her a familiar vibe, oozing of a certain person''s style.

    "I''m sorry, baby, Aunty just suddenly lost control¡­I''m going to wash my face now!" Ning Xi awkwardly sniffed and walked to the washroom, embarrassed.

    She could not believe herself. She had wanted to cheer up Little Treasure, yet she had cried like a baby in front of him. In the end, Little Treasure had to console her instead¡­

    When Ning Xi was in the washroom, Little Treasure secretly replied back: [Sheughed]

    Lu Tingxiao, who was waiting anxiously on the other end of the phone, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    Later, he worriedly reminded his son again: [Still remember what I told you?]

    He felt relieved when Little Treasure replied with an [Mmm].

    All of a sudden, the study room door burst open. It was Lu Jingli who rushed in with an ashen face, as if the apocalypse had arrived.

    "Bro! We''re dead! The old man came back earlier than expected! In fact, he''s already at the door right now!!!"

    In Chinese, wait for pear (µÈÀæ×Ó) is phically simr to sma (µÈÀë×Ó).

 Chapter 294: Confrontation Between Father and Son

    <h4>Chapter 294: Confrontation Between Father and Son</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao briefly nodded and said, "Mmm."

    Lu Jingli was about to cry, "Please! What do you mean by "mmm"? Do you actually have a n? Based on the old man''s stubborn personally, what if he got provoked and did something crazy? Who can stop him?!"

    The worst part was that the person who let Ning Xi and Little Treasure go was him!

    He could almost predict his tragic future¡­

    At this moment, the sound footsteps could be heard from below, followed by the sound of Father Lu and the maid''s conversation.

    "How is Little Treasure today?"

    "Master, little master is not awake yet."

    "Mmm, I''ll go see him."

    Father Lu''s heart was where his dearest grandson was, so it was only natural that the first thing he did when he returned was to go see Little Treasure.

    Lu Jingli flew down the stairs and spread his arms apart to stop the old man in front of him and said, "Father! Are you hungry? Let''s go have breakfast first! Mother has been working away in the kitchen since this morning!"

    "I''ll eatter, I want to see Little Treasure first."

    "Best to eat first before seeing him! Otherwise, the food will get cold!"

    "If it gets cold, I can just get the maids to heat it up!"

    "That way the nutrition will be lost!"

    Lu Chongshan finally realised that something was not right, as he frowned at his son, "You little punk, what did you do now?"

    Lu Jingliughed feebly as he scratched the back of his head, "N-Nothing! What could I have done?"

    Then, Mother Lu came out from the kitchen and said, "Breakfast is ready, tell Little Treasure to wake up! It''s not good to sleep too much either!"

    He was dead¡­

    Now he really couldn''t hide it any longer¡­

    Seeing Lu Jingli''s expressions change while he kept blocking Little Treasure''s room door not letting them in, the Lu parents noticed that something was not right.

    Lu Chongshan angrily walked past him and pushed open the door.

    The room was empty.

    Lu Chongshan immediately asked furiously, "Where is Little Treasure?!"

    Xiao Rong, the maid who was in charge of taking care of Little Treasure, was so frightened that she turned pale. She replied in panic and helplessness, "How could this be¡­little master has been asleep in his room all this while!"

    "How do you guys even work? There are so many of you and yet you couldn''t even take good care of a child!"

    Lu Jingli was prepared to take everything upon himself when a cold voice came from behind him¡ª

    "Little Treasure is not a criminal."

    Lu Chongshan immediately replied furiously, "You bastard! What did you do to Little Treasure? Did you send him to that girl again? You''re worse than an animal! Little Treasure is your son. How could you hand him over to an unruly girl like that?"

    This time even the typically neutral Mother Lu could not stay on the sidelines, "Tingxiao, you''ve really messed up this time! How could you let Little Treasure go off with that girl?"

    When he saw that the atmosphere was getting more and more tensed, Lu Jingli quickly said, "Father, Mother¡­there are some things I''ve been keeping in for very long. Even if you wanted to break my leg, I must say it today!

    "Just as my brother just said, Little Treasure is your grandson, not a criminal. From the way you guys strictly guard him, what is the difference between putting Little Treasure in jail and staying here?

    "Even though Little Treasure was obediently staying here for the past few days, was he truly happy through it all?

    "We only let Little Treasure go to his best friend, his favourite aunt''s ce to y for a while. Can you guys not make such a big deal out of this?"

    "You animal! Have you forgotten how Little Treasure became how he is right now?" Lu Chongshan roared as he was about to deliver a p.

    Lu Tingxiao dragged Lu Jingli aside. The next second, a p heavilynded across his face¡­

 Chapter 295: Stunned

    <h4>Chapter 295: Stunned</h4>

    "Bro!" Lu Jingli was shocked, "Are you okay?!"

    Lu Chongshan looked at his son, unable to react immediately. Since they were young, Lu Jingli had been hit countless times, but this was the first time he hadid a hand on his older son who never needed any worrying about.

    Lu Tingxiao wiped the blood off on the corner of his mouth with his hand and said with the coldest expression, "I''d rather let Little Treasure die in that ident than let him live the way he does right now."

    "You¡­you¡­" Father Lu grasped at his chest and walked back several steps, feeling faint from the provocation.

    Mother Lu quickly went forward to hold him, "Tingxiao, your words have crossed the line! Even if your father and I have been wrong with the way we do this, you should not say such rubbish! What is more important than being alive?"

    When Lu Chongshan finally caught his breath, he ordered his trusted butler, "Xing Wu, you go¡­I don''t where Little Treasure is now. Immediately look for him and bring him back to me!"

    Once he said that, he shot his sons a hostile look and said, "The two of you, from now on, you''re not allowed to enter the old residence!"

    When he heard that, Lu Jingli protested anxiously, "Father, this is dictatorship! Even Emperor Qin Shihuang was not like you! If you''re like this¡­"

    He was about to continueining when Lu Tingxiao red at him to stop talking.

    Helpless, Lu Jingli could only swallow his words.

    This was akin to the unbothered king with an anxious eunuch. At this point, did his brother actually have a n B up his sleeve?

    There was no need for the old man to get people searching for Little Treasure because in a while, Ning Xi would be sending the little bun home herself. Later when both parties met, what a blood bath it would be¡­

    He didn''t even dare to imagine!

    Indeed, just as Xing Wu followed orders and was ready to mobilize all manpower to look for the little guy, a maid rushed in and eximed emotionally, "Master! Madam! Little Master is back! He''s at the door in the garden!"

    "What? Little Treasure is back?" Lu Chongshan briskly stood up, before asking with an unhappy expression, "Who is little master with?"

    "With¡­with a girl¡­she''s quite pretty¡­" The maid answered as she trembled.

    "Indeed! I would like to see for myself, what skills this girl has that all of you defend her so kindly."

    At this point, Lu Chongshan''s impression of Ning Xi was ten feet underground. She was to him, the root of all troubles.

    Mother Lu initially remained neutral, yet after such a fright, she too stood on Father Lu''s side.

    Father and Mother Lu, plus Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli, with arge group of butlers and maids, all made their way to the door in the garden¡­

    At the same time, Ning Xi was worriedly calling Lu Jingli''s phone. She thought she saw a maid spying on her from inside the house, as if she had noticed her and Little Treasure, and she wondered if anything had happened¡­

    Damn it, why can''t I get through to Lu Jing''s phone? What is this guy doing?

    As she was increasingly anxious, pacing up and down, Ning Xi suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

    She saw an extremely intimidating old man with a serious and darkened expression, held by a charismatic and young looking madam, who was followed by Lu Jingli and Lu Tingxiao, with arge group of butlers and maids trailing behind.

    All of these people were making their way towards her¡­

    Ning Xi was stunned.

    God! Damn! It!

    Lu Jingli, you ass, what is happening right now!?!

 Chapter 296: Kissing Both

    <h4>Chapter 296: Kissing Both</h4>

    Lu Chongshan''s eyes immediately fell on his beloved grandson beside Ning Xi. After making sure that he was fine, his sharp gaze focused on Ning Xi.

    Even though Lu Chongshan had been retired for a quite awhile, he did rule Imperial for so many years and he could be really intimidating if he wanted to be.

    Because Ning Xi had to directly go to the drama teamter, she had put on her typical casual outfit and tied her hair up into a simple ponytail. Overall, she was quite well dressed.

    Nevertheless, Lu Chongshan did not notice these things, as he was only filled with the idea that this girl before him had foul intentions by colluding with both his sons to let her take away his beloved grandson for a night!

    Such nerves she had to challenge his authority!

    Lu Chongshan stomped furiously towards Ning Xi, and the closer he got, the more tensed the atmosphere became¡­

    But something unexpected happened out of the blue.

    The little bun who was initially standing beside Ning Xi unmoving, suddenly let go of her hand and stumbled forward with his short little legs. He slowly ran towards his grandparents¡­

    The two Lu grandparents felt their heart strings tugged at the side of their grandson running towards them, and they subconsciously thought Little Treasure must have been wronged. Both of them squatted down and were ready to console the little guy.

    s, baby Little Treasure who usually had on a straight expression, ran to them and broke into the biggest smile!

    Both grandparents were stunned as Little Treasure went over to nt a kiss on his grandmother''s cheek, then very fairly, his grandfather''s too.

    At this moment, Father Lu and Mother Lu were speechless.

    Lu Jingli''s jaw dropped.

    All the maids too had on an astonished expression, and even Ning Xi was shocked by this scene.

    The only person who was calm through it all was probably Lu Tingxiao who already had everything under control.

    Moments passed and both grandparents still did not know how to react.

    Mother Lu''s had on a dreamy expression and disbelief, "I¡­Am I dreaming? Did our baby just¡­just kiss me¡­?"

    "He kissed me too." Lu Chongshan said in shock.

    At this moment, his rage had entirely left him.

    To maintain hisposure, he first suppressed his emotional expression and then slowly stood up. He looked at Ning Xi again, cleared his throat and said,

    "Mmm, you must be Miss Ning Xi right? Thank you for sending our Little Treasure home. If you don''t mind,e in and sit down for a while!"

    Mother Lu immediately echoed, "Yes! Since you''re here anyway, you shoulde in for a while! I''ve just made breakfast, let''s eat together!"

    "Uhh¡­I have already eaten¡­"

    Before Ning Xi could finish her sentence, Mother Lu was already reaching out to her hand gently as she guided her into the house.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    From the moment Little Treasure had run towards them, Lu Jingli was dumbfounded. What had just happened?

    As Ning Xi was practically dragged in, she wanted to pull away but there was no way to do so, so she just shot a look at Lu Tingxiao whom she had been avoiding to ask for help.

    Big boss, help! She desperately sent the message through her expressive eyes.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the reluctant girl who was silently pleading to him for help and he smiled a little. The coldness in his eyes melted¡­

    Ning Xi wasn''t sure why either, but Lu Tingxiao''s brief look was enough to calm her inner frantic storm into azy river in spring, instantly granting her a sense of serenity.

 Chapter 297: Holding Her Hand Under The Table

    <h4>Chapter 297: Holding Her Hand Under The Table</h4>

    "Brother! You had better tell me honestly - did you teach Little Treasure this trick? Did you n this right from the start, just waiting for this moment? Jeez! Since you''ve nned this from the outset, you could have let me in on it! I was scared to death earlier!" Lu Jingli said as he wiped the sweat from his brow, calming down.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his brother who was terrified out of his mind, and exined, "Your face would have given it away. If Father could see that Little Treasure was instructed to do that, it would only have increased their dislike for Ning Xi."

    "Uhh¡­my face¡­is it that expressive?" Lu Jingli said in surprise.

    His brother made sense, he had no room for defense¡­

    However, once the crisis had been averted, Lu Jingli returned to normal again. Heughed excitedly, "Bro, did you our parents'' faces earlier? It was too funny! The old man was clearly overjoyed, yet he tried to pretend that he was calm. Our mother just straightforwardly pulled Ning Xi into the house. Xiao Xixi was so stunned!"

    Lu Jingli recalled Ning Xi''s expression and felt a sense of constion that at least there was someone on the same boat as him.

    In the Chinese retro style living room, the long dining table was full of various dishes. It was only breakfast, but the spread was even grander than a banquet.

    With nowhere to escape, Ning Xi just went with the flow and sat at the table. Seated opposite her was Mother Lu, Little Treasure, and Father Lu. nking Ning Xi was Lu Jingli, her, and Lu Tingxiao.

    To dissipate the awkward situation, Ning Xi initiated the conversation, "Thank you so much, madam, for your warm wee, but I''ve already had breakfast ."

    In other words, she was trying to convey, "I''ve eaten! Please let me go!"

    With the devil himself so closely on her left and the devil''s parents opposite her, she felt immensely pressured!

    "Have you eaten? What about Little Treasure? Has he eaten too?" Mother Lu immediately questioned.

    "Yes," Ning Xi answered carefully, not wanting to speak too much.

    "What did Little Treasure eat this morning?"

    "He ate a big bowl of dumplings and a few small steamed buns."

    "Ohh, then he''s eaten quite a lot!" Mother Lu nodded, before she asked with concern, "Did he vomit or feel sick?"

    Lu Chongshan looked at Ning Xi curiously.

    Ning Xi shook her head, assuring, "That didn''t happen."

    Both parents were relieved.

    "Then see if there''s anything you like to eat, and dig in!" Mother Lu said as she personally served Ning Xi a small te of lemon fish cutlets.

    Unable to reject her kind hospitality, Ning Xi thanked her gracefully.

    Lu Chongshan then cleared his throat and gave his wife a look. Mother Lu instantly understood, and proceeded to ask, "Miss Ning, I heard you brought our Little Treasure out to yst night?"

    Finally, the question she was waiting for¡­

    Ning Xi''s expression immediately tightened, "I''m sorry, I¡­"

    She was about to admit that she had taken Little Treasure away without their permission¡­

    All of sudden, her left hand which was resting on her knee was covered by a warm palm lightly, as if there was some hidden message trying to be conveyed to her.

    The unexpected warmth shocked Ning Xi akin to a cat who''s tail was stepped on, and she almost jumped up from her seat. She even choked slightly on her food and started coughing profusely.

    Lu Tingxiao acted nonchntly and poured her a cup of water, even lifting it up to her lips as if it was the most natural thing to do.

 Chapter 298: Finally Getting The Cabbage

    <h4>Chapter 298: Finally Getting The Cabbage</h4>

    Ning Xi did not dare take up the devil''s offer of feeding her water while everyone looked on, so she quickly took the cup and drank it all in one gulp.

    She had a bad habit of stuffing herself when she got nervous.

    As she watched her son and the girl interact, Mother Lu knew in an instant what had transpired.

    She was in disbelief that her blockhead of an older son would know how to flirt with girls.

    This pig that she had worked hard to raise for so many years could finally harvest the cabbage with his own snout¡­

    At this point, Lu Tingxiao did not remove his hand. Instead, he flipped Ning Xi''s sweaty palm upwards and traced a word in her hand ¡ª "me".

    When she recognised the word, Ning Xi immediately knew what Lu Tingxiao meant. The devil didn''t want her to admit that it was her fault, but to push all the me onto him.

    But doing that wouldn''t be too nice, would it?

    As Ning Xi hesitated, Lu Tingxiao started to use his slightly coarse fingers to run across the softest and most sensitive part of her small palm¡­

    It felt like he was using his fingers to graze her heart directly.

    Ning Xi did not dare to hesitate further, and said quickly in one breath, "Last night, CEO Lu suddenly called me to say that Little Treasure hasn''t been feeling too welltely and he hoped I could apany him and take him out to cheer him up, so I rushed over here in the middle of the night!!!"

    Upon hearing this, the Lu parents shot their son a dissatisfied look, and then looked back at Ning Xi, clearly much more at ease.

    Lu Chongshan had initially thought that this girl was using his oldest son''s adoration for her to rebel against him. Once he knew that it was his son himself who put her up to it, and that she was unaware that they were strictly watching after Little Treasure, the feelings of rage and having his authority threatened dipped significantly.

    Mother Lu smiled encouragingly at Ning Xi, before she asking the question that she really wanted to know the answer to, "I wonder where Miss Ning brought Little Treasure to cheer up? And how?"

    How could she make Little Treasure smile so happily when he was depressed just the day before, and how did she even make him approach them himself when it was never done before?

    If she knew the secret, she would be able to get her beloved grandson''s little kisses more often!

    Lu Chongshan immediately put down his chopsticks and looked like he was eager to whip out a notebook to write the tips down.

    Lu Jingli looked at the way his parents'' reactions and tried hard not tough.

    He knew in his heart that it was futile; the key was not where she brought Little Treasure and how she cheered him up. The cause for Little Treasure''s happiness was Ning Xi herself!

    Facing the Lu parents'' earnest look, there was no way Ning Xi could admit that she had brought Little Treasure out for drag racing. She would definitely be back in their bad books if she did that, so she cleared her throat and said, "Actually, we didn''t go anywhere really. I just drove Little Treasure around the capital."

    Technically, that was the truth¡­

    Indeed, they were driving around the city, only that she was not driving just any vehicle, but one that was nicknamed "Midnight Rage" and used for professional racing.

    When both parents heard this answer, they were clearly a little disappointed.

    Just a car drive could make Little Treasure who had been temperamental and moody since birth to suddenly take the initiative to kiss his grandparents?

 Chapter 299: Resisting Temptation

    <h4>Chapter 299: Resisting Temptation</h4>

    What happened seemed very normal, but the fact that Little Treasure went out with her obediently all day was an incredible feat which couldn''t be aplished by anyone but Ning Xi.

    Even if it had been Qin Mufeng who had been Little Treasure¡¯s psychologist for many years, there was not much that he could help with now.

    They used to think that Little Treasure had reached his limit by just being able tomunicate with simple words, but the two kisses he expressed today surprised them immensely.

    Hope still remained for Little Treasure¡¯s recovery. Maybe one day, he would return to be a normal child,ughing heartily, and being able to bond closely with the family.

    Maybe he might even speak¡­

    The key to his recoveryy within this woman whom they initially thought could potentially hurt Little Treasure.

    Both Father and Mother Lu were strongly against this from the beginning, which had led to the current difficult situation.

    Lu Chongshan looked at his grandson gently, remembering how Little Treasure kissed him. He would trade anything for his kisses without hesitation.

    Mother Lu had been doing all the questioning, and Lu Chongshan could not hold it in any longer and asked, "As far as I know, Miss Ning, you''re currently a professional actress?"

    Ning Xi nodded, "Yes."

    Ning Xi felt indifferent as time passed. While the Lu family possessed enormous power, she did not intend to take anything from them, and it was even more impossible for her to be their daughter-inw, so there was no reason to fear him.

    "I wonder how much you currently earn, Miss Ning?" Lu Chongshan asked.

    Ning Xi was a little confused by this question. What did Father Lu¡¯s question mean?

    At this moment, Lu Jingli and Lu Tingxiao instantly understood what the old man implied and what he was nning.

    Even though Ning Xi did not understand Lu Chongshan¡¯s intentions, she still replied, "I¡¯ve just only started my career, so I don''t earn that much. The series I¡¯m involved in right now is rmended by my previouspany, so minus themission, I¡¯m left with about five hundred thousands dors."

    Lu Chongshan nodded, then asked, "I wonder if you would be interested in a change in career?"

    "Career change?" Ning Xi frowned.

    "That¡¯s right, I hope to invite Miss Ning to be Little Treasure¡¯s private tutor. The reward will definitely satisfy you. I can guarantee that even the current top grossing artist in the entertainment industry doesn¡¯t earn more than what this role offers", Lu Chongshan said with utmost confidence.

    With such appealing terms, he thought that no one would be dumb enough to reject this offer.

    What was her purpose of entering the entertainment industry anyway? It was about earning quick money, wasn''t it?

    Then, he would fulfill her desires instantly!

    He did not believe that she could resist such a tempting offer.

    After listening to Lu Chongshan''s offer, Ning Xi faked a smile, hiding her stubbornness and disdain behind her eyes.

    Due to the fact that he is Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli¡¯s father, and Little Treasure¡¯s grandfather, she refrained from using a harsh tone, instead she replied as gently as she could, "I¡¯m sorry Mr. Lu, but everyone has their own aspirations".

    She did not want to say more. There was too much of a difference between their values and he would not understand what she had to say.

    Ning Xi¡¯s answer blew him away. Lu Chongshan was not pleased, he then asked coldly, "Are you implying that my conditions aren¡¯t good enough?"

 Chapter 300: Godly Fire Extinguisher

    <h4>Chapter 300: Godly Fire Extinguisher</h4>

    "Mr. Lu, I didn¡¯t mean it that way. If your intention was for me to spend more time with Little Treasure, I cane over more often, as a friend." Ning Xi said.

    "Are you rejecting me?" Lu Chongshan¡¯s face darkened.

    Not knowing if it was because of Lu Tingxiao''s presence beside her, even under Father Lu¡¯s terrifying pressure, she was still brave enough to say, "Yes".

    "You¡¯re being ridiculous!"

    Lu Chongshan was always above everyone else and he was used to everyone obeying him, which exined why he could not handle a little artiste rejecting his offer. He exploded right there and then.

    Lu Tingxiao kept silent and put his hand on Ning Xi¡¯s chair. While he did not say anything, his assumed a protective pose.

    When Lu Tingxiao came closer to her, Ning Xi rxed.

    The talk came to a stalemate. The smooth talking Lu Jingli could not wait anymore and said, "Father, where¡¯s your logic? Xiao Xi just had to say "Yes, I do" to brother and she would have the whole Lu family to herself, but if she doesn¡¯t even want to be my sister-inw, do you think she¡¯d care about the money?"

    Lu Chongshan was infuriated as he mmed the table loudly, "You bastard, are you forcing me to use the family punishment!?"

    "You always threaten us with the family punishment every time you lose an argument¡­" Lu Jingli mumbled softly.

    With both of his sons not on his side, he became increasingly angry that point. As he was going to start yelling again, he felt a soft pat on his back.

    He turned around and saw Little Treasure patting his back with his tiny hands. It seemed like he wasforting him to not be angry as it was unhealthy.

    Such a godly fire extinguisher, what kind of me of anger would still survive?

    Lu Chongshan was relieved instantly by the child''s gesture, which worked better than any heavenly medicine. He said kindly, "My sweet child, you¡¯re worried about grandpa, aren¡¯t you?"

    Lu Jingli saw his father¡¯s gentle attitude towards Little Treasure and felt jealous, as he said, "Wow, why haven¡¯t I seen you treat me this kindly before? What a huge difference! Why am I the lowest ranking person in this family? Am I really your biological son?!"

    Annoyed, Lu Chongshan replied, "Wait till you get married and bear me some grandchildren, then we¡¯ll talk about your ce in the family!"

    Lu Jingli cheekily replied, "Bye bye! I guess I¡¯ll just stay here at the lowest level!" The price to pay for getting a higher status in the family was just too high for him.

    Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringing interrupted the conversation.

    Ning Xi quickly took out her phone to see that it was Xiao Tao. Only then did she realize that she was already half an hourte.

    Ning Xi answered the call in a low voice, "Hey Xiao Tao¡­"

    "Hello, Sister Xi, why aren¡¯t you here yet? We¡¯ve started shooting and the director is urging everyone to gather! I went to your room but no one answered the door! Where are you?"

    "Ugh, I had something urgent to handle, I¡¯m still currently on the east coast, and the soonest I can get there would take about an hour. Please help me exin and apologize to the director!"

    After ending the call, Ning Xi stood up and prepared to leave.

    "Thank you for having me here, but I still have some work to do, I need to leave first."

    She looked at at her little bun and reluctantly left.

 Chapter 301: Nothing A Kiss Cant Fix

    <h4>Chapter 301: Nothing A Kiss Can''t Fix</h4>

    As Ning Xi was about to leave, Mother Lu noticed that Father Lu was silent with a cold expression on his face.

    Lu Tingxiao stood up and walked towards Little Treasure, then carried him to Ning Xi, "Go send Aunty Xiao Xi off."

    Little Treasure nodded and held Ning Xi¡¯s hand.

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao gratefully, then walked off with her little bun to the courtyard.

    Lu Chongshan was about to get up, but was stopped by Mother Lu. She shook her head and said, "Let them be, he¡¯s just sending her off."

    Lu Chongshan¡¯s expression was still unhappy, but he gave in anyway.

    Ning Xi and Little Treasure walked along a short green pebbled path. It would take them 10 minutes to reach the courtyard gate.

    Along the path, Ning Xi kept thinking about words tofort the little bun, but she was unable toe up with anything.

    The little bun looked down, refusing to lift his head up.

    After a while, he took out his writing board, and started writing.

    The little bun showed Ning Xi the board after he was done with it, on the board it was written¡ª

    [Tagore once said: If you love her, let your love surround her like sunlight, and set her free.]

    Ning Xi''s sadness vanished after she saw what Little Treasure wrote, "Baby, you even know about Tagore! Where did you learn this from?"

    Ning Xi squatted down and hugged the little bun tightly and with a heart full of warmth, she told him, "Thank you¡­I¡¯m really thankful for you¡­"

    She really did not expect Little Treasure to show her something as heart-touching as this. As she was hugging Little Treasure, she saw a familiar shadow closing in.

    She quickly kissed the little bun and told him that she would find a chance to visit him again, then she ran away¡­

    Lu Tingxiao felt forlorn when he saw the girl running away swiftly.

    Lu Jingliughed out loud, "Bro, Xiao Xi runs faster than a mutant rabbit when she sees you!"

    He then looked at the little bun and said, "It¡¯s really unfair! I understand now that no matter what I say it can never be on par with a kiss from Little Treasure. If there¡¯s something a kiss cannot solve, then two kisses!

    "So, bro, why don''t you let Little Treasure do his thing and change our parents'' mind. Won''t it solve the huge issue between you and Xiao Xi?"

    "This isn¡¯t the biggest problem between us", Lu Tingxiao replied coldly.

    He knew clearly that the suggestion to have Ning Xi resign and be Little Treasure¡¯s tutor was the bestpromise the old man could make.

    However, his ultimate goal was aplished, when he saw how much influence Ning Xi had over Little Treasure. He knew that Father Lu would not try to do anything to her.

    After Ning Xi left, Lu Chongshan called both sons into his study room.

    "Seeing that it¡¯s all for Little Treasure, I will not pursue what happenedst night further, but there will be no next time!"

    "Father, why are you so troublesome! Just let brother marry her already, then everything will be solved. How awesome would that be?"

    Surprisingly, Lu Chongshan did not get angry at Lu Jingli, instead he sighed, "Jingli, if it had been you, I would have agreed to the marriage."

    Lu Jingli shivered, "Father, can you stop making such terrifying statements?"

    This was just causing him more trouble!

 Chapter 302: The Devil That Was Too Cute

    <h4>Chapter 302: The Devil That Was Too Cute</h4>

    "My son, if it had been your wife, even if she were an artiste, there wouldn''t be much of an implication. But it''s not the same with your brother, he''s the Chief Executive Officer of Lu Group Corporation and the helmsman of the Lu family empire. His choice for a wife is important to the entire family."

    Lu Jingli looked at his brother beside him and saw that his cynical and defiant expression had be serious.

    Since they were children, he had lived under the protection of his brother and did as he liked. He had the right to choose someone he liked to be his wife, but his brother did not.

    "Bro, I¡­" Lu Jingli suddenly did not know what to say.

    Lu Tingxiao patted him on the shoulder and then looked at Lu Chongshan. His usual icy cold eyes revealed an air of arrogance, and he said, "Father, apart from you and mother, no one else can affect my decisions."

    In other words, the opinions of all thesepanies, family empires, and unrted persons did not matter to him. The only ones he cared about were the opinions of his closest family members.

    When Lu Chongshan heard this, he was stunned. Even though these words were meant to disobey him, he felt a sense of pride and happiness in his heart.

    He had spent 20 years to achieve his sess, never hesitating to make risky decisions. Yet, he had forgotten his son before him, who merely took five short years to calm a huge internal strife. He had even elevated the Lu family to a higher status within those five years.

    Even though the words he had just uttered were rebellious and arrogant, they were not frivolous, as he did indeed have such capabilities.

    Lu Chongshan took a deep breath, before he finally sighed, "Tingxiao, don''t me me for being too careful. You must know that it''s easy to get the world but it''s not easy to hold on to it. To have such a weak point by your side is definitely not a good thing."

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyes revealed a ripple of gentle yet determined vibe, "I will prove to you that she is not a weak point."

    With that, he turned around to leave.

    As he watched his brother''s shadow leave, all of Lu Jingli''s inner guilt turned into admiration, "Wow! My brother is too cool!"

    After he left the study room, Lu Tingxiao went to look for Little Treasure.

    The little guy was leaning with his cheek in his hand as hey on the window sill, zoned out. His little face expressed a mix of contentment and disappointment.

    Lu Tingxiao walked to his son, then gently put his palm on his head, "You did well."

    Little Treasure turned his head and looked up.

    "What''s wrong?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Little Treasure used his little hand to pull the hem of his father''s shirt, indicating for him to bend lower.

    Lu Tingxiao bent down. In the next second, a soft little kiss fell on his cheek.

    Lu Tingxiao who was used to having everything under his control and prediction, was truly stunned for the first time¡­

    After a few seconds, Lu Tingxiao finally returned to his senses. He did not know how to deal with this situation, so in the end he just cleared his throat with a serious face andplimented, "Good boy."

    "Pfft¡ª" Lu Jingli who was leaning on the door immediately burst intoughter, thinking that his brother was simply too cute in this moment

    He had so many tricks when picking up girls, yet it turned out there were things he was not very skilled at too, such as ways tomunicate with his son.

    Lu Tingxiao''s stunned stupor by his son''s sudden kiss was interrupted when his phone suddenly rang.

    It was butler Yuan.

    Old butler Yuan emotionally reported, "Hello, master, Miss Xiao Xi came back!"

 Chapter 303: She Was Tricked

    <h4>Chapter 303: She Was Tricked</h4>

    At the same time, at tinum Pce.

    Ning Xi was talking to the maid, Wan Wan at the door.

    "My dearest and cutest Wan Wan, please, just let me in! I guarantee that I''ll leave as soon as I''ve taken my luggage!" Ning Xi begged with her palms pressed together.

    When she left the old residence earlier, she thought that she might as well apply for half a day off from the drama team and collect the luggage she had left at the bungalow.

    Even though three months was not too long a time, she realized that she had unknowingly moved most of her things here. That was why during this period of time, when she needed to use something urgently but could note over to get it, it was very inconvenient.

    Of course, the most important thing was that she knew that the devil would be at the old residence, and definitely not at the bungalow. That was why she quickly used the opportunity to rush here.

    Frustratingly, the situation did not progress as smoothly as she had imagined it would have.

    The gentle little maid would not let her in, no matter what.

    "Miss Xiao Xi, please don''t make this harder for me. It''s not that I''m intentionally not letting you in, but I really don''t have the authority to open this door!"

    Ning Xi had no choice but to beg butler Yuan.

    Butler Yuan was on the phone with someone, but he quickly hung up when he saw hering his way. Then he cleared his throat and nonchntly turned to her to say, "Miss Xiao Xi, you''re back!"

    "Mmm, I came back to get some things. Dear butler, would you help me open the door?" Ning Xi anxiously asked for help.

    Butler Yuan''s face immediately revealed an expression of helplessness and softly sighed, "Miss Xiao Xi, even though as a servant, I should not say much about master, this time I can''t help but tell you. Previously, I don''t know what happened but a while back, the master returned and he made all of us leave the residence. Then, he locked himself up inside for a whole day. After that, the residence''s enter and exit security has been tightened and until now, no one else but him can enter."

    Butler Yuan paused at this part, and then continued to say, "So, if you need to go in, you can only contact the master toe over and open the door for you."

    When she heard butler Yuan say this, Ning Xi recalled that Lu Jingli did mention this to her before. She had been intentionally avoiding and not paying attention to all news rted to Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Ning Xi was shocked for a moment, but she quickly said, "Thank you, then it''s fine, I''ll leave! Dear butler, goodbye!"

    She felt slightly unsettled about the phone call she saw butler Yuan on. Since she still could not get her luggage today, it was best she left soon!

    When butler Yuan saw that Ning Xi was going to leave, he suddenly became anxious as the master was still on his way!

    He had seen his master depressed for many days, and finally he waited for Ning Xi to be back. He was not going to let her go easily.

    Thus, butler Yuan quickly called out to stop her, "Miss Xiao Xi, wait!"

    "Dear butler, is there anything else?" Ning Xi stopped in her footsteps.

    Butler Yuan pretended as if he suddenly thought of something and said, "Miss Xiao Xi, I suddenly thought of a way of opening the door for you."

    "Really?" Ning Xi''s face immediately lit up.

    "Yes, Miss Xiao Xi, please wait here for a while."

    "Okay, no problem! I''m so sorry for troubling you!"

    At this moment, Ning Xi''s heart was filled with grateful thoughts that there was humanity in this world without suspecting that the friendly looking old butler would have tricked her.

    Thus, Ning Xi stood there, full of hope. s, she waited for more than 20 minutes¡­

 Chapter 304: Full Of Traps

    <h4>Chapter 304: Full Of Traps</h4>

    Ning Xi anxiously waited as she subconsciously started to pick at the nts in the garden. Soon, the tree before her was plucked bald.

    "Miss Xiao Xi, have a cup of fruit juice!" Wan Wan served a cup of juice, with a tray full of delicate refreshments.

    "Thank you!" Ning Xi drank half a cup in one gulp and impatiently asked, "Wan Wan, have you helped me check why hasn''t butler Yuan returned yet?"

    Wan Wan was not good at lying, but she still tried very hard to put on a smile and calmlyforted her, "Miss Xiao Xi, please wait for a little longer! He should be back soon!"

    "Okay¡­" Ning Xi looked at the time on her phone and decided to wait for another five minutes. If butler Yuan was still not back by then, she had to leave.

    She was not sure why but her heart felt increasingly unsettled¡­

    The time passed slowly and five minutes felt like forever to her.

    Finally, the five minutes was up.

    Ning Xi gave her cup to Wan Wan and said, "I''m sorry, Wan Wan. I''ve still got some things to do and I have to go now. Please let butler Yuan know, okay?"

    Wan Wan''s expression changed and she stopped Ning Xi in her path in a moment of anxiousness, "Miss Xiao Xi, please wait for a little while longer! It will be done¡­very soon¡­only a little while longer¡­"

    If Ning Xi had not noticed anything suspicious from butler Yuan''s actions, then she surely sensed something from a person as innocent as Wan Wan who easily revealed her true intentions.

    Ning Xi looked at the way she acted and immediately knew that something was not right, so she quickly pushed her way through Wan Wan and ran.

    Just as she moved past Wan Wan, a lone lean figure came into her sight¡­

    Jeez¡­

    I knew it¡­

    Ning Xi buried her face in her hands and blocked her face. She turned around to look at Wan Wan and said in a tone of disbelief, "My dear Wan Wan, even you are helping them to trap me?"

    All her hope for humanity was nonsense, she could not trust this world full of tricks anymore!

    Wan Wan felt so guilty that she was started to cry and bow apologetically, "Miss Xiao Xi¡­I''m¡­I''m sorry! Really sorry! So Sorry!"

    As Ning Xi watched the tear-stained little beauty apologize, she could not bring herself to be angry at her. She could only turn around to face the devil.

    Ning Xi took a deep breath and said, "CEO Lu, I¡­I¡­ am here to¡­"

    Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Tingxiao stonily said, "Come in" and then started to walk towards the bungalow.

    Ning Xi looked at the devil''s shadow and her only thought was to run away. However, Lu Tingxiao seemed unworried that she would run away. He did not even turn back to look at her and walked ahead.

    Atst, Ning Xi really did not dare to walk away. Her dilemma resulted in her obediently following isntructions in the end.

    Behind her, Wan Wan and butler Yuan who were hiding in a corner finally felt relieved.

    Ning Xi nervously followed after the devil.

    She inadvertently looked around this ce that she had not visited for quite a while.

    The living room, corridor, staircase, decorations¡­even though everything was exactly the same as before, she had a foreign and distant feeling.

    Lu Tingxiao''s firm steps led them to the door of her room before he opened it. He then stood there, waiting for her, as if he already knew why she hade.

 Chapter 305: Lock You Up Forever

    <h4>Chapter 305: Lock You Up Forever</h4>

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes met with the man¡¯s pitch ck ones. She stood there frightened and slightly freaked out, afraid to approach him.

    Lu Tingxiao lit up a cigarette and leaned against the door as he started to rx a little. Only now Ning Xi felt morefortable to advance towards him as the atmosphere became less tense.

    Ning Xi passed by Lu Tingxiao at the speed of lightning. "Swoosh" and there she went, leaving only her shadow, almost like a martial arts master in the television series.

    At the center of the room, Ning Xi was a little stunned.

    Nothing in her room had changed at all. Messy fashion magazines were strewn all over her bed, rolled up yoga mats were lying carelessly on the floor, the eyebrow pencil she had dropped the other day was still there, and even the position of the broken lead from the pencil remained the same¡­

    All of these made her feel like she was living a different reality. She felt like the time she spent here was something that had happened in her past life.

    When a gust of wind blew through the windows and raised the curtains, Ning Xi returned to her senses and started packing up.

    First, she took out arge box from under the bed, then she arranged her items one by one.

    Clothes, shoes, cosmetics, personal care items, PSP game console¡­

    Every time she put an item into the box, she felt a part of her heart was being packed away, and it hurt her.

    Throughout the whole process of packing, she did not dare to look at Lu Tingxiao at all.

    From within this room, she only took her own possessions and nothing else.

    When she looked at the small items Lu Tingxiao had bought for her, she felt guilty for cruelly abandoning them¡­

    Finally, she finished packing and Ning Xi had to face the inevitable. She took a deep breath, lifted her head up and looked at the silent man standing beside the door, "CEO Lu, I¡¯m very grateful for your care during this period of time. Regarding Little Treasure, if there¡¯s any need, just give me a call, I¡¯ll be there whenever you need me¡­"

    At this point, she was suddenly at a loss for words.

    After some internal struggling, she blurted out her final words, "I¡¯ll be on my way, then¡­"

    She bowed to him out of respect and gratitude before she dragged her box and started to leave.

    After this farewell, perhaps the chances of meeting again would be very slim¡­

    They did not belong to the same world with the disparity between them. If it was not for Little Treasure¡¯s ident the other time, they would never had met each other in this lifetime.

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart sank as she continued her exit with a troubled feeling. The moment she reached the exit, she saw some movement from the corner of her eye.

    The man who had been smoking quietly without any response, suddenly ced his hands on the other side of the door frame with the cigarette still between his fingers, blocking her way out.

    "Er, CEO Lu¡­?" Ning Xi was a little confused, unsure of what Lu Tingxiao¡¯s action meant.

    "Ning Xi."

    "Yes!"

    "You definitely have some guts."

    "Huh?" Ning Xi was taken aback by what Lu Tingxiao said. What did he mean?

    Lu Tingxiao finished thest bit of his cigarette, stubbed it out and looked at her. He started talking calmly, "Aren¡¯t you afraid of me locking you up here, forever?"

    Ning Xi was shocked.

    Please calm down, boss!

 Chapter 306: Better Suited For Kissing

    <h4>Chapter 306: Better Suited For Kissing</h4>

    Ning Xi was so scared that her knees almost gave way. Whoever said she had guts?

    Even when she entered the house earlier, it was because she had been too afraid to ignore his instructions!

    Ning Xi stood still, one foot in front of the other, and a hand dragging her box. She dared not make another move.

    She carefully observed Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression. Too bad the devil was so highly skilled, she had no idea if he was just joking or he was being serious.

    Ning Xi kept thinking, then an idea popped into her head and she quickly said, "Who was that again¡­Ah, Tagore! Tagore said before, if you love someone, you should let your love surround them like sunlight, and set them free!"

    Lu Tingxiao grinned.

    Ning Xi did not understand the reason behind his weird grin, so she continued, "Tagore also said before, liking is presumptuous, but love is an act of restraint! And he even said that, love is not temporary restraint without considering the consequences, but it¡¯s to help them live on freely!"

    "Tagore said all of these?" Lu Tingxiao asked coolly.

    "Uhh, I think so¡­"

    Ning Xi let out a hollowugh. Her mind was actually in a mess, she did not know who said all of these quotes¡­

    "Are there more?" Lu TIngxiao continued asking.

    Ning Xi nodded her head eagerly, like a tiny chick pecking on rice grains, "Yes, yes, Tagore also said that, imprisoning others is illegal¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s little grin spread into a wide smile, his cold fingers holding onto her chin, "Then¡­did Tagore mention that your mouth is not suitable for talking nonsense, but better suited for kissing?"

    Right after he finished his sentence, their lips met.

    Ning Xi was bbergasted.

    "You¡¯re the one who¡¯s talking nonsense! Tagore wouldn¡¯t say something like this!"

    In shock, the box fell off Ning Xi¡¯s hands, followed by a loud "bam" sound of the heavy door closing shut.

    Ning Xi fell behind onto the soft bed.

    Lu Tingxiao just stood in front of the bed, slowly, and elegantly¡­ taking off his coat¡­

    Impure thoughts of how her boss was undressing himself passed through her mind.

    She shook her head and tried to pull herself together, quickly saying, "CEO Lu, you¡­you have to calm down! Committing a crime for someone like me really isn¡¯t worth it¡­I can teach you some meditation¡­it works like a charm¡­"

    As she was bbering, Lu Tingxiao had already taken off his coat and he started to close in on her.

    Seeing how close the man¡¯s breath was getting to her, she felt cornered and she shouted, "Lu Tingxiao! Don¡¯t you dare cross the line! Don¡¯t force me to use violence on you!"

    Instead of retreating upon her defensive reaction of calling him out, the man showed a satisfied expression.

    He totally ignored the girl¡¯s warning and continued to close in¡­

    Dang it! Just because I don¡¯t show what I can do doesn¡¯t mean I can be taken advantage of!

    Ning Xi shoved her knee forward and tried to create an opening for herself. In the end, before she could do anything further, she felt a cold sensation on her wrist and heard a "cking" - she was handcuffed!

 Chapter 307: Are You Sure This Is Mine?

    <h4>Chapter 307: Are You Sure This Is Mine?</h4>

    Ning Xi was stunned, staring at the other half of the handcuff cuffed on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s wrist.

    Looking at the pink handcuffs, Ning Xi burst out in fury, "Lu Tingxiao, you¡¯ve crossed the line! How dare you use such a disgusting thing?"

    Lu Tingxiao raised his eyebrows slightly, "Are you sure this is mine?"

    "If not? It couldn¡¯t be mine, could it?"

    She felt something was odd.

    Suddenly, she noticed that these handcuffs looked really familiar¡­

    "Ugh, why does this look like the one I bought for $9.90 from Taobao¡¯s sex toy shop, the one I bought to beat up Jiang Muye?"

    She did not even remember where she had left this and she had not given a thought to it when she was leaving earlier.

    She felt like kicking herself for putting herself in this situation.

    It was impossible to get away this time since they were handcuffed together. Where else could she go?

    Seeing how he had cuffed himself together with the girl, and looking at her fiery expression, Lu Tingxiao knew that she could not run away this time. He started rxing and caressing the girl¡¯s hair, like a lion preparing to enjoy his prey slowly¡­

    Ning Xi really ran out of ideas as she gave him her death stare. She thought about resorting to attack him with her headbutt if all else failed, then at most the both of them would pass out¡­

    Lu Tingxiao got closer and closer. Just a few centimeters before making contact, Ning Xi prepared to butt heads, but it was at that moment that Lu Tingxiao suddenly slumped his face into the pillow instead¡­

    Ning Xi was confused.

    She had not even headbutt him yet, how had he just fainted?

    The devil had so many tricks up his sleeves that Ning Xi did not dare act carelessly. Three minutes passed by and a steady sound of breathing followed. Ning Xi turned over to see what had happened.

    She saw Lu Tingxiao had his eyes shut, and he was fast asleep¡­

    He had fallen asleep¡­

    She had been scared to death and he had fallen asleep?!

    Ning Xi observed his face closely, paleness and and fatigue written all over his face. One side of his face and the corner of his mouth looked a little red and swollen, as though he had gotten a p from someone¡­

    Who had dared to p the devil?

    Without much wondering, it must have been the devil¡¯s father¡­

    Back then, he had made Ning Xi push all the me onto him. Who knew if his dad had done something to him after she had left?

    She also realized that he had lost a lot of weight¡­

    Oh crap!

    If she continued lying on the bed with Lu Tingxiao like this, it might not turn out very well! She had nearly zero self-restraint in front of this man¡­

    Which was precisely why she had been avoiding him, to prevent situations like this, to prevent herself from getting soft for him¡­

    "Bam!"

    The door mmed open just as Ning Xi started to feel anxious.

    It was Lu Jingli who appeared, "Bro, I have something urgent¡­ugh¡­"

    "Second master! Please help me!" Ning Xi grabbed her chance and asked for help.

    "Bam!"

    Lu Jingli shut the door quickly and left, as if he had not just appeared¡­

 Chapter 308: Let Him Sleep For A While

    <h4>Chapter 308: Let Him Sleep For A While</h4>

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Didn''t he say it was something very urgent? How could he just run off like that?

    It was a good thing she had her phone with her, so Ning Xi quickly called Lu Jingli, "You ass! Lu Jingli, where are you? How could you just run off like that?! Am I not your friend?"

    Ning Xi scolded him in a lowered voice when finally, from the other end of the phone came Lu Jingli''s weak defense, "No¡­I''ve always thought of you as my sister-inw¡­"

    "You¡­" Ning Xi was about to explode from anger.

    "Xiao Xixi, it''s not that I don''t want to help you. It''s because¡­never mind¡­just give Dr. Qin a call and you''ll know¡­"

    Qin Mufeng?

    His rtionship with Lu Tingxiao was pretty good, and he was also someone who knew Lu Tingxiao quite well. Perhaps he''d have some ideas?

    Was it because Lu Jingli did not want to offend his brother so he told her to look for Qin Mufeng?

    After deliberating, she quickly gave Qin Mufeng a call.

    "Hello, Ning Xi? What''s up?" Qin Mufeng sounded surprised as he had never thought that Ning Xi would call him.

    He had always regarded himself as inferior to her, seeing that someone as inexperienced and new to the industry as her could achieve sess that he had not yet been able to. That was why he did not interact much with Ning Xi or even why they both did not contact each other.

    "I have something I need your help with. Would it be okay if you dropped by the tinum Pce?"

    "What''s up?"

    "Umm¡­did you know about me and Lu Tingxiao¡­?"

    "I roughly know a little."

    "Currently, Lu Tingxiao''s situation is a bit odd, could youe over to have a look?"

    "Could you be any less vague?"

    Ning Xi buried her face in her hands. How could she exin the current situation?

    Atst, Ning Xi just simply blurted out everything that happened, "That was what happened¡­and now I''m chained down by him¡­"

    The other end of the phone was silent for a while, then Qin Mufeng said, "Ning Xi, do you really think he would hurt you?"

    "I¡­" Of course she was not worried.

    But in front of Qin Mufeng, she definitely would not admit it, so she decided to be ambiguous. "I don''t know, he did say such scary things!"

    Qin Mufeng softly sighed, "There is something that Lu Tingxiao made me keep a secret from everyone. Lu Jingli knows though, but he guessed it himself."

    Ning Xi frowned, "What is it?"

    "Since you rejected him, he has been suffering from severe insomnia. He can only sleep for three hours at most every day."

    Ning Xi face darkened, "How did it be like this?"

    Qin Mufeng exined, "Based on my experience, it was probably because he''s experiencing from severe psychological stress. Lu Tingxiao''s definitely not as harmless as he seems. He will do anything to achieve his purpose. Only when ites to you, you are the exception.

    "In order not to harm you, he kept suppressing his true personality, but internally he''s battling with himself. He was worried that if he let loose a little, he might lose control of himself and do something regrettable. You must know that the pressure he faces is immense, and he doesn''t dare rx even for a moment¡­"

    At this point, Qin Mufeng paused, "No matter as a doctor or as a friend, I have a favour to ask. Ning Xi, let him sleep for a while. If he goes on like this, he would not be able to endure it even if he was Iron Man. Be rest assured that with his current health condition, he won''t be able to do anything to you."

 Chapter 309: The Only Way I Can Repay You

    <h4>Chapter 309: The Only Way I Can Repay You</h4>

    "Okay, understood¡­"

    Ning Xi hung up on the call and smiled bitterly.

    Indeed, she should not have called anyone rted to Lu Tingxiao. Great, she thought to herself, now she would not be able to leave.

    Just as Qin Mufeng predicted, Lu Tingxiao fell into a deep slumber and slept from day till night¡­

    In between, Lu Jingli secretly came over to peek quite a few times. At least he had some conscience and delivered meals to her several times to avoid her starving to death while apanying the sleeping beauty.

    The next morning, Lu Tingxiao finally woke up.

    Ning Xi, who was deep in her thoughts, returned to her senses when she felt some movement behind her, "You''re awake¡­"

    In his sleepy stupor, Lu Tingxiao was still quite blur. When he saw the girl, he curiously asked, "Why didn''t you leave?"

    If she really wanted to leave, the hand cuffs would not have been able to stop her.

    Ning Xi looked straight into his eyes, and then removed a hair clip from her head to pick the hand cuff.

    His eyes immediately darkened.

    However, in the moments after that, they filled with shock¡­

    Ning Xi took off her jacket and started to unbutton her blouse, one button at a time¡­

    At the third button, Lu Tingxiao grabbed her hand and stopped her.

    Ning Xi quietly looked at him, "Lu Tingxiao, I don''t remember if I''ve said this to you, but what I can''t stand the most is others being too nice to me. I''m most afraid of owing someone, so this is the only way I can repay you."

    Lu Tingxiao''s face instantly turned sour, "Do you think I only want to get into your pants?"

    Ning Xi stuttered, "I¡­" Yeah, Lu Tingxiao could get any woman he wanted, in fact all of them were ''clean'', so who did she think she was?

    Lu Tingxiao resumed, "Although, initially, it was because of this¡­"

    Ning Xi was suddenly stunned, "What?"

    "But do you think once is enough? I want to have this forever!" Lu Tingxiao continued to say.

    God damn it! The devil was flirting again!

    As she heard this, Ning Xi could not help but turn red in embarrassment.

    Lu Tingxiao only exhibited gentleness as he helped her button her blouse up again, "Ning Xi, answer just one question, then you can leave."

    "What question?"

    "The person you like¡­who is it?" Lu Tingxiao queried.

    When she heard this question, Ning Xi immediately mmed up.

    Based on the current situation, the most reasonable person for her to say would have been Jiang Muye. But previously, she was worried that Lu Tingxiao would do something to Jiang Muye. It was fortunate that he had not.

    Ning Xi''s mind stirred. If she directly told him now that the person she liked was Jiang Muye, she was worried that Lu Tingxiao could not restrain himself¡­then Jiang Muye might be in trouble.

    Even if Jiang Muye was the devil''s nephew, she was afraid he would not be able to handle the devil''s attack.

    So, who should she say it was¡­

    At this very moment, she suddenly thought of someone, so Ning Xi just stuttered, "I''ve actually mentioned this to you before. It''s my previous boyfriend, the one I only dated for a day. I previously said that even though I liked him, I couldn''t be with him because his identity was too dangerous. I would only be a burden to stay with him¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao squinted his eyes knowingly.

    "You know that he is very secretive, so I''m very sorry but I can''t tell you much about him." Ning Xi exined nervously, waiting for Lu Tingxiao''s reaction.

 Chapter 310: Indeed You Did Something Bad

    <h4>Chapter 310: Indeed You Did Something Bad</h4>

    After what seemed like forever, Lu Tingxiao suddenly said, "Ning Xi, a person''s taste will change."

    Ning Xi was confused, "What? What do you mean? What does this have to do with someone''s taste?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "One day, you will realize that cabbage is yummier than carrots."

    Ning Xi was speechless. Could he be more straightforward?

    Lu Tingxiao touched the girl''s little head and said, "Let''s go, a freshly awoken person''s appetite is voracious."

    Plus, she just dropped a bomb on him. The fact that he could control his temper till now was a miracle¡­

    As soon as Ning Xi heard about the improvement in his appetite, she flew off the bed.

    Lu Tingxiao called out to her from behind, "Hold on."

    "Uhh¡­what else?" Ning Xi rigidly spun around.

    "Take all your stuff away," Lu Tingxiao said.

    "I did!" Ning Xi was confused.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the rows of wardrobe in front of him and reminded, "Clothes."

    Ning Xi felt awkward, "I don''t need all of these, they''re too expensive."

    The problem was not just that the clothes were expensive and luxurious brands, it was that she had not even heard of some of them.

    "It''s my friend''s brand, he only gifted it to me because he couldn''t sell it off, so it''s not that valuable. If you don''t want, I will let uncle Yuan throw it out," Lu Tingxiao said.

    Ning Xi looked hurt, "It''s a pity to throw them away! Besides, they are a piece of your friend''s hard work! Actually, these clothes do look quite nice, your friend is talented, he would definitely be famous in the future. The price of these clothes might appreciate then¡­even though you won''t be using it, you could keep it for your future girlfriend or something¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao shot her a look, "You think I would give my future girlfriend clothes that I gave someone once and was rejected?"

    "Uhh¡­there''s too many, I can''t take it all. There isn''t enough space in the apartment!"

    "You don''t have to worry about that, I''ll get someone to send it over."

    Ning Xi only wanted to leave as soon as possible, so she hurriedly agreed, "Fine, then! Thank you, CEO Lu! Bye, CEO Lu!"

    ¡­

    She finally left the bungalow.

    Ning Xi stretched her arms to the sky and breathed a sigh of relief when her phone suddenly rang.

    She thought it was the drama team calling to rush her, but she almost dropped her phone at the sight of the caller ID.

    It only showed two letters: YS.

    It must have been because she had just used this guy, so coincidentally he was calling her. Ning Xi felt bad, but after calming herself down to not reveal anything, she picked up the phone, "Hello¡­"

    "Did something bad now, didn''t you?" the coarse voice from the other end of the phone said.

    Ning Xi was shocked.

    "Pfft, you did do it." This time he had a confident tone.

    Ning Xi wanted to shoot herself. How did he guess? All she said was just a simple "hello".

    "My dear, I really underestimated your nerve," he said dangerously.

    Ning Xi was shocked again, yet another person saying she had nerves.

    "It looks like if I don''t return soon, you''d really cheat on me."

    Ning Xi could not stand it any longer, "Since when did I cheat on you? Pfft, no way, I''ve got nothing to do with you at all. How could I ever cheat on you?"

    "Hah, it''s Lu Tingxiao, isn''t it¡­"

    Ning Xi stiffened when she heard him say Lu Tingxiao''s name, "If you dare do anything to him, I won''t let you go!"

 Chapter 311: Youre In Love With Him

    <h4>Chapter 311: You''re In Love With Him</h4>

    "Hah, it''s Lu Tingxiao, isn''t it?"

    Ning Xi stiffened when she heard him say Lu Tingxiao''s name, "If you dare do anything to him, I won''t let you go!"

    "So you¡¯re not worried that he might hurt me instead?"

    "He won¡¯t."

    At least, she still had faith in Lu Tingxiao but she was not so sure about this fellow with a twisted mind. Moreover, Lu Tingxiao did not even know who he was!

    "Tsk, what a cold-hearted person¡­"

    Although the man sounded casual, Ning Xi knew that he was actually angry.

    Ning Xi calmed herself down for a bit, then said, "Firstly, I have nothing to do with you, and secondly, I do not have anything to do with Lu Tingxiao either. I¡¯ve already said that I won¡¯t get together with anyone!"

    "Honey, the point is, you''re in love with him."

    "I¡­"

    Damn that bastard. He was hundreds of miles away from here, so why did it feel like he knew everything?

    ¡­

    At tinum Pce.

    Lu Jingli approached his brother shortly after Ning Xi left, then politely asked, "Bro, how was your sleep? Feeling better? Can I report to you now?"

    "Proceed."

    Probably because he was still seated on Ning Xi¡¯s bed, his expression was gentle, and it seemed like he was thinking about something.

    "I¡¯ve gotten a little info about the people in charge regarding the fewpanies that¡¯ve been opposing us recently. They are all from overseas, what should we do now?"

    "Let¡¯s lure them out."

    ¡­

    Ning Xi dragged her luggage back to her apartment and was preparing to leave after she dropped them off. As she was rushing, her doorbell rang.

    Butler Yuan and Wan Wan stood in front of her door with a respectful bow, along with a whole row of maids, all of whom were carefully holding one piece of garment each.

    "Miss Xiao Xi, we¡¯re here to deliver something."

    Butler Yuan spoke to her politely, as though he had not framed her, acting like nothing had happened before. He was definitely experienced in such games, based on hisposure.

    Byparison, Wan Wan was too young to handle this. She dared not look her in the eye.

    Ning Xi did not want to make it awkward for Wan Wan, so she gave them her spare key and said, "Just put it anywhere you see fit. I¡¯m in a rush, so I¡¯ll be leaving first."

    "Understood, Miss Xiao Xi."

    After Ning Xi left, the group entered the house.

    Ning Xi¡¯s closet was already full after she had put her things in and it could not fit any more clothes inside. Wan Wan then walked over to the dressing table and moved a candle decoration on it.

    Some sort of mechanism was activated and the wall opposite the dressing table opened up slowly. There was another huge walk-in closet inside.

    Butler Yuan gave his orders, and the maids arranged the clothes and bags in an orderly manner.

    At Movie City.

    The first thing she did when she met the drama crew was to apologize to the director. First, she waste to the set, then she had applied for a half day leave. In the end, she had taken a whole day off. For someone who respected work ethics like Ning Xi, what she had done was unforgivable.

    Luckily, Ning Xi had kept a good record for all this while, so not only was Guo Qisheng not angry, he evenforted her, "You¡¯re always so uptight, Ning Xi. Being professional is good, but you¡¯re stressing yourself too much. It¡¯s normal to have an emergency sometimes! The shooting ising to an end already, and we¡¯re way ahead of our progress, so why don''t you take a two day break? Go on and rx!"

    "Thank you, director!"

    Ning Xi was relieved. As for her situation right now, she really needed some time to adjust. After the shooting at night, she went back to her apartment instead of the hotel since the director had given her a 2 days break.

    Just as she was about to leave, an actress called out to her, "Ning Xi, Ning Xi, Ning Xueluo is having a party at her apartment, let¡¯s go together! I heard that her house is really pretty, especially her gorgeous walk-in closet. All the clothes and bags inside are limited editions, a dreame true for all us women! It even got featured in a magazinest time, now we have a chance to see it for ourselves!"

 Chapter 312: Every Womans Dream

    <h4>Chapter 312: Every Woman''s Dream</h4>

    Ning Xi had heard people talking about Ning Xueluo¡¯s walk-in closet before. It was said to have arge collection of garments that were out of stock.

    She did not really have much interest in luxurious branded items, only buying them for the sake of blending into the industry.

    Actually, a lot of the branded designs were pretty normal and she preferred to find some more creative personal branded items. A good example would be Lu Tingxiao¡¯s friend¡¯s design, she loved it, and felt that it was a lot better than those famous brand designs. She remembered she was just casually praising the brand¡¯s designs to him, then the next day her closet was full with clothes from that brand¡­

    "Ning Xi, do you want to go? She invited all the actors from the crew! I¡¯ll let everyone know!"

    Ning Xi gave her a smile, and rejected, "I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m pretty tired today and want to rest earlier, you guys have fun."

    The excited actress suddenly remembered about the incident between Ning Xi and Ning Xueluo, so she did not pursue further, "Alright, you go home and rest well then!"

    After removing her shoes back in her apartment, she immediately fell asleep on her bed.

    She had barely gotten any sleep the night before when she was with Lu Tingxiao, plus with her fatigue from a whole day of acting, she was beat.

    At the same time, a lively party had just only started in Ning Xueluo¡¯s apartment downstairs¡­

    To increase her poprity and expand herwork, Ning Xueluo had put in a lot of effort. This time, she invited all the actors from the crew to her house.

    The unit she was staying at was thergest among the whole of Regal Riveria Hotel. Half of the space was used for a walk-in closet, which was filled with branded items, and was truly every woman¡¯s dream.

    Most of the people who came were female actresses, naturally interested in the collection of clothes and bags. The first thing everyone asked her was about her walk-in closet.

    "Xueluo, where¡¯s your walk-in closet? Quickly bring us there!"

    "Yeah! I heard there¡¯s a lot of clothes that they don''t produce anymore. The kind that are so exclusive, even the prices skyrocketed!"

    "Of course it¡¯s a must-see! You must visit her walk-in closet to say you''ve visited her house!"

    As she listened to all the praises, Ning Xueluo replied indifferently, "The magazines have exaggerated it, it¡¯s nothing much really."

    "What exaggeration? It was in the top selling ''Fashionista''!"

    Ning Xueluo gave in, "You guys, don¡¯t be disappointed when you see the real thing!" She led them to her walk-in closet as she spoke.

    At the end of the corridor, she opened a door and said, "Here it is."

    Everyone was amazed when the room opened, "Chanel, Herm¨¨s, Donna Karan, Prada, Guess¡­all of them limited editions! Oh, my god!"

    "I feel like I¡¯m in heaven! I never want to leave here!"

    "I¡¯m really envious! Xueluo, you¡¯re so blessed! I heard that your boyfriend collected them for you from all over the world!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo looked at the envious expressions from everyone and glowed. She humbly said, "I didn¡¯t really collect them on purpose. I didn''t even realize that they just umted to be so much!"

    It was party time after the walk-in closet visit, but no one could forget about it and it was the talk of the town.

    As the party came to an end, everyone still did not have enough of it, and quite a number of them fawned over Ning Xueluo all over again, gushing over her wealth.

    Suddenly, the actress who was ying Princess Shu, Fang Ya asked, "Eh, didn¡¯t Ning Xie today?"

    "I invited her, but she said she was tired and wanted to get some rest," someone replied.

    "Speaking of which¡­ Glory World Entertainment arranged Ning Xi to stay in Regal Riveria Hotel as well, didn''t they? I think she¡¯s just right above Xueluo¡¯s unit! Why don''t we visit her ce as well?" Fang Ya suggested.

    Ning Xueluo was delighted at the suggestion. If everyone visited Ning Xi''s ce after hers, byparison they would know that the ce that Ning Xi stayed at was nothingpared to hers. She faked a troubled expression, "But there are so many of us, should we really go?"

    "Right, I don¡¯t think Ning Xi¡¯s ce is as huge as this," someone said this on purpose to get on Ning Xueluo¡¯s good side.

    Fang Ya knew how badly Ning Xueluo wanted everyone to go, so she stood up and said, "Let¡¯s just go! It¡¯s just upstairs and we¡¯re just gonna say hi, it should be fine!"

 Chapter 313: Trouble Came Knocking

    <h4>Chapter 313: Trouble Came Knocking</h4>

    The doorbell kept on ringing repeatedly, interrupting Ning Xi''s slumber.

    She took out her phone to check the time and realized that it was almost midnight already.

    Who would look for her at this time of the night? She hoped that it was not something urgent¡­

    Ning Xi got up quickly and opened the door.

    She was dumbfounded when she saw who was at her door. Dozens of people stood in front, all of them the actors and crew from the drama team, and leading the posse was Ning Xueluo in a gorgeous dress, together with Fang Ya hanging onto her arm eagerly¡­

    In her sleepy phase, it took her a few seconds to remember that someone had told her that Ning Xueluo was having a party tonight.

    So, why were all these people here instead of at Ning Xueluo¡¯s ce?

    Ning Xueluo sounded apologetic, "Ning Xi, did we wake you up? We¡¯re really sorry, we didn¡¯t expect you to sleep so early. We¡¯re having a party tonight, and since you didn¡¯te, we all missed you. Knowing that you just stay just upstairs, we decided toe by and say hi!"

    Without waiting for Ning Xi¡¯s reply, Fang Ya went on, "Xueluo, I¡¯m pretty sure Ning Xi doesn¡¯t mind, right, Ning Xi? Everyone, let¡¯s go in! Let''s not block the entrance!"

    Both of them stepped into the house, followed by everyone else.

    Ning Xi just stood there, looking upset. Since they had already decided toe in, what else could she say?

    This Fang Ya was a fence-sitter, who would side whoever had the advantage. When Ning Xi had just been signed with Glory World, Fang Ya tried to get on her good side, but Ning Xi doubted the sincerity of her intentions, so she ignored her.

    By the looks of it, she now sided with Ning Xueluo.

    After they entered the house, Fang Ya kept onining, "Eh, Ning Xi, why is your ce so small? There isn''t enough ce to stand!"

    Actually, Ning Xi¡¯s space was not small at all. It was suitable for living and there were just too many of them. The fact that the whole living room was now filled with the unexpected guests made the ce look small and narrow.

    Without bothering to ask for permission, Fang Ya opened up Ning Xi¡¯s closet. With hesitation she eximed, "Ning Xi is this your closet? It¡¯s so small!"

    Everyone who was trying to please Ning Xueluo yed along with Fang Ya.

    "Yeah, it¡¯s really small! Let¡¯s not talk about your living room or bedroom; the most important thing for an artiste is their closet. Surely you wouldn¡¯t have enough to wear with a closet this small!"

    "I was wondering how rich Glory World was, but it¡¯s so underwhelming! I could barely live here."

    "Hey guys, don''t be so insensitive. Not everyone can stay in houses like Xueluo¡¯s!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo felt tremendously smug hearing everyone criticizing Ning Xi, although she acted kindly and said, "Ning Xi¡¯s unit is in a good location and it''s got a fantastic view!"

    "What good can the view do? We don¡¯t really stay at home much anyway!"

    As she was speaking Fang Ya went through Ning Xi¡¯s clothes that were hanging outside, and tsked in pity, "Oh god! There¡¯s not even anything that¡¯s presentable. Isn''t this fromst year¡¯s Chanel line? And this Prada, it¡¯s so outdated¡­Ning Xi, you really need to put more effort into this. It doesn¡¯t matter how good your acting is because acting skills should not be your priority. The most important thing is the packaging youe in!"

    Ning Xi stood beside her closet, realizing what their purpose was ofing here tonight.

    They were all here to deliberately cause her trouble andugh at her, weren''t they?

 Chapter 314: A Gorgeous Evening Dress

    <h4>Chapter 314: A Gorgeous Evening Dress</h4>

    "What Xiao Ya said makes sense. Even if I had to go on a diet, I absolutely have to shop for clothes! It''s so important. Imagine if I let the media photograph me wearingst season''s outfits, how embarrassing would that be!"

    "Exactly!" When she heard people echoing her sentiments, Fang Ya nodded delightedly. Then she cruelly said to Ning Xueluo beside her, "Xuelo, you have so many clothes in your house, why don''t you pass Ning Xi a few! Any one of it would be better than these!"

    Ning Xi replied resentfully, "No, thanks."

    "Hey Ning Xi, don''t reject the offer. We''re all a team anyway and we should help one another. You aren''t still holding a grudge against Xueluo, are you? Xueluo was just telling us that she has long gotten over it!"

    Ning Xi was speechless. To debate with an idiot such as Fang Ya was such a painful chore¡­

    When she saw that Ning Xi was not saying anything, Fang Ya pushed further, "It''s a good thing Xiao Wei is still upstairs. Xueluo, why don''t you tell her where it is and get her to immediately send some over!"

    "Okay," Ning Xueluo nodded, and called her assistant on the spot.

    Within three minutes, Xiao Wei had brought a bunch of clothes. panting as she ran over, "Sister Xueluo, I''ve brought over the clothes you asked for!"

    Ning Xueluo looked at the clothes satisfactorily, and then said in a concerned tone, "Ning Xi, just ept them. Consider this a gift from me, even though they aren''t the best I''ve got, but at least they''re all from this year''stest season!"

    Once Fang Ya heard that, she widened her eyes and eximed, "What do you mean they aren''t the best? Each piece here probably costs tens of thousands! With Ning Xi''s ie from shooting the entire drama, she could only afford one of it at most!"

    "Exactly! These clothes are all so expensive! Xueluo, you''re too generous!"

    "Ning Xi, just ept them, alright? You don''t need to be too polite!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi massaged her temples as she started to run out of patience. All she wanted was to juste home for respite and get a night of proper sleep. She could not believe that Ning Xueluo would bring a group of morons over. Had she known, she might as well have stayed at the hotel¡­

    "Ning Xi, don''t be courteous! Come, let me help you put them into your wardrobe. Such precious clothes shouldn''t get soiled!" Fang Ya said, while ignoring Ning Xi''s displeasure and invading her privacy, as she flung open the wardrobe.

    As she was about to put the clothes in, she was taken by surprise.

    Everyone behind her was just as stunned¡­

    An evening dress hung sophisticatedly in the middle of the wardrobe. It oozed dreamy vibes with the elegance of the arctic light. It was covered in a mosaic of gems akin to a star-strewn sky, and the huge ruby in the middle of the cor stood out. It was a dazzling sight, blinding everyone in its presence¡­

    Even Ning Xi herself was stunned. Wasn''t this the branded dress that Lu Tingxiao gave her?

    Before she left that day, she had simply allowed Butler Yuan and Wan Wan take over moving the clothes in. She was just wondering where all the clothes had been ced, but who knew that her favourite dress would appear in her wardrobe?

    Could it possibly have been because Wan Wan saw that she really did not have space for too many clothes, that she only left behind her favorite one?

    The more Ning Xi thought about it, the more she knew it was possible!

    When she saw everyone''s shocked expressions, she was not surprised. The first time she saw the dress, she cried just looking at the spectacr handiwork. She thought it must have cost a ton, but after Lu Tingxiao exined, she found out that this was the original prototype and it was one of a kind. The materials used to create it were actually cheap substitutes, but she thought it was already gorgeous!

 Chapter 315: Cheap Flea Item

    <h4>Chapter 315: Cheap Flea Item</h4>

    Everyone got over their shock upon seeing the magnificent dress.

    Fang Ya held the clothes in her hands and stood in awe in front of the opened wardrobe. She mumbled in shock, "How could this be¡­this is impossible¡­"

    Everyone else too looked at each other with a mixture of surprise and suspicion, "This¡­this must be fake¡­how could Ning Xi own such a high end apparel?"

    "You''re joking! This dress is clearly expensive, it may even cost up to hundreds of thousands!"

    "It''s so pretty! If only I could wear it once, I would die with no regrets!" a girl in the crows eximed, unable to hide her admiration.

    This was when Fang Ya casually held up a part of the dress and said with a condescending tone, "Hah, at first sight, it does look quite pretty. But if you take a closer look, don''t you think that it''s pretty in?"

    The female actress who invited Ning Xi earlier added on, "I don''t think so! It looks high end¡­would Taobao sell such dresses?"

    Fang Ya rolled her eyes at her and then looked to Ning Xueluo, intentionally asking, "Xueluo, do you recognize the brand of this dress?"

    Ning Xueluo pretended to be in deep thought before she shook her head and said, "I haven''t seen it before. It doesn''t look like the style of any particr luxury brand¡­"

    When Fang Ya heard this, she was immediately delighted and perked up, "Xueluo is very knowledgeable with all the big brands'' limited edition items, plus she actually collects them. Even she hasn''t seen this before, so if it isn''t a random brand''s product, then where could havee from? A flea market?"

    To show that they knew the fashion industry well, everyone else started to echo Fang Ya''s words, "Thisce does look a little too outdated. Even the gems on it feels very cheap! It must be ss!"

    Fang Ya scornfully looked at Ning Xi and said, "Ning Xi, it''s okay if the outfit was fromst season, but thises down to the brand. You would actually wear a flea market item like this? I bet, that this dress doesn''t cost more than $200!"

    As soon as Fang Ya finished her deration, she unexpectedly threw the dress to the ground.

    Ning Xi''s face turned venomous when she saw the dress on the floor.

    She did not mind Fang Ya messing around with all her other clothes, or that she had to pretend to be okay with it, but this was a dress gifted by Lu Tingxiao, and she felt herself filled with rage.

    Ning Xi immediately walked over, bent down, and picked up the dress. She carefully brushed it with her hand and shot Fang Ya a sharp look.

    Fang Ya did not know what was happening, but she did feel fearful of the antagonizing look Ning Xi gave her. She took a few steps back and thenughed mockingly, "Ning Xi, do you have to exaggerate? It''s only a $200 flea item, do you have to be this tensed?"

    When she saw that Ning Xi''s reaction, Ning Xueluo cheered up again. She looked at Fang Ya and said, "Xiao Ya, don''t say that! This dress does look quite nice, Ning Xi must like it very much. Of course she would be upset!"

    "How can she not like all the high end brands, but fancy this sort of rubbish? Even if she was dirt poor, her taste can''t be that low, can it?" Fang Ya proimed fearlessly, emboldened by Ning Xueluo''s prodding.

    It was at this very moment that someone from the crowd quickly walked up to Ning Xi and said, "Wait¡­this dress¡­why does it look so familiar?"

    The person who spoke was the artiste, Guan Xiaoqi who had previously substituted Jia Qingqing''s third female musketeer role, and was from the samepany as Ning Xi. Because she had only joined the team for a short while, Ning Xi had only bumped into her once or twice, and they were just "hi-bye" acquaintances.

 Chapter 316: Examining The Authenticity

    <h4>Chapter 316: Examining The Authenticity</h4>

    As soon as Guan Xiaoqi said that, she walked over to take a closer look of the dress.

    Fang Ya had on a look of disdain and said, "It''s just a cheap dress, what''s there to see?"

    Guan Xiaoqi did not bother with Fang Ya as she looked at the dress for a long while, then she saw that the cor had a humble and simple embossed pattern of the brand "GE". She solemnly looked up to Ning Xi and said, "If I''m seeing correctly, this dress is a creation of fashion designer genius, Gabriel Elvis. He became instantly famous because years ago, the award-winning Joshua Larson wore his design when he received a prize at the Oscars. Later, the entire entertainment scene wanted a piece of Elvis''s work for themselves. Ning Xi, this dress of yours should be the one that Elvis donated for bidding at a charity auction five years ago. It was one of his finest works, and was auctioned off at an astronomical price! Ning Xi, I''m right, am I not?"

    What?

    Guan Xiaoqi had suddenly blurted out a historical exnation of the dress, yet Ning Xi did not understand a single word of it¡­

    Fang Ya was first stunned, then she started tough hysterically, "Haha, this too funny! Why would a dress that was auctioned off at an astronomical price appear here? Guan Xiaoqi, you can''t just spout nonsense to help Ning Xi just because you''re both from the samepany."

    "Pfft¡­Guan Xiaoqi actually said that¡­"

    "Who is the Elvis she''s talking about? I''ve never even heard of him! You''re telling lies now, aren''t you?"

    Naturally, no one believed her. Some of the crowd asked Guan Xiaoqi how to spell the designer''s name and looked him up online on the spot.

    s, they really did find the historical dress!

    "There really is such a designer! This designer is really freaking awesome. His fame was really short-lived however, he suddenly disappeared midway. That''s why not many of us who came after know about him. In fact, look at this rted photo, the dress in the image is exactly the same as Ning Xi''s!"

    Fang Ya briefly skimmed and was slightly startled by the information. Then, she continued dismissively, "This must be a cheap imitation of the real deal!"

    "You''re right, this dress has been auctioned off privately, so why would it appear here? The more I think about it, the more it seems impossible."

    "It''s the same dress, I''m sure of it!" Guan Xiaoqi said with a tone that was firm and confident, even looking at Ning Xi to seek for confirmation.

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded herself, and had nothing to say in return. After all, wasn''t this a worthless model?

    Fang Yaughed uncontrobly, "This is too funny! If this dress is the real deal, I''ll crawl out of here on my hands and knees!"

    "I''ll take your word for it!" Guan Xiaoqi grunted, then she turned to everyone and said, "Actually, to determine the authenticity of this dress is easy. Elvis'' design''s most prominent feature is the embellishment of gems, with every one of the gems being authentic. If you don''t believe me, thene examine it for yourself. Oh, wait, don''t bothering over if you''re going to pretend to know things when you don''t!"

    "Guan Xiaoqi, what are you trying to say?!" Fang Ya was so angry that she turned red.

    "If the shoe fits, wear it."

    Those who were knowledgeable in the industry would definitely take interest in the dress. Thus, as soon as they heard Guan Xiaoqi say so, some came forward from the crowd¡­

    "How about I take a look?" A quiet-looking girl from the back made her way to the front.

    When everyone saw who she was, their eyes lit up, "Yes, yes! Fei Fei, you take a look! You''re an expert!"

    "Fei Fei is a premium jewellery appraiser! Thest time I was almost scammed, she helped me verify the items!"

    "If it''s Fei Fei who''s examining, there definitely won''t be a problem!" Fang Ya too indicated that she had noments, and gloated at Guan Xiaoqi and Ning Xi, waiting to take pleasure in their mishaps. "Now that we have an expert with us, I''ll see how your story holds up!"

 Chapter 317: All Of Them Are Real!

    <h4>Chapter 317: All Of Them Are Real!</h4>

    Fei Fei started to study the gems carefully. Because there were so many of them, she spent quite a long time on it.

    Time passed by. Everyone stared at Fei Fei and waited, including the confused Ning Xi.

    She wanted to tell them the truth just now, but it was already toote. Fei Fei had already started verifying the crystals. If she spoke up now, she would be misunderstood as trying to save her face, so she kept her mouth shut¡­

    After a while, Fei Fei took a deep breath, then she looked at everyone and said, "I¡¯m sorry, guys, there are just too many gems on this and I couldn¡¯t verify them all, but all the ones that I¡¯ve checked are real!"

    Ning Xi¡¯s expression changed, everyone else was dumbfounded as well.

    "That''s¡­ impossible¡­"

    "How could it be!"

    "But Fei Fei can¡¯t be wrong¡­"

    Since Fang Ya expected to see Ning Xi make a fool out of herself, she felt humiliated, "Fei Fei! You¡¯re mistaken! How could this be real! They look just like ss!"

    Others did not believe it as well, and chimed in, "Fei Fei, check properly again! The gems look cheap!"

    "Yeah, try looking again!"

    "We know that you¡¯re a professional, but this is impossible!"

    Facing everyone¡¯s doubts, Fei Fei blinked innocently and assured everyone, "I might be mistaken if it was just one, but there are so many of them. I couldn''t possibly have mistaken all of them, right? All of these gems are real!"

    However doubtful they were, they had to trust Fei Fei¡¯s confidence.

    No one spoke a word, especially the people who had been mocking Ning Xi for being cheap. They hid themselves in a corner and kept silent.

    Even though she owned the dress herself, Ning Xi was the most shocked among them all.

    All. Of. Them. Are. Real?

    What happened to, "It''s not worth much, it¡¯s just a gift from a friend"?

    Lu Tingxiao lied to her! And she had actually believed it!

    Guan Xiaoqi looked at Fang Ya,ughing at her in a sarcastic tone, "Hehe, I remember someone saying if the dress is real, she¡¯s going to crawl out of here?"

    Fang Ya was frustrated, "So what if it¡¯s real? This must be something rented by herpany, it¡¯s not even hers, what¡¯s so great about it!"

    Some of them started mumbling, "It¡¯s a fact that Ning Xi has bad taste in clothing and wears outdated clothes!"

    "Right, we¡¯re just trying to help!"

    Fang Ya followed the flow and pushed all the clothes into Ning Xi''s arms, "Ning Xi, you should just keep these! Even if that dress is gorgeous, it¡¯s more of just a decoration, you don¡¯t even know if you¡¯ll ever have a chance to wear it!"

    These sort of dresses were usually worn at award ceremonies and for important events, so it was clear that Fang Ya was cursing her to never be popr.

    Ning Xueluo added on, "Ning Xi, please keep these clothes, take it as a token of apology from the misunderstanding caused by my assistant thest time."

 Chapter 318: Big Fat Liar

    <h4>Chapter 318: Big Fat Liar</h4>

    "Ning Xi, since Xueluo put it this way, just ept it!"

    "You wouldn¡¯t think that they are cheap, would you? Just take a look at it, all of these clothes are quite expensive, and much better than your outdated ones!"

    "Where else can you find such a good deal? Take them!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi stuck to her principle of not arguing with silly people. Getting angry at a bunch of idiots would just make herself unhappy, so she kept herselfposed and just watched on as everyone made a fool out of themselves.

    Ning Xueluo and her gang were confused by her reaction, wondering if they had said something wrong.

    Suddenly, a girl by the dressing table screamed, "Ah!"

    What now? Ning Xi looked over.

    "Ning Xi, the furniture in your house is moving! I got scared!"

    The girl was shocked and looked at the switched candle decoration.

    What happened was the mechanism had been triggered and a metal creaking was heard.

    Everyone¡¯s curiosity quickly turned to amazement. The wall started to open up and a brief white light came through, just like a slow motion scene from a movie.

    The room fell so silent with the revtion, that one could only hear the sound of the air-conditioner.

    No one said anything¡­

    Everyone just stared behind the wall, dumbfounded¡­

    Stared at that spectacr and huge walk-in closet¡­

    The walk-in closet had a beautiful crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and was filled with gorgeous dresses, blinding everyone.

    Fang Ya was too shocked and dropped the clothes that she was going to hand over to Ning Xi, her jaw gaping open, unable to find the words to say anything¡­

    Most of them had the same reaction.

    "Am I dreaming? Ning Xi, your house has a hidden room!"

    "Wow! My eyes are almost blinded by the closet¡¯s luxuriousness!"

    "Ning Xi, you should¡¯ve let us visit your huge walk-in closet!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    At least, she should have known of this secretpartment existing?

    Finally, she knew where all the clothes went¡­

    If it was not for this incident today, she would probably have never known about the hidden closet.

    Ning Xi buried her face in her hands, not knowing what to say about Lu Tingxiao.

    How did he do it? With such an academic, charismatic and confident tone, saying all those odd things and lying to her?

    As everyone checked out the dresses in the hidden closet, they found out all the dresses in the walk-in closet were from the same designer, Gabriel Elvis.

    Some of them looked through thebels, and all of them were initialed "GE".

    It was not even about money anymore. GE¡¯s designer had vanished shortly after his debut, so the remaining pieces from the designer were extremely limited, and one would not get it easily even with money.

    And now, this entire room full of such a surprise?

 Chapter 319: No Comparisons, No Hard Feelings

    <h4>Chapter 319: No Comparisons, No Hard Feelings</h4>

    Of course everyone was shocked by this huge reveal. Some of them even asked Fei Fei in secret, "Fei Fei, all of them inside¡­are they real?"

    As surprised as Fei Fei was, she nodded, "I did have a look and they are real. Anyone who knows slightly more about gems would know that the authentic jewelry¡¯s unique shine can be distinguished easily from the fake ones."

    "Oh my god¡­This is too shocking¡­"

    "Did Glory World prepare all these for Ning Xi? Glory World is so willing to spend on her! Staying in a Regal Riveria unit with the best view is already amazing, now what more with a closet that¡¯s bigger than someone''s house! They really think highly of Ning Xi!"

    Everyone present knew who this "someone" was.

    Some of them who did not really like Ning Xueluo started to speak up, "Ning Xi really has ss! All of them are from the legendary brand GE! Unlike Ning Xueluo¡¯s closet which looks like an beginner''s closet. She just bought whatever brand that¡¯s mainstream!"

    "Yet she still kept on forcing Ning Xi to take her clothes! Ning Xi probably doesn¡¯t even care!"

    "I bet she was trying to make Ning Xi look bad. Too bad¡­Tsk tsk, if they had gotten along, there wouldn¡¯t be any hard feelings now!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo did not expect this. The moment she asked Ning Xi to receive her clothes still lingered in her mind, and now this huge walk-in closet¡­

    She was still frozen in front of Ning Xi¡¯s walk-in closet, listening to all the whispering. Her face felt hot, as if she had just been pped¡­

    Damn it! It was all Fang Ya¡¯s fault!

    Why had she suddenly suggest everyone to visit Ning Xi¡¯s ce?!

    If they had note here, her n tonight would have been perfect!

    Great, now everything was ruined!

    Just as she was trying to save her image, it was crumbled again¡­

    Fang Ya did not expect things to turn out this way, and she looked mean in front of everyone. She got frustrated and scolded Ning Xi, "You should¡¯ve just said so if you didn¡¯t need these clothes! Was it fun looking at us running about for you? Try to be more grateful!"

    Ning Xi folded her hands and leaned on the door, her eyebrows raised, "Are you sure I didn¡¯t mention it? It just seemed that someone couldn¡¯t understand the humannguage."

    "You¡­" She was speechless for a while then mumbled jealously, "No matter how many pretty things you have, they aren¡¯t yours!"

    Ning Xueluo took a few deep breaths to suppress her emotions, then she tried to act generous and said, "Let it be, Xiao Ya, we were just trying to help and not expecting anything in return, it¡¯s great that she doesn¡¯t need my clothes. Ning Xi, if you were to change your mind, let me know anytime!"

    Her words clearly tried to imply that herpany might be supporting her now but they could also stop doing so one day¡­

    The only person in the room who could still think rationally was probably Guan Xiaoqi. Sure, she was shocked for a while, but she quickly recovered and gloated over Ning Xueluo and Fang Ya, watching the two clowns make a fool of themselves.

    "It was worth the trip tonight! What a great show! I¡¯m tired now! Time to go home and sleep!"

    Then she left¡­

    People started leaving following Guan Xiaoqi¡¯s departure, especially those who had mocked Ning Xi.

    Finally, everyone left.

    Ning Xi was too tired to think, so she just slid into her bed and slept¡­

 Chapter 320: An Enemys Enemy Is A Friend

    <h4>Chapter 320: An Enemy''s Enemy Is A Friend</h4>

    Late at night, Ning Xueluo''s apartment.

    Chang Li rushed over in the dead of the night, only to find the floor full of torn up clothes.

    "My dear grandaunt, who''s offended you now?"

    Ning Xueluo fiercely used scissors to cut up a pile of clothes, and then shouted ferociously, "Who else?!"

    Chang Li had already understood the situation from her assistant''s update. She tidied up the ce as she advised, "Xueluo, I didn''t want to say anything, but you really were too impulsive this time. You''ve been patient for so long, why couldn''t you have avoided this? Why did you have to go start a fire for yourself?"

    "Haven''t I been patient for long enough? Tonight, with the situation we were in, I thought¡­" She thought that nothing would go wrong. Who knew¡­

    Chang Li softened her tone and said, "I understand how you feel, but there is no point in satisfying your short term desires. Ning Xi doesn''t even need you to do anything at this point. Someone would surelye for her."

    Ning Xueluo immediately turned to her and asked, "Who are you referring to?"

    Chang Li smirked and reminded her, "Don''t forget, Glory World Entertainment still has Su Yimo! Ning Xi is in the limelight so much these days. Do you think Su Yimo would be okay with that? Even someone as popr as Leng Manyun was defeated by her, so who is Ning Xi inparison?"

    Ning Xueluo eyes lightened up when she heard this, "Su Yimo¡­how did I not think of her?"

    "That''s right! Su Yimo has shady intimate rtions with Lu group''s high level administrators! With such a background, she''s not one to easilypete with! Think about it, with her arrogant personality, how could she stand Ning Xi''s existence if Ning Xi threatened her status? She would definitely hear about what happened tonight very soon. How do you think she would feel when she does?"

    Ning Xueluo thought carefully, then she smugly said, "You make so much sense!"

    When she saw that she finally managed to change Ning Xueluo''s mind, Chang Li breathed a sigh of relief and continued to analyse, "Now we can create rtions with Su Yimo''s side. Even though you were previously always against her, it''s not the same anymore now. An enemy''s enemy is a friend! Don''t be anxious, I''ll try to hear her out first, but it shouldn''t be too much of a problem!"

    Ning Xueluo tossed the scissors and clothes in her hand onto the floor, then got up and started to walk back and forth. Then, she stopped and said, "I heard she likes emerald jades. Someone gave my father a pair of exquisite jade decorative items before, you go get it to present it to her. If there''s anything you need, just let me know, I''ll think of something!"

    "Okay, no problem," Chang Li quickly replied. Then she asked, "Right, have you thought about the suggestion I mentioned to you thest time?"

    "You mean the engagement?"

    "Yeah, you have been low key for too long, you need something juicy to restore your poprity and image. All this while, everyone''s most envious of the fact that you''re with Su Yan, so this is the best time to get engaged!

    "Many headlines will feature you. I''ve already nned a series of follow ups that can not only increase your poprity to new heights, but kick Ning Xi in the guts too!" Chang Li said, a little too excitedly.

    At the mention of Su Yan, Ning Xueluo frowned, "You know, because of what happened, Su Yan has been critical of me. I need some time, and besides, he really has been too busy recently¡­"

    "No worries, there''s no hurry. Work is important! Your Su Yan is pretty amazing. If he seals this deal, the Su family will definitely expand into the Europe market and earn tenfold for the wholepany! The finance channels and magazines have been raving about him recently!"

    Ning Xueluo was radiant as she responded with arrogance, "Of course, he''s my man! You don''t worry, I''ll get it done!"

    Chang Li replied, "That''s good then! Let''s work on it separately!"

 Chapter 321: I Have Good News

    <h4>Chapter 321: I Have Good News</h4>

    The next morning.

    With such a deep sleep, Ning Xi slept until she woke up naturally.

    She absentmindedly recalledst night''s incident and almost thought she had dreamt it up.

    That was, until she dragged her feet in her slippers and walked to the closet¡­

    She had not closed the hidden roomst night, leaving it opened just like that, entering her view with no reservations.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Turns out that it had not been a dream after all¡­

    Initially, she really thought it was worthless, hence she epted it. But what should she do now?

    And this closet¡­

    Ning Xi''s head was still hurting when suddenly her phone rang, it was Ling Zhizhi.

    "Hello, Sister Zhizhi?"

    "You''re on holiday today, right? Are you free now? If you have nothing on,e drop by thepany for a while."

    "Nothing much on. I''ll be there right away!"

    Ning Xi got ready and rushed to the office.

    At the same time, at Glory World Entertainment, Ling Zhizhi''s office.

    "Jeez! Why do I keep losing at everything I y?" Jiang Muyey on the sofa opposite the desk and irritatedly tossed the game console in his hand. "Where''s Ning Xi? What time is she actuallying?"

    In the midst of processing documents, Ling Zhizhi replied without even lifting her head up, "Already on the way."

    Jiang Muye sat up and squinted his eyes thoughtfully at the calm woman at her desk. He was not sure why but suddenly his heart was filled with dissatisfaction, "Ling Zhizhi! There''s no one else here, stop pretending to be so distant."

    Ling Zhizhi shot him a brief look and ignored him.

    Annoyed by her attitude, Jiang Muye became even angrier, then he suddenlyughed sarcastically, "Pfft, what was it you told Ning Xi again thest time? That you and I are innocently just artiste and ex-manager? You''re really good at acting, why don''t you just be an actor?"

    Ling Zhizhi finally looked up and stared straight at him, replying him with three words, "Was I wrong?"

    Jiang Muye was just about to say something when Ling Zhizhi replied with a question, "Or, do you prefer that I tell Ning Xi a different truth?"

    He suddenly reddened and stood up instantly, "You¡­"

    Outside the door, someone knocked.

    Jiang Muye mmed up and went to open the door. He irritatedlyined to the person outside the door, "You''re so damn slow! I''ve already died a few times in the game!"

    Ning Xi looked at him scornfully and replied, "Are you sure your dying a few times has anything to do with my speed of reaching here?"

    "Enough with the nonsense, let''s get down to business. When we''re done talking, I still need to go get mytest equipment!"

    "You only know how to y games. I think you should just get married to your game console in the future!" Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him, then walked in and sweetly greeted Ling Zhizhi, "Sister Zhizhi, I''m here."

    As always, she changed her expressions so quickly, that Jiang Muye was dumbfounded.

    When she saw Ning Xi, Ling Zhizhi''s face softened, "Sit. Today, I''ve called you over to tell you some good news."

    "Good news? What good news?" Ning Xi immediately perked up.

    "I''ve just epted a job on your behalf to be a spokesperson."

    Ning Xi was giddy with excitement, "Really?! I can be a spokesperson? But I still have a drama not released yet!"

    Ling Zhizhi exined, "You are popr enough. It''s just that mostpanies like to wait and see, so this opportunity is considered a lucky coincidence. After the news of you and Jiang Muye''s all-night gaming was photographed by aizen, the gamingpany which owns the game that you guys yed got in touch with me. We have been negotiating and we have just sealed the deal yesterday!"

 Chapter 322: Be In The Way And Do Nothing

    <h4>Chapter 322: Be In The Way And Do Nothing</h4>

    She did not expect for her first endorsement job to happen this way, and she was shocked.

    "What¡­this works?"

    Jing Muye cheekily replied her, "Why not? You ought to be grateful to me! If it were not for me, you wouldn''t have gotten this."

    "Fine, fine, all credit to you."

    Ling Zhizhi continued with the specific details, "The gamepany requested for you and Jiang Muye together, and because you¡¯re still new, your endorsement fee isn¡¯t much, only a million, so in the end you¡¯d get about three hundred thousand dors."

    "Three hundred thousand! That much?"

    She had never really pay attention to her profit sharing on the contract before. Usually for neers it was around 20% profit, and the fact that she was getting around 40% was a very good deal from thepany. The devil really had helped her out on this¡­

    Jiang Muye snorted disrespectfully, "Useless! You''re cated with just three hundred thousand?"

    "Then how much are you getting?" Ning Xi asked out of curiosity.

    "Not much, just three million. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t even think about an endorsement this cheap!"

    Ning Xi gritted her teeth, "Damn it¡­ are you asking for a punch to your face?"

    Ling Zhizhi handed over the contract to the each of them, "I''ve only gathered you here for this. Here is the contract - look through it, and if there aren¡¯t any problems, then put your signature in."

    Jiang Muye signed it without even looking through the contents. Ning Xi quickly skimmed through and signed it as well.

    Ling Zhizhi checked through the documents and nodded at them, "Alright, you guys can leave now, just leave the rest to me. Since the both of you are taking the same endorsement, I¡¯ve discussed with bro Ming and I''ll now be handling this endorsement, I will inform you two about the rted arrangementster on."

    "Okay, thanks sis Zhizhi!"

    "Noted!"

    ¡­

    After leaving the office.

    Jiang Muye hesitated for a few moments, but still asked anyway, "Did something happen the other day when you took a full day of leave?"

    "Uh, something happened¡­but not really¡­anyway it¡¯s all good now!"

    "It has something to do with Lu Tingxiao again, right?"

    His mouth twitched a little, "Even my mother heard about it!"

    Ning Xi looked nk in the eye, "Ah? Your mother? What did she hear?"

    "She says my grandmother, who is Lu Tingxiao¡¯s mother has been talking to her about arranging a blind date for Lu Tingxiao. They seem to be busy picking candidates recently! My mother cancelled all her ns and has been helping the old madam pick her daughter-inw!"

    "Oh¡­"

    Jiang Muye stared at her, "That''s all you have to say, just "oh"?"

    Ning Xi stared back, "What else can I do? Be in the way and do nothing?"

    Jing Muye gave her an annoyed look.

    As the both of them were talking, a passionate voice interrupted, "Xiao Ye!"

    They both looked up and saw two women walking towards them. One of them was Zhao Meixin who wore a gorgeous outfit, and thedy who called out to Jiang Muye was wearing a light purple long dress from Chanel''stest fall season. She looked very elegant in that outfit, and in her eyes there was a great sense of pride.

    Su Yimo¡­

    The face that everyone knew, so naturally Ning Xi recognized her almost instantly.

    Speaking of which, while she had signed her contract with Glory World for quite a long time, this was the first time that she met her¡­

    "Xiao Ye, it¡¯s been some time since Ist saw you in thepany. Here for business?" Su Yimo asked concernedly, in a tone of seniority.

 Chapter 323: Bite Her To Death

    <h4>Chapter 323: Bite Her To Death</h4>

    Jiang Muye pulled an annoyed face and simply replied her, "Mmm."

    The entertainment circle was a ce where qualification mattered a lot, and since she was a senior, Ning Xi as her junior had to greet her.

    "Hello, senior!"

    Su Yimo acted like she did not notice anything, and kept on talking to Jiang Muye without even ncing at her.

    "Xiao Ye, I heard that you took on a game endorsement?"

    Ning Xi did what she should, and since Su Yimo chose to ignore her, there was no reason to continue pestering.

    "What about it?"

    Su Yimo raised her eyebrows, "Why are you suddenly interested in endorsing a game?"

    "Just helping out my junior over here."

    Su Yimo suddenly put on a serious face after hearing what he said, "Xiao Ye, I don¡¯t know what your manager is thinking, but in your current position, taking an endorsement like this and working with people of that level will really affect your image. I hope that you can reconsider your decision!"

    Jiang Muye could not stand it anymore, and faked augh, "Haha, Miss Su, you¡¯re a bit too controlling, aren¡¯t you? And next time please call me Jiang Mu Ye, not Xiao Ye!"

    Su Yimo did not look very happy, "Xiao Ye, I know you don¡¯t like people controlling you, but it''s for your own good."

    Seeing how awkward the atmosphere was getting, Zhao Meixin spoke up, "Yimo is the person to go to regarding endorsements! She has just sealed herself the main endorsement of Chanel in the central region, and the Lu corporation is looking to continue her contract as well¡­ Ah, she¡¯s been real busy!"

    "Xiao Ye, I¡¯ve been through this before and I think you really should listen to me. I¡¯ll take my leave first for now, talk to you again sometime."

    She continued to ignore Ning Xi as she just nodded coldly at Jiang Muye and left.

    Once they left, Jiang Muye exploded on the spot, "What the heck! Who¡¯s Xiao Ye?! Xiao Ye is not for her to use! She''s even daring enough to meddle with my business! She really thinks that she¡¯s my aunt now! If it weren''t for her saving Little Treasure before, I''d have fallen out with her already! Ning Xiao Xi, go and bite her to death!"

    Ning Xi was speechless, "Can you please not make it sound like I¡¯m a dog?"

    Jiang Muye started prattling on, "Ning Xi, you don''t know the least of it. Uncle has never mentioned to Su Yimo that she saved Little Treasure. He just casually ordered people to give her a boost in her career.

    "She just thought so highly of herself, always assuming that my uncle was head over heels for her and hence backed her up. She almost self-dered herself as Mrs. Lu! The tone that she uses to talk to me every time is disgusting!"

    Ning Xi looked at the direction Su Yimo walked towards, "As long as she didn¡¯t do any harm to me, I won¡¯t do anything either. But seeing her attitude, it¡¯s near impossible to keep peace with her, and we are bound to sh heads one day."

    Jiang Muye quickly replied, "Don¡¯t back down! Fight for it! I¡¯m your strongest backup shield! I¡¯d rather you be my aunt than her!"

    "¡­Thanks?""

    In the car.

    Zhao Meixin carefully took out an exquisite gift from the back seat, "Yimo, this was sent by Ning Xueluo¡¯s manager this morning. Ning Xueluo is against Ning Xi now because of that incident previously. Now that they are suddenly trying to get on our good side, I suppose they probably want to coborate."

 Chapter 324: I Miss Her Too

    <h4>Chapter 324: I Miss Her Too</h4>

    Su Yimo picked up the gift box, nced at it and said in a tone of disdain, "She wants to coborate with me? Is she worthy?"

    She had such a noble man protecting her and backing her up, she did not need to work with anyone else.

    Zhao Meixin knew what went through her mind, and continued to persuade her, "Worthy or not, what¡¯s important isn¡¯t Ning Xueluo, it¡¯s the influence behind her. She has the Ning family backing her up, and her boyfriend is Su Yan, so her power is not to be underestimated.

    "You know that the Su family has been getting all the limelight in the Imperial, and everyone is trying to get on their good side. This is a really great chance now, there¡¯s nothing to lose by doing her a favor!"

    While everyone in the entertainment scene assumed that Su Yimo was in an ambiguous rtionship with someone important in the Lu corporation, Zhao Meixin had been by Su Yimo¡¯s side everyday, and she had never seen her getting close to anyone from the Lu corporation in private.

    Zhao Meixin actually felt insecure but she did not want to mention this in front of Su Yimo. She would surely get a good scolding from her! Su Yimo would never tolerate anyone doubting her rtionship with Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Hearing about the influence behind the Ning family and Su family, Su Yimo¡¯s expression changed slightly.

    Zhao Meixin quickly continued, "Right, Yimo, did you hear about what happenedst night?"

    "What happened?" Su Yimo asked.

    Zhao Meixin secretly spoke into her ear, "Last night, Ning Xueluo had a party at her house, and Ning Xi stayed right above her, so I bet Ning Xueluo tried to bring a bunch of people over to humiliate her, but¡­"

    Zhao Meixin described the event with her animated expressions, and was very impressed, "A walk-in closet that big! And all of them were GE branded clothes!"

    Zhao Meixin did not explicitly mention it, but Glory World had not given even Su Yimo such exclusive treatment.

    Su Yimo frowned, "GE?"

    "Yeah, the clothes designed by Gabriel Elvis. You liked that brand as well, didn¡¯t you? For the opening ceremony thest time, you mentioned that you wanted this brand, but¡­I couldn¡¯t get you anything¡­"

    She actually found a piece, but she got outbid by someone else, and she was scolded pretty badly by Su Yimo, which left a deep impression on her¡­

    At this point, as someone who could not allow anyone to surpass her at anything, Su Yimo¡¯s expression darkened, she coldly said, "It¡¯s just something Glory World does for a shiny newbie, just a temporary limelight. What else can she do? Nevertheless, making one more friend wouldn¡¯t do me any harm, just do whatever you need with Ning Xueluo¡¯s side!"

    "Alright, leave it to me!"

    ¡­

    At Lu family residence.

    As usual, Little Treasure was daydreaming on the windowsill. Looking outside the window, he took out his phone and sent his father a text message: "Miss."

    He was missing Aunty Xiao Xi, even though they had just met not too long ago.

    At the Lu corporation office, the man nced at his phone, then he texted a few words back to his son: "I miss her too."

    Little Treasure quickly replied with a "?" to ask him how he could see Aunty Xiao Xi again.

    Lu Tingxiao looked outside his window, thought about it, then replied his son¡¯s message¡­

    After Little Treasure read his reply, he quickly climbed down from the chair and ran towards the living room.

    In the living room, Lu Chongshan was talking to Yan Ruyi. When they saw Little Treasure running to them, they immediately hid all the pictures and information of thedies that were strewn on the coffee table, then looked at their grandson with a smile.

 Chapter 325: Surveillance Monitors

    <h4>Chapter 325: Surveince Monitors</h4>

    "Little Treasure,e to grandma. What''s the matter? Are you hungry?"

    "What do you want to eat? Let grandpa cook something up for you!"

    Both grandparents were gentle and kind, afraid of frightening Little Treasure.

    You must understand that the little bun could initially only live in istion and he could not share the same space with them at all. Now that he could live with them, it was already a blessing beyondparison for them.

    Little Treasure shook his head, took off his shoes, and climbed onto the sofa. He then started to use his little hands on his grandmother''s shoulders and massaged with all his might.

    Yan Ruyi was overjoyed and surprised by this sudden disy of affection, "Hey, my dearest baby! Are you giving your grandma a massage now?"

    Little Treasure nodded and became even harder at work. Lu Chongshan watched from the side jealously and mumbled, "It looks like Little Treasure prefers grandma, huh?"

    Was it because of the way he was usually too strict? It must be¡­Especially his attitude towards that woman¡­it was really unfriendly¡­

    When Little Treasure saw that, did he hate him? What should I do now?

    The more Lu Chongshan thought about it, the more he became worried, and the more he was angry. He was only doing this for Little Treasure and for the family. Atst, he had to be the bad guy! Everyoneined about him, but above all, even Little Treasure did not like him anymore¡­

    As Lu Chongshan mulled sadly over this, Little Treasure finished massaging his grandmother and immediately went to his grandfather and started to massage him too. Those soft little hands could really melt anyone''s heart!

    The cold-hearted Lu Chongshan unexpectedly almost teared up on the spot, "Good boy, Little Treasure, it''s the thought that counts. Don''t tire yourself out!"

    Lu Chongshan then fell silent, sighed and asked, "Little Treasure, is there something you want grandpa''s help with?"

    Little Treasure nodded earnestly.

    Lu Chongshan asked again, "You want to see Aunty Xiao Xi, don''t you?"

    Little Treasure nodded his head profusely, as he looked at his grandfather with hopeful and uncertain eyes.

    The look that he gave Lu Chongshan made his heart soften into a mess, "Okay, grandpa will let you. Later, I will get someone to invite her over, okay?"

    Little Treasure''s eyes immediately brightened as he happily kissed on his grandfather''s cheek, then ran back to his room feeling satisfied.

    Yan Ruyi watched her husband who was speechlessly smiling like an idiot and said, "Who was the one that said I had no principles or bottom line before this? Where are your principles now? Where''s your bottom line? Has it all gone just because your grandson gave you a shoulder massage? With just a little kiss from your grandson, you''d promise him anything now?"

    Lu Chongsan cleared his throat and restored his serious expression, "What nonsense are you spewing? I''m doing this for Little Treasure''s physical and emotional health! Besides, there''s nothing wrong in letting that womane over to apany Little Treasure. I will obviously get someone to keep an eye on her!"

    When Lu Chongshan finished, he called over butler Xing Wu.

    "Master, do you have any orders?"

    "Go make a call now and let that womane over to apany Little Treasure." Lu Chongshan thought for a while then added, "Just say that Little Treasure is alone at home. Later, Madam and I will find an excuse to leave. We''ll let her be alone with him."

    "Master, what you''re trying to say is¡­"

    "Put more surveince monitors in the house!"

    "Okay, understood!" Xing Wu nodded and left.

    Yan Ruyi frowned when she heard what her husband said to the butler, "Maybe this isn''t such a good idea."

    Lu Chongshan only replied carelessly, "Why would it be a bad idea? I would like to see what''s so different about her! Don''t you want to find out as well if that woman is genuine towards Little Treasure or not ?"

 Chapter 326: A Date With The Little Bun

    <h4>Chapter 326: A Date With The Little Bun</h4>

    Yan Ruyi hesitated at first, but she agreed in the end for Little Treasure''s sake, "Don''t let Tingxiao know, or else he''s going to get angry again!"

    "I think he''s been the victim of a spell by that woman! Wait till we choose the candidates. We''ll let him go on a blind date immediately! I don''t believe that with so many brilliant girls out there, none canpare to her!"

    ¡­

    After she left thepany, Ning Xi went straight home to her apartment. As she wasying on her bed browsing entertainment news, she got an unknown call.

    She picked it up suspiciously, "Hello?"

    An uptight male voice was heard from the other end of the phone, "Hello, how do you do? Is this Miss Ning Xi?"

    "Yes, and you are?" Ning Xi asked.

    "I''m Mr. Lu''s butler, Xing Wu. Today, Master and Madam are out on errands, the little Master is alone at home. I wonder if Miss Ning Xi would be free toe over?"

    Ning Xi sat up immediately and replied, "Yes! I''m free! I''ll be there right away!"

    After she hung up, Ning Xi quickly ransacked her wardrobe and almost tossed out all of her clothes, not knowing which one to wear¡­

    The way she acted was even more exaggerated than going to meet a boyfriend.

    s, she still chose a set of outfit style that she and Little Treasure liked. A fashionable one with the right vintage touch. Even though the designer was not someone famous, Ning Xi continued to be a loyal fan of his.

    She usually wore clothes as such, not expensive luxury pieces, unless it was for certain asions. No matter the brand, she wore what she liked.

    When she reached the old residence, a 30 odd years old butler led her into the main residence. Just as Ning Xi walked in, a little tornado rushed towards her immediately and went straight to softly embrace her¡­

    "Baby¡­" Ning Xi immediately bent over to hug the little bun. She wanted to kiss him as she always did but since there were others around, she held herself back.

    When he did not received Aunty Xiao Xi''s kiss, the little bun immediately looked down, disappointed.

    Aunty Xiao Xi did not kiss him this time. Was it because he had not done well? Was it because she did not like him anymore? Was it because there were other kids whom she preferred now?

    "Miss Ning Xi, I shall make a move first. If you need anything, please ring the bell for me."

    Ning Xi nodded, "Alright, thank you, Butler Xing!"

    Xing Wu took a bow, and then left.

    After Xing Wu left, Ning Xi very quickly noticed the little guy''s unhappiness. Sheughed and brushed the little bun''s nose, then kissed on both of his cheeks, "My baby Little Treasure, Aunty misses you so much!"

    The little bun immediately lightened up, with pursed lips and his face slightly reddish. It was as if a flower had bloomed from his face. Aunty Xiao Xi still liked me!

    The little bun thought for a while, then started to seriouslyposed a veryplete reply to Ning Xi. [Little Treasure misses Aunty Xiao Xi too!]

    Ning Xi was touched, then she saw Little Treasure quickly added on another sentence: [Father too]

    "Uhh¡­" Ning Xi did not expect Little Treasure to write that at all. She could not help but be stunned and felt her cheeks heat up.

    Little Treasure actually wrote this himself. Something weird was going on.

    Before this, Little Treasure would never mention others when he talked to her¡­

    "Good boy!" Even though Ning Xi was slightly suspicious, she did not give it much thought. She touched the little bun''s head and led him to sit on the sofa.

    At the same time, in the courtyard''s surveince room, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi watched the surveince footage with full focus.

 Chapter 327: Unique Way Of Interacting

    <h4>Chapter 327: Unique Way Of Interacting</h4>

    At the same time, in the courtyard''s surveince room, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi watched the surveince footage with full focus.

    Yan Ruyi''s initially tightened expression softened when she saw Ning Xi and Little Treasure''s heartwarming interactions, and the two sentences that Little Treasure wrote. Sheughed helplessly, "Tingxiao definitely taught him that!"

    Lu Chongshan scoffed and did not say anything, as he continued to watch the monitor closely. It was not just to watch her, but most importantly, he had to know the reason why this woman could make Little Treasure so obedient!

    Yet¡­

    Lu Chongshan was destined to be disappointed.

    Because the truth was, Ning Xi and Little Treasure''s method of interaction was ultimately simple.

    Simply put, they both did their own thing.

    Little Treasure was a child who was very good at solidarity; he just needed Ning Xi to be by his side, which was more than enough.

    As always, the little bun was enjoying solving his Sudoku puzzles while Ning Xiy on the sofa to browse the entertainment news. Akin to petting a kitty cat, her palm gently patted the little bun''s head. Sometimes when she was too distracted with her reading and forgot to pat him, the little bun would look up, as if to ask for pats. Then, Ning Xi would realize and quicklypensate with more rigorous petting¡­

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi sat in front of the surveince monitors and watched for a long time, yet they could not figure out any special tricks.

    Both were just enjoying doing their own thing, there were close to no interactions.

    However¡­

    The kind of heartwarming and intimate interaction between the both of them could be felt even through the monitor¡­

    Yan Ruyi eximed, "Even though this girl did not do anything, I can feel that as long as she is beside Little Treasure, there is a sort of spark, and he acts like any normal child!"

    Lu Chongshan was not blind and he could see this too, but he did not want to admit it. Instead, he replied, "What are you rushing for? Keep watching! I don''t believe that she won''t reveal any ws at all!"

    Little Treasure definitely only liked her so much because she tolerated him with no bottom line. She just pleased him as he wished!

    He definitely would not tolerate her spoiling Little Treasure like a honey-coated poison! "Later I will let Tingxiao see this for himself, so he knows what kind of woman he has chosen!" he thought.

    Ning Xi read the news for a while then she put down her phone, rested her chin on her palm and stared at the little bun.

    Aspared to her phone, the little bun was definitely more entertaining¡­

    When the little bun felt Aunty Xiao Xi''s eyes on him, he suspiciously looked up and blinked at her.

    In Ning Xi''s head shed an idea. "Baby, let''s not y this anymore. Come, let me teach you something fun!"

    The little bun nodded obediently and let Ning Xi lead him into the courtyard.

    In front of the surveince monitors, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi anxiously straightened up when they saw that Ning Xi was finally doing something different. They wanted to see what she was up to.

    Lu Chongshan''s face darkened, "Wait for it, she''s going to reveal her true colors very soon!"

    Yan Ruyi nodded and watched the surveince closely.

    Ning Xi led Little Treasure to the courtyard''s empty field then she said with a satisfied tone, "Let''s do it here!"

    Then, Ning Xi bend over to gently tell the little bun, "Baby, you''re usually too quiet, and you exercise too little. This is not good for your body. Of course, too much of exercise is bad too, and not too suitable for your little self. So, Aunty will now teach you the Five Animal y Qigong. If you persevere for a long time, your body will be very healthy! Wanna learn?"

 Chapter 328: She Taught Well?

    <h4>Chapter 328: She Taught Well?</h4>

    While Little Treasure did not look like he fully understood her, he nodded without any doubt.

    Ning Xi cleared her throat and started exining, "The Five Animal y Qigong is separated into five different ys: bear, tiger, deer, monkey, and bird. Each of them has a different effect on its own, and we¡¯ll start learning one by one. Firstly is the bear y. This set of actions has an effect of regting your spleen and stomach¡­"

    Observing this from the control room, Lu Chongshan was surprised, "This little girl, she even knows the Five Animal y Qigong?"

    "Five Animal y Qigong? Isn¡¯t that the set of aerobics you¡¯ve been trying to teach Little Treasure?" Yan Ruyi asked.

    Lu Chongshan nodded, saying unhappily, "Even if that little girl really knows how to do it, she must be half-baked in it. She had better not teach Little Treasure the wrong thing! This Five Animal y Qigong was passed down by the legendary healer Hua Tuo, and it is very beneficial to those who practise it, but the motions must be correct for the effects to take ce. I¡¯ve been trying to teach Little Treasure, but¡­"

    But Little Treasure did not even interact with him, much less learn anything from him.

    Yan Ruyi got a bit worried as well, and she voiced out her concern, "Let¡¯s get someone to stop them. It¡¯d be bad if we let her teach something half-baked."

    Lu Chongshan nodded in agreement, "I¡¯ll get Xing Wu to go over now!"

    He grabbed the walkie-talkie and pushed the talking button, "Hey, Xing Wu¡­"

    "Master I¡¯m here, what¡¯s your order?"

    "Get over to¡­"Lu Chongshan stopped halfway, shocked when he looked at the monitor screen.

    "Master¡­ Master?"

    Lu Chongshan was still staring at the screen, when he just told him, "Never mind, it¡¯s nothing already."

    He cut off the walkie-talkie.

    "What happened?" Yan Ruyi asked, not understanding.

    Lu Chongshan coughed softly, with an unnatural expression, "Let her teach him."

    It was Yan Ruyi¡¯s turn to be shocked, and she asked in surprise, "You mean¡­ she is teaching it well?"

    Lu Chongshan watched the girl on the screen and vaguely answered, "It was okay."

    Yan Ruyi stared at her husband. Okay? Was it okay or was it great?

    She knew that with her husband¡¯s personality, even if it was just a little wed, he would never have let the girl teach Little Treasure.

    Under their supervision, Ning Xi broke the moves down and taught Little Treasure in detail.

    "Do you know how to do it now?"

    Little Treasure nodded.

    "Good! Then we¡¯ll do it again from the start!"

    Little Treasure followed her instructions, performing the whole set of actions smoothly. Because he was still little, he looked really cute doing the animal actions.

    Ning Xi happily pped, "Little Treasure, you are awesome! You learn really fast! If possible, practise this once every day from today onwards, okay?"

    Little Treasure¡¯s eyes sparkled when he was praised, and he nodded enthusiastically.

    "Baby is the best!"

    ¡­

    Yan Ruyi looked at her husband, "What do you think?"

    Lu Chongshan was deep in thought, with a dark face, "Don¡¯t forget that she¡¯s an actress so she could easily fool us. She might have predicted that we would monitor her secretly. Maybe she prepared all this beforehand!"

    Yan Ruyi nodded, "Then let¡¯s observe a while more."

    Time flew, and evening came.

    Ning Xi held hands with Little Treasure, as they sat on the swings and watched the sunset together. There was one thing that Ning Xi had had on her mind for a long time. She had been thinking about it when she got here as well. Seeing that she had to leave soon, she could not hold it in anymore and said to Little Treasure, "Little Treasure, Aunty has something to discuss with you¡­"

 Chapter 329: As Long As You Like It

    <h4>Chapter 329: As Long As You Like It</h4>

    After monitoring for the whole afternoon, Lu Chongshan felt drowsy, but Ning Xi¡¯s words woke him up immediately.

    It was finally here - the moment of truth!

    "What do you think she wants to discuss with Little Treasure?" Lu Chongshan asked his wife.

    Yan Ruyi thought about it, "She already knows how much Little Treasure means to us, and knows how we will listen to what Little Treasure says. Maybe she¡¯s trying to brainwash Little Treasure into saying something good about her in front of us?"

    Lu Chongshan had on a cold, sarcastic smile on his face, "That wouldn¡¯t be just it. I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll even have Little Treasure throw tantrums at us, so that we will let her marry into our Lu family!"

    Yan Ruyi became worried, as she ruminated about more and more possible negative consequences, "This is too much! How can one use a child like that?!"

    Lu Chongshan had a serious expression, "Now you know how severe the consequences could be if we just let some woman with evil intentions into the Lu family? It might seem like a small issue to throw the whole household into chaos, but the fact is, an internal mess can be trouble for us externally too! The negative consequences are too much to bear!"

    Yan Ruyi quickly nodded in agreement, "You¡¯re right. Tingxiao has been working really hard, and if the household turns into a chaos, he will be distracted for sure!"

    In the yard, under the sunset, Little Treasure tilted his head and looked at Aunty Xiao Xi. Ning Xi thought about her words carefully as she looked at Little Bun seriously, and spoke in a gentle tone, "Little Treasure, I know you like Aunty Xiao Xi. Aunty Xiao Xi really likes you too. You told me before, to love someone, you have to set them free, and now Aunty Xiao Xi wants to tell you that, there¡¯s not one person who can hold your entire world. There are a lot more wonderful things for you to discover in this world, waiting for you to experience, and to love¡­Aunty Xiao Xi really, really, really likes you, so I hope that you can grow up freely and happily!"

    At this part, Ning Xi finally got to her main point, "So, Aunty Xiao Xi hopes that you can promise me one thing!"

    The two oldies stared at the monitor screen intensely¡­

    Ning Xi looked at Little Treasure and said, "Little Treasure, promise Aunty Xiao Xi you¡¯ll go to school, okay?"

    ¡­

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi looked at each other speechlessly. They then turned back to the screen with even more focus.

    What would Little Treasure''s answer be?

    It was the first time that Little Treasure did not nod instantly at Ning Xi¡¯s request. Ning Xi was feeling very nervous at this moment, not confident that Little Treasure would agree to her promise.

    10 seconds passed¡­

    30 seconds passed¡­

    A minute¡­

    Ning Xi was trying not to rush him, so she just waited in silence, as she grew more and more anxious. What she did not know was that there were two other people even more anxious than her.

    Finally, Ning Xi could not wait anymore, she put her hands together and begged, "Little Treasure Baby, please?"

    Little Treasure let out a helpless sigh, then he started writing on his board.

    Ning Xi and the two oldies in the control room looked at him nervously.

    After a while, Little Treasure showed his board: "Little Treasure doesn¡¯t want to go school."

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes lost their shine, and she looked disappointed.Her efforts still did not work¡­

    But soon, Little Treasure started writing again, and the second time he lifted his board up, it said, "But if Aunty Xiao Xi likes, Little Treasure promise."

    Ning Xi stared at the words, "Little Treasure¡­Little Treasure you promised¡­You really promised!" And his promise touched her so, so much!

    He really was the child of the devil, no doubt about that!

 Chapter 330: The Master Is Back

    <h4>Chapter 330: The Master Is Back</h4>

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were dumbfounded in front of the monitor screen. They had no idea how to describe their feelings in that moment¡­

    Little Treasure promised¡­

    Little Treasure actually promised to go to school¡­That meant that Little Treasure had taken the most important step towards bing a normal child!

    Yan Ruyi was too excited, "Chongshan, did you see that? Little Treasure promised to go to school! This is great! It''s unbelievable!"

    "Yeah! Our baby has promised to go to school!" Lu Chongshan then let out a long sigh, "Even though we have tried convincing him for so long, even using whatever methods we could, she only needed to utter a few words to him to change his mind¡­"

    Yan Ruyi sighed as well, "I used to think that Jingli was exaggerating, but it seems that Little Treasure really listens to her!"

    Waves of worry started flowing in after the initial excitement. "It seems that this woman isn¡¯t as simple as she looks. She¡¯s able to hold it in well and I¡¯ve underestimated her¡­Did you realize that all the things she did were for Little Treasure¡¯s good, but on the surface?"

    Yan Ruyi went along with him, "I didn¡¯t understand before as well, now I¡¯m clear why Jingli and Little Treasure like her so much. Even Tingxiao is charmed by her¡­"

    Lu Chongshan shook his head, "Anyhow, Tingxiao is too young!"

    Suddenly, a nervous voice came from the walkie-talkie: "Master Lu! Big Master is back!"

    Lu Chongshan frowned, "If he¡¯s back, so be it. What are you freaking out for?"

    As Lu Chongshan tried to bring up the monitor screen to see where Lu Tingxiao was, the screen went ck.

    "That little bastard!" Lu Chongshan shouted angrily.

    "I knew that we couldn¡¯t hide it from him¡­"

    ¡­

    In the little garden in the backyard, Ning Xi was ecstatic that Little Treasure had promised to go to school!

    It was too bad that she had no one to share her happiness with at this moment¡­

    Suddenly, she saw a familiar shadow approaching¡­

    "Lu Tingxiao!" Ning Xi¡¯s first reaction was to run over to him but in her excitement, she almost crashed into him. He held her steadily, and she told him giddily, "Lu Tingxiao! Little Treasure promised to go to school!"

    "Mmm." Seeing the girl¡¯s excited, bright red face, Lu Tingxiao gave her an affectionate gaze, caressed her hair and said, "Thanks for your hard work."

    The man¡¯s touch broke through her overjoyed spell, and she stood up straight and backed away, awkwardly saying, "I didn¡¯t really do anything¡­ I just talked to him¡­"

    Crap! What was this? Why did she suddenly speed over to Lu Tingxiao like a bird flying back to its nest? She wasn''t behaving like herself!

    "Well, since you¡¯re back now, I should leave first!" As she prepared to run away again, she suddenly remembered something, squatted down and spoke to the little bun, "Little Treasure baby, can you let me talk to your father in private?"

    Little treasure looked at Aunty Xiao Xi and his father, and felt a little unhappy for being left out from the secret, but in the end, he agreed and nodded.

    After Ning Xi gave Little Treasure his goodbye hugs, she turned around and spoke in a serious tone, "CEO Lu, I have something important to tell you!"

 Chapter 331: Are You Worried About Me?

    <h4>Chapter 331: Are You Worried About Me?</h4>

    "Hmm? What is it?"

    Lu Tingxiao warm eyes calmed Ning Xi''s unsettling mood in that moment¡­

    When Ning Xi gathered herself together, she deliberated to choose her words carefully before saying, "You should be more cautious nowadays, you know. When you move around, have more bodyguards with you or something! Even a dozen is not too many!"

    The other day after she unexpectedly received a phone call outside the bungalow from a certain someone, she felt uneasy. She knew what Lu Tingxiao was capable of; there was no way that guy could do anything to him, but she was still worried. She would even prefer if she herself could be his bodyguard and protect him 24/7¡­

    Lu Tingxiao squinted at this piece of news, and his eyes revealed a coldness. He walked slowly towards Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi subconsciously retreated backwards, until she felt her back pressed up against the wall filled with vines.

    Lu Tingxiao used one hand to lean on the wall behind her and suddenly asked, "This is a wall thud, right?"

    Ning Xi who was trapped blinked and said, "Uhh¡­yeah¡­"

    In fact, it was the perfect description! But why has the topic turned such a weird direction?

    "Thest time I heard you say you liked it, so I learned to do it." Lu Tingxiao said.

    Ning Xiughed awkwardly. She really wanted to tell the devil, there''s no need for you to learn, really¡­

    In fact, when did she ever say that she liked this? She had actually said that girls could not stand this trick of backing them up against a wall.

    Great¡­now she felt like she could not stand it too¡­

    She was initially slightly worried that Lu Tingxiao would be unhappy about her rm about his safety. It might seem like she was questioning his capabilities, and she was worried that she might cause him trouble too.

    s, Lu Tingxiao maintained his flirtatious posture and leaned forward to ask softly, "Ning Xi, are you worried about me?"

    Ning Xi was a little dumbfounded, "Pfft, yeah, you are my boss after all!"

    "Is that so? Well, I''m very happy." Lu Tingxiao eyes flooded with satisfaction, and then he said, "Then, I''ll send you a message everyday to tell you that I''m safe, okay?"

    "Huh? This¡­well, of course it''d be a good thing you''re safe!" Ning Xi said but then she felt that something was weird, though she could not pinpoint immediately what about it was odd.

    Lu Tingxiao smiled smugly, then straightened up and eased off his predatory pose. "I wanted to make you stay for dinner, but I''m guessing that you won''t feel toofortable here, so I won''t ask you to stay."

    "No need, no need! In that case, I''ll make a move now! Bye bye!"

    ¡­

    Only when she finally reached home, Ning Xi realized what was odd about the earlier encounter.

    As soon as she was home, Lu Tingxiao sent a message: [Are you home? I''m having dinner with Little Treasure, and all is fine. Don''t need to worry.]

    Please! She was just reminding him to be more careful! It wasn''t like he was her husband, reporting to his wife everyday!

    She was really going to make this devil suffer¡­

    She did not dare say he did not know how to flirt with girls anymore! She would not teach him how to pick up girls anymore!

    Yet, it did not end there.

    It was followed by another message from Lu Tingxiao: [I''ll take Little Treasure to register in the next few days, this is Little Treasure''s first time to school, I hope you cane then.]

    Ning Xi was speechless. With such a request, she could not reject him, no matter what.

    [Okay.]

    As soon as she sent this, Ning Xi crashed onto the pillow.

    Dead¡­She was clearly digging a hole for herself¡­

    However, the more she thought about it, the more she thought it was odd. What a coincidence that she was on her off day today, then she was invited to apany Little Treasure at the old residence, and coincidentally she managed to advise Little Treasure to go to school. Then, it was followed by the devil''s suggestion for her to apany him in sending Little Treasure to school. When she thought about it, the drama she was acting in would soon beunching, so she would also be free¡­

    The flow of all these incidents was too serendipitous!!! Uhh, was it really¡­pure coincidence?

 Chapter 332: Queen Of Bad Acting!

    <h4>Chapter 332: Queen Of Bad Acting!</h4>

    After two days of rest, Ning Xi restored her energy and returned to the drama team to continue work.

    She looked at the remaining work schedule and saw that her main scenes werepleted, and that the rest were mostly supplementary shots for her previous scenes with Jia Qingqing. She had already memorized all these scenes by heart, so she was not stressed about it at all.

    When she reached the set, it was not yet the turn for her scene.

    Xiao Tao saw her and quickly walked over to greet, "Sister Xi, you''re here! I was just going to text you to say that you don''t have to be here so early!"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows and joked, "Why? Is Director feeling generous enough to give me more holidays?"

    "Nah! Look over¡­" Xiao Tao''s lowered voice indicated for her to look at Guan Xiaoqi and Fang Ya, who were in the middle of a shoot. "It''s Guan Xiaoqi, she has already made so many mistakes, she''s even worse than the original Jia Qingqing!"

    "Guan Xiaoqi¡­" Ning Xi held her chin in her thumb and index finger, and murmured.

    "Yeah, it''s that new singer that ourpany tried to promote. Her singing is so bad, but what can we do? She''s rich, and she''s been throwing around money like it is flowing water! I heard that she has always been making noise about going into acting right from the start, but after thepany tested her foundation skills, they realized that her acting was worse than her singing. That was why they used all sorts of ways to advise her to be a singer. At least singing skills can be fine tunedter!

    "s, after all the money was put in, she only became a singer for a few months and said she wanted to quit. Atst, she still demanded to act, and that was how she came to storm the entertainment scene¡­"

    When Xiao Tao finished gossiping, she anxiously reminded Ning Xi, "Even though we are from the samepany, but it''s best to stay away from people like that!"

    Ning Xi nodded slowly and went deep in thought. Recalling thest incident in her apartment, even though it might not have been her intention, Guan Xiaoqi did help her out once. But of course, she would not do anything carelessly without knowing someone well.

    After she heard about this situation, Ning Xi did not leave earlier, but sat down on a chair instead. She had quite a number of scenes with Guan Xiaoqi, so she felt like she needed to understand her level of skill first.

    At the end of the room, Guan Xiaoqi and Fang Ya''s shoot continued¡­

    Guan Xiaoqi''s character in the show was Meng Changge''s rival, Princess Xian, and Fang Ya was acting as the other concubine, Princess Shu. Both characters usually fought a lot, so they had quite a number of scenes with one another.

    Ning Xi watched from afar. From what she observed, it was always Guan Xiaoqi''s fault, and Guo Qisheng was about to break down in frustration¡­

    "Guan Xiaoqi! You are a beloved concubine! Concubine! You must be evilly charming! And enchanting! Can your acting not be so stiff!?"

    "As for your dialogues, our show is not using dubs, so the entire thing relies on receiving the live sounds and speech. How can we use this take if you''re reciting dialogue as if you were reading a book monotonously?"

    "Expressions! What about your expression?"

    ¡­

    Xiao Tao delivered a packet of melon seeds to Ning Xi and said, "Sister Xi, see, I''m not exaggerating, am I? Her acting skills are just horrible! Sigh, you and teacher Jiang''s coboration is so smooth that everyone thought we could finish shooting much earlier. s, who knew we''d encounter this Guan Xiaoqi! She is really the queen of bad acting!"

    Ning Xi did not say anything.

    Objectively, the problem was not about good or bad acting. Guan Xiaoqi simply did not have any acting skills at all, like a nk canvas.

    Usually in such a situation, the person who was acting with her would be very important. The worst part was, the person who was acting with her was Fang Ya, who had had previous conflicts with her. In fact, Fang Ya''s acting skills were only average. If Guan Xiaoqi could actually perform well when acting with her, that would have actually been odd.

 Chapter 333: An Unexpected Discovery

    <h4>Chapter 333: An Unexpected Discovery</h4>

    Finally, Guo Qisheng could not stand this any longer and shouted "Cut!", then he said tiredly, "Let''s rest for 10 minutes¡­no, 20 minutes! Guan Xiaoqi, you had better make use of this break toe back improved!"

    Ning Xi thought, 20 minutes¡­

    For Guan Xiaoqi, this break would not actually help her. If they continued on like this, Guan Xiaoqi would only continue to act horribly to no end¡­

    Guo Qisheng definitely knew this too.

    Ning Xi looked at Guo Qisheng and saw that he indeed had stepped aside to secretly make a phone call, guessing that he had called for help.

    Xiao Tao nibbled on the melon seeds as she shook her head and said, "Director Guo is probably getting ourpany to substitute her, but this is not possible. Guan Xiaoqi''s got such a strong backing, she definitely can''t be changed!"

    Indeed, within five minutes, Guo Qisheng walked out from the corner sadly. One look and anyone would know that his cry for help had failed.

    Guo Qisheng walked straight to Ning Xi and said apologetically, "Ning Xi, there''s been a bit of a dy, you might need to wait a little while more!"

    Ning Xi smiled patiently and said nonchntly, "No worries, director, go on with your work. Don''t worry about me."

    As Ning Xi spoke to the direction, Guan Xiaoqi and Fang Ya started to argue.

    Fang Ya wasughing mockingly and said insultingly to the rest of the crew, "Haha¡­this is too funny! Someone here said to me at first that she has amazing acting skills. s, this is the amazing standards you speak of?"

    Guan Xiaoqi''s face stiffened and she stayed silent.

    Fang Ya became even more delighted when she saw that she had hit the insult jackpot, and said, "So what if you''re rich? With such terrible acting skills, even if your family were made of silver and gold, you''d never make it. Such a waste!"

    Guan Xiaoqi had never been a patient person, and now that she was getting further insulted, she burst, "I''ll be a waste of money, alright, that''s on me! You''ve got no control over it! For someone like you, I don''t even think that your family has got the money for you to waste. It''s easy to despise what you cannot get! You''re jealous, aren''t you? Look at your poor face!"

    "You¡­you¡­you¡­" Fang Ya was so angry that she could explode.

    At the same time, Guan Xiaoqi''s words did not just anger Fang Ya, but had indirectly included other acting members of the drama team with simr family backgrounds. She had really done herself in and earned more enemies now¡­

    This was not surprising, from a princess like her who was spoilt since she was young and was not able to handle such insults. To be considerate of how others felt was the least of her worries.

    When he saw that the situation was getting more serious, Guo Qisheng rushed over to stop the fight.

    Xiao Tao, who was watching from the side, felt like Guan Xiaoqi was being unfair, "Please, Guan Xiaoqi, your words are too mean! You really can''t me everyone for hating her!"

    Ning Xi did not express her opinion, but tapped Xiao Tao on the shoulder and said, "I''m going to the restroom."

    "Oh, okay! Right Sister Xi, is there anything you''d like to eat? I''ll go get it for you! This will probably take quite a while."

    Ning Xi waved, "No need for that, thank you, you go get something for yourself instead."

    ¡­

    When Ning Xi walked out of the restroom and was on her way back, she saw someone squatting under a tree not too far away.

    Guan Xiaoqi¡­? Why is she squatting over there?

    Ning Xi suspiciously stood there and watched for a while.

    She saw that Guan Xiaoqi was holding the script in her hand and practicing her dialogues. She looked very serious, not at all egoistic like how she had been acting in front of everyone.

    Ning Xi stood there and watched longer. Guan Xiaoqi did not notice that there was someone nearby at all, as she continued to practice over and over again¡­

 Chapter 334: Rearranging Scenes

    <h4>Chapter 334: Rearranging Scenes</h4>

    Very soon, 20 minutes passed.

    Ning Xi returned to the resting area. Guan Xiaoqi and Fang Ya continued shooting, but the result was as terrible as ever¡­

    Ning Xi quietly walked towards the director, who almost wanted to bang his head on the camera, and said, "Director, I have something to discuss with you."

    Guo Qisheng turned around with a tired face, "Oh, Ning Xi, what is it? Tell me!"

    Ning Xi thought for a bit and asked, "I have something urgent to doter and it really can¡¯t wait. Is it possible for you to maybe rearrange for my scene with Guan Xiaoqi to be shot earlier?"

    "Uh¡­" Guo Qisheng felt troubled, "Well, you can see for yourself how bad Guan Xiaoqi¡¯s acting is, and your scene with her is even more difficult¡­"

    "It¡¯s okay, director, let¡¯s try! Maybe she''s just finds that scene too challenging. Perhaps it might improve if we change the scene?" Ning Xiforted.

    "How can it be¡­" Guo Qisheng shook his head with a bitter smile, "Forget it, with her acting skills, it would be the same. Anyhow, let¡¯s just follow your n. If it doesn¡¯t work, then you don¡¯t need to waste your time with her and you can go settle your matter first!"

    Ning Xi quickly thanked, "Thank you, director!"

    Guo Qisheng coughed softly and interrupted Guan Xiaoqi¡¯s mechanical lines, "Guan Xiaoqi, stop for a while! Fang Ya, take a break first. Ning Xi has some urgent matterster, so we¡¯ll shoot her part earlier!"

    Fang Ya was happy, "Alright, no objections to that!"

    But as Guan Xiaoqi heard this, she froze and her fists tightened.

    Of course Fang Ya had no objections. Instead, she was excited when she went back to the resting area, chuckling, "Hahaha, Guan Xiaoqi is going to be dead! Do you guys know which scene she''s shooting with Ning Xi next?"

    "Ugh, it can''t be¡­the one that Jia Qingqing failed 30 times, right?"

    "That¡¯s right! That''s the one!"

    "Oh god, Then Guan Xiaoqi is in for it!"

    ¡­

    Guan Xiaoqi¡¯s two assistants, Eleven and Twelve were nervous for her.

    "Miss, let me go and discuss with the director and Ning Xi! This scene is too difficult! You definitely can''t do it!"

    "Yeah, when Jia Qingqing was shooting with Ning Xi they had to reshoot many times!"

    "Shut up! Who said that I can''t do it?" Guan Xiaoqi still bundled her fists tightly, scolding both of them fiercely, "No one is allowed to say anything! I¡¯ll do this scene! Are you saying that I¡¯m worse than Jia Qingqing?"

    Both assistants looked and each other and thought, if Guan Xiaoqi was at least half as good as Jia Qingqing, they would be so overjoyed that it would be like a dreame true.

    "Sigh, this Ning Xi¡­We¡¯re colleagues from the samepany anyway, so why is she being like this? Can¡¯t she wait a while more? She knows that this scene is hard!"

    "So what if the both of you are from the samepany? You''re not really acquainted. With our Miss¡¯s personality, she almost made enemies out of everyone from thepany! In the entertainment field, everyone only cares about themselves and never for others!"

    ¡­

    After a few moments, the set for the next scene was ready.

    Ning Xi and Guan Xiaoqi got into their positions. Ning Xi sat on a luxurious wooden chair, while Guan Xiaoqi fell on the floor embarrassingly.

    Seeing Ning Xi¡¯s eyes look down on her, Guan Xiaoqi felt humiliated and it was clearly expressed on her face¡­

    This time, Guo Qisheng did not even care to give guidance before shooting, he just waved his hands and said, "Let¡¯s just begin!"

 Chapter 335: What Has Gotten Into Her?

    <h4>Chapter 335: What Has Gotten Into Her?</h4>

    Background: Cold Pce

    Characters: Meng Changge, Princess Xian

    In the ruined pce, Ning Xi sat on the wide, big chair, and looked down arrogantly with contempt, while Guan Xiaoqi was full of anger and humiliation.

    Guo Qisheng saw this and his eyebrows softened. Eh? Guan Xiaoqi¡¯s expression¡­actually looked good!

    Next, Ning Xi looked at her disdainfully as if she was looking at a corpse, "Princess Xian, do you know why I hate you so much? Why I must take away your chances of surviving?"

    As Ning Xi finished her lines, Guo Qisheng''s eyebrows knitted and he was already prepared to stop after Guan Xiaoqi¡¯s first line. The cameraman was adjusting his equipment casually as well.

    All the crew members and artiste had had enough of Guan Xiaoqi¡¯s usual arrogant ways, and everyone was waiting to see a good show¡­

    "Witch! You¡¯re jealous of me! You¡¯re jealous that the emperor likes me! Jealous that I¡¯m favored!" Guan Xiaoqi read out her lines angrily, as her eyes became red. Damn it! Fang Ya and all these people, all of them, they were jealous of her!

    Everyone was shocked by Guan Xiaoqi¡¯s lines.

    Eh?! She didn¡¯t misread any of her lines, and actually had a really good expression and tone¡­

    Maybe it was luck!

    Even Guan Xiaoqi was shocked herself, but Ning Xi quickly continued her lines to avoid her losing focus.

    "Huh, me, jealous? Jealous that you are favored by that dumb old man?"

    Guan Xiaoqi went along with Ning Xi¡¯s line and acted the next part naturally. She pulled an unbelievable face, "Princess De! You¡­Are you mad? I want to talk to the emperor! I will tell the emperor that you insulted¡­"

    Ning Xi made Guan Xiaoqi back off with a harsh stare, and then spoke, "Princess Liang, do you know who I am? Do you still remember¡­the name of Meng Changge?"

    As everyone watched up to this point, they held their breath and stared intensely. The atmosphere was tense, and they were whispering in disbelief: "Guan Xiaoqi is in luck, she hasn¡¯t gotten cut off up till now!"

    Fang Yaughed coldly, "Hehe, it will be anytime soon, just wait and see!"

    "True, Jia Qingqing was cut off at the next line for 33 times!"

    ¡­

    With Ning Xi¡¯s gloomy stare, Guan Xiaoqi¡¯s face was full of fear, "You¡¯re Meng Changge? How is it possible that you¡¯re Meng Changge? Meng Changge is already dead! This is impossible! Impossible!"

    Ning Xi closed in slowly, "Zhao Wanrou, if you¡¯re not dead yet, why would I be? Even if I was dead, I would crawl right back up from hell! Then I''ll pull you down to die with me¡­"

    "Ah! Don¡¯t youe over here¡­Don¡¯te over¡­" Guan Xiaoqi screamed in fear.

    Zhang Rui reminded the director: "Director¡­cut! Cut!"

    Thanks to the co-director¡¯s reminder, the director returned to his senses and quickly shouted, "Cut!"

    This scene¡­had actually passed¡­on the first take¡­

    The moment Guo Qisheng shouted "Cut!", no one reacted. It was only after a while that everyone started discussing excitedly:

    "Oh my god! Did the sun just rise from the west? Guan Xiaoqi actually passed?"

    "And it was on first take!"

    "This is too shocking!"

    "What has gotten into her?!"

    ¡­

    Fang Ya had a livid expression, as she stood up and objected, "How is this possible! Director, how could you let her pass? She¡­she didn¡¯t do well at all! Her expressions and actions were too exaggerated!"

 Chapter 336: Tender Or Cherishing

    <h4>Chapter 336: Tender Or Cherishing</h4>

    Guo Qisheng looked at Fang Ya impatiently, "Xiaoqi doesn¡¯te from an acting school. It''s already verymendable that she could perform this way!"

    He saw that Fang Ya was unsatisfied and continued, "Later on, please put in more effort into your scene with Xiaoqi. She can only follow if you''re focused, understand?"

    "Director, it¡¯s her¡­" Fang Ya was exasperated. Was now her fault that Guan Xiaoqi had bad acting skills?

    Suddenly, everyone around started to change their attitude. "The director makes sense, at first I thought it was all Guan Xiaoqi¡¯s fault, but think about it, Fang Ya had some problems as well!"

    "Sure is! Otherwise, how would Guan Xiaoqi be able to do a one shot take with Ning Xi!"

    "Guan Xiaoqi has bad acting skills, but Fang Ya isn¡¯t that great either, it¡¯s like the pot calling the kettle ck!"

    ¡­

    After the scene was over, Guan Xiaoqi skipped happily back to the resting area.

    One assistant helped fanned her and the other gave her water, dly weing her.

    "Miss, you were great just now!"

    "Yeah, you got it at the first shot! Marvelous acting!"

    Guan Xiaoqi said proudly, "I told you that my acting has no problem! It¡¯s just that I couldn¡¯t act well when I see Fang Ya¡¯s face, it makes me sick! Don''t you trust me now?"

    "Yes, I do! Miss, you¡¯re the best! It¡¯s all Fang Ya¡¯s fault!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi nced at Guan Xiaoqi¡¯s direction, then walked over to Guo Qisheng¡¯s side, "Director, how was the scene? Were there any problems?"

    "No problem! It was great!" Guo Qisheng said with a face full of life.

    Ning Xi acted casually and said, "Director, I think Guan Xiaoqi is in shape right now. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to start shooting the next scene right now?"

    "Mmm, you have a point, I¡¯ll let them prepare the next scene immediately! Oh right, you should attend to your urgent matter now!"

    "Alright, thank you, director!" Ning Xi nodded before she left.

    Xiao Tao followed Ning Xi with a doubtful look, "Sis Xi, what¡¯s up with Guan Xiaoqi? She passed on first take! Must be her luck?"

    "Maybe¡­"

    "I knew it! Sis Xi you have something urgent? Do you need my help?"

    "No, you can get off work now!"

    "Alright, thank you, Sis Xi!" She thought she would have to work overtime tonight, but in the end she could get off earlier, so Xiao Tao left happily.

    ¡­

    Ning Xi finished removing her make up and changed her outfit, then walked along the corridor towards the hotel.

    Suddenly an arm reached over and hooked onto her shoulder, "Tsk tsk, Ning Xiao Xi, how nice of you, ying the hero now?"

    Ning Xi pushed Jiang Muye¡¯s arm away and brushed off the non-existent dust on her shoulder. "Why, do you have a problem with it?"

    Jiang Muye just put his arm over her again, "Aren¡¯t you the type to not meddle in other people¡¯s business? Why are you helping the nasty Guan Xiaoqi this time?"

    Ning Xi touched her chin, "Guan Xiaoqi kind of helped me before, so I''m just returning the favor. I don¡¯t like to owe people. Moreover, not taking into ount of her behavior and personality, I can see that she really loves acting¡­"

    She felt positive about people who truly loved and were passionate about acting.

    Jiang Muye was speechless, "You¡¯re so tender and cherishing towards her!"

    "You don¡¯t need to care if I¡¯m tender or cherishing!" Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him, "I thought there weren¡¯t any scenes of you today? Why are you here?"

 Chapter 337: Rarely Relaxing

    <h4>Chapter 337: Rarely Rxing</h4>

    Jiang Muye excitedly said, "Since the rest of your scenes are easy, I''d like to invite you for a drink at the bar tonight!"

    Ning Xi raised a finger and shook it, "Apologies, even though I did n to go rx at the bar tonight, I was nning to go alone, not with you!"

    Jiang Muye suddenly became angry, "Please! Why not with me?!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him, "You want us to be spotted together again like thest time?"

    "Wasn''t that just an ident? Besides, that incident led to an easy spokesperson job!" Jiang Muye said with righteousness.

    "Who''s going to guarantee that I get this lucky every time? The famous star Jiang, please do me a favor and let me go. Have fun alone. I don''t want to give sister Zhizhi any more trouble!"

    ¡­

    One hourter, at Carlos bar.

    Carlos bar was a very exclusive ce, where the lowest rank in society''s food chain, especially the men, would never be seen or heard.

    To the outside world, mentioning that they were going to Carlos bar would naturally imply that "the poor and the dogs are not allowed to enter".

    And of course, those that attracted the wealthy first and second generations were naturally socialites or hookers with the looks, body, charisma and more.

    Apart from power and wealth, a beautiful face was also the most effective pass to enter this ce.

    When Ning Xi finally warded off the whiny Jiang Muye and reached the bar, it was already almost full, so she had to find a corner for herself.

    To Ning Xi, the best thing about this bar was that she did not need to dress up too much, because there was no one who would recognize her, a less than well known actress. She couldpletely rx.

    Just as Ning Xi sat down, there were several men who were looking around. These middle-aged men acted like they were hunting for ''prey'' and immediately stared at Ning Xi''s direction, revealing foul intentions.

    "Her looks and charisma are outstanding, but the way she dresses is not too suitable for my taste."

    "Mmm, she doesn''t seem like a socialite."

    "If she''s not a socialite, then she must be a hooker! Let''s just look around, there are a lot of beauties in the bar tonight, no rush!"

    These middle-aged men were sitting on a slightly more high-end sofa made of real leather, and they revealedzy andfortable postures, with voices that were not too soft nor too loud. However, the people around them could hear them clearly.

    Just as they finished speaking, several youths beside them suddenly stood up together.

    The youngd who led the group sported a branded shirt and trousers. He locked his long and narrow eyes on Ning Xi and said, "Haha, this chick''s charisma and looks are of fine quality. Since she''s not your type, my bros and I will go ahead then!"

    "As you please, Mister Li." The middle-aged men on the sofa smiled a little, nonchntly. For them, their target was usually the real socialites, so even if women such as Ning Xi were prettier, they were uninterested in them.

    The guys around Mister Li started to whistle at Ning Xi, "Hey, beautiful! Wannae over?"

    The bar yed a lighthearted tune that was not too noisy or too piercing, so Ning Xi could hear them calling out to her immediately.

    Ning Xi''s icy eyes skimmed across them nonchntly and she did not respond. She had encountered such situations many times, so much so that she was already used to it. She only came to Carlos bar to rx, so she just pretended she did not see them.

    This bar was of elite status, so people usually would not cause too much of a ruckus.

 Chapter 338: She Seemed More Attractive

    <h4>Chapter 338: She Seemed More Attractive</h4>

    "Hey girl, Mister Li is asking you toe over, didn''t you hear us?"

    When Ning Xi did not respond at all, the young men in front of Mister Li became unhappy and their tones instantly turned unfriendly.

    Theypletely did not expect the woman not to move an inch despite several invitations and she continued with her drink, as if she did not hear them at all.

    "You bitc-"

    Before he could finish cursing her, Mister Li reached out to tap his shoulder andughed, "This is not the way to flirt with girls. The process of conquering is to be enjoyed, understood?"

    When he heard what Mister Li had to say, the youthughed, "Mister Li, you''re telling me that I''m too rushed. We can''t deal with girls like these. We will need Mister Li to personally do this himself. We bros will just watch and learn from the side. Next time, we''ll definitely not embarrass you!"

    Mister Li nodded his head with a satisfied expression, and said with a tone of seniority, "To pick up girls like this one, you can''t rush it, you have to take it slow!"

    After he said that, he evaluated Ning Xi with a look, then walked back to his VIP seat with the guys.

    Ning Xi saw that the men did not continue to flirt with her, so she did not pay anymore attention. She continued to enjoy her drink and listened to rxing music.

    She depicted a sort of couldn''t-be-bothered attitude in such a rxed situation, and that seemed to make her appear more attractive¡­

    ¡­

    While she was waiting for her bill, Ning Xi logged on to her Weibo.

    She noticed that she had not updated her Weibo for a long time. Since the drama would beunched soon, it would be good to stir up her poprity a little. She thought for a while, then wrote a post and uploaded it:

    [As I listen to wind and rain against my window at night, the dreams start toe! Counting down to theunch!]

    Very soon,ments and ''likes'' starteding in and many of the drama team members shared it too.

    Jiang Muye shared it and added on: [Through thick and thin over ten years, as they worry less and forget themselves], which very urately reflected Meng Changge and Sun Huanqing''s tragically touching rtionship.

    As soon as Jiang Muye posted, all the fans online immediately exploded and started to discuss Meng Changge and Sun Huanqing, the ultimately popr couple shipped by many.

    At the same time, at Carlos bar''s highest floor VIP room.

    Lu Tingxiao was just drinking when the phone on the table buzzed with a notification sound. He clicked on it to see a new Weibo notification. It was the status that Ning Xi had just posted.

    He had set Ning Xi''s profile to be a favourite and even set a program in his phone so that whenever Ning Xi updated, it would automatically buzz with a notification to remind him.

    Lu Jingli who saw this was quite amazed, "Wow, brother, you really are too much! You even have a special setting to watch her every move. I really can''t understand you logical men''s idea of romance¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao ignored his brother and focused on Ning Xi''s Weibo status.

    "It''s only such a short sentence, you wouldn''t be able to decipher anything¡­" Lu Jingli mumbled softly.

    Then, he watched his brother''s long slim fingers type a message to send to Ning Xi.

    Lu Jingli daringly took a peek to see what was written, then closed his eyes and rolled over on his seat, "Ahh, damn it!!! My eyes!!! My precious eyes!!! I shouldn''t have peeked!"

    He was really looking for it. He thought that his brother was currently in an heartbroken situation, so reading it would not be a torture, but who knew that it was way worse!

 Chapter 339: The Seduction Move!

    <h4>Chapter 339: The Seduction Move!</h4>

    Almost immediately, downstairs, a notification popped up on Ning Xi''s phone, it was Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi drank the cocktail that the waiter had just served as she opened the message, thinking it was just Lu Tingxiao reporting that he was safe as usual. s, what she saw was: [As I listen to wind and rain against my window at night, I dream of you.]

    "Pfft!" Ning Xi spit out the cocktail in her mouth and felt her face burning up! Jesus Christ! This devil is so savage that I cannot see straight!

    Since that day the devil had said "One day, you will realise that cabbage is yummier than carrots", she went home and thought for a long time, but she still did not understand what the devil''s uing ns would be¡­

    In that moment, she finally understood¡­

    The devil was clearly ready to attack her with ¡ª the seduction move!

    While Ning Xi was being hit on by Lu Tingxiao, from the corner of her eye she saw something flying across her direction. She swiftly picked up the tray on the table and blocked the attack.

    In the next second, a piercing sound was heard as the bottle almost hit her on the head fell to the ground.

    Without Ning Xi lifting her head to look for the culprit, they came up to her first.

    A socialitedy d in a shimmering red body con dress walked to her, full of confidence, with a group of people surrounding her. She said to Ning Xi with a condescending look, "Oh, I''m so sorry. I wasn''t sure why but the bottle suddenly flew out of my hands. It didn''t hit you, did it?"

    Ning Xi looked at them coldly without responding. She did not like to stir up trouble, but she was not afraid of trouble either. She would forget it since it did not hit her, but if this bottle had hurt her, she would not mind using her martial art skills to teach them some lessons either. Since no one at this bar knew her, she could freely be herself.

    "No worries."

    Ning Xi stood up and prepared to move somewhere quieter, since she did not want to have any contact with these people.

    The socialite then signaled to several other girls. The girls surrounding the socialite immediately took heed and walked over, blocking Ning Xi''s way.

    "Don''t go, that bottle almost hit you earlier. We feel bad about that, so we mustpensate you!"

    "Exactly, we were careless before this. If we just let it be, we''ll feel very guilty!"

    All the girls started to talk one after another, as if they really did feel guilty. Yet, there was no effort in disguising the nonchnce and condescending intent in their eyes.

    Then, the music in the bar started to get softer and many eyes around fell on them. They mostly stared at Ning Xi, as if they were waiting for something to happen.

    "That girl is a real socialite. Even though she looks average, her family background definitely isn''t! How did that chick offend her?"

    "Hahaha, how is that even a question? It''s most probably because that chick hooked up with her man! I know this socialite, it''s Wang family''s eldest daughter, Miss Wang Run right? She is a green-eyed monster!"

    "Hook up? That can''t be it, I was looking at that chick, she didn''t move from her seat at all!"

    "This is the Carlos bar, you just need to look at someone a little longer to hook up with them. Haven''t you heard of flirting with the eyes? Don''t be so conservative!"

    ¡­

    Everyone around started buzzing with conversation.

    Such a situation happened almost every night at Carlos bar. Everyone was used to seeing this, naturally they were not too shocked by it, but they just liked to watch for the fun of it.

    Ning Xi side-eyed those girls and said with a poker face, "Compensation won''t be needed, your bottle didn''t hit me."

 Chapter 340: Morons Full Of Themselves

    <h4>Chapter 340: Morons Full Of Themselves</h4>

    "That won¡¯t work, even if we promised you, Sis Lan wouldn''t, right, Sis Lan?" one of the girls said, looking at thedy beside her.

    Thedy came forward and stared at Ning Xi, then said coldly, "It must be hard for you,ing to Carlos bar thiste, and dressing up like this, you must have spent quite some money. I can¡¯t let you go back empty handed, this is a reward¡­no, apensation for you!"

    As thedy finished talking, she opened her Hermes purse and took out a stack of cash, then threw it beside Ning Xi¡¯s foot, "Five thousand, is that enough?"

    "Sis Lan, you¡¯re so generous! Even if it hit her just now, five thousand would have been enough!"

    "Right, our Sis Lan is really generous. Even if she was a whore, it would be enough for one go!"

    The few girls were full of sarcasm as theyughed coldly at her.

    In the bar, the scene was getting more and more heated up, as more people surrounded them. Mister Li smiled, continuing to enjoy his alcohol nonchntly, waiting for the best time to step up.

    Ning Xi frowned slightly, these women were not here to apologize. They were obviously only there for trouble.

    "What, is it not enough? For prostitutes like you, your price of sleeping with those old men would at most be around this price, wouldn''t it?" Thedy stared at Ning Xi in disgust.

    Without waiting for Ning Xi¡¯s reply, "Bam!", another stack of cash was thrown beside her leg again.

    "Here¡¯s ten thousand, plus the five thousand earlier, that makes it fifteen thousand, is it enough now?" thedyughed coldly again.

    "Eh, Sis Lan, this is too much. I think three thousand would be enough. Women like her who see how rich you are will surely try to get more from you!"

    "Sis Lan is just too kind, why not add another ten thousand, make it 25 thousand!"

    "25 thousand? I like this number." Thedy continued smiling coldly, while she took out another stack of cash and threw it at Ning Xi again.

    Ning Xi evaluated the woman in front of her, like she was looking at an idiot. People like her had too much money lying around; what they wanted was just attention.

    Too bad, she did not care about her. Too bad, they were too much of a moron, she did not even have the interest to insult them, because it would not feel good to insult morons.

    "Pretty girl, just ept the money. 25 thousand isn¡¯t much, but it¡¯s better than suffering throughout the night!" A muscr, blonde haired, blue-eyed man squatted down and collected all the money on the floor. He was prepared to give it to Ning Xi, and even gave her an ambiguous nce.

    "Thank you, but I don¡¯t think I need thispensation," Ning Xi replied coldly.

    "Witch!" thedy started scolding angrily and was clearly infuriated, "I¡¯m just pitying you so I¡¯mpensating you kindly, and now you¡¯re even seducing my Chengyun!?"

    She was ticked off earlier because her male partner kept on looking at this woman¡¯s direction, and now this woman was seducing Chengyun right in front of her. Who did she think she was?

    Ning Xi really did not want to talk to them anymore, but they kept on pestering her and her patience had reached its limit. She sneered and looked at the Caucasian guy like she was looking at a cheap b of pork, "Me, seducing him?"

    "Cut the crap! Of course it was you who seduced him, not the other way around!"

    "You''re still looking! Have you never seen a handsome guy before in your life? Do you really need to salivate like this?"

    "Tsk! She must have slept with so many old men that she has yet to see someone this handsome before."

 Chapter 341: The Devils Grand Entrance

    <h4>Chapter 341: The Devil''s Grand Entrance</h4>

    Thedy caressed her manicured nails as she looked at Ning Xi¡¯s pretty little face, and talked to her in an unfriendly tone, "Now, you should kneel down and apologize to me. Promise that you¡¯ll never be involved with other people¡¯s men ever again. Crawl out of this bar, then I¡¯ll forget about what happened tonight! If not, don¡¯t even think about leaving this ce!"

    "You want to leave after offending our Miss Li? Not so fast!"

    Thedy¡¯s bunch of thugs slowly closed in. Ning Xi nced at those thugs and calmly cracked her finger joints¡­

    "Hehe, Sis Lan, what has this girl done to you that has got you so angry?"

    Mister Li who had been enjoying his drink at the VIP seat suddenly walked over and looked at thedy with a smile.

    "Yo, Mister Li¡­" Seeing him, thedy¡¯s expression softened and she said, "Weren¡¯t you always unfavorable of poor and disgusting witches like her? Why are you helping out people like her today?"

    "Sis Lan, I really like this girl, so give me some face and don¡¯t bother her anymore," Mister Li exined like a gentleman.

    "Mister Li, you''re interested?" thedy said, stunned. "Fine, since you like her, there¡¯s nothing much I can say. With the power you have, a night would get you at least 50 thousand dors! What a lucky girl she is!"

    A few girls around tittered in secret.

    Mister Li was infamous for being crazy in bed. Who knew how many women had been tortured by him! Any girl would have iting rough for themselves if they were favored by Mister Li. But if there was money involved, it probably wouldn¡¯t matter to a woman like this.

    "Miss, I¡¯ll buy you for a night for 50 thousand dors. Just follow me now, or else you¡¯ll have a hard time leaving the bar after offending Sis Lan!" Mister Li acted as if he was confident of getting his way, as he swaggered towards Ning Xi like a hero and was about to hold her hand.

    The next second, Ning Xi pped away Mister Li¡¯s hand.

    "You¡­" Humiliated, Mister Li¡¯s face darkened in an instant.

    Without a word, Mister Li¡¯s group of supporters and thugs joined in the fray as well. Ning Xi was now going up against two groups of people; it felt like a fight would blow up at any moment.

    "What a lively night."

    Among the noisy, chaotic atmosphere, an ice cold voice striked through the hearts of the people present like a frigid wind.

    Suddenly everyone was looking behind Ning Xi, speechless.

    Ning Xi herself was frozen as well. This voice was¡­

    The devil¡­?!

    As Lu Tingxiao appeared, the fewdies in front were stunned.

    This man who just made his sudden appearance could barely be described with just the word "cool". His behaviour could not hide his extravagance. Just one icy look of his was enough to let someone fall for him mercilessly¡­

    "Oh my god! Who is this man? He''s so cool!"

    "He¡¯s not just handsome! It¡¯s his aura! So charismatic! Very manly!"

    "I thought Chengyun was as manly as a man can get, but in front of this man he¡¯s nothing!"

    Miss Wang just stared nkly at Lu Tingxiao, blushing. The man in front of her was like a god. He was the definition of her dream man. Just by looking at him, she suddenly felt that all the cute boys she was proud of were trashpared to him¡­

 Chapter 342: Sheâ€™s The Apple Of My Eye

    <h4>Chapter 342: She¡¯s The Apple Of My Eye</h4>

    When she saw the way Ning Xi was staring at this man who had just suddenly appeared, thedy spitefully sneered at her, "Do you even have the right to stare at a man like him?"

    Ning Xi was reaching a whole new level of patience, thanks to these morons.

    "Mr. Lu, do you have any orders?" The barman quickly came over and attended to the man.

    Carlos bar was under the Lu corporation. It was a good thing that the manager had seen this low-profile boss before, so he recognized him instantly after such a memorable first impression.

    The manager knew that the boss did not like people to know who he was, so he just addressed him as Mr. Lu.

    "Put everyone''s tabs on me," Lu Tingxiao dered casually.

    "Okay, no problem!" the manager quickly replied.

    Everyone cheered hearing Lu Tingxiao¡¯s words.

    Just by observing the manager¡¯s nervous behaviour, one could decipher that this man was a big shot and was probably filthy rich. What he just did only further confirmed it.

    Thedy looked at Lu Tingxiao greedily since she just saw how generous he was. She could not wait anymore. She walked towards him with a pounding heart, introducing herself, "So, Mr. Lu, I¡¯m Wang Run from the Wang corporation. I wonder if you''re working right now and if I would be fortunate enough to have a private conversation with you over some drinks?"

    A handsome facebined together with a charm and a strong financial background¡­what a package. All the customers¡¯ bills tonight would easily reach tens of millions, but this man seemed like he did not care at all. How attractive was that?

    And his surname was Lu, could he possibly be rted to the legendary family from the Imperial?

    Lu Tingxiao just nced at thedy with a cold expression and told her, "For this question, you¡¯d need to check with someone else. If she¡¯s okay with it, then I have no objections."

    "Who is it?" thedy quickly asked.

    Lu Tingxiao nodded his head towards Ning Xi. "Her."

    Ning Xi was surprised and speechless.

    "What, ask this witch?" Thedy was shocked and confused.

    Lu Tingxiao gave her a cold stare, "Excuse me, miss, please take back what you¡¯ve just said and apologize to her. She¡¯s the apple of my eye."

    As if his words were not shocking enough, he added further, "Too bad, she still isn¡¯t mine."

    "The¡­the apple of your eye?" thedy yelled in disbelief. "How¡­how is this possible?!

    A man like this should only be worthy of someone of her own status, but he was going for such a dirty woman?

    "You actually fancy a woman like this? Do you know how dirty she is and how many people she¡¯s slept with before?" thedy could not ept this truth.

    "Lu¡­"

    Ning Xi saw that Lu Tingxiao was arguing for her sake and wanted to stop him, but he just calmly gave her a warning nce, and softly said, "It¡¯s okay, leave it to me."

    Thedy¡¯s face turned really red seeing how gentle Lu Tingxiao treated Ning Xi. She said, "Mr. Lu, don¡¯t be deceived by someone like her. She¡¯s just ying hard to get. In the end, she just wants more money!"

    She threw all her money and cards from her purse at Ning Xi¡¯s feet, "Get away from this man! How much do you want? Name me a price!"

    The few women beside thedy went along with her, "Don¡¯t people like you just want money? Name a price, our Sis Lan will be able to afford it!"

    Lu Tingxiao just quietly looked at thedy crazily throwing her money, then calmly said, "Aside from being the apple of my eye, she¡¯s my superior, as well as my boss. Tonight, the one who¡¯s really treating everyone to drinks is her. So, you¡¯re now not only drinking my boss¡¯ alcohol, but also insulting her. If possible, please throw up all the drinks you¡¯ve drank before."

    Regardless of everyone¡¯s expression of disbelief, Lu Tingxiao looked at the speechless Mister Li, "Of course, you as well."

 Chapter 343: The Wife-Protecting Devil Flares Up

    <h4>Chapter 343: The Wife-Protecting Devil res Up</h4>

    In that instance, everyone in the bar suddenly became as stiff as a statue, stunned¡­

    The man in front of them was clearly someone extraordinary, so his identity was already scary enough.

    And this man was now saying that the woman they kept using as a prostitute was his superior, his boss? Then, who in the world could this woman be? Which big shot had they offended now?

    "This is crazy. This woman¡­is¡­is his superior? His boss? Did I get it wrong?"

    "How¡­how could this be¡­you''re definitely lying!"

    "But why would he lie to us? There''s no need for that, right? Besides, this man Lu''s attitude towards her was only filled with admiration, love and utmost respect. Could it be that this woman is really his boss?"

    "Jesus! And just now she kept throwing money at her! She has really embarrassed herself this time¡­"

    ¡­

    In reality, Carlos bar had always had hidden gems and personalities going in. Someone who dressed up less morously might be a big boss, so the more they thought about it, they more they felt it was possible¡­

    Suddenly, everyone turned pale. They looked at Ning Xi as if they were looking at a ghost.

    "We''re toast! I kept calling her a witch earlier!"

    "Oh god, me too. We''ve done ourselves in!"

    "We''ve really gotten into trouble this time! We may offend just anyone, but not someone like her!"

    ¡­

    While everyone was in shock, Ning Xi was expressionless because her thoughts were all jumbled up and there was so much she wanted to express, so she kept a straight face.

    Yet, anyone could see that she was in deep thought, which frightened those present even more.

    "Shall I say something¡­or not?" she thought to herself.

    Since they offended someone like her, would they be able to leave the bar in one piece tonight?

    All of a sudden, no one could tell who started first but the sound of retching filled the air¡­

    This seemed to spark off a chain reaction and soon the entire ce was gagging.

    Even though Lu Tingxiao only called on Wang Run and Mister Li, many others had also insulted Ning Xi earlier. Those people were nobodiespared to Wang Run and Mister Li, so they felt like they had no choice but to vomit out the alcohol first.

    After all, it was only throwing up! It would still be better than getting into trouble with Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao!

    As she watched everyone around her regurgitate the alcohol one after another, Miss Wang turned pale. She lifted her head slowly to look at Lu Tingxiao, as if hoping for mercy.

    Yet, when she looked up, all she saw was his proud eyes. Because she was too frightened, she could not help herself any longer and she puked it all out.

    When he saw that everyone had thrown up, Mister Li who pretended to be headstrong, could not hold it in anymore and put his fingers into his throat to discharge the alcohol.

    He would not have thought that his n of wanting to be a hero would turn into this ugly scene.

    The entire bar was filled with the unpleasant smell of guts and alcohol, and it was an ungodly sight¡­

    Lu Tingxiao took off his coat nonchntly and covered Ning Xi with it to prevent her from getting dirty. Then, he led her towards the door without even turning back.

    At the same time, on the second floor of the bar.

    Lu Jingli held a bag of melon seeds in shock.

    Jesus¡­

    When the devil red up to protect his wife, he turned terrifying indeed¡­

    Lu Jingli shook his head as he mumbled to himself, "But, bro, if you want to re up, you should bear the consequences in mind. This is our bar and business might be affected!"

    Fine, fine, this guy only has his wife in mind. To hell with the business, wasn''t it?

 Chapter 344: Youre Too Beautiful Tonight

    <h4>Chapter 344: You''re Too Beautiful Tonight</h4>

    Outside the bar was a road nked by gingko trees.

    The night was cold, as a couple strolled slowly along the quiet road.

    "Are you alright?" Lu Tingxiao asked in concern.

    Ning Xi shook her head. She had not entirely calmed down from the scene earlier, "How did you suddenly appear back there?"

    "I was discussing some matters upstairs and just finished. I saw you as I was about to leave," Lu Tingxiao exined.

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi did not really know what to say and just responded, "Thank you for rescuing me from that situation."

    Lu Tingxiao was shrugged nonchntly, "You don''t have to thank me. I know, that even if I didn''te forward, you would be able to resolve it by yourself. I just didn''t want you to have to dirty your hands."

    Ning Xi''s heart beat fast as his low coarse voice lingered by her ear. She cleared her throat and tried to change the topic, "Right, why did you tell them that I was your boss? Clearly, you''re the one who''s my boss¡­you seem to have messed it up¡­"

    "What is a boss''s role to you?" Lu Tingxiao did not answer her, redirecting her another question instead.

    "A boss''s role?" Ning Xi thought about it, then answered, "Probably someone who provides me with a monthly sry, as I help him earn revenue, and follow all his orders?"

    "Mmm," Lu Tingxiao nodded.

    Ning Xi was speechless and dumbfounded. What did that reaction mean?

    In the next second, she suddenly understood¡­

    Based on her exnation, wouldn''t the definition of a boss be simr to that a wife''s? Sigh, this was the longest road she had ever walked down in her lifetime¡­

    The road leading to the devil''s trap¡­

    "Um, it''s quitete now, I shall make a move first. Thank you for tonight!" Ning Xi announced her departure.

    Lu Tingxiao was just walking to his parking spot so he opened the passenger door to his car and said, "I''ll send you home."

    Ning Xi scratched her head and said, "I don''t think there''s a need for that, I can just hail a taxi for myself."

    Lu Tingxiao then replied, "You''re too beautiful tonight. It''s not safe."

    Ning Xi was tongue tied yet again. She decided that from now on, she should shut up to be safe from his flirtations.

    Finally, Lu Tingxiao sent her to her apartment. Ning Xi breathed a sigh of relief as she was finally home. She took a bow and said, "Thank you, boss, I''ll go up now!"

    "Ning Xi," Lu Tingxiao suddenly called to stop her.

    "Yes?"

    "Can I hug you for a while?" Lu Tingxiao asked in a soft voice, as if afraid that anyone except her would hear.

    Ning Xi was shocked.

    The stars shined brightly and the wind blew softly. Under the moonlit sky, Lu Tingxiao''s eyes were charmingly gentle¡­

    Damn it!

    His seduction skills were too smooth, and she felt like her gates of resistance could not hold up its guard much longer¡­

    She knew that he was trying to seduce her, and knew that every step he made was a n that had a motive. Yet, she could not help herself¡­

    Who could ignore flirtations from someone that they liked? She definitely deserved an award for the fact that she could resist it all the while.

    What to do, what to do, what to do¡­to agree or not to agree?

    As the atmosphere became increasingly taut with sexual tension, Ning Xi''s handphone suddenly rang, abruptly interrupting the quiet midnight air.

    Ning Xi was still torn between how to react when she nced at her phone reluctantly. When she saw the phone clearly, her blood ran cold!

    Across the phone screen was a sentence: [My dear, agree to him and see what happens. I challenge you. ^_^ ¡ªYS]

    Damn it!

 Chapter 345: My Dear, Be Good

    <h4>Chapter 345: My Dear, Be Good</h4>

    "CEO Lu, it''s reallyte now and the moon is really pretty tonight. Haha, you should go home earlier. I''ll go sleep now too, haha, bye bye!"

    Ning Xi blurted out her string of goodbye hastily and then disappeared within a second. She did not even know what she just said to Lu Tingxiao.

    Lu Tingxiao stayed at the same spot. First, he watched the back of the girl as she bolted away, then he lifted his head and looked into the darkness¡­

    Not until she had managed to run into her apartment and closed the door would Ning Xi''s heart finally calm down. She ran so fast that she almost tripped.

    After taking in several deep breaths, she took out her phone again.

    [My dear, agree to him and see what happens. I challenge you. ^_^ ¡ªYS]

    She did not misread the message. She recognized the evil smiley face that a certain someone liked to use when he threatened people!

    What was going on? Could it be that he was nearby?

    Ning Xi''s hands were trembling as she walked back and forth in her apartment repeatedly. Atst, she finally stopped specting wildly and just called him.

    The person on the other end of the phone seemed to tease her intentionally by not picking up immediately. Only when the phone was about to go to voicemail did he slowly answer in azy drawl, "Hello?"

    "Where are you?!" Ning Xi cut to the chase with her question.

    "Las Vegas."

    "Why are you messing with me?!"

    "Ha, if I was really nearby, did you think you would be able to call me right now?" the man teased in an unfriendly tone.

    "Did you get someone to spy on me?"

    "Pfft, don''t think so lowly of me."

    "I don''t care how you know! I''m asking you, what is it that you want to achieve?" Ning Xi took a deep breath to calm herself down as she asked through gritted teeth.

    "It''s a secret."

    "Pfft!"

    "My dear, be good. I hope there won''t be a next time for what happened tonight, understood?"

    "Hello¡­hello¡­hello¡­"

    The phone went dead. Ning Xi was so angry that she mmed her fist on the bed.

    ¡­

    After that night, Ning Xi went about every day anxiously. Her fear of having the guy suddenly appear out of nowhere tortured her mentally.

    She safely endured this until thest day of shooting.

    Finally, it was the final scene to be shot. Ning Xi had been tense sincest night and had not stop preparing herself.

    This scene was the setting before Meng Changge''s death and it was thest scene of the entire drama. It was even more climactic than Sun Huanqing''s death, so much so that even Ning Xi was not confident that she had what it took to deliver the scene.

    This was the first time in the entire drama shoot that Ning Xi was nervous. Because she was so deeply immersed in her character for the show, Ning Xi did not notice the weird looks she got when she appeared on set.

    Until Fang Ya walked right up to her and said, "Ning Xi, you''re finally here. There''s a letter for you! It looks like you have an admirer!"

    Ning Xi was still recalling Meng Changge''s life story to refine her character''s emotions before death. She was in a state of extreme nervousness, so even though she was physically present, her mind was elsewhere. Even though her eyes saw Fang Ya right in front of her, she did not hear what Fang Ya had said at all.

    Fang Ya held a pink colored letter in her hand, and on the corner of the letter was carved two very subtle alphabets: "YS".

    Fang Ya waved the letter in front of her and then said, "Aah, Ning Xi, you''re going through the script, aren''t you? Since you''re so busy, I''ll read this for you!"

 Chapter 346: â€œWonderfulâ€ Love Letter

    <h4>Chapter 346: ¡°Wonderful¡± Love Letter</h4>

    People around could not help butugh out loud at the contents of the letter.

    Fang Ya read it out loud, "Ah, my dearest Xi, I love you like how the mice love its rice¡­like how the cat loves its fish¡­like how the dog loves its bone¡­"

    Fang Ya read in aical, exaggerative tone as more and more people surrounded her, everyoneughing together.

    "Haha¡­this is too funny! This love letter is so old-fashioned! Did the person even graduate from primary school? Or maybe he stopped at kindergarten?"

    "There are still people who write love letter nowadays? I sure am drunk! Who is this guy?"

    "Is there still a need to ask? It must be some poor freaky fan!"

    ¡­

    "Be more serious! I¡¯m not done with reading!" Fang Ya red at them, then continued reading.

    "Now, I present you my sincerest wishes and love, for tomorrow night¡¯s celebration dinner. I¡¯ll bring you a present that will be the most honorable, most tempting, and most befitting of your wisdom and nobility!"

    Reading up to this point, Fang Ya could not hold it in anymore, "Haha¡­I can¡¯t go on anymore. This is too funny, somebody please save me! Not only does this man have no culture, he¡¯s such a moron! He sure talks big! A present that¡¯s ''the most honorable, and most tempting''! Is he going to send an excavator over to the dinner tomorrow? It sure fits Ning Xi¡¯s nobility!"

    Everyoneughed.

    "Maybe even a tractor!"

    "It might also be a truck full of cornbread."

    "Stop guessing wildly, a truck full of cornbread would cost a lot, you know? Tsk, still acting big while being poor, I¡¯ve had enough of this! People like these disgust me! How did Ning Xi get such disgusting admirers?"

    "Hehe, isn¡¯t there a saying that goes¡­you attract the kind of people who are simr to you?"

    ¡­

    The ce became even noisier. Ning Xi who was in the middle did not say anything at all this whole time, then she silenced everyone sharply, "Quiet."

    Fang Ya kept her mouth shut, and everyone lowered their voice.

    Next, Ning Xi just stood up with her script and walked through the crowd emotionlessly, straight towards Guo Qisheng¡¯s direction.

    Actually, while Fang Ya and the group were rambling on, Ning Xi had just been making random grunting noises without even knowing what they were talking about. She did not even notice the love letter as she was just trying to avoid any distraction and to focus on getting into her act.

    Everyone started to gossip more right after Ning Xi left.

    "Pfft! Why is this guy acting all big for?" Fang Ya tossed away the letter in disgust, thinking that Ning Xi just escaped in embarrassment. She sarcastically said, "Even she knows shame! Didn¡¯t she act all high and mighty before? Being the prettiest girl in the entertainment industry, having the most admirers and all! Getting endless gifts like flowers and diamonds on the first day of shooting! What now? The quality of her admirers is getting lower and lower!"

    "Those flowers and diamonds, must be sent by the uncultured goofball! How can theypare to a gentleman like Su Yan?"

    "Speaking of which, could it be that Ning Xi has found herself some supporters just to show her some face?"

    "It¡¯s possible since Ning Xueluo was getting all the spotlight from that real handsome gentleman Su Yan at that time. Perhaps she just didn¡¯t want to feel inferior."

    Listening up to this point, Fang Ya¡¯s eyes shone and she lowered her voice, telling everyone in a secretive tone, "Speaking of Su Yan, I¡¯m going to tell you guys a huge, shocking secret!"

 Chapter 347: Mysterious Surprise

    <h4>Chapter 347: Mysterious Surprise</h4>

    "A huge, shocking secret? What''s the secret? Tell us quickly!"

    "Yeah, stop teasing us!"

    Everyone loved gossip, what more if it was a secret. Almost everyone gathered in front of Fang Ya.

    Fang Ya was satisfied as everyone¡¯s anticipation was at a peak, and she announced dramatically, "During tomorrow night¡¯s celebration dinner, Su Yan will be proposing to Ning Xueluo!"

    As she finished, everyone''s jaw was gaping open¡­

    This was some really huge news!

    After a moment of stunned silence, everyone bombarded her with questions for details.

    "Oh, god! Is this true? A live proposal? How romantic!"

    "Fang Ya, how do you know about this?"

    Fang Ya dered proudly, "Ning Xueluo is my best friend, so of course, Su Yan¡¯s going to tell me beforehand and have me coordinate with him on the details! You had all better keep this a secret, and don¡¯t let Xueluo know. Otherwise, the cat is out of the bag!"

    "Okay, okay! We won''t say anything!" Everyone nodded in resonance.

    Fang Ya continued boasting, "Our celebration dinner tomorrow, the hotel amodation, and the banquet will all be sponsored by the Su family. It¡¯s probably going to be a big surprise!"

    "Wow! I¡¯m so envious of Ning Xueluo!"

    "Oh my gosh! This has to be the biggest news of the year! Just thinking about it makes me happy! Such an excellent man, and he''s putting in so much effort!"

    Suddenly, someone from the group asked, "Since Ning Xi has always beenpeting against Ning Xueluo, isn¡¯t she going to get really pissed off this time around?"

    Fang Ya scoffed, "Haha, don¡¯t you guys realize? Ning Xi must have already heard about Su Yan going to propose! Didn¡¯t you see how unhappy she was today?"

    Everyone thought for a while, then they suddenly realized, "No wonder, she does look like she''s down today. She''s in such a terrible mood!"

    Someone else suddenlyughed, "Haha, I suddenly thought about this - would the freaky fan of Ning Xi''s prepare a surprise at tomorrow¡¯s celebration dinner? If it were to sh with Su Yan¡¯s n, wouldn¡¯t it just make Ning Xi look bad?"

    "Haha¡­thinking about the love letter makes me want tough! How can someone be so weird?"

    "Who knows what he will bring!?"

    Fang Ya mumbled in disdain, "She brought it upon herself, affiliating herself with just anybody! Having all the lowly people around her, one cannot me her for being jealous of Xueluo!"

    After everyone dispersed, Fang Ya felt aplished. She then secretly texted Chang Li a message: [Sis Chang, everything is done. The rumours are spread! Even God is on our side because Ning Xi has a weird fan who¡¯s going to prepare her a surprise!]

    At the same time, at Country F, Ledoyen, a Michelin three star high ss restaurant.

    As the kitchen crew was busy preparing for the banquet, the executive chef suddenly received a call from Las Vegas.

    in stopped what he was doing. He took off his apron and passed it to his sous chef, and ordered them in a serious tone, "I¡¯m going to take off now to Country C, to be a sous chef for a dinner that was called for at thest minute. I¡¯ll leave everything here to you guys."

    The other chefs were shocked, and they looked at each other in confusion, "Right now, at this very moment? Your schedule usually needs to be booked at least half a year in advance, no matter how honorable the customer is. Howe this time¡­"

 Chapter 348: â€œThe Worldâ€ Ended

    <h4>Chapter 348: ¡°The World¡± Ended</h4>

    "I didn¡¯t hear it wrong, did I? You said you were going to be the sous chef, so who is the head chef? Who is qualified enough for you to be his or her assistant?"

    "To be able to be this person¡¯s assistant is my honor," in spoke with respect.

    The other chefs were in disbelief. To be able to make in voluntarily be the sous chef, they could stab a guess at who this master was. But to be able to invite this master was another ball game altogether, so who was hosting this dinner?

    Out of curiosity, one of the chefs asked, "I wonder whose dinner are you preparing for this time?"

    in was not sure, "I didn¡¯t ask much, I only know that one of them is ady called Ning Xi."

    "Ning Xi? Who is that?" Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Suddenly, one of them remembered something and asked, "Your student, William Fee, is from Country C as well. Maybe he might know who this honorabledy is. Will he be joining her for dinner?"

    "William?" in asked, then shook his head, "If I''ve been appointed as just the sous chef, he wouldn¡¯t be qualified."

    "Ohh¡­" Everyone''s respect for in swelled.

    ¡­

    Ning Xi had no idea about this change in the Michelin-starred kitchen. She was focused on discussing her scene with Guo Qisheng and the screenwriter Ye Linglong.

    After some time preparing, Ning Xi gathered her confidence, took a deep breath and told Guo Qisheng, "Director, I can do it now!"

    "Good!" Guo Qisheng patted her shoulder and said, "Let¡¯s begin!"

    Guo Qisheng informed all the departments to set up, then used the loudspeaker to shout, "Three, two, one! Action!"

    Everyone went silent when the shooting started.

    It was finally thest scene, the ending for "The World". All three of them were dead: the spy, Princess Xian and the corrupted emperor¡­

    Meng Changge finally got her revenge.

    Her next target for revenge was the world that had abandoned and betrayed the brave souls in her Meng family. Yet, at thest moment, with the blood of historical generals in her lineage, she could not bring herself to do it.

    In the end, she chose to jump off the cliff, and in doing so, granted the male protagonist¡¯s wish¡­

    Ning Xi struggled a lot with this scene as she could not decide what feelings to portray when Meng Changgemitted suicide.

    Was Meng Changge feeling angry, was she unwilling, or was she in despair?

    Ning Xi almost went crazy thinking about this.

    Nevertheless, Ning Xi performed the scene perfectly.

    Meng Changge was dressed in a bright red bride outfit, as she held Sun Huanqing¡¯s memorial tablet to her chest. She was devoid of any anger and reluctance, and neither was there any despair nor nostalgia. She just had the apprehension of a little girl on her face, as if she was reliving her first meeting with Sun Huanqing. She closed her eyes, put on a contented smile, and jumped down¡­

    The way Ning Xi chose to portray the character was to perform as her original true self. She turned Meng Changge into the carefree little girl she once was in her final moments.

    The scene of jumping off the cliff was extremely poignant. There was not an obvious element of sadness, but almost everyone at the set teared up, feeling empty, and felt like they had lost something important¡­

    The original ending was to have Meng Changge die in the hands of the male and female protagonist. Yet, after this rearrangement, while it only seemed like a difference between suicide and homicide, it set apletely different tone to the ending.

    Thest scene was finished.

    "The World" had ended.

 Chapter 349: Cursed Love Letter

    <h4>Chapter 349: Cursed Love Letter</h4>

    "We''re done! We''re finally done!" Everyone started to cheer, some were even so emotional that they could not stop their tears from flowing down their faces.

    Ning Xi too was grateful beyond words. Her first drama had finallye to an end.

    When she returned to her private rest room, Ning Xi slumped in exhaustion onto her dressing table without even changing out of her set clothes.

    This was when Xiao Tao rushed into her room eximing, "Sis Xi, you''re finally done shooting!"

    Ning Xi waved weakly, "What''s wrong now, my dear? If there''s anything, could you tell meter? My brain is a little foggy right now, I can''t really think¡­"

    Xiao Tao could not wait, "It can''t wait, Sis Xi! Do you know what the drama team has been saying about you behind your back?"

    "What? What about me?" She only shot a scene, what could possibly have happened?

    Xiao Tao anxiously said, "Fang Ya already read out that love letter in front of you. Why are you still confused?"

    "Uhh¡­I think Fang Ya did read something, although I don''t know what, in front of me earlier. What did you say that was? A love letter?" Ning Xi was surprised.

    She was immersed in her character in preparation for the scene earlier. All she knew was that the group of people had been making a lot of noise in front of her, but she was clueless as to what had happened.

    Xiao Tao threw her hands up in defeat. She handed the wrinkly crumpled up pink letter to her, "See for yourself!"

    Ning Xi gathered her senses and scratched her head and she took the letter. She started to read it to herself, "Aah, my dearest Xi, I love you¡­like how a mouse loves its rice¡­like how a cat loves its fish¡­like how a puppy loves its bone¡­What is this?! Haha¡­"

    Ning Xi could not continue reading it any longer, she almost choked withughter.

    What was this crap!?

    Who knew that in her lifetime, she would see such a cursed love letter?

    If one''s Chinese was so poor, one shouldn''t try to show off!

    It really was so terrible to read¡­

    It even hurt the eyes and such horriblenguage was akin tomitting a sin¡­

    "What the hell is ''a present that will be the most honorable, most tempting, and most befitting of your wisdom and nobility''?"

    "Honorable" was okay, but what was up with "the most tempting" part?

    What nonsense was this bastard thinking of pulling?

    The more Xiao Tao thought about it, the more she became worried, "Sis Xi, you don''t know this, but everyone is waiting to watch you make a fool of yourself! I even heard that for tomorrow night''sunch, Su Yan is preparing to give Ning Xueluo a big surprise. It''s highly likely that he''s going to propose!

    "Your¡­your unknown admirer also said that he wants to prepare a big surprise for you¡­With the proposal inparison, you''re going to be so embarrassed! Sis Xi, for the celebration dinner tomorrow, please don''t let him appear. The ce will be filled with media. Or else¡­or else you would really be humiliated¡­"

    "Haha¡­" Ning Xiughed bitterly and sighed.

    You think I want this to happen? She thought to herself. Even if I willed it not to happen, what power do I have?

    Ning Xi clenched the letter in her fist and looked drearily. It seemed like she would not be able to evade him this round. Right now, she could only console herself that she would rather that asshole torture her than for him to mess with Lu Tingxiao¡­

    ¡­

    In a blink of an eye, it was the day of the celebration dinner.

    Ning Xi''sst scene yesterday used up so much of her energy that she still had not recovered. She looked listless.

    She usually went into character as quickly as she could revert to herself after shooting. However, with a situation like yesterday''s, she had immersed herself entirely into the scene without any reservations. To detach herself from the character again would take quite some time.

    To put it simply, the current Ning Xi was still one half of Meng Changge''s soul.

 Chapter 350: I Will Conquer The World For You

    <h4>Chapter 350: I Will Conquer The World For You</h4>

    Xiao Tao became very anxious as she thought that Ning Xi had suffered from the blow of the gossip and could not bring herself to be energetic. She did not have any idea what to do, so she could only follow Ling Zhizhi''s orders to function as always and y by ear.

    Today''s main highlight would definitely be Ning Xueluo, so Ling Zhizhi''s only request to Ning Xi today was only one word, "stable".

    Ning Xi painted her face with makeup decently, not wanting to stand out, and she wore a champagne colored Chanel gown from thetest fall/winter collection.

    The dinner was held at Imperial''s only six-star hotel.

    Ning Xi had reached a little early and saw that all around her were busy crew members still decorating the area. It was filled with red roses and heart-shaped balloons. It would have to take a blind person to ignore that these were clearly preparations for a marriage proposal.

    Apart from that, the hotel was also filled with all sorts of gift baskets. They were from coborationpanies and fans. It was so full that there was almost nowhere to walk.

    Ning Xi briefly skimmed thevish gifts and saw that at the corner was a gift basketbeled, "Ning Xi''s Global Fan Club". Her heart was warmed.

    She even had a fan club now¡­

    Even though it was not muchpared to Ning Xueluo and Zhao Sizhou''s gifts, she was already very happy.

    However, Xiao Tao clearly felt disappointed. She thought about how few gifts Ning Xi received. How stingy of them! When the reporters see thister, they wouldn''t even know what to write!

    She recalled with a sigh that when she used to attend to Leng Manyun, everyunch dinner of hers was filled with mountains of gifts.

    Now she might even be shamed together with Ning Xi, for even someone of Ning Xueluo''s status to overshadow them. Her friends were going ces in this industry but only she went from being at the peak of everyone''s envy to the bottom of the pit. The more she thought about it, the sadder she got¡­

    This was when Fang Ya and the bunch started to make an entrance with lots of noise.

    "Wah! The ce is decorated so beautifully! This is too dreamy!"

    "I wonder how much all these cost! Even just booking the entire hotel would cost an astronomical sum already! The hotel really earned it this time!"

    "Come on. Thetest most popr female actress and the man with the highest worth are romantically making a pact of their love here. With such a sensational news, this hotel could use it to promote itself too. Of course, they wouldn''t miss this opportunity!"

    ¡­

    When the crowd was done with their oohing and aahing, they all giggled with their hands covering their mouths as they looked at Ning Xi''s little fan-gifted gift basket.

    "What''s this that Ning Xi''s fan gave her? Just a little gift basket?"

    "Why is she standing there then? She wouldn''t be looking for that pleb''s surprise, would she?"

    "Expecting something from that weirdo? She must have been too provoked by Xueluo¡­"

    Fang Ya''s face was full of delight as she looked at Ning Xi and she arrogantly repeated the words from the other night, "Sigh, if there was nothing topare to, there wouldn¡¯t be any hard feelings now!"

    When she heard such a piercing insult, Xiao Tao could not tolerate it any longer and she was so angry that she cried on the spot, "These people are too mean! How can they do this?"

    Ning Xi sighed and touched Xiao Tao''s head. She said softly, "Xiao Tao, be good. This is only temporary. I won''t let you suffer with me! One day, I will conquer the world for you!"

    Xiao Tao instantlyughed through her tears, as she said with red cheeks, "Sis Xi, I hate you! You''re teasing me again!"

    Seeing the girlugh, Ning Xi was finally relieved.

    Actually, she was fine with being unhappy for a short while. Such a petty thing was really nothing to her. But what she could not stand most was to let the people around her suffer with her, because of her.

 Chapter 351: Iron Chef William Fee

    <h4>Chapter 351: Iron Chef William Fee</h4>

    Night arrived and the hall was lit brightly.

    The drama team''s core production members, partners, and media members entered the venue.

    As they explored the huge banquet hall towork, the drama team''s members glowed in pride.

    "My God! This is too amazing! Have you seen any otherunching dinner this grand? I must take more pictures to make my friends jealous!"

    "Haha, then I might as well directly start a live feed! I think it would get many views!"

    "This time we''ve all got Xueluo to thank for!"

    "Right, where''s Xueluo herself? Is she here yet?"

    "What''s the rush? Of course, the lead character must make a grand final entrance!"

    As soon as that was said, Ning Xueluo, who was dressed in a body-hugging white dress with a train, walked in gracefully while being surrounded by the media.

    Fang Ya and the rest immediately went up to her. Fang Ya clung onto Ning Xueluo''s arm in a friendly way and said, "Xueluo, you''re finally here! You look so pretty today!"

    Ning Xueluo looked at her and said radiantly, "Nah, just the usual!"

    Everyone around her started topliment her one after another, "Xueluo, your outfit today is really gorgeous! It''s so elegant and your figure looks so good!"

    "Ah, what do you lot know? It''s not about the dress, it''s the glow of love!" someone else added.

    Ning Xueluo covered her face teasingly and said, "You guys areughing at me again!"

    Fang Ya intentionally picked up a spoon to pretend it was a mic and started mock interviewing, "Miss Ning Xueluo, I''d like to interview you for a little. How do you feel like, having such a perfect boyfriend?"

    Ning Xueluo smiled sweetly, "Stop messing around! Everyone, eat more tonight. Su Yan has specially invited a three star Michelin chef from Hong Sing!"

    The crowd instantly eximed, "Wow! Michelin! And three star too! My God! Your Su Yan is too generous, how much would this meal cost?"

    "A Michelin star invited from Hong Sing? Could it be William Fee?"

    As Ning Xueluo listened to the crowd''s exmation, she pretended to nonchntly look towards Ning Xi''s direction and casually answered, "It''s him. The other day I saw him in a magazine and just casually mentioned him. Who knew? Su Yan really did manage to invite him over."

    All the girls around were jealous¡­

    "Ah! Please have pity on us single ones and stop showing off your perfect boyfriend!"

    "Please, even if you had someone, you wouldn''t be as loving as them!"

    Ning Xueluo looked at them and said, "Alright, that''s enough for now! You guys have fun, I''m going over there for a bit."

    "Okay, okay, stop talking to us. Go look for your Su Yan!"

    ¡­

    Xiao Tao who was apanying Ning Xi in the corner was so angry that her spoon was almost bent from her incessant hands fiddling and bending it. "Damn it, damn it, damn it! They actually invited the Iron Chef William Fee! My biggest wish is to enjoy a meal cooked by him! Who knew it would happen under such circumstances! This is making me lose my appetite¡­"

    "William Fee¡­" Ning Xi seemed to mumble absentmindedly.

    "Yeah!" Xiao Tao said with much gusto, "If you don''t know William Fee, you should know in Passa, right? He''s the head chef at France''s top Michelin restaurant! William Fee is his student and he''s especially famous and very difficult to book. To enjoy such a meal,moners like me would go bankrupt to afford it!"

    Ning Xi listened and did not say anything. Of course, she knew William Fee.

    Many years ago, there was a time when she loved to watch the Masterchef TV series. Her favourite chef was called William Fee, and every day after school she would drool in front of the television screen. At that time, Su Yan had teased her and said, "Just you wait for the day of our wedding banquet. I''ll invite William Fee to cook for us!"

    Hah, who knew it would be this painful to look back into the past¡­

 Chapter 352: A Grand Proposal

    <h4>Chapter 352: A Grand Proposal</h4>

    Before the banquet began, the producer, director, and main casts went up the stage to give their speeches.

    After everyone¡¯s turn, the emcee came back up on stage, "Today, we have a gentleman, who¡¯s going to borrow the stage and say a few words, let¡¯s wee him!"

    Everyone cheered loudly as they realized it was time for Su Yan¡¯s proposal. All the media partners were ready with their equipment, and everyone took videos with their phones enthusiastically.

    Ning Xi sat on the left wing closest to the stage. Seated amongst the crowd, Ning Xueluo excitedly looked at the man who was slowly walking up on stage and then sneered at Ning Xi¡¯s direction.

    Su Yan wore a white suit tonight, which matched Ning Xueluo¡¯s white mermaid-cut dress. They fit each other like two peas in the same pod.

    Su Yan picked up the mic looking a bit bashful and said, "Sorry, I¡¯m a little nervous. Allow me to alm myself down."

    The crowd chuckled lightly and waited in anticipation.

    After a few seconds, Su Yan looked at Ning Xueluo with an affectionate gaze, and he slowly started in a gentle tone, "Xueluo, it was five years ago that I first saw you in your garden. You looked like an angel in your white dress, and it was at that moment that I fell in love with you. The next time we met, you wore a blue school uniform, and you called me Bro Yan. It was at that moment that I made a lifelong promise to you. These five years, from meeting to knowing each other, we¡¯ve sharedughter together, we¡¯ve even shed tears together, we¡¯ve been through happiness and also through setbacks. But thankfully, after all this, we¡¯re still together¡­"

    Most of the girls could hardly stand such a heartfelt situation, and there was barely a dry eye in the room. Even Xiao Tao who did not like Ning Xueluo felt touched after hearing what Su Yan said.

    It was then that she realized Ning Xi had an odd look on her face¡­

    "Sis¡­Sis Xi¡­what happened? Are you alright? You don¡¯t look good¡­are you feeling ill?"

    Ning Xi frowned, "It¡¯s alright."

    Hah, fell in love at first sight¡­lifelong promise, indeed!

    When Su Yan had just known Ning Xueluo, he had not even broken up with Ning Xi, but he had fallen in love with another woman and even given her his promise¡­

    Tears and setback?

    It seemed like she was their tears and setback, the obstacle on their path towards true love¡­

    On stage, Su Yan held a diamond ring, knelt down on one knee, "Xueluo, will you marry me? Let me take care of you forever!"

    "Say yes to him!"

    "Just say yes!"

    "Xueluo,e on!"

    ¡­

    The crowd was helping Su Yan to get a favorable reply from Ning Xueluo.

    Ning Xueluo covered her mouth as she shed tears of joy.

    Everyone cleared a path for Ning Xueluo to walk slowly up on stage towards Su Yan, with Su Yan looking absolutely nervous before she said, "I do."

    "Oh! Kiss already!"

    "Kiss him! Kiss him!"

    ¡­

    With the crowd cheering on, Ning Xueluo looked down victoriously at Ning Xi who was drowned out by the people.

    Ning Xi, see? The man that you loved the most belongs to me now!

    Ning Xi had no expression on her face, not even sadness. Ning Xueluo¡¯s only trick was to provoke her with the things she cared about.

    But what Ning Xueluo was using against her now was already worthless to her.

    On the stage, the picture-perfect couple kissed each other passionately. sh lights shined, as a lot of people were shooting the video live, fuelling it as a hot topic online¡­

    This grand proposal would sit as the top news headline for quite some time. Soon after the proposal, the banquet began¡­

 Chapter 353: The Most Tempting Gift

    <h4>Chapter 353: The Most Tempting Gift</h4>

    After the proposal, the next highlight would be the dishes of the night.

    There was no shortage of food aficionados tonight, including some food columnists and famous food bloggers, all of them excitedly anticipating the main chef William Fee.

    Just the banquet itself was already ster enough for the headline.

    Unexpectedly, among the crowd, Fang Ya yelled, "Ah, I suddenly remembered something!"

    Fang Ya''s loud voice drew the attention of almost everyone.

    As she had everyone¡¯s attention, she faked curiosity and looked at Ning Xi who was in the corner, "Ning Xi, didn¡¯t the romantic admirer who wrote you the love letter yesterday mention that he was going to give you a surprise? Why haven¡¯t we seen anything yet?"

    Upon this reminder, the crowd got excited and the hall was filled with chatter.

    "Right, the love letter even mentioned that he would prepare something that was most honorable, most tempting, and make one wouldn¡¯t able to resist it!"

    "He''s got all of us curious, how exciting!"

    ¡­

    "What surprise? Is there going to be another surprise?" some confused media reporters asked.

    "Well, it¡¯s our other lead actress, Ning Xi. Yesterday, she received a passionate love letter!" exined Fang Ya, taking out a pink letter.

    When she saw the letter, Xiao Tao turned pale and eximed, "How in the world¡­? I¡¯ve already thrown the letter away! How did she get it?!"

    Ning Xi frowned.

    "Sis Xi, it was my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have just thrown it away, I should have destroyed it! How¡­what should I do now¡­" Xiao Tao anxiously stammered.

    Ning Xi patted her back andforted her, "It¡¯s okay, it was just a love letter. Fang Ya publicly vited my privacy and the media won''t take too kindly to that. We can fight backter on!"

    Xiao Tao was about to cry, "But you¡¯ve already lost face¡­there are so many people today¡­it¡¯s all my fault¡­"

    Fang Ya recited the contents of the letter all over again to the public, and even passed the love letter around. Almost everyone read through it, and there was even a reporter taking pictures of it whileughing hard¡­

    Su Yan raised his brows, "Does Xiao Xi¡¯s admirer have some sort of mental problem? Will she be okay?"

    Ning Xueluo hid her evil grin, "From the tone of the letter, it¡¯s a little odd, most probably from a poor pleb that found mental support by worshipping celebrities. There are actually a lot of people like that, it''s just Ning Xi''s luck that that guy chose her¡­"

    When Fang Ya finished reading, she walked up to Ning Xi, "How was it, Ning Xi? Why don¡¯t you say anything? Where¡¯s your surprise? Everyone¡¯s waiting!"

    "Yeah, yeah! Urge him for the surprise! We¡¯re really looking forward to it!"

    "Speaking of which, that pleb wouldn¡¯t really send a truck of cornbread, would he?"

    "I¡¯ve never really eaten cornbread before! Looks like I''ll get to try something new tonight¡­"

    ¡­

    A lot of people were taking pictures, and some even took live videos. Everyone waited to watch what was going to happen.

    In the corner, Xiao Tao was really embarrassed and med herself, crying profusely. Ning Xi could not stand girls crying, so she tried really hard tofort her. Then, there happened to be an annoying reporter who saw Xiao Tao and rudely pointed his camera in front of Xiao Tao¡¯s face¡­

    As Ning Xi was going to tell the reporter off, "Bam!", the door to the banquet hall opened from outside.

    Everyone looked over to see the owner of the hotel himself standing at the doorstep, followed by a tall and heavy-built male Caucasian¡­

 Chapter 354: Awesome Food Plus Handsome Man Combo

    <h4>Chapter 354: Awesome Food Plus Handsome Man Combo</h4>

    Somewhere in the crowd, someone¡¯s utensils fell and made a loud ttering sound.

    The food journalist who kept on praising William Fee suddenly stood up, staring at the man behind the hotel owner, and excitedly said, "William¡­Fee¡­"

    People used to only see him on magazine covers, but tonight they got to see him in the flesh.

    Compared to the magazine covers, William Fee carried amanding aura. A number of actresses tried to get their act together and attempted to get his attention.

    With his rugged Caucasian looks and his international fame, he looked very manly as well.

    "The one at the entrance looks like the hotel owner, but, who¡¯s the man behind him?" some guests who had never seen him before asked.

    "It¡¯s William Fee himself!" the food journalist excitedly yelled.

    "Ah? He¡¯s William Fee! What a handsome man! I thought he¡¯s some big shot celebrity!"

    Upon hearing that he was William Fee, many guests hurried over and asked for a picture together. William Fee smiled lightly, and he did not reject the requests, fulfiling them all one by one.

    Xiao Tao clenched her fists tightly and looked back at Ning Xi, frustratedly she said, "It was all for the hype! They even let William Fee take pictures with the guests so that there would be a lot more for the reporters to write about tomorrow - romantic proposals, the famous William Fee and what not¡­"

    Ning Xi shook her head and hinted to Xiao Tao to stop talking. In a public event like this, it would be better to speak less to avoid unnecessary attention and trouble.

    Luckily, everyone was so focused on William Fee that they did not hear what Xiao Tao said.

    "It¡¯s true, Ning Xueluo¡¯s acting skills aren''t better than yours. Her looks and characters aren¡¯t evenparable to yours, but why is it that she always gets the limelight!?" Xiao Taoined, feeling unfair on behalf of Ning Xi.

    From Xiao Tao¡¯s perspective, Ning Xi¡¯s outlook and acting skills were far superior to Ning Xueluo''s, and most importantly, her character was so much better too!

    Ning Xueluo had carved a very strong presence among the shooting crew and seemed very easy to get along with, but little did most people know. As Xiao Tao had been following Ning Xi, she was could see through Ning Xueluo''s intentions.

    They had always said that Ning Xi was jealous of Ning Xueluo and tried topete for attention with her when in truth, Ning Xi did not care at all, and it was Ning Xueluo¡¯s who tried to provoke her every time.

    ¡­

    "I¡¯m very honored to be serving dinner to Miss Ning personally tonight, and I¡¯m happy for Mr. Su Yan¡¯s sessful proposal!" William Fee walked up the stage with poise and spoke to Ning Xueluo and Su Yan warmly.

    "I¡¯m honored as well to have you here, Mr. Fee," Ning Xueluo smiled.

    "Thank you, my friend!" Su Yan hugged William Fee like long-lost friends.

    The banquet hall was in an uproar.

    For a renowned chef like William Fee to be invited to a celebration dinner such as this was no easy feat; he was regarded as one of the top celebrities in the world. It was only because of Su Yan¡¯s rtionship with him that he promised to show up.

    "Oh my god, Xueluo must be the happiest woman on earth!"

    "If someone would put this much effort in for me¡­"

    "Stop daydreaming, not everyone is able to invite William Fee to their dinner. There¡¯s only one Su Yan, and there¡¯s also only one William Fee!"

    A bunch of actresses behind Ning Xueluo talked endlessly in excited, high-pitched voices.

    "A top chef like William Fee is so difficult to book, what more as he¡¯s in Passa¡¯s student. With such an outstanding profile, there aren''t many who can afford him!"

    "Alright,dies and gentlemen, I will be preparing the banquet for everyone. Please wait patiently!" William Fee left the banquet hall and went on to prepare dinner.

    As he left, a bunch of food journalists quickly trailed after him as they did not want to miss any opportunity to take his picture.

    Abination of mouth-watering cooking plus a handsome man - what a hot topic!

    A while after William Fee and the bunch of journalists left, the banquet hall door opened again. Everyone thought William Fee was done preparing dinner, but it wasn¡¯t him. Instead, it was a middle-aged foreign chef standing in the doorway¡­

 Chapter 355: Such A Surprise, And So Unexpected

    <h4>Chapter 355: Such A Surprise, And So Unexpected</h4>

    "Why is there another chef now?" Fang Ya looked the man who had just entered, d in a chef''s uniform and she was slightly suspicious. "Anyone knows who this chef is?"

    Everyone in the banquet hall shook their head and was lost. They were not gourmet journalists, thus naturally, they would not know who this man was.

    Only Ning Xi who was in the corner stared inplete surprise.

    Why did this chef look a little like in Passa, master to Iron Chef William Fee?

    But Ning Xi dared not confirm this, so she did not say anything. He probably only looked simr to the famous chef.

    "Honorable guests, I am here to prepare the banquet for Miss Ning!" the chef said.

    "Prepare the banquet?"

    "That''s weird, is it for Xueluo? But isn''t the head chef of the banquet William Fee?"

    "Where did this chefe from?"

    Ning Xueluo looked at Su Yan who was confused as well and suddenly thought of something. She reminded softly to Fang Ya, "I think this is for Ning Xi!"

    Fang Ya suddenly understood andughed out loud. She raised her voice and said, "Ahh¡­it turns out this is the chef that will be preparing the banquet dinner for our Ning Xi over here! Could it be that this was the pleb admirer''s surprise for Ning Xi? Haha, this really is such an unexpected surprise!"

    When they heard Fang Ya said that, everyone in the drama team suddenly understood and looked at Ning Xi. Theyughed mockingly at her.

    Indeed, if there were noparisons, they would be no hard feelings¡­

    Thisparison and the damage done was beyondparison¡­

    Su Yan had invited Michelin chef William Fee who was known as the Iron Chef, so who did Ning Xi''s admirer invite? Which back alley restaurant''s head chef was this? He even specifically invited a Caucasian to look the part!

    "Haha, that pleb admirer is really creative! He even thought of the same idea as Su Yan, but¡­if you don''t have the same capabilities, don''t humiliate yourselves then¡­"

    "Eh, look. That chef actually brought his own setup here. Maybe he wants to prepare and serve the dishes himself? He''s indeed a big chef, aye!"

    The crowd started tough hysterically at thements thrown. Some actresses evenughed until they teared up.

    Even though they expected that Ning Xi would be humiliated today, the extent of the humiliation was truly surprising.

    ¡­

    The Caucasian chef continued to be very calm throughout the sneers and jeers, continuing to take out his equipment. Anyone familiar with the food and beverage industry could easily see that these were luxurious knife sets being taken out.

    However, despite these equipment being expensive beyondparison, it was hard to notice anything outstanding about them on the surface.

    Seeing that the chef bring out his own set of equipment, Fang Ya and everyone elseughed even more hysterically. The sneers droned on one after another, mercilessly.

    In the corner, Xiao Tao''s face was beet red. She wished there was a hole she could hide in.

    Many eyes fell on Ning Xi as they waited for the joke to unravel further. She must already feel really embarrassed, and now the chef was putting on aedy show!

    Ning Xueluo was about to say something when the gourmet journalists who followed William Fee out earlier finally returned. They surrounded William who had just finished preparing the banquet course.

    The hotel waiters carefully served the appetizer of scallop with white truffles to all the guests.

 Chapter 356: For Miss Ning

    <h4>Chapter 356: For Miss Ning</h4>

    All the gourmet journalists were busy trying to record the serving of the appetizer.

    Then, one of the journalists suddenly saw the calm Caucasian chef and in that instant, his mind turned nk like thunder had struck him. He suddenly forgot about taking pictures and spluttered in disbelief, "My¡­My God! in Passa! No way, it''s actually in Passa! Mr. in Passa, what are you doing here?"

    "in Passa? Who''s that journalist talking about?"

    "I don''t know, who''s that? Why is that journalist being so emotional¡­" The guests who were unaware of the man''s identity looked at each other in confusion while the other gourmet journalists were floored in awe.

    When the gourmet journalists had returned to their senses, they started to excitedly exin to those around them, "in Passa! He is the head chef at F country''s three star Michelin restaurant, Ledoyan! F country''s recognized number one master of cookery!"

    Fang Ya''s face was bbergasted when she heard that, "That Caucasian chef is someone famous? Can hepare to our William Fee?"

    One of the gourmet show hosts looked at Fang Ya like she was an idiot, and said, "That William Fee is a so-called Iron Chef but he can only go ces in a restaurant like Hong Sing. This Mr. in Passa, on the other hand, is William Fee''s master, he''s the authentic Iron Chef, do you understand?"

    "What? William Fee''s master?!" Fang Ya finally reacted in shock.

    "F country''s number one master of cookery? That''s so freaking cool!"

    "Why would he suddenly be here? Even money can''t buy such a chef! You''d probably need to book at least half a year in advance?"

    "You''re right, I remember now. Thest time there was a very famous artiste who wanted to invite him for her birthday banquet, and said that no matter how much it would cost her, she''d fork out the money. s, she didn''t manage to invite him! Rumour was that he thought she was too low ranking¡­"

    "Are you sure? How did the pleb manage to invite someone this amazing?"

    ¡­

    Behind the gourmet journalists, William Fee was approaching them when he lifted his head and immediately saw the Caucasian chef in the banquet. He was bewildered.

    He quickly went up to greet the chef and said, "Master!"

    Once William Fee addressed him as "Master", all the guests present were dumbfounded, and no one was doubtful anymore. This man was really William Fee''s master¡­

    "Mmm." in Passa''s expression was serious as he briefly nodded.

    "You¡­why are you here?" William Fee asked in surprise.

    Then, a guest exined, "Mr. in Passa is also here to be in charge of this banquet! He said it was for Miss Ning!"

    Once that was rified, all the gourmet journalists were blown away by the atrocity of the situation¡­

    Fang Ya quickly thought about something. She then eximed, "My God! Just now, Mr. in Passa said he was preparing this for Miss Ning, and I thought it was for Ning Xi. Who knew, it was actually Xueluo he meant¡­Right, I''m so stupid! Xueluo''s surname is Ning too¡­"

    When everyone else heard this, they echoed her, "You''re right! Everyone''s misunderstood, this is embarrassing!"

    "Actually, we shouldn''t me ourselves. Su Yan had already invited William Fee, who knew that he had also invited William Fee''s master!"

    "Xueluo, you better watch your man!"

    ¡­

    As she watched the crowd''s envy for her, Ning Xueluo heart was full of surprise and happiness. She intimately clung onto Su Yan''s arm and gave him a shy kiss, "Yan, thank you, I''m too surprised, too happy, and too lucky today!"

 Chapter 357: Whos The Head Chef Tonight?

    <h4>Chapter 357: Who''s The Head Chef Tonight?</h4>

    Su Yan''s expression was stiff, "Xueluo, actually¡­"

    Ning Xueluoughed slightly, "Yan, don''t be shy now! You''re good to me, I know!"

    Everyone started to tease them yfully, "Aiyo, don''t be shy now! There''s nothing shameful about spoiling your wife! We almost thought that that pleb invited him for Ning Xi, but we were so wrong. How could he possibly have? This is so funny, how could shepare to our beautiful goddess Xueluo!"

    "Exactly! Su Yan''s surprise is really mind-blowing! He''s frightened all of us now!"

    "Exactly, look at how emotional all those gourmet journalists were!"

    "And he almost made us have such a huge misunderstanding!"

    ¡­

    Su Yan wanted to exin, but as he saw the crowd wasplimenting him non-stop and his Ning Xueluo full of pride, he did not have the chance to tell the truth in the end. The truth was that he really did not invite this person.

    Then, who could it possibly have been?

    Could it be that the hotel owner invited him, to make him owe him one?

    Well, it could be possible¡­

    Once he thought about the possibility of that, he felt reassured. He put on a humble expression and no longer denied the crowd''spliments.

    In the corner, Xiao Tao was full of anger and sadness, "So what if you were rich? I''m so angry, he even invited the master over. Even if it was really delicious, I won''t eat it¡­"

    Ning Xi sighed lightly and patted Xiao Tao to console her. At the same time, her eyes shed as she felt suspicious.

    She had heard of F country''s master of cookery, in Passa, too. However logically, for such a small scale banquet like this, even if they followed his rules and made a booking in advance, and managed to get a slot with a hefty upfront payment, it was below him to have attended such an event. How did Su Yan manage to invite him over?

    Since his master was personally preparing the food, William Fee naturally took the ce of second-inmand. He stood at the spot of sous chef.

    There was an open-style cooking table at the banquet, and it seemed like he was preparing to cook on the spot.

    This was such a visually and tastefully pleasing grand banquet!

    At the banquet, everyone watched in Passa with full anticipation. All their mouths involuntarily drooled as they anticipated the grand feast.

    Yet, for some reason, in Passa did not walk to the head chef''s position as expected. Instead, he walked to the sous chef position where William Fee was at.

    "Master, you are¡­?" William Fee was confused.

    in Passa''s expression was serious as he looked at his student and said, "You can leave now for this banquet, I will be taking on the sous chef position."

    "What?!" William Fee''s face was full of shock as he asked, "You¡­you''re going to be sous chef? Aren''t you tonight''s head chef?"

    "I''m not," in Passa denied.

    "Then¡­then who''s tonight''s head chef?" William Fee was officially dumbfounded.

    in Passa said with utmost respect, "Wait till he gets here, then you''ll know."

    After he said that, he paused and told his student, "This is also considered a rare opportunity to learn. Perhaps you should stay a while and watch from the side."

    When William Fee heard this, he was not too happy. Who was this person that denied him even the opportunity of being a sous chef, to only watch idly from the side?

    He received fame at a young age and was arrogant. How could he handle such an insult? Yet, he dared not go against his master''s orders, and could only reluctantly move to a corner, "Okay, understood."

    Initially, the guests watched William Fee take up the spot of sous chef. Then, they saw in Passa walk to the sous chef spot and atst, William Fee unexpectedly had no ce to stand at all and was sent all the way to the corner¡­

 Chapter 358: My Thigh Is Bruised From Pinching

    <h4>Chapter 358: My Thigh Is Bruised From Pinching</h4>

    Everyone was dumbfounded.

    "What¡­what is happening?"

    "I don¡¯t know! Seems like someone else ising!"

    "It seems like in Passa is just the sous chef. The actual head chef isn¡¯t here yet!"

    A food journalist almost hyperventted, "Oh my god! This is crazy! At his level, in Passa¡¯s just a sous chef? Who is this head chef?"

    Another food blogger made a praying gesture, "I¡¯m already grateful enough to have the opportunity to see one master in my lifetime, maybe, maybe¡­I¡¯d be honored enough to see the legendary one¡­"

    "Who is it?" someone asked.

    "For in to only be the sous chef, who else could it be?" the food blogger raised an eyebrow mysteriously.

    All the other food journalists and bloggers thought of the only one person that fit the criteria simultaneously, although it was unbelievable. The hall started to splutter in disbelief, "This¡­this is impossible¡­"

    "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible!"

    "There''s no way that anyone can invite that person! Or else I¡¯ll swallow this wine ss!"

    "And I¡¯ll swallow this spoon!"

    ¡­

    Time passed slowly and five minutes went by.

    With everyone¡¯s expectations in limbo, the banquet hall¡¯s door opened once again.

    The first person to walk in was an elderly foreigner in a neat uniform, followed by a team that was obviously well-disciplined. The old man led them in slowly and calmly.

    The hotel owner saw the old man and went up to him, stretching his hands out excitedly, "Mr. Danial, you¡¯re finally here! We¡¯ve prepared everything already! It''s all just waiting for you!"

    The man nodded, politely shook hands with the owner, then walked to the position of head chef.

    in who was at the sous chef position took a stiff 90-degree bow, then personally tied an apron on Mr. Danial, and prepared some lemon water for him to clean his hands.

    When William who was sulking at the corner saw the older man, his eyes almost fell out and he started stammering, "M¡­master Danial¡­how is it possible¡­I¡­am I dreaming¡­?"

    He pinched himself and winced at the pain.

    Master Danial had been his idol ever since he started his chef career; the man had a special ce in William¡¯s heart.

    He would have no regrets even if he could watch his idol from afar, what more now as he could observe him at such a close distance!

    His disappointment at not being able to perform dissipated into joy!

    Those who had said they would swallow wine sses and spoons were all in shock.

    "Someone please pinch me! Pinch me harder! I must be dreaming right now!"

    "You had better pinch yourself! I¡¯ve been pinching myself since just now! My thigh is bruised from the pinching! It¡¯s not a dream!"

    "Who¡¯s this old man now?" Fang Ya asked curiously.

    Some crew members who were confused echoed, "Yeah, who¡¯s this? Someone better than William¡¯s master?"

    One of the experienced food journalists stared at the older man¡¯s every move and exined in a respectful tone, "If William represents the top among the younger generations of food practitioners, then his master in Passa is the pir of the industry, representing the highest standard in the culinary field¡­"

    "What about Danial then?" Someone asked.

 Chapter 359: Donâ€™t Let Anything Go Wrong

    <h4>Chapter 359: Don¡¯t Let Anything Go Wrong</h4>

    "Danial Joseph¡­" another food blogger gasped, "His existence is akin to a textbook for every practitioner, the bible for all food lovers, the eternal ssic culinary god, and country F¡¯s treasured master!"

    While the food journalist sighed, he seemed extremely excited as well, "Everyone, please cherish the dinner; this is a once in a lifetime experience!"

    Fang Ya blinked, "I don¡¯t really get it, so are you saying that this man is famous?"

    Some people expressed their ignorance as well, "I don''t really get what you are going on about that man but his skills sound out of this world. Anyhow, I¡¯m going to eat as much of this once-in-a-lifetime dinner as possible!"

    "It''s a good thing I didn¡¯t eat anything today and saved my stomach for this dinner!"

    Fang Ya smiled and went to Ning Xueluo, cooing, "Xueluo, your Su Yan must have thrown in a lot of money into this. It might not even be enough for you to just give yourself to him. Quickly get married and make him a baby!"

    "Hahaha¡­she¡¯s right! That makes sense! You have to make a few babies!"

    Ning Xueluo was embarrassed, "Hey, you guys stop it!"

    "Okay, that¡¯s enough already!" Su Yan looked at his girl lovingly, and at this point, he thought that the hotel invited these two masters in order to get on the Su family¡¯s good side, so he just smiled and quietly received the praises from the crowd.

    "Oh, someone''s being protective!"

    "This is giving me goosebumps! I can¡¯t watch anymore!"

    Fang Ya was knocking her te, while slyly looking at Ning Xi¡¯s direction, "Someone is trying to act calm, but I guess she''s going to explode from all the jealousy? I thought she loves topete against our Xueluo? Come on now!"

    "Well, you can¡¯t me her, Su Yan really outdid himself this time. The top masters from three generations, each of them a legend of their time, and he gathered them all here at once!"

    "That¡¯s the Su family for you! What an outstanding background!"

    "Ning Xi acted well, but her assistant is still too young. Did you see her almost cry?"

    ¡­

    When she heard people talking about her, Xiao Tao held in her tears and tried not to embarrass herself anymore, "Sis Xi, I¡¯m sorry¡­"

    Ning Xi hugged her, "It¡¯s alright, you¡¯ve apologized countless times already, and even if anyone were to apologize, it should be me. I¡¯ve let you down, I¡¯m not strong enough to protect you from being med by these vultures!"

    Xiao Tao started sobbing as she could not hold it in anymore, and she cried in Ning Xi¡¯s arms.

    While she was not really satisfied with the change in actresses from Leng Manyu to Ning Xi, she actually really liked Ning Xi.

    While Leng Manyu was very upper ss, she had a very proud character and was not all that easy to interact with. On the other hand, Ning Xi was very easy going, and she would try to make you happy. Even at times like these, she wasforting Xiao Tao when the roles should have been reversed¡­

    Luckily, Mr. Danial started to cook, so everyone¡¯s attention was on him and no one noticed Ning Xi and Xiao Tao in the corner.

    Actually, what had happened tonight was one of the best scenarios Ning Xi could have imagined. Even though she received some supercilious looks, it was not that much of an issue.

    Still, she felt uneasy. With that person¡¯s evil character, he would not just sit back and do nothing since he mentioned a "surprise".

    It seemed that it would not be easy to get through the night peacefully¡­

    Oh, Oscar, please grant your blessings and don¡¯t let anything go wrong¡­

    If that bastard ruined her career, she would definitely not leave him in peace¡­

    ¡­

 Chapter 360: The Beautiful, Honorable Ms. Ning

    <h4>Chapter 360: The Beautiful, Honorable Ms. Ning</h4>

    On the stage, the smug Ning Xueluo thought of something. She then smiled and looked at Ning Xi, gently calling out to her, "Ning Xi, can youe over?"

    Hearing Ning Xueluo asking Ning Xi to go on stage, Fang Ya and the rest were a bit confused. Why would she ask that woman to go on stage?

    But since it was Ning Xueluo¡¯s request, they did not have any objections.

    Xiao Tao stared at Ning Xueluo and felt angry, "Sis Xi, just go! If not others would think that we¡¯re afraid of her! What can she do under everyone''s watchful eyes anyway?"

    Under this circumstances, it would reflect badly on her if she rejected Ning Xueluo directly. Moreover, there were people shooting the scene live¡­

    Ning Xi narrowed her eyes. After fighting with her for so many years, she could pretty much predict what Ning Xueluo would do based on her past experience¡­

    Ning Xi did not hesitate and stood up slowly, then walked up on stage, right in front of Ning Xueluo.

    Seeing the both of them together, some actresses let out a coldugh. This was one interesting scenario, if Ning Xi¡¯s freaky admirer were toe in with his surprise soon, it would be perfect.

    Ning Xueluo warmly weed Ning Xi to sit beside her, "Ning Xi, I heard that you¡¯re really interested in these top masters in the culinary industry. You can''t get a good view from the ce you were sitting just now, you can see better from here. It¡¯s rare to get such a chance to see them up close!"

    As she finished her sentence, shetched onto Su Yan¡¯s arm and nestled her body closer to his.

    Ning Xi just smiled politely and did not say anything, knowing that Ning Xueluo was just up to no good as she tried to disgust Ning Xi.

    "Hmph, she can still stay so calm while feeling unhappy. What a good actress!" Fang Ya said sarcastically as the other crew members whispered their agreement, looking at Ning Xi with funny looks.

    "What do you guys think Ning Xi¡¯s admirer wille with? If he¡¯s not here soon, the night will be over!"

    "Who knows, you can never guess how a weirdo thinks!"

    "Hahaha, let us enjoy our dinner first. We might not have the appetite anymore after seeing her admirer!"

    ¡­

    Facing all the guests who were observing him attentively, Mr. Danial stopped and looked at the crowd. He then started speaking in his fluent Mandarin¡ª

    "Tonight, I¡¯m very honored to be invited here to be in charge of the beautiful and honorable Ms. Ning¡¯s banquet. For you, Miss Ning, and for your friends and guests, I¡¯ll surely prepare an enjoyable meal!"

    The old man bowed towards Ning Xi and Ning Xueluo, beaming as he said, "To the beautiful and honorable Ms. Ning, I hope that you enjoy the night!"

    Ning Xueluo smiled happily and nodded at him.

    Seeing this, the older man''s brows knitted in confusion. He had actually been talking to Ms. Ning Xi, but why did the woman beside her nod instead¡­

    But the elder did not care much, his mission tonight was to prepare the banquet, as for other things, it was none of his business.

 Chapter 361: Exclusive Dessert

    <h4>Chapter 361: Exclusive Dessert</h4>

    Very quickly, with Danial as the head chef and in as his sous chef, the first dessert was prepared.

    "For the beautiful and honorable Miss Ning, this dessert''s Chinese name is called the Luxurious Chocte Sundae. Please have a taste!" After the announcement, Danial actually personally held the dessert and walked towards the main table.

    All the gourmet journalists were star struck. Not only did Danial personally create the dessert, he was even serving it himself. What an honor indeed!

    "I can''t believe he''s serving that dessert!"

    "My God, this is crazy! That sundae has close to 30 different types of cocoa in it, including 14 of the world''s most expensive and most delicious cocoa. Plus, there are edible gold leaves adorning the top of the sundae! How could anyone possibly eat this? It''d practically be ingesting money!"

    ¡­

    Some of the journalists had only heard of it before, and tonight was their first time seeing it with their own eyes. Furthermore, it was a creation directly from Danial''s hands, so you can imagine just how emotional they were.

    Girls usually love such exquisite dishes, so naturally, Ning Xueluo was attracted to the decadent dessert in Danial''s hands. She watched as Danial elegantly walked towards her, her heart beating faster as she constantly looked at Ning Xi beside her and smiled smugly.

    "Thank you," Su Yan politely nodded as he held out his hand to receive the dessert from Danial.

    To everyone''s astonishment, Danial had other intentions in mind. He had a straight face as he said, "Mister, I''m very sorry, but this is an exclusively made dessert. It''s not for you."

    "Uhh¡­"

    As she watched Su Yan''s awkward reaction, Ning Xueluoughed lightly and pulled on Su Yan''s arm. "Yan, it''s okay, just let Mr. Danial hand it to me himself. Don''t try to join in the fun now!"

    Su Yan smiled helplessly and stepped aside. He thought that this top chef was a little weird, but he followed along.

    When Danial walked to the front of Ning Xueluo, she immediately gave him her sweetest smile and said, "Oh, Mr. Danial, thank you."

    Ning Xueluo held out her hand and was about to take the te with the ice cream that looked incredibly decadent and delicious.

    However, Mr. Danial did something everyone did not expect.

    They saw Mr. Danial''s confusion as he frowned at Ning Xueluo, "Miss, this dessert in my hands was not prepared for you."

    "It''s not prepared for me?!" Ning Xueluo eximed in shock, "Then, who is it for? Didn''t you say earlier that it was for¡­Miss Ning?"

    "I''m sorry, but the Miss Ning I''m referring to is Ning Xi. Miss Ning!" Danial''s tone was firm and he moved on from Ning Xueluo. With everyone looking on in shock, he walked over to Ning Xi, "The beautiful and honorable Miss Ning, please have a taste!"

    He probably did not mean any biasness when he addressed Ning Xi, but the terms of "beautiful" and "honorable" were especially etched into everyone''s minds, as if he was trying to imply that only Ning Xi was fit to be described this way.

    At this moment, not only Ning Xueluo, but even Su Yan, Fang Ya and everyone else waspletely dumbfounded.

    The chef''s statement had the entire venue in pin-drop silence.

    Finally after forever, someone from the crowd broke the silence.

    "You''re¡­you''re lying, aren''t you? Isn''t Miss Ning, Ning Xueluo, and not Ning Xi?"

    "No way! How could this happen? It must be a prank to intentionally embarrass Ning Xi, to let her feel surprised and excited for a while?"

    "Stop cracking jokes now. Did you really think a prank would be pulled with someone this influential?"

    "It really is Ning Xi! How could it be that the Masters of Culinary, in and Danial are both here for Ning Xi?!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 362: Actually Quite Cute

    <h4>Chapter 362: Actually Quite Cute</h4>

    Everyone was in shock and many were still in disbelief.

    "No way! There must be some kind of misunderstanding. How could it possibly be for Ning Xi? Who is she to be able to invite such a legendary person?"

    "Exactly! You only need to have lots of money to get William Fee but to have these two influential figures here, you definitely need more than just your wealth!"

    "Ning Xi is just a C-list actress. How can she be capable of inviting legends like these?"

    ¡­

    It was at this moment that someone from the crowd weakly reminded everyone, "Uh, are you guys forgetting something? Didn''t Fang Ya show us a love letter earlier that said a surprise would be prepared for Ning Xi? Could this¡­could this be it?"

    When they heard this, everyone was dumbfounded.

    "No¡­no way!"

    "Isn''t he just some poor pleb?"

    "Who said that he was a poor pleb? We''re the ones who were assuming all the while."

    "Think about what the love letter said: the most honorable, most tempting, most irresistible gift! The world''s most top quality gourmet dishes! This is it!"

    Once it was put that way, the crowd started to ooh and aah as realization dawned on them, "Now that you said, it really seems so! Now all of this makes sense¡­"

    "Oh, now that I think about it, that love letter is actually quite cute!"

    "Yeah, it was written pretty well. I don''t know why so many people thought it was weird!"

    ¡­

    Everyone started to look at one another.

    "Uhh¡­in that case, the other two big shots who cameter were actually Ning Xi''s admirer''s surprise for her, and not Su Yan''s invitation for Ning Xueluo?"

    "Hah, this misunderstanding is a little over the top! We all thought it was Su Yan''s doing!"

    "Hahaha¡­just now Ning Xueluo was so overjoyed that she kept offering her body to repay Su Yan and even to give birth to quite a number of babies. She even invited Ning Xi to sit beside her to watch from a close distance. Atst, it was actually a big misunderstanding?"

    "My God! This is so awkward¡­"

    ¡­

    When the old chef uttered those words, Ning Xueluo had been sitting stiffly on her chair. Her fingernails stabbed into her palms as she dug them in, and almost thought she had just imagined what she had heard.

    It was only until she heard the sneers and insults that she realised she had to ept this reality. She stiffly turned to Su Yan and said, "Yan, did you really not invite those two people?"

    At this point, Su Yan''s face was extraordinarily distorted as he said in an unfriendly tone, "Xueluo, I already said earlier, it really wasn''t me! You lot just didn''t believe me!"

    Ning Xueluo immediately shot a look at Fang Ya on the other side. She was the one who misled her and created all this trouble!

    Fang Ya quickly hid in the crowd. Earlier, she had talked nonstop but now she dared not say another word.

    Pfft, why was it her fault again?

    How would she have known that this would happen?

    "Just now when your Su Yan was being praised, weren''t you quite happy? He did not respond, but now it''s my fault? This ass of yours is a little too hard to kiss, aye?" she thought to herself.

    Instantly, everyone''s eyes swivelled from Ning Xueluo to Ning Xi in the corner, and they saw that Ning Xi''s expression had barely changed.

    Despite the shocking incident that had just happened, Ning Xi''s expression remained nonchnt, from the start till the end. No matter whether she was being sneered at, ridiculed, or even when the old chef finally spoke up, she remained the same.

    She waspletely calm and it even seemed like she was deep in thought.

 Chapter 363: Whos The Main Highlight?!

    <h4>Chapter 363: Who''s The Main Highlight?!</h4>

    "Thest time I saw Ning Xi''s closet, I had a gut feel that Ning Xi doesn''te from such a simple background."

    "Her admirers are really increasingly better than the ones before!"

    "Funny that Fang Ya kept saying Ning Xi was jealous of Ning Xueluo. What''s there to be jealous about?"

    "Exactly, she''s now single with lots of admirers, and they''re all of such good quality. She''s even better than Ning Xueluo, isn''t she?"

    ¡­

    At the main table, Mr. Danial was still waiting for Ning Xi, "Miss Ning Xi, please doment."

    Ning Xi took a bite as everyone looked on, then politely answered, "This ice cream is the most delicious and most unexpected dessert I''ve ever eaten in my lifetime. Thank you foring all the way here!"

    "Thank you for yourment, it is my honor." Daniel moved away from the table and started to prepare the main course.

    Everyone around her started to buzz with discussion but Ning Xi did not listen to too much of it. To people who were less than important, she never did give too much unnecessary attention.

    When she epted the old chef''s kind offering, Ning Xi returned to her seat.

    She held her chin in her palm and looked amusedly at Xiao Tao who was entirely bbergasted. She teased, "Little Xiao Tao, do you want to try some ice cream?"

    "Try?" Xiao Tao immediately returned to her senses and eximed in an oddly determined way, "Of course I want to try!"

    Xiao Tao looked at the ice cream Ning Xi had brought back emotionally, then stared at Ning Xi, "Sis Xi, these¡­these two masters, have they reallye for you? And it''s not who Su Yan invited them?"

    Ning Xi said helplessly, "Yes, yes, it was not Su Yan''s doing. Now can you please cheer up, and eat something? You''ve already been crying the whole night!"

    Xiao Tao wanted tough and cry at the same time, her expression torn. "Sis Xi, why didn''t you say anything earlier? I was so sad! There were so many delicious dishes that I didn''t even get to eat! I must quickly eat more now! No, I still won''t eat what William Fee prepared. I''ll wait to eat the more delicious dishes!"

    Once she said that, she swallowed her saliva as she stared hungrily at the ice cream. "But, can I really eat this ice cream? They all said it''s really expensive!"

    Ning Xi immediately picked up that exclusively made dessert with a spoon made of pure gold, dug a spoonful of ice cream and fed Xiao Tao.

    Xiao Tao greedily inhaled in the sweet smell and took a bite, "Mmm yummy! Really, really yummy! How can such a delicious ice cream exist?!"

    Ning Xi looked at Xiao Tao''s chubby little face with a gentle expression, then suddenly thought of something that caused a cold sh in her eyes.

    That bastard¡­he definitely did this on purpose¡­

    First, he tried to create suspense and made her worry for nothing. Then, when she was most nervous, he suddenly gave her a taste of something sweet. He drove her mood up and down as if she was on his rollercoaster ride¡­

    Damn it! Was it that fun to fool around with her like this?

    Weirdo!

    Not too far away, Ning Xueluo heard Ning Xi and Xiao Tao''s conversation and felt even angrier and unhappy.

    Suddenly, Su Yan''s romantic proposal had be one big joke!

    Who was the real highlight of thisunching banquet?!

    Very quickly, Chef Danial''s first appetizer waspleted.

    Coincidentally, he chose the exact same dish as William Fee: scallop served with white truffles.

    The crowd looked at each other, then started to focus on enjoying the food.

    Shortly after, everyone''s faces revealed a look of intrigue¡­

 Chapter 364: A Phone Call

    <h4>Chapter 364: A Phone Call</h4>

    "Even I, as ayman, can taste that the food is made by the gods, it¡¯s¡­too¡­too delicious!"

    "The exact same dish, but a hundred times tastier than the one earlier!"

    "This is marvelous, how did they do this? Can someone please exin? We only know that it¡¯s delicious, but don¡¯t know what the trick is! Where¡¯s the journalist just now? Exin quickly!"

    "Right! Give us a professional review!"

    With the crowd¡¯s urging, the experienced food journalist tasted the food with a somber face but he did not say a word. He then shushed them, closed his eyes and said, "Don¡¯t say anything, I have to remember this taste! This is a once in a lifetime chance!"

    This journalist was really not exaggerating as a few other journalists and food bloggers seemed like they were in the throes of pleasure as well as they chewed their food.

    In the corner, Xiao Tao¡¯s face was full of happiness, "Ahh! This tastes so good! I also really want to know how is this so delicious?"

    Ning Xi looked at the truffles in the te, and said, "Firstly, the culinary method used is different. The two masters crafted this simple dish almost perfectly.

    "The second reason would be the difference in where the food is sourced from. Just as you can¡¯t make an omelette without breaking eggs, the food source is also an important step in the culinary process. If I¡¯m not wrong, the truffles in this dishe from the best truffle harvest region of Alba. Nicknamed ''The Fruit of God'', you can only harvest so little each time so it''s extraordinarily expensive. You just have to take in the essence of it, and then you will now know how amazing they are after cooking it¡­"

    Xiao Tao widened her eyes, "No wonder it¡¯s so delicious! Oh my! I feel like I¡¯m eating gold!"

    She looked at Ning Xi full of admiration, "Sis Xi, you know so much!"

    Ning Xi smiled, "Because I quite like to cook myself, I do some research regrly. I can make some for you next time but I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t eat my cooking anymore after eating the master¡¯s dish!"

    "No way! It¡¯s Sis Xi¡¯s personal handmade dish, it wouldn¡¯t be the same!"

    ¡­

    As Ning Xi exined, people around were listening as well. They had a moment of sudden realization and they waited for the journalist¡¯s confirmation.

    The food journalist nodded, "It seems like Ms. Ning Xi knows her stuff! No wonder her admirer invited these two masters today.

    Aside from Ning Xueluo, Su Yan, and Fang Ya¡¯s group, everyone enjoyed the dinner tremendously.

    Su Yan looked really unhappy. Tonight¡¯s celebration dinner was supposed to be for Xueluo. In the end, the spotlight shifted to Ning Xi because of the mystery admirer.

    Su Yan looked at Ning Xueluo out of the corner of his eye and saw that she had a very gloomy look on her face.

    But Su Yan could understand that anyone would have been upset. It was a once in a lifetime proposal but now all the romantic preparation had gone to waste.

    Shortly, Su Yan gritted his teeth and made a decision. He quietly walked to a secluded corner and made a phone call.

    ¡­

    "Father, this is the situation right now so I¡¯d like to have you ask Uncle He for help. If not, Xueluo and I¡­" Su Yan exined.

    Su Yan did not have a jolly expression on his face and it seemed like the tone of voice from the other end of the phone was unkind.

 Chapter 365: Tonight Belongs To You

    <h4>Chapter 365: Tonight Belongs To You</h4>

    On the stage, Ning Xueluo was staring at Su Yan with a grin as she could easily guess the purpose of his phone call.

    There was indeed a master in the Su family these few days - the founder of China¡¯s best eatery, Green Lotus. He had prepared meals for ministers from Great Britain, France, and Germany before, and he was born into a family of renowned chefs. He had been achieving astounding results since he was young. But in recent years, he kept a low profile and rarely showed himself to the public.

    A top chef like him actually had deep connections with the Su family. It was also only because of He Xin that Su Yan was able to invite William Fee.

    Su Yan did not even think about it before because of He Xin¡¯s status but the situation now left him with no choice but to ask his father for a favor and request for He Xin¡¯s assistance. It was not just about Ning Xueluo, but it was also for Su Yan and the Su family¡¯s honor.

    After a while, Su Yan regained his smile, and Ning Xueluo was relieved as well.

    Looking at Su Yan¡¯s expression, he probably got it settled with his father. Only someone like Su Yan¡¯s father would be able to invite someone of He Xin¡¯s status. Su Yan¡¯s father studied overseas when he was still young and he was ssmates with He Xin. It seemed that he helped He Xin quite a lot, so it only took a word from Su Yan for He Xin to help out for the sake of his father.

    If He Xin came here, he might not be on par with Danial¡¯s culinary skills, but his status and influence was not limited to just cooking¡­

    Quickly, Su Yan went back to Ning Xueluo, and smiled gently, "Xueluo, don¡¯t be angry anymore. In just moments, there will be a bigger surprise. Uncle He Xin will be here to make some dishes for you personally!"

    Ning Xueluo pulled a surprised face as she shook her head and said, "My dear Yan, what are you doing? Why would I be angry? It is one of the few nights that my sister can enjoy herself. I don¡¯t want topete with her or even fight with her for anything. I¡¯m satisfied as long as I''m with you!"

    Hearing what she said, Su Yan hugged her tight in his arms and his tone became even gentler "Xueluo, I know that you don¡¯t like to fight with other people but tonight is your night. I won¡¯t let anyone steal your spotlight. I think Xiao Xi won¡¯t as well. We¡¯ll just have her put up with this for once!"

    Su Yan sighed secretly, thinking about some time before this that he neglected Ning Xueluo and put her through a lot because of Cui Caijing¡¯s incident. This was the girl he promised to protect forever. For such an important night, he wanted to make her happy¡­

    In the end, Ning Xueluo nodded obediently, nced over to Ning Xi who was still tasting the dishes, and let out a coldugh thinking that Ning Xi had no right to fight with her!

    ¡­

    Tonight¡¯s banquet was more lively than usual with crowds of journalists surrounding the hotel but the hotel had provisionally hired extra security and blocked off uninvited guests.

    At the moment, Ning Xi was having a conversation with Mr. Danial, revolving around the topic of the sources of food and cooking methods. Mr. Danial was very kind and equipped with his years of expertise and experience, he patiently answered Ning Xi¡¯s questions one by one.

    "Thank you, Mr. Danial. You¡¯re the best!" Ning Xi happily expressed her gratitude.

    "If not for the fear of objection from my peers, I might have taken you in as my student!" Mr. Danial saidughingly. Clearly, he liked this newfound friend who was passionate about cooking as well.

    As Ning Xi was about to say something, a loud, cold "Hmph" spread across the hall.

 Chapter 366: The Start Of War

    <h4>Chapter 366: The Start Of War</h4>

    "Hmph! You lot are just blindly worshipping foreign ideals! What¡¯s so good about these dishes? It¡¯s not even half as good as our ancestors''! Our Chinese food has a broad and profound historical background and has originated so long ago. Any one of our eight-dish series can instantly put these foreigners to shame!" Fang Ya dered coldly on the stage.

    Her words were too harsh and a guest started rebutting, "Uh, prettydy, you can¡¯t put it this way. Sure, our food is awesome, but Country F is famous for their food culture as well. Simply put, we each have our own advantages!"

    "That¡¯s because you have not tasted the best of Chinese cuisine before. Otherwise, you wouldn''t possibly say something like that!" She stared at Ning Xi in disdain and continued, "It¡¯s because of people like you lot who¡¯ve been blindly worshipping foreign ideals that our ancestors'' culture and history have fallen! You don¡¯t support your own country¡¯s creations and support other country¡¯s stuff instead! Shallow, extremely shallow! Not just shallow, you¡¯re an embarrassment!"

    In the corner, Ning Xi squinted her eyes. Without even needing to think, she knew that Fang Ya would not be able toe up with something like that herself, but with Ning Xueluo behind Fang Ya¡­

    As expected, knowing Ning Xueluo, she would not be contented with the way things were going.

    As YS¡¯ surprise had been revealed, Ning Xi was not afraid anymore. She had no mental burden now, so she was just enjoying her food rxingly, and watched them fretting over nothing¡­

    The atmosphere was terrific at first. Who expected Fang Ya to suddenly spurt out something like this, causing the situation to be awkward?

    The faces of the two foreign chef masters, in particr, who were fluent in Chinese, darkened when they heard what Fang Ya said.

    "Tonight is a celebration dinner! We were shooting an ancient Chinese series! Why hire foreign chefs? What a joke!" Fang Ya continued to taunt.

    Ning Xueluo had a superior expression andughed coldly at Ning Xi.

    All of this was part of her n. What was next would be seeing Ning Xi be the target of humiliation, and wait for the arrival of China''s top chef master, He Xin, then everything would beplete.

    Tonight would still be perfect!

    Eventually, some people started to agree with Fang Ya¡¯s words, "Actually, Miss Fang Ya makes sense. The top chefs of our country are just as great so they won¡¯t lose to the two foreigners at all! Take Mr. He Xin for example. As the founder of our country¡¯s top eatery, Green Lotus, he has been invited by several country¡¯s leaders, which makes evident that our chefs are great as well, not losing out to the westerners!"

    "Not just He Xin, there¡¯s also the legendary Mr. Cai Fengxian too. His ancestors were all royal chefs who served the former emperors, until now. Through years of experiences and improvisation, his skills are superb¡­he has even prepared dishes for the Queen of Ennd once, and in return, received a great token of honor!"

    "Right, Mr. Cai Fengxian sure is a legendary icon in the world of chefs, but you can¡¯t invite him at all. There is no way, so there¡¯s no point in talking about it. Even inviting Mr. He Xin would be extremely difficult.

    "I don¡¯t think so, the romanticism of the Western world is something that the Chinese culturecks!"

    "Nonsense! The Westerners are all cold and fancy, they do not have the human touch of the Chinese culture!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 367: Carrots and Cabbages, To Each Their Own

    <h4>Chapter 367: Carrots and Cabbages, To Each Their Own</h4>

    Slowly more and more people started to voice their opinions on who supported Chinese or Western cuisine. It was not just the experts, but even the non-experts were starting to express their patriotism, so increasingly more people started to join in the debate. s, the hall ended up being incredibly noisy beyondparison¡­

    The most awkward person present was William Fee because he was of mixed parentage from both countries, so he did not even know who to side.

    As she watched both sides of the argument quarrel, Ning Xueluo who had looked unhappy all along shot Fang Ya an urgent look when she felt the time was right.

    Fang Ya received Ning Xueluo''s hint and immediately knew what she meant, so she stood up and said, "To know who''s more capable, wouldn''t it be easier if theypeted live? If Ning Xi was so amazing enough to invite Mr. Danial, I''m sure inviting the famous chef He Xin would be an easy feat for her."

    "Exactly! Let Ning Xi invite him! This would be perfect!"

    "Then you guys can stop arguing since a live show is better evidence than just debating!"

    ¡­

    Suddenly, all eyes fell on Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi remained unbothered and did not give any response.

    Of course, when she saw that Ning Xi did not react at all, Fang Ya would not let her go that easily. She continued to ask, "Ning Xi, what''s wrong? You invited this chef, and now everyone is making a hubaloo over who you invited. How can you just look on indifferently?"

    "Exactly, a nice banquet has turned into such a big mess, causing everyone to be so unhappy!"

    "Since Ning Xi has so many admirers, she could just make a call and someone would do something, isn''t that right?"

    ¡­

    Xiao Tao pulled on the hem of Ning Xi''s shirt weakly and said, "Sis Xi, do you think you could ask your admirer to invite Mr. He Xin?"

    When she heard this, Ning Xi looked at Xiao Tao and stuffed her mouth with a peach. She said calmly, "Xiao Tao, carrots and cabbages, to each their own. Just because some people prefer carrots, does that mean cabbages are garbage? If they prefer to eat something else, then let them invite him. We can just enjoy our meal!"

    "Oh¡­" Xiao Tao answered slightly confused. Even though she did not entirely understand what Ning Xi meant, she still nodded. She then thought about how she had asked for too much. He Xin was someone highly influential in the world of Chinese cookery, only second to old chef Cai Fengxian. How could anyone just casually invite someone like that?

    They did not even know how Mr. Danial was invited, and now they wanted her to invite He Xin¡­this was just unrealistic.

    "Okay, I was just asking. Actually, I think it''s a little too impossible as well¡­these people are too much. Thanks to you, they managed to taste so much good food. Now, not only are they not thankful, they have even turned the tables and tried to make things hard for you instead!" Xiao Tao was really angry, and after her rant, she mumbled, "You know, it''s quite impossible to invite Mr. He Xin. It''s just Fang Ya and the gang making unnecessary trouble to take away your spotlight¡­"

    ¡­

    "What now, Ning Xi? Since your admirer is so capable, get him to invite Mr. He Xin over so we can experience an eye-opener!"

    When they heard Fang Ya''s suggestion, many echoed her, while others still thought it was impossible.

    "Stop joking, it''s hard enough to invite Danial, now you want to invite He Xin too?"

    "In fact, you want to invite someone over immediately without any bookings in advance? In your dreams! Do you this is like renting a car? Ning Xi''s admirer mighte from some extraordinary background, but there''s no way it would be this exaggerated!"

 Chapter 368: Let Me and Bro Yan Invite

    <h4>Chapter 368: Let Me and Bro Yan Invite</h4>

    "Ning Xi is pitiful enough. It was hard enough to steal Ning Xueluo''s limelight and now this incident has to happen¡­" someone mumbled softly.

    Fang Ya casually continued, "Who''s to me for that? Who told her to act as if she was so amazing?

    Su Yan was so romantically proposing here to Xueluo and she wouldn''t let them be. She had to butt in to seek attention! Why doesn''t she continue seeking it now? We''re all waiting!"

    "What now, Ning Xi? Say something, are you inviting him or not?" Fang Ya became even more arrogant when she saw that Ning Xi kept quiet.

    At this moment, Ning Xueluo who was on the main table suddenly said, "Never mind."

    Everyone''s eyes then fell onto her.

    "Since everyone wants to try Mr. He Xin''s creations so badly, let me and Bro Yan invite him. Everyone can stop making things hard for Ning Xi now," Ning Xueluo said softly.

    When they heard this, the crowd suddenly understood what Ning Xueluo was trying to imply. The fact that Ning Xi''s admirer could invite Danial for her was probably the best he could do in his limitations, so now to invite He Xin too would be out of his capabilities. The crowd highly doubted that Ning Xi''s admirer had the connections and power to do so.

    "Hold on! Xueluo, are you trying to say that you and Su Yan will be inviting He Xin?!"

    Suddenly, one of the gourmet journalists broke the tension and eximed.

    "Yes, I believe everyone will be able to meet Mr. He Xin shortly," Ning Xueluo replied with confidence, all her previous unhappiness vanished.

    "My God, Xueluo, could you really invite Mr. He Xin? Am I dreaming?!" Fang Ya intentionally exaggerated her expressions and pretended to do a happy jig.

    "Mmm, don''t rush. Tonight is not only theunching banquet but Bro Yan''s and my engagement day as well, so Bro Yan and I will definitely try our best to satisfy everyone''s request!" Ning Xueluo said elegantly.

    The crowd started to turn rowdy. Everyone was exceptionally emotional and excited. Since Ning Xueluo had said so, then Mr. He Xin should definitely be making his way over!

    Not only did they get to try Mr. Danial''s top quality Western dishes tonight, they would also be able to witness Mr. He Xin in the flesh shortly. This was definitely no ordinary day. In fact, it was a dreame true!

    Then, the hotel entrance opened and from the outside, the guests could hear the exmations of many reporters. Amidst this noise, a middle-aged man d in a traditional Chinese outfit slowly made his way in.

    "He Xin, He Xin! It''s Mr. He Xin!"

    "It really is Mr. He Xin!"

    "Su Yan and Xueluo really invited Mr. He Xin over!"

    In that moment, a handful of food show hosts were clearly emotional and starstruck at the sight of He Xin.

    "Uncle He Xin! Thank you for being able to make it!" Su Yan led Ning Xueluo to greet him with a respectful manner.

    "Mmm," He Xin nodded at Ning Xueluo and Su Yan. He had already heard about the dinner from Su

    Yan''s father.

    "Firstly, congrattions to the both of you. I don''t have much, let''s begin!" He Xin said this to Su Yan then made his way to Danial.

    "Mr. Danial, nice to meet you. Who''d know we would meet here?" He Xin said with a smile.

    "Oh, Mr. He Xin, I''ve heard of you for a long time now. You are the master of Chinese culinary. It''s an honor to be able to meet you today," Mr. Danial courteously replied.

    He Xin may not be able to bepared to Danial in terms of culinary skills, but He Xin was not only limited to the kitchen. He had been invited by top governmental figures all over the world and had received manypliments. In terms of status, he definitely could hold a candle to Danial.

    "I wonder if you could lend me your spot for a while?" He Xin asked with a smile.

 Chapter 369: True Epitome Of Perfection

    <h4>Chapter 369: True Epitome Of Perfection</h4>

    Danial deliberated. He had just finished serving his main course, and he didn''t have any reason to take up the spot of head chef and so he nodded, "Okay, my work here is done, I''ll pass the spot to you then."

    Danial then led his team to the VIP area and let He Xin take over.

    When the crowd saw that Danial had given his spot away, they were in an uproar and thought that Danial was surrendering defeat.

    "Mr. Danial, is it okay for us to just give the spot away? He Xin''s culinary skills are not up to your level. No matter from what aspect, Mr. Danial you are still the best!" in Passa frowned.

    "We have already prepared and served the main course, so there really is no reason to hog the spot," Danial replied nonchntly.

    Since Danial had already put it that way, in naturally did not say anything more. It was true that when one had reached Danial''s level of mastery, one would not care too much for the petty things.

    ¡­

    Within half an hour, He Xin had already prepared several unique Chinese dishes.

    The fragrance of the food instantly wafted throughout the hotel''s every corner, causing everyone to salivate.

    "Miss Xueluo, my best wishes for you and Su Yan are all conveyed through this dish," He Xin said to Su Yan and Ning Xueluo in front of him.

    "Thank you, Uncle He Xin!" Ning Xueluo was full of smiles, and so was Su Yan.

    Because of He Xin''s presence, all the previous awkwardness had vanished. "The person who should feel awkward now is Ning Xi," thought Ning Xueluo.

    "How lucky! Even Mr. He Xin''s personally congratted Su Yan and Ning Xueluo on their engagement. He''s our top chef in Chinese cuisine. Unlike some people who took the trouble to invite foreign chefs, atst, he was taken over by our Mr. He Xin!" Fang Ya intentionally looked at Ning Xueluo and grinned evilly.

    "That''s enough, stop spurting nonsense!" Ning Xueluo said to stop her.

    "I''m not spurting nonsense, facts are facts. It''s such a joke for Ning Xi''s admirer to fight with your Bro Su Yan! I wonder where he got his confidence from!" Fang Ya regained her arrogance and stared at Ning Xi, sneering.

    "Exactly, he could only invite a foreign chef. If he had the capabilities, I would like to see him invite a top Chinese chef over!"

    "Pfft, how dare hepete with Su Yan, that''s blind confidence!"

    Fang Ya and several drama team actors started to ramble on again.

    From afar, Ning Xi smiled and shook her head. These people were quite interesting. She even had a feeling that if she replied them, she would instantly be an idiot like them too.

    "Mr. Danial is a foreign chef after all, so there''s no way he can bepared to Mr. He Xin on Chinese grounds!"

    "Exactly so!"

    "Even though Mr. Danial''s Western dishes are the world''s best, we still like to eat our own Chinese delicacies!"

    "If you like to eat Chinese food, that''s your own choice of taste. I like to eat Western food, and I feel that Mr. Danial''s dishes are the epitome of perfection. No one else canpare!"

    "Ha! That''s too funny! The epitome of perfection just like that? Do you even know what is the true epitome of perfection¡­"

    ¡­

    As everyone started to debate boisterously, the sound of a door opened.

    The banquet''s entrance door was pushed open from the outside.

    Under the sparkling chandelier, a young man held an older man by the arm and stood at the door. The old man was d in coarse linen and had a head of white hair. He had a hale and hearty energy to him, with an aura of immortality.

    The guests were fighting, some were sneering at Ning Xi, and some were just looking on. The first to notice the old man was a young man. He was about to join in a fight when he suddenly looked at the door speechlessly, "Cai¡­old man Cai¡­"

 Chapter 370: Ning Xi Is Way Too Sturdy!

    <h4>Chapter 370: Ning Xi Is Way Too Sturdy!</h4>

    Suddenly, everyone looked at the young man in shock, especially Fang Ya who was just mocking Ning Xi a second ago. Her expression looked as if she just saw a ghost, "That¡­that man¡­"

    "That old man looks really familiar¡­oh! He looks like Cai Fengxian! Am I dreaming?" someone said, rubbing their eyes.

    "What nonsense are you spouting? Are you mistaken?"

    "No! It¡¯s Elder Cai! He¡¯s Mr. Cai Fengxian! I''ve seen him on TV before!" someone yelled in surprise.

    "I¡¯ve seen the young man beside him on TV before as well. Isn¡¯t he Elder Cai¡¯s eldest son, Cai Cheng? If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll search online now!"

    ¡­

    A local channel produced a popr food show which created a big wave of food lovers. Thest episode was specifically dedicated to Mr. Cai Fengxian, and it left a deep impression on many people.

    Aside from the professional food journalists, a lot of people knew about Cai Fengxian as well, including Fang Ya and her bunch of groupies.

    A young man was practically bouncing with excitement as he walked towards him, "Elder Cai! Do¡­do you still remember me? Eight years ago, there was a small restaurant in Qing Cheng. You¡¯ve personally mentored me before!"

    The elder thought for a little while, "Is it Lai Fu restaurant? You¡¯re little Lai Fu?"

    The young man¡¯s eyes turned red with tears, "You¡¯re right! It¡¯s Lai Fu restaurant! I can¡¯t believe that you still remember me! If it wasn¡¯t for your guidance, I wouldn¡¯t have been determined enough to leave my hometown and go on to study! And I wouldn¡¯t have been able to achieve what I have today!"

    At this point someone recognized this young man, "Ah, I remembered this man. He has quite famous himself. Isn¡¯t he an executive chef from a high-ss hotel in Imperial? I heard that he worked his way out from a small vige¡­I didn¡¯t expect him to be acquainted with Elder Cai¡­"

    After hearing his story, everyone¡¯s respect for Elder Cai grew, "Elder Cai has students everywhere!"

    "That''s how powerful his aura is!"

    ¡­

    After the praises died down, everyone was confused about why Elder Cai was there¡­

    "Elder Cai, why¡­why are you here?" the young man asked excitedly.

    "Father is here to celebrate with Ms. Ning Xi," Elder Cai¡¯s son, Cai Cheng replied.

    Everyone went dead silent after hearing what Cai Cheng said.

    The first reaction people had was to look at Ning Xi, shocked.

    Fang Ya and a few crew members were confused, including Su Yan, whereas the smile on Ning Xueluo''s face froze.

    "Heck, this Ning Xi! She¡¯s the best! First was in, then the father of Western cooking Master Danial, and now even China¡¯s grand master of the culinary industry, Cai Fengxian. I¡¯m impressed!"

    "Hahaha, did you see Fang Ya and Ning Xueluo¡¯s expressions? A second ago, Fang Ya was still mocking her and barking arrogantly, and then in the next moment, Mr. Cai is here. This is too funny!"

    "Ning Xi is way too sturdy!"

    "What¡¯s wrong with acting all high and mighty? She''s got it so she''s just unting it! And she¡¯s really going all out! Any of these three masters is enough to make William Fee look like a regr guy off the streets. Not even Mr. He Xin can do much now!"

    "I¡¯m really happy! This banquet tonight will really boost my headlines for the next few months!"

 Chapter 371: Whoâ€™s The One Getting Her Out Of The Pinch?

    <h4>Chapter 371: Who¡¯s The One Getting Her Out Of The Pinch?</h4>

    "Eh, doesn''t your newspaper has a food column? Quickly summon your food journalists here! What a fabulous chance for a scoop!"

    "I¡¯ll call him right away! The editor of the food column is a die hard fan of Elder Cai. Even the wallpaper and screensaver on hisputer are pictures of food prepared by Elder Cai! I told him that William Fee would be here tonight and invited him toe, but he didn¡¯t care at all. Had he known that Elder Cai would be here, he¡¯d have regretted it big time, haha¡­"

    ¡­

    In the corner, Xiao Tao was so excited that she almost broke Ning Xi¡¯s arm, tugging on it, "Ahhh! Elder Cai, Elder Cai! It¡¯s really Elder Cai! Sis Xi, you¡¯re the best! You''re like Doraemon! You can just summon whoever you want! When did you make the phone call? How did I not know anything?"

    Ning Xi herself was speechless beyond words.

    She had not touched her phone at all, and what in the world was a Doraemon?

    When Cai Fengxian appeared, she was just as surprised as everyone else in the room. She thought that she was hallucinating¡­

    What she knew now was that he was definitely not invited by YS. Aside from the fact that he might or might not have been able to invite him, that guy was only interested in teasing her and would not have done something like this to get her out of a pinch¡­

    Then, who was the one helping her out?

    No way¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart raced a little as the image of a certain man¡¯s cool face appeared in her mind.

    The one who could have invited Mr. Cai Fengxian might have been him¡­

    Seeing the two famous faces at the door, the hotel owner quickly went up and weed them warmly, "Elder Cai, why didn¡¯t you let me know when you wereing? I could have sent someone to get you! This¡­this is terribly inhospitable of us!"

    Cai Fengxian waved his hands casually, "There¡¯s no need for the trouble."

    Cai Cheng exined, "Father had a request from someone so he came here on short notice."

    "I see¡­" The hotel owner looked at Ning Xi.

    As everyone heard, most people thought that it was Ning Xi who gave the orders to invite him over, or else there would not have been such a coincidence.

    "Hmph, so what? We have Mr. He Xin! Mr. He Xin is the top one chef here, alright?" Fang Ya said in a very disrespectful tone.

    "Right, Mr. He Xin is the founder of the best eatery, Green Lotus!"

    The few crew members went along to agree with her.

    Some food bloggers and food journalists looked at them with disdain as if they were looking at idiots. They were already doubting how silly those people were but this further confirmed that Fang Ya and the few other actresses were real idiots, morons from their head to their toes. They did not know anything but acted so ignorantly, what an embarrassment!

    "Master Cai¡­" He Xin went up to Cai Fengxian and greeted him respectfully.

    "Mmm, we meet again!" Elder Cai nodded.

    "I didn¡¯t expect that Master Cai would be here, I was a little reluctant toe here initially but now I think I¡¯vee to the right ce. If Master Cai has some time, I¡¯d hope that I can learn something from you," He Xin smiled.

    Fang Ya and the crew members were shocked to see He Xin¡¯s attitude towards Elder Cai, and they were rendered speechless.

    ¡­

    On the other side, Danial walked towards Cai Fengxian from the VIP area.

    Both of them looked at each other for some time.

    Danial broke out into a wide grin, "Old pal, long time no see!"

 Chapter 372: Battle Of The Century

    <h4>Chapter 372: Battle Of The Century</h4>

    Cai Fengxian let out a long sigh, he recalled the old times, "It has indeed been a long time, ourst meeting was 10 years ago at Country F!"

    "Yes, that''s right."

    "At our age, I¡¯m afraid that we might not have another 10 years. Since it¡¯s a rare asion that youe to China, do you want to pick up where we left off 10 years ago in the battle which ended in a tie?" Cai Fengxian¡¯s eyes shined.

    "Of course!" Danial agreed instantly.

    ¡­

    The hotel owner was very excited when he heard their conversation.

    At first, he was nning to boost the hotel¡¯s poprity using Su Yan¡¯s proposal to Ning Xueluo, and the development of the events that night was way unexpected, benefiting him.

    A proposal gimmick would be noparison to "The Battle of the Century between the Masters of Western and Chinese Cuisines at the Royal Jazz Hotel".

    What a great deal!

    He would really like to thank Ms. Ning Xi in person. Although she was quiet, she was not stingy at all!

    Suddenly, a big crowd of journalists came rushing in, trying to get into the banquet hall.

    The hotel¡¯s security team and the waiters helped to block them, "Where are all of you from? This is a private banquet, you can¡¯t enter without invitation!"

    "I¡¯m XX food channel¡¯s reporter!"

    "I¡¯m a photographer from XX newspaper!"

    "I¡¯m an editor from XX magazine!"

    "I heard that both Mr. Danial and Elder Cai are here tonight and I purposely made my way here! Let us in!"

    ¡­

    The journalists begged tirelessly.

    The security team and waiters were troubled, "Well, we can¡¯t! It¡¯s our rule!"

    "Rules are set by people, be more lenient!"

    "Yeah! We¡¯re all experienced journalists, not just your random news reporter! You could go on and ask your manager, he would definitely agree!"

    "This¡­uh, please wait for a while, I¡¯ll go ask."

    The number of journalists was extraordinary and even with the additional security, they could not fend off the journalists¡¯ passion.

    One of the waiters went to quickly consult the manager.

    "This is good publicity for the hotel! But the two masters tonight are too important, we simply can¡¯t decide!"

    The manager was not able to make a decision, he then proceeded to talk to the owner.

    "There are a lot of journalists outside now wanting toe in. Boss, what do you think?"

    The hotel owner was delighted but he could not make this decision himself as well, so he then went to look for the organizers from the crew.

    Knowing the owner¡¯s intention, Wang Tai and Guo Qisheng had a short discussion with the team. They all thought that it would be a good opportunity to promote their movie, so they agreed on the spot.

    And now, what was left were the opinions of the two involved party.

    The hotel owner rubbed his hands and walked towards the two masters, exining the situation to them, and he asked nervously, "These journalists are here for the both of you. I was wondering if you¡¯d wee their attendance here."

    Danial and Cai Fengxian looked at each other, then looked at Ning Xi together.

    Danial spoke first, "I¡¯m here for the beautiful Ms. Ning Xi and her honorable guests. If they are her guests, then I have no objections!"

    Which meant that unless the journalists were invited by Ning Xi as her guests, Danial would reject their presence.

    "This¡­" The hotel owner looked troubled, he then looked at Cai Fengxian, "Elder Cai, what about you?"

 Chapter 373: Completely Flawless

    <h4>Chapter 373: Completely wless</h4>

    "I''m of the same opinion as Danial," said Elder Cai.

    "Uhh¡­" Okay! I guess, at this point I can only ask Ning Xi?

    The hotel owner rushed towards Ning Xi. "Miss Ning Xi, you heard what Mr. Danial and Elder Cai had to say. They will only ept recording by your guests. There are so many reporters waiting outside, what do you think?"

    Ning Xi deliberated when she heard this. Since this was a joyous asion for many parties, she would offend many people if she rejected now. Actually, there was no issue to do those reporters a favor, only¡­

    Ning Xi chose her words carefully and said, "This banquet is tounch ''The World'', and it''s not my personal banquet. Since Producer Wang and the director are okay, then so am I! However, Boss Fong, please do filter all the reporters outside. Make sure they''re of substance before letting them in. Also, they must not affect the flow of the banquet, or else we will need them to leave!

    "Both chefs havee from afar, we wouldn''t want any unhappy incidents. What do you think?"

    Ning Xi''s reasoning had no ws to it. Boss Fong''s eyes revealed a light of respect that could have easily gone unnoticed. He was the one that had hoped the most for this banquet to go as nned, so naturally, he agreed. "Definitely! I will let them know and increase security to control the flow. It definitely won''t affect tonight''s agenda and our honorable chefs!"

    Very quickly, a huge group of reporters swarmed in from the outside.

    The reporters were quite cooperative. They were professional food journalists after all, and acted respectfully purely based on the fact that they were in the presence of two top chefs. After they gave Ning Xi a look of gratitude, everyone quietly found a corner to set up their cameras.

    A battle of Chinese and Western delicacies officially began¡­

    Boss Fong was anxiously rushing for people to prepare the table when a waiter came over with a list, "Boss, these are the ingredients both chefs need!"

    Boss Fong had a look at the list and was dumbfounded, "Aiyo, how could I forget the most important thing! Previously, I would not have expected this situation but now our hotel definitely did not prepare enough ingredients! Mr. Danial did prepare his own ingredients, but now they are changing the menu, and they need a lot more other ingredients!"

    "In fact, I think it would be toote to deliver them now. What can we do?!" The manager was anxious as well.

    As he saw that both chefs had begun preparing, unaware that their hotel did not have enough ingredients, the hotel owner became increasingly worried.

    When they saw that the owner''s anxious face, the guests started to whisper to one another¡­

    "What''s wrong with the owner? He looks pale."

    "I think it''s because there aren''t enough ingredients. Because now they''re about to battle, they will definitely need double the amount of ingredients! In fact, both chefs have very high standards for their ingredients, the regr ingredients won''t do!"

    "Pfft! No way, we''ve all been looking forward to this. Don''t tell me that it''s not going to work out in the end?"

    "What''s going on?"

    "Also, so many reporters havee over. We can''t just tell everyone to go home because of this mishap."

    "This is going to be hrious!"

    ¡­

    "Hah! It''d be best if it didn''t work out!" In a corner, Fang Ya grumbled softly to herself. However, this time she had learned her lesson and she dared not speak loudly.

    Ning Xueluo pretended to be calm on the outside, when inwardly she was very tense. Naturally, she hoped that everything would not work out in the end too.

 Chapter 374: The Spotlight Of A Joke

    <h4>Chapter 374: The Spotlight Of A Joke</h4>

    Unfortunately, tonight was destined not to be as they wished¡­

    As the hotel owner was anxious, a waiter from the outside rushed in and whispered something into his ear.

    It was not sure what the owner had heard but his face clearly showed instant shock and then he quickly went out.

    Just as he stepped outside, he saw two rows of well-trained waiters holding fresh ingredients in their hands. It seems like it had been directly air flown over¡­

    Such generous expense, who could it be?

    Could it be¡­could it really be him?

    The owner''s mind only entertained this thought briefly then stopped and quickly let them deliver the items.

    The ingredients are more important!

    When one after another cooler boxes of ingredients were slowly delivered, the entire crowd was stunned at this scene.

    Thest hope Ning Xueluo had in her heart vanished too. She sat looking crushed on the chair¡­

    Damn it¡­

    The remaining time was torture to her. Whenever there was a camera or phone camera pointing at her, she had to gather herself together.

    She should have been the center of attention tonight, and yet, she really was in the spotlight, but the spotlight of a joke¡­

    Danial''s sous chef was in, and Elder Cai''s sous chef was his eldest son, Cai Cheng. The rest of the assistants came from their own team of elites. Both parties'' began intensively cooking¡­

    As time passed, the banquet hall started to be filled with the fragrant smell of food. Everyone was under the spell of the irresistible smell of the food and how delicious they looked, as their mouths involuntarily salivated.

    Atst, both sides prepared ten dishes each, including two desserts.

    On Elder Cai''s end, he had prepared Hibiscus Jelly Rolls, Golden Shark Fin Soup, Five vored Abalone, Manchu Pearl Meatballs, Royal Bird''s Nest, Tai Qi Vegetable, First ss Ginseng, Snow Crab, Sweet Potato Cake, and Durian Puff.

    Danial, on the other hand, had prepared Hudson Valley Duck Liver Pate, Grilled Squab with Mixed Herbs, Fresh Abalone with Jellyfish, Sweet Sauce Roast Pork, Zhenjiang Vinegar Crisp Eel, Cherry-Apple lobster, Garlic Oyster Tempura, Baked Vegetables with Mussels, Plum Champagne Float, and Gregor Cheese Puff.

    Both parties'' delicacies looked unique, clearly tranting and representing the food culture of their respective home countries.

    An actress who was recording live turned her phone camera to point at the table full of food in front of her and started telling the fans, "Fans of mine, look! I''m going to start eating! You guys can just watch. haha¡­"

    The fans who were watching live immediately cried.

    "Releasing such poison at night, and the worst kind of poison too. How mean of you!"

    "I''m so angry that I started eating spicy strips!"

    "Please point the camera at my Goddess Ning! No wait, I had better rify, it''s Goddess Xi! I want to see how a goddess eats!"

    "Same here! Goddess Xi is too cool tonight!"

    "Hahaha¡­exactly! I''ll watch you be cool quietly, I''d never disrupt you¡­"

    ¡­

    In the next second, the cameras turned towards Ning Xi in the corner as the public had requested.

    Ning Xi was focused on tasting the food. As if she instinctively felt someone shooting her, she looked up and smiled out of politeness¡­

    "Oh! I was electrified! Electrified by the goddess'' smile!"

    "She''s so pretty, I''m crying!"

    "No wonder Mr. Danial kept emphasizing ''the beautiful and honorable Miss Ning''! Indeed, only Goddess Xi deserves these two adjectives!"

    "Ning Xi is elegance radiating from within her bones! I''m going to switch stands!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 375: Hard To Compare

    <h4>Chapter 375: Hard To Compare</h4>

    As she listened to thements from the food critics around her, Xiao Tao said with her mouth full of food, "My God! It''s all so delicious, and too hard to choose between the two! What about you, Sis Xi? Which do you think tastes better?"

    Ning Xi held her chin and thought, "Indeed, it is quite hard topare the both cuisines. In terms of the dessert and the appetizer, the Western cuisine seems to fare better than the Chinese dishes. The desserts by Mr. Danial not only show delicate craftsmanship, but the texture is also really good. However, the main course for the Chinese cuisine might win by a little. As what the food journalists previously said, you get a taste of the human touch of Chinese food. Just by listening to the names of those dishes, you''d know that every dish has a special meaning to it¡­"

    Xiao Tao nodded, "If you put it that way, it really is too hard topare¡­"

    Under the crowded yet peaceful atmosphere plus the joy that good food brought, the banquet slowly came to an end¡­

    ¡­

    After the banquet ended, Ning Xi went to use the restroom while Xiao Tao waited for her outside.

    Just as she was browsing Weibo, someone called out for her, "Hello, are you Miss Ning''s assistant?"

    Xiao Tao looked up and was surprised to see that it was the hotel owner speaking too her. "Yes, Boss Fong, is there anything I can help you with?"

    "Ahh, yes, here is a small gift for Miss Ning from me. Please ept it on her behalf if it''s not too shabby!" Boss Fong said as he passed her a small card sincerely.

    Xiao Tao took a look at the gold-ted card and asked, "What''s this?"

    Boss Fong exined, "This is our Royal Jazz Hotel''s tinum card! Royal Jazz Hotel has three types of cards: Silver, Gold, and tinum. tinum is the highest ranking card. Not only would you get up to 60% in discount, you will even enjoy the most honorable treatment. The hotel will exclusively reserve a VIP suite for tinum card holders. So no matter when youe by, we will definitely have room for you!"

    Xiao Tao was shocked when she heard all of this but she tried to maintain some calmness. From her experience following Leng Manyun, such urrences weremon. She knew that if she acted too emotionally, people would view Ning Xi lightly. She was currently not only representing herself, but Ning Xi too.

    Thus, Xiao Tao acted nonchntly and said, "However, one only gets rewarded if one deserves it well¡­"

    "Miss Assistant, you''re too kind. Thanks to Miss Ning this time around, our hotel was lucky enough to host two big chefs such as Danial and Elder Cai themselves. I am thankful beyondparison!" Boss Fong gushed as something shed in his eyes. He lowered his voice to add on, "Please ask Miss Ning to thank those two big shots as well!"

    Xiao Tao blinked, she was confused. Which big shots? Who was he talking about?

    Xiao Tao did not understand, so she just ignored the question, "In that case, thank you, Boss Fong, for your kindness!"

    Seeing that Xiao Tao did not give him an assertive answer, Boss Fong was slightly unwilling to leave. However, he knew that he should not ask too much, so he just nodded and left.

    Before leaving. Boss Fong turned around to look at the little assistant again. He had even more suspicions now.

    Pfft, I can''t believe I still didn''t get it out of her¡­

    Were the figures behind Ning Xi''s grand show the two that he had in mind?

    Never mind. No matter what, it was never wrong to be courteous!

    As soon as Ning Xi came out of the restroom, Xiao Tao immediately let go of the calm facade she put on and happily skipped over, "Sis Xi, let me show you something!"

    "What is it?" Ning Xi asked suspiciously.

    "Royal Jazz''s tinum card for you! Boss Fong just gave it to me!"

 Chapter 376: Xiao Xi Xi! Youâ€™re The Bomb!

    <h4>Chapter 376: Xiao Xi Xi! You¡¯re The Bomb!</h4>

    "Boss Fong? Why is he giving us this?"

    "Thanks to you, their hotel was able to be involved in this popr event, saving them a lot of advertisement fees! A tinum card is nothingpared to that!"

    Ning Xi sighed as she could not exin what happened tonight to anyone, so she just epted it, "Fine, then you should keep it!"

    "Ah? Me?" Xiao Tao was surprised.

    "Of course, my matters in the future will be handled by my loyal assistant: you. It¡¯d be much easier if you kept it!"

    Xiao Tao¡¯s face reddened, "Then¡­then I shall!"

    ¡­

    Regal Riveria hotel.

    When Ning Xi got back to her apartment, she just threw herself onto the bed without doing anything else.

    Tonight was really tiring¡­

    Her heart was tired¡­

    She had been worried since yesterday with various conflicts popping up incessantly¡­

    At this point, she just had no more strength.

    As shey on the bed and tried to go to sleep, the doorbell suddenly rang.

    Ning Xi was exasperated, it was veryte already, who could it be? She was starting to develop a phobia for the doorbell!

    It was none of her concern, she thought.

    Ning Xi continued lying on her bed and did not move an inch, but the doorbell kept on ringing persistently as if it was ringing for its life.

    Finally, Ning Xi got up and opened the door with a gloomy face.

    She heard a really urgent voice from outside, "Xiao Xi Xi! Open the door! Xiao Xi Xi! Quickly open the door! Xiao Xi Xi! Quickly open the doooooor!"

    Ning Xi finally opened the door, angrilying face to face with Lu Jingli, "Second Master! Stop being so loud! It¡¯s veryte already, what do you want?"

    Lu Jingli barged in without hesitation and he excitedly said, "Xiao Xi Xi! You¡¯re the bomb!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes, "You¡¯re the one who''s the bomb¡­"

    Lu Jingli paced around the living room, mumbling, "Crap! I really, really, really regret it!"

    Ning Xi massaged her temples, "Stop circling around! What are you trying to say?"

    Lu Jingli said with a painful expression, "What I want to say is, why did I go to that boring business cocktail party?! It made me miss such a cool event! And now I can only search for live videos and cry while watching it!"

    Ning Xi was annoyed, "Because these boring cocktail parties are bringing you profit! How is gossip more important than profit?"

    Lu Jingli justified himself, "How is profit more important than gossip?"

    "¡­right, I forgot that you¡¯re filthy rich! Money is just a number to you. Indeed to you, gossip is more important!"

    Lu Jingli put a hand to his chest dramatically, "And¡­and Danial was there tonight! And Cai Fengxian! Do you know how difficult it is to have a meal prepared by these two? I actually missed it! Missed it! Not just one, but two of them! I really want to die right now!"

    Ning Xi was annoyed, "Then you should run over to Royal Jazz hotel now. Maybe you¡¯d get to have some leftovers! What are you doing here at my ce?"

    Lu Jingli did not say anything and he just stared at her with eyes full of hatred and jealousy.

    Ning Xi could not stand him anymore, "Fine, fine. You really are my boss! I knew you couldn''t make it and that you really like them, so I brought back something for you."

    Ning Xi took out an exquisite dessert from the fridge, "The others were too difficult to bring back, I¡¯ve only got this sweet potato cake here!"

 Chapter 377: Cabbage Lu And Carrot Yun

    <h4>Chapter 377: Cabbage Lu And Carrot Yun</h4>

    Lu Jingli flew over, "Oh! Sister-inw, my dear sister-inw¡­"

    Ning Xi¡¯s face darkened, "If you speak any more nonsense, you''d better give it back to me!"

    Lu Jingli quickly took his dessert as far away as possible, "It¡¯s not nonsense!"

    Then he started eating it with his bare hands, and kept on talking while he did so, "Xiao Xi Xi, please learn how to make this! Then I¡¯d be able to taste it regrly!"

    "It¡¯s not difficult to make this. I do know how to, but how is itparable to what Elder Cai made! Don¡¯t think too much!" Ning Xi discouraged him.

    Lu Jingli ate the dessert in anger, "My brother is really too much¡­"

    "How is this suddenly rted to you brother?"

    Lu Jingli stared at Ning Xi, and then replied, "I don¡¯t know who invited Danial, but as for Cai Fengxian, I saw with my own eyes my brother leaving the cocktail party halfway to make the call and to personally invite him over! I¡¯ve begged him a few times before but he wouldn¡¯t invite him for me!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Cai Fengxian¡­

    Was invited by Lu Tingxiao¡­?

    She did have an inkling it might have been him but she did not expect it to really be him!

    Then, the emergency food sourcing was his arrangement as well¡­?

    Such an perfectly thought out way of handling things, as expected of the devil¡­

    Lu Jingli was satisfied looking at Ning Xi¡¯s surprise, and of course, he had some important questions for her¡­

    After he finished the dessert, Lu Jingli stood in front of Ning Xi and asked in the tone of a petnt, little child, "Xiao Xi Xi! I¡¯m really curious about something! If Mr. Cai Fengxian was invited by my brother, who invited Danial then?"

    Ning Xi could not hold it in anymore, "Second Master, you wouldn¡¯t be able to get yourself a wife if you keep being such a busybody!"

    "Wasn¡¯t expecting one!" Lu Jingli replied naturally.

    Ning Xi was exasperated.

    "Say it, say it! Tell me who it is! I promise to not tell anyone!" Lu Jingli was persistent.

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes, who could believe him?

    As Ning Xi was annoyed by Lu Jingli''s begging, her phone rang twice.

    She looked to see two new messages.

    She unlocked her phone to check what it was.

    Ning Xi was stunned to see the new messages¡­

    [YS: How was the dinner?]

    [Lu Tingxiao: How was the dinner?]

    Ning Xi was shocked.

    What was this coincidence? Even the timestamps of their messages were exactly the same!

    As she was still shocked, two more rings followed:

    [YS: Which one was the best? This is apulsory question ^_^]

    [Lu Tingxiao: Which one did you like the most?]

    They sent it at the same time again¡­

    Could there possibly be any less teamwork here?!

    Lu Jingli saw Ning Xi¡¯s weird expression and asked, "Xiao Xi Xi, what''s happened? Who''s texting you at this hour?"

    "Uhm, it¡¯s nothing¡­" Ning Xi was shocked and hid her phone.

    What a close shave! Lu Jingli almost saw it.

    To avoid any misunderstanding, she was going to change the contact names of these two people¡­

    Ning Xi thought about it while touching her chin. She intentionally avoided Lu Jingli and started changing the names on her phone.

    YS became Carrot Yun¡­

    Lu Tingxiao became Cabbage Lu¡­

 Chapter 378: A Sleepless Night

    <h4>Chapter 378: A Sleepless Night</h4>

    Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes were sharp. When he went into gossip mode, his eyes transformed into the all-seeing eagle''s eyes. He actually already saw what the contents of the messages and he touched his chin contemtively.

    YS¡­

    As expected it was that fellow!

    Tsk! Good, tonight¡¯s mission was aplished!

    Of course, it could have been done better!

    Li Jingli started his questioning again, "Xiao Xi Xi, which dishes from the two masters did you think tasted better?"

    Ning Xi was going to copse in frustration; it was her third time facing this question in a short span of time!

    Do not ask these trap questions again, please!

    This was not apulsory question, it was more of a question with a dead end¡­

    Ning Xi stared at him harshly, "Shut up! No more questions! It¡¯ste now! You¡¯ve eaten your fill, and you''ve got your gossip! Go back quickly! If not, I¡¯m going toin to your brother that you¡¯re still troubling me in the middle of the night!"

    Lu Jingli backed off with fear, "How could you do this to me, Xiao Xi Xi? You¡¯ve changed!"

    "So are you leaving or not? I¡¯m going to call him right now!" Ning Xi threatened him by holding up her phone.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes went teary but for his own personal safety, he ran away quickly!

    When she saw that Lu Jingli had finally left, Ning Xi was relieved.

    She was still sleepy earlier, but after Lu Jingli¡¯s visit and the few messages she received, it seemed like tonight would be a sleepless night¡­

    But it would not just be Ning Xi having a sleepless night alone¡­

    ---

    tinum Pce.

    Lu Jingli opened the door to the study room and panted while leaning on the door frame, "Bro! I¡¯m back! I risked my life to get you some information!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked up from a pile of documents, raising his eyebrow at the sight of the traces of dessert on Lu Jingli¡¯s face.

    "Uhh¡­" Lu Jingli quickly cleaned it up with his sleeves, "Ah, it was sister-inw, she¡¯s just too nice and brought back a box of desserts for me. I didn¡¯t want to eat it actually, but she insisted!"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    "Hehehe, bro! I¡¯ve got some really important information here! Do you want to hear about it?" Lu Jingli gave a cheeky expression, "If you invite Elder Cai to make a meal for me, I¡¯ll tell you immediately!"

    Lu Tingxiao ignored him and continued to work.

    "What! Bro, you really don¡¯t want to know? Really? Then I won''t talk!"

    One second¡­

    Two seconds¡­

    Three seconds passed¡­

    "Fine! Since we¡¯re brothers, I¡¯ll tell you!" Actually, he just could not contain himself, not even for three seconds¡­

    Lu Jingli quickly said, "Bro, I''ll tell you, the person who wrote the embarrassing love letter, prepared the surprise for Xiao Xi Xi and invited Danial over was as expected, the coward alphabet man YS! Oh, right, you sent Xiao Xi Xi a message just now, didn''t you? That fellow sent her a message at the same time as well, and the content was the same! Both of your hearts sure resonate together¡­"

    Lu Jingli sighed and mumbled, "That guy is already starting to take action, and I am sure he will continue courting her. This time he invited a chef, the next time he might be reviving a person! Bro, your future of getting yourself a wife doesn¡¯t seem too bright!"

 Chapter 379: Miss Was Wronged Tonight

    <h4>Chapter 379: Miss Was Wronged Tonight</h4>

    As Lu Jingli said this, he revealed a cunning grin, "However, you have two things that can immediately defeat him! Firstly, you''re closer to her. It''s not that easy for that guy to return to this country. Secondly, is, of course, our Little Treasure!"

    Lu Tingxiao lightly knocked his knuckles on his armrest, "How is Little Treasure''s school registrationing along?"

    "It is I who is handling it, don''t worry about it. He can start school anytime!"

    ¡­

    Ning Family Bungalow.

    "Aiya, Xueluo is home! Were you happy tonight? Tell Mother about it!" Zhuang Lingyu knew about Su Yan''s marriage proposal tonight and she purposely waited for her daughter to get home.

    When she saw Zhuang Lingyu''s face full of expectations, Ning Xueluo forced a smile and replied, "Mother, I''ll tell you all about itter. I''m kinda tired, I''ll go rest first¡­"

    "Ah? Tired?" When she saw her daughter walk straight to her room and close the door, Zhuang Lingyu looked at her husband in confusion. "What''s wrong with Xueluo?"

    Ning Yaohua put the newspaper in his hands down and knew something was amiss too. He called over the maid who usually looked after Ning Xueluo.

    "Master, are you looking for me?"

    "Xiao Ling, go find out what happened tonight. Why did Miss lock herself in as soon as she got back?" Ning Yaohua ordered.

    Zhuang Lingyu added, "Exactly. In fact, she doesn''t look too good. Didn''t Su Yan propose tonight? Logically, shouldn''t she be really happy? Unless she''s just being shy?"

    This was when the maid quickly said, "Master! Madam! That''s not it! Miss was wronged tonight!"

    Ning Yaohua''s expression immediately changed. "What? Wrong? Who would dare wrong my baby girl? Is it that punk Su Yan?"

    The maid shook her head, "How could it be Master Su? Master Su loves Miss!"

    "Then what happened? Tell us clearly!" Zhuang Lingyu rushed her.

    "Master, Madam, tonight''s incident is much tooplicated, there''s no way to exin it briefly. You¡­you should watch it and understand it yourself!" the maid said as she took out her phone and clicked on a broadcast.

    Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu looked at each other, then quickly took over the phone to watch.

    Both of them quickly watched the broadcast and their faces started to look increasingly unhappy by the moment¡­

    The maid angrily said, "Master, Madam, you see for yourself now! Tonight was actually a banquet for Master Su''s proposal to Miss, which he had prepared for so long!

    "Ning Xi kept ruining things! Luckily, our Miss has such a good temper that she tolerated one incident after another. She couldn''t hold it in any longer when she reached home!

    "Miss was so sad at that time! It should have been one of her happiest moments, and yet it was ruined! Atst, she wasughed at by so many people present and it was even broadcasted onto the Inte! It''s now all over the Net, that''s how I saw it¡­"

    In reality, the broadcast was actually downloaded from the Inte and edited. The parts where Fang Ya picked fights with Ning Xi over and over again had been edited out¡­

    Just as Xiao Ling wasining, Ning Xueluo''s serious voice was heard from behind, "Xiao Ling! Who gave you permission to spurt nonsense here!?"

    Xiao Ling received the hint from Ning Xueluo and pretended to be pitiful, "Miss! I¡­I''m sorry! But I''m only telling the truth! I''m only angry for you¡­"

 Chapter 380: Bad Jinx or Lucky Star?

    <h4>Chapter 380: Bad Jinx or Lucky Star?</h4>

    "Xueluo, why are you ming her, Xiao Ling is did nothing wrong!" Zhuang Lingyu pulled her daughter''s hand over and looked at her pale little face, her heart aching. "I can''t believe something like this would happen, you''ve really suffered!"

    Ning Xueluo revealed a face full of tolerance and vulnerability and said, "Mother, I don''t feel like I''ve suffered. I actually don''t mind what happened tonight at all. As long as Bro Yan is sincerely good to me, I don''t care about other people''s attitude or how they see me! I truly love Bro Yan, and I was not using him as a tool to show off! Only big sister¡­the way she acted tonight¡­really made me too sad¡­I really don''t know why she has to treat me like this¡­"

    Xiao Ling quickly added from the side, "Miss, is that even a question? Master Su proposed to you tonight! It would be weird if she did not try to ruin it. She just can''t stand seeing you happy!"

    Ning Yaohua''s face darkened when he heard this, "That girl is really too much! People don''t know that they are sisters now, but if they did and they saw them being jealous of each other and fighting with each other, how would that reflect on us?"

    Ning Xueluo held back her tears, "It was indeed my fault for misunderstanding her for the previous incident, but I''ve already what I could''ve done and I''ve tried my best to help her. Yet, I am rejected by her every time. Now, her misunderstanding of me is only getting worse, I really don''t know what to do¡­"

    Zhang Lingyu sighed, "Haih, stupid girl, Mother has told you many times¡­why do you care about what she thinks? Aren''t you aware of her personality by now? Just don''t deal with her!"

    Ning Xueluo''s face immediately turned serious and said, "Of course I must care, she''s your daughter. As much as I care for the both of you, that is how much I must care for her! I would not hope that I am the reason the both of you would be in any sort of dilemma!"

    Ning Yaohua was touched, "Xueluo, I don''t really know what to say. If only Ning Xi was half as mature as you are, I¡­sigh¡­"

    Ning Xueluo revealed a pitiful face and said, "Sometimes I really think I should return to the Tang family.

    "

    Zhuang Lingyu held her hand anxiously when she heard this, "Xueluo! How could you say something like this? Do you want to abandon your mother?"

    "But maybe if I left, sister would be willing toe home. I feel like I''m a bad jinx, preventing the family from reuniting¡­" Ning Xueluo said as she started to cry and me herself.

    Zhuang Lingyu quickly hugged her to console her, "Xueluo, how could you say something like this? You''re my most precious daughter, our Ning family''s lucky little star. Since you were born, our Ning family''s business expanded and our family became increasingly prosperous too. It was you who introduced Boss Wang to us so we could seal the deal thest time, remember?"

    When Ning Yaohua heard that Ning Xueluo wanted to return to the Tang family, he became tensed as well, "You''re not allowed to say things like that about yourself anymore! How could the fate Medium Long predicted of you be wrong? You''re our Ning family''s lucky star! No one''s allowed to chase you out!"

    Zhuang Lingyu helped her wiped away her tears and said, "Xueluo, we know that you''ve suffered today. Not another word, tonight was just a marriage proposal. Wait till the both of you have an official engagement banquet, that''s when you''ll really be in the limelight!"

    "Right, we definitely won''t let anyonepare to you then! Later, I will personally discuss this with the Su family!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 381: Strange Behavior

    <h4>Chapter 381: Strange Behavior</h4>

    While Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu cated her, Ning Xueluo allowed herself to smile a little in victory.

    It was easy to deal with Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu''s side. However, more importantly, there was still the difficult Su Yimo to deal with¡­

    If she used Su Yimo as a weapon, she would be able topletely wipe Ning Xi out. If she offended the Lu group''s higher authorities, she wouldn''tst for too long.

    Before this, Su Yimo was egoistic and did not care about being calctive with Ning Xi, but after tonight, would she still let Ning Xi go?

    She just has to watch the cat fight happen then!

    Hah, Ning Xi, I will wait to watch you be defeated¡­

    ¡­

    After theunch of "The World", Ning Xi rested at home for three days. She lived like a pig - apart from practicing and eating, she just slept.

    Only on the third day, she finally felt like she had regained the other half of her soul that she had left with Meng Changge¡­

    However, in the next second, the sound of a message notification made her jump again.

    [Ning Xi, are you free tomorrow night? Xiao Bao''s school registration is done. ¡ª Cabbage Lu]

    Ning Xi looked at the words ''Cabbage Lu'' and did not reply instantly.

    Even though she had survived theunching banquet, it did not mean that the danger had passed. In fact, it was a huge warning for her¡­

    That dude did not just want to tease her, he wanted to threaten and warn her.

    Warn her that even though he was miles away, he could still reach her¡­

    Ning Xi frowned, took out her phone, and retrieved a long-forgotten number from her telephone book.

    The phone only rang for a short while before it got through. Ning Xi was stunned for a second before she reacted in a rush, "Hello, Annie¡­"

    "Hello! Bro Xi! It''s really you! How long has it been since you contacted me?"

    "Be good now!" When she heard the girl''s emotional voice from the other end, Ning Xi''s expression softened.

    "Bro Xi, I really miss you! But before you left, you said you wanted to let go of the past and start a brand new life¡­so I daren''t disturb you all this while¡­and daren''t take the initiative to contact you¡­" The girl on the other end of the phone sounded extremely sad.

    Ning Xiughed, "Stupid child, I was just pretending to be cool! You really believed me?"

    "What?!" Annie responded in a hurt tone, "So my self-control over the urge to contact you all this while was for nothing?"

    Ning Xi was amused, "Pfft, hahaha¡­I''m just teasing you! Why are you still so gullible?"

    "Stop teasing me! Bro Xi, you''re too mean!"

    "Okay, okay, I''ll stop fooling around now. It''s time to talk business! I''ve called you this time to ask about something!" Ning Xi said seriously.

    Annie quickly yet solemnly replied, "What is it, Bro Xi? I''ll tell you everything I know!"

    Ning Xi scratched her head then asked, "It''s¡­it''s about your big boss. Has he been acting strangely recently?"

    Annie was stunned and she stuttered, "Uhh¡­this¡­well¡­"

    Ning Xi impatiently asked, "What is it? Yes or no, it''s such an easy question!"

    Annie immediately answered, "Bro Xi, yes."

    "Yes?!" Ning Xi suddenly sat up straight. "How has he been acting weird? Tell me quickly!"

 Chapter 382: Not A Mole, But An Undercover Spy!

    <h4>Chapter 382: Not A Mole, But An Undercover Spy!</h4>

    Annie coughed slightly, then said with an awkward, "Boss¡­he¡­several days ago, in the dead of the night, he sat on the deck¡­"

    "He sat on the deck to do what? Can you just say it in one go? You''re making me anxious!" Ning Xi was about to break down.

    "He sat on the deck for the whole night and wrote a love letter!" Annie blurted out. She did not even need to imagine that on the other end of the phone, the girl''s face must be blushing red right at that moment¡­

    Ning Xi was annoyed, "I thought you were going to tell me something really outrageous, but that''s it? Why did you have to stutter forever?"

    Annie mumbled, "Bro Xi, big boss''s love letter was written for you, wasn''t it?"

    "Mmm¡­" Now it was Ning Xi''s turn to hesitate.

    Annie carefully chose her words as she found it difficult to go on, "Big boss''s writing skills are really¡­in need of some working on¡­the deck was filled with crumpled up paper from a whole night of writing. Some of the other bros saw that and could not help but to help suggest to him what to write. They all ended up getting beaten up by him. The boss insisted on writing it himself¡­"

    He had actually spent a whole night writing those few sentences¡­

    Ning Xi buried her face in her hands, "Haha, I hope that he will use this perseverance to work on other aspects¡­" Such as not messing with her anymore¡­

    Ning Xi paused, then continued to ask, "Apart from this, were there any other unusual habits?"

    "Nothing, Bro Xi!" Annie answered confidently, then deliberated for a moment and added on, "Actually,e to think of our recent movements, it has been a little unusual!"

    "What''s unusual about it?" Ning Xi immediately asked.

    "For example, our movements in China seems to be increasing¡­also, Big Bro wanted to return to the country several days ago, but because a very important cargo suddenly had issues, he has been spending the past few days dealing with it!"

    "Is that so?" Ning Xi frowned. Increasing activity within China? I wonder if this is rted to Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Ning Xi then nodded, "Okay, let''s just leave it at that first. If there are any more oddities, remember to report to me immediately!"

    Annie sounded unwilling, "Uhh, Bro Xi, this wouldn''t be too good right? I don''t want to be a mole!"

    Ning Xi''s lips curved into a smile as she reminded, "Annie please, you only care about your big boss now, so Bro Xi is no more, huh? Who saved you once upon a time?"

    Annie became anxious, "Bro Xi, of course I didn''t forget. It was you who saved me!"

    Ning Xi nodded, satisfied, and she said, "Good! So, you''re not a mole! You''re an undercover spy! Understand?"

    Annie replied, "Oh¡­understood¡­"

    "Mmm, good, okay, I''m hanging up now!"

    "Hold on, Bro Xi¡­"

    "What is it?"

    "Bro Xi, is there really no way for you to ever return again?" Annie said as she took on a mncholic tone.

    Ning Xi listened to the sound of the ocean from the other end and slowly closed her eyes. She mumbled, "When someone has been in the dark for too long, it''s inevitable that one will be drawn towards the light. The days in my past have indeed been very carefree, yet my heart was like a nt with no roots¡­I couldn''t find meaning for my existence¡­even though the days now are hard and restrictive, I''m enjoying this challenge, enjoying this feeling of having a goal¡­do you understand?"

    "Bro Xi, are you serious? Or are you just pretending to be cool?" the other end of the phone replied with Annie''s uncertain tone.

    Ning Xi didn''t say anything.

    Fine, it was her fault, she should not have messed with the naive little girl. Now she has really dug herself into a pit¡­

    ¡­

 Chapter 383: Little Treasure Is Not A Man

    <h4>Chapter 383: Little Treasure Is Not A Man</h4>

    After she hung up, Ning Xiy on her bed again.

    She did not manage to gather much useful news through this phone call, although the fact that that dude''s activities have been more frequent within China was confirmed. If it had not been for some incident with the goods, he was really ready to return to the country¡­

    She took in a deep breath, and finally replied Lu Tingxiao''s message¡­

    [Ning Xi: I''m sorry CEO Lu, I have work tomorrow. I don''t think I can make it. Please help me tell Little Treasure that I''m sorry.]

    She tossed the phone aside after replying as she dared not see Lu Tingxiao''s reply¡­

    ¡­

    Early morning the next day.

    In front of a private kindergarten were sounds of children crying, all of them did not want to go to school or for their parents to leave.

    At first it started with only one kid crying, but in the end, the sobbing turned infectious and all the other kids started crying too.

    The teachers and parents were busy coaxing their children not to cry. As soon as one had been cated, another one would start crying, and then all their efforts would have gone to waste.

    In the midst of this chaos, the smartest one was definitely the little bun who carried his little school bag, poker-faced.

    The little guy held his father''s hand and was not even bothered by all the chaos around him. He was focused, looking at the road leading into the school.

    "Aiya, my children, please stop crying! Look at your little friend over there, he''s so obedient! He''s not crying at all!" Some teachers pointed at Little Treasure for the other children to see for exemry behavior.

    All the little ones looked at Little Treasure but instead, they saw the scary man beside him.

    The next second, all the little kids cried even harder¡­

    "He''s caught by the big devil!"

    "Mom, I''m scared¡­"

    "Daddy, don''t go, I''m scared¡­"

    All the parents and teachers were speechless.

    As the situation seemed to go increasingly out of control, the teacher felt like she had to step up to her job and walked up Lu Tingxiao nervously, "Uhh¡­hi there, the children are a little afraid of you. Do you think you could¡­leave first?"

    Immediately, the temperature around Lu Tingxiao seemed to drop and there was an eeriness to him.

    The teacher immediately backed away and dared not say more. She quickly walked far away. Even the teacher was afraid of Lu Tingxiao!

    Lu Tingxiao looked down at his son''s little head, then said, "Don''t bother waiting anymore, she won''te."

    Little Treasure lifted up his head to shoot his father an angry look, then stood his ground determinedly.

    Time slowly passed¡­

    Soon, it would be time to go into the ss¡­

    All the parents had already cruelly pushed their little ones into the ssroom¡­

    Ning Xi still had note¡­

    "Go on," Lu Tingxiao had no choice but to say something again.

    This time, the little bun started writing something, then raised it to show his father: [Little Treasure does not want to go to school!!!]

    Lu Tingxiao squinted his eyes, then his face darkened, "You''re not a three-year-old kid anymore. As a man, are you going to break your promise?"

    The little bun started to write again: [Little Treasure is a kid! I''m five, I''m still a kid! Little Treasure is not a man!!!]

    After he finished writing, he looked at his father with a pained "Daddy, stop trying to trap me" expression.

    Well, this sentence did not work on him¡­

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless. Sigh, when your kid has all grown up, he was not that easy to trick anymore¡­

    At the same time, around the corner not too far away from the school, a ck car came to a stop.

 Chapter 384: Im not going anymore! Theres no love anymore!

    <h4>Chapter 384: I''m not going anymore! There''s no love anymore!</h4>

    Lu Chongshan could still maintain hisposure to protect his image, but Yan Ruyi was already impatiently rushing Xing Wu who was holding the telescope.

    "Xing Wu, can you see clearly or not? What''s Little Treasure''s current situation? The other kids have all gone to ss now. Why''s our Little Treasure still not moving?"

    "Did something happen?" Lu Chongshan asked worriedly.

    Xing Wu observed for a while then turned to exin to them, "The little Master is indeed experiencing some kind of problem now. I just saw little Master write that he doesn''t want to go to school anymore! The big Master tried to advise him, but it still didn''t work!"

    Lu Chongshan''s expression immediately changed, "See! I knew it, that women''s words are not that powerful anyway! In the end, Little Treasure still won''t go to school!"

    "What¡­what do we do then? Wasn''t he still finest night? He even went out of the house obediently this morning! He''s even already at the school''s entrance! Why did he change his mind now?" Yan Ruyi was worried beyondparison.

    When Xing Wu heard their conversation, he cleared his throat and said, "The little Master suddenly changing his mind about going to school seems to be because of Miss Ning Xi''s absence today. The little Master was probably hoping for Miss Ning Xi to send him off today too, so he''s throwing a tantrum now¡­"

    Lu Chongshan was immediately angered when he heard this, "Then why didn''t shee? Did she need us to personally invite her? This is preposterous!"

    "How about we actually invite her? It''s more important for Little Treasure to go to school!" Yan Ruyi suggested.

    Lu Chongshan immediately rejected the idea, "Definitely not! Don''te up with such bad suggestions! If there''s a first, there will be a second time! If we ask for her help this time, the next time would be worse! She will use this incident to make even more ridiculous requests!"

    "Then¡­what do you think we should do?" Yan Ruyi did not know what to do anymore. She was initially full of hope but now she was full of disappointment.

    "Even if we personally invited her, I don''t think she woulde, because she knows that if Little Treasure were to fully recover, she wouldn''t be of value anymore. There''s no way she''s hoping for Little Treasure to recover so quickly!" Lu Chongshan said this with a firm voice.

    Well, if Lu Chongshan put it that way, Yan Ruyi finally understood¡­

    Not too far ahead, the conversation between father and son was getting worse.

    Lu Tingxiao asked again, "You''re sure you don''t want to to go to school?"

    Little Treasure nodded very confidently.

    I''m not going anymore!

    There''s no love anymore!

    Lu Tingxiao looked helplessly at his son''s little face, full of determination. He knew his son''s personality very well - it was difficult to change whatever the little guy set his mind to. Thus, he could only hold his son''s hand and prepare to leave, "Let''s go home then."

    The little bun curled his hand into a fist and remained in the same spot, refusing to move.

    Until finally, the bell for ss rang¡­

    Aunty Xiao Xi was really noting¡­

    The little guy''s big eyes were full of sadness and disappointment, as his head tilted down and he walked away robotically with his father¡­

    Suddenly, at that moment, a clear voice shouted from the other end of the road, "My baby, Little Treasure!!!"

    This voice was¡­

    Aunty Xiao Xi''s!!!

    Little Treasure''s face immediately lit up and he wrung free from his father''s hand to run towards the direction of the voice.

    As he listened to the sound of rushed little footsteps, Lu Tingxiao looked up to see her walk towards the school wearing Little Treasure''s favorite pink dress with a pink colored crystal hair clip¡­

 Chapter 385: Daddy Is So Mean

    <h4>Chapter 385: Daddy Is So Mean</h4>

    Ning Xi panted as she rushed over and squatted down to hug the little bun. Then, she stuffed something into his hands and said, "I''m so tired, it''s a good thing I made it! Baby, take this, I was just learning from some mastersst night, so I woke up early this morning to make you a love-filled bento box. It''s your first day of school, good food can motivate you!"

    When in reality¡­

    She had initially decided not toe when she sent that messagest night, but her body seemed adamant not to be controlled by her brain. She automatically woke up early this morning and started to busy around in the kitchen.

    When she finally realized what she was doing, she had already finished making the cutest little bento box!

    Sigh, her heart was filled with love for the little bun, there was no way she could control herself!

    Especially when she thought about how the little bun would be waiting for her, and his disappointed little face when she would not appear, her soul left her.

    s, her exhausted body had to follow her soul to rush over here¡­

    "I''m sorry, baby! Did you wait very long?" Ning Xi apologized.

    The little bun hugged the love-filled bento box tightly and immediately shook his head to indicate that he was not angry at all.

    Ning Xi was instantly relieved. She touched the little bun''s head and said, "Study well, and listen to what your teachers say!"

    The little bun nodded hard.

    Mmm, it''s so nice to go to school!

    He wanted to go to school!

    Lu Tingxiao could not help but feel himself smiling as he watched his son''s emotions change faster than the flip of a page. He intentionally tried to expose him and said, "I thought you said you didn''t want to go school anymore?"

    When Little Treasure heard, he immediately tensed up and shot his father a deadly look.

    Daddy is so mean! How could he expose him to Aunty Xiao Xi!?

    Exposing was the path of petty people!

    When Ning Xi heard, she blinked and quickly asked, "Ah? Why not? Why don''t you want to go to school anymore?"

    Lu Tingxiao never liked to tolerate with his son''s tempers, so he directly said in front of his anxious son, "He''s too temperamental."

    The little bun looked like he was struck by lightning. He was not going to talk to his father anymore!

    The little bun nervously looked at Ning Xi and was so anxious that he was about to cry because he was afraid that Aunty Xiao Xi would be angry and not like him anymore.

    When Ning Xi heard the exnation, she just nodded then nonchntly said, "So what? Little Treasure is still little! Being temperamental is part of growing up. It''s okay, baby, you can continue to be temperamental as much as you want!"

    Little Treasure''s face glowed, then he delightedly looked at his father by his side.

    Indeed, Aunty Xiao Xi loves me the most!

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his son, then at Ning Xi andughed softly looking down, "Mmm, you''re right." He had a look that seemed to say, "Whatever my wife says is right! I am okay even if I am being teased by my son!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s smile was so striking that Ning Xi had to clear her throat and avoid that charming face. She quickly rushed Little Treasure, "It''s time to go for ss, isn''t it? Go on in quickly, baby! Don''t bete now!"

    Little Treasure looked at the school, then squeezed Ning Xi''s hand tightly, clearly reluctant to leave her.

    At this moment, at the entrance of the school, there were still several reluctant children and their parents. They were all in shock¡­

    They watched in awe as the man who had frightened the children to tears earlier, seemed to soften when that girl appeared. His icy presence seemed to have melted and he seemed¡­not as scary anymore¡­and he even oozed a sort of warmth¡­

 Chapter 386: Motherly Emotions

    <h4>Chapter 386: Motherly Emotions</h4>

    Then, a kid from the opposite stared at Ning Xi and eximed, "That kid''s mom is so pretty!"

    Other kids noticed too and echoed him.

    "Like a princess!"

    "Like a flower fairy!"

    "Like a magical fairy!"

    "I want her to be my mother too!" one of the kids said out loud.

    The kid''s fatherughed and said, "Don''t say such things, your mother wouldn''t like it!"

    ¡­

    When he heard all the other children''s words, the little bun immediately hugged Ning Xi even tighter, as if he was preventing her from being ogled at. He acted in such a way like he was afraid that she would be taken away from him.

    Ning Xiughed and patted the little bun''s head as a way of consoling him, "They''re just joking!"

    When she heard those descriptions of herself being called a princess, a flower fairy, a magical fairy and whatnot, she really felt quite embarrassed¡­

    Because the little bun liked it when she wore pink, not only did she wear the hair clip the little bun had given her, she also wore a very feminine and princessy dress too. She had really given it her all!

    As long as the little bun liked it!

    Atst, the remaining children eventually stopped crying as they were distracted by Ning Xi''s presence. The teacher then quickly took the chance to lead them into the school.

    Thus, only Little Treasure was left now.

    Ning Xi hugged the little bun onest time with a heavy heart, then said, "Go on in!"

    The little bun hugged the bento box in his arms and slowly walked in¡­

    At first, he really did not understand why the other children cried, but after Aunty Xiao Xi came, he understood.

    He was reluctant to leave Aunty Xiao Xi and he felt like crying too.

    Ning Xi watched the figure of the little bun''s back carrying his school bag and thought about how one day the little bun would grow up and be more independent. One day, he would finally,pletely leave their protection and not need her anymore¡­suddenly she felt her eyes well up¡­

    Jesus, what was up with these maternal emotions?

    This was when a hand patted her on the shoulder, "Don''t be sad, it''s a good thing."

    Ning Xi awkwardly nodded, "Mmm!"

    ¡­

    Not too far away in a ck car, Yan Ruyi had already gotten so emotional that she cried.

    "God bless! God bless! No matter what, Little Treasure has finally gone to school smoothly!"

    Probably because his prediction had been wrong, Lu Chongshan wore a stiff expression on his face. He coldly scoffed, "At least this woman knew her position and she knew what to do!"

    Yan Ruyi sighed with a hand on her chest, "Haih! This burden on my heart is finally relieved!"

    Lu Chongshan shot her a look, "Now you can finally put more time and effort into his marriage arrangements, right?"

    Yan Ruyi wiped off her tears, "I know, I know! I''m almost done with choosing the candidates. Didn''t I show you some of them earlier? I just need to send it to the medium to check their birth datepatibility!"

    Even though there were not many people who still believed in such superstitions, in reality, the Feng Shui element was still something sought after within the upper-ss social circles. Usually, before a marriage union, they still checked on fatepatibilities. After all, it was best to believe in something than nothing.

    "Don''t dy it any longer. Get this done within the next few days!" Lu Chongshan urged.

    "But I haven''t decided which medium to hire now. How about Medium Long? They usually look for him in Imperial for such things! He has a quite a reputation, that way we''d feel more assured too!" Yan Ruyi asked.

 Chapter 387: The Devils Skills Upgraded!

    <h4>Chapter 387: The Devil''s Skills Upgraded!</h4>

    Lu Chongshan shook his head at the suggestion of Medium Long and said, "No way! That Long Fanyin does have some skills up his sleeves but he doesn''t have sincere intentions. It would not be good if someone bribed him to fake the readings. It''s not like such a thing hasn''t happened in the past before¡­so, no, let''s not get him.

    "Make a trip to Fahua Temple and look for Medium Xuan Jing instead. Even though it''s slightly more troublesome, but he''s much more reliable. The Lu group has been generous with donations for the adornment of the gold foil on the Buddha statue every year. If you go there personally, I''m sure he will do us a favor!"

    Yan Ruyi nodded, "Alright, I''ll look for Medium Xuan Jing then! This is not a small matter, so it doesn''t matter if it''s more troublesome, it''s best to invest on reliability!"

    This was when there was a thump that came from the front seat of the car. The telescope in Xing Wu''s hand had identally slipped and fallen.

    "Master, Madam! Big Master seems to have noticed us! Do we still continue spying?" Xing Wu asked in a shaky voice.

    He felt like he would die a hundred times if he was discovered on the spot since he had been put in the position against the Big Master several times now!

    Lu Chongshan had already found out about the matter he cared for the most. He looked over and saw that Ning Xi seemed like she was waving farewell to Lu Tingxiao and both parties were prepared to go separate ways. Since there was nothing much to see further, he was prepared to leave too, "Okay, let''s go back!"

    "Okay!" Xing Wu breathed a sigh of relief and immediately started the engine.

    On the other side of the road, the first thing Ning Xi did after sending the little bun off was¡­

    Of course to quickly run away!

    "Well¡­CEO Lu, if there''s nothing else, I''ll make a move first! I have to shoot an advertisement for a gamingpany today and I have to rush over together with Sis Zhizhi and the rest!"

    After she said this speedily, she ran off without waiting for Lu Tingxiao''s reply!

    Then, in the next second¡­

    When she had only gone two steps forward¡­

    Her wrist was held in a vice grip and suddenly, she found that she could not move forward anymore. Instead, her entire body was pulled strongly into a warm embrace¡­

    Lu Tingxiao held the girl''s slim waist and hugged her tightly. He then said with a low and hoarse voice, "Don''t go yet."

    Ning Xi was shocked speechless.

    Her braingged.

    This devil¡­his skills have upgraded again!

    At least, thest time he thought of asking for her opinion. Now, he just immediately hugged her!

    Lu Tingxiao sighed helplessly and hugged her a little tighter, "I wanted to have a proper conversation with you but you keep hiding from me. Now it seems like this is the only way¡­"

    Ning Xi questioned silently, so it is my fault now?

    "Ning Xi, do you still remember? Thest time you told me to be more careful and move around with more bodyguards¡­" Lu Tingxiao suddenly said.

    When he mentioned this, Ning Xi''s nerves immediately tensed up, "Of course I remember! Why? Did something happen?"

    Lu Tingxiao patted her back in constion, "Don''t worry, it was nothing, I just wanted to tell you something."

    "What is it?" Ning Xi was confused.

    What she really wanted to say was as well was "Devil, please have mercy on me. I won''t run away, just let go of me and we can have a proper conversation, okay?"

    "NIng Xi, when you said all those things to me previously, I intentionally used some¡­tricks¡­to make you worry about me, and also to be able to get close to you," Lu Tingxiao coughed as he confessed.

    Ning Xi did not reply. Actually, there was no need to exin, she was not that dumb not to have realized this. So, what was he trying to say?

 Chapter 388: An Initiated Hug!

    <h4>Chapter 388: An Initiated Hug!</h4>

    As Lu Tingxiao continued to talk, his tone became serious, "So, Ning Xi, don¡¯t overestimate my vulnerability. Don¡¯t avoid me because of that. I¡¯ll guarantee that no one can hurt me and that no one can use this to threaten you to make you stay away from me!"

    When she heard this, Ning Xi finally understood what he meant and felt her heart sink a little.

    Lu Tingxiao slowly let her go and held her shoulders to make her look into his eyes. He then said intensely, as if to carve his words onto her heart, "Ning Xi, I¡¯ve said so much just to tell you that no one and nothing can affect your decision. The only thing you need to decide on is me, and the only one thing to ascertain is if you like me.

    "If it¡¯s because you can¡¯t love me, then I¡¯ll ept it and this reason is the only reason I can ept.

    "One more thing, and most importantly, Ning Xi, I am an adult, I can take responsibility for all my actions. No matter what I do, ites from my heart and it¡¯s all voluntary.

    "Even though the person I like is you, in a way, my feelings for you have nothing to do with you. So you don¡¯t have to feel pressured at all. I will wait for you, wait for the day that you fall in love with me. Understand?"

    Ning Xi smiled bitterly as she buried her face in her hands. Whoever said Lu Tingxiao was not good with his words? He could practically participate in the national debatepetition, since he was always saying things that hit her right in her soft spot.

    In her heart, a voice replied softly, "Lu Tingxiao¡­You don¡¯t have to wait actually¡­I¡¯ve already fallen in love with you!"

    Only, she didn¡¯t have the strength to defeat all that had happened years ago.

    To tell him the truth, to reveal the fact that she had been raped and had given birth to a stillborn was but only one easy sentence.

    But what she could not handle was how he would react to the news.

    Even if she believed that Lu Tingxiao would have a heart big enough that he would be okay with this, who would be willing to unashamedly reveal their own tarnished past in front of the person they loved the most?

    She could not even handle the thought of it¡­

    She would much rather be the best version of herself in his eyes¡­

    The man in front of her was too good, simply too good. He deserved to have the best, for the best woman to be his wife¡­

    Yet, when she thought about this, in the deepest corner of Ning Xi¡¯s heart, she felt a wave of thought and impulse that she had never experienced before!

    Yes, the man in front of her should have the best!

    Why couldn¡¯t she be the best then?

    She could be so good that one day, she could defeat her past, defeat the low self-esteem within her and stand tall beside him!

    She would not be his Achilles¡¯ heel but she would be his armor instead!

    "Ning Xi¡­Ning Xi?" Lu Tingxiao was a little worried when she did not reply him for a long time.

    The gentle voice beside Ning Xi¡¯s ear made her return to her senses from the turbulent chaos within her heart. Her eyes glowed like never before, "Yes, Lu Tingxiao, I understand now!"

    Lu Tingxiao was slightly stunned as he watched this girl glow fiercely, and his heart was moved. Even though he did not know what she was thinking about at this moment, he was still affected by her emotions. "Okay."

    When she had thought things out, Ning Xi felt like she was given a new life. Apart from her dreams, she now had another wonderful thing that was worth her hard work in life!

    Before her brain could react, Ning Xi¡¯s body had already moved in to initiate a hug with Lu Tingxiao. Though it was quick and it was only a light one within half a second, it was still a hug.

 Chapter 389: My Eyes! I Just Fixed It Now Its Blind Again!

    <h4>Chapter 389: My Eyes! I Just Fixed It Now It''s Blind Again!</h4>

    After the hug, she ransacked her brain for a random reason and said, "Thank you for Big Boss''s care, thank you for the pleasure of knowing you, thank you for helping me resolve the conflict, just¡­thank you so much! I''m going to do my best at work and all that!"

    With that, she flew off like the rush of a pink-colored wind¡­

    As for Lu Tingxiao, he stood stunned in the same spot as if he had yet to understand what had just happened¡­

    He returned to his senses after a long while and thought, did Ning Xi just hug him earlier?

    They have known each other for a long time now, yet this was the first and only time that she made the first move¡­

    He felt like he just smelt the fragrance of freshly blossomed flowers for the first time after climbing endless mountains and crossing icy rivers¡­

    "Aiyo! My eyes! I just fixed them and now they''re blind again! Why? Why do I have to always witness such destructive images? Jesus! What am I to you? Someone to be tortured?"

    From somewhere, a whine disrupted the mood¡­

    Lu Jingli popped out of nowhere and he closed his eyes as if he were in pain as he watched his brother floating on cloud nine after the hug.

    "Why are you here?" Lu Tingxiao asked his brother with a goofy smile.

    Lu Jingli was taken aback as he rubbed the goosebumps on his arm, "My brother, don''t smile when you talk to me, it''s making me nervous. I''m so not used to this¡­"

    "Is there something you need me for?" Lu Tingxiao seemed to be conscious that his current emotions were not too controlled, so he cleared his throat and gathered himself.

    "Nothing! Just that I saw Xing Wu driving over to secretly follow Little Treasure, so¡­so I secretly followed them out too¡­oh, right, I even put this on Xing Wu! Hehehe¡­" Lu Jingli smiled cunningly as he revealed a micro-sized listening device. "He never would have thought that I was right behind them, right behind you!"

    "Mmm, you did well." Lu Tingxiao was not stingy with hispliment.

    Lu Jingli was so happy that he could fly, "Of course! I just heard earlier, Mother and Father are prepared to check yourpatibility with thosedy socialites at Fahua Temple. Bro, tell me, do we want to do something about this? For example, make those socialites'' dates of birth to be ipatible with yours, then make Xiao Xi Xi''s one be shockinglypatible! Who knows, this could make our parents change their mindsets! The old ones seem to believe this more!"

    "No need for that," Lu Tingxiao rejected the idea without hesitation, "This is an insult to Medium Xuan Jing."

    Xuan Jing was a genuine and sincere monk and he would not partake in such fabricated ideas.

    Even though there was also Long Fanyin, based on his father''s cautiousness, he predicted that the old man would definitely not believe his words. Such an action would backfire on him instead.

    Lu Jingli held his chin as he contemted, "Okay¡­if it''s Xuan Jing then it''s best not to do this! Besides, who knows if you and Xiao Xi Xi''s dates of birth might actually be perfectlypatible?"

    "Mmm," Lu Tingxiao actually nodded immediately and he had a steady, focused expression.

    Lu Jingli held his hand to his chest in mock hurt.

    "Okay, okay, bro, I''m not going to talk to you anymore. In the days toe, I don''t want to be tortured anymore. I just want to leave quietly and find a small ind to heal¡­I can finally go on a holiday, feeling assured with your current situation!"

    When he thought about a long break of three months, Lu Jingli returned to his energetic self.

    Ah! To leave this heartlessnd!

    The beach! The sea! The beauties! I''ming!

    ¡­

 Chapter 390: The Attitude of A Hostess

    <h4>Chapter 390: The Attitude of A Hostess</h4>

    At Glory World Entertainment.

    In the hall downstairs, Su Yimo, donned in a long white dress, had an annoyed expression on her face when she saw that part of her skirt was dirty.

    At this moment, a well-dressed woman was angrily scolding an older female artiste, "Bai Lu! Do you know how to do anything at all? How could you dirty Sis Yimo''s dress by spraying water to wipe the floor? Do you know how much this dress costs?"

    Su Yimo''s manager, Zhao Meixin, crossed her arms and scoffed, "Hah, money? This is Chanel''s limited edition from the current season. It''s not even on the market for sale yet! Our Yimo only got this dress because she just signed the contract to be their spokesperson! You can''t buy this with money."

    The artiste named Bai Lu immediately turned pale and apologized profusely, "Sorry, sorry, sorry¡­Sis Yimo! Sis Meixin! Sis Biqin! I''m really sorry! It''s all my fault for being careless!

    "Or else¡­or else¡­Sis Yimo, how about you take it off and I''ll help you send it for cleaning! I will definitely clean it so well that you wouldn''t be able to tell it had even been dirtied!"

    Bai Lu was 30 years old this year and had been in the industry for 10 years now. She was older than Su Yimo, Zhao Meixin, and the artiste who criticised her, Liang Biqin.

    However, she really had no fate for fame. All these years, she could not increase her poprity, so in recent years she had to resort to being an extra.

    It was not about how long you had been in the entertainment circle, but more about how famous you were. Even if you entered the industry earlier, in front of these people, you still had to respectfully call them "Sis".

    Initially, for a small character like herself, she did not care if people made life harder for her. Only recently did she realize her luck had improved and she was spotted by a director to take on a more prominent supporting actress role which was also wanted by Liang Biqin as well.

    Li Biqin was Su Yimo''s cousin, and she used Su Yimo''s power in thepany to do as she wished. This time, an extra got the role that she sought after, so how could she not want to mess with her?

    At that moment, there were more people watching in the hall. Everyone knew that Liang Biqin was obviously looking for trouble with her.

    Yet, no one even stood up for her or dared to say a word. Instead, many people took the opportunity to echo Liang Biqin and started to scold Bai Lu too¡­

    It was no exaggeration that Glory World Entertainment was Su Yimo''s world. If anyone offended her and her posse, they had no hope of making it in the entertainment circle anymore.

    As everyone around looked on without helping, Bai Lu could only surrender and pick up the soiled skirt, begging, "I guarantee that I can wash off the dirt on here¡­"

    Liang Biqin crossed her arms and mercilessly kicked Bai Lu, "Take away your dirty hands! Wash? Are you kidding? How are you going to wash this? With your hands? Do you think we''d still want this expensive outfit after your coarse hands have washed it?"

    When she was done scolding, Liang Biqin suddenly had an idea and held Su Yimo''s hand to flightily say, "Cousin, this woman has been in ourpany for 10 years and she''s still just an extra. Just doing such a small task turns into a clumsy job! It''s too wasteful of thepany''s resources to keep someone like her, so we should just let her go!"

    Liang Biqin''s poisonous words and her cruel attitude made it seem as if Su Yimo really was the hostess of thepany now¡­

    However, Su Yimo obviously really enjoyed hearing this. Her expression immediately became lighter as she started to contemte the suggestion seriously.

 Chapter 391: This Is Ning Xi?

    <h4>Chapter 391: This Is Ning Xi?</h4>

    It was true that in thispany, no one would dare reject doing her a favor. To chase someone out of thepany was too easy - all she had to do was just had to talk to Bai Lu''s manager.

    When Bai Lu heard this, she became anxious and immediately knelt down to beg for mercy as she clung on to Su Yimo''s dress. "Sis Yimo, I beg of you! Don''t chase me out! As long as you don''t chase me out, I''d do anything for you! Please¡­I beg of you¡­"

    Bai Lu was still begging profusely when someone in a pink dress walked in.

    Because Bai Lu was kneeling in the middle of the walkway, Ning Xi could not evade her in time and identally bumped into her¡­

    "Ah!" Bai Lu stumbled and eximed.

    The part of Su Yimo''s dress which she held in her hand was identally tugged on a little more¡­

    Bai Lu was so frightened that she turned pale. She did not care that she was knocked into. The first she did after getting up was to check the dress, afraid that she might have ruined it.

    This was when Liang Biqin held up the dress and urgently brushed the ruined part. She instantly turned to Ning Xi and shouted, "Are you blind? Watch where you''re going! Where do you think this is that you can simply run around? Do you know that you have caused a huge problem here? Do you have any idea what you''ve just ruined? You wouldn''t be able topensate for this dress even if you sold yourself!"

    Ning Xi''s appearance spiced up the atmosphere for the spectators initially watching Bai Lu¡­

    "Ah, isn''t that Ning Xi? She''s dressed so¡­pink today! It''s not her style at all! I almost didn''t recognize her!"

    "Haha, this is going to be good! I heard that she''s being groomed to be the next Leng Manyun! Her appearance in the headlines recently has been quite the fanfare as well! Say, what do you think will happen between them if they fought?"

    "Is that even a question? As bright as Ning Xi''s limelight may be, could she possibly defeat Su Yimo? That is preposterous!"

    ¡­

    "I''m sorry for bumping into you, are you okay?"

    Ning Xi was just apologizing to Bai Lu when she was scolded horribly by Liang Biqin.

    She frowned and listened to the whispering around. Then, she looked at the soiled skirt in Bai Lu''s hand and roughly guessed what had happened.

    Initially, Bai Lu had identally dirtied Su Yimo''s dress, and now it seems like because she had identally bumped into Bai Lu, Su Yimo''s dress had been ruined further¡­

    This was the point that Zhao Meixin reminded Liang Biqin who Ning Xi was, as thetter did not recognize her at first sight.

    Liang Biqin evaluated the pink princessy dress and crystal hair clip on Ning Xi from head to toe andughed, "This is Ning Xi? I thought she would be someone more impressive, but¡­just this? No wonder my cousin doesn''t mind her at all, it''s hard to!"

    Indeed, Su Yimo barely spared Ning Xi a second nce.

    No matter how Ning Xi hopped about, she was just a joke in her eyes, easily killed with a finger. It was funny that people actually daredpared herself to her!

    Knowing that this woman was Ning Xi, Liang Biqin naturally did not want to let her off easily since she now had the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

    So, she shouted at the two of them, "Bai Lu! And you, Ning Xi, right? Now, don''t say that I''m intentionally making it hard for you. Everyone saw that the both of you tore this dress. Don''t think I''d let you off easily just by washing it!"

 Chapter 392: This Request Isnt Too Much, Is it?

    <h4>Chapter 392: This Request Isn''''t Too Much, Is it?</h4>

    Bai Lu''s hands shook non-stop as she looked at Su Yimo in fright, "I¡­I didn''t mean to¡­I¡­Sis Yi Mo, it''s all my fault. Tell me how can I make it up to you! As long as I am able to, I will definitely do it!"

    Su Yimo naturally did not bother to talk to someone on such a lowly level, so she just shot her manager a look.

    Obediently, Zhao Meixin walked up and held up the hem of the dress to examine it. She then said exaggeratedly, "The tear in the hem is horrendous! The dress is definitely useless now! How about this - as long as the both of you agree topensate Su Yimo with the exact same dress, we''ll forget about what happened today."

    When Liang Biqin heard this, she was delighted and joined in the false generosity, "The both of you heard her, justpensate with another dress. Such a request isn''t too much, is it?"

    Bai Lu''s lips trembled when she heard this and she cried on the spot.

    Liang Biqin knew very well that even if she were topile all of her savings, there was no way she could afford a dress this luxurious!

    Also, Ning Xi was only a rookie. Don''t even get started on how she had not even started earning yet, and even if she did, most of the profits would have gone to thepany for now. How could they afford topensate for the dress?

    This was when Ning Xi walked up to Su Yimo and picked up the elegant dress and examined it.

    Actually, apart from the slightly obvious stain, Bai Lu''s tug earlier did not actually create too much of a damage. One could hardly see any traces of it and there was no need for any repair work¡­

    With that, Ning Xi mumbled, "Let''s not talk about the stain first since these traces are barely noticeable. It shouldn''t cause too much of an effect¡­"

    Liang Biqin immediately looked upset and cut her off with her piercing voice, "What do you mean? Are you trying to say that the both of us are tricking you? For such a high-end apparel, even a slight w would amount to ruining it, what more for such arge area of thread that hase loose. I don''t know which poor vige youe from, but if you know nothing, stop embarrassing yourself here!"

    Zhao Meixin looked at Su Yimo who remained nonchnt andughed along too, "Hah, I''m afraid she just wants to evade responsibilities, doesn''t she? It''s too bad, there are so many people looking on and under everyone''s watchful eyes, we all saw that if it wasn''t for her bumping into someone like a klutz, this outfit wouldn''t have been spoiled. Now you''re trying to get out of it?"

    When Zhao Meixin finished, she casually skimmed the crowd around her, then immediately someone echoed, "Exactly! What Sis Meixin had suggested is reasonable!"

    "If you ruin someone''s outfit, you have topensate. This ismon sense!"

    "They just asked for her topensate with another dress, yet she still wants to escape from the situation! She doesn''t know what she''s doing! Who''s this? Her manners are too poor!"

    "Sis Yimo just got the dress and now it''s been ruined. What an upsetting incident, yet she''s been so good-tempered all along and did not show any anger!"

    ¡­

    Someone else took the opportunity to butter up to her and said, "Isn''t that Chanel''stest limited edition piece that''s not even on the market yet? My heart aches at this sight! Speaking of which, if this dress isn''t even on the market yet, even if they managed to gather enough money, they still wouldn''t be able to buy it, will they?"

    This person was just carelessly throwing outments, which implied that not only did she was not buttering up to Su Yimo, but that she was also intentionally troubling her¡­

    Indeed, Su Yimo''s expression changed slightly.

    When they realized they had said something wrong, the person felt frightened and she quickly tried to save herself and said, "Sis Yimo, to fuss with someone like this is practically lowering your status! Just look at them, it''s obvious that they can''tpensate you. Since this apparel is not in the market yet, how about you let thempensate with another dress that''s about the same grade!"

 Chapter 393: The Label Of A Shameless Villain

    <h4>Chapter 393: The Label Of A Shameless Viin</h4>

    Someone else on the side immediately took the opportunity to brownnose Su Yimo, "How is that possible? Yimo''s dress is a limited edition! If hers is ruined, the world would becking one too!"

    When she heard this, Su Yimo looked more settled and she said helplessly, "What about if it''s the same grade too?"

    Liang Biqin immediately jumped and reacted as if she felt it was unfair, "Cousin! You''re just too nice! But if you let this slide so easily, this will give precedence to more of these troublemakers!"

    Everyone around them naturally echoed.

    "What are you two doing? Quickly thank Sis Yimo!"

    "You got lucky this time!"

    "Good thing Sis Yimo is so easy-going that she let you guys get off the hook so easily!"

    ¡­

    Bai Lu knelt on the ground stiffly. She could not say anything.

    Hah, whatever same grade apparel it was that she had to find, it would still mean the same to her¡­

    She definitely could not afford topensate¡­

    Could it be that today she would be chased out of thepany?

    Even though she had already expected the worst, she had finally reached this moment, and she still could notpletely ept it.

    She had persevered for 10 whole years now. Things were about to get better, but now because she dirtied a dress, it was all going to be over¡­

    As everyone around watched Bai Lu''s pitiful expression, they all had the same thought. They were even more certain now that no matter who they offended, it had better not be Su Yimo¡­

    As for Ning Xi, it seemed to her like this would not end well today.

    Everyone knew that Ning Xi had previously been treated unkindly in Starlight Entertainment and that she definitely did not have too much money on her hands.

    Up till now, even though she had signed the contract with Glory World, she had not been signed onto any new drama. She did win a small gamingpany''s contract as a spokesperson, but whether or not the fees would be distributed to her was unknown. Even if it was, it would probably only be able to afford the hem of that dress¡­

    At this moment, Ning Xi squinted as she thought about something. When she heard the echoing urges around her and Bai Lu''s sobs, something shed across her eyes and she said, "Compensate with an apparel of the same grade, was it? Just give me a few minutes, I''ll go home to get it."

    It was a good thing the apartment was very near thepany.

    Once she said this, everyone looked at each other doubtfully¡­

    "She made it sound easy! Go home to get it? How on earth would Ning Xi have an apparel of such quality? If she did, I''ll take my brain out and let you sit on it like a toilet bowl!"

    "She must be lying. For someone who likes to be in the limelight like her, if she really did have it, she would have worn it to show off. How would we have not seen it even once? She must be trying to save face and put up a facade! Probably trying to dy time!"

    "Even if she dyed further, there''s no way she can make an apparel appear out of thin air, right? Think about what the "apparel of the same grade" means? It means that every aspect of the piece must be simr! Look at Yimo''s apparel, what grade is it? Don''t talk about how it''s not avable in the market yet. Even if it was, it would be a global limited edition with not more than ten pieces!"

    ¡­

    Liang Biqinughed a little, "Haha, sure, we''ll wait! However, you can''t just go and not return! If you don''te back, my cousin won''t be so petty as to chase you to the world''s end for it. Then, you''d be leaving Bai Lu alone topensate¡­"

    These words clearly tried tobel Ning Xi as a shameless viin. If she dared to not return, her reputation would definitely be ruined.

    If she did return and came back with nothing in hand, it would also definitely be embarrassing¡­

    Nevertheless, Ning Xi was far from worried if she would be able to hand over an apparel.

    Even if she sought for someone''s help, she would not be able to make it within such a short period of time. Which luxury brand did not need a pre-order much further in advance before its purchase?

 Chapter 394: Im Back

    <h4>Chapter 394: I''m Back</h4>

    "Ning Xi, you¡­" Bai Lu wanted to say something but stopped. She wanted to ask whether she really had a n, but she did not dare ask. She was afraid that if she asked, she would lose her final strand of hope.

    "Wait for me, I''ll be quick," Ning Xi said to Bai Lu in a rush, then smiled a little at Liang Biqin and the rest. Without saying anything further, she ran out the door¡­

    Bai Lu recalled the look she had before she left. Even though she knew she should not, but she still involuntarily felt herself wanting to believe her¡­

    Ning Xi had not gone for too long when Zhao Meixin looked at the doorway and felt like she was forgetting something, but she could not quite put her finger on it.

    Time passed slowly¡­

    Everyone looked outside, while Bai Lu''s sight never left the door. After all, she had already run out of options and Ning Xi was her only hope.

    "Pfft, Bai Lu, you''re still hoping? You didn''t really believe that she would return, did you?" Liang Biqin looked delightedly at Bai Lu''s pitiful demeanor and intentionally made her feel worse.

    Hah, this is what happens when you dare steal a role from her!

    We''ll see who else dares go against her next time!

    Bai Lu''s expression darkened as she remained quiet, even though she knew deep down that her hopes were slim.

    "Everyone can see that we''ve given you multiple chances, and we even repeatedly lowered the standards. If you can''tpensate for this, then you really can''t me us anymore!" Liang Biqin said at this point and then she paused. She slyly added, "If you want to me, me Ning Xi! If it hadn''t been for her, would Sis Yimo''s dress have been ruined?"

    Zhao Meixin put on a regretful look, "Initially, the dress was only stained slightly and it wasn''t too big of a deal. It just needed a wash but who knew¡­haih¡­"

    Bai Lu naturally knew that Liang Biqin and Zhao Meixin were intentionally inciting the situation, so she did not say anything.

    Actually, she did not me Ning Xi, she only had herself to me for having such bad luck¡­

    Hah, she went without drama for 10 years, and now when she finally got a supporting role, she immediately fell right into the fire pit. Could her luck possibly be that bad?

    They waited for a little while more, and Su Yimo started to show her impatience.

    Liang Biqin saw that Su Yimo was bing restless, so she immediately vented, "Didn''t she say it was only for a few minutes? Why isn''t she here yet?"

    Zhao Meixin was upset too, "That''s too much. If you can''tpensate, just be honest! Now our Yimo has to wait for so long! Do you know how precious our Yimo''s time is?"

    Everyone around nodded, "We knew that she wouldn''t be able to offer something. We shouldn''t have waited for nothing!"

    "We sure don''t mind, but to make Sis Yimo wait this long is really plucky of her!"

    "Real nice of her, isn''t it? I''ll say, Sis Yimo, if she really ran away, don''t let her get off the hook so easily!"

    "Exactly! Otherwise, it would be too nice for her!"

    ¡­

    Suddenly, all the ass kissers and theirments made things worse for Ning Xi.

    When she saw that all was said and done, thest flicker of hope in Bai Lu''s eyes finally extinguished¡­

    She was so unwilling to let this happen to herself!

    Yet as unwilling as she may be, what could she do?

    That was when from the entrance a clear voice rang out, "I''m back."

    The girl was still wearing the pink outfit as she panted slightly, and stood there against the light.

    "Ning¡­Ning Xi¡­"

    "Interesting! She really dared toe back!"

    "Uhh, it seems like she''s holding something¡­could it really be a dress?"

    ¡­

 Chapter 395: Indeed Very Intelligent!

    <h4>Chapter 395: Indeed Very Intelligent!</h4>

    Ning Xi was holding something in her hand. It was one of those stic bags used in supermarkets and inside it was a grey ball of fabric.

    When Ning Xi came closer, everyone tried to clearly see what was in the stic bag.

    In that moment, hystericughter started toe from the crowd¡­

    "Aiyo, this is too funny! What is Ning Xi holding in her hand? Did she really go to the supermarket to buy a dress?"

    "Hahaha¡­my God! No way!"

    "I''m really amazed, what creative idea did shee up with?"

    ¡­

    Zhao Meixin looked at the wrinkled stic bag in Ning Xi''s hands with the grey cloth in it and instantly came to a conclusion.

    This Ning Xi really dide up with such a rotten idea under the dire circumstances!

    "Hah, Ning Xi, even if you couldn''t produce an apparel, you can''t just simply buy a dress to trick people. Do you think we''re blind?" Zhao Meixin emphasized herst sentence sarcastically.

    Liang Biqin evenughed out loud, "I was already doubting her intelligence when I saw her unbelievably dumb dressing today, but I didn''t know that her brain really that slow! How did someone like her end up at Glory World? It''s a good thing we''re all from the samepany. If this were let out, it''ll definitely embarrass thepany to no end!"

    Ning Xi slowly took out a grey material that looked like an opaque grey shirt and said without haste, "Oh, I didn''t know that anything put into a stic bag like this would mean that it was definitely bought from the supermarket. Mmm, this logic makes perfectly intelligent sense!"

    "You¡­" Liang Biqin who was sneering instantly turned angry and said through gritted teeth, "You little vige girl, you really don''t know how to act. I''ll teach you a lesson today! Sis Yimo''s outfit is an authentic branded one. Even its packaging would be enough to for you to buy your entire outfit! If this dress of yours was not bought from the supermarket, from where could it have been bought? Who would use such a pathetic bag to put luxury outfits?"

    Ning Xi blinked and said matter-of-factly, "Me. Do you have a problem with that? Whoever set the rules that it can''t be put in this bag?"

    "You¡­stop trying to argue nonsensically! You really are not afraid, are you!" No one in thispany dared to go against her. How could Liang Biqin stand being insulted twice? She immediately shot a look at the crowd.

    Someone in the crowd immediately ran over after receiving Liang Biqin''s signal and grabbed the outfit from Ning Xi''s hands, then exaggeratedly eximed, "What color is this? It looks like the faeces of a dog! It''s so traditional! And such a in dress! What possessed you to take it out?"

    "Pfft, such flimsy material! It can''t even bepared to a rag!"

    "Even if you''re trying to pretend to make up for it, at least have some sincerity! There are so many of us here, do you think we were all blind? Even if you did, that''s fine, but how can you treat Sis Yimo like she was blind too?"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi looked coldly at everyone passing the grey dress around and something terrifying shed in her eyes, "You guys better be careful. If you ruin it, you couldn''t afford topensate me."

    Once she said this, the crowd burst outughing even more hysterically¡­

    "Hahahahaha¡­she''s really into it!"

    "People used to say that her acting skills were good and I didn''t believe them, now I finally do!"

    "She deserves an Oscar already!"

    ¡­

    This was when Bai Lu slowly walked to Ning Xi''s side and said softly through trembling lips, "Ning Xi, it''s okay¡­they''re all industry experts, there''s no way you can deceive them¡­"

 Chapter 396: Youre Really Addicted To Looking At It

    <h4>Chapter 396: You''re Really Addicted To Looking At It</h4>

    "They''re all industry experts? Are you sure?" Ning Xi raised her brows in question.

    No one could tell for sure whether Ning Xi''s acting skills were so finely honed, but some of the people started to have doubts when they saw Ning Xi''s steady look.

    One of the female artistes who was holding the dress unconsciously released her fingers and mumbled, "Even if this ragged dress was any good, I still can''t see where it might be of top quality! Where''s she getting her confidence from?"

    "What are you still looking at it for? She''s definitely lying. Even if we got it wrong, how could Sis Meixin and Sis Yimo be wrong?"

    "You''re right¡­I really almost got deceived by her!" As that artiste scoffed, she saw a rubbish bin at the side and coldlyughed as she was about to throw it in.

    However¡­

    Before she tossed the dress in, Ning Xi shot her an exceptionally cold look from where she stood and it frightened her so much that she stopped in the middle of her tracks¡­

    The artiste bit her lip and looked down to examine the dress again.

    "This rag! You''re really addicted to looking at it, huh?!" someone beside her said as she reached out to snatch the dress from her hand.

    The female artiste was examining the cor area of the dress when she saw something that made her instantly go pale. She revealed a shocked expression and said, "Stop, don''t touch it! Be careful!"

    "You¡­what''s wrong with you? Why are you so shocked?"

    The artiste looked down to examine again before gulping and stuffing the dress into someone else''s hands. She then said with a lowered voice, "This looks like GE''s design¡­"

    "What''s GE?"

    "It''s Sis Yimo''s favorite brand! GE!"

    There were many brown nosers of Su Yimo present, so they all thoroughly knew her preferences. When everyone on the side heard this, they immediately turned ashen. Emotionally, their voices unintentionally became louder, "What? This is Sis Yimo''s favorite brand! GE?"

    There was a sudden pin-drop silence among the previously noisy crowd.

    When the people saw the small logo on the dress, they immediately stuffed the dress back to the first female artiste in fear, "Then why did you pass it to me!"

    She did not know whether the dress had been ruined by all the passing around earlier. If there really was any stain or mark on it, whose fault would it be?

    The female artiste held the thin material as if she was holding gold and looked as if she was about to cry as she walked towards Su Yimo and the gang. "Sis Yimo, this dress¡­"

    Su Yimo frowned slightly and shot Zhao Meixin a look.

    "What is it?" Zhao Meixin saw that something was amiss and walked over quickly to hold up the dress.

    "Sis Meixin, this dress looks like it''s from GE¡­"

    "What nonsense? You must be blind! GE''s dresses are famous for their elegance, how could this rag be¡­" Before she finished her sentence, Zhao Meixin saw the unique stamp of GE, its logo low-key yet luxuriously embroidered with golden thread.

    "This¡­this cannot be!"

    Liang Biqin had rushed over too by now and gaped at the logo, "This is probably fake! An imitation! This Ning Xi has balls! How dare she just make an imitation of a brand? Even if she were to make a pirated version, at least make it look simr! This coarse linen doesn''t look like something from Sis Yimo''s favorite brand, does it?"

    Zhao Meixin massaged her temples and walked to Su Yimo''s side, "Yimo, look, this dress¡­"

    Su Yimo used a finger to simply life the dress up for a closer look and her expression changed in the next instant.

    This inconspicuous outfit¡­

    Was really from GE!

 Chapter 397: You Have Such Balls

    <h4>Chapter 397: You Have Such Balls</h4>

    In fact, not only was it from GE, it was also one of the more special designs, and the only sleeping gown in the line. That was why the style was so different from the rest.

    The cloth was soft and slightly opaque, for the practicality offort. The material was actually made from a rarely cultivated pure silk, which made it very expensive¡­

    Su Yimo examined it closely again. Luckily, this kind of material was sturdy and the dress had not been ruined, so she breathed a sigh of relief.

    Even though she liked this brand, this dress still belonged to Ning Xi, that lowly person!

    When she realized she had breathed a sigh of relief for Ning Xi''s dress, Su Yimo felt even more insulted. She then carelessly threw the dress back at Zhao Meixin¡­

    When Zhao Meixin saw Su Yimo''s unhappy expression, she knew then that there was no mistake about it - this dress was really from GE!

    As for everyone else who looked on, they already noticed something was not right based on Zhao Meixin and Su Yimo''s expressions¡­

    "N-no way! It can''t really be GE, right? I even pulled on it pretty hard earlier! I wouldn''t have ruined it and need topensate her, right?"

    "I thought Ning Xi was lying!"

    "Jesus! Where did Ning Xi get a dress like this?"

    "Ah! I suddenly recall¡­you know, there was a rumor before this that¡­"

    ¡­

    As she listened to the whispers around, Su Yimo also recalled the incident that Zhao Meixin had mentioned to her before. Rumor was that Ning Xi''s apartment''s closet was filled withvish outfits from GE.

    So now it was confirmed that this dress was definitely genuine.

    Su Yimo shot a Zhao Meixin a deadly look. How could she forget something as important this?

    Zhao Meixin wiped the sweat off her forehead and quickly lowered her voice to say, "Yimo, actually I did think of this possibility, but what I didn''t expect was¡­was that¡­she had such balls to use thepany''s outfit topensate you¡­"

    "I don''t need to know the reason. You had better settle this issue for me now!" Su Yimo growled as she pushed the dress back at Zhao Meixin.

    God damn it! Now she probably seemed blind in front of everyone for not even recognizing GE''s design!

    Zhao Meixin nodded profusely, "Yes, yes, yes¡­I''ll definitely resolve it! Don''t you worry, Yimo! You don''t have to do anything, just wait and watch! Watch me settle her!"

    Zhao Meixin turned to stare at Ning Xi and started to scold her, "Ning Xi! You have such balls! How dare you steal thepany''s property for your own personal use!"

    Ning Xi raised a brow, "Oh? I stole thepany''s property? How did I do that?"

    Zhao Meixinughed coldly, and said confidently, "You think we don''t know? Your apartment has many GE apparels, but those are all thepany''s property. Your apartment is just apany''s store room! Did you really think that just because the outfits are put there, they belong to you? That you can take it out to give to others as you wish?"

    Liang Biqin sneered, "See, I told you guys she''s an idiot. Previously, I said that she was retarded, and she still wanted to go against me!"

    Oohs and aahs rippled through the spectating crowd. So that was what happened¡­

    "This Ning Xi really has such courage!"

    "She actually took thepany''s property out to show off! I''m amazed!"

    "She wants to be in the limelight so much that she''s irrational now!"

    ¡­

    Bai Lu had already been frightened to the core at this point and she looked at Ning Xi with worried eyes. Damn it, this issue was turning into arger one!

    It was initially only about one outfit. If worse came to worst, she would just be kicked out of thepany. Now, it actually dragged on to be an issue of stealing thepany''s property and the worst case scenario would be to end up behind bars¡­

 Chapter 398: Take Off Your Clothes

    <h4>Chapter 398: Take Off Your Clothes</h4>

    Ning Xi gave Bai Lu a reassuring look and as the surrounding voices slowed down, she said, "Senior Su, Sis Meixin, whether or not this clothing is the property of thepany, or if my brain actually has issues, I¡¯ve followed your orders to bring you a garment of the same standard. All you have to do is fulfill your part of the agreement and this case will be closed. As for everything afterward, I will take responsibility, and that¡¯s none of your business!"

    Su Yimo¡¯s eyes went cold.

    Zhao Meixin wanted to rebut her, but she could not think of anything and she just stood frozen.

    Liang Biqin could not hold it in, "What nonsense! Ridiculous!"

    Ning Xi shrugged, "There were so many witnesses just now who heard your promise. I did not add anything else on."

    She paused, then continued, cocking her head sideways, "Or were the words only effective a moment ago? If that¡¯s how it is, as a newbie here, I have nothing to say!"

    Zhao Meixin and Su Yimo looked at each other, then said, "Our Yimo said it herself and we¡¯ll not take it back! Ning Xi, you¡¯re looking for trouble yourself so don¡¯t me us for anything!"

    Zhao Meixin nced at Bai Lu, "Since the both of you did fulfill the promise of bringing us a garment of the same level, consider this case closed!"

    Zhao Meixin¡¯s tone was particrly weak specifically when she said "same level".

    Everyone knew that even if it was just a night gown, what Ning Xi brought was obviously a few levels above what Su Yimo was wearing.

    At this point, Bai Lu still felt uneasy and she looked at Ning Xi anxiously.

    Even though she was off the hook for now, Ning Xi had gotten into big trouble!

    While she was innocent, today¡¯s incident was caused by her¡­

    Liang Biqin clung onto Su Yimo''s arm, and red at Ning Xi, "Cousin, let¡¯s go! We¡¯ve wasted too much time on this trivial matter already. What a day!"

    Su Yimo nced coldly at Ning Xi and walked away.

    The onlookers slowly dispersed as well¡­

    "I sure did not expect things to turn out this way¡­"

    "While Bai Lu is safe now, Ning Xi is in deep trouble, isn''t she?"

    "Of course! Shemitted such a huge sin; it¡¯s just a matter of time before she gets payback!"

    ¡­

    As Su Yimo¡¯s bunch were leaving, Ning Xi¡¯s voice was heard, "Senior Su please wait!"

    Su Yimo was really annoyed, thinking about how much more time she would waste on this newbie.

    Liang Biqin replied with a harsh voice, "Ning Xi! That¡¯s enough now, isn¡¯t it?"

    Zhao Meixin sarcastically looked at Ning Xi, "What now? Are you afraid? Or regretful? But as you¡¯ve said, there were a lot of witnesses earlier, so it¡¯s toote to take it back now!"

    Ning Xi gave a tiny grin, "Sis Meixin, surely you are concerned about me, so why would I regret it?"

    "Then why are you asking my cousin to stay? Are you out of your mind?"

    Ning Xi saw disdain on Su Yimo''s face, "I just wanted to remind Senior Su something¡­Senior Su, please take off your clothes."

 Chapter 399: Iâ€™m Blind Anyway

    <h4>Chapter 399: I¡¯m Blind Anyway</h4>

    As she finished her sentence, everyone felt a chill run down their spines¡­

    Liang Biqin widened her eyes, "Ning Xi! You¡­you¡­how dare you!"

    Even Su Yimo who had not bothered to talk to Ning Xi spoke up, "Ridiculous!"

    Zhao Meixin was really angry, "Ning Xi, are you mad? You intentionally said that to humiliate Yimo in public!"

    Bai Lu was so terrified that she became mute and everyone looked at Ning Xi as if she was a ghost¡­

    "Such daring words from Ning Xi¡­"

    "She is behaving really oddly today. Is she cursed? Why does she keep on looking for trouble?"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s expression did not change at all, regardless of what everyone said, and she put on an innocent face, "Hmm, I don¡¯t really know what I¡¯ve said wrong, to make Senior Su so angry now¡­I¡¯ve done my part of the deal,pensated for the damaged clothing, so shouldn''t what Senior Su is wearing right now be mine?"

    Everyone was speechless.

    Even Su Yimo¡¯s group did not know what to say to her¡­

    Liang Biqin broke the silence, "Ning Xi! Are you that poor? You even want this poorly-made clothing too?"

    Ning Xi put on a troubled expression, scanning Su Yimo¡¯s clothing, "Ms. Liang¡¯s words are too harsh! Senior Su¡¯s outfit is so precious! How could you say that it¡¯s poorly-made? This is Chanel¡¯stest exclusive edition dress, which is not even avable to the public yet. Even if it was, there are only 10 of them in this world! One''s with Senior Su so that means one less in this world! For a garment of this level of exclusivity, even if it was just the bag that it came in, it would be enough to buy every single thing I¡¯m wearing! How can you say that it¡¯s poorly-made?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s memory was superb and she repeated what everyone''s praises about the outfit.

    "You¡­you¡­" Liang Biqin almost choked on herself, "Don¡¯t you misinterpret my words! I was saying that the dress is damaged! Not that the dress is bad!"

    Ning Xi nodded, "It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s dirty. Sis Meixin mentioned that it can be washed and that the damage was just a little w. But since Senior Su can¡¯t stand it, plus my eyesight is pretty poor, I don¡¯t mind at all!"

    While she was saying that she was blind, everyone knew who the blind one in the situation really was¡­

    Ning Xi worded it so wlessly that Su Yimo and the gang could note back with any reply although they fully understood what she was trying to imply.

    The onlookers were really surprised by how quickly the matter escted, like a tornado¡­

    Ning Xi suddenly acted nervously and looked at Liang Biqin, "Ms. Liang, your hands! Stay further away from Senior Su! Please be careful of your manicure. Don¡¯t hook your talons onto my clothes! This outfit is so expensive that I can¡¯t afford it myself!"

    Some of them startedughing¡­

    Liang Biqin was very frustrated as Zhao Meixin stood up and spoke harshly, "Ning Xi, how shameless can you be? You¡¯re such a jerk!"

    Ning Xi shrugged helplessly, "Jerks are usually unreasonable¡­can you tell me which part of me just now sounded unreasonable?"

 Chapter 400: Not Embarrassed Enough?

    <h4>Chapter 400: Not Embarrassed Enough?</h4>

    "You¡­"

    Ning Xi was intentionally being very frustrating, especially with how she wove sarcasm within her words and left no room for rebuttal.

    After speaking to Liang Biqin and Zhao Meixin, Ning Xi turned to Su Yimo with an innocent face, "Senior Su, I know that this is your favourite piece of clothing¡­I mustered quite some courage to ask you to give it to me¡­actually, I¡¯ve regretted what I just said! I shouldn¡¯t take away the things someone loves, so you know what¡­I¡¯ll just give the outfit you''re wearing back to you! I don¡¯t want it anymore!"

    "Ning Xi! You¡­" Ever since Su Yimo shot to fame, no one would ever dare treat her this way. She was infuriated.

    What did she mean by giving it back to her? This witch made it sound like she was donating it to her!

    "Cousin! Cousin, are you alright?!" Liang Biqin yelled, "Ning Xi, you im not to be a jerk, but you¡¯re asking my cousin to strip in front of so many people! Are you looking for more trouble?"

    Liang Biqin started speaking her mind angrily.

    Ning Xi put up a terrified face, "How could I? Of course, Senior Su will change at a washroom or somewhere private. I¡¯ll wait here! I''ll wait, however long it takes!"

    Zhao Meixinforted Su Yimo and looked at the gray garment in her hands, "What you gave us is a nightgown! Are you asking Yimo to wear this right now?"

    Ning Xi replied quickly, "Impossible! Sis Meixin, you¡¯re really misunderstanding me! Then¡­then¡­if there isn¡¯t any spare clothing right now, I¡­I can wait for a few days!"

    She was implying that Zhao Meixin and the others could not let go of Su Yimo¡¯s clothing, which was precisely why they were arguing with Ning Xi in the first ce.

    Su Yimo calmed down, and with her pale lips and loud voice she dered, "Return it to her! This garment, give it back to her!"

    Zhao Meixin looked troubled, "But¡­Yimo, if we give it back to her¡­" then there would be no evidence of her misusing the property of thepany¡­

    Before she even finished her sentence, Su Yimo red at her, "Did you not hear what I said?"

    Was she not humiliated enough today? She had had enough of this!

    Zhao Meixin did not dare to defy her, so she quickly went forward to Ning Xi and gave her back the GE nightgown. "Fine, fine! We¡¯re giving it back to you! It¡¯s just a piece of clothing. How anxious can you get? Like you¡¯ve never seen anything better!"

    In an attempt to regain their reputation, Liang Biqin went along, "I told you she¡¯s from some rural area! So desperate for a poorly-made dress, almost taking it right off my cousin!"

    She then red at the onlookers, as if wordlessly ordering them to criticize Ning Xi together¡­

    The onlookers were already dumbfounded when Ning Xi stopped Su Yimo, so they were quiet the whole time. Only after Liang Biqin red at them did they started talking¡­

    "Right! Look how desperate she is!"

    "Sis Yimo is too generous, such an expensive piece of clothing, and she just let them off the hook¡­"

    "Sis Yimo was just teaching them the rules without really caring about that piece of clothing, but look at how desperate she is!"

    ¡­

    Su Yimo took a deep breath, returning to her morous persona, and with her bodyguard Liang Biqin and Zhao Meixin, they left without looking back¡­

 Chapter 401: An Unexpected Ending

    <h4>Chapter 401: An Unexpected Ending</h4>

    Ning Xi allowed herself a small grin, carefully wiping off the dust from the garment. Tsk, now she''ll need to give it a good wash as it was dirtied by all their hands¡­

    This was a gift from the boss!

    How could she possibly give it to Su Yimo aspensation!?

    She would still need to pay it back anyhow even if it was taken!

    Sometime after Su Yimo had left, the onlookers started talking amongst themselves in confusion¡­

    "Uh, is that it?"

    "I guessed what would happen at first¡­but I definitely did not expect the ending¡­"

    "And, did you guys realize that in the end, Ning Xi just had to go back home,e back with a few words, and she got off the hook without needing to pay anything¡­"

    "You¡¯re right!"

    ¡­

    As the crowd dispersed, Bai Lu came back to her senses, and she went up to Ning Xi anxiously, "Ning Xi¡­"

    "Hmm? Sis Bai Lu!" Ning Xi carefully folded the nightgown and put it into her bag.

    Bai Lu¡¯s brows knitted, "Ning Xi, even though the matter is settled now, you¡¯ve offended them today. What if they trouble youter on?"

    Ning Xi smiled, "Sis Bai Lu, do you think that they wouldn¡¯t cause trouble for me even if I hadn¡¯t offend them?"

    Bai Lu shook her head.

    Right¡­

    With the drama Ning Xi caused today, she had a conflict of interest with Su Yimo, so no matter how careful she was, trouble would be inevitable¡­

    "Furthermore, you can rx now. Su Yimo cares about her image a lot. While the matter almost got out of hand today, it''d be very obvious if she got back at you too soon. So, at least in the short term, you¡¯re safe!"

    What Ning Xi did not mention was that their ill feelings were probably focused on her now, and they would not have time to mind about Bai Lu¡­

    Bai Lu bowed to her gratefully, "Ning Xi, I¡¯m really thankful for you today! If not, I¡¯d have been kicked out of thepany!"

    "Sis Bai Lu, you¡¯re wee! I didn¡¯t really do much, we¡¯re in the same boat!" She noticed bruises on Bai Lu¡¯s knees as a result of the kneeling earlier, "Sis Bai Lu, are you alright? Do you want to get those knees checked out at the hospital?"

    Bai Lu quickly shook her head, "It¡¯s okay, it''s just a small injury!"

    She felt a little uneasy, "Ning Xi, you should just call me by my name normally. You don¡¯t have to add a "Sis" in front. I¡¯m not qualified for that¡­"

    Ning Xi smiled, "You¡¯re more senior than I am. Isn¡¯t it normal for me to call you "Sis"? Furthermore, I really like your works: "Crimson River", "Green Mango", "The ce Where The Wind Blows"¡­I¡¯ve seen them all! Your acting''s great!"

    Bai Lu was shocked, "You¡­you''ve seen my films before?"

    These works were the few that had featured more of her scenes, but they were too artistic and were not really favored by the public. Plus, she had bad luck and did not win any awards from these films.

    Ning Xi nodded, "I¡¯ve seen them! Your acting is really unique, especially when ites to the details. I¡¯ve purposely studied them before. It''s too bad you have such a small portfolio¡­but it¡¯s okay! I¡¯ve watched your new release "Listen", and I think that the chances of it winning an award are pretty high! You can then participate in more films to showcase more of your acting to the public!"

    Bai Lu was really surprised by Ning Xi.

    She now believed that Ning Xi had really seen her work before, otherwise, she would not have known so much about her acting.

 Chapter 402: Iâ€™m Just A Girl

    <h4>Chapter 402: I¡¯m Just A Girl</h4>

    Suddenly, her hardship over the years came to mind and a lot of mixed feelings welled up in her¡­

    She had always thought that what she had been doing all along was useless, that no matter how much effort she put in, no one ever saw it. But today she found out that there was at least one person who paid attention to her.

    Bai Lu was a little excited and with a shaky voice, she said, "Thank you¡­Ning Xi, I¡¯m really thankful! As for getting an award¡­I wouldn¡¯t even think about it as long as I can stay in thepany and make ends meet¡­"

    Bai Lu then smiled bitterly, "Actually, I¡¯ve thought of a career change before, but I¡¯ve realized that 10 years is far too long and acting has already be a part of my life. I don¡¯t know anything else aside from acting¡­"

    Ning Xi understood how Bai Lu felt and she continued to encourage her, "Sis Bai Lu, I have a hunch! You¡¯ll get popr! My hunches are usually very urate!"

    Bai Lu smiled at Ning Xi. Even though she knew that she wasforting her, she still felt touched. "Hopefully, it¡¯lle true!"

    "Ah! It¡¯s time! I¡¯m alreadyte! I¡¯ll talk to you next time! Goodbye, Sis Bai Lu!" Ning Xi looked at her watch and realizing that she was already half an hourte, she quickly parted with Bai Lu and ran upstairs.

    "Goodbye¡­"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi reached Ling Zhizhi¡¯s office, panting.

    Jiang Muye was really annoyed. When she saw her, he tossed aside his game console, "Ning Xi! You did this on purpose, didn¡¯t you? You make me wait so long every single time! Do you know how much money I earn every minute? Do you know how precious my time is?"

    Ning Xi said self-righteously, "Blondie, are you even a gentleman? I¡¯m a girl, what¡¯s wrong with waiting for me for a while?"

    Jiang Muye almost fell off the chair, "Huh, a girl? Now you realize that you¡¯re a girl!"

    Why did she not remember that she was a girl when she hit him back then?

    "I¡¯ll be one whenever I want to be!" Ning Xi replied him indignantly, then she walked towards Ling Zhizhi apologizing, "Sis Zhizhi, I¡¯m really, really sorry! Something got in the way and made mete! Sorry for making you wait!"

    Jiang Muye was already used to this biased treatment.

    While Ling Zhizhi was used to their arguments, she looked at her warily and said, "Got into trouble with Su Yimo?"

    Crap! Sis Zhizhi found out!

    Ning Xi was shocked, then proceeded to pour praises, "Sis Zhizhi, you even know about that! It just happened practically a few seconds ago! You¡¯re like another Zhuge Kongming! You know everything without even needing to step outside!"

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    Ling Zhizhi stayed silent for a few seconds, then looked at her, "The news was spread all over thepanywork."

    "Uhh¡­" Ning Xi was at a loss for words. She had praised her for the wrong thing!

    "Hmm, so it''s all over thework¡­everyone just loves to gossip, don¡¯t they?"

    "What? Trouble with Su Yimo? What happened?" Jiang Muye felt left out and he walked towards Ling Zhizhi¡¯s table and took over herputer mouse.

    Because Jiang Muye came over, Ling Zhizhi appeared a little uneasy but she returned to her usual calm expression quickly.

    Ning Xi went over to look at the screen as well and she did not notice Ling Zhizhi¡¯s slight change in expression.

 Chapter 403: Enter The Peak Of Life

    <h4>Chapter 403: Enter The Peak Of Life</h4>

    Jiang Muye scrolled through thework chats and looked impressed. His eyes shined, then he gave Ning Xi a pat on her shoulder, "Ning Xiao Xi, good job! Well done! I¡¯m relieved, it looks like you did listen to my advice after all. Not bad, keep it up!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes, and then looked at Ling Zhizhi anxiously, "Sis Zhizhi, do you think my way of handling it was too high profile?"

    Ling Zhizhi paused for a few seconds before replying her, "Under that situation, you were almost wless. But it sure was a little too high profile¡­"

    Ling Zhizhi¡¯s worries were warranted since the wholepany knew Su Yimo was backed by someone from the Lu Corporation.

    Despite Ning Xi¡¯s good rtionship with Lu Jingli, it still felt dangerous.

    The thing she worried about the most was that Ning Xi¡¯s wings might be broken before the feathers could even grow.

    After all the time spent together, she really valued this girl and wanted to cultivate and groom her properly¡­

    Jiang Muye nced at Ling Zhizhi and instantly knew what she was worried about. He then said, "You don¡¯t have to worry about anything! Ning Xi has someone backing her up as well. As a matter of fact, he''s far better than Su¡­"

    Before he could finish his sentence, Ning Xi took an apple and put it into his mouth, "Eat your apple, stop interrupting when women are talking. Go stand aside!"

    Jiang Muye took the apple out, "Ning Xiao Xi, are you looking for a fight?!"

    Ning Xi cracked her knuckles, "I don¡¯t really want to, but it looks like you¡¯re ready to go, so I will grant you your wish!"

    Jiang Muye quickly said, "I¡¯ll just eat my apple!"

    Ning Xi nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Ling Zhizhi, "Sis Zhizhi, when you were handling him, was he a jerk then and always brought you trouble?"

    Ling Zhizhi squinted and tried to recall, "Kind of."

    "It must be a lot of trouble! Rest assured, I¡¯ll make sure he gets it back!"

    Jiang Muye was grinding his teeth, not daring to say anything, so he could only munch on his apple angrily!

    Payback wille some day¡­

    "Oh right, Sis Zhizhi! I almost forgot! I wanted to talk to you about something important!" Ning Xi told her excitedly.

    "What is it?" Ling Zhizhi asked.

    "Sis Zhizhi, get me some projects! I want to work!" Ning Xi begged relentlessly.

    Ling Zhizhi looked doubtful, "So soon? Yourst job a tough one, so I allocated a month of holiday for you."

    Ning Xi wrung her hands, "No need! I''vepletely recharged already! I want to work and earn money! Lots and lots of money! Then I''ll get a rare cat to rear, stay in a grand house, open a grandpany for charity, and enter the peak of my life!"

    Jiang Muyeughed, "Haha, the peak of life, huh? Then you''ll get married to the young, rich and beautiful? Ning Xiao Xi, are you high?"

    It was a little creepy, given how excited she was¡­

    Ling Zhizhi smiled, she actually really admired her Energizer Bunny attitude. But the rational part of her still advised, "Your attitude to work is honorable, but no! A monthter, "The World" post-process will be finished, and you¡¯d then have to start traveling to various cities to promote the movie. It¡¯ll be really tiring by then, so you¡¯d better rest well now!"

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi looked down disappointedly.

 Chapter 404: The One Above Lu Jingli

    <h4>Chapter 404: The One Above Lu Jingli</h4>

    Ling Zhizhi continued, "But you don¡¯t have to be worried about not having anything else to do this month. Since you have some precious time now, aside from the shooting for the game endorsement, I¡¯ve been selecting some scripts for you.

    "After the shooting today, I¡¯ll give you the scripts. Take a good look at them at home, and see which one you like and pick one. I¡¯ll be looking for jobs such as live shows as well!"

    When she heard that there were scripts to read, Ning Xi was energized again, "Okay! Thank you, Sis Zhizhi! You¡¯re the best!"

    Jiang Muye rubbed the goose bumps on his arms, "Are you done with your ttering? Can we go now?"

    "GO! GO! GO! Let¡¯s go! Earn some money!"

    ¡­

    A whileter, they reached studio at the gamepany.

    "Right¡­closer! Even closer! Ms. Ning, you have to be more feminine, act like you¡¯re really dependent! No, no, no, not this expression¡­more feminine¡­"

    "Movie star Jiang, you''re really stiff! Gentler! Yes! Give me more emotions, even gentler¡­"

    Listening to the photographer¡¯s request, Ning Xi grimaced painfully while shrinking her body into Jiang Muye¡¯s arms, dressed in a morous traditional outfit, "Damn it! The sacrifice I need to make to earn this money is far too great!"

    Dressed in a cool-looking swordsman outfit, Jiang Muyeined, "You think I really want this to happen? I¡¯d rather let you beat me up!"

    After a whole day of hard work, they were finally finished with the shooting session.

    However, it was not the end yet. There was to be a promotional video afterward, and they would need to stream their gamey for a few nights¡­

    Indeed, earning money was not that easy after all!

    "Damn it, Ning Xiao Xi. Shooting an advertisement with you is even more tiring than shooting a fight scene! I¡¯ll go back to sleep! Bye bye!" Jiang Muye crawled back into the car.

    Ning Xi was really exhausted as well, but she brightened up at the thought of the scripts, "Sis Zhizhi, scripts! Scripts!"

    Ling Zhizhi took out a deck of scripts for her with a troubled expression, "I¡¯m just showing you these now because you have some free time. I actually have to request for permissions of the management, but the Second Master suddenly went on a holiday on some secluded ind and I can¡¯t reach him now!"

    Ning Xi was surprised, "Hmm, Lu Jingli will go through the scripts that I¡¯m going with first?"

    Ling Zhizhi nodded, "Second Master said so. He also mentioned that he needs to show it to the person in charge from the Lu Corporation. It''s a good thing that they really did pay attention to you!"

    Ning Xi touched her chin, person in charge from the Lu Corporation?

    Could it be the boss?

    As she thought more about it, the likelihood of it grew¡­

    Anyway, it was Lu Tingxiao¡¯s idea to put her here. Maybe he wanted to control the themes of the movies she would be involved with.

    "How long is Second Master¡¯s holiday then?"

    Ling Zhizhi sighed, "Three months."

    "What!?" Ning Xi yelled, "Three months long! Even a tortoise would die! How can he be this irresponsible? If he doesn¡¯te back, then I can¡¯t start shooting in movies?"

    Ling Zhizhi nodded helplessly, "ording to the procedure, it has to be this way. I¡¯m having a headache now as well. I¡¯ve tried everything I could but I still can¡¯t contact him!"

    What a nightmare!

    How could it be!

    She wanted to star in movies!

    She wanted to earn money!

    Ning Xi felt really desperate, then she suddenly thought of something. She asked carefully, "Hmm, Sis Zhizhi¡­since we can¡¯t contact Lu Jingli, can we then directly contact the one above Lu Jingli?"

 Chapter 405: This Script Is Exciting!

    <h4>Chapter 405: This Script Is Exciting!</h4>

    "The one above Lu Jingli?" Ling Zhizhi immediately shook her head, "This would be stepping over the boundaries, I¡¯m afraid that Second Master would not like it. Plus, people from the Lu Corporation are not so easily contactable by lowly employees like us."

    Ning Xi smiled, "Sis Zhizhi, while stepping over the boundary might be a taboo, if it were someone else I wouldn¡¯t even think about it, but this is Second Master we¡¯re talking about. Do you think he¡¯d actually mind?"

    Ling Zhizhi thought about it, "Well¡­"

    Ning Xi understood, Lin Zhizhi was very careful in handling things, which was why actually they made such a great pair, helping to cover each other¡¯s weaknesses. She then said, "Sis Zhizhi, if you are worried about Second Master, I can guarantee that there won¡¯t be any issue!

    "As to how to contact someone from the Corporation, coincidentally I know a¡­an assistant through Second Master. I could ask him to pass a message on behalf of me and exin the situation. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem and anyway, it¡¯s a special case this time!"

    If she really had to wait for three months, she would have traveled to the ind with a knife and killed Lu Jingli!

    Ling Zhizhi thought about it again then after confirming that there would be no issues, she nodded, "Okay, you can go ahead and try!"

    "Okay!" Ning Xi replied happily, as she put on her mask and sunsses, "Then I¡¯ll go back and read the scripts! I¡¯ll quickly select one that I like!"

    "Okay, be careful on the way back." Ling Zhizhi also mentioned, "It¡¯s really troublesome that you have no transportation but just be patient for a few days. After "The World" has aired, I¡¯ll apply for apany car for you!"

    "Thank you Sis Zhizhi! Love you!"

    ¡­

    After she got back home, Ning Xi sat on her bed and looked through the scripts.

    All the scripts that Ling Zhizhi had picked out were really great scripts, and more importantly, they all suited her.

    In a starkparison to Leng Manyu who specialized in artistic films, Ling Zhizhi¡¯s n was for her to go down themercial and credential route. The scripts she had picked were of high quality and had business potential.

    Ning Xi was reading through the scripts when midnight came¡­

    There were all kinds of genres were avable: romance,edy, fantasy, horror, and also traditional ones like "The World". All the scripts were great but for some reason, they did not pique Ning Xi¡¯s interest.

    There was not a script as fantastic as the one she had from "The World" that could get her really excited.

    Ning Xi flipped through again and in the end, her eyesnded on a script she threw aside.

    The script¡¯s name was "I Only Like You". Browsing through initially, it looked like a in old romance drama, so she was not interested and put it aside.

    Hmm, but all the scripts she had read were really creative and had their unique points, so maybe this script might turn out to be special too?

    As Ning Xi thought about it, she took the script up again¡­

    After reading through it, her face shone like a beacon!

    Wow!

    This script was exciting!

    And she had actually thrown it aside earlier!

    What a mistake!

    This script was actually your typical run-of-the-mill popr romance drama and even used the clich¨¨ dominant CEO in the storyline.

    What was different was that it was not the male lead that was dominant, it was a cross-dressing female lead!

 Chapter 406: Expert Flirter

    <h4>Chapter 406: Expert Flirter</h4>

    In a nutshell, the female lead came from a rich family, in fact, the richest of all in the area. Her grandfather had two sons but for some reason, it was difficult for both of them to bear a child, hence they did not have anyone to inherit their business¡­

    Finally, the female lead¡¯s mother became pregnant and the scan results said that it would be a boy!

    The family was overjoyed!

    What happened afterward was kind of predictable. After 9 months, the child turned out to be a girl!

    Everyone was shocked.

    The female lead¡¯s mother could not bear the self-me and stress, so in addition to the father¡¯s intention for the child to inherit the family business, they decided to have their child cross-dress.

    She cross-dressed for twenty over years!

    One did not need to know how the female lead could keep her secret for so long. Nevertheless, dramas like this did not need logic to work.

    Anyway, this topic heightened Ning Xi¡¯s interest.

    Not just the cross-dressing part, the female lead¡¯s personality was also interesting as well¡­expert flirter, yful, loves excitement¡­

    Now that she had looked at it thoroughly, it was a character tailor-made for her!

    The male lead¡¯s persona was not too bad as well. He was the assistant butler to the female lead, loyal and kind. He was hired by the female lead¡¯s grandfather to keep an eye on her, so the female lead hated him at first and pulled all kinds of pranks on him. It was during their time spent together that sparks were produced¡­

    "I Only Like You"! This is it!

    After she had decided, she was so excited that she could not fall asleep. She went to see Ling Zhizhi in her office the first thing in the morning.

    "Sis Zhizhi, I¡¯ve picked one!"

    Lin Zhizhi looked at her in surprise, "That¡¯s quick. Which one do you like?"

    "This one!" Ning Xi handed the script to Ling Zhizhi like a piece of treasure.

    Ling Zhizhi took it and looked at it, "''I Only Like You''¡­it sure seems like a hot topic, and it was adapted from a currently popr novel¡­"

    "Yes! This is it!"

    Ling Zhizhi thought about it for a little, then analyzed, "Are you sure that you want this? There isn''t much invested into this project, only around 10 million dors. Of course, it¡¯s not a small sum. When I picked this, I was thinking that it fits your current outlook and you seem like a good fit for a drama like this, but I didn¡¯t dare to just pick any drama because you might be easilybeled as another idol without real acting skills, and it¡¯d destroy your reputation you¡¯ve built from "The World". This is really a challenge to one¡¯s acting skills!"

    Ning Xi nodded, "Sis Zhizhi, you¡¯re absolutely right!"

    Ling Zhizhi looked at her, "To be honest, I¡¯m a little surprised that you¡¯d pick this¡­with your looks, are you sure you can handle cross-dressing? If you can''t manage it and acted too feminine, it would seem really fake and viewers might diss you. It might even be a failed project in the end; there were a lot of precedents in the past."

    "I¡¯m sure, and I¡¯m confident! Do you want me to go back and change into a male outfit?" Ning Xi was prepared to run back home.

    Ling Zhizhi smiled, "It¡¯s alright, as long as you¡¯re confident, I have faith in you."

    Actually, in "The World", there was a small part in which Ning Xi acted as the general, and she had looked really cool and exuded a masculine aura. If she really cross-dressed, it might be difficult, but it was not entirely impossible.

    Ning Xi was touched and she expressed her gratitude, "Sis Zhizhi, I really love you! I¡¯ll contact the people from the Corporation now?"

    "Mmm, okay."

    ¡­

 Chapter 407: The Bossâ€™ Voice Could Be This Gentle

    <h4>Chapter 407: The Boss¡¯ Voice Could Be This Gentle</h4>

    Ning Xi left thepany cheerfully, texting Lu Tingxiao as she walked.

    [Tang Xiao Xi: Boss, are you avable now? I have a favor to ask of you¡­]

    At the same time, in a car factory under Lu Corporation.

    A group of top managers surrounded the big boss with a cold face in a ck suit. The factory head was bbering non-stop to introduce the high-tech equipment in the factory, and he was bragging about his aplishments¡­

    Halfway through, a phone rang, it sounded like a text message tone.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the message, then he held up his hands to indicate he wanted some silence.

    The factory head was still talking until the deputy reminded him to stop.

    When they saw that their boss immediately made a call after receiving a text message, they looked at each other, could it be some emergency?

    On the other side, Ning Xi was anxious, unsure if Lu Tingxiao was busy or if she was troubling him¡­

    A few secondster, Lu Tingxiao called.

    Ning Xi quickly picked up, "Boss!"

    "Mmm, what¡¯s up?"

    The managers standing beside Lu Tingxiao were shocked when he started to talk. Who did he call? Had his voice always been this gentle?

    "Well, there¡¯s something I want to ask. Are you free to talk right now?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Yeap, sure."

    Everyone near Lu Tingxiao was speechless¡­

    "Oh, I actually picked the script I want for my next project, but there wasn¡¯t anyone to verify for me. Second Master went on a holiday and we can¡¯t contact him at all, and I heard that he¡¯ll only be back only after three months¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao instantly understood, "I¡¯m currently inspecting one of my carpanies and I''m finishing up. You can wait for me at thepany, I¡¯ll be back soon."

    Everyone was shocked again, the boss actually uttered so many words today¡­

    The factory head was especially dumbfounded. He thought about how he had talked so much earlier and only received a monosyble reply!

    Which was "Mmm".

    What did he mean by "finishing up"? He had a lot more yet to be reported!

    "Ah¡­you¡¯re inspecting¡­"

    Yet you said that you were free?

    Ning Xi quickly said, "Okay then, I¡¯ll wait for you at thepany!"

    "Mmm," murmured Lu Tingxiao, he then looked at his personal assistant Cheng Feng and said, "Make the arrangements for Xiao Fang to bring her directly into my office."

    "Okay, I¡¯ll do it right now!" Cheng Feng had been by Lu Tingxiao¡¯s side for a long time, and he knew that the boss was speaking to Ms. Ning Xi when he used that tone. He quicklyplied and made a phone call.

    "Hey, Secretary Fang, it''s Cheng Feng!"

    "Assistant Cheng, anything I can help with?"

    "Later, Ms. Ning will go over to meet CEO Lu. Please bring her directly into his office."

    "Uh, is it appropriate to bring her directly into the office? Assistant Cheng, are you sure it¡¯s not the meeting room?" Secretary Fang wondered if Cheng Feng was mistaken since CEO Lu¡¯s office had a lot of ssified documents. How could she just bring someone in without the master¡¯s presence?

 Chapter 408: Getting A Date

    <h4>Chapter 408: Getting A Date</h4>

    "I¡¯m sure, just follow my instructions. Also, be more weing to the guest," Cheng Feng reminded.

    "Alright, noted!" replied the secretary.

    As Cheng Feng finished his phone call, he saw his boss nced at the factory head and said, "Make it short, I¡¯ll give you three minutes."

    The factory head was shocked.

    Three¡­three minutes?

    He held back his novel-long report and started to think really hard about how topress his 30-minute speech into a three-minute report¡­

    Cheng Feng went back to Lu Tingxiao and saw the factory head¡¯s painful expression, sighing.

    Be grateful that you were given three minutes!

    The boss had just made a date and it was a miracle that he did not give you just 30 seconds!

    In the end, the factory head quickly skimmed through the important parts like their cost and profit. Due to the sudden decrease in time and the boss¡¯ scary expression, he stuttered a lot. When he was finished, he looked like he had failed everything in life¡­

    He had such a rare chance to present in front of the big boss, yet he had screwed it up¡­

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his watch, "Mmm."

    Another "Mmm"?

    Did it mean that¡­he passed? Was it this easy?

    "Let¡¯s return to the office."

    The managers were surprised and they all followed Lu Tingxiao out like a team of cheerleaders¡­

    At the Lu Corporationpany lobby.

    Ning Xi walked up to the counter, "Hello, I¡¯m here to find CEO Lu."

    To avoid being recognized, Ning Xi wore a white mask.

    "Do you have any booking?" the secretary asked without even lifting her head.

    "No, but I¡­"

    The secretary interrupted her before she finished her sentence, "I¡¯m sorry, if there isn¡¯t any booking, you¡¯d need to make one first! But you won¡¯t be able to see him immediately, CEO Lu¡¯s schedule is packed up for the three months."

    There were too many people with different excuses to see CEO Lu every day. There were even people who waited at the main door for a few days in a row. The secretary had seen too much of these already, which was why she always rejected people without any booking.

    "But I¡¯ve spoken to CEO Lu already."

    ''Haha, spoken to him? Who are you! Do you think you can speak with him directly?" thought the secretary to herself.

    As the secretary was about to reply her, she suddenly remembered Cheng Feng¡¯s call, "Wait¡­Miss, what is your surname?"

    "I¡¯m Ms. Ning."

    The secretary instantly shifted to a weing attitude and put on a big smile, "Ah! It¡¯s Ms. Ning! Assistant Cheng has already informed me, follow me, I¡¯ll lead the way!"

    Ning Xi was speechless at the secretary¡¯s shift in attitude, "Thank you!"

    The secretary was looking at this woman while she led the way.

    She wore a mask¡­how secretive¡­

    When she remembered Assistant Cheng¡¯s tone on the phone, it seemed like this woman had a special rtionship with CEO Lu¡­

    This was in addition to the rumors before about how the boss had finally found himself a woman¡­

    The rumors also said that the woman was the current popr artiste Su Yimo¡­

    Could it be her?

    But looking at her outfit, it did not seem like Su Yimo¡¯s style.

    "Ms. Ning, it¡¯s here, please enter, I¡¯ll get you a cup of tea!"

    "Thank you!" Ning Xi thanked her before she walked into Lu Tingxiao¡¯s office.

 Chapter 409: Sudden Change Of Devil

    <h4>Chapter 409: Sudden Change Of Devil</h4>

    Ning Xi stood in the middle of the room and looked around curiously.

    This was her first time in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s office.

    The room looked exactly like the owner¡¯s style - everything was in cold colors, with plenty of metal and ss, none of which could seem to warm up.

    As Ning Xi looked around, she suddenly recalled Glory World Entertainment¡¯s morous and sparkling interior decoration and thought of how vast the differences between the two brothers were¡­

    The secretary came back in, "Ms. Ning, your tea is ready. Please have a seat first!"

    Besides tea, she had brought in some snacks too.

    "Thank you, this is too much trouble!"

    "You¡¯re wee." The secretary waved a hand but did not leave the room.

    Ning Xi picked up the tea cup and saw that the secretary was still here, so she asked, "Ms. Secretary, is there anything else?"

    "Not at all! Enjoy your tea!" The secretary quickly went out.

    Ah! What a waste! She wanted to see who was under the mask!

    Ning Xi could guess intentions of the secretary andughed. So, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s workers liked gossip as well.

    Ning Xi sat on the sofa, took off her mask and sipped the tea and as she nced around, she saw a thick album¡­

    What was that?

    It did not look like an ordinary document folder.

    At the same time, Lu Tingxiao and his managers were back at the entrance of thepany.

    Everyone was curious to know what urgent matter had actually made the boss act this way.

    Lu Tingxiao got down from the car and walked into the building when he suddenly remembered something, and there was concern written on his face. While he was impatient earlier, he looked bright, but now his face looked as tempestuous as a hurricane as if the sky was going to fall down¡­

    All the managers were really terrified seeing him this way!

    Was thepany going to fall?

    Lu Tingxiao hastened his footsteps and walked towards the lobby counter¡­

    "Hi CEO Lu!" Secretary Fang quickly greeted him upon seeing him.

    "Is she here already?" Lu Tingxiao asked harshly.

    "She?" The secretary got scared by the boss¡¯ scary expression, after a while only she recovered, "CEO Lu, you mean Ms. Ning? Yes! She¡¯s already waiting for you in your office!"

    "What!?" Lu Tingxiao raised his voice.

    The secretary was terrified, almost to the point of crying, "C¡­CEO Lu¡­is there a problem? Assistant Cheng told me to let her wait for you in your office!"

    Cheng Feng freaked out as well when he saw Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression, as he remembered that it was him who instructed to have Ms. Ning wait in the office!

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the area in between his eyebrows, "How long has she been there?"

    The secretary was shaking and looked at the time, "Around seven or eight minutes."

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything but his face darkened and he rushed towards the elevator¡­

    The secretary quickly held Cheng Feng back, "Assistant Cheng, what happened? Did I do anything wrong? You¡¯re the one who asked me to bring her up! I confirmed it with you just now!"

    Cheng Feng was really confused as well, "Who am I to ask? Don¡¯t worry too much, I¡¯ll check out what has happened and let you know!"

    "Please do¡­" the secretary almost cried. A second of waiting was another second of suffering¡­

    After he got out of the elevator, Lu Tingxiao pulled his tie loose and ran all the way to his office. Along the way all his employees were confused¡­

    The person that just ran through¡­why did he look like our boss?

 Chapter 410: Seducing Me! Seducing Me Again!

    <h4>Chapter 410: Seducing Me! Seducing Me Again!</h4>

    Finally he reached his office.

    Bam! Lu Tingxiao opened the door with great force.

    He saw that Ning Xi was sitting quietly on the sofa while holding the red-colored thick album¡­

    When he saw that the girl was holding the album, Lu Tingxi¡¯s usual calm demeanor was reced by a wave of anxiety, and even his voice shook, "Ning Xi¡­"

    Ning Xi blinked, surprised at the sudden appearance of Lu Tingxiao, who looked anxious and was panting with his tie and outfit a little messed up¡­

    "Uh, boss¡­what¡­what happened to you?"

    Lu Tingxiao went towards her, his gaze fixed on the album she was holding¡­

    Ning Xi quickly apologized, "Ah! I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­I saw that it was ced here¡­and I thought it shouldn¡¯t be anything confidential¡­so I just picked it up and looked through¡­"

    She then put the album back quickly.

    "Ning Xi, my mother had someone put it there. I haven¡¯t actually seen it myself," Lu Tingxiao said, failing to hide his anxiety.

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi scratched her head.

    "You don¡¯t believe me?"

    "Ha? Of course, I do!"

    "You¡­" Lu Tingxiao was not very good at exining things, so after a pause, he continued, "Please don¡¯t get angry, it was my parents'' decision to do this. I don¡¯t have any intentions to go on a blind date. I won¡¯t go even if they had it arranged for me."

    He had gotten all excited because of her text and hadpletely forgotten about something so important.

    Only when he reached thepany lobby did he remember that the blind date album was still in the office. Ning Xi had gone in for quite a while already, so most probably she would have seen it¡­

    After a while of processing his words, Ning Xi realized what had happened and she was surprised.

    Lu Tingxiao rushed here¡­for this?

    At that moment, she felt something nudge deep in her heart¡­

    She did know that to make things possible, she would need to put in a lot of effort, but she was not so selfish as to make Lu Tingxiao wait for her until the end.

    If he met someone he liked even more along the way, she would have given him her blessings!

    The worst case was that if it happened, she would have a wedding to attend¡­

    Ning Xi looked up with a gentle gaze towards the gloomy man, "Lu Tingxiao, actually you don¡¯t have to be like this. What was that sentence again? It''s a big ocean out there, you should go out and explore for yourself. Who knows? You might meet a girl you like even more."

    Lu Tingxiao spoke up before she could finish, "Ning Xi, there is no one else, you¡¯re my ocean, my whole world."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    The devil did not even need to think now, every thing that came out of his mouth was already flirtatious¡­

    "Hmm, let¡¯s not talk about this now. Your time is precious. Take a look at this script!" Ning Xi quickly took the script out.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at Ning Xi and after confirming that she was not angry, he sighed in relief, "Wait."

    He took off his tie and coat, then hung them on the clothes stand.

    He should really be d that she was not angry, but he felt a little disappointed¡­

    She was probably not angry because that she did not care¡­

    When Lu Tingxiao was not looking, Ning Xi was chanting silently in her heart and she avoided looking at Lu Tingxiao take off his clothes!

    Damn it, seducing me! Seducing me again!

 Chapter 411: The Place Where The Devil Slept?

    <h4>Chapter 411: The ce Where The Devil Slept?</h4>

    After he took off his coat, Lu Tingxiao rolled his sleeves up, "It might take a while. You can go and rest in the next room. You don¡¯t look very well, didn¡¯t get enough sleep?"

    Ning Xi touched her eye bags consciously, "I was too excitedst night, I spent all night reading the scripts¡­"

    "Go and take a short nap. I¡¯ll wake you up when I¡¯m done."

    "The boss works while I take a nap? That wouldn''t look too good, would it?" Ning Xi felt that doing so would be inappropriate.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at her, "You couldn¡¯t help me even if you weren¡¯t sleeping, so I¡¯d feel better if you go and sleep for a while."

    "Okay! I¡¯ll go now!" She quickly stepped away from the devil¡¯s desk¡­the devil had lost control of his flirting aura¡­

    Ning Xi went into the lounge area swiftly¡­

    Even though the lounge had a simple and cold design, it felt a little warmer, probably because the devil had slept here before¡­

    Eh? Wait! The ce where the devil slept?

    She was to sleep right here?

    As she was contemting, her phone rang, a new message came through: [Cabbage Lu: The bed sheets are newly changed.]

    Did the devil have God¡¯s eyes?

    Scary¡­

    Outside the resting room, Lu Tingxiao was smiling while imagining Ning Xi¡¯s face when she saw his message.

    Later, he focused on reading the script, and since Ning Xi did not sleep at allst night, she was fast asleep after a while¡­

    It was nice and peaceful inside the office, but a storm was brewing outside.

    As people saw Lu Tingxiaoe running back, everyone panicked¡­

    "Crap, things must be really serious this time!"

    "What¡¯s our boss like? He¡¯s usually calm and collected, but he didn¡¯t care about his image this time and just zed through the building!"

    "ording to the receptionist, he was really scary back in the lobby! Secretary Fang cried in fear!"

    ¡­

    Suddenly everyone turned to Cheng Feng¡­

    "Assistant Cheng, if you know anything, don¡¯t hide from us! I¡¯m about to get a heart attack!"

    "Right! Tell us the truth! Is thepany in an emergency? Are we going to lose our jobs?"

    "Please tell us, at least we can mentally prepare ourselves."

    "There was a woman just now holding some documents into CEO Lu¡¯s office. Is she here to report the bad news?"

    ¡­

    Cheng Feng was surrounded by people and the situation was chaotic, "Please everyone, stop asking, I really don¡¯t know anything! Just wait patiently!"

    Actually, he was quite sure that thepany had no issues.

    But he was still worried even if it was not about thepany.

    Especially since it involved Ms. Ning, it was, in fact, more worrying!

    As time passed, the sun went down and the work day came to an end. No one dared to leave and most workers just waited by their desks.

    In the CEO¡¯s office.

    Lu Tingxiao looked over at the direction of the lounge, it seemed like he had stared at it for quite some time. After a while, he looked at the time and then put the script he had long finished reading down.

    He stood up and went towards the resting room, then knocked on the door.

    It was quiet inside, not a sound was heard.

    Lu Tingxiao opened the door gently and went inside.

 Chapter 412: The Kiss In Her Sleep

    <h4>Chapter 412: The Kiss In Her Sleep</h4>

    On the huge, soft bed, the girl was sleeping soundly with her flushed cheeks and jet ck hair strewn across the white pillow under her head¡­

    Lu Tingxiao''s heart automatically became calm, as he sat lightly on the bedside with an urge to not do anything and just continue watching her like this¡­

    Mmm, not do anything?

    At this moment, with this view¡­

    It seemed quite impossible¡­

    Ever since she had left the tinum Pce, it had been very, very long¡­too long since he could watch her from such a close distance¡­

    It had been very long since he had gotten close to her¡­

    Even though he knew he shouldn''t, all rationality and self-restraint went out of the window as temptation was king of the moment.

    Lu Tingxiao picked up a lock of the girl''s hair and kissed it lightly. He then slowly lowered his lips to cover her soft, cherry-colored lips¡­

    He initially only wanted to give her a slight peck, but obviously, this was a wild wish of his. After the touch, those soft and sweet lips made him sigh, and he could not help but slowly caress her face, then he used his finger to lightly hold her jaw and greedily invaded deeper to receive even more sweetness¡­

    "Mmm¡­" The girl had trouble breathing and whimpered ufortably.

    Lu Tingxiao''s back stiffened and he knew he should move away, yet his body did not listen to him. Instead, it became even more excited feeling her resistance as he held her lips and kissed her even deeper¡­

    "Lu¡­"

    When he heard her mumble his name, Lu Tingxiao became even more aroused as he held her waist, wanting to mold her body into his¡­

    Feeling the soreness on her lips, Ning Xi frowned and unhappily waved at him, "Cabbage Lu¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    When he heard those words, Lu Tingxiao was stunned. When he returned to his senses, his head was buried in the warmth of her neck. He then started tough softly, even the enchanting atmosphere was disrupted by her.

    Cabbage Lu?

    This nickname¡­

    Fine, actually it didn''t sound too bad.

    Very unique.

    Only exclusive to her.

    When he saw that the night had dawned upon them, Lu Tingxiao finally called out the girl''s name with a heavy heart, "Ning Xi¡­wake up¡­"

    Ning Xi opened her eyes in a daze. The moment she had rity, she saw a perfect face and eyes as gentle as the stars in front of her.

    "Mmm¡­" Was she dreaming?

    No, wait! She was resting in the devil''s restroom in his office!

    Ning Xi quickly got up, "Big boss! Have I slept for very long? What time is it now?"

    "Not too long, only two hours, just nice."

    "Pfft! Am I a pig? How did I sleep for two whole hours?" Ning Xi quickly rolled off the bed and then folded the nket.

    "Don''t bother, someone will tidy that upter."

    "Oh¡­"

    "Let''s go, it''s reallyte, it''s time to eat."

    When Ning Xi had gathered herself, she first got down to business, "Right, boss, have you finished reading the script? How is it? Can I act in it?"

    Actually, she was very worried that the topic in the script might not be epted by Lu Tingxiao who was such a serious and conservative man¡­

    "I''ve read half of it," Lu Tingxiao answered.

    "Half of it?" The speed of this devil''s reading¡­was not too fast, wasn''t it? This was not science! It was probably because he was going through it carefully, so he was more detailed about it, she supposed.

    Haih, this is sad, did she have to wait for another day? How anxious!

    Ning Xi was an impatient girl and she could not wait for another minute, what more another day, so she bitterly asked, "What else can I do then? I''ll wait for you to finish reading it and look for you again tomorrow."

 Chapter 413: Follow Me Home

    <h4>Chapter 413: Follow Me Home</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao took his coat from the rack and said as he put it on, "I''m afraid that won''t do, I have to leave the country for work, the first thing tomorrow morning."

    "What!" Ning Xi eximed.

    This is bad news! Why does the devil want to run away?

    Lu Tingxiao thought about it, then said, "So, I have two propositions now."

    "What are they?" Ning Xi quickly asked.

    Lu Tingxiao continued, "First proposition, wait for me to return after a week of work outstation!"

    "One week!?" Even though it was not too long, a week was not that short either! "What''s the second proposition?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her, then said, "Second proposition, follow me home."

    "What?" Ning Xi was stunned, "What¡­what do you mean?"

    "What I mean is, tonight you can have dinner at my ce. After dinner, I''ll start reading the remaining half. When I''m done, I''ll discuss my opinions with you. We should be able to get it done by tonight," Lu Tingxiao exined.

    Ning Xi blinked, then said without hesitation, "I choose the second one!"

    Was there even a choice? Of course, she''d choose the second one! But, upon revealing her choice, why did she feel like she just got tricked again?

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyes twinkled and he said, "Mmm, let''s go."

    Ning Xi politely walked in front of him and helped Lu Tingxiao push the office door open.

    In the next moment, she was dumbfounded when she opened the door¡­

    At that time of the day, everyone should have been done with work. But all she saw was a ce filled with employees, none of them had left work and they were all working on their desk looking seriously. Except from time to time, they looked over¡­

    Ning Xi could not help but sigh, "Big boss, your employees¡­are all so hardworking!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his employees and then looked at Cheng Feng who had waited for God knew how long outside his office.

    Cheng Feng carried everyone''s hopes, so no matter how afraid he was, he could only warily walk up to him. Of course, he could not admit that everyone did not dare leave because they were too frightened, so he justughed, "To thank thepany''s mentorship, everyone took the initiative to work overtime today¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao looked coldly, "I have always been an advocate for work efficiency and not working overtime."

    Cheng Feng thought to himself, "It''s over."

    Then, Lu Tingxiao added, "But your attitude is to beplimented. Everyone shall get a three percent sry increment for this month as a reward."

    Lu Tingxiao naturally knew what they thought. However, he was not himself today and it probably frightened them.

    Let''s just call it¡­mentalpensation fees¡­

    In fact, the wife had justplimented them for being hardworking too!

    Obviously, that was the main point.

    When they heard Lu Tingxiao''s words, everyone could not believe their ears.

    Had they imagined that?

    They had been worried for the entire afternoon, thinking that thepany was going to close down!

    Atst¡­the boss was giving out rewards instead!

    This hade too suddenly!

    However, before they could get over their shock about the increment, what was even more shocking came after¡­

    "Let''s go," Lu Tingxiao turned to say to Ning Xi, then as he walked past his employers, he spoke gently to the girl beside him, asking, "What do you want to eat tonight? I see your circle of friends has been talking about going on a diet. Shall I tell the kitchen to prepare some less oily food?"

    "Mmm, that''d be good! Actually, I''m fine with anything! You don''t have to care too much about me! I can also eat less!"

    "You can go on a diet, but you have to take care of yourself too. What did you think of Qin Mufeng''s rmended nutritionist thest time? If he''s good, I can get her to prepare a suitable program for you!"

    "Ah? Would that be too much trouble?"

    "It won''t, I''ll help you make the call tonight."

    ¡­

    Behind them, the entirepany was speechless.

 Chapter 414: Caught Off Guard By The Sweet Couple!

    <h4>Chapter 414: Caught Off Guard By The Sweet Couple!</h4>

    Jesus!

    What had they just seen?

    What did they just hear?

    They were caught off guard by this sweet couple!

    This sudden conjugal love!

    In that instant, everyone turned to look at Cheng Feng at the same time. It seemed as if it was going to turn into a frenzy¡­

    "We! Are! About! To! Get! A! Lady! Boss!?"

    "Pfft! Assistant Cheng, you''re not loyal now! How could you keep such a huge secret from us? And not even leak a little!"

    "You made all of us sheet our pants!"

    "Just now, the boss suddenly said he was giving us an increment, only because thedy bossplimented us as hardworking, wasn''t it? The boss has never liked us working overtime!"

    "It must be!"

    ¡­

    Cheng Feng rolled his eyes, even he was sheetting his pants!

    It was a good thing the both of them were okay, and since the boss was giving out an increment and spoke so gently, the crisis must have been resolved, and the skies were clear again.

    From a certain perspective, it seemed that this Miss Ning Xi would be the person to determine their survival or death!

    When everyone had calmed down, one of the female employees unhappily mumbled, "You lot shouldn''t be all emotional for nothing now. Who knows if it was thedy boss or not!"

    Many of thepany''s female employees secretly admired Lu Tingxiao and felt like the big boss belonged to everyone. Now that he suddenly belonged to someone else, they naturally didn''t feel happy and echoed, "Who knows? He could just be fooling around!"

    One of the male employees looked at them like they were stupid and rebutted, "From the perspective of a man, the boss is definitely serious this time! If the boss was really the kind of person who fools around, wouldn''t there have been a woman beside him all these years? Didn''t you see how the boss was not himself earlier? Have you seen the boss this gentle before? Have you seen the boss speak inplete sentences to anyone before?"

    "Not only that! From the moment I entered thepany, I''ve never heard the boss speak this much. I almost thought that our boss had speaking difficulties! s, he did not have any difficulties at all when trying to coax girls!"

    "This is nothing, we all thought that the boss liked men!"

    ¡­

    All the unwilling female employees looked aggravated but had no room to argue.

    Since they could not counter the arguments, they made other remarks, "Who''s the woman? She even wore a mask! Is she ugly?"

    "Even with the mask, you could see that she''s a beauty. All you women who want a piece of the boss should stop dreaming!"

    "Bastard, who wants to have a piece of the boss? We''re not used to watching witches hook up with our boss!"

    "It can''t really be that Su Yimo, right? Actually, Su Yimo has quite a good reputation! She''s like a goddess! She''s quite a good fit¡­with our boss!"

    "Are you blind? That Su Yimo''s so fake, how could she be a suitable match for our boss?"

    "Stop arguing! All you women just admit that no matter which woman it is, you won''t be satisfied¡­"

    ¡­

    At tinum Pce.

    Once they got down from the car, Ning Xi looked at the bungalow in front of her absentmindedly.

    To be honest, when she first left, she never thought that she would return, ever.

    Lu Tingxiao saw her staring nkly and asked, "What''s wrong?"

    "Nothing," Ning Xi shook her head, then walked into the residence.

    As she was walking, her phone rang. It was Jiang Muye.

    "Hello, what''s up?"

    "Nothing''s up, I just wanted to remind you not to bete tonight! If you make me wait again, I''ll really flip!" Jiang Muye threatened her.

    Ning Xi was confused, "Tonight¡­what should I not bete for tonight?"

    "Ning Xiao Xi! What''s wrong with you?!"

    "Oh, oh, I remember now, we''re doing a live stream for the gamey tonight, right? I know, I know! I was just kidding, I definitely didn''t forget! I definitely won''t bete! I''ve got to go now!" Ning Xi quickly hung up the phone, then looked a little guilty.

    In reality, under the Big Boss'' charm, she had forgotten about this!

    Ning Xi looked towards Lu Tingxiao bitterly, "Big Boss, you know I''ve be the spokesperson for a game. In conjunction with the promotion of the game, I have to do a live stream of the gamey tonight¡­I have no choice¡­"

    "You can use myputer."

 Chapter 415: My Lucky Day

    <h4>Chapter 415: My Lucky Day</h4>

    Ning Xi was taken aback, "Use yourputer?"

    Lu Tingxiao lightly ruffled her hair, "Don''t worry, the configuration on myputer is high enough, and the speed of the Inte in my house is very fast too, so there shouldn''t be a problem."

    "Oh, oh, oh!" As she watched the devil''s reassuring expression and tone, Ning Xi blinked her starry eyes and nodded.

    The devil would definitely have aputer with the best specifications, as for the Inte speed, she had experienced how it fast it was herself.

    When she used to live here, she loved the Inte speed the most. It was so quick that browsing webpages and ying games were an awesome experience.

    "I''ll bring you upstairs, so you can try using it first."

    "Mmm, okay!"

    The both of them talked as they walked into the house. Not too far away, Butler Yuan was shocked to see the both of them unexpectedlying home together. He bowed and greeted respectfully, "Wee home, Big Master!"

    "Mmm."

    "Hello Miss Xiao Xi, did youe today¡­as our guest?" the old butler looked at Ning Xi to rify, clearly emotional.

    "Hello, Grandpa Butler! I''m over to do some things!" Ning Xi answered.

    "Is that so¡­" The old butler was obviously a little disappointed, but then he thought, if they could calmly co-exist with one another, it was progressing well. He could see that the master was in a good mood.

    Thest time they had fought so seriously, that it had really frightened him quite a bit.

    This was when Wan Wan emotionally ran over with small steps, "Miss Xiao Xi! You''ve returned!"

    Ning Ximented silently over the greeting of her "return". Haih, the devil''s servants are all not to be underestimated!

    Ning Xiughed slightly, "Wan Wan, did you miss me?"

    "Of course¡­" Wan Wan''s face reddened as she mumbled, then she noticed Lu Tingxiao was present too, so she quickly bowed to greet, "Wee home, Big Master!"

    The girl''s face could not hide her expression. With the way she acted, it was obvious that Ning Xi was more popr than he was¡­

    It was a good thing Lu Tingxiao was used to this and he was happy about it too¡­as long as they did not take up too much of the wife''s attention.

    When Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi entered the residence, Wan Wan turned to Butler Yuan excitedly, "Uncle Yuan, why did Miss Xiao Xi suddenlye over? Is she and the Big Master¡­"

    Butler Yuan shook his head, "Don''t make wild guesses, Miss Xiao Xi only looked for the Big Master for business. However, I could see that the chemistry between the two of them was pretty good."

    There was one more thing he didn''t say, and he was not sure if it was his illusion, but he still felt that there was still something in the way Miss Xiao Xi looked at the Big Master¡­

    After she had greeted Wan Wan and the rest, Ning Xi followed Lu Tingxiao straight to the upstairs study room first.

    Lu Tingxiao turned the switch on, then helped Ning Xi pull her chair out and indicated that she sit down. Then, he typed in theputer password in front of her.

    Ning Xi did not have enough time to look away, so she saw Lu Tingxiao''s password. Out of curiosity, she subconsciously mumbled, "l¡­u¡­c¡­k¡­y¡­712?"

    She knew lucky, but what did 712 mean? It seemed neither like Lu Tingxiao''s birthday, nor was it Little Treasure''s birthday, and of course, it was not her birthday either.

    Lu Tingxiao put one hand on the back of her chair while the other hand controlled the mouse. When he heard her mumble, he nonchntly said, "The digits in the password symbolize my lucky day, the day we first met."

    "Uhh¡­" After a moment of being dumbfounded, Ning Xi was so shocked that she started coughing profusely.

    Now that she thought about it, it really was the day they first met! She had not thought about that at all earlier!

 Chapter 416: What If I Cant Help It And Stumble

    <h4>Chapter 416: What If I Can''t Help It And Stumble</h4>

    It was as if Lu Tingxiao had just uttered a verymon sentence, since his expression remained as stoic as usual as he opened up a browser, "Download the game."

    "Oh, oh¡­right away¡­" Ning Xi quickly took over the mouse.

    However, Lu Tingxiao''s hand had not moved away yet, so she identally held his hand instead, then quickly let go again, "Sorry, sorry, sorry¡­"

    She had just straightened up to apologise when her head sank into Lu Tingxiao''s chest¡­

    Ning Xi was speechless¡­

    Lu Tingxiao touched her head, then as if noticing her distress, he said gently, "I won''t bother you anymore. I''ll go check out the kitchen downstairs. Just call me if you have any problems."

    Ning Xi nodded profusely, "Okay, okay!"

    When she saw that devil had left and closed the door behind him, Ning Xi could finally breathe a sigh of relief as she covered her face andid on the desk¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡­

    If you do that again¡­

    I will not be able to help myself and I might stumble, okay?

    It was a while before Ning Xi could gather herself again. She went to the website of the game and started to download the game client.

    The Inte speed was fast as always, so it only took 10 minutes for the game to finish downloading.

    She entered her ount password and logged in to the game. She skimmed through her list of friends and saw that Jiang Muye was online already.

    Almost immediately after she came online, Jiang Muye called to invite her into a game.

    Ning Xi answered to connect, "You''re on so early?"

    Jiang Muye scoffed from the other, "You think I''m like you?"

    When he finished, she asked suspiciously, "Why are you so defensive today?"

    "Do you have to nag me when I''m defensive too? Quickly team up! Let''s warm up with two games!"

    "Okay! Let''s get it on!" Jiang Muye immediately became energetic when he heard the game was about to start, forgetting everything else.

    Tragedy struck just as they started ying¡­

    Jiang Muye''s shouts could be heard loudly from the other end, "Ning Xi! Go on! Why are you zoning out? Pfft! Pfft! Don''t go, there''s ambush¡­jeez! You''re dead! Ning Xiao Xi! Did you forget to eat your medicine today?"

    "Bastard! It''s you who forgot to eat your medicine! Your reaction is so slow, couldn''t you warn me earlier? You''re a swordsman, how could you scold me when you couldn''t protect the nurse well!" Even though Ning Xi was guilty, but she definitely would not admit it.

    Jiang Muye was so angry, "Pfft¡­you''re really good at twisting facts! Ning Xiao Xi, are you even aware of what you''re doing? Are you not in shape today?"

    When she heard Jiang Muye point out her condition, Ning Xi stuttered, "I¡­"

    With the numerous devil''s tricksing one after another today, her current level of ying focus was already considered normal.

    Ning Xi gritted her teeth, "Speak less nonsense! Let''s go again!"

    The second game began and still, they died horrendously¡­

    The loss was so terrible that even Ning Xi was angry now, and she started to fight with Jiang Muye.

    "Jiang Muye, were you bitten by a dog? Why did you rush to the front? Did you want to die?! Even if I was the reincarnation of Hua Tuo, I wouldn''t be able to save you! Switch it back, I don''t want to y the nurse anymore, I want to switch to being swordsman!"

    "Damn it, this was the gamingpany''s request and not mine! Besides, the issue is not about which character we use. Even though you are more skilled with the attacker type of characters, there is no way you would y the nurse so badly! Tell me honestly, what''s going on?" The more Jiang Muye thought about it, the more he felt that something was not right.

    "Blondie Jiang, stop giving me excuses! Clearly, it was you who is messing things up and yet you me me¡­" There was no way Ning Xi would admit that she was out of form because she had been charmed. She was determined on putting the me onto Jiang Muye.

    Jiang Muye on the other end so angry he almost puked blood¡­

    Ning Xi was scolding Jiang Muye when she looked up and saw that Lu Tingxiao was leaning against the door frame and looking at her. She was not sure how long he had stood there.

 Chapter 417: You Look Very Cute When You Curse

    <h4>Chapter 417: You Look Very Cute When You Curse</h4>

    Ning Xi suddenly felt very awkward and quickly closed her mic, "Cough, cough, when did youe?"

    He couldn''t have possibly heard her when she was scolding someone, could he? God, no!

    "Actually, I''m not usually this irritable when I y games, and I won''t simply scold people. It''s mostly because Jiang Muye is ying way too horribly today¡­" Ning Xi continued to push the me on Jiang Muye.

    Lu Tingxiao''s lips curved into a grin, "Very cute."

    Lu Tingxiao''s sudden words made Ning Xi slightly confused, "Ah? What''s cute?"

    "The way you look when you curse."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Devil, do you have any humanity in you? I have already been wounded so bloodily, and yet you will not let me go¡­

    "Dinner is ready, want to eat downstairs first?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "Mmm, dinner!" She really wanted to eat cabbage!

    ¡­

    Downstairs.

    Ning Xi saw that on the table were three vegetable dishes and one meat, with a soup on the side. It was all home-cooked dishes that looked refreshing and appetizing. In fact, there actually was a big te of cabbage.

    Did the devil do this intentionally?

    "Are these enough?" Lu Tingxiao asked worriedly.

    "Enough, enough, definitely enough!" To avoid danger as soon as she spoke, Ning Xi quickly picked at some dishes and started to scarf the food down.

    "Eat slowly." Lu Tingxiao watched her with a hardly noticeable nervousness in his eyes.

    Ning Xi did not notice how nervous he was as she continued to eat. However, as she was eating, she noticed something was odd¡­

    "Mmm¡­Lu Tingxiao¡­"

    "What is it?" Lu Tingxiao quickly put down his chopsticks to ask.

    Ning Xi took a bite of the eggnt and chose her words carefully, "Is your chef not in too good a mood today?"

    Lu Tingxiao deliberated, then answered confidently, "No, his mood is very good today."

    Ning Xi blinked, "Then why is his cooking today¡­a little off?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s back immediately stiffened when he heard this, but his face remained calm, "Why do you say so?"

    Ning Xi pointed at the te of braised eggnt and said, "This eggnt, clearly has too much salt in it¡­"

    Then she picked up a piece of winter melon meat slice and said, "This dish has been overcooked. Even the sliced meat is burnt, and the tomato omelet is almost all tomatoes with barely any eggs¡­most importantly, salt seemed to have been omitted from the soup¡­"

    When she finished, she looked up to Lu Tingxiao and was going to continue criticizing when she noticed that his expression was odd.

    Ning Xi paused slightly, then a thought shed across her mind and she had a look of disbelief on her face.

    After a while, she swallowed her saliva and asked weakly, "Uhh, Lu Tingxiao¡­did you¡­cook these dishes?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression was heavy as if he did not want to really admit it, but he did not want to lie to her either. Half a secondter, he still nodded rigidly, "Mmm."

    "Pfft¡­" Ning Xi said in shock, "It really was you!"

    She was in huge trouble! Why didn''t he mention it earlier?!

    She had just criticized the devil''s cooking like it was nothing!

    Ning Xi buried her face in her hands and quickly tried to save the situation by saying, "Aiya, I thought it was your chef''s cooking. By a professional chef''s standard, naturally, I would expect much more. Who knew it was the big boss'' personally cooking! Uhh, hope you don''t mind me asking, is this¡­your first time cooking?"

    "No, I have practiced a few times before." Lu Tingxiao exined really unhappily. As a perfectionist, he was obviously hurt by this first-time failure.

 Chapter 418: For The Charmers Smile

    <h4>Chapter 418: For The Charmer''s Smile</h4>

    "Oh, oh, you''ve practiced a few times, well then you''re still considered a newbie! I''m not intentionallyplimenting you but the fact that you can achieve this level for a newbie is really great already! Look at this eggnt, it''s especially fragrant, and even though there is a little too much salt, it''s definitely wless. And this winter melon with sliced meat, the meat is¡­only slightly overcooked. I actually like it like that, and this tomato omelet¡­"

    "I realized there were egg shells in them so I threw away most of the eggs," Lu Tingxiao exined.

    Ning Xi choked slightly, then continued topliment with difficulty, "Oh, no wonder, this clearly means that you''re really strict with your own cooking standards! Actually, a little bit of egg shells wouldn''t really entire ruin everything. When I just started cooking, there would always be shells where there are eggs in my dishes! And this soup¡­well, soup is better when it''s lighter, but most importantly, this cabbage dish! It''s done so well! Even more delicious than my own cooking!"

    Ning Xiplimented until her mouth was dry, and Lu Tingxiao expression finally did soften, "Mmm, I''ve practiced this dish for a long time."

    If Ning Xi had gone to the kitchen now, she would see that the rubbish bin filled with the failed cabbage dishes¡­

    The te of sess in front of her right now was built on numerous corpses of cabbages¡­

    "It really is not bad, you''ll improve if you practice more!" Ning Xi worked harder to coax Lu Tingxiao when she saw that he turned happier.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her more seriously, "I will, until you''repletely satisfied."

    "Ah? I¡­I didn''t mean that¡­" What did he mean by doing it until she waspletely satisfied?

    Besides, what she really wanted to say was, as long as there was someone who knew how to cook, that would be enough, so he didn''t need to learn at all!

    However, the fact that someone like Lu Tingxiao had actually learned how to make soup for her was simply off the charts.

    Ning Xi had said the wrong things earlier but in an instance, she was in the clear¡­

    Nevertheless, she still did not have the heart to see the devil feeling disappointed. She initially wanted to go on a diet but atst, she finished all the food and even ate two big bowls of rice.

    When he saw that all the food had been finished, Lu Tingxiao who was gloomy at the start of the dinner, finally revealed a smile.

    Ning Xi touched her full tummy and sighed softly. For the charmer''s smile, it would be worth it even if she died trying to holding herself up¡­

    "What times does your live stream start?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi looked at the time and replied, "There''s still an hour to go. I was preparing to train for a few rounds first before the game. I am using a differentputer after all, and I''m worried that I won''t be used to it."

    "Mmm, I''ll go read the script then."

    "Okay, thank you for your hard work, Big Boss!"

    ¡­

    With that, both parties went their separate ways.

    Ning Xi returned to theputer. Not sure whether if it was because she had been charmed to the point that she managed to calm down, but for the next few games, Ning Xi finally yed to her usual standards.

    "You brat, you finally returned to normal. Otherwise, when we officially startter, we''d definitely be insulted by our fans! I''ll say, Ning Xi, is it because you didn''t eat earlier and was hungry?"

    "Let''s just say I was hungry¡­"

    Very quickly, an hour passed and it was 8 p.m. sharp when the live stream officially started.

    Ning Xi was just being greeted the gamers and fans when her phone sounded with Jiang Muye''s message.

    They were connected to the mic, so what was it that he needed to tell her through text messages?

    Ning Xi opened it up to see¡­

    [Filthy Demon King: My God!!! Ning Xi, what are you doing at my uncle''s?]

    "Uhh¡­" Ning Xi was taken aback and she told the fans that she was going to reply a message before replying him very quickly.

 Chapter 419: Pulling Tricks Again

    <h4>Chapter 419: Pulling Tricks Again</h4>

    [Sweet Xiao Xi: How do you know?]

    [Filthy Demon King: Nonsense! You think I wouldn''t be able to recognize my uncle''s study room?]

    [Sweet Xiao Xi: The thing is, the background behind me is just a wall, okay?]

    [Filthy Demon King: Just say if it is or not!]

    [Sweet Xiao Xi: It is! But it''s a long story, I''ll tell youter. Focus, we''re starting soon!]

    Ning Xi put her phone aside and concentrated on preparing for the live stream.

    After texting Jiang Muye for a while, there had already been manyments from the fans on the live stream.

    [Ning Xi is so pretty! Is that nude makeup today?]

    [Xi Xi, how''re your standards? Are you good at battling? I''m ying this game too! I''m so happy!]

    [I thought that the goddess'' room would be pink, but it''s actually metallic-colored¡­so cool!]

    ¡­

    Ning Xi skimmed through thements, then yed the game while replying them at the same time, "Yep, I didn''t go out today so I waszy to put on makeup. My standards huh? Just watchter and you guys will know, as for the room¡­uhh¡­this is not my room! I had some errands to run today, and I could not make it back home in time, so I''m borrowing a crew member''sputer!"

    Ning Xi did not say a friend''s ce because this room was clearly a ce where a male lived. If she had said "friend", there would definitely be further questions.

    Indeed, when they heard her mention "crew member", no one held on to the question.

    After waiting for a while, they finally entered the game.

    Ning Xi''s ying condition was close to fully restored now, and she was ready to show off her capabilities when Jiang Muye pulled a trick again¡­

    This time, it was his turn to act oddly. In fact, he fared even worse than the previous horrible games when she had acted out.

    Ning Xi almost scolded him, but she remembered in time that this was a live steam, so she could only suppress it and say with a soft voice, "Senior Jiang, go slower, I can''t keep up. I can''t heal you!"

    Jiang Muye! Are you rushing for incarnation?! Stay right there!

    "Senior Jiang, you must protect me. If the nurse is dead, everyone will be in danger!"

    Stupid Blondie! Are you a pig? Do you understand the humannguage?

    "Ah, Senior Jiang, be careful, three people areing from the front. We won''t be able to defeat them, let''s run!"

    Stupid Blondie! Quickly run! If you want to die yourself, don''t drag me down with you!

    ¡­

    After one game, Ning Xi was already mentally exhausted.

    They lost in this round as expected, and the live stream was filled with insults. Before this, they hadplimented them previously when they saw the results of Jiang Muye and her past battles. Now that there was such a huge drop in performance, it was no wonder the gamers were angry.

    Of course, it was a good thing Jiang Muye''s fans were loyal enough that they very quickly defended the angry scoldings.

    [All you dogs, go away! We''re here to see the eye candy, not to see a professionalpetition. Who cares if he ys well or not?!]

    [Even if our Jiang Muye used his face to roll over the keyboards, we''d watch too!]

    [All the best, Bro Muye, we''ll send you a big yacht!]

    ¡­

    Even though Jiang Muye''s fans did not mind, in order to prevent herself from exploding with anger, Ning Xi still used the intermission to call Jiang Muye secretly.

    "Big bro, are you messing with me? I finally calmed down enough to y well to go online and now you''re going offline on me?"

    Jiang Muye on the other end of the phone was silent for a while, when finally he asked, "Should I change the way I address you and start calling you "aunty"?"

    "What "aunty"?! Jiang Muye, are you having aunty paranoia right now? I''m here on official business, alright?! I''m waiting for your uncle to help me run through a script! Lu Jingli isn''t here, and your uncle is leaving the country for work tomorrow too, so he only has time tonight!"

    "Really?"

    "Why would I lie to you? No, wait¡­you yed so horribly earlier because you were thinking about this nonsense?"

 Chapter 420: Lets Try The Seduction Move

    <h4>Chapter 420: Let''s Try The Seduction Move</h4>

    "I''m just deep in thought about the tragedy of being¡­one level of seniority in the family below you¡­fine, fine! Hanging up now! Just watch, I''ll bring you for a ride in the next round!" Jiang Muye said before hanging up.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    It was a good thing that Jiang Muye really did return to normal after that, and with their excellent chemistry, they managed to win three rounds in a row with all sorts of traps nned out for the opponent. They yed a very beautifuleback game. The audience viewing the game increased, and they incidentally broke the record for highest number of live streamers.

    "What a beauty!!! I thought themercial was just lying! Who knew that a girl could y a game this well?"

    "Don''t judge a book by its cover!"

    "This beauty is obviously an expert, okay? Look at her mouse and keyboard, that set is enough to make up for several months of my sry!"

    ¡­

    When she read thements, Ning Xi took a step back and subconsciously looked at the mouse and keyboard she was using.

    The equipment''s jet ck appearance looked ordinary. Who knew it was so expensive?

    It was a good thing that she had not identally spoiled it¡­

    While she was still interacting with the audience, there were three knocks on the study room door before it was pushed open. Lu Tingxiao stood at the door with the script in his hands and raised his eyebrows to ask if it was over.

    Ning Xi looked down and saw that she had achieved the gamingpany''s requested time, so she said goodbye to everyone and went offline.

    "How was it? Smooth?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "There was a slight issue at the start, but after that, it all went pretty smoothly! Just now one of the audience said that your mouse and keyboard set was really expensive. It''s no wonder it was so nice to use!"

    "That''s good then."

    "Are you done reading the script?" Ning Xi saw that he held the script and asked him anxiously.

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. There was seriousness written all over his face.

    When she saw Lu Tingxiao''s expression, Ning Xi suddenly became nervous, "Is there a problem with the script?"

    "There''s no problem with the topic¡­"

    Ning Xi just breathed a sigh of relief when Lu Tingxiao continued, "But I wouldn''t suggest for you to shoot this."

    "Ah? Why?" Ning Xi was stunned.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned and said, "There are too many dangerous scenes."

    "Dangerous scenes? Which part?" Ning Xi tried to recall and remembered that the female lead had a passion for extreme sports.

    "Are you talking about the scenes with the car racing, bungee jumping, fencing, water jet and all those sports? Actually, I''m quite used to all of that. Besides, when we''re shooting those scenes, I''m sure I wouldn''t really be doing the sports most of the time, so there wouldn''t be too much danger!" Ning Xi tried hard to persuade him.

    Unfortunately for her, it seemed that Lu Tingxiao had already set his mind to it. "Ning Xi, choose another script. If you didn''t fancy any of the ones that Ling Zhizhi let you pick, I can prepare more for you."

    Ning Xi''s heart instantly dipped and her expression changed, "I don''t want anything else. I like this one! It''s that or nothing!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s brows closed in, "Be good."

    Ning Xi felt wronged, "Lu Tingxiao, why can''t you just trust me?"

    "Ning Xi, it''s not that I don''t trust you. You''re someone who I brought in, I have to be responsible for your life, and that is my bottom line." Lu Tingxiao left no room for any further debate.

    Pfft! How was it so serious that it had reached the bottom line¡­

    Could it be that this script was fated not to be her destiny?

    Ning Xi could not believe that after busying about for the whole day, the day would end like this¡­

    Actually, those scenes were really no problem for her, but it seemed like Lu Tingxiao insisted for her not to be involved in it.

    What could she do¡­

    When she thought about the script that sparked her passion so intensely, Ning Xi was unwilling to give up, no matter how hard she thought about it, and she decided to fight for it again.

    Jeez, she was always seduced by the devil, now it was her turn!

 Chapter 421: Defeated The Big Boss

    <h4>Chapter 421: Defeated The Big Boss</h4>

    Ning Xi took a deep breath, and within those few seconds, her expression and the atmosphere around her changed.

    She looked down and hung her head as she stood in front of Lu Tingxiao, not moving or saying a word at all.

    10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1¡­

    She counted down to 10 in her heart.

    Throughout this, Lu Tingxiao watched the girl''s gloomy demeanor and did not have the heart to let her be this disappointed, but he still maintained his hardened expression and was determined not to be moved.

    In the next second, when Ning Xi lifted her head again, her eyes were red and wet, with tears welling up, refusing to fall.

    At the same time, the girl''s voice became coarse and she was vulnerable, unlike her usual self. She slowly walked over to the stony Lu Tingxiao and inched closer, before she pulled on his sleeves lightly with two fingers, "Lu Tingxiao¡­ it''s really impossible?"

    A sliver of warmth almost cracked through Lu Tingxiao''s cold expression instantly, but his mouth was still tight and determined, "No can do, Ning Xi, I can promise you anything, just not this."

    Immediately, Ning Xi''s tears started to fall all at once and she pleaded pitifully, "Lu Tingxiao, please, I really like this script. I guarantee that I will definitely look out for my own safety, okay? I¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "Okay."

    Ning Xi was shocked.

    Eh? Okay?

    After all, it was the devil she was dealing with and she had already prepared herself for a series of sad dramatics. She had only just used one percent of what she prepared, and had not even used her seduction moves yet!

    It was "okay" now?

    She only had to use some novice skills to defeat the boss! There must have been a bug in the system!

    Ning Xi was stunned for a while before she finally reacted and was so excited she almost jumped for joy, "Big Boss! You agree? You really do?"

    Lu Tingxiao expression stiffened as if he had just realized what he had agreed to. Then, he frowned and said helplessly, "Can I take it back?"

    Ning Xi was anxious, "Of course not! A promise cannot be taken back once it''s made! You¡­if you take it back, I''ll cry until I pass out here!"

    Lu Tingxiao sighed, "Okay, I won''t take it back."

    Actually, the moment her tears fell, he already knew that . Why would he still struggle to allow her?

    In fact, he knew that she was probably faking it, but he still had no power to resist her at all. He could not help but clearly see his own rationality go to zilch.

    Ning Xi''s only regret that moment was that she could not run up to give Lu Tingxiao a super big kiss as she excitedly cheered, "Yay! Long live Big Boss! Big Boss, you''re too nice! To have a leader like you was probably my good karma in myst life, no, my previously 10 lives! My respect for you is as high as the mountains and rivers¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao smiled and helplessly stopped her, "Okay, no need to brown nose me now. For now, it''s just me you''ve gotten through. If you fail at the auditionter, I can''t help you open up a back door, understood?"

    "Fail at the audition! No way! As long as you agree, then all''s good! If I can get past the Big Boss, would I not be able to defeat the other little minions?" Ning Xi was full of confidence.

    When he saw the girl in high spirits, every trickle of worry Lu Tingxiao''s had vanished too.

    Fine, he could just ask the drama crew to watch her closely. She was never too green in the work she did anyway, so why should he hold her down in the name of love?

 Chapter 422: Special Task

    <h4>Chapter 422: Special Task</h4>

    The next morning at tinum Pce Residence Entrance.

    A ck Mercedes Maybach appeared, with Cheng Feng and four bodyguards waiting outside the entrance.

    The tallest bodyguard who looked honest and naive could not help but ask Cheng Feng, "Assistant Cheng, why does the boss want to go to America this time around? In fact, why is he going to such a chaotic ce like Phdelphia for observation? Can''t he delegate the task to someone else to go? Is that processing nt really so important?"

    When he thought about the objective for the visit, something shed in Cheng Feng eyes. Then, he shot the guy a look, "If you don''t have a brain, then don''t think about nonsense all day. Do you even have the capability to guess what the boss is thinking? Just follow the orders."

    The big guy scratched his head and felt that what Cheng Feng said made sense, "Oh, understood, thank you, Assistant Cheng!"

    As the both of them were talking, a skinny bodyguard in front of the car suddenly cursed under his breath, then walked to Cheng Feng impatiently, "I can''t! I can''t hold it in anymore! I have to look for the boss and get him to take back his orders!"

    Cheng Feng frowned as he looked at the youth who spoke up, "What orders?"

    The youth was called Shi Xiao, and he had the bestbat skills among the bodyguards, making him the highest status of them. One could say that he was one of the staff Lu Tingxiao trusted the most.

    If it was an order to him, then it must be something of utmost importance.

    Shi Xiao had always followed all of Lu Tingxiao''s orders, but what was it this time that actually made him want to disobey?

    Shi Xiao lit a cigarette and continued, "In the middle of the night yesterday, I suddenly received a phone call from the boss and thought it was something important. Who knew, he was telling me to go over to the drama team for a period of time and be in charge of a woman''s safety!? Pfft! I have had many near death experiences and am specially trained for more than 10 years. How could all of that boil down to protecting some random woman?"

    "Shi Xiao! Shut up, do you want to die?" Cheng Feng looked at the door''s direction nervously, "If you let the boss hear you say this, be prepared to die!"

    Shi Xiao was unhappy with the unfairness of the situation and he expressed, "I really don''t understand. Apart from having a bit of beauty, I don''t see what''s so special about that woman that made the boss so charmed!"

    Cheng Feng knew that these people were used to messing around with guns and knives, and intelligence wasn''t their forte, so he could only be patient and exin, "Shi Xiao, listen to my word of advice: don''t say these words ever again and just obey the orders!"

    Shi Xiao looked insulted and waved impatiently, "I''m okay with other orders, but not this! I don''t care! No matter what, I definitely won''t protect some actress who only knows how to flirt around!"

    By sheer coincidence, Lu Tingxiao slowly walked out of his residence, d in ck, just as Shi Xiao made his deration.

    Shi Xiao immediately ran up and said, "Boss, I have something I need to consult you about!"

    Cheng Feng could not stop him in time, so he could only bury his face in his hands and wish the rookie the best of luck.

    Lu Tingxiao coldly shot him a look and said, "Speak."

    In that instance, Lu Tingxiao''s icy eyes made Shi Xiao back off a little, but the insult he felt so deeply in his heart still made him blurt out, "The order you madest night¡­there is no way I can obey it!"

    Everyone broke into a cold sweat on behalf of Shi Xiao.

    Just when they thought the boss was about to break into a fit of rage, Lu Tingxiao unexpectedly did not say anything. All he did was look at the big guy behind Shi Xiao and said, "Xiong Shi, you''ll rece Shi Xiao."

    Xiong Zhi was taken aback, but he just scratched his head and followed the orders, "Yes, boss!"

    Seeing that the issue had been resolved, Cheng Feng quickly walked over to open the car door for Lu Tingxiao.

    Once Lu Tingxiao got into the car, Cheng Feng patted the big bodyguard''s shoulder and could not help butment, "Haih, fortune certainly shone on the fool!"

    That Shi Xiao, if one day he found out that the boss had given him a task as important as protecting thedy boss which he had rejected, he would regret to the point of puking blood¡­

 Chapter 423: Ning Xis Birth Date

    <h4>Chapter 423: Ning Xi''s Birth Date</h4>

    At Fahua Temple.

    The other day after discussing with Lu Chongshan, Yan Ruyi set aside some time to go to the temple early one morning.

    The temple was known for being auspicious and it was filled with people early in the morning.

    Yan Ruyi lit up a joss stick then waited in the hall. Very soon, a monk came over with both palms pressed together to say, "Amitabha" and he greeted her, "Donor Yan, you''re here!"

    Yan Ruyi returned the courtesy then nervously said, "Little Master, I was wondering what Master Xuan Jing had to say."

    "The abbot has been waiting inside the hall. Donor Yan, please follow me." the little monk replied.

    "Ah, so Master Xuan Jing agreed! Great! Thank you, thank you!" Yan Ruyi held a stack of socialites'' birth dates and followed the monk happily towards the meditation abode in the backyard.

    Inside the yard were grass and pebble paths, and at one end were red maple trees. Standing in the lotus pond in front of the ce were several herons ruffling their feathers. When she looked at the peaceful and quiet little yard, she calmed down much more.

    When they reached the entrance of Xuan Jing''s meditation abode, the little monk stood still and announced solemnly, "Abbott, Donor Yan is here."

    After a moment, an old monk d in a gray robe walked out with the help of a staff. His charisma and aura were extraordinary as if he was not from this world.

    "Donor Yan, this old monk iscking in being weing!"

    "Master, you are being too kind. We''ve really troubled you this time to use your time with Buddha for such a petty thing!" As she watched the old monk and felt his strong aura, Yan Ruyi instantly trusted him, thinking about how lucky she was to find Master Xuan Jing.

    She had met Long Fanyin once and thought that he was efficient the other time. Now that she had met Master Xuan Jing, she realized that Long Fanyi was too impetuous and hasty.

    "Donor Yan, you speak too highly of me. This old monk is only giving due assistance. You and Donor Lu donate to the auspicious incense every year to repair the Buddha''s gold body and aid the poor. That is true charity!"

    "Master, youpliment me too much. These are things we should do!"

    ¡­

    After some more small talk, they started to get down to business.

    Yan Ruyi took out the stack of birth dates from her bag and put it on the short table. Then, she took out a single sheet of paper with Lu Tingxiao''s date of birth and said, "Master, it''s all here. I have to trouble you to skim through them!"

    Xuan Jing nodded and picked up the birth dates to start going through them.

    Yan Ruyi dared not interrupt, so she quietly stood aside and waited.

    Xuan Jing looked at every one of them and made notations behind them. A momentter, he finally finished looking through all the birth dates.

    When she saw that Xuan Jing''s expression had not changed much from start until the end, Yan Ruyi was a little anxious. She questioned, "Master, among these girls, were there any birth dates that were especially good, or especiallypatible with our Tingxiao?"

    Master Xuan Jing shook his head confidently and dered, "There are none."

    That meant that all these girls were all ordinary. Even though none of them particrly shed in terms ofpatibility, was there not even onepatible one?

    When Yan Ruyi heard this, she could not help but be a little disappointed. She unwillingly looked at the master''s written remarks and realized that not only all of them were ordinary, there was indeed no one who was more outstanding than the rest.

    Yan Ruyi kept turning every piece of paper to look at the remarks many times, then finally epted her son''s fate and put the birth dates away. She absentmindedly nodded, "I''ve troubled you, Master!"

    "Donor Yan, not to worry."

    "Then, Master, I won''t disturb you further. I shall make a move now!"

    Yan Ruyi was prepared to leave when her footsteps came to a halt. She suddenly thought about how there was still one more person''s date of birth in her bag¡­

    It belonged to that girl named Ning Xi¡­

    She did not know what she was thinking, but before she left, she had actually grabbed the girl''s date of birth too.

    Now, should she just casually let the Master have a look at it?

 Chapter 424: This Birth Chartâ€¦

    <h4>Chapter 424: This Birth Chart¡­</h4>

    However, if Lu Chongshan had known that she brought the girl''s date of birth for evaluation as well, he would definitely fly into a rage again¡­

    Yan Ruyi was in a dilemma. She took out the date of birth for a look and did not know what decision to make.

    When he saw that she did not look right, Xuan Jing asked, "Donor Yan, is there anything else unresolved?"

    Yan Ruyi returned to her senses and was flustered as she tried to put the sheet with the birth date back. However, she was still worried that Lu Chongshan would get angry if he knew and she felt that there was no need to evaluate the girl, so she quickly said, "Nothing, nothing! Master, you can go ahead and attend to your other things!"

    Then, she turned around to walk away.

    In her rush, a brownish paper flew out of her bag and dropped onto the floor¡­

    Yan Ruyi had not noticed and was still walking away. Behind her, Xuan Jing bent down to pick it up, "Donor Yan, please hold on, you dropped something¡­eh¡­"

    "As he said that, Xuan Jing stared at the date of birth on the paper in clear shock as his words trailed off, "This birth chart¡­"

    Yan Ruyi heard the master''s voice behind and quickly turned around. She saw that the master held Ning Xi''s birth date in his hand, and the astoundment on his face was apparent.

    Yan Ruyi saw this and her heart skipped a few beats, "Master, how about this birth date?"

    Different from the confidence he had disyed earlier from looking at the other birth dates, Xuan Jing looked at Ning Xi''s date of birth for a long time before saying, "Donor Yan, could you let me please have your son''s birth date for me to have a look again?"

    "Of course you can!" Yan Ruyi said that as she took out Lu Tingxiao''s birth date quickly and handed it over to Xuan Jing with both hands. At the same time, her heart was filled with worry.

    Xuan Jing held the two''s birth dates andid them t on the short table. Then, he started to evaluate them carefully.

    Yan Ruyi stood aside to wait nervously and she felt anxious.

    The master''s expression was so serious. Could it be that this woman was a horrible jinx for Tingxiao, and would cause harm to him?

    After a long time, Xuan Jing finally said, "This birth chart has signs of loneliness, a robbed life with a series of unfortunate events. This person will inevitably jinx her son and kill her husband, and she is fated to be alone forever¡­"

    Yan Ruyi turned pale at the sound of the reading, "This¡­isn''t this the Devil Lone Star?! My God! Jinx her son and kill her husband¡­Tingxiao¡­Little Treasure¡­"

    Yan Ruyi was still deep in shock when Xuan Jing suddenly asked, "I wonder if you remember that many years ago, I helped your son examined a simr birth date."

    "I remember, of course, I do!" Yan Ruyi''s face lingered with fear when she heard this. That year, the reading of Tingxiao''s birth chart was filled with terrible danger.

    Xuan Jing continued, "Wherever dangerous fate lingers, it needs to be fought with danger; when the five elements are in danger, the lone star fate is formed. As the saying goes, it is hard to be all-rounded and harmonize all five elements. Without danger, a long life and a roof over heads are guaranteed, but when elements of dangere together, the passing of the jinx on to the kin is inevitable and they will be fated to be alone till old age. Everyone knows that!"

    "But Master, after having Little Treasure five years ago, didn''t you say our Tingxiao''s fate has had a breakthrough?" Yan Ruyi asked anxiously.

    Xuan Jing nodded, "Indeed, five years ago, there were signs of a breakthrough."

    "Then¡­what does Tingxiao''s birthday have to do with the Devil Lone Star fate of this woman?"

    Xuan Jing looked at her mysteriously, "This girl''s birth chart, very coincidentally, is the same as your son''s. It also suddenly started to change five years ago."

    "Changed?" Yan Ruyi panicked, and could not help herself but urge him, "Master, please don''t beat around the bush anymore! What fate does this woman actually have? Will it jinx my Tingxiao?"

 Chapter 425: Good Luck Beyond Comparison

    <h4>Chapter 425: Good Luck Beyond Comparison</h4>

    Yan Ruyi obviously prepared for the worst when she asked nervously, "Master, do you have any way to resolve it? As long as you can resolve my son''s bad fortune, I am willing to do anything!"

    Xuan Jing shook his head and consoled, "Donor Yan, you don''t have to be too worried. Please listen to this old monk exin to you slowly."

    He was worried that Yan Ruyi could not understand him, so Xuan Jing tried his best to useyman terms to break it down to her, "From this diagram, this girl does have the fate of a Devil Lone Star. However, Donor Yan, if someone of this fate has a life blessed with longevity and enlightened kindred spirits, then they might have good fortune. Or they could practice Buddhism, do more charitable deeds to gain good karma, and really put in individual hard work, their fate could change too."

    Yan Ruyi dared not interrupt again. As anxious as she was, she could only be patient and listen quietly.

    Under Yan Ruyi''s nervous watchful sight, Xuan Jing finally concluded, "If I did not read it wrongly, now, this girl has a fate of fame, prosperity in fortune and family happiness. Good fortune beyondparison, a prospering husband, and a flourishing family, a future with many children and plenty of luck."

    When she heard Master Xuan Jing announce the fate of the girl, Yan Ruyi was immediately so shocked that she almost could not believe her ears, "Master, what¡­what did you just say?"

    She was the Devil Lone Star one second before, so how did she have "good fortune beyondparison, a prospering husband, and a flourishing family, a future with many children and plenty of luck" in the next?

    Xuan Jing stroked his white beard and eximed, "The rarest thing which happened is that the time that this girl''s fate changed is too coincidental with your son''s, I expect that in between, there must have been some sort of connection. Only, with the limited resources I have in this examination, I cannote to such a conclusion. What I can conclude is that if this girl and your son tie the knot, they would definitely have lots of good fortune and no bad luck."

    Yan Ruyi stuttered, "You¡­you mean, that not only is this girl''s birth date not shing with my son''s, but it is, in fact, positivelypatible?"

    "Indeed, that is so," Master Xuan Jing nodded, and then reminded, "There is no one path to the way the world works. Nothing is absolute, diagrams can only allow us to peek at a bit of things. For example, your son''s fate had a sudden change five years ago. Thus, I hope that you will not take things too much to heart, and you cannot believe absolutely everything. Do still watch to see how things pan out."

    "I understand now. Thank you for your guidance, Master!" Yan Ruyi''s expression was stiff as she took the two birth dates on the table and left.

    Until she had left the temple, Yan Ruyi was still in disbelief¡­

    She had chosen so many socialites, all of them from first-ss backgrounds and with outstanding personalities, but in the end, it was Ning Xi''s birth date that stood out¡­

    Furthermore, from what the master had said earlier, it was all good things!

    At the Lu family old residence.

    Lu Chongshan was sitting on the living room''s sofa reading the newspaper. When he saw Yan Ruyi return, he looked up to ask, "How did it go?"

    Yan Ruyi looked tired and apart from Ning Xi''s date of birth, she handed everyone else''s over to him, "The Master has made remarks on each of them, you can see for yourself. Generally, even though none of them are particrly jinxes, none arepatible."

    Lu Chongshan looked like he had expected this and absentmindedly looked at them, "As long as they are not jinxes, it''s fine."

    As she watched Lu Chongshan look through the socialites'' birth dates, Yan Ruyi wanted to say something but stopped herself several times.

    Should she tell him about Ning Xi, or not?

    Despite what the Master had said about Ning Xi and Tingxiao being a match made in heaven, the Master had also said that nothing was absolute.

    Knowing Lu Chongshan''s personality, if he had known that she had secretly examined Ning Xi''s birth date too, not only would he scold her but he probably would not believe it too.

    When Yan Ruyi thought about this, she made a decision in her heart.

    Never mind, it wouldn''t be toote if she observed first before saying anything¡­

 Chapter 426: Explore Later

    <h4>Chapter 426: Explore Later</h4>

    In the morning, the first thing Ning Xi did after she woke up was to go to Glory World Entertainment to report the good news about the decision on the script to Ling Zhizhi.

    Very coincidentally, Ling Zhizhi had good news on her end too.

    Payroll time!

    "Sry''s out so soon?" Ning Xi said, pleasantly surprised.

    "Mmm, because the live stream of you and Jiang Muye''s game went so wellst night, the gamingpany was very satisfied and brought forward the payout date," Ling Zhizhi exined.

    Ning Xi eximed, overjoyed, "That''s wonderful!" There and then, she decided not to hit Jiang Muye anymore.

    "It should have been banked in already, check your ountter," Ling Zhizhi said.

    "Okay!" Ning Xi replied when she received a new message. Coincidentally, it was a message from the bank about the transfer of the sry. "Sis Zhizhi, I''ve received it!"

    Ling Zhizhiughed, "Excellent, it''s a good thing you don''t have work today. You should go out and rx!"

    Leng Manyun used to be too cool for her own good. Especially after she became famous, she was so depressed that nothing could pique neither her interest nor passion. When she saw Ning Xi''s energetic demeanor, Ling Zhizhi, who was tired of being in the entertainment circle for so many years, suddenly started to be moved.

    Ning Xi nodded, "Thank you, Sis Zhizhi. Thank you to thepany!"

    After she left, Ning Xi returned to the apartment first.

    The first thing she did was dig out two bank ount numbers, and inserted 100,000 dors into one, and 50,000 into the other.

    Very quickly, the phone rang.

    Ning Xi happily picked it up, "Hello, Director Tao! Have you been well?"

    A senior woman replied from the other end, "I''m good, I''m good. We''re all good over here! Miss Ning Xi, did you bank in money to the orphanage again?"

    Ning Xi nodded, "Yeah, I got my sry!"

    The voice on the other end of the phone was anxious, "But it is too much this time! 100,000 dors! I know you love the kids, but you need to save some for yourself too!"

    "Don''t worry, Director, I still have a lot with me. I didn''t donate it all! Just use it, it''s going to be winter very soon. Buy some clothes and cotton nkets for the children!"

    "Haih, I''ll ept it then. I thank you on behalf of the kids! You should take care of yourself too, don''t work too hard and be too tired now!"

    "I know, thank you, Director!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi''s heart felt warm after she hung up.

    She had started donating to this orphanage since five years ago. It was too bad she did not have much savings previously, but now she could finally contribute more.

    The other 50,000 dors were banked into her foster parents'' ount. She still felt guilty that she had not returned home all these years. She did not bank in more because she knew that they definitely would not ept too much.

    She calcted that she had half of her spokesperson fee left, which was 150,000 dors, just enough for her explore.

    From her financial management standpoint, she always prioritized giving back instead of her savings. Usually, when the money got into her hands, she would use it up really quickly, only leaving some for food.

    She incidentally looked at the calendar and noticed that it was going to be grandfather''s birthday very soon¡­

    Never mind, she should buy the birthday present first and be patient for a little longer.

    The Ning family was wealthy after all and although the old man was not very close to his granddaughter like other grandfathers, he still cared very much about her.

    Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu were embarrassed by herck of etiquette and they med and detested her. Only her old grandfather would privately correct her mistakes one by one. Even though he was strict, he had her best interests at heart.

    After she had left home, her grandfather had tried to advise her to go home numerously, but sadly, she could not obey the old man''s wishes¡­

 Chapter 427: Gifts Are Not All About The Price

    <h4>Chapter 427: Gifts Are Not All About The Price</h4>

    At Imperial¡¯s busiest shopping center.

    After looking around, she decided to get some jade ornaments in the end.

    The old man was a Buddhist and liked jade, so it would only be appropriate to get him a bracelet made of jade beads.

    As the devil¡¯s biggest fan, and out of her unquestionable trust towards the boss, Ning Xi did not even look around other shops and headed straight for Jade Treasury.

    As Ning Xi walked in, a slightly chubby man with an old school vest and small eyes came up to wee her warmly, "Hi, prettydy, what are you looking for?"

    Ning Xi wore a casual outfit today, the kind no one would really pay attention to. It was only with a closer look that people might be drawn to her cute face.

    While the owner did not know who she was, experience told him that she was some celebrity, and it didn''t hurt that she looked quite wealthy. Even if she was not that famous, she would probably buy something pricey, so he served her personally.

    Ning Xi looked through the vast collection of jade ornaments disyed, and said, a little confused, "My grandfather is celebrating his 70th birthday and I want to buy him a bracelet with jade beads. Do you have any rmendation?"

    "Yes¡­of course!" The owner quickly opened up the shelf and carefully took out a few bracelets, "What a good timing that you¡¯re here now! We¡¯ve just received a new batch of thetest items,. Have a look at the colors, they''re all top notch quality! They¡¯ll surely make you get into anyone''s good books if you give it as a gift!"

    Ning Xi did not really know much about jade ornaments, but ording to the shop owner, they would cost quite a fortune, so she asked hesitantly, "How much do each of them cost?"

    "The price is not exactly fixed but they are around one to two million dors. Of course, they are better ones, so if you don¡¯t like these, I¡¯ll show you some others!" The owner¡¯s eyes shone in glee.

    Seeing that the owner persisted on rmending her expensive jade ornaments, Ning Xi smiled awkwardly at him. Did she look like she was rich?

    "Uhm, it¡¯s okay, do you have something cheaper?" Ning Xi interrupted the owner¡¯s rattle of rmendations.

    "Cheaper?" the owner stopped for a bit and assessed Ning Xi. He then kept all the bracelets, but still replied her with a smile on his face, "Sure, we have something cheaper! Take a look over here! The colors are a little bit off, but they are pretty good and the prices are reasonable too. Only around 7 to 800 thousand dors! I¡¯ll even throw in a discount so you can get them at 600 thousand!"

    Ning Xi pinched the area between her brows and went straight to the point, "Something even cheaper. Do you have anything within the range of 150 thousand dors?"

    "1¡­150 thousand dors?" The owner¡¯s smile copsed after hearing that and even his tone changed, "Prettydy, while 150 thousand might seem a lot to you, at most, you can only fool those who aren¡¯t very well versed with jade ornaments. Such a small sum of money can¡¯t get you anything good! Plus, you¡¯re buying a gift for an elder, so you should invest more, especially for things like a jade bracelet. It¡¯s not something you should cut corners with!"

    Ning Xi smiled, "You¡¯re right, but the gift is more about the effort and the meaning, instead of the price, I''m giving my best, which means I¡¯ve put all my heart into this gift."

    The owner sarcasticallyughed, but of course, he hid his scoff behind a hand so as not to make it too obvious. He closed the shelf and told her, "Then, you can pick from this area. The items on this row here are all below 150 thousand dors. That row over there is cheaper, if¡­"

 Chapter 428: Lu Corporationâ€™s Lady Boss

    <h4>Chapter 428: Lu Corporation¡¯s Lady Boss</h4>

    "Hehe, if you want something even cheaper¡­I suggest you go somewhere else. We at Jade Treasury don¡¯t deal with low-quality goods!"

    The owner walked away upon finishing his sentence.

    150 thousand dors might be a big deal for other people, but what a joke! He was the owner of Jade Treasury, where many rich people frequented and he could usually close deals up to a few million, so a 150 thousand deal was not worth his time and personal service.

    The shops like these usually had airs, but thankfully Ning Xi was already prepared for such a situation. She did not really care and just focused on selecting the bracelet.

    Jade Treasury gave people assurance of quality, so even if it was cheap, it would still be a better productpared to buying from other shops.

    Suddenly, a familiar voice came through, "Tsk, what a joke! Just admit that you¡¯re too poor to afford them. No need for the flowery words! You think the owner is a fool?"

    Ning Xi looked over and frowned. What a small world it was!

    The one who just spoke was Liang Biqin in her Chanel outfit, and beside her was Su Yimo in a long dress. As usual, there were a few other girls behind them, all artistes trying to get on her good side.

    "Yo! Goddess Su! What brings you here today? I was wondering why the birds kept on singing on my balcony today! I didn¡¯t expect them to be celebrating your arrival!" The small-eyed owner quickly went up to them with a string of ttery.

    It was not just because of Su Yimo¡¯s poprity, but more importantly, she had the most potential to bedy boss of the Lu Corporation! How could he afford any mistakes?

    This was especially when a rumor went around recently about how Lu Tingxiao really favored Su Yimo, and even brought her into his office directly.

    This must not be far from the truth! Or so the owner thought.

    "Goddess Su, pleasee inside! Xiao Yu, quickly bring out the best items from the back! Xiao Cui, go and prepare some tea, and use the good Tie Guan Yin tea leaves I brought back the other day!" the owner ordered them.

    All the workers got busy and tried to talk to Su Yimo. Of course, everyone wanted to be in the good books of their futuredy boss.

    No matter how cool Su Yimo was, she smiled at the owner¡¯s tactic to butter up to her, "You don¡¯t have to do so much for me, I¡¯m just looking around."

    The owner quickly replied, "Ms. Su, it¡¯s my honor to be able to serve you, it¡¯s really nothing much!"

    Liang Biqin triumphantly looked at the lonely Ning Xi whom no one served, and she grinned at the owner, "Boss, you must havethered a lot of honey on your mouth, how sweet your words are!"

    "Ms. Liang, everything I sayes from my heart!" As he spoke, he brought over the items the worker had taken out and carefully disyed them in front of Su Yimo.

    Su Yimo casually picked up a dazzling jade bracelet, "New items? I don¡¯t remember seeing this thest time I came here."

    "You have sharp eyes, Ms. Su. Indeed, a new batch of goods have just arrived, and all of them are the best quality! Of course, they are still not worthy of your identity! But if you don¡¯t mind, simply pick some!" The owner rubbed his hands in anticipation of his bright future ahead of him.

 Chapter 429: Poor Yet Trying To Act Big

    <h4>Chapter 429: Poor Yet Trying To Act Big</h4>

    Liang Biqin ran her fingers across the jade jewelry excitedly, "Cousin, these jade ornaments look really great! No wonder you like them so much! Only jade can match your extraordinary aura!"

    "She¡¯s right, gold and silver are too tacky!"

    The other artistes went along in agreement, and they shifted their focus to the high-grade jade ornaments ced in front of Su Yimo. One of themined, "Boss, you¡¯ve never shown us these goods before when we were here!"

    "Boss, how biased of you!"

    "You can¡¯t me him. After all, good jade is only worthy of a beautiful person. Only Yimo can pair well with these jades, so let¡¯s not embarrass ourselves here!"

    ¡­

    Listening to all the ttery, Su Yimo smiled with pride. She seemed to like the jade bracelet and yed with it.

    Suddenly, Liang Biqin thought of something and she stared at Ning Xi, then drawled to the owner, "Boss! You¡¯re not handling things very well here, are you?"

    The shop owner was anxious, "Uh, what is it? Is there something that I''m doing wrong? Please let me know, Ms. Liang! I¡¯ll work on it right away!"

    Liang Biqin looked straight at Ning Xi, "It¡¯s not about your service. In fact, you are serving us so well that everyone is around here, and no one¡¯s looking out for the shop. Who knows if some poor person will take this chance to steal your jade, then you might suffer a big loss!"

    The owner instinctively looked at Ning Xi upon hearing this.

    Aside from Su Yimo¡¯s bunch in the shop, there was only Ning Xi who was still selecting her jade beaded bracelet.

    At first, he thought that this woman could help him close a big deal, but who knew she was so stingy¡­

    The owner nodded seriously, "Ms. Liang, you are right!"

    He then ordered his worker, "Xiao Yu, go and attend to her!"

    "Huh? Me!?" Xiao Yu pointed at her nose in surprise.

    "Yes, you, what are you waiting for? Go! If something goes missing, it''s your head on the chopping board!"

    "Yes, boss¡­" Xiao Yu unwillingly went to the counter in front of Ning Xi.

    As she saw Ning Xi was focused on examining a bracelet, Xiao Yu tried to hide her impatience politely, "Miss, you¡¯ve been looking for quite some time now. Have you made your decision already?"

    Everyone else was with thedy boss and only she was sent over. How could she not be impatient?She was just hoping that this woman would quickly wrap up her purchase and leave.

    Ning Xi was carefully looking at the jade beaded bracelet in her hands and did not notice the worker¡¯s impatient expression, and she then asked, "Does this bracelet have any particr meaning behind it?" Ning Xi thought that when she gave this to her grandfather, she could say something auspicious to go with it.

    Hearing Ning Xi''s question, Liang Biqin let out an exaggerated and sarcasticugh, "Huh? What meaning can cheap jade possibly have? Just simply buy any one! What a bumpkin, still trying to figure out meaning of this and that!"

    The artistes echoed, "This is what happens when a poor person tries to act big!"

    Liang Biqin continued, "I was right. This woman actually embarrasses herself outside in public as well!"

    "Tsk, I really don¡¯t want to admit that we¡¯re working in the samepany!"

    "Second Master¡¯s taste used to be good. The people who he hired were all great candidates, but it seems like he missed this time."

    "What¡¯s funny is that people areparing her to Yimo! This woman isn¡¯t even worthy to hold shoes for Yimo!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 430: Some Dogs Are Biting Your Woman

    <h4>Chapter 430: Some Dogs Are Biting Your Woman</h4>

    At the same time, at a shop selling luxurious items opposite Jade Treasury.

    "Master Mo¡­Master Mo¡­do you still want this shirt?" the shop owner asked carefully.

    The man who he was asking looked ruggedly handsome, dressed in a casual outfit. He had one hand in the pocket as he looked over to see themotion in the opposite shop, "Aside from the few that I picked out, get me anything else you think fits!"

    "Alright! Master Mo, I¡¯ll get you the invoice now. Shall I send it to your address as usual?" the owner asked happily.

    "Mmm, send it!" Mo Lingtian replied him half-heartedly and continued looking into Jade Treasury.

    He then took out his phone to make a call.

    "Yes?" answered the other end of the line in his usual cold tone.

    "Hey, Lu Tingxiao, I heard that you went to Phdelphia for work. Why are you going to such an uninteresting ce? Why not join the gang and have fun by the ocean?"

    The line went dead.

    The person had actually hung up on him¡­

    "Damn!" Mo Lingtian looked at his phone in disbelief. Damn it! How dare he hang up on me!

    Mo Lingtian called again, and he started scolding the moment the line got through, "Screw you, Lu Tingxiao! Does it really take so much effort to talk to me? You just hung up on me right away!"

    "Perhaps you want to get cut off the second time?" the voice over the phone questioned seriously.

    If he continued spouting crap, he would really get cut off again¡­

    Mo Lingtian clenched his teeth and looking at the few women opposite, he angrily said, "Damn it! I was trying to be nice to inform you that some crazy dogs are biting your woman! Yet, you treat me this way! Where is your conscience?"

    There was a pause for a while, then one word was uttered, "Who?"

    Mo Lingtian proudly told him, "You think that I wouldn¡¯t know if you hid it from me? Isn¡¯t it the popr celebrity? What was she called again¡­oh right, Ning Xi! Last night, I identally clicked into a hot streaming site, and guess what I saw? I freaking saw that celebrity streaming a live game from your study room! I tell you, I¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s cold hard voice interrupted him, "Please get to the specifics."

    "Yo! It¡¯s really her! You actually said five words!"

    "Mo Lingtian!" the voice threatened with a growl.

    Mo Lingtian knew that something was not right. He guessed that he was probably handling some emergency situation on the other end, so he stopped fooling around and said, "Venue - your jade ornament shop Jade Treasury. People - your real lover Ning Xi, and your rumored girlfriend Su Yimo together with her bunch! Is it clear enough? Need more specifics?"

    The phone call was cut off again.

    Mo Lingtian mumbled "Damn it!" What an ungrateful person!

    The shop owner came over, beaming, "Master Mo, the shirts have all been packed!"

    "Mmm." Mo Lingtian nodded but did not leave right away. Instead, he ordered, "Get me a chair right now!"

    "Ah? A chair?" asked the shop owner in confusion.

    "What? Quickly! You''ve got a great view here. Do you have any objections about me sitting here to enjoy the view?"

    "No! I¡¯ll go and get you one! Right now!" The shop owner wiped some sweat from his brow and quickly went to get a chair.

    These rich people do spend a lot, but they sure were not easy to serve!

 Chapter 431: Some Good Words In Front Of CEO Lu

    <h4>Chapter 431: Some Good Words In Front Of CEO Lu</h4>

    Liang Biqin and her group kept spouting out insults persistently, each word harsher than before, trying to embarrass Ning Xi, so as to get her revenge for what had happened at thepany the other day.

    Ning Xi had thought that everyone went over to Su Yimo¡¯s side, so she would be able to be on her own in peace, but suddenly everyone was being aggressive towards her. She then put on a surprised face, "Ah, if it isn¡¯t Beauty Liang and Senior Su, and my other colleagues, you guys are here too? Were you guys¡­talking to me just now?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s words frustrated Liang Biqin, "Are you blind?! You¡¯ve just only noticed us after we¡¯ve been here for so long!"

    So the whole time she was insulting that girl was practically a monologue?

    "Hah¡­" Somewhere opposite the shop, a manughed while he sipped his tea. Tsk, this girl looked like a weak little pristine bunny, but her ws sure were viciously strong!

    The artistes surrounding herforted her, "Let it go, Biqin, don¡¯t talk to someone as weird as her!"

    Liang Biqin clenched her teeth, "You¡¯re right! Not just weird, blind as well!"

    "Can¡¯t even get a peace of mind buying some jade¡­" Su Yimo mumbled, displeased. She casually picked up the jade bracelet she saw earlier, and without even asking for the price, she said, "Boss,, please get me this one."

    The shop owner realized that his futuredy boss was not satisfied, and his anxiety crept up a notch. He carefully said, "Goddess Su, you have a good pair of eyes. This jade that you just casually picked is one of the best in our shop! I¡¯ll pack it up for you right now!"

    He then quickly wrapped it in an exquisite packaging.

    Su Yimo let Liang Biqin hold the jade, then gave the shop owner her card.

    The owner smiled at her and said, "Ms. Su, you don¡¯t have to pay."

    Su Yimo raised her eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

    The owner rubbed his hands together, "Ms. Su, I felt bad about theck of service today. Just take this jade bracelet as an apology, please! If you don¡¯t, I might not be able to sleep tonight!"

    "Gift¡­gift for my cousin?" Liang Biqin was shocked and stuttered. Did he just give away such an expensive jade bracelet?

    The Lu Corporation sure was generous. Even a jade shop owner under them was so magnanimous!

    If the man became her brother-in one day, then¡­

    Su Yimo stared at Liang Biqin, before returning to her calm self, "What an understanding owner! We shan''t make things difficult either, so I¡¯ll take the jade bracelet on behalf of my cousin!"

    Su Yimo did not say anything else.

    "Thank you, Ms. Liang! Thank you, Ms. Su! Thank you!" the owner said profusely, then closed in and spoke in a deep tone, "I hope some day, Ms. Su could help me to say some good words in front of CEO Lu¡­"

    Even though the owner was upfront about his other intentions, Su Yimo was appeased, "You want me to be your messenger for such a message?"

    The shop owner broke into a sweat, "Of course not! I don¡¯t mean it that way¡­"

 Chapter 432: Out Of This World Flattery

    <h4>Chapter 432: Out Of This World ttery</h4>

    Sensing his tension, Su Yimo felt superior and she calmed herself down, "I won¡¯t say anything about anyone on purpose, but since you¡¯ve been working hard, CEO Lu would have noticed it himself."

    The shop owner knew that his trick had worked, so he smiled and thanked her, trying to make her visit to his shop even more memorable, "Thank you, Ms. Su! Actually, we have a lot more other goods in the shop. If you¡¯re not short on time, take a look around."

    Before Su Yimo could say anything, Liang Biqing scoffed, "Our good mood has been ruined. What else is there left to see?"

    The shop owner instantly understood and stared at Ning Xi, then said coldly, "Lady over there, you¡¯ve been browsing for quite some time already. If you¡¯re not buying anything, then please leave. Don¡¯t hold up my business! Can¡¯t you see that I have a VIP to serve over here?"

    Su Yimo casually said, "Boss, anyhow she¡¯s still your customer. It¡¯s not so good to just chase her away, right? People who didn¡¯t know better would think that I was discriminating against her!"

    The shop owner became nervous again, "Ms. Su, it has nothing to do with you. We have too much low-cost jade stocked up, so we¡¯re selling it off at a cheap price and it attracts a lot of customers like her!

    "Usually, such urrences wouldn¡¯t happen. Ms. Su, you know that our shop is a very ssy one, and the deals that we usually close are worth about a million.

    "I¡¯ve been thinking of taking these jades off the disy counter these few days. Otherwise, we won¡¯t have enough people to serve our customers!

    "What if, what if¡­I just take them off now? I promise that no such thing will ever happen again. What do you think?"

    Ning Xi was touching her chin, impressed by the owner¡¯s speech, thinking that the devil sure hired a lot of talented people, who could tter the heck out of anyone¡­

    Su Yimo then replied him, "You¡¯re the owner, you make the decision."

    Su Yimo said it amicably, making the owner relieved, so he confidently turned to Ning Xi and rudely told her off, "Hey, I¡¯m talking about you. Did you even hear what I just said? We¡¯re not selling these lousy jade ornaments anymore, go to the other shops!"

    As expected, Su Yimo practically preened herself hearing those words.

    The shop owner continued ttering his futuredy boss and tried his best to chase away this useless customer. His small eyes suddenly spotted three men dressed smartly in suits walking straight towards his shop¡­

    As they got closer, the owner was shocked to see the leading man with close-shaven hair.

    How could it be¡­

    Why would this man suddenlye here? There had been no notice whatsoever from the management!

    Could it be a random visit?

    No¡­could it be that they knew Su Yimo was here, so they came personally?

    Tsk, it seemed like everyone received the news. It was a good thing that he hadvished her withpliments and praises earlier. It was toote for the others now!

    The shop owner smiled in relief and hurried towards the middle-aged man to wee him, "Yu¡­Yu¡­"

    Who would have known, before he could say anything more, the three men ignored him and walked past him, towards thedy who had just offended Su Yimo¡­

    The shop owner was dumbfounded, "You¡­you¡­what is this?"

 Chapter 433: As Long As Youâ€™re Satisfied

    <h4>Chapter 433: As Long As You¡¯re Satisfied</h4>

    Moments before, the shop owner of Jade Treasury had already called security, thinking that if Ning Xi was not going to leave, he would have to use brute force.

    Today could have been perfect, but too bad this woman kept on giving him trouble and even almost made him offend his VIP. What a nuisance!

    Ning Xi nced at the tiny security guard who did not look very tough. As she was about to say something, a polished formal voice came through, "Miss, are you here to buy some jade?"

    Ning Xi looked up and saw the middle-aged man, "Yes, I am. What is this about?"

    The middle-aged man nodded respectfully, "May I have the honor to serve you?"

    Ning Xi took another look at this man again, noticing his tone of voice and cautiousness, she assumed that he was a worker here, so she continued, "I don¡¯t think so, your boss just said that there aren¡¯t enough staff to attend to customers, so he¡¯s not selling these cheap jades anymore."

    Hearing these words, the middle-aged man turned around and stared at the shop owner.

    The shop owner¡¯s legs were trembling, and he wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead while remaining silent.

    The security guard from earlier stepped back against the wall and tried to make himself a wallflower.

    The middle-aged man turned to Ning Xi, pausing in thought before he said, "While it¡¯s true that there are other choices as well, even though the general customer profile at Jade Treasury are those in the above average ss, we¡¯re very sensitive to our customers'' needs. These jades had to be taken off disy because they are wed. Please forgive us."

    Was the taking off of the jades from the disy counter not the owner¡¯s act to please Su Yimo? Now this worker¡¯s exnation was that they were wed?

    Ning Xi was still rushing to get the present, so she did not think much about it and just nodded, "Oh, then I¡¯ll just go somewhere else!"

    She then turned to leave.

    The middle-aged man stopped her, "Wait! Miss, I meant that, aside from these wed goods, we have something more suitable for you!"

    He then signaled to the two younger men behind him.

    They both held a ck suitcase each, and upon the signal, they opened their cases together, holding the cases up at chest level in their arms to disy in front of Ning Xi.

    The middle-aged man gestured to Ning Xi to take a closer look at the goods and exined, "These are some recement goods we¡¯ve just gotten. Take a look and see if there¡¯s anything you like!"

    "What a coincidence!" Ning Xi said, pleasantly surprised.

    "Giving our best to our customers is our top priority!" the middle-aged man answered seriously.

    Ning Xi browsed through the goods and even though she was not very knowledgeable about precious stones, from just the outlook she could tell that these jades were definitely better quality. She murmured, "They do seem better than the ones I saw just now¡­"

    Tension left the man''s body and he explored, "As long as you¡¯re satisfied. May I know what you''re looking for? Is it for yourself or for someone else? I can give you some opinions as a reference."

    Seeing the middle-aged man serve Ning Xi attentively, Liang Biqin was unhappy. "Owner, what¡¯s wrong with your workers? Are they trying to get on her good side? It¡¯s just a small deal over there. Is it really worth it? How shallow! Like he has never seen money before¡­"

 Chapter 434: Itâ€™s My Pleasure To Serve You

    <h4>Chapter 434: It¡¯s My Pleasure To Serve You</h4>

    The other artistesined to the shop owner, "Why don¡¯t you look after your own workers? How low are their standards?"

    "You can¡¯t me him, I can see that he looks quite old already and must have been working here for many years, yet he¡¯s still a lowly worker!"

    "He sure has bad eyesight. His way of handling things are so terrible. Why are you still keeping him here?"

    ¡­

    Listening to their conversation, the shop owner¡¯s chubby face turned red, and he tried his best to keep up a smile, "Ah, prettydies, let¡¯s forget about them over there. They aren¡¯t affecting us anymore. Have a look around, don¡¯t let your mood get affected¡­"

    On the other hand, Ning Xi realized that this worker¡¯s attitude was professional, so she let go of the thought of going to another shop. She exined to him, "Soon, it¡¯ll be my grandfather¡¯s 70th birthday, I¡¯m thinking of giving him a bracelet made of jade beads."

    The middle-aged man confidently picked up a bracelet, "Miss, what do you think about this? This bracelet is made up of 29 crystal clear round emerald jade. All of them are made from the same ore, the colors¡­"

    Ning Xi ran her fingers over the beads and her eyes shone, "I actually don¡¯t really understand what you¡¯ve just said, but I really like this one too. I¡¯ve been looking around since just now but none of them gave me the urge to buy it¡­"

    The man smiled, "It means that you have an affinity with this bracelet, which is really rare. Please rest assured that the quality of this bracelet is guaranteed excellent!"

    Ning Xi touched the bracelet, "I really do like this one, but how much is it? My budget is around 150 thousand dors. If it¡¯s higher than that, then I¡¯ll look at something else¡­"

    The man replied, "What a coincidence! This bracelet costs exactly 150 thousand dors."

    "Exactly 150 thousand dors?" Ning Xi''s heart leapt in joy.

    He nodded, "Plus, we¡¯re doing a promotion, so there¡¯s another 20% discount."

    Ning Xi was ecstatic as she was worried that all her money would go to the jade and she would have nothing left. Now, with the 20% discount, she would have a bit of money left.

    Ning Xi nodded excitedly, "Give me this one!"

    Anxiety disappeared from the man''s face, "Alright, I¡¯ll pack it up for you right now."

    "Okay, thank you!"

    "You¡¯re wee, it¡¯s my pleasure to serve you."

    He personally processed her payment, issued her receipt and packed the bracelet for her. Then, he handed it to her and bowed gracefully, "Pleasee again!"

    The owner of Jade Treasury stayed silent the whole time, his wide eyes staring unbelievably at the bracelet Ning Xi had just bought with less than 150 thousand dors¡­

    After Ning Xi had left, Su Yimo¡¯s bunch was still there.

    Seeing that Ning Xi had gone, Liang Biqin was still unhappy and sheshed out on the middle-aged man, "Hey, you! I¡¯m talking about you! What¡¯s wrong with you? Your boss already said that you guys are not selling these cheap jade ornaments anymore. What makes you think that you can make decisions on your own?"

 Chapter 435: No Face Given

    <h4>Chapter 435: No Face Given</h4>

    After hearing what Liang Biqin said, the owner of Jade Treasury was shaking in fright. He tried to stop her from saying any further but it was already toote¡­

    The middle-aged man only nced at Liang Biqin dismissively, then he shifted his attention to the owner of Jade Treasury. He was different from how he treated Ning Xi earlier. His aura was imposing and any trace of friendliness in his voice had vanished. He questioned, "Why was I not informed about the taking of these goods off disy?"

    The owner could not take it anymore, and stammered in terror, "Manager Yu, I¡­it¡¯s not what you think¡­I didn¡¯t mean it that way¡­"

    Su Yimo and Liang Biqin¡¯s group were shocked to see the owner cowering in fright.

    Liang Biqin, who was still scolding the man a while ago was particrly stunned. "Manager¡­Yu¡­?"

    Su Yimo¡¯s expression changed as well. His surname is Yu¡­could it be¡­

    The artistes whispered to each other.

    "What¡­this worker¡­uh, no¡­this man is the manager?"

    "What manager?"

    "I don¡¯t know! Could it be¡­the CEO of the Jade Treasury franchise, Yu Wannian?"

    "Impossible!"

    ¡­

    Hearing the name Yu Wannian, Liang Biqin¡¯s face went pale and she whispered, "Impossible!"

    At that moment, the owner was trying his best to exin himself, "Manager Yu, I don¡¯t mean that I¡¯m taking them off disy permanently. It¡¯s just that there weren¡¯t enough workers today, so I thought of this!"

    "Not enough workers?" the middle-aged man nced at the few workers standing around.

    The owner knew that he was not able to get himself out of this one, so he went closer to the man and spoke in a hushed tone, "Manager Yu, this Ms. Su is a VIP and I had to treat her with extreme care!"

    He then gave him a meaningful nce, seeking for his understanding.

    Liang Biqin¡¯s groupies broadened in pride after hearing the owner''s ttery.

    "Hmph, who cares if you¡¯re the CEO? Even the CEO has to give way to my cousin!"

    Su Yimo stared at Liang Biqin, "Don¡¯t be rude."

    Although she stopped her, she did not show any signs of displeasure.

    Liang Biqin did not care about anything anymore, and she started yelling, "Hey, you¡¯re the CEO Yu Wannian, right? I know that you have your responsibilities, but the owner was just trying to serve us. After all, you should know my cousin here!"

    "Right, how much of a big deal is this?!"

    The owner saw that Liang Biqin was helping him, and he peered over at Su Yimo with his hopes high up.

    Seeing the owner¡¯s SOS signal, Su Yimo sipped her tea and said, "The owner was just trying to be nice, we¡¯ll let this slide off. No more next time."

    "There, my cousin said so, did you hear that?"

    ¡­

    The middle aged man did not change the way he looked at Su Yimo¡¯s posse. He averted his sight to the jade bracelet that was held by Liang Biqin, "Miss, I wonder if this bracelet has been paid for already?"

    Liang Biqin said without hesitation, "Pay? The owner gave this as a gift to my cousin!"

    The middle-aged man looked at the owner broodily and reprimanded him harshly, "You ignored our system, taking off goods on disy on your own! Neglected Jade Treasury¡¯s motto, and even asked the security to chase off a customer! Disregarded your professionalism, by giving away a two million dor bracelet! How dare you, Fong Maocai?! Who gave you such authority? Jade Treasury''s reputation of a hundred years was almost ruined by you!"

 Chapter 436: Counting Wrongs And Punishing Them

    <h4>Chapter 436: Counting Wrongs And Punishing Them</h4>

    At Yu Wannian¡¯s harsh tone, Fong Maocai knew that he was done for. His legs quaked and he felt weak at the knees.

    Yu Wannian did not even care about Su Yimo, he did not have anyone to count on anymore, he could just apologize, "I¡­Manager Yu, I¡¯m just confused! I¡¯m too greedy! It¡¯s my first time, really! Please forgive me!"

    Yu Wannian looked at him coldly, "First time or not, I¡¯ll be the judge of that. You¡¯ve made quite a number of mistakes here, so don''t bother begging me for forgiveness anymore because even I can¡¯t keep you here. Go directly to the finance department, get your sry for this month and leave! If further investigation shows that there have been simr incidents before and that the shop has suffered any losses, we¡¯ll take the necessary action by then!"

    Fong Maocai widened his eyes and his heart sank¡­

    He was done for¡­

    If they found out about the previous cases as well¡­

    After that, Yu Wannian turned to the other silent workers, "You guys are experienced workers here, but your performance today was disappointing. After so many years, how can you not even possess the basic qualities of a good worker? You dared to mistreat a customer! From today onwards, you don¡¯t have toe to work anymore!"

    "Manager Yu¡­Manager Yu¡­we¡¯re wrong¡­"

    "Please give us another chance!"

    "The shop owner made us do all these!"

    ¡­

    Liang Biqin¡¯s posse thought that the manager would give in, but who knew that this would happen?

    Their faces went pale just listening to the workers begging.

    Su Yimo particrly felt bad. Even though Yu Wannian was scolding the shop owner, it felt like the sharp words were all directed towards her.

    After Yu Wannian had settled down, he went up to Su Yimo without even addressing her by her name, as if he did not recognise her, "Miss, I apologize for any inconvenience caused just now. This incident was a mistake by my workers. I¡¯m sorry but you can¡¯t have the jade bracelet!"

    "What! You¡¯re taking back what you¡¯ve just given?!" Liang Biqin yelled, then added, "Do you know who my cousin is?"

    "Everyone whoes to Jade Treasury has only one identity: our customer," Yu Wannian said calmly, "Of course, if you like it so much, you could just pay for it. In fact, as an apology, I¡¯ll offer you a 5% discount."

    Liang Biqin looked at him in disbelief, "5% discount?"

    He had given Ning Xi, that witch, a 20% discount, but only a measly 5% for her cousin. What was he trying to imply?

    Su Yimo was incredibly upset.

    She had already been humiliated, whether or not she took this jade!

    Atst, she took a deep breath and handed over her credit card and haughtily said, "You don¡¯t have to give me a discount."

    "You¡¯re being too courteous, miss, it¡¯s a must!" Yu Wannian gave the card to the young man behind him. In the end, he still gave her a 5% discount.

    Su Yimo did not even care about taking the bracelet and just left.

    Liang Biqin quickly grabbed the jade bracelet from the counter before following her¡­

    "Cousin, don¡¯t be mad! Yu Wannian was too arrogant! Just think of it as an ident, we will have plenty of chances to correct him one day. Just wait, he''ll regret it then!"

    "She¡¯s right, Yimo. That Yu Wannian was not being flexible at all, there was no point arguing with him!"

    "We¡¯re just unlucky this time. Who knew that Yu Wannian woulde over for a spot check at this time¡­"

 Chapter 437: Boss Asked Me To Protect You

    <h4>Chapter 437: Boss Asked Me To Protect You</h4>

    Ning Xi went back to her apartment after shopping for the gift.

    After she got out of the lift, she took out her keys as she was walking towards her unit. When she looked up, she saw a huge guy standing right in front of her door, blocking her way.

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded. She checked the unit number to see if she had mistakenly gone to the wrong one.

    "Uh, who are you? This is my home and you¡¯re in the way¡­"

    "Ms. Ning, I¡¯m Xiong Zhi. My boss has asked me to protect you," replied the man. He obediently stepped a few steps aside to give her way, and he continued standing there like a bodyguard.

    Ning Xi was surprised by his reply, "Boss? Who¡¯s your boss?"

    Xiong Zhi answered, "His surname¡¯s Lu."

    "Lu¡­could it be Lu Tingxiao?"

    Zhi Xiong nodded, "Yes."

    Ning Xi felt annoyed, "What is he thinking? Why did he suddenly ask you to protect me?"

    Xiong Zhi replied emotionlessly, "My boss asked me to protect your safety during the shooting."

    Her safety during the shooting?

    Ning Xi suddenly remembered her discussion with Lu Tingxiao about the scriptst night. At first, Lu TIngxiao had not agreed to it because there were too many dangerous scenes. Could this be a result of that?

    Ning Xi took a deep breath, "Bro, even if it¡¯s your boss¡¯s order, your boss asked you to protect me during the shooting. Right now, we¡¯re far from starting! Aren¡¯t you being here way too early?"

    "When will you be starting?" Xiong Zhi asked.

    "I¡¯m not really sure about when¡­but it definitely won¡¯t start anytime soon!" Ning Xi replied.

    Xiong Zhi thought about it, then looked up, "Since you¡¯re not sure, then anything is possible. You might start tomorrow, or even now. I must execute my boss¡¯s orders."

    Ning Xi was defeated by his logic, "But if you stand here all day, you might affect my life, and I don¡¯t know how to exin it to other people if they see you here¡­"

    Xiong Zhi thought about it again and nodded, "Okay, I understand."

    He then proceeded to leave.

    Ah? While he looked sturdy, he was easier to negotiate with than expected!

    Ning Xi was relieved as she entered her home.

    After she went in, she sent Lu Tingxiao a text message, telling him that he did not need to send someone to protect her.

    Following that, there was no reply, it was dead silent.

    Usually, when she messaged Lu Tingxiao, he would reply almost instantly. This was the first time that he had not replied after quite some time¡­

    He was probably busy working outstation.

    Ning Xi did not worry about it too much. Instead, she took out the bracelet she had just bought and had another good look at it.

    It was probably because she had bought it with her first ever endorsement paycheck that the more she looked at it, the more she liked it. She looked at it for some time before keeping it away carefully.

    After reading some entertainment news and going through her script, night time soon arrived¡­

    No notification from the phone at all. Lu Tingxiao still had not replied her.

    Ning Xi frowned. He should have finished work by now and was likely having dinner. Did he not notice the message? Or did he see it but did not reply?

    For some reason, Ning Xi felt worried¡­

    Damn it! She was being too sensitive! It was only half a day that he had not replied her! Why was she feeling that way?

    Ning Xi shook her head, put her phone aside and went off to get her dinner to stop herself from overthinking¡­

 Chapter 438: Could It Be Related To YS?

    <h4>Chapter 438: Could It Be Rted To YS?</h4>

    The next morning.

    There was no work that day, so Ning Xi went for a morning jog and bought breakfast for herself.

    As she was walking home, she felt uneasy.

    It seemed like someone was tailing her¡­

    Ning Xi did not freak out. Instead, she calmly took some rougher paths so that she could shake off the stalker and hide.

    Soon, arge shadow loomed in front of the walkway. Ning Xi timed herself just in time to rush forward and climb onto his back to lock the person¡¯s arms in a death grip, "Who are you!?"

    The man turned around and she gasped, "You again?"

    He was the guy who camest night, Xiong Zhi.

    She thought that he had left her alone. Who would have guessed that he merely changed his method of so-called protection¡­

    Ning Xi let out a long sigh, "Didn¡¯t I say that we won¡¯t start shooting anytime soon? Not at least for another one or two months! You can rx!"

    "Miss, I¡¯m just executing my boss¡¯s orders," Xiong Zhi replied matter-of-factly.

    Ning Xi rubbed her temples helplessly. Lu Tingxi had such a dependable man under him.

    As Ning Xi thought about how to convince him, Xiong Zhi suddenly whipped out his phone. His expression was one of uncertainty and he murmured, "Why did the boss ask me to go there?"

    "Boss? What boss? Do you mean Lu Tingxiao?" Ning Xi had been waiting for Lu Tingxiao¡¯s reply sincest night and she felt worried. Now that there was some news about Lu Tingxiao, she could not help but take a peek at it.

    The message said, "From the boss himself: everyone, no matter where you are, gather at this point immediately: The Arsenal, Phdelphia, America. Coordinates XXX¡­

    The message was sent by someone named Brother Hao, probably one of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s men.

    Ning Xi froze after she saw the message¡­

    Phdelphia, America!

    Crap! Lu Tingxiao had actually gone to Phdelphia!

    Wasn¡¯t Phdelphia somewhere that bastard YS frequented?

    And the message mentioned an arsenal! Why would Lu Tingxiao suddenly summon his men to The Arsenal?

    Could it be rted to that guy?

    If it was true, it would be a huge problem¡­

    Xiong Zhi put his phone away, and told Ning Xi in a hurried voice, "Miss, I need to go to Phdelphia now. Please wait for my return before you start shooting."

    Ning Xi was getting more and more anxious and she raised her voice, "I¡¯ve already said that it¡¯s not going to happen anytime soon! What happened to Lu Tingxiao? Didn¡¯t he just go away for work? Why is it rted to an arsenal now?"

    Xiong Zhi had a troubled expression as he realized Ning Xi had seen the content of the message. "Miss, I cannot tell you now, I don¡¯t have time to exin anymore, please pardon me."

    He then ran away as fast as he could.

    While he was as sturdy as a bear, he actually sped off pretty quickly¡­

    Ning Xi was worried sick. Damn it, what could have happened to Lu Tingxiao?

    A thought came to her mind. Instead of worrying and waiting, why not follow him?

    It would be best if nothing happened. At most, she would juste back quietly. However, if something had really happened¡­

    Atst, Ning Xi looked at the direction Xiong Zhi left and made a decision. She quickly ran upstairs to grab her passport and rushed to the airport without any further dy¡­

    Upon arriving at the airport, Ning Xi looked up the most likely flight Xiong Zhi could have taken to Phdelphia. As expected, he had booked the next flight out to Phdelphia, so she bought one a ticket as well, and followed him undetected.

    Cold air greeted them when they got off the ne.

    Phdelphia¡¯s weather that day was not very nice. It was drizzling, and Ning Xi could sense danger in the air with the ominous clouds moving across the sky slowly.

    After they got off the ne, Ning Xi hid her presence. It was probably because Xiong Zhi was in a hurry that he did not notice Ning Xi following him¡­

 Chapter 439: Careful Conduct

    <h4>Chapter 439: Careful Conduct</h4>

    In Phdelphia, America.

    Xiong Zhi took out his .22 semi-automatic pistol. While the gun was small, it was destructive and had a lot of power. This pistol had saved Xiong Zhi from numerous dangerous situations.

    From all the experience from his previous dangerous missions, Xiong Zhi had a bad feeling about this. Like a beast, he could smell it in the air.

    Ning Xi hid in a corner and she could sense something was wrong too¡­

    Watched carefully by the girl, Xiong Zhi took a deep breath and went into the deserted pitch-ck arsenal¡­

    ¡­

    "Weird, why would the boss ask us to gather here?"

    A while after Xiong Zhi had entered, a small car zoomed by and came to a halt. The passenger doro opened after the car was parked, and out came one of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s most trusted henchmen, Shi Xiao.

    Soon, two other thugs got down and followed Shi Xiao behind.

    "Leader, why do you think boss gathered us here? This ce looks like an abandoned arsenal!"

    "Mmm¡­I remember this arsenal. It should be an Italian mafia gang¡¯s site. Does boss have any rtionship to the Italian mafia gangs?"

    They looked doubtfully at each other.

    "Italian mafia gangs?"

    Shi Xiao looked a little confused. These two men of his were pretty influential in Phdelphia. Otherwise, Shi Xiao wouldn¡¯t have kept them as his henchmen. Of all people, they would be knowledgeable about the distribution of power in the area.

    "Mmm, Italian mafia¡­but the arsenal has already been abandoned and it shouldn¡¯t be of any use now." One of the men nodded at this statement.

    "Boss gathered us at an Italian mafia gang¡¯s abandoned arsenal¡­" Shi Xiao mumbled, his expression tight. Worried, he then told them, "Be careful, act ordingly!"

    His instincts were telling him to be on high guard.

    Shi Xiao then went into the arsenal with his two men.

    At the corner, Ning Xi sneaked up behind them and went in as well¡­

    The arsenal was dark, full of the stench of stale ale. No light from the outside could not get inside, so both Ning Xi and Shi Xiao¡¯s group of men could not see clearly.

    "Be careful!" Shi Xiao said in a low gravelly voice to his men.

    They heard the click-ck of a gun reloading, and the two men became uneasy. Could it be that it was not the boss who had gathered Shi Xiao here?

    "Take out your phone for light! See what¡¯s happening!" instructed Shi Xiao.

    "Yes, boss!" one of the men said, taking out his phone and turning on the torchlight mode.

    As the light pierced through the dark spots of the arsenal, Shi Xiao¡¯s eyes flew wide open. Xiong Zhi was lying on the floor, bruised and bloody.

    "Xiong Zhi!"

    Instinctively, Shi Xiao went forward to help Xiong Zhi get up.

    "Da¡­damn it¡­there¡¯s a¡­a spy!" yelled Xiong Zhi, recognizing Shi Xiao.

    "Spy?!" Shi Xiao got even more nervous, his grip on his gun increasingly firm in his sweaty palms.

 Chapter 440: Youâ€™re Going Down With Me

    <h4>Chapter 440: You¡¯re Going Down With Me</h4>

    He should have trusted his instincts that doubted the reason his boss would gather them at a ce like this¡­

    "Shi Xiao, run! Quickly, it¡¯s a trap! Boss isn¡¯t here!" Xiong Zhi howled like a beast, his veins bulging out of his forehead, and his eyes bloodshot.

    Before Shi Xiao could say anything, a blinding light was turned on and the pitch dark arsenal suddenly became bright as day.

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi¡¯s group squinted in the light as they heard the sound of the arsenal doors being closed.

    After Shi Xiao''s eyes adjusted to the strong light, he saw the metal door was already locked, sealing them in.

    "Hahaha, you bunch of idiots!"

    From inside of the arsenal, they heard footsteps and voices speaking Mandarin.

    Four foreign men showed up in tight t-shirts with their muscles bulging through the fabric of their shirts, followed by a long-haired foreign woman in a ck outfit.

    One of the bald men had tattoos all over his shoulder, neck, and even on his head. He looked at Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi with a snarl and despise clearly written on his face.

    Shi Xiao finally understood that their boss Lu Tingxiao was not here. More specifically, he had not gathered them here. It was that damned Hong Zhenhao who had tricked them here!

    "Hong Zhenhao, you son of a witch! Damn you!" Shi Xiao cursed with a red face.

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi now had no doubt that it was Hong Zhenhao at all. When they had received the message that Lu Tingxiao was waiting here for them, they suspected nothing. Who knew, in the end, they both got trapped here. Hong Zhenhao was the spy!

    "Hahaha, you bunch of stupid pigs!" the tattooed bald man guffawed loudly.

    On the side, the foreigndy kept silent while she toyed around with her ck pistol.

    "You guys¡­who are you? Do you know who Lu Tingxiao is?! We¡¯re Lu Tingxiao¡¯s men. We dare you to even touch a strand of hair on us!" yelled one of Shi Xiao¡¯s men, sweating profusely.

    Shi Xiao stared at him helplessly. It was far toote already. What else was there to say? No matter who they were, spending all the effort to trick them toe here was a tant enough hint that they would be killing them!

    "I¡¯ll have all of you die here today, and roast you guys like pigs!" roared the bald man, staring at them fiercely.

    The man who had threatened the bald men and his gang suddenly yelled angrily, whipping out his pistol and aiming it at the bald man, "You¡¯re going down with us!"

    "Alice, finish off that pig!" the bald man ordered coldly.

    As soon as the order was given, thedy held up her gun. Bam! The bullet urately ricocheted off the man¡¯s gun.

    "Ah¡­!" The man¡¯s right palm felt numb and he could not feel any sensation in it anymore. The impact of the gunshot was too strong, causing him to release his gun. He then backed away a few steps and stumbled onto the floor.

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi had a really bad feeling about this. Thedy¡¯s shooting¡­was extraordinarily urate! And her reflexes were lightning fast; she did not let anyone have the chance to even move an inch.

    "Oh, Alice baby, why didn¡¯t you just kill the pig!?" the bald man looked at her questionably.

    "I don''t need a gun to kill him, I¡¯ll use my bare hands," she replied in a matter-of-fact tone, calmly walking towards the man.

 Chapter 441: An Interesting Game

    <h4>Chapter 441: An Interesting Game</h4>

    The foreigndy walked steadily but swiftly, her tight bodysuit showing off her svelte figure.

    "You witch, you dare to face me without a gun? I¡¯ll take you down right now!" screamed Shi Xiao''s man, sweat dripping off his forehead as his young brave soul gave him the courage to face her.

    She flipped him off without a word.

    The man went mad, fuelled by the thought that they were all going to die anyway. His only goal raging in his mind now was to bring this woman down with him!

    The man roared and ran towards thedy, raising his fist tond a blow on her head.

    Before the man could even get within a foot of her, a dark shadow whizzed past him. He heard the sound of the breeze before he registered a sharp pain in his jaw. Like a broken kite, he fell down and crashed into a steel pir, causing a loud noise.

    "Da¡­amn¡­"

    The man was trying to get up from the ground but had no strength to even prop himself up. His face was full of blood and his teeth were smashed in as well, causing him to not be coherent.

    The foreigndy gently brought her foot down from the kick, expressionless.

    Her victim did not see anything but Xiong Zhi and Shi Xiao were spectators to the whole scene. Before the man could even close in, thedy had unleashed a quick and powerful front kick right smack on his jaw with a force so great that they had no doubt she was professionally trained!

    "That was probably a taekwondo kick¡­but for a woman to have such force and uracy¡­how rare!" Shi Xiao mumbled, his eyes shining in fascination and terror at the same time.

    Throughout all these years, Shi Xiao had learned most of the killing techniques and he recognized some good skills in her execution. However, if it had been him, he would still be able to take her down. Unfortunately, there were numerous guns pointing at them right now, and the consequences would be deadly if he acted carelessly!

    "I don¡¯t need a gun to kill you, I just need my hands," repeated thedy, walking behind the man expressionless, and without giving the man a chance to say anything, she wrapped her forearm around his neck and choked him to death.

    The other man on Shi Xiao''s team went pale, not daring to say anything and trying his best not to attract any attention.

    "Hahaha, pigs being pigs! Alice holds a red belt in taekwondo! Idiots, stupid pigs!" the bald manughed.

    "Firo, it¡¯s red-ck belt, not red!" corrected thedy.

    "Oh¡­my dear Alice, my bad, it¡¯s red-ck belt. That''s better than red, and you''ll be getting your ck belt soon! You¡¯re right!" the bald man said apologetically.

    "What do you guys want?!" Xiong Zhi could not hold it in anymore and yelled at them.

    "Hahaha, don¡¯t rush, I want to y an interesting game with you dumb pigs," said the bald man, signaling the duo in front of him.

    Soon, the two foreign men took out two heavy boxes, putting them beside Xiong Zhi and Shi Xiao.

    "What does this mean?" Shi Xiao¡¯s brows closed in.

    "It''s simple, there are some guns inside. They are fairly difficult to recognize and if you get one wrong, I¡¯ll kill one of you. Fair game," the bald man shrugged.

 Chapter 442: How Did She Get In Here

    <h4>Chapter 442: How Did She Get In Here</h4>

    At that point, Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi understood that these foreigners were treating them as entertainment, like a cat ying with a mouse before finally ending its life.

    "What if we are able to recognize them?!" Shi Xiao asked.

    "Recognize them?" The bald man obviously had not thought about this.

    "Oh, if you guys are able to recognize them, then you get to stay alive for a little while longer, and you¡¯ll continue to look at more guns. I think eventually there¡¯ll be guns that are unfamiliar to you, hahaha!" the bald manughed triumphantly.

    Although inside them was a storm raging with fury, they had to cooperate with these men and try to buy themselves more time. Otherwise, they might be killed immediately if they did notply!

    But the moment Xiong Zhi and Shi Xiao opened the box, they were both dumbfounded.

    They had totally no clue what the firearms in the box were called. More specifically, they had never seen any of them before!

    "This¡­" Shi Xiao felt helpless.

    "What now? Can¡¯t you recognize them? Hahaha, we''ll y by the rules, so I¡¯ll start off by killing one of you." The bald man raised his arms and aimed his gun at Xiong Zhi, then as if indecisive, he moved it to point at Shi Xiao, and he repeated this a few times¡­

    Suddenly, a voice appeared from out of nowhere inside the arsenal.

    "I¡¯ll do it," Ning Xi announced, going up to the box.

    The foreigners were surprised by Ning Xi¡¯s appearance as they had not detected her presence and had no idea how she got in here¡­

    Apart from the foreigners, Xiong Zhi and Shi Xiao were shocked as well. This woman¡­how did she get in here?!

    "You?!" Shi Xiao stared at Ning Xi in anger. Finally, he yelled, "How in the world did you get in here?!"

    Ning Xi ignored his roaring and focused on the guns instead, her face mesmerized by the firearms.

    "Xiong Zhi, what¡¯s up with this woman!? You brought an actress here at such a crucial moment?! What¡¯s wrong with you?" Shi Xiao roared at Xiong Zhi.

    Xiong Zhi was confused by what had happened as well. He had no inkling that Ning Xi had been here all along.

    "Did she think that it was all an act? Damn it! Tell me, did she think that this was all an act!?" Shi Xiao¡¯s face darkened.

    "I don¡¯t know¡­she followed me on her ord in secret!" Xiong Zhi tried to exin.

    "Bastard!" Shi Xiao cursed, then threw a re at Ning Xi, "You¡¯re just an actress, what do you know? Get lost!"

    "You¡­do you want to die?" Ning Xi suddenly spun around to face him and gave him a chilling stare.

    "Hahaha, conflict within your own team, great! I like it, give me more!" the bald man said in excitement.

    "Poor things, fear made them lose their minds," the foreigndy said coldly.

    "Her answers don''t count, I¡¯ll do it!" Shi Xiao had no choice but to do it. How could he put their lives in the hands of this stupid actress? She might really think that this was all an act!

    The bald man shook his head, "No, no, no. She already said she was going to do it. If you want to change the person who will answer now, I¡¯ll take it as a forfeit and kill one of you."

    Shi Xiao¡¯s nostrils red in frustration as he stared at Ning Xi fiercely and imagined killing her with his bare hands right now.

    He could not understand why would his charismatic boss, the great Lu Tingxiao who convinced him to swear his loyalty, fall in love with this stupid actress!

    Ning Xi ignored Shi Xiao and casually picked an exquisite pistol out of the box. She confidently spouted, "Austrian Glock 17 pistol, exclusively used by the Austrian military. Total length 185 millimeters, around 600 grams in weight, and if I¡¯m not wrong, the barrel length should be 114 millimeters. The magazine can load up to 17 bullets, and it has a shooting range up to 72 meters."

 Chapter 443: What Now, Am I Right

    <h4>Chapter 443: What Now, Am I Right</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao''s men had despair scrawled all over their faces. To put it nicely, she could be called a professional actress, but in truth, she was just a freshie. How would she know about firearms? What a massive joke!

    "You damned witch! You¡¯re trying to kill us! Just go and sleep with those directors and producers if you''re looking for attention. What are you doing here, spouting nonsense? Do you think you''re shooting a scene here?" raged one of the men whom Shi Xiao brought. He almost wanted to kill Ning Xi right there and then.

    Yet, Ning Xi acted like she had not heard anything. Instead, she toyed about with the gun and said, "Is this all you have? Most American FBI agents are using these anyway."

    Ning Xi then threw the Austrian Glock 17 aside.

    They really were unknowledgeable about pistols. Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi would be the experts if there were any weapons with more prative power.

    Although Ning Xi had given a seemingly reliable answer, Shi Xiao still could not believe her. In his eyes, Ning Xi was just a small actress with an irrelevant career. What would she know about firearms?

    ¡­

    "So, tell me now, am I right?"

    As Lu Tingxiao''s men were feeling anxious, Ning Xi prompted the bald man for an answer.

    The bald man grinned. The woman was correct. She had even stated the special features of the gun along with the pros and cons of an Austrian Glock 17. It seemed like she had handled a simr pistol before.

    "Hahaha, it''s a good thing that you have a smart woman there, good! Go on, the game is just starting," the bald manughed heartily.

    Lu Tingxiao''s men had a moment of confusion when they heard the mafia¡¯s satisfied reply. What?! The actress got it right?!

    "Damn! So close!" Shi Xiao''s man was sweating heavily, and he suddenly remembered something, "Right, since she¡¯s an actress, she might know about that Glock something pistol because of some shooting scenes she has acted in before!"

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi thought about it carefully. What the man said made sense. Ning Xi worked as an actress and would havee across some gunfight scenes. It was probably a coincidence that she had been in contact with a Glock 17 pistol model before, and she probably had familiarised herself with it due to the nature of her work.

    "What a close one¡­" Xiong Zhi took in a deep breath. The consequences would be deadly if Ning Xi had said even one word wrong!

    "We want a substitute!" Shi Xiao said suddenly.

    Ning Xi must have recognized the Austrian Glock out of sheer luck. If she continued this way, they might all just die here when her luck ran out!

    "Yes, a substitute!" Shi Xiao''s man agreed as well. It would be better for them to continue rather than put the fate of their lives in the hands of a silly actress. Even if they got it wrong, at least they could decide their own fate!

    "Nope, like I said, if you substitute now, I¡¯ll take it as a forfeit. Are you sure you want to? If yes, then I¡¯ll start off by killing one of you pigs," the bald man leered unkindly. He was really enjoying this game of the cat and mouse. After all, when he got bored of this, all of them would still be dead meat.

 Chapter 444: Donâ€™t Jump To Conclusions So Quickly

    <h4>Chapter 444: Don¡¯t Jump To Conclusions So Quickly</h4>

    He was the game master here, so he made the rules.

    Shi Xiao''s man red at Ning Xi, "If¡­if we manage to leave this ce alive¡­I¡¯ll skin you alive!"

    "Hahaha, I really love seeing you pigs fight among yourselves, but you don¡¯t get a say whether you can leave here alive or not! Now, if you don¡¯t want to die, then continue the game!" the bald man chuckled coldly.

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi clenched their fists tightly and felt helpless. Under the current circumstances, they could only pray that reinforcement was on the way, and if boss Lu Tingxiao had no idea about this at all, then all of them would surely die here!

    Ning Xi looked calm and did not seem to be affected by Shi Xiao¡¯s group of men or the bald man. She looked through the box and casually picked up another gun.

    "What an old gun. It seems like you¡¯ve prepared well for this game," Ning Xi said calmly.

    The bald man did not say anything and just smiled as he stared at Ning Xi.

    "I don¡¯t believe that you can recognize this pistol," dered thedy, Alice, who was standing in front of the bald man.

    Ning Xi suddenly looked up and locked her sights on Alice, "You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t recognize this pistol."

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhe felt a sharp chill shoot down their spines even though they expected this to happen.

    "You damned witch, I¡¯ll kill you!"

    Shi Xiao''s man was exasperated and nearly lost all reasoning. He was going to die because of this actress. Everything was this actress¡¯s fault!

    Bang!

    As the man charged towards Ning Xi, a spark exploded from the gun in the bald man¡¯s hand, destroying the floor tiles right in front of the man. Shards of broken tile flew everywhere, and the sound of the gunshot was as loud as thunder, striking fear in the hearts of those present.

    "Your life isn¡¯t up to you right now. The decision lies with me! You will die if I decide that you should die. Do you want to break my rules now, stupid pig?!" the bald man grinned and stared at Shi Xiao''s quivering man.

    The man¡¯s senses came back and cold sweat poured from his forehead. He shook his head in terror and backed off immediately without saying anything.

    "Hahaha, I love obedient stupid pigs," said the bald man, satisfied with his victim''s deference. He then looked at Ning Xi, "Since you can¡¯t recognize this, then we¡¯ll just have to follow the rules of the game, hahaha!"

    Ning Xi shook her head and said, "Don¡¯t jump to conclusions so quickly."

    "Huh?" The bald man was confused.

    "Although I haven¡¯t been in contact with this type of gun before, judging from the diameter of the barrel and its weight in my hands, plus its unique design, it isn¡¯t that difficult to guess."

    "Guess?"

    Everyone was speechless. This woman was trying to simply guess. Did she not fear death?

    Ning Xi assessed the pistol and weighted it approximately, then said calmly, "Around 1000 grams in weight, the total length should be about 180 millimeters, and the carbon steel impact socket has been modified before using a special metal coating. The caliber is 0.46 inches, about 12 millimeters, and with a caliber this special, it can only load a 0.45 inch Smith &amp; Wesson bullet¡­"

 Chapter 445: Why Dont We Change The Rules

    <h4>Chapter 445: Why Don''t We Change The Rules</h4>

    "The magazine can only load up to 12 bullets since it¡¯s one of the earlier designs. Even though I¡¯ve never been in contact with it before, old designs like this are easy to guess. I¡¯m pretty sure that this is the P229 that was acquired by the Germans in 1991. It should be the SIG Sauer P229 pistol," she finished, throwing the gun aside again.

    Shi Xiao¡¯s men did not have any hope left and they were praying that Ning Xi knew something about the gun from her previous acting experiences, just like the luck she hadst round.

    But naturally, they were prepared for a fight. If things went south, they would all charge up to the foreigners, taking down as many as they could since they would not have been spared anyway.

    ¡­

    "So? Is my answer correct or not?" Ning Xi looked at the silent bald man, expressionless.

    The bald man only replied sometimeter with a cold tone, "I heard he said that you¡¯re an actress."

    "You¡¯re right," Ning Xi did not deny it. She was an actress now, working hard on her own, charging towards her own goal with her talents and effort.

    "No wonder, as an actress you¡¯d have been involved in gunfight scenes. So that¡¯s how you know about these guns, it''s nothing too impressive," the bald man scoffed and took her knowledge for granted.

    "Actress?! What a useless piece of trash that only knows how to sell her body and get involved in dirty deals! Killing a disgusting pig like you would be best done with just my hands," sneered Alice, ring at Ning Xi fiercely as she instinctively hated actresses.

    "Hehe, my dear Alice, I¡¯m bored of this game already. Why not we change the rules? What¡¯s more interesting than recognizing guns?" the bald man asked Alice suggestively.

    "Didn¡¯t you like seeing them fight among themselves? Just let them kill one another off, and we can just enjoy their performances," replied Alice.

    "Right, that reminds me," the bald man said and stood up with a smile as he looked at Shi Xiao''s man, "Stupid pig, didn¡¯t you want to kill that woman just now? Here¡¯s your chance, go on and choke her to death and I¡¯ll consider sparing your life. What do you think? You don¡¯t get rare chances like this very often in your life."

    Shi Xiao''s man, whose white shirt was soaked in sweat, had a shift in his expression, "You¡­are you serious?! If you are¡­"

    Before he could finish, the bald manughed, "Of course, my buddy, I¡¯m someone who honors the rules. As long as you follow my rules, then you¡¯ll have a chance to live."

    "Alright, it''s a deal!" Shi Xiao''s man said would be no different from stepping on an ant.

    "I dare you!" Xiong Zhi roared at him like an enraged beast.

    Lu Tingxiao had strictly ordered him to protect the actress.

    "Stupid pig, don¡¯t do anything reckless and just watch. If not, I¡¯ll shoot your brains out," another foreign man said to Xiong Zhi while pointing a gun at him.

    Xiong Zhi knew that if he did anything more, a bullet would be sent right through his skull.

 Chapter 446: I Have My Rules Of The Game As Well

    <h4>Chapter 446: I Have My Rules Of The Game As Well</h4>

    Xiong Zhi had his fists balled up tightly, his blue veins protruding through his skin. With his boss¡¯ order¡­if he was not able toply and survive this, he would not be able to face his boss Lu Tingxiao!

    "Easy, don¡¯t move now, it¡¯s not your turn to die yet. But if you¡¯re not going to cooperate¡­things will getplicated. After all, we have a lot of time on our hands, you stupid pigs. The game has just started, hahaha!" said the bald man smugly, as if he was fated toe out of this situation a winner.

    "Shi Xiao, that¡¯s your underling. The boss gave orders to protect Ms. Ning¡¯s safety. Even if you¡¯re not helping, don''t let your underling mess it up!" Xiong Zhi ignored the bald man¡¯s warning and yelled at Shi Xiao.

    Shi Xiao¡¯s brows furrowed. Even though he disliked the stupid woman, he didn''t want her to die.

    "Don¡¯t do it!" Shi Xiao yelled at the man in the white shirt.

    "Damn it!" The man in white shirt spat on the floor with a ferocious look on his face, "Don¡¯t bother me now! Leader Shi Xiao, you brought me here to the arsenal to meet Boss, but look at what has happened! It¡¯s a trap! We''re almost dead here! She''s just an actress! She should be honored that my life can be traded for her death!"

    Actually, he was not specifically against Ning Xi. As long as he could live, he would not have any doubts even if they asked him to kill Xiong Zhi or even Shi Xiao at this point.

    "Don¡¯t worry, you have your rules, I have mine as well," Ning Xi smiled and she took out a pistol from the box.

    "Stupid pig, you¡¯re looking for trouble! The rules of the game have changed. Don¡¯t you dare touch the guns, put it down!" shouted Alice as she stood up.

    "My dear Alice, don¡¯t mind her. The guns have no bullets in them, all the magazines are empty," bragged the bald man,ughing as everything was under his control.

    Seeing his nonchnce, Alice shrugged and sat back down.

    "Do you guys know that this is an Italian Beretta 92F pistol?" Ning Xi said lightly as she took out the magazine.

    "You¡¯re right, it¡¯s an Italian Beretta, but what about it? The game is long over. Whether you can recognize the guns or not doesn¡¯t matter anymore. You¡¯re going to be killed by one of your own¡­hahaha, I¡¯m already excited just thinking about it. Looking at you stupid pigs killing each other, spilling blood everywhere, how wonderful is that?!" the bald man threw his head back andughed like a psychopath.

    Ning Xi shook her head, "The main point of this pistol is that it can use the same bullets¡­"

    Before she could finish, the man in white shirt charged at her like the wind.

    "You damned witch, go to hell!" the man in white shirt roared.

    "As most small pistols¡­" Ning Xi mumbled to herself, at the same time she leaped. With everyone looking on unbelievably, she rammed her knee into the abdomen of the man.

    "Ugh!" His face spasmed as slimy liquid was excreted from his mouth and he fell backwards upon the impact of Ning Xi¡¯s knee attack.

    Before he could hit the ground, Ning Xi caught his shoulder, a fistful of his shirt in her hand.

    Bam!

    Without realizing what just happened, Ning Xi had tossed him onto the floor.

    At the same time, Ning Xi had a few bullets in her hand and within a blink of an eye, she loaded the magazine she was holding all along with astonishing precision.

 Chapter 447: What Sort Of Marksmanship Was That!

    <h4>Chapter 447: What Sort Of Marksmanship Was That!</h4>

    "Ah¡­!"

    Shi Xiao''s man moaned while holding his head in his hands. Ning Xi¡¯s extraordinary fighting ability had far exceeded his expectations, so much so that he could not even do anything about it!

    Killing that actress? What a joke! She had such excellent capabilities hidden under her soft demeanour! How could that be?!

    At that moment, Ning Xi had already loaded the Italian Beretta 92F pistol with seven bullets.

    Long before, Ning had already noticed that the all the guns in the box were all emptied of their magazines. The foreigners were not stupid enough to give them loaded firearms.

    So when Ning Xi was looking at the first gun, she had already formted a n.

    She was trying to buy herself more time in the first round and the second round was to get the foreigners to let down their guard. As for the third round, Ning Xi already had her n ready.

    In the pocket of Shi Xiao''s man, there were some convex-shaped items which looked like bullets, and it was impossible for Ning Xi to mistake a bullet¡¯s shape. Plus, in ces like Phdelphia, it was normal for gang members to have extra bullets on them for emergency use.

    Ning Xi also realized that due to the foreigners¡¯ pride, they had not taken away the weapons on Lu Tingxiao''s men, as they thought that everything was under their control. At first, Ning Xi wanted to take advantage of their pride and take away the pistol from the white shirt man, but in the end, she forfeited this n.

    The gun that Shi Xiao''s man had brought was a custom made one. Ning Xi did not know anything about its shooting range, prative power, and uracy. If she used it and made a mistake, she and Lu Tingxiao''s men would have been dead without a doubt.

    And in the boxy one of Ning Xi¡¯s favorites: the Italian Beretta 92F pistol. She was sure that if she used it, there would be an 80% chance of them getting out of this pinch.

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi were both dumbfounded by Ning Xi¡¯s moves. What an awesome performance! Who could have guessed that such explosive power was hidden under her weak and soft appearance!

    Ning Xi had the loaded Italian Beretta 92F pistol already aimed at the bald man.

    "Stupid pigs! Kill that damn woman right now!" exploded the bald man.

    The selling point of the Italian Beretta 92F was that it could use about 90% of the bullets produced from Phdelphia, so one did not need to worry about running out of ammo.

    As the bald man was talking, he quickly pointed his gun towards Ning Xi and intended to kill her first. He was full of confidence with his marksmanship.

    However, before his aim could even reach Ning Xi, her gun fired.

    Bang!

    A loud gunshot echoed throughout the ce, as her aim met its mark and blood flowed out of the bald man¡¯s forehead.

    Thump.

    The bald man fell over and his body twitched a little before he breathed hisst breath.

    Ning Xi did not even look at the bald man. Her sight was set on Shi Xiao and the moaning man in the white shirt the whole time.

    "What sort of marksmanship¡­she didn¡¯t even need to look¡­" gulped Xiong Zhi, clearly impressed.

 Chapter 448: Her Speed Is Too Quick

    <h4>Chapter 448: Her Speed Is Too Quick</h4>

    Both Xiong Zhi and Shi Xiao were shocked, their minds goingpletely nk. What had just happened had gone way out of their expectations! Was Ning Xi really just a normal actress?!

    "What did you say just now?" Ning Xi was cold like ice, her tone sending goosebumps across everyone''s skins.

    "You witch!"

    "Get her!"

    A few of the foreigners came back to their senses after realizing what had happened, and they lifted their arms to aim their guns at Ning Xi¡­

    Bam!

    Bam!

    ¡­

    Bam!

    A few more gun shots exploded in the air.

    Blood flowed out of the foreheads of the foreign men, their eyes opened wide in shock and they then fell on the floor soon after.

    "That was incredibly fast, simply too fast! Ms. Ning¡­she is way too fast!" Xiong Zhi babbled, impressed, "No, she''s not just fast. Her uracy is terrifying; the range that she shot at was precisely the maximum shooting range of the gun she used. Extraordinary speed plus advanced calctions¡­and precise uracy! There is no way that she is just an actress! Who¡­who in the world is she?!"

    Xiong Zhi would never believe that an actress could be capable of this feat.

    A bitter smile came to him. What was his boss was thinking, asking him to protect a woman like Ning Xi? Did she even need protection? More likely than not, she should be protecting someone else!

    Shi Xiao seemed like he wanted to say something but stopped.

    Ning Xi did not even look at the foreigners the whole time, appearing like she was shooting at random but all of her shots hit their target, while the enemy had no chance to even counterattack. In the end, the only one left standing was Alice.

    "Ah!" The man in the white shirt was still keening in pain like a pig being killed.

    "How troublesome¡­get lost!" Ning Xi kicked the man in the guts and he rolled away in pain, just to get away from her.

    Both Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi did not dare to say anything, especially Shi Xiao. He was not afraid of Ning Xi¡¯s explosive power and her fighting skills, but it was her gun¡­and her terrifying marksmanship¡­

    "You¡¯re lucky, had it been a few years ago, you¡¯d have been dead already, talking to me like that." Ning Xi nced at Shi Xiao, "Do you understand"

    "Y¡­yes," Shi Xiao clenched his teeth and gave in to her, his instinct strongly urging him not to pick a fight with this woman.

    "Ms. Ning Xi, quickly kill that woman!" Xiong Zhi said quickly as soon as he saw Alice was still alive.

    Ning Xi looked at Alice and said, "What was it you said just now? About me only knowing how to sell my body, and that you only need your hands to kill me?"

    Alice frowned at her and said coldly, "You¡¯re nothing in my eyes, you stupid pig!"

    Alice quickly whipped out her gun.

    Bam!

    Ning Xi was faster.

    Alice was taken aback by Ning Xi¡¯s speed but the shot intentionally missed her, hitting her gun instead.

    Pa!

    Alice¡¯s gun was flung around 10 meters away from her.

    "Awesome! Now kill her!" Xiong Zhi said excitedly.

    "I ran out of bullets," Ning Xi tossed her emptied gun away and shrugged, "Well, we need someone to be alive anyway."

 Chapter 449: Donâ€™t Be Scared, Iâ€™m Here

    <h4>Chapter 449: Don¡¯t Be Scared, I¡¯m Here</h4>

    "You¡¯re dead meat!" Alice red with rage as she charged in swiftly and prepared to throw a punch.

    "Red-ck belt holders nowadays are so cocky¡­" Ning Xi shook her head with a calm expression, not even bothering to take Alice seriously.

    "Be careful, that woman is dangerous!" Xiong Zhi reminded her.

    As soon as he finished his sentence, Ning Xi swung her right leg high up and swiftly brought it down.

    Ka!

    Just as Alice was just closing in on Ning Xi, Ning Xi¡¯s kick was already in downward motion, and itnded right on Alice¡¯s head with a crack!

    Alice lost consciousness andy on the floor unmoving.

    "Pass¡­passed out?" Xiong Zhi stammered in surprise. Ning Xi had defeated the foreigndy with just one kick!

    "I forgot to tell you that¡­I¡¯m a ck belt," Ning Xi said calmly after she had rendered Alice unconscious.

    Looking back at what had just happened, Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi were stunned speechless¡­

    "Ning Xi¡­"

    Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through the silence.

    That voice¡­

    Lu Tingxiao?!

    "Boss!" Ning Xi quickly ran over and examined him from head to toe and only after confirming that he was alright, she let out a sigh of relief, "You¡¯re okay! That¡¯s great!"

    "You¡­" At this moment Lu Tingxiao was furious beyond words, his body was burning up feverishly with rage and the anger was eating through his heart, "Who allowed you toe here?!"

    This was the first time that Ning Xi had ever seen Lu Tingxiao this angry and she was scared, "Boss, you¡¯re¡­you¡¯re scary¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao clenched his teeth, "You actually know what fear is?"

    Ning Xi put on a pitiful expression and said weakly, "Of course I¡¯m scared, I¡¯m just a girl. I almost died just now! My legs are still shaking! Boss, don¡¯t yell at me anymore, I need somefort¡­"

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi were totally speechless by this scene.

    Both of them were annoyed at Ning Xi. Just a moment ago, she was still acting all high and mighty! Which part of her looked afraid? Was she suffering from schizophrenia?

    The boss would never believe her!

    "You¡­" When Lu Tingxiao saw the girl¡¯s panicked expression, he just restrained his inner rage and decided not to bother her with the issue anymore. He took a deep breath and pat the girl¡¯s head with his wide palms tofort her, "Don¡¯t be scared, I¡¯m here."

    Ning Xi let out a long sigh and secretly patted her chest as she had just skipped a major disaster. Boss was really scary when he was angry.

    She then continued weakly, "Mmm¡­I¡¯m not scared anymore after I saw you, Boss! As long¡­as long as you don¡¯t yell at me¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao looked apologetic, "I¡¯m sorry, my bad, I won¡¯t do that ever again."

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi were speechless again.

    What had just happened!?

    Who was this person?

    Was this their boss, Lu Tingxiao?

    Or was this not actually their boss, but was another trap set up by their enemy?

    The only one who was still rxed about all this was Cheng Feng, who stood behind Lu Tingxiao. He pushed his sses up his nose and looked at them with a face that seemed to scoff at them as young punks who did not know better.

 Chapter 450: Taking Boss On A Ride

    <h4>Chapter 450: Taking Boss On A Ride</h4>

    On the way out of the arsenal.

    Ning Xi was relieved to know that Lu Tingxiao was fine as she looked at the scenery outside of the car window.

    Phdelphia¡­thest time she had been there, it was bustling as ever¡­

    What was now left was a devastated state as a result of a war¡­

    Lu Tingxiao set his sights on Ning Xi as she looked out of the window.

    No matter how thorough his ns were, when he reached the arsenal with his men, hepletely did not expect to see Ning Xi, who was supposed to be safe and sound back at home, appearing at such a dangerous ce!

    Aside from fear, he was astonished by what he saw.

    Within a matter of seconds, everyone had lost their lives under her gunfire and of course, that single heavy blow of hers that defeated the foreigndy¡­

    At that moment, the girl had a totally different aura around her, a strange aura that he had never seen before. There were no traces of the Ning Xi he knew, as if she was just another stranger.

    But he knew¡­

    That girl was still Ning Xi¡­

    It was the past version of her¡­

    But when he saw her going up to him happily and pitifully tell him how scared she was, he knew that she was still the girl whom he knew.

    Ning Xi turned back and her eyes met with Lu Tingxiao¡¯s. She gulped, "Uh, Boss¡­why are you looking at me¡­are you trying to get back at me now? You said that you wouldn¡¯t be angry with me anymore!"

    Lu Tingxiao reined in his thoughts and said kindly, "I still have something else to handle in Phdelphia. Do you want to go back first or are you leaving with meter on?"

    Ning Xi replied after she had given it some thought, "I¡¯ll go back with you!"

    She then exined, "Well, I don¡¯t really have any work these few days and it¡¯s such a rare asion that I can get out of the country. I guess I¡¯ll take this chance to have a short vacation!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her solemnly and said in a slightly colder tone than usual, "If you¡¯re leaving together with me, you¡¯re going to stay within my sight for the next few days."

    "Huh?" Ning Xi looked troubled, "Then wouldn¡¯t I be bored to death?"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face suddenly darkened.

    Ning Xi quickly rephrased, "No, no, no! How would I be bored when I¡¯m with you, Boss?! It¡¯s a great honor to be able to stay by your honor¡¯s side¡­"

    At the back of the car, Xiong Zhi coughed lightly and with a low voice he said, "Ms. Ning Xi¡­is she schizophrenic?"

    Shi Xiao rolled his eyes at him, "Screw that schizophrenic crap! Don¡¯t you see now? She was taking Boss on a ride all along!"

    "So she was just acting around Boss?" Xiong Zhi was still confused, "Then how do you exin Boss¡¯ attitude towards Ms. Ning Xi?"

    Shi Xiao had noeback for this one, so he mumbled, "How would I know? I was terrified!" After all, he almost thought that his boss who had appeared just now was an imposter.

    Cheng Feng who was listening to their conversation while working on the documents the whole time could not hold it in anymore, "What would you single dudes know? It¡¯s the power of love!"

    They finally reached a safe area.

    In the hotel, Lu Tingxiao brought her directly into his room.

    He led her to sit on the sofa then proceeded to the balcony to make a phone call.

    A whileter, Cheng Feng brought Ning Xi a PSP game console, a few fashion magazines, and some snacks.

    After he had settled Ning Xi down, Lu Tingxiao gathered his men for a meeting. Through a window from the meeting room, he could see Ning Xi in the living room.

    He literally was not going to leave her out of his sight¡­

 Chapter 451: Yun Bastard!

    <h4>Chapter 451: Yun Bastard!</h4>

    Ning Xi sat in the middle of her ring consisting of the game console, magazines, and snacks, feeling like a pet waiting for its master¡¯s return¡­

    A whileter, Cheng Feng, Shi Xiao, Xiong Zhi and a few other people walked past her.

    The other people who had never seen Ning Xi before were surprised that there was such a cute girl in the living room. Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi¡¯s mouth twitched a little as they saw her obediently sitting on the sofa with her magazines¡­

    Ning Xi was not in the mood for leisure right now, so she nced at Lu Tingxiao and saw that he was very focused on his discussion. She quickly sent someone a text message: [Yun, you bastard!!!!!!!!!!]

    She added a lot of exmation marks to express her rage.

    A reply came back quickly.

    [Carrot Yun: I dare you to say it again!]

    A threat now, huh? How dare he!

    Ning Xi tapped on her screen: [As you wish! Y u n , y o u b a s t a r d ! ! !]

    [Carrot Yun: Ning Xi! Are you looking for trouble?!]

    Ning Xi was boiling with anger when she saw this message. She replied: [So you¡¯re ashamed of what you¡¯ve done now? You knew that you couldn¡¯t win him in person, so you used a surprise attack! What a low move! It¡¯s a shame to all bastards to even call you a bastard!!!]

    The next reply arrived around 10 secondster: [A surprise attack?]

    Ning Xi replied quickly: [Who else would it have been if it wasn¡¯t you?! Don¡¯t tell me that Firo and Alice weren¡¯t your people!]

    A reply came back almost instantly: [Carrot Yun: You guys had a fight?]

    [You bet! If it hadn¡¯t been for my wits and courage, I would have died! And don¡¯t you try to change the topic, that isn¡¯t the main point!]

    [Carrot Yun: My dear, of course, it¡¯s the main point.]

    ¡­

    At the same time, in an underground bar in Las Vegas.

    Under dazzling lights and loud music booming, drunk people were dancing their night away in the dance pool.

    A handsome blonde-haired, blue-eyed man sat under the giant crystal disco ball in the middle of a luxurious booth, with a glimmer of evil emanating from his eyes.

    Arge crowd of hot, skimpily-dressed girls surrounded him and drank happily, it was a sumptuous feast indeed¡­

    A ck-haired Asian man sat near him, alone on a big sofa. He wore gold-framed sses, had a pair of blue earphones on and was working on hisptop in front of him. He gave people the impression that he wanted no one near him.

    No matter how things got crazy in the bar, everyone avoided him. It formed a sharp contrastpared to the blonde Italian man''s table.

    A whileter, the ck-haired man nodded respectfully at theptop then walked up to the Italian man, and said with a calm tone, "Mr. Augustine, did Firo act under your orders?"

    The blue-eyed Italian man with blonde hair looked up drunkenly, "Mmhmm¡­Firo¡­oh yes, those were my orders! What¡¯s wrong, my dear buddy?"

    The ck-haired man said matter-of-factly, "You¡¯ve gone against someone that you shouldn¡¯t have."

    "Someone that I shouldn¡¯t go against?" the man asked, still confused. However, it looked like something dawned on him and he had realized something. "You mean that woman¡­"

 Chapter 452: Just For A Woman

    <h4>Chapter 452: Just For A Woman</h4>

    The Italian man said innocently with both his hands wide open, "My dear buddy, you can¡¯t me me for this! My target was Lu Tingxiao. She went there on her own and then killed everyone and even captured Alice. She destroyed my ns!"

    The Italian man had a steely look. Even the hot girls who were dancing around him earlier were now afraid of him.

    The ck-haired man seemed not to notice and continued to speak without any expression, "Mr. Augustine, you¡¯ve breached our agreement."

    The Italian man staggered up as he smiled and wanted to pat his shoulder, "Hey buddy, rx! I¡¯m just trying help since I saw that Satan wasn¡¯t doing anything yet!"

    The ck-haired man dodged Augustine¡¯s pat before he could touch him. With a poker face, he said, "Mr. Augustine, I regret to tell you this but due to your unauthorized actions, I¡¯m afraid that our alliance ends today."

    The Italian man was shocked and his expression darkened. In a deep tone, he said, "Do you know what are you talking about? Who gave you such instructions to end our alliance?!"

    "Satan."

    The Italian man pushed away a prettydy and stormed in front of the Asian man with a spooky face, "Have him talk to me personally! Who are you to tell me this anyway?"

    The next second, the ck-haired man turned theptop screen towards the Italian man¡¯s direction.

    On the screen was the silhouette of a man sitting on a wide couch in a dimly lit house, his face and his pair of long legs barely made out in the dark¡­

    "Satan, are you really ending our alliance?! Just for a woman?" the Italian man released all his rage towards the screen, like an enraged lion.

    In contrast with the angry Italian man, the man on the screen sounded as if he had just woken up. He spokezily, "Just for a woman¡­"

    "You¡¯re messing with me!" The Italian man kicked a table nearby, his handsome face turning ferocious, "You better think about the consequences of ending our alliance!"

    The man on the screen smiled lightly, "Consequences? Tang Ye, tell Augustine the consequences."

    "Yes." The ck-haired man nodded and then turned towards the Italian man, dering in his cold, robotic-like tone, "From this moment onwards, all the trading between us will be stopped immediately."

    Augustine immediately sobered up after hearing what Tang Ye said. His eyes turned red and he looked terrifying.

    If their trade ended now, it meant that they would lose 90% of their source of firearms¡­

    "Fine, I¡¯ll let you know what the consequences of betraying an ally are!"

    The music suddenly stopped and a big group of muscr men surrounded them. Each man had guns on them, and numerous guns were pointed at Tang Ye. With just one signal from Augustine, Tang Ye would be their shooting practice target.

    Tang Ye calmly took off his gold-framed sses and stood up to adjust his sleeve. The moment his eyes met with Augustine¡¯s, his calm sight turned into a scary zing pair of eyes as he said coldly, "Mr. Augustine, I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯re mistaken about something."

 Chapter 453: My Dear Junior

    <h4>Chapter 453: My Dear Junior</h4>

    "You weak chicken! What am I mistaken about!?" Augustine yelled at him.

    A delightedughter came through from the other side of the screen, "Haha, what an interesting nickname for him¡­I hope you¡¯ll have fun tonight, Tang Ye."

    The screen went ck after he finished his sentence.

    Augustine felt uneasy about what the man on screen had just mentioned¡­

    The ck-haired man, Tang Ye, was Satan¡¯s right-hand man. He was the person responsible for the organization¡¯s core ounts and was extremely sensitive to numbers. He required protection as he could not do anything on his own.

    Augustine had such a weakling on his turf now¡­what danger could there be¡­

    Even though he had never seen Tang Ye in action before, it did not mean that he was not skilled, did it?

    Hmph, even if he was skilled, there were so many guns aimed at him right now. What could he do?

    Augustine¡¯s expression became even more ferocious as he signaled his men to attack him. Suddenly, after Tang Ye had taken off his sses, he seemed like a different person. As if like a shadow, he sneaked out with at the speed of lightning. In the blink of an eye, he evaded the bullets that sprayed at him.

    Augustine felt creeped out, shivering as if an evil entity was trying to take over him.

    All of a sudden, he felt the cold steel of a dagger on his neck, the pain waking him up from his shock.

    "Mr. Augustine, you¡¯d need at least, a fully armed special ops team to kill me¡­are you looking down on me, or¡­have you overestimated yourself?" Tang Ye¡¯s psychopathic gaze peered at him without the sses shielding the scary eyes of his.

    "You¡­Tang Ye, you had better reconsider your decision! What will the consequences be for making us your enemy?!" Augustine¡¯s body shook with fear as he had not expected Tang Ye to be this skilled.

    "Mr. Augustine, allow me to remind you that this is Las Vegas¡­and I¡¯ve said that it was only you who needed to consider the consequences¡­"

    As Tang Ye finished his line, his dagger shed and Augustine screamed. His ear was cut off. Blood spilt everywhere on the ground.

    Tang Ye licked his lips, enjoying the metallic taste of blood, "You should thank God that my junior was not hurt and that your trashy henchmen were dead, if not¡­"

    Before Augustine had the chance to say anything, a group of men in ck suits rushed into the bar and killed Augustine¡¯s men with guns.

    All of Augustine¡¯s men were dead in just a few moments.

    Augustine fell intoplete despair.

    As expected, one should not be careless when dealing with people working for Satan. Augustine had made a deadly mistake this time¡­

    Tang Ye put on his sses again and took a white towel handed over by one of the men in ck. He wiped his hands and regained his polite attitude, "Mr. Augustine, this is a warning, I hope that you¡¯ll remember this."

    Augustine nodded profusely while covering his wound with fear in his eyes, "I¡­I understand. I¡¯ll leave Las Vegas now and nevere back!"

 Chapter 454: Iâ€™m Impressed

    <h4>Chapter 454: I¡¯m Impressed</h4>

    "I appreciate your cooperation," Tang Ye expressed as he started to lead the men in the ck suits out of the bar.

    Augustine was filled with fear and anger, he would get back at them one day!

    "You damn bunch of Asians! I¡¯ll make all of you go to hell one day!"

    The moment he finished uttering his words, a slight movement from Tang Ye was detected. He had unsheathed his daggers and shed out with it in the blink of an eye.

    "Ah!" Augustine still did not know what had happened. It was only until he put his hand to his left ear to find that it was cut off as well.

    "Mr. Augustine, it seems like ears are nothing more than an extra essory for you," Tang Ye dered then walked out of the bar with satisfaction, leaving the screaming Augustine and a pile of corpses back in there.

    ¡­

    In a hotel in Phdelphia.

    Ning Xi was annoyed after she was done text messaging.

    No more messages came after thest one.

    It felt really terrible to feel manipted and afraid at all times!

    She was lucky this time, but what if there were more formidable enemies the next time?

    She looked at Lu Tingxiao through the window and thought to herself that she could not just sit here and not do anything¡­

    Lu Tingxiao was focused on listening to his subordinate¡¯s report but suddenly, he raised his head and looked at Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi sat up straight and acted obediently. She then took a paper and wrote a few words on it with a pen: [Boss, may I go to the toilet? If yes, then you can pick up your pen.]

    She showed the paper to Lu Tingxiao after she was done writing.

    Lu Tingxiao smiled after he noticed the paper in the girl¡¯s hand and saw what was written on it.

    His subordinate was confused and stopped for a while.

    Lu Tingxiao slowly picked up the pen on the table and changed his pose before reminding his subordinate, "Continue."

    Ning Xi ran off right after she got her reply. She felt like she had gone back to her primary school days when she still needed to get permission from the teacher to go to the toilet¡­

    The meeting adjournedte in the evening.

    Shi Xiao was talking to Cheng Feng as they left the room, still feeling a little surreal about what had happened. He said, "So, Boss already knew that Hong Zhenhao had issues but he let him be, and he purposely came to Phdelphia to lure out the one who was pulling the strings¡­"

    Cheng Feng nodded, "Yeah, but the results were different from what we expected. The enemy that appeared in Phdelphia wasn¡¯t who we thought it was. It was another group of people instead. Our ns were dyed¡­if it wasn¡¯t because of Ning Xi¡¯s sudden appearance, you guys probably couldn¡¯t have hung in there for so long, and I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t be talking to me now¡­"

    Shi Xiao¡¯s face reddened, "It¡¯s my own fault even if I really died there¡­I have to say that I¡¯m impressed and thankful that that woman saved my life!"

    Even though it was all within the boss¡¯ n, he still felt embarrassed.

    The boss had reminded him multiple times to not be reckless and think it through properly before taking actions, yet he had trusted Hong Zhenhao so easily.

 Chapter 455: The Devil Is Too Dirty

    <h4>Chapter 455: The Devil Is Too Dirty</h4>

    He did not expect that this to happen to him. Taking Xiong Zhi aside was a big mistake for Shi Xiao.

    And the boss had expected him to make these mistakes. It seemed that the boss still could not fully trust Shi Xiao yet¡­

    The ever so confident Shi Xiao had tasted defeat for the first time. He asked, "Assistant Cheng, is it true that we¡¯re just the surface guards for Boss, and that he actually has another group of extraordinary followers behind him whom he really trusts?"

    A weak little girl who turned out to have unbelievable skills hidden within her¡­how much more powerful can his other forces be¡­

    He actually doubted Boss¡¯ judgment in people and had even insulted her several times. In the end, it showed that he was the ignorant and helpless one!

    "Don¡¯t overthink it. You guys mean very much to the boss. You¡¯re still young and have a lot of room for improvement, so be patient," Cheng Feng gave him a pat on his back andforted him while sighing at the same time.

    Shi Xiao actually possessed a great amount of potential. It was too bad that he was too impatient and it was this impatience that caused him to stop growing. It might not be a bad thing at all if he could change this bad habit of his after this incident.

    Thinking back about the moment when he had reached the arsenal with Boss, he could only see the moment when Ning Xi shot everyone down and defeated the foreigndy. He did not really know what had happened before, but it was not easy to impress someone as prideful as Shi Xiao¡­one could know that she was not just your average actress¡­

    Xiong Zhi scratched his head, "Assistant Cheng, who exactly is Ms. Ning? She definitely isn¡¯t just an actress! Was Boss kidding when he asked me to protect her? Does she look like she needs protection¡­I really don¡¯t understand!"

    Cheng Feng replied, "I don¡¯t really know much about Ms. Ning Xi as well. I¡¯m as shocked as the both of you after I saw what happened today. Just act as if you did not know what happened today and remember not to mention it in front of Boss. As for Boss¡¯s orders, just follow his instructions."

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi nodded with no objections.

    Ning Xi had just gotten up from her nap when she saw that Lu Tingxiao was finished with his meeting. She asked him, "Boss, are you done with your meeting?"

    Lu Tingxiao pinched between his brows tiredly, "Mmm, hang around for a bit. I¡¯ll go and take a shower."

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi blinked her eyes innocently, "Boss, then do you still need me to stay within your sight then?"

    Lu Tingxiao was a little taken aback. He turned around and said, "If you want to, I don¡¯t mind."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Damn it! She still could not tease the devil!

    And the image of the devil in the shower started to appear in her head¡­Oh dear, stop!

    Lu Tingxiao went to her and teased her hair as he saw her embarrassed face, yfully reprimanding her with a hoarse voice, "Don¡¯t simply say things like these, my self-restraint is a lot weaker than you think."

    ¡­Again!

    What had she just said? She was very innocent! It was him who was dirty¡­

 Chapter 456: Donâ€™t You Miss Your Father?

    <h4>Chapter 456: Don¡¯t You Miss Your Father?</h4>

    Ning Xi remembered Lu Tingxiao¡¯s stormy expression after he went into the shower. Even though he was really angry, he had suppressed in order not to make her afraid of him.

    And he most probably saw the moment when Ning Xi had killed those people, but neither did he ask nor mention anything about it. Instead, he had treated her gently as usual¡­

    Ning Xi felt a sense of warmth and curled herself up into a ball. She cleared her throat and started singing, "I still don¡¯t know what¡¯s this feeling when I fell in love with you; it was the best thing in my life when I met you¡­it was you that guarded me through the rain and storm, it was you that I wanted to stay with¡­we¡¯ve been within reach of each other¡­"

    Although he could not see her, she thought that he should be able to hear her singing.

    Lu Tingxiao was known for being as cold as the north pole, but when he heard the girl¡¯s sweet singing while he was in the shower, all of his steeliness melted and his heart became warmer than the sun on the equator¡­

    ¡­

    Three dayster, at the Imperial airport in China.

    They had finally wrapped up everything and flown back home.

    After they disembarked from the ne, Lu Tingxiao was going to suggest sending Ning Xi home, but she interrupted him, "Boss, let me send you home!"

    Lu Tingxiao raised his brows, "You want to send me back? Shouldn¡¯t it be the man sending the woman home?"

    "That¡¯s different. Aside from a gender perspective, you¡¯re still my boss and I¡¯m your best employee, so of course, I¡¯ll send you home first!" She would be uneasy if she did not send him home safely.

    The girl was trying to defend her reasoning, and Lu Tingxiao smiled at her, "Seems reasonable."

    Ning Xi nodded, "Of course! So I shall send you back!"

    "Fine, you¡¯ll send me back." He was d that he got to spend more time with her, in whatever way.

    Lu Tingxiao sent his son a message after he got into the car.

    [Open the windows from your room an hourter.]

    No response.

    But Lu Tingxiao was patient.

    His phone rang around three minutester. That kid had sent him three exmation marks.

    [!!!]

    Lu TIngxiao smiled, he knew that his son understood what he meant.

    An hourter, they reached home.

    Lu Tingxiao looked up and saw a small head popping out of the window waving impatiently, but it quickly disappeared as soon as they arrived. Momentster, a tiny silhouette ran towards them¡­

    The little kid did not even stop by his father whom he had not seen for days. Instead, he ran past him¡­

    Lu Tingxiao was totally ignored and was speechless. Fine, he was used to this already¡­

    Ning Xi was surprised to see Little Bun. She bent over and picked up her sweetheart, "My little baby!"

    As she picked Little Treasure up, she felt as if she had returned to humanity aftering from a world of bloodshed. He was so soft that she did not want to let go¡­

    Little Bun melted right into Aunty Xiao Xi¡¯s arms like a boat docking home, like a bird flying back to its nest, and he felt satisfied, happy, and safe.

    As Ning Xi hugged Little Bun happily, she noticed Lu Tingxiao¡¯s standing alone. She patted Little Bun¡¯s shoulder and spoke gently, "Little Treasure, don¡¯t you miss your father? You haven¡¯t seen him for days."

    Little Bun looked at Lu Tingxiao and thought about it¡­

 Chapter 457: A Grown Son Cannot Be Kept For Long

    <h4>Chapter 457: A Grown Son Cannot Be Kept For Long</h4>

    Whether he missed him or not, that was the question¡­

    He was in front of Aunty Xiao Xi, so he should just speak the truth¡­

    When she saw that the little bun was about to answer something that would break Lu Tingxiao''s heart even more, Ning Xi quickly said something before any tragedy could happen, "Ahem, Little Treasure, your father works so hard every day to earn money for the family. Go give your father a hug, okay?"

    The little bun nodded, then ran over to Lu Tingxiao. He looked up and held out his two short arms, to indicate that he wanted to hug.

    Lu Tingxiao could not help butugh at his son''s adorable gesture. He bent down to lift his son, and gently patted his little head, "Good boy."

    The son gave his father some face and managed to persevere in his tight embrace for three seconds.

    By the fourth second, he expectedly turned to look at Ning Xi''s direction and held out his arms, indicating that he wanted Aunty Xiao Xi to hug him now.

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless. He could only return the little guy to Ning Xi.

    Haih, a grown son cannot be kept for long¡­

    ¡­

    After she left the Lu family''s old residence, Ning Xi was prepared to return to her apartment. On the way, she received Ling Zhizhi''s phone call, so she made a detour and made her way to thepany.

    At Glory World Entertainment.

    When she reached the ground floor of the building, Ning Xi nonchntly looked up and saw Su Yimo on the huge LED screen above her head.

    It was ying Su Yimo''stest advertisement for Chanel as part of her ambassadorship for the brand.

    In the advertisement, Su Yimo changed into a total of 12 of Chanel''s most ssic outfit designs, which was really cool.

    Under the LED screen, there were several female artistes who were part of Su Yimo''s group surrounding her. They looked up at the advertisement and excitedly discussed at the same time, "Yimo, your advertisement shoot is way too cool and elegant, it''s definitely high up in the ranks!"

    "It''s no wonder that Chanel would look for Yimo to be the spokesperson in China. Not only is our Yimo''s poprity high, but by the looks of the entire entertainment circle right now, how many other female artistes can embody Chanel''s elegant charisma?"

    This was when someone saw Ning Xi walk by and intentionally spoke up louder, "Unlike some people, whose head is about to fly to the clouds for epting a low and trashy gaming endorsement gig. Last time, we even saw her going to a ce like Jade Treasury to buy jade!"

    "Are you talking about Ning Xi?"

    "Who else could it be?"

    "Pfft, with her measly endorsement fees, she dared to even visit Jade Treasury?!"

    "Right, I''m guessing that because Sis Yimo likes jade, so she wanted to buy one for herself to fool herself into thinking she can be as cool as Sis Yimo. Atst, she must have bought a small rough one for a hundred thousand or something! She probably has some imitation jade that she tries to pass off as the real thing. This is too funny!"

    Su Yimo stood in middle like a moon surrounded by stars and listened to the people discuss Ning Xi. Her tone was slightly impatient when she said, "Next time, don''t mention that name in front of me."

    The female artistes around her who heard this immediately stopped and carefully responded, "Understood, Sis Yimo, how could that lowly person be mentioned in the same breath as your name?!"

    "No more mentioning, better not let her leech on our Sis Yimo''s poprity! That''s shameless!"

    ¡­

    In Ling Zhizhi''s office.

    Ning Xi knocked the door before entering, "Sis Zhizhi, did you need me for anything?"

    "Sit down and let''s discuss." Ling Zhizhi indicated for her to sit, then asked, "Do you know the brand, Noble?"

    Ning Xi thought about it, then answered, "The brand that exclusively produces perfumes?"

    "Exactly," Ling Zhizhi replied.

    Ning Xi did not know why Ling Zhizhi had asked such a question, and she thought about it for a while before she continued with whatever little knowledge she had, "Based on what I know, this is a brand with personality. It has a much smaller crowd than those well-known luxury brands like Chanel, Tiffany, and Armani, so not many people seem to know about it¡­"

 Chapter 458: Everything Is Possible

    <h4>Chapter 458: Everything Is Possible</h4>

    Ling Zhizhi nodded, "Yes, this brand has a very small fan base; a lot of people are strangers to it. In reality, Noble is a two-decade old well-known perfume brand and has always been the favourite of royal families and popr stars. Until now, there have been more than 240 types of privately customized and publicly avable perfume. It can be said that every fragrance of theirs is a legend.

    Before this, Noble has never been broken the retail scene within China, so they''re not very well known within the country. However, I received news that Noble is preparing to expand their market to China and that they are choosing a spokesperson within Hong Sing, Taizhou, and Su''ao, the entire inner country."

    Ning Xi blinked, "Sisi Zhizhi, are you trying to sign me up?"

    "I''ve already helped you sign up. I sent them a clip of you from ''The World''. I was just simply trying our luck, who would have known that I would receive their notice that you''ve been chosen for the preliminaries?!" Ling Zhizhi said.

    When she heard Ling Zhizhi''s answer, Ning Xi''s eyes immediately shone, "What? I''ve been selected for the preliminaries? But wouldn''t these kind of luxury brands usually look for currently popr artistes like Su Yimo tounch their expansion into China''s market?"

    "That''s true, so the fact that you were chosen was a shock to me too. Su Yimo didn''t join the auditions because she had already epted Chanel''s contract. Chanel''s brand includes apparels, cosmetics, and perfume too, so there is no way she could take on Noble.

    "However, without Su Yimo, there is still the elites from all the other entertainmentpanies all around the country. They are practically all A-list and super A-list stars, and the pressure is on for you. So, even though this is a rare opportunity, you don''t have to be nervous. This has been a surprise, after all, if you could get the stint, that''s awesome, but even if you don''t, it''s alright," Ling Zhizhi consoled.

    Even though she had managed to get into the preliminaries, she did not have too much hope and she just wanted to let Ning Xi have more exposure.

    For such a high-end brand, even if she only managed to enter the preliminaries, it was already considered good exposure for a small rookie like Ning Xi.

    "Mmm, I know, Sis Zhizhi, I will remain neutral and just go for the experience!" Ning Xi humbly said.

    In reality, she was beyond ambitious in her heart. Even if it was a situation that was not really on her side, anything was possible until the veryst second!

    "Right, Sis Zhizhi, I wonder what the theme for this perfume''s endorsement is?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Only one word: noble. You have three days to prepare. After three days, the final audition will take ce in Los Angeles, Country M," answered Ling Zhizhi.

    Ning Xi mumbled to herself, "Three days¡­it''s enough, I will seriously think about how to express this theme over the next few days!"

    As for Country M, she was very familiar with it, so there was no pressure at all.

    "The theme for this time is noble. You''ll definitely need a lot. If you need anything, I will try my best to apply for it from thepany," Ling Zhizhi said.

    "Okay, I''ll let you know then. Thank you, Sis Zhizhi, I''ll go back to prepare now."

    Three dayster.

    At Los Angeles airport in Country M. Ning Xi took off her sunsses and looked at the strange yet familiar surroundings. She looked around and felt her smile broaden even more.

    One yearter, she had once again returned.

    One year ago, she was still loitering around with no proper home. One yearter, her dream had started to take off¡­

    This time, even though Sis Zhizhi did not hold too much hope, she still personally apanied her over.

    Expectedly, the venue would be full of the big shots around the region and she was worried that Ning Xi would not be able to handle it.

    "Ning Xi, do you really not need anything at all?" Ling Zhizhi asked again worriedly.

    Ning Xi determinedly nodded, "I don''t need anything. What I need are very simple things and I''ve prepared them myself!"

 Chapter 459: Crazy Style

    <h4>Chapter 459: Crazy Style</h4>

    The next morning.

    In Noble''spany building, they took the lift to the highest floor and walked past many ss disys of various ssic perfume fragrances to reach the audition venue.

    Ning Xi followed behind Ling Zhizhi. As soon she stepped in, she was blinded by what she saw.

    The ce was filled with super stars, each of them well-known in the industry and there were only a few slightly newer rookies. In fact, to suit today''s ''noble'' theme, everyone was dressed in very shiny, attractive outfits.

    Most of the people knew one another and they were all courteously having small talk andworking. The rookies, on the other hand, utilized time by brown nosing some super stars; it was very lively inside indeed.

    The moment Ning Xi appeared at the door, everyone was stunned. The entire waiting room was in pin drop silence.

    Of course, there was no way a newbie like Ning Xi would be so famous as to shock everyone with her presence. It was actually because Ning Xi''s outfit was entirely unexpected aspared to the morous outfits and heavy essories those popr artistes were wearing.

    To say it was crazy would not be the right term.

    Ning Xi had on a nude makeup look and wore a dress colored in what seemed like a dirty soil palette, with slightly old, brown leather shoes. She did not have any essories on her and she did not even do anything to her hair, her slightly messy hair simply flowing down her back.

    Everyone looked at her oddly. Because the ce was filled with mostly big brands, they spoke without constraint. They did not bother lowering their voices when they started to directly discuss Ning Xi in front of her.

    "Who''s this? Why is she dressed like a beggar¡­has she lost her way?"

    "I don''t think so! Didn''t you see that she''s someone brought by Ling Zhizhi?"

    Even though these people did not know Ning Xi, Ling Zhizhi who was known as the manager that brought Leng Manyun into the industry was still well-known by all.

    When they saw Ling Zhizhi, everyone revealed a look of disbelief, "Ah! I remember now! This girl who''s dressed shabbily must be that rookie that Ling Zhizhi has just started managing!"

    "Even if Leng Manyun left, Ling Zhizhi''s experience was still valid. Surely she would not go to the extent of bringing someone like this?"

    "Is Glory World Entertainment poor to this extent? Without even a good stylist?"

    "How could Glory World Entertainment be poor? It''s only because they don''t value her!"

    "Leng Manyun retired for a man. Ling Zhizhi can''t avoid this responsibility, can she? She can''t even manage the artistes under her well! I heard that she was kept in the dark. As her manager, it was only when Leng Manyun publicly announced the news on Weibo did she find out!"

    "It looks like Ling Zhizhi''s capabilities are limited. Glory World''s best manager is still Zhao Meixin!"

    ¡­

    This was when Starlight Entertainment''s A-list female star walked to Ling Zhizhi with what seemed like concern, when underneath she clearly had the motive to insult, "Sis Ling, have you brought your artiste over to audition?"

    Ling Zhizhi nodded slightly, "I just casually helped her sign up and unexpectedly made it to the preliminaries. I''ve brought her to gain some experience."

    Her words were put in a courteous and humble way but she did not stoop too low.

    To be called back from the pool of popr artistes in the entire country was already exemplifying her potential.

    The Starlight artiste looked regretful as she evaluated Ning Xi behind her. She shook her head and said, "Sis Ling, I don''t want to say anything, but even if you were nning to just apany her, you can''t just give up on yourself like that! Or was it because¡­since Leng Manyun left, you''ve dropped your standards to this extent? If that is so, you shouldn''t stay at Glory World to be a manager,e be my assistant instead. Even though the sry is not much, it''s better than you trying to manage this unpromising rookie!"

 Chapter 460: The Auditions Began

    <h4>Chapter 460: The Auditions Began</h4>

    Starlight and Glory World had always been rivals, and the female artiste who had spoken was called Li Yueling. There were many times that she lost the Best Actress title to Leng Manyun. It was a rare opportunity to see Ling Zhizhi in this lowly state, so naturally, she would not let go of this great chance to ridicule her.

    When they saw both sides fighting one another, everyone else looked on, anticipating for drama to happen.

    Some even intentionally joked, "Speaking of which, I so happen to becking of an assistant too! I wonder if Sis Ling would be interested?"

    Li Yueling looked delighted, "Haha, who knew that Sis Ling was this popr? Wait till this rookie doesn''t make it, then she won''t have to worry about not having a backup n!"

    ¡­

    As Ning Xi watched Ling Zhizhi get attacked by the big names of the industry, her eyes shed with disgust. She remembered Ling Zhizhi''s reminder clearly that no matter what happened, if she could help herself, she should try not to speak. She found a quiet corner to sit down in, closed her eyes to avoid being disturbed by the external world, and focused on preparing her emotions to get into character.

    Not too long after, the auditions began.

    Ning Xi picked a pretty good queue number. There were 30 people in total, and shended right in the middle with number 15.

    Li Yueling got number 14, and she looked at Ning Xi''s number card and sighed as she shook her head, "Pfft, such a good number, what a waste¡­"

    Very quickly, the first candidate went in for her audition.

    The first candidate''s potential was already scary enough. Even though her family background and academic qualifications were not too high, and she did note from a family of actors, she had relied on her own potential to win the award of Best Actress.

    When they saw that Fang Xiaowen was the first, many female artistes who auditioned looked nervous. Li Yueling, on the other hand, looked nonchnt as she dismissed "It was just a primary school farmer girl, how could she understand the meaning of nobility?"

    Even though Li Yueling did not have any especially attractive titles, apart from being very popr, her biggest advantage was her bountiful family background. Her father was a senior official, while her mother was a famous figure within the fashion industry. She had received an aristocrat education since she was young, and was well versed in piano, chess, drawing, and more.

    Among all of the stars present, there might have been people more popr than her, but almost no one couldpare to her familial advantage.

    Just from Li Yueling''s looks, even Noble''s endorsement fees might not be able to afford her, no wonder she was so confident.

    In under a minute, Fang Xiaowen made her exit.

    Her manager immediately went up to ask her how it was, and Fang Xiaowen looked gloomy as she shook her head. The manager was slightly disappointed but still consoled her.

    Li Yueling looked on with her arms crossed as if she had expected this, "Pfft, I knew it, you''re just a vige nobody. How could you be noble?"

    Apart from Li Yueling, there were several other female artistes with good family backgrounds who obviously looked down on Fang Xiaowen as well and they all looked on insultingly at her.

    With the ridicule and insultsing from the crowd for overestimating herself, Fang Xiaowen could not handle it and burst out of the door. Even though she had fought for the title of being one of the best actresses, she still could not shake off the influence her family background and education qualifications had on her¡­

    In the corner, Ning Xi opened her eyes and saw Fang Xiaowen''s shadow leaving. Her eyes shed with regret.

    It was too bad for Fang Xiaowen. Based on her acting skills and poprity, this endorsement should have been a piece of cake¡­

    The second one who auditioned was an artiste with a very rich tycoon father in the coal industry, who put in a lot of money to the entertainment industry for her. However, she came out within a minute.

    The parents of the third artiste were from the entertainment industry. She was a hard worker as well, the ssic type of actress with potential. She managed to persevere for three minutes, and yet still failed in the end¡­

 Chapter 461: Determined To Get It

    <h4>Chapter 461: Determined To Get It</h4>

    As they watched all the auditioning artistes walk in and then out, one after another, the ones who had yet to go in inevitably felt the pressure increase, especially since most of the failed candidates were A-listers.

    When the advertisement director of Noble, Cook continuously scolded furiously in the audition hall, everyone became increasingly nervous.

    Cook''s Chinese was not too shabby, so everything that he was yelling could be heard clearly by everyone outside¡­

    "Did they really understand what I was saying? I''m suspecting if they are even intelligent enough! I want nobility! Elegance! Not a soulless puppet doll dancing on a music box!"

    "Fang Xiaowen? No, no, no, she can''t do! Her performance was very good, but her eyes betrayed her inferior soul!"

    "Xu Jiaojiao? Are you kidding? She was practically a walking jewelry rack! in beyond anything!"

    "Meng Shiyi? She can be an excellent actress, but definitely not the goddess that''s as elegant as the bright moon that I had in mind!"

    "The previous one? You mean number 13? Oh my God! She was practically lying to us! She did not know anything about Guqin at all!"

    ¡­

    As they listened to Cook''s harsh and brutal criticisms, the female artistes outside who were originally strutting their egos around started to look uncertain of themselves.

    "Does this white guy actually know anything? He just criticised everyone!"

    "I think he''s just purely prejudiced against Chinese people!"

    "His words are too harsh! It''s just a performance, so a little acting is fine. Do we have to really know everything?! Based on his logic, actors would need to be a god that''s well-versed in everything!"

    ¡­

    Very quickly, number 14''s turn was up. Li Yueling haughtily dered, "Hah, only those without potential will look for excuses!" then she walked confidently into the audition hall.

    When Li Yueling pushed the door to enter, a frustrated Cook was suddenly stunned for a while.

    Li Yueling donned a luxurious vintage Chinese cheongsam, with an expensive pearl ne draped on her neck. Her hair was tied into a bun and pinned with a translucent jade. Not only did she embody nobility and elegance, she disyed China''s features very wonderfully too.

    When he saw Li Yueling, Cook''s eyes shone and his tone was clearly much gentler, "Oh, my dear baby,e over quickly,e to me! Let me look at you closely!"

    Li Yueling let Cook evaluate her without much fear. She was highly educated since she was a child, so every word, move, and smile of hers naturally revealed the charisma of nobles and she did not need to act at all.

    After Cook had examined her, he was very satisfied. He said, "Miss Li, you can begin your performance now!"

    The audition hall was very big and it was filled with all sorts of props including the Guzheng , piano, calligraphy pen, Chinese chess, needle and thread, fans, handkerchiefs¡­

    Li Yueling casually skimmed and touched the Guqin, "This!"

    Aspared to the Guzheng, the Guqin was more difficult to y. It had a four-octave range and two tones, with seven open strings, 91 harmonics, and 147 stopped strings; the techniques of ying it were abundant.

    If one were to simply pretend to lie to Cook, that would not impossible as Cook had lived in China for 20 years and loved the Chinese culture deeply. He was someone who was well-versed with Chinese culture. Before this, a female artiste who tried her luck with the instrument was insulted harshly by Cook¡­

    When he saw that Li Yueling had chosen the Guqin as well, Cook''s eyes held some reservations. However, as she started to y, his gaze started to change¡­

 Chapter 462: Ning Xis Audition

    <h4>Chapter 462: Ning Xi''s Audition</h4>

    When Li Yueling had finished her performance, Cook had a struggled expression on his face for the first time. The previous candidates had been rejected by him on the spot immediately and were made to leave.

    Cook discussed with his assistant on the side for quite a while. Finally, the assistant walked to Li Yueling and informed with a friendly attitude, "Miss Li Yueling, our audition will continue. Could you please wait outside for a short while?"

    These words meant that they were already very satisfied with her performance but they still wanted to see if there was anyone better¡­

    Li Yueling nodded slightly, "Of course."

    Pfft, how could there be anyone better than her? This endorsement was definitely hers!

    Under the watchful eyes of everyone else who remained, Li Yueling finally came out of the hall.

    She had actually gone in for a whole 10 minutes, and the sound of Guzheng ying inside did not receive Cook''s negative shouting.

    Li Yueling face revealed a determined expression, and unlike the other eliminated candidates who had already left, she found a ce to sit down and continued to wait.

    From her attitude, it was already very obvious that Li Yueling had been chosen to be one of the finalists. She might even be the chosen candidate in Cook''s heart and if everyone else after her could not fare better, they would all just be a poorparison to her.

    Immediately, all the other artistes felt shaken, especially those with slightly higher statuses who obviously did not want to embarrass themselves, yet they did not want to give up on such a high-end endorsement either.

    "The next candidate, number 15, please be ready!" the assistant informed outside the door.

    At that moment, Ning Xi remained immersed in her own world. Ling Zhizhi did not disturb her and only quietly apanied her by her side.

    Li Yueling was even more delighted when she watched Ning Xi curl up in a corner, looking shabby, "Sis Ling, I don''t want to say anything but out of everyone you could choose, why did you have to choose this money-losing rookie from Glory World?! At this point, you wouldn''t still insist on letting her go in to audition, would you? You won''t just be embarrassing yourself, but the entire Glory World too!"

    As they heard Li Yueling''s words, everyone''s gaze suddenly fell onto Ning Xi.

    Exactly, there was still this one to take the bottom spot. With her in front of them, they would not look too horrendous topare to Li Yueling, would they?

    Apart from the artistes who were waiting to watch a scandalous drama, there were also others who only observed the scene in front of them. They thought to themselves that maybe Ning Xi intentionally dressed like this, but in reality had a unique trick she did not want them to know. Perhaps she would even change her outfitter¡­

    "Sis Zhizhi, I''m ready." In the corner, Ning Xi opened her eyes.

    Ling Zhizhi nodded, "Good luck."

    "Number 15, start your audition!" the assistant started to call out.

    Ning Xi stood up and adjusted her skirt and cor under everyone''s watchful gaze and walked into the audition hall with a poker face.

    As soon as Ning Xi walked in, there was a frenzy outside the audition hall¡­

    "My God, she really dared walked in looking like that?"

    "I thought she would have some kind of trick in the end. Who knew that she would really walk in looking like a beggar?!"

    "Cook is so scary. Isn''t she afraid of being scolded to death?"

    "Tsk tsk, those who don''t know are unafraid¡­"

    ¡­

    Indeed, as the female artistes thought that, Cook''s thunderous scoldings could be heard from the inside, "Oh my God! You¡­you''re insulting me! Insulting Noble! Please leave immediately!"

 Chapter 463: Suddenly Forgot His Words

    <h4>Chapter 463: Suddenly Forgot His Words</h4>

    Li Yueling sipped on the fruit juice her assistant had delivered and she said beyond delight, "Pfft, this was even more entertaining that I''d imagined! Since she knew she would fail, why did she still try her luck? Did she really think a miracle would appear?"

    As Li Yueling finished, she picked up her phone and casually made a call, "Hello, Xueluo!"

    "Yueling, is your audition over? How did it go?" a gentle voice asked from the other end of the line.

    "Mmm, it just ended! Obviously, I did not disappoint you!" There were some tough rivals within the previous 13 candidates but none of the others after her were apetition to her, so she waspletely confident to win the spot.

    "I knew you definitely won''t have a problem!"

    "Haha, I want to thank you for letting me have this chance too, or else, this endorsement would definitely be yours!"

    "Look at you, we''re sisters. What are you saying all this for?! Besides, you''ve helped me a lot, especially in the big deal with my father''spany thest time, it was all thanks to you for introducing your mother!"

    "Just a small matter! Oh, right, you know who I saw earlier?"

    "Who?"

    "Your family''s vige foster child, Ning Xi!"

    "How did she end up there for the audition?"

    "Who knows what sheet luck she had that she actually got through the preliminaries? But it''s a good thing that she had luck because there is a good show going on right now, you know? Our advertisement''s theme is ''noble'', yet she came over looking as shabby as a beggar!"

    "What? Is she crazy!?"

    "I think she must be! You don''t have to be afraid of someone like her, she can just ruin herself! Okay, I will get off the phone now. Wait for my triumphant return!"

    ¡­

    At the same time, inside the audition hall.

    As she faced Cook''s face of disbelief and ridicule, Ning Xi stood there quietly without any change in her expression, rity shining in her eyes.

    Instead of her turning her head away in shame, it was Cook, who when faced with those pair of clear eyes, he suddenly had a kind of guilty illusion¡­

    Actually, the girl''s dressing today was nothing that had gone too overboard. It was only whenpared to those luxuriously essorized artistes outside that she seemed to be nonchnt and casual.

    The dress she wore seemed very dirty and old but it was actually very clean and neat. Her porcin makeup-free face made him think of a Chinese prose: "The clear water revealed a lotus, engraved by nature".

    However, facing a candidate that had not prepared wholeheartedly at all, Cook still felt insulted and insisted on immediately rejecting her.

    "You! I''m talking to you, don''t you understand Chinese? You''ve been eliminated, please leave immediately and don''t affect everyone else after you!" He did not even bother to look at her name!

    Ignoring Cook''s roaring scoldings, Ning Xi walked over to the Guqin that Li Yueling had yed earlier. She casually plucked several of the strings.

    Cook was even angrier when he saw her actions and he growled, "Please don''t simply touch¡­"

    Before he could finish, the sound of smooth and skilled ying of the Guqin started to enrapture him¡­

    "This¡­this is¡­ you actually know Guang Lin San!" Cook looked slightly shocked. This was one of the Guqin tunes that was famous for being notoriously difficult. Earlier, Li Yueling had only chosen the song ''Wu Leaves Dancing In The Autumn Wind'' which was elementarypared to this.

    Ning Xi did not say anything. Instead, she slowly sat down in front of the Guqin and continued to y.

    Cook was increasingly drawn in by the music and suddenly forgot what he wanted to yell out earlier¡­

 Chapter 464: Perfectly Fitting The Theme

    <h4>Chapter 464: Perfectly Fitting The Theme</h4>

    ''Guang Ling San'' is one of the top ten Guqin tunes in all of Chinese music history. Its rhythm is emotional, generous, and the only song in the preserved Guqin''s tunes to invoke the atmosphere of war zones, to express the vehemence of seeking revenge for a father. It was a tune full of thought and artistic personality.

    As he listened to the Guang Ling San tune yed by the girl''s hands, Cook became more and more enchanted.

    This was his favorite song among all of the Guqin tunes because it was more than just extravagant sounds, it also expressed a spirit to rebel and determination to fight.

    What was even more shocking to him was that he never thought that as a girl, not only was she skilled, but she could also urately perform the momentum of Guang Ling San¡­

    Cook waspletely immersed in the sound of the instrument as he stared at the girl in front of him. Her outfit was not colorful and her face was bare, she even looked like a lowly beggar. However, when she sat in front of that Guqin, when she started to y the song¡­

    Despite dressing like a beggar, no one would think that she really was one. She must have had a story¡­

    When the song had finished, Cook took a long while to return to his senses.

    Finally, he tried to suppress his emotions as he said, "Miss, your ying of Guang Ling San has exceeded my expectations!"

    "Thank you," Ning Xi nodded slightly in gratitude, revealing nothing on her face.

    No matter whether the girl in front of him was being scolded or beingplimented, she remained unbothered. He actually felt a sense of nobility from her¡­

    Yes! It was nobility!

    In fact, it was the kind that only a real aristocrat would have!

    Even if one was shabby, the noble charisma within one''s bones would not change forever!

    This was too magical! Everyone else earlier could not invoke this feeling in him. Even Li Yueling''s performancecked full marks as he felt it was too deliberate and artificial.

    How did the girl who dressed like a beggar in front of him give him a sense of elegance?

    Cook evaluated again the girl and the emotions in his heart could not be exined. When he finally calmed himself down, he continued the audition, "May I ask what do you understand about the meaning of the term ''noble''?"

    Earlier all the other artistes had simr answers - they thought that being noble meant having a good education, to be cultured externally and internally. Naturally, he approved of such an answer.

    At this moment, he anticipated the girl''s reply in suspense.

    When she heard Cook''s question, Ning Xi knew that Cook had already approved her earlier performance. Now, she had only onest step left.

    After choosing her words carefully, she started to exin, "I believe that true elegance and nobility is not just to don the name of luxurious brands, not to show off the expensive essories on hand, not to boast about your own beauty and educational qualifications. True nobility is, even if dressed in ragged clothes and messy hair, not being able to conceal the noble charisma within."

    When he heard this, Cook''s eyes lit up and his face brightened.

    Ning Xi continued, "Smell a fragrance to know a woman. A perfume is a luxury item that can reveal a person''s taste better than any other items. I think, for women, perfume is more important than apparel, just like charisma is more important than external factors.

    "Perfume is one of the ssic trendy essentials, it''s different from other trendy elements such as clothing, makeup, and hairdo. Perfume is the most ssic and longsting thing a woman can have. A good fragrance will never be outdated."

    Cook could not control his surprise and joy at having found his perfect girl. He nodded in resonation, "That''s right! You said it very well!"

    This girl''s interpretation had perfectly fit their theme!

 Chapter 465: Been Very Attracted

    <h4>Chapter 465: Been Very Attracted</h4>

    Outside the audition hall.

    At first, all the artistes who were waiting outside heard Cook''s angry scoldings, then it suddenly quieted down, and what ensued was an emotional ying of the Guqin¡­

    One of the artistes scoffed, "And here I was thinking what killer trick Ling Zhizhi has prepared! Turns out that she also yed the Guqin just like Li Yueling! With Li Yueling having gone in before her, isn''t she just asking to be insulted? Ling Zhizhi''s professional standards are indeed increasingly unworthy. Now even if it was a small assistant role, I would be worried to let her take it up!"

    Some of those who knew a little more about music frowned and said, "This song seems to be a harder tune than the one Li Yueling yed earlier¡­but I think even if this was so, there wouldn''t be much use¡­"

    Li Yueling was better versed with the Guqin, so when she heard the smooth and skillful ying of the difficult song, she was nervous for a second. However, she very quickly recovered her arrogance again, "Sis Ling, even if your vige girl rookie didn''t know better, surely you would? For such an elegant instrument like the Guqin, in the olden days, they had to clean their hands with incense and wear suitable apparel out of respect before even touching the Guqin. Based on what she wore, she is practically insulting Chinese history¡­hah, just wait for her to be scolded by Cook!"

    Everyone else heard what Li Yueling had said and agreed with her.

    Ling Zhizhi remained unbothered and focused on waiting for Ning Xi''s results.

    When Ning Xi did not get chased out by Cook the moment she started ying, it indicated to those present that she had already made the first step to sess.

    Only¡­Ning Xi''s idea was still a little too risky¡­

    She still did not haveplete confidence about how the final oue would pan out¡­

    Several momentster, when the song had finished, there was no thunderous scolding from Cook heard at all. In fact, it was pin-drop silent.

    Everyone looked at one another; they could only continue to wait. Time ticked by even longer than when they had waited for Li Yueling toe out of the hall¡­

    Some people started to be impatient and anxiously walked back and forth venting, "What are they doing inside? Why isn''t she out yet?"

    "Who knows? It''s probably because the director is too cross with her that one or two sentences aren''t enough to express his hatred!"

    "Cook is one of the top ten advertisement directors globally and he is known for his temper. I think this time, even Glory World will be dragged down!"

    ¡­

    At the same time, inside the audition hall.

    After Ning Xi had finished exining her interpretation of nobility, Cook approved of her and finally decided to dig more about Ning Xi''s identity.

    He took the candidate details from his assistant and saw a familiar name that made him gasp in pleasant surprise, "Ning Xi¡­oh my God! You''re Meng Changge!"

    "Meng Changge¡­Yes, that''s a character for one of the films that I was involved in," she acknowledged. Ling Zhizhi mentioned that she had sent in her clip of ''The World'', so Ning Xi was not too shocked by his reaction towards her name but she wondered if Cook''s expression was a little over the top.

    "Dearest Miss Ning, the first time I saw Meng Changge, I was very drawn to the character and could not wait to watch this movie. Could you please tell me when it will be out in the theatres?"

    Cook looked slightly guilty for having even thought of her as a nuisance at the start. She looked vastly different when dressed in olden day outfits and more contemporary clothing. He could not recognize her immediately and had almost chased her out at the start.

    For an actor, the happiest moment would definitely be when their movie character receives recognition, so Ning Xi politely answered, "The movie is currently still in post-production editing, so I''m not too sure of the actual date of release either. Probably in another month''s time! Director Cook, thank you very much for your love for the character!"

 Chapter 466: A Beyond Splendid Collaboration

    <h4>Chapter 466: A Beyond Splendid Coboration</h4>

    "No, no, no, she deserves my praise¡­"

    Even though the Meng Changge was a protagonist in the movie, she had a sort of elegance that stood out from the other characters, which was why he had picked a rookie like Ning Xi among the crowd of A-list stars.

    Cook did not expect her performance today to be so outstanding. It was indeed an unexpected surprise.

    Cook looked remorseful and apologized, "Miss Ning, I''m very sorry. Because of my ignorance and shallowness, I almost missed out on your exquisite talent¡­you''re right, true nobility is part and parcel of charismatic qualities and not exclusively an extrinsic matter!"

    Cook brought Ning Xi to have a look at the fragrances that were disyed on the exhibit shelves, exining, "For two decades, the Noble brand has been passed on from generation to generation and it insists on retaining the fine techniques of aroma distition. The ingredients that are chosen to make each scente from the best of the best regions, hence enhancing the unspoken agreement that our fragrances are for the deserving aristocrats!

    "I''m very honored to be shooting an advertisement for a brand like this. Topletely embody Noble''s charm, I have a very strict demands for the spokesperson. Thank God that we have crossed paths, you and I. I am confident that this will be a splendid coboration¡­"

    As he watched Cook chat non-stop with Ning Xi, the assistant had to walk over from the side and remind him softly, "Director, there are still many people waiting outside! Should I inform the next candidate?"

    Cook suddenly stopped and quickly said, "No need, Miss Ning is the spokesperson I want. You can tell everyone else to leave."

    Outside the audition hall.

    The artistes watched anxiously as the door finally opened and Cook''s assistant walked out.

    "Honorabledies, Noble''s spokesperson has been chosen, so today''s audition ends here. Thank you, everyone, foring all the way here. After this, the Noble group will arrange a grand three-day vacation for everyone. We hope everyone will enjoy the happy memories!"

    Everyone was stunned, especially those who had not even gone in to audition.

    "What? Already chosen?"

    "But we haven''t even auditioned!"

    Even though it was hard to ept the fact, most of them had seen iting.

    Many high-flying artistes were even relieved that they did not have to embarrass themselves in the auditions. They courteously walked over to Li Yueling and greeted, "Yueling, congrattions to you!"

    "If it was Yueling who got this endorsement, I''d be convinced!"

    Li Yueling stood up elegantly and bashfully epted the congrattory wishes from the crowd. She then walked over to the assistant to say, "Thank you for Director Cook''s recognition. I won''t disappoint him!"

    Even though the assistant''s Chinese was not as fluent as Cook''s, he could sense that something was wrong. He corrected, "No, no, no, beautifuldies, I think you''ve gotten it wrong!"

    "Wrong? What''s wrong?" Everyone was confused.

    "The Noble spokesperson whom Director Cook has chosen is not Miss Li Yueling, but Miss Ning Xi," the assistant slowed down his speech and used whatever Chinese he could to answer them clearly.

    "What? Ning Xi?! The one who dressed like a beggar?"

    "Are you kidding?"

    When Li Yueling heard this, her face fell t and she probed, "Mister Assistant, has there been a misunderstanding? Are you sure Mr. Cook said it was Ning Xi?"

    She had already reported the good news to Ning Xueluo, but now they were telling her that the spokesperson role had not gone to her. Not even anyone else, but that vige girl Ning Xi who she had been ridiculing?

    The assistant confidently nodded, "I''m not wrong, it was indeed number 15, Miss Ning Xi, who just entered earlier."

 Chapter 467: Use It To Look Cool

    <h4>Chapter 467: Use It To Look Cool</h4>

    Li Yueling took a deep breath, then said seriously, "Mister Assistant, I''m barely convinced by the oue of this audition! We need a proper exnation!"

    The assistant looked helpless and feebly said, "Miss Lee, this is Director Cook''s decision. I have no say in it!"

    "Then, let me meet Director Cook. I want to talk to him face-to-face!" Li Yueling insisted.

    Now the other female artistes were shocked as well and they were all suspicious of whether the assistant had made a mistake. Even Ling Zhizhi was taken aback by the results¡­

    The assistant had no option but to say, "Okay, I will convey your message."

    With the crowd anxiously waiting, the assistant disappeared into the hall and came out very quickly to announce to everyone, "Miss Lee, Director Cook told me to tell you and the otherdies present to wait for Noble''s advertisement to be released, then everyone will naturally know that Miss Ning Xi is the perfect fit for the brand."

    When he was done, he bowed like a proper gentleman and did not say anything further. He looked towards the corner of the room and questioned, "May I ask if you are Miss Ning''s manager, Madam Ling Zhizhi? Director Cook has invited you to enter to discuss the coboration details in concrete."

    "Okay, thank you." Ling Zhizhi was stunned for a while, then she got up and followed the assistant into the audition hall.

    Left in the waiting area were a bbergasted Li Yueling and a group of outraged female artistes.

    "Wow! Is it really Ning Xi? We actually lost to someone like her? This is such a joke!"

    "Actually, I wanted to say earlier, setting aside the fact about what type of person Ning Xi is and how she dresses, she''s an artiste under Ling Zhizhi, so how simple can she be? Ling Zhizhi would not be so stupid to make such a rookie mistake. s, they really came prepared! We were too careless!"

    "Tsk tsk, it looks there''s another ck beauty in the entertainment circle!"

    "Pfft, Li Yueling was really humiliated this time. Before this, she was overthrown by Leng Manyun, and now that Leng Manyun has finally left the scene, yet another one of Ling Zhizhi''s artistes has knocked her off her pedestal again!"

    ¡­

    After they finished discussing the coboration.

    On the way back, Ling Zhizhi looked at the girl beside her thoughtfully. The more time they spent together, the more she felt like she was unfathomable¡­

    Before this, Ning Xi kept to herself and did not even have lunch or breakfast. Now, she was wolfing down at a hot dog. When she saw Ling Zhizhi watching her, she asked with stuffed cheeks, "Sis Zhizhi, why are you looking at me like that? Don''t you feel lucky to have a smart partner like me?"

    Ling Zhizhiughed slightly, "Before this, I kept thinking that this way was very risky because Cook is very familiar with China. I was worried that your acting skills would reveal loopholes. Who knew that you could y the Guqin so well? To reach such mastery, you would need at least ten years of experience, but I don''t recall seeing this skill in your portfolio¡­"

    Ning Xi almost spit when she heard that, "Sis Zhizhi, you think too highly of me. Do I look like someone who would spend such a long time cultivating skills?"

    She put up her index finger and said, "I''ll tell you honestly, I only learnt it for a month. In fact, this is the only song I know! It''s a good thing that I''ve got a pretty good memory. I tried very hard to memorize every single string and note. When I first learned it, my only thought was to use it to look cool!"

    When she heard Ning Xi''s answer, Ling Zhizhi blinked in surprise, then she giggled uncontrobly, "So that''s the story behind the song¡­"

    Ning Xi nodded, "Yeah, I like to learn a little bit of everything. I like to learn manyplicated things, but actually, I''m not very good at any of it. If the skills can be achieved in a short time, that''s fine, but I can only touch the surface level of those skills that need years and months to cultivate!"

    She did not have time to be cultured¡­her only goal was survival.

    From her experience in the Ning family before this, she felt like only if she could crazily learn every field and every bit of knowledge possible, then only would she feel a sense of security¡­

 Chapter 468: To Visit Someone

    <h4>Chapter 468: To Visit Someone</h4>

    Due to the uing perfume advertisement shoot, Ning Xi needed to stay for a while in Los Angeles.

    Riding on this opportunity, she had something very important to do¡­

    She wanted to visit someone.

    Ning Xi traveled to St. Bernard City, nearby Los Angeles.

    No one would recognize her in such an area so she did not bother to disguise herself or even put on any makeup. She simply changed into a in andfortable white t-shirt and jeans.

    St. Bernard City had been named the most dangerous city of Country M for five years in a row now, where low-ie groups gathered and the city was the main path of smugglers; it was deemed the most violent area in the entire country.

    Ning Xi had to pay double the usual fare before the driver was willing to go there. In fact, he only drove till the border of both cities and dared not continue forward. He waited for Ning Xi to get down from the car, then immediately sped off.

    Abandoned ruins proliferated the city, where most of the ce was filled with short, dpidated buildings and abandonedndfills. In the dim alleyways, ck market dealings were amon sight¡­

    However, the entertainment industry there was booming. Even though it was alreadyte at night, it was still very lively, and everywhere were the sights and sounds of drinking, games, and gambling.

    The pedestrians on the pavements were mostly muscled men with ferocious-looking tattoos, and they looked viciously at anyone who walked past them. The women, on the other hand, wore as little as possible to disy their lithe, sexy bodies, their faces heavily lined with smoky gothic makeup.

    When Ning Xi walked into St. Bernard''ste at night dressed as innocently as a schoolgirl, she was practically a little white bunny walking among a pack of bloodthirsty wolves.

    By the road side, a pair of watchful eyes evaluated this stranger who had suddenly walked into their territory.

    In Ning Xi''s mouth was a lollipop and she had her earphones on. She walked through the alleys nonchntly as if she was walking on a normal, safe pavement.

    Because of how carefree she looked, she looked like she belonged to the neighbourhood. The eyes that watched her were merely evaluating and no one actually went up to her to find fault.

    After all, if she dared appear sote at night like this in St. Bernard, even if she was really just a child, she would definitely not be someone normal. She probably had a lot of strength behind her, and the tiniest of conflicts would turn deadly for whoever took her on.

    She walked through a maze ofplicated slums, then her view of the area surrounding her started to expand. She was not far from the town center, and the nearer she approached the central region, the more modern it was.

    That was where St. Bernard''s most respected figure lived.

    With only a year apart since shest went there, the changes were not terribly significant. Based on her memory, Ning Xi soon reached a building that stood independently of the others.

    This building was surrounded by a thickset jungle, it looks dark, as if it was the witch''s pce in a fairytale world.

    The building was dark with no lights turned on. Could they be sleeping? Or was the owner not around?

    Ning Xi pushed the courtyard gate open to reach the building door and she rang the doorbell. The ringing in the still night was extremely abrupt.

    She waited for a while but there was no response at all.

    She rang another two times but it was quiet inside and no one opened the door.

    Ning Xi scratched her head, then looked at the flower pots under the windows and counted the third pot. Then, she felt for the keys from beneath the third pot.

    Haih¡­this standard of hiding the keys¡­really never changed¡­

    When she retrieved the keys, Ning Xi unlocked the door to enter.

    She found the house lights to switch them on, then walked up and down the entire house to look; indeed, he was not home.

    Ning Xi looked at the time on her phone, then sat down on the sofa in the living room. She decided to just wait there until the owner returned.

 Chapter 469: Uninvited Guest

    <h4>Chapter 469: Uninvited Guest</h4>

    In the cold house, Ning Xi waited for quite a long time but the owner still had not returned.

    After a while, Ning Xi got up and was attracted by the cartoon figures on the table.

    Her curious eyes evaluated the cartoon figures, then she smiled. That person still had not changed much, just like living in a two-dimensional world.

    "But¡­these are pretty exquisite." Ning Xi picked up a figure and yed with it for a while to kill some time while waiting.

    The figure was very lovely. Every millimeter of it seemed like it had been refined to detail, and the style of the character was special, with an arrogant yetzy posture, both hands holding two very realistic-looking guns.

    "I have two guns¡­"

    When Ning Xi identally touched a subtle switch on the figure, the cartoon figure suddenly spoke.

    Ning Xi was caught off guard and was frightened by this, subconsciously letting go of the figure in her hand.

    "I have two guns¡­one is called ''shoot''¡­"

    "And the other is called¡­ah!"

    When she heard the cartoon figure that she had thrown to the floor still continue to call out, Ning Xi returned to her senses and shook her head to get a grip on herself. She suddenly remembered that the owner was once crazily obsessed with an e-sports battling game, and these cartoon figures were the main characters of that game. Even the dialogues of the characters were exactly the same.

    She wondered what other people would think if they knew that this fearsome man who was notorious in the underground world had such a cute side.

    When the cartoon figure had finally finished its dialogue, the house went into dead silence again.

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched and she slowly walked up to pick the cartoon figure up. If they saw how she had treated their beloved figure, Ning Xi shuddered to imagine the consequences¡­she dared not think any more about it.

    Just as she thought about retrieving the figure, Ning Xi''s eyes skimmed the lower floor and noticed that the door knob was slowly turning.

    Ning Xi was joyful but within a few seconds, the smile froze on her face and left very quickly.

    Initially, she thought that the person she had been waiting for had returned, but when she looked closely, it was not him. The door knob continued to turn; it did not look like the owner had returned, but rather it was robbers breaking in.

    In a ce like St. Bernard''s, robbers were aplenty, to the extent that it wasmonce for them to rob and kill in broad daylight. Especially in ces where the wealthy lived, these deadly thieves were very active.

    Ning Xi did not hesitate and immediately walked back to put the cartoon figure onto the shelf again. Then, she opened the drawer.

    "Indeed, he is still the same¡­" Ning Xi mumbled to herself, her gaze falling onto the ck pistol lying unassumingly in the drawer.

    "German pistol¡­it really is their style," Ning Xi murmured as she took the gun out and quickly loaded it with 10 bullets.

    In this city, even if those thieves had brought a lot of guns with them, even if they were skilled atbat and were fast, they could not be faster than a gun.

    As she loaded the bullets, a sound came from below. Ning Xi frowned and looked down.

    She saw that below her were six men in ck slowly walking into the house silently. Whether it was the way they held their guns or the way they acted, it seemed like they had professional training and were notmon thieves.

    "Unless¡­they aren''t robbers?" Ning Xi was even more suspicious.

    If they were really robbers, did they really need six guns for six of them?

    And they seem to be dressed in uniforms. Ignoring the professional training they seemed to have, these robbers wore expensive-looking Chinese apparel!

 Chapter 470: Innocently Take The Shot

    <h4>Chapter 470: Innocently Take The Shot</h4>

    In a ce like St. Bernard, would there ever be a robbery team of people who wore expensive Chinese apparel and have professional training?

    It did not matter whether anyone else would believe it but Ning Xi had a hard time fathoming it.

    The six armed men below continued to sign to one another in the still darkness and they looked around with hawk eyes to examine the entire building.

    Very quickly, the first floor had been scoured by them. They probably could not find what they were looking for. Then, the leader pointed his index finger upwards at the second floor.

    When they saw that, the other men nodded in understanding and followed after their leader. They walked stealthily towards the second floor.

    Little did they know that from the moment they had walked in, their every move was being watched by a certain girl.

    At this moment, Ning Xi thoroughly understood that this group of well-trained men were definitely notmon robbers. If she guessed correctly, it was the enemies of that particr person; they hade to seek revenge now, neither for money, nor for a woman, but for life.

    Unfortunately, that person was not at home, and instead, she would have to innocently take the shot now.

    "Damn it, why does it always turn out like this?!" Ning Xi gritted her teeth. She had faced a simr situation twice before, making today the third time. What a charm. That person''s enemies were really all over the world. They probably had to deal with revenge seekers from time to time¡­

    ¡­

    Ning Xi returned to the room and thought quickly. Then, she instantly picked up the cute cartoon figure and flicked the switch on before throwing it down the stairs.

    The leader went trigger-happy.

    It didn''t take long for the cartoon figure''s bottom half to be shot beyond recognition.

    The other half of the cartoon figure fell carelessly among the men.

    "Oh¡­your shot, it really hurt my feelings!" the cartoon figure started to say.

    The men looked suspiciously at the cartoon figure that had been shot into half.

    At that moment, the cartoon figure continued, "Bro, did you grow up in the crematorium where they sell barbecue?"

    "This¡­this will be a massacre! Let''s get some magic going first, how about that?"

    "Damn it!" The lead man scowled then viciously crushed the figure that would not stop talking into pieces.

    At the same time, Ning Xi''s body shed across the void.

    Ning Xi''s eyes were sharp as an eagle''s and cold as ice. It almost seemed like she had be a whole different person.

    Anyone who did not know her well enough would definitely be shocked to see her now. The Ning Xi right now was like the Ning Xi from a few years ago. Her steely eyes held no fear ofplicated emotions, but only precise calctions.

    Bam!

    When Ning Xi fired the first shot, a loud sound rang across the entire building, and the lead man''s miserable scream was heard.

    His breathing turned rapid as his body retreated backwards to avoid the attack. However, his attempts were as feeble as wet mud copsing pathetically; Ning Xi''s shot had hit him right in the heart.

    The other five men watched on in horror and did not even care about their leader who was shot. Instead, they separated to look for cover.

    At the same time, gunfire sted another three times.

 Chapter 471: Nerve-wrecking Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 471: Nerve-wrecking Confrontation</h4>

    Before the five men could find a ce for cover, Ning Xi continued to pull the trigger thrice from the second floor.

    Bam!

    Bam!

    Bam!

    The gun shots rang out, as if confirming the end of the lives of three unfortunate souls. At the same time, three men on the lower ground had copsed on the floor and their blood soon turned the floor into a bright carmine color.

    Outside the house, many locals quickly shut their doors and windows tight. If such a thing had happened elsewhere, panic would have ensued. But this was St. Bernard''s and they were used to it.

    After all, St. Bernard''s was impressive for its crime rate.

    ¡­

    At this moment, only two armed men were left standing in the house, and they had both found a good cover.

    The two guys had calmed down from their earlier panic of being caught off guard. They were well-trained assassins after all. Even if one of them was thest man standing, he would not act like a headless chicken.

    Ning Xi took the chance to fire a couple of shots and then decided to temporarily hide in the room.

    "Hmm¡­how could they not be back yet?!" Ning Xi took a deep breath. She had already left the dark underground world for a long time, and this sudden incident was a little hard for her to adapt to instantly.

    Nevertheless, at least her earlier actions were all within her precise calctions, and she managed to get rid of four people.

    To be honest, Ning Xi understood clearly in her heart that she had to thank that special cartoon figures, or else, she might not have even noticed the well-trained assassins breaking in. if that was so. Had she not, the consequences would be unimaginable.

    Now, there were two more assassins left. For Ning Xi, they should not be too much of a problem.

    Very quickly, Ning Xi found the main control panel of the building and chose to turn it off.

    Instantly, the house turned pitch ck, as if they were in the darkest peak of the night. The entire world seemed as if it had fallen into a deafening silence; there was not a single sound.

    The two remaining men below were very careful too. They chose not to make a move immediately, but quietly waited for their chance instead.

    Several days before, they received this assassination mission and were already prepared to fail. After all, their assassination target had a reputation within their circle. The temptation of money had done them in. They knew that there was a tiger within this mountain, and yet they had walked right in.

    It was toote to regret now that their presence had already been noticed by that person. The chances of escaping from that person''s hands was practically nil, so they could only fight with their lives. Maybe there was a ray of hope to leave alive.

    Cold sweat soaked the two men''s entire bodies but they did not have any anxiety or worry on their faces. Well-trained professional assassins were prepared for such situations. Every day, they walked the borders of St. Bernard''s and pactically smeared blood on their knives to make sales with their brains. A situation like today''s had happened to them countless of times before.

    Looking on from the second floor, Ning Xi did not make any moves either. Before this, she had some luck as an advantage but now, the remaining two assassins were already much more alert.

    A momentter, Ning Xi took the broken cartoon figure from the table and switched it on, then threw it to the floor.

    She had to say that the cartoon figure seemed to be a high quality customized one; even if it were thrown down from the second floor, it did not break easily.

    "Ahahaha¡­I think you guys are aunties!"

    Suddenly, the dead silence was disrupted by the sound of the cartoon figure''s insults echoing throughout the building.

 Chapter 472: Young Man, Ya Need A Few Shots?

    <h4>Chapter 472: Young Man, Ya Need A Few Shots?</h4>

    "Ahahaha, I think you guys are aunties!"

    "You''re such fragile beings, broken by a single touch!"

    As the cartoon figure''s ridicule rang, the two assassins were stunned for a moment but they still kept their patience and did not make a move.

    "Idiots, this is a ce that even the gods dare not step foot in. You havee looking for your own deaths instead!!!"

    The cartoon figure''s voice was sometimes male, sometimes female, sometimes mellow and sometimes loud, and sometimes it would pass through clearly.

    "With just 998 dors, I could let you guys feel so good that you can''t breathe¡­"

    "That''s weird, I feel like shooting something."

    "I have two guns, one is called ''shoot''¡­one is called¡­ah!"

    "What''s that thing dripping out?"

    The figure kept spouting out annoying insults and Ning Xi smiled from the second floor. Even though the dialogues came from a game, listening to the figure alone continuously felt weird, mmm¡­very weird¡­

    After the cartoon figure rambled on for a few minutes, one of the assassins could not handle it anymore. The ramblings from the toy were too annoying and caused them not to be able to focus on thinking about the best strategy.

    The man initially wanted to signal to the other guy but because the house was plunged intoplete darkness, apart from the cartoon figure that emitted a dim light, they were left blind.

    "Damn it, I knew I should have brought my night vision sses!" the man scolded himself silently, holding his right arm out carefully to shoot the cartoon figure.

    Bam!

    A gun fired and what came after was the painful cry of the man. He did not even have the chance to pull the trigger. The shot hade from the second floor and hit him urately on his right hand.

    "Their cries, how weird!" the cartoon figure continued.

    On the second floor, Ning Xi found the night vision sses. She had to admit that the owner of the house was well equipped indeed. Apart from not having heavier firearms, everything else wasplete.

    At this moment, the injured man fell to the floor and half his body was immediately exposed in the open. With the night vision sses, she had no barriers at all.

    "Invisibility is the deadliest power!"

    With the cartoon figure''s narration, Ning Xi once again fired a shot with wless precision. She immediately extinguished the life of the man who had been moaning and the cries suddenly stopped.

    "And you¡­young man, ya need a few shots?"

    The cartoon figure''s words reached the final assassin''s ears and gave him a chill as though the words were meant just for him.

    "Oh, my big knife has long been thirsty¡­"

    Thest assassin had a vicious look in his eyes as he raised the gun towards the second floor and shot numerous times. However, without the night vision sses, he could only fire blindly. Ning Xi was practically unthreatened by him.

    "Gun skills ain''t bad, but if you want to hit her, you''d have to wait for the next time!" the cartoon figure taunted.

    "You remind me of my family''s best milking cow. I''d like to introduce that cow to you!"

    ¡­

    "Damn this bloody prank!"

    The assassin finally let the anger and fear get the best of him and he lost his rationality as he shot towards the direction of the second floor again.

    This time, Ning Xi was already prepared. Just as the assassin was getting into position to make the shot, Ning Xi chose the perfect timing to pull the trigger with her agility and precision.

    "Someone as handsome as I am would usually be the main character in other games!"

    The final dialogue of the cartoon figure was the curtain call for the ck-clothed assassin as he fell to the floor and took hisst breath.

 Chapter 473: Iâ€™m Super Duper Cool

    <h4>Chapter 473: I¡¯m Super Duper Cool</h4>

    Since she did not know if the assassins had called for backup, she kept the lights turned off. With her night vision sses on, she walked down the stairs carefully.

    She looked through the dead assassins¡¯ belongings to find more information about their identity.

    "B rank¡­" Ning Xi mumbled in surprise. These people were B rank assassins from a group called "The Sins".

    The history of The Sins traced way back to the end of the Middle Ages. It was a universally-known rank of assassins whose existence rose to the peak during thest world war.

    Aside from being the forces behind powerful families, some small countries hired top assassins from The Sins as well.

    "One exists as The Sin.

    The Sin exists to destroy.

    The world is full of sin, humiliating worldly desires; how pathetic!

    One shall use the power of The Sin to destroy the world."

    These words were known as the holiest Bible of The Sins.

    B ss assassins belonged to the average category among The Sins, only bested by the A ss.

    "Haha, the person who hired B ss assassins to kill that person¡­" said Ning Xi as she shook her head. They were all trying to get themselves killed.

    The Sins wasn¡¯t some killer organization with aplete system. It was just a list and all the world-ss assassins were listed on it. One could look up the rank of the assassin on The Sins before hiring them.

    Ning Xi was having doubts about the person who had hired B ss assassins to kill that owner of the house.

    "Someone as handsome as I am is usually the main character in games!"

    The cartoon figurine that had been thrown to the first floor startedughing, baring its teeth and giving a thumbs-up as well.

    Ning Xi smiled and picked up the figurine. "You must be my lucky charm, thank you!"

    "I¡¯m super duper cool!"

    To which Ning Xi replied, "Hmm¡­I doubt so."

    "It¡¯s time to show you my real skills!"

    Ning Xi replied again, "Didn¡¯t you already show me just now?"

    "Young man, hurry, there are still treasures yet to be discovered!"

    ¡­

    In the end, Ning Xi turned off the switch on the cartoon figurine and it finally stopped bbering.

    Right after she had kept the figurine on her, she heard irregr footsteps from outside the house.

    Ning Xi quickly hid under the windows and tried to peek outside.

    There were a few men waiting outside and were looking inside the house from time to time.

    These people weren¡¯t assassins from The Sins, their irregr footsteps gave them away.

    Suddenly, a phone rang in the pocket of the man who had led the assassins.

    Ning Xi swiftly went up to his body and took out his phone.

    A text message came in from the sender "Jeffrey", saying: "Did you get it?"

    Ning Xi thought for a while, then replied with the man¡¯s phone, "Done, but we almost lost our lives this time!"

    The phone rang again a while after, "Haha, thanks for your hard work! I¡¯ll be adding some extra to your reward. I¡¯ll have my people retreat first as they have something else on their hands!"

 Chapter 474: You Donâ€™t Get My Sense of Humor

    <h4>Chapter 474: You Don¡¯t Get My Sense of Humor</h4>

    Ning Xi turned off the phone and thought that the people outside were the men Jeffrey had been talking about.

    Ning Xi left the house to tail them not long after they had left.

    Instead of just waiting in the house, she wanted to try to find out who was this Jeffrey who hired B ss assassins to kill that person!

    Ning Xi equipped herself with her lucky charm and she tailed the group of foreigners stealthily.

    They arrived at a vi guarded by a few men in a remote area half an hourter.

    "Could this Jeffrey be the vi¡¯s owner?" Ning Xi mumbled to herself. If this was their main headquarters, she would be better off staying put for now.

    As Ning Xi prepared to leave, she saw a man around 50 years of age getting chased out of the vi and being pushed to the ground.

    "You¡­you bastards, this is my house! You can¡¯t do this to me! You just can¡¯t!" the middle-aged man roared in agony, his eyes full of hatred.

    "Hey, who do you think you are? You might not even see daybreak tomorrow, you idiot!"

    "Oh, my dear Lou, it¡¯s been rainy these days, how would he even see the sun?!"

    "Idiots, it¡¯s a joke! You don¡¯t get my sense of humor!"

    ¡­

    "Get out of my house now!" the middle-aged man shouted as he struggled to get up from the ground while pointing at those people.

    "You damned old man, get lost!" A young man pped the middle-aged man¡¯s right cheek heavily. The middle-aged man fell down again.

    "Pa!"

    "I¡¯m going to trample you to death!"

    A few young men started kicking the middle-aged man on the floor while using all kinds of profanity to curse him.

    As they were attacking the middle-aged man, Ning Xi had already sneaked into the vi. She then realized that it was just an ordinary vi and not where Jeffrey was.

    After searching, she exited the vi from the main door.

    "You old man, I¡¯m taking your head off today. Do you actually think that you could get through the night?! Hahaha! The boss told us to snuff your life out!"

    "Lou, where¡¯s his dog? Let me do it!"

    "Bastard, you watch too many movies! You''re just looking for trouble now!"ughed the young man named Lou.

    "Hahaha!"

    ¡­

    They suddenly saw ady step out of the vi.

    Lou¡¯s men were confused. Who was this woman and why was she in the vi?

    "You! Lady! Yes, I¡¯m talking to you, don¡¯t look anywhere else. Look at me!" Lou stopped kicking the middle-aged man and blocked Ning Xi¡¯s path.

    Ning Xi stood there expressionless.

    "Who are you and why would you be in the vi in the first ce?" Lou asked as he assessed Ning Xi and when he saw her adorable face, he smiled maliciously.

    "Is this your house?" Ning Xi asked him instead.

    "What did you say?!" Lou¡¯s expression changed. No one had ever talked to him in such a tone!

    "Lady, I¡¯m Solomon''s new boss, Jeffrey¡¯s brother, Lou. Don''t you know who I am? If you don¡¯t, I can tell you in detail in bed with me tonight!" Lou said fiercely.

 Chapter 475: Silly Leader

    <h4>Chapter 475: Silly Leader</h4>

    Ning Xi was a little surprised by the man¡¯s words. So he was Jeffrey¡¯s younger brother¡­

    In the blink of an eye, the woman elbowed his face and he was scowled unhappily.

    "What did you say earlier? I didn¡¯t hear it clearly," Ning Xi asked Lou who was moaning in pain.

    "You¡­you witch, you dare to hit me?!" Lou covered his swollen face and red at Ning Xi. He then yelled at the people behind him, "Kill her! She''s mine to bed tonight!"

    Everyone sprung into action with Lou¡¯s roar, after being momentarily mesmerized by how swiftly Ning Xi¡¯s perfect elbow attack had taken the tough Lou down.

    "Lou, so do you want to kill her, or do you want to sleep with her? Can you still sleep with her if she¡¯s dead?" one of the bald men asked in confusion.

    "Damn you, Bardy! Get on it now!" Lou yelled angrily.

    Bardy and his men surrounded Ning Xi.

    "Wait." Ning Xi shook her head.

    "Little Miss, are you trying to beg for forgiveness?" Bardy yelled at her.

    Ning Xi went to the side and picked up a few steel bars to give them to the people in front of her.

    Ning Xi left them dumbfounded and confused.

    "Ok,e at me," Ning Xi pped her hands and nodded with satisfaction.

    How boring if the opponents were too weakpared to her, much better now!

    "Damn it, you¡¯re going to die!"

    "You witch, are you looking down on us?!"

    Ning Xi was obviously provoking them, especially since they were elite members from the Solomon group. They would not let her get away with this!

    Of course, the title of "elite member" was self-appointed.

    Under the leadership of the bald man, they started attacking Ning Xi with the steel bars.

    "Don¡¯t hit her too hard. I¡¯m still going to sleep with herter and I don''t want her performance to be affected! And don¡¯t hit her face!" Lou yelled at them while looking after the middle-aged man.

    Right after he yelled at them, Ning Xi gave Bardy a powerful kick and he fell beside Lou, moaning in agony.

    Like lined-up dominoes, they all went down one by one, defeated by Ning Xi. The steel bars were all lying haphazardly on the floor.

    "Da¡­damn it, who is this woman? She¡¯s powerful!" the bald man gasped in fear.

    "Shoot her! Bardy, kill her with your gun!" Lou noticed something was wrong and instructed Bardy to take out the threat.

    Only Bardy had a gun. Although Lou was Jeffrey¡¯s brother, he still did not have any say in this matter.

    Bardy quickly took out his gun and aimed it at Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi was calm despite having a gun pointing at her. In her pocket, her hand was already grasped around her gun. She was confident that she could kill the bald man first if he did fire at her.

    "Shoot her, Bardy, you idiot!" Lou yelled at him for not firing at her.

    The bald man was embarrassed and answered him, "We¡¯re done for¡­I¡¯ve always been afraid that I might lose the gun in a fight¡­so I never loaded bullets in them¡­

    Lou¡¯s men were all dumbfounded by this statement and Ning Xi almostughed out loud.

 Chapter 476: Useless Boss

    <h4>Chapter 476: Useless Boss</h4>

    An unloaded gun?! Louunched into a tirade and cursed Baldy endlessly.

    "Lou, I¡¯m still the leader for our team and I have my pride as leader. How can I expect any respect from my team if you are always scolding me!" Bardy stared at Lough, his mouth curled downwards.

    "Screw your pride!" Lou kicked Bardy.

    Bardy backed off and fell into a punching stance. Before Lou could react, he threw a punch and hit Lou''s jaw, "I cannot stand you anymore, Lou! Now see for yourself what I can do!"

    Seeing Bardy¡¯s counterattack, the middle-aged man quickly got up from the floor and started hitting Lou as well.

    The others wanted to help Lou but Ning Xi knocked them out with her a strike of her knife-armed hand.

    "Hey, Lou! Check out mybo punches!" Bardy threw his punches swiftly like rain droplets sttering onto Lou¡¯s face.

    A whileter, Lou¡¯s face was swollen and badly bruised.

    "Ha!" Bardy shouted and unleashed his final attack, gesturing like a boxing champion. He held both his hands up high and did a victory dance, pumping both hands up and down while chanting, "Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!"

    Ning Xi snatched his gun away while he was celebrating his victory against Lou.

    Bardy looked at Ning Xi and his triumphant look soon faded.

    "It¡¯s really not loaded¡­" Ning Xiughed awkwardly, finding the bald Bardy very interesting.

    "My dear savior! I¡¯m Zeus. Thank you for saving me!" the middle-aged man said in excitement, "I¡¯m the boss of Solomon and I was betrayed by my second-inmand, Jeffrey. If it hadn¡¯t been for you, I wouldn¡¯t live to see tomorrow!"

    "Hey, to the most useless boss in history, midnight has just passed. You wouldn''t have lived till today without her," Bardy told him seriously.

    Ning Xi was speechless as she did not expect that she would identally save a gang leader¡­

    It was probably because the boss and his henchmen were so useless that she had thought that this unheard gang was just a group of people fooling around. She only found out some timeter how big of an influence the Solomon had, and that the middle-aged Zeus in front of her was one of the weakest leaders amongst all of the previous bosses.

    However, currently Ning Xi was focused on the safety of a particr person, so she quickly told them, "You guys, bring me to Jeffrey!"

    "Jeffrey is ruthless. Going to him now is like looking for your own death!" Bardy shook his head.

    Ning Xi shot him a threatening stare and he quickly said, "I think you¡¯ll be fine though. I¡¯ll bring you there!"

    Zeus thought for a while and said, "I know of a shortcut that can reach directly into the heart of his base, follow me!"

    They reached a manor in the outskirts half an hourter. Apparently, Jeffrey was here.

    "That''s weird, no one¡¯s guarding the area. Could it be a trap?" Zeus doubted.

    Ning Xi did not give it much thought and she went straight inside the manor.

    She was not sure if the person that Jeffrey sent assassins to kill was safe, and where that person was¡­

    Inside the big manor, there were 13 armed muscr men patrolling around.

    As Ning Xi wasing up with a n, an odd sound came from above.

    A helicopter appeared on top of the manor.

    All the armed men in the manor were on alert.

    As she looked from afar, Ning Xi saw a voluptuous woman with brown-colored hair in a tight ck suit. The woman used a rope to disembark the helicopter.

    Ning Xi was surprised to see the woman as she did not expect that the person she had been waiting for all night long would make her entry in such a grand way.

 Chapter 477: Youâ€™re So Cute In A Girlâ€™s Outfit!

    <h4>Chapter 477: You¡¯re So Cute In A Girl¡¯s Outfit!</h4>

    "Third¡­" Just as Ning Xi wanted to yell out and start running towards the woman, she saw a few heavily armed men leaving the helicopter as well.

    Ning Xi quickly shouted at Bardy and the useless boss Zeus, "Run!"

    The moment they reached a safe ce, the air was filled with sounds of machine guns rattling and people screaming¡­

    Ning Xi hid in the shadows and sweat poured off her. If she had reacted even a secondter, she would have died!

    The scene was dead silent 10 minutester.

    Needless to say, Jeffrey and his men were all dead!

    Bardy and the useless boss were in deep shock. Had it not been for Ning Xi, they would have been long dead.

    After the sound of gun shots had faded, Ning Xi could not help but run towards the woman.

    Before she could give her a hug, a strong punch weed her.

    Ning Xi evaded the deadly punch with a back handspring.

    More and more attacks came after the punch, not giving her any time to catch her breath.

    Through their exchange of attacks, Ning Xi did not have any chance to counter them. She could only defend and evade the whole time.

    The opponent stepped up her game.

    She was still just testing Ning Xi earlier but now she wanted to end her life with every strike, attacking her with even fiercer attacks.

    Ning Xi was in an awkward position as she wanted to speak a few times but there were no openings at all. If she lost focus even for a brief moment, it would cost her fatal consequences¡­

    After a long while, Ning Xi had reached her physical strength limit and her shoulder was hit by a powerful fist, causing it to re in pain.

    A minuteter, the opponent was choking her throat and it felt like her neck was about to break¡­

    At that moment Ning Xi quickly yelled, "Third Senior Sister!"

    The opponent released her grip when she heard Ning Xi¡¯s voice.

    The woman was being doubtful, "Who are you?"

    "Me! It¡¯s me! I¡¯m Xiao Xi!"

    "Xiao Xi?" The woman released her instantly.

    When Ning Xi finally could catch her breath, she bent over and coughed, "Third Senior Sister, you¡¯re brutal! I haven¡¯t seen you for so long and the first thing you do is try to kill me!"

    The woman was surprised by Ning Xi¡¯s appearance and her cold expression turned into excitement and joy as she hugged Ning Xi tightly, "Oh my! Xiao Xi! You¡¯re really Xiao Xi! I couldn¡¯t recognize you in a girl¡¯s outfit! Oh, my Xiao Xi, you¡¯re so cute in a girl¡¯s outfit! How adorable, let me hug you!"

    "Cough¡­Sis, I¡¯m getting suffocated by your boobs! Although it might be the dream of many men¡­but I don¡¯t want to die yet¡­"

    "That¡¯s mean, you little kid!" The woman let her and shyly said, "Oops, I mean little girl! I was just thinking who it was that dared to attack me from behind! I didn¡¯t expect it to be you!"

 Chapter 478: Whoâ€™s This Little Bunny?

    <h4>Chapter 478: Who¡¯s This Little Bunny?</h4>

    "Third Senior Sister, even if you couldn¡¯t recognize me just now, aren¡¯t you familiar with my fighting style?" Ning Xi asked.

    "The way you evaded me was quite familiar but how would I know you were one of us? I don¡¯t recall anyone that sucked so badly!" the woman said as a matter-of-factly.

    Ning Xi had nothing to defend herself with, so she whined, "Senior Sister, can''t you be a bit more considerate?"

    "You cheeky little girl, what''s up with you? Even though you sucked back then, you could still hold your ground for quite some time against me, but now you can¡¯t evenst for a while. Your posture¡¯s bad and your knees are weak. You haven¡¯t been training in the past year, have you?! If Master knew about this, your leg would have been broken by now!" Feng Xiaoxiao scolded her.

    Ning Xi touched her nose and said sadly, "I¡¯m too busy, there¡¯s no time¡­"

    A handsome, tall man from Feng Xiaoxiao¡¯s team walked over and stared at Ning Xi with interest, "Hey, Xiaoxiao, who¡¯s this little bunny?"

    Feng Xiaoxiao kicked him, "Get lost! You¡¯re the bunny! This is my junior sister. Don¡¯t you dare have any funny ideas or I¡¯ll break your third leg!"

    The man quickly ran away while covering his crotch.

    Feng Xiaoxiao gave them a threatening stare and then returned to the conversation with Ning Xi, "So, how has it been going? Is it fun being a celebrity?"

    "It¡¯s pretty interesting. You can act as a side character next time!" Ning Xi smiled brightly at her.

    Feng Xiaoxiao brushed her hair, "You little fe, you always have so little patience. One day, you¡¯re doing this and another day you¡¯re doing that. When you said that you were going into acting, I thought you were just being curious and would be back after a few days. Who knew that you¡¯d leave for a whole year¡­"

    "I was afraid that I wouldn¡¯t leave you if I saw you!" Ning Xi smiled cheekily.

    Feng Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes, then asked her, "Right, I haven¡¯t asked you yet but why are you here?"

    Ning Xi sighed, "It¡¯s a long story, I was waiting for you at your home, but coincidentally there was someone there to assassinate you and I was worried about you. After I settled them, I followed the henchmen and eventually I got here, saw you and you almost killed me¡­"

    Feng Xiaoxiao quickly gave her another tight hug. She asked her while patting her head, "Is there anything urgent that you need me for?"

    Ning Xi took her to a quiet corner before she continued, "Third Senior Sister, I need a favor from you, please help me!"

    "What is it? I¡¯ll surely help you!"

    "Senior Sister, can you help me find out more about a person?"

    "Find a person? Easy! No matter who it is, I¡¯ll get you everything you need about that person."

    "Satan."

    "Who?!"

    "I said, I need information on Satan!"

    Feng Xiaoxiao reluctantly broke the promise she just made. "I can¡¯t!"

    Ning Xi begged her, "Third Senior Sister, please! Only you can help me now!"

    Feng Xiaoxiao¡¯s expression darkened, "Why do you want to know so much about that person?"

    "I just need it!" Ning Xi continued begging.

    Feng Xiaoxiao held her temples in frustration, "It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help you, but I can¡¯t do anything about it. If you really want to know, why not ask him personally?"

 Chapter 479: I Know You Love Me The Most

    <h4>Chapter 479: I Know You Love Me The Most</h4>

    "Would I still need your help if I could ask him directly?"

    "Then go and ask your First Senior Brother!" Feng Xiaoxiao wanted to push the burden away.

    "He would never tell me! Third Senior Sister, please! Help me! I know you love me the most!" Ning Xi begged persistently.

    Feng Xiaoxiao could not stand it anymore, "Damn it, where did you learn to act this way? Did your personality change along with your outfit as well? No wonder you insisted on not wearing a girl¡¯s outfit thest time! If those dudes from your organization see this, they¡¯d have eaten you alive!"

    "I¡¯m only doing this for you, Third Senior Sister!"

    Feng Xiaoxiao was helpless, "Fine, my loss, I¡¯ll help you on this but don¡¯t get your hopes up. You know how secretive this person¡¯s background is. Besides, you need to give me a lead to start with."

    Ning Xi thought for a while and wrote three words on Feng Xiaoxiao¡¯s palm with her finger.

    Feng Xiaoxiao¡¯s brows raised, "Lu Tingxiao¡­the the powerful business overlord in China?"

    Ning Xi nodded, "Yes, I want to know if he has any rtionship with Satan."

    "Why would the both of them be rted? And what¡¯s your rtionship to Lu Tingxiao?" Feng Xiaoxiao was doubtful.

    Ning Xi carefully phrased her words, "Not much, thepany I¡¯m affiliated with now is under the Lu Corporation and he¡¯s my boss!"

    "That¡¯s all?" Feng Xiaoxiao squinted her eyes, not believing Ning Xi at all.

    A voice came through from afar, "Xiaoxiao! We need to go now! Say goodbye to your little bunny!"

    Feng Xiaoxiao looked a little sad, "I¡¯m sorry, my dear, I have to go now!"

    Ning Xi was not all that happy as well, "Be careful!"

    "Oh, right! There¡¯s another important thing, wait!" As Feng Xiaoxiao entered the ne, she took out her phone and snapped a picture of Ning Xi, "Hahahaha¡­Little Junior Sister in a girl¡¯s outfit, I¡¯m going to show the seniors!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    It was just a girl¡¯s outfit!

    ¡­

    Leader Bardy and the useless boss of Solomon Zeus only came out after Feng Xiaoxiao¡¯s bunch had left.

    "You¡­you know that woman?" Bardy had fear written all over his face.

    Zeus was really shocked as well and said, "You called her your Third Senior Sister! If I¡¯m not wrong, that woman is one of the A ss assassins on The Sin list¡­"

    Mission aplished. She had no more reason to stay here and she had had enough of what had happened tonight.

    She left immediately, ignoring the both of them.

    Zeus quickly went up and shouted, "Boss! Boss, where are you going?"

    Ning Xi was shocked and almost fell down, "Who are you calling ''boss''?"

    "You, of course!"

    "Huh?"

    Zeus knelt down on one knee and said in a serious tone, "Thank you for saving me, and killing Jeffrey. Solomon praises the strong ones, only you¡¯re worthy to be Solomon¡¯s new boss!"

    Funny how he could say that they praised the strong ones.

    Ning Xi let out a yawn, "Sorry, not interested."

    She did not care what Zeus said afterward and she left, waving her hands¡­

    Back at the hotel where she stayed.

    Ning Xiy on the bed after a shower. While she felt tired, she could not sleep at all. Tonight reminded her of guns and blood, and she felt fearful that she might not have left her old ways of living¡­

    Ning Xi brushed her hair and sat up to check the time on her phone. It should be daytime in China now.

    She opened her messenger and sent Cabbage Lu a message: [Boss, I got the endorsement for Noble perfume!]

    As she wanted to put the phone down, a text message returned almost instantly: [Congrattions!]

    Ning Xi felt as if she had returned to the human world after she saw the message.

    Another message came through again: [Have you not slept or are you up too early?]

    Ning Xi dared not admit that she had not slept for the whole night, so she sent: [I¡¯m just up early, will be going to the studio to discuss some details with the director.]

    [When are youing back?]

    Ning Xi reported genuinely: [If things go well, the work will be done in two days and after that, I want to go shopping, so I¡¯ll be back about three dayster. Sis Zhizhi had something urgent to do so she¡¯ll leave first the day after tomorrow.]

    [Okay, all the best.]

    Ning Xi felt a little sleepy after messaging Lu Tingxiao, she dozed off before work started¡­

 Chapter 480: Be More Ideal To Him

    <h4>Chapter 480: Be More Ideal To Him</h4>

    At a five star hotel in Los Angeles.

    Li Yueling was furious early in the morning and she yelled, "I don¡¯t care anymore. You¡¯re my manager so you should fix this! Are you trying to embarrass me? I¡¯ve already told Xueluo I got the endorsement!"

    The manager said helplessly, "Yueling, I¡¯ve been utilizing all myworks and doing all I could since they released the result. Cook isn¡¯t just the director of this advertisement, he is also currently the art director of Noble. The endorsement is totally up to him, there¡¯s nothing I can do!"

    "Why don¡¯t you contact Cook directly? It doesn¡¯t matter how much money he wants!"

    The manager quickly advised, "Don¡¯t be reckless, Yueling. Do you think I haven¡¯t thought about this? Things are different here. These foreigners don¡¯t care about money, especially an art enthusiast like Cook. I¡¯ve asked his assistant. He¡¯s beenpletely charmed by Ning Xi; she¡¯s his goddess muse! It¡¯s impossible to change his mind¡­unless¡­"

    "Unless what?" Li Yueling quickly asked.

    "Unless you can be an ideal modelpared to Ning Xi in his eyes."

    The manager was telling the truth but she had touched a fresh wound, so Li Yueling exploded, "If I can do it, then what would I still need you for?! Useless! Idiot! You can¡¯t even settle something like this! This is why Ling Zhizhi is always above of you!"

    The manager was really unhappy, thinking that she had been below Ling Zhizhi all this time because of Li Yueling¡¯sck of ability. After investing so much money and resources, she still could not even win a presentable award.

    Suddenly the doorbell rang.

    The manager opened the door, surprised to see who it was. "Ms. Ning? Why are you here?"

    "What? Xueluo is here?" Li Yueling quickly went to the door and was surprised to see Ning Xueluo standing outside. "Xueluo, why are you here? Come in!"

    Ning Xueluo sat down on the sofa, then looked at Li Yueling. "I¡¯ve already heard about the Noble endorsement."

    Li Yueling¡¯s expression froze. "I¡¯m sorry, Xueluo, I messed up the opportunity that you gave me¡­"

    Ning Xueluo signaled for Li Yueling to sit beside her andforted, "Don¡¯t me yourself, Yueling, it¡¯s not your fault! You didn¡¯t want this to happen!"

    Li Yueling looked at her and Xueluo and thought of something. "Xueluo, why don''t you go and talk to Director Cook? You gave up the auditions for me but since things went south, we can¡¯t just let Ning Xi have the advantage! You can surely defeat her with your talent!"

    Ning Xueluo said numbly, "It¡¯s not just about talent. Ning Xi loves to use dirty tricks and innocentdies like us don¡¯t stand a chance against her. It was all my fault. If I had known Ning Xi would join the audition beforehand, I could¡¯ve reminded you to be more careful!"

    Actually, Ning Xueluo did not even get through the initial audition and she had lied in order not to embarrass herself. On a side note, she could get Li Yueling on her side by doing her a favor, striking two birds with one stone.

    If she went up to Cook now, she would find out about her elimination in the initial phase of the audition.

 Chapter 481: Getting Rich Overnight

    <h4>Chapter 481: Getting Rich Overnight</h4>

    Li Yueling did not notice anything odd about Ning Xueluo, so she continued toin, "I knew that she must have used some dirty tricks, I almost thought that I really lost to her! What should I do now Xueluo? I¡¯m too embarrassed to go back!"

    Ning Xueluo gave it some thought and said, "Noble has already announced the results and it¡¯s impossible to change that now but we can minimize the spread of the news.

    This audition happened in a foreign country so not many people know about it. If we pull some strings, they might not tell the whole world. And it wasn¡¯t just you who are embarrassed. In fact, all of them are far more experienced than Ning Xi and yet they still lost to her!"

    Li Yueling had a moment of realization. "You¡¯re right¡­"

    "So just rx, you¡¯re on the same side as them. Coincidentally, History has just opened a headquarters in Los Angeles. We¡¯ll invite all of them over tomorrow and buy them some dresses there. After some bonding and hints, they¡¯d surely understand!"

    The manager spoke up as well, "That¡¯s a good idea. History is quite popr among the entertainment circle recently and many celebrities will be proud to own a dress designed by the lead designer David!"

    Li Yueling held Ning Xueluo¡¯s arms intimately and ttered, "Of course, Xueluo, you have great taste and you picked that designer to set up a brand for him and make him popr!"

    "I was just lucky," Ning Xueluo said humbly.

    ¡­

    On the third day since Ning Xi came to Los Angeles.

    Noble¡¯s advertisement shoot ended without a hitch and she was going home tomorrow.

    Her endorsement fees amounted to three million dors, 10 times more than what she had received thest time.

    It felt awesome to get rich overnight!

    Finally, she could buy whatever she wanted.

    A not lesser known brand that Ning Xi liked, "Neon", had been bought over recently and changed their name to "History". It seemed that its poprity was rising and it had gotten a lot of attention in the entertainment field with many celebrities and socialites loving it.

    She felt a little sad that suddenly everyone knew about the treasure that used to be only known by a few, but of course, she felt happy for the brand itself.

    As the brand had progressed, more ssic designs were made.

    She heard that History had opened a shop in Los Angeles and had a lot of pieces that were not avable back home, so she wanted to take a look.

    Ning Xi felt refreshed stepping into the store.

    There were a lot of designs that were not avable back home and all of them piqued her interest.

    What was regrettable was that the prices were almost tenfold to how much it had cost before.

    "Miss, see anything that you like? Try them on! You can only see how it really looks when you try it on yourself!" the salesperson told Ning Xi.

    "Mmm, I¡¯ll look around for a while. All of them look gorgeous!"

    The salesperson smiled, "Miss, are you from China?"

    "Yes."

    "I think that although our brand is popr in Western countries, only a Chinese can bring out the real potential of the designs. After all, it was made by a Chinese designer. You look really pretty and you have a unique aura, most of our garments would suit you very well!"

    "I¡¯ve always been a fan of this brand even before it was named History!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 482: Totally Charmed By Her

    <h4>Chapter 482: Totally Charmed By Her</h4>

    Ning Xi tried on ten different outfits and loved every one of them.

    In the end, she generously bought all of them.

    As expected, the best solution when faced with a dilemma with too many choices was to be rich! By being decisive and buying them all, then one need not be burdened by having to just choose one.

    There was a retro-themed dress with Chinese elements that Ning Xi loved it the most. She had the salesperson pack up her clothes and she immediately wore that outfit.

    The salesperson was d that she got herself a big deal, so with a big smile she said, "Thank you for your patronage, pleasee again!"

    Ning Xi held onto all her bags and was stepping out when she saw a big group of celebrities entering the shop with Li Yueling as the lead. The woman in a long mint green dress beside Li Yueling was Ning Xueluo¡­

    She did not see Ning Xueluo at the Noble audition the other day, so why was she here?

    Suddenly, every salesperson in the shop and the manager went up to them, bowing to Ning Xueluo, "Wee back, Mistress!"

    Ning Xi frowned a little. Mistress?

    Because Ning Xi was on her way out, all of them saw her at the entrance.

    Li Yueling saw Ning Xi holding all the bags and said, "I didn¡¯t expect that you''d like History too."

    Ning Xueluo went up to Ning Xi, "Ning Xi, I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯ll be here. You could¡¯ve let me know beforehand so that I could have them give you a discount!"

    Ning Xi¡¯s brows frowned even more. Was it Ning Xueluo who bought over Neon?

    As far as she knew, Ning Xueluo usually liked European styles and had always thought that brands with Chinese element like Neon were too tacky, so why would she suddenly invest in Neon?

    Ning Xi just mumbled something and left the shop.

    Li Yueling sneered with despise, "Even if she wore a dragon robe, it can¡¯t cover up her countryside stink!!"

    "Why do you say so?" one of the artistes asked.

    Li Yueling raised her brows, "Didn¡¯t you guys know that just like Fang Xiaowen, she came from a fairly remote vige where people reared cows, goats, and poultry!"

    All the artistes were surprised. "I can¡¯t believe this. Has Director Cook gone crazy? Having someone like her to endorse the renowned Noble famous for its elegance?! If consumers knew that the ambassador was a countryside girl, who¡¯d still buy their products?"

    "Hehe, I don¡¯t think Cook is crazy. He was just totally charmed by her!"

    Ning Xueluo tried to settle them down. "Okay, we¡¯re here to shop, let¡¯s stop talking about business!"

    "Right, Xueluo, is it really true that we can get the designer to design a dress for each and every one of us?" an artiste asked with excitement.

    Li Yueling answered happily, "Of course, Xueluo owns History, so it¡¯s no big deal!"

    Most people there were fairly influential and no matter how popr History was, it was nothing more than a wardrobe addition. Ning Xueluo opened up again, "I¡¯m really d that all of you prettydies here are willing to wear dresses from History. It¡¯s our honor and it¡¯ll surely save me tons of advertising fees!"

    The artistes were in a much better mood now and one of the popr ones replied, "You¡¯re too generous, Xueluo, it¡¯s true that you''ve got a genuinely fantastic brand!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 483: Why Do You Keep Staring At Me?

    <h4>Chapter 483: Why Do You Keep Staring At Me?</h4>

    Ning Xi walked around after leaving History, intending to buy some souvenirs.

    She was tired halfway through, so she bought herself some snacks and sat down on one of the long chairs.

    Suddenly, she felt someone looking at her.

    Ning Xi looked up and saw an untidy beggar staring at her¡­

    It felt really odd to be eating while being stared at, so she then took out a sandwich from the paper bag and gave it to the beggar.

    The beggar looked at her, took the sandwich and gobbled it down quickly.

    Ning Xi sensed the gaze again, so she looked up and still saw the beggar there¡­

    Ning Xi then realized that he was not staring at her food, but it was more like a judgmental stare assessing her¡­

    Ning Xi was confused. What was she supposed to do? She had even given him something to eat, so what was he trying to do?

    Ning Xi stopped eating and walked over to him, "Hey, why do you keep staring at me?"

    "I¡¯m not staring at you." Ning Xi was surprised that he replied in Chinese. She did not expect him to be a Chinese¡­

    Ning Xi responded in Chinese as well, "You¡¯ve been staring at me since just now! Even at this moment!"

    The beggar scanned her then replied, "I¡¯m looking at your outfit."

    Ning Xi looked at her dress and asked, "What about my outfit?"

    The beggar did not even hesitate. "It¡¯s ugly."

    Ning Xi was speechless. Even people who had zero fashion sense would never consider this dress as ugly.

    "Why don''t you tell me which part of this dress is ugly?"

    Ning Xi was not expecting anything constructive but his reply was out of her expectations, "The embroidery on your dress is a flower-bird themed whiches from the drawing called "Rest" by Lin Fengmian. It¡¯s a good drawing but the background color is too dark. It¡¯d be better if turquoise blue was used. They shouldn''t have used silk as well; a softer fabric would have worked better. The worst part is the design around the waist. It¡¯s a misconception that the tighter the waist area, the more can one unt their curves. Actually, if it¡¯s a little bit looser, it would have made an enormous difference¡­"

    Ning Xi saw that the beggarmented excitedly about her outfit.

    She looked at her outfit again and armed with the knowledge from hisments, she thought that his words made sense.

    She listened patiently and prompted, "Tell me more!"

    The beggar continued with a cold tone, "Most importantly, this outfit you¡¯re wearing is a half-made draft! They are deceiving the consumers by putting this on for sale!

    Ning Xi looked at the beggar again. "How do you know all these?"

    The beggar had really messy hair that covered most of his face but from his voice, Ning Xi was determined that he should be around 20 odd years of age.

    Ning Xi felt something was off, this man was young and did not seem to be disabled either, so how did he end up as a beggar on the streets of this foreign country?

 Chapter 484: They Stole My Children

    <h4>Chapter 484: They Stole My Children</h4>

    When he heard Ning Xi¡¯s question, the beggar seemed to hold back. All of a sudden, he became quiet andy on the ground, avoiding her nce.

    Ning Xi rubbed her chin and left.

    The beggar opened his eyes when he heard Ning Xi¡¯s footsteps leaving, then he stared at the bags of clothes with the History logo that she left behind¡­

    After a while, he heard some footsteps approaching and he hung his head with his eyes closed before the footsteps stopped right in front of him. He rattled his bowl with some scarce change in it, but he heard a loud "thump" right beside him.

    He opened his eyes again and saw a can of beer right in front of him.

    The beggar sat up and quickly took the beer, almost tasting the exhilirating coolness trickling down his parched throat. He looked up and saw the girl earlier in front of him. She ced a dozen cans of beer right beside him.

    "What is this?" the beggar asked doubtfully.

    "These are on me, I have some booze for you and in exchange, you have some stories to tell!" Ning Xi announced brightly, putting some newspapers on the floor to sit on.

    The beggar opened the can of beer and gulped it down thirstily while denying, "I don¡¯t have any stories to tell¡­"

    Ning Xi smiled. She was patient and she believed that the booze would loosen his tongue!

    Ning Xi was not the nosy type but once she found something that interested her, she had to know everything about it!

    Eventually, the alcohol did its job and he started talking after three cans of beer.

    Ning Xi waved the beer in front of his face and asked, "I¡¯m going to ask you again. How do you know so much about this outfit? And how did you even know that it¡¯s an iplete design?"

    "Of course¡­of course, I¡¯d know¡­it¡¯s¡­it¡¯s my child¡­" the beggar spoke up.

    "Huh? Your child?"

    "They stole¡­they stole my children¡­"

    "What do you mean? Who stole your children?"

    "History¡­stole my Neon!"

    "Eh, you even know Neon? Who exactly are you? You said that History stole your Neon. Are you the designer from Neon? But isn¡¯t David the designer for Neon?" Ning Xi was even more interested and continued to make him drink. "Come, drink more!"

    The beggar guzzled another two more cans and continued, "I¡¯m the designer for Neon¡­the only designer¡­"

    Ning Xi raised her brows in doubt and replied, "You think I¡¯d take your word for it? If you''re the designer of Neon, then I¡¯m God!"

    The beggar¡¯s expression darkened and he snapped, "Suit yourself!"

    Ning Xi took out her phone and tapped on an album containing pictures of her wearing Neon outfits. "Eh, since you said you¡¯re the only designer in Neon, let me test you! All these outfits in this album are from Neon, so you should know well enough when they were released and what series they are from then. If you really are who you say you are, then this should be a piece of cake for you."

    The beggar took a nce at Ning Xi¡¯s album, his soulless eyes suddenly brought back to life. He started mumbling, "Wonderful¡­looks great¡­they¡¯ve found themselves a worthy owner¡­"

    Ning Xi nodded with satisfaction. Finally, he had something nice to say.

    The beggar seemed sobered and refreshed after seeing those pictures. He tapped on one of them with excitement, "You have this one too?"

 Chapter 485: Endless Spring

    <h4>Chapter 485: Endless Spring</h4>

    "This¡­this was from the first spring line from when Neon Studio just started out! I still remember¡­the theme was Endless Spring!"

    The beggar went on to say that the main element for the theme was flowers and that the handmade flowers on the outfit were made to resemble a real one as close as possible, as if it would bloom from the dress anytime, hence befitting of the theme "Endless Spring".

    "I¡¯m a die hard fan of Neon!" Ning Xi told him proudly, and she started to believe that the beggar was the designer himself.

    The way he looked at the pictures was akin to a mother looking at her child with profound pride.

    There was no way he would look at them with such eyes if he was not the actual designer who had put in the effort to create those outfits.

    The beggar continued telling her the details of each and every outfit, including the inspiration behind each design¡­

    Sometimeter, he started sobbing on the floor while holding Ning Xi¡¯s phone, "My Neon¡­my precious Neon¡­"

    Ning Xi squatted beside him and gave him a pat on the back. "What happened? These are all your designs, but how did David be the designer?"

    He had kept this incident in his heart for a long time, not telling anyone what had happened but he started to open up, "David¡­he was my partner, he was my ssmate in university. We¡¯re really good friends and I always thought of him as a brother, the most trustworthy partner!

    "We started the business together when we were still in university and we set up our own studio. I¡¯m better at designing while management is his forte, so we delegated the roles and I did the designs while he handled marketing¡­

    "I trusted him so I never asked him about the studio. Who''d have known that in the end, he would steal my design drafts from myputer, take all the money and abandon me while he found a sponsor and set up a new brand himself?"

    Ning Xi finally understood and she seeked confirmation, "And that new brand is History?"

    "Yes¡­"

    "Haven¡¯t you thought of suing him?"

    "How so? We don¡¯t put the designer¡¯s name on the clothes, the only person who knew that I was Neon¡¯s designer is him, while he himself is a professional designer. Plus, his design style is very simr to mine. He destroyed all the data on theputer, so there¡¯s no proof that those drafts were my work¡­" the man despaired.

    Ning Xi gave it some thought and then asked, "How many drafts did he steal?"

    The man sped his hand to his chest as if he was in pain and with red-rimmed eyes, he said, "All of it! All of my drafts! Including the half-finished ones!"

    Ning Xi pointed at her temple with her finger and questioned, "Then¡­what about the ones here?"

    "What?" The man was confused.

    "The design drafts in your mind, did he take them away too?"

    The man was surprised, then he replied with a bitterugh, "Are you suggesting that I make aeback? Ha¡­impossible¡­ever since he betrayed me¡­and I saw my Neon be History, my mind¡­I lost my inspiration¡­I can¡¯t be a designer anymore¡­I just know it¡­I¡¯m done for¡­"

    "But you still have your passion, don''t you? Dare you say that you have zero interest in design now? Don¡¯t you feel anything when you see those cleverly designed clothes? Don¡¯t try to deny it, you wouldn¡¯t have nitpicked on the outfit on me if you have no interest whatsoever. Definitely not to the point where you couldn''t even tolerate a single w on it!" Ning Xi replied him convincingly.

 Chapter 486: Are You Done Showering Yet?

    <h4>Chapter 486: Are You Done Showering Yet?</h4>

    The man shook his head and dered, "Passion is useless. Being passionate only brings me suffering now!"

    "You¡¯re right, passion alone is useless. Realistically speaking, you need something else that¡¯s important: money!"

    "Are you kidding me? Do I look like I have any money on me now?"

    Ning Xi blinked her eyes and patted her chest, "Not you. I do!"

    "You¡­?" The man looked at her doubtfully.

    Ning Xi slung an arm around him to support the man up and patted his shoulder, "Rise up, young man! Your life is just about to start! And your fate will change, starting this very second!"

    The man looked at Ning Xi like an idiot and he flopped back onto the ground¡­

    Ning Xi put her hands on her hips and red at him. "What? You don¡¯t believe me?! Fine, I¡¯m telling you now, I really like your work and you know that I¡¯m not lying, seeing how I have bought most of your designs. So here I am officially extending you an invitation to coborate. Are you interested?"

    The man was surprised and peered at her with bewildered eyes. "Coborate? With a beggar?"

    Ning Xi smiled and responded, "Yes, just take it as I have too much money and nothing to spend it on. What do you think? You''ve got such a silly person standing right in front of you and offering you money now. Are you going to take advantage of her?"

    The man was dumbfounded. She sounded like she was joking but her twinkling eyes said otherwise.

    The woman was serious.

    "Why?"

    "I already told you; I¡¯m your fan! It was a coincidence as well. I earned some money recently and felt like investing in a business and I met you here. But I have to tell you that I don¡¯t have much, it¡¯s just three million dors. I''ll invest them all in you!"

    "Three million¡­" the man mumbled, "How is that not much? We only had 50 thousand dors in cash when we started the studio¡­"

    "That''s fantastic if you don¡¯t think it¡¯s too little. Most importantly, you need to stand up on your own and be confident in yourself. I am an actress and I will still focus on my main career. I¡¯m not a professional in fashion design, so you¡¯ll be the heart and soul of our studio. The studio venue, hiring, future development¡­they¡¯ll all be up to you!" Ning Xi exined to him.

    "I¡­I¡­" The man got up to his feet when he heard Ning Xi¡¯s grand n and said, "Although I¡¯ve been spending most of my time designing, I still know some things about running a studio. It might be difficult at first but¡­if there¡¯s another chance, I can do it!"

    Ning Xi nodded in satisfaction. "I¡¯ll mark your words!"

    "You¡­are you serious? You¡¯re investing so much money in a person just because you¡¯ve spoken to me for the past few minutes and shared some beers with me?" The man was still in disbelief. He thought that he was dreaming or was hallucinating from the effects of the alcohol.

    Ning Xi raised her brows and told him, "You get to spend the money you earn, and you¡¯ll earn more after you finish them, no big deal! I like to take risky challenges!"

    Ning Xi was very straightforward. After their conversation, she dragged him with her and bought an outfit for him, got his hair trimmed, and brought him back to the hotel for a shower.

    "Are you done showering yet? Remember to change into the clothes I bought you! I¡¯ve thrown away what you were wearing before! And oh, right, remember to shave!"

    Ning Xi waited impatiently until the man finally walked out.

    Ning Xi was busy ying her mobile game when she heard some careful footsteps. She looked up and was surprised¡­

 Chapter 487: Ill Pick You Up From The Airport

    <h4>Chapter 487: I''ll Pick You Up From The Airport</h4>

    The game character from her phone shouted loudly: GAME OVER!!!

    The young man standing nervously in front of her wore a white blouse with light blue jeans and white sports shoes. His hair had been cropped short, revealing a clean forehead, fair skin, and a shy smile.

    He had told her that it was more than a year since he had graduated from university but he still looked quite young. With what he wore, he looked as fresh as a student who had yet to leave the school gates.

    Ning Xi stared at him for a long time then suddenly stood up and circled the young man several times. Her face was full of utter disbelief. "Wow¡­who knew! I thought you were a wretched uncle. Who knew that you were actually a pretty boy?! Our studio won''t need to hire a spokesperson in the future. You''ll do!"

    She had randomly picked up someone from the streets, who turned out to be a handsome looking young man! What luck!

    The young man felt embarrassed and his face reddened further as he inquired, "Boss, I still don''t know what your name is."

    When she heard him address her as "Boss", Ning Xi could not help butugh, "There''s no need to call me Boss. That''s too formal. We''re equal partners in this business! I''m Ning Xi, you can just call me Xiao Xi!"

    "My name is Gong Shangze, Boss, I still want to call you "Boss". You will never know how much our fateful meeting means to me! If not for you, I would just be a walking corpse!"

    "Mmm, fine, as you wish then!" Ning Xi never minded such petty things, so she let him be.

    But this was the first time someone had ever called her "Boss" and it gave him a thrill of satisfaction.

    After all. this was a symbolic moment for her to take the first step towards her goal of reaching the peak of her life!

    "Right, as for your studio, do you n to open it in China or elsewhere?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Let''s do China, we''ve only just started and we''re not suitable for a foreign market as of now," Gong Shangze answered.

    Ning Xi nodded, "Okay, return to China with me tomorrow then!"

    Gong Shangze agreed, "Okay."

    Then he paused before asking, "Boss, what should our studio''s name be?"

    Ning Xi scratched her head and replied, "I''m useless at naming, do you have any good ideas?"

    "Boss, I think it''s best that you name it! I hope that you cane up with the name. I''m fine with anything," said Gong Shangze sincerely.

    Ning Xi blinked. Uhh, why did she feel like she had just adopted a loyal dog?

    "You want me toe up with the name ay? Let me give it some thought!" Because of Gong Shangze''s insisting, Ning Xi paced the room back and forth and thought hard," Mmm, how about ''Spirit''?

    "Inspired by Liu Yuxi''s quote from ''My Humble Home'': "Mountains are measured not by their height, but by celestial beings; waters not by their depth, as its spirituality is with the dragons". This means that regardless of how tall a mountain is, it will be famous with celestial beings and that it''s not about how deep the waters are but the dragons will reveal its spirituality. You''re the real dragon I''ve invited, the treasure of our town house, so we can definitely defeat that little snake!"

    When Gong Shangze heard Ning Xi''s words, his eyes instantly watered, "Boss, thank you! Thank you for this meaningful name¡­"

    Ning Xi was nervous to see him cry and she quickly gave him a tissue, "Haih, Master, please don''t cry, okay? What I can''t stand the most is seeing people cry!"

    Especially this dude in front of her who was as pretty as a young girl¡­

    Gong Shangze then turned serious and said, "Boss, I won''t let you down! Even if I had to squeeze myself dry, I would definitely make our brand, Spirit, happen!"

    Ning Xi coughed lightly, "Cough, cough, no need to squeeze yourself dry. We have to walk down a path which will continue expanding!"

    "Yes, boss!"

    "Good boy!"

    Just as they finished chatting, Ning Xi''s phone rang. It was her boss, Lu Tingxiao.

    "Hello, Big Boss!"

    "Mmm, did the advertisement shoot go smoothly?" the gentle voice of a man asked from the other end of the line.

    "Don''t worry, everything went well! I''ll be catching a flight home tomorrow afternoon!"

    "Tomorrow afternoon¡­by the time you reach, it will be midnight already. You''re alone and Ling Zhizhi is not around. I''ll pick you up at the airport tomorrow."

    "Ah? There''s no need for that, I''ll just get a car! Besides¡­"

    "I''ve got to run to a meeting now. You be careful on the road. See you tomorrow night."

    Ning Xi wanted to tell him she was not alone and he had no need to worry but Lu Tingxiao had already hung up, so she could only let it be.

 Chapter 488: The Lady Boss Brought A Strange Man Back

    <h4>Chapter 488: The Lady Boss Brought A Strange Man Back</h4>

    On the second day, Ning Xi took Gong Shangze on the flight home.

    On the flight, Gong Shangze stared out of the window. "I thought¡­that I''d never be able to go home again in this lifetime¡­"

    Ning Xi leaned her head onto her hand and shook her leg, "Hurhur, now we''re flying right back! Even if that guy has stolen many of your design drafts, he will still use them up one day, and what we have is an endless treasure chest in that mind of yours!"

    Gong Shangze''s initially gloominess was easily perked up just by looking at the girl who was in high spirits beside him and he nodded. "Mmm!"

    After that incident, he had hated the entire world, hated the unfairness that life doled out to him, and even hated himself. With such negative emotions roiling about in his heart, don''t even talk about continuing to design, his entire being turned useless.

    He would never have thought that on such an ordinary afternoon, he would meet someone as miraculous as her.

    His coincidentally meeting her suddenly had relieved him of all hardships and unfairness.

    His brain which had be dormant for far too long suddenly became active again¡­

    Gong Shangze quickly took out his notebook and started to sketch speedily, recording his inspiration¡­

    Ning Xi was shocked and said, "Eh, you already have inspiration so soon?"

    "I suddenly thought of a theme!" Gong Shangze said enthusiastically.

    As she watched the eyes of the boy beside her shine and look entirely different from before, Ning Xi was stunned, then sheughed and asked, "What''s the theme?"

    ¡­

    On the ne, Ning Xi and Gong Shangze discussed design inspirations and the operations of the studio. They roughly decided on the blueprint for the days toe.

    When the ne reached China, it was alreadyte at night. The Imperial had recently been rainy and the temperature at night was really low.

    As soon as Ning Xi walked out of the airport, the freezing cold wind that greeted her made her sneeze.

    Gong Shangze who noticed this quickly took off his coat and put it on Ning Xi''s shoulders. "Boss, careful not to fall sick!"

    "Thank you!" Ning Xi said gratefully.

    "Boss, should we get a car? We shouldn''t wait for a taxi out here at this hour."

    "No need for that, someone''sing over to pick us up. Hold on, let me make a call!" Ning Xi said as she took out her phone from her purse.

    She wasn''t sure whether the Big Boss had arrived or not¡­

    Not too far away, a ck Maybach car was slowly driving over.

    Cheng Feng who was at the wheel felt his hands shake non-stop. Was¡­was this a joke?!!

    He was initially happy to apany the boss to wee thedy boss at the airport, but why was there a strange man beside thedy boss?

    Wasn''t this a deadly move she was making!?

    He carefully looked at the backseat through the rearview mirror and after a swift nce, he quickly looked to the front again.

    His boss had the fiercest look on his face! Gosh, scary!

    However, you couldn''t me the boss for being so angry. The boss had started to anticipate the day of thedy boss''s return since three days ago and had even reminded him in advance of the time thedy boss wouldnd. He was afraid that thedy boss was not used to eating in-flight meals, so he had supper prepared. Then, he was afraid that the weather would be too cold, so he had a nket prepared in the car for her. He had been truly thoughtful right down to the core¡­

    For the past few days, every call from the Boss would definitely be a reminder about thedy boss''s arrival.

    It had only been a few days since theyst saw each other and with such nervousness from him, you would think they had not seen each other for years! Even Cheng Feng who had a girlfriend felt like he wasn''t being a good partner!

    But now¡­,

    Cheng Feng''s eyes widened in shock when he saw the man beside thedy boss taking his coat off to put on the shoulders of thedy boss. He almost spat blood!

    He started to seriously consider whether he should ditch the car and escape before things went awry¡­

 Chapter 489: It Couldnt Beâ€¦His Wife?

    <h4>Chapter 489: It Couldn''t Be¡­His Wife?</h4>

    "Uhh¡­Boss¡­do you want to continue moving forward?" Cheng Feng asked carefully.

    The seething look that turned on him instead was a clear indication that he had better not.

    Lu Tingxiao ice cold eyes shot daggers at him.

    Cheng Feng immediately shut up and stopped asking stupid questions, just continuing to drive¡­

    "Shangze,ter when my friend who''s picking me upes over, don''t call me "Boss", just call me by my name!" Ning Xi reminded Gong Shangze.

    She was in front of the Big Boss after all, and to be called "Boss" by someone else would be a little shameless!

    "Okay, understood!" Gong Shangze obediently answered.

    Because Ning Xi was busy looking for her phone in her bag, she did not notice that a ck car had quietly rolled up beside her.

    The door opened with Cheng Feng alighting first. He walked quickly to open the door of the back seat and out came a pair of long legs.

    When the man got down from the car, the atmosphere around seemed to have dropped a few degrees colder.

    Gong Shangze looked at the cool man opposite him and sensed danger. Out of his protective reflexes, he subconsciously pulled the unbothered Ning Xi closer to him¡­

    However, this very action was followed by waves of tension emanating from the man in front and the air was frigid.

    Gong Shangze felt a shudder travel through his body and even his palms started to sweat¡­

    This man¡­what was up with him?

    Ning Xi finally found her phone and after turning it on, she looked for Lu Tingxiao''s number and immediately called him. As she telephoned him, a familiar ringtone rang opposite of her.

    Ning Xi was shocked and she looked up to see the stony Lu Tingxiao in front of her¡­

    "Lu¡­Lu Tingxiao¡­" Ning Xi subconsciously mumbled, then rubbed her eyes, thinking that her vision might have failed her.

    At this moment, behind Lu Tingxiao, Cheng Feng nervously covered his face, prepared for an explosion.

    When she had confirmed that the person in front of her was really Lu Tingxiao, clear joy spread across the girl''s face. She happily skipped over and greeted, "Big Boss! It really is you! I thought I was mistaken! I was just calling you!"

    Gong Shangze did not think that Ning Xi would ever be acquainted with someone who looked obviously dangerous and unfriendly from the first nce. He could not help but be slightly shocked, "Bo¡­Xiao Xi, you guys know each other?"

    Cheng Feng sharply noticed the man''s words, "Bo¡­", hmm? It couldn''t be¡­this man''s wife, could it?

    Thedy boss had only gone overseas for a short period of time. Had she started secretly dating already?

    This was a nightmare¡­

    If Cheng Feng had caught on to it, obviously Lu Tingxiao would have realized it too and his expression instantly fell t¡­

    While Lu Tingxiao and Cheng Feng had thought of something way beyond the truth, Ning Xi was still oblivious as she enthusiastically pulled Gong Shangze over to introduce him, "Shangze, this is my boss''s boss''s boss, Lu Tingxiao¡­the point is, he''s my biggest Big Boss, my friend, and my mentor!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression did not change at all. In fact, it darkened further.

    Even though Ning Xi had introduced him as someone of importance, obviously none of thosebels were what he wanted to be known as.

    Gong Shangze was in a dilemma when he heard this. His boss''s boss¡­so how should he address him?

    "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lu," Gong Shangze finally greeted courteously.

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao had to struggle to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor. He nodded slightly by way of greeting.

 Chapter 490: Could He Possibly Be Jealous?

    <h4>Chapter 490: Could He Possibly Be Jealous?</h4>

    Gong Shangze did not know if it was him overthinking things, but he felt like the man in front of him gave off a strong vibe of hatred towards him.

    In fact, from the moment he had appeared, he already felt increasing tension¡­

    Ning Xi continued to introduce him to Lu Tingxiao, "Big Boss, let me introduce, this is Gong Shangze. He''s my¡­"

    At this moment, Ning Xi finally realized that Lu Tingxiao had a fierce look on his face, but she did not know what was wrong either. She hesitated slightly as she continued, "He''s my friend whom I met in Los Angeles. He''s a very talented fashion designer¡­"

    What was going on? Not only was Lu Tingxiao looking unlike his usual self, but why did it seem like even Cheng Feng was behaving oddly?

    Was it something wrong that she had said?

    Ning Xi immediately changed the topic, "Big Boss, you came to pick me up even though it''s quitete already. Thank you for going through the trouble!"

    "It''s no trouble, it was on the way."

    "Uhh¡­on the way?" How could the airport be on the way to anywhere?

    Ning Xi had no response to him when she noticed that Lu Tingxiao gaze rested on her shoulders¡­what was up now?

    Lu Tingxiao reached out and naturally took the coat off her. Then, he took off his own coat and covered her shoulders again. "This one is thicker."

    "Oh, thank you¡­" Ning Xi nodded, stunned.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her and managed to hold his annoyance in without any further questions. He opened the car door for her and said, "Get in the car, it''s cold outside."

    Cheng Feng followed suit and opened the door to the shotgun seat. "Mr. Gong, how about you sit here. There are some things in the back seat, so there''s probably no space for you."

    "Okay." Gong Shangze was naive and he did not think much about it, immediately taking shotgun.

    The car started to slowly move and there was an awkward silence.

    Lu Tingxiao started at the youth in the shotgun seat. He looked clean and handsome, probably close to Ning Xi''s age. When he saw the two of them standing together earlier, they looked like a good match, as much as he did not want to admit it¡­

    To confirm their rtionship would only take a sentence but no matter what, he could not bring himself to ask it. He was a nobody; what right did he have to ask about her private matters?

    As slow as Ning Xi might be, she could still notice that Lu Tingxiao was not in a good mood that night, so she dared not to start talking again.

    Thus, the car was filled with an eerie silence, making everyone feel ufortable.

    At that moment, from a corner of the car, Cheng Feng could only sigh internally, "Second Master,e home soon, I cannot handle this on my own¡­"

    "Achoo!" Probably due to the chilly wind earlier, Ning Xi sneezed.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned, then finally broke the silence, "Cheng Feng, please adjust the temperature slightly higher."

    After that, he brought a nket over and passed it to Ning Xi so she could cover her legs since she wore a dress. Then, he gave her the supper he had prepared much earlier.

    Ning Xi was shocked by Lu Tingxiao''s actions, "Uhh, Big Boss, you came well prepared! As a peasant, I''m taken aback by your affection!"

    "Don''t be shocked, you are a hardworking peasant and you did very well this time."

    Ning Xi took the meal box, then secretly peeked at Lu Tingxiao''s unconvincing poker face and asked, "Really? But¡­why do I feel like you''re not terribly happy?"

    Since she saw him earlier, she had already felt that something was not right.

    Lu Tingxiao took a deep breath and tried to control his emotions, hating himself for being petty, "I''m not unhappy."

    "Liar¡­you''re obviously not happy¡­" Ning Xi bit the end of her chopsticks and mumbled softly.

    Her eyes fell on Gong Shangze who sat shotgun¡­

    Ah, Gong Shangze¡­

    She suddenly thought of a possibility which she had not thought of at all!

    Big Boss, he¡­could he possibly be¡­jealous?!

 Chapter 491: Throw Herself Onto Him For A Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 491: Throw Herself Onto Him For A Kiss</h4>

    This¡­should not be possible!

    She had already introduced him as a newly-made friend!

    Mmm, forget it, instead of guessing, she should just test him!

    Ning Xi thought about it, then asked, "Big Boss, guess how Shangze and I met?"

    As Ning Xi spoke, she took the opportunity to secretly look at Lu Tingxiao''s expression, mmm¡­he was¡­really¡­in fact¡­jealous!

    When she saw Lu Tingxiao looking morose to the point that he could not disguise it any longer, Ning Xi buried her face in her hands and could not help butugh.

    In her heart, Lu Tingxiao had always been tall, mighty and dominant, with a sense of maturity and stability. The fact that he was jealous of a beggar was something she had never even thought would happen.

    Okay, okay, it was also her fault that she forgot that after cleaning up, Gong Shangze was rather handsome and would probably be adies'' ma.

    "How?" Lu Tingxiao looked like he wanted to know, yet he did not want to at the same time; it was beyondplicated.

    Ning Xi held her chin and looked at the devil''s expression. The more she looked, the more she thought it was cute, she just wanted to throw herself onto him and give him a kiss. "He¡­was someone I picked up on the streets!"

    "Picked up on the streets?" When he heard this answer, Lu Tingxiao clearly looked very taken aback.

    "Yeah! Haha, unexpected, isn''t it?"

    Gong Shangze who sat shotgun heard their conversation andughed, "If it had not been for Xiao Xi, I would probably still be begging on the streets of Los Angeles!"

    When they heard this, Lu Tingxiao and Cheng Feng were shocked.

    Cheng Feng especially, his head was wild with thoughts about some foreign affair with sparks of romance and then her bringing her lover home. He did not expect such a miraculous situation at all.

    Indeed, thedy boss was so unpredictable that the average person''s thought process did not apply to her¡­

    When she saw that the tension in Lu Tingxiao had finally dropped a notch, Ning Xi started to share the process of how she met Gong Shangze, "After the advertisement was wrapped up, I was prepared to go shopping. I was happily wearing my new dress when suddenly a beggar came up to me and said one word: "ugly". I swear I was so angry¡­"

    Ning Xi described the story in detail to Lu Tingxiao, and he listened patiently with a focused expression throughout the story. He suitably responded and asked questions interjectedly, even inviting Gong Shangze to say a few words here and there.

    The atmosphere in the car suddenly turned from winter to spring.

    Cheng Feng breathed a sigh of relief, the danger had been resolved and the boss''s rationality was back online again¡­

    "¡­that''s what happened! So, Shangze is not only my new friend but also my future business partner. We have decided to start a fashion design studio, whereby I''ll provide the funds and he''ll do the work!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s tightened expression for the entire car ride had finally rxed at this point. No wonder the two of them had returned to the country together¡­

    "Why did you suddenly want to start a studio?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "Mmm¡­" Of course, it''s for you!

    Apart from acting, she suddenly had other ambitions and it was all because of him!

    Ning Xi thought about it, then answered, "Well, it''s not a sudden urge¡­I previously have had such ns already! It just so happened that this time, the perfume advertisement fees were released and then even more coincidentally, I picked up the designer I have been a fan of for a long time while shopping! This is fate!"

    She herself felt that her luck was off the charts!

 Chapter 492: Did Something Happen To Little Treasure?

    <h4>Chapter 492: Did Something Happen To Little Treasure?</h4>

    Ning Xi''s sparkling eyes looked at Lu Tingxiao, "So miraculous! Big Boss, I notice that ever since I have met you and Little Treasure, my luck has started to be positive, and no matter what I do, it all goes well! The two of you must be my lucky stars! One small lucky star and one big lucky star!"

    Lu Tingxiao could not help butugh, "Is that so?"

    Cheng Feng was in tears! Thedy boss was amazing! The boss was actuallyughing!

    Because Gong Shangze did not have a ce to stay in Imperial, Lu Tingxiao apanied Ning Xi to look for a hotel near Regal Riveria Hotel for him to settle down.

    Ning Xi stood at the door and waved, "Shangze, I''ll leave now! Rest well tonight, I''lle looking for you tomorrow! I''ll bring you to buy new clothes, bags, handphones, and as for whatever else you''recking, we''ll see¡­"

    Gong Shangze was touched, "Actually, there''s no need for so much trouble. All I need is a ce to stay¡­"

    Ning Xi immediately pouted, "How can you say that? I''m now responsible for you!"

    Gong Shangze teared and he said, "Thank you, boss!"

    Haih, Gong Shangze''s vulnerable demeanor really made it too easy for people to feel protective over him. Ning Xi said gently, "Good, go to sleep now!"

    ¡­

    Once they walked out of the hotel, Ning Ximented, "Big Boss, I only now understand that it feels pretty awesome to be a boss!"

    "To be your employee would be pretty awesome too¡­" Lu Tingxiao subconsciously mumbled to himself.

    "What?" Ning Xi had not heard him.

    "Hah, it''s nothing¡­have you chosen the location of the studio yet?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi scratched her head as she answered, "Not yet! This is not a small issue, I need to properly give it some thought!"

    "Later, let me know your requirements and budget. I can help you list down a few suitable locations," said Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi naturally felt bad when she heard this. "Ah? It would trouble you too much!"

    Lu Tingxiao was such a busy person, how could she trouble him for something small like this!

    Lu Tingxiao shot her a look instead and said carefully, "It''s not too troublesome, you''re my responsibility."

    Ning Xi coughed. Okay, devil, you win!

    The car reached Regal Riveria Hotel very soon.

    Ning Xi was just about to bid Lu Tingxiao goodbye and get down from the car when his phone suddenly rang.

    Lu Tingxiao indicated for Ning Xi to wait a while, then picked up the phone, "Mmm¡­I''m still out¡­what?! When did this happen? Okay, I''ll return immediately!"

    When she heard Lu Tingxiao''s slightly panicked voice, Ning Xi immediately asked worriedly, "What''s wrong?"

    Lu Tingxiao remained controlled as usual. He patted her head and said, "Nothing, go rest now!"

    Ning Xi did not get out of the car. Instead, she sat in the same spot and stared at him.

    Lu Tingxiaoughed, "It''s really nothing, there''s just a slight problem at the office. I''ll go over to have a look. I''m not lying to you, go now!"

    Ning Xi still did not move and her gaze looked even sharper. "Did something happen to Little Treasure?"

    Lu Tingxiao clearly looked a little shocked, as if he did not expect her to guess.

    When she saw Lu Tingxiao''s expression, Ning Xi knew that she had hit the nail on its head. Actually, she did not know why she was so confident either, but she just had a gut feeling.

    "What''s wrong with Little Treasure?" Suddenly, Ning Xi''s heart lurched in her throat.

    Lu Tingxiao gently consoled her, "It''s a small thing, just a little fever. You know how it is, it''s verymon for a child to get a fever. The doctor has already been sent over and I''ll immediately go home to see him now too, it''s not too much of an issue."

    Even though Lu Tingxiao said it casually, Ning Xi did not feel assured at all. She held her hand to her heart that was beating faster and she had an unexinable bad feeling about this¡­

 Chapter 493: Little Treasures Old Troubles

    <h4>Chapter 493: Little Treasure''s Old Troubles</h4>

    Even though Lu Tingxiao had said it casually, Ning Xi did not feel assured at all. She held her hand to her heart that was beating faster and she had an unexinable bad feeling about this as she pleaded, "Lu Tingxiao, bring me with you, I won''t make things awkward for you. I won''t go in, I''ll just wait outside and if there''s nothing, then I''lle back! If not, even if you let me go home now, I''d definitely not be able to fall asleep!"

    He saw the girl''s unbelievably determined attitude but Lu Tingxiao still held himself back, as if there was something he could not say.

    "Okay?" Ning Xi tugged on the hem of Lu Tingxiao''s sleeves and was pretty much begging as she shook her head stubbornly.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned and his expression became more serious as he contemted it. Atst, he looked at her and chose his words carefully before finally saying, "Okay, Ning Xi, listen to me, Little Treasure¡­he''s not just having a simple fever. Actually, it might be a little serious! I can bring you along but you can''t be too emotional!"

    As soon as Lu Tingxiao said that, Ning Xi''s tears started to fall, "Little Treasure is in a serious condition? What is it? How can he be in a serious condition when he was fine before? Didn''t you just say it was only a fever? Why is the fever serious? And you said you weren''t lying to me! Is there anything else you''re hiding from me?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not expect that Ning Xi would cry instantly and he did not know what to do. He quickly told Cheng Feng to drive to the old residence while he fumbled for tissue to let her wipe her tears. He said helplessly, "I was afraid that you would be exactly like this, so I did not dare bring you along. Look at you, we''re not even there yet and you''re like this. How will you be when you see Little Treasureter?"

    Ning Xi cried even harder and could not even speak coherently anymore.

    Lu Tingxiao''s heart was about to break at her cries and since he was not good at cheering people up, he could only hug her in his embrace and pat the back of the sobbing girl. "If I knew, I wouldn''t have told you¡­"

    He did not expect that Ning Xi''s reaction would be even worse than he thought!

    In front, Cheng Feng who was driving was also shocked speechless. He was not only shocked because someone with a strong personality like Ning Xi could disy such a vulnerable side but he was even more shocked by the gentle side of his boss¡­

    He had really broken the record today with these new insights!

    What shocked him the most was the fact that the feelings between the two of them were really like a pair of husband and wife who were worried for their beloved son¡­

    Not a single feeling of vition¡­

    Ning Xi was already feeling remorseful. Why had she only seen Little Treasure in a rush when she sent Lu Tingxiao to the old residence back then? She had left so quickly. Why didn''t she care for Little Treasure more? Why was she afraid of contacting Little Treasure too much for the sake of the two oldies? Why was her skin not thicker?

    After crying for a long while, Ning Xi finally recovered from her emotions and she begged, "Lu Tingxiao, don''t keep any secrets from me, I want to know!"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "Then, you must promise not to cry anymore."

    "I¡­can''t promise!"

    Lu Tingxiao buried his face in his hands. Finally, he could onlypromise and he tried his best to exin in a gentle tone, "Actually, it''s an old issue. From the moment Little Treasure had that incident, he would have such outbreaks once in a while and a high fever is one of the symptoms. But what''s different from the usual fever is that the high fever won''t stop, no matter what. There is just no way to break the fever¡­"

 Chapter 494: Even More Serious Than He Thought

    <h4>Chapter 494: Even More Serious Than He Thought</h4>

    Ning Xi looked stunned, "How could this be¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao quickly consoled her, "Since thest time this has happened half a year ago, it hasn''t repeated. This time might also be just a normal fever, so don''t be too worried!"

    Ning Xi knew that it definitely was not just a simple fever, otherwise Lu Tingxiao would not have sounded like that earlier¡­

    "Cheng Feng! Stop the car!!!" Ning Xi suddenly shouted at Cheng Feng.

    Cheng Feng knew that even if he did not obey the boss, he had to obey thedy boss. Thus, he parked the car at the roadside obediently, "Miss Ning, what is it?"

    Ning Xi did not say anything, opening the door then walking to the front to open the door of the driver''s seat. "You go sit at the back!"

    "Ah?" Cheng Feng was taken aback.

    Ning Xi could not wait any longer. She dragged him by the cor and stuffed him into the back seat before she got into the driver''s seat and stepped on the elerator.

    The engine growled fiercely and the car flew like an arrow¡­

    Cheng Feng did not know how to react and he was so frightened that his heart felt like it could jump out any time. He quickly held tightly onto the handles in the car and looked at the girl behind the wheel in horror.

    Just a second ago, she had just been a crying vulnerable little rabbit. How did she suddenly change into such a serious queen of speed¡­

    Couldn''t she at least have given him a warning?

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his speeding wife and wanted to say something but did not. Fine, speed away! It was good for her to let it out too!

    The car kept overtaking other vehicles and speeding past with quick, skillful turns. Cheng Feng felt nauseous as he looked to his Big Boss for help, hoping that he could advise her to slow down. Who knew, that all he saw was the Big Boss'' loving and tolerating gaze at her¡­

    A momentter, they neared the old residence. The car remained at the speed of 400 miles per hour, and as he saw that the car was about to hit the gate, Cheng Feng could not bear to look and squeezed his eyes shut¡­

    In the next second, Ning Xi hit the emergency brakes. The car stopped half a meter from the gate of the old residence.

    She quickly parked and turned her head to urge, "Lu Tingxiao, go in quickly!"

    "Okay, you wait for me here." Lu Tingxiao got down from the car and walked briskly into the brightly lit residence courtyard.

    In the backseat, Cheng Feng was practically crawling out of the car. As soon as he got off, he held onto a big tree and puked his guts out¡­

    In the living room, everyone looked nervous. Lu Chongshan was anxious and Yan Ruyi had cried her eyes out.

    When they saw Lu Tingxiao had returned, Yan Ruyi was relieved as though her back bone had been restored in her body. She quickly went to greet him, "Tingxiao, you''re finally back! Quickly go see Little Treasure!"

    Lu Tingxiao immediately walked into Little Treasure''s room and saw that the little guyy on the bed looking as pale as paper with cracked lips and his little body was twitching non-stop. A group of doctors surrounded him and everyone looked uneasy.

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression instantly darkened. Little Treasure''s situation was even more serious than he had thought¡­

    "How did this happen?" Lu Tingxiao questioned frigidly.

    Yan Ruyi clearly tried to avoid his gaze, "We¡­we''re not sure either. Little Treasure didn''t look too good since this afternoon, so we got the doctors toe have a look and they said it was a small fever, not too big of a deal. In the middle of the night. his temperature suddenly shot up to 40 degrees and his body started to have spasms. His temperature would not go down, no matter what! It is the exact same situation as before!"

 Chapter 495: Call Ning Xi Over To Try

    <h4>Chapter 495: Call Ning Xi Over To Try</h4>

    "Have you tried the medication?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Qin Mufeng, who was trying to reduce Little Treasure''s temperature with alcohol, wiped the sweat from his forehead and straightened up. He looked serious as he said, "I have, it''s the same as before, it''s helpful immediately, but very soon, the temperature went up again. Little Treasure''s body is too weak and he is not used to the frequent use of such strong medicine. Sedatives are out of the question as well, or else it would be of further harm to him than the illness!"

    Yan Ruyi cried as she watched the body of her dearest grandson twitch helplessly, "Well, we can''t watch Little Treasure continue like this! All you doctors, aren''t you all of top-notch quality? Why can''t you treat a fever like this?"

    Qin Mufeng said, his head aching, "There are many things that even the medical field can''t exin. We''ve already done many checks on Little Treasure before this and his body showed no other changes. Without any changes, the doctors have no reference point to deal with!"

    "Little Treasure is already so ill, how could you say there was no change? Clearly, it''s your medical skills that are not up to par!" Yan Ruyi said exasperatedly, refusing to listen to any further exnations.

    Lu Chongshan held his wife''s shoulders and said, "Ruyi, calm down!"

    "Little Treasure is already so ill, how can I be calm? You should have listened to me and invited people over to chase the demons away! These doctors aren''t useful at all! Little Treasure looks like he''s been possessed by the devil, the more I look at it. Either that or he''s lost his soul!" Yan Ruyi said emotionally.

    Lu Chongshan''s expression changed when he heard this, and he scolded her, "What devil possession and losing his soul? Why nonsense are you spewing?! Little Treasure is on holiday today, he did not go to school or even go out. He has just been at home, what devils could he have possibly met?"

    Yan Ruyi still would not give up. "Then, exin to me, what''s the reason? I would much rather believe it to be the truth!"

    Lu Chongshan''s face hardened and he could not help but remind her, "Thest time Little Treasure had an outbreak, I listened to you and invited some medium to call his soul back, and in the end? In the end, it turned out worse than Little Treasure''s illness and you almost¡­how could you still think about all those nonsense, do you want to kill Little Treasure?"

    "Then¡­then, let''s go invite Master Xuan Jing!"

    "Do you think Master Xuan Jing is some wizard? You can try to invite him if you want. He never intervenes in things like this and you know that!"

    "Then¡­then you tell me what to do?!"

    ¡­

    While the two old ones fought, Qin Mufeng pulled Lu Tingxiao to a corner and said in a lowered voice, "Actually, I still think the main cause is psychological. I''ll tell you secretly, the reason Little Treasure is like this is not unfounded. They were just afraid you''d be angry, so they did not dare tell you.

    "Weren''t your parents busy looking to set you up with a partner for a while now? Well, today Madam Zhuang came to visit your house and brought their daughter, Zhuang Ke Er along. I''m guessing Little Treasure identally bumped into them and he felt provoked¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao''s veins on his neck bulged out in vexation. Those two were his closest family members and yet, this incident was technically caused by them. Now, the two old ones were so frightened that they could get sick anytime too. He could not say a single word of unkindness.

    "Little Treasure is important. Just call Ning Xi over to try and help!" Qin Mufeng expressed his final opinion.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned and sounded slightly frustrated, "I''m afraid that if shees over, there would be two sick people instead of just one!!!"

    Just from hearing about this, she could barely handle it. If she really saw Little Treasure in this state, how sad would she be?

 Chapter 496: Lightly Held The Little Bun In Her Embrace

    <h4>Chapter 496: Lightly Held The Little Bun In Her Embrace</h4>

    Qin Mufeng rubbed his nose after being scolded, "But there aren''t any other better options now¡­"

    Sigh, actually, he knew that his suggestion was a hard one to pull off. It was very difficult for him to even blurt it out. Only after an intense battle of his thoughts did he say it.

    As a psychologist himself, he eventually had to rely on someone like Ning Xi who was not from the industry. He was truly ashamed of himself¡­

    As she watched Little Treasure''s condition be increasingly serious, Yan Ruyi cried until she was about to faint of exhaustion. Lu Chongshan too was shaken and could not hold on any longer.

    Lu Tingxiao cursed under his breath and called Ning Xi in the end, "Xiao Xi¡­"

    "Lu Tingxiao! How''s Little Treasure? Is he okay? Is it not too big of a deal?" Ning Xi impatiently asked in one breath.

    It was hard for Lu Tingxiao to say, "You¡­juste in! Wait, I''ll go outside to get you!"

    After he hung up, Lu Tingxiao quickly walked out of the door.

    Yan Ruyi became anxious when she saw Lu Tingxiao actually walking out. "Tingxiao, Little Treasure is already like this, where are you going?!"

    Lu Tingxiao did not reply, continuing to make quick and long strides. He did not even turn around and just walked out.

    At the courtyard gate, Ning Xi had gotten down from the car and was walking back and forth outside. She would look at the courtyard nervously from time to time.

    She finally saw Lu Tingxiao''s shadow¡­

    "Lit¡­"

    Before Ning Xi could say anything more, Lu Tingxiao had opened the courtyard gate and grabbed her hand to walk in with him without saying anything further.

    Ning Xi was speechless as she watched Lu Tingxiao hold her hand tightly and she could roughly guess what the situation was inside.

    Little Treasure was probably in an even more serious condition than she could ever imagine¡­

    A wave of fear that she had not felt before rose from her feet to her heart¡­

    At this very moment, Little Treasure''s room was in a state of chaos.

    Then, from behind them came the sound of footsteps.

    Everyone turned around and that was when they saw Lu Tingxiao had brought a girl along with him.

    Lu Chongshan''s expression immediately changed into one of fury. "Why did you bring this woman here for? Do you think Little Treasure''s condition is not serious enough?"

    To Lu Chongshan, Ning Xi''s presence was probably worse than a witch or a medium.

    Even though Yan Ruyi was not happy, she did not reject her as intensely as Lu Chongshan did. She had entirely lost all rationality.

    Lu Chongshan breathed heavily and roared, "Get her out of here immediately!"

    Lu Tingxiao held Ning Xi''s hand tightly and was about to say something when Ning Xi shook her head at him, then wriggled out of his hand.

    Ning Xi did not break down on the spot like Lu Tingxiao had predicted.

    Instead, what he did not expect was to see Ning Xi''s calm attitude towards Little Treasure whoy seriously ill on the bed. She did not even care about Lu Chongshan''sints and loud scolding. After she wriggled out of Lu Tingxiao''s hand, she made her way towards Little Treasure''s bed¡­

    Even though she clearly looked like a weak and gentle girl, her eyes were filled with determination, to the point that all the doctors and peasants, who had heard Lu Chongshan''s orders and wanted to block Ning Xi''s way, all made way for her.

    When Lu Chongshan saw this, he fumed, "Stop right there! What do you think you''re doing? Didn''t all you hear what I said? Who said you could let her in?!"

    Lu Tingxiao held out his arm and blocked his father who about to rush out.

    At this moment, Ning Xi sat on Little Treasure''s bedside. First, she quickly took off the coat on her, then she reached under the thick nket ced on Little Treasure. Lastly, she carefully held the feverish and soft little guy in her embrace¡­

 Chapter 497: Mommy Loves You, Mommy Likes You

    <h4>Chapter 497: Mommy Loves You, Mommy Likes You</h4>

    Lu Chongshan was so angry to a breaking point when he saw this girl who was so daring as to not listen to his warnings, even using her filthy hands to touch Little Treasure as she wished. He was about to roar at her but he did not know why he suddenly shut up¡­

    Even though the little bun had long been in a state of confusion due to the fever, once Ning Xi held him in her embrace, it was as if he knew who was hugging him in his subconscience. He immediately used his warm little hands to hold on tightly to the hem of Ning Xi''s clothes and his feverish little face was buried into Ning Xi''s embrace.

    Ning Xi was only pretending to be calm but because of Little Treasure''s subconscious little action of pulling himself closer to her, her facade faded for a moment. Because there were still too many other people present, she could only force herself to hold it in and her eyes became slightly zed over with stubborn tears¡­

    At this moment, Ning Xi had alreadypletely stopped caring about the gaze of everyone around her. She didn''t care about the doctors, or Father Lu and Mother Lu who were looking on angrily. Her eyes and heart were only reserved for the weak and suffering little bun in her embrace.

    Ning Xi hugged the little bun even tighter, then bent over to kiss the little bun''s forehead and tiny face before she said with a very gentle tone, "Baby, Aunty is here, don''t worry¡­"

    It was as if that voice of hers held a special power to calm a person down because not only Little Treasure, but everyone else present felt like their frustration and chaos subside at the sound of it.

    Lu Chongshan still stood there unmoving and he forgot about his anger momentarily¡­

    The little bun was curled up in Ning Xi''s embrace, while his little body continued to shiver slightly. However, the expression on his face was clearly different from the one earlier when he was akin to being tortured in a nightmare. Right now, he seemed assured and contented¡­

    Ning Xi adjusted her posture, stood up and let the little bun''s head rest on her shoulders.

    Lu Tingxiao helped Ning Xi adjust the little bun into afortable position, then picked up the nket on the bed to cover his son.

    After that, Ning Xi started to walk around the room and as she walked, she started to sing gently, "Sleep, sleep, my dearest baby, mummy''s hands will gently shake you¡­

    Sleep, sleep, my dearest baby, mummy''s arms, will protect you forever¡­

    Sleep, sleep, my dearest baby, mummy loves you, mummy likes you¡­"

    ¡­

    This woman! She actually had to nerves to call herself Little Treasure''s mother, how shameless! Lu Chongshan should have been angry but he did not know why as he watched the woman carry Little Treasure and walk around and singing a luby, the raging fire in him did notsh out. Instead, he felt like he did not want to ruin the moment and disturb them.

    All the doctors and servants on the sidelines, especially the female ones, started to have tears well up in their eyes as they watched the little bun''s head rest on the girl''s shoulder, his face filled with assurance and love.

    Sigh, the Little Master is so pitiful, having to live without a mother''s love since such a young age. Actually, at a time like this, a mother''s hug, kiss, and gentle luby should work even better than any miracle medications!

    They even thought that if this woman was really the Little Master''s mother, it would be perfect!

    Yan Ruyi had the oddest look on her face.

    As she watched her dear grandson whoy on Ning Xi''s shoulder while he slowly calmed down and even his body stopped the spasming, she suddenly recalled Master Xuan Jing''s words from the other day¡­

    "Beyond good luck¡­beyond good luck¡­"

 Chapter 498: Still Could Not Leave Ning Xi

    <h4>Chapter 498: Still Could Not Leave Ning Xi</h4>

    Ning Xi was not a doctor, so there was no way she knew how to cure illnesses and she could only use the best of her abilities to console the little bun.

    Apart from that, there was a strand of telepathy between them that even she could not really understand.

    When the little bun made a slight movement, cough, frown or even had a difference in breathing frequency, she would naturally know where he was ufortable. She would change her position or let Lu Tingxiao cover the little bun with a nket, or mumble something into the little bun''s ear to indicate that she was still here.

    Before Ning Xi had arrived, the little buny on the bed while his entire body was in an unstable state. No matter how many people took care of him and fussed about him, he still could not calm down. Now that he was in Ning Xi embrace, his little head leaned on her shoulder and he looked so calm andfortable. He even entered into a sweet slumber¡­

    The doctors who were watching on the sidelines looked at one another and all breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, they all kept utter silent, afraid to make a single sound, worried that they would wake the little guy up again.

    If anything had really happened to the Little Master tonight, the entire house would be ughtered!

    The most serious part of Little Treasure''s current situation was not the fever, but his emotions that continued to be high-strung when his body was at its weakest state and needed rest. If he could not fall asleep, it would be hard for him to recover, no matter what illness it was.

    However, Ning Xi''s presence had clearly resolved the most vital problem.

    Ning Xi had been carrying and coaxing the little bun for a while now, and Lu Tingxiao observed that she had moved her arms slightly ufortably.

    Of course, how could her arm not be tired?

    Lu Tingxiao made Little Treasure''s bed and indicated for Ning Xi to put him down to sleep.

    Ning Xi looked at the little bun in her embrace and saw that the little guy''s breathing had stabilized and he hadpletely fallen asleep. She then walked slowly to the bedside, bent over, and carefully put the little bun onto the bed¡­

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi eventually calmed down when they saw that. However, just as Ning Xi ced the little bun onto the bed, the little guy''s peaceful face immediately scrunched up and his body started to shiver again.

    As they watched Little Treasure having a fit again, the two old ones were frightened. Before they could even calm down, another attack came up!

    Ning Xi was obviously the first to notice, so she immediately hugged the little bun again and started to pat and sing to him again. Even though she was pretty much helpless, there were no signs of impatience from her.

    Even though Lu Tingxiao was worried about his son, he was obviously distressed for his wife as well, so he walked over and had Ning Xi sit down on the bed.

    "What is it?" Ning Xi hugged the little bun and looked suspiciously. In the next second, she widened her eyes in shock.

    Lu Tingxiao squatted down and started to personally take her shoes off for her.

    Of course, even more shocked than Ning Xi was everyone else who stood quietly in the room, as well the devil''s parents¡­

    Only Qin Mufeng rubbed his nose, and even though it was an unexpected sight, he was already used to it.

    After Lu Tingxiao had helped Ning Xi take off her shoes, he lightly put her legs onto the bed and stacked two soft pillows behind her to let her lean on the bed frame. He then adjusted her into afortable position, before covering her with a nket. He looked serious when he said with a stern tone that would not tolerate rejection, "You get some sleep for a while too. You rushed over immediately after getting off the flight and you haven''t even rested yet."

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi hugged the little bun on herp and nestled into the soft pillow. She was indeed feeling much morefortable.

 Chapter 499: This Girl Can Bless Our Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 499: This Girl Can Bless Our Little Treasure</h4>

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi hugged the little bun on herp and nestled into the soft pillow. She was indeed feeling much morefortable.

    Unfortunately, the scorching gazes surrounding her were a little overwhelming¡­

    Lu Tingxiao sternly waved his hand and everyone immediately regained their senses from their shock and walked out nervously. They could only guess in their heart, "Who was this woman that the Big Master had brought back?"

    Not only did she manage to coax the Little Master as soon as she arrived, but she even had the Big Master, who seemed to be void of human emotions, to be so gentle with her!

    "Could it be¡­could it be that this woman is our Little Master''s biological mother?" one of the maids said with a look of realization dawning on her face.

    "That''s not possible. Didn''t they say that the Little Master''s biological mother had long passed away? Otherwise, which woman would be so cruel as to abandon their own child?!"

    "In fact, our Big Master is such an excellent man!"

    "Perhaps there is something that cannot be revealed."

    "You lot, are you done with living? How dare you discuss such things? If the Master and Madam Lu find out, be prepared to get chased out!" one of the maids with a higher status scolded them and immediately, everyone shut up.

    In the Lu family, the topic about the Little Master''s mother was an unspeakable taboo.

    Ning Xi''s journey plus tonight''s shock by the little bun had made her quite tired.

    However, in the room were still Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi, the two old ones. With them standing around her lying on the bed, she felt awkward, what more sleeping in front of them¡­

    "Father, Mother, you both go get some rest. I will be here to keep watch," Lu Tingxiao said to the both of them.

    Lu Chongshan looked like he was in a dilemma as he watched his beloved grandson sleeping soundly in Ning Xi''s embrace.

    He frowned and was about to say something when Yan Ruyi nudged him, "Then, we''ll leave now. If there''s anything with Little Treasure, you must let us know immediately."

    "Mmm."

    In the living room, Lu Chongshan, who had been dragged out by his wife, looked unhappy. "Why did you drag me out for?"

    Yan Ruyi looked hesitant. "Chongshan, don''t you feel like that girl is very special?"

    "What''s so special about her? It''s just that she could coax him! Otherwise, would Little Treasure and Tingxiao be so charmed by her?" What Lu Chongshan was angriest about right now was how he had to watch his own son and grandson bepletely under that woman''s control and he could not do anything.

    "Little Treasure was suffering so much earlier but once she came, he became better. Is this really just a matter of coaxing? Yan Ruyi expressed her disagreement.

    Lu Chongshan knew that he was prejudiced but there was no way he would admit this, so he argued, "Then, can you tell why was it so?"

    Yan Ruyi started to say, "Maybe¡­this girl has a good birth chart with prosperous good luck and can bless our Little Treasure!"

    When Lu Chongshan heard this, he said bitterly, "What nonsense are you spewing now?"

    "How am I spewing nonsense? This was what Master Xuan Jing said himself!" Yan Ruyi blurted out in emotionally.

    "What did you say? Why would Master Xuan Jing say something like this?" Lu Chongshan immediately questioned seriously.

    Yan Ruyi evaded her gaze as she answered helplessly, "To tell you the truth, the other day when I asked Master Xuan Jing to evaluate the birth dates, I brought along the birth date of this girl too¡­"

 Chapter 500: Little Treasures Mother, My Wife

    <h4>Chapter 500: Little Treasure''s Mother, My Wife</h4>

    "You¡­you¡­" Lu Chongshan was outraged when he heard this. "Why did you bring that girl''s birth dates over for? Unless you want to let her into our family?

    Yan Ruyi''s shoulders shrunk and she said, "No way! I¡­I was just worried whether this girl would jinx our Tingxiao and Little Treasure, so I wanted to let the Master evaluate."

    Lu Chongshan still felt doubtful and after cooling down, he shot her a look and asked, "What were the results then?"

    Yan Ruyi looked slightly emotional as she recalled, "We chose so many girls from good families for such a long time and no one stood out. Only Ning Xi, as Master Xuan Jing said, had a birth chart which showed good luck, a happy family, prosperity, and lots of children!"

    Although Lu Chongshan was mentally prepared, he was still shocked to hear the results. "How could this be? Did Master Xuan Jing really say this himself?"

    "Why would I lie to you for? This were Master Xuan Jing exact words, not a single word missing! Master Xuan Jing even said that this girl''s birth chart is verypatible with our Tingxiao''s! Initially, I did not believe too much in it either, and I was afraid you''d scold me, so I didn''t tell you. Until today when Little Treasure fell sick, I recalled his words again. All of us have used up every way possible, and nothing worked. Yet, the moment this girl came, our Little Treasure''s illness immediately improved so much. Even if it was as simple as Little Treasure really liking this girl, the influence on his illness would not be this huge, would it?" Yan Ruyi deciphered bit by bit.

    Lu Chongshan listened to this with a serious expression and walked back and forth in the living room. Finally, he decided and said, "The birth chart is only a proxy, how can you believe it to be entirely true? Don''t mention this ever again. Besides, whether Little Treasure has recovered fully is still unknown, what if heter¡­"

    "Hey! Can you not curse your grandson like that?" Yan Ruyi instantly scolded her husband and looked dissatisfied.

    "I was just worried about Little Treasure¡­" Lu Chongshan noticed that he had said the wrong thing too and was embarrassed.

    Lu Chongshan deliberated as he thought about Yan Ruyi''s words earlier. He looked conflicted, and he finally stared at his wife seriously and shouted, "Things like birth charts are baseless. However, someone''s true character can be observed from all sorts of aspects. Don''t forget why Little Treasure became like this two years ago. It was because we gullibly believed someone like that¡­"

    Actually, Yan Ruyi knew as well that even if Lu Chongshan found out what Master Xuan Jing had said the other day, his attitude would not change much. When she heard this, she looked pale and nodded, "I was just saying, obviously I will still be careful¡­"

    Inside Little Treasure''s room.

    After Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi had left, sleepiness immediately came over Ning Xi. She was worried about the little bun, so she still dared not fall asleep.

    Lu Tingxiao sat on the bedside and helped her arrange the nkets. "Sleep, I''m here. If anything, I''ll call for you."

    Then, he lightly kissed the girl''s forehead.

    Ning Xi''s eyes immediately widened. Lu Tingxiao''s move was so shocking that now her sleepiness had reduced by half. Did he genuinely want to let me sleep?

    Looking at the girl''s widened eyes, something shed across Lu Tingxiao''s deep gaze. "Apologies."

    Even though he said he was sorry, what he did was an entirely different story. He leaned over and nted a kiss on the corner of her mouth for a long time, then only did he finally leave¡­

    By this time, Ning Xi was alreadypletely wide awake and shocked.

    Was he taking this opportunity because she was hugging Little Treasure and dared not move?

    "Ning Xi, one day you will be Little Treasure''s mother." My wife.

 Chapter 501: Whats Wrong With Little Treasure?

    <h4>Chapter 501: What''s Wrong With Little Treasure?</h4>

    In her dreams, Lu Tingxiao''s words continued to rey in Ning Xi''s mind¡­

    One day, you will be Little Treasure''s mother¡­

    Mmm, be baby Little Treasure''s mother¡­

    If she really was his mother, how nice would that be¡­

    She really, really liked Little Treasure¡­

    She was still worried about Little Treasure after all, so she did not sleep soundly.

    Ning Xi woke up after a little rest. The first thing she did after waking up was to look at the little bun in her embrace.

    It was a good thing the little guy was still sleeping soundly between her arms, and his soft little fingers subconsciously held onto her clothes hem. His neck and back revealed ayer of sweat.

    Good that he was starting to sweat, so that meant he was expelling the heat¡­

    Ning Xi thought about this then immediately touched the little bun''s forehead, it felt like the temperature had gone down quite a bit.

    Lu Tingxiao was standing at the wide floor-to-ceiling window and looking at the sky revealing a sliver of light. When he heard movement from the bed, he immediately walked over. "You''re awake."

    Ning Xi touched the little bun''s forehead and urged softly, "Lu Tingxiao, check if baby''s fever has subsided a little? I feel like Little Treasure''s body is not as feverish as before."

    Lu Tingxiao nodded and used his huge palm to feel his son''s forehead. His expression softened, "His temperature did reduce, don''t worry, I''ll call for the doctor to check."

    "Mmm." Ning Xi nodded.

    Lu Tingxiao went out for a while, when he returned, he was followed by Qin Mufeng and two other doctors.

    Qin Mufeng attentively brought a thermometer over.

    Lu Tingxiao took over the thermometer and carefully put it under Little Treasure''s armpit.

    A momentter, the results showed his temperature to be 37.8 degrees.

    Even though it was still slightly feverish, it was much better than the previous 40-degree fever. In fact, it was reduced without any medications and this was not a simple feat.

    Then, the other two doctors did a detailed check on Little Treasure again.

    Afterst night''s check, the doctors looked much more optimistic as they reported, "At this point, the Little Master''s condition has stabilised, but we will still need to continue observing at least until tomorrow, past the 24-hour mark."

    At this moment, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi had received the news and rushed in too. They quickly looked at the thermometer, and when they saw that the temperature had gone down, they breathed a sigh of relief.

    "Yes, yes, we must still continue to observe. It''s best to be careful. Who knows if the fever will return since before this it was fluctuating too¡­" Yan Ruyi said worriedly.

    Lu Chongshan nodded in agreement. After a night of being tensed, they could finally rx a little. He dared not to imagine if something were to really happen to Little Treasure¡­

    At this moment, Ning Xi who was hugging the little bun on the bed suddenly frowned and screamed, "Ahh¡­"

    Instantly, everyone''s nervous gazes fell on her.

    Yan Ruyi, "What is it? What is wrong with Little Treasure?"

    Lu Chongshan asked too, "What is it?"

    The doctors'' hearts were practically at their throats too. Nothing must happen to this little heir¡­

    With everyone''s anxious looks, Ning Xi wanted to say something but stopped. She looked awkwardly and made everyone question her even more worriedly.

    Atst, Lu Tingxiao walked over without a word. First, he rolled up his sleeves, then tugged Ning Xi''s nket away. His actions looked very natural as he started to massage her legs and asked with a calm voice, "Are your legs numb?"

 Chapter 502: The Devils Skill Is Really Good

    <h4>Chapter 502: The Devil''s Skill Is Really Good</h4>

    All the doctors and servants were speechless.

    My God!

    This man who had just rolled up his sleeves to massage a woman''s legs¡­was this really the unfriendly Big Master they knew, the scary CEO of the Lu Corporation, Lu Tingxiao?

    Sincest night, their perception and image of Lu Tingxiao were refreshed numerous times in their hearts.

    Even Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were in disbelief; they could not believe that this man in front of them was really their biological son.

    Before this, they only knew that their son was charmed by this woman and they had never personally witnessed any concrete actions that demonstrated his sentiments towards her.

    Now that they had, they were shocked. It was definitely a hundred times more prominent than what the others said or what they could imagine!

    This was their own son, yet they almost could not recognize him anymore¡­

    Actually, the person who was even more shocked than the surrounding onlookers was Ning Xi herself.

    At that very moment, Ning Xi''s heart felt as if it was keeping up with a stampede¡­

    Devil, could you please keep it down a notch?

    Everyone is watching here!!!!

    Unfortunately, Lu Tingxiao picked up neither theints from her heart, nor the countless gazes staring at him. He continued to focus on massaging her numb legs, which was a result of not moving for a long time in fear of waking Little Treasure up.

    As he massaged, Ning Xi practically gave up and became numb to the gazes surrounding her¡­

    In fact, hmm, the devil''s skill¡­was really good¡­the massage was really putting her at ease¡­

    "Is it better now?" Lu Tingxiao looked up to ask gently after a while.

    Ning Xi quickly nodded. "Much better!"

    She thought silently, "Your father is looking at me as if I''m the concubine who toyed with a warrior''s heart and brought cmity to a country and its people!"

    Lu Tingxiao then covered her with the nket again and gently arranged her slightly messy hair, continuing to publicly disy his love for the girl.

    At this moment, all the servants in the old residence hade to a clear conclusion - they definitely could not offend this woman in front of him!!!

    Since he currently did need a favor, despite Lu Chongshan being very angry, he could only hold it in for Little Treasure''s sake. He scoffed and angrily walked off, telling himself that it was best not to see anything more.

    As soon as he stormed off, Lu Chongshan could not keep it in any longer and started toin to Yan Ruyi, "How dare he! Look at how he was behaving, a big old man actually doing something like this for a woman, and using such a soft voice. Plus, he did it in front of everyone, how inappropriate! Does he even remember his own identity at all?"

    As a mother, even though Yan Ruyi was not too happy either, from a woman''s perspective, she didn''t really find anything wrong with Lu Tingxiao''s actions.

    If you really liked someone, you would naturally be extra caring¡­

    While Yan Ruyi thought about this, she nonchntly looked over at Lu Chongshan. Her marriage to Lu Chongshan was a result of good timing. They looked good together and were said to be a perfect match, yet she knew clearly that this man had only married her because she was the most suitable candidate and that in fact, he had never truly loved her¡­

    On the second day.

    The doctor checked on Little Treasure during the noon and in the evening again. At night, Little Treasure''s fever had finally subsided and his condition was finally stable again.

    After a whole day and night of fussing, everyone could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

    Since Little Treasure was already okay, Lu Chongshan who had long been impatiently maintaining hisposure finally could not hold himself back any longer.

    He walked into Little Treasure''s room and said to Ning Xi, "Miss Ning, thank you for all your care for Little Treasure this time. Later, I will get a driver to send you home."

 Chapter 503: No! Baby Little Treasure Is Mine!

    <h4>Chapter 503: No! Baby Little Treasure Is Mine!</h4>

    Lu Chongshan then told the butler, "Xing Wu, go prepare a generous gift for her."

    These words were not only meant to imply that she was just a guest but also topletely void any rtionships, a gesture to say that they owed each other nothing more after this.

    To wreck the bridge after crossing the river, to throw something that practically saved one''s life after using it¡­wasn''t it obvious what he was doing?

    Ning Xi did not actually care about what Lu Chongshan thought of her. Her only gripe was the thought of separating from the little bun again and she felt an ache in her bones. She subconsciously hugged the little bun even tighter.

    She really did not want to¡­

    She did not want to be separated from the little bun¡­

    In that moment, she felt a strong tug in the corner of her heart. She had a crazy idea of taking the little bun away by force!

    The atmosphere around Ning Xi instantly tingled with a chill as she skimmed the people present around her. She could estimate everyone''s capabilities and knew that if she really wanted to, no one here except for Lu Tingxiao could stop her from taking Little Treasure away.

    Probably due to him being able to sense Ning Xi''s emotional roller coaster and the sudden cold in the air, the little bun, who was sleeping calmly in her embrace, frowned out of difort.

    Ning Xi regained her senses and suppressed the impulse in her, patting the little bun''s back to console him.

    "Ruyi, go carry Little Treasure!" Lu Chongshan saw that the woman was not reacting to his offer and stayed unmoving instead, so he was irked.

    Yan Ruyi nodded and was about to take over Little Treasure from Ning X''s embrace when Lu Tingxiao was one step ahead and went over to Ning Xi''s bedside. He indicated for Ning Xi to let him carry Little Treasure, "Ning Xi, allow me."

    Ning Xi noticed the sudden movement and looked at Lu Tingxiao vigntly. Even if it was Lu Tingxiao himself, she was still unwilling to give the little bun to him.

    No! I''m not giving him! Baby Little Treasure is mine!

    When he saw the girl putting up a fierce guard, a loving look shed across Lu Tingxiao''s eyes. His gaze was akin to warm waves washing ashore to surround her. His tender tone had a way of calming one''s heart, "Be good, Xiao Xi, trust me, okay?"

    Ning Xi stared straight at Lu Tingxiao and felt her eyes tearing up.

    She doesn''t trust him! She doesn''t trust anyone!

    Why? Why was it that even you want to rob me of Little Treasure?

    No¡­no, that''s not right¡­

    Hah, this is not robbing. Little Treasure is originally theirs, not hers, not hers¡­

    Ning Xi, what is wrong with you? What are you doing?

    Ning Xi used all of her restraint to regain her senses. Atst, she carefully passed over the little bun to Lu Tingxiao, while her gaze continued to cling onto him with a heavy heart, and her eyes were full of reluctance.

    Lu Tingxiao could not help but smile in amusement as he watched the girl look at him as if he was a traitor.

    Lu Chongshan nodded with satisfaction. "Xing Wu, go get the car ready!"

    "Miss Ning, please follow me," Xing Wu acknowledged the orders and indicated for Ning Xi to leave with him.

    Lu Tingxiao used one arm to carry the little bun who obviously seemed not unstable after changing embraces and used his other arm to guide Ning Xi behind him protectively.

    Then, he looked at his parents coldly and said in a calm tone, "Father, Mother, thank you for taking care of Little Treasure for this period time. The office has not been terribly busy recently and Jingli will be back soon, so I won''t trouble you with Little Treasure anymore."

    As soon as he said that, the expression on Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi''s faces immediately changed.

    Yan Ruyi instantly said anxiously, "Tingxiao, what are you doing? Little Treasure has just recovered and not fully! Where do you want to bring him?"

 Chapter 504: Little Treasure Said Something!!!

    <h4>Chapter 504: Little Treasure Said Something!!!</h4>

    Lu Chongshan emotionally tapped his walking stick on the floor and roared, "You bastard, what are you trying to say? You want to take Little Treasure away? I dare you!"

    Lu Tingxiao remained cool and pointed out, "Father, Little Treasure is your grandson, but he''s my son too."

    Lu Chongshan spoke in a rush intimidatingly, "I''m your old man! You''ve been charmed over your head by this woman! The only way for you to dare take Little Treasure away today is to walk over my dead body!"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "If you must use your life to threaten me, I have nothing to say. But I insist on taking Little Treasure with me today."

    Suddenly, the atmosphere between the father and son became intense. Everyone was silent and no one dared to say anything.

    At this moment, Yan Ruyi was alsopletely on her husband''s side. "Tingxiao, even if you''re ming us for not taking care of Little Treasure well enough, this time was truly an ident. We are Little Treasure''s grandparents. Is there anyone else who would treat him better than we do? You would rather believe a woman you have just recently met than your own biological parents?"

    "This has nothing to do with her."

    What Lu Chongshan could not stand most was his son''s protective behavior over that woman. He was extremely mad now and did not care that there were many others present. He lost control and roared, "Have you forgotten what happened two years ago? Have you forgotten how Little Treasure became like this? It was such a painful lesson. Is once not enough? How dare you believe a woman like this?! You are just¡­just¡­"

    Yan Ruyi quickly went to hold him up when she saw that Lu Chongshan was getting increasingly agitated, "Tingxiao, please understand how your father and I feel. We are just too afraid!"

    Lu Tingxiao squinted slightly and tried to exin, "I understand how you feel and I swear with my life that something like that will not happen for the second time. She''s different. Ever since we have met, she has only nothing but love for Little Treasure. I''m sure you are also aware of the changes in Little Treasure even since he met her."

    However, the two old Lu''s were too stubborn, especially when the past incident was brought up. When they heard Lu Tingxiao''s words, they were only momentarily persuaded for a few seconds before they went back to their headstrong opinions. No matter what Lu Tingxiao said at that moment would be considered by them; they just wouldn''t let Lu Tingxiao take him away.

    Lu Tingxiao wore a dark mask on his face. Even though he did not want to, he knew that it was best to suffer for the short term rather than in the long term. He knew it would hurt them but he still spat it out anyway, "The scariest thing is not that Little Treasure will be hurt by others, but by the ones closest to him in the name of love!"

    "You¡­" Lu Chongshan''s face instantly stiffened, and his body shook with rage when he heard this.

    His son''s words were akin to a huge rock bearing upon his heart. Even though he had always acted in Little Treasure''s best interests since he was strictly kept at the old residence, all he had ever received was harm, andst night he almost¡­

    What followed Lu Tingxiao''s words was pin-drop silence in the living room, and the argument was a stalemate¡­

    Now, the one who was in the most awkward position was Ning Xi. She knew that as long as she was here, they had many things that could not be said, so even though she did not want to leave the little bun, she still had to consider leaving first and letting the three family members have a proper discussion.

    Due to the loud voices and tension in the air, the little bun whoy on Lu Tingxiao''s shoulders started to frown and his eyshes fluttered before he slowly opened his eyes¡­

    Ning Xi was standing behind Lu Tingxiao and as soon as the little bun opened his eyes, he saw her.

    Because the little guy had just woken up, he had an extremely cute sleepy look on his face. He blinked a few times and then when he saw Ning Xi, his gaze did not move away from her.

    He thought his sight had failed him, so the little guy rubbed his eyes with his soft fists. Then, he opened up his short arms towards Ning Xi''s direction without hesitation.

    In the next moment, the quiet air was filled with a soft and slightly grainy voice, "Hug¡­"

 Chapter 505: A Beautiful Voice

    <h4>Chapter 505: A Beautiful Voice</h4>

    In the fuelled atmosphere in the living room, the unexpected voice of such an adorable, sleepy toddler who could melt everyone''s hearts was like a crystal-clear chime in a terse silent moment.

    All that remained on Lu Chongshan''s gloomy face was a nk expression. Even Yan Ruyi widened her eyes¡­

    Even Lu Tingxiao, who had been calm throughout, was immediately stunned. With his son in his embrace, he remained stiffly in the same spot. The child''s voice still rang in his ear and if it had not been for the remnants of the little guy''s breath and the expectant look in his eyes, he would have thought that he was having an illusion.

    He had not heard that voice in a long time and it was just as he remembered it¡­

    He thought he would never hear that voice ever again¡­

    Because everyone present was just too bewildered, no one said anything for a while and all eyes fell on Little Treasure, their gazes full of expression but no words coulde out.

    The person even more shocked than Little Treasure''s grandparents and father was probably Ning Xi. She was standing in front of Little Treasure, so not only did she hear him, but she also saw with her own two eyes the moment the little bun had spoken.

    The little bun was oblivious to what an impact his actions had on everyone, only focusing on maintaining his arms open and wordlessly asking for a hug. When he saw that Ning Xi made no movement to hug him, he pouted and looked so sad that he was about to cry.

    The stunned Ning Xi finally returned to her senses and rushed to take the little bun from Lu Tingxiao''s arms for a hug.

    Ning Xi actions were like a switch that snapped everyone else out of their shock.

    "Tingxiao, Little Treasure¡­Little Treasure he just¡­did he just¡­"

    "Did Little Treasure just speak earlier? Was it Little Treasure? Huh?"

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan asked one question after another; they were so emotional that even their voices trembled.

    All around, the doctors and servants too started to whisper to one another¡­

    "Did you guys hear that? The Little Master spoke!"

    "We heard, we heard it! The Little Master said ''hug''!"

    "I thought I heard wrong, the Little Master hasn''t spoken for two years!"

    "This is miraculous! What actually happened?"

    "I don''t know! He just suddenly started speaking! I''m really amazed!"

    ¡­

    When the little bun melted into Aunty Xiao Xi''s embrace, he was finally satisfied and not even the noise around could affect him. He let out a delicate sneeze, then rested his head on Aunty Xiao Xi''s fragrant shoulder and fell soundly asleep again.

    He left the entire room in shock with his one careless word¡­

    "Uhh¡­uhh Miss Ning, you heard that too? Was it really Little Treasure talking? Can you ask him to speak a little more?" Yan Ruyi requested carefully.

    Lu Chongshan hadpletely forgotten his cruel instructions earlier and echoed, "Yes, yes, could you please?"

    As she saw the sincere looks from Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan, Ning Xi patted the little bun gently on the back and awkwardly cleared her throat, "But Little Treasure is asleep now¡­"

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan were speechless.

    Did he fall asleep again? What a bummer! However, they knew that they could not wake their dearest grandson up at that moment.

    Everyone''s eyes fell onto Lu Tingxiao immediately.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his son with a flicker ofplicated emotions in his gaze, then lightly touched his son''s head with his warm palm and tenderly said, "Little Treasure did speak earlier but let''s not rush him, we''ll wait for him to wake up and see."

 Chapter 506: Our Little Bun Is So Cute

    <h4>Chapter 506: Our Little Bun Is So Cute</h4>

    No rush¡­? They had already waited for two years and they even thought that they would never have the chance to hear his voice again. s, they managed to see the day that Little Treasure spoke! How could they not feel the need to rush?

    However, at this moment, they had no choice but to wait.

    Because the little bun''s voice had interrupted Xing Wu who was carrying out orders, he finally found the courage to ask, "Master Lu¡­do I still have to prepare the car?"

    Lu Chongshan immediately shot him an unhappy look. "What for? Quickly get the kitchen to prepare dinner instead!"

    Then, he cleared his throat and turned to Ning Xi ufortably, "Miss Ning, why don''t you stay for dinner?"

    There was no way he would be happy to have this woman stay but his dearest grandson had chosen to speak for the first time, not to his grandparents, father, or doctors, but to this woman.

    "Yeah, stay for dinner. No, no, how about you stay for a few more days before leaving? Look, Little Treasure doesn''t want to leave you too, does he?" Yan Ruyi spoke up as well.

    As she faced the sudden change in attitude in the two old Lu''s, Ning Xi subconsciously turned to Lu Tingxiao.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned, he was not about to give in easily again. This time, he had to take Little Treasure away with him.

    Since he was his biological son, Lu Chongshan could guess what Lu Tingxiao thought, so he said, "Even if you want to take Little Treasure away with you, at least wait until he has recovered a little more. That way, we would be more assured for him to go with you. If you take Little Treasure away now, you''d just be intentionally trying to worry us, wouldn''t you?"

    From the way he spoke¡­the stubborn Lu Chongshan was actuallypromising¡­

    Suspicion flitted across Lu Tingxiao''s eyes, then he looked to Ning Xi and said, "Let''s return to the room first and discuss when Little Treasure wakes up."

    Little Treasure had just spoken. He was afraid that if he were to take Little Treasure away right at that moment, Lu Chongshan would really disown him and their kinship.

    In such a situation, Ning Xi naturally understood as well. She nodded and carried the little bun back to his room.

    As soon as Ning Xi brought the little bun into the room with her, outside, Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan who could not control their emotions anymore.

    "Chongshan! Chongshan! Did you hear that? Did you? Our Little Treasure spoke! He really did! I thought that we would never see this day till the day we die!" Yan Ruyi started to cry.

    "What nonsense? Didn''t Little Treasure speak earlier? I already said that our Lu family is protected by the blessings of our ancestors, so Little Treasure will definitely recover!"

    As he watched his parents get emotional, Lu Tingxiao stopped himself from saying anything further. He did not have the heart to dampen their enthusiasm.

    Little Treasure had only said a single word. In fact, he had done it under little consciousness. Nevertheless, this was a huge breakthrough.

    In the room, Ning Xi kissed the little bun''s soft cheeks and she was so happy she could fly.

    Hah! My little bun spoke, he spoke! My little bun let me hug him, he let me hug him!

    At that moment, everyone waited nervously.

    Thankfully, the little bun had rested enough after sleeping for a day and night. Earlier after waking up, he had only returned to his nap for a short while and very quickly, he was awake again.

    When Ning Xi saw the little bun open his eyes, she was immediately overjoyed but uncertain at the same time. She was afraid that she would frighten him, so she asked gently, "Baby, are you awake?"

    The little bun blinked as he started at Ning Xi. After a while, he blinked again, then finally when he confirmed that the person in front of him was Aunty Xiao Xi, his grape-like eyes instantly sparkled like there were stars in them¡­

 Chapter 507: A Child With A Mother Is A Gem

    <h4>Chapter 507: A Child With A Mother Is A Gem</h4>

    The little bun clung onto Ning Xi and wriggled a little in her embrace. He dared not blink as he stared at her, afraid that once he blinked, she would disappear.

    Ning Xi watched him and felt her heart ache, then kissed the little bun on both his cheeks, "Aunty Xiao Xi is real, you''re not dreaming! Daddy brought Aunty Xiao Xi here to see you because you were sick."

    The little bun who was cheered up by the kisses blushed, all the insecurities in his heart vanishing instantly. He pursed his lips shyly and returned Ning Xi a kiss.

    Ning Xi held her face with her hands, she felt so happy and blessed. She thought that only winning an Oscar would feel like this.

    As she looked at the little bun''s moving eyes that seemed as if they could speak, Ning Xi wanted to y with him for a little while more. However, she knew that at that very moment, many people were still waiting anxiously outside, so she said, "Baby, you''re hungry, aren''t you? Let Aunty bring you out for some food, okay?"

    The little bun nodded obediently.

    "Hold on, let Aunty put on your clothes for you!" Ning Xi carried the little bun and walked to the wardrobe, then started picking out his clothes for him.

    "Which one do you want to wear?"

    The little bun looked at the wardrobe and pointed his stubby little fingers at the set of cartoon sweaters Ning Xi had bought for him.

    "Mmm, I was thinking the same thing."

    After she helped the little bun put on his clothes, Ning Xi carried him out.

    As soon as they walked out, everyone''s attention turned to them right away.

    The little boy whoy on the bed with no spiritst night had now changed into a brightly colored outfit. His eyes were much more active now too and he was practically a different person.

    The servants all had the same thought, "Indeed, a child with a mother is a gem¡­"

    Seeing their dearest grandson awake and looking handsome and lovable, Yan Ruyi''s eyes welled up with tears, "Little¡­Little Treasure is awake! Quick,e over for dinner! You haven''t eaten in so long, you must be hungry!"

    Lu Chongshan greeted him too, "Don''t just stand there,e sit down for dinner!"

    At the dinner table, Lu Chongshan sat at the main seat with Lu Tingxiao on his left. Initially, he wanted to let Little Treasure sit on his right, but the little guy''s head turned away from him and he quickly hugged Ning Xi''s neck, refusing to let go.

    Atst, Lu Tingxiao pulled out the chair beside him for Ning Xi to sit, while Yan Ruyi and Qin Mufeng sat opposite them.

    Of course, everyone was anxious to see whether Little Treasure was really willing to speak now.

    Atst, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi could not suppress it anymore.

    "Little Treasure, do you still feel sick?" Yan Ruyi asked lovingly.

    Little Treasure was focused on being fed porridge by Ning Xi and he did not answer.

    Yan Ruyi naturally did not take that to heart, so she continued to ask caringly, "Little Treasure, is the porridge nice? You''re sick, so you can''t eat food that''s too oily. Later, Grandma will make you more delicious food, okay?"

    "You''re not too well, Grandpa has applied for leave from school for you, so you don''t have to go to school for the next few days!"

    ¡­

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan continued to talk to Little Treasure. However, his reaction towards their questions seemed to be a little slow. He only gave very indifferent responses and did not even hear some.

    It seemed like he had returned to his old ways that very night¡­

    This made Yan Ruyi anxious. The little bun had finally said one word and before they could even confirm if he was really willing to speak, how could he return to his original ways again?

 Chapter 508: Trying To Make Little Treasure Talk

    <h4>Chapter 508: Trying To Make Little Treasure Talk</h4>

    "Tingxiao, what¡¯s wrong with Little Treasure? Why does he have such a nk look on his face?" Yan Ruyi asked worriedly.

    She looked forward to Little Treasure talking but he not only kept mute, he did not even respond. Of course, she was worried!

    Lu Chongshan responded unhappily, "What nk look? He''s just only recovered, it¡¯s normal to have dyed reactions!"

    Actually, Lu Chongshan could not hide his worry. Little Treasure had suffered from such a long spell of fever that it might have affected his brain¡­

    Qin Mufeng frowned, worried about Little Treasure¡¯s condition as well since there was something unusual about the whole thing.

    Ning Xi was ying with the little bun just a while ago, so she clearly knew that he was fine. But she felt a little awkward in front of Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi, and she was well aware that saying anything wrong could cause her trouble, so she tried to keep quiet. She yed the role of an invisible person and solely focused on feeding the little bun.

    Although Lu Tingxiao did not know anything about what went on inside everyone''s minds, he looked calm and collected. He looked at his son, who was being fed by Ning Xi obediently, and casually spoke to him, "Little Treasure, there is something on Aunty Xiao Xi¡¯s head."

    Little Treasure instantly took a break from his dinner and looked up at Aunty Xiao Xi¡¯s hair, then

    he startedbing through it with his small, tender hands.

    He could not find it and looked at his father desperately. Where was it?

    Lu Tingxiao then gave Ning Xi a deboned fish using his chopsticks, "Maybe I saw it wrongly."

    Everyone was surprised.

    Little Treasure was shocked.

    Ning Xi was helpless at the mercy of the devil¡¯s sneaky attack.

    Both Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were speechless by their son¡¯s cunning act.

    Qin Mufeng just coughed.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s act reminded them that even though Little Treasure was sick and weak, he could still react well, therefore everything was fine!

    He was only reacting to the things that he was interested in¡­

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi just looked at each other, both not looking very happy about it.

    Little Treasure probably wanted to ignore them because they had forcefully kept him by their side and had restricted him from meeting Ning Xi.

    Sensing the air turn heavy, Qin Mufeng felt that he should do something as a psychiatrist.

    Qin Mufeng let out a soft cough, then took out a paper and wrote a word on it. He put it in front of Little Treasure and asked him gently, "Little Treasure, do you know how to read this word?"

    Qin Mufeng had written a "Xi" word on the paper.

    "Xi" as in Ning Xi.

    He was trying to make Little Treasure talk¡­

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were impressed by what the professional psychiatrist was trying to do.

    Lu Tingxiao saw the word and remained silent.

    Little Treasure stared at the word while everyone watched him.

    As everyone was feeling nervous, Little Treasure looked at Qin Mufeng funnily then used a pen and wrote on the paper: "Xi"

    He then put the pen away and looked at Ning Xi, signalling her to continue the feeding.

    How naughty of Little Treasure! But he was too cute!

    Qin Mufeng was speechless. He thought he was smart, but apparently not as smart as this kid¡­

 Chapter 509: Take Little Treasure Away

    <h4>Chapter 509: Take Little Treasure Away</h4>

    Although Qin Mufeng was outsmarted by the little bun, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi looked much better now. They were no longer worried if Little Treasure¡¯s brain had been affected by the fever.

    They knew that Little Treasure was actually a smart little kid!

    He had done it on purpose when he gave Qin Mufeng a funny look.

    This kid looked and behaved exactly like Lu Tingxiao when he was still a child; both of them did not like to talk but they were really intelligent!

    Both the elders looked at Little Treasure with love and pride, and Qin Mufeng cringed internally at what happened but at least his sacrifice made some contribution and sparked the kid¡¯s intelligence.

    In the end, the dinner ended in peace but it could have been better. No matter how much they tried, Little Treasure kept his mouth firmly shut.

    Ning Xi knew that they would have something to discuss after dinner, so she brought Little Treasure back to the room first.

    "What now? Little Treasure still refuses to speak!" Yan Ruyi sighed and Lu Chongshan¡¯s expression darkened.

    To redeem his reputation, Qin Mufeng started to exin in his professional opinion, "It¡¯s understandable, Little Treasure still remains silent because the trauma is still there. Subconsciously, he kept himself in a state of aloofness and self-protection.

    "Yet, when he¡¯s in a totally rxed state with someone he can fully trust, he will talk without any guidance. And this is simr to what I¡¯ve predicted before."

    "So you''re saying that to get Little Treasure to talk again, we¡¯d need¡­that¡­" Lu Chongshan coughed, he stopped himself from using the phrase ''that woman'', "we¡¯d still need Ning Xi?"

    Qin Mufeng nodded, "Yes, Ning Xi is the key factor here, or more specifically, the decisive factor."

    Actually, Qin Mufeng had said this again and again, but Lu Chongshan was too stubborn and refused to listen to him.

    Their hopes were dashed by this conclusion, causing Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi to feel a little disappointed.

    Yan Ruyi sighed again, "We¡¯ve looked for so many doctors before and all of them said that Little Treasure might never be able to speak again. At least, now we know that it¡¯s possible that he can!"

    Lu Chongshan nodded, "Yes, it¡¯s something worth noting!"

    He then looked at his son who stood at the side, "Follow me."

    In the study room.

    Lu Chongshan stayed silent for a little while, as though he was deliberating an important decision.

    After a few moments, he spoke, "You can take Little Treasure away."

    Lu Tingxiao was not surprised by Lu Chongshan¡¯s decision. Nevertheless, the change in his decision was much better than the scenarios he had imagined in mind and he did nto expect Little Treasure to speak either.

    "I admit that I didn¡¯t take good enough care of Little Treasure while he was here, it¡¯s my responsibility. But handing Little Treasure over to you doesn¡¯t mean Ipletely trust you. If Little Treasure has any issues when he''s with you, I¡¯ll take him back immediately and you shall have no objections to it. What do you think?" Lu Chongshan asked him with a serious expression.

    Lu Tingxiao nodded, "Agreed."

    Lu Chongshan turned away and waved his hand impatiently as if afraid of regretting his decision. "You can go now."

 Chapter 510: Great! Father Is Giving Me Away!

    <h4>Chapter 510: Great! Father Is Giving Me Away!</h4>

    In Little Treasure¡¯s bedroom.

    Ning Xi was holding the little bun tightly and her thoughts were wildly specting about "Operation Stealing Bun".

    Even though she had bought herself a little more time now, in the end, she would still have to be separated from the little bun. She desperately wanted to take the little bun and run away now!

    As she was having all sorts of thoughts, a deep voice came through, "What are you thinking about?"

    "Bun stealing!" Ning Xi said without thinking.

    "Haha!" the manughed.

    Ning Xi then realized it was the devil talking to her and she looked up in fear.

    It¡¯s all over now! She had actually told him her unforgivable n!

    "Both?" Lu Tingxiao asked mysteriously.

    Ning Xi was wondering what he meant, then she understood and blushed.

    The devil was asking her if she wanted to steal both the big bun and the small bun! How cunning!

    Well, actually she wanted to¡­

    Lu Tingxiao stopped teasing her andmanded, "Let¡¯s go."

    "Go¡­?" Ning Xi¡¯s expression fell.

    Finally, it was time to leave¡­

    The little bun realized something was wrong and he held on to Ning Xi tightly as he looked at his father with an aloof expression.

    Under the intense stare of the both of them, Lu Tingxiao replied with a gentle gaze, "Let¡¯s go¡­together."

    ¡­

    Until they were bundled together in the same car, Ning Xi still could not believe it. She had actually left the house with the little bun in her arms¡­

    It was like a dreame true! What an unexpected bout of happiness!

    It seemed like Lu Tingxiao had sessfully persuaded his parents¡­

    Ning Xi sighed in relief. The little bun will be staying in tinum Pce from now on and it will be easier for her to visit him.

    But the end result was far more surprising than she had expected.

    Lu Tingxiao had Cheng Feng stop at her apartment, then he opened the door and let Ning Xi and the little bun down from the car.

    "This is¡­" Ning Xi was dumbfounded.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the confused girl and his son who was clinging onto Ning Xi now and he said gently, "You don¡¯t have to steal the little bun. I¡¯ll give him to you."

    "Huh?!" Ning Xi was really confused now.

    What did the devil mean?

    He¡­he was giving the little bun to her directly?

    This is your son, how could you?! Is he really your biological son?!

    But¡­it was her dream after all¡­

    Now, she did not have to steal him away as the owner was just giving him to her?

    The little bun was surprised by his father¡¯s words as well. In fact, he did not look sad for being abandoned by his father, instead, his eyes were shining and he looked really happy!

    Great! Father is giving me away!

    When he saw his son¡¯s genuine smile that obviously showed that he was not feeling heavy-hearted about being separated from his father, Lu Tingxiao was a little at a loss.

    "Hmm¡­boss, you¡­you¡¯re just kidding right?" Ning Xi asked in disbelief.

    Lu Tingxiao picked his son up in his arms and walked right into the apartment. He was proving through his actions that he was serious about it.

    Lu Tingxiao reminded Ning Xi, who was still in a daze, when they reached her ce, "Open the door."

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi quickly took out her keys and unlocked the door.

    Lu Tingxiao put his son down when he got inside and told her, "You shouldn¡¯t have any jobs for a while, so I¡¯ll have Little Treasure stay with you for this period of time. If there is anything urgent, just give me a call, I¡¯ll have Butler Yuan over to take care of Little Treasure."

 Chapter 511: Could You Stay Over Tonight?

    <h4>Chapter 511: Could You Stay Over Tonight?</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s words dissolved Ning Xi¡¯s worries.

    Oh! The devil! He was way too sweet! Too gentle! How she wished she could offer herself to him!

    Little Treasure thought his father was really going to give him to Aunty Xiao Xi, then he heard that he was only going to stay here for a period of time, so he was a little unhappy as he felt cheated.

    What about giving me away? Liar of a father!

    Lu Tingxiao raised his brows and gave his son a signal to mean that he gave him the choice whether he wanted to stay by Aunty Xiao Xi¡¯s side forever.

    The little bun chewed on his lower lip and with a motivated expression, he told himself that he could do it! It was useless depending on Father, he would take his fate into his own hands!

    Looking at his son getting all fired up, Lu Tingxiao nodded, not feeling guilty at all for using his own son this way!

    Excellent, the trump card had been delivered to the wife.

    Ning Xi would never have known that she had fallen into the devil¡¯s trap, her mind was filled with happiness at the thought of being able to stay with the little bun.

    "It¡¯ste now, I¡¯ll take my leave. Please rest early," Lu Tingxiao looked at his watch unwillingly as he still had to leave.

    Ning Xi¡¯s expression changed.

    Lu Tingxiao bent over and told his son, "Little Treasure, I¡¯ll be leaving now, be good to Aunty Xiao Xi!"

    Seeing that Lu Tingxiao was going to leave after talking to the little bun, Ning Xi quickly stopped him, "Wait!"

    "Anything else?" Lu Tingxiao halted.

    "Uh¡­yes! Well¡­" Ning Xi scratched her head, and spoke, embarrassed, "Lu Tingxiao, could you¡­could you stay over tonight?"

    Lu Tingxiao was astonished, his eyes were fired up and he looked at the girl passionately.

    If Little Treasure had not been there, Ning Xi¡¯s words would have sounded like an ambiguous invitation¡­

    Even though he knew that she did not mean it that way, it sure was enough to fire him up¡­

    Ning Xi realized it was inappropriate for her to say this, so she quickly exined, "Little bun has just only recovered and although the doctor said everything is fine, we cannot eliminate the possibility that he might go into a rpse. I¡¯m worried if something happened¡­"

    When it came to the little bun¡¯s health, she dared not to be careless. Plus, it was her first time taking care of a child alone, so she panicked a little.

    Lu Tingxiao understood her worries and when he saw the girl¡¯s dependence on him, the passion in his eyes turned into a gentle warmth, "Okay."

    Ning Xi was relieved, her uneasiness was now gone. "I¡¯ll make the bed for you! No one has stayed in the guest room before and everything is new, so you can stay in immediately! You''ll just need clothes to change into¡­"

    "I¡¯ll have someone to send over."

    "Oh, okay then!"

    Father was staying back, ruining his dream of being alone with Aunty Xiao Xi, thought the little bun to himself, feeling heartbroken.

    Lu Tingxiao rubbed his son¡¯s head with a light smile, "Don¡¯t forget that we¡¯re an alliance, apart from cooperating together, we¡¯re sharing the profit too."

    No monopoly here!

    Little Bun seemed angry but he could not fight back, he then ran into the living room to look for somefort from Aunty Xiao Xi.

    Father was bullying me again!

 Chapter 512: Could Not Help But Get Closer

    <h4>Chapter 512: Could Not Help But Get Closer</h4>

    After she had settled the big bun down, Ning Xi started to put the little bun to sleep.

    The little bun wanted to listen to Ning Xi sing.

    In the end, even after Ning Xi had sung a few songs that the little bun liked, he stared at her without any intention of sleeping.

    "Aren¡¯t you sleepy? You want me to tell you a story?" Ning Xi asked.

    Little bun shook his head.

    Ning Xi touched her chin, "You still want me to sing?"

    Little bun nodded.

    "You don¡¯t like what I sang just now?" Ning Xi asked again.

    Little bun nodded.

    Ning Xi understood, "Then¡­I¡¯ll change to another song?"

    The little bun continued nodding, he was looking forward to it but at the same time, afraid of being disappointed.

    Ning Xi thought about it, then started singing, "Sleep, sleep, my dear baby, mother¡¯s hands will caress you lightly¡­"

    After changing to this song, the little bun was happy as he tucked himself into Ning Xi''s arms and closed his eyes.

    Ning Xi caressed the little bun¡¯s head, realizing that he wanted to listen to this song¡­

    When she sang it to him before, he was unconscious but he had actually still been listening, so he wanted to listen to it now. However, he was in a daze at that time and had no idea which song she sang, so when Ning Xi sang it again, he was satisfied.

    Lulled by Ning Xi¡¯s gentle voice, the little bun was soon fast asleep.

    Ning Xi was still worried and only became at ease after she touched the little bun¡¯s forehead to confirm that his temperature was normal.

    She kissed the little bun¡¯s forehead and left the bed quietly. She then proceeded to check on the big bun as well.

    She knocked but there was no reaction. Could he be asleep? This was not like Lu Tingxiao¡¯s lifestyle at all.

    Ning Xi opened the door in doubt, then she saw Lu Tingxiao asleep with the bedside light and hisptop on the table turned on.

    Ning Xi noticed the man¡¯s eye bags and frowned.

    Lu Tingxiao had mentioned that he was not busy with work before but it was a straight up lie. Lu Jingli had been away for vacation for such a long time that Lu Tingxiao¡¯s workload must have been doubled, yet¡­he still went to the airport to pick her upst night, then Little Treasure got that terrible fever. She was able to get some sleep with Little Treasure but he must not have slept for a whole day¡­

    Ning Xi walked over with light footsteps and propped Lu Tingxiao up. She adjusted the pillow and took off his coat before gently letting him lie down on the bed again.

    After covering Lu Tingxiao with the nket, she turned off the light andptop and was prepared to leave.

    But as she got up, she froze. From the pale moonlight, she watched the man¡¯s perfect face blessed by God, his face was still as cool as ever even when he was asleep¡­

    It was such a perfect face, yet he used this face of his to keep people out. For some reason, his face attracted Ning Xi¡¯s gaze like a vortex, she was not able to look away and she could not help herself but want to get closer¡­

    When she was deep in her thoughts, Ning Xi found herself involuntarily sitting on the bed already. When she regained her senses, her long hair was already spread across his shoulders and she was only a few inches away from his face¡­

    Ning Xi woke up from her fantasies when she almost kissed him, and as if a beast was chasing her, she quickly escaped from the room.

    What Ning Xi did not know was that as she was leaving, the man on the bed had opened his eyes and looked at her¡­

 Chapter 513: Unable To Control Himself

    <h4>Chapter 513: Unable To Control Himself</h4>

    The man on the bed opened his eyes, his eyes were clear without any intention of sleeping¡­

    He was just taking a little nap on the bed earlier.

    When Ning Xi knocked on the door, he really did not hear it, but when Ning Xi came in, he was already awake although, for some reason, he decided not to open his eyes.

    Ning Xi then carefully took off his coat, adjusted his pillow and covered him with the nket.

    Although he knew she was just caring for him as her boss and supervisor, he felt warm and fuzzy under her care, his exhaustion all gone in an instant.

    At the moment that the girl was ready to leave, he felt a bit odd that the sound of her footsteps vanished.

    She was not walking or moving and he could feel the girl¡¯s gaze on him¡­

    She¡­what was she doing? What was she looking at?

    Too bad he could not open his eyes now, so he just acted like he was unconscious andy on the bed, focusing on every little sound he heard.

    The girl stood by the bedside and stayed silent for some time. He felt nervous just being stared at, and shortly afterwards, he heard a tiny sound of fabric rustling against each other.

    Was Ning Xi¡­getting closer to him?

    As he was having his doubts, he suddenly felt something light fall on his shoulders, then he smelt the girl¡¯s familiar scent.

    He finally realized that it was her hair that had fallen onto his shoulders and that she was unbelievably close right now¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s heart almost stopped, his blood flow was practically at the point of flowing in reverse and a lightning-fast reaction urred in his central nervous system, as his stomach felt a flood of warmth.

    What¡­was she doing?

    Lu Tingxiaoy as still as he could and tried to hold his breath.

    The girl was getting closer¡­

    Even closer¡­

    The next second when he thought he was going to taste the sweetness he had been longing for, the girl¡¯s scent disappeared and he heard her quick footsteps leaving the room.

    Lu Tingxiao opened his eyes and almost thought that it was just a dream.

    But, no, it was not a dream, it had actually happened.

    Ning Xi was acting weird earlier, he could not understand her behavior¡­

    He shut his eyes the whole time and was not sure what exactly happened, but from his intuition, he deduced that she wanted to kiss him, but changed her mind at thest moment?

    Was he just overthinking?

    It could have just been something in his hair which she closed in to help him remove?

    "Hah¡­" Lu Tingxiao put his hand on his forehead as he looked at the huge reaction happening at his lower region of his body, and he let out a bitterugh and felt as if he was going crazy.

    Impossible¡­

    Why would she have wanted to kiss him?

    Only he would do these sort of things.

    Because of his imagination and a non-existent kiss, his body was reacting like a teenager¡­

    Lu Tingxiao stood up and went into the bathroom.

    The cold water did not help to cool him down, the fire inside him burning stronger than ever¡­

    "Xiao Xi¡­" Finally, the man could not hold it in anymore, his hands reaching down and he proceeded to relieve himself.

    He imagined what would follow if the girl actually kissed him just now, and he released them all¡­

 Chapter 514: What Is Carrot Yun Trying To Do?

    <h4>Chapter 514: What Is Carrot Yun Trying To Do?</h4>

    Ning Xi immediately escaped to the balcony aftering out of the room.

    She felt a little more awake after getting herself some air.

    Oh my God, lust sure fazes people!

    She was trying to take advantage of the devil while he was sleeping just now!

    How crazy was that?!

    Thank goodness she came to her senses at the final moment and stopped her questionable behavior.

    Having such a tempting, delicious cabbage right beside her and not being able to do anything about it was terribly dangerous, how torturous¡­

    As Ning Xi repented for her actions on the balcony, the phone in her pocket rang.

    There was a new text message from Annie.

    Ning Xi was all freshened up now and she tapped to open the message.

    [Annie: Bro Xi, are you still there?]

    Ning Xi replied instantly: [Yes, what¡¯s up?]

    [Annie: Yeah, Boss¡¯ mood recently is very, very, very bad!]

    Ning Xi¡¯s brows closed in as she typed: [What happened?] How bad was it for Annie to use "very" three times?

    [Annie: I think Boss must have argued with you, Bro Xi!]

    Ning Xi thought she would be able to get more important information than such a vague answer, so she was somewhat disappointed after she saw the message. She responded: [You think too much, I¡¯ve not even been in contact with him recently, how could I possibly have argued with him?]

    Ning Xi felt that something was amiss after she sent the message¡­

    Ah, it seemed that a while ago she had argued with that guy.

    Because of what had happened in Phdelphia, she was irate and she sent him a message scolding him as a bastard.

    Could his bad mood be because of that?

    The more Ning Xi thought about it, the more she felt it was possible¡­

    [Annie: Bro Xi, you don¡¯t have to hide from me, I know about it already. You¡¯re angry because of what happened in Phdelphia, aren''t you? Boss wasn¡¯t trying to hurt you, he was angry after he found out about it as well. What happened wasn''t under the Boss¡¯s orders, it was someone else¡¯s! Boss was furious and has already made them pay the price.]

    Ning Xi was surprised and had a moment of realization when she saw the message¡­

    No wonder she had felt that something was odd about the incident and it did not seem like his way of doing things. She was simply too angry at that moment and did not think much about it. Moreover, that guy¡¯s personality was so unpredictable, even more so than a woman. Who knew if he might have changed his ways? Anything was possible and he was not the sort who could be easily predicted with justmon sense.

    But the point was that after that incident, she realized something that had never urred to her before.

    It was likely that the whole issue was not just about her, but both that man and Lu Tingxiao seemed to be rted in other ways. Every time he mentioned Lu Tingxiao, he would behave oddly¡­

    As though he bore an immense amount of hatred towards Lu Tingxiao.

    This thought worried her, which was why she took the risk to return to St. Bernard City and looked for Third Senior Sister''s help.

    [Alright, got it. Anything else?] Ning Xi replied.

    [Annie: Another thing is, Bro Xi, you asked me to be your¡­spy, didn''t you? I¡¯ve been looking out for you and recently, someone was looking for trouble with Boss, so he''s been out at sea, nothing much. But I¡¯ve just gotten ahold of a piece of information and it¡¯s kind of worrying.]

    Ning Xi was nervous: [What is it?]

    [Annie: I just saw that Boss gave Bro Ye a new mission.]

    [Ning Xi: What ss?]

    [Annie: S ss.]

    Ning Xi¡¯s face turned pale when she saw the words "S ss" on the screen.

    Annie would not be worried enough to urgently inform her if the mission was of any other ss.

    Damn it! What mission did that guy issue? It''s an S ss and he even let Tang Ye do it personally!

    Could it be rted to Lu Tingxiao?

 Chapter 515: Should I Propose?

    <h4>Chapter 515: Should I Propose?</h4>

    At the same time, at the biggest casino in Las Vegas.

    Thick stacks of ount books were ced on the table inside a luxuriously-lined box. A gentleman with gold-framed sses sat on a leather sofa.

    A pool of blood was growing right below the man¡¯s foot while a bald man twitched, covering a bloody stump where his right arm used to be. Everyone else was nervous and sweat flowed profusely from all the brows in the room¡­

    Theptop on the table suddenly turned on by itself and a single crimson "S" appeared on the screen together with a loud ring rm.

    Everyone who saw the alphabet was terrified.

    An S ss mission!

    Did something serious happen?

    Even Tang Ye was worried, so he raised his hand and signalled for everyone to leave.

    Everyone went out quickly and left Tang Ye alone.

    Tang Ye pressed a button on the keyboard and a visual appeared on the screen.

    The sound of waves came roaring through the speaker and a dark silhouette was seen on a wooden deck under the moonlight in front of a bright night sky full of stars.

    Tang Ye looked worried and asked, "Satan, what happened?"

    The missions from the organization were ranked into four sses: A, B, C, and D. Missions that were ranked crucial overtook the A ss and werebeled S ss missions.

    Thest time he had taken on an S ss mission was three years ago and he was almost wiped out altogether, hence Tang Ye''s anxiety was perfectly normal.

    On the screen, the silhouette was looking at the star-sshed sky with one of his leg bent on the chair and an arm waving around casually over the top of his head. He then answered the nerve-wrecked Tang Ye, "Ye, am I really not good at getting thedies?"

    Tang Ye was speechless.

    After all the ruckus and mental preparation for some terrible news, what he got was a nonsensical question. Tang Ye¡¯s face crumpled. "You¡¯re contacting me just to ask this?"

    "Of course not." The man gave him a haughty look, then reminded him, "Ye, you haven¡¯t answered my question."

    Even though he was used to the man¡¯s unreasonable nature, Tang Ye was still annoyed. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down before sighing, "Yes."

    "Ah, as expected of you. Only you would tell me the truth," the man sighed and asked again, "Do you think I should propose to her?"

    "What?" Tang Ye''s knees almost gave way. Propose? This guy¡­did he even think things through properly?

    "Mmm, I¡¯m such a genius!" the man answered himself rhetorically without waiting for Tang Ye¡¯s reply.

    Tang Ye pinched the space between his eyebrows in frustration. "Satan, I¡¯m going to remind you again, things aren¡¯t looking good right now. You cannot leave the area you¡¯re in, not at least for the next one month."

    "Of course, I know, you¡¯ll go on my behalf instead!" the man said as a matter-of-factly.

    Tang Ye looked calm on the surface but he was really frustrated. He said slowly and clearly, "So, your so-called S ss mission is to help you propose to my Little Junior Sister?"

 Chapter 516: A Hug First

    <h4>Chapter 516: A Hug First</h4>

    "That¡¯s right!" the man confirmed.

    Tang Ye pinched the space between his eyebrows again and took a deep breath as he tried his best to control his emotions. After a while, he decided to bravely tell the man on the screen in a cold tone, "I¡¯m sorry, I reject this mission."

    To his absolute astonishment, the man on the screen was not angry after being rejected. Instead, he put on a friendly front and said, "Oh, okay, I guess I¡¯ll just have to go myself then!"

    "Absolutely not!" Tang Ye tried to suppress his vexation and simted killing someone in his mind a few hundred times before he gave in. "Fine, I¡¯ll go!"

    On the deck, the man stood up and brushed the hair swept across his forehead with his fingers, the faintest of his evil grin gleaming in the dark as he said, "Failure will not be tolerated, you know that."

    "Screw it!" Tang Ye growled; he would rather take on a real S ss mission than this silly job!

    "Hahaha¡­" He seemed aplished after he had made Tang Ye mad,ughing heartily as he told him with squinted eyes, "If you¡¯re sessful, bring her back. If not, send her my message."

    Tang Ye was speechless.

    Where did his confidencee from, thinking that he even stood a chance?

    It was not that he doubted the man''s ability to pick up girls, it was his outrageously disastrous emotional quotient level!

    Unfortunately for Tang Ye, he knew that the man would not change his mind once he had decided on something and if the orders were not executed, he would really go out on his own, then the consequences could be dire¡­

    ¡­

    After some serious thinking on the balcony, Ning Xi calmed down.

    Why was she rting everything to Lu Tingxiao? It was an S rank mission, after all, so it had to be something internal¡­

    She then went back to bed and prepared to go to sleep but her right eye kept on twitching.

    Right eye¡­did that bode disaster?

    Just as she thought about it, her left eye started twitching as well!

    Left eye¡­was that a blessing?

    Ugh, both eyes were twitching together, so which was which?

    The next morning.

    Ning Xi woke up earlier to prepare breakfast. She made a simple seafood porridge, heart-shaped sunny side eggs, and some pickled dishes. Her spread looked delicious.

    As she was setting the table, she felt a soft bump on her calf - the little bun had woken up.

    "You¡¯re up! Go and wash up!" All his personal care items and clothes had been sent over the night before, so she did not have to worry about anything.

    The little bun shook his head and spread his arms wide, signaling that he wanted a hug first.

    Of course, Ning Xi would not reject him and fulfilled his request with a loving smile.

    As they yed around, footsteps interrupted them. Lu Tingxiao was awake.

    It was not the first time she saw the bedhead version of Lu Tingxiao who had just woken up but today¡­he seemed a little different¡­

    There was a wild look in his eyes¡­

    Lu Tingxiao used to look at her with a gentle gaze, somewhat like a herbivore, but now it seemed like his facade was peeled away as though the seal on the devil was slowly being removed.

    Ning Xi felt guilty about what she had almost donest night, so she averted her gaze away from him and coughed lightly, "Boss, you¡¯re awake! Wash up and breakfast will soon be ready!"

    Lu Tingxiao calmed himself down and returned to his usual self. "Mmm."

 Chapter 517: Father-Son Alliance

    <h4>Chapter 517: Father-Son Alliance</h4>

    Ning Xi measured the little bun¡¯s temperature before the meal and was relieved to see that it was normal.

    The little bun not talking was the least of her worries.

    The most important thing to Ning Xi was the health of the little bun¡¯s body. Of course, she would have liked to hear him speak soon, but she would not force him to do anything he did not like; he would speak when he felt like it.

    After breakfast, Ning Xi remembered something. "Ah! I almost forgot! I brought you guys some presents!"

    Presents!

    Little bun¡¯s eyes were shining in glee.

    Ning Xi went back to her room and took out two sky blue colored bags, one for the little bun and one for the big bun.

    Lu Tingxiao took the bag for him and said in surprise, "I get one too?"

    "Of course!"

    The devil¡¯s present was the most expensive one!

    Lu Tingxiao opened the bag and saw a suit inside, then he took a peek into his son¡¯s bag. In it was was a child-sized suit that looked exactly like his own.

    Ning Xi probably enjoyed watching them wearing matching outfits.

    But apart from the suits, there was something else different between the bags. Ning Xi bought the little bun a fluffy toy bear that he could clip onto his bag and Lu Tingxiao received a tie pin.

    "How is it? Is it okay? Do you like them?" Ning Xi asked nervously.

    The little bun rushed back into his room and took out his bag, he gave it to Ning Xi and wordlessly requested her to help him put the bear on it.

    Lu Tingxiao asked, "Would you like me to put it on for you?"

    Ning Xi was really happy when she heard his offer and she nodded, "Yes, please!"

    The little bun quickly took his suit and went to change as well.

    Ning Xi held her chin in the palms of her hands and waited for them excitedly.

    She was also a little worried because the color she had picked this time was probably challenging the devil¡¯s limit¡­

    She had picked sapphire blue thest time and this time, it was¡­red!

    She bet that the devil had never worn anything red in his life before¡­

    Of course, it was not a terribly bright red color. Instead, it was a distinguished maroon color.

    She was really surprised when the devil had said that he would put it on when he saw it because she was afraid that he would not even bother trying it on!

    After some waiting, both of them came out at almost the same time.

    Seeing the big bun and the little bun together, Ning Xi was dumbfounded.

    They looked extremely handsome!

    How could they be so dapper!

    She did not expect the devil to look that cool in red. As expected of the devil, he could pull it off well.

    And because she had never seen the devil wear red before, she felt really excited.

    "How is it?" Lu Tingxiao raised his brows in question although he actually already knew what the girl thought about the look when he saw her expression.

    He had really never worn such a color before in his life, but since it was a present from her, he put it on without thinking any further.

    Mmm, as long as the wife picked it out, he would wear anything she chose¡­

    "Sooooo¡­cool!" Ning Xi was impressed by their smart dressing.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s suit was a three-piece with a vest and coat while the little bun¡¯s had braces holding up his trousers and was finished with a bow tie. They both definitely look like showstoppers!

 Chapter 518: Little Master Is So Handsome, So Cute

    <h4>Chapter 518: Little Master Is So Handsome, So Cute</h4>

    Ning Xi returned to her senses and realized that it was already quitete, "Ah, Lu Tingxiao, you¡¯re almostte for work, aren¡¯t you?"

    "It¡¯s still pretty early, aren¡¯t you going to find a ce for Gong Shangze? These are a few ces I¡¯ve looked at. Here they are for your reference." Lu Tingxiao gave her a file folder.

    "That¡¯s really quick!" Ning Xi was amazed by the devil¡¯s efficiency.

    "This doesn¡¯t take much time." She was always at the top of his priorities; of course, he would be quick.

    "Thank you so much!" Ning Xi felt at ease when she saw the file containing the analysis andparisons of different areas.

    She then took a nce at the little bun and felt a little awkward. "Uh¡­I¡¯m going out to look for houses today, so what can the little bun do? It¡¯s okay if I am going out for a short while, but I¡¯m going to a lot of ces today and it¡¯ll be difficult for him to follow me!"

    The little bun felt abandoned after he heard her ns.

    "Let me call Butler Yuan over," Lu Tingxiao said.

    The little bun stared at his father and held Ning Xi¡¯s hand tightly. No!

    Ning Xi hesitated. She would still feel bad even if someone was taking care of the little bun since she had to abandon him.

    Lu Tingxiao saw through her worries, then he put his phone down and said, "Alternatively, I¡¯ll bring him to my office, then you cane over and pick him up after you¡¯re done.

    "Mmm¡­" She would be much morefortable if the little bun followed his father.

    Ning Xi then squatted down and told little bun gently, "Little Treasure, I¡¯m really sorry that I¡¯m busy today. Do you want to wait here or would you like to go to the office with your father first?"

    He did not want to choose. All he wanted was to stay with Aunty Xiao Xi! He was not afraid of being tired! But¡­he was afraid of troubling Aunty Xiao Xi¡­he was afraid that she would be exhausted looking after him¡­

    The little bun struggled for a while, then he looked at his father reluctantly and decided to go to the office with his father.

    Then, he could create more chances for Father to be with Aunty Xiao Xi!

    He did not want to do this at all but, oh well, he could form an alliance with his father since he would need his father¡¯s help to be with Aunty Xiao Xi in the long run anyway.

    Lu Tingxiao was satisfied with his son¡¯s decision, it was as expected of his son!

    Ning Xi did not notice the exchange between them and she hugged the little bun tightly. "You¡¯re really sweet today, I¡¯ll pick you up after I¡¯m done!"

    After that, they went their separate ways.

    At the Lu Corporation office tower.

    As Lu Tingxiao held the little bun¡¯s hand and walked out of the car, everyone was surprised.

    All the limelight was focused on the little boy Lu Tingxiao had brought.

    Just by looking at his face, they instantly knew that this was none other than the legendary Little Master!

    It was even more obvious as they wore matching handsome outfits today and they attracted all the spotlight to themselves as if the sun was favoring them and shone directly on their path.

    The secretary at the receptionist table was really excited and sent a message to the office group chat. She alerted everyone: [Oh my god¡­big news! CEO Lu brought Little Master to the office! Little Master is so handsome, so cute!]

 Chapter 519: Whoâ€™s The Mother?

    <h4>Chapter 519: Who¡¯s The Mother?</h4>

    After the news was out, the group chat exploded like cold water being added into boiling oil. New messages kept spilling in quickly, one after another¡­

    [Little Master!? Don¡¯t try to lie! It¡¯s impossible that CEO Lu would bring Little Master to the office!]

    [Did you make a mistake? How do you know he is the Little Master?]

    [I¡¯ve been here for five years and I¡¯ve never even seen a wisp of his hair!]

    [So, the Little Master is real? I thought it was just a rumor!]

    [Even if there¡¯s a kid, it can''t be the Little Master. CEO Lu keeps a low profile. Why would he bring his son to the office?]

    ¡­

    The secretary was angered by their doubts, so she replied: [He is the Little Master! He looks exactly the same as CEO Lu, how could I possibly be mistaken? They even wore matching outfits! I¡¯ve never seen CEO Lu wearing such bright colors! Do you know what color he wore today? Red! He wore red to match his son! The point is, they are so handsome! Even more so than his usual self!]

    As the secretary described the nitty-gritty, more people started to believe her.

    [I need pictures! It¡¯s unfair that only you get to see it!]

    [I was shocked when I saw them, there¡¯s no time for pictures! CEO Lu is already in the lift, look for yourselvester!]

    ¡­

    Because the secretary had informed them beforehand, suddenly everyone left their workstations and trained their eyes on the lift.

    After some waiting, finally¡­

    Ding!

    The lift door slid open.

    Lu Tingxiao was holding hands with a boy as they walked out of the lift.

    They had only seen their boss in ck, but he really wore red today!

    And the boss was holding hands with a young boy who was around five years old, both dressed in matching suits of the same color. That perfect little face was just like a miniature version of Lu Tingxiao. Even his cool expression was exactly the same as Lu Tingxiao¡¯s.

    Everyone was shocked speechless until someone reacted and quickly greeted, "Morning, CEO Lu! Morning, Little Master!"

    The rest of them started echoing the greetings.

    It was a grand scene to see how everyone bowed to them, yet the five-year-old looked really calm and there was no change in his expression.

    However, he was still sad about being separated from Aunty Xiao Xi and did not notice what was happening around him.

    As both of them stepped into the CEO''s office, everyone started discussing them¡­

    "Jesus! It really is Little Master!"

    "Little Master sure has good genes! I¡¯m starting to wonder who his mother is!"

    "CEO Lu actually wore red! I¡¯ve always thought the only color in his wardrobe is ck! Obviously, I still don¡¯t know enough!"

    "Actually¡­the one thing I''m most curious about is who bought the matching outfit for CEO Lu and Little Master? And who made them wear it?"

    "Right! CEO Lu probably wouldn¡¯t buy it himself and he wouldn¡¯t wear this color voluntarily! It¡¯d still be okay if it were Second Master!"

    "Why do you ask? Of course, it¡¯s our futuredy boss!"

 Chapter 520: Thankfully, She Came

    <h4>Chapter 520: Thankfully, She Came</h4>

    Ning Xi rang the doorbell of the hotel room.

    Almost immediately after she rang it, the door opened.

    The youth who answered the door looked uneasy and nervous, not able to hide his excitement. "Boss! You''re here!"

    When he saw Ning Xi, Gong Shangze looked slightly relieved.

    After all, Ning Xi''s appearance in Los Angeles was so abrupt. He had not slept wellst night, afraid that he would wake up to find that this was all a dream. He woke up the first thing in the morning and waited for Ning Xi toe for him, afraid that she would not appear or that something wrong he had done would make her regret and change her mind. He was afraid that he would fall into another pit of hopelessness and despair¡­

    Thankfully, she was here.

    Ning Xi looked at Gong Shangze who was dressed up and asked, "Ready? Let''s just go then."

    "Mmm, let''s go!"

    "Have you eaten breakfast?"

    "Yes, I have. The hotel provides it in the morning."

    "Okay, then let''s go now! We''ll go view some houses first, okay? Once we''re done, we can immediately go prepare all that''s needed!"

    "Okay."

    ¡­

    Later, when Ning Xi looked closely, she realized that in the information that Lu Tingxiao had prepared for her, he had even nned the house viewing in chronological order and included the best routes to take. She was speechless by this, and at the same time, she felt warmth flood her heart.

    For the entire morning, she had brought Gong Shangze to view quite a few ces in a go. They all deserved to be called the devil''s rmendations since every area was very suitable and even thendlords were extremely courteous.

    In the end, both of them decided on a high-ss office building in the south of the city.

    The studio was a perfect size. The renovations were simple and all the office supplies were also ready, so they could immediately move in. It certainly fulfilled her needs very well. The best part was that surrounding the studio was mostlypanies rted to art and fashion design, providing a fantastic atmosphere.

    After Ning Xi discussed with Gong Shangze, they immediately decided to settle on that ce.

    After signing the contract with thendlord, they both prepared to purchase items to furnish the studio.

    "We mainly need to settle the purchasing for these two days, then we can go recruit some people from the talent market¡­" Ning Xi was just telling Gong Shangze all of this when a group of young people came their way.

    These people were dressed in the trendiest outfits and the man in the middle seemed to be the leader. He looked delighted and arrogant.

    "Teacher Dai, you''re amazing! At thetest Los Angeles Fashion Week, all the Chinese fashion designers were blown away by you! Even CL''s chief designer, Mr. Smith, was praising you tons!"

    "What is the meaning of that? Since returning this round, half of the most popr actresses in the entertainment circle were wearing Teacher Dai''s designs!"

    "I heard that Teacher Dai is preparing to join the Golden Award. Thising Golden Award will be a shoo-in for Teacher Dai!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi initially wanted to casually look around, so she did not pay much attention. However, she realized that after Gong Shangze saw that group of people, his expression instantly changed.

    To be more urate, it was after he saw the man in the middle of that group that he seemed different.

    Mmm, she heard all those people addressing the man in the middle as "Teacher Dai". Could it be¡­

    "Shangze, you know him?" Ning Xi saw that something was not right, so she asked herpanion.

    Gong Shangze balled his hand into a tight fist and looked hard as he nodded, "Yes."

    Ning Xi understood, "Is he the one who stole your design drafts, that asshole of a teammate Dai Wei?"

    "Yes." Gong Shangze stared stonily at the man across them until the group of people passed them.

 Chapter 521: Red Little Blob As Still As A Stone

    <h4>Chapter 521: Red Little Blob As Still As A Stone</h4>

    Ning Xi suddenly thought of something which she found a little weird, "Eh, Shangze, just now the both of you were so close, that Dai Wei even looked over to us. Howe he didn''t recognize you?"

    At that moment, the gloominess on Gong Shangze''s face evaporated. When he heard Ning Xi''s question, he blushed then said, "Actually, even though I was a fashion designer myself, but because I worked on the designs every day, I left all theworking to Dai Wei. Thus, I did not care much about how I looked and dressed, so¡­so¡­even before my begging days, I didn''t have a ster image to begin with¡­"

    "Pfft¡­no wonder! You really are an odd one in the fashion design industry!" Ning Xiughed.

    Imagine a fashion designer who cared little about their own image! And moreover, this guy could even torture himself to turn into a beggar¡­

    Ning Xi coughed slightly, then gathered her thoughts. She evaluated the pretty boy beside her closely and reminded him, "The next time you''re not allowed to be like that anymore. No more next time, in fact. A good-spirited face works wonders for your creations, okay? Most importantly, you have such a strong foundation that you''re practically a living brand, you''re too unappreciative of yourself! Look at that Dai Wei, he dresses particrly and has put on even more makeup than a woman. He even wore colored contact lenses and waxed his hair, yet he''s still not half as handsome as you!"

    Gong Shangze blushed further at herpliments. "Boss, you''re too exaggerative!"

    Ning Xi raised her brows in mock surprise. "I''m not! If you don''t believe me, just wait till you get a group of crazy female fans!"

    Hahaha, even the devil was jealous of these good looks, so she was not exaggerating at all.

    If it was not for his talent in design, she would have already dragged him into the entertainment circle.

    "Right, what''s the Golden Award? Is it really that amazing?" Ning Xi asked curiously.

    "Mmm, it is considered China''s most influential fashion design award. There is still half a month''s time to register, it''s a tight timeline but, Boss, I want to try!" Gong Shangze''s eyes shone with determination.

    "You want to join? Of course, it''s a good thing! If there''s anything you need my help with, I will support you with my all!" Ning Xi patted Gong Shangze''s shoulder as she told him.

    "Thank you, Boss! It means a lot to me!"

    Previously, designing was just doing it as a hobby. Apart from design, he was not interested in anything else. However this time, he was treating it as a career-driven task, as his belief and his goals.

    Most importantly, he wanted to prove to the person in front of him that she had made the right choice!

    At the Lu Corporation, CEO''s office.

    Ever since the little bun came in, he had been holding onto the telescope and had not left the windowsill. Even lunchtime was spent eating and lying on the windowsill; he was practically a red little blob sitting as still as a stone.

    Lu Tingxiao looked up from his stack of documents and noticed that his son remained unmoving at the windowsill. He looked unhappy and said, "Little Treasure, go sleep in the lounge area for a while."

    The little bunid there without moving. I''m not going!

    Lu Tingxiao shot his son a look and said, "Your Aunty Xiao Xi rested in that room a few days ago."

    Once the little bun heard that, he rolled off the windowsill and ran to the lounge area.

    He had finally coaxed his son into sleeping for a while. Lu Tingxiao breathed a sigh of relief and continued his work.

    However, not long after, the little guy was awake again and had changed his method of torturing his father.

    Obviously lying on the windowsill to lookout could no longer satisfy him. The little bun took out his own writing board and started to write.

 Chapter 522: My Wife, Its Hard To Take Care Of Kids

    <h4>Chapter 522: My Wife, It''s Hard To Take Care Of Kids</h4>

    The little bun quickly finished writing and ran up to show his father: [Why hasn''t Aunty Xiao Xi picked me up yet?]

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the writing board and said, "She''s busy."

    The little bun continued: [Is it because Aunty Xiao Xi doesn''t want me anymore?]

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "You''re overthinking."

    Little bun: [Then why hasn''t she picked me up yet?]

    Lu Tingxiao replied again, "I don''t know, you can send her a message to ask her."

    Little bun: [I don''t want to! I''d disturb Aunty Xiao Xi! Does Aunty Xiao Xi really like me?]

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless and his mouth twitched into a smile as he helplessly looked up from his mountain of work. This little guy was worried about disturbing Aunty Xiao Xi, but he wasn''t afraid of disturbing his own father now?

    The unsettled little bun naturally did not worry about disturbing his dad at all and continued to ask a hundred thousand why''s¡­

    [Will Aunty Xiao Xi suddenly stop liking me?]

    [Aunty Xiao Xi hasn''te to pick me up yet. Could it be that she''s taken a liking of other kids instead?]

    [Will Aunty Xiao Xi like me forever?]

    [Am I Aunty Xiao Xi''s favorite baby?]

    ¡­

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless by all of this.

    My wife, why haven''t you returned yet?

    For the first time in his life, Lu Tingxiao felt that it was hard to take care of kids¡­

    At this moment, outside CEO Lu''s office.

    The silence in the working area was suddenly broken by the sound of an excited voice, "Hey, hey! My dearest babies, Little Master is back!"

    Despite it being winter soon, at the entrance of the lift stood Lu Jingli, wearing a short-sleeved floral blouse with a h skirt on his waist and slippers on his feet. His hair was a mess, as if a reminisce of his time by the sea. He was indeed an eye-catching sight.

    Nevertheless, even though he dressed like crap, he was still eye candy and all the female employers shrieked emotionally.

    "Second¡­Second Master!!!"

    "Aaaaaah! Second Master is back!"

    "Second Master, you''re back! Didn''t you say you were taking a three-month holiday?"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli handsomely ruffled his messy hair andughed, "Hahaha! Of course, it was because I missed you guys."

    "Aaaaaah! Second Master, we really missed you too!!!"

    "Second Master, the way you dress today is really impressive!"

    "So handsome, so handsome, so handsome! Second Master, can we take a picture together?"

    ¡­

    What day was it? Lady Luck was on their side! Not only did they see the Little Master, even Second Master who had been on vacation for a long time returned.

    "Haha, please do! Right, babes, I''ve brought back some souvenirs for you all! Everyone gets one," Lu Jingli said as he delightedly pped his hands.

    Behind him, a few servants walked in carrying several big boxes.

    Everyone stared and saw that the boxes were filled with big coconuts¡­

    Lu Jingli said arrogantly, "These are all personally picked by yours truly. I almost broke my head getting these for you!"

    "Aaaah, Second Master, you''re too thoughtful!"

    "Such a special souvenir! I love it! Thank you, Second Master!"

    "Second Master, can you please sign on my coconut?"

    "Mine too, Mine too! Actually, can you sign on my body?"

    ¡­

    As they watched the group of female employees rush up excitedly, all the male employees could not bear looking at the scene. Haih, if a person was born handsome, even if they had poor fashion sense, they could still win the hearts of a bevy of beauties by simply gifting coconuts¡­

    While they mulled this over, a few of them actually embarrassedly took a coconut to him for his signature¡­

    ¡­

 Chapter 523: Sister-In-Law, Come Back Quickly!

    <h4>Chapter 523: Sister-In-Law, Come Back Quickly!</h4>

    After he was done with the employees, Lu Jingli pushed open his brother''s office door and announced, "Brother! I''m back!!!! One daysts as long as three autumns when we don''t see each other. Furthermore, it has been more than three autumns. I have you missed so much that¡­uhh¡­"

    In the next second, he looked clearly at his brother in front of the desk. Lu Jingli was stunned for a second before he covered his eyes and shrieked in disbelief, "Ah! My goodness! What did I just see?!"

    What was his brother wearing? What was that?

    He thought that the sapphire blue color from thest time was already a miracle¡­

    Today, he actually saw his brother wearing red! Red, oh, red! He dared to swear that his brother had never worn such a color in this lifetime!

    He didn''t even need to ask to know where this idea came from!

    Just as he was recovering from his shock, he saw Little Treasure whoy on the windowsill in matching outfit in the same color¡­

    He was bbergasted again!

    "My God! I can''t, I can''t! I''ve just returned and you''ve tortured me like this already! Someone, prepare the ne for me, I want to return to my lonely ind in the Northern Hemisphere¡­"

    When he finally calmed down, Lu Jingli started to be a busybody.

    He walked over and sneakily touched his brother''s shirt, "Did my sister-inw get this? Looks like all this time when I was not around, the two of you have progressed well! Right, right, I heard that baby Little Treasure finally spoke, so I flew back immediately! Is it true that Little Treasure can speak again?"

    He didn''t even wait for a reply when he finished, he ran over to Little Treasure and fawned, "Baby, quickly call me Second Uncle! Quick, quick, quick! To hear your voice, Second Uncle even ditched all of the hot girls."

    Little Treasure looked at Lu Jingli like he was an idiot and started writing some words.

    Lu Jingli looked over and only saw on the writing board: [Am I Aunty Xiao Xi''s favorite baby?]

    "Uhh¡­?" Lu Jingli was confused by this question because he was already ttering the child, so he answered, "Is this even a question? Of course, you are!"

    Baby Little Treasure''s eyes shone as he continued to write: [Then, why hasn''t Aunty Xiao Xie to pick me up?]

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his brother and son from his desk, then unexpectedly exined to Lu Jingli the current situation out of kindness, "From now on, Little Treasure will be living with Ning Xi, but because Ning Xi has some errands to run today, I''m temporarily looking after him."

    Lu Jingli instantly understood and he replied, "Little Treasure, don''t be anxious, your Aunty Xiao Xi must be working non-stop so that she can pick you earlier!"

    Little bun: [Is work more important, or am I more important?]

    Lu Jingli said, "Uhh, of course, you''re more important!"

    Little bun: [Then, why hasn''t Aunty Xiao Xie to pick me up?]

    Lu Jingli was speechless. Something was not right, why did he return to the first question again?

    ¡­

    When he saw Little Treasuretching onto Lu Jingli, Lu Tingxiao silently breathed a sigh of relief. He could finally work peacefully.

    After a while, Lu Jingli who was being pestered by Little Treasure holding up his writing board screamed pitifully, "Haih! Little Treasure, have mercy on me! Don''t ask any more questions!!!!"

    Have mercy on Lu Jingli who was good at coaxing but could barely handle Little Treasure''s psychological attacks.

    Lu Jingli looked at his brother who was working calmly and realized that it was no wonder he had been kind enough to exin the situation to him. So he had been waiting for him to all along.

    Pfft! Why did he have to trick him as soon as he had just returned?!

    Finally, Lu Jingli who had initially entered in high spirits, dressed in his floral blouse and h skirt,y exhausted on the sofa. He extended his hand and said lifelessly, "Sister-inwe back quickly¡­"

 Chapter 524: Whos The Little Master Waiting For?

    <h4>Chapter 524: Who''s The Little Master Waiting For?</h4>

    At that very moment, Ning Xi, who was purchasing items with Gong Shangze, suddenly sneezed several times in a row.

    Mmm, who could be missing her?

    Even though everything today had gone smoothly, by the time they were finished, it was already evening.

    Gong Shangze took over the bags from Ning Xi and said, "Boss, you should go home to rest, I''ll handle the rest myself!"

    Ning Xi looked at the time on her phone and was worried that the little bun would be anxiously waiting too, so she nodded, "If there''s anything, make sure to call me. Don''t suffer by yourself."

    "Mmm, understood!"

    "Okay, I''ll leave then, be careful on the road!" Ning Xi waved and reminded worriedly, "Oh right, remember to lock your doors at night and check the windows properly too!"

    Gong Shangzeughed, he couldn''t help feeling like Ning Xi was taking care of him like he was a girl now¡­

    After she bade goodbye to Gong Shangze, Ning Xi immediately rushed to Lu Corporation to fetch the little bun.

    When she thought about how she would be seeing the little bun soon, Ning Xi''s mood lightened up significantly, an entire day''s fatigue vanishing.

    Juxtaposing Ning Xi''s good mood, at this moment in the CEO''s office, Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli were being tortured to the brink of a psychological breakdown¡­

    Lu Jingliy on the sofa like a dead fish, while the little bun determinedly raised his board to force him to answer the question, "My God! I actually suddenly feel like¡­Little Treasure not speaking is a pretty good thing¡­"

    He had tortured them without even speaking. Imagine if he could!

    Lu Tingxiao frowned and looked tired, yet he could neither hit nor scold him. He could not even say something mean, or else the wife would definitely be the first to go crazy.

    It was a good thing Lu Jingli had returned in time today. If he had been alone, he would not have been able to handle it¡­

    Lu Jingli suddenly took out a mirror and said seriously to Little Treasure, "Baby, don''t ask me any more questions. I''m giving you this mirror. Just tell it, this is a magic mirror. You can ask it if Aunty Xiao Xi really likes you, don''t ask me anymore please!!!"

    The little bun looked at the mirror in Lu Jingli''s hand and threw it aside mercilessly. Then, he raised his board: [Why hasn''t Aunty Xiao Xi picked me up yet?]

    Lu Jingli was on the verge of tears, so he covered his ears, no, he covered his eyes and said, "Ah, ah, ah! Baby, go to the windowsill and look again, maybe she''s already here!"

    Little bun blinked, hesitated, then put down the writing board and ran over to the windowsill to look.

    Lu Jingli secretly peeked at the little guy and prepared to take this opportunity to run away.

    However, all of a sudden, he saw Little Treasure throw the telescope and writing board aside to race like a little rocket towards the door¡­

    Lu Jingli raised his brows then walked over to the windowsill and looked down. Indeed, a woman''s shadow appeared. "My dear sister-inw, you finally came!"

    Outside of the CEO''s office, the employees who were busy working saw the CEO''s office door suddenly flung open. What came after was the cute Little Master running with his short, stubby legs towards the elevator¡­

    Ah! The Little Master is out!

    Many employees who had not yet seen the Little Master at all widened their eyes in surprise. It looked like they were focused on their work when in fact, their attention was gathered on the little glutinous rice ball.

 Chapter 525: Little Master Became Little Hades

    <h4>Chapter 525: Little Master Became Little Hades</h4>

    When they saw Little Treasure standing at the lift entrance anxiously, a beautiful female employee immediately walked up to him and asked gently, "Little Master, do you want to go up or down? I''ll help you press the button!"

    Little Treasure frowned and thought, Aunty Xiao Xi is already downstairs, she''s probably waiting for the lift too. If he took the lift now, he might get separated from Aunty Xiao Xi.

    Mmm, even though he was really anxious, it was better for him to wait here!

    Thus, the little guy did not say anything and quietly waited at the lift.

    His thoughts were with Aunty Xiao Xi and he did not notice the employee beside him at all, much less hear what she said.

    The pretty female employee was a little embarrassed when she saw that the Little Master was ignoring her. Even though she was unwilling, she did not dare anger the Little Master, so she could only back off and dared not disturb him further.

    Several female employees opposite saw this and tittered, "How hrious! She wanted to brown nose the Boss to the point of disturbing the Little Master!"

    "She thinks that she''s all that just because she''s a little pretty. CEO Lu has never looked at her twice, so she actually thought of going for the Little Master! Little did she know that it''s even harder to be on the Little Master''s good side than it is to be on CEO Lu''s."

    "Yeah, before this, I heard that many socialites tried to go through the Little Master in their bid for the title of Imperial''s First Lady but atst, all of them returned dejected! Not only that, they were immediately issued a warning from the Lu family!"

    "Mmm, speaking of which, I wonder how the rtionship between the legendary futuredy boss and the Little Master is?"

    "I think that just because you''re good with men doesn''t mean you would be immediately liked by kids!"

    "You''re right, kids are usually very unepting about the existence of stepmothers, I think there''s still a possibility this might not be the futuredy boss after all!"

    ¡­

    The little bun stood unmoving and poker-faced at the lift entrance, not going up or down.

    Earlier Mary had already been embarrassed by him, so no one dared to go up to ask the little bun anything. They could only peep at him, their curiosity growing by the second¡­

    "What''s the Little Master doing? He''s stood there for practically an hour now!"

    "I don''t know, I can''t make sense of this at all!"

    "Pfft, it''smon knowledge that our CEO Lu is unpredictable. Who knew that the Little Master also inherited this trait from his father. He''s totally unpredictable too!"

    ¡­

    At this moment, the elevator chimed and the elevator doors opened. The little bun''s poker face suddenly glowed.

    A person walked out of the elevator.

    Upon seeing who walked out, he immediately turned gloomy.

    "Uhh¡­Little Master? Do¡­do you need anything?" The male employee who had walked out of the elevator was afraid of the Little Master''s sharp look. What had he done to offend this honorable little god now?

    The little bun pouted without a word. His little face looked really unhappy and his cold aura was an exact replica of his father''s.

    The male employer remained worried. Seeing the Little Master not saying anything. he felt caught in between to leave or not to, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead¡­

    The time passed in minutes and seconds. As the Little Master looked increasingly sorrowful, everyone looked at each other worriedly, afraid that the Little Master''s bad mood would reflect on them as bad luck.

    Just at the atmosphere was increasingly nerve-wracking, the elevator chimed and the lift door opened again.

    Only a long-haired woman in a yellow blouse and a mask on her face walked out¡­

 Chapter 526: Extremely Cute

    <h4>Chapter 526: Extremely Cute</h4>

    When the masked woman walked out of the lift, the unpredictable Little Master who was akin to Hades earlier with an indifferent expression, suddenly looked like spring with pink flowers blossoming one after another. He opened up his short arms and looked up cutely, asking for a hug¡­

    When they saw the scary little Hades suddenly turn into a cute button, almost all the employees were stunned speechless.

    Ning Xi walked out of the lift and was ready to walk forward. Unexpectedly, she looked down to find an extremely cute little bun waiting for her. Naturally, she could not resist and immediately bent down to pick the little bun up. Through theyer of her mask, she kissed the little bun on the cheek. "Baby, have you been waiting for me here?"

    The little bun put his hands around Aunty Xiao Xi''s neck and inhaled the calming fragrance on her while he blushed. He pursed his lips and nodded obediently and adorably.

    All the employees present continued to be look in stunned silence¡­

    The situation had taken such a sudden twist of events that they could not catch up¡­

    Ning Xi squeezed the little bun and said, "Is your father still busy? Let''s go see him."

    She had already arrived and she couldn''t just take the little bun and leave, feeling like she should still greet his father.

    Even though the little bun wished Aunty Xiao Xi would immediately take him elsewhere and never return, he naturally would not reject her wishes and continued to obediently nod.

    Whatever Aunty Xiao Xi says is right!

    Ning Xi smiled as she patted the little bun''s head and started walking towards the CEO''s office.

    On the way, she noticed that around her were many people staring and she was thankful that she had decided to put on a mask earlier¡­

    As soon as the two went in, the people behind them immediately burst into gossip¡­

    "Ah! My God! The Little Master¡­is too cute!"

    "I thought that the Little Master would be as cool as CEO Lu! Who knew that he could be this adorable! The way he smiled and opened up his arms for a hug earlier, my heart melted!"

    "If I had a son this adorable, even if he wanted stars from the sky, I''d pluck it for him!"

    "Please, you think too much! Get a mirror for your coarse face, would you ever have such good genes for your family?"

    "Damn it, I''m curious, who''s that masked woman? Is she the same one who came to thepany thest time?"

    "From her body and hairstyle, it should be the same one. As for who she is, we don''t know!"

    "Haih, so sad, it looks like she''s the officialdy boss. She even settled the Little Master! How incredible!"

    At this moment, a girl in the corner, who looked much younger than the rest, weakly raised her hand, "Uhh¡­I suddenly have a rash thought. This woman can''t be Little Master''s biological mother, can it? Otherwise, why would the Little Master be so clingy to her? It doesn''t seem logical."

    The girl''s guess obviously opened up a can of worms as everyone suddenly started an intense discussion¡­

    ¡­

    On the other side of the door, as Ning Xi carried the little bun into the office, she was dumbfounded.

    She saw Lu Jingli in a Hawaiian getup on the sofa, and her shock was simr to Lu Jingli''s when he saw his brother wearing red.

    "My God!!! Second Master! You''re back! When did you return? My gosh! Your outfit¡­my eyes are about to turn blind! Even if you know you''re handsome, you can''t challenge the limits of aesthetics like this. Also¡­why do you look like your soul has left you? Too many hot girls on the ind?"

 Chapter 527: Youre My Favorite Baby

    <h4>Chapter 527: You''re My Favorite Baby</h4>

    "Why do you look like your soul has left you? Too many hot girls on the ind?" As Ning Xi said this, in order to not be a bad influence to the little bun, she covered the little bun''s ears.

    When he saw Ning Xi arrive, Lu Jingli immediately got up and stared at the little bun. He looked angry as heined, "You have the nerve to ask me? You should go ask your child, ask him how he tortured me earlier?"

    A certain bun blinked, his huge naive eyes looking innocent.

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Jingli, then looked at the little bun, obviously believing the bun instead. "Stop saying nonsense! What''s this got to do with my baby?"

    Lu Jingli was exasperated, looking at how a certain devil child seemed to be acting innocent like a little angel. "Hey, you punk, stop pretending! Why are you still pretending?! I''ll expose your true colors!"

    Lu Jingli cunningly took out the writing board that Little Treasure had casually thrown to the floor and stuffed it into Ning Xi''s hands. "Look for yourself! See! If you still don''t believe me after reading this, go ask my brother. For the entire afternoon, my brother and I were about go nuts from being tortured by him!"

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao who sat in front of the desk, and he did seem quite tired. Then, she suspiciously raised the writing board to see what was on it¡­

    When the little bun saw Ning Xi holding his writing board, he was so anxious that he was about to cry. Sadly, he could not stop her in time, and Ning Xi could already see what was scrawled on the board after casually flipping it¡­

    [Does Aunty Xiao Xi not want me anymore?]

    [Then, why hasn''t she picked me up yet?]

    [When will Aunty Xiao Xi finish being busy?]

    [I don''t want to! I''d disturb Aunty Xiao Xi! Does Aunty Xiao Xi really like me?]

    [Will Aunty Xiao Xi suddenly stop liking me?]

    [Aunty Xiao Xi hasn''te to pick me up yet, could it be that she''s taken a liking of other kids instead?]

    [Will Aunty Xiao Xi like me forever?]

    [Am I Aunty Xiao Xi''s favorite baby?]

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was speechless. "Uhh¡­"

    She never thought that she would be seeing the little bun''s emotions being expressed as such. Ning Xi waspletely dumbfounded too. She held Little Treasure''s writing board and stood there unmoving, stunned.

    After all, the little bun only used to write words that were simple and straight to the point. To be honest, it was her first time seeing the little bun writing so many words that they, in fact, filled the entire board. Everything was "Aunty Xiao Xi", everything was about her¡­

    As she imagined the way Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli had been asked to the point of breaking down, Ning Xi started to find it hrious. Yet, even more so, she felt waves in the depths of her heart, warming her entire soul and she felt indescribably moved.

    Ning Xi squatted down and hugged Little Treasure tightly. "Oh, little bun¡­my little bun, how are you so cute? Aunty Xiao Xi loves you so much! Aunty Xiao Xi definitely won''t suddenly stop liking you, Aunty Xiao Xi definitely won''t like other kids, Aunty Xiao Xi will like you forever. You are Aunty Xiao Xi''s favorite baby! Aunty Xiao Xi definitely won''t not want you!"

    Little Treasure, who initially felt sad and hopeless, was suddenly overjoyed as if he had invisible little wings behind him dancing energetically!

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless. His son got to hear the sweet sound of words he could only wish for once more, and he even received so many in a row!!!

    Lu Jingli, who had failed to rat on the little bun, was sad, even the re of the h skirt on his waist had lost its life. "What cruel words! You guys have no humanity!!!"

    Never mind if the big one wanted to torture him, now even the little one was torturing him too!

    His only constion was that¡­fine, this time the big one was tortured too.

 Chapter 528: Bring The Kid Along To Play

    <h4>Chapter 528: Bring The Kid Along To y</h4>

    "Second Master, how are you back so soon? I thought you were going to be travelling for three months!" Ning Xi raised her brows and asked.

    Lu Jingli held his chin, then scoffed, "Of course, I was worried about you guys, so I came back from miles away. Atst, you guys inhumanely take turns to torture me the moment I return!"

    Ning Xi could not help butugh, still not believing him.

    When Lu Jingli saw that she did not believe him, he could not handle it anymore and the messy hair on his head lightly swished before he said, "Fine, it''s too boring on the ind. To stay for a few days is paradise but to stay longer will drive me crazy. My wild soul still belongs to the hustle and bustle of cities and our country''s hot girls."

    Ning Xi was speechless, she had actually expected this¡­

    Very quickly, Lu Jingli was excited again. His eyes shone as he said, "Tonight, my friends want to throw me a wee home party. Do you and my bro want to join for some fun?"

    Ning Xi hugged the little bun and rejected without hesitation, "No, thanks, I still have to take care of the child!"

    Lu Jingli swiftly replied, "Just bring the kid along."

    Ning Xi shot him a look and finally could not hold it in anymore, "Lu Jingli, are you starting your nonsense again?"

    It seemed he had forgotten who had brought Little Treasure to the bar thest time and even lost him!

    Lu Jingli shrunk back, then replied weakly, "Xiao Xi Xi, your tone, the way you''re scolding me¡­you''re increasingly bing like my sister-inw now!"

    "You¡­" She was only this angry because of him!

    When he saw that Ning Xi was really incensed, Lu Jingli quickly exined, "This time won''t be at the bar, it''s only in my own bungalow! In fact, it''s all very close friends, so they won''t overdo things!"

    Ning Xi only softened her expression but she had not yet let go of the argument. "Don''t ask me, ask your brother, I''ll listen to him."

    Lu Jingli was unhappy when he heard this, "Why?! Why do you listen to him and not me?"

    Ning Xi, "Obviously, he''s my boss!"

    Lu Jingli then replied, "I''m your boss too!"

    Ning Xi responded, "And he''s your boss too!"

    Lu Jingli could not retort further. They are torturing me again!

    Atst, Lu Jingli bitterly turned to Lu Tingxiao who had not been saying anything, saying, "Bro, then you call the shots!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked up at Ning Xi, then said, "I''ve got no opinions, you decide." He obviously meant that he''ll listen to his wife!

    Lu Jingli could only turn to Ning Xi again.

    Ning Xi scratched her head and dered, "Mmm, then let me ask Little Treasure! Little Treasure, want to go y?" Ning Xi indicated that she would listen to the little bun.

    The ecosystem in y was unbelievably clear¡­

    Obviously, Little Treasure did not want to go. He wanted to be alone with Aunty Xiao Xi!

    But¡­he met his father''s eyes and thought of his big ns for the future, for the days toe¡­

    Little Treasure nodded unwillingly, indicating that he wanted to go y.

    He continued to hold back his tears in order to create opportunities for father and Aunty Xiao Xi, silently crying inside¡­

    Seeing the little bun wanted to go, Ning Xi immediately said, "Alright then, we''ll go too."

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao nodded, obviously he would go too.

    Lu Jingli the bachelor got up weakly and started, "To find someone I can and want to love most deeply, to wave singlehood farewell, a sentimental hopeless romantic and heartless person,e and wound me¡­"

    He sang and left the ce that was making him sad!

    Before he left, he did not forget to give her and Little Treasure a coconut each, since it was a souvenir¡­

    Ning Xi hugged the coconut and felt her mouth twitch, "Big Boss, then I''ll take Little Treasure back to the apartment for a while. I want to change my clothes. Shall we meetter at Second Master''s ce then?"

    Lu Tingxiao, "Okay, see you."

    If Lu Tingxiao had known what she was going home to change into¡­she guessed that he would definitely not continue to obey everything she said¡­

 Chapter 529: Seems Like She Was Tricked?

    <h4>Chapter 529: Seems Like She Was Tricked?</h4>

    At the Regal Riveria Hotel.

    After they returned to the apartment, Ning Xi was a little worried.

    Lu Jingli''s party would probably be filled with people they knew within the circle, and most likely included people Lu Tingxiao knew well too. As Glory World''s boss, there would probably be many people within the entertainment circle¡­

    Had it just been her alone, she would just attend. From the outside, it seemed like she was an artist that Lu Jingli had personally recruited, so it would be normal for her to go and support him. However, she was now taking Little Treasure along too. Plus, Lu Tingxiao would be going and when the three of them stood together, it would probably not look proper.

    Why did she feel like she was tricked by Lu Jingli?

    Damn it, it seemed like she really has been¡­

    Pfft! With Lu Jingli''s IQ, she had actually fallen for it¡­

    Impossible!!!

    Ning Xi eyes shed, an idea sparking. "Little Treasure, Aunty wants to put on makeup and change my clothes. I might take a while, wait for me!"

    Little Treasure nodded without anyints and he obediently went outside to wait.

    After a while, Ning Xi pushed open the bedroom door.

    Ning Xi wore a ck leather motorcycle jacket with washed-out ripped jeans and ck riveted Doc Martens. Her hair was short and unruly, and with a smirk, she had practically transformed into the handsome bad boy that girls could not resist.

    The little bun who was sitting quietly on the sofa immediately turned his head when he heard the door, then¡­he blinked, and blinked again.

    Even though Aunty Xiao Xi had dressed up beyond recognition, the little bun could still recognize her immediately. In fact, he did so with a curious expression and then excitedly circled Ning Xi several times. Atst, he took up his writing board and hesitantly wrote a few words: [Uncle¡­Xiao Xi?]

    When she saw the little bun''s words on the writing board, Ning Xi''s eyes darkened. "No, it''s Brother Xiao Xi!"

    Actually, she had been wanting to say this, but she was not sure who had taught Little Treasure to call her "aunty" and she felt old. She was obviously a big sister!

    Mmm, if she was called "sister", something did not seem right¡­probably because there would be a seniority hierarchal gap from Lu Tingxiao.

    It seemed like she did not have to ask to know who it was that let Little Treasure call her "aunty"¡­

    However, now that she had changed her look, she could pretend to be young again for a while.

    "Little bun, do I look handsome?" Ning Xi brushed her hair and posed handsomely.

    The little bun nodded and very supportively wrote on his board with bolded words: [Handsome.]

    Night fell.

    At tinum Pce, house number seven.

    Lu Jingli''s bungalow was right beside his brother''s. Now the bungalow''s entrance was lined up with so many luxury cars that he could practically have an exhibition of them. Many young and beautiful men and women got down from the cars andughed in between conversations as they walked in. With the loud music in the bungalow and the brightly lit space, it was getting lively inside.

    What Lu Jingli had said before this was not a lie. Everyone who came this time was people they knew well. There were many couples, both married and not, some even bringing their little ones. It could be called a party but it was more of a gathering of friends, so things wouldn''t get too out of hand.

    Obviously, with such a good opportunity, there naturally would be people with ulterior motives too!

    Very quickly, some beauties had already clung onto Lu Jingli asking, "Second Master, didn''t you say your brother would being tonight too? Why don''t we see him?"

    "Is it true? Is the CEO reallying? But, I heard CEO Lu has been really busy recently!"

 Chapter 530: Uninvited Guest

    <h4>Chapter 530: Uninvited Guest</h4>

    "CEO Lu stays just beside Second Master, so it shouldn''t take him too long to drop by. He''ll probably give Second Master face ande, isn''t that right, Second Master?"

    "Second Master, is your brothering or not, you have to tell us!"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli who was being surrounded by a crowd of people scoffed unhappily, "Are you guys here to see me or to see my brother?"

    "Uhh¡­obviously we''re here to see you! It''s been so long, everyone misses you so much!"

    Lu Jingli''s attractive face stiffened and he said, "How much faker can you get?!"

    To prevent beingpared to his brother''s charming red suit, Lu Jingli intentionally wore an especially bright pink color, looking like a delicious strawberry vored candy. While heined about all the girls who were here to take their chances in a rtionship, all the gorgeous girls cozied up to him and temporarily forgot about Lu Tingxiao¡­

    "Second Master, everyone was so bored to death all the time you were gone! We''ve all been looking forward to your return!"

    "Second Master, your outfit is so eye-catching! It suits you very well! You''re so handsome!"

    "How did you get more handsome after we haven''t met for just a few days?"

    ¡­

    Listening to all thepliments, Lu Jingli finally felt better again. Yet just as a delighted smile started to form on his handsome face, sounds of shrieksing from the door broke the air.

    "Aaaaaaah! It''s CEO Lu!"

    "Bro Xiao! Bro Xiao, you really came!"

    "Oh my God! Master Xiao is wearing red today! Someone, please hold me, I''m about to faint!"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli was speechless once again from being suddenly tantly ignored.

    This cruel world! Where''s the light and justice? Could it be due to his shining good looks that everyone else had gotten tired of aesthetics? It seemed like he''d have to change his tricks following this hoo-ha. First, he should be cool to the people around him for a few days, then intensely flirtatious. That should definitely be earth-shattering!

    As these thoughts raced through his mind, he saw his brother walk coolly towards him and he could almost envision the man walking on an icy path with his own chilly breeze lending a ir or dramatics. Lu Jingli instantly decided to forget about his grand n and just continue to unt his God-given looks. Forget about that highly difficult challenge!

    Oblivious to the scorching gazes surrounding him, Lu Tingxiao walked straight to Lu Jingli and sat down on the stool beside him before asking, "Where''s Ning Xi?"

    Lu Jingli was speechless. The first thing he wanted to ask about was his wife.

    "She''s not here yet!" Lu Jingli answered sharply.

    Lu Tingxiao was someone that one could only observe from afar and not mess around with, so even though the beauties on the side were swooning, they dared not randomly walked up to him. They could only observe him from a distance and gossip among themselves. Obviously, of course, there were some with more courage and guts.

    In the crowd, a woman wearing a red dress walked up to him and said, "Mr. Lu, long time no see!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl who stood in front of him with a wine ss in her hand, then he frowned. A frigidness shed across the depths of his eyes, then his icy gaze fell onto his brother.

    At his brother''s sudden re, Lu Jingli almost choked on his booze.

    Damn it! Jesus! Why did this womane over?

    Wasn''t this Zhuang Keer, one of the well-liked candidates from their parents'' list of potential daughters-inw, who also held the title of Imperial''s number one socialite, and was widely circted as the woman who was most likely to be Lu Tingxiao''s new wife?

 Chapter 531: Hog Him To Herself

    <h4>Chapter 531: Hog Him To Herself</h4>

    Lu Jingli did not think Zhuang Keer woulde tonight. Suddenly, he looked like a tragedy had befallen unto him. It''s not my fault, I didn''t even invite her!

    Asmented his situation, Lu Jingli skimmed the crowd and was even more stunned¡­

    My gosh, what was this? He suddenly realized that out of all the dolled-up girls tonight, half of them were secretly stealing nces at his brother, with quite a few of them from the matchmaking list his parents had put together.

    Even though he had not invited these people, he could not control other guests bringing their girlfriends along. They were all such close friends, so he couldn''t just reject them for bringing a few friends over for some fun.

    Thus, if anyone was to me for the uninvited group of guests, it would be his brother¡­after all, he had been attracting both the bees and the butterflies¡­

    Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli had only exchanged looks for a moment. To an outsider, Lu Tingxiao seemed to have not changed at all. He looked at the girl in front of him and nodded in greeting, "Miss Zhuang," and he did not say anything more.

    However, the fact that she was not ignored was more than enough to please her. Zhuang Keer was contented and she released her nervously sped fingers and revealed a smile. She then smoothly sat on the seat beside him and started to strike up a conversation with Lu Tingxiao. "I''m really sorry about what happened thest time. My parents said that they were only bringing me to meet some familiar uncles and aunties but who''d have known¡­Mr. Lu, you wouldn''t mind, would you?"

    Thest time Lu Tingxiao had gone to observe theirpany''s newly opened vi resort, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were also present at the vi on the pretense of enjoying a vacation with their friends. The people who were with them at that time were Zhuang family''s elders and Zhuang Keer.

    As the resort owner and younger family member, Lu Tingxiao obviously had to host them and it was then that he met Zhuang Keer once.

    Obviously, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi''s vacation was a front to try and matchmake him and Zhuang Keer. The n was well-thought out, they wanted to let the two young ones go shopping and have fun at the vi after meeting to let their feelings blossom.

    They did not expect that on that day, Lu Tingxiao would only apany them for a half an hour meal and leave because of a work emergency¡­

    Lu Tingxiao nonchntly said, "No worries." If it was not for their meeting today, he would have long forgotten such a thing had happened, so naturally, he did not mind at all.

    Zhuang Keer looked as if she was relieved of a burden andughed, "That''s good then, I was still worried that you would feel obliged. After all, it is pretty awkward for such a thing to have happened. Just like you, I was totally clueless then, so I understand how you felt¡­"

    Zhung Keer did not mention the matchmaking incident at all, neither did she hint it, nor did she act as if she liked Lu Tingxiao at all. Instead, she acted like she was in the same boat as him to start the conversation. That way, even if Lu Tingxiao was just being a gentleman, there was no way she could look shameless and it was amon topic of conversation to chat about.

    ¡­

    Seeing that Zhuang Keer and Lu Tingxiao were having a good conversation, the other women at the party who were here to cozy up to Lu Tingxiao were unhappy.

    "What the hell? Bro Xiao finally joined a party like this for once and she decided to hog him to herself!"

    "Sigh, this is what a good family background is for. With the right foundation, you won''t feel afraid of striking up a conversation. Her every move is elegant, she deserves the title as Imperial''s number one socialite!"

    "What number one socialite? She immediately went up to hook up with a man in front of so many people! She''s only had dinner with him once but she''s making it seem like the Lu family have already epted her!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 532: An Entrance With Flairâ€¦

    <h4>Chapter 532: An Entrance With ir¡­</h4>

    Lu Jingli, on the other hand, was thinking about how Xiao Xi Xi was going to arrive soon and was worried if she would see anything that she should not have. He was suddenly so bothered that he did not even have the mood to flirt with the girls around him anymore. He carefully walked to his brother and said, "Bro, do you think we should just find an excuse to tell sister-inw not toe anymore?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s long fingers tapped on the chair''s arm rhythmically before he finally said, "She should already be on the way, I''ll send her a messageter to tell her to go to my ce."

    He could not risk anything. He then stood up and looked like he was ready to leave.

    Zhuang Keer was not sure what Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli had whispered to each other but as soon as they were done, he looked like he was going to leave. As much as she appeared nonchnt, it was inevitable that she could not hide her sense of disappointment and embarrassment as she pleaded with her eyes, "Mr. Lu, leaving so soon? Don''t you want to stay for a little while longer? Is there some sort of emergency?"

    When she said this, everyone surrounding them instantly perked up their ears!

    What? Lu Tingxiao is leaving so soon? He hadn''t even stayed for more than five minutes, had he?

    The fact that his own brother was going to leave after staying for such a short while was extremely embarrassing for Lu Jingli. However, it really was his fault for not nning properly tonight!

    "Damn it! Why does Bro Xiao want to leave so soon? It must be because Zhuang Keer annoyed him!"

    "Most probably! CEO Lu enjoys his quiet time the most. All of us admire CEO Lu but we didn''t dare disturb him, yet she shamelessly walked up to annoy him!"

    "Now we don''t even have the chance to ogle him for the rest of the night anymore!"

    "How annoying! Just because she has a decent family background, she thinks that she can act as she wishes now?"

    ¡­

    Listening to the frustrated discussion around her, Zhuang Keer found it harder to ignore her annoyance. These godd*mn women, what nonsense were they spewing? Lu Tingxiao was not leaving because he found her annoying!

    Thest time she had met him, she was in love and had long decided on the man in front of her. She finally met him again today, so there was no way she would give up so easily!

    She was, after all, the Zhuang family''s princess. Even if she stood beside the Lu family, everyone would have to say they were a good match, no matter who it was. She dared to say that in the entire Imperial, no one would suit Lu Tingxiao better than she did.

    And other than Lu Tingxiao, she was not interested in anyone else!

    Since she was young, as long as it was something she wanted, she would definitely get it. This time would be no different!

    In fact, the both of them definitely had some fateful coincidences between them. She had just returned from overseas that night when she heard from a friend that Lu Jingli had also just returned and was having a party. The cherry on top of that piece of news was that Lu Tingxiao would being as well.

    When she arrived, she saw him. Not only that, Lu Tingxiao who had only ever worn cool colors had actually broken tradition and wore a red tuxedo. In fact, it was the exact same color as her dress tonight! They were definitely meant to be!

    She felt so emotional that her heart was about to melt the moment she saw him; he was even more stunning than the first time they had met¡­

    This man! She must, must, must get her hands on him!

    When she thought about her end goal, Zhuang Keer instantly regained her confident posture and chased after Lu Tingxiao, tittering in her 12-inch heels.

    "Mr. Lu, please wait¡­for me¡­aahh¡­"

    Thebination of the sky-high heels Zhuang Keer wore that night and the wet poolside tiles, she slipped and lost her bnce in the next moment. She could already feel herself fall embarrassingly into the pool¡­

    Zhuang Keer''s face twisted into a horrified and hopeless expression as she could already see everyone waiting to watch her fall in andugh at her¡­

    No¡­Please no¡­

    Just as Zhuang Keer shut her eyes, her heart sinking in humiliation, a ck shadow suddenly whizzed over at lightning speed. Despite having a thin frame, a slight arm steadied her by the waist and she was soon pulled into a warm, safe embrace. The person managed to spin her around dramatically and save her before she fell into the water¡­

    A few meters away, Lu Jingli was stunned by the scene in front of him, as if he was watching a novel''s male protagonist in action. The young "man" that had just made such an angel-like entrance and smoothly saved Zhuang Keer made the cup in his hand fall to the ground as he stuttered, "Sis¡­sister-inw?"

 Chapter 533: Practically An Evil Incubus!

    <h4>Chapter 533: Practically An Evil Incubus!</h4>

    The man who held Zhuang Keer by her waist and saved her wore a ck jacket, with slightly messy hair and an attractive face that could charm both men and women. The most hypnotizing part was his pair of clear eyes, which drooped a little with a kind ofzy unruliness, yet he looked nonchnt like nothing could really enter his heart¡­

    However, even if he were cruel, he was a charmer¡­

    But¡­but this man¡­was practically an evil incubus here to charm mortals!!!

    Zhuang Keer thought that she was done for this time. With her ego, it was hard to imagine what would have happened if she had really fallen into the pool today. Thank God, she actually avoided the embarrassment!

    The strong grip around her waist gave her an air of fresh calmness. When she subconsciously looked up, she was met with a pair of charming eyes¡­

    "Are you alright?"

    This man was like the others who would try to take advantage of her even if nothing had happened to her. When she had finally steadied herself, he did not wait for another minute to take his arm away and remain at a safe distance from her. In fact, he very thoughtfully moved her far away from the edge of the pool and stood on the side of it by himself.

    Looking at the person in front of her, Zhuang Keer felt her heart beat frantically as she tried to thank him, "Thank¡­thank you¡­"

    The man''s mouth curved into a smile and sparked ripples of unknown feelings in her stomach as he replied, "My honor."

    The buckle on Zhuang Keer''s heel hade undone because it was twisted earlier, so as soon as the man had replied her, he very naturally bent down to help her buckle her heels properly again. Then, he held out a hand to the girl.

    Zhuang Keer''s fingers trembled slightly and she hesitated shortly before slowly offering her hand to him. The moment she touched his fingers, her cheeks immediately blushed against her wishes.

    Apart from a palm supporting her, the man was not in contact with any other parts of her body, as he slowly walked with her, supporting her to sit down on a chair¡­

    Initially, everyone watching on the sidelines was waiting for Imperial''s number one socialite, Zhuang Keer to make a fool of herself by falling into the water as a result of chasing a man. Who''d have known that at that moment, someone would appear out of thin air? In fact, this man was so quick that no one had noticed when he appeared¡­

    All the girls who had beenining about a man who had ruined things were excitedly flushed at this point, even their words were all over the ce¡­

    "Oh, wow, he''s handsome! Who''s this man? Is it someone from within the circle? How have I never seen him?" a certain socialite started to ask around as she blushed shyly.

    "I don''t know who that is either! But his skills are so impressive! That move earlier was so quick and smooth! Just like something we''d see on television!"

    "We''ve already seen Second Master and CEO Lu, so I thought I was immune to handsome men already! But what''s happening? Why is my heart beating so fast? Aaah!"

    "Me too, me too! I think it''s love at first sight! What can we do?"

    "Who''s that person? When did Second Master befriend someone like this?"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi''s disguise was so good that even people who knew her could not realize that it was her.

    Of course, there were also exceptions. The moment she appeared, Lu Tingxiao could immediately recognize her.

    As for Lu Jingli, he waspletely oblivious. It was only when he saw the baby Little Treasure behind Ning Xi that he thought of her¡­

    Lu Jingli''s brain was in a fog as he watched the situation unfold before him beyond control. The way Zhuang Keer looked at Ning Xi be increasingly odd and the group of girls fawning over Ning Xi grew, some even bothering him to ask about her identity¡­

    Amazing¡­my bro¡­ah pfft! It''s sister-inw!

 Chapter 534: If I Were A Woman, I Wouldnt Be Able To Resist Either!

    <h4>Chapter 534: If I Were A Woman, I Wouldn''t Be Able To Resist Either!</h4>

    When she led Zhuang Keer to sit on the chair, Ning Xi did not leave immediately. Instead, she got the waiter to deliver a pair of ts and medicinal oil to heal sprains to her.

    She only got up to leave after she had taught Zhuang Keer how to use it in detail.

    Ning Xi was forever heartless to trashy men but she would be unbelievably gentle towards cute and weak girls. To her, girls were born to be loved and taken care of.

    From a certain perspective, what Jiang Muye had said was not entirely wrong - one of Ning Xi''s hidden attributes was indeed a tenderness towards women.

    Zhuang Keer just nodded listlessly to what the person in front of her was saying when in reality, she had not heard a single word. She only reacted when she saw that her savior was about to leave. She subconsciously tugged on his clothes hem as she said, "Hold on!"

    Ning Xi stopped her steps and look over suspiciously. The way her brows raised into an arch hooked into hearts around her.

    Zhuang Keer said in a shaky voice, "I¡­I still don''t really understand, can you¡­can you help me?"

    Ning Xi brow arch stayed raised in an obvious expression; she could see right through Zhuang Keer''s heart.

    Zhuang Keer immediately had a regretful expression on her face. Damn it, what was she doing? How could she request such a thing?!

    However, she could not control herself, she just did that subconsciously because he did not want him to leave¡­

    "Of course." There was no way Ning Xi would embarrass a girl publicly, so she kneeled on one knee and lightly held the girl''s fair ankle, warning, "It might hurt a little."

    "Ahh¡­"

    "Endure it for a while. If I don''t use force, the blood clot will not subside. Later, when you go home to put it on yourself, remember to press on these two acupuncture points. Follow my way and press it five times, do it for three sets until you start to feel the heat¡­remember all of this?"

    "Mmm, I remember now." Zhuang Keer who had always been arrogant nodded obediently, even her voice softening quite a bit.

    No matter if it was the sunny and charming personality of Lu Jingli, or the cool Lu Tingxiao, they were at the peak of fighting for power, akin to the olden days of the royal family. Yet, this mysterious man had an entirely different charisma. He was like a lone wolf in an endless field, rid of worldly shackles and was not restricted at all, with no one to tame him. Even though he was in the hustle and bustle of the city, he was not bound by the mundane and was free like the wind, no one could hold him down. He could be gentle but would never stay for you¡­

    This was someone a socialite like Zhuang Keer had neither met nor experienced. It was inevitable that she would instantly fall for him¡­

    Not too far away, Lu Jingli was entirely stunned. "Amazing! Sister-inw is just talented at hitting the girls up! Once she made her move, even I gave in to her¡­could it be that women understand women better? She¡­she''s overwhelming! If I were a woman, I wouldn''t be able to resist either!"

    All of a sudden, a hard gaze that would chill one to the bones suddenly fell on him.

    Lu Jingli shivered, then carefully looked at his brother before shutting up.

    Lu Tingxiao was preparing to leave when he saw what happened. His eyes turned frigid and his beautifully carved face had a cold look on it. If there was a bar to indicate his anger above his head, it was currently increasing steadily¡­

    He was being careful because he was afraid his wife would misunderstand but he never would have thought that he would be the one getting riled up and jealous. The person he was being match-made with had suddenly became his rival in love¡­

 Chapter 535: Are You Trying To Crash My Party?

    <h4>Chapter 535: Are You Trying To Crash My Party?</h4>

    When Ning Xi''s heroic scene of saving the beauty had finally ended, she held the little bun''s hand before walking towards Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli.

    Her charm and aura were so powerful that it was only then that everyone noticed the little rice dumpling beside Ning Xi too.

    Because those who were present were all close friends, many people immediately recognized the little bun!

    "Ah! That¡­that little boy¡­isn''t he CEO Lu''s son?"

    "It is CEO Lu''s son, I''ve met him once at Elder Lu''s birthday banquet!"

    "Why would the Lu family''s Little Master be so close to this guy? Could this man be a rtive of the Lu family?"

    "Not necessarily a rtive, but he must have a very close rtionship with Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli!"

    "Since they have a close rtionship, why haven''t we seen him before then? This is just weird!"

    ¡­

    The remarkable sight of a rebellious looking handsome guy holding a little dumpling''s hand was like an arrow shooting straight through the hearts of the girls present, causing a wave of shrieks again¡­

    ¡­

    After Ning Xi put on her disguise, even her actions were naturally that of a man''s. She naturally hugged Lu Tingxiao by the shoulders as a form of greeting, then stuffed the little bun into his arms, asking, "You''re here so early?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked gloomy and his thin lips were about to part, as if he wanted to say something. However, atst, he did not say anything and just looked miserable.

    Atst, Lu Jingli could not hold back and started demanding, "Xiao Xi Xi, what are you trying to do by dressing up like this?"

    The first thing Ning Xi did was to order fruit juice and desserts for the little bun. Once the little bun was taken care of, she heard Lu Jingli''s question and started to smile, her clear eyes looking teasingly at him. She then said matter-of-factly, "Of course, I''m trying to hit on the girls!"

    Lu Jingli was confused and went on, "Please! Are you trying to crash my party? Let us single ones live it up! The supply of girls is already scarce! You''re a girl and you''re here to steal the girls from us. What are you trying to do?!"

    Lu Jingli had intended to trick her but ended up as the fool, much to his chagrin.

    When the little bun was focused on his food, Ning Xi took the opportunity to say in a lowered voice, "Hehe, Second Master, let me remind you, you''ve stolen many men from girls as well!"

    Lu Jingli choked, then softly mumbled, "Well, of course, my good looks attract both men and women! However¡­there were many admirers, but now, no matter if it''s girls or guys, they''ve all been stolen by you!"

    Among those who had asked about Ning Xi earlier were some pretty girls and even a gay who shyly walked over to ask Ning Xi''s name and where she was from. He was about to offer himself up for marriage, and from his hints, if that was not possible, he would be up for a one-night stand too¡­

    As for Lu Tingxiao, apart from Zhuang Keer, no other girls dared to openly hit on him. However, Ning Xi was different.

    Just as Ning Xi sat down to chat with Lu Jingli, two girls had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation with Lu Tingxiao.

    In fact, the both of them were very beautiful women, the most sought-after twins by all the bachelors present¡­

    They were the spitting image of each other. They wore the same body-hugging dress, one in white and the other in ck.

 Chapter 536: Trying To Mess Around

    <h4>Chapter 536: Trying To Mess Around</h4>

    The girl in ck held a ss of red wine and looked at Ning Xi flirtatiously. Then, she spoke flightily in front of Lu Jingli, "Bro Jingli, don''t you want to introduce your new friend to us?"

    As he watched the twin look at Ning Xi seductively, Lu Jingli felt his mouth twitch. Introduce, my ass! How was he supposed to introduce this person? As his sister-inw?

    He felt psychologically exhausted¡­

    Lu Jingli held his forehead to hide his expression and mumbled, "The two of you¡­ask him yourself!"

    The two girls looked at each other, then walked straight to Ning Xi.

    The girls in white smiled sweetly, "Hi, I''m Qiao Yan!"

    The girl in ck raised her ss and echoed, "I''m Qiao Ran! Shall we get to know each other?"

    Lu Jingli gritted his teeth and whispered into Ning Xi''s ear, "Xiao Xi Xi, you''re quite the popr one! Big Qiao and small Qiao have high standards, this is their first time taking the initiative to flirt with a guy!"

    Ning Xi shot Lu Jingli a look, then turned to the two girls and managed a short smile, "Nice to meet you."

    The younger sister, Qiao Ran, immediately sat on the sofa beside Ning Xi and inched very closely, practically sticking onto her, "Handsome, what''s your surname?"

    Ning Xi helped the little bun cut the cake into smaller bits as she answered, "My surname is Tang."

    Even though Ning Xi seemed nonchnt, Qiao Ran who was only here on a manhunt suddenly felt her heart skip a beat watching her thoughtfully take care of the kid. She only broke out of her daydream after a while and returned to smiling sweetly, "Bro Tang, is it?"

    "Bro Tang, you seem really skilled in fighting!" the older sister Qiao Yan asked with obvious interest.

    Ning Xi smiled and tousled the little bun''s soft hair as she leaned on his forehead to answer Qiao Yan, "Not really, just some freestyle martial arts."

    As they chatted, little Qiao immediately clung onto Ning Xi and gushed, "Bro Tang, you''re so humble. We sisters have been interested in such things since a young age. Sadly, our family won''t let us learn it. Bro Tang, would you teach us?"

    Ning Xi shot a look at the girl''s ufortably close body and said without a change in expression, "Such a thing is not suitable for you girls."

    Lu Jingli coughed from the sidelines.

    Not suitable for you girls??? You punk, aren''t you a girl?! She was too into her acting role now!

    After getting rejected, little Qiao immediately asked sadly, "Bro Tang, are you only saying this because you hate us?"

    "I''m afraid of hurting you two. However, I could teach you a few styles of simple self-defence."

    "Okay! Bro Tang, you''re really kind!"

    This was when a few other girls saw the opportunity to join the crowd too. "Uhh¡­can we join you? We want to learn too!"

    ¡­

    The group of girls who came up to Ning Xi pushed Lu Jingli to the side until he had nowhere to sit and he could just walk to the only ce where the girls did not dare step foot in, which was the space beside his brother. He said bitterly to him, "Bro, uhh¡­do I still need to tell sister-inw to leave?"

    Lu Jingli regretted it almost instantly after saying that.

    Leave, my ass! Ning Xi was practically fitting in here, they were worrying for nothing!

    Now, the person he should be worried about was his brother!

    It was tantly obvious that Lu Tingxiao''s anger bar chart¡­was continuing to umte¡­

    There was a saying that went, if one does not erupt in silence, one would be destroyed in silence!

    Lu Jingli had a bad premonition as his eyelids started to twitch nonstop. He felt like something earth-shatteringly frightening might happen tonight¡­

    It could not go on like this, he had to think of something!

 Chapter 537: Anger From The Bachelors

    <h4>Chapter 537: Anger From The Bachelors</h4>

    Lu Jingli anxiously scratched the back of his ears, then suddenly his eyes shone and he grabbed the little bun. He held his little shoulders and said with a serious tone, "Little Treasure, how can you only think of eating? Quickly ignite your gxy fighting skills! Your Aunty Xiao Xi is about to be taken away!"

    The little bun held a cup of fruit juice and had buttercream on one side of his mouth. He blinked innocently without any sense of urgency.

    They were all girls, why would he need to fight them?

    The little bun looked down and started to write on his writing board: [Girls]

    "G¡­girls¡­they are all girls, that''s right¡­but it''s not just men you have to be careful of, girls are even scarier, okay?" Lu Jingli waspletely at a loss, not knowing how to exin the crisis at hand to the little bun.

    Damn it, even Little Treasure was unreliable!

    The fact that the situation had progressed as such irked some people to the point that they could no longer look on at the scene unfolding before them. Some people would include the bachelors present.

    Everyone in the circle knew that a party by Lu Jingli would be filled with the most pretty girls, and of the utmost quality too. That was why the moment they received new, the bachelors who were all immediately howled their way over.

    One of Lu Jingli was enough to steal all the limelight, and now with Lu Tingxiao present, there was no ce for them at all.

    Furthermore, when Lu Tingxiao was about to leave earlier, not only did he fail to, a heavy duty atomic bomb had also made its way over to the party.

    And now, this random punk who had appeared out of nowhere had saved their goddess, Zhuang Keer, even stealing all the attention of the women. How could they not hate him?!

    With envy and jealousy boiling in them, fueled by hatred, they wanted to sabotage the Casanova.

    A brown-haired man walked over and handed Ning Xi a cigarette, while he squinted with an unfriendly expression, "Brother, we''ve never seen you before!"

    "Thanks, I''m quitting smoking." Ning Xi did not ept the cigarette and took out a lollipop from Little Treasure''s pocket to start sucking on that instead.

    Ning Xi was indeed quitting smoking but such an action was obviously seen as arrogance and not giving face. The man''s expression darkened as he restrained himself, anger shing across his eyes as he said, "Bro, shall we y?"

    Ning Xi obviously knew what the bachelors present had in mind. She was gentle to girls but not to men. Since these people were submitting themselves for torture, she obviously would not be soft on them and she replied instantly, "Okay!"

    Then, she rubbed the little bun''s head and said softly, "Little Treasure, go wait over there with your father for a while. I''ll go over to look for you real soon."

    Little Treasure nodded and obediently went to look for his father¡­

    Not too far away, Lu Tingxiao watched his son run over him in clumsy steps and felt as though his wife was one of those carefree, do-as-she-pleases women outside while he was left at home to take care of the kid¡­

    On the other end of the room, the men started to y games.

    The table was fully lined up with alcohol bombs for the loser to drink.

    These bachelors were all familiar with this game and all of them had the same revengeful intent to let Ning Xi make a fool of herself, wanting to make her piss drunk.

    At the start, Lu Tingxiao was a little worried Ning Xi would be taken advantage of. However, he noticed very quickly that he had little to be concerned about.

    Whether it came to cards or dice, Ning Xi did not lose a single game. Instead, it was those men who had intentionally picked on her who were losing horribly. Theyy sprawled across the table and drank until they were about to throw up.

    On the other hand, Ning Xi who had not drunk a single sip of alcohol sat leisurely in the middle of the sofa, sessfully harvesting all the hearts of the girls present.

    Mmm, she probably had also turned some people gay on the spot¡­

 Chapter 538: Truth Or Dare

    <h4>Chapter 538: Truth Or Dare</h4>

    "It¡¯s no fun ying with you! You guys suck and you keep on losing! Why don''t we y truth or dare?" suggested Small Qiao, excitement practically throbbing all over her face.

    Even though it was just a brief moment of meeting him, her interest in this man was piqued to an intense level.

    Most importantly, she realized that Zhuang Keer was interested in him as well, but because of her social standing and her ties with Lu Tingxiao, she was not in the right position to make any move. She just watched them from a corner of the room instead.

    Small Qiao had always gotten a kick out of harassing Zhuang Keer, so she signaled her sister as they prepared to get into action.

    Truth or dare was the best way to create sparks among people in a party setting, and Big Qiao was good at ying the game. Basically, she could make anyone her target as long as she intended for them to be.

    Of course, that was provided that Ning Xi did not do anything out of her expectations.

    Small Qiao held on Ning Xi¡¯s arm and coyly said, "Bro Tang, that was your way of ying with the boys but you can¡¯t bully us when you¡¯re ying with us!"

    Ning Xi would never try anything funny with the girls. It would all depend on luck, so she assured them, "Of course not."

    Small Qiao was satisfied and she gave Big Qiao another signal before starting the game.

    Unfortunately, luck was not on Ning Xi''s side tonight and she was it for a few rounds. Even though she knew that the twins had done something to the cards intentionally, she did not mind at all and yed along.

    In the first round.

    "Bro Tang, truth or dare?" Small Qiao asked with a sweet smile.

    Ning Xi thought for a while before answering, "Truth." Usually, the first question would be to test the waters and should not be a controversial one.

    As expected, Small Qiao asked a key question but it was an easy one, "Bro Tang, do you have a girlfriend?"

    Obviously, many of them wanted to know as well and even Small Qiao was nervous.

    "Nope," Ning Xi answered them straightforwardly.

    "Really? Bro Tang, don¡¯t try to lie to me!"

    Ning Xi smiled, "Of course not, it¡¯s the truth." Even though she said it very casually, her eyes shone and made people feel that she was telling the truth.

    Many of the girls were excited after they heard Ning Xi¡¯s answer, vesting more interest in the game now although they knew that the twins were rigging it.

    The second time, Ning Xi was it once again.

    Small Qiao cocked her head and urged, "Bro Tang, what about this time? Truth or dare?"

    "Truth." The questions might get more exciting than the first one but should still be manageable.

    Small Qiao acted like she was thinking really hard, then she asked slowly, "Bro Tang, how many girlfriends have you had before?"

    Ning Xi was not surprised but she raised her eyebrows and answered honestly, "Hmm¡­sorry, I can¡¯t remember."

    She really forgot how many guys she had ever toyed with, only Jiang Muye was still in contact with her now.

    Ning Xi stole a nce at the devil hidden in the shadows of the corner while she answered the question.

    "How naughty, Bro Tang! I knew it, you must have had a lot of girlfriends before!" Small Qiao pouted. It was expected that a charming man like him did; she was just asking out of curiosity.

    The third time when Ning Xi was it again, she did not pick truth anymore. "Dare."

 Chapter 539: Girlfriend For Half A Day

    <h4>Chapter 539: Girlfriend For Half A Day</h4>

    When Ning Xi was it again for the third time, she did not pick truth anymore. "Dare."

    If she continued to choose truth, Small Qiao would never let her get away with any more simple questions. Who knew what sort of questions she would ask this time?

    If the devil was not here, she would not mind answering anything but the devil was sitting right there, so she dared not to go overboard.

    Although Lu Tingxiao was just sitting in the corner like an invisible wallflower, Ning Xi could detect his presence at all times and she felt his gaze getting sharper by the minute¡­

    Hmm, someone who was jealous of Gong Shangze would not be jealous of these girls, would he?

    Small Qiao was a little disappointed when Ning Xi chose dare because her questions that she had mentally prepared would not be used but she had an alternative!

    Small Qiao coughed lightly, then announced her nned dare, "Bro Tang, the task is easy: pick one of the girls among us tonight to be your girlfriend for half a day!"

    Small Qiao felt bashful following the split-second stunned silence that came after.

    A man would surely understand what she meant. If he picked her, even if was just a name game, she could make the act be the real deal, half a day would transform into eternity¡­

    Actually, at first she was going to ask for a kiss but she changed her mind. A kiss was not enough and she wanted more, she simply wanted everything from this man.

    Everyone understood what Small Qiao implied after hearing her request and all the girls were jealous but they kept quiet because they knew that they could not do anything against the twins. All the men were also helplessly watching this new kid snatch away their girls.

    "Oh, my goddess Small Qiao! Damn it!"

    "Don¡¯t worry, with Small Qiao gone, there¡¯s still Big Qiao!"

    "Big Qiao wouldn¡¯t be straggling far behind after Small Qiao was picked. They think alike, so naturally, they¡¯d like the same type of guys. This kid settled Small Qiao, which means Big Qiao will fall right into his hands as well! This¡­is what I call heavenly blessings!"

    "Damn it! Where did this kide from?! He just stole all our girls!"

    "Second Master, what are you doing?! What about the singles party you promised us? You said that there¡¯d be a bunch of pretty girls for us single ones, is this what you meant by that?"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli was annoyed that he was suddenly targeted, so he just replied, "All of you can¡¯t even beat this one guy, can you me me for that?"

    He was not cruel enough to tell them that they had lost to a girl!

    Small Qiao was patiently waiting for the man¡¯s answer, then she looked at Zhuang Keer.

    At the corner, Zhuang Keer chewed on her lower lip apprehensively after she was provoked by Small Qiao. She did not want to see them anymore but she refused to leave, convincing herself that her target was Lu Tingxiao and not the mysterious man.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s treasured son was here today as well, so she should probably attempt to get closer to Lu Tingxiao and his son while everyone was focused on Ning Xi.

 Chapter 540: Public Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 540: Public Kiss</h4>

    Although Zhuang Keer tried to convince herself to move on, her eyes and heart refused to listen, her attention kept returning to Ning Xi and Small Qiao.

    It was nerve wrecking. Would that man¡­would he really pick Small Qiao?

    How could it be?!

    She was the one who came into contact with this man first!

    Zhuang Keer could not watch this go on, her anger building up and she did not want to just sit there and wait like a fool¡­

    Suddenly, everyone''s eyesnded on Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi did not expect that Small Qiao would ask for such a thing, it sure made the situation a little awkward.

    Aside from the fact that the devil might already be jealous, even if the devil was not around, she still had her rationality intact.

    If it was just fooling around like giving Small Qiao a harmless kiss, Ning Xi had no qualms about it.

    However, when it came to something as serious as being a girlfriend, even if it was an act, she could not bring herself to do it.

    She could toy around with guys but she would never break a girl¡¯s heart. She did not want to give a girl false hope for something that was impossible.

    At first, Small Qiao was just having fun but in between the games, Ning Xi glimpsed a sense of seriousness in the girl¡¯s eyes.

    Ning Xi stopped decisively.

    "I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll take the punishment and drink three shots," Ning Xi replied.

    Everyone was surprised by her answer.

    They all thought that Ning Xi and Small Qiao would get together tonight. No one expected Ning Xi to take the punishment at thest moment. Especially Small Qiao, with disbelief clearly written on her face.

    "Bro Tang¡­why¡­"

    Ning Xi smiled and in a rxed tone, she said, "There are too many pretty girls tonight and I couldn¡¯t pick one, so I¡¯ll pass."

    She knew that Ning Xi was trying to give her a way out but Small Qiao was stubborn. She ignored her sister¡¯s reminder and threw her own reputation to the wind as she said, "Bro Tang, don¡¯t try to fool your way through, I want to know the reason! Why?"

    Not minding the crowd around her, the girl had tears in her eyes and her disappointment was obvious.

    Ning Xi¡­what a headache!

    It was over now, things were getting out of hand¡­

    Basically, everyone who knew Ning Xi well enough knew that she would freak out if a girl cried in front of her.

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart tightened when she saw Small Qiao about to cry. "Small Qiao, don¡¯t cry, I¡­"

    She was thinking about how to handle the situation with the least damage. Could she possibly go along with Small Qiao¡¯s request first so that the girl would not feel embarrassed?

    Anyway, she was at fault tonight¡­

    Lu Jingli wiped his face anxiously and prepared for the worst. He totally understood Ning Xi¡¯s personality; she would probably agree with Small Qiao¡¯s request under the attack of the pitiful tears.

    Everyone including Lu Jingli was focused on Ning Xi and Small Qiao, no one noticed the devil had gotten up from his seat¡­

    Not a single person saw Lu Tingxiao stand up and walk slowly towards Ning Xi¡­

    Until¡­

    As Ning Xi was about to agree to the request, she felt a vice grip on her wrist and she was enveloped in an icy cold embrace. All of a sudden, a fiery kiss was unleashed, uratelynding on her lips¡­

 Chapter 541: No Girlfriend, But Has A Boyfriend

    <h4>Chapter 541: No Girlfriend, But Has A Boyfriend</h4>

    At that exact moment, only the nking of tes and utensils was heard and everyone''s breath was stuck in their throats¡­

    Lu Jingli was shocked and threw up the alcohol he had drunk, the ointment in Zhuang Keer''s grip fell onto the floor and was now in shattered pieces, Big Qiao''s mouth was parted in a surprised "O", Small Qiao was totally in shock¡­

    The other person who was even more shocked than Small Qiao was Ning Xi herself.

    What the heck?!

    What was the devil doing?!

    Before Ning Xi¡¯s eyes could pop out, Lu Tingxiao slowly lifted his lips from hers but he still held by her waist as if dering his dominance over her. He looked at the dumbfounded Small Qiao with his sharp eyes, then asked in a deep voice, "Are there any more problems?"

    She had been asking Ning Xi why was she not picked. Now she shook her head from side to side vigorously like a bobblehead doll.

    Bro Tang had not lied to her. Indeed, there was no girlfriend! But he had a boyfriend! And his boyfriend was Lu Tingxiao! Oh, my god!

    Lu Jingli put his hands to his forehead, feeling sorry for the girl who seemed like her brain was getting fried.

    Silly child, there are so many more guys in the world, yet you were trying to snatch the tiger¡¯s prey¡­

    Ning Xi tried to break free of Lu Tingxiao''s hold. She struggled and failed, trying very hard not to hit him.

    "Lu Tingxiao¡­are you crazy? Do you know what you are doing?"

    Lu Tingxiao had not a drop of regret, replying as a matter-of-factly, "I''m handling trouble."

    Ning Xi was speechless and really wished that she could sink into the floor.

    Even if he was trying to help her out of the situation, did he not realize that she was assuming a man¡¯s identity?

    Kissing in public was enough of a shocker, what more that they seemed to be two guys going at it!

    She was fine with it since no one knew her but it was different for his case. Did he think the earlier rumors were not exaggerative enough? It was still a rumor thest time but now he had made it a fact!

    This man is simply too capricious for his own good!

    Ning Xi huffed in anger, "Let go!"

    Not only did he tighten her grip on her, upon he seeing the masked worry within the girl¡¯s incensed eyes, he even closed in on her and kissed her again¡­

    Ning Xi was in shock as she felt the warmth on her lips again.

    What was happening? Was the devil infected with some sort of virus?

    Ssh! Some unlucky guy was too shocked and lost his bnce, identally falling into the pool¡­

    Yet again, for the second time, jaws dropped as those present were stunned to see what was happening in front of them¡­

    What was going on?!

    They were privy to such a big secret tonight. Could they still leave the ce alive?

    But¡­

    Even though they were both men, but¡­but it felt like they were actually a perfect match for each other.

    One was wild and precocious, the other one was strong and dominant, their kiss making people blush and heart rates present race through the roof!

    Wake up! Wake up! How could they have such creepy thoughts?!

 Chapter 542: Stealing Man From Bro Xiao

    <h4>Chapter 542: Stealing Man From Bro Xiao</h4>

    Her chin was held firmly by his callused fingers, her lips starting to feel numb, Ning Xi was terrified.

    She would not have flirted had she known that this would happen. The frightening devil did not care about her feelings at all!

    She did not expect the devil would actually be jealous of a girl, and such intensely jealous too!

    Lu Tingxiao took his own sweet time and tasted her lips as if he was carefully enjoying the nectar of the gods, but of course, he stopped right before Ning Xi was about to explode.

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart was racing quickly as she clenched her teeth together and raised her arms¡­she wanted to rip her wig off her head¡­

    Things had finally unraveled to that point and she could not let people misunderstood that he was gay, could she?

    Lu Tingxiao knew exactly what she wanted to do, so he grabbed her hands and stopped her.

    His eyes were focused on the person in front of him as if only she existed in this world. He told her quietly, "You don¡¯t have to. Isn¡¯t it better this way? No other woman wille near me the next time."

    Ning Xi was astounded, her heartbeat almost at a roar now¡­

    Damn it! The devil was being too much! That ultimate move of his! She almost wanted to kiss him back!

    "I¡­I¡¯ll go to the washroom!" In the end, Ning Xi broke off the kiss, freeing herself of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s hands and went to the toilet hastily.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes shone, watching the girl¡¯s back as she fled the scene. He then looked at everyone present, his gentle gaze quickly freezing into an ice-cold stare¡­

    Small Qiao was holding on to Big Qiao in extreme terror. "Ah! Sis! What have I done?! What have I done?! Bro Xiao is going to kill me! I just tried to steal his man!"

    Big Qiao was in deep shock as well but she tried tofort her, "Keep calm, nothing bad will happen to you. You didn¡¯t know anything, plus they didn''t say anything, we''re innocent!"

    "No wonder he¡¯s so close to Bro Xiao and Bro Jingli. Even Little Treasure! I¡¯m so stupid, why didn¡¯t I think of their rtionship earlier?!"

    The twins hid in the corner and tried to be invisible to the people around them. The fujoshis among the crowd were practically having a nosebleed and everyone was raving about what had just happened¡­

    "It has been a rumor for so many years that CEO Lu liked guys. It''s just that no one went public with it, so it isn¡¯t really a surprise, is it?"

    "Right¡­but to see it with my own eyes¡­" The impact was too difficult to put into words!

    Many others nodded in agreement, the impact was powerful!

    Some people shrugged it off, "Our society is way ahead now. This ispletely normal. I¡¯m not discriminating against the two of them. Plus, they actually looked really good together! That Tang guy looked even prettier than some of thedies here tonight and they don¡¯t look weird together!"

    Many of them agreed, "That kid is so arrogant that no woman could possibly hold him down! He definitely needs someone like Bro Xiao to tame him!"

    "Heh, that might not be the case. Bro Xiao was here just now and he was already flirting with everyone! First, it was the top socialite of Beijing, and then there were the twin sisters! In the end, Bro Xiao had to step in and publicize their rtionship! Bro Xiao was totally under control!"

    "Tsk, no wonder Bro Xiao likes him so much!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 543: Do You Really Have That Kind Of Relationship With Him?

    <h4>Chapter 543: Do You Really Have That Kind Of Rtionship With Him?</h4>

    Standing in front of the washroom entrance, Ning Xi almost walked into thedies toilet. She abruptly realized her mistake and rushed to the opposite door.

    She calmed herself down after sshing some water onto her face but when she came out of the washroom, there was someone waiting for her in the corridor¡­Zhuang Keer.

    When she was having fun with Big Qiao and Small Qiao¡¯s group, they gossiped a lot and Ning Xi had heard about Zhuang Keer and her rtionship with Lu Tingxiao.

    She did not really know how to face Zhuang Keer now, so she decided not to do anything first.

    As expected, when Zhuang Keer saw that she was silent, she spoke up, "I know it might be inappropriate for me to ask this¡­but¡­is it true¡­that you and Lu Tingxiao¡­are really in a rtionship?"

    Ning Xi frowned. It seemed like she was here to confront the person who had stolen her crush.

    While the Zhuang family of Imperial might not measure up to the Lu family in business, their background was not to be underestimated¡­even with the prestige of the Lu family, the Zhuangs were not people that they could mess with. In fact, they had various angles in which they were important.

    In Lu Chongshan''s eyes, the best candidate to be his daughter-inw was Zhuang Keer because he wanted to use the Zhuang family as an insurance to help solidify the Lu family¡¯s power.

    And the Zhuang family had a special rtionship with Ning Xi¡­

    The head of the Zhuang family, Zhuang Zongren, had one son and three daughters, and Ning Xi¡¯s mother, Zhuang Lingyu was his youngest daughter. When she was young, she insisted on marrying Ning Yaohua and was disowned by Zhuang Zongren. The estranged pair of father and daughter had not been in contact at all for the past 20 years. Aside from some of the elders who were involved, most people thought that Zhuang Zongren only had two daughters; not even the youngsters in the Zhuang family knew about this.

    Ning Xi overheard about this fiasco during a conversation between Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua¡­

    Ning Yaohua was involved in some sort of trouble and she hoped that Zhuang Lingyu could go home to ask for help but thetter refused and said something like she would never ever go back¡­

    Zhuang Keer was Zhuang Zongren¡¯s granddaughter, so biologically speaking, they were cousins.

    This was reallyplicated¡­

    However,e to think of it, Ning Xi did not really mind. Since she did not acknowledge Zhuang Lingyu as her mother now, she would not care about some faraway grandfather or cousin.

    "What if it''s true? And what if it¡¯s not?" Ning Xi replied Zhuang Keer with a question instead.

    "If it¡¯s not¡­" Zhuang Keer¡¯s voice shook. She really hoped that it was not true¡­but it was impossible¡­after all that they had done, she was just lying to herself¡­

    Atst, Zhuang Keer took a deep breath and returned to her calm expression. "If it¡¯s true, then I¡¯ll give up."

    "Huh?" Ning Xi was surprised by her reply. It was unexpected, considering her prideful personality.

    Zhuang Keer held her fist tight and looked at her with fiery eyes. "I was pretty confident about getting to Lu Tingxiao at first, but since it¡¯se to you¡­I¡­I¡¯ll not fight with you for him¡­"

    Zhuang Keer quickly excused herself before she could have an emotional breakdown.

    Ning Xi looked at the stubbornly arrogant Zhuang Keer¡¯s silhouette leaving speechlessly¡­

    Something was not right¡­did she get the wrong message?

    Why did it feel like Zhuang Keer loved her instead of Lu Tingxiao?

 Chapter 544: Personal Property, No Trespassing. Do Not Even Look

    <h4>Chapter 544: Personal Property, No Trespassing. Do Not Even Look</h4>

    The party was still going on outside but apparently, everyone was not in the mood to have fun anymore.

    Lu Jingli saw a fewdies leave quietly. All of them were originally here to get closer to Lu Tingxiao but they all gave up now.

    "Bro, what a great idea! Not only did you expel the potential opponents, you even settled the women who were chasing after you! What a clever move!" Lu Jingli gushed to his brother, impressed.

    At this moment, Lu Jingli did not realize that while it was true his brother had no more trouble, things were going south very soon¡­

    An onlooking crowd weed Ning Xi with curious gazes after she came out of the bathroom. Apart from them, the little bun rushed towards her quickly.

    His face clearly expressed a message: Little Treasure was angry!

    Hugs!

    And kisses!

    To heal his broken heart and soul!

    Aunty Xiao Xi had actually kissed father and moreover, it was twice! Twice!

    Ning Xi instantly knew what the small kid was thinking, so she generously gave him two big kisses and held him tightly in her arms, then she walked towards Lu Tingxiao.

    A waiter came over with two sses of warm milk the moment Ning Xi sat down.

    Lu Tingxiao handed a ss of milk to his son and the other ss to Ning Xi, then hey on the sofa in a rxed posture and put his hand on the back of the sofa where Ning Xi sat, exhibiting his dominance.

    He was sending a message to the floor: Personal property, no trespassing. Don''t even look.

    His silent message was super effective; everyone backed off and chatted among their own groups while enjoying some drinks, not daring to stare at Ning Xi anymore.

    The devil¡¯s kiss solved most of the problems that had cropped up earlier and Ning Xi was a lot more rxed now.

    But she was still worried. "Eh, Lu Tingxiao, is it really okay¡­to have them misunderstand you?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded, "Mmm, don¡¯t worry, the rumor will dissolve itself the day you be my wife."

    Ning Xi was speechless. If that day did note, he would be misunderstood as being gay his whole life!

    Lu Jingli could not stand it anymore, "Guys, can you please be more considerate? I''m getting goosebumps!"

    The little bun was falling asleep since his usual bedtime was around nine or 10 o¡¯clock and the milk helped to induce his sleepiness.

    Lu Tingxiao saw his son rub his eyes, so he brought the boy closer to him and tried to help him sleep morefortably.

    But the little boy did notpromise, quickly backing off and sticking to Ning Xi. He even grabbed onto Ning Xi¡¯s neck tightly as if telling his father, "I know what you¡¯re thinking, don¡¯t you dare separate me from Aunty Xiao Xi!"

    The little boy had been on alert this whole time after his father had kissed Ning Xi. It seemed like the son-father alliance was disintegrating.

    Lu Jingli gloated at his brother and almostughed out loud.

    No matter how perfect a n was, there would always be a w. His brother could settle so many people, yet he forgot about his own son.

    Ning Xi was worried about Little Treasure, so she picked him up and wanted to leave. "Second Master, please continue having fun without us. Little Treasure is getting tired, I¡¯ll take him back to rest! He¡¯s still growing right now, we shouldn¡¯t let him stay up toote!"

    Lu Jingli was annoyed seeing Ning Xi¡¯s kind and motherly side. He could not believe that she was the same person who had caused all the trouble earlier¡­

 Chapter 545: As Flirty As Your Bro Tang?

    <h4>Chapter 545: As Flirty As Your Bro Tang?</h4>

    Ning Xi held Little Treasure in her arms as Lu Tingxiao took off his maroon coat and put it on Ning Xi. He then put his hand over her shoulder and they walked out together¡­

    Tsk, they looked like an actual family together¡­

    Although Lu Tingxiao had warned the crowd, everyone still stared at them in surprise when they saw the maternal side of the guy named Tang. It did not add up to his flirtatious side at all! Their sharp stares softened just by looking at Ning Xi in such a position¡­

    Oh no! Stop looking! What if they were not straight?! Afterall, he was the person who turned Lu Tingxiao gay!

    The guys were trying to calm themselves down while the girls¡¯ hearts had been stolen away long ago. Even though they knew that he liked men, they still could not help but fall for him!

    He looked even more charming while holding the child¡­how gentle¡­

    Small Qiao tucked herself into her sister¡¯s arms, feeling really sad. "I¡¯m feel so blue¡­the two men that I liked the most! They got together! I actually experienced two breakups in one night!"

    Big Qiao was not sure how to console her sister. "Uh¡­" Well, technically, she was not wrong¡­it was really two breakups¡­

    Small Qiao put her hand on her chest dramatically as she said, "Hot guys are already so scarce, yet the both of them got together! Two top-notch men just went to waste! My heart hurts!"

    Big Qiao tried tofort her, "Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s still Bro Jingli here!"

    Small Qiao did not look impressed. "No! Lu Jingli is too flirtatious! He¡¯s not my type! I don¡¯t want him, no matter how handsome he looks!"

    Lu Jingli had just passed by Small Qiao and almost stumbled after he overheard what she had said.

    What the heck! I¡¯m flirtatious? Fine, I admit that I¡¯m flirtatious! But am I as flirtatious as your Bro Tang?

    Your Bro Tang had had his hands over both men and women¡­you foolish girls!

    Lu Jingli sent the three of them off to the entrance, feeling sorry for himself, but he still supported his brother. "It¡¯s reallyte already, it¡¯d be troublesome to go back to your ce. Why don''t you just stay at my brother¡¯s ce for a night?"

    Ah, how selfless was he! If there was an award for the best younger brother, he would win, hands down!

    Ning Xi thought about it. The little bun¡¯s dad stayed just right beside here and it was troublesome to bring the little bun all the way back to her apartment¡­

    "Sure, I¡¯m okay with it," Ning Xi replied.

    They started walking towards Lu Tingxiao¡¯s ce. When they were reaching the entrance, the little bun stirred a little in Ning Xi¡¯s arms. He went mad when he saw the familiar building!

    He grabbed on Ning Xi¡¯s clothes and shook his head. He really did not want to go in!

    No, no, no! Not going to leave Aunty Xiao Xi!

    Apparently, the little bun thought that Ning Xi was going to send him back home.

    Ning Xiforted him gently, "Little Treasure, I¡¯m not leaving you here. I¡¯m staying here with you for the night, we¡¯ll leave together back to my ce tomorrow morning, alright?"

    The little bun was still half asleep, unsure if he had heard what Ning Xi said but he kept shaking his head and was almost on the verge of crying. He just desperately did not want to go in, reacting as if it was the devil¡¯s den.

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao helplessly. "What should we do?"

    Lu Tingxiao sighed, "It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll send you back."

    Son¡­please don¡¯t betray me¡­

    I¡¯ll not kiss her in front of you next time, okay?

 Chapter 546: Itâ€™s Brother Who Kissed A Guy, Not Me

    <h4>Chapter 546: It¡¯s Brother Who Kissed A Guy, Not Me</h4>

    On the next morning.

    While Lu Jingli was still dreaming about sessfully getting some prettydies, suddenly, his room door was flung open violently. Bam!

    What happened?! Who was that?

    Damn it, he sleeps naked! Was someone going to rape him?

    Lu Jingli''s first reaction was to cover himself up with a nket, then he saw something much worse than a nightmare. Both his parents were standing by his bed looking enraged as if they were going to beat him up any second like they did when he had poked a beehive for fun.

    Lu Jingli was terrified and any sense of sleepiness vanished altogether. "Uh¡­Father, Mother¡­what are you doing here this early?"

    "You bastard! I¡¯m going to kill you!" Yan Ruyi started attacking him without exining a thing, Lu Chongshan joining in with his walking stick as well.

    Lu Jingli rolled across the bed to evade his parents¡¯ attack. "Wow! What are you guys doing?! Don¡¯t aim for my face! Am I really your son? Ah, don¡¯t grab my nket, I¡¯m naked¡­can we talk after I put on some clothes?"

    "I¡¯ll give you two minutes,e out quickly!" Yan Ruyi went out with her husband and closed the door. The two of them waited in the living room angrily.

    Lu Jingli quickly dressed up, then opened the window¡­

    He would be a fool to go out there obediently!

    It must have been something terrible for them to bother him this early in the morning!

    Too bad for him, Lu Chongshan expected his little trick and caught him red-handed. "Bastard, I knew you were going to run away! Come here!"

    In the end, Lu Jingli could not escape his fate.

    Lu Jingli sat on the sofa while scratching his head with a scowl. "So, what happened?"

    "How dare you ask us what happened? You tell us what happenedst night! Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t know!" Lu Chongshan red stormily at his son.

    Lu Jingli shrugged innocently. "What happenedst night? I organized a party."

    "Don¡¯t y dumb! Someone told me¡­told me¡­that your brother kissed a man in front of everyone! This¡­this is ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!" Lu Chongshan fumed.

    "What¡­so¡­that''s it?"

    "What¡¯s with that attitude?! This is a serious matter!"

    Lu Jingli pleaded innocently, "Please, Father and Mother, it was Brother who kissed a man and not me. He stays just right beside me, so why don''t you go and bother him instead of beating me up? This is so unfair!"

    Lu Chongshan¡¯s face darkened. "You dare say that it wasn¡¯t your idea? Who else can it be other than you? Of course, I¡¯m going to beat you up!"

    Lu Jingliined unhappily, "What the heck?! Why is it my idea now?! It was Brother¡¯s own will and action! I was shocked as well, I¡¯m a victim too!"

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi hesitated when they saw Lu Jingli¡¯s genuine expression.

    Lu Jingli then continued, "And why would you think that it¡¯s fake? It might be possible that my brother really likes men."

    Lu Chongshan''s rage surged again. "Nonsense! I¡¯m going to kill you if you keep spouting crap! Your brother already has a son, do you think he would he like a man now? And he practically turned into putty being charmed by that woman before. This must be part of his ns!"

 Chapter 547: Even Of Different Species

    <h4>Chapter 547: Even Of Different Species</h4>

    Lu Jingli calmly raised his eyebrows. "That might not be the case¡­anyhow, it wasn¡¯t my idea, I don¡¯t know anything about it.

    "We already knew that he was not sure about his sexual orientation before. What happened five years ago was a set up by me and he almost became estranged with everyone here. And now Ning Xi has appeared and thank goodness that she is a woman. Yet, the both of you are getting in their way and forcing Brother to marry someone he doesn¡¯t like.

    "With such a difficult love life, who''d have known if he has suffered from some emotional trauma? Then, he might get fed up and end up liking men instead! Come to think of it, it is possible!"

    Lu Jingli¡¯s words really terrified both Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi.

    This was the one thing that worried them the most. Even though it might just be a plot of their son''s, they still had to make sure of it.

    Lu Chongshan looked really unwell and in the end, he spoke up, "Help me send a word to your brother. If he wants to marry that woman, he can go ahead."

    Lu Jingli was exhrated but only for a moment as he knew that his father would have something else to say.

    True enough, he continued, "As long as he agrees to these requirements."

    "What requirements?"

    "First and foremost, she needs to quit the entertainment industry. Secondly, cover up her background. We will find a suitable identity for her to assume. Thirdly, before shees into our family, she will need to undergo some finishing education regarding manners and appropriate behavior¡­"

    Lu Jingli picked his ears as if he thought he misheard and interrupted, "Father, I don¡¯t have to go and tell Brother anymore. I¡¯ll reply you on his behalf!"

    "What are you trying to say?" Lu Chongshan asked with a deep, threatening voice.

    "Father, you¡¯re not being sincere. You might as well not let them marry at all!"

    Lu Chongshan was astonished. "What do you mean?"

    He had spent a whole nighting up with this idea. He could never ept that woman but he could stillpromise, so he tried his best to think of a way to have an ideal oue. How was that not sincere?

    Lu Jingli sighed, "Father, let me tell you, the woman Brother likes is a wolf. What you¡¯re trying to do is to bring the wolf from the forest into a zoo and trap it inside a cage. You¡¯re going to paint it white, remove its teeth and ws, put it on a leash¡­and hand it to my brother then say, here you go, your favorite wolf cub is here! How do you think Brother would feel? You¡¯re not doing this for his sake, you¡¯re destroying what he loves!"

    Yan Ruyi frowned and red her nostrils. "Jingli, your analogy isn¡¯t appropriate. We¡¯re just trying to make the girl a better person in order to be Tingxiao¡¯s wife and Little Treasure¡¯s mother!"

    "Fine, then I¡¯ll use another example. Do you remember when I was still a child, I really liked a bunny? In the end, it died of sickness and I was sad to the point that I had no appetite for a few days and you guys brought me another bunny that looked simr to make me happy. Do you remember how I reacted?"

    Yan Ruyi nodded. "You didn¡¯t want it, you asked me to send it away."

    "Yes, even if it was the same, I knew that it was not the one I liked from before, yet now you¡¯re turning a wolf into a puppy. Heck, they are even of different species! There are a lot of people who are suitable for my brother but so what if he and Little Treasure don¡¯t like them?"

 Chapter 548: Advanced Love Rival Repellant

    <h4>Chapter 548: Advanced Love Rival Repent</h4>

    When he reached the office in the afternoon, Lu Jingli reported what had happened to his brother. Of course, he exaggerated how he used his extraordinary talking skills to convince their parents and to turn the tables.

    "Although it wasn¡¯t settled in the end, it¡¯s still a good sign. Father and Mother weren¡¯t even considering her before but at least they are trying now! Bro, I think your n can continue, just a few more times and they might really just agree to anything." Lu Jingli had a smug look on his face.

    Lu Tingxiao dared not remind his brother that if their parents were to give up on him, the Lu family still had another son. If it came to that point, it would be the second son who would be forced to marry.

    As the brothers were talking, someone knocked on the office door.

    Little Treasure walked in and the one who followed behind him was not Ning Xi but was Gong Shangze.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned a little. "Where¡¯s Ning Xi?"

    For some reason, Gong Shangze always freaked out when he saw this man, so he replied carefully, "CEO Lu, Sis Xi mentioned she had something urgent, so she didn¡¯te up. She asked me to inform you that she¡¯ll be back in around two hours to get Little Treasure."

    "An urgent matter?" Lu Tingxiao scanned his calendar and realized that it was Ning Xi¡¯s grandfather¡¯s birthday. She had probably gone back home.

    Lu Tingxiao was worried, not feeling at ease to have Ning Xi go back alone but since it was just a short two hours, there should not be any issue. She probably just went back to wish her grandfather¡­

    Lu Jingli was suddenly revived as he looked at Gong Shangze. "Eh, did something happen when I wasn¡¯t here? Who are you? Why are you so close to Xiao Xi Xi?"

    Gong Shangze guessed that this man was probably the owner of Glory World Entertainment, Ning Xi¡¯s superior Lu Jingli, so he respectfully replied, "Hello, I¡¯m¡­"

    After Lu Jingli finished hearing Gong Shangze''s introduction, he said to his brother, "Damn, Bro, you¡¯re really generous, letting a pretty boy go near Sister-inw. Aren¡¯t you worried that she¡¯d eat him up?"

    Lu Tingxiao nced at the nervous Lu Jingli and replied with just three words, "There¡¯s Little Treasure."

    Lu Jingli was speechless¡­

    Ha¡­his brother¡­what a move¡­

    No wonder he did not take Little Treasure back home to create more chances to meet Ning Xi. Instead, he sent Little Treasure to stay with her. That way, he would have a top spy and an advanced love rival repent right beside her!

    Utilizing his son to the fullest, Little Treasure and Ning Xi probably felt grateful for him¡­

    At the Ning family residence.

    Today was the 70th birthday of the Ning family elder, Ning Zhiyuan, and a huge number of guests were invited to celebrate.

    Ning International was doing exceptionally well in the hands of the eldest son Ning Yaohua and they were going to be affiliated with the Su family through their children¡¯s marriage, so the number of people attending was extraordinary.

    Despite being extremely busy, the maids and waiters looked happy. The Master was powerful and they took pride in their job as well. No matter where they went, telling people that they worked for the Ning family would attract envy.

 Chapter 549: Clear-Cut Description Of Their Relationship

    <h4>Chapter 549: Clear-Cut Description Of Their Rtionship</h4>

    In the banquet hall, the decoration looked morous. All the guests and rtives were wishing the elder and greeting him with auspicious words.

    Without a doubt, everyone was focused on the current head, Ning Yaohua and his family.

    The guests attending were all powerful people from the city. Aside from Ning Yaohua¡¯s business partner, there was also Ning Xueluo¡¯s powerful friends within the industry. All the other rtives were jealous of them but still fawned over them for the sake of their benefit.

    "Lingyu, you¡¯re so blessed, your husband is so capable and so is your daughter!"

    "I¡¯m really envious of your daughter. Not only is she pretty, she¡¯s getting more and more popr! Apart from her acting career, she has even started apany of her own!"

    "I know, right? Her brand is even famous overseas, many friends of mine were asking me to make a reservation for them for thetest items!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo felt a little shy from all thepliments. "Uncle, Aunt, you all are exaggerating, I was just fooling around with my free time."

    "She''s not just capable, she¡¯s got a good personality and she''s humble as well. Nothing like the one I have at home, always getting me into trouble! Madam Ning, how did you manage to have such a wonderful daughter, give us some tips!" a bunch of people started asking Zhuang Lingyu.

    Zhuang Lingyu looked at her daughter proudly and smiled. "I don¡¯t really have much experience actually, Ning Xueluo never really needed me to worry about her."

    "Oh, how envious!"

    Among the waves of praises, a small voice piped up, "Speaking of which¡­I really don¡¯t know what the elder was thinking, he already has such a fabulous granddaughter, yet he still insisted on adopting a little girl from his hometown and put her under your care. Then, she caused so much trouble¡­was he trying to just spice up his life?"

    Zhuang Lingyu''s mouth tightened into an unnatural smile and she said, "He pitied her and was just trying to be kind¡­we as the younger generation could only follow his will."

    She was totally carving out a clear-cut description of her rtionship with Ning Xi.

    Until today, no one knew that Ning Xi and Ning Xueluo had exchanged their identity. Everyone still thought that Ning Xi was just an adopted child from the elder''s hometown.

    At first, when the elder took Ning Xi back, he was going to publicize her identity since she was his real grandchild and Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu had agreed.

    But¡­no thanks to Ning Xueluo¡¯s provocation, Ning Xi had embarrassed her family on several asions, making Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu really unhappy.

    On the day they were going to announce Ning Xi¡¯s actual identity, Ning Xi had worn a counterfeit version of a branded dress and was found out, bringing unspeakable humiliation to her family.

    The both of them instantly changed their mind, deciding not to announce Ning Xi¡¯s identity and they had been dying the matter. Five years ago, after Ning Xi did something else that insulted the family name, they totally gave up oning clean about her identity and sent her overseas instead¡­

    "You¡¯re really kind for sending her overseas to study as well, but it has been five years, isn¡¯t it? She should have graduated, hasn''t she? I wonder what she''s doing now? Is she working in Ning International?" a distant rtive asked.

 Chapter 550: Real Child, Fake Lady

    <h4>Chapter 550: Real Child, Fake Lady</h4>

    Ning Yaohua had two daughters: one real child and one fakedy.

    Ning Xueluo was lucky and got married into the Su family, so no one could not take advantage of her anymore, not that they dared to. Although Ning Xi had a lower status, she still held the title of an adopted daughter. Any man who married her would somehow benefit from the union.

    Everyone started asking about Ning Xi following the rtive''s inquiry.

    "I heard that she''s been ying some minor roles here and there."

    "What? Just some minor roles? She rejected a proper job to go and do something like that?"

    "She probably wanted to try her luck after seeing how sessful Xueluo became!"

    "Isn¡¯t that¡­overestimating herself? Does she think that just anyone can be a star? Aren¡¯t you doing something about it, Lingyu?"

    Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s happy expression soon faded upon hearing all thosements.

    Ning Xueluo held Zhuang Lingyu''s hands and said kindly, "Father and Mother have always wanted her to work in thepany and have even made the necessary arrangements but¡­Sister just doesn¡¯t want it, Uncle and Aunties. Well, as you all know, she''s adopted but we should respect her own decisions!"

    Some bystanders nodded. "Ah, how could the me be put on Lingyu? Lingyu took care of her and even sent her overseas for education, that¡¯s already more than enough!"

    "What can I say? This girl from that small little town doesn¡¯t know how to be grateful, there¡¯s no way to teach her! How could youpare her with Xueluo?"

    "You¡¯re right! Lingyu and Yaohua have already done their best!"

    Zhuang Lingyu let out a sigh of relief, d that no one knew that the embarrassing girl was her own biological daughter.

    Her daughter, her pride of joy was only Xueluo!

    With the excuse of adopted parents not being able to do much, no matter what kind of embarrassing incident Ning Xi was involved in, it would not be rted to her, Zhuang Lingyu!

    ¡­

    Outside of the Ning residence gate.

    Ning Xi looked from afar. If she was to enter from the main gate, she would need an invitation card. However, no one bothered to tell her about the celebrations today, not to mention, there was no invitation card for her whatsoever.

    After giving it some thought, she gave her cousin sister, Ning Tianxin, a call.

    "Sis Xin!"

    The voice on the other side of the phone sounded excited. "Xiao Xi, where are you? I was just about to call you. It¡¯s grandfather¡¯s birthday today, are youing back?"

    "I¡¯m already at the entrance, do you minding out and passing my present to grandfather?" Ning Xi asked.

    "You¡¯re already here? Even if you don¡¯t want to see anyone else, you¡¯re already here, so why not meet up with Grandfather? Grandfather talked to me about youst night and asked when you wereing back, Iforted him that you¡¯ll be here today but¡­" Ning Tianxin''s sentence trailed off.

    Ning Xi felt troubled by her cousin''s words.

    In the end, Ning Tianxin sighed, "Why don''t we do it this way? Youe to the back door, I¡¯ll find a chance to bring Grandfather there. You greet him yourself and give the present to him personally!"

    "You¡¯re the best, thank you, Sis Xin!" Ning Xi expressed gratefully.

    Sess! Ning Xi let out a sigh of relief and walked towards the back door with the jade beaded bracelet she had boughtst time.

    Her eyes reddened when she saw Ning Tianxin helping a white-haired old man approach her.

 Chapter 551: Cute Little Child

    <h4>Chapter 551: Cute Little Child</h4>

    Five years might not be a long time for youngsters like her but for elders like Grandfather, it was like eternity. Grandfather¡¯s hair had turned all white and his straight spine had curved into a hunch. He took out his sses from his front pocket trying to look at her face clearly¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s old memories all rushed back to her the moment she saw her grandfather.

    It was winter, she was still young and was brought to a strange ce. She saw her biological parents being intimate with Ning Xueluo as she hid in a corner and started missing her old home. She was almost on the verge of tears. Then, Grandfather found her, held her hands, took her to the kitchen and cooked her a bowl of noodles in soup, telling her not to cry as this was her home.

    Zhuang Lingyu had always yelled at her, instilling fear and insecurity in her and she only became worse at the things she was told to do. Her grandfather would always spend time with her in the study room and he taught her many things patiently¡­

    After she left home, she never returned and Grandfather did not know what had happened. As his health was not at its peak, Ning Xi dared not tell him what had happened so as not to worsen his condition. There was a time when Grandfather went to America personally to bring her back but she had declined. Till the present day, she still remembered his disappointed expression¡­

    Currently, Ning Xi was not sure how to face him.

    Ning Zhiyuan was clearly unhappy, probably still thinking about the time when she did not return home with him.

    Ning Tianxin was the first to make a move to break the ice. She went over and held Ning Xi¡¯s hands and took her to Grandfather.

    "Xiao Xi, what are you standing there for? Say something!" Ning Tianxin urged her.

    Ning Xi was not the shy little girl she was, as she got back to her senses, she quickly gave the elder a big hug, "Grandfather! I¡¯ve missed you!"

    Ning Zhiyuan was surprised by his granddaughter¡¯s passionate hug and he eximed, "I don¡¯t really see how you have missed me! If you really did, why didn¡¯t youe back after all these years?"

    Although his tone was a little harsh, he obviously still had a soft spot for her.

    Ning Xiughed, "Grandfather, I¡¯m studying hard! You¡¯re the one who told me that knowledge transforms life. I¡¯ve listened to your words and gave studying my all!"

    "You¡­" Ning Zhiyuan looked helplessly at her with his speckled grey eyes, almost not recognizing her anymore as he mumbled, "You¡¯ve changed¡­changed¡­"

    Not just her looks, her personality, her aura¡­just meeting her for a short while made him realize that his granddaughter''s transformation came as a big surprise to him.

    Ning Xi cocked her head to one side and asked, "How did I change? Am I prettier now?"

    The elder smiled at her and replied, "Yes, yes, and much more positive now, it¡¯s a good change! Looks like the overseas environment did you good!"

    That was the only thing thatforted Ning Zhiyuan as he felt really sorry for this granddaughter of his.

    After some small talk, Ning Zhiyuan moved on to the actual conversation. "Xiao Xi, I know that I told you to focus on your studies but I¡¯ve also taught you to do the right things at the right time, yes? And you too, Tianxin, listen to what I¡¯m going to say!

    "You two are getting older now, practically ripe for marriage! You should find someone, get married quickly and bring me a cute little grandchild! I understand that youngsters nowadays are very busy, so if you don''t have time to look after the kids, I¡¯ll look after them for you, don''t worry about it!"

 Chapter 552: Successor With The Blood Of The Ning Family

    <h4>Chapter 552: Sessor With The Blood Of The Ning Family</h4>

    Ning Xi and Ning Tianxin looked at each other helplessly. Ning Tianxin was a feeble person and would not say anything, so Ning Xi spoke up, "Grandfather! Stop! You can¡¯t be like this! The first thing you tell me after so many years is to urge me to marry. You know what kind of grandfather isn¡¯t cute? It¡¯s the kind that urges their grandchildren to get married!"

    Ning Zhiyuan shot her a stubborn look. "Then, do you know what kind of granddaughter isn¡¯t cute? One like you! Always roaming outside and noting back, and not bearing any great-grandchild for me! I¡¯m already 70 years old today, how many years do I have left?"

    Ning Xi was speechless by his rebuttal.

    Ning Zhiyuan looked in the direction of the banquet hall and said to them in a sad tone, "It¡¯s not that I want to force the both of you. I have no choice.

    "Up until your generation, there isn¡¯t a male offspring. Who am I going to pass the family business to? Are you asking me to pass it to the adopted Ning Xueluo? Or your second uncle¡¯s two illegitimate daughters?"

    Both Ning Xi and Ning Tianxin looked down shamefully after hearing what their grandfather said.

    Ning Xi lived with a no marriage doctrine; she would probably never get married her whole life, what more have a child to take over the family business.

    Ning Tianxin already had someone in mind but they missed their window of opportunity. She still could not let it go after so many years and she could not ept anyone else, so she was not able to fulfil Grandfather¡¯s wish as well.

    Ning Tianxin¡¯s father, also Ning Xi¡¯s second uncle, Ning Yaobang wanted to force Ning Tianxin to marry someone and give birth to a sessor but the fragile Ning Tianxin was stubborn on the inside. She insisted not to marry at all and threatened him with her death, so Ning Yaobang had been sprinkling his seeds outside in a desperate attempt and cultivating his illegitimate daughters, hoping they could give birth to a sessor soon¡­

    As for Ning Xueluo, even though she was adopted, it seemed that they had discussed with the Su family that her firstborn male would bear the surname Ning.

    Ning Yaohua had been fighting with Ning Yaobang restlessly¡­

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s biggest chip was Ning Xueluo¡¯s influence and her marriage to the Su family, while Ning Yaobang¡¯s biggest chip was that while he did not have a son, at least all his daughters were her real daughters. If any of them gave birth to a son, then he would be the sessor with the bood of the Ning family!

    As the discussion progressed, it turned stale. Both Ning Xi and Ning Tianxin not having any idea how to reply their grandfather. They could not promise him but they were not cruel enough to break his heart.

    Suddenly, a familiar voice came through¡­

    "Father, many people are waiting to meet you. Why are you here in the backyard? Uh¡­you¡­Ning Xi¡­" As Zhuang Lingyu was speaking, she noticed that there someone else was with Ning Tianxin and Ning Zhiyuan.

    After realizing that it was Ning Xi, Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s expression darkened and she yelled at her, "What are you doing here?! We have a lot of guests here, what would happen if they saw you? Get out!"

    Before Ning Xi could say anything, the old man was enraged. "Ridiculous, Xiao Xi is my biological granddaughter, what makes you think you can chase her out?!"

    Zhuang Lingyu was worried and she carefully looked around. "Father¡­please keep your voice down!"

    "What for? Am I wrong? Is Xiao Xi not your daughter?" Ning Zhiyuan was even angrier seeing her worried gesture.

 Chapter 553: Announce Xiao Xiâ€™s Identity

    <h4>Chapter 553: Announce Xiao Xi¡¯s Identity</h4>

    The reprimanded Zhuang Lingyu stared at Ning Xi, then she gently apologized to Ning Zhiyuan, "Father, I don¡¯t mean it that way¡­as you would know, not many people know that Xiao Xi is my¡­"

    "I¡¯ve told you a long time ago, I told you to announce Xiao Xi¡¯s identity. She was studying abroad before but now she¡¯s back! Everyone¡¯s here today and you will tell everyone that Xiao Xi is part of our Ning family!"

    Zhuang Lingyu reacted in horror, "What? Father, absolutely not! I disagree!"

    Her expression looked as if Ning Xi was some disgusting and terrifying beast that had to be hidden from the world¡­

    Back then, when she had just returned home, she would have been heartbroken seeing such an expression like that from her biological mother but now, any semnce of expectation was totally eradicated.

    Ning Tianxin was not aware of what Ning Xi had gone through, so she felt really sorry for her and held her cousin''s hands tightly.

    Ning Xi felt a sense of warmth glowing from her heart with Ning Tianxin¡¯s grip and she gave her a happy smile.

    Her smile was as warm as the sun and brought an otherwordly kind of joy¡­

    Ning Tianxin did not expect that reaction from Ning Xi and was shocked.

    As Ning Zhiyuan and Zhuang Lingyu discussed, a few people hade over. Ning Yaohua, Ning Xueluo, Ning Yaobang, and her two illegitimate daughters joined the group.

    Apart from Ning Yaobang¡¯s wife who was not there due to some rtionshipplications, all of the Ning family members were present.

    "What happened? Why have the both of you started arguing?" Ning Yaohua frowned, then he saw Ning Xi and his face darkened. "Why are you here?"

    He was surprised that his wife would start an argument with his father. As expected, every time this girl appeared, bad things would happen!

    Zhuang Lingyu saw that her husband was here and she quickly told him, "Yaohua, please convince your father! He wants to announce Xiao Xi¡¯s identity today!"

    Ning Yaohua responded in shock, "No way! Father, are you confused? Damn it, did this brat tell you to do this?"

    Ning Yaohua shot Ning Xi a suspicious look.

    Ning Zhiyuan struck the floor with his walking stick and demanded, "Don¡¯t you me this on Xiao Xi, it was my idea. Now, you tell me, what¡¯s wrong with this?"

    "Right, what¡¯s wrong with this? Isn¡¯t Ning Xi your real daughter?" Ning Yaobang followed along, adding fuel to the fire.

    His provoking tone angered Ning Yaohua. "You, shut up! It¡¯s none of your business!"

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s overbearing attitude triggered Ning Yaobang who replied, "Brother, that¡¯s not quite right of you to say that. I¡¯m also a member of the Ning family, how is this none of my business?"

    Damn it! What was the big deal being the business manager? It was not like he received any shares. How dare he yell at him like this?!

    Still, he was blessed with an exceptional daughter! Not only did she bring in tons of resources, she even brought back an outstanding son-inw! Could Ning Xueluo have brought fortune to Ning Yaohua as Master Long mentioned?

    God damn it, what sort of luck did Ning Yaohua have for him to pick up such a valuable golden egg?

    It was a good thing that his biological daughter was so terrible. He was looking forward to Ning Xi¡¯s return to mess up Ning Yaohua¡¯s life! He was excited just by thinking about what had happened five years ago!

 Chapter 554: Everything Would Be Hers Eventually

    <h4>Chapter 554: Everything Would Be Hers Eventually</h4>

    Ning Yaohua stopped talking to Ning Yaobang and focused on the old man first. "Father, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to announce it but it''s too hasty to do so. We¡¯ve been telling everyone that she¡¯s adopted, then suddenly the adopted daughter bes the real daughter. You¡¯d need a good excuse for that! It''ll be a big joke if we do it unprepared! Furthermore, it will look really bad if we mess up on your birthday today!"

    "Hasty, hasty¡­it¡¯s been five years! You have never even bothered about this matter, have you?!"

    "Of course, I have, I¡¯ve looked for her when she first returned and even wanted to arrange a job for her. She could have slowly adapted to our Ning family, only then we¡¯d announce her real identity. It was she who wanted to enter the entertainment industry. Not only did she bring up some nasty rumours upon herself, she even affected Xueluo¡­"

    Actually, announcing Ning Xi¡¯s identity had never urred to him.

    The terrible scandal of Ning Xi giving birth to a dead child after having sex with two escorts was a time bomb that would explode any moment.

    If it was ever exposed one day¡­

    He could never let anyone know that Ning Xi was her biological daughter!

    Ning Zhiyuan did not believe his son and asked, "A job? What kind of job did you arrange for Xiao Xi?"

    "Our branchpany in Singapore¡­"

    "You bastard, you¡¯re sending her far away right after she had just returned! What are you letting Xiao Xi do at that stupid ce with just 20 over employees?"

    "I¡¯m just trying to let her gain more experience. I can¡¯t put her straight into our main office, can I?"

    "Xiao Xi is my granddaughter, why not?! Xiao Xi, you¡¯ll join the main office tomorrow in the finance department!"

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression changed when she heard what Ning Zhiyuan said.

    She had actually wanted to join the Ningpany¡¯s main office at first but her position would attract a lot of suspicion in thepany. Thus, she decided to use reverse psychology. Even if Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu had suggested it, she would decline them, showing that she was not going after any benefits the Ning family would be associated with at all. As a result, Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu showered her with more love and even the elder had nothing to say about it.

    Ning Zhiyuan really hated the two illegitimate daughters of Ning Yaobang. They were not a threat to her at all. Even though Ning Tianxin could possibly give birth to a son, she was still charmed by a man from her past so there was no worrying about her. Ning Xueluo was patient because after she had gained enough resources from the Su family, everything from the Ning family would be hers eventually.

    But now, after so many years of hard work, they were falling apart all because of Ning Xi!

    How could she tolerate this?!

    After the elder finished, not only Ning Yaohua, Zhuang Lingyu, and Ning Xueluo, even Ning Yaobang could not stand it anymore.

    "Father, are you kidding me? She graduated from some unknown university and has no working experience at all, how could you let her join the finance department?! Even if you were to pick, you should pick Tianxin! Or even Xiao Ru and Xiao Ai!"

    "Brother, you¡¯re overestimating your children. While it¡¯s true that Tianxin graduated from the University of Imperial, she¡¯s an art major, so what can she do in the finance department? As for your two illegitimate daughters, what else do they know aside from dressing themselves up? Are you trying to mess up thepany by letting them join the finance department? Father has said it before, Xueluo will join the finance department after she''s married!"

 Chapter 555: Its Only Been Two Hours

    <h4>Chapter 555: It''s Only Been Two Hours</h4>

    Of course, Ning Yaohua hoped that his daughter would join the mainpany but he had hoped for Ning Xueluo to do so, and not Ning Xi.

    To him, if Ning Xi were to join the mainpany, it would be a total disaster. Messing things up in the family was terrible but screwing up in thepany would be utterly embarrassing. He had promised the Su family the other day that Xueluo would definitely inherit the family business!

    As the three of them argued, Zhuang Lingyu went up to Ning Xi and pulled her aside. "What are you still waiting here for? Leave now! We were all good here until you came along. It¡¯s your grandfather¡¯s birthday today, do you really have to mess things up?"

    Although Ning Xi looked calm, Ning Tianxin could not hold it in anymore. Despite being a meek person, she spoke up, "Big Aunt, you¡¯re not being reasonable here. Xiao Xi was just here to wish Grandfather, so in order to not alert all of you I brought Grandfather to the backyard to see her. She didn¡¯t say anything nor do anything wrong at all! How is this her fault?"

    "Yes, she didn¡¯t do anything wrong but her presence itself is more than enough! And our family matters are none of your business!"

    ¡­

    At the same time, in CEO Lu''s room.

    Two hours had gone by but Ning Xi was not back yet.

    Little Treasure was lying there looking out of the window as usual while Lu Tingxiao started to check his phone frequently.

    Lu Jingli could not stand them anymore. "Eh, can the both of you calm down? It''s only been two hours!?"

    Five minutester, she was not back yet.

    Lu Tingxiao picked up his phone and called Ning Xi but no one answered.

    At the Ning family''s residence.

    Ning Xi¡¯s phone suddenly rang and she saw it was Lu Tingxiao calling. She realized that more than two hours had passed.

    He was probably going to ask when she was returning.

    The Ning family was in an uproar now and Ning Xi was not avable to pick up the call. She went up to her fuming grandfather and spoke to him gently, "We¡¯ll talk about things some other day, I¡¯m just here to see you today. I have something to doter and I have to go now. Happy birthday, Grandfather!"

    "What? You¡¯re leaving now?" her grandfather asked worriedly, "Don¡¯t worry about these bastards! Grandfather is here, no one can chase you away!"

    Ning Xi stroked her grandfather¡¯s back, "Grandfather, I¡¯m just a little busytely. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be here thiste!"

    "Xiao Xi, it¡¯s my fault, I made you go through such hard times¡­" Ning Zhiyuan thought Ning Xi was justforting him and that she was leaving because of Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s attitude, so he felt sorry for her.

    Ning Xueluo knew that things were bad, seeing the expression on her grandfather''s face.

    Although the current powery in Ning Yaohua¡¯s hands, thepany''s shares were still dictated by the elder, and if he favoured Ning Xi, then things would be troublesome.

    She was afraid that the elder would feel sorry for Ning Xi. After all, she was still the real granddaughter, so no matter how useless or dirty Ning Xi was, a few words were all it would take to destroy everything Ning Xueluo had built up so far.

    Was it because of that damned lineage?

    Just because she did not have the Ning family¡¯s blood running in her, would she need to invest hundreds and thousands-fold more effort to get what Ning Xi could acquire easily?

 Chapter 556: Worried About The Wife Being Alone

    <h4>Chapter 556: Worried About The Wife Being Alone</h4>

    If Ning Xi became the legitimate heir, then¡­

    Ning Xueluo could not ept the thought of how she would live a life of poverty back in the poor vige! Even if the Ning family kept her, she could not bear the thought of being under Ning Xi!

    She was the Ning family¡¯s daughter and she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. There was no way she would allow this witch to take away all of that from her!

    That¡¯s right, she was the one and only daughter of the Ning family! Even bloodline could not change that!

    Ning Xueluo took a deep breath to calm herself down, then she went up to Ning Xi and held her arms, saying in a trembling voice, "Sister, please don¡¯t leave, alright? Please don¡¯t be angry with Father and Mother! They have been preparing to announce your identity a long time ago, but you didn¡¯t want toe back and join thepany¡­

    "You can put all the me on me, it¡¯s all my fault, do whatever you want to me. If you really don¡¯t want to see me here, I¡¯ll leave now! But please, sister, don¡¯t go!

    "Even if you don¡¯t want to see us, think about Grandfather! Grandfather really missed you! At least take a bite of Grandfather¡¯s birthday cake! What could possibly make you miss Grandfather¡¯s birthday?"

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s words were phrased cleverly, indirectly ming matters on Ning Xi, at the same time expressing her awkward position in the Ning family, and most importantly, showing how filial she was towards Grandfather¡­

    Zhuang Lingyu felt sorry for her. "Xueluo, what are you talking about? Where are you going? You shouldn¡¯t be the one leaving!"

    The elder looked much kinder now, seeing Ning Xueluo ask Ning Xi to stay as well. Of course, he would not chase Ning Xueluo away, so he went along with her. "Xiao Xi, it''s such a rare asion that you¡¯re back. Stay for a while more, alright?"

    Ning Xi looked at the elder¡¯s eyes silently, and in the end, she nodded. "Okay."

    It was already clear that she would disappoint him by never fulfilling his wish of giving birth to a great-grandchild for him.

    It would be impossible for her to go back to the Ning family or to join thepany, so she was not cruel enough to decline his simple request uppfront.

    "That¡¯s great! Come inside! It¡¯s cold outside!" The elder delightedly went back into the house with the help of Ning Tianxin and Ning Xi.

    Ning Xueluo was left behind. She gave them a cold stare when she saw Ning Tianxin and Ning Xi helped Ning Zhiyuan back inside.

    Seeing that the elder was settled, Zhuang Lingyu let out a sigh of relief. She walked up to Ning Xueluo kindly and held her hands apologetically. "Xueluo, it must be hard for you!"

    No matter what happened at home, she was always mature and cared about everyone¡¯s feelings.

    Ning Yaohua felt heartbroken for her as well. He sighed, "Xueluo, don¡¯t take it personally, your grandfather just missed Xiao Xi too much and was excited. He did not mean what he said, I¡¯m still in charge of thepany right now, don''t worry!"

    "Thank you, Father, Mother¡­I understand!"

    ¡­

    After Grandfather had calmed down, Ning Xi sent Lu Tingxiao a message: [I need to stay here with my grandfather for a little while more. Will bete. Take Little Treasure back home first, I¡¯ll pick him up from tinum Pceter.]

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face fell when he read her message in his office.

    Lu Tingxiao understood that no matter how strong Ning Xi looked, she still had her soft spot, which was the Ning family.

    He knew a thing or two about what had happened to her in the Ning family¡­

    Although Ning Xi sounded casual in the text message, how could he be not worried about leaving her alone at that ce?

 Chapter 557: Drastic Changes

    <h4>Chapter 557: Drastic Changes</h4>

    As Ning Xi followed the elder into the banquet hall, everyone started whispering to each other.

    "Who¡¯s the girl beside Elder Ning? She came here dressed like that?"

    "I heard the elder call her Xiao Xi just now, could it be¡­the adopted daughter, Ning Xi?"

    "So that''s her! It¡¯s been five years and she''s still like that, there''s been no improvement at all!"

    "Hehe, she¡¯s still wearing pirated goods after five years. Has her taste in clothes not improved?"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi had been going around to do some furniture shopping for the studio decoration with Gong Shangze and Little Treasure, so she had casually worn just a leather jacket with jeans, and tied a neat ponytail.

    However, because all of thedies there that night were wearing long dresses and high heels, she stood out like a sore thumb.

    The elder was over the moon about his granddaughter¡¯s return and could not care less about what Ning Xi wore, so he kept on talking to Ning Xi until Zhuang Lingyu had to remind him about the guests waiting for him. Eventually, she let Ning Tianxin apany Ning Xi to get something to eat.

    After the elder had left to see to the guests, any trace of a smile left Zhuang Lingyu''s face as she looked at Ning Xi with despise. "Take a look in the mirror. Don¡¯t you know what day it is?"

    Ning Xueluo rushed to say, "Mother, don¡¯t me Sister, she must have rushed here and had no time to change!"

    She acted as if she was afraid of Ning Xi getting angry at her. She walked up to her, "Sister, if you don¡¯t mind, do you want to change into one of my outfits upstairs?"

    "What are you waiting for? Go and follow Ning Xueluo to change! You¡¯ve been so busy but you never do anything properly. Who knows what kind of trouble you¡¯re involved in?!" To Zhuang Lingyu, Ning Xi was the bane of her existence and she could not even stand looking at her.

    When she was younger, Ning Xi would have been embarrassed if she was scolded like that thest time, but now she just nced at Zhuang Lingyu. "Oh, it wouldn¡¯t really matter to you whether I got changed or not. Aren¡¯t you being a bit too controlling, Madam Ning?"

    She then took hold of Ning Tianxin''s hand and headed for dessert.

    "You¡­you¡­" Zhuang Lingyu sputtered in frustration, "Xueluo, look at her, does she still treat me as a mother? She¡¯s got no manners at all!"

    Ning Xueluo was gloating happily as sheforted Zhuang Lingyu and pretended to speak up for Ning Xi, but the more she said, the deeper Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s hatred for her own daughter ran¡­

    Oblivious to her mother''s anger, Ning Xi sat down at a table with Ning Tianxin. She helped herself to some wine and felt no awkwardness about crashing an unfamiliar ce. It was as if the ce was her backyard garden and what had happened here was merely a hrious performance which she was taking as entertainment.

    Ning Tianxin looked at her cousin sister with her nonchnt attitude in surprise. "Xiao Xi, you¡¯ve changed a lot over the years!"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows. "Have I?"

    When she was discovered wearing a ripped-off dress five years ago, she recalled feeling like she might as well have been naked in public and her world copsed under the mockery and the looks of disgust from everyone¡­

    But now¡­

    Byparison, it seemed that there had been drastic changes over the years¡­

 Chapter 558: How Could She Cut Herself Off From Worldly Desires When There Are Temptations

    <h4>Chapter 558: How Could She Cut Herself Off From Worldly Desires When There Are Temptations</h4>

    Actually, before she arrived, she had felt nervous and reluctant when she thought about meeting the Ning family.

    The trauma from her past was too hurtful to be forgotten easily and it still haunted her in the form of nightmares.

    But being present there, facing the odd stares from those people and the mockery from her own parents, along with Ning Xueluo¡¯s usual hypocritical act, she was not as anxious as she anticipated to be. There was not even the tiniest sense of rage or anger¡­

    Time could really change a person.

    Before she realized it, all the things she cared so much about before did not matter as much now.

    "Mmm, you''re not just prettier, you¡¯ve actually gained much more confidence. I can see it, especially in your eyes. How do I put it? There¡¯s an unknown strength from them, like the rebirth of a phoenix,

    rising from the ashes¡­" Ning Tianxin told her excitedly although she felt a little heartache.

    People don''t change without reason and she did not know what triggered Ning Xi''s change today. She felt that it was odd when Ning Xi had gone overseas five years ago but she felt like she was not in the position to ask about it.

    Ning Xi smiled and cupped her chin in her hands. "Cousin Sister, you''ve even got a ir forplimenting people!"

    "I¡¯m serious!" Ning Tianxin replied.

    Ning Xi sipped some wine and sighed, "Love breeds sorrow, love breeds fear. Those who have abandoned love are free from sorrow and fear. Maybe it''s because I don¡¯t care anymore that none of this matters now. You¡¯re stronger when are free of desires¡­"

    Ning Tianxin looked a little pale hearing Ning Xi''s words. "Xiao Xi, what are you thinking?! Why does it sound like you¡¯re cutting yourself off from any worldly ties?"

    Ning Xi coughed. She was just joking around but Ning Tianxin was clearly scared, so she quicklyforted her, "Sis Xin, I¡¯m just kidding, don¡¯t worry!"

    She was obsessed with such temptations around her, how could she cut herself off from any worldly ties? It would be great if she could really achieve that!

    ¡­

    Ning Xi chatted with Ning Tianxin happily while the gossip about her earlier soon stopped since Ning Xi did not pay them any mind.

    Their main purpose here was to get on the elder¡¯s and Ning Yaohua¡¯s good side; they were not here to look at some unimportant adopted daughter.

    The night came. More and more guests arrived and the banquet hall was filled with people.

    Ning Yaohua was trying her hardest to make the elder happy. He got people to bring out the presents he had prepared beforehand.

    He had prepared an exquisitely-made Red Coral Eight Treasure screen which looked very extravagant. Everyone praised it and mentioned how filial Ning Yaohua was.

    The elder just looked at it and just let it slide. He did not look very happy, apparently because he was still angry.

    Ning Xueluo gave his father aforting gaze and shot Ning Xi daggers. He went up to the elder with a wooden box filled with intricate carvings in her hands. "Grandfather, happy birthday! This is a present I picked out by myself, I hope you¡¯ll like it!"

    Zhuang Lingyu started, "Father, open it! Xueluo¡¯spany started to earn some money recently and she used her own money to buy it for you! I¡¯ve mentioned paying for her but she insisted on preparing the present herself for it to be sincere!"

    The elder took a nce at his granddaughter and opened the box and slowly. Upon seeing what was inside, his facial expression changed drastically.

    Inside the box was a bracelet made of jade beads.

 Chapter 559: Questionable Present

    <h4>Chapter 559: Questionable Present</h4>

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s gift was clearly a case of insincere splurging. On the other hand, Ning Xueluo¡¯s present exuded effort in preparation.

    She knew that he loved jade and was also a staunch Buddhist, so she chose to give him a jade beaded bracelet.

    As Ning Zhiyuan assessed the bracelet, Ning Xueluo stood in front of him quietly.

    Despite the unease in her eyes, the elder loved her very much.

    Ning Xueluo had been staying with him ever since she was a child and even after it was found out that she was not his actual grandchild, he still treated her just like one of his own. He just did not like his eldest son''s and daughter-inw¡¯s attitude.

    Ning Zhiyuan sighed and gently said, "Thank you for your gift, I really like it!"

    Ning Xueluo looked relieved to hear her grandfather¡¯s praise. Her eyes had reddened slightly and she excitedly said, "I¡¯m d that you like it, Grandfather!"

    The old man felt sorry for her upon hearing the girl¡¯s sincerity in her voice. He did not want to involve her in his argument with his son and daughter-inw. He then advised her, "Your career is important but remember to take care of your health, especially since you¡¯re a girl. Don¡¯t overexert yourself!"

    Ning Xueluo nodded heavily, feeling touched. "Got it, Grandfather!"

    Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua looked at each other after they saw that the elder¡¯s face was full of warmth. They looked at Ning Xueluo, their treasure and pride.

    The rtives and the guests at the side started their stream of ttery¡­

    "Oh, the color of the jade looks really good. I''m guessing it costs at least two or three million dors!"

    "That¡¯s no big deal. Xueluo¡¯s brand "History" made a profit of tens of millions just this season.

    What¡¯s more is that she¡¯s a famous superstar!"

    "Elder Ning, you¡¯re really blessed! Your children and grandchildren are so capable and filial!"

    ¡­

    In the corner, Ning Xi who was chatting with Ning Tianxin frowned when she saw Ning Xueluo''s present for their grandfather.

    What a coincidence!

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s present was just like Ning Xi''s, a bracelet made of jade beads?

    Her eyes met Ning Xueluo¡¯s gaze.

    Ning Xueluo set her eyes on the present on their table. Those cunning eyes¡­they looked as if she already knew what Ning Xi had nned to give and that she had purposely prepared the same thing!

    Obviously, Ning Xueluo¡¯s present was at least ten times more expensive than Ning Xi¡¯s gift.

    She intentionally wanted to embarrass her in front of everyone¡­

    Ning Xueluo put on a grin, then told the elder, "Grandfather, I heard that Sister has also got you a present!"

    She innocently looked as if she was just trying to make Grandfather happy.

    As Ning Xi¡¯s real identity had still not been announced, Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu would be spared the me regardless of whatever humiliating incident urred since she was an adopted daughter to the public''s knowledge . At the same time, she could make Grandfather upset with Ning Xi, hence killing two birds with one stone.

    As expected, the elder did not notice Ning Xueluo¡¯s real intentions. He looked at Ning Xi with joy. "Is that true, Xiao Xi?"

    Ning Tianxin looked at Ning Xueluo, then turned to Ning Xi, her sharp senses warning her that something was not right. "Xiao Xi, wait¡­"

    She could not tell what Ning Xueluo was plotting but it was definitely clear that whatever it was would not help improve the rtionship between Ning Xi and Grandfather, making it even more impossible for Ning Xi to shine under a positive light at an event like this.

 Chapter 560: Priceless Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 560: Priceless Treasure</h4>

    "Let me have a closer look at your gift. I suspect that Ning Xueluo might have done something to it!" Ning Tianxin alerted.

    There must be something odd happening.

    Ning Xi smiled and whispered to Ning Tianxin, "Cousin Sister, you sure are smart. The present does have some ws but it¡¯s been by my side the whole time, so I''m sure that nothing has happened to it."

    "Then?" Ning Tianxin asked suspiciously.

    "For some reason, Ning Xueluo knew what I was going to give Grandfather, so she prepared the same present as mine and of course, hers is much more expensive!"

    Ning Tianxin immediately knew what was going on and she continued in panic, "What then? Even if Grandfather doesn¡¯t mind, the people around us would surely say something nasty¡­Xiao Xi, why don''t I exchange something for you?"

    "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m fine as long as Grandfather doesn¡¯t mind." Ning Xi walked towards her grandfather with her present and gracefully wished him, "Grandfather, happy birthday."

    Ning Tianxin was worried about her but then she suddenly calmed down.

    She had been blinded. At first, Ning Xi had not wanted to return to the Ning family. Besides that, she was clearly not after the Ning family¡¯s property. No matter what everyone else said to her, she did not care about their opinions, only being concerned about Grandfather¡¯s opinion.

    Being reunited with his granddaughter was a happy enough asion for him, so he did not mind even if she had not prepared any gift. He smile and told her, "I¡¯m already very d that you¡¯re back, you don''t to prepare anything for me! You¡¯ve been working so hard on your own outside!"

    "Anyway, it¡¯s Sister¡¯s sincerity, quickly open it, Grandfather!" Ning Xueluo told him, hiding her eagerness.

    "Okay, okay¡­" The elder slowly opened up the box and was surprised when he saw what was inside but he recovered quickly. He looked at Ning Xi kindly, "Girls are really sweet, they both thought of the same thing and got me what I like!"

    Ning Xueluo shot them a cold gaze as she sneered at them inwardly. So, you would still like it because your real granddaughter gave it to you¡­

    Others also saw what Ning Xi presented him with and they were surprised. What a coincidence! They both gave him the same thing!

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s friends started gossiping¡­

    Ying Fanglin nced at the jade bead bracelet and ridiculed, "That''s totally different! Xueluo¡¯s one is definitely top-notch quality, this is just some worthless trash! How is that the same?!"

    Jing Xuanxuan went along, "Ning Xi, didn¡¯t you just move over to Glory World Entertainment? You should be earning a lot, shouldn''t you? And you just bought such a poor quality item like this? It¡¯s your grandfather¡¯s 70th birthday. Are you really okay with giving him this? Do you know that jade has an aura of its own which can make or break a person¡¯s fortune?"

    Thatst sentence was a devastating arrow meant to embarrass her.

    Suddenly, Ning Xi was targeted by everyone.

    "Please don¡¯t put it that way, she might not be doing very well herself!" someone said jokingly.

    "What? For giving something she can¡¯t afford, why did she choose something as expensive as this?"

    "You have to understand that people from small viges like to act generously and act ignorantly. How would they know about the taboo about jade stones?"

    ¡­

    Ning Zhiyuan was really unhappy as he heard all thements. Just as he was going to speak up, an bespectacled old man from the crowd said in a serious tone, "My young friends, please allow me to say something. The taboo about jade stones doesn¡¯t lie in its worth. And a jade¡¯s quality is based on many factors. Even if it was just a normal jade, with suitable care or if it were crafted by a renowned maker and blessed by high priest monks, it could be a priceless treasure!"

    The elder hesitated and looked at the jade Ning Xi had given to her grandfather before continuing, "And this is what I would call a priceless treasure!"

 Chapter 561: Not Enough After Showing It Off 800 Times

    <h4>Chapter 561: Not Enough After Showing It Off 800 Times</h4>

    "W¡­what? Priceless treasure? Are you kidding me?" Ying Fanglin yelled at him.

    Jin Xuanxuan¡¯s expression changed and he stopped her, "What nonsense are you talking about? The one who¡¯s talking is Elder Xi!"

    "Who''s Elder Xi?" Ying Fanglin asked, confused.

    "He''s from the family that trades jades and gemstones! The one and only Xi Boyi!" Jin Xuanxuan reminded her exasperatedly.

    "Ah¡­so that¡¯s who he is¡­but¡­but it¡¯s impossible! When we were gossiping with Ning Xueluo over tea thest time, she mentioned that she bought a 150 thousand dor jade as a present! Did I hear wrongly?"

    "No, she did say that thest time¡­but Elder Xi can''t be wrong! That¡¯d be sphemy!"

    ¡­

    As she heard Xi Boyi¡¯s deration and the heated discussion between Ying Fanglin and Jin Xuanxuan, there was a slight displeasure in Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression but she still remained calm. She was sure that she had heard that Ning Xi bought the bracelet for 150 thousand dors. How could that be wrong?

    Although Xi Boyi was respectable and had been assessing jades for his whole life, coleft he have made a mistake this time?

    Actually not many people present that night knew much about jade. Ning Xueluo¡¯s friends were just making passingments earlier and some people started to echo along as they saw her friends speaking so confidently about it.

    However, now that Elder Xi had dered it to be a priceless treasure, everyone was not sure who to listen to.

    Even Ning Zhiyuan was confused.

    Although he was just a hobbyist and was not as skillful as Xi Boyi at assessing jade, he did know a thing or two about precious stones. Ning Xi¡¯s jade was alright but it sure did not look like something as exaggerated as a priceless treasure.

    Ning Zhiyuan had a lot of questions in his mind. "Elder Xi, what do you mean? What priceless treasure?"

    Xi Boyi dared not to jump to conclusions, so he spoke up, "Zhiyuan, do you mind letting me take a look at the bracelet?"

    Ning Zhiyuan handed it over.

    After looking at it for some time, he took out a magnifying ss from his shirt pocket and stared at one of the beads with clear excitement¡­

    "What actually do you see?" Ning Zhiyuan asked impatiently.

    The bystanders looked on curiously as well, discussing and not believing for a minute that this jade was a priceless treasure. It must have been a mistake on Xi Boyi''s part due to his old age¡­

    "Ning Xi, are you sure the jade is fine?" Ning Tianxin asked, still worried that Ning Xueluo had done something to it.

    Ning Xi shrugged innocently. "I can guarantee that when I bought it, it was still fine."

    Could Jade Treasury have possibly given her some wed jade?

    The worker who had served her muchter looked really kind. Had he been bribed by Su Yimo?

    Ning Xi started raising her own suspicions¡­

    In the end, when Xi Boyi was done assessing, he suddenly took off a jade bead bracelet from his wrist and showed it to Ning Zhiyuan. "Zhiyuan, what do you think of my bracelet?"

    Ning Zhiyuan flew into a jealous rage. "You old fellow, that¡¯s enough! Isn''t that the bracelet your grandchild got you? Is it not enough after showing it off 800 times?!"

 Chapter 562: High Praises

    <h4>Chapter 562: High Praises</h4>

    Ning Zhiyuan¡¯s words made his friendsughed.

    "You¡¯re being annoying here, Elder Xi, you¡¯ve been telling everyone you meet! Your grandson gave it to you and he begged Master Xuan Jing for consecration for a few months. Our ears are tired from listening to you talk about how filial your grandson is!"

    "You know that Elder Ning really respected Master Xuan Jing and he tried to ask for a consecration before but was rejected. Stop showing off in front of him!"

    "Hahahaha¡­it¡¯s Elder Ning¡¯s birthday today, stop provoking him!"

    ¡­

    "Is it really rare to have this Master Xuan Jing to consecrate a bracelet?" a person from the crowd asked after listening to the discussion.

    Xi Boyi put on a serious expression and answered, "Of course, Master Xuan Jing is a genuine, eminent monk and he doesn¡¯t do consecrations for just anyone. It doesn¡¯t matter how much money you give; no means no. It¡¯s all about being sincere and most importantly, having an affinity! Such a bracelet is super rare! Isn¡¯t that what you call a priceless treasure?!"

    Master Xuan Jing kept a low profile, so not many people knew about him but for those who did gave their respect to him from the bottoms of their heart.

    "It¡¯s really rare! I heard from someone I knew who has gone there personally and failed!"

    "Put sincerity aside; having an affinity is really difficult, it¡¯s such a vague concept. How does one even qualify as having affinity?"

    "Exactly, it¡¯s rare because of how difficult it is! Why do you think Elder Xi was showing off for so long? He almost made it into his family treasure!"

    "Most importantly, it really has spiritual powers within it! He was so sick before¡­wait, why did Elder Xi suddenly talk about this? Weren¡¯t we looking at Elder Ning¡¯s bracelet?"

    ¡­

    With some small pockets of discussions still going on, Xi Boyi looked at Ning Xi¡¯s bracelet for some time again before he returned it to Ning Zhiyuan, then he turned to Ning Xi and asked, "Little girl, you must have invested in a lot of effort to get this jade bead bracelet consecrated, didn¡¯t you?"

    What Xi Boyi meant was¡­was this bracelet consecrated by Xuan Jing as well?

    How¡­how was this possible?

    It was so difficult to obtain. Just what in the world did this yokel do?

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    She had no idea what just happened.

    Was this old man sure that the bracelet she had bought was worthy of such high praises?

    Would he believe her if she said she just spent 150 thousand dors for this in Jade Treasury and that she did not know Master Xuan Jing?

    Ying Fanglin was mumbling to Ning Xueluo, "It was just a minor consecration by some monk, is it really that surprising? To the point of calling it a priceless treasure?"

    Ning Xueluo bit her lip and shook her head. "Fanglin, don¡¯t say that, Grandfather is really respectful towards Master Xuan Jing¡­"

    This was the reason why the elder did not care about what Long Fanyin said before while Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu trusted him so blindly. The elder did not trust Long Fanyin.

    So, even though she felt sour, she dared not say anything because Elder Ning really respected Master Xuan Jing. Otherwise, she would be indirectly insulting Elder Ning.

    Ying Fanglin could not bear to see Ning Xueluo like this. "Xueluo, why are you so easily bullied? I¡¯ll get even for you!"

    Ning Xueluo had sessfully tricked Ying Fanglin to help her. She even made a pitiful face and Ying Fanglin did not use much of her brain and bought her act.

 Chapter 563: Plotting About My Granddaughter

    <h4>Chapter 563: Plotting About My Granddaughter</h4>

    In a situation like this, it would not have been appropriate for either Zhuang Lingyu or Ning Yaohua to speak up but an outsider like Ying Fanglin was perfect for the role¡­

    Ying Fanglin started talking, "Even if it was consecrated by Master Jing Xuan, can¡¯t you get a better bracelet? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s inappropriate for the elder to wear something that cheap?"

    Xi Boyi could not hold it in anymore, he did not wanted to argue with the youngsters but things were getting out of hand, "Little girl, is this bracelet not good enough? If you¡¯re talking about price, I can tell you that this is much more expensive than the one Xueluo gave!"

    "What? Xueluo¡¯s bracelet cost about two million dors!" Ying Fanglin eximed, her eyes wide.

    Even Ning Xueluo and Jin Xuanxuan were surprised, not to mention Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua. The first thing that came to their mind was, "How in the world did she have so much money? This is impossible!"

    Xi Boyi exined calmly, "This bracelet is made out of high quality jadeite and what makes it rare is the fact that all the beads are from the same source, plus the color is bnced perfectly as well. Of course, it would cost more than the other!"

    Ying Fanglin frowned and raised his doubts, "Elder Xi, are you sure you¡¯re not mistaken about this?"

    Without waiting for Xi Boyi¡¯s reaction, Ning Zhiyuan spoke up unhappily, "Don¡¯t be ridiculous, little girl. How could Elder Xi be wrong about this? Xiao Xi¡¯s bracelet is more expensive."

    He was trying not to embarrass Ning Xueluo earlier so he had kept quiet about it. Who knew that these ignorant brats would start rattling nonsense and he had to exin it vocally.

    Even Elder Ning had already said something about it, so now everyone just had to believe it!

    "Uh¡­that was unexpected¡­the adopted daughter¡¯s present is more expensive than Ms. Ning¡¯s! How shocking!"

    "That¡¯s awkward, they got the same present but hers lost in every aspect byparison to the adopted daughter¡¯s present¡­"

    "Well, it seems like we¡¯ve underestimated this girl! She has changed so much over the past five years!"

    "I¡¯ve been wanting to ask since earlier. Is she really the girl from before? I almost couldn¡¯t recognize her! She looks really pretty now!"

    "Right! She didn¡¯t even look presentable even with gorgeous dresses thest time but now she has such a special aura around her now!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s face darkened instantly.

    Not only was Ning Xi¡¯s bracelet consecrated by Master Xuan Jing, it was¡­it was even more expensive than hers?

    How was this possible?! The few artistes told her that they had seen Ning Xi buy a jade bead bracelet costing slightly over just a hundred thousand dors!

    What happened here?

    Damn it, she had invested so much effort into this, yet in the end¡­she was the one who was embarrassed!

    Not only did she lose in terms of the sincerity and value of the present, but she had also helped Ning Xi to shine in the limelight!

    Xi Boyi patted Ning Zhiyuan¡¯s back. "Eh, Zhiyuan, you¡¯re really blessed! No wonder you wanted to adopt her, she¡¯s really a good kid! Most importantly¡­she was able to ask for a consecration from Master Xuan Jing, a blessing indeed! Right, Zhiyuan, how old is your granddaughter now? What¡¯s her zodiac sign? She should be around the same age as my grandson, yes?"

    Ning Zhiyuan held the jade bead bracelet dearly. When he heard what Xi Boyi said, he said guardedly, "Old man, what are you trying to do? What are you plotting for my granddaughter?"

 Chapter 564: Set Up For A Blind Date

    <h4>Chapter 564: Set Up For A Blind Date</h4>

    Adopted? She was his real granddaughter!

    "You old man, how is that plotting? My grandson is handsome and filial, I wouldn¡¯t even have thought about it if your granddaughter wasn¡¯t pretty andcked affinity!"

    "Hmph, only now you realize that my granddaughter is pretty! Not everyone is worthy of her, show me your grandson¡¯s picture first!" He had actually met Xi Boyi¡¯s grandson a few years ago but who knew how he looked like now?

    "It might be you who¡¯s plotting something after you see his picture!"

    Ning Xi groaned, "Ugh¡­"

    Why did conversations always go the other way?

    Did the elders always have such active thought patterns?

    Probably not, 80% of the time when elder people gathered together, their conversations would end up with this topic¡­

    Wait, that was not the main point. What happened to her 150 thousand dor bracelet which she had got with a 20% discount and was now valued as a two million dor bracelet that was consecrated by Master Xuan Jing?

    Jade Treasury¡­

    The sudden change in the worker¡¯s attitude¡­

    Could it be¡­?

    "How about it, Elder Ning? Isn¡¯t my Shiqing handsome?" Xi Boyi said proudly.

    Ning Zhiyuan¡¯s eyes brightened when he saw the handsome gentleman¡¯s picture. "Pictures nowadays can be Photoshopped, it''s not good enough as proof!"

    Xi Boyi was annoyed. "Hey, old man, if you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll bring him here personally the next time and you can see for yourself, okay?"

    "That sounds about right!"

    ¡­

    Just in a blink of an eye, Ning Xi was set up for a blind date.

    "What¡¯s the situation right now? Grandfather¡­grandfather, please calm down¡­I¡­"

    She looked helplessly at both the elders chatting happily, totally ignoring her.

    Ning Tianxinughed looking at Ning Xi¡¯s expression. "Actually, Elder Xi¡¯s grandson is a pretty nice person, you should meet him."

    Ning Xi put her hand to her forehead. "I¡¯m not in the mood for this right now!"

    A worried thought passed through Ning Tianxin¡¯s mind. "Xiao Xi, could it be possible that you still haven''t gotten over Su Yan?"

    Speaking of the devil, a maid suddenly came rushing in and reported, "Master, your son-inw is here!"

    Everyone turned around at looked towards the entrance.

    "Son-inw? Who?!"

    "Who else? The only one who¡¯s engaged in the Ning family right now is Ning Xueluo, of course, it¡¯s Su Yan from the Su family!"

    A man in a ck outfit walked in with an assistant holding a rectangr box behind him.

    As soon as they saw him, Fang Yinglin said, "Xueluo, your husband¡¯s here, quickly go greet him!"

    "Stop saying that, he¡¯s not my husband yet!" Seeing the charming man in front of him, Ning Xueluo¡¯s heart raced quickly, all her unhappy thoughts about what happened earlier instantly vanishing.

    Jin Xuanxuan went along with Fang Yinglin as well, "You¡¯ve already agreed to his proposal, haven''t you?"

    Fang Yinglin kept on staring at him. "Oh my, Su Yan¡¯s bing more and more handsome!"

    Ning Xueluo blushed, then walked towards Su Yan elegantly, "Bro Su, you¡¯re here!"

 Chapter 565: Priceless

    <h4>Chapter 565: Priceless</h4>

    Su Yan held the girl¡¯s tender hands gently.

    They smiled and looked at each other lovingly, then walked towards Ning Zhiyuan together.

    He wore a ck suit and she wore a white long dress, a perfect match for each other. They immediately became the focus of those in the banquet hall.

    Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua had a relieved expression on their faces.

    Elder Ning was proud of his grandson-inw and he greeted him with a kind smile. "Su Yan, you¡¯re here!"

    In the previous years, the Su family had not allowed Su Yan to be in a rtionship with Ning Xi due to her infamous identity. Although she had gone back to the Ning family after that, there was no announcement of her real identity to the public. Ning Xi had been dating Su Yan in secret until she fell pregnant. As she could not hide it anymore, she told her family about her rtionship with Su Yan.

    At that time, Su Yan was out of contactable range as he was abroad. Zhuang Lingyu did not believe her and forced her to stay at home, and she warned her not to let anyone know about her pregnancy before Su Yan came back. So, until now the elder never knew Ning Xi had been pregnant before.

    Ning International was not very stable, so the elder did not have much time at home. What he knew was that Ning Xi had been sent overseas for education after she had recovered from some illness. Then, Su Yan, who had been visiting their home frequently, had started dating Ning Xueluo¡­

    "Grandfather, happy birthday!" Su Yan took the rectangle box from his assistant and handed it to the elder.

    The elder smiled while nodding. "Good!"

    Su Yan gave the elder a famous priceless scroll painting. It was not just Ning Xi¡¯s jade bead bracelet, but all the presents looked practically worthlesspared to his and everyone gushed over it.

    "The Ning family sure is generous! Just a simple birthday gift but they gave a priceless antique!"

    "With the Su family¡¯s power, they can definitely find someone from a better family, but why are they so fixated on Ning Xueluo?"

    "Let me tell you, it was said that Master Long assessed their birthdays before and concluded Ms. Ning has the fortune to make her husband prosper and many suitors came to them but she had already picked Su Yan!"

    "Ah, I know about Master Long! I heard he¡¯s really good! Actually I¡¯ve been wanting to ask since just now, who¡¯s this Master Xuan Jing they have been talking about? I¡¯ve never heard of him! Isn¡¯t Long Fanyin the most reputable one in the industry?"

    "Of course, it¡¯s Long Fanyin. The elders simply trust those temples and monks more, they are just too old-fashioned. The real experts are among us!"

    ¡­

    Ning Tianxin felt nervous as she saw Su Yan. From her keen observation, she had already found out about Ning Xi and Su Yan long ago and she was worried about Ning Xi.

    As she was about tofort Ning Xi, Su Yan and Ning Xueluo walked towards them.

    Su Yan looked at Ning Xi and smiled. "You¡¯re here too, Xiao Xi! Grandfather must be very happy!"

    "Mmm." Ning Xi nodded expressionlessly.

    "How are you recently?" Su Yan asked in a concerned tone.

    "Still alright."

    "Xiao Xi, let¡¯s meet up when you have some free time, I¡­"

    As Su Yan wanted to continue, Zhuang Lingyu rushed towards them. She had seen Ning Xi talking to Su Yan and she desperately wanted to separate them. "Xueluo, Su Yan, I¡¯ve been looking for you everywhere. Go and wee the guests!"

    "Okay, Mother. Sister, please excuse me!" Ning Xueluo gave Ning Xi a smug nce after her mother covered for her.

 Chapter 566: Little Treasureâ€™s Crying For You

    <h4>Chapter 566: Little Treasure¡¯s Crying For You</h4>

    The banquet hall was getting crowded as more guests arrived and Ning Xi recognized some of them.

    Thedy who was chatting with Ning Xueluo intimately at that moment was Li Yueling whom Ning Xi met at the audition in Las Vegas. The one beside her should be her mother, the president of Ling Horizon Fashion, Guo Hui. Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu were weing her warmly.

    Despite the constant flow of guests, Ning Xueluo was able to chat up with almost all of them. The guests looked at Ning Xueluo in a different light, awed by her.

    "This girl is really something, she has a such a wide connection despite her young age!"

    "Sigh, it¡¯s really frustrating when Ipare my kid at home with her. She always dreamt about being a star but after spending so much money, there isn¡¯t even a shadow of her on screen! Unlike Ning Xueluo with her own business and her ownpany!"

    ¡­

    A servant who was serving guests outside suddenly came rushing in and panted, "Master¡­outside¡­outside¡­"

    Ning Yaohua asked sternly, "What''s happened outside? Do you know how inappropriate it is for you to freak out in front of the guests?!"

    The servant continued worriedly, "No, Master! There¡¯re¡­there¡¯re important guests! Very important guests!"

    Ning Yaohua was still unhappy. "Who is it that made you freak out?"

    With the Ning family¡¯s position, the servant did not need to freak out even if the guests were from a renowned family.

    In the corner, Ning Xi was curious of the servant¡¯s expression. Who did Ning Xueluo involve herself with this time?

    The servant exined, "Just now¡­there was a car stopped in front of the entrance¡­but no one came out of the car. It was just parked there, so I paid it no mind but the car looked really prestigious. Then, I checked the number te and it seems like¡­it¡¯s a car from the Lu family!"

    Upon hearing the servant, Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu were concerned. "What? Lu family? Which Lu family?"

    The servant trembled, "Lu¡­Lu Corporation¡­"

    Ning Xi spurted out her fruit juice.

    What?!

    Lu Corporation?

    Could it be¡­Lu Tingxiao?

    It could not be! Why would the devil be here?

    "Uhm¡­Sis Xin, I¡¯ll excuse myself to make a phone call first!"

    Ning Xi was still worried as she went outside to give Lu Tingxiao a call.

    The phone call was picked up after ringing only once and a man¡¯s deep voice came through, "Hey."

    It was quiet on the other side of the phone and she could not determine where he was.

    Ning Xi gulped and asked, "Hey¡­Lu Tingxiao, where are you right now?"

    "At the entrance of the Ning residence."

    Ning Xi was annoyed. "What are you doing? Why are you here?"

    "Because you didn¡¯te back. Little Treasure was crying for you."

    Her hard features softened when she heard about her baby Little Treasure. "Ah, I¡¯m really sorry, I didn¡¯t expect to stay here for so long either but I¡¯m going to be done soon and I¡¯ll be back as quick as I can!"

    "Mmm, we¡¯ll wait for you."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    She actually meant for him to go back with Little Treasure first¡­what if something happened and she had to stay longer?

    As she was thinking of how to persuade them to leave first, there was a noise from the other end of the line, like the phone was being passed and a weak voice came through this time, "Sister-inw, I was almost frozen to icicles by this two cold people while waiting for you! When will you be done? Pleasee back soon."

 Chapter 567: Personal Welcome

    <h4>Chapter 567: Personal Wee</h4>

    Lu Jingli was here as well?

    "Ugh¡­" Ning Xi was utterly speechless. Why did all of theme together?

    As Ning Xi was speaking to Lu Tingxiao, Ning Yaohua, Zhuang Lingyu, and Ning Yaobang were on their way to the entrance.

    Because the servant caused quite a scene and drew the attention of some of the guests, they looked outside and guessed, "Who¡¯s here? What¡¯s with themotion? Ning Yaohua is going to wee them personally! Even Ning Yaobang followed along!"

    "I heard that it¡¯s someone from the Lu family¡­"

    "The Lu family? You must be kidding!" it was as if the emperor himself was visiting an officer¡¯s home suddenly and staying for dinner; it was impossible!

    "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible as well, but I heard the servant from Ning family say it himself. There¡¯s a car with the Lu family¡¯s number te parked outside."

    "Could he be mistaken?"

    "It might be true but although it¡¯s a car from the Lu family, who knows if the head honcho actually came? It¡¯s quite impossible! They might have just sent someone over to leave a gift for the elder, that¡¯s the best possibility I cane up with."

    "Hmm¡­that makes sense! If they are somewhat involved, the Ning family really is something! What makes them deserve such luck? Could it be that Master Long¡¯s prediction is really true?"

    ¡­

    At the Ning residence entrance.

    "Where¡¯re the people you were talking about?" Ning Yaohua asked the servant nervously.

    "Still in the car!" the servant answered in a trembling voice while sweating.

    "Why are they not out yet?"

    "I¡­I have no idea! They did not do anything further after the car was parked there!"

    Ning Yaohua stayed silent for a while, then spoke up, "Fine, I can¡¯t me them for acting high and mighty, they are from the Lu family anyway. I¡¯ll greet them personally! You, be careful of whates out of your mouthter!"

    Ning Yaobang was upset. "What? I can¡¯t even speak freely now?"

    "Do you not get the situation? I¡¯m not in the mood to argue with you. Just stay put, or else, it won''t be pretty if the guest is offended!" Ning Yaohua yelled at him.

    Ning Yaobang understood the importance of the situation and acquiesce, "Okay, I¡¯ll just keep my mouth shut, alright?"

    Ning Yaohua went up with Zhuang Lingyu, Ning Yaobang and a few servants, straightening his back and walking to the ck Maybach.

    There was a small gap in the car window that was left open and the people inside would surely be able to hear voices from the outside.

    Ning Yaohua greeted passionately, "Dear guests, it¡¯s my honor to see you here tonight, pleasee inside!"

    A second went by, two seconds went by, three seconds went by¡­

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s smile stayed frozen but nothing happened.

    Could it be that they had not heard it?

    Ning Yaohua coughed softly and continued, "It must be a long trip here, pleasee inside and get some drinks!"

    It waspletely silent.

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s face darkened and he asked a servant behind him, "Are you sure that there¡¯re people inside?"

    "Absolutely, no one came down from the car since it was parked here, there must be someone inside!" the servant spoke with utmost confidence.

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s frown deepened.

    What was happening?

    Why did the people note down? He alreadye to greet them personally. Had he made any mistakes?

 Chapter 568: Who Are They Here For?

    <h4>Chapter 568: Who Are They Here For?</h4>

    Suddenly, Zhuang Lingyu thought of something and she quickly pulled Ning Yaohua aside. "Yaohua,e over here!"

    "What is it?"

    "Do you think these people from the Lu family¡­are here for Xueluo?" Zhuang Lingyu asked.

    "Xueluo?"

    "Yeah! There¡¯re also a lot of guests who¡¯re here for Xueluo today, isn''t it? Some of them even said they are Xueluo¡¯s fans! Xueluo¡¯s studio has been doing really well recently! So¡­"

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s expression brightened up, "That makes sense, but I have never heard anything about it from Xueluo."

    "Let¡¯s just ask her, I¡¯ll get her here now!"

    "Okay, quickly!" Ning Yaohua urged.

    The group retreated back to the entrance.

    "Father, Mother, what has happened? Why did you call me here so urgently?"

    Ning Yaohua looked at her seriously. "Xueluo, be honest, are you affiliated with anyone from the Lu Corporation?"

    Ning Xueluo tilted her head, "Lu Corporation?"

    "Yes!" Ning Yaohua looked nervous.

    "Not really¡­" Ning Xueluo answered without hesitation. She would be d to know someone from there though. However, no matter how capable she was, it was really difficult to be get in touch with the Lu family!

    Ning Yaohua looked at the car carefully. "Xueluo, think again, a car from the Lu family is parked right outside our house now!"

    "What?" Ning Xueluo was shocked. She looked over at the car and tried to remember.

    "Can you remember anything? Were you in contact with anyone from the Lu Corporation recently?" Zhuang Lingyu asked.

    After a short while, Ning Xueluo quickly said, "Mother, I remember something. At a cocktail party a few days ago, I met Lu Tingxiao¡¯s personal assistant, Cheng Feng, and he asked me about History¡­"

    Zhuang Lingyu was excited. "Ah! Why didn¡¯t you tell us about such an important news?"

    Ning Xueluo blushed. "He was just asking casually, why would I bring this up?"

    Ning Yaohua was really surprised. "Xueluo, you¡¯re still so innocent! His personal assistant already made contact with you, obviously, they are interested in your studio, they might even ask for a cooperation! No wonder they sent someone over for your grandfather¡¯s birthday! Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll greet the honored guests together!"

    Ning Xueluo felt that it was quite likely and she was really excited but she tried to hide it. "Alright, Father!"

    Then, the three of them walked to the car once again.

    The window gap was too small to see anything inside but one could still see that there was a figure sitting in the car.

    Ning Xueluo took a deep breath before saying, "Is that you, Mr. Cheng? I didn¡¯t know that you were here, I apologize for theck of hospitality from us. Thank you for making this trip¡­"

    Ning Xueluo went on courteously.

    Yet, nothing happened. It was as if there wasn''t anyone in the car.

    The three of them looked at each other in confusion. What was going on?

    Why was the person just parking right in front of their house? He or she couldn''t havee all the way here just for a parking, could they?

    Was the scenery here that attractive?

    How odd!

 Chapter 569: Lu Familyâ€™s Second Master Lu Jingli

    <h4>Chapter 569: Lu Family¡¯s Second Master Lu Jingli</h4>

    As Lu Tingxiao and the little bun were here, Ning Xi excused herself after finishing the birthday cake.

    "Grandfather, it¡¯ste, I need to go back!"

    The elder had no more reason to keep her here, so he held her hand reluctantly and told her, "Remember toe back and visit often!"

    "Of course!" Ning Xi nodded.

    "You always give me empty promises, I wonder when will be the next time you actuallye back! Well, it¡¯s time for you to go now, it¡¯ste already. I¡¯ll ask a driver to send you back!"

    "It¡¯s okay, Grandfather, a friend is here to send me back."

    "Okay, be careful on the way back!"

    "Mmm, goodbye, Grandfather!"

    ¡­

    After bidding farewell to Grandfather and Ning Tianxin, Ning Xi rushed out with a giddy sort of happiness.

    Oh, to see the little bun! Precious little bun!

    As she reached the entrance, she almost bumped into Ning Yaohua, Zhuang Lingyu, and Ning Xueluo.

    Ning Xueluo went up to her as soon as she saw her. "Sister, are you leaving now?"

    "Mmm." Ning Xi grunted impatiently, the little bun was just right in front of her and she was being blocked, irking her greatly.

    "Sister, it¡¯s difficult to get a taxi here thiste. Why don¡¯t you wait for a little while? I¡¯ll have Bro Yan send you back after the banquet is finished!" Ning Xueluo suggested because she knew that someone would definitely be someone against this idea.

    Zhuang Lingyu quickly pulled Ning Xueluo aside. "Xueluo, you silly child, why are you so naive?"

    "Mother, it¡¯s reallyte now, it¡¯d be dangerous for Sister to go back alone!"

    Zhuang Lingyu signalled Ning Xueluo not to say another word, then she walked up to Ning Xi with an unkind expression and questioned her in a straightforward manner, "Ning Xi, what are you trying to do?"

    Ning Xi calmly crossed her arms and answered slowly, "What do you think I¡¯m trying to do, Madam Ning?"

    Zhuang Lingyu sneered at her disdainfully, "All you want is just money, isn¡¯t it? And here I was thinking how diligent you could be. It¡¯s not that you don¡¯t want to join thepany, but you¡¯re so ambitious that you only want to join the mainpany!"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows. "I want to join the mainpany?"

    "Don¡¯t you dare tell me that you didn¡¯t think about it! Otherwise, why would you do all the things you did today to please your grandfather? Always using all these tricks! Now that you know how difficult it is to survive in the outside world, you want toe back? It¡¯s toote!"

    Suddenly, the door of the Maybach opened slowly.

    When Zhuang Lingyu noticed the door opening, she totally ignored Ning Xi and pushed her behind, then nudged Ning Xueluo to the front. "Seems like Assistant Cheng ising down, Xueluo, go!"

    Ning Yaohua was astounded to see the one disembarking from the car¡­was not Cheng Feng¡­it was¡­it was the Lu family¡¯s Second Master, Lu Jingli!

    Unlike the elusive Lu Tingxiao, Lu Jingli led a high profile life. His face was so well known that no one could ever mistaken it.

    The Lu family Second Master was here personally. What an honor!

    His heart was racing just thinking about the reactions of the guests, his father¡¯s shock and Ning Yaobang¡¯s jealousy when they all saw Lu Jingli¡­

 Chapter 570: Devils Treasure Xiao Xi Xi

    <h4>Chapter 570: Devil''s Treasure Xiao Xi Xi</h4>

    Ning Xueluo waspletely dumbfounded. She thought it was an assistant from the Lu Corporation who would be in the car.

    If the car did not have Lu Tingxiao¡¯s personal car te number on, she would not even have thought about his personal assistant.

    Cheng Feng was one of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s most trusted personnel and had a considerable amount of power in the Lu Corporation. He did not usually appear personally and would normally send his underlings for small matters.

    She was mind blown that Lu Tingxiao¡¯s brother, Lu Jingli was here!

    She saw the admiration glowing in the eyes of Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Xueluo¡¯s pride was boosted to its peak as she suppressed her excitement and went forward to greet the man. "Second Master¡­"

    After Ning Yaohua had calmed himself down, he put on his persona as thepany¡¯s president and walked slowly towards Lu Jingli. "Wee to our abode, Mr. Lu¡­"

    Ning Yaohua extended his hand for a handshake as he was talking halfway.

    In a turquoise blue outfit, Lu Jingli simply acted as if the three of them did not exist and walked right past them, going up to Ning Xi as if he was about to cry. "Sis¡ª"

    Ning Xi gave him an intense re as sharp as throwing knives and Lu Jingli quickly stopped before he could say "sister-inw".

    Lu Jingli had an awkward expression on his face as he spoke weakly, "Xiao Xi Xi, you¡¯re finally out, I¡¯m so hungry from waiting for you. Get in the car quickly! Are you trying to lose your job by making your boss wait for so long?!"

    Lu Jingli made a shift in his character by acting like her superior but it barely felt dignified at all.

    Ning Xi sighed in relief. This wide-mouthed bastard. She was almost scared to death by him. When would he learn to observe the environment before he spoke?!

    This bastard was still her superior by name, so she could neither hit nor scold him. She could only keep it all inside.

    Lu Jingli did not mind at all and smiled at her. "Ah, are you too shocked from the fact that I¡¯m here for you personally? It¡¯s okay, I was on the way. Get in the car! Quickly!"

    Lu Jingli could feel two scorching stares aimed at him and tormenting his soul, so he then quickly pushed Ning Xi into the car and closed the door swiftly.

    Good! All done! Mission aplished!

    Finally, he had picked up the devil''s treasure, Xiao Xi Xi!

    He did not care about the expression of the three people behind him, adjusted his necktie, got into the driver¡¯s seat and drove away. The ck Maybach fading out of sight¡­

    Ning Yaohua, Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Xueluo still could not believe what just happened. They just stared nkly at the direction where the car had gone off in.

    The person they had been trying to greet for a long time¡­

    The Second Master of the Lu Corporation, Lu Jingli, came personally¡­

    Just¡­just to pick Ning Xi up?

    How¡­impossible!

    Moreover, although Lu Jingli had sounded like he was ming Ning Xi, his tone was rather friendly, like friends joking with each other, as if they were very close.

    Zhuang Lingyu felt really embarrassed. She had only just used Ning Xi of not doing well outside and that she was back to im something from the family. Now, she was involved with someone like Lu Jingli¡­

 Chapter 571: Exploitable Value

    <h4>Chapter 571: Exploitable Value</h4>

    Ning Yaohua did not feel any less shocked than his wife. He also felt a tinge of regret and envy. He had been trying so hard to get in contact with the Lu Corporation, yet his useless daughter was friends with Lu Jingli?

    Damn it, what a mistake! How could he forget?

    Ning Xi was with Glory World Entertainment now, and rumor had it that that Ning Xi had been invited to join thepany personally by Lu Jingli and that he really valued her.

    He had always thought that Ning Xi was just a small chess pawn and that the arrangement was nothing more than just a business strategy. Who would have guessed that they would be friends?

    "Xueluo, has Ning Xi always been this close to the Lu family¡¯s Second Master?" Ning Yaohua asked quietly.

    Ning Xueluo clenched her fist tightly and stared at the direction Ning Xi left, only reacting after she heard Ning Yaohua¡¯s question. "I¡¯m not so sure about this, Father, I guess you¡¯ve heard about the Second Master¡¯s personality as well. He¡¯s not as unapproachable as Lu Tingxiao and he¡¯s always friendly towards his colleagues. Ning Xi was recruited by him personally and she helped him win over Starlight Entertainment, so it¡¯s understandable that they are on friendly terms with each other!"

    Ning Yaohua nodded. "I see! If we could get in contact with Lu Jingli, it would be a lot more useful than just a small assistant like Cheng Feng¡­"

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s face froze and she felt embarrassed. "It¡¯d be great if we could but, Father, you know that Sister has a great misunderstanding of us now, maybe¡­I could go and beg her?"

    Zhuang Lingyu could not keep quiet any longer. "Why should you?! Lu Jingli has always been friendly with many people. How long will he remember her for? There are so many new artistes joining thepany everyday, he will forget all about her soon! He was just here to pick her up on the way today!"

    Suddenly, an idea popped up in Ning Yaohua¡¯s mind. "Xueluo, do you think that maybe Lu Jingli is interested in Ning Xi?"

    Ning Xueluo knew what Ning Yaohua was thinking since she had thought about it too, but she instantly rejected the thought. "Father, it doesn¡¯t seem very possible, almost everyone in the industry knows that Lu Jingli would never mess with his own artistes."

    Ning Yaohua sighed. He knew that from their earlier exchange too, but he thought it would do no harm to ask about it.

    It would be an immensely helpful resource even if they could just have the tiniest of ties to the Lu family, and it was the second-inmand of the Lu Corporation, Lu Jingli, who they were talking about¡­

    Maybe, this useless daughter still had some value in her that they could exploit¡­

    As the three of them returned to the banquet hall, many people went up to them and asked if someone from the Lu family hade. They lied and said it was a rtive of theirs and not anyone from the Lu Corporation.

    In the car.

    Ning Xi put the sleepy little bun on herp, feeling her heart ache to see the little bun¡¯s sleepy face. She tried to pat him to sleep while talking. "I¡¯ve already said that I¡¯ll bete, why didn¡¯t you wait for me at home?"

    Lu Jingli stared at his brother andined to Ning Xi, "Well, I¡¯d have really loved to, but the both of them couldn¡¯t wait at all. They were fidgeting here the whole time because you were five minuteste past your promised two hours!

    "His face was so terrifying when you didn¡¯t pick up his call just now! He couldn¡¯t wait anymore after you texted him that you¡¯ll bete and Little Treasure also started torturing me! So in the end, I had to drive them all the way here and wait for you!

    "Finally, we arrived and then suddenly you were blocked, so I had to go down and get you into the car!"

 Chapter 572: Full Of Your Doses Of Love

    <h4>Chapter 572: Full Of Your Doses Of Love</h4>

    "Ugh¡­"

    Ning Xi looked at the little bun who was now sound asleep, and then looked at the devil who was still working.

    The devil was looking through his documents with a calm expression, as if he was just here to apany the little bun. She could understand that the little bun was impatient but it was difficult to imagine the devil flustered by a trivial matter like this¡­

    Was Lu Jingli exaggerating?

    Lu Tingxiao noticed the girl¡¯s gaze on him, so he looked up and asked, "Is everything alright?"

    Ning Xi quickly replied, "It¡¯s nothing, I just went back home for a visit!"

    Lu Tingxiao did not believe her casual reply but he did not push further.

    "Oh, right, Lu Tingxiao, I have something to ask you!" Ning Xi peeked up.

    "Hmm?"

    Ning Xi frowned. "So, I bought a jade bead bracelet for my grandfather¡¯s birthday at your shop Jade Treasury for 120 thousand dors and a 20% discount, but why was it that when I gave it to my grandfather today, someone said it¡¯s worth over two million dors and that it had been consecrated by a monk?"

    Lu Tingxiao only gave her a bisyble reply after her long-winded question, "Was it?"

    Ning Xi squinted her eyes and pouted. He was obviously acting like he did not know anything!

    "Did you make your employees do that?" Ning Xi asked directly.

    Lu Tingxiao answered expressionlessly, "I was overseas then."

    Ning Xi blinked her eye. "Oh¡­right, you were in Phdelphia then!"

    If he was overseas, how did he know what happened and how could he have sent people to help her?

    "That¡¯s weird, then what happened? That old man seemed like an expert, he didn''t look like he could have been mistaken! Hey, Lu Tingxiao, as a boss, aren¡¯t you concerned that your worker sold me something at a wrong price?" Ning Xi mumbled.

    Lu Tingxiao nodded, "Mmm, I¡¯ll reward himter."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Lu Jingli blurted, "I¡¯m full already all of a sudden¡­" Full of your doses of love.

    Ning Xi gave up arguing with Lu Tingxiao. She had something that troubled her more and gave her a splitting headache. "Speaking of which, this bracelet got me on an awkward blind date!"

    "What? What?!" Lu Jingli was shocked. If he had a tail behind him, it would have been wagging vigorously now, his gossip mode turned on. "Xiao Xi, what blind date?"

    "Blind date¡­" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s calm expression was slowly turning into a brooding storm.

    Ning Xi held her chin in her hand and sighed, "It was that old man who recognized the origins of my bracelet. Because he has a bracelet given by his grandson which was consecrated too, he said that we¡¯re very simr¡­then, he chatted to my grandfather and suddenly wanted to introduce me to his grandson. My grandfather probably thought it was a good idea after he saw the grandson''s picture, so he agreed and even set up a time¡­he even reminded me about this before I left!"

    Lu Jingli was clearly entertained. "Wow! Then, Xiao Xi Xi, are you going?"

    What was happening? Sister-inw had just gone out for a few hours and a new romantic rival appeared!

    Howpetitive!

 Chapter 573: Please Continue To Ignore Me

    <h4>Chapter 573: Please Continue To Ignore Me</h4>

    Lu Jingli was shocked and he looked at Ning Xi through the rearview mirror nervously. "Xiao Xi Xi, you¡¯re even more unrestrained than I am¡­you wouldn¡¯t really abandon your principles and go to the blind date, would you?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched. "What unrestrained?! No matter how un¡­look, it was my grandfather¡¯s arrangement, alright? I realize that his health condition is getting worse and all his hair has turned white¡­"

    Lu Jingli thought that they were done for, his brother was in deep trouble!

    "Xiao Xi Xi, there are a lot of ways to express your filiality. Don¡¯t rush, you won''t really attend the blind date, would you?" Lu Jingli kept asking.

    He then nced at his brother and thought there would be some form of reaction but his brother just sat there quietly and did not do anything.

    Lu Jingli was even more terrified of such a reaction¡­

    Lu Tingxiao was too quiet, which was not a good sign. It was more like the dead silence after a vigorous struggle.

    He wanted to appear with her in public, to protect her personally and to kiss her in front of everyone. Even when she had dressed as a guy, he wanted to tell everyone that she was his and that no one was allowed toe near¡­

    But now that he did not even have the right to be with her, he could not do anything.

    He was in a special position and currently, Ning Xi was at a critical point in her career. If she was found involved with him, all her efforts would be deemed useless as everyone would think that she was sessful because she relied on her intimate rtionship with him.

    He loved to see her fight passionately for her dream and he did not want to ruin it.

    As Ning Xi was thinking of a n to settle this problem, her eyes met with Lu Tingxiao¡¯s.

    What kind of eyes were those?

    They looked cold and distant, as if nothing could prate into his world, but she could see right into his deepest nooks, his emotions burning her passionately with the temperature of magmava¡­

    The car was deafening with silence.

    Lu Jingli looked at his brother, then looked at Ning Xi and his handsome face darkened, "Hey, both of you¡­can you guys be considerate to others while you two stare into each other¡¯s eyes lovingly?"

    A whileter.

    Lu Jingli, "Okay, my bad, I don''t exist at all¡­please continue to ignore me¡­"

    ¡­

    At Regal Riveria Hotel.

    After sending Ning Xi and the little bun back to the apartment, Lu Jingli did not leave immediately. Instead he looked at Ning Xi with a pitiful face. "Sister-inw, I¡¯m really hungry now and it¡¯d be great if I can have a taste of your steamboat dishes¡­"

    Ning Xi held the little bun in her arms and squinted her eyes coldly. "What did you just call me?"

    "Bro Xi!" Lu Jingli changed instantly.

    Ning Xi looked satisfied , then asked, "Didn''t you guys have dinner?"

    "We went straight to your ce after work. I just had some snacks in the car! My brother did not eat anything at all!" Lu Jingli keptining. He had yet to find out how Ning Xi was going to handle the blind date and he would not be able to sleep if he did not know what was going to happen!

    Ning Xi looked helplessly at him. Thank goodness she had brought Little Treasure for a meal before she sent him over. Otherwise, he would have been starving together with them as well. She knew that men were all useless at taking care of kids¡­

    Because the staring contest earlier was probably too intense, Ning Xi avoided Lu Tingxiao¡¯s gaze and threw her hands up in surrender. "Fine,e up to my ce, I am a little hungry as well!"

 Chapter 574: Romantic Rivals Everywhere

    <h4>Chapter 574: Romantic Rivals Everywhere</h4>

    When they passed by the receptionist, Ning Xi looked bitter as she mumbled, "How annoying¡­"

    "What happened?" Lu Jingli asked.

    Ning Xi said, her heart aching, "There was a super cute girl as the receptionist here previously. I even gave her a box of lipstick on her first day here, we were on really good terms! She always shares some gossip with me every now and then, but then she was suddenly moved away and the current receptionist is an uncle! Ugh, I¡¯m so angry, give me back my cute girl!"

    "Ugh¡­" Lu Jingli¡¯s first reaction was to turn over to look at the calm and innocent-looking brother.

    Who else would do something like that?

    His brother¡¯s romantic rivals were everywhere!

    It was busy enough for him to just take care of them everyday¡­

    After they went up and got out of the lift, Ning Xi walked towards her home and then abruptly stopped at the junction, suddenly stepping backwards.

    "Xiao Xi Xi, what happened? Anything wrong?" Lu Jingli was confused.

    Lu Tingxiao already saw someone standing in front of her door and he frowned.

    Ning Xi sighed, "Su Yan."

    "What? Su Yan? Your first love? What about him?"

    "He¡¯s right in front of my door!"

    Lu Jingli opened his eyes wide, "What?! What is he trying to do, waiting for you outside your door at midnight? Xiao Xi Xi, I¡¯ll beat him up for you!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at Lu Jingli, then went to Lu Tingxiao. "Help me hold Little Treasure for now, I¡¯ll go and settle whatever it is with him. I¡¯ll be quick."

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Mmm."

    Lu Jingli looked at his brother¡¯s gentle expression, impressed by his brother¡¯s calm act in front of his wife. A thunderstorm was probably brewing in his mind¡­

    Su Yan had a cigarette between his fingers as he leaned on Ning Xi¡¯s door, looking deep in thought.

    He only noticed Ning Xi when she was right in front of him, acknowledging her as he looked up, "Xiao Xi, you¡¯re back!"

    Ning Xi nodded slightly. "Has the banquet ended?"

    "Mmm, I sent Xueluo back here, so I decided toe here and pay you a visit as well. I thought you¡¯d be home a long time ago. Did something happen?" Su Yan was concerned, he did not know she was picked up by Lu Jingli.

    "Nope, there was a jam. What¡¯s up?" Ning Xi replied half-heartedly.

    Lu Jingli had been talking to her all the way home, driving at the speed of a snail¡­

    "It was too busy back there just now and I didn¡¯t have time to talk to you properly." Su Yan looked at her as if he wanted to say something else.

    "It¡¯s quitete already, why don''t you just tell me here?"

    Su Yan hesitated. "There¡¯s something I wanted to remind you, Xiao Xi. I¡¯m afraid that it would be a little awkward if you decide to go back to the Ning family now¡­"

    "Oh? What¡¯s awkward?" Ning Xi raised her eyebrows and questioned.

    Under the dim light, her bright eyes shone beautifully. Su Yan¡¯s breathing slowed down and her beauty stole his breath away. He nearly forgot what he wanted to say and only broke out of his reverie after a while¡­

 Chapter 575: Unusual Aura

    <h4>Chapter 575: Unusual Aura</h4>

    He looked awkwardly at her as he realized his mistake and he coughed lightly. "Ning International¡¯s framework and foundation wasid down the past five years and if an extra heir was suddenly thrown into the equation, the oue would be devastating¡­"

    Ning Xi gave the man in front of her a teasing look, casually taking a harmless swipe at him, "What if¡­I really wanted Ning International?"

    Su Yan¡¯s face darkened when he heard her question, chastising her in a serious tone, "Stop messing around, Xiao Xi. This is too much! If you insist on doing such a thing, you''ll get hurt in the end! They won¡¯t let you off easily if you affect the amount of benefits they get!"

    Ning Xi sneered, "Ah¡­their benefits¡­whose benefits?"

    He always acted as if he cared but changed his stand the minute his benefits were involved.

    Su Yan saw Ning Xi¡¯s incensed eyes and he quickly exined himself, "You¡¯ve misunderstood me, Xiao Xi. I¡¯m not doing this for myself, I¡¯m not after the Ning family¡¯s wealth either. It¡¯s just that¡­I don¡¯t know what to do if you¡¯re in conflict with Xueluo!"

    Ning Xi stretched her back and nced at him sideways. "What¡¯s the matter? Do you have any other choice aside from Ning Xueluo when ites to choosing between us?"

    Su Yan balled his fist tightly when he saw the girl smirk and the mocking disdain in her eyes¡­

    He calmed himself down after a while, sighed and tried to avoid the girl¡¯s eyes.

    There would not have been any other choice if time were reversed. Even if he had another chance to choose what happened five years ago once again, he would still have chosen Ning Xueluo without any hesitation. Regardless of Ning Xueluo¡¯s mistake, he loved her to the point of selfishness and he chose to protect her to the ends of the Earth.

    But now¡­

    He himself was not sure what was wrong with him. Ever since Ning Xi hade back, his sight always lingered on her and his urges to be near her were getting strongertely¡­

    He had always known what he wanted. Ning Xueluo was the woman of his dreams, his perfect ideal partner.

    However, for some reason, what he thought he had known all along was falling apart¡­

    He should not havee looking for Ning Xi thiste at night to avoid any misunderstanding, but he still came.

    All because he wanted to see her, even if she wanted to be sarcastic with him!

    Su Yan calmed his turmoiled heart and started talking in a gentle tone, "Xiao Xi, I¡¯m telling you this for you own good. I hope that you can think about it. Give me a call if you ever need help with anything."

    As he was still trying to convey his message discretely, he realized that he did not know what more to say at that point. "I¡¯ll not bother you now, it¡¯ste already. Goodnight."

    From around the corner, Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes recorded everything that was happening and he spoke quietly, "Hmm, my sixth sense is picking up an unusual aura! It seems like¡­the way Su Yan is looking at Ning Xi is a little suspicious."

    Suddenly, Lu Tingxiao released the pressure he had been suppressing all night long with a loud whoosh of air.

    Lu Jingli was terrified as he wiped his sweat and mumbled to himself,"What situation am I in now? Bro, did you meddle with something weirdtely? You¡¯re really unlucky with so many romantic rivals around¡­and for some reason, I¡¯ve been feeling that something big is going to happen soon! I¡¯m scared¡­"

 Chapter 576: Do You Like My Brother?

    <h4>Chapter 576: Do You Like My Brother?</h4>

    Ning Xi brought Little Treasure to sleep in the room after she entered her house, then she opened the fridge and looked for cooking ingredients for the soup base she was going to cook.

    Thanks to Little Treasure, she had stocked up on a lot of food. All sorts of ingredients were avable in her fridge. In fact, it was enough to prepare a steamboat feast anytime.

    Lu Tingxiao naturally took over the vegetables from her and helped to wash them. Ning Xi looked at him and helped to roll his sleeves up for him.

    Lu Jingli felt like he was thergest third wheel in the world at that moment, so he stayed in the living room and watched television alone.

    The ingredients were soon prepared, the steamboat soup base emitting an aromatic smell which was extremely tempting.

    Lu Jingli could not wait anymore, so he rushed to the table and saw that the pot was separated into two sections - one contained clear soup base and the other was a piquant spicy soup. Lu Jingli was confused. "Xiao Xi Xi, why did you make two soup bases?"

    "Your brother doesn¡¯t eat spicy food," she replied while setting up the table.

    "Oh!" Lu Jingli bit on the chopsticks, then asked again, "Xiao Xi Xi! Do you like my brother?"

    Ning Xi choked as she was drinking some water, almost biting her own tongue. She then nervously looked at Lu Tingxiao. "What are you talking about!"

    "Well, you¡¯ve been treating my brother exceptionally well!" Lu Jingli mumbled.

    "Would there be any subordinate who doesn¡¯t want to please their boss? Don¡¯t think too much about it, alright? If you¡¯re using me again, I¡¯m going to give you a good beating!" Ning Xi handed Lu Tingxiao a pair of chopsticks after she rified herself, "Boss, don¡¯t listen to him! I¡¯m always loyal to you and will never have weird thoughts about you."

    Lu Tingxiao took the chopsticks from her and looked at her, "I don¡¯t mind."

    Lu Jingli and Ning Xi were speechless.

    After some munching, Lu Jingli patted his stomach in satisfaction, having gained his strength to start gossiping again. "Xiao Xi Xi, can I ask you a question?"

    "What?"

    "How do you feel¡­about Su Yan?"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s hand twitched a little as he was serving Ning Xi some vegetables.

    "How do I feel?"

    "Well, I¡¯m asking if you still can¡¯t get over him! Why must you make me say it so clearly?!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes. "Do you think it¡¯s possible?"

    Lu Jingli bit his chopsticks again. "Why not? First love¡­is usually the most unforgettable one isn¡¯t it?"

    He then nced at his brother. Ning Xi was his brother¡¯s first love!

    Why did everyone think she still could not get over Su Yan? First , it was Ning Tianxin and now Lu Jingli!

    Ning Xi munched on a roasted potato and said in dissatisfaction, "The world is so huge that it contains so many hot guys out there. I¡¯m not the shy little girl I was back then. There¡¯s no point staying on a tree when a jungle is waiting for me, alright? I already have someone I like in mind!"

    Both Lu Jingli and Lu Tingxiao straightened their backs at full attention.

    Lu Jingli would never let this chance pass, so he quickly followed up. "I¡¯ve heard about it before, then who is it? What does he look like? Is he more handsome than I am? What kind of man could steal Bro Xi¡¯s heart away? Quickly tell me!"

    Ning Xi was annoyed by Lu Jingli¡¯s excitement, "Let me think¡­"

    "Quickly!"

    Lu Tingxiao sat there in silence, not wanting to continue listening, but he could not leave, even though he knew that the answer was going to hurt him.

 Chapter 577: The Wife Is Going For A Blind Date

    <h4>Chapter 577: The Wife Is Going For A Blind Date</h4>

    Ning Xi touched her chin and stole a look at Lu Tingxiao as she thought very carefully before she answered, "He¡­he is powerful and domineering, a man of multiple talents, an intellectual and a warrior, gentle and romantic, smart and brave, mature and stable, amazing and rare to meet, every woman''s dream, and overall, a gift to mankind!!!"

    Lu Jingli and Lu Tingxiao were speechless.

    When Lu Jingli finally recovered, his mouth twitched as he asked, "Are you sure you''re talking about a human? Do you have exaggerate so much?"

    Lu Tingxiao could not really put into words how he felt at that moment. Ning Xi''s description was a little over the top, but it was through her description that one would know how perfect that person was in her heart.

    "Hmm, if you knew who he was, you definitely wouldn''t think I''m exaggerating!" Ning Xi mumbled.

    Lu Jingli asked, "Who is he then?"

    Ning Xi squinted her eyes and stuffed a butter bun into Lu Jingli''s mouth. "Want to trap me with my words? Please!"

    Lu Jingli swallowed the bun in one quick chomp and mumbled, "Since you already have someone you like, are you still going on that blind date then?"

    If he couldn''t find out more about the man of her dreams, this urgent mission at hand had to be rified!

    Ning Xi sighed, "I''d still have to go or I have a lot of exining to do, don''t I? Wouldn''t I embarrass my grandfather if I just bailed out on the date?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression softened when he heard her reasoning. Actually, her answer was within his expectations but he had a possessive bone in him that overrode all rationality. Even though he knew her valid reason, it was hard to calm his heart. Who could ept their own wife going on a blind date?!

    The next day.

    In the morning, Ning Xi brought Little Treasure to hang out at the studio with her as she worked. Because she had a date with Elder Xi''s grandson, she made a trip to the Lu Corporation in the evening to send Little Treasure over.

    Even though this was not her first time to thepany, every time she went there, there would still be many eyes watching her. All of them would have loved to take her mask off to see who she was.

    Once upstairs and out of the elevator, a young girl suddenly mustered the courage to rush in front of her to say, "Miss Su, I love your movies very much. Could you help me please give me your autograph?"

    Ning Xi raised her brows. Miss Su?

    Who? Could it be¡­

    It dawned on Ning Xi quickly. Was she misunderstood to be Su Yimo?

    As she watched the girl''s expression of anxious anticipation, she did not have the heart to reject her.

    Actually she knew that this girl did not really want her autograph. She had intentionallye to test her identity. If she signed her autograph, then she would have silently admitted that she was Su Yimo. If she didn''t, then she obviously wasn''t.

    Just as she stood there thinking about what to do, Lu Tingxiao walked towards her.

    When the girl saw Lu Tingxiaoing over, she scuttled away faster than a rabbit. Ning Xi did not see clearly how she disappeared, but her shadow was gone within seconds.

    She didn''t me the girl for running away because the Boss was not in a good mood today. This morning, he had already made the managers of several departments cry and she was just a puny secretary, so to avoid being another victim of his, it was natural that she would hide as far away from him as she could!

    Lu Tingxiao saw Ning Xi carrying Little Treasure and his features tightened. "He''s already so old, does he still need to be carried?"

    Little Treasure buried his head deeper into the scoop of Ning Xi''s shoulder as he looked guiltily. Aunty Xiao Xi, Daddy is scolding me!

 Chapter 578: Pretend Further and Youll Lose Your Wife!

    <h4>Chapter 578: Pretend Further and You''ll Lose Your Wife!</h4>

    Ning Xi immediately patted Little Treasure''s head and defended him, "He''s not too old, he''s only five! What Little Treasure needs now is not to grow up. What he needs is to return bit by bit to being four years old, three years old, two years old¡­he needs to relearn how to be a little kid!"

    Lu Tingxiao sighed, then softened his tone."I''m just worried your arms will be tired."

    Then, he said in a low voice, "Are you going over now?"

    Ning Xi looked at the time on her phone and replied, "Mmhmm, it''s almost time for the date."

    Something flickered in Lu Tingxiao''s eyes quite a few times before it finally returned to a steady gaze. "Go, and take care."

    "I will." Ning Xi put down the little bun and gave him a big kiss as always.

    Outside the CEO''s office.

    A manager held a stack of documents in his arms while his legs wobbled as he popped his quick-acting pill for his heart condition into the palm of his hand to prepare himself before he went in.

    Behind him, Lu Jingli put an arm on the guy''s shoulder and sighed as he shook his head. "Don''t bother taking it out, no pill can save you. Based on my brother''s mood today, if you go inside right now, you''ll just die!"

    The manager turned to see who it was that made such a nerve-wreckingment. "Second Master¡­save me¡­"

    "You deserve it. When my brother was still in a good mood for the past few days, you dared to bezy, now you''re in bad luck!" Lu Jingli insulted heartlessly without thinking about how he himself was the master ofziness. Only this time, he was lucky not to get caught between a rock and a hard ce.

    "Second Master, I still have some old folks and a few young ones to take care at home. My wife is also about to have a second child!" The manager almost got down onto his knees to plead.

    "Pfft! Are you trying to trigger the bachelor in me?" Lu Jingli exploded.

    "I wouldn''t dare! I definitely don''t mean that¡­" The manager looked miserable. Why did it seem like even Second Master had angry explosives for breakfast as well?

    Lu Jingli scoffed a few times in exasperation and looked at his unlucky employee before saying kindly, "Don''t go inside for your death row today. My brother won''t have the mind to care about your issue, so quickly go settle your proposal properly before going in again!"

    "Okay, okay, okay, I''ll go do that immediately! Thank you, Second Master for the tip!" the manager profusely said and gratefully hurried away.

    Lu Jingli pushed the door into the office.

    He saw that the office had an additional tatami arranged by the window, obviously for the convenience of Little Treasure to watch for Aunty Xiao Xi''s return.

    Lu Jingli''s mouth twitched in amusement. He could see her every day, so why was he still acting like he was waiting for her return after wins?

    Then, he looked at his brother who sat solemnly in front of his desk with a pen in his right hand and some documents on his left. He seemed like he was focused on work but one look at his face and you would know that his mind was elsewhere!

    Lu Jingli coughed lightly. "Bro, are you sure you want to continue pretending to be so virtuous? Pretend further and you''ll lose your wife! I''m just saying, you should have simplye up with a little n to sabotage the dude from the Xi family so that he would not make it!"

    Lu Tingxiao shot him a disgusted look. "Do you think that Ning Xi wouldn''t have thought that I would be the one behind such a thing?" In fact, that would not solve the root problem.

    "How about¡­how about I help you find a woman to pretend to be that dude''s ex-girlfriend or something to cause a ruckus? That way, Xiao Xi Xi could justifiably run away?" Lu Jingli continued to gue him with ideas.

    "No way." The probability of being exposed on the spot was very high. No one was as careful as Lu Tingxiao; he would not use a n with any loopholes.

    "If this won''t do and that won''t either, what options do we have? Bro, it''s not that I don''t like listening to advice. Even though Xiao Xi Xi said she was just going to exin herself to him, what if that guy coincidentally turns out to be the type that Xiao Xi Xi likes? Anything is possible!" Lu Jingli said earnestly.

 Chapter 579: Oh Man, This Romantic Rival Is Tough!

    <h4>Chapter 579: Oh Man, This Romantic Rival Is Tough!</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao put down the pen and grazed the desk lightly with his fingers. His eyes fell onto his son who was sitting on the tatami¡­

    Lu Jingli followed Lu Tingxiao''s gaze and looked over. "Uhh, Bro, what do you have in mind?"

    Lu Tingxiao got up and walked over to his son, then he said, "Little Treasure,e, let''s get you something to eat."

    Lu Jingli then said, "Uhh, Bro¡­you aren''t thinking about¡­"

    Pfft! I came up with so many ideas for him earlier and yet, he was not satisfied. Now, his his ultimate idea was to bring his nuclear weapon, Little Treasure, to the frontline?

    Very good, this was an idea worthy of the devil!

    The only problem was that a particr nuclear weapon was not being cooperative¡­

    When Little Treasure heard his father, he refused to get up from the mat and started to write on his writing board: [Full.]

    Aunty Xiao Xi had already fed him well before she left. In fact, she had cooked for him herself.

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the spot between his brows, then changed his phrasing of his baiting sentence. "I''ll bring you to see Aunty Xiao Xi."

    Within three seconds, Little Treasure released his little hands from his chin to peer out of the window. He rolled off the tatami, put on his little shoes and flew to his father and opened up his short hands to be carried.

    Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli were thunderstruck.

    This nuclear weapon had such a tant weakness that left him vulnerable to control!

    Watching as the father and son prepared to leave, Lu Jingli followed them. "I want to eat too!"

    Indeed, eat it was!

    ¡­

    Half an hourter, at a stylish Japanese restaurant.

    The Japanese restaurant retained the traditional short-legged tables to dine, whereby customers had to take off their shoes before entering, and then sit with their legs crossed. The dim lighting gave customers a sense of rxed vibe.

    Before Ning Xi''s date arrived, she had already ordered a sake with low alcohol content to drink as she waited.

    She seemed not to notice that diagonally behind her, both the big and the small devils had already arrived together with Lu Jingli.

    The moment they entered, Little Treasure could recognize Aunty Xiao Xi from her back and instantly wanted to run to her.

    Lu Tingxiao held his son back, stopping him firmly. "No."

    Little Treasure''s face tensed up, his face was written with unspoken questions, silently expressing, "Why not? You said you brought me here to see Aunty Xiao Xi!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked down at his son and said, "I did bring you to see Aunty Xiao Xi, but only to watch her."

    Little Treasure felt cheated!

    When he was brought to a seat behind Aunty Xiao Xi, Little Treasure was in a sullen mood. However, because Aunty Xiao Xi was just opposite him and he could see her when he looked up, her mood instantly became marginally better.

    After he sat down, Lu Jingli looked at Ning Xi who was seated alone and said, "Hmm, didn''t Xiao Xi Xi say they had decided on seven o''clock? It''s already ten past seven! Beingte on the first date, deduct his marks! Even though I''ve never seen Xi Shiqing, I''m guessing he won''t be toughpetition! There might not even be an opportunity for our Little Treasure to make a move!"

    Ning Xi was about to finish her drink, having waited for about another 10 minutes, yet her date still had not arrived.

    Lu Jingli was suddenly a little crestfallen. "Could it be that he won''t turn up at all? And to think that we were nervous for so long!"

    The moment he said that, fair and slim fingers delicately held the curtain partition in front to open it. Then, a man in a nude-coloured tuxedo walked in.

    The man had short, jet ck hair with a long torso. His looks were not especially attractive, but his charisma was warm and refined, very easily making peoplefortable with him and exuding trustworthiness. The most outstanding thing was a certain quiet appeal to him, something that could calm someone down and be in a state of peace within the ascetic realm¡­

    "Woah, this man has quality¡­" The instant he saw the man, Lu Jingli felt a niggling premonition in his heart¡­

 Chapter 580: Completely The Type She Liked

    <h4>Chapter 580: Completely The Type She Liked</h4>

    "May the Buddha bless for this person not to be - "

    Lu Jingli was about to say that he hoped this person was not Xi Shiqing but Lu Tingxiao beat him to it. "Xi Shiqing."

    Lu Jingli was dumbfounded, "Woah! No way! Is he really Xi Shiqing? That¡¯s him?"

    As he was still in shock, he saw the man take his shoes off and courteously tell the waiter that he had a reservation. Then, he followed the waiter towards¡­Ning Xi¡¯s direction¡­

    "Hello, Miss Ning?"

    Ning Xi had just finished the first pot of sake and was drinking the second pot of this restaurant¡¯s specially brewed cherry blossom liquor. When she heard someone speak to her in a soothing voice, she subconsciously looked up.

    Ning Xi¡¯s demeanour immediately loosened upping seeing the man in front of her then she stood up to say, "Yes, I¡¯m Ning Xi. Are you Mr. Xi?"

    The man nodded. "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Xi Shiqing, I¡¯m very sorry for making you wait for so long."

    "No worries, have a seat. I haven¡¯t waited for terribly long," Ning Xi assured him and sat down again.

    Xi Shiqing took his zer off and passed it to the waiter before sitting down as well.

    Xi Shiqing sat upright, crossing his legs politely while Ning Xi, on the other hand, sat as she wish and rather boldly, with one leg bent and an arm on top of that knee. She was seated in a masculine way, unlike the regr girl who would sit down politely and behave by the rules of society.

    Yet, even so, her mannerisms did not exude any rudeness at all. She wore a wide-red pants with her favourite embroidered leather jacket. The way she sat seemed to give out a vibe of liberty and none of the rigid restrictiveness Japanese restaurants were usually known for.

    Ning Xi had heard her grandfather say that the Xi family was an expert in jades and books, so the Xi family would most likely prefer gentle, friendly and knowledgeable women. Thus, to avoid unnecessary trouble, she decided to go against her better judgment and wore such an udylike outfit.

    However, her n did not seem to be fruitful as the moment Xi Shiqing saw her, not only did he react in disgust, in fact, respect and appreciation shed his eyes.

    From behind, Lu Jingli already anxiously started to bark, "Oh man, we¡¯re doomed! Those two wouldn¡¯t have met eye to eye, would they? Did you notice the look Xiao Xi Xi had when she stood up to meet Xi Shiqing? She was obviously stunned, she must have been charmed by him!

    "In fact, the way Xi Shiqing looks at Xiao Xi Xi is full of admiration too! Damn it, shouldn¡¯t he prefer the type of girl who is the precious jewel of the family? Our Xi Xi dressed like a wild child today!"

    Lu Tingxiao seemingly sipped his tea calmly, although that would be if you didn¡¯t notice his tensed up smile and the way his knuckles turned white from gripping the cup too tightly¡­

    Lu Jingli was still trying hard to analyze. "This Xi Shiqing is pretty tricky. Even though he is not as handsome as I am, but that charisma of his¡­is quite special! Even from my perspective as a man, i find it very attractive! He makes people wants to involuntarily know and befriend him! And the scariest thing is¡­with a personality like Xiao Xi Xi¡¯s unrestrained character, there is a high probability that she would like someone like Xi Shiqing who is the total opposite of her!"

    Suddenly, the cup in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s hand fell and shattered on the ground¡­

    Lu Jingli gulped, his mouth turning dry. "No, no, no¡­Bro, I¡¯m just simply guessing! There¡¯s definitely no way they will end up together! Didn¡¯t Xiao Xi Xi say she already have someone she likes? She wouldn¡¯t like Xi Shiqing!"

    His brother¡¯s face turned a darker shade upon hearing his words¡­

 Chapter 581: Aunty Xiao Xi is On A Date?

    <h4>Chapter 581: Aunty Xiao Xi is On A Date?</h4>

    Lu Jingli shut up, not daring to say anything further.

    In such a situation, everything he said felt like a risk¡­

    At the other table, Ning Xi and Xi Shiqing had started to go deeper into conversation. Even though the table was quite a distance away from the Lu brothers, the restaurant was quite quiet, so if they listened closely, they could hear the conversation.

    Because he waste, Xi Shiqing felt that he should exin himself out of basic courtesy to his date, thus he started, "I''m really sorry. I actually saw an elderly woman fall on the way here, so I sent him to the hospital and that took quite some time."

    Ning Xi blurted, "Pfft!" and could not help but say, "Mmm¡­if another man said such things to me, I would definitely doubt their IQ level for not being able to find a more sincere excuse. However, since it''s you, Mr. Xi, then I would believe you because you do look like the kind of person who would help an elder woman cross the road and send a lost child home!"

    Xi Shiqingughed out loud when he heard this. "Ms. Ning, are you trying to say I look like a kind person?"

    Ning Xi nodded. "Not just that! Not only are you kind, you''re practically at the level of Kim Tsai Zi the monk!"

    Xi Shiqingughed at her cute description and he lowered his chin slightly. "Miss Ning, you''re very interesting."

    Ning Xi paused. Damn it, it was her first time meeting someone this special and she could not hold herself back, ending up spurting out such sentences.

    She cleared her throat and quickly got to the point, "Mr. Xi, I''ll just be honest here. Actually, I''m not all up for this blind date but unfortunately, my grandfather already helped me to arrange a date with you, so I had toe and exin the situation to you. I hope you will forgive me for this."

    Xi Shiqing did not seem angry or change his expressions when he heard this. However, somewhere deep in his eyes, something seemed to have dulled¡­

    Behind her, Lu Jingli heard Ning Xi''s words and quickly perked up his ears, regaining some spirit. "Nice one, Xiao Xi Xi, immediately knock him out!"

    After Xi Shiqing heard what Ning Xi said, he expressed instantly, "I understand, even though I am slightly disappointed, I respect your wishes."

    Ning Xi brows raised slightly at his diplomatic answer. Slightly disappointed? Did he mean to say that he was interested in her?

    No way! Nothing she wore today should have fitted this man''s aesthetic taste. He was just saying it to be charming, wasn¡¯t he? Mmm, it was a possibility with this type of men!

    "So, you don''t need to feel pressured. Let''s just treat today''s meal as one between normal friends, okay?" Xi Shiqing said.

    Ning Xi suddenly realized that this man did not look extremely handsome but he had a voice that was alluring and especially easy on the ears!

    Since he had said it that way and he was so amodating without needing her to exin further, Ning Xi naturally felt it would be cruel to reject him. "Of course!"

    Lu Jingli bit sharply into a slice of salmon. "Damn it! I misjudged! I thought it was a saint who wouldn''t get close to women yet, he was clearly tempted by seduction! In such a situation, if he was not interested in her, he would have immediately called for the bill and left, no need for further contact. But he actually asked her to enjoy a meal together ¡®in the name of friendship¡¯. Clearly, this guy has underlying motives!"

    Lu Jingli continued to insult Xi Shiqing while Lu Tingxiao looked miserable and Little Treasure, who was admiring Aunty Xiao Xi''s back, finally realized that something was odd¡­

    Mmm, why is Aunty Xiao Xi eating with another strange uncle?

    Little Treasure pursed his lips, thought about it, then wrote on the board: [Date?]

 Chapter 582: Have Babies With Another Man

    <h4>Chapter 582: Have Babies With Another Man</h4>

    Little Treasure pursed his lips, thought about it, then wrote on the board: [Date?]

    Indeed if he did not know he had to ask.

    Is Aunty Xiao Xi on a date with someone else?

    Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli looked at the question on Little Treasure''s writing board at the same time.

    Lu Jingli sighed and looked at Little Treasure with pity like he was about to tell the kid that he was going to be abandoned by his mother. "Baby, this is even scarier than a date. It''s called a blind date, do you know what that means?"

    Little Treasure honestly shook his head.

    "A blind date is one of the rituals of Chinese traditional marriage. It can also be called to meet one at their door, interview,w of the y, or meet up. Most marriage introductions delve into family backgrounds and the two people will be connected by the matchmakers. After that, the older rtives from both parties would meet to suggest a matrimony¡­"

    Lu Jingli tried to exin while Little Treasure looked innocent and naive, like he barely understood. Thus, Lu Jingli could only drop the bomb, "This blind date means that your Aunty Xiao Xi is about to be taken away by another man! To go give birth to a baby with another man!"

    Little Treasure''s was shaken by this earth-shattering news.

    Aunty Xiao Xi¡­will go with another man¡­to give birth to another baby¡­another baby¡­baby¡­

    The poor little bun''s head was filled with this sentence repeatedly and without any signs, he started to cry buckets of tears and could not stop.

    Lu Jingli just wanted to tease him but he identally went too far. Seeing Little Treasure bawl like that, he was instantly a panicked mess. "Haih, baby, don''t cry!"

    Lu Tingxiao shot Lu Jingli a fierce look, then pulled Little Treasure to sit beside him, patiently rifying, "Blind dates are just a way for men and women to meet one another, still far from marriage. Besides, she already rejected him earlier and she''s just having a meal with him now."

    Unfortunately, the little bun had been hurt too deeply earlier and he could not take anymore information in. He cried a river and started to gasp in between tears.

    Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli were two adult men who had no clue on how to coax children at all, as they watched the little bun cry his heart out. They werepletely rooted to the ground¡­

    Ning Xi was stillpletely oblivious about any tear-inducing incidents happening behind her back.

    Earlier, she had drank two sks of liquor and even though it was not high in alcohol, she was slightly drunk. Also, Xi Shiqing was really too sweet that one would easily lower their guards and rx with hispany. They drank as they ate some sashimi while having casual conversation on some safe topics.

    "Ah! You''re in the business of jewelry right? Coincidentally I''ve been setting up a fashion studio recently and will definitely use essories such as jewels. When the timees, I''ll be thick-faced and ask for your help!" Ning Xi suddenly took up the responsibility as a business owner and took the opportunity to indirectly promote her business.

    "Miss Ning Xi, don¡¯t be too shy. If you need anything you can contact me anytime."

    After chatting for a while, Xi Shiqing asked, "Miss Ning, I don''t know if you still remember, but many years ago, we have actually met once."

    When Ning Xi heard this, she started to sober up. "Have we? How could that be when I''ve no memory of us meeting at all?"

    After all, Xi Shiqing was a pretty unique person and she was confident she would have remembered him.

    Xi Shiqing sipped on his sake and said, "Your attention was on someone else then, naturally, you wouldn''t notice anyone else."

 Chapter 583: A Belated Fate?

    <h4>Chapter 583: A Bted Fate?</h4>

    Even if he was attractive, he was probably invisible to her. Besides, he was still a young boy from university at that point in time¡­

    Ning Xi blinked. From what he said, he must have been referring to five years ago when she was in love with Su Yan.

    However, she really did not remember meeting Xi Shiqing, so she was a little curious about the circumstances had he seen her in to remember it for five whole years.

    "Really? When was that?" Ning Xi asked casually.

    "Five years ago, at your 18th birthday party," Xi Shiqing answered.

    The cup in Ning Xi''s hand wavered.

    After all, that was the worst day of her life.

    Xi Shiqing¡¯s eyes clouded over as he slowly said, "You know that our grandfathers are really close, so for that birthday dinner, I went along as well. I remember, you were wearing a white dress at that time. When I saw you for the first time many years ago, I was drawn to you, you were like a¡­natural princess¡­"

    When Ning Xi listened to Xi Shiqing''s description, she really did not know what to say. "Hah, princess¡­obviously, Mr. Xi, your memory is a little foggy. That dress was a fake and I was even exposed by the crowd¡­"

    Xi Shiqing interrupted her, "Real or fake, is that really important? Even though the ugly duckling was born among the ducks, she was still a swan and she would not change because of just anything."

    That was one of the most memorable days of his life because it was the first time he fell in love at first sight and then had to watch as the girl of his dreams get bullied while he looked on helplessly¡­

    It was probably after that incident that he had never returned to the Ning residence.

    When Ning Xi heard this, she felt moved and her eyes darkened. "Mmm, Mr. Xi, you seem to know more than I had imagined."

    This was when Xi Shiqing realized he had lost his regal posture and had said too much unnecessarily. "My apologies, I identally overheard what they were saying."

    Because his gaze continued to follow after her for the rest of that night, he had identally overheard some things that were not meant for his ears.

    After he knew all of that, he felt his heart ache even more for her and hated himself for being useless¡­

    Five yearster, he was a sessful person but he never could let go of what happened then, until his grandfather suddenly told him that he had arranged a blind date for him.

    He was going to immediately reject the old man but who would have known that his grandfather would say that the date was a youngdy from the Ning family.

    The most poprdy of the Ning family, Ning Xueluo, was already engaged, so who else could it be?

    He dared not to imagine, so he asked if it was Ning Tianxin.

    Much to his surprise, his grandfather had said the name he did not dare to imagine: Ning Xi.

    She had already disappeared for five years. Was she finally¡­back?

    Because he had never paid attention to entertainment news, he didn''t even know the most famous stars. He was much like an ignorant person from the ancient times. That was the reason why he had no inkling that she had been back a year ago and even rose to fame as an actress.

    In order to sharemon topics of conversation with her, he had watched all of her works and even read all the news and headlines rted to her.

    All these years, he had been living the zen life, especially appreciating the teachings of Buddha. His favorite ce to go to was the temple to discuss Buddhist teachings with the masters. Even his family was starting to worry that he would be a monk¡­

    Yet, who¡¯d have thought that at this very moment, she would appear.

    As Ning Xi and Xi Shiqing were reminiscing, behind them, the little devil¡¯s wailing had intensified.

    Lu Jingli and Lu Tingxiao took turns to use several ways to calm him but none of them worked. They simply could not coax him!

    Lu Jingli was about kneel down to beg the child. He just wanted this little heir to stop crying!

 Chapter 584: Like A Husband Bringing Their Kid to Catch Her Cheating

    <h4>Chapter 584: Like A Husband Bringing Their Kid to Catch Her Cheating</h4>

    "It''s no big deal. If you know, then you know." Ning Xi carelessly shrugged.

    Xi Shiqing''s words had actually moved her a little although she didn¡¯t show any signs of it.

    She never would have thought that on the saddest day of her life, on the day when she thought she had been shunned by the entire world, there was someone unknowingly on her side.

    She felt a rush of indescribable emotions, like she had been saved. Perhaps, this world wasn''t so bad and hopeless¡­

    Mmm, well-deserving of this man who looked like the reincarnation of Buddha!

    This level of divine intervention was definitely by the hand of God.

    When Xi Shiqing heard her nonchnt reply, he breathed a sigh of relief. "That year, I felt very regretful and guilty¡­that I couldn''t help you¡­if you need anything now, please do tell me, I would cross oceans for you without anyint."

    Xi Shiqing was being way too nice now. She was about to hand him a card for being Samaritan of the year already!

    Ning Xiughed, then raised her cup to his. "Mr. Xi, you''re not really Buddha himself, you know. You can''t really save everyone."

    "I never thought of saving everyone, only you!" Xi Shiqing blurted with a sense of urgency.

    As soon as he said that, that charismatic face of his blushed faintly.

    Ning Xi was stunned, her heart skipping a beat.

    Something was not right¡­

    Behind them.

    "Little Treasure, don''t cry anymore, okay? I know I was wrong! I won''t spew nonsense again! Please, if you keep crying, I¡¯ll want to cry too¡­"

    Lu Jingli was still worried but he heard Xi Shiqing say, "I never thought of saving everyone, only you!" as if he was confessing his feelings to her. He was instantly dumbfounded. "Damn it! You can never judge a book by its cover. Xi Shiqing is pretty good at pick up lines!"

    As he watched his crying son and the two people opposite him, Lu Tingxiao felt a familiar tinge of hostility that he tried his best to suppress within him. He had the urge to destroy everything that got close to her¡­

    Xi Shiqing subconsciously wanted to exin to her that he didn''t mean that, but he didn''t know why he changed his mind instead. He only sat quietly, waiting for the girl''s response.

    Exin? Why would he need to exin?

    He had waited for five years for this very day.

    How long more did he have to wait?

    Ning Xi was uncertain about how to react to Xi Shiqing''s attitude when the sound of footsteps came from behind her. A familiar shadow fell on the table in front of her. Then, she saw Xi Shiqing staring behind her with a shocked expression.

    Ning Xi''s heart skipped a beat as she turned around too.

    She then saw the devil with an upset expression and the little bun in his arms who was crying his eyes out¡­

    Ning Xi was confused.

    Why would Lu Tingxiao and Little Treasure appear here!?

    The both of them stood there, the big one in silence while the little one cried his heart out and reached his short hands out for a hug¡­while she sat there with a man across her.

    What was he trying to do, looking like a husband bringing their kid to catch her cheating on him!?

    Because Ning Xi was too shocked, she froze and did not make a move to carry Little Treasure.

    When the little bun saw Aunty Xiao Xi not reach out to carry him, his little face scrunched up and his tears burst like a broken dam. He cried and his little mouth tried hard to open, as if he wanted to say something but not a word came out.

 Chapter 585: What Relationship With Ning Xi?

    <h4>Chapter 585: What Rtionship With Ning Xi?</h4>

    From an outsider''s perspective, the little bun could not say anything because he was crying too hard but you could actually read his lips clearly.

    He was calling "mother" soundlessly again and again.

    When he read the little bun''s lips, Xi Shiqing dropped his cup on the floor.

    Was the child l calling Ning Xi his mother?

    How could this be?

    No way¡­it was definitely impossible!

    This little boy looked like he was four or five years old. How could Ning Xi have a son that old?

    And this poker-faced man with a suppressing aura around him looked familiar. Where did he see him before?

    Ning Xi also seemed very shocked. Could they have mistaken her for someone else?

    As these thoughts flew across Xi Shiqing¡¯s mind, Ning Xi stood up and quickly took the boy from Lu Tingxiao''s embrace, coaxing him like her beloved baby. "Baby, don''t cry, don''t cry. I''m sorry, it''s all my fault, don''t cry, okay?"

    Xi Shiqing''s face went instantly pale.

    In the next second, he met the gaze of the man''s cold eyes.

    The man¡¯s eyes were clearly filled with an instinct to attack any stranger who has invaded his possessions.

    However, when he looked at Ning Xi again, his icy gaze melted into a warm river¡­

    This man and Ning Xi¡­what could their rtionship be?

    Could it be that Ning Xi had already gotten married and given birth five years ago?

    No¡­no way¡­Ning Xi was still so young five years ago¡­

    What was going on then? Xi Shiqing was officially confused!

    At that moment, Ning Xi''s entire focus was on the crying little bun; she did not have the time to care about Lu Tingxiao and Xi Shiqing, so she did not notice Xi Shiqing''s incredulous expressions of spection.

    Because this scene was drawing so much attention with two tensed men, a woman and a crying child, very soon more and more people started to look over.

    "I''m sorry, Mr. Xi, I have to make a move first." Ning Xi carried the little bun and left the restaurant in a rush. Because the little bun crying had caused her to panic, she had even forgotten to take her bag and handphone.

    Lu Tingxiao carefully helped her gather everything, then followed her and even settled the bill for their table.

    Xi Shiqing remained at the same spot for a few seconds before running after them.

    Outside, Ning Xi carried the little boy and stood on the pavement. The night was cold outside and the man took his zer off to put it on her shoulders.

    The three of them looked like they were in perfect harmony with no space for anyone to cut in¡­

    Ning Xi really tried hard to console Little Treasure until the little bun was finally calmer. Because he had cried so hard earlier, he kept huping, so Ning Xi gently patted his back and tenderly kissed his cheek to continue reassuring him.

    "Why were you and Little Treasure here?" Ning Xi asked Lu Tingxiao when Little Treasure was much better.

    "Little Treasure missed you, so I brought him here to see you," Lu Tingxiao lied smoothly without any change in expression.

    The truth was that he obviously brought Little Treasure over.

    When Ning Xi heard this, she felt even more guilty. All the while, Little Treasure didn''t appear because he was sitting behind, silently watching her from afar?

    Was he crying so sadly because he saw her having dinner with another man and thought that she was going to be taken away?

    Ning Xi naturally thought of this as the read he was crying.

    Lu Tingxiao saw Ning Xi''s expression and knew that she believed him, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

    Otherwise, if she knew that he had brought Little Treasure out himself and that the little bun had only cried after Lu Jingli''s nonsense, the consequence would be¡­

 Chapter 586: Did Not Understand The World

    <h4>Chapter 586: Did Not Understand The World</h4>

    Otherwise, if she knew that he had brought Little Treasure out by himself and that the little bun had only cried after hearing Lu Jingli''s nonsensical words, the consequences would be dire¡­

    Even though Little Treasure had unleashed his killer move, there were far too many elements that were out of his control, such as today''s situation.

    Initially he intended to bring Little Treasure to use only when necessary but who¡¯d have thought that Lu Jingli''s single sentence would have made himpletely lose control.

    Thankfully, it did not cause too much of an issue in the end and basically, everything was still within his ns¡­

    After Ning Xi finished questioning Lu Tingxiao, she noticed someone behind her.

    Then, she saw Xi Shiqing who had followed them out, stand quietly a few steps away from them. She was not sure how long he had been standing there for.

    Looking at the lonely and bewitched Xi Shiqing, who looked as pale as a sheet of paper, Ning Xi''s heart tightened a little and a bad feeling rose from the pit of her stomach.

    Even though she had roughly guessed that Xi Shiqing might be interested in her during their dinner, she seemed to have underestimated his determination and feelings for her.

    That expression¡­did not seem like he was only meeting someone from the past who he once liked¡­

    It seemed more like he had liked her for all those years¡­

    But she could not fathom it. What urred five years ago was a very brief meeting. Rationally, Xi Shiqing couldn''t have developed such strong feelings for her, could he?

    However, no matter what it was, the reality was there before her eyes.

    In that case, this was trouble now!

    Even though it had been just a short interaction over dinner, she could see that Xi Shiqing was indeed a good man. Plus, this was Grandfather''s best friend''s grandson and if she did not handle this well, it would turn out to be a very sticky situationter.

    Thus, she absolutely had to get to the root of it today andpletely shatter any fantasy ideas he might have.

    As she thought about this, Ning Xi gathered her courage to make a decision.

    "Hold on for a little while. Jingli went to get the car." Lu Tingxiao stood where the wind blew from, using his tall and built figure to block Ning Xi and Little Treasure from the blustery weather.

    Ning Xi''s eyes squinted and she suddenly looked deeply into Lu Tingxiao''s eyes. "Lu Tingxiao¡­"

    "Hmm?" Her gaze was so intense in that instant that Lu Tingxiao felt his heart shiver. "What is it?"

    Ning Xi stared at him unblinking, her gaze seeming as if it could see through his heart. "Actually, Little Treasure didn''t want toe tonight, did he? Did you¡­did you bring him here by yourself?"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    He was just being thankful earlier that his n was wless but now, he was about to be exposed!

    Lu Tingxiao quickly thought of a n to respond to this.

    Yet, he never would have thought that at that very moment, Ning Xi who was interrogating him, would suddenly tiptoe and kiss his lips¡­

    Lu Tingxiao was mind-blown. His head was a nk void; he did not know anything anymore¡­

    Ning Xi¡­

    What was she doing?

    He could still see the girl''s long eyshes up close and taste the fragrance of the liquor lingering on her soft lips. Everything felt surreal like a dream.

    No, even in his wildest dreams, never would he have dared to imagine such a crazy moment¡­

    "Oh¡ª" No one could tell when Lu Jingli had driven the car over, but the moment he lowered the car window, this scene unfolded in front of him. He was so agitated that he almost mistook the elerator as the brake.

    Aaaaaaaaaah!

    What was happening?! Why was it that he had gone to get the car and left for a few minutes, only to return to a world he did not understand?

 Chapter 587: Thats Why I Kissed You

    <h4>Chapter 587: That''s Why I Kissed You</h4>

    Why is Xiao Xi Xi kissing my brother? Aaaaaah! No, no! That¡¯s not the main point!

    The main point was, from the looks of the situation, it was Xiao Xi Xi who had taken the initiative!

    It was possible that his brother had gotten too jealous and couldn''t help but to steal a kiss from her, but based on the current situation, it was simply illogical!

    After Ning Xi left Lu Tingxiao''s lips, she looked at Xi Shiqing. Then, she looked at Lu Tingxiao and with her smiling eyes that shone like the nket of stars above them, she tilted her head to the side and teased Lu Tingxiao, "Jealous?"

    It waspletely the tone of a girlfriend teasing her boyfriend¡­

    With Lu Ting Xiao still looking at her, stunned, Ning Xi smiled and continued, "I already told you that the person I like is you!"

    Upon hearing her shocking words, Lu Jingli felt thoroughly confused by the progress of the plot.

    When Lu Tingxiao listened to those beautiful words she had just uttered, he looked into the girl''s love-filled eyes and his arm grabbed the girl tightly in his embrace. He covered her lips again and sank deeper into the kiss this time. At that very moment, even though he knew there was practically a cliff in front of him, he was willing to jump off it without hesitation¡­

    Only until Ning Xi was almost suffocating did the kiss finally end. She secretly looked over Lu Tingxiao''s shoulder and peeked behind him. Xi Shiqing was nowhere to be found.

    Ning Xi silently sighed to herself. Even though she felt bad, this was the best solution she could think of for the both of them.

    Now that the matter with Xi Shiqing was finally resolved, of course what followed was a very important. She still had to exin the situation properly to the devil¡­

    The two were surprised to feel something soft bump against both of them, again and again.

    A little head popped out in between them. It was Little Treasure.

    This was when Ning Xi noticed that she was still carrying Little Treasure and she quickly wriggled out of the tight embrace she was in. "Hey, hey, Lu Tingxiao¡­you''re squashing Little Treasure!"

    Aaaah! Damn it! Just when she thought of how to make Xi Shiqing give up hope, she had actually forgotten that Little Treasure was here and she even did such child-unfriendly things in front of him!

    When he heard what Ning Xi said and peered at his son caught in between them, Lu Tingxiao woke up from his daze.

    The little bun puffed up his cheeks and looked at his father angrily. This was too much! Not only did his father get a kiss from Aunty Xiao Xi, he even got a hug from her!

    However, even though he felt annoyed, it seemed like¡­he wasn''t that angry!

    Because if Aunty Xiao Xi likes father, then she can continue to be his Aunty Xiao Xi! No wait, it''ll be Mummy Xiao Xi!

    As he thought about this, Little Treasure decided to temporarily forgive his father.

    After Lu Tingxiao released her, Ning Xi put Little Treasure down, then stood up straight and bowed at a 90 degree angle. "Sorry, Big Boss! I didn''t mean to vite you! I''m order to avoid anymore unnecessary hassle in the future, I wanted to let Xi Shiqing give up hope and in a moment of desperation¡­I kissed you and even said those words. I''m really sorry!"

    In the car, Lu Jingli was officially dumbfounded.

    What a roller coaster of a plot!

    He suddenly felt very bad for his brother. Just moments before, he had thought that Xiao Xi Xi liked him, and then suddenly, the truth smashed his fantasy into smithereens¡­

    At that moment, Lu Tingxiao looked at Ning Xi quietly without saying anything.

    Seeing that Lu Tingxiao was silent, Ning Xi suddenly felt a little guilty. The devil wasn''t angry, was he?

    Actually, the reason she dared to do what she did was because she believed that Lu Ting Xiao had a level of IQ which would definitely enable him to understand her reasons immediately and even amodate her.

 Chapter 588: This Was Too Much

    <h4>Chapter 588: This Was Too Much</h4>

    Ning Xi would only dare to do so because she believed that Lu Tingxiao had a level of IQ which would definitely enable him to understand her reasons immediately and even amodate her.

    Atst, the devil indeed cooperated well, and the scene yed out wlessly¡­

    However, looking at Lu Tingxiao''s reaction, could something have gone wrong?

    How tragic! Lu Tingxiao wouldn''t have thought that this was real, would he? That wasn''t like the devil''s IQ!

    In reality, Lu Tingxiao was stunned for a short while, before he instantly understood what Ning Xi had been trying to do. His feelings had overrode his rationality and even though a part of him had known she was acting, he had chosen to believe it as the truth and let himself drown within this dream she created¡­

    After a while, Lu Tingxiao finally said something. He tousled Ning Xi''s hair lightly, then said, "No worries, you did very well."

    His silence earlier was not because he was angry at her; he just wanted to quietly remember every detail, remember her kiss, her words, and his feelings in that moment.

    When Ning Xi heard his reassurance, she was relieved. However, why did those few words "you did very well" sound so odd?

    At that moment, Lu Jingli finally could not help but say, "Uhh¡­Brother and Sister-inw, please take a look at me. I have been waiting here for quite some time. Do you guys still want to get in the car?"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at Lu Jingli, then carried the little bun into the car.

    Once they were on their way, Lu Jingli smiled cunningly. "Xiao Xi Xi, I saw everything just now! Pity my baby Little Treasure, he was about to be sandwiched!"

    "Lu Jingli! I haven''t asked you, the more I think about what happened today, the more I find it weird. Even if Little Treasure was unhappy seeing Xi Shiqing and I dine together, he still wouldn''t have cried this hard. Was it you who didn''t shut up and say something you shouldn''t have to Little Treasure?" Ning Xi suddenly attacked him.

    Lu Jingli almost pissed in his pants and denied vehemently to save himself, "I didn''t! I didn''t say anything! Xiao Xi Xi, you''re ming the wrong guy!"

    Ning Xi gritted her teeth, obviously already knowing that it was his fault. "Did I me you wrongly now? I''ll just ask Little Treasure then! See if I really was wrong"

    Lu Jingli was dumbfounded when he heard this and he quickly looked at his brother to beg silently.

    Bro, save me! If Sister-inw finds out, she will kill me! She will hit me with as much force as she loves Little Treasure!

    Lu Tingxiao shot a look at Lu Jingli who looked frightened like a rabbit. Seeing as he had contributed in the past, he said something on his behalf, "Ning Xi, you said you wanted to let Xi Shiqing give up hope. Do you mean that he was interested in you?"

    Ning Xi''s attention was sessfully diverted by Lu Tingxiao''s question. She scratched her head and looked helplessly at him. "To be honest, I was stunned too. I do not know how Xi Shiqing ever liked me. We chatted over dinner and that''s how I knew that we''ve met once five years ago. But it was only that one time, there were no other interactions. Of course, perhaps I was too sensitive and overthought. No matter what it is, the point is that there aren''t anymore problems now! Thanks to you, Big Boss, thank you again!"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "You''re wee."

    Crisis averted! Lu Jingli wiped away his sweat in relief.

    Looking at his brother''s serious expression, he suddenly regained some of his energy.

    He thought that this time, his brother didn''t perform too badly either. He did not do anything and managed to knock out a rival, and even got a kiss for nothing too. This was too much!

    For good things like these, he wouldn''t mindining a few more times!

 Chapter 589: The Boss Doesnt Allow Me To Date

    <h4>Chapter 589: The Boss Doesn''t Allow Me To Date</h4>

    No matter what, the issue was finally resolved.

    In the car, Ning Xi was prepared to call her grandfather to report the situation to him. However, before she called, she still felt troubled.

    Sigh, even though she and Xi Shiqing had already discussed what to say to each other''s grandfathers, what if her grandfather refused to give up?

    "Hello, Grandfather!"

    "Hey, Xiao Xi! Have you met up with the grandson of the Xi family already? How was it? He''s not too bad, isn''t he?"

    "Cough, Grandfather, he''s not too shabby. But he wasn''t interested in me!" Ning Xi answered.

    "What are you saying? That kid wasn''t interested in you?" the elder asked agitatedly.

    "No, Grandfather, what I mean is that the both of us aren''t interested in each other. Please don''t try to match us together anymore!" Ning Xi yed out the exnation she and Xi Shiqing had agreed upon.

    On the other end of the phone, the elder sounded very disappointed. "How could this be? I even met up with him first. He doesn''t have any disabilities and he looks like a talented young man before I was satisfied enough to let him meet you for a blind date. You don''t like someone like him? Then, tell me what''s your type, I''ll help you look again! I still have another old friend. His grandson¡­"

    Oh no¡­

    Ning Xi buried her face in her hands. "Grandfather, don''t! Grandfather, I really don''t want to look for a partner right now!"

    "Xiao Xi, trust me, I was once in your shoes. You''re at the best age right now. Now is the best time to look for the ideal man. In fact¡­"

    Ning Xi was suffering from a headache when she felt a warm presence beside her. Lu Tingxiao had suddenly sidled up to her and said softly into her ear, "Tell your grandfather that your boss doesn''t allow you to date."

    Ning Xi was astonished. She covered the mouthpiece of her handphone to ask Lu Tingxiao, "What?"

    "Didn''t Ling Zhizhi tell you? In your current situation, you can''t get a boyfriend," Lu Tingxiao said without skipping a beat.

    Ning Xi''s eyes shone when she heard his suggestion. "Right! That''s a pretty good reason!"

    Lu Jingli, who was driving, heard this and mumbled, "Haha, right, your boss doesn''t allow you to date. He will only allow you to date with the boss himself¡­"

    "Grandfather, I only want to perform well in my job right now. Besides, I''m in the growing phase of my career and ourpany won''t allow me to date!"

    The elder was angry when he heard this. "What? Not allowed to date? Why would there be such apany with such a silly rule? Does your boss even understand what human rights are?"

    Ning Xi shot a look at Lu Tingxiao who had to take the bullet for her. "Grandfather, everyone in our industry is in the same boat. If we have boyfriends, the number of fans will drop drastically. In fact, I''ve just opened up my own studio and will be very busy every day. Next month, I will start promoting my new show and I''ll have to run around the country. Then, once I''m done with that, I''ll start shooting for a new show. I really don''t have the time!"

    Ning Zhiyuan had wanted to mention her joining thepany, but from the way shey everything out, he knew there wasn''t a possibility. Even though he felt regretful, hearing how his beloved granddaughter had her own sessful career today and was living life to the fullest made him feel very happy.

    "Then, what''s going to happen to my great grandchildren? When can I have some?"

    When she heard the elder''s sad sigh, Ning Xi touched the little bun''s head and sighed internally too.

    If only the little bun was my son, that would be great. Everything would be resolved.

    "Grandfather, what if I got a test tube baby?"

    Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli were stupified.

    Little Treasure was surprised too, although he wondered to himself, "What''s a test tube baby?"

 Chapter 590: Father, Dont Go

    <h4>Chapter 590: Father, Don''t Go</h4>

    "Nonsense!" The elder still thought more conservatively, so there was no way he could ept something like this.

    He was also afraid that he was pushing Ning Xi too hard to the point that she would do something outrageous, so he quickly softened his tone, "Fine, fine, you''re actually still quite young. Go focus on your career first then. Grandfather won''t trouble you anymore, but there''s just one thing you must promise me. You have to visit me often. This request of mine isn''t too much, is it?"

    Ning Xi brightened up upon hearing that. "Not at all! I will definitely visit you often!"

    After she hung up, Ning Xi felt rxed now that she had finally resolved the matter.

    In front of the wheel, Lu Jingli was still deep in shock about the ''test tube baby''. He said, "Bro Xi, you''re amazing! Even test tube babies are an option for you now!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "My grandfather wants great grandchildren, yet I can''t find myself a man. What do you think I should do then?"

    "Where are you going to get the sperm?" Lu Jingli asked.

    "Obviously, the sperm bank!"

    Lu Jingli looked at his brother in the rear view mirror and mischievously said, "Actually there is ready sperm beside you. In fact, the genes are of extremely good quality¡­"

    Ning Xi obviously knew who Lu Jingli was talking about, so she replied, "Stop! This topic is not suitable for children''s ears!"

    To have a baby with the devil¡­

    Lu Tingxiao then said, "I''m sure that under natural conditions, the sperm quality will be better."

    Ning Xi rebutted, "That''s enough from you guys! I was just saying it without much thought¡­don''t discuss it in too much detail. Little Treasure is still here!"

    When she looked down, thank goodness, Little Treasure had already fallen asleep as a result of the fatigue from his tears.

    ¡­

    At Regal Riveria Hotel.

    Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli sent Ning Xi and Little Treasure to their doorstep.

    Lu Tingxiao patted his son''s head then looked up at Ning Xi and said, "I''m going to leave now. It''s been getting colder recently, remember to keep warm at night."

    Ning Xi nodded. "Sure, I will! Goodnight, Big Boss!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl longingly. "Goodnight."

    Lu Jingli yawned. "Goodnight, Bro Xi! If there''s any more gossip from Xi Shiqing, remember to share it with me!"

    Ning Xi shook her head in disbelief at his thirst for gossip. "Nothing goes without you!"

    The two started to leave.

    However, just as Lu Tingxiao turned away, he suddenly felt a little tug on his shirt.

    He looked down to see that it was Little Treasure who had suddenly woken up and was peering at him with sleepy eyes. His hand gripped on to his shirt hem, refusing to let go.

    Lu Tingxiao was stunned.

    After all, Little Treasure had never shown such an intimate affection towards him. Every time he left Ning Xi, that little guy was always doing a happy dance and could never wait for him to leave¡­

    Even Lu Jingli and Ning Xi were surprised too.

    "What''s wrong, Little Treasure?" Ning Xi asked gently.

    Ning Xi knew he was looking for his writing board, so she quickly helped him take it out from his bag.

    The little bun was still holding on to Lu Tingxiao''s shirt, while his other hand rubbed the sleep away from his eyes before writing on the board, "Father, don''t go."

    These words¡­before Lu Tingxiao had the chance to react, Lu Jingli started to wail emotionally, "Oh! Little Treasure is so warm! I want a son too! I want to have test tube babies now!"

    At this moment, Lu Tingxiao felt a rush of mixed feelings watching his son''s little hand holding onto him, the touching words on the writing board and his tilted head looking at him curiously for a response.

    Ning Xi was already tearing up. The improvement in the little bun''s rtionship with Lu Tingxiao was something she wanted to see more than anyone else. "Lu Tingxiao, how about you just stay over at my ce tonight? Apany Little Treasure!"

 Chapter 591: This Is My Reward For Helping You Today

    <h4>Chapter 591: This Is My Reward For Helping You Today</h4>

    Lu Jingli wanted to run around in joy!

    Oh! I''m so jealous! How nice was it to have a son! It was as though God had sent assistance Himself!

    Lu Tingxiao actually took a while to react to Ning Xi''s out-of-the-blue invitation.

    Even though Little Treasure had always been his trump card, this was the first time the little bun had genuinely taken the initiative to help him.

    Was it because of what had happened tonight? Then, this was a rare case of getting luck out of a misfortune!

    Finally, Lu Tingxiao stayed while Lu Jingli the bachelor went home tearfully.

    In the bedroom.

    Ning Xi apanied Little Treasure to lie on the bed and sang him to sleep. Lu Tingxiao sat on the other side of the bed, his sleeve still being held on tightly by the little guy.

    After Little Treasure had been coaxed to sleep, Ning Xi asked, "Why don''t you sleep with Little Treasure tonight? I''ll sleep in the guest room."

    "We can sleep together," said Lu Tingxiao without a hitch.

    Ning Xi was shocked to hear his proposition and felt slightly awkward. She scratched her head and said, "Ah? That would not be too appropriate, would it?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "No, I don''t mind."

    Ning Xi was speechless. The devil¡­was getting naughty!

    The Big Boss already said he didn''t mind being taken advantage of but could she say that she did?

    It was a good thing that the bed was huge, so even with the little bun in the middle, each of them had their own personal space.

    When Ning Xi entered the room after finishing her shower, Lu Tingxiao was already lying on the bed. His hair was wet and messy post-shower, while he wore pajamas and was looking at Little Treasure with a gentle gaze, like an ordinary father. Ning Xi felt her heart beat faster at the sight of them together.

    When he heard her footsteps, Lu Tingxiao looked up and ordered her, "Finish the milk before going to bed."

    "Oh¡­" Why did it feel like Lu Tingxiao had two children to look after?

    After Ning Xi finished the milk, shey on the other side of Little Treasure.

    Lu Tingxiao turned off the light and only left a dim night light on. Hey on his side and kissed his son''s forehead.

    Seeing Ning Xi watch him, Lu Tingxiao raised his brows. "You want a goodnight kiss too?"

    Ning Xi widened her eyes and shook her head quickly. She was just thinking to herself that the way the devil took such gentle care of Little Treasure was so charming that she could not help but to continue looking a little longer. There was no way that she would have such inappropriate motives!

    Lu Tingxiao eyes shone teasingly, then he suddenly leaned over Little Treasure. With Ning Xi''s eyes still in its bewildered state, he kissed her on the lips.

    Ning Xi was shocked.

    Damn it! Devil, what are you doing? Didn''t we already say we were just apanying Little Treasure to sleep?

    Lu Tingxiao squinted his eyes and told her, "This is my reward for helping you take that bullet today."

    Ning Xi was speechless. She had nothing to reply to him¡­

    The next morning.

    Ning Xi woke up in a daze and felt like she had never slept that well before. She had no dreams the entire night and her whole body felt warm, so warm that she did not want to wake up.

    No, she still had to wake up to make a healthy breakfast for the little bun!

    Ning Xi finally opened up her eyes.

    The moment she did, what she saw was a bare chest¡­

    What?!!!

    Damn it! What was going on? Why¡­why would she sleep so carelessly?!

    She didn''t know how ended up on Lu Tingxiao''s side. In fact, her entire body was sprawled on him until his pajamas had been messed up by her, revealing his peach-colored skin. As for her hand, it was casually lying on his naked belly and chest.

    Ning Xi quickly got up and initially wanted to move back to her own side but in her panic, she identally touched Lu Tingxiao¡­in a ce she shouldn''t have¡­

 Chapter 592: Are You Sleepwalking?

    <h4>Chapter 592: Are You Sleepwalking?</h4>

    The man grunted, then slowly opened his eyes. His eyes glimmered and her panicked and stunned face was reflected ¡­

    Ning Xi swallowed her saliva and quickly thought of how to exin the awkward situation.

    Damn it! How could she exin? What could she possibly say in such a situation?!

    Even getting caught cheating with someone else in bed would not be this difficult to exin!

    Ning Xi''s brain was about to be fried. However, in the next second, Lu Tingxiao used his beautiful dazed eyes to stare at her for a few seconds, before he suddenly turned around¡­

    Ning Xi felt like her world had turned upside down when she was pushed onto the bed before she could even figure out what was happening. The shadow above her inched closer, then what came next was a wave of warmth as he delivered an intense kiss¡­

    Ning Xi was shocked by Lu Tingxiao''s sudden actions. It felt as if the air in her chest was bing increasingly thin and her brain was fogging up.

    The emotions and physical reactions that were happening were so overwhelming so much so that the feelings she had suppressed in her heart were almost lured out by the kiss. She felt as if the world wasing to an end and that her body wanted to respond involuntarily despite her mind telling her otherwise¡­

    What was worse was the strong reaction from his lower torso that she could feel hardening between them¡­

    Damn it, Ning Xi! Wake up, wake up! Baby Little Treasure was still sleeping beside them!

    Helplessly, she struggled to gather herself. Lu Tingxiao, on the other hand, did not. He felt like he wanted to devour her whole with that all-consuming kiss.

    Ning Xi had no choice but to bite down with force, her mouth instantly filled with the metallic taste of blood.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned and stopped.

    Ning Xi took advantage of this single second to push him away and said between gasps, "Hey, Lu Tingxiao! Are you¡­are you sleepwalking?"

    Uhh, if he really was, this question would have no effect!

    Wait, that did not seem right either. Shouldn''t sleepwalking happen only at night? The sun was already up!

    The confused man started to gain rity and said in a hoarse voice, "No."

    Ning Xi blinked as her heart skipped a beat. No?

    Lu Tingxiao''s long fingers brushed through his hair as lust lingered in his eyes. "Sorry, I wasn''t clear-headed earlier. I thought that I was dreaming."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    What could she say to answer him?

    Was it possible that in his dreams, the devil actually wanted to seduce her and kiss the life out of her?

    In fact, the Lu Tingxiao earlier was really different from the Lu Tingxiao she usually saw. That kiss earlier was far too overbearing!

    So overbearing that it made her worry a little¡­

    "You¡­what were you doing just now?" Lu Tingxiao suddenly asked before Ning Xi could say anything. In fact, with this one sentence, he changed his position from being the viin to being the victim.

    When she heard his question, Ning Xi actually felt guilty. She stammered, "Well¡­well, would you believe me if I said even I don''t know?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked deeply into her eyes, clearly full of disbelief.

    Ning Xi looked extremely sincere. "Big Boss, I swear to God, I really don''t know how but we were like this when I woke up! I usually sleep much more gracefully¡­whatever it is, this was an ident!"

 Chapter 593: An Unexpected Development

    <h4>Chapter 593: An Unexpected Development</h4>

    Ning Xi mumbled quietly, "You did something simr to me just now. So, are we even now?"

    Lu Tingxiao gave it some thought, then he nodded, "Fine, we¡¯re even."

    Ning Xi let out a sigh of relief.

    However, something still felt odd. This was not right¡­how was this even? She was the one who was at a disadvantage!

    Whatever! She was the one who rolled over. Had it not been for that, what Lu Tingxiao did after would not have happened¡­

    "Well¡­Boss, can you get up? I need to go and make breakfast!" Ning Xi asked weakly, trying to make an escape.

    Lu Tingxiao did not act right away. He looked her into her eyes instead, staring intensely.

    Ning Xi had no idea how she looked like at that moment.

    The girl¡¯s cheek blushed attractively, her lips slightly swollen from the passionate kissing. Her pajamas were crumpled and her long raven ck hair billowed out on the feathered pillow like ink¡­

    Lu Tingxiao started to question how was it possible that he had been containing his wild intentions all this while.

    "Lu Tingxiao?" Ning Xi asked uncertainly, feeling creeped out by hisser stare.

    Lu Tingxiao returned to his usual self and propped himself up. Ning Xi shot away like a rabbit¡­

    She quickly served a nutritious spread for breakfast, then proceeded to call both Lu Tingxiao and the little bun to the table.

    The little bun looked really overjoyed today, his face shone brighter than usual and he ate a lot more than his usual portion.

    A moment ago, Ning Xi still regretted having Lu Tingxiao stay overst night after reflecting on how inappropriate it was but she changed her mind upon seeing how happy Little Treasure was.

    The little bun was always top priority in her heart and nothing mattered as long as he was happy.

    After breakfast, Lu Tingxiao read the newspaper on the sofa as the little bun sat beside him andmunicated to him through his writing board while holding a book from Ning Xi despite not understanding its contents.

    They both painted a warm portrait together under the sun, emitting a calm aura that brought a sense of love and kinship to anyone who watched them.

    Suddenly, Ning Xi¡¯s phone rang.

    Ning Xi took a look at her phone and was surprised to see that it was her grandfather calling¡­

    Lu Tingxiao noticed that something was amiss, so he asked, "What happened? Who''s that calling?"

    "It''s my grandfather!" Ning Xi frowned. Did they not settle everythingst night? Did Grandfather change his mind?

    Ning Xi chewed on her lip and picked up the call nervously. "Hello, Grandfather¡­"

    "Xiao Xi! I''ve got something to ask you. Are you hiding anything from me?" the elder asked her directly in an oddly grave tone.

    Ning Xi replied, "Ah? What do you mean? Nothing out of the ordinary has happened!"

    "I''m talking about Xi Shiqing!"

    Ning Xi had a bad feeling when she heard the name. Could Xi Shiqing have broken his promise and said something he shouldn''t have?

    Impossible, he did not look like someone who would break a promise!

    "Grandfather, what happened to Mr. Xi? I really don¡¯t know what you''re talking about!"

    The elder sounded fairly angry as he berated her, "You don¡¯t? Then, can you exin to me why he decided to be a monk after meeting you yesterday?!"

    What?!

    What did Grandfather just say?

    Ning Xi was startled and she almost dropped the phone. "Grandfather, what are you talking about? Be a monk???"

 Chapter 594: A Great Punch of Destructive Power

    <h4>Chapter 594: A Great Punch of Destructive Power</h4>

    "Xi Shiqing is going to be a monk? Grandfather, are you sure? Are you pulling my leg?" Ning Xi probed, not believing what the elder just said.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned incredulously as he listened to Ning Xi¡¯s conversation with her grandfather.

    He thought that the matter with Xi Shiqing had been settledst night. How in the world did this happen?

    The elder fumed, "Why would I kid you at a time like this? That young man from the Xi family is already at the temple. He¡¯s going to shave his hair off this afternoon! Which part of this sounds like a joke?"

    Ning Xi was confused and she sputtered, "This is¡­impossible! Could there be some other reason? Why would you think that it was because of me?"

    "What else could it be? He was acting all fine before he left, but he suddenly told his family he wanted to be a monk after having dinner with you! You are the biggest suspect!" The elder continued, "Xiao Xi, please think about what happenedst night! Being a monk is not a trivial matter! If it¡¯s rted to you, how can I face Elder Xi at this rate?"

    Ning Xi suddenly felt guilty¡­

    Actually, quite a lot happenedst night¡­

    Did she try too hard to get her message clearly across to him?

    Regardless, it would not have reached the point that he would decide to be a monk immediately!

    "Grandfather, where are you now?" She queried, hearing chanting in the background.

    "I¡¯m at the Fahua Temple right now. Shiqing¡¯s grandfather and parents are here as well. Xiao Xi, pleasee over as I can¡¯t exin everything to you over the phone clearly."

    "Alright, I¡¯ll be right there!"

    After she hung up, Ning Xi gave Lu Tingxiao an rmed look. The devil¡¯s attack sure packed a great punch of destructive power!

    "Xi Shiqing is going to be a monk?"

    Ning Xi nodded and stood up to leave. "Yes, and it seems like it was because of me. I need to go to Fahua Temple at once."

    "I¡¯ll go with you."

    "Forget it! What if he does something even more insane after he sees you?" Ning Xi said bitterly.

    "I¡¯ll send you to the entrance of the temple."

    "But you¡¯ll bete for work!"

    "Nothing much is happening in the morning. Just a meeting which I can get Jingli to attend on behalf of me instead." Lu Tingxiao was already calling Lu Jingli as he said this.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s cheerful voice answered the phone, "Hello, Bro! What¡¯s up so early in the morning? Oh, did something happen? Heh heh."

    "I can¡¯t attend the meetingter. Please attend it in my stead," Lu Tingxiao said calmly.

    Lu Jingli''s happiness was suddenly deted. "Ah? Can''t you go? What happenedst night? Did you and Xiao Xi Xi¡­"

    "Xi Shiqing is going to be a monk now and I need to go to Fahua Temple with Ning Xi." Lu Tingxiao''s reply stopped Lu Jingli¡¯s wild imagination in its tracks.

    "What?!" Lu Jingli gasped in shock, "Be a monk? Are you kidding me?"

    Lu Jingli still could not believe what he had just heard. Thistest development was a gossip''s fantasy¡­

    Most importantly, how could he be left out in such an important moment?

    He quickly gave his manager a call and have him hold the meeting instead, then he sped off to Fahua Temple.

 Chapter 595: Hes Fallen In Love!

    <h4>Chapter 595: He''s Fallen In Love!</h4>

    At Fahua Temple.

    Lu Tingxiao waited in the car with Little Treasure while Ning Xi rushed to her grandfather.

    She avoided the morning crowd and walked directly to the backyard of the temple, then she saw a familiar silhouette standing together with a middle-aged couple. They should be Xi Shiqing¡¯s parents, she thought to herself.

    "Grandfather¡­"

    "Xiao Xi,e over here!" Ning Zhiyuan quickly called out to her granddaughter.

    "Grandfather Xi, Uncle, Aunty¡­" Ning Xi greeted them, feeling apprehensive.

    The three Xi family members weed her warmly. Mother Xi even held Ning Xi¡¯s hands as if she was their savior. She gushed, "Are you Xiao Xi? You look like a really obedient and filial child. Xi Shiqing has been telling us all about you after you got back!"

    Ning Xi was surprised by the praisesing from his mother as she had expected a good scolding instead.

    "Please don¡¯t be afraid, my dear. Your grandfather was overreacting over the phone just now. We all know that this matter is not rted to you. Shiqing told usst night that he felt the both of you are better suited as friends¡­"

    With a huge internal whoosh, Ning Xi felt relieved and guilty at the same time.

    She was suspecting that Xi Shiqing had spilt the beans about their deal but he had not said anything and even praised her instead.

    Damn it! She had hoped that he was just another rich yboy since she could handle them better but¡­

    Mother Xi continued to hold her hands as she said with tearful red eyes, "We didn¡¯t really mean to trouble you here. It¡¯s just that we¡¯ve thought of everything we could but we still don¡¯t understand why he decided to be a monk, so we asked you toe here as ourst hope! From his tonest night, I can see that he really bears a torch for you, so I think he might just listen to you. Would you please persuade Shiqing for me?"

    Elder Xi spoke up, "Bears a torch? Pfft! I bet that boy has fallen in love with Xiao Xi instead of just admiring her! He rejected me when I first told him that I have arranged a blind date for him but his attitude took a 180 degree turn when he knew it was Xiao Xi I was setting him up with."

    "Then, why did he say Xiao Xi wasn¡¯t his type and that they were better suited as friends?" Mother Xi asked in confusion.

    Father Xi vocalized his thoughts, "Our son is a passive chap. He¡¯d neverpete with anyone. Moreover, he¡¯s been learning about Buddhism since he was young, making him even lesspetitive¡­I bet he realized that Xiao Xi had no special feelings for him whatsoever, so he chose to hide his real feelings inside!"

    The elders started making their own assumptions without waiting for Ning Xi¡¯s exnation.

    Mother Xi agreed with Father Xi¡¯s analysis, "Qingqing might really resort to this solution after all that¡­it does sound usible."

    Father Xi said, his voice on edge, "I¡¯ve been worried that this would happen one day since he has been obsessed with studying Buddhism. I should have stopped him earlier while I could!"

 Chapter 596: Changed Totally

    <h4>Chapter 596: Changed Totally</h4>

    As Elder Xi was going to lecture his son about his inappropriate words about Buddhism, he stopped when he thought of his grandson¡¯s current situation.

    Albeit being a religious Buddhist, he still could not ept his grandson bing a monk¡­

    From the conversation between his parents and his grandfather, Ning Xi found out why Xi Shiqing was such a nice person.

    They were all kind people,forting her instead of ming her or scolding her right away, which was what she had expected.

    This made Ning Xi felt even guiltier.

    It would not sit well with her if she was the actual reason Xi Shiqing decided to be a monk!

    She was doubtful earlier but from their conversation earlier and how they could not think of any other reason for his sudden decision, then it might just boil down tost night''s incident.

    "Well, since I¡¯m already here¡­I don¡¯t have much confidence but I¡¯ll try my best, alright?" Ning Xi told them.

    Mother Xi was very grateful and she squeezed Ning Xi''s hands. "That¡¯s great, Xiao Xi! Thank you!"

    Father Xi¡¯s expression softened. "You don¡¯t have to pressure yourself too much. His decision isn¡¯t rted to you anyway but just give it a try!"

    They tried to conceal their intense worry whenforting Ning Xi since she was now their only hope left.

    Ning Xi took a deep breath and walked towards the room Xi Shiqing was in.

    Ning Zhiyuan mumbled, "Let¡¯s hope that Xiao Xi can really persuade Shiqing¡­"

    He was actually not confident at all. Shiqing looked really determined and probably nothing could deter him even if his reason for bing a monk was rted to Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi finally reached the room.

    Following a path of mossy green pebbles, there was a quiet yard where flowers bloomed amongst lush bamboo nts and zen seemed to be gentle dynamic energy flowing around.

    The door to the room was opened and a curtain billowed in the wind. The air was silent but not stifling still as if it was a different worldpared to the outside.

    Ning Xi went up to the entrance and hesitated a little, then she lifted the curtain up.

    Through the window, Xi Shiqing sat quietly behind a screen full of Buddhist scriptures with a scripture in his hands. He was obviously very focused on going through it.

    Despite wearing a suit, he already imbued the character of a monk¡¯s.

    Ning Xi realized that she actually felt frightened of this version of Xi Shiqing.

    It had just been one night. How did he suddenly change into such a different person?

    He was a clean-cut man before but a worldly one. The Xi Shiqing before Ning Xi now seemed as if he had lost all his earthly desires.

    Ning Xi had a splitting headache throbbing. Xi Shiqing¡¯s situation was much direr than she had thought!

    She could not back out now. She had to take responsibility for what she had done and the people outside were waiting for her.

 Chapter 597: Dear Lord, Can You Speak Like A Normal Person?

    <h4>Chapter 597: Dear Lord, Can You Speak Like A Normal Person?</h4>

    Ning Xi took a deep breath then walked towards him.

    Xi Shiqing closed the scripture he was holding and looked up when he heard some footsteps.

    Xi Shiqing¡¯s eyes were tranquil, he did not react much even after he saw who hade in.

    "Benefactress Ning¡­"

    Ning Xi felt immensely helpless against him. He was so determined, even using "benefactress" to address her now!

    Ning Xi pinched the space between her eyebrows, sitting right across Xi Shiqing as she released a long sigh, "Bro, what are you doing? Why have you suddenly decided to be a monk?"

    "I made this decision after quite a long consideration. If you, Benefactress Ning, are here to persuade me, you may leave now."

    "Is it because of me?" Ning Xi asked directly.

    "It was all my decision, it is unrted to anyone."

    Ning Xi took a deep breath and probed further, "May I know why? Even if it was because of what happenedst night when you found out that there¡¯s someone else whom I like, you don¡¯t have to go so far. This is too illogical¡­"

    "Everything is just momentary. A moment of heaven, a moment of hell, a moment of life, a moment of death."

    Ning Xi was on the verge of crying. "Dear Lord, can you please speak like a normal person?"

    She was feeling genuinely terrified!

    "Benefactress Ning, if you feel guilty, you don¡¯t have to because it truly is my own decision," Xi Shiqing replied.

    "What about your parents and your grandfather? Don¡¯t you care about them anymore? They¡¯ve been with you through the years and now you just suddenly decided to be a monk and desert them?"

    "This is my fate. They still have Shixuan."

    Ning Xi recalled him mentioning that he had a younger brother.

    He really had everything well thought out and was fully resolved to be a monk!

    "My Lord, Mr. Xi, Qingqing? Can you please give it some more thought? Bing a monk is not a trivial matter! Three days! Just wait three more days to think it over. It¡¯s not toote to make your decision by then!" Ning Xi tried to persuade him.

    "I¡¯ve already finalized my decision. Please return now and from now on, you may address me by my Buddhist name, Yuanqing." Xi Shiqing gestured for her to exit the room.

    "Yuanqing¡­Xi Shiqing! Why are you being so stubborn?" Ning Xi¡¯s eyes were burning with rage and frustration. He looked so soft and gentle but he sure was stubborn like an ox!

    She almost wanted to knock him out and bring him back by force!

    Xi Shiqing still did not move an inch, sitting in his ce like an old rock.

    Ning Xi was already tired from all the talking but she was still not able to persuade him. Suddenly, she got another phone call from her grandfather.

    Ning Xi went out of the room to pick up the call. "Hello, Grandfather¡­"

    "Xiao Xi, what took you so long? How did it go?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart sank with disappointment in herself. "I¡¯m sorry, Grandfather, I¡¯ve tried my best, but¡­it¡¯s not working¡­"

    The elder sighed, "Well, I expected this to happen. Come back here, Xiao Xi!"

    Ning Xi ground out between her teeth, "Don¡¯t worry, Grandfather. Please wait for a little while. Go and find somece to rest and have a meal, I¡¯ll try again."

    "Okay¡­don¡¯t overexert yourself! And wait, Uncle Xi wants to talk to you."

 Chapter 598: Nearly Point-Blank

    <h4>Chapter 598: Nearly Point-nk</h4>

    Father Xi was on the line now, saying, "Juste back here, Xiao Xi. You don¡¯t understand Shiqing. While he may look soft on the outside, he won¡¯tpromise once he has decided on something. He really is that adamant."

    "He¡¯s right, Xiao Xi. Don¡¯t push yourself too hard, we¡¯re not ming you. It really isn''t your fault," Mother Xi echoed, afraid that Ning Xi was putting all the me on herself.

    "Uncle, Aunty, I understand but I won¡¯t back off until I¡¯ve tried everything I can. Let me give it one more shot!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s expression changed swiftly after she ended the call.

    Knocking him out and taking him back by force would not be the best solution. If Xi Shiqing was not going to change his mind, he would just leave after he waking up anyway.

    What should she do?

    At the same time, a ck car was parked under a big tree near the temple.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned as he checked the time on his phone.

    "What¡¯s taking her so long?" Lu Jingli had already arrived to meet his brother.

    Lu Tingxiao got out of the car to light a cigarette, looking impatient.

    Lu Jingli scratched his head and tailed his brother. "We can¡¯t just sit here and wait. Should we go in and see what¡¯s happening?"

    "I can¡¯t."

    "Ugh, okay¡­you''re not the best person to go¡­you might make him go crazy again¡­" Lu Jingli mumbled. He then said, "I¡¯ll go then! I¡¯ll just go and check on what¡¯s happening! It¡¯d be really terrible if the Xi''s pressured Ning Xi and she¡¯s forced to tell them what actually happenedst night. They might even force her to try and get together with Xi Shiqing for a little while!"

    This was what Lu Tingxiao had been worrying about.

    With Ning Xi¡¯s personality, if people from the Ning family went soft on her, she would definitely try everything she could to bring Xi Shiqing back.

    "Bro, I¡¯ll go now, I¡¯ll let you know immediately if anything happens! I¡¯ll stop Sister-inw if she¡¯s going to try something risky!" Lu Jingli went in as Lu Tingxiao kept silent.

    Little Treasure poked his little head out from the car and held up his writing board: [Father, is there anything that I can help with?]

    The little guy was actually going to cooperate after what happenedst night.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his son with a loving gaze. "Thank you but you can¡¯t help me this time."

    The little bun looked down disappointedly.

    Ning Xi went back into the room once again.

    After asking around, Lu Jingli quickly went to the zen room.

    Xi Shiqing saw Ning Xi return but he remained expressionless as if his world only consisted of him and the scripture book he was holding. There was only the Buddha in his heart and he waspletely determined to ascend towards the true meaning of Buddhism.

    Ning Xi stepped right in front of him and snatched his book of scripture out of his hands.

    As expected, Xi Shiqing was not angry and stayed calm in his seated position.

    Ning Xi tossed the book away and closed in on Xi Shiqing swiftly, one of her knee positioned beside his torso, an arm crossing over him and her face a millimeter-close to his, nearly at point-nk¡­

    Xi Shiqing¡¯s eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.

    As he was about to say something, Ning Xi stole his chance as she pressed on his shoulder and held him down, using her body to envelope his at the same time¡­

 Chapter 599: Damn It, He Was Toppled!

    <h4>Chapter 599: Damn It, He Was Toppled!</h4>

    Outside the room, Lu Jingli was just peeking in from the window when he saw this earth-shattering scene. Sister-inw had actually flopped onto Xi Shiqing and made him topple over!

    In that moment, Lu Jingli was so intimidated that his heart almost leaped out of him.

    What to do, what to do? Should he go in to stop them?

    Oh, what a ssicbination: the monk devoid of worldly desires and the wild and unruly but alluring woman! He suddenly felt that they made an oddly good match.

    Damn it! If his brother ever found out that he had such a thought, he would definitely be a corpse!

    Not only did Ning Xi topple Xi Shiqing over, she also dragged her warm and slim fingers across his brow all the way to his lips and even inched closer towards him in a deliciously slow, torturous way¡­

    At this moment, Xi Shiqing was akin to ake of stagnant water that suddenly met a storm. His entire body was rigid like a bow pulled to its maximum tension. His long fingers were balled tightly into a fist and even his breath was out of rhythm, bordering on raggedy inhtions. As he watched Ning Xi''s lips about to nt on him, he shut his eyes tightly as if in denial and tried to turn his head away slightly as blood rushed to his ears¡­

    Just as his entire being was being shaken to the core, he heard a cold voice beside his ear saying, "The bonds of the world are still there! Your six roots of sensations aren''t pure and clean! Xi Shiqing, how can you be a monk? What kind of religious life are you trying to take refuge in? What kind of monk will you be? Aren''t you afraid of contaminating Buddhist sacred grounds?"

    Upon hearing her bold statement, Xi Shiqing''s boiling blood instantly cooled down, his face as pale as a ghost.

    Outside the window, Lu Jingli watched, starstruck. Wow! My sister-inw is way too cool! He would never have thought of such an ingenious trick! Thank goodness he had not rushed in on impulse, or else he would have ruined her ns¡­

    Xi Shiqing opened up his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he did not utter a single word. He just opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish. Even when he had debated with Master Xuan Jing about Buddhism teachings, he had never lost¡­yet, at this very moment, he was utterly speechless.

    Because he could not control his own heart, he could not control his feelings and his desire¡­

    As she watched Xi Shiqing trying toe to terms with his failure, Ning Xi squinted and prodded at him. "What is it? Still in denial? Do you want me to continue?"

    "No¡­there''s no need¡­" Panic shed across Xi Shiqing''s eyes and he looked miserable. "You''re right, my six roots of sensations are impure and corrupted."

    Ning Xi then got up and walked towards Xi Shiqing to offer her hand to help him up. Even though she was aware that her trick was cruel in nature, she knew that she had to be harsh to defeat Xi Shiqing in such a stubborn situation.

    At that moment, all serenity vanished from Xi Shiqing''s face. He did not know how to describe his current feelings at all. No one, including Ning Xi, could understand why he would make such a rash decision. He had waited for five whole years before such an opportunity was unexpectedly presented before him. However, before he could properly appreciate it, the window of opportunity turned into a b of concrete.

    If he had never had hope in the first ce, maybe he would not feel such a dark cloud of despair.

    Even now he could still reminisce the moment he watched them hug and kiss each other, the kind of ache that tore his heart apart bubbling from within again.

    Then, he remembered that the man was the CEO of the Lu Corporation, Lu Tingxiao.

    Even though he had only met him once at the ribbon cutting ceremony at Jade Treasury for its inaugural opening, he definitely recognized him.

    Had it been someone else, he might still stand a chance topete for Ning Xi''s affections, but it was Lu Tingxiao. Of all people, it had to be him!

    Before he could even do anything, he had already lost the battle miserably.

 Chapter 600: The Master Drew Her A Flower

    <h4>Chapter 600: The Master Drew Her A Flower</h4>

    Coming from a wealthy family, he had never faced any obstacles since he was young. He never had anything he particrly desired either because as long as he mentioned it, it would be his. This led to him developing a personality that neither fought nor begged for anything. Life, to him, seemed to be something that he was indifferent to.

    His existence in this world felt like an identity of an outsider''s. Until Ning Xi''s appearance¡­and her appearance once again five yearster¡­

    It hadpletely shattered thatyer which dissociated him with the world. It made him long for something for the first time. Precisely because it was too precious, he felt intense despair when he lost it.

    He had thought that in this lifetime, there was nothing else he wanted anymore.

    When he came to look for Master Xuan Jing and asked him to ept him as a disciple, Master Xuan Jing had even agreed to help him with the tonsure of his hair because his state of mind at that period of time was absolutely void of worldly temptations.

    But now, because of her single action, she hadpleted pulling him back into this dreadful worldly realm¡­

    Perhaps, she really was his fated inexorable doom!

    Xi Shiqing''s expression revealed hints of hispromise to ept his fate.

    Seeing Xi Shiqing''s resignation, Ning Xi secretly let out an exhtion of relief, knowing that she had seeded.

    "Going home?" Ning Xi looked at him with a tilt of her head.

    "I have to go to speak to Master Xuan Jing."

    When Ning Xi heard this, rms rang in her head. She quickly offered, "I''ll apany you!"

    She had finally manage to pull him back after so much effort. His talking to Master Xuan Jing might undo her hard work!

    Xi Shiqing wanted to tell her that there was no need but by looking at the determination in her pair of fiery eyes, he could empathize with her concern, so he just let her tag along.

    In the hall.

    Master Xuan Jing seemed unsurprised by Xi Shiqing''s arrival. However, when he saw Ning Xi behind him, his gaze became broody.

    "Abbot, my apologies, this disciple of yours is not done with the worldly realm yet; my state of mind has not calmed down to a steady flow. I feel I don''t have the right to be part of the monastery at this point in time."

    In front of the master himself, Ning Xi actually felt slightly guilty. After all, this was because of her cunning tricks. Aside from the fact that Xi Shiqing was not yet a monk, he was still at an age where, as a high-spirited young man, his state of mind was still fleeting. There were not many who could actually withstand such temptations in the world, especially if they had yet to experience them.

    Thankfully, Xuan Jing did not ask further or make any attempts of convincing him. "Everything has been predestined. You may go now."

    Ning Xi watched this wise old monk in front of her and felt a little curious.

    Was this the fabled Master Xuan Jing?

    The one who gave that jade bead bracelet which had an affinity with her?

    Hah! She finally met the person himself. Now, if he could help her check on her luck, whether blessed or ill, that would be great!

    Hmm, perhaps it was best to forget it. To let a master of his level investigate her luck was no different than asking a legendary God-like character to wipe out a small vige and to get rid of minions.

    Just then, Xuan Jing unexpectedly initiated the conversation. "Young benefactress, is there anything I can help you with?"

    "Uhh, me?" Since Xuan Jing had asked first, Ning Xi decided to be thick-skinned and just ask anyway. At most, she would just be rejected. "Master, you really are observant! Indeed, I¡­well it''s like this, I keep feeling restless recently. I wonder if, Master, you could offer me some words of wisdom?"

    When Xuan Jing heard this, his bright eyes evaluated her briefly, then he whispered something to the monk beside him.

    Soon after, that monk brought over a pen and paper.

    Then, Xuan Jing started to write on the paper with the calligraphy pen. After he finished, Ning Xi held up the paper to look and was stunned.

    The master had not written any words. Instead, he had drawn a flower!

    What could that possibly mean?

 Chapter 601: Life Without Flirting With Girls

    <h4>Chapter 601: Life Without Flirting With Girls</h4>

    Ning Xi had meant to rify but at that moment, a little monk ran over and reminded Xuan Jing that the dharma assembly was about to start.

    Xuan Jing did not seem like he had any intention of exining the meaning of his cryptic message. He immediately bade farewell to Xi Shiqing and Ning Xi before leaving quickly.

    Ning Xi could only turn to Xi Shiqing, confused. "Mr. Xi, you ought to understand the Master better than I do. Look at this flower he drew me. What could it mean?"

    Xi Shiqing held up the paper and analyzed it closely but he had no clue either. "I cannot guess Abbot''s thought process either."

    After he said that, Xi Shiqing expressed his surprise to her, "Every day, many people ask the Master simr questions and every time, his answer would run along the lines that everything has been destined. Very unexpected of him to actually draw something personally for you."

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched as she softly mumbled, "Well, if you put it like that, even though I feel honored, this flower is a little too mysterious, isn''t it? Forget it, I''ll go home and sleep on it!"

    Just before they were leaving the hall, Xi Shiqing turned around and stared at the Buddha statue for quite a while.

    Ning Xi put her hand over his shoulders and firmly steered him around, not letting him look any longer, "Hey, don''t look anymore. What''s so good about being a monk? You recite the Buddhist scripture every day, you can''t drink or eat meat, you can''t even get married! Next time, I''ll treat you to drinks and prepare a carnivorous feast for you. I guarantee that you won''t want to be a monk ever again! What''s the difference between a life where you can''t pick up girls and being a salted fish¡­"

    Ning Xi was using all her brain juice toe up with endless reasons not to be a monk. Xi Shiqing finally stopped looking at the statue and faced her instead, with clear eyes reflecting nothing but her¡­

    After half a day of hard work, Ning Xi did not disappoint and brought Xi Shiqing home after all.

    At this moment, Mother Xi was silently crying at the hut, she had already lost hope of her son ever changing his mind.

    Father Xi looked troubled.

    Even though Elder Xi did not say anything, he was the most pressured of all the Xi family members. After all, the reason his grandson had such a determination to learn Buddhist teachings could be attributed to his influence.

    "Why is this taking so long?" Elder Ning anxiously looked out for the duo for half a day.

    Elder Xi sighed, "Old Ning, tell Ning Xi toe back. We''ll think of something again."

    "In such a short time frame, what can wee up with?" Mother Xi looked at the time, eximing, "There''s still another half an hour before Qingqing is going to go bald!"

    Her fat drops of tears fell even faster. "If my Qingqing really bes a monk, I''ll shave and be a nun too!"

    Father Xi panicked at the sound of his and he admonished, "You¡­what nonsense are you spewing?! Such rubbish!"

    "How am I being nonsensical now? Our son''s already bing a monk, what more is there for me?"

    "So, you''ll just stop caring for our other son, Shixuan, and forget about me?"

    ¡­

    The entire family was still debating anxiously when they suddenly saw someone walking over from the end of the corridor.

    Ning Xi was back.

    Mother Xi was about to console Ning Xi so she wouldn''t feel too bad but in the next second, they saw a familiar shadow trailing after her.

    It was her precious son!

    Mother Xi was instantly astonished, then she cried in tion, "Qingqing!"

    "Shiqing¡­" Mother Xi, Grandfather Xi and Elder Ning were surprised and happy to see Xi Shiqing.

    However, uncertainty loomed in their hearts. Could this be their final meeting before he took the plunge to go bald?

    Until Xi Shiqing walked in front of them and called out one by one, "Father, Mother, Grandfather, Grandfather Ning¡­"

    Wait¡­He had actually stopped saying, "Benefactor this, Benefactor that"!

 Chapter 602: Wheres Your Humanity?

    <h4>Chapter 602: Where''s Your Humanity?</h4>

    Did this mean that he changed his mind and is not bing a monk anymore?

    Mother Xi''s eyes welled up, she could not hold it in anymore and started to hug her son and cry, "Qingqing, you frightened me!''

    Father Xi rejoiced as well and took Ning Xi''s hands to say, "Xiao Xi, thank you! Thank you!"

    If it hadn''t been for Ning Xi, he would have lost both his wife and son to the monastery!

    "Xi! How did you manage to advise Shiqing?" Elder Xi asked emotionally.

    "Yeah, Xiao Xi, Aunty really doesn''t know how to thank you!"

    Obviously, Ning Xi could not tell them outright how she did it, so she quickly waved her hand and coughed, "Uncle, Aunty, Grandfather Xi, I didn''t actually do anything. When I went there, Mr. Xi had already been moved by your bits of advice. All of it was your doing, not mine!"

    "Sweet child, you''re too humble!" Mother Xi looked at the girl in front of her with her bright eyes, pearly white teeth, and simple dressing. The more she looked at her, the more she liked what she saw.

    In fact, no one could move her son with any advice, yet, this girl had done it. It only confirmed that her son''s feelings towards this girl were definitely out of the ordinary.

    If she could matchmake the two of them, then she would not have to worry about her son having any thoughts of bing a monk again.

    "Xiao Xi,e to our house for dinner tonight! No matter what, this time I must thank you properly!"

    Elder Xi nodded firmly. "This is a must!"

    Elder Ning observed the mannerisms of the Xi family, knowing what they were thinking, and he naturally was happy about it as well.

    At the same time, in the ck car outside the Buddhist temple.

    "Bro, I''m back! Don''t worry, Sister-inw has settled everything in her majorly cool way! All unscathed!" Lu Jingli intentionally put on a rxed grin and spoke as if nothing odd had happened as he reported to his brother.

    However, when Lu Tingxiao''s unpredictable eyes shot a look at him, Lu Jingli shuddered for no reason. "What is it, Bro?"

    He really held onto sealing his steadfast lips and did not blurt anything.

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyes squinted, his gaze piercing through one''s soul. He asked quietly, "All left unscathed?"

    "Uhh, yeah! What''s wrong?" Lu Jingli said innocently.

    "Tell me the truth." The air around Lu Tingxiao suddenly stilled.

    Lu Jingli blinked his eyes and said in the sincerest tone, "Bro, I''m telling the truth! Sister-inw did not agree to any of Xi Shiqing''s unreasonable requests at all. The truth aboutst night didn''t evene out! Isn''t this deemed leaving unscathed?"

    Haha, how could he tell the truth and dig his own grave?

    From an outsider''s point of view, Ning Xi''s trick was smart and cool but to Lu Tingxiao, that would definitely be seen as a lightning strike that could level an entire city!

    The worst thing was that he had not stopped her in time because he was stunned by what he had seen! Just this one scene he witnessed could send him to death a hundred times!

    "Don''t let me ask a second time." The moment Lu Tingxiao warned him, the air pressure dropped and it felt like the instant before a tornado hits.

    Initially, he did not want to think too much about it but he knew Lu Jingli too well. The calmer the man seemed, the higher the usibility was that something had happened. In fact, it most likely was not something small.

    Lu Jingli had seen Lu Tingxiao in a simr current situation once, many years ago. That was when Lu Tingxiao had rearranged the entire family''s internal structure and questioned everyone to find out who was the mole. Even the mole lost it on the spot when confronted with his quaking anger!

    Lu Jingli trembled as he thought to himself, "Damn it! I am your biological brother. Do you have to use that style of criminal interrogation with me? Where''s your humanity?!"

 Chapter 603: Exclusively For Aunty Xiao Xi

    <h4>Chapter 603: Exclusively For Aunty Xiao Xi</h4>

    Forget it, ever since Sister-inw appeared, he was not in the mood to y anymore.

    Just as Lu Jingli was silently throwing daggered insults at him, Lu Tingxiao continued focusing his pressuring aura on his brother.

    Little Treasure was concentrating on his drawing, oblivious to all that was happening around him.

    Facing his brother''s cool gaze, Lu Jingli felt his goosebumps rise as his entire body shivered. Damn it! He couldn''t! He couldn''t hold on anymore!!!!

    "Sister-inw really didn''t do anything, she just toppled Xi Shiqing over to tease him a little. Then, Xi Shiqing obviously couldn''t control himself, he immediately blushed so hard. Sister-inw grabbed the opportunity to trigger him by saying that his thoughts were not pure enough, that he would contaminate the sacredness of Buddhism and that he was not suitable to be a monk¡­" Lu Jingli spat everything out honestly.

    If the Devil Lu really knew sorcery, the ss on these car windows would have shattered by then and there would be aplete devastation of thend within a hundred meter radius.

    Lu Jingli was so frightened that his heart was about to stop. He silently hugged the only one outside of the storm, Little Treasure, for protection.

    Little Treasure was just focused on drawing and had not heard what Lu Jingli said. When he felt his Second Uncle suddenly hug him, his little face frowned, then he looked down to scribble a line of words on his writing board: [Exclusively for Aunty Xiao Xi].

    He meant to say¡­yours truly is exclusive for Aunty Xiao Xi only, you cannot simply hug me.

    Lu Jingli looked at the line of words in disbelief¡­

    Oh! Why is the entire world hurting me?

    Because Lu Tingxiao and the rest were still waiting for her, Ning Xi politely declined the Xi family''s invitation to dinner. Despite knowing that she might possibly be putting herself in a difficult situation, she promised that she would go over the next time.

    "I''m back! Everything is settled! Let''s go!"

    The moment Ning Xi tugged the car door open, Lu Jingli who was threatened by his brother and despised by Little Treasure immediatelymented, "Sister-inw, the both of them are bullying me!"

    "Haha, Sister-inw¡­? It seems that if I don''t beat you up, you would never regain your memory!" Ning Xi started to evilly crack her knuckles.

    Lu Jingli instantly feltmbasted and he peered out of the window, mumbling, "This heartless world, I too want to be a monk and be done with everything."

    Ning Xi ignored him as she took out the flower Master Xuan Jing had drawn for her and started examining it.

    Lu Jingli was immediately attracted to the thing in Ning Xi''s hand. He eximed, "Sis¡­Bro Xi, what''s this? A flower! Did Xi Shiqing give it to you?"

    "What nonsense! This is Master Xuan Jing''s message to me!"

    "Huh? This is obviously a flower!" Lu Jingli indicated that his eyes were not blind.

    Ning Xi turned the flower around repeatedly but still could not see anything. "Sigh, Master is such a Master, I don''t understand what the meaning of this is at all!"

    Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She quickly popped her head over the shotgun seat and said, "Big Boss, you''re so knowledgeable, you must know something about this. Help me take a look?"

    The girl''s head randomly appeared beside his ear, her warm breath lingering and prating Lu Tingxiao''s shield of cool aura. He took the piece of paper to look closely and after a while, he frowned slightly. "Why did Abbot offer you a word?"

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "I just simply asked. I said that recently I felt restless and if he could offer me some wisdom or something. Then, he drew this flower and gave it to me without saying what it meant. Uhh, he couldn''t possibly beplimenting me on my beauty, could he?"

    It was indeed difficult to guess the meaning within the strange flower. Even Lu Tingxiao could not immediately think of what it could mean.

 Chapter 604: Find Someone To Marry

    <h4>Chapter 604: Find Someone To Marry</h4>

    That was when Lu Jingli looked over and said with a surprised expression, "Is this very hard to fathom? Master Xuan Jing''s thoughts are so obvious!"

    "Obvious? What''s obvious?" Ning Xi was confused although Lu Jingli''s thought process was unlike the run-of-the-mill person.

    Lu Jingli blinked. "Look for yourself, the question you asked was probably about good or ill luck and what Master Xuan Jing drew was a peach blossom . Isn''t this obvious that you recently have misfortune in romance?"

    Ning Xi stuttered, "Romance¡­misfortune¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    Lu Jingli looked innocently. "Did I say something wrong?"

    Ning Xi''s face darkened. "What you said¡­makes a lot of sense!"

    She stayed silent as she could not say anything more.

    It started to make more sense to her. She really did have signs of romance misfortunes recently!

    Even Lu Tingxiao thought it added up.

    Ning Xi looked miserable as she tore at her hair. "Pfft! Can it be? Then, what should I do? Master didn''t tell me a way how to resolve this! Should I go back and ask?"

    "Do you still need to ask the Master about this? You should just ask me! The way to resolve this is obviously to find someone to get married to. Then, you wouldn''t have romance anymore!" Lu Jingli said this matter-of-factly as he stared at his brother''s cool expression. He added on meaningfully, "This is like the legendary adage of killing hundreds of flowers after they blossom!"

    Ning Xi looked awful. "Marriage¡­hey, doesn''t that mean there''s no solution then? Pfft, Lu Jingli, I actually believed your nonsense! Who said this was definitely romance misfortune?!"

    "This is obviously a peach blossom. If it''s not referring to cmity in romance, then what else could it be?"

    Ning Xi shot him an annoyed look. "Can''t it be luck in romance?"

    Lu Jingliughed and mumbled, "If this meant you have luck in romance, then it would be my brother''s misfortune! In fact, it''s a life and death kind of misfortune!

    At that moment, Ning Xi''s phone rang, indicating that she had a new message.

    Ning Xi was still thinking about what the flower meant as she absentmindedly looked at her phone and after a look¡­

    She almost dropped her phone!

    "Uhh, Xiao Xi Xi, what''s wrong? What just frightened you so much?" Lu Jingli asked weakly.

    Ning Xi''s face had turned pale as if she had just seen a ghost.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned and looked over too.

    Ning Xi held her head, feeling light-headed from the message. She wanted to knock her head against Lu Jingli.

    This harbinger of doom! I''m afraid I really must be facing some misfortune in romance now!

    After a while, Ning Xi forced herself to breathe deeply. She turned to Lu Tingxiao to say, "Big Boss, I have an emergency I have to deal with. I might not be able to go home tonight. Can you take care of Little Treasure for tonight?"

    "When will you be back?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi did not know what to answer. "I¡­I''m not sure. If I can be quick, tomorrow morning. If I''mte, it might be the day after tomorrow. Whatever it is, the moment I''m done, I will immediately call to let you know!"

    Then, she hugged the Little Treasure tightly in her arms. "Baby, Aunty has some things to do and I have to leave for a while. Be good and listen to your father, okay?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl protectively. "I''ll send you."

    "Uhh, there''s no need! I''ll go myself." Ning Xi obviously did not want to say anymore, so she rushed out of the car in a panicked frenzy.

    Lu Tingxiao watched Ning Xi''s silhouette leave with a gaze that became increasingly heavy.

 Chapter 605: First Senior Brother and All That

    <h4>Chapter 605: First Senior Brother and All That</h4>

    "What did that message say? I''ve never seen Sister-inw this afraid! Could it be something dangerous?" Lu Jingli sighed, "Too bad, I didn''t sneak a peek just now!"

    When he said that, the little bun on the side instantly perked up his ears then wrote on his board: [Danger?].

    Lu Jingli quickly thought of something and asked the little bun, "Little Treasure, did you see what Aunty Xiao Xi''s message said? If you know, you must tell your father and Second Uncle, because it''s very important! I''m worried your Aunty Xiao Xi might really be in danger!"

    Little Treasure looked at Lu Tingxiao uncertainly.

    Lu Tingxiao nodded.

    This time, Lu Jingli had not said nonsense. Ning Xi did leave in an rm.

    Once he knew Aunty Xiao Xi might be in danger, Little Treasure immediately looked down and started to write.

    Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli looked over nervously.

    Little Treasure very quickly wrote the entire message content: [Meet on the rooftop tonight. ¡ª First Senior Brother]

    "Woah! First Senior Brother and all that! And even nning to meet up on the rooftop! Jesus, it can''t really be some misfortune in romance, could it? That''s not right, if that was the case, Ning Xi could just not go! Why did she rush over?" Lu Jingli felt that something was amiss but he had no idea what.

    Just as he was mumbling in suspicion, he looked up to see his brother''s face in the rearview mirror.It was at the peak of scariness. It was a thousand times scarier than when he heard Ning Xi use the seduction trick on Xi Shiqing. He was bottling his emotions in but it looked like it was ready to explode!

    "Bro¡­what is it? Is something wrong?" Looking at Lu Tingxiao''s expression, Lu Jingli felt a little guilty.

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything and made a call instead.

    When Lu Jingli saw the name of the person he was calling, he was shocked.

    Wow, why did his brother contact Jin Yiwei for? Could Ning Xi really be in danger?

    Looks like there was only one possibility: First Senior Brother was a dangrous person!

    Could it be rted to the person they had been investigating recently?

    After that, Lu Tingxiao made a second phone call and very quickly, the butler rushed over and took Little Treasure away.

    As soon as Little Treasure was taken away, Lu Tingxiao immediately floored the elerator and the car flew like an arrow.

    Lu Jingli, who was sitting at the back, almost vomited. "Oh¡­Bro, your brother, your biological brother is still in the car¡­"

    At the same time, Ning Xi tore back to Regal Riveria.

    When she reached, she did not even swing by home, directly taking the elevator to the highest floor. Then, she climbed up the stairs, pushed open the door and went up to the roof.

    Tang Ye''s message only specified a vague timing of "tonight". so she was not sure exactly what time either.

    Just to be safe, Ning Xi had rushed over as early as possible, then she sat on the ground alone with her thoughts. Worry started to build.

    First Senior Brother actually came to look for her¡­

    The senior who always remained in town with the organization and rarely left actually came to look for her personally in China¡­

    That itself was enough to frighten Ning Xi.

    What did the First Senior Brothere to China for thest time?

    Right! It was to execute an S level mission!

    Then, what about this time?

    He came a long way here. What was it for?

    Ning Xi waited from dusk till the moon came up.

    The roof was quiet, not a single movement could be detected.

    Ning Xi was about to suspect that this was a prank! If this message was from Second Senior Brother, it could be a prank. But this was First Senior Brother, so there was no way she was being fooled!

    He was really going toe. And so she waited.

 Chapter 606: Never Thought of Her As A Girl

    <h4>Chapter 606: Never Thought of Her As A Girl</h4>

    At the same time, below Ning Xi''s building in a corner with an unobscured view.

    A ck Maybach was parked quietly not too far away and a small team of armed forces were on standby, ready to attack anytime.

    As night fell, the air seemed to have frozen, everyone''s hearts tensed.

    In the dark corner, Cheng Feng''s phone suddenly rang. He was in the middle of an important mission and did not want to pick up but once he saw who was calling, he picked it up.

    "Hello, what''s up?"

    "Bro Feng, I heard you are on a mission. Why didn''t you call me?" Shi Xiao asked.

    Xiong Zhi''s voice added, "And me, and me!"

    Obviously, the two of them were together at the moment.

    Cheng Feng pinched the space between his brows. "The mission this time is rted to Miss Ning. Are you two sure you want to join?"

    There was silence from the other end of the phone.

    Then, Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi replied at the same time, "Yes."

    Cheng Feng raised his brows slightly in pleasant surprise. "It''s good that the both of you havee to understand. However, because of your performance thest time, there is no way the Boss would let you two join such missions again."

    "Then¡­then what do we do?" Shi Xiao''s constricted voice questioned.

    Damn it, protecting thedy boss! Was there a more important mission than this one?

    Much to their chagrin, they were being excluded. What was the difference from being thrown into the cold cer?

    Cheng Feng sighed, he knew that he would definitely regret it one day¡­

    "Bro Feng, help us beg the boss!" Xiong Zhi pleaded.

    Cheng Feng looked helplessly and budged a little. "I don''t have such capabilities but I can direct you guys to a possible solution. If you want to beg someone¡­then you should ask for Miss Ning''s help!"

    Shi Xiao hesitated. "Would that work? There''s no way she would help us. Xiong Zhi is not too bad, but I¡­"

    Thest time, he had offended thedy boss horribly¡­

    "Miss Ning is actually really kind, she''s very soft-hearted. If the both of you speak nicely to her, she would agree. I still have something to do here, so I can''t talk much, let''s leave it at that!" Cheng Feng was afraid of getting distracted and affecting tonight''s mission, so he quickly hung up.

    He did not want to follow after Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi''s footsteps.

    He had no idea what huge issue was happening tonight that made the Big Boss so nervous¡­

    At that moment, in Lu Tingxiao''s car.

    The screen in the middle was a live footage of the situation on the rooftop.

    Because it was infrared surveince, they had night vision to their advantage. Apart from the slightly dim light, he could still see Ning Xi''s tensed expression as shey on the terrace, waiting. Her hair billowed messily in the night wind and a never before seen solemnness was etched all over her face.

    Another two hours went by, only another half an hour before it would be 12 midnight.

    The message content had said "tonight", so shouldn''t the person they were waiting for make his appearance soon?

    If the other person actually came¡­

    On the rooftop, Ning Xi''s impatience was running out to the point that she wanted to curse.

    God damn it! This was really asking for it! Couldn''t he have given a more concrete time?

    Didn''t he know that making a girl wait is not very gentleman-like?

    Uhh, fine! These guys have never thought of her as a girl anyway¡­

    The worst thing was that even though First Senior Brother could have contacted her, she had no way of chasing him for time.

    It was always a one-way contact when it came to First Senior''s Brother. No phone could reach him and messages sent would not be received by him.

 Chapter 607: Little Junior Sister, Long Time No See!

    <h4>Chapter 607: Little Junior Sister, Long Time No See!</h4>

    Time passed by slowly in minutes and seconds. Ning Xi already lost count of the times she checked her watch.

    She looked down and saw 23:59:53¡­

    My God! He didn''t ke on her, did he?!

    It was only seven seconds away from the next day. Even if he rushed over here now, he definitely would not make it!

    Wasn''t First Senior Brother the most punctual person?

    Tick tock, tick tock¡­

    Seven, six, five, four, three, two¡­

    Just as the second hand was going to jump to 00:00, a loud roar came from above her. At the same time, there was a tornado of dust eddying around her.

    Ning Xi''s first reaction was, "Jesus! What the hell?! I wore a skirt today!"

    Ning Xi used one hand to hold down her skirt, which was pping wildly in the wind, as she looked up to the sky with squinted eyes.

    A helicopternded from the sky and stopped 10 steps away from her.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Haha, this guy was deserving of being the First Senior Brother¡­he really was punctual to the dot!

    Below.

    In the ck Maybach, Lu Jingli''s eyes widened. "Woah! I kept looking on the road but he actually came from the sky!"

    Lu Tingxiao picked up the wireless walkie-talkie without a change in his expression and ordered everyone to be on standby.

    On the rooftop.

    The propeller circled several times before it finally came to a slow stop. The air regained its silence and the dust settled. Ning Xi released the edges of her skirt.

    Behind the helicopter was a hugemp, which seemed to re so much that she almost could not open her eyes. She could only vaguely see a clear shadow disembark from the helicopter, then walk towards her¡­

    Even though it was only ten steps away, every step was like a thud on her heart, making her tremble with fear.

    She could not guess the First Senior Brother''s motives at all and that made her afraid.

    All she knew was that if Tang Ye was making a move by himself, then it must be an extremely serious and sticky matter!

    Ning Xi''s gaze sharpened as she tried her best to prepare for anything that might ur, even expecting the worst¡­

    Finally, the man was only five steps away from her.

    Because he was so close now, Ning Xi could finally see his face clearly. He wore his signature gold-framed spectacles and looked proper and polite. However, just as one might be deceived by this facade, thinking he is a vulnerable schr, one would pay thehighest price.

    Just seeing that pair of spectacles made Ning Xi terrified, so much so that her calves and belly shuddered.

    This time it must be over¡­the First Senior Brother wasn''t here to wipe her off the face of Earth, was he?

    For the past one year, she was busy with shooting films, so she did not have time to practice her skills at all. Thest time she had only managed to execute Third Senior Sister''s 100 moves.

    Even then, that was not urate. Among all, her skills were already the worst. Even if she practiced, she would not be able topare to First Senior Brother''s single finger.

    Herbat capabilities and his were too different¡­

    Five steps, four steps, three steps¡­

    Ning Xi was already considering to immediately escape or just kneel to beg. That way, her chances of survival would be much higher!

    Finally, just as she was hesitating, Tang Ye was already standing in front of her. She had lost the chance to run away, leaving only the option to kneel down and beg now.

    Across her, the light danced across Tang Ye''s spectacle., "Little Junior Sister, long time no see."

 Chapter 608: S Class Mission

    <h4>Chapter 608: S ss Mission</h4>

    The dropping of the pearls on the jade container made a clear, soothing sound.

    But to Ning Xi, they sounded as if they were voices straight from hell.

    Ning Xi took a deep breath and faced him face on, unable to keep herself calm, so she tried to y it cool. "It¡¯s been a long time indeed. First Senior Brother, why are you here?"

    For some reason, Tang Ye¡¯s face darkened upon hearing Ning Xi¡¯s question.

    Ning Xi was even more convicted of her prediction after she saw Tang Ye¡¯s expression change.

    After a short silence, Tang Ye said slowly, "S ss mission."

    Ning Xi¡¯s face went pale.

    As she had expected¡­She probably would not live past that day¡­

    Had it been a year ago, it would not matter. Even if she was surrounded by a bunch of girls and she had to die in the next second, she would have regretted nothing.

    But now, she had her dreams, her career, her friends, Little Treasure, and also¡­Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Dying was definitely not on her to-do list. Not anytime soon. Particrly when she thought about Little Treasure who was waiting for her at home, her desire to live grew even stronger.

    "First Senior Brother, are you really doing this to me, to someone of the same n?" Ning Xi tried to convince him.

    Tang Ye¡¯s eyebrows shot up as he remained silent and raised his hand.

    Just as Ning Xi was going through that nerve-wrecking moment, two men came down from the helicopter upon Tang Ye''s signal.

    Ning Xi frowned. What was happening?

    Did that beast overestimate her? Did he send not just First Senior Brother here, but even helpers to finish someone like her?

    Sweat broke out all over Ning Xi¡¯s forehead. She knew that it was useless to try convincing him anymore, so she started formting a n.

    At such a long distance, her chances of failing were high but she still had to try. As Tang Ye turned around to look at the two men, Ning Xi swiftly bolted towards the exit.

    Before she could extend her legs into her third step, she felt something fall over her and then tighten around her waist. She looked down to see a noose tied around her and before she knew it, she was yanked back to where she stood before. She rolled onto the floor and they soon bound her up in rope.

    First Senior Brother was really getting better at tying people up!

    At the same time on the lower floor, Lu Tingxiao saw a bound Ning Xi from the monitor screen, his finger anxiously hovering over the button of hismunication device, preparing to issue the order anytime.

    Lu Jingli ground his teeth in heightened nervousness. This guy on the rooftop was extremely bad news! Despite wearing a pair of sses and looking so dapper, he had cruel intentions!

    Ning Xi looked at Tang Ye who was holding the rope that bound her. "First Senior Brother, aren¡¯t you overestimating me? Surely all of this is wasting too much resources to send you just to deal with someone like me!"

    Tang Ye did not say anything and looked at her with a terrifying gaze.

    The two man beside him each held a long rectangr box and a palm-sized box.

    Tang Ye pushed up his sleeves and opened the boxes to check their contents.

 Chapter 609: Marry Me

    <h4>Chapter 609: Marry Me</h4>

    The light was too ring for Ning Xi to see the content of the boxes. She could only guess that there was some sort of weapon inside.

    After closely examining the contents, Tang Ye took the small box and retrieved something from therger box, then walked towards her.

    Although Ning Xi was not good atbat, she was an expert in escaping and she was already freeing herself as Tang Ye walked towards her.

    As she was about to break free, she suddenly froze.

    That was when she saw them. Neither a gun nor a knife. Not even any kind of weapon either¡­

    It was thergest bouquet of red roses she had ever seen¡­

    The roses still had water dew on them, as if they were freshly picked and put together, creating a perfectly round bunch of velvety red flowers.

    Ning Xi blinked and blinked again. She thought her eyes were ying tricks on her.

    Was this histest weapon?

    The Master had said before that at the pinnacle, one would not require a weapon anymore. Even if it was just a branch, a leaf, or even a single petal, you could still use it to maim and kill.

    Within just a year, First Brother Senior was already at this level? Amazing!

    "First¡­First Senior Brother¡­when did your assassination skills get this good?" Ning Xi asked in despair, giving up on her n to resist.

    Everything was futile in front of the true wielders of strength. All that was left waiting for her was death.

    Tang Ye started advancing nearer to her. He lowered himself and knelt down on one knee.

    Ning Xi felt awkward as she saw Tang Ye kneel down on one knee with a bouquet of roses in his hands. She did not know how to react.

    Question marks were written all over her face. "First Senior Brother, is this your¡­new stance? That¡¯s quite¡­refreshing! First Senior Brother, let¡¯s calm down and talk. What do I need to do to have you spare my life? Master, Second Senior Brother, and Third Senior Sister cared about me so much, they would never forgive you¡­"

    Ning Xi had no idea what she was talking about as she rattled on, trying to drag out what she thought were thest few minutes of her life.

    Tang Ye nced at her and then opened the small box in the midst of her bbering.

    A huge diamond ring was in the box, shimmering in all its glory from the reflection of the strong back light.

    Ning Xi shut her eyes to shield them from the intense re. She felt her heartbeat pick up even faster as she questioned, "Wow! Is this some sort of new weapon?"

    "Marry me."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Everything, including the air, stopped moving.

    She swore that even her heart stopped beating that moment as her mind went nk.

    But she was not alone.

    Lu Tingxiao had already pressed the button, then he saw the man kneel in front of her and he clearly lip-read what the man had said: "Marry me."

    Both Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli were shocked and speechless.

    Lu Jingli said with a stoic face, "I feellike my knowledge and experience is being remodeled everyday ever since I met Sister-inw¡­how exciting¡­"

    "Boss, your orders please! Boss! Boss?" Anxious voices called through themunication device.

    The Boss was not sure what just happened as well. There was no reply¡­

    ¡­

 Chapter 610: Whereâ€™s My Knife?!

    <h4>Chapter 610: Where¡¯s My Knife?!</h4>

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded by Tang Ye¡¯s shocker. "First Senior Brother, are you too bored from honing your skills?

    She could not believe what was happening to her right now.

    But deep down, she knew that it was a fact: First Senior Brother was proposing to her. Which was even more shocking than First Senior Brother trying to kill her!

    Tang Ye ignored Ning Xi¡¯s shocked expression and remained solemn.

    He then took a pink paper out and read it aloud in an emotionless, robotic tone, "I¡¯m willing to let you have my heart and my everything, but please spare me my eyes, for they enabled me to see you. There is nothing in me that isn¡¯t conquered by you. You took the life of every part of me and brought along their death. If I still need to lose something else, please take it, but please spare my eyes, as they enabled me to see you¡­"

    Ning Xi was confused. He sounded so odd!

    The tone of the poem sounded familiar¡­could he have adopted the principle and culture of thepany to write this? Could First Senior Brother have been pranked by someone?

    A thousand possibilities flowed through Ning Xi¡¯s mind. "First Senior Brother, may I know, if this is¡­a marriage proposal?"

    "Yes."

    Ning Xi frowned and looked lost.

    Tang Ye then quickly added, "On behalf of Satan."

    Ning Xi was rmed. She! Knew! It!

    Ning Xi took a deep breath, her chest rising up and down. "Don¡¯t tell me. Your so-called "S rank mission" is toe here and propose to me in ce of him?"

    "Yes."

    Damn it, where is my knife? Get me a knife! I''m going to kill him!

    "Your reply, please."

    She had been scared to death, yet, he still insisted for a reply?

    Ning Xi could not stand it anymore, anger starting to bubble from the pits of her stomach. "First Senior Brother, are you sure you¡¯re proposing and not torturing me? And what makes you think that you can substitute someone for a proposal? Ridiculous!"

    "Your reply please," Tang Ye repeated like a robot that was directed.

    "I refuse!" Ning Xi loosened herself from the rope at that moment.

    "Reason," Tang Ye stated.

    Ning Xi exploded, "Damn it! You made me wait a whole night and scared the soul out of me, then you tie me up¡­and propose? I¡¯ve never seen such a "special" proposal before! Now, you dare to ask me for my reason of refusal?"

    She saw Tang Ye click a pen after she finished her lecture.

    He had even brought a voice recording pen¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched as she forcefully grabbed it from him and pressed on the recording button. She roared at it, "No girl would ever like you and your stupidly low EQ. You can stay single forever!"

    She felt slightly relieved after that. But then, she saw something that turned her blood cold!

    Tang Ye handed over the flowers and diamond rings to the two men, then he raised his hands and slowly took off his gold-framed sses¡­

    Ning Xi''s heart leapt into her throat as she backed away in fear. "First¡­First Senior Brother¡­we can talk¡­you don¡¯t need to take off your sses!"

 Chapter 611: Didnâ€™t Second Senior Brother Satisfy You?

    <h4>Chapter 611: Didn¡¯t Second Senior Brother Satisfy You?</h4>

    Everyone who was close to Tang Ye understood that once he took off his sses and went into battle mode, he transformed into another persona. He would be an extremely dangerous being, pretty much a maniac!

    "What¡¯s this? Are you trying to force me now? Listen to me, First Senior Brother, you can¡¯t force your way through!" Ning Xi tried to persuade him.

    Tang Ye was like a walking weapon but the Tang Ye sans his sses was like an unsheathed sword. His eyes were full of bloodlust and even the way he spoke was different. "My dear Junior Sister, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just going to test you."

    "No! I refuse!" Ning Xi yelled immediately as she shook her head vigorously.

    Trouble wasing one after another! Why did he suddenly want to fight her?

    Tang Ye ignored her andunched into his attack.

    "Damn it! Are you for real?"

    This was Tang Ye! Not her Third Senior Sister Feng Xiaoxiao!

    If she could take on 10 of his attacks or so, she would be considered doing well but in her current state, having cked off training for a year, she might only be able to just withstand four or five attacks¡­

    Ning Xi tried to defend herself while shouting at him, "Calm down, First Senior Brother! Calm down! What¡¯s happening?! Why are you so eager for a fight? Didn¡¯t Second Senior Brother satisfy you?"

    Tang Ye became even more violent after he heard her mention Second Senior Brother. He snarled and aggressively came at her as if he was a beast that was just released from his cage after a few hundred years of imprisonment.

    Ning Xi felt something was not right. "First Senior Brother, what''s going on? I can¡¯t take it anymore! Stop¡­I can¡¯t! Really¡­no more!"

    Tang Ye¡¯s grip was already encasing her throat; she would be dead if he continued constricting her airways.

    Tang Ye was unstable at that moment, he was almost on the verge of going berserk and nearly failed to hold himself back.

    His sharp senses suddenly picked up some movement and he nced downstairs.

    He quickly let go of Ning Xi and put his sses back on while Ning Xi was still petrified as she gasped to inhale the sweet air that she longed for.

    Ning Xi panted, "First Senior Brother, what¡¯s the matter? Did anything happen to Second Senior Brother?"

    "He''s missing," Tang Ye replied curtly.

    The manic fire in his eyes extinguished after he put his sses back on and his stoic poker face returned, but there was an obvious depressive aura when he replied Ning Xi.

    "What? Missing?" Ning Xi was surprised.

    Second Senior Brother was talented and picked up everything very quickly. On the other hand, First Senior Brother was the exact opposite. He would train endlessly to the extreme to master certain skills. Only Second Senior Brother could measure up to First Senior Brother.

    Thebat warrior, First Senior Brother, always picked him to practice duelling with. With Second Senior Brother¡¯s attitude and the way he learned so well without investing much effort, Tang Ye always chose to fight him again, again, and again!

    If there was a way to describe their rtionship, it would be that they wanted to kill each other out of love.

    Naturally, if Second Senior Brother was not around, the juniors would be picked to be First Senior Brother''s practice partner.

    Like what just happened today.

 Chapter 612: Wild

    <h4>Chapter 612: Wild</h4>

    "How did he suddenly go missing?" Ning Xi frowned.

    No wonder First Senior Brother was so desperate for a fight, even when she was clearlycking training and would be no challenge to defeat at all.

    "But knowing Second Senior Brother, wasn¡¯t it normal for him to go missing for a few days? It¡¯s not unusual for him to not show up for a few weeks," Ning Xi told Tang Ye.

    In the organization, she was the closest person to Second Senior Brother. He always brought her around to do crazy things like extreme sports.

    Him not behaving wildly would be odd!

    At that point, she felt that her master was indeed very wise. When he adopted Second Senior Brother, he had christened him Tang Lang ¡­fitting indeed¡­

    "Half a year," Tang Ye replied her.

    "What?! Half a year? That long?" Ning Xi was startled. "Hmm, that does seem a little too long¡­was there no news about him in these past few months?"

    "Nope."

    Tang Ye was about to ask Ning Xi if she had been contacting Tang Lang, but from her reaction, he knew she had not.

    "Could it be that something has happened to him?" Ning Xi mumbled worriedly.

    Tang Lang was an arrogant fellow and loved to cause trouble everywhere. He was notcking in enemies and probably would bump into one even if he just left his house to dispose of his trash. Even a random dog on the sidewalk would have probably been victimized by him before.

    "He had better stay dead outside," Tang Ye said coldly.

    Ning Xi nced at Tang Ye, not believing his cruel facade for a second. "You¡¯re the one who¡¯ll miss him the most¡­"

    A while ago, in a ck car on the ground floor.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face remained unchanged, all emotions sealed within him.

    "Bro¡­are you alright?" Lu Jingli asked anxiously.

    He seriously thought about finding someone to help his brother fend off these romantic rivals¡­

    Lu Tingxiao was looking at the bright screen and instructed, "Jingli, please standby outside."

    "Why? I don¡¯t want to! You¡¯re hiding something from me!" Lu Jingli frowned, acting petntly like a child.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his brother sharply. "Be good."

    Lu Jingli was intimidated by his brother¡¯s simple words and alighted from the car but he looked back at his brother with unease the moment he left the car¡­

    Lu Tingxiao made a phone call after Lu Jingli left.

    Azy voice drawled, "Hello¡­"

    "Do it now."

    No words were spoken for a while, then a whine came through, "Boss, it¡¯s already quite a rush if I were to follow the timing we decided on earlier and you want me to do it now? It¡¯s really tough on me. You¡¯ve been torturing metely¡­"

    "Tang Ye isn¡¯t there," Lu Tingxiao said.

    Another short silence ensued before he answered, this time in a confident tone, "It¡¯s impossible for Tang Ye to leave."

    Lu Tingxiao turned on the video call and showed the other person the screen.

    On the screen, Tang Ye was kneeling on one knee in front of Ning Xi with a bouquet of roses in his hands¡­

 Chapter 613: Meet You At Our Old Meeting Spot In Philadelphia

    <h4>Chapter 613: Meet You At Our Old Meeting Spot In Phdelphia</h4>

    After he saw the screen, the man was stunned. "What the f*ck? What¡¯s wrong with Tang Ye? Has he gone mad? Damn him, he¡¯s flirting with girls behind my back!"

    "Based on my calctions, you have six hours for him to travel back," Lu Tingxiao reminded him and was about to turn off the video but the man quickly stopped him. "Wait! Hmm¡­this girl looks familiar¡­why does she look like my Little Junior Sister? She really does look like her! Little Junior Sister in a girl¡¯s outfit?! Boss, please give me a high definition version for better rity!"

    All of a sudden, Lu Tingxiao ended the call without hesitation.

    Lu Tingxiao continued staring at the screen. The shot was taken from a distance, so there was no audio. He did not know what their conversation was about but from Ning Xi¡¯s expression, she seemed to have rejected him.

    The two of them had suddenly fought inbat with each other and then came down to a discussion¡­

    In the end, Tang Ye told Ning Xi, "If he contacts you, let me know immediately."

    It really was true love between them¡­

    "Okay." Ning Xi nodded, then asked, "But how do I contact you? I can¡¯t call or message your number!"

    "I¡¯ll give you permission to, but only a message a day."

    Ning Xi was speechless. This guy was even harder to contact than the emperor.

    Tang Ye raised his hand and the helicopter behind him started whirring to life.

    Ning Xi held her skirt down as the wind churned all around her.

    Tang Ye stood there and stared at her as if he was examining an exotic creature.

    Ning Xi was confused, "First Senior Brother, what¡¯s wrong?"

    "Little Junior Sister, are you really a woman?" Tang Ye looked at her like one of the world''s wonders.

    Ning Xi¡¯s face darkened like the bottom of a burnt pot and ground out between her clenched teeth, "Don¡¯t you think your sentence doesn''t make sense? How can your Little Junior Sister be a man?"

    The girl in front of him donned a pink dress, with silky long hair whipping in the air, looking extremely feminine and surprisingly attractive.

    If he had not seen her picture in a female outfit before, he could not have possibly recognized her as Tang Xi finally announced, "I¡¯m leaving."

    However, before he stepped away, he turned around. "Can¡¯t you think about it?"

    He felt he should do more since it was an S ss mission after all.

    Ning Xi was wondering what he was going to say and did not expect this attempt of his. "No, thanks, I would like to stay alive longer!"

    Tang Ye nodded, agreeing with her point.

    Ning Xi was relieved to see Tang Ye finally leaving but Tang Ye spoke further, "Satan asked me to tell you something."

    Ning Xi raised an eyebrow coolly. "What?"

    "I¡¯ll meet you at our old meeting spot a monthter in Phdelphia." Tang Ye then boarded the helicopter without waiting for Ning Xi¡¯s response.

    The helicopter rose slowly and the wind picked up. Ning Xi looked glumly at the departing helicopter.

    Damn it! She thought she could get away with this! There was more to it¡­

    How long was she going to suffer from this?

 Chapter 614: My Brother Went On A Rampage

    <h4>Chapter 614: My Brother Went On A Rampage</h4>

    After Tang Ye left, Ning Xi felt pressured for a whole month as if she was just diagnosed with cancer by the doctor and was counting down the days till the Grim Reaper came for her.

    Meeting Tang Ye and meeting that person directly were twopletely different matters altogether. There were many unpredictable events on this journey. And she had to go.

    Ning Xi passed the days by bringing Little Treasure to different ces and having fun. She put all her effort into Spirit Studio and the promotion for "The World". She also made sure to spend some time with her grandfather.

    The post-processing for "The World" wasplete and she now had to travel to various cities to promote the movie. Everyone with experience would know that promoting was much more exhausting than acting itself.

    Ning Xueluo and Zhao Sizhou were both busy and they only went to a few main cities to promote it but Ning Xi had to follow the crew and travel everywhere. In between promoting, she spent some of her precious time discussing with Gong Shangze about the uing Golden Award Competition.

    She was not keen on preparing herself for her new acting gig yet as she was afraid that she might not be able toe back¡­

    She wished that she could have more time to spare, even skimping on her sleep to four to five hours everyday.

    She simply had too much to do in this short one month¡­

    When Ning Xi just finished one of her road shows, she received a call from Lu Jingli.

    "Xiao Xi Xi, why couldn¡¯t I reach you?" Lu Jingli asked urgently.

    "I was on the ne just now. What¡¯s up? You have 10 seconds!" Ning Xi said coldly.

    "Xiao Xi Xi, are you possessed by my brother? Why are you talking like him?" Lu Jingli asked.

    "You have seven more seconds!"

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

    "Five more seconds."

    "Please help me, Bro Xi! I know you¡¯ve been really busy recently, but I wouldn¡¯t call you if it¡¯s not urgent!" Lu Jingli quickly blurted out.

    "What happened?" Ning Xi asked.

    "My brother went on a rampage!" Lu Jingli groaned.

    "What do you mean?" Ning Xi frowned.

    "Actually, this happened half a month ago. He has been acting weird ever since you went to Fahua Temple and convinced Xi Shiqing to turn away from monkhood!"

    "Fahua Temple?" Ning Xi had been so overwhelmed with herst few weeks on Earth and she almost forgot about the entire incident. In fact, she felt like it happened eons ago.

    "Yes! And I¡¯m sorry, Bro Xi, there¡­there¡¯s been something I¡¯ve hidden from you¡­" Lu Jingli stuttered.

    "What is it? Tell me quickly! I¡¯m on my way to the studio to have some discussion with Gong Shangze. It''s the Golden Award Competition tomorrow!" Ning Xi pressed him.

    "My brother found out about what you did to Xi Shiqing in the temple!" Lu Jingli divulged swiftly.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Then, she roared into her phone, "Why would your brother know about it?! Lu Jingli!"

    "Uhh¡­"

    "Did you rat me out? You told him, didn¡¯t you?" Ning Xi would strangle him to death across the line if she could.

    Lu Jingli quickly exined, "I was going to check on the situation, but he figured it out himself that you¡¯d seduce Xi Shiqing, so I could only tell him the truth! In the end¡­tragedy broke out! My brother has been in hell mode since that day! Not only that, there¡¯s one more thing¡­"

 Chapter 615: Go And Get Me A Bottle Of Wine

    <h4>Chapter 615: Go And Get Me A Bottle Of Wine</h4>

    Ning Xi put her hand to her forehead and clenched her teeth. "Lu Jingli, you idiot! Couldn¡¯t you just have denied it?"

    She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. "What else?"

    "That midnight, at the top floor of the Regal Riveria Hotel, my brother saw someone proposing to you¡­"

    Ning Xi mped her lips tightly together, not wanting to say anything. Could there possibly be anyone unluckier than her? This was one of her worst moments ever in her life! Everything was falling out of ce! Murphy sure was going all out on her with his stupidw.

    "Bro Xi, only you can do this, I can only rely on you now!" Lu Jingli begged.

    "There¡¯s no use! What can I do?" Ning Xi said exasperatedly, iling her hand into the air.

    "Please help, Bro Xi, my brother is acting really weirdtely. I hope that you can at least talk to him. I really wanted to share his burden but he¡¯s not telling me anything¡­" Lu Jingli sounded disappointed.

    Although Lu Tingxiao always looked cold, he was a really kind and caring person beneath that steely exterior. As his only brother, he had always been protected safely under Lu Tingxiao. Despite being strict with him, he would never let him be involved in anything dangerous.

    Behind Lu Corporation¡¯s achievements lies the abyss, and Lu Tingxiao was the one who handled it, and what Lu Jingli faced was just the glory¡­

    At the airport, Ning Xi inhaled deeply and looked at the time on her phone. She asked while gging down a taxi, "Where¡¯s your brother now?"

    Lu Jingli quickly replied, "In the office! Little Treasure¡¯s here too!"

    "Got it, I¡¯ll be there in half an hour." Ning Xi sent Gong Shangze a message to let him know that she would bete, then she hopped into a taxi and went on her way to the Lu Corporation.

    It was about half a month since shest saw Lu Tingxiao. If she only had a month left to live, what she wanted most, of course, would be to spend those precious moments with the person she loved¡­

    But she had too much to be done and she did not dare to face Lu Tingxiao because she was afraid that she might not be able to control herself.

    The share prices of the Lu Corporation had been rocketing and major achievements of thepany were announced one after another, so she thought that Lu Tingxiao was doing well¡­

    At the office, Ning Xi looked at the employees and saw everyone had dark circles under their eyes, looking as if they had just crawled out from the grave. Those achievements that were strewn across the business news surely came at a high price¡­

    Lu Jingli quickly pulled her to a corner when he saw her. "Bro Xi, have you got a n?"

    Ning Xi looked at him expressionlessly. "No!"

    Lu Jingli¡¯s face went pale and he mumbled, "Void as the world, the world as void¡­I should go and be a monk as well¡­then, I can go to the heavens instead of to hell¡­"

    Ning Xi red at him and stomped on his shoe. "Go and get me a bottle of wine!"

    What a troublemaker!

    Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes shone. "Have you got a solution now?"

    Ning Xi massaged her arms which were stiff from the long period of sitting on the ne. "Quickly!"

    "Alright, just a moment!"

    Lu Jingli came back with a bottle of wine. "Bro Xi, the wine is here!"

    Ning Xi took it over from Lu Jingli, opened it and to his horror, poured it all over herself. Then, she drank a little and handed the bottle to him.

 Chapter 616: Boss, Can I Bribe You?

    <h4>Chapter 616: Boss, Can I Bribe You?</h4>

    "Bro Xi, what are you doing?" Lu Jingli asked weakly.

    Ning Xi had a terrifying expression on her face. She only uttered, "Your brother."

    She then walked towards the CEO''s office.

    Lu Jingli was speechless by the situation that had just unfolded.

    Brother? What was happening?

    Lu Jingli could only watch as Ning Xi went into the CEO''s office and he waited outside anxiously.

    The moment she got in, Little Treasure went up to her. She had not seen Little Treasure for a few days as she had been traveling for the past one week.

    She kissed him and did not want to let go but she remembered what she had to do, so she told him gently, "Baby, can you go to your Second Uncle for a while? Spare me 10 minutes here."

    Little Treasure nodded obediently and went out to look for Lu Jingli.

    Lu Jingli was nervously wringing his hands and pacing up and down nervously outside.

    10 minutes, she said? Would that be enough?

    After Little Treasure went out, Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl with his stormy eyes, his real emotions barely showing through. "You¡¯re back."

    The girl looked slimmer and her aura was slightly different as well. It seemed colder than before, conflict shing momentarily in her eyes.

    What did not change was his impulse to hug her right away¡­

    During that period of time, he thought about flying over to her ce to see her even for a single nce but he did not dare not to.

    He could not face her with the knowledge of what he had done behind her back. He knew that she was the love of his life but he had still done something that might hurt her¡­

    "Mmm." Ning Xi put down her luggage and handbag, then took off her coat and walked towards Lu Tingxiao.

    As Ning Xi came closer, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyebrows furrowed and he interrogated in a slightly unhappy tone, "Did you drink?"

    "Yeah."

    "You promised Little Treasure you¡¯d cut down on alcohol." With such a thick cloying stench of alcohol on her, she seemed to have drunk a lot.

    Ning Xi rested her palms on his table and grinned at him. "Are you going to tell on me?"

    The notches between his eyebrows deepened even more as Ning Xi disyed her indifference. "If you don¡¯t take care of yourself, I might consider putting your current work on a halt."

    Ning Xi felt bitter about this man¡¯s unique way of showing his concern. She was probably going to die soon, so what was the point of taking care of herself? What was there left to ponder so much about? She should just let herself go and not bother concealing anything anymore¡­

    Lu Tingxiao seemed very upset. He picked up the phone and was about to call Ling Zhizhi.

    "Hello¡­"

    Before Lu Tingxiao could continue any further, Ning Xi pressed down on the hang up button and cut off the line. Then, much to his shock, she suddenly closed in and pressed her lips against his¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s hand froze with the dead dial tone still beeping on the phone. His expression was indescribable and he was rigid as a statue.

    Ning Xi slowly backed away after a few seconds. She looked at him seductively with a blush creeping to the apples of her cheeks and in an innocent tone, she said, "Boss, can I bribe you?"

 Chapter 617: I Canâ€™t Sleep

    <h4>Chapter 617: I Can¡¯t Sleep</h4>

    "You¡¯re drunk," Lu Tingxiao dered as he broke out of his stupor and kept hisposure.

    "Boss, you haven¡¯t answered my question!" Ning Xi refused to give up so easily and her smoldering gaze made her act even more realistic.

    She wore a short ck dress today, fully exposing her delicious skin and her luscious corbones.

    Lu Tingxiao gulped as he averted his gaze from her and ordered coldly, "We¡¯ll talk about this after you¡¯re sober. Go and take a nap in the lounge."

    Ning Xi felt annoyed. She put in so much effort into this! And now he was acting like a saint?

    You devil, if you are going to continue acting this way, you will never ever getid!

    Ning Xi clenched her teeth and decided to take the game to the next level. "Lu Tingxiao, I can¡¯t move¡­Carry me there!"

    She even changed her way of addressing him, drawing out his name pleadingly!

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s hand slipped and he identally made a mark on the paper with his pen. He refused to look at her and dismissed her. "Go on your own."

    Damn it!

    Ning Xi was really impatient now. Her time was precious! He could at least be kinder towards her! They had not met for such a long time and he was treating her this coldly!

    Ning Xi took out her phone and pouted. "Fine! I¡¯ll get someone else to carry me!"

    Lu Tingxiao finally looked up and nced at the screen of her phone. He saw Xi Shiqing¡¯s name.

    Before Ning Xi could put the phone to her ear, she suddenly felt herself floating away from the floor.

    Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Lu Tingxiao¡¯s neck to keep her bnce and with a cunning look in her eyes, she tried her best not to grin.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression became even colder as he carried her to the lounge.

    Although he looked really unhappy, he put her down on the bed very gently.

    He then helped her to remove her shoes and pulled the sheets up to her chin, exposing only her palm-sized face and spoke to her in a warning tone, "Sleep."

    Ning Xi blinked her eyes and nodded like an obedient little child but what she was about to do was theplete opposite.

    The moment Lu Tingxiao stood up, Ning Xi yanked his hand so hard that Lu Tingxiao lost his bnce and ended up on the bed right beside her.

    To avoid him escaping, she crawled onto him and pinned him down, whining, "I can¡¯t sleep¡­Stay here with me¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao was annoyed and asked in a low voice, "Who gave you the wine?"

    He was going to kill that person!

    In the meeting room, Lu Jingli, who was with Little Treasure, suddenly sneezed multiple times. "Ugh, who¡¯s cursing me behind my back?"

    He nced at his watch. Five minutes had passed and he had no idea what was happening in the room.

    In order to ensure his own survival, however, he did not dare to peek, no matter how curious he was. He just suppressed his curiosity and imaginary situations flew around in his head. He had no idea what Ning Xi was going to do and what would happen if she failed¡­

 Chapter 618: I Switched It Off, Any Complaints?

    <h4>Chapter 618: I Switched It Off, Any Comints?</h4>

    Ning Xi looked at the man and gently caressed his face. She ran her slender fingers along his high nose, his cold eyes, his thin lips¡­

    She wanted to remember his face, every inch of it, every angr surface, every stubble¡­

    "Okay?"

    She wanted him to apany her even for just a little while longer.

    Even though he knew that she was not sober, he could not refuse her request. "Okay."

    Ning Xi gave him a satisfied smile and closed her eyes in peace.

    But after a while, she peeked at him and whispered, "I still can¡¯t fall asleep. Can you pretty please kiss me?"

    "Sleep!" With a piercing look, Lu Tingxiao pulled the sheets higher, covering her.

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi was disappointed.

    Lu Tingxiao softened when he saw Ning Xi¡¯s mournful eyes and he kissed her on the forehead. As he was preparing to leave, the girl threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips, molding her lithe body as close as she could to his¡­

    It was not his first time kissing her; he had tried many methods to get closer to her before but this was the first time she kissed him on her own ord¡­

    Lu Tingxiao felt her sweet, gentle lips undting against his as an indescribable feeling rose in him¡­

    His emotions ushered him to indulge in this sweetness while his rationale practically yelled at him. Who did she think was she kissing and who did she take him for?

    His rationale was straying further and further away, drowned out by the lust. Atst, he hugged her and was going to take the lead but she fell on his chest¡­

    Lu Tingxiao panicked and quickly helped her up, then he saw her fast asleep¡­

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    This girl acted all drunk and crazy, turned him on and now she was asleep?!

    Ning Xi was exhausted after a long flight. Even on the ne, she had been busy settling matters rted to her studio to the point that she could even fall asleep while seducing the devil. Even she did not expect this herself¡­

    While she was in her slumbend, she faintly felt a feather-like sensation on her forehead which brushed downwards to her lips. At first, it hurt slightly, then it became gentler¡­

    Ning Xi slept soundly and by the time she woke up, the sky was already dark.

    Ning Xi quickly sat up and turned on the tablemp. She checked the clock on the table - she had been sleeping for two hours! What the heck did Lu Jingli give her? Just one gulp of that wine and down she went!

    "How did I sleep for so long¡­" She thought she would just take 10 minutes. She had a lot of things to work on and she wondered if the studio tried calling her¡­

    Ning Xi quickly looked at her phone, then she realized it was switched off. "Damn! Who switched off my phone?!" She had charged her phone fully not too long ago. It was impossible for it to run out of battery so soon.

    "I switched it off. Anyints?" A cold voice suddenly came from the sofa opposite her.

    Ning Xi trembled at the voice. She slowly turned her head towards the man. "No¡­nothing¡­as you wish¡­"

    "Are you sober now?" Lu Tingxiao looked at her while closing his file.

    "Yes, very sober¡­" She knew he was going to get back at her now.

    "Then, let''s talk about your issues at work."

    As expected.

    Ning Xi remembered thest few moments before she had fallen asleep just now. Was it toote to continue seducing the devil now?

 Chapter 619: No Bribing The Boss

    <h4>Chapter 619: No Bribing The Boss</h4>

    "Look." Lu Tingxiao handed the document to her.

    "What is this?" Ning Xi took it suspiciously. "Hmm, working policy? Number one: No working more than six hours a day? Uh, isn¡¯t that too little? ording to thew, the maximum is eight working hours!"

    As she mumbled, Lu Tingxiao gave her a cold stare, so Ning Xi shut up and continued, "Number two: No overdrinking. Number three: Eat three meals a day. Number four¡­"

    Finally, Ning Xi came to thest one. "Number ten: No bribing the boss? Huh?"

    "Memorize them."

    "Oh¡­"

    Under Lu Tingxiao¡¯s supervision, only after she had memorized all ten of hismandments did he let her leave.

    She was chased out as if he was afraid that she might jump him again¡­

    Was she that terrifying?

    What she did was notpletely an act. The effects from Lu Jingli¡¯s wine was pretty strong.

    Was the devil not concerned about her seducing Xi Shiqing? She was trying to make it up to him and make him feel better but things escted so quickly and went way out of her hands, and in the end¡­

    Ning Xi felt better though as if she had taken some magical potion. She felt relieved from all her fatigue and stress, and even her steps became lighter. Come to think about it, it seemed like Lu Tingxiao hadforted her instead of the other way round.

    She had given herself too much pressure. Things were not as bad as she had thought. If the person wanted to do something against her, he had had many chances earlier. He could have even wiped her out during Tang Ye''sst visit.

    From her one year of absence, she knew that she was just an unimportant character. She vowed to settle it this time at the meeting.

    However, it would remind her of her old pathetic self by going there alone. It was not that she could not face Tang Ye or that person¡­it was her old self that she did not want to face¡­

    On the way to the studio, Ning Xi was about to call Gong Shangze when a call came in.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s excited voice came through, "Bro Xi, Bro Xi, Bro Xi, Bro Xi!"

    "Are you a broken CD yer?"

    "My brother has returned to normal! Did you guys do it?" Lu Jingli sniggered. He could only think of that possibility!

    Ning Xi¡¯s nostrils red as she scolded him, "Stop imagining things. Do you think your brother would act that fast?"

    Lu Jingli had no words to reply. He would not have thought about it since Ning Xi had said it would take just 10 minutes but in the end, Ning Xi had stayed in there for over two hours!

    Two hours was not short! However, it seemed like an eternity for his brother who had been holding in for so long!

    "Speaking of which, what kind of wine did you give me?"

    "It was an expensive one! It''s known as the one-shot-down!" Lu Jingli told her excitedly.

    "What are you trying to do by giving me a whole bottle of that?"

    "I thought you¡¯d give it to my brother and seduce him, so of course, I got you the best! Who''d have known that you would only drink a little and pour the rest all over yourself?!"

    Hmm¡­he was not wrong. She really did seduce him but not with the wine, you idiot¡­

 Chapter 620: Sis Xi, Your Boyfriend Skills Are Amazing!

    <h4>Chapter 620: Sis Xi, Your Boyfriend Skills Are Amazing!</h4>

    After talking to Lu Jingli on the phone, Ning Xi was chatting to Little Treasure when a phone call from the studio came.

    "Hello, Momo."

    "Sis Xi, something¡­something''s wrong! Something happened to Gong Shangze! Come over quickly!" the studio assistant urged, her voiceced with worry.

    "Something has happened to Gong Shangze? What is it?"

    "He suddenly fainted!"

    Ning Xi gasped, "Why did he suddenly faint? Don''t worry, I''m already on my way. I''ll be there soon!"

    That naughty child! He must have overworked himself!

    At Spirit Studio.

    The moment Ning Xi pushed the door open, she saw Gong Shangze''s ashen face in the midst of arge pile of crumpled up draft papers. The assistant, Han Momo,y beside him, sobbing her eyes out.

    "Sis Xi! You''re finally here!" Han Momo looked up at her as though her savior had just arrived. She said between sobs, "I''ve called for the ambnce but the hospital says that they''re too busy and can''t arrange for a vehicle toe over and I alone can''t seem to carry him¡­"

    Ning Xi passed her bag and handphone to the assistant then bent over and immediately lifted the unconscious Gong Shangze by the waist before putting him on the sofa bed in the lounge area¡­

    Han Momo watched as Gong Shangze was practically being carried like a bride over the threshold and her mouth turn into an "O". She eximed, "Sis Xi, your boyfriend skills are amazing!!!"

    "No¡­It''s just your director who''s so light! Didn''t I assign you to take care of him? Why does he look like he''s gotten scrawnier in thest few days?" Ning Xi scowled.

    The assistant immediately looked guilty when she heard Ning Xi''sment. "Sis Xi, I can''t seem to advise him¡­you are probably unaware that although Gong Shangze is generally a docile man, once he started working, his entire attitude changes and it''s frightening. He practically turns from a monkey into a gori. If I make so much of a sound, he would shout at me furiously. I don''t even dare to make any sound when I walk across the room, much less remind him to have his meals and rest! Sis Xi, I think it''s best if you talk to Director Gong yourself. He only listens to you¡­"

    From a monkey to a gori?

    Ning Xi was confused by the assistant''s description but agreed to her. "Fine, I''ll talk to himter."

    Then, she touched Gong Shangze''s forehead. Indeed, it was burning. "He has a slight fever¡­Momo, go to the pharmacy downstairs to buy some medicine for his fever!"

    "Okay, I''ll go now!" The assistant quickly ran down to get the medicine.

    Ning Xi and the assistant took care of him for a good part of the night before Gong Shangze finally woke up and tried to sit up.

    "Boss¡­"

    "Lie down, don''t move!" Ning Xi pushed him back down and red at him sternly. "What did I tell you right from the start? Your body is your most important asset. If you don''t have your life anymore, what use would that be? Those who didn''t know better would think that I''m a cruel boss who mistreats her employees!"

    This was karma. She finally understood how Lu Tingxiao felt. It really was difficult to be a boss¡­

    "No, you don''t. I am willing to!" Gong Shangze quickly responded.

    "Even if you''re willing, you still can''t! I''m the boss and you have to listen to me! Or else, you should just get another job!" Ning Xi emphasized harshly.

    Gong Shangze immediately panicked. "Boss, I won''t do it again! Please don''t say that."

    Seeing the youth''s haggard appearance, Ning Xi sighed, "Look at you. Can you still attend thepetition tomorrow? Since we have already discussed the flow many times, I''ll go over with Momo. You stay at home and rest well!"

    "Boss, I have to go! It''s already the finale! I''m fine, I won''t have to do much then. I only need to watch the models on stage to make sure they don''t make any mistakes."

 Chapter 621: The Biggest Competition Was Himself

    <h4>Chapter 621: The Biggest Competition Was Himself</h4>

    Gong Shangze persisted, "Even though I have tried my best, but the likelihood of us winning this time is quite low. The award is so important this time around. I am sure that David will definitely choose my favorite work."

    Ning Xi''s face darkened. To Gong Shangze, this was an arduous battle. Because hispetition was not anyone else; it was himself.

    "Don''t worry, as long as you''ve done your best, that''s enough. Even if you don''t make it this time, there will be a next time and another next time. One day, you will definitely defeat your demons from the past. You have unlimited possibilities, while the other rival only has a pile of design drafts that will run out one day. There is nothing to be afraid of, Gong Shangze!"

    Gong Shangze looked at the girl''s shining eyes and felt recharged with gusto. He nodded at her confidently.

    "Okay, rest well then. There''s still a hard battle to fight tomorrow!"

    ¡­

    The next day at the Golden Award venue.

    As the highest honorary award of Chinese fashion design, the venue was decorated luxuriously and had a magical vibe to it.

    The seats were hung a meter above the ground and the lights were divided into five colorful strobes, glowing onto the T-shaped stage that was inspired by Noah''s Ark.

    Passes to thepetition were hard to get since everyone present was well-known within the fashion circle. Even Ning Xi received an invitation only because she was the owner of the studio which submission was shortlisted and not because she was a celebrity.

    Ning Xi walked in with Gong Shangze and Han Momo, poised. Just a few steps into the venue, they found that the path ahead of them had been blocked.

    Thepetition had yet to start, but the photographers and reporters were already crazily surrounding the hot designer highly anticipated to take home the award, David. The shutters of their cameras clicked away and they were scrambling to ask him questions.

    "David, are you confident to win the award this time around? Everyone''s saying that this Golden Award will definitely be yours!"

    "We heard that thest Golden Award winner, Teacher Lee Ming, also predicted that you would take home the award! Is that true?"

    "This time, there are many seniors from the entertainment circle present and a number of them are your fans. They are even wearing your designs here to support you today. Do you have anything to say about that?"

    ¡­

    David looked overbearing and confident in his straight posture. Facing the reporters surrounding him, he looked calm as he answered, "Every design is my heartfelt work. Naturally, I am confident about them. However, it is, after all, apetition, so we still need to leave it to the judges'' evaluations! As for Teacher Lee Ming, he is also a senior that I respect very much and I thank him for hispliments. And, of course, not forgetting all the love from the beautifuldies!"

    When they heard this, Ning Xi and Gong Shangze didn''t react but Han Momo exploded, "Pfft! This person is so shameless! What heartfelt work? Whose heartfelt work is it really?"

    When she was first hired, Han Momo did not know who Gong Shangze was. It was only after she saw his designs that she thought they looked familiar.

    Due to the fact that giarizers were deemed the scum of all designers in the world of design, she could not help but harp on Gong Shangze copying David''s style and other malicious things. She started to look down on Gong Shangze. Despite his assistant''s negativity then, Gong Shangze did not rebut at all and he continued to design from dawn till dusk.

    After interacting with him over some time, she slowly realized that something was not right. Gong Shangze was practically designing with his life at stake. That did not seem like what a giarizer would have done.

    It was only after she bugged Ning Xi for a long time that she knew the ugly truth¡­

 Chapter 622: The Most Perfect Work

    <h4>Chapter 622: The Most Perfect Work</h4>

    No thanks to David, the doorway was blocked for over 10 minutes before the reporters finally dispersed to interview the other participants.

    Gong Shangze was an unfamiliar face to the industry, plus he wore a mask since he was not feeling well that day, so naturally, no one paid him any attention. Nevertheless, the trio was happy to be left alone by the media vultures and they immediately rushed backstage to get prepared.

    When Gong Shangze passed by, David eyed his back suspiciously. However, he kept his gaze short and continued to chit chat to the surrounding designers who were brownnosing him.

    Backstage, models were busy getting dolled up and some even walked around in their underwear only. There were many male designers and assistants present, but everyone was already used to it.

    Because this was a new situation to Gong Shangze, some distress rose in his eyes. However, when he started to turn his focus on the clothes the models paraded, his hawk eyes shone brightly.

    "Wow¡­so many models with such amazing figures! Even a girl like myself is drooling!" Han Momo swallowed, her head whipping about to catch everyone in their glory.

    At that moment, a bold model walked towards their direction in skyscraper heels and snapped, "Move it! Don''t block the way!"

    The model who was getting changed in front of Gong Shangze was shoved by her and her dress was about to be stepped on¡­

    It was a good thing that Ning Xi was quick with her hands and feet. She grabbed the model by the waist and stabilized her as she wobbled. Not only would she have tripped, even the dress would have been ruined otherwise.

    "Hey! What''s wrong with you? You almost ruined our dress!" Han Momo was high-strung as she immediately pulled the offending model to a halt.

    The snobbish model looked at their outfit. Just a single nce was obvious that their design was close to David''s. She instantly looked condescendingly at them and sneered, "Just a piece of junk that was so obviously ripped off! You''d best believe that I can disqualify you from thepetition at the snap of my fingers! Move it!"

    Han Momo wanted to argue but then recognized her as the world famous model, Angie. She was a familiar face in the industry and was closely connected to the organizers of the award. On an asion such as today, insulting her was thest thing to do, so she could only purse her lips and suppress her anger.

    "Angie, dearest,e over quickly. It''s time to change!" someone called for her from afar.

    Angie immediately broke into a smile and walked over. "Oh my, Director David, this dress is unbelievably gorgeous!"

    "Isn''t it? I told you so. You''ll definitely love it!" David pped his hands in delight.

    "Mmm, I love it, alright! Only you can surprise me every time! No wonder even Teacher Lee said that the Golden Award will definitely be yours this time!" Angie purred, then she looked over at Gong Shangze and continued, "But the standards of the Golden Award is really deteriorating over the years. After all, how can a piece of work look like so simr to this too? Just now, someone wanted to pick a fight with me, but their dress was obviously a copy of your style! Way too funny!"

    David adopted the attitude of an experienced professional andughed generously, "Haha, the industry is like that, you''d best get used to it!"

    Angie yed around with the material of the outfit in her hand and fell deeper in love with it the more she looked at it. "Teacher David, you''re amazing, every dress you create is so different! You were practically born to design! You deserve Teacher Lee''s praises. You''re always getting copied but no one can ever surpass you!"

    ¡­

    The moment he saw the outfit in David''s hands, Gong Shangze instantly turned pale.

    "What''s wrong, Director Gong?" Seeing Gong Shangze not looking quite right, Han Momo quickly peered at him worriedly.

    Ning Xi frowned. "This David is really ruthless. He actually chose the same one¡­"

    Gong Shangze had mentioned that outfit to her before. She even remembered how thrilled and proud he looked when he mentioned that design.

 Chapter 623: Even If Bitten, I Will Report!

    <h4>Chapter 623: Even If Bitten, I Will Report!</h4>

    Gong Shangze quavered as his hands trembled slightly, "That was a design from the peak of my inspiration and it was my most perfect work. The theme of it is life and there are six outfits from that series. David had just enough of them to use for thispetition¡­"

    Ning Xi wanted to console him, but Gong Shangze took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He consoled Ning Xi instead, "Boss, thepetition is about to start. You go out first, I''lle after!"

    Seeing his calm confidence, Ning Xi patted his shoulders. "Okay, call me if there''s anything. Momo, you look after him well. If he''s feeling sick or ufortable anywhere, immediately inform me!"

    "Understood, Sis Xi! Even if Director bites me, I will be determined to report him to you!"

    "Good, report all you want, Sis Xi will support you!"

    Listening to the two of them, Gong Shangze looked helplessly at them, but in his cold-blooded bones, he felt a ripple of warmth.

    He carefully took out the outfit for thepetition and his radiance beamed from his face¡­

    ¡­

    Thepetition was about to begin and the venue was bustling with anticipation.

    After the reporters had finished interviewing the participants, they mbered to interview the famous names from the industry.

    Recently, ''The World'' was heavily promoted to be showing in theatres soon. As the main female character, the probability of expos¨¨s and topics about Ning Xueluo was naturally very high. Plus, just as David was the predicted winner of the Golden Award, Ning Xueluo was the owner of History, so most of the reporters had surrounded her.

    "Miss Ning, how did you discover David? Could you share your story with us?" the reporters quickly asked what they thought would be thergest scoop for the public to feast on.

    Ning Xueluo smiled demurely and said, "If you really want to talk about being a good judge of talent, it''s actually not me. My boyfriend first discovered David. It was onlyter on when I looked and decided that he was not too shabby, so after some discussion with him, we decided to invest¡­"

    "That''s actually such an interesting story! That means you and your boyfriend are really connected telepathically! Even both your judgments are spot-on!"

    "''The World'' has yet to be released but there is already so much attention given to it. The box offices will definitely sell well then! In fact, we heard that ''The World'' will be nominated for quite a few prestigious awards. Wow, Xueluo, you''ve got a fantastic harvest this year!" one of the more familiar reportersplimented.

    "Hahaha, yeah, I''ve even thought in advance about the headline for when Xueluo wins the title!"

    ¡­

    The reporters only went back to their seats when the host announced that thepetition was going to begin.

    Ning Xi was slightly further from the main sitting area, leaning in a corner. While the host started her opening script, she had closed her eyes to rest for a while when suddenly an annoying voice was heard.

    "Eh¡­isn''t this Ning Xi, the big star, Ning Xi? Are you here to watch thepetition too? Didn''t you know that you need an entrance ticket for today? Be careful not to get chased out for crashing!"

    The person who spoke was Li Yueling and she was holding on to Ning Xueluo''s arm.

    Vexation from being disturbed shed across Ning Xi''szy eyes and she slowly raised her gaze to look at Li Yueling, exaggerating with a shocked expression, "Miss Li, have you switched jobs to be part of security now?"

    Li Yueling was stunned, then she shouted angrily, "You''re the one who''s the security guard!"

    Ning Xi nodded like realization just dawned on her. "Oh, sorry, turns out I''m being a busybody. I misunderstood."

    "You¡­!!!" Li Yueling sputtered in indignation.

    Ning Xueluo reminded kindly, "Ning Xi, Yueling is just being nice. All the seats are reserved, you can''t simply sit anywhere you like¡­"

 Chapter 624: Wait For The Results

    <h4>Chapter 624: Wait For The Results</h4>

    Ning Xi just shut her eyes, weary to waste another second on these people.

    Li Yueling pulled Ning Xueluo away and walked towards the VIP seats. "Forget her, since she will be the one embarrassed and not us! I can''t believe she would dare toe to a ce like this. Does she even know what fashion is?"

    Ning Xueluo hesitated, "Maybe she really did receive an invite?"

    Li Yueli immediately said with a convinced expression, "No way! Today''s seats are hard toe by, even my mother only got it after begging from so many people. I almost couldn''t apany you here!"

    "Her rtionship with Lu Jingli seems pretty good¡­" Ning Xueluo said intentionally.

    Li Yueling''s face stiffened. "I don''t think so. Otherwise, with Lu Jingli''s capabilities, he could have definitely arranged a front row VIP seat. Why would she sit in a nook like that?! These kind of people are simply disgusting! She''s everywhere!"

    She scoffed, "Okay, let''s not talk about her anymore. Xueluo, when the award ceremony is overter, let''s go straight to the Royal Jazz Hotel. I''ve already booked a room for you guys to celebrate!"

    Ning Xueluo shot her an angry look. "We still don''t know if we''ll win the award!"

    "Why don''t you know? I''ve already asked around. Among the shortlisted works this time around, your designs are the most talked about one. The highest award must be yours!" Then, she closed in towards Ning Xueluo''s ear mysteriously and said softly, "I''ve gotten my mom to inquire for you, the Golden Award this time is David''s. Don''t worry!"

    Ning Xueluo''s eyes gleamed when she heard this but she was still humble. "Best to talk after the results are out!"

    As she said this, David took his seat too. Li Yueling immediately teased him, "Hey, our talent is here! After winning the award this time, tons of people will try to hire you, won''t they?"

    "Beauty Lee, look at you. My boss is the reincarnation of my parents! Even if I had wings to fly to the sky, I would never leave the boss!" David had always been an opportunist and his brownnosing skills were top notch.

    On the other side, Gong Shangze and the assistant sat beside Ning Xi.

    "Everything settled?"

    "Mmm." Gong Shangze nodded, he had done all he could. Now, he could only wait for the results.

    Very soon, the host''s opening speech had ended and thepetition officially began.

    On the T-shaped stage, after a round of the dazzling lights twinkling, the first participant''s designs were paraded on stage.

    The screen disyed a lengthy paragraph by way of introduction. "Yagyu, the winner of the 17th Chinese fashion Golden Awards. Member of the Chinese Fashion Designer Association, Member of the Art of Fashion council, previously granted the titles of ''Outstanding Fashion Designer'' and ''Top Ten Best Fashion Designers''."

    Yagyu''s theme was the 12 Chinese zodiacs totem elements, catching the attention of everyone.

    However, after a short burst of admiration, everyone immediately sensed that they seemed very familiar.

    "Pfft, even Yagyu is out of talented designers? This is obviously David''s style!"

    "Since David made the Chinese style trendy, everyone started to follow suit with Chinese elements. It''s so overdone!"

    "The point is that those people were intentional with their designs. Look closely and you will notice that they are all not outstanding, theypletely missed David''s natural flow and spontaneity!"

    ¡­

    As Han Momo listened to the criticisms around her, she felt herself breaking out in cold sweat. Just impersonations were already abused like that. Wait till Director Gong''s designs came out. How harshly would they be criticized?

 Chapter 625: Do Your Designs Have To Be So Good?

    <h4>Chapter 625: Do Your Designs Have To Be So Good?</h4>

    The trio watched the other participating designs patiently and soon, it was finally their turn to disy their pride and joy on stage.

    However, to their utter confusion, the next girl that strutted on stage was not their model but another participant''s!

    "What''s happening?" Ning Xi stared incredulously.

    Han Momo quickly said, getting to her feet, "I''ll go backstage to ask!"

    Very soon, Han Momo returned with tears welling up and said between pants, "The organizers said that we have been rearranged to be thest to go on. When I asked them why, they actually dared to tell me that goingst will be even better since we can be the finale. But, the second from thest to be on stage is David. Our design is already very simr to theirs and now they have intentionally put us right after them. Forget about winning any award; we will definitely be criticized to ashes!"

    They had no doubt that this move was probably executed by that model, Angie. That woman was notorious in the industry for being rude and unreasonable. One wrong move and she would stir trouble up for you.

    Atst, it was Gong Shangze who consoled them nonchntly, "No problem, if my designs are really considered to be the work of giarism, the arrangement doesn''t really matter anyway."

    Thepetition was based on points system on the spot. The six judges would total up an average score assigned to the design. Thus far, out of all the designs that had been presented, five of them had already received scores above nine. Thepetition was very tight among all of them and tension was high.

    Unfortunately for Yagyu, even though he had put in a lot of thought to his work, he only received seven points. It was apparent that the judges did not really like his mere following of the trend.

    At that moment, the venue suddenly burst into a frenzy of whoops of admiration and the rapid clicking of cameras.

    It was David''s turn to shine.

    Even Ning Xi, Han Momo and Gong Shangze himself were very fascinated by the models on stage. Of course, the most dazzling piece was worn by Angie. The long dress was loaded with flowers like theing of spring, instantly giving the onlookers an energetic vibe. The vintage embroiderybined with modern dimensional tailoring worked to fuse the old and the new as well as the East and the West, sessfully showing off the perfect merging of traditional culture and modern fashion. It also fully corresponded with the theme of "Life".

    With such an internationally acimed model as Angie, high-quality brocade material, and one of the finest silks in the world, the star piece stood out and dulled everything else. Ning Corporation sponsored the jewelry worn by the models and the bling on them only served to highlight how avant-garde the line was. David''s entire line could only be described with one word: perfect!

    Every dress made the crowd have the urge to buy it on the spot. The female celebrities and socialites already started to get their connections to order the clothing from the series.

    Even though it was Gong Shangze''s design, Ning Xi was aware that the more the designs were praised, the worse Gong Shangze felt.

    Just as she was about to console him, she saw a huge and frightening burn mark on his hand. She asked sternly, "What''s wrong with your hand?"

    Gong Shangze instantly shrunk. "Nothing, I was just not careful¡­"

    "You were just checking the pieces. How could you carelessly burn your hand like this? Momo, what happened?" Ning Xi turned to ask Momo with a threatening re.

    Momo looked lost. She rambled, "Uhh, I don''t know either! Just now, Director Gong said he had a little more to wrap up, so I came over to look for you first. I don''t know what happened either¡­"

    "Boss, it''s really nothing!"

    As they were talking, David''s score was revealed.

    Han Momo looked at the score and was instantly filled with hopelessness. "Nine¡­nine point nine! Director Gong, should I praise you? Do your designs have to be so good? There''s been so many designs out already but there has never been such a high score. The highest score was only nine point six! You¡­you''re just too much!"

 Chapter 626: The Last Participant

    <h4>Chapter 626: The Last Participant</h4>

    Ning Xi did not know whether tough or cry. It seemed like being too talented was also a frustration!

    Gong Shangze''s work not only had a solid theme, it even included the appreciation of culture, making it perfect for a huge award like this. With such the team''s strength and the best resources, it was no wonder the judges loved it.

    The apuse in the venue was bing increasingly thunderous and half of the people offered David and Ning Xueluo a standing ovation in between congrattions. All the reporters had also turned their cameras towards him, ready to shoot the scene of him going up the stage to ept the coveted award.

    David looked delighted as he stood up and thanked everyone,unching into humble courtesy words, "You all have held me in too high of a regard, this is the oue of the entire team''s efforts! Especially my boss, Miss Ning Xueluo. If not for her, there would not be the David you see today!"

    Ning Xueluo smiled. "Don''t be so humble, you are the soul and core of our studio."

    Now that David had snagged such a huge award, Ning Xueluo would naturally be kinder in order to make him stay and be loyal to her.

    Just as David rearranged his outfit and was ready to step out to receive his award, the host suddenly announced, "Everyone, please don''t rush, we still have onest participant!"

    "What? There''s one more? What''s happening?"

    "Just give out the award already! Isn''t this a waste of time?"

    "There''s no choice. That''s howpetitions are. We''re too impatient, let''s just wait for the entire show to finish! The results are set after all and I could use this time to prepare the content for the interviewter!"

    ¡­

    When he heard the host, David stopped mid-step to the stage and he looked slightly awkward. Then, he suddenly remembered that Angie had secretly told him that she moved the copycat to be thest. When he recalled this, he regained his good-natured expression and sat down again.

    When that participant''s work appeared on stage, not only would it be a good opportunity to make him look better, he could also use the opportunity to shut down the other crazies who kept copying his trends, thus killing two birds with one stone.

    Ning Xueluo also did not seem rushed at all. After all, the award was already in the bag. The few participants who could be deemed anypetition had already finished earlier, so what was left would just be a sideshow to elevate their performance.

    All the female celebrities and socialites present were cozying up to Ning Xueluo while the designers surrounded David and the cameras were solely focused on David. Even the judges had already started packing up and were preparing to leave.

    When the final participant''s work came on stage, almost nobody paid it any attention¡­

    Gong Shangze did not seem very well; his fever had worsened while his breath began toe in ragged pants. The burn mark on his hand had not been treated either, probably because he kept hiding his pain.

    Ning Xi held him up as he was shaking unstably. "Hold on for a little while more, we can go home very soon!"

    She had wanted Momo to bring him home immediately, but she knew very well that he would definitely want to see the final oue.

    She had seen Gong Shangze''s participating design and was blown away by it. If "Life" had not been presented, he definitely would win the first ce. But with "Life" going up before them, not only would they not bag any awards, they would even fail horribly¡­

    With a loud zap, the bright lights that were meant toplement the theme of "Life" previously suddenly dimmed down. The music also changed into a low and deep tune, which was almost depressing, making those who listened to it feel ufortable.

 Chapter 627: Full Score Ten Points!

    <h4>Chapter 627: Full Score Ten Points!</h4>

    Shortly after the prologue, the music suddenly turned into a high and the venue started to turn dark.

    The first model then stepped out.

    The ssic red gown was elegant and bedazzling as if what was worn on her was not a dress but a blood-red sun setting on the horizon. The details were a result of Gong Shangze''s expertise with Chinese elements such as traditional embroidery and cloud motifs.

    Even though it was very attractive, whenpared to David''s luxurious design earlier, it was practically a wallflower, even making the crowd tired of evaluating the aesthetics.

    Everyone present just skimmed a look at it before scoffing. However, when the dress came into the brighter area and its entire look was revealed, everyone''s gaze was fixed onto it!

    Even Ning Xi was shocked herself. "How!?"

    Gong Shangze''s designs that he had submitted were still his originals. They were Sunset, Aurora, Cherry Blossom, Waves, Snowy Forest, and Starry Night Sky. Six types of dresses carrying elements of nature as the color palette, supplemented by Chinese traditional techniques.

    However, what was special was that every dress had different degrees of burns¡­

    The trace of burns did not look like ws. In fact, it unexpectedly disyed an unusually special decadent elegance, instantly stealing everyone''s attention!

    After a while, everyone finally regained their senses and started pping. The awed photographers used their keen skills and quickly aimed their cameras towards the stage.

    "Oh, wow. Burn marks! The ones on that red dress are so beautiful! It gives me the feeling of a princess who is lonely but remains elegant!"

    "That sea blue mermaid dress is so gorgeous too! The tail has been burnt to almost nothing, but it''s tragically beautiful! Makes me think of the tale of the little mermaid princess!"

    "So unique! But how did they think of this?"

    ¡­

    More and more people started looking towards the stage, every one of them astonished.

    After a while, the screen flickered with the theme of the participating work: Nirvana.

    "Brilliant! Too brilliant!" One of the judges immediately stood up emotionally, holding his hand to his chest and tears welling up in his eyes.

    "It is indeed a wonderful idea. It''s been so long since we''ve seen such spirited work!"

    "Haha, this newbie''s got guts! But I like it!"

    ¡­

    Because of the way it was presented, everyone''s attention was focused on how brilliant the theme was and no one noticed the Chinese elements.

    Ning Xi was moved beyond words. No wonder Gong Shangze''s hand was burnt, he had actually¡­

    How much determination did he need to personally burn his hard work of more than half a month?

    Giving it life after death was deserving of the meaning of the designs and its new theme: Nirvana Reincarnated.

    The host of the award ceremony came from a fashion design background. He stared at thest design for a long time before regaining his senses and remembering he had a job to do. He lightly coughed and said, "Up next, let''s see the scores from our judges!"

    One after another, the judges raised their scoreboards.

    The first judge: 10 points!

    The second judge: 10 points!

    The third judge: 10 points!

    ¡­

    There were five 10 points in a row!

    Finally, it came to thest judge, Qu Guanyang, who had the reputation of being a picky Chinese designer.

    Earlier for David''s work, he had given the lowest score. He had been a judge for the past eight events and was famous for being stringent. He had never once given a full score!

    At that moment, everyone''s gaze was fixed on Qu Guanyang''s hand.

    After a torturous wait, he slowly revealed his scoreboard: 10 points!!!

 Chapter 628: My Baby Ze Is Awesome

    <h4>Chapter 628: My Baby Ze Is Awesome</h4>

    "10 points! Our final contestant¡¯s score¡­is a full 10 points! Oh my God! It really is 10 points! This is amazing! Even our strictest judge, Teacher Qu, gave full marks! This is unexpected! A dark horse has appeared at the end of ourpetition!" The host was really excited.

    Han Momo screamed from her seat and hugged Gong Shangze tightly. "10 points! It¡¯s 10 points! Wow! This is unbelievable! Director Gong, you¡¯re really amazing! I¡¯m going to be a die-hard fan of yours from now on!"

    Ning Xi gave Gong Shangze a pat on his shoulder, beaming impressed. "My baby Ze is awesome!"

    "After numerous rounds of fiercepetition, our Golden Award winner has emerged. Now, we¡¯d like to invite ourst contestant, Mr. X, toe up to the stage and receive the prize! That¡¯s right, this contestant used an anonymous name to enter and I¡¯m really curious who this mysterious contestant is!" The host was very experienced at stirring up the crowd and already started creating a hot topic for everyone to gossip about.

    Everyone at the scene started to return to their senses.

    "Wow! What¡¯s happening?"

    "Who¡¯s X? Where did hee from?"

    "Who knows, the screen only says ''the design director from Spirit Studio'' and nothing else, not even his real name!"

    "Spirit Studio? Who¡¯s the owner? I¡¯ve never heard of it before!"

    ¡­

    Thepetition allowed anonymous entries and many people used pseudonyms as well.

    Ning Xi did not really delve further into it when Gong Shangze mentioned that he wanted to use a pseudonym for his entry. She let him decide, thinking that he probably wanted to only announce himself after he became sessful which was understandable.

    "X¡­" Han Momo thought for a while, then she realized in excitement. "Wow! X! Sis Xi, it¡¯s your initial, isn''t it?"

    "Huh? My initial?" Ning Xi did not think about it at all.

    "Mm hmm." Gong Shangze nodded shyly.

    "Oh dear, my little baby is such a sweetheart!" Ning Xi was genuinely touched.

    ¡­

    The moment the score was up, David stood up with his mouth quirking in fury, his veins visibly bulging out on his forehead.

    He was staring straight at the six dresses and as he zoomed into the tiny details on the dresses carefully, his eyes were filled with fear.

    These designs were so familiar¡­especially how the details were handled¡­

    X¡­

    Could it be¡­

    No! Impossible!

    Gong Shangze knew nothing aside from design, so he could not have possibly survived by himself. He did not even have a penny on him when he left. He was probably chased out by thendlord and begging on the streets by now, so how could he be back here participating in the Golden Award?

    Plus, he was a design major and would never do something as shady as this.

    "How could it be?! David lost!" Li Yueling eximed in shock.

    "It was just some oundish work!" David clenched his teeth in irate anger.

    Ning Xueluo did not care about the designs at all. She was only concerned about the results. She was embarrassed and red at David coldly. "Didn¡¯t you say there wouldn¡¯t be any problems? How could you lose to a nobody?"

 Chapter 629: By Oneâ€™s Capabilities

    <h4>Chapter 629: By One¡¯s Capabilities</h4>

    David clenched his teeth and hid his panic. "I¡¯ll handle this, Ms. Ning, don¡¯t worry!"

    He then signaled to a few people in the crowd. The few designers who had been relying on David''s resources understood what he meant and they started toin¡­

    "Objection! So one can win an award by giarising another''s design and burning it? Isn¡¯t it too easy?"

    "That¡¯s right! Anyone here could burn some clothes! Shouldn¡¯t everyone get a prize then?"

    "That was just some oundish design!"

    ¡­

    After the string ofints was released, the other designers could not keep it down anymore. They might still be alright if they were to lose to David, but it was harsh on their pride to lose to a newbie and they started to suspect thepetition¡¯s fairness.

    "What are the judges doing? Were they bribed?"

    "I¡¯m disappointed, I didn¡¯t think Qu Guanyang would stoop this low as well!"

    "We want a rematch!"

    ¡­

    The host was at a loss. He tried to calm the audience down but failed awkwardly. Following David''s nting of theints, chaos ensued. A few judges panicked and looked at Qu Guanyang.

    "Teacher Qu, what do you think we should do? Should we reassess the designs?"

    "We were really surprised just now, but now that I look at it, awarding a full 10 points doesn¡¯t really seem appropriate!"

    "That¡¯s right, David has a big influence in the industry and it might affect this award¡¯s reputation if we handle this badly!"

    ¡­

    Qu Guanyang sneered at them, "Are you guys okay? Who are the judges, us or them? If all of them were experts, then why are we needed here? And why are you guys even sitting up here? Just a few words are enough to change your decision. What kind of judge are you?"

    The few judges were embarrassed and stopped talking.

    Later, Qu Guanyang picked up the microphone, "Well, well, it seems like someone¡¯s questioning my judgment!"

    "That¡¯s because you¡¯re being really unfair this time! This is obviously giarism! Some random burning isn¡¯t enough to cover it up!" someone from the crowd expressed, full of rage.

    Qu Guanyang looked at the crowd coldly and dered expressionlessly, "Firstly, all of you have been talking about giarism, but what¡¯s the definition of giarism? Chinese trends, traditional elements, anyone cane up with these. This is a publicly avable theme, not an exclusive design. It¡¯s based on one¡¯s capabilities to make it look exceptional.

    "Secondly, can all of you burn it too? Did any of you think about it? Who thought about it? What did you do? Why didn¡¯t you do it before if you have thought about it?"

    Qu Guanyang¡¯s question rendered the designers speechless.

    They realized they were being unreasonable. While it was true that anyone could do it, it was difficult toe up with the idea and execute it, which was why it caught everyone by surprise.

    "Even if you say so, based on overall abilities, that anonymous X is nowhere near David!" someone yelled out, still not convinced.

    Qu Guanyang used an even harsher tone and stared coldly into the crowd. "As designers, all of you don¡¯t understand what you are doing. What is the purpose of this award?"

 Chapter 630: Who Is It?

    <h4>Chapter 630: Who Is It?</h4>

    Qu Guanyang had a powerful aura and the crowd murmured quietly, "Fashion design¡­"

    "That¡¯s right, it¡¯s an award for fashion design! The most important part of this award isn¡¯t about the model, the materials, or the skills. Ites down to ideas and creativity!

    "The Golden Award selects the best designer, not the best model, the most expensive materials, or the most famous designer! If it were based on those criteria, anyone can be a designer! Why would all of you be needed? As decoration?"

    Qu Guanyang was really sharp-tongued, he did not hold back at all. Everyone could not look at him straight in the eye.

    He then stared at David''s direction and loudly stated, "The Golden Award has been organized for the 23rd year in a row. Our processes are transparent and will not be affected by any third parties. It was like this in the past, it is how it is now and how it will be continued in the future. We detest those who try to manipte the results. Anyone is weed to oversee our judging process!"

    His words were clearly meant to criticize David¡¯s behavior for attempting to change the results using his power andwork.

    Anyone could easily imagine that a new designer from an unknown studio could not possibly bribe all six judges, while David was forcing the judges to change the result in his favor.

    Suddenly, the other contestants and photographers saw the sense in what Qu Guanyang was saying. They all looked at David critically¡­

    "Qu Guanyang is right. The designers who were voicing out their opinions just now were trying to look for trouble! Evenymen like us were surprised. How could you say the design was bad?"

    "I¡¯ve always felt that David was too arrogant. What¡¯s wrong with following the Chinese trend? Even if it was trending because of him, he was not the first one to create it. It¡¯s just as Teacher Qu said -anyone can do it! He made it sound like he invented it and anyone who follows is giarising him!"

    "The award he expected to fall into hisp just disappeared. Of course, he¡¯d panic! Do you know how much this award can bring to him?"

    "Hmm¡­it makes sense. Most of the awards are so superficial nowadays but Golden Award is one of the more prestigious ones!"

    ¡­

    After Qu Guanyang spoke up, the other judges who panicked from the uproar started to calm down. They then exined their reasoning behind the score they assigned and a unanimous conclusion was made.

    "With that, all of us decided that this Golden Award goes to designer X from Spirit Studio!"

    A thunderous round of apuse roared throughout the venue.

    Some of the invited female celebrities were really excited. The fashion industry was used to quick changes. As soon as a fresh new design was presented, it instantly caught their attention and everyone would want to get their hands on a piece of it.

    The celebrities who were gathering around Ning Xueluo just now were now waiting to see who this mysterious designer was.

    The host cleared his throat and invited, "Now, we¡¯ll have designer X toe up onto the stage!"

    The female host was smiling with the trophy in her hands, expecting the designer to be a tall, handsome man.

    At that moment, everyone was looking around, curious to see who this dark horse was.

    Especially David who could not suppress his abhorrence towards the winner.

    Who? Who was it?!

    It was impossible that he did not know such a person within the industry!

 Chapter 631: Is She Even Legal Yet?

    <h4>Chapter 631: Is She Even Legal Yet?</h4>

    When everyone was expecting designer X to go on stage, something happened.

    Gong Shangze passed out.

    He was already suffering from a fever before, toughing it out, then he could not take it anymore.

    The host was urging for the mysterious designer to go on stage. Han Momo panicked. "What to do now, Sis Xi?"

    Ning Xi touched Gong Shangze¡¯s burning forehead and helped him to lean on her shoulder. "I¡¯ll bring him to the hospital. You take the prize for him."

    "Huh? Me?" Han Momo was shocked, her jaw left hanging.

    In the end, Han Momo hopped up the stage like a bunny, almost tripping from her nervousness and outdoing everyone''s expectations.

    And her outfit today¡­

    She wore a lolita-style dress and looked like a cute Japanese doll.

    "What the heck? Nirvana Reincarnated''s designer is a little girl? This doesn¡¯t make sense!"

    "Such a grand style. Even if it¡¯s not a man, might as well be a grown woman! Is she even legal yet?"

    ¡­

    "Uh, you¡¯re¡­Nirvana Reincarnated''s designer, X?" the host asked in surprise.

    Qu Guanyang raised his eyebrows and touched his chin to ask, "Are you here in someone else¡¯s stead?"

    His instinct from his experience in the industry told him that she was not the designer for Nirvana Reincarnated.

    Han Momo nodded and bowed to the audience politely. "Everyone, I¡¯m sorry, X isn¡¯t able toe today because he is not feeling well. I¡¯m his assistant and I¡¯m here to receive the prize in his stead!"

    Now that made sense¡­

    As everyone let out a sigh of relief, the mystery shrouding X intensified!

    Thepetition evening finally came to an end. Han Momo carefully held the trophy and sneaked out even before the journalists coulde to her.

    All the attention was shifted to David and Ning Xueluo.

    "Ms. Ning, History lost this time. Do you have anything to say?"

    "Was Qu Guanyang implying that you¡¯re trying to manipte thepetition¡¯s result?"

    "Director David, you¡¯ve lost to someone even with your best design. How do you feel?"

    ¡­

    David looked really unwell and he did not know what to answer.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s phone had been ringing non-stop after thepetition results were out. They had lost a few million dors in just a few minutes after some big customers canceled their reservations. The worst thing was that the unknown Spirit Studio could end up as their biggestpetitor.

    David knew that things were bad just by looking at Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression. "Miss, it¡¯s just a local award. It¡¯s nothing!"

    "Nothing?! In just a few minutes, we¡¯ve lost five million dors!"

    Most importantly, how could she face everyone? People said she had good taste and had a treasure in her hands. Now, she did not win the prize and was even used of controlling thepetition results!

    David cursed internally. Five million dors, so what? Remember how much we earned before!

    But he still spoke carefully, "Ms. Ning, please believe me. The effect is just temporary, that designer has a simr style to mine, but we¡¯ve already dominated the market. He can never take away our customers!"

    "He''d better not!"

 Chapter 632: Woman, Youâ€™re Playing With Fire!

    <h4>Chapter 632: Woman, You¡¯re ying With Fire!</h4>

    The next day, all the headlines in fashion news were about the dark horse that won the Golden Award. They brutally described David''s awkward walk of shame and featured a picture of him getting up from his seat preparing to go up on stage for the prize. As always, the news was much more dramatic than your average gossip.

    [New Designer X Storms Golden Award: A Young Girl?]

    [David Defeated - The End Of His Era?]

    [Dark Horse In The Golden Award, Snatching The Limelight]

    [Who¡¯s Behind The Spirit Studio?]

    ¡­

    At tinum Pce.

    It was the weekend and Lu Tingxiao was taking a day off. Ning Xi had promised to bring Little Treasure to the theme park and he was up early, packing.

    Lu Jingli was still in his pajamas, but he was already waving the newspaper in front of his brother, "Bro! Look! Gong Shangze actually won the Golden Award! And with full marks! He totally dominated David! Sister-inw is too powerful! She picked up a genius!"

    Lu Tingxiao sipped his tea calmly, looking like he already knew.

    "But what does the pseudonym X mean? Is it anything special? Gong¡­Shang¡­Ze¡­none of his initials is an X." Lu Jingli thought about it and then it dawned on him.

    "Ning Xi¡­Xi¡­oh¡­"

    Lu Jingli carefully nced at his brother, quicklymenting, "This guy is really loyal, using his boss¡¯ initial as the name!"

    As they were talking, Butler Yuan escorted Ning Xi in.

    Lu Jingli stared at Ning Xi. "Xiao Xi Xi, you¡¯re here! You¡¯re really dirty-minded!"

    Ning Xi scowled at him. "What¡¯s wrong with you? How am I dirty-minded?"

    Lu Jingli pointed his fingers at the six dresses on the newspaper. "Your design theme!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "What are you talking about? ''Rebirth from the Fire'', it¡¯s such a positive theme!"

    Lu Jingli gave her a suggestive look and said, "But I can only think of one thing¡­"

    "What did you think of?" Ning Xi was not expecting anything good toe out of his mouth.

    Lu Jingli replied seriously, "Woman, you¡¯re ying with fire!"

    Ning Xi was annoyed. She could not stand him anymore. "You¡¯re the dirty-minded one!"

    She ignored him and went to Lu Tingxiao. "Boss, where¡¯s Little Treasure?"

    Little Treasure ran out as soon as he heard Ning Xi¡¯s voice.

    Ning Xi lifted him up. "Are you ready?"

    Little Treasure patted his bag, signaling that he was more than ready to go.

    "Alright, then we¡¯ll go now!"

    Ning Xi was traveling out of the country for a roadshow tomorrow. One of the areas she would be going to was America and she nned to go Phdelphia then to meet YS. Before she left, she wanted to have fun with Little Treasure.

    "It¡¯s a weekend and there¡¯ll be a lot of people. Be careful," Lu Tingxiao reminded them from the sofa.

    Ning Xi held Little Treasure up and blinked. "Boss, aren''t you noting with us?"

    Lu Tingxiao was surprised and he looked up from his documents. "You¡­want me to go?"

    Usually, he would not disturb them when Ning Xi brought Little Treasure out since he thought that they might not have as much fun if they were with him, so he did not expect Ning Xi to ask him.

 Chapter 633: Lu Tingxiao, I Like You!

    <h4>Chapter 633: Lu Tingxiao, I Like You!</h4>

    Ning Xi nodded honestly. "Yeah!"

    But then, she remembered something. "Oh, there''ll be quite a lot of people and it''s pretty childish. Boss, if you don¡¯t like it, then¡­"

    "I like it." Lu Tingxiao put down his documents instantly, standing up to take his coat from the hanger.

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes shone. She had been afraid that Lu Tingxiao might not go and did not expect him to agree so easily.

    Little Treasure was a little closer to Lu Tingxiao now, so he was quite pleased to know that his father was going together. His eyes were gleaming with excitement.

    This was the first time he was going out with both Aunty Xiao Xi and father together!

    Looking at the happy family, a dead fishy on the sofa in despair. "Leaving me all alone again!"

    Ning Xi patted Lu Jingli''s head. "Be good and stay at home, I¡¯ll bring you back some candy!"

    "Hmph! Do you think I¡¯m some kid? I don¡¯t want candy!" Lu Jingli looked upset. "I want cotton candy! The rainbow-colored one!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    ---

    The three of them reached the theme park by car.

    Because there would be a grand firework disy happening at night, there were a lot of people today, mostly families and couples.

    "I¡¯ll hold Little Treasure!" Lu Tingxiao said.

    Ning Xi was worried that Little Treasure might get squished in her arms, so she handed him over, "Okay."

    Lu Tingxiao held Little Treasure in one hand and guided Ning Xi¡¯s shoulder with another as they walked towards one of the attractions together.

    Lu Tingxiao liked to the quiet. He hated this kind of environment with crowds, but he was not showing his difort at all. He apanied Ning Xi and Little Treasure patiently the whole day, even cooperating and taking a lot of selfies with them. To Ning Xi''s delight, he set one of it as his phone wallpaper.

    As the night fell, Lu Tingxiao had Little Treasure¡¯s bag on his back with a few zodiac masks hanging on his neck. In one hand were a few packets of snacks, while the other was holding the cotton candy Lu Jingli asked for. He followed them around without anyints at all¡­

    "Quick! Lu Tingxiao let¡¯s go there! The firework disy is going to start soon!" Ning Xi held Little Treasure¡¯s hand and ran in front, but she came back after a while and clung onto Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arm.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her in surprise. It was as if they were really a family¡­

    Finally, the firework show started.

    A bright light rose up from the horizon and exploded in the air, with a boom and the sky was beautifully lit up.

    Numerous fireworks started popping. During the firework show, Ning Xi turned her head towards the man standing beside her, looking at his side profile which was illuminated by the fireworks.

    Lu Tingxiao noticed her gaze and turned to her.

    Ning Xi opened her mouth and said something but the sound of the fireworks was too loud for him to hear anything, so he gave her a confused look.

    Under the sky full of fireworks, she closed in and said it again. She repeated her words, although she knew he would not be able to hear it: "Lu Tingxiao, I like you!"

 Chapter 634: Providing For Lu Tingxiao

    <h4>Chapter 634: Providing For Lu Tingxiao</h4>

    At night.

    After he had sent Ning Xi and Little Treasure back to the Regal Riveria hotel, Lu Tingxiao did not go home right away. He called Lu Jingli and asked him to meet at a bar instead.

    "Bro, you asked me out to a bar! I thought I was hallucinating!"

    Under the dim light, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face was hidden in the shadows. There was a long silence before he spoke up, "Is it possible?"

    "Possible? For?" Lu Jingli was confused.

    "Ning Xi¡­might have fallen for someone else," Lu Tingxiao said.

    Lu Jingli opened his eyes wide. "Huh? Who?"

    "Me."

    Lu Jingli almost spat out the drink he just gulped. "Why do you think so?"

    "Feels like it."

    Lu Jingli scratched his head. "Bro, did something happen today?"

    There was a thick knot in between Lu Tingxiao¡¯s brows. "It seems like she said¡­she likes me."

    "What?! Xiao Xi Xi said she likes you?" Lu Jingli recovered from his excitement after a while, "Wait, why did you say ''seems like''?"

    "During the firework show in the theme park, she said something to me, but it was too loud and I couldn¡¯t hear anything." Lu Tingxiao frowned, as if trying very hard to remember.

    Lu Jingli returned to his excited mode again. "But you know how to read lips! So, you understood?"

    "Reading lips isn¡¯t always 100% urate and the environment made it hard to focus."

    Most importantly, it just did not seem possible.

    He did not even notice the first time. When she said it the second time as she closed in on him, he did not really read her lips properly as well. He had just nced a little, not daring to jump to conclusions.

    What made him suspicious was not what she said, but her eyes when she said it.

    Her eyes at that moment were so beautiful as if they were speaking directly to his heart.

    From her eyes, he saw something he had never thought about before¡­

    "Bro, why don''t you test Xiao Xi Xi after she returns?"

    It was a rare asion that Lu Tingxiao agreed with Lu Jingli¡¯s suggestion. "Mmm."

    He himself wanted to know the answer as well.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The next day after they returned from the theme park, Ning Xi took an early morning flight out of the country. After several days of promoting the movie, she and the crew finally reached theirst stop, Washington D.C., the capital of the United States.

    Because it was not one of the featured cities, most of the crew did not want to go as they were tired from the previous venues. The only actress with slightly more scenes in the movie who was willing to go was Ning Xi and Guo Qisheng was genuinely touched.

    She worked diligently without anyints and was never one to snatch the limelight. He even had Ning Xi in mind for a new movie the following year and would like to have her as the main protagonist.

    For some reason, Jiang Muye decided to attend thisst day of promotion since he only appeared at one or two events for the past few days. He slept through the whole flight. As he took off his sleeping mask, he saw Ning Xi was reading a script under a dim light and was speechless. "Ning Xiao Xi, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you working so hard?!"

    Ning Xi realized that they were going to take off soon, so she put her script away and nced at Jiang Muye. "How will I support Lu Tingxiao if I don¡¯t work hard now?"

    Jiang Muye was once again speechless.

    She wanted to provide for Lu Tingxiao?

    Was that not too difficult a goal?

 Chapter 635: That Woman Has Reached Philadelphia!

    <h4>Chapter 635: That Woman Has Reached Phdelphia!</h4>

    Jiang Muye ignored his thoughts and mumbled, "Then wouldn¡¯t my uncle have to wait until the day he dies?"

    "Shut up! Stop jinxing me!"

    "I¡¯m telling the truth. It might still be possible to provide for me though¡­"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "I like to challenge the impossible!"

    Jiang Muye felt his heart ache when he looked at the girl as he knew she was being serious this time.

    He thought that she had already given up, but he had underestimated her. From the cowardly little girl she was, she now chose to be by his side¡­

    He had always thought that this girl was heartless.

    Now, he understood that she was not heartless; it was just not meant for him¡­

    Jiang Muye suppressed his feelings and he gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Do you want to go for a drink tonight? The best nightclubs in the world are in D.C.!"

    The United States had a wide social divide. There were extremely rich ces like D.C. but there were ghost towns like Phdelphia too.

    "I know you¡¯ll have other intentions¡­" Ning Xi stared at him despicably. "No, I want to sleep!"

    Tomorrow was the promised day to meet YS and she needed to prepare herself.

    The crew was leaving tomorrow afternoon. After some rest tonight, she would go to Phdelphia to meet YS early in the morning, then she would be back by the time the crew had to leave.

    "Ning Xiao Xi, what¡¯s wrong with you?! You¡¯re not even with him yet and you¡¯re avoiding night clubs already!"

    Ning Xi shook her head. "Those who don¡¯t have someone they like would never understand!"

    "How do you know that I don¡¯t have someone I like?"

    "Ah, there is someone? Who?"

    "A bastard!"

    "Perfect, a brat like you would need a bastard to hold you down!"

    "You¡­"

    ¡­

    After the roadshow ended for the day, the whole crew went out to have fun. Ning Xi declined their invitation and went back to the hotel to sleep.

    At 5 a.m. in the morning, the rm rang.

    Ning Xi opened her eyes, picked up her bag and went on her way to Phdelphia.

    On the outskirts of Phdelphia, she went to a restaurant for breakfast, then changed her outfit in the washroom.

    By the time she came out, she was dressed in a male outfit.

    First Brother Senior had told her that their meeting point was one of their spots, an underground casino in the center of Phdelphia.

    She was familiar with Phdelphia because she had stayed here for a year before, but riots happened frequently here and most of the buildings were rebuilt, causing her to lose her bearings. After a long while, she finally recognized some of thendmarks.

    Due to the government¡¯s effort, there were a lot of patrolling police cars on the street. The city looked much better than before without fights breaking out in the daytime.

    What Ning Xi did not know was that she was being watched the moment she had stepped into the States¡­

    "Boss, that woman has reached Phdelphia!"

    "Really?" On a leather sofa, a blond man with blue eyes seemed to be tucking his long hair under his ear, but there was nothing there. Both his ears were sliced off.

    "It¡¯s true, I was worried that we might not be able to do anything in D.C. but some of our men saw her exit the hotel ande to Phdelphia. She''s even changed into a male outfit and we almost couldn¡¯t recognize her! But this proves one thing!"

 Chapter 636: Iâ€™m A Decent Person Now

    <h4>Chapter 636: I¡¯m A Decent Person Now</h4>

    As he spoke, he put down two pictures on the table. "Ning Xi, Tang Xi. Both of them are the same person! But why isn¡¯t she with Satan? She also used another identity and stayed beside Lu Tingxiao."

    "Hmm, interesting¡­" Augustine touched his chin.

    "Do you want me to check it out?" his henchman asked.

    Augustine waved his hand impatiently. "Nope, it doesn¡¯t matter, she¡¯s going to die here¡­today!"

    The henchman was shocked. "Boss, you¡­you want to¡­she has ties with Satan. Because of her, Satan even had Tang Ye¡­"

    "Shut up!" Augustine felt a burning pain at the spot his ears were sliced off as he felt humiliated and ordered them angrily, "You dare defy my orders?"

    "No¡­no, sir!"

    "Get her alive! I¡¯ll let them see how I¡¯ll torture this woman to death!" The man¡¯s eyes were filled with bloodlust.

    Had it not been for this woman, his n would not have failed and he would not have gotten himself into this situation without any alliance and any weapons¡­

    They cared a lot about this woman and they would now taste the price of humiliating him!

    The henchman was really bothered and he reminded Augustine again, "If Satan finds out about this¡­"

    Augustine sneered, "That piece of crap is now hiding in the Straits of a! By the time he finds out, the woman¡¯s body would already be rotting! Moreover, there will be people here to get us out tomorrow, so what are you afraid of? Don¡¯t you want to get revenge for Firo and Alice?"

    The henchman clenched his teeth. "Okay! I¡¯ll bring more men over. That woman seems like a big trouble to deal with!"

    Augustine pushed the scantily d girl out of his arms. "Wait, I¡¯ll go myself!"

    ¡­

    After Ning Xi was clear of her direction, she did not go to the casino immediately, dodging into a small discreet shop instead.

    "Sir, get me a Glock 17."

    She was not able to get the P226 Lu Tingxiao had given her through the customs, so she could only buy one here to defend herself. She did not feel secure enough to walk around here without a gun.

    In the shop, a fat man was cleaning a pile of bullets and he did not even bother to raise his head. "We don¡¯t deal with fresh customers."

    "Sir, are you sure that I¡¯m fresh?" Ning Xi looked at him with a grin.

    The owner raised his head impatiently. After he realized who it was, his jowls trembling and the bullets in his hands fell onto the floor. He then crawled under the table and asked, "You¡­didn¡¯t you leave? Why are you back?"

    He quickly looked behind her to see if there was anyone else.

    Ning Xi knew what he was looking at. This small little shop was one of thergest underground trading grounds. There were a lot of interesting items here, not just weapons but also ancient medicine. She used toe here with Second Senior Brother just to take items away from here. The owner would always get a headache whenever he saw them.

    "Take whatever you want!" the owner urged her quickly, not wanting her to stay any longer.

    Ning Xi walked around and picked up a gun herself. "How much is it?"

    "N¡­no! I don¡¯t want your money! Just go!"

    Ning Xi said unhappily, "I can¡¯t do that, I¡¯m a decent person now!"

 Chapter 637: My Lord, What Do You Want?

    <h4>Chapter 637: My Lord, What Do You Want?</h4>

    The owner was on the verge of crying. "My Lord, what do you want?"

    Ning Xi looked innocently at him. "I want to pay!"

    The owner did not dare to take her money and wrung his hands. "I don¡¯t want it! I really don¡¯t want it!"

    Ning Xi''s temper red. "Damn it! I said I want to pay! I¡¯ll punch you!" He was breaking her life principles!

    After a long while, the owner gave her a price and she paid the money, leaving satisfied. The owner looked at the money on the table and trembled. He did not expect that she would really pay¡­

    Fortunately, Ning Xi saw a taxi after she came out of the shop and gged it down to take a ride straight to her destination.

    She closed her eyes and rested for a little, then she heard a loud bang from the back of the car. Something had hit the car from the back very hard.

    People living in Phdelphia mostly had great instincts for trouble. The driver reacted quickly and ran away, abandoning his taxi after realizing something was not right.

    Ning Xi quickly followed and went out of the car. She thought that it was some riot or robbery happening, but she knew it was something more when four men came out from the car which had hit the taxi and surrounded her, all pointing their guns at her.

    It was a life-threatening situation! Ning Xi instinctively reached her hand to the gun on her hips.

    What happened?

    They were here for her!

    She had never seen these fair-skinned men before and she did not remember causing any trouble on her way here. There was no way they could be her old enemies since none of them would dare to attack her in the day.

    "Put down your gun." The leader wearing a ck sleeveless shirt looked at her with scorn and snapped, "Quickly!"

    The man seemed to know that she had a good aim and he was being wary of her gun. He then released a shot near her foot as a warning.

    The other three men stared at her carefully, watching for any sudden movements.

    Bang! Dust rose from the ground beside Ning Xi¡¯s foot.

    Ning Xi understood that she was at a total disadvantage and she had no means to counter, so she clenched her teeth and tossed her gun away.

    The leader let out a short sigh of relief, then he put up a ferocious expression. "You witch, you killed my brothers! I¡¯m going to take revenge for them today!"

    "I killed your brothers? Who are they? Are you mistaken?" Ning Xi was confused and tried to get them to talk more, so she could assess the environment nearby.

    The man flew into a rage. "Stop talking! Raise your hands ande over slowly!"

    Suddenly, Ning Xi saw a police car pass by and she felt really d.

    No matter how fearsome these people were, they would not dare to oppose the police!

    As she was about to call for help, the police car came straight to them. The police in uniform walked over with a smile and acted really pally with the leader.

    "What''s going on, man?"

    "Not much, just some personal matter. Please help me to look out and not let anyonee near here. We don''t want to hurt anyone innocent!"

    "Sure, no problem!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi looked at the police car in dismay as it went away. Not only was she not saved, but her escape route was also sealed off.

    Damn it, it seemed like these people were pretty influential!

 Chapter 638: Youâ€™re Satanâ€™s Woman?

    <h4>Chapter 638: You¡¯re Satan¡¯s Woman?</h4>

    The leader was impatient. Since he thought she had no means of attacking now, he signaled for his men to grab her.

    As they moved, three gunshots were fired. Bang, bang, bang!

    Three men went down in just a second!

    The leader looked at his men, his expression turning pale.

    He saw Ning Xi was holding a gun with smokeing out of it and she was now aiming at his head.

    "You¡­didn¡¯t you throw your gun away¡­" The man looked at the gun on the floor in disbelief. It was still lying there.

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes like she was looking at an idiot. "Who told you I only had one gun?"

    She had bought two!

    The leader was infuriated and cursed, "F*CK! You cunning Asian!"

    "You¡¯re just too stupid," Ning Xi sneered at him, "Who do you think is faster, you or I?"

    The man¡¯s hand was trembling and sweat started to fall from his brow.

    He would not have been afraid if she was an average woman, but now he knew that this was Tang Xi!

    Rumour had it that she had the best gunmanship among the people around Satan¡­

    She took advantage of the stress the man was going through and fired a shot when she had the chance. Bang!

    The man reacted swiftly. He avoided his vitals being shot at and was hit on his shoulder instead, his gun ttering onto the floor.

    That was good enough for her to escape. She did not want to stay there any longer and just wanted to leave.

    Suddenly, there was the sound of many footsteps pattering.

    Dozens and dozens of armed men surrounded her.

    The leader who was shot was smugly grinning at ease now as he respectfully walked towards a blond man with blue eyes and addressed, "Boss!"

    The blue-eyed man looked like the leader of everyone here. He expressionlessly nced at the three bodies and his injured henchman.

    The man had fair skin and a tall nose, blue eyes and long blonde hair, but his ears looked a little weird¡­

    A breeze blew and Ning Xi saw it clearly. The man had no ears¡­

    The man then looked at the helpless Ning Xi, giving her a creepy look. He used a tone matching his twisted expression and taunted, "Run, why don¡¯t you continue running? Don¡¯t you Chinese have a saying? You don¡¯t follow the path to the heavens, yet you barge into the doorless hell!"

    Ning Xi cursed at herself while looking at all the men around her.

    What was wrong with them? Did they prepare these many men just to catch her? Did they think that they were fighting a mob boss or something?

    Phdelphia was their old spot, but their main forces were moved to some other city. It seemed like this ce was now controlled by this blond man with blue eyes.

    She was now like a rat in a trap with no means to escape.

    What could she do?

    As she was thinking, the blond man advanced towards her slowly and looked at her suggestively. "So, you¡¯re Satan¡¯s woman?"

 Chapter 639: Have A Taste

    <h4>Chapter 639: Have A Taste</h4>

    When she heard what he said, only one word appeared in her mind: Sheet!

    She was just a nobody. How could she attract all these people on her own? Now, the culprit was clear!

    "No!" Ning Xi replied instantly.

    The man gave her a cold smile and pinched her chin. "No? He broke off our alliance all because of you. My ears are gone because of his man Tang Ye as well!"

    This man¡¯s ears were sliced by First Senior Brother?

    After hearing the man¡¯s bitter words, Ning Xi got an idea of what was happening. She remembered thest time she was here when she encountered the people in the abandoned arsenal when she was looking for Lu Tingxiao.

    From Annie¡¯s message, she knew that these people were in an alliance with the organization, but the rtionship had been destroyed because of this incident¡­

    After Ning Xi realized what had happened, she had a more serious expression on her face.

    If what she thought was true, she was going to end up dead here. It was no use denying her rtionship with Satan here. She had killed this man¡¯s underling and he would never let her go!

    "That guy¡¯s woman, huh? I¡¯d like to have a taste¡­"

    The earless man dragged his finger down her neck and rubbed her skin suggestively, making Ning Xi disgusted.

    With a sh of reflected light, the man used a dagger and sliced through Ning Xi¡¯s shirt from the top of her cor. Ning Xi¡¯s coat and inner shirt were cut through and her fair skin was exposed¡­

    This looming view was even more seductive than her being nude and all the men stared at her passionately.

    Ning Xi knew what they were thinking just by looking at them. She was surrounded, her only gun had been taken away from her and she had no means of protecting herself. She would end up dead anyway, so she might as well try!

    As the men were staring at her distractedly, she kicked the man¡¯s groin.

    Bang! A bullet went straight into her thigh and she cried out in pain.

    She had reacted quickly enough and avoided it from entering her vitals.

    The man covered his attacked groin, embarrassed. "You really have a death wish!"

    All the guns were aimed at her right now. She would be dead the moment the man gave his signal.

    Ning Xi looked at them coldly. Yes, she would rather die!

    The man realized what she was thinking and he grabbed her by her hair, snarling, "You¡¯re not going to die so easily!"

    The whole of Phdelphia was already under his control. He was king here.

    While Satan might not be able to get here because of the trouble he was having right now, even if he dide, he would end up dead here as well. No one could ever hope to help this woman escape.

    The man¡¯s gaze made Ning Xi uneasy, on top of the disgust and contempt she felt from his suggestive looks.

    Some cars passed by and the drivers looked to see what was happening as the road had been blocked, but their faces all went pale after realizing what was happening. Out of fear, they ignored Ning Xi¡¯s signal for help and zoomed off as quickly as they could.

    After her signals for help failed several times, Ning Xi gave up on expecting any passerby to save her.

 Chapter 640: How Is This A Romantic Misfortune?

    <h4>Chapter 640: How Is This A Romantic Misfortune?</h4>

    "Are you still expecting someone toe and save you?" mocked the man, looking at Ning Xi like his prey with a sardonic smile.

    "The whole of Phdelphia is now under our control, so you''d better give up now. Any hope you have now will just add to your despairter on," the man told Ning Xi with a smirk on his face.

    Since her wish to live was being snuffed out, it was easy for her to seek death.

    Tens of guns aimed at Ning Xi and she morbidly imagined the numerous holes which would riddle her body the moment the man gave his signal.

    The man was rxed like a cat that caught the mouse. Ning Xi was an easy prey in his hands, one he would only eat after getting bored of ying with.

    "Little girl, rest assured that we won¡¯t kill you soon. We will only torture you to death after we¡¯re done having fun with you. For now, our game has just begun."

    Ning Xi did not express any fear and acted exceptionally calm, making the man unhappy. He wanted to see Ning Xi beg him for forgiveness.

    Suddenly, Ning Xi mustered up her strength and struggled to break free of the man¡¯s grip. She shoved him and then ran away, limping.

    Ning Xi¡¯s thigh had been shot, so she ran slower than she wished she could and blood was oozing out of her wound.

    Bang!

    Another gunshot was fired from behind her, the bullet ricocheting off the ground in front of Ning Xi, creating a powder storm of rocks and sand.

    Ning Xi clenched her teeth and powered through as if she was not afraid of death.

    The man used his right hand to hold the gun which was still emitting smoke as he said sourly, "Who gave you permission to shoot? There¡¯s no fun ying with a dead mouse. Plus, I have a lot of time today!"

    "Boss, I understand. My bad." The henchman who fired the shot just now nodded fearfully.

    As they watched the woman¡¯s stumbling silhouette get away, the man patiently called after her, "Little girl, run! It¡¯s more fun that way, how exciting! Hahahaha¡­"

    The man¡¯s ear-piercing maniacal cackle haunted Ning Xi, echoing in the air¡­

    ¡­

    Sometimeter, Ning Xi right leg was bing numb and she slowed down even more. She turned to look over her shoulder and could not see any of them anymore.

    Night soon fell. Stars nketed the sky and the moon shone brightly.

    Ning Xi simply bandaged her leg with a strip of her shirt and she had painstakingly removed the bullet by herself but the pain remained. It was much more bearable now though,pared to before. At least, her leg would still be functional after this.

    Ning Xiughed bitterly at herself. Here she was, still worrying if her leg would be functional when she did not even know if she could get out of Phdelphia alive. She actually knew what was going to happen to her but did not want to admit it.

    She already felt in her bones that something bad was going to happen, but this was a hundred times worse than what she expected.

    How did her romantic misfortune turn into a death trap?

    Only people who gave up on worldly desires had no fear of death, but now, she was afraid. Afraid that she would die.

 Chapter 641: Come To Us On Your Own

    <h4>Chapter 641: Come To Us On Your Own</h4>

    She missed Little Treasure and Boss as well¡­

    Ning Xi took a deep breath and hugged herself.

    It was a chilly winter night in Phdelphia. Ning Xi looked helpless and lonely, but she still had a determined expression on her face.

    That man acted as the ruler of Phdelphia, thinking that nothing could escape him. He viewed her as a scared rat while he was the cat, even letting her go on purpose¡­

    She knew that even though she had escaped for now, her life was still on the line. She could not stop and rest on herurels just yet.

    Ning Xi endured her fatigue and gnawing hunger and forced herself to keep moving forward.

    She thought about reporting the incident to the police, but that man apparently had ties with the Phdelphia police department, so she had to act carefully.

    No matter whether she was a rat or not, she had to hang on as long as she could. After all, no one would ever know if a miracle would happen at any moment.

    The night was quiet and there was no one on the streets. Only some cars passed by asionally. It might be a coincidence, but every time Ning Xi tried to go up to them for help, the cars would speed up and then vanish quickly.

    Ning Xi walked around aimlessly, then suddenly she saw a light in the distance. She intuitively walked towards the brighter area¡­

    She found herself in a vast square.

    Ning Xi stopped. In the middle of the square were that man and his people.

    The man was surprised to see Ning Xi as well. He chuckled, "Little girl, I was thinking of letting you experience more despair, but you couldn¡¯t wait anymore and came to us on your own! I was just about to send my people to look for you."

    This man would never let Ning Xi escape. He had already set up armed men around the area to find her eventually but here she was now.

    Ning Xi was calm at the moment as if she was surrendering herself to them.

    The earless man walked up to her and grabbed her hair to lead her outside of the square.

    It was dead silent in the Phdelphian midnight; there was no one else aside from this man and his people.

    "Little girl, don¡¯t be impatient. I¡¯ll have sex with you right here and now, in front of them. Isn¡¯t that exciting?" the man stressed, his eyes judging her like an evil serpent''s.

    His men all shot her dirty looks and they snickered cruelly together.

    "Baby, I¡¯ll give you a chance. If you actually make me feel good, maybe, just maybe, I¡¯ll let you live. What do you think?" The man licked his dry lips and started to close into Ning Xi¡­

    Before Ning Xi could say anything, the sounds of roaring motors came closer.

    A row of ck cars appeared in front of them, revving loudly.

    "Boss, those are not our people," warned one of the armed men.

    The man nodded indifferently as he did not really deem a few cars as a threat to him.

 Chapter 642: Stay Here Forever

    <h4>Chapter 642: Stay Here Forever</h4>

    The car doors were flung open and several dozen men in ck suits came out.

    Their leader was a middle-aged man who nced over everyone and his gaze rested on Augustine.

    "Mr. Augustine, I think you¡¯ve caught someone you shouldn¡¯t have, and done something you shouldn¡¯t have," the middle-aged man said, nodding at Augustine.

    "Boss, they¡¯re Satan¡¯s men," whispered a man to Augustine in a nervous tone.

    Augustine did not need the reminder. He recognized this man as someone he had seen near Satan before. To his memory, this man was a tactician responsible for negotiations.

    "Oh¡­I remember you, you¡¯re Feng Jin." Augustine looked at the middle-aged man and smiled coldly.

    "You¡¯re right, Mr. Augustine." Feng Jin answered, remaining solemn.

    "Hahaha, interesting, so Satan didn''t dare toe here himself. Sending a dog to chat with me instead?" he tried to provoke the man while pulling on Ning Xi¡¯s hair harder.

    "Mr. Augustine, I think you¡¯re mistaken, I¡¯m not here to talk to you. I¡¯m just reminding you that if you don¡¯t let Tang Xi go now, the consequences would be dire."

    Augustineughed at Feng Jin¡¯s words. The whole of Phdelphia was his turf now and he could even utilize the entire police force in Phdelphia, not just these dozen men. Even if Satan was here himself, he would be dead!

    Suddenly, Augustine¡¯s expression darkened. "You are in no position to talk to me, but since you¡¯re here, I¡¯ll do my best to wee you. You can stay here¡­forever¡­"

    As Augustine finished his sentence, hundreds of guns aimed in onto Feng Jin.

    Feng Jing was unfazed as he calmly said, "Since you aren''t going to take my advice, Mr. Augustine, then please ept the consequences."

    After he finished, he walked away from them, ignoring all the guns.

    In the next second, a dozen of ck cars appeared everywhere, blocking all the escape routes.

    Augustine was caught off-guard and he frowned a little, but he was calm soon after. He chortled. "Is this what Satan is capable of? You want to face me with just these few people and the whole of Phdelphia?!"

    Augustine made a phone call and briefly instructed, "Do it."

    Police sirens wailed nearby.

    The sirens broke the silence in the night, the number of police cars almost doubling the number of cars Feng Jin had brought.

    "Hahaha, you guys make fine prey! The Police Department of Phdelphia was interested to check you guys out. I¡¯ve already said that even if Satan came here personally, he¡¯d have to die here." Hundreds of armed police officers surrounded them, all looking ferocious. The police force had tightly surrounded Feng Jin and his people. Looking at the number of uniformed officers, this was probably the whole of the Phdelphia¡¯s police force.

 Chapter 643: Even Satan Has To Follow Orders Obediently

    <h4>Chapter 643: Even Satan Has To Follow Orders Obediently</h4>

    A sh of insanity crossed Augustine''s face. He had already said that at that very moment, he was the king of Phdelphia. Forget about Satan''s dog, even if Satan himself appeared here, he would have to die in Phdelphia!

    Feng Jin looked at the police cars that had them surrounded. The car doors were opened and the police guns were pointed at his group through the wound down car windows. The rest of the police force held up riot shields and blocked all the escape routes, executing the perfect n to wipe out Feng Jin and his gang.

    "Hahaha, these are all Satan''s people. They won''t surrender, so why don''t you just kill them all?!"

    Augustine hinted to the brawny man behind him.

    That man understood and immediately looked at Feng Jin who was among the surrounded crowd and pulled the trigger.

    Bam!

    Suddenly, a loud sound rang across the square.

    What shocked everyone was that Feng Jin who was initially meant to be shot was not harmed at all. Instead, it was the muscr man behind Augustine who was shot in the head, blood spurting out of the hole in his head.

    Just like that, that man''s stiff body fell to the ground.

    "A sniper?!"

    Augustine and the head of police beside him had an incredulous expression on their faces.

    "They actually have snipers¡­" Augustine''s nostrils red in anger. Snipers were very hard to avoid. Who''d have known that Feng Jin had nned for an ambush with snipers in the dark corners! No wonder they were so fearless.

    The head of the police opened his mouth like he wanted to say something.

    However, at that moment, a thunderous boom was heard, making everyone''s eardrums ring with piercing silence in the aftermath.

    "What''s happening?!"

    Several police cars were crumpled by a strong force. When Augustine and the rest looked behind them, they saw a military tank!

    "Wha-¡­a military tank?!"

    The head of the police had his mouth opened in disbelief.

    On top of that tank were several machine guns and behind it were armed men with various artillery. In just one nce, they really did look like a regr army.

    "Godd*mn it, it must be Satan! Destroy that tank!" Augustine shouted angrily, certain that Satan was definitely in that armed tank.

    Boom!

    Boom!

    Boom!

    Following Augustine''s orders, one roar after another was heard. Under everyone''s horrified gazes, each of the militant tanks made their way over slowly and very soon, they were stacked up akin to a mountain!

    On top of every tank were terrifying machine guns armed by two fully equipped men.

    "Mr. Augustine, earlier a certain someone said that you would take all the consequences upon yourself," Feng Jin looked at Augustine and said very courteously.

    "You''re asking for it!" Augustine bellowed furiously. Then, under Augustine''s orders, a man behind him started shooting at Feng Jin.

    However, before he could even pull the trigger, a sniper took out the man.

    "Mr. Augustine, I understand your reluctance and anger, but forgive me for being straightforward. You''re not very different from an ant. You won''t be able to kill anyone here." Feng Jin shrugged nonchntly.

    "Fight to your death! Don''t worry! With this witch in my hands, even Satan will follow my orders obediently!" Augustine said cruelly despite not really having a n.

    Suddenly, the sky above them started to ring with the rotor sounds of a grass cutter.

    Augustine and the head of the police looked up to find themselves gasping at the unbelievable sight.

 Chapter 644: Miss Me, My Dear?

    <h4>Chapter 644: Miss Me, My Dear?</h4>

    Several helicopters circled above their heads and in less than a second, Tang Ye swiftly swooped down, dressed in ck.

    "Godd*mn it, Tang Ye!"

    Augustine could not help but curse out loud. He never would have thought that Tang Ye would personallye!

    Before Augustine couldplete his cursing, the person who trailed behind Tang Ye was actually¡­Feng Xiaoxiao!

    Both Augustine and the head of the police beside him started to tremble. Thetter already knew that Satan was not one to mess with, and indeed, tonight would confirm the rumours.

    Military tanks, helicopters¡­he practically had apletely organized army! What sort of force was this?

    Throw Tang Ye and Feng Xiaoxiao into the equation - which one of them weren''t intimidating figures?!

    And now, all these people had unexpectedly appeared together!

    The person Augustine had caught¡­who was she really?

    Very quickly, the military tanks moved aside and an unmarked silver car drove over.

    This little car looked vintage and seemed to be of the ssic make. The car also hadyers of dust on it and it looked very dirty. For it to drive into such a battleground, it looked very odd.

    Under everyone''s watchful gazes, Tang Ye walked to the grey car and personally opened the door while Feng Jin, Feng Xiaoxiao and everyone else waited respectfully beside the car.

    Just as everyone was confused by the odd appearance of the car, a man emerged out of the run-down car.

    They could see a man with silver-colored hair that seemed to float with a life of its own in the night air. He had a slightly long fringe that covered one of his eyes, while the other eye was a light brown pool which revealed strands of hostility.

    Ning Xi seemed to involuntarily cringe when she saw the silver-colored hair man not too far away from her. She looked absentminded, thinking she was experiencing hallucinations¡­

    Unexpectedly, it was¡­how could it be?

    "S¡­Satan!!!" The moment he saw the man, Augustine''s face had turned sallow as if he had seen a ghost.

    Very few people had personally seen Satan, but they recognized his signature silver hair¡­

    Augustine thought to himself, "Insanity! They are all insane!"

    Blowing everyone''s expectations out of the water, Satan had dared to leave the straits for Phdelphia and even mobilized such a huge force and created such a ruckus just for a woman! Even if this man held the title as "The King of the Night", he was being a little too arrogant, digging his own grave!

    "Satan, what¡­what are you trying to do? Don''t you forget who I am!" Augustine looked terrified as if Lucifer himself had appeared in front of him. As the man slowly walked towards him, cold sweat ran down his forehead like a waterfall and he shouted at his men furiously, "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot him to death!"

    Nevertheless, facing the dark crowd, the silver-haired man acted as if he had entered no man''snd. His dull eyes were empty; there was nothing in them and nothing he cared for.

    As for Augustine, the instant the silver-haired man had appeared, his men had already started to retreat. Even though they held heavy artillery in their hands, the guns did not have any detrimental effect on them because they did not even dare to let their gaze linger on him, much less shoot him.

    Suddenly, the entire ce turned defensive.

    They had no doubt that in the next second, this man would destroy Augustine to ashes.

    However, what everyone did not expect was for the silver-haired man to walk past him with a poker face as if he did not see Augustine. He walked straight to the girl behind him.

    He stood still, then slowly put his chin on the girl''s shoulder while putting his arms around her waist from behind. He spoke in the most flighty manner, "Miss me, my dear?"

 Chapter 645: Serves Him Right That Little Sister Ran Off

    <h4>Chapter 645: Serves Him Right That Little Sister Ran Off</h4>

    Augustine, Tang Ye, Feng Xiaoxiao, and Feng Jin were speechless.

    In fact, everyone else who was initially tensed and prepared to fight was rendered speechless.

    Bro, the ce is practically filled to the brim with gunpowder! Can you please review the asion before disying your affections?

    Ning Xi could only feel a tall shadow behind her, then a familiar voice breathed into her ear. From the side of her vision, she could vaguely see a strand of silver hair lightly whirling in the night breeze¡­

    However, Ning Xi was not confused for too long because the guy was like a huge dog and had suddenly put his entire weight on her, causing her injured thigh to sting slightly. Instantly, the piercing ache awoke her, then she said through gritted teeth, "I¡­miss you, Uncle!!!"

    The man raised his eyebrows and he said in a low voice, "Mmm? My dear, did you say something extra?" She should be missing him, shouldn''t she? Why was did she address him as her uncle?

    "Yes, I called you ''Uncle''!!!"

    "Baby, you''re so smart, you really did call me ''Uncle'' wrongly."

    Ning Xi did not have time to teach him the depths of the Chinesenguage. She could not hold it in anymore and eximed, "Move away! My leg has been shot!"

    When the man heard her, he finally straightened his body slowly and distanced himself slightly. His cold gaze skimmed the horrific looking wound on her thigh and said simply, "How useless."

    "You¡­" Ning Xi''s body was already reaching her pain threshold. Combined with the loss of blood and this dude testing her patience, her body wavered and she almost passed out.

    The man held the girl''s limp body steadily, then supported her by the waist. His light brown eyes turned to Tang Ye and said, "Have some fun with them."

    Then, he carried Ning Xi towards the shabby car and Feng Xiaoxiao followed him to remind, "Uhh¡­Junior Sister is wounded. This car is too run-down, just take the helicopter!"

    "She''s not that weak," the man replied curtly before he just put the girl into the car.

    Behind him, Feng Xiaoxiao''s mouth twitched and insulted, "Pfft, this EQ of his¡­serves him right that Little Sister ran off with someone else¡­"

    When Tang Ye heard this, he turned to shoot Feng Xiaoxiao a look.

    Feng Xiaoxiao felt her goosebumps rise. "What? Did I say anything wrong?"

    Tang Ye replied, "You''re not wrong. In fact, you are very urate indeed."

    Feng Xiaoxiao was speechless.

    She looked Augustine and the rest, "What should we do with these people here? What does have ''fun'' mean? Does ''fun'' include killing them?"

    Feng Jin looked gravely at her. "They are the other side''s men after all. It won''t be easy to exin if they''re dead. Have mercy on their lives."

    Tang Ye nodded, indicating that he had no opinions.

    In fact, today they had already caused too much of a ruckus. If they rmed the American government, the consequences would be unimaginable. They had to resolve this as soon as possible¡­

    Inside the silver little car.

    Ning Xi leaned weakly on the car seat. She felt like she could ck out and die any time but she did not dare to, so she used herst bit of strength to hold onto her consciousness.

    Beside her, the man was speaking into the walkie-talkie in English.

    In Ning Xi''s dazed state, she could vaguely pick up several words. She was suddenly very awake and she demanded, "You guys want to migrate everything?"

    She thought that she heard the guy saying that the organization''s location had been secretly exposed, so now they had to all retreat to Country Y.

    The man put the walkie-talkie down and watched her with his cold hazel eyes. Then, with his long fingers, he lightly pulled off the wig that was already lop-sided and said gently, "My dear, it''s not you guys. It''s us."

 Chapter 646: Cheat On Me

    <h4>Chapter 646: Cheat On Me</h4>

    The instant her wig was taken off, Ning Xi''s jet ck hair cascaded down like a waterfall and paired with her pale face the size of a palm, it was clear that she had the type of beauty that moved one''s heart and soul.

    "Us¡­?" When Ning Xi heard this, there was a sh of panic in her eyes. She could not help feeling like she had fallen into a trap. Her voice raised by an octave, "What does this have to do with me?! I''m not going! I came over to exin to you that we are over. From now onwards, you can walk your sunshine path while I cross my lonely bridge. Please stop interfering in my personal matters!"

    The man looked at her endearingly like he wanted to guffaw. "Hah, over? My dear, you''re mine. How can we possibly be over?"

    Ning Xi could feel her adrenaline spike in the midst of her anger. "Your head! Yours?!"

    "Oh? If you''re not mine, then whose are you? Lu Tingxiao''s?" The air around the man instantly turned heavy with a looming threat.

    "I''m no one''s! Can''t I be my own person?"

    The man was obviously not persuaded by these words. Instead, he twirled her hair and said in a dangerous tone, "My dear, I can let you out to y, but such freedom does not include you cheating on me, so now, I''m taking your freedom back."

    "Cheat? The both of us aren''t in a rtionship. Do you even know what it''s like to be in love?"

    "As a matter of fact, I don''t. Will you teach me?"

    "I''ll teach your sister!"

    "I don''t have a sister."

    Ning Xi was speechless. She decided to shut up and conserve her energy instead. She leaned against the car window and looked out into the dark night, hopelessness abound in her eyes.

    If she left with him now, it was possible that she would never be able to return again¡­

    ¡­

    In Washington D.C., at the hotel.

    Last night, the drama crew had partied throughout the night. All of them had slept till noon before even stirring.

    When the crew was having lunch together, they suddenly realized someone was missing.

    "Eh? Why didn''t Ning Xie? Has she eaten?"

    "I don''t know. Call her to ask!"

    Jiang Muye took out his phone to call Ning Xi, but he could not get through. He frowned. "Her phone is switched off."

    "She didn''t follow us out to the barst night, did she? There''s no way she hasn''t woken up by now," the scriptwriter, Ye Linglong, thought out loud.

    Jiang Muye got up and dered, "I''ll go upstairs to take a look."

    When Jiang Muye reached Ning Xi''s room upstairs, he rang the doorbell for a long time, but there was no response.

    "What''s her deal? She didn''t go out with us. Could she have gone out to party by herself? Where''s the loyalty?!"

    Jiang Muye was upset by his deduction, so he just shrugged and went down to continue eating.

    After lunch, seeing that the time for their return flight was increasingly near and Ning Xi was still nowhere to be found, Jiang Muye, who was initially upset, started to feel that something was not right.

    Even though Ning Xi could be quite a hardcore when it came to partying, she would definitely not hold up official matters and especially not when it came to work.

    How possible was it for her to have partied so hard and not return?

    "What''s wrong? Still can''t reach Ning Xi?" Guo Qisheng walked over to ask.

    "No, she''s uncontactable." Jiang Muye looked at his phone absentmindedly.

    Guo Qisheng looked at the time on his watch and said, "If we don''t go to the airport now, we won''t make it."

    Jiang Muye was not nning to move. He said, "You guys go first, I''ll wait for her here."

    Guo Qisheng frowned. "I''ll wait too! Let the others go first."

    After all, he was the one leading the team this time and he had to be responsible for all the members of the group.

    With that, the other drama crew members flew back home first, while Guo Qisheng and Jiang Muye both stayed to wait for Ning Xi.

 Chapter 647: What The Hell?! My Eyes!

    <h4>Chapter 647: What The Hell?! My Eyes!</h4>

    All the time while waiting for Ning Xi to show up, Guo Qisheng and Jiang Muye both tried calling her multiple times but Ning Xi''s phone remained switched off.

    This was when they started to be anxious and asked the hotel receptionists if they had seen Ning Xi. When they realized no one had noticed anything, they requested for the surveince recordings.

    The process of getting the surveince tapes from the hotel was ratherplicated and by the time they looked at the recordings, it was already night.

    The surveince showed that Ning Xi did indeed return to her room as soon as she reached the hotel and she did not go out within the night as well. She had only left in the morning the following day. Since then, she had not been back till now¡­

    "What''s going on? Where did she go to that she has not returned yet?" Jiang Muye''s brows furrowed.

    Based on the way she dressed from the surveince, it did not seem like she had gone out for fun. Besides, it was still very early in the morning when she left¡­

    Guo Qisheng paced back and forth while looking worried. "It''s not very safe here in America¡­even though D.C. isn''t too bad, but the suburbs aren''t known for being peaceful. Could Ning Xi have left D.C.? Did she tell you where she was going today?"

    Jiang Muye shook his head. "She did not say anything. I didn''t manage to drag her to the bar since she said she wanted to catch up on sleep!"

    The both of them started to look for her since noon. However, there was no news of Ning Xi at all untilter that night¡­

    ¡­

    At the same time, at a certain business reception in Imperial.

    Lu Tingxiao wore a ck tuxedo and stood in front of the huge floor to ceiling window, looked deep in thought.

    Behind him, Mo Lingtian walked over and put his hand on his shoulders, unable to bear seeing this go on any longer. "Hey, hey, hey! What are you thinking of again? Why do you seem so absent-minded recently? It''s fine if you''re not going to drink at the reception, but now you won''t even bring your spirit with you?"

    Then, Mo Lingtian saw Lu Tingxiao''s phone screen light up. He wed at his eyes, feigning blindness. "What the hell?! My eyes! They burn! What''s this? Lu Tingxiao, are you okay?"

    Lu Tingxiao shot a look at his best friend coldly as if his words had insulted the screensaver on his phone.

    Lu Tingxiao''s phone screensaver was a selfie of Ning Xi, Little Treasure, and him. It was their family portrait of three. In the picture, the three of them had all posed cutely, holding their cheeks like buns. Little Treasure looked madly adorable while Ning Xi smiled extremely brightly. Despite Lu Tingxiao''s poker face standing out oddly, the tenderness and love in his eyes could not be concealed¡­

    The three of their faces had lots of little fun stickers pasted on them and above everyone''s head was a pair of pink-colored cat ears. Had it been just Little Treasure and Ning Xi, the picture would have been quite cute, but once the awkward and stone-faced Lu Tingxiao was included, the entire picture looked extremely queer.

    It was no wonder that Mo Lingtian acted like he was going blind. "My goodness! You actually took pictures like this! I''m amazed! Anyone who came across this would think you''ve been possessed!"

    Lu Tingxiao totally understood his best friend''s insults. He clicked on Ning Xi''s name to send her a message: [Have younded?]

    If the flight had not been dyed, Ning Xi''s flight should bending right about that time. Because he had the function to attend, he did not personally fetch her.

    Lu Tingxiao did not receive any reply for a long time. A whileter, his phone suddenly rang. He thought it was Ning Xi but on the phone screen was "Jiang Muye".

 Chapter 648: My Wife Is In Their Hands

    <h4>Chapter 648: My Wife Is In Their Hands</h4>

    "Hello, Uncle!!!" Jiang Muye greeted in an unusually agitated voice.

    "Did something happen?" the man''s deep voice responded with some murmuring in the background as though he was at some business function.

    Jiang Muye did not dare to keep what had happened a secret. After all, he was in a foreign country and had no resources of his own. If Lu Tingxiao took action, it would definitely be much more convenient and efficient given his connections, so he just blurted out, "Uncle, Ning Xi is missing! She has already gone missing for an entire day! I''ve made a police report and ording to their surveince, they managed to track that she entered Phdelphia. We don''t know what happened in Phdelphia, but all the surveince there has malfunctioned and they cannot investigate anything further. I was prepared to rush over, but I was told that it''s a dangerous area. I''m worried about Ning Xi¡­"

    In the luxurious banquet hall under a crystal chandelier, the man in a ck tuxedo gripped the phone in his hand tighter and the temperature around him fell. "What did you say?"

    Phdelphia¡­

    Didn''t Ning Xi go to D.C. to promote the movie? Why would she go to Phdelphia?

    Mo Lingtian, who was beside him, shuddered and rubbed his arms. "Lu Tingxiao, what''s wrong? You look unhappy."

    "Before tomorrow, I must know who that person is," Lu Tingxiao simply said, then he left the banquet hall without turning back.

    "My God! Tomorrow¡­even if I investigate with my life, there won''t be enough time!" Mo Lingtian cursed after him.

    However, observing Lu Tingxiao''s attitude earlier, it seemed like some huge issue had happened, so he did not dare to dy and instantly left to follow orders to get the work done.

    10 minutester.

    In the night sky, on a helicopter.

    Lu Tingxiao put a ckptop on his knees, his face determined to go right into a storm that was brewing.

    The entirework in Phdelphia was paralyzed as if someone had intentionally sabotaged it to hide something.

    After half an hour, he finally managed to get some choppy footages¡­

    Even though it was only a short clip, his heart leapt into his throat!

    He saw Ning Xi being chased by a group of people wanting to kill her.

    The footage of the final second was the one of Ning Xi getting shot¡­

    Lu Tingxiao''s voice started to shake as he ordered, "Go to Phdelphia."

    Cheng Feng who watched the surveince footage on theptop beside him looked horrified too. He only regained his senses when Lu Tingxiao gave his order, then he quickly said, "Boss, the entire Phdelphia is in chaos right now. It will be too dangerous to go there right now."

    Lu Tingxiao shot him a terrifying look and Cheng Feng could only shut up.

    Dead, they were dead¡­

    Please don''t let anything happen to thedy boss¡­

    Or else¡­

    Lu Tingxiao did not know how he managed to sit through thest few seconds of footage. It was like walking through hell and back for him.

    He shut his eyes, then opened it again three secondster. His eyes were like a deep pool, with no ripples in them at all.

    He took out his phone and made a call.

    "Minister Naka, I''m sorry for disturbing you at this hour."

    "Ah, Mr. Lu, my honorable guest, you''re calling thiste at night. Is there an emergency?" the man on the other end of the phone had a friendly tone.

    "Indeed. I need your help."

    "Oh? Mr. Lu, feel free to ask!"

    "I would like to borrow a troop of your best army from you, Minister."

    "What? This¡­this¡­" He did not expect Lu Tingxiao to ask for such an outrageous request so suddenly. His sleepiness instantly disappeared. "Mr. Lu, what''s happened?"

    "I need to make a trip to Phdelphia."

    "My Lord, please don''t! Phdelphia has been controlled by a group of Italian gangsters recently. Even if you have a dire emergency, please wait until the situation is more stable before¡­"

    "My wife is in their hands."

 Chapter 649: No Ordinary Businessman

    <h4>Chapter 649: No Ordinary Businessman</h4>

    "My wife is in their hands."

    When he heard Lu Tingxiao''s words, the minister eximed, "What?! The audacity of these people!"

    Lu Tingxiao was one of America''s most important investors and he had a close rtionship with the American government. Now that his wife was actually kidnapped within the borders of America, if anything happened, the consequences would be¡­

    However, the situation in Phdelphia wasplicated. A single tiny move would cause a great ripple. It was only half a year away to the next elections and he had only wanted to focus on being a politician for the next six months without wanting to take credit for anything else. Who''d have expected something like this to happen?

    Lu Tingxiao naturally understood his concerns and assured, "Don''t worry, Minister, I will do my best to resolve the issue in a peaceful way."

    Try his best¡­so, would that exclude the possibility of using violence to resolve the issue?

    The minister broke out in cold sweat.

    However, this person still had to be saved!

    At the American border.

    The night was lit up brightly and a loud rumbling sound was heard.

    A helicopter slowly descended from the sky.

    The door opened and Lu Tingxiao walked out, d in his tuxedo. Cheng Feng followed behind him. Because the news was too sudden, he had got onto the helicopter as soon as he received the call, not bringing anyone else with him.

    In the rural area, the white-haired elder had waited for a long while.

    When he saw Lu Tingxiao appear, the elder smiled and walked up to shake his hand. "Mr. Lu, who would have known that something like this would happen? Please do ept my apologies."

    Lu Tingxiao courteously replied, "Minister Naka, my apologies for disturbing you sote at night."

    Usually, he would not trouble the minister because getting too involved with the government was not necessarily a good thing.

    But now, he was not sure whether Ning Xi was dead or alive. For such an emergency, he did not care much about politics at the moment.

    Minister Naka sighed, "Recently, Phdelphia has been taken over by a group of Italian gangsters. Even though my department has intentions to take them down, the current situation in America is very tense and I have not found the time to deal with it yet. We would never have expected Mr. Lu''s wife to suddenly appear in Phdelphia or that something like this would happen¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao was a huge figure in the Chinese business and he had a powerful influence in the economy. At the same time, he was also America''s important investor in several aspects. He had a close rtionship with the government and they really valued Lu Tingxiao too.

    Rumour had it that Lu Tingxiao also had huge investments in several other countries. His capabilities were extraordinary; he was no ordinary businessman.

    Or else, he would not be this anxious in the middle of the night to have a minister personally received him.

    If anything happened to Lu Tingxiao''s beloved wife in Phdelphia, his reputation as a minister would be at stake because if this issue caused Lu Tingxiao to hate America and stop his investments, it might even cause other disputes to follow¡­this was a very difficult issue to handle.

    Cheng Feng silently followed Lu Tingxiao. All the while, his hand had not stopped working on his phone as he continued to track Ning Xi down.

    Even though America was rtively poorerpared to other second world countries, they had a decently-sized military. The power of their military forces came to light especially recently when a war was incited between America and another small country. It was then that many potential investors saw America''s true capabilities.

    However, even though America''s military force was not considered small, the economic aspect of it was a headache. After all, especially following a war, they would need even more money to support the troops. America''s economic infrastructure was severelycking, so they valued big tycoon investors such as Lu Tingxiao.

 Chapter 650: Holding Back A Curse

    <h4>Chapter 650: Holding Back A Curse</h4>

    "Minister Naka, we can skip the small talk. My wife''s survival is uncertain right now. I urgently need to borrow a unit from your army troop." Lu Tingxiao looked stony as always, but upon closer inspection, you would notice a terrifying undercurrent in his eyes.

    "Well¡­Mr. Lu, I think you are all well too aware that the current war situation in America is tense. If you want a troop¡­" Minister Naka looked like he wanted to say something but stopped.

    "What do you mean, Minister Naka?" Lu Tingxiao looked meaningfully towards the elder.

    "Mr. Lu, America currently has a few more important investments at hand and these investments are rted to the military. So, Mr. Lu, if¡­you are willing to invest, I think it won''t be too much of a problem to immediately organize a troop for you. I''m just wondering what you think about it?" Minister Naka said this as he evaluated Lu Tingxiao''s attitude evenly.

    Cheng Feng''s eyebrows flew up. Minister Naka was obviously taking advantage of the situation!

    Lu Tingxiao looked at Minister Naka and said sharply, "Minister Naka, I don''t have the mood to discuss business with you right now."

    "Well¡­then it won''t be easy to settle this. It might take some time to mobilize a troop¡­" Minister Naka said, intentionally looking troubled.

    "Okay." Lu Tingxiao nodded.

    When he heard this, Minister Naka was instantly overjoyed, immediately concluding that he would get a fresh flow of funds. However, what Lu Tingxiao said next changed Minister Naka''s entire expression.

    "If that''s the case, then we''ll remove all investments of Lu Corporation in America, then perhaps we''ll look for other investments in Country M," Lu Tingxiao finished without giving Minister Naka another look. He nodded at Cheng Feng and walked towards the helicopter.

    "My Lord, please hold on!" Minister Naka immediately ran to chase after him and stopped Lu Tingxiao.

    He thought that because Lu Tingxiao was in such a desperate situation, he would agree to further investments but the man did not take the bait.

    If Lu Tingxiao really removed all his investments, the authorities would me him and whatever benefits he had dreamt of would evaporate instantly.

    "Mr. Lu, what I said was just what we can discusster. We have an emergency at hand and will still need to save your wife from Phdelphia first, don''t we?" Minister Naka quickly said after he stopped Lu Tingxiao.

    "What about the troops?" Lu Tingxiao looked at Minister Naka coldly.

    "Well, then¡­how about we prepare a troop of three hundred people for you, Mr. Lu?" Minister Naka seemed to be asking for Lu Tingxiao''s opinion.

    "Three hundred people¡­" Lu Tingxiao squinted.

    He was not even clear about the current situation in Phdelphia. That ce was chaotic. Even without the Italian gangsters, there were still strong forces there and all of these were uncertainties. Three hundred people would not be enough. If three hundred people could solve the issue, why would he go through so much work when he only needed to mobilize his people? Why would he need to look for this minister?

    "How about 400 men?" Minister Naka tested again when he saw Lu Tingxiao hesitate.

    Lu Tingxiao continued to stare at him without saying anything.

    Naka was rather anxious by now, so he rubbed his hands together and asked, "Mr. Lu, what do you want?"

    "20 tanks, five fighter jets, and 500 men equipped with firearms," Lu Tingxiao said inly.

    Minister Naka looked stiffly at the tuxedo-d man, holding back a curse.

    20 tanks plus five fighter jets and 500 armed men!? Lu Tingxiao was being too demanding! Why didn''t he just rob someone?!

    With the recent battlefield requirements, there was no way they had that many tanks and fighter jets to spare. Even if they did, he could not just casually mobilize them!

    "No way! Definitely no way! This definitely can''t be done!" Minister Naka cried out emotionally.

    "Since there is no way, then Lu Corporation can''t continue either. Farewell, Minister." Lu Tingxiao shook his head.

    "Mr. Lu!" Minister Naka said, practically weeping, "Mr. Lu, your requests are too demanding! With the recent tense battles, we only have five tanks and two fighter jets to spare! Even if you wanted more, you can only mobilize these!"

    "Deal." Lu Tingxiao nodded.

    "What¡­" Minister Naka was stunned. Had he just been tricked by Lu Tingxiao?

    He was Minister Naka after all and had dealt with diplomatic situations for half his life, yet here he was, being tricked by a businessman¡­

 Chapter 651: A Dumbfounding Situation

    <h4>Chapter 651: A Dumbfounding Situation</h4>

    Obviously, Lu Tingxiao was well-versed in psychology. First, he requested for a demand that the opposite party would never agree to, then he revealed what he really wanted, which made things sound much easier.

    Minister Naka was helpless at the moment. "Five tanks, plus two fighter jets with a 300-strong armed troop. This force should be enough to wipe out Phdelphia. No problems, right, Mr. Lu?"

    "Sure," Lu Tingxiao answered.

    Looking at Minister Naka''s forlorn expression, Lu Tingxiao assured, "Don''t worry, Minister Naka, I will bear whateverpensation if any loss happens, in fact, just as I said before, I would try my best to resolve the issue peacefully."

    "With your promise, Mr. Lu, I feel assured. Please do try." Minister Naka let his men open the door before he got into the helicopter with Lu Tingxiao and flew towards the nearest military fortress.

    In Phdelphia.

    At that moment, Augustine was carried by several brawny men as they ran towards the outskirts of Phdelphia.

    Their band of more than a hundred men had dwindled down to 20 odd people and the clothes on them had been shredded clean.

    Feng Xiaoxiao and Tang Ye still had some doubts, so they captured about seventy to eighty of his men, stripped them of their weapons, then let Augustine bring enough money for their ransom. Feng Xiaoxiao actually got her people to remove all of their clothes!

    Augustine''s pants were colored in carmine red blood while the lower region of his body had been destroyed by Tang Ye.

    "Satan, Tang Ye, I will have you guys die horribly!" Augustine snarled, violence zing in his eyes. If looks could kill, Satan, Tang Ye and everyone else would have died much earlier and multiple times too. Sadly, ring intently could not maim, much less, kill them.

    "Boss, what do we do now? Phdelphia''s police force is a bunch of useless kittens. They looked at Satan like they had seen a ghost and ran away faster than anyone. They have really screwed us over!" asked one of the brawny men who carried Augustine carefully.

    Actually, everyone knew very well that the person who had screwed them over was none other than Augustine himself. If it had not been because of his insistence to mess with Satan''s woman, everyone would not have ended up like this.

    Augustine''sher regions were ruined by Tang Ye. In order to let Augustine live, Tang Ye and Feng Xiaoxiao actually brought a doctor over to conduct surgery on Augustine, sewing up the wound and even injected painkillers!

    Compared to his ears which were sliced off, hisher regions were much more important!

    "I will have them pay a million times worse! I want to let Satan, Tang Ye and the rest of them die horribly. Do you hear me? They will die horribly!!!" Augustine roared.

    When they heard this, his men shook their heads. Satan was a reputable figure and was nicknamed King of the Night. Even his man, Tang Ye alone, could easily kill Augustine. What could Augustine seek revenge with? His mouth?

    A n was already hatching in Augustine''s mind. He would first inform the seniors about this; they definitely would not leave him to die! Until then¡­

    Suddenly, deep rumbles were heard across the sky and the night was lit up.

    Two fighter jets were actually circling the Phdelphia sky, while a huge beam shone in every corner hunting for something.

    "Where''s that helicopter from?"

    "Helicopter¡­? That''s a weird sound it''s making. Damn it, that''s a militant fighter jet!!!!"

    It was not sure who in particr shouted this, but everyone else inspected closely and turned pale. Those were indeed fighter jets. In fact, those were American fighter jets!

    "What''s going on? Why would these American fighter jets appear in Phdelphia?!" one of the men asked, breaking out in cold sweat.

    He thought to himself, "Could the American government want to wipe out the gangsters in Phdelphia?!"

    However, based on their group activities, there was no way they would have attracted the attention of the American government. Besides, America was currently engaged in war, so how could they be wasting militant resources on little Phdelphia?

    That¡­that was definitely American fighter jets though, no mistake about that!

    "Militant tanks!"

    Within a few breaths, severalrge tanks slowly lumbered into sight. The huge cannons had muzzle brakes on them and they could only imagine what it would be like if the cannon was fired¡­

    There were two fighter jets in the air and five American tanks on the ground!

    Augustine and the rest were thoroughly dumbfounded on the spot. They were itching to know what exactly was happening¡­

 Chapter 652: Whoâ€™s Your Wife?

    <h4>Chapter 652: Who¡¯s Your Wife?</h4>

    Two American military fighter jets and five American war tanks suddenly appeared in Phdelphia, leaving Augustine and his men in shock. At that moment, Augustine¡¯s hatred towards Satan and Tang Ye was forgotten instantly.

    A few dozen trucks soon appeared with fierce-looking armed squads.

    Soon, a white military truck stopped in front of Augustine.

    The door opened and a man in camo gear alighted, his stripes indicating that he was a Captain.

    "Stay right there!" the Captain roared at Augustine and his men.

    The next second, hundreds of armed soldiers aimed their gun at Augustine. Augustine was sweating profusely. This was the official military of America!

    Augustine was still hoping that Satan would be their target as his gang might not be as influential as Satan.

    "Right, it must be Satan they are after!" Augustine reaffirmed his own thoughts, confident that the official military to counter him could have only summoned someone at Satan''s level.

    "What¡¯s your name?" a soldier closed in on Augustine and shouted at him while pointing a rifle dangerously.

    "Augustine Cavendish!" Augustine¡¯s forehead was slick with sweat as he reported his full name nervously.

    "Bastard!" the soldier yelled and smashed his rifle into Augustine¡¯s face.

    Augustine fell hard onto the floor from the impact and his men did not dare to do anything. All 20 of them did not move an inch even upon seeing Augustine attacked.

    "Hand me the people!"

    There was the sound of a bullet being loaded and a gun was aimed at Augustine''s face, ready to be fired any moment. "What¡­who? What people?" Augustine stammered in confusion from the rifle butt and was even more confused when he was asked to hand over some people. He did not know what they were talking about.

    "You bastard, I¡¯ll kill you right here!" The soldier raised his foot and stomped on Augustine¡¯s torso, causing Augustine to almost pass out from the heavy impact.

    "Mr. Lu, is this him?"

    A car door opened and Lu Tingxiao came out.

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. He had looked at the CCTV and confirmed that this man was Augustine. However, seeing Augustine and his men butt naked in Phdelphia, with the dark congealed blood stains smeared on the bottom half of Augustine''s body, something must have happened¡­and Ning Xi was clearly not with him right now.

    "Where¡¯s my wife?" Lu Tingxiao stopped the soldier¡¯s barrage with a hand as he squatted down and looked at him coldly.

    "Your¡­wife? Who¡¯s your wife?" Augustine backed off, scuttling on his backside and hands. The terrifying aura from the man was scaring him.

    "Ning Xi, the woman you took in the morning. You even shot her in the leg." Although Lu Tingxiao tried to sound calm, his cold gaze made Augustine shiver.

    "Ning Xi¡­I¡­I don¡¯t know her, did you get the wrong person?"

    Augustine was petrified. Who exactly was this woman?

    First, there was Satan and now the American military was here. Furthermore, seeing how the Captain was treating this man respectfully, could he possibly be a Major or maybe a Colonel?!

 Chapter 653: Taken Away!

    <h4>Chapter 653: Taken Away!</h4>

    Augustine thought that the American military was here for Satan but it was all because of Ning Xi!

    This man had mentioned that Ning Xi was his wife. Then, what about Satan? Was Ning Xi not Satan¡¯s woman?

    Augustine had no time for doubts; he knew that he could never admit shooting Ning Xi. Instead, he insisted that he did not know Ning Xi and had never abducted this man¡¯s wife.

    "Don¡¯t want to talk?" Lu Tingxiao stood up and looked at him casually. "There are a lot of ways to make you talk if you¡¯d like to try."

    Perspiration dripped off Augustine¡¯s forehead as he looked at this stranger and thought to himself, "If this man is so sure about what I have done, he probably has enough evidence to believe so and it is meaningless to deny the truth anymore."

    "That woman, she¡­was taken away just now!" After a while, Augustine decided to blurt out the truth.

    "Bastard, why did you abduct Madam Lu?! Spill it!" A soldier smashed Augustine in the shoulder with his gun again. These military soldiers were not very patient.

    With his wail like a dying pig, a fresh wound split open on Augustine¡¯s face.

    "Tell us who took Madam Lu away or I¡¯ll kill you right now!" The soldier glowered at him fiercely.

    Without waiting for Augustine to speak, the Captain went up to Lu Tingxiao and whispered to him, "Mr. Lu, from the CCTV videos just now, your wife has been taken away by another group of people, who are still in Phdelphia at the moment."

    "Another group of people¡­" Lu Tingxiao frowned.

    What trouble did Ning Xi get herself into this time?

    "But, Mr. Lu, these people¡­they aren¡¯t yourmon thugs," the Captain exined anxiously as he looked at the military-grade armored car and the heavy machine gun.

    After hearing the Captain¡¯s description, Lu Tingxiao replied instantly, "I¡¯m going to save my wife."

    "What about these people?" The Captain looked at Augustine and his men. "Should we just kill them right here?"

    Lu Tingxiao shook his head. He was reminded of how they insulted Ning Xi and tore off her clothes, so he said coldly, "I remember the American military has a unique interrogation system."

    The Captain understood immediately. "Haha, I got you, Mr. Lu. Let me handle them, I¡¯ll not let you down."

    "Thank you." Lu Tingxiao nodded his head slightly.

    "Get these people on the truck and take them away!" a Corporal beside the Captain ordered. Augustine and his men were being taken away by force, without any means to resist.

    Augustine hung his head gloomily as if he was a corpse. He thought what Tang Ye had done to him was his greatest despair, but he had yet to know what was going to happen to him next.

    The interrogation system of the American military would be a real hell on earth¡­

    ¡­

    Half an hourter, somewhere in Phdelphia.

    Two military fighter jets soared through the city skyline and multiple war tanks closed in, forcing the armored cars toe to a halt.

    Although there were heavy defenses on the armored cars, they dared not act rashly when facing a war tank. After all, those were American war tanks and not toy cars¡­

    One shot from that thing would totally destroy the armored car.

    "American military?" Feng Jin was surprised by the situation.

    Could their activity tonight have exposed them to the American military?

 Chapter 654: Me, Me, Me! Iâ€™m His Wife!

    <h4>Chapter 654: Me, Me, Me! I¡¯m His Wife!</h4>

    Both parties came to a standstill. The air was tense and no one made a move yet.

    "What happened?" the man in the silver car asked as the group stopped advancing forward.

    In the car, Ning Xi looked pale due to the excessive blood loss. She did not have the strength to care about what was happening outside but she just opened her eyes halfway after hearing somemotion.

    Tang Ye came over from another armored car and reported, "It¡¯s the military."

    The man in the silver car coolly reacted, "Oh?"

    Phdelphia had always been awless area, yet the military was meddling this time? It seemed like they had allocated every resource they had avable to this area¡­

    "Interesting." The man got down from the car with a grin on his face.

    In one of the war tanks, the Captain felt that something was amiss when he saw the silver-haired man get down from the car. He had not expected for him to be back¡­

    The Captain did not really care what he did in the dark, but he had left the military in an awkward position this time by meddling with trouble.

    "Captain Waymond, good day! What brings you here today?" greeted the man arrogantly, acting like Phdelphia was his own base.

    Feng Jin was concerned about the man''s ego. He never knew how to restrain himself. They were already in a bad enough situation and provoking the military was not the best idea to get them out of there.

    The Captain simmered with anger but he put on a calmly stern facade. "Hand over the person you abducted. Let¡¯s save each other¡¯s time!"

    He strictly followed the orders he had received and tried to solve the issue peacefully.

    Things were easy if it had just been Augustine to deal with, but for him¡­if both parties ended up in a fight, the cost would be too great!

    The silver-haired man raised his brows. The person he abducted?

    "Who exactly did I abduct?" the man asked in heightened interest.

    As the Captain was about to continue persuading him, a person alighted from a car at the back. The man was still wearing the ck suit from the cocktail party and he had an icy cold aura around him. In a steely tone that matched his fierce eyes, he enunciated, "My wife."

    The moment the man appeared, the silver-haired man suddenly became sharp and aggressive rather than indifferent. He clenched his teeth and said, "Lu Tingxiao¡­"

    The two men were a dozen steps apart; one evil, one ice cold.

    The air had invisible sparks lighting up.

    In the silver car, Ning Xi suddenly woke up.

    What happened? She thought¡­she just heard Lu Tingxiao¡¯s voice?

    No, impossible¡­

    Why would Lu Tingxiao be here?

    It must be a hallucination¡­

    The light in Ning Xi¡¯s eyes faded quickly, but the small tiny spark of hope in her heart urged her to look outside the window.

    She was astonished when she finally saw what was happening.

    In front of that intimidating ck fighter jet and war tank stood a familiar, mountainous figure. He emitted an aura of winter but he warmed her heart¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡­

    It was¡­really him¡­

    After a long suffocating silence, the silver-haired man spoke up, "Ha, funny. Who¡¯s your wife?"

    Before Lu Tingxiao could say anything, a head popped out of the silver car. Ning Xi waved while yelling, "Me, me, me¡­it¡¯s me!"

    Save me, Boss!

 Chapter 655: My Baby VS. My Wife

    <h4>Chapter 655: My Baby VS. My Wife</h4>

    The moment he saw the girl, Lu Tingxiao''s frozen demeanor instantly cracked. "Ning Xi¡­"

    It had only been a few hours from when he had received Jiang Muye''s phone call till now, but it felt like a few lifetimes long.

    He had finally found her!

    When he heard Ning Xi''s words, the silver-haired man could not remain cool any longer. In frustration, he immediately turned around to berate her, "''Me'', your backside! Get back in! Tang Ye, take her away!"

    He was immediately annoyed by her.

    How dare she cheat on him right in his face?! She was really going against him now!

    Feng Jin coughed slightly and Feng Xiaoxiao rubbed her nose speechlessly and looked at the sky innocently. Tang Ye looked like he had predicted all of this as he followed Satan''s orders and walked over to start the engine.

    Watching the scenery rolling backwards quickly through the window and her distance from Lu Tingxiao increasing, Ning Xi instantly anxiously leaned out of the car window and cried very sadly, "I don''t want to go¡­I don''t want to¡­"

    Boss, save me¡­save me¡­

    Looking at the girl''s miserable little face, Lu Tingxiao felt his heart tighten and he felt an even more indescribable feeling of joy.

    Wasn''t this silver-haired man the one she liked?

    Why did she actually admit that¡­she was his wife?

    Could it be that they were quarrelling? Or¡­

    The silver-haired guy was struggling to swallow his anger that was about to lose control of and said with his best nonchnt tone, "Huh! When my baby was in danger, where were you? I saved her and now you''re here to take all the credit?"

    "My baby?" When Lu Tingxiao heard this, he immediately sealed off all the warmth he felt and said with a poker face, "Who should my wife thank for the danger?"

    "You¡­" The man was speechless.

    It was true that Augustine only picked on Ning Xi because of him and that if he had not arranged to meet Ning Xi here, she would not have met with danger.

    After that, it was not sure what the man had thought, but he started to be suspicious and looked at Feng Xiaoxiao. "When did the brat change her name to Nei Ren ?"

    Feng Xiaoxiao felt a trickle of cold sweat run down her forehead as she replied, "Um, boss, ''Nei Ren'' is not a name. It''s a form of address for your wife, basically¡­basically it means ''my wife''¡­"

    The silver-haired man immediately roared, "What the?! Your backside! Is it official now? You''re ''Nei Ren''!"

    When he saw that Madam Lu was safe, the Captain could finally be temporarily relieved as he continued to advise Satan, "Let Madam Lu go. Everything can be negotiated, that''s all I can say. If you continue to not take heed, don''t me us for using violence!"

    "Hah, it is my utmost wish." Not only did the silver-haired guy not back down, he actually seemed to look even more excited. His light brown eyes were fixated on Lu Tingxiao like an animal.

    Feng Xi frowned and said, "Satan, you can''t! The boat is arriving soon. We can leave immediately, there''s no need for conflict with them at such a time!"

    He was obviously very against the idea of ruining any ns for the woman. He had already disagreed with the previous n of going against Augustine with such a huge force as he was afraid that something might go wrong. s, the situation had been worse than he foresaw!

    "Satan, yield for a moment and the wind shall calm while the wave subsides. Just let them have her first. We can always¡­"

    "Shut up!"

    Helplessly, Feng Jin looked towards Feng Xiaoxiao to ask for help.

    Feng Xiaoxiao shrugged and looked willing but unable to help. She did not know why every time that guy met something rted to Lu Tingxiao, he would itch for a bloody fight. Plus, this time it was rted to the Little Junior Sister, so it was a lost cause no matter who advised him.

 Chapter 656: I Will Take You Away!

    <h4>Chapter 656: I Will Take You Away!</h4>

    On the other side, the Captain solemnly advised Lu Tingxiao, "Mr. Lu, the situation doesn''t look positive. I can threaten them here and there, but if we really were to mobilize firearms¡­this won''t do!"

    "Why not?" Lu Tingxiao''s eyes zed murderously. He was already prepared to give it his all.

    Big deal, he would just agree to Minister Naka''s disadvantageous conditions! So what if this war was incited?

    Initially, he had some hesitations when he saw the silver-haired man because he recognized that this was who Ning Xi had mentioned, the person she really liked.

    However, it turned out that she had taken such a huge risk and gone through such danger to travel to Phdelphia secretly just to see him?

    She had followed him willingly¡­

    Such a fact pierced his heart like an arrow, saddening him deeply.

    Though, the moment he felt hopeless, Ning Xi had suddenly appeared and actually admitted herself as his wife!!! She obviously did not want to leave with this person! She begged him for help!

    He had experienced death in a moment and was revived in the next.

    Lu Tingxiao had instantly returned to the human realm from hell.

    Regardless of what and how, he had to bring her home with him today!

    And at that moment, the silver-haired guy''s thoughts were barely in sync with Lu Tingxiao''s.

    Brat! Don''t want to leave with me? Then, I will take you away with me!

    ¡­

    "Big Senior Brother, just let me go, okay? Please, I''m begging you?"

    "Big Senior Brother, if you let me go today, I will be your ve to return my gratitude in the next lifetime!"

    "Big Senior Brother, do you really not care about brotherhood anymore? Am I not still the Little Junior Sister you love the most?"

    ¡­

    In the car, no matter how Ning Xi begged, Tang Ye was not moved at all.

    Finally, Ning Xi gave up and hopelessly slumped on the car seat, recalling the heady moment she saw Lu Tingxiao. The more she thought about it, the more she felt miserable.

    It would be better if there was no hope at all. In such a moment, she had unexpectedly seen him¡­

    Even though this little car looked shabby, it was still functioning well and Tang Ye could drive it away pretty quickly.

    When they were about to reach the jetty, a person suddenly appeared on the road in front of them. She and Tang Ye would never have thought that someone would appear here at that moment¡­

    Tang Ye halted the car with the emergency brake and stopped half a meter from the man.

    They saw that the person who blocked their way was someone with curly brown hair, tanned skin, and a nonchnt expression. It was¡­

    Ning Xi was so shocked that she stuttered, "Second¡­Second¡­Second¡­"

    "Second what?" The man''s brows raised and in that moment, to Ning Xi, it was like millions of cherry blossom trees had flowered.

    "Second Senior Brother!!! Second Senior Brother! Second Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother¡­" Ning Xi''s expression was so emotional as if she was a crazy fan who had just seen her favorite idol and she started to cheer with sheer joy.

    She even forgot that the wound on her thigh hurt, jumping out the car and running over. "Second Senior Brother! It really is you!"

    The manughed heartily. "Hahahahaha! Little Senior Sister, miss me?"

    "I miss, miss, miss you! Oh, Second Senior Brother, I missed you so much!" Ning Xi''s eyes teared up. She had not seen him for so long and she really did miss him a lot.

    She had been afraid of many people back then, but Tang Lang was the one person she had always wanted to see the most and liked being close to.

    The guy rubbed her messy long hair and said, "Good girl, good girl! I missed you too! Aiya, Little Junior Sister, your hair is so long already. You look nice with long hair. Turns out that you''re a really pretty little girl!"

 Chapter 657: Aiyo, I Cant Look Anymore!

    <h4>Chapter 657: Aiyo, I Can''t Look Anymore!</h4>

    "Obviously! I look even prettier in female clothes! Second Senior Brother, where did you disappear to? Big Senior Brother said he hasn''t seen you for over half a year! And you haven''t contacted me either!" Ning Ximented.

    Tang Lang looked at her with his eyebrows raised and said, "Touche!"

    The both of them reminisced for a long while until Tang Ye interrupted, "Tang Lang."

    Tang Ye called out for the man''s name without any expression on his face, only his eyes questioning silently.

    "Aha! Senior Brother, long time no see! Did you miss me?" Tang Lang flung his arm over Tang Ye''s shoulders and leaned against him carelessly.

    Tang Ye pushed him away with one hand roughly and said, "Master has been looking for you."

    Tang Lang insistently leaned on him again. "Only Master? What about you?"

    On the side, Ning Xi covered her eyes and said, "Aiyo, aiyo¡­I can''t look anymore! There are children here! Our nation''s flowers are about to be terribly influenced by you two!"

    Tang Lang hit her lightly on the head and said, "You''re the flower? The Flower Overlord?"

    "Pfft! I''m a little white flower!" She was already in such misery. Wasn''t she a tragic little white flower now!

    When Tang Lang heard that, it was like he had heard the funniest joke in the world as he held his tummy and burst intoughter. "You¡­little white flower¡­? Hahahahaha¡­"

    Ning Xi was angry now, "Hey! Why can''t I be a little white flower? Do you have tough this hard?"

    "Hahahaha¡­" Tang Lang held onto his tummy andughed so hard he could not say anything.

    Ning Xi did not notice how but all she saw was that while Tang Lang was stillughing hard, his arm suddenly moved to the back of Tang Ye''s neck and injected a clear liquid into the man¡­

    Tang Ye did not even have the time to react before he fell over.

    "Oh my God! Second Senior Brother! What¡­what are you doing? Why did you attack Big Senior Brother?" Ning Xi was shocked.

    "You lil dummy! Obviously to save you!" Tang Lang eximed as he carried Tang Ye''s limp body and carefully put him by the roadside.

    Ning Xi was still stunned, "Save¡­me?"

    "No time for exnations. Juste with me quickly!"

    Tang Lang rushed as he quickly helped Ning Xi to the car, then got into the driver''s seat.

    The moment Tang Lang got in, he was bewildered. "My God! Why did Satan get this outdated vintage car? How do I drive this junk?"

    "I know how to! But my leg is hurt. I can''t move it!"

    "Quickly teach me!"

    "Okay, okay, let me teach you¡­"

    While the two were still getting the hang of driving the car, an arm suddenly slotted in from the car window and gripped onto Tang Lang who was in the driver''s seat, hauling him out of the car through the window.

    Tang Ye, who had been unconscious, was standing by the car shakily and holding onto Tang Lang''s shirt while looking scary.

    "Tang Lang!"

    Tang Lang escaped by turning around and out of his coat before he looked at the man in disbelief. "Jesus! Tang Ye, you psycho! I''ve already used double the amount. How are you awake so soon?"

    Tang Ye looked at him like a statue, his jet ck eyes as sharp as daggers. "Exin."

    Tang Lang frowned, his tone slightly annoyed. "I have nothing to exin. The truth is as what you see."

    Tang Ye gritted his teeth. "You betrayed the organization."

    Tang Lang scoffed and looked around, his mouth curved into a smile. "Huh, yeah, I did. What about it? Do you want to wipe me out?"

 Chapter 658: Donâ€™t Ask A Man If He Can Do It

    <h4>Chapter 658: Don¡¯t Ask A Man If He Can Do It</h4>

    Looking at his opponent¡¯s indifferent attitude, Tang Ye held his fist tight, to the point his finger joints cracked. Hidden behind his sses were his rage and pain, "You¡­"

    Looking at Tang Ye¡¯s hurtful eyes, Tang Lang avoided eye contact and closed his eyes, "Senior Brother, let¡¯s have a match, the one who wins will take Little Junior Sister away, how does that sound?"

    After a short moment of silence, Tang Ye replied coolly, "Sure."

    Ning Xi was totally confused about the current situation.

    What¡­what was happening?

    Did Second Senior Brother betray the organization? Who was he working for now?

    It seemed like he was trying to knock out First Senior Brother to save her¡­

    Could he possibly be working for the devil now?

    Impossible!

    This did not make sense! How could Second Senior Brother be rted to the devil?

    But currently, this was the only exnation. Otherwise, Second Senior Brother would not have appeared here and dared to oppose Satan to try to rescue her.

    While Ning Xi was still figuring things out, both of them were at each other''s throats. Unfortunately, Tang Lang could not go on the offensive; there was no opening.

    The small ray of hope in Ning Xi¡¯s heart suddenly diminished and she yelled at him, "Second Senior Brother, can you or can''t you do it?!"

    Tang Lang clenched his teeth while trying to fend off Tang Ye¡¯s crazy attacks, "Never ask a man if he can do it!"

    The situation changed after his reply. Ning Xi¡¯s eyes shone brightly again. Tang Lang had gotten serious and his ferocity intensified.

    He began his counter, but he was still rxed enough to keep on talking. "Yo, the old man was really biased. He sure taught you a lot of new stuff!"

    Ning Xi was annoyed. He had been missing for half a year. Of course, the Master only had First Senior Brother to teach.

    There was something even worse!

    Tang Lang¡¯s talent was out of the world; he could actually observe and learn Tang Ye¡¯s new skills on the spot and he rebounded the attack back at him.

    Ning Xi was impressed. Too bad, there was no popcorn for her to enjoy the show!

    Upon seeing his skills being easily copied on the spot, something went off within Tang Ye. He suddenly stepped back and took on a resting stance. He stared at Tang Lang, then he raised his hand to take off his sses.

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart sank to the pits of her stomach. This was bad!

    She did not realize that First Senior Brother had not taken off his sses for the whole fight, meaning that he had not utilized his full power yet!

    Even Tang Lang was being wary and anxious at that moment.

    Ning Xi¡¯s worry had materialized¡­

    Tang Ye without his sses was like an unrestrained beast; his attack powers rose sharply when that happened!

    Ning Xi could tell that Second Senior Brother had no other choice but to use his full power this time. It was a tough fight between the both of them.

    Tang Lang cursed to himself countless times. He had thought that Tang Ye had reached the bottleneck and could not possibly reach new heights in a mere half a year. He thought he could win, but apparently, he had underestimated Tang Ye.

 Chapter 659: They Kissed!!!

    <h4>Chapter 659: They Kissed!!!</h4>

    This guy had crazily outstanding talent. It was truly inhuman for him to improve this tremendously in such a short time!

    There was no more meaning in continuing to fight; it would have ended up in a draw.

    Regardless, time would not wait for no man. He could not wait any further and he needed to get Ning Xi away soon as Satan¡¯s men would be here anytime!

    He had to think of something fail-safe¡­

    Damn it! It was simply too hard! Tang Ye was too careful and there was no opening at all!

    He was just distracted ever so slightly by trying to think of an escape n and a solid punchnded on his face. Pain exploded on his cheek. "You bastard, Tang Ye! Are you really trying to kill me?!"

    What a heavy blow!

    "I¡¯ll not give you another chance if you get distracted again!" Tang Ye gave him a cold side-eye.

    Tang Lang¡¯s nostrils red. Damn it! He was going to wait patiently until Tang Ye was distracted!

    Their fight continued. Tang Lang tried to aim for his fatal points, but Tang Ye moved forward instead of avoiding him, showing no signs of fear at all. Tang Lang would not be able to attack at such a close range. Instead, he was paving a path to his own grave.

    As Tang Lang got closer, he had a weird grin on his face. It was toote when Tang Ye realized that something fishy was up. Tang Lang directly¡­kissed him. They kissed!!!

    Tang Lang quickly held Tang Ye by his throat and pushed him onto the car as he was distracted by the shocking kiss. He murmured, "Senior Brother, you lose."

    Ning Xi was startled. "Daaaaaaamn! My eyes! Second Senior Brother! That was so wrong!"

    "As long as it worked." Tang Lang was proud of his tactic and he smilingly turned to Tang Ye. "Senior Brother, you¡¯d admit defeat, right?"

    Tang Ye suppressed his urge to smash him into pieces and took a deep breath. He had fulfilled his promise. "Get lost."

    "As you wish!"

    As if afraid that Tang Ye would regret his decision, Tang Lang quickly slung Ning Xi over his shoulder and ran away swiftly while quickly sending a text on his phone at the same time: [Retreat!]

    ¡­

    On the other battleground, both parties came to a standstill. The air was tense.

    The Captain was trying his best to persuade Satan but to no effect.

    Time passed and dawn broke slowly, yet both parties did not show any signs of retreating.

    The silver-haired man yawned and looked impatient. "Such troublesome creatures! Are we fighting or not?"

    As Lu Tingxiao was about to reply him, he received a text message, which caught him by surprise, but he masked his reaction to the content well and no one noticed.

    He then looked at the man and grandly said, "As you wish."

    The silver-haired man felt a strong bloodlust rise within himself.

    Feng Jin did not n to rely on his employer¡¯s sanity since their opponent was Lu Tingxiao and he expected thetter to make a rational choice. However, seeing that Lu Tingxiao was just as unreliable, he was deeply troubled.

    The Captain was even more afraid. "Mr. Lu, we can¡¯t fight them!"

    He was not worried about the oue of this fight. America was barely standing its ground in the war now and if one of their main forces were to be defeated here, other countries might seize the chance and infiltrate the mothend.

 Chapter 660: Sorry, Iâ€™m Late!

    <h4>Chapter 660: Sorry, I¡¯m Late!</h4>

    A military-grade SUV closed in quickly. The door opened and Minister Naka got down with a few of his subordinates in tow.

    The Captain had had to inform his superior of the uncontroble situation.

    Minister Naka went up to Lu Tingxiao nervously and urged, "Mr. Lu, you promised to solve this peacefully!"

    "I said I¡¯ll try," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    "Mr. Lu, I know you¡¯re deeply concerned about your wife, but there are many other ways to rescue her! It isn¡¯t toote to take action after they set sail! There''s no point to sh here, is there?" Minister Naka tried his best to convince him.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression appeared to waver.

    The minister continued with his persuasion.

    After a long while, Lu Tingxiao decided with a darkened expression, "Retreat."

    The silver-haired man sneered at him. "Ah¡­retreating already? Did I even allow such a thing?"

    He already guessed based on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s personality that he would never do something so irrational just for a woman and hence, the fight would not happen.

    But Feng Jin was clueless, so he had quickly gone up to ask him to stop provoking them and ordered his people to retreat at the same time.

    The man yawned and went back to his armored car cheerfully.

    The girl was already with him and he wanted to get her back? In his dreams!

    The sea was his turf!

    Watching the crowd disperse, Minister Naka was relieved but some new worries loomed on the horizon.

    Lu Tingxiao would never let them get away for abducting his beloved wife!

    The worst part was that he had no idea what ns to propose to rescue Madam Lu. He had just been trying to calm Lu Tingxiao down and lied. If Satan took to the seas, it would be even more impossible to save anyone from him!

    Minister Naka¡¯s n was to send as many people as he could, but he still would not know if the rescue mission would end up sessful or otherwise.

    "Mr. Lu, let¡¯s go back to D.C. and devise an borate n¡­"

    Minister Naka was trying tofort Lu Tingxiao, but the man suddenly urgently ordered, "Go back to the outskirts of Phdelphia!"

    Minister Naka was confused and had no idea why he wanted to go there, but he felt guilty so he ordered his men to follow Lu Tingxiao¡¯s orders.

    A few hundred meters away from the meeting point, Lu Tingxiao jumped off the tank and hurried by foot.

    "Hey! Boss! We¡¯re here!"

    Somewhere not too far away, someone was yelling.

    A brown-haired man was holding a slender girl with long hair. That girl seemed like¡­

    Lu Tingxiao ran towards them.

    Beside the brown-haired man was the profusely injured girl. With so much that happened to her, she was barely conscious now. She only saw a familiar shadow block out the light and she mumbled, "Lu¡­Tingxiao¡­"

    Before she lost consciousness, she felt a warm embrace and heard a whisper by her ear, "It¡¯s me! Sorry, I¡¯mte!"

 Chapter 661: We Will Meet Again Very Soon

    <h4>Chapter 661: We Will Meet Again Very Soon</h4>

    At Phdelphia Jetty.

    Above the surface of the sea, the mist slowly subsided and the sun rose. Golden light reflected upon the buoyant waves of the sea, but gloom was apparent on his face.

    "Where''s she?" The man rushed over with everyone only to find an empty run-down car.

    It was rare to see Tang Ye with his sses on, as he stood there with his back facing the sea. He looked pensive as if he was thinking about something, and when he saw people approaching, he lowered his gaze and said, "She was taken away by Lu Tingxiao''s man."

    "Someone actually managed to take someone away from you?" the man red at him, eyes aze.

    "It was Tang Lang."

    The man''s eyes immediately squinted maliciously."Tang Lang¡­"

    No wonder¡­No wonder Lu Tingxiao had unexpectedlypromised earlier. What a great actor! He had intentionally negotiated with him on the other end and said so much crap to dy time. All that just to let Tang Lang have enough time to secretly save her¡­

    Damn it! He had actually fallen for it!

    He had especially designated for Tang Ye to take Ning Xi away. Who would have thought that Tang Lang woulde along and mess things up?

    When they heard this, Feng Xiaoxiao and Feng Jin were stunned.

    Who would have thought that Tang Lang who had disappeared for more than half a year would turn out to be¡­Lu Tingxiao''s man!

    "No way! This is impossible!" Feng Xiaoxiao gasped in disbelief. "There''s no way Second Senior Brother would betray us!"

    She, Tang Ye and Tang Lang had been adopted by the Master since they were very young. The three of them grew up with each other and were even closer than biological siblings. Naturally, it was hard for her to ept this.

    However, the truth was right before them. There was no way Tang Ye would lie.

    In fact, it was very obvious that after Tang Ye had gone against Tang Lang, he was feeling turmoiled and betrayed.

    Feng Xiaoxiao was afraid that he would be miserable, so she did not even dare to ask for more details.

    She knew that even though the two of them usually fought with one another and Tang Ye seemed to not like Tang Lang, they were actually very close and had fought for their lives together throughout their dysfunctional friendship. They always had the best chemistry when they were out on missions.

    Now, the person who must be the most heartbroken was Tang Ye.

    "Based on your amazing capabilities, how could you have lost to him so easily?" the man shot him a suspicious look, clearly not quite believing him.

    Even if Tang Ye could not win, there was no way he could lose, and not so quickly too.

    Whenever the two fought, it would always take them at least half a day. They had even fought for three days and three nights without being able to decide who won or lost.

    Feng Xiaoxiao actually had her doubts as well, but she kept quiet. Actually, she had secretly suspected First Senior Brother going easy on him¡­

    Of course, she did not dare proim such a thing aloud!

    Tang Ye''s expression stiffened. He did not bother exining. "I lost, and that''s that."

    At that moment, Feng Jin looked at the time and urged anxiously, "Get onto the boat! We should depart now!"

    The man turned around and stared at the city in slumber behind him.

    His long fingers lightly moved his silver hair that was dancing in the wind to reveal the eye that had been hidden by his fringe, and never before seen by anyone.

    His eyes were prettier than a woman''s, but the hidden one was freakishly imprinted with a scar across it. Even though the impression of the scar was already very shallow, it still ruined the perfection of his eyes. However, this added an aura of wild danger to the man instead¡­

    "Hmph, Lu Tingxiao, we will meet again very soon¡­"

    And when that happens, I will take back everything that is mine.

 Chapter 662: Little Junior Sister Had Become The Lady Boss!

    <h4>Chapter 662: Little Junior Sister Had Be The Lady Boss!</h4>

    "What¡­how is Madam Lu here?" The old Minister and the Captain were shocked to see the woman appear so unexpectedly.

    Lu Tingxiao just wordlessly took off his coat and wrapped the girl in it, then he carefully carried her.

    How could the old minister not understand at that point?!

    Lu Tingxiao had not trusted them at all and he long had other tricks up his sleeves. He had decided to cause a distraction while someone was ordered to go save her.

    Naka was evidently embarrassed since he had not settled the issue well after all. He had meant to y mind games with them, when in fact, they had better rity of the bigger picture all along.

    Thus, he quickly went up to Lu Tingxiao and tried to make amends for his inadequacy. "Mr. Lu, pleasee this way. With Madam Lu''s current situation, I''m afraid she needs to be immediately treated. We have already prepared the best medical team for her! The hospital can be quite noisy, so you can bring Madam straight to my humble home to recuperate!"

    What Lu Tingxiao wanted to do the most at that moment was to bring Ning Xi home. However, when he looked at the bloody gunshot wound on Ning Xi''s thigh, he thought about how she might be suffering from other unseen injuries.

    In her current state, she probably could not withstand the stress of a long distance journey. What she needed was immediate medical treatment.

    Atst, Lu Tingxiao decided to stay temporarily and at the same time, give some face to the old Minister. "Please do, Minister."

    When the Minister heard this, he was finally less stressed and got the medical team to rush over.

    The medical team had been behind the bigger team right from the start, so they went over fairly quickly. Immediately, a stretcher was carried over and experienced medical staff attended to Ning Xi.

    "Mr. Lu, pleasey Madam carefully on the stretcher."

    Lu Tingxiao nodded slightly before he lightly put Ning Xi down.

    Just as she wasid down, the girl who had been unconscious suddenly jolted and subconsciously clung onto Lu Tingxiao''s neck. She frowned in agony, pleading, "No¡­don''t¡­"

    Her throat was dry and her voice was soft as a kitten with a coarse mew, sounding extremely pitiful.

    Lu Tingxiao''s heart instantly melted into a mess. He immediately picked the girl up again and patted her lightly. "Don''t be afraid, I''m right here."

    Tang Lang watched speechlessly with wide eyes. In shock, he coughed profusely. This was his first time seeing the vulnerable side of Little Junior Sister akin to a white little flower, and even more unbelievably, such a gentle Lu Tingxiao!

    "Mr. Lu, your rtionship with your wife is so beautiful! Well then, Mr. Lu, carry her first. As long as you don''t touch her wound, it should be fine," advised the medical staff with touched smiles.

    Lu Tingxiao had not intended toy her down anyway. Seeing her like that, how could he bear to?

    Tang Lang suddenly thought of something important and quickly said, "Boss, do you remember that you promised to give me what I wanted three dayster?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not remove his gaze from the girl at all when he responded with a grunt.

    "Mission seeded. I will now disappear!" Tang Lang bade farewell.

    "Is there water?" Lu Tingxiao asked the doctor.

    Tang Lang was speechless at being ignored.

    Forget it! He should just disappear quickly!

    The Boss only cared about Little Junior Sister now and anyone else was practically invisible to him.

    Hey, hey, hey¡­who knew? Perhaps it was fated. After so long, Little Junior Sister had actually became hisdy boss!

    Nice one, my Little Junior Sister!

 Chapter 663: My Dearâ€¦

    <h4>Chapter 663: My Dear¡­</h4>

    At the old Minister''s house.

    Lu Tingxiao sat on the bedside as he held Ning Xi''s hand. A group of doctors was busily extracting blood from Ning Xi to check her body thoroughly just in case she had any other sickness, wounds, or had been injected with any drugs.

    The frown on Lu Tingxiao''s forehead remained the entire time.

    "Mr. Lu, please wait, we will only know the results in two hours, at most."

    "She''s having a very high fever."

    "It''s because her wound is infected. It''s a good thing Madam had done some cleaning up herself, or else she would have lost her leg if the bullet had been left for too long inside her body."

    Lu Tingxiao''s heart ached. The treasure he had so carefully protected within his palm had only left for a short while, and within that timeframe, she had be like this. How could his heart not ache?!

    Two hourster, the report finally came out.

    "Mr. Lu, the results are out. Madam Lu''s body is all normal. Except for the gunshot wound on her leg, there aren''t any other problems."

    When he heard this, both Lu Tingxiao and the old Minister breathed a sigh of relief. Thetter immediately ordered everyone to watch the girl carefully and he arranged the best room in the house for them.

    Because he thought Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi were husband and wife, he naturally arranged for one room only.

    ¡­

    Because Ning Xi was quite injured this time, she had slept for one entire day and night. Her fever soon subsided.

    To please Lu Tingxiao, the old Minister had organized a dinner at the lobby with many high-ranking officials and business moguls invited as guests.

    At the dinner, they all had a multitude of words of admiration and concern for Lu Tingxiao.

    "It''s a good thing Madam Lu is safe this time, or else it would be hard for us to escape the me!"

    "Exactly! God blessed the good ones like Madam Lu!"

    ¡­

    Lu Tingxiao did not correct anyone who called Ning Xi his wife.

    In that case, the distinction between a wife and a lover was very different. To have America mobilize their military resources for any woman would obviously be a little hard to exin, so he had just called Ning Xi his wife right from the beginning. It was impossible that these people would investigate if he really was married either.

    Even though Lu Tingxiao was already used to such asions, he was obviously distracted this time around. His heart was still hung up on the person who had not woken up yet.

    He constantly wondered if she would feel afraid or suddenly fall ill again after she woke up and found herself in a foreign ce.

    The dinner table was still filled with drinks and lively conversations. Lu Tingxiao leaned his head on one hand while his other hand held the stem of a wine ss. His fingers were rhythmically knocking on the ss.

    He was obviously getting impatient. He looked at the time and was prepared to excuse himself.

    Just as he was prepared to stand up, someone suddenly appeared in the banquet hall¡­

    Well, strictly speaking, someone hopped in.

    Ning Xi stood there on one leg, wearing a loose and warm cream silk sleeping gown. Her long hair tumbled messily on her shoulders, while her forehead was covered in a light sheen of perspiration. She looked terrified as if she had experienced something incredibly traumatic¡­

    It was not until she looked across the long dinner table and saw the man who held a ss in his hand on the other end that she finally calmed down.

    She had a dream, a horrible one. A nightmare that Lu Tingxiao had died under cannon fire to save her¡­

    "Bo-"

    When she saw Lu Tingxiao sitting there looking well, Ning Xi felt reassured. At the same time, the other people entered her line of vision.

    The table was full of well-dressed people¡­obviously, they were some kind of honorary guests¡­

    From Ning Xi''s daze, a rity suddenly emerged a rity. Just as she had almost blurted out to call "Boss", she instantly changed it to "My dear¡­"

 Chapter 664: My Dear, What Kind Of Wife Do You Like?

    <h4>Chapter 664: My Dear, What Kind Of Wife Do You Like?</h4>

    A dead silence hung across the banquet hall.

    However, the phrase "my dear" was deafening enough to Lu Tingxiao.

    "This is¡­Madam Lu?" someone finally asked after a while.

    Lu Tingxiao stood up and walked towards the girl, his cold eyes staring right at the girl¡¯s injured legs. "Why aren¡¯t you wearing any shoes?"

    Ning Xi avoided his sharp gaze. "I did¡­but it broke¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao held her in his arms quietly.

    Ning Xi put her hands around his neck naturally, then she nced at the people in the banquet hall and asked softly, "Did I do something wrong? My dear, why aren¡¯t you saying anything?"

    She was scared! She had just woken up from her sleep and had not done this on purpose!

    Ning Xi¡¯s adaptation to the situation was so quick that she was alreadyfortable addressing Lu Tingxiao as "my dear". She did know how much of an impact her casual words brought to Lu Tingxiao.

    Lu Tingxiao straightened his back and turned to everyone. "I¡¯m sorry, my wife isn¡¯t feeling well. Please excuse us."

    Everyone smiled. "It¡¯s alright, CEO Lu! Don¡¯t mind us!"

    "Of course! Your wife is certainly more important!"

    "I see now it¡¯s true that men who love and care for their wife are the most reliable ones!"

    ¡­

    Everyone broke into excited chatter after Lu Tingxiao went away with Ning Xi in his arms.

    "I would never expect Lu Tingxiao to make such a big deal just for a woman, but it seems that he really loves her! Thank God that nothing happened to her. Otherwise¡­"

    "That¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t Lu Tingxiao single? Where did his wifee from? I¡¯ve been wanting to ask since just now!"

    "It¡¯s not unusual for people to get married in secret. It''s even moremon for people like Lu Tingxiao¡­"

    "Ah, my daughter has been missing Mr. Lu since thest time she saw him. I didn¡¯t expect him to be married already!"

    "There probably wasn¡¯t any chance for your daughter anyway!"

    ¡­

    In the bedroom.

    "Ah! Madam Lu! Where did you go? I was so scared!" The nurse had just gone out for a while and Ning Xi was already gone when she returned to the room, so she panicked.

    "It¡¯s alright, let me do it," assured Lu Tingxiao.

    "Oh, alright!" The nurse nced at Lu Tingxiao shyly and left the room.

    Lu Tingxiao lifted the sheets andy Ning Xi on the bed gently.

    Ning Xi asked, "Boss, was I smart enough just now to catch on to you?"

    Lu Tingxiao squinted his eyes at her. "Not smart enough to cover your mistake."

    Ning Xi looked down at the sheets. "I really barge in on purpose¡­"

    "Why did you get up when you¡¯re still feeling unwell?" Lu Tingxiao vented. How could she still run around with injuries on her legs?

    "Ugh, I had a nightmare¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao sighed, then he exined, "To be able to rescue you this time, I had to lie and say that you¡¯re my wife. So, during our stay here, you might have to act as one. But it won¡¯tst long. We¡¯ll go back as soon as you feel better."

    "No problem! Acting is my profession after all!" Ning Xi reassured him, "I can act as any kind of wife you like!"

 Chapter 665: Teach Me How To Confess My Feelings To A Man!

    <h4>Chapter 665: Teach Me How To Confess My Feelings To A Man!</h4>

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao, full of curiosity. "Boss, what kind of wife do you like? The gentle type? The unreasonable type? The funny type? Cute? Silly?"

    Lu Tingxiao nced at her. "I like all of them."

    Ning Xi smirked. "Boss, you¡¯re terribly greedy¡­"

    "Because that''s all you." Because she embodied those characteristics, he liked all of them.

    Ning Xi remained silent. Since she was still feeling weak, she was afraid that her heart could not withstand his flirtatious advances.

    At a five star hotel in D.C.

    There was still no news of Ning Xi after three days and Guo Qisheng was extremely worried. "Muye, who did you ask help fromst night? Is he actually reliable?"

    Jiang Muye brooded and did not say a word.

    Unreliable? If he was unreliable, then there would not be anyone else that could be counted on.

    Jiang Muye had actually struggled to call Lu Tingxiao. He hated himself for being so helpless and useless. He could not stand that he was unable to protect the woman he loved and had to rely on someone else¡¯s help¡­

    He believed in karma now; he was so used to breaking girls'' hearts and now he was paying the price¡­

    He had called Cheng Feng for an update earlier on and realized that the problem was much bigger than he thought, so he did not want to keep disturbing him.

    But considering that some time had already passed, could there be sometest news?

    He decided to make a phone call. If God gave him another chance, he¡­he might never have made this torturous call!

    "Hello, Uncle, did you find her?"

    "Mm-hmm."

    "How¡¯s Ning Xi? Is she alright? Can I speak to her?"

    Lu Tingxiao frowned, not wanting Ning Xi to be bothered at the moment.

    Well, okay, fine, he simply did not want his wife to talk to any man! Especially when this particr man was obviously still missing his wife. He cared so much for her that he was feeling defensive.

    Ning Xi was measuring her temperature when her sharp hearing senses picked up Jiang Muye¡¯s voice and she panicked. "Ah! I¡¯ve gone missing! The crew must be worried sick! Dear, let me talk to him!"

    From various aspects, Ning Xi really was an exceptional actress¡­

    The speed of putting herself into the role and her professionalism¡­No one could ever know!

    Lu Tingxiao nodded curtly and handed her the phone.

    Ning Xi quickly greeted, "Hello, Jiang Muye!"

    "Ning Xiao Xi! What have you done! You¡¯ve just given me the worst scare of my life! Why did you go to Phdelphia all of a sudden?! And¡­did I just hear you call someone ''dear''¡­who are you calling?" Jiang Muye asked like a bullet train.

    "It must have been your imagination!" Ning Xi blushed and made up a lie on the spot. "Well, you know,ws pretty much don''t exist here. I was kidnapped but thankfully your uncle was here in time. Everything is alright now!"

    "How about you? Are you okay? Are you injured?" Jiang Muye asked in concern.

    "Just some minor injuries, it''s no big deal. Oh, right¡­I actually have something important to discuss with you now!" Ning Xi informed seriously.

    Ning Xi nced around and saw Lu Tingxiao go to speak to the doctor, so she quickly said, "Teach me how to confess my feelings to a man!"

 Chapter 666: Offering Myself Out Of Gratitude

    <h4>Chapter 666: Offering Myself Out Of Gratitude</h4>

    A good ten seconds of silence went by.

    Ning Xi could not wait any longer. "Hello¡­hello? Jiang Muye! Blondie! Are you there? What¡¯s with this signal?! Failing on me at such a critical moment! Hellooooo?"

    Ning Xi was about to hang up and redial, but Jiang Muye suddenly replied, "I¡¯m here¡­"

    "Ah! You¡¯re still on the line! Quickly teach me!" Ning Xi urged.

    "How¡­what even?! I¡¯ve never confessed my feelings to a man before. How could I teach you?" Jiang Muye was clearly annoyed.

    "Liar! When I was in school, I heard you confess to a handsome underssman and he even epted you!"

    "Ning Xiao Xi, can you not? I was just joking!"

    He could not do this anymore¡­

    He felt that Ning Xi was driving him mad!

    Jiang Muye took a deep breath. "Why would you ask me about confessing to a man? Ask yourself! Aren¡¯t you the most experienced?"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows. "Well¡­the scums from before were too easy and I didn¡¯t get to confess on my own! Even Su Yan¡­he was the one who took the initiative! This is my first time, I really don¡¯t know how to!"

    Jiang Muye was surprised when he also realized that indeed, she really had never confessed to a man before! Damn it! After being together for a while, he had been totally fooled, even up until now!

    "Wait, I haven¡¯t asked you yet. Who¡¯s the man? Who are you trying to fool again?" Jiang Muye asked cautiously.

    "Your uncle."

    Again, another awkward moment of silence.

    Jiang Muye felt that they weremunicating on different channels¡­

    "Why did you change your mind?"

    "What¡¯s so odd about it? Your uncle saved me, so I want to offer myself out of gratitude for rescuing me!" Ning Xi replied as a matter-of-factly.

    Jiang Muye had no idea what he was feeling right now, his feelings were all over the ce."So, it¡¯s just because of this?"

    What if the one who rescued her¡­had been himself and not Lu Tingxiao? Then, would she¡­

    He had just given his chance away! To Lu Tingxiao!

    "What else could it be?" Ning Xi replied.

    The thought lingered in Jiang Muye¡¯s mind and he could not help but ask her, "If it was I who came to your rescue, would you have offered yourself to me as well?"

    Ning Xi replied almost instantly, "Impossible! I¡¯m not a fool."

    Jiang Muye felt his heart sink to the ground.

    "Go to hell, Ning Xiao Xi! Ask someone else! I don¡¯t know anything!"

    "Eh¡­what¡¯s wrong? Are you on your period? Why are you so grumpy?"

    "Get lost!"

    "Please help me! I can only talk to you about this! Do you know how difficult it is for me to be this determined?" Ning Xi sighed.

    Jiang Muye clenched his teeth. "Would you tell this to your exes?"

    "Aren¡¯t you one?"

    Jiang Muye just wanted to stop talking to her already. "Are you an idiot? My uncle has always loved you. Why would you need to confess? Just tell him how you feel directly!"

    "You¡¯re not being sensitive at all! Of course, I¡¯d like to give the person I love an unforgettable experience! I will never skip the phase of confession!"

    "Bye!" Jiang Muye ended the call.

    Your good friend Blondie has just received a heavy blow¡­

 Chapter 667: Xiao Xi Xi, Who Do You Want To Confess To?

    <h4>Chapter 667: Xiao Xi Xi, Who Do You Want To Confess To?</h4>

    When he saw Ning Xi chatting with Jiang Muye for so long, Lu Tingxiao''s expression stiffened. "Time to have your medicine."

    "Oh, oh¡­right away!" Ning Xi hung up.

    Just as she was prepared to return the phone to Lu Tingxiao, her eyes flew wide open.

    On the screensaver of the phone was their selfie from the theme park!

    It was such a yful photo. She thought that Lu Tingxiao was only amodating them and did not like it himself but who knew¡­

    Sigh, how could the devil be so hot yet so adorable?

    She really wanted to make that picture her screensaver on her phone too. Sadly, her upation did not allow such a thing, which would definitely cause unnecessary scandal.

    However, she did quite like her current screensaver and it was very meaningful. It was the first portrait that Little Treasure had drawn for her. On numerous asions since she made it her screensaver, many people had asked her which artist had drawn her portrait and they wanted her to introduce them. However, she obviously could not announce Master Little Treasure to the world!

    Lu Tingxiao watched her look at his own phone screensaver with a strange look on her face and he quickly took away the phone, passing her her pills.

    Ning Xi looked at the myriad of pills with various sizes and felt her head spin. "Why are there so many pills? Do I have to eat them all?"

    The nurse holding the te by the side quickly exined, "Madam Lu, yes, you have to eat them all. You still have a slight fever and your wound was seriously infected. Apart from that, your¡­"

    The nurse continued to ramble on with reasons to make sure that she did not miss even a single pill.

    Ning Xi could only look to Lu Tingxiao for mercy.

    However, Lu Tingxiao just gave her a stern look, indicating that there was no space for negotiation at all. "If you don''t want to swallow the pills, don''t cause a ruckus next time."

    Ning Xi blinked and said, "My dear¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao then responded, "When you finish them, I''ll take you out to y. There''s a Sika deer in the garden."

    Ning Xi''s eyes shone then she immediately finished the medicine obediently.

    Even though she had a fear of taking medicine, she would still obey¡­she was greedy for the warmth of Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Only in front of him would she entirely let go of any restraint on her vulnerability and temperament¡­

    When the nurse watched the two of them interacting, she was so jealous that she started to tear up. He spoilt her so wonderfully! He was practically coaxing her like a little girl!

    Mr. Lu was usually so cool¡­this was unbelievable!

    After that phone call, Ning Xi had started to n how she should confess her feelings. She actually called herself the queen of picking up girls, but who''d expect that something as menial as confessing would trouble her!

    Actually, the task was not difficult. The main thing was that she wanted to do it for the devil and he had done so much for her. She thought that her confession had to impress him, so she had to be careful about it.

    Thus, that night, out of desperation, Ning Xi started to seek for help again.

    This time, the level of help was significantly higher than Jiang Muye.

    "Hello¡­who''s this?" The person on the other end of the phone seemed to have been woken up from their sleep.

    "Hello, Second Master, it''s me!"

    "Xiao Xi Xi!!! Are you alright now? I heard my brother said you were kidnapped? And you were even shot? Why are you calling me sote at night? Did something happen?"

    "Yes! It''s an utmost emergency! Second Master, I need immediate backup! How do I confess so that the other person has a strong impression of me that willst for the rest of their lives till they die?" Ning Xi asked in one breath.

    Lu Jingli, who was on the other end of the phone, kept silent for a long while before he stuttered, "Con¡­confess¡­Xiao Xi Xi, you want to confess to someone?"

 Chapter 668: Loosen Up Or Start A Fire!

    <h4>Chapter 668: Loosen Up Or Start A Fire!</h4>

    Ning Xi quickly thought of something and replied, "Not for me, it''s for a friend!"

    If she had admitted that it was her, he would definitely not teach her.

    However, Lu Jingli was pretty sharp and was instantly filled with righteous indignation. "You''re lying, it''s definitely for yourself! Which punk do you want to confess to? I''m going to kill him!"

    Ning Xi raised her brows and asked, "Are you sure?"

    "Of course, I''m sure! My knives are sharpened and raring to go!!!"

    Ning Xiughed, this guy was indeed very loyal to his brother!

    Since Lu Jingli already knew, he definitely would not help her, so she could only resort to herst attempt.

    Ning Xi intentionally said in a threatening tone, "You don''t have to care who it is, you will know sooner orter! So, what''s it going to be? Are you going to teach me or not? If you don''t, I''ll go ask your brother instead!"

    Ning Xi was prepared to give Lu Tingxiao a surprise. Obviously, she could not directly tell Lu Jingli who it was, or else, this bbermouth would definitely not be able to keep it a secret and blurt it out to Lu Tingxiao. Then, there would be no need for her to prepare a surprise!

    "Xiao Xi Xi! How can you be like this? If you ask my brother to teach you, wouldn''t he die of anguish? Xiao Xi Xi, from today onwards, I''ve decided not to like you anymore! You''ve really disappointed me!" Lu Jingli exploded.

    Ning Xi held back herughter and said in a viinous tone, "Haha, so, little goldfish, are you going to teach me or not? If you don''t, I''ll really have to go ask your brother!"

    "You¡­" Lu Jingli said in an exasperated tone, "Okay¡­fine, I will! Also, I''m not a goldfish! I''m a koi fish!"

    He had not overlooked this despite his extreme disappointment¡­

    I am a koi fish, how could I be this sad?! I''m so down!

    "Then, quickly tell me!" Ning Xi urged as she lowered her voice, carefully eyeing the direction of the bathroom where Lu Tingxiao was showering; he should be done anytime now.

    Lu Jingli said absentmindedly, "You should cover your face with some mud, draw a clown, ride a unicycle, hold a donkey in your hand¡­"

    Ning Xi quickly stopped him angrily, "Lu Jingli!!!! If you don''t be more serious, I''ll really go ask your brother!"

    Lu Jingli gasped and said tearfully, "If he is new to love, help him loosen up and rid of his clothes. If he has much experience with people, then you may start a fire by the stove! This is all I can teach you! This is the essence of what I''ve learned in life! You have to understand it concretely for yourself! You can choose to believe me or not. I''m hanging up now, bye bye!"

    Your good friend, the Lu koi fish, is deeply hurt¡­

    Lu Jingli thought about it and looked at the situation from the perspective of not knowing much. At least, he could confirm that the dude Ning Xi liked had to be an old, cunning person who had met many walks of life, so he would just let Ning Xi cook him a meal before confessing!

    This is the one way he thought was the safest, and a way that would not have Ning Xi trouble him¡­

    Ning Xi looked at the hung up phone speechlessly.

    However, after thinking about Lu Jingli''s words, she thought that it did make sense.

    This logic of his was something she understood. However, she was momentarily limited by her thought process.

    She still wanted to cause a ruckus!

    But¡­changing her modus operandi wasn''t a bad idea either!

    Someone new to love would use the seduction method¡­

    Someone who had met many people would need the culinary tricks¡­

    Lu Tingxiao had never been in love for the past, so he definitely counted as being new to love!

    Pfft, Lu Jingli, what nonsense! The fact that you could offer such grand advice without knowing anything about the situation is spectacr!

 Chapter 669: Success Rate Was Too High

    <h4>Chapter 669: Sess Rate Was Too High</h4>

    "Not sleeping yet?" When Lu Tingxiao got out of the shower, he saw that Ning Xi was still on the phone talking and jotting something down in her book. She looked very excited, making him frown out of curiosity.

    "I shall go now!" Ning Xi quickly shoved the notebook like her treasure under the pillow.

    Then, she started to n her big confession.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the pillow and was slightly suspicious, but he did not take her actions too much to heart."Have you taken your medicine?"

    Ning Xi nodded, her gaze falling on Lu Tingxiao''s chest muscles that moved fluidly under his pyjamas and started evaluating them appreciatively. "I have! I''ve drunk the milk too!"

    Ugh, this kind of confession¡­would it really be memorable enough for him to take to his deathbed?

    Did she really not need to do it on some mountain 8000 meters above sea level, then shout it out to the whole world? Did she not have to do something outrageous or in public? She felt like doing so would be fitting of the devil''s level!

    Okay, never mind, she did not have that sort of capability anyway¡­

    Lu Tingxiao used his towel to dry his wet hair, then walked closer to her to touch her forehead with his warm and damp hand. "Good, your fever is gone."

    Ning Xi was already prepared to carry out her n when the phone rang, causing her frustration and annoyance to peak.

    Who was it?!

    Lu Tingxiao walked to the table and nced at his phone before picking it up.

    "Hello?"

    "Hello! Bro!!!" Lu Jingli''s voice sounded teary and low, as if he was trying to tell him something privately.

    "What is it?" Lu Tingxiao had never heard Lu Jingli that sad before. He frowned and wondered if something had happened back home.

    "Bro, is Xiao Xi Xi beside you?" Lu Jingli asked.

    "Yes."

    "Then, walk away further to speak to me, don''t let her hear our conversation. I want to report something to you!" Lu Jingli said in a hushed tone.

    Lu Tingxiao was confused, but he still obeyed and walked to the balcony. "Speak."

    On the other end of the phone, Lu Jingli seemed to have struggled with himself before he said, "Bro, I didn''t want to tell you at first¡­but¡­I think I have to tell you now. It''s better aspared to you finding out without being mentally prepared at all¡­so¡­I still think that telling you now would be better. You could save yourself from being sad when you find outter¡­"

    "What is it?" Lu Tingxiao frowned, sensing something bad.

    Lu Jingli took a deep breath and said word by word, "Xiao Xi Xi wants to confess to that person."

    Lu Tingxiao''s face instantly went nk. "What¡­what did you say?"

    Lu Jingli glumly said, "Xiao Xi Xi wants to confess her feelings to the man she likes! Just now, she called me to tell me personally! She even made me help here up with a n!"

    ¡­

    There was a dead silence over the phone.

    It was not sure how long had passed, but Lu Jingli''s anxious heart was about to explode when finally Lu Tingxiao spoke, "Is it?"

    "Bro¡­are you okay?" Lu Jingli asked, his stomach uneasy with worry.

    "I''m fine." There was no oddity detected in Lu Tingxiao''s tone.

    Nevertheless, Lu Jingli was even more worried now and he could only helplessly console, "But, Bro, you don''t have to be too worried. Xiao Xi Xi had only said she would confess, but she might not necessarily be sessful!"

    Truthfully, when he was consoling his brother, he did not quite believe himself.

    When he thought about Xiao Xi Xi''s capabilities, added with her sincerity and a serious approach, her sess rate was quite high¡­

    So much so that there was close to no possibilities of her failing.

 Chapter 670: Lu Tingxiao, I Like You, I Really, Really Do

    <h4>Chapter 670: Lu Tingxiao, I Like You, I Really, Really Do</h4>

    The more he thought about it, the sadder he felt. Not too long before this, he had suspected Xiao Xi Xi of being slightly interested in his brother and he was prepared to test her. Who would have thought that when they finally found her and before he could test her, he would receive such a shockingly horrible news¡­

    Lu Jingli told his brother earnestly, "Because she threatened me, she would ask you instead, so I had to simply teach her a little.

    "I told her that if the other person has met many people, she should cook for him. And if he is new to love, she should use the seduction method. I''m guessing she''s definitely prepared to cook.

    Mmm¡­wait¡­what if shebines my methods and cooks before seducing? Oh¡­bro, I''ve let you down!"

    While Lu Jingli was still rambling on, Lu Tingxiao felt his brother''s voice fading away and even the world around him seemed to be dissolving into the background.

    The instant he heard Lu Jingli say that Ning Xi wanted to confess to that man, he felt like he was being smashed bys into ashes beneath his calm surface.

    All his bloodthirsty, negative emotions were running through his veins, colliding against the rationale of not wanting to hurt her. These thoughts kept shing within him and it felt as if it was going to tear him apart¡­

    His heart, it ached so much, it was about to explode¡­

    ¡­

    Ning Xi tossed and turned on the bed for quite a while before Lu Tingxiao finally finished his phone call and entered the room.

    She noticed that he seemed slightly out of ce¡­

    It was like the phenomena of an eclipse, whereby all light had instantly vanished, taking away with it all emotions and liveliness.

    Ning Xi suddenly thought of something based on her observations. She instantly started cursing in her heart.

    God damn it!!!

    That call earlier wouldn''t have been from that Lu Jingli, would it? Did he tell Lu Tingxiao everything?

    No need to wonder further¡­

    He definitely did¡­

    Or else, Lu Tingxiao wouldn''t look like this.

    She initially thought that in order to avoid hurting Lu Tingxiao, Lu Jingli definitely wouldn''t tell him. But he still went ahead anyway.

    Damn it! She had initially wanted to prepare for a little while more¡­argh!

    But from the looks of the devil''s expression now¡­

    Obviously, he was not preparing to explode with his silence, but preparing to self-destruct with it!

    She could not bear to dy it for another second! She had to speed up her n now!

    Ning Xi sighed, pinched the space between her eyebrows and curled up under the nket.

    Several secondster, she peeked her head out and looked at the man. "Big Boss¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao looked up at her with empty eyes.

    "Could youe over for a while?" Ning Xi asked, her voice oddly gentle as if afraid she would disturb him.

    Lu Tingxiao lean body stiffened straight, he walked to the bedside robotically like he a conditioned reflex.

    Ning Xi stared straight at the man in front of her bed and said, "Big Boss¡­uhh¡­let me just tell you beforehand¡­wait¡­I might need to do something¡­that offends you as a superior¡­"

    Before the man could react to the implied meaning of her words, the girl turned the lights off. She then suddenly sat up in the bed to kneel and put her arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss him without hesitation.

    At the same, because she was in a kneeling position, the nket that had initially covered her entire body slid down.

    Ning Xi felt around in the dark and pulled up the man''s stiff and icy cold palm on her own bare naked waist.

    The man was still stunned by the sudden kiss, so when he felt the girl''s warm and smooth skin, he jolted.

    This was when the girl''s soft and clear voice said right into his ear, "Lu Tingxiao, I like you¡­I really, really like you¡­"

 Chapter 671: Worried It Would Not Be Exciting Enough

    <h4>Chapter 671: Worried It Would Not Be Exciting Enough</h4>

    Night fell and there was no sight of the moon outside, only several stars loomed in the dark sky above.

    Inside where there was no trace of any light, only a blurred silhouette could be seen.

    The man leaned his stiff body forward slightly with one palm on the girl''s waist. The girl kneeled on the bed with her arms around his neck, the slender shape of her neck against the dim light appealing to him greatly¡­

    Lu Tingxiao''s brain had nked out earlier from his inner struggle after his world was sted by Lu Jingli''s horrible news. However, at that moment, he did not know who he was anymore.

    It was too quiet. It was as if he had been struck by lightning; he did not move at all.

    Atst, after holding her breath for so long, Ning Xi''s heart started to thump wildly. What was going on?

    No matter if it was good or bad, at least he should give some reaction. She had prepared for so long after all and killed so many brain cells, even giving it her all¡­

    Ning Xi could not help but whine slightly, "Hey, Lu Tingxiao, I''m confessing my feelings to you here. Could you at least react a little? Even if you want to reject me¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao finally responded, but his body was still as stiff as a statue. Only a warm whisper indicated he was speaking, "What¡­what did you just say?"

    "I said I''m confessing my feelings to you!"

    "To¡­me?"

    "Duh, who did you think it was?"

    After the short exchange, the dead silence returned.

    Until the air rang with a soft sneeze did the frozen atmosphere thaw.

    It was already deep into winter and even though the room had a heater turned on, it was still chilly if one did not wear anything.

    In the next second, Lu Tingxiao instinctively picked up the nket and wrapped the girl tightly like a silkworm cocoon. "Foolishness! Do you want to be even sicker than you are right now?"

    Ning Xi was so mad until she scrunched up her shoulders and sniffed while mumbling, "Lame¡­I thought so hard about how to confess that my head was about to explode and I even put down my ego to ask around for help before I thought of this idea. I wanted to give you a memorable confession experience! Ah-choo¡­"

    "Put on your clothes! Where are your clothes?" Lu Tingxiao felt like he was about to go insane from a mix of frustration and lust.

    "I''m not wearing them! You haven''t replied me yet!" Ning Xi muttered withoutplying.

    Her clothes were still under the nket. In her rush earlier, she could only curl under it to strip.

    When Lu Tingxiao heard her refusal, he had an indescribable expression. "Do you still need me to respond?"

    Ning Xi''s eyes shone, then she asked, "Then, are you very surprised? Is this memorable enough? I still think this way of confessing my feelings is toomon and not exciting enough! It''s all Lu Jingli''s fault, his big mouth! I wanted more time to prepare myself for it to be perfect and wait till at least tomorrow. Just now, I saw that you had probably misunderstood what Lu Jingli bbered to you about and I was worried that you would think nonsensically, so I had to do it now, at thest minute and that caused me to be so rushed!"

    Listening to the girl ramble on with her incessantints, Lu Tingxiao did not know what to say.

    His long fingers covered his forehead helplessly, then he held up her hand and brought the other hand to cover his left chest. His tone sounded awkward and hoarse as if he had just returned from hell. "Not exciting enough? My heart¡­it was about to stop beating from that fright you gave me. What more do you want?"

    "Uhh¡­was it that serious?" Ning Xi blinked.

    She was only afraid that it would not be exciting and special enough. She didn''t think that she would have possibly overdone it¡­

 Chapter 672: Because I Realize I Prefer Cabbage

    <h4>Chapter 672: Because I Realize I Prefer Cabbage</h4>

    Yet, the truth was right before her.

    Underneath her palm, the frequency of Lu Tingxiao''s heartbeat was messed up as if he had been poisoned and she even detected that it skipped half a beat.

    Ning Xi had to believe it now - she had really overdone it.

    Thus, she started to find excuses¡­

    "Hmm, you can''t me me for this. If you really want to me someone, it would be your brother. He taught me this idea. It''s all his fault for being too corrupted."

    Actually, she really could not me Lu Jingli. Lu Jingli hadpletely directed her towards the pure and safe way. Who would have known that it would be misunderstood?

    At that moment, at Lu Jingli''s bungalow in China.

    A certain koi fish was hugging his pillow and sobbing in silence. The good days hade to an end and he was not sure how he could survive the uing seasons of misery!

    How about he just run away from home? No, he should just be a monk and take baby Little Treasure with him¡­

    He would not have thought that the initial ideas he had given Ning Xi about firing up a stove for her love interest would turn into an act of removing his brother''s clothes¡­

    At that second, Lu Tingxiao was staring at the woman in front of him like a burning torch, his gaze like an X-ray, seeing through the most secretive nooks of her body.

    Ning Xi felt goosebumps rise across her skin. "What is it?"

    Lu Tingxiao extended his hand out to feel her forehead.

    After a while, he felt it again. A few secondster, he repeated his action.

    The fourth time Lu Tingxiao felt her forehead, Ning Xi could not stand it anymore and grabbed his hand. "Stop it! My forehead is about to be filed down by the calluses on your hand. I don''t have a fever, I am not drunk, I am not sleepwalking, and I am very clear-headed."

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her and said with an oddly serious expression. "You''re sure it''s me you are trying to tell this to?"

    Ning Xi replied, "Sure, definitely, and most definitely!"

    Lu Tingxiao then asked, "Why?"

    One could not me Lu Tingxiao for having such a reaction and doubts. Even right now, he felt like he was still dreaming.

    The truth was that what had just happened tonight was definitely the biggest plot twist and the most unexpected surprise of his life. His entire logic, knowledge, and judgment had been entirely flipped upside down.

    Ning Xi had confessed to him. She had actually said that¡­she liked him¡­

    The person she confessed to was no one else but him¡­

    Such an impossible thing, but it had actually happened.

    Why? When she heard this question, Ning Xi was stunned for a while.

    Lu Tingxiao had asked why she had chosen him.

    She was stopped in her thoughts and she started asking herself why had she said it in the end, why had she still told him¡­

    Even she herself had not thought of her reason why.

    At first, she had thought about burying her feelings for him forever. Then, she wanted to wait for the right time, for the day she could finally build an empire with him. As the universe would have it no other way, her ns kept changing again and again.

    All she could only say was that when it came to love, sometimes one had no control over themselves.

    From the moment First Senior Brother had told her that Satan wanted to meet her in Phdelphia, her thoughts had changed drastically when being on the verge of life and death the day before.

    Just when she thought she would definitely be dead, her biggest regret was him not hearing what she had said to him during the fireworks show at the theme park that day.

    Future or misfortune, no one would ever know which came first.

    One should never wait till tomorrow or for the future. The moment the opportunity rose, at the current moment, she had to say it, had to do it.

    That was her reason.

    So, even though this whole confessing to Lu Tingxiao was a little impulsive in the end, she bore no regrets at all.

    When she lifted her head again, Ning Xi''s eyes sparkled. She looked at the man who was obviously tensed and she kissed him, answering, "Because¡­I realize¡­that I prefer cabbage."

 Chapter 673: Do You Not Want To Be Responsible For Me?

    <h4>Chapter 673: Do You Not Want To Be Responsible For Me?</h4>

    "Because¡­I realize¡­I prefer cabbage."

    Before her lips could leave, Lu Tingxiao icy eyes were set aze. He instantly held the back of her head and deepened the kiss¡­

    Unlike the girl''s light caress, his touch immediately opened up her mouth for the onught of his affections.

    In the quiet room, they could barely hear the indistinct sounds of sloppy kisses and the friction between their clothes as their passion lit up the air in that silent night¡­

    Lu Tingxiao had enveloped the girl and her nket together in his embrace as he kissed her. His hand involuntarily dived into the nket, tracing her neck and following her spine all the way down to the tailbone, until he touched the only clothing item left on her¡­

    This brat had actually thoroughly stripped everything off, except for her thin little panties, she was not wearing anything¡­

    "Damn it¡­" There were signs of Lu Tingxiao giving in to his hunger as he held her jaw and kissed even more aggressively.

    Ning Xi felt light-headed as her lips were sucked numb and she felt coarse fingers rippling across her skin, evoking waves of trembles. She was not very used to this foreign feeling, yet, she did not feel any rejection and disgust like she had in the past¡­

    Even though she was clear that he was on the dangerous verge of losing control, she still felt assured¡­

    Simply because this person was him.

    In the next second, her body had been gentlyid on the bed. In the dark of the night, the man''s eyes looked like a beast''s that had starved for a million years. With both arms on either side of her, he locked her down and growled, "Put on your clothes."

    Ning Xi''s breath was a mess as her chest rose and fell furiously. She was stunned when she heard him. "Huh?"

    When she was slightly clearer-headed, Ning Xi blinked and asked, "You sure you want me to put them on? Why do I feel like this doesn''t seem like it''s progressing right? Like you''re not following the script?"

    "What script?" the man asked in a hoarse voice.

    Ning Xi thought about it quite seriously. "Well, the point is the male lead would definitely not allow the female lead to put on her clothes! Shouldn''t we pour our hearts out to each other, then melt into one another fierily and spend the night together?"

    Lu Tingxiao gritted his teeth and leaned forward, nipping on her lips. "You sure your body can handle that now?"

    This dangerous tone made Ning Xi shiver. She shook her head like a wave had just hit her.

    Even if she did not have any wounds on her and could still jump around, she felt suffocated¡­

    "Wait! Does this mean¡­you really did consider following the script? You only stopped because of my wound¡­" Ning Xi thought about it, then said, "I remember¡­when I first met you, you told me that you''d only sleep with someone if marriage was at the forefront?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyes squinted coolly, "Do you not want to be responsible for me?"

    Ning Xi was stunned again and propped herself up on her elbows. "Something''s not right. This script still isn''t right. Shouldn''t the man be responsible for the woman?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded slowly. "That''s fine with me too."

    Ning Xi did not know what to say. She had fallen for the trap. She really could not be distracted at all when talking to the devil¡­

    Thus, tonight, Ning Xi had to start considering another problem¡­

    Her confession was done out of passion in the heat of the moment. Then, what about after the confession? How could she settle this?

    And now she and Lu Tingxiao¡­what was their rtionship with each other now?

 Chapter 674: Youre Too Easily Seduced

    <h4>Chapter 674: You''re Too Easily Seduced</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao looked down and saw some red marks on his shoulder as a result of being identally scratched by Ning Xi.

    "When am I going to attend your wedding?" Tang Lang teased.

    The ice in Lu Tingxiao''s eyes melted slightly. "I''ll leave that up to her."

    When he noticed that Lu Tingxiao had obviously be gentler and had a loving look whenever he mentioned Ning Xi, Tang Lang who was smiling outwardly could not help but worry.

    Up to her?

    If it was up to Little Junior Sister, he would never be able to attend their wedding in this lifetime. Based on what he knew, Little Junior Sister was a strong believer against marriage!

    He really did not believe that anyone had the capabilities to convince her to enter the graveyard called marriage, even if it was Lu Tingxiao himself.

    He was not sure what Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao''s current rtionship status was. Sugar daddy? Lover? Or partner?

    No matter which one it was, he did not think too confidently of the oue of their rtionship because their personalities, upations, lives, backgrounds, and even principles were much too different.

    Little Junior Sister''s wild and untamed personality against Lu Tingxiao''s cool and arrogant ice stature were simply too shing.

    He could not imagine how it was like when the both of them were together, including their positions in bed¡­

    ¡­

    When dawn broke, Ning Xi opened her eyes in a faze.

    She subconsciously looked around and saw that Lu Tingxiao was already awake, sitting on the sofa opposite her. He had aptop on hisp as he looked at the graphs and numbers on his screen with full focus. The light streamed through the windows and highlighted his hair,yering it with a golden beam, making him an unbelievably beautiful sight.

    She thought to herself, "The most beautiful thing in this world must be waking up early in the morning with sunlight and you by my side."

    As if noticing he was being stared at, Lu Tingxiao looked up from the screen and met the girl''s eyes.

    "You''re awake?"

    Ning Xi nodded and yawned.

    Lu Tingxiao put hisptop down, standing up and walking towards the bed. He then bent down and caught her lips in his.

    At first, it was just a light graze, then it went deeper and became more passionate. The wet trail of kisses continued all the way to her neck and left a red mark¡­

    Ning Xi subconsciously arched her back and her fingers found the bed sheet beneath her to clench it tightly, using it as her tool to control her desires.

    She had just woken up and was overwhelmed by such a dizzying kiss. Even though her conscience was not entirely clear, her body had definitely woken up.

    When the man''s head went further south, Ning Xi started to panic and pushed him away. "Hey¡­it''s too early."

    "You seduced me first." The man''s voice was husky and full of heat.

    Ning Xi was confused. "I seduced you? When did I seduce you? I just woke up, I didn''t do anything apart from open my eyes!"

    "You gave me that look," said Lu Tingxiao, his eyes locked onto her.

    "What look?" Ning Xi blinked and tried to recall.

    Hmm, it seemed like Lu Tingxiao had an issue with the way she looked at him earlier.

    Since confessing to Lu Tingxiaost night, she had let her guard down and shed all disguise, inevitably revealing her true feelings.

    Ning Xi held the man''s face in her tiny hands and could not help butugh. "Big Boss, you''re too easily seduced, aren''t you? What happened to being a male god who can resist all earthly temptations?"

 Chapter 675: Not Beneficial For The Body To Hold It In

    <h4>Chapter 675: Not Beneficial For The Body To Hold It In</h4>

    The man''s response was to kiss her again¡­

    "Ning Xi¡­"

    "Hmm?"

    "Let''s go home. The doctor said your injury is stable, so you can move about now."

    "Okay! I''ve meaning to go home!"

    The two clung onto each other in bed for a while before they finally got up.

    When Ning Xi was putting on her clothes, she was upset to find that her entire body, even all the way down, was covered in hickeys!

    It was a good thing that it was winter now, so she could wear something with a high cor to cover up.

    When she asked the nurse for a turtleneck sweater, she still felt a little awkward.

    The nurse did not look very old, but she was married. When she heard what Ning Xi asked for, she immediately could guess why and said, "Aiya, this Mr Lu, Madam, you''re still injured! Why couldn''t he control himself a little?! The wound must have opened up. That kind of injury can very easily be affected. I even especially reminded him that it''s best that the two of you not be in the same room for this period of time."

    Ning Xi''s wound was on her inner thigh. If they wanted to do a certain act, the wound would indeed stand reopening easily.

    The nurse was very worried and she kept mumbling to herself.

    Ning Xi held her forehead and had to just say straightforwardly, "Nurse, don''t worry, we didn''t do anything."

    How awkward! Who would have known that the nurse would even remind Lu Tingxiao of something like that? She was really professional¡­

    "Ah¡­well, if you didn''t, that''s good! Mr. Lu really loves you!" Although, the nurse was not very reassured. In fact, she was even more worried. "But, to hold it in like that is not beneficial for Mr. Lu''s body! How about I teach you some other ways? If you don''t do it, you can still deal with the tension. You don''t have to be shy¡­"

    "Uhh¡­," Ning Xi felt ufortable. Nurse, why are you suddenly teaching me bed tricks?

    "What are you talking about?" This was when Lu Tingxiao walked in and asked out of curiosity.

    Ning Xi quickly looked innocent and said, "Nothing!"

    "Let''s go, the flight''s been booked."

    "Okay." Ning Xi naturally hurled out both hands towards him.

    Lu Tingxiao walked over, bent down and carried her like a damsel in distress.

    When the both of them were leaving, the old Minister led a huge group of people to send them off. In fact, the send-off was oddly grand. Even Ning Xi felt a little guilty for her superb acting skills.

    Lu Tingxiao had booked an international airline and not a helicopter since the flight in the former would be stabler.

    The first ss cabin was very spacious andfortable. Lu Tingxiao helped her adjust her seat to lean back and covered her with a cashmere nket. "Get some sleep."

    "I can''t fall asleep¡­" Ning Xi shook her head, a little worried, "Lu Tingxiao¡­tell me, what if Minister Naka and the rest realize that you lied to them? What would you do? It wouldn''t cause some international conflict, would it?"

    Lu Tingxiaoughed lightly. "Then, I guess I''ll have to trouble this Madam here to save me."

    "Huh?" Ning Xi was instantly stunned. Was Lu Tingxiao implying that they should make their act real?

    So as not to trouble her, Lu Tingxiao immediately stopped and patted her head. "I''m just kidding, don''t worry. They already got what they wanted, so even if they know, it''s nothing."

    Ning Xi nodded in relief.

    Then, Lu Tingxiao suddenly looked right at her and said, "Ning Xi, may I ask you a question?"

    "Yes?"

    "Why was your choice in the end¡­me?"

    "Umm¡­let me think¡­" Ning Xi thought for a while then answered, "One percent of the reason is obviously because you''re very mature, stable, reliable, handsome, and so nice to me¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyebrows went up. "Then, what about the other 90 percent?"

    Ning Xi blinked. "The other 90 percent is, of course, because of Little Treasure!"

 Chapter 676: You Were Looking Very Cute, I Could Not Help It

    <h4>Chapter 676: You Were Looking Very Cute, I Could Not Help It</h4>

    Ning Xi said, "The other 90 percent is, of course, because of Little Treasure!"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    Little Treasure was such a huge bonus¡­wasn''t it a little too much?

    He instantly added 99 points?

    He really did not know whether to be happy or feel unhappy¡­

    When she saw the girl''s cunning smile, Lu Tingxiao narrowed his eyes. "You¡­"

    When Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiaonded, it was already evening. Only the chauffeur came to pick them up.

    "Where''s Jingli?" Lu Tingxiao casually asked when they got into the car.

    The chauffeur looked slightly awkward as he answered, "Second Master is busy, so he could not personallye."

    When she heard this, Ning Xi raised her brows and said, "Busy? I think he just doesn''t want to see me!"

    The chauffeur was speechless.

    Without revealing anything, Miss Ning Xi could guess so urately.

    Second Master''s words verbatim were, "I''m not going! I never want to see that woman again. From now on, where I am, she won''t be near me, and where she is, I won''t be there!

    Lu Tingxiao naturally guessed the reason Lu Jingli had note too. "Should we exin to him?" Ning Xi shook her head and scoffed, "No! Wait till he sees me for himself, I want to shock him! Hehe, serves him right for being such a bbermouth¡­"

    The chauffeur watched the two of them in the back seat and thought that it was odd. Master and Miss Xiao Xi seemed to be getting along so well. What was wrong?

    He subconsciously looked at Assistant Cheng beside him suspiciously and shot him a look to say "What''s going on?".

    Cheng Feng looked back at him and did not say anything. He just replied with a look that said "Who can I ask?",

    The point was that since Miss Ning Xi had been rescued, the atmosphere had been different. He suspected that they had seen real love in times of need. However, whether this was true or not, he still had to observe for a while more¡­

    After all, in D.C., the two of them were pretending to be husband and wife. He could not tell whether those loving ways and disys of affection were real or fake.

    As Cheng Feng thought about this, in the back seat, Lu Tingxiao suddenly leaned over and kissed Ning Xi.

    The chauffeur, who watched this scene y out through the rearview mirror, had a slip of his hand and almost lost control of the steering wheel.

    Boss! I''m driving here! Can you not suddenly shock me?!

    Cheng Feng was just stunned and in his head only one thought remained: very good, no need for further observations¡­

    This was clearly hitting the nail on the board! Based on Boss'' mature attitude, if the other person did not return his affections, he would definitely not make such a random move!

    My God! Did he just see what happened? Was he dreaming? The boss had been waiting for this day toe! Ahhh! Why did he feel even happier than falling in love himself?

    Behind, Ning Xi was no less shocked than Cheng Feng and the chauffeur up front. She quickly pushed Lu Tingxiao away. She could not help but blush as much as she tried to be calm. "Hey, what are you doing?! Don''t do such nonsense in broad daylight!"

    Most importantly, there were other people up front!

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her and said nonchntly, "You were looking very cute earlier, I could not help it."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    What the hell? Was it her fault again? Didn''t she just say she wanted to shock Lu Jingli? What was cute and irresistible about that? Was he even seduced by that too?

    Seriously¡­she really did not get the devil sometimes¡­

 Chapter 677: What? My Brother Wants To Jump Into The River?

    <h4>Chapter 677: What? My Brother Wants To Jump Into The River?</h4>

    Up front, for the safety of driving the car, the chauffeur very consciously pressed the button that wound up the divider for their privacy.

    Ning Xi puffed up her cheeks and looked angry. She definitely had a reason to believe that Lu Tingxiao was intentionally taking revenge because she said that the 90 percent was for Little Treasure¡­

    Looking at the girl''s lively expression, Lu Tingxiao''s gaze turned into a deep, bottomless swirl, capturing one''s soul¡­

    He always could not help but stare at her and want to get close to her. All because he did not feel secure.

    When they got down from the car, Lu Tingxiao walked her to the door of her apartment.

    "Stay at home to rest well for the next few days. Don''t run around," reminded Lu Tingxiao seriously.

    Ning Xi nodded obediently. "Definitely, with this leg of mine, even if I wanted to run, I couldn''t!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked suspiciously at her. He bet that even if both her legs were shot, it would not stop her from actively moving around¡­

    Ning Xi knew that she had many bad past records, so she coughed lightly and reassured, "It''s true, I guarantee that I won''t run around! Take my word for it!"

    After she repeated this over and over again, Lu Tingxiao had no choice but to believe her. "Then, I''ll leave now."

    "Eh? Leaving so soon?! It''s still quite early, why don''t youe in for some tea before you leave?" Ning Xi asked.

    In a sh, the man''s expression instantly became dangerous again. "Do you know what those words of yours imply to a man?"

    Ning Xi was instantly confused and her mouth twitched. "Hey! What are you thinking? I''m just inviting you toe in for a cup of tea! I''m implying what the words say on the surface! I''m not inviting you in to do whatnot! Lu Tingxiao, are you that corrupted now?"

    Lu Tingxiao held her by the waist and kissed her roughly as if he wanted to deliver all his buried emotions through the kiss. "Infected by you."

    Ning Xi was speechless. Her fault again¡­

    Also, why was it that now whenever she and the devil were not on the same page, they would start kissing?

    After he left the Regal Riveria, Lu Tingxiao did not go home immediately. He went to the riverside instead.

    "Boss, you''re not going home¡­?" Cheng Feng hesitated to ask.

    He had already gotten what he wanted. Why did it feel like the boss still had things weighing on his mind?

    "Mmm." Under the cold breeze across the river, Lu Tingxiao lit up a cigarette and did not say anything.

    Cheng Feng did not want to ask too much either, so he just left.

    Lu Tingxiao obviously wanted to be alone for a while, that much Cheng Feng could tell. Thus, Cheng Feng and the chauffeur got into the car and left first.

    Halfway through, the chauffeur''s phone rang. It was Lu Jingli.

    "Hello, Second Master!"

    "Where''s my brother? Did you guys pick him up?" Lu Jingli sounded a little awkward on the other end of the phone.

    "Yes, we already did. Second Master, is there anything you need?"

    "Then, why isn''t he back yet?" It seemed like Lu Jingli was already waiting at home.

    "Oh, Master hasn''t gone home yet. He sent Miss Ning Xi home first then went to the riverside alone," answered the chauffeur truthfully.

    "What? My brother wants to jump into the river!" shouted Lu Jingli before the chauffeur could continue, then the phone went dead.

    The chauffeur''s eardrums were shaken by the yell and he was stunned. "I¡­when did I say Master wants to jump into the river? I didn''t, did I? I just said he went to the riverside!"

    How did Second Master hear what he thought he did? How in the world did he misunderstand like that?

    Cheng Feng''s mouth twitched in amusement. "Second Master''s thought process is rather out of the ordinary."

 Chapter 678: Who Told You I Was Lovelorn?

    <h4>Chapter 678: Who Told You I Was Lovelorn?</h4>

    After he hung up on the chauffeur, Lu Jingli drove quickly to the riverside where Lu Tingxiao always went when he was unhappy.

    "Oh, brother, hold on! Don''t take things too hard! You still have me!" When he saw the familiar silhouette loitering around the riverbank, Lu Jingli immediately ran over and jumped on Lu Tingxiao, intending to topple him over.

    Lu Tingxiao had sharply noticed that there was someone behind him, so he moved aside and avoided the attack.

    From the corner of his eye, he recognized the familiar shadow and his hand shot out to hold on to the back of Lu Jingli''s cor, pulling him back from almost jumping into the river.

    Lu Tingxiao rushed to put out his cigarette and frowned. "What are you doing?"

    Because Lu Jingli had almost jumped into the river himself, he was still traumatized from the experience, patting his own chest to calm himself down. He replied anxiously, "Obviously, I was trying to stop you from jumping into the river!"

    Lu Tingxiao kept silent for quite a few seconds, then stressed word by word, "Who told you that I was going to jump into the river?"

    "The chauffeur said so! He said you were going to jump! Anyway, it doesn''t matter who said it! The point is, bro, don''t think of doing something stupid!"

    Lu Tingxiao sighed helplessly. How could it be the chauffeur? His brother must have been jumping to conclusions again.

    "The world is so huge with so many hot fish in the sea. There must be someone who''s suitable for you! You can''t lose hope to live just because you''ve been lovelorn once!" Lu Jingli advised till his mouth turned dry.

    "Who told you I''m lovelorn?" Lu Tingxiao asked, looking amused.

    "Xiao Xi Xi has already confessed to whoever that is! She must have already seeded!" Lu Jingli looked upset.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at him like his brother was the wisest man on earth. "Mmm."

    "Aha! I knew it! Bro, don''t you or anyone else try to stop me. I must go and cut that wild man into pieces and throw him into the river to feed the fishes¡­"

    Before he could finish, Lu Tingxiao''s voice interrupted, "The person she confessed to was me."

    Lu Jingli almost choked on his saliva and coughed in surprise. "What???"

    "That wild man¡­Eh, wait! The person Xiao Xi Xi confessed to was you? Bro, did you get confused now that you''ve suffered such a heartbreaking provocation? Or are you just kidding?"

    Lu Tingxiao shot him a look with a cool gaze. Obviously, he was neither joking nor was he confused.

    Lu Jingli himself felt like he was going crazy himself.

    Lu Jingli instantly exploded as he circled the same spot for about 49 times, "Bro!!! Are you telling the truth? Did Xiao Xi Xi really confess to you? That''spletely bewildering and illogical! There is no way, no way, no way¡­Why do I not understand this world anymore? Who am I, where am I and what am I called?"

    Lu Tingxiao stood in the midst of the river breeze and lit up another cigarette. To tell the truth, upon seeing Lu Jingli''s reaction, he felt much more consoled because initially, he had decided to stay calm.

    No matter if it was the chauffeur''s, Cheng Feng''s, or Lu Jingli''s reaction, there were all exactly the same.

    Lu Jingli rambled on for a few minutes before he finally slowed down and thought about it. "That''s not right. Since Xiao Xi Xi has confessed to you, why do you still look lovelorn?

    And why are you here in the breeze?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "I''m feeling too emotional, I need to calm down."

    "Uhh¡­"

 Chapter 679: None Of Them Could Survive Beyond A Week

    <h4>Chapter 679: None Of Them Could Survive Beyond A Week</h4>

    When he saw the way Lu Jingli choked at this piece of information, Lu Tingxiao could not help but smile. His heart, which was initially heavy, seemed to have lightened up a little.

    He did need to clear his head.

    All of this had happened too suddenly that it felt so surreal. He was afraid that he would wake up and realize that this was all a dream. Even more terrifying was the possibility of her only saying those words in the heat of the moment, that she would turn around and regret it. He was afraid that this happiness was a short-lived affair and that he would not ovee the ir-de-lune in her heart¡­

    After all, the biggest emptiness would be felt not from never possessing something, but from losing it after having a taste of it.

    Now, his happiness only brought torment to his heart.

    She had introduced him to Gong Shangze before as her boss, friend, master, and talent scouter.

    What about now? What was he to her?

    She might have just said those things impulsively after experiencing a life and death situation, not wanting to have any regrets. In such a situation, her feelings for him might have been intentionally heightened under such peril.

    And after she said what she did, what woulde after? How about their future? She might not have even thought about it at all¡­

    The "what if''s" made endless rounds in his heart and head over and over again, but he still did not want to ask her in the end.

    Even though he really wanted to know the answers were, he dared not to open it, fearing a case of Pandora''s box.

    "So¡­so¡­you''re not lovelorn, but you''re in love?" Lu Jingli reiterated.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the sun setting in the horizon of the river and said, "Maybe."

    "Why do you say ''maybe''? Since it''s a case of mutual affection, shouldn''t dating be naturally the next step? Wait, that''s not right either¡­there are quite a few kinds of rtionships that coulde after seeing each other eye to eye. Not only romantic rtionships¡­for example, a short one night stand, or a few dates, or a long-term mistress¡­"

    Lu Jingli was obviously an expert on this as he started to analyze the different kinds of possible rtionships. Until he noticed his brother''s face was cooler than the river breeze. He quickly stopped bbering and coughed. "Actually¡­did you guys do it since Xiao Xi Xi confessed to you?"

    "No," replied Lu Tingxiao curtly.

    However, that was because she had been injured. Otherwise, he was not too sure how things would have actually progressed¡­

    Even though he expected so. Lu Jingli still looked distraught and sighed, then consoled his brother, "If you didn''t, then that basically rules all the other possibilities, right? It must be a purely romantic rtionship!"

    All of a sudden, Lu Jingli''s expression stiffened. "Oh, crap¡­a romantic rtionship seems to be even scarier. How did I forget that oue?"

    Lu Jingli anxiously scratched his head and said sadly, "Based on my investigations previously, none of Xiao Xi Xi''s ex-boyfriends survived beyond a week! Moststed about three or four days! There was even one whosted for only one day! The one whosted the longest seems to be Jiang Muye, which was for a week! The scariest thing is that Xiao Xi Xi is the type who will never date an ex; she is very cruel to all her ex-boyfriends, so there is definitely no possibility of making up after breaking up! Aaahh! This girl won''t do what she did before, will she?"

    Lu Jingli wrung his hands and anxiously asked, "Bro, how long has it been since the two of you had this whole special thing going on?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression darkened as he uttered, "It''s only the first day."

 Chapter 680: Definitely Wont Let You Become An Ex-Boyfriend!

    <h4>Chapter 680: Definitely Won''t Let You Be An Ex-Boyfriend!</h4>

    Logically, based on Ning Xi''s attitude towards him, she was agreeable to being an item with him, so Lu Tingxiao never knew where his confusion and insecurity came from.

    Now, after Lu Jingli had analyzed everything in his messy way, he somehow understood the gist of it. Even though his rtionship with Ning Xi was somewhat confirmed, it was like a rootless duckweed, at the risk of being damaged at the attack of the wind; it was simply too fragile.

    That was why he felt such anxiety creeping up on him¡­

    After he heard Lu Tingxiao''s response, Lu Jingli whipped out a notebook and wrote something down as if he was noting down the date and date, then sympathized, "Bro, don''t worry, just survive the next seven days and you would have won half the battle, sessfully defeating all the past romantic rivals! Oh no¡­not all, there''s still Su Yan. Su Yan has a pretty good record¡­argh, this is thinking too far ahead, let''s not go there first! Let''s first survive the next few days!"

    Then, he meaningfully patted Lu Tingxiao''s shoulder and said, "Bro! I''ll help you! I will use all my power from this lifetime to help you survive this hard pass! I definitely won''t let you be an ex-boyfriend!"

    Ex-boyfriend¡­

    Ex-boyfriend¡­

    Ex-boyfriend¡­

    These words appeared like three overwhelmingly monstrous mountains that fell onto Lu Tingxiao''s face, instantly cking everything out.

    He looked in fear at the little ck leather notebook in Lu Jingli''s hands as if it recorded the date of his death¡­

    At Regal Riveria Hotel.

    At that moment, Ning Xi was reading through the tabloid news, unaware of a ck car moving from the riverside to this apartment, finally stopping quietly below her unit.

    After she returned to the apartment, thanks to the good sleep on the ne, she felt very energetic. The first thing she did was to look at the entertainment news she had been deprived of for a few days, getting updated with thetest headlines. Most importantly, she wanted to look at how well their promotion of "The World had gone.

    She got the shock of her life.

    It had only been a few days, but all the current gossip rted to "The World" was about an argument that had broken out on Weibo.

    With the entire drama team''s hard work, "The World" had already gained poprity ahead of the release and it had taken the industry by storm. However, the public''s attention would naturally be focused on the drama''s male and female lead in the early stages.

    Eventually, the co-stars, Meng Changge and Sun Huanqing, started to gain poprity too. After many fans had watched the trailer, they started to rmend the show with high praises for the pair of co-stars. This caused the co-stars to be even more popr than the main leads.

    Thus, the fans of the leads were obviously unhappy.

    The catalyst for this fight was the second version of the trailer released by the officials just two days ago.

    The drama team saw that since the co-stars were so popr, they decided to appeal to the audiences by editing in Ning Xi and Jiang Muye''s scenes on a level on par with Ning Xueluo and Zhao Sizhou''s.

    Some fans had even calcted and highlighted that the screen time of the female co-star, Ning Xi, was even more than the female lead, Ning Xueluo''s, by three seconds.

    Now, Ning Xueluo''s fans, who were already unhappy to begin with, exploded.

    [Hey! What''s up with the drama team? Don''t confuse the leads! Who''s the female lead now? Why does a mere supporting character have even more screen time than our Xueluo?]

    [We just want to see Xueluo, not some evil witch!]

    [Exactly, she''s so ugly. What the hell?! Stop corrupting our eyes further!]

    [The male and female supporting actors are stealing all the limelight. The drama team''s bias is so obvious now! How embarrassing!]

    ¡­

 Chapter 681: Please Call Me Aunt From Now On

    <h4>Chapter 681: Please Call Me Aunt From Now On</h4>

    At that moment, Jiang Muye¡¯s fans demonstrated their strength.

    Since some of Ning Xueluo¡¯s fans were upset enough to bring Jiang Muye¡¯s name into the mess, his fans could not stand it anymore.

    [Are you guys blind? Ning Xi is at least ten times prettier than Ning Xueluo!]

    [Cut the crap about shady arrangements! Don¡¯t frame innocent people! Muye is the most popr here, It¡¯s only natural to have more of his screen time. The crew isn¡¯t stupid!]

    [This is the second preview. The first preview featured the main protagonists and the second featured the secondary protagonists. What¡¯s wrong with that? It seems to me that some fans are just overreacting!]

    ¡­

    Basically, both Ning Xueluo''s and Zhao Sizhou''s fans angered Jiang Muye¡¯s die hard supporters, adding fuel to the exchange. Jiang Muye¡¯s fans had exceptional keyboard warrior abilities and they spared no mercy.

    Ning Xi was having goosebumps from watching the arguments; she was d that she was on Jiang Muye¡¯s side this time. She thought to herself, "I should treat him better next time. After all, there''s an impable army of iron maidens right behind him!

    They''re so loyal and ferocious!" Some people had just briefly mentioned Jiang Muye¡¯s name while ridiculing her, but his fans were already counterattacking them.

    Ning Xi continued looking at the news while she made a call to Jiang Muye.

    After a long time of ringing, Jiang Muye picked up the call and started bbering the moment the line got through, "Don¡¯t tell me about your confession. I don¡¯t want to hear about it. That¡¯s all. Bye bye, the user you¡¯re calling is unavable¡­"

    Ning Xi was exasperated. "What¡¯s wrong with you? Who¡¯s talking about my confession?!"

    There was a silence, then Jiang Muye cautiously asked, "Then, why did you call me?"

    Ning Xi replied while scrolling through the web pages, "I¡¯m about to praise you!"

    "Praise me?" Jiang Muye sat up as straight as a rod now. "What¡¯s gotten into you¡­?"

    "Yeah, I just got home and was looking through the news!" Ning Xi replied.

    Jiang Muye instantly knew what she was up to and he preened cheerfully, "How is it? What do you think of the power of my female fans?"

    "They''re awesome! Exceptional! Actually¡­I¡¯m quite envious of you! I wonder when will I have such a fan base. I¡¯d be right even when I¡¯m wrong and people will just rainpliments all over me everyday! The definition of happiness!" Ning Xi gushed, full of admiration.

    "You still have a long way to go!" Jiang Muye spoke with a tone of seniority. Then, he suddenly changed the topic. "Right, so what happened to your confession?"

    Ning Xi was stunned. "Didn¡¯t you just say you don¡¯t want to know anything about it? Even women don¡¯t change their minds as quickly as you do!"

    "Forget about that! Ning Xiao Xi, are you telling me or not? Have you confessed? What¡¯s going on now?" Jiang Muye asked quickly.

    Ning Xi took her own sweet time to reply. "What''s going on now is¡­dear Jiang Xiao Ye, please don¡¯t be rude and call my name directly. Next time, address me as Aunt!"

    It was Jiang Muye¡¯s turn to be speechless.

 Chapter 682: Revenge Of The Blondie

    <h4>Chapter 682: Revenge Of The Blondie</h4>

    Ex-girlfriend turned Aunt¡­

    At that moment, Jiang Muye could only think of three words ¡ª what the heck?!

    Jiang Muye took a deep breath, then he roared at the phone, "Screw this! You¡¯re giving me no choice, Ning Xiao Xi. I¡¯m going to tell Ling Zhizhi all about you. I¡¯ll tell her that you¡¯re getting into a rtionship without her knowing!"

    Ning Xi was furious. "Damn it! Can you be any more shameless! Do you really consider yourself a bro of mine?"

    "What ''bro''? Aren¡¯t you my aunt now?"

    "If you dare to tell her, I¡¯ll break your leg! Hey¡­hey¡­"

    Beep¡­beep¡­the phone call had ended.

    Damn it! He wouldn''t really tell on me, would he? Was he really a man? Was he really going to do something so childish?

    Ah¡­impulsiveness was really a terrible trait! She had totally forgotten about Ling Zhizhi! She remembered how she had promised her that she would just focus on her career and would never get into a rtionship, but now she waspletely breaking her promise!

    Beauty! It was all Beauty¡¯s fault!

    As Ning Xi was about to dial Jiang Muye''s number again, her screen lit up and it was¡­Ling Zhizhi!

    Crap! Did Blondie really tell her?

    Her phone kept on ringing and Ning Xi was anxious, but she still picked it up and answered shakily, "Hey, Sis Zhizhi¡­"

    "Ning Xi, I have something to ask you. Answer me honestly," Ling Zhizhi said in an exceptionally stern tone.

    Ning Xi thought that it was all going to be over!

    "Uh, what is it, Sis Zhizhi?" Ning Xi acted innocently.

    "What¡¯s your rtionship with Hu Hongda?"

    "Our rtionship¡­uh, wait¡­" Ning Xi was confused. "Sis Zhizhi, who?"

    "Hu Hongda?"

    "Who¡¯s Hu Hongda?" Ning Xi wondered. Was it not Lu Tingxiao?

    Ling Zhizhi let out a sigh of relief. "It¡¯s good that you don¡¯t know him."

    "What happened?"

    She thought that Jiang Muye had spilled the beans on her!

    "Hu Hongda is the CEO of Hongda Estate. There are rumors circting online recently, saying that he¡¯s been keeping you as his mistress. I¡¯ve asked our PR department to delete all the rted posts. Due to the poprity of ''The World'', you¡¯ve been getting a lot of attention recently. Although it¡¯s been suppressed at the moment, people might bring it up again in the near future!

    "The PR department asked me to confirm with you what your rtionship is with him, but you were on holiday these past few days and I was unable to contact you," Ling Zhizhi exined.

    To avoid unnecessary attention, Ning Xi had asked Jiang Muye to tell Ling Zhizhi and the crew that she had gone on a holiday.

    Ling Zhizhi was unable to contact her and coincidentally, the news came up at such a critical time; it was no wonder that she was so anxious.

    Even if Ling Zhizhi trusted her, what about the PR department? They must have thought that she had gone into hiding because of the news! Ling Zhizhi must have faced an enormous amount of pressure¡­

    Ning Xi felt guilty, "Sis Zhizhi, I¡¯m really sorry. I will never be out of contact again. I really don¡¯t know this Hu Hongda and I have no rtionship with him at all, rest assured!"

 Chapter 683: The Man Behind Ning Xi

    <h4>Chapter 683: The Man Behind Ning Xi</h4>

    "That¡¯s great," Ling Zhizhi sighed, then spoke in a worried tone, "But Ning Xi, I have to remind you again. While I¡¯ll not interfere with your private life too much, you have to be mindful of what you can and cannot do!"

    When she was handling Leng Manyun, she did not have to worry much about her private life. However, as she was working with Ning Xi now, she tried her best to protect Ning Xi from the public. Ning Xi¡¯s pretty face was her strongest weapon, but it was also her dangerous weakness. In this industry, it was too easy to be linked in a sexual scandal.

    For a female celebrity, these scandals might end their career if not handled properly.

    Ning Xi felt guilty at Ling Zhizhi¡¯s words, she quickly replied, "I understand Sis Zhizhi!"

    After the call ended, she frowned as she let out a sigh of relief, Hu Hongda¡­who was that?

    She searched some keywords and some tabloid news popped up.

    [Beautiful Co-Star Of "The World" Rumored To Be Mistress, Intimate Rtionship With Real Estate Tycoon Hu Hongda]

    [Reveal Of The Man Behind Ning Xi!!!]

    [Co-Star Of "The World" Insider News: She Was Supported By A Rich Man!]

    ¡­

    Not many of these posts remained, probably as a result of the efforts of the PR department.

    Ning Xi touched her chin as she was reading the posts. She felt that something was not right. Although such news always popped up in the industry, no one would believe it without any solid proof.

    Suddenly, something caught her attention. If someone wanted to frame her, they could have linked her to anyone, but why Hu Hongda specifically?

    At the same time, at Starlight Entertainment, in Chang Li¡¯s office.

    "Ning Xi has already been getting all the attention before the movie even aired. The attacks from the controlled fansst time didn¡¯t work either. It was all ruined by Jiang Muye¡¯s fans¡­if the movie airs, she might really get famous overnight!" Chang Li said worriedly.

    Ning Xi was just a sacrificial pawn to satisfy Ning Xueluo, but now that it seemed like she was going to get famous, it was a big p on Chang Li¡¯s face.

    "How is the rumor mill going?" Ning Xueluo asked calmly.

    "All of them got shut down by the PR team, no thanks to Ling Zhizhi. Nothing is left! There was no solid proof of the rumors anyway!" Chang Li did not understand why Ning Xueluo was doing something so obviously futile.

    Ning Xueluo gave her a frigid smile as she raked her manicured fingernails down Ning Xi¡¯s picture on theputer screen. "Be patient. That was just the first step. I¡¯ll have her know her ce!"

    Chang Li cautioned in a low voice, "Xueluo, what are you trying to do? We''d better be careful this time! People are suspicious of you ever since we used Ning Xi of hurting you with the props. This time, if¡­"

    "Shut up!" As if pained by Chang Li¡¯s words, her expression changed drastically. She was incensed about the incident. Su Yan had always been a hundred percent trusting of her, but since the incident, she had to be on her toes around Su Yan now.

    "You don¡¯t need to tell me what to do. I know what I¡¯m doing!"

    After the lesson from that incident, she was more cautious now. Even if anyone were to investigate the rumors, they would never find anything rted to her!

    After Ning Xueluo was done talking, she made a phone call. "Hey, Xiao Ya, how have you been recently? Want to go shopping tomorrow?"

 Chapter 684: Plot Twist

    <h4>Chapter 684: Plot Twist</h4>

    On the other end of the phone, Fang Ya replied weakly, "I¡¯m not in the mood for shopping now!"

    "Is it because of what happenedst time?" Ning Xueluo asked with a tinge of concern.

    "Xueluo, what should I do? It might really be the end for me¡­"

    Ning Xueluo blinked. "That might not be it¡­actually, I have a fantastic idea, which will definitely help you out of your situation!"

    "Really? Tell me quickly! I¡¯m feeling really helpless right now!" Fang Ya urged.

    "Maybe I should forget about it. After all, this idea might involve innocent people¡­" Ning Xueluo sounded a little troubled.

    "Xueluo! My reputation is ruined now! I don¡¯t have the time and effort to care about anyone else! Please tell me! Aren¡¯t we best friends?"

    "Mmm¡­okay¡­"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi paid the rumors no mind after realizing that they were not much of a big deal. Ling Zhizhi had alsoforted her that as long as she was not rted to Hu Hongda, she would handle the rest.

    Unexpectedly, things went south quickly right before dawn and it was all over the Net!

    "Ning Xi! Go online! Something has happened! Look at the first post on the hot topic tab on Weibo!"

    Ning Xi was still asleep when Ling Zhizhi called. She quickly jumped out of bed and turned on herptop.

    She saw the post: [Hu Hongda: Everything is my fault. I will apologize to my family and return to them and I promise to never make the same mistake again! Everyone is weed to see this through!]

    In thements section, everyone was asking who his mistress was.

    [Wow, Ming Fangfang¡¯s husband cheated on her! I still remember how sweet they were when they just got married!]

    [Who¡¯s the mistress? Who¡¯s she? Who is it? I need the truth! This is such a shocker!]

    [I can¡¯t believe this! Goddess Fang is so beautiful. How could her husband cheat on her!?]

    [The mistress is the secondary protagonist, Ning Xi, from "The World". If you notice, this is nothing new actually, I¡¯ve seen some news about it before, but not many people were following it!]

    [Link: Here¡¯s everything you need to know, you''re wee!]

    ¡­

    The second post on the hot topic tab was an old post on which someone imed to know the truth about Ning Xi being the mistress. No one had cared about the post before, but now there were hundreds and thousands of shares andments.

    Ming Fangfang was a popr artiste in the industry. After she got married to Hu Hongda, they had always been lovey dovey with each other; they were the model couple for everyone.

    After the news got out, Ming Fangfang¡¯s fans went crazy. Very quickly, Ning Xueluo¡¯s fans took the chance and went along to trample on Ning Xi as well¡­

    [Hahahahaha¡­great news! I told you so that there¡¯s an internal source! No one believed me!]

    [Jiang Muye¡¯s fans don¡¯t mean ill. Most of them are still too young to make rational judgments, now they''ll know that everyone has their dark side!]

    [It¡¯s just a small artiste trying to get famous with her pretty face. I don¡¯t see the difference from a prostitute. Having Xueluo acting with her is a disgrace!]

    ¡­

    Jiang Muye¡¯s fans kept mum this time around. The fan club had a good management team and the leader warned them not to post anything before they found out about the truth.

    However, some radical younger fans went on to ridicule Ning Xi with some harsh words for involving Jiang Muye in this scandal¡­

    Hu Hongda¡¯s single short sentence pushed Ning Xi to the edge.

 Chapter 685: Lu Tingxiao, Come Up!

    <h4>Chapter 685: Lu Tingxiao, Come Up!</h4>

    "What the hell?! How did I get attacked without even doing anything?! Why did this dude suddenlye up with such a Weibo status? This is clearly a setup to ruin me!" Ning Xi was very irritated by the unfolding of everything.

    "I am already trying my best to contact Hu Hongda''s end, hoping that he cane out to rify. However, it''s already toote and he must have already gone to bed, so we temporarily can''t contact him. If it''s just a misunderstanding, he just has to clear the air, but the way I see it, this has been too coincidental. Previously, you were rumored to be involved in some scandal with him, and now he has posted such a misleading status. I''m just afraid¡­" Ling Zhizhi trailed off in thought.

    "Is someone intentionally messing with me?" Ning Xi frowned. "That''s not right either¡­Hu Hongda is a big CEO. Who would have the capability to control him and intentionally nder me? In fact, he has even caused so much trouble for himself and all for a small celebrity like me? Isn''t this crazy?!"

    Ling Zhizhi then replied, "That is why I still think the possibility of it being a misunderstanding is more likely. I''ll personally visit Hongda''spany first thing tomorrow morning. Hopefully, nothing else will change before then."

    Ning Xi nodded. "We can only wait till tomorrow then."

    "You don''t move about for now. If you go out now, the fans will only be more agitated and no one will listen to your exnation. Only Hu Hongda can exin this."

    "Okay, I understand."

    After she hung up, Ning Xi obviously could not fall asleep. She continued to look at the discussion on the Inte.

    [I strongly urge to block corrupted artistes. Delete all of Ning Xi''s scenes! Or else, we are determined to boycott "The World".]

    [I agree! The price she paid for her mistake earlier this year was too low. The fact that she can continue to live freely after hurting other people is just too disgusting!]

    [My Goddess Fang''s charisma can fling Ning Xi ten streets away! Is Hu Hongda blind?]

    [Kill the entire witch''s family! Stay away from our Muye!]

    ¡­

    Ning Xi rested her chin in her hands and sighed.

    This year''s fans were too easily influenced because no one knew who was behind theputer screens, so they didn''t have to be held ountable for anything they saw. More and more keyboard warriors started to say irresponsible things without caring about the truth¡­

    It was already one o''clock in the morning. Ning Xi remained on the website, just in case there were any changes.

    Just as she was about to make herself some coffee to stay awake, her phone suddenly rang with a new message.

    [Lu Cabbage: Not asleep yet?]

    Ning Xi wanted to reply when she suddenly noticed something¡­

    She quickly walked to the window and looked out. She could already walk slowly although she just had to be more careful.

    Indeed, there was a familiar car parked below. Beside the car window was the faint light of a lit cigarette.

    [Sweet Xiao Xi: You''re outside my apartment?]

    Ning Xi texted as she waved with her lit up phone.

    Very soon, Ning Xi saw the car door open and someone alighted. Under the dim lights, a lean shadow was looking up.

    Even though she could not see his face clearly, she could still feel hiso familiar eyes watching her.

    Ning Xi heart skipped a beat and she immediately made a call. "Hello¡­"

    "Mmm."

    "Why are you¡­why are you outside my apartment?" Ning Xi asked.

    "I don''t know." From the other end of the phone, she could hear the man''s voice, which echoed with loneliness, against the night breeze.

    Don''t know? What kind of answer was that?

    However, Ning Xi''s heart instantly melted. "If I didn''t notice your car, you weren''t prepared to stay there for the entire night, were you?"

    "Probably."

    "Lu Tingxiao,e up," said Ning Xi.

    Lu Tingxiao paused, then said, "Maybe not."

    "Come up!"

    "Okay."

 Chapter 686: Im Not Going To Eat You!

    <h4>Chapter 686: I''m Not Going To Eat You!</h4>

    Momentster, there was a knock on the door.

    Ning Xi rushed over to open it.

    Lu Tingxiao stood still at the door and Ning Xi smiled a little before pulling him in. "I''m not going to eat you!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked slightly helpless. Of course, he was not afraid of her, but of himself.

    "What are you doing?"

    When he saw that she was still not asleep sote at night and that she had herptop on the bed, Lu Tingxiao frowned.

    Ning Xi scratched her head, then sat on the bedside and picked up theptop again. "There''s a slight problem, but nothing too serious."

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression changed to one of concern as he walked over.

    He skimmed through the posts and could already roughly understand the situation. In the next second, he pulled out his handphone.

    Ning Xi noticed it in time and quickly stopped him. "What are you doing?"

    "Calling Hu Hongda."

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. "You don''t have to use your butcher''s knife to kill a chicken! No, wait, you''re using a dragon yer de! Sis Zhizhi is already prepared to go over Hongda''spany first thing tomorrow morning!"

    After Ning Xi said that, she thought to herself that there were some things she needed to discuss with Lu Tingxiao.

    "Lu Tingxiao, let''s have a chat!" Ning Xi looked at him seriously.

    Lu Tingxiao felt his spine go rigid. "Okay."

    Ning Xi was not sure why Lu Tingxiao reacted the way he did. Why was he so nervous? He looked like she was about ditch him after using him.

    Ning Xi chose her words carefully before she said, "Hey, you know that Sis Zhizhi has already set three big rules for me right from the start. I''m not allowed to start dating now, but in the end, I actually defied her¡­"

    Ning Xi released a long sigh and touched Lu Tingxiao''s handsome face. "My beauty, for you, I am giving it my all!"

    Lu Tingxiao held her little hand and started tough. "So, what are you trying to say?"

    Ning Xi blurted out what she found difficult to say, "So, this thing between the both of us has to be a secret!"

    "That''s it?"

    "That''s it. What did you think I was about to say?"

    Ning Xi knew that this was not too fair to Lu Tingxiao, so she coaxed, "I know this will not be very nice to you, but my upation is at stake. I really have no choice!"

    "Don''t worry, I''ll cooperate and I won''t interfere with your work."

    Ning Xi''s eyes shone with gratitude, "Oh, Boss, that''s really sweet of you¡­"

    Before she could finish, Lu Tingxiao added on, "But I have a request too."

    "Just say it. I''ll try as long as I can do it!" Ning Xi said quickly.

    "If you have something you can''t resolve, even if you disagree with my solution, I will still interfere. I am your boss but I am also your man. I won''t sit back and watch my woman be bullied."

    Lu Tingxiao''s gaze sharpened even more. "Maybe you have your special ways of resolving problems but from now onwards, I won''t allow you to use such methods anymore. There are certain rules in this world, understand?"

    Ning Xi got it. Lu Tingxiao was probably referring to thest time she had used a gun to force the props master to confess.

    She had been too impulsive thest time. If Lu Tingxiao had not cleaned up the mess she had made and if word of her using a gun to threaten the props master had gone public, the consequences would be unimaginable¡­

    When she had returned to China back then, she had sworn that she would move away from her past.

    She had only used that gun once ever since.

    Actually, when a person lived too long in a world that resorted to violence to resolve problems, adapting to the normal world would be a challenge. Lu Tingxiao was right. There were rules in this world.

    Ning Xi immediately said obediently, "Understood, Boss! When I''m in need, I''ll just rely on you!"

 Chapter 687: Letâ€™s Do Something Meaningful

    <h4>Chapter 687: Let¡¯s Do Something Meaningful</h4>

    Watching the girl reply obediently, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression softened. He looked at the cup of coffee on the table and scowled. "You¡¯ve not fully recovered yet. Don¡¯t stay up anymore and go to sleep now."

    "Huh? But after what just happened, my brain is too excited now. I can¡¯t sleep anytime soon!" Ning Xi mumbled.

    Her eyes shone as she suddenly thought of something. "Ah! Let¡¯s do something meaningful in the dead of tonight!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her with a hooded gaze and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Like what?"

    After a while¡­

    "Ahh¡­no!" Ning Xi¡¯s screams broke the silence of the still night¡­

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the ghost moaning and listened to the scary background music as his face darkened.

    Her so-called "meaningful" activity was to watch a horror movie?

    Ning Xi shrunk into the sheets, only her small head popping out and her face was pale. She let out the asional scream. "Ah¡­the wardrobe! There¡¯s a ghost in the wardrobe¡­don¡¯t open it!"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless at her behavior. "Why are you still watching it if you¡¯re so scared?"

    "This is exciting! I always watch a lot of movies, just not horror films! Because¡­I¡¯m afraid of ghosts¡­" Ning Xi said sadly.

    Lu Tingxiao raised his eyebrows in surprise. It was rare that she was afraid of something.

    "That¡¯s why I never watch it alone. Since you¡¯re here today, of course, I¡¯m going to grab this chance!" Ning Xi said with enthusiasm.

    Lu Tingxiao patted her head. "I¡¯ll apany you whenever you want."

    Ning Xi nodded, looking at Lu Tingxiao. She thought that she would not get used to having someone by her side after being single for so long. But now, as she was watching the horror film, wrapped up in the sheets while Lu Tingxiao just sat there with her, she felt that being with someone else was not so bad after all¡­

    Probably due to the devil''s imposing aura, the fright level of the film was toned down and she even fell asleep halfway¡­

    When he saw that she had fallen asleep, Lu Tingxiao turned off the television and covered her with sheets gently.

    As he stood up, his phone rang.

    Iing call: Mo Lingtian.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s gentle eyes turned icy as he took the call on the balcony.

    "Hello."

    "Hey, Lu Tingxiao." Mo Lingtian sounded as if he had just been tortured.

    "How¡¯s the investigation going?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "I¡¯ve gone through a lot of hard times for Tang Lang! But¡­that man¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­I was just a step away! I could almost expose his true identity but for some reason, he got ahold of my investigating him and he destroyed all my leads! I really don¡¯t know what to do now! Stop asking me to do this! I can¡¯t do it anymore!"

    "Thend in Chengdong District."

    "I¡¯ll work on that! Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I¡¯ll help you to find him!" Mo Lingtian perked up at this lead and his vigor was renewed.

    "Mmm."

    As Lu Tingxiao was about to end the call, Mo Lingtian added, "Wait¡­although I failed, I found some other interesting news."

    "What?"

    "Satan got desperate because of what you did. He started to wipe out everything but he might return with a different identity. Be careful."

 Chapter 688: Who Is This Woman?

    <h4>Chapter 688: Who Is This Woman?</h4>

    On the second day.

    Ling Zhizhi gave Hongdapany a call when the clock struck nine in the morning. She wanted to talk to Hu Hongda himself. With such an awkward matter going viral, she would be d if she could settle this through a phone call.

    Hu Hongda had turned his phone off, so she could only reach him through hispany.

    "Hello, I¡¯m Ling Zhizhi, a manager at Starlight Entertainment. Could you connect me to CEO Hu¡­"

    Before she could finish, the receptionist quickly replied in a snobbish tone, "I¡¯m sorry, CEO Hu strictly said that he would not see anyone or take any phone calls for these few days, especially anyone from the entertainment industry!"

    The receptionist ended the call without saying anything else.

    Ling Zhizhi decided to go to hispany directly to meet him because this matter had to be settled as soon as possible without any more dys.

    Coincidentally, the moment she reached Hongdapany, Hu Hongda had just stepped out of his car, so she quickly went up to him.

    "CEO Hu, please listen to me!"

    Hu Hongda was about 40 years old but due to his alcoholic guzzling habit over the years, he was chubby and had a portly stomach. Together with his almost bald head, he lookedpletely different from when he married Ming Fangfang.

    Hu Hongda looked at her unhappily. "Who are you?"

    "I¡¯m Ling Zhizhi and I''m from Starlight Entertainment!"

    Hu Hongda¡¯s expression changed the moment he heard her introduction.

    Ling Zhizhi quickly continued after she saw his negative reaction. "CEO Hu, I know your time is precious, so I¡¯ll be direct with you. Your Weibo postingst night caused a big misunderstanding. I hope you¡¯ll help to rify the truth."

    Hu Hongda nced at her and asked her casually, "Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?"

    "One of my artistes was misconstrued as thedy you¡¯ve mentioned."

    "Oh¡­so what?" Hu Hongda shrugged indifferently.

    Judging by his tone of voice, Ling Zhizhi did not have a good feeling about this, but she still continued, "I hope you could put up another Weibo post to exin what is really going on."

    "They are the ones who misunderstood. What does that have to do with me? Why do I need to exin?" Hu Hongda replied impatiently.

    Ling Zhizhi knew that these rich businessmen could not care less about other people¡¯s lives, even if they had involved someone innocent in their games. She could only be patient and lower her pride. "It won¡¯t take you much time, just a few words on Weibo will do¡­"

    As long as he posted something, everything would be solved.

    As expected, Hu Hongda refused to budge. Instead, he acted rudely and yelled at her, "Not going to take much time? Do you know how much money I earn every minute? I don''t care about some small hoo-ha in the entertainment industry. Do you think I¡¯m not busy enough already? Where¡¯s the security?"

    As Hu Hongda was about to call the security team over, a red BMW came to a stop in front of them.

    A woman in a custom-made champagne Prada dress came out of it, looking like a million bucks and emitting a strong aura around her.

    She was Hu Hongda¡¯s wife, Ming Fangfang.

    Seeing Ling Zhizhi, a dark cloud passed over Ming Fangfang¡¯s face. "Ling Zhizhi¡­"

    "My dear wife, you¡¯re here!" Hu Hongda quickly went up to her.

    Ming Fangfang was not just an artiste; she had a solid family background. Her father was a well-known businessman. She had only been an artiste for about a year and she did it all just for fun.

    That was why Hu Hongda was so afraid of her, evenplying with something like a public apology.

    "Why is this woman here?" Ming Fangfang red at Ling Zhizhi.

 Chapter 689: Being Lu Tingxiaoâ€™s Mistress

    <h4>Chapter 689: Being Lu Tingxiao¡¯s Mistress</h4>

    Hu Hongda exined, "This woman was forcing me to put up a post on Weibo to rify¡­"

    Ming Fangfangughed coldly. "rify? What is there to rify? Ling Zhizhi, I respected you when you were Leng Manyun¡¯s manager, but what sort of artiste are you handling right now? Destroying other people¡¯s family and now you dare toe here and ask my husband to rify?"

    Ling Zhizhi¡¯s eyebrows closed in as she exined humbly, "Mrs. Hu, I think you¡¯re mistaken, your husband¡¯s mistress isn¡¯t Ning Xi. Everyone has misunderstood the false news from before, which is why I¡¯m here to ask CEO Hu to rify to the public. You were in the entertainment industry before. You understand well enough how difficult it would be for a female artiste to bear such nder. Plus, Mrs. Hu, don¡¯t you want the one who was really at fault to receive their just punishment?"

    Ling Zhizhi knew that they would not care about anything aside from their benefits, which was why she emphasized herst sentence.

    Ming Fangfang looked at Hu Hongda in confusion after she heard Ling Zhizhi. "What is happening? Didn¡¯t you say it was Ning Xi who seduced you?"

    Hu Hongda replied instantly, "Yeah! That¡¯s right, she did!"

    Ling Zhizhi glowered. "Impossible! CEO Hu, Ning Xi said she doesn¡¯t know you at all! And just now you¡­"

    Ming Fangfang interrupted her, "Ling Zhizhi, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re just too innocent or simply pathetic! You believe her just because she said so? If you have so much free time to argue here with me, why don''t you go back and ask your artiste?! How dare she not admit that it''s her fault?!"

    Ming Fangfang was absolutely positive that it was Ning Xi. She was prideful in her beauty and looks. Although she did not believe that anyone else would be able to seduce her husband, this was Ning Xi.

    Since it was Hu Hongda who exined to her that he had been the victim in the situation, she trusted him without a doubt.

    Ling Zhizhi felt really troubled. She thought it was just a misunderstanding, but who knew¡­Hu Hongda was framing Ning Xi intentionally!

    Had it not been for Ming Fangfang¡¯s appearance, she would have just thought that he did not want any trouble, hence his declination to exin¡­

    "Security, send her away! Don¡¯t let here in!" Ming Fangfang crossed her arms and looked at her in despise.

    Two security guards came up to her and one of them pushed Ling Zhizhi roughly. She fell down and sprained her ankle, feeling a sharp pain shooting up her leg.

    From the moment Hu Hongda said it, Ling Zhizhi knew that there was no more reason for her to stay. She went back to herpany immediately.

    At Regal Riveria Hotel.

    Ning Xi had identally overslept. It was already nine o¡¯clock when she opened her eyes.

    The first thing she did was to call Ling Zhizhi. "Hello, Sis Zhizhi, what¡¯s the situation now? Did the Hu guy agreed?"

    Ling Zhizhi replied with a serious tone, "Nope, plus, he insisted that you¡¯re his mistress."

    Ning Xi exploded, "Damn it! Is he out of his mind?! Even if I were to be someone¡¯s mistress, I would get someone of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s level. Why would I choose him?"

    Ning Xi realized that something was not right. Was Lu Tingxiao still here?

    She peeked outside and saw Lu Tingxiao on the sofa, currently staring at her with his arms stretched out, holding the newspapers¡­

 Chapter 690: Make Me Forget About Work Every Morning

    <h4>Chapter 690: Make Me Forget About Work Every Morning</h4>

    Ling Zhizhi chuckled. "You''d better not let anyone hear this, be more careful of what you say."

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi nodded while taking a peek at Lu Tingxiao. But the person she mentioned had heard it¡­

    "It¡¯s not all bad. At least now, we know they are framing you. We asked nicely, and since it hase to this extent, we needn¡¯t be concerned about them for what we do next."

    Ning Xi touched her chin as her thoughts developed. "But¡­I really don¡¯t know Hu Hongda, so it¡¯s definitely not for revenge. Why would he want to do this? He admitted that he cheated and in doing so, framed me?"

    "I¡¯m already checking on Hu Hongda. I should have something by noon today."

    "Alright, thank you so much, Sis Zhizhi!"

    After ending the call, Ning Xi hopped into the living room. "Boss, you¡¯re still here! Hehe¡­I was just¡­praising you!"

    He patted on the chair beside him. "Do you need help?"

    "Not yet, I¡¯ll see what Sis Zhizhi can find. Rest assured, if I can¡¯t handle it, I¡¯ll surely let you know. Argh! It¡¯ste already, go to work now! If you¡¯re skipping work for my sake, I¡¯ll feel guilty!" Ning Xi urged him.

    Lu Tingxiao stared into her eyes and said, "It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s not an issue as of now, but I¡¯m looking forward to the day¡­that you¡¯ll make me forget about working in the morning."

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi blushed after she realized what Lu Tingxiao meant¡­he was too dirty minded!

    She did not mean that at all! He imed that she infected him with such thoughts but the devil himself was dirty minded enough!

    ¡­

    Just a few minutes after Ling Zhizhi left, Hu Hongda made an even bolder move. He outright named Ning Xi on Weibo.

    Ming Fangfang posted on Weibo: [Mistresses in recent years are really shameless!]

    Hu Hongda was trying to get on his wife¡¯s good side, so he went along: [Please respect yourself and stop bothering me and my family! @Ling Zhizhi @Ning Xi]

    Ning Xi had been fully exposed as the mistress now and all the fans went crazy.

    Pictures of Ling Zhizhi appearing at Hongda Company were uploaded on the as well. Manyizens thought that she had gone there looking for trouble and the ignorant fans were angered.

    The topic of having a mistress was really sensitive in recent times, making it was very easy for people to unleash their rage online.

    [Muye still tried to defend Ning Xi! I was wrong for believing her! Die, you witch!]

    [Isn¡¯t Ling Zhizhi the manager of Leng Manyun? I really liked Leng Manyun! Why did her manager be like this now? How inappropriate!]

    [No wonder Starlight fired her. Glory World must¡¯ve been blind! I felt sorry for her when she was framed by Ning Xueluo, but she is really despicable!]

    ¡­

    Things were getting out of hand online.

    At the same time, Ling Zhizhi found some key information and she gave Ning Xi a call.

 Chapter 691: Pregnant

    <h4>Chapter 691: Pregnant</h4>

    "I got it. Hu Hongda did not just do that to frame you. He really did cheat and he wanted to protect the real mistress. Coincidentally, he was rumored to be involved in a scandal with you, so he decided to make you the scapegoat and tell Ming Fangfang that you were his mistress," Ling Zhizhi exined.

    "Then, who''s the real mistress?" Ning Xi quickly asked.

    "You know her too. It''s Fang Ya."

    "Fang Ya?" Ning Xi frowned in disbelief. "Not only do I know her¡­we have many grudges against each other too¡­"

    If it had been someone else, she would just ept her bad luck. However, if it was Fang Ya, she had little doubt that this whole issue could be something Ning Xueluo had decided to cook up.

    "In fact, Fang Ya is pregnant," Ling Zhizhi said.

    "My gosh! Is this true? No wonder that asshole Hu Hongda is so protective of her!"

    Still on the phone, Ning Xi scoured online for news of Hu Hongda and Ming Fangfang in the recent period of time. She saw tabloid reports on how Ming Fangfang did not get pregnant since they got married seven years ago. It seemed like she might have an infertility issue.

    If this was true, it was no wonder that Hu Hongda would be so worried about Fang Ya. Or else, a man like him would not even care about someone else''s life or death. Even if it was a woman he had slept with, he would have just kicked them out after being found out and he would not have done so much to help her escape.

    Based on Ming Fangfang''s fierce personality and solid family background, if Fang Ya was found out, he knew that his child would definitely not survive.

    "Hu Hongda is careful, but thankfully, we still found out about this in the end. Wait till I finish writing the statement to be released, then I''ll tell you what to say."

    "Okay."

    ¡­

    At the same time, in the private room of a certain Western restaurant, Ning Xueluo and Fang Ya were having a meal together.

    Ning Xueluo scrolled through all the horrible curses towards Ning Xi online on her phone. Even that previous incident about her falsely ming Ning Xi was brought up and theizens were siding her; she had never felt this smug.

    However, she naturally did not reveal how satisfied she felt. Instead, she looked guilty and unassured. "What we did¡­was it too much?"

    Opposite her, Fang Ya, who was initially a nervous wreck, had rxed too, now that the danger was resolved. She was enjoying her perfectly cooked steak.

    When she heard what Ning Xueluo said, she looked up nonchntly and said, "No way! That woman is a witch. Even if she didn''t hook up with Hu Hongda, she''s definitely hooked up with other people! I''m weeding out the witches for the people here! She deserves this!

    "Besides, this woman keeps troubling you over and over again. Atst, I managed to help you take revenge! Xueluo, don''t go soft now! To be kind to your enemy is to be cruel to yourself!"

    Fang Ya was afraid that Ning Xueluo would change her mind midway.

    Ning Xueluo sighed, "Since it''s already turned out like this, I naturally wouldn''t soften, or else I''d be bringing harm to you instead."

    Fang Ya sighed a breath of relief as she touched her belly happily. "Hmm, I''m not the same as other mistresses. What Hongda and I share is true love. Now, we even have this as proof of our love! I must give birth to this child! He already promised me that if I give birth to a son for him, he will divorce his wife!"

    Ning Xueluoughed in her heart. Fool, you actually believe such lies?

    She was sure that Hu Hongda was only nning to have her give birth to the child, then run home and let Ming Fangfang raise it. Since the baby would have been already born, Ming Fangfang and her family would have topromise. He would then ditch Fang Ya and not allow her to contact the child. Then, he would keep the child and not lose Ming Fangfang''s family background support at the same time. Everything would be perfect for him.

 Chapter 692: A Five-Year-Old Daughter!

    <h4>Chapter 692: A Five-Year-Old Daughter!</h4>

    When she heard Fang Ya''s words, Ning Xueluo intentionally looked worried and sighed dramatically. "Obviously, I hope you''ll be alright too, but¡­"

    Fang Ya did not understand. "Xueluo, why are you sighing? Isn''t everything going smoothly now?"

    Ning Xueluo paused before she reminded her friend, "Xiao Ya, I''m afraid you won''t be able to rxpletely. After all, Ling Zhizhi is not easy to go up against. She is definitely thinking about how to get Ning Xi out of this situation now¡­"

    "What about it? As long as Hongda doesn''t reveal anything!"

    "But what if she found out you¡­"

    Fang Ya was stunned by this possibility. She was so frightened that she almost choked on her steak. "It shouldn''t be that easy to investigate, should it?"

    Ning Xueluo shook her head. "Ling Zhizhi has been in this circle for quite a number of years after all, and poking her nose in such things is her forte, so¡­I daren''t guarantee anything!"

    Fang Ya immediately panicked. "Then¡­then, what do we do? Xueluo, help me think of something!"

    "Well¡­" Ning Xueluo pretended to look troubled.

    Fang Ya was even more anxious now. "Xueluo, please! You must help me! There are now two lives here! After the baby is born, it will want to call you ''godmother''! Quick, save us both!"

    Ning Xueluo seemed to soften, then she said helplessly, "Even if Ling Zhizhi is good, she''s just a small manager. No matter what she might have investigated up till now, you had better quickly call CEO Hu and warn him about Ling Zhizhi! As for what warning would work best to threaten her to stop, CEO Hu should be better at that, so let him settle it!"

    "Xueluo, thank goodness for your brains! If I didn''t have you, I really wouldn''t know what to do! I''ll call him right now!" Fang Ya pulled out her phone gratefully as she called Hu Hongda.

    Ning Xueluo sipped her coffee and smiled sinisterly.

    At Glory World Entertainment.

    Ling Zhizhi wrote a press statement at her top speed, then double checked it before preparing to release it.

    Yet, just as her finger was about to press the "send" button, her phone suddenly rang.

    She looked over and unexpectedly saw that it was Hu Hongda.

    She hesitated but still answered, "Hello, CEO Hu."

    Before this, it had been so hard to call him. Who''d have known that he would make the initiative now?

    I wonder¡­what it was?

    Ling Zhizhi had a bad feeling.

    Indeed, Hu Hongda''s tone from the other end of the phone was unfriendly. "Miss Ling, you already found out, didn''t you?"

    Was he¡­trying to test her?

    Ling Zhizhi was on high alert. "I wonder what you might be referring to."

    Hu Hongdaughed coldly. "Ling Zhizhi, I don''t care if you investigated something you shouldn''t have, but I''ll warn you, you''d better stop caring about it. The most you would have to do is manage another artiste. That won''t be much of a loss to you, so why must you make things hard for yourself?"

    "CEO Hu, are you threatening me?"

    "Haha, as long as you understand. Ling Zhizhi, don''t try to outsmart me. You can investigate but so can I. And guess what I found out?" Hu Hongda intentionally paused before he continued,

    "I thought you had higher morales, Miss Ling, but who''d have guessed that your private life is a mess? You tell the world you''re single, but¡­you actually have a five-year-old daughter! That little brat, she really does look tasty. I wonder whose bastard it is?"

 Chapter 693: I Need Your Help!

    <h4>Chapter 693: I Need Your Help!</h4>

    Ling Zhizhi¡¯s heart sank. "You¡­"

    "Ms. Ling, you had better know your ce. If not, I won''t guarantee your daughter¡¯s safety!" Hu Hongda ended the call after his threat.

    Ling Zhizhi¡¯s face was pale as snow as she stood there, still holding her phone.

    She then quickly called the school. "Hello, Teacher Wang! Is Lingling there?"

    "Lingling¡¯s mother? Yes, she¡¯s here!"

    Ling Zhizhi calmed down and her tone softened. "What is she doing?"

    "She¡¯s ying Jenga with the other kids. I¡¯ll let her talk to you! Lingling,e here¡­"

    Soon, a sweet, soft voice piped through the phone, "Mother!"

    "Hello, my little sweetheart!"

    "Mother, when will youe and see me?"

    "I¡¯m¡­still busy¡­I¡¯ll go and see you once I¡¯m done with work, alright? Be good and listen to Grandfather and Grandmother, and remember, never talk to strangers, alright?"

    Ling Zhizhi still felt uneasy after calling her daughter, so she made another call to her parents to fill them in on the details.

    She then stared at the unsent file on her screen, struggling to make the right decision¡­

    In a bungalow on the outskirts of Imperial.

    Hu Hongda ended the call and held Fang Ya in his arms, looking at ease. "Don''t worry, my dear, it¡¯s settled now. There¡¯ll be no problem! Just be at ease and take care of our child!"

    "That¡¯s great! Well¡­there shouldn¡¯t be any more problem, right?" Unsure if it was just a pregnantdy¡¯s overthinking, Fang Ya still felt uneasy.

    "What problem could there be? She¡¯s just a manager. It¡¯s as easy as killing an ant for me to handle her!"

    "But she¡¯s from Glory World Entertainment. If the higher-ups are involved¡­"

    "There are so many managers and artistes in Glory World Entertainment. Would they really care about some small matter? Even if they knew about this, do you think they would want to offend me just for a mere manager? I¡¯m not afraid even if the owner of Glory World Entertainment, Lu Jingli, came for me!"

    Fang Ya was truly rxed now and she looked at Hu Hongda admiringly. "Mmm, I knew that my husband is the best!"

    ¡­

    On the other hand, Ning Xi kept on waiting for Ling Zhizhi¡¯s message, but it did note after a long while.

    Could something have happened?

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyebrows closed in and she quickly called her. The phone was picked up after some dy.

    "Hello, Sis Zhizhi!"

    "Hey, Ning Xi¡­"

    "Sis Zhizhi, are you okay? You don¡¯t sound alright¡­did something happen?"

    "There are some changes. We have to stop the original n¡­" Ling Zhizhi sounded like she was in pain to tell her about the changes.

    Ning Xi instinctively knew something had happened. "Sis Zhizhi, did they threaten you?"

    There was no reply. Ning Xi knew that she was right. She had been worried from before, but she just did not expect for it to really happen.

    "I¡¯m sorry, Ning Xi¡­"

    "Don¡¯t be silly, Sis Zhizhi. I¡¯m the one who should apologize. You could have given up on me, but you never did! I¡¯ve always brought trouble to you¡­Sis Zhizhi, let me handle this matter! I¡¯ll get it settled!"

    Damn it! They dared to bully her friend! She was not going to hold back now!

    After ending the call with Ling Zhizhi, she quickly made another call. "Hey, Boss!"

    "Hmm?" A deep cello-like voice answered.

    "I need your help."

 Chapter 694: Why Donâ€™t We Meet Up?

    <h4>Chapter 694: Why Don¡¯t We Meet Up?</h4>

    At Lu Corporation, in the meeting room.

    Lu Tingxiao suddenly stopped talking and picked up a phone call.

    "Hmm?"

    Afterwards, their ice-cold boss melted and he even smiled.

    He then spoke gently, "I¡¯m in a meeting right now. You can ask him out. I¡¯ll be there soon."

    Everyone looked at each other in the meeting room in shock.

    Why did something feel odd? The sense¡­of spring¡­

    Lu Jingli was looking dreadful at Lu Tingxiao''s side. Should he reconsider being a monk again? He felt tortured if his brother ever broke up, but even more tortured if they continued their rtionship¡­

    ¡­

    Ning Xi obeyed Lu Tingxiao¡¯s directions and called Hu Hongda.

    Lu Tingxiao was really sweet. He was afraid that Ning Xi might not be able to contact Hu Hongda herself, so he passed her Hu Hongda¡¯s private number.

    "Hello¡­"

    Hu Hongda was making out with Fang Ya when he got the call, so he was annoyed, but the voice on the other end sounded sweet. He asked politely, "Hello, who¡¯s this?"

    "Greetings, CEO Hu. I¡¯m Ning Xi."

    "Ning Xi? Which Ning¡­Ah! Ning Xi! Ah¡­" Hu Hongda eximed, d that he did not end the call earlier.

    Ning Xi was really a beauty! Even prettier than his own wife!

    He was actually quite willing to carry the scandal out when Fang Ya had asked him to frame Ning Xi as his mistress. He was a still a man, after all, and he felt proud to have a sex scandal with such beautiful women; it was all he ever boasted about.

    After knowing about this scandal, many of his friends called him up and joked, teasing him about how he was so lucky to be with such a fine woman. Unfortunately, the society today encouraged this trend. The price of a man cheating was way lesser than a woman¡¯s. Most of the me was taken on by the women.

    Hu Hongda was not from the entertainment industry, so such a matter would not affect him much.

    At worst, hispany shares would fluctuate for a few days but as long as he did not divorce Ming Fangfang, things would settle down soon enough.

    It might even boost his ego and sexual prowess in the future¡­

    Fang Ya could never be on par with them, but she came to him on her own ord. Plus, she was good in bed, so he just took her in.

    When Fang Ya heard it was Ning Xi calling, she was on alert mode. "Hongda, what does she want?"

    Hu Hongda signaled her to keep quiet, then he continued talking to Ning Xi. "What now? Are you trying to ask me to rify like your manager did?"

    "We can¡¯t talk clearly through the phone. Why don¡¯t we meet up?" Ning Xi suggested.

    Hu Hongda felt excited by Ning Xi¡¯s words. This woman¡­what was she trying to achieve by meeting him now? Could it be that she knew that she was unable to get herself out of this mess, so she might as well just sleep with him? Such a beauty¡­he would really love to try her out¡­

    "Sure! Of course," Hu Hongda replied quickly.

    "Alright, we¡¯ll meet at Provence Restaurant an hourter in room number 18. See you there," Ning Xi confirmed the time and venue with him and then ended the call.

 Chapter 695: Your Husband Is Dating The Vixen

    <h4>Chapter 695: Your Husband Is Dating The Vixen</h4>

    Fang Ya was anxious after Hu Hongda ended the call. "That vixen wanted to meet you. What¡¯s she up to? Why did you agree?!"

    "Well, we¡¯re just meeting up. I¡¯ll see what she wants, no big deal! Be good, stay at home and wait for me!" Hu Hongdan then went into his bedroom and started picking out his outfit.

    "Can you please not go? That vixen is surely up to nothing good!"

    "Why should I be afraid of a small little girl?"

    "I don¡¯t mean that you¡¯re afraid of her, but¡­but what if she seduces you? She¡¯s a slut and has a really bad reputation! Who knows what sort of disease she has? Don¡¯t be fooled by her!"

    "Do I look like someone who would be easily fooled? Alright, just rest well at home and stop worrying." Hu Hongda started to sound a little harsh. He was determined to go.

    Fang Ya bit her lip hard. She hid in the backyard and gave Ning Xueluo a call. "Xueluo¡­"

    Ning Xueluo was in the middle of a spa session at a beauty salon, so she was annoyed to hear Fang Ya¡¯s pitiful voice, but she still asked her patiently, "What happened, Xiao Ya?"

    "Xueluo! That witch is really frustrating me! How could someone be this despicable?!" Fang Ya cried agitatedly.

    "Who do you mean? Ning Xi? What did she do?" Ning Xueluo asked carefully, sitting up. Her n was close to sess now. No failure would be epted.

    "She called my Hongda and wanted to meet him! He has already gone out! I couldn¡¯t make him stay at all! What is she trying to do meeting up with him now? Should I follow him? What should I do if Hongda really gets seduced by her?" Fang Ya anxiously asked.

    Ning Xueluo was excited instead of being worried. "No, don¡¯t go! Isn¡¯t it better for her to do so?"

    "How is this good? My man is going to be taken away from me! I¡¯m pregnant now and unable to satisfy him! If he really wanted to¡­"

    "What are you afraid of when you are carrying his child? Aren¡¯t you worried that you don¡¯t have solid proof to prevent Ning Xi from getting back on her feet? Now¡¯s the best chance to get it! You don¡¯t have to go at all. Just send an anonymous message to Ming Fangfang and let her do the work!" advised Ning Xueluo.

    Fang Ya was excited by the n. "Oh, right! How could I not think of this? Xueluo, you¡¯re a genius! She¡¯ll have no excuses now! Ming Fangfang would never let her get away with this¡­"

    After the call ended, she quickly sent Ming Fangfang a text message: [Provence Restaurant, Room number 18. Your husband is dating the Vixen!]

    Ning Xi, you will never ever be deemed innocent again!

    ¡­

    Cheng Feng took his orders and sent hisdy boss to the restaurant, and escorted her all the way into the room, afraid that he might miss out on something.

    "Thank you, Assistant Cheng. You may return to your work now!"

    "But¡­what if Hu Hongda arrives first? I should stay here with you until Boss arrives!" Cheng Feng reminded.

    "It¡¯s going to be alright! It¡¯s more fun if Hu Hongda arrives first. It won''t be as fun anymore if you¡¯re here! Plus, you should worry more about Hu Hongda, shouldn''t you?"

    Assistant Cheng reminded himself of Ning Xi¡¯s heroic deeds and he had no rebuttals¡­

 Chapter 696: Are You Making Me Your Mistress?

    <h4>Chapter 696: Are You Making Me Your Mistress?</h4>

    Someone entered a few minutes after Cheng Feng left.

    Hu Hongda arrived first.

    Ning Xi wore a rose pink turtleneck sweater which matched her fair skin well. Her tiny face looked gorgeous today and she was tasting the hot tea with two hands wrapped around the cup.

    Hu Hongda was mesmerized by the woman opposite him.

    He has seen her picture before, which he thought was usually edited and untrustworthy, but he did not expect that this woman would be even more beautiful in the flesh. She was even more beautiful than his wife in her younger days.

    Strictly speaking, they were beautiful in their own ways. Ming Fangfang had the outlook of a gentle, gorgeous beauty while Ning Xi was pretty with a kick of wildness like a thorny rose. He felt aroused and his desire to dominate as a man heightened.

    "Sorry to make you wait, Miss Ning." Hu Hongda acted like a gentleman, bowing slightly.

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes blinked when she saw the pasty hair wax on Hu Hongda¡¯s hair. "I have just only arrived, please sit, CEO Hu."

    Hu Hongda sat opposite of Ning Xi, not even trying to hide the fact that he was staring at her bodysciviously. "Anything I can help you with, Miss Ning?"

    Ning Xi rubbed the teacup in her hands with her index finger. "CEO Hu¡­you should know what I want, don''t you? Your Weibo posts really put me on the spot; everyone is chasing after me now and I don¡¯t even dare to step out of my house¡­"

    "Oh, really?" Hu Hongda looked at Ning Xi as his prey.

    "I¡¯ll be straightforward with you. What do you want in exchange for rifying the truth?"

    Hu Hongda thought that Ning Xi was just ying hard to get, so he went along with her. "Miss Ning, why would I need to rify?"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

    Hu Hongda reached out his hands for hers and told her openly, "Why don''t you just be with me from now on? You would never need to worry about money anymore. Isn¡¯t it better than putting in so much effort in acting?"

    Ning Xi backed away and avoided his hand, "CEO Hu, are you trying to make me your mistress?"

    Hu Hongda sat up straight with his tummy bulging as he spoke in a generous tone, "Miss Ning, you can name me a price."

    Ning Xi held her chin, pretending to consider his offer. "CEO Hu, aren¡¯t you afraid that I might record this?"

    Hu Hongda acted as if he saw through everything already. Heughed at her. "Little girl, are you ying tricks on me? Do you know why your manager suddenly gave up helping you? Do you want to try? I know that you¡¯re a smart person, and you won¡¯t act foolishly like your manager."

    After seeing Ning Xi for himself, Hu Hongda decided that this woman would be his even if she declined.

    "CEO Hu, are you trying to coerce me?"

    This Hu Hongda was a jerk¡­

    Heughed openly. "Yes, I am. What can you do about it? I¡¯m capable of it!"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows and looked at the time on her phone silently.

    Hu Hongda tried tofort her after his harsh words, "Little girl, what¡¯s wrong with being with me? Aren¡¯t the girls in your industry all trying to find someone rich in the end? How many men in Imperial are richer than I am?"

 Chapter 697: Im Not Interested In Your Husband!

    <h4>Chapter 697: I''m Not Interested In Your Husband!</h4>

    While the two spoke, the door behind them was suddenly flung open.

    "Hu Hongda, you liar! You cowardly bastard! How dare you meet up with this vixen behind my back?!" A woman rushed in hysterically.

    Ning Xi thought that Lu Tingxiao had arrived, but it was Ming Fangfang instead¡­

    Hu Hongda instantly panicked at the sight of Ming Fangfang. "W-wife¡­why are you here?"

    Ming Fangfang flew into a rage. "Someone sent me a message to tell me that you were meeting up with this witch! I didn''t believe at first! Who knew¡­good on you! You just promised me and now you are meeting her again!"

    "What? Someone sent you a message?" Hu Hongda''s expression darkened.

    Only one person knew about his meet up with Ning Xi, so the only person who could have sent Ming Fangfang the message was¡­Fang Ya!

    That damn witch! She had said that she would not ruin his family and that she did not want anything. In the end, she yed this little trick behind his back!

    Women are so troublesome!

    Hu Hongda looked angry but he could only suppress his feelings and coax, "My wife, this time I''m really wrong. You''re so good to me. Why would I mess around with such a woman again? This time, she clung onto me shamelessly and said that if I don''te looking for her, she would look for you instead. How could I let her go harass you?! That was how I was forced toe over! That message must have been sent by this woman. Her aim is to pull us apart. My wife, please don''t fall into her trap."

    Opposite him, Ning Xi held onto her teacup and was utterly confused as her mouth twitched.

    What was that saying again? One would much rather believe that there were ghosts in this world than believe men and their mouths¡­

    She had finally seen it for herself today.

    Hu Hongda was capable of lying without even blinking. Yet, people still believed him.

    When Ming Fangfang heard Hu Hongda''s exnation, her expression softened significantly. She instantly redirected her anger towards Ning Xi instead. "Witch! First, you instructed your manager to get involved. Now, you actually dare to mess with me yourself! Are you shameless? Why are you still clinging onto Hongda till now?! Is it very thrilling to steal someone else''s husband?"

    Ning Xi put her teacup down lightly and looked up to say slowly, "Excuse me, I''m really not interested in your man right here."

    Ming Fangfang''s expression immediately changed and even Hu Hongda did not look too happy.

    Ming Fangfangughed coldly on the spot. "Ha, what a joke! Such words! Aren''t you interested in my husband? Then, who else do you want to hook up with?"

    Just as she said that, the door opened once again and someone walked in.

    It was a man d in a gunmetal grey tuxedo with a jet ck coat on him. It seemed like it was snowing outside. The man''s hair and shoulder had snowkes on them. His poker face seemed to be even icier than the snowkes, making one shudder involuntarily.

    When he saw who it was, Hu Hongda almost choked on his saliva. "CEO¡­Lu?!"

    Hu Hongda thought he had seen a hallucination. The person who just came in was unexpectedly the Lu Group''s Lu Tingxiao who he had been wanting to meet for months unfruitfully¡­

    How¡­how could this be?!

    As unbelievable as it was, he would never recognize Lu Tingxiao''s face wrongly.

    Even Ming Fangfang was stunned. During her one year tenure with Glory World Entertainment, she had quite a crush on this legendary man. She had seen him at the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Glory World once. Little did she expect that many yearster she would see the man in the flesh, and at such a close distance¡­

 Chapter 698: Lu Tingxiaos Woman

    <h4>Chapter 698: Lu Tingxiao''s Woman</h4>

    God seemed to have spent extra time perfecting this man. Not only did time not leave any marks on his face, it had actually made him even more charming instead. Years only added to his charisma.

    Ming Fangfang suppressed her emotions and tried to make conversation with him. "CEO Lu, why are you here? This is Room 18. Are you in the wrong ce?"

    No matter what the reason was, this was an opportunity not to be missed!

    Hu Hongda instantly forgot about everything and quickly smiled to greet him. "It really is CEO Lu. Who knew I would meet you here? Before this, I have been wanting to discuss developing thatnd in the east¡­"

    Midway through his introduction, Lu Tingxiao seemed to not have seen him and he walked over to the direction behind him instead.

    Hu Hongda and Ming Fangfang were stunned. "You are¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao walked right up to Ning Xi. When he saw that she wore a thin red sweater, he frowned. His cool face looked unhappy and his wide palms covered the back of her hand. "Why are you wearing so little?"

    Ning Xi excitedly touched the snowkes that had not melted on Lu Tingxiao''s hair and responded, "Oh, is it snowing outside? It hadn''t yet when I first arrived!"

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao nodded, his expression softening when he felt the warmth from the little hand beneath his palm.

    At that moment, Hu Hongda and Ming Fangfang looked at each other,pletely dumbfounded. What¡­what was going on?

    Lu Tingxiao¡­and this D-list female celebrity¡­

    These twopletely unrted people¡­how did they get tied up in a rtionship? In fact, it seemed like this was no ordinary rtionship!

    Suddenly, Hu Hongda felt afraid while Ming Fangfang was full of suspicion, seemingly noticing that something was not right.

    Not waiting for the two to recover from their shock, Ning Xi suddenly thought of something and held onto Lu Tingxiao''s arm. She then turned to Hu Hongda and said, "Right, my dear, I forgot to introduce to you to Hongda Estate''s CEO Hu. This mister is the one who''s having me as a mistress!"

    Hu Hongda was horrified while Ming Fangfang was speechless.

    Lu Tingxiao was as frigid as an ice sculpture at that moment, his every word digging into Hu Hongda''s skin. "My girlfriend is your mistress?"

    The moment these words came out, Hu Hongda almost fell to the floor on his knees!

    Lu¡­Lu Tingxiao''s girlfriend???

    This woman was actually Lu Tingxiao''s girlfriend?

    He¡­he must be crazy to have Lu Tingxiao''s woman as his mistress!!! More importantly, did Lu Tingxiao''s girlfriend still need to be another man''s mistress? People would think he was crazy if he told them!

    Ming Fangfang finally realized what was wrong here. She would never have thought that Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao would have a rtionship!

    No wonder¡­no wonder Ning Xi had said earlier that she would not be interested in Hongda¡­

    If that was the case, there was no way Ning Xi was Hongda''s mistress. Then, why would Hongda lie?

    At that moment, Hu Hongda finally realized who he had offended and did not even care if Ming Fangfang was still there. He turned pale instantly and quickly exined, "This¡­is a misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding!"

    Ning Xi then said, "How could it be? You''ve already admitted it on Weibo and you even tagged me!"

    "That¡­that was a mistake! I tagged the wrong person! Miss Ning, quickly exin to CEO Lu, I didn''t¡­how could I have had you as my mistress?!"

    Ning Xi blinked. "Exin what? You did!"

 Chapter 699: Now Youâ€™ll See What Real Bullying Is

    <h4>Chapter 699: Now You¡¯ll See What Real Bullying Is</h4>

    Hu Hongda was unable to say anything. Now he truly understood how it felt like to smash a huge rock on his own feet.

    He was filled with regrets. Why was he so unlucky? He had just wanted to frame a woman and this woman he framed turned out to be Lu Tingxiao¡¯s girlfriend. Had he not always been single? There were even rumors that he liked men! Why did he suddenly have a girlfriend? This really ruined his n!

    No matter how powerful he was in Imperial, he was nothingpared to Lu Tingxiao. Absolutely nothing.

    Hu Hongda could only surrender in defeat and he spoke in a low voice, "Miss Ning, it¡¯s all my fault, I didn¡¯t know that you were CEO Lu¡¯s girlfriend. I¡¯ve offended you gravely. I¡¯ll now delete the Weibo post and I will rify everything. I could say that I just tagged you wrongly. Then, everyone will be happy. What do you think?"

    Everyone will be happy¡­?

    He was too naive! Not only did he want to protect himself, he was still trying to hide the identity of his real mistress up till now.

    Ning Xiughed bitterly and looked at Ming Fangfang. "Tagged the wrong person? Could you really have wrongly tagged your mistress and even my manager? Do you think anyone would believe you, CEO Hu?"

    Hu Hongda arrogantly answered, "No one will question my credibility! Don''t you worry!"

    Ning Xi was not patient enough to entertain him any further and sternly said, "Announce who your real mistress is and admit that you framed me on purpose, then I¡¯ll forget about this matter."

    "Miss Ning, don¡¯t try to challenge my limits!" Hu Hongda¡¯s expression changed as he darted a nce at Ming Fangfang in horror.

    If he were to announce it, he would never be able to keep Fang Ya¡¯s child!

    Damn it, was she not just Lu Tingxiao¡¯s girlfriend? In fact, she might not even be his girlfriend for long! She was just an actress! Who did she think she was?

    While Hu Hongda was not as powerful as the Lu family, he was still someone important in the Imperial!

    Hu Hongda felt cocky as he stroked his own ego, so he ignored Ning Xi and turned to Lu Tingxiao to haughtily scoff, "Women know nothing about business. Let¡¯s talk, CEO Lu, what do you think of my n? It¡¯s beneficial to the both of us!"

    He made an intentional pause and looked at Ning Xi with a warning re. "If you¡¯re really trying to force me, heh¡­"

    He had worked his way up to where he was today; even Lu Tingxiao had to respect that. Looking at Hu Hongda¡¯s evil grin, Lu Tingxiao kept quiet.

    Ming Fangfang broke the silence angrily, "Hu Hongda! You bastard! You dare to lie to me! You lied again! Who¡¯s that witch? Why are you trying to hide her!"

    "Dear¡­please calm down! We¡¯ll talk about this back home, alright? Not with outsiders around!" Hu Hongda was actually nning to frame another woman since Ning Xi was not a viable option now. He could never reveal Fang Ya as his mistress.

    As Hu Hongda was cooking up his n, his phone rang. It was hispany¡¯s vice president calling him. He answered impatiently, "What is it? Tell me only after I get back¡­what? Thepany shares are dropping drastically? How is this possible?!"

 Chapter 700: Causing Bankruptcy Without A Word

    <h4>Chapter 700: Causing Bankruptcy Without A Word</h4>

    Hu Hongda looked at the calm man with an aghast expression as the room turned cold with a looming sense of peril.

    It was¡­Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Damn it! This man!

    It was rumored that his wealth and connection was enormous and powerful, but Hu Hongda did not expect him to be able to put apany¡¯s fate hanging so precariously in a few minutes¡­

    Ning Xi was a little surprised when she heard Hu Hongda¡¯s conversation on the phone as well. When had Lu Tingxiao taken action? Even if he started taking actionst night when he knew about this scandal, whatever he did was incredibly fast!

    He was making Hu Hongda go bankrupt without even saying a word¡­

    The devil had given her a valuable lesson in life. Now, she knew what real bullying with power was like!

    Hu Hongda was listening to his vice president¡¯s report over the phone, his jaw hanging ck. Not only were the shares dropping, most clients had retracted their orders as well. In just one night, hispany was on the verge of crumbling and he would only be left on the path to bankruptcy if nothing was done!

    He might still be able to struggle against a regr joe, but he could not do anything against the real powerful stakeholders.

    Hu Hongda did not have time to think anymore. Each second that passed was a big loss for hispany.

    "I¡­I get it! I¡¯ll follow what Miss Ning says! CEO Lu, please don¡¯t do this anymore!"

    Hu Hongda¡¯s arrogance dissolved into thin air as he quickly posted on Weibo: [My real mistress is @Fang Ya and not @Ning Xi! I was trying to protect my mistress and framed Ning Xi. I hereby apologize to Ms. Ning and her manager, Ling Zhizhi!]

    "Is¡­is this okay?" Hu Hongda asked Ning Xi feebly.

    Ning Xi felt that it was sufficient. She would ask Sis Zhizhi to release the evidence of his cheating with Fang Ya, then the case would be rified thoroughly.

    As she was about to nod, Lu Tingxiao suddenly spoke up gruffly, "Organize a press conference and rify the entire matter in public."

    How ruthless! He probably felt that just posting on Weibo was too easy a task, so he wanted him to be embarrassed in public¡­

    She realized that Lu Tingxiao was being careful as well. A simple Weibo post might not be enough for people to believe him. Having the reporters to ask Hu Hongda in person would be more convincing.

    "No problem, no problem! I¡¯ll do it the moment I get back!" Hu Hongda dared notin anymore, only following whatever Lu Tingxiao said.

    He cursed Fang Ya countless times inside his heart. That idiot woman! She made him frame Lu Tingxiao¡¯s woman and in doing so, she was trying to kill him! Almost everything was ruined!

    Ming Fangfang looked at them cluelessly. "Fang Ya?"

    She remembered Fang Ya imperceptibly as a poorly performing actress with average looks¡­

    She had lost to someone like her? And her husband had hidden Fang Ya from her the whole time and lied to her?

    Hu Hongda realized something worse wasing for him. As hispany was in ruins now, if Ming Fangfang filed a divorce with him¡­

 Chapter 701: Boss Is The Best!

    <h4>Chapter 701: Boss Is The Best!</h4>

    Hu Hongda panicked at the thought of losing everything and he quickly tried to cover up. "Dear¡­dear, can you please forgive me again? I promise I¡¯ll never lie to you again!"

    It was only at this moment he started to remind himself of what Ming Fangfang had done for him all along. Aside from not bearing a child for him, she was beautiful and generous, she neverined about being by his side, she took care of his daily lifestyle habits, and most importantly, she was extremely helpful in his business¡­

    No! He could not afford to divorce Ming Fangfang now!

    "Dear, this is thest time, I swear!"

    Ming Fangfang did not trust him blindly this time. She stared at him coldly and said, "Huh, not lying anymore? Okay, then tell me, why are you trying to protect that woman?"

    Ming Fangfang was forcing an answer out of him.

    "I¡­" Hu Hongda panicked even more, sweat trickling down his face. "I was just seduced by that woman and was unable to think rationally in the thick of the moment!"

    Ming Fangfang lost her final spark of hope she had in this man. "Lies¡­all you did was lie to me! That woman is pregnant! She¡¯s pregnant, am I right?!" Ming Fangfang yelled uncontrobly at him.

    Aside from this reason, she could not think of anything else that would make this man, who prioritized profit, to protect that woman.

    "I¡­" Hu Hongda knew he could not hide it anymore and he picked the path of defense instead. "Fangfang, I¡¯m a man! How can any man stand not having descendants? You can¡¯t get pregnant and my parents have been nagging me about it everyday¡­"

    "So, that¡¯s why you cheated? That¡¯s why you betrayed me? That¡¯s why you fooled me with that witch? Hu Hongda! Don¡¯t you know how I treated you all these years? Just because I can''t bear your child? How dare you?!"

    "I¡­"

    "If you wanted a child this badly, why didn¡¯t you just divorce me and find someone who could bear your child? If you were to tell me straight away, I would have agreed instantly. Why did you say that you loved me and didn¡¯t care about having a child?!"

    "Dear, I¡­listen to me¡­"

    "You¡¯re just afraid that losing me will cost you your protection from the Ming family! Is that why you acted like you love me? Have you been such a jerk all along?!" Ming Fangfang lost control of her emotions and swept everything off the table.

    Lu Tingxiao shielded Ning Xi so that she would not get cut by the shattered ss pieces that crashed to the floor.

    Ming Fangfang felt an indescribable anguish when she saw Lu Tingxiao¡¯s protective gesture¡­

    Seeing the both of them leaving, Ming Fangfang took a deep breath and bowed her head. "Ning Xi, I¡¯m sorry, I misunderstood you."

    Ning Xi looked back and saw the proud Ming Fangfang with her crushed, lonely soul¡­

    Outside of the restaurant.

    Ning Xi felt bad for Ming Fangfang, so she spouted, "All men are evil!"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    She suddenly remembered the devil was still beside her and she quickly turned to him. "Except Boss! Boss is the best!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked into Ning Xi¡¯s eyes as he held her in his arms. "I won¡¯t do that."

    "Hmm?"

    "I won¡¯t force you to bear a child."

    "Of course you won¡¯t, you already have a son¡­"

    "I won¡¯t betray you either."

    Ning Xi looked up at his face and murmured, "I believe you."

 Chapter 702: Parental Activity

    <h4>Chapter 702: Parental Activity</h4>

    Ning Xi wore Lu Tingxiao¡¯s windbreaker and wrapped herself in it tightly. As she was about to ask Lu Tingxiao if he was going to go back to his office, she felt a vibrationing from the jacket.

    "Lu Tingxiao, your phone is ringing."

    Lu Tingxiao took his phone out from the pocket of the jacket, frowning at what he saw.

    "What happened? Who¡¯s calling?" Ning Xi asked.

    Who was it that could make Lu Tingxiao pull an "I-can¡¯t-handle-this" face? How rare¡­

    "It¡¯s Little Treasure¡¯s teacher," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    "Isn¡¯t it school hours? Why would the teacher call now?" Ning Xi questioned.

    Lu Tingxiao gave it some thought, then he handed his phone to Ning Xi. "You should take it."

    Obviously, Lu Tingxiao had no idea how to deal with a foreign creature like his son¡¯s teacher,

    "Me?" Ning Xi scratched her head. "Okay¡­I guess it¡¯s better that I pick it up anyway¡­"

    She could not imagine the conversation between Lu Tingxiao and Little Treasure¡¯s teacher. The teacher might speak a lot and he might just reply with a grunt.

    It would be even more possible that the teacher got frightened by Lu Tingxiao¡¯s voice¡­

    Ning Xi did not decline and put the call on the speaker for Lu Tingxiao to listen.

    "Hello, is this Lu Qingyu¡¯s father?" a female teacher¡¯s voice said.

    "Hello, Teacher Wang, I¡¯m Lu Qingyu¡¯s mother." To make things easier, Ning Xi did not give it much thought and just said it as it was.

    She did not realize¡­how intensely Lu Tingxiao was feeling at that moment.

    "Did something happen to my kid in school?" Ning Xi asked nervously.

    "That¡¯s not it, Madam Lu, I¡¯m just calling to confirm if you and Mr. Lu really do not have time this afternoon. It¡¯d be great even if just one of you can attend! It¡¯d be so pitiful if both of you can¡¯te!" The teacher sounded disapproving.

    For Little Treasure to experience school life like any normal children, no one in the school except the principal knew about Little Treasure¡¯s real identity. Even the teachers were not informed of who he was.

    The teachers only knew that this kid was from a well-off family and preferred to be quiet. His parents were busy and did not seem to have a good rtionship because ever since the first day of school, they were not seen at school together again.

    Ning Xi asked in confusion, "This afternoon? Is there something going on in school?"

    "Don¡¯t you know about it?" The teacher sounded surprised.

    Ning Xi stared at Lu Tingxiao and he shook his head, signaling that he was unaware as well.

    Ning Xi replied, "Both of us are unaware of this. Little Treasure never mentioned it to us."

    "He didn¡¯t? How could this be? I even confirmed with him a few times¡­"

    The teacher started to exin, "Here¡¯s the thing. There will be a parental activity today. We¡¯re organizing a masquerade party. I¡¯ve told the children a few days ago to inform their parents, and I even gave them a letter for their parents. A few reminders were given out too. From the name list yesterday, only Lu Qingyu¡¯s parents will be absent. All the other children have at least one parent attending."

 Chapter 703: Of Course, You Can

    <h4>Chapter 703: Of Course, You Can</h4>

    Ning Xi frowned. "Our child really didn''t mention about this to us."

    The teacher sighed, "Then, it''s probably because the child didn''t want to trouble you both and intentionally did not inform you¡­I wanted to call the both of you yesterday to ask, but that child is really too mature. He even took the initiative to tell me not to call, in fear of disturbing the both of you¡­

    "Sigh, as busy as one can be, one can still spare some time from an afternoon, can''t you? I pondered for quite a while and decided to still make this call, hoping the both of you could consider it. This is, after all, Lu Qingyu''s first parental activity since attending our school!"

    Ning Xi''s eyes were tearing up listening to what the teacher said.

    Yet, after Lu Tingxiao heard the teacher''s words and expression of feelings, he feltpletely different from Ning Xi¡­

    It was true that Ning Xi was very busy recently, but he remembered that he had not been too busy these past few days.

    Why didn''t Little Treasure tell him?

    Perhaps the little guy thought that if Aunty Xiao Xi could not make it, his biological father didn''t have toe to since there wouldn''t be any difference¡­

    "Teacher, I understand, it''s our fault. We have been too distant from our child in terms of interaction. I''ll go over this afternoon. As for my husband, I''ll ask him in a bit, and we will try to go over together," said Ning Xi.

    "That would be great. We actually requested the parents to prepare and make their own outfits and props, but since it is toost minute for the both of you, our school has ready-made ones you can use," reminded the teacher.

    "Okay, thank you, Teacher Wang!"

    On the side, Lu Tingxiao quietly listened to Ning Xi mention "Lu Qingyu''s mother" and "my husband". He felt like deciding to let Ning Xi pick up this call was an urate one.

    After she finished the call with the teacher, Ning Xi quickly asked him, "Lu Tingxiao, are you free this afternoon?"

    "I have a department meeting, but I can let Lu Jingli chair it on my behalf." The wife had already spoken. How could he not make time?

    "That''s great then! The both of us will go together!" Ning Xi suddenly hesitated. "Wait¡­can I go?"

    Because she was too worried about Little Treasure earlier, she had just taken on the identity of Little Treasure''s mother. Now that she had calmed down, she could not help but feel that it was not appropriate. After all, she was only dating Lu Tingxiao now.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her lovingly and said, "Of course, you can."

    Ning Xi seemed to be scorched by his gaze and she coughed slightly. "Right, before I go to school I need to get some things from the apartment. If it was any other function, I wouldn''t be confident, but this is a masquerade ball, which ispletely my forte! I have many outfits and props at home, and they''re all ready-made!"

    ¡­

    At Regal Riveria Hotel.

    Ning Xi was turning her house upside down. She had many items for dressing up, but it was not too easy to find something that could fit a family of three.

    The three of them could dress up as different characters, but that would not be special. She wanted to take on a more unique theme.

    While Ning Xi was looking for the props and outfits, Lu Tingxiao called Lu Jingli.

    The moment the phone got through, Lu Jingli anxiously answered, "Hello, Bro, it''s ten minutes to the meeting. You''re not nning to miss it, are you?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "Yes, I''ll let you chair the meeting."

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

 Chapter 704: Boss, Carry Me!

    <h4>Chapter 704: Boss, Carry Me!</h4>

    "Okay, okay¡­I knew it¡­have you settled your matters?" Lu Jingli asked with a certain tone.

    When he saw Hongda Estate''s shares drop drastically, he already knew that his brother had personally gone to save the wife. Was there anything that could he not solve?

    "Mmm."

    "Hmm, is Xiao Xi Xi especially touched? The both of you are in the honeymoon phase of your rtionship. Are you definitely going off to spend some quality time with each other?" Lu Jingli teased.

    Lu Tingxiao shortly replied, "No."

    "Eh? No? No quality time with each other? Then, why aren''t youing back for the meeting?" Lu Jingli was very shocked to hear the answer. He was not used to his brother not publicly disying his affection for Ning Xi.

    In the next moment, he heard his brother say, "Little Treasure''s school has a parent-child activity."

    Lu Jingli was shocked. What!?

    Damn it, this trio''s quality time is much more lovey-dovey than just the two of them!

    This was only the second day of them dating but they were already going to participate in a parent-child activity.

    Indeed, this was still his biological brother¡­

    "Ah! Found it! This one will definitely be awesome!" The house rang with Ning Xi''s overjoyed voice.

    Lu Tingxiao hung up and looked up to see Ning Xi carrying a red cloth in her hands with another two grey furry items on top of it¡­

    "What are you preparing?"

    "I''m keeping it a secret first. You''ll know then, hehe¡­" Ning Xi chuckled mysteriously, then said a little uncertainly, "I''m just slightly worried that you won''t be willing to wear itter¡­"

    "I will."

    "Really? You said so! No matter what I prepare, you''ll be willing to wear it?"

    "Mmm."

    "Okay! Big Boss, even you''re giving it your all! Let''s fight for the first ce! Earlier, Teacher Wang sent me the activity details. The first ce will get a super huge prize! How exciting!"

    ¡­

    At the school.

    When Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao rushed to the school, they noticed that the other children''s parents had all arrived. There were people dressed up as various characters: some lions, tigers, dinosaurs, princesses, Cindere, Spiderman, and Ice Queen¡­

    Ning Xi stood in the colorful crowd to look but she could not find Little Treasure¡­

    Ning Xi tiptoed, hoping to see better. "Eh, where''s our Little Treasure? Lu Tingxiao, do you see him?"

    Lu Tingxiao used his privilege of height and skimmed the crowd, then said, "Little Treasure isn''t here."

    "Eh? He''s not? Where did he go then?"

    Teacher Wang, who was not far away, rushed over when she saw the two of them standing at the gate. "Mister Lu, Madam Lu, you''vee!"

    Even though he had only seen them once on the child''s first day at school, they were just too eye-catching, thus she recognized them right away.

    "Teacher Wang, sorry we''rete. Where''s Lu Qingyu?" Ning Xi asked worriedly.

    "He''s reading in the ssroom! I haven''t told him that you woulde. He''ll definitely be very happy when he sees you!" Teacher Wang smiled broadly.

    "Thank you, Teacher Wang, we''ll go over now!"

    ¡­

    When they left the event venue, Ning Xi impatiently hurried faster and faster.

    Lu Tingxiao reminded her helplessly, "Slow down, you still have an injury on your leg."

    "But I can''t wait anymore!" Of course, she would not listen to his advice. When she thought about baby Little Treasure sitting alone in the ssroom, she wished she could put on a pair of wings and fly over.

    But she knew the limits of her own leg. If she walked faster, her wound would definitely not be able to handle it¡­

    A bright idea hit her. She turned around, opening up her arms towards Lu Tingxiao and said, "Boss, carry me!"

 Chapter 705: Iâ€™m Avenging My Son!

    <h4>Chapter 705: I¡¯m Avenging My Son!</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao was dumbfounded by the sudden happiness that surged through him.

    Ning Xi did not care about being shy and urged him, "Quickly! Little Treasure is waiting for us!"

    Lu Tingxiao picked her up gently.

    It was the right decision. Although Lu Tingxiao was not all that fast, his legs were long, so he walked much faster than her.

    There were not many people around, which exined her bold behavior.

    Ning Xi looked around, then she spotted the ssroom entrance¡­

    They saw a little boy and a teacher standing in front of the entrance, seeming like they were arguing.

    The teacher was in her twenties and she was scolding the little boy, "Sun Zhuangzhuang! How could you lock the door?! Lu Qingyu is still inside!"

    "Teacher! Lu Qingyu didn¡¯t change into a costume!" The boy¡¯s face was chubby, his cheeks were puffy and almost covered his slitted eyes. He wore a ck bear outfit, probably cosying a bear from a recent popr cartoon animation.

    "I know. Because his parents aren¡¯t here yet!" the teacher patiently exined.

    "He did not put on his costume, so he cannot y with us! I¡¯m going to lock him up!" the little boy yelled.

    "You can¡¯t just lock him up because of a reason like that! Good children can¡¯t be mean to others!"

    As the teacher was trying to convince the little boy, he stomped his foot on hers and screeched, "You witch! You dare to defy me?! I¡¯m going to ask my dad to punish you!"

    The boy was still a child, but his body was stout and he was much stronger than other kids, so his stomp must have caused some damage.

    The teacher felt a sharp pain in her foot and cried out, "Sun Zhuangzhuang, how can you kick people?"

    A big-sized man quickly came over. "My son, why are you here?! I¡¯ve been looking for you!"

    As he saw his father, he spoke in his loud voice, "Father! The teacher hit me! She hit me!"

    "What? Who dare to hit you?! I¡¯m going to kill them!" The man looked buff and his eyes were ferocious.

    The young teacher was terrified but she exined carefully, "Mr. Sun, I didn¡¯t. How could I hit children? Your son insisted on locking another student in the ssroom. I tried to convince him not to but he¡¯s not listening, and he even kicked me¡­"

    Instead of scolding or punishing his child, the fatherughed. "Good! Good kick! You¡¯re the star of our Sun family! Only we can bully others, no one can bully us!"

    The female teacher looked pale and kept quiet even though she was angry. She tried to suppress her urge to cry¡­

    "What the heck?! A man bullying a weakdy and acting all high and mighty?" Ning Xi almost wanted to attack the man with her fists.

    Most importantly, the bear kid was trying to lock Little Treasure in the ssroom!

    But she was still held by Lu Tingxiao, so her whims failed¡­

    "Lu Tingxiao, don¡¯t stop me! I¡¯m avenging my son!"

 Chapter 706: My Son Is Handsome!

    <h4>Chapter 706: My Son Is Handsome!</h4>

    "Don¡¯t act rashly."

    "I¡¯m not! Lu Tingxiao, I¡¯m going to make him beg for forgiveness even with just one foot of mine!"

    Lu Tingxiao sighed helplessly. He had to be careful with her even if it was just a parent-child activity in school. If he did not hold her back, she would act like a wild horse without restraint¡­

    The child and his father went away, leaving the teacher weeping.

    "Teacher, are you alright?" Ning Xi went up to her and gave her a tissue, her eyes shing with anger.

    "Ah! You guys¡­are Lu Qingyu¡¯s parents, aren''t you? He¡¯s been waiting! I¡¯m alright. Did you guys see everything just now?"

    The teacher was afraid that the parents would have a bad impression on the school, so she quickly exined, "Please don¡¯t mind it, this parent is just a special case. Most of the parents from our school are well mannered!"

    This teacher had been protecting Little Treasure, so Ning Xi did not me her. "It¡¯s alright. We understand that there¡¯s always someone like them around."

    But the incident just now worried Ning Xi a little. Was Little Treasure being bullied in school?

    ording to his personality, he would not say anything even if he was bullied¡­

    The teacher could take a stab at Ning Xi¡¯s worries as well. She quickly told her, "Lu Qingyu is adapting well to the school. Although he doesn¡¯t talk much, many children like him and he¡¯s especially popr with the girls!"

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes shone. Little Treasure was popr with the girls?

    That was a surprise!

    But, well, it was her handsome son after all! It was normal for him to be popr!

    "This Sun Zhuangzhuang is a famous troublemaker. His parents don''t care either and us teachers are troubled when facing him¡­but we¡¯ve been observing him closely, please rest assured¡­"

    The party was going to start soon, so after a short chat with the both of them, the teacher left to finish the preparations.

    By the first column near the middle and right beside the window, there was a small shadow sitting by himself.

    The snowkes outside matched his ice-cold face, just like his father¡¯s.

    He was holding a big book and was totally immersed in his own world. What happened outside just now was unable to upset his small, pure world.

    "Little Treasure¡­"

    With a gentle call, his invisible barrier was broken and his eyes slowly came back to reality¡­

    Little Treasure was surprised. He sat up straight and lifted his head up from the book, looking at the direction of the voice.

    Aunty Xiao Xi!

    Obviously, he totally ignored his father.

    The little guy blinked and did not move for a few seconds. After he was sure that he was not hallucinating, he left his book on the table and ran¡­

    "Little Treasure¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­" Ning Xi¡¯s heart was at ease as Little Treasure ran into her arms.

 Chapter 707: My Wife Is The Best

    <h4>Chapter 707: My Wife Is The Best</h4>

    "Little Treasure, I know that you kept this matter hidden from us because you didn¡¯t want to trouble us, but no next time, alright?"

    Little Treasure nodded obediently.

    "Okay, it¡¯s almost time now, let¡¯s get changed!"

    Ning Xi was still a little worried about Sun Zhuangzhuang. She wanted to ask Little Treasure if he was bullied in school, but the party was already starting, so she suppressed her urge to ask for now.

    However, it was still bothering her, so she had to think of something¡­a once-and-for-all n so that Little Treasure would never be bullied in school¡­

    ¡­

    After they were done changing and they entered the hall, Ning Xi suddenly remembered something. She looked at the little bun and spoke to him, "Little Treasure, I¡¯ve forgotten to tell you something¡­"

    Little Bun blinked with suspicion.

    Ning Xi coughed and then looked at Lu Tingxiao. "Um, well¡­let me think how to phrase this¡­"

    As she was thinking how to break the news to him, Lu Tingxiao interrupted, "Aunty Xiao Xi is now my girlfriend."

    Little Treasure tilted his head and looked confused.

    He was not familiar with the term "girlfriend". All he knew was that if Aunty Xiao Xi became his father¡¯s wife, then she would be his mother.

    Lu Tingxiao exined, "''Girlfriend'' means that Aunty Xiao Xi is like half of your mother."

    Ning Xi was speechless by his exnation. Was it even appropriate?

    Nevertheless, the exnation was effective for Little Treasure''s understanding. His face brightened up and he nced at Ning Xi, seeking for confirmation.

    Father could not be trusted!

    Ning Xi did not want to disappoint the little bun. "Your father is¡­sort of right. That''s what it kind of means! For your sake, when appearing in school, I¡¯ll be your¡­one whole mother!"

    "One whole mother"¡­she was confused by her own phrase.

    But the little bun was smart. He understood and nodded.

    "Alright, then let¡¯s have fun!" Ning Xi held their hands, holding two fluffy paws and nked by either of them.

    The moment they stepped into the hall, everyone went quiet. All of them were looking at the entrance.

    Ning Xi wore a cute puffy skirt with a big red hood over her head. She also had a small basket on her arm, obviously taking on the role of Little Red Riding Hood from the ssic fairytale story.

    As for the buns beside her, both of them wore fluffy grey suits with bushy tails and sharp ears attached to the suit. Even their eyebrows were colored grey with eyebrow pencil¡­

    The tiny wolf was cute while therge wolf was handsome and the Little Red Riding Hood looked beautiful. The three of them instantly became the center of attention.

    The parents were all not professionals, so make-up for them was just simply drawing some lines on their faces. Some of them even wore fake outfits made of paper.

    Ning Xi was the real professional. She was strict with her props and costume; even all the fur on the wolf suit looked real.

    Ning Xi grinned as she saw everyone¡¯s gaze on them. She whispered to Lu Tingxiao, "Did I overdo it? I feel like some advanced yer bullying newbies¡­"

    "My wife is the best."

    Ning Xi coughed, this guy was getting into his role real quick! Wouldn''t being Little Treasure''s one whole mother mean she was his wife?

 Chapter 708: Just Too Cute!

    <h4>Chapter 708: Just Too Cute!</h4>

    "You¡¯re really great as well! How cooperative! I didn¡¯t expect you¡¯d really wear it¡­" Ning Xi tried not tough at him as she pinched his wolf ears. "You¡¯re really cute!

    His boss aura was all diminished¡­

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her helplessly. "Do you think I¡¯d let anyone see me in this?"

    "Alright, alright! I know it¡¯s a big sacrifice for you¡­"

    As she was talking to Lu Tingxiao, she realized that Little Treasure was pulling her skirt. He was staring at her with a little disappointment in his eyes.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Ning Xi asked.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at his son and reminded her, "His ears."

    "Huh? What happened to his ears?" Ning Xi then remembered. Sheughed and touched the little bun¡¯s wolf ears. "Little Treasure looks really cute as well!"

    The little bun was enjoying the moment with Aunty Xiao Xi. Oh, it was Mother Xiao Xi now! He felt truly satisfied.

    "Are you hungry? There are some desserts. I''ll go get you some!"

    Ning Xi went to the dessert counter happily. Just as she was about to get a brownie, she felt a huge nudge from behind and she was pushed to the side. The kid who had bullied Little Treasure earlier, Sun Zhuangzhuang, grabbed a few cakes and stuffed them into his mouth.

    Not only that, he took all the other cakes and put them into a big bag he brought¡­

    Some parents were voicing their dissatisfaction. "Hey, whose kid is this? Look after him! He''s taking away all the food. What are we supposed to eat?"

    "He¡¯s my kid. What¡¯s wrong?" A chubby woman sauntered over as she looked at her son dotingly. "The food here is meant to be eaten. There¡¯s no rule about how much one can eat! My child is strong, of course, he needs more!"

    "He shouldn¡¯t take that much. There are around twenty pieces. Can he finish all of it?"

    "It¡¯s none of your business. Aren¡¯t you ashamed to argue with a little kid for just a few slices of cakes?"

    "It¡¯s not about the cakes. Your child¡­"

    Some parents were still trying to reason with her. The child¡¯s father went up and red at them with his ferocious eyes, so everyone just kept quiet and let it be¡­

    The incident passed quickly. The teachers then arranged many activities including singing, dancing, and interactive games. Everyone was having lots of fun.

    For the final agenda, they were going to select the best costume of the night.

    As expected, Ning Xi and her two buns emerged as the winner, their number of votes leading the way.

    Lu Tingxiao had already made such sacrifice. It was only worth it if they won the prize!

    "Congrattions to Lu Qingyu and his parents! All three of them look really cute tonight! They make us realize that even wolves in fairytales can be cute as well! Our prizes are cute too. What could it be? Let me reveal it to you!"

    There was arge box on the stage and the teacher untied the knot.

    Among the crowd, Ning Xi was even more excited than the children. She was really looking forward to it.

    The box was opened and in it was an enormous fluffy bear, even bigger than Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes shone. "Wow! It''s so cute!"

    Little Treasure saw the big bear and Mother¡¯s happy face, so he felt giddy with joy too.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at their beaming faces and touched the fur on his outfit, feeling that it was all worth it.

 Chapter 709: Little Treasure, Take Good Care of Mother!

    <h4>Chapter 709: Little Treasure, Take Good Care of Mother!</h4>

    When they had received their prize, the teacher smiled and said, "Okay, our parent-child activity today hase to an end. All the other children can also redeem their little prizes from me!"

    The children cheered and walked over to get their present one by one¡­

    Because he had parked further away and it was cold outside, Lu Tingxiao let Ning Xi and Little Treasure wait in the activity hall while he went to drive the car over.

    "I''ll be back very soon. Be good, don''t run around." Without a doubt, Lu Tingxiao was not saying this to Little Treasure, but to Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi pouted as if she was being treated like a child. "I know, it''s only a few minutes. I won''t fly to the sky."

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless. Not only was there a possibility of that happening. In fact, it was very huge.

    "Little Treasure, take good care of your mother."

    Little Treasure nodded seriously, indicating that he would.

    Ning Xi looked at the father and son, tongue-tied.

    Lu Tingxiao reminded her to behave again several times before leaving.

    Ning Xi picked up the big bear and found a chair to sit down with Little Treasure, obediently waiting for Lu Tingxiao.

    "Little Treasure, are you happy today?"

    Little Treasure''s eyes shone as he nodded. Happy! Today is the happiest day of my life! Aunty Xiao Xi is already half his mother, and they even won a super big bear.

    The little guy did not care much about the countless toys at home, but now he hurled out his little hand to pat the gigantic furry bear all around, endlessly showering it with his love.

    Ning Xi took the opportunity to dish out some motherly advice. "Baby, did you know? The best thingse from your own hard work!"

    ¡­

    While the mother and son spoke, the initially cheerful activity hall suddenly rang with a piercing cry.

    "I don''t want this! I want the bear, I want the bear, I want the bear!!!!"

    They saw that that little bear child, Sun Zhuangzhuang, had started to throw a tantrum again. He threw the present given by the teacher and cried while looking and pointing at Ning Xi''s big bear. It did not matter how much the people around coaxed him.

    Not too far away, Ning Xi was speechless by this scene. Why did he want the bear? He was already a bear himself¡­

    Even though she was not happy with the child, she did not want to ruin the good mood today. Plus, she had promised Lu Tingxiao not to do anything unruly, so she continued to talk to Little Treasure and ignored what was happening.

    In the end, she had not looked for trouble, but that child''s mother approached her herself.

    That woman walked to the front of Little Treasure and said, "Um, whoever''s child this is, can we do an exchange? Give this bear to my son!"

    Ning Xi was so angry she almostughed out loud. "Why would I?"

    Theirs was a first-grade prize!

    "Can''t you see that my son''s already crying so hard?" the woman said with a matter-of-fact tone.

    "What does your son crying have to do with us?"

    "Why are you so rude? My son''s already crying so hard, don''t you have any sympathy at all?" the woman yelled.

    "Sympathy? This little punk wanted to lock my son in the ss earlier! You want me to pity him?" Because Little Treasure was beside her, Ning Xi suppressed her anger and touched his head to console him.

    "The children are just messing around. You''re an adult. Do you have to be so calctive with children when ites to such petty things?"

    Ning Xi scoffed, "Are you also going to use the excuse that ''the children are messing around'' when he kills people one day?"

    While Ning Xi was distracted by speaking with the woman, her child suddenly shoved her with his head. There was a line of bookshelves behind Ning Xi and she bumped into them, causing them to fall like dominoes¡­

 Chapter 710: Lets Fight! If You Win, Ill Give It To You!

    <h4>Chapter 710: Let''s Fight! If You Win, I''ll Give It To You!</h4>

    Instantly, the entire line of shelves started to wobble. When she saw the shelves were about to topple, Ning Xi went pale and quickly picked Little Treasure and hid. At the same time, she used the big mother bear to block the books that were falling all around and so, did not get harmed by a close shave¡­

    In the next second, a loud crash was heard and the bookshelves came falling down.

    Everyone gasped in fright.

    "Oh my¡­" God!

    Ning Xi hugged Little Treasure and suppressed herself very hard to not blurt out curses in this holy ground called "school". Her sharp gaze found the child dressed in the bear costume and the woman.

    When she saw Ning Xi ring so antagonistically, the woman quickly put her child behind her and demanded, "What are you doing? You want to hit a child!? Everyone,e look! This evil woman won''t even let go of a mere child!"

    With all themotion going on, all of the parents crowded around and looked on with resentment.

    "Why is it this family again?! How unruly!"

    "Exactly, thest time Sun Zhuangzhuang borrowed the Transformers toy my husband had bought for our child, it was never returned. I looked for her to discuss the issue, but she just said it was lost. She did not even offer topensate and said I was overreacting!"

    "If that woman had not moved so quickly, those huge shelves would have toppled onto her and caused severe injuries! In fact, there was a child with her too! That bear child is already acting like that at such a young age, I''m afraid he would grow up to kill someone or something!"

    "He''s too unruly now! Can''t the school manage him a little?"

    "How can they manage him? If you manage a child, people would say that he''s just a kid and that it''s normal to be slightly naughty. The school can''t chase people away for such a small matter, can they?"

    ¡­

    Facing all the parents'' and teachers'' condemnations, Sun Zhuangzhuang''s mother was not remorseful at all.

    "How strong can my son be? He only pushed her lightly. She herself wasn''t stable and so, bumped into those shelves! Besides, they aren''t injured. What are you people mumbling about?! Trying to bully us mother and son, now, are you?"

    As she spoke, the father in the bear suit who had left earlier returned. When he saw the crowd around his family, he immediately roared, "What are all of you doing?"

    "Husband, you''re finally here! These people are bullying me and our son! That woman is holding onto a grudge because of something small. She fell by herself yet she mes it on our son! These people are all on her side!" the mother in the bear suit turned the facts upside down, causing everyone to look at her in disgust.

    "Father! Bear! I want the bear! I want!" When Sun Zhuangzhuang saw his father arrive, he became even more overbearing and immediately wanted to snatch the prize from Little Treasure and Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi instantly smacked the little boy''s hand that had reached over to w the bear. She had not used much force, but the boy started to cry at the top of his lungs as if he had been tortured by her.

    Sun Zhuangzhuang''s mother started to coax her baby boy and talked about going to the hospital.

    The child''s father immediately took on a violent stance and said, "You witch! How dare you hit my son?! Are you looking to die?"

    Everyone present was worried for Ning Xi. The teacher had run to get the security guards.

    "Mother! I want! I want! I just want that bear!" Sun Zhuangzhuang continued to shout throughout, and it was so noisy that everyone''s head was about to explode.

    "You can let my son have this bear and I''ll forget about this!" the woman said with an expression that indicated that she was at a disadvantage.

    All the parents on the sidelines were advising Ning Xi kindly, "Forget it. How about you just give them the bear? You won''t be able to fight your way out of this. Don''t be at a disadvantage in the end¡­"

    Ning Xi looked at the parents gratefully, then looked at the child''s father who was staring at her furiously. She said with a calm gaze, "You want this bear? Sure, let''s fight. If you win, I''ll give it to you."

 Chapter 711: Beat The Crap Out Of You

    <h4>Chapter 711: Beat The Crap Out Of You</h4>

    Sun Zhuangzhuang''s father scoffed with augh, "What? A fight? You''d better reconsider, seeing how your husband has such a skinny build. He might not be able to even take a punch from me!"

    Ning Xi glowered at him. While Lu Tingxiao was the type who look slimmer when clothed and muscr if he took off his clothes, he was nothing like this man in front of her who looked like a big lump of disgusting flesh!

    The child¡¯s mother went along as well. "Your husband sure is unlucky to marry someone without a brain like you. I think you guys should get a divorce as soon as possible!"

    Ning Xi looked at the time impatiently and said between gritted teeth, "Enough talking. Are we fighting or not?" If not, Lu Tingxiao would be back soon!

    The child¡¯s father replied, "Of course! But can you make the decision for your man? What if he disagrees?"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows in question. "Did I say that my man will be the one who''ll fight you?"

    "Then, what about the fight? What are you ying at?!" raged the man.

    Ning Xi led Little Treasure to sit down nearby. "My dear, close your eyes and count to 100 before opening them again."

    Little Treasure was worried about his mother, but he trusted her and closed his eyes obediently.

    Ning Xi kissed Little Treasure on his cheek, then she turned around and looked at the child¡¯s father defiantly. "I mean¡­I¡¯m fighting you."

    "You¡­? Hahahahaha¡­" The man guffawed as if he had just heard the world¡¯s best joke.

    The parents and teachers around were confused as well.

    "Is thisdy crazy?"

    "Who knows?! What is she trying to do?"

    "Where¡¯s the security? Why aren¡¯t they here yet?! Things are getting out of hand!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi had no time to lose, so she taunted, "Well, I¡¯ve been trained in kung fu ever since I was a child, Mr. Sun. Are you afraid of me? If so, then apologize to my son and get lost! Stop wasting my time!"

    "Me? Afraid? Okay, everyone¡¯s witnessing this. I¡¯m not bullying you, you¡¯re the one looking for trouble!" The man was totally fired up and his ego was sky high.

    The onlookers looked at Ning Xi as if she was mentally not right. Earlier, they were worried for her, but now, it seemed like she was not sane¡­

    Trained in kung fu since she was a child? With her cute looks, was it just some self-defense skills she had picked up?

    The man shrugged off his jacket and all his big muscles were flexing through his ck tank top. "Everyone else, back off. I¡¯ll not be responsible if I identally injure anyone!"

    Everyone quickly backed away at his warning.

    The man got into his fighting stance, then he kept on shuffling his feet. To everyone watching, he seemed experienced in boxing.

    "Please calm down, Madam Lu! You can¡¯t do this! Come back! What if you¡¯re hurt?!! How can I exin this to your husband?! Mr. Sun, stop it, okay? We¡¯ll give you another big bear!"

    The teacher tried to persuade the two adults and failed. Eventually, she put her effort into calling the security guards and contacting Lu Tingxiao.

    "Get her, Father! Beat her up!" yelled the child.

    "Haaa¡ª" roared the man,unching into his attack.

    Everyone¡¯s hearts lurched in their throats¡­

    Ning Xi did not move. Only after the man headed towards her did she use her injured leg as her support and pivoted her other foot to attack like an arrow.

    Bam! No one saw what actually happened, but in the sh of an eye, the man¡¯s huge bodyy sprawled out on the floor, a bloody tooth ttering a short distance away from him¡­

    Everyone was speechless.

    She had executed a one-hit KO move.

    The moment Ning Xi had kicked the child¡¯s father, Lu Tingxiao received the teacher¡¯s call, so he quickly returned¡­

    ¡­just in time to see his wife almost kill a man, even though she had promised to wait for him obediently¡­

 Chapter 712: Is This How You Make Your Husband Obedient?

    <h4>Chapter 712: Is This How You Make Your Husband Obedient?</h4>

    Ning Xi returned to Little Treasure and told him to open his eyes.

    It was true that her skills were not as good as they were before, to the point that she could not even defend herself against Third Senior Sister¡¯s attacks, but it was still easy enough for her to handle someone without any real martial arts skills.

    She saw through his sloppy footwork and knew that his muscles were just for aesthetic purposes. From her knowledge, she also could guess that they were formed in a short period of time with the assistance of steroids.

    But the teachers and parents did not know all of these, so they were all shocked.

    "Ahh¡­Little Red Riding Hood is so cool!"

    "The Little Red Riding Hood defeated the bald man!"

    ¡­

    Everyone closed their open jaws as they heard the children cheering.

    "Oh¡­oh my God! She¡¯s so powerful! Just one kick from her made him fly away!"

    "Didn¡¯t you hear that she has trained since her childhood? Of course, she¡¯d be stronger than him!"

    "I thought she was just kidding! Who knew she¡¯d be this good?!"

    "I was wondering how strong this mister could be, but he turned out to be just a show. One kick from a woman and down he went!"

    "Hahaha¡­you¡¯re right! That was so pleasing to watch! I bet he¡¯ll be embarrassed to show up at the school again!"

    ¡­

    "Dear! Dear, are you alright?! You damned woman, you dared to beat my hubby up!" Sun Zhuangzhuang''s mother started to make a fuss.

    "Oh, I¡¯m just a weak little girl. How much strength could I have? We were just fooling around. Do you need to be this worked up?" Ning Xi acted innocent and purposely imitated her victimized tone.

    "You¡­don¡¯t you dare go away! I¡¯m calling the police! I¡¯m suing you for battery!"

    "Oh, what are you going to tell the police? That a little girl defeated your buff hubby with a kick? Do you think they¡¯d believe you, or me?"

    "You¡­you¡­"

    Looking at the pitiful state the man was in right now, the teachers were hiding their grins, but the parents totally lost any sense of coolness and they all gathered around Ning Xi to ask her all sorts of questions.

    "Madam Lu, you¡¯re really powerful! How did you be this good? Did you learn from the Shaolin temple?"

    "You¡¯re really great! That was so satisfying! He totally deserved it!"

    "That¡¯s right! But we were all shocked just now and we were so worried for you!"

    "Wow, you¡¯re good! Is this how you make your husband obedient?"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi felt proud listening to all the praises being spouted out. She felt like she was some heroine who saved the people from evil forces.

    She did say earlier that she would beat the crap out of him!

    While she was enjoying her smug moment,, she felt icicles piercing her from her back¡­

    She looked back at the entrance to see Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face as dark as the bottom of a burnt pot.

    That expression! She was doomed! He had definitely seen everything!

    Quickly, Ning Xi gathered her skirts and went up to Lu Tingxiao. "Dear, you¡¯re finally here, I¡¯m really scared¡­he was bullying me¡­"

    Everyone was speechless to see her actions. Where had their heroine gone to ?

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl and narrowed his eyes. "You¡­"

    "It¡¯s my fault! But I really did listen to you and I waited. I tried to hold back but he was asking for trouble, you can ask Little Treasure¡­"

    Where did the obedient husband go? It seemed like the roles had been reversed¡­

    Little Treasure nodded in agreement to be his mother¡¯s witness.

    Lu Tingxiao stared at his son. He had promised to look after his mother, but now he was totally on her side. Lu Tingxiao realized he could not rely on his son anymore ¡­

 Chapter 713: Find A Master For Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 713: Find A Master For Little Treasure</h4>

    As they were on their way back, Ning Xi was troubled by therge bear prize.

    "Ugh¡­did the teachers think about how the winner would bring this back when they decided to use this as the prize?"

    With such arge size, it was impossible to fit in the car. Not even the car boot could amodate it¡­

    Lu Tingxiao had an idea. "Let¡¯s tie it on the top of the car."

    The three of them sat in the car and were on their way back with arge bear tied on top of the car¡­

    In the car.

    "Don¡¯t be so reckless anymore,. You should let a man handle these situations, alright?" Lu Tingxiao nagged.

    He was afraid that she might repeat her actions, but he did not want to be too harsh on her. He felt like this was even harder than educating his own son.

    "I know that you¡¯ll be able to solve it. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m worried that Little Treasure will be bullied in school! You may be able to settle it this time, but not every single time, so what I did earlier was to give everyone a warning! Also, I helped everyone remove a threat! I killed two birds with one stone!" Ning Xi announced, full of herself.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her through the rear view mirror. "You sure you¡¯re not just itching to fight?"

    "How¡¯s that possible?!" Ning Xi shook her head, looking a little guilty¡­

    Recently, she was really bored as she could not go anywhere due to her injured leg. When such a good opportunity arose, she could not let it get away!

    Looking at how Little Treasure was worried about the bear by continously peeking outside, Ning Xiughed. "Don''t worry, we tied it tightly, so it won¡¯t fall off!"

    Little Treasure did not want to take his outfit off yet and neither did Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao. They wanted to let him be happy, at least for a little while more.

    Ning Xi almost chuckled to see Lu Tingxiao drive in a wolf suit.

    "Right, Lu Tingxiao, do you want Little Treasure to learn some self-defence skills? No matter how much we want to protect him, we can¡¯t always be by his side!" Ning Xi told Lu Tingxiao about what she thought.

    Lu Tingxiao had actually thought about it a long time ago, but nothing happened since Little Treasure was not cooperating at all.

    "Are you teaching?"

    Ning Xi shook her head quickly. "Of course not! At most, I can only teach him some healthy exercises. We¡¯d need an actual professional if Little Treasure wants to learn! But¡­I can¡¯t think of anyone!"

    Lu Tingxiao thought about it and gave her a name. "Tang Lang."

    Ning Xi was surprised to hear this name again. "Tang¡­Tang Lang?"

    Too many things had happenedtely and she almost forgot an important question to ask: how did Second Senior Brother end up working for Lu Tingxiao?

    Since Tang Lang was working for him already, did Lu Tingxiao already know all about her?

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao nodded.

    "Is he still working for you? I¡¯ve been longing to ask¡­how did you convince him to work for you? That¡¯s amazing¡­"

    Recalling what had happened, she was still surprised as she did not expect she would reunite with Second Senior Brother under such circumstances.

    "You can ask him when you see him. He¡¯s currently working under the Lu Corporation."

    Ning Xi was shocked. "What? He¡¯s in Lu Corporation? Then¡­what is he working as?"

    "Cheng Feng arranged it for him. He should be in the security department."

    "It¡¯s hard to imagine¡­" That wild Second Senior Brother would work as a security guard¡­

 Chapter 714: Theres No Way My Brother Can Be This Cute!

    <h4>Chapter 714: There''s No Way My Brother Can Be This Cute!</h4>

    However, hiring a master for Little Treasure was not a small matter. She wanted to give it some more thought before deciding.

    Since Second Senior Brother was in Imperial now, she could ask him out for a chat anytime. Aside from Little Treasure¡¯s matter, she had so much more to ask¡­

    At the entrance of her apartment.

    As the three of them got down from the car, Ning Xi saw a familiar face walking towards the apartment and she yelled, "Hey! Lu Jingli!"

    Lu Jingli was humming to himself and was about to enter. He stopped and turned around when he heard his name being called.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s car keys fell on the floor and he quickly covered his eyes, "Oh my God! What am I seeing?! My eyes are going blind!"

    A cute Little Red Riding Hood was waving at him, along with two wolves beside her.

    Upon closer inspection, he saw that Little Red Riding Hood was Xiao Xi Xi, the small wolf was Little Treasure, and the big wolf¡­was his brother!

    And there was a huge bear tied on top of the car behind them¡­

    What he saw was indescribable!

    "Are you guys crazy?" Lu Jingli still could not believe his eyes, especially when he saw his brother with fluffy hair, long ears, and a long tail on his back.

    Ning Xi took off her red hood and rolled her eyes. "Stop overreacting. Little Treasure¡¯s school was having a masquerade party, alright?"

    "Huh¡­? Party? Is this the parent-child event my brother mentioned? Even if it was a masquerade party, aren¡¯t you overdoing it? Can¡¯t you just draw some beard on your face?"

    Ning Xi threw him a look of disgust. "What do you know!? It¡¯s Little Treasure¡¯s first parent-child event. How can I not put in any effort?"

    Lu Jingli looked at his brother with an incredulous expression. "I¡¯m impressed. You agreed to wear this? What if she went crazy and made you wear a maid''s outfit?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes shone as she began to imagine. Hmm¡­the devil in a maid''s outfit? Interesting!

    "What''s up with the huge bear?"

    Ning Xi patted his head. "We were awarded with the most popr award. This is the prize! Cool, isn''t it?"

    Lu Jingli cried, "Please stop acting lovey-dovey in front of me¡­you guys are cruel! Please, no more!"

    "You just happened to be here! Why are you here anyway?" Ning Xi asked.

    Lu Jingli handed some documents to Lu Tingxiao and exined, "I¡¯m here for my brother. There''re some documents that need his signature urgently. I knew that he¡¯d be at your ce, and since I couldn¡¯t reach him through the phone just now, here I am."

    Unable to reach through the phone?

    Must be because the teacher was crazily calling Lu Tingxiao just now¡­

    Lu Tingxiao opened his paws and signaled Lu Jingli to give him a pen to sign.

    Lu Jingli looked at the fluffy paws, and then at his brother¡¯s cute ears and tail. Without warning, he suddenly hugged him. "Oh! You¡¯re so cute! There''s no way my brother can be this cute! This is like a dream!"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression darkened. He was nning to change the moment he reached home but who''d have known that Lu Jingli would be here¡­

 Chapter 715: Dismissal of The Rumor

    <h4>Chapter 715: Dismissal of The Rumor</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao and Little Treasure went to change after they entered the apartment while Ning Xi turned on herptop to check for thetest update on the incident with Hu Hongda.

    Hu Hongda¡¯stest post on Weibo was three hours ago, which was just a while after she had left the restaurant with Lu Tingxiao. He had announced organizing a press conference.

    How efficient! He was probably terrified of the devil¡­

    There were live feeds of the press conference online, it topped the headlines as the hottest topic going around.

    Ning Xi clicked on the video to y it.

    Reporter: "CEO Hu, is your Weibo posting true?"

    Hu Hongda: "Yes."

    Reporter: "Then, why did you rify after that?"

    Hu Hongda: "Because I don¡¯t want to lie to my wife anymore, and I don¡¯t want to involve any innocent people! I¡¯m really sorry for what I¡¯ve done. I apologize to everyone."

    Of course, he dared not tell everyone that Lu Tingxiao had threatened him, so he found himself a more self-glorifying excuse¡­

    Unfortunately for him, this time, the public was not as forgiving.

    The number of shares of his Weibo post was rapidly rising and thements section went crazy as well.

    [Wow! What¡¯s going on now? Ning Xi isn¡¯t the mistress? It¡¯s Fang Ya now? So, Hu Hongda framed Ning Xi to protect Fang Ya? How despicable!]

    [I¡¯m so confused! The plot twist happened all too quickly!]

    [Ning Xi is innocent! She was med for doing nothing! He¡¯s going to just give her an apology? That''s it? Ridiculous!]

    [Stop that "I don¡¯t want to lie anymore" crap. He was probably forced to rify after someone found out!]

    [This man is the worst! Goddess Fangfang must never forgive him again! Not that he deserved forgiveness thest time!]

    [I think Fang Ya is the worst culprit here.She¡¯s probably the one who gave him the idea! I heard that she was always against Ning Xi. How evil of her!]

    [I felt sorry for Ning Xi. Just because she''s pretty, she¡¯s always bringbeled as people¡¯s mistress!]

    ¡­

    Ning Xi had a bitter smile on her face. Was this incident a blessing in disguise? People would not believe in any rumors about her that easily next time¡­

    At the same time, just below Ning Xi, in Ning Xueluo¡¯s apartment.

    "Xueluo¡­save me¡­please save me¡­" Fang Ya could only plead repeatedly.

    On Ning Xueluo¡¯sputer was the live feed of Hu Hongda¡¯s press conference ying. Xueluo''s face twitches with irate anger, she was close to exploding!

    How was this possible?! How?!

    Ning Xi was on the verge of being destroyed! How did this happen?

    "Xiao Ya, what have you done? Why is Hu Hongda suddenly doing this? This doesn¡¯t make any sense!" Ning Xueluo demanded angrily.

    "I don¡¯t know! I really don¡¯t know! I followed what you said. I sent Ming Fangfang a message, then I just waited at home! I thought they would finally get a divorce, but I suddenly saw his post on Weibo. He betrayed me! Then, Ling Zhizhi revealed the affair between us online! I tried to call him but I haven''t been getting through!"

 Chapter 716: Evil Idea

    <h4>Chapter 716: Evil Idea</h4>

    Ning Xueluo''s lips curled downwards. "Something must have happened when he went to meet Ning Xi!"

    "Maybe Ning Xi seduced him and made him do that¡­"

    Ning Xueluo replied impatiently, "Do you understand the impact of this matter? Hu Hongda has lost all his pride and dignity by hosting this press conference! No matter how powerful Ning Xi is, she could never have made Hu Hongda do this!"

    "Then, why did he?" Fang Ya was lost like a littlemb.

    "Could Ming Fangfang have realized the truth and forced him to do so?" Ning Xueluo thought about the possibility of it. Although the logic of such a situation was weak, Ning Xueluo could not think of anything else.

    "Then¡­then, what should I do? Xueluo, you cannot leave me alone! I¡¯m really done for!"

    Ning Xueluo felt disgusted with her and wanted to abandon her right away, but she was afraid that Fang Ya might try to destroy her reputation in the aftermath. "Since you¡¯re at this stage and you can''t contact him, go straight to his house. Even if he doesn¡¯t care about you, his parents would not be so heartless!"

    "You¡¯re right! How could I not have thought of this?! After all, I¡¯m still bearing his child! His mother is crazy about wanting a grandchild!" Fang Ya¡¯s eyes were full of hope.

    ¡­

    In the evening, at the entrance of the Hu residence.

    "Madam, you can¡¯t leave!"

    "Fangfang, what are you doing? Let¡¯s talk this out!"

    "My dear, please don¡¯t leave me, please! Forgive me once again, I¡¯ll do whatever you want!"

    ¡­

    Ming Fangfang looked at the man she once loved, and then at her mother-inw whom she had been treating like her real mother. "Mother, I¡¯m not looking for trouble, I¡¯m just really tired. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve decided to divorce Hongda!"

    "Fangfang, are you only going to change your mind if I kneel down in front of you?" Madam Elder Hu started to kneel.

    Ming Fangfang quickly stopped her. "Mother, stop! I can''t take this!"

    Madam Elder Hu pped Hu Honda. "Bastard, kneel down to Fangfang now!"

    Hu Hongda knelt down instantly, his head hanging low. "My dear, if you don¡¯t forgive me, then I¡¯ll kneel here forever! I¡¯ve realized my mistake now. I can¡¯t live without you!"

    "Fangfang! Please give Hongda another chance! If he makes a mistake again, I¡¯ll not let him get away with it!"

    Although she knew that they were acting desperate for the benefit of thepany and that they urgently needed help from the Ming family, they had been married for so many years after all and she could not let him go¡­

    At that moment, Ming Fangfang was struggling to decide. "Mother, I¡­"

    Maybe after this incident, he would really change. He was the man she chose after all¡­

    Suddenly, a woman¡¯s voice called out from the back, "Hongda!"

    Ming Fangfang turned around, her face draining of all color. Fang Ya¡­

    Seeing how Ming Fangfang was about to change her mind and Fang Ya suddenly appearing, Hu Hongda really wanted to kill his mistress. He went up to her angrily and raised his hand, trembling in anger. "Who let youe here?!"

    Fang Ya was not afraid at all as she stepped forward. "Hit me! Hit me hard! Kill me along with the baby in my womb! I have nowhere to go now, I don¡¯t mind dying! I just feel sorry for my child. Our child, abandoned before it is even born! Abandoned by its own father!"

 Chapter 717: Iâ€™ll Grant You Your Wish

    <h4>Chapter 717: I¡¯ll Grant You Your Wish</h4>

    Hu Hongda nced at Fang Ya¡¯s belly and he paused.

    Madam Elder Hu went up to her and held Fang Ya hands in disbelief. "What?! She¡­she¡¯s your mistress?"

    Hu Hongda looked crushed and he slowly nodded sadly.

    Madam Elder Hu stared at Fang Ya¡¯s swollen belly before she touched it. "A pointy stomach¡­it must be a boy!"

    Fang Ya beamed proudly. "Hi Aunty, I¡¯ve been going to a private hospital for checkups and the doctor said it¡¯s a boy! Here¡¯s the report, look!"

    "It¡¯s a boy! Good!" Madam Elder Hu looked at the report, her face instantly perking up. "How far along are you now?"

    "About four months," Hu Hongda replied.

    "What do you mean ¡®about¡¯? It is! You don¡¯t even remember what you did?"

    ¡­

    Ming Fangfang, who had been sidelined, looked at the three of them silently, not knowing how to react.

    Madam Elder Hu finally remembered Ming Fangfang was still there, so she went up to her and gently said, "Fangfang, don''t you worry. You¡¯re my only daughter-inw. I would never acknowledge this woman!"

    Fang Ya almost wanted to kick up a fuss then and there, but she stopped herself. Madam Elder Hu looked really overjoyed about her baby. She did not believe for a second that they would just abandon her.

    Madam Elder Hu continued, "But, her baby is Hongda¡¯s child after all. Not having an heir is one of the worst things that could happen to a family. You¡¯ve unable to bear a child for so many years. I¡¯m really troubled as well since I wouldn¡¯t know how to exin this to our ancestors after I die!

    "I''ve got a possible solution. This child will be born! Afterwards, you¡¯ll take care of him! We could just give this woman some money as her reward for helping our Hu family¡­"

    Ming Fangfang stood there silently while holding her luggage¡­

    She was going to take care of the mistress''s child?

    The mistress was helping the Hu family?

    Fang Ya was thinking about the reward she might receive. Was it mary? It would be best if she could enter the Hu family, but since the Hus needed the Mings, it was impossible for them to get a divorce now. Nevertheless, it would be great if she could get a hefty sum of money!

    However, the Hu family was on the brink of bankruptcy now. Were they able to afford the payout?

    Everything would be alright¡­Ming Fangfang was rich! She was doing her a favor by giving birth to a child! Plus, since Ming Fangfang was unable to bear a child, everything belonging to the Hus would eventually be her son¡¯s!

    Ming Fangfang looked at Hu Hongda rationally and asked, "Hongda, what do you think?"

    Seeing how calm she was, Hu Hongda felt that she was ready to ept this solution. "I¡­I agree with Mother¡¯s suggestion. Weren''t you looking for a surrogate mother? Now, the problem¡¯s solved! I don¡¯t want you to go through the pain of giving birth, my dear!"

    Fang Ya piped up, "Although I will really miss my son and Hongda, I won¡¯t trouble Hongda. I will leave after I give birth."

    Ming Fangfang nodded. "Good."

    Hu Hongda, Madam Elder Hu and Fang Ya were relieved to hear her approval. "Fangfang, so you¡¯re agreeing to this arrangement?"

    The next moment, a white car stopped right in front of the Hu residence. A chauffeur opened the door and took Ming Fangfang¡¯s luggage while greeting her jovially, "Miss!"

    Ming Fangfang handed her luggage over and got into the car without even looking back.

    Hu Hongda was dumbfounded. "Dear¡­what are you doing?"

    Ming Fangfang nced at him and Fang Ya serenely. "Both of you don¡¯t have to be so considerate of me. I¡¯ll grant you your wish. Chauffeur Zhang, let¡¯s go."

    "Yes, Miss!"

 Chapter 718: Big Bad Wolf, Are You Going To Eat Little Red Riding Hood Up?

    <h4>Chapter 718: Big Bad Wolf, Are You Going To Eat Little Red Riding Hood Up?</h4>

    Ning Xi gave Ling Zhizhi a call while scrolling through thements online. Because she had to rush to the school earlier, she sent Ling Zhizhi a text that she had settled the matter and that the information that Ling Zhizhi had retrieved could now be published.

    "Hello, Sis Zhizhi!"

    "Are you still busy? Did you see this press conference video already?"

    "I saw it! This matter should be all solved now, shouldn''t it? Is there anything else?"

    "Yes, that¡¯s all." Ling Zhizhi sounded hesitant to say something. "Ning Xi, you¡­"

    She was intrigued to know what Ning Xi did to make Hu Hongda go out of his way to rify to the public.

    "Don''t fret, Sis Zhizhi, I didn¡¯t do anything illegal or anything against my principles. I actually asked Lu Jingli for help, but I¡¯m not sure what he actually did." Ning Xi conveniently dropped Lu Jingli¡¯s name in the conversation. After all, he was made for these situations.

    Ling Zhizhi had expected her to look for Lu Jingli, but she was still a little worried. It was such a big scandal and the consequences to Hu Hongda were severe. He could not have gone to such lengths even if Lu Jingli himself handled this matter.

    Hu Hongda had lost all his pride and hispany share prices were dropping drastically.

    During the press conference, Hu Hongda¡¯s attitude was questionable. He repeatedly rified that he had no ties with Ning Xi and he kept on apologizing to Ning Xi on screen.

    She wondered how had Lu Jingli achieved all this. At that point, Ling Zhizhi¡¯s previous concern rose again¡­

    She knew that Ning Xi and Lu Jingli had ties, but were they getting too close to each other? Lu Jingli scouted many other people personally as well, but he had never treated them as well as he did to Ning Xi¡­

    If both of them developed that kind of rtionship¡­

    "Ah!" As Ning Xi was still talking to Ling Zhizhi, her body suddenly floated up and she was shocked.

    "Ning Xi, what''s happened?!" Ling Zhizhi asked.

    Ning Xi red angrily at Lu Tingxiao who had just lifted her up suddenly. "It¡¯s alright, I almost dropped my ss!"

    "Alright, then I¡¯ll continue my work. We¡¯ll talk more in detail when we meet in my office."

    "Okay, goodbye, Sis Zhizhi!"

    Ning Xi ended the call and snapped, "Lu Tingxiao, what are you doing?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything. Instead, he held her in his arms and went straight towards the bed.

    Ning Xi blinked at Lu Tingxiao. "Big bad wolf, are you going to eat Little Red Riding Hood up?"

    Lu Tingxiao nced at her, then he put her on the bed and flipped her skirt up.

    Ning Xi backed away and gasped, "Hey! Lu Tingxiao, are you for real? This isn¡¯t good. Little Treasure is here!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the cute girl with the puffy skirt still on her and drawled, "So, it¡¯s okay if Little Treasure isn¡¯t here?"

    "Ugh¡­" She had fallen into her own trap again.

    Lu Tingxiao continued to tug at her skirt and Ning Xi panicked.

    Ignoring her efforts to struggle, Lu Tingxiao had already flipped her skirt up, exposing her wound on her thigh which had opened up and blood was soaking through the bandage¡­

    Ning Xi cried¡­

    She was done for!

 Chapter 719: Cruel Big Bad Wolf

    <h4>Chapter 719: Cruel Big Bad Wolf</h4>

    Damn it! How did he find out about her wound? She had only used one leg to kick! Could he have X-ray vision?

    What a big mistake!

    She should have seeked medical attention for her wound when she came back. Now, she had such an obvious telltale on her¡­

    "That¡­this¡­eh! Why is the wound bleeding? I didn¡¯t realize at all! I¡¯ve been really careful today! I only used one leg to attack that guy. Could it have happened when I slipped on the snow?" Ning Xi decided to fake her innocence.

    However, when she saw Lu Tingxiao¡¯s scepticism, it was apparent that he knew everything already¡­

    She gave up struggling and said in a small voice, "It¡¯s my fault."

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her blood-soaked bandage and frowned. "Where¡¯s your first aid kit?"

    Ning Xi mumbled, "In the cupboard."

    Lu Tingxiao went to get the kit.

    He carefully removed her bandage and as expected, her wound had opened up.

    Although she had only used a leg when she fought, it did not mean that her other leg was not using any strength. On the contrary, the more force the attacking leg used, the supporting leg would contract even more. Under the circumstances, it was no surprise that her wound opened up.

    Lu Tingxiao thought she was alright as she was acting cheerful in front of everyone and the circumstances prohibited him from checking under her skirt, so he could only wait.

    When he checked, the wound had really opened up!

    Ning Xi was putting her hands on her skirt to avoid an upskirt ident. She wore white knee-length socks with prettyce around it. With her fair skin and the red blood, she emitted a strange, perverse kind of seduction¡­

    "Ah¡­" The moment the ointment waa applied on her wound, Ning Xi felt it sting but she did not say anything. She was too afraid to speak!

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything, but his gesture became gentler. His fingers would sometimes brush against her skin and his back straightened rigidly.

    After he applied the ointment, Lu Tingxiao let out a sigh of relief as he took some new bandages adnmanded, "Lift your leg up."

    "Oh." Ning Xi cooperated obediently and lifted her leg.

    Lu Tingxiao carefully wrapped her wound up, looking as cold as ice during the whole process.

    Ning Xi was a little anxious and she said quietly, "Boss, what are you thinking? Talk to me¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao nced at her as he was putting the first aid kit away. "I was thinking about breaking your other leg as well. Maybe you¡¯d heal faster that way."

    She would finally stop since she would not be able to move. With one leg, she could still hop everywhere!

    Ning Xi was so shocked that tears welled up in her eyes. "I think your idea is bad¡­you''re too cruel¡­"

    As expected from the devil¡­

    After he was done with her wound, Little Treasure came over and Ning Xi lifted him up. "Little Bun! Your father scolded me!"

    Little Treasure looked at Lu Tingxiao with a serious expression.

    "She hurt herself when she fought today."

    Little Treasure turned to Ning Xi with a serious look on his face.

    "Fine¡­it¡¯s my fault¡­"

    Little Treasure looked down, feeling like he was also at fault. He realized that¡­there would be times he should not listen to Mother¡­

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his son, guessing that Little Treasure was reflecting on himself.

    It was remarkable.

 Chapter 720: Will She Get Eaten Up Once She Healed?

    <h4>Chapter 720: Will She Get Eaten Up Once She Healed?</h4>

    It was snowing -- the best kind of day to have steamboat.

    Sadly, she was wounded and spicy food was on the no-no list, so they decided on making a clear soup base. From washing the vegetables to preparing the soup, Lu Tingxiao handled everything while Ning Xi just sat there quietly.

    Lu Tingxiao noticed her obedient behaviour. "I will not do it again" was written all over her face, but he was not going to be easily fooled again.

    She always sounded genuine when she apologized but¡­every single time, she would just repeat it again!

    "Right, Little Treasure, do you want Mother to find a master to teach you how to figh¡­I mean kung fu?" Ning Xi asked for Little Treasure¡¯s opinion while they were eating.

    Little Treasure tilted his head to the side. Kung fu?

    "That¡¯s right! If someone bullies you, you can protect yourself! And you can protect me too!" Ning Xi exined.

    Little Treasure nodded.

    "Great!" Ning Xi patted Little Treasure¡¯s head. "But it¡¯ll be tough and tiring. Promise me you¡¯ll not give up halfway!"

    Little Treasure nodded again with a determined face. He was not afraid of tough training!

    After getting Little Treasure¡¯s permission, Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao. "So, I¡¯ll talk to Tang Lang when I¡¯m free, alright?"

    "Okay."

    It was decided.

    Little Treasure grew bigger during the time he was with her. Otherwise, she would not let him learn kung fu. For Little Treasure¡¯s sake, she had to do this.

    ¡­

    However reluctant she was, Ning Xi had to let Lu Tingxiao bring Little Treasure home after dinner. She was getting busiertely and she had to go to work early in the morning, so it would be inconvenient for Little Treasure to stay with her. Fortunately, it was easy for her to see Little Treasure nowadays.

    Ning Xi sighed in relief when the both of them entered the car. Finally, the big bad wolf was leaving and she managed to avoid a cmity.

    As she was about to celebrate, the driver¡¯s door suddenly opened again and Lu Tingxiao walked towards her.

    "Uh, Boss, did you forget something?"

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao nodded, he swiftly grabbed her by her hips and kissed her.

    "Mmm¡­stop¡­" She felt pleasure and pain on her lips at the same time. Reacting, she covered her mouth and pulled away. "Why did you bite me?"

    Lu Tingxiao pointed his fingertips at her lower lip. "This is your punishment."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    The cmity eventually happened anyway¡­

    Ning Xi squinted her eyes as she pulled Lu Tingxiao closer by his neck and kissed him, surprising him immensely. She murmured, "If this is the punishment, are you trying to make me do it again?"

    Lu Tingxiao felt heat enveloping his body and he grabbed Ning Xi even harder, growling, "Don¡¯t tempt me."

    Ning Xi backed away, acting innocently as if she had not done anything to tempt him. "I¡¯m just kidding! I won''t do it again. Go now! Little Treasure is waiting!"

    "Ning Xi, get well soon," Lu Tingxiao told her before leaving.

    Ning Xi watched the ck car leave and thought about the devil¡¯s words, she felt like something¡­something was wrong.

    As if she would get eaten up once she healed¡­

 Chapter 721: Have A Taste Of Your Own Medicine

    <h4>Chapter 721: Have A Taste Of Your Own Medicine</h4>

    At Chang Li¡¯s office in Starlight Entertainment.

    Ning Xueluo tossed a stack of newspapers onto Chang Li¡¯s face. "Trash!"

    The newspaper headlines screamed: [Secret Revealed: Hu Hongda¡¯s Cheating Scandal, Ning Xueluo is the Biggest Winner!]

    Hu Hongda¡¯s cheating scandal was announced two days ago, but the direction of the gossip had already shifted. Aside from the keyboard warriors and celebrity fans, there were still a lot of sane and smart people on the inte. The incident might have appeared normal, but after some research, it was not so simple after all.

    On the surface, due to Fang Ya¡¯s conflict with Ning Xi, she had picked Ning Xi as her target to frame, but if Ning Xi¡¯s reputation was destroyed, the person who would benefit the most would be Ning Xueluo.

    Ning Xi¡¯s poprity was rising quickly, bing even more popr than the main actress, Ning Xueluo. Ning Xueluo¡¯s fans started messing with her but in the end, Jiang Muye¡¯s fans fought back for Ning Xi.

    Soon after, some unproven rumors about Ning Xi being Hu Hongda¡¯s mistress started to circte, then Hu Hongda spoke up Weibo personally¡­

    Was this series of incidents really a coincidence? Was Ning Xi just unlucky?

    Could Fang Ya have been ordered by Ning Xueluo? They always seemed to be close to each other!

    Not only that, Ning Xueluo maintained a low profile for some time in hopes that people would forget the incident when she framed Ning Xi, but it was all being brought up again and people started to suspect that the assistant involved at that time had been ordered by her¡­

    "What are you doing? Why didn¡¯t you stop the news from spreading? Even then newspapers are writing about it!" Ning Xueluo yelled angrily.

    "You¡­you can¡¯t me me! You were so confident and you even said that there would be no problem, so I didn¡¯t pay much attention. Who''d have known that things would turn out this way overnight?!"

    "Of course, I¡¯m confident there''ll be no evidence! If I left any, do you think I¡¯d be standing here yelling at you? The point is, theirments don¡¯t need any proof at all!"

    "Should I sue the newspapers for defamation? But¡­they are careful with their words, surely they worded them ambiguously and we can¡¯t do anything about thements online¡­"

    "Delete as many online posts as you can, just leave the published newspapers. Stop the other newspapers from publishing any more negative news about me!"

    ¡­

    At the same time, Ning Xi was bringing a big bouquet of beautiful balloons and flowers to the office.

    Ling Zhizhi was busy, so when she heard someone knocking on her door, she replied without even looking up, "Come in."

    Footsteps were heard, then a big bouquet of fresh mint-colored balloons and bright flowers were nudged right in front of her. Ling Zhizhi was surprised. "What¡­"

    Ning Xi smiled at her and gently said, "Sis Zhizhi, they are for you!"

    Ling Zhizhi returned her a smile as well. "Thank you."

    She forgot when was thest time she had received flowers. Her insomnia and fatigue went away the moment she saw the fresh flowers and the girl¡¯s lovely smile.

    "Right, Sis Zhizhi, when I was looking through Weibo this morning, many people suspected that Hu Hongda¡¯s incident is rted to Ning Xueluo. Even a few mainstream media sources reported it¡­were you behind this? Actually, I thought about it before, but I have no evidence!"

 Chapter 722: Jiang Muye Has Gone Missing

    <h4>Chapter 722: Jiang Muye Has Gone Missing</h4>

    Ling Zhizhi told her, "Not everything needs evidence. Netizens aren¡¯t fools. They just need some guidance and they¡¯ll know what happened. For incidents like these, happening once might be a coincidence. The second time might be an ident, but what do you think theizens would think about the third time?

    "No matter how well she handled it, she''s surely got a hand in this. Ning Xueluo¡¯s kind and gentle public image will fade away slowly. If something simr happens in the future, theizens will have our back."

    Ning Xi squinted her eyes and set her mouth in a determined line. "Karma! She deserves it!"

    As Ling Zhizhi spoke, she opened her drawer. "Right, there¡¯s something for you."

    "What is this?" Ning Xi took a look at it and was surprised. "A car key?"

    "Mmm, thepany just gave you one. The movie is airing soon and you¡¯ll be needing a car in this period of time."

    "Wow! They gave me a BMW?"

    And it was one of the high-end models, worth at least a few million dors.

    "This is a celebrity¡¯s reputation at stake. We can''t have you looking too badly. Plus, you¡¯ve been performing well and you got yourself two endorsements aside from your casting in ''The World''."

    "Thank you, Sis Zhizhi and Starlight Entertainment!, I¡¯ll continue to work hard!" Ning Xi was over the moon about this unexpected news. "Sis Zhizhi, the promotion for the movie is finished now. Is there any more work?"

    "I was about to tell you. At 8pm tomorrow night, Noble will be having their new perfume conference at Imperial Knight Hotel. Remember to be there on time!"

    "Alright!"

    "Also, there¡¯s another matter¡­"

    "What is it?"

    "I¡¯m thinking if I should let Xiao Tao stay with you, it¡¯s easier for her to take care of you that way."

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart was throbbing with anxiety. It would be all over if Xiao Tao saw her and Lu Tingxiao together.

    "Uh, I think¡­it¡¯s fine! I¡¯ll be able to take care of myself! I¡¯m actually used to staying alone and it might be inconvenient if another person stayed with me¡­"

    "Alright then." Ling Zhizhi did not push further.

    Ning Xi sighed in relief in her heart.

    As they were talking, someone knocked urgently on the door.

    Lei Ming came in hurriedly. "Zhizhi¡­oh, Ning Xi¡¯s here as well! Great! Have any of you seen Jiang Muye?"

    Ning Xi shook her head. "Nope! Why?"

    Ling Zhizhi replied, "I haven''t seen him."

    Lei Ming looked like doomsday had arrived for him. "Muye''s gone missing since yesterday! I can¡¯t contact him at all!"

    "Did he just hide somewhere and y his video games?" Ning Xi said.

    Lei Ming nced at his watch. "At first, that''s what I thought, but today he¡¯s having a signing ceremony for an endorsement. A ten million endorsement! I¡¯ve been liaising with them for over three months, but I can¡¯t even contact him now! I¡¯m going to die¡­"

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched. "Ten million¡­that brat¡­"

    "How long until the ceremony?" Ling Zhizhi asked.

    "Only two hours left! Please! Help me! Where could he be? I¡¯ve gone to the ces he usually hangs out at! He wasn¡¯t there!"

    Ning Xi shrugged. "Bro Ming, I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t be of much help here. Surely you know all the ces that I know!"

    She got to know Jiang Muye overseas, so she did not know where he would usually be back here in China.

    "Zhizhi, I know you¡¯re busy! Please! Help me! If this endorsement gets canceled, then I better go and jump off the building!" pleaded the big-sized Lei Ming with the most pitiful face.

 Chapter 723: Arenâ€™t You Overdoing It?

    <h4>Chapter 723: Aren¡¯t You Overdoing It?</h4>

    Ning Xi could not bear seeing his mournful expression. "Sis Zhizhi, could you help him?"

    Ling Zhizhi stayed quiet for a while and said, "I¡¯m sorry, Bro Ming, but the thing is, I¡¯m not sure where to find him either."

    As she finished her sentence, Lei Ming passed out¡­

    Ning Xi and Ling Zhizhi stared in shock before they used all their strength to get Lei Ming propped up on the sofa.

    "What now, Sis Zhizhi?" Ning Xi anxiously asked.

    Struggle shed in Ling Zhizhi¡¯s eyes. In the end, shemanded, "You take care of Bro Ming and call the ambnce. I¡¯ll look for Jiang Muye."

    "Okay!" Ning Xi nodded.

    After Ling Zhizhi left, Ning Xi was about to call the ambnce, but Lei Ming suddenly sat up on the sofa.

    Ning Xi was terrified. "What?! What¡¯s happening? Bro Ming¡­you mean you didn¡¯t actually pass out?"

    Lei Ming looked at the entrance and nodded after he confirmed Ling Zhizhi had left. "Mmhmm, I was acting. If not, Zhizhi would never help me!"

    Ning Xi was speechless. "Aren¡¯t you overdoing it?"

    Lei Ming looked guiltily at her. "I didn¡¯t want to do this as well but that brat forced me to! I''m not sure what happened to him recently. He¡¯s been in a bad mood constantly, he chased away three assistants in a day, he¡¯s driving me crazy!"

    As Lei Ming spoke, he looked at Ning Xi, suspecting that the mood swings might be rted to Ning Xi, but Jiang Muye was not telling him anything¡­

    Ning Xi did not notice Lei Ming¡¯s suspicions. "Terrible! I suddenly realized that I¡¯m so much better inparison to Jiang Muye!"

    Half an hourter, in a ruins somewhere in the outskirts.

    Ling Zhizhi teetered in her high heels through some rubbish dumps. To her utmost frustration, one of her heels broke. In addition to her sprained ankle after getting pushed by the security guard the day before, her foot was getting worse. Finally, she stopped in front of an abandoned bus¡­

    She knocked on the door while panting, but it was silent. There was no reply. She pushed the door lightly and it creaked open. The seats in the bus had been removed. It had been modified into a house with pure white rugs made of sheep wool spread on the floor.

    Ling Zhizhi took off her shoes and stepped onto the soft mat. She then pushed another door in the area open¡­

    As expected, Jiang Muye was lying on the bed, hugging arge, fluffy, white pillow in his sleep. A few empty bottles of beer were littered all over the floor.

    Sunlight streamed through a window above the bed, shining on the man¡¯s blonde hair and making him sparkle angelically.

    She remembered when Jiang Muye was adding the window, he had said that he would be able to see the stars when hey down on the bed at night.

    Jiang Muye was a wild child at the time, preferring not to stay home. He had insisted on modifying an abandoned bus here into a house and he would just go there at random times to think about life¡­

    "Jiang Muye¡­Jiang Muye¡­" Ling Zhizhi called his name a few times, but he was sound asleep and gave no reaction.

    Ling Zhizhi went closer to Jiang Muye¡¯s ears and whispered his name sharply.

    Jiang Muye woke up with a startle. "What?! Who said that Shen Xiaobai is more handsome than me?! Are you blind?!"

 Chapter 724: Iâ€™m Telling Ning Xi You Like Her

    <h4>Chapter 724: I¡¯m Telling Ning Xi You Like Her</h4>

    Jiang Muye, who had just woken up, frowned at Ling Zhizhi standing beside his bed. "Why¡­are you here? I was wondering who was it that woke me up this way¡­"

    Jiang Muye was once the hottest star in the industry. His strongest rival was Shen Xiaobai and they were oftenpared to each other. Thest thing he wanted to hear was someone saying that Shen Xiaobai looked better than him. Even the slightest whisper of such a thing would wake him up from his dreams. Despite Shen Xiaobai retiring, he was still paranoid.

    "Bro Ming has been looking for you since yesterday morning. It¡¯s roughly an hour before the signing ceremony and we¡¯re very far away from the venue. Assuming that traffic is clear today, you¡¯ll only have about half an hour left to make it," Ling Zhizhi told him urgently.

    "Oh, so what now?" Jiang Muyey back on his bed, showing no signs of leaving.

    "Bro Ming has been busy liaising for this event for the past three months. He''s so worked up that he even passed out in my office just now."

    "And?"

    Ling Zhizhi was not fazed by Jiang Muye¡¯s annoying attitude. Had it been the old her, she would have yelled at him and cried tears of frustration already.

    Suddenly, Jiang Muye¡¯s phone rang.

    "Hello, Brother Muye! Why did you leave earlyst night? We¡¯re going out on the water today. Do you want to join us?" sang a girl¡¯s voice over the phone.

    Jiang Muye replied with azy tone, "Alright, I¡¯ll be there in an hour!"

    He then started preparing himself.

    Ling Zhizhi looked at Jiang Muye, reminded of her past days¡­

    He had been like that in the past -- selfish and arrogant, self-centered and disregarding everyone. What could have happened to make him act this way again?

    Jiang Muye was about to leave, but he stopped in his tracks.

    Ling Zhizhi had taken out her phone to call Ning Xi. "Hey, Ning Xi¡­"

    Jiang Muye¡¯s expression changed when he heard Ning Xi¡¯s name. Without further thought, he grabbed Ling Zhizhi¡¯s phone and ended the call. "Ling Zhizhi, what are you doing?"

    Ling Zhizhi red at him straight in the eye. "I¡¯m asking her if Bro Ming has woken up."

    "What?"

    "What did you think I was trying to do?"

    Jiang Muye¡¯s expression darkened and he returned her phone to her begrudgingly. "I thought you were calling her toe over! What else could I have thought?"

    Ling Zhizhi remained silent and looked at him solemnly.

    "What are you staring at?" Jiang Muye feeling the heebie-jeebies from her intense gaze.

    "Jiang Muye, attend the signage ceremony now."

    Jiang Muyeughed at her. "Getting braver now, aren¡¯t you? You dare to order me around?"

    "If not, I¡¯ll tell Ning Xi that you like her."

    "What?!" Jiang Muye¡¯s eyes widened in aghast. "How dare you, Ling Zhizhi!"

    Ling Zhizhi maintained her steady expression on him.

    Jiang Muye felt like he had been tricked, so he quickly denied, "Are you dumb? Whoever said that I liked her?"

    "I heard it when you were talking in your sleep."

    Blood rushed to Jiang Muye''s feet and he feebly stammered, "You¡­you¡¯re lying, aren¡¯t you?"

    "I recorded it."

    "How despicable, Ling Zhizhi!" Jiang Muye quickly grabbed her phone to destroy the incriminating evidence.

    Much to his horror, Ling Zhizhi had already pressed the "send" button. Nonchntly, she told him, "Actually, you didn¡¯t say anything in your sleep, but I¡¯ve recorded down our conversation and sent it to my own email. It¡¯s futile to delete it from my phone now."

    Although Jiang Muye had not explicitly mentioned his liking towards Ning Xi, his reaction had basically given him away.

 Chapter 725: My Body Looks Much Better

    <h4>Chapter 725: My Body Looks Much Better</h4>

    Although Jiang Muye had not explicitly mentioned his liking towards Ning Xi, his reaction had basically given him away.

    As expected, she was right. Only a woman could change a man. The change in Jiang Muye was far too drastic after he returned from overseas. There were no other possibilities.

    "Ling Zhizhi¡­damn it!" Jiang Muye said in between clenched teeth.

    Their conversation was the ultimate evidence and was much more convincing than his sleeptalk¡­

    Ling Zhizhi quickly picked out an outfit from his wardrobe and signaled to him to get changed. She then called Ning Xi and informed her to tell Lei Ming that everything was settled after he woke up, that was.

    Jiang Muye thought she was about to tell Ning Xi about his feelings, so he stripped himself almost instantly. "I¡¯ll change now! Stop it!"

    Ling Zhizhi was speechless.

    Jiang Muye looked cockily at her. "How is it? My body looks much better than before, doesn''t it? Too bad you resigned. Are you regretting now? Not everyone gets a chance like this¡­"

    "If you spout any more crap, I¡¯ll call her right now."

    "No!"

    ¡­

    At Glory World Entertainment.

    Ning Xi went up to the miserable Lei Ming to give him the good news after she had finished her call with Ling Zhizhi. "Bro Ming, stop being so miserable! Get up! Sis Zhizhi told me that it¡¯s alright now! She found Jiang Muye and managed to convince him to attend the signing ceremony!"

    "Really? Are you lying to me?" Lei Ming perked up, sping his palms together.

    "Why should I lie to you? Sis Zhizhi said they are already on their way to the hotel!"

    "That¡­that¡¯s great! I¡¯m going to set up a mini shrine for her at home!"

    Ning Xi hid an amused smirk. "Since it¡¯s all settled now, I¡¯ll be on my way!"

    "Okay¡­"

    Now that Jiang Muye¡¯s matter was finally settled, Ning Xi could not wait to see her new BMW! It was a ck sporty BMW.

    Ning Xi looked at the ck car and fell absolutely in love with it, especially since it was a reward for her hard work.

    She really could not wait to get behind the wheel! Her wound was on her thigh but it would be alright if she drove, wouldn''t it?

    Ning Xi could not help herself. She unlocked the car and got in, feeling a shiver of thrill run up her spine as she coaxed the engine to life.

    As Ning Xi was leaving with her car, she passed by Liang Biqin and a few female artistes.

    "Isn¡¯t that Ning Xi? Is that BMW hers?" asked one of them while looking at the direction Ning Xi left.

    "Seems like it. My manager said thepany gave it to her!" another artiste replied, not bothering to conceal her envy and jealousy.

    "What!? She¡¯s so new and they gave her a BMW? None of her work has even gone on air yet and she only got herself a measly game endorsement. Why is she getting such special treatment?"

    "Probably because she¡¯s famous these days. I thought Ning Xi was surely going to get crushed during the Hu Hongda incident. Who knew that it would turn into a free promotion for her? And ''The World'' is airing soon. Looks like her poprity rating might be soaring in the near future!"

    Liang Biqin sneered, "What do you know? People who rely on scandals and beauty are the worst kind of people. They are just slightly better than those always exposing their skin! She won¡¯tst long even if she gets popr!"

    "You¡¯re right!" everyone agreed.

    "Oh, right, I heard that Noble is going to hold a conference for their new product tomorrow night! Anyone received the invitation?"

 Chapter 726: Arenâ€™t You Going To Give Me A Kiss?

    <h4>Chapter 726: Aren¡¯t You Going To Give Me A Kiss?</h4>

    "You¡¯re kidding me! Small fries like us would never get invited to events of such high caliber!"

    "I heard Noble specializes in providing for royalty. While they might not be as popr as Chanel, Tiffany, or Armani, Noble is far more ssy!"

    As they were discussing, Liang Biqin conveniently drew out an elegant invitation card from her handbag and casually asked, "Are you guys talking about this?"

    "Ah! That''s the one! That¡¯s so cool! Biqin, you¡¯re invited!" one of the artistes gushed as she gazed longingly at the invitation card.

    "Ooh, this invitation card smells so good! As expected from Noble! They are so creative with their invitation card!"

    "Of course, they invited all the big shots from the entertainment and fashion industry. Now that Biqin¡¯s movie is getting better and better, her TV series is really rocketing in poprity as well! It¡¯s no surprise that she''s invited!"

    "I¡¯m so envious! I wish I could go as well!"

    "Me too!"

    Liang Biqin carefully kept her invitation card and she looked at them almost pitifully. "I can¡¯t help you, but I can try and ask my cousin, who is close to the art director from Noble. She also happens to be the special guest for this event!"

    "That¡¯s really great!"

    "Thank you so much, Biqin!"

    Liang Biqin was satisfied with the elevation from theirpliments and gratitude. "You¡¯re wee, it¡¯s no big deal!"

    ¡­

    On the way back home, Ning Xi realized that she had some free time on her hand, so she wanted to meet Second Senior Brother, Tang Lang.

    However, she remembered that Tang Lang¡¯s original number was not contactable anymore, thus she put on her Bluetooth earphone and called Lu Tingxiao.

    "Hey." rumbled the man¡¯s deep voice.

    "Boss, what¡¯s Tang Lang¡¯s mobile number? Send it to me, please. I¡¯m free in the afternoon and I¡¯ll meet him then."

    "Alright."

    "By the way, thepany gave me a car! It¡¯s a really cool ck car!" Ning Xi excitedly shared the news with Lu Tingxiao.

    "You¡¯re driving?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "Yes!"

    "Focus on driving and be careful of your wound. I¡¯ll end the call now."

    Ning Xi felt a little disappointed. "Boss, you¡¯re so cold to me! Aren¡¯t you going to give me a kiss?"

    "Stop ying around."

    "Ok, bye bye!" Ning Xi ended the call.

    A few secondster, her phone beeped. Should be Lu Tingxiao messaging her.

    Ning Xi nced and saw a forwarded phone number with a kiss emoji attached to the text¡­

    Ning Xi giggled. "The devil is so cute!"

    Ning Xi called Second Senior Brother the moment she reached home. "Hello, Second Senior Brother?"

    "Little Junior Sister! You finally remembered me!" he whined in loneliness.

    "How would I know you¡¯re here? You¡­um, are you working? When are you free? Can we meet up?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Oh, no worries. I¡¯m free right now. Your man just gave me the day off just now, saying that you¡¯re going to be meeting me!"

    Ugh, he just had to be involved with them despite Tang Lang being a small security guard now¡­

    "Uh¡­okay¡­"

 Chapter 727: My Son

    <h4>Chapter 727: My Son</h4>

    At a restaurant.

    "Hey,dy boss!" called out a man while waving at her.

    The man still had his short brown hair as he put one hand in his pocket and he was wearing¡­a security uniform¡­

    Ning Xi almost choked on the water she was drinking when she saw Tang Lang¡¯s outfit.

    "How excited are you to see me?" teased the man, cozying himself into the seat opposite her.

    "Second Senior Brother, are you really working as a security guard at Lu Tingxiao¡¯s office?" Although she had already known about it, it was still a surprise to see him wearing a security uniform in person.

    "Yes! Why? Didn¡¯t I tell you through the phone? Because of you, Boss personally gave me half the day off!" Tang Lang unconsciously touched his waist. Of course, it was not a gun; it was an electric baton.

    "Uh¡­Second Senior Brother, what¡¯s up with you? Did you hit your head during the fight with First Senior Brother?"

    Tang Lang looked at her, his grave eyes free of worldly desires. "Commoners like you will never understand the feeling of wanting to be amoner!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    "Oh, Little Junior Sister, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you. What¡¯s your rtionship¡­with Lu Tingxiao? Is it a one-night stand? A multiple-night stand? Or are you his mistress?" Tang Lang asked with great interest.

    One-night stand? Multiple-night stand? He might as well say that they were friends with benefits!

    Ning Xi was annoyed. "Nonsense, we¡¯re in an actual, normal rtionship!"

    "Oh my! Are you serious?" Tang Lang was surprised. "No wonder someone¡¯s been going crazy recently¡­"

    "Someone? Who are you talking about?" Ning Xi faltered.

    "No one." Tang Lang brushed the topic aside and questioned, "How long have you both been together?"

    Ning Xi counted on her fingers. "Uhm¡­it¡¯s been three days, including today."

    "Then, you guys started your rtionship in D.C?" Tang Lang was even more astonished.

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "That¡¯s right. Haven¡¯t you heard that trials and challenges will reveal true love?"

    Tang Lang was speechless this time. If that certain someone knew that he had be her best support this round, that certain someone was going to be so frustrated¡­

    Ning Xi drummed her fingers on the table impatiently. "It¡¯s my turn to ask you questions now!"

    "What do you want to know?" Tang Lang raised his eyebrows.

    "Why are you suddenly working for Lu Tingxiao?"

    "Everyone wants their needs to be fulfilled."

    Ning Xi thought about it. It seemed like Second Senior Brother needed Lu Tingxiao¡¯s help and they both had agreed to some terms.

    Ning Xi did not ask about the specifics of their deal. Sometimes, it was better knowing less.

    Then, she straightforwardly announced, "Actually, I¡¯m here on business today. Second Senior Brother, are you interested in a part-time job?"

    Tang Lang¡¯s eyes shone with excitement. "Oh, a part-time job? I¡¯m interested! I¡¯m short on cash now! Tang Ye closed all my old ounts! How ruthless of him!"

    Ning Xi eximed, "He¡¯s already being very kind for not killing you!"

    "Tell me, what part-time job is it? Actually, no matter what it is, I¡¯ll do it as long as I get paid!"

    "Don¡¯t agree so soon. I want you to teach a five-year-old boy kung fu. You have to seriously and genuinely teach him what you''ve got."

    Tang Lang brushed his bangs. "A five-year-old kid? That''s quite difficult, isn¡¯t it? Whose kid is this? Important enough to have to ask me personally!"

    Ning Xi sipped her tea and simply said, "My son."

 Chapter 728: Lu Tingxiao Has Such Weird Taste

    <h4>Chapter 728: Lu Tingxiao Has Such Weird Taste</h4>

    "When did you give birth to a child? And he¡¯s five now?! The most illogical thing is¡­can you even bear a child?" Tang Lang was shocked.

    Ning Xi had changed into a male outfit after she got back to avoid him overreacting from seeing her in a girl¡¯s outfit. But even if she was wearing a man¡¯s outfit, she was still a woman biologically¡­

    "I¡¯m a woman, alright? Why can¡¯t I bear a child?!" Ning Xi erupted.

    "Is he¡­really your son?"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him and huffed, "Lu Tingxiao¡¯s son is my son, okay?"

    Tang Lang cked, "I thought it was really your kid! Speaking of which, aren¡¯t you treating his son a bit too well?"

    "Mind your own business! Are you taking this job or not?"

    "Yes, as long as it pays, I¡¯ll do anything!"

    "It¡¯s decided then. You¡¯ll teach on the weekend because he has to go school on weekdays. There will be a three months probation period. I¡¯ll fire you if you¡¯re not doing a good job," Ning Xi said seriously.

    "Tsk tsk¡­" Tang Lang shook his head.

    "What is it?"

    "You¡¯ve changed after you be someone¡¯s woman! My dear Little Junior Sister is nevering back again!"

    "If even you can be a security guard, anything is possible!"

    After chatting for some time, Ning Xi suddenly remembered an important question to ask.

    "Second Senior Brother, does Lu Tingxiao know about my past? And my rtionship to you?"

    Tang Lang sipped his tea and answered,"Probably!"

    Ning Xi sighed in relief after she heard his reply. Actually, Lu Tingxiao had already seen what happened at the arsenal in Phdelphia, so it did not really matter if he knew or not.

    As Ning Xi was thinking to herself, Tang Lang spoke up, "Aside from that certain someone, I didn¡¯t expect Lu Tingxiao to have such weird taste in women!"

    Ning Xi narrowed her eyes at him. "Hey! What do you mean? How am I weird?"

    "Isn¡¯t liking you weird enough?"

    Fine, it was weird¡­

    At Regal Riveria Hotel.

    As she reached home, Ning Xi saw a man with sunsses and a face mask squatting in front of her apartment.

    "Blondie? Why are you here?"

    "Where have you been? I¡¯m almost frozen to death. Quickly open the door!" Jiang Muye urged.

    It really was him¡­

    Ning Xi took her keys out and opened the door, then she poured him a ss of hot water. "Did you juste from the signing ceremony?"

    "Mmm," Jiang Muye mumbled.

    "Why are you suddenly here? I thought you¡¯re never talking to me anymore!" Ning Xi raised her eyebrows teasingly.

    Jiang Muye fumed, "You yourself said that you¡¯ll never settle down for any man!"

    "Ah, love just came like a hurricane!"

    Jiang Muye suppressed his urge to punch her as he took a deep breath. "I¡¯m here to tell you that¡­if Ling Zhizhi were to tell you anything about me¡­do not believe her!"

    "What is she going to tell me?"

    "No matter what she says, just don¡¯t believe her!" Jiang Muye huffed impatiently, putting his face mask back on. "I¡¯m leaving!"

    "Ugh¡­" Ning Xi was speechless. He came all the way here just to tell her something mysterious¡­

 Chapter 729: Finally Meet Again

    <h4>Chapter 729: Finally Meet Again</h4>

    The night after, at Imperial Knight Hotel.

    One of the world''s top luxury brands, Noble, was about to start their productunch and would be announcing their official presence in China''s market.

    Among those attending the event was the new mysterious female protagonist in their adverts, the current top perfumer in the industry, Glynn Krista, and the director who had directed "Red and ck" and "Wind", Noble¡¯s art director, Cook Brian. Local famous perfumer, Bai Qiangwei as well as hot celebrities from the entertainment industry, Su Yimo and Song Lin were also seen posing for the cameras. Many big shots were out and about that night for Noble.

    Su Yimo matched the theme of the day and wore a dress with a Garden of Eden sort of vibe. It had flowery patterns all over it, making her look mysterious and elegant.

    "Sis Yimo, you look really beautiful today!"

    "Nonsense, Yimo is beautiful everyday!"

    "It¡¯s all thanks to Sis Yimo that we get to be here today!"

    A few artistes were fawning all over Yimo.

    "You¡¯re wee. We¡¯re all colleagues," Su Yimo replied graciously.

    As they were chatting, someone asked, "Oh, do you guys know who¡¯s the ambassador for Noble¡¯s new product? They¡¯ve been really secretive about it. No one in the industry knows who it is. How mysterious!"

    "What¡¯s so secretive about it? Isn¡¯t it Li Yueling?" Liang Biqin acted as if she knew all about it already.

    "Li Yueling? Why is it someone from Starlight? Didn¡¯t anyone from Glory World audition? Sis Yimo is bound by some other contract, so why didn¡¯t you try it out, Biqin?"

    Liang Biqin only managed an awkward, forced smile. She had gone for the audition but was rejected in the initial round.

    The person realized that she had said something wrong, so she followed up, "Ah, you must have been busy with your movie at that time. It¡¯s unfortunate that you had no time!"

    Liang Biqin¡¯s expression softened. "Mmm, I was too busy at the time, so I didn¡¯t enter the auditions." Secretly, she was relieved that Noble¡¯s audition process was ssified, so no one knew if she had even entered it or not¡­

    As they were talking to each other, they saw two familiar people enter.

    "Isn¡¯t that Ning Xi and Ling Zhizhi? Why are they here?"

    "That¡¯s obvious! Ling Zhizhi couldn¡¯t stand Ning Xi having such bad taste, so she brought her here to teach her what¡¯s ssy!"

    "Ah! It¡¯s Director Cook!" Their attention shifted to Noble¡¯s art director, Cook, who had suddenly appeared.

    "He¡¯s looking in our direction! He¡¯sing over!"

    Liang Biqin was excited as well but she acted calmly. "Stop making a fuss out of it. My cousin is on good terms with Director Cook!"

    Su Yimo stood up and greeted him, "It¡¯s been some time, Mr. Cook."

    Cook shook her hands, smiling. "We meet again, Ms. Su! Thank you for you and your friends¡¯ support!"

    "You¡¯re wee!"

    The artistes around her looked envious seeing how close Su Yimo was with Director Cook. Liang Biqin was feeling proud of her cousin.

    "I¡¯m a little busy today, we¡¯ll talk again soon."

    Cook looked around anxiously and after a few exchanges of pleasantries, he excused himself from Su Yimo¡­

    "Hey! My dear Xi! We finally meet again!"

 Chapter 730: My Dear, Are You In Love?

    <h4>Chapter 730: My Dear, Are You In Love?</h4>

    Cook was polite and reserved when talking to Su Yimo, but his attitude changed when he saw Ning Xi. Almost immediately, his tone turned passionate and he gave her a big hug the moment he saw her.

    Ning Xi had stayed in America for four years, so she was used to their way of greeting people. Returning his hug, she eximed, "Long time no see!"

    "Oh, my dear, why¡­" Cook suddenly gaped at her in surprise.

    Ning Xi blinked at him. "What is it?"

    "My dear, you look more beautiful than before!" Cook enthused.

    Ning Xiughed. "Dear Director, aren¡¯t you good at giving girlspliments?"

    Cook looked at her genuinely. "Oh, no, no, you really look more beautiful now. Wait, specifically, you¡¯ve got more charisma. Tell me, are you in love?"

    Ning Xi was floored. What was happening? Did this guy have some special eyes?

    "Director Cook, you¡¯re really good with jokes!" Ning Xi carefully nced at Ling Zhizhi, casually making up an excuse.

    Cook did not press further on her love life and Ling Zhizhi did not notice anything as well.

    "Then, I¡¯ll see youter, sweetie. I''ve got a strong hunch that everyone will be surprised by you!"

    "See youter, thank you!"

    ¡­

    Su Yimo and Liang Biqin could not hear what their conversation was about, but Cook and Ning Xi¡¯s intimacy was apparent.

    Su Yimo¡¯s expression darkened.

    Liang Biqin was upset as well. "Why is that woman so close to Director Cook?"

    "Seems like they''re a little too close!" suggested one of the female artistes.

    Liang Biqin sneered, "I was wondering how she got invited. Ling Zhizhi could not have possibly gotten her an invitation card¡­this witch, she¡¯s getting better and better with men!"

    Su Yimo red at her annoyedly. "Stop talking nonsense. Don¡¯t forget what I told you."

    Her cousin was too impulsive and was unable to control her emotions well. Everyone in the industry knew that she was Su Yimo¡¯s cousin, so whatever she said might indirectly affect Su Yimo¡¯s reputation.

    "I¡¯m sorry, I just couldn¡¯t stand her irritating vibes!" Liang Biqin mumbled.

    "Sis Yimo, you¡¯re just too nice. I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand always gettingpared to her¡­"

    "Exactly!"

    ¡­

    Momentster, the conference started.

    Noble¡¯s founder gave a brief introduction to the core idea of theirtest product and their future marketing ns. Then, with Su Yimo taking the lead, the big shots from the entertainment industry started voicing out their opinions.

    In response to an interview, Su Yimo expressed, "I¡¯ve always liked Noble¡¯s products. I¡¯m impressed by their creativity and I¡¯m really honored to be invited to this conference¡­"

    "Yimo, I heard Director Cook wanted you to be the ambassador initially, but unfortunately, you¡¯re unable toply due to your contract with Chanel. Is that true?" asked a journalist.

    Su Yimo smiled. "That¡¯s unfortunate indeed."

    The journalist pointed his mic at Director Cook and asked, "Director Cook must¡¯ve felt disappointed as well!"

    Cook replied immediately, "Not at all, it¡¯s my luck! This could be described as a blessing disguised as a misfortune! I¡¯m really satisfied with my ambassador this time around. She¡¯s amazing!"

 Chapter 731: A Mysterious Ambassador

    <h4>Chapter 731: A Mysterious Ambassador</h4>

    Cook¡¯s words made the situation slightly awkward. The journalist was sweating with frayed nerves. This foreigner was too straightforward¡­

    Although he meant those words genuinely, it was not very appropriate, especially in front of Su Yimo.

    Su Yimo smiled at him. "To be able to impress Director Cook¡­this must be a marvelous artiste."

    Director Cook nodded confidently. "Indeed, she is."

    Su Yimo¡¯s generosity cated any awkwardness. The crowd became even more interested in this new ambassador that they were going to announce.

    Was Cook exaggerating it for the brand or was the ambassador was really that amazing? Thetter might be true since Noble was such a high-ss brand; their ambassador could actually be as extraordinary as Cook imed.

    Theunch continued with the staff distributing theirtest perfume sample to the guests.

    "Noble Perfume originated 200 years ago and was inherited through the generations. With our very own unique form, we adopted the ancient technique of perfume distition and have selected the best ingredients under strict quality checks. Our new perfume this time uses roses from the Rose Valley in Bulgaria, jasmines from Florence, tuberoses from India, vetivers from Haiti, ng-ng from Madagascar¡­"

    Everyone took a sniff of the deep and aromatic sample strips, instantly being teleported into an old, luxurious pce, exhibiting elegance.

    As if spurred on by the presentation and everyone¡¯s praises, therge screen at the front of everyone lit up.

    The screen disyed a gloomy sky, dark with stormy clouds, then the view cut through the clouds and the ancient Chang An Street in China appeared. There was a young girl in soiled clothes and messy hair, her face smudged with dirt beyond recognition¡­

    At that point, the guests and journalists were all surprised.

    "Uh, am I seeing something wrong? Is this really the advertisement Noble¡¯s renowned director produced?"

    "Isn¡¯t Noble¡¯s main theme supposed to be ssy?"

    "That¡¯s right. Why is the main character ying a beggar?"

    A pair of toll pce guards passed by swiftly on their horses, not noticing the young girl on the street.

    The crowds were confused; they had no idea what was going to happen next.

    "The ambassador didn''t even appear¡­"

    "Her face was all covered up. How can we identify her?"

    "Wouldn¡¯t the ambassador have a hard time shooting this?"

    "Could the beggar be just a supporting character? Maybe the main character hasn¡¯t appeared yet!"

    ¡­

    As everyone voiced their suspicions and theories, the screen panned out to the trees by the road and the sound effects of the wind blowing whooshed through the room. Leaves fell from the trees, rustling in the wind. The clip-clops of the horses came closer as the guards who had left earlier returned and stopped right in front of the young girl.

    The leading general jumped off his horse, kneeling on one knee to the young girl. Quickly, all the other soldiers got off their horses and bowed¡­

 Chapter 732: Amazing Everyone Present

    <h4>Chapter 732: Amazing Everyone Present</h4>

    Next, the camera focused in on the girl''s face. Her hair fluttered lightly in the breeze, mimicking the airiness that came with the spraying of fragrance. The girl''s smudged face gazed into the lens indifferently with a pair of clear eyes, exuding a sense of innocent elegance.

    Next, the scene took the crowd from the streets of Chang An into a very luxurious pce. There was a silhouette of a woman''s back in this scene and she elegantly donned a gold silk dress with her hairbed into an exquisite bun. She took decorous footsteps and made her way one step at a time into the pce.

    At that moment, everyone finally understood the storyline. That beggar girl was actually a princess who had unexpectedly found herself among themon folks. Because the girl''s clothes were tattered and her face dirty, the guards had not recognized her at first. Atst, they noticed the girl''s real identity when the elegance within her shone through despite her fallen appearance¡­

    Just as the crowd was gushing about the creativity of this advertisement, the screen cut into the next scene with part of the princess'' face.

    Finally, the princess was about to be revealed and the crowd at theunch were excited in anticipation to find out who this enigmatic ambassador was.

    The glistening hairpin swayed between the slivers of her hair and in that moment when the princess slowly looked up from under her eyshes, the red applique on her forehead with that graceful, beautiful face made everyone gasp in amazement¡­

    Because they had the previous beggar''s appearance asparison, this scene was even more shocking for everyone.

    The ultimate shock was when everyone recognized who the girl was!

    "Ning Xi! It''s Ning Xi!"

    "''The World''s'' leading co-star, the actress who yed Meng Changge, Ning Xi!"

    "Too¡­too beautiful! I remember when I watched the trailer of ''The World''. I was already so taken by her beauty!"

    ¡­

    While some were pleasantly surprised, others were dumbfounded. The moment Ning Xi''s face clearly appeared, Su Yimo almost spilled her tea.

    It was actually Ning Xi! How could this be!? How could it be Ning Xi!?

    Liang Biqin stood up uncontrobly. She wanted to see clearly for herself as she mumbled in disbelief, "No way! How could it be Ning Xi?! Is there a mistake?"

    "Biqin, didn''t you say it was Li Yueling?"

    "How could that woman Ning Xi qualify for an ambassadorship of this rank?!"

    ¡­

    Albeit appearing for only a short second at the end of the entire advertisement, Ning Xi left a strong impression on everyone. That was Ning Xi. They definitely did not wrongly recognize her!

    After a short silence, there was a thunderous apuse from the crowd!

    "Spectacr! Too spectacr! It is Director Cook, after all! What an amazing idea!"

    "Even though there wasn''t any dialogue in the entire clip, it conveyed a strong message to everyone. Elegance is a kind of aura that no street look can cover up! Even if the princess was fallen and became a beggar on the streets, she was still a princess! The elegance of her aura would not change despite her clothing and appearance!"

    "Too amazing!"

    "What''s more marvelous is that the female protagonist only revealed her face for one second at the end, but the only thing that remained in my mind was the final second!"

    ¡­

    Everyone remained in amazement until only the perfume''stest crystal bottle design and brand logo were left on the screen.

    "Next, let us invite our newest ambassador, Ning Xi. Wee, Miss Ning!"

    Introduced by the host so passionately, Ning Xi, who had been sitting quietly in a corner where no one noticed, stood up slowly.

    Director Cook was unusually enthusiastic and had walked down the stage personally, bowing like a gentleman to Ning Xi before offering his hand to help her on stage.

 Chapter 733: Definitely Something To Watch!

    <h4>Chapter 733: Definitely Something To Watch!</h4>

    Now, there was no room for further doubts. Noble''s ambassador this time around was Ning Xi, there was no mistake about that.

    "This is so unexpected! Who knew that the secret ambassador is actually the actress who yed Meng Changge, Miss Ning! Thepetition was very tight this time around and I believe many excellent artistes participated in the audition. I wonder why Director Cook had chosen Ning Xi?"

    "During the initial auditions, I saw that Meng Changge had the kind of elegance and pride that our brand needs!" Cook answered proudly.

    "Ning Xi, could you tell us what you understand about fragrance?" the reporter turned to Ning Xi and asked.

    "Fragrance is the most direct and most invasive scent on a person. A person''s taste of their surroundings is enhanced through fragrance and it will not go unnoticed. For a woman, men might not remember what you might have worn today, they might even forget how you look! But they will definitely remember how you smelt. People''s memories of scent stay in their minds for a while!" Ning Xi answered easily without having any stage fright or nervousness facing so many reporters and all the big shots of the industry in the same room.

    The press conference continued without any hups. Everyone''s eyes were on Ning Xi. No one noticed that through the door in the back, two people had arrivedte.

    Ning Xueluo looked slightly helplessly at Li Yueling, who had dragged her along to the event. Even though she had received the invitation, she naturally decided not toe to avoid feeling ufortable because she already knew that Ning Xi was the ambassador.

    She thought that Li Yueling would definitely not attend the function too. Who''d have known that she not only wanted toe but had also dragged her along?

    "Xueluo, believe me, just watch! There will be something to watch!" Li Yueling looked slyly at Ning Xi who was getting all the attention on stage.

    That was hers¡­

    All those gasps and amazed stares should have been all hers but it had been shamelessly snatched away by this woman!

    Ning Xueluo looked at Li Yueling''s determined gaze and felt unassured. However, since Li Yueling wanted to mess with Ning Xi herself, she just followed her to take a seat and prepared to watch whatever unfolded before her.

    Hah! She did not even have to personally do anything to defeat Ning Xi.

    At that moment, Liang Biqin, who was fuming, had noticed Liang Biqin''s arrival. Her eyes twinkled and she quickly turned to her to say softly, "Li Yueling! You''re here too!"

    Li Yueling nodded slightly. She usually was not friendly towards Glory World''s artiste, but she just let it be for reputation''s sake. Besides, her attention had been drawn towards the stage at that moment and she did not have the mood to make small talk.

    Yet, Liang Biqin could not help but ask, "Aren''t you Noble''s ambassador? How did it change to be Ning Xi?"

    Li Yueling frowned. Her expression was dark as she replied vaguely, "At first, I thought I was the chosen one too, but¡­nevermind!"

    When she heard this, Liang Biqin and the female artistes around them felt like something was odd.

    Why did Li Yueling''s words sound so weird? What did she mean when she said that she thought it was her too?

    Liang Biqin suddenly got excited at the prospect of some internal strife.

    The reporters were still going on with their question and answer session. Suddenly, a reporter asked harshly, "As everyone knows, thepetition for Noble''s ambassadorship was very tight this time around. Based on those few girls whom I know had participated, they are all the industry''s finest and most elite female artistes, even including movie stars like Fang Xiaowen and top artistes like Meng Shiyi! Why did Director Cook choose a less-than-famous Ning Xi to be the ambassador based on one clip from ''The World''?"

 Chapter 734: Fighting Back With Capability

    <h4>Chapter 734: Fighting Back With Capability</h4>

    When they heard this question, everyone present had a stunned expression on their faces, their thoughts immediately straying towards the possibility of an ambiguous rtionship¡­

    The reporter paused, then added, "Before this, I received insider information that the ambassadorship had been decided to be awarded to Starlight''s Miss Li Yueling. Why did it suddenly changed to Ning Xi? Was there some kind of an immoral exchange in between?"

    The reporter''s words were already very tant, every word was aimed to use that Ning Xi had surpassed Li Yueling through unspoken rules!

    Instantly, the crowd started to buzz!

    Su Yimo, who had initially suppressed her annoyance, rxed slightly.

    Liang Biqin looked excited and almost bounced in her seat. "I knew it was like this!"

    In the backseat, Li Yueling crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Ning Xueluo delightedly. It was obvious that she had arranged that reporter as a mole.

    "Let''s pose this question to Director Cook and Miss Ning Xi to answer all of us," the reporter craftily said towards Ning Xi.

    Everyone''s lenses and eyes were focused on Ning Xi, either out of excitement or out of the need for gossip. They attempted to catch her distressed and embarrassed emotions.

    Yet, facing such serious usations in such a sudden situation, Ning Xi''s expression had not budged. Instead, she took over the microphone and look coldly towards the reporter who had instigated her and fearlessly said, "You''re right, I admit that thepetition this time was indeed very intense. When I found out that I had passed through the initial selection from my manager, I was pleasantly surprised myself.

    "To this reporter, I would like to ask, with such intensepetition and my going through the normal audition to be selected, is there a causation effect? Do you think that because thepetition was intense, I definitely shouldn''t have gotten through the auditions?

    "Other than that, I wonder who you got such inside information from? Based on some feeble info, you used me of such a serious action like immoral means. Do you think it''s appropriate?

    If the person sitting here today wasn''t me and was someone else, could I use such an unreasonable reason based on inside information to question them?"

    Ning Xi threw the three questions one after another, each one harsher than the previous. The reporter was rendered speechless.

    That reporter looked embarrassed, then said with an unyielding tone, "As a reporter, we have the right to question logically and discover the truth for the public! Besides, everyone saw your and Director Cook''s ambiguous intimacy earlier!"

    "Huh, ambiguous intimacy? It was just a normal hug between friends and colleagues but you think that was ambiguous? Do you know the saying that the eyes see what the heart thinks? Are you executing your rights or are you using it to defame and nder?" Ning Xi asked.

    "You''re twisting the truth!" the reporter said as he suddenly smiled cunningly, then he took out a stack of pictures from his bag to distribute among everyone present, including Ning Xi and Cook.

    "I have evidence! These pictures¡­how do you exin them?"

    Ning Xi looked at the pictures. They were some behind-the-scenes interaction from when she had shot the advertisement in Country M with Cook.

    However, the angle the photographer had taken the shot from was very peculiar. Cook was only emotionally patting her shoulder, but from that angle, it looked like they were hugging closely. In fact, some of the photos even looked like they were kissing¡­

    Instantly, all the guests and reporters present were agitated and they all looked at Ning Xi in disgust.

    "I thought the auditions would be very fair. Who knew a big shot like this would have scandals too?"

    "How embarrassing!"

    ¡­

    At the same, when everyone was distracted, Ling Zhizhi had already quietly found the director''s assistant backstage and whispered something into her ear before passing her a USB sh drive.

 Chapter 735: Tables Turned

    <h4>Chapter 735: Tables Turned</h4>

    The assistant nodded, then walked towards Cook who was on stage. At that moment, Cook looked miserable when he heard what the assistant whispered to him. He hesitated, then looked at Ning Xi and suddenly set his mouth in a determined line.

    He nodded at his assistant and solemnly skimmed the crowd before contemting on his reply to the reporter. "Originally, the auditions, including the process of our shoot, is confidential but since everyone has such suspicions¡­"

    Then, he signaled to the assistant who understood and immediately put the USB into theputer. Everyone thought that Cook had just been forced to disclose the audition process, so they instantly looked at the screen in excitement.

    The room on the screen was obviously the audition room and that girl seen in it was actually Li Yueling! Li Yueling wore an elegant vintage Chinese cheongsam, while she sat there ying the Guqin. Her entire person exuded a noble elegance; it was so perfect without any w to pick on. When they saw this, the public felt that the reporter''s words rang true.

    "Li Yueling''s performance is spectacr! That was practically unsurpassable!"

    "Exactly! There''s obviously some inside job going on here!"

    ¡­

    Then, before the discussions stopped, Ning Xi who donned a grey and dull dress walked in on the screen. The scene started with Cook''s loud insults towards Ning Xi, scolding her for her dressing which seemed disrespectful to them.

    "Indeed! The original ambassador was supposed to be Li Yueling!"

    "Direction Cook hated Ning Xi right from the start! How did he decide that she would be the ambassadorter on?"

    "This is so obvious now! Definitely using some scandalous methods!"

    The crowd looked at each other, thinking the same thoughts without explicitly voicing them out.

    However, the next scene shocked everyone speechless, just as it did to Cook in the audition room.

    Ning Xi sat at ease in front of the Guqin and unexpectedly yed an extremely difficult, Guang Lin San.

    "I believe that true elegance and nobility is not just by donning the name of luxurious brands. It is neither to show off the expensive essories on hand nor to boast about your own beauty and educational qualifications. True nobility is, even if dressed in ragged clothes and messy hair, not being able to conceal the aristocratic charisma within¡­"

    Until Ning Xi''s definition of true nobility was spoken out loud, everyone off-stage had yet to return to their senses.

    Simply amazing!!! Noble''s advertisement''s spectacr creativity had unexpectedly originated from Ning Xi''s audition! Still, the screeny had not yet ended!

    The screen continued to y the highlights from the advertisement shoot. Everyone could see that the pictures the reporter had shown them had been intentionally shot from an ambiguous angle. In reality, the two of them were interacting normally without any hanky-panky. The behind-the-scenes video proved that there were no ambiguities.

    Finally, an audition form was zoomed in on the final scene. On the sheet, all those who had signed up to participate had their names on it and beside it was the list for those who were shortlisted.

    The list had both Liang Biqin and Ning Xueluo''s names¡­

    Liang Biqin was initially only slightly disappointed that she did not ruin Ning Xi. To her utmost shock, she saw her name on the list.

    At the same time, the female artistes next to Liang Biqin looked at her in surprise. She had signed up after all but had been eliminated. However, for the sake of saving her face, she had said she did not even audition¡­

    Of course, there was another person who looked worse offpared to Liang Biqin.

    Li Yueling never would have thought that Ning Xi had done such extensive preparations to counter any scandals and that Cook would expose the audition process for her sake. Just as she was almost stomping her feet in frustration about this, she saw the name list at the end.

    On the name list was Ning Xueluo¡­

 Chapter 736: Its Not Suitable For Children

    <h4>Chapter 736: It''s Not Suitable For Children</h4>

    Didn''t Ning Xueluo say that she had not signed up at all because she didn''t want to fight with her and had intentionally let her go ahead?

    "Xueluo, you¡­you registered? I thought you said you didn''t¡­"

    It never urred to Ning Xueluo that her biggest worry would happen. She put on a miserable face as she pretended to say, "I''m curious too! I did tell Sis Chang that I didn''t want to register, but maybe she had too many things on hand and missed out on my message!"

    "Is that so¡­?" Li Yueling was slightly doubtful.

    However, even if Ning Xueluo imed so, it could not change the fact that she had indeed been eliminated in the first round. Initially, she had thought the charismatic Ning Xueluo would be her biggestpetitor. Who''d have guessed that she had actually been eliminated in the first round?

    Now, Noble''sunch press conference hade to an end. The reporters surrounded Ning Xueluo in a flurry¡­

    Because Ning Xueluo was the most famous name on the eliminated name list, all the reporters naturally targeted her.

    "Oh, Xueluo, you participated in the Noble auditions too but you were eliminated and you even lost to your junior! How do you feel about this?"

    "Xueluo, Noble''s theme is elegance. Does this mean that Director Cook thinks you''re not suitable for their brand''s theme and thus, you do not have an elegant charisma?"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo stared at Ning Xi who was being heaped with praises not too far away and stabbed her fingernails into her palm while pretending to maintain herposure and answered the reporters, "For the auditions this time, I had no intentions to join and I did not know about it either. It was probably my manager who had casually helped me register, so I''m not too sure what happened either¡­sorry!"

    She was obviously trying to imply she had simply participated without any care or preparation at all. However, how many of them would believe her words was another story¡­

    Liang Biqin was secretly relieved that Ning Xueluo had been swarmed by the reporters, distracting them away from her. She was afraid that she would be targeted, so she quickly ran off sneakily.

    Li Yueling was such a burden!

    It was a good thing that even Ning Xueluo had been eliminated too so that her being eliminated did not look too bad either¡­

    On the other end of the room, Ning Xi left with Ling Zhizhi after passionately bidding Director Cook farewell.

    In the car, Ning Xi happily hugged and kissed Ling Zhizhi''s cheeks. "Sis Zhizhi, you''re awesome! You actually prepared all of that beforehand!"

    Ling Zhizhi smiled as she shrugged. "It was my backup n. It''s a good thing that you improvised well, so I could follow your reaction flow to do execute all that. If your reaction had been slightly off, we could have handled it badly!"

    Ning Xiughed. "We are the best partners!"

    Ling Zhizhi chuckled too. "Rest well when you get home. You still have to prepare for your new show next!"

    "Mmm, okay!"

    When she got home, Ning Xi ate and cleaned herself up before lying down in bedfortably. Just as she was engrossed in a book about film theories, there was a knock on her door.

    Who could it be at this hour?

    Ning Xi opened the door and saw Lu Tingxiao standing in front of her, wearing a ck windbreaker and bringing in some cold air from the outside.

    Ning Xi instantly hugged him, overjoyed, and said, "Big Boss, you''re here!"

    Then, she looked behind him before asking, "Eh? Where''s Little Treasure?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied matter-of-factly with a poker face, "I didn''t bring him."

    "Uhh¡­why?"

    "It''s not suitable for children," said Lu Tingxiao, before he hugged her by the waist and entered.

    Bam! The door closed with Ning Xi''s back against the door and the man holding the curve of the base of her skull, they started a round of intense kisses¡­

 Chapter 737: Or Elseâ€¦I Can Help You?

    <h4>Chapter 737: Or Else¡­I Can Help You?</h4>

    Mmm¡­a devil that has been removed of its chains¡­is really passionate¡­

    Ning Xi had already changed into soft and warm fuzzy pajamas. Lu Tingxiao''s hand lightly slipped through her gown, feathering her slim waist and finding its way up to envelope that tender curve¡­

    Because Lu Tingxiao palm was still cold from the chilly air outside, Ning Xi''s body involuntarily shuddered. She was not sure whether it was the cold or the sudden stimtion that caused her to react that way.

    "Cold?" Lu Tingxiao pulled his hand away immediately.

    In her fuzzy pajamas with her hairzily tumbling in all the right ces, she exuded a sense ofzy domestication, making her look so soft, warm and sweet that made him lose control bit by bit¡­

    Besides¡­

    Today was the fourth day of their rtionship! They had survived more than half of what people called that "deadly one week".

    Those few days, he did not know how he had returned home each time. He was floating in between extreme happiness and despair. He had thought of many ways before to make her stay every time. He could not even bear to have her leave him for even one second, yet he had still chosen to go with her flow.

    As Ning Xi was snuggled in his embrace, she noticed that somewhere below his belly there was a stream of heat and she felt something hard. While her chest seemed to have the lingering imprints of the man''s strength and his slightly rough hands, he could not help but blush.

    It was just a kiss and there was already a reaction? In fact, this was not the first time¡­

    Damn it, next time whoever said that Lu Tingxiao was not tempted by seduction would get pped!

    "Did today go smoothly?" Lu Tingxiao asked, some seductive hoarseness in his tone.

    Ning Xi little face beamed as she nodded. "There were some slight bumps but we resolved them already."

    She noticed that Lu Tingxiao was controlling his breath as he hugged her, clearly trying to suppress his emotions. Ning Xi looked up from his chest and blinked to look at him, before weakly saying, "Umm¡­the nurse already said that it''s not good for your body to suppress it in¡­the nurse also said that you can resolve it without doing it¡­or else¡­I¡­can help you?"

    The moment she said, the little beast that Lu Tingxiao had suppressed with all his might, instantly sprung up at Ning Xi''s words.

    Lu Tingxiaoy down and kissed the girl''s forehead, his tone significantly calmer. "There''s no need."

    "Why not?" He was already so tense¡­

    "Because I can''t bear to." Can''t bear to force her to do anything she did not want to do.

    Ning Xi sighed lightly, "Alright¡­actually, I previously might have¡­been slightly defensive towards men¡­but¡­Big Boss¡­"

    Just as the two were speaking, the doorbell suddenly rang.

    Ning Xi looked outside through the peephole and instantly felt like a cat who had its tail stepped on, leaping. "My God! Sis Zhizhi! Why would shee over at this hour? Aaaaaah! What to do?! What to do?!"

    The doorbell kept ringing as Ning Xi pushed Lu Tingxiao, trying to find a hiding ce for him. She was super anxious. Atst, she pushed him into the bathroom. However, she was still not assured and pulled the shower curtain for him to hide in the bathtub.

    When she saw the devil''s face darken due to having his long legs and arms cramped inside the bathtub, Ning Xi gave him a big kiss on the lips and caressed his handsome face. "Sorry, sorry! You have to be miserable for a while, I''ll be done really soon!"

 Chapter 738: Dont You Think Its Very Exciting?

    <h4>Chapter 738: Don''t You Think It''s Very Exciting?</h4>

    The devil still looked very unhappy.

    Ning Xi hardened her resolve and leaned over him to kiss him on the lips again. "My dear, we''re just dating but it feels like we''re cheating. Don''t you think it''s very exciting?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s gaze darkened further as he pulled her head down to kiss her hard.

    This beast! Wasn''t she being too confident about his self-restraint?

    Ning Xi was panicked by the incessant doorbell ringing as she tousled the guy''s hair to console him patiently. "Mmm¡­okay, okay¡­if we continue, I''ll be exposed. No, no. Not here! Don''t bite!"

    Lu Tingxiao was panting slightly as he restrained himself from the impulse of leaving any marks on her.

    "Coming,ing!" Ning Xi called out as she whispered into Lu Tingxiao''s ear, "Be good, I''lle back to help youter¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao stiffened immediately.

    Ning Xi looked at him quietly with eyes as clear as a reflectiveke. "What I didn''t finish saying earlier was that¡­Big Boss, despite all that, you''re different, you''re special!"

    Then, without a care for whatever waves her words had caused in Lu Tingxiao''s heart, she ran off to the living room to open the door for Ling Zhizhi.

    She looked around to see if she had left any traces of his presence as she poured a drink for Ling Zhizhi.

    Ling Zhizhi took the cup with a serious expression. "Don''t busy yourself. Sit down. I came over suddenly because I have something to tell you."

    Ning Xi observed Ling Zhizhi''s expression and asked, "Bad news?"

    "Nevermind," Ling Zhizhi paused, then said, "Didn''t you take fancy to a script thest time?"

    "Yeah! It''s called ''I Only Like You''. It''s the one where the girl dresses up as a guy. What''s wrong? Is there an issue?" Ning Xi asked quickly.

    "Initially, there were still a few days of auditions for this show and the director also agreed to let you have a go earlier. But just now, I just received news that the other party has directly decided on Liang Biqin as the female lead!"

    "What?" Ning Xi frowned. "Is it confirmed?"

    Ling Zhizhi nodded. "Yes, when I called to ask, they said that the contract has even been signed. Otherwise, I would definitely have helped you fight for it."

    "So soon¡­" Ning Xi was very disappointed.

    It was like saving up enough money to buy a much anticipated toy, yet just when she had saved up a piggy bank full of money, the toy had been bought by someone else with a 100 dor bill.

    At the same time at a certain bar in Imperial, happy vibes were all around.

    "Thank you, Director Zheng and Producer Qian. Please take care of Biqin!"

    "Thank you, Director. Thank you, Producer Qian and thank you, cousin. I will definitely work hard!" Liang Biqin said emotionally.

    "It''s nothing. Miss Liang, you have the capabilities. We are just strengthening this alliance!"

    "Exactly! Besides, Goddess Su has helped us pulled so many big shot cameos. Our show will have one of the history''s strongest artiste appearances and will definitely sell well. That''s profit in the bank!"

    Liang Biqin served the director some alcohol as she asked, "I heard that Ling Zhizhi also contacted you. It seems like someone''s interested to fight for this character too."

    "Yes, they contacted me about half a month ago saying that they were very interested in our show. I just agreed to let Ning Xi audition. Actually, I was just casually agreeing to it, but Ning Xi will not suit our show''s female lead, no matter what!"

 Chapter 739: Wait For Me A While More, Okay?

    <h4>Chapter 739: Wait For Me A While More, Okay?</h4>

    The smaller artistes apanying Liang Biqin on the side instantly started to echo.

    "How shameless that she tried to get close just by looking at how big the budget and the drama crew is without reflecting on how she looks! She thinks that just because she''s pretty, she can ept any show?"

    "Exactly, she looks so gaudy. If she dressed as a man, how weird would that be?"

    "She is only suitable for the role of the vixen!"

    The director held Liang Biqin''s hand and touched it meaningfully while smiling. "Biqin still fits what I want best!"

    Rumors had it that Su Yimo was the woman of the CEO of Lu Group, so he naturally dared not touch her. But this little cousin of hers¡­if things were mutually consensual, he could mess around with her a little.

    When Liang Biqin received the director''s hint, she was naturally happy to be associated with a big director like him, so sheughed. "And I thank the director for his love!"

    Su Yimo was happy to watch the two of them flirt. Director Zheng was a reputable director and if Liang Biqin could hook up with him, she would definitely benefit in the future.

    She had spent so much effort to help Liang Biqin because her kind of shows was different from hers, so there would not be a conflict of interest. At the same time, she needed a strong assistant. In fact, for asions like these that needed apanying and courtesy, she couldfortably leave it all to her¡­

    ¡­

    In the apartment.

    "So far, this show already has sixty million dors in investment. For an idol drama to have sixty million dors in investment is quite rare in the industry. The drama team also invited many big shots within the industry. Even someone who carried soya sauce in the scene is an A-lister cameo, that means so many people are just there to match one female lead. With such a line-up, thepetition would obviously be intense. One would not get the part just for acting skills and suitability. Based on your current work experience, I''m afraid that you are slightlycking¡­"

    "Sis Zhizhi, I understand."

    Even though Ning Xi was reluctant, she could not deny that she was a rookie who had only acted as a supporting actress. It was tough for her to get the female lead role for her second drama, especially with such a strong line-up and so much money invested in it.

    Modern dramas were different from ancient day dramas. Based on the current market, sixty million in investment was already very shocking.

    Liang Biqin''s recently released movie and drama had pretty good feedback. In fact, she was the female lead in both of them, plus she was already an A-lister. Besides, she had Su Yimo''s strong support, so it was entirely logical for the directing team to decide on her.

    Ning Xi and Ling Zhizhi discussed this for quite a while beforeing up with a conclusion. Since the contract had already been signed and it was already spilled milk, there was definitely no use crying over it.

    As they spoke, Ning Xi noticed something¡­

    Oh, no!!! She seemed to have forgotten something¡­

    She had forgotten the devil!!!

    "Ugh, I''ve got a stomach ache! Sis Zhizhi, let me run to the toilet for a bit! Wait for me for a while!" As Ning Xi ran towards the bathroom, she also picked up some junk food, a bottle of mineral water, and a book when Ling Zhizhi was not noticing.

    When she entered the bathroom, Ning Xi immediately pulled opened the shower curtain.

    Lu Tingxiao sat in the tub hugging his knees. When he saw her appear, he revealed a sad expression as if he was a king being imprisoned by an evil witch!!!

    Oh, dear!

    Ning Xi tossed all the food, water, and the book into the tub, then put a leg into the tub to move into the devil''s embrace, looking to please him. "It''s my fault! My fault! We''ll finish talking really soon. You eat some things and read first. Just wait for me a while more, okay?"

 Chapter 740: Or Do You Want Toâ€¦Stay Here?

    <h4>Chapter 740: Or Do You Want To¡­Stay Here?</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao then asked, "How long more?"

    Ning Xi pondered. "Ten¡­no, five minutes! I''ll be very quick!"

    Then, because she was afraid Ling Zhizhi would be anxiously waiting, she quickly got up and prepared to leave. Because the tub was too slippery, she lost her footing and fell into Lu Tingxiao''s arms again.

    "Aiyo! Lu Tingxiao, what''s that that''s so hard on you?"

    Lu Tingxiao grunted from her weight falling onto him and then stopped her hand that kept feeling around. He then said through gritted teeth, "What do you think?"

    "It''s¡­it can''t be¡­still in an upward position since just now, can it?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s gaze was like theva from an apocalyptic volcano, staring at her with heated eyes. The answer was already very obvious.

    "You''re different"¡­

    "You''re special"¡­

    "Wait for me, I''lle back to help you"¡­

    Obviously, this brat did not realize what these words that she had simply thrown out had meant to him.

    Simply put, the effect those words had on him was the same as a strong Viagra!

    So, the entire she had been talking to Ling Zhizhi outside, his body had been boiling and fired up¡­

    Ning Xi looked guilty, then she quickly escaped the tub before the devil went crazy. She ran towards the door as she whispered, "Be good, be good, wait for me!"

    Thosest three words she actually directed towards the area three inches below Lu Tingxiao''s belly button¡­

    She returned to the living room.

    Ning Xi felt like she was over the audition she missed out on, so she just said to Ling Zhizhi, "Sis Zhizhi, it''s okay. I didn''t think this through. I liked this script too much initially and wanted to fight for it, of course, I also prepared for everything. Since this turned out this way, I will just choose another script. It''s not that big of a deal."

    The entertainment industry was such; not everything would be smooth sailing and Ning Xi had very quickly regained her spirits.

    When Ling Zhizhi saw that she was not too affected, she instantly breathed a sigh of relief. "Also, you don''t have to rush now. You have just finished this tiring period of promotions. Rest well for the next few days before you take on another show. I will arrange some variety shows and interviews for you. Here are some details, see if anything sparks your interest."

    "Okay, thank you, Sis Zhizhi!"

    After they bade farewell and just as she was prepared to send Ling Zhizhi away, her guest suddenly stood up and said, "Ning Xi, I''d like to borrow your toilet for a while."

    Ning Xi immediately shouted, "You can''t!"

    "Why not?" Ling Zhizhi asked curiously.

    Ning Xi quickly thought an answer and exined, "I just realized the toilet is blocked!"

    "Then, I''ll go downstairs to use the public toilet!"

    "Okay, okay!"

    ¡­

    She finally sent Ling Zhizhi away safely. Ning Xi was about to copse in exhaustion.

    Hah, breaking promises dide with a price to pay! She had really given her all to this rtionship!

    Yet, her ordeal had not yet ended. There was a still a whiny devil that needed her coaxing!

    "I''m back!" Ning Xi quickly hopped into the bathroom and pulled open the shower curtain. "Big Boss! Quickly get out! Sis Zhizhi is gone!"

    Then, she scratched her head and asked, "Uh, or do you want to¡­stay here?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s answer was the hurl of his long arm, immediately pulling her into the tub by her waist and trapping her in his embrace. In an oddly coarse voice, he managed to say, "Here."

 Chapter 741: Good News Indeed

    <h4>Chapter 741: Good News Indeed</h4>

    "Oh, okay¡­"

    Ning Xi had been feeling alright just now but she was a little nervous now, unsure of where to put her hands. "Um, Boss¡­can you wait for me a while?"

    Lu Tingxiao stayed silent.

    She looked into Lu Tingxiao¡¯s fiery eyes. "I just wanted to check on how this works¡­"

    How embarrassing! She acted like she was a know-it-all just now. She intended to get away with it now but her mind went nk. She needed to be recharged!

    The next moment, there was a metal nking sound. It was the sound of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s metal belt as he was taking it off. In that narrow space, it worked as a catalyst, warning her of what was about to unfold.

    Lu Tingxiao felt like he would never let her go. He pressed her hand on his bulge, his sweat bing hot on Ning Xi¡¯s tender fingers. The heating from him could almost melt her skin and his voice sounded deeper than usual. "You don¡¯t have to check, I¡¯ll teach you¡­"

    With her palms directly touching his manhood, Ning Xi felt like her hands were on fire. In the end, she was rooted to the spot and barely made any movement of her own will, the devil initiating the whole process by moving her hands in the way he had so longed for them to¡­

    After some time¡­

    Lu Tingxiao used a hot towel and carefully wiped the girl¡¯s hands. "Are you alright?"

    Ning Xi found her tongue and said in a troubled voice, "My hands are tired!"

    Her legs were already injured and now her hands were almost out ofmission as well¡­

    Well, she did offer to help! She had underestimated the devil¡¯s power.

    How naive of her!

    She was suddenly afraid of what would happen when she actually got round to doing it¡­

    "I¡¯m sorry." Lu Tingxiao kissed her forehead gently.

    He lookedzily at her like a beast that had just finished his delicious meal. Despite his outward coldness, there was a slight sense of sensuality about him and he was much more seductive than usual. Ning Xi was dumbfounded¡­

    Damn! The devil was just too beautiful! This was the upgraded version of him!

    She suddenly felt that it might not have been so bad to sacrifice a hand for this after all! It would be a pleasure for anyone to die in the arms of such a beauty¡­

    Lu Tingxiao held Ning Xi in his arms and moved her to the bed as hey down right next to her and spoke to her, not letting go of her. "Why did Ling Zhizhie?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s expression darkened a little. "It was some bad news for me but might be good to you. Do you remember the script that I liked a lot and spent quite some time to convince you to let me cast in?"

    "I remember."

    "I didn¡¯t get it. You didn¡¯t want me to act in it, did you?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded slightly. "Mmm."

    Good news indeed.

    There were too many dangerous scenes in the script. Although stunt doubles could be used, Ning Xi was sure to volunteer to perform them personally.

    Ning Xi red at the man. She felt that the devil must really possess magical powers.

    She remembered Lu Tingxiao telling her, "You¡¯ve only convinced me now. If you failed the audition, I won''t help you, understood?"

    What happened was way worse. She did not even get to audition.

 Chapter 742: Single, Torturing Devil Lu Tingxiao

    <h4>Chapter 742: Single, Torturing Devil Lu Tingxiao</h4>

    Looking at the disappointment on her face, Lu Tingxiao ran his fingers through her hair, reassuring her, "You¡¯ll find something better."

    Ning Xi took his words as just an obligatoryfort. She still felt regretful not being able to participate in the audition. Actually, even if she was given the chance to audition, she might fail if they prepared an action scene. With the current leg injury, she would not pass for sure! Too bad for her!

    She hoped that the devil¡¯s words woulde true and that she could find something better¡­

    Sensing her unhappiness, Lu Tingxiao said in a gentle tone, "I¡¯ll take you out on a date tomorrow."

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes twinkled brightly. "Really? What are we doing? Horse riding, skiing, parachuting, or shooting practice?"

    Lu Tingxiao stared at her quietly. "Looking at sceneries."

    Ning Xi went silent.

    Sceneries¡­sceneries¡­Ning Xi¡¯s face was full of dread¡­

    "Okay, as long as I¡¯m together with you, Boss, it¡¯ll be fun even if we¡¯re just watching TV together!" Ning Xi optimistically went along. She was lucky she even got a chance to go out!

    "Okay, rest earlier. I¡¯lle and get you tomorrow morning."

    ¡®Alright, good night!"

    On the way back, while Lu Tingxiao was driving, his phone rang.

    Lu Tingxiao saw Mo Lingtian''s name sh on the screen. He put on his Bluetooth earphone and picked up the phone. "Hello."

    An excited voice came through. "Lu Tingxiao, we¡¯re having a singles'' party tomorrow. Only close friends are invited. Want to join us?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied without even considering, "No."

    "Ziyao just came back. Just take this as a wee party for her," Mo Lingtian persuaded.

    "Next time."

    This week was critical for him. He could not waste his time on meaningless things.

    Mo Lingtian did not give up his persistence. "There¡¯s going to be a lot of prettydies here! There are some that look simr to that Xi chick! Some are even prettier than her! You don¡¯t have to just stick to one tree. Just change your target!"

    "No."

    Mo Lingtian was frustrated. "You¡¯re really noting!? I¡¯ve told them that you¡¯de! What have you been doing at home all day? Don¡¯t tell me you need to work. There isn¡¯t much going on in yourpanytely!"

    After Mo Lingtian finished his rant, Lu Tingxiao replied, "Your theme doesn¡¯t suit me."

    "What do you mean? The theme doesn¡¯t suit you?" Mo Lingtian was confused.

    "I¡¯m not single."

    Mo Lingtian was speechless.

    After a brief moment of silence, a thunderous roar came through the phone, "What!? Lu Tingxiao! You found yourself a girlfriend without telling me?! So much for being friends! You traitor!"

    Mo Lingtian wished he could burn Lu Tingxiao alive right then!

    It had only been a few months since he heard Lu Tingxiao had someone he liked and even then, he already felt he was hallucinating. Now, the unthinkable had happened! Lu Tingxiao personally told him that he got a girlfriend!

    The legendary single man Lu Tingxiao left the rank of the singles! Mo Lingtian was at a loss!

    Mo Lingtian spoke hurtfully, "You have toe tomorrow! Bring her over! And you can introduce her to everyone. I can¡¯t possibly be the only one stung by this news!"

    Obviously, thest sentence was the main point.

    "I¡¯m not avable tomorrow."

    "Don¡¯t lie to me! What are you going to do?"

    "I''ll be out dating."

    Mo Lingtian had no words.

 Chapter 743: Lu Tingxiao, Do I Look Cute?

    <h4>Chapter 743: Lu Tingxiao, Do I Look Cute?</h4>

    The next morning, Lu Tingxiao went over to fetch Ning Xi. Seeing the girl standing by the entrance, his expressionless face became warmer.

    Ning Xi usually wore casual outfits and sometimes even manly outfits. However, today she wore a fluffy pink dress with a thick, white down hooded jacket. Her slightly wavy hair had been straightened and she wore the pink heart-shaped crystal hairpin Little Treasure had given her. She even had a pair of pink boots with rabbit ears on her feet¡­

    In a nutshell, she looked exactly like an obedient little bunny!

    "You¡­" Because this outfit contrasted greatly with her personality, Lu Tingxiao had no words to describe her.

    Ning Xi hopped over and clung onto Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arm. "Lu Tingxiao, do I look cute?"

    Lu Tingxiao coughed lightly, his gaze focused on the girl¡¯s cherry pink lips. "Cute indeed. Why did you suddenly dress this way?"

    "Mmm, it¡¯s our first official date. Of course, I¡¯m going to dress up!"

    She sure dressed up well¡­

    After they went down, Cheng Feng opened the door, bbergasted when he saw the "little bunny" beside Lu Tingxiao!

    What the heck!?

    Was something wrong with thedy boss today?

    Her outfit was so cute! So cute and girlish! It was nothing like her at all! People who did not know her would definitely be charmed by her but those who did would be shocked!

    Cheng Feng was thetter. He calmed himself down and drove the car to Lu Tingxiao¡¯s private flying strip.

    Ning Xi looked at the helicopter in front of them in amazement. "We¡¯re taking a flight? Where are we going?"

    "You¡¯ll see soon." Lu Tingxiao carefully helped her up the helicopter.

    After 20 minutes, theynded on an open grass area. A private car weed them as they touched down. The drive was very luxurious andfortable, the sceneries along the way soothing to sight.

    On the journey, Ning Xi saw the facilities here. There was a golf course, a horse paddock, hot springs, a shooting range, and even a ski track¡­

    She loved everything here!

    Lu Tingxiao saw her face sticking to the window in excitement and he gently put her head on his shoulder.

    Ning Xi pulled on his sleeve and looked up at him with sparkly eyes. "Boss, it looks really fun here. Are we really only here for the scenery?

    "Mmm."

    "¡­Lu Tingxiao, did you hear that?"

    "What?"

    "The sound of my heart breaking."

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    Seeing the girl¡¯s disappointment, Lu Tingxiao sighed to the driver, "Go to the horse paddock."

    Ning Xi was brimming with excitement. Horse riding! She loved horse riding!

    After arriving, Ning Xi looked at the stables excitedly. She wanted to get on the wildest horse!

    There was already a group of people at the stables and the owner was helping them to select their horses to ride.

    Suddenly, one of the good-looking guys from the group stared in their direction. "Wow! Lu Tingxiao!"

 Chapter 744: Lu Tingxiao Has A Girlfriend?

    <h4>Chapter 744: Lu Tingxiao Has A Girlfriend?</h4>

    As he saw the man and the bunch of people, Lu Tingxiao was put in an awkward position. He did not expect Mo Lingtian to organize their gathering here of all ces¡­

    "What? Mo Lingtian, who did you just mention?"

    "Lu Tingxiao? Where is he? Isn¡¯t he noting today?"

    "Ah! It really is Lu Tingxiao!"

    Mo Lingtian¡¯s yell was followed by the gaze of the bunch of people, all turning to look at Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi. Then, they saw the cool andposed Lu Tingxiao in his ck suit with a girl in a fluffy pink dress.

    What¡­what was that¡­?

    What was happening? The girl was clinging onto Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arms like a little bunny! Everyone was dumbfounded by what they saw!

    Ning Xi was confused by the sudden attention from so many people. She blinked her eyes and pulled herself even closer into the devil¡¯s arms.

    Lu Tingxiao ran his fingers through the girl¡¯s hair.

    Mo Lingtian¡¯s mouth twitched, then he turned around and told his friends, "Didn¡¯t you guys ask me why Lu Tingxiao wasn¡¯ting today? Here we have it, this is the reason. The bastard betrayed us! He has a girlfriend!"

    "What!? What did you just said Mo Lingtian? Lu Tingxiao has a girlfriend?"

    "How is this possible?!"

    "Are you sure she¡¯s not his sister or something?"

    ¡­

    "Sister? I don¡¯t ever recall my cousin having a sister!"

    A girl quickly went up to Lu Tingxiao, studying Ning Xi carefully. "Cousin, this is¡­?"

    "Your future cousin-inw," Lu Tingxiao casually announced. He then introduced the girl to Ning Xi, "This is my cousin, Lu Xinyan."

    "Hello!" Ning Xi greeted.

    However, Lu Xinyan did not seem very friendly, so Ning Xi did not bother to be very weing either.

    Lu Xinyan stammered in surprise, "My¡­my future cousin-inw? She¡¯s really your girlfriend?"

    Why would he have some weak girlish bunny as his girlfriend? She could not understand Lu Tingxiao¡¯s taste.How could he actually like this kind of woman!?

    At that moment, a girl came up behind Lu Xinyan. She was dressed in a ck riding suit with a whip on her hips. With a pair of sleek boots, her cool outlook matched the fine ck horse right beside her.

    She stood in front of Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi, staring at Ning Xi, then looking at Lu Tingxiao. "Long time no see, Tingxiao."

    Ning Xi stared back at this woman, her tingling sixth sense instantly ringing warning bells in her head that this woman was bad news!

    Lu Tingxiao had no change in expression as he replied calmly, "Wee back."

    The woman looked at Ning Xi with a pressuring gaze, "Why don¡¯t you introduce us?"

    "My girlfriend, Ning Xi." He looked at Ning Xi and inclined his head slightly. "Guan Ziyao."

    Only a name, no other introduction.

    Ning Xi put up on an innocent expression and greeted Guan Ziyao. "Hello."

    She just stuck to Lu Tingxiao and spoke as little as possible. Together with her dressing, her personality had also totally changed into a little bunny.

    Although Lu Tingxiao knew the girl¡¯s obedience was part of her act, his heart melted and his gaze at her was much more gentle than usual.

 Chapter 745: Stop Mocking Us Single People

    <h4>Chapter 745: Stop Mocking Us Single People</h4>

    After they heard the confirmation from Lu Tingxiao, everyone was surprised.

    That was really Lu Tingxiao¡¯s girlfriend! This man who sought no worldly desire¡­they had been discussing what kind of woman would be able to steal his heart.

    A gentle one or a gorgeous one?

    A generous one or a romantic one?

    Or maybe a strong businesswoman simr to himself?

    They had thought of countless possibilities but they did not expect¡­Lu Tingxiao to fall in love with a little bunny!

    This fluffy cute little thing just stuck right beside Lu Tingxiao. They totally did not make a fitting match at all! But upon closer inspection, they noticed that when the girl was beside Lu Tingxiao, his cold aura was much warmer. When he looked at the girl, it was as if spring had arrived¡­

    What a miracle!

    "I actually lived long enough to see the woman who got her hands on Lu Tingxiao! Thisdy¡­is pretty unique!"

    "You¡¯re right, I really can¡¯t believe that Lu Tingxiao likes this type!"

    "This is so frustrating! I thought Lu Tingxiao would like someone who¡¯s on the same channel with him or at least someone who¡¯s mature. I¡¯ve always tried to act cool in front of him! And¡­and¡­he likes some weak little bunny! This doesn¡¯t make sense!"

    "What is Lu Tingxiao thinking? They don¡¯t look good together at all! It¡¯s obvious that she only knows how to act cute!"

    "Nonsense! Lu Tingxiao is not a normal man!"

    Ignoring the discussions, Mo Lingtian went up to the both of them with a stormy expression. "Damn it! I thought you said that you weren¡¯ting!"

    "This was an ident."

    Mo Lingtian¡¯s mouth twitched again. What a coincidence! Fate brought them together.

    "I¡¯ve always thought that no matter who betrays me, you''d be thest to do so! Lu Tingxiao, you''ve really disappointed me!" Mo Lingtian said in a hurt tone.

    Ning Xi was speechless. Was he cursing Lu Tingxiao to be single forever? But for Lu Tingxiao to be the first among them to have a girlfriend must be really shocking to them¡­

    "Since you¡¯re here already, let¡¯s have fun together!" Mo Lingtian invited gleefully.

    Guan Ziyao went along as well. "It¡¯s been some time since we rode. Want to race?"

    "Yes, take up the challenge!" Mo Lingtian encouraged him.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at the girl in his arms. "You guys have fun. She can¡¯t ride alone."

    Mo Lingtian was annoyed. "You''d better stop mocking us single people now¡­"

    Guan Ziyao¡¯s expression froze and she red at the ignorant Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi was crying inside. How could she not ride alone?! The devil was just worried that she would go wild and he was going to supervise her personally!

 Chapter 746: Not A Simple Little Bunny

    <h4>Chapter 746: Not A Simple Little Bunny</h4>

    After Lu Tingxiao greeted his friends, he brought Ning Xi to select a horse of her choice. The owner was surprised that Lu Tingxiao would bring his girlfriend over. He quickly led them to the few superior horses he had.

    "Mr. Lu, what do you think of this one? A purebred just imported from the British Royal Horse Barn!" the owner introduced his favorites to them passionately.

    Wow! So cool!

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes were glued to the midnight ck dark horse.

    Purebred horses from the United Kingdom were well known for their speed in short to medium length races. One of the horses in the stable was internationally recognized for its speed. The one introduced by the owner was the best of the best, nearly atpetition level and even better than the one Guan Ziyao had selected.

    Lu Tingxiao stayed silent while looking around. The owner asked Ning Xi, "Do you like it, Ms. Ning?"

    Ning Xi nodded in enthusiasm. "Yes, yes! Lu Tingxiao, let¡¯s get this one!"

    It must feel great riding it! She could not wait anymore!

    In the end, Lu Tingxiao set his eyes on a brown horse. "Get that horse over here."

    "Uh¡­that one¡­? Mr. Lu, are you sure?" The owner looked uncertainly at the brown horse which was much shorter than others.

    The owner brought it over. Lu Tingxiao patted its head as the horse gently rubbed his hand.

    Lu Tingxiao nodded confidently. "We¡¯ll take this one."

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded. "Lu Tingxiao, isn¡¯t this an American pony?"

    Lu Tingxiao nced at her and shrugged. "Why? What¡¯s wrong?"

    Ning Xi was on the verge of crying. Of course, there would be a problem! American ponies were exclusively for children!

    Somewhere nearby, Guan Ziyao and Mo Lingtian were racing and as they saw Lu Tingxiao leading a little pony, Mo Lingtian identally fell off from his horse.

    "Hahahaha¡­Lu Tingxiao! What horse did you pick!? This is too hrious!"

    Mo Lingtian had to stop thepetition, holding one hand up as he justy on the ground,ughing non-stop.

    Guan Ziyao stopped and turned around on her tall purebred.

    Looking at Mo Lingtian¡¯s mocking and Guan Ziyao¡¯s tall horse, she lowered her gaze to her short pony and almost cried. This was too much!

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s heart softened when he saw the girl¡¯s upset face and he pinched the area between his eyebrows. He went up to her and held her hand, walking towards Mo Lingtian''s cool, dark purebred.

    After he helped Ning Xi up, Lu Tingxiao joined her, hugging her from behind. "Happy now?"

    Her wish granted, Ning Xi patted the horse¡¯s head. She was cheered up a lot and she turned around to kiss Lu Tingxiao.

    Guan Ziyao did not look very happy seeing both of them acting this way.

    Mo Lingtian was practically blinded by their public disy of affection "Darn it, I have never expected Lu Tingxiao would act like this with a girl!"

    Guan Ziyao said coldly, "She isn¡¯t worthy of Lu Tingxiao."

    Mo Lingtian coughed lightly. "While that might be true, love isn¡¯t about being worthy or not¡­is it?"

    Although he had only met her a few times, he knew that she was not just a simple little bunny!

 Chapter 747: Youâ€™re Pampering Her Too Much

    <h4>Chapter 747: You¡¯re Pampering Her Too Much</h4>

    "Keep going!" Guan Ziyao whipped the backside of Mo Lingtian¡¯s horse.

    After ap, Guan Ziyao won by reaching the finishing line first.

    Mo Lingtian looked dejected. "Hey, can¡¯t you cut me some ck?"

    Lu Xinyan weed her, looking at Guan Ziyao admirably. "Sis Ziyao, you¡¯re amazing! How do you know so many things and how do you do better than most people? Even better than the men! The only extraordinary person I know aside from my cousin is you!"

    Lu Xinyan then nced distastefully at Ning Xi who was in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arms. She wrinkled her nose,paring the scene in front of her to a high-grade cabbage being hogged by a pig. "You should be the perfect partner for my cousin! I wonder if he¡¯s blind! I never thought he¡¯d be as shallow as the other men! How could he be tricked by a woman like this?"

    Guan Ziyao stayed silent after she heard Lu Xinyan¡¯s words, her expression turning frosty. The people around started whispering, apparently agreeing with Lu Xinyan¡¯s words. Lu Xinyan was Lu Tingxiao¡¯s cousin, so she could say all she wanted, but the others could only agree in silence without voicing their opinions.

    The woman that Lu Tingxiao liked was terribly disappointing¡­

    If he were to select a woman that was worthy of him, the woman would definitely be Guan Ziyao.

    Guan Ziyao was childhood friends with Lu Tingxiao and Mo Lingtian. They had grown up together and their family were friends with each other. She was someone of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s calibre and many young talented men were fond of her.

    However, she was only friendly towards Lu Tingxiao and Mo Lingtian. Her personality matched with that of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s; they were the proud perfectionists of their league.

    When everyone thought she was going to be together with Lu Tingxiao, the unexpected had happened. Her family business had a change in direction, leading to them all migrating overseas seven years ago. After impressing everyone with her abilities and beauty, she just vanished.

    Over these years, the Guan family¡¯s business got bigger and better and it was not unusual to hear about the legend of Guan Ziyao. With a Masters degree in Business and Administration at such a young age, her abilities were on par with Lu Tingxiao''s.

    Due to her parents'' old age and them pining for their home, they decided to move back, so naturally, Guan Ziyao followed.

    Everyone thought that with Guan Ziyao¡¯s return, Lu Tingxiao would be together with her soon.

    Both of them were single and were at the ripe age of marriage. Not to mention, their personalities matched and they looked good together.

    Some people even thought that Lu Tingxiao had stayed single just to wait for Guan Ziyao¡¯s return¡­

    Who would have expected this plot twist? A little bunn had snatched Lu Tingxiao away!

    Everyone¡¯s jaws dropped! Their rtionship was such a sudden joke!

    What was more surprising was that ording to Mo Lingtian, she seemed to be a small celebrity!

    After they were done riding, Lu Tingxiao helped Ning Xi get down. He did not let her walk. Instead, he held her in his arms until they reached the resting area to avoid her from falling when walking in the soft snow.

    "Why can¡¯t you let her walk? You¡¯re pampering her too much!" Lu Xinyanined.

    Lu Tingxiao carefully put Ning Xi on a chair, then poured a ss of hot milk and blew over it to cool it down slightly before extending it to her. "Be careful, it¡¯s hot."

    Lu Xinyan¡¯s expression darkened.

 Chapter 748: I Love You, Like How The Fish Loves The Sea, Like How The Birds Love The Forest

    <h4>Chapter 748: I Love You, Like How The Fish Loves The Sea, Like How The Birds Love The Forest</h4>

    Everyone else averted their gazes and coughed lightly.

    What a rare sight! Lu Tingxiao had always been known for being cold and heartless, but that was only because he had not met anyone who could melt his heart before!

    Their curiosity was piqued. What power did this little bunny possess that could have charmed Lu Tingxiao to this extent!?

    Ning Xi realized that everyone was staring at her. She also felt a particrly cold gaze on her¡­

    Ning Xi nced at Guan Ziyao, then she asked Lu Tingxiao with her index finger to her chin in contemtion, "What¡¯s your rtionship to Guan Ziyao?"

    "Our family was close when we were little. We sort of grew up together," Lu Tingxiao answered honestly without hiding anything.

    Ning Xi purposely drawled, "Oh¡­so the both of you are childhood friends?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "I guess."

    Ning Xi pouted in anger. "Hey, Lu Tingxiao! I¡¯m being jealous right now, can''t you tell? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything else!?"

    Lu Tingxiao was surprised. "You¡¯re¡­jealous?"

    "Of course! Your friends and your little cousin, they all think that Guan Ziyao is a better match for you. They feel that you¡¯re like an exotic flower being paired with bullsheet like me!" Ning Xi grumbled.

    She had forgotten but now she remembered who exactly Guan Ziyao was.

    The Guans and the Lus were considered prestigious families in Imperial, but due to some issues with their business, the Guans had to focus on the overseas market. Nevertheless, their development was growing steadily.

    Every rumor about Guan Ziyao revolved around her beauty and talents; all her ratings were extremely positive. She did match Lu Tingxiao well.

    Lu Tingxiao was taken in by Ning Xi¡¯s jealousy and he looked her in the eye with an amused expression. "How could you say that? To me, you¡¯re the sea, you¡¯re the forest."

    Ning Xi tilted her head sideways in confusion. "Why?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her like she was the star in the skies, he told her quietly, "I love you, like how the fish loves the sea, like how the birds love the forest. There¡¯s no use escaping, it¡¯s unavoidable."

    At that moment, an impressive disy of fireworks went off in Ning Xi¡¯s mind¡­

    His flirtatious words¡­were simply tugging on her heart strings!

    Suddenly, there was a loud crash as Guan Ziyao¡¯s teacup fell on the floor.

    Lu Xinyan quickly asked, "What¡¯s wrong, Sis Ziyao?"

    Guan Ziyao¡¯s face went pale and she shook her head. "It¡¯s nothing."

    The others could not hear what Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi were saying at that distance. But she could read lips and she had been looking at them.

    Like how the fish loves the sea, like how the birds love the forest. Lu Tingxiao had actually said such lines to a woman¡­

    Mo Lingtian did not realize what had happened, so he went up to Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi after some rest. "Hey, Lu Tingxiao, we are about to go to the shooting range. Are you joining us?"

    Shooting! Guns! Guns!!!

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes were shining like a 500 watt light bulb. She could not ride because her leg was injured! But for shooting, she only needed her hands!

    "Alright, I know. I shouldn¡¯t have asked you!" Mo Lingtian turned to Ning Xi to ask, "Little bunny, do you want to go?"

    Ning Xi nodded her head like a woodpecker making a hole in a tree as she pulled on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s sleeves. "My dear Master, may I pleeease go?"

    "Yes."

 Chapter 749: Little Bunny, You Know How Too?

    <h4>Chapter 749: Little Bunny, You Know How Too?</h4>

    After they reached there, Ning Xi was surprised. She did not expect the shooting range to be that big. It was about 1500 square feet and there were two standard multipurpose shooting ranges, each of them equipped with nine professionally designed targets. Plus, their collection of guns was incrediblyplete.

    There was even a weapon exhibition on disy with a myriad of handguns, rifles, machine guns, and more. Some soldiers also went there often for target practice.

    Ning Xi was just looking everywhere but in front of her. Had it not been for Lu Tingxiao leading her, she would have already crashed into a pole.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s cousin was right when she said he pampered Ning Xi too much. She always left her brain at home whenever she went out with Lu Tingxiao. In fact, she would just follow Lu Tingxiao''s every step.

    As they reached the shooting range, Mo Lingtian picked out a gun of his choice, intent on revenge. "Ziyao, let¡¯s do another round of contest again! I lost at horse riding but I¡¯ll get back at you in shooting!"

    "Count me in!"

    "Me too!"

    ¡­

    Mo Lingtian¡¯s bunch of friends were bnced in terms of gender. While the guys were had a strong interest in firearms, the girls were notpletely clueless about them either. There were only two of them who were asking around for advice on which gun to choose.

    They soon finished selecting their guns, then they put on their protective sses and earmuffs, ready to start shooting.

    Bang bang bang! Shots were fired and each of their scores appeared on the tally counter. The maximum points one could achieve was 10 points and the counter would calcte up to one decimal ce.

    Most people get around 8 points while the experienced guys got about 9.

    Lu Xinyan got a 9.2 and she was really happy. "I actually got above 9! How lucky!"

    As she turned around, she gaped at Mo Lingtian¡¯s and Guan Ziyao¡¯s scores. They both got the same score of 9.9 points. What a remarkable achievement!

    "Wow! Bro Tian, Sis Ziyao, you both are so good at this!"

    Finally, the scores for their set of three attempts were out. Mo Lingtian came in at 9.9, 9.7, and 9.8 while Guan Ziyao got two 9.9''s and one 9.7. She had beaten Mo Lingtian by a mere 0.1 point difference.

    Of course, Guan Ziyao¡¯s score was the highest among everyone''s. Some of them were thoroughly impressed.

    "As expected of her! Marvelous!"

    "Ziyao, you¡¯re really making us men feel ashamed!"

    Mo Lingtianined, "Damn! I lost again! This doesn¡¯t count, let¡¯s do it again!"

    Everyone wasughing, "Hahaha! Mo Lingtian, stop struggling! Among us probably only Lu Tingxiao has a chance at beating Ziyao!"

    Mo Lingtian turned to Lu Tingxiao and eximed, "Lu Tingxiao! What are you doing? Join us!"

    But¡­

    The bunny ears on Ning Xi¡¯s boots fell off, so Lu Tingxiao squatted down on the floor and helped to fix them for her¡­

    Mo Lingtian¡¯s mouth twitched as he saw this lovey-dovey scene.

    Ning Xi heard them inviting Lu Tingxiao, so she looked at him in surprise. "Boss, are you good at shooting? Come, let¡¯s see who''s better!"

    She then grabbed Lu Tingxiao excitedly.

    "Hey, little bunny, you know how to shoot too?" Mo Lingtian asked in surprise.

    Ning Xi answered him boldly, "Of course! I¡¯m good at it!"

    Bang! She took aim and shot the target board.

    After a moment, the counter disyed her score: 6.3 points¡­

    How¡­great¡­

 Chapter 750: Boss, Youâ€™re So Sharp!

    <h4>Chapter 750: Boss, You¡¯re So Sharp!</h4>

    Looking at the horrible score, Ning Xi was stunned. "My outfit must¡¯ve affected my performance today!"

    Mo Lingtianughed, thenforted her, "That¡¯s pretty good, at least you hit the target!"

    Lu Tingxiao patted her head and tried his hand at shooting as well, scoring 6.2 points. Just slightly lower than Ning Xi''s.

    Mo Lingtian patted Lu Tingxiao¡¯s shoulder and sighed, "Brother! I¡¯m impressed! This is probably the toughest score you¡¯ve hit in your lifetime!"

    Lu Tingxiao got a 6.2¡­which was even more surprising than a 10 pointer¡­

    Ning Xi ignored Mo Lingtian¡¯s teasing as she happily went up to Lu Tingxiao to gush, "Boss, you¡¯re so sharp!"

    As Lu Tingxiao was about to say something, his phone rang. It was a call from home.

    Any sign of expression was wiped off his face as he turned to Ning Xi. "You can y on your own first, I¡¯ll go and pick up a call."

    He then signaled to Mo Lingtian, asking him to take care of Ning Xi.

    Mo Lingtian gave him a shooing gesture. "Just go and pick up your phone call quickly! Go!"

    The moment Lu Tingxiao left, the people who were wary of him suddenly spoke in much louder voices.

    "That¡¯s hrious! Even the girl who didn¡¯t know anything within our group got a 7 and Lu Tingxiao''s girl dares to im that she¡¯s good at it?" Lu Xinyan said scornfully.

    Another girl shrugged. "Maybe it¡¯s already good enough for her! At least she hit the target! I¡¯m quite surprised that she didn¡¯t miss!"

    Why would Lu Tingxiao be with such a useless woman? I¡¯m really curious! Someone go and ask him!"

    "I¡¯m not going to! I¡¯m just being polite because of Lu Tingxiao but I refuse to be friendly with her!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi calmly wiped her gun while listening to their discussion. These people were from the wealthy circle of Imperial. They were either the heirs of a wealthy organization or the prince or princesses of some high-ranking government officials. They were just being fairly nice to Ning Xi because of Lu Tingxiao.

    At that moment, someone told Guan Ziyao, "Ziyao, you and Mo Lingtian are closer to Bro Xiao. Why don''t you try to talk to him and tell him not to be fooled by a woman like her!"

    "He will eventually find out himself," Guan Ziyao replied.

    "That¡¯d be toote. The moment he finds out, he would¡¯ve been deceived!"

    As Lu Xinyan listened to them, her face turned bright red. She felt embarrassed and could not ept the fact that her perfect cousin was being fooled by this woman¡­

    Boiling with anger, Lu Xinyan could not hold it in anymore. She walked up to Ning Xi and demanded, "I don¡¯t care what did you do to be with my cousin! Tell me what it takes in order for you to leave him!"

    Mo Lingtian quickly stood in between them and tried to defuse the situation. "Hey, what are you doing? We¡¯re here to have some fun! Stop making a fuss!"

    "I¡¯m not making a fuss! Seriously, how is this woman worthy of my cousin?"

    As Mo Lingtian was trying to convince Lu Xinyan to calm down, Ning Xi curled her fingers around the gun in her hand and blinked innocently. "Leaving your cousin? It¡¯s easy! You just have to defeat me!"

 Chapter 751: Whoâ€™s The Fool Here!?

    <h4>Chapter 751: Who¡¯s The Fool Here!?</h4>

    "You¡­what did you say? Defeat you?" Lu Xinyan was stunned by the proposal. She did not understand what Ning Xi meant.

    Mo Lingtian was surprised as well.

    Ning Xi blinked her eyes again as if she could not fathom why they did not understand her. "Shooting! I realized that you guys don¡¯t really like me here. So, let¡¯s do it this way. If anyone can beat me in shooting, I¡¯ll break up with Lu Tingxiao. But if I win, please be friendlier the next time you see me!"

    So, all of them wanted to save Lu Tingxiao from her. Alright! Ning Xi would give them a chance!

    Everyone was dumbfounded by Ning Xi¡¯s suggestion.

    What¡­what did this woman just say? Was she out of her mind?

    It was such a difficult feat to get together with Lu Tingxiao and she had done something no woman in Imperial had, but her impulsiveness made her bet her rtionship with Lu Tingxiao?

    They thought a celebrity like her would be considerate and good at reading others, so she would not go looking for trouble if she could actually think.

    But¡­this woman was crazy!

    How stupid! And how sad for Lu Tingxiao¡­

    No one expected things would develop into such a situation. It almost drove Mo Lingtian mad. "Little bunny, what are you doing? Just wait until Lu Tingxiaoes back and everything will be fine! Why are you doing this? Do you really want to break up with Lu Tingxiao? Are you crazy?!"

    While the others may not have known, only Mo Lingtian understood how serious Lu Tingxiao was about this girl. He was really into her. Although he did not understand what was so special about her, he had noments about his brother¡¯s choice.

    Lu Xinyan digested Ning Xi¡¯s words as she chewed on her lower lip. Although slightly unbelievable, this woman was this stupid all along! She had initially thought that getting rid of her would be troublesome, but was it really as easy as this?

    "Are you for real?" Lu Xinyan confirmed her doubts with her.

    "Yes!" Ning Xi nodded.

    "Okay, then we¡¯re set. I¡¯ve recorded down what you said just now, so there''s no going back on your word!" Lu Xinyan was satisfied now. "Let¡¯s get started!"

    Ning Xi stopped her. "Wait."

    "Why? Regretting already?" Lu Xinyan glowered.

    "I¡¯m just trying to reiterate what I said. I said as long as anyone here beats me, so you have to select someone topete with me!" Ning Xi said.

    "Fine, fine, I¡¯ll do it!" Lu Xinyan did not take her seriously at all.

    For a newbie who got a score of 6.3 points, she would be more than easy to beat!

    "Consider it well. I¡¯d suggest you find the best among your group topete with me. If not, don¡¯tin that I wasn''t being fair!"

    Everyone was speechless by Ning Xi¡¯s words. Where did her sky-high confidencee from?

    Lu Xinyan was huffing impatiently but as she was about to insist on her participation, Guan Ziyao came over and tapped her shoulder. "Xinyan, let me do it."

    Lu Xinyan looked at Guan Ziyao and frowned a little. "Sis Ziyao, she¡¯s not worthy of being your opponent!"

    Guan Ziyao replied, "Just being cautious."

    Lu Xinyan thought about it. It was such a high chance of beating her but it would be best to reduce any chances of an ident, so Guan Ziyao was the best candidate.

    Sis Ziyao was the person that was worthy of punishing this idiot woman!

 Chapter 752: Damn It! Let Me Die!

    <h4>Chapter 752: Damn It! Let Me Die!</h4>

    Mo Lingtian was anxious since he promised Lu Tingxiao to look after Ning Xi. He thought that Lu Tingxiao was just being paranoid but who''d expect that something like this would happen in just a few minutes of his absence!

    "No! This is nonsense!" Mo Lingtian quickly tried to stop them.

    Guan Ziyao red at him. "Lingtian, don¡¯t interfere."

    "How can I not interfere? Ziyao, she was just messing around. Don¡¯t do this!" Mo Lingtian tried to convince her.

    Ning Xi pouted and grumbled, "I¡¯m not messing around! I¡¯m serious about this!"

    At that moment, Mo Lingtian wanted to shoot himself in the head! Damn it! Just let me die!

    He had tried so hard to help her, yet she was making things worse!

    This woman that Lu Tingxiao liked¡­apparently, no one could fathom her logic andmon sense¡­

    "Bro Tian, you can see for yourself. She suggested it and no one¡¯s messing around. It¡¯s between us women, don¡¯t you interfere!" Lu Xinyan was afraid that Mo Lingtian would ruin this chance, so she quickly pushed him aside.

    Apart from the worried Mo Lingtian, everyone else was excited about what was about to happen. However, it did not seem very interesting since the results were predictable.

    "I don¡¯t think this woman would be this stupid. Could she just be acting?" someone mumbled on the side.

    "She? Acting?"

    "Even if her shot just now was a mistake, she could not be all that great! She¡¯s notpeting against Lu Xinyan now. It¡¯s Guan Ziyao! It probably wasn¡¯t even her full power when she waspeting against Mo Lingtian just now!"

    "That¡¯s true, then this would probably end up really terribly!"

    ¡­

    "You first!" Ning Xi said.

    Guan Ziyao did not say anything and just put on her protective sses and earmuffs. She held up her gun and aimed at the target.

    Her pose was clean and sharp. She obviously had many years of experience.

    Lu Xinyan nced at Ning Xi. "Sis Ziyao has been training target shooting for about 10 years. You¡¯ll never be able to beat her! All the best, Sis Ziyao!"

    Guan Ziyao closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to focus. Even though Ning Xi looked weak, this was about Lu Tingxiao and so, she would not allow any mistakes to happen.

    Everyone stayed still their breath bated and even Lu Xinyan quieted down as well.

    Ning Xi slumped on the table and yawned.

    After a moment, Guan Ziyao opened her eyes.

    Bang!

    Bang!

    Bang!

    Three shots were fired consecutively.

    Everyone quickly went over and check Guan Ziyao¡¯s score.

    Everyone was stunned.

    First shot: 9.9 points

    Second shot: 10 points

    Third shot: 10 points

    One 9.9 and two full scores! Amazing! This was practically professional skills!

    "Oh my God! Sis Ziyao, you¡¯re the best! Terrific! You¡¯re my idol!" Lu Xinyan gushed excitedly.

 Chapter 753: I Would Never Lose You!

    <h4>Chapter 753: I Would Never Lose You!</h4>

    Mo Lingtian was stunned. "Damn it! Guan Ziyao, you monster! Do you really have to do this?"

    She had achieved such high scores just to fend Ning Xi off. If his memory served him well, it was her first time getting such high scores.

    Mo Lingtian¡¯s expression darkened as he thought about it while intensely looking at the woman with the gun in her hands. Although everyone loved to put Guan Ziyao and Lu Tingxiao as a couple together, he knew both of them well and he understood that they were just friends.

    But he was not sure now after Guan Ziyao had returned.

    The way Guan Ziyao was behaving seemed to be pointing towards what everyone suggested¡­

    "Ziyao, you¡¯re the best!"

    "How did you do that? Amazing!"

    Everyone was impressed by her marksmanship. They then looked at Ning Xi expectantly and waited for her to embarrass herself. Just how was she going to handle this?

    Lu Xinyan went up to her like a triumphant rooster, even puffing her chest slightly. "Look at that, one 9.9 and two 10 pointers! What more do you have to say?"

    Ning Xi nced at her and shrugged. "I have nothing to say."

    "Hmph, good! Remember what you said. You¡¯re going to break up with my cousin. There are plenty of witnesses here!"

    Lu Xinyan was not afraid of her going back on her words. She believed that this woman would not be so shameless. If she were to break her promise, she would never be respected in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s circle of friends ever again!

    Mo Lingtian feebly spoke, "It¡¯s just a game, don¡¯t take it so seriously. You can¡¯t just decide for Lu Tingxiao this way."

    Lu Xinyan stomped her feet angrily and demanded, "Bro Tian, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why do you keep defending this woman?"

    Guan Ziyao also frowned and looked at Mo Lingtian unhappily.

    Mo Lingtian clenched his teeth and went up to Ning Xi to plead, "Quickly tell everyone that you¡¯re just joking. Do you really n to break up with Lu Tingxiao?"

    Ning Xi grumbled, "Of course not!"

    Mo Lingtian would have yelled at her if she was not Lu Tingxiao¡¯s girlfriend. Instead, he suppressed his anger and ground his teeth. "Then, what are you doing? Why didn¡¯t you listen to me just now? What''re you going to do now?"

    "Hey, don¡¯t you dare break your promise right now! I¡¯ll never forgive you! A shameless woman who goes back on her words is never worthy of bing my cousin-inw!"

    Mo Lingtian was trying toe up with a n to salvage the situation but Lu Xinyan would not stop pestering Ning Xi¡­

    The situation was chaotic¡­

    Suddenly, everyone went silent. Lu Tingxiao was back.

    As soon as Lu Xinyan saw Lu Tingxiao, she quickly went up to him and tattled on Ning Xi, "Cousin! This woman made a bet with us just now. If we beat her at shooting, then she''ll break up with you! She already lost to Sis Ziyao! She actually used you as her betting chip! How hideous!"

    "What?" Lu Tingxiao froze when he heard what Lu Xinyan said.

    Crap! Why was the devil always there when she was misbehaving?!

    Ning Xi was troubled. Just a moment ago, she was still rxed. As if trying to get it over and done with, she quickly stood up and shot the target without even looking at it. Bang! Bang! Bang!

    She then tossed away the gun and went to Lu Tingxiao, blinking and softening her features. "I¡¯d never lose you!"

    The counter rang.

    The scores were presented:

    10 points!

    10 points!

    10 points!

 Chapter 754: Who Was It?! A New Challenger?

    <h4>Chapter 754: Who Was It?! A New Challenger?</h4>

    The girl was looking at him in the eye nervously. "Lu Tingxiao, am I not great? Praise me!"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression was as dark as a thundercloud.

    He had just stepped away for a little while and she already stirred up trouble. Now, she was asking for praises?!

    "Mmm, you¡¯re the best," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    He simply could not resist those eyes of hers¡­

    Looking at both Ning Xi and Guan Ziyao¡¯s score, Lu Tingxiao pinched the area between his eyebrows.

    Just how courageous was this girl?

    Even with her personality like this, she was still as charming as ever¡­

    His heart could not take the moment when she went up to him and told him, "I¡¯d never lose you!" He was bound to be with her forever!

    For entertainment''s sake, the counter at the shooting range had special settings. If someone got three 10 points consecutively, it would y a celebratory tune and there would be an announcement of the targets that earned a perfect score.

    As soon as Ning Xi finished her set, there was a loud upbeat tune and the announcement of her perfect streak.

    All the other customers including Lu Xinyan, Mo Lingtian, and Guan Ziyao were stunned.

    The shooting range was set up professionally. In addition to using real guns and bullets, most guests were either really passionate about guns or even professionals, and it was extremely rare for someone to get a perfect score.

    Ning Xi¡¯s streak had caused quite amotion. Guan Ziyao¡¯s high score was already amazing enough but all of them froze when the saw Ning Xi¡¯s score.

    Mo Lingtian could not believe it. "What? Are you kidding me?"

    Guan Ziyao looked lost, unable to ept the result.

    Lu Xinyan held the counter for a closer look. "How is this possible!? Does the counter have a problem? It must have an issue! Where¡¯s the manager? Please check this machine!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at her dramatics as she picked up the gun and released another three shots.

    Another celebratory tune was yed, followed by the perfect streak announcement. "Second shooting range, ninth target, perrrrfect score!"

    Everyone was speechless.

    The first time her streak was announced, everyone was impressed but they were shocked when they heard it for the second time.

    What the heck!?

    What was happening!?

    Was this for real?

    It was difficult enough for professionals to get a perfect score consecutively!

    Arge crowd started gathering around to see who was this immacte marksman.

    "Hey, are you guys here to see who is it from the announcement?"

    "Yeah! That¡¯s amazing! Could it be from some special operations team?"

    "I have no idea, the ninth target¡­there¡¯s just ady in pink shirt holding a gun now. Could the person who achieved the perfect score have left?"

    ¡­

    As everyone was making wild guesses, an old man in his fifties dressed in a casual outfit passed by with a young soldier beside him.

    "Ask around who the shooter was," the man ordered the young soldier, his eyes looking sharply everywhere like a hawk.

    "Yes, Chief!"

 Chapter 755: Itâ€™s That Little Bunny!

    <h4>Chapter 755: It¡¯s That Little Bunny!</h4>

    Another triple 10 points¡­

    Mo Lingtian gulped anxiously. The little bunny he was looking at suddenly became a monster in his eyes. As he was trying to make sense of what had just happened, he heard someone calling him.

    "Master Mo¡­Master Mo¡­"

    Mo Lingtian turned around, surprised to see a young soldier in his uniform. "Aren¡¯t you the security for Uncle Zhuang, Xiao Chen?"

    "Yes, that¡¯s me!" Xiao Chen nodded.

    "What¡¯s up?" Mo Lingtian asked.

    "I have something to ask. Master Mo, were you here since just now?" Xiao Chen asked.

    "Yeap, I was."

    "Great! Do you know who got that perfect streak on the ninth target?" Xiao Chen queried.

    Mo Lingtian raised his eyebrows. So, he was here to ask about this¡­

    "Of course I do. It¡¯s that girl!" Mo Lingtian told him, vaguely nodding his head in a direction.

    "A girl?" Xiao Chen was taken aback.

    Mo Lingtian nodded. "Yeah!"

    He was already surprised by the fact that it was a girl. What would happen if he knew exactly which girl?

    "Who is it? Thedy in ck?" Xiao Chen looked around and asked about Guan Ziyao.

    Mo Lingtian smirked. "You¡¯re wrong. It¡¯s the one in the pink dress, white fluffy coat, and the bunny ear boots!"

    "Pink dress¡­white fluffy coat¡­bunny ear boots¡­?"

    Xiao Chen set his sights on a girl beside arge-set, tall man, then he looked at Mo Lingtian and chuckled. "Don¡¯t lie to me, Master Mo! The Chief ordered me to look for the person. Don¡¯t joke around with me!"

    "Who¡¯s joking¡­" Mo Lingtian stopped. "Your Chief is here today?"

    "Yes, he¡¯s here with a few friends but when he heard the announcement, he left them and came straight here. It¡¯s been a while since I''ve seen him this excited," Xiao Chen said.

    Mo Lingtian swiveled around and as expected, he saw a well-built man among the crowd.

    "Who is it? Tell me, please! Is it the man beside the girl in the pink dress? That looks like the CEO of Lu Corporation, Lu Tingxiao!" Xiao Chen said.

    Mo Lingtian gave him a mysterious smile. "Didn¡¯t I tell you? It¡¯s that little bunny!"

    He patted Xiao Chen on the shoulder. "I¡¯ll go over and greet your Chief!"

    Xiao Chen stood there without a word, staring at the cute, young girl in disbelief.

    How was that possible!? If that little bunny could get six 10 points shots consecutively, then he could have joined the SWAT team!

    Mo Lingtian went up to the Chief and greeted him warmly, "Long time no see, Uncle Zhuang!"

    "Oh, Lingtian, are you here with friends?"

    "Yeah! Uncle Zhuang. I heard from Xiao Chen that you¡¯re looking for someone?"

    "Mmm." The Chief nodded. "Do you know the person?"

    "Of course!" Mo Lingtian then pointed at Ning Xi. "It¡¯s thedy beside Lu Tingxiao. Can you see her? I told Xiao Chen but he didn¡¯t believe me, so I¡¯m here to tell you personally!"

 Chapter 756: This Was Practically A Witch!

    <h4>Chapter 756: This Was Practically A Witch!</h4>

    "That girl?" The Chief asked thoughtfully, then said, "How old is she? What does she do? Is she still in school? What does her family do?"

    Mo Lingtian''s mouth twitched at his questions. "Uhh, cough¡­Uncle Zhuang, what are you trying to do, huh? Even though you have a son, isn''t he only 18 years old? Isn''t it too early to look for a daughter-inw now? Most importantly, this girl is already taken. She''s Lu Tingxiao''s girlfriend!"

    "Lu Tingxiao has a girlfriend?" the man asked with a serious expression, hiding his thoughts.

    "Yeah, they just started dating not too long ago," answered Mo Lingtian truthfully as he nodded.

    The man revealed a thoughtful expression and then said, "Lingtian, help me ask that girl if she is interested to enlist."

    Mo Lingtian almost spat at this proposition.

    Turns out he was thinking of such an idea! But this idea was even more impossible!

    Mo Lingtian immediately said, "Uncle Zhuang, I suggest you forget it. Lu Tingxiao pampers her like a treasure. He even carried her in fear that she got tired of walking and he even apanied her to ride a horse in case she fell off. When he went off for a phone call, he even needed to make sure I took care of her well¡­

    "To let her enlist is impossible! In fact, she looks much younger because of her dressing today. She has actually already graduated from university and is currently a professional actress! So¡­the possibility of enlisting¡­is basically zero!"

    The Chief looked regretful when he heard this. "That''s such a pity¡­"

    Mo Lingtian was sweating profusely. Before this, he had heard his father talking about how Zhuang Liaoyuan would not let go of talents with excellent marksmanship. It seemed like this was true; he even wanted to cross Lu Tingxiao''s boundaries!

    While Mo Lingtian was conversing with Zhuang Liaoyuan, Ning Xi picked up the gun once again.

    Zhuang Lingyuan instantly focused his gaze on the girl.

    Bam! Six points.

    Bam! Three points.

    Bam! Three points.

    Bam! Two points.

    ¡­

    "Uhh¡­" Mo Lingtian''s eyeballs were about to fall off as he watched Ning Xi hit all those crazy targets. "That''s not right! Uncle Zhuang, I''m not lying to you, those six perfect scores in a row previously were shot by her! Maybe¡­maybe she''s not consistent in execution? Before this, she also scored a six-pointer¡­"

    My God! Was this brat messing with him? What was with these shots?

    He was about to get a heart attack!

    Zhuang Liaoyuan seemed not to notice at all. His eyes followed Ning Xi''s aim, one shot after another, then they started to widen. After thest shot, Zhuang Liaoyuan could not help butugh gleefully. "How interesting! This little girl is really interesting!"

    Mo Lingtian was confused. Huh? What was so interesting? Why couldn''t he see it?

    After the little bun was done with shooting, she shyly walked towards Lu Tingxiao''s side and tried to please him by signing a heart with her hands. She then said to Lu Tingxiao, "I know my mistake now. Saranghaeyo, Big Boss!"

    "My God! It''s a heart!" Those who were watching Ning Xi shoot gasped when they saw her target sheet from earlier.

    Mo Lingtian looked at the target sheet too and instantly shouted, "My God!". The bullets Ning Xi had shot earlier had really created traces of a heart shape!

    My Lord! How was this a little bunny?! This was practically a witch!

    No wonder Lu Tingxiao had been charmed silly by her!

 Chapter 757: Poaching

    <h4>Chapter 757: Poaching</h4>

    Zhuang Liaoyuan looked at the target sheet and looked wistful. "This girl is interesting indeed! Back in the day, this was the trick I used to court my wife too!"

    "Pfft¡­" Mo Lingtian looked shocked. "I wouldn''t have known! Uncle Zhuang, were you so skilled at picking up girls back then?"

    "Of course." Zhuang Liaoyuan''s solemn face revealed a barely noticeable delight.

    He was old now, so he had to be serious and lead the talents, thus he always had an expression of old-fashioned rigor. When he was younger, he had been very romantic.

    "Liangtian, help me introduce us. I want to get to know this child," Zhuang Liaoyuan suddenly said.

    "Uhh¡­okay! Uncle Zhuang, follow me!"

    Crap, had he not given up? Never mind, I shall let Lu Tingxiao resolve this by himself¡­

    Mo Lingtian could not reject him, so he led Zhuang Liaoyuan towards Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi.

    When he saw the man beside Mo Lingtian, Lu Tingxiao''s eyes dimmed. "Mr. Zhuang."

    "Lu Xianzhi, your father, is he healthy and well?"

    "Thank you for your concern, all is well with Father."

    "Good, good, good¡­"Probably because military men were more impatient, Zhuang Liaoyuan had barely made a few sentences of small talk before he eagerly turned his gaze towards Ning Xi beside Lu Tingxiao.

    "Little girl, those six perfect shots in a row earlier, were they all by you?" When he noticed her timidness, Zhuang Liaoyuan, who was usually cold and serious, had softened his tone unusually and even bent slightly to make his figure not so intimidating.

    Ning Xi subconsciously looked at Lu Tingxiao before nodding.

    Even though the man who spoke to her had worn a casual outfit and his attitude was very friendly, that cold-blooded aura that belonged to military veterans could not be disguised. In fact, he was obviously someone of high position.

    Ning Xi was inevitably much more careful. She watched her words and waited to see what his intentions were.

    "Nice, nice, nice¡­little girl, you''re quite amazing! How many years have you trained for?" Zhuang Liaoyuan continued to ask.

    "I haven''t really trained. When I want to, I''ll y around," answered Ning Xi honestly.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan was stunned for a while, the light in his eyes shining brighter. "Then, little girl, you have talent! Do you like shooting?"

    Ning Xi nodded earnestly. "I do."

    "Then, do you want to shoot every day?" Zhuang Liaoyuan''s voice was even gentler now.

    Xiao Chen was speechless as he watched the usually fearsome Chief try to coax this girl.

    The Chief had really given his all to pull in talents¡­

    Lu Tingxiao took notice of Zhuang Liaoyuan''s intentions and pulled Ning Xi into his embrace before reminding in a deep voice, "Mr. Zhuang."

    This was when Zhuang Liaoyuan cleared his throat and straightened up. He then gave Ning Xi his name card. "Little girl, next time if you want to shoot, you can look for me. This shooting range is not suitable for you. You need something more professional."

    "More professional?" Ning Xi peeked at the ck name card in her fingers, then tried to test him, "Is it the Northern shooting range?"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan nodded. "Yes, the very one."

    Ning Xi instantly glowed. That was the most professional shooting range and it was a national level range¡­In fact, ordinary civilians would have no ess to it¡­

    "I hope that we¡­will have a chance to meet again," Zhuang Liaoyuan said his final words before leaving with regret written all over his face.

    After the man left, Ning Xi looked at the name card that only had a name and handphone number printed on it. She asked, "Zhuang Liaoyuan¡­who is this man?"

 Chapter 758: The Devil Was Just Too Sweet!

    <h4>Chapter 758: The Devil Was Just Too Sweet!</h4>

    "Zhuang Liaoyuan¡­who is this man?" Why did this name sound a little familiar?

    "You remember Zhuang Keer, one of your rivals? That''s her father! Now, you know," Mo Lingtian said.

    She had heard that the Zhuang family wanted to matchmake Zhuang Keer with Lu Tingxiao, but there was obviously no chance of that now.

    Who knew that they would unexpectedly bump into Zhuang Liaoyuan here today? And Zhuang Liaoyuan had almost poached Lu Tingxiao''s treasure away¡­

    However, there was a benefit out of this. Now that Zhuang Liaoyuan knew Lu Tingxiao had a girlfriend, he probably would not think about matchmaking them again!

    "What? Zhuang Liaoyuan? That legendary major general? I heard that he was the special task force''s head sniper when he was younger. His father, Zhuang Zhongren''s marksmanship was extraordinary as well. Their family has quite a few sharpshooters!"

    "Yeah! Sadly, Zhuang Liaoyuan''s own sons and daughters never joined the army! This is probably one of his life''s biggest regrets!"

    "Especially the son. As Imperial''s infamous rich yboy, he already started to stir up trouble at such a young age. The Zhuang family has such good genes. How did that punk''s genes suddenly change?"

    ¡­

    As she listened to the discussion around her, Ning Xi finally knew who the Chief was.

    Zhuang Keer''s father, Zhuang Liaoyuan¡­

    Technically, he was her uncle by blood.

    This was such a coincidence!

    -

    Outside the shooting range, Zhuang Liaoyuan hopped on a militant SUV and looked somewhat absentminded.

    A momentter, he said to the guard beside him, "Xiao Chen, help me investigate that girl''s background."

    Xiao Chen nodded, "Yes, Chief!"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan looked out of the car window as the scenery passed by in a whirl, sighing in sorrow. The Zhuang family had enlisted in the army for several generations until the generation after his. His daughter, Zhuang Keer, was not interested in weaponry or the army at all. She had been raised by her mother to be ady. His son, Zhuang Rongguang, was an even more useless child he wished he had not had¡­

    Now that he had met a girl who had such an unexpected talent in shooting, he felt both emotional and envious. He wondered who her parents could be¡­

    -

    In the shooting range, Ning Xi was still staring at the name card when it was whooshed out of her hands unexpectedly.

    Lu Tingxiao had taken it away.

    Ning Xi instantly puffed up her cheeks and looked up at him. "Lu Tingxiao, why did you take my name card?"

    "You don''t need this. If you want to go, I''ll bring you," Lu Tingxiao said with a poker face.

    Ning Xi naturally knew what he was thinking and she could not help butugh. "Don''t worry! My biggest hobbies in this lifetime is acting and you. I won''t hook up with some army general. How could I bear to leave you?"

    "Mmm," the devil indicated his satisfaction towards Ning Xi''s reply.

    Lu Xinyan felt angry as she watched the two of them acting so lovey-dovey. Ning Xi had even unexpectedly been favored by Zhuang Liaoyuan. "Bro, even if she won this time, it is a fact that she used you as a bet! This woman does not respect you at all! She doesn''t even care about you! Bro, haven''t you ever thought what would happen if she lost?"

    Lu Tingxiao shot her a cold look then said stonily, "I will go back to her myself." Lu Xinyan expression was gloomy and Mo Lingtian almost fell over. His answer was too savage!

    Guan Ziyao, who was watching from the sidelines, bit her lip. Lu Tingxiao had already lost all his principles with this woman.

    Ning Xi, on the other hand, was so touched that she felt tears well up in her eyes. Even if she lost him, he woulde back to her himself. The devil was just too sweet!

    For the devil, she would be obedient from now on. No more nonsense!

 Chapter 759: He Will Definitely Marry This Woman!

    <h4>Chapter 759: He Will Definitely Marry This Woman!</h4>

    Lu Xinyan was still annoyed and he turned speechless when Lu Tingxiao''s gaze turned extremely cold to look towards him to say, "If the way I introduced her to you before was not clear enough, then let me repeat myself. She is your cousins inw. Watch your attitude."

    Before this, he had introduced her as future cousin-inw. Now, she was simply introduced as cousin-inw!

    He was actually implying that he would definitely marry this woman! It was to warn Lu Xinyan and everyone else not to mess with her.

    After Lu Tingxiao said this, he led Ning Xi away.

    Behind them, Lu Xinyan''s face paled. Her cousin was for real! Was he just messing around? Was he actually prepared to marry this woman?

    This time, because Ning Xi had revealed her earth-shattering marksmanship earlier, everyone''s attitude magically changed.

    "Indeed, we shouldn''t have doubted Master Xiao¡­this girl really did amaze us all with a single brilliant feat. No wonder she could charm the socks off Lu Tingxiao!"

    "Exactly, that marksmanship, wow¡­amazing! I remember very clearly that the first time, she did not wear any ear muffs or eye googles. She did not even look at the target. The second time, she also did not aim at all. She simply fired three shots and thatst pick up move of a heart shape on the target was even more extraordinary¡­atst, even Major General Zhuang was shocked. Is that woman really just a normal C-list actress?"

    "Who knows!?"

    "What''s the big deal? Even though she is not entirely useless, she only has one such skill!" Lu Xinyan mumbled as she clung onto Guan Ziyao''s arm. "Sis Ziyao, don''t stoop to the levels of those people! It''s just a little trick to fool everyone!"

    Guan Ziyao''s expression was heavy in thought. It seemed like she had underestimated that woman.

    However, her face soon returned to her usual arrogance and indifferent expression. This time, she had only made a mistake because of her underestimation.

    After Lu Tingxiao left, Mo Lingtian observed Guan Ziyao''s expression quietly. Her gaze kept changing. Finally, he pulled her to a corner.

    "What''s up?" Guan Ziyao asked with a frown.

    Mo Lingtian put a hand on his hip while the other held his forehead. He circled several rounds on the same spot, then said with an irritable expression, "I should be the one asking you this! What''s up with you? The way you''re acting today is so weird! What are your intentions?"

    "What do you think my intentions are?"

    "Could you be interested in Lu Tingxiao¡­" Mo Lingtian involuntarily tightened his hand into a fist. "Didn''t you only treat him as a good brother all this while?"

    "That was because the timing was not right before this."

    "So you''re saying you really like Lu Tingxiao?" Mo Lingtian¡¯s expression instantly changed and his tone turned serious. "But he already has a girlfriend now, so what do you want to do? Do you want to be a third party in this?"

    "She¡¯s just a girlfriend. I have the right to a fairpetition."

    "You''re crazy¡­" Mo Lingtian suddenly felt like he had never really known the person in front of him.

    Guan Ziyao was firm with her stand. "I''m just taking back what was originally mine."

    For as long as she could remember, there was only one person in her eyes. And that was Lu Tingxiao.

    They had the same IQ, the same interests and hobbies, the same family background¡­all of these made them exceptionallypatible.

    That was why she was not rushed at all. She had always thought they had such great chemistry, that they were destined to be together.

    So, even though she had left for many years, she never doubted this one bit.

    Only she never would have thought¡­

    The moment she returned, what was originally determined by fate up till then had unexpectedly changed.

    However, it did not matter. She would reverse this unexpected change.

 Chapter 760: Okay, My King! You Win This Time!

    <h4>Chapter 760: Okay, My King! You Win This Time!</h4>

    After they left the shooting range, Lu Tingxiao brought Ning Xi to an open space covered in white snow.

    Mmm¡­after being disturbed for so long, they could finally return to their cocoon of two.

    Not far away, there was a small house with a ss dome and behind that house was a forest of pine trees. Beside the house was a little road with an adorable skan Mmute dragging a sleigh along it¡­

    Ning Xi marveled at the scene in front of her after they got down from the car. "Wow, it''s so pretty here! Almost like a fairy tale world!"

    "I''ll bring you to a real fairy tale like world when we get a chance."

    The resort here was just an imitation of the igloos in Find.

    It had started to snow, so Lu Tingxiao used a thick nket to wrap her up, then carried her and walked towards the small house.

    After he opened the door, Lu Tingxiao put her down carefully. The house was covered in a huge and warm white velvet rug and opposite it was a lit firece, radiating warm air.

    On top of the rug opposite the firece was a coffee table with hot and tasty food, such as crab sd with peanut dressing, banana lemon tarts, Mexican cheese pancakes, Camembert cheese, roast beef with pear reduction, Vietnamese rice paper salmon rolls¡­every inch of the table was filled up.

    Ning Xi was starving after an entire day of fun. Just as her appetite was being whet by the incredibly delicious aroma, Lu Tingxiao suddenly whipped out a bouquet of red roses in a vintage brownmbskin wrap to give to her. "For you."

    Ning Xi blinked and epted it, feeling very ttered. She leaned in to smell it and was met with a cool, crisp fragrance.

    It was as if the bouquet of roses had just been cut from its branch. The petals still had trembling dew drops on it and they looked full of passion and life.

    Ning Xi randomly thought of the meaning behind red roses.

    Mmm¡­I think red roses represents passionately in love¡­

    Lu Tingxiao quietly watched the girl who hugged the bouquet of roses to her chest, her face even more charming than the flowers. "Do you like it?"

    Ning Xi nodded and subconsciously looked up at the ss dome above her. It was warm inside, yet they could watch the blizzard of snow outside. "I like it, it¡¯s so romantic! Why is everything so grand today?"

    She was a little dumbfounded!

    "Today is the fifth day of our rtionship," answered Lu Tingxiao.

    Time really flew by. In a blink of an eye, it was already only two days away from a week''s time.

    "Uhh, what about the fifth day? Is there some special meaning?" Ning Xi did not really understand the devil''s thought process.

    Didn''t people usuallymemorate 100 days, one year, three years, and so on? What did the fifth day mean?

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "To me, every day of knowing you is special."

    Ning Xi was speechless. Okay, my king! You win this time!

    All the good food the devil had prepared was lip-smackingly good. Ning Xi touched her round tummy consciously. She had shamelessly ate a lot!

    After eating, Ning Xi hugged the nket by the firece whilezily snuggling up in Lu Tingxiao''s embrace. As she recalled the things that happened earlier that day, she could not help but exim, "Lu Tingxiao, I suddenly realised I have many romantic rivals! Zhuang Keer just left and now there was another, Guan Ziyao¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her inly and said, "More rivals than I do?"

    These three words, how ruthless of him!

    "What!? Nonsense! How do you have many romantic rivals?!" Ning Xi vehemently denied.

    "Do you want me to count them out for you?" The scariest thing was that he not only had to be wary of men; he had to be wary of women too.

    "Cough, no need for that¡­" Okay, okay! She would not dare toin that she had many romantic rivals anymore!

 Chapter 761: Would You Get Together With Her?

    <h4>Chapter 761: Would You Get Together With Her?</h4>

    Late at night, at tinum Pce.

    After Lu Tingxiao sent Ning Xi back to her apartment, he received Mo Lingtian''s call the moment he reached home.

    You could hear from his voice that he had been drinking a lot. He was even slurring his words and yelling for him to have drinks over at his house. Halfway through, a loud "bam" sound could be heard. It was silent after that; it seemed like he had fallen down.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned. He had no choice but to pick up his car keys and drive over to Mo Lingtian''s ce.

    s, the moment he reached Mo Lingtian''s door, he saw the man sprawled out in the snow at his front door¡­

    If he had not gone over, he would probably haveid there for the entire night.

    Lu Tingxiao pinched his forehead and carried the guy.

    Just as Mo Lingtian was lifted up, that mouth of his which reeked of alcohol leaned close to Lu Tingxiao''s body. "Ziyao¡­Ziyao¡­"

    Before Mo Lingtian could kiss him, Lu Tingxiao quickly said, "Do you want to die?"

    When he heard the ruthless voice threaten him, Mo Lingtian instantly regained consciousness. "Jesus! Why is it you?!"

    Then, he looked unhappy as he mumbled, "It''s just a kiss. Do you have to look so undignified? I''m not a woman¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao loosened his cor and looked impatient as he helped him into the house.

    Mo Lingtian flopped onto the sofa like a dead fish, his eyes staring listlessly at the chandelier above him. "Lu Tingxiao, you know, I like Ziyao¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at him, not saying anything.

    "Hah, this is just nonsense¡­that year, I retired from the military early for her, afraid that when I was not around, she would be snatched away by you. Sadly, the truth is, even if I never left her side for a second, even if I chased her all the way abroad, she still wouldn''t be mine¡­"

    That year when Guan Ziyao had gone abroad with her family, he had immediately organized a transfer and had stayed for three whole years overseas. He only returned when his family forced him to and throughout that period, he had frequently visited her overseas, never stopping keeping in contact with her.

    She had finally returned to the country now, and yet, what he got was thorough despair.

    Mo Lingtian rambled on for a long while, then he finally looked to Lu Tingxiao and asked, "Have you ever liked Ziyao? If there wasn''t the little bunny, would you ever get together with her?"

    Mo Lingtian''s expression revealed his nervousness.

    "I wouldn''t." Lu Tingxiao did not seem to hesitate at all.

    Mo Lingtian balled his hand into a fist. "Really? You dare say that you''ve never liked Ziyao? The both of you are sopatible in every aspect!"

    "Before I met her, I have never liked anyone."

    As for her feelings towards Guan Ziyao and his feelings towards Mo Lingtian, there was no difference at all.

    "You bastard, you''re really cruel¡­"

    Ziyao''s attention was still on him, so he had treated him as his biggest rival, yet this guy was always an outsider¡­

    However, Lu Tingxiao''s attitude had sparked a hope within him.

    Just as Mo Lingtian was in a trance, Lu Tingxiao took out a ck palm-sized leather notebook and threw it to him. Then, he turned around and left.

    "What''s this?" Mo Lingtian picked up the book and flipped it open to look.

    In the next second, his eyes had widened and he held that book like he was holding the Bible¡­

    Inside was full of Lu Tingxiao''s familiarly scrawled handwriting.

    And the content was filled with pinpoints of the huge mistakes Mo Lingtian had done all these years in his journey to go after Guan Ziyao.

    Damn it, this bastard had never hinted. When did hee up with this?"

    Of course, he didn¡¯t think that this dude was just doing it for their brotherhood¡­

    He had even defeated the little bunny''s romantic rivals himself¡­

    This was too savage¡­

    "Damn it! You punk, why didn''t you give me tips earlier??!!" Inside the bungalow, Mo Lingtian could be heard shouting at the top of his lungs¡­

 Chapter 762: Little Treasures Inexplicability

    <h4>Chapter 762: Little Treasure''s Inexplicability</h4>

    Today was a Saturday, so there was no school.

    The little bun had woken up very early and turned his wardrobe upside down to rummage through all his clothes. Just looking at the clothes had taken him more than two hours.

    Lu Jingli, who had came over, leaned on the little bun''s door and yawned. "My dear, why are you slower than girls when ites to changing clothes? Also, what does the Post-Its on your clothes mean?"

    For every set of clothes the little bun had rummaged out, he had stuck a Post-It with numbers written on them.

    He was confused and could not understand the little guy¡¯s thought process at all¡­

    The little bun naturally ignored his second uncle and continued to rummage through his clothes, stick on a Post-It, and repeat.

    After half an hour, the little guy finally picked the set of clothes with thergest number among the pile.

    As he watched Little Treasure change into a handsome sapphire blue tuxedo with satisfaction all over his face, Lu Jingli''s mouth twitched. He turned to his brother and said, "Bro, they say a women''s heart is inexplicable¡­but your Little Treasure''s heart¡­is even more inexplicable than Mariana''s Trench¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao briefly skimmed the numbers on the clothes, then inly said, "Those numbers represent the amount of times Ning Xi kissed him when he wore those clothes to meet her."

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

    Very good¡­this is very like Little Treasure¡­

    He probably would not have thought of this even if he cracked his head! What made him even more speechless was the fact that Lu Tingxiao had actually understood this¡­

    Indeed, it was his biological offspring¡­

    After the little bun had changed into his clothes, he instantly ran to his father and looked up with sparkling eyes, indicating, "Father, I am all prepared. We can go look for Aunty Xiao Xi now!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked down at his son and replied, "I''m bringing you to your grandparents¡¯ today. Aunty Xiao Xi is busy today."

    The little bun''s face immediately stiffened.

    Horrible news! It was as simple as that¡­

    "Pfft¡­" Lu Jingli could not help butugh at the little guy''s expression. "Bro, you''re too mean to your son! He changed his clothes for two and a half hours before you cared to tell him that you weren''t going to see his beloved Aunty Xiao Xi? What difference is this from happily opening up a thick Chinese New Year red packet to find that it was test papers instead?"

    The little bun indicated that his fragile soul had been traumatized, then he turned around to run inside his room.

    This was when Lu Tingxiao said again, "Tomorrow is a Sunday. Aunty Xiao Xi wille here with your teacher."

    When he heard this, the little bun who had on an expression of "I won''t believe this world anymore", instantly regained vigor.

    With that, Lu Tingxiao managed to lead Little Treasure out the door with ease.

    Before leaving, just as the three of them were about to get into the car, Lu Tingxiao suddenly paused and said to the butler behind him, "Uncle Yuan."

    "Big Master, what orders do you have?"

    "Please bring Little Treasure''s bear over."

    "Bear¡­?" The old butler thought that Lu Tingxiao had some important orders, so he was confused by what he heard.

    Atst, following Lu Tingxiao''s orders, the old butler and two maids carefully brought the big bear prize from the parent-child event and tied it onto the car.

    "My God! Bro, what are you trying to do now? Why do you want to carry this darn bear back to the old residence?" Lu Jingli buried his forehead in his hands. He really felt like whenever he was with his brother, his intelligence was challenged.

 Chapter 763: Along Came A Bear

    <h4>Chapter 763: Along Came A Bear</h4>

    At the old residence.

    "Hmm, the both of you, if I didn''t call to rush you guys, you would forget toe home, wouldn''t you?"

    In the living room, Lu Chongshan had been annoyed when he saw his sons, but when his gaze fell onto the little baby holding onto Lu Tingxiao''s hand, his expression instantly turned gentle. "Little Treasure, you''re here!"

    Yan Ruyi did not pay any attention to her sons at all. She immediately ran to Little Treasure.

    "Little Treasure, we haven''t seen you for so long! Do you miss Grandmother?"

    "What about Grandfather? Do you miss Grandfather?" Lu Chongshan immediately asked too.

    Ever since Little Treasure had a high fever thest time, they promised to leave Little Treasure in Lu Tingxiao''s hands without intervening. They had not seen the little baby since and they had long missed him terribly.

    Little Treasure looked at his grandfather, then at his grandmother and started to write on his writing board: [Miss, miss]

    Two "miss", one for Grandmother, one for Grandfather. The little bun was being very fair.

    When the two oldies saw Little Treasure''s writing, their hearts were instantly soothed; it was even more effective than any miraculous medicine.

    At the dinner table, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were eagerly picking dishes for Little Treasure and shortly, his bowl was piled up with a mountain of food.

    Lu Tingxiao had been asked a few questions about Little Treasure''s daily life, while Lu Jingli had be entirely invisible.

    "Mother, I''m saying¡­why did you ask me toe home? You''ve never even looked at me once since I came home!" Lu Jingliined,

    Yan Ruyi was watching Little Treasure eat obediently, not even looking up to say, "Why would I look at you? What''s so nice to look at!?"

    Lu Jingli was speechless. Was this really his mother?! Did she just dare say that he was merely aplementary character?

    A son without a son¡­is really like duckweed¡­

    After they finished eating, Lu Jingli finally had the chance to steal some limelight.

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan let Lu Jingli bring Little Treasure to y in the garden, leaving Lu Tingxiao to stay back with the oldies.

    The two elders did not look happy at all. They were obviously prepared to instigate him.

    Yan Ruyi said disappointedly, "Tingxiao, if Xinyan had not called to tell us yesterday, how long were you going to keep it a secret from us?"

    "I already said then that we should not have been so kind to let them take Little Treasure. Isn''t this great now?" Lu Chongshan looked at Yan Ruyimentably.

    That woman must have used this period of time to get close to his son through Little Treasure. It was the only way the two of them could have progressed so quickly¡­

    "Can you me me? Little Treasure was already like that at that point!"

    ¡­

    Just as the two of them were arguing, they suddenly saw Little Treasure running over. Along with him, he had a huge, furry teddy bear with him.

    Lu Jingli popped his head from behind the bear and said, "Oh my God, this is so heavy! I''m so tired!"

    "This is¡­" Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi looked at each other, confused.

    "Little Treasure joined the parent-child event in school for the first time and won the first prize. It''s very memorable to him. He wanted to bring over to show Grandfather and Grandmother," answered Lu Tingxiao carefully.

    The moment he told them that, the two elders who had been upset earlier instantly looked over the moon. "Ahhh, really?! Our Little Treasure is so awesome!"

    "And even brought here especially to show Grandfather and Grandmother¡­"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli had nothing to say.

    Good, now he finally knew the use of this bear¡­

    Father and mother were obviously prepared to instigate him after knowing he was dating Ning Xi, atst, before they could ask anything, they had been thrown a bear¡­

 Chapter 764: Your Son Isnt Blind

    <h4>Chapter 764: Your Son Isn''t Blind</h4>

    During the whole time they were apart from the little bun, Yan Ruyi had restrained herself from seeing Little Treasure out of guilt while Lu Chongshan was waiting with an attitude of "I don''t care, I want to see what you will turn Little Treasure into".

    Atst, they never expected that Little Treasure would turn out much better than they had imagined. They could obviously see that the Little Treasure had regained some chubbiness and his energy had returned. They were most worried about whether he would not fit in or would be bullied by other kids in school for not speaking as that would cause him to even more withdrawn. However, that turned out to be fine.

    The both of them were so immersed in the joy of Little Treasure fitting into school life, thus they had forgotten all about the serious business with Lu Tingxiao.

    After the father and son had left, Yan Ruyi could not help but exim, "The two of them have already progressed to such a stage. What can we do now? How about I just look for Ning Xi directly?"

    "That is a weak n. You know your own son''s personality. To mess with that girl is thest resort. The best n is to get your son to change his own mind!"

    "Then, do we just watch and do nothing? Initially, I thought this girl would understand! Who''d have known I still judged her wrongly!? If she wasn''t really going after anything¡­why would she still progress with Tingxiao to this stage?"

    "What are you panicking about? It''s just a dating rtionship. How secure do you think such a rtionship would be? Maybe after they''ve gotten together, the honeymoon stage will pass and they will break up by themselves. Besides, Ziyao is back and your son isn''t blind. Would he not know how to choose?" Lu Chongshan revealed a rare smile and looked rxed.

    "Right¡­Ziyao! There''s still Ziyao! Look how silly I am being!"

    Yan Ruyi felt instantly calmer and she rejoiced. "It''s a good thing Ziyao is back in time! That child, I have watched her grown up. There were so many little girls in the circle, but she was still the more excellent one,patible with our Tingxiao in every sense. If it wasn''t because her family had suddenly moved away seven years ago, the two of them could have been together by now and I wouldn''t have to worry so much! Whatever it is, after all the birth chart and fate evaluations, organizing blind dates cannotpare to those we know through and through!"

    "This is the rationale. Besides, they''re both not married, so it is still not toote now. We don''t have to do anything as long as we just help the two of them create some opportunities¡­"

    "Let''s invite the Guans for a dinner on Sunday night! As the man''s family, we should take more initiative. At the same time, we could ask if their family is interested!" Yan Ruyi immediately suggested.

    "No need to ask, Guan already called me much earlier. Based on his tone, he definitely has the same thought as we do," Lu Chongshan sounded delighted.

    Yan Ruyi beamed with satisfaction. "That''s great! Then, I will call Tingxiao now!"

    "Mmm."

    Yan Ruyi swiftly made a call to her son. "Hello, Tingxiao!"

    "Mother, did something happen?"

    "I forgot to tell you today, your Uncle Guan and his family has returned, did you know?"

    "Mmm."

    "Go make reservations at a suitable restaurant and find a suitable time to invite them to dinner to wee them home," Yan Ruyi tried her best to speak levelly.

    "Okay."

    Yan Ruyi hung up and Lu Chongshan quickly asked her nervously, "How did it go?"

    "Our son said okay! He agreed!" Yan Ruyi was very excited.

    Lu Chongshan looked smugly at her as if he had predicted this. "See? I told you!"

    "Haih, if this is sessful, then it will take a huge load off of my mind¡­"

 Chapter 765: An Unexpected Harvest

    <h4>Chapter 765: An Unexpected Harvest</h4>

    At the same time, in Spirit Studio.

    On the sofa, Ning Xi was skimming through the studio''s monthly ounts, looking solemn.

    Three hundred thousand dors of her capital had been depleted by half and the studio was still not profiting.

    Gong Shangze felt he was to me. "I''m sorry, Boss. I''m not good at marketing¡­"

    Even though they had won a very prestigious award, the current market seemed to be entirely taken over by History. Plus, History was secretly blocking their orders. Ning Xi was obviously aware of this fact.

    After all, a fashion studio was not only about designs; they could not miss out on the elements of development, design, production, and sales.

    "Based on our studio''s current situation, even though there is a positive corrtion between small self-operating boutique models and profit margins, the investment is too huge and the need for human resources was high too, so it was obviously not very suitable for us," pondered Ning Xi.

    Gong Shangze nodded in agreement. "Yes, what is most suitable for us now is still the model of selling onmissions and the most important pre-requisite of this model is that our brand must have enough persuasion power and a good reputation!"

    Or else, who would choose their Spirit Studio brand formissioned distribution?

    Before this, they had taken the key steps to prove their capability. Now, what they needed to do was to exhibit that capability to attract agents.

    "So, now what we need the most is a prominent figure to advertise our brand¡­sigh, sadly, now I''m not very famous, or else we could save so much on advertising fees. Shangze, do you have a suitable candidate?" Ning Xi sighed.

    For example, how did the clothes in ancient times trend? It was when a certain concubine or even the queen in the pce wore a certain material or style of apparel at a national country''s banquet and amazed everyone. It would then start to quickly pick up in poprity among the dignitaries all the way to themoners¡­

    This was called star power.

    Gong Shangze hesitated to say a name: "Qin Shengyue."

    "Qin Shengyue¡­" Ning Xi mumbled to herself. She knew who Gong Shangze was talking about. As one of Imperial''s most influential socialites, she had multiple roles as a model, a famous blogger, a publisher, and a fashion retailer. She had a column in country M''s most prestigious fashion magazine "FA" and she was a household name in the fashion industry. It would not be wrong to call her the indicator needle of fashion.

    If they could get her to like their clothing and let her wear Spirit''s apparel for the uing fashion week¡­that effect would definitely be better than any celebrity advertising for them.

    Most importantly, Spirit was a high-end brand, so their starting point definitely had to be cool. If the brand had taken off with smaller celebrities or even gone viral on the Inte, it would be hard to raise the ranking of the brandter on. This step was vital.

    "What we can think of would naturally be something others can think of too. There will definitely be many people looking for her this time and I have tried to contact her previously, even personally going over to her office, but I couldn''t even meet her¡­" Gong Shangze said this looking helplessly at his boss.

    "Don''t rush. You focus on your designing, I''lle up with something. If we really can''t take this route with Qin Shengyue, then we''ll just think of something else."

    After she left Spirit Studio, Ning Xi started her car and was prepared to make a trip to thepany herself.

    There were indeed many people waiting to meet Qin Shengyue. Ning Xi waited from evening tillte at night, while everyone who waited around had slowly lost patience and left. Atst, she was left alone but she still did not see Qin Shengyue.

    Initially, she had refused to not give up and wanted to try her luck but rationally, not meeting her was within expectations, so Ning Xi was prepared to go home.

    At the car park, after she got into her car, she was just prepared to start her engine when she had an unexpected harvest¡­

 Chapter 766: I Would Even Wear A Gunny Sack

    <h4>Chapter 766: I Would Even Wear A Gunny Sack</h4>

    She was sitting in her car when she spotted a man and a woman arguing not too far away.

    The woman was very tall. She had short hair with a sharp cut and she wore wide-legged pants with arge coat. She had phoenix eyes, a tall nose, defined facial features, and an extremely good figure. It was the person she had been waiting for, Qin Shengyue.

    As for the handsome man donning a grey tuxedo opposite her, it looked a bit like her husband¡­

    The two of them were yelling very loudly, so Ning Xi could hear everything clearly from inside her car.

    "Yan Junhao! God damn it, are you crazy?! You want to divorce me for a prostitute?!" Qin Shengyue red at the man across her in disbelief.

    The man looked horrified. "Shengyue, I have told you many times. Xiao Rou is not a prostitute, she''s a very nice and clean girl, so please stop insulting her!"

    "You''re saying that I can''t evenpare to a girl who busks in a bar? Why? I need to know the reason! Give me a reason!"

    "Shengyue, without me, you can continue yourfortable life¡­but she''s not the same¡­she only has me¡­she needs me more than you do!"

    "Hah! This is too funny, you''re telling me that because I''m too strong and can care for myself, so I deserve to be ditched?"

    ¡­

    Inside the car, Ning Xi was tongue-tied. Indeed, in this case, thete bird gets the worm!

    Who knew that she would unexpectedly learn such a huge piece of gossip? No wonder Qin Shengyue did not want to meet anyone. She had marriage issues!

    This¡­could be a very good breakthrough¡­

    The two fought for a while before separating unhappily. The man closed the car door and drove off without looking back.

    Qin Shengyue who had still been arrogantly scolding the man instantly slumped onto the floor after he left. She looked vulnerable and wailed to herself. Long gone was the vigor from before.

    Ning Xi quietly got down the car and walked to Qin Shengyue. "Um, I''m so sorry, Miss Qing. I have to disturb you for a bit¡­I''m from Spirit Studio¡­"

    "Get lost!" Qin Shengyue immediately scolded. Obviously, she did not want to be disturbed.

    Ning Xi skipped the bullsheet and immediately said, "Miss Qing, if I can help you get your husband to change his mind, could you wear our studio''s apparel in the uing fashion week?"

    Qin Shengyueughed bitterly. "Hah! You can make my husband change his mind? If you can¡­don''t talk about clothes¡­even if you want me to wear a gunny sack, I would¡­"

    "Miss Qing, I''m serious. As long as you let me know the concrete situation of that woman and the details of how she knows your husband, give me three days and I can guarantee that your husband will be crying his way back to you while hitting his mouth to beg for your forgiveness!"

    Qin Shengyue was in the pits at that moment. She did not want to hear any more crap from this woman who had randomly appeared. However, after scolding her earlier, she changed her mind based on Ning Xi''s words¡­

    Let Yan Junhao cry his way back to her while hitting his mouth and begging for her forgiveness? This was something she had dreamed of!

    But, pfft, this was impossible¡­impossible¡­

    Ning Xi watched as Qin Shengyue waver. Then, she ran off to get the pack of beer from her car boot, "I have beer, want some?"

    Qin Shengyue looked at her, then got into the car.

    For the beer.

    Or rather, what she needed more than the beer at this moment was someone to talk to¡­

 Chapter 767: Its A Deal

    <h4>Chapter 767: It''s A Deal</h4>

    Qin Shengyue drank three bottles of beer before she finally said, "Junhao and I were friends since we were kids. We grew up together and our rtionship had almost no setbacks, so naturally, we started dating and then we got married. Our life after marriage had also been very happy all along. When I''m being rash, he would tolerate me. He pampered me even more than my parents. Usually when he had to entertain clients, he would also only just put up a facade and never overstep boundaries.

    "He is very nice, really very nice¡­I don''t even know why is he acting like he is possessed this time, to be charmed silly by a girl who busks in the bar¡­even willing to divorce me¡­

    "When I found out about them, I immediately went to the bar to find the woman and pped her several times¡­hah, but you know what? He protected that woman right in front of me! That day when he returned, he asked for a divorce¡­"

    Ning Xi held her head as she listened intently, then her brows raised slightly. "Is that girl''s background very tragic? Did she say that she works in the bar to earn her pay for her school fees that sort of thing?"

    "Yes, I''ve investigated, everything she said is true. Maybe, she is indeed a nice girl¡­could it be that I''m just too evil?" Qin Shengyue asked miserably.

    Ning Xi scoffed, "Please, Sis, would good girls hook up with other people''s husbands? Even if we pretended that she didn''t know you existed before this, you have already gone over to cause a ruckus, so would she still not know? You tell me, what was her reaction?"

    "She kneeled in front of me to apologize and said that she could not help herself, that she loved him too much. She said that she would die without him. In fact, she had attempted suicide twice and she really almost died the second time. The hospital even released a medical crisis notice¡­"

    From the gist of the conversation, Ning Xi could roughly guess the overall situation. That girl muste from a tragically wretched background and was probably still a student, then she said that she came to work at the bar to save money for her school fees and medical fees for her family. It must be that sort of sob story.

    Qin Shengyue''s husband, on the other hand, was probably an egoistic man with a sense of justice, and perhaps he had some kindness in him. After he had gone to that bar for client entertaining, he continued to get that girl to serve them, then the two of them started to get close. After they got close, that girl must have treated him as her savior and even relied upon him and worshipped him like a god¡­

    Even though the plot was old, it was still a ssic, most fitting to use against men like Yan Junhao. Besides, the opponent was a savage character who had even given up her life¡­

    "Okay, understood. This girl seems to even more capable than I thought. Three days might not be enough. How about a week? I will return an obedient husband with a clear head to you."

    Qin Shengyue looked at her, perplexed. "I don''t know¡­where''s your confidenceing from? I''ve used all the soft and hard ways but none of them worked! When I did it the hard way, she would attempt suicide. When I used the soft way to advise her, she would immediately kneel and kowtow to beg me without another word. My husband and I¡­our rtionship has reached its tipping point¡­I really don''t dare to do anything anymore¡­"

    "Don''t worry, I won''t be reckless. I won''t do something that will hurt your husband and that woman. Of course, I will not even affect you. However¡­if I seed, would you definitely be willing to wear our studio apparel?"

    This was the question she was most concerned about.

    "I''ve said so, no matter what you let me wear."

    "Okay, then, it''s a deal!"

    After Ning Xi left, Qin Shengyue held Spirit Studio''s name card in her hand and felt that she must be going crazy.

    She had actually simply believed a stranger''s words and had even held on to a glimmer of hope¡­

 Chapter 768: Watch Me Kick Your Balls

    <h4>Chapter 768: Watch Me Kick Your Balls</h4>

    The next day at tinum Pce.

    Ning Xi led Tang Lang to the house the first thing in the morning. They had just reached the door when they saw that Little Treasure was already waiting for them.

    When she saw Little Treasure, Ning Xi forgot about Tang Lang and ran straight to him with open arms. "Ah, Little Treasure, my baby! I miss you so much! Quick give me a super big kiss!"

    Little Treasure''s eyes shone like the morning sun as he ran over and gave Ning Xi a kiss on the cheek. Ning Xi naturally returned the kiss happily.

    On the side, Tang Lang looked at the delicate little doll in front of him and was stunned. "My God! Is this Lu Tingxiao''s son? This little guy is actually so cute? This is illogical! No wonder he kidnapped you too!"

    Ning Xi red at the shocked Tang Lang. "The first rule of being a teacher is no vulgarities."

    Then, she held Little Treasure''s hand and introduced him in a gentle voice, "Little Treasure,e here, this uncle will be your teacher. You will learn how to protect yourself, understand?"

    Little Treasure blinked, then nodded earnestly.

    "Also, if you don''t like anything about this teacher, or if he''s bad at teaching, make sure to tell me too, I will change to someone else for you¡­"

    "Okay, okay, okay! Enough of the crap! If I don''t teach well, then no one can teach well!" Tang Lang had initially been indifferent about having a student, but the more he looked at the little glutinous rice ball, the more he felt antsy. He wanted to just snatch Little Treasure and start talking to him.

    "Dear student, let me tell you, the most important thing about fighting is to never let yourself be at a disadvantage. If you really can''t fight him, kick his balls, or just kiss them unexpectedly¡­"

    "Hey! Tang Lang! What are you teaching!"

    Ning Xi kicked him and said, "Watch me kick your balls till they explode¡­"

    Once she said that, Ning Xi suddenly took precise, small steps. She walked unusually gentlewoman-like to the devil and cooed, "Big Boss, you''re awake, have you eaten your breakfast?"

    When he saw Ning Xi''s 180-degree change in attitude, Tang Lang almost puked blood¡­

    "Have you prepared what I told you to?" Lu Tingxiao patted the girl''s head and then looked at Tang Lang to ask.

    "Prepared! Boss, please go through them." Tang Lang quickly delivered a document folder to him. There was actually a detailed ss n inside.

    Ning Xi''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets when she saw that. Tang Lang actually knew how to prepare things like a ss n¡­

    Obviously, the two of them who were usually wild and reckless werepletely obedient in front of the devil¡­

    "Big Boss, you and Senior Brother discuss first. I''m going to go next door to look for Lu Jingli, I''ll be back very soon."

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao nodded.

    When Ning Xi ran over, Lu Jingli was humming and watering his baby cabbages in the garden. When he saw Ning Xi, he immediately stood alert. "You¡­what are you doing? Want to steal my vegetables again? It''s not that you can''t steal them, but I want to eat them too!"

    Ning Xi felt her mouth twitch. "Who''s here to steal your vegetables now? Can''t I have some official business to talk to you about?"

    Lu Jingli looked at her in rm. "What official business would you have?"

    Ning Xi hopped over and clung to his arm like he was her bro. "My dear koi fish king! Hook me up with a girl, please!"

    Lu Jingli was speechless for a moment.

    "What did you say???"

 Chapter 769: Shes Hooking Up With Girls Behind Your Back Again

    <h4>Chapter 769: She''s Hooking Up With Girls Behind Your Back Again</h4>

    Lu Jingli contemted her in disbelief. "What did you say???"

    "Help me hook up with a girl!" Ning Xi repeated herself.

    "Bro, Sister-inw is interested in a girl! And she even wanted me to hook her up with one. Bro,e quickly!" the protective Lu Jingli immediately shouted to the garden next door.

    Ning Xi''s eyes flew wide open. "Damn it! Lu Jingli, what are you shouting for?! Since when did I ask you to hook me up with girls?"

    "You just said so yourself!" Lu Jiingli got fired up at her sense of righteousness.

    "My¡­my God! I''m saying that I want you to help me hook up¡­pfft, wait no, I mean that you¡­"

    Lu Jingli ran as fast as an arrow towards the fence and shouted, "Bro, bro, bro, she''s hooking up with girls behind your back again. This time, she even asked me to help her! Obviously, I rejected her and I came to report to you right away!"

    Ning Xi was speechless. Why don''t you just evaporate!?

    Atst, Ning Xi had no choice but to exin the whole situation. She turned to shoot a look at Lu Jingli. "How does your freaking brain''s thought process go? For you to understand things in such a way?"

    "Can you me me? It was only because you have too many past records that I naturally misunderstood!" Lu Jingli mumbled.

    "Yan Junhao?" Lu Tingxiao looked thoughtful.

    "Yeah, his family background, looks, and figure are all good. That girl will definitely not let go after hooking up with such a ster man. A normal person would be of no use to hook up with. I wanted to put on my male disguise to take action myself, but Ick the identity and the reputation. Besides, that woman is very alert, so she definitely would be wary of such a thing. I think only with Lu Jingli''s help, the n will be wless!" Ning Xi analyzed.

    "Hah, I''ll say, you have a good eye! With me making the move, of course, the n will be wless! But why would I sacrifice my body to help you? You''re putting me at a disadvantage here."

    "Who''s asking you to sacrifice your body? I''ve written the script for you and I guarantee that she would not touch you at all."

    Lu Jingli looked suspicious, "How could that be? Is that woman so stupid? She would get hooked on without a single benefit?"

    "That would depend on whether the bait is tempting enough or not!" Ning Xi stroked her chin and looked cunningly at Lu Jingli.

    Lu Jingli felt like he was being stared at as though he was a fat piece of meat on the chopping board. "Then, how do I benefit after seeding?"

    "We''re all family. Do you still need incentives? Right, Big Boss?" Ning Xi went over the fence to squeeze Lu Tingxiao''s arm.

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "Mmm." One family.

    Lu Jingli instantly looked wronged. "Hey! You''re too shameless! Bro, how can you just watch her sell me off?"

    "Aiyo, don''t worry, I''ll get your brother to close his eyes!"

    Lu Jingli had no words left to say.

    As she watched Lu Jingli''s miserable expression, Ning Xi patted him on the shoulders. "Okay, okay, how could I not give you an incentive? As long as you help me get this done beautifully, I will prepare a feast for you!"

    "Really? Don''t lie to me!"

    "Why would I lie to you? Your brother''s here as a witness!"

    Atst, Lu Tingxiao said with a poker face, "One dish of pork ribs with glutinous rice." A feast would be too tiring.

    "Hey! Am I only worth one serving of pork ribs with glutinous rice?"

    "Enough. You help me settle this. When I reach the peak of my life and I marry your brother, be your sister-inw, I will still cook you anything you want to eat next time!

    "Something''s not right here¡­"

 Chapter 770: You Should Just Stay Single Forever!

    <h4>Chapter 770: You Should Just Stay Single Forever!</h4>

    That Saturday, while Tang Lang was teaching Little Treasure Kung Fu, Ning Xi was teaching Lu Jingli how to pick up girls.

    In the evening, Lu Tingxiao called her to the garden.

    "Big Boss, what''s up?" She observed the way Lu Tingxiao looked. It seemed like he had something to say to her.

    "Mmm, I have dinner ns tomorrow night. I can''t apany you guys."

    "Oh, no worries, you go ahead with that. Coincidentally, I have to bring Lu Jingli out to execute the ns!"

    "It''s with the Guan family," Lu Tingxiao reported.

    When Ning Xi heard this, her eyebrows raised. "Ahh, it seems like your parents have thought of the same thing as I did?"

    She had looked for Lu Jingli to pick up a girl, while they had been looking for a girl to hook up with Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Without a doubt, her rtionship with Lu Tingxiao had been found out, so they definitely would have any backup n¡­

    To be honest, she herself had never thought that she would progress so far with Lu Tingxiao. There would definitely be many things they have to face in the future, but she never regretted it one bit.

    "Ning Xi, do you trust me?" Lu Tingxiao looked at her earnestly.

    Ning Xi didn''t reply. She just tiptoed and kissed him and on the lips.

    ¡­

    On Sunday, at a certain high-end Western restaurant in Imperial.

    Ning Xi and Lu Jingli had chosen a corner to sit.

    "The one who''s ying the piano is Yang Shirou. She originally worked at the bar, but her current job was probably scouted by Yan Junhao¡­" Ning Xi pointed at the girl who was ying the piano and outlined the situation to Lu Jingli as they watched her.

    Yang Shirou wore a white dress and had soft, jet ck hair that reached her waist. One look at her gave off the vintage yet fresh and gentle aura, the type that could really easily invoke a man''s urge to protect her.

    Lu Jingli watched Ning Xi stare at the girl intently and immediately looked annoyed. He reached out to block her sight. "Hey, hey, hey, are you done looking?! You already have my brother but you''re still staring at other girls. This is too much!"

    Ning Xi swatted his hand away and continued to look, "I''m just observing the enemy here!"

    Lu Jingli looked angry. "Who would believe you?! Your eyes are about to fall out! All you shallow asshole men!"

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched in amusement. "Hey, don''t you think there''s something wrong with what you just said?"

    Lu Jingli then blinked. It did seem like something was not right¡­

    Ning Xi held her chin and looked at him thoughtfully. "Lu Jingli, let''s get serious now. Forget the rest of it. Just based on her appearance, this girl does seem like she would attract men! Don''t you feel anything at all?"

    Lu Jingli scoffed condescendingly. "No! That''s not the type that I like!"

    Ning Xi instantly raised her brows, "Oh, you have a certain type? Based on what I know, you have only started to be single recently. You dated numerous hot girls, thin and fat, without any particr type?"

    Lu Jingli''s expression had darkened now. "Of course, I have a type! Don''t make it sound as if I don''t pick and choose at all. I''m very picky, I''m telling you! I really like those open-minded, extraordinary, wlessly beautiful, light as a bird, elegantly unpredictable, few in words yet fragrant in aura, graceful as a swan, and pretty much supernatural girls!

    "Ha ha¡­" Ning Xi rolled her eyes and waved. "You should just stay single forever!"

    This guy''s selection criteria for a partner was too much!

 Chapter 771: Go, Pikachu!

    <h4>Chapter 771: Go, Pikachu!</h4>

    "What''s wrong with me? My standards aren''t high at all, alright? When I asked you the kind of person you liked back then, you even said whoever he is should be walking on rainbows!"

    Lu Jingli scoffed, then suddenly thought of something and stared at her. "Right, I suddenly thought of something. Why didn''t you get my brother toe hook up for you!? He would be an even more convenient option, so you wouldn''t need seven days. Just a wink would be enough! You only know how to order me around!"

    Ning Xi looked at him like he was an idiot and said, "Duh! Your brother is taken and I forbid it!"

    "¡­If you torture me anymore, I won''t do this!"

    Ning Xi quickly pat Lu Jingli''s head and said, "Oh, oh, oh, I won''t torture you anymore, be good! Have you read the script I wrote for you?"

    Lu Jingli was annoyed when she brought it up. "What kind of script was that? It''s not even creative at all! Didn''t you say it was hard to pick up this girl? Can it really work?"

    "It''s hard for other people! Don''t you worry! She''s just a girl and even a mother of several children would fall for you! Go, Pikachu!" Ning Xi chirped as she pped Lu Jingli on the shoulder and finally pushed the rambling guy off to get the job done.

    On the stage, Yang Shirou was ying the piano.

    Ning Xi had given Lu Jingli a single reserved and low-key stalk of white rose to represent purity and innocence as he walked towards Yang Shirou on stage.

    There was a Bluetooth handsfree piece in Lu Jingli''s ear through which Ning Xi issued him instructions him from afar. "Go, I''m not asking for your charming eyes or whatnot. Just put the rose on the piano and your mission for the day will beplete!"

    Ning Xi was afraid that Lu Jingli would go overboard with the acting, so she fixed her eyes on him nervously.

    Thankfully, Lu Jingli''s performance was not bad. When Yang Shirou had finished ying one song, hey that rose on her piano like a gentleman and even used those charming eyes of his to affectionately grace her with a look before turning around to leave.

    Ning Xi observed Yang Shirou''s expressions: amazed, shocked, subtle disbelief and ecstatic joy, all while she pretended to be calm and indifferent¡­

    It was basically all ying out within her expectations.

    "Okay, done! Work''s over! I''ll treat you to barbecue!" At the same time, Ning Xi stood up and left the restaurant to catch up with Lu Jingli.

    Lu Jingli muttered unhappily, "I still think it''s too simple. You did so much to mobilize a top-ss god like me to help you smack a mosquito?"

    Ning Xi scolded him impatiently, "Are you trying to get beaten up? Isn''t it good if it''s easy? You want me to order you around like cows and horses? You''re still my future brother-inw. I wouldn''t throw you into the pit, so how could I torture you?"

    "Even though these words are kind¡­but why do I feel like I''m being tortured again?"

    After they left the Western restaurant, the two of them found a roadside stall to sit down at and ordered some fried chicken and beer.

    "Do I really not need to be more flirtatious? Otherwise, how would she know who I am?" Lu Jingli was still muttering worriedly.

    "What do you know? It''s too lowly of you to announce your identity. Your entire magnanimity was put out right there. She will definitely go around to ask by herself! Tomorrow or the day after, just continue toe at this hour and every time you do, you just have to give her one white rose. On the fourth day, the time would be about right, so give her 99 roses, then reserve the entire restaurant and treat her to a meal. Obviously, the money for flowers and booking the restaurant will all be borne by me!"

 Chapter 772: Can You Not Break Up With My Brother?

    <h4>Chapter 772: Can You Not Break Up With My Brother?</h4>

    Lu Jingli pouted. "You''re really going all in. Have you never thought of what to do if you fail?"

    Ning Xi shrugged and said nonchntly, "What can I do then? I''ll just beat you up to release my anger."

    "Hey! You just said that I was your beloved brother-inw and wouldn''t torture me!"

    The two of them continued to chat for a while when Lu Jingli suddenly got startled again as he counted on his fingers. "Dead! Dead, dead, dead!"

    "Why''re you dead?" Ning Xi watched him in confusion.

    "Today is the seventh day of you dating my brother! The seventh day, isn''t it!?" Lu Jingli looked like the apocalypse was dawning on them.

    "Yeah, what''s up with that?" Ning Xi was still confused.

    Lu Jingli put down the drumstick in his hand and said, "Xiao Xi Xi¡­I¡­I don''t want your feast, or your glutinous rice with pork ribs anymore. Can you not break up with my brother? My brother really likes you!"

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded by this. "What? You''ve only drank a few sips of beer. Are you drunk already? Since when did I say I want to break up with your brother?"

    Lu Jingli looked like he wanted to cry. "But, it''s already the seventh day! All the guys you''ve dated before this have neversted beyond the seventh day, have they?"

    Ning Xi was speechless. No wonder Lu Tingxiao had suddenly celebrated that random fifth day thing. No wonder she always felt like something was odd about Lu Tingxiao¡­

    This dude wouldn''t be taking this thought to heart, would he?

    She was thoroughly at a loss for words¡­

    A certain six-star hotel in Imperial.

    "Aiya, Guan, my brother, long time no see!" Lu Chongshan passionately went up to shake the man''s hand.

    Guan Rui was also all smiles and heughed, "Bro Lu, we haven''t seen each other for so many years. You haven''t changed much, still as young as ever! One look and I know you haven''t been worrying!"

    "Nah, both of our sons are worth worrying about, they are not as considerate as your daughter!" Yan Ruyi said as she yfully nudged Guan Ziyao''s arm and looked delighted. "Your girl, Ziyao, is bing prettier!"

    After the two families greeted, they sat down at the dinner table.

    "Didn''t Zihao return this time?"

    "No, after sending us home, he immediately rushed back. He can''t leave thepany over there!"

    "It''s a good thing Ziyao is apanying you both!"

    "Yeah!"

    "This girl, she''s amazing! I heard she just got an MBA? Such a young girl, yet she''s already so advanced! Not easy at all!" Yan Ruyi could not stop singing praises.

    While the parents were chatting, Guan Ziyao and Lu Tingxiao''s were happily catching up too.

    "Tingxiao, do you remember Gao Zhuo? Our high school friend who was the student council president." Guan Ziyao casually started a topic. Despite being distant for seven whole years, they shared countless memories together; those were things that could not be erased.

    "Mmm."

    "Before this, Gao Zhuo invested in tech stocks. Atst, he lost everything," said Guan Ziyao with a sigh.

    "Even though it''s the technology generation, the depth of defence of many techpanies is limited, so it would be too hard to determine the final victor early. It''s very hard to value their shares logically."

    "There are indeed risks. Additionally, there are two more types, thepanies which need too much funds but have little potential for profit, andpanies that are too young. Usually, I wouldn''t dare to get involved."

    "There are also exceptions."

 Chapter 773: The Process Of Making Is Corrupt!

    <h4>Chapter 773: The Process Of Making Is Corrupt!</h4>

    "Of course, take IM and CN for instance, even though they both have the same deep form of defence, they have sufficient cash flow and a history of long-term profit. That year, you used USD 300,000 to buy 7% of IM''s stock at USD 3.56 per unit. Three yearster, IM changed their business strategy and started to withdraw their funds and invest in the production of smartphones. Now, the stock unit price has risen to USD 32.80, increasing by ten-fold. You''re still amazing, daring to y in any field¡­"

    "Just my luck."

    "You can be humble with others but you don''t have to pretend with me!"

    ¡­

    Both family''s parents watched their children interact in delight.

    "Look how chatty the kids are! Sigh, you don''t know that usually at home, we would talk until our mouths fell out and he would still reply us a grunt. It''s very hard to get him to talk!"

    "Don''t mention it, my daughter''s the same! I remember that these two have always been verypatible since they were children¡­"

    Guan Rui initially had something to say about the fact that Lu Tingxiao had a son and was currently dating someone. However, once he thought of Lu Chongshan''s promise and saw that the huge Lu family''s business had grown quite a bit in the past seven years after Lu Tingxiao had taken over, he suddenly felt like those were just petty matters.

    Most importantly, this potential marriage could bring the Guan family unmeasurable profits. In reality, Lu Chongshan was still not satisfied with Guan Ziyao as a candidate to be his future daughter-inw.

    The one he was most satisfied with would still be Zhuang Keer from the Zhuang family. Now, that girl would really hit the spot.

    Guan Ziyao had grown up in a family of business; she was too smart and snobbish. Sadly, recently the Zhuang family had suddenly turned cold towards them, making Lu Chongshan feel somewhat regretful.

    After all, the Zhuang family was a family of public officials. Generations of Zhuangs had been married to families of simr backgrounds, much less with families of business. Such a tradition could not be forced.

    Atst, the dinner was considered a happy asion for both hosts and guests. Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi could finally rx and wait for Lu Tingxiao to change his mind, yet they did not know that their own son was like an unbreakable reed, an unmovable rock¡­

    At Regal Riveria Hotel.

    After she returned to the apartment, Ning Xi showered and was prepared to sleep when the doorbell rang.

    When she saw Lu Tingxiao outside her door, Ning Xi was slightly surprised. "Lu Tingxiao, it''s already sote. Why are you here? Come in!"

    After he entered, Ning Xi was about to get him a pair of slippers when he pulled her into an embrace.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "Sorry, because of some reasons, I can''t change their attitude in a short amount of time. But it doesn''t matter if we''re dating or getting married, it is still between us. You don''t have to worry or please anyone else. No matter what happens, don''t settle things alone without telling me. Just leave it to me. Do you understand what I''m saying?"

    "Mmm, I understand." Ning Xi nodded.

    Initially, he was worried she would mind, so he had rushed over thatte at night to soothe her.

    "Actually, if you want to resolve the other side, it''s very easy to," Lu Tingxiao said.

    "You have a n?" Ning Xi immediately asked suspiciously. Since he had a n, why didn''t he say so earlier?

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "There''s a most effective way to do this. In fact, it is very easy. We just haven''t achieved it yet."

    "Really? What is it?" Ning Xi was increasingly curious.

    "Make a human."

    Ning Xi scratched her head, unsure of what he was implying. "Ah? Make¡­make what?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked towards her stomach meaningfully.

    When she noticed Lu Tingxiao''s line of sight, Ning Xi''s face instantly reddened. "Hey! Lu Tingxiao, why are you starting to be corrupt again?!"

    "How am I corrupt?" Wasn''t this a very sacred thing?

    "The process of making this human is corrupt!"

 Chapter 774: Epitome of True Love

    <h4>Chapter 774: Epitome of True Love</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao looked helplessly into her eyes as he touched her little corrupted head. "I''m leaving."

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded. "Ah? You''re leaving just like that?" Had he especially rushed over just to say these few sentences?

    "Mmm."

    Ning Xi''s eyebrow raised in question. "Really leaving? You sure? Aren''t you afraid that when you wake up tomorrow morning, I''ll break up with you? It''s the seventh day! One week already! Break up doomsday!"

    When he heard this, Lu Tingxiao''s back instantly stiffened¡­

    Upon seeing Lu Tingxiao''s reaction, Ning Xi held her forehead and did not know what to say, "Sigh, what should I say? Big Boss, you have such a high IQ, why do you believe Lu Jingli''s nonsense?! I already said, you''re special¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao paused mid-step. "Which part of me is special?"

    "All of you is special!" Ning Xi said.

    Lu Tingxiao fixed his eyes on her and suddenly asked, "Even more special than the person you liked before?"

    "Huh?" Ning Xi was stunned.

    Aren''t you the person that I have always liked?

    Just as she was about to blurt that out, she suddenly realized that the person Lu Tingxiao was referring to¡­was that dude?

    When she thought about this, Ning Xi suddenly shuddered and had goosebumps. "It''s already sote at night. Can we not mention that guy?"

    This creepy panic bubbling up¡­

    She had finally gotten rid of living under his shadow¡­

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyes dimmed and the arm he hugged her with tightened a little. "Okay."

    "The person I like right now, right this moment is you. You''re not allowed to think nonsensical stuff. Stay tonight, so that when you wake up first thing tomorrow morning, we can celebrate our eighth day!" Ning Xi suggested happily.

    "Okay."

    As theyy in bed at night, Ning Xi could not fall asleep. She got up and leaned on her elbow to look at him. "Lu Tingxiao, ''The World'' will be released in a few more days in Imperial. Will you go watch it?"

    "I won''t."

    Ning Xi immediately straightened up a little. "Ah! Why?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her, then covered her with the nket and did not say anything.

    Ning Xi looked disappointed as she spoke sadly to her fingers, "This is my first acting stint in a movie. In fact, it''s the first one after I was picked by you toe over, the boss himself, so it''s very meaningful. I still want to show you how awesome my performance was. Why don''t you want to watch it?"

    She felt like a child who had scored 100 points but her dad was unwilling to look at her test paper.

    "Because I might not hold myself back from getting it all off the screens," Lu Tingxiao said, shooting her a side look.

    "Huh???"

    In the next second, Ning Xi suddenly understood.

    Could it be because she was acting as a couple with Jiang Muye in the movie?

    But hadn''t all the bed scenes and kissing scenes already been edited out and sinctly implied instead? The only one that made the cut was the first kiss and that had been done with a mask in between them¡­

    Even that couldn''t do? Get it all off screens, how scary!

    "Big Boss! Please don''t watch it!" Ning Xi changed her mind.

    They had been together for a quite a while, so Ning Xi did understand his feelings a little. Lu Tingxiao was not as harmless as he looked. On the contrary, he was someone fearfully possessive.

    The fact that today he didn''t break her legs and chain her to the bed, letting her run around outside instead, and that he simply wouldn''t watch her movie knowing he would get jealous, it was already the epitome of true love.

 Chapter 775: Little Treasure Wont Be Angry, Right?

    <h4>Chapter 775: Little Treasure Won''t Be Angry, Right?</h4>

    The morning sun trickled in through the window. While the girl''s skin looked delicate under the sun rays, you could barely see her soft and cute fine hair on her arms and face.

    Lu Tingxiao leaned on the bed while his fingers grazed her cheeks lightly.

    Before this, his heart had been tensed up but now, he could finally rx.

    Since they returned from DC a week ago till now, he could finally confirm that this girl in front of him was really officially with him.

    Ning Xi woke up with the rest of the world and the moment she opened her eyes, she was met with a god-like handsome face, a delicious-looking one. She was immediately in a good mood as she rubbed her cheeks against his fingers, then she hugged him like a ko and said in a dazed, sleepy voice, "Mmm, Big Boss, you''re awake! Good morning!"

    "Morning."

    The nket was so warm andfortable that Ning Xi subconsciously fell asleep again.

    Momentster, she suddenly opened her eyes. "Say¡­you left Little Treasure alone at home again. Is that okay? Wouldn''t Little Treasure be angry?"

    "No, I''m on official business."

    "Official business¡­?"

    "I still need this half-mother to work hard."

    "Uhh¡­"

    Gosh, did he usually lie to Little Treasure like this?

    ¡­

    These few days, apart from promoting "The World" with the crew, Ning Xi had been busy with the studio, preparing for the uing Spring/Summer fashion week. After all, whether their reputation and market could expand would rely on this.

    Finally, after Lu Jingli had been giving white roses to Yang Shirou for three days, the n to attack Yang Shirou had reached the most crucial fourth day.

    Night fell.

    Yang Shirou went to work at the restaurant as usual, feeling emotional and uncertain. After she nced at the man who had presented her with the rose on the first day, she was almost in disbelief. Apart from those low-key important figures in Imperial who never appeared in newspaper and magazines, she knew all the other ones like the back of her hand. Furthermore, it was the Second Master from the Lu family who had always been very prolific.

    She really could not believe that such a person would want to be involved with her, so she was not assured and had secretly asked around. Atst, she confirmed that this man was really the Second Master of the Lu Corporation, Lu Jingli.

    Before this, a famous tabloid magazine had organized a leader board of the top man all women in Imperial wanted to have a one-night stand with, and Lu Jingli was rated number on, so you could see that this man was quite the charmer.

    Of course, at the same time, this meant that such a man could be messed around with, but if you were serious, then you would lose out.

    In a certain hidden corner of the restaurant, Ning Xi flipped a tabloid magazine as she spoke through the Bluetooth earpiece to Lu Jingli, "Pfft¡­Lu Jingli, I can''t believe you''re voted as number one on the leaderboard for the man that girls want to have a one-night stand with. All these girls just want to hook up with you and not marry you. You really deserve to be single forever!"

    "Huh! So what if they want to hook up with me? What''s wrong with that?! They want to hook up with me because I have the skills!" Lu Jingli said with pride.

    "Yes, yes, yes¡­your skills¡­so, today you must perform better and not use your usual hook-up ways. Don''t let Yang Shirou feel like you''re just messing aroundf. You must make her feel like you''re really serious about her, that she''s special, understand?"

    "I know, I know, you''ve already said it 800 times¡­right, isn''t my brother on that leaderboard?" Lu Jingli asked curiously.

 Chapter 776: An Unexpected Surprise

    <h4>Chapter 776: An Unexpected Surprise</h4>

    Ning Xi looked surprised he should ask such a thing. "Of course, he''s on it. Your brother is number one on the leaderboard for the man girls want to marry the most! Is this even a question?"

    "Oh! This makes me so angry!"

    "Hahahaha! Don''t be angry now, Jiang Muye is voted as the number one guy girls want to have as booty call! Doesn''t that console you a little?"

    "Console, my ass!" At least, a booty call gets more than a one-night stand!

    "Okay, okay. Yang Shirou is here, get ready, official businesses first!"

    ¡­

    The restaurant door was pushed open.

    After Yang Shirou entered, she was at a loss. The entire restaurant was dimly lit, and there was no one inside.

    What was happening?

    Could the restaurant be closed today but no one informed her?

    If it wasn''t open¡­then¡­she would not be able to see that guy today¡­

    She had tried very hard to tell herself to calm down, that even if he really took a liking to her, a man like Lu Jingli was probably only just doing this on a whim.

    However, deep in her heart was filled with silly temptation and a wild longing; she had still been touched by his actions¡­

    Even though she was from a poor family, she was born with a naturally good figure and pretty looks. Just with these, she had many men chasing after her. Of course, she would not be interested in just anymon man. Atst, she finally found a good opportunity and had caught Yan Jun has, a big fish, one that could help her get rid of her past and enter his world.

    Besides, it was not only his family background she was keen on. He was also handsome and treated her like a princess, fulfilling all of her wishes.

    So, she was determined that even if she had to die, she had to hold on to this opportunity.

    As for his wife, wait till she officially got married to him, then who would remember how she got together with him?

    However, after the white roses appeared, the greed and lust that Yang Shirou had suppressed deep in her heart had been awokened.

    A human''s heart was filled with the most insatiable greed¡­

    Yan Junhao was very nice, but she suddenly realized that there was someone better than him! She actually was worth more with her natural beauty¡­

    Once Pandora''s box had been opened, she could not close it. This thought could not be taken back, and it had be even more hungry with the second and third white roses¡­

    Thus, even if she knew the danger behind it, her greed could not help but grow¡­

    The restaurant''s unanticipated closure made Yang Shirou frown. She had fallen to the bottom of the pit at the peak of her anticipation and anyone could she was very disappointed.

    She was about to call the supervisor to ask but just as she took out her phone, the dark restaurant had suddenly lit up and the super luxurious chandelier that was usually reserved for special asions had been lit too.

    In the next second, she saw that under that bedazzling chandelier was a man. He wore a ck tuxedo with a dark red tie, and from his left chest pocket hung a vintage pocket watch. On the inside, he wore a brown English vest and white shirt. With a big bouquet of white roses in his hands, he looked like a character who had walked right out of a painting.

    Predictably, Yang Shirou was entirely stunned, unable to believe her eyes.

    The piano she had yed every day was already being yed someone else, and there was even a professional orchestra beside it, ying a romantic, soothing tune.

    On the only table that had been lit by a candle, were fresh flowers and exquisite dishes.

 Chapter 777: Key Timing

    <h4>Chapter 777: Key Timing</h4>

    She had just been feeling disappointed and down in the doldrums about not seeing this man today when he unexpectedly appeared in such a manner before her. The ecstasy she was feeling was about to make her heart explode.

    Just like that, her heart beat faster and faster as she watched him walk towards her. Then, he handed her the bouquet of 99 white roses.

    Yang Shirou watched him, stunned, before finally calming herself and revealing a surprised yet confused and doubtful expression. "Mister, thank you for your flowers the past few days but I still don''t know who you are¡­"

    "Nice to meet you, my surname is Lu. I''m very sorry that I acted so randomly but after struggling in a dilemma for a long while, I still could not control myself from being impulsive¡­who I am is not important. I really like the way you y, so maybe you can treat me as your¡­um, your fan. I wonder if I would have this honor to have you join me for dinner?"

    Yang Shirou restrained her glee and hesitated for a few seconds before she hurled out her hand to ept the bouquet, pretending to be coy about his intentions towards her. "Mister, you''re far too kind. I''m no professional. ying the piano here is just a means of survival."

    Lu Jingli swiftly pulled a chair out for her while he fixed his gaze on her. "No, I''m not talking about the piano that''s taken my heart, but the pianist herself."

    Yang Shirou''s heart skipped a beat.

    In the corner, Ning Xi had been watching the scene y out with great satisfaction up to this point. However, she waited for so long and still did not hear Lu Jingli''s next dialogue.

    Then, she saw this guy touch his hair. This hint meant that he had forgotten the words to say.

    Ning Xi then cued him, "I have never seen a girl like you before¡­"

    Lu Jingli heard Ning Xi''s reminder and continued, "I have never seen a girl like you before. The first time I saw you, I could not tear my eyes away¡­''

    Ning Xi quickly cautioned him, "Lu Jingli, watch your body expressions! Don''t act so calmly! Act like you''re more nervous! Do you know what''s the feeling of falling in love with someone for the first time? Act like she''s your first love, okay?"

    Lu Jingli''s face turned slightly gloomy. First love, my ass¡­even though he had dated many times, he still didn''t even know how first love felt! He was usually the one loved by others!

    "If you really don''t know, then just stutter for me, tighten your fingers, or identally push something over. It''s the little details!" Ning Xi could only teach him step by step.

    It was a good thing that Lu Jingli was pretty good at understanding her tips. He immediately gripped the cup tightly, then drank a huge swig of wine. He looked nervous and started to say with a slight stutter, "I have met many girls before, but none of them have ever been like you, it really is¡­very weird¡­I can''t begin to describe what this feeling is¡­I think¡­would I be able to understand¡­if I moved closer to you? I¡­I don''t know what I''m saying either¡­do you understand what I mean?"

    When she saw Lu Jingli, who had always been someone superior to others, act unexpectedly like a young, greend discovering love for the first time, Yang Shirou''s initial nervousness suddenly calmed down. She felt the satisfaction of having everything within her control. In fact, her conceitedness and confidence had been boosted.

    Sheughed lightly and said ambiguously, "We are probably destined to meet then."

    The conversation progressed considerably smoothly and the entire dinner was filled with a flirtatious vibe, basically achieving the effect Ning Xi had wanted.

    Then, it was time to find the next key timing.

 Chapter 778: Give You An Extra Drumstick

    <h4>Chapter 778: Give You An Extra Drumstick</h4>

    Usually after Yang Shirou finished work, Yan Junhao woulde to pick her up. Thus, when Lu Jingli suggested sending her home, Yang Shirou naturally rejected immediately, indicating that she had made ns with a girl friend and wanted to wait for her toe over.

    So, Lu Jingli left first.

    When in reality, Lu Jingli did not leave at all. He waited in a dark corner instead.

    Very quickly, a Porsche drove over to the car park.

    Yan Junhao got down from the car and walked over to pick Yang Shirou up as usual. He even kissed her lips affectionately before asking, "Was work tiring?"

    "Lu Jingli! Time for you to take action! This performance is all about the eyes. You must pretend to be very shocked and so heartbroken that you cannot believe you have lost the love of your life. Be extra dramatic! Understand?" Ning Xi reminded repeatedly.

    Lu Jingli pursed his mouth and rolled his eyes at her. "Why don''t you switch careers to be a director?"

    "Because I''m afraid that there will be too many actors like you, then I would die of anger!"

    "Hey! My performance is clearly good, okay?"

    "Okay, okay, okay, it''s very good for a first timer! Go, quickly! They''re about to finish kissing!" Ning Xi agitatedly pushed him out.

    He really was not that good at acting! He had obviously dated many times before, but he was like someone who had no dating experience and had no heartfelt emotions at all! People could obviously tell from one look that he was the kind to mess around with girls only! No wonder all the girls only wanted to have one-night stands with him¡­

    Lu Jingli followed exactly as per the prepared script and dropped the car keys in his hand, then looked at the scene before him in disbelief¡­

    A pained expression crossed his face. He looked like he had just found his true love, but realized that his true love had already found the love of her life.

    When she saw Lu Jingli, Yang Shirou''s expression paled. She obviously did not expect Lu Jingli to leave and then return again¡­

    "Hey! I''m letting you be dramatic, but not that dramatic. Your eyes are too wide and your performance is not convincing enough. Don''t continue to stand there, you will be exposed. Quickly turn around and leave!" Ning Xi urged.

    Finally, it ended¡­

    In the car, Lu Jingli slumped onto the car seat like a dead dog. "Acting is so hard, so hard¡­I feel like my body has been hollowed out¡­"

    "Of course, this is a skilled job."

    "What else do I have to do tomorrow?"

    "The foundations have beenid enough, so you don''t have to do anything tomorrow. Just keep her hanging. The day after tomorrow, we will finish the final scene and then we''ll be done."

    "Thank you, Director Ning!"

    "Good boy, I''ll give you an additional drumstick for the boxed riceter."

    ¡­

    At night, when Ning Xi had just returned to the apartment and parked her car, she unexpectedly saw two familiar people outside.

    Those two people being intimate under themp post¡­looked like Ning Xueluo and Su Yan.

    Ning Xueluo already seldom stayed at this apartment. After History became popr, she had immediately bought a bungalow and rarely came back. Who''d have known she would meet them today?

    "Su Yan, my father said that after this fashion press conference, he will use the opportunity to suggest to my grandfather to let me enter thepany. Thest time Father mentioned it, Grandfather was already unhappy about it. This time, he said he is worried if Grandfather would be even angrier since, after all, he seems to still be waiting for my sister¡­" Ning Xueluo asked, distressed.

    "How can that be? When Grandfather sees how excellent you''ve been, he will definitely change his mind!"

    Ning Xueluo sighed, "Actually, I don''t really want to go. After all, with my identity, I''m in an awkward position. But I can''t bear to reject my father. I have already rejected many times before this and I''m afraid that Father will be disappointed. Besides, I do sincerely wanted to share the burden with my father and grandfather, but¡­"

 Chapter 779: My Brother Is So Lucky

    <h4>Chapter 779: My Brother Is So Lucky</h4>

    Then, go. After all, you''re entering based on your own capabilities, aren''t you? No one will say anything!"

    "But, on sister''s end¡­would she feel like I''m taking what belongs to her away? I really don''t want to fight with her for anything or else, I wouldn''t have started my ownpany¡­"

    "You, my dear, think too much. All of these things you have are well-deserved. How can you say you''ve snatched it away from her? I''ve already gotten someone to send that dress for you to Qin Shengyue, so there shouldn''t be any problem."

    "Su Yan, you don''t actually have to do so much for me¡­"

    "Nonsense, you''re my future wife. If I don''t help you, who else would I help?"

    ¡­

    In the blink of an eye, it was thest day of the agreement with Qin Shengyue.

    It was night time already and Ning Xi was still at her wit''s end. Atst, Lu Jingli impatiently huffed, "Hello, there isn''t much time left. You won''t let me work for nothing, will you? I''ve already gotten someone to ask around. Yang Shirou and Yan Junhao have still been lovey-dovey these past few days. She has no intentions of breaking up at all!"

    "She obviously wouldn''t break up with Yan Junhao. Do you think she would stupidly ruin her ns before she can be sure that she can get you?"

    "Then, what do we do?"

    Ning Xi looked at the time on her handphone and waited for another half an hour, then she slowly changed her outfit and put on her makeup.

    Lastly, she looked at the radiant Lu Jingli and pped her hand on her forehead, "Didn''t I tell you not to shave for a few days?"

    "That would affect my attractiveness!" Lu Jingli replied seriously.

    Ning Xi speechlessly dragged him over and to put on some makeup for him as disguise. Ten minutester, Lu Jingli''s energetic face earlier was now reced with a thin and pallid look.

    Lu Jingli looked at Ning Xi, then turned to his reflection and was shocked. "Wow! Xiao Xi Xi, your makeup skills are reallyparable to a proper disguise! My brother is so lucky¡­"

    "How does this rte to your brother?"

    "Every time you change your makeup, you be another person. It''s like changing a new girlfriend every day. How exciting and refreshing is that?"

    Ning Xi was speechless. This guy''s focus was indeed extraordinary!

    ¡­

    When Ning Xi and Lu Jingli reached the restaurant, they only had half an hour left until Yang Shirou got off work.

    Ning Xi had already reserved a good spot in advance; neither too far nor too close to the piano, yet just close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation.

    Lu Jingli asked Ning Xi, who had dressed up to the nines while clinging on to his arm, "Why is this different from the previous script? Are you a cameo?"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "Because your acting skills are too horrible, I just have to take action myself and increase our impact to prevent any mistakes!"

    When Yang Shirou saw Lu Jingli as she was ying the piano, she first looked overjoyed, then her expression changed when she saw the woman beside Lu Jingli.

    Ning Xi led Lu Jingli to the reserved seat and both of them ordered some food before starting to chat idly. She kepting up with topics to chat with Lu Jingli about.

    However, Lu Jingli''s gaze continued to fall absentmindedly on Yang Shirou. When Yang Shirou could feel that Lu Jingli''s heart was actually still with her, she was instantly filled with emotion. She nced over to lock eyes with him, very much enamored.

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Jingli, then at Yang Shirou, before she stood up swiftly and sshed half a ss of water on Lu Jingli. She then stormed off angrily.

    Lu Jingli revealed a distressed expression, then he left the restaurant too.

 Chapter 780: Finally Showing True Colors

    <h4>Chapter 780: Finally Showing True Colors</h4>

    Finally, because of her deductions about Lu Jingli''s sincerity towards her firming up and the threat of Ning Xi''s appearance, Yang Shirou''s psychological defensepletely shattered. She immediately stopped ying the piano and ran out quickly to chase after him¡­

    By the roadside, Lu Jingli was just about to get into the car. Behind him, Yang Shirou called to him to stop while panting, "Mr. Lu¡­can we talk?"

    In the corner, Ning Xi smiled. She could finally reap the harvest.

    Lu Jingli and Yang Shirou spoke in an extra huge private room in the restaurant and within that room was a separate section.

    Ning Xi had invited Yan Junhao over much earlier and at that moment, he was waiting in that separate section. She had used the identity of Yang Shirou''s best friend to invite him over, saying that she had something important to tell him, so Yan Junhao rushed over immediately.

    After waiting for a while, there were suddenly sounds of footsteps outside, then a familiar voice spoke. It was unexpectedly Yang Shirou''s¡­

    Yan Junhao was about to walk out to greet her when he heard another man''s voice. Instinctively, he paused and observed while holding his breath.

    "Ms. Yang, how may I help you?"Lu Jingli asked courteously, standing at a distance.

    Yang Shirou was afraid that Lu Jingli would disappear again, so she impatiently said, "Mr. Lu, you''ve misunderstood! The man you saw at the carpark the other day has nothing to do with me¡­at that time¡­at that time, he forced me!"

    "Who was he?" Lu Jingli asked intentionally.

    Yang Shirou exined even more anxiously, "He was a customer I met at my previous workce. He''s a very nice person and has helped me a lot, so I feel very thankful for him but that is all. I know that he might have¡­other intentions towards me, but I have only felt nothing but gratitude towards him! I have also been rejecting his pursuits! He already has a wife, so there is no way I would wreck his family!"

    "You don''t like him?"

    "How could I like him?!" Yang Shirou continued worriedly and then added shyly, "Mr. Lu, I¡­I actually like you¡­I have liked you form the moment I first saw you¡­but you were too far away. I never thought that you would actually be interested in me¡­"

    "Is that customer of yours called Yan Junhao?" Lu Jingli asked.

    Unexpectedly, Lu Jingli had already found out who the other person was! Yang Shirou''s expression stiffened. Thankfully, she maintained herposure and said with a pained expression, "Yes¡­so you know as well. He has power and reputation. I can''t defend myself at all, I can only hide¡­"

    In the next second, the door of the separate section was pushed open and Yan Junhao stormed out furiously. He pped Yang Shirou without hesitating. "B*tch!"

    When she saw Yan Junhao, Yang Shirou froze. "Jun¡­Junhao¡­how are you here?"

    "If I wasn''t here, how would I know that you were such a cheap b*tch?! You always say that I''m your everything, that you would die for me¡­"

    When she heard this, Yang Shirou''s first reaction was to look nervously at Lu Jingli. "Mr. Lu, I can exin¡­"

    Yan Junhao looked angrily at Lu Jingli and then was bewildered. Wasn''t this¡­wasn''t this the Second Master of Lu Corporation?

    How did Yang Shirou get involved with someone like this? Could there have been a misunderstanding?

    Lu Jingli just looked innocently at him and shrugged. "I alwayse to this restaurant for dinner and I admire Ms. Yang''s piano skills, so we chatted for a bit. But Ms. Yang seems to have misunderstood me¡­"

    Yang Shirou instantly stared in disbelief. "What? But didn''t you¡­didn''t you give me flowers¡­and you even treated me to dinner¡­"

    Lu Jingli responded, "And then?"

    Then¡­?

    Yang Shirou was at a loss for words¡­

    Lu Jingli had never said anything or done anything out of line. In fact, his personality had always been to fool around. There were numerous women he had given flowers to¡­

    All of this, could it all just be her wishful thinking?

 Chapter 781: If Youre Satisfied, Please Give Five Stars

    <h4>Chapter 781: If You''re Satisfied, Please Give Five Stars</h4>

    Late at night in a certain bungalow in the north of the city.

    An assistant carefully carried an elegant dress into the bedroom. "Sis Yue, the dress for fashion week has been chosen. Would you like to take a look? It''s a dress from History¡­I saw that you were praising their designer''s style previously, so¡­"

    Qin Shengyue was absentmindedly sitting in front of her dressing table, not even looking at the dress before saying, "Just put it down."

    "Oh¡­" Seeing that Qin Shengyue did not reject the dress, the assistant was relieved and quickly put the dress down.

    After she left, the assistant immediately sent a message to the person who had asked for her favor: [No problem, I''ve passed it to Sis Yue.]

    In the room, Qin Shengyue stared listlessly at the dress, then pulled out a document from her drawer. The divorce papers.

    These few days, Yan Junhao''s attitude towards her had be increasingly indifferent and he was increasingly anxious, urging her to sign her agreement to the divorce. He did not even care about their reputation anymore and immediately brought the matter to court.

    She stood up and slowly opened her wardrobe. Hanging inside was a beautiful dress for the runway. It was the dress she wore the first time she walked onto an international stage.

    While she was a slightly fitful and cranky woman,cking the thoughtfulness of that woman, it did not mean she had put in any less effort into the rtionship.

    Initially, she had a change in careers to be a top model and she even climbed to the peak of the fashion pyramid. However, for this man, she had given up on her dreams¡­

    Atst, what had she gotten in the end?

    Compared to a girl who busked in the bar¡­

    Divorce? She had made such a sacrifice and clipped her own wings, and now he wanted a divorce while she watched the two of them take flight. How could she be willing to sign the papers!? Sadly, they had already reached this stage. Did she have any other options apart from divorce?

    She looked up at the time on the wall and saw that it was a few minutes till dawn.

    At that moment, she suddenly thought about that girl she had met in the carpark and her promise. She could not help but smile wryly¡­

    She slowly pulled open her drawer and took out the divorce papers with a trembling hand¡­

    At that moment, the room door burst open. Yan Junhao, who had not been home for half a month, was now standing at the door, staring at her with bloodshot eyes.

    That gaze of his made Qin Shengyue''s heart wrench in agony. "Didn''t I say I would give you an answer tomorrow? You can''t even wait another night?"

    In the next second, Yan Junhao fell to his knees in front of her, and pped himself, before hugging her legs. "Dear! I''ve been wrong! Please forgive me! Please¡­"

    Qin Shengyue was speechless.

    That very moment, a voice shed in her mind, "I can guarantee that your husband will be crying his way back to you while hitting his mouth to beg for your forgiveness!"

    Then, her phone suddenly rang. She had received a message: [Ms. Qing, if you''re satisfied, please give five stars! Spirit Studio]

    The next night, in a private room at Imperial Knight Hotel.

    Qin Shengyue finally evaluated the girl in front of her. "How¡­how did you¡­how did you do it? I''ve asked Junhao the reason, but he wouldn''t say anything. He only kept saying that he was wrong and he begged me to forgive him¡­"

    This was within Ning Xi''s expectations. As a man, how could Yan Junhao tell his wife that he had been cheated on by a third party?

    "It''s nothing special. I just hired a man to hook up with Yang Shirou and let your husband catch them red-handed!" Ning Xi simply exined.

 Chapter 782: Afraid The Devil Would Be Jealous

    <h4>Chapter 782: Afraid The Devil Would Be Jealous</h4>

    Qin Shengyue suddenly understood but she was even more suspicious. "Is it that easy?"

    She was not tooting her own horn but based on Yan Junhao''s qualifications, he was only one step away from being in the top percentile of most handsome and sessful men around. There was no way Yang Shirou could easily be seduced by another man¡­

    "Everything is possible!" Ning Xi simply said.

    Qin Shengyue did not want to hear any more about the woman either, so she didn''t pursue the matter. She just looked at Ning Xi and said, "It doesn''t matter how you did it. I will fulfill my promise to you. Even if your designs are like dog sheet, I will wear them."

    Ning Xi''s expression darkened. "I know we did this under the table and not very transparently, but our designer is talented and capable!"

    Then, she gave her a folder. Inside it was an introduction to their studio and Gong Shangze''s portfolio, including some of his work. Qin Shengyue took it from her and simply skimmed through it. Slowly, her expression changed to one of wonder. "You''re the studio that won the Golden Award?"

    "Yes."

    "I''ve not been paying attention to what''s happening outside in the past few days because of my husband. But thetest Golden Award winner¡­is quite interesting¡­how is your designer rted to David? Why do the styles look so simr? It''s like it''s the same person¡­but possibly in different phases. David''s style is slightly underdeveloped but full of passion and life, whereas ZX''s has more volume and explosive power," Qin Shengyue analyzed.

    She was indeed a professional! Ning Xi nodded excitedly. "I can''t say anything now but one day, the truth will be made known to the world."

    Qin Shengyue gave it some thought, then closed the folder and asked, "Since you guys have already gotten the Golden Award, why are you still worried about not getting business? Why do you have to use such ways to get to me?"

    Ning Xi scratched her head as she tried to exin, "On one hand, it''s market saturation we are being challenged with. Even you can see that our style oveps with History''s. On the other hand, we haven''t found a suitable sales manager for the time being. Some other studios'' designers also do sales, but our designer is one of those whose heart is focused on designing only. Plus, we don''t want him to be distracted either¡­"

    Qin Shengyue''s rapped her knuckles on the table, then said, "I''ll give you one then."

    "Huh?" Ning Xi blinked. "Give¡­give me? Give me what?"

    "Give you a person, my marketing department''s trump card," Qin Shengyue said casually.

    "Pfft!" Ning Xi almost spat her coffee onto the woman across her. "You can even give a person? Sis, you''re being too generous, aren''t you?"

    "Why not? Do you want this offer? If not, it''s fine!"

    "Wait, wait¡­let me ask first, the one you want to give us¡­is it a man or a woman?"

    "Is there a difference?" Qin Shengyue asked.

    Ning Xi nodded vigorously. "Of course, there''s a difference! If it''s a man, then forget it!"

    "Why?" Qin Shengyue did not understand.

    Why, obviously it was because she was afraid the devil would get jealous!

    Thest time when she had picked up Gong Shangze, Lu Tingxiao had gone crazy. He would go off the charts if she took in another man!

    "Because my designer has a peculiarity. He can''te up with designs when he sees men," Ning Xi replied, using Gong Shangze as an excuse.

    Qin Shengyueughed out loud. What an unexpectedly queer reason! Nevertheless, she did understand. Many designers also had unknown oddities. "Don''t worry, it''s a woman."

    Ning Xi was relieved. "Then, yes! Yes, yes, yes! I want her in!"

    If it was a woman, then there would definitely not be an issue¡­uhh¡­it shouldn''t be an issue, right?!

 Chapter 783: Traded The Most Precious Thing

    <h4>Chapter 783: Traded The Most Precious Thing</h4>

    "That''s settled then. I''ll tell her to report directly to you!" Qin Shengyue immediately decided.

    Ning Xi suddenly had some concerns. "Um, your trump card¡­is it going to be expensive? If it''s too expensive, even if you give her to me, I couldn''t afford to employ her! Besides, would she agree to this arrangement? After all, my little ce¡­"

    "Since I''m the one making this arrangement, of course, you don''t have to pay for anything. I''ve signed a five-year contract with her and there''s still a year left. I''ll transfer her over to you for the remaining year. After that, I''ll let her decide for herself whether she wants to stay with you or return to me."

    When Ning Xi heard this, she frowned and gave it some thought. Despite Qin Shengyue''s assurance that it would not cost her anything, this trump card was from her. Since this trump card was a top performer, her annual sry would at least be in the millions, right? And this was just a conservative estimation.

    Wait till she came to her little studio¡­she could probably only get a low sry¡­

    It would be a staggering difference¡­

    Atst, Ning Xi gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, I''m giving it my all! I want this person! If my studio has yet to grow within a year, I willpensate her for the time lost with me!"

    Qin Shengyue looked at the girl in front of her and admiration shed in her eyes. "Don''t worry, my trump card is not an amateur either. If she can only get a basic sry after a year, there is no need for me to give her to you. You can be assured of her capabilities but whether or not you can lead her will be very much up to you!"

    "Okay, I understand," Ning Xi replied and nodded.

    "Right, remember to prepare three sets of outfits for me, okay?" Qing Shengyue suddenly added on as a reminder.

    "So many? Is it so that you have options?" Ning Xi was confused.

    Qin Shengyue shot her a look. "No, it''s not for back up options! All three sets must be exquisite! I will be wearing all of them! One set for the morning, one for the afternoon, and one more for the evening! Will I only wear one set of outfit for such an important asion?"

    "What¡­incredible! You''re willing to wear three sets of our outfits?" Ning Xi was in shock.

    "What do you think?"

    "I thought that you would only wear one set at most¡­"

    After all, she was a trendsetter. It was not easy for her to wear even one set of a new designer''s work. T protect her status, all the other outfits would be top designs from internationally renowned brands but this time she was actually¡­willing to be a walking billboard for them?

    Qin Shengyue shrugged nonchntly. "It''s nothing. I''m in a good mood today! dly!"

    Ning Xi started perspiring. Okay¡­

    She would never have thought that her impulsive suggestion would gain her something beyond her wildest imagination.

    It was worth making her future brother-inw work too¡­

    It was worth running around with Lu Jingli for one week¡­

    It was worth shouting her throat hoarse at that yboy Lu Jingli so he would know how to connect with the heart to pick up girls¡­

    Qin Shengyue contemted, looking at her, then suddenly said curiously, "Hey, tell me the truth. Do you look down on me? My husband has already treated me that way, yet I still kept hoping for him to change his mind¡­"

    Ning Xi scratched her head, "Based on my temper, I would never take someone back once they''re disloyal. However, everyone has their own ways of doing things, so you probably have your reasons.

    "Huh, yeah¡­reasons¡­" Qin Shengyue sighed. She smiled wryly and muttered, "Because¡­the sacrifice was too big¡­he was someone I had traded my most precious thing for. My dreams¡­"

 Chapter 784: Gave Me A Person

    <h4>Chapter 784: Gave Me A Person</h4>

    Ning Xi knew that Qin Shengyue had left the international fashion scene to stay in Imperial for Yan Junhao. From a certain perspective, Qin Shengyue was quite simr to her when she had given up on her acting dreams for Su Yan. This was probably also the reason why she could not help but want to help her!

    However, aspared to Qin Shengyue, the road she had chosen was theplete opposite. Even though it was very difficult to rediscover those precious things and rediscover herself, she never once regretted her decision.

    ¡­

    At the Lu family''s old residence.

    "Sigh, little girl, you are usually so busy with studies and work. We never expected that you could cook too!" Yan Ruyi was pleasantly surprised at the dishes Guan Ziyao had cooked up andid on the table.

    No one was at home today, so she used the opportunity to invite Guan Ziyao over and have a one-on-one chat with her personally to get to know how her life away from home had been like for the past few years.

    In the end, not only was the girl elegant and poised in the way she carried herself; her range of knowledge was broad and she had also cooked a few of her best dishes. Even though it was justmon home-cooked dishes, such abination of talents was still quite rare.

    Guan Ziyao blushed when she heard the praises. "I practiced while I was living alone during my studies abroad. Aunty, you are too kind to eat it even if my cooking skills aren''t at a professional level."

    "Look at you, you''ve already done so well! Most of the girls these days haven''t even tried cooking but you had the heart despite being so busy. My ideas might be a little traditional, but I still think that even though families like us don''t need to personally cook every day, the meaning of a personal home-cooked meal is definitely different."

    "You''re right, Aunty."

    Yan Ruyi herself was good at cooking, so she held a certain standard for her daughter-inw. She still found culinary an important skill to have even in this day and age. She had initially thought that a well-pampered, young girl such as Guan Ziyao would definitely not know how to cook. Plus, she was always so busy yet she excelled in her work and studies. Who''d have thought that she also knew how to cook? This was indeed a pleasant surprise.

    "Right, Ziyao, your herbal pork rib soup is not bad. I''ll send some over to the elderter¡­or how about you go over with me?" Yan Ruyi took the chance to suggest.

    When Guan Ziyao heard her invitation, she looked troubled. "I''m sorry, Aunty, I still have a proposal to finish tonight. I don''t think I''ll be able to make it."

    If she followed Yan Ruyi over, she would have the chance to get close to Lu Tingxiao. However, he might be unhappy that she was using her mother and she obviously knew how to bnce things well so as to not do anything that could annoy Lu Tingxiao.

    Besides, Lu Tingxiao had a girlfriend now. If she acted too desperately, it would reflect badly on her. Toe over and apany Yan Ruyi was sufficient.

    Yan Ruyi was even more satisfied when saw that she was not rash and had acted ordingly. "That''s okay then. Find another day toe to our house again."

    "Okay, Aunty," answered Guan Ziyao politely.

    At tinum Pce.

    In the restaurant, Lu Jingli''s eyes practically bulged out of their sockets while his saliva leaked as he stared at the table full of dishes.

    "Oh my God! Xiao Xi Xi! Are you crazy? You really know how to cook a full course meal!"

    Ning Xi put her hands on her hips and said happily, "Why can''t I? I''m in a really good mood today! It''s my pleasure!"

    Lu Jingli looked pleased as he reached out for a piece of his favorite sweet and sour pork ribs. "Looks like the issue went smoothly? Did Qin Shengyue agree to it?"

    "Not only did she agree, she is even willing to wear three whole sets of our outfits! Morning, noon, and evening outfits¡­all of it will not be repeated! And she even gave me a person, it''s someone under her¡­"

    Before she could finish, Lu Jingli wolf-whistled.

 Chapter 785: Exchanged With Blood, Sweat and Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 785: Exchanged With Blood, Sweat and Beauty</h4>

    "Oh, Brother! Take care of your wife! That woman Qin gave your wife a person, a person, a person!"

    Ning Xi kicked him, "It''s a woman!"

    "Oh, she''s given your wife a woman, a woman, a woman!"

    Ning Xi was annoyed now. "She gave me a marketing trump card to help me manage marketing and sales! And it''s a female!"

    Lu Jingli condescendingly scoffed, "Is there a difference to you whether it''s a man or a woman?"

    Ning Xi gave him a hard stare, then picked up a soft piece of braised pork before she ran towards Lu Tingxiao who was going through some documents in the living room. "Ah¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her, then opened his mouth. The braised pork melted in his mouth and it was very tasty. He was not sure how she did it but it did not feel greasy at all.

    Lu Tingxiao never had a thing for food, but ever since he had tried her dishes, he started to understand why Lu Jingli loved eating delicious food so much.

    After Ning Xi finished feeding him, she softly swore beside Lu Tingxiao, "Big Boss, don''t listen to him spout nonsense. There is definitely no difference between men or women to me. To me, there are only two types of genders: one is everyone else and the other is you!"

    Lu Jingli made the action of bending over to vomit. "Ughhh! Save your sweet words, my brother is not that gullible!"

    Lu Tingxiao responded with a grunt and Lu Jingli was speechless.

    Lu Tingxiao gently reminded her, "This person was, after all, immediately transferred to you from Qin Shengyue, so you have to pay attention and observe her yourself. Marketing is not a child''s game. However, if she is really Qin Shengyue''s trump card, then her capabilities will definitely not be a problem. Give me a copy of her resumeter on and I''ll help you take a look."

    Ning Xi nodded, "Okay, okay! Thank you, my dear!"

    Lu Jingli had no words. How did it end up like this? He still wanted to retain his appetite!

    "Hey! Little Treasure, put down my glutinous rice with pork ribs!" He had only been distracted for a short while when he noticed half a te of his favorite dish being eaten by Little Treasure. Lu Jingli felt like his heart had been stabbed.

    Little Treasure blinked before he swallowed another bite without hesitation.

    "Oh, my heart hurts¡­" Lu Jingli was prepared to protect his pork ribs to death when a golden head suddenly popped in through the door.

    Jiang Muye had just finished work and was prepared to go home when he was tempted by the aroma of food. "Hey! What are you guys doing? Preparing to pray? It''s not even the new year. Why is the grand feast?"

    Jiang Muye removed his ck face mask and directly picked up a salt and pepper prawn with his hands. At such feasts, chopsticks were irrelevant.

    One taste and he knew it was Ning Xi''s work.

    Jiang Muye''s eyes instantly shone. "Uncle, can I leech on this meal?"

    "No!" Lu Jingli was about to have a breakdown. "Why is there another person here to fight for food with me!? These are all mine! All exchanged using my blood, sweat, and beauty!"

    "Huh? Beauty?"

    "That''s not the main point. The main point is¡­are you sure you want to leech on this meal? You will be force-fed dog food!" Lu Jingli used his killer card.

    Jiang Muye took a look at the two of them on the sofa, then sat right down. "No big deal, I''ll just eat with my eyes closed!"

    Many days had passed and he had finally calmed down quite a bit. Some things could not be evaded forever.

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

    The table was a whirlwind of chaos as they gorged themselves on the food.

    Ning Xi was initially worried that she had cooked too much, but as she watched Jiang Muye and Lu Jingli inhaling all of it, she was not worried anymore¡­

    Halfway through, another person entered.

 Chapter 786: Little Treasure Fed Her

    <h4>Chapter 786: Little Treasure Fed Her</h4>

    Beside Butler Yuan was a graceful woman donned in a cheongsam. Lu Jingli swallowed the mouthful of food he was chewing on with a gulp before asking, "Eh? Mom, why are you here?"

    "Grandmother!" Jiang Muye greeted with a full mouth.

    "Mother," Lu Tingxiao greeted her, then got the servant to get another set of cutlery for her.

    Ning Xi was in the middle of peeling a prawn for Little Treasure when she saw who had entered, so she stood up as well. "Madam Lu."

    When Yan Ruyi saw Ning Xi at the dining table as well, she paused. "I''m here to send you some soup¡­what are you doing? Is it a special day today? Why have you made so much food? Even Muye is here too!"

    "Oh, it''s nothing, I just helped Sister-inw with a small favor, so she made me some dishes to thank me!"

    When she heard Lu Jingli call Ning Xi "sister-inw", Yan Ruyi was naturally not too happy about it, but for Little Treasure''s sake, she did not act out. She looked doubtfully at Ning Xi. "She knows how to cook?"

    "You try for yourself!" Lu Jingli used his chopsticks to pick up a braised eggnt for Yan Ruyi.

    After Yan Ruyi put it into her mouth, she frowned as she finished chewing and said, "You punk, this is obviously ordered from the restaurant, isn''t it?"

    Lu Jingli''s mouth twitched in amusement. "Oh, please, Mother. I nted these eggnts in the garden myself. Little Treasure washed them, Brother cut them, then Sister-inw cooked it! Oh, right, that Jiang Muye didn''t do anything at all! He''s here to leech on our meal!"

    Yan Ruyi watched Little Treasure eat like a little squirrel with his chubby cheeks. He did not lift up his head and she felt her heart fill with warmth.

    Elders liked watching the younger ones eat more and Yan Ruyi was no exception. She did not want to move her gaze away from the little bun.

    The little guy had always counted his rice before eating them. Even when he had changed, she had never seen him eat this happily before. No wonder Little Treasure had fattened up once he was sent back. It seems like this girl was not entirely useless.

    At least, her culinary skills would have seen a few years of practice and training. Even though it was just an eggnt dish, the simpler a dish was, the more it tested one''s skills in actual fact. She had only tried a bite earlier but it was actually as delicious as the one from the restaurants.

    "Mother, want to join us?" Lu Jingli asked.

    "I''ve eaten, you guys go ahead!" Yan Ruyi patted her little grandson''s head as he focused on his food. "Little Treasure, eat slowly! Be careful not to choke!"

    Little Treasure thought that his grandmother wanted to eat too because he saw that she was watching him eat. So, he looked at the huge prawn Aunty Xiao Xi had peeled for him and struggled very hard with himself before his used his little chopsticks and delivered it to Yan Ruyi''s mouth.

    Eat, Grandmother.

    Yan Ruyi was shocked by his affection. She quickly opened up her mouth and epted it. "Hey, thank you, my good little grandson, it''s so delicious¡­"

    "Grandmother, what are you holding?" Jiang Muye casually asked.

    Yan Ruyi''s expression stiffened. "It''s nothing, the kitchen made some herbal pork rib soup today and I brought some over for you guys but I think you''re probably too full to drink this now, so just leave it be!"

    Yan Ruyi looked at Little Treasure for a while more before he fed her a few mouthfuls of food again, then she left happily.

    She''ll tell the old one that Little Treasure had fed herter. He would definitely be so jealous!

    On the way home, Yan Ruyi was a little distracted. Tonight, she saw that Tingxiao, Jingli, Little Treasure, and even Jiang Muye all sitting at one table and eating happily. It really was such a nice family atmosphere. Little Treasurepletely seemed like a normal, happy child as well.

    This was far from how it was like when she used to visit. It was cold and quiet without any life at all.

    And all of these changes have seemed to happen because of that woman¡­

    To be honest, if it was not because of Little Treasure''s incident back then that left a scar in her, based on the way she took care of Little Treasure so well, she might have just¡­

 Chapter 787: How Could The Man I Choose Be Wrong?

    <h4>Chapter 787: How Could The Man I Choose Be Wrong?</h4>

    After Yan Ruyi left, Lu Jingli casually opened the container with the pork rib soup.

    Even though the skills of the Old Residence''s chef were not bad, he had long gotten tired of eating it. He felt like it tasted the same as the cooking from restaurant chefs. However, the standard of their soup was still pretty good.

    Thus, Lu Jingli brought a spoonful of it to his mouth but he immediately spat it out just as soon as he drank it. "My God! This is so horrible! Is she trying to trick me? Is she sure this was made by the kitchen in the old residence?"

    Ning Xi took a sip and said, "It''s alright. Even though it''s not that great, it''s still okay. You''re just being too picky, aren''t you?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the soup without saying anything.

    Suddenly, Lu Jingli thought of something and said, "I bet you that this soup was probably made by Guan Ziyao. Otherwise, why would my mother randomly send it over herself? Probably wanted to brag a little¡­but it stood nothing next to my Bro Xi''s full course meal, hahahahaha¡­"

    After dinner, Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye did not rush to leave. They sat on the sofa to watch television.

    Because they had eaten too much, they could not move.

    Ning Xi apanied Little Treasure to do some Sudoku, then looked at the time and said to Lu Tingxiao, "Big Boss, I''m running out of time now. I''m going out to watch my movie!"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Mmm, be careful on the road. It''s cold at night, put on a scarf."

    Jiang Muye heard this and was curious. "Watch a movie? What movie?"

    Why wasn''t Lu Tingxiao going with her?

    Ning Xi was annoyed. "Jiang Muye, you unreliable person, the movie you''re acting in is being released in theatres tonight. Don''t you know?"

    Jiang Muye raised his brows. "The movie I''m acting it¡­oh, you mean ''The World''? It''s just being released but I''m just the second male lead."

    "I can''t be bothered to talk to you. I''m leaving!" Ning Xi kissed the little bun, then put on a mask and sunsses.

    Jiang Muye got up to stop her. he said in an incredibly annoying tone, "Hey, wait up¡­fine, I''ll go with you too. This is the first time I''ve acted as a supporting role since I entered the industry!"

    "But¡­my uncle''s not going with you?" Jiang Muye casually asked.

    When Ning Xi heard this, she quickly stomped on Jiang Muye''s foot and said, "Why are you asking so many questions? He''s not going! He has things to do!"

    "Big Boss, I''m leaving! Bye bye! Mwah!"

    She gave Lu Tingxiao a flying kiss goodbye before pulling Jiang Muye to run out with her.

    "Why did you step on me for?" Jiang Muye asked unhappily as he was dragged outside.

    "I almost got killed by you!" Ning Xi gave him a mean look.

    "What about me?" Then, Jiang Muye suddenly thought of something, "It can''t be because we''re a couple in this show, can it?"

    "What do you think?! Be careful if your uncle watches it and shuts you out!"

    "What about your acting with other male artistes then?Will he shut out each and every one of them?"

    "Why not?"

    "Okay." He really could¡­

    Jiang Muye looked at her with aplicated expression. "To tell you the truth, I''m quite shocked. I didn''t think that my uncle would let you remain in the entertainment industry after the both of you have gone steady."

    "If not? Would I be a mistress kept in a splendid abode?" Ning Xi looked pridefully at him. "How could the man I choose be wrong?!"

    "That''s enough¡­"

    At night, Ning Xi had also invited Gong Shangze and Han Momo to the premier. When they reached the cinema, the two of them had already reached. They entered the cinema and sat in the corner of thest row.

    Han Momo was already curious when she saw the person beside Ning Xi. After they sat down, she impatiently asked, "Sis Xi, who''s that beside you?"

    Before Ning Xi could say anything, Jiang Muye, who was beside Ning Xi, crossed over her and pulled his mask off and asked, "You''re asking about me?"

 Chapter 788: I Feel Like The Two of You Are A Super Good Fit!

    <h4>Chapter 788: I Feel Like The Two of You Are A Super Good Fit!</h4>

    "Ah, ah, hmm¡­"

    Ning Xi shot Jiang Muye a mean look, then covered Han Momo''s mouth before she could say any further. "Calm down."

    Ning Xi red at Han Momo, who looked so excited she was about to pass out. Han Momo lowered her voice and said, "Jiang Muye! Is it really Jiang Muye? Aaaaaaaaaaaah! My God! Sis Xi, are you really a couple with Jiang Muye off-screen? I''m a fan of this rtionship! I feel like the two of you are a really good fit for each other, aaaaah! Get together!"

    Jiang Muye leaned his arm on the chair and tilted his head, happy to hear this, "Hey, it''s rare that you''ve got a girl with a good eye. Do you have a pen?"

    "Ah, no! What to do, what to do? I''ll go out to buy one!" Han Momo was frantic.

    "I have one." Gong Shangze brought pen and paper with him wherever he went.

    Jiang Muye took the pen and paper before casually signing it.

    Han Momo was so emotional that she almost fainted, then she gave the paper to Ning Xi and pleaded, "Sis Xi, Sis Xi! I want yours too!"

    Ning Xi was speechless, but she gave her her autograph anyway.

    Then, she saw that Han Momo had actually¡­drawn a huge heart shape around her and Jiang Muye''s names¡­

    She never would have thought that there was such a huge shipper of Jiang Muye and her beside her¡­this was truly mystical¡­

    "Shangze, who''s your favorite celebrity?"

    "Me? I don''t really have any celebrity I especially like! Sis Xi, are you counted?"

    "Hahaha, of course!"

    There were a few more minutes to the movie starting. The theatre was practically a full house.

    After all, the two protagonists of this movie were one of the most popr stars at the moment. Besides, there was Jiang Muye, who was a box office guarantee. Even if he only had a supporting role, hundreds of his fans were already showing off their tickets online.

    Ning Xi could be considered as the only new rookie in the movie.

    Finally, the screen''s advertisement ended, and the movie began.

    Ning Xi took a deep breath, "Woo, I''m nervous¡­"

    After all, this was the first day of her first movie.

    Even though "The World" was strong in terms of investment nor lineup, other movies were released today as well, such Su Yimo''s "Starry Sea", a famousedy director''s "Joyful asion", and another Hollywood movie¡­one could say that the screens were crowded with masters of the industry, so thepetition was tight!

    The first scene was Ning Xueluo''s character, Superior Yingrong, being chased after for murder. The plot was exciting and tense, hooking everyone into the story instantly. Many fans of Ning Xueluo were softly screaming in excitement.

    Following this, the movie followed the two protagonists. Superior Yingrong identally saved the male protagonist and was forced to enter the pce to avoid getting murdered, and she started to fight off all sorts of people with the male lead¡­

    Actually, this was considered a movie with a strong female lead. Superior Yingrong''s character was very outstanding and easily attracted fans. Her life story was tragic, yet she was smart like a female Zhu Geliang . Atst, because of her identity, she could not be the male protagonist''s queen and had be the most important female prime minister of the Daqing dynasty¡­

    The female lead was a cool role and she obviously needed a goodplement. Ning Xi''s role as the supporting evil character was undoubtedly meant toplete Ning Xueluo.

    Atst, Han Momo wanted to scold Ning Xi for being such a hateful character on-screen. "Sis Xi, you''re so good at acting¡­"

    She had really attracted lots of haters.

 Chapter 789: You Are Already A Gangster!

    <h4>Chapter 789: You Are Already A Gangster!</h4>

    Ning Xi giggled a little. She was quite happy listening to all the curses towards Meng Changge. "Thank you for all your praises."

    However, very quickly, when the plot reached the second half of the movie, the images started to reveal Meng Changge''s memories. When they slowly deciphered Meng Changge''s identity, the audience''s attitude had an obvious and magical change towards the character¡­

    "Ooh! Jiang Muye is so handsome!"

    "Meng Changge''s male disguise is also very interesting! I thought that with her looks, a male outfit would definitely be very striking!"

    "Who knew that Jiang Muye''s portrayal of a weak schrly character would be so up in the feels!? I really feel like pushing him over!"

    ¡­

    As they said that, on screen, Meng Changge had really tied up Jiang Muye and pushed him over in her boudoir.

    "Eh? Doctor Sun, you''re blushing! You actually take a fancy to me, don''t you? How about we just straight up turn raw grains into cooked rice ? Isn''t that a good idea?"

    Shrieks and roaringughter were heard across the cinema.

    "Oh my God! Ah! This is the part in the trailer where Muye gets tied up! I have waited for this for so long!"

    It was the first time Jiang Muye watched the show as part of the audience and he could not help but rub his nose and felt a little restless.

    Ning Xi was happy watching her performance. "Aiya, I''m too good at acting as a gangster, don''t you think so, Blondie?"

    "My ass! You''re not even acting! You are already a gangster!"

    After this scene was Ning Xi and Jiang Muye''s first kiss scene at thentern festival, and the crowd''s reaction had been even crazier than they expected.

    Those shrieks were about to blow the entire roof off¡­

    "Oh my God! Oh my God! I''m falling in love with this couple!"

    "How can they be so cute!? Oh, my young heart! It''s melting! Melting!"

    "To tell you the truth, I always thought that Jiang Muye has acted in so many lead roles as an overbearing, affectionate CEO, but none of his roles was heartfelt. I couldn''t even tell how much he loved the female lead. But in this one, I actually saw love through his eyes!"

    "In fact, it''s the kind that''s suppressed, hidden, and buried deep in the corner of his heart. The kind of strong love that wants to be expressed, but one that doesn''t have the courage, and one that just can not be made known!"

    ¡­

    As she listened to all the discussions around her about being a good fit with Jiang Muye, Ning Xi was incredibly grateful that the devil was not present, or else¡­

    The show would probably be taken down¡­

    Jiang Muye looked gloomy. "My ass, how was I not heartfelt? I was always pouring my emotions into the role!"

    Also, what did they mean by "suppressed, hidden, buried deep in the corner of the heart, a strong love that wants to be expressed but it didn''t have the courage or could just be made known"? Could these people''s eyes not be so¡­poisonous¡­

    Ning Xi tapped his shoulders. "Don''t struggle anymore. The audience''s eyes are crystal clear, you have really improved a lot for this film. The way you yed with your different gazes was much better! Even I felt your love for me!"

    Jiang Muye was speechless. He was not sure whether he should be relieved or disappointed after listening to Ning Xi''s serious analysis¡­

    In the entire movie, the audience was probably most reactive to the scene of Ning Xi with Guan Xiaoqi.

    When Ning Xi announced her real identity was Meng Changge in front of Guan Xiaoqi, who acted as Princess Xian, a shback yed. This shback was unexpectedly the scene where Jiang Muye had been shot by a million arrows and died in front of Ning Xi¡­

    The entire cinema was dead silent.

    A momentter, the sound of choked sobs was heard¡­

    Ning Xi made a brief observation that for this movie, about 90 percent of people had cried, including the men. Han Momo, who was beside her, was bawling her eyes out.

    "Oh, how horrible¡­can the military doctor not die? He will be resurrectedter, right?"

    Jiang Muye was in a bad mood, so he spoiled the story relentlessly. "No, he''s actually dead."

    Once he said that, Han Momo started wailing. Ning Xi consoled Han Momo while she shot Jiang Muye a mean stare¡­

 Chapter 790: She Really Wasnt Messing Around

    <h4>Chapter 790: She Really Wasn''t Messing Around</h4>

    The two-hour long movie finally ended although the audience wished it would never end; they were hooked on the story.

    Even though she did not know how the box office did, after Ning Xi sat in the cinema and personally observed the audience''s reactions and attitude, she instantly felt much calmer. No matter how the ticket sales fared, she had already reached her own standards on what she wanted to deliver on-screen.

    When they walked out, they saw that there were reporters interviewing the cinema-goers outside the theater.

    "Hello, Miss, did you just finish watching ''The World''?"

    "Yes."

    "How did you find the movie?"

    "Too awesome! Even better than I''d expected! Especially Xueluo''s character, Superior Yingrong, she''s so strong, she''s practically my goddess! Her scenes with Zhao Sizhou were especially lovely too! Atst, I almost cried because she had gone through so much with Chu Beichen yet they could not end up together!"

    ¡­

    "Hi, Sir, whose acting in ''The World'' left the most impression on you?"

    "Definitely the female lead! She''s just too charismatic! Right, will this be broadcasted on television?"

    "Yes!"

    "That''s great, I want to confess to my goddess, Xueluo, I love you!"

    ¡­

    As he watched the interviews going on, Jiang Muye''s handsome was full of disdain behind his mask. "Please! Do you think everyone''s stupid? That theater opposite was entirely booked by Su Yan for Ning Xueluo''s fans to watch for free, so everyone walking out of there are her diehard fans! If you interview them, they would obviously only praise Ning Xueluo!"

    Gong Shangze looked at Ning Xi, confident of his boss. "The audience has eyes. Word of mouth is something that cannot be faked."

    "Talking about Su Yan¡­I previously saw online gossip that Su Yan had booked theaters for Ning Xueluo''s fans in every city, supporting her new movie in full force! These two people are so loving. They are considered a stream of purity within the entertainment industry, aren''t they?" Han Momo''s expression clearly envious.

    Jiang Muye shot her a disgusted look. "Huh, purity? Little girl, don''t easily believe things you''ve only seen the surface of!"

    Jiang Muye looked a little worriedly at Ning Xi. Thankfully, Ning Xi''s expression was very calm. It seemed like she had really entirely let go of Su Yan. But that was not a surprise. The saying was that one only failed to forget past loves because the new ones are not good enough.

    She was so loving with his uncle now, so why would she still care about Su Yan¡­

    "Shangze, how''s the preparation for Qin Shengyue''s three set of outfitsing along?" Ning Xi asked on the way back.

    "I''m done preparing them. One of the sets will be the Nirvana-themed red dress from the Golden Awards and the other two are mytest works," Gong Shangze said confidently.

    It seems like his inspiration-driven works were going pretty smoothlytely.

    "Good, then I''ll bring them over for Qin Shengyue to look at. Miss Qin agreed that she will transfer a sales expert over to us, so she should be reporting to us soon. The two of you should get ready to wee our new member, okay?"

    "Really? That''s great!" Han Momo was excited.

    Gong Shangze sighed a breath of relief too as he looked at Ning Xi with full admiration.

    Every time he felt like he had reached a dead end, she would always find a way,pleting things he felt were impossible.

    On the side, Jiang Muye watched Ning Xi''s hustler demeanor and suddenly thought of the words Ning Xi had said¡­

    This girl said that she wanted to provide for Lu Tingxiao¡­she really wasn''t messing around, was she?

 Chapter 791: Gold Will Glitter

    <h4>Chapter 791: Gold Will Glitter</h4>

    A weekter, the highly anticipated China fashion week had officially begun in Imperial.

    It was a tform for the country''s top fashion andtest works to show off. The fashion week had already be the main battlefield for well-known brands and designers to promote their image, show off their creativity, and set the trend. It was definitely no easy feat to stand out among so many brands.

    Many brands had already prepared for it half a year ago. Ning Xi''s studio had only been set up not too long ago and naturally could notpare to those brands that had matured long before. In the end, they managed to rush thetest season''s work one day before the fashion week.

    At that moment, Gong Shangze looked quite nervous in a corner offstage.

    Ning Xi had worked very hard to get Qin Shengyue in as a model. If his work did not achieve the expected effect, not only would he ruin the studio''s reputation, even Qin Shengyue''s reputation would be affected too. All of Ning Xi''s hard work would then go to waste.

    Ning Xi patted him on the shoulders and encouraged him, "My dear, don''t be so nervous. Be slightly confident in yourself, okay? Your work is really very awesome! Even Qin Shengyue praised you!"

    Han Momo echoed, "If it''s gold, it will glitter!"

    Gong Shangze looked gratefully at them. "Thank you!"

    With the traditional Peking opera music ying, the opening ceremony officially began.

    The stage backdrop had been made to resemble antique architecture with the huge red door and jade green copper ring. When the door was opened, it revealed towering pce walls and models wearing luxurious cheongsams started to walk out.

    The screen then strikingly shed History''s logo.

    When they saw the logo, the crowd started to buzz¡­

    "Turns out the brand for the opening ceremony is History! This brand has only been around for a short one year, hasn''t it? This is just unbelievable!"

    "That''s why I said, a designer is a brand''s soul. David is really a rare genius, his work is so soulful!"

    "But I heard that thest Golden Awards had an unexpected winner. He even defeated David!"

    "The work from the anonymous designer from the Golden Awards was quite mesmerizing, but too bad their style is too simr to History''s. The chances of winning were huge as well but who can guarantee that he would win over David every time? I''m guessing that the final oue will be that he will get kicked out of the market, or be bought over by History! Haven''t you noticed that they disappeared recently?"

    ¡­

    The show ended with international model, Angie, wearing History''s final outfit, making her spectacr appearance. After it ended, the apuse from the crowd was thunderous and everyone walked over to congratte Ning Xueluo and David.

    "This Chinese fashion show is amazing! No wonder the organizer chose History to open!"

    "Thank you, everyone!"

    At that moment, Ning Xueluo wore a clean little tuxedo, signifying her shift from a shining star to an elitepany CEO, answering everyone''spliments with poise.

    Ning Xueluo had been thriving recently. "The World", which had only been released a while ago, had achieved $1.5 billion in box office sales on the first day, followed by the Hollywood movie and thatedy, "Joyful asion", bing the season''s unexpected winner.

    After that, the box office ran its course because of the super good reviews andizens, every day faring better than the day before. A weekter, it had closed perfectly by grossing $12.3 billion in total.

    Suddenly, the female protagonist Ning Xueluo had be extremely popr, even bing a favored candidate to be the next best actress. You could say she was receiving double the harvest in both the entertainment and fashion industry¡­

 Chapter 792: A Short-Lived Bloom Would Nevertheless Leave A Legacy

    <h4>Chapter 792: A Short-Lived Bloom Would Nevertheless Leave A Legacy</h4>

    "Ning Xueluo is quite capable. Other celebrities have only created something small for their own brand and whatnot, even making losses, but she has done so spectacrly in such a short time!"

    "Of course, any other person in the entertainment industry wouldn''t make it. She is a really rich and beautiful girl from a wealthy family. She even has a CEO boyfriend silently supporting her, so how could she not seed?"

    "I wonder whose outfit will Qin Shengyue wear this time around? Is it actually not History? Didn''t she always like supporting newbies?"

    "That''s not weird. It must be some well renowned international brand!"

    Ning Xueluo frowned as she listened to the discussions around her.

    "Sadly, they could not invite Qin Shengyue¡­"

    Initially, their n could have been more perfect, but who''d have known that a mishap would happen in the end? She was not sure why Qin Shengyue had rejected to walk for their show in the end.

    David, who was beside her, said, "Angie is great too! She''s currently an international supermodel and her influence isparable to Qin Shengyue''s!"

    Ning Xueluo looked at him without saying anything.

    Even though Qin Shengyue had retired, she was the first Chinese to walk on an international runway back in the day and she was the muse of many international big brands. Her existence now was like thepass of the fashion world, and she had opened up a fashionpany herself. With all that under her belt, how could a rookie like Angiepare to her?

    However, she knew that Qin Shengyue would be hard to invite, so this oue was within her expectations.

    On the stage, other brands were still continuing the show. After several well-known brands back-to-back, the screen changed and a line of words were revealed: Spirit. ZX.

    "Ah¡­Spirit! Isn''t that the winner designer brand of the Golden Awards?"

    "I thought that he would be short-lived and that they would not join the fashion show this time around!"

    "After all, they would identally bepared to History. If they fail this time, even the title of the Golden Awards will be useless!"

    "Huh, they have guts, they actually dared toe!"

    ¡­

    Since this designer had broken the record for the highest score in the Golden Awards, there was no doubt that everyone wanted to pay close attention. Thus, they could help but fixed their gaze on the stage.

    The more people anticipated, the harsher they could be. Spirit was indeed in a tough spot¡­

    The models started to walk down the runway. When the first outfit appeared, everyone suddenly quieted down. A momentter, the ce was filled with sounds of marvel.

    Spirit had two different themes this time around: Temple Peach Blossom and Midsummer''s Star. It was magically beautiful.

    Unlike the Nirvana-themed elegant decadence at the Golden Awards, these two sets of outfits were akin to Cupid''s arrow, moving the young hearts of women.

    Offstage, Ning Xueluo was at ease and David was unperturbed as well. Even though there was a bit of resentment in his eyes, he obviously did not think of them aspetitors at all.

    So what if their designs were amazing?

    In this industry, one could not only rely on good designs.

    They had even won the Golden Award, but what about it? The old customers would still only believe in their brand, and not easily trust a fleeting exhibition, a brand that could fall in reputation the next second and demote their social status.

    After all, they were targeting high-end customers; clothing was equivalent to the reputation of their face, so they had to be very careful.

    Now, what they needed to do was wait for Spirit to run into a snag and reach a dead end. Then, they could buy them over at a low price and even expunge the brand entirely before poaching the designer for their own use¡­

    However, in the next second, the confident duo Ning Xueluo and David suddenly widened their eyes¡­

 Chapter 793: Breathtaking Finale

    <h4>Chapter 793: Breathtaking Finale</h4>

    Apart from that, those who were astonished included the prominent figures in the industry, honored guests, celebrities, and more¡­

    No one had expected the model wearing Spirit''s Midsummer''s Star final custom-made dress to be Qin Shengyue!

    The dark blue backdrop was embedded with small radiant diamonds and the V-cor near the chest area was designed to stream like the gxy. The entire outfit was akin to a vast, starry sky within the universe, above our heads on a midsummer''s night like a dream¡­

    It was just¡­crazy!

    What was happening? How did Qin Shengyue appear as Spirit''s finale model? Hadn''t she publicly praised David many times?

    Yet, now for such an important asion, she had worn the garment of designer ZX who had defeated David thest time. Was she making it known that she thought that mysterious designer was more capable than David?

    All the guests, public figures, and designers of the industry present were already itching to get to the bottom of this!

    Finally, the morning show came to end.

    Offstage, the reporters had long been anticipating.

    They waited for a long time before Qin Shengyue finally appeared from backstage and had changed into a different outfit.

    On her was a fire red gown in ssic Chinese-styled embroidery. The broad skirt was burnt by mes to knee-level, revealing a pair of beautifully slender legs¡­

    Those who knew could immediately recognize that this was one of the outfits from the Golden Awards winner, designer ZX''s "Nirvana" theme!

    "Miss Qin, may I ask if you''re currently wearing Spirit''s garment?"

    "Yes."

    "Miss Qin, may I ask why you are so fond of Spirit''s brand?"

    Qin Shengyue stroked her skirt lightly, and with wandering eyes, she asked matter-of-factly, "Is this still a question?"

    At that moment, Qin Shengyue''s aura and the dress were perfectly harmonizing with each other, practically stunning everyone.

    No matter if it was Qin Shengyue''s personality, aura, or figure, she matched the outfit superbly well!

    "Well¡­there really is no need¡­Spirit is too beautiful and soulful, deserving of the brand''s name! Then Miss Qin, may we ask what you think about History, and how itpares to Spirit? You seemed to love History before this, so why have you suddenly turned to Spirit? Is there a story somewhere within this?" the reporter asked in anticipation.

    Everyone''s eyes immediately gathered onto Qin Shengyue, including Ning Xi who was offstage.

    She was afraid that she would suddenly say something like, "Sure, I''m d to."

    Thankfully, Qin Shengyue was still quite reliable during critical moments. She answered carefully, "David is the most talented designer I''ve met. Before this, I have indeed been admiring him. However, his designs are like time standing still in this perfect world. Beautiful, but unchanging. With Spirit, I saw growth, transformation, and unlimited possibilities!"

    Qin Shengyue was very influential in the industry and her evaluations possessed authority.

    This one sentence immediately defined Spirit''s capabilities and moved Spirit''s ambiguous status that wandered by the borders, straight into the fashion circle. It was akin to being bestowed with an honorary que.

    Not too far away, Ning Xueluo was about to lose control at the progress of this situation. "How did it be like this? Never mind if it was another big brand! But it had to be Spirit! Our outfits were already sent over earlier, but Qin Shengyue had rejected them. Is there a problem with your designs?"

 Chapter 794: Master Has Been Admitted To The Hospital

    <h4>Chapter 794: Master Has Been Admitted To The Hospital</h4>

    David quickly denied, "Impossible! That garment was our final piece at the Mn fashion week¡­"

    Episodes like these kept happening and Ning Xueluo could not hold it in anymore. She shouted sternly, "No wonder Qin Shengyue said you were unchanging. Don''t you have other designs?"

    "But I only chose that piece to be safe¡­"

    Even though David was saying this, internally, he had started to panic.

    He could say it was a random coincidence thest time, but then after seeing Spirit''s other designs this round, his guilt-driven fear had started to increase.

    After all, everything he owned now was actually stolen. The more glory and praise he epted in the day, the more fear he had about losing all of this at night¡­

    Most importantly, he was seriously deficient in design drafts. Although he had secretly recruited a big group of people to emte Gong Shangze''s style, even if the works were emted perfectly, the products could neverpare to the original¡­

    This could not do. He had to investigate thoroughly who that ZX actually was!

    The more he saw that person''s work, the more he was afraid. He even had the illusion that it was indeed Gong Shangze''s designs.

    But how could that be? There was no way Gong Shangze could have risen from the ashes. Besides, his designs could not reach that higher state¡­

    ¡­

    At night, after the events ended, David was in a bad mood and had left alone, ditching Ning Xueluo.

    Just as he was about to get into his car, he unexpectedly saw from the corner of his eye, the figure that appeared in his nightmares every night.

    Gong¡­Gong Shangze!

    David was frightened stiff. Just as he was about to go closer, that person had already gotten into the car and disappeared from his line of sight.

    David only calmed down after the car left for a long time. He must have been too tensed, he must have¡­

    That person''s appearance and hairdo were so fashionable. How could it be Gong Shangze who was so often slovenly dressed?

    Inside the car that left earlier, Ning Xi looked in the rearview mirror and asked, "That person opposite was David, wasn''t it? Did he recognize you?"

    Gong Shangze obviously noticed too, and he forced a smile, "I don''t think so. After all, even I can''t recognize myself with my current look."

    Ning Xi nodded. "You''re right¡­"

    Han Momo looked curious. "How did Director Gong look before this?"

    "It''s best if you don''t know, it will ruin your fantasy." Just as she spoke, her phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number.

    Ning Xi picked it up in doubt. "Hello?"

    "Miss!!!" Just as it got through, an agitated voice spoke.

    Ning Xi hesitated. "You are¡­Mother Wu?" The only people who would address her like this was the old servant by Grandfather''s side.

    "Yes! It''s me! Miss, quickly go to the hospital! Master has been admitted to the hospital!" Mother Wu''s tone sounded incredibly sorrowful.

    "What!?"

    Ning Xi parked her car by the roadside with a screech. Her face was pale. "How''s Grandfather?"

    "Master suddenly fainted at home. The doctor said that he might not make it this time¡­I saw that the Young Masters had not informed you, so I decided to just make this call. The person Master wants to see the most would definitely be you¡­" Mother Wu''s tone sounded like she really wanted her to see him onest time.

    "How did this happen? Which hospital is it? I''ll rush right over!"

 Chapter 795: I Want You To Have Someone To Rely On

    <h4>Chapter 795: I Want You To Have Someone To Rely On</h4>

    "I''m sorry, my grandfather is ill. I have to immediately go to the hospital, so I might not be able to send you guys."

    "No worries, Sis Xi, go quickly! Your grandfather is important! We''ll just get a cab ourselves!"

    "Okay, take care."

    "Boss, don''t worry too much, drive carefully!"

    "I will!"

    ¡­

    After bidding goodbye to Gong Shangze and Han Momo, Ning Xi immediately rushed to the hospital address given by Mother Wu.

    As she drove, she called to ask Mother Wu about the situation. "Mother Wu, what actually happened? I was just talking to Grandfather on the phone a few days ago. Wasn''t he quite healthy?"

    Mother Wu sighed, "Sigh, Master was just consoling you. You know the situation in this family. First Young Master only thinks about the adopted daughter, while Second Young Master''s two illegitimate daughters cause so much ruckus every day!

    "Master has waited for so many years, yet he could not wait for a great-grandchild to carry on the bloodline. As he aged, his heart issue was getting more serious too.

    "Actually, the person Master was worried most about is you. At least, Miss Xin has her mother to protect her, but what about you, Miss? He was worried, worried that after he passes on, you would be alone with no one to rely on.

    "Before this, he wanted to matchmake you with the young master from the Xi family''s, just so you would have someone to depend on in the days toe¡­"

    Ning Xi listened to all these words in silence, her emotions indescribable.

    ¡­

    When Ning Xi arrived, Ning Yaohua, Zhuang Lingyu, Ning Xueluo, Ning Yaobang, Ning Tianxin, and Su Yan were all already there.

    Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu looked forlorn, while Ning Xueluo had cried till her eyes were swollen as she leaned weakly into Su Yan''s embrace.

    Ning Yaobang did not look sad. He only stared at Ning Yaohua with despise. "What are you pretending for?! All of you couldn''t wait for the old man to die, right? Once he dies, the Ning family will be all yours!"

    "Shut up! Do you have any humanity in you? Father is already like this, yet here you are saying all of this!" Ning Yaohua rebuked angrily.

    "What about me? Haven''t I said what''s exactly on your mind? Are you already tripping? You dare say that you aren''t thinking about it?"

    ¡­

    While the two sides were awfully busy arguing, the sound of rushed footsteps were heard from the end of the corridor, then everyone saw Ning Xi hurrying over.

    "Oh, another one hase topete for the family inheritance!" Ning Yaobang scoffed.

    When she saw Ning Xi, an alertness shed across Ning Xueluo''s eyes.

    The biggest hindrance to her getting to the power of the Ning family was that stubborn old man. Once he was gone, the highest authority would fall to Ning Yaohua. Without the old man''s bias towards Ning Xi, Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu would definitely be on her side. Then, the Ning family''s power would be easily attainable.

    As for the second family, that weak and inept Ning Yaobang and feeble-natured Ning Tianxin were not even a threat. The old man would definitely leave thepany in their hands!

    Now, she was only worried if¡­the old man was impulsive right before he died and transferred all of his shares to Ning Xi recklessly¡­then, it would all be over!

    Of course, the possibility of this was very minimal. Besides, Ning Yaohua definitely wouldn''t let such a thing happen.

    Based on the old man''s personality, he would probably give her a portion to make sure she was well taken care of¡­

    Even though she was not willing to let her get his shares and bonuses for doing nothing, it was still okay to let her be a small shareholder and watch her control thepany¡­

 Chapter 796: He Wont Make It Pass This Winter

    <h4>Chapter 796: He Won''t Make It Pass This Winter</h4>

    "What are you doing here?" Ning Yaohua''s face stiffened when he saw Ning Xi. Obviously, he was also afraid that she would ruin things at that critical moment.

    "Sister, you''re here! Quickly go see Grandfather! You usually don''te back, Grandfather has been missing you. The person he definitely wants to see the most now would be you!" Ning Xueluo cried as she said this.

    The way these words were said¡­

    Clearly, she was trying to imply that Ning Xi was usually nowhere in sight and had only rushed over when someone was about to die.

    "What''s there to see? Why are you here to pretend to be filial at such a time?" Zhuang Lingyu said in a hostile tone.

    Ning Xi''s heart was focused on the elder and she did not have the time to deal with these people. She looked through the ss window of the ICU room, silently watching the old man whoy on the sick bed.

    She knew that Mother Wu was right. The person who worried Grandfather the most was her¡­

    Ning Tianxin walked over and pat her on the shoulders to console her, looking guilty.

    "How''s Grandfather?" Ning Xi asked.

    Ning Tianxin replied sorrowfully, "He''s temporarily stable, but the doctor said¡­that Grandfather''s health is not looking too positive¡­he''s afraid¡­that he wouldn''t make it past this winter¡­"

    "Xiao Xi, don''t be too sad. When a person reaches this age, there will be a day when¡­" Su Yan consoled her and gave her a tissue on the side.

    Ning Xi felt ufortable at Su Yan''s words.

    Grandfather was not dead yet, but his words made it sound like there was no doubt about it happening.

    At that moment, in the ward, Elder Ning suddenly opened his eyes slowly and looked towards Ning Xi outside the window, struggling as if he wanted to say something¡­

    The nurse took off the breathing aid and leaned in close to hear the elder, then she opened the door to walk out and ask, "The patient says he wants to see a Miss Xiao Xi. Which one of you is her?"

    Instantly, everyone looked towards Ning Xi.

    "That''s me!" Ning Xi quickly said.

    "Come in with me, but the patient''s still very weak now, don''t talk to him for too long," reminded the nurse.

    "Okay, I know, thank you!"

    Ning Xueluo''s heart was full of envy as she watched Ning Xi walk right in. She had tried to please this old man, yet she was afraid that he would neverpare her to a single strand of Ning Xi''s hair in his heart¡­

    Of course, what she revealed on the surface was sadness and disappointment.

    Su Yan consoled her when he saw her disappointed face. "Xiao Xi is not at home all year. The old man would have definitely missed her a little."

    Ning Yaohua did not care about Ning Xueluo. He was preupied with what the elder would have called Ning Xi in to talk about. Sadly, the soundproofing in the ward was so good that nothing could be heard from the outside.

    Inside the ward, Ning Xi quickly held the elder''s hand, "Grandfather¡­"

    The elder trembled as he looked at her emotionally. "You''re here¡­"

    As she watched the elder''s weak and withered appearance, Ning Xi''s heart was wrenched, "Grandfather, I''m sorry¡­"

    "Silly child, why are you apologizing for?" The elder stroked her hair and gasped for a few huge breaths. He was afraid his body would not hold up any longer, so he immediately said to her, "Xiao Xi, I''ve always hoped that I could wait for the day you take over thepany. That way, I could still be around to help you wipe out the obstacles and have you sit stably in position, but now¡­I''m afraid I have no more time left¡­

    "I know that you now have your own career, your own life¡­you''re angry and unwilling to return¡­forget it¡­I won''t force you¡­

    "I''ve left 10 percent of the shares for you in my will, enough for you to be well taken care of for the rest of your life¡­I didn''t dare leave you too much¡­because¡­a man''s wealth is his own ruin by causing the greed of others¡­it would attract bad news for you¡­"

 Chapter 797: I Did Give Birth To Her

    <h4>Chapter 797: I Did Give Birth To Her</h4>

    "Grandfather, stop saying that, you''ll be fine!"

    "Sigh, you don''t have to console me, I know my body myself¡­I thought that I could hold on for another few years and wait¡­at least, wait till all of you have started a family and have stable careers¡­"

    "Grandfather, say no more! Quickly rest!" Ning Xu urged.

    As long as there was a glimmer of hope, he could still wait, but her grandfather obviously knew that even if he waited longer, there would be no hope.

    He did not dare hand the business over to the second son''s family, but for the daughter to his first son, she was so determined and career-minded that there was no way she would return to the Ning family and join thepany. Because of the nature of her work, any ideas of marriage and bearing children were uncertain too¡­

    A person lived for a stretch of breath. Once this stretch had ended, the body would inevitably wither down¡­

    Ning Xi looked unusually serious when she left the ward.

    "What did your grandfather say to you?" Ning Yaohua immediately asked when he saw her walk out.

    "Nothing much," Ning Xi casually said and immediately walked past everyone to leave.

    Ning Yaohua was so angry that he shouted from behind, "What''s with her attitude?!"

    Seeing as how the family inheritance andpany was going to fall with the elder, Ning Yaobang started to be anxious. He lowered his voice and pulled Ning Tianxin aside. "Tianxin! Look at Ning Xi, she''s rarely home in a year, yet the elder was still concerned about her. You''re still the elder''s granddaughter after all. Can you help me? If you don''t fight for it, you''ll be left with nothing!"

    Ning Tianxin shot him a cold look. "I can''t wait for you to end up with nothing, then I would like to see whether those women outside would still be loyal to you then!"

    "You¡­"

    "No matter how Uncle was like, at least he never cheated with other women, but you¡­are you still considered a man?"

    "What do you know? Do you know what Zhuang Lingyu''s real identity is? He wishes he could do it, but he wouldn''t dare! He wouldn''t dare even if I lent him a hundred guts!"

    ¡­

    At the Ning family''s bungalow.

    When they reached home, Ning Yaohua said heavily, "Lingyu, I have something to discuss with you."

    "What is it? Is it about that girl?" Zhuang Lingyu frowned.

    Ning Yaohua nodded, then hesitated. "How about¡­we go advise Xiao Xi, have here home? The elder will definitely include a part of the shares for her. If she were to be roped in by some other person, it would inevitably affect me¡­besides, Xueluo is still not our biological child and I would still need to continue the bloodline somehow¡­"

    Zhuang Lingyu''s expression instantly changed at the sound of this. "What are you trying to say? Xueluo single-mindedly treated us like her own biological parents! Are your words fair to her? Is the bloodline so important? I''m telling you, bloodline means nothing to me. In my heart, Xueluo is my only daughter!

    "Have you forgotten all the embarrassing things that girl did? Don''t drag me along if you want to get stepped on! If she causes any problems in the future, it will have nothing to do with me!"

    Ning Yaohua consoled helplessly, "Okay, okay, I was just casually mentioning it because I was out of ideas. Why do you have to be so agitated for? Besides, I''m just letting her return as an adopted daughter, I didn''t say anything about announcing her identity¡­"

    "Don''t try to hit on the shares the elder gives her. I don''t care about that petty sum either. You can just buy it over; the money would be enough for her to use the rest of her life. Even though I didn''t raise her, I did give birth to her but I don''t owe her anything. I''ve been considerably kind to her."

 Chapter 798: You Deserve Everything

    <h4>Chapter 798: You Deserve Everything</h4>

    As Zhuang Lingyu said this, she looked coldly at Ning Yaohua. "If you care so much about the bloodline, you can just be like your brother and look for young girls outside to give birth for you!"

    Ning Yaohua suddenly panicked, and he quickly consoled her, "Hey, what nonsense are you spewing? How could I do such things?! Are you still not sure of my feelings towards you?"

    Just as the two people were speaking in lowered voices, Ning Xueluo walked out from the kitchen with a bowl of soup.

    "Mother, Father¡­I was worried that you would be anxious and feel heated, so I stewed some white fungus lotus seed soup for you to drink before sleeping! You will feel better. Grandfather has already been admitted, so the two of you must watch your health!"

    Zhuang Lingyu quickly took the soup and looked lovingly at her. "Aw, okay¡­good girl, you must be so tired today. You were busy with the fashion week in the day, and then you were called to the hospital as soon as it ended without any time to rest. You should get some rest soon! Leave all these things for the servants to do!"

    "Mother, I''m fine, I''m not tired!"

    Zhuang Lingyu looked affectionately at her daughter that she raised perfectly, and sighed, "Xueluo, the old man most probably won''t make it this time. You must enter thepany then, I''m just worried you will be even more busy and tired!"

    Then, she shot Ning Yaohua a warning look, indicating for him to give up those unwarranted thoughts.

    Ning Yaohua could only keep silent. After all, his current position was unstable and he still had to rely on Zhuang Lingyu and the Su family.

    When Ning Xueluo heard this, she disguised the happiness in her eyes and quickly said, "Mother, I''m still young. It''s the best time to really work hard. A little hardship and fatigue is nothing. Besides, as long as I can help Father and Mother, I''m already really happy!"

    Zhuang Lingyu touched her hand and replied her, "I know that you''re the most obedient. You will forever be my daughter. You deserve all of this. As long as I''m here, no one can belittle you!"

    Ning Yaohua coughed, "Naturally, the same goes for me!"

    Ning Xueluo choked on her sobs with her eyes down. "Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Father¡­ever since I found out about my past life, I''ve been trembling with fear, feeling like the world was going toe crashing down on me. I really don''t know what I did wrong. Suddenly within one night, my home was no longer my home, and the parents I loved deeply were not my parents too¡­I¡­"

    Zhuang Lingyu felt as if her heart had been cut out. "Of course not, Father is still your father, and I''m still your mother. All of this will never change!"

    Ning Yaohua was touched too. "You''re raised by us. So what if you''re not our biological child? In our hearts, you''ve long be our true daughter! There are so many children who aren''t filial out there, though they are biological ones, and they can''tpare to half of you!"

    "You''re our pride, our Ning family''s lucky star, did you forget? You''re not allowed to have such nonsense thoughts again!"

    ¡­

    Late at night, at tinum Pce.

    Ning Xi had prepared to return to the apartment, but she found herself driving here.

    It waste, so she was not sure whether Lu Tingxiao was asleep already¡­

    Ning Xi was hesitating outside the door when the gate suddenly opened by itself.

    Lu Tingxiao was standing at the door in his pajamas. "Ning¡­"

    Before he could finish, Ning Xi had already ran into his embrace.

    "What happened?" Lu Tingxiao frowned and swiftly asked.

    The moment Ning Xi saw him, she finally let loose of all her repressed vulnerabilities, and said in a hoarse voice, "My grandfather fell ill. It''s really serious, the doctor said he might not make it this time¡­"

 Chapter 799: Lend Me Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 799: Lend Me Little Treasure</h4>

    "Don''t worry,e in first, then talk." Lu Tingxiao quickly brought her in, sat her down on the sofa, then poured a ss of hot milk for her.

    Ning Xi held the ss of milk and stared at it nkly for quite a while before she said with determination. "My grandfather is most worried about me, Lu Tingxiao. I want to find¡­or rent a guy to pretend to be my boyfriend and let my grandfather meet him, so he would feel assured."

    "Why don''t you bring me?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "Uhh¡­bring¡­you?" Ning Xi was stunned.

    Lu Tingxiao did not look too happy. Did she not even think of him at all?

    Ning Xi quickly reacted and said, "Um, what I mean is that if I brought you¡­my grandfather probably wouldn''t be assured, but shocked instead¡­"

    "At such a moment, he wouldn''t believe you even more if you brought someone else over. You can only bring me." Lu Tingxiao tone was firm.

    "Mmm¡­is that so?"

    "If you don''t bring me, who else would you bring?" Lu Tingxiao looked at her to ask.

    Ning Xi looked at him weakly., "Should I be honest?"

    "Mmm."

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "Actually¡­I wanted to bring Xi Shiqing over to help cover up since his identity is more suitable, plus Grandfather has always quite liked him, thus¡­"

    Before she could finish, Ning Xi could already feel a sense of danger. She quickly held onto Lu Tingxiao''s arm and said, "Hey, I think Grandfather would definitely like you more! Let''s go, I''ll bring you over tomorrow!"

    Lu Tingxiao shot her a look.

    Of course, he knew her concern was logical. With his identity, it would be hard for the elder to believe that he was sincere. There might even be a possibility that he wouldn''t ept him.

    "I will settle whatever you''re worried about." Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl and gave her his reassurance.

    "Sadly, a boyfriend can immediately be brought over, but the wish for a great-grandchild cannot be fulfilled¡­" Ning Xi looked sad as she mumbled, "Even if I started making one now, I wouldn''t make it in time!"

    As Ning Xi said this, she suddenly thought of something and excitedly stood up, "Lu Tingxiao, uhh¡­can you lend me Little Treasure?"

    "No need."

    "Ah? What do you mean? You''re not lending?"

    "No need to lend, he''s yours, to begin with."

    Ning Xi was so touched that she started to tear up. "I''m not sure if what I''m doing is right¡­but I know¡­that if I don''t do anything, I would definitely regret it¡­"

    There was no way she would let her grandfather pass away with regrets and without peace of mind¡­

    ¡­

    Thus, the next morning, Ning Xi brought Lu Tingxiao and the little bun to the hospital.

    Lu Tingxiao had probably arranged beforehand. The ward area was extremely quiet without any random people around. A doctor personally led them upstairs.

    "Doctor, how''s my grandfather? Is he better today?" Ning Xi asked anxiously.

    The doctor shook his head heavily. "Very terrible, he remains in a daze. If the situation continues to worsen like this, I''m afraid¡­within the next two days¡­"

    "What?" Ning Xi suddenly changed in expression.

    She was initially hesitating about whether to lie to her grandfather about Little Treasure, but now, she could not care so much anymore.

    Ning Xi took a deep breath and pushed the door into the ward.

    "Grandfather, I''vee to see you!"

    On the sick bed, the elder''s spirit looked worse than yesterday. When he heard Ning Xi''s voice, he only lifted up his eyes slightly. "Xiao Xi¡­"

 Chapter 800: This Is Your Great-Grandson

    <h4>Chapter 800: This Is Your Great-Grandson</h4>

    "Grandfather, it''s me¡­"

    Ning Xi walked up to the bed. "I''m sorry, Grandfather, I''ve actually been keeping something a secret from you. I''ve met someone I like. In fact, we''re already together, but because of my work, I can''t publicize it, so I never told anyone. Today, I''ve specially brought him over for you to meet¡­"

    The elder did not have much energy to open his eyes. A momentter, he slowly asked, "How much¡­did you spend?"

    "Ah?"

    "How much money did you spend to rent?"

    "Uhh¡­Grandfather, I didn''t rent him! This really is my boyfriend!" Ning Xi was a little speechless.

    No wonder Lu Tingxiao said that if she brought someone else, Grandfather would not believe her even more¡­

    The elder sighed, "I know that you just want to make sure I have a peace of mind, you don''t actually need to¡­"

    "Grandfather, I really didn''t rent him! If you don''t believe, I''ll prove to you¡­" Ning Xi said as she pulled Lu Tingxiao by the neck and kissed him on the lips.

    "You¡­you brat! How could simply let someone take advantage of you?! This is such nonsense¡­"

    Ning Xi had no words. Wow, he still did not believe this was really her boyfriend!

    "Grandfather, I haven''t introduced myself. My surname is Lu and my name is Lu Tingxiao. I am currently with the Lu Corporation, and am indeed in a rtionship with Xiao Xi."

    The elder was immediately stunned. At the same time, he tried hard to open his eyes and slowly evaluated the man before him. "Wait¡­hold on, who did you say you were? Lu what?"

    "Lu Tingxiao¡­Grandfather, how much money do I need to be able to rent Lu Tingxiao?" Ning Xi said helplessly.

    "He''s Lu Tingxiao?"

    Lu Tingxiao took out an identification card from his pocket and put it into the elder''s hand.

    The elder''s expression changed from suspicion to shock.

    "Right, Grandfather, there''s still one more thing I hid from you¡­" Ning Xi said as she held the hand of Little Treasure, who had been waiting obediently behind Lu Tingxiao. "Here¡­this is your great-grandson¡­"

    The elder was initially still in a sleepy daze and not very clear-headed. But when he suddenly saw Ning Xi lead a soft and white little bun forward, and he heard the words "great-grandson", he immediately widened his eyes. "What did you say?"

    The elder almost jumped off the bed and frightened Ning Xi, so she quickly held him protectively. "Grandfather, don''t be too emotional, watch yourself!"

    Ning Xi could only help support him temporarily.

    The elder immediately hurled out his trembling hands and stared at Little Treasure unblinkingly, afraid that he would disappear. "Comee to Great-grandfather¡­"

    Little Treasure turned to look at Ning Xi, then obediently walked to the elder under Ning Xi''s encouraging gaze. He also hurled out his hand and held the elder''s hand.

    The moment that little hand held his palm, the elder''s tears instantly fell, his body shaking violently. "Is¡­is this really my Great-grandson?"

    Ning Xi''s eyes had reddened too, yet she was not quite sure how to answer him.

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "Yes, Little Treasure is my child with Xiao Xi."

    When Little Treasure heard this, he nodded too, he was the child of Mother and Father!

 Chapter 801: My Value Rises With The Child

    <h4>Chapter 801: My Value Rises With The Child</h4>

    The elder carefully held the little boy¡¯s hand. "That¡¯s right¡­this is a descendent of the Ning family¡­I can feel it¡­"

    The elder shifted all his attention onto Little Treasure as he held Little Treasure¡¯s hand and stared at him. "He really¡­looks like Xiao Xi¡­look at his eyes¡­and his nose¡­"

    The elder kept on saying that Little Treasure looked just like Ning Xi¡­

    However, Ning Xi was thinking to herself, "Was Little Treasure not identical to Lu Tingxiao? How could he possibly look like her?"

    "Xiao Xi, please take the child outside first. I have something to say to him in private." The elder looked at Lu Tingxiao with a serious expression.

    "You sure you don¡¯t want to rest now, Grandfather? Don¡¯t overexert yourself!" Ning Xi gently scolded him.

    "It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m not tired yet. Or are you afraid that I¡¯ll swallow him whole?"

    "Ning Xi, take Little Treasure outside first," Lu Tingxiao told Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao helplessly, then she led Little Treasure out.

    In the hospital room, the elder stared at the man in front of him. "What¡¯s up with you and Xiao Xi?"

    "We were going to get married when we realized Xiao Xi was pregnant, but due to some misunderstanding, we got separated¡­until we reunited five years ago¡­

    ¡­

    Lu Tingxiao finally came out after making Ning Xi wait for half an hour.

    "How was it?" Ning Xi went up to him.

    "Grandfather asked you to go in with Little Treasure, he wants to see him again."

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi quickly brought Little Treasure in.

    As she was about to talk to the elder, he looked past her and focused on Little Treasure before speaking in a gentle tone, "Little Treasure, how old are you?"

    Little Treasure quickly wrote [Five] on his writing board.

    "Are you going to school?"

    [Going to kindergarten now]

    "Do your father and your mother have a good rtionship?"

    [Yes]

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was worried that Little Treasure might have problemsmunicating with Grandfather, but they interacted well on their own. In fact, she was the third wheel in the room.

    The elder, who was weak earlier, seemed much more refreshed.

    Who knew what Lu Tingxiao told the elder and what exnation could he have given? After the elder talked to Little Treasure, he spoke to Ning Xi, "Xiao Xi, you must treasure Lu Tingxiao. It¡¯s not easy to meet a man that really loves you!"

    "I will, Grandfather."

    "I know that you¡¯re focusing on your career, but don¡¯t neglect the people around you, alright?"

    "Oh, okay¡­"

    ¡­

    After they left the hospital, Ning Xi was confused. "Hey Lu Tingxiao, what did you say to my grandfather? Why was he suddenly on your side? He was all over you! Logically speaking, he¡¯d be frustrated that you made me pregnant, shouldn''t he?"

    "Do you really want to know?" Lu Tingxiao looked at her.

    Ning Xi nodded. "Yes."

    "My value rises with the child."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    This could not be anymore¡­urate¡­

    "I told Grandfather that we¡¯re not marrying right now, considering your career, but we can do it anytime as soon as you say ''yes''."

    "Uh¡­" That was mean! That basically meant that he was putting all the me on Ning Xi? But it did not seem wrong¡­

    "That¡¯s all? What else did you say?" Ning Xi felt that he was not telling her everything.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her and said slowly, "I told Grandfather that we n to have another three to five children."

    Ning Xi almost choked. "Three to five? That¡¯s too many!"

    This was unexpected! This guy¡­he was good at dealing with the elders!

 Chapter 802: Iâ€™m Driving, Donâ€™t Mess Around

    <h4>Chapter 802: I¡¯m Driving, Don¡¯t Mess Around</h4>

    After they left the hospital, they sent Little Treasure to school.

    On the way back, Ning Xi cocked her head sideways and looked at Lu Tingxiao. "Then¡­how did you exin our rtionship to Grandfather?"

    Lu Tingxiao had said that he would handle it, so she had not asked much about it, but she was curious now.

    Lu Tingxiao looked straight ahead at the sun and answered while driving, "I said that we fell in love at first sight and that we were unable to control ourselves, then Little Treasure happened. After that, due to some misunderstanding, you left Little Treasure and I. We reunited five yearster and realized that we still loved each other, so we got back together again¡­"

    It was the first time Ning Xi heard Lu Tingxiao utter so many words that she felt surreal; it did not seem like him at all.

    Ning Xi was surprised. "Wow, Lu Tingxiao! You¡¯re so good at making up stories. You should be a scriptwriter already¡­and a romance drama scriptwriter at that!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her through the mirror. "I¡¯m not making it up. It¡¯s what I envisioned. How nice would it have been if we had met each other earlier?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart skipped a few beats.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s words lingered in her mind¡­

    How nice would it have been if we had met each other earlier?

    She had also told herself the same thing countless times before¡­

    How nice would it be if she had met this man earlier?

    The next moment, at a red light, Ning Xi leaned forward and pressed her lips against Lu Tingxiao¡¯s¡­

    The girl¡¯s sweet fragrance dominated all his senses, Lu Tingxiao was surprised at first, then he tilted his head and passionately returned her kiss¡­

    The light turned green and Lu Tingxiao returned to his senses when he heard the honks of the cars from behind. "I¡¯m driving, don¡¯t mess around."

    Ning Xi pouted. "I¡¯m not messing around, I only wanted to give you a small kiss. You¡¯re the one who messed around!"

    Lu Tingxiao had nothing to say in his defense.

    ¡­

    The next day was a Saturday. The elder was already walking around when Ning Xi brought Little Treasure to visit him. He even yed with Little Treasure the whole morning.

    Ning Xi was still worried about his health at first, but after she saw that he was getting better and better, she felt more relieved.

    "Grandfather, it¡¯s going to be visiting hours soon, I¡¯ll take my leave for now. Little Treasure, say goodbye to Great-grandfather." She always avoided visiting hours to avoid meeting Ning Xueluo.

    The elder patted the little bun¡¯s head gently. "Mmm, okay. Rest assured, Xiao Xi, I¡¯ll never tell anyone about this."

    If people knew about Xiao Xi¡¯s rtionship with Lu Tingxiao, who knew what kind of trouble would happen? He had to at least wait until both of them were married. If not, the news of Ning Xi being pregnant out of wedlock would surely affect her career.

    He was now all satisfied with a grandson. Ultimately, he was d to know that the Ning family still had a descendant. Even if he were to leave the world now, he would be able to rest in peace.

    However for Xiao Xi and Little Treasure¡¯s sake, he had to live on and be there for them. After all, he was also going to wait for his second, third, fourth or even fifth great-grandchildren¡­

 Chapter 803: Not Her Type

    <h4>Chapter 803: Not Her Type</h4>

    After Fashion Week, Spirit Studio had proven themselves worthy of the Golden Award. In addition to Qin Shengyue¡¯s influence, they were quite well known now and this helped to open up new opportunities for them. Various parties contacted them and expressed their intention to work with them on their new project.

    However, there were simply too many of them from a diverse range of backgrounds and it was hard to judge; if they picked a wrongpany to work with, then it might just spell the end of them.

    Ning Xi¡¯s workload suddenly increased significantly. While she needed to research on a party to coborate with, Gong Shangze and Han Momo were working on the samples.

    As she was upied with her work, the assistant from Qin Shengyue finally arrived.

    Han Momo stood up and stretched as she heard the doorbell ring. "Is it the Marketing Director? I¡¯ll go get it!"

    Momentster, Han Momo led ady in. She was wearing a crisp champagne dress with her hair tied into a bun and not much emotion expressed on her face. She exuded an incredible aura.

    "I¡¯m Qiao Wen. CEO Qin asked me to offer my assistance here," Qiao Wen spoke straightforwardly in a formal tone.

    "Hello, I¡¯m Ning Xi, the person behind Spirit Studio. Please have a sit." Ning Xi brought her into the office.

    "I waste because I had a few tasks to hand over and it took several days," Qiao Wen exined.

    "It¡¯s alright, I understand."

    After some small talk, Ning Xi went straight to the point. "I¡¯m not sure if CEO Qin mentioned this to you before. We¡¯re a fairly new and small studio, so surely we are iparable to your workce before. Although CEO Qin lent you to me, if you don¡¯t like it here, I¡¯d be d to help you talk to CEO Qin."

    "No problem, I have no objections to CEO Qin¡¯s arrangement," Qiao Wen replied expressionlessly.

    Ning Xi assessed Qiao Wen¡¯s attitude. While she was not very friendly, she did not look unsatisfied either; she was just obeying orders.

    This was much better than what she expected. She had been assigned here on such short notice, so Ning Xi did not expect her to fit in so quickly.

    Ning Xi continued with her introduction, "Our studio is really simple, there¡¯s not much exining. Here are your two colleagues, our Design Director Gong Shengze and his assistant Han Momo."

    They introduced themselves and Ning Xi noticed that Qiao Wen''s gaze was transfixed on Gong Shangze for a little while before she returned to her usual robot-like self.

    Afterwards, Ning Xi gave her a tour around the studio and arranged a workspace for her. "Our aim is now mainly focused on high-ss bespoke and retail shops. The target audience is the high-end market, so we must pick our client groups carefully¡­"

    Qiao Wen spoke up, "I¡¯ll filter through the suitable clients in three days, and I¡¯ll deal with them after you look through the list. I¡¯ll discuss further coboration details with the other party."

    "Alright."

    Although she looked cold, her level of professionalism was top notch, and her willingness to be so involved solved Ning Xi¡¯s worries.

    Ning Xi would just see if Qiao Wen would keep working obediently or would fit with them well¡­

    Most importantly, this beauty was not Ning Xi¡¯s type, so her chastity was defended!

 Chapter 804: The Male Lead Belongs To The Female Lead, The Secondary Male Lead Belongs To Everyone!

    <h4>Chapter 804: The Male Lead Belongs To The Female Lead, The Secondary Male Lead Belongs To Everyone!</h4>

    "I¡¯ll leave it to you guys. I have a job to attend to, just call me if there¡¯s anything!"

    "Alright, Sis Xi, go quickly! Remember to help me take some photos of Jiang Muye, it''s best if you can get shots of you and him together!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was attending a hot talk show. Because of the poprity of "The World", they invited the main cast to talk about their shooting experience. The main characters of the night were Ning Xueluo and Zhao Sizhou; most of the topics revolved around the both of them. Ning Xi, Guan Xiaoqi, and the other artistes were just there to serve as foils.

    Jiang Muye was a special case. He would be invited even if he was just a side character. Moreover, he acted as the secondary protagonist this time.

    As the host was chatting with Ning Xueluo¡¯s group, Ning Xi sat there quietly without interrupting. However, since she acted as Jiang Muye''s better half in the movie, the host would sometimes mention her name.

    "Ning Xi, your scenes with Jiang Muye earned the tears of the audience, and your poprity is soaring. Everyone thought you guys looked really good together, and you even made it into the top ten best on-screen couples of the year! And in the voting poll, the most popr male character went to your army doctor, Sun Huanqing! Aren¡¯t you d?"

    "Really?" Ning Xi looked surprised.

    "That¡¯s right, look at this, it¡¯s the online voting poll and Sun Huanqing¡¯s leading! It''s ranking even higher than Sizhou¡¯s main character!" As the host was speaking, there was a picture of the online voting poll shed on the screen disying Jiang Muye¡¯s vote as the highest.

    At that moment, everyone was anticipating how Ning Xi was going to reply. It was a tricky situation. If she made a mistake, she might offend other people¡­

    Apart from the poprity of Sun Huanqing¡¯s character, the main reason for Jiang Muye¡¯s high votes came naturally from his fans.

    But if she were to say that she was happy or proud, she would be indirectly criticizing Zhao Sizhou and Ning Xueluo, and in turn, offend their fanbase.

    Ning Xi smiled. "Just as the saying goes!"

    "Which saying?" the host asked curiously.

    Ning Xi looked at Zhao Sizhou and Jiang Muye. "The main male lead belongs to the female lead, while the co-starring male lead belongs to everyone!"

    Not only the hostughed. Ning Xueluo, Zhao Sizhou, and Jiang Muye¡¯s fans all cheered. Ning Xi¡¯s smart reply did not offend anyone.

    Backstage, the director looked at the cameras and noticed that a few of them were focusing on Ning Xi. Ning Xi had amazingly glowy skin, and her wless face drew the cameras to her. Even if she was not saying anything, her eyes shone as she listened to others speak. The cameras were always fond of aesthetics¡­

    "Later, keep three of the scenes that focus on Ning Xi¡¯s face. Put her scenes together with Jiang Muye¡¯s," the director ordered the assistants.

    After the talk show was done, Ning Xueluo excused herself with a smile and she spoke to Ning Xi and the directors for a little before heading back to her car.

    As she stepped into the car, her smile turned into dreadfulness and she quickly made a call back home¡­

 Chapter 805: What Happened?

    <h4>Chapter 805: What Happened?</h4>

    Chang Li and the assistant had apparently already gotten used to Ning Xueluo¡¯s stress and her worsening tantrums, so they tried not to speak and minimized their presence to avoid being scolded.

    "Xiao Ling, how has Grandfather been doing this few days?" Ning Xueluo asked her maid at home.

    "Miss, he¡¯s doing well! He even asked Elder Xi and other friends to go fishing this morning. When they returned in the evening, he looked great¡­"

    "What about the things I asked you to investigate?"

    "I¡¯ve checked that only people from the family and a few shareholders visited him in the hospital, no one suspicious went."

    "What about Ning Xi?"

    "The nurse mentioned that she dropped by a few times, but she just visited him and chatted with him. There was nothing out of the ordinary."

    "Alright, I got it!"

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression worsened after she ended the call.

    What had happened?

    The elder had been in such a terrible condition, then he suddenly recovered and got much better. He even hosted a shareholder meeting yesterday.

    Because she saw the elder was about to kick the bucket, she nned to get closer to the shareholders who were on Ning Yaohua¡¯s side, but as the elder¡¯s health improved, she gave up that thought.

    Although it was Ning Yaohua who was handling thepany now, the elder still held the real power and the shares in his hands!

    Not only was the condition at home a mess, History had been facing issues since the incident at the Golden Awards. The period after Fashion Week made things worse. With Spirit Studio taking away numerous big clients of theirs, even though it was not that much of a loss, things could spell trouble if Spirit Studio continued to grow.

    However, at this moment, she had to focus on her main career.

    Her most important aim now was to gather various resources andworks through the entertainment industry; she could not lose what she had.

    "What¡¯s up with Ning Xi recently? What job did she take up?" Ning Xueluo asked cautiously.

    "She just acted as a co-star, but couldn¡¯t get anywhere quick. I heard she wanted to take up the lead female role in a drama, but was stopped by Liang Biqin. Don''t worry, as long as Su Yimo exists in Glory World, she would never have it easy," Chang Li replied.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression softened a little. "Help me take on more jobs that are rted to positive literary films. Make sure that the director has received awards before, and I don¡¯t care about the pay!"

    Chang Li instantly understood her. Although literary films were not very popr, they were much easier bets to win awards. Before this, Ning Xueluo would never have considered literary films. However, since she was already popr enough, what she had yet to achieve was a respectable award.

    It was not enough with just "The World" which was still rtively unknown. The industry waspetitive, and there were a lot of new artistes aiming for the top. Winning the next Golden Film Award would be far from easy.

    "Got it, I¡¯ll try my best," Chang Li replied, but she felt troubled.

    Ning Xueluo had tried too hard back in the day, starring in too manymercial films and dramas which were poor in terms of standard and content. She did get more views, but her standards suffered. Directors who were aiming for awards would have looked for new actors instead of Ning Xueluo¡­

 Chapter 806: Helping Jiang Muye

    <h4>Chapter 806: Helping Jiang Muye</h4>

    The talk show aired a few dayster, and the reaction to it was excellent. Aside from the debate between Zhao Sizhou¡¯s and Jiang Muye¡¯s fans about how much screen time both of them had, it was expected.

    In the end, Ning Xi¡¯s performance attracted attention.

    [Did you guys realize Ning Xi was being really low profile? The other artistes kept on interrupting, but Ning Xi did not even say anything even when she''s the co-star! She only answered when she was asked a question, and she answered all of them well. Her EQ is top notch! I think I¡¯m bing a fan of her!]

    [That¡¯s not the main point! The main point is her beauty, her beauty, her beauty, alright!? I have to repeat important things three times! I¡¯m already a fan of hers!]

    [Agree! I¡¯m a shipper of Ning Xi and Jiang Muye! If you looked closely, Jiang Muye almost always looks at Ning Xi¡¯s direction! I would never believe that there¡¯s nothing going on between them!]

    ¡­

    The talk show caused another bump-up of fans on Ning Xi¡¯s Weibo. Together with the increase when she was promoting "The World", her number of fans had grown significantly.

    Most of thements asked her to post new pictures, or just to ask her about Jiang Muye. Ning Xi would never try to get famous off other celebrities, even if it was Jiang Muye. However, she felt like she was boring them by just posting selfies, so she put up some of her cosy photos.

    She only had the intent of just putting them up as a hobby, and also to soften the intense celebritypetition in Weibo, but it had gotten her a lot more fans.

    At Glory World Entertainment office.

    "These are some scripts that I just received. Read through them!" Ling Zhizhi passed some scripts to Ning Xi.

    After "The World" aired, Ning Xi finally had something presentable in her portfolio. The secondary leading characters Meng Changge and Sun Huanqing were not any less popr than the main leads, and suddenly, variouspanies started sending scripts to Ling Zhizhi.

    Probably because Ning Xi yed the role of Meng Changge so well, the scripts sent to her were roles of either the unfortunate princess, the most beautifuldy in town, or the seductive mistress. Most of them were secondary or tertiary lead roles, but there were also some main roles from small productions.

    Ning Xi kept the scripts. "Alright, I¡¯ll look through them!"

    Ling Zhizhi pinched the space between her eyebrows as she asked hesitantly, "On a side note, Jiang Muye starred in another film recently. There¡¯s a supporting character with little screen time who was supposed to be yed by Liang Biqin, but she rejected on short notice, and there isn¡¯t anyone suitable now. I was thinking maybe you could help."

    "Jiang Muye¡¯s new film? The one by Director Chen Mian? Sure, no problem!" Ning Xi epted gracefully.

    Since it was Director Chen¡¯s film, she would be honored to be involved, more so as a supporting character! In addition, Jiang Muye had helped her numerous times, so this was nothing much!

    When Liang Biqin took on the role, she had not been famous then, but everything was different now. She had taken on a few big projects and would never bat an eye at small characters like this.

    Ling Zhizhi gave her another script. "There aren''t many scenes, so you should be done soon. Here, I¡¯ve listed out the scenes that you¡¯re involved in."

 Chapter 807: Thats My First Love

    <h4>Chapter 807: That''s My First Love</h4>

    Because the drama team''s end was urging her to hurry, Ning Xi had only discussed with Ling Zhizhi for a short while before taking Xiao Tao with her and rushing to the set.

    She was going to y thete first love of Jiang Muye in the film. She only had to shoot a scene of the two of them before her character died, so it was quite easy. If all went smoothly, they should be done within a day.

    "Why are you here?" When Jiang Muye saw her, he regarded her suspiciously.

    "Sis Zhizhi had mee over to help with the emergency!" Ning Xi answered.

    Jiang Muye turned his gaze to Lei Ming on the sidelines.

    Lei Ming cleared his throat and mumbled, "It''s all because you''re unsatisfied with all the other girls you''ve seen. I had no choice but to borrow someone from Zhizhi¡­"

    Ning Xi was speechless. "I really admire you. This character only has one scene from the start until the end, and it was thest scene before she dies of a chronic illness. The director didn''t even say anything. Did you have to be so picky?"

    "So what if it''s just one scene? That''s my first love!" Jiang Muye said matter-of-factly.

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. "Let me correct you, it''s just your first love in the film."

    She had no words for Jiang Muye. She had never met an actor as hard to please as him.

    In such a film, many times, the main protagonists would have higher authority above the director and producers, and Chen Mian probably did not know what to do with him.

    Chen Mian was not old, he was only 30-odd years old. He started to direct when he had just graduated university, and his debuting film "The Stars, The Moon and The Sun" had be famous in the entire Northern and Southern region of China. It wasbeled in the American Business Weekly as "The Star of Asia", bringing fame to the protagonists in the film who were now elites in the entertainment industry.

    Then, his othering-of-age themed work titled "Love Is In The Future" topped the box office charts that year, setting the trend for a series ofing-of-age movies.

    Chen Mian was a genius director who always liked to shoot the most unexpected things. No matter if it was choosing the script or the actors, he was visionary.

    Sadly, even though his films in the past few years were not bad, none of it could surpass those two benchmark ones. Some outsiders said horrible things, evenmenting that his talent had run out¡­

    Ning Xi actually felt quite pitiful for him, yet she knew that such a result for a director like Chen Mian was an expectedpromise upon entering the industry.

    "Chen Mian, the person is here. Do you want toe and take a look?" Lei Ming ran to tell the director.

    "What''s the use of me taking a look? Is that punk satisfied?" Chen Mian and Jiang Muye had coborated quite a few times, and their rtionship was pretty tight in private, so the way he spoke was quite casual too.

    "No more issues on Jiang Muye''s end! Just waiting for your nod of approval!" Lei Ming anxiously said. Borrowing someone from Ling Zhizhi was really hisst resort. It was hard for him to be stuck between Jiang Muye and the director every time.

    "Oh?" Chen Mian, who had been upied, started to walk over.

    When she saw the director, Ning Xi quickly greeted, "Hello, Director Chen, I''m Ning Xi!"

    Chen Mian evaluated Ning Xi, then he said, "Ning Xi¡­you''re the second lead for Director Guo''s ''The World'', aren''t you?"

    It was unexpected that Chen Mian would know her, so naturally, Ning Xi was instantly delighted.

    "Yes!"

    "No wonder this guy had no opinions! I''ve seen that movie, it can be considered the peak of Jiang Muye''s acting," said Chen Mian as he could not help but evaluate the girl before him for a few seconds more.

    From the audience''s perspective, they only saw the two people''s suitability for the role and their coborative chemistry, so with "The World", Jiang Muye''s acting progress was seen as amazing.

    However, Chen Mian had coborated with Jiang Muye for a few times too and he could tell that to actually bring Jiang Muye''s acting to such a remarkable extent, definitely required some tricks up her sleeves.

 Chapter 808: I Would Tank You First

    <h4>Chapter 808: I Would Tank You First</h4>

    When both ends had agreed that there was no issue, Chen Mian started to run through the script with Ning Xi.

    The shooting went very smoothly and they were done in three takes. The other two was only to shoot from different angles. Atst, when Chen Mian reviewed the images in his camera and felt deeply moved, he thought that it was no wonder that old Guo had publicly praised this rookie many times in the director''s circle!

    After the shoot had ended, Ning Xi changed into a casual outfit for convenience. After all, more and more people knew her face now.

    Ning Xi had been very busy for the past two days, so he could finally use this opportunity to catch up with her. Jiang Muye immediately stopped her with shining eyes. "Want to go to my ce and shoot it up? I stillck three battles before I can level up! I must not lose!!!"

    "What''s in it for me to help you level up?" Ning Xi raised her brows.

    "You want an incentive for such a little thing? Are you still my bro?"

    ¡­

    "Jiang Muye, tomorrow¡­" Chen Mian was just about to say something to Jiang Muye when he saw the young man beside him and paused, "Is this your friend?"

    Jiang Muye''s mouth twitched. "Director, you know this person, okay?"

    Ning Xi cleared her throat and waved. "Director, it''s me!"

    Chen Mian''s jaw dropped as if he had just seen a ghost. "You¡­you''re Ning Xi?"

    The "young man" before him wore a ck racer leather jacket with sleek hair and had unruliness written all over. It was obviously a man who did not lose to Jiang Muye''s aura¡­But if one were to look closely, you would notice, there was indeed some resemnce to Ning Xi¡­

    How could the same person look so different just by a change of clothes and different makeup?

    The change in the charisma that was altered from the inside out could not be done just by putting on a wig! Even acting could not be this natural, this perfect!

    "Uhh, well, in this acting industry, there''s too little freedom, so I had to think of something¡­Director, you understand!" Ning Xi revealed an expression of tacit mutual understanding.

    After finishing work and donning the male disguise, Ning Xi had naturally changed even her tone and demeanor. Those who did know would think that another charismatic and unruly man lived inside her!

    Chen Mian could not describe what he currently felt. That long-awaited agitated feeling of emotions made it seem as if his blood was about to flow in reverse¡­

    "Uhh¡­Director Chen¡­Director Chen, what''s wrong with you?" Ning Xi felt goosebumps as he stared at her with a pair of burning eyes.

    Jiang Muye unhappily waved in front of Chen Mian''s eyes to block his line of sight. "Hello, Director Chen, don''t tell me you like men?"

    What kind of look was that?

    Chen Mian pushed his hand away and said, "Go away, if I liked men, I would tank you first!"

    Ning Xi burst out into augh. Who would expect that Chen Mian was like this in private?

    Chen Mian did not understand what was going on either. Ever since he saw Ning Xi, he felt like he was in a situation where he could walk away any minute.

    He took out a cigarette and took a drag from it, then he took out another and offered it to Ning Xi. "You smoke?"

    Jiang Muye felt his forehead cramp up. "Chen Mian, what the hell are you doing?"

    Ning Xiughed and rejected, "Director, I''ve quit smoking, don''t tempt me now."

    Chen Mian put out his cigarette then ran to the front. He turned to remind Ning Xi, "Wait a minute, don''t leave yet!"

    A momentter, followed by Ning Xi and Jiang Muye''s confused looks, Chen Mian dragged over his assistant.

 Chapter 809: Make Her Fall In Love With You!

    <h4>Chapter 809: Make Her Fall In Love With You!</h4>

    Chen Mian''s assistant was a young girl in her twenties, and she was just arranging the props when she was suddenly been dragged over. She looked confused as she panted to ask, "Director, what''s the urgency?"

    Chen Mian looked at Ning Xi, then looked at his watch before pointing at the assistant. "I''m giving you ten seconds. Make her fall in love with you. If you can do it, I can guarantee that I''ll make you be an instant hit!"

    At that moment, Ning Xi, Jiang Muye, and the assistant were speechless.

    What? Make a girl fall in love with a girl?

    Was Chen Mian crazy?

    While Jiang Muye was shocked and the assistant waspletely confused, Ning Xi had already realized something. He was giving her an opportunity!

    The moment Chen Mian started to time her, Ning Xi caught the assistant off-guard by pulling her hand. She sat on the wide chair behind her and smoothly pulled her to sit on herp¡­

    The assistant instinctively shrieked, yet stopped when Ning Xi tersely said, "Don''t move!"

    Then, Ning Xi carefully took off the assistant''s heels and looked at her red and swollen ankles¡­

    Ten seconds had yet to be up, and Ning Xi had only said the two words "don''t move", yet the assistant girl was already staring at the young man''s tensed face with empathy and love. Her heart was already beating fast while her breath came in short pauses. She was speechless¡­

    Chen Mian looked at her, then directly said, "You pass the test. Now, follow me."

    Ning Xi helped the assistant take off her heels, then let her put on her own sneakers before helping her steadily get to her feet. Then, she stood up and replied Chen Mian, "Okay!"

    Jiang Muye, who waspletely ignored, was speechless at this. "Pfft! Chen Mian, where are you bringing her?"

    Chen Mian had already driven off with Ning Xi off like the wind¡­

    Behind him, the assistant''s gaze remained longingly at the direction Chen Mian''s car had left in, "Senior Jiang, which rookie is that handsome guy? Has the Director taken a liking upon him, and chosen him to be the male lead in the new film? My God! Too charming! Earlier when he carried me and helped me change my shoes, my heart was about to jump out!"

    Jiang Muye looked unhappy. "Are you blind? That was a girl!"

    "No way!" The assistant was bbergasted.

    Jiang Muye rolled his eyes. "What do I get out of lying to you?"

    The assistant covered her blushing face when she heard this. "Oh, so handsome! It''s okay if she''s a woman¡­crap, am I leaning the other way?!"

    Jiang Muye had no words.

    Chen Mian directly brought Ning Xi to hispany.

    "Sit."

    Ning Xi casually skimmed the office. There were no pictures of the set, films, or that sort of thing. Chen Mian''s office was unusually simple. The only things on the wall were just charts for the characters in a script and pictures of casting actors¡­

    "I have a script on hand. It has already been umting for three years because I could not find a suitable female lead. I could have simply gotten some famous artistes and cook something up, and the box office sales would definitely not fare too badly in the end, but I could not give up this script," said Chen Mian, as he pulled open the lowest drawer with a key and took out a script booklet.

    The pages were yellowed; one look and you would know that it had been read many times before. Ning Xi carefully took the script and looked at the summary first.

    When she finished, she finally understood what Chen Mian''s weird actions were for, "Female in a male disguise?"

 Chapter 810: Happy Collaboration!

    <h4>Chapter 810: Happy Coboration!</h4>

    "Yes, have you seen Shakespeare''s ¡®Twelfth Night''?" Chen Mian asked.

    Ning Xi''s eyes shone and immediately, she nodded. "I have."

    That was one of Shakespeare''s ssicedies, and Ning Xi''s favorite out of all hisedic works. It was about a pair of twin siblings who got separated during a shipwreck and had both thought the other was dead. The younger sister disguised as a man to rece her brother and became the servant to a Duke''s family. She even fell in love with the Duke, but the Duke loved another Lady.

    The sister helped the Duke run away to propose to the Lady, but sadly, the Lady had fallen in love with the sister, who was disguised as a male, and the Duke was rejected.

    The most important character in the entire y was the brave, passionate, and pure sister. She had disguised as a male to be by the side of the person she loved, quietly loving him to help him get the person he liked, yet hinting to him from time to time that she loved him too.

    The other female character in the y was the Duchess for whom the male lead had fallen in love with. She was beautiful and smart, kind at heart, and someone who valued friendship. She was loyal, brave and persistent. She rejected the elegant Duke''s love, yet she had taken a liking for the servant twin sister. Atst, she gathered her courage to confess her love for the person she had mistaken for as the girl''s twin brother. Ultimately, both the female leads obtained their desires and gained their own happiness.

    This was a very positive and beautiful piece of work.

    "This script is an adaptation of Shakespeare''s ''Twelfth Night'', except that the context has been changed to modern day to fit with the current day''s aesthetics and vor. However, I don''t want to shoot it as a simple city drama, so my demands of the actors would be very high," Chen Mian exined.

    Ning Xi nodded to indicate she understood. At the same time, her heart was suddenly been set aze. Chen Mian''s script was definitely much better than the one she had seen before!

    She had mostly liked the earlier script for the numerous exciting scenes, so she still had her own motives. However, for this one, the storyline to the message was a few levels higher than the one before. Besides, Chen Mian had worked on it for three years!

    Chen Mian watched the twilight out his window in a daze. He was only in his thirties, yet the expression on his face seemed to have gone through many hardships, as if all of his passion had been depleted¡­

    He mocked lightly, "When I first entered the industry, I had a gut full of passion for the art, for the dream¡­and now¡­do you know how everyone shoots movies? To decide on what to shoot is not for the director to say, not even the scriptwriter, but the investors! And the directors? They''re not creators, at most a puppet, just aborer! Artist? All that is bullsheet!"

    As she listened to Chen Mian''s words, Ning Xi did not know what to say. The current situation could not be changed by one or two people in the industry.

    Even a talented director like Chen Mian had topromise but it was obvious that his heart was still unwilling!

    "Ning Xi, there are some things that are best if I rify beforehand. I n to shoot this independently and not ept any investments, so mypensation for you will not be too much.

    "In fact, I will be using an entire cast of newbies including you, so the risk would be pretty high. It could flop, and even your hard earned reputation from ''The World'' could be damaged. So, whether or not you want to ept this, you should consider it carefully," Chen Mian said as nervousness fished across his eyes.

    He had finally met Ning Xi, and he was ready to burn his bridges for once, but he had no right to ask anyone else to be crazy with him¡­

 Chapter 811: Setting A New Sail

    <h4>Chapter 811: Setting A New Sail</h4>

    When Ning Xi heard this, she smiled and stood up to hurl her hand towards Chen Mian, her eyes clear. "Director Chen, you''re betting your 10-year directing career on this while I''ve only got ''The World'', so I''m still profiting either way. In fact, to be honest, I''ve waited very long for such a script, so there''s no need for me to consider further, Director Chen. I''m happy to embark on this coboration."

    Chen Mian was stunned, then he stretched out his hand to shake hers. "It''s my pleasure!"

    Because this dream that had never extinguished from the depths of his heart, he cared so much about this script, and would not allow there to be any ws.

    His ambitions made him want to find an actress like the Oscar-winning Hiry Swank in "Boys Don''t Cry", to really be able to act to the extent where it was hard to differentiate between male and female. But to let all those small, Inte female celebrities put on a male disguise? That shoot would end up as a horror movie! He would much rather let this script rot a lifetime in his drawer than touch it.

    However, just as he had thoroughlypromised with reality, and had taken loads of investors'' money to shootmercial films that did not move him, he met Ning Xi and saw that his passion had yet to be extinguished¡­

    Chen Mian muttered to himself for a while, then he said with a serious expression, "Maybe I should treat Jiang Muye to a meal. If it was not for him being so hard to serve, I wouldn''t have met you."

    "Uhh, well¡­there really is no denying that¡­" Ning Xiughed, "Looks like I should treat him too!"

    "Do you usually dress like this?" Chen Mian asked, evaluating Ning Xi again. Her body was clearly exquisite, yet no matter if it was her demeanor or posture, there was not a tinge of submissive femininity.

    "Not too often, I guess, only when I need to."

    When she was abroad back then, she would often be in a male disguise. She had done less of that upon returning. However, she was used to it, and the longing to do so lingered.

    "You''re very natural, even making me think that you were originally like this. Even acting skills are useless," Chen Mian probed as he examined her, "Initially, I was prepared to have the female lead prepare a month before, and within this month, she would live entirely in a male disguise so as topletely immerse herself into the role. It seems like you won''t need it. I''ve observed that your speed of immersing into a role is pretty good."

    Ning Xi actually wanted to say that she had not really used much acting because when she was in a male outfit, it came naturally to her¡­

    However, in this movie, she would have to act as two characters; not only the female lead, she also had to act as the female lead''s twin brother too, so the pressure was pretty high. She did indeed need to prepare and study the characters.

    "I still have a few more days till I''m done with the show on my hand. Wait till it''s finalized, and I will start to n the shoot and choose the cast. You can use this period of time to prepare. If there''s anything you don''t know or need help with, look for me anytime. Have your phone on standby. When everything is in ce, I will contact you to join the team."

    "Okay, I understand, thank you, Director Chen!"

    "Onest thing, to avoid any disturbances, this time I n to keep the entire shoot a secret and not do any promotions. Are you okay with this?"

    "No problem!"

    ¡­

    When Chen Mian left, Ning Xi was impatient to convey the news to Ling Zhizhi. Ling Zhizhi was very happy for her, and said that she would support her fully. She also said that she would discuss the concrete details with the other side soon.

    Ning Xi''s new film was finally, officially decided upon.

 Chapter 812: Did You Manage To Invite CEO Lu?

    <h4>Chapter 812: Did You Manage To Invite CEO Lu?</h4>

    At Royal Jazz Hotel, VIP room.

    In this year''spetition-filled atmosphere, "The World"''s historic film had achieved the third best result in this year''s box office. Everyone from the drama team had gathered for a celebration banquet.

    Apart from the director, the producers, scriptwriters, camera crew and other acting members such as Ning Xueluo, Zhao Sizhou, Jiang Muye, Feng Yibo, and several main actors were all present. A few of the main characters'' managers were present too. There were many people in the huge room, and it was bustling with excitement.

    When Ning Xi reached the room and greeted everyone, she was immediately called by Jiang Muye to a corner.

    "Tell me honestly! Why did that Chen Mian call you over for?" Jiang Muye looked at her seriously like he was interrogating a criminal.

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes. "Why are you so tensed up for? Could he tank me?"

    "Huh, please, who would dare tank you? If he did, I should now be able to see the tabloid headlines that famous director Chen Mian had died in his home!"

    Ning Xi was speechless. "Am I that scary?"

    "Don''t talk about unnecessary things. I''m being serious, what did Chen Mian talk to you about?" Based on his understanding of Chen Mian''s character, he naturally knew he was not the kind of director to be inappropriate, but the way he acted in the afternoon was just odd.

    "Oh, right, speaking about this, I have to thank you instead. My new film has been decided!" Ning Xi said as she poured Jiang Muye a drink.

    "Chen Mian''s?" Jiang Muye''s eyebrows raised.

    "Yes!"

    "Which script?"

    ""Dreamchaser""

    "Please! Ning Xiao Xi, not bad! That guy actually gave you the script he has been safekeeping ask along?" Jiang Muye was obviously a little shocked. "I have seen that script too. I wanted to take it, but he said he couldn''t find a suitable female lead and was not willing to shoot. This script has probably been searching for the right person for three years now¡­"

    Jiang Muye recalled the script''s plot and instantly understood why Chen Mian had taken an interest to Ning Xi.

    This brat, what horribly amazing luck was she on?!

    This script was practically made for her!

    "Who''s the male lead?" Jiang Muye immediately asked.

    Ning Xi shot him a look as if she had seen through him. "Don''t think about it, Director Chen said that he would use an entire cast of newbies, so you don''t stand a chance!"

    Jiang Muye scoffed, "Looks like¡­Chen Mian is really ready to make you a hit! This film is, after all, led by a female protagonist, so if you choose me as the male lead, my halo would very easily overpower the female lead, so that must be why he''s using new actors!"

    As Ning Xi listened, she felt that what he was saying was quite reasonable. "Apart from that, he probably wants to return to his true self, follow his heart, and ditch all theplicated things to start all over again! Didn''t he use an entire cast of new actors for his famous debut?"

    "Can the current movie marketpare to ten years ago? That was the generation of talents. How many ssics were made? Now look again, how many are left? The point is, the risk is huge¡­" Jiang Muye muttered.

    Ning Xi raised her brows defiantly. "I like challenging things!"

    Jiang Muye knew she would say this, so he pat her on the shoulder and said, "Even though the risk is quite high, this could create a miracle. Whatever it is, I wish you good luck!"

    "Thank you! I''ll ride on your lucky words!" Ning Xi raised her ss and toasted with him.

    As everyone was chatting and drinking, the door opened, and in walked the producer Wang Taihe.

    A frenzyter, the director Guo Qisheng quickly walked over and asked, "How''s it? Did you manage to invite CEO Lu?"

 Chapter 813: Flamboyant Entrance

    <h4>Chapter 813: mboyant Entrance</h4>

    Wang Taihe replied, "I just called to confirm. Second Master said that he woulde soon, as for Mr. Lu¡­he''s probably noting!"

    Even though Guo Qisheng was regretful about it, he still nodded and said, "To be able to invite the Second Master is already not bad! The other Master is so busy, how could hee to our small little celebratory banquet?"

    Fifty million dors in investment was considered huge to them, but it was nothing to Lu Tingxiao; he might have even long forgotten such a thing happened¡­

    "Who''s Director Guo and Producer Wang talking about?" from the corner of the room, someone asked with curiosity.

    "Who else could it be? It''s obviously about our movie''s investor!"

    "It is Ning International?"

    "What Ning International? I think you''ve drank too much. Because Ning Xueluo caused that trouble, Ning International and Starlight Entertainment had withdrawn their investments midway. Atst, because of Lu Jingli from Glory World Entertainment threw fifty million here, then Lu Corporation threw in another fifty million! That''s how our movie managed to continue shooting!"

    "Oh, oh right, look at me! Now that ''The World'' is so popr, the investors have managed to profit quite a lot from their investment. Ning International and Starlight must be regretting?"

    "Of course, when they withdrew investments to exert power and threaten the crew, it turned out all good in the end. All their wasted efforts¡­"

    ¡­

    As she listened to the discussions surrounding her, Ning Xueluo looked obviously miserable in the shadows.

    If it was not for Ning Xi, the huge number of profits earned from this movie should belong to Starlight and Ning International, then her status in thepany and at home would have been one level higher.

    Sadly, now, she had gotten nothing. When they were promoting, she had to be suppressed as the female lead, and they had to bring Ning Xi the co-star, letting her harp on her poprity as she wished!

    "Huh, Xueluo, actually we aren''t losing either. Think about it, they have spent double the amount of money and aren''t they still making you famous in the end?" Chang Li could immediately see Ning Xueluo''s unhappiness, so she quickly consoled her.

    Before this, Ning Xueluo would have listened to words like these, but now she found it annoying. "Making me famous? They''re obviously using my poprity to make Ning Xi famous!"

    From the start, "The World" had indeed paid the most attention to her as the female lead, yet as the movie continued to show in theatres, Ning Xi had been gaining more and more attention. From the Inte to the expert reviewers, they offered Ning Xi greatments, and some evenmented that Ning Xi should be the real female lead in the movie.

    In fact, Ning Xi was now in good rtions with Glory World''s higher management, Lu Jingli, and Jiang Muye. Her pathway to stardom was paving well¡­how could she just take all this in!?

    Chang Li''s expression stiffened as she thought about how Ning Xueluo''s skills were not up to par with the other person. As the female lead, she could not even stop Ning Xi from taking the limelight, but could she me anyone else?

    "Right, I''m almost done discussing with Director Zhou about his literary film for you. The contract will be done next week!" Chang Li changed the topic, and only then did Ning Xueluo''s expression start to soften.

    After a round of drinks, the door was suddenly pushed open.

    "Oh, how happening!"

    The person who walked in was d in a mboyant tuxedo in pastel blue with a messy and unruly fringe, and a pair of eyes that seemed to be electric. When he smiled, his entire being was radiant, and the moment he appeared, he attracted everyone''s sight like a strong force of energy.

    "Aiya! Second Master is here! Quickly,e in and sit!" The producer and director rushed forward to greet him.

    "Oh! It''s the CEO of Glory World, Lu Jingli! He''s even more handsome in person than on the magazines!"

    "If Second Master entered the entertainment industry, other male celebrities would be nothing!"

    "I''m so jealous of Glory World''s artistes. Do they always get to see him in person?"

    ¡­

 Chapter 814: Got Hit Again

    <h4>Chapter 814: Got Hit Again</h4>

    Among the shrieks of the girls, Lu Jingliughed and said a few words to everyone. He was funny and charismatic, getting along with everyone soon enough.

    All the girls were screaming from his sweet words¡­

    "Oh my God! Second Master is so friendly! No ego at all!"

    "Most importantly he is so, so, so handsome! Evenpared to a celebrity like Jiang Muye!"

    ¡­

    Li Jingli was Glory World''s boss after all, so after he entered, he naturally sat in the spot between Jiang Muye and Ning Xi.

    When everyone saw that, they thought it was only natural and had no opinions, only envy.

    In front of Lu Jingli, Ning Xueluo was slightly awkward. After she made some small talk with him for her public appearance''s sake, she did not say anything further and could only be like everyone else, observing Ning Xi with an envious gaze.

    Ning Xi speechlessly looked at Lu Jingli who had squeezed between her and Jiang Muye. She looked respectful on the surface to her boss, while she said in a lowered voice, "Second Master, there are so many seats over there, can''t you just sit over on Jiang Muye''s side?"

    Lu Jingli immediately just crossed his legs and said, "No way, I just like sitting in the middle of you two!"

    Ning Xi had no words to say. This devil of a protective brother was in motion again!

    "Right, earlier I heard that Producer Wang invited Lu Tingxiao too. Will hee over tonight?" Ning Xi casually asked.

    Lu Jingli took a sip of his drink and looked towards the dim light, with light rays dancing. Menacingly, he said, "Beg me, beg me, then I will tell you!"

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched."Do you think it''s fun to tease me?"

    Then, Ning Xi just took out her phone and sent Lu Tingxiao a message: [My dear, will you being over for "The World"''s celebratory banquet tonight?]

    Lu Jingli''s initial delighted handsome face instantly turned sour as he started toin, "Hey! You''re breaking the rules! I won''t allow you to do that!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes. "Are the rules up to you? I just like to do it that way, what can you do?"

    Very quickly, Lu Tingxiao replied her: [We''ll see, I have a dinner to attend.]

    Ning Xi thought about something, then smiled cunningly and replied: [Oh, okay, drink less! Also, you''re not allowed to hook up with girls, don''t even look at any of them for more than a second!]

    [I won''t, they''re not as pretty as you.] Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Ning Xi instantly covered her face.

    While Ning Xi was secretly texting, Jiang Muye and Lu Jingli were sneaking peeks. When they saw Lu Tingxiao''s words, the two of them choked on their drinks almost simultaneously.

    Jiang Muye coughed profusely and cursed, "Jesus!"

    Lu Jingli chimed in, "Oh, my precious eyes!"

    When Ning Xi heard their reactions, she immediately became alert and kept her phone away. These two horrible brats had actually peeked at her messages!

    It was a good thing that she sat in the cornermost of the sofa, so there was no one on the other side, while Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye were on the other, hence she did not have to worry if anyone else saw.

    Midway, a waiter came over to open a few bottles of especially expensive wine.

    Wang Taihe was curious, he went up to say, "I don''t think we ordered this wine."

    "It was a Mr. Su who ordered for everyone. The bill has been paid!" the waiter politely answered.

    "Oh¡­"

    When they heard the name Su, everyone instantly knew who it was.

    As long as it was an important dinner with Ning Xueluo around, Su Yan would spare no effort to make her look good. It was no wonder that he was in the entertainment industry''s list of top ten best boyfriends.

 Chapter 815: Aiyo! This Has Gone Overboardâ€¦

    <h4>Chapter 815: Aiyo! This Has Gone Overboard¡­</h4>

    "Please! The price of these three bottles should add up to a few hundred thousand dors, right?"

    "Eh, eh, eh, I finally understood that no matter how hard a woman works, it''s not as good as having a good husband!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo''s mood tonight had initially been at the pinnacle of misery, but when she heard all the crowd''s praises and teases in reaction to the wine, she started to lighten up again. Su Yan was undoubtedly the best thing that happened to her in this lifetime!

    A whileter, Su Yan, who was having a business social nearby, came over to greet everyone, then he was asked enthusiastically to stay.

    When Su Yan saw that Lu Jingli was present as well, he wanted towork with him, so he stayed and then walked over to chat with Lu Jingli.

    Lu Jingli smiled and handled him skillfully with a few sentences before making him leave.

    Then, he held his chin and walked past the two lovey-dovey Su Yan and Ning Xueluo and scoffed to Ning Xi, "Initially, I wanted to ask if you would be triggered, but then I thought never mind, you already have someone much better!"

    Indeed, Ning Xi did not look the other side, she was texting Lu Tingxiao and teasing him.

    Lu Jingli shook his head and sighed, he could not bear to watch all the lovey-dovey scenes going on around him. He started to grumble, "Eh, where''s the fun in just singing and drinking? Let''s all y a game!"

    Since it was Lu Jingli who suggested, everyone naturally agreed and echoed his suggestion.

    "Okay, okay!"

    "But, what do we y?"

    "Yeah, it seems like there aren''t any new and fun games!"

    Lu Jingli smiled cunningly. "It''s not about it being new, as long as it''s fun, so let''s do ''Truth or Dare''!"

    Ning Xi was speechless. Why was it Truth or Dare again? Could this guye up with something different? Thest time after she yed it at his bungalow party, she was traumatized!

    However, as one of the ssic games that was suitable for a party with many people, Lu Jingli''s suggestion immediately received everyone''s approval.

    As for the rules of the game, it was very easy. To pick the big ghost was to win, pick the small ghost was to lose. The small ghost could choose between truth or dare, but if they were unwilling to tell the truth or do the dare, then they failed and would be punished with three sses of drinks.

    Very quickly, the game started.

    At first, everyone was still holding their courage in, but atst many different questions like "At what age did you start kissing girls?", "How many adult moves do you have in yourputer?", and "How long did youst?" started to be frequent¡­

    "Ning Xi, truth or dare?" the crew member who had gotten the big ghost card asked her with a malicious expression.

    Ning Xi''s luck was pretty good the first few times, and she had not picked the small ghost card, but after a while, she had unfortunately been hit.

    Ning Xi then replied, "Dare!" On such an asion, the truth was more dangerous than dares.

    "Then, please ask for a kiss from the gentleman who picked the Ace of Hearts. If you''re rejected, then the dare is considered a fail!"

    Everyone started to ooh.

    "Hey, this is too easy! Would there be a man who would reject our Ning beauty''s request for a kiss?"

    "Exactly!"

    "Where''s the Ace of Hearts? Who''s the lucky man? Come out quickly!"

    ¡­

    Atst, a momentter, someone from the sofa cleared their throat and said, "It''s me."

    The person who said this was Su Yan.

    Uh oh¡­

    Why did it have to be Su Yan of all people?

    Everyone in the private room was instantly stunned, yet at the same time they were a little excited. Even though Su Yan''s girlfriend, Ning Xueluo, was present, but to be faced with a beauty like Ning Xi, and coupled with the fact that it was just a game, would Su Yan¡­agree?

    Jiang Muye frowned, while Lu Jingli looked alert and panicked. Aiyo! This has gone overboard¡­

    ''Truth or Dare'' had been suggested by him. If his brother found out, then he would definitely be dead!

    "Hello, Su Yan, do you agree or not?" Now many people had drank quite a fair bit and were all cheering him on.

 Chapter 816: Ask For A Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 816: Ask For A Kiss</h4>

    "Hahaha¡­you guys, Su Yan''s real girlfriend is still here! How could he agree!?"

    "That''s not necessary! It''s just a game anyway, and Xueluo is so easy-going, so she wouldn''t mind, right, Xueluo?"

    ¡­

    Under everyone''s pressure, Ning Xueluo looked at Ning Xi, who was in a corner, then at the troubled Su Yan beside her before she said nonchntly, "It''s just a game, of course I won''t mind. Su Yan, you decide yourself!"

    "Oh, oh¡­ I told you so! Su Yan, you''re so lucky! You have such a considerate girlfriend!"

    Su Yan looked at Ning Xi in the corner. Momentster, he revealed an apologetic expression and said, "I''m sorry."

    Ning Xi shrugged, then downed the three sses of drinks on the table.

    Lu Jingli could not even stop her in time.

    Damn it, this is over¡­

    Everyone instantly roared and shrieked, "Damn it! We''ve been publicly shamed again!"

    "I knew Su Yan wouldn''t agree! His heart was already full, so other women are just floating clouds!"

    There was also some smaller actors who envied Ning Xi and they started to whisper happily, "She''s just pretty, did she really think that all men would fall at her feet?! Now, she''s faced rejection! How funny!"

    "For a vase like Ning Xi, only those vulgar men who don''t care about what''s inside would like her, right? How could a noble person like Su Yan like someone of her type?! Even if Ning Xueluo wasn''t around, I think he wouldn''t say ''yes'' either! To be associated with such a small artiste that relies on her face for fame would just be degrading himself!"

    ¡­

    On the side, Ning Xueluo looked at Su Yan, clearly touched. "I thought you¡­Bro Yan, you didn''t actually have to do that¡­I know it''s just a game, I wouldn''t mind!"

    From the corner of his eye, Su Yan looked at Ning Xi who held her head in her hands. Even though though he looked sorry, he was still firm. "Even though I''ve always treated Ning Xi as a sister and wanted to care for her, I would definitely not do such a thing. Even if you understand, I wouldn''t want you to misunderstand."

    "Bro Yan¡­"

    Up next, Ning Xueluo was picked. Ning Xueluo chose a dare, then she was asked to kiss any man present who was willing. Atst, there was no question, Ning Xueluo obviously chose Su Yan.

    The attractive couple''s passionate kissing led to the crowd''s teasingsomeone again¡­

    Ning Xi was only asked to kiss someone in the game, yet after the ruckus, she felt like she wanted to press up to Su Yan. Just as she was thinking about this, it happened¡­

    It was right at that moment that Ning Xi got chosen again.

    The person who had gotten the big ghost card was a drunk cast member who slurred, "Ning Xi, truth or dare?"

    After downing three sses earlier, Ning Xi started to feel tipsy because she drank too quickly. She wanted to say truth, but before these words coulde out, she actually twisted it. "Dare¡­"

    When she wanted to change her words, it was toote.

    The cast member immediately smiled and said, "Aiyo, I''ve drank too much, I really can''t think of anything for you to do. How about you do the same thing as earlier?! But, to avoid awkwardness, let''s not choose anyone in this room. Just ask for a kiss from the first person who walks into this roomter!"

 Chapter 817: How About I Just Sacrifice Myself For A While?

    <h4>Chapter 817: How About I Just Sacrifice Myself For A While?</h4>

    "Oh right, let me add on, it can''t be the same gender. It must be of the opposite gender!" the cast member added.

    When the crowd heard this, they became even more excited. "Then, what if it''s an ugly and vulgar man?"

    "Hahaha, she wouldn''t be that unlucky, would she ?"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi did not know how to deal with this. To choose someone from the room would be awkward, but to choose a stranger who walked inter would not?

    However, she had no choice. The rules of the game were as such, so she could only continue.

    At that moment, even though the crowd in the room continued to y, their hearts were obviously still wondering who the next person to walk in would be.

    The hotel was the liveliest at this hour, and every room frequently had people who walked into the wrong ce, some of them even drunkards. In fact, a few had just done that earlier.

    However, it was not sure why this time no one had walked in for a long time, not even the waiters.

    "If no one walks in after ten minutes, is this considered over?" atst, someone suggested.

    "How can that do!? If no one walks in after ten minutes, then we''ll just choose someone from the room!"

    "Eh, this is a good idea!" The girl who picked the big ghost earlier nodded in agreement. "Of course, if we choose from this room, then we have to choose someone of the opposite gender!"

    ¡­

    As they watched the ten minutes about to pass, they anticipated having to pick someone in the room. Ning Xi''s gaze started to skim across everyone¡­

    It was easy to choose just anyone, but if it had to be someone of the opposite gender¡­It would be better to wait for someone to walk in than have her choose!

    After all, if she chose herself that would be too¡­

    Director, producer? These identities were too sensitive, definitely not!

    Lu Jingli, Jiang Muye¡­they were even more untouchable!

    Su Yan was out of the question¡­

    As for the other male actors and crew members¡­

    Ning Xi looked around and atst, she could not even pick anyone of them!

    Her head hurt¡­

    When they noticed Ning Xi''s gaze looking around to choose, most of the men present started to be restless.

    "Hahaha, I wonder who would have the honor to be chosen by our beauty tonight?"

    "I''m betting Jiang Muye! I''ve long noticed that these two people have something going on!"

    "Why not Lu Jingli? This is a good opportunity to court the boss!"

    "Could it be Su Yan? Su Yan rejected her earlier, maybe she''s unwilling and would ask again?"

    "Don''t forget our male lead, Zhao Sizhou!"

    ¡­

    As the whispers and discussions in the room increased, almost everyone had been guessed by everyone, and Ning Xi''s head was about to explode.

    The girl who picked Ning Xi earlier looked at her phone and said, "Ning Xi, ten minutes is about to be up, but still no one hase. How about you just choose someone from the room?!"

    In the corner, Jiang Muye mumbled, "How about I just sacrifice myself for a while¡­"

    Actually, he was just casually saying this because he knew that Ning Xi did not want to start any rumors with him. However, would she be taken advantage of if she chose someone else? She might as well choose him!

    Lu Jingli shot Jiang Muye a look, then looked at the time on his watch. "What''s the rush? There''s still a minute!"

    At that moment, Lu Jingli looked calm while he was actually about to have a nervous breakdown. Damn it, it was over, he was dead! God bless him!!!

    If he let Xiao Xi Xi kiss someone else, he would definitely had to die here today! He was going to die tragically!

 Chapter 818: Amazing! The Timing Is Perfect!

    <h4>Chapter 818: Amazing! The Timing Is Perfect!</h4>

    "Time''s not up yet? I am counting¡­" The girl looked at her hand phone. "Oh, now it''s really about to be up, there''s still ten seconds¡­nine seconds¡­eight seconds¡­"

    Ning Xi held her hurting head. "Uhh¡­I¡­"

    I surrender!

    Damn it, could she not just surrender and drink up?

    However, before Ning Xi could dere surrender, the heavy metal door to the room was suddenly pushed in from the outside¡­

    In that instant, everyone''s gaze fell on the gold door, their eyes full of gossip potential.

    Woah! Someone finally walked in!

    A guest who had walked the wrong way? Or a drunkard? A waiter? Or other crew members who werete?

    First, they saw the long fingers that pushed open the door, then their line of sight followed upwards to his low-key but luxurious obsidian cuff link, then his grey patterned tie¡­and atst, they finally caught a clear glimpse of his face¡­

    Those sharp features, defined eyebrows, broad nose bridge, and tight lips all formed a face that had clearly been favored by God when he carved it delicately.

    Under the dim light and musty air, the man was akin to wind from a winternd, his eyes sharp and clear while his temperament cool. He stood there quietly as he skimmed the crowd. Only his nonchnt look could make people revere him as they dared not look him in the eye.

    Only those in a higher up position would have such a palpable force.

    When she saw who had walked in, Ning Xi blinked, then blinked again, as she thought she was starting to have delusions¡­

    Big Boss???

    In that instant, everyone in the room was stunned. Who¡­was this man?

    Guo Qisheng and Wang Taihe knew him alright, but they had not expected him toe, so they were stunned in shock.

    "Bro¡­" Lu Jingli who had been silently praying almost cried tears of joy when he saw the man at the door.

    Amazing! The timing is perfect!

    Thank goodness, he was saved!

    Jiang Muye was surprised. Something shed in his eyes, but his expression did rx quite a bit.

    This way¡­Ning Xi would not be in trouble¡­

    When all those who were immersed in the man''s aura heard Lu Jingli called him "Bro", they were suddenly shocked to their senses.

    What?

    Bro?

    What did Lu Jingli just call that man?

    This man was Lu Jingli''s brother? Then, would that not be¡­the CEO of Lu Corporation, Lu Tingxiao?!

    The director had prepared to invite him over, but did they not fail?

    "Bro, you''re here! Come in quickly!" Lu Jingli ran over to him at the speed of light and brought him over.

    The director and producer reacted too, and they quickly ran over to greet him in fear and trepidation. "Mr. Lu, you''re so busy, we really didn''t think that you coulde tonight!"

    "We''re too honored! Quick,e in!"

    Woah! It really was Lu Tingxiao!

    But this was no wonder. Apart from Lu Tingxiao, who else would have such a charisma?

    The first person who walked in was unexpectedly Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Instantly, everyone looked at each other and their expressions could not help but look sympathetic.

    This Ning Xi was just too¡­unlucky!

    First, it was Su Yan, second was worse -- it was Lu Tingxiao!

    Atst, they did not need her to ask before they knew that she would definitely be rejected on the spot! Maybe she would be regarded as intentionally trying to get close to him with this incident, possibly inciting negative feelings¡­

 Chapter 819: Really Wanted To Kiss Him!

    <h4>Chapter 819: Really Wanted To Kiss Him!</h4>

    Everyone knew that Lu Tingxiao disliked seductive women, especially those who came up to him with ulterior intentions. He would not care even if it was a beauty.

    However, it was such a great chance to get closer to Lu Tingxiao. No one would give it up even though they knew they would probably get rejected!

    Ning Xueluo had her expectations up¡­

    Ning Xi was going to embarrass herself tonight!

    "Ning Xi, quickly go!" someone excitedly reminded Ning Xi.

    Then, Ning Xi was pushed forward to Lu Tingxiao.

    As he heard what they were saying and he realized the air in the room was a little odd, he looked at Ning Xi and asked, "What¡¯s wrong?"

    It was obvious that Ning Xi had drank; her cheeks were red and she did not look fully conscious as well, so Lu Tingxiao was on alert.

    Director Guo Qisheng coughed. "It¡¯s nothing, we¡¯re just ying a game¡­"

    "A game?"

    Lu Jingli touched his nose, then he pointed at Ning Xi and exined, "We¡¯re ying ''Truth or Dare'' and she was picked to ask for a kiss from the next guy who entered, or she¡¯d be punished if she failed, Bro, you¡¯re the first person who came in¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression changed. No wonder Lu Jingli urgently needed him toe within ten minutes¡­

    What if he did not make it?

    Then, Ning Xi would have¡­

    Lu Jingli freaked out a little as he felt the icy cold aura from his brother.

    Ning Xi looked up and stared at the devil¡¯s handsome face. Ah¡­she really wanted to kiss him!

    No way¡­

    Ning Xi restrained herself with her leftover rationality as she remembered the game and that they were strangers here right now. The public did not know about their rtionship. Under normal circumstances, she would have been rejected.

    Ning Xi let out a cough and acted as if she did not know Lu Tingxiao. She gave him a signal to act as if they did not know each other. She respectfully greeted Lu Tingxiao, "Well¡­Mr. Lu, it¡¯s just a game, you don¡¯t have to mind too much about it, I can just drink as the punishment!"

    Ning Xueluo was a little disappointed, realizing that she was smart enough to anticipate that she would be rejected right away. Su Yan¡¯s tightened fist rxed as he heard Ning Xi¡¯s reply.

    Ning Xi bent over and took a ss filled with wine.

    As she was about to drink it, her hands lost control.

    Lu Tingxiao was pressing her hand and he took away the ss, putting it back on the table. Then, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and amidst her confusion, he closed in and kissed her¡­

    Suddenly, the room went intoplete silence, but someone¡¯s ss dropped to the floor and made a shattering sound¡­

    Ning Xi was extremely confused.

    What just happened!? What was the devil doing? Did she not signal him? Did he not get the message?

 Chapter 820: Itâ€™s Like A Secret Loverâ€™s Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 820: It¡¯s Like A Secret Lover¡¯s Meeting</h4>

    Everyone regained their senses soon.

    Wow! What just happened?

    Lu Tingxiao kissed Ning Xi!

    Ning Xi actually seeded in getting a kiss?

    That was not exactly right. Ning Xi did not even ask. She gave up trying, but Lu Tingxiao still kissed her!

    Ning Xueluo almost broke her ss, then she heard the sound of sses breaking and beside her, Su Yan¡¯s wine ss fell onto the floor.

    "Sorry¡­I¡­I need to go to the washroom¡­" Su Yan quickly went out.

    Ning Xueluo looked unhappy as she noticed Su Yan¡¯s reaction. What did he mean by this? Why was he so worked up to see another man kiss Ning Xi?

    She thought she already had total control over Su Yan, that he only had guilt towards Ning Xi, but at that moment, a sense of urgency floated up in her mind¡­

    What troubled her the most was that Lu Tingxiao actually kissed Ning Xi! How was this possible!?

    Lu Tingxiao sat down on the sofa casually and ignored everyone¡¯s gaze as if he did not just do something outrageous.

    Realizing Ning Xi was still staring at him in horror, Lu Tingxiao asked, "Anything else?"

    Ning Xi covered her mouth and shook her head. She stood up straight, turned around, and then sat back down on the sofa.

    Jiang Muye held his fists in balls and avoided everyone¡¯s eyes.

    The damaged Lu Jingli covered his chest and pushed Lu Tingxiao over. "Bro, give me some more space!"

    There was still some space between Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi. After Lu Jingli pushed, Lu Tingxiao now sat right next to Ning Xi.

    "Ha¡­haha¡­Mr. Lu is pretty considerate!"

    "Ning Xi made it!"

    Everyone started talking again and the atmosphere became more rxed.

    At the same time, there were people whispering around as well¡­

    "What was Lu Tingxiao trying to do?"

    "What could he be trying? He''s just trying to y nice, he¡¯s a man after all! Isn¡¯t it normal?"

    "It¡¯s normal for men, but this is Lu Tingxiao we¡¯re talking about. What happened was too shocking!"

    "What¡¯s wrong with Lu Tingxiao? He¡¯s a man as well! With a beauty like Ning Xi, there aren''t many men that can restrain themselves. Take a guess, if Ning Xueluo was not around just now, would Su Yan have let this chance slip away?"

    "Well¡­it¡¯s pretty hard to say¡­"

    ¡­

    Everyone had thoughts of their own, but Ning Xi just sat there obediently. As she was being all quiet and shy, she suddenly felt a warm hand on her thigh! Ning Xi¡¯s back straightened, then she red at Lu Tingxiao and stopped his hand with hers.

    What are you doing?

    Lu Tingxiao held his chin with one hand and sat there with his usual cool attitude, but under the table, he was holding her hand and not letting go.

    Ning Xi tried to take her hand back but failed, so she just let him do what he wanted, her heart racing quickly.

    What was this? It felt like a secret lover¡¯s meeting.

 Chapter 821: Strip Off Your Top And Do Some Pushups

    <h4>Chapter 821: Strip Off Your Top And Do Some Pushups</h4>

    After Lu Tingxiao entered, everyone became more reserved; it suddenly became quiet, like an office meeting.

    Yet, the culprit Lu Tingxiao did not realize it at all. He just sat there on his own ord, while holding his girlfriend¡¯s hand, admiring her angry face and rxing¡­

    "Hey, don¡¯t let it stop, we should continue!" After the crisis was solved, Lu Jingli quickly continued the game. As long as his brother was here, nothing bad would happen to Xiao Xi Xi, so now he could go all out!

    Following Lu Jingli¡¯s lead, everyone rxed.

    As they continued, Su Yan came back and sat down beside Ning Xueluo, but he asionally looked over at Ning Xi¡¯s direction. The girl seemed to be afraid of Lu Tingxiao. She sat there quietly and cautiously, her cheeks red from the wine she drank just now, but it also seemed like she was shy from the kiss¡­

    Seeing this image of Ning Xi broke Su Yan¡¯s heart¡­

    Ever since Ning Xi had returned, she had changed. He had forgotten when was thest time he saw Ning Xi show this obedient side of her.

    Back then, when Ning Xi was still a little girl, she would blush every time she saw him, not even daring to look him in the eye when talking to him¡­

    But five yearster, he now saw the Ning Xi that he used to know, but her gaze was not for him; it was for another man¡­

    Could she be¡­with Lu Tingxiao¡­

    "Hahaha¡­Senior Jiang, it¡¯s your turn again! Truth or dare?"

    Jiang Muye was not in a good mood right now, so he just splurted out, "Dare!"

    "I like your attitude, Senior Jiang! Alright, then! Please strip off your top and do ten sets of pushups on the Ace of Clubs!"

    "Ohh¡­"

    Everyone was excited.

    "Pushups, hahaha¡­" A few people threw over some suggestive looks.

    "Ohh, the Ace of Clubs! Who¡¯s the Ace of Clubs? How lucky!"

    "Could it be a guy? Hahaha!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s expression darkened.

    Damn it, she had drawn the Ace of Clubs! What now?

    Ning Xi stared at the devil.

    Realizing the girl¡¯s stare, he looked over and saw Ning Xi¡¯s Ace of Clubs.

    "Hmm? Who¡¯s having the Ace of Clubs?"

    Everyone was urging, but just as Ning Xi was about to raise her hand, her card disappeared. In the next moment, her card changed into 8 of Diamonds.

    Someoneughed. "No wonder the Ace of Clubs isn¡¯t talking! It is you, Second Master!"

    Lu Jingli stared at his brother with bitterness¡­

    How could you!?

    Well, he was the one who suggested to y this game anyway.

    Lu Jingli looked at Jiang Muye with determination. "Come at me!"

    Everyoneughed.

    Jiang Muye sat just beside Lu Jingli. He had already seen that he was not holding the Ace of Clubs, but it was his card now. It was obvious that who had the card earlier¡­

    Jiang Muye forfeited his dare and drank three sses of alcohol.

    The crowd was disappointed.

    There was nothing to look forward to now!

 Chapter 822: Really No Feelings At All?

    <h4>Chapter 822: Really No Feelings At All?</h4>

    Some timeter, Ning Xi was picked again.

    "Truth or dare?"

    Ning Xi hesitated. "Truth!"

    That person was expecting Ning Xi to call for truth, so after taking a peek at Lu Tingxiao, the person said, "So¡­when Mr. Lu kissed you earlier, how did you feel?"

    Ning Xi was speechless. She had no idea that picking truth was much more dangerous than picking dare!

    After the question was asked, all the girls in the room were excited. They were all very interested in Ning Xi¡¯s answer.

    When Lu Tingxiao kissed Ning Xi, they were all jealous! Especially the girl who hade up with the dare rule, she deeply regretted that she created such a perfect chance for another woman¡­

    Everyone¡¯s eyes stayed on Ning Xi. Lu Tingxiao had a ss of wine in his hand, and although he was not looking at anyone, he was focused on Ning Xi as well.

    After a long silence, Ning Xi tried her best to reply, "To be honest¡­it was too sudden, I did not really feel anything¡­"

    "What was that?! You have to tell the truth!"

    "That¡¯s right! Did you really not feel anything?"

    ¡­

    "It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t feel anything! But it was too sudden! I¡¯m telling the truth!" Ning Xi exined herself.

    The crowd let her off this round.

    She thought that she had avoided the worst this time, then she felt an itchy feeling on her hand. Lu Tingxiao was scratching her palm with his finger.

    Ning Xi red at him again. What is it this time?

    Lu Tingxiao stayed silent and just looked at her in the eyes.

    Then, it was Ning Xueluo who was picked next.

    "Xueluo, truth or dare?" Chang Li asked.

    "Dare," Ning Xueluo replied.

    Because it was Chang Li as the person behind the dare, she knew that Chang Li would not make her do anything too embarrassing.

    "I want you to sing a song with the Kings of Spade."

    This was a pretty normal dare, nothing noticeable, but the Kings of Spade was¡­Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Lu Jingli was prepared for his brother¡¯s swapping trick again, but Chang Li saw his card and announced, "Oh, the Kings of Spade is Mr. Lu!"

    Everyone had a sense of admiration in their eyes. "How great if we get to listen to Mr. Lu sing?!"

    It was just singing a song, plus they were just ying a game, so Su Yan should not have any problems with it. This could be the best chance for her to get closer to Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xueluo smiled and stood up as she looked at Lu Tingxiao. "Mr. Lu, you can pick the song."

    Ning Xueluo was relieved that she was pretty good at singing! Everyone thought that Lu Tingxiao would agree since he had even kissed Ning Xi just now, so there was no reason to decline singing.

    Chang Li handed over the mic to him.

    Lu Tingxiao did not even raise his hand. He just mumbled a few words, "I don¡¯t know how to."

    Chang Li¡¯s smile froze, and the prepared Ning Xueluo stood there awkwardly as well¡­

    How was it possible to not know how to sing¡­?

    Could it be that he did not want to lower his status by singing with a celebrity like Ning Xueluo?

    In that instance, that thought urred to almost everyone.

 Chapter 823: Lost Of Principle

    <h4>Chapter 823: Lost Of Principle</h4>

    Ning Xueluo did not expect for Lu Tingxiao to kiss Ning Xi, a new and nameless actress, and decline singing a song with her¡­

    Chang Li felt like she had done something right for once at first, but Lu Tingxiao¡¯s reply made her take a few steps back¡­

    "Well¡­then¡­I¡¯ll take the punishment!" Ning Xueluo went to get her sses.

    She still had a small ray of hope that Lu Tingxiao would change his mind, but he just sat there quietly without any change in expression.

    "Xueluo can¡¯t handle alcohol well, I¡¯ll help her!" Su Yan stood up and took the ss from Ning Xueluo, drinking all three sses for her.

    The atmosphere softened a little and Ning Xueluo felt less awkward as well. After all with Lu Tingxiao¡¯s identity, it was normal for him to decline. Lu Tingxiao silently stared at Su Yan coldly.

    Lu Jingli understood Lu Tingxiao well and he could tell what he wanted to do in one nce. He had a n.

    Obviously, his brother was jealous of Su Yan¡¯s past rtionship with Ning Xi, and he wanted to avenge her¡­

    After a few rounds, Lu Jingli was it, so he looked at his brother. "Bro, truth or dare?"

    Lu Tingxiao stared at him. "Dare."

    Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes shone. How cooperative!

    Could he know about his n already?

    Everyone looked at them interestingly, Lu Jingli was a yful person. Who knew what ns he had for his brother? But would he be daring enough to fool Lu Tingxiao?

    Lu Jingli smilingly looked at Lu Tingxiao. "Bro, my request is simple, you¡¯ll be singing a song with someone! You can pick anyone you want!"

    Everyone felt that his request was weird. Lu Tingxiao already said that he did not know how to sing and was unwilling to sing, yet Lu Jingli now wanted him to sing with someone else. Was he deliberately trying to make him lose?

    But it was not the end, Lu Jingli continued, "And I¡¯ll be choosing the song! Heh¡­I want you and another person to sing ''Swirl''!"

    Everyone went silent¡­

    Jiang Muye was annoyed. "''Swirl'', huh¡­" He felt that his second uncle had lost all his principles!

    Ning Xi dared not to look at them.

    Actually, this song was just a little ambiguous. It was nothing much to her, but if it was with Lu Tingxiao¡­

    No way! No! No more thinking about it!

    She almost could not stand just imagining Lu Tingxiao sing this song.

    Everyone remembered the lyrics of "Swirl", realizing Second Master was being very yful! He was trying to make Lu Tingxiao sing something so suggestive with someone!

    Most importantly, it would be really weird to sing with another guy, so he would only pick a girl, wouldn''t he?

 Chapter 824: How Shameless!

    <h4>Chapter 824: How Shameless!</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao refused to sing a normal song with Ning Xueluo just now, so logically, he would not agree this time. Everyone did not take them seriously.

    Speaking of which, the two brothers really seemed to have such a good rtionship, to the point that Lu Jingli would pull this on his brother!

    Lu Jingli quickly selected the song "Swirl", and urged Lu Tingxiao, "Quick! Drink it if you don¡¯t want to sing! Three of it, no lesser!"

    The intro to the song had already started¡­

    Lu Tingxiao stood up and went towards the table. It seemed like he was ready to take the alcohol.

    However, Lu Tingxiao avoided the sses and picked up the microphones¡­

    Wow! What was Lu Tingxiao trying to do?

    Everyone was surprised as Lu Tingxiao gently put the other mic into Ning Xi¡¯s hands.

    Ning Xi was confused. What just happened? What did he mean by this? Had the devil gone crazy? He was really going to sing? And he picked her?

    The crowd almost went crazy as well!

    Ning Xi!?

    What did Lu Tingxiao mean by this?

    He was going to sing, and he chose Ning Xi to sing with him?

    Everyone¡¯s jaws dropped, then Lu Tingxiao casually leaned back on the sofa, raised his mic and started singing, "Following your designs, those curves, I spun round and round, everything in the world spun around me. Be with me, I¡¯ll stay for you¡­"

    A cello-like voice spread through the whole room¡­

    "Wow! Is this¡­Mr. Lu¡¯s voice? My ears are getting pregnant!"

    "This is way too good! Did they forgot to mute the artist¡¯s voice?"

    "Nope! It¡¯s really Mr. Lu! Oh my gosh, Mr. Lu¡¯s voice is so sexy! I¡¯m passing out!"

    "Oh my God! Didn¡¯t he say he doesn¡¯t know how to sing? This is too good! I thought with his cold personality, he would be bad at singing! But I''m proven wrong now!"

    ¡­

    The female part came in soon, Ning Xi missed a few beats as she was confused, she then quickly followed up, "Crossing through logic, surpassing nature, hiding from God to be with you¡­even if I¡¯m just left with pieces, I¡¯ll still love you to the end of the world, if you shattered, I would not want to be whole again¡­sink into my deepest part¡­"

    The crowd was screaming as Ning Xi sang.

    Ning Xi looked calm but her cheeks were burning!

    What was this "sink into my deepest part"!?

    The lyrics of this song were so shameless!

    Damn that Lu Jingli!

    If one did not think too much into it, the lyrics meant nothing much, but no one present here was pure at heart, not after so many drinks!

    Then came the duet. Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi sang together, "Come and hug me, let¡¯s form a swirl, our kiss will cause huge waves¡­"

    Ning Xi sang, "Drowning you with the whole world¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao joined in, "I love you as much¡­"

    ¡­

 Chapter 825: Feeling Of Love

    <h4>Chapter 825: Feeling Of Love</h4>

    The lyrics of this song were so suggestive! Ning Xi was a little defensive against the song at first, but after some time, along with the effect of alcohol and Lu Tingxiao¡¯s gentle gaze, she became more rxed and sang even better. No one in the room could deny that the aura of love they were emitting was powerful.

    What was more shocking was that their coboration was amazing! While they did not interact with each other, not even make long eye contact, their singing and the feelings between them was as if¡­as if they were a couple in love.

    Lu Tingxiao had such a cold aura, but now he looked like he had descended on earth from the heaven¡­

    Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi sang together, "Come and hug me, kiss me starting from my toe, our souls are slowly falling¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao sang, "Love is consuming me."

    Ning Xi continued, "Like a web over the sky."

    He added, "Without caring about the consequences"

    Ning Xi sang along, "This disaster¡­"

    ¡­

    Finally, they finished the song. The crowd was impressed.

    Lu Jingli was the first one to cheer for them. "I¡¯ve finally heard you sing!"

    Even though he already knew that his brother¡¯s voice was that sexy when singing, he was thoroughly impressed by him once again.

    Jiang Muye was stunned. It was his first time hearing Lu Tingxiao sing, and he did not expect that Lu Tingxiao would really sing a romantic duet with Ning Xi in front of everyone¡­

    The crowd started cheering and pping as well. "Oh my God! Mr. Lu! Your singing was heavenly! How humble of you to say that you didn¡¯t know how!"

    "You¡¯re invincible! I should just retire myself!"

    "Ning Xi sang really amazingly as well. So, she isn¡¯t just good at acting, her singing is superb too!"

    "Both of them coborated so well! I¡¯m feeling in love!"

    "I feel like Mr. Lu is showing some extra love to our Ning Xi tonight!"

    Ning Xueluo felt like those praises for Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi were like ps on her face. Not only could Lu Tingxiao sing, he even sang so well. Yet, he rejected her, then sang a love song with Ning Xi. He had just trampled her pride!

    Su Yan¡¯s expression was sour because his girlfriend had just been humiliated, but he could not do anything about it. Lu Tingxiao just did not want to sing with her, so what else could he do?

    But he was not focusing on Ning Xueluo no. The image of Ning Xi singing with Lu Tingxiao just now was imprinted in his mind.

    Weren''t they just boss and employee?

    They seemed as if they were a couple in love!

    Chang Liforted, "Don¡¯t be so sad, Xueluo. Glory World Entertainment is apany under Lu Corporation, and Ning Xi is one of them, so Lu Tingxiao would, of course, be on her side in public¡­"

    Ning Xueluo red at her venomously. Had she not made such a request, Ning Xueluo would not have been humiliated!

    How useless!

    Ning Xueluo was already frustrated, but she had to maintain her usual expression. The moment she saw Su Yan staring nkly at Ning Xi¡¯s direction, the fire of jealousy started burning in her heart, nearly exploding¡­

 Chapter 826: Not Jealous?

    <h4>Chapter 826: Not Jealous?</h4>

    Right in the centre of Beijing, in Ning Xueluo¡¯s newly bought vi, Ning Xueluo held a ss of wine in her hands. Upon gulping the contents down, she threw the ss to Chang Li, angrily saying, "You go and tell Su Yimo about what happened tonight!"

    "Understood!" Chang Li carefully took the ss, then she said cautiously, "Actually, it was just one outing. You don¡¯t have to be so riled up¡­Lu Tingxiao was probably giving his brother some respect!"

    Ning Xueluo red at her. "Rubbish! Of course, I know that! Or are you trying to say that Lu Tingxiao actually likes Ning Xi?"

    Chang Li kept quiet.

    "Get lost! I¡¯m frustrated just by looking at you! Useless!"

    Chang Li quickly fled. Ning Xueluo was too easily triggered tonight, and she did not want to get scolded again.

    She was scolded when she did nothing, scolded when she did something. For some reason, nothing good had been happening to her recently¡­

    After Chang Li left, Ning Xueluo finished all the wine left in the bottle, then she went into the bathroom and took a warm bath. She changed into a thin nightgown. She proceeded to lie down on the big soft bed in the bedroom, and made a phone call.

    "Hey, Xueluo." The gentle voice of a man came through.

    "Bro Yan¡­"

    "You¡¯re not asleep yet? It¡¯ste already."

    "Bro Yan¡­Bro Yan¡­I¡¯m not feeling well¡­"

    "Not well? What¡¯s wrong?"

    "I¡¯m not good¡­what should I do¡­I feel like dying¡­"

    "Stop saying that! Where are you? Is there anyone with you?"

    "I¡¯m at¡­the vi¡­"

    "Stay there, I¡¯ll be right there!"

    ¡­

    After the call ended, she threw her phone on the bed and took out a neat little ss container, then she poured some essential oil on her hands and rubbed it all over herself¡­

    Soon, an engine sound stopped outside the vi, then there were running footsteps.

    "Xueluo¡­"

    A soft, slender body hugged Su Yan the moment he opened the room to Xueluo¡¯s bedroom.

    "Bro Yan¡­" Ning Xueluo hugged him tightly with a terrified expression on her face as if her life depended on it. "Bro Yan, do you not love me anymore?"

    Su Yan frowned and he put her on the bed. "Why did you drink so much?"

    "Is it true? Do you not love me anymore?" Ning Xi looked at him and asked persistently.

    Su Yan was helpless against her. "How could it be!? Who would I love aside from you?"

    Ning Xueluo looked sadly at him "Ning Xi¡­do you still love Ning Xi?"

    Su Yan¡¯s face froze. "Nonsense! We¡¯ve already talked about this! Why are you thinking about it again?"

    "Tonight, you¡¯ve been looking at her¡­constantly¡­" Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression was full of mncholy.

    "Xueluo, you¡¯re overthinking this. I was just afraid that Ning Xi would be taken advantage of," Su Yan exined.

    "Taken advantage of? How could she be taken advantage of when ites to Lu Tingxiao? Su Yan, look at me, do you just feel guilt towards her? Is it just worry you feel¡­and not jealousy?"

 Chapter 827: Or Did She Not Come Back At All?

    <h4>Chapter 827: Or Did She Not Come Back At All?</h4>

    Su Yan freaked out a little bit, but he kept his cool. "I¡¯m just worried, I¡¯m not jealous. Get some rest and stop worrying, alright? There¡¯s only you in my heart, do you not believe me?"

    After his affirmation, Ning Xueluo wrapped her arms around his neck and went for his lips. "Bro Yan¡­hold me¡­"

    Su Yan could feel the girl¡¯s breath, her soft, slender chest rubbing against his arms, and there was a sweet, overwhelming aroma emanating off her skin.

    Su Yan''s body reacted quickly.

    However, for some reason, he was not thinking of Ning Xueluo''s; the image of Ning Xi kissing Lu Tingxiao yed in his mind, the girl¡¯s embarrassed faceing clearly to him¡­He reacted even more strongly, but he did not feel motivated to act right there and then.

    Remembering her suggestive rtionship with Lu Tingxiao, and her strange attitude towards him, he felt disappointed. He took Ning Xueluo¡¯s arms off him and covered her with the sheets. "You need to rest, you have an event to attend tomorrow, remember?"

    "It¡¯s alright, I can skip it, you¡¯re already¡­" Ning Xueluo touched the man¡¯s bulge.

    Su Yan quickly stopped her hands. "I¡¯m alright, go to sleep."

    He kissed her on the forehead, turned off the light and left.

    The was the sound of the engine revved up again. Ning Xueluo stood up and went to the windows to watch the car leaving the vi. In a fit, she swooped everything off from her dressing table with her arms¡­

    "Ning Xi, you witch!"

    Su Yan had actually rejected her!

    Although his attitude was gentle as usual, this had not happened before!

    Especially the moment when she kissed him, his eyes did not look right. He was not thinking about her at all! That witch must have seduced Su Yan. She might have even contacted Su Yan when she was not aware.

    Damn it! Did she think she could get Su Yan back? Dream on!

    The Ning family and the Su family had almost merged together, and they coborated on numerous big projects. Everything would be destroyed even if something small went wrong. Su Yan could never leave her!

    ¡­

    After he left the vi, Su Yan drove around aimlessly, then he realized he had arrived at Regal Riveria Hotel.

    He lit a cigarette and sat in the car for a while, but he could not suppress his impulse and entered.

    Su Yan hesitated in front of Ning Xi¡¯s apartment, then he pressed the doorbell. But after a few times, there was no answer at all.

    Su Yan¡¯s eyebrows closed in. Was she asleep or¡­did she note back at all?

    ¡­

    At the same time, there was a ck Maybach driving slowly on the road, a wild and loud voice shouting from it.

    "The river flows to the east! The stars on the sky form the Big Dipper! Big Dipper! When you see something unfair, do something about it!"

    Lu Tingxiao, who was driving, along with Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye in the back seat were all speechless.

 Chapter 828: Kissed Again

    <h4>Chapter 828: Kissed Again</h4>

    Ning Xi kept on singing while looking at Lu Tingxiao. "Driver! Open the window! No! Not that! The window to heaven! Open it¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the area between his eyebrows, and he pressed a button. Suddenly, the top of the car came down.

    Waves of wind went by, and Ning Xi became even more wilder. "You¡¯re the strongest man. The horse galloping by like a storm, passing through a wide field of grass¡­"

    Lu Jingli said, "A soul of a singer has been born. Bro Xi, have you ever considered being a singer?"

    Jiang Muye could not stand it anymore. "Hey! Be more careful! What if journalists took our picture?!"

    Ning Xi sobered up a little. "Driver, close it up! Close it up!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl dotingly. "It¡¯s alright, there are no journalists around."

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes brightened up and she went wild once again. "Ahhh! Once every thousand years, waiting around, every thousand years! I have no regrets, who¡¯s telling me that you¡¯ll love me forever and ever? Just to listen it again, I will do anything for it!"

    Jiang Muye looked dreadfully at her, regretting his decision to follow their car.

    Lu Jingli made a raspberry; apparently, he was used to all of these.

    "A pair of Yuan Yang flew by¡­the scenes were beautiful, someone asked the monk, ''is thedy pretty? Is thatdy pretty?'' Are they pretty?"

    Lu Tingxiao answered her, "Very pretty."

    "Heh¡­" Ning Xi finally stopped.

    At tinum Pce.

    The moment they stopped, Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye jumped out of the car and vanished. Lu Tingxiao parked the car and helped the drunkdy to get in. He assisted her to take her shoes off and brought her a hot towel.

    The girl kept on smiling and Lu Tingxiao was relieved. He caressed her face. "Are you happy?"

    Ning Xi nodded with bright eyes. "Boss, you¡¯re always saying the right thing. I¡¯ve finally found a better, much better script¡­"

    Grandfather¡¯s health had gotten better, her studio was on track, and her new project was starting soon as well. She forgot when was thest time she felt this happy. That dark and horrible experience felt like a memory from her past life.

    Lu Tingxiao looked her in the eye, then he closed in and kissed her.

    "Mm¡­what are you doing?"

    Why the sudden kissing?

    Lu Tingxiao smiled at her. "Didn¡¯t you say it was too sudden and you were not able to feel anything back then?"

    "Ugh¡­" Ning Xi remembered what she had said during the game of Truth or Dare. The devil¡¯s memory was superb.

    "How does it feel?" Lu Tingxiao asked again.

    "Mmm¡­" Ning Xi blinked and put on her thinking face. "I don¡¯t think I felt it clearly, what should I do?"

    Lu Tingxiaoughed and kissed her again¡­

    As Ning Xi was having fun with the devil, she heard the sound of footsteps and pushed him away, then she fell off the bed.

    As she expected, the little bun stood by the door rubbing his eyes. He thought he was dreaming as he saw Ning Xi here. He then pinched his own face¡­

 Chapter 829: Iâ€™ll Do Anything To Sleep With Him For A Night

    <h4>Chapter 829: I¡¯ll Do Anything To Sleep With Him For A Night</h4>

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart melted as she saw the little bun pinching himself. She held the little guy in her arms and cooed, "Hey, my baby, why are you so cute!? You¡¯re not dreaming!"

    Father was meeting Mother secretly without him again!

    After he noticed his son¡¯s hostile stare, Lu Tingxiao smirked and patted his head. "I¡¯ll leave her to you tonight."

    Turning Aunty Xiao Xi to half a mother, and then to one whole mother, the little guy had been spending a lot of time with Ning Xi.

    Lu Tingxiao covered the both of them with the sheets. "Sleep earlier, I still have some work to do."

    Ning Xi frowned. "Thiste?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Mmm, I need to earn money for the sake of my wife and kid."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Lu Tingxiao smiled again and kissed her on the forehead. "Go to sleep, I¡¯ll be done soon."

    After she put the little bun sleep, Ning Xi was about to turn off the lights, but suddenly the phone buzzed with an iing call. Ning Xi pressed the button before it rang, then she walked to the balcony quietly.

    "Hello?"

    "Xiao Xi, where are you? Why are you not home?" Su Yan¡¯s impatient voice demanded.

    "How do you know that I¡¯m not home?" Ning Xi raised her eyebrows.

    "I¡¯m in front of your apartment," Su Yan replied.

    "What¡¯s up?"

    "Xiao Xi, where are you now?" Su Yan repeated his question.

    "Where do you think I should be right now? Sleeping with another man?" Ning Xi gripped the coat she was wearing to pull it tightly around her and looked at the little bun who was fast asleep. She could not lose her temper even when Su Yan used such a questioning tone with her.

    "Ning Xi!" Su Yan became serious all of a sudden. "I don¡¯t mean that, I just want to remind you to protect yourself, especially against Lu Tingxiao. You should get away from him. Su Yimo has an ambiguous rtionship with him, and rumor has it that the Lu family have picked a fianc¨¨ for him. Moreover, he already has a child¡­"

    As the best boyfriend in town, in order to prevent Ning Xueluo misunderstanding, he had tried to avoid Ning Xi as much as possible, but something was wrong with him tonight. He had actually gone to her apartment to wait for her, and even called her to ask her whereabouts¡­

    Ning Xi did not really care about him anymore. "Master Su, I have to remind you again, you¡¯re in no ce to mind my business. And about Lu Tingxiao, I would do anything just to sleep with him for a night¡­it¡¯s much better than marrying someone like you!"

    She hung up right afterwards.

    Su Yan stared at his phone and his face crumpled.

    What did she mean by that? That was the biggest humiliation to a man!

    Especially for Ning Xi, someone who had once admired him so much before to say so.

    It was true that he was not as wealthy and as powerful as Lu Tingxiao, but he was not a nobody either, yet he could not even score a seat in her heart¡­

 Chapter 830: Charm So Many Girls

    <h4>Chapter 830: Charm So Many Girls</h4>

    Su Yan cursed silently, his expression darkening as he punched his car door. She had softened her attitude towards him before this, so why had she returned to this indifferent mean character?

    The fact that Ning Xi could not be easily read and had mood swings made Su Yan continue to think about her; thoughts of her filling his head uncontrobly¡­

    ¡­

    The next morning, when she saw the maids downstairs moving things in and out, Ning Xi was curious. "What''s happening?"

    "Miss Xiao Xi, these are birthday presents from people," answered Butler Yuan.

    "Birthday presents?"

    "Yes, it''s the Old Master''s birthday soon."

    "No wonder¡­"

    Those who had received the birthday banquet invite would definitely only be from the higher ss and gentr. On the other hand, those who did not qualify being invitedolved and wanted to kiss up to the Lus would obviously take the chance to swarm in with all sorts of presents.

    "You''re awake, did you sleep wellst night?" Lu Tingxiao walked out from his bedroom.

    Ning Xi nodded, then she casually said, "Your father''s birthday ising soon."

    "Mmm."

    Ning Xi pulled her hair and frowned, "Would Little Treasure have to be present then too?"

    Lu Tingxiao knew what her concern was, so he replied, "Because Little Treasure has not too healthy in the past two years, we did not let him attend the party. We''ll see how it goes this year, but even if he attends, it would probably just be a simple appearance."

    Ning Xi was assured. "You must be very busy recently. Since I have nothing much to do this morning, let me sent Little Treasure to school today."

    Once she said that, the little bun had already appeared by her leg and looked up at her with a radiant expression. He had obviously heard about Aunty Xiao Xi offering to send him to school.

    ¡­

    After breakfast, Ning Xi changed into a long skirt and wore a pink hair clip. She put on an especially simple and wife-like makeup, then happily sent Little Treasure to school.

    Because he had Mother Xiao Xi apanying him, the little bun was in a fantastic mood. On his usual cold and robotic face, a rare smile cracked, spreading cuteness to all the teachers and parents.

    A few teachers could not help butment when they saw this, "I thought that Lu Qingyu was autistic, but doesn''t he look fine now?"

    "Yeah, this child seems to only be close to his mother."

    "He''s too cute when he smiles! Aww, in fact, he looks especially like his mother when he smiles. He''s going to charm so many girls when he grows up!"

    "Speaking of which¡­why do I keep feeling like Mrs. Lu looks kind of familiar?"

    "Now that you''ve mentioned it, I think so too. She looks like a recently popr celebrity!"

    "I know who you''re talking about. Is it that female warrior who''s a couple with Jiang Muye in ''The World''? I quite like her too! But they probably just look alike. If you look closely, their charisma and style is definitely not the same!"

    ¡­

    After she sent the little bun off to ss, Ning Xi bumped into his teacher in the corridor.

    "Hey, Mrs. Lu!" Teacher Wang quickly called to her.

    Ning Xi turned around and greeted, "Teacher Wang!"

    "Mrs. Lu, it''s great to see you. I just wanted to have a chat with you, do you have time now?"

    "I do!" Ning Xi nodded as she could not help but worry. She wondered why Little Treasure''s teacher would suddenly look for her. Could he be having some problems in school?

 Chapter 831: The Little Bunâ€™s Extraordinary Genes

    <h4>Chapter 831: The Little Bun¡¯s Extraordinary Genes</h4>

    In the office, Teacher Wang poured Ning Xi a cup of tea and spoke hesitantly, "Mrs. Lu, we have had a few tests before. I wonder if you saw Lu Qingyu¡¯s results?"

    "Yes." Ning Xi nodded.

    Teacher Wang was a little stunned at Ning Xi¡¯s calmness, but she continued, "All his scores were zero¡­"

    "Yes, I¡¯m aware of it."

    "The main point is that he did not make any mistakes; he simply didn¡¯t attempt the test at all and submitted nk papers for all of them. Even if he was unsure how to do, it¡¯s impossible that he didn¡¯t know all of them!" Teacher Wang sighed, "I just want to know what is the child thinking? You also know what¡¯s happening with your child. We as teachers can¡¯tmunicate with him well."

    Ning Xi let out a sigh of relief. So, Little Treasure was not bullied at school after all!

    Ning Xi chose her words carefully. "Teacher Wang, I¡¯m grateful for your concern for our child, but please understand that his situation is special. Our purpose of sending him here is to let him interact with kids of his own age, hoping that he would be happier. We do not expect anything further than that. We don¡¯t demand that he gets good grades, so you don¡¯t have to feel pressured."

    Teacher Wang was unsure what to reply. It was the first time she had ever heard of a parent being indifferent about their child¡¯s grades. Most parents now were focused on their children¡¯s achievements, afraid that they might lose out from the start, and began sending them to various sses at very young age¡­

    But since the boy''s mother herself had already mentioned that grades did not matter, what else could she say?

    In addition to Little Treasure¡¯s special condition, Teacher Wang felt she should not be prying more. "Alright then¡­I understand!"

    "I really appreciate your concern about Qingyu! Thank you! If it weren¡¯t for you, he wouldn¡¯t have adapted to school life this quickly!" Ning Xi acknowledged her.

    If she did not understand Little Treasure, she might have worried about him as well. However, she knew him for such a long time, and the little bun¡¯s extraordinary genes had surpassed her expectations countless times. His intelligence was way off the charts, and he was talented in many things as well.

    The only problem was his motivation.

    Ning Xi felt it was humiliating to let the little bun even attempt a kindergarten level test. Every child was unique in their own way, and they deserved their own way of learning, so why should they force an adult¡¯s pride onto them and make them get full marks in tests?

    "You¡¯re wee, Mrs. Lu, this is my job! Although Lu Qingyu is an introvert, he¡¯s very cute and lovable. I hope that he¡¯ll do well!" Ning Xi¡¯s respectful attitude prompted Teacher Wang to continue providing her best for the boy.

    A few dayster, in the evening, the banquet for Elder Lu¡¯s 60th birthday was about to start and the servants were busy with the preparations.

    Yan Ruyi wore an elegant red cheongsam. As she was giving instructions to the servants, she kept on looking outside nervously. Lu Chongshan was pacing around anxiously.

 Chapter 832: Little Treasure Is Here!

    <h4>Chapter 832: Little Treasure Is Here!</h4>

    Finally, a ck Maybach parked near the main entrance. The door opened and two people came out of the car.

    The father-son duo wore the same style bespoke suits in the same color to fit today¡¯s theme. Lu Tingxiao¡¯s tie and the little bun¡¯s bowtie were a festive bright red. As the both of them made their appearance, they attracted people¡¯s attention.

    The servants started greeting them¡­

    "Good evening, First Master!"

    "Good evening, Little Master!"

    ¡­

    When Yan Ruyi saw her son and grandson, she was relieved, going up to them with a wide smile. "Oh, my baby is back!"

    Lu Chongshan¡¯s serious face softened the moment he saw Little Treasure. "Little Treasure is here!"

    Today was a special day. It was his 60th birthday, and no matter whether it was for the public''s perspective or for his own desire, he really hoped his only grandson woulde. After all, Little Treasure was his only sessor.

    Both of his sons were worrisome. One was going to live the unmarried life, while the other was not interested in either men or women. When he was feeling hopeless about the future of the Lu family, Little Treasure appeared as the light shining through his darkness.

    Moreover, the little guy was getting cuter, and performed much better than kids of his age. In fact, he was progressing even better than Lu Tingxiao had when he was young¡­

    Ever since the appearance of Little Treasure, Lu Chongshan felt relieved and did not bother either of his sons anymore.

    However, bad luck befell them due to his mistake and then that incident happened, causing him to me himself for it for several years.

    Throughout these few years, Little Treasure¡¯s condition was very unstable. A once perfectly normal kid suddenly turned into a soulless doll and darkness enshrouded the Lu family like arge rock weighing on his chest and he was unable to get it off.

    And now¡­Little Treasure had been getting better, but he was still worried¡­

    He was constantly anxious, afraid that the same thing might happen again, and that it might lead to another disaster¡­

    Lu Chongshan remembered the times when Little Treasure was sitting on hisp and smilingly calling him. His eyes misted over. "Tingxiao, you can bring Little Treasure inside first, there¡¯re a lot of people here today and he might be scared. Only bring him outter when most of the guests have arrived to greet some people."

    "Okay." Lu Tingxiao nodded, understanding where his father wasing from. "Oh, Little Treasure prepared a present for you."

    Little Treasure blinked and nodded.

    Lu Chongshan¡¯s worries were chased away and he smiled. "Oh, really? How nice of you! I¡¯m looking forward to it!"

    After both of them went into the house, Yan Ruyi sighed, "I would be at ease if Little Treasure could recoverpletely and if Lu Tingxiao would marry Ziyao!"

    Lu Chongshan nodded sagely. "It¡¯s never going to be that easy."

    Both of them were totally charmed by that woman¡­

    ¡­

 Chapter 833: The Only Grandson

    <h4>Chapter 833: The Only Grandson</h4>

    Night soon fell. The gates opened and the invited guests trickled in. All the guests were to pass through a metal detector and aside from the jewelry on thedies, all dangerous items were strictly prohibited. More and more people arrived and numerous luxury cars filled the driveway.

    As an event hosted by one of the most prestigious families in Imperial, journalists were preying on it, but the Lu family had been low profile as usual. Furthermore, the banquet was not open to the public, so no one dared to approach them.

    "Bro Lu, happy birthday!" Guan Rui greeted happily. Aside from Guan Ziyao, there was another teenager following after him.

    "Thank you,e in! This is¡­?" Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi looked at the teenager beside Guan Rui. He was about thirteen or fourteen years old, handsome and carried a slight aura of arrogance.

    "This is my grandson, Guan Zhichen!" Guan Rui introduced.

    Yan Ruyi gushed, "Oh, Zhichen! He was still so small when Ist saw him, but he¡¯s all grown up now! I almost couldn¡¯t recognize him! He should be in middle school now?"

    "Aunty Lu, he¡¯s in his third year of high school now, he skipped a few grades," Guan Ziyao replied meekly.

    "Wow, impressive! He must be even better than his father next time!"

    Guan Rui was really proud of his grandson, but he carried himself humbly. "He still has a long way to go!"

    ¡­

    As they entered the hall, Guan Ziyao looked around then asked, "Aunty Lu, isn''t Little Treasure around?"

    "Oh, Little Treasure is in the room now., I¡¯m afraid that he might not get used to so many people around, but we¡¯ll have hime outter." Yan Ruyi sounded extra kind and loving the moment she was talked about her grandson.

    Guan Ziyao then clung onto Yan Ruyi¡¯s arms and asked, "Aunty, I¡­heard a little about Little Treasure¡¯s condition. I had a minor in psychology when I was studying abroad, and I¡¯ve been in contact with numerous special kids. Maybe¡­I could help and take a look at him?"

    "Well¡­" Yan Ruyi was hesitant.

    "Things cannot remain this way! When Zhichen was five years old, he was already following my brother to thepany to attend meetings. He was not afraid at all¡­" Guan Ziyao continued.

    She knew the key person in the Lu family was neither Yan Ruyi nor Lu Chongshan; it was Lu Tingxiao¡¯s son, Little Treasure¡­

    He was Lu Tingxiao¡¯s only son, and Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi¡¯s only grandson. Because they only had this sole grandson, they were really concerned about this child more than anything else. Because of this, she had purposely minored in psychology and specialized in autism.

    When Yan Ruyi heard her suggestion, she felt uneasy for some reason. Real autism cases would see a child totally cut off from the outside world, but Little Treasure was shocking and acting more extroverted than other kids, so how could he be autistic? Even Qin Mufeng mentioned that Little Treasure did not score highly on the autism spectrum. He surmised that it was more of a post-traumatic disorder.

    Moreover, ever since Ning Xi had appeared, Little Treasure¡¯s condition had improved significantly. He started to smile andugh, even talking¡­

 Chapter 834: Little Treasure Has Gone Missing

    <h4>Chapter 834: Little Treasure Has Gone Missing</h4>

    Nevertheless, she knew that Guan Ziyao was being nice, so Yan Ruyi patted her hands and thanked her, "Thank you, Ziyao, Little Treasure is doing well now. If there¡¯s a need, I¡¯ll surely look for you!"

    Before Little Treasure¡¯s condition stabilized, she would not let anyone be in contact with Little Treasure easily, even if it was Guan Ziyao.

    Guan Ziyao still felt hopeful and she asked, "Is Little Treasure going to school now?"

    "Yes, he is."

    "Which school?" Guan Ziyao asked again.

    "Glorious Kindergarten."

    "As far as I know, it¡¯s a good school, but it is just a normal kindergarten¡­with Little Treasure¡¯s condition, he should go to a special needs school! I know a school specially designed for kids with autism. I¡¯ve personally gone there before for a project. It¡¯s really well nned and most of the children have had positive changes after they went there. I know the principal. Do you want to have Little Treasure transferred there?" Guan Ziyao probed.

    Although Yan Ruyi did not think Little Treasure was autistic, if there was anything that could help him progress, she would be willing to try.

    She was slightly tempted by Guan Ziyao¡¯s persuasive tone, but she hesitated again, "Well, I need to talk to Tingxiao about it before making a decision."

    Guan Ziyao quickly rified, "Of course, it¡¯s not an urgent matter, just contact me anytime you need me! I¡¯ll talk to Tingxiao about thister and see what he thinks!"

    "Alright¡­thank you, Ziyao!" Yan Ruyi was relieved.

    Not only did Guan Ziyao not mind about Little Treasure¡¯s existence, she was so concerned about him, pleasing Yan Ruyi immensely.

    ¡­

    As they were chatting casually, a maid suddenly rushed towards them. Whispering into Yan Ruyi¡¯s ears, she said, "Madam, Little Master¡­Little Master has gone missing!"

    "What? What did you say?" Yan Ruyi¡¯s expression changed drastically.

    Guan Ziyao looked over. "What happened?"

    A whileter, Yan Ruyi, Guan Ziyao, Lu Chongshan, Lu Tingxiao, and Lu Jingli all appeared in the room Little Treasure was in.

    Lu Chongshan looked displeased. "Why would he suddenly go missing? What were you doing?"

    The maid looked at Yan Ruyi, then at Guan Ziyao, her expression troubled. In order to avoid Lu Chongshan¡¯s anger, she replied honestly, "Actually, Little Master came out a little while ago, but when he overheard Madam Lu¡¯s conversation with Ms. Guan, he suddenly ran away. There were too many people at that moment and I was unable to catch up, then I couldn¡¯t find him anywhere¡­"

    The maid was sobbing. The Little Master was the core of the family! If anything happened to him, she would be done for!

    "What were you both talking about?" Lu Chongshan stared sharply at Yan Ruyi and Guan Ziyao.

    Yan Ruyi¡¯s face went pale. "Could it be¡­"

    Guan Ziyao¡¯s expression changed as well.

    "Say something!" Lu Chongshan looked at Yan Ruyi anxiously.

    As Lu Chongshan was asking Yan Ruyi, Guan Ziyao¡¯s voice sounded out from Lu Tingxiao¡¯s phone.

    "Aunty, Little Treasure¡¯s condition¡­I knew a little¡­special needs child¡­when Zhichen was five years old¡­I knew a school designed for children with autism¡­"

    As they were talking, Lu Tingxiao had calmly essed the CCTV system and checked through the footages¡­

 Chapter 835: Little Treasure Avoided The Security Cameras

    <h4>Chapter 835: Little Treasure Avoided The Security Cameras</h4>

    Lu Chongshan was visibly unhappy when he heard what Guan Ziyao said from the CCTV footage.

    Little Treasure''s kidnapping was a severe matter, and the Lu family sealed off all information from the public. Everyone knew almost nothing about it, but some people within the circle heard bits and pieces of news. In addition to Little Treasure¡¯sck of appearance in public for two years, all sorts of rumors came out. Some even assumed that Little Treasure had be mentally retarded due to shock.

    Little Treasure might be exhibit signs of autism, but when he heard Guan Ziyao call Little Treasure a "special needs child", an "autistic child", and evenpared him to Guan Zhichen, Lu Chongshan was obviously unhappy.

    The atmosphere became a little awkward as the footage yed¡­

    Guan Ziyao frowned., "My conversation with Aunty Lu doesn¡¯t seem to have anything that might have triggered the child. Could there be any other reason?"

    Lu Jingli stared at her and mumbled, "Not triggered the child? Put yourself in his shoes! Would you be happy if you were being mentioned as sick, ill, and needed to be sent to a special needs school? Little Treasure is a perfectly normal kid. Of course, he would be sad and upset when he heard what you said!"

    Lu Jingli¡¯s words were exactly what Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi thought.

    Guan Ziyao¡¯s expression froze. While she did not think it was her fault, she could not rebut Lu Jingli. She apologized, "I¡¯m sorry, I did not expect this¡­"

    Yan Ruyi understood that she did not do this on purpose, so she gave Guan Ziyao a pat on her back. "Ziyao, it isn¡¯t your fault, no one expected him to be there to hear what we said¡­"

    Lu Chongshan was anxious. "Our main priority now is to find Little Treasure."

    If anything happened, the consequences could be fatal.

    "Tingxiao, can you see where Little Treasure went in the camera footage?" Yan Ruyi asked worriedly.

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "He purposely avoided the security cameras."

    Guan Ziyao was surprised when she heard Lu Tingxiao. How could a five-year-old child know how to avoid security cameras? Was Lu Tingxiao exaggerating? It could just be a coincidence¡­

    Yan Ruyi became even more concerned. "What now? There are so many guests today¡­"

    Guan Ziyao was thinking of making up for her mistake, so she suggested, "Usually, autistic¡­I mean children with a personality like Little Treasureck a sense of security. They would hide in ces they feel the safest, so he might be hiding in the room!"

    "Have you looked through the room?" Guan Ziyao asked the maid.

    The maid nodded. "I¡¯ve looked through."

    "Are you sure?" Guan Ziyao asked again, "In the cupboards, under the bed, everywhere?"

    Cupboards? Under the bed?

    The maid shook her head and frowned. "No those ces¡­Little Master loves to be clean, he would never go into those ces¡­"

    "Just look for him there. With my experience, those are the ces with the highest possibility!" Guan Ziyao eximed.

    The maid did not act immediately, she looked to Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi.

 Chapter 836: Wife-Protecting Devil Activated

    <h4>Chapter 836: Wife-Protecting Devil Activated</h4>

    After getting permission, everyone in the room started looking around. After some time, they still could not find him.

    Guan Ziyao thought about it again. "Does the child have ces he likes to go?"

    The maid replied with sweating through her uniform. "I¡¯ve looked through every ce that he could possibly be in!"

    "What now, Tingxiao? Say something!" Yan Ruyi looked at her eldest son in desperation.

    Lu Tingxiao stared at his phone. "I¡¯ve looked through the exits, he¡¯s still within the perimeter."

    "It¡¯s all my fault, I didn¡¯t notice he was near¡­and said something that upset him¡­" Yan Ruyi started ming herself.

    Lu Chongshan did not give up. "That means he¡¯s still somewhere around here? But¡­we still have to look for him! We can¡¯t just leave him alone, can we?"

    "Let him calm down," Lu Tingxiao said expressionlessly.

    Lu Chongshan was enraged. "Are you serious right now? He¡¯s only five years old! You want him to calm down!? Little Treasure is already unstable, and he¡¯s only gotten better recently, do you want him to go back to the state he was in before?"

    Seeing that Lu Tingxiao was not doing anything, Lu Chongshan suppressed his anger. "Fine, you don¡¯t have to tell me. Call that woman over!"

    That woman¡­?

    As soon she heard the keyword, Guan Ziyao was on high alert.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his father coldly. "Who are you talking about?"

    "That wom¡­" Lu Chongshan stared at his son., "Ning Xi!"

    "I wonder who she is to us Lus, that she has toe here the moment you summon her?" Lu Tingxiao said slowly.

    Lu Jingli shook his head, knowing that the wife-protecting devil had just been activated!

    "Aren¡¯t you guys dating right now?" Lu Chongshan was annoyed.

    "I see Father knows about it." Lu Tingxiao¡¯s casual remark was intentional.

    They knew he already had a partner, yet they still tried to match him with other women. They called her "that woman" but when some crisis happened, then only would they remember her as Lu Tingxiao¡¯s girlfriend.

    Lu Chongshan was embarrassed as he was dissed by his own son in front of an outsider. "You bastard, is this the way to talk to your own father?"

    "Why are the both of you arguing?! Is this the right time to do this?" Yan Ruyi pulled Lu Chongshan away, hinting him to calm down for Little Treasure¡¯s sake.

    Yan Ruyi then looked at Lu Tingxiao. "Tingxiao, your father is just a little upset than usual, don¡¯t mind him. Little Treasure is our priority now!"

    "Bro, anyhow let¡¯s call Sister-inw over in case of an emergency." Lu Jingli tried to soften the atmosphere as it was their father¡¯s birthday anyway.

    Yan Ruyi nodded.

    Lu Tingxiao spoke up, "I¡¯ll call her and see if she¡¯s avable."

    What did he mean by asking her avability? She shoulde here immediately even if she was busy! What else was more important than Little Treasure? Lu Chongshan was unhappy at Lu Tingxiao¡¯s attitude, but he could not say anything about it.

    "Okay, quickly call her!" Yan Ruyi said.

 Chapter 837: Did Something Happen To Little Treasure?

    <h4>Chapter 837: Did Something Happen To Little Treasure?</h4>

    Guan Ziyao was alert when she saw what had unfolded in front of her.

    What just happened?

    Judging from the situation, it seemed like "that woman" had quite an influence over Little Treasure. Influential enough for Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan to acknowledge her even though it was obvious that they did not like her.

    She was just a petty actress, so how could she be capable of being close to Little Treasure?

    Guan Ziyao had already investigated. Even one of the most capable psychiatrists in the country could not do anything about Little Treasure¡­

    ---

    At the same time, in Spirit Studio.

    Ning Xi dropped by the studio after attending an event.

    Gong Shangze, Han Momo, and Qiao Wen were working hard. After Ning Xi greeted them, she summoned Gong Shangze alone to her office.

    "Boss, what¡¯s up?"

    Ning Xi nodded and looked at him. "Tell me what you think about Director Qiao."

    Gong Shangze looked hesitant., "The truth?"

    Ning Xiughed. "Of course!"

    "Alright¡­" Gong Shangze cleared his throat. "I¡¯ll start with her personality. She¡¯s a pretty cold person, so we dare not to talk to her any more than necessary. But her abilities are top notch. Tasks that might take us a few days to finish can bepleted by her in an instant. Our efficiency has increased sharply in the few days that she¡¯s been here. In fact, we¡¯re almost done with the orders we received after Fashion Week!"

    Ning Xi let out a sigh of relief.

    Gong Shangze hesitated again, "But¡­"

    "But what?"

    ¡®But¡­how do I put it? I can feel that her focus isn¡¯t here. She does not proactively do anything else here aside from what she¡¯s been assigned to," Gong Shangze replied honestly.

    It was just as Ning Xi expected. "It¡¯s already a blessing to have her with us here."

    She had suddenly been transferred here, and to her, it was just a mission from Qin Shengyue. She probably just hoped that she wouldmit no mistakes, and that she would not do things that were outside her job scope. Once the time was up, she would leave.

    "Alright, I got the big picture. Anyhow, Qiao Wen¡¯s arrival has been a big help to us, so be nice to her. As for the studio, we need to improve on our own, we can¡¯t always rely on her," Ning Xi said.

    Gong Shangze replied, "Understood, Boss."

    As they were talking, Ning Xi¡¯s phone suddenly rang. It was Lu Tingxiao.

    Suddenly, her powerful aura faded and she turned gentle and sweet.

    Gong Shangze instantly knew who was calling. "Boss, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll get back to work!"

    "Alright then!"

    After Gong Shangze went out, Ning Xi picked up her phone. "Hey, Boss, what¡¯s the matter?"

    "What are you doing?" Lu Tingxiao asked her gently.

    "I¡¯m in the studio, just checking on the progress."

    "If you¡¯re not very busy, could youe by the Lu residence?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "I¡¯m not that busy¡­but why so sudden? Isn¡¯t today your father¡¯s birthday?" Ning Xi frowned and realized that something was not right. "Did something happen to Little Treasure?"

 Chapter 838: Fully-Automatic â€œTreasureâ€-Seeking Ability

    <h4>Chapter 838: Fully-Automatic ¡°Treasure¡±-Seeking Ability</h4>

    "Don¡¯t worry, Little Treasure is alright. It¡¯s just that he''s gone missing. I¡¯ve looked through the security camera footage of the exits. He didn¡¯t leave, he¡¯s still around the perimeter," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    "What? Missing? Why is he suddenly missing? I¡¯lle over now! Fill me in on the detailster!" Ning Xi acted instantly the moment she realized it was Little Treasure.

    "Take your time, grab a taxi, don¡¯t drive on your own,." Lu Tingxiao reminded her, apparently worried that she would drive recklessly.

    "Alright, I know¡­"

    At the Lu residence, Lu Jingli and Yan Ruyi were relieved when they knew Ning Xi wasing.

    Guan Ziyan forced a smile, and she tried to ask casually, "So, it seems that Ning Xi is on good terms with Little Treasure."

    "Yeah, our Little Treasure¡­likes her, and usually listens to her," Yan Ruyi phrased her words carefully. She could never hide this, so she tried to mentally prepare Guan Ziyao.

    Guan Ziyao did not expect that the woman would be smarter than she looked. She had actually established a good rtionship with Little Treasure this early.

    Guan Ziyao sighed, "That¡¯s great, hopefully we¡¯ll find Little Treasure once Ms. Ning is here!"

    Although she sounded hopeful, she knew that Ning Xi was not here frequently and probably had not even gone through the whole of the Lu residence before. The house was so big, it was impossible for her to find Little Treasure on her own!

    The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi realized that as well, but they had no other better ideas.

    "We cannot just rely on an outsider. I¡¯ve asked some servants to look for him discreetly. If all else fails, I¡¯ll wrap up the banquet earlier!" Lu Chongshan spoke up.

    Guan Ziyao was surprised. Although she had prepared herself for it, she did not realize how important Little Treasure was to Lu Chongshan.

    ¡­

    At the Lu Residence, most of the guests had already arrived when Ning Xi reached. The residence was well-lit and she could hear music and the sound of chatter from outside. The security was tight, so taxis could only reach the bottom of the hill.

    The moment Ning Xi alighted from the taxi, she saw Lu Jingli already waiting there.

    "What happened tonight?"

    Lu Jingli revved up the car engine and exined the whole ordeal to her.

    "¡­this is what happened! Little Treasure is still hiding somewhere now, the poor kid!"

    Ning Xi squinted her eyes. "Is that Guan Zhichen really that amazing?"

    "He¡¯s been a rumored to be a genius since he was little. He''s already attending the third year of high school at just 13 years old, and he¡¯s applying to the Imperial University next year! Of course¡­he¡¯s iparable with our Little Treasure¡­even I¡¯m no better, alright?"

    As they were talking, they arrived at the entrance of Lu Residence.

    Lu Jingli opened the door for Ning Xi as he worriedly scratched his head. "Xiao Xi Xi, it¡¯s going to be tricky this time, what happened in the past was mostly him locking himself up in the attic, but he''s disappeared this time, and you¡¯re not that familiar with the surroundings here, but don¡¯t force yourself. If we really can¡¯t find him, Father will end the banquet earlier. There¡¯s nothing more important than Little Treasure¡­"

    As Lu Jingli was mumbling, Ning Xi suddenly yelled, then she bent over in surprise and held up the little guy that had rushed up to her from the dark. "Little Treasure? My baby! You almost scared Aunty Xiao Xi to death! Where have you been?"

    Lu Jingli was speechless, gaping at them. "Bro Xi, your fully-automatic ''treasure''-seeking ability¡­is awesome!"

 Chapter 839: Little Treasure Had Found Her

    <h4>Chapter 839: Little Treasure Had Found Her</h4>

    At the same time, Lu Tingxiao, Lu Chongshan, and Yan Ruyi were somewhere in the garden along with Guan Ziyao. There were also a few tense maids joining the search party. The butler was speaking through a walkie-talkie, giving out some instructions.

    "Master, we¡­we can¡¯t find Little Master anywhere!" Butler Xing was sweltering heavily.

    Lu Chongshan¡¯s expression darkened. "Add more people to the search party."

    "If we add more people, the guests are going to get suspicious¡­" Butler Xin hesitated.

    They had told the crowd that an expensive ne of Yan Ruyi had gone missing and that they were looking for it, but if they add more people to the search party, it would seem inappropriate.

    Moreover, the host family had not been present after such a long time, so the guests were probably already suspecting something happened¡­

    "Retreat," Lu Tingxiao said a single word to Xing Wu after checking the time on his wrist.

    One said to add more people, another one said to retreat. Xing Wu looked at the elder, then looked at First Master. Who should he listen to¡­?

    "Why should they retreat? We haven¡¯t found Little Treasure yet!" Lu Chongshan fumed.

    "Ning Xi¡¯s going to be here soon," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    "So what? Is she a god? We have looked through almost every inch of the ce and couldn¡¯t find Little Treasure, what in the world can she do?" Lu Chongshan was not convinced.

    "Tingxiao, Little Treasure¡¯s safety is important. Listen to Uncle Lu!" Guan Ziyao tried to persuade him.

    "Xing Wu, what are you standing there for?!" Lu Chongshan urged him.

    As Xing Wu was in a dilemma as to what to do, he suddenly saw a surprise in front of him.

    "Little¡­Little Master¡­"

    "What? Little Treasure? Where?" Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan asked at once.

    "That¡­seems like Little Master¡­"

    Everyone looked at the direction Xing Wu was pointing at.

    They saw Lu Jingli and Ning Xi walking towards them, and Ning Xi was holding a child in her arms.

    The little guy had Lu Jingli¡¯s coat on him and he was holding Ning Xi¡¯s neck tightly as he buried his face in her arms, a position that disyed extreme insecurity.

    Everyone was surprised with joy.

    "Jingli, where did you guys find Little Treasure?" Yan Ruyi was excited.

    "We didn¡¯t even try! The moment Sister-inw appeared, Little Treasure showed up!" Lu Jingli exined.

    They were speechless. No one expected this to happen, and they all looked confused.

    In the end, Ning Xi did not find Little Treasure¡­Little Treasure had found her¡­

    No wonder Lu Tingxiao was so calm when Ning Xi arrived. He was sure that Little Treasure would be found. Obviously, Little Treasure was still around, but he did not want to show himself. He woulde out on his own the moment he saw the person he wanted to see, the one that he could rely on and gave him enough sense of security.

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were relieved although they were unsure what attitude they should face Ning Xi with.

    Ning Xi did not care about them at all. She was just concerned about Little Treasure,forting him gently. The little guy was holding his writing board tightly, seeming like he wanted to say something¡­

    "Little Treasure, what¡¯s wrong?" Ning Xi took the writing board from him.

    Her eyes reddened the moment she saw what was written¡­

    [Mother, I want to go home]

 Chapter 840: Home Was Wherever Mother Was

    <h4>Chapter 840: Home Was Wherever Mother Was</h4>

    Mother, I want to go home¡­

    Yan Ruyi cried when she saw what Little Treasure had written. She then realized how much damage her conversation with Guan Ziyao had caused Little Treasure.

    He would not have written such helpless words if he was not this upset. They imed to be the people that loved Little Treasure the most, but they could not even provide him a ce to call home. Little Treasure had never felt a sense of belonging here.

    He was at home, yet he said he wanted to go home¡­

    Guan Ziyao¡¯s attention was on the word "Mother". She thought this woman was probably friendlier with Little Treasure, but he had already recognized her as his mother! She had to speed up her process!

    Ning Xi did not want to face this situation at the moment and she was prepared to leave afterforting the little bun, but she changed her mind. With what had happened that day, she wanted to make sure that no one would look down on the little bun again. Even though her journey with Lu Tingxiao might be harsh, she hoped that even without her, the little bun could go on well.

    Ning Xi suppressed her emotions and spoke to the little bun gently, "Dear baby, it¡¯s your home here, and it¡¯s Grandfather¡¯s birthday today. Don¡¯t you remember we prepared a gift for Grandfather?"

    The little bun did not give any response, he just grabbed Ning Xi even tighter.

    "I¡¯ll apany you to give the present to Grandfather, okay?" Ning Xi continued.

    Little Treasure finally nodded.

    He wanted to go home, and home was wherever Mother was.

    Afterforting the little bun, Ning Xi looked at the two elders. She spoke in a concerned tone, "Little Treasure is really cold now, he''s probably caught a cold from staying outside in the breeze. It¡¯d be great if he could take a hot shower right now¡­"

    Yan Ruyi hurriedly invited, "Come inside! Don¡¯t just stand in the garden!"

    Lu Chongshan was mentally prepared for Little Treasure to leave with Ning Xi, but since Little Treasure was going to stay now, he quickly let them in. As long as Little Treasure stayed here, he would even allow that woman to show her face here.

    The guests were already whispering in the banquet hall and shooting furtive looks, so Lu Chongshan went into the hall after confirming that Little Treasure¡¯s condition was stable.

    "I¡¯m sorry for the wait! Thank you, everyone, foring here for my birthday today¡­"

    "You¡¯re wee, Elder Lu!"

    "We¡¯re honored to be invited!"

    The guests greeted him warmly without any odd expression on the surface, but they were all suspecting what had happened.

    "What do you think happened tonight?"

    "They said Madam Lu¡¯s precious ne went missing¡­but if it was just a ne, would the whole host family need to disappear for so long?"

    "It''s probably the little guy again¡­"

    "I guessed so too. The Lu family sure is unlucky, they only have this sole sessor and he¡¯s retarded!"

    "Heh, the Lu family has probably done a lot of dirty deals before, so the karmanded on their grandchild¡­"

    ¡­

 Chapter 841: Improve Relationship With Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 841: Improve Rtionship With Little Treasure</h4>

    "The Lu family is ridiculous! We didn¡¯t even say anything when Lu Tingxiao had a child before getting married, and you were just trying to be considerate to that child. Not only are they not grateful, how could they put the me on you!?" Guan Rui was incensed after he found out what had happened from her daughter.

    "Don¡¯t make a scene, Father, Uncle Lu and Aunty Lu did not me me. They wereforting me by assuring me that it has nothing to do with me! They even thanked me!" Guan Ziyao exined.

    Guan Rui¡¯s expression softened. "That¡¯s more like it¡­that woman, is she really that close to Little Treasure?"

    Guan Ziyao nodded unhappily. "I saw Little Treasure addressing her as his mother."

    Guan Rui was not surprised. He looked at his daughter and asked quietly, "Ziyao, what do you think is your top priority now?"

    "Improving my rtionship with Little Treasure," Guan Ziyao replied.

    Guan Rui shook his head. "You¡¯re wrong. Although you¡¯re smart, you really have mistaken your priority here. With that kid¡¯s current condition, he¡¯s as good as useless trash now. What good coulde out of you improving your rtionship with trash?

    "That woman already had the child on her side, but did you see Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi being nice to her? They didn¡¯t acknowledge her even if she was already in a rtionship with Lu Tingxiao. She was not invited and could only attend the event today by using that child!"

    Guan Ziyao thought about it. "It¡¯s because that woman is from an unknown lineage. I can also see that Uncle Lu and Aunty Lu are really concerned about Little Treasure, so I¡¯d like to at least have him like me, then Lu Tingxiao might start to notice my worth."

    Guan Rui sighed and exined to her, "Little Treasure is their only sessor, and he¡¯s their actual grandson, so of course, they¡¯d be concerned. It¡¯s exactly because they are concerned that they will be very strict and careful with selecting the mother to Little Treasure.

    "Do you understand what does the position as the future madam of Lu family mean? No matter how close the woman gets to Little Treasure, at best, they would just hire her to be a private tutor, or even his nanny, to take care of him, but do you think Lu Chongshan would be stupid enough to let her marry Lu Tingxiao?

    "Well¡­" Guan Ziyao started to falter.

    Guan Rui gave his daughter a pat on the back. "Ziyao, don¡¯t get your priorities wrong. What you should do now is to impress Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi. Of course, it¡¯ll be easy for you. You¡¯ve mentioned the main point just now: that woman is not from a renowned family, so no matter how much she tries, she will never get into the Lu family.

    "You have to act more generously, don¡¯t be irritated by such small matters. Act like thedy capable of holding up the Lu family, then the position will be yours, understood?"

    "Father, I understand." After listening, Guan Ziyao sat up straight, her annoyance fading at once.

    Guan Rui beamed at his daughter. "That¡¯s great."

    There was another important thing that he did not mention. By the time Ziyao joined the Lu family and had her own child with Lu Tingxiao, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi would definitely be pleased to have a grandchild with such amazing genes from the Guan family.

    When that time came, they would definitely shift their focus away from that trash¡­

    ¡­

 Chapter 842: He Was Still Charming!

    <h4>Chapter 842: He Was Still Charming!</h4>

    There were sounds of knocking on the door, so Ning Xi opened the door.

    A maid was carefully holding a bowl of soup outside. "Ms. Ning, this is some ginger soup as per Madam Lu''s instructions. It can help to prevent a cold."

    "Alright, thank you, I¡¯ll feed Little Master with this once he¡¯s done showering."

    "You¡¯re wee, it¡¯s my job." The little maid bowed before leaving.

    Ning Xi left the ginger soup on the table and knocked on the bathroom door. "Lu Tingxiao, are you guys done?"

    "We¡¯re done," Lu Tingxiao replied from the bathroom.

    Lu Tingxiao brought Little Treasure out.

    The little bun had a big towel wrapped around him, his hair still damp, looking all fluffy in his father¡¯s arms.

    Ning Xi was charmed instantly and stretched out her arms. "Lu Tingxiao, I want to hold him!"

    The little bun extended his arms as well and Lu Tingxiao gently passed him over to Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi kissed the little guy on his cheek, then she spooned the ginger soup into his mouth. "Little Treasure, this soup might not taste very nice, but it¡¯s good for preventing colds, it¡¯s good for your health!"

    The little bun drank it all without struggling.

    Ning Xi pped her hands. "You¡¯re awesome! You finished it!"

    The little bun looked at her brightly after he changed into his clean clothes and drank the ginger soup.

    Ning Xi checked the time and advised, "Lu Tingxiao, you should bring Little Treasure out to greet the guests first!"

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao nodded and did not ask Ning Xi if she decided to let Little Treasure stay.

    The little bun was a little anxious when he heard Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi patted his head as she smiled. "Don''t you worry, you go down with your father first, I¡¯ll be there after I change!"

    The little bun quickly calmed down. He nodded and held his father¡¯s hand.

    Afterforting the little bun, she looked at Lu Tingxiao hesitantly. "Well¡­Boss, I¡¯m giving you a heads up. I might be doing something¡­offensive¡­ter"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "Mmm, be as offensive as you like, I¡¯ll back you up."

    Ning Xi was speechless. Why did he sound like a dictator?

    But even so, he was so charming!

    She felt it was awesome that someone was backing her up even though she was about to do something really nasty.

    ¡­

    "We haven¡¯t seen CEO Lu tonight!"

    "I didn¡¯t see him as well, probably he''s noting?"

    Some people were already talking about Lu Tingxiao as was nowhere to be seen. It was his father¡¯s 60th birthday, and as the current head of the Lu family, it was inappropriate for him not to attend.

    Most people were already sure that something had happened to the Little Master¡­

    As people were asking around, Lu Chongshan started to worry about Little Treasure¡¯s condition now.

    "Tingxiao¡­"

    As Lu Chongshan was about to cook up an excuse, suddenly two familiar shadows entered from the entrance.

    Someone noticed, then yelled, "Oh! CEO Lu is here¡­ugh, the kid beside CEO Lu is¡­"

    Suddenly, everyone was looking towards the entrance¡­

 Chapter 843: Uniform Seduction

    <h4>Chapter 843: Uniform Seduction</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao had a ck suit on him, his tie standing out in a bright color. As usual, he showed no expression with his ice cold aura.

    Yet, this cold and strange man was holding a little boy¡¯s hand.

    The little boy looked about five or six years old with fair skin and big eyes. He wore the same retro-style suit as Lu Tingxiao, looking like a little gentleman from the past. Most importantly, while the little boy looked cute, it was obvious that he looked almost identical to his father. His aura and expression were exactly the same as the man''s next to him.

    Judging by his looks alone, it was easy to know that he was the rumored Little Master of the Lu family.

    Facing such a big crowd and everyone¡¯s stare, his expression remained the same. Just like his father, he was calm and collected.

    Suddenly, everyone thought that this was as expected of a child from the Lu family¡­

    However¡­that was weird. Was the rumor not that the Little Master was retarded and had to stay hidden from the public? How did that boy look retarded?

    The crowd surrounded them when Lu Tingxiao came down through the stairs with Little Treasure, and everyone greeted them warmly.

    "Oh! This must be Qingyu!"

    "He has grown so much, I remember thest time we met was five years ago at his full-moon celebration party. How time flies!"

    "Qingyu, do you still remember me? You came to my house when you were three, I even held you before!"

    ¡­

    Many guests of the elder generationmented, "When I saw Qingyu just now, for a moment I thought he was Tingxiao! He looked exactly the same when he was little!"

    "You¡¯re right!"

    ¡­

    "Xiao Xi Xi, here are the clothes you requested! I tried my best to borrow it from Xiao Rong, and she almost suspected me to be a pervert!" Lu Jingliined while holding a maid''s outfit in his hands.

    Ning Xi quickly took them and looked at him happily. "That¡¯s great! Thank you!"

    "Uhm, Xiao Xi Xi, are you really going to wear that tonight? While I think¡­my brother will surely like your uniform seduction, don¡¯t you want to be all morous and beautiful for the asion today? At least, pose a threat to Guan Ziyao! I could arrange the outfits for you now, or even get you a professional stylist!" Lu Jingli suggested excitedly.

    Ning Xi nced at Lu Jingli¡¯s charged up expression. "No, thank you, I can move around easier in this!"

    She grinned. "Tonight¡­it¡¯s not my stage!"

    Lu Jingli was confused. "Eh? Then whose¡­"

    "You¡¯ll find outter! Get out now! I¡¯m going to change!"

    "Yes, Madam¡­" Lu Jingli quickly stepped out.

    He was suddenly looking forward to his brother¡¯s reaction when he saw Xiao Xi Xi in a maid''s outfit¡­

    All the servant¡¯s outfits in the Lu family were personally handled by him, including the designs and material selection. He had put the most effort into the maid outfits¡­

 Chapter 844: Little Treasure Is Hungry

    <h4>Chapter 844: Little Treasure Is Hungry</h4>

    In the banquet hall, Little Treasure was the center of attraction. All the guests tried to talk to him as soon as they saw his cute, chubby face. Even if there was something really wrong with him, he definitely looked cute¡­

    Looking at the people around talking to him, and with the fact that Mother Xiao Xi was not here yet, Little Treasure was getting impatient. He felt like running away again. He did not want to stay here anymore.

    Lu Tingxiao realized the little guy¡¯s difort, so he looked at his son and spoke to him quietly, "Wait for a while more."

    The little bun blinked his eyes and trailed after his father unhappily. Little Treasure stayed silent the whole time. His broodiness got more and more obvious as some attentive guests noticed and asked out of concern, "CEO Lu, why does Qingyu not look very well tonight?"

    "Is he not feeling well?"

    "If he¡¯s not well, let the child have some rest! Don¡¯t push himself too hard!" Guan Rui suggested.

    "That¡¯s right, health is more important!"

    Amongst the guests¡¯ concerned opinions, suddenly there was the clear voice of a girling through.

    "First Master, I¡¯m here!"

    A girl in a maid''s outfit ran towards them.

    The girl had her hair tied up in double pigtails. Her eyes were big and she had very fair skin. She looked pretty young and she appeared out of breath before Lu Tingxiao. With a respectful gesture, she said, "First Master?"

    Lu Tingxiao coughed lightly to recover from his wife¡¯s sudden attack in the form of uniform seduction.

    Lu Tingxiao handed his son to Ning Xi and said calmly, "Mmm, bring Little Master to eat something first."

    "Alright, First Master! Little Master, follow me!" Ning Xi bent down and extended her hand to Little Treasure as she cheekily blinked at him.

    The little bun looked at Mother, surprised. He gave her a big smile and happily followed her to the food area. Lu Tingxiao was speechless as Ning Xi and Little Treasure walked away happily. He did not expect her to apany Little Treasure this way¡­but it did seem like something she would do.

    "No wonder Little Treasure looked unhappy. He¡¯s hungry!"

    "It¡¯s the period of growing for little kids, they have to be well-fed every meal!"

    ¡­

    Lu Chongshan¡¯s tensed up body rxed and he smiled. "That kid is not very outspoken. He doesn¡¯t usually like to talk!"

    He thought Ning Xi would surely try to take the spotlight or even stick beside Lu Tingxiao to dere her status as his girlfriend, yet she had chosen to stay beside Little Treasure quietly, taking him by surprise¡­

    "Hahaha, just like Tingxiao when he was little!"

    Lu Chongshan chuckled, "That¡¯s different, Tingxiao was much more boring than Qingyu!"

    The crowdughed. The bunch of old friends reminisced about the fun stuff that happened when Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli were still little and the atmosphere softened.

    So, it was gical after all¡­

    Little Treasure¡¯s quietness was exined, and nothing seemed strange anymore¡­

 Chapter 845: Iâ€™m Not Worthy Of Xiao Xi

    <h4>Chapter 845: I¡¯m Not Worthy Of Xiao Xi</h4>

    At a quiet table inside the banquet hall.

    "What did you say? That little maid is Tingxiao¡¯s girlfriend?"

    "Yes, but¡­I don¡¯t understand why she''s dressed that way!" Guan Ziyao could not help feeling that that woman was hiding something.

    Guan Rui replied in a tone of contempt, "Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi aren¡¯t acknowledging her, so she does not dare to appear beside Lu Tingxiao in public and has to act as a servant! Ziyao, you don¡¯t have to waste your time on a person like her, spend your effort¡­"

    As Guan Rui was still lecturing his daughter, Lu Tingxiao suddenly came over, "Uncle Guan, thank you foring to my father¡¯s birthday dinner tonight."

    Guan Rui was ttered as Lu Tingxiao hade to greet him personally. He smiled at the man. "You¡¯re much wee, Tingxiao, I¡¯m good friends with your father!"

    After some small talk, Lu Tingxiao raised his hand to signal someone.

    While Ning Xi was eating with Little Treasure, she suddenly saw Lu Tingxiao summoning her, so she let Little Treasure know, then she ran over, "First Master, is there anything I can help you with?"

    Guan Rui and Guan Ziyao looked at Lu Tingxiao in confusion, unsure of why he had asked this woman toe over.

    Maybe he wanted to ask her to get some wine¡­

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl gently, then looked at Guan Rui and introduced them, "Uncle Guan, this is my girlfriend, Ning Xi. Xiao Xi, this is Uncle Guan, a good friend of my father''s. You don¡¯t have to put up an act in front of him."

    Ah¡­what was the devil trying to do, introducing her to Guan Rui?

    Was he trying to irritate Guan Rui and Guan Ziyao?

    Fine¡­

    It might be intentional¡­

    Ning Xi was surprised, but she went along with Lu Tingxiao and greeted, "Hello, Uncle Guan."

    "Hel¡­hello¡­" Guan Rui looked very displeased all of a sudden.

    What did Lu Tingxiao mean by this!?

    He knew that their families had the intention for him and Guan Ziyao marry, yet he had introduced this woman to him on purpose!

    However, he did not say anything more. After all, Lu Tingxiao had not done anything wrong and was just being polite by introducing her to him.

    "You can go and take care of Little Treasure now." Lu Tingxiao gestured to Ning Xi to go back after she had greeted them.

    Then, as if he did not notice Guan Rui and Guan Ziyao¡¯s change in expressions, Lu Tingxiao continued, "That was inappropriate of me, I actually wanted to introduce her to everyone, but Xiao Xi really prioritizes her career. Because of her job, we can¡¯t publicly announce our rtionship just yet. I just have to put up with it."

    "Right¡­it was inevitable!" Guan Rui was so offended that he almost snapped the stem of his wine ss by holding it tightly, but he still had to maintain his integrity as Lu Tingxiao¡¯s elder. On the other hand, Guan Ziyao was weaker and she already looked pale.

    Guan Rui took a deep breath and returned to a calm state as he faked a smile. "Tingxiao, as your elder, I have to remind you that the girl does note from a prestigious family and that she¡¯s not worthy of you! I¡¯m afraid that your parents would not acknowledge her as well, yes? You have to understand that girls from that industry are mostly into it for money, but it¡¯s alright if you¡¯re just ying around. If you¡¯re being serious, that¡¯s really inappropriate then¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at Guan Rui and replied expressionlessly, "Thank you for your concern. In terms of statuses and all that, it¡¯s sure unworthy¡­I¡¯m not worthy of Xiao Xi."

 Chapter 846: Like Father, Like Son

    <h4>Chapter 846: Like Father, Like Son</h4>

    With that, Lu Tingxiao spun away on his heel.

    Guan Rui and Guan Ziyao were stunned. What did¡­Lu Tingxiao mean¡­?

    "What did Lu Tingxiao mean just now? Isn¡¯t that woman just the adopted daughter abandoned by the Ning family?" Guan Rui frowned.

    "It seems like she¡¯s not adopted, she¡¯s the biological daughter¡­" Guan Ziyao mumbled.

    Guan Rui sneered, "Even if she¡¯s from the Ning family, she¡¯s nothingpared to you!"

    "But ording to what Lu Tingxiao said, it seems like the woman has some other more prestigious identity¡­"

    Guan Rui thought about it and assured, "I¡¯ll investigate furtherter on, pay it no mind. That guy is still too young and he probably just wanted to irritate me plus oppose his family¡¯s arrangement! In the whole of Imperial, how many people are there that the Lu family is not worthy of? There¡¯s only a handful of them! And none of them could ever be rted to Ning Xi!"

    ¡­

    The dinner continued harmoniously and most of the crowd focused on the elusive Little Master of the Lu family. Some people even secretly hoped that the child would embarrass himself out of their jealousy. To their chagrin, they were all disappointed as Little Treasure was really obedient after following Ning Xi. To everyone, there was no differencepared to a normal kid. His condition seemed to have stabilized after two years of treatment. If not, the Lu family would not have let him appear in public¡­

    Aside from the Little Master of the Lu family, the other star of the night could only be the genius from the recently returned Guan family! As expected of a top student, he did not forget about his studies even during the dinner. He heard that some bright people were gathered here today, so he actually brought a few maths question that he was unable to solve. To his delight, some guests were interested and tried to solve the equations with him.

    "Oh my gosh, is this really a middle school mathematics question? This is crazy! I pity students nowadays!"

    "Hahaha, Mo Lingtian, you¡¯re just an underachiever! You don¡¯t even understand the questions. These are university-level questions, and they are at apetitive level!" someone mocked Mo Lingtian.

    Mo Lingtian''s mouth twitched. "Ugh, fine¡­it¡¯s not the questions that are crazy, this top student from the Guan family is crazy!"

    "Ah! I think I solved it! Is the answer to the first question -9?" a young teen with sses asked eagerly.

    Guan Zhichen replied expressionlessly as he shook his head, "Nope, the answer is 0."

    "Ugh¡­I¡¯m wrong again!" The young teen was disappointed.

    "I¡¯ve worked out the solution already. I can teach you, but I can¡¯t solve the second question yet."

    ¡­

    "Elder Guan! Your grandson is amazing!" A few guests were gawking at the group of brainiac kids, their eyes were full of envy.

    Lu Chongshan praised the boy as well, "Like father, like son!"

    Guan Rui shrugged helplessly. "He¡¯s going to be a bookworm, I¡¯m really having a headache about it! I brought him here to help him rx, yet now he even brought his questions up when I was not noticing!"

    "Elder Guan, you should be d! My kid at home would not even try to read even if I beat him up!"

    "Can your kidpare to Elder Guan¡¯s grandson? His IQ is 180 and he''s already received several International Olympic Mathematics Awards at the age of ten¡­"

    ¡­

 Chapter 847: That Was Some Big Talk

    <h4>Chapter 847: That Was Some Big Talk</h4>

    "He¡¯s really amazing! I think he¡¯s even better than Tingxiao when he was young. The younger generations are getting better and better!" a close guest of the familiesmented.

    As the host, Lu Chongshan went along with the crowd and praised Guan Rui since they were going to be a family soon, but he chuckled to himself when he heard thatment.

    Better than Lu Tingxiao when he was little? That was some big talk!

    Lu Chongshan did not show his emotions on the surface nheless. "Of course, he¡¯s better than Tingxiao!"

    Guan Rui waved his hands in denial. "You guys have to stop praising him, he¡¯s going to be full of himself. He could never be up to Tingxiao¡¯s standard! I would be really d if he could be at least half capable as his Uncle Xiao!"

    "You¡¯re too humble, Elder Lu, he¡¯s going to do something great! For families like ours, the most important thing isn¡¯t the money we earn or the properties we own, it¡¯s the people. As long as our sessors are capable, that¡¯s the real treasure of the family. No matter how great your family is, with an incapable sessor, it will surely fall in a few generations!"

    "That¡¯s right! Elder Guan is really blessed! Ziyao, Zihao, and Zhichen are all superb!"

    "Exactly, unlike us, still having to worry about the useless kids at home¡­"

    Many people were able to rte to their words, at the same time, suddenly remembering the worrying situation of the heir to the Lu family.

    So what if they were the richest family in Imperial?

    No matter how great Lu Tingxiao was, he could, at most, hang on for one or maybe two generations. Numerous shareholders and supporters had their eyes on the family. If there was no capable sessor after Lu Tingxiao, things might be chaotic and the Lu dynasty might even fall within a night; it was not an umon sight in cases like these. No one could predict what would happen in the future¡­

    ¡­

    Somewhere in the banquet hall, Ning Xi noticed a group of people ttering the Guan family, and she knew her chance had arrived¡­

    Mo Lingtian and a few other guys had been defeated by Guan Zhichen¡¯s mathematics question and were even humiliated by their own parents, making them all feel very embarrassed.

    Mo Lingtian could not help it anymore, so he spoke up helplessly, "Zhichen, we¡¯re all underachievers here. Even if we learned about it before, it¡¯s been so long ago that we¡¯ve all forgotten about it. Why not you ask your aunt? Surely she could solve them!"

    Guan Zhichen looked at Guan Ziyao and mumbled, "She exined it to me before but I didn¡¯t get it, then she got angry at me and was unwilling to teach me again!"

    "Ugh, well¡­" Mo Lingtian shrugged cluelessly but he then suddenly thought of something. "I know! Uncle Xiao will surely know this! Eh¡­where¡¯s Lu Tingxiao?"

    Guan Ziyao stared at Mo Lingtian unhappily., "Tingxiao is busy, don¡¯t pester him, it¡¯s Zhichen¡¯s fault for not being able to solve this, let him think on his own."

    "Ziyao, you¡¯re too strict! Zhichen is only 13!" Mo Lingtian replied.

 Chapter 848: Little Bunny! Itâ€™s You!

    <h4>Chapter 848: Little Bunny! It¡¯s You!</h4>

    The crowd was impressed by the education method of the Guans.

    "This is what I call real elite education!"

    "They are this strict to their sole male grandchild, no wonder he¡¯s this amazing!"

    "Hey, Elder Guan, what¡¯s the secret to educating kids? Give us some tips!"

    ¡­

    As the guests were discussing children''s education with Guan Rui, a girl¡¯s clear voice came through, "Master Mo, I heard you¡¯re looking for First Master. Was there something you need? He is greeting some guests outside! I can help you to send a message if it¡¯s something urgent!"

    "Oh, it¡¯s nothing urgent, just a mathematics question¡­ugh¡­you¡­little bunny¡­how¡¯re you here?" his voice faded off to a lower tone. Mo Lingtian was shocked when he realized who the maid he was talking to was. He almost could not recognize her disguise¡­

    Ning Xi ignored his question and continued her act, scanning the questions Mo Lingtian had in his hands. "This looks easy, we shouldn¡¯t need First Master. Is it alright if I get Little Master to help?"

    "What?" Mo Lingtian thought he heard her wrong. "Who did you say? Little Treasure?"

    Ning Xi nodded. "Yes, our Master Qingyu."

    Mo Lingtian ignored Ning Xi¡¯s outfit, he reminded her, "Little girl, look at this properly, but you probably don¡¯t understand it as well¡­anyways, this is not some kindergarten mathematics, it¡¯s advanced mathematics, and these arepetitive-leveled questions!"

    "Oh, no problem, Master Mo, Little Master is really good!" Ning Xi blinked her eyes and asked Little Treasure in a coy voice, "Little Master, this little brother here needs some help with a question, can you help him?"

    Little Treasure nodded in enthusiasm.

    Lu Chongshan was already frowning when Ning Xi had appeared and now he felt it was ridiculous when he realized what she was trying to do. He suppressed his anger and stopped her. "There¡¯s nothing for you to do here, stop bothering the guests and bring the Little Master somewhere else!"

    Seeing how this maid was acting so foolishly, some guests pitied Lu Chongshan but most of them wereughing inside.

    Why did the Lu family get someone so stupid to take care of the Little Master? Could it be easier for them tomunicate with their low IQ?

    Guan Rui and Guan Ziyao looked at each other in amusement. Before, they were cautious about this woman¡¯s presence, but now they thought she could be ignored.

    Seeing the maid from the Lu family asking a little kid to help him, and even bragging that he could surely solve it, Guan Zhichen felt humiliated. ring his nostrils haughtily, he handed over his workbook. "You said that he can help me? Sure, let him try!"

    Guan Ziyao tried to stop him. "Zhichen, stop being unreasonable, Qingyu is only five years old!"

    "I¡¯m sorry for the fuss!" Lu Chongshan had never felt this embarrassed.

    "It¡¯s alright¡­she just didn¡¯t get to look at the questions properly!" Guan Rui acted generously.

    The woman was probably trying to get on Lu Chongshan¡¯s good side, but she could not even understand the standards of these questions. How foolish!

    Suddenly, the crowd was cheering¡­

 Chapter 849: Possessed By Archimedes

    <h4>Chapter 849: Possessed By Archimedes</h4>

    As the guests were talking, Little Treasure scrawled a number on the exercise book.

    "Hey, Qingyu wrote a 0¡­what¡¯s the correct answer again? It was 0, wasn''t it?"

    "That¡¯s right! It¡¯s 0!"

    "Qingyu got it right!"

    ¡­

    At that moment, Guan Rui, Guan Ziyao, Guan Zhichen, and even Lu Chongshan were shocked.

    Guan Zhichen frowned. "Qingyu, you could tell me if you don¡¯t know. You shouldn¡¯t simply doodle on the exercise book."

    Guan Zhichen did not think it was a number. Many people, including Lu Chongshan, assumed that Little Treasure was probably doodling his circles.

    Ning Xi squatted down and spoke to the little bun gently. "Little Master, you can¡¯t do it this way. He doesn¡¯t understand how to solve the question, so you have to write down all the steps in detail, then only you can help him!"

    Little Treasure blinked and looked at his mother, then he started scribbling on the exercise book obediently¡­

    As Little Treasure started to write more and more, the crowd was surprised. Their surprise soon turned into shock, and in the end, they were terrified, not believing what they were seeing¡­

    Mo Lingtian was especially bewildered. He opened his eyes wide and eximed, "Wow! Did Archimedes just possess Little Treasure?"

    Guan Ziyao took a nce and tried to say something, but she did not dare to bother Little Treasure¡­

    Suddenly, everyone was focused on the little boy, there was pin-drop silence.

    Little Treasure was totally focused in his own world, unaffected by the intense stares on him, his little hands writing rows and rows ofplicated forme non-stop¡­

    Finally, Little Treasure was done. He then put down the answer "0" at the end and looked up at his mother with inquiring eyes.

    Ning Xi gave the little bun a big smile and passed the exercise book to Guan Zhichen. "Little Master Guan, please check if you can understand this time."

    In the nk space of the exercise book, Little Treasure had clearly exined the steps to solve the equation because Aunty Xiao Xi specifically mentioned to him to write it in detail. He even used arrows to point out a few forms, and included some messages in brackets, as if he was teaching a kindergarten child.

    Soon, the exercise book was passed around the crowd.

    Little Treasure¡¯s solution was so detailed that even the underachievers could understand it and they praised him.

    "This is really amazing! Even I understand it! I thought I¡¯m notparable to a 13-year-old, but I was wrong¡­even a five-year-old is better than I am¡­"

    "The way he solved it is really brilliant! It¡¯s not a conventional method, is it?"

    "Ms. Guan, what do you think? Is he correct?"

    Guan Ziyao looked through the exercise book, then looked at the little guy in Ning Xi¡¯s arms in total shock. She spoke hesitantly, "It¡¯spletely correct, every step is perfect, there''s no mistake at all¡­"

 Chapter 850: Iâ€™d Like To Have Some!

    <h4>Chapter 850: I¡¯d Like To Have Some!</h4>

    It was as if she just saw a shadow of Lu Tingxiao back in time; the way they solved questions was the same¡­

    But Little Treasure was only five years old! This was shocking¡­

    The crowd was surprised as they heard what Guan Ziyao said!

    Impossible! This little guy actually solved it?

    Not only that, Guan Ziyao even gave him such high approval! Unbelievable!

    Since they all witnessed Little Treasure write down all the steps on his own, they could not help but believe it¡­

    Compared to Guan Rui¡¯s obvious n to show off his grandson, Little Treasure¡¯s unintentional show was much more impactful. Suddenly, everyone was talking to Lu Chongshan about him¡­

    "Elder Lu! You¡¯re really hiding some good stuff! No wonder you always don¡¯t let us see him! Your grandson is really a genius!"

    "The genes from the Lu family is outstanding!"

    "Brilliant!"

    "This is not just brilliant! He¡¯s already on another level! I was probably still ying with mud when I was five¡­"

    ¡­

    As the praises kept on flowing in, Lu Chongshan was unable to put his feelings into words. He felt like a burden had just been lifted from his chest.

    "You all really misunderstood me, I really don¡¯t know about this talent of his. Probably the child learned on his own when he was flipping through the books! Qingyu is like his father, always having his own ideas, so he just explores things on his own!" Lu Chongshan replied.

    "You don¡¯t even need to do anything, he¡¯s already great on his own! So, it is true that geniuses act differently from others!"

    "As expected of the Lu family! If it wasn¡¯t for the maid just now, we would never have known how smart this kid is¡­"

    "Don¡¯t you know low-key showing off is the coolest?"

    "Someone mentioned that Guan Zhichen was even better than Lu Tingxiao¡­yet he can¡¯t even bepared to his five-year-old son."

    Thedies were staring at the little bun with excitement. "Oh my god, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s genes are so amazing! I¡¯d like to have some, my ovaries are exploding!"

    "You¡¯re so dirty-minded!"

    "What?! Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t think about that!"

    "So what if we got it? Can you ensure that your own genes don¡¯t mess up the baby¡¯s IQ? Speaking of which, I¡¯m really curious about this child¡¯s mother, her genes must be exceptional as well¡­"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli saw everything as he stepped into the room as Ning Xi just controlled the crowd quietly and brilliantly. "Impressive! Bro Xi¡¯s acting was really impressive! She just gave the Guan family a p in the face¡­"

    Now, he understood why she chose to wear the maid outfit and stay by Little Treasure! He also realized who the main character of the night was!

    Lu Tingxiao was looking calm, his expression practically radiating with "look how great my wife is."

    "Does Xiao Xi Xi not think about what could happen if Little Treasure didn¡¯t know how to solve it?" Lu Jingli suddenly asked.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at him, then replied expressionlessly, "Do you think my son would be that useless?"

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

    The lovey-dovey devil was now showing off his son¡­

    How could Lu Jingli live on anymore!?

 Chapter 851: He Has Autism!

    <h4>Chapter 851: He Has Autism!</h4>

    Ning Xi felt a little better after embarrassing Guan Zhichen.

    The so-called genius Guan Zhichen was not satisfied, so he gave Little Treasure another few more difficult questions, but in the end, Little Treasure was able to solve all of them¡­

    The people who were surrounding Guan Zhichen now gathered around Little Treasure, some even trying to touch him to get some "smart aura" from him, which made Ning Xi speechless.

    Surprisingly, Little Treasure was patient today. He remained calm even when the crowd was being noisy around him, just looking really cute to everyone else.

    He only had eyes for his mother when she was holding his hand. It did not matter if the crowd got even rowdier.

    "I didn¡¯t expect Little Treasure to be this good!"

    "People say that boys who¡¯re good at maths are charming, but he¡¯s awesome!"

    "I feel like pinching his cheeks! He looks so cute!"

    ¡­

    Little Treasure suddenly gained himself a lot of fans, some trying to be his godmother, some even intending to set up a marriage with their children.

    Suddenly, Guan Zhichen was totally ignored. All the praises and envious gazes that were supposed to be his were now stolen away by this little kid. The boy¡¯s expression darkened¡­

    As everyone was surrounding the little bun, he suddenly spoke up, "I read from a book and it says that children with autism are usually gifted in certain aspects, now I realize that it¡¯s true!"

    Guan Zhichen¡¯s voice was loud and almost everyone heard what he said. The atmosphere chilled down instantly, making everyone feel awkward.

    Ning Xi squinted her eyes. Lu Chongshan felt like someone just pped him in the face, his contented expression now frozen.

    Yet, this kid was Guan Rui¡¯s most precious grandson, so no matter how angry he was, there was nothing he could do¡­

    Guan Rui and Guan Ziyao¡¯s expression changed instantly. Guan Ziyao rushed over and pulled him over, scolding him in a harsh tone, "Zhichen! What are you talking about?!"

    Guan Rui¡¯s expression was serious as well. "Zhichen, apologize to him! Where did you hear about all this nonsense!?"

    It was not a thing to be proud of. Talking to Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi about it in private was done out of concern, but airing it like dirtyundry in public was an obvious act of destroying the rtionship with the Lus.

    Moreover, it was Lu Chongshan¡¯s deepest scar¡­

    Guan Zhichen had never felt this embarrassed before, and had never been scolded by his grandfather and aunt in public, so he was frustrated.

    The book wrote it that way and this kid had autism, so what did he do wrong?

    Guan Zhichen continued talking loudly, "I¡¯m not talking nonsense, he has autism! If not, why does he not talk!? Why does he need a servant to speak up for him!?"

    Guan Zhichen lost control of his emotions, creating more awkwardness. Everyone looked at each other and no one knew what to say. No one expected things to escte this way. Guan Zhichen had just revealed the skeleton in the Lu family''s closet today¡­

 Chapter 852: Little Treasure Spoke

    <h4>Chapter 852: Little Treasure Spoke</h4>

    Guan Rui pped Guan Zhichen hard.

    "Shut up! I told you to apologize! Did you hear me? It doesn¡¯t matter if people gossip about it. How could you believe them that easily? How does Qingyu look like he¡¯s sick?"

    No matter how much he loved his grandson, he had to do something in order to keep the situation under control.

    Guan Rui had something else on his mind. Although what happened today might make Lu Chongshan unhappy, Lu Qingyu had bepletely useless after today, onepetitor to the position of sessor easily removed.

    Too bad he had to treat Zhichen this way¡­

    Guan Zhichen was stunned, unable to believe what just happened. "Grandfather¡­you pped me¡­"

    Although Guan Rui was always strict with him in public, he was always kind and nice to him at home. It was the first time in his life that his grandfather had pped him, all because of this stupid dumb kid!

    Since Guan Rui had taken such drastic measures, it would be inappropriate for Lu Chongshan to me the child even further. Lu Chongshan gripped his walking staff tightly. "It¡¯s okay, Zhichen is still young, let him off."

    "But that was really hurtful! Zhichen, you should really apologize to Little Treasure." Yan Ruyi was heartbroken as she saw Ning Xi holding Little Treasure tightly. She wished she had not let Little Treasure appear tonight! She had overestimated this woman and forgot that the unpredictable might happen¡­

    She would rather keep Little Treasure hidden at home and never see anyone, rather than to let him get hurt. After all, they could afford to provide Little Treasure for his whole life!

    Guan Ziyao knew that even though Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi would overlook this matter on the surface, they would surely be unhappy, so she helped to persuade Guan Zhichen, "Zhichen, be good, go and apologize to Qingyu, it¡¯s your fault!"

    "That¡¯s right, Qingyu is younger than you, and you should be the one protecting him¡­" Mo Lingtian lectured Guan Zhichen.

    "Damn you, Guan Zhichen! What kind of kid is that!? I¡¯m a kid as well! I¡¯m going to beat him up! That old fart Guan Rui must be doing this on purpose!" Lu Jingli could not hold it in anymore and was about to rush in when he was stopped by Lu Tingxiao.

    "Bro, what are you doing!? Your son, my nephew is being bullied!" Lu Jingli was furious.

    Lu Tingxiao just looked at Little Treasure and Ning Xi silently without any expression.

    Guan Zhichen could not stand that everyone was helping the dumb kid, so he freed himself from Guan Ziyao and yelled, "He¡¯s autistic, he¡¯s sick, he¡¯s dumb! If not, why is he not talking!? If he can talk to me, only then will I apologize! If not, I will never apologize! I¡¯m not wrong!"

    Guan Zhichen was forcing Little Treasure to talk, his yelling filled the silent banquet hall¡­

    Sometimeter¡­

    Guan Rui achieved what he intended. As he was about to have someone to send Guan Zhichen back home first, there was a young yet cold voice in the air: "You¡¯re not worthy."

    That voice sounded childish and slightly hoarse, yet it was so impactful and drove a chill into everyone¡¯s ears and hearts¡­

 Chapter 853: So Cool, I Want To Marry Him!

    <h4>Chapter 853: So Cool, I Want To Marry Him!</h4>

    He¡­spoke¡­

    Everyone was stunned.

    Guan Ziyao looked surprised. Guan Zhichen, who was still yelling a moment ago, was silenced.

    He had really spoken¡­

    This dumb kid actually said that he was not worthy of him to speak!

    Guan Rui¡¯s confidence was shattered in an instant.

    How was that possible!?

    He had spent a lot of time investigating the child even before he came back to the country and he was sure that the kidnap had left a severe psychological scar on the child, leaving him mute in the past two years¡­

    He even had such a low self-esteem and ran away by just listening to Guan Ziyao and Yan Ruyi¡¯s conversation, yet now, not only did he not lose control, he even spoke¡­

    The tables had turned.

    "So¡­so cool¡­" someone from the crowdmented.

    Thement worked like a switch and it sparked exciting discussions¡­

    "Oh my God! He is just five years old! He looks so soft and cute, but that moment was just so cool!"

    "I want to marry him! I wish I had been born 10 or 20 yearster!"

    "Lu Tingxiao is too hard to deal with, I hope Little Treasure doesn¡¯t mind a girl older than him¡­"

    ¡­

    Little Treasure¡¯s fluffy face had the same expression as his father. He did not even look at Guan Zhichen and just walked away from the crowd calmly while holding Ning Xi¡¯s hand.

    The small silhouette left arge impact.

    "Oh¡­Little Treasure is so neat!" Lu Jingli hugged his own brother.

    Lu Tingxiao looked through the crowd and his eyes met Ning Xi¡¯s. He pushed Lu Jingli away as his cold expression softened like the snow melting in spring.

    "Is it just me or did that feel satisfying? Guan Zhichen was overdoing it just now. Even if Little Treasure is really autistic, he really shouldn¡¯t be doing that! He¡¯s forcing him to talk! How could he talk if he¡¯s autistic? Does he feel very happy to prove that Little Treasure is sick?"

    "That¡¯s right, so what if he¡¯s a genius? How can a top student really be so rude? It was just only one question that he couldn¡¯t solve and he got that angry! Who does he think he is? The world doesn¡¯t revolve around him!"

    "Not only is he jealous, he¡¯s very unkind as well¡­what was he thinking when talking to a five-year-old kid? The Little Master was right, he¡¯s not worthy!"

    "Thank goodness it was just rumors. The Little Master is well, and extremely talented! His IQ and EQ is way superior than Guan Zhichen''s!"

    ¡­

    Some people were unhappy with Guan Zhichen¡¯s behavior, especially when they saw a cute child like Little Treasure being bullied. Their motherly instincts surfaced and they harshly criticized Guan Zhichen¡¯s personality.

 Chapter 854: As Expected Of His Grandson!

    <h4>Chapter 854: As Expected Of His Grandson!</h4>

    Guan Rui¡¯s n was to destroy Little Treasure tonight, but he did not expect that his n would not only fail and do zero damage to Little Treasure; Guan Zhichen was now despised by everyone.

    Guan Rui acted troubled and looked at Lu Chongshan, enunciating slowly, "Elder Lu, I¡¯m really sorry for what happened. Zhichen is still young and his personality is too straightforward. He wouldn¡¯t easily change his mind although I¡¯ve told him about it many times. He still won¡¯t change that attitude! His teacher mentioned that this trait of him is beneficial in academics, but it surely causes a big problem in his interpersonal rtionships!"

    Guan Rui rephrased Guan Zhichen¡¯s arrogance and mean attitude to persistence and straightforwardness.

    Lu Chongshan was still reeling from Little Treasure talking, but he understood that his surprise should be concealed carefully. If not, he would be indicating that he acknowledged Little Treasure was autistic, so he stayed calm on the surface.

    "It¡¯s not a big deal, Bro Guan, Qingyu has to be responsible as well. His personality is exactly the same as his father''s. They just don¡¯t like to talk, we rarely listen him talk at home as well. It¡¯s unavoidable that Zhichen would misunderstand." Lu Chongshan used this chance to rify the public¡¯s suspicions and avoid any future misunderstandings based on Little Treasure¡¯s silence.

    As for Little Treasure¡¯s remark of Guan Zhichen''s unworthiness, Lu Chongshan ignored it and did not intend to apologize.

    Great job! As expected of Lu Chongshan¡¯s grandson!

    "Since it¡¯s a misunderstanding, it¡¯s good that it¡¯s cleared up now¡­"

    "That¡¯s right! Many people just love to spread rumors, kids are too young to separate the truth from lies. It¡¯s not entirely his fault!"

    ¡­

    Some guests helped to clear up the awkward atmosphere as Guan Zhichen apologized under Guan Rui¡¯s harsh gaze.

    Lu Chongshan¡¯s anger disappeared because Little Treasure talked, so he generously let this matter off as he was feeling overjoyed that night.

    At the same time, Guan Ziyao was holding onto Yan Ruyi¡¯s arms and she apologized, "Aunty, I¡¯m really sorry for tonight, we¡¯ve been pretty strict with Zhichen, but just like Little Treasure, he¡¯s been treated like the treasure of our family. It was his first time being pped and he got too upset! That¡¯s why he said those harsh words, they aren¡¯t intentional¡­Aunty, don¡¯t take them personally!"

    As Guan Ziyao talked, she beckoned Guan Zhichen over.

    Guan Zhichen looked down and hid the fire in his eyes. "I¡¯m sorry, Grandmother Lu, it¡¯s my fault, it wasn¡¯t intentional¡­"

    Yan Ruyi looked at the red mark on his face and she sighed, "It¡¯s okay now, don¡¯t me yourself anymore, everything is cleared up now. Ziyao, quickly get him some ice! Your father used too much force!"

    Guan Ziyao was relieved as Yan Ruyi¡¯s tone softened. She brought Guan Zhichen away. The Lu family would not hold them responsible on the surface for this matter, but it would surely leave a scar inside them. She had to make her father behave himself in the time being¡­

 Chapter 855: Priceless Gift

    <h4>Chapter 855: Priceless Gift</h4>

    From the beginning, she had disagreed with her father¡¯s decision to bring Zhichen over. With Little Treasure¡¯s fragile condition, bringing Zhichen along felt like bragging. However, her father mentioned that it had been too long since they appeared before them and that they needed a stage to show the Lu family the good genes of the Guan family, so she had agreed as she felt it was beneficial for her¡­

    She thought Little Treasure would not show up tonight and that even if he did, he would probably just appear for a little while. Who would have known that things would escte to this stage? What went wrong?

    That woman¡¯s face appeared in Guan Ziyao¡¯s mind.

    Acting as a servant who brought Little Treasure over to solve the question¡­she was not stupid at all, she had it nned all along! She actually devised a n to embarrass them! She and her father had underestimated her greatly!

    Guan Rui realized that as well and they looked at each other and tensed up, keeping their guard up. Who knew what else would that woman do tonight!?

    "Could Little Treasure¡¯s quick recovery be all because of that woman?" Guan Ziyao mumbled while frowning.

    Guan Rui¡¯s expression darkened. "That woman went to an unknown university in America at first, then somehow she got into the University of South California. But she majored in performing arts! How could she cure the child when Qin Mufeng, a professional psychiatrist, had no clue how to help? From that kid¡¯s aura to the way he talks, he doesn¡¯t seem to have any problems!"

    Although he did not want to admit it, this kid was much better than Zhichen. One day, he would surely surpass his father, Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Such an amazing grandchild! No wonder Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were so protective towards him¡­

    The worst part was that the Guan family had always had the upper hand because the Lu family felt guilty towards them as Lu Tingxiao now had a child and even a girlfriend. However, after today, the tables had turned and he had to behave himself for some time to carefully get back on the good side of the Lu family.

    As for that child, he would need a strategy¡­

    The banquet was ending and the guests presented their gifts to Lu Chongshan. Guan Rui let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, his gift today was going to be impactful.

    "Bro Lu, I know that you love calligraphy. I identally found this work by Wang Zhiyi when I was overseas and I immediately thought of you when I saw it. It took me quite some effort to get it back here, you¡¯ll surely like it!" Guan Rui told Lu Chongshan.

    Lu Chongshan was a calligrapher himself. He was very well-versed in the area of calligraphy and drawings, even reaching the level of a fanatic collector, so this gift hit his soft spot.

    Lu Chongshan took it carefully and looked through it again and again. He was extremely surprised. "Bro Guan, your gift is too much for me!"

    This was a priceless work of art and most of them had gone overseas. Not only did you need money and power to acquire them, one also needed luck as it was not easy toe across something this precious!

    Guan Rui smiled at him. "You¡¯re wee, our close rtionship is worth more than this, and it¡¯s not that expensive anyway, I was just lucky!"

 Chapter 856: The Essence Of The Lu Family

    <h4>Chapter 856: The Essence Of The Lu Family</h4>

    Looking at the priceless calligraphy piece, the crowd was impressed although it was expected of Guan Rui¡­

    "Are you kidding me? Not expensive? I remember this was auctioned in Zurich for $500 million!"

    "Seems like the Guan family has been doing really well overseas in the recent years!"

    "Don¡¯t you see how close were Guan Ziyao and Yan Ruyi just now? They might even be merging!"

    "Really? I thought Lu Chongshan intends to have a marriage rtionship with the Zhuang family!"

    "The Zhuangs are usually more geared towards families with a political and military background, and no matter how strong the Lu family¡¯s assets are, they are still businessmen¡­I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible¡­"

    ¡­

    Seeing that Guan Rui had given him such a priceless gift, Lu Chongshan¡¯s expression softened as he realized he was still seen as an important friend to the Guans.

    Of course, nheless, the gift he was looking forward to the most was Little Treasure¡¯s gift!

    "Little Treasure, didn¡¯t you say you have a gift for me? What is it?" Lu Chongshan asked nervously.

    Little Treasure looked up at his parents.

    Lu Tingxiao signaled to the servants, then they arranged some papers and calligraphy tools. Everyone gathered around. It seemed like the Little Master was going to write some calligraphy of his own! While it was definitely a filial act, it seemed a little normal especially after the priceless gift from Guan Rui.

    Ning Xi quietly prepared the ink for Little Treasure while Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli each spread a long sheet of paper and stood in front of Little Treasure.

    The crowd realized that the maid had prepared two calligraphy brushes¡­

    Was one a spare?

    Little Treasure used his small hands to pick up the brushes, one in each hand. He looked at the papers in front of him and calmed himself down, then put both the brushes on both of the papers at the same time.

    What was he doing? Everyone was curious.

    Little Treasure was actually writing with both hands at the same time! He finished the calligraphy in one go; on the left, he wrote "Blessings from the Eastern Sea" and on the right, he wrote "Longevity as the Southern Mountain"¡­

    After they realized what Little Treasure had done, they were all astounded!

    "He can write two different things at the same time!"

    "And that was amazing! Such powerful ambidextrous talent from a five-year-old!"

    "Don¡¯t you guys remember that Lu Chongshan himself is a calligraphy artist? His grandson wouldn¡¯t be too shabby!"

    "Oh my god¡­I¡¯m shocked¡­this child has gathered all the essence of the Lu family¡­"

    ¡­

    Little Treasure¡¯s calligraphy had been taught by Lu Chongshan, but although he knew Little Treasure was pretty good at it, he was unaware of his ability to write two different scrolls at the same time. What was more shocking was that Little Treasure¡¯s wrist was not strong enough to write properly. His calligraphy might look nice but it had beencking in many aspects earlier¡­

    In just a few days, Little Treasure¡¯s calligraphy had be so powerful that it was really shocking to him. His impression of Ning Xi changed.

    He was worried that staying with the woman might have a negative impact on Little Treasure, but not only he was able to talk, his body coordination seemed to have improved by leaps and bounds.

    He was sure that Little Treasure had gone through some sort of training. If not, it was impossible for him to write this well!

 Chapter 857: That Guy Is Treating You This Way?

    <h4>Chapter 857: That Guy Is Treating You This Way?</h4>

    Lu Chongshan was slightly worried when he realized Little Treasure was about to present him with calligraphy art. Due to his achievements in the world of calligraphy, everyone¡¯s expectations would be really high and in addition to the talented impression Little Treasure gave just a while ago, people might judge him harshly. However, the results were surprising and he was really d! This surprise clearly made him much happier than Guan Rui¡¯s priceless gift!

    As the guests were praising the little bun, there was a loud and strong voice.

    The crowd looked at the source of the voice. It was a middle-aged man in his military uniform who walked in from the entrance. The man looked boldly at the host. He was the general from the Zhuang family, Zhuang Liaoyuan!

    "Chief Zhuang, wee! Thank you foring!" Lu Chongshan went up and greeted him with a smile.

    "You¡¯re wee Elder Lu, I should apologize for beingte!" Zhuang Liaoyuan replied.

    "Official tasks are, of course, more important, pleasee in¡­"

    ¡­

    Zhuang Liaoyuan walked towards the calligraphy Little Treasure had just created and hid none of his impressed expression. "This calligraphy, did your grandson write them?"

    "Yes! It¡¯s his his birthday present to me!" Lu Chongshan was feeling proud.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan nced at the little guy. "Impressive! He can write with this strength at such a young age! Elder Lu, this kid has inherited the talent from you!"

    As Zhuang Liaoyuan was chatting to Lu Chongshan, he noticed Ning Xi who was beside Little Treasure, "You¡­"

    Ning Xi recognized Zhuang Liaoyuan as well but it was not appropriate to talk to him at that time, so she looked down and pretend to not know him.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan realized that she was in a maid''s uniform and noticed her submission, so he quickly concealed his surprise, but then his eyes turned icy when he looked at Lu Tingxiao.

    The atmosphere got warmer as Zhuang Liaoyuan arrived. As expected of a man from another prestigious family, many people wanted to rub shoulders with him. Most importantly, families like his rarely interacted with rich businessmen and Lu Chongshan¡¯s birthday was one of the few asions that he would show up at, so it was a rare asion indeed.

    Guan Rui was tense. He knew that the Zhuangs intended to establish a marriage rtionship with the Lus, so he had to see what his biggestpetitor was thinking¡­

    ¡­

    As the evening gotter, the dinner ended and the guests were adjourning. Lu Tingxiao and Little Treasure sent the guests out while Ning Xi went to the garden for a small break.

    As she sat on the swing, reminiscing Little Treasure¡¯s cool moments of the night, she noticed someone was closing in, and judging from the sound of their footsteps, she could determine that it was someone with a martial arts background.

    Ning Xi stood up and looked behind her alertly¡­

    Her alertness became awkwardness.

    It was Zhuang Liaoyuan!

    Why did hee here? Was he here just to find her?

    "So, that guy is treating you this way?" As Ning Xi was contemting, Zhuang Liaoyuan suddenly spoke to her.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan¡¯s expression looked unhappy, even a little cold when he spoke.

    Ning Xi was confused. "Uh¡­eh? Chief Zhuang, who are you talking about?"

    Was he talking to himself?

 Chapter 858: Good Men For You To Choose

    <h4>Chapter 858: Good Men For You To Choose</h4>

    Zhuang Liaoyuan was looking at her maid''s outfit and was angry. "Lu Tingxiao! You¡¯re his girlfriend, yet you had to wear this on his father¡¯s birthday?"

    Ning Xi finally realized what Zhuang Liaoyuan meant, so she quickly exined, "Well, no! It¡¯s not like that¡­Chief Zhuang, you¡¯ve misunderstood! There¡¯s some reasoning behind it, but it¡¯s not him that made me wear like this!"

    "Is he not nning to announce your rtionship with him?" Zhuang Liaoyuan¡¯s expression was serious.

    Ning Xi frowned a little. Was this question not too personal?

    However, looking at Zhuang Liaoyuan¡¯s persistent face, she could sense his good intentions, so Ning Xi hesitated but still replied him in the end, "We¡¯re not announcing our rtionship mainly due to my career. You should know being an actress isn¡¯t easy¡­"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan¡¯s expression softened, then he continued, "I watched your movie, you acted really well."

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes widened. "Wh¡­what¡­you watched my movie? ''The World''?"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan nodded. "Yes, you yed the character of the female general really well!"

    Ning Xi was really excited. She blushed a little and replied gratefully, "Thank you! Thank you for your praise!"

    She thought Zhuang Liaoyuan would look down on her after he knew about her career, but not only did he not, he even praised her acting¡­

    His expression was genuine; he really thought she did very well.

    "You didn¡¯t use any stunt doubles in the movie did you?" Zhuang Liaoyuan asked.

    Ning Xi nodded and replied embarrassingly, "No, I didn''t."

    "That¡¯s a surprise. Do you have a background in martial arts?" Zhuang Liaoyuan was interested.

    The atmosphere softened as the topic shifted to acting.

    Ning Xi became more rxed now. "Not exactly, I just learned a little. I was a stunt double before I officially be an actress. I always yed simr characters when I was acting as stunt double overseas, they are really impressed by kung fu from China, and most of the time, they needed Eastern characters with good skills!"

    "That¡¯s impressive¡­working on your own overseas at such a young age.," Zhuang Liaoyuanmented.

    With her capabilities, there were so much more she could do to support herself, yet she chose the most difficult path.

    Ning Xi had forgotten when was thest time someone had been so concerned about her and she was touched. She smiled at him. "Well, acting is my dream. I¡¯m just doing what I love, it¡¯s not really difficult!"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan nodded. "Sounds about right!"

    This child was really good, and she had a great attitude as well!

    Zhuang Liaoyuan looked impressed, then he spoke in a serious tone, "Little girl, you¡¯re a smart person. You should know that the Lu family doesn¡¯t really suit you. I won¡¯t say anything further about it, but just remember, if one day, you change your mind, doe and look for me. I have a lot of outstanding single men, each one of them talented on his own. There¡¯ll surely be one that you like!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan was practically telling her, "Time to give up on Lu Tingxiao! I have a lot of good men for you"¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

 Chapter 859: The Devil Is Here!

    <h4>Chapter 859: The Devil Is Here!</h4>

    Did she misunderstand him?

    What did Zhuang Liaoyuan mean by that¡­?

    As Ning Xi was contemting how to reply Zhuang Liaoyuan, a firm grip suddenly held her waist, then she heard a cold voice, "General Zhuang, it¡¯s not very gentleman-like to interfere with someone¡¯s rtionship, don¡¯t you think?"

    Ning Xi had no words to say.

    The devil¡­is here¡­

    He even heard what Zhuang Liaoyuan just said¡­

    Ning Xi gulped and suddenly felt chills down her neck, feeling colder and colder. She tried to get away from the source of the coldness, but she was being held back even tighter around her waist, causing her to almost be unable to breathe. She decided to stay obedient and not move anymore.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan looked at the brooding man calmly. "I¡¯m just saying that in case she changes her mind."

    Ning Xi did not even need to look to know how scary the devil¡¯s expression would be right now, so she quickly interrupted, "Thank you for your good intentions, Chief Zhuang, but we¡¯re in a happy rtionship right now and I would never change my mind¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s grip softened a little as she said that.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan sighed and looked at her. Without saying anything, he left her with a sentence, "If there¡¯s anything you need help with, do contact me. Drop by the shooting range for some fun when you¡¯re avable."

    "Oh okay, thank you, Chief Zhuang!"

    Ning Xi let out a sigh of relief after Zhuang Liaoyuan left. As she turned around to talk to Lu Tingxiao, her lips were blocked unexpectedly, the man¡¯s refreshing scent wafting through the air to reach her¡­

    Ning Xi felt the air inside her getting thinner, and the worst part was that this guy was not kissing. He was totally biting her. She felt a sharp pain on her lips and her tongue went numb¡­

    His kiss became gentler once Ning Xi moaned in pain, and he gently caressed the spots he tortured just now, but when she tried to struggle, he became wild again¡­

    She noticed that someone wasing. Ning Xi anxiously pushed his chest away, blocking his next kiss. She spoke in a serious tone, "No! What if people saw us?!"

    It was not a private dinner tonight and there were a lot of people around. A few maids had actually recognized her and asked if she was the actress Ning Xi.

    In the dark, the man stared at the girl in the maid outfit, his eyes emitting beast-like rays. "So what if they see us?"

    "If they did¡­I¡¯ll bite you to death!" Ning Xi red at him.

    She would not give way to her principles!

    The man¡¯s dangerous gaze turned to hurt. He hugged her tightly andid his head on her shoulder, "When can I tell everyone that you¡¯re mine?"

 Chapter 860: Iâ€™d Really Miss You!

    <h4>Chapter 860: I¡¯d Really Miss You!</h4>

    "Well¡­that¡­" Ning Xi softened her tone as she patted his back. "That day will surelye! Don¡¯t be impatient!"

    "Ning Xi, I¡¯ve said before that the only thing you need to consider is if you really love me, and it still applies right now. As long as you agree, no one and nothing can stop you from bing my wife."

    Lu Tingxiao was promising her that no family influence or interference from any other sources would affect his decision.

    "I know¡­don¡¯t listen to Zhuang Liaoyuan. He just doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going on and he probably said that because he thought you did not want to announce our rtionship to the public¡­speaking of which, I wonder what he meant earlier?" Ning Xi was curious.

    "He probably investigated your identity after what happened at the shooting range the other day," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Ning Xi frowned a little. "You mean¡­he knows that I¡¯m the adopted daughter of the Ning family¡­or that he knows I¡¯m actually his niece? So, he¡¯s just asking out of concern? But the Zhuangs don¡¯t even acknowledge Zhuang Lingyu now. Could they really be concerned about someone who¡¯s not even acknowledged by Zhuang Lingyu?"

    This did not make sense at all¡­

    "Don¡¯t you realize that Zhuang Liaoyuan likes you a lot?" Lu Tingxiao said with an unhappy expression.

    When his own treasure was being eyed by someone else, it irritated him!

    "Eh? Really?" Ning Xi was surprised. She felt that Zhuang Liaoyuan was just being gentle and kind towards her.

    "It''s all because of your talent in shooting. He had no hope left for his useless son anymore, so he put his hopes on you and he probably hasn¡¯t given up on recruiting you into his team, so you had better stay away from him," Lu Tingxiao warned.

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi nodded. "I¡¯ve already said that I will not join that team! Moreover, I¡¯d lose my freedom staying there. If I¡¯m forbidden from seeing you for few weeks, I might really miss you until I exhaust myself!"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s stern face softened. He hugged her and kissed her cheek, then he looked at her. "Ning Xi, remember what you say today. That day will nevere. I¡¯ll not let you have the chance to change your mind."

    "Oh¡­I¡¯m sorry! Am I interrupting?" Lu Jingli covered his eyes with his hands.

    "What¡¯s the matter?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "Yes! Seems like someone¡¯s here for trouble! Go out and take a look¡­"

    A whileter, Lu Jingli, Lu Tingxiao, and Ning Xi stood in their front yard.

    There was a big bouquet of ck flowers, dew on the petals refracting through the dim light, bringing a sense of uneasiness.

    "This is¡­" Looking at the bouquet of flowers, Ning Xi frowned. "If I¡¯m not mistaken, this is a ck Thorn Apple?"

    Lu Jingli affirmed, "Yes, giving this ck and unfortunate flower on someone¡¯s birthday, someone¡¯s clearly looking for trouble!"

    Ning Xi nced at Lu Tingxiao and felt uneasy.

    She remembered the meaning of the ck Thorn Apple¡­revenge¡­

    Was she overthinking?

 Chapter 861: A Familiar Vibe

    <h4>Chapter 861: A Familiar Vibe</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao did not show any expression on the surface,so no one knew what he was thinking about at the moment.

    "Do you want to check the security cameras?" Ning Xi asked.

    Lu Tingxiao tapped on his phone screen, then he opened the security camera footages. After looking through for a few times, they realized that the bouquet of flowers had appeared out of nowhere.

    Ning Xi frowned. "One part of the footage was removed!"

    It was impossible for the flowers to appear out of thin air. It was obvious the footage had been altered in some way.

    Lu Jingli said, "Petty tricks, how dare he do this against my brother!?"

    Lu Tingxiao tapped a few times on the screen again. It seemed like he was downloading some software. A few minutester, he reopened the footage, and they now saw a silhouette¡­

    In the footage, there was a man closing in slowly. He wore ck shirt and ck pants, and almost merged with the night. He had a bouquet of ck flowers with him as he walked towards the entrance slowly¡­

    He bent over and left the flowers there, then he stood back up and looked around. The light was dim and he was wearing a ck face mask, hiding his face, so only a blurry shadow was seen. He stood there silently for quite some time.

    Suddenly, the man looked up and walked towards the security camera. To them, it felt like the man was staring at them through the camera, provoking them arrogantly¡­

    Soon, the man turned away and left, a few ck petals falling off him, then he disappeared into the night.

    "Bro, I checked it and it¡¯s just flowers, nothing dangerous inside. It''s probably just a prank¡­" Lu Jingli said.

    Lu Jingli picked up the flowers and looked at it. He then passed it to Lu Jingli and said, "Throw it away."

    "Okay¡­" Lu Jingli nodded. "It¡¯d be bad if the old man saw this!"

    Ning Xi subconsciously looked into the dark as she followed Lu Tingxiao. "Who might this be, giving these flowers on a day like this?"

    "Pay him no mind, just some bored people." Lu Tingxiao patted her head and seemed not to care about the strange incident at all.

    Suddenly, there was a panting voice behind them, there was a maid calling out, "First Master, you¡¯re here! Master and Madam are waiting for you!"

    "Alright," Lu Tingxiao replied, then he reminded Ning Xi, "Wait for me, don¡¯t go anywhere."

    "Mmm okay, go quickly!"

    Ning Xi spaced out for a little on her own after Lu Tingxiao left. The flowers might not be a big deal for Lu Tingxiao, but the guy from the security footage¡­gave her a familiar vibe¡­

    ¡­

    In the study room.

    "Come here, have a seat."

    Lu Chongshan went straight to the point. "Tingxiao, Little Treasure seems to have improved greatly in terms of his wrist strength, the way he walks and his structure have changed as well. Overall, he looks much better than before. Did he go through some sort of training recently?"

    "Mmm, we hired a master for him," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    "Little Treasure was willing to learn?"

    "He¡¯s learning well up to this point."

    "I see¡­okay¡­" Lu Chongshan nodded in satisfaction.

 Chapter 862: Your Grandchildâ€™s Future Mother

    <h4>Chapter 862: Your Grandchild¡¯s Future Mother</h4>

    "Right, Tingxiao, are you staying with Xiao Xi right now?" Yan Ruyi tried to ask casually.

    "Nope," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Yan Ruyi was expecting that answer. She knew that with her son¡¯s personality, they would not progress very quickly. With the way her son was, even if they were in a rtionship now, it might take a very long time to really be together with the girl¡­

    Yan Ruyi then suggested, "Are you afraid that you might be seen by the journalists? Why don¡¯t you get her a bungalow? Then, you and Little Treasure can stay there as well!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his mother.

    Yan Ruyi realized she had shifted her attitude a little too quickly, so she tried to cover up, "Well, I mean¡­the both of you are really busy, especially her, she must be leaving early and returningte at night, so who¡¯s usually taking care of Little Treasure? It would be easier for you guys to stay together! Then, I could also arrange for a few servants for you! Isn¡¯t it a good idea?"

    Lu Chongshan seemed to agree with her, he went along, "Put the bungalow under her name, she deserves it for taking care of Little Treasure this long."

    Both of them finally acknowledged the influence Ning Xi had over Little Treasure and they hoped that she could spend more time educating Little Treasure, but they were not fully trusting of her yet, so they suggested getting a few servants for them to act as surveince as well.

    "It¡¯s alright, we¡¯re good right now," Lu Tingxiao realized what were they plotting and rejected the offer.

    Lu Chongshan frowned. "What¡¯s good now? Little Treasure might not see you guys for few days if both of you are so busy. You guys even need to be all sneaky when meeting up! That¡¯s why I said her career is problematic¡­why doesn''t she just quit?"

    "That¡¯s right, isn¡¯t it better if she resigns and invests all her effort into taking care of Little Treasure? We would never treat her badly!"

    Lu Tingxiao stayed silent while looking at the two elders, and after a while he spoke up, "So, you¡¯re saying that she can be a full-time housewife after resigning?"

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were stunned.

    "Full¡­full-time housewife?"

    What was that!? They meant to have that woman as Little Treasure¡¯s private tutor!

    This brat knew it and tried to rephrase it that way¡­

    "If you guys mean this, I can consider it," Lu Tingxiao said.

    Yan Ruyi looked helpless. "Tingxiao, there are so many beautiful and outstanding girls, why must it be her?"

    She used to think that her son did not like women, but since she was now sure that he actually did, why could it not be other more outstanding girls, someone more worthy of him?

    "Which part of Ziyao isn''t better than her?" Lu Chongshan was unhappy.

    Lu Tingxiao stood up and adjusted his sleeves and was preparing to leave, but before he stepped out, he stopped to say in a serious tone, "She is the only girl that can give me a hard-on."

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were speechless.

    As they stayed silent, Lu Tingxiao turned around and added, "If you want more grandchildren in the future, please treat your grandchild¡¯s future mother better."

    He then walked away, leaving the shocked old couple behind¡­

 Chapter 863: Thatâ€™s Right, Real Child

    <h4>Chapter 863: That¡¯s Right, Real Child</h4>

    After a while, the old couple came back to their senses.

    "That¡­that brat! Did he really just talk to his parents like that?" Yan Ruyi was very annoyed, then she nervously nced at Lu Chongshan. "Chongshan¡­do you think TIngxiao was serious?"

    "How would I know!?" Lu Chongshan was speechless.

    "I think that it¡¯s really possible¡­if not why would your son be this loyal to that woman¡­?"

    Lu Chongshan¡¯s expression darkened and he remained silent. If it was Lu Jingli who had said that, he would have pped him, but this came from his eldest son and judging from what happened this recent year, it might be true¡­

    Five years ago, they were too worried and even resorted to some extreme methods, which made things worse. He ended up avoiding women and there might really have been some severe effects¡­

    Yan Ruyi suddenly thought of something excitedly and paced around the room. "Ah, a grandchild¡­it¡¯d be nice to have a granddaughter! That girl looks quite pretty¡­her daughter would be really pretty as well¡­then, Little Treasure wouldn¡¯t be alone anymore¡­"

    Lu Chongshan grumbled as he heard Yan Ruyi mumbling to herself, "What are you thinking about?"

    Although he sounded angry about the proposition of Ning Xi bing his grandkids'' mother, he was looking forward to it himself as well. He did not have a daughter and his sons were all worrisome, so if he could have a cute granddaughter¡­

    No way! Stop it! He was not going to fall into that brat¡¯s trap!

    Nevertheless, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s tactic was effective. The seed of the image of the granddaughter was already nted in their minds¡­

    Ah, a cute granddaughter¡­

    ¡­

    At tinum Pce, Ning Xi carefully put the fast asleep Little Treasure on the bed and covered him with the sheets.

    Ning Xi stayed beside the bed and stared at the little bun¡¯s fluffy white face. "Lu Tingxiao, don¡¯t you think our Little Treasure was really cool tonight?"

    "Yeap, just like me," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Looking at Lu Tingxiao¡¯s solemn face, Ning Xiughed. "Mmm, that¡¯s right, just like you."

    "Speaking of which, it was all thanks to you for saving the night. I almost couldn¡¯t hold myself back when Guan Zhichen yelled at Little Treasure but then you gave me a signal¡­but what if Little Treasure didn¡¯t speak up at that moment?" Ning Xi asked.

    "I¡¯ll recheck our DNA again.," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    "Ugh¡­" Ning Xi was speechless. He was really confident in his genes. Was he trying to imply that Lu Tingxiao¡¯s son would not be that useless?

    "It¡¯s alright now, Little Treasure¡¯s really your child. Like father, like son! Haha!"

    "Ning Xi." Lu Tingxiao was suddenly staring at her.

    "Mmm, what¡¯s up?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked hesitant. "Do¡­do you mind?"

    "Mind what?" Ning Xi looked confused.

    "That Little Treasure is not your real child." Lu Tingxiao looked slightly nervous when asking.

    Ning Xi blinked and replied almost instantly, "Why would I mind?! I wouldn¡¯t mind even if Little Treasure¡¯s not your real child!"

 Chapter 864: Youâ€™re My Only One

    <h4>Chapter 864: You¡¯re My Only One</h4>

    She liked Little Treasure because he was Little Treasure. It had nothing to do with whose child he was. She was not sure why, but she just felt a strong affinity with him. Ever since the first time she met him, she would feel immensely happy every time she saw him.

    Ning Xi¡¯s reply made Lu Tingxiao smile.

    Fine, it was better than not asking.

    "Right, Lu Tingxiao¡­what did your parents talk to you about just now?" Ning Xi was almost sure that they had talked about her, so she was curious.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her and replied, "We talked about our daughter."

    "Huh? Since when did we have a daughter? Did you lie to them that I¡¯m pregnant? How can I find a child for them by then?" Ning Xi was nervous all of a sudden.

    "I didn¡¯t," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Ning Xi then quietly waited for him to continue.

    "I just said that I can only get a hard-on for you, so if they want Little Treasure to have a sister, they have to rely on you, and therefore, they have to treat you better."

    Ning Xi was stunned. "What¡­this is even worse than lying!"

    Lying about her being pregnant was much better!

    Lu Tingxiao looked her in the eye. "I didn¡¯t lie."

    Ning Xi squinted her eyes. "Really? Have you tried it with other women before?"

    "I don¡¯t have to," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    "Then how¡¯d you know¡­you can only¡­for me¡­Moreover, if you can¡¯t get a hard-on with another woman, how did Little Treasuree about?" Ning Xi thought of this key question.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression darkened as if his secret was exposed.

    Ning Xi knew he was quite sensitive about this issue so she had never asked him about it before, yet today she had identally¡­

    "Well¡­I¡¯m just asking, you don¡¯t have to answer me if you don¡¯t want to," Ning Xi quickly added.

    Everyone had something they did not want to talk about. Furthermore, she did not really mind about Lu Tingxiao¡¯s past.

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the space between his eyebrows and stayed silent for a little while. After a while, he looked at her and sighed, "I have never touched any woman before. My parents were worried and even thought that I¡¯m gay, but after I proved to them that I don¡¯t even like men, they were even more worried¡­Five years ago, they cooperated with Jingli and drugged me, then put me together with a woman. I don¡¯t have any memory of what happened, but I¡¯ve only done that that one time, so Little Treasure should be a result of what happened that time."

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes almost fell out of their sockets. She did not expect Lu Tingxiao¡¯s first time to be that miserable¡­

    "That''s way too much!"

    No wonder Lu Tingxiao did not want to talk about it. It was surely a hard topic for a man¡­

    And from Lu Tingxiao¡¯s tone, he seemed to have been drugged heavily¡­

    So, he might have been¡­raped¡­

    No¡­the devil being dominated? No more thinking about it¡­

    "After that, drugs don¡¯t even work on me anymore," Lu Tingxiao said.

    Ning Xi did not know what to say.

    The psychological trauma he had suffered was too harsh¡­

    How miserable¡­

    "Actually, I¡¯ve always thought that I was asexual before I met you," Lu Tingxiao said.

    Ning Xi raised her brows. "Asexual?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded then hugged her. "So, there¡¯s no doubt, you¡¯re my only one."

 Chapter 865: Problem With Being Too Good-Looking

    <h4>Chapter 865: Problem With Being Too Good-Looking</h4>

    Throughout the period when Ning Xi was working on the new film with Chen Mian, Ling Zhizhi assigned her to a magazine shoot and a few opening ceremonies of famous brands. Other than that, she spent most of her time in the studio.

    She had invested all her money in her studio and now that the business was getting better, she finally got some money back. Besides, the studio had stopped losing money and started making profits. Ning Xi was d that the money in her bank was growing little by little every day; she felt satisfied and motivated.

    After an event in the morning, she quickly swung by her studio to work. As she was focused on her work, a particr troublemaker came by.

    "Jiang Muye, I¡¯m really busy today! Don¡¯t you see I¡¯m preparing proposals? I have to meet an important client tomorrow morning¡­"

    Jiang Muye had actually gone to her studio for her. She was speechless¡­

    "Hey, can you be more professional and responsible? You¡¯re not even going to your own movie premiere! Always working on your part-time job!" Jiang Muye huffed angrily.

    Ning Xi was annoyed. "Nonsense, I only acted in that one scene and it was for just a few minutes, okay?"

    Jiang Muye was talking about the movie that she had acted in as his first lover. The movie had just aired recently. His enthusiasm surprised her as he was never this motivated before. Ning Xi had to remind him to go to the premiere of "The World" but this time, he had to drag Ning Xi along!

    In the end, Ning Xi was forced to attend the premiere.

    The movie was titled "Our 18-Year-Old Youth" which revolved around the recently popr theme of teenage years in school. With such a renowned director and a troupe of cute actors, plus sufficient funds, they held extravagant promotions. It was certain that they would surely attract many spectators even though the production period was less than a month.

    As expected, with Jiang Muye¡¯s extraordinary influence, every single cinema was almost a full house.

    Jiang Muye was satisfied. "Can you feel my poprity now?"

    Ning Xi lowered her voice and nced at him. "Blondie, as a friend I have to remind you that you should actually you change your style already. Or are you trying to remain an idol your whole life?"

    Jiang Muye looked back at her. "What else could I do? Look at my face that screams ''idol!'', if I were to change my style to a full-fledged actor, do you think people would believe in my abilities? No matter how much I try, people will just say that I get by because of my looks!"

    Ning Xi was about tofort him but then he continued, "This is the problem with looking too handsome!"

    Ning Xi kept quiet.

    The film started soon enough¡­

    Chen Mian¡¯s first film "Star, Moon, Sun" was one of the ssics and his "Love in the Future" was exceptional as well, so Ning Xi was sort of looking forward to this film¡­

    However, towards the end of the film, she had almost fallen asleep.

    Although she realized Chen Mian¡¯s films were getting more and moremercialized, they still had their own specialty. However, this film was created just for the sake of it. To make the plot more impactful, weird twists like love triangles, abortion, and cheating were added, so there was nothing new. There was also no sign of positive messages sent to the younger generation.

 Chapter 866: A Beauty Out Of This World

    <h4>Chapter 866: A Beauty Out Of This World</h4>

    This was not a youth drama, it was a soap drama and she could not stand it.

    The spectators were not stupid as well. Some even left the cinema halfway. Most of them who left wereining.

    "What is this¡­? Must a youth drama involve all these cliches and have nothing else substantial? I can¡¯t believe that this was directed by Chen Mian!"

    "And then there¡¯s Jiang Muye. Was he possessed by Ma Jingtao? How could he act this badly!? I felt that he actually improved a lot after watching ''The World'', so I was actually really looking forward to this¡­"

    "I have no idea what the movie was trying to say. The guy was being a jerk just because he couldn¡¯t forget about his first love, then he made the girl go through an abortion and he wasn''t even regretful that she almost died from the surgery!"

    "I¡¯m really disappointed! Why would Jiang Muye take this up? Even if I¡¯m just here for Jiang Muye, I really can¡¯t stand it anymore!"

    ¡­

    Jiang Muye stayed silent amongst all theints, looking really terrible now. Ning Xi did not say anything, she just patted him on the shoulder.

    As the movie was about to end, the spectators¡¯ rage reached their peak as well.

    "Trash! Give me back my money! I thought Su Yimo¡¯s ''Star Ocean'' was bad enough with her cold, expressionless face, but this one has broken a new record!"

    "I think the script has a problem. Nothing made sense! The male protagonist was just being a jerk the whole time. The movie will probably have a sad ending¡­"

    "One-star rating, that¡¯s it!"

    ¡­

    In the movie, the female protagonist had just given up and left. The male lead was drunk and he stumbled on a grave.

    As clich¨¨ as it went, everyone knew that the rain wasing¡­

    As expected, rain started to fall from the grey sky as the male lead knelt before the grave and the scene changed into a shback.

    Ning Xi sat up straight. After waiting for so long, she could finally see the few pathetic minutes that she was on screen¡­

    In the hospital room, the male lead¡¯s first love was beyond help. The girl had a white dress on and she was leaning into the male lead¡¯s chest, her long ck hair draping her pale, little face, yet she had a bright smile. Her eyes were so clear as if an angel had graced Earth. An extreme beauty within an extremely weak body, forming a strong contrast between goodness and cruelty.

    When the screen shifted to the girl¡¯s face, everyone''s breath was taken away by the sudden beauty¡­

    The male lead¡¯s first love had been mentioned in conversations and not seen throughout the movie, so his character''s mncholy was not exactly rtable. It was only until this scene yed that people started to understand why the male lead was unable to move forward after so many years.

    No matter who it was, no man would probably be able to fall in love again after meeting a woman like this.

    In the end, as the girl closed her eyes for thest time, all that was left on her face was a smile and her immeasurable love for the guy; she was indeed a beauty that was out of this world.

 Chapter 867: Can You Not Be Lovey-Dovey For Once?

    <h4>Chapter 867: Can You Not Be Lovey-Dovey For Once?</h4>

    In the scene, Jiang Muye was crying while holding the girl in his arms. There were no lines, no other sound, but it was impactful. The poignancy of the scene felt as if the whole world has fallen into despair and there was not a dry eye in the cinema.

    The ending of the movie was a scene many yearster when the male and female lead met each other on the street. The credits rolled, leaving an open ending.

    However, most people did not notice the ending scene because they were still trapped in the scene where Jiang Muye had cried as the emotional pull was so strong.

    "Okay! I take it back, I don¡¯t need the money back¡­the scene where Jiang Muye cried is worth it¡­"

    "That was so sad! As expected, it¡¯s not Muye¡¯s problem! His acting skills are still on point!"

    "The thing is that the first love is really gorgeous! She¡¯s like my dream lover! The type who''s every man¡¯s true love!"

    "Now, I can finally understand what this movie is about. Every man will surely meet one or two women like that and that unforgettable experience will stay with them forever¡­"

    ¡­

    ¡­

    After they left the cinema, Jiang Muye was still silent.

    "What do you think about the movie?" Jiang Muye suddenly asked after a while.

    Ning Xi touched her chin. "Do you want to hear the truth?"

    "On second thought, never mind," Jiang Muye replied, frustrated.

    Ning Xi was speechless by his ever-changing attitude. "This movie was made to earn money, you know that yourself, so it¡¯s not your fault that it¡¯s made this way! You¡¯re just unlucky as Chen Mian was not in his best state when creating this. You¡¯re not exactly too shabby yourself¡­"

    "I know, I don¡¯t have to care so much as long as I get paid. No matter how crappy I did, my fans would still watch it¡­" As Jiang Muye continued, his expression darkened. "I¡¯ve always thought it that way, but recently I felt that it¡¯s just veryme!"

    "I feel like punching you. You don¡¯t have to do much, yet you''ve achieved what people could never have done in their lifetime, earning tens of millions for one movie and fans that support you no matter how badly you do, so be grateful! You¡¯re different from I am. My career is actually acting, so be happy!" Ning Xi did not bother to try to convince him to treat acting more seriously.

    Everyone had their own lifestyle preference and there was no point forcing him.

    Jiang Muye looked dreadful. "There¡¯s no point to earn that much money¡­so what if many people like me? There¡¯s no point at all¡­"

    The person I like does not like me back.

    Who should I spend all that money on?

    "Please! I¡¯m not on your level of treating money as useless trash, I have to go back and work on my proposals to earn more money!"

    "Get lost, can you not be lovey-dovey for once?!"

    "What did I say to make you think that?"

    "Every word you say!"

    "You¡¯re crazy, Jiang Muye! Oh, my dearest boss went outstation and hasn''t returned yet, I miss him! This is being lovey-dovey, alright?

    ¡­

    Finally, she got away from Jiang Muye, who seemed to be suffering from menopause, and returned home. She realized that the lights were on, then she saw Lu Tingxiao working on hisptop on the sofa.

 Chapter 868: Do You Have Honey On Your Mouth?

    <h4>Chapter 868: Do You Have Honey On Your Mouth?</h4>

    Ning Xi was surprised to see him. She threw her bags aside and went straight to him.

    "Boss, you¡¯re back!"

    Lu Tingxiao put hisptop on the table and carefully pulled her onto hisp. "I brought you some gifts."

    "I don¡¯t need any, you¡¯re my best gift!"

    Lu TIngxiao smiled. "Do you have honey on your mouth?"

    "Want to have a taste?"

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes looked away. "I remember¡­your leg is notpletely healed¡­"

    Ning Xi was suddenly nervous. "N¡­no! There¡¯s still a scar! Look!"

    Lu Tingxiao squinted at her. "Did you use the ointment I gave you before?"

    "I¡¯ve been using it everyday! My body usually doesn''t scar for too long, don¡¯t worry!"

    "Did you go for a movie?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "Wow! How did you know?" Ning Xi was surprised again.

    Lu Tingxiao nced over at one of her bags she had tossed aside. It was a small gift from the premiere with the name of the movie printed on it.

    "Ah, yes¡­"

    "With who?"

    "Uhh¡­Jiang Muye¡­" Ning Xi felt that it was best not to lie to the devil.

    "¡­"

    "It was totally for working purposes. I yed a small role in his film."

    "What character?"

    Why did the devil always ask such key questions?

    Ning Xi hesitated. "His first love¡­"

    Before Lu Tingxiao could say anything, Ning Xi quickly continued, "I was only on screen for a few minutes. Our endingsted only a few minutes in this movie and it was absolutely terrible!"

    Although Ning Xi felt her exnation was childish, it was useful. Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression softened.

    "Oh, have you visited Little Treasure?" Ning Xi asked.

    "I came over right after Inded."

    "Are you really his father?" Ning Xi rified, "Ah, Little Treasure didn¡¯t say anything after that incident at the dinner that day¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her solemnly. "Powerful skills usually need cool down time."

    Ning Xiughed. "Boss, you even know about this! Do you y games as well?"

    This analogy was too fitting!

    "A little." Actually to establish amonnguage with her, he had been learning about technical gaming terms that were frequently used online.

    ¡­

    The next morning, Ning Xi woke up early and checked all the documents she had prepared before she changed into a smart outfit. Then, she went to the main branch of SF Company, one of her biggest potential clients.

    SF was a retailer that focused on high-ss luxury items and it was a very well-known brand. In fact, many designers had be popr through SF.

    Ning Xi had scheduled a meeting with them half a month ago. During this few weeks, she researched and studied negotiation-rted skills and she even spent a few sleepless nights on her proposal.

    "Hello, I¡¯m the person behind Spirit Studio, Ning Xi. I¡¯ve scheduled a meeting with CEO Wang today."

 Chapter 869: Was That Not A Military Compound?

    <h4>Chapter 869: Was That Not A Military Compound?</h4>

    "Spirit Studio? Did you make a booking?" The secretary frowned at Ning Xi.

    "Yes."

    "Wait, let me check¡­" The secretary flipped through the schedule, running her fingernail down the page. "Oh, there¡¯s a note down here, but CEO Wang is not here at the moment. He''s gone outstation."

    "What? Outstation?" Ning Xi¡¯s expression changed.

    Could he not have at least notified her even if it was an emergency? She had even declined an event invitation from Ling Zhizhi for this¡­

    The secretary showed no sign of apology and continued to work on her own stuff. "Pleasee again next time."

    "Then¡­when will be the next avable time? When will CEO Wang be back?" Ning Xi asked again.

    "I''m not sure, just wait for a notice."

    Despite such a long period of preparation, she had to make another appointment again. She did not expect it to go smoothly, but the fact that she could not even meet up made her feel defeated¡­

    Oh well, she could only wait.

    As Ning Xi sat by the seaside watching the waves, she felt slightly better. Just when she was prepared to go back, she saw an old man standing by the railing. He had a walking stick and white hair, but his pose looked firmly grounded. The old man was looking at the sea and seemed to be worrying about something.

    Ning Xi felt a somewhat special auraing from him, then she continued walking.

    Suddenly, an old-school ringtone rang. The old man picked up the phone and his expression changed. He looked like he was in pain, then he copsed on the floor¡­

    Ning Xi immediately reacted by rushing up to him and holding him. "Sir! Sir! What¡¯s wrong?"

    The old man was sping his chest and his face was turning purple. Clearly, he was having difficulty breathing. It seemed like he was having a heart attack!

    As Ning Xi was about to ask him if he brought any medication with him, she saw a white little bottle rolling away from the old man¡¯s shaky hand and falling into the water¡­

    Before her brain could process it, Ning Xi jumped into the water and grabbed it before it could sink deeper.

    Ning Xi quickly opened the bottle after she got ontond. "How many?"

    Fortunately, the old man was still conscious and he mouthed, "Three".

    Ning Xi fed him the medicine and did some emergency relief procedure on him. After a while, the old man recovered to breathe regrly.

    Ning Xi was wet from the sea and her sweat. She sighed in relief as the old man recovered. "Sir, I¡¯ll get you to the hospital!"

    "N¡­no¡­" The old man was stuttering but he was firm. "Youngdy, please¡­send me¡­to 7¡­Chang An Street!"

    "You really don¡¯t want to go to the hospital? But¡­"

    "It¡¯s okay, I know¡­what¡¯s happening with my body¡­youngdy¡­please¡­quickly¡­"

    Ning Xi realized the old man was really determined about his decision, and it seemed like an urgent request, so she got her car and sped him to the address he had mentioned.

    As they were about to reach the destination, Ning Xi was confused.

    Chang An Street¡­

    Was that not a militarypound?

 Chapter 870: Damn It! Who Tripped Me!?

    <h4>Chapter 870: Damn It! Who Tripped Me!?</h4>

    As expected, Ning Xi was stopped by a soldier when she reached the entrance. "Please show your permit pass."

    Ning Xu turned around to the old man. "Sir¡­"

    The old man slowly opened his mouth to croak, "Let her in."

    The soldier seemed to be shocked when he realized who was at the back, then he replied in a clear and loud "Yes, Sir!" before opening the gate.

    Ning Xi was not familiar with the ce, so she followed the old man¡¯s shaky finger directions to an ancient-looking house. Upon arriving, she helped the old man to get down.

    She could feel that the old man was still very weak and he probably could not even stand without her help. Something had probably happened at home and he insisted toe back¡­

    As she was helping him up the stairs, there was a terrifying gunshot sounding from inside the house.

    Ning Xi was shocked and her face became ashen, but she was more worried about the old man. She was afraid that his heart condition might worsen¡­

    The old man quickened his steps and opened the door. The next moment, Ning Xi saw a teenage boy who was about 18 years old shivering on the floor in the living room with a girl holding him in her arms and shrieking, "Father! Are you crazy?"

    Just a few steps away, there was a middle-aged man with a gun in his hand and he was furiously looking at the young man in the girl¡¯s arms. With his angry expression, he might really kill the teenager!

    Ning Xi took a double reel when she saw them.

    Zhuang Keer¡­?Zhuang Liaoyuan¡­?

    Then, this old man was¡­?

    Ning Xi turned towards the elder, who yelled out loudly, "Bastard! Put the gun down!"

    "Grandfather¡­Grandfather, save me! My father¡¯s going to kill me!" The teenager crawled over and clung to the elder¡¯s foot.

    Ning Xi thought he was going to protect his grandson, but then the elder kicked the teenager hard. "Trash! What did you promise me thest time? It was just a month ago that you promised me, and now you have attacked someone and put him in the ICU all because of a woman! Our Zhuang family name is all ruined by you!"

    "It¡¯s not my fault! That bastard was trying to steal my girl, I was just trying to reason¡­"

    "Shut up! Always about women!" The elder hit the teenager¡¯s back with his walking stick. "Get me the punishment tool!"

    The teenager crawled back to Zhuang Keer. "Sis! Save me! I know it¡¯s my fault! I really get it now! I¡¯m really hurt¡­my legs are broken¡­why do all of you always scold me¡­?"

    Zhuang Keer was really nervous as she pleaded, "Grandfather, Rongguang is really weak, he almost died from your whippingst time! You can¡¯t hit him anymore!"

    "Bullets or whipping? Pick one!" Zhuang Liaoyuan''s eyes zed like the king of hell as he demanded expressionlessly.

    Zhuang Rongguang looked at his grandfather then at his father. He clenched his teeth and tried to scurry away. Zhuang Liaoyuan could not react soon enough and yelled at him¡­

    The next moment, Zhuang Rongguang fell.

    "Damn it! Who tripped me!?"

    Ning Xi withdrew her drenched leg and wrung out her pants apologetically. "Sorry, my legs are a little too long."

 Chapter 871: Her Shooting Is Even Better

    <h4>Chapter 871: Her Shooting Is Even Better</h4>

    Ning Xi stayed outside the entrance out of courtesy.

    It was only now that Zhuang Keer and Zhuang Liaoyuan noticed her. She was dressed in a female outfit now, so they did not recognize her and Zhuang Liaoyuan was surprised when he saw her.

    As Zhuang Zongren saw Ning Xi, he was regretful for having forgotten all about her. "Keer, quickly get thisdy upstairs for a warm shower and get her a change of clothes! I suffered a heart attack just now by the sea and my medicine fell into the sea. She bravely jumped in and picked it up for me, even sending me all the way back here!"

    He then red at Zhuang Rongguang who was still on the floor. "If it wasn¡¯t for her, I might not even be here alive!"

    Zhuang Keer was full of gratitude. "I see! I¡¯m really grateful, thank you! Quickly follow me upstairs for a shower!"

    Ning Xi replied, "It¡¯s alright, I can go back and change."

    "You might catch a cold! Your wet clothes have to be changed now!"

    "It¡¯s my fault, I only remembered to teach this brat a lesson and forgot her clothes are still wet¡­" Zhuang Zongren said guiltily.

    "Your health is important. Follow Keer," Zhuang Liaoyuan instructed in a serious tone.

    Since he said so, Ning Xi did not reject and she nodded. "Excuse me."

    As Ning Xi was talking to them, the teenager tried to run again, but Zhuang Liaoyuan already had summoned some men over. Two soldiers in uniform grabbed Zhuang Rongguang by his arms¡­

    As he passed Ning Xi, Zhuang Rongguang red at her. "You witch! I¡­"

    Before he could finish, Zhuang Liaoyuan pped him. "Nonsense!"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan in rage mode was really scary. He probably would really have killed him if Zhuang Zongren had not gotten back in time. Zhuang Rongguang remained silent and was brought inside.

    "Sorry for that." Zhuang Liaoyuan¡¯s expression softened as he turned to Ning Xi.

    "It¡¯s alright¡­" Ning Xi quickly followed Zhuang Keer upstairs.

    Zhuang Zongren was looking at Ning Xi. He gripped his walking stick and sighed with a little envy in his eyes. "I wonder what family could have brought up such a good child¡­"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan looked at his father and stayed silent.

    "Thisdy has good reflexes. When she jumped into the water to save the medicine for me, she took less than five seconds." Zhuang Zongren was impressed.

    "Her shooting is even better!" Zhuang Liaoyuan nodded.

    "Do you know her?" Zhuang Zongren asked.

    "I''ve seen her a few times, she¡¯s Lu Tingxiao¡¯s girlfriend."

    "No wonder you told Jingzhi to stop considering marriage to Lu Tingxiao after you came back thest time¡­"

    ¡­

    Upstairs, Zhuang Keer brought Ning Xi to her room. "Take a shower quickly! I¡¯ll get you some clothes!"

    "Alright, thank you."

    "You¡¯re wee, we should be thanking you instead!"

    Ning Xi went into the bathroom, removed her wet clothes and took a shower.

    When she came out in a shower robe, Zhuang Keer had already prepared her a clean set of clothes. There was even a bowl of ginger soup to warm her up. She was really a caring girl.

 Chapter 872: Accidental Heart Stealing

    <h4>Chapter 872: idental Heart Stealing</h4>

    Zhuang Keer was a little stunned when she saw Ning Xi who had juste out of the shower. Ning Xi was dressed in pyjamas, her naturally curly ck hair still a little damp, and her fair skin glowing pink. It was enough to make Zhuang Keer¡¯s heart race¡­

    Zhuang Keer returned to her senses and said, "Well¡­we should be about the same bra siz, so I brought you mine. They are new and I¡¯ve not worn them before. The same goes for the clothes as well. Here¡¯s some ginger soup, have some!"

    "Okay!"

    Ning Xi changed and held the bowl of hot ginger soup in her hands, feeling veryfortable. She did not feel like moving at all.

    Zhuang Keer¡¯s room was veryfortable to look at, consisting mainly of a warm, yellow withcy sheets and a plush mattress. The way she dressed was verydylike. She brought Ning Xi a pink dress and a brown knee-length coat, both of which were made of really warm materials.

    Zhuang Keer smiled when she saw Ning Xi curled up like a cat. "Feeling better?"

    Ning Xi nodded.

    "My name is Zhuang Keer, but you can just call me Keer. I still don¡¯t know what your name is!" Zhuang Keer peered at her curiously.

    Ning Xi noticed that the way she looked at her was rather odd and she was afraid that her male disguise had been found out, so she mumbled, "I¡¯m Ning Xi¡­"

    Zhuang Keer jumped as if she was expecting this answer. "It¡¯s really you! The actress who acted as Meng Changge?"

    "Uhh¡­yes¡­" So, she just recognized her as Ning Xi the actress¡­phew!

    "I forcefully dragged my father to watch the movie with me. He usually only watches anti-Japanese war movies and he was really against it at first, but afterwards he really liked your character in the movie!"

    "Thank you!"

    "May I have your signature?" Zhuang Keer started to scramble for her notebook.

    When Ning Xi saw Zhuang Keer at Lu Jingli¡¯s party thest time, she gave off a cold vibe. Who would have expected that she could be this friendly!?

    Zhuang Keer brought her a pink notebook and pen. Ning Xi could not reject her bright smile and signed it for her.

    As she was returning the notebook back to her, a photo suddenly dropped out. Ning Xi picked it up and wanted to give it back to Zhuang Keer, but then she was shocked when she caught a glimpse of it¡­

    What even¡­!?

    The person in the picture¡­

    Was it not her?

    And it was her in a male outfit!

    When she looked closely at the background and her outfit, it seemed like what she wore on the day of Lu Jingli¡¯s party, and from the angle it was taken, it was likely a candid shot¡­

    "Ah! Give it back!" Zhuang Keer took it back embarrassed and she looked really nervous.

    Ning Xi had no words to describe her feelings right now¡­

    She remembered her conversation with Zhuang Keer thest time.

    "I know it¡¯s not my ce to ask¡­but¡­is it true that¡­you and Lu Tingxiao¡­have that kind of rtionship?"

    "So what if it¡¯s true or fake?"

    "If it¡¯s true, I¡¯ll give up. I¡¯m really confident in getting Lu Tingxiao. But because of you, I¡¯d give up¡­I¡­won¡¯t be your opponent¡­"

    ¡­

    So, Ning Xi in her male disguise had identally stole Zhuang Keer¡¯s heart?

 Chapter 873: Sometimes, Iâ€™m Impressed By Myself

    <h4>Chapter 873: Sometimes, I¡¯m Impressed By Myself</h4>

    Ning Xi asked hesitantly, "The guy in the picture is your¡­?"

    Zhuang Keer¡¯s eyes were sparkling as she said proudly, "He¡¯s my idol! Isn¡¯t he the coolest?"

    "Uhh¡­yeah¡­he looks pretty cool¡­" Ning Xi forced augh.

    "Too bad, no matter how cool he is¡­he already has a boyfriend¡­"

    Ning Xi started coughing.

    Zhuang Keer looked at Ning Xi then sighed, "I wonder¡­why do all the cool guys nowadays have boyfriends?"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    "Do you know who my idol¡¯s boyfriend is?" Zhuang Keer asked secretively.

    Ning Xi shook her head innocently. "I don¡¯t know¡­who?"

    "It¡¯s one of my blind dates from before!"

    "Such¡­a coincidence?" Ning Xi gave her a surprised expression.

    Zhuang Keer held her chin and mumbled, "My father introduced me to a few people, all of whom are in the military. My dad¡¯s from the military, my grandfather¡¯s from the military, so are my grea-grandfather and great-grandmother¡­I don¡¯t want to be with a person from the military as well! Can you understand where I''ming from?"

    Ning Xi nodded.

    "Afterwards, my mother finally arranged for me to meet a person who¡¯s not from the military and I was actually quite interested in him but he wasn''t. He didn¡¯t evene to see me willingly, but that''s a good challenge, right? One time, his brother organized a party, so I wanted to give myself an opportunity to bond with him. I attended the party¡­and that''s where I met my idol¡­

    "I identally sprained my ankle and almost fell into the pool,". Can you imagine that people were waiting for me to embarrass myself? I felt so ashamed and at that moment, he appeared! You have no idea how cool he was!" Zhuang Keer shook Ning Xi¡¯s arm excitedly as she spoke.

    Ning Xi remained silent¡­

    I know¡­

    Sometimes, I¡¯m impressed by my coolness as well¡­

    Zhuang Keer blushed a little; she was totally in her fangirl mode. "And he¡¯s really gentle and caring! He saw that I''d sprained my ankle, so he massaged some ointment on them. Right there and then, I fell in love and I swore to myself that I¡¯ll marry no one other than him! Then¡­I realized that he¡¯s in a rtionship with my blind date! He likes men! I¡­

    "Uh¡­sorry, I got a little too excited¡­" Zhuang Keer finally noticed that she was not her usual self, then she quickly released Ning Xi¡¯s arms and sat back in herdylike posture.

    "It¡¯s alright¡­" Ning Xi replied while rubbing her nose in guilt.

    Zhuang Keer looked at Ning Xi embarrassedly. "I¡¯m not really that likeable¡­I don¡¯t always have many friends around me¡­and I don¡¯t really have someone to talk to about these things¡­for some reason, I feel that you¡¯re really friendly and I even have this feeling that we¡¯ve met somewhere before, so I just rattled on to you¡­"

    Ning Xi gently looked at the girl and smiled. "That¡¯s not true, Miss Zhuang, you''re very cute!"

    She was from a renowned military family, so it was normal for her personality to be a little cold and always acting upright. She had to be her perfect self in front of everyone, which might be interpreted as being unfriendly.

 Chapter 874: Sheâ€™s My Type

    <h4>Chapter 874: She¡¯s My Type</h4>

    But Ning Xi felt that every girl had a cute side of her own. It was just whether one could discover it or if she was willing to show you that side of her.

    As she saw Ning Xi smile when she praised her, Zhuang Keer¡¯s heart raced a little.

    "R¡­really?"

    "Of course! Miss Zhuang, you''re my¡­"

    "Your what?" Zhuang Keer tilted her head in curiosity.

    "Nothing¡­" Ning Xi quickly shook her head. She had almost said "You¡¯re my type"! She looked cold and strong on the outside, but was gentle and caring on the inside, the typical proud and shy type!

    One of her favourite types of girls¡­

    "Oh, are you acting in anything recently? I¡¯m keen to watch!" Zhuang Keer piped up.

    "Recently¡­I''ve only yed a small role in ''Our 18-Year-Old'' for a few minutes, nothing else for now, but my new movie has been decided and if nothing goes wrong, it should start filming soon!"

    ¡­

    Afterwards, they talked for a long time until someone knocked on the door.

    Zhuang Keer opened the door and greeted, "Father!"

    "Done with the changing?"

    "Mmm, all done."

    "Pardon my intrusion, Mr. Zhuang," Ning Xi stood up to thank him.

    As Ning Xi was preparing to leave, Zhuang Liaoyuan suddenly spoke to her, "If you aren¡¯t busy tonight, why don''t you join us for dinner?"

    "Uh¡­it¡¯d be too troublesome!" Ning Xi tried to decline.

    "Not troublesome! There¡¯s no trouble at all! You¡¯ve helped us a great deal, we have to treat you nicely, please join us! And I have so much to talk to you about¡­" Zhuang Keer was clinging onto her arm closely as she looked at Ning Xi nervously.

    It was difficult for her to make a friend and she did not want her to leave so soon¡­

    "Well¡­"

    "If you don¡¯t stay, we¡¯d be really embarrassed!"

    Ning Xi could not bring herself to decline a girl¡¯s request, so in the end, she agreed, "Okay, then¡­"

    Suddenly, Ning Xi¡¯s phone rang. It was Lu Tingxiao.

    "Sorry, I''ve got to get this."

    Ning Xi went to the balcony to answer, "Hello?"

    "Are you done with work already? Want to have dinner together?"

    "Hmm, probably not tonight¡­"

    As they were talking on phone, there was a loud yell from downstairs. "Open the door! Let me out! I¡¯m not a criminal! Why are you putting me under house arrest!?"

    "Where are you?" Of course, Lu Tingxiao heard the hollering as well.

    Ning Xi sighed as Zhuang Rongguang continued yelling downstairs. She exined to Lu Tingxiao, "It¡¯s a long story¡­didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯m meeting a client this morning? In the end, the client went outstation, so I left¡­when I passed by the seaside, I saw an old man having a heart attack¡­then¡­"

    Ning Xi did not tell Lu Tingxiao that she had jumped into the water to get the medicine, so she lied, "I helped him to get his medicine then made sure he had it. Afterward, I sent him back to his ce¡­now, they want to thank me and treat me to dinner!"

    "What¡¯s so great about being a general? Being a general means you can simply fire shots at people and put people under house arrest? This is a democratic society! I want my rights to freedom! Even as my father, you don¡¯t have the right¡­" Zhuang Rongguang''s yelling continued.

 Chapter 875: Could I Have Eaten Her Up?

    <h4>Chapter 875: Could I Have Eaten Her Up?</h4>

    As he heard the loud yelling, he caught the word "general", then he remembered the useless son from the Zhuang family. Lu Tingxiao asked in surprise, "The person you rescued was Zhuang Zongren?"

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "Yes, I only realized it after I sent him home and saw Zhuang Keer and Zhuang Liaoyuan¡­it seems like Zhuang Rongguang made a mess again and the elder heard about it from a phone call, which then caused him to have a heart attack! I was about to leave right away, but they insisted¡­"

    "I¡¯ll go and get you tonight."

    "Huh? It¡¯s alright, I drove here."

    "Do you think I can leave you alone at Zhuang Liaoyuan¡¯s ce?" Lu Tingxiao¡¯s voice sounded cold.

    "Uhh¡­"

    She remembered that Zhuang Liaoyuan had mentioned introducing guys to her¡­

    Did the devil always hold grudges?

    ¡­

    Dinner soon started.

    The table was avish spread of traditional Chinese dishes, but there was only Zhuang Zongren, Zhuang Liaoyuan, and Zhuang Keer.

    "I¡¯ve asked Aunty Zhang to make a few more dishes, I hope you like them!" Zhuang Zongren kindly told her.

    "They taste great!" Ning Xi replied.

    "Then, eat more! You¡¯re way too skinny!" Zhuang Zongren said.

    "Grandfather, she¡¯s an actress and she''s got to be careful about her diet!" Zhunag Keer interrupted.

    "How can that be? It¡¯s bad for her health!" Zhuang Zongren said, unsatisfied.

    Ning Xi quickly butted in, "It¡¯s alright, I don¡¯t stay on a diet and I just eat normally, I exercise quite a lot."

    "Mmm, that¡¯s right! Nothing¡¯s more important than keeping a body healthy!"

    ¡­

    "I¡¯m hungry! Really hungry! I want to eat! I want to eat! Can anyone hear me!? Are you guys starving me to death? Am I really your son?" Another round of yelling came from the room.

    Ning Xi coughed lightly, feeling a little awkward.

    Zhuang Zongren did not bat an eye as he put some vegetables into Ning Xi¡¯s bowl. "Just ignore him."

    Zhuang Keer probably felt he was really overdoing it this time, so she ignored him as well.

    Zuang Liaoyuan pinched the space between his eyebrows and looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry to let you see this¡­I can tame even the wildest soldier, but I can¡¯t even teach my own son!"

    The atmosphere went a little stale when Zhuang Rongguang was mentioned.

    It was their family matter, so it was not Ning Xi¡¯s ce toment. She thought carefully about what to say when she saw Zhuang Liaoyuan¡¯s defeated expression. "Teaching a kid is much more different than training a soldier, especially boys. They are usually in a rebellious phase at this age¡­"

    Zhuang Keer sighed, "He¡¯s really too much, he¡¯s only 18, but he''s already started drinking, smoking, fighting, skipping sses, and even gambling. He always picks up all the bad habits. We¡¯ve tried all we can, but he just won''t change¡­"

    "Don¡¯t talk about him anymore, let¡¯s eat!"

    "Yes, let¡¯s eat! Try some fish, Little Girl Xi, it¡¯s really fresh¡­"

    ¡­

    As the dinner was about to finish, a soldier came by and whispered to Zhuang Liaoyuan. Zhuang Liaoyuan then looked at Ning Xi, then gave the soldier some instructions.

    A whileter, there was the sound of familiar footsteps. Ning Xi turned around to see the soldier from earlier lead a man in; it was Lu Tingxiao.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan looked at Lu Tingxiao and said coldly, "Why are you in such a rush? Could I have eaten her up?"

 Chapter 876: Lu Tingxiao, Youâ€™re Too Much!

    <h4>Chapter 876: Lu Tingxiao, You¡¯re Too Much!</h4>

    "And this is¡­?" Zhuang Zongren looked at the man in the ck suit with his sharp eyes.

    "General Zhuang, pardon my intrusion, I¡¯m Xiao Xi¡¯s boyfriend."

    "Oh¡­the kid from the Lu family! You¡¯re here for Little Girl Xi!" Zhuang Zongren eximed.

    "Yes."

    Ning Xi stood up and went to Lu Tingxiao. "Elder Zhuang, Uncle Zhuang, Keer, thank you for the dinner, I¡¯ll be leaving now!"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan stayed silent.

    Zhuang Zongren thought that Zhuang Liaoyuan was unhappy because Lu Tingxiao and Keer did not get together, but he did not pay much attention to it. "Alright then, be careful on the way back."

    Suddenly, the quiet Zhuang Keer suddenly stood up, her chair making a screeching sound against the floor. She shouted, "Lu Tingxiao, you¡¯re too much!"

    Upon Zhuang Keer¡¯s howl, everyone looked at her.

    Zhuang Zongren looked aghast. "Keer, don¡¯t be rude!"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan frowned and had a suspicion about his daughter''s irrational behavior. Even if Lu Tingxiao chose another woman, she would never act this irrationally.

    Zhuang Keer ran over and pulled Ning Xi to her side. "Xiao Xi, don¡¯t believe him! He¡¯s lying to you! He¡­"

    He likes men!

    Although she was angry, she did not want to reveal someone¡¯s secret publicly. She looked at Ning Xi worriedly. "Anyway, please trust me, Xiao Xi, he¡¯s not a good man. He¡¯s cheating!"

    "What?" Zhuang Zongren and Zhuang Liaoyuan were both shocked.

    Lu Tingxiao was expressionless as usual, but his eyebrows were raised and he was looking at Ning Xi. Ning Xi held her forehead and felt that her head was about to explode.

    "Well¡­Keer, this whole thing is a misunderstanding!"

    "There¡¯s no misunderstanding! I saw it myself! Xiao Xi, you have to believe me!" The way Zhuang Keer looked at Lu Tingxiao was like she was looking at the worst jerk in the world.

    Ning Xi looked at Zhuang Zongren, Zhuang Liaoyuan, and Lu Tingxiao. "Can I have a moment with Keer alone? I have something to exin to her!"

    She thought she could made it through without saying anything, but now she definitely had to exin the circumstances!

    Zhuang Keer was pleased to hear that, so she quickly brought Ning Xi up to her room.

    Downstairs, Lu Tingxiao raised his head as he saw Zhuang Keer pull his wife away and he did not look very happy¡­

    Why was everyone taking his wife away from him?

    At that moment, Zhuang Liaoyuan looked at Lu Tingxiao with his fierce eyes trained on him. He already felt that his rtionship with Guan Ziyao was ambiguous. Did he really do something that had betrayed Xiao Xi?

    Upstairs, Zhuang Keer had Ning Xi sit on her bed and she spoke to her in a serious tone, "Xiao Xi, what I¡¯m going to tell you might be difficult for you to ept, but you have to be prepared mentally!"

    Ning Xi rubbed her temples. "What I¡¯m about to tell you will be difficult for you to ept as well. I hope¡­you can be mentally prepared too!"

    "Then, I¡¯ll start first!"

    "Alright, go on."

    Ning Xi was having trouble thinking how to tell her that her idol was a woman in a way that would cause the least damage.

 Chapter 877: Feeling Like She Was Being Caught â€œCheatingâ€

    <h4>Chapter 877: Feeling Like She Was Being Caught ¡°Cheating¡±</h4>

    "Xiao Xi, I don¡¯t know what Lu Tingxiao told you, but he¡¯s not genuine towards you. He¡­"

    Zhuang Keer took a deep breath and said, "Lu Tingxiao doesn¡¯t like women, he likes men, and he already has a boyfriend! His boyfriend was the idol I mentioned to you about! He¡¯s just using you to cover up his real sexual orientation! I know this sounds ridiculous but you have to believe me because¡­"

    Ning Xi interrupted her, "Lu Tingxiao¡¯s boyfriend is me."

    "Because I saw them with my own eyes¡­you¡­what did you say?" Zhuang Keer looked at her in confusion.

    "I said, Keer, I¡¯m the man at the party that night¡­"

    "What are you saying?" Zhuang Keer had no idea what she was talking about.

    Ning Xi rephrased and then exined, "On the party that day, the man with the surname Tang was me. Lu Jingli invited me over, but I had to bring Lu Tingxiao¡¯s son as well, so to avoid any misunderstanding I went there in a male outfit. In the end, something unexpected happened and people misunderstood my rtionship with Lu Tingxiao¡­"

    "Hold on¡­you¡¯re saying, you¡¯re Mr. Tang? You cross dressed?" Zhuang Keer tried to reorganize her thoughts.

    "Yes."

    Zhuang Keer scoffed, "Xiao Xi, you''ve really charmed by Lu Tingxiao. I know you want to defend him, but rest assured that I¡¯ve never told anyone. I really don¡¯t want you to be cheated, so I''m telling you about it. You can never be Mr. Tang, I¡¯ve seen him¡­"

    "Keer, I¡¯m really him." Ning Xi almost copsed out of exasperation. She had no ce to change into a male outfit now, so how could she exin this mess?

    Zhuang Keer sighed as she regarded the long-haired Ning Xi in her pink dress as a damsel in distress who had lost her mind for love. "Xiao Xi, don¡¯t be stubborn. You¡¯re so beautiful and amazing, so why love someone who¡¯s not serious about you? I¡¯m not discriminating against homosexuality, but using a woman to hide his own sexual orientation is too much¡­"

    "Alright, Keer, you said Lu Tingxiao likes men and already has a boyfriend. If you can call that man out and let me talk to him then I¡¯ll believe you." Ning Xi realized that no amount of convincing would change Zhuang Keer''s mind. She looked at her straight in the eye.

    Zhuang Keer frowned a little. "Well¡­I don¡¯t have his contact¡­"

    Ning Xi nodded. "Good, you can¡¯t call him out? But I can."

    "What¡­"

    The next moment, Ning Xi pushed her over and Zhuang Keer was lying on the bed with Ning Xi on top of her¡­

    "Xiao Xi, you¡­"

    While Ning Xi was still in her dress, her facial expression and her aura totally changed¡­

    Ning Xi used an arm to support her weight while being on top of Keer. Her face had lost the gentleness she had when she was talking to Zhuang Keer just now. It was full of her wildness at the moment as she whispered, "Now¡­who am I?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s exterior outlook was still a woman but through her eyes, Zhuang Keer could see the image of the man who had charmed her. "You¡­ you''re¡­"

    Someone knocked on the door and came in. "Ning¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao saw the both of them on bed and he stood frozen there¡­

 Chapter 878: My Devil Sure Is Impressive!

    <h4>Chapter 878: My Devil Sure Is Impressive!</h4>

    Zhuang Keer and Ning Xi both looked at the door at the same time and they saw Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face of disbelief.

    Ning Xi covered her face guiltily. Why did she feel like she was being caught cheating!?

    As if the magical effect just disappeared, Ning Xi switched back from her wild wolf modI into her white bunny mode and she quickly went to Lu Tingxiao. "Lu Tingxiao, why are you here?"

    Lu Tingxiao thought it was difficult for her to exin, so he decided to tell Zhuang Keer personally, but it looked like it was unnecessary¡­

    "You¡¯re¡­really him?" Zhuang Keer stood up and felt that she was still in a dream. She was still excited from the moment her idolo had pushed her down onto the bed, and thest sentence still lingered in her mind. Her heart was racing fast.

    It was a girl right in front of her. How could it be¡­? Impossible¡­

    Seeing Zhuang Keer nce towards Ning Xi, Lu Tingxiao pulled Ning Xi behind him. "Since the misunderstanding is cleared, we¡¯ll be leaving now."

    He then brought Ning Xi downstairs without any hesitation.

    Zhuang Keer was not able to stop him from doing so. The idol she had been longing to meet had finally appeared before her, yet the very same idol was brought away by another man¡­

    Outside the house, Ning Xi turned towards the direction of her car. "Hold on¡­Lu Tingxiao! I drove my car here!"

    "I¡¯ll have the driver drive it back."

    "Oh¡­"

    In the car, Lu Tingxiao remained silent with his lips shut tight, obviously angry, and really angry at that.

    Ning Xi was having a headache.

    Why did it really feel like she had actually been caught cheating?

    "Hey, are you angry?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything.

    "Well¡­you can¡¯t me me! I was just trying to clear your name! If you didn¡¯t kiss me in public that night, would Zhuang Keer have misunderstood us? I¡¯m trying to help you, alright¡­? If not, people would really think that you like men and have been cheating on me¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao still kept quiet.

    "Zhuang Keer is a girl. Are you really being jealous of a girl?" Ning Xi mumbled.

    At a red light, Ning Xi suddenly fell backwards with her seat adjusted to a reclining position. Before she realized what had happened, the man''s face was hovering above her and his arms were pressed by her side, his gaze and tone oddly dangerous. "Yes, even if it¡¯s a woman, it¡¯s still the same."

    He then kissed her lips wildly¡­

    Honk!

    The light had turned green and the cars at the back started honking.

    Ning Xi pushed the man away and tried to get up. "Hey, it''s¡­it''s turned green! Who was the one who told me to not try anything funny when driving?"

    Still leaning over her, Lu Tingxiao lowered his foot on the elerator gently, then continued kissing.

    The car moved on its own.

    Seeing the view outside whizzing past, Ning Xi was surprised. Did this car have automatic driving?

    Could he have installed this after what happened thest time?

    My devil sure is impressive¡­

 Chapter 879: Do You Hate Me?

    <h4>Chapter 879: Do You Hate Me?</h4>

    When they reached home, Ning Xi''s cheeks were puffed up and judging from her pout, she was obviously unhappy.

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyes fell on the faint mark on the girl''s fair neck that was a result of his loss of control earlier. "Unhappy?"

    Ning Xi instantly nodded vigorously.

    Who would be jealous of a woman anyway!?

    "One day, if you saw me and another man in such a position, would you feel bothered?" Lu Tingxiao said inly.

    "You¡­you and another man in a situation simr to mine earlier!?" Ning Xi visualized the image in her head for a while and almost started to bleed from her nose. "How could I not be bothered!?"

    When he saw the girl''s excited little face, it was clear that she was not affected by jealousy¡­

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyes shed with helplessness. "You¡­? Fine¡­"

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao''s exhausted expression and ran over to him in small steps. "Angry?"

    Lu Tingxiao shot her a look. "If I was really angry at you, do you think I would still be alive?"

    The way he said that sounded like he would die from anger or something¡­

    She had only caused little ruckuses out of impulse once in a while¡­and identally stole the hearts of girls every now and then¡­

    Shortly after Lu Tingxiao left, Ning Xi worked for a while. As she was about to fall asleep, her phone rang.

    She looked at the phone disy. It was Zhuang Keer. They had exchanged numbers before this.

    Why was she calling at this hour?

    Ning Xi suspiciously picked up the call. "Hello, Keer?"

    "Xiao Xi, are you sleeping yet? Am I disturbing you?" Zhuang Keer asked carefully.

    "No worries, I''m not asleep yet!"

    "Oh¡­"

    Zhuang Keer did not continue any further.

    Ning Xi could only take the initiative to say, "Well, whatever happened before this¡­I''m really sorry¡­that I''ve caused you to misunderstand¡­"

    Zhuang Keer replied softly, "There''s nothing to be sorry abou. You had no intention to lie to anyone anyway. On the contrary, I should thank you. Thank you foring to my rescue that time. I have always¡­always wanted to thank you face-to-face¡­"

    When she heard the girl''s shy and nervous tone from the other end, Ning Xi rubbed her nose and quickly cleared her throat to say, "It''s okay, it was just a slight effort on my part."

    "Um, Xiao Xi, are you free tomorrow?" Zhuang Keer hesitantly asked again.

    "Tomorrow¡­I have to swing by thepany tomorrow. My manager has something to discuss with me and I''m not sure what time I''ll finish. Is there¡­something you need me for?" Ning Xi tried to probe.

    "It''s nothing¡­nothing important anyway! We''re now considered as friends, aren''t we? You know that I don''t usually have many friends, so I just wanted to ask you out for shopping and meals or something¡­it''s okay if you are busy! Workes first!" Zhuang Keer said this with quite a bit of difficulty.

    When she heard the girl''s obviously disappointed tone trying to be disguised as nonchnce, Ning Xi almost could not help herself and she wanted to immediately agree to everything.

    Atst, she tactfully said, "Let''s hang out when we''re free!"

    When she said this, the other end of the phone suddenly fell silent for a long while.

    Ning Xi frowned. "Hello? Keer, are you still there?"

    "Xiao Xi, do you¡­do you hate me?" Zhuang Keer''s voice was shaking slightly.

    Upon hearing the voice on the other end on the verge of tears, Ning Xi was shocked and she quickly said, "Of course not! Why would you think so?"

 Chapter 880: Youre My Insider

    <h4>Chapter 880: You''re My Insider</h4>

    "I¡­well, after how I felt towards Lu Tingxiao at that time¡­at that time, we were¡­we were technically romantic rivals but now, I¡­I really don''t feel anything towards Lu Tingxiao at all. You have to believe me¡­can you¡­not hate me¡­?" Because Zhuang Keer was too nervous about exining herself, she was practically slurring at this point.

    After all, she was used to being proud and carrying her esteem well, so she had probably never spoken to anyone like this before. With such little experience, she did not know how to befriend someone¡­

    For an arrogant and pampered person to confess their inner feelings was an extremely challenging feat! At the same time, this proved that she really, really cared about Ning Xi!

    Ning Xi''s heart instantly melted into a mess. Without thinking twice, she immediately said, "Keer, I really don''t hate you. In fact, I really like you and I want to befriend you. I really do have errands to run tomorrow and I''m not sure what time I''ll finish. How about the day after tomorrow? We can go out for a meal, go shopping, and catch a movie."

    "R-really?" Zhuang Keer asked in disbelief and she sounded pleasantly surprised.

    "Of course, be there or be square! That''s that, then!"

    "Okay!"

    ¡­

    After she hung up, Ning Xi immediately cried when she realized what she had just done and buried her head into the sheets.

    Damn it! Why did I not keep it in? Aaaah!

    Her heart was exhausted; she had absolutely no restraint against cute girls¡­

    The next night, Ning Xi rushed to tinum Pce the moment she was done with her errands.

    Mmm, time to meet the devil!

    Ning Xi had personally cooked a feast and once they were done with dinner, she had fought to wash the dishes too.

    At night, after she had coaxed the little bun to sleep, she quickly grabbed the opportunity to cozy up to Lu Tingxiao and massage his shoulders and legs. On the sofa, Lu Tingxiao did not look at her and seemed to be focused on the document in his hands, but in actual fact¡­

    The girl knelt beside him and massaged his legs with just the right amount of force. As she massaged upwards, she would asionally touch a few sensitive spots. Even if he used the restraint of the world, there was no way he could focus¡­

    Finally, Lu Tingxiao pinched his brows and put the document in his hands aside. Hisrge hand held the girl''s wrist and pulled her up, instantly making her sit on hisp.

    "Enough, tell me, what is it."

    Ning Xi sat on Lu Tingxiao''sp and blinked, then weakly said while looking at her fingers as though they were the most interesting thing in the world, "Um¡­Big Boss, how did you know that something''s up?"

    Lu Tingxiao shot her a look with a poker face. "You''re unnecessarily eager and attentive¡­"

    Ning Xi broke out in a cold sweat and tried to defend herself. "What!? That''s not true! I don''t have any evil intentions, okay?!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s long arms surrounded the girl as hey on the sofa rxed, then he asked, "What is it then?"

    Ning Xi struggled to choose her words carefully. "Um, well¡­it''s actually nothing really¡­just that¡­well, I''m meeting up with Zhuang Keer¡­to shop and eat tomorrow¡­"

    "If I remember correctly, I made an appointment with you first," Lu Tingxiao pointed out unhappily.

    "Right, right! I''m sorry! I only remembered after I agreed to her too quickly, but I''ve already agreed after all. I really can''t bring myself to go back on my words¡­so¡­"

    "Yet, you can bring yourself to do so with me?" Lu Tingxiao broodily stared at her at this point.

    Ning Xi quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and purred against his chin like a cat, "Of course, I can do so with you. Zhuang Keer is an outsider but you''re an insider! We''re much more intimate with each other, aye?"

 Chapter 881: Still Confused About Whether I Like Men or Women?

    <h4>Chapter 881: Still Confused About Whether I Like Men or Women?</h4>

    "Zhuang Keer is an outsider but you''re an insider! We''re much more intimate with each other, aye?"

    Could Lu Tingxiao say no?

    Lu Tingxiao stiffened his expression and tensed up his thin lips, then he said with a cold expression, "Yes."

    Ning Xi instantly nipped his chin like a happy little cat and said, "I know Big Boss loves me the most!"

    Lu Tingxiao was helpless at the sight of the girl''s mischievous little face.

    He had already pampered her to this extent. Who could he me?

    However, when he thought about how her act of unruliness like that of a spoiled child pretty much only belonged to him, he felt very satisfied.

    "You can meet her, but you can''t do anything out of line." Atst, Lu Tingxiao mentioned his criteria with a serious expression. He was obviously referring to the incident of her pushing Zhuang Keer onto the bed the other day¡­

    "Mmm, don''t worry, I definitely won''t! Actually it''s normal for girls to be close to each other, so you don''t have to be so worried. There''s no way I would like girls!" Ning Xi said.

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything. He only looked at her and maintained an obviously suspicious attitude.

    When she noticed Lu Tingxiao''s disbelieving expression, Ning Xi squinted, then pushed the man onto the sofa. She lowered her voice to say, "Are you still confused about whether I like men or women?"

    Lu Tingxiao held the back of her head and kissed her hard¡­

    "I need some rity¡­"

    ¡­

    ¡­

    The next morning, Ning Xi made her way out 20 minutes earlier than the agreed meeting time based on her principle of punctuality when on a date with girls.

    When she was about to reach the meeting point, she received a call from Zhuang Keer. On the other end, Zhuang Keer''s voice sounded nervous. "Xiao Xi, are you there yet?"

    "Mmm, I just reached," answered Ning Xi.

    "I''m sorry, Xiao Xi, there seems to be an ident up front and it''s really congested. I''ll probably bete, I''m very sorry¡­"

    "No worries, I''ll shop around nearby and wait for you. Don''t rush, be careful on the road. Safety first, okay?"

    "Mmm, okay!"

    ¡­

    After she hung up, Ning Xi started to shop around the mall. This was thergest premium outlet mall in Imperial with rows and rows of luxury brand shops. They practically had all the huge brands you could think of. On the contrary, brands that could afford the rent on an outlet there were definitely reputable ones.

    Just as she was casually window shopping, a shop with a vintage style caught her eye.

    Ning Xi stood before the store and could not help but pause in her step. This was¡­History''s new branch¡­

    As she looked at History''s shop sign, Ning Xi felt slightly rueful. Even though her studio had begun to reap profits, it was still relying on private orders; they did not have a single boutique of their own yet.

    With the aim of learning and observing, Ning Xi prepared to walk in to shop around.

    "Wee to History!" There was the sweet sound of greeting from inside the store.

    "Miss, what style are you looking for?" One of them had enthusiastically walked over to attend to her.

    Ning Xi propped up her sunsses on her head and said, "I''m just looking around, don''t bother about me."

    "Okay, if you need anything, please feel free to call me."

    "Mmm."

    After all, this was prime location. History''s store front had obviously cost quite a bit. From the exterior to the interior, it oozed with luxury. To fit with the style of the apparel, the interior design was inclined towards an oriental style, using the ssic screen with paintings of flowers and birds. Mahogany seats, rattan sofa sets, and ancient vases were as decoration, giving one the vibe of travelling back in time¡­

 Chapter 882: Pack Them All Up

    <h4>Chapter 882: Pack Them All Up</h4>

    Of course, apart from that, the most important thing was the clothes¡­

    Zhuang Keer had not arrived, and Ning Xi was so focused on studying thepetitor that she lost track of time. Seeing that Ning Xi had been browsing for a long time and did not seem to have any intention of purchasing anything, some of the shop assistants were starting to be upset. When they evaluated the way Ning Xi dressed, they started to look unfriendly towards her., "Excuse me, Miss, it''s the weekend and the peak of business in our store. There are too many customers in the store, so if you''re not interested in buying anything, could you please go elsewhere and not disrupt our business?"

    Ning Xi was just about to say something when the shop assistants'' gaze passed her, before they practically skipped towards the entrance. "Miss Ying, Miss Jin! Quicklye in! The two of you havee at such a good time. Some stock have just newly arrived today, you will definitely love them!"

    Ning Xi subconsciously turned around and saw that it was Ning Xueluo''s close girl friends, Ying Fanglin and Jin Xuanxuan.

    The shop assistants knew that the two were the close friends of their boss, Ning Xueluo. Plus, they were socialites with high spending power, hence they were extraordinarily friendly.

    When Ying Fanglin saw Ning Xi, she instantly looked as if she had seen a fly. "Xiao Chen, why are you guys receiving trashy visitors?"

    "What happened earlier?" Jin Xuanxuan asked.

    The shop assistant looked towards Ning Xi and said, "Do you both know her? This customer has been looking around for a long time without buying anything. In fact, she was wearing Spirit''s clothes. I suspect that she is intentionally nitpicking, so I just advised her to go elsewhere¡­"

    Ning Xi thought her words were funny. Could she not walk into a Hermes store if she wore Chanel?

    However, this did reveal a message to her¡­

    It looked like History was watching Spirit rather closely, to the point of taking strict precautions, or else, a shop assistant would not have such enmity towards Spirit and even recognized that her outfit was from Spirit.

    Ying Fanglin crossed her arms and insulted, "Huh, this kind of person, who can''t afford higher end items and can only buy imitation goods, is obviously here just to nitpick!"

    Jin Xuanxuan looked like she suddenly thought of something and said in an exaggerated tone, "Aiya, Ning Xi, where''s your ck Card?"

    "Right, didn''t you swipe it rather coolly thest time? Why don''t you take it out now to continue swiping? Why? Have you been ditched?"

    "What are you guys talking about? Eh, Ning Xi you''re here too¡­" At that moment, Ning Xueluo walked in from the outside.

    "Miss Ning!" All the shop assistants greeted Ning Xueluo when they saw her.

    Ying Fanglin walked over and intimately clung onto her arm, "Xueluo, you''re here! This woman is so annoying. She shamelessly came here to contaminate your shop¡­"

    Ning Xueluo said gently, "Fanglin, don''t put it that way. Anyone who walks in is a guest. The motto of our service is that customers are God."

    "Well, you should still see what kind of customers those are. You are a higher end brand. If other customers see that you have random people here buying your brand, it would ruin the reputation of your brand¡­"

    ¡­

    At that very moment, a firm voice was heard from behind. "I want this, this, this¡­all of this to be taken away."

    When she heard the familiar voice, Ning Xi instinctively looked up and saw Zhuang Keer talking to a shop assistant as she pointed to the row of clothes with a cold expression.

    "Okay, okay, I''ll help you pack them! You want all of this?" The shop assistant did not think that she would suddenly close such a huge deal without a single word and she was obviously excited.

    "Mmm, all of it."

    "Miss Zhuang¡­" When Ning Xueluo saw who it was, her eyes brightened and she immediately ditched Ning Xi and the rest to walk up to her. "I didn''t think that you would like History''s clothes too, Miss Zhuang. This is a huge honor."

 Chapter 883: Mmm, All For You

    <h4>Chapter 883: Mmm, All For You</h4>

    "Who are you?" Zhuang Keer looked arrogantly at the woman who had suddenly walked over to strike up a conversation with her.

    "Miss, this is our boss!" the shop assistant beside her quickly introduced.

    "Miss Zhuang, my surname''s Ning. Here''s my name card." Ning Xueluo extended a name card to her, then looked pointedly at the shop assistant and announced, "Miss Zhuang, I''ll give you all of these clothes for free!"

    Zhuang Keer raised her brows at this sudden generosity. "What are you trying to imply?"

    Ning Xueluo smiled benevolently. "The fact that you like History''s clothes is our honor, Miss Zhuang. All these clothes would be considered a small sincerity from me! To see our clothes being worn by those who are befitting of them makes me happier than any profit!"

    Ying Fangli and Jin Xuanxuan were whispering to each other. "Miss Zhuang¡­? Which Miss Zhuang is this? So many clothes, they''re probably worth hundreds of thousands in total, yet Xueluo is actually giving them away so casually!"

    "Her surname is Zhuang¡­could it be the daughter of that General Zhuang?"

    When Jin Xuanxuan thought this, she suitably walked up to strike a conversation. "Miss Zhuang, it''s no wonder you like History''s clothes. Your charisma is ssic, very suitable to wear such a style!"

    When she thought about how she could be acquainted with the legendary family''s daughter, Ying Fangli did not back down either. "Yeah, especially this moonstone white. It especially suits you!"

    "There are some other new designs in the store. Would you like to try them on?"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi hadpletely been pushed to the back. When she saw that Zhuang Keer was buying the clothes, she could not immediately leave, so she sat down on the sofa and thought of leaving with her when she was done¡­

    At that moment, the shop assistants who had tried to assist Ning Xi earlier were very angry as they saw that she still did not want to leave. Furthermore, because they had argued with her, they had lost such a huge business deal.

    However, att the same time, there was a VIP present and it was not courteous to chase someone out and disrupt the customer''s shopping experience, so they could only stare at her with a condescending gaze.

    Ning Xi was in a daze. She held her chin and looked at Zhuang Keer, posing as though she was a man waiting for his girlfriend to be done shopping¡­

    Finally, Zhuang Keer was all wrapped up with shopping.

    "Miss Zhuang, I''ve packed up all of your clothes." The shop assistants arranged a variety of big and small bags of apparels.

    "Okay." Zhuang Keer nodded.

    Ning Xueluo looked at the clothes, then considerately offered, "It seems a little heavy, Miss Zhuang, I''ll get my people send it to your residenceter on, alright?"

    "No need for that," Zhuang Keer immediately rejected, "Also, thank you for your well intentions, but I won''t ept a reward if I don''t deserve it, so there''s no need to give them to me for free."

    Ning Xueluo''s initial intention was to be acquainted with Zhuang Keer, and she had achieved that by chatting with her earlier. She knew that Zhuang Keer would not easily ept someone else''s gift, so she did not insist on it and asked the shop assistants to give a discount instead. "Pleasee to visit us again. If there''s atest design the next time, I''ll have the shop assistants reserve some for you!"

    Ning Xueluo was prepared to send her out when she saw Zhuang Keer did not walk towards the entrance after settling her bill. Instead, she walked towards the direction behind her.

    "Xiao Xi!"

    "Done shopping?" Ning Xi looked up and smiled to ask.

    Zhuang Keer nodded, then she suddenly handed all the bags towards Ning Xi. "Here, for you!"

    "Ah?" Ning Xi was stunned. "For me?"

    Zhuang Keer pursed her lips shyly. Her eyes were as clear as day and they revealed a gaze like that of a child anticipating praise. "Mmm, all for you! You like this brand''s apparels, don''t you?"

 Chapter 884: Love For Someone Extends To Even Crows On Their Roof

    <h4>Chapter 884: Love For Someone Extends To Even Crows On Their Roof</h4>

    When Zhuang Keer was outside earlier, she had seen through the disy shelves that Ning Xi was paying a lot of attention towards the clothes. Then when she walked in, she had coincidentally witnessed the scene of her being mocked and ridiculed by the shop assistants and those women, so she could not help but buy those clothes, wanting to give them to her¡­

    When Ning Xi saw the girl''s sincere expression of wanting to make her happy and backing her up, she felt her heart about to melt¡­

    How could someone be this cute?!

    However, at that moment when they saw this, Ying Fanglin and Jin Xuanxuan were looking at each other, while all the other shop assistants werepletely dumbfounded.

    They never would have thought that the honored guest that had received such a courteous treatment from their boss would actually know this customer who could not afford anything and did not want to leave. In fact¡­they were obviously very close¡­

    The most awkward thing was that they had all thought that Miss Zhuang loved the clothes in their shop. They evenplimented her charisma and her eye for fashion. Atst, she did not even like the clothes in their shop, but had only bought them to give them away?

    The person who was most shocked had to be Ning Xueluo.

    Since when had Ning Xi gotten acquainted with someone like Zhuang Keer?

    When she knew Zhuang Lingyu''s family background, she had long wanted to thread the connection with the Zhuang family. In fact, she thought that Zhuang Keer, who was the same age as her, would be the best person to do this. Sadly, the two of their identities were still too distant, so it was too hard to find a suitable opportunity to befriend her.

    Today, she had unexpectedly bump into Zhuang Keer visiting her own store, it was an extremely good opportunity from the gods. Who would have known that it would have turned out this way, turning around to hit her on the head¡­?

    "Xiao Xi¡­what''s wrong?" Zhuang Keer was actually rather attentive and sensitive. She felt like she had detected something and asked worriedly, "Did I¡­did I misunderstand? Do you not like this brand''s clothes?"

    Ning Xi did not want to lie to her, so she nodded and just said, "Mmm, indeed I don''t."

    When she heard this, Ning Xueluo almost gritted her teeth into powder!

    Damn it, this witch was doing this on purpose!

    How dare she nder History in front of Zhuang Keer!? Why was she so stubborn? If she did not like them, why had shee and looked around for so long?

    If Ning Xi''s words had been more tactful, she could still try to cover up and then use this opportunity to befriend Zhuang Keer, then she would not mind giving Ning Xi as many clothes as she wanted.

    In the end, this witch Ning Xi had unexpectedly said this instead¡­

    Hmm, this witch thinks that she had struck her sensitive spot, but did she not know that such a harsh rejection was practically ridding Zhuang Keer of her face before so many people?

    For an arrogantdy such as Zhuang Keer, even if she was close to you, how could she tolerate Ning Xi''s wanton and rude action!?

    "Ah, is that so¡­I thought you liked them¡­" The sparkle in Zhuang Keer''s eyes dimmed quite a bit.

    When Ning Xi saw the helpless girl, her eyes were filled with closeness and sincere liking, she slowly said, "Well, I initially didn''t like them, but¡­"

    "But¡­what?" Zhuang Keer looked nervous.

    Ning Xi took over one of the bags from Zhuang Keer, then naturally held out her hand and turned towards her, revealing a loving smile to say, "But love for a person extends even to the crows on their roof."

 Chapter 885: Pampered

    <h4>Chapter 885: Pampered</h4>

    The instant that low and husky voice uttered "love for a person extends even to the crows on their roof", Zhuang Keer''s entire heart felt like it had been engulfed by the warm sea. All her initial nervousness and insecurities dissipated as if she had been consoled by a gentle hand, softly patting her head¡­

    Since she was a child, her father had educated her and her brother military style. Even her mother''s expectations of her were extremely high as well. She had never experienced this feeling of being pampered by someone''s hand¡­

    Zhuang Keer looked at her hand in Ning Xi''s and felt the entirety of the girl''s tender and warm hand. Suddenly, she tossed all the bags of clothes onto the sofa, then pulled away the bags in Ning Xi''s hands too. She held Ning Xi''s arm and uttered happily, "Since you don''t like them, then we won''t have it. Let''s go shop wherever you like!" Zhuang Keer chirped as she happily pulled Ning Xi away from the shop.

    They could not bear to look on as the clothes that had been highly praised by Ning Xueluo, Ying Fanglin, Jin Xuanxuan, and the other shop assistants were casually tossed aside in the store¡­

    "Boss¡­uhh¡­" At that moment, one of the shop assistants reacted in horror and looked awkwardly at the pile of clothes.

    Ning Xueluo suppressed the emotions within her and calmed herself down. "Refund all of Miss Zhuang''s money from the transaction earlier."

    The shop assistant nodded. "Okay."

    Ying Fangli looked in bewilderment towards the direction that Ning Xi and Zhuang Keer had left. "Xueluo, what''s going on? Why is Zhuang Keer so nice to that bumpkin Ning Xi?"

    Jin Xuanxuan pouted. "Who knows what ck magic that witch has used¡­?"

    Ying Fanglin scoffed, "Huh, think about what kind of family the Zhuangs are! She can''t just get acquainted easily. If the two generals find out that Zhuang Keer is being badly influenced, she would really get it!"

    When she heard thisment, Ning Xueluo''s eye suddenly lit up. If she nned well, perhaps this could be a good opportunity for her to thoroughly resolve all of her problems.

    Or else, if she really let Ning Xi foster good rtionships with the Zhuang family, things would be difficult for her¡­

    ¡­

    Zhuang Keer was having a good time shopping with Ning Xi when her phone beeped. It was a message from the bank, informing her that the money she had paid to History earlier had been refunded.

    "What is it?"

    "Nothing, that shop earlier returned the money to me."

    She knew very well what Ning Xueluo''s intentions were. There were too many people like her and she did not pay any mind to her. However, there was one thing that bothered her¡­

    Zhuang Keer suddenly thought of something and looked at Ning Xi to ask hesitantly, "Xiao Xi, do you have some past grudges with those people earlier? Do you need help?"

    When she saw Zhuang Keer''s caring demeanor, Ning Xi felt her heart warm. "No worries, they''re just unimportant people."

    "If you need anything, you must let me know!"

    "Okay!"

    "Oh, Xiao Xi, the outfit on you is really, really nice. What brand is it? I heard them say it''s called ''Spirit'' or something? Do you like their outfits?" Zhuang Keer''s eyes were sparkling, revealing her intentions of wanting to buy everything for her.

    Ning Xiughed slightly, "It''s ''Spirit'' and their style is close to History''s. That''s why they''re consideredpetitors, but this brand has only just started. It has not reached History''s level of influence."

 Chapter 886: Want To Play?

    <h4>Chapter 886: Want To y?</h4>

    "That doesn''t matter. Most importantly, you like it! Let''s go shop there!" Zhuang Keer enthusiastically said.

    "There''s no need to buy," said Ning Xi.

    "Ah? Why!? Actually, you don''t have to worry too much. You saved my grandfather, so my family and I are very grateful to you. However, to just give you money would be too disrespectful, so I''m just doing my best to help you¡­"

    Ning Xi gently looked at her. "I understand where you''reing from, and I''ve said before that it was only a slight effort, so you really don''t have to do so much for me. I''d actually feel really pressured if you keep treating me like a savior. I only want to befriend you because I think I''m quite happy being with you, and we get along quite well."

    "Me too, me too!" Zhuang Keer nodded gleefully. "So, just treat this as a present from a friend!"

    Ning Xiughed. "There''s really no need, ''Spirit'' is my brand."

    "Ah! Really?" Zhuang Keer was surprised.

    ¡­

    Ning Xi and Zhuang Keer chatted and shopped as though they had endless things to talk about. Without realizing it, evening had arrived and the two found a ce to stop for dinner.

    Zhuang Keer''s eyes were filled with yearning as she listened to Ning Xi''s interesting stories from her time abroad as well as the ingenious opportunities when building Spirit Studio. "Xiao Xi, I''m so jealous of you. You can live so freely, wonderfully, and meet so many interesting people and things. You have someone that you like, plus a dream and a goal that you''re working hard towards, living every day of your life to the fullest¡­"

    Ning Xi never would have thought that the day she was envied of woulde. "Talking about jealousy, shouldn''t you be the one everyone''s jealous of?"

    Even though she was making her way towards the light today, she had once faced darkness and hopelessness in the past.

    Zhuang Keerughed wryly. "Right, I have everything, and I can easily get anything I want, but everything I''ve done since I was young was to follow the wishes of my family. Neither do I even know what I really want, nor do I have anything I especially want to do. Everything I do must be rid of selfishness first and prioritise my family''s honor¡­isn''t this a kind of sorrow too?"

    "Everyone has their own troubles, even the world''s richest person! Only those who drink the water would know its temperature!" Ning Xi quoted and could not help but think about Zhuang Rongguang.

    She suddenly realized that Zhuang Keer and Zhuang Rongguang were two pr opposites. Zhuang Keer hadpletely surrendered to the arrangements of her family and been trained to be the most perfectdylike socialite, while Rongguang had thoroughly rebelled and done theplete of his family wishes, growing up in the most unruly manner¡­

    ¡­

    When they were done with dinner, Ning Xi brought Zhuang Keer to the arcade. It was hard to imagine that it was Zhuang Keer''s first time in the arcade. Everything was new and interesting to her.

    "Husband, I want that long-eared bunny!"

    "Okay, wait for me, I''ll help you get it! I''m not lying, I am indeed a w machine expert!"

    "Husband, you''re amazing! Go, husband!"

    ¡­

    "What are they doing?" Zhuang Keer looked curiously at the row of ss shelves which were filled with all sorts of cute stuffed toys. In front of one of it, a man had put in a few coins, then he started to focus on clicking the red button on it.

    "w a stuffed toy. Each attempt costs one coin. Want to y?" Ning Xi asked.

 Chapter 887: Pick Up Skills Switched On

    <h4>Chapter 887: Pick Up Skills Switched On</h4>

    "But I don''t know how to¡­" Zhuang Keer hesitated.

    "It''s okay, just try!" Ning Xi casually put in a few coins into the machine and taught Zhuang Keer how to y the game.

    "Mmm, okay, Xiao Xi, which one do you like? I''ll help you w it!" Zhuang Keer was eager to try. Sadly, Zhuang Keer''s luck was not that great. She had put in ten coins and still did not catch anything at all. She looked as if she was on the verge of tears.

    "Hahaha, pretty girl, it''s not like this. There is a skill to wing. You''re purely here to waste your money right now," the man on the side, who had put in coins thrice and managed to w one stuffed toy, pointed out proudly.

    When he saw that Ning Xi and Zhuang Keer were both rare beauties, his eyes bulged out of their sockets and he even dared to hit them up with his girlfriend beside him. "So,dies? Do you need my help?"

    "You bastard! Are you stuck on your feet because you see pretty girls?! I''m not dead yet!"

    "Aiyo, I''m just helping them!"

    ¡­

    The group of single boys in the arcade began to notice them and a few had walked up to them. After all, most of them who were there were couples and it was rare to see beauties like Ning Xi and Zhuang Keer apanying each other.

    "Beautiful, which one do you want? I''ll help you!"

    "Go away! Get your stinky hands of me!"

    "Gorgeous sister, allow me! I''m really good, I guarantee that within three attempts, no! Within two attempts, I will help you get something!"

    ¡­

    Upon failing the 18th time, Zhuang Keer was utterly defeated. She had always been praised as smart and excellent since she was young, but who would have known that she would be stopped by a little game like this, especially since she had said she would catch something for Ning Xi? This was so embarrassing!

    Plus, there were a few guys who continued to disturb them, putting her in a worse mood.

    Ning Xi shot a look at the young boys. They were probably students and were there to hook up with girls. She slowly put in twelve coins and said, "Allow me."

    "Mmm." Zhuang Keer nodded in disappointment and moved away from her spot.

    "You point, I''ll w," Ning Xi said to Zhuang Keer.

    "I¡­wanted to w that bunny for you, but I just couldn''t!" Zhuang Keer said frustratedly.

    "Okay." Ning Xi looked into the ss and then pressed the button.

    "Hey, beautiful, you can''t do that, there''s a skill to wing them. That bunny is in a position that is obviously hard to w, you should get the one closer to the hole¡­"

    "You pressed the button too quickly earlier! You must wait for the right moment! Don''t simply press down!"

    ¡­

    With all themotion beside her, Ning Xi turned around to re unhappily at the boys. "Shut up! You''re so noisy! Is there not enough homework? Why aren''t you home when it''s sote?!"

    "Oh¡­this pretty sister is so fierce!"

    "But that''s so hot!"

    "Aaah! Pretty sister, you''ve got it, you''ve got it!"

    At that moment, a few people suddenly started to yell excitedly and Zhuang Keer was pleasantly surprised as well. "Xiao Xi, you''ve really got it!"

    She had simply pressed the button earlier and she did not expect to have really wed it. That was such good luck!

    Ning Xi nonchntly took the bunny prize and stuffed it into Zhuang Keer''s arms, then continued to w¡­

    Up next, there was a little pig, a chicken, a little goat, little tiger¡­

    Ning Xi had actually used those 12 coins to retrieve all 12 zodiacs!

    Behind her, the guys, who had been boisterous earlier, were so shocked that their eyes almost rolled out of their heads as they looked at the furry animals in Zhuang Keer''s arms¡­

 Chapter 888: I Want To See Xiao Xi In Mens Clothes

    <h4>Chapter 888: I Want To See Xiao Xi In Men''s Clothes</h4>

    "Whoa!!! Sis, you''re way too cool! What is the likelihood of this happening?!"

    "Master! Please take me in! Can you teach me how you did it?"

    "I want to learn too! After I learn this, I don''t have to worry about picking up girls anymore!"

    ¡­

    "Go home and finish your homework, alright? You''ve not even reached puberty and here you are, thinking about getting girls!" Ning Xi helped Zhuang Keer with a few of the stuffed toys, then grabbed her hand to walk away.

    Zhuang Keer watched Ning Xi with a glowing expression, practically worshipping her at this point. Behind them, a few boys were mumbling, "So what if we haven''t reached puberty? Is it that great that you as a girl are so good at getting girls?"

    "Give us men a chance!"

    ¡­

    After they left the arcade, Zhuang Keer held the bag of stuffed animals that Ning Xi had wed in satisfaction. She was so excited that her little face had turned red.

    "Xiao Xi, I''m really happy today!"

    "Me too!"

    "Can we go out together again?" Zhuang Keer asked in anticipation.

    "Of course, we can."

    "Awesome!" Zhuang Keer was clearly overjoyed and already looking forward to the next outing.

    As the two walked along the road, Zhuang Keer stole a look at Ning Xi again and again.

    "What is it?" Ning Xi asked.

    Zhuang Keer quickly shook her head, but her face had suddenly turned increasingly scarlet. Ning Xi was curious to know what thoughts were running through her mind.

    Ning Xiughed. "Just say it already! We''re friends, aren''t we?"

    "I¡­" Zhuang Keer hesitated further before she finally stopped walking and said, "Xiao¡­Xiao Xi¡­I have a favor to ask!"

    "Tell me, I''ll do it as long as I can," Ning Xi answered her frankly.

    Zhuang Keer asked with wavering eyes that reflected the moonlight above them, "Can I see my dream guy?"

    Ning Xi was speechless by what she just heard, her brows raised in obvious shock.

    See her dream guy?

    Was Zhuang Keer trying to say that she wants to see her in her male disguise?

    Uhh¡­

    It was not difficult for her to dress in her male disguise¡­

    However, if that vinegar tank, Lu Tingxiao, ever found out, she would need a lot of effort to coax him again.

    When she saw that Ning Xi did not reply immediately, Zhuang Keer quickly apologized, "I"m¡­I''m sorry! I know that my request is too random! Just pretend I didn''t say anything!"

    Ning Xi contemted for a while, then nonchntly said to Zhuang Keer, "It''s not too random. Of course, you can! In fact, you should have many chances of seeing your dream guy in the future!"

    Ning Xi said in a yful tone.

    "W¡­what? Many chances?" Zhuang Keer did not quite understand what she meant.

    "I''ve just recently epted a role, and it''s as a girl who disguises as a man," answered Ning Xi.

    "Ah! Really?!" Zhuang Keer shrieked, feeling so excited that she did not care about herdylike demeanor.

    "Shhh, this is a secret, you can''t tell anyone else."

    "Mmm, I won''t!" Zhuang Keer quickly promised.

    "Wait till I start shooting. I can tell the director that you''re my friend, so you can visit me on set. As long as it doesn''t affect the shoot and you don''t reveal any of the contents, it shouldn''t be much of a problem!"

    Zhuang Keer was practically bouncing. "Really?! That''s so awesome! I''ll definitely not affect the shoot or reveal anything! Actually, I''ve been very curious to see how movies are shot¡­"

    When she saw Zhuang Keer''s happy face, Ning Xi breathed a sigh of relief.

    Such an arrangement that was not a one-on-one meet up should not anger the devil¡­Sigh, she had really used up all her brain juice for this¡­

 Chapter 889: Caught By The Devil Again!

    <h4>Chapter 889: Caught By The Devil Again!</h4>

    "Xiao Xi, thank you! Thank you so much! I really like you so much!" Zhuang Keer turned around and hugged her tightly. There was nothing more delightful than being hugged by such a cute girl, so Ning Xi smiled and replied, "I like you too!"

    At this moment, a car''s headlights shone their way. A ck Maybach slowly rolled to a stop beside the two of them. The door opened, and a pair of lean legs stepped out¡­

    The cold Lu Tingxiao had caught them off guard and appeared before them.

    At that instant, Ning Xi almost knelt onto her knees. Jesus! Was God ying a trick on her? Why was history repeating itself?!

    Ning Xi quickly let go of Zhuang Keer. "Lu Tingxiao¡­why are you here?"

    Lu Tingxiao then replied with a gloomy expression, "To pick you up."

    Ning Xi instantly remembered what Lu Tingxiao had said to her yesterday. He had told her that she could meet her, but not cross the line with any actions¡­

    Well, this is just great! She hadpletely gone back on her own guarantee.

    "I thought I could send you home¡­" When Zhuang Keer saw Lu Tingxiao, she was obviously unhappy.

    She felt that Lu Tingxiao did not suit Xiao Xi at all. He was like a cold and hard rock with that frightening expression all the time too. Poor Xiao Xi!

    Could it be that Xiao Xi was forced¡­?

    The more Zhuang Keer thought about it, the more she began to worry. She evaded Lu Tingxiao and pulled Ning Xi to the side and asked in a lowered voice, "Xiao Xi, don''t be afraid of him. If he bullies you, you must tell me! Don''t shrink away or force yourself! Even though I don''t have any way of going against him myself, I can let my father and grandfather help!"

    Ning Xi looked at Zhuang Keer gratefully, then turned to look the devil who was staring at her and Zhuang Keer whispering together with a stiff and frightening expression on his face.

    Pfft! With that face of his, it was no wonder that Zhuang Keer would suspect that she was being bullied¡­

    Though, the truth was that he had been indulging and pampering her all along to the point of no return.

    "Keer, thank you, but don''t worry. He won''t bully me. In fact, I love him very much, and neither am I wronged, nor do I feel forced. I am wholeheartedly willing to be with him."

    When Lu Tingxiao heard those words, his unhappiness due to the fact that his wife was being snatched immediately changed into a startled expression.

    This was the first time¡­the first time he had heard such words from Ning Xi¡­

    She said that she loved him¡­

    This joy was truly unexpected¡­

    Zhuang Keer had initially found it hard to understand. She felt that Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi did not fit at all. However, at that moment as she watched Ning Xi''s extremely serious expression and the warmth radiating from her eyes as she looked past her to Lu Tingxiao, she suddenly believed that the two of them truly loved each other.

    "I''m leaving now, let''s hang out again next time. Drive safe," Ning Xi bade farewell to Zhuang Keer.

    Zhuang Keer waved reluctantly. "Mmm, okay¡­ah¡­"

    As they spoke, the bag filled with Zhuang Keer''s stuff toys had tore and the toys started to roll out.

    Lu Tingxiao bent down and picked up a bunny. "What are¡­these?"

    Zhuang Keer swept all the toys into her embrace and said proudly, "The stuffed toys Xiao Xi helped me w! Xiao Xi is amazing, she caught all 12 at once!"

    "You can''t, have this one," Lu Tingxiao stated as he unexpectedly took the bunny for himself with no intentions of returning it.

    Zhuang Keer stomped angrily. "Hey! That''s mine!"

    Lu Tingxiao held on to the bunny with a poker face. "No, it''s mine."

    Ning Xi buried her face in her hand helplessly. Devil, could you be any more immature¡­?

 Chapter 890: Say That Again

    <h4>Chapter 890: Say That Again</h4>

    At the apartment.

    "I''ll go up then, goodnight!"

    Ning Xi was about to get down from the car when Lu Tingxiao suddenly reached out and held her arm gently, stopping her. "Say that again."

    "Huh? Say what?" Ning Xi looked over in confusion.

    "The words you said to Zhuang Keer earlier." Lu Tingxiao stared at her, his coldke-like eyes seemed to waver with signs of stars and mes.

    "What did I say to Zhuang Keer earlier?" Ning Xi blinked, pretending not to understand.

    "Zhuang Keer said that I will bully you. What was your answer?" Lu Tingxiao said as the starlight in his eyes slowly turned into a sea¡­

    "Oh¡­that¡­" Ning Xi rubbed her chin and pretended to recall, then she said, "Thank you, but don''t worry, he won''t bully me¡­"

    "And?"

    "Neither wronged nor forced?"

    "And?"

    "Willing?"

    Lu Tingxiao lips pursed, obviously unhappy that he still had not heard what he wanted to.

    Ning Xi finally could not help butugh. It was rare to see Lu Tingxiao look this cute¡­

    In the next second, she closed in and said in a low, hoarse voice that could stir hearts. With her warm breath by his ear, she said, "I really love him¡­"

    Then, before Lu Tingxiao could act on anything, she ran out far and away as she waved cunningly, "Oyasumi!"

    As he watched that little thing run off after teasingly, Lu Tingxiao cursed softly. His eyes caught the furry white bunny beside him. He picked it up and punished it by pinching its bunny ears with his slender fingers¡­

    ¡­

    In the next few days, Ning Xi continued to follow up with the situation on SF''spany''s side. Atst, she was told that the person-in-charge had yet to return from his work trip, thus she could only set the issue aside temporarily.

    The good news was that even though Ning Xi had only appeared for a few minutes in "Our 18-Year-Old Youth" as the male lead''s first love, her poprity was boosted.

    After the movie ended, many people were asking about the identity of the actress who yed the role of the first love. Atst, the Inte raved that it was Liang Biqin.

    However, that face did not look like Liang Biqin''s!

    Because so many people were asking about the girl''s identity, the movie''s official Weibo answered right away that it was Ning Xi. On there was also a picture of the first love in "Our 18-Year-Old Youth" and Meng Changge''s still from "The World" with Ning Xi and Jiang Muye tagged in the pictures.

    Once the fans found out who the actress was, everyone was shocked!

    The actress who had acted as the first love was unexpectedly acted by the same person as the viin in "The World", Meng Changge!

    In "The World", Ning Xi was enticing, alluring, unruly, and passionate. Furthermore, she had an ancient wardrobe and heavier make up. That was why when she had acted in a modern role as such a pure and beautiful character, no one could recognize her. Even though many of the audience had suspected that it might have been her, they did not dare think about it, yet it had really been her.

    From the devastatingly beautiful wicked female general to the 18-year-old at the prime of her youth, it was such a huge difference in personas, yet she had taken on the role perfectly.

    What made fans even more emotional was the fact that their favorite pairing, Meng Changge and Sun Huanqing had unexpectedly been reunited in modern times again. Even more coincidentally, the ending in both of the shows was a separation in life and death again, making all their fans sob even more on the Inte. At the same time, the fans of this pairing had significantly strengthened in numbers!

 Chapter 891: Unexpected Windfall

    <h4>Chapter 891: Unexpected Windfall</h4>

    After realizing that Ning Xi and Jiang Muye had a scene together, Han Momo watched the movie three times just for those precious few minutes. There were a lot of shippers just like Han Momo as well¡­

    The productionmittee mentioned that it was a modernized version of "The World" as a gimmick and was trying to attract more people to watch it. The movie investors even asked Chen Mian to reward Ning Xi with a big red packet as a token of appreciation and also asked her to cooperate with the promotion.

    Ning Xi did not see this unexpected windfalling. Of course, she would not reject an offer that benefited both parties, so she shared the post from the official Weibo ount and also attended a few roadshows.

    Among all the positivements, there were bound to be some negative ones and some very nasty ones at that.

    [Shouldn¡¯t this character be yed by Liang Biqin? How did it be Ning Xi instead?]

    [Isn¡¯t it obvious? Someone must have forced her way through. How shameless, snatching roles just to be closer to Jiang Muye!]

    [That¡¯s crazy, it was just a minor character! I don¡¯t understand what Jiang Muye sees in her. He was totally being used!]

    ¡­

    Actually, when Ning Xi saw the cross-dressing script earlier, it was really just a small production with roughly only $10 million of investment.

    While it was impossible to get a female lead in a big production with her current level of fame, she could still fight for some leading roles in small productions. However, after Liang Biqin got the role and made a fuss about it, it became one of the most invested series and many renowned celebrities joined the fray.

    Apparently, Liang Biqin had paid some people to help her to attack Ning Xi on the Inte, supported by the assumption that Su Yimo was the futuredy boss of Glory World.

    Unfortunately for her, before Ning Xi and Ling Zhizhi got to take action, Chen Mian had rified that it was Liang Biqin who dishonored the contract, prompting them to ask Ning Xi for help. Therefore, any role-snatching rumors were dismissed instantly and he even harshly criticized Liang Biqin¡¯s behavior. He even mentioned that he would never hire her for any future movie production he was involved in.

    At Glory World Entertainment, Ning Xi got a call from Ling Zhizhi to meet her in the office. On the way there, she met Liang Biqin and her posse in the hallway.

    Ning Xi¡¯s conflict with Su Yimo¡¯s gang was almostmon knowledge; as long as it was not under the scrutiny of the public, they had no reason to be nice to each other, so they did acknowledge each other and Ning Xi just ignored her and walked past them.

    Liang Biqin raised her voice loudly as if afraid that Ning Xi would not be able to hear her, "Oh, do you guys know that Chen Mian said he¡¯s never going to hire me ever again? He''s just an outdated director, who does he think he is?"

    "Exactly, ''Our 18-Year-Old Youth'' spent so much on promoting that it can¡¯t even cover its cost yet! He doesn¡¯t even know who to look for support!"

    "Chen Mian¡¯s career would have ended by the time Biqin¡¯s new movie is out!"

    "Speaking of which, what¡¯s Ning Xi doing recently? Anything new?"

    "She''s just been promoting that trash movie with Chen Mian and Jiang Muye. I''ve not heard anything about the new movie!"

    "Even if she did, it wouldn¡¯t be anything popr. If she took on any big roles, she would¡¯ve told the whole world about it!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 892: A Real Beauty!

    <h4>Chapter 892: A Real Beauty!</h4>

    Ling Zhizhi notified Ning Xi of her new movie and her shooting schedule after she arrived at the office, advising her to prepare well.

    A few dayster, it was the day of the shoot. Because it was Ning Xi¡¯s first day, she needed to do a few trials. In addition to that, her makeup for this shoot was slightly more special, so in anticipation of needing more time, Ning Xi went to the set much earlier.

    As the female lead, Ning Xi had her own private makeup room and she had an exclusive makeup artist as well.

    A whileter, the male lead, Chen Hanchen, and the tertiary male character, Qi Fang, arrived as well. After some greetings and makeup, they sat and waited. Both of them looked young and had very outstanding looks. It was probably because they had not been dragged through the harsh bits of the entertainment industry yet, so they still had the aura of youth on them. Most importantly, their aesthetics could be easily recognized even among those with high beauty standards within themunity.

    Chen Hanchen was from a well-off family who supported him strongly. He sat on the chair quietly and closed his eyes, emitting a simr vibe as Jiang Muye''s. With his distinguished looks and aura, he could easily attract girls and he fit the image of the male lead in the movie very well.

    Qi Fang was the embodiment of youth. At only neen years of age, his canine teeth could be seen when he talked, making him look cute.

    Probably because he did not look manly enough, he was unable to find a character that suited him. Even though he was already under contract for a year, his manager, who was his aunt, had been looking out for him, but she did not want to simply assign him to a random character in fear of affecting his future career. That was until he passed the audition as the tertiary male character for Chen Mian¡¯s new movie "Dream Chaser".

    Although it was just a tertiary character, the director this time was the renowned "God Maker", Chen Mian, so his aunt was really happy when she found out that he passed the audition and she quickly settled the contract for him.

    "Hey, Bro Chen, I heard that the female lead is a real beauty! I wonder if she looks as pretty as how they describe the character in the movie!" Qi Fang was still young and had a more carefree personality, so he tried to chat with Chen Hanchen.

    Chen Hanchen kept his eyes and mouth shut, seemingly interested.

    Although he was a new artiste as well, he was different from Qi Fang. He was a contracted artiste under one of the three main firms in the industry, Speedy Multimedia. He had gone through a long period of specialized training as thepany¡¯s purpose was to create another Jiang Muye.

    It was therefore normal for the resourceful Chen Hanchen to be a little more prideful. He was not particrly interested in talking to Qi Fang as the potential for thetter to be a male lead in the future was low¡­

    As for the female lead who was rumored to be all beautiful and impressive, he could not care any lesser. She was just a third-rate female artiste, and although her title was "female lead", she was still there to support his character.

    He told his manager that if the female lead acted really badly, he would leave the production even if it meant breaching the contract but for now, he would trust Chen Mian¡¯s decision.

    As they had discussed before, the manager analyzed him thoughtfully. Chen Mian had decided to create a movie without epting any sponsors or role-assigning, so he probably had some sort of trump card to be able to pull this off¡­

    But who was his trump card?

 Chapter 893: I Have To Sit On Her Lap!

    <h4>Chapter 893: I Have To Sit On Her Lap!</h4>

    Qi Fang was a carefree guy, so he did not mind Chen Hanchen¡¯s cold attitude. He sighed, then mumbled to himself, "I wonder what the director was thinking. He asked a female to act as a guy. What if she was too feminine? Can this really be popr?"

    This was his first movie after all and it would affect his career.

    It was true that Chen Mian had brought a lot of artistes to fame before, especially in his ssic, "Star, Moon, Sun". Even the supporting characters became popr, but times changed and it was a fact that Chen Mian¡¯s performance was not as good as before. Moreover, the investment in this movie was really low¡­

    Oh well, he was just a newbie. It was good enough to have a chance to act, and even work with a renowned director like Chen Mian. For the other future jobs, he would have to rely on luck! The entertainment industry relied on luck a lot anyway¡­

    A short whileter, the female tertiary character, Ji Yumeng, arrived as well.

    "Wow! She''s so pretty!" Qi Fangmented as he saw her.

    Chen Hanchen took a peek.

    Ji Yumen was really pretty and she carried a cute and active personality, so she could easily make guys fall for her. However, she now looked really unhappy as she walked briskly and angrily with her manager following her behind, trying to convince her¡­

    "I already said that I don¡¯t want to y the tertiary role here. If even Ning Xi can be the female lead, why can¡¯t I?"

    "Please keep your voice down, my dear. We¡¯re not at home now. Are you trying to let everyone hear what you say?"

    "So what if they hear me? I¡¯m here to tell them that I¡¯m dissatisfied! I saw a video online about how Chen Mian publicly defended that woman. I wonder how she got her role this time!"

    "Shut up! Be careful when you¡¯re talking in public. I¡¯ve told you many times! Don¡¯t talk about others. Don¡¯t you know about your own condition? You definitely can¡¯t handle the female lead role, you¡¯re not even qualified for the secondary lead, so this is best that you can do now! Do you think it¡¯s that easy taking on the female lead role? Of course, it¡¯s great if you can act it well. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be a ck spot in your career¡­"

    ¡­

    Ji Yumeng suppressed her anger after being scolded by her manager, but her expression softened when she saw two handsome guys sitting nearby.

    Any girl her age would be happy if she was on the same crew as these handsome guys!

    Ji Yumeng went over and greeted them, "Hello, I¡¯m Ji Yumeng."

    "Hello, I¡¯m Qi Fang!"

    "Chen Hanchen."

    "Chen Hanchen¡­I''ve heard about you before! I heard you¡¯re the best looking guy in the Film Academy, aren''t you? Nice to meet you! Qi Fang, you¡¯re the one who yed the bass in the band JOY, aren''t you? I''ve got a friend who really likes you, she thinks that you¡¯re really cute!"

    "Hahaha, I¡¯ve always beenbeled as ''cute''. Why has no one ever said that I¡¯m cool? Beauty Ji, you¡¯re pretty great yourself. I heard that you entered the Film Academy with top grades!"

    ¡­

    Ji Yumeng was a pretty pleasant person to be with when she was not angry. With the addition of the cheerful Ji Yumeng to the trio of youngsters, they got along very well.

    "It seems like Director Chen is going to use our extraordinary faces to support this movie!" Qi Fang said.

    Ji Yumeng pouted, "I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t act well! Even if it¡¯s cross-dressing, she¡¯s still a woman and they''re asking me to be charmed by a woman. How difficult is that?! I even have to sit on herp in the scene today¡­oh my God, I¡¯m getting goosebumps already!"

 Chapter 894: There Can Only Be One Top Dog

    <h4>Chapter 894: There Can Only Be One Top Dog</h4>

    Qi Fangughed and nced at Chen Hanchen. "Be grateful for your situation. Someone¡¯s getting it worse than you!"

    Ji Yumeng nodded andughed with him. "That¡¯s true, Hanchen has to act like he doesn¡¯t even know it¡¯s a man and act friendly towards him, even falling in love¡­"

    Chen Hanchen looked moodily at them.

    As they were chatting happily, a young man walked towards them.

    He had slightly messy ck hair, his bangs covering a little of his eyes. Wearing ripped jeans and ck horse boots, the aura around him was unbelievable¡­

    Chen Mian put his work down and greeted him as soon he saw him. The young man¡¯s sharp aura was suppressed a little when he saw Chen Mian. He listened carefully to what Chen Mian had to say and nodded from time to time.

    The director''s assistant brought him a bottle of water and the man gave her a thankful smile as he took it from her. The mysterious man looked pretty normal when he was speaking to the director, but when he looked at the female assistant, his aura changed. He became warmer than the sun in the winter and even gentler than the water in spring. How sweet his gaze was!

    Then, the assistant ran away blushing¡­

    When the person appeared, Ji Yumeng suddenly kept her voice down. She then stuttered, "W-who¡¯s that¡­who¡¯s that person talking to the director!?"

    "Most of the people are already here but the secondary female lead will only be here a few dayster. Today, the female lead and the secondary male lead are supposed toe¡­so, he should be Ke Mingyu?" Qi Fang guessed.

    His inner instincts were on alert.

    He was already not the cool type of guy to make girls fall for him. Having Chen Hanchen as the powerful male lead was already bad enough for him, and now even the secondary male lead looked so cool. Could he really shine in this movie?

    "Ke Mingyu?" Chen Hanchen¡¯s expression changed as well and his sense of urgency rose. He had investigated the few leads beforehand and found Ke Mingyu pretty normal. What could have happened? Did something go wrong?

    As he wasforting himself, the director brought the man over and walked towards their direction.

    Chen Mian pped his hands, signaling for them toe over. "Come on over here. I¡¯ll introduce you guys¡­"

    Chen Hanchen tensed up, not expecting that it was really the secondary male lead¡­

    There could only be one top dog, yet Chen Mian had gotten this guy to act as the secondary male lead. What did he mean by this?

    Although Ji Yumeng was looking at Chen Hanchen just now, her eyes were now glued to this man, visibly charmed by his smile earlier¡­

    "This is our male lead, Chen Hanchen. This is the tertiary male lead, Qi Fang, and this little girl is going to act as the female lead¡¯s best friend, Ji Yumeng¡­" Chen Miang introduced them one by one. He then looked at the three of them squarely and announced, "This person beside me is our female lead, Ning Xi!"

 Chapter 895: Theyreâ€¦Boobs!

    <h4>Chapter 895: They''re¡­Boobs!</h4>

    What?!

    Just as Qi Fang was about to shake hands with who he thought was Ke Mingyu, he froze when he heard the director¡¯s introduction. He asked carefully, "Director, what did you say just now?"

    Ji Yumeng said suspiciously, "Director, are you sure you¡¯re not mistaken? Isn¡¯t he Ke Mingyu?"

    Chen Mianughed at the three of them. "Who told you that?"

    Chen Hanchen reevaluated the "man" in front of him again and gasped, "He¡­she¡¯s Ning Xi?"

    "The female lead?" Qi Fang asked again.

    "Director, are you sure? Don¡¯t try to fool us!"

    Chen Mian smiled and shook his head. "Ning Xi, exin to them!"

    Ning Xi looked helplessly at the director. "How do I exin? I just spent two hours to finish my preparation for this!"

    It was not funny to ask her to change into a female outfit just for them right now.

    Chen Mian had no words¡­

    "How could he be the female lead¡­and he doesn¡¯t look like Ning Xi¡­Fine, maybe some key features do resemble her but something¡¯s wrong! Director, did you just find a guy to act as the female lead?" Ji Yumeng asked.

    Qi Fang and Chen Hanchen suddenly considered this possibility as well.

    Chen Mian was annoyed. Were kids nowadays all so imaginative?

    Ning Xi held her forehead and put up a helpless smile, then she reached for Ji Yumeng¡¯s hand.

    Ji Yumeng¡¯s heart raced. "You¡­what are you¡­?"

    Qi Fang¡¯s eyes widened unhappily. How dare this guy just hold a girl¡¯s hand just like that!? Do something, Director!

    The next moment, Ning Xi put Ji Yumeng¡¯s hand onto her chest, then asked, "Is it okay now?"

    "They¡¯re¡­boobs!" Ji Yumeng cried out as she was touching Ning Xi¡¯s chest. "She¡¯s really a woman! You¡¯re really the female lead!"

    Although there was a thickyer of cloth wrapped around Ning Xi''s chest, she could still felt the unmistakable soft curve under her fingers¡­

    Both of them were women, so they must have had the experience of touching or being touched by another girl before, so why was this so awkward!?

    Qi Fang¡¯s eyes flew open even bigger and his face was all red. Chen Hanchen did not look veryfortable either.

    Mmm, there could only be one top dog, unless there were a male and a female¡­

    Director Chen was still being rational¡­

    Chen Mian knocked Ning Xi¡¯s head. "That¡¯s enough, stop fooling around!"

    Ning Xi blinked. How was she fooling around? This was the quickest way to prove herself!

    "Sorry, I¡¯mte!" Suddenly, there was a panting voice behind them.

    The real Ke Mingyu had arrived. As expected, Ke Mingyu looked more run-of-the-mill and seemed to be the gentle, far from the aggressive type, unlike Ning Xi. The way she behaved herself could steal all the girls'' hearts away¡­

    After confirming that she was a woman, Chen Hanchen looked at Ji Yumeng, who was too excited that she almost passed out. There was also the director¡¯s assistant who kept peeking over. Although he still did not feel veryfortable, he felt much better than just now.

    She was still a woman, so no matter how good she was at acting as a man, she was still acting. She could never overtake him in being a man, so his confidence was not eroded that badly¡­

 Chapter 896: Theyre For You To Ruin Other People

    <h4>Chapter 896: They''re For You To Ruin Other People</h4>

    After Ke Mingyu arrived, they introduced themselves again. Ke Mingyu was more introverted. He sat aside by himself and read the script after chatting a little with everyone.

    A whileter, the set up for the scene was done.

    "Alright, everyone! We¡¯re going to start! Ning Xi, Ji Yumeng, be prepared!" Chen Mian informed.

    The first scene was about the female lead¡¯s best friend being betrayed by a jerk and the female leadforting her.

    The female lead was named Ji Feixue and she was currently assuming the identity of her brother Ji Feibai. This secret of hers was now was only known by her best friend Ning Xiaomeng.

    "Three, two, one¡­action!"

    The shoot started.

    On the sofa in the living room, Ji Feixue had just finished showering and wore a pair of men''s loose pajamas. Her hair was a little messy and there was still a little steam emitting from her body as a result of the hot shower she had just taken.

    She took out a bottle of water from the fridge and sat on the sofa, turning on the TV.

    She wasfortably used to acting as a man and there was no difference in Ji Feixue¡¯s behaviourpared to a man; even the way she drank was really manly and cool.

    As she was watching TV, the door opened.

    Ning Xiaomeng had just returned.

    Ji Feixue greeted her as usual, "Wee home."

    The camera''s focus was shifted to Ji Yumeng.

    Ning Xiaomeng did not look up and just quietly grunted. She was not really in a good mood. Although she did not say anything, Ji Feixue instantly realized that something was wrong, so she frowned. "What¡¯s wrong?"

    Ning Xiaomeng walked slowly towards Ji Feixue without saying anything.

    After a few seconds, Ning Xiaomeng¡¯s shoulder was shivering lightly, then her whole body was trembling. In the next moment, her tears started to fall to the ground.

    "Third camera, close up!" Chen Mianmanded while staring at the screen.

    Chen Hanchen, Qi Fang, and Ke Mingyu were focused on the two of them.

    Ji Yumeng stood in front of Ning Xi with her head down. She did not even show her face, but her bodynguage already disyed how sad she was at that moment.

    Qi Fang was impressed. "As expected of the top scorer! Impressive!"

    Ning Xi moved.

    Ning Xiaomeng still did not say anything, but Ji Feixue understood what had happened. She was expecting this. She took Ning Xiaomeng¡¯s hand and gently helped her onto herp, using her finger to wipe off Ning Xiaomeng¡¯s tears before she said in a heartbroken tone, "My dear, don¡¯t be sad over a guy! Your mother gave you such beautiful genes that aren¡¯t meant to be ruined by others. They''re meant for you to ruin other people!"

    Ji Yumeng was suddenly touched when she heard that line as it reminded her of her deepest scar, which Ning Xi¡¯s gentleness had healed¡­

    She remembered her ex who had cheated on her. She recalled painfully how he chose to be with a more popr artiste in order to boost his career. She remembered walking home all by herself in a downpour that night, and she even attended a training the next day with a high fever. No one held her andforted her, and no one told her "Your mother gave you such beautiful genes isn¡¯t meant to be ruined by others, it¡¯s meant for you to ruin other people"¡­

 Chapter 897: Go Easy On The Newbie!

    <h4>Chapter 897: Go Easy On The Newbie!</h4>

    Suddenly, Ji Yumeng¡¯s tears flowed freely, all her strugglesing out together with her silent sobbing¡­

    Sometimes, it was scary to be cared for by someone.

    A few female staff wept as well. Ji Yumeng¡¯s tears were very impactful.

    Ning Xi gently patted her back andforted her. "There, there, although you¡¯re also beautiful when you cry, my heart breaks¡­"

    "Great! Cut!" Chen Mian yelled in satisfaction.

    The first scene was done in one take and both of them had acted magnificently.

    Although Chen Mian had called for the cut, Ji Yumeng could not stop. She was still crying in Ning Xi¡¯s arms¡­

    Ning Xi did not push her away and continued tofort her, patting her head.

    Chen Mian¡¯s mouth twitched and stared at Ning Xi. "Go easy on the newbie!"

    Ning Xi was speechless. Was it her fault again?

    Actors were generally separated into two types: the experienced ones and the performers. People like Chen Hanchen and Ji Yumeng who had graduated from film school were usually the performers. The experienced ones required a certain amount of aptitude and raw talent, which could not be taught by lecturing; there might only be one of such actors among millions of people.

    Ning Xi was the typical experienced actor. She could practically transform into another person when she was acting, reaching astonishing levels of acting. However, people like Ning Xi were rare. Taking their inexperience into ount, these newbies were pretty good already.

    If the director had to teach them everything by his standards, it would take at least one or two years for the movie to bepleted. For instance, his first movie took two years to make it topletion. Most movies nowadays took only about two to three months toplete and some even finished shooting in a few days. No one would spend that much time to create a movie now.

    He was already prepared for a long shooting period this time but¡­it seemed like he could reduce this timeframe by a big margin now¡­

    With Ning Xi, it was like having a cheat machine. She was able to make her fellow actors get into the mood quickly and perform their best.

    Ji Yumeng¡¯s performance just now had been triggered by Ning Xi¡¯s acting. She had used her own experience and integrated it into her character, which was very much what an experienced actor would do.

    Ji Yumeng was confused about what had just happened to her. She had suddenly lost control of herself. When she returned to her senses, Ning Xi wasforting her gently and patiently. Ning Xi¡¯s shoulders were wet from her tears¡­

    Ji Yumeng quickly stood up apologetically. "I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­"

    "It¡¯s alright." Ning Xi smiled and patted her head again. "You acted really well just now!"

    Ji Yumeng blushed. Her face was hot enough to cook an egg. She wanted to shrink into the ground!

    Somewhere nearby, Ke Mingyu¡¯s calm eyes widened, Chen Hanchen frowned and was deep in thought while Qi Fang was annoyed. Whoever said that it was disgusting to sit on a woman¡¯sp?

    She seemed really happy there and felt like she did not want toe down at all. Now that Ji Yumeng was fawning all over a woman, the handsome men there felt worthless¡­

 Chapter 898: Arenâ€™t You Exaggerating?

    <h4>Chapter 898: Aren¡¯t You Exaggerating?</h4>

    Ji Yumeng went up to the camera after being praised by Ning Xi.

    "Director, may I see the footage just now?"

    "Sure!" Chen Mian permitted.

    Ji Yumeng reyed the footage a few times and her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my gosh, I acted so well!"

    Aside from being excited about her performance, her heart raced when she saw Ning Xi hold her in herp. It felt so exciting especially when Ning Xi held her hand and pulled her down!

    Qi Fang came over and took a look as well. "Some staff even cried with you just now! As expected of the top scorer! You passed on the first shot!"

    The pressure to perform suddenly shot up after seeing Ji Yumeng¡¯s outstanding performance. As they were all newbies, it was easy for them topare among themselves. The fight was on among them.

    Ji Yumeng shook her head. "I¡¯ve always thought I was confident about my own acting but I don¡¯t think I can act this well on my own. It¡¯s because of Senior Ning Xi. The scene with her was magical¡­

    I can¡¯t exin the feeling I had just now¡­it¡¯s like a pair of hands that were carefully guiding me to a higher level, coaxing me slowly and patiently¡­I can feel that she¡¯s helping me to get into the character¡­"

    Qi Fang scratched his head skeptically. "Aren¡¯t you exaggerating? I¡¯ve seen her in ''The World''. I admit that her acting is great but there are a lot of capable actors in the industry as well¡­"

    Chen Hanchen looked at the footage. He acknowledged her impressive acting but Ji Yumeng¡¯s description was exaggerative. This woman just had a little advantage in her outlook and she acted well as a man.

    Ji Yumeng waved her hands. "I can¡¯t put it into words, you¡¯ll understand what I mean¡­she¡¯s really nice¡­it wasfortable acting with her¡­"

    "Too bad I don¡¯t have any scenes with the female lead today¡­" Qi Fang mumbled. After listening to Ji Yumeng, he would like to experience her special talent.

    Afterwards, both Chen Hanchen and Ke Mingyu would have a scene with Ning Xi.

    After the first scene, Ning Xi went to her dressing room and prepared for her next scene, she would need some change in makeup as well.

    The makeup artist, Ye Qiu, had already prepared all the required outfits. When she saw Ning Xi walk in, she put the hangers down and went up to her. "Is the first scene done? So quick?"

    "Mmm, it¡¯s done. I have to trouble you again, Sis Ye!"

    "It¡¯s alright,e sit down and take a break!" Ye Qiu pulled out a chair and gave her a drink, then she proceeded to get her makeup tools.

    The male and female leads were attending a banquet in the next scene. It was a formal setting, but the scene was notplicated; the male and the female lead in a male outfit would meet and have an amazing performance together.

    After the makeup was done, Ye Qiu gave her the prepared outfits. "It might be a little difficult to wear this. Let me know if you need help."

    "Alright."

    "Is the size okay?" Ye Qiu asked outside the fitting room a whileter.

    "Yes." After she answered, the fitting room was opened and Ning Xi appeared right before Ye Qiu in the new outfit.

 Chapter 899: Letâ€™s Have A Moment Of Silence For The Male Lead

    <h4>Chapter 899: Let¡¯s Have A Moment Of Silence For The Male Lead</h4>

    Ning Xi was dressed in an English-styled three-piece white tuxedo with a blue striped tie and a silver pocket watch on her chest. Ye Qiu suddenly saw a young man from a noble family standing in front of her¡­

    "I¡­I¡¯ll help you adjust a little¡­" Ye Qiu was suddenly nervous as if afraid that she might destroy a beautiful dream.

    "Thank you, Sis Ye." Ning Xi nodded and opened her arms wide. Her posture looked like she was about to hug someone.

    Ye Qiu blushed a little and extended her hands to the cor area as she adjusted her tie and the essories that she was wearing¡­

    A person rushed in hastily and blocked Ye Qiu from Ning Xi. While she tried to sound courteous, her tone was obviously unhappy. "Sis Ye, I¡¯ll handle this!"

    Xiao Tao had gone to buy some snacks for the crew and she came back to a person seducing her Master!

    Xiao Tao could not stand it anymore. This makeup artist had been already plotting something when she was putting on makeup for Ning Xi in the morning.

    "I¡¯m Ning Xi¡¯s exclusive makeup artist, it¡¯s my responsibility," Ye Qiu said slowly. She was older, so she had to impose a more mature and superior image.

    "Makeup artists should just do the makeup. I¡¯ll handle her outfit!"

    "Her outfit is, of course, within my responsibility. How she looks is my responsibility. Although you¡¯re her assistant, you should leave this to the professionals.

    "But¡­" Xiao Tao was obviously losing and she looked at Ning Xi.

    A war wasing. Ning Xi held Ye Qiu¡¯s shoulder and had her sit down on a nearby chair. "You must be tired, Sis Ye. Take a little break and let Xiao Tao handle the small matters. Please give her some guidance if she makes any mistake."

    Both of them were satisfied now.

    Xiao Tao happily reced Ye Qiu¡¯s position and was pleased that Ning Xi had defended her.

    Ning Xi brought Ye Qiu a ss of water. Feeling trusted and cared for by Ning Xi, she dly sat down on the chair. "The tie is still a little crooked and the back is slightly wrinkled as well. Take it downter and I¡¯ll iron it¡­"

    Ye Qiu felt a little excited when she remembered what had happened this morning. When she first saw Ning Xi, from her professional judgment, she thought that Ning Xi¡¯s near perfect facial contour could fool others even if she was to dress up as a guy.

    However, she was utterly stunned when she saw Ning Xi walk out of the fitting room. She was the one who did Ning Xi¡¯s makeup. It was still the same Ning Xi after she had changed, but her whole image had totally changed!

    A breathtaking beauty had suddenly be a yboy!

    At first, she expected that it would not be too weird if Ning Xi acted as a man but she did not expect her to be this gorgeous¡­

    And now, Ning Xi just stood there quietly, letting Xiao Tao work around her with a slight sense of extremely attractiveziness.

    After Ning Xi was done, Ye Qiu held her ss and just stared at Ning Xi nkly. "Let¡¯s have a moment of silence for the male lead¡­"

 Chapter 900: Donâ€™t Look At Me Like That

    <h4>Chapter 900: Don¡¯t Look At Me Like That</h4>

    Xiao Tao took a few steps away from Ning Xi and announced, "Let¡¯s have a moment of silence for all the male characters in the movie, Sis Xi¡­oh no! Bro Xi! Why is it that I¡¯ve never realized that you look this cool in a male outfit!?"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Don¡¯t I look good in anything I wear?"

    "Bro Xi, please¡­don¡¯t look at me like that¡­" Xiao Tao was covering her chest as if she was being seduced.

    Ning Xi smiled and looked in the mirror, then she saw Ye Qiu in the reflection. "Thank you, Sis Ye, the makeup is perfect!"

    Their eyes met in the mirror. "You¡¯re wee, your skin is great and your facial features are impable. It was so good that I didn¡¯t have to do much about it"

    From her professional experience, with just a touch, she instantly knew that Ning Xi was a pure natural and had never gone under the knife.

    Moreover, wasn''t her acting skills advanced? She was a real beautiful woman, yet she had no problem acting as a man at all.

    What was more impressive was that it did not seem like Ning Xi was acting at all. It seemed like a part of her natural self; that casual flirty aura of hers channeled from inside her.

    Outside, Chen Hanchen was done changing already. Chen Hanchen had his own makeup artist, whose level was nearly the same as Ye Qiu''s. After putting the makeup on, Chen Hanchen¡¯s outstanding face became even more morous as if God had a hand in his makeup personally.

    "Oh my gosh! Chen Hanchen is so cool in a formal suit! So manly!" Ji Yumeng gushed.

    The staff and the other actors looked over as well.

    "Wow, this guy is really handsome! Is he the male lead?"

    "Yes! I heard he¡¯s the trump card of Speedy Multimedia. His future is almost as bright as Jiang Muye''s!

    "No wonder Director Chen picked him¡­"

    Qi Fang was standing in the corner. For someone who had been branded as "cute", he hated guys who were more handsome or manlier than him!

    But it was not his fault that he was this cute!

    He quietly went beside Ke Yuming who was having it worse than him.

    He still stood out; cute was a unique feature after all. However, Ke Yuming¡­he was not ugly, he was just too normal, looking no different from a man in the regr crowd.

    How could they find someone as normal as him to act as the secondary male lead?

    Nevertheless, after seeing Ning Xi¡¯s performance just now, he was careful about assessing Director Chen¡¯s judgment.

    "I have to admit that Chen Hanchen¡¯s face is really handsome. No wonder hispany is cultivating him to be the second Jiang Muye¡­some people are just made to be in this industry¡­the life of the main character¡­" Qi Fang shook his head and sighed with the intention of getting some agreement from Ke Yuming.

    Ke Yuming leaned on the hallway pir and looked at Chen Hanchen, not bothering to give a reaction.

    Chen Mian nced at Chen Hanchen in satisfaction but there was a slight worry in his eyes. He waved and asked Chen Hanchen to go over. "Although there''re only a few lines and not much is going on in this scene, it''s actually pretty difficult¡­"

 Chapter 901: Absolutely Stunning!

    <h4>Chapter 901: Absolutely Stunning!</h4>

    This scene would open the movie, so it was the most important part as it would have to give a strong impact on the spectators. It had to be the most charming and captivating scene¡­basically just cool and extravagant.

    After a long talk, Chen Mian''s core idea was to make the first scene absolutely stunning. The male lead and the cross-dressed female lead had to be evenly matched, with no one being better than the other.

    Chen Hanchen just replied half-heartedly after being nagged by Chen Mian.

    Instead of him, he should talk to Ning Xi about this. After all, shouldn''t he be more worried about Ning Xi in this scene?

    Chen Mian noticed his arrogance and he just hoped that Chen Hanchen could still be this confident and rxedter on¡­

    "Argh!" The assistant beside the director suddenly screamed and the props in her hand fell onto the ground.

    Everyone looked at the direction of what had surprised her, then they saw Ning Xi who had changed into her new outfit¡­

    Some people¡¯s eyes widened as it was the first time they saw Ning Xi. "There are so many hot guys in this crew! Who¡¯s that? I thought there¡¯s only the male and female lead in this scene!"

    "Uh¡­could it be the female lead¡­?"

    "Congrattions, you¡¯re right! She¡¯s our female lead Ning Xi!"

    ¡­

    "Wow! Senior Ning looks so cool in this outfit! What a perfect match!" Ji Yumeng was staring at Ning Xi and started calling her "Senior", totally forgetting about her rant to her manager before.

    Chen Mian looked at Ning Xi¡¯s outfit and nodded with satisfaction. It seemed that it was worth it to invest arge amount of money into the movie¡¯s outfit and props.

    Qi Fang took a nce and mumbled quietly, "She¡¯s alright, I still think Hanchen is way cooler¡­"

    Chen Hanchen tensed up when he saw Ning Xi, but he was not too nervous as he was already prepared for the sight. Ning Xi looked absolutely gorgeous in a formal man''s outfit but she was not stealing the limelight away from him. After all, he was taller than Ning Xi.

    Chen Mian shook his head as he saw Chen Hanchen¡¯s confident look. "Everyone¡¯s here, let¡¯s start!"

    Everyone stopped talking and went to their positions.

    "Action!"

    In the ballroom, the lights were turned on. A small band was ying some rxing music on the stage in the middle of the room.

    Chen Hanchen had a full ck formal suit on. His firm silhouette appeared at the end of the staircase and right behind him was Ning Xi in a white suit, standing quietly there¡­

    Under everyone¡¯s attention, they both walked down the stairs.

    Chen Hanchen¡¯s ck suit looked much simpler than Ning Xi¡¯s. His hair wasbed back and he was adjusting his sleeves with a prideful aura , looking fearless and nonchnt about the guests¡¯ impressed gazes. He was exactly as the character portrayed in the script, the noble and prideful Si Xia.

    Following the script, Chen Hanchen turned back and quietly said something to Ning Xi. As he thought he had gathered all the focus around him, Ning Xi smiled and nced at him. Her smile bloomed and she exuded an implicit charm that was woven with a confident ease and unruliness¡­

    Suddenly, all the actors felt themselves gasp as they stared at her in surprise. Even Chen Hanchen was stunned himself¡­

 Chapter 902: Limelight Snatched By A Woman

    <h4>Chapter 902: Limelight Snatched By A Woman</h4>

    Suddenly, everyone lost control. It was an expected mistake.

    Until Chen Mian yelled a redo, some of them were still unsure of what happened.

    Especially Chen Hanchen, the impact on him was the strongest as he was the closest person to Ning Xi just now.

    Truthfully speaking, he admitted that Ning Xi acted as a man really well but he did not expect her to steal the limelight away because when they had appeared together, everyone still looked at him.

    Yet, at the moment when Ning Xi smiled and look at him, the aura around her changed and suddenly everyone just could not take their eyes off her¡­

    How could this be¡­?

    "Help¡­help me¡­my legs are giving way¡­" Ji Yumeng extended her hands to the nearby Qi Fang. She breathlessly eximed, "Oh, did you see that!? Senior was so charming! Looks-wise Hanchen was more outstanding but Senior¡¯s smile just now was just sooo gorgeous¡­"

    Qi Fang¡¯s expression darkened. He would never admit it but in that instance earlier, even his heart raced. He then observed the other staff and actors; a lot of males were stunned as well¡­

    It was not just her gender that affected everyone.

    Chen Mian was calm as he had already expected this to happen. He went up to Chen Hanchen and half-jokingly told him, "Hanchen, keep it up, don¡¯t let a girl snatch away the limelight!"

    Chen Hanchen nodded. He would not be careless again. Now, he understood why Director Chen had spoken to him earlier.

    "Everyone get into your zone. Again!" Chen Mian then told the other actors, "You guys performed well just now. That impressed expressions of yours were great. Keep up the pace, but don¡¯t just stare at only one of them. It¡¯s the both of them that impresses you guys. One prideful and one wild, they are evenly matched¡­"

    Chen Mian actually knew that the key to this scene would be Chen Hanchen; he had to be on par with Ning Xi to elicit the best response from the other actors. One should never really have high expectations from crowd actors. Sometimes, it was best to have the natural reaction from them.

    It would be best for this scene to pass the first time since the crowd actors would have known what wasing for the second time and the impact would be lesser¡­

    After a short break, the second take started.

    "Okay, get ready everyone, we¡¯re starting!" Chen Mian informed all the teams.

    "Bro Xi, Bro Xi, the director is calling, go quickly!"

    "All the best, Bro Xi!"

    ¡­

    Suddenly, the staff started calling Ning Xi "Bro Xi" as well.

    Ning Xi gave everyone a smile. She passed her mug to Xiao Tao and the hand warmer to Ji Yumeng, then she walked towards the shooting scene.

    Chen Hanchen took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He had been caught off guard earlier as he was surprised but he was ready this time. It would not happen again.

    He looked calmly at Ning Xi and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the aura around him became even more like a young man''s from a noble family.

 Chapter 903: As Different As Heaven And Earth

    <h4>Chapter 903: As Different As Heaven And Earth</h4>

    Melodious music yed as the guests started to talk andugh cheerfully.

    Chen Hanchen took steady footsteps as he made his way downstairs. The posture he took as he walked was a result of professional training and now, he was even more careful, clearly performing better than the previous take. His entire manner was arrogant, imposing, and impressive. The crowd actors also cooperated and they revealed a stunned expression¡­

    After he walked down, Chen Hanchen took a wine ss in the waiter''s hand, then naturally turned over to speak to Ning Xi beside him.

    There was no dialogue. They only needed to act as if the male lead was speaking to the female lead. As for what they actually said, it was up to the audience members to guess for themselves. The performance of the actors themselves would determine what the audience woulde up with¡­

    This time, Ning Xi raised her brows and her eyes wandered as she looked at Chen Hanchen teasingly. The slight smirk on her lips was interwoven with splendor, instantly overshadowing everyone beside her¡­

    On its own, Chen Hanchen''s performance earlier was not bad. However, with Ning Xi inparison, the male lead that they had found strong and dashing suddenly seemed a little weak. They even felt like he was too pretentious like a peacock that had spread its feathers.

    On the other hand, Ning Xi did not even think of attracting anyone''s attention, yet this was exactly what caused everyone''s gaze to be fixated on her. Not only that, everyone noticed that underneath the female lead''s unbridled and dissolute eyes was a hidden spark which represented her unspeakable and buried feelings towards Si Xia¡­

    This time, Ning Xi''s performance had not only been stunning. It wasyered with emotions, instantly leading the audience into the movie itself¡­

    The two were practically as different as heaven and earth.

    Without a doubt, this was still a bad take.

    Even Chen Mian was astonished. One could see in his eyes that he had picked up a gem. He had thought that Ning Xi''s performance earlier was the peak of splendor, but he did not expect that that was not even her best¡­

    Chen Hanchen felt strong palpitations as he felt the pressure of being unable to conquer a high mountain. When he had decided to enter this industry, everyone had told him that based on his qualities, he was made for it, that he would definitely make it big.

    However, at this moment, he finally knew what it truly meant to be made for the entertainment industry¡­

    As he watched the way Chen Hanchen looked, Chen Mian was afraid he would lose his psyche bnce. He held the script and walked over, talking him through again, "Hanchen, your performance earlier has improved a lot. Put in a little more effort and maintain this pace. In the script, Si Xia is an especially privileged person, so not only should he bedazzle; the more important thing is to portray that arrogance he has from being at the summit of power and influence. If it was just about being handsome, then he would merely be a celebrity. ss and gaze is very important, do you understand?

    "Pay attention to Ning Xi''s performance because the female lead has gone through life and death, so her every move and every look carries a sense of detachment. The pain and grief of her kin''s death, and the loving admiration that she has which can''t be announced to anyone, her carelessness and this game of life, all of this has been performed through her eyes¡­"

    "I know, thank you, Director." Chen Hanchen looked at the rey of the camera and looked at how he had been overshadowed like a lousy clown. Instinctively, he wanted to erase the entire recording.

    Chen Mian patted his shoulder. "I''ll give you ten minutes to calibrate yourself."

    After Chen Mian finished, he walked towards Ning Xi who was being surrounded by a group of girls.

 Chapter 904: Doesnt Even Know The Basics Of Being Handsome

    <h4>Chapter 904: Doesn''t Even Know The Basics Of Being Handsome</h4>

    Ning Xi immediately got up. "Director Chen, did you want to talk me through the script?"

    "Talk, my ass!" Chen Mian answered her in an annoyed tone, "You little punk, how dare you hide your potential from me thest time?!"

    After the words spilled out of his mouth, he realized that he had unknowingly scolded her as "little punk".

    Ning Xi looked innocently at him, "No, thest time, I was my usual self. You didn''t let me try any scenes."

    She had only brought her regr acting skills with her thest time.

    Chen Mian was speechless.

    Ten minutester, the shoot began again.

    They continued to have bad takes quite a few times, all because Chen Hanchen could not keep up with Ning Xi''s pace. The two of them were on entirely different levels of talents. Nevertheless, Chen Mian had high demands for this scene, so he would not ept any ws at all.

    However, if they continued to shoot at this momentum, this shoot would probably continue until the end of time. In fact, Chen Hanchen was about to have a mental breakdown; they could not go on like this¡­

    In frustration, Chen Mian just decisively called out "Cut!" midway.

    The moment he yelled that out, Chen Hanchen could not hold it in any longer and he unhappily wrenched off his suit, throwing it onto the ground. He took huge steps towards him, his handsome face clouded with grey clouds and looking very sinister.

    The entire atmosphere was tense, almost to its breaking point. All the cast and the other crew members dared not say a word.

    When the little assistant saw Chen Hanchen lose control, she quickly ran up to console him, "Hanchen! Hanchen¡­where are you going?! Today''s only the first day, don''t cause any trouble! Be a little patient¡­the director has already said that you''re performing better and better each time¡­"

    In contrast to Chen Hanchen''s outburst, Ning Xi who donned a white vintage English-styled tuxedo loosened her cor and put one hand into her pocket and nonchntly walked over¡­

    Chen Mian felt a headache threatening toe as he massaged his temples. He then walked over and pulled Ning Xi to a corner, lowering his voice to advise her, "You saw that Hanchen''s performance is actually not bad, but he is a newbie after all, so can you rein yourself in a little?"

    The only solution now was to have Ning Xi restrain herself.

    When Ning Xi heard this, she looked hastily at Chen Hanchen, and then said, "So what if he''s new? As a man, he doesn''t even know the basics of looking handsome, so it''s best if he leaves the industry soon¡­"

    Chen Mian was speechless and so were all the men present.

    Her words were too harsh!

    Everyone subconsciously turned to look at Chen Hanchen and indeed, he was boiling with anger. After all, he was still young and hot-blooded. Chen Hanchen, who had been ready to leave on impulse, skidded in his tracks upon hearing this sentence and his hands were balled into fists. He snarled, "Director Chen, let''s go again!"

    "Uhh¡­" Chen Mian had look hesitant for the first time.

    With Chen Hanchen''s current attitude, if Ning Xi did not restrain some of her charisma, it would be extremely dangerous. If they continued to do a bad take this time, it would cast a shadow over Chen Hanchen''s psychological well-being, one that might not be able to be salvaged. Such a shadow was fatal for an actor¡­

    Chen Mian did care for his talents, so he dared not take this risk¡­

    "Come on!"

    Unfortunately, the two of them were very determined and they had already walked to their respective positions, ready to begin.

    Chen Mian and Ning Xi shared a look and when they sensed each other''s calm andposed and manner, they felt assured. Based on Ning Xi''s acting skills, she should be able to express and restrain her emotions as she wished. She should have bit her tongue when she noticed that something was not right. After all, they bore no grudges against each other and she had no need to destroy a newbie. In fact, based on his observation earlier, Chen Hanchen''s performance had actually improved every time, so maybe¡­

 Chapter 905: Treat Men As Coldly As The Autumn Wind

    <h4>Chapter 905: Treat Men As Coldly As The Autumn Wind</h4>

    When he thought of this, Chen Mian gritted his teeth and finally shouted, "Action!"

    Everyone held their breath and watched.

    The quartet in the middle started to y as the dreamy crystal chandelier hung above them while skirts flew and twirled on the dance floor¡­

    At the end of the swirling staircase, two men, one dressed in white and the other in ck, one in front and one behind, one noble and one leisurely, both slowly made their way down¡­

    This time, Chen Hanchen''s entire demeanor from his footsteps to his aura and to his gaze, including the moment he returned Ning Xi''s teasing smile, was all perfectly wless. The couple were akin to two equally bright stars, shining and enhancing each other!

    "Cut! Not bad! Very good!"

    Almost everyone breathed a heavy sigh of relief following Chen Mian''s emotional call to cut.

    The worry in Chen Mian''s heart could finally be dissolved.

    Thank goodness¡­Chen Hanchen had managed to make it!

    If he had not, it would have casted a huge shadow over him. However, once he got over it, his acting skills definitely achieved huge realization and improvement!

    "Whoa, amazing!" Ji Yumeng''s heart was racing. "The moment the two of them shared a look, my Fujoshi soul was about toe out! Way too handsome!"

    Si Xia did not know about Ji Feixue''s feelings at all and he had only treated him as his capable subordinate and good friend, but the intimacy and great chemistry between the two was enough to touch everyone, making the audience''s hearts cry out for the female lead''s feelings¡­

    Qi Fang also looked jealous as if he felt heavily damaged by the couple. "Okay¡­they are quite handsome¡­"

    While everyone were pping and praising them, Chen Hanchen did not rx at all. He staggered down the steps and took the bottled water from his assistant''s hand and downed half the bottle, his chest heaving vigorously¡­

    It was just a scene of acting cool, yet it was as if they had watched a battle. The witnesses felt like they were still in shock¡­

    Qi Fang stole a panicked look at Ning Xi who looked unaffected, then he walked close to Ji Yumeng and said, "Yumeng, are you sure that the person you were referring to earlier is the same person as the one we''re seeing now? Isn''t this scary!? Where has the gentleness, the considerate soul gone to?"

    She said that she would be very good at helping newbies to get into the zone and that she would teach them patiently. She had also imed that with her, acting would be very easy¡­

    Was she lying?

    It was only the first scene and Chen Hanchen was about to keel over as a result of her! He was feeling thankful that he did not have that many scenes with Ning Xi¡­

    Ji Yumeng bit her lip and replied, "But when she was acting with me, she was really super considerate and super rxed¡­I think you can''t me our Senior for this. Is it wrong for her to have such amazing acting skills? Because of the story line, the two of them need to be extra dramatic for this scene¡­it''s inevitable¡­"

    Qi Fang was speechless. Why did he feel like this difference in opinion was biased with gender?

    To girls, she was warm and tender like the spring wind whereas to men, she was as cold as the autumn wind¡­

    Something was not right¡­

    Chen Mian looked at the time. "It''s toote today, we won''t have time, let''s push the remaining scenes to be continued tomorrow! Everyone''s worked hard, let''s wrap up for today!"

    Even though he had not finished the scenes for that day, it was worth the perfect performance in this important scene.

    When Chen Mian finally got Ning Xi alone, he could not help but ask, "If Chen Hanchen still could not keep up with your pace this time, would you have held back?"

 Chapter 906: Softened

    <h4>Chapter 906: Softened</h4>

    Ning Xi smiled, her eyes curving like crab apples in its first bloom. "Of course not, I trust your evaluation, Director Chen. If he can''t even handle this, that won''t really hold up well for your name!"

    She was acting normally this time, not even putting in any extra effort and being lenient. That year when she had overshadowed Jiang Muye, she was cruel¡­

    Chen Mian was almost bedazzled by that smile and he helplessly said, "That''s enough, won''t you have mercy on me!?"

    "I''m sorry, I haven''t managed to adjust myself in time."

    Chen Mian was speechless.

    As the two were speaking, Chen Mian caught Ke Mingyu from the corner of his eye. He seemed to be waiting for them to finish.

    "Mingyu, do you need anything?"

    "I''m here to talk to Senior Ning Xi." Ke Mingyu''s usual poker face was unusually tense.

    Ning Xi looked over curiously, unsure what she was needed for.

    Among all of the newbies, she found Ke Mingyu the hardest to read. However, she felt an odd sense of familiarity with him.

    Sadly, she did not get the chance to shoot with him today. They would only meet the next day¡­

    "Could I have your signature? I''m your fan," Ke Mingyu said without any expression.

    "My fan?" Ning Xi raised her brows in surprise. "Of course."

    Then, Ning Xi picked up the notebook and pen in his hand to give him her autograph and she added on some words of encouragement too.

    "Thank you, Senior." Ke Mingyu pursed his lips, bowed, then walked off without making any small talk.

    Chen Mian looked at Ning Xi, then suddenly asked profoundly, "Do you know how I discovered him?"

    "How?" Ning Xi asked.

    "He is not from the academy, he came up to me by himself. At that time, I had searched for a long time to no avail to find a suitable secondary male lead, so I let him try out. However, he rejected my offer."

    "Huh? Didn''t hee up to you himself? Why did he reject you?" Ning Xi could not understand.

    "He wanted to be the male lead."

    "Uhh¡­" To be frank, his image was definitely not suitable for the male lead in this movie. "Did you manage to persuade him after?"

    Chen Mian nodded. "I let him try a part of the male lead''s scenes first, but his image just couldn''t fit, so I advised him to try for the secondary lead. He didn''t agree, soter I had to invite him personally."

    Ning Xi was a little surprised. "Hmm, to let Director Chen personally invite him¡­it must not be as simple as getting through with just acting skills."

    Chen Mian smiled mysteriously. "You''ll find outter on!"

    Since Chen Mian had put it that way, Ning Xi did not ask further, but she suddenly thought of something. "Oh, Director Chen, are visits allowed? I have a friend who wants toe over and watch me work. I''ll make sure the shoot definitely won''t be affected!"

    "Sure, if it''s your friend, then there definitely won''t be a problem!" Chen Mian agreed rather easily.

    As the two spoke, Chen Mian saw another silhouette peeking from not too far away; it turned out that there were more who had stayed back.

    Chen Mian looked helplessly at Ji Yumeng''s direction and asked, "Here for Ning Xi too?"

    Ji Yumeng nodded.

    "Sigh, go on! I won''t disturb you lot!" Usually, actors would look for the director to chat after work, but this time, they were all here for the female lead¡­

    "Yumeng, work''s over, aren''t you leaving yet?" Ning Xi''s tone obviously softened significantly when she spoke to Ji Yumeng.

    That lowered tone¡­

    Ji Yumeng subconsciously pinched her softened ears, "Senior, may I have your phone number?"

 Chapter 907: A Stupefying Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 907: A Stupefying Kiss</h4>

    "Sure!" Ning Xi hurled out her hand.

    Ji Yumeng quickly passed her phone over.

    Ning Xi keyed in her number, then made a missed call to her own number before returning the phone.

    Seeing that Ning Xi was so friendly, Ji Yumeng mustered the courage to ask again, "May I add you on Wechat?"

    "My Wechat ID is my phone number, you can just add me."

    "Oh, okay, thank you, Senior! Senior¡­don''t you need to remove your makeup?" Ji Yumeng swallowed her saliva as she looked at Ning Xi in the male outfit.

    Ning Xi was wearing her own clothes but it was still men''s clothes. It was a casual outfit - a pair of jeans with a hooded jacket, it looked dynamic andfortable. It was only a very casual look, yet when it was worn on her, it was immediately attractive¡­

    "At such an hour, it would be too congested for me to get home. I''m nning to take the subway, that''s more convenient," answered Ning Xi.

    "Oh, well¡­I¡­" Ji Yumeng wanted to say that she was taking the subway as well when her phone rang. It was her manager calling to say that he was there to pick her up.

    Thus, she could only bid Ning Xi farewell.

    "Yumeng, over here!"

    "Bro Feng, why are you here?" When Ji Yumeng saw her middle-aged manager parked by the roadside, she was unhappy.

    Qian Zhaofeng did not know how he had made the young miss angry. "Of course I''m here to pick you up! How did today go? You didn''t cause any trouble, did you? I''ve told you not to think about being the female lead anymore. Even if you''re unhappy about Ning Xi you must be patient. But if you really don''t want to act anymore, I can help you¡­"

    He would much rather spend more effort helping her get out of acting in this movie than let her wreck it.

    When Ji Yumeng heard this, she immediately jumped in horror instead. "Who''s unhappy about Ning Xi!? Don''t spew nonsense!"

    "This morning you just¡­"

    "This morning is the past! Whatever it is, I''m not unhappy about Ning Xi! I want to act as the third female lead! I will fight anyone for it!"

    Qian Zhaofeng was confused.

    Women were truly unfathomable!

    ¡­

    Ning Xi had told Lu Tingxiao beforehand that she would go to his ce for dinner, so after work was done, she made her way there.

    In front of tinum Pce.

    Mo Lingtian who had been shooed out by Lu Tingxiao looked resentfully at him. "Hey, hey, hey, it''s close to dinner time, won''t you make me stay for dinner?"

    "Ning Xi''sing over tonight," Lu Tingxiao immediately said, indicating that he did not want to be disturbed.

    Mo Lingtian scoffed, "I''ve seen you through right from the start, indeed it''s hoes before bros to you!"

    Fancy that he had even made a trip here to talk so much to him¡­

    "Speaking of which, why won''t you try to ask Tang Lang? He''s been with those people for so long, can''t he know about his background at all?"

    "He''s not my person." This implied that even if Tang Lang said anything, he would not believe him. Besides, with that person''s sophistication, even if it was Tang Lang, he would probably not reveal his background.

    "He''s already working in your office as a security guard. How could he not be your person?" Mo Lingtian mumbled.

    As the two spoke, a shadow walked approached from afar.

    The approaching man was not very old and he wore a trendy casual outfit. His face was extremely handsome and he seemed to be androgynous, while exuding an aura of recklessness and brashness.

    One look and you would know that he was one that attracted many¡­

    Feeling egotistically challenged, Mo Lingtian subconsciously looked longer and then asked Lu Tingxiao, "Who''s that? Your brother''s friend?"

    In that directiony only Lu Jingli''s and Lu Tingxiao''s bungalows, so if he was not looking for Lu Tingxiao, then he must have been here for Lu Jingli.

    Before Mo Lingtian could hear Lu Tingxiao''s answer, he saw that the young man had walked right up to them, more specifically, right before Lu Tingxiao.

    The young man did not drive, so he had probably jogged over and was panting slightly. His fair and beautiful neck was sweaty. Upon walking over, he did not hesitate before pulling on Lu Tingxiao''s neck to kiss him. Then, he fluttered his eyes and in a low voice, asked, "Did you miss me?"

    Mo Lingtian stood as still as a statue like he had been struck by lightning. He was speechless.

 Chapter 908: Arent I In Danger?

    <h4>Chapter 908: Aren''t I In Danger?</h4>

    "Did you miss me?"

    "Mmm."

    ¡­

    What¡­what did he just witness?

    Heaven fell and the earth shattered, the seas ran dry and the rocks went soft as the sound of thunder rocked the sky¡­this scene was even more shocking than when he had first seen Lu Tingxiao with the little bunny.

    Mo Lingtian was left stunned.

    The night sky dimmed as the horizon was lit with the tangerine sunset glow.

    When the young man stared at Lu Tingxiao, the brash and unruly aura from him turned into threads of love and inseparability. His pair of charming eyes instantly became so beautiful that it rattled one''s heart and soul¡­

    As Lu Tingxiao lowered his gaze to look at the man, the ice that covered his eyes slowly melted into spring water. His eyes were tender and precious as if he was looking at his entire world.

    Mo Lingtian suddenly found this scene unbelievably moving¡­

    Whoa! He must be crazy! He actually thought¡­that the interaction between Lu Tingxiao and this man was moving¡­

    When she received the devil''s assurance, Ning Xi was instantly satisfied. Indeed, the power of healing was undeniable, even making fatigue from an entire day of shooting vanish.

    She felt like the devil''s random jealousy spites were groundless. With such a charming man before her, it was a wonder that she had not yet been charmed to death. Why would she look twice at anyone else?

    As he watched the two of thempletely forget his existence, Mo Lingtian could finally hold it in no more as he weakly raised his hands. "Cough¡­uh, guys¡­there''s still someone else here¡­"

    He felt like he had suddenly disrupted something precious. Would he be killed for that?

    That could not be right. He had not disrupted anything. He had only stood there quietly and he was a victim too¡­

    "Eh, Master Mo, you''re here too!" When Ning Xi heard someone else''s voice, she turned over and looked at Mo Lingtian.

    Mo Lingtian was about to cry. "Bro, I''ve always been here! What''s with that look?"

    Ning Xi put her arm on Lu Tingxiao''s shoulders as she said in an apologetic tone, "I''m really sorry. Usually, when I''m with my darling, it''s hard for me to notice anyone else."

    Mo Lingtian was utterly speechless.

    Lu Tingxiao was actually being called "darling" by a man and he actually looked quite happy about it¡­

    Mo Lingtian was about to have a mental breakdown. "Lu Tingxiao, what''s up with you? When I asked you in the first ce, didn''t you say that you don''t swing this way? So what''s up with the situation now? Don''t tell me that the bunny from before was just a distraction¡­and that you actually like men¡­Pfft! Then, aren''t I in danger? Also, what do we do with that Ziyao? And¡­"

    "This is Ning Xi," Lu Tingxiao cut him off.

    With these words from Lu Tingxiao, Mo Lingtian was utterly dumbfounded in the midst of the chaos. "What did you say?"

    At that moment, a soft and cute little bun ran over like the wind, not to Lu Tingxiao, but to the youth''s legs, his eyes full of pleasant surprise and dependence.

    This gaze of the little bun''s reverence did make him feel oddly familiar¡­

    After all, this little guy was like Lu Tingxiao; they had never been this passionate or intimate with anyone except with¡­the bunny¡­

    Thest time at Lu Chongshan''s birthday banquet, he had seen for himself how obedient and cute the little bun was before the bunny.

    When Ning Xi saw the little bun, she forget about Mo Lingtian and even the devil''s charm. She immediately picked the little guy up.

 Chapter 909: Go Change

    <h4>Chapter 909: Go Change</h4>

    When she saw Little Treasure wearing the furry woolen cartoon pajamas with little bear ears on his hat and a round tail on his butt, Ning Xi was practically drowning in his cuteness. "Oh, my baby is sooo cute today! Your father finally understands the need for aesthetics!"

    At that moment, the youth''s disguise and external shell were removed as she carried the little bun. All that was left was her true self and Mo Lingtian finally believed Lu Tingxiao. "It¡­it really seems like the bunny¡­"

    After Ning Xi carried the little bun into the house, Mo Lingtian remained in shock outside. "Geez, this is amazing, Lu Tingxiao, can this punk change into 72 variations or something?"

    From a sly fox to a little bunny, to a shooting master, to a little maid, and even a male disguise¡­it all came so naturally to her.

    A woman that could tie Lu Tingxiao down should not be treatedmonly¡­

    Now, he finally knew where the previous rumors about Lu Tingxiao liking men and his open kiss with a man at a certain party hade from.

    He really knew how to y the rumor mill¡­

    ¡­

    In the living room.

    "Miss Xiao Xi, dinner will be ready in a while, have some juice."

    "Miss Xiao Xi, have some fruits!"

    "Miss Xiao Xi, do you want dessert?"

    ¡­

    The maids at home hade over many times with refreshments before Lu Tingxiao massaged his forehead and then said to Ning Xi, "Go upstairs and change."

    "What for? It''s so inconvenient to keep changing!" Ning Xi mumbled.

    Lu Tingxiao did not answer, gazing only towards a certain direction.

    In the kitchen and in the garden outside the window, many of the maids, including Wan Wan, had already peeked in many times ande over to offer things frequently. Before this, when Ning Xi was in a female outfit, she had already coaxed all these maids from being against her to liking her. Now, what more in her male disguise¡­

    "Is that handsome guy inside really, really Miss Xiao Xi?"

    "No way! They''re probably joking!"

    "Wan Wan said so, she shouldn''t be wrong, or else¡­Apart from Miss Xiao Xi, have you seen anyone this close to our Master?"

    ¡­

    "I''ve bought you and Little Treasure pajamas from the same series," Lu Tingxiao answered finally.

    "Aah! Really?! You should''ve said earlier! I''ll go change immediately!" When Ning Xi heard this, she flew up the stairs.

    Momentster, Ning Xi walked down in fresh clothes.

    Little Treasure''s pajama set was like a little bear''s while Ning Xi''s was a little bunny''s. The long ears on her head were extremely adorable.

    Ning Xi hopped down the stairs and twirled before Lu Tingxiao, "Do I look cute or not? Pfft, Lu Tingxiao, I can''t believe you would buy such clothes!"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "I thought you''d like it."

    Ning Xi raised her brows. "Well, do you like it?"

    "I like anything you wear."

    Ning Xi had no words to say. Compared to her pick up skills, she felt like the devil''s skills of picking up girls while looking serious was truly mind-blowing.

    ¡­

    Returning to her apartment after dinner, Ning Xi called Zhuang Keer.

    "Hello, Keer¡­"

    "Xiao Xi! It''s you! What''s up?" Zhuang Keer''s surprised voice was heard from the other end of the phone.

    "It''s about that thing we discussed¡­about you wanting toe visit the set. I''ve asked the director and he said that there''s no problem, so you cane over anytime." Ning Xi never forgot what she promised girls.

    When Zhuang Keer heard this, she was instantly overjoyed. "Really? That''s great!"

    Ning Xi was about to say something when she realized that it was quite noisy on Zhuang Keer''s end of the line. "Keer, are you not home?"

 Chapter 910: Teach You How To Be Human!

    <h4>Chapter 910: Teach You How To Be Human!</h4>

    Zhuang Keer sighed and hesitated, "I''m in one of the Inte cafes in the city centre¡­"

    "Inte cafe?" Ning Xi was a little shocked. Why would Zhuang Keer go to such a ce?

    "I''m here to look for my brother¡­" Zhuang Keer paused, then exined, "After thest incident, my father gave him a curfew, telling him that he''s not allowed to go out after 9 at night, but he ran out when I wasn''t noticing. If I don''t quickly bring him back and my father notices when he returns, he''ll definitely fly into a rage¡­"

    "Sis, you''re so noisy, can you take your call somewhere further away?" Zhuang Rongguang was heard groaning on the other end.

    "Rongguang, our father will highly likelye home tonight¡­"

    "Father, Father! Can you not keep using our father to threaten me!? I''m just ying games and not killing people! Can''t I have some freedom?"

    "The problem is that you''re having your final exams soon, yet you keep ying games. Also, count for yourself how much money you''ve spent on these games. You''ve even had online rtionships with people on them¡­"

    "Go away! You''re so annoying! Are you done!?" Zhuang Rongguan''s tone was very nasty as if he had forgotten how he had almost been shot to death by his father once, and who had always been there to protect him.

    ¡­

    When she heard Zhuang Rongguang''s vile tone, Ning Xi frowned. However, when she spoke to Zhuang Keer, her tone remained gentle. "Keer, can you help me check what game your brother is ying and what his ID is? Then, secretly tell me, okay?"

    Zhuang Keer followed Ning Xi''s instructions and looked at theputer screen, then she walked away to tell Ning Xi, "The game is called ''Sanctuary'' and his ID is ''Glory of Light''. He seems to be marrying someone in the game tonight, he won''t go home no matter how much I ask him to¡­"

    "Okay, got it. Keer, find a ce to sit for a while, I''ll think of a way to make him go home obediently."

    Zhuang Keer did not ask what Ning Xi was about to do. She just trusted her¡­

    After hanging up, Ning Xi opened herptop and then clicked on the Sanctuary icon on her desktop.

    This game was the one that she was an ambassador for together with Jiang Muye and it was considered the game that Ning Xi had yed the longest.

    Hmph, this punk really wanted to take the road to hell when there was one on heaven.

    He was already an adult, yet he let a girl run outte at night to look for him and even spoke so disrespectfully to her¡­

    Pfft, if she did not kill him so mercilessly tonight that he deleted his game, she would not be called Piercing Wind!

    Ning Xi looked as if her own woman was being bullied as she logged in with her game ID and was prepared to attack Zhuang Rongguan.

    Just as Ning Xi logged in, immediately the system popped up with a notification: [Number one on the PK leaderboard, Piercing Wind, has arrived!''

    When she and Jiang Muye promoted the game through livestream, they had used other usernames, but this was Ning Xi''s real ID.

    The moment the bright red system notification popped up, the world immediately exploded¡­

    The world exined: [Whoa, it''s super happening tonight! All the leaderboard masters have arrived, even Piercing Wind who hasn''t been online in a long time!]

    The world continued: [After all, it is the wedding of the first faction leader, Glory of Light, and the second faction leader, In Water''s Direction. But it''s not like Piercing Wind received an invitation!]

    [But that''s weird if Piercing Wind received an invitation! Piercing Wind always runs solo and does not join any factions; Piercing Wind wouldn''t befriend any factions!]

    [Oh, oh, oh! I see Piercing Wind walking towards the matchmaker''s shrine! It seems like this unweed guest is really going to attend the wedding!]

    ¡­

 Chapter 911: Im Going To Steal A Wife!

    <h4>Chapter 911: I''m Going To Steal A Wife!</h4>

    In the game, [Piercing Wind: Requesting for Glory of Light''s coordinates.]

    Ning Xi clicked on the keyboard and released this message to the world.

    The world: [Oh! The Master has actually appeared! It''s a group photo of the forces! Master, Master, I want to give birth to monkeys for you!]

    [Hey, do you want to die? Piercing Wind has a wife!]

    [So what? Can''t I be the Master''s concubine?]

    [Haha, you should see who Piercing Wind''s wife is. How dare you touch Fallen Bloom''s husband?]

    [What wife? The Master didn''t marry her!]

    ¡­

    That was right. Ning Xi''s game ount username was a man''s profile. Because her attack score was top of the game and she led the leaderboard all year round, she was publicly known as all the female yers'' number one marriage choice.

    The "wife" they were talking about was Jiang Muye. Jiang Muye had been tricked by Ning Xi back then and had yed using a female profile with the ID Fallen Bloom.

    Because the two always appeared together and bevause Jiang Muye was Ning Xi''s only good friend in the game, the outside world had always thought of them as a pair.

    When someone sent Ning Xi Zhuang Rongguang''s coordinates, Ning Xi immediately rushed to her destination.

    At that moment, some good friends in the game had offered a voice note invitation.

    Ning Xi looked at the pop-up box and clicked to listen.

    Then, Jiang Muye''s voice could be heard. "Yo! You punk, you''re finally online! What are you going to the matchmaker''s shrine for? Quick, let''s battle!"

    "Don''t disturb me, I have serious matters to settle!"

    "What serious matters would you have at the matchmaker''s shrine?"

    "Huh¡­?" On the other end of the phone, Ning Xiughed sinisterly, then replied, "I''m going to steal a wife!"

    "What¡­???" Jiang Muye almost choked on his saliva. "What did you just say?"

    She had not been online in forever and the first thing she wanted to do was snatch a woman?

    Pfft¡­was this not cheating on him?

    After all, everyone in the game thought that he was a pair with Ning Xi¡­

    When she thought about how Zhuang Keer was still waiting at the Inte caf¨¨te at night, Ning Xi did not spend anymore time talking to Jiang Muye. She immediately summoned her flying horse and rode to the matchmaker''s shrine, making it in time with Zhuang Rongguang''s group.

    This game had been made quite realistically. The wedding set was red all around with streaks of blooms, and it looked aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

    A male yer riding on a high horse with the ID "Glory of Light" above his head led the bride escort troop. Behind him was a sedan with the pride and the people on the side were high profile yers; they were all famous people on the leaderboard, if not faction leaders themselves.

    The troop was walking when sudden, the reverberating sound of a dragon''s groan was heard from the sky. That was the cry of hatred from the only dragon-style flying mount in the game.

    When they heard the dragon''s cry, all the yers knew that the number one master of the game, Piercing Wind, had arrived!

    At that moment, Zhuag Rongguang, who was sitting before theputer in the Inte caf¨¨, immediately stared at the man who had arrived from the sky with his shining eyes, looking very delighted.

    Pfft, I''m so cool! I''m just getting married and even Piercing Wind is here to attend the wedding!

    Beside him, Zhuang Rongguang''s scoundrel friends eximed in admiration too, "Whoa! This is the dragon! I''m seeing it for the first time! Way cool!"

    "I heard that you have to win a hundred battles in a row before you can redeem it! Only Piercing Wind has achieved this in the entire country!"

    "But why did he suddenlye?"

    "What''s so weird about that? I am, after all, the leader of the number one faction!"

    The moment Zhuang Rongguang said this, his friends suddenly stared at the screen and then turned pale before crying out in rm, "Jesus! Rongguang! Quickly run!"

    "What is it? What''s the big fuss about?" Zhuang Ronggguang looked over at the screen, then found himself dumbfounded.

    The entire screen was blood red.

    Piercing Wind had unexpectedly turned his massacre mode on him¡­

 Chapter 912: Here To Cause Trouble!

    <h4>Chapter 912: Here To Cause Trouble!</h4>

    The massacre mode was different from seeking a battle because thetter would require the opponent''s eptance and agreement before proceeding. Starting the massacre mode meant that even if the opponent did not want to fight you, you could still immediately go for the kill.

    Of course, there were punishments for forcefully killing someone. After the yer started the massacre mode, they would be red-listed themselves and be a monster, then anyone could kill them from then on.

    The yers were initially all flooding the forums, shocked that Piercing Wind would join Glory of Light''s wedding. Someone had even spected that Piercing Wind was prepared to join the faction but in the next second, everyone witnessed him get off his saddle and catch everyone off guard by going into massacre mode.

    The man in the battle god armor was bloodied red as the huge scythe in his hand cut through the sky. The red crescent-shaped light fell on Glory of Light''s body and instantly, he lost half his blood.

    Before everyone could react, Piercing Wind had made a few more moves and shed mercilessly, causing Glory of Light to fall on the floor, thoroughly dead.

    The entire world''s channels had been flooded withments and spections earlier, but at that moment, it fell silent.

    In the Inte caf¨¨, Zhuang Rongguang mmed his fist onto the table in fury. "Hey! That bastard actually dared to kill me!"

    His friends around him were dumbstruck. "What just¡­happened?"

    "Why are you stunned? Quickly revive me!" Zhuang Rongguang demanded unhappily.

    "Oh, oh!"

    In the game, a medical yer had injected him with "life" and Zhuang Rongguang was immediately resurrected.

    However, in the next second, another red glow shed across the screen and Zhuang Rongguang''s character fell to the ground again¡­

    Because he was not yet restored to full blood condition when he was revived, this time only a single move was needed to strike him down.

    Zhuang Rongguang, his friends, everyone in the gaming world, and the guests attending the wedding were stupefied once again.

    If the first time was a misunderstanding, the second time was definitely intentional. Piercing Wind was clearly here to kill Glory of Light!

    On anotherputer, Jiang Muye sent a voice note as he was getting a headache. "Damn it, what the heck are you trying to do? How did this guy offend you?"

    Ning Xi replied, "He bullied my person!"

    Jiang Muye had nothing to say.

    Logically, Ning Xi did not have any other good friends in the game, so who had Glory of Light bullied?

    Just as she said that, Ning Xi had already killed the resurrected Glory of Light for the third time.

    At that moment, someone finally spoke in the forum.

    Glory of Light: [Piercing Wind! What is the meaning of this!!!???]

    Ning Xi''s reply was a stab to him before immediately sitting down cross-legged, blocking the path of the bridal troop.

    Nothing was said but the intention was already quite obvious. He was here to cause trouble!

    The world: [Jesus! Can someone tell me what the situation is?]

    The world: [It''s already so obvious, do you still need to ask? Piercing Wind is obviously here to steal his wife!]

    The world: [Hey, hey, hey! I''ve really lived long enough! Who knew that watching a wedding would lead to such a huge scandal?!]

    ¡­

    Glory of Light: [Piercing Wind, I don''t have any grudges with you. You''vee here yourself to cause trouble, don''t me me for being merciless!]

    Now that Piercing Wind had started massacre mode, everyone could go up to kill him. Even if he was great at battling, it could notpare to the force of Glory of Light''s entire number one faction.

    At that moment, everyone''s screen suddenly turned into a sea of gold and the sound of birds crying was heard from their speakers. A huge shadow covered the sky, then a golden phoenixnded and from the phoenix, a magical fluttery woman floated down.

    To everyone''s shock, the ID above the woman''s head was Fallen Bloom.

 Chapter 913: Would My Man Need To Steal Your Woman?

    <h4>Chapter 913: Would My Man Need To Steal Your Woman?</h4>

    The world: [Aaaaah! Fallen Bloom! My goddess Fallen Bloom is here! Goddess, please, a selfie!]

    The world: [Hahahaha, Piercing Wind''s wife is here! This is going to be good!]

    The world: [Now, Glory of Light won''t even need to do anything. Fallen Bloom would probably kill the wretched man herself!]

    ¡­

    Fallen Bloom was second on the game leaderboard and was the only female yer among the top ten, having won 88 battles in a row. She rode a golden phoenix and carried the nickname of the "Battle Devil". Even though her battle score was not on par with Piercing Wind''s, she still held the highest number of battles in the game.

    At the same time, Fallen Bloom was also the game''s first RMB yer. Even though her faction ranking was not that high up, the entire faction was filled with rick mafias and even the number one faction would dare not offend her.

    Otherwise, as unruly as they were, when they started hating you, they could easily use their money to snatch everyone in your faction.

    Zhuang Rongguang had limited allowance and recently, even that had been limited, so he naturally could notpare to these merciless rich mafia RMB yers.

    Glory of Light: [Leader Fallen Bloom, your man is not satisfied with what he has and came here to snatch my woman from me. How do you feel about this?]

    Zhuang Rongguang was worried that Fallen Bloom would protect Piercing Wind, so he just decided to drive a wedge between them.

    Fallen Bloom: [Would my man need to steal your woman?]

    A single sentence kill.

    In Water''s Direction: [Fallen Bloom, don''t be a bully! Who''s your man? Bro Piercing Wind has never admitted being in any rtionship with you, so stop showering your affection onto someone who''s uninterested here!]

    "Hey!" Through the gaming headphones, Jiang Muye cursed out loudly.

    In the next second, the screen disyed a line of words.

    System: [yer "Fallen Bloom" has started massacre mode on "In Water''s Direction".]

    The entire world was dumbfounded once again.

    This storyline was a god-like esction! Simply merciless!

    From a case of two men fighting for a woman, it had be two women fighting for a man, and there was none of Glory of Light''s business here. His own woman who he had just wedded had run off to be jealous of another woman. As a faction leader, he had really been cheated on horribly here¡­

    Did the goddess In Water''s Direction actually like Piercing Wind too?

    This was not surprising to all the yers. The game was, after all, where the strongest earned the highest honor and which female yer would not like Piercing Wind?! Besides, if such a man hade to snatch you as a wife, that would cause one''s heart to be restless¡­

    While the game was abuzz, Ning Xi was fighting with Jiang Muye.

    "Damn it, Jiang Muye, what are you doing?"

    "What must you cheat on me and not allow me to defend myself?"

    "Your stubborn head, can''t you just tell them you''re a man? That way, there wouldn''t be any misunderstanding!"

    "How can I continue ying in this game if they knew I am a man?"

    "Well you''re a man, so you can''t kill women!"

    "I am now a woman too!"

    "If you cause any more trouble for me, don''t look for me if you need someone to battle with!"

    ¡­

    She had finally stopped Jiang Muye, so Ning Xi quickly sent out a message into the world.

    Piercing Wind: [Personal gratitude and grudges abound! Those on the sidelines, please don''t intervene, or else, you will pay the price yourself]

    Up next, Piercing Wind unexpectedly challenged someone to a war¡­

    Piercing Wind: [Glory of Light,e to the battlefield. I will take off my godly armor and let you make three moves. The loser has to delete their ount.]

    Instantly, the entire world was buzzing again!

    Immediately delete their ount? That was such a huge stake!

    Just as everyone was going crazy on the forum, they were also excitedly anticipating Glory of Light''s response.

    If Glory of Light still would not ept the challenge, he would lose all face and would not be considered a man!

    "Rongguang, what to do now? To fight or not?"

    "That guy is even taking off his godly armor, how arrogant! Of course, we must get him! Rongguang, get him! What are you waiting for?"

 Chapter 914: Which Girl Did You Hook Up With Now!?

    <h4>Chapter 914: Which Girl Did You Hook Up With Now!?</h4>

    Zhuang Rongguang looked unhappy as he gritted his teeth in frustration. His attack score was actually not that low. Earlier, he had only been massacred by Piercing Wind because he waspletely caught off guard. Now, Piercing Wind had not only let him make three moves first, he had even offered to remove their godly armor, so there was no way he would lose again.

    Thus, Zhuang Rongguang decisively picked up his sword and swung it at Piercing Wind.

    True to his word, Piercing Wind stood still and did not return the favor.

    Three sword attackster, Piercing Wind had only ten percent of blood life left.

    "You punk, you''re arrogant indeed! Delete your ount!" Zhuang Rongguang continued to sh.

    To Zhuang Rongguang''s surprise, in the next second, Piercing Wind had suddenly disappeared from where he was. At the same time, Zhuang Rongguang''s life had depleted by a quarter.

    "Hey! Teleportation?!"

    "Don''t worry, Rongguang, continue! He''s slowed down from your attack, so this move can only be done once. In fact, he''s already removed his godly armor, so the harm he can inflict is halved! Quickly sh him to death! Just one sh is enough!"

    Despite Piercing Wind having only that little life left, he continued to fly and use showy attack tricks that bedazzled everyone. Atst, he almost killed the fully-armored Glory of Light without much mercy.

    The world started buzzing at the same time on the forum again.

    The world: [Praise the Master!]

    The world: [Praise the Master!]

    The world: [Praise the Master!]

    ¡­

    The world: [Piercing Wind] [Delete your ount, or else I will kill you every time I see you!]

    The world: [Master, what grudges are there between you two?]

    The world: [Exactly! How has the Glory of Light faction leader offended you to the point that not only do you want to steal his wife, you even want to kill him to delete his ount?]

    Piercing Wind: [I just don''t like him]

    The world: [¡­]

    In the Inte caf¨¦, Zhuang Rongguang looked at Piercing Wind''s message on the screen and kicked the chair behind him, toppling it over.

    "Hey, Rongguang, where are you going? Not ying anymore?"

    "You''ve spent so much money on this ount. Are you really going to delete it?"

    "Go away, don''t disturb me! Don''t look for me to y anymore!"

    He had already been killed so horribly, robbed of his wife and even battled away his dignity. How would he have the face to y again?

    At the same time, Ning Xi''s phone rang. It was Zhuang Keer.

    Ning Xi stopped Jiang Muye, who wasining profusely into her headphones about In Water''s Direction''s provocation, to ept the call. "Hello, Keer?"

    When he heard Ning Xi''s gentle voice, Jiang Muye instantly shut up on the other end and listened in.

    "Hello, Xiao Xi, Rongguang has already logged off and gone home!"

    "That''s good then, you should get home quickly too. Next time, don''te out alone sote at night, it''s not safe."

    "Mmm, I know! But¡­what did you do? I think I heard Rongguang say earlier that he won''t y games anymore¡­because he has been so addicted to it, I never expected that he would actually say something like this¡­"

    "Oh, it''s nothing, I have an ount in this game too. Coincidentally, I know your brother. I just used that ount to chat privately with him, using my identity as a friend to advise him, telling him to study hard and not abandon his studies for these games. Maybe he understood better because I spoke to him as a yer and a friend."

    "Oh, is that so!? Xiao Xi, thank you so much¡­"

    Ning Xi''s microphone had not been switched off, so Jiang Muye was speechlessly listening to Ning Xi''s tant lies.

    When Ning Xi was done with the phone call, Jiang Muye immediately scoffed, "Which girl did you hook up with now?"

    "What do you mean by ''hook up''? It''s my new friend. Her brother ys games all day and wouldn''t go home, so I''m just helping her out!"

    She had caused such a ruckus, snatching wives and forcing someone to delete their ount all to please a girl. Pity him, having to fight and be jealous of a stupid woman like In Water''s Direction! In the end, it was because she was helping another girl?

    Jiang Muye was speechless at the absurdity of it all.

 Chapter 915: Such A Weak Actor, No Fun To Torture

    <h4>Chapter 915: Such A Weak Actor, No Fun To Torture</h4>

    "Oh yeah, you started shooting today, how did it go?" Jiang Muye casually asked.

    Ning Xi pouted. "It went quite well I guess. There''s a prick, but it''s all settled."

    "Prick¡­could it be Chen Hanchen, that punk?"

    "You know him too?" Ning Xi was a little surprised.

    "Fashion Media keeps talking about trying to cultivate the next Jiang Muye or something. How could I not know?" Jiang Muye sneered, then he asked, "Have you shot any scenes with him today?"

    "I did!"

    "How did it go?"

    "He did bad takes about ten times, I think."

    "Were you that kind and lenient on him?" When Jiang Muye heard this, he was instantly dissatisfied as he wondered why had she tortured him so cruelly back then.

    "That was only because he''s such a weak actor. Plus, it wouldn''t be fun to torture him, he''s far from your standards!" Ning Xi replied.

    Jiang Muye choked.

    These words¡­

    Should he thank her for thepliment then?

    "However, he does have pretty good potential. If you don''t work harder, be careful, your junior might end up better than you!" Ning Xi said.

    "Huh, that''s groundless worries! He can try to be better!" Jiang Muye said in the utmost arrogant tone.

    Ning Xiughed while she shook her head.

    However, even though Jiang Muye was brassy, he did have the qualities to behave so. That innate rampant ego of his was not easy to be copied by just anyone.

    If Chen Hanchen only followed Jiang Muye''s path and not unearth his own unique character, even if he became popr, he would only forever be but a faint shadow of Jiang Muye.

    "Oh, what time will your shoot roughly be tomorrow?" Jiang Muye asked.

    "I don''t have any shooting in the morning. I start in the afternoon. What do you have in mind?"

    "As your senior from the samepany, of course, I''d want to visit the set of your new show to support you!"

    Ning Xi had no words to reply him with. He obviously had ulterior motives¡­

    ¡­

    The next morning, because Ning Xi''s shoot was in the afternoon, she dropped by the studio. If she had more time, she wanted to think of a way to meet the person-in-charge at SF.

    Before this, she failed to meet him after contacting him quite a few times, and when they had made an appointment, he had inconveniently gone out of the country for work. When she had finally waited for them to be back in the country, they were all sorts of busy again.

    Ning Xi was ready to think of a way to find out what the other person''s schedule was, then go and look for them. With the proposal she had prepared so long for, she had to, at least, let that person go through it once no matter what.

    When she rushed to the studio, Ning Xi immediately called Han Momo over, "Momo, have you found out about the thing I asked you to check from the day before?"

    "Yes, yes, in the morning, Director Wang will be at the western suburbs golf course¡­"

    "Okay, got it." Ning Xi turned on herptop and adjusted the proposal again.

    Gong Shangze frowned at this sight. He put the draft in his hand down and walked over. "Boss, how about I go this time? Don''t you have a shoot this afternoon? If you rush to the west now and rush back to the set, you''d be too tired¡­"

    "No worries, I already said you don''t have to care about all of this. Just focus on your designs." Ning Xi pat him on the shoulder, then prepared to leave.

    She picked up her bag and was about to walk out when a calm voice said from the cubicle beside her, "It''s just a waste of energy."

    The person who had spoken was Qiao Wen.

    Han Momo was upset when she heard this. This was their effort of preserving the studio and they had not asked for any of her help, but she did not have to dampen their enthusiasm, did she?

 Chapter 916: Master, Enlighten Me?

    <h4>Chapter 916: Master, Enlighten Me?</h4>

    Something shifted in Ning Xi''s eyes. She immediately put her bag down and pulled out a chair to sit opposite Qiao Wen. "Master¡­enlighten me with your advice."

    Qiao Wen looked up and saw that Ning Xi had propped down before her and she was instantly shaken by her curious eyes.

    In usual situations, such words in that kind of tone would offend most people. They would usually be unhappy, and possibly even start a fight¡­

    After all, the working rtionship between them was weak with no foundation at all and it was all too easy to incite conflict between them.

    Ning Xi''s attitude inevitably took her back by surprise. The truth was that ever since she hade over, she had been surprised many times.

    At first, when she had been sent here by Qin Shengyue, she did indeed have the intention of wanting to finish her mission then leave. She did not want to have to do anything else unnecessary.

    There were too many celebrities like Ning Xi who had started their own studio and created their own brand, but all of them were only fooling around with their work. All of them were empty, arrogant vessels and she did not need to please such people.

    She thought that Ning Xi would be the same as well, so she held the principle of "the lessplications, the better", and to not aim for credits but rather for no mistakes. She did not even want to waste any excessive amount of energy at such a ce.

    However, as time went on, this girl had surprised her tremendously.

    Despite the fact that she was not a professional in many aspects and that the business had even taken many turns, she continued to learn and was constantly improving. She had many of her own views while Gong Shangze was practically treating this career like his life. Even Han Momo shared a very strong pride for the studio.

    In such an atmosphere, she had not noticed it herself but she was already unknowingly changing the way she saw things¡­

    Earlier, although her brain had notputed information, her body would react on impulse but now, she would process her thoughts before acting. Even though she was a little shocked, this was still within her expectations.

    At that moment, as she faced the girl''s humble and eager gaze, Qiao Wen finally said, "This is themercial society, they care about the outside not the internal. They prefer shy things that are hollow on the inside. Business deals cannot be sealed with perseverance, your actions''ll only be seen as pestering to the outside."

    Ning Xi quickly took out her notebook and her eyes shone. "Then, what should I do to arouse the interest of the SF person-in-charge, so that they would get our brand on retail?"

    Qiao Wen watched Ning Xi''s demeanor that of a young student and cleared her throat. "It''s currently impossible. That kind ofpany has strong and solid capability, they''ll definitely not ept a brand of our ranks to put up on retail. Even if your proposal is perfect, you''ve chosen the wrong client, you''re just attempting the impossible. We currently don''t even have small clients, yet we want to expect instant sess discussing retailing with toppanies in the industry. This is unrealistic."

    Ning Xi listened as she fell into contemtion.

    Qiao Wen''s words had urately pinpointed their problem.

    Maybe because they had seeded with Qin Shengyue thest time, she had subconsciously set an overzealous goal for herself.

    After all, she had used some smarts with the Qin Shengyue case. However, she could not rely on luck and opportunity every time¡­

    When she saw that Ning Xi had understood, Qiao Wen continued, "Based on our current situation with the studio, it''s not suitable to find a huge corporation like SF for coboration. Based on our position, the most suitable coboration partners would be those socialites."

 Chapter 917: Taking It To Give A Girl

    <h4>Chapter 917: Taking It To Give A Girl</h4>

    "Now, the question is, how do we tap into the market of socialites?" Han Momo asked.

    "Prepare ten sets of clothes for me. I''ll be in charge of sending them out," said Qiao Wen.

    "What?" Han Momo''s eyes instantly widened. "Send¡­send them out?"

    "Yes."

    "Our studio is for profit, not for charity. Wouldn''t we get no returns at all from sending them out?" Han Momo looked shocked, her eyes filled with suspicion towards Qiao Wen.

    She had thought that Qiao Wen would have some good ideas! This was nonsense, was it not¡­?

    An awkward moment of silenceter, Ning Xi looked at Gong Shangze and asked, "How many sets of high-grade customized pieces do we have now?"

    "Exactly ten pieces, but they were prepared to be released as a new product¡­" Gong Shangze answered.

    Ning Xi immediately said, "Then, let''s not release it first. Pass them to Director Qiao!"

    Qiao Wen nodded slightly, then she looked at Gong Shangze. "I need the detailed information of the material and design concept of every set of apparel¡­"

    As Qiao Wen spoke to Gong Shangze, Han Momo quickly pulled Ning Xi aside and lowered her voice to say, "Sis Xi, this is too risky! I''ve counted. The total of those clothese up to a few million dors and we''ve used up all the best materials and quality. If we don''t ept any payment and just give them away, all of the profit from this period would have to be used to cover and that would most likely cause a fracture in the capital chain¡­"

    "If you use someone, don''t suspect them," Ning Xi squinted, then she said through gritted teeth, "Besides, one must pay the price to achieve one''s goals!"

    She had waited for so long for the day that Qiao Wen would take the initiative in the studio work, so how could she let go of this great opportunity?

    Even if it failed, she would ept her chances. Besides, she did not think that she would fail.

    Qiao Wen had mentioned that she would be in charge of giving them out, which meant that she would use her own connections for the studio!

    Her connections were Qiao Wen''s best weapon.

    When Han Momo saw Ning Xi''s determined attitude and confident outlook, she naturally stopped trying to advise her.

    Gong Shangze was packing the required clothes with Han Momo when Ning Xi suddenly flew over.

    "Oh¡­wait¡­aah, hey¡­my babies! Let me bid them onest farewell¡­"

    Han Momo was confused. She had been so blunt earlier that she almost thought that she did not care at all and that her heart did not ache even a little!

    When Qiao Wen''s saw Ning Xi''s heartbroken expression, she smiled and at the same time, she felt moved.

    Ning Xi was not at the wealthiest point in her life and these clothes were pretty much the entire studio''s capital, yet she had chosen to trust her without second thoughts.

    After Ning Xi was done bidding goodbye to the beautiful clothes, she suddenly thought of something again. "Ah, wait, Director Qiao, I have a good friend who is super pretty and super cute. Her identity would definitely fit our studio''s positioning too. Could you give me a set to pass to her?"

    Qiao Wen nodded. "Of course, you''re the boss."

    "I am indeed the boss, but you''re the lighthouse!" After Ning Xi received her agreement, she happily picked out a lively, youthful outfit from the avable sets.

    She thought to herself, "This outfit would definitely look good on my Keer! In fact, it''s so expensive, argh! I definitely cannot let all of it be taken advantaged of by outsiders!"

 Chapter 918: A Kissing Scene!

    <h4>Chapter 918: A Kissing Scene!</h4>

    Quality goods needed no advertising. Instead of waiting, they had taken the initiative to find those who were suitable for them.

    With abination of Spirit''s talents, Qin Shengyue''s prestige, and the final touch in the form of Qiao Wen''s connections, the probability of winning this gamble was pretty positive.

    Ning Xi patted Gong Shangze on the shoulder. "Shangze, your babies have been taken away. Does your heart ache?"

    After all, these clothes had all been put together stitch by stitch by him and more than ten professional craftsmen. She remembered that on one of the outfits, just sewing the metallic ornament had taken them seven days.

    On the outside, Gong Shangze did not look heavy-hearted. "I trust you, Boss."

    Besides, without her, they would not even have existed; she was the real owner of the outfits.

    ¡­

    With Qiao Wen''s help, Ning Xi was much more relieved, so she rushed straight to the set after lunch. For ease of movement, she remained in a male disguise.

    The crew had just finished lunch too, so they were resting for a while.

    Even though it was only the second day, there was already a small clique formed. Chen Hanchen, Qi Fang, and Ji Yumeng were one close group on their own. Because Ke Yumeng was not a product of the film academy and was not signed to anypany, he remained alone in a corner highlighting his more reclusive personality. Some of the smaller characters would walk up to him for small talk sometimes, but when they did not get a response, they stopped trying.

    "Senior, you''re here!" Ji Yumeng saw Ning Xi from afar. She was in the middle of a conversation with Qi Fang, but she ditched him and flew over to her like a little bird.

    Hey, hey, hey, they had only not seen each other for one night, so what was up with the yearning!? Ah, wake up, Ji Yumeng, that''s a woman!

    Howeve, Ning Xi really did have a unique aura, especially from the way she treated the girls yesterday, it was veryfortable to be around her, making any girl feel oddly like they were being preciously treated!

    When she saw the panting little girling to greet her, Ning Xi revealed a smile. "Mmm, have you eaten?"

    "I''ve eaten. Director Chen is so mean, the crew''s takeaway is so good that I''ve eaten too much again!" Ji Yumeng covered her tummy and grumbled.

    "Huh, don''t worry, you''re not even fat."

    "Really, really?"

    "Mmm, it''s okay even if you''re a little fat, you''d look even cuter that way."

    "No¡­no way¡­" Ji Yumeng covered her face shyly. She looked she really wanted to marry Ning Xi.

    ¡­

    Not too far away, Qi Fang was about to twist his mineral water bottle out of shape. "Hey! What''s so good about that guy? She''s just a sweet talker! She just knows how to coax girls! What a hypocrite!"

    At that moment, a random girl intervened to say, "So what if she coaxes girls!? Isn''t coaxing girls one of the most basic skills a man ought to have?"

    "You''re right¡­but¡­something''s not right! She''s clearly a girl herself! Why would she fight for our rice bowls like that? Thepetition is already tight enough! Right, Hanchen?" Qi Fang turned to look at Chen Hanchen beside him.

    Chen Hanchen did not say anything as he was focused on the script and did not hear what he said at all.

    Qi Fang was speechless. He pitied the guy; it looked like yesterday''s torture was quite brutal.

    Chen Hanchen was suddenly so serious, making him feel really pressured too¡­

    Apart from Chen Hanchen, another person with unknown potential was the second male lead, Ke Mingyu. This guy had not said maand and they wondered how his acting skills were.

    Yesterday, Chen Hanchen had been tortured brutally, so this punk would not have it easy today either, would he?

    "Hey, what scene is Ke Mingyu shooting with Ning Xi today?" Qi Fang mumbled as he flipped the script. "Got it! Scene 28¡­woah! It''s actually¡­a kissing scene! Even though they do not actually kiss in the end¡­hahahahaha Hanchen, someone''s going to cover the bottom for you! The scene that Ke Mingyu is doing with Ning Xi today is a kissing scene! How could he be able to kiss a man!? Ke Mingyu is dead!"

 Chapter 919: What Did Youâ€¦Just Say?

    <h4>Chapter 919: What Did You¡­Just Say?</h4>

    Even though Ning Xi was a woman, when she wore a male outfit, everyone would overlook the feminine side of her.

    Thus, could Ke Mingyu act well with such the thought that Ning Xi passed off so well as a man?

    Chen Mian was probably a little worried that Ke Mingyu would not express wellter either, so he called him over to talk him through the scene.

    Sigh, the fact Ning Xi was so good at this male disguise had actually be an issue too¡­

    Others had also heard that the next scene would be quite interesting, hence they instantly became excited and anticipated the shoot to begin. In fact, a few Fujoshis were so excited that they were bouncing.

    On the other hand, Ji Yumeng was flipping through her script and clearly sulking.

    Damn it, Ke Mingyu actually has a kissing scene with Senior today!

    Let go off Senior and allow me to do it!

    In the movie, apart from the female lead''s best friend, Ning Xiaomeng, who knew right from the start the the female lead was a woman, the first person to notice this was the second male lead character, Ling Yu.

    Upon noticing this, he gradually felt an odd sentiment towards her. However, he knew that the female lead liked his good friend, Si Xia, so Ling Yu''s personality in the script was a very conflicted person. There were a lot of gaze-intensive scenes and to perform them was probably even more difficult than the male lead''s scenes.

    The crew was preparing for the shoot when someone in the crowd suddenly shrieked, "Ah, ah, ah! Jiang¡­Jiang Muye!"

    "Who? Jiang Muye? Where? Where?!"

    "Over there! The person that the director''s assistant just led in!"

    "Oh! It really is my Jiang Muye! My Jiang Muye is so, so, so handsome today¡­"

    "But why would Muyee today?"

    "Probably to visit the shoot, I heard that he has a close rtionship with Bro Xi!"

    ¡­

    Nearby, she saw a group of girls surrounding him as he walked over. Ning Xi was speechless. This dude had reallye!

    Not only that, he had worn Neil''s Spring and Summer series embedded satin aviation jacket with a pair of ck trousers, paired with a CH gold chain and pink ring, and the obsidian stud earring shone dimly on his earlobe. The way he was dressed, he should get a red carpet rolled out for him.

    He was just visiting a shoot. Did he have to dress this flirtatiously?

    Because of Jiang Muye''s arrival, the crew was abuzz for quite a while; some had even asked for his signature and others for a picture.

    Chen Mian was quite generous. He gave the girls ten minutes to chase after their favorite celebrity. Even though they had seen many celebrities while working in this industry, they still could not resist the temptation of charm, more so with someone of Jiang Muye''s allure.

    "Yumeng, aren''t you going over?" Ning Xi noticed with surprise that even though the crew members and some actresses had ran over, Ji Yumeng was not bothered.

    Ji Yumeng looked over at Ning Xi when she heard her and immediately expressed her loyalty, "Senior, I am your die-hard fan. Even if that Jiang Muye were super handsome, I wouldn''t look at him twice! Besides, he''s not all that handsome, he''s far from you!"

    The moment Ji Yumeng finished, a shadow stood over her. A man''s loud and unhappy voice was heard just above her head, "Oh?"

    "Ah¡­Jiang¡­Senior Jiang!" Ji Yumeng instantly took a few steps back.

    "Little girl, what did you¡­just say?" Jiang Muye took off his sunsses and asked, his eyes looking very much like electricity generators.

    Jiang Muye was really a natural star. His entire body was shining and his aura was highly invasive, such that no one could really ignore him.

    Ji Yumeng was young after all, and Jiang Muye had suddenlye this close with his full charisma, making the little girl turn scarlet instantly.

 Chapter 920: Theres Love Between These Two!

    <h4>Chapter 920: There''s Love Between These Two!</h4>

    On one hand, her rationale told her to restrain herself as a die-hard fan, but on the other hand, the temptation of beauty before her was too much¡­

    Oh! What to do, what to do? She could not betray Senior¡­

    "Mmm? I''m not as handsome as her? You sure?" Jiang Muye''s charming eyes twinkled as he continued to ask.

    "I¡­I¡­" The little girl felt troubled, feeling anxious and on the verge of tears¡­

    Behind her, Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. She walked up, hurled out a hand and took Ji Yumeng into her embrace to pat her hair lightly, then put her behind for protection before giving Jiang Muye a mean stare. "Can you be any more immature?"

    Ji Yumeng instantly felt as if the spring breeze had caressed her face as she hid behind Ning Xi and felt giddy with happiness. Oh, she was being protected by the Senior!

    "Hmm!" Jiang Muye scoffed, then sat right down, looking very challenged.

    Who told this girl to talk big and dare to look down upon his charm? This was a question of principles, one he could not stand.

    Ning Xi naturally knew he had this bad habit, so she rolled her eyes and said, "You already have so many fans, and you still want to fight with me over one. Aren''t you shameless?"

    Jiang Muye pouted. "Even you can fight with male celebrities over female fans. What am I being shameless about?"

    Ning Xi sneered, "Haha, you dare say that you''ve never taken male fans away from female celebrities?"

    ¡­

    As everyone watched the two of them unwittingly start an argument as soon as they met, they became restless.

    "Oh, oh, oh, one is arrogant and dominating, while another iszy and unruly! The two of them are really such a feast for my eyes!"

    "They are practically befitting of each other! Sadly, why is the male lead in our movie not Jiang Muye!?"

    "Exactly! When these two are together, it really feels like there''s love in the air!"

    "It feels like a d¨¦j¨¤ vu of a perpetually angry uke and a bishie !"

    ¡­

    In the corner, as he listened to the discussion around him, Chen Hanchen''s hands trembled as he held the script in his hand, his handsome face turning pale.

    Because he had always been cultivated as the second Jiang Muye, Chen Hanchen had watched all the recordings, television shows, and movies featuring Jiang Muye many times, thinking that even if he could not keep up to a hundred percent of the expectations, he could at least achieve 70 or 80 percent.

    To his unhappiness, now that he had seen him up close, he realized that his confidence was a joke. His entire heart immediately fell into an ice house.

    Beside him, Qi Fang too could not help but curse himself. Between Chen Hanchen and Jiang Muye¡­the difference between these two were indeed vast¡­

    Ning Xi naturally knew that Jiang Muye was bound by Chen Hanchen''s managementpany for marketing and that he had been unhappy for a long time. Now, he had finally appeared to reim his position. She stood up, patted him on the shoulder and said, "I''m going to work now. You''re almost done, aren''t you? Don''t affect our shoot!"

    "I know¡­oh, what''s your next scene? Is it with that punk?"

    "No, it''s with the second male lead, a kissing scene."

    Earlier, Jiang Muye''s line of sight had been focused on Chen Hanchen. He had only just noticed who the second male lead was being yed by.

    Not too far away in the middle of the set, Chen Mian was talking Ning Xi through the scene. Apart from the two of them, there was a young man standing quietly there, blending into the background with his run-of-the-mill looks and charisma.

    Until Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu had gone to change, Jiang Muye ran up to Chen Mian and asked, "Old Chen, are you blind? You chose someone like him to be the second male lead?"

    "Bugger off, you''re the blind one, his acting is good!" Chen Mian said airily.

 Chapter 921: Changed Into A Whole Different Person!

    <h4>Chapter 921: Changed Into A Whole Different Person!</h4>

    Jiang Muye looked in disdain at him. "As good as I am?"

    "You?" Chen Mian revealed a pained expression as if he would rather die. "Don''t you know that in the director''s circle, you''re the number one male actor that directors don''t want to coborate with? Be more self-aware, you bastard!"

    "Huh?! On the basis of what? Why don''t they want to coborate with me? My poprity is soaring high!" Jiang Muye was instantly furious.

    "If you were not popr, who would be willing to hire you!? Don''t even talk about how hard it is to serve you, the key thing is still your acting. It''s like a freaking roller coaster, sometimes you perform well, sometimes horribly bad. It''s hard to grasp it and it''s entirely up to your mood, so which director can stand you!?"

    ¡­

    Very soon, the lighting and camera were all ready to go.

    The shoot began.

    On the greenery-filled balcony, curled up in the hanging circr rattan chair, Ji Feixue was sound asleep.

    The girl wore male home clothes and her hand held a book carelessly. Her soft, ck short hair fluttered under the warm sun and her creamy, wless skin showed almost no pores could under the camera; she was like the best quality of white jade.

    A cool breeze brushed against her and the pages fluttered, producing a soft sound¡­

    The world was steady, all was tranquil.

    When everyone saw this scene, this line somehow crossed their minds.

    Right at that moment, there was a creak and the balcony door was pushed open before a lean figure walked in.

    When Ke Mingyu appeared in the centre of the scene, everyone found themselves gasp, including Jiang Muye who could not help but straighten up.

    At that moment, Ke Mingyu wore a grey checkered tuxedo with a white shirt on the inside and a ck tie. In his hand was a white velvet nket. He seemed like the deepest parts of a jungle covered in white snow, revealing a kind of distinct profoundness¡­

    It was the same person, but his entire charisma had changed entirely.

    One second ago, he was still a rather gloomy and indifferent young man, but at that very moment he was the epitome of the saying "the beauty in high ces is like a jade, while the handsome young man is unmatched in the world".

    This kind of breathtaking scene had nothing to do with how one looked; it was all about charisma!

    Those who knew a little would know that for an actor, charisma was something that could not be seen or touched. It was the hardest element to control.

    Qi Fang was so shocked that he immediately stood up and said, "Jesus¡­how could this be? How did he change into a whole different person once he started acting? Is this¡­is this really Ke Mingyu?"

    Chen Hanchen continued to stare steadily at the shoot. Ji Yumeng had also held her breath and paid rapt attention. She could not help but mumbled, "Am I having an illusion? I feel like Ke Mingyu''s gaze on Senior is not an act¡­"

    Ke Mingyu''s shoot was still going on.

    Ling Yu walked onto the balcony, his movements gentle as he covered Ji Feixue with the nket. When he looked at Ji Feixue, his aura changed again as if the spring day had offered a warm breeze, melting the ice a little, and it was as if millions of flowers bloomed in his eyes¡­

    After he covered her well, Ling Yu was ready to get up and leave but he paused because he wanted to take onest look at Ji Feixue.

    His two hands held the handrail as if he had just been bewitched and he could not control himself, then he very slowly walked closer to Ji Feixue¡­

    In those sinking eyes, there was love, rationality, struggle¡­all of it contained a lot ofplicated emotions and waves crashed within him, making his heart and soul restless¡­

    As he was getting even closer to Ji Feixue, almost everyone present had been sucked into the emotional world of Ling Yu and all was silent.

 Chapter 922: Everyone Was Shocked!

    <h4>Chapter 922: Everyone Was Shocked!</h4>

    Would Ling Yu actually kiss her?

    After all, his feelings for Ji Feixue had been suppressed for so long¡­

    He was the first to find out that Ji Feixue was a woman and he had been helping her to cover up. He quietly protected her behind the scenes, while he watched her love Si Xia¡­

    At that moment, Ling Yu was only several breaths away from Ji Feixue and he was about to kiss her in the next second!

    "Hey! Didn''t the script say they didn''t kiss!? What''s this punk trying to do?!" Jiang Muye could not bear the tension and suddenly stood up. He felt like there was something about this guy that he did not like, but he could not put a finger on it.

    Chen Mian shot him a look unhappily and said in a lowered voice, "Quiet! Don''t affect my actors!"

    "Your good actor is about to use public means for private reasons!"

    ¡­

    While Jiang Muye made a fuss, Ling Yu suddenly closed his eyes and in that instant, all his mixed emotions, the tension and the uncertain atmosphere suddenly vanished.

    Ling Yu closed his eyes, stood up and arranged the nket that had been blown by the wind before sitting on the rattan chair across Ji Feixue.

    Then, he picked up the book in Ji Feixue''s hand and quietly flipped through it as if nothing had just happened, no emotions revealed on his face.

    All of the crew members seemed to have suddenly woken up from a charming and gentle dream too, returning to reality.

    Ke Mingyu had just performed the most distinct characteristic of Ling Yu, that was subtlety. After all, he had so quickly restrained all of his emotions¡­

    Just as everyone present had been shocked quite a few times by Ke Mingyu''s acting, Ning Xi who had her eyes closed and pretended to be asleep, did not know anything at all. She had only deducted that the warm breath near her indicated that someone had suddenly closed in on her, then left.

    Before the person left, she heard a light sigh beside her ear. That voice seemed to have some sort of magic as it lingered in her ear till now as if narrating the owner''s suppressed yet deeply felt emotions.

    Finally, after counting the time silently in her heart, Ning Xi decided that she could open her eyes again.

    A momentter, Ning Xi moved slightly, and fluttered her long eyshes a few times before slowly opening up her eyes¡­

    The moment Ning Xi opened her eyes, she saw that opposite her was a man holding a book, and his head was tilted as he sat there reading.

    When he heard her waking up, the man slowly looked up and theyer of ice that separated him from the world instantly cracked. With his gentle and loving eyes, looked at her. "You''re awake."

    Having just opened up her eyes and being met with such an intense gaze, Ning Xi''s skipped a beat, then she was just dumbfounded.

    That was right! For the first time in history, Ning Xi did a bad take!

    Ji Yumeng was shocked. Chen Hanchen looked delighted while Qi Fang waspletely stupefied. He thought that Ke Mingyu would make a bad take, but no one expected that it would be Ning Xi!

    The person who was most shocked was definitely Jiang Muye. Damn it, he had actually lived long enough to see Ning Xi do a bad take!

    Chen Mian also reacted after a moment of shock. He quickly called "Cut" and startedughing, "Ning Xi, why were you stunned? Did you really fall asleep earlier?"

    Ning Xi regained her senses and got up from the rattan chair. She could not help but look at Ke Mingyu again¡­

    In that instance earlier, why did the feeling this person give her feel so simr to the devil''s?

 Chapter 923: Practically Fallen Into The River of Love

    <h4>Chapter 923: Practically Fallen Into The River of Love</h4>

    Ning Xi pinched the space between her brows and apologized, "I''m sorry, Director, I was identally distracted¡­"

    "No worries, the first half was perfect! We can use all of it, so let''s just shoot from the part where you''re waking up!" Chen Mian said delightedly.

    Before this, he had been worried that Ke Mingyu was too reserved and that he would not be good at acting emotional scenes, but who knew that he would be so good? That gaze of his was so on point!

    He could already predict that when the movie was released, even though he was only the second lead and did not have Chen Hanchen''s bedazzling looks, he would still garner many fans with this emotional side of his.

    "Okay¡­" Ning Xi answered absent-mindedly and could not help but look for Ke Mingyu''s figure amidst the crowd.

    When they were not acting, Ke Mingyu returned to being non-existent, drowning in the sea of people.

    Ning Xi was pensively looking at the man who was reading his script, when Jiang Muye suddenly appeared beside her and pulled her over. "Ning Xi,e over here!"

    "What is it?"

    Jiang Muye scratched his head and said mysteriously, "Ning Xiao Xi, did you notice that the way this guy acted earlier felt especially like my uncle?"

    "Duh! If you felt it, would I not? Didn''t you see how I had done a bad take?!" Ning Xi said annoyedly.

    ¡­

    In the corner, Qi Fang walked to Ke Mingyu excitedly to strike a conversation with him. "Hey, Ke Mingyu, you were so cool earlier! Even that person who likes to haul others around was so shocked by you that she did a bad take! Did you really self-learn all of your acting skills? Do you have any secrets?"

    "No."

    Qi Fang rambled on for practically half a day, yet received only a one-word reply, so he instantly looked unhappy and returned to his seat.

    "Pfft! Acting all cool¡­he''s just a newbie with an ordinary name, regr looks and aura. We don''t even know where''s he from, maybe he has some impressive background¡­"

    If he really did have such a background, he naturally did not need to mix around with them because he had no need to waste his time on them.

    "It''s just a broke person doing his job," Chen Hanchen said suddenly.

    When Qi Fang heard this, he asked, "Hanchen, have you asked around? See, I knew it! Based on his looks, I knew he would not have any huge support behind him!"

    ¡­

    After they rested for a while, the shoot continued.

    On the sun-lit balcony, the man sat on the chair with a book in his hand, his long fingers flipping the book for a while. His body exuded the air of an aristocrat''s. The girl slept in the rattan chair opposite him and she was slowly opening her eyes¡­

    "You''re awake." The man looked up, his eyes even more attractive than the sun and he looked at her with tenderness that did not invade her personal space but engulfed her with warmth.

    "Ning Xi¡­Ning Xi, dialogue¡­" Chen Mian anxiously reminded not too far away.

    However, Ning Xi continued to stare stunned at Ke Mingyu, doing a bad take again.

    Chen Mian was speechless. What was going on?

    Why did he feel like the way Ning Xi looked at Ke Mingyu was not right?! Had she practically¡­fallen into the river of love¡­?

    After he shouted "Cut!", Chen Mian called Ning Xi over to remind her, "Ning Xi, watch your eyes, you''re not expressing yourself correctly! In this show, Ji Feixue treats Ling Yu as a friend. She does not have any feelings for him, so you can''t look like you''re moved¡­"

 Chapter 924: Practically Seducing Me

    <h4>Chapter 924: Practically Seducing Me</h4>

    Jiang Muye''s mouth twitched as he listened to Chen Mian''s words and he looked at Ning Xi''s speechless expression.

    In the corner, Qi Fang had brought out a bag of sunflower seeds and was chewing on them as he watched the show.

    Ji Yumeng looked worried. She was slightly concerned for Ning Xi and at the same time, confused. It was such an easy scene but why had Ning Xi done a bad take again? This was not right¡­

    As she listened to Chen Mian''s reminder, Ning Xi wiped her face and calmed herself down. "Director, I understand, let''s do it again. I can definitely do it this time!"

    "Okay, okay, one more time¡­" Chen Mian indicated for everyone to start again.

    Under the sunlight, Ning Xi slowly opened her eyes.

    "You''re awake?"

    One second¡­

    Two seconds¡­

    Three seconds¡­

    Ning Xi was stunned again but she reacted in time and was about to continue with the dialogue. When the man saw her staring at him in surprise, he suddenly smiled and those charming eyes smiled too¡­

    Well, that was it then.

    Because of this smile, Ning Xi was thoroughly taken aback!

    A bad take for the third time!

    Ning Xi indicated that she was mentally tired.

    Chen Mian cleared his throat. "Ning Xi, are you not feeling well today? I''ll give everyone a ten-minute break!"

    Then, he told all the crew members to rest and left Ning Xi alone to adjust herself.

    Qi Fang sighed and shook his head, then said to Ji Yumeng, "This is your idol, Senior. Look, this is her real level of talent. Just one day and she has returned to her original form! It''s such a simple scene, yet she has done a bad take three times. She can''t even memorize the most simple dialogues! I thought she was so good but it turns out that she only knows how to act cool!"

    "Senior is just not feeling too well today. Why are you gloating? You''d better worry about yourself! Later, you and Chen Hanchen have a kissing scene!" Ji Yumeng pointed out.

    The moment she said that, Qi Fang''s face instantly looked as ck as the bottom of a pot and Chen Hanchen did not look too happy either¡­

    That was right, the two of them did have a kissing scene today¡­

    At that moment, Ning Xi was lying on the chair drearily.

    Jiang Muye arrogantly stood above her and said condescendingly, "They just act quite simrly. Look at you! Can you not be so weak?"

    Ning Xi was a little annoyed. "You don''t know anything, you only bber on. Was that only a little simr? I really thought that Lu Tingxiao had possessed his body! Especially when he smiled at me earlier¡­did you notice that? He was practically seducing me to make mistakes!"

    "When did he smile? Are you hallucinating?" Jiang Muye was speechless.

    Ning Xi indicated that she was mentally tired and did not want to speak. She thought that from that angle earlier, she was probably the only one who saw it¡­

    "Is it really that simr?" Jiang Muye was an outsider after all, so he could not know how Ning Xi felt. However, based on her reaction, he must have seemed quite alike.

    "It''s not about his looks, it''s just the feeling. I can''t describe it to you¡­say, do you think that Ke Mingyu is actually Lu Tingxiao in disguise?"

    Jiang Muye was speechless. "Did you read too many martial arts novels? What kind of disguise can someone use to that level? Do you really think there''s such thing as a human skin mask?"

    Ning Xi mumbled, "Who said there isn''t¡­?"

    Jiang Muye thought about it. "There''s such a thing, but even if it was the world''s highest level of face reconstruction skills from Hollywood''s special effects team, they could not achieve this effect. I''ve looked quite closely. If it was a disguise, there''s practically no ws¡­"

    Ning Xi touched her chin. "Pfft, Hollywood''s special effects team is nothing¡­

    The two chatted for a while and Ning Xi could not sit any longer, so she suddenly stood up. "No!"

    "What''s up with you?"

    "I need to rify the situation!" Ning Xi said as she made her way to Ke Mingyu.

 Chapter 925: Wish She Could Peel Him Layer By Layer

    <h4>Chapter 925: Wish She Could Peel Him Layer By Layer</h4>

    "What''s there to talk about? Is she crazy¡­?" Behind her, Jiang Muye mumbled.

    Ning Xi walked straight to Ke Mingyu and stopped before him.

    Ke Mingyu noticed that someone hade close, so he looked up from his script. When he saw who it was, he greeted, "Senior."

    Ning Xi scratched her head.

    Damn it, no way.

    How could it be the devil?

    Before they finished work yesterday this guy had even ran over to get her signature, saying that he was her fan¡­

    "Senior?" When he saw Ning Xi standing there without a word, Ke Mingyu called out again.

    "Mmm, nothing, I just wanted to look for you and casually chat. Your acting skills are quite good, but I want to know a little bit about why you chose to interpret Ling Yu''s character this way," Ning Xi said as her eyes skimmed the man''s face like an X-ray.

    It was just an ordinary face without any special features and no traces of a disguise. His expressions were very natural too¡­

    If it was really a disguise, probably no one in this world could do it to such a detailed level.

    Ning Xi had looked for half a day without any clues, feeling like she could only give up.

    If she could, she really wanted to just peel hisyer of skin off to look.

    "After analyzing the script, I thought this was the most suitable way to represent Ling Yu," Ke Mingyu answered naturally.

    Ning Xi looked at him open and close his mouth to speak, and then at his eyes that had made her lose focus. She felt like there was a strong attraction pulling at her and she really wanted to know whether he was really Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Thus, unknowingly, she had not restrained herself and extended her hand to reach for the man''s face¡­

    The moment Ning Xi''s fingers touched Ling Yu, a strong force pulled her from behind and all the way to a corner. Jiang Muye shouted, "Damn it! Ning Xi, are you crazy?! You''re on the set!"

    "So what?! Can''t I rehearse with him? What are you being so nervous for?!" Ning Xi said matter-of-factly.

    "Would someone rehearse like that? The way your eyes looked at him was as if you wished you could peel himyer byyer! Do you want to start a scandalous rumor before the movie is even released?"

    Ning Xi coughed. "Was it¡­that extreme?"

    "You think?" Jiang Muye rolled his eyes at her. "Wake up, okay? What are you thinking about? I think you''ve just gone crazy missing my uncle! Anyone would look like him in your eyes if that were the case!"

    Ning Xi rubbed her forehead. "I am probably a little crazy! Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

    "Senior¡­are you okay?" At that moment, Ji Yumeng had walked over, looking concerned, then she lowered her voice to ask, "Senior, are you on your period? Shall I go and get you some brown sugar water?"

    When she saw the worried girl, Ning Xiughed. "No, don''t worry, thank you!"

    "You''re wee, all the best, Senior, I believe in you!" Ji Yumeng pumped her fist.

    Ning Xi looked at Ji Yumeng and a thought suddenly crossed her mind. She remembered that on the first day, the first scene they had shot was when Ji Yumeng had sat on herp. At that point of time, Ke Mingyu did not have any special reactions.

    Then again, Ke Mingyu was almost non-existent then, so she had not paid much attention, but she was not quite sure now¡­

    Very quickly, ten minutes had passed.

    The fourth take began.

    "Ning Xi, you okay?" Chen Mian asked worriedly.

    Ning Xi shed an OK sign. "No problem."

    Nothing more than three times. Even if this dude was Lu Tingxiao, there was no way she would do a bad take for the fourth time!

 Chapter 926: How Can She Be So Cute!?

    <h4>Chapter 926: How Can She Be So Cute!?</h4>

    "Are you awake?"

    "Mmm¡­" Ning Xi yawned and stretchedzily, then she pulled out the pillow behind her, hugged it and remained lost in thought.

    Even though Ji Feixue was in a male disguise, she had just woken up. Furthermore, she was before Ling Yu who knew her identity. In such an unguarded situation, the initially strict and unruly aura used to intentionally maintain her masculine image faded away. Her expression was soft and some of her hair was sticking up from her head as if she was a blur little cat, making her look extraordinarily cute¡­

    In that instant, all the crew members and actors were blown away by her cuteness!

    "Oh! S-Senior is so cute! So cute! How can she be so cute!? Who knew that Senior would have this side to her!?" Ji Yumeng whipped out her handphone and started snapping excitedly. "Worthy of a Senior! Too amazing!"

    The sunflower seeds in Qi Fang''s hand fell to the floor. As he watched the scene of the girl looking soft and vulnerable in the rattan chair as she hugged her pillow, his cheeks started to heat up.

    Whoa! To hell with this!

    He actually thought that this annoying person was quite cute too¡­

    Chen Hanchen was stunned as well. The change from an extremely annoying and despicable man to such an obedient and cute girl was such a drastic difference, even more than Ke Mingyu''s change earlier¡­

    "Is it a good read?" Ji Feixue tilted her head and looked at the Complete Works of Shakespeare book in his hand.

    "Hide it well," said the man as he looked at her.

    In fact, the man''s tone was lowered now and he seemed not to be very happy.

    "Ah? What?" Ji Feixue did not understand the random words he just uttered, innocence and confusion written all over her face. Before Ling Yu, she waspletely disying her genuine personality.

    The man did not say anything. He just flipped open to one of the pages and passed the book to her.

    Ji Feixue looked down and saw that the page Ling Yu opened had been unknowingly filled with a single person''s name, scrawled by her.

    It was filled up; all of it was "Si Xia¡­Si Xia¡­"

    Ji Feixue''s cheeks turned scarlet and she snatched the book back. "Annoying! How can you simply look at someone else''s book?!"

    Then, she angrily stomped out of the balcony with her book.

    Behind her, the man looked at the girl''s departing figure with a mix of helplessness and an urge tough. However, once all of that had faded, there remained loneliness and profoundness, an inner turmoil that one could not fathom¡­

    "Very good! Done!" Chen Mian breathed a sigh of relief, thenughed, "Ning Xi, your performance this time was good! It was the feeling Ipletely wanted to capture!"

    It was even better than he had imagined!

    He wanted to achieve the image of a female lead that could touch the depths of people''s hearts, no matter if she was ying a male or female persona.

    Ning Xi was very good at acting as a man, to the point that he was almost worried that she would not be good as a woman. Indeed, he had worried unnecessarily¡­

    "Xiao Ke''s performance today was not bad too. Keep it up!" Chen Mian was not stingy withpliments towards Ke Mingyu too.

    Having a heart that appreciated talent, he had even considered helping Ke Mingyu find a suitable managementpany.

    Otherwise, if such a valuable seedling like him walked the wrong path, that would be such a waste.

    After the scene was done, Ning Xi kept on wanting to get close to Ke Mingyu, but she kept being stopped by Jiang Muye.

    "You stop right there!"

    "Don''t bother me!"

    "If I don''t bother about you and you cook up a scandal, wait till Ling Zhizhi hates your guts!"

    "Sis Zhizhi is not that cruel!"

    "Haha, she''s not that cruel? You''re too naive! If you want to die, I won''t stop you!"

 Chapter 927: Totally My Type

    <h4>Chapter 927: Totally My Type</h4>

    Jiang Muye was sullen now. He would never admit that he could not measure up to Lu Tingxiao.

    And now a newbie had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, making Ning Xipletely ignore him. How could he stand this!?

    When he saw Ning Xi still being restless and uneasy, Jiang Muye said helplessly, "Why don''t I help you investigate this dude''s background?"

    "Yes, yes, yes!" Ning Xi immediately nodded.

    Ning Xi looked at the shooting schedule for the day and realized sadly that she and Ke Mingyu only had that day''s scene together.

    Most of the movie''s plot revolved around the male and female lead. While the second male lead did not have many parts, most of his scenes were with the female lead.

    Up next was Chen Hanchen and Qi Fang''s scene, which was a kissing scene between both of the men.

    The plot was about how Chen Hanchen realized that his feelings towards the female lead were bing increasingly odd, so he was suspicious if he actually liked men. In his panic and a pressure to find out for himself, he tested it out on Qi Fang.

    This scene was the most importantedy in this entire movie.

    Most of Qi Fang''s scenes were quite funny and if he took on his character well, he would actually be very likable.

    "Come over here," Si Xia crushed the cigarette in his hand and suddenly called Jiang Xiaohai, who was busy ying games, over.

    "What is it!?" Jiang Xiaohai was glued to his game and did not even look up.

    Si Xia just walked over, then gripped Jiang Xiaohai''s chin and inched closer¡­

    "Ughhh¡­" Just when they were about to join their lips, the both of them turned around and gagged.

    All of the crew membersughed.

    This scene ran through more than ten times of bad takes before it finally passed and the two men immediately ran off to rinse their mouths when they were done.

    After thoroughly gargling their mouths, Qi Fang leaned drearily on the chair and said, "Karma gets back at you quickly in life¡­I won''t gloat over other people''s misfortunes anymore¡­"

    Chen Hanchen used his handkerchief to wipe his mouth, then shot Qi Fang a nasty look. He instantly turned his head away in clear disdain.

    "Pfft! What''s with the scorn!? You''re the one who forcefully kissed me. I''m the biggest victim here!"

    Ji Yumengughed until she could stand straight up anymore as she watched theical duo¡­

    While everyone was still chuckling about the shoot, the director''s assistant suddenly brought in a girl who seemed like she was there to visit the set.

    When he saw the girl behind the director''s assistant, Qi Fang was instantly resurrected to life again. "Whoa! Chick alert! Major chick! And she''s totally my type! A tall and mature older woman!"

    Qi Fang was so excited that his entire body heated up.

    Chen Hanchen straightened up too, his expression changing. Was that the Zhuang family''s daughter, Zhuang Keer?

    Why would she be here?

    He had seen her once when he followed his father to join a banquet. Even now, he definitely would not mistake her presence with her strong aura.

    When she saw Qi Fang, Chen Hanchen, and all the men salivating over the woman, Ji Yumeng puffed up her cheeks unhappily.

    "What¡­what''s so pretty about her? Her face is like a poker stick as though someone owes her a lot of money or something! Why do you men always like women like this?"

    "Hahaha¡­I think you''re jealous!" Qi Fang teased.

    "Who''s jealous?!" Ji Yumeng was akin to a cat whose tail had been stepped on. While she did look sweet and pretty, she did indeed envy those tall, cool beauties with charisma.

    "Who''s that beauty? It doesn''t make sense that I don''t have any impression of her if she were a celebrity," Qi Fang asked.

    "That''s Imperial''s number one socialite, Zhuang Keer," answered Chen Hanchen.

 Chapter 928: Shouldnt She Be Your Love Rival?

    <h4>Chapter 928: Shouldn''t She Be Your Love Rival?</h4>

    "Hey! No way!" Qi Fang instantly widened his eyes and eximed, "How do you know? Do you guys know each other?"

    When he saw Qi Fang''s admiration for their acquaintance, Chen Hanchen''s vanity surged. "We''ve met once at a banquet."

    "She wouldn''t be here to see you, would she?" Qi Fang suddenly asked.

    Chen Hanchen shook his head. "We''re not that close, so she shouldn''t be." Actually, he really wanted to know for himself the reason she was here.

    Could she be here to see Jiang Muye?

    After all, in the socialite circle, Jiang Muye had the most fans¡­

    "Is she here to see Jiang Muye?" Ji Yumeng asked, reading Chen Hanchen''s mind.

    Qi Fang scratched his head. "She shouldn''t be¡­Jiang Muye is not a member of our team. He''s just here to visit Ning Xi. How can Miss Zhuang chase celebrities all the way here?"

    "Then, that''s weird¡­since you say that she''s Zhuang Keer and we''re all a group of newbies, there''s no one else who''d be in the position to invite ady of such a noble standing, would there?" Ji Yumeng was confused.

    ¡­

    "Miss Zhuang, this way please. Bro Xi has already told us beforehand that you''d be here!" said the assistant as the cast and crew evaluated the beauty beside her without batting an eyelid.

    "Thank you!" Zhuang Keer nodded slightly, thinking that the way the assistant addressed Ning Xi was a little weird. Bro Xi? Was it because Ning Xi was disguised as a male for the movie?

    "Is Ning Xi in her male disguise today?" Zhuang Keer asked hesitantly.

    The assistant nodded excitedly. "Yes, yes! These two days, she''ll be in full male disguise! Bro Xi is sooo handsome! Too bad you didn''te yesterday. The shoot yesterday was truly brilliant¡­"

    "Really?" Zhuang Keer felt like she missed out but when she thought about how she could very soon see the "Prince Charming" she had long missed, her heart could not help but start to race.

    "Bro Xi, your friend''s here to visit!" the assistant yelled over to Ning Xi who had just changed and was going through a scene with the director.

    "Hmm?" Ning Xi subconsciously looked towards the assistant''s direction.

    For the next shoot, Ning Xi had changed into a different outfit. She was in a studded ck leather aviation jacket, washed-out jeans and boots with over-the-top prints, while her hair was styled to look disheveled, her fringe falling a little over her eyes. It was a very simr look that she had the day she had appeared at Lu Jingli''s bungalow¡­

    The moment she saw Ning Xi, Zhuang Keer''s heart skipped a beat as if she had traveled back in time to when she had met her Prince Charming for the first time.

    After Ning Xi exchanged a few words with the director, she went up to greet her, "Keer, you''re here! Why didn''t you give me a call beforehand? I could go and receive you¡­"

    Zhuang Keer looked at her, stunned. Her eyes reddened and tears had welled up.

    Ning Xi panicked and she quickly held her by the shoulders. "What''s wrong? Is your brother being mischievous again?"

    Zhuang Keer shook her head. "No¡­No¡­"

    "Then?"

    "I''m just¡­happy!" Zhuang Keer bashfully looked down. "I thought I''d never see you again¡­"

    Ning Xi knew that she was actually referring to her alter ego, Tang Xi.

    Ning Xi did still feel some guilt towards Zhuang Keer as she had identally stolen her heart but could not be responsible for it¡­

    However, when they had met for the first time, she never would have thought that they would be such good friends in the future!

    Ning Xi lightly hugged Zhuang Keer and softly consoled her, "Silly, how could that even be possible? You''ll get to see me every day from now on. Whenever you want to!"

    Zhuang Keer nodded happily. "Mmm!"

    Not too far away, Jiang Muye looked as if he had seen a ghost. Jesus! Before this, Zhuang Keer had been on a blind date with his uncle, so was she not considered Ning Xi''s love rival?

    What was going on now?

    As he was still in shock, he felt a chill run up his spine and a familiar cold presence around him¡­

 Chapter 929: How Exciting!

    <h4>Chapter 929: How Exciting!</h4>

    This terrifying feeling was just too familiar¡­

    Something in Jiang Muye prompted him to turn around and looked towards Ke Mingyu, where the chills wereing from.

    Then, he saw Ke Mingyu something shocking.

    The man raised his hand to pinch the space between his brows¡­

    That was a small habit that his uncle did when he was trying to suppress his emotions! The same action done by a different person felt entirely distinct, yet Ke Mingyu was acting precisely the same as Lu Tingxiao. Furthermore, Ke Mingyu was currently not in front of the camera lens!

    Whoa! Could Ke Mingyu really be his uncle in disguise?

    Were Ning Xiao Xi''s instincts so scarily urate?

    Jiang Muye was bewildered and uncertain whether to rush over to tell Ning Xi. However, at that moment, the other guy seemed to have noticed his line of sight and a merciless chill was suddenly emitted from that pair of eyes, intimidatingly locking him down to the spot.

    That was a warning!

    Jiang Muye''s spine instantly turned rigid and he stood frozen, his survival skills reflexively making him m his mouth.

    Uncle, Uncle! I did not see anything! I won''t say anything!

    Some time passed¡­a momentter, when the man was certain he would not be a big mouth, the terrifying warning from his eyes had washed away, he closed his eyes to recuperate.

    Jiang Mye was so frightened that his entire back had beenyered with cold sweat¡­

    Oh!

    It was true that with Ning Xiao Xi, all sorts of magical things could happen!

    This was too exciting!

    At the same time, on the set, Ning Xi was happily chatting to Zhuang Keer, oblivious to everyone else¡­no one knew that Jiang Muye had just experienced shock and was currently in his new lease of life!

    "Whoa! Miss Zhuang is actually here for that punk! See! You were just saying how good your Senior was but she''s got less integrity than all of usbined! I''m so annoyed! Why would this Miss Zhuang be so close to her? She must be deceived by all her smooth-talking!"

    Zhuang Keer was obviously a noble and cool mature woman but before Ning Xi, she had turned into a softy. This was incredibly illogical!

    Ji Yumeng stared straight at the two of them, then kicked Qi Fang. "Shut up! Senior is a woman, alright?!"

    Qi Fangughed, "Oh, oh, oh, you still remember she''s a woman? Then, why are you so angry and jealous for?"

    "Shut up!" Ji Yumeng answered him with a kick to his shins again.

    Among the crew, Ning Xi was the gentlest and closest to her, so she always thought that she was the most special. s, now a woman of noble standing had suddenly popped up to be intimate with Ning Xi! How in the world could she be happy about this?

    After Zhuang Keer arrived, Ning Xi immediately put aside everything temporarily and pulled her aside to have a seat on the chair.

    "I''m sorry, Xiao Xi, I wanted toe earlier but I had to watch my brother¡­" Zhuang Keer said helplessly.

    "How''s your brother now?" Ning Xi asked.

    "He slept as soon as he came backst night and he stayed at home today too. He seemed like he was in a bad mood but he did be much more docile," answered Zhuang Keer.

    Because of thetest ruckus, Zhuang Keer''s grandfather almost had a fatal heart attack and her father had lost control again. Their mother was busy with work and was rarely home. Now, she had to put everything aside to take care of her brother. She also ordered the servants to inform her about everything first, especially disallowing anyone to call their grandfather. Otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable if any trouble arose again. Until now, she still had lingering fears when she thought about thest time her brother had caused trouble.

 Chapter 930: Ning Xiao Xi, Dont Court Disaster!

    <h4>Chapter 930: Ning Xiao Xi, Don''t Court Disaster!</h4>

    "That''s good then." Ning Xi nodded, although she knew as well as Zhuang Keer did that Zhuang Rongguang probably would not sit still for long. Topletely tame him was an almost impossible feat.

    After being warned earlier, Jiang Muye sat quietly in a corner but when he heard this, he could not help but explode, "Please! Ning Xiao Xi, you spent so much effort in the gamest night to help this woman? How did the two of you even get to know each other?"

    "None of your business. Don''t cut us women off!"

    She chatted a while more with Zhuang Keer before the shooting began again.

    Ning Xi let Zhuang Keer have her seat, then she put a cushion behind her before she covering her with a nket. Then, she got Xiao Tao to buy her a cup of hot cocoa before she actually set off to start work.

    A chilly gust blew past him and something came to Jiang Muye''s mind.

    "We''re both here to visit you, so why are we treated so differently?! Why?! It really is hoes over bros for you!"

    Jiang Muye''s expression turned gloomy as he gritted his teeth. He scoffed to himself. Since you''re so mean to me, I''ll be mean to you too! I definitely won''t tell you who Ke Mingyu really is, you little punk! You''re dead!

    He stole a look at Ke Mingyu and saw that he had returned to his usual calmness. Had he not seen it for himself, he would have thought he had been dreaming.

    When Zhuang Keer saw Jiang Muye''s grumpiness, she gave him a piece of dessert. "Want some?"

    "No!" Jiang Muye grumbled, then he red at her. "How do the two of you know each other?"

    Zhuang Keer recalled sweetly, "We met at one of Lu Jingli''s parties. Xiao Xi was in a male disguise. Then, some stuff happened and thankfully, she rescued me¡­the next time we met was in my house¡­"

    Zhuang Keer inartictely rambled on about the process of how she knew Ning Xi. After Jiang Muye finished listening, Jiang Muye indicated that his view of the world had been entirely turned upside down.

    She had somehow made her own love rival be his uncle''s rival!

    This Ning Xi is inhumane!

    He suddenly felt a random pity towards his uncle¡­

    When she saw the shoot was about to begin, Zhuang Keer immediately sat up and said, "I won''t talk to you anymore, I want to watch Xiao Xi act!" She watched the set in full focus with the expression of aplete fan.

    Before the shoot, Ning Xi suddenly walked over to Jiang Muye and said in a low voice, "Later, look out for that guy''s reactions!"

    Jiang Muye naturally knew she was talking about Ke Mingyu. He asked guiltily, "What are you ying out in this next scene?"

    "Mmm, sofa stuff¡­"

    "Wait¡­what the hell is ''sofa stuff''?"

    Ning Xiao Xi, do not court disaster!

    This scene was between Ning Xi and Chen Hanchen.

    The movie''s male lead, Si Xia, was excellent in every aspect except for one thing. He was at a loss before girls, his IQ and EQ all rendered useless.

    The male lead actually had a crush on a girl for quite a long time but because of this problem of his, he did not know how to court her.

    In the living room, the usually meticulous-looking Si Xia now looked haggard. His hair was messy and he had dark eye circles. He sat limply on the sofa, looking dreary.

    At that moment, a handsome looking Ji Feixue walked in, creating a stark contrast to Si Xia.

    "My Master Chen, it''s just going after a girl. Does it really trouble you to this extent?" Ji Feixue said as she took out two cans of beer from the fridge, one of which was given to Si Xia.

 Chapter 931: Can You Warn Me Before Displaying Affection?

    <h4>Chapter 931: Can You Warn Me Before Disying Affection?</h4>

    Si Xia took a gulp and said in distress, "I really don''t know how I should do it!"

    Ji Feixue drank from the can and looked at it, a bitterness filling her eyes.

    Right in front of me is such a brilliant and high-spirited young man, yet he''s so incredibly lonely and deste¡­

    Ji Feixue very quickly covered up the emotions in her eyes as she put down the can and sat right down beside Si Xia. "Is it that hard? Come here, let me teach you! Now, I shall be you, you be the girl!"

    Si Xia looked like he had just found his savior. "Okay, then what do I do?"

    "You don''t do anything¡­" Ji Feixue said as she extended her arm on the sofa behind Si Xia. This posture made the two of them very closely instantly.

    Si Xia frowned in confusion, unsure about what he was supposed to do.

    In the next second, Ji Feixue''s gaze suddenly turned to stare intently at the man before her. "I like you. Shall we go on a date?"

    The instant she said it, her expression and gaze changedpletely.

    On her face was the look of someone deeply in love who thought about her crush day and night but could not have them. It was filled with suppression and passion; it was fanatical to the point that it could destroy everything but at the same time, it was so gentle as if it could warmly hold everything. From the genuineness of her expression and words, instead of her teaching Si Xia how to confess to girls, it would be more apt to say that she was confessing to Si Xia herself¡­

    When faced with the pair of breathtaking eyes that were also filled with feverish passion, Chen Hanchen was immediately stunned. "You¡­"

    It was a good thing his reaction fit the reaction of the character''s in the script. Si Xia had also been stunned by Ji Feixue''s gaze.

    When they all watched this scene, all of the crew members especially the girls sighed and almost sobbed.

    "Oh, to be cornered by Prince Charming! How I wish I was Si Xia¡­"

    "I''m about to melt from this gaze¡­"

    "Si Xia must bepletely dense in the head if he can''t tell that Ji Feixue likes him!"

    ¡­

    Jiang Muye was entranced by the shoot, only regaining his senses when he listened to all the girls'' noisy chatter beside him. He quickly nced towards Ke Mingyu in a corner.

    Ah, it was a good thing that when Ning Xi was acting, a certain someone''s reaction was rather calm. Or, at least, he looked calm from the outside¡­

    "Good! Cut! That was very good!" Chen Mian shouted in satisfaction.

    Chen Hanchen breathed a sigh of relief as if freed from the weight of a burden. He had thought that Ning Xi would try to topple on him again but did not expect that it would be this smooth. In fact, it was so smooth that he almost could not believe it that he hadpletely been absorbed into the scene by her perfect actions, finishing the scene without even realizing it¡­

    When they were done, Ning Xi quickly pulled Jiang Muye into a corner. "How? Did Ke Mingyu have any odd reactions?"

    Jiang Muye considered for a while between brotherhood and his life, then he firmly answered, "Nope, all was normal! In fact, Bro Ming just called me back earlier to report that Ke Mingyu was just an ordinary sryman who learned to act by himself, so don''t always imagine the wildest things, okay?"

    Ning Xi stroked her chin. " I must miss him too much because I''ve been so busy recently that I don''t have time to date the Boss!"

    "Uh¡­please, the next time you want to disy your affection, can you offer a warning beforehand?"

    He had been force-fed this public disy of affection¡­

    At that moment, Zhuang Keer answered a phone call, then rushed over, "Xiao Xi, you acted really well! I wish I could watch longer but sadly, I have to go. Someone just called from home and said that my brother has run out again¡­"

    "Why does this punk keep causing trouble?" Ning Xi frowned and said worriedly, "Then, you be careful on the road. If you need my help, call me anytime."

    "Mmm, I will!"

    "Oh, wait, I have something to give you!"

 Chapter 932: Dont Randomly Hook Up With Girls

    <h4>Chapter 932: Don''t Randomly Hook Up With Girls</h4>

    As Ning Xi took out the high-quality customized apparels from the studio, she proudly announced, "These are the next season''stest products from my studio. They''re not on the market yet but I''ve set one aside for you. If you don''t think it''s too shabby, feel free to take it home and wear it anytime!"

    "Oh my gosh¡­it''s¡­so pretty!" Zhuang Keer took the dress out to have a look and her eyes shone, full of pleasant surprise. "Why would I find this shabby? This dress is so beautiful! But I don''t have anything to return the favor with. I wanted to buy you some clothes thest time but that didn''t even happen¡­"

    Jiang Muye did not know how to make sense of this ridiculous situation unfolding before him. He was not as good at coaxing girls as Ning Xi. Zhuang Keer was just here to visit and she had a carefully prepared present for her! Why did he not get any!?

    Fine! Good thing! Good that he got nothing! Good thing that Ning Xiao Xi had always been this mean to him!

    Or else, hahaha¡­

    "Ning Xiao Xi, I''m leaving now. You''d better act well, don''t attract any moths, don''t smoke or drink, don''t get into fights, and most importantly, don''t randomly hook up with girls again, not even unintentionally. Just be good, alright?" Jiang Muye offered his sincere and earnest advice, being extremely benevolent.

    It was not that he did not want to tell her about his suspicions but from the start, he had prickles crawling on his back and he knew without a doubt the consequences if he leaked anything out¡­

    "Blondie, why are you acting all crazy?" Ning Xi had nothing to say to him. She felt like Jiang Muye was being weird.

    "Nothing, nothing. Whatever it is, remember your bro''s words. I''m really going now! Bye bye!"

    The ominous presence behind him felt increasingly intimidating, so after bidding Ning Xi farewell, Jiang Muye practically whizzed out of the ce.

    He had finally left a certain person''s line of sight and walked briskly to the car park.

    Atst, he had just felt fantastically relieved when he saw that a person was standing before his car ¡ª it was Ke Mingyu.

    "U-uncle¡­" Jiang Muye turned pale and almost wet his pants as he rushed to address him with a stutter.

    He subconsciously looked around, then noticing that the underground car park was dimly lit and that there was no one around, he suddenly felt like he was about to be silenced forever¡­

    The man was silently leaning on the bo as his long fingers gently pinched a cigarette. The cigarette butt was glowing and his expression was hidden in the shadows. His silence only made one panic even more.

    "Cough, cough¡­Uncle¡­I¡­I didn''t really think it really was you! I swear that I''ll definitely keep it a secret. I''ll definitely not tell Ning Xi! You saw me earlier. I didn''t say anything and, of course, when I get back, I''ll definitely not secretly tell her either!"

    Jiang Muye swore on his life, yet the man did not respond.

    At that moment, "Ke Mingyu" had an eerie aura around him and Jiang Muye felt his forehead break out in cold sweat. He almost could not bear it, so he gritted his teeth and continued to say, "When it''s necessary, I''ll help you cover up!"

    The moment he said that, that unseen tense pressure that had been gripping onto his neck suddenly vanished.

    The man looked down and crushed his cigarette, his low and hoarse voice instantly returning to the one Jiang Muye was familiar with. "Good."

    Then, he turned around and left.

    That one word had practically frightened Jiang Muye till he had goosebumps.

    Damn it! If he had said something wrong earlier, would he have really been killed? Even if he was not his real nephew, surely he did not have to be this cruel! Did he have to scare him like that!?

    It was a good thing that even though he had a million questions in his heart, he had restrained himself from asking¡­

 Chapter 933: Stop Seducing Her Again!

    <h4>Chapter 933: Stop Seducing Her Again!</h4>

    After work, Ning Xi wanted to drop by the studio to have a look but after thinking again, she decided to go to tinum Pce first.

    The shooting schedule would only get increasingly busy after this and she would have less time to be with the devil and baby Little Treasureter on.

    When she walked past the florist, she felt the sudden urge to buy a huge bouquet of fiery red roses.

    In the living room, Lu Tingxiao was dressed in casual house clothes, reading the papers. That wlessly sharp jaw, long legs and lean body of his¡­was like an oil painting that pleased her eyes¡­

    Ning Xi had unknowingly stood there to admire him for quite a while until Lu Tingxiao noticed her gaze on him. He looked up, then saw the huge bouquet of roses in the girl''s hands as she stared at him.

    When she met his eyes, Ning Xi abruptly returned to her senses and happily hopped over, stuffing the flowers into his embrace. "Big Boss, these are for you!"

    Lu Tingxiao was stumped for words, his cold jaw significantly softening. "Thank you."

    He epted the bouquet and sniffed the dewy petals. Not only was his cool face even more radiant with the roses, it had be even more bedazzling and as beautiful as the image in a high definition television.

    Ning Xi held her cheeks in her palms and was entranced as she mumbled, "Sigh, seriously¡­you''re not some kind of evil spirit, are you? I feel like I''m about to be charmed by you¡­"

    "What?" He raised his brows.

    Those lightly raised brows had once again caused Ning Xi''s heart to race and she muttered, "How dare you ask? You''re the one who made me unable to focus during the shoot. I keep thinking that this actor in our group is so simr to you. I was really possessed by the devil and your poison attacked my heart¡­"

    Back then when she used to shoot movies, she would never be distracted by anything!

    The man lightly caressed the rose petals and smiled, his low hoarse voice ringing in her ears, "You want to try attacking the poison with poison?"

    Stop seducing her again!

    All Ning Xi said was "Oh", then she jumped onto him, the petals crushed in their embrace all falling to the ground.

    Lu Tingxiaoughed as he hugged her and sighed, "I''m only afraid that one day you''ll immune to this poison¡­"

    Ning Xi had noticed his uneasy emotions, so she instantly retorted, "No way! This poison has no antidote! In fact, it''s one of a kind! Once poisoned, other poisons won''t work!"

    "You¡­" Lu Tingxiao rubbed her head and then said seriously, "I looked through your script. There''re still quite a number of dangerous scenes, so you must watch your own safety. You''re not allowed to work too hard, you understand?"

    "Mmm, I know!" Ning Xi nodded.

    Even though the movie''s more dangerous and exciting scenes were no more than the ones in the role for the movie Liang Biqin had stolen from her, there were still quite a number of them.

    There were more fighting scenes in this one and even a scene involving a fall from a cliff¡­but as long as there were safety precautions, there definitely would be no problems.

    At night, in the study room, Lu Tingxiao received a call from Cheng Feng.

    "Hello."

    "Um, Boss¡­there''s something I need you to advise me on¡­"

    "Spill."

    "Based on what the subordinates heard, Miss Ning Xi''s movie seems to have already started shooting. Before this, you wanted to arrange for Xiong Zhi to enter the crew to protect Miss Ning Xi. So, how about now?" Cheng Feng asked.

    These two days, Xiong Zhi and Shi Xiao had not dared to speak to the Boss, so they kept bugging him instead. It was then up to him to ask what the Boss thought¡­

 Chapter 934: A Mysterious Message

    <h4>Chapter 934: A Mysterious Message</h4>

    "Boss, do you need me to arrange for Xiong Zhi to disguise as part of the crew? Or Shi Xiao?" Cheng Feng asked carefully.

    "There''s no need."

    Cheng Feng had been nervously figuring out how to pose this question for half a day, but all he got from the Boss was a two-word answer before he hung up.

    Could it be because there were not that many dangerous scenes in this movie?

    No, wait¡­with Boss''s personality, even if there was only one dangerous scene, he would not take things so lightly¡­

    "Assistant Cheng, how did it go?"

    "What did Boss say? Is he letting me or Xiong Zhi go?"

    When they saw Cheng Feng hang up, Xiong Zhi and Shi Xiao, who had been waiting on the sidelines for a long time, quickly rushed up to ask.

    Cheng Feng looked at the two of them and replied, "None of you have to go. The Boss said that he doesn''t need anyone there."

    When they heard this, Xiong Zhi and Shi Xiao looked at each other, their expressions in disbelief.

    "Assistant Cheng, are you sure?"

    "Why?"

    Cheng Feng was quite speechless at their reaction. "The two of you¡­Shi Xiao, when you were delegated this task by the Boss from the start, it was you who rejected the job. Xiong Zhi, let''s not talk about you neglecting your duties and leading Miss Ning Xi into danger. Knowing the Boss, do you think he would use the two of you again? You should just give up and not think about it anymore, the Boss might''ve already delegated someone else to protect her!"

    "How can that be!? I''ve asked around! None of our bros have been sent over!" Shi Xiao said agitatedly.

    "Could it be someone from the secret department? Have we been thoroughly discarded by the Big Boss¡­?" Xiao Zhi looked disappointed.

    Cheng Feng shook his head. "I''ve already pointed the both of you to the best pathway, yet you didn''t take it, so who''s to me now? But don''t worry, it''s not that serious. The Boss just didn''t delegate an important task to you."

    "How is this not serious?!" Shi Xiao''s face turned beetroot as he shouted.

    He was really regretting it now! He was once the Boss''s highest regarded subordinate; even the duty of protecting the Lady Boss had been assigned to him but he had ruined it for himself, no thanks to his own arrogance and conceitedness¡­

    After she returned home to tinum Pce, Ning Xi was about to fall asleep when her phone suddenly rang.

    When she saw who the sender of the message was, her expression changed in the next second.

    It was Tang Ye!

    Ever since she had returned from DC, she had not received any news from him, so she almost forgot about what had happened¡­

    Why did the First Senior Brother message her now?

    Ning Xi''s instincts told her that it was nothing good. Thest message he had sent was about an S level mission about a marriage proposal, almost scaring her to death. Nheless, such a thing could not be resolved by simply avoiding it.

    With a heavy expression, Ning Xi struggled and atst, she clicked on the message.

    On the screen were these words: [Bar number eight. See you half an hourter]

    There was just a venue and time. How outrageously simple like Tang Ye''s usual style, not giving anyone the possibility of rejecting him.

    Why would First Senior Brother invite her out to meet at the bar tonight?

    Ning Xi stood up and walked back and forth in her house, then she replied: [What is it?]

    Tang Ye only replied with two words: [Arrive quickly]

    God damn it! Could he not tell her what was going on first so she could at least prepare herself mentally instead of being scared to death like thest time?

    Ning Xi angrily replied again: [You tell me what is happening first!]

    On the screen: Your message was not sent sesfully.

    "Damn it!" She had almost forgotten that Tang Ye had only allowed her the limit of one message a day.

    Damn it, this is so annoying!

    Ning Xi scratched her hair in frustration, then she quickly packed up and prepared to leave. Before she left, she turned back and brought with her the gun that Lu Tingxiao had given her.

 Chapter 935: Therere Many Pretty Girls Here

    <h4>Chapter 935: There''re Many Pretty Girls Here</h4>

    First Senior Brother had unexpectedly returned again.

    What could it be this time¡­?

    Ning Xi was worried. A thousand possibilities permutated in her mind on the way there, every one of them bloody and atrocious.

    She reached the bar right on time half an hourter.

    Ning Xi did not have the time to change when she received the message, so she was still wearing her male outfit. She stepped into the bar, which was washed in green light, in her ck riding gloves and ck boots.

    This was one of Imperial''s busiest bars and that time was also peak hour. In the center of the stage, a sexy dancer was gyrating on the pole and the entire ce was filled with booming music and mor¡­

    This was obviously not the kind of meeting point that fit First Senior Brother''s personality, so it really surprised her.

    As for Second Senior Brother, on the other hand, he would definitely like it¡­

    Ning Xi wove through the crowd and was stopped by a few girls on the way. Atst, she finally noticed a familiar shadow in the corner, far away from the stage.

    The man wore his gold-rimmed sses as always. His polite and courteous demeanor stood out from the noisy bar.

    Of course, this aesthetic angle of him was just the surface.

    Ning Xi stood three steps away from Tang Ye and hesitated to move closer, wary of deceit.

    When he saw Ning Xi stood there unmoving, impatience shed across the man''s eyes. "Come over."

    Ning Xi flew over and sat down, although she left an arm''s length between them and her back was tensed up. "First Senior Brother, you''ve called me over this time because¡­?"

    In a sh, Tang Ye suddenly whipped out a huge bouquet of flowers from behind him.

    Ning Xi''s spine gave way and she almost copsed before him. "Huh? Not again¡­"

    Tang Ye did not say anything, only studying her with murderous eyes.

    Was he giving flowers or murdering someone on another''s behalf?

    Ning Xi could only nervously ept the bouquet. However, she was silently cursing andughing on the inside. No wonder the entire organization was full of single men! They were all crazy! If she did not increase their EQ, all of them would probably be single until the day they died¡­

    What was different from thest time was that this time, a certain someone did not ask Tang Ye to kneel down on one knee. In fact, that dude had just presented her a huge bouquet of ck roses. The flowernguage for ck roses was¡­"you are a demon, and you are all mine."

    ck flowers¡­

    As she looked at the bouquet, Ning Xi suddenly felt a weird emotion rise in her.

    Tang Ye suddenly said, "Call him."

    "Huh? Call who?" Ning Xi was stunned.

    "Tang Lang."

    "Second Senior Brother?"

    "Call him over."

    Ning Xi was instantly dumbfounded.

    Pfft! So, this was First Senior Brother''s main objective! No wonder we met up here! He had actually used me to attract Second Senior Brother here!

    Thest time, Second Senior Brother had used a lowly way to defeat him. If she called Second Senior Brother here now, the end of him would be¡­

    "Um, First Senior Brother, have you misunderstood? Why would I be able to contact Second Senior Brother?! To tell you the truth, after meeting thest time, I haven''t been in contact with him," Ning Xi replied with an honest and sincere expression.

    Tang Ye nonchntly arranged his cor and said, "If he doesn''te, you''ll fight with me."

    Ning Xi grabbed her phone and dialed. "Hello¡­Second Senior Brother! Second Senior Brother, hey! Come to Bar Number Eight to drink! Yep, Bar Number Eight! Come quickly! I''ll be waiting! There''re many pretty girls here! Hurry! It''s okay if you don''t have money, I''ll pay!"

 Chapter 936: Iâ€™m Waiting For You

    <h4>Chapter 936: I¡¯m Waiting For You</h4>

    Ning Xi ended the call as soon as possible then looked at Tang Ye nervously. "First Senior Brother¡­is that alright?"

    Tang Ye fondled the wine ss on the table and took a sip, leaving traces of wine on his lips. Behind his sses, his eyes were full of bloodlust.

    Second Senior Brother, I''m sorry¡­First Senior Brother is too scary!

    No one knew why First Brother Senior hade back this time, but capturing Second Senior Brother was definitely his priority, even more so than an S ranked mission. It was surely because of Second Senior Brother¡¯s dirty trick thest time!

    Ning Xi was too afraid to talk to Tang Ye. She did not need to look at him to know that Tang Ye was extremely dangerous now.

    She downed the ss of beer in front of her. When she noticed that Tang Ye was not looking over, she tried to take her phone out sneakily and was thinking of sending Tang Lang a warning message¡­

    As she was about to type, Tang Ye¡¯s radar-like senses picked up on her intentions and he red at her.

    Ning Xi was intimidated and she quickly smiled to cover up. "I¡­I¡¯m trying to send Second Senior Brother a message and tell him our room number¡­you know, in case he can¡¯t find us¡­"

    Tang Ye extended his arm, signaling her to pass him the phone.

    Ning Xi surrendered it obediently. She then saw Tang Ye sending a message to Tang Lang using her phone.

    What did he send?

    Ning Xi took a peek at Tang Ye''s vampire-like pale fingers typing a message: [Room C, table 13. Come quickly, I¡¯m waiting for you!]

    He then returned the phone to Ning Xi emotionlessly.

    Ning Xi was speechless. Goosebumps rose on her skin when she saw how Senior Brother imitated the way she sent her messages.

    Just how much did he want to torture Second Senior Brother!?

    Time passed by and Ning Xi was getting more and more irritated. "Uhm, well¡­since First Senior Brother is going to settle some private matters with Second Senior Brother, can I leave first? I promise that I won''t tell him about it! You know I won¡¯t dare to!"

    "No," Tang Ye replied without hesitation.

    "W-why? I''ve nothing to do here¡­" Ning Xi almost cried.

    "I¡¯m going to serve you an example," Tang Ye said coldly.

    "Ugh¡­" Ning Xi just stood there on the verge of breaking down.

    Whatever was going to happen to Second Senior Brother would be an example to her.

    As Ning Xi felt dreadful, Tang Lang called her phone.

    "Hey, Little Junior Sister, where¡¯s your table?" It was Tang Lang¡¯s ever-cheerful voice.

    "You¡­you¡¯re here? So quickly?" Ning Xi was surprised and she turned to look at the entrance.

    "Didn¡¯t you say that there''re a lot of pretty girls? Of course, I¡¯d be quick!" Tang Lang replied cheerily.

    Ning Xi saw Tang Lang walk in. He really did dress up. He wore a snug ck top with a gaping cor, proudly showing his buff chest. He also had a silver skull ring on his finger and his curly dark hair wasbed back, highlighting his charming smile. He looked just like himself¡­

 Chapter 937: Can I Die Happily?

    <h4>Chapter 937: Can I Die Happily?</h4>

    With her phone to her ear, Ning Xi crossed her fingers on her other hand, then said, "We¡¯re at your 2 o¡¯clock."

    "Oh¡­I see you! But why aren¡¯t there any girls? Where''re they? Little Junior Sister, what¡¯s wrong with your eye? Are you alright?" Tang Lang walked over, still focused on his objective of picking up chicks and not noticing Ning Xi trying to signal him with her eyes.

    Ning Xi sat in a dark corner, and from his point of view, he could only see Ning Xi alone on the sofa. There was no one with her.

    What!?

    "What¡¯s that on your right?!" He saw a man with gold-framed sses sitting quietly beside her with a wine ss in his hand and Tang Lang freaked out.

    Ning Xi said in a weak voice, "As you can see, it¡¯s First Senior Brother."

    "Damn you, Tang Xi! What about the girls!? You betrayed me! You¡¯re so dead!" Tang Lang yelled as he was tried to look for an escape route.

    How naive.

    As he turned around, he felt pressure on his waist. A silver whip was wrapped around him and he was pulled backwards. He rolled on the floor and crashed into a cold, sinister person.

    Tang Lang tried to get the whip off but it was not working. He turned his head around and forced a smile. "Hey, baby, long time no see. I didn''t expect such a warm wee from you, you''re making me embarrassed¡­"

    Ning Xi covered her face¡­

    He was still trying to flirt right on the doorstep of death!

    Tang Ye said coldly and slowly, "I have something even more weing. Want to try?"

    Tang Lang¡¯s wrist was about to break, so he cried, "Be gentler, baby! Who¡¯s going to fight with you if you break me!? We still have a long way ahead!"

    "Shut up!" Tang Ye held him firmly and they left the bar. Tang Lang walked in front while Tang Ye controlled him from the back; to anyone else, they just seemed like close friends on a night out.

    Ning Xi tried to take the opportunity to sneak away but the both of them spoke to her simultaneously.

    "Did you forget what I said?" Tang Ye said.

    "You bastard, I¡¯ll never forgive you if I die tonight!" Tang Lang yelled.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Ning Xi followed them obediently and mumbled, "What can I do here? The difference is just watching you die and not watching you die¡­"

    "You betrayed me knowing that I¡¯d die?" Tang Lang roared.

    Ning Xi was incensed. "Don¡¯t you know how scary he is? If you were in my position, would you have done anything else?"

    Tang Lang yelled frustratedly, "I¡¯d surely betray you! I¡¯m not stupid!"

    ¡­

    Momentster, Tang Ye led him into a quiet alley. It was a dead end and there were high walls on both sides. plus the only way out was blocked by Tang Ye.

    What a perfect spot to dispose of someone¡­

    After he got free of the whip, Tang Lang rubbed his wrists sourly. "Come on, Tang Ye, I just beat you that one time. What do you want now?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched. Stupid, arrogant fool, mentioning his victory now¡­

    As expected, Tang Ye¡¯s expression darkened and his hand reached for his sses. "Choose a way to die."

    Tang Lang gulped. "Can I die happily?"

 Chapter 938: All The Best!

    <h4>Chapter 938: All The Best!</h4>

    "I think you¡¯re still not learning your lesson here." Tang Ye slowly removed his sses.

    Tang Lang freaked out. "Hey¡­don¡¯t! Don¡¯t always take off your sses suddenly, alright? Let¡¯s talk this out!"

    He was toote. Tang Ye¡¯s bloodlust was boldly directed at him and the fierce beast inside him was uncaged.

    Tang Ye ran his fingers through his hair, then he flung his sses towards Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi quickly and carefully took the sses. She made a cheering gesture. "First Senior Brother, all the best!"

    Tang Lang shook his fist at her. "You bastard, if I¡¯m still aliveter, I¡¯ll kill you!"

    Ning Xi waved at him. "Talk to meter if you survive!"

    Tang Ye started the assault and each of them aimed at the other''s weak points. Soon, Tang Ye went into manic mode.

    Ning Xi was holding the pair of sses and her bouquet of ck flowers, standing at the far end of the alley. "You¡¯re done for, Second Senior Brother. First Senior Brother has gotten way better!"

    "Shut up! I¡¯ve improved as well, alright? I¡¯m going to prove¡­"

    "You dare to get distracted while fighting with me!?"

    ¡­

    They were really going at it. Ning Xi could see that both of them were doing their very best. In the end, they lost sight of everything else.

    Tang Ye wed at Tang Lang¡¯s throat. "Why!?"

    Tang Lang smiled grimly and dodged Tang Ye¡¯s fatal blow, then he countered, "It¡¯ll be dangerous for you to get distracted as well!"

    Ning Xi looked on silently as she saw First Senior Brother¡¯s pained expression¡­

    Why¡­?

    She knew that First Senior Brother was asking why Second Senior Brother had betrayed him.

    She had joined the Organization halfway in and when she had left, she had done so on her own, but what about Second Senior Brother?

    Second Senior Brother had always regarded the Organization as his home. He respected First Senior Brother like his real brother and Master was practically his father, so what made him betray all of them?

    "Tang Lang! I¡¯m asking you again! Why!?" Tang Ye roared, his expression like a mad man''s.

    It was obvious that Tang Ye had put himself through some hellish training and his power had increased significantly. Tang Lang was barely hanging in there.

    Most importantly, she could see that Tang Lang seemed demotivated to fight anymore.

    However, First Senior Brother would definitely not stop because he could not control himself either. If this continued, Tang Lang would definitely be gravely injured or even die¡­

    As she saw Tang Ye¡¯s grip on Tang Lang¡¯s throat getting tighter, Ning Xi clenched her teeth, then she put the things she was holding down and rushed between them, crashing into Tang Ye.

    Both of them flew apart. Tang Lang was coughing hard.

    Tang Ye red at Ning Xi. "Go away."

    Ning Xi quickly said, "First Senior Brother, calm down! Let¡¯s talk this out, alright?"

    Tang Ye picked up his sses from the ground. "Tang Lang, and also you, Tang Xi, I¡¯m giving the both of you thest chance. Come back to the Organization."

 Chapter 939: Would It Kill You To Get More Cute Girls?

    <h4>Chapter 939: Would It Kill You To Get More Cute Girls?</h4>

    Even though she really missed First Senior Brother, Third Senior Sister, and all her other brothers, she was still just a passing traveler to them. She still had to return to her own path in the end¡­

    "I''m sorry, First Senior Brother, I think you know my current situation too. There''s no way I could return to that kind of lifestyle with all that fighting and killing. Most importantly, there''re barely any cute girls in the Organization anymore! I''ve wanted to bring this up this many times, Would it kill you to get more cute girls as part of the employee benefits?" When she finished thest sentence, Ning Xi was fuming angry.

    Tang Lang and Tang Ye had no words to reply her with. The few guys in the Organization had yet toin, yet she had the nerve to feel indignantly unjustified, so what was this sudden outrage about?

    Don''t tell them that the reason she had left was because of this?

    Now that they recalled, she had indeed fought with Satan many times over this and every time, she had been mercilessly rejected. Atst, the only gentle girl left that they knew, Annie, was also rescued by Ning Xi back to the Organization on her own ord without any permission. After Annie was brought back, she was almost thrown into the sea by Satan and the two of them had fought to the end of the world¡­

    Tang Ye pinched the area between his brows and looked towards Tang Lang. "What about you?"

    A frivolous expression remained on Tang Lang''s face, yet this time, there was also a never-seen-before determination. "Most definitely impossible."

    Tang Ye put on his sses. "I understand."

    Then, he looked up towards Tang Lang again. "The person who visits the next time won''t be me."

    He meant that apart from him, there would still be othersing to look for Tang Lang.

    Ning Xi had joined the Organization halfway and then left, so she had not formally be an apprentice. After all, she was mainly skilled at guns and machines and had only dabbled in martial arts but Tang Lang was different. He had be an apprentice since he was young, so betraying them would really get him killed.

    When Tang Lang heard this, his brows raised. "Apart from you, who else have I been afraid of?"

    Tang Ye closed his eyes, his gaze serious. "What if the Master sets out personally? Your life is important, don''t mess around anymore!"

    Based on Tang Lang''s talents, if he intended to, exceeding the Master''s level was just a matter of time.

    In the end, he did not further interrogate Tang Lang''s reason for such a betrayal. He was worried that even he himself would not be able to handle the actual reason¡­

    Tang Lang saluted, showing that he would obey his orders. "Of course, I still have to protect my measly life to mess with you! Apart from me, who else can satisfy you!?"

    Ning Xi was speechless by this. She had initially been worried about so many possibilities but atst, she was caught off guard and received this weird disy of affection instead. She leaned against the wall looking like she was in utter pain. "Enough, the two of you!"

    Tang Lang instantly put his hand on his hips andughed at the sky. "This is karma, karma! I always have to watch you and Lu Tingxiao until my eyes are about to go blind!"

    "You''re just jealous! Jealous that I escaped the single life! You''ll be single forever!"

    "Hey! Who''s single now!? I still have Xiao Ye Ye!"

    ¡­

    Tang Ye watched the two of them banter back and forth with a dull gaze. "I''m leaving now."

    Ning Xi responded, "Ah! So soon?! Who knows when we''ll be meeting the next time?"

    "We''ll meet again very soon," said Tang Ye as he looked at her meaningfully, then he turned around to leave.

    As she watched the First Senior Brother''s departing figure, Ning Xi felt a little sad, then she scratched her head curiously. "Meeting again very soon¡­? What did the First Senior Brother mean?"

    Tang Lang shot her a look. "Tang Lang did not randomly return this time. I''m afraid they''ve started to move back to China."

    Ning Xi''s expression immediately changed. "What¡­do you mean that this includes Satan? Has he returned too? That can''t be right."

    Tang Lang spread his hands apart. "The truth is right before you."

    "Is there still time if I start properly practicing my martial arts now?"

 Chapter 940: Is One Kiss Enough?

    <h4>Chapter 940: Is One Kiss Enough?</h4>

    "Is there still time if I start properly practicing my martial arts now?" Ning Xi looked at Tang Lang with sparkling eyes.

    Tang Lang pat her on her little head, "My Junior Sister, do you think you''re like me? With your talents, even if you start training from inside your mother''s womb, you wouldn''t make it in time!"

    Ning Xi was upset. "I can''t make myself talented! You''re so talented, yet you can''t defeat First Senior Brother! You''re always losing to him!"

    "That''s because I can''t bear to win over him!" Tang Lang justified.

    "No, it''s obviously because you have the cancer ofziness, wasting your talent¡­" Ning Xi looked at him condescendingly, then scoffed, "What''s so amazing about it? Whatever it is, I have someone influential to back me up!"

    Oh¡­I cannot bear this! The provocation from tonight is too much, my heart is all over. I must go and look for baby Little Treasure to heal me¡­

    Ning Xi stuffed the bouquet of ck flowers into Tang Lang''s hands, then rode away on her motorbike,

    "What the hell?" Tang Lang looked at the ck roses Ning Xi had stuffed into his hands, then picked out a pink note from the bouquet.

    Tang Lang read the words on the note, muttering to himself, "Without you, I am an aimless soul; without you, my love has lost its foundation; without you, I am an expressionless face; without you, I am a heart that''s stopped beating; without you, I am a ball of mes without heat¡­I am a small stream that runs towards you, the vast blue sea. Oh, are you willing to receive me? Elegant sea, oh, the small stream is awaiting your reply¡­"

    When he read this, Tang Lang held his chest and pretended like he had been poisoned and wanted to vomit blood. "My God! What the hell!?"

    He did not even need to ask to know who had given her this bouquet of flowers. He knew whose penmanship this cringy poem was from¡­

    No wonder Ning Xi had been easily seduced by Lu Tingxiao!

    Good one!

    At tinum Pce, it waste at night when he heard the sound of the door lock opening and light footsteps. Lu Tingxiao, who was a light sleeper, had woken up and gone downstairs. He was surprised to see Ning Xi in the living room. "Ning Xi? It''ste, why are you¡­?"

    Before he could finish, Ning Xi had run over and tiptoed to kiss him.

    Lu Tingxiao was already asleep earlier. He wore pajamas and with the sudden disy of physical affection by the wifete at night, he was obviously still in a daze, but his instincts reacted right away.

    His arm reflexively held the girl''s waist and searched for the small of her back, going deeper into the kiss. Amidst the cool night air came the gradual increase in heat¡­

    His familiar breath calmed Ning Xi down. She looked up at him and said, "Big Boss, please let me stay for the night! Can I sleep with Little Treasure tonight? I''ve just paid the rent!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked contemtively at the girl and then said in a low voice, "Is one kiss enough?"

    "True, Little Treasure is so cute! There should at least be two!" Ning Xi then delivered another kiss.

    Lu Tingxiao chuckled and epted the girl''s payment. "Why did you suddenlye over?"

    "I suddenly miss you and Little Treasure! Now, I want to hug Little Treasure! I''ll go upstairs to shower and change first!" Ning Xi said impatiently.

    "Go then."

    Ning Xi flew past him, leaving several ck petals falling from her gently.

    Lu Tingxiao''s fingers captured those ck rose petals and his eyes darkened.

 Chapter 941: Soft and Fragrant Mommy!

    <h4>Chapter 941: Soft and Fragrant Mommy!</h4>

    After Ning Xi finished showering and got changed into her pajamas, she crept in to sleep beside Little Treasure.

    She was not sure when Lu Tingxiao and Little Treasure had be the source of her sense of security and be an evidence of her identity in this mortal world. As long as she could see them, she would have the courage, motivation, passion and a stable heart.

    Lu Tingxiao walked to the bedside and sat, helping the mother and son pair cover up well with the nket, then looked at the girl and asked, "Did something happen?"

    Ning Xi slowly sat up and leaned into Lu Tingxiao''s embrace. After some thought, she decided that it was best not to hide anything from him, so she started to exin, "Actually, I went to see someone tonight¡­I don''t know if you still remember my First Senior Brother¡­is that man who wears sses and had taken me away in Phdelphia thest time."

    "I remember." Lu Tingxiao nodded slightly, a dim light filling his eyes.

    "Mmm, it was him. He suddenly asked me to meet up at the bar tonight¡­but don''t worry, he didn''t make things hard for me. But Second Senior Brother used some dirty tricks to defeat him thest time, so he wanted to fight with him. Then, we discussed some things about Second Senior Brother leaving the faction. Well, whatever it is, First Senior Brother does not have any foul intentions towards us. He even secretly helped us and gave us a heads up¡­" Ning Xi exined.

    "And then?"

    "And then, I heard Second Senior Brother say that they seemed to have moved inwards China now, including¡­including that person¡­" Ning Xi hesitated to say anything further. Even her expression had changed a little.

    When he heard herst three words, Lu Tingxiao subconsciously tensed up and even the air pressure around had instantly dropped. A momentter, he finally said hoarsely, "So, what do you think?"

    Ning Xi felt a random chill and she stole a look at Lu Tingxiao''s darkened expression, not understanding why his mood had suddenly turned dour. "Ah? What do I think? About that person, or about the situation? Whatever it is, I just think it''s quite troublesome! I don''t want to be rted to them or anything about them anymore. I just want to live my life peacefully, shoot my movies, earn my money, be with my loved ones, and be with my baby darling! I just want to be fine!"

    With Ning Xi''s reassuring words, Lu Tingxiao''s stiff and cold expression gradually softened.

    After all, she had once liked that person and had rejected Lu Tingxiao many times for the other guy. What he was more worried about was no doubt whether the other person''s return would shake up any emotions within her¡­

    "Don''t worry. With me around, no one can force you to do anything you don''t want to."

    "Mmm! That''s why I''m here to be close to you!"

    ¡­

    In the morning, the sunrays seeped through the windows, warming the entire room.

    On the bed opposite the window, Little Treasure was waking up in a daze from under his nket. He arched his little body slightly and realized that there was a warmth beside him. In fact, there was something soft and it smelled good¡­

    Hmm?

    The little guy yawned, then opened his eyes and turned his head over. The first thing he saw unexpectedly was Aunty Xiao Xi beside him!

    Mommy!

    The little bun immediately widened his eyes the way children did when they saw a house full of candy and toys.

    He liked neither candy nor toys; he liked Aunty Xiao Xi.

    The little bun instantly rolled out of bed and stared unblinkingly at his Mommy who was sound asleep beside him. He carefully poked his soft little finger on Mommy''s face, then again.

    Soft.

    Very warm.

    Happiness!

 Chapter 942: Dont Want To Be Separated From Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 942: Don''t Want To Be Separated From Little Treasure</h4>

    At that moment, there were footsteps at the door.

    Lu Tingxiao leaned on the door frame and smiled at his son''s face, clearly delighted by his sudden happiness. "She came overst night but you were already asleep."

    The little bun immediately puffed up his cheeks toin about his father not waking him up. That way he could spend more time with Mommy!

    "Mmm¡­mmm? Baby, you''re awake¡­" Ning Xi woke up.

    The moment she opened up her eyes and saw the soft little bun, Ning Xi''s mood perked up. She hugged the little bun in her embrace and rolled around the bed. "Oh, I don''t want to wake up, I don''t want to go to work! I don''t want to be separated from my baby Little Treasure!"

    To hug the soft little bun on a winter morning like this was true happiness!

    Little Treasure immediately hugged Mommy Xiao Xi back too.

    He did not want to go to school either. He did not want to be separated from Mommy Xiao Xi!

    As he watched the two of them roll around in bed, Lu Tingxiaoughed and shook his head. "I can help the two of you take leave."

    Ning Xi blinked, then looked out from under the nket with her messy hair. "Forget it, Lu Tingxiao! How can you be like this!? Shouldn''t you educate us like a strict leader of the family at a moment like this by making the two of us go to school and go to work?"

    Little Treasure followed suited and nodded. Exactly.

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless. Fine, it was his mistake.

    When she was fully charged from the little bun, Ning Xi was instantly energetic and she had put all the unhappiness and troubles behind her. She could now be fully immersed in her work.

    Most of the day''s shoot was scenes with Chen Hanchen, one of which was a fighting scene. She needed to rehearse beforehand, so when everyone else''s scenes were being filmed, the two of them were practicing on the side.

    Chen Mian had hired a coach to teach them some martial arts moves.

    Chen Hanchen was in a pretty good mental state today, probably because he had waited for the scene where he would definitely fare better than Ning Xi.

    In the end¡­

    Half a dayter, Ning Xi was leaning on the deck chair, sipping on her drink as she sunbathed and enjoyed the casual chat with the girls surrounding her, while Chen Hanchen was still raining in sweat as he practiced with the coach.

    When he saw Chen Hanchen''s sullen look, Chen Mian walked over to pat him on the shoulder. "Young man, I forgot to tell you. Ning Xi was previously a stunt double!"

    Chen Hanchen had no words now.

    Damn it, is this dude a monster? Is there anything she isn''t good at?

    Qi Fang stole looks at Ning Xi as he ran over to deliver a bottle of water to Chen Hanchen before he started. "Was this dude originally a man, and got reincarnated wrongly? This is too much!"

    Chen Hanchen gulped down half a bottle of water, feeling dejected. It was fine if he had really lost to a man, but he was even crosser losing to a woman!

    He was a man yet he could not measure up to a woman!

    Qi Fang knew that Chen Hanchen had not been happy with Ning Xi for a long time, just like him. He thought of something, then said, "No matter what, she''s still a woman. I don''t believe that she hasn''t a single w. I must think of a way for her to stop acting cool, then we''ll see how she can continue being arrogant. Say, what are things that girls would definitely be especially afraid of? That the moment they see it, they''ll definitely lose control and start even possibly crying¡­?"

    Chen Hanchen looked at Qi Fang. He definitely would not do these sort of things on his own ord but since Qi Fang was ready to do it, he was happy to watch. After all, he had had enough.

    Chen Hanchen pretended to casually suggest, "Snakes, I guess?"

 Chapter 943: Its About To Be Frightened To Death

    <h4>Chapter 943: It''s About To Be Frightened To Death</h4>

    Finally, when she had finally finished shooting the fight scene with Chen Hanchen, Ning Xi returned to her seat.

    The moment she sat down, Ke Mingyu suddenly walked towards her.

    "What''s up?" When she saw Ke Mingyu was looking for her, Ning Xi felt odd. This guy would usually not take the initiative to interact with anyone. To avoid being negatively affected by him, she had intentionally paid zero attention to him.

    "I''m looking for Senior to rehearse some scenes," said Ke Mingyu.

    "Oh, okay¡­" It was an extremely normal reason, so Ning Xi did not think too much about it. She picked up her script and continued, "Let me see, our scene for today is¡­"

    As Ning Xi spoke, there was suddenly a cool and slippery sensation on her wrist, triggering a reaction on her skin.

    She looked down to see that a tiny patterned snake had suddenly crawled onto her wrist¡­

    Before Ning Xi could react, it had caught Xiao Tao''s eyes and she let out an ear-shattering screech, "Aaaaaaaah, snake! Why is there a snake!? Bro Xi don''t move! Don''t move!"

    "Ah! There''s really a snake! How gross! It''s not poisonous, is it?"

    "What to do, what to do!? Bro Xi, I''ll get someone to save you!" Ji Yumeng was frantically running all over the ce while the other girls had almost fainted out of fright.

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was just about to say something when, in the next second, the snake was already in Ke Mingyu''s hands.

    Ke Mingyu''s fingers mped down on the snake and it seemed like he was about to squeeze it to death with his bare hands.

    Suddenly, Ning Xi shouted, "No! Don''t, don''t kill him!"

    Ke Mingyu looked over in confusion.

    Ning Xi unhappily shot him a look, then hurled out her hand. "Let go and give it to me!"

    Give it¡­to her?

    "Quick! It''s about to be frightened to death by you, can''t you see?" Ning Xi''s tone was clearly upset.

    Can''t he see¡­?

    When he saw Ning Xi was upset and realized that this was a non-poisonous snake, Ke Mingyu obediently delivered the snake to her.

    Ning Xi took the green little snake and consoled it by patting its shiny scales. "This is not a poisonous snake. It won''t hurt people. It''s so cute, how could you kill it?!"

    Ke Mingyu was speechless. He had initially wanted to be the hero that saved the beauty. How had he been scolded by the wife instead¡­?

    Qi Fang and Chen Hanchen were speechless by the sight too. Where was the screeching and crying? Why was this not following the script they had in mind?

    "Bro¡­Bro Xi, don''t fool around now! Be careful, it might bite you!" Xiao Tao was so frightened that she was shaking now.

    "Don''t worry, this kind of snake is pretty tame. You can bite it and it wouldn''t even bite back! Do you want to pet it? It''s probably been awakened from its hibernation, that''s why this little guy is still in a daze¡­"

    "No, no, no, no! No, thanks!" Xiao Tao shook her head like a rattle drum.

    To show that she was different from other girls and to let her dream guy view her in a new light, Ji Yumeng mustered the courage and walked up. "Let me!"

    Once Ji Yumeng started, all the other girls also saw that the snake on Ning Xi''s hand was tame. After making sure that it was really not poisonous, they all walked up too. All the girls were buzzing as they listened to how Ning Xi differentiated a poisonous snake from a non-poisonous one¡­

    Qi Fang bit on the pillow in his arm in tears. "This dude is neither a woman nor a man; it''s a monster! Oh! I''m so angry¡­but what the hell is up with that Ke Mingyu?! Why did he help her earlier? Shouldn''t we all be on the same line of defense? How could he help the enemy?"

 Chapter 944: Little Treasure Is Here To Visit!

    <h4>Chapter 944: Little Treasure Is Here To Visit!</h4>

    To calm everyone''s panic, Ning Xi let everyone y with the snake for a while before letting it go among some bushes.

    When she returned to her seat, something shed across Ning Xi''s mind. It was winter now, so the snake would not have suddenly slithered out, unless¡­

    Pfft, boys nowadays are really more and more immature!

    However, Ke Mingyu''s reaction earlier had really surprised her. His speed of catching that snake was a little too quick, was it not? She could not even see it clearly¡­

    When he saw Ning Xi staring at him, Ke Mingyu called out, "Senior?"

    Ning Xi stroked her chin and suddenly went closer to him, her face inches away from his. "You¡­wouldn''t have fallen in love with me, would you?"

    The man was probably stunned for a whole second before he replied with an unchanged expression, "You think too much."

    Xiao Tao was pale at this sight. "Bro Xi, what are you doing!? People might see!"

    Ning Xi straightened up and said with an indifferent expression, "What''s there to be nervous about? I''m rehearsing lines with Ke Mingyu!"

    "Ah? Re-rehearsing lines?" Xiao Tao looked at the script. Indeed, there was a dialogue in the movie with a simr sort of scene. "Turns out you''re rehearsing. You frightened me¡­Bro Xi, you''re really good at acting! Even your rehearsals are so real!"

    "Thank you, Senior, I''ll go get ready now," said Ke Mingyu before he turned around to leave, a subtle hurriedness in his footsteps.

    Very soon, evening came. Ning Xi was focused on preparing for the next scene when the director''s assistant''s voice was heard.

    "Bro Xi, it looks like¡­someone''s here to visit you on set¡­"

    Another person visiting her?

    Was it Zhuang Keer or Jiang Muye?

    Ning Xi looked up and when she had a clearer glimpse of the soft little one beside the assistant, she put the script down and shot to her feet before eximing, "Little Treasure???"

    When he saw his Mommy, the poker-faced little bun beside the assistant instantly flew to Ning Xi.

    "Bro Xi, is this kid your rtive? Earlier a girl brought him here, saying that this child is here to look for you!" said the assistant as she looked at the little guy with starry eyes. It really was the first time she had seen such a beautiful child¡­

    A girl? It must have been the Lu family''s maid, Wan Wan¡­

    It was impossible that Wan Wan would send Little Treasure over herself, so it must have been an order by Lu Tingxiao. It was probably because Lu Tingxiao noticed that she was in a bad mood yesterday, so he had made special arrangements for someone to send Little Treasure over.

    As Ning Xi thought about this, she happily carried the little bun, then exined after some careful thought, "It''s my best friend''s child, my godson!"

    She decided that for Little Treasure to assume the identity of her godson was most convenient and would not spark any misunderstanding.

    It was a good thing the crew members of this team were simple-minded and no one would know Little Treasure, so even if Little Treasure visited her on set, it would not be a problem.

    A confident and unruly man holding a fair and soft little bun in his arms, his expression as gentle as water while the little bun hugged the man''s neck with fondness and clinginess; this scene was as heartwarming and beautiful as a painting¡­

    The assistant gaped. "This child seems to be very close to you!"

    "Mmm, his parents are busy, so he usually likes sticking with me. He won''t cause too much trouble for everyone, I hope. He''s very obedient and he won''t simply run around!" Ning Xi apologized in advance.

    "No worries, no worries. Besides, there''s only one scene left before we''re done, so there''s not much trouble," the assistant quickly responded.

    "Hey, Ning Xi, where did you kidnap this doll from?" Chen Mian walked over and was shocked to see the little bun in Ning Xi''s arms.

 Chapter 945: Cute Little Expression

    <h4>Chapter 945: Cute Little Expression</h4>

    "What kidnapping? This is my godson!" Ning Xi insisted.

    Chen Mian looked at little bun again and again, his eyes burning brighter by the second. "This kid looks great! Is he interested in joining our industry?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched irritatedly. "He¡¯s only five years old, alright?"

    "So what if he¡¯s five!? You''ve got to start them early! Let me handle him and I¡¯ll make sure that he gets famous!" Chen Mian sounded really excited. "His aura, his eyes, and even his nose¡­I can confirm that he¡¯ll definitely be handsome when he''s all grown up as well!"

    "No, thank you!" Of course, he was going to be handsome! Just look at his father.

    "Are you sure? Do you have his parents'' contact? I¡¯ll talk to them!" Chen Mian was persistent.

    "You don¡¯t have to, I¡¯m making the calls for him. He still needs to study! Director, stop trying to interfere in his life,"

    "You little brat, you have no idea how many kids I¡¯ve rejected¡­"

    ¡­

    Chen Mian left regretfully after being rejected by Ning Xi.

    The moment he left, a crowd gathered around them. "Wow! This kid is so cute!"

    "Right! Isn''t he?" Ning Xi was proud of the little bun.

    "Terribly! No wonder the director was so interested!"

    "I¡¯d love to hug him!"

    Little Treasure was looking around but the moment he heard that he was going to be hugged like a soft toy, he clung onto his mother and buried his face in her neck just like a mole rat.

    Ning Xi patted his back and smiled. "I¡¯m sorry, he¡¯s a little shy and doesn¡¯t like to talk."

    "Oh, he¡¯s cute being shy as well. Look at his expression! I¡¯ve actually decided not to have kids in the future but if my kid is this cute, I¡¯d be willing to have one!" Ji Yumeng¡¯s heart melted.

    Qi Fang was frustrated as more people surrounded Ning Xi¡­

    First, there was Jiang Muye, then came Zhuang Keer, and today there was this super cute little kid. Just who was she?

    "Oh, God! Why does she get all the good things in life?"

    "Showoff!" Chen Hanchen sneered.

    Qi Fang went along, "I know, right!?"

    Qi Fang nced at Ke Mingyu and was hoping that he could join their fray but ever since he had helped Ning Xi once, Qi Fang decided to expel him out of the three musketeers; well, it was not like he was truly ever in it¡­

    Although Ning Xi would have liked to stay with the little bun for a while longer, her next scene was starting soon, so she quickly kissed the little bun. "I¡¯m going to prepare for work, Wait for me here, alright?"

    The little bun was holding a big bunch of snacks that the crew had given him and he nodded.

    "Xiao Tao, please help me look after him."

    "Alright, Bro Xi, go now!" Xiao Tao happily epted her newly assigned mission.

    It felt like Bro Xi was really gentle with the little kid as if she was his real mother¡­

    A while after Ning Xi had gone into the dressing room, the little bun who was sitting on the chair suddenly focused on one direction.

    He was looking at¡­Ke Mingyu.

    The little bun stared at him for some time, looked down, then continued staring at him like he was confused. He tilted his head to the side and frowned.

    "Little Treasure, what¡¯s wrong?" Xiao Tao¡¯s heart melted looking at his cute expression.

    The little bun blinked and suddenly jumped down from the chair, running towards Ke Mingyu¡­

 Chapter 946: Go And Look For Your Mother

    <h4>Chapter 946: Go And Look For Your Mother</h4>

    Little Treasure ran to Ke Mingyu and just stared at him.

    Ke Mingyu stayed silent.

    Staring right n front of him could not satisfy him anymore, so Little Treasure started orbiting around him, circling him again and again. He looked like he was conducting a scientific observation.

    Xiao Tao found the situation confusing and funny at the same time. She said, "It seems that this kid likes you, Teacher Ke. He wants to y with you."

    Ke Mingyu extended his long arms and prevented Little Treasure from being tripped by a small rock. He looked exhausted. "It¡¯s okay."

    Qi Fang was really annoyed. "Birds of a feather flock together. This kid¡¯s sense of beauty is just as twisted! Of all the good-looking guys and girls here, he went to Ke Mingyu!"

    Chen Hanchen just took a nce at the kid, then went back to reading his script.

    Qi Fangzily flipped through the script as he mumbled, "The next scene is between Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu¡­oh, Ning Xi¡¯s going to be in her female outfit. Speaking of which, I haven¡¯t see Ning Xi in a female outfit after two days here. It¡¯s really difficult to imagine¡­"

    "Xiao Tao, can you help me bring Ning Xi¡¯s bag in?" Ye Qiu¡¯s voice hollered from the dressing room.

    Xiao Tao quickly replied, "Okay! Coming!"

    "Teacher Ke, can you look after him for a while? I¡¯ll be back right away," Xiao Tao requested Ke Mingyu for help as she saw Little Treasure seemed to like him.

    "Sure."

    After Xiao Tao left, Little Treasure was still circling around Ke Mingyu. Ke Mingyu looked at the dressing room. Ning Xi should be done soon and if she saw Little Treasure circling him¡­

    "Don¡¯t keep circling around me," Ke Mingyu finally said.

    Little Treasure stopped in front of him but his eyes never averted away. He was like a curious cat staring at the object of his interest. He even tried to touch Ke Mingyu¡¯s face with his hand.

    This kid was really simr to Ning Xi in this aspect. Even their reaction was the same.

    Ke Mingyu lowered his voice and said, "Go and look for your mother."

    Ning Xi came out of the dressing room at this moment and the little bun quickly went to her.

    Ke Mingyu was relieved, he then looked at the dressing room¡¯s direction.

    Ning Xi was wearing a pink one-piece floral dress. Her cheekbones were highlighted and her curves were entuated beautifully while her long ck hair and beautiful eyes further enhanced her whole look. The makeup artist had probably tanned her skin for previous scenes. Her original skin tone was shining bright and it looked like she was sparkling when she walked by¡­

    "Oh my gosh! Is¡­is this really our Bro Xi? What skills do you possess, Sis Ye Qiu? She''s be a totally different person!"

 Chapter 947: Found Out By His Son

    <h4>Chapter 947: Found Out By His Son</h4>

    "It¡¯s not me, Bro Xi herself is the real deal! I just touch up here and there!" Ye Qiu was impressed as ever as she watched the girl in front of her; her potential was endless.

    "Senior¡­is so pretty¡­" Ji Yumeng was dumbfounded. Even as a woman, she was impressed.

    "As expected of Senior! You¡¯re charming no matter if you''re acting as a man or woman! I feel like I¡¯m turning into a lesbian soon¡­"

    Only Xiao Tao was able to keep calm. Now, everyone had witnessed how much of a beauty her Bro Xi was as a woman! Sis Zhizhi¡¯s biggest worry was that she looked too pretty.

    ¡­

    "Gulp¡­" Among the crowd, there was Qi Fang admiring Ning Xi¡¯s beauty.

    "Ning¡­Ning Xi?" Chen Hanchen¡¯s script fell onto the floor.

    Ning Xi turned around, smiling, as she heard someone called her name. "Hmm?"

    Chen Hanchen felt his senses lose control when he saw the girl¡¯s smile. His heart raced faster and his mind went nk¡­

    "It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s nothing!"

    He thought that this woman was just like any other female celebrity he had seen before, that visuals from the televisions and pictures were just enhanced effects. Usually, their real image was multiple times worse than what was on screen, some even looked like totally different people.

    It was the first time he saw someone actually look better in real life than in pictures and movies. The screen was unable to enhance her perfect image; it limited her.

    He had investigated her some time ago and thought he already knew all about her but it was only now that he truly knew her¡­

    Qi Fang quickly went up to her and offered her his coat, "Senior! It¡¯s cold. The scene isn¡¯t starting yet, use my coat!"

    "Qi Fang, you¡¯re so good at this!"

    "You¡¯re way too fast!"

    "Hahaha, this guy¡­"

    ¡­

    As everyone was focused on Ning Xi, Ke Mingyu slipped the little bun a nket. "You know what to do."

    This time, he used his real voice.

    He was trying to make the wife happy by sending his child here. He thought that everything would be okay as he had sessfully fooled his wife but his son had found out¡­

    Instead of having Little Treasure circling him and making Ning Xi suspicious, he tried to get Little Treasure on his side.

    The little bun saw everyone surrounding his mother, so he got curious and suddenly forgot all about his father. He picked up the nket and walked away¡­

    Before Ning Xi could reply Qi Fang, the little bun suddenly passed her a nket right in front of her.

    Ning Xi turned to the little bun and she felt touched. "Is this for me? Thank you so much!"

    Qi Fang felt disappointed like a defeated pet dog¡­

    Ning Xi covered herself with the nket Little Treasure passed her and thanked Qi Fang, "Thank you, I have a nket already. Use it yourself to avoid catching a cold."

    Qi Fang was d about her counter-offer. "Thank you for your concern, Senior!"

 Chapter 948: How Unfortunate!

    <h4>Chapter 948: How Unfortunate!</h4>

    Chen Hanchen was looking speechlessly at Qi Fang.

    Who was the one who keptining next to him and calling Ning Xi all sort of names, even putting the snake there?

    Did Qi Fang just experience memory loss?

    Qi Fang happily dered, "I¡¯ve decided that from now on, I¡¯ll be Senior¡¯s fan! A VIP fan! Was my brain fried before? I was actually jealous and creating problems for a pretty girl! What a loser I was!"

    "I did not expect this. Ke Mingyu was the most calctive one here¡­he knew it all along and tried to get on Senior¡¯s good side. He even asked for an autograph from her. Plus, he also saved her just now! What a mistake on my part¡­"

    Qi Fang kept mumbling regretfully to himself, almost pping himself out of frustration. He then suddenly stared at Ning Xi. "She¡¯s really so pretty! How could there be such a pretty girl!? I¡¯m really envious of you, Hanchen, that you can be the male lead!"

    Chen Hanchen was speechless.

    Could you at least have a transition period for your shift in attitude? This is too fast. Where are your principles?

    Whatever¡­He was not the right person to tell him off as of now¡­

    Chen Hanchen picked up his script, pressed his hand to his chest and tried to calm his racing heart.

    Why, he had never felt this way before¡­

    He was a prideful man and he was especially strict when judging women from the entertainment industry but now¡­

    "Looks good! You''re even prettier thanst time!" Chen Mian was satisfied with Ning Xi¡¯s outlook and he had nothing toin about her.

    She had gone on screen without makeup when she was ying the supporting role in his previous movie and at that time, she was already charming enough. Now, with fresh and youthful makeup, she totally fit his image of Ji Feixue.

    "Come over here, Ning Xi, and Xiao Ke as well. Come here¡­" Chen Mian called, "Seeing how you guys cooperated so well yesterday, this scene shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. Just do what you do best, Ning Xi. Here¡¯s the part you need to take note ofter¡­"

    Ning Xi stood in front of the director while holding the little bun¡¯s hand. She was focused on the director and the little bun was standing beside Ke Mingyu but he was not staring at him anymore.

    Afterwards, Chen Mian pped. "Alright, everyone, this is ourst scene today. We''ll wrap up after this!"

    This scene revolved around the female lead in her female outfit identally meeting the secondary male lead. Since the both of them acted well, one take was all it took. All the staff looked really happy to have such capable actors on their team.

    After work ended, a man rushed out and as he was about to turn towards where he wanted to, someone blocked his path.

    "CEO Lu."

    Ning Xi had been waiting for him and she directly stood in front of him intentionally.

    "Senior?" Ke Mingyu put on a surprised expression.

    Ning Xi was enraged. "Lu Tingxiao! Stop pretending! Little Treasure circled around you 23 times. Do you think that I¡¯m blind?"

    Ke Mingyu stayed silent. He thought he had managed to fool her but she had still seen them¡­

    This was unfortunate¡­

    Nheless, Lu Tingxiao felt that he could still turn things around.

    "I don¡¯t really understand what you mean, Senior. Did you mistake me for someone else?"

    The man acted innocently like a stranger.

    Ning Xi frowned. "Are you¡­really not Lu Tingxiao?"

    Ke Mingyu replied, "Nope."

    Ning Xi nodded. "Oh, I see¡­alright then! Let me rephrase my question!"

    Ke Mingyu felt something bad wasing.

    After a short pause, Ning Xi stared at him and asked, "Mister, are you really not¡­my husband?"

 Chapter 949: Little Treasure-Brand Father-Seeking Device

    <h4>Chapter 949: Little Treasure-Brand Father-Seeking Device</h4>

    Ke Mingyu stayed silent.

    Lu Tingxiao did not expect that Ning Xi would do this!

    How could he answer "no" to this question!?

    The man bit his lip and stood in silence. Ning Xi shrugged and turned away as she waved her hands. "Okay, it seems that I¡¯m mistaken. You couldn¡¯t possibly be my dear¡­"

    Ning Xi¡¯s wrist was suddenly grabbed and she was pulled into a warm hug with two strong arms wrapped around her. The man said in his deep voice, "I am."

    He then wildly kissed the girl¡¯s lips¡­

    In the dark alley, the girl was pushed against the wall and kissed fiercely. The breezy environment turned really warm.

    "It hurts¡­" Ning Xi felt her tongue was going numb and there was a slight soreness on her lips as well, so sheined.

    The man kissed her even deeper. He practically wanted to merge into one with her. "You naughty one¡­"

    Ning Xi bit the man''s lip gently. "You¡¯re the naughty one! If it wasn¡¯t for the Little Treasure-branded father-seeking device, how long did you n to hide from me?"

    Little Treasure-brand father-seeking device¡­

    That was an urate name indeed¡­

    "Forever," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    If he had not been found out, he was prepared to continue hiding it from her!

    Ning Xi was really angry. "Then, why did you admit just now? You could¡¯ve denied it! I don¡¯t have any evidence anyway!"

    Lu Tingxiao sighed, "You know that no matter what happens, I can never say no to that."

    "Hmph!" Ning Xi acted all high and mighty towards him.

    Lu Tingxiao loved to see her like this and he was about to kiss her again¡­

    Ning Xi pushed him away. "I¡¯m being serious with you! Let me ask you. is it because there are some dangerous scenes in this movie and you¡¯re worried?"

    She remembered that Lu Tingxiao had asked Xiong Zhi to protect her, then that incident happened whereby she was almost killed in Phdelphia. With Lu Tingxiao¡¯s personality, he probably could not trust Xiong Zhi or anyone else to protect her anymore!

    Was that why he came personally?

    From what she knew, it was not easy to obtain such a well-made mask and these masks could cause damage to the skin. Wearing it for around 10 minutes was enough to make a person ufortable, yet he wore it for such a long time¡­

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart softened.

    "This is one of the reasons," Lu Tingxiao did not deny it as he looked at her, "Another reason was for me. We¡¯re both really busy, plus we can¡¯t publicize our rtionship, so the time we get to spend together is very little. I missed you."

    "I¡¯m sorry¡­" Ning Xi felt all her anger dissolve.

    "Besides, experiencing acting might help me to understand you better so that I can have somemon topics to talk about with you, then you¡¯d probably find me less boring."

    "No way! You¡¯re not boring at all! I like my Boss the most! The most!" Ning Xi¡¯s dissatisfaction turned into a touching and heartfelt moment as she clung to the man¡¯s neck and kissed him.

 Chapter 950: When Will You Marry Me?

    <h4>Chapter 950: When Will You Marry Me?</h4>

    The storm had passed¡­

    As Lu Tingxiao was kissing the girl, his nervous, floating heart came back to him.

    Ning Xi tilted her head and looked at him impressively. "Lu Tingxiao, I never knew that you could act so well. I almost lost my job to you!"

    "I¡¯ve got a great teacher to thank," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    "You even have a teacher!? Who is it? How do I not know about it?" Ning Xi asked curiously.

    "You."

    "Me?"

    "I read through all the books and notes that you left with me," Lu Tingxiao said.

    Ning Xi was utterly speechless at this point.

    From learning about acting techniques to preparing the mask he donned every day, there were so many things to be done. It would take at least a few months to do all of that¡­

    Lu Tingxiao had probably started working on it the moment he got back from Phdelphia.

    She fully understood how busy he was. Almost every case he worked on was worth more than a few hundred million of dors, yet he had allocated so much time for this just to have some time to be with her. He even had to be afraid of getting her angry, so he hid what he was up to.

    Her career was despised by the upper-ss society, yet he was willing to be with her, to understand her better and to protect her.

    "No one¡­no one has ever treated me this well before¡­" Ning Xi hugged the man. "Mmm¡­I almost want to marry you right away!"

    "The Civil Administration Bureau has probably closed at this time already but I can call them toe back or maybe have them bring the necessary documents to my house," the man replied quickly.

    "Haha, stop messing around!" Ning Xiughed.

    Lu Tingxiao sighed, then he rested his head on the girl¡¯s shoulder. "Ning Xi, we just got into a rtionship not too long ago and this might be too sudden but I¡¯ve always been thinking about this every single second of the day¡­When will you¡­marry me?"

    Ning Xi looked at him quietly, then with a serious tone she replied, "When I can stand by your side."

    ¡­

    In the car, Ning Xi was driving and at the back was Lu Tingxiao and Little Treasure.

    Lu Tingxiao had not removed his mask and he still had Ke Mingyu¡¯s face on, so the little guy kept on staring at him and he extended his hand to the face again.

    Lu Tingxiao went closer to him and let him touch it.

    The little bun touched and felt his face, curious about new things.

    As Ning Xi observed the both of them from the rearview mirror, she said, "Lu Tingxiao, do you think Little Treasure has some special abilities? He could recognize us no matter how we change our looks!"

    Lu Tingxiao thought about it but was not surprised. He realized long ago that his son possessed such ability. Some people had their own unique way of observing. Often times, they could see little things that were overlooked by others.

    "I¡¯m not sure how to exin this but it''s probably something like a dog¡¯s sense of smell. He can detect something others can¡¯t."

    "How could youpare our son to a dog?! Oh¡­I have another question, why don¡¯t you make a better looking mask? I heard from the director that you¡¯re supposed to be the male lead, but your image didn¡¯t fit what he had in mind so you became the secondary lead!"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "I¡¯m too good-looking already."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

 Chapter 951: Happy Family

    <h4>Chapter 951: Happy Family</h4>

    Ning Xi was speechless when she heard his reply.

    But afterward, she found out that the reason for choosing Ke Mingyu''s mask was sort of rted to how handsome Lu Tingxiao was as well. Because of his prominent facial structure, they had experimented countless of times and many of the masks had failed. Finally, only Ke Mingyu¡¯s face looked the most natural.

    So, technically it was because of how good-looking he was¡­

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was dressed in a male outfit today and Lu Tingxiao still had Ke Mingyu¡¯s mask on, so no one could recognize them before the movie aired.

    They brought Little Treasure to the supermarket.

    "Dear, should we have hot pot tonight? Xiao Tao brought me some soup base for hot pot from her hometown!" Ning Xi suggested.

    "Sure," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Little Treasure nodded enthusiastically as well.

    They then went shopping for the food needed to make the hot pot.

    As they were walking, they realized that more and more people were looking at their direction¡­

    What had gone wrong?

    Ning Xi was confused.

    "Oh! Are they a family together? What a lovely family!"

    "However, I feel that that guy over there looks a little in. He doesn¡¯t seem to be a good match with the handsome one beside him!"

    "What do you know? This is called the gentle-wife y; it¡¯s actually popr right now!"

    ¡­

    "What¡¯s a gentle-wife y?" Lu Tingxiao asked Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi almost puked blood. "You don¡¯t have to know what that is!"

    She giggled to herself. How hrious! The devil''s on the receiving end while I''m deemed to be aggressive one, haha!

    Ning Xi¡¯s mistake was not realizing that two men walking in the supermarket with a child would attract so much attention, so they quickly went back to her apartment after buying what they needed.

    After they went back, Lu Tingxiao started using the specially made ointment to remove his mask.

    Ning Xi saw his skin was slightly red from the irritation and she felt heartbroken.

    "It¡¯s alright, it¡¯ll be fine soon, I¡¯m a man after all," Lu Tingxiao said.

    "No way, the face is very important to a man as well and this face is rted to me! Come over here!"

    Ning Xi forced Lu Tingxiao to sit down at her dresser table and she opened a few bottles. "Don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll help you do a mini facial!"

    The wife was going to service him, so of course, Lu Tingxiaoplied obediently.

    Essence, toner, cream¡­

    Ning Xi carefully applied the stuff on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face,yer byyer. "Wait, there¡¯s face cream as well! You have to use this after you wash your face every day!"

    As she helped Lu Tingxiao, the little bun walked over and pointed at his own face, indicating that he wanted some too.

    Ning Xi smiled. "Your father needs it because he¡¯s not handsome enough but you¡¯re way too handsome, so you don¡¯t need it."

    The little bun nodded and epted her reasoning immediately.

    After they had dinner, Lu Tingxiao went into the study room for somest minute work while the little bun hopped into the shower.

    "Little Treasure, do you need any help?"

    The little bun shook his head shyly, indicating that he would be alright on his own.

    Ning Xi patted the little bun¡¯s head and smiled. "My little bun has grown up! Take your time, be careful and don¡¯t slip!"

    Ning Xi sat on the sofa after adjusting the water temperature for Little Treasure, then she covered herself with a nket and yed a ssic Western musical.

    Soft music started ying and all was peaceful.

    Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

    Who could it be thiste at night? Both the little bun and Lu Tingxiao were both here¡­

    Ning Xi nervously looked outside through the peephole. She could not believe who she saw and she quickly opened the door.

    The girl outside hugged Ning Xi tightly. "Bro Xi!"

 Chapter 952: An Unexpected Guest

    <h4>Chapter 952: An Unexpected Guest</h4>

    The girl started sobbing after she hugged Ning Xi and Ning Xi¡¯s pajamas were soon stained wet on her shoulder.

    Ning Xi recalled a lot of old memories as well and she held back tears of her own as she patted the girl¡¯s back. "Alright now, stop crying! Come in!"

    Ning Xi weed the girl in and led her to the sofa, then she poured her a cup of hot tea.

    The girl had long, ck, straight hair and her eyshes were long like butterfly wings. She wore a hoodie with white furry lining, which made her small face look cute as if she was an exquisitely made doll.

    The girl was weeping as she stared at Ning Xi like a lost dog that had finally found its master.

    "Drink some tea!" Ning Xi passed her the cup.

    Even Annie is here¡­It seems like Second Senior Brother¡¯s information is urate! That man is starting toe back.

    "Thank you, Bro Xi!"

    She looked at Ning Xi again and her tears fell even harder. "Bro Xi, you look really good in a female outfit¡­sob¡­"

    Ning Xi was troubled. "You cry when you see me, you cry when I pour you some tea, you even cry when you think I look good! Old habits die hard, don''t they?"

    "But, Bro Xi¡­you''ve changed a lot¡­" The girl looked around.

    The house was decorated with a warm color scheme and it felt very cozy. Ning Xi was wearing a soft pink nightgown, her naturally wavy hairbed back, giving her a homey appearance. Although it was not her first time seeing Ning Xi in a female outfit, she almost could not recognize her.

    Within just a year, this woman¡¯s outlook and aura had changed so drastically.

    Ning Xi now felt like a stranger and it made her feel ufortable, even a little afraid.

    As if the person she once knew had vanished altogether¡­

    "Silly, people always change, or maybe, this is what I really look like?" Ning Xi patted the girl¡¯s head. "Let¡¯s talk about you now. Why are you back? Is it temporary or¡­"

    The girl was still looking a little down. "I¡¯m not sure, I¡¯m just following the Boss¡¯ orders. Who knows when''s the next time he''ll make me travel around the world again, so I took some time off to visit you tonight."

    Ning Xi knew they had secret agreements and she did not want to know too much either, so she stopped asking further and changed the subject, "How¡¯re you doing recently? Doing well?"

    Annie startedining, "Not at all! After you left, the Boss¡¯s temper got worse and he always takes it out on me. He beats me, scolds me and even prevents me from having meals. He also threatened to make me marry the monster beside us! Come back, Bro Xi! I really miss you!"

    "Ugh¡­" Ning Xi looked helplessly at her.

    While that guy is terrible, he wouldn''t really do it and she''s probably exaggerating, right?

    She knew that Annie was trying to convince her to go back.

    When she had rescued Annie, that guy was annoyed at her because of how weak she was and how she was always crying, then they realized that Annie had a special talent¡­

 Chapter 953: After His Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 953: After His Beauty</h4>

    One should not judge a book by its cover. This crybaby who loved all things fluffy was actually from a family of renowned doctors and she had inherited incredible healing skills from her ancestors. In the end, that guy had agreed to keep her after realizing her potential.

    That man would never keep anyone without value, even more so people who could drag the team down.

    One¡¯s ability determined their position within the organization and the amount of benefits they received. As the healer of the team, she enjoyed pretty decent benefits, which was why Ning Xi was able to leave her there without too much worry.

    "I¡¯m sorry, Annie, I¡¯m not sure if First Senior Brother has informed you about my condition but I can¡¯t go back now." Although cruel, Ning Xi went straight to the point.

    Annie put the cup down and held Ning Xi¡¯s hand gently. "Why? Is it because of that man? Is what Bro Ye said true? Are you in a rtionship with that man?"

    "Yes." Ning Xi was not going to lie.

    Annie felt nervous and she quickly said, "Bro Xi, I¡¯ve investigated that man. He isn¡¯t as simple as he looks on the surface. Do you know how many under table deals he''s made to get to where he is today? You might think that the Boss is scary but this man is worse than Satan! If you see his true colors¡­"

    Ning Xi sighed and interrupted Annie, "Which person in power has never made any sacrifices before? Annie, I¡¯m not a saint. I¡¯m fine as long as he¡¯s good to me."

    It would be impossible for the enormous Lu Corporation with businesses all over the world to be pure.

    Moreover, Lu Tingxiao had even epted the few years she had been in America, sohow could she reject him because of this?

    Annie was devastated by Ning Xi¡¯s reply and she held her hand even tighter. "Bro Xi, you¡¯ve been totally charmed by him! That man has other bad intentions!"

    Ning Xiughed. "Annie, I don¡¯t have anything for him to get from me!"

    "How could you say so!? You¡­you have your beauty!" Annie insisted.

    "It should be I who¡¯s after his beauty!" Ning Xi chuckled.

    "I see¡­hey! Stop changing the topic! I was almost thrown off course!" Annieined.

    From the information she had gathered, the only thing she recognized¡­was that the man was actually pretty good-looking. No wonder Bro Xi had fallen for him.

    Annie was thinking really hard before she continued, "If you like his looks, I can find people who¡¯re better-looking than him! To be honest, if our Boss weren''t so weird, he looks really cool when he¡¯s normal! No, I mean super cool!"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows. "Is he ever normal though?"

    "¡­no!" Annie cried even harder.

    Poor child¡­

    Ning Xi patted her back and gave her a few pieces of tissue. "Alright, stop worrying about me anymore. I know what to do."

    After a long while of sobbing, Annie suddenly remembered something. "Yes! Yes! I remember! Bro Xi! That man has a child! He¡¯s five years old! A five-year-old child!"

    "I know."

    "Then, you still¡­:"

    "That child is pretty cute."

 Chapter 954: Charmed By The Little Bun

    <h4>Chapter 954: Charmed By The Little Bun</h4>

    "It¡¯s not about being cute or not! Bro Xi, wake up and listen to me, it¡¯s not easy being a stepmother. There''re countless examples before you. Let me tell you, Bro Xi, I knew a prettydy who was young and beautiful before marriage but ever since she got married to a man and became a stepmother, I almost couldn¡¯t recognize her! Another prettydy also told me that she couldn¡¯t do anything right after getting married. No matter how kind she tried to be, she was taken for granted. The kid was really naughty and he destroyed her rtionship with her husband. There¡¯s also this otherdy¡­"

    Annie kept on rambling on and making one wonder how she knew all these stepmothers. It sure was difficult to find so many real examples¡­

    Ning Xi just sat there quietly and listened.

    Suddenly, the bathroom door was opened and the sounds of flip-flopsing out was heard.

    Ning Xi and the rambling Annie looked over. They then saw the little bun in his fluffy cartoon pajamas¡­

    "Ah! So cute!"

    Annie¡¯s scream almost popped Ning Xi¡¯s eardrumS.

    The girl swiftly ran to Little Treasure and hugged him. "Oh my gosh! So cute! How could he be so cute?! Why is there such a cute boy at your house, Bro Xi!? Ah! Too cute! I¡¯ve never seen anything cuter! He¡¯s even cuter than all the fluffy animals put together!"

    Ning Xi pinched the space between her eyebrows as she saw Annie¡¯s exaggerated reaction.

    Annie loved everything that was fluffy and cute. For her, being cute was justice enough, so it was no surprise that she would be this excited when she saw the bun.

    "Bro Xi, Bro Xi! Where is this kid from!? Why is he here?" Annie asked.

    "He¡¯s Lu Tingxiao¡¯s son," Ning Xi replied.

    Annie went silent. She was dumbfounded. It was game over for her.

    The little bun took this chance to escape from this weirddy and he went up to Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi held the little bun up and introduced him, "Don¡¯t be afraid, Little Treasure, she¡¯s a good friend of mine! Call her Aunty Annie!"

    The little bun blinked and nodded with an expression of doubt.

    Why does Aunty Annie look like she was suffering? Was it because I pushed her away?

    Ning Xi smiled at him, understanding his uncertainty. "She was probably a little sad after being pushed away from you just now. Do you want to give her a hug?"

    The little bun nodded obediently.

    Ning Xi put the little bun down. Go on."

    The little bun took a nce at his mother, then walked towards Aunty Annie, with his arms wide open and he hugged her.

    Since you¡¯re Mommy''s good friend, I¡¯ll hug you a little more. Don¡¯t be sad anymore.

 Chapter 955: He Is Lu Tingxiaos and Yours?

    <h4>Chapter 955: He Is Lu Tingxiao''s and Yours?</h4>

    Feeling the cotton-candy-like hands hugging her, Annie¡¯s heart melted as she looked into the little guy¡¯s beautiful eyes which seemed like the stars in the sky.

    She could not believe it. "Bro Xi¡­are you lying to me? Is¡­this really Lu Tingxiao¡¯s son? Are you sure?"

    Ning Xi nodded proudly. "A hundred percent! He¡¯s definitely Lu Tingxiao¡¯s son and he¡¯s called Little Treasure. What do you think? I¡¯ve not been lying, he¡¯s really cute, isn''t he?"

    Annie nodded her head vigorously. "Way too cute! What should I do!? I didn¡¯t prepare any gifts for you!"

    Annie was looking around at herself and in her bag. Then, she took out some candy, a chocte bar, a pill, and even her ne and gave them all to the little bun.

    Her attitude¡­had changed entirely.

    Just a minute ago, she was still saying how miserable being a stepmother could be and how terrible a stepson might turn out.

    Ning Xi put aside the candy and chocte bar for the little bun, then gently returned the ne and the pill. "These are too valuable. Take it back, he doesn¡¯t have any use for them anyway."

    "You¡¯re right¡­Lu Tingxiao¡¯s so rich¡­" Annie carefully took back her ne, then she gave Ning Xi the red pill. "Keep this, it¡¯s mytest invention. The contents can cure almost any poison! I¡¯ve tested it personally."

    Ning Xi smiled. "Then, I thank you on behalf on Little Treasure!"

    "Next time¡­if there¡¯s a next time, I¡¯ll prepare something better! I was in a haste this time, so I didn¡¯t expect to see Little Treasure as well!" Annie said.

    Annie had totally forgotten about her rambling about being a miserable stepmother now. She could never mention it in front of such a cute creature!

    Such a cute child¡­no wonder Bro Xi liked him!

    Ning Xi and Annie sat back on the sofa with the little bun in between them. He was curiously studying the pill.

    "This is unbelievable. How could Lu Tingxiao¡¯s son be this cute?" Annie still could not get over it. "Although he does look a little like him, this is so illogical¡­"

    Annie suddenly looked at Ning Xi. "Bro Xi! Is this kid Lu Tingxiao''s and yours?"

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched in amusement. "My dear, you¡¯re overthinking this!"

    Hmm? Father and Mother?

    The little bun had a wide smile on his face when he heard their conversation.

    "Well¡­" Annie saw the little bun¡¯s smile and was suspicious. "Actually, looking carefully, the both of you look very simr!"

    "Really? Which part?" Ning Xi raised her eyebrows.

    Annie nodded. "Yes, you do! Maybe you haven¡¯t noticed but when he smiled just now, he really looks like you! Especially the eyes!"

    Annie suddenly thought of a key question. "Um¡­who¡¯s the mother of this child?"

    Ning Xi shrugged. "I¡¯m not sure because Lu Tingxiao himself doesn¡¯t know either.

 Chapter 956: A Totally Different Lu Tingxiao

    <h4>Chapter 956: A Totally Different Lu Tingxiao</h4>

    Annie was enraged. "He¡­"

    "This man¡¯s private life is soplicated! He doesn¡¯t even know who¡¯s the real mother of his own child¡­?!" Annie lowered her voice out of consideration for Little Treasure.

    Ning Xi knew what she wanted to say. "It¡¯s not what you think. He¡¯s actually a victim in this matter."

    Annie did not believe it. She thought that Ning Xi had been lied to¡­

    How could such a cute child have such a monstrous father?

    She could not imagine how Little Treasure and Bro Xi could live under Lu Tingxiao¡¯s tyranny and how much suffering they were going to endure.

    Ning Xi sighed at Annie¡¯s worried expression. What was this girl thinking about again?

    Maybe that guy made her drink something weird. Otherwise, why would she always be this worrisome?

    As both of them were chatting, the door to the study room opened and Lu Tingxiao came out of the room.

    Ning Xi turned around. "Lu Tingxiao, are you done with your stuff? Are we bothering you?"

    Who? Who?! Lu Tingxiao!?

    Annie looked at the study room as well. She then saw a tall man who was dressed in the same pajamas style as Ning Xi. The man wore a pair of sses and had a mug of coffee in his hand, looking rxed and very family-oriented. There was no sign of any violence or tyranny as the rumor went. He looked just like a typical husband, not like a demon. Just a normal man who looked a little above average.

    "And this is?" Lu Tingxiao looked at Annie questioningly.

    Ning Xi went over and clung on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arms as she introduced, "This is my good friend from America, Annie. Annie, this is my boyfriend, Lu Tingxiao."

    "Hello." Lu Tingxiao nodded. He did not look very weing but he was polite.

    "H-hello¡­" In Annie¡¯s impression, Lu Tingxiao was a violent tyrant, even a monster, so she could not rte humanity to him.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his sleepy son, then he went over and carried him. "Little Treasure looks sleepy, I¡¯ll put him to bed first."

    He knew that both of them must have a lot to talk about, so he was being considerate of them.

    The little bun did not seem very happy and he extended his hand to Ning Xi while resting his head on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s shoulder. He did not want to sleep yet.

    Lu Tingxiao patted his son¡¯s head. "It¡¯ste already, don¡¯t be naughty now. Your mother hasn¡¯t seen Aunty Annie for a long time and they must have a lot to talk about."

    The little bun nodded and yawned.

    Your mother and Aunty Annie¡­he said it so naturally. What a kind and loving attitude this guy had towards his son!

    Annie was dumbfounded. This was very different from the Lu Tingxiao she heard of!

    What had gone wrong?

 Chapter 957: Thank Little Treasure For Me

    <h4>Chapter 957: Thank Little Treasure For Me</h4>

    "Annie¡­Annie? What are you thinking?" Ning Xi waved in front of Annie''s eyes.

    "Bro Xi, is that really Lu Tingxiao? Why does he look human!? I mean, he actually looks gentle!"

    Human?

    Ning Xiughed. "Of course he is! What else do you think he would be?"

    "I¡­I thought he''s really scary!"

    Ning Xi gave it some thought. "Hmm, technically, he does have a scary side of him but he''s usually very gentle towards me and Little Treasure. I also thought he was scary when I first knew him and I even gave him a nickname called ''The Devil''!"

    Annie suddenly understood why Ning Xi would be in a rtionship with Lu Tingxiao.

    A man like him who gave all his love to her¡­

    She thought that maybe Bro Xi was treating Lu Tingxiao like how she treated all her exes but now she was sure that it was not that simple. It seemed that she was serious about it this time.

    Suddenly, Ning Xi''s phone rang.

    "Sorry, I''ll answer this phone call first!"

    "Mmm, it''s alright!" Annie replied.

    It was a phone call from Qiao Wen, so it should be the studio. Ning Xi picked up quickly, "Hello, Director Qiao?"

    "The nine sets of outfits have been delivered and I''ve sent the name list to your email. Please take a look at them." As usual, Qiao Wen kept her message short and professional.

    "Alright, I''ll check in a little while. Thank you for your hard work!"

    "The effect of this campaign should take ce the soonest in around half a month. We just have to wait. During this period of time, I wonder if we could touch up our studio a little since it''s not just our workce but also our meeting ce with the clients."

    "Thank you for reminding me. I''ll talk to Momo about itter. It should be no problem leaving the designs to Shangze, I''ll take care of the funding¡­"

    ¡­

    Annie looked on silently as Ning Xi was talking on the phone. Aside from the Bro Xi at home, she was seeing another side of Bro Xi, the working Bro Xi.

    Each side came as a surprise to her.

    The Tang Xi she knew was wild but had an aura of loneliness around her as if she did not care about anything anymore, not even her own life. However, now she was shining¡­

    Soon, Ning Xi finished her phone call and Lu Tingxiao came out of the room after Little Treasure had fallen asleep. He held a small brown teddy bear in his hand.

    "Has Little Treasure slept?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Mmm."

    Lu Tingxiao nodded and went up to Annie, then he gave her the teddy bear. "Ms. Annie, this is Little Treasure''s gift to you."

    "Wow! A gift! How cute!" Annie was surprised and hugged it to her chest. "Thank you, help me to thank Little Treasure!"

    Her impression towards Lu Tingxiao had definitely changed. Someone who had raised such a cute Little Treasure must be really great as well¡­

    "Are you studying herbs and medicine, Ms. Annie?" Lu Tingxiao suddenly asked.

    "How do you know?" Annie was shocked.

    "I saw the pill you gave Little Treasure just now," Lu Tingxiao said.

 Chapter 958: Wishing You Happiness

    <h4>Chapter 958: Wishing You Happiness</h4>

    "Well¡­I''m studying it a little!" Annie said.

    Ning Xi smiled. "You''re being too humble, Annie. Lu Tingxiao, while she looks cute, she''s actually very talented in healing!"

    Annie was embarrassed. "I''m not as good as Bro Xi says¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao pulled opened a drawer and took out a yellowish book tied in string. "I received an ancient book about medical knowledge a few days ago. If you don''t mind, please take it as a gift tomemorate our meeting for the first time. Thank you for taking care of Xiao Xi when she was overseas."

    "It''s alright, I didn''t really do anything. I was the one being taken care of instead! And this¡­this is too valuable!" Annie instantly knew that the book was extremely precious and being an original, it must be priceless!

    Ning Xi put the book into Annie''s hands. "Just take it, we don''t have any use for it anyway and it''s not true that you didn''t do anything. There were a few times that you took care of me thoroughly when I was injured!"

    "Alright¡­I''ll take it, thank you."

    Annie kept quiet. She felt that there was no more reason for her to stay, she took a deep breath and smiled, "Bro Xi, I''m really happy meeting you today, I''ll be leaving now, it''s alreadyte."

    "So soon¡­"

    "I''ll still be around here for some time, there''d still be chances to meet, as long as Bro Xi doesn''t find that I''m too annoying¡­"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao walked her to the first floor. Lu Tingxiao waited in the house while Ning Xi apanied her to the car. "Be careful on the road."

    "You know that I always drive like a snail, so I don''t go that fast anyway!" Annie smiled.

    The night was quiet and no one was around.

    Annie held her fists tight, loosened them and then tightened them again. She then looked up and said in a trembling voice, "Bro Xi, are you really noting back?"

    Ning Xi sighed and gave her a hug. "Annie, everyone has their own lives. I have mine and you have yours. You''ll be fine on your own, you don''t have to miss me. I''ll be fine."

    Annie sobbed, "I admit that I was really worried before I came but¡­Little Treasure''s so cute and Lu Tingxiao''s really nice as well¡­Bro Xi, I wish you happiness! I think saying anything else would be futile."

    "Thank you, I will!"

    After saying goodbye to Ning Xi, Annie waved farewell and started her car engine.

    The car slowly left the apartment. From the rearview mirror, she saw the man put a thick coat on the girl as the girl smiled at him. They chatted and held each other''s hand as they went back up¡­

    Bro Xi was doing well. Really well. She had someone she loved, her dream, her career¡­She was doing much better than before.

    Why should she make her return?

    ¡­

    As they went back upstairs, Ning Xi hugged Lu Tingxiao and thanked him, "Thank you, Boss!"

    "What''s that for?" Lu Tingxiao leaned his back on the door.

    Ning Xi looked up at him. "Thank you for treating my friend so well. You know¡­she''s from that side, don''t you?"

    "All I know is that she''s someone you care about," Lu Tingxiao simply replied.

 Chapter 959: Youâ€™ve Been Persuaded!

    <h4>Chapter 959: You¡¯ve Been Persuaded!</h4>

    Ning Xi grinned. "Annie was probably here today to persuade me¡­but apparently, she''s been persuaded by you and Little Treasure instead!"

    Lu Tingxiao hugged the girl even tighter and a steely glint appeared in his eyes. "I''ll never let anyone separate you from me, no matter who it is."

    "I''ll never leave you either!"

    ¡­

    There was a prestigious abandoned vi somewhere up North, which used to be a home to the wealthy, but due to it being vacant for such a long time and people found dead in it before, it became an infamous haunted house. Not only could it not be sold, no one dared to go near it.

    A ck car slowly stopped in front of the vi and a girl in a hoodie stepped out of it and walked in. The girl pushed the thick entrance door open with a creak.

    Numerous oil paintings hung around the middle-aged European style living room. The windows were made of antique stained ss and the firece in the living room was alive, burning with light and heat.

    There were two men and a woman sitting on the U-shaped sofa opposite the firece. The man who was sitting alone on one end of the sofa wore a pair of gold-framed sses and he was cleaning his dagger. On the other side, there was an older middle-aged man with a thick German book in his hands and beside him was a beautifuldy with killer curves. She was fiddling with her gun out of boredom.

    Thedy put away her gun when she saw Annie return and she went up to her. "My dear Annie, how did it go? It must''ve worked! Little Junior Sister could never stand to see you cry!"

    Annie looked down and said quietly, "I''m sorry, Sis Xiaoxiao, I let everyone down."

    "How could this be¡­not you, Annie?" Feng Xiaoxiao curiously looked at the teddy bear in her hand and asked, "Where did thise from?"

    Annie''s face lit up. "It''s from Little Treasure! Oh, Little Treasure is Lu Tingxiao''s son! He''s really cute! Especially his eyes, they''re as pretty as Bro Xi''s! He''s really adorable and obedient as well! I gave him a pill and he gave me this in return!

    As for Lu Tingxiao, he gave me a book about medical knowledge to thank me for taking care of Bro Xi when she was overseas. Lu Tingxiao is totally different from what you all said! He''s really kind and not as scary as rumored to be. Plus, he''s gentle towards Bro Xi and was nice to me as well. He''s a true gentleman¡­"

    Annie''s loud, cheerful voice filled up the empty living room.

    Feng Xiaoxiao, Tang Ye, and Feng Jin were all speechless.

    Annie was confused when she realized that all three of them were staring at her. "Um, why are you guys looking at me? D-did I say something wrong?"

    Tang Ye pushed his sses higher up on his nose and stayed silent. Feng Jin continued with his book and acted as if nothing happened.

    Feng Xiaoxiao almost went limp. "Do you not realize that you''ve been persuaded, my dear?! We sent you to get her back and now you''re on their side? What a letdown! Such a big loss for us! As expected of Lu Tingxiao and that kid, they are going so strong¡­"

 Chapter 960: She Will Come Crying To Beg Me

    <h4>Chapter 960: She Will Come Crying To Beg Me</h4>

    Annie seemed to have realized it too, so she cried mournfully, "What do we do now¡­?"

    She did not know what had crossed her mind. How could she have actually forgotten all about her mission and even been persuaded herself?

    Feng Xiaoxiao shrugged. "Thest time, First Senior Brother did it the hard way. This time, you went with the soft approach. However, both soft and hard approaches are useless! What else is there to do¡­?"

    Because of Annie''s failure, the atmosphere had suddenly turned sullen and no one said anything.

    At that moment, a faint voice was suddenly heard from one of the rooms upstairs, "Sweet, little bait¡­a bear and a crappy book were enough to bribe you?"

    That voice echoed in the empty hall, leaving a slight chill and terrifying vibe.

    When she heard that voice, Annie''s shoulders shook and her face turned pale as she looked up. "No! It''s not like that. It''s just that Lu Tingxiao was really different from the rumors¡­"

    "Hmm?"

    When she heard that bone-chilling voice and saw Feng Xiaoxiao urgently warning her with wide eyes, Annie instantly shut up and dared not say a single good thing about Lu Tingxiao.

    "Every one of you, you''ve got quite the courage, eh? Who allowed you lot to ask her to return?"

    Annie did not dare to breathe a word while Feng Xiaoxiao rubbed her nose and pretended not to know anything.

    Tang Ye was just about to say something when Feng Jin held him firmly by the shoulders and said, "It was my idea. If Tang Xi really returns, that would obviously be best, but if she''s unwilling, it''s not our loss."

    "Huh, she will return by herself. She will cry as she begs me to let her return."

    Annie and Feng Xiaoxiao looked worriedly at each other upon hearing the man''s sinister voice.

    Feng Jin said with a poker face, "Satan, we''ve just arrived in China and our priority is to stabilize our presence there, so please don''t be distracted now. Furthermore, this is Lu Tingxiao''s turf, after all, and there''s no need to alert the enemy. As for Tang Xi, please just leave her to me. I''ll give you a satisfactory exnation."

    Finally, the ce fell silent again and nothing was heard from upstairs, signifying that he had probably agreed with what Feng Jin had said.

    When she heard Feng Jin, Feng Xiaoxiao''s eyes shed with worry. She gave him a charming smile and walked over to Feng Jin to ask, "Head General, what are you thinking about doing?"

    Feng Jin looked at her, then at Annie and Tang Ye before replying with a cold expression, "Stick to your duties. This isn''t something you should be worried about."

    Then, he turned around to leave.

    As she watched Feng Jin depart, Feng Xiaoxiao felt her head start to hurt and she rubbed her temples. "Feng Jin is different from us¡­at least we are friends with Little Junior Sister and wouldn''t really hurt her, but he''s not the same¡­we don''t know what he wants to do either¡­"

    Tang Ye continued, "Feng Jin''s right though. We shouldn''t be worried about this. As for Little Junior Sister, there''re people who will worry about her. Let''s stop here about this matter. No one is allowed to intervene anymore."

    "Okay¡­"

    After Feng Jin and Tang Ye left, Feng Xiaoxiao pulled Annie over and quickly asked, "Annie, what actually went down? Quick, tell me!"

    Annie was sitting on the sofa, then she said, "Bro Xi is really gorgeous in a female outfit. Lu Tingxiao is very gentle and Little Treasure is very adorable, obedient, and cute. The three of them are such a happy family! That''s about it."

    Feng Xiaoxiao was speechless.

    Okay, I won''t ask anything anymore. Dear Annie has obviously been thoroughly sucked over to the other side¡­

 Chapter 961: Spirit is On Fire!

    <h4>Chapter 961: Spirit is On Fire!</h4>

    Qiao Wen had predicted that it would take half a month to a month''s time, yet the reality was that it took less than that.

    First, it was the Imperial socialite Miss Wang''s birthday banquet and her outfits were always very fashionable within the socialites''s circle as she liked trying new and unique brands.

    On the day of her birthday banquet, she wore a vintage Oriental dress which reminded one of a hot cloud of volcanic ash,plementing her in a brilliant and moving way, mesmerizingly outshining the other beauties that night.

    The moment the banquet ended, many had already walked up to ask her about the brand of her outfit.

    They found out that it had been given by a good friend in the fashion industry and was designed by the Golden Award-winning mysterious designer, ZX. In fact, it had yet to be released in the market and was thetest design from the brand. Even Qin Shengyue was all fondness and praise for the outfit.

    Spirit started to a hot topic within the circle, and those who were presented with outfits but had not nned to wear them all took them out to unt¡­

    A few dayster, a dame from the socialite circle had wine identally spilled on her dress during a certain banquet. She did not immediately have a change of clothes and coincidentally the dress that Qiao Wen had given her was in the car. The dame was loyal to well-known international brands, so she did not like wearing just any random brands, but she changed into it as she had no other choice.

    That night, after the dame had changed into the peacock blue Qipao, it received endless praises from all the female guests. They all spoke about the delicateness of the dress and how itplemented her aura so well as if it was tailored for her. Many of the middle-ageddies her age had walked over to ask about the brand of her clothing and whose design it was.

    After that, there was another incident that caused quite amotion.

    The Old General Zhuang Zongren had coborated with Zhuang Liaoyuan and his granddaughter, Zhuang Keer, to receive very important guests from many countries and this event was even streamed live on the national news.

    That day, the Old General''s granddaughter, Zhuang Keer, had worn aposed yet vivacious gown. Most importantly, this gown had perfectlybined fashion with Chinese elements, attracting the praises of being international friendly. Everyone admired the charm of the Chinese influence on the dress¡­

    Soon, Spirit was suddenly on fire!

    From the socialite circle to the dames, everyone talked about it and it even got the country''s support and funding in the form of the advocacy of local brands.

    Even though a few million dors was not considered a lot, this meant that Spirit would have opportunities to represent the country in even more important assions in the future.

    "Oh my God, oh my God! Boss! We''re on fire! Fire! Spirit is on fire! Our phones are exploding with calls! And the orders! All the orders¡­!" Han Momo was so excited, then she hopped over to Qiao Wen and sincerely bowed. "Direction Qiao, you''re amazing. I apologize for doubting you before this! You''re really so amazing!"

    Qiao Wen looked at Ning Xi who was busy looking through some customer details and said, "The truth is the effect I had predicted was only to open up a pathway for our market. The fact that it has progressed to this point wasn''t within my expectations, especially with Miss Zhuang¡­"

    She thought that the friend Ning Xi had mentioned she wanted to give the clothes to was just a normal socialite, but who would have known that it was actually Old General Zhuang''s daughter, the number one socialite of Imperial, Zhuang Keer?

    What shocked her even more was that she never would have thought that Zhuang Keer would wear their clothes at such an assion.

    Usually the outfits worn at those assions would be controlled by personal stylists; one could not just wear anything they liked unless it was someone with a really, really special rtionship that allowed Zhuang Keer to persuade the stylist to let her wear the outfit.

    Of course, their outfit quality and design could definitely pass the test and was outstanding enough for the stylists to agree with.

 Chapter 962: The Story Behind It All

    <h4>Chapter 962: The Story Behind It All</h4>

    When she heard what Qiao Wen said, Ning Xi looked up from her documents and eximed, "To be honest, I was surprised myself¡­we really owe Keer a huge one this time! When I''m done with all this, I must treat her to a feast!"

    "Boss, Boss! We have so many orders flowing in. Do we have to start rushing the production for the new items? I''m worried that we don''t have enough manpower. We only have 10 craftsmen to cater to the bespoke orders¡­"

    Ning Xi nodded at Qiao Wen and said, "Director Qian, you should already have a n in mind, don''t you?"

    Since Qiao Wen had dared to suggest that risky idea to just give the clothes away, she should definitely have something in mind already.

    Qiao Wen said briskly, "My n is to temporarily reject all of the orders. If anyone asks, we''ll just have to answer that we''ve run out of stock and that high-quality bespoke pieces must all be pre-ordered three months in advance. The customers who sessfully pre-order will be serviced personally by our team who''ll tailor outfit styles based on their image and aura."

    "Ah! Reject all of them?! All?" Han Momo widened her eyes in shock.

    However, she was not as impulsive this time. Instead, she contemted Qiao Wen''s reasoning. "Director Qiao, are you trying to create the idea that the rarer something is, the greater it is in value?"

    Qiao Wen nodded. "That''s right. To the customers, something that''s too easily attainable will be just as easy to ditch aside. The harder it is to purchase would only make them treasure and covet it more. If we give in to every request, they''ll lose interest very quickly and even feel like they aren''t special if everyone else wears the same piece too. This is why History got overdone in the socialite circle so quickly. They fell short of the market peak just for momentary profit."

    Ning Xi snapped her fingers. "Okay, let''s do that then! Coincidentally, we need to renovate our office and hire new staff and all that¡­"

    Qiao Wen paused, then continued, "Additionally, I have another piece of good news and the time is quite ripe now. I''ve shortlisted quite a few retailers with good potential, so we can begin our physical gship stores."

    "Whoa! Hurray!" Han Momo tugged at Gong Shangze''s arm and cheered excitedly.

    Ning Xi felt moved with a myriad of emotions bubbling within her. Finally¡­finally, we made it¡­

    "Shangze, are you okay? After the gship store opens, we''ll definitely need huge amounts of ready-made designs," Ning Xi asked in concern.

    Gong Shangze revealed a radiant smile and took out a huge stack of drafts from the drawer. "I''ve long prepared for this day toe!"

    Ning Xi looked at the design drafts with sparkling eyes. Just a skim of them and she knew that they were products from the essence of the peak of his inspiration. "Oh wow! So much effort! All of my partners are so reliable! I feel so secure!"

    "Boss, you''re the one that makes us feel most secure! You always do things that we thought were impossible!" Han Momo said with shining eyes as she voiced out Gong Shangze''s thoughts.

    "Okay, okay, enough brown nosing. I''ll defiitely increase your sries next month! With bonus thrown in!"

    "Boss, I love you!"

    "Okay, get to work now, let me answer this call!"

    The phone rang and Ning Xi walked to the balcony to get it.

    "Congrats, Boss Ning!" greeted Qin Shengyue''s voice.

    Ning Xiughed, "Don''t call me Boss, I can''t ept this, Boss Qin!"

    "Don''t be humble, you''ve progressed so much in such a short time that even I have to praise you. What''s even more unexpected is that you''ve made my trump card submit to you so soon! Hmph, it looks like after this one year, I won''t be able to retrieve my trump card, huh?" Qin Shengyue teased.

    Ning Xi''s raised her brows. "Hey, this is probably just my personal charm doing its trick!"

    "You punk!" Qin Shengyueughed, then said faintly, "But now, can you tell me the story behind your mysterious designer, ZX?"

 Chapter 963: Teacher Lus Words of Wisdom

    <h4>Chapter 963: Teacher Lu''s Words of Wisdom</h4>

    Ning Xi fell silent, then asked, "I wonder¡­if Boss Qin knows History''s predecessor?"

    "History''s predecessor¡­you mean Neon? It was an indie brand with rather great potential. I noticed it right from the start. David''s designs are too ingenious, so Neon was just waiting for an opportunity, then after they were noticed and Ning Xueluo invested in it, it had risen instantly."

    Ning Xi''s expression was cold. "ZX is the real founder of Neon."

    "What?" On the other end of the phone, Qin Shengyue''s tone was beyond shocked. She obviously did not expect this turn of events. She finally understood why she had that weird feeling when shepared Spirit and History before this. Now, all of her puzzled thoughts were answered.

    So, that''s why¡­I guessed correctly that David was the real copycat. No, even worse than that, he''s a straight up thief!

    Even though this result was surprising, it was still within reason.

    "No wonder¡­now it makes sense¡­but why don''t you guys expose this?" Qin Shengyue asked, puzzled.

    Ning Xi nonchntly replied, "Hmph, in such a situation where we have no evidence, who would believe the words of the weaker one? But that doesn''t matter anymore. One day, I want to introduce my designer with a proper title to the world!"

    At the balcony entrance, Gong Shangze had wanted to look for Ning Xi. Just as he pushed the door open, he heard Ning Xi saying this on the balcony, totally catching him off guard, and his eyes instantly reddened. His heart felt as if it had been hit by a truck¡­

    The young man tightened his grip on the design drafts and took a deep breath before slowly backing out.

    "Pfft, you''re a big talker!" Qin Shengyue chortled although she felt like this was actually not bragging. "Then, I''ll wish you luck! Remember to treat me to a meal!"

    "Definitely!"

    ¡­

    In the following period of time, many socialities and wealthy young men who wanted to please girls had called Spirit almost every day to inquire about how to ce orders, some even personally dropping by.

    However, it did not matter how powerful or famous they were, or how much money they offered, all of them had left empty-handed. Spirit''s answer to everyone was that they were out of stock and people needed to pre-order.

    To order a set of Spirit''s high-quality pieces was not easy.

    Even so, the pre-order bills still continued to pile up without signs of slowing down. It had formed a queue of up to six months and counting.

    Among the socialites, especially among the aristocrats, there were not only those with great wealth. Some of them were business-minded as well. They proposed to put Spirit''s ready-made wear on retail shelves, so that they could expand their businesses too.

    In just one month, Spirit had rode on their wave of irresistible force and opened up a gship store in Imperial and soon expanded to three different branches.

    Their business in other provinces was also expanding. If all went well, they could start nning to enter the international market next year¡­

    ¡­

    At night, at tinum Pce, Ning Xi had specially cooked a feast and opened a bottle of red wine to celebrate.

    "Congrattions!" said Lu Tingxiao as he raised his ss to the girl.

    As she looked at the god-like man opposite her, Ning Xi clinked her ss to his and drank up. "Thank you!"

    The little bun who was watched them did not want to be outdone and picked up his ss of milk too.

    Ning Xiughed and clinked her ss with his cup too, then she leaned on her chin and sighed, "Ahhh, it feels so surreal now that things are going so smoothly all of a sudden!"

    "You have taken sturdy steps and made your way here. You''ve prepared well, so there''s no reason for worry," advised Lu Tingxiao.

    As she watched Lu Tingxiao educate her like he was a life coach, Ning Xi held back a giggle and nodded as seriously as she could. "Mmm! Teacher Lu''s words of wisdom!"

 Chapter 964: One Step Closer To Making Big Boss My Wife

    <h4>Chapter 964: One Step Closer To Making Big Boss My Wife</h4>

    After dinner, Ning Xi suddenly remembered something very important and quickly looked at her baby Little Treasure. "Oh, Little Treasure, there''s something I need your help with! Can you help Mommy write some calligraphy?"

    He could certainly help Mommy, so Little Treasure nodded happily.

    In the study room, Ning Xi had prepared a calligraphy brush, some ink, and paper, then she started to grind the block of ink.

    Because Little Treasure could not reach the top of the desk, Lu Tingxiao had lifted him atop a stool.

    Little Treasure tilted his head, asking his Mommy what she wanted him to write.

    Ning Xi thought about it, then said, "Help me write¡­''How can the goldfish be a person of no particr talent? It transforms into a dragon with trials and hardships; the dragon can cry to the ninth heavens and call for change, and the tables will turn and opportunities will abound!"

    Little Treasure nodded, then picked up the brush and started to write.

    Throughout this period of time, Little Treasure had not fallen behind in his training. The healthier he was, the more stable and energetically he could control the brush. It glided through the paper like a swimming dragon,plemented by these words that were pratingly powerful¡­

    "My baby is bing more and more amazing!" praised Ning Xi.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her and asked, "Are you presenting this to someone?"

    Ning Xi was suddenly shocked. "Big Boss, how did you know?"

    "To who?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "Mmm, I want to give it to Gong Shangze. What do you think? Don''t these words suit him very well?" Ning Xi beamed with happiness but she did not get Lu Tingxiao''s answer. She turned to look and indeed, someone was jealous again.

    "Pfft, you jealous?" Ning Xi propped up her arms and leaned her head over to peer at him.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her with a poker face. "Where''s mine?"

    When she saw Lu Tingxiao''s child-like manner of asking for a present, Ning Xi found him extremely adorable and could not help but lean over and kiss him. "Will this do?"

    He gave a dissatisfied look, showing that it was barely satisfactory but just as he was about to continue, a public service announcement suddenly slid in between them.

    Little Treasure held up a piece of paper with the announcement with a serious face. On the paper, he had written a few words in huge fonts: [Baby is angry!]

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    Ning Xi was dying ofughter. She quickly kissed the little bun on his cheek topensate. "I''m sorry! Baby, please don''t be angry!"

    The little bun was satisfied, then he picked up his personal stamp and continued to work.

    ¡­

    Late at night, the moon was clear and bright while the night was cold.

    Because Ning Xi had had a few drinks, she stayed over at his bungalow.

    In the dead of the night, Lu Tingxiao felt something amiss, so he pulled away from his nket and got up.

    He pushed through the door to Ning Xi''s room lightly and found no one inside; neither was she in Little Treasure''s room.

    As he anxiously wondered where she could be, the moonlight shone through the window and he saw a shadow in the garden.

    Lu Tingxiao reflexively took the nket from his bed and rushed downstairs.

    The night breeze caressed his skin while the leaves on the trees rustled gently. Under the moon light, Lu Tingxiao saw from afar that the girl sat on a swing with a can of beer in her hand.

    "It''ste. Why aren''t you asleep?" Lu Tingxiao rushed over and put the nket over her, then touched her hands to see if they were cold.

    "Big Boss!" When she saw who it was, Ning Xi immediately clung to him like a ko, her head nuzzled in the space of his neck. "I''m happy! So happy that I can''t sleep!"

    "Are you that happy?" Lu Tingxiao stroked the girl''s head.

    Ning Xi nodded, then said with a serious expression, "Of course I''m happy! I''m one step closer to the day that I can take the Big Boss as my wife!"

    Lu Tingxiao was obviously stunned when he heard this. He cleared his throat and said with a calm demeanor, "Mmm, you should be happy about it."

 Chapter 965: Big Boss Youre So Corrupted!

    <h4>Chapter 965: Big Boss You''re So Corrupted!</h4>

    Nevertheless, she seemed calm, the instant sparkle in her eyes giving away the good mood of the owner.

    "Nheless, as happy as you are, you still have to sleep, so let''s go back now." Lu Tingxiao took away the beer can in her hand.

    Ning Xi opened her arms and yfully said, "Carry me!"

    Lu Tingxiao naturallyplied.

    Even after Lu Tingxiao had carefully carried her back to bed, Ning Xi still did not want to let go. "Apany me!"

    Lu Tingxiao hesitated for a moment beforeplying in the end.

    Ning Xiy on the bed restfully before she opened her eyes again and looked bright-eyed at the man whoid beside her. "Big Boss, I''m drunk!"

    "Mmm."

    Ning Xi rolled and leaned on his chest, then poked him with a finger and asked curiously, "It''s such a golden opportunity, wouldn''t you like to take advantage of me?"

    Lu Tingxiao held the crazy girl''s little hand and said without any expression, "You still have work tomorrow."

    Ning Xi was confused. "Mmm, must work have an inevitable connection with you taking advantage of me?"

    Lu Tingxiao continued calmly, "If I take advantage of you, you won''t be able to work tomorrow. Maybe you wouldn''t even be able to the day after, and the day after that."

    What he implied was that she would not be able to leave the bed for a few days¡­

    "Big Boss, you''re so corrupted!" Ning Xi instantly looked at him usingly, then scoffed to expose him, "Was it because of what you said before about¡­how you have a principle of not condoning pre-material sex?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "Have I said that before?"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    ¡­

    The next day, after work, Ning Xi went straight to the studio and presented Little Treasure''s calligraphy work to Gong Shangze.

    "Thank you, Boss!" Gong Shangze was touched, a mix of emotions stirred within him just by looking at the words.

    "Haha, no need to thank me, there''s no way I could''ve written this. I asked someone to write it for me! It''s a very amazing master who wrote it, so keep it safe. It''ll definitely appreciate in price in the future!" Ning Xi teased.

    Gong Shangze appreciated it deeply and looked at it for a long time before hanging it at the most obvious spot.

    When Qiao Wen saw Ning Xie over, she quickly walked over in her high heels to report about her work. "Boss, to ensure the interest of our retailers, we can only open up five branches at most in Imperial. We currently have three, so now we''re down to two. These are some of the suitable areas that I''ve just picked out."

    "Okay, let me take a look." Ning Xi put down her bag and took the documents from Qiao Wen''s desk.

    Before she could go through anything, she caught sight of another stack of information on Qiao Wen''s desk from the corner of her eye.

    "Those are some of the retail applications that I''ve filtered out," Qiao Wen exined.

    Ning Xi picked up the first proposal on the top and was surprised to see a familiar name on it. "Lu Xinyan?"

    "Yes, cousin to the CEO of the Lu Corporation, Lu Tingxiao. Have you heard of her too?" Qiao Wen asked.

    "I''ve heard a little about her," Ning Xi nodded slightly, then asked, "What''s wrong? Does she not fit our criteria?"

    "Based on identity alone, Lu Tingxiao''s cousin would be more than enough, but¡­based on what I''ve learned, Lu Xiyan aspires to be an entrepreneur but she''s not really business-minded. Every one of her businesses all suffered huge losses.

    "We''re in the most important phase, so we must be careful in choosing retailers. As much as Lu Xinyan has great support backing her up, there''s no way we can let our brand be yed around by her. It could affect our brand, or worse, affect our market presence."

 Chapter 966: We Meet Again

    <h4>Chapter 966: We Meet Again</h4>

    Qiao Wen was worried that Ning Xi was overconfident about Lu Xinyan''s identity, so she exined to her why she did not prioritize her as a candidate.

    Ning Xi smiled mysteriously. "What a coincidence, I didn''t want to work with this person before too."

    "Boss, Boss! The branch is running dry. We need to reallocate some stock from the main store!" Han Momo ran to her, panting with one hand holding her phone.

    "How many do we roughly need?" Ning Xi asked.

    Han Momo handed over the form in her hand and said, "52 in total!"

    Inparison to Spirit''s bespoke line''s vintage magnificence and outstanding design, Spirit''s ready-made line was not that far off in terms of quality. From the design to the materials, they had all gone through tight quality checks and they had strictly limited the number of garments in the same design to avoid their clothes being toomon, hence their sales numbers were pretty good.

    "So many¡­" Ning Xi looked at the form and noticed that most of them were the more expensive designs which came up to a considerable amount. Most of the current employees were newly hired but she could not simply let anyone do it. "I got it, coincidentally I''m free now, I''ll personally reallocate the main store''s stock!"

    ¡­

    Spirit''s main store had opened in central Imperial''srgest premium outlet.

    Not too long ago, Ning Xi had met up with Zhuang Keer to shop here thest time. She had even sighed in sorrow when she dropped by History''s gship store.

    Who would have thought that today, her own shop too could sit in this golden triangle?

    Ning Xi had called the main store first, informing them that she would be over to transfer the stock personally and had them get the stock ready beforehand. Then, she got her chauffeur and made her way to the premium outlet.

    When she reached the premium outlet, Ning Xi was walking towards the store when she unexpectedly bumped into some familiar faces in the elevator.

    Inside the lift, Guan Ziyao was intimately holding onto the arm of a noble and elegant woman. She was smiling as she spoke to her. An adorable and lovable girl beside the woman was also chatting away happily.

    It was Guan Ziyao, Yan Ruyi, and Lu Xinyan¡­

    Upon realizing who it was in the elevator, Ning Xi had already stepped in and the door automatically closed behind her.

    At the same time, when all three of them saw Ning Xi in the lift, they were stunned and it became awkward.

    "Miss Ning, what a coincidence, we meet again!" The first person to speak was Guan Ziyao.

    Guan Ziyao wore aposed champagne Prada dress, which was one of theirtest designs. Her outfit was easily worth a few hundred thousand dors; a Louis Vuitton bag hung on her arm and wless pearls decorated her neck and wrist while her posture was calm and graceful as if she did not bear any hostility and grudges against the person before her.

    After Yan Ruyi''s temporary shock, she evaluated Ning Xi and did not say anything.

    "Miss Guan, Miss Lu, Madam Lu." Ning Xi only nodded slightly and considered her greetings courteous enough, then she stood quietly aside without any intention of making small talk.

    "How unlucky! We were shopping so happily. How did we bump into this woman¡­?" Lu Xinyan gently took Yan Ruyi''s arm and looked clearly upset.

    When she heard Lu Xinyan mumbling, Ning Xi subconsciously took a second look at her. When she had a clear look of the outfit on her, a slight surprise shed across her eyes.

    The floral and bird patterned dress in the style of calligraphy ink on Lu Xinyan was clearly from Spirit''s bespoke line. Ning Xi had seen it in Gong Shangze''s design drafts and she had a memorable impression of it.

    However, this naturally was not one of those that Qiao Wen had given out because Lu Xinyan was not on the name list. She had probably pre-ordered it when the studio released the news of being out of stock.

 Chapter 967: A Really Awesome Store

    <h4>Chapter 967: A Really Awesome Store</h4>

    When she noticed Ning Xi''s gaze on her, Lu Xinyan was suddenly delighted and told Yan Ruyi, "Aunty, I''ll bring you to a really awesome storeter. It just opened recently and you''ll definitely like the style of clothes they have!"

    Yan Ruyiughed mirthfully. "How could I possibly wear clothes that you youngdies fancy?"

    "No! They also have many styles that suit you, especially with your charisma! Besides, when you stand beside me and Sis Ziyao, you lookpletely like our sister!"

    "Oh, you! How could you spew such nonsense?!" Yan Ruyi was secretly pleased to hear herpliment. No woman would truly brush off their appearance; it did not matter how old they were.

    However, Lu Xinyan was not exaggerating. Compared to women her age, Yan Ruyi had indeed aged fairly well.

    "Aunty, Xinyan is not spewing nonsense. Whenever I shop with you, there''ve been quite a few times that friends we bump into have asked me privately about when I have another elder sister!" Guan Ziyao smiled as she said this.

    As Yan Ruyi was being showered withpliments by the two girls beside her, she smiled broadly in amusement.

    Guan Ziyao seemed to have said those words to amuse Yan Ruyi but the truth was that she was also intending to let Ning Xi hear her. "Quite a few times" implied that Guan Ziyao was very close to Yan Ruyi and that they always came out to shop together¡­

    "But aren''t most of the new brands not very reliable?" Guan Ziyao asked worriedly.

    Lu Xinyan quickly replied, "Sis Ziyao, don''t worry! Do you still remember the peacock blue qipao that Madam Fong wore at the dinner banquet? Didn''t you think it was pretty too, Aunty? That qipao is the brand I''m talking about. A few days ago, when Miss Zhuang was receiving international guests with General Zhuang, she wore this brand too!

    "Sadly, you can''t buy the bespoke ones anymore. You''ll need to pre-order at least three months in advance. Nevertheless, I''ve gone to visit the boutique and the ready-made ones are not bad too. They''repletely fine to wear casually and they''ve got a lot of styles in the main store!"

    "Really?" Yan Ruyi started to take interest in this amazing brand. She did have a good impression of the gown Madam Fong wore because it was indeed very pretty and she liked the style. If it was worn by the Zhuangs to receive such prominent guests, it should be quite a top-notch brand.

    "Yeah! Aunty, trust my insights! Look, do you think this outfit looks nice on me?"

    "Not bad, it''s very pretty."

    "Exactly, this was one of their pieces that I managed to snag before they were out of stock!"

    ¡­

    The elevator slowly ascended and in between conversations, they arrived at their floor.

    Ning Xi was on her way to Spirit''s gship store while Lu Xinyan, Guan Ziyao, and Yan Ruyi coincidentally wanted to check out Spirit''s clothes too, thus all four of them had left the elevator at the same time.

    When Lu Xinyan saw that Ning Xi had walked out at the same time as them, she looked unhappy but she did not say anything. She only scoffed and pulled Yan Ruyi away.

    Ning Xi did not want to get involved with them. Plus, it was even more awkward to walk together, so she had intentionally slowed down her pace behind them until she was quite a distance away.

    As they walked, her phone rang. The gship storekeeper had called to say that they had begun the reallocation of stock and asked her to wait for a while until theypleted.

 Chapter 968: Followed All The Way To The Store

    <h4>Chapter 968: Followed All The Way To The Store</h4>

    At the same time, the three of them including Lu Xinyan reached the store.

    The decoration in Spirit was unlike History''s that had been designed in a vintage style to the tee. Ning Xi had noticed during her observation thest time that that sort of vintage theme was a little too heavy and gloomy.

    Thus, Spirit''s main color palette was on the nude side. It used elements of Chinese aesthetics and at the same time,bined it with modern minimalism. Altogether it looked very fresh, simple and elegant.

    Apart from that, the store had also put in extra effort in the rest area. They provided afortable waiting area for the men who apanied their girlfriends and wives to shop and in another corner was a special y area for children. It was very people friendly.

    After Yan Ruyi walked in, her eyes skimmed the area and when she saw that there were a few children ying with wooden blocks in the y area, her gaze instantly softened; her first impression of this store was a good one.

    To actually think of things like these, one could tell that the boss was a detailed and gentle person. Usually, stores would not waste space on things like these.

    "Miss Lu, you''re here!" When they saw the customers who had walked in, the shop assistants greeted them and served them tea.

    Thest time Lu Xinyan hade, she had snagged up quite a few piece. Furthermore, she was wearing one of Spirit''s rare bespoke pieces on her, so the shop assistants remembered her quite well.

    They noticed two other people beside Lu Xinyan. One was in her twenties and the other was slightly older. They both had extraordinary charisma, especially the olderdy. They surmised that she must be someone important. The shop assistants naturally did not dare neglect them and were even more eagerly attentive towards them.

    "Is the store manager not here?" Lu Xinyan looked around and asked.

    "The store manager is currently in the storeroom sorting out some stock. Is there anything we can help you with, Ms. Lu?" the shop assistant inquired passionately.

    "Do you have these few outfits in your store?" Lu Xinyan turned on her phone, clicked on her photo album and showed the shop assistant the few outfits she wanted.

    The shop assistant took a look and quickly replied, "Yes, these are selling like hot cakes. All of the other branches are out of stock, only our gship store has some. However, one of the two just arrived today and we haven''t had the time to hang them out. Initially, we were preparing to put up the new arrivals tomorrow, but if you''d like to have them, I can go and get them for you from the storeroom now, Miss Lu."

    "Sure!" When she knew that there was stock, Lu Xinyan was overjoyed.

    "Okay, then please have some tea and wait for a moment," said the shop assistant before she went to the storeroom for the outfits.

    Not too long after the shop assistant had left, Ning Xi walked in.

    The store manager and one of the shop assistants had gone to the storeroom, and the other one was busily assisting a few other customers, so they did not notice Ning Xi''s arrival.

    Instead, it was Lu Xinyan who saw Ning Xi the moment she walked in.

    Ning Xi had not only got off on the same floor as them, she had even walked into the same store! Lu Xinyan tried to keep a cool expression but could not hold it in any longer. "What''s wrong with this person!? She''s everywhere! And she actually followed us all the way into this store! There''s no need to do this even if she wants to worm into a rtionship! Doesn''t she know that she''s really annoying?"

    Lu Xinyan''s voice was loud enough for Ning Xi to hear.

    Guan Ziyao nudged Lu Xinyan. "Xinyan! She''s just here to look at the clothes¡­"

    "Look at what clothes? She obviously heard our conversation in the lift and followed us here. Do you think she''s stupid?" Lu Xinyan bitterly tugged at Yan Ruyi''s arm. "Aunty, don''t bother about people like her!"

    Yan Ruyi frowned. Even though she did not say anything, she could not help but feel ufortable that Ning Xi was stalking her.

 Chapter 969: Now Ive Seen It All

    <h4>Chapter 969: Now I''ve Seen It All</h4>

    When she saw Lu Xinyan''s irritated expression, Ning Xi asked inly, "Do you own this store, Miss Lu?"

    Did people have to get her permission to enter?

    Lu Xintan was stunned and when she realized what she meant, her temper raged. "You! So what if I do or not!? Dare you say that you didn''t intentionally follow us in because you want to get close to Aunty?"

    Ning Xi wanted to say something but in the end, she just shook her head andughed. She walked straight to sit at the rest area, closing her eyes while she waited for the store manager to prepare the stock.

    Last night, she had been headstrong and drank tillte at night, then she had a shoot for the entire day. The moment she finished shooting, she had gone to the studio, then rushed here without stopping to rest. She was already beyond exhausted, so there was no need for her to waste more energy on others.

    "Look at her! She has nothing to say! She doesn''t even want to buy any clothes. She''s just sitting there. Obviously, she''s just here to prove her presence only!"

    Guan Ziyao shook her head. "You¡­have you ever seen anyone prove her presence like that? She''s probably just waiting for someone!"

    "I''ve never seen it before but now I''ve really seen it all¡­" Lu Xinyan muttered.

    Yan Ruyi obviously did not want to be tangled in this, so she pat Lu Xinyan on the shoulder and said, "Let''s look at the clothes!"

    Seeing that Yan Ruyi was not at ease, Lu Xinyan finally shut up.

    However, once she thought about Ning Xi''s words, she felt very angry. So what if she did not own the store? She was about to open a retail store but they had the nerve to reply her saying that her qualifications did not suit their request. How unimaginable!

    Simply based on the identity of Lu Tingxiao''s cousin, no one would not give her face. It was just a newly started brand, yet they had unexpectedly rejected her.

    However, she really did like this brand''s designs very much. In fact, she felt that this time, she was certain that she did not make an error of judgement; she would definitely not make losses again, so she still had not given up hope¡­

    "Oh, Aunty,e over and see this. I think it suits you well, I''ve noticed it since thest time I came over to shop. It''s a good thing it hasn''t been sold! Even though this outfit is lovely, it chooses its wearers and I think only you can dominate it, Aunty!"

    It was an ornate qipao with embroidered crab-apple flowers which was not overly extravagant. In fact, Yan Ruyi felt that this piece was stunning. "It is not bad!"

    "Isn''t it? Aunty, I''ll give this to you! You don''t even need to try it on for me to know that you''ll look very good in this!" Lu Xinyan immediately had another shop assistant pack the outfit for her.

    "You punk, you wouldn''t have something you need my help for, do you?" Yan Ruyiughed as she caressed the gown. She did like it very much.

    Lu Xinyan yfully shook Yan Ruyi''s arm and meekly said, "Aunty, you''re so smart. Actually¡­your niece does have a small favor to ask of you!"

    "I knew it! That''s why you''re so eager in currying my favor, what is it now?" Yan Ruyi mocked.

    "Well¡­actually, I want to open up a retail store for Spirit but they rejected my application, replying that my qualifications are not suitable. I have money and resources, how am I not suitable?"

    "Why do you want to put another fashion brand on your retail shelf¡­?" Yan Ruyi felt a headacheing on when she heard this. "Xinyan, just listen to your father and be an obedientdy, or go to Tingxiao''spany and have him arrange a stable position for you. Isn''t that much better?"

    "I don''t want that, I like to go into business! Aunty, can you help me to beg Cousin? As long as he says a word, he can definitely solve everything!" Lu Xinyan was begging like a spoiled child.

    Yan Ruyi looked helplessly at her. "Xinyan, it''s not that Aunty doesn''t want to help you, but I can''t say much to your cousin. How about you look for him yourself?"

    They had so many rtives from the lines of descendants that continue to branch out and if everyone looked for Tingxiao for every little thing, he would die from being so buay. Thus, usually for such requests, she would reject whenever she could and not trouble her son, even if it was for Lu Xinyan.

    Lu Xinyan''s head drooped when she heard this. Her lingering fears showed on her face. "I don''t dare to look for him myself. He''s been charmed by that woman. Thest time I identally offended her too, so maybe that woman''s already said some things to Cousin and he now hates me¡­Sis Ziyao, how about you talk to my cousin for me?"

 Chapter 970: Money Is Not A Problem

    <h4>Chapter 970: Money Is Not A Problem</h4>

    Since Yan Ruyi had also rejected her suggestion and obviously did not want to trouble Lu Tingxiao, Guan Ziyao would obviously not go against Yan Ruyi''s wishes and help Lu Xinyan herself.

    Compared to Lu Xinyan, Yan Ruyi came first.

    Thus, Guan Ziyao had tactfully advised, "Xinyan, your cousin is so busy recently, it''s best if you don''t trouble him for this kind of thing."

    When she heard Guan Ziyao''s answer, Yan Ruyi''s expression clearly showed that she was satisfied.

    However, Lu Xinyan would obviously be unhappy now.

    Guan Ziyao thought about it and continued, "It''s not that there isn''t any other way¡­even though I''m not familiar with China, I can get my friends to ask if they can have a word with the people in charge at Spirit."

    "That''d be great! Sis Ziyao, you''re brilliant!" Lu Xinyan immediately cheered up.

    "Oh, you! Wait, I''ll call right now to help you ask, but don''t have too high hopes, it might not work!"

    "If you''re calling, Sis Ziyao, then it''ll definitely work!"

    Guan Ziyao walked to a corner facing a disy shelf and flipped through her contacts, stopping to click on Mo Lingtian''s number.

    Among all her friends in China, Mo Lingtian had the best connections.

    "Hello, Lingtian¡­"

    "Hello! Ziyao! Long time no hear!" Mo Lingtian''s overjoyed voice greeted from the other end of the phone. After all, it was rare for Guan Ziyao to call him.

    "Lingtian, I have something that I need your help with. I wonder if you don''t mind¡­"

    "Of course! Nothing is a problem when ites to you! What is it? Tell me, I guarantee to get it done properly for you!"

    "Well, it''s not really my problem¡­it''s Xinyan, who wants to retail a brand called ''Spirit'', but she didn''t get through their shortlisting process. I''ve just returned to China and don''t know many people, so I wonder if you could help me put me through to the right people?"

    "Ah¡­it''s Xinyan¡­" Mo Lingtian''s tone lowered quite a bit.

    Lu Xinyan was someone from the Lus, so there was no doubt for who and why Guan Ziyao was so helpful to Lu Xinyan.

    "If you can''t, then¡­"

    Mo Lingtian cut her off and said, "It''s not that I can''t. Wait for me, I''ll help you ask around now."

    "Thank you then!" Guan Ziyao was grateful. "If you manage to get a connection, just tell them that money is not a problem!"

    "Okay, I know, don''t need to thank me!"

    After Mo Lingtian hung up, the nonchnt expression on him was instantly reced by loneliness, bitterness lingering on his face.

    How could he have the heart to reject her requests, even if he knew that she was doing it for another man?

    After calming down, Mo Lingtian immediately got someone to ask about Spirit. This studio was rather mysterious. The designer used an anonymous name to promote his clothing under the code name ZX and no one knew who the owner behind it was. In the end, he still had to use some of his private means to investigate.

    After all, the Mo family was best at searching for information, so it was quite easy to investigate this little thing.

    Once he found out the truth, he was entirely dumbfounded!

    Pfft!

    Spirit''s owner is actually that little bunny???

    From his investigation, Spirit studio had advanced gradually. It was an unexpected champion in the fashion industry and now, with its momentum, it was about to take over the internationally acimed History!

    He did not understand this little bunny the more he observed her¡­

    Because he was entrusted this task by Guan Ziyao, Mo Lingtian did not dare to dy any further Once he figured it out, he immediately called Ning Xi.

    An Asian expression of "It''s been a while".

 Chapter 971: Wouldnt I Be Stupid If I Agree?

    <h4>Chapter 971: Wouldn''t I Be Stupid If I Agree?</h4>

    At that moment, Ning Xi who was napping at the rest area was suddenly awakened by the sound of her phone ringing.

    It was an unknown number.

    Ning Xi picked it up. "Hello, who''s this?"

    "Hello, it''s me, Mo Lingtian! Do you still remember me, little bunny?"

    "Oh, Mister Mo, of course, I do!"

    ¡­

    In the shopping area, Guan Ziyao thought she heard Ning Xi say "Mister Mo" and found it weird, but she did not pay too much attention.

    "Hehe, good that you remember!" Mo Lingtian changed his tone into one that sought a favor. "Little bunny, you''re so cool! I heard that you''re the owner behind Spirit?"

    Ning Xi raised her brows in surprise, then she sat up and replied, "How did you know? Did Lu Tingxiao tell you?"

    "I''ve got my sources. I''m thinking about asking you for a favor, Boss Ning. I wonder if that''s possible. Just do it for Lu Tingxiao''s sake! I''m Lu Tingxiao''s best bro!"

    "What favor?"

    "Well, I''ll just cut the long story short. Xinyan wants to put your brand on her retail shelves but she did not get shortlisted, so do you think you could bypass the rules a little? After all, thisdy is still Lu Tingxiao''s cousin, isn''t she?"

    On the other end of the phone, a slightughter was heard.

    This sound gave Mo Lingtian goosebumps. "What is it, Boss Ning? Is there a problem?"

    Ning Xi looked towards Lu Xinyan and Guan Ziyao, who were not too far away in the shopping area, and lowered her voice to say indistinctly, "I''m just a little surprised. I couldn''t tell that you''re actually a loyal one, Master Mo, you''re really working hard just for your little beauty! You know that she''s doing it for another man, yet you continue to help her without regrets?"

    The moment she said that, Mo Lingtian was bbergasted. "You¡­how did you know!"

    He did not even mention Guan Ziyao at all, did he!?

    "It doesn''t matter how I know. Let''s leave work and our private lives separate. Plus, there''s no way I would agree," Ning Xi firmly rejected.

    "Why? Money is not an issue! Just treat it as a favor for a bro!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes. "In terms of work, our studio does have rules. If one is not qualified, then they definitely cannot do retail. Personally, Guan Ziyao is doing so much to get close to my boyfriend, so wouldn''t I be stupid if I agree?"

    Mo Lingtian was speechless. She had left him with nothing to say! He would never have thought that this little bunny would know everything! How amazing! Initially, such a thing would not be an issue as long as one had connections and wealth, but it was clear that in this situation, an abundance of wealth was of no use¡­

    After Ning Xi hung up on Mo Lingtian''s call, Guan Ziyao''s phone rang.

    "How did it go? Did you friend call you back? Quickly answer your phone!" Lu Xinyan asked excitedly.

    Guan Ziyao smiled and nodded. "Yes, don''t be anxious, I''ll pick up now!"

    "Hello?" Guan Ziyao picked up.

    When she heard Mo Lingtian share what happened, Guan Ziyao''s expression changed.

    Obviously, there was no way Mo Lingtian could tell her the truth, so he simply answered that the other party had told him that they could not go against the rules and did not budge.

    "Okay, I understand, no worries. Thank you so much, this is something that can''t be helped. Thank you anyway!" Guan Ziyao just uttered, then hung up.

    "I''m so sorry, Xinyan, it still won''t do!"

    When Xinyan heard this, she instantly drooped her head in disappointment. However, a momentter, she still consoled Guan Ziyao, "Never mind, Sis Ziyao, I understand the studio''s point of view. It''s a little hard to handle but I''ll think of more wayster on. Hmph, the more they won''t let me do this, the more I want to!"

    As she watched Lu Xinyan''s reaction, Yan Ruyi looked amused. "You stubborn girl, when will you change!?"

 Chapter 972: Our Boss Is Here To Reallocate The Stock

    <h4>Chapter 972: Our Boss Is Here To Reallocate The Stock</h4>

    Because the storeroom was messy with a lot of boxes and stock around, the shop assistant that had gone to get outfits from the storeroom had gone for quite a while and not yet returned.

    Ning Xi continued to sit in the quiet rest area and she did not look like she was leaving.

    Lu Xinyan looked towards Ning Xi and instantly shifted the anger from her failure to get the retail opportunity onto her. She said unhappily, "Sis Ziyao, Aunty, now do you believe that she''s followed us here intentionally? Would anyone wait for this long someone else? Besides, there are so many other ces¡­there''s the milk tea shop, the coffee shop, the restaurant, yet of all ces, why did she choose to sit here and wait?"

    This time, even Guan Ziyao did not say anything.

    Her instincts told her that there was no way Ning Xi would use such a forceful way to get close to them but when she thought again, she felt that it could be possible.

    After all, for a woman of Ning Xi''s level, any opportunity to ask for a favor or even wanting to get close the two elders of the Lu family was impossible. This time, she had unexpectedly bumped into them, so to seek for an opportunity to look good in front of Yan Ruyi was still quite understandable¡­

    However, Guan Ziyao did not know what she wanted to do next now that she had followed them here. After the lessons learned from previous encounters, Guan Ziyao tensed up and did not dare to take things easy.

    Lu Xinyan had a hot temper and at that moment, her patience threshold had reached its limit. She walked quickly to Ning Xi and said, "You there, are you done? Are you addicted to following us? Does my cousin know how thick-skinned you are? Youe to this store and not buy any clothes, yet you rightfully sit here and sleep, treating this ce like your home! Can your skin not be so thick?!"

    Ning Xi felt her head hurt by the surge in the noise level and she looked up coldly, "Are you done talking?"

    When she saw Ning Xi''s arrogance, Lu Xinyan exploded and was ready to ditch her courteousness to scold her when suddenly a series of footsteps were heard from behind her¡­

    The first person to approach them was the shop assistant who had gone to get the clothes earlier. "I''m sorry, I''m sorry. The storeroom was a little messy. Sorry I''ve made you wait for so long! Miss Lu, I''ve brought over all the outfits you wanted!"

    Distracted, Lu Xinyan rushed off to look at the clothes.

    Behind the shop assistant was the gship store manager that Lu Xinyan recognized. There were also several other male employees and every one of them was moving stacks of garments.

    "Miss Lu, you''re here! I''m really sorry as I''m really quite busy today. Our boss is here in-store to reallocate some stock, so I can''t personally assist you. If there''s anything you need, please just let Xiao Zhao know!" greeted the manager courteously to indicate his regret.

    When Lu Xinyan heard him, she looked suspiciously at him.

    Spirit''s boss?

    She had been in the store for quite a long time. Howe she had not seen anyone who looked like the boss? There were only a few of customers who came in and went out, and all the shop assistants who were busy running around¡­

    The owner of Spirit seemed to be quite mysterious. When she was informed that she had not passed the retail audit process, she wanted to propose to meet up with the boss for a chat. In fact, she had continuously made a few calls, but the reply every time was that the boss was very busy, so she had not managed to meet up with the person until now.

    So, when she heard the manager''s words, Lu Xinyan was quite curious and was quite interested to meet this owner.

    "Manager, is the boss already in the store? Why didn''t I see him or her? Coincidentally, there are some coborations that I would like to discuss with your boss!" Lu Xinyan told the manager.

 Chapter 973: Their Boss Is Ning Xi?!

    <h4>Chapter 973: Their Boss Is Ning Xi?!</h4>

    When the manager heard that, he quickly skimmed the store but did not immediately see her. "The boss said she''s already here. Let me make a call to ask¡­ah! Boss! You''re here!"

    The manager, who was about to make a call, put down his phone and looked at Ning Xi who walking towards their direction from the rest corner. She quickly said, "Boss, all the stock you need has been moved out. Please check it. Oh, and Miss Lu here seems to have something to discuss with you!"

    The manager then introduced Lu Xinyan, "Miss Lu, this is our boss. If you have anything, you may speak to her directly."

    What?!

    The moment the manager said that, not only Lu Xinyan but Guan Ziyao and Yan Ruyi were all taken aback.

    What did the manager mean?

    Their boss was¡­Ning Xi?

    "No¡­wait¡­manager, what did you say? You mean this woman is your boss?"

    "Yes¡­" When the manager saw Lu Xinyan''s shocked expression, he thought that it was because she was shocked that Ning Xi was so young and beautiful.

    To be honest, the first time she had met her female boss, she was blown away by her age and beauty too!

    The manager smiled and exined, "Our boss is usually very low key, plus she''s quite a busy woman, so very few people have seen her. Miss Lu, you''vee at a good time. Coincidentally, our boss came over to the gship store to reallocate some stock, or else, we usually don''t see the boss herself either!"

    Ning Xi was Spirit''s owner!

    The reason why she had walked into the store and sat there without leaving was because she was waiting for the stock to be prepared¡­

    When she heard the manager''s words, Lu Xinyan''s face turned a pale green hue.

    Initially, Yan Ruyi had thought that Ning Xi was here for her. Now, she looked incredibly awkward but she was more surprised.

    Who''d expect that this shop I thought was not bad would actually be owned by this woman?

    Guan Ziyao frowned, suddenly thinking of a minor detail. Earlier, she had heard Ning Xi mention "Mister Mo" on the phone. Could she have been on the phone with Mo Lingtian earlier?

    No wonder even Mo Lingtian could not get the other party to turn a blind eye to the rules. Spirit''s owner was this woman¡­

    She was alert but she would never have thought that this would be the oue!

    "Who would''ve thought? Miss Ning is actually Spirit''s boss. Young and promising indeed!" Guan Ziyao eximed.

    "Miss Guan, you''re very kind. Please continue to take your time to browse. As for Miss Lu''s request, I believe Director Qiao has already made it very clear to her," concluded Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi then left to continue her work. All of a sudden, from behind her, she heard Lu Xinyan scream, "Ning Xi, stop right there! It was you! You intentionally stopped me from that retail opportunity, didn''t you?! This is obviously your way of public payback for our private matters!"

    Ning Xi did not want to say anything at first, but since so many employees were present, she had to say something.

    Thus, she turned around and said to Lu Xinyan, "Miss Lu, I would like to ask you a question. If you didn''t have the name Lu Tingxiao backing you, would anyone willingly work with you based on your highly unsessful career?"

    If she did not have Lu Tingxiao''s name backing her or the Lu family''s background¡­

    "I¡­" Lu Xinyan was surprisingly at a loss for words to answer Ning Xi.

    "Spirit has just only gotten on track. I''m sorry that I really can''t leave it at your expense, Miss Lu."

 Chapter 974: Your Boss Has Stronger Support

    <h4>Chapter 974: Your Boss Has Stronger Support</h4>

    After her confrontation, she saw that Lu Xinyan was biting her lip, looking embarrassed. Ning Xi paused and then continued, "But I can see that you really do like our brand and I thank you for your love and support. If you''re really interested in putting Spirit on your shelves, if you can show us how serious you are and not forgetting how sincere you are, Spirit''s door is always open to you!"

    On that note, Ning Xi simply said, "Goodbye," and left.

    "What''s so great about Spirit!? Who cares!? It''s just a crappy brand!"

    Even though Lu Xinyan had been humiliated by those words earlier, there was no way she would admit that. She blurted out curses before she could control herself.

    No one has ever dared to say such words to me and it has to be from the mouth of this annoying woman! Did she seriously just imply that if I don''t have the protection of my family background, I''d be deemed useless?

    Yan Ruyi looked at Lu Xinyan and shooked her head in disapproval. She said with a serious expression, "Xinyan, actually what that girl said makes sense. If you really want to show some results of your own, don''t do things with ack of perseverance. Do things seriously, focus on doing one thing right. Otherwise, just by squandering time and money, the Lu family doesn''t need you to show your face in public."

    "I don''t want to! I don''t believe that I can''t!" Lu Xinyan ran out of the shop with tears threatening to fall.

    Guan Ziyao and Yan Ruyi quickly chased after her but they could not find her.

    "Sigh, this child! She''s still young and hot-tempered. What an unruly girl for her age!" Yan Ruyi sighed.

    When she thought about how Ning Xi was probably only a few years older than Lu Xinyan but had already founded her own brand and was doing so sessfully, Yan Ruyi could not help but feel rueful.

    What happened today had really changed her view of the woman. She had thought that she only worked in the entertainment industry and relied on her looks, but who would have known that she was different? Every word she had uttered to Xinyan earlier had also rung true¡­

    Just that when it came to her status¡­such a pity¡­

    Seeing Yan Ruyi gaze admirably into the store at Ning Xi, Guan Ziyao suddenly felt worried. She held Yan Ruyi to walk forward and said, "Aunty, actually it''s good that Xinyan has the heart and passion. If she perseveres, she might really achieve something?"

    "Don''t I know her well enough? She really doesn''t have the talent!"

    "But I can see that Xinyan seems quite sad. Actually, Spirit is really not all that amazing. I''ve heard some bad rumors about how Spirit''s designer copied the work of another brand, History. Why don''t I go back and help Xinyan contact History, so she can sell their products instead? History is well-known internationally and it''s much more acimed than Spirit!"

    Yan Ruyi patted her on the hand. "Sorry to bother you about her!"

    "Aunty, you''re too kind. This is just a small matter! Besides, Xinyan is my friend too!" Guan Ziyao said as a million thoughts crossed her mind.

    She suddenly realized that unknowingly, that woman had slowly strengthened one step at a time. She had even changed Yan Ruyi''s thoughts from using Little Treasure to today''s incident¡­

    Initially, she wanted to have a fairpetition and not use any other methods to deal with that woman, but now she started to panic.

    ¡­

    When Lu Xinyan and the rest had left, the manager and a few shop assistants looked worriedly at Ning Xi. "Boss, Lu Xinyan has pretty good support behind her! Are you sure¡­it won''t be a problem?"

    Ning Xi checked the stock as she casually said, "Don''t worry, your boss has stronger support!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 975: Make Him Wake Up

    <h4>Chapter 975: Make Him Wake Up</h4>

    At night, in a high-ss vi estate.

    "What''s the matter, Ziyao? Did something make you unhappy? Didn''t you go out with Aunty Lu today?" Guan Rui asked out of concern as he saw her looking unwell.

    Guan Ziyao frowned. "Father, when I was out with Aunty Lu today, we met that woman and I found out that she''s the owner behind one of the top recently trending brands, which even got a grant from the government¡­"

    Guan Rui smiled kindly. "That''s what''s got you down? I thought what could''ve made you upset. It must be because of Lu Tingxiao''s help. Otherwise, what could she do on her own? But¡­I didn''t expect Lu Tingxiao would go this far for her. He''s probably trying to prepare her to marry into his family by attempting to raise her value¡­"

    Guan Rui''s expression darkened. "We can''t let that woman continue with her ns anymore!"

    Guan Ziyao looked worriedly at him. "What are you trying to do, Father? Lu Tingxiao is so protective towards that woman. Not even Aunty or Uncle Lu dares to do anything. If you¡­"

    After spending some time with Yan Ruyi recently, she had been hearing a lot about that woman. She found out that the ever-filial Lu Tingxiao had actually rebelled against his family and even argued fiercely with his father all because of that woman. How unbelievable!

    "Don''t fret. I don''t have to do anything. A woman in the entertainment industry like her will surely have a few skeletons in the closet," Guan Rui sneered coldly.

    Guan Ziyao understood her father''s meaning. "Father, do you mean¡­? But she''s already with Lu Tingxiao now, so why would she be with someone else? With Lu Tingxiao, she doesn''t have to make any shady deals!"

    She did not think the woman would be stupid. Ning Xi was not an opponent to be taken lightly of.

    Guan Rui shook his head. "Ziyao, you''re still too naive. Human greed is infinite, especially for women living at the bottom of the food chain and with the worst personality possible, even being extremely flirtatious¡­No matter how well she hides it, it''lle out one day!"

    "So, Father, does this mean that¡­you found out about something?" Guan Ziyao asked.

    Guan Rui smiled, "Don''t worry about it, I''ll handle this matter. Just spend more time with your Aunty Lu. Avoid them still minding about what happened at the dinner."

    "Got it!"

    Guan Ziyao nodded and thought about the whole matter deeply¡­

    At first, because of her own pride, she felt that she would never lose no matter what tricks the woman yed. But eventually, she realized that things were out of her control. Lu Tingxiao''s attitude towards the woman was unbelievable. The man who was ever-rational, the man she thought was the only one that could stand beside her was charmed by such a cheap woman. She could never ept this!

    Finally, Guan Ziyao convinced herself, she need not y fair against this kind of people. She had to make Lu Tingxiao wake up and return to the person she knew!

 Chapter 976: Biased!

    <h4>Chapter 976: Biased!</h4>

    As Spirit Studio''s business was booming, everything was going smoothly with the shooting crew as well.

    The secondary female lead had finally arrived after finishing her dancepetition. She danced ballet and her looks, aura, and acting were pretty good.

    As for Chen Hanchen and Qi Fang, their attitude towards Ning Xi had changed for the better now. They tried to be cooperative when acting and not look for trouble anymore.

    Without realizing how quickly time passed, the shooting process entered its final period. It was two months earlier than the estimated timeline and Chen Mian was really happy about it.

    That morning when Ning Xi reached the set, she went up to Ke Mingyu and handed over a pink stic bag. "Keke! I brought you some breakfast!"

    epting the lovely breakfast brought by the wife, Ke Mingyu looked at Ning Xi gently. "Thank you Senior."

    "Oh, here''s some milk here! Drink it!" Ning Xi then gave him a carton of strawberry milk.

    "Senior, what about mine? Why does only Ke Mingyu get it? Senior, you''re being biased! You only get breakfast for Ke Mingyu every day!" Qi Fangined.

    "Because Ke-ke helped me catch that snake before!" Ning Xi looked at Qi Fang proudly.

    Qi Fang pressed his hand to his chest in mock hurt¡­

    That was so not worth it! I gave someone else the chance despite spending so much effort to catch that snake and now it benefitted Ke Mingyu. I should have saved her back then! Wait, she did not even need to be saved!

    Nevertheless, when he thought about it, Senior had started to change her attitude towards Ke Mingyu since the day he caught the snake for her¡­

    After finishing breakfast, Ning Xi went up to Ke Mingyu again.

    "Keke! Come, let''s practice!"

    "Mmm." Ke Mingyu nodded.

    "Senior! That''s unfair! Why do you only practice with Ke Mingyu!?" Qi Fang was at it again, his jealousy rearing its ugly head.

    Ning Xi replied as a matter-of-factly, "Because Keke''s not from a film school, so as a senior, of course, I have to help him!"

    Qi Fang scratched his head. "Senior, don''t you think it''s ridiculous? Aside from you, he has the best acting skills among the crew! And why do you call him Keke and not call me Qiqi? Or Fangfang?"

    Ning Xi blinked. "Qiqi¡­?Fangfang¡­? That sounds so weird!"

    Qi Fang was speechless. He ran away with his heart feeling like it had been stabbed.

    How frustrating!

    Chen Hanchen aside, he did not care about Ji Yumeng and Jian Shu since they were girls but why was Ke Mingyu being more favored than him!? He was far better looking than Ke Mingyu!

    Ji Yumeng also mumbled, "Bro Xi, you''re actually quite biased towards Ke Mingyu. Even I''m getting jealous¡­"

    "Hahaha, he''s just too pitiful in the movie, so I''ve to treat him better in real life!" Ning Xiughed.

    Well, that and he is my boyfriend after all¡­

    Chen Mian was touched when he saw the bunch of youngsters getting along together. He was reminded of his first movie shoot 10 years ago¡­

    As the props were being prepared, Chen Mian pped his hands. "Let''s get ready, we''re starting!"

    "Noted, Director!"

    "Alright!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 977: Everyone Has A Secret

    <h4>Chapter 977: Everyone Has A Secret</h4>

    "Three! Two! One! Action!"

    In the current scene, all the six actors were present and this was the climax of the whole movie. In order to create a better effect, Chen Mian purposely shot this scer so that they had time to bond with one another.

    Set venue: a karaoke lounge.

    Characters present: Si Xia, Ji Feixue, Ling Yu, Yin Qianli, Jiang Xiaomei, Ji Yumeng.

    With the help of the female lead, Ji Feixue, Si Xia finally got together with the woman of his dreams, Yin Qianli, and secured a romantic rtionship. It was Yin Qianli''s birthday that day and Si Xia had invited some friends over to celebrate for her.

    "Hahaha, here''s a toast to our birthday girl, Qianli, and Si Xia! I wish that the both of you will stay together forever and have lots of kids!" Jiang Xiaomei raised her wine ss and smiled.

    Yin Qianli blushed while Si Xiaughed and nudged Jiang Xiaomei''s shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

    "Ooh! The both of you should make a toast to your matchmaker!" Jiang Xiaomei looked at Ji Feixue.

    Si Xia was a very insensitive man. Actually, it was all thanks to Ji Feixue that he was able to be with his dream girl. Yin Qianli''s and Si Xia''s expressions changed. This joyous birthday celebration hid a dark conflict beneath; everyone had their own unspoken thoughts.

    Actually, Yin Qianli had fallen in love with Ji Feixue when she confessed to her in Si Xia''s stead and she had told Ji Feixue how she really felt.

    However, Ji Feixue loved Si Xia, so she rejected Yin Qianli directly. Yin Qianli had only agreed to be in a rtionship with Si Xia for revenge.

    On the other hand, Si Xia started to realize he had special feelings for Ji Feixue, so in denying his feelings for a man, he quickly started dating Yin Qianli. At the same time, he thought that his good friend, Ji Feixue, liked Yin Qianli as well, so he did not know who he should be jealous of.

    As for Ling Yu, he was observing everyone as an outsider but he kept his own secrets as well.

    In this scene, everyone had to be in top-notch condition and project theplicated parts of their respective character. They would need to redo it all over again if any one of them failed to catch up.

    A few bad takes happened but they continued.

    Looking at the lovey-dovey couple Si Xia and Yin Qianli, Ji Feixue smiled happily and drank, conveying the couple her best wishes as if she was the happiest person of the night but the sorrow flooded her eyes¡­

    In the corner, Ling Yu was focusing at Ji Feixue.

    Ji Feixue drunkenly went to the barstool in the center of the room and picked the song "Onion".

    "If your eyes could just look at me, if you could hear the sound of my heart breaking, protecting you silently, waiting for a miracle quietly as if I''m one with the air¡­

    "Everyone wasughing and enjoying, tonight I was really happy. How much I''m blending into the crowd, the onions at the bottom of the te is just like me, forever just a seasoning, quietly peeking at you, forever hiding myself¡­

    "If you''re willing to peel me offyer byyer, you''ll be surprised, you''re my most hidden, deepest secret¡­I''m just like an onion, always ying the side character. I hope I''d have a second chance with you, only you and me¡­"

    This song was like a sharp de piercing through the disguise of everyone''s characters.

 Chapter 978: How Matching

    <h4>Chapter 978: How Matching</h4>

    After the song ended, Ji Feixue ran out of the room in uncontroble tears.

    The one who followed was Yin Qianli!

    Yin Qianli thought Ji Feixue actually liked her and thought that the song was sung for her, so she assumed that he had given up his chance with her for the sake of his friendship with Si XIa.

    The camera shifted to the corridor of the karaoke lounge.

    "Feibai!" Yin Qianli caught up and hugged Ji Feixue from behind.

    Ji Feixue froze. She knew she had to push her away but she was not able to control herself now. She turned around and hugged Yin Qianli.

    Afterwards, Si Xia came out of the room and saw them. The scenario of his good friend hugging his girlfriend was too much for him to take. "Ji Feibai, what do you mean by this?"

    Ji Feixue looked at him quietly without any expression. "Si Xia, tonight¡­you didn''t even look at me once, but now you''re finally looking at me."

    "What?" Si Xia was a little frightened by Ji Feixue''s intense gaze at the moment.

    Ji Feixue stared at the man, her emotions building up inside. She said slowly, "The dragon can''t write any letters. If it misses the knight, it''ll kidnap the princess, so that the knight wille¡­"

    Si Xia was shocked. "You¡­what do you mean?"

    Ji Feixue looked at him in the eyes and poured out her heart, "I mean¡­Si Xia, I love you."

    Si Xia was shocked and Yin Qinli could not believe what just happened. Qi Fang was dumbfounded while Ji Yumeng sighed and Ling Yu''s heart sank. What was expected had happened¡­

    "Cut! Good take! Pass!" Chen Mian yelled excitedly.

    Even after the director said it was done, Chen Hanchen, Qi Fang, Ji Yumeng, and Jian Shu were all still in acting mode and were not able to snap out of it.

    Only Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu returned back to themselves instantly.

    Qi Fangmented, "Wow! This scene was intense!"

    Ji Yumeng nodded. "Especially Bro Xi, your eyes! Hanchen was really great today as well! But who shocked me the most was Ke Mingyu! He had no lines at all but I felt pain for him!"

    Not only Ji Yumeng felt this way. Xiao Tao, Ye Qiu, and a few other crew members were discussing it as well.

    "Oh my gosh, I think I''m falling more and more for Ling Yu!"

    "Me too, I really hope the female lead will be together with Ling Yu! He''s just so sad, he sacrificed so much for the female lead yet she only loves the male lead¡­I''m so heartbroken!"

    "And is it just me or does Bro Xi actually looks good with Ke Mingyu?"

    "Hahaha, you''re not alone¡­"

    Chen Mian was looking through the footage as he dered happily, "Everyone performed well. We''re way ahead of the schedule as well! We''ll have two days of holiday for everyone!"

    The whole crew cheered.

    Chen Hanchen was holding a book in his hand and was looking for Ning Xi but she was nowhere to be found. At the same time, he noticed that Ke Mingyu had disappeared as well.

    Chen Hanchen''s expression darkened a little.

    After witnessing Ning Xi in her female outfit, he could not take his eyes off her and slowly he realized that the way Ning Xi looked at Ke Mingyu was very different. Also, it was not the first time that the both of them had vanished together¡­

    In addition to Ning Xi''s special attitude towards Ke Mingyu, although there was no solid proof, almost everything hinted towards that direction. He just did not want to believe it.

    Just byparing his family background and looks to Ke Mingyu''s, how could she possible like Ke Mingyu instead?

 Chapter 979: The Devilâ€™s Being Flirty!

    <h4>Chapter 979: The Devil¡¯s Being Flirty!</h4>

    In the empty rest area, Ning Xi tiptoed and kissed Ke Mingyu as he leaned against the door.

    "What are you doing?" Ke Mingyu raised his eyebrows and avoided her kiss.

    Ning Xi pouted unhappily. "I''m trying tofort your damaged heart!"

    The man smiled wryly. "Stop fooling around, we might get caught!"

    Ning Xi was speechless. He had not been here for long but he had even more work ethics than her now¡­

    "Impossible, we''re being so low-profile. None of the big shots are here. None of the idiots wille here and look for news! Kiss! Kiss!" Ning Xi hopped around excitedly.

    The man bent over her small face helplessly.

    "Good boy, I only like you!" Ning Xi patted the man''s head as she kissed his cheek like she wasforting a child.

    "I''m alright, we''re just shooting a movie."

    Although he felt a little frustrated when he saw her scenes with Chen Hanchen, he had learned to control his emotions after experiencing real acting. He saw her effort and dedication for himself and he was now able to differentiate between acting and reality.

    As Ning Xi looked at him, seeing how such a prideful man had changed for her little by little, she felt warmth bubbling inside of her¡­

    "My dear, I must''ve saved the whole world in my previous life, so that I could meet you now!" Ning Xi said.

    "Then, I must''ve been by your side in my past life, saving the world with you."

    The devil was being flirty!

    ¡­

    In the evening, in the Guan family''s vi, Guan Ziyao opened the door to the study room. "Father, what''s the matter?"

    "Ziyao,e over here, I''ll show you something!" Guan Rui smiled like he was in a good mood.

    "What is it?" Guan Ziyao went over, confused.

    Guan Rui turned on theptop on the table. "Look at this!"

    Could it be what Father mentioned thest time¡­?

    Guan Ziyao looked at Guan Rui, then walked over nervously.

    Guan Ziyao was shocked the moment she saw the image on the screen! It was a picture. The woman in the picture was smiling sweetly and on tiptoes to kiss a man. Both of them looked extremely intimate.

    The picture was pretty clearly shot. The woman was obviously Ning Xi while the man was not Lu Tingxiao!

    All the other pictures were of Ning Xi with this stranger as well. They both acted very close; apparently, it was not their first time.

    Guan Ziyao murmured in disbelief. "How could this be¡­?"

    Guan Rui sneered coldly, "There''s nothing to be surprised about. I''ve said so, a flirt will leave her traces one day!"

    Guan Ziyao felt her blood boil. "This is too much! Lu Tingxiao treated her so well! How could she be this shameless!?"

    Guan Ziyao looked through the pictures again but while she was angry at Ning Xi, she felt at ease in her heart. All her anxiety and unease in the past few days had vanished.

    It was over¡­With these pictures, Ning Xi is finished! No matter how much Lu Tingxiao was charmed by her, no man could ept his girlfriend cheating on him!

 Chapter 980: Itâ€™s About A Manâ€™s Pride

    <h4>Chapter 980: It¡¯s About A Man¡¯s Pride</h4>

    "Father, how do you n to handle these pictures?" Guan Ziyao asked.

    Guan Rui analyzed, "I actually wanted to hand them over to the newspapers and totally destroy that woman''s reputation but after some thought, I felt it''s pointless. With Lu Tingxiao''s ability, he''ll surely find out that we''re the ones who did it. If he realized that we revealed his dirtyundry to the public, he might turn hostile towards us. This is directly rted to a man''s reputation after all!"

    Guan Ziyao nodded. "You''re right, I don''t want him to be troubled as well."

    "So, I suggest that you pass these pictures to him directly, then tell him that I sent people to investigate her. As for that woman, she''ll be done for after Lu Tingxiao sees these pictures."

    "Noted, Father, I''ll contact Lu Tingxiao now."

    "Alright, now go!"

    ¡­

    At the same time, in tinum Pce, Lu Tingxiao waspleting some work in the study room when Ning Xi opened the door with a bowl of soup she had taken a while to prepare.

    "Boss, time for supper!"

    During this entire period of time, he had to work on hispany rted stuff while acting. Ning Xi was really worried about his health, so she came over and cooked for him every day. She also made supper for him every night.

    Lu Tingxiao even gained a little weight and his face looked rosy with no signs of fatigue. Even Little Treasure had put on some weight as well.

    "What is it today?" Lu Tingxiao asked as he put down his documents.

    Ning Xi replied, "Ginseng chicken soup with deer''s antler. It''s really nourishing! Drink up!"

    A strong aromatic smell filled up the room the moment she removed the lid.

    Lu Tingxiao froze, his expression indescribable. "Antler¡­"

    Ning Xi suddenly realized something as well. "Ugh¡­antler is supposed to be good for a man''s potency as well, eh? Well, it''s nourishing anyway! Quickly drink it! It took me a long time to make this! It must''ve been hard on you during this period of time. You must really take care of yourself!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression darkened a little. "I don''t need any more nourishment in a certain area."

    It was a man''s pride after all!

    "Well, just ignore the antler. There''re ginseng and chicken as well!" Ning Xi fed him with a spoon.

    "Are you going to take responsibility for what''s going to happen afterward?" Lu Tingxiao looked at her suggestively.

    It was Ning Xi''s turn to freeze this time. "W-wha¡­? Nothing''s going to happen¡­right?"

    As they talked, Lu Tingxiao''s beeped with a new message.

    Ning Xi''s sharp eyes saw Guan Ziyao''s name. Lu Tingxiao saw it as well and he opened the message in front of Ning Xi.

    [Lu Tingxiao, I''m really sorry, my father investigated some matters behind my back and he found out that Ms. Ning is cheating on you with a male actor from her shooting cast¡­I contemted for a long time but I think I have to let you know about it. I know you might not believe me but I''ve already sent the proof to your inbox. Take a look at it if you have the time.]

    Ning Xi blinked after reading the message. "I''m¡­cheating with a male actor¡­from my shooting cast?"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

 Chapter 981: I Like Someone A Little Stupid

    <h4>Chapter 981: I Like Someone A Little Stupid</h4>

    Ning Xi stared at Lu Tingxiao. He appeared expressionless as usual as he put his phone aside and started drinking the soup.

    "Hey, Lu Tingxiao, aren''t you going to check your inbox?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Nope."

    "Why?"

    "It''s not necessary."

    "How''s that unnecessary!? It''s very necessary! I''m very curious! Open it!" Ning Xi sat on Lu Tingxiao''sp.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her, then he opened his inbox. There was a new mail from Guan Ziyao. With it came apressed file attachment, probably containing some images or documents.

    "Quickly download it!" Ning Xi urged.

    Lu Tingxiao clicked on it, then the download started. The Inte speed was very fast, so it took only a few seconds toplete.

    After unzipping the file, they found lots of pictures in the folder. Ning Xi could not wait for Lu Tingxiao''sggy movements anymore, so she quickly opened one of the pictures for a better view.

    Both of them were dumbfounded¡­

    Ning Xi put her palm to her forehead. "I knew it¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao looked forlornly at her. "I told you to not fool around."

    "I''m not fooling around, alright? It''s not the paparazzi who took these. It''s your dear childhood friend! And we''ve already been secretive enough. No one would''ve noticed if they didn''t monitor us all day long¡­" Ning Xi browsed through the pictures happily.

    "Well, these pictures are pretty well taken! Look at the lighting! This angle! They even took this one where I kissed you in secret and this one where I secretly put a wheatgrass in your hair, hahaha! And also this one¡­how embarrassing! Lu Tingxiao, send me a copy, please, I want to keep them! Quickly!"

    All these pictures were of Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu, which was incidentally, Lu Tingxiao.

    No wonder Guan Ziyao had said that she cheated with another male actor!

    It was not wrong¡­in a way.

    As Ning Xi thought about it, she realized that something was not right and she nced wryly at Lu Tingxiao. "Your dear childhood friend seems really concerned about you, eh?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s heart swelled at the fact that Ning Xi was jealous. He grabbed her by the waist and mocked, "Are you jealous?"

    "Stop trying to change the topic! I heard that you didn''t have anyone to talk to back then because your IQ was too high. Only Guan Ziyao could chat with you. Hmm, so you''re really friendly with her? So, you like her type? The smart type of woman like Guan Ziyao?" Ning Xi''s nostrils red as her temper rose.

    Lu Tingxiao said seriously, "Nope, I like someone a little stupid."

    "Who''s stupid?! You''re stupid!" Ning Xi was suddenly triggered and she got up from hisp, taking the soup away. "I''m confiscating this! No more for you!"

    Seeing the girl retreat quickly, Lu Tingxiao nced at his manhood which had reacted from their close proximity. That was a pretty quick reaction!

    Suddenly, his phone rang. It was Mo Lingtian.

    Lu Tingxiao picked it up. "Hello?"

    "Hey, uh¡­Lu Tingxiao your voice doesn''t sound right¡­" he felt a chill as he heard Lu Tingxiao''s voice.

    "What''s up?"

    "I''m in a bad moode out and drink with me!" Mo Lingtian said weakly.

 Chapter 982: Busy Arguing With My Wife

    <h4>Chapter 982: Busy Arguing With My Wife</h4>

    Guan Ziyao had finally called him yesterday but she was still going on about Lu Tingxiao. He already tried all of Lu Tingxiao''s ideas of picking up girls but nothing worked!

    One of the main reason was that he simply could not stay calm and cool in front of Guan Ziyao. He was exhausted by the emotional roller coaster ride he had to go through¡­

    "I''m not avable," Lu Tingxiao rejected straightforwardly.

    "What are you busy with?" Mo Lingtian asked.

    "I''m busy arguing with my wife," said Lu Tingxiao, abruptly ending the call right after that.

    Mo Lingtian was left speechless.

    Although he said they were arguing, why did he make it sound like he enjoyed it? As though they were flirting with each other? How I wish one day I could argue with Guan Ziyao in the middle of the night?!

    ¡­

    In the living room of the Guan family''s vi.

    "How did it go, Ziyao? Have you told Lu Tingxiao?" Guan Rui asked.

    Guan Ziyao nodded. "I''m afraid that he''ll feel awkward if I tell him through a phone call, so I sent him a text message followed by an email. It seems like he''s seen them but he hasn''t replied me yet."

    Guan Rui expected such an oue. "He''s a man, after all. He needs some time to digest something like this. It''s a good chance for you. Try to be more aggressive, spend some time with him. Don''t let this opportunity slip away! Do you understand what I mean?"

    Guan Ziyao nodded. "I know what I need to do."

    Guan Rui looked at his daughter proudly. He knew that she would not let him down.

    After returning to her room, Guan Ziyao went to the balcony and called Mo Lingtian.

    As Mo Lingtian had just been rejected by Lu Tingxiao, he did not expect his phone to ring. To his excitement, it was a call from Guan Ziyao! She was actually calling him thiste at night!

    Mo Lingtian was revived but he learned his lesson, so he suppressed his emotions and asked carefully, "Hey, Ziyao. What''s up?"

    "Not much, just thinking that weather''s been pretty good recently, so I feel like asking a few friends to go hiking and camping. Are you interested?" Guan Ziyao asked.

    Mo Lingtian was surprised. Just as he was about to agree to it, he remembered Lu Tingxiao''s tactic, so he said calmly, "When? Let me check if I''m avable."

    "There''s a double holiday tomorrow, how about it?"

    "Tomorrow¡­I should be alright, sure!" Mo Lingtian tried to keep his cool.

    "That''s great! Can you also ask if Lu Tingxiao wants to go?"

    Mo Lingtian''s happy expression froze on his face. "Lu Tingxiao¡­he probably won''t go¡­"

    "Why not?" Guan Ziyao asked.

    "He fought with Ning Xi, so he''s probably not avable." It was obvious that Mo Lingtian did not want to even ask him.

    "They fought¡­?" Guan Ziyao suspected that it was about the pictures. She continued, "The more reason for him toe out and take some time to rx! Didn''t he like to go hiking when he was feeling down? Lingtian, help me ask him alright? Please?"

    Guan Ziyao thought carefully. She knew that she had to be proactive but not excessively so. From her experience, Lu Tingxiao had never liked women who were too aggressive. One had to be close to him slowly and naturally, so she decided to have Mo Lingtian to ask him out; it was the best solution at that moment.

 Chapter 983: The Third Wheel

    <h4>Chapter 983: The Third Wheel</h4>

    On the other end of the phone, Mo Lingtian was silent for a while., "Alright¡­I''ll help you to ask him¡­"

    "Thank you, good night!"

    "Good night¡­"

    After ending the call, Mo Lingtian flung his phone away and lit a cigarette. Hey on the sofa and smoked quietly.

    The atmosphere in the room was cold and silent.

    After some time, the man suddenly kicked the table in front of him. There was a loud crash. The living room turned into a mess and sparks flew out of the huge screen of the TV.

    Mo Lingtian''s anger faded away sometimeter. He took a deep breath and picked up his phone to call Lu Tingxiao.

    "Hey, Lu Tingxiao, we''re going camping tomorrow. Don''t you dare tell me that you''re unavable! If not, I''ll fight you right now!" Mo Lingtian''s voice sounded agitated.

    "What''s wrong?" Lu Tingxiao asked in his usual t tone.

    "Nothing! Juste! If not, our friendship ends right here! That''s all, bye!" Mo Lingtian ended the call.

    The phone fell onto the floor and Mo Lingtian looked miserably at it. He pped himself hard in the face. "Mo Lingtian, just how long do you want to torture yourself¡­"

    Nevertheless, he had no choice. There was no way that he could give up loving her.

    ¡­

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his phone awkwardly.

    In the meantime, Ning Xi was busy emptying the pot of soup. Now she knew how dangerous this soup was! She had to quickly dispose of it!

    Suddenly, someone gave her a warm hug from behind.

    "What?" Ning Xi said in an annoyed tone.

    "I''ll bring you somewhere tomorrow to release your anger, alright?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "Huh? Release my anger? What do you mean?" Ning Xi asked back.

    "I just promised Mo Lingtian to go hiking tomorrow," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    "Hiking?" Was this rted to her anger?

    Unless¡­Guan Ziyao was going as well¡­

    So, what Lu Tingxiao meant was that¡­he wanted to crush Guan Ziyao''s hope once and for all with this opportunity?

    Ning Xi felt indifferent about it and she shrugged. "Sure! Since we''re taking a break from acting tomorrow, it''s a good time to rx as well!"

    Ning Xi excitedly suggested, "Can we bring Little Treasure along too?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied instantly, "No."

    "Why? Why not!?" Ning Xi asked unhappily.

    "He''ll be the third wheel," Lu Tingxiao said.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Did he just call his son the third wheel?

    As they were talking, footsteps came from behind them.

    The little bun stared at his father unhappily, making it obvious that he had overheard their conversation.

    Ning Xi quickly picked up the little bun. "Hey, little guy, why are you awake? Don''t listen to your father''s nonsense! He''s the third wheel! The most annoying kind of third wheel! We''re not bringing you because it''s going to be tiring! I''ll sleep with you tonight. Don''t be angry, we''ll ignore him."

    Ning Xi red at Lu Tingxiao, then went upstairs with the little bun.

    Lu Tingxiao had no words.

    Third wheel indeed¡­

 Chapter 984: Did Lu Tingxiao Break Up?

    <h4>Chapter 984: Did Lu Tingxiao Break Up?</h4>

    It was a warm, sunny day, a good day for camping.

    At the parking site located at the bottom of Mount Yu Ming, Guan Ziyao, Mo Lingtian, Lu Xinyan, and several others were chatting as they waited for the rest to arrive.

    "Where''s he? Not here yet?"

    "Will he ditch us?"

    "No way! I only came because I heard Bro Xiao ising!"

    ¡­

    Guan Ziyao looked at her watch and inhaled deeply. "Just wait a little longer, Tingxiao''s in a bad mood. He might''ve overslept¡­"

    "Bad mood? What happened?" Some sharp ones could practically smell the gossiping.

    Guan Ziyao said hesitantly, "Seems like he argued with his girlfriend¡­"

    Massive news!

    "Really? Did they argue? Didn''t they look lovey-dovey together thest time we saw them?"

    "Sis Ziyao, are you serious? Did he really argue with that woman?"

    "Hahaha, they finally fought! I knew they weren''t going tost for long! Could they have already broken up?"

    "That''s possible! It must be a huge matter to make Bro Xiao argue with her!"

    ¡­

    Guan Ziyao apologized as the group of friends bombarded her with all the questions, "I''m sorry, I''m not quite sure about the details as well. I just heard Lingtian mention it!"

    However, she actually knew that after something like that, Lu Tingxiao must have already broken up with Ning Xi.

    The group then shifted their attention to Mo Lingtian.

    "Master Mo, what happened?"

    "Master Mo¡­Master Mo! Master Mo?"

    "What?" Mo Lingtian replied annoyingly as he puffed on his cigarette.

    "Master Mo, why''re you daydreaming¡­? We were just asking what happened to Lu Tingxiao. Did he really break up with Ning Xi?"

    "Break up?" Mo Lingtian was in a bad mood himself, so he did not really pay attention to what they were discussing just now and he was confused how they reached this conclusion.

    "Yeah, didn''t you tell Ziyao that Lu Tingxiao argued with his girlfriend?" someone asked.

    Mo Lingtian remembered now that he did say that¡­but he had just made that excuse up because he did not want Lu Tingxiao to join them.

    Did they really believe me?

    And it seemed like¡­so did Ziyao.

    Mo Longtian looked at Guan Ziyao. He realized that she looked really cheerful that day and she had changed her usual style of cold colored outfits and wore a smoking red dress that day.

    Mo Lingtian looked really unwell.

    They stopped asking him as he seemed like he was in a blur daze. They then continued their gossip as they waited.

    "Hey! It''s there! Is that Lu Tingxiao''s car?"

    "Where?"

    "Yes, it''s his car!"

    ¡­

    A ck four-wheel-drive parked near them. The door opened and Lu Tingxiao walked out.

    Guan Ziyao went up to him and beamed, "You''re finally here, Tingxiao. We''re all waiting for you, let''s go!"

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao nodded.

    When Guan Ziyao started walking, she realized that Lu Tingxiao did not follow her. Instead, he went to the other side of the car and opened the door.

    Had Lu Tingxiao invited someone else?

    A person alighted from the car. It was¡­Ning Xi?!

 Chapter 985: Theyve Made Up

    <h4>Chapter 985: They''ve Made Up</h4>

    Why was Ning Xi here with Lu Tingxiao!?

    Guan Ziyao was unable to hide her shocked expression as it was such a sudden revtion. She just stared at both of them.

    What was more unbelievable was that as Ning Xi came out of the car, she put her hand in his naturally.

    The girl wore the same white sports outfit as Lu Tingxiao''s and her hair was pulled into a ponytail. She rubbed her eyes like she had just woken up.

    It was too early for her to wake up that morning, so Ning Xi had reclined the seat and slept in the car, which was why everyone did not see that there was another person on the shotgun seat.

    They stood side by side wearing their couple outfit, looking exactly like a love-struck couple¡­

    How was this possible!?

    Could they have not broken up?

    There was not a trace of argument either!

    What had gone wrong?

    "M-Ms. Ning, you''re here as well?" Guan Ziyao tried to stay calm as she clenched her fists.

    Ning Xi still looked sleepy, so Lu Tingxiao answered in her stead, "She''s on holiday now, so I brought her out to rx."

    "I see¡­then let''s go, we might not be able to reach the peak before it gets dark." Guan Ziyao''s expression returned to normal. While she had a lot of questions, she understood that it was not the right time to ask. She was going to wait for the right moment to ask Lu Tingxiaoter.

    "That woman came too¡­" Lu Xinyan was disappointed when she saw the both of them in their couple outfit. She really thought that they had broken up!

    The others were surprised as well and they discussed among themselves in low voices.

    "It doesn''t seem¡­like they broke up."

    "Maybe they are just pretending?"

    "They made up! What''s so weird about it!?"

    ¡­

    Mo Lingtian did not shift his eyes away from Guan Ziyao the whole time. He clearly saw the change in her expression the moment she saw Ning Xi.

    He felt a sharp pain in his heart at the same time he felt suspicious. He had just briefly mentioned itst night, so why did she assume with such confidence that they must have broken up?

    Mo Lingtian felt that something was amiss. Was there something he did not know?

    With different doubts in each of their minds, they started their journey to the top of the mountain.

    Mount Yu Ming was about 3000 meters above sea level. It had beautiful scenery since it was a natural habitat for flora and fauna. One would be able to witness the majestic view of a floor of clouds and various green hills, and after a night of camping at the peak, the view of the sunrise the next morning was sure to be grandiose.

    Lu Tingxiao used toe here alone when he wanted to do some training or just to think something through but now, there was someone else with him.

    Ning Xi still looked really sleepy even after getting out of the car. She just replied to the greetings around her half-heartedly.

    Most of the people here were from the same bunch from thest time she had gone to the shooting range. Because of Ning Xi''s performance at the shooting range, their attitude was curious and wary of her but because they were with Lu Tingxiao, they treated her friendly on the surface.

 Chapter 986: Iâ€™m Impressed By Bro Xiao!

    <h4>Chapter 986: I¡¯m Impressed By Bro Xiao!</h4>

    This time, there was a pair of newlyweds who had gotten married very soon after they met each other through a blind date. The girl already startedining at the bottom of the mountain, "My gosh! It''s so high! Are we really walking all the way up? I can imagine that I''ll die halfway!"

    "It''s alright, I''ll carry you if you''re tired!"

    "You''re the best!"

    ¡­

    When he heard the newlywed''s conversation, Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl beside him. "Still feeling tired?"

    Ning Xi pouted, "It''s all your fault!"

    He had made the little bun unhappyst night, so she had to make up to him and only got a few hours of sleep.

    Lu Tingxiao understood what Ning Xi meant but it was a totally different thing from the perspective of the others and their wild imaginations ran¡­

    So, they really did make up! Did they do it all night long?

    Lu Tingxiao walked in front of the girl as she yawned and he bent over. "Get on."

    "What?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Get on me and continue sleeping."

    "Really?" Ning Xi was really tempted by his broad back and she quickly jumped on him.

    Lu Tingxiao adjusted his position and started walking with Ning Xi on his back. Everyone was speechless by what they saw.

    "Even a married couple lost to them!"

    "That guy was ready to carry his wife if she was tired but Lu Tingxiao is already carrying Ning Xi before they even started!"

    "I''m impressed by Bro Xiao!"

    "Hahaha, I would never believe that Lu Tingxiao has this side of him a few years back but now I''m already used to it!"

    ¡­

    They were halfway to the top and Ning Xi had slept through the whole journey. Lu Tingxiao continued without any sign of fatigue even with her on his back.

    A few people were panting behind him, "CEO Lu has¡­too much¡­stamina¡­"

    The group was chatting along the way and the camaraderie was great, except for Lu Xinyan and a few girls who were friendly with Guan Ziyao.

    Lu Xinyan chased up with Lu Tingxiao and said, "Bro, there''s still a long way ahead! How long does she n to sleep? Is she trying to tire you out!?"

    Ning Xi frowned a little because of the noise and Lu Tingxiao looked at Lu Xinyan coldly. "Quiet."

    Lu Xinyan was so frustrated!

    At the back of the hiking group, Guan Ziyao''s doubts grew stronger when she watched Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi¡­

    Finally, they reached the mountaintop around evening. After a short rest, everyone started setting up camp. Guan Ziyao could not hold it in anymore and went up to Lu Tingxiao. "Tingxiao, can I speak to you for a moment?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at Ning Xi who was setting up the tent.

    As she was focused on the tent, she signaled to him to go ahead with Guan Ziyao.

    It''s probably hard for Guan Ziyao to hold it in this long¡­

    Guan Ziyao felt humiliated by Ning Xi''s indifferent attitude. Where did her confidencee from?

    As they walked a distance away from the campsite, Guan Ziyao asked, "Tingxiao, did you see the message and photos I sent youst night?"

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao was still looking at Ning Xi even though Guan Ziyao was talking to him.

    "Did you see Ning Xi together with that man?" Guan Ziyao confirmed with him again.

    "Yes." Lu Tingxiao still looked calm.

    Was that all he had to react to this?

    Guan Ziyao took a deep breath and asked again, "Then¡­what do you think?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "Those are some nice pictures, thank you."

 Chapter 987: Lu Tingxiao, Youâ€™re So Cruel!

    <h4>Chapter 987: Lu Tingxiao, You¡¯re So Cruel!</h4>

    Nice pictures¡­?

    Thank you?

    For a moment, Guan Ziyao thought that something was wrong with her ears! Or something was wrong with Lu Tingxiao?

    Would a normal man react this way after seeing intimate pictures of his girlfriend with another man?

    Guan Ziyao took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She asked out of concern, "Tingxiao, are you being threatened by that woman?"

    She could not think of any other reason that would make Lu Tingxiao stay with that woman after something like that happened.

    "Nope," Lu Tingxiao replied in a firm tone without any odd expression.

    "Then, why are you still with her?" Guan Ziyao did not understand him at all.

    "The man in the pictures is me," Lu Tingxiao simply said.

    "You¡­what are you saying?" Guan Ziyao was shocked, then she continued, "The man in the picture is Ning Xi''s colleague named Ke Mingyu! How could that be you!? Did I send you the wrong pictures?"

    In a clear voice, Lu Tingxiao popped her bubble after she continued to find excuses for herself, "I am Ke Mingyu, I just altered my face."

    What Lu Tingxiao had just said so light-heartedly was extremely shocking to Guan Ziyao and she could not believe it. "It''s you¡­you said¡­you''re Ke Mingyu?"

    "Her career forbids us from publicizing our rtionship and we have very little time together, so I choose to spend time with her this way."

    It was rare for Lu Tingxiao to talk this much, yet every single word sliced through her like a knife.

    "Any more questions?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Guan Ziyao shook her head. She looked pale.

    Questions¡­? What else could I ask?

    No matter how much she thought about it, she could never have guessed that the man Ning Xi cheated with was Lu Tingxiao himself! The man who was cold to everyone had actually swapped his face and joined the act just to spend more time with that woman. She had tried so hard not to hurt his pride and had invited him to hike, thinking that he would finally realize the woman''s true colors¡­

    Yet, in the end, Lu Tingxiao just denied all her efforts; she was ying the role of the joker all along!

    "Then, allow me to say a few things," Lu Tingxiao spoke up after a short moment.

    "What do you want to say? That I''m a wicked woman who''s trying to separate you from her? I didn''t even know that that was you! I was really worried that you''re being cheated on!" Guan Ziyao yelled at him.

    Lu Tingxiao interrupted her and looked at her with his cold eyes. "Ziyao, there are things that I don''t say out loud because I think you''re a smart person. I believe that you understand."

    Guan Ziyao bit her lip with tears in her eyes. "Stop it! I don''t want to hear it!"

    Lu Tingxiao turned a deaf ear on her and forced his opinions upon her, "Ziyao, it''s impossible between us. No matter what happened before, now, or in the future, I''ve only ever thought of you as a friend and nothing else. Even if Ning Xi was not with me, I wouldn''t be with you either. I hope you don''t waste anymore time on me."

    Guan Ziyao did not expect Lu Tingxiao would be this straightforward to say something so hurtful to her. She was trembling. "Lu Tingxiao, you''re so cruel¡­"

 Chapter 988: Doting On Her To This Extent

    <h4>Chapter 988: Doting On Her To This Extent</h4>

    "I''m only telling you this because I still think of you as a friend. This is my final reminder. No matter if it''s you or your father, please stop what you shouldn''t be doing. Otherwise, I''ll let you know what real cruelty is. That''s all I want to say." Lu Tingxiao then walked away.

    Guan Ziyao felt her legs give way as exhaustion overcame her. She slumped onto the ground, her outfit soaked wet with her cold sweat¡­

    Yes, she knew! How could she not notice!? She just did not want to believe or ept it until Lu Tingxiao pointed out the obvious truth to her.

    "Lu Tingxiao¡­Lu Tingxiao¡­how could you do this to me!?" Guan Ziyao cried uncontrobly.

    There was arge tree just a few steps behind Guan Ziyao and Mo Lingtian was leaning against it in silence. He restrained himself even though he really wanted tofort her. If he showed up now, it would only make her feel embarrassed. While he knew that he should not be eavesdropping, he could not help but follow when he saw Lu Tingxiao and Guan Ziyao talking to each other.

    Who would have known that things would have progressed this way?

    From their conversation, it was Ziyao or her father who had investigated Ning Xi, then took evidence of her cheating.

    So that was how Ziyao was so sure that both of them would break up¡­

    But in the end, even he was shocked.

    Lu Tingxiao was just¡­indescribable! He was doting on that woman to this extent!

    As for Lu Tingxiao''s hurtful words, he looked at Guan Ziyao''s painful expression. While he felt sorry for her, he understood that Lu Tingxiao had done it for her own good. He also understood that Lu Tingxiao was willing to let this matter off because of him as a friend.

    If Ziyao still did not learn her lesson¡­

    But would she really? She was such a smart and proud woman. Now that Lu Tingxiao had revealed everything to her, would she be willing to let him go?

    Mo Lingtian''s uneasy heart had a selfish spark of hope within it¡­

    If Ziyao could give up on Lu Tingxiao, then maybe he would have a chance¡­

    ¡­

    Ning Xi finished setting up the tent, then she saw Lu Tingxiao return. "You''re back!"

    "Mmm."

    "Look at the tent I set up! Isn''t it great? It''s really solid!" Ning Xi patted her tent proudly.

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression darkened a little when he saw the girl''s carefree attitude. "Aren''t you worried at all?"

    "You''re really difficult, aren''t you? Are you going to be angry at me for trusting you?" Ning Xi said.

    Lu Tingxiao sighed. He knew that he could not beat her in an argument.

    "I''ve exined everything to her already," Lu Tingxiao reported to his wife.

    Looking at Lu Tingxiao''s expressionless face, Ning Xi almost giggled. She tiptoed and kissed him on the lips. "Good boy, I''ll give you a kiss!"

    When they were assigning tents, it was only natural for Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi to share one. Lu Xinyan was tentmates with Guan Ziyao, the newlyweds would share one, and the others split amongst themselves.

    Mo Lingtian was the only unfortunate one. Because they had odd numbers, one person would definitely be left out. Mo Lingtian never had a good temper to start with. In addition to his extra bad mood that day, no one wanted to share a tent with him, so he would be sleeping alone.

    It was going to be a sleepless night for many of them.

 Chapter 989: Not Even Our Son

    <h4>Chapter 989: Not Even Our Son</h4>

    There was a transparent portion at the top of the tent and because they were quite high above sea level, the twinkling stars could be seen clearly.

    Ning Xiy down beside Lu Tingxiao and as they both looked at the stars, she mumbled, "Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are¡­gosh, I''m missing Little Treasure already!"

    She could think of Little Treasure even by just looking at the stars¡­

    "Don''t think of other men when you''re with me."

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched in amusement. "He''s our son, alright?"

    "Not even our son," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Ning Xi was speechless. "Then, what would happen to our children in the future? My poor children will be abandoned by you!"

    Lu Tingxiao turned to her, his eyes shining brighter than the stars in the sky. "I won''t abandon them. Let''s make some."

    Ning Xi coughed, "Keep calm. I was just saying."

    Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi chatted about all sorts of things from having babies to the number of boys and girls they wanted¡­until there was a weird noiseing from the tent beside them. It sounded like a girl crying.

    "Is someone crying?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Nope," Lu Tingxiao replied expressionlessly.

    "No? But I heard it."

    The voices became clearer.

    "Mmm¡­mmm¡­ah¡­no¡­don''t¡­be gentler¡­"

    Ning Xi kept quiet.

    As the noises got more and more intense, Ning Xi understood what were they doing. It was the pair of newlyweds beside their tent.

    Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi won the battle in the daytime, so they wanted a rematch at night!

    "Mmm¡­dear, why do you think there''s nothing happening in Lu Tingxiao''s tent? Could he be tired from hiking? He has such good stamina though."

    "You naughty little thing! Are you really talking about another''s man stamina in front of me?!"

    "Ah¡­slower¡­how annoying¡­mmm¡­"

    ¡­

    Their voices got louder and wilder; almost everyone could hear them. It was understandable as they were newlyweds, so some of them just turned a deaf ear. However, of course, there were some that could not stand it.

    "You bastard, Zhao Haisheng! Keep your voice down!" Mo Lingtian roared from his tent.

    Everyone elseughed. They all thought that the showdown ended.

    They had anticipated hearing something from Lu Tingxiao and his little bunny''s tent, but Zhao Haisheng and his wife got to it first.

    But there was really nothing happening in Lu Tingxiao''s tent. Was he really that tired from carrying Ning Xi today?

    Just as everyone was thinking about it, suddenly there was a loud crash. Bam!

    Everyone hurried out of their tents to see Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi''s tent copsed¡­

    Even the tent copsed! Just how intense were they?

    As expected of Lu Tingxiao¡­

    A short whileter, Lu Tingxiao helped Ning Xi out of the tent with a dark expression. He stared at the girl. "So, this is your very solid tent?"

 Chapter 990: Cant They Be Any Purer?

    <h4>Chapter 990: Can''t They Be Any Purer?</h4>

    Ning Xi forced augh. "This doesn''t make sense. Did I miss out any parts¡­?"

    As she was mumbling in confusion, she suddenly realized that everyone hade out of their own tents and looked meaningfully at her and Lu Tingxiao. Even the newlyweds neighboring them looked like they conceded in defeat¡­

    When she realized what these people were thinking about, Ning Xi was immediately dumbfounded.

    Could all of them be a little purer in their thoughts?

    This time, Lu Tingxiao pitched the tent by himself.

    Not too far away, Guan Ziyao watched the two of them, feeling a surge of hatred that she had never experienced before well up inside of her¡­

    ¡­

    At about dawn, before the sky turned bright, Ning Xi was suddenly awoken by the morous noise outside.

    "Mmm¡­Lu Tingxiao, what''s going on outside?" Ning Xi rubbed her eyes and sat up, pulling the tent entrance open.

    Then, she saw that Lu Xinyan was anxiously checking the tents one by one for someone or something. With Lu Xinyan causing a ruckus, everyone woke up.

    "What''s happening?"

    When she saw Lu Tingxiao, Lu Xinyan looked as if she saw the pir of this issue and ran over with tears in her eyes. "Brother, Sis Ziyao has gone missing!"

    "What do you mean ''missing''?" Mo Lingtian rushed over and held Lu Xinyan by the arm, clearly agitated.

    Lu Xinyan anxiously exined, "When I woke up, I realized that Sis Ziyao was not inside the tent, so I thought she went to the toilet and did not pay much attention. But she never returned and she won''t pick up my calls! I''ve been looking around for her but I can''t find her! I''m very worried now! Would something have happened to Sis Ziyao?"

    Mo Lingtian picked up his phone and made a call. He frowned when the telephone operator''s automated message notified him that the other end had switched off their phone. When he thought about what happenedst night, he could not help but look troubled. "It shouldn''t be anything¡­this is a scenic site where lots of people visit. I''ve never heard any cases of wild beasts¡­"

    "What if Sis Ziyao took things too hard on herself and did something?" Lu Xinyan said as she stared angrily at Ning Xi.

    "Are Ziyao''s luggage and belongings still here?" asked someone.

    Lu Xinyan nodded. "It''s all here! So, there''s no way she would have left first. Even if she did, she would''ve definitely told me! In fact, Sis Ziyao has been acting weird sincest night. I''m really worried that something has happened to her¡­"

    Mo Lingtian suddenly roared, "Then, what are we still doing here? Everyone, quickly split up to look for her!"

    Damn it! If he knew this would happen, he would have shamelessly appeared to console her when she was sobbing yesterday. She had let her thoughts run wild¡­if something really happened¡­

    Lu Tingxiao''s words had indeed been quite hurtful yesterday. Even if Ziyao was strong, she was still a girl with her own emotions¡­

    Ning Xi entered the tent to get dressed. "Guan Ziyao wouldn''t really have done something out of depression, would she? Say¡­what did you say to her yesterday?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her, then repeated what he had said to Guan Ziyao word for word.

    When Ning Xi finished listening, she cleared her throat. "Cruel indeed."

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "Do you think I was too cruel?"

    Ning Xi chuckled, "I''m not at Mother Teresa''s level yet to pity my own romantic rival. Let''s go and look for her."

    Guan Ziyao had tried to step between them despite knowing that she was in a rtionship with Lu Tingxiao, so she did not think that there was a problem with what he had said to her. On the contrary, if Lu Tingxiao had left any space for doubt, that would be truly irresponsible to the three of them.

 Chapter 991: Whos The Third Party

    <h4>Chapter 991: Who''s The Third Party</h4>

    After getting dressed, everyone split up to look for Guan Ziyao in the surrounding area.

    "Xinyan, don''t be sad, Ziyao''s definitely not that weak!"

    "It''s all that woman''s fault. She''s just too much! She''s been trying to provoke Sis Ziyao since yesterday and intentionally had my cousin piggy back her and kiss each other as if no one else was around. At night, they even¡­ugh, just offensive public morals!" Lu Xinyan ranted.

    "That woman is indeed too much, I''ve been wanting to say that since yesterday. Is she here to hike or sleep? If she wanted to sleep, she should just go home! Why did she evene?"

    "Poor Ziyao¡­"

    ¡­

    The few girls who were usually on good terms with Ziyao had started toin and push all the me about the missing Guan Ziyao onto Ning Xi.

    Was it wrong for a couple publicly disy their affection for each other? If this was offending public morals, would he and his wife not be even more offensive by their standards?

    Zhao Haisheng and his wife, Ling Fei, had wanted to say something but those people were on Guan Ziyao''s side, so it would not do them any good to cut in. They could only shake their heads and continue the search.

    As the sky was beginning to brighten, time slowly passed for them and everyone had gone on separate ways, yet they still had not found her. Their expressions could not help but be filled with worry.

    Ning Xi''s search was unfruitful too. She scratched her head and suggested, "Lu Tingxiao, let''s split up to look! It''s faster that way!"

    If something really had happened to Guan Ziyao, it would definitely be very troublesome, especially for Lu Tingxiao. Even if it had nothing to do with them, the me would definitely fall on them. It was not like she had not heard all the people gossiping and whispering earlier.

    "The terrains here areplicated, you''d better stick with me," said Lu Tingxiao with a frown.

    Ning Xi helplessly looked at Lu Tingxiao who wished that he could tie her around him to carry. "I''m an adult. Do you think I''d get lost? Don''t talk so much, quickly look for her!"

    Lu Tingxiao could not stop her, "Call me if there''s anything, don''t get lost¡­"

    "I know, I know!"

    ¡­

    "Sis Ziyao! Sis Ziyao! Where are you?"

    "Answer me if you can hear me?"

    "Sis Ziyao!!!"

    Lu Xinyan shouted at the top of her lungs from the cliff and suddenly bumped into Ning Xi at a turn on the narrow path.

    When she saw Ning Xi, Lu Xinyan immediately shot her a nasty look. "Witch! Sis Ziyao is now missing because of you! Are you happy now!? You''re satisfied now, aren''t you!? How can you be this evil!?"

    Ning Xi raised her brows questioningly. "I hope in the future, when a third partyes between you and your boyfriend, and your third party goes missing when your boyfriend rejects her, I hope you can also be this righteous, Miss Lu."

    "You!" Lu Xinyan roared in fury, "What third party?! You''re the third party! You''re the third party between Sis Ziyao and my cousin!"

    "Miss Lu, do you really understand the meaning behind ''third party''? When I got into a rtionship with your cousin, I was single and so was he. How did youe to the conclusion that I''m the third party?"

    Lu Xinyan bit her lip and she rebutted, "Sis Ziyao and my cousin grew up together and they''ve known each other since they were young!"

    Ning Xi nodded solemnly. "So, your cousin said that he liked Guan Ziyao and wanted to marry her?"

    "He¡­he never said that to me, but my cousin definitely likes Sis Ziyao. He never got a girlfriend all these years because he was waiting for Sis Ziyao!" Lu Xinyan sounded incredibly certain.

 Chapter 992: Ning Xi Fell Down!

    <h4>Chapter 992: Ning Xi Fell Down!</h4>

    As she looked at the stubborn and naive girl, Ning Xi did not actually want to say more, but since she was Lu Tingxiao''s cousin, she still said something in the end. "Youngdy, you unt yourself as an envoy of righteousness to fight for someone else''s justice, but have you ever thought about asking your cousin''s thoughts as his own flesh and blood?

    "Did he really like Guan Ziyao before? Is the rtionship between him and Guan Ziyao as innocent and as undying a love as you thought?

    "You continue to question your cousin''s choice over and over again just based on one outsider''s hearsay to ruin him and his girlfriend''s rtionship. Don''t you think that there''s a problem?"

    "I-I¡­"

    Ning Xi had said so much but Lu Xinyan found herself tongue-tied.

    It was true that she had treated Guan Ziyao as an idol because she admired her; she was capable, outstanding, and intelligent. She would always be on her side. As for her cousin, she had never tried to understand him, only treating him as a traitor¡­

    When she thought about it, during her chats with Guan Ziyao, she subconsciously felt that they should ideally be a couple as she always heard Guan Ziyao reminisce about entertaining anecdotes from when they were younger, so she thought they liked each other. Nevertheless, Guan Ziyao had never given her a definite answer about they were really like.

    In fact, Ning Xi was right. When she had started dating Lu Tingxiao, they were both single, so who was the third party?

    Suddenly, Lu Xinyan actually found herself at a loss.

    However, even so, she remained her annoyed towards this woman before her. "Even¡­even if you''re not the third party, you can''t use my cousin''s sincerity to strut around, showing off or intimidate people. Do you know how sad Sis Ziyao is? You''ve obviously done something to hurt her and until now we don''t know Sis Ziyao''s whereabouts. Aren''t you at least a little regretful! How can there be someone as evil as¡­"

    As Lu Xinyan was angrily using her, Ning Xi''s expression suddenly changed as she ran at lightning speed towards her.

    Lu Xinyan, who Ning Xi had touched, acted as if she had been touched by something gross and instantly pushed her off of her. "What are you doing!? Don''t touch me!"

    Ning Xi did not expect Lu Xinyan to actually push her off suddenly. Even though she had pulled Lu Xinyan to safety behind her, she was pushed towards a copsing cliff. Before she could react, her body had faltered and she rolled off the cliff¡­

    Lu Xinyan watched, stunned, at the cliff where the hung precociously and watched Ning Xi''s silhoutte decrease in size until it very quickly disappeared. A few secondster, an rmed screech was heard, "Ahh!!!"

    "Xinyan! What happened?!"

    "What''s happening?!"

    A few of those nearby had been attracted over by Lu Xinyan''s screams.

    "Ning Xi! Ning Xi fell down! Save her! Quickly save her!" Lu Xinyan cried.

    The moment she said that, everyone''s expression changed.

    "What did you say?"

    "Why would Ning Xi suddenly fall off?"

    "What happened exactly? Xinyan, speak clearly!" Mo Lingtian asked with a serious expression.

    "Bro Tian! What do we do!? Ning Xi fell off! I saw her fall off myself! The spot I was standing in suddenly copsed. She fell because she saved me! Please save her! Quickly save her! Bro Tian! Get someone to save her!"

 Chapter 993: What The Hell!?

    <h4>Chapter 993: What The Hell!?</h4>

    Lu Xinyan could not hold it in anymore and started sobbing as she sat on the ground.

    At that moment, no one could think about Guan Ziyao anymore. They were engulfed in the shock of Ning Xi''s fall from the cliff.

    They could still see the clear signs of the copsed area on the cliff where Lu Xinyan had stood. Obviously, Ning Xi had fallen off from there.

    How could they save her? It was a bottomless abyss beneath them!

    Everyone knew that this was not the first time such a thing had happened on Mount Yu Ming. Many people took a wrong step and fell off the cliff every year and not a single body was found. Even if they were lucky enough to be found, there would be no possibility of surviving¡­

    Mo Lingtian''s voice shook as he said, "Beneath this cliff is the source of a waterfall and there are many rocks among the rushing waters. If someone were to fall in, if they were lucky enough not to have their heads bashed against those rocks, they still won''t be able to handle the strong impact from hitting the water. If we wait till she gets washed up onshore, I''m afraid we should expect the worst. But if we just go down the water to save her, it''ll be too dangerous. There have been simr incidents before this too and none of them were sessful in their rescue attempts¡­"

    The dreadful repression in the air expanded upon Mo Lingtian''s words¡­

    "What to do, what to do?! We were just out here for a hike, how did we end up like this?"

    Ling Fei who was patient for a long time could not hold it in anymore at that moment. With a sneer, she started to say, "All because of someone''s stubbornness and pretending to go missing! You all say that Guan Ziyao is so talented, so nice, but I don''t see that at all! If she was really nice, would she keep harping on someone else''s boyfriend? Even if she liked him, she can''t do such an immoral thing! Whose sympathy is she trying to buy by pretending to be ditched and betrayed? Lu Tingxiao has zero rtionship with her!"

    Many people started to echo Ling Fei. "That annoying Lu Xinyan keeps saying that someone bullied and angered her, but I don''t understand. Who bullied her? Who angered her? She went after someone else''s boyfriend with her own wishful thinking and even made herself the victim, so how''s she pitiful? She really deserves to be angered to death!"

    "And that Lu Xinyan is a brainless follower too. Now, they''ve both killed a nice, youngdy. They should be satisfied now!"

    When she heard those horrible words, Lu Xinyan slumped onto the ground in shock as if her soul had left her.

    She knew that she was dead¡­she was definitely dead this time¡­

    If something happened to Ning Xi, Bro Xiao would never let me go!

    Yet what made her even more afraid and panic-stricken was that she had watched someone plunged to her death right before her and she had even pushed her off!

    "Stop talking crap. Even if we don''t have a n, we have to think of something! If Lu Tingxiao finds out, we''ll all be in trouble¡­" urged someone.

    "Someone must inform Lu Tingxiao about this immediately!"

    "Inform¡­? Which one of you will go?"

    ¡­

    The air was dead silent again.

    Who would dare to tell Lu Tingxiao!? Did they have a death wish?

    "I''ll tell him!" Mo Lingtian ground his teeth and his hand trembled when he took out his phone.

    If he had not forced Lu Tingxiao toest night, nothing would have happened to Ning Xi¡­

    Just as Mo Lingtian was about to make the call, a girl''s shriek was suddenly heard from the crowd, "Ah! Ahhhhhh!!!"

    "Dear! What''s wrong?" Zhao Haisheng quickly looked at Ling Fei.

    Ling Fei nervously looked at the edge of the cliff a few metres away from her and shouted, "A hand! There''s a hand! Someone''s hand!"

    "Hand? Where?"

    Just as everyone followed Ling Fei''s finger to look over, indeed, they saw a hand. A fair hand that belonged to a woman.

    "What¡­what is that¡­?"

    "What the hell? Aaaaah!!!!"

    "My God! Could Ning Xi have turned into a ghost to demand for someone''s life?!"

 Chapter 994: Youre A Monster!

    <h4>Chapter 994: You''re A Monster!</h4>

    "Ahhhhh, ghost!"

    Instantly, all the girls'' shrieks rose. Lu Xinyan even almost fainted as the blood drained from her face from fright. It was chaos.

    "Hey¡­what ghost¡­?" At that moment, there was another hand on the rock of the edge of the cliff. What followed next was a swoosh as a dark figure rolled over from the edge and fell on the ground before them¡­

    "Wh-what is this?!"

    "What just crawled up? Ahhhhh!"

    "Jesus!"

    "It''s¡­Ning Xi! It looks like Ning Xi! Aah!!!"

    ¡­

    Oh my God! What did they just see? Argh!

    Ning Xi!?

    It was really Ning Xi!

    What was happening?

    Could she have climbed back up by herself???

    Ning Xi''s hair was in a mess and her white sports outfit was dirty beyond recognition. Underneath her fingers were a gritty mix of mud and moss. She was bending down and gasping for air. After she crawled up and caught her breath, the first thing she nervously asked them was, "Hey¡­you didn''t tell Lu Tingxiao, did you?"

    As they watched this scene unfold, everyone looked as if they had seen a ghost.

    Lu Xinyan had forgotten about crying as she stood there, stunned, while Mo Lingtian had fallen to the ground looking dumbfounded¡­

    "Hey, I''m asking you guys! Why are all of you looking so shocked?" Ning Xi asked again.

    "No! I haven''t had the chance to tell him!" Mo Lingtian answered nkly.

    "Good¡­don''t ever let him know about this¡­" Ning Xi breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down.

    Jesus! She was really crazy!

    The first thing she said after crawling back from the brink of death was not "Thank God I didn''t die" or crying and wailing; instead, she pleaded them not to tell Lu Tingxiao about this incident! Was she alright?

    Was Lu Tingxiao scarier than falling off a cliff?

    Mo Lingtian looked like he was having an anxiety attack. "How did you get back up here?"

    "Duh, I climbed back up!" Ning Xi answered sarcastically.

    Mo Lingtian questioned again, "Climb? How did you do that?"

    "With my hands."

    Mo Lingtian painfully swallowed his saliva and said, "Li-little bunny¡­no¡­heroine! How is your body even structured? Didn''t you die?"

    Ning Xi wiped off the sweat on her brow and rolled her eyes at Mo Lingtian. "Have you never heard of the cliff-divingw of survival?"

    Mo Lingtian''s mouth twitched. "I have, but this is my first time hearing of anyone climbing back up with bare hands. You''re a monster!"

    After everyone had regained their senses from their nervousness and shock, they started to ask Ning Xi one question after another.

    "What actually happened? Xiao Xi, did you really climb back up by yourself? That''s crazy magical!"

    "This doesn''t make any scientific sense. Do you know lightweight kungfu?"

    "Thest time I met you at the shooting range, I knew you weren''t normal! You wouldn''t have any special abilities, would you?"

    "I told you that Master Xiao has unique taste! Miss Ning is definitely not a normal person!"

    ¡­

    Pfft! You lot are the abnormal ones!

    When she heard them start to exaggerate beyondprehension, Ning Xi started to get annoyed. "You guys think too much. I''m a normal person and I don''t know lightweight kungfu. In fact, I didn''t even fall off. If I really did, how could I climb back up unless I had wing?!"

    "Then, what happened? Heroine, stop keeping us in suspense! Quickly tell us!" Zhao Haisheng wanted to get to the heart of the matter and the others nodded in agreement too. The way they stared at Ning Xi was as if she was the most popr storyteller in ancient teahouses.

 Chapter 995: Show Me How You Fell!

    <h4>Chapter 995: Show Me How You Fell!</h4>

    Ning Xi slowed down her breath and simply exined, "When I couldn''t control my body, I did my best to roll down with the help of shrubs to slow me down and the fact that this cliff isn''t entirely t; there was about a 70-degree slope. I did my best to slide down the cliff while maximising my body surface area that rolled on the slope. Thankfully, I only slid for a while before I finally got a grip on a rock that was sticking out.

    "Unfortunately, I was stuck in an awkward position and you guys couldn''t hear me when I shouted for you. My phone fell off, so all I could do was to climb up! I''m dead tired. I shouldn''t have beenzy and let Lu Tingxiao piggyback me. Life surees back at you quickly¡­"

    When they heard Ning Xi''s exnation, everyone was even more speechless.

    Jeez, she actually had the time to adjust the angle and her way of rolling down when falling off the cliff?

    This was insane! Indeed, she was no normal person!

    "Couldn''t you just have stayed put and wait for us to save you? What if you missed a footing and really fell down? What do we do then?" Mo Lingtian asked anxiously.

    When Ning Xi heard this, she did not say anything. She just looked indistinctly at Lu Xinyan''s direction.

    What Lu Xinyan decided to cover up after her fall?

    It was not that she was being pessimistic. She just had to consider such a possibility since, after all, Lu Xinyan and her were at loggerheads. In that situation, if Lu Xinyan did not say anything, she would not even know how she died.

    Plus, she was not sure how long the rock beneath her feet could hold up, so she quickly climbed back up by herself. There was no way that she would leave her life in the hands of others.

    Lu Xinyan felt ashamed under Ning Xi''s gaze. Her lower lip trembled and she was tongue-tied.

    In that instant, because of panic and fear of suffering the consequences, she had really thought of not letting anyone know or just say that Ning Xi had fallen off herself¡­

    "Okay, okay! All that you wanted to know has been answered. Now, stop surrounding this ce. If Lu Tingxiao notices, I''ll be dead! I''ve to quickly rush back to change my clothes and destroy the evidence. Bye-bye everyone¡­" Ning Xi said as she got to her feet.

    Seeing that she did not mention saving Lu Xinyan and had even wanted to hide this incident from Lu Tingxiao, everyone looked at each other in astonishment¡­

    "Hey, wait up, Miss Ning Xi, don''t move! We don''t know if you''re seriously hurt. You should go and get checked at the hospital!"

    "Exactly! Just to be safe, you must get checked!"

    "In fact, it''s such a huge thing. We shouldn''t hide this from Bro Xiao."

    ¡­

    Just as the crowd was getting in Ning Xi''s way and throwing her advice, a man''s cold voice cut through from the back, "What are you lot doing?"

    When she heard the voice, Ning Xi jumped and in a panic, she almost snatched someone else''s clothes to wear.

    Unfortunately Lu Tingxiao''s eagle eyes had already acurrately pinpointed Ning Xi who was hidden in the crowd and he walked right up to her. "What''s happening?"

    Ning Xi scratched her head and pretended to be calm. "I¡­tripped over¡­"

    "Would tripping look like this? Show me how you fell!" Lu Tingxiao''s eyes skimmed Ning Xi''s grimy body like an X-ray and he saw the copsed cliff behind her, including Lu Xinyan''s guilty expression that was bing increasingly miserable.

    Show him?

    "Th-that wouldn''t be nice¡­"

    The devil was so mean!

 Chapter 996: He Was Really Wrong!

    <h4>Chapter 996: He Was Really Wrong!</h4>

    "I was wrong!!!" Ning Xi decided that it was best to admit her fault.

    At that moment, everyone could not bear watching what was happening. "Bro Xiao, don''t be so fierce to Miss Ning. It was all thanks to her for saving Xinyan that she had almost fallen off the cliff!"

    "Exactly! Miss Ning must be frightened, you should console her instead!" Everyone started to help Ning Xi by coaxing him.

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression looked like a storm was brewing.

    Almost fell off a cliff¡­?! He had only been separated from her for five minutes!

    He was really wrong¡­

    Even if it were five seconds, he should not have let her leave his line of sight!

    Only until after Ning Xi''s peril was resolved did everyone notice that there was one more person behind Lu Tingxiao. It was Guan Ziyao.

    "Ziyao, where did you run off to? Do you know that all of us were worried sick about you?"

    "You disappeared without saying anything and your phone couldn''t be reached. Everyone''s been looking for you all morning and Xinyan even almost met with danger!"

    "Ziyao, you''re really quite irresponsible this time!"

    ¡­

    Guan Ziyao never would have thought that she would be confronted by this scene upon her return. Everyone was on Ning Xi''s side and critizing her¡­

    She tried to keep her expression still as she apologized to everyone in a sincere manner, "I''m sorry, I was just in a bad mood and went for a walk, and my phone battery died. I''m really sorry for making everyone worry about me!"

    However, not only did Guan Ziyao not gain everyone''s sympathy, many of them looked annoyed at her. Even her friends who had helped her speak up before had shut up now.

    The sharper ones could not help but start to think howe no one could find her after searching all around, yet it was Lu Tingxiao who had found her.

    Was it really a coincidence or intentional?

    At first, everyone might have sympathized with her a little, but now that they thought about the incident earlier, they all started to feel unfair on Ning Xi''s behalf.

    On one hand was a person who had always longed for someone else''s boyfriend, yet continued to victimize herself, even using her friend''s concerns to pick on Ning Xi and had gone missing without a care for all her friends'' worries. While the other one had used her capabilities to save someone who was always against her and had actually climbed up by herself after falling off the cliff¡­

    At that moment, everyone finally understood Ning Xi a little more. She was not really the weak little bunny; it was only with Lu Tingxiao that she revealed that side of her.

    Just like how Lu Tingxiao only revealed his soft side in front of Ning Xi.

    After Ning Xi climbed up, she did not mentioned the fact that Lu Xinyan had pushed her off at all. Lu Xinyan did not dare to say much because she felt guilty, much less help Ziyao out of the situation.

    If Guan Ziyao had not suddenly gone missing, all of this would not have even happened¡­

    Thank God Ning Xi had pulled her in earlier, or else, she really could have died!

    When she thought of the whole incident, she felt herself shaking from the trauma.

    Mo Lingtian looked gloomy as he walked to Lu Tingxiao''s side and said in a suppressed tone, "Lu Tingxiao, I''m sorry."

    Apart from this, he did not know what else to say. He felt guilty and med himself for what happened.

    He had even almost took his anger out on him and Ning Xi earlier for Guan Ziyao''s disappearance.

    Thankfully, Ning Xi was alright, or else, he would never be able to face Lu Tingxiao again. After all, it was him who had told Lu Tingxiao that he had toe, even threatening him with their friendship.

    ¡­

 Chapter 997: Tied To The Waistband

    <h4>Chapter 997: Tied To The Waistband</h4>

    Guan Ziyao did not know how to bear the social pressure until she got home.

    Last night, she had really felt terribly miserable, thus she had wanted to be alone. She also did not know why she had switched off her handphone with the intention of taking revenge on Lu Tingxiao.

    In a dark corner, as she watched everyone look for her anxiously and me Ning Xi, her mood that was on the verge of a breakdown had slowly turned around.

    She had worked out a suitable time to appear, so Lu Tingxiao would find her and she wanted to use the opportunity to have a good chat with Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Who knew that an ident would happen in the end and that she would be the target of criticism!?

    From the moment she had known of the woman''s existence, it was like a virus had attacked her perfect life. Everything had be a mess and it all spiralled out of her control.

    She could not continue being kind or merciful!

    After a night, she could finally calm down a little. She looked for her father and exined everything to him.

    "What? Ke Mingyu is Lu Tingxiao?" When he heard his daughter''s report, Guan Rui lookedpletely surprised too.

    "Yes, Lu Tingxiao said so himself."

    When he observed his daughter''s expression, Guan Rui could roughly guess what had happened. He patted her shoulder. "You''ve been wronged. I''ve been too careless about this."

    "It''s not your fault, Father. Who''d have thought that Lu Tingxiao would go to that extent for that woman¡­?" Guan Rui''s expression looked horrified, then he consoled Guan Ziyao, "You don''t have to worry too much, no matter how much Lu Tingxiao gilds that woman, even if he can improve her social status, you can''t uplift your origins¡­"

    "Father, is there some sort of secret about Ning Xi''s background?" Guan Ziyao asked in concern.

    "After I returned from the birthday banquet, I especially investigated. She is Ning Yaohua''s daughter, which isn''t much of an issue. This woman stayed in the vige until she turned 18, and was raised by an ignorant vigedy. After she was taken back to the Ning family, she did many ridiculuous things, so her biological parents found her embarassing, and would much rather have their adopted daughter, Ning Xueluo, and not her, because she was too inferior to be shown to public!" Guan Rui said with disdain.

    "But this woman has caused us to.miscalcte things over and over again, so we can''t take things lightly. We mustpletely destroy her before this woman seeds. However, Lu Tingxiao has been doting on her so excessively recently¡­"

    Guan Rui pat his daughter''s shoulder. "The more Lu Tingxiao dotes on her now, the more it''ll make Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi hate her. When that happens, we will boost our efforts, so even Lu Tingxiao wouldn''t be able to protect her! Ziyao, I won''t let you suffer for nothing! This time, I not only want to destroy her; I want to make her fall forever!"

    ¡­

    At tinum Pce entrance.

    "Ning¡­Ning Xi!" Lu Xinyan panted as she ran up to her.

    "What is it?" Ning Xi turned around and looked at the girl.

    "I¡­may I say a few words to you personally?" Lu Xinyan shot a look at Lu Tingxiao who was beside her. Because she was afraid, she could not help but shrink a little.

    "Speak personally¡­? I''m sorry, that might be a little hard!" Ning Xi said as she raised up one hand.

    Her fair wrist was being wrapped with tie, and the other end of the tie was held tightly in Lu Tingxiao''s hand¡­

    Great¡­now she had really been tied to his waistband¡­

    Lu Xinyan was speechless.

 Chapter 998: Very Exciting

    <h4>Chapter 998: Very Exciting</h4>

    A moment of awkward silence passed.

    Lu Xinyan gritted her teeth, closed her eyes and just mustered the courage to say in front of Lu Tingxiao, "Miss Ning, thank you for saving me! Also, I''m sorry! Before this, on the mountain, I didn''t mean to push you off me. I really didn''t know that you were trying to save me! Sorry! I''m so sorry¡­"

    Even Lu Tingxiao knew that things had not been that simple. With Ning Xi''s agility, she was only helping Lu Xinyan, so she would not have fallen off and after he heard this, his expression was instantly chilled to the core.

    Lu Xinyan was just a youngdy who could not handle Lu Tingxiao''s pressure. Her body was shaking all over. She was so frightened that she could pass out any minute.

    Ning Xi indicated to Lu Tingxiao that she would resolve the matter herself, then she touched her bandage-bound wrist and looked at Lu Xian,ughing grimly, "Hehe, lil girl, you almost cost me my life. Just saying that you didn''t mean to and that you''re sorry, do you really think that''s enough? If your apology was useful, what are the police for?"

    Lu Xinyan bit down hard on her lower lip nervously and looked miserable. "I''m willing to ept all the consequences!"

    Ning Xi stroked her chin in contemtion. "Hmm, willing to ept all consequences? You said it yourself¡­"

    "Yes¡­I-I did¡­to kill me or to scrape my flesh as you wish!" Even though Lu Xinyan stiffened and showed that she was reluctantly offering herself to be hit or killed, her trembling body clearly exposed her panic.

    At that moment, numerous scary imaginations had already crossed Lu Xinyan''s mind.

    This woman definitely won''t let me off the hook easily¡­

    As she shook with hopelessness, Lu Xinyan looked to her cousin to beg, yet she was met with sinister eyes even scarier than Ning Xi''s!

    Fine! I shall just submit to death! To die in this woman''s hand would be better than in Cousin''s hands!

    "Just¡­just say it! What do you want me to do?" Lu Xinyan tightened her hands into a fists and asked.

    Ning Xi pretended to hem and haw, contemting it for a while before she eyed Lu Xinyan and said faintly, "Call me ''Cousin-inw''!"

    "W-what¡­?" Lu Xinyan''s face went nk as she stood there bewildered by what she heard. She was stupefied for a while before it dawned on her.

    Was¡­was Ning Xi''s request¡­just that?

    Ning Xi''s brows raised as she urged, "Didn''t you say I could kill or cut off your flesh as I please? What''s wrong? Regretting it now?"

    After putting her emotions through such a rollercoaster ride, Lu Xinyan''s entire body shook even more and her tears could not help but roll down as she drooped her head low. She cried as she said in a shaky voice, "Cousin-inw¡­"

    When she heard this, Ning Xi finally nodded in satisfaction. "Okay, this issue wille to an end. Thanks to you, I had an exciting day and it was quite fun!"

    Ning Xi then dragged the scary-looking Lu Tingxiao away.

    Exciting? Quite fun?

    Lu Xinyan and Lu Tingxiao were both speechless.

    ¡­

    After they entered the living room, Ning Xi decided to take the lead and she pushed Lu Tingxiao onto the sofa for a kiss.

    Lu Tingxiao naturally guessed her naughty little thoughts, so he held on to her slim waist and kissed her hard¡­

    A long whileter, Lu Tingxiao pressed his lips to the girl''s slightly swollen lips. "Very exciting? Very fun? Hmm?"

    Ning Xi suddenly looked like she was about to cry. "You''re still bringing that up?"

    She thought that her actions could temporarily resolve the danger!

 Chapter 999: Husband?

    <h4>Chapter 999: Husband?</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao stared at her with a darkened expression. "What do other people''s lives have to do with you?"

    Ning Xi cleared her throat. "Hey, that''s your cousin! It''s not very nice for you to say that."

    "Even if it was me, I don''t allow to do such things!"

    "That''s nothing¡­I''ve dabbled in way more dangerous things than this back then. What happened today was a totally small case. I wouldn''t do things I''m unsure of¡­"

    She had exined till her mouth went dry, yet Lu Tingxiao remained stiff as a rod. Ning Xi could not help but cry on the inside. She had gotten the upper hand and made Lu Xinyan apologize, but now it was her turn to be in the pits.

    Ning Xi persisted in rubbing her hand against the man''s chest and said, "Don''t be angry, okay? Next time, I''ll really be good and stay beside you. I won''t just run off!"

    Lu Tingxiao indicated that he did not trust her at all.

    Ning Xi felt like her words did not carry enough weight, so she murmured, "Then, what can I do to appease you?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her with darkened eyes, not saying anything.

    Ning Xi''s eyes lit up. She suddenly thought of something. "Hmm, don''t be angry, alright¡­husband?"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    You win!

    ¡­

    Half a month went by since that incident had happened.

    Since then, Ning Xi''s life had been significantly affected¡­

    The worst thing was the devil''s maddening and random style of safety education. The other thing was that her apartment had gotten so filled up that she had nowhere to stand. It was filled with all sorts of hampers, expensive clothing, makeup and those sort of things. There was even a pair of nunchucks, a soft sword, and other weird things like guns and knives¡­

    The hampers with tonics were sent by Mo Lingtian and Guan Ziyao while the clothes and makeup were sent by Lu Xinyan. As for the nunchucks, sword, and knives, those were given by Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi.

    She knew why most of them had sent her those things, but she was really confused about Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi.

    Why were these two suddenly trying to win her favor?

    Ding dong! The sound of the doorbell was heard.

    Ning Xi opened the door and noticed Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi at the door again. These two tall and strong guys held sausages and smoked goose in their hands.

    "Lady Boss, this is our hometown''s specialty, try them!" Shi Xiao''s words were eager and careful. He now kept calling her "Lady Boss" and his attitude was entirely different from the initial arrogance he had disyed thest time.

    Xiong Zhi echoed, "Lady Boss, try them! If you like it, we''ll bring more for you the next time!"

    Ning Xi sighed and leaned against the door. "The both of you, please just be direct! Stop beating around the bush. Are you still senior leaders?"

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi nced at each other, then decided to be straightforward after some contemtion. Shi Xiao started, "Lady Boss, can you let us bros protect you?"

    Ning Xi raised one brow. "Protect me? Are you sure?"

    When they recalled the Lady Boss''s valiance, Shi Xiao silently wiped off the beads of sweat on his brow. "Lady Boss, I know our shooting skills can''tpare to yours, but in terms of agility, while we might not be the best, we''re still two of the top few!"

    "I''ve already finished shooting my show," said Ning Xi.

    Shi Xiao quickly replied, "Exactly! Exactly because you''re done the shooting, you''ll need us! Lady Boss, when you''re popr and you''re always surrounded by your fans and reporters when you go out, you definitely need bodyguards! When that happens, can you speak to the Boss¡­and use the two of us?"

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. These guys¡­when did they learn to brown nose¡­?

    "Then let''s speak again when I''m famous!" Ning Xi said casually.

    Did¡­did this mean they had a chance?

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi looked at each other again, suddenly feeling very emotional. They both agreed, "Lady Boss, you''ll definitely be famous!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Thank you so much for your confidence in me¡­

 Chapter 1000: Getting Better At Games!

    <h4>Chapter 1000: Getting Better At Games!</h4>

    At Glory World Entertainment, in Ling Zhizhi''s office.

    "Congrattions on wrapping up the shoot. You''ve worked hard!"

    "It wasn''t hard at all! This movie is probably one of the happiest shoots I''ve gone through!" Ning Xi said sincerely, her face beaming with some good memories in her thoughts.

    After all, she had acted with the little devil! However, of course, she should be careful and not show too much happiness.

    Ling Zhizhi looked at her with a sense of concern in her eyes.

    Ning Xi noticed and quickly asked, "What''s wrong, Sis Zhizhi?"

    Ling Zhizhi contemted and decided to be straightforward. "Ning Xi, let me ask you. What''s up with you and Ke Mingyu?"

    Ning Xi blinked. She looked calm on the outside but a storm churned in her heart. Damn it! Could it Sis Zhizhi have found out!?

    "Uhh¡­Sis Zhizhi, why would you ask?" Ning Xi questioned carefully.

    "I just feel like something''s odd between the both of you. Do you like Ke Mingyu?" Ling Zhizhi tried to ask.

    When Ning Xi was shooting, Ling Zhizhi had also constantly gone over to apany her, so it was inevitable for her to notice that something fishy was up. She obviously did not have any concrete evidence or else, she would not be taking on this tone right now. It was only with a woman''s sixth sense that she could tell that the way Ning Xi looked at Ke Mingyu was indeed out of the ordinary.

    Ning Xi subtly rubbed her chest and thought thankfully to herself that her secret was still safe. Her expression returned to nonchnce as she said, "Oh, it''s just some good vibes! I like people who look cold and reserved. It makes me have the impulse to tease them!"

    From Ning Xi''s tone, it did not sound like she had anything on with Ke Mingyu, so Ling Zhizhi stopped worrying and said to her with displeasure, "You should still be careful. The way you look at Ke Mingyu, it''s just¡­too tant!"

    Ning Xi coughed. "Understood! I''ll be careful!"

    "Here''s a variety television show slot that I''ve just epted for you. Take a look at it. It''ll be at least another one or two months before your show goes up in the theatres, so it''s the most suitable time for variety shows now or else, you''ll be forgotten by the audience if youck exposure," said Ling Zhizhi.

    "Oh, oh, let me take a look!" Ning Xi took Ling Zhizhi''s information sheet and skimmed through. She had only been on interview-based variety shows a few times and did not have much experience in other types of variety shows.

    When she flipped open to the first page and saw the name of the variety show, Ning Xi started to take more interest. "Cute Baby Pair Up? The name itself sounds quite adorable!"

    Ling Zhizhi briefly introduced, "It''s an outdoor parent-child reality television show. The show''s content creator will pair up celebrities who will experience what''s it like to be a "mother" for the first time together with a cute child that they are strangers to. The life of a parent and a child will be depicted. The main draw factor is to show the other side of young idols after they are removed from their halos of celebrity life¡­"

    Ning Xi nodded. "Oh, so it''s this type of show! Understood! Before this, these shows were very popr! They''ve done the father version, so now they''re doing a mother pairing¡­these television stations are getting better at games."

    "This time, the director of the television station personally called to invite you to be a special guest in an episode," said Ling Zhizhi.

    "Whoa! The director thinks so highly of me?" Ning Xi was ted.

    "Becuase you look like you''ll be the worst at taking on the maternal role."

    Ning Xi was instantly dumbfounded. "On what basis!? Why can''t I be a good mother?!"

    "Because of your image," said Ling Zhizhi simply.

    Ning Xi choked and she said angrily, "This is practically discrimination!"

    The most important thing in reality television shows were conflicts. Conflicts made viewer rating skyrocket. By choosing a young and gorgeous, well-dressed female celebrity who did not know how to take care of children at all would psych the audience to want to watch how she would perform¡­

 Chapter 1001: Do You Really Need To Be Beaten Up?

    <h4>Chapter 1001: Do You Really Need To Be Beaten Up?</h4>

    Ning Xi and Ling Zhizhi had gone through the necessary details to finalize the decision on the shoot for "Cute Babies Pair Up".

    When she returned home, Ning Xi first changed into her male disguise, then called Zhuang Keer. Zhuang Keer had silently done her a huge favor, so she still owed her a feast and she now finally had the time to treat her. She had even especially changed into a male outfit to make the girl happy.

    "Hello, Keer!"

    "Hello, Xiao Xi¡­" The voice on the other end of the phone sounded raspy and weak.

    Ning Xi immediately frowned. "Keer, what''s wrong with your voice? Are you sick?"

    "Cough, cough¡­it''s fine, I''ve just got the flu and a fever¡­"

    "How did you get a fever? Have you gone to the doctor? Eaten your medicine?"

    "I have, and I''ve eaten my medicine too. Don''t worry, I''ll be fine after a nap. Did you call me for something?"

    "It''s nothing, I wanted to treat you to a meal, but we can do that anytime. Your health is more important. Rest well at home!"

    "Oh, okay¡­" Zhuang Keer''s tone sounded like she felt it was a great pity missing out on such an opportunity. She had been waiting for Ning Xi to finish being busy and she had finally invited her out for a meal but what luck that she had to fall sick at this time!

    Ning Xi obviously heard the disappointment in Zhuang Keer''s voice and sheughed lightly. "I''ll go over to see you tomorrow, alright?"

    "Really?" Zhuang Keer''s mood immediately lightened up. "Don''t you have to shoot?"

    "We''re done, so I''ll be quite free these few days. Is there anything you want to eat? I can cook for you!"

    "I can''t taste anything and have no appetite for anything, so I don''t know what I want to eat either¡­"

    "Then, I''ll y by ear! Just wait for the good food!"

    "Mmm!"

    ¡­

    After she hung up, Ning Xi felt that since she had changed, it would be a waste not to go out, so she called Tang Lang out for drinks.

    At the same time, she wanted to find out some things about the other side. Initially, she found out that they were returning to China which worried her, yet there had been no signs of movement after waiting for many days. This made her even more frantic. She wondered if that dude was nning some huge move to make.

    "Second Senior Brother,e out for a drink! Let''s go to that No. 8 bar from thest time! My treat!"

    "You lil punk, you still want to deceive me!? Do you think I''m that stupid to fall into your trap again this time!? I wouldn''t go even if you killed me! Even if it was full of pretty girls, I wouldn''t go!" roared Tang Lang angrily from the other end of the line.

    When she heard his agitated voice, Ning Xi was shocked. "Don''t be so emotional, dude! This time, I''m really just innocently asking you out for some drinks and a chat!"

    "Liar!"

    "I''m really not lying! Besides, First Senior Brother already beat you up thest time, so why would he beat you up again? Do you really look like you need to be beaten up?"

    "Yes!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Her persuasive banter had to drag on with Tang Lang for half a day before he finally agreed to go over sneakily.

    The most oundish thing was that the dude even wore a security guard uniform.

    "Yo! Why are you dressed like this?"

    "To cover up as a disguise!" Tang Lang nervously looked around him. Only after confirming that Ning Xi was alone and there was no ambush, he sat down.

    "Look at your pathetic look! Do you really have to?" Ning Xi looked condescendingly at him.

    Tang Lang immediately replied snarkily, "Haha, you''re talking about me? Who was it that betrayed me without hesitation under Tang Ye''s threats?"

    Ning Xi coughed. "Fine, fine, let''s not talk about that. Have you been in touch with First Senior Brother recently?"

    "Do you think I''d dare contact him before I can even defeat him?" Tang Lang said unhappily.

    "Okay, well this treat is wasted¡­I wanted to ask you about thetest¡­" Ning Xi sighed.

    Tang Lang sipped on his drink and started indistinctly, "Thetest, aye!? I do actually have news!"

 Chapter 1002: It Must Be Very Excitingâ€¦

    <h4>Chapter 1002: It Must Be Very Exciting¡­</h4>

    "What, what? What news?" Ning Xi immediately asked.

    "Even though I haven''t been in touch with Tang Ye, I did meet with Third Senior Sister and she told me to remind you to be more careful these days as Feng Jin mighte up with some huge trick!" Tang Lang said.

    Ning Xi immediately had goosebumps when she heard his warning. "Damn it! Since Third Senior Sister reminded you, why didn''t you tell me earlier!? If I had never asked you, would you ever tell me? Don''t be so petty and do so as part of your thirst for revenge!"

    Tang Lang rolled his eyes at her. "Revenge, my ass! It''s Feng Jin making the move. Do you think it''ll work if you''re more careful? You might as well just continue to live your life in ignorance and carefreeness! Besides, you already have someone backing you up, so what''re you worried for?!"

    Tang Lang had said the second half of the sentence with intense jealousy.

    "Okay¡­" Ning Xi indicated that she had no way to rebutt.

    But she was really curious! How was General Feng preparing to deal with her? It would probably be very exciting¡­

    When he looked at Ning Xi''s well-nourished little face, Tang Lang could not help but mutter, "I''m just saying, apart from shooting movies, working, and earning money, you''re also dating and taking care of that kid. With so much on your te, I almost think you''re being possessed by something! Before this, you wouldn''t even have gone more than a week without courting disasters!"

    The disasters Tang Lang was referring to were rted to her hobby of extreme sports, and she was really quite addicted. She would feel horrible if she did not dabble in such things every few days.

    Ning Xi held her chin when she heard this. Her eyes turned ssy as shemented, "That was my old life, how boring! I was numb from having fun all day, so I could only y with my life¡­As for now¡­"

    "What about now?"

    "After meeting my beloved and little baby, my life has be very interesting every day. Of course, I don''t need to court disasters anymore!"

    The moment Ning Xi finished, Tang Lang wanted to p himself for asking! Why had he asked?!

    ¡­

    The Ning Xi now would not be at the bar past midnight. She would have asked to leave after staying for a short while.

    Tang Lang mumbled with dissatisfaction as he followed her out the bar.

    Ning Xi was just about to bid Tang Lang farewell when a group of youngsters dressed in heavy metal outfits noisily made their way towards them from across the road.

    The leader of the youth wore harem pants and a patterned jacket. There was a hot girl in his arms and the group looked pleased with themselves.

    When Ning Xi saw him, she instantly frowned. "Zhuang Rongguang¡­"

    Damn it! Did he not have a curfew? What time was it now? Why was this punk still outside?

    Zhuang Keer was so ill, it must be because she''s been tortured by this punk!

    She saw that Zhuang Rongguang had answered a call by the roadside, then he hung up with an incredibly annoyed looked. He just switched off his phone and continued to hug his girl before he announced to the rest, "Homies, let''s go somewhere else and continue! We''re not going home until we''re drunk! My treat!"

    "Woohoo!" everyone cheered, "But Guang, where are you getting the money? Isn''t your card locked up at home?"

    "I lied to my sister and got it back¡­pfft, I even took some from her too!"

    "Your sister is so good to you!"

    "What''s so good? She keeps annoying me!"

    ¡­

    Tang Lang saw that Ning Xi was suddenly lost in thought as she stared at the hot girl. He could not help but feel his mouth twitch. "Old habits die hard, eh? Why have you stopped in your tracks when you see a pretty girl? Is she that pretty?"

    Ning Xi rolled up her sleeves and said, "I''m not just looking, I even want to snatch her away!"

 Chapter 1003: Still As Wild!

    <h4>Chapter 1003: Still As Wild!</h4>

    Tang Lang was stunned. Then, he watched her whiz over to the group of youngsters, then firmly held the hand of the girl in Zhuang Rongguang''s arm''s and pulled her away into her arms.

    Zhuang Rongguang was instantly furious seeing the girl in his arms being pulled away while he was off-guard. "Hey! Where''s this crazy a**hole from? What are you doing?"

    The girl, who Ning Xi had saved, was also about to curse when she turned her head and found herself stop¡­

    Under the moonlight, her savior''s face was breathtakingly wicked. An unbridled arrogance made its disy between his brows and his two cold blinking eyes seemed to be able to suck away her soul.

    "So¡­so handsome¡­" Such a Casanova!

    Ning Xi hugged the girl and said without any expression, "I''m interested in this girl!"

    His tone was full of arrogance!

    The girl stared at Ning Xi with an infatuated expression like she not only had no intentions to struggle, but like she even wanted to give herself away to "him".

    Ning Xi''s arrogant tone and the beautiful girl''s attitude made Zhuang Rongguang instantly pissed off. "Damn it! You lil punk! Do you want to die?!"

    The people beside him were outraged too.

    "Where did this lil punke from?"

    "Crazy!"

    "Is he drunk?!"

    "Forget about him! Beat him up! Bros, let''s go!"

    ¡­

    Ten minutester, more than ten of the youngsters had fallen onto the floor, all of them groaning like ughtered pigs.

    This was such a disgrace!

    There were so many of them, yet none of them could defeat this one guy. Not only that, they could not even touch him at all! This was so humiliating!

    Zhuang Rongguang had it the worst. He kept getting hit in the face. Before the wound on his face healed, he would probably not leave home for at least ten days to half a month.

    Tang Lang watched this scene, bbergasted. He was wrong, really wrong! It would be crazy to think that this person was now a ve to marriage! She was still as wild!

    Zhuang Rongguang covered his beaten up face sorely. "You punk, where did youe from?! Tell me your name! How dare you hit me and steal my woman!? You''re so dead! Do you know who I am?"

    Ning Xi squatted in front of the whining Zhuang Rongguang and said coldly, "Zhuang Rongguang! You idiotic wimp! I''m beating you up! I''m snatching this girl from you! In fact, I''ll beat you up every time I see you!"

    Beat you up every time I see you¡­???

    Zhuang Rongguang thought this tone sounded familiar, yet he could not immediately remember where he had heard this from. Not only that, this act of snatching his woman and beating him up was oddly familiar too¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang was dizzy from the blows, so he could not think any further. He shot a look angrily at the man before him. "Bastard! Who are you calling an idiot? Who the hell are you?"

    Could it be an enemy? But he did not know this person at all!

    This punk looked so demonic. If it was someone he knew, there would be no way he would not remember¡­

    Ning Xi stood up and looked down at him. "You''ll find out very soon!"

    ¡­

    "Hey! Handsome, wait for me! How could you forget me?" When the hot girl saw that Ning Xi was leaving, she quickly chased after her.

    "Uhh¡­" Ning Xi suddenly remembered her and simply nudged the girl to Tang Lang. "Single dog, gifting to you!"

    Then, she walked off.

    The girl was so angry that she quickly made a move to start running after Ning Xi again. Nevertheless, when she saw that Tang Lang was quite handsome too, her eyes shone. However, afterparing Ning Xi to him, she was still unhappy. She looked Tang Lang and asked, "Excuse me, do you know that handsome guy''s phone number? Could you give it to me?"

    Tang Lang replied, "110!"

 Chapter 1004: Bastard! How Is It You!?

    <h4>Chapter 1004: Bastard! How Is It You!?</h4>

    The next morning, Ning Xi woke up bright and early and put on the new male outfit she had just bought. She cooked a pot of fragrant seafood porridge and filled a Thermos with it, then she made her way to the Zhuang residence to visit a particr sick girl.

    At house number seven on Chang''an Road, when the guard saw that the visitor was a young, fashionable and strange man, they were vignt and called the Zhuang family for verification before suspiciously letting Ning Xi in.

    When she reached the door, a servant led Ning Xi upstairs. Zhuang Keer practically did not have any friends, more so of the opposite gender and it was such a handsome young man too. Thus, all the servants were very curious and they all stole many nces at Ning Xi.

    "The Miss''s room is right here!" The housekeeper led her to Zhuang Keer''s door.

    "Thank you!"

    "Is it Xiao Xi? Quicklye in!" An enthusiastic voice was heard from inside of Zhuang Keer''s bedroom.

    The moment Ning Xi walked in, she saw that Zhuang Keer was very busy, so she could not help but ask, "Keer, what are you doing?"

    "I didn''t know that you would be here this early. I haven''t had the time to put on some makeup and change my clothes!" Zhuang Keer looked anxious.

    Ning Xi helped her to her bed and said, "Mydy, you already look very pretty like this!"

    "Bro Xi, you wore a male outfit today¡­" Zhuang Keer noticed Ning Xi''s dressing and her eyes could not help but sparkle. Even the way she addressed her had changed.

    Ning Xi smiled and teased, "Yeah! I promised you that you could see your dream guy anytime, didn''t I?"

    "In fact, looking at handsome guys is beneficial for your body and mind, it can make you happy and you''ll get well soon!" Ning Xi said as she opened the Thermos she had brought, "I came early especially to bring you some breakfast. I''m guessing that you probably don''t have the appetite for anything else, so I made you some seafood porridge! Try it!"

    "Thank you!" Zhuang Keer did not think that Ning Xi would be this considerate. She instantly felt so touched and did not know what to say.

    "Don''t thank me! It should be me who''s thanking you!"

    Ning Xi was the kind of person who felt that both revenge and favors had to be repaid in multipliers. She could not stand it the most when someone was kind to her. If someone was genuinely kind to her, she would go all out to repay them, so the porridge was just a small matter.

    "Is it yummy?" Ning Xi fed her a spoonful of porridge.

    Zhuang Keer could not get enough of it even after finishing half the Thermos. "Mmm, it''s so yummy, Bro Xi, how did you do it? The porridge at home is tasteless but yours is so fragrant!"

    "If you want to learn, I can teach you next time!"

    "Mm-hmm!"

    "Are the Elder and Senior Official Zhuang not at home?"

    "Grandfather is at the sanitarium, while Father has been with his troops for the past few days, and Mother is out of the country for most of the year, so it''s just me at home! Oh, wait, no. My brother is here too. He seems to have fought with someone against night. It''s a good thing Father isn''t home these two days, or else, if he found out¡­"

    Zhuang Keer was still speaking to Ning Xi when¡­bam! The door had been rudely pushed open. Outside the door, Zhuang Rongguan stood there stupidly. "Sister! You¡­"

    Before he could continue, Zhuang Rongguang''s idiotic face twisted further and he looked as if he had seen a ghost, then his fury spiraled as he stared at Ning Xi to shout, "Damn it! Bastard! How is it you?"

    Zhuang Keer immediately frowned. "Rongguang, don''t be so rude!"

    "Sis, what is this guy doing in our house? What''s the rtionship between the two of you? What''s happening here?" Zhuang Rongguang felt like he was going crazy as if he was in a nightmare.

    Why had this guy appeared bright and early at his house? And he was even sitting on his sister''s bed!

 Chapter 1005: He Snatched My Girl!

    <h4>Chapter 1005: He Snatched My Girl!</h4>

    "He''s my friend. What''s wrong?" Zhuang Keer was confused as she felt that Zhuang Rongguang''s reaction was odd.

    Zhuang Rongguang was further triggered by her reply. "Friend?! Sis, don''t get conned by him, he''s a bastard! He beat me upst night and even snatched my girl away! Look at my face! It''s all his fault!"

    "What did you say?! How did something like that happen?!" Zhuang Keer''s expression changed.

    Zhuang Rongguang stared at Ning Xi while clenching his teeth. Heined, "It''s true! Sis, this bastard was really looking for trouble! Not only did he snatch my girl, he''s even onto you now. I was just hanging around with my gangst night, then he¡­"

    Zhuang Keer held onto Ning Xi''s hands gently. "Bro Xi, did you really fight with them? Are you alright?"

    Ning Xi patted the girl''s hands. "It''s alright, they couldn''t do anything to me."

    "Thank goodness¡­" Zhuang Keer let out a sigh of relief.

    Zhuang Rongguang was really frustrated. "Hey! What''s going on?! Did you hear what I just said, Sis?! This guy beat me up! And snatched my girl!"

    "Be quiet, I''m not deaf! He beat you up for your own good!" Zhuang Keer replied in an annoyed tone.

    Zhuang Rongguang could not believe what was happening. "Sis, you''ve been charmed by this bastard!"

    Zhuang Rongguang then stared at Ning Xi angrily. "Bastard, what did you do to my sister!? I''m not going to forgive you!"

    He sprinted towards Ning Xi but in the next moment, he tripped and fell onto the floor.

    Zhuang Rongguang helped himself up. He felt that he was going insane soon. Why did the way he tripped just now feel so familiar? Who exactly was this bastard?

    "Come at me! Don''t mess with my sister!" Zhuang Rongguang got back up on his two feet and steadied himself.

    Ning Xi crossed her arms. "Finally, you say something decent!"

    "Let''s talk business! What do you want?!" Zhuang Rongguang said fiercely.

    Damn it! Although his sister was annoying at times, she was the one who protected him the most. Now, this bastard, who had appeared out of nowhere, had gotten her on his side!

    "You want me to not mess with your sister? Sure! As long as you defeat me!" Ning Xi demanded.

    "You¡­" Zhuang Rongguang''s face turned red.

    His gang could not eveny a scratch on herst night. What could he do alone!? This bastard was trying to embarrass him!

    Ning Xi touched her chin when she saw Zhuang Rongguang''s hostile face. "Fighting might be a little unfair to you. Let''s change it up!"

    "How?" Zhuang Rongguang asked suspiciously.

    "Anything you choose. As long as you can defeat me, you win!" Ning Xi replied.

    This bastard! How arrogant!

    "Are you for real?"

    "Of course!"

    "Anything¡­even games?" Zhuang Rongguang asked for confirmation.

    He carefully thought about it and realized that there was nothing that he was really good at aside from ying mobile games. Although his Glory of Light ount from the Holy Realm game had been discarded, it might not be that big a deal to log back in just this once¡­

    Ning Xi grinned cockily. "Of course!"

 Chapter 1006: One Game To Decide

    <h4>Chapter 1006: One Game To Decide</h4>

    "Are you sure? Do you even y games!? Do you know about ''Holy Realm''?" Zhuang Rongguang stared at the man in front of him suspiciously, feeling like the man''s smile was a little creepy for some reason.

    "I have an ount," Ning Xi replied.

    This bastard ys Holy Realm as well? Zhuang Rongguang was a little surprised. Zhuang Rongguang then listed a few other games and he knew all of them.

    After some consideration, he still picked Holy Realm in the end since he was best at this among all the other games.

    He had initially nned to borrow an ount from someone else especially because after what had happened thest time. He had promised everyone to quit the game, so it would be embarrassing for him to log back into his main ount right now. However, if this bastard had some premium weapons, it would be humiliating if he lost.

    His Glory of Light ount had one of the best in-game equipment, making him rank no. 10 on the list. He did not believe that this bastard would have a better ount than his. What was important now was to make this guy leave his sister. Things would get really bad if he became his brother-inw!

    Zhuang Rongguang quickly said, "Then, we''ll duel in ''Holy Realm''! How about that?"

    "Sure, I''m fine with it," Ning Xi replied.

    They both went into Zhuang Rongguang''s room and Zhuang Keer followed them.

    Zhuang Rongguang''s room was a typical boy''s messy room.

    "There''re twoputers here, both of the same specs. Pick one!"

    "Alright."

    Ning Xi picked one and they both sat down.

    Zhuang Rongguang logged into the game while Ning Xi slowly opened the game homepage and took her time to enjoy the updated log in interface.

    Many of Zhuang Rongguang''s friends were surprised when they saw he had logged in. Zhuang Rongguang simply replied to their private messages: "I''m not him".

    He had never logged in since his defeat, so his in-game character had stayed at where he was killed by Piercing Wind.

    Throughout his absence from the game, this ce became a well-known area and attracted many yers to drop by and to talk about how cool Piercing Wind was when he had tortured Glory of Light.

    This exined why many yers noticed when Glory of Light logged in. Soon, the entire public chat was flooded with talk about him.

    Zhuang Rongguang muted the chat, then he looked at Ning Xi with a smug face. "This is my ount! You can give up now if you want to!"

    He also bragged to his sister, "Sis look, isn''t my character cool!? All my equipment are legendary! It''s really worth a lot!"

    Ning Xi watched Zhuang Rongguang''s screen. As expected, Zhuang Rongguang had logged into his Glory of Light ount.

    Zhuang Rongguang felt a little irritated. "Stop staring! Where''s your ount!? Log in now! It''s toote to regret right now!"

    Ning Xi put her finger on the mouse and clicked to log in.

    A notification popped up and there was a red notice shing in the public chat: [Top #1 ranking yer Piercing Wind has logged in!]

    The video of a character was yed on everyone''s screens. A man with a huge silver scythe on his back appeared.

 Chapter 1007: Just How Much Do You Hate Me?

    <h4>Chapter 1007: Just How Much Do You Hate Me?</h4>

    P-Piercing Wind!! Why was he online now!?

    Zhuang Rongguang looked at the character in front of him right now and was terrified.

    He had a really bad premonition¡­

    He slowly turned back and looked at Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi was also looking at him with a wicked smile. "Little boy, I said it before, didn''t I? I asked you to delete the game! If not¡­I''ll kill you every time I see you¡­"

    Zhuang Rongguang''s in-game character was already dead by the time Ning Xi finished her sentence¡­

    Wh-what was happening?!

    Zhuang Rongguang finally saw Ning Xi''s game ID. It was Piercing Wind!

    This bastard was Piercing Wind!

    Zhuang Rongguang pointed his shaky finger at Ning Xi with a painful expression on his face. "You¡­you''re Piercing Wind! You''re the one who killed me, ruined my wedding and even took away my girl that night!"

    "Yep, that''s me."

    Zhuang Rongguang was enraged and he yelled, "You bastard! Just how much do you hate me?! You''re not only against me in the game, you''re even against me in real life!"

    "I thought I''ve exined that before already." Ning X raised her eyebrows.

    "What?" Zhuang Rongguang asked.

    "I don''t like you," Ning Xi shrugged and replied.

    "You¡­!" Zhuang Rongguang was absolutely annoyed and he turned to Zhuang Keer. "Sis! Look at him! This is how he treats your brother! He''s so shameless! Are you really going to be with someone like him?"

    Zhuang Keer did not listen to anything Zhuang Rongguang yelled. Instead, she stared admiringly at Ning Xi. So, this was how Ning Xi helped to get Rongguang back home the other night. She had even beaten him upst night to teach him a lesson¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang felt hopelessness when he saw his sister''s worshipping eyes. "Are you really my real sister!?"

    "Bro Xi, is this your character?" Zhuang Keer went next to Ning Xi and asked curiously.

    "Yeah!" Ning Xi nodded.

    "Ooh, it looks so cool! This game seems fun, how do you y it?" Zhuang Keer asked interestedly. She had never been in contact with anything of this sort.

    "I''ll demonstrate to you." Ning Xi clicked the mouse and started showing her.

    "Okay!"

    Ning Xi then controlled her character and killed Zhuang Rongguang''s revived character in just one blow.

    Zhuang Rongguang was speechless.

    Zhuang Keer was really excited and she pped her hands. "So cool!"

    "Come here, I''ll teach you!" Ning Xi then let Zhuang Keer have a seat and showed her how to kill Zhuang Rongguang''s character over and over again.

    Zhuang Rongguang felt dreadful looking at them! He really felt like leaving his home!

    He bitterly went up to Zhuang Keer. "Sis! You have to pick today. Either you leave this bastard, or I''ll never call you my sister again! It''s me or him!"

    Zhuang Keer frowned. Ning Xi patted her shoulder, then she looked at Zhuang Rongguang. "I''ve said that as long as you beat me in anything, I''ll do anything you want. I''ll give you a chance to continue to choose!"

 Chapter 1008: Road To Destruction

    <h4>Chapter 1008: Road To Destruction</h4>

    Continue to choose¡­?

    Zhuang Rongguang walked around the room anxiously, scratching his head and trying really hard to think of something.

    His best shot was at games! What else could he do?

    Racing? Yes! He raced pretty well too!

    But this bastard seems like he''s pretty versatile. It''s too risky¡­

    ying cards, horse riding, gambling¡­Zhuang Rongguang thought of all the things he did, but none of them seemed to be something he could best Ning Xi in!

    In the end, Zhuang Rongguang looked unwell because he realized that he was pretty useless¡­

    As he was running out of ideas, he suddenly thought of something. "Right! Shooting! Compete with me at shooting!"

    Ning Xi''s expression was a little awkward when she heard Zhuang Rongguang''s challenge.

    "Shooting¡­why shooting?"

    Young man, why do you try so hard to destroy yourself¡­?

    Zhuang Keer stared at Zhuang Rongguang in surprise. "My brother''s shooting skills are pretty good¡­"

    But did he not hate guns very much? Today, he¡­

    "Pretty good!? I''m freaking talented, alright?"

    Zhuang Rongguang had finally found something that he could totally dominate others in, so he was really pumped up. "You said it yourself, I can pick anything. You lose if you don''t agree to this!"

    Ning Xi smiled. "I''ll do anything for Keer."

    "I hope you can still be smiling like thister on!" Zhuang Rongguang clenched his teeth and red at Ning Xi. "Just to rify, we''repeting on a professional shooting range with real guns. It''s not some child''s y! We''re going to the Northern shooting range!"

    Ning Xi replied, "Okay!"

    Known as the best shooting range in the whole of China, Zhuang Liaoyuan had invited her over before but she had been busy, so it was a good opportunity for her to visit this time.

    "I''ll go too!" Zhuang Keer was afraid that something bad might happen. Specifically, she was afraid that her brother would do something mean to Ning Xi, so she had to watch closely.

    "You''re still sick and you need to rest more," Ning Xi reminded.

    "It''s alright, I feel much better after a night of good sleep, but it''ll do me good to walk around too!"

    "Okay then, put on some more clothes."

    "Mmm!"

    ¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang was irked by their lovey-dovey act right in front of him. He promised himself that he would humiliate that bastard so badly that he would never show up again!

    Half an hourter, the three of them reached the Northern shooting range. Zhuang Rongguang made a call and a young man in a camouge uniform came out to bring them in.

    After they settled down, the young man left.

    Chief Zhuang''s son had actuallye to the shooting range on his own ord?! He had been so against it before even though the Chief had pointed a gun to his head. And it was not just Zhuang Rongguang. Even the Chief''s daughter, Zhuang Keer, was here too with a young, handsome man¡­what a weirdbo¡­

    As a loyal servant, he quickly made a call and reported this strange incident to the Chief.

 Chapter 1009: Too Late To Turn Back

    <h4>Chapter 1009: Too Late To Turn Back</h4>

    "What did you say? Rongguang is at the shooting range?" Zhuang Liaoyuan was very surprised.

    "Yes, Ms. Zhuang is here as well with a handsome young man," the young soldier replied.

    "Noted, you go and look after them." Zhuang Liaoyuan was afraid that his son might make a mess.

    "Yes, Sir!"

    ¡­

    The news about Chief Zhuang''s kids being present with another man spread to the whole of the shooting range quickly.

    Most of the shooting enthusiasts especially Zhuang Liaoyuan''s subordinates, went to the no. 1 shooting range to check them out.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan reached there quickly as well and the crowd opened up a path for him when he arrived. They greeted respectfully, "Hi, Sir".

    He saw two familiar silhouettes. One of them was Rongguang, the other one was Keer and there was also a young man with them.

    "What the heck?! Why did he have toe¡­?" Zhuang Rongguang mumbled to himself, but it was toote to turn back now.

    Whatever, he had to beat this bastard first!

    Zhuang Keer went up to greet her father when she saw Zhuang Liaoyuan, "Father, you''re here!"

    "Mmm, what happened?" Zhuang Liaoyuan asked as he looked at Zhuang Rongguang and the unfamiliar young man.

    Zhuang Keer pulled him aside and then exined, "Things are a littleplicated¡­but basically, that man beside Rongguang is actually Xiao Xi. You know, that celebrity, and she usually disguises herself this way¡­"

    "What? That''s Ning Xi?" Zhuang Liaoyuan was shocked. He stole a few more nces and did not feel uneasy about this girl wearing a male outfit. Especially when she held a gun, she had the aura of a strong sharpshooter.

    She had worn a maid''s outfitst time and a male outfit this time. As expected of an actress, she took on the character of whatever role she acted as¡­

    "Then, what about Rongguang? Why is he with Xiao Xi?" Zhuang Liaoyuan asked again.

    Zhuang Keer sighed and exined hesitantly, "Actually, Rongguang has been sneaking outte at night to y games at the inte cafe and to drink at bars. I just casually mentioned it to Xiao Xi and she felt bad for me, so she punished him a little¡­"

    "Oh? How did Xiao Xi do that?" Zhuang Liaoyuan sounded interested.

    "Well¡­it seemed like she once killed Rongguang in aputer game and forced him to quit. She also beat him upst night and she focused on his face. You know Rongguang cares a lot about his image, so he probably won''t go out for quite some time¡­" Zhuang Keer replied anxiously.

    "Not bad." Zhuang Liaoyuan nodded.

    Zhuang Keer let out a sigh of relief. She thought her father would be angry at Xiao Xi but fortunately, her father thought the same way as her.

    "So, when Xiao Xi came to visit me this morning, they both met and got into a fight¡­Rongguang misunderstood our rtionship and thought Xiao Xi was getting close to me for revenge! In order to make Xiao Xi leave me, Rongguang was challenged by Xiao Xi to defeat her in anything, then she won''t bother me again¡­"

    "So, Rongguang chose shooting?" Zhuang Liaoyuan finally understood what had happened. At the same time, he felt an indescribable feeling bubbling inside of him.

 Chapter 1010: This Bastard Will Lose For Sure

    <h4>Chapter 1010: This Bastard Will Lose For Sure</h4>

    Actually, Zhuang Guangrong was really talented but he was also veryzy and he was afraid that he would be forced to train every day if he were to develop his talent.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan actually did put him up for training every day, but in the end, the child did not even want to touch a gun anymore, no matter what he tried.

    However, today, Zhuang Rongguang suggested topeting in shooting. He had taken up a gun again because of Ning Xi¡­

    Zhuang Keer looked at the both of them unhappily as she mumbled, "I don''t want Xiao Xi to lose. Rongguang will be really cheeky if he won¡­"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan smiled. "That brat is unlucky today, but it''s good for him to learn a lesson. Then, he''ll know what real talent is!"

    Zhuang Keer was surprised and confused. What did her father mean?

    Zhuang Rongguang and Ning Xi picked their guns, not bothering to put on the protective gear.

    While Zhuang Rongguang felt that those equipment were not cool, Ning Xi was used to real fights whereby the equipment might be an obstacle to her instead.

    "So, how do you want to do this!?" Zhuang Rongguang felt confident this time after being humiliated by Ning Xi so many times.

    Ning Xi leaned against the wall. "You decide the rules, I''ll follow."

    Zhuang Rongguang thought about it. "Okay, ten shots for the both of us. We''ll see who gets the highest score!"

    "Sure."

    "That''s set then, I''ll go first!" Zhuang Rongguang was looking forward to seeing Ning Xi''s dumbfounded face. Maybe she would even give up after he was done!

    Ning Xi stepped back and signaled that he could start anytime.

    Zhuang Rongguang took a deep breath, focused and picked up the gun, then aimed at the target. At that moment, he felt like he was one with the gun.

    He had always favored guns since he was a little kid. He just hated being controlled by his father and he waszy, so he had denied his father''s and grandfather''s expectations¡­

    Bang!

    Bang!

    Bang!

    ¡­

    Shots were fired one after one. After ten shots were done, the score counter disyed the total score: 100 points!

    Ten consecutive perfect shots! 100 points in total!

    His perfect score shocked the audience!

    Zhuang Rongguang put down the gun and turned to Ning Xi, saying coldly, "No matter how much you hate me, I hope you stick to our promise and stay away from my sister!"

    Ning Xi almostughed out loud seeing this young man trying to act tough. "Amazing! I''m really impressed! But I''m not the kind to go down without a fight. I''ll try for Keer!"

    "Whatever!" Zhuang Rongguang replied.

    I''ve got a perfect score. This bastard will lose for sure!

    Actually, he himself was also surprised by his score today. It seemed like he was really a genius, the kind that could release an enormous amount of potential at important moments. What a talented genius!

    Zhuang Rongguang gave his father a nce, trying to silently brag about his achievement.

    On the other side, Ning Xi did not start right away. She went up to Zhuang Keer. "Keer, may I borrow something from you?"

 Chapter 1011: This Is Our Familys Child!

    <h4>Chapter 1011: This Is Our Family''s Child!</h4>

    "What is it?" Zhuang Keer asked, unsure what Ning Xi wanted from her now.

    Zhuang Keer wore a white dress and had a whitece ribbon on her wrist. Ning Xi gently took it off. "This."

    "Sure¡­but, Xiao Xi, why do you need this?" Zhuang Keer was confused.

    Zhuang Liao Yuan''s expression changed into one of suspicion. This child¡­could it be¡­?

    Zhuang Guangrong was irritated. This bastard was flirting with his sister even in a situation like this!

    Under everyone''s attention, Ning Xi geared up and tied the whitece ribbon around her head, slipping it over her eyes, then she pointed the gun ahead and released three shots.

    Bang!

    Bang!

    Bang!

    ¡­

    After ten rounds, the score counter disyed the score: 100 points!

    Blindfolded!

    Zhuang Rongguang was shocked. He could not say anything and just stood frozen there in disbelief¡­

    This bastard was blindfolded¡­and still got a perfect score!

    How was this possible!? No way!

    He had only seen his father achieve such a feat before!

    How could he do it? Who exactly was this guy?

    Zhuang Keer did not expect Ning Xi to borrow herce ribbon as a blindfold and she screamed excitedly, "Ah! Oh my gosh! Bro Xi, you''re amazing!"

    That was really cool.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan was impressed, his hawk-like eyes were full of passion and excitement.

    This child¡­surprised him more and more every time¡­

    Hitting all 10 points on a stationary target was difficult, but it was not impossible; veterans with sufficient training could achieve it. However, under a blindfold, training would not be sufficient. One would need enormous talent and an extremely sharp sense.

    Many talented snipers hit the bottleneck because theycked that sort of acumen. Especially in real fights, in chaos and with targets running all over the ce, sharp senses became vital to stay alive¡­

    Suddenly, Zhuang Zongren''s voice came from the back. "This¡­this child¡­"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan was surprised. "Father, why are you here?"

    "I heard Rongguang picked up a gun. How could I note!?" But at that point, his attention had shifted to the young man beside Zhuang Rongguang. "Liaoyuan, whose child is this? Superb marksmanship! Is he your subordinate?"

    Zhuang Liaoyuanughed bitterly. "If this was my subordinate, I''d have sweet dreams every night."

    "Then, this child is¡­?" Zhuang Zongren was confused.

    "Actually, you know this person too. This child was the girl who saved you beside the river the other day. She''s just dressed in a male outfit today," Zhuang Liaoyuan replied.

    "What?! This is that girl!? The one who saved me?"

    "Yes."

    Zhuang Zongren was astonished and became even more curious. "What an amazing girl! Whose family''s is she from?"

    "Ours," Zhuang Liaoyuan replied.

 Chapter 1012: Put On A Girlâ€™s Outfit

    <h4>Chapter 1012: Put On A Girl¡¯s Outfit</h4>

    Zhuang Zongren said exasperatedly, "I''m being serious with you, stop joking around!"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan looked at him solemnly. "Father, I''m not joking. I didn''t n to tell you about this, but I suppose you''ll be investigating about her on your own now¡­like what I did. I looked into her background because I intended to recruit her for her excellent marksmanship!"

    "And then? Go straight to the point!" Zhuang Zongren urged.

    "There''re too many people here. I''ll tell you in more detail when we get back!"

    Zhuang Zongren had to suppress his curiosity. He then looked at Zhuang Rongguang and the girl¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang was on all fours on the floor with a defeated expression. "Bastard¡­don''t you act all high and mighty now! Give me a few days and I''ll do the same as well!"

    Ning Xi squatted down in front of him with a smirk. "Then, I''ll wait for you. If you can really do it, not only will I leave your sister alone, I''ll even put on a girl''s outfit and walk three rounds around the shooting range. How does that sound?"

    Walk three rounds around the shooting range in a girl''s outfit!?

    "Really?" Zhuang Rongguang looked up, revived.

    Making this bastard walk around the shooting range for three rounds! In a girl''s outfit! Just imagining it, he felt his heart race with adrenaline. He could then get his revenge!

    "Of course, your sister is here as a witness!" Ning Xi looked at Zhuang Keer mischievously.

    Zhuang Keer turned her face to the side as she covered her mouth and tried to notugh out loud. Xiao Xi was really naughty but really cute!

    Zhuang Liaoyuan shook his head with a smile. "Finally, someone can control my child!"

    Zhuang Zongren was still contemting his son''s words. He did not understand what did he mean by "our child"?

    "Then¡­I want you to wear a pink dress! With high heels! And a flower on your head!" Zhuang Rongguang pushed his limits.

    Ning Xi agreed instantly, "Sure! No problem!"

    "Bastard, you just wait and see. We''ll meet again a monthter! I''ll surely make you wear a dress!" Zhuang Rongguang yelled, feeling power swell within him.

    He must defeat this bastard! He had to humiliate him and make him pay! Also, he would be taking a video of this bastard in a girl''s outfit as ckmail¡­

    ¡­

    At night, in the Zhuang family''s study.

    "That child¡­is Lingyu''s daughter!" Zhuang Liaoyuan went straight to the point and blurted the truth out to Zhuang Zongren.

    Zhuang Zongren felt hurt about Zhuang Lingyu as he still med himself after so many years. Zhuang Liaoyuan did not want to tell him about Ning Xi''s identity because he did not want to remind him of the sad events from the past.

    "What? Lingyu''s daughter?" Zhuang Zongren''s expression changed into disbelief.

    "Yes." Zhuang Liaoyuan nodded.

    Zhuang Zongren stayed silent for a long while upon hearing Zhuang Lingyu''s name. After some time, he said slowly, "But¡­I saw Lingyu''s child two years ago and she didn''t look like this¡­"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan sighed, "It was not Xiao Xi that you saw. It''s prettyplicated. I''ll exin to you slowly. I''m afraid that you won''t be able to take this much¡­"

 Chapter 1013: Zhuang Familyâ€™s Bloodline

    <h4>Chapter 1013: Zhuang Family¡¯s Bloodline</h4>

    "I really can''t take it if you don''t keep holding back the truth from me!" Zhuang Zongren snapped.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan told the elder the key points, "The girl you saw thest time was not Lingyu''s biological daughter. It was her foster daughter. She took home the wrong child from the hospital and only realized it when her child turned 18¡­"

    "So, the child that saved me is Lingyu''s biological daughter?"

    "Yes."

    "I remember it was an important event. Why would she bring her foster daughter instead of Xiao Xi?" Zhuang Zongren asked.

    "Well¡­after Xiao Xi was brought back to the city, many things happened. It''s probably because she stayed in such a remote area for 18 years, she couldn''t adapt to the city life quickly and she did some inappropriate things¡­

    "And because of that, Lingyu never liked her, so she sent her overseas to study. Xiao Xi just returnedst year, but this child never nned to go back to the Ning family. She had been working on her own¡­

    "Over the years, Lingyu has been saying that Ning Xueluo is her real daughter, so Ning Xi was assumed to be the foster daughter¡­"

    Zhuang Zongren''s temper rose. "Ridiculous! That''s her biological daughter! How could she!? Just because she would lose some face, she''s not acknowledging her own daughter?"

    "You know Lingyu, she cares about her face a lot, especially after she married Ning Yaohua. Just to prove us wrong, she could never allow any w of hers to be exposed¡­"

    Zhuang Zongren felt tired all of a sudden, physically and emotionally. "Let it be, many years have passed and I''ve already epted that I don''t have a daughter like her. It''s just¡­that innocent child has suffered so much¡­"

    "That child is really diligent and hardworking. She''s got a sharp mind as well. She started her own fashion studio. Oh, Keer''s dress that she wore at the dinner thest time was given by her!" Zhuang Liaoyuanforted.

    Zhuang Zongren''s expression softened, then he said in excitement, "I wonder why this child has such talents in marksmanship. It''s as expected of our bloodline¡­have you talked to her about joining the army?"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan expected this from his father. He replied helplessly, "Father, I suggest you drop the thought. I''ve talked to her about it long ago, but she already has something else in mind."

    Moreover, someone would never agree to it¡­

    ¡­

    Recently, Ning Xi had spent most of her time in the studio, which had gotten into a little trouble.

    Spirit Studio''s business grew bigger and bigger and more employees joined them. They had now became apletely independent production.

    With Spirit Studio''s growth, there were bound to be people who would be jealous, especially their toppetitor, History.

    David tried really hard to find out who the designer behind Spirit Studio was but because Gong Shangze''s own creative space was a separate area from the rest of thepany, aside from core members such as Han Momo and Qiao Wen, no other employees had ever seen him before.

 Chapter 1014: Counterattack

    <h4>Chapter 1014: Counterattack</h4>

    Some of the more important customers had seen him in person before and theymented that the secret designer, ZX, who was behind Spirit Studio was a handsome young man, even better looking than some of the new artistes!

    David was relieved because based on that sort of description, he was sure that it could not be that nerdy Gong Shangze!

    While his biggest threat was settled in his mind, Spirit Studio''s sudden growth took him by surprise. Without any sign, they had quietly grown to be such a formidable opponent; they were even more popr than History when they had just started out!

    Thebination of the threat from Spirit Studio and the pressure from Ning Xueluo was worsened by the fact that the design drafts he had stolen were dwindling and none of the designers he hired were up to his standards. He tried to create some designs by himself, but he realized that after all these years of focusing on sales and business, his mind simply went nk whenever he tried to create a new design.

    Fortunately, History still retained most of their big customers, which were surely unreachable by Spirit Studio, but thetter was just like a de at his throat and he could not let it grow any further.

    In order to stand a chance to win an award, Ning Xueluo had gone away to a vige to shoot a literary film and she was furious when she found out about Spirit Studio the moment she came back.

    "What''s wrong with you? Didn''t I ask you to watch them closely?! How did they grow this much in the short time that I was away?!"

    "Thepanies in the industry are mostly in good rtionships with us. We can talk to them and tell them not to take any jobs from Spirit Studio, but who''d expect them to focus on the socialite circle? That isn''t something we can tap into¡­"

    "Stop with the excuses, you''re just useless! If they didn''t get the Golden Awardst time, it wouldn''t have turned out like this today!" Ning Xueluo fumed angrily.

    She still had not found out why Ning Xi was so close to Zhuang Keer. The elder had intentions to revise his will and History was in such a bad state of affairs as well. She was very exhausted ruminating about the possibilities of the future.

    David had almost yelled at her. She was pushing all the responsibilities onto him again!

    While it was true that the Golden Award was his mistake, but what about what had happened afterward? Not only did the owner behind Spirit Studio coborate with Qing Shengyue, rumor also had it that they had hired an expert from the industry and even Zhuang Keer was fond of them¡­

    As for Ning Xueluo, she did nothing apart from me the designer! Designers were supposed to design. They could not do everything under the sun!

    If it had not been for his getting those design drafts, there would not be any History today!

    While David thought about it, he kept quiet and suppressed his anger for a moment. "Boss, the matter isn''t as severe as you think. Spirit Studio is just giarizing my designs but they won''t stand tall for long. I''ve contacted a few mainstream media outlets to write about some things. Spirit Studio must be having some troubles now¡­"

    ¡­

    At the same time, at Spirit Studio, Ning Xi looked at the news about Spirit Studio that Han Momo had collected. A cold smile spread across her face. "I knew that guy would counter us!"

    "David is really too much! When can we reveal his true colors to the public?!" Han Momo growled angrily.

 Chapter 1015: All For This Day

    <h4>Chapter 1015: All For This Day</h4>

    Ning Xi touched her chin. "We have nothing to fear. On the other hand, that guy will have a lot to worry about. The moment we go into the international market will be the day David goes down¡­but for now, there''re a lot of matters we need to settle. Since all the designs are done by the same person, there''re too many simrities. To those who don''t know what''s happening, they might really believe the media¡­"

    Gong Shangze spoke up, "Boss, I''ve thought about this as well. Although there''s a huge shift in my design stylepared to the past, I''ve always liked Ling Fengming, Zhang Daqian, and Qi Baishi, and I always refer to their calligraphic paintings as my inspiration. David is catching on to this and making news out of it! So, I think that our design for the new season will need to use something no one has ever used before, a Chinese element that''s exclusively from Spirit Studio!"

    "If that''s how we''re doing it¡­then, we''d need a master to create a new art for us." Ning Xi gave it some thought. "But if we''re inviting a calligraphy artist, it''s a little risky¡­"

    "Yes and it has to be a famous and professional artist!"

    After a short while, Ning Xi spoke up, "I''ve thought about someone¡­Song Jin, Master Song! I''ve been to his art exhibition before. It''s absolutely amazing! Sadly, he''s retired already and probably won''t take on anothermission!"

    Gong Shangze was excited. "Boss, we''re thinking about the same person! I''m his hardcore fan! Back then when he was still active, I spent three years of my savings and bought one of his paintings. Unfortunately, it went missing after I was chased out by thendlord and now, there isn''t any work of his on the market¡­"

    "So, you mean¡­you want to invite Elder Song to make aeback?" Ning Xi asked.

    "It might be difficult, but I''d like to try!" Gong Shangze nodded. "I''ve always hoped to coborate with Elder Song. It might just be my selfish desire, but I''d really, really like to make it work¡­"

    "Let''s try it! I''ll go with you tomorrow!"

    "R-really?" Gong Shangze was surprised because he knew that it was risky, but he had still proposed the idea anyway.

    "Of course, for a designer, what''s important is your passion! The excitement! If Elder Song''s work can fire you up, I''ll fully support you!" Ning Xi then turned to Qiao Wen. "Director Qiao, what do you think?"

    Qiao Wen replied, "While the chance is low, there''s no harm trying. Masters like Elder Song rely on fateful encounters a lot, so you guys might be lucky and he might agree to help. Even if it doesn''t work, we have other alternatives."

    "Alright, we''re set then!" Ning Xi decided, "About those nonsense news, I hope that the public rtions department can take care of it!"

    "Mm-hmm, I''ve made arrangements already," Qiao Wen assured.

    Ning Xi was really relieved that she had a professional on the team. Qiao Wen had already set up a strong public rtions team some time ago, all for a day such as this one.

 Chapter 1016: An Open Challenge

    <h4>Chapter 1016: An Open Challenge</h4>

    David could taint them but they could do the same!

    With the effort of Qiao Wen''s PR team, the industry discussion quickly took a turn and suddenly, most of the fashion magazines shouted headlines like these:

    [David can''t forget about Golden Awards, uses opponent of giarism]

    [History''s poor quality, ws everywhere. Is David''s talenting to an end?]

    [Golden Awards judge, China''s best designer support ZX]

    [Spirit Studio openly challenges History: Let''s look forward to the next season!]

    ¡­

    Ning Xi had specifically mentioned something about David''s exhausted talent, attacking him where it hurt the most.

    The public was easily guided. In addition to how few pieces David was releasing every season, their quality was not exactly up to standards. Soon, the headlines were getting more and more agreement from the public.

    Since Spirit Studio had issued an official challenge, everyone put their focus on the next season''s line. While History had no actual proof that Spirit Studio giarized, David was already suspected to have run out of ideas, so they could only take the challenge head-on. This war would wage into the next season.

    ¡­

    At night, in a famous revolving restaurant in the midst of Imperial.

    Ever since she came back, Lu Xinyan always looked for Guan Ziyao and hung out with her but recently, she had not been contacting her. Realizing this, Guan Ziyao asked Lu Xinyan out for dinner.

    "Xinyan, did Ning Xi give you any trouble for what happened? I''ve apologized to her personally. It''s all my fault but if she still mes you for it, ask her to speak to me directly!" Guan Ziyao asked.

    Lu Xinyan tried to remember what happened the other day, then she quickly replied, "Not really, she probably wouldn''t do anything to me for my cousin''s sake. Don''t worry, Sis Ziyao!"

    "Alright!" Guan Ziyao nodded, then asked, "What happened to the endorsement you talked about thest time?"

    "Well¡­Ning Xi made it pretty clear that it''s probably not going to happen! But recently, I''ve been making some new ns although I''m not sure if they''d work¡­" Lu Xinyan sighed.

    "Actually, there''re a lot of such brands avable. Have you thought about changing to another one? Guan Ziyao asked.

    "Changing to another brand?"

    "Yeap, have you heard about History before? It''s a pretty good brand and it''s better known than Spirit Studio. I''ve contacted the person-in-charge already, so there shouldn''t be any problem. If you''re willing to, they''ll wee you!" Guan Ziyao said.

    Lu Xinyan did not look very interested. "I''ve heard about them before but¡­I still prefer the clothes from Spirit Studio¡­"

    "But I heard some bad rumors about Spirit Studio recently¡­"

    "I''ve heard about those too but it''s just all talk! I''ve looked through most of the clothes from both Spirit Studio and History. While the styles are simr, Spirit Studio have taken them a notch higher! And David''s recent designs make me feel that his time really hase to an end. I don''t think that highly of him now. On the other hand, Spirit Studio seems to have some new stuff lined up for the next season. They always give people an element of surprise¡­" Lu Xinyan said cheerfully for a little while, theny her head on the table and sighed, "Why¡­why not me¡­? I''m really going to be serious this time¡­it''s rare that I want something this much. I''ve even spent effort researching on it¡­"

    Guan Ziyao stopped trying to convince her as Lu Xinyan was showing such persistence and they went their separate ways after dinner.

 Chapter 1017: My Love

    <h4>Chapter 1017: My Love</h4>

    At night, the production crew organized a simple celebration dinner at a restaurant. Because there were no investors or journalists around, the environment was rxed.

    "You guys aren''t my first batch of newbies, but will probably be myst. Thank you for your faith in me!"

    "This is my first movie ever and I''m really d to have worked with such a professional team. Thank you for selecting me, Director! I''ve been really happy throughout the shoot. Thank you, everyone!"

    "I''ll make a toast here as well, especially to Bro Xi. I''ve got to be honest with you¡­I was actually the one who set up the snake because I was jealous that you got all the girls'' attention¡­but you''re the best! I''m impressed!" Qi Fang announced and finished his drink.

    "But, Bro Xi, you look much better in a female outfit. Stop dressing up like a guy already!" Qi Fang stared at Ning Xi today as he spoke.

    "Nonsense! Bro Xi should wear more male outfits! You''re just afraid that she might be more manly than you, aren''t you?!" Ji Yumeng talked back and a few others agreed as well.

    ¡­

    After a few rounds, people started speaking what they really thought deep down in their hearts. Even then, the atmosphere was harmonious.

    At the end of the night, most of them waited for their cars outside of the restaurant.

    People started leaving one after another. In the end, there were only Ning Xi, Chen Hanchen, and Ke Mingyu left.

    Chen Hanchen looked at Ning Xi again before he gathered his courage and said to Ning Xi, "Senior, I¡­I hope we can still coborate in the future! Your acting''s really superb!"

    "Thank you." Ning Xi, of course, realized the special feelings Chen Hanchen harbored for her, so she kept her reply short. Especially when the devil was right beside her!

    Young man, stop giving me trouble!

    Obviously, Chen Hanchen could not read her mind and was a little disappointed with her curt reply. He then took out a name card from his pocket. "Su Yimo''s dominating Glory World Entertainment, especially after Leng Manyun left. You have almost zero chance there to be more famous¡­if you need anything, give this contact a call!"

    Chen Hanchen handed her the name card of his own manager.

    Ning Xi took a nce at the name card but did not take it. "Thank you for your concern, but I don''t think I''ll be needing it."

    Awesome! Chen Hanchen is scouting me right in front of my boss¡­

    Chen Hanchen frowned. "Why? Speedy Multimedia is one of the biggest firms in the industry. It won''t treat you any poorer than Glory World Entertainment and my manager is the best in Speedy Multimedia! I''ve told him about you before. If you''d like to, ourpany is willing to settle the penalty for viting the contract for you!"

    Ning Xi coughed, not even daring to turn around and look at the devil''s expression. She then said in a proper tone, "I''m sorry, Glory World Entertainment holds a special meaning in my heart. It''s my dream, my hope, my love, and there''s nothing that can rece it, so I''ll never leave!"

 Chapter 1018: Iâ€™ll Make You Impotent!

    <h4>Chapter 1018: I¡¯ll Make You Impotent!</h4>

    "Special meaning¡­?"

    Chen Hanchen was not satisfied and he did not understand why she was so adamant about staying with Glory World Entertainment.

    Why did Ning Xi sound like she was confessing her feelings to someone?

    As Chen Hanchen was about to ask more, a taxi came by and Ning Xi quickly fled into the car. "I''m leaving now, goodbye!"

    He had actually spoken to Ning Xi in front of Ke Mingyu on purpose as he wanted to establish his power and to remind Ke Mingyu that he was not worthy of Ning Xi. Unfortunately, in the end, Ning Xi rejected him so swiftly¡­

    ¡­

    At tinum Pce, Ning Xi reached first and a short whileter, Ke Mingyu returned as well.

    As soon as she saw her boss, Ning Xi hopped over to him. "Hey, Boss! Did I do well just now? I''d like a reward!"

    Lu Tingxiao stared into her eyes, he then kissed her passionately¡­

    The moon was bright and the night sky was beautiful with refreshing cold air¡­

    ng!

    There was a loud noise from behind! Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi turned around. They then saw Lu Jingli standing there. It seemed like he had just dropped a big pot from his hands onto the ground, his handsome face looking furious.

    Lu Tingxiao still had Ke Mingyu''s mask on, so Lu Jingli must have misunderstood!

    "Jingli, listen to me¡­"

    Before Ning Xi could continue, Lu Jingli covered his ears and yelled loudly, "No, I''m not listening! My brother is such an amazing, smart, cool gentleman, is the best husband ever, and even has Little Treasure¡­It''s not just the women in town, even I''m falling in love with him! And yet, you''re doing this! Xiao Xi Xi, I''m so disappointed in you!"

    Ning Xi was annoyed. "Bro, rx, alright¡­?"

    "Rx!? How can I rx right now!?" Lu Jingli turned to Ke Mingyu and looked at him with his furious eyes. "Bastard! You''re the one who seduced my sister-inw, huh? Don''t you know who I am? You dare to mess with her?! I''m going to make you impotent today!"

    Ugh¡­"impotent", he said¡­

    Before Lu Jingli could get hurt, Ning Xi slipped in between them and shielded Lu Jingli''s attack. "Lu Jingli, calm down, he''s¡­"

    Lu Jingli interrupted her with a loud roar before she could finish her sentence, "Are you serious?! You''re even defending him right now?!"

    Ning Xi put her hand to her forehead, figuring that she could not reason with him anymore. "Alright then¡­I''ll not stop you now¡­go on! Make him impotent! Go!"

    Ning Xi stepped away, leaving him open to the path to hell.

    Lu Jingli charged straight at Ke Mingyu, aiming for his lower body.

    Then¡­

    "Ah!!!"

    It was a mournful scream. Even before the poor thing could even reach his opponent, his hands were locked behind his back¡­

 Chapter 1019: A Sudden Public Display Of Affection!

    <h4>Chapter 1019: A Sudden Public Disy Of Affection!</h4>

    Then, the cheater read all of Lu Jingli''s moves; he always knew what Lu Jingli would try to do next, then reflected all his attacks and dominated him¡­

    After countless attempts, Lu Jingli screamed, "Bro! Let me go! Let me go!"

    From the way this man defeated him so naturally, it had to be his brother!

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched and she shook her head. "I tried to stop you, yet you chose to learn it the hard way!"

    Little Treasure had found out about Ke Mingyu actually being Lu Tingxiao through his own unique observation skills while Ning Xi realized it from his aura and Little Treasure''s reaction, and Lu Jingli¡­

    He had to find out after getting beaten up¡­

    Lu Jingli rubbed his wrists, panting, "When did you bother to stop me?! Couldn''t you just tell me that he''s my brother?"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "The moment I started talking, you yelled back at me. I didn''t even have a chance!"

    Lu Jingli had a big heart and totally forgot about being beaten by his brother already as he circled him excitedly, "It''s so real, so natural! If I wasn''t smart enough, I might''ve been fooled by it!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    How was he smart? He only realized it after getting beaten up!

    Lu Jingli''s expression turned cold all of a sudden. In a solemn tone, he asked Lu Tingxiao, "Bro, why are you disguised like this? Are you working on some urgent and important matter that can''t be found out by anyone?"

    Lu Tingxiao thought about it. Lu Jingli was not far from the truth. "Mmm."

    Lu Jingli became irate. "What is it? Why do you always keep secrets from me? Why don''t you share with me?!"

    "I can''t share with you," replied Lu Tingxiao.

    "How do you know I can''t carry the burden with you!?"

    "I went to shoot a movie with your sister-inw."

    Lu Jingli went quiet¡­

    His mind reacted about 10 secondster.

    So, his brother had spent so much effort and time, and the so-called urgent and important matter¡­was to act in a movie with Ning Xi?

    What a sudden public disy of affection!

    Lu Jingli covered his chest with a painful expression. "If I die someday¡­it must be because of the both of you! Bastard, no wonder you''ve been missingtely! I thought you were working on something important but here you are dating! I even stayed upte to take care of some work for you, I''m all exhausted!"

    "Well, Uncle¡­are you guys having hot pot for dinner? May I join?" The voice of someone, who had clearly just woken up, appeared from behind them.

    The smell of the hot pot was strong and he could even smell it from his ce opposite. Jiang Muye had crawled out of his bed and followed the aroma.

    "There''s nothing to eat now! It''s all gone!" Lu Jingli then realized that something was not right. "Wait, brat, why are you so calm? You know¡­that he''s your uncle?"

    Lu Jingli was looking at the man beside Ning Xi.

    "Yeah¡­" Jiang Muye nodded.

    "Hey! Why am I the only one who didn''t know!? This is unfair! Is this discrimination? But how did you know?" Lu Jingli asked.

 Chapter 1020: Torture To The Heart and Body!

    <h4>Chapter 1020: Torture To The Heart and Body!</h4>

    "I found out when I visited the crew on the second day of the shoot," Jiang Muye yawned as he scratched his head and answered honestly.

    Then, Ning Xi''s expression changed.

    "Ahem¡­" Ning Xi squinted and looked at Jiang Muye, then she cracked her knuckles and walked over to him.

    "Blondie, youe here¡­"

    "I¡­I''m not going to!" When he saw Ning Xi''s dangerous expression, the sleepy Jiang Muye was instantly clear-headed. In fact, he regretted everything now. Damn it, he had said the wrong thing!

    "How dare you not tell me when you knew all along!?!" Ning Xi had her hands on her hips as she roared, then she jumped over and started beating him up.

    "I was forced to! My uncle threatened me! Why don''t you me my uncle instead of only hitting me?! Hey! Not the face¡­"

    ¡­

    When he saw that Jiang Muye was getting beaten up too, Lu Jingli looked pleased that someone was suffering together with him.

    Momentster, the four of them sat at the dining table together. Apart from the four of them, there was, of course, the little bun too.

    When he saw that Little Treasure was not shocked at all about Ke Mingyu and his Mommy holding hands, Lu Jingli was even sadder. Even Little Treasure knew! Indeed, he was thest to find out!

    However, Lu Jingli had regained his energy soon because Ning Xi had made them a fresh batch of hot pot. Even though he had dropped one pot and had even got beaten up, he was in luck that he got Xiao Xi Xi''s personally cooked hot pot instead!

    After Ning Xi brewed the base ingredients for the hot pot together, she went to her room and brought down some bottles.

    Then, Ning Xi sat beside Lu Tingxiao and started to wipe the cooperative Lu Tingxiao''s face.

    Jiang Muye kept his head down to eat. After all, what the eyes do not see, the heart would not grieve over.

    Lu Jingli curled his lips and asked, "Xiao Xi Xi, what are you doing? Why are you wiping these feminine products on my brother?"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "What feminine products? Men''s faces are very important too! Besides, this is a set of skincare products that I specially bought for your brother. His face will definitely be ufortable from being covered up for so long, so I''m just giving him a skincare massage. Ahh¡­it feels quite good¡­"

    When the little bun heard her, he instantly looked up and poked his little face with his stubby fingers while looking anticipatedly at his mother.

    Ning Xi smiled and reached out her hand to touch the little bun''s soft face. "Mmm, baby''s little face feels even better!"

    Lu Jingli replied, "I think I''m full already¡­"

    Jiang Muye indicated that ever since he had found out that Lu Tingxiao had gone to the extent of disguising himself to shoot a movie with Ning Xi, he was numb to everything. He could not even bring himself to lose his temper; his rival was too savage!

    After Ning Xi finished with Lu Tingxiao''s face, she fed the little bun and looked suspiciously at Jiang Muye. "Blondie, how did you notice that Ke Mingyu is Lu Tingxiao? You even noticed it before Little Treasure and me! That doesn''t make sense!"

    "I¡­" Jiang Muye was about to say something when a sharp cool gaze suddenly locked him down.

    How dare he say that it was because Lu Tingxiao was jealous of her and Zhuang Keer, thereby revealing his w¡­?

    "Just¡­I just simply found out. Why do you ask so much?! You''ve already beaten me up!" Jiang Muye answered half-heartedly, then started to stuff his mouth with food.

    Jesus, it was already hard enough to get a good meal. Such torture to the heart and body!

 Chapter 1021: They Would Have Weak Points

    <h4>Chapter 1021: They Would Have Weak Points</h4>

    The next day, Ning Xi woke up bright and early and changed into casual clothes. She had made an appointment with Gong Shangze to visit the grandmaster of Chinese art, Elder Song Jin, in Taoyuan Vige.

    Because Taoyuan Vige was quite far, it would take about three to four hours of travel time. Plus, the roads in the vige were not great, so cars could not enter. That was why Ning Xi decided not to drive and had bought tickets for a long distance coach instead.

    Before this, in the studio, Ning Xi and Gong Shangze had already researched in detail on their strategy with Song Jin. It included all of Elder Song''s work and information throughout his life, especially his personality and preferences. Unfortunately, the results of their research were not too optimistic and revealed little.

    As the coach gradually left the city, Ning Xi leaned back against the seat and looked at the densely packed information on her notebook with a headache. "Sigh, he''s tough to work with¡­those who can get to Elder Song''s level are all extraordinary at the least! It''s rather hard to curry favor from him!"

    Beside her, Gong Shangze was also using his iPad to browse through Song Jin''s work. He mumbled, "Elder Song is now living alone, so it wouldn''t be useful to enter through those close to him. The worst thing is, Elder Song especially hates people disrupting his peace and quiet. Those who want to use money or other things to brown nose him have minimal chance of seeding¡­"

    "Huh, he must have a weak point if he''s human! There''s no way that there aren''t any loopholes at all! There''s no use just talking, let''s just discuss when we meet him in person!"

    "Mmm, okay!"

    On the car, Ning Xi tilted her head and fell asleep. When she woke up, they were about to arrive. Because Ning Xi and Gong Shangze were getting off at thest stop, there were only the two of them left on the bus and the ce really looked like a ghost town.

    Well, that was no wonder too, or else, the view would not be in such a natural form.

    "Wow! The scenery here is so beautiful!" As she looked at the green forest outside her window, Ning Xi instantly regained her spirits and could not help but marvel at the beauty of nature.

    Gong Shangze nodded. "Even the air is so refreshing!"

    "Ahh! This is pure air with no haze! I must inhale more of it!" Ning Xi closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

    "Wait till we enter the vige. The scenery will be even more amazing!" Gong Shangze said with some yearning.

    "Huh, Elder Song really knows how to enjoy life! He should have lots of creative inspiration in such a ce, shouldn''t he?"

    ¡­

    As the two chatted, they reached thest stop. Ning Xi quickly got her bag and descended from the bus with Gong Shangze.

    "Where do we go from here?" Ning Xi looked at the borderless paddy fields and forests before them, feeling carefree and rxed. She thought in her heart that even if she could not get Elder Song to help them, treating this getaway as a vacation was pretty good too.

    If there was a chance, she would bring Little Treasure here to y. Thest time she had gone camping with Lu Tingxiao and did not bring Little Treasure along, Ning Xi felt guilty. She was ready to make it up to him with another trip.

    Gong Shangze looked at the GPS on his phone. "We''ll first follow this little road and walk straight ahead!"

    "Okay, let''s go!"

    Ning Xi picked a peach blossom from the side of the road and walked ahead, full of vigor. Then, half an hourter, the two of them were stunned.

    "Uhh, Gong Shangze¡­are we lost?"

    Gong Shangze clicked on his phone anxiously. "But the GPS says that the path is here!"

    "So, the GPS is telling us to swim across?" Ning Xi gaped in disbelief at the wide stream before them.

    Gong Shangze sighed, "The terrain here isplex. I think the GPS isn''t urate. I was too careless reading it!"

    They had no choice but to continue to take a longer route. It was evening by the time they finally found a small courtyard.

 Chapter 1022: Meet His Idol Once

    <h4>Chapter 1022: Meet His Idol Once</h4>

    Every house in Taoyuan Vige was a distance away from each other and Song Jin stayed especially far from everyone else. Toe here looking for someone for the first time would indeed be a challenge.

    Thankfully, they found his ce and their search was fruitful.

    They saw an old courtyard and a smoking chimney on the roof of a house not too far away. Behind the house was a dense forest with paddy fields as its backdrop and they could hear the contented hums of an old cow from inside the courtyard.

    "Vast forests with wild borders, paddy fields by the home; a home within ten acres of a few houses around; willows shading the home with peaches before it; in a distant vige sits one''s house, smoke billowing from its chimney¡­ Huh, it looks like Elder Song is Tao Yuanming''s fan!" Ning Xiughed.

    After running around for the entire day, Gong Shangze was about to fall over from fatigue, yet he turned to see that Ning Xi was unexpectedly still energetic and had even recited such eloquent poetry, rendering him really speechless¡­

    There was no door to the courtyard. It was a fence that had been set up with some wood and the two of them tidied themselves up before walking to the wooden door.

    "Hello, is Elder Song at home?" Gong Shangze asked towards the direction of the courtyard.

    There were no signs of movement from inside. However, from the looks of the active chimney, there should definitely be someone at home.

    The two of them called out a few more times and a short whileter, a shadow walked out from the inside. The person wore a rough-looking long robe. He had a white beard and a hearty spirit, almost appearing to be one of those immortal folks.

    When she saw Song Jin himself, Ning Xi''s heart skipped a beat.

    The elder obviously looked like someone with no worldly desire or intention to seek for anything; such people were the hardest to settle!

    "Elder Song!" Gong Shangze was Song Jin''s ultimate fan. His fatigue instantly vanished at the sight of his idol as he said emotionally, "Elder Song, I''m really sorry to randomly disrupt your peace and quiet. My name is Gong Shangze and I''m a designer. I really love your work! You''re my favorite calligrapher and I''ve even collected your perfect work of ''Ten Frogs'' before this¡­"

    Gong Shangze truly qualified as a fan. He was very familiar with Song Jin''s work and the passion and emotion in his eyes were genuine and naive. From Ning Xi''s perspective, if such a cute and passionate fan hade all the way to meet her, she would at least invite them in for a cup of tea.

    "There''s no calligrapher here, only an old man. Please leave."

    However, Song Jin''s expression had been very indifferent from the start to the end. Even his eyes did not seem like he was looking at two people, but merely two lifeless objects. Atst, he only uttered this sentence before walking back to his house.

    As he watched the door ruthlessly close, Gong Shangze looked disappointed. "Even though I already prepared ahead¡­"

    Ning Xi patted him on the shoulders. "It''s okay, at least you got to see your idol once!"

    Gong Shangze regained his spirits and announced, "I want to wait for a while more."

    Ning Xi had the same n too. "Then, let''s wait a while longer! Maybe Elder Song will be willing to meet us when he sees how sincere we are!"

    They waited outside the door until the sun had gone down.

    When she saw that the sky was getting darker, Ning Xi sighed, "Even the heavens are uncooperative now! There should be a downpour at this moment to offset the mood!"

    However, the weather was not cooperative and not a drop of rain fell until the end of the night. Of course, they also did not wait for Song Jin to change his mind.

    "Shangze, let''se again tomorrow! If we leaveter, we won''t be able to catch thest bus!"

    Even though Gong Shangze was reluctant to leave, they had no other choice.

    ¡­

 Chapter 1023: Bring The Little Bun Out For Fun

    <h4>Chapter 1023: Bring The Little Bun Out For Fun</h4>

    The next day, Ning Xi and Gong Shangze arrived at Taoyuan Vige once again.

    Because they had had experience this time around and knew the way, they reached the house by noon.

    The two of them had bumped into Song Jin in between the paddy fields. Song Jin wore a straw hat and was transnting rice seedlings.

    Song Jin''s transnting skill was obviously well-trained and his fingers worked deftly too. He looked just like a typical vige farmer at one nce. Who would have thought that he was actually a famous and world-renowned Chinese calligrapher at first sight!?

    Song Jin did not react much when he noticed the both of them from the corner of his eye. He continued to mind his own business without the least bit of concern.

    Yesterday, their strategy had failed, so Ning Xi decided to change their approach and was straightforward. "Hello, Elder Song. I''m the person-in-charge of Spirit Studio, Ning Xi, and this is our designer, Gong Shangze.

    "Spirit is a fashion designpany that produces premium apparel inspired by Oriental styles. Our designer really loves your work, and at the same time, your work is verypatible with our style. Thus, we''vee over this time to discuss a possible coboration with you. I wonder if you''d consider."

    A short moment of silenceter, Song Jin straightened up and looked at Ning Xi sternly. "Youngdy, I think you two should look for someone else. I already said that I''m just an old man, I can''t help you."

    Ning Xi speechlessly pulled at her hair.

    Hey, what was with this sentence again!?

    However, one could tell from this sentence that Song Jin had indeed discarded worldly matters and little could catch his interest¡­

    "Elder Song, can''t you just consider it a little? Even if you don''t care about fame or fortune, don''t you wish your work can be passed on through generations and disy arger value?" Ning Xi tried to persuade him.

    When he heard this, Song Jin seemed to hesitate.

    Could something have moved him?

    Ning Xi quickly looked over, but he had bent down and continued to work on his seedlings again.

    Okay, we''ve failed again¡­

    But that was expected. Song Jin had already made it to the top and was renowned in and out of the country, so why would he care about coborating with a fashionpany?

    Ning Xi and Gong Shangze took turns in persuading the old man but atst, they still left unfruitful.

    Before she left, Ning Xi put the studio''s information on the door of the house.

    When she saw Gong Shangze in low spirits, Ning Xi patted his shoulders and encouraged him, "Don''t give up! When Liu Bei wanted to hire Zhu Geliang, he had to visit his thatched cottage three times! Let''s try again tomorrow! Maybe we''ll seed tomorrow, who knows?"

    ¡­

    The third day saw failure once more.

    After returning from Taoyuan Vige, Ning Xi went straight to tinum Pce. The moment Ning Xi walked into her house, she threw herself on the sofa and moaned, "Arghh, it''s so hard to settle him¡­"

    "What''s wrong?" Lu Tingxiao was sitting on the sofa, reading the papers. He ruffled the girl''s hair, observing that she had been upset the moment she had walked in.

    "It''s that national calligrapher I told you about! He''s so hard to invite!" Ning Xi mumbled.

    "Song Jin?"

    "Yeah! No hard or soft method can get to him! The key is that he has no desire for anything and we have nowhere to enter!" Ning Xi could not help but whine.

    "The possibility of inviting Elder Song is pretty small. I suggest you look for someone else," said Lu Tingxiao.

    Okay, if even Lu Tingxiao says so, there''s probably no hope¡­

    Ning Xi sighed, "I think that there isn''t much possibility too. We''ll try onest time tomorrow! Gong Shangze, that unlucky child, is too weak from being indoors all the time. He''s already sick from running around these few days! I''ve to go alone tomorrow¡­oh no! No, wait! Tomorrow is Saturday and I was just thinking about bringing the little bun on a nature trip! Perfect!"

 Chapter 1024: My Hands Are Itchy! I Want To Beat Someone Up!

    <h4>Chapter 1024: My Hands Are Itchy! I Want To Beat Someone Up!</h4>

    The moment Ning Xi said that, a soft little bun ran down from upstairs and jumped into her embrace, his face full of glowing expectations.

    When she saw that Little Treasure was so excited at the sound of a trip, Ning Xi could not help but feel guilty. "Mmm, sorry, my little bun, Mommy hasn''t brought you out for fun in a long time! We''ll be going tomorrow! And it''ll just be the two of us!"

    With Mommy only? And not bringing Father?! The little bun''s eyes instantly lit up even more when he heard this. The rays of light from him almost bedazzled Ning Xi''s eyes till they turned ssy.

    Ning Xi replied, "Yes! We''re not bringing the huge lightbulb!"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless. Had karma hade too quickly?

    "What''s wrong? Do you have anything to say?" Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao and raised her brows.

    Lu Tingxiao was helpless. "No."

    The girl actually knew that he was going to be outstation for work tomorrow and definitely would not be able to go.

    "Good, then it''s dly decided!"

    ¡­

    Because he had a date with Mommy for a trip, Little Treasure was so excited that he almost could not sleep for the entire night. This was his first time on an outing with Mommy.

    The next morning, Little Treasure had woken up early to prepare for the outing. The family of three packed up before going separate ways.

    At that moment, a person suddenly ran over from the opposite bungalow. "Wait! There''s me too! Me too!"

    "Lu Jingli? Why are you here?" Ning Xi was surprised to see him.

    "My brother said that you guys are going for a spring outing! Spring outings are definitely going to involve barbeque! I want to go too!" Lu Jingli looked like he was about to salivate.

    Ning Xi was taken aback. "Are youing for the spring outing or for food?"

    "Of course, for food! Sister-inw, the grilled meat you made thest time was really yummy! I won''t eat for free. I''ll help you guys carry the bags and I''ll do the hard work, okay?" Lu Jingli tried to grovel.

    "It''s the deste countryside, after all. Let Jingli go with you two," said Lu Tingxiao.

    "Okay then!" Ning Xi thought that having someone carry their bags was a good idea since she did bring quite a lot today.

    "Then¡­do you mind bringing one more person¡­?" Behind them was Jiang Muye''s voice.

    When he saw that Jiang Muye had appeared from nowhere, Lu Jingli looked upset because it meant that there was someone else to fight for food with him. "Hey, Jiang Muye! Why are you everywhere?! It''s fine if you want to leech on supper, but you want to leech on the outing too!?"

    "Didn''t you mention going to a deste countryside? There''ll definitely be no one there. I''ve recently gotten crowd syndrome. I get a headache when I see too many people. Coincidentally, I need to go to such a ce to rx!" Jiang Muye said in a weak and troubled tone.

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. "What the hell is ''crowd syndrome''?"

    "This is a problem for those of us who are too popr. I won''t me you for not understanding!" Jiang Muye sighed.

    Ning Xi was speechless. Her hands were itchy and she really wanted to beat someone up!

    Atst, Ning Xi and Little Treasure''s duo had be a trio and now, a quadruplet.

    Fine, one can help carry the bags and the other can carry Little Treasure when he gets tired from walking. This is the rhythm of Pigsy and the white dragon!

    Quite good!

    After they had decided, Ning Xi walked to Lu Tingxiao to say goodbye. "My dear, we''re leaving now!"

    When they heard Ning Xi use such a gentle and sweet tone to speak to Lu Tingxiao, Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye knew it was time for public disy of affection, so they quickly ran off in tandem. What remains unseen is deemed to be clean!

 Chapter 1025: Little Treasure and Little Bunny

    <h4>Chapter 1025: Little Treasure and Little Bunny</h4>

    "Mmm, have more fun." Lu Tingxiao tousled the girl''s hair.

    Ning Xi suddenly felt sad that Lu Tingxiao had to work despite it being the weekend. "Sigh, I suddenly feel that it''s too mean to leave you alone. What can be done about it¡­?"

    Even though she was going for work today as well, with the current mood, it seemed to have turned entirely into an outing.

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the girl''s earlobe lightly and said softly, "Compensate me the next time."

    Ning Xi blinked. "How about Ipensate you now?"

    "Enough, you two! There''s still an underaged child here, hey!" Lu Jingli started to howl from afar.

    Ning Xi tiptoed to kiss Lu Tingxiao''s cheeks, then waved goodbye to her child''s father.

    ¡­

    The little bun was riding this kind of rickety bus for the first time and he was very excited all the way, especially after reaching Taoyuan Vige. When he saw the scenery before him, the sea of flowers reflected in the little guy''s eyes and his gaze was full of curiosity and radiance.

    Even though Ning Xi had the seen the same view three times already and had be numb to it, because she was with the little bun this time, everything felt like a new experience all over again.

    "Verdant hills and clear water. There''re no traces of being affected by humans at all! Most importantly, there isn''t a single person! This is heaven! Oh, oh, oh!" Jiang Muye looked at the green hills and crystalline water ahead and started getting very excited.

    It looks he had really been restrained all along.

    "Hey, did you tell Bro Ming that you''re out today?" Ning Xi casually asked.

    Jiang Muye replied stubbornly, "Why do I have to tell him?"

    Ning Xi was speechless. It was not sure what sin Lei Ming hadmitted in his past life for him to be Jiang Muye''s manager in this lifetime.

    Ning Xi thought about it and atst, decided to still send Lei Ming a message to inform him of Jiang Muye''s whereabouts.

    "Wow, yummy! So sweet¡­"

    Lu Jingli was already climbing a tree when Ning Xi was not noticing. He had picked a few peach blossoms and he was eating the honey inside the stamen.

    Definitely the true colors of a foodie.

    Ning Xi walked over to pick some too, then gave some to the little bun. The little bun took a lick and his eyes shone.

    "Let''s go! The scenery ahead is even more beautiful!"

    From her previous three visits, Ning Xi already remembered the routes nearby by heart and knew the spots with the best views and the most fun; she had no issues being an excellent tour guide.

    The four of them went on a scenic tour all the way. When noon arrived, Ning Xi found a spot in the forest with a gorgeous view and stopped to begin the barbeque.

    Lu Jingli had waited for the much anticipated moment. Finally, he stacked the barbeque pit and thenid out all the food ingredients.

    Ning Xi ordered Jiang Muye toy out the pic cloth and arrange the cutleries. When she was done, she brought the little bun to chase butterflies and rabbits.

    "Blondie! Are you done!? Quicklye over, there''s a rabbit here, catch it! Then, we''ll have extra food today!"

    Jiang Muyeid out the items and looked at the two of them jumping around when he suddenly realized¡­had he fallen into a trap?

    He had practicallye to be hardbor! No wonder when he said he wanted toe, Lu Tingxiao did not oppose it at all!

    "Catch, your ass! I''m not a dog! How can I catch rabbits!?" Jiang Muye said sharply.

    "You''re so useless! Help me take care of Little Treasure, I''ll go catch it!" Ning Xi said before she ran off and disappeared.

    Momentster, Ning Xi returned and she had caught a furry, white rabbit.

    Jiang Muye was speechless. "What the hell? Are you even a woman¡­?"

    When the little bun saw the rabbit in Mommy''s hands, he immediately ran over in excitement. Ning Xi squatted down and said softly to the little bun, "Want to touch it? Its fur is really soft!"

 Chapter 1026: It Should Belong To My Stomach

    <h4>Chapter 1026: It Should Belong To My Stomach</h4>

    The little bun was seeing a real-life rabbit for the first time, so he hesitated before offering his small hand to touch its body.

    When he was done, the little bun''s eyes widened.

    Soft! Furry!

    Ning Xi could not help butugh at the little bun''s rare animated expression. "Haha! Fun, isn''t it?"

    The little bun nodded and kept stroking it lovingly.

    The rabbit was initially still wiggling around in Ning Xi''s hand, but it quieted down after the little bun stroked it.

    "Whoa! Such a fat rabbit! Quick, let''s grill it!" Lu Jingli said excitedly.

    When the little bun heard what his uncle said, he instantly gave a death stare to Lu Jingli and then hugged the rabbit tightly.

    "Grill, your head! You only know how to eat!" Ning Xi said annoyedly.

    "Hey, wasn''t it you¡­who said to catch it as an addition to our meal?" Lu Jingli felt wronged to be scolded.

    Ning Xi replied, "Little Treasure likes it, so we''re not allowed to eat it now!"

    Little Treasure nodded vigorously too. Not allowed to eat my bunny!

    Lu Jingli was speechless. It should have belonged to my stomach!

    "Did you bring the first aid kit?" Ning Xi asked.

    Jiang Muye immediately frowned. "Are you hurt? I told you not to catch the rabbit!"

    "It''s the rabbit that''s hurt, alright?"

    Jiang Muye had no reply.

    Ning Xi took out the first aid kit and started to bandage the rabbit.

    Wild rabbits run as quick as lighting and they are highly alert too. How could she have caught it easily? She had only managed to catch it because one of the hind legs was hurt.

    The little bun felt sorry for the rabbit and stroked its head lovingly, looking like he was the one in pain.

    After bandaging it up, Ning Xi carefully put the rabbit back into the little bun''s arms for him to hold. This rabbit was quite naive and it was very obedient in the little bun''s arms.

    "Why go through so much trouble? It would''ve been better if we just ate it¡­" Lu Jingli looked bitter and hateful.

    Thankfully, he had forgotten about the rabbit very soon because Ning Xi started the grill. In the forest, the fragrance of peach blossoms and the tempting smell of food mixed together, whetting one''s appetite!

    As the four of them ate, there were sounds of footsteps behind them. Ning Xi turned around to look and saw Song Jin leading a cow with a basket in his hand, walking towards the forest.

    Ah! She had too much fun and had almost forgotten about her official business!

    The reason she had chosen this ce for barbeque was because she noticed that Song Jin would usuallye here to eat lunch after finishing work on the farm!

    "Elder Song, are you done being busy? Want toe over and have some food?" Ning Xi asked eagerly.

    She had been rejected three times, so Ning Xi considered herself quite familiar with him now. Furthermore, this time she had not held too much hope, so her attitude was much more rxed.

    Elder Song Jin looked at them and when his gaze fell on Little Treasure, he paused for a moment, then said, "Thank you, but this old man has brought his lunch!"

    He then sat at a spot ten steps away from them as he ate his lunch under a tree. In the basket were a simple loaf of bread and some salted vegetable.

    "He''s Song Jin?" Jiang Muye asked.

    Earlier on the way, Ning Xi had already chatted a little about Song Jin with Jiang Muye and Lu Jingli.

    "Yeah! Doesn''t he seem so detached from worldly things!?" Ning Xi said.

    On the side, Lu Jingli tried to speak with his mouth full, "No matter how detached a person is, they''ll have their weakness, I''m telling you! Such as how my brother''s weak point is you, and my weak point is food¡­"

    "Haha, you can use your brother as an example, but you¡­forget it!"

    "Whatever, that''s what I mean! There''s definitely something that he wants. You just haven''t found out what yet!"

 Chapter 1027: Teach Little Treasure To Play Cards

    <h4>Chapter 1027: Teach Little Treasure To y Cards</h4>

    "It''s as if you didn''t say anything!"

    If he knew what Song Jin''s desire was, would she be running around like a headless chicken?

    She watched the little bun eat with one hand and feed the rabbit grass with the other, his huge eyes filled with a liveliness that was not usually there.

    Ning Xi tilted her head and wiped the little bun''s mouth, her mood suddenly better again.

    This ce was a little far and it was a deste countryside, so she was initially worried that the little bun would not adapt well, but who knew that this guy would be having so much fun? In fact, he was not feeling tired. It looked like she could bring the little bun out for more fun outings in the future!

    Nature is always the best medicine!

    When he watched Ning Xi''s motherly expression, it was hard for Jiang Muye to describe his feelings¡­

    Not too far away, Song Jin had finished his lunch very quickly and returned to work in the paddy fields.

    Ning Xi and the resty down in the forest to take a short nap. When they woke up in the afternoon, Ning Xi continued to lead them to a few fun spots. The four of them enjoyed themselves until the evening, and as they were prepared to go home, it suddenly poured.

    In fact, it started raining cats and dogs without any warning signs at all!

    The little bun anxiously protected the rabbit in his arms while Ning Xi quickly carried the little bun. Lu Jingli took off his jacket to wrap the little bun in it before the four of them rushed out of the vige.

    However, it would take at least half an hour to get out of the vige. With the torrential rain, the roads would only be increasingly difficult to walk through. It was quite a terrible situation.

    Ning Xi was sputtering in the rain, "Hey! What the hell!? This rain wouldn''t pour when it should, and it pours when it shouldn''t!"

    "What''s the nearest ce we can take shelter in?" Jiang Muye asked.

    "There''s only Elder Song''s house around here but that''s impossible¡­Elder Song wouldn''t allow any strangers into his home! Thest time, I wanted to go in for a drink but I was rejected!" Ning Xi said.

    Just as the two spoke, they passed by Elder Song''s home.

    The moment that they were hesitating about whether or not to ask for help, the courtyard''s door suddenly flew open. Song Jin stood at the door and peered at them. "Come on in!"

    Eh? He had actually invited them in himself?

    How did such an amazing thing happen?

    "Thank you, Mr. Song!" Ning Xi did not have time to think. She quickly carried the little bun in.

    "Thank you, Elder!" Jiang Muye and Lu Jingli chirped.

    Song Jin''s attitude remained indifferent. "I''m just doing it for the child."

    Ning Xi put down the little bun. "Baby, quickly thank Grandfather Song!"

    The little bun nodded as he put the rabbit in his mother''s hands, then he took out his writing board and wrote earnestly, "Thank you, Grandfather."

    When he saw that Little Treasure was interacting with him using a writing board, Song Jin was slightly astonished for a moment. Still, when he read Little Treasure''s words clearly, surprise shed across his eyes.

    This boy was so young, yet he had written so well!

    The rain poured endlessly outside; it looked like it would not stop very soon.

    Song Jin left them and entered his study room alone.

    Lu Jingli could not sit still. He became bored very quickly and took out some cards from his bag. "It''s so boring, let''s y some cards!"

    "Okay!" Jiang Muye seconded, "But how do we y with just three people?"

    Lu Jingliughed mischievously and looked at the little bun. "Let''s teach the little bun and let him y with us!"

    Inside the room, Song Jin had meant to focus on drawing, inspired by the rain, but when he heard Lu Jingli''s intention, he opened his door and waved to Little Treasure. "Child,e to Grandfather!"

 Chapter 1028: This Mother is Increasingly Professional

    <h4>Chapter 1028: This Mother is Increasingly Professional</h4>

    The little bun subconsciously looked at his mother.

    Ning Xi smiled and kiss the little bun''s cheek. "Go! Go y with Grandfather for a while!"

    She was really speechless at Lu Jingli and felt quite worried for his future children!

    When he heard Mommy''s words, the little bun nodded, then clumsily walked over to the elder. He had noticed earlier that the grandfather''s study room had many drawings, and now he could not help but look up to admire them.

    "You like them?" When he observed the way the little guy stared at them in awe, Song Jin asked with an unexpectedly gentle expression.

    The little bun nodded, indicating his inclination for art.

    "You know calligraphy? I mean¡­writing with the calligraphy brush, do you know how to?" Song Jin asked again.

    The little bun continued to nod.

    "Then¡­do you know how to draw?" Song Jin asked again. This time his tone had a discrete sense of nervousness.

    The little bun nodded again.

    When Song Jin saw this, he immediately pulled out up a nk drawing paper and gave the little bun some space. "Want to try?"

    ¡­

    Outside, Ning Xi, Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye were ying ''Fight the Landlord''.

    Lu Jingli looked towards the study room and wondered, "What''s so fun for Little Treasure to be with that old man!? He should just y cards with us!"

    "My little bun does like drawing. With Elder Song''s artistic achievements, he would have lucked out by getting any pointers from him. And what''s so good about ying cards with you?" Ning Xi scoffed.

    Lu Jingli clicked his tongue, "Xiao Xi Xi¡­you''re bing more and more professional at being a mother!"

    It was not sure how much time had passed before the study room door suddenly opened. Song Jin and the little bun walked out.

    Song Jin, who had always looked so out of this world and immortal, now looked obviously emotional and excited. His gaze skimmed past Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye and asked, "Which one of you is this child''s father?"

    "Uhh¡­" Lu Jingli was taken aback by this sudden question and he replied reflexively, "I''m not!"

    Song Jin immediately looked at Jiang Muye.

    Jiang Muye cleared his throat and said, "I''m not either!"

    Lu Jingli continued to say, "I''m the child''s uncle!"

    Jiang Muye added on, "And I''m his¡­um¡­cousin!"

    Ning Xi saw that Song Jin''s expression was weird, so she could not help but ask, "Elder Song¡­is there¡­is there something wrong?"

    Song Jin instantly looked at Ning Xi, "You''re the child''s mother? Can you make decisions for this child?"

    Huh? What decision?

    Ning Xi thought about it, "Well¡­if it''s a huge matter, it''s best to hear what his father has to say first!"

    Ning Xi then walked to inspect the little bun with suspicious eyes.

    Baby, did something happen?

    The little bun blinked. He was dumbfounded and was obviously not sure what was going on either.

    Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye were confused too.

    When Song Jin heard Ning Xi''s words, his expression seemed anxious. He asked again, "Then¡­where''s the child''s father right now? Can I meet him?"

    Ning Xi thought it was even odder when she heard this. She was about to say something when someone knocked on the door, breaking the rhythmic patter of the heavy rain.

    Song Jin gathered himself again and walked absent-mindedly to open the door.

    Outside stood a tall and lean man in a ck windbreaker, holding an umbre in his hand quietly amidst thete night breeze.

 Chapter 1029: As Husband and Wife

    <h4>Chapter 1029: As Husband and Wife</h4>

    "You are¡­?" Song Jin asked as his gaze evaluated the person before him.

    The man was drenched and there was a significant amount of mud on the leg of his pants, but even though he was travel-worn and was in a sorry situation, his charisma was just as tantalizing as he exuded the vibe of someone pure and honest.

    Song Jin had met many people and he could almost infer that the person before him was a somebody. There were many people who had appeared on his doorstep to invite him for many reasons, yet none of them had the charisma of this guy.

    But¡­this person¡­why did he look slightly familiar?

    "I''m sorry to show up uninvited sote at night, but I''m here to look for someone," said the man.

    He deduced that he was here to look for the four that had entered earlier, so Song Jin just let him in. "Come in!"

    When she saw who walked in, Ning Xi''s eyes immediately widened as she flew to him, "Lu Tingxiao! Why are you here?"

    "I was worried about you and our child." When he saw that they were both fine, Lu Tingxiao felt assured.

    "Look at you, you''re soaked!" Ning Xi quickly took out some tissues and gave it to him so he could wipe himself dry.

    "No worries."

    On the side, Lu Jingli, who waspletely neglected, was instantly sulky. "Hey, hey, hey, you''re just worried about your wife and child? You still have your biological brother and distant nephew here!"

    Jiang Muye brooded. Please do not include me, just continue to ignore me.

    Wife and child? When Song Jin heard this, he was stunned. That was the child''s father?

    No wonder he thought he looked familiar. Upon closer inspection, indeed they did look like father and son¡­

    Lu Jingli looked to Song Jin and said, "Mr. Song! Didn''t you want to meet Little Treasure''s father? This is him!"

    Ning Xi suddenly thought of exining to Lu Tingxiao, "Elder Song seems to have some matters he needs to talk to you for. It seems to be rted to Little Treasure!"

    Since he had finally met the child''s father, Song Jin did not beat around the bush any further. "This young boy has an extraordinary talent in drawing. I want to take him in as a student."

    "Ah? Elder Song¡­you want to take Little Treasure as a student?" Ning Xi was shocked.

    "Yes." Song Jin looked serious as he nodded; his gaze on Little Treasure was filled with fire.

    "Well¡­" Ning Xi did not think that Song Jin would make such a request today, so she could not react immediately.

    Song Jin had been single for his whole life and did not have children. Neither did he ept students, so when Ning Xi first read about him, she thought that he had no intentions of taking in any students. Therefore, her shock was understandable.

    Assessing the situation, it was not that he did not want any students; he had just never met anyone he wanted to take in.

    Elder Song had probably tested Little Treasure''s skills in the study room earlier, thus sparking such a thought.

    Ning Xi was full of pride at the fact that Elder Song, who was detached from worldly matters and had never epted a single student, had taken an interest in Little Treasure. Her son was the best!

    Actually, even Lu Tingxiao was a little surprised too. He did not expect that Ning Xi''s spring outing and their taking shelter from the rain would result in Song Jin''s request for an apprentice.

    Based on Song Jin''s achievements, the fact that he would ept Little Treasure was no doubt a huge opportunity for him.

    Thus, Lu Tingxiao exchanged looks with Ning Xi before saying, "Elder Song, your reputation has long been renowned, as husband and wife, we''ve admired your work for a long time. Naturally, this would be something we can''t refuse. However, we still want to get our son''s opinion."

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    As husband and wife¡­

    The way he said it was a little too smooth on the tongue!

    They were not even married yet!

 Chapter 1030: Dont Be Sad, Ill Let You Stroke Me!

    <h4>Chapter 1030: Don''t Be Sad, I''ll Let You Stroke Me!</h4>

    "Naturally." Song Jin nodded.

    Ning Xi squatted down to look at Little Treasure and asked, "Little Treasure, are you willing to learn how to draw from Grandfather Song?"

    Little Treasure stroked the furry rabbit in his arms and blinked, looked at Father, Mommy, and then the grandfather¡­

    Atst, under Song Jin''s nervous gaze, Little Treasure finally nodded.

    The instant that he nodded, Song Jin was so emotional he almost cried out, "Great! Great! Great¡­you will be Song Jin''s only apprentice! As your Master, I''ll definitely pass on all of my painting techniques from this lifetime of mine to you!"

    Then, under Mommy''s directions, Little Treasure followed the steps of formally bing the apprentice of an art grandmaster and obediently served Song Jin tea, making everything official.

    After the ceremony was done, Lu Tingxiao thought about something before asking, "But there is one problem. Elder, you live a little too far¡­"

    "That is not a problem, I canpletely uproot my life for my obedient apprentice, I will just move close to wherever you live!" Song Jin said spontaneously. The more he looked at Little Treasure, the more he liked him.

    His artistic techniques and skills required a lot of talent and intelligence. Although he had already stopped hoping to find a sessor that could meet his requirements, God was so kind to him and led him on a path of fate to meet this boy.

    Ning Xi did not know what to say to Song Jin. She had traveled overnd and water to meet this grandmaster. On the contrary, it was the little bun who Elder Song was willing to go to the extent of visiting to teach.

    My amazing baby!

    Because it was alreadyte and it was pouring outside, Song Jin let them stay for a night since he was in an incredibly good mood as well.

    Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye stayed in one room, while Ning Xi, Lu Tingxiao, and the little bun stayed in another.

    Earlier, Lu Tingxiao had seen the rabbit in his son''s embrace. Now, he turned to Ning Xi and asked, "Where did the rabbite from?"

    Ning Xi replied delightedly, "I caught it! I wanted to grill it to eat but Little Treasure likes it, so I let him y with it! Isn''t it cute? It''s furry! And soft!"

    "Cute indeed." Lu Tingxiao stretched out his wide palm and stroked the rabbit''s ears.

    When Little Treasure saw that, he immediately carried the rabbit to Mommy''s side. Mine, no touching.

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    Seeing Lu Tingxiao''s deted expression, Ning Xiughed and dipped her head towards him. "Don''t be sad, I''ll let you stroke me!"

    The little bun was agitated by this. He quickly shoved the rabbit back to Lu Tingxiao. Father, you should just stroke the rabbit!

    "Hahahaha¡­" Ning Xi held her stomach andughed hard.

    He looked at his own son and helplessly sighed. Even though both father and son were on the same page, they still fought to be doted upon.

    "Ah, this is great! Apart from our baby having a martial arts teacher, he now has a drawing teacher. He is really the master of pen and sword!" Ning Xi said happily.

    "Ning Xi."

    Lu Tingxiao suddenly called her seriously, causing Ning Xi confusion. "What?"

    "Thank you."

    "Why are you suddenly thanking me for?"

    "Thank you for being so good to Little Treasure."

    Ning Xi patted the little bun''s head with a loving gaze. "Shouldn''t it be a given that I''m good to my son? Right, little bun?"

    Little Treasure nodded.

    As the night fell, the rain continued to patter on the window and the air was filled with the smell of fresh soil. Little Treasure gradually fell into a slumber and slept soundly¡­

 Chapter 1031: Indeed My Lucky Star!

    <h4>Chapter 1031: Indeed My Lucky Star!</h4>

    Ning Xiy on the bed and lightly patted the little bun''s back. "Days like this make me feel so contented! Wait until the day I retire. I want to find a ce with an enchanting scenery like this to live in hiding!"

    "You sure? There''s no electricity or Wi-Fi here."

    "Why would I need those for? I''ve got enough with you and Little Treasure!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was chatting idly with Lu Tingxiao when she suddenly heard knocking sounds from the wall behind her.

    Then, they heard Lu Jingli indistinct voice from the neighboring room, "Excuse me, the both of you, it''s not very soundproof here. Can you stop disying your affection in the middle of the night? I''m going to call the police if you two continue like this!"

    Ning Xi responded, "Ah, I''m so sorry, I almost forgot that you guys were still here!"

    In the neighboring room, Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye rolled their eyes.

    Lu Jingli angrily bit down on his pillow and then hugged the nket to roll around on the bed. "Ah! I really want to be in love! Why hasn''t that open-minded, extraordinary, wlessly beautiful, light as a bird, elegantly unpredictable, few in words yet fragrant in aura, graceful as a swan, and pretty much supernatural girl appeared yet?!"

    Jiang Muye moved further away from him in disdain.

    ¡­

    The next morning, Song Jin cooked some light porridge,plemented by some side dishes and a few salted duck eggs.

    It was probably because the ingredients were of good quality, the food tasted very fresh and tasty. Lu Jingli had even eaten up to five big bowls of porridge.

    "Elder Song, I''ve already gotten someone to arrange the amodation for you. Whenever it''s convenient for you, I''ll arrange for someone to pick you up," said Lu Tingxiao.

    Song Jin just answered, "Tomorrow then, I''ll pack up today."

    "Okay."

    The two finished chatting, then Song Jin suddenly turned to Ning Xi who was feeding the rabbit with cabbages. "Girl."

    "Yes! Elder Song, are you looking for me?" Ning Xi answered.

    "That thing you mentioned, I''ll agree," Song Jin contemted for a while, then informed her.

    "Ah¡­?" Ning Xi thought that Song Jin wanted to tell her about Little Treasure''s arrangements. She was shocked by what she had heard and it took a while for it to sink in. Her face was instantly in disbelief. "Are¡­are you talking about coborating with Spirit Studio? You agree to it?!"

    "Mmm." Song Jin nodded, then looked at the little bun and said, "As a thank you for letting me take in such a good apprentice!"

    Ning Xi almost cried tears of joy as she hugged the little bun. "Oh! Little bun! You''re indeed my lucky star!"

    The little bun pursed his lips shyly from beingplimented by Mommy.

    After a while, Ning Xi let herself calm down then cleared her throat to ask, "Elder Song, umm¡­even though I really hope to invite you to coborate with us, of course, more importantly, I hope that it is out of your own sincere intentions!"

    When he heard the girl''s words, Song Jin understood what she meant. "I''ve read the information you left at my door. The designer who came with you before this¡­what''s his name again?"

    "Gong Shangze!"

    "Mmm, that boy''s designs are not too shabby. He did not let my reputation down!"

    When she learned that Song Jin validated Spirit''s capability, Ning Xi felt assured. "Thank you for your appreciation, Elder Song, we''ll definitely not let you down!"

 Chapter 1032: Someone Wants To Move In?

    <h4>Chapter 1032: Someone Wants To Move In?</h4>

    When they returned, Ning Xi immediately went to the studio to announce the good news.

    "What? Elder Song agreed!?" Han Momo was so excited she immediately jumped up from her seat. "Sis Xi, you''re amazing!"

    Qiao Wen was still fretting about selecting a national artist and did not expect Ning Xi to bring such good news. She felt relieved and the awe in her heart increased a tad bit more.

    Who would have thought that she could really do it!?

    "Sis Xi, Sis Xi! How did you do it?"

    "Boss, you managed to get Elder Song?" Gong Shangze heard themotion outside and walked over.

    "Yes, didn''t we leave our studio information outside Elder Song''s door before this? Elder Song said he skimmed through it and even praised you saying that your designs were not bad and did not dishonor his reputation!"

    Gong Shangze was so emotional that his eyes reddened. "Boss! Are you telling the truth?"

    "Of course I am! Why would I lie to you? Keep up the good work! But most importantly, take good care of your health. After all, one''s body is the most revolutionary capital. It''s not healthy for you to stay at home all day and not exercise!" Ning Xi said worriedly.

    "I know! I know, Boss! Boss, I''ll work hard to design and also work hard to get fit! Thank you! Thank you, Boss!" Gong Shangze took a deep bow.

    ¡­

    At the same time, at tinum Pce.

    "Master, Madam!" When they saw that Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan had suddenlye to visit, the old butler quickly went up to greet them.

    Yan Ruyi saw that not too far away, people were busy walking in and out, so she asked with suspicion, "What''s happening?"

    "The Master has ordered to tidy up that building beside the greenhouse. Someone is moving in," said the butter honestly.

    "Someone is moving in¡­?" Yan Ruyi''s expression changed when she heard this.

    Could it be that woman who wants to move in?

    Yan Ruyi looked at Lu Chongshan. He had obviously shared the same thought. Were they finally moving on to the next level?

    When she saw her son from afar, Yan Ruyi quickly called out, "Tingxiao!"

    When Lu Tingxiao, who was instructing the servants, heard his mother''s voice, he walked over. "Mother, Father, can I help you?"

    Yan Ruyi shot a look at her son. "Can''t Ie to see you and Little Treasure for no reason? What are you doing? Why are you suddenly tidying up the small building? Are you preparing to let Ning Xi move in?"

    Lu Chongshan looked unhappy too. "Even if the two of you are a couple now, it''s a bit too much to live together before getting married."

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his parents without any expression. "Song Jin."

    "What? Song today , Song tomorrow?" Yan Ruyi did not understand her son.

    "The person who''s moving in is Song Jin, Elder Song."

    "What? You mean that national artist, Master Song Jin?" Lu Chongshan immediately asked in surprise.

    "Mmm."

    "Isn''t Master Song living alone in Taoyuan Vige? In fact, he won''t even meet outsiders! Why would hee and stay here?" Lu Chongshan thought his son''s lie was a little too absurd.

    "Song Jin has taken Little Treasure in as his apprentice. To ease the lessons, he agreed to move here."

    When he finished, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were both dumbfounded.

    Lu Chongshan was shocked. "What are you saying? Song Jin took Little Treasure in as an apprentice? When did this happen?"

    Yan Ruyi naturally knew who Song Jin was too. She quickly said, "You damned child, can''t you just say everything clearly at once? We have to ask you before you''ll say a few more words! What actually happened? Exin properly!"

 Chapter 1033: Indirectly Because of Ning Xi

    <h4>Chapter 1033: Indirectly Because of Ning Xi</h4>

    "How did you get Song Jin?" Lu Chongshan asked, not able to help but be a little emotional.

    If they could get Song Jin to uncover Little Treasure''s potential, that was an amazing thing that money could not buy!

    Most importantly, Song Jin could not be hired with just money! So, he was quite curious how his son had done it.

    "It was not I who did it." Lu Tingxiao remained a man of few words.

    Lu Chongshan was about to get annoyed at his son''s temper, then he caught Lu Jingli humming and walking past the door from the corner of his eye. He quickly called for him, "Jingli,e here! I have something to ask you!"

    When Lu Jingli heard his father call, he walked over hesitantly but stood far away. "Father¡­what do you want to do? I won''t get married even if it kills me!"

    Yan Ruyi shot her son an annoyed look. "Your father and I just wanted to ask you how Little Treasure became Song Jin''s apprentice. What do you know about this?"

    "I was there when Little Treasure served tea to his master! What''s up?" Lu Jingli nodded.

    "Really? Quick! Quicklye over and tell us what happened! I''ll be angered to death talking to your brother!" Yan Ruyi quickly tugged at Lu Jingli to ask.

    Lu Jingli scratched his head. "Well, it was because Sister-inw wanted to invite Song Jin for her studio''s line next season. She could not get him after repeated visits, but on the fourth day, which was yesterday, it was coincidentally a Saturday and because the vige is so beautiful, she decided to bring Little Treasure along for a spring outing. Brother had work that day, so he couldn''t make it. Jiang Muye and I followed along to enjoy while being hardborers and Sister-inw caught a rabbit too. Initially, she said that we were going to grill it to eat but Little Treasure hugged it saying he liked it or something, so it went to Little Treasure. Sigh, wouldn''t it be better to grill it? That rabbit was so fat, it would''ve been so yummy¡­"

    Lu Chongshan''s veins were bulging at this point. "Get to the point!"

    Yan Ruyi held her forehead helplessly. One son cherished his words like gold while the other was a chatterbox. Could these two punks just meet in the middle?

    "Oh¡­" Lu Jingli recalled the rabbit, then continued, "Then, halfway through, it rained. We took shelter at Elder Song''s ce where Little Treasure and Elder Song had some interaction. He probably found out about Little Treasure''s talent for the arts, so he took the initiative and suggested an apprenticeship¡­enough?"

    Yan Ruyi approved, "Enough!"

    By the time she had finished listening to Lu Jingli''s exnation, Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan were amazed. The two of them did not think that Little Treasure''s apprenticeship with Song Jin was an indirect result of Ning Xi!

    ¡­

    At night, after returning to the old residence, Yan Ruyi was still thinking about it.

    Seeing Yan Ruyi being so absent-minded, Lu Chongshan asked, "What are you thinking about?"

    "I''m thinking about Little Treasure''s apprenticeship! It was actually because of that woman!" mumbled Yan Ruyi.

    Lu Chongshan frowned. "What do you mean because of that woman? Isn''t it just a coincidence? It''s because our Little Treasure is talented!"

    Yan Ruyi shook her head. "That''s too much of coincidence¡­ Don''t you think that ever since that woman appeared, our family has started to progress towards a better direction!? Tingxiao''s changes aside, especially Little Treasure¡­his body and spirits are bing increasingly better, and he is slowly bing a normal person¡­

    "No! Why would he be the same as a normal person? Our Little Treasure is even smarter than Lu Tingxiao back in the days! Now, Little Treasure even managed to invite the impossible-to-be-invited Song Jin to be his teacher. I heard that Little Treasure''s martial arts teacher is a very amazing person too!"

 Chapter 1034: Just Getting Soy Sauce

    <h4>Chapter 1034: Just Getting Soy Sauce</h4>

    When Yan Ruyi said this, she paused and looked at her husband. "Could all of this just be a coincidence? For the past five years, Tingxiao''s and Little Treasure''s situation did not have any signs of changes, yet it all began to shift when this woman appeared!"

    Lu Chongshan pinched the space between his brows when he heard this. "What are you trying to say?"

    "I thought about the calction that Master Xuan Jing had done for Ning Xi''s date of birth! Good fortune beyondparison, a prospering husband, and a flourishing family, a future with many children and plenty of luck! Now, it is reallying true as predicted!" Yan Ruyi was slightly emotional as she said this.

    Lu Chongshan was stunned. "I told you not to believe in these things anymore!"

    Even though he said that, Lu Chongshan remained deep in thought¡­

    ¡­

    At night, Ning Xi invited Gong Shangze, Han Momo, and Qiao Wen for dinner to celebrate.

    When she returned to the apartment, Ning Xi first showered, then dug up a set of velvet bunny pajamas to wear in ordance to her good mood before crossing her legs to sit on the bed and do some ounting.

    The studio''s profits had been looking positive recently, the numbers having passed tens of millions. Compared to regr people, she was now considered a mini wealthy woman herself!

    Ning Xi nned it out in her mind. She could probably buy a small bungalow soon¡­

    Even though the ce she stayed at right now had very good privacy and protection, it was still a ce that thepany had arranged for her. Quite a lot of people knew where she stayed, so it was not convenient for Lu Tingxiao toe by usually, so it was best for her to get her own house.

    It would also be considered¡­a nest of her own¡­

    Before this, whether it was Starlight Entertainment''s tattered house or Glory World Entertainment''s high-ss apartment arrangement, it was still not her own ce.

    Of course, more importantly, it should be convenient for her to keep her "mistress" in her house!

    After nning in detail, Ning Xi had basically brought her timeline of buying a house in advance. She was ready to ask for Lu Tingxiao''s opinion about which location he liked, and of course, Little Treasure''s too¡­

    Seeing that it was still early, Ning Xi was prepared to make a loving bento for the little bun. When she reached the kitchen, she remembered that she had run out of soy sauce, so she put down the apron and went to buy some. Because the convenience store was not too far away, Ning Xi did not bother getting changed and just took some change and her keys downstairs.

    "Boss! Please give me a bottle of soy sauce!" Ning Xi leaned over the cashier countertop and gave the cashier some small change.

    "Hey, sure!" In the convenience store, thedy boss, who looked like she was in her fifties, passed Ning Xi a bottle of soy sauce. At the same time, she evaluated her and frowned. "It''s sote, why did your mother let you go out to buy soy sauce alone?"

    "Uhh¡­" Ning Xi broke out in a light sweat. "No worries, Boss, my house is close by!"

    Ning Xi''s hair was tied up in two ponytails while she wore a cartoon onesie, making her look just like an underaged 17 or 18-year-old girl. No wonder the shopkeeper misunderstood.

    "It''s not okay even if it''s close by. You''re a youngdy so full of life. What if you meet a bad guy!? Next time, don''te out alone thiste at night!" Thedy boss reminded.

    Ning Xi nodded. "Okay, I know, thank you, sis!"

    Thedy boss grinned from ear to ear when Ning Xi called her "sis" and she stuffed another colorful lollipop in her hands. "Here you go!"

    Ning Xi held the soy sauce bottle in one hand as she sucked on the lollipop thedy boss had given her in the other, happily hopping her way home¡­

    Just as she was thinking about what yummy food to cook for the little bun, someone appeared before her without any warning.

 Chapter 1035: Iâ€™ve Always Been A Cute Little Bunny

    <h4>Chapter 1035: I¡¯ve Always Been A Cute Little Bunny</h4>

    It was a strange woman.

    The woman wore a dark, tight-fitting bodysuit and she emitted a simr aura as Third Senior Sister Feng Xiaoxiao did, the kind of aura a killer possessed.

    "Bro Xi, Elder Feng wants to see you," the woman looked at her and spoke expressionlessly.

    Ning Xi was caught off-guard. She actually met a baddie on the way home! She was just out that night to buy some soy sauce and did not expect to meet Feng Jin''s underling!

    And the only weapon she had on her right now was a bottle of soy sauce.

    The woman opened the car door. "Please."

    Ning Xi''s brain worked fast as she sucked on her lollipop and tilted her head. "Miss, who are you? I think you''ve got the wrong person! I''m not Bro Xi!"

    The woman was a little taken aback. "You''re not Tang Xi?"

    Ning Xi continued sucking her lollipop and shook her head innocently. "Miss, my name is Little Bunny!"

    The woman looked at her, then she nced at Ning Xi''s apartment and said coldly, "I saw youing out from 701."

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "I know the girl from 701. I always visit her but it''s a girl, not a guy staying there!"

    The woman was confused by Ning Xi''s innocent expression.

    Although she knew that Tang Xi was actually a woman and she had seen her pictures in a female outfit before, this girl in front of her did not look like Ning Xi either.

    Could she have made a mistake?

    "Oh my, it''s reallyte already! I''m going home now! If not my mother''s going to give me a good scolding! Goodbye!" Ning Xi then walked away quickly.

    The woman who was left behind was perplexed.

    A voice came through the woman''s Bluetooth earphone, "Did you get her?"

    "I''m sorry, Elder Feng, I think I followed the wrong target!"

    "Wrong target?"

    "Yes, I''ve sent a picture to your phone. Please check if the person is Tang Xi."

    Feng Jin then spoke to her through the Bluetooth earphone, "The person in the picture¡­is Tang Xi."

    The woman was speechless. Had she been fooled by Tang Xi?

    Tang Xi was her idol! Not only did she find out that her idol was actually a man, she even turned out to be a stupid little bunny!

    "I''m sorry, Elder Feng! It''s my mistake!"

    Feng Jing coughed, "It''s alright¡­it''s not your fault, continue your mission!"

    "Yes."

    The woman moved swiftly after she ended the call. She climbed over the walls and went towards Ning Xi''s direction.

    A short whileter, just when Ning Xi thought she had finally gotten away from that woman, a dark shadow appeared right in front of her.

    Ning Xi almost cursed out loud when she saw her. She need not ask, her disguise was found out.

    The woman stood before Ning Xi with a cold expression. "Bro Xi, your disguise was really amazing, I was almost fooled!"

    Ning Xi kept quiet.

    That was not a disguise at all! That''s who I really am! I''ve always been a cute little bunny, you stupid humans!

 Chapter 1036: Ears Were Heating Up

    <h4>Chapter 1036: Ears Were Heating Up</h4>

    Ning Xi''s eyes turned chilly. "We were once colleagues, after all. I don''t want to hurt you, don''t make me do it!"

    The woman grinned. "Had it been thest time, I might not have been able to win, but now¡­I heard that you can''t even face Feng Xiaoxiao for more than a few minutes!"

    Ning Xi had nothing to say.

    How did she even know about this?

    "Bro Xi, follow me. If it''s possible, I don''t want to hurt you either," said the woman.

    Ning Xi took a nce at the gun strapped to the woman''s waist and she understood the woman was trying to be polite.

    Not only did Ning Xi not have any weapons on her, even if she did, she would not be able to handle someone who was sent by Feng Jin.

    Ning Xi got into the car in the end.

    There was also a man in the car, designated to be the driver, and the woman sat at the back with Ning Xi.

    The woman searched through Ning Xi''s outfit and even checked the small ck hair clip on her.

    Ning Xi tilted her head and nced at the woman busy examining her. "You can stop now, baby, I just came out to get some soy sauce. I didn''t even bring my phone. Do you really expect me to possess anything dangerous now?"

    The woman stopped as she heard Ning Xi''s voice. She felt her ears heating up¡­

    That was Tang Xi''s voice¡­Tang Xi''s tone¡­

    Although Ning Xi looked like an underaged girl now, her tone matched the old Tang Xi.

    The woman shook her head and came back to her senses, then she tied Ning Xi''s wrists tightly to ensure that she could not escape.

    "Prettydy, can you tell me why Strategist Feng has invited me over?" Ning Xi asked.

    "I''m just executing my orders, I don''t know anything else," the woman answered expressionlessly.

    "You''re also working for Satan but why have I never seen you before?"

    The woman stopped answering her questions and ignored her.

    Too bad. Ning Xi just closed her eyes and got some rest.

    What surprised Ning Xi was that although the woman had tied her up, she did not blindfold her. It seemed like she did not mind her knowing where were they heading to.

    The streetlights and cars outside were getting lesser and lesser as the car headed towards the outskirts¡­

    Where were they bringing her? Any further would be going into the wilderness¡­

    As Ning Xi was running through the possibilities in her mind, the car stopped in front of an old European vi.

    When she clearly saw where they were, Ning Xi''s face went pale!

    Gosh, this¡­

    Was this not the infamous haunted vi?!

    Rumor had it that a pregnant woman hung herself inside. Ever since then, the house was haunted and many mysterious things happened. A resident was even scared to death here and no one else dared to take over this house after that¡­

    What was happening!?

    Of all ces, why here!?

    The thing she was afraid of the most was ghosts!

    "Bro Xi, please let go."

    Ning Xi''s hands were tied together but she clung on to the car door with her fingers. She even crawled back into the car upon realizing where they were.

    The woman looked at the driver and they both dragged Ning Xi out.

    A gun was pointed at Ning Xi''s back and she could only walk towards the scary haunted house slowly¡­

 Chapter 1037: If I Were In A Male Outfit

    <h4>Chapter 1037: If I Were In A Male Outfit</h4>

    The woman was suspicious when she saw Ning Xi''s pale face and her shaky legs.

    Ning Xi had been pretty calm along the way just now and even took a nap but when they reached there, she became so frightened.

    But, well, who could me her? That man¡­was pretty scary after all!

    The thick wooden door made a loud creaking sound as the woman pushed it open. Therge house was empty and dark.

    The light was not turned on and only a few white candles lined up on the wall were lit up. The dim lights made the haunted house even spookier.

    Under the dim candle lights, the oil portraits on the wall looked like haunting ghosts. The old wooden floorboards creaked as they walked through the house.

    With an old pendulum clock, bronze mirrors, animal tusks, and deer heads¡­the house was like a horror film set popted with extremely ancient decorations. She expected a ghost to suddenly pop out of nowhere, or a white figure to suddenly hang down right in front of her¡­

    Ning Xi walked slowly, her steps treading heavier after each step.

    The woman with the gun on Ning Xi''s back realized that she was walking slower and slower and she got annoyed.

    As the woman was about to tell Ning Xi to go faster, therge clock in the house struck twelve.

    Dong!

    Dong!

    Dong!

    ¡­

    Therge clock rung out loudly all of a sudden and the sound echoed throughout the empty house.

    "Arghh, ghost!" Ning Xi screamed at the top of her lungs and she turned around to hug the woman. She was shivering, apparently really afraid.

    The woman was dumbfounded.

    Bro Xi¡­was actually¡­

    Scared of ghosts?

    She was wondering if she was dreaming¡­

    The worst thing was that the image of her idol was being destroyed bit by bit until nothing was left anymore¡­

    It was all just her imagination¡­

    "It''s just the sound of the clock." The woman looked at the little bunny with an expressionless face.

    "The¡­the sound of the clock¡­really shocked me¡­"

    ¡­

    After a while, the woman finally brought Ning Xi into a room upstairs. While it was just a short distance from the car to the room, Ning Xi felt like she had just gone through hell.

    The woman in the ck suit thought that Ning Xi was trying to dy her time, but then she realized that Ning Xi''s forehead was full of sweat and she did not seem to be acting.

    The woman still could not get over her past idol.

    Ning Xi stopped her from leaving after they reached the room. "Where are you going?"

    "Please wait here for a moment."

    "You want to leave me alone here? No way! Don''t go! What am I waiting for? Can''t you wait with me? Aren''t you worried that I might run away?"

    "My mission ends here."

    No matter how Ning Xi begged, she still left!

    "Damn! We''ll see if you''ll leave me this quick if I were in a male outfit!"

 Chapter 1038: Scare Her To Death?

    <h4>Chapter 1038: Scare Her To Death?</h4>

    The woman''s footsteps were going further and further away until Ning Xi could not hear it anymore.

    The whole ce was dead silent and there was not even the slightest rustle. She could hear herself moving just an inch of her body and the very tiny sound she made was magnified, terrorizing her.

    She was already frightened even when there was another person with her; leaving her alone was torture!

    Ning Xi took a deep breath and chanted whatever religious mantras she remembered as she tried to look around the room to distract herself.

    There was a dimly lit white candle on the dressing table. She could see that the design of the room was pretty simr to the outside. The only difference was that it was way scarier. She also realized the room was very spacious. From the structure and decoration of it, it should be the master bedroom¡­

    Master bedroom!

    Ning Xi suddenly ran to a corner, away from the entrance.

    The rumor that went around was that the woman, who had hung herself, had done so at the entrance of the master bedroom!

    She was standing exactly under it just now!

    She finally understood their n now. They wanted to scare her to death! There were some things in life that could never be ovee, like Ning Xi''s fear of ghosts.

    When she had stayed with her foster parents, her grandmother did not like her and tried to abandon her many times. There was once that she had left Ning Xi alone near a graveyard.

    She stayed there for two days¡­and was deeply traumatized by the experience back then.

    She ended up being terrified of ghosts. Even though she knew they were baseless assumptions, she could not help it. She also would not watch any horror films.

    Ning Xi took another deep breath to calm herself down, then she tried to untie herself. Unfortunately, the woman had used a professional technique and the rope texture was special, so it was impossible to escape from it. She dragged her weak body around and checked the room but all the doors and windows were locked.

    She looked into the mirror and saw her own pale face. Her thoughts ran wild and she thought that she was buried in the ground with the dead bodies¡­

    She did not even have the capacity to think about why Feng Jin had trapped her there¡­

    The only thing that might make her feel better in the room was probably the bed.

    Ning Xi''s legs were trembling as she slowly moved towards the bed. She grasped the pillow to her chest and curled up into a fetal position.

    Time passed by.

    No one came and there was no sound.

    She felt like she was the only one alive in the whole world until the candle on the dressing table was burntpletely. The sole source of light went out and the room became pitch ck.

    Ning Xi''s tensed up mind could not take it anymore. Her deepest, darkest thought flooded her mind uncontrobly¡­

    A little girl was abandoned heartlessly. She waited at the same spot only to hear ferocious beast cries from the forest¡­

    She ran and then, was tripped by something. She looked down to see a pile of bones¡­

    She was lost in a woods full of dried up bones. She waited from night till dawn, and from day till dusk; she kept on waiting and waiting¡­

 Chapter 1039: Who Are You Keeping Yourself For?

    <h4>Chapter 1039: Who Are You Keeping Yourself For?</h4>

    The scenery in her mind shifted again. It was a sunny afternoon and there was a loud screech of brakes. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach¡­

    Child¡­her child¡­

    Blood¡­in the eyes¡­everywhere¡­

    Child! My child!

    He''s dead! Your child is dead! He was born dead! What could you do even if he''s not dead? Are you going to take care of an illegitimate child?

    No¡­she did not believe it¡­his heart had still been beating in her womb just a moment ago¡­

    Not an illegitimate child! Her child was not an illegitimate child!

    She had been looking forward to the birth of her child, it was her child! Her precious child!

    Give me back my baby! Give me back¡­

    The woman''s mournful voice echoed through her head. Deep in her heart, she knew it was her own voice¡­

    Finally, the next moment¡­she saw that child, she finally saw her baby¡­

    In a cold morgue¡­a small body which was all purple and blue¡­the baby had stopped breathing¡­

    Her child, her baby was dead¡­

    Suddenly, there was a loud screech amongst the silence. It was the opening of the door.

    Thud!

    Thud!

    Thud!

    ¡­

    Leather shoes stepped into the room and a tall man came in.

    The man''s fair hand was holding a candle. Under the dim light, it highlighted his greyish eyes and his silver hair¡­

    The man walked slowly towards the bed and closed in on the dark silhouette.

    There was a girl on the bed and she was gripping the pillow tightly, drenched in sweat. Her hair was wet and her body was shivering¡­

    "No¡­no¡­my child¡­no¡­"

    The girl was definitely not fully conscious until she noticed the source of the light and the sound of footsteps. She looked up and stared and the direction of the light¡­

    "You''re still useless as ever!" The man''s sarcastic tone echoed through the spooky room.

    Ning Xi stared at the person while maintaining her fetal position. She did not move and did not say anything. It seemed like she was still in her dream-like state.

    The girl was wearing a furry onesie and her body was quivering as she stared hard at him with her reddened eyes¡­ It was just¡­

    Too easy to trigger a person''s darkest desire¡­

    The man''s eyes went darker and darker as he slowly extended his hand towards the girl. He tried to touch her lips¡­

    The next moment, the man felt a sharp pain on his hand.

    Before he could close in, the girl had bitten his hand, blood smearing the girl''s mouth and the man''s hand¡­

    The man''s expression changed. He held the girl''s lower jaw and pushed her onto the bed. With a cold and angry expression, he spoke in a dangerous tone, "Who are you keeping yourself for? Hmm?"

 Chapter 1040: Who Wants Your Heart?

    <h4>Chapter 1040: Who Wants Your Heart?</h4>

    "Yun Shen! What do you want!?" Ning Xi was finally awake and she demanded.

    The man looked at his bleeding hand, then licked it slowly. His demonic eyes locked onto her and he said in a low voice beside her ears, "I didn''t really n to do anything¡­but now¡­"

    His voice creeped Ning Xi out. "I''ve already told you clearly. Yes, you saved my life, so I gave you four years of my life and risked my life countless times for you but now, I don''t owe you anything! We''re going on separate paths, so what''s wrong with that?"

    The man cackled as he held her chin, "You don''t owe me? My dear, don''t even talk about when you''re alive. Even if you''re dead, you''re still mine! If I go to hell, you''ll follow right behind me!"

    This¡­this maniac!

    The man''s expression was crazy and the situation was going out of hand. Ning Xi was not just tied up, she could not move at all. She kept her eyes shut and yelled, "You won''t harvest any sweet fruits from forcefully picking them! Is there any meaning to what you''re doing!?"

    "Who told you that I like sweet fruits?"

    Ning Xi was taken aback. "You¡­even if you get my body, you''ll never have my heart!"

    The man raised his eyebrows as he ran his fingers through her hair. "I only want your body. Who wants your heart?"

    Why was he acting so irrationally¡­?

    When she was almost scared to death just now, she had prayed for a living person toe! As long as it was a living person! But now, as she looked at the guy in front of her, she might as well have met a ghost¡­

    There must be something wrong with her method of praying¡­

    "Wait! Don''t you want to know why I chose Lu Tingxiao?" Ning Xi yelled again.

    As expected, the man stopped. He squinted his eyes, then asked her with a half-hearted smile, "Tell me about it¡­"

    Ning Xi gulped, able to rx a little.

    Probably because she had mentioned Lu Tingxiao''s name, the girl''s expression softened. It was an expression he had never seen before, exciting his inner dominating desire¡­

    Ning Xi closed her eyes and said slowly, "Yun Shen, you know a lot about me. Whether it was when I was still staying with my foster parents, or when I was taken back by the Ning family when I was 18, or even the four years when I was overseas, before I met Lu Tingxiao, there was not a day that I could be myself!

    "Because I was afraid of being abandoned, I tried my best to appeal to my foster parents and grandmother. Because I was afraid of being ignored, I tried to look good in front of my parents and the socialites. Because of love, I gave up everything to try to please Su Yan. Because I wanted to survive, I buried my real self¡­"

    Up to this point, Ning Xi was reminded of the years when she had wandered overseas and she wore a cold smile. However, soon, the coldness melted away. "After I came back, revenge blinded me and made me lose my way¡­

    "Until¡­I met that person¡­until I met Lu Tingxiao¡­no one has ever treated me so well. He loves me and protects me, he always quietly sacrifices himself for me and he''s never forced me to do anything¡­I can only be myself in front of him!"

 Chapter 1041: Do You Want To Try Me?

    <h4>Chapter 1041: Do You Want To Try Me?</h4>

    "Huh, so it''s enough to make you fall in love just by doing that?" The man''s tone was full of sarcasm as he regarded Ning Xi as a woman who was blinded by love.

    Ning Xi took a deep breath and asked, "Okay! Let me ask you. If you entered a room and you saw the person you like fed with an aphrodisiac and wearing transparent pajamas while lying on a king-sized bed full of red flower petals, what would you make her do?"

    She asked Jiang Muye the same question as well.

    "Make love," Yun Shen simply replied.

    Make¡­love¡­

    Good¡­this reply was as expected of Satan. How creepy¡­

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched and she rolled her eyes. "But Lu Tingxiao did not do anything! That''s the difference between the both of you! And this is why I choose him! He''ll never take advantage of me when I''m at my worst! Yun Shen, you don''t know what love is!"

    The man looked annoyed. "Are you sure this is love and not sexual dysfunction?"

    Ning Xi yelled at him in anger, "Shut up! You''re the one with sexual dysfunction!"

    The man grinned. "Do you really want to try me?"

    "I don''t have time to y games with you! Let me tell you something, it''s alright to have low EQ, you can learn! I can teach you something right now! For example, under this situation, you should learn from Lu Tingxiao and let me go like a gentleman!" Ning Xi tried to convince him.

    The man raised his eyebrows. "I don''t do what others do."

    Ning Xi clenched her teeth so hard that they almost shattered. Her brain cells were dying while her mouth was running dry. This bastard was too annoying!

    "Is there anything else you''d like to say?" The man asked cheerfully as he looked at her whilst enjoying her expression.

    "Bastard!"

    Saying anything else to him would be useless anyway.

    "Are you scolding me?"

    Ning Xi kept quiet.

    Finally, he understood why she was scolding him! Could he improve in other aspects as well?

    "My dear, I''m asking for you toe back to me for your own good¡­if you continue to be with him, you''ll be really sad!" the man said.

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "Why would I be sad?"

    "Because you''ll be a widow!"

    "You¡­" Ning Xi was so angry that she started to feel pain in her bones. "Don''t you talk so big. I don''t care what business you have with Lu Tingxiao, but my man isn''t someone who can go down that easily!"

    "Your man¡­!?" Yun Shen''s carefree expression suddenly darkened. "My dear, you really know how to make me angry!"

    Ning Xi knew that things were bad when she realized his change in expression. She should not have triggered him, but she really could not help it just now¡­

    Bang!

    The door was pushed open from the outside.

    Tang Ye stood there with a worried expression on his face as he looked over to Ning Xi''s direction. He shouted loudly, "Satan! We''re surrounded by Lu Tingxiao''s men!"

    The moment Tang Ye said those words, dust started to form a cloud outside the house as the trees and grass swayed. There was a loud whirring sound from a chopper overhead¡­

 Chapter 1042: We Meet Again

    <h4>Chapter 1042: We Meet Again</h4>

    "That''s pretty fast¡­good timing, I missed him too!"

    The silver-haired man looked at the dozens of private helicopters outside the house, his eyes brimming with manic excitement as he stepped out quickly and totally forgot about Ning Xi.

    Tang Ye followed him as well but before he left, he looked at Ning Xi with an indescribable expression. He had heard the rumors of Lu Tingxiao possessing a private army, but to deploy them in Imperial and just for a woman¡­

    "Hey! No! Don''t go! First Senior Brother! You can still keep me in here! But have someone stay with me! You know that I''m afraid of ghosts¡­"

    However, before Ning Xi could finish, the door closed once again.

    These monsters, especially Yun Shen who ran away so quickly the moment he heard Lu Tingxiao was here! Ning Xi was going to give them a hard time if she ever got out of this ce alive!

    Although she was left alone in the room again, she did not feel scared anymore probably because she heard that Lu Tingxiao had arrived. She went up to the window and looked around¡­

    Unfortunately, it was too dark, so she could only see a few choppers around. Because she was not sure of the exact situation out there, she could not see where Lu Tingxiao was. She had to get out of there!

    What if that old man Feng Jin tried something funny on her again!?

    Ning Xi looked around the room again but she could not find anything useful. She also could not move anything heavy since her hands were tied up. Her only option was to try to break the window by running towards it¡­

    Unfortunately, it did not even budge an inch. Which idiot made this window so sturdy? Her bones were almost crushed by the impact.

    ¡­

    At the grass patch in the front yard, among the dozens of choppers hovering above, one of them descended slowly on an empty spot.

    A group of armed men alighted before a man in ck suit with an extremely cold expression. The armed force formed a parallel formation and the man walked in between them as they moved slowly towards the creepy, old vi.

    Another group of armed men was waiting for them right in front of the vi and it was at that moment that they realized Lu Tingxiao''s men surrounded them. Yun Shen''s men formed a team of about a dozen people butpared to Lu Tingxiao''s serious professional team, the other party looked more carefree and less disciplined.

    The door to the vi opened and the silver-haired man came out.

    As soon as they saw the silver-haired man, the men with the carefree expressions suddenly turned serious. They behaved respectfully towards him and cleared a path for him as well.

    Both men, one as cold as ice, the other as cunning as a demon, walked towards each other.

    The air was tense and both sides were ready for a fight.

    The two men stopped and stood about ten steps away from each other. Their poisonous looks at each other could almost cause a spark in the air.

    The silver-haired man bit his lip. With a fire burning in his crimson red eyes, he looked at the man in the ck suit, his bloodlust practically sttering everywhere. "We meet again."

 Chapter 1043: Naive Child

    <h4>Chapter 1043: Naive Child</h4>

    "Give her to me," Lu Tingxiao said.

    The silver-haired man put his hand on his forehead and chuckled as if he had just heard a funny joke. "You infiltrated my turf and now, you want me to hand over my people? You sure have an odd sense of humor, CEO Lu."

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his watch expressionlessly. "Three minutes."

    He was being fairly straightforward. If they did not hand over the girl within three minutes, then¡­

    The silver-haired man put on a creepy smile and raised his eyebrows. "Lu Tingxiao, when she was at her worst, her most desperate and most painful period of time, I helped her. I taught her all the necessary skills she needed to survive and to protect herself. She belongs to the same world as me. Sure, the world is vast, but in the end, she''ll understand where she truly belongs!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression darkened the moment the silver-haired man finished his sentence. His broodiness was even stronger than the demonic man, so much so that even Lu Tingxiao''s men were slightly taken aback¡­

    The night became darker. The ominous clouds covered the moon and only a dim light could be seen.

    Sometimeter, Lu Tingxiao''s bloodlust vanished. He looked at the silver-haired man without any expression. "Two minutes."

    At the same time, both parties were in battle-ready mode. Even the snipers were ready from afar and the tension was high as everyone was prepared to fight any moment¡­

    In a corner nearby, Feng Xiaoxiao wiped her sweat from her forehead. "It seems like a fight''s going to happen soon¡­"

    Annie was freaking out. "What should we do!? We''re not really going to fight each other, are we? Sis Xiaoxiao, I just found out that Strategist Feng kidnapped Bro Xi! How could he do this!?"

    "To be honest, I didn''t expect Elder Feng to be this straightforward this time as well. What is he trying to achieve?" Feng Xiaoxiao was suspicious.

    Tang Ye''s cold voice joined in, "Feng Jin hates anything that goes out of his control and affects Satan''s decision. For a man, it''s the worst thing ever to let a woman make you go berserk."

    "So, Elder Feng wanted to snip the issue in the bud? So that''s why Satan wanted to kidnap Little Junior Sister! This haunted house is the perfect ce to keep her since she''s super scared of ghosts. She''ll definitely lose all her fighting power here. Moreover, she can''t even fight that well now¡­" Feng Xiaoxiao mumbled.

    Annie suddenly tensed up. "I think Boss wouldn''t really do that¡­ Although he looks like a bad guy, and he always says bad things, he treats us really well¡­like he always says that he''s going to feed me to the fishes, but he''s never actually done it!"

    "Ugh, your analogy¡­ Such a naive child¡­" Feng Xiaoxiao caressed Annie''s head pitifully.

    Feng Xiaoxiao then looked at the intense situation at hand. As both parties were ready to fight, she mumbled to herself, "Is this what Elder Feng is trying to achieve? Why does it feel like he''s making trouble on purpose¡­?"

 Chapter 1044: Are You Flaunting To Me?

    <h4>Chapter 1044: Are You unting To Me?</h4>

    Besides, the other purpose for what happened today was probably to lure Lu Tingxiao''s rumored underground forces out.

    Although they were just a small part of it, one could already estimate how powerful it could be. More importantly, it was no weaker than their organization¡­

    "This cannot continue, I''m going to rescue Bro Xi! Only Bro Xi can stop this now!" Annie cried out.

    Feng Xiaoxiao stopped Annie. "What can you do!? You''re not a fighter, you can''t even lift the door. Just stay here, I''ll go!"

    "But, if the Boss mes us¡­" Annie was worried.

    "Both of you are directly under him. Of course, you two can''t go. Even though I''m part of the Organization, I''m just sort of a part-timer here. I''d still have ''The Sins'' behind me if I were to get in trouble! Don''t worry! "Feng Xiaoxiao then swiftly went into the house.

    The Sins was thergest assassin group internationally. While Feng Xiaoxiao worked with the Organization, she was also a core member of The Sins.

    Tang Ye did not stop Feng Xiaoxiao and just acted as if he did not see what just happened.

    ¡­

    In the creepiest master bedroom upstairs, as Feng Xiaoxiao went into the room using a metal key, Ning Xi was still battling with the ss window.

    Ning Xi held a small, sharp bone in her hand and was trying to break the window with it when suddenly someone grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her away from the window.

    A ck boot flew across the room¡­

    ng!

    There was a loud sound and the window was broken¡­

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded. The window she had been trying to break for so long was now shattered into pieces. She cried, "Oh! Third Senior Sister! You finally came!"

    "Useless!" Feng Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at her as she took out a dagger and cut open the ropes that bound Ning Xi''s hands. "I''ve already reminded you thest time! How are you getting weaker and weaker?"

    Ning Xi pouted and mumbled, "It just shows how carefree and happy my life is now ¡­"

    Feng Xiaoxiao was annoyed by herment. "Are you unting your lovey-dovey experience in front of me? I''m going to kick you!"

    "You wouldn''t!" Ning Xi went up to her and gave her a big hug.

    Feng Xiaoxiao closed her eyes when she saw this underaged-looking girl acting so innocently in this situation. "No wonder 16 looked defeated just now. Her wonderful image of you must''ve been shattered!"

    Ning Xi blinked her eyes. "16? Who''s number 16?"

    "Her code name is 16! The woman who kidnapped you here!" Feng Xiaoxiao replied.

    "Oh, that''s who she is¡­ She will probably experience some mental breakdown today¡­" Ning Xi started perspiring guiltily

    "She seemed to have a crush on you before. She probably volunteered for Feng Jin''s mission because she wanted to get closer to her idol but who knew¡­" Feng Xiaoxiao felt bad for 16.

    Ning Xi mumbled, "So, it''s my fault now? She''s the one who tied me up and left me all alone here! It''s karma!"

 Chapter 1045: Thereâ€™s A Woman In Bossâ€™ House!

    <h4>Chapter 1045: There¡¯s A Woman In Boss¡¯ House!</h4>

    "Okay, stop messing around. Get down there to your man! They''re going to fight soon! We''re in China and right in the middle of Imperial, so there''s no advantage for either of them to fight here!" Feng Xiaoxiao reminded her.

    "Oh¡­then I''ll leave now, Third Senior Sister! Let''s have a drink next time¡­" Ning Xi climbed out of the window.

    Feng Xiaoxiao was worried. "Are you going to be alright? Why don''t you just take the stairs?"

    "That''s troublesome¡­stop looking down on me, alright? It''s just the third floor!" Ning Xi then climbed down along the water pipe.

    Feng Xiaoxiao remained silent.

    You''ve be a real little bunny now! How could I be not worried!?

    But actually, as a woman, Feng Xiaoxiao was still a little jealous!

    After all, she was way more experienced than Ning Xi in the field and she had gone through a lot of traumatic experiences. Nevertheless, she was also less trustfulpared to Ning Xi¡­

    Men¡­she would never fall in love with those creatures!

    ¡­

    On the other hand, Ning Xi realized that she should have listened to Third Senior Sister. When Ning Xi was halfway down the pipe, her legs were trembling and she fell to the ground.

    Suddenly, everyone''s attention turned to her corner¡­

    They then saw a cute little girl getting to her feet clumsily as she seemed to be mumbling something¡­

    "Where did this little bunnye from?" Someone from Yun Shen''s side asked.

    "Big news! There''s a woman in the Boss'' house!"

    "A fresh underaged girl at that!"

    "Oh my gosh! Boss has that kind of fetish!?"

    ¡­

    People were making a scene as they looked at Yun Shen more and more suspiciously as well until a clear, cold voice cut through their doubts, "That''s Tang Xi."

    Everyone was speechless when they heard 16''s deration.

    Was that a joke?!

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression changed when he saw Ning Xi. Despite the crowd around, he could only see his own wife right now.

    Yun Shen''s razor-sharp eyes red at Feng Xiaoxiao who stood by the broken window, then he looked at Ning Xi and said in a cold tone, "Come over."

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched in irritation. She tried to brush off the leaves and dirt on her. While she did not say anything, her expression made it obvious that she would only go over to his side if she was crazy.

    Ah! The devil!!!

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao''s direction happily.

    The difference in her attitude towards the two men was obvious.

    The three of them formed a triangle; Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen were about ten steps away from each other, and Ning Xi was right between them near the corner of a wall.

    As Ning Xi stepped out towards Lu Tingxiao''s direction, there was a creepy, demonic voice that rang out, "I''ll give you onest chance. Think properly before you move!"

    Decide which side to move towards to!

    That creepy voice halted Ning Xi mid-step. She remained stationary and looked up to see the stony-faced Lu Tingxiao and the dark-faced Yun Shen.

    What should she do¡­?

    She was not troubled by the choice of which side she was going to pick. It was not even a question! Her only concern was what would Yun Shen do if she walked towards Lu Tingxiao''s side?

 Chapter 1046: She Walked Towards Me

    <h4>Chapter 1046: She Walked Towards Me</h4>

    The guy was a madman who would not care about the consequences once he went nuts¡­

    He could be right in front of the Emperor''s door and he would still force his way inside!

    While they were on the outskirts, it was still within Imperial and if they were to really fight there, it would definitely catch the attention of the rted parties.

    Given Lu Tingxiao''s influence, those who were overseeing the incident and knew him would give him some leeway, but this was only if both parties were beneficial to the officials.

    If he were to cause a big ruckus here and attack Yun Shen right away, it would be a different story¡­

    Ning Xi was shocked when she saw Lu Tingxiao apanied by formal and ridiculously armed forces. She did not expect Lu Tingxiao to go to such great lengths for her and take such a big risk.

    As Ning Xi was analyzing the pros and cons of her actions, the scene was dead silent and both of the men''s expressions grew darker by the second.

    Lu Tingxiao was especially irked. Yun Shen was acting superior as Ning Xi''s ex-boyfriend and his words heavily impacted Lu Tingxiao.

    As for Yun Shen, he had been together with Ning Xi for four years and he understood her very well. He already knew what was she thinking at that moment, which was why his expression darkened.

    Suddenly, there was a strong surge of bloodlust in the crowd. A middle-aged man broke out of nowhere and aimed his gun at Ning Xi. He pulled the trigger so quickly that no one noticed it sooner.

    The next second¡­

    Bang!

    Nearly at the same time, another gunshot was fired as well!

    The first shot came from Feng Jin while the other came from Yun Shen. Everyone was shocked, even Feng Xiaoxiao, Tang Ye, and Annie as no one expected Feng Jin to suddenly fire his gun.

    The silver-haired man''s cold aura enveloped Feng Jin. His hand was bleeding from the shot just now. Fortunately, his shot at Ning Xi had missed because Yun Shen shot him in the nick of time.

    "It seems like I have an internal affair to settle." Yuen Shen raised his hand and all his henchmen put down their weapons and retreated into the building.

    Lu Tingxiao''s people rxed a little when they saw the opponent retreat. They then looked at Lu Tingxiao for further instructions.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the middle-aged man with his cold eyes, then he raised his hand as well. His men also put down their weapons and retreated.

    The tension had ceased for now.

    Ning Xi ran towards Lu Tingxiao as the crisis was resolved¡­

    Seeing the girl run towards him, he suddenly felt that he had received salvation in the midst of hell.

    She walked towards¡­me¡­

    Ning Xi''s shirt was full of dust and grime as a result of falling onto the dirty front yard just now. Grass littered her outfit and hair. The domestic little bunny had now be a wild rabbit.

    Still, when the girl went into the man''s arms, it was clear that although she lived in the wild, she had a ce she called home.

    The moment her slender body melted into his, Lu Tingxiao hugged the girl tightly. His cold, empty heart was now filledpletely¡­

 Chapter 1047: Anyone Who Dares To Hurt Her

    <h4>Chapter 1047: Anyone Who Dares To Hurt Her</h4>

    The silver-haired man''s face turned as frigid as ice when he saw Ning Xi run towards Lu Tingxiao and they embraced each other.

    Feng Jin covered his wounded arm and went up to the man. He quickly said, "Satan, we could let this go if Tang Xi stayed for you this time, but she has forgotten all about you and betrayed you. You don''t have to involve yourself with a woman like her¡­"

    The silver-haired man red at him heartlessly. "I like the way she treats me and how she''s unappreciative towards me. Do you have any opinions about that?"

    Feng Jin kept quiet.

    Seeing that Lu Tingxiao was taking Ning Xi away, he was going to lose his final chance. Feng Jin clenched his teeth and warned, "Satan! That woman will destroy you!"

    "Huh, if a woman can destroy me this easily, why don''t you take my position?" The man''s face was suddenly full of violence.

    Feng Jin bowed his head respectfully. "I''m afraid I''m not fit to be!"

    The man sneered, "I''m only respecting you because of Elder Qiao. If something simr happens the next time, you''ll go back to where you came from."

    Feng Jin''s face went pale when he heard what the silver-haired man threatened him with. He thought that Satan would surely eliminate the woman after witnessing her betrayal personally, but yet¡­ No way! This woman could not be spared!

    "Tang Ye¡­"

    "I''m here."

    The man nced at the pale Feng Jin as he casually adjusted his sleeves. "Send a message to everyone. No matter who it is, if someone dares to hurt Tang Xi¡­I''ll destroy him!"

    "Noted," Tang Ye replied.

    Feng Jin stood there without saying a word.

    The man squinted his eyes and looked at the chopper as it slowly left his sight. He then opened up his palm.

    It was a fluffy white ball from the girl''s outfit just now, looking forlorn in his palm¡­

    ¡­

    They did not board the chopper Lu Tingxiao came in. Instead, they left with another smaller helicopter.

    Aside from Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi, there was only the pilot in the chopper.

    The moment the door closed, Ning Xi was kissed passionately¡­

    The man''s wide hand held her waist tightly and his other hand wrapped the behind of her neck as he kissed her with all his might¡­

    The tingling sensation of hot passion lingered on Ning Xi''s lips and the first thing she thought of was "Boss, will we die in this helicopter?"

    How could the pilot focus in this situation¡­?

    The pilot in front was probably facing the greatest challenge of his whole career life¡­

    The Boss at the back did not seem to have any intention to stop and the kiss was growing more and more intense as time passed. This¡­would not lead to them to do it on the helicopter, would it?

    Even a pilot who had been trained professionally for eight years could not stand such an intense and rousing scene¡­

    At the same time, Lu Tingxiao went even further as he noticed the girl was not focusing, he suppressed himself so that he would not hurt the girl.

    But there was still the scent of blood in their mouths¡­

    Although Lu Tingxiao was emitting such a dark and negative aura around him at that moment, Ning Xi was not scared at all. Instead, she clung to the man''s neck and kissed him back, caressing his back with her fingers¡­

    She put her hands on his chest and pushed him down until he was pinned under her. As she leaned towards him, the bunny hood slid over her head and her lips met his, all her suppressed fears and emotions fading as they kissed¡­

    The man used a hand to stabilize the girl''s body to prevent her from falling as he returned her kiss with a more passionate one¡­

    The pilot in front was blushing as he saw the girl riding on top of the man; one in a formal ck suit, the other one wearing a cute bunny outfit¡­

 Chapter 1048: Kiss Me Again, Then It Wonâ€™t

    <h4>Chapter 1048: Kiss Me Again, Then It Won¡¯t</h4>

    The kisssted for a long time¡­

    From violent to passionate to gentle cuddling, none of them wanted to ever break the kiss¡­

    In the end, Ning Xi was the one who stopped. She pushed the man away firmly. "That''s enough¡­if we keep continuing to do this, we might really crash!"

    The pilot in front almost cried out of relief. The Lady Boss was so considerate!

    Lu Tingxiao rested his head in the crook of her neck, apparently still shocked by what had happened tonight.

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao with a worried expression. "We''re still within Imperial''s border and tonight, we really caused a big ruckus¡­ Will it affect you?"

    The man''s lips stayed on her sensitive corbone area. "Kiss me again, then it won''t."

    Ning Xi and the pilot were both speechless.

    He had better change his career soon¡­

    Please give me back my cool Boss¡­

    ¡­

    They transferred from the helicopter to a car on their journey back. It was still dawn when they reached the city area and the sky was still dark.

    Lu Tingxiao sent her back to tinum Pce as he was worried that her apartment was not safe. He held her in his arms when he saw that her ankle was injured.

    After putting Ning Xi down on her bed, she saw that he was about to leave, so she reached out quickly to hold his hand. "Where''re you going?"

    "To look for a first aid box. Your wound needs to be treated."

    "Oh, hurry then!"

    A whileter, Lu Tingxiao came back with a first aid box.

    Ning Xi was badly scratched on several parts of her body when she fell down earlier, so Lu Tingxiao used alcohol swabs to clean the wounds, then he applied some ointment. Fortunately, they were just normal scratches, so a few bandages would suffice.

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression darkened while he was applying ointment on her wrists as he saw the red marks caused by the ropes when she was trussed up tightly.

    "Are you hurt anywhere else?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "Yes!" Ning Xi nodded.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned and his expression darkened even more. "Where?"

    Ning Xi pointed at her lips sulkily. "Here."

    You caused them to be hurt!

    Lu Tingxiao was taken aback a little. He coughed lightly, "I''ll apply some ointment for you¡­"

    After the cool mint-colored ointment was applied to her lips, she felt a lot better.

    When Ning Xi saw Lu Tingxiao turn around and was about to leave the room, Ning Xi held onto his shirt. "Where''re you going?"

    "I''m getting a towel for you."

    "Oh¡­then go ande back quickly! Wait, never mind. You know what? I''ll just go with you!" Ning Xi went to the toilet with him.

    Lu Tingxiao rinsed the towel under some hot water, then cleaned her dirty face and hands with it. "You can''t shower with all the wounds on you, so this will do for now."

    "Mmm!"

    "Are you sure there''re no other wounds?" Lu Tingxiao asked again after they had gone back to the bedroom.

    "No more, really!" Ning Xi rolled up her sleeves to show him. "They didn''t do anything bad to me."

    They just used some cruel psychological tricks¡­

    Lu Tingxiao was relieved now. "You should change into a clean outfit. It''ll make you feel morefortable."

    Lu Tingxiao was about to leave the room to let her change, but Ning Xi quickly stopped him. "Where are you going again?!"

    Lu Tingxiao was confused by the girl''s unusual attitude. "To let you change."

    "Why do you have to go out when I change?! Just stay here!" Ning Xi sounded anxious.

    "What''s wrong?" Lu Tingxiao frowned.

    Ning Xi sobbed as she hugged the man''s waist. "I''m scared¡­don''t go!"

 Chapter 1049: Her Tail Fell Off!

    <h4>Chapter 1049: Her Tail Fell Off!</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao was so heartbroken seeing her act this way. "What did they do to you?"

    Ning Xi could not hold it in anymore. She sobbed with her shoulders trembling, "Bastards! They''re all inhumane! Of all ces, they made me go to a haunted house! They also left me alone in a dark room! That h-house¡­it''s the one with the rumors about a woman who hung herself there¡­it''s so scary! I tried to leave¡­b-but I was out of strength¡­ They must''ve tried to scare me to death¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything. He was almost scared to death by her as well¡­

    "Can you please stay? I don''t want to be alone! What if the female ghost followed me here?" begged Ning Xi.

    Lu Tingxiao knitted his eyebrows although he felt both slightly relieved and a little helpless against her request. "I won''t leave."

    "Oh, are you sure?" asked Ning Xi as she went to the cupboard and look for clothes to change into. She turned around and asked for confirmation.

    "I''m sure."

    Ning Xi asked multiple times before she finally changed out of her clothes.

    When she was changing, she realized something tragic. The round tail at the back of the bunny outfit she loved had fallen off¡­

    Ning Xi grieved for the tail. She turned around and saw Lu Tingxiao acting like a gentleman and facing his back towards her.

    "I''m done changing!"

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao turned around and patted the girl''s head. "Rest well."

    "Will you stay with me?"

    "How can I not stay with you?" Lu Tingxiao sighed.

    Ning Xi was relieved.

    On the soft bed, the girl curled herself into the man''s embrace, mostly because she was really terrified. She fell asleep pretty quickly.

    She did not seem to have a good rest though as she kept on frowning in her sleep and had beads of sweat on her forehead. Lu Tingxiao stayed right beside her andforted her lightly¡­

    At six in the morning, there were sounds of footsteps approaching.

    Lu Tingxiao looked up. As expected, it was his son. He made a hand gesture and signaled him to be quiet. Ning Xi had only slept around 4 a.m. and if she woke up now, she would not get enough sleep.

    The little bun noticed his father''s serious expression, so he did not mess around and only stood beside the bed to look at his mother.

    "Your mother slept verytest night. Don''t wake her up," said Lu Tingxiao in a low voice.

    The little bun nodded obediently. He left after a short while because he had school today and could not bete.

    Soon, the little bun returned to the bedroom with his writing board. He wrote a few words: [I''ll share your burden.]

    Lu Tingxiao was surprised.

    The child had probably noticed his odd expression and wanted him to share his worries.

    Lu Tingxiao smiled. "Wait until you get a little older."

    Little Treasure pouted. He was trying really hard to grow up already. Furthermore, he had gained 2 kilograms of weight recently!

    Before he went to school, Little Treasure gave his mother a light kiss.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl quietly, not giving into slumber, then he realized that something was wrong.

    Her temperature¡­it was rising!

 Chapter 1050: Is Your Wife Pregnant?

    <h4>Chapter 1050: Is Your Wife Pregnant?</h4>

    Because he was hugging her the whole time, he did not realize that the girl''s cheeks were bright pink. It seemed unusual and when he touched her forehead, it was feverish!

    Ning Xi was having a fever!

    Lu Tingxiao got up and quickly made a call to Qin Mufeng.

    An hourter, Qin Mufeng came over with a suitcase.

    "Dude¡­do you always spy on me or something? The moment I return, you call me!"

    Qin Mufeng had gone overseas for an academic conference and had just touched down when Lu Tingxiao called him.

    However, he was d that Lu Tingxiao called. Ever since Ning Xi was there, both father and son had be really healthy. In fact, he felt guilty for doing nothing while continuing to receive his sry.

    "What''s happened that you had to call me this urgently?" Qin Mufeng asked.

    "Fever," Lu Tingxiao said.

    Qin Mufeng exined patiently, "My dear CEO, a fever is just a normal thing. You called me here just for this? I thought your wife was pregnant!"

    Qin Mufeng felt that even that was overthinking. Knowing Lu Tingxiao''s personality, the both of them had probably never even done it yet¡­

    Speaking of which, if he was this worried when his wife got a fever, what would happen if she actually gave birth in the future?

    Qin Mufeng kept these thoughts to himself as he took out some equipment from his suitcase. He did some simple check up procedures on Ning Xi and measured her temperature.

    "How is she?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Qin Mufeng took a look at the thermometer and frowned. "How did her fever get so bad? I''m going to prescribe her some medication. You should try and lower her temperature physically. If her fever doesn''t get better by tonight, she''ll have to get an injection and be put on drips!"

    "Okay, don''t leave. Stay here for the night," said Lu Tingxiao without any expression.

    Qin Mufeng''s mouth twitched. "Roger, CEO Lu!"

    The girl''s face was red and her breathing hastened.

    Lu Tingxiao helped the girl up and fed her some medicine, then he rubbed some alcohol all over her body to try cooling her down.

    After a whole day, her body temperature stabilized around the evening, but she was still unconscious¡­

    ¡­

    The next morning, the sun shone brightly and warm rays peaked through the curtains. Birds were singing and as some petals from the garden were swept inside, the fragrance of the flowers filled up the room¡­

    On the bed, the girl frowned. Her eyshes fluttered and she suddenly woke up with her forehead full of sweat. It seemed like she had just woken up from a nightmare.

    Ning Xi was a little confused when she woke up She looked around and saw that it was the bedroom she was familiar with. There was a bundle of flowers by her side,bined with the scent of flowers and nature from outside as the curtain swayed in the wind¡­

    Beside the window, a man was sitting on the chair with a book in his hand. He did not flip the book and was looking outside the window.

    Ning Xi''s eyes finally opened wide, then she realized that she was still alive and not in hell¡­

    Lu Tingxiao walked over when he realized she had moved. He caressed the girl''s head. "You''re awake?"

    "How long have I slept?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Two days."

    "That''s long¡­" muttered Ning Xi as she held her head, then she saw the man''s unshaven facial hair and felt her heart ache. "You haven''t been sleeping?"

    This time around, it was probably Lu Tingxiao who was most frightened and not Ning Xi. She wondered how Lu Tingxiao had found her so quickly. Maybe he had a spy¡­

    Or¡­had Feng Jin intentionally leaked the information¡­?

 Chapter 1051: Extremely Jealous

    <h4>Chapter 1051: Extremely Jealous</h4>

    "I''m alright. I''ve been sleeping. How do you feel?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi shook her head, then looked into his eyes. "Lu Tingxiao, do you have something you''re not telling me?"

    Actually, she realized that Lu Tingxiao had been hiding something from her ever since they had returned. She could tell that something was not right from his reaction earlier even though he hid it very well.

    Lu Tingxiao remained silent.

    Ever since their return, he could not ignore what the silver-haired man said no matter how hard he tried.

    "At a time when she felt the most dejected, sorry, hopeless and painful, I took her in and taught her the skills necessary for her to survive¡­

    "She belongs to the same world as me¡­

    "The world is vast, but in the end, she will realize where she belongs¡­"

    Was it truly where she belonged?

    He tried his best to convince himself but he could not.

    He was jealous!

    Jealous of that man!

    Extremely jealous!

    He was jealous of their past, of their extraordinary rtionship¡­

    ¡­

    Lu Tingxiao looked thoroughly ufortable. Although he was under the sunlight right now, it was obvious that he was rapidly freezing up. The thought of losing Ning Xi wrapped him up inyers of icy chill¡­

    "Ning Xi¡­will you ever leave me?" Lu Tingxiao finally asked the girl in front of him, his eyes full of sorrow. He was afraid that she would leave him anytime.

    What he received as a reply was a huge, warm hug. The girl''s warm, slender body wrapped him tightly, melting the ice¡­

    Ning Xi thought that it was something really severe and was speechless when she heard him.

    But she felt heartache for him as well, so she hugged him even tighter. "Why do you think I''ve been working so hard? It''s all to be with you, so I can marry you with pride, alright?"

    It was all done so I can stay in your world¡­

    Being with Lu Tingxiao was her life''s biggest blessing, yet also her biggest gamble¡­

    She knew that she should not have, but she fell. She fell deeper and deeper into him¡­

    The next moment, Ning Xi pushed Lu Tingxiao down. With ferocious eyes, she said, "Lu Tingxiao, why are you asking me this? I''m warning you! You''re the one who seduced me, you''re the one who charmed me! If one day you dare to betray me¡­"

    While Ning Xi was threatening him, her heart was smiling. Even if one day he really did betray her, she probably could not bring herself to hurt him!

    Without realizing it, she had found herself being entirely consumed by him¡­

    The man stared at her. In his eyes was his world. "I would never betray my life."

    The girl''s eyes were full of determination as well. "Me too! Lu Tingxiao, I have two lives. One was when I was born, the other one was when I met you."

    Lu Tingxiao''s hand on her arm suddenly tightened.

    The thunderstorm above them faded away and the sky cleared up¡­

 Chapter 1052: He Needs Money

    <h4>Chapter 1052: He Needs Money</h4>

    Under the warm sunlight, both of themy on the bed quietly.

    "Although the security of the ce you''re staying at right now is good, it can only hold off thieves and paparazzi¡­" Lu Tingxiao voiced out his thoughts.

    Ning Xi replied with excitement. "Oh, about that! I was actually thinking of getting a new ce! I looked through my savingstely and it''s enough to get myself a little vi! I wanted to talk to you about this! Let''s go and look at some houses soon?"

    "Okay," Lu Tingxiao replied, "I''ll help you take note of the ones suitable for you. I''ll arrange the security system personally."

    "Mmm!" Ning Xi nodded.

    Lu Tingxiao gave it more thought but was still not very assured. "I''ll let Tang Lang stay by your side. You need a bodyguard for your career as well."

    Ning Xi was surprised. "Have Second Senior Brother as my bodyguard?"

    From apany security guard to a private bodyguard¡­his job ranking was deteriorating. While the former role was as a little security guard, he was still working for an internationalpany!

    "He needs the money," said Lu Tingxiao.

    ¡­

    Okay, she had almost forgotten that Second Senior Brother''s credit card had been blocked by First Senior Brother, pushing him to even be a security guard and a child''s tutor to earn some money.

    As long as it pays!

    "Oh right, I almost forgot¡­I need two more people from you!" Ning Xi suddenly remembered the bunch of knives, bats, and the local specialties back in her house.

    "Who?" Lu TIngxiao asked.

    "Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi. Is it okay?" Ning Xi checked.

    "They went to look for you?" Lu Tingxiao had actually expected them to.

    Ning Xi cleared her throat. "Well, there''s no such thing as a free lunch!"

    Lu Tingxiao thought about it. He did not n to use the both of them again but they were capable. After what had happened thest time, they had be familiar with Ning Xi and the others might not be as responsible as them.

    "Sure." Most importantly, how could he say no to his wife''s request?

    "Are you hungry?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi felt her stomach growling in response, so she nodded. "Very!"

    "I''ll go and check on the kitchen to see if our meal is ready."

    "Mmm!"

    After being sick for two days, Ning Xi still felt weak. Just as she was about to fall asleep again, her phone rang.

    When she went out to get some soy sauce two days ago, she had not taken her phone with her, so Lu Tingxiao had probably brought it over for her.

    It was Ling Zhizhi.

    The moment Ning Xi saw Ling Zhizhi''s name, her expression changed.

    She was done for! Too many things had happened in the past two days. In addition to her sickness, she had forgotten that she was supposed to join a variety show programme today! The crew was supposed to travel to the old town beside the Shu River at 8 o''clock. It was already 7 o''clock now!

    Ning Xi was fully awake as she picked up the phone. "Hello, Sis Zhizhi! I''m really sorry! I''m not feeling well and slept for two days straight but I just woke up. I''ll be there immediately!"

    "I was just about to tell you that the programme has been dyed," Ling Zhizhi said.

    "Huh? Dyed?" Ning Xi was surprised.

    "What happened? Did you say that you''re sick? Are you alright?" Ling Zhizhi asked worriedly.

    Ning Xi always had excellent work ethics. If her illness was not very serious, she would never have forgotten about the programme today.

    "It''s alright, it was just a fever. I feel much better now!"

    "Are you alone at home now? Should I ask Xiao Tao to go over and take care of you?" Ling Zhizhi asked.

 Chapter 1053: Fed By Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 1053: Fed By Little Treasure</h4>

    "Oh! It''s alright. I''m at my friend''s ce, so I''m being taken care of!" Ning Xi replied quickly.

    "Okay then, let me know if anything happens. If it''s serious, please go to the hospital," reminded Ling Zhizhi.

    "Mmm, okay!"

    "Rest well. I''m not sure when the programme will be dyed until. I''ll arrange a cooking show for you after you recover. It''s called ''Beauty''s Specialties'' and the venue is right here in Imperial. It should just take an afternoon. It''s a pretty easy job."

    "Alright, thank you, Sis Zhizhi!''

    Ning Xi''s tensed up muscles rxed after the call ended and she curled back onto the bed, cuddling the soft pillow.

    Although she should not think in such a way, it did feel great to hear that work was canceled when all she felt like doing was sleeping¡­

    The door made a creaking sound as it was pushed open.

    Little Treasure came in.

    Ning Xi was refreshed when she saw her baby. "Ah¡­Little¡­"

    Before she could finish her sentence, the little bun smashed the door close, then ran downstairs.

    "Eh?" Ning Xi scratched her head while looking confused. What was wrong?

    A whileter, she heard footstepsing up.

    The little guy came in again with a bowl of porridge in his hands. He carefully walked towards the bed, then tried to feed her.

    So, he had gone down to get her some breakfast¡­

    Ning Xi was touched. She almost wanted to give him a big hug, but she did not as she was afraid he might get infected. "You''re so sweet, baby¡­but I''m sick right now. I''m afraid that you might get infected. Can you let your father feed me instead?"

    The little bun was still holding the spoon, looking very determined as if he was saying, "I''m not afraid of any sickness! I want to take care of Mommy!"

    Lu Tingxiao came into the room with some snacks. "He''s not that weak, let him feed you."

    Ning Xi quickly gulped the porridge down. "Mmm, it''s good¡­"

    The little bun stood beside the bed and fed Ning Xi spoon by spoon as Lu Tingxiao sat on the bed and started peeling some oranges slowly.

    When Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye came in, they saw a happy family existing in perfect harmony.

    "Sister-inw, are you feeling better? I think giving flowers are kind of outdated now, so I brought some vegetables from my yard for you!" Lu Jingli had a basket of fruits and vegetables with him.

    Jiang Muye kept quiet while holding a bouquet of "outdated" flowers¡­

    Jiang Muye rolled his eyes at Lu Jingli, then he put the flowers into a vase on the table. He looked at Ning Xi''s pale face. "I didn''t expect you''d get sick¡­"

    Ning Xi replied, "As long as one is human, one can fall sick. So, the question is, am I not human now?"

    "Sometimes you aren''t¡­" Jiang Muye said.

    "Sister-inw, what happened? You''re always as fit as a cow. How did you suddenly fall sick?" Lu Jingli asked suspiciously.

    Fit like a cow¡­?

    This stupid Lu Jingli! Couldn''t he phrase it any better?

    Ning Xi red at him angrily. "I''m just a little shocked, alright?"

    "What? Stop lying! What could shock you to the point of falling ill?" Lu Jingli did not believe it.

    Ning Xi ignored him. She would rather maintain her image of being "fit like a cow" than tell them that she was afraid of ghosts.

    Also, she decided that she would soon download a whole bunch of horror films with ghosts and watch all of it until she was not scared of them anymore!

 Chapter 1054: Shamelessly

    <h4>Chapter 1054: Shamelessly</h4>

    Laughter rang through the house as they spent time together mirthfully. A weak knock was heard at the door.

    The person outside was¡­Lu Xinyan.

    Ning Xi was surprised by the unexpected guest.

    Lu Xinyan looked ufortable when she noticed Ning Xi''s gaze. She cleared her throat. "I''m here to visit Little Treasure. I heard that you were sick, so I came by to see you at once¡­ These tonics were gifts from others¡­ Take them if you like¡­"

    Although she said that she was here to visit Little Treasure, both Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye were really surprised.

    Both of them did not know what had happened on the mountain. They only knew that Lu Xinyan really disliked Ning Xi, especially Lu Jingli, because Lu Xinyan always ranted to him about how Ning Xi had seduced Lu Tingxiao, and how only Guan Ziyao was worthy of Lu TIngxiao. She was obviously a hardcore fan of Guan Ziyao and a sworn enemy of Ning Xi¡­

    But now, she hade to visit Ning Xi on her own and even brought some tonics too?

    The sun would probably rise from the West tomorrow¡­

    Did Xiao Xi Xi do anything shameless such as flirt with her?

    "Thank you!" Ning Xi looked at the items Lu Xinyan brought. They were obviously hand-picked carefully for a sick person, but she did not mention anything and just thanked Lu Xinyan.

    "Come over here, Little Treasure. Aunty''s brought you some toys!" To avoid being awkward, Lu Xinyan went up to Little Treasure.

    Ning Xi noticed that Lu Xinyan did not look well, so she asked, "Why are your eyebags so terrible?"

    Lu Xinyan quickly rubbed her eyes and mumbled, "It''s all your fault¡­"

    Lu Jingli felt like this conversation was going in the wrong direction¡­

    "Huh?" Ning Xi was confused.

    "You didn''t give me the franchising license, so I''ve to redo my proposal!" Lu Xinyan took out a small mirror and examined her face.

    Ning Xi was surprised as she did not expect that Lu Xinyan had yet to give up.

    Although it was cruel, she did not want her to invest more effort for nothing, so Ning Xi said, "But the five shops in Imperial are all taken. There were still two vacancies before, but we''ve signed the contract with someone else."

    "What!? Gone? Even thest two?" Lu Xinyan was startled.

    "Yes, both are gone," Ning Xi confirmed the bad news.

    Lu Xinyan could not believe it. A short whileter, she yelled, "How could it be!? I''ve spent a whole week redoing this proposal and I sacrificed a whole week of sleep! I''ve never been this serious before in my whole life! And now you''re telling me that I''ve done all these for nothing?"

    Ning Xi pinched the space between her eyebrows and looked at the girl in front of her. "Don''t you even ask about the status of the situation before doing anything?"

    "I¡­how would I know that it''d be signed so quickly?!" Lu Xinyan sounded a little guilty.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Now, she understood why this girl always made more and more losses in her business¡­

    Lu Xinyan stared hard at Ning Xi. "I don''t care! You said it yourself, as long as I treat this seriously and sincerely, Spirit Studio will ept me anytime! You cannot go back on your words! Moreover¡­I-I''m even calling you ''Cousin-sister-inw'' now! Can''t you give me some leeway?"

 Chapter 1055: A Cute Side

    <h4>Chapter 1055: A Cute Side</h4>

    Cousin-inw?

    Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye remained silent.

    Both of them were shocked to the core, especially Lu Jingli. This brat dared to call Ning Xi her cousin-inw? When did this even happen? How much did he miss!?

    Ning Xi blinked when she heard Lu Xinyan. "Oh, then you better stop calling me that."

    "You¡­ How could you do this to me?!" Lu Xinyan sputtered in frustration.

    Ning Xi shrugged helplessly. "The issue can''t be solved even if you call me that! I''ve signed the contract with others. They''ve already taken the products and the renovation is going on as we speak. There''s order to everything. Even if your proposal is amazing, we can''t do anything about it!"

    Lu Xinyan just stood there sadly. "Is there really no way at all?"

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao. "Boss, do you have any ideas?"

    Lu Xinyan also looked at Lu TIngxiao''s direction, then she remembered that he was probably still angry with her about what happened thest time, so the chances of him helping her were pretty low¡­

    Since his wife asked, Lu Tingxiao replied, "Arge shoppingplex is opening on the west side of the city. We can think of having another physical store there."

    Just one short sentence and all problems were solved.

    As expected of the boss!

    Lu Xinyan''s eyes brightened immediately. "Really? Then, I''ll contact them about it. No one''s taking this away from me! I found out about this first!"

    Ning Xi smiled amusedly. "Yes, you found about it first. I''ll reserve it for you."

    "You said it now. Don''t go back on your word! I''ll go to settle the shop!" Lu Xinyan left a whole bunch of toys with Little Treasure, then ran off like the wind.

    Lu Jingli was impressed. "Xiao Xi Xi, how did you do it? That brat Xinyan never had much patience. She always leaves things done halfway. I''ve never seen her so serious about anything before! It''s as if she''s be a different person!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "Every girl has a cute side of their own. It just depends on whether she wants to show it to you or not."

    "Well said!" Lu Jingli learned something new that day.

    "Oh, Jiang Muye, Sis Zhizhi has arranged for a cooking show for me called ''Beauty''s Specialties''. I''ve never really heard about it before. Do you know anything about this show?" Ning Xi asked.

    Ling Zhizhi had probably picked this show because she knew Ning Xi was good at cooking. Plus, it was aligned with her public image as well.

    Ning Xi''s principle was to not give up any chances. She wanted to do her best in every task she received.

    "Cooking show!?" Lu Jingli yelled before Jiang Muye could reply. He asked, "How will you guys deal with the props?"

    "What props?" Ning Xi was puzzled.

    "The dishes!" Lu Jingli exined.

    Ning Xi replied, "How would I know¡­? I''ve watched several cooking shows before¡­ If it tastes bad, then they''ll throw it away. If it''s alright, then they''ll probably give it to the shooting crew. As for this show, I''m not quite sure about the programme, that''s why I''m asking Jiang Muye!"

 Chapter 1056: The Boss Wonâ€™t Allow It!

    <h4>Chapter 1056: The Boss Won¡¯t Allow It!</h4>

    Lu Jingli tried to justify himself, "Why give it to the crew? They don''t need that tiny portion of food, do they? Bring it back for me! Do they invite different guests every time or is there just one permanent guest? Should I make you the permanent guest? You can just go every time as long as you bring me back the props! How does that sound?"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Jiang Muye nced at Lu Jingli. "Don''t even think about it. The show will request the male guest to finish everything the female guests make!"

    Lu Jingli went to a corner tofort himself as he mumbled, "How can the show be this cruel¡­?"

    "It really is heartless," muttered Jiang Muye as he was reminded of something that brought up a painful expression on his face. "This show invites new guests every week and all of them are pretty girls. They rely on the girls to raise the show''s ratings, but the dishes¡­all of them are disgusting! Don''t ask me how I know about it!"

    "How do you know?" Ning Xi and Lu Jingli asked at the same time.

    Jiang Muye''s mouth twitched as he pinched the area between his brows. "Aside from inviting one female guest, this show will also invite a male guest as the assistant and I went once."

    "Then?" Ning Xi asked with excitement.

    Jiang Muye looked like he was recalling a traumatic memory. "Like I told you just now, this show requests the male guest to finish everything the female guest makes, which means, even if it tastes like sheet, the male guest has to finish it!

    "The female guest then was quite pretty, so I assumed that the dishes she made would have the same rating as her outlook, so I agreed to appear on the show. Who would have thought¡­?

    "I was forced to eat all of the charcoal-like over-cooked roast pork. Plus, I had to lie and say that it tasted great! After that, I didn''t eat roast pork for a whole year! Can you imagine the trauma it left me with?!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "You deserved it!"

    You just wanted to know the pretty girl at that time? Karma''s a b*tch!

    "Afterwards, I spoke to a few other male guests who had gone on the show before. We realized that the prettier the female guest is, the worse the food tastes. Most of the male guests are unwilling to go on this show again¡­"

    Jiang Muye nced at Ning Xi. "Well, if you''re going to be in this show, I can find some time from my packed schedule and be the male guest just to support you!"

    Lu Jingli was triggered by what he said. "Hey! Jiang Muye, you''re evil! You''re not being fair! As your boss, I''ll never allow it! I''ve decided to go by myself!"

    Lu Tingxiao remained silent.

    The biggest boss of all felt invisible in front of them.

    ¡­

    Ning Xi recovered after a few days of rest at home.

    Since it was a weekend and the weather was great, Ning Xi brought both the big bun and the little bun out for house-hunting.

    However, there was a third wheel. Tang Lang apanied them.

    At the front yard, Tang Lang was ranting, "What is this!? People still use steel fences in this day and age? It can be taken down so easily!"

    Ning Xi nced at him curiously. "Then, how would you do it?"

    "Infrared rays, of course! Bullets that fly out the moment people touch it! Instant kill!"

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. "This is China, alright!? China! No killing!"

 Chapter 1057: Our Matrimonial Home

    <h4>Chapter 1057: Our Matrimonial Home</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao thought about it, then said, "We can use the infrared rays, maybe improvise it a little."

    "We can refer to The Louvre''s security system. That''s an awesome system¡­"

    ¡­

    The two men started discussing things she did not understand. Even the little bun joined in their discussion.

    "Eh? Use the robots you made as guards? I like this idea! You''re so talented, my student! As expected of my student!" Tang Lang felt proud.

    They finally decided on a vi in the evening.

    It was located in the outskirts, but not too far away from the city. The vi gave off a warm vibe and the gentle colors paired well with the retro Chinese design. Even the environment around was great too; there was a small garden, a swimming pool, and a greenhouse included. There was also a private butler, who would be on call anytime, fulfilling whatever the owner wished. A notable mention was arge peach farm elocated on a mountain nearby, and Lu Tingxiao had ns for enhancing the security system as well.

    Ning Xi instantly signed the contract on the spot. The house was put under both Lu Tingxiao''s and her names.

    Ning Xi cheerfully pass the contract to Lu Tingxiao. "Darling, this''ll be our matrimonial home in the future!"

    Lu Tingxiao had a smile on his usually stony face. "Mm hmm."

    The little bun''s eyes brightened up. Were they getting married?! So, he could officially be her son?

    Tang Lang was speechless. He was probably blinded at this point! He had followed them all day long, so his eyes would have sustained heavy damage even if they were not blinded now!

    He thought about how he still had to face them like this every day and he wished that he would drop dead now. Earning money was not an easy task!

    Damn you, Tang Ye! Give me back my credit card!

    ¡­

    At night, the happy family had dinner with Tang Lang.

    Tang Lang thought that Ning Xi felt bad for him because she sent him off to the entrance when he was leaving after dinner.

    "Second Senior Brother, I need your help for something!" Ning Xi stood in front of him with a serious expression.

    "You need my help?" Tang Lang raised his eyebrows.

    Ning Xi nodded. "Second Senior Brother, do you mind taking one more student in?"

    Tang Lang was puzzled. "Another student? Who?"

    "Me!" Ning Xi pointed at herself.

    "What''s wrong with you?" Tang Lang was really confused at this point.

    This brat hated training the most, but now she was requesting him to train her?

    "I''ll pay you double," Ning Xi said in a sing-song voice.

    "Boss, when are we starting?"

    Ning Xi smiled, "I''ll notify you!"

    "What triggered you to do this?" Tang Lang looked at her suspiciously.

    Ning Xi''s smile faded. "A few days ago, Feng Jin ''invited'' me over."

    Tang Lang''s expression changed as well. "It''s much sooner than I thought¡­ Then? What did he want?"

    With Ning Xi looking as fit as a fiddle now, Lu Tingxiao must have reached her quickly.

    Ning Xi''s expression turned cold. "He probably wanted my life¡­ Anyway, no matter what they are trying to do, I can''t always rely on Lu Tingxiao''s protection. I don''t want him to always worry about me. Most importantly, I can''t be his burden!"

    Tang Lang remained silent.

    Why the sudden disy of affection!?

    What happened to their happy conversation?

    He should really look for Tang Ye for another fight and get his credit card back¡­

    ¡­

 Chapter 1058: Too Inhumane

    <h4>Chapter 1058: Too Inhumane</h4>

    Several dayster, after being done with house hunting, she made sure that her health was fully recovered. She gave Ling Zhizhi a call to confirm that the programme would start the next day in the afternoon.

    Jiang Muye wanted to join when he found out that Ning Xi was going to be on the show, but Lu Jingli stopped him with his authority as his boss.

    "If I don''t get to eat, neither do you!"

    In the end, the male guest remain unchanged.

    It was a male celebrity who was not very famous. He was a little chubby and usually took onedic roles.

    "Beauty''s Specialties" was pretty popr when it had been newly released. Although many female celebrities made really disgusting food, that was exactly why it was popr. The scene where they showed the male guest eating the unidentifiable food was the highlight of the show. Clearly, the viewers enjoyed it.

    Nevertheless, at the end of the day, it was still a cooking show. The production team went too far in order to get higher ratings that the viewers became bored with the gimmick of having pretty celebrities prepare bad food.

    Many viewers criticized the production team and questioned the show''s intentions. It became more of a prank show. The way they forced the male guests to eat the disgusting dishes was inhumane.

    Fans of the male guests especiallyined about the show a lot. The worst case was Jiang Muye''s episode. His fans almost made the programme shut down, flooding the show''s official Weibo with criticism.

    Because of theseints, they could hardly invite any more male guests to join them. The production team was forced to make adjustments and invite female guests who could actually cook.

    Unfortunately, most of the time their looks and cooking skills did not match. It was very rare to find guests who were both pretty and good at cooking.

    Even if one knew how to cook, the food was mediocre at best. For an entertainment show, if the food was mediocre, it might rate better if it was terrible!

    However, if they sacrificed looks for better cooking, the rating would fall even further as it defeated the purpose of the show''s name, "Beauty''s Specialties".

    In the end, the production team thought of an idea -- to use chef doubles!

    This meant that they would pay for a chef toe and cook. In the cooking scenes, they would just show the chef''s hands, but other times, they would show the female guest, creating the false impression that the female guest was cooking.

    It was actually a perfect n if it was not found out. Unfortunately, some viewers with sharp eyes realized it. There was an episode where the female guest''s ring had disappeared when the screen changed to the cooking view!

    The viewers criticized the production team once again, and even the female guest was attacked harshly as well.

    In the end, the production team went back to their old ways of having pretty guests cooking bad food. While they might not be able to make the old viewers stay, they might be able to attract more new ones.

    Cooking shows always had lower ratingspared to other entertainment shows, but within its category, this show was the most popr one¡­

    The next afternoon, Ning Xi brought Xiao Tao along and arrived at the studio on time.

    Ning Xi wore Spirit Studio''stest dress with a floral design so she could move and cook more easily. With her hair in a ponytail, she gave off positive sunshine vibes, looking very lively and youthful.

 Chapter 1059: Eat Three Bowls Of Rice

    <h4>Chapter 1059: Eat Three Bowls Of Rice</h4>

    The director was a kind-looking middle-aged man. His eyes lit up when he saw Ning Xi. "Hey! Our beauty of the day is here! Come here quickly, everyone, here''s our female guest today!"

    "Hello, I''m Ning Xi, I''m all yours today!" Ning Xi humbly greeted everyone.

    "You''re wee! As expected, Ning Xi, you look much better in real life than on television!"

    "I thought you''re already pretty in those ancient outfits, but you look even better in a modern outfit! Seems like our rating for this episode is going to be good!"

    ¡­

    The crew members came over to greet her excitedly. Because the entertainment industry ced heavy focus on facial features, they treated pretty people more passionately. Moreover, it was Ning Xi with such a refined and beautiful face.

    The only one who was not happy today was probably the male guest.

    Feng Rui was impressed when he saw Ning Xi, but then, he was also afraid.

    With this show''s precedence as proof, just how bad would her cooking be¡­?

    Some staff saw Feng Rui''s dreadful expression. It was easy to guess what he was thinking. "Bro Rui, be grateful! You get to eat dishes made by such a hottie! I bet you can eat three bowls of rice just by looking at her face!"

    "Then, can I just eat the riceter?" Feng Rui decided to make to ast attempt to escape.

    "No!"

    ¡­

    After she finished greeting the crew, Ning Xi went up to Feng Rui. "Hello, you must be Senior Feng. Please watch out for me!"

    Feng Rui''s mood became better when he saw the girl''s cute little face along with her respectful tone. He was surprised by how nice she was. "You''re overstating it, Ms. Ning, I''m not your senior! I just hope that I won''t hold you back!"

    For a male celebrity like Feng Rui who always yededic characters, female celebrities within the industry would usually try to avoid him as much as possible.

    However, for a beauty like Ning Xi, as an artiste who was recruited and currently supported by Glory World Entertainment, he was surprised that she would be this humble.

    Had someone else been the female guest instead, they would probably be unhappy to be paired with a male guest like him¡­

    Feng Rui had been prepared to look at a sour face for the whole show, but he did not expect Ning Xi to be this down-to-earth

    Even though it might be an act, it was really rare in the current entertainment industry!

    Before Ning Xi came over, the director was pretty worried as well. He could not get any other male guest toe and only Feng Rui had agreed. He was afraid that Ning Xi might be unhappy about who the male guest was, so he had even prepared a few scripts to convince her. However, in the end, none were used.

    Directors would, of course, love artistes who were cooperative. His impression of Ning Xi became better and better. He was thinking that if Ning Xi could not perform wellter, he would make everyone stay back and give her a few more chances to retry.

    The show "Beauty''s Specialties" had been aired for about two years and everyone was used to the flow and prop of the programme, so everyone was well prepared. Soon, with the live audience settled in, the shoot began.

    As the emcee, Ning Xi, and Feng Rui were all ready, the director yelled, "Okay! Let''s start!"

 Chapter 1060: One Darker Than The Other

    <h4>Chapter 1060: One Darker Than The Other</h4>

    "Hello, our dear audience, it''s time for our Beauty''s Specialties today! The female guest of the day is one real beauty! She yed the role of Meng Changge in ''The World'', and the poor An An from ''Our 18-Year-Old'', please wee Ning Xi!"

    "Thank you, Ms. Emcee, and hello to everyone! I''m Ning Xi and I''m going to make one of my best dishes today, roast pork."

    "Ah! Roast pork! Could it be that beautiful minds think alike? Many people have made this dish before!" The big screen suddenly lit up, showing the process of a few previous female guests preparing the dish.

    The dishes came out on the screen, each one more burnt than the other¡­

    They put on an extended scene of Jiang Muye eating the dish.

    The live audience guffawed and Ning Xi saw Jiang Muye''s expression as if he was eating sheet. Sheughed as well. "The seniors are so cute!"

    The emcee warmed up the mood a little more. "I wonder what kind of tasty dish Ning Xi will bring us today? Okay, let''s cut the talk short and have our beauty of the day begin!"

    Another beauty¡­

    Another boring roast pork¡­

    The live audience was recruited by the director randomly. Some were even paid actors, and quite a number of them had been there several times. They looked unenergetic as the programme never seemed to change.

    "Sis Meimei, is it alright if I use my own tools?" Ning Xi asked the emcee.

    If she was going to do it, she would try her best, so Ning Xi had brought some of her own tools.

    The emcee smiled. "Of course!"

    Actually, the host was a little worried for Ning Xi. Some of the previous female guests made simr requests as well, but in the end, the dish still turned out to be terrible. One tried to show off her knife skills but cut herself. She was then criticized by the audience for doing the unnecessary.

    After Xiao Tao prepared the tools, Ning Xi started cooking. She put on an apron and checked through all the tools, then started selecting the ingredients.

    "Is there anything I can help with?" Feng Rui asked.

    Ning Xi smile at him. "Senior, can you help me to wash the radish?"

    The girl''s smile was so warm and kind that Feng Rui blushed a little. "Oh, okay!"

    "Ning Xi, what are the radish for? Do you put radish into roast pork?" The emcee asked.

    "I''m afraid that it might be too oily to have just the roast pork. Eating radish that''s been pickled with salt water can be refreshing."

    "I see!"

    The emcee was thinking to herself, "The main point isn''t if it was oily or not, as long as it won''t kill the male guest, then it''s all good¡­"

    "It¡­it''s done!" Feng Rui passed over the radish.

    "Thank you." Ning Xi took the radish and started slicing it finely.

 Chapter 1061: Charm of A Professional

    <h4>Chapter 1061: Charm of A Professional</h4>

    Within five seconds of chopping, Ning Xi seemed to be done with the radish.

    The crowd still saw a whole radish on the chopping board, then Ning Xi gave it a little nudge and everyone could see that the radish was sliced up finely.

    The emcee and Feng Rui were shocked. Even the director was taken aback as well.

    "These¡­these cutting skills! Could we finally have a real deal on our show? Xiao Wang, did you get that angle just now?!" The director asked the cameraman.

    The cameraman looked innocently at him. "The camera was focused on the female guest''s face just now. She finished slicing the radish before I had the time to switch camera angles¡­"

    "How could you not take such an important shot?! Where''s your professionalism?!" The director yelled at him.

    "Please¡­ She only took about 5 seconds to slice up the radish! I didn''t have enough time!"

    The director red at the cameraman, then went up to Ning Xi. "Ning Xi, we didn''t expect you to have such awesome cutting skills! We want to have a close up because you were too fast just now, so our cameraman didn''t have enough time to switch camera angles! Can you slice another one up again? Wait, make that two, we need one close up and one wide shot angle! We want to avoid the audience saying that we used a double for you!"

    "Alright," Ning Xi replied.

    Then, Ning Xi sliced up two other radishes.

    The live audience could see it clearly this time and they discussed her skills. The emcee even picked up a slice and put it in front of the camera. It was as thin as a cicada''s wing. "This sort of cutting skill¡­ You probably can''t do it without seven or eight years of experience, right?"

    Ning Xi then started cooking the roast pork.

    Thick soy sauce, thin soy sauce, cooking wine, rock sugar, star anise, ginger, onion, chilli, basil leaves¡­

    In just few minutes, Ning Xi prepared all the ingredients and lined them up nicely on the side, then she put in a piece of pork belly into the frying pan. Along with cold water, star anise, ginger, basil leaves, and chilli, she started frying it and left it to braise.

    After the sauce came to a boil, Ning Xi scooped up the meat and carefully removed any extra hair on the surface, then cut it up into cubes of three centimeters wide¡­

    The whole process was as smooth as silk with no obstacle at all.

    "Ning Xi, I see that you brought this grass here. What''s it for?"

    "Malian grass, also known as Mn, is usually used for wrapping rice dumplings or cooked meat. Using it to tie up the roast pork can keep it together."

    "What about this ypot?"

    "Actually, you can rece it with an electrical pot. While the ypot might take a longer time to cook, I think it makes it tastier."

    ¡­

    Ning Xi had a serious expression on her face when she cooked as if she was focused on creating an important piece of art, so the emcee stopped bothering her after a few more questions.

    Ning Xi did not try to show of. She was just cooking seriously, but people could not take their eyes off her. No one expected that without any pranks or any interaction between the male and female guests, it could be this enthralling to just watch a person cook. It was truly an enjoyment, the charm of such a professional¡­

    Finally, the pot of roast pork waspleted and it was time to dig in!

 Chapter 1062: Midnight Snack

    <h4>Chapter 1062: Midnight Snack</h4>

    The moment Ning Xi removed the ypot lid while wearing a pair of kitchen gloves, the fragrance filled up the studio. The roast pork had a lovely, seductive caramelized color.

    The emcee tried to suppress her drool. "Now, please let our male guest try out our beauty''s specialty today! Please finish them all!"

    There were many cases of delicious-looking dishes that tasted terrible before, so everyone was cautious until the eating bit of the show.

    Feng Rui had fully prepared himself before he came. To avoid him puking, he did not even drink water beforeing to the show. He was starving at the moment and even though he was still cautious about this roast pork, the look of it made him salivate.

    Feng Rui sat at the table and under everyone''s anxious gazes, he carefully picked up a piece of roast pork and took a bite.

    Then, the second bite, third, followed by the second piece, third piece¡­

    "Rice!" Feng Rui blurted out.

    "Oh¡­" The emcee quickly handed over a bowl of rice.

    Then, Feng Rui almost forgot he was on a show as he chomped down the meat, rice, and sometimes took a few slices of the refreshing radish, not even raising his head.

    Feng Rui finished a whole pot of rice with with a pot of roast pork and a te of radish.

    The emcee, crew members, and the audience just gaped at him as he consumed all of it¡­

    The crowd only returned to their senses when Feng Rui licked up thest drop of the sauce¡­

    Everyone reacted, "Hey! Leave some for us at least! You even finished the radish!"

    Feng Rui felt that it was unbelievable that he had eaten everything so obliviously as well. He scratched his head. "I-I''m sorry! It was too good! I''ve never eaten any roast pork this scrumptious! And that radish, it''s really good as well! I have no idea how to describe it, it''s just awesome! You know the saying that really great food can make you forget about everything? I think I just experienced that! I really forgot that I''m still in the middle of a show!"

    The emcee cried, "It''s useless now that you''ve finished all of them! We can''t rtthro how good it is at all!"

    After the show ended, Ning Xi made another te with the leftover ingredients and gave it to the crew members and live audience.

    The director shed tears of happiness. How he wished he could make Ning Xi his permanent guest on this show! Then, he could eat her dishes every time!

    As for the cameraman, he spent hisst sense of rationality and recorded the director sniffing as bloopers.

    ¡­

    For this episode of "Beauty''s Specialties", the director used an odd way of editing.

    The forty-minute show was separated into half an hour of Ning Xi cooking, and ten minutes of Feng Rui eating.

    Yes, a full ten minutes of just Feng Rui eating!

    As the show aired on the weekend, the views topped even the episode with Jiang Muye, breaking the record of the highest views ever since the show aired. The video was viewed more than 10 million times in just a day. The views increased exponentially especially during midnight.

    At the same time, this episode swiftly took over the top spot of Weibo''s hot topics, and its poprity kept on rising¡­

 Chapter 1063: Giving The Devil Some Advantage!

    <h4>Chapter 1063: Giving The Devil Some Advantage!</h4>

    The hot topic searches revolved around hashtags like #BeautysSpecialtiesPrettiestFemaleGuest, #NationalWifeNingXi, #GoodFoodCanNeverGoWrong¡­

    The production team''s official Weibo was being spammed as well with many fans who were mothersmenting.

    [You made me watch a man eat for ten minutes! How mean!]

    [Midnight madness! Come out, Director, I promise I just want to talk!]

    [The male guest this week is really cute, he''s way different from the others.]

    [Brand of the dress worn by the female guest, please?! It''s beautiful!]

    [I can eat three bowls of rice just looking at the goddess'' face!]

    [What a pretty girl with such a great body and awesome cooking skills! Please marry me!]

    [Girl, you need a mother-inw? I''ll make sure my son gives you all his sry every month!]

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was scrolling through thements online happily, but Lu Tingxiao was a little mad.

    What did they mean by national wife? She''s my wife¡­

    Ning Xi noticed the devil''s emotions and quicklyforted him, "Hey, my dear, don''t be unhappy. The director told me that I did well today and wants to invite me again! I''ve thought about it already. I''ll go again after our movie airs, then I''ll attend the show in a male outfit. I''ll bring you as Ke Mingyu along with me! How does that sound? Perfect, isn''t it?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl. "Mmm, thank you for your concern, Senior."

    "Hahaha, good boy!" Ning Xiughed, feeling aplished by giving Lu Tingxiao some under-the-table advantage!

    Suddenly, Ning Xi''s phone received a notification. It was a new text message from a strange number: [Bastard, I''ll see you at 3 p.m. tomorrow, prepare your girl outfit!!!!]

    This arrogant tone and that excessive usage of exmation marks¡­

    It had to be Zhuang Rongguang.

    Ning Xi had almost forgotten about it already. She thought that Zhuang Rongguang would have given up.

    Seems like she was pretty popr after all¡­

    As she was thinking about it, her phone rang. It was Zhuang Keer.

    Ning Xi picked up. "Hey, Keer?"

    "Xiao Xi, did Rongguang send you a message about wanting to meet up with you tomorrow?" Zhuang Keer asked.

    "Yeah, I just received it, tomorrow at 3 p.m."

    Zhuang Keerughed. "Ever since my brother lost to you at the shooting range the other day, he''s been practising really hard. He¡­even asked my father for advice on shooting technique¡­

    "My brother has always had a bad rtionship with my father. They fought really badly especially when it came to the topic of shooting. This is the first time I saw them discussing it in peace!

    "The environment at home is much more peaceful nowadays. Grandfather is happy as well¡­ Thank you so much, Xiao Xi!"

    Ning Xi was really happy when she heard Zhuang Keer''s update. "There''s no need to thank me. I just don''t like anyone to bully my friend, not even your brother!"

    Zhuang Keer was really touched. "Alright, see you tomorrow. Also, please drop by my house for dinner tomorrow night. My grandfather really likes you and told me to invite you! If you don''t mind, pleasee!"

 Chapter 1064: You Look Good

    <h4>Chapter 1064: You Look Good</h4>

    "Of course, I don''t mind. I just feel that it might be too troublesome."

    "It''s not troublesome at all! We''d all wee you if you were toe! That''s all set, then!" Zhuang Keer ignored her brother.

    "Okay, see you tomorrow!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi started humming a song and looked for what to wear after she ended the call.

    "In a good mood?" Lu Tingxiao asked as he saw Ning Xi was chirpier after the call with Zhuang Keer.

    "Hahaha¡­Lu Tingxiao! Let me tell you something funny!" Ning Xi told him how she had pranked Zhuang Rongguang from the start to end.

    "I was in a male outfit then, so he had always thought that I was a man. In the end, I told him that if he could do it, I''ll wear a pink princessy dress and walk around the shooting range for three rounds! That brat has trained hard in order to beat me!

    "Zhuang Keer also mentioned that he was so hardworking that he even forgot to eat sometimes. I''m actually rooting for him. I really want to see his reaction when he realized that I''m a girl, hahaha¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao''s dislike towards Zhuang Liaoyuan faded when he saw the girl''s wide smile. "Did Zhuang Liaoyuan mention that matter to you again?"

    "Don''t worry, he never mentioned it again! Actually, Zhuang Rongguang is really talented. If he can actually change his attitude, Chief Zhuang will never prey after me again!"

    "What time are youing back tomorrow?"

    "Probably after dinner. I promised Keer."

    "Okay."

    Ning Xi noticed Lu Tingxiao staring at her face when she was talking, so she touched her own face. "Is there something on my face?"

    Lu Tingxiao gazed at the girl''s smiling face, then he leaned in and kissed her. "You look really good."

    Ning Xi blushed and covered her face bashfully. "Really?"

    Oh no! The devil was getting more and more flirtatioustely! He could always flirt with her anytime anywhere¡­

    "Ning Xi, I hope you can be this happy when you''re with me every day."

    "Rest assured, I''m always happy when I''m with you!"

    ¡­

    The next afternoon, Ning Xi changed into a male outfit and reached the shooting range ten minutes before the promised time.

    Zhuang Rongguang was already there and he looked very well prepared as his face brimmed with determination. He grinned when he saw Ning Xi.

    "Bro Xi, you''re here!" Zhuang Keer hade early as well and she weed Ning Xi warmly.

    "So, you''re here." Zhuang Rongguang turned around and looked at her coldly.

    After not seeing him for some time, Zhuang Rongguang had be thinner, but not haggard or tired. Hiis eyes were burning with fire and he reminded her of Zhuang Liaoyuan.

    Advanced level of training in shooting could discipline a person. It seemed like it had affected him positively even though it might be temporary at this point.

    Zhuang Rongguang was acting out of rage this time. In regards to his personality, it might take much more time for him to change his attitude.

 Chapter 1065: Youâ€¦Pervert!

    <h4>Chapter 1065: You¡­Pervert!</h4>

    "Did you bring the stuff?" Zhuang Rongguang asked.

    Ning Xi waved the pink stic bag she held in her hand. "Do you want to check?"

    Zhuang Rongguang looked at her suspiciously, then he checked its contents.

    A pair of white heels, a pinkcy dress, a floral hair clip, a pair of white stockings, and then¡­there was a pink bra¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang blushed and quickly gave the bag back to Ning Xi. "You¡­pervert¡­"

    Ning Xi feigned innocence. "Didn''t you ask me to wear a girl''s outfit? Is there any girl who doesn''t wear a bra?"

    Zhuang Rongguang''s face turned even more scarlet. He red at her and took a deep breath, trying not to let her affect his emotions. "Since you''re so well prepared, I won''t disappoint you!"

    Suddenly, many people gathered around them. Most of them had been at the scenest time. Even Zhuang Liaoyuan and Zhuang Zongren spared some time to go.

    Zhuang Rongguang looked nervously at his father and grandfather, but he was back to his confident self soon enough.

    "Seems like there''re enough witnesses today!" Ning Xi smiled and made an inviting gesture. "Please."

    Zhuang Rongguang stared at her. "Don''t go back on your words. If you''re a man, if I can get a perfect score while blindfolded, then you¡­"

    "Yes I know, I''ll walk three rounds around the shooting range in a girl''s outfit! Stop talking so much! Everyone''s waiting! Are you shooting or not?" Ning Xi said impatiently.

    Everyone started coaxing him as well.

    "Ooh¡­a girl''s outfit! All the best, Xiao Guang!"

    "That''s right, you must win this! Make him go down!"

    "Hahaha¡­I''m looking forward to seeing him in a girl''s outfit!"

    "Good luck! You can do it!"

    ¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang''s time spent in the shooting range earned him some friends with the regrs here. With Zhuang Rongguang''s description about how Ning Xi had shamelessly seduced his sister, they were all rooting for him.

    Zhuang Keer was everyone''s eye candy, so the fact that she had suddenly been snatched by some nameless kid was unforgivable!

    Zhuang Rongguang felt empowered. He felt a sense of justice swell within him!

    He picked up a long, ck fabric and covered his eyes. He picked up the gun and aimed at the target by just relying on his senses.

    The scoring began!

    Everyone at the scene, including Zhuang Liaoyuan and Zhuang Zongren were watching closely.

    Zhuang Rongguang pulled the trigger.

    Bang! 10 points!

    Bang! Another 10 points!

    Bang! His third 10-pointer!

    ¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang shot the bullseye one after another and everyone was getting more and more excited.

    Finally¡­

    Eighth shot, 10 points!

    Ninth shot, 10 points!

    Tenth shot¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang stopped for a short while before he slowed down his breathing, then¡­ Bang!

    Tenth shot, 10 points!

    The score counter started to calcte the total score. It was 10 points for 10 times!

    A perfect hundred score!

 Chapter 1066: Fulfilling Promise

    <h4>Chapter 1066: Fulfilling Promise</h4>

    "Woohoo!!!" After a short silence, there was a roaring cheer.

    Many of them witnessed how hard Zhuang Rongguang had trained, so they were really happy to see him win.

    All of his old and new friends went up to congratte him. They patted his shoulder and rubbed his head.

    "That''s my boy! Good job!"

    "10 shots with 10 points each while blindfolded! So amazing for such a short period of training!"

    "Hahaha¡­Xiao Guang! I knew you could do it! Now, you can make that bastard suffer!"

    "You brat, I''ve underestimated you! Superb shooting!"

    ¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang looked around. As he heard all the praises from everyone, there was a strange, warm, and cozy feeling bubbling inside him. It was something he had never experienced before¡­

    That passion, excitement, and pride filled him with power¡­

    When he saw theforting eyes from his father and grandfather, he felt like tearing up. How weird!

    How could he be this emotional?! He hated hard work so much and he also hated shooting¡­

    Was that¡­really hate¡­?

    "Hey! Kid, Xiao Guang did it, you lose. Time to fulfill your promise!"

    "That''s right! Change! Let everyone see! Remember to go three rounds!"

    "Hahaha¡­if Ms. Zhuang saw how embarrassing he looks in a girl''s outfit, she''d surely despise him!"

    "Right¡­"

    ¡­

    Until the crowd reminded him, Zhuang Rongguang returned to his senses, looking excited and refreshed. He went up to Ning Xi. "Bastard! I told you, I just wasn''t serious enough before. I even surprised myself when I got serious! How''s that?"

    "Impressive! I admit defeat. Is there a changing room here?" Ning Xi asked.

    Someone replied, "It''s just over there! Just pick any one that''s vacant!"

    "Don''t go back on your word if you''re a man! We''re all watching, don''t you dare run away!"

    "Hahaha, he must look like a sissy in a girl''s outfit with that face of his!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi took her clothes and walked slowly into the changing room.

    Zhuang Rongguang felt that all his effort was worth it. He looked at Zhuang Keer haughtily. "Sis, now you can finally give up on him! That bastard can''t even beat me! And he''s the worst kind of person out there! But I really don''t understand¡­ When did I even start a feud with him?!"

    Zhuang Keer tried to suppress her emotions and did not say anything.

    Zhuang Rongguang thought that she was disappointed with Ning Xi, so he was really d and took out his phone, ready to take a video.

    He was going to threaten this bastard the next time he came close to his sister!

    A whileter, the door of the changing room Ning Xi had entered earlier was pushed open from the inside.

    Everyone looked at the direction of the changing room with excitement.

 Chapter 1067: Super Beauty!

    <h4>Chapter 1067: Super Beauty!</h4>

    The next moment, Zhuang Rongguang''s handphone dropped to the floor and the ck screen cracked like its master''s facial expression¡­

    It was as if time had stopped. No one moved a muscle.

    There was not a sound made inside therge shooting range at all.

    The girl wore a body-hugging pink dress, highlighting her lean waist as her slightly curly, long, ck hair circled her hips beautifully. Her cute little face was like the stars in the sky, a flower blooming in the season of spring¡­

    A¡­a beauty!

    A super beauty!

    "Hey, you stepped on my foot!"

    "Ah! Who pinched me!? Pinch yourself!"

    "Stop pushing me!"

    ¡­

    The silence came to an end as people started making noise and pushing each other to get a closer look, but no one''s eyes left Ning Xi.

    Most of the people who came to the shooting range were elders. All of them had been rooting for Zhuang Rongguang''s victory just now, but now they probably had second thoughts¡­

    "What''s happening?!"

    "Is¡­is that the same person?"

    "I''ve been watching! It couldn''t have been switched!"

    "Why do I feel like¡­the boobs¡­are real?"

    "You idiots! All of you virgins know nothing! With my experience, that''s a real woman, alright? And a real beauty at that! This brat, I mean, this girl was disguising herself as a man all along!"

    "Seriously? Disguising?!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi walked up to the crowd. She then stood right in front of the stunned Zhuang Rongguang and smiled. "Are you satisfied with what you''re seeing?"

    Zhuang Rongguang nodded awkwardly, but then shook his head hard a secondter. He looked at her in disbelief. "You¡­you''re a woman?"

    Ning Xi grinned. "Yeah!"

    This bastard admitted it so casually! How frustrating!

    Zhuang Rongguang felt hurt and betrayed. "You''re a woman! You''re a woman all along! Then, why did you say you''d wear a girl''s outfit¡­?"

    Damn it!

    Zhuang Rongguang finally realized that he had been pranked!

    The worst part was, it would be easier if he was facing the bastard from before, but now he could not get angry at such a beauty!

    He finally won, the contest but what was this!?

    Wait, was that really a win? His opponent was a woman, a woman with such fine marksmanship. How could he really say he won this as a man!?

    Zhuang Rongguang felt like he was going crazy!

    "Wow, Xiao Xi, I''ve never seen you in this before! How cute! It really suits you!" Zhuang Keer held Ning Xi''s hands and circled her.

    Zhuang Keer''s reaction acted like a dagger stabbing Zhuang Rongguang. In confusion, he asked, "Sis¡­you¡­you knew?"

    Zhuang Keer nodded. "I know!"

    "Then, why didn''t you tell me!?" Zhuang Rongguang yelled deep from within his soul.

    "You didn''t ask me!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1068: Call Her Sister

    <h4>Chapter 1068: Call Her Sister</h4>

    At the back, Zhuang Zongren smiled and just watched the young ones fool around, but when he saw Ning Xi walk out of the changing room, his eyes welled up and he mumbled to himself, "Ci¡­Ci¡­"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan nced at his father when he noticed his odd behaviour.

    Ci?

    Was that not his mother''s nickname?

    "That child¡­that child¡­she looks just like Ci when she was young¡­" Zhuang Zongren said in a trembling voice, his eyes full of the memories and love towards histe wife.

    When Zhuang Zongren first met Ning Xi, she had just finished attending a business matter, so she dressed smartly and formally. He had not noticed her as much the other time.

    But today, Ning Xi wore a pink princessy dress, reminding Zhuang Zongren of the first time he saw his wife¡­

    He did not expect his other granddaughter to look exactly like Ci because neither Lingyu and Keer did not.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan looked at Ning Xi''s direction and tried to remember his mother''s face, but because she had died when he was really young,, he had almost no recollection of his mother.

    He somewhat remembered a picture of his mother with his father in which she wore a pink dress as well. Most memorably, the aura of his mother from the picture was simr with Ning Xi''s now.

    ¡­

    At night, at the Zhuang family home, Zhuang Zongren had his servants prepare several delicious dishes.

    Zhuang Zongren''s attitude towards Ning Xi before was weing and grateful, but today, he was even warmer and passionate.

    The elder kept on piling food on Ning Xi''s te."Xiao Xi, eat more! Eat more!"

    "Thank you!" Ning Xi was a little surprised at his warm attitude.

    Zhuang Rongguang felt that something was not right as he munched on a chicken drumstick. He then stared at Ning Xi and suddenly stood up. "Damn it! I remember! You''re that woman who tripped me the other day!"

    Zhuang Zongren sharply chastised him, "Stop being noisy and sit down! And what do you mean by ''that woman''? Xiao Xi''s older than you, so call her ''sister''!"

    Zhuang Rongguang red furiously at his father. "I''ll call her sister if I''m crazy. Girl, what did I ever do to trigger you? Why have you been in my way ever since I met you?"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan red at his son angrily and yelled at him, "Stop being rude!"

    Zhuang Rongguang looked at his grandfather, then at his father. He was exhausted. "Why are all of you on her side!? Did you take the wrong child?! Maybe she''s your real child!"

    Zhuang Zongren''s face went frigid at his grandson. "I really hope we mistook you as our real child! Sadly, no!"

    Zhuang Rongguang was ignored mercilessly after that.

    "Xiao Xi, how''s your worktely? Are you tired?" Zhuang Zongren did not bat an eyelid at his grandson and asked Ning Xi with concern.

    Feeling the genuine concern from the elder, Ning Xi quickly replied, "Things are going well. I''m not really tired. I like what I''m doing now."

    "Oh, alright then. I heard from Keer that you even have a fashion apparelpany of your own. Don''t exhaust yourself!"

    "Mmm, I won''t!" Ning Xi replied.

 Chapter 1069: An Uninvited Guest

    <h4>Chapter 1069: An Uninvited Guest</h4>

    Zhuang Zongren was still worried, so he continued asking, "Where do you stay now? A ce provided by yourpany?"

    "I stay in an apartment arranged by thepany, but I''m moving soon. I''ve earned quite a bit, so I just bought myself a house," Ning Xi replied.

    Zhaung Zongren was d to hear that. "It''s great that you can rely on your own at such a young age!"

    He then looked at his own useless grandson with despise.

    Zhuang Rongguang remained silent. He was already eating quietly. Why was he still being targeted?! Was this woman here just to go against him?

    "How''re things with Xiao Lu recently? That kid didn''t bully you, did he? What''s up with the cheating matter Keer mentioned thest time?" Zhuang Zongren finally reached the most important question he wanted to ask.

    Ning Xi quickly replied, "We''re great. It was a misunderstanding thest time, but we''ve resolved it already."

    "That''s good¡­that''s good¡­" Zhuang Zongren mumbled as his expression turned grave.

    Xiao Xi''s current identity was still the adopted daughter of the Ning family. With Lu Tingxiao''s family background, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi would never agree to their rtionship so easily.

    He swore back then then that he would never get involved in anything rted to Lingyu, but Ning Xi was her daughter and her rtionship with the Ning family was soplicated¡­

    Nevertheless, he was still her grandfather. Seeing his granddaughter grow up to be such an obedient child and especially when she looked so much like Ci, how could he not be concerned¡­?

    Zhuang Keer could faintly feel her grandfather and father''s attitude being a little odd during dinner.

    However, she was not sure what was wrong, so she just assumed that they were being nice to Xiao Xi because she had saved Grandfather before¡­

    ¡­

    The vi Ning Xi bought had a nice name, Peachwood.

    After the security system was set up, Ning Xi informed Ling Zhizhi about moving, then soon after, she started packing up her things.

    As long as Ning Xi still worked for thepany, the apartment in Regal Riveria would still be hers, so she left some of therger items there.

    The movingpany was efficient and they shifted everything very swiftly.

    When she was moving, she identally found something troublesome¡­

    A¡­big diamond¡­

    It was sent to her by Yun Shen on her first day working on "The World".

    She closed the lid and looked around. After making sure that there was nothing else left, she went down.

    "Hey, pretty, is there anything else?" The moving staff asked.

    "Nope, let''s go!"

    "Okay!"

    ¡­

    As Ning Xi was about to get into the car, she heard her name being called.

    "Ning Xi!"

    Ning Xi turned around and saw Ning Yaohua.

    "CEO Ning, you called me?"

    "CEO Ning?! I''m your father!" Ning Yaohua looked bbergasted, then he took a nce at the big truck. "What are you doing? Moving?"

    "Is there a problem?"

    "Perfect timing, actually. Move back with us now! I''m here to tell you this today!" Ning Yaohua said.

 Chapter 1070: Bad Intentions

    <h4>Chapter 1070: Bad Intentions</h4>

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows. "Move back? CEO Ning, did you have a little too much to drink today?"

    Ning Yaohua was surprisingly not incensed by Ning Xi''s sarcastic tone. He still spoke kindly, "Ning Xi, you''re my daughter. No matter what, I''ll never neglect you! It''s not good for you to stay outside alone anyway. Juste back and live with us. Our house is big and the room you''ve been using is still there!"

    Ning Xi almostughed out loud.

    Her room¡­

    It was about a third of Ning Xueluo''s room and had been modified from being a maid''s room. Their initial reason was that they were afraid she might mess up the ce. They would change her room once she learned her manners, but then¡­nothing happened¡­

    Ning Xi looked at Ning Yaohua suspiciously.

    Ning Yaohua''s sudden change in attitude must only be because of one thing¡­

    Grandfather was going to write his will.

    After he was discharged from the hospital thest time, Grandfather had the intention to write it.

    So, was this her father trying to get her share of the will?

    Although she did not care about what she would get from the Ning family, if her grandfather gave it to her, she would never give it to Ning Yaohua.

    "Ning Xi¡­Ning Xi? Did you hear me? What a coincidence today! Just in time when you''re thinking of moving. Isn''t it great that you can move back with us right away?" Ning Yaohua said.

    Ning Xi crossed her arms as she looked at the truck and sneered, "Are you sure that room can fit all my stuff here?"

    Ning Yaohua was a little taken aback by her brazen reply. "Although we have quite a few rooms at home, most of them are upied. We can''t let you stay in the guest room as well. If you''re not using these things, then just put them in the storeroom."

    Ning Xi looked at the man with an odd expression. "Sure, I can go back as long as you let me stay in the room that''s supposed to be mine."

    Ning Yaohua''s expression changed. "Ning Xi, what do you mean by that? You want to take Xueluo''s room now? Xueluo has been staying there since she was a child. How does that room belong to you now?" Compared to Ning Xi, Ning Yaohua was more inclined to Ning Xueluo''s side.

    Ning Xi was bored with him now. She did not even bother replying him anymore, so she turned around and prepared to leave.

    "Ning Xi! Ning Xi, stop! Where are you moving to?" Ning Yaohua did not give up and kept on asking.

    "I bought my own house," Ning Xi replied.

    Ning Yaohuaughed. "What kind of house can you buy with that sry of yours? A studio apartment or a two-bedroom house? How could those ces possibly be better than our house? Why do you have to make yourself suffer? And your job, you should really quit it now¡­"

    Before Ning Xi could say anything else, the driver could not stand it anymore and popped his head out. "Mister, your daughter bought a house in Peachwood!"

    After Ning Xi got into the car, the driver closed the door and started the engine.

    The truck moved away, leaving Ning Yaohua behind, stunned¡­

    "P-Peachwood¡­"

    Did he hear him wrongly?

    Ning Xi had bought a house in Peachwood? How could it be Peachwood!?

    Peachwood was an neighbourhood of vis that cost in tens of millions each. It was located in an even better district than the Ning family''s vi and was also one of the famous areas for the wealthy¡­

    How could she afford a house there?

 Chapter 1071: New Threat

    <h4>Chapter 1071: New Threat</h4>

    She only took on a few supporting character roles and attended some variety shows that did not pay much¡­

    Ning Yaohua had a shback. He remembered when Lu Jingli hade to pick Ning Xi up.

    Could Ning Xi¡­be his mistress? Did he buy her the house?

    That did not sound right¡­

    He investigated after what had happened thest time and found out that Ning Xi and Lu Jingli only maintained a professional rtionship. However, if they were really affiliated, how was it that Ning Xi had not gotten any huge roles yet?

    ¡­

    At Peachwood.

    "Thank you! Please have a drink!"

    As she finished her sentence, a metallic robot came out with few sses on a tray, imoving towards the workers.

    "Alright, thank you! Ah¡­this!" The workers were surprised when they saw a robot approaching them.

    Ning Xi smiled. "Don''t worry, this is a robot. It''s pretty smart."

    The robot scanned the three workers, then gave them a ss of water each. To their astonishment, it was able to deliver the water into their hands urately.

    The three of them were impressed. The moment they stepped in, they actually realized that the house was equipped with high technology.

    So, this was how the rich lived!

    The workers left after they were done.

    Ning Xi started to unpack her things. "Steamed bun, y a song for me!"

    "Master, my name is Andrew, not steamed bun. Master, what song would you like to listen to?"

    "Whatever."

    A short whileter, inside the high-tech house, a song belted out, "Ah! Today is a good day! Whatever you think could happen, tomorrow is a good day! The moment you open the door, the spring breeze will arrive¡­"

    Ning Xi almost fell down when she heard the song.

    Well, this song¡­hit the nail on the head¡­

    "The song is pretty good. Thanks, steamed bun!"

    "Master, my name is Andrew, not steamed bun. d to be of your service!"

    Little Treasure really loved his robots. He usually put them in a room exclusively for them in tinum Pce. When he found out that Ning Xi was moving, he gave her his most prized butler robot to her.

    As Ning Xi was arranging her things, the doorbell rang.

    She just moved here. Who could it be?

    Ning Xi took a nce at the security camera. It was Lu Tingxiao, so she quickly opened the door in surprise. "Boss? Why are you here!? Come in! I thought you said you were going to be busy today."

    "I have to be here to set up our matrimonial home no matter how busy I am."

    "Okay¡­then why don''t you key in the password toe in?"

    "I''d like to see you open the door for me."

    Ning Xi stayed silent.

    Could their conversation stay happy?

    Well, actually, she was being flirted with quite jovially.

    The moment Lu Tingxiao stepped in, he heard the high-pitched "Today Is A Good Day" song and he clearly found it good., "This song¡­is interesting."

    "Hahaha¡­you think it''s nice too? Steamed bun chose it! It''s so cute! Especially when it said ''my name is Andrew, not steamed bun!''"

    Lu Tingxiao stared at the robot, suddenly feeling like it had be another new threat to his love¡­

    With Lu Tingxiao''s help, Ning Xi finished setting up her room. She stood in front of the bed and looked at her new home with satisfaction. "That''s about it. I just need to get something for you and Little Treasure¡­"

 Chapter 1072: Break His Leg

    <h4>Chapter 1072: Break His Leg</h4>

    From the back, the man''s warm chest closed in on her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.

    Looking at therge man clinging on to her like a lost puppy, Ning Xi was a little confused. "What''s wrong?"

    The man kissed the tip of her ear, then held her up and put her on the bed. He looked into her crystal clear eyes from above. "I feel very lucky to have met you¡­"

    Ning Xi ran her fingers through his hair lovingly. "Me too¡­"

    The man closed in and kissed her lips, deeper and deeper¡­

    Suddenly, there was a ttering of things falling and rolling on the floor, making a pretty loud sound.

    "What happened?"

    Ning Xi pushed Lu Tingxiao away, then saw Lu Jingli standing there with vegetables and fruits all over the floor. He covered his eyes with one hand and Little Treasure''s eyes with the other. He kept saying, "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry¡­it''s my fault! Please continue! I''ll take Little Treasure away now!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "Stop messing around! How did youe in?"

    Lu Jingli cried out , "Little Treasure knows the password!"

    "Oh, right¡­my dear Little Treasure! You''re back! Come here!" Ning Xi hugged Little Treasure.

    Little Treasure was a little unhappy that his uncle had covered his eyes suddenly, but after a hug from his mother, he forgot all about it.

    Lu Jingli went up to the annoyed man, looking regretful. "Oh! My brother, I''m sorry! My future niece or nephew! I''m sorry!"

    It was all his fault that they could note into this world¡­

    Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi were speechless.

    ¡­

    As it was Ning Xi''s first day moving in, she invited a few friends for a housewarming party.

    Soon after Lu Jingli and Little Treasure came, Zhuang Keer and Jiang Muye arrived as well.

    Lu Xinyan had somehow known about it as well and came bearing gifts. She probably wanted to take this opportunity to get on Ning Xi''s good side.

    "Xiao Xi, your ce is really pretty and the air around here is great as well. There''s even a big peach garden on the way here! The interior design looks so refreshing, I like it!" Zhuang Keer gushed.

    "Come here more often then!"

    "Mmm!"

    "Oh, how''s your brother recently?" Ning Xi asked.

    Zhuang Keer looked like her head hurt when Ning Xi mentioned Zhuang Rongguang. "Still the same, he started sneaking out every night again. His exams areing soon, but at his current level, he''ll probably fail¡­"

    "What does your father have to say about it?" Ning Xi asked.

    "My father and grandfather discussed and they are considering letting him join the army immediately. He''s at the best age to join as well, then he can attend military school after joining¡­but my brother doesn''t want to!"

    "If he doesn''t want to, what does he intend to do then?"

    "I spoke to him in private, and he said¡­" Zhuang Keer almostughed. "He said that the world is so vast and that he wants to go out and explore. He wants be an adventurer and leave his footprints everywhere! He sounded pretty determine. I''m really afraid that he might leave without a word¡­"

    Ning Xi was annoyed. "That idiot¡­break his leg! We''ll see how he can go on his adventures!"

    Zhuang Rongguang was just a teenager who liked to act tough with his family''s prestigious name. He had never failed before. Compared to the regr person, his life was way too peaceful.

    ¡­

 Chapter 1073: Gently

    <h4>Chapter 1073: Gently</h4>

    Opposite, on the sofa, Lu Xinyan was a little speechless when she saw the two of them chatting so happily, so she quietly asked Lu Jingli beside her, "Didn''t Zhuang Keer go on a blind date with Cousin before? How does she know Ning Xi? And it seems like they are pretty close."

    Jiang Muye and Lu Jingli looked at each other, not knowing where to start.

    "Steamed bun, go and get me some fruits!" Ning Xi yelled at the robot.

    "Master, I''m Andrew, not steamed bun. Please wait!"

    As Andrew was going to get the fruits, it suddenly stopped.

    They then saw Little Treasure taking a chair and putting in front of it. He stood up on the chair and opened a lid on the back of the robot. He was modifying something within theplicated-looking circuits and screen inside.

    After a while, Little Treasure closed the lid and the robot''s eyes lit up. It turned towards Ning Xi and greeted her, "My dear Master, your most loyal butler, steamed bun, is at your service!"

    "Hahahahaha¡­" Ning Xi giggled, then patted Little Treasure, "Thanks to my little bun!"

    For making the stubborn Andrew be "steamed bun".

    Lu Xinyan was confused by the sudden emotions that bubbled up in her throat.

    Why¡­?

    Why did it feel so heartwarming¡­?

    A lover, a kid, a few good friends, and a cute little pet robot¡­

    Her cousin had always given her the vibe of being emotionless like a robot, but when he was beside Ning Xi, he was so¡­gentle¡­

    She could envision him as a person who came back from work and gently looked at his wife and son like a normal man¡­

    Once, she hated Ning Xi for making her beloved cousin fall from the rank of a god to that of of a mortal, but now, she felt her eyes tear up seeing her cousin''s warm expression.

    ¡­

    The second day, at Spirit Studio.

    "Director Qiao, are you looking for me?"

    "Boss, look at this." Qiao Wen handed her a stack of materials.

    Ning Xi nced through them. "This is Lu Xinyan''s new proposal. She''s mentioned it to me in private before, but what do you think?"

    "I can''t say much about the proposal. It''s good but she was obviously taught or helped by others. No one knows how it will fare in execution¡­but¡­" Qiao Wen stopped for a little. "She''s taken up one of the best spots in therge shoppingplex in the west of the city, so I think we can give her a try!"

    Ning Xi nodded. "I can also see that she''s very serious this time. With our brand''s poprity now, it''s quite impossible for us to lose money on her, right?"

    "Let''s hope so!" Qiao Wen replied.

    Her decision was actually a little risky.

    However, like Ning Xi said, attitude was important. If Lu Xinyan was as yful as before, she would not let her through even with the shoplot she had acquired in the west of the city.

    "Should I inform her now?" Qiao Wen asked.

    "Sure!"

    A short while after Qiao Wen called Lu Xinyan, Ning Xi''s phone rang.

    As expected, it was Lu Xinyan.

    "Hello?"

    "Ahhhhhh!!!" A loud, deafening scream came from the other side of the phone.

 Chapter 1074: Interesting News

    <h4>Chapter 1074: Interesting News</h4>

    Ning Xi quickly moved the phone away from her ear and put it back on after the screaming ended. "My dear, did you just call me just to boast about the capacity of your lungs?"

    "Just now¡­just now, Director Qiao from yourpany called me. She said my proposal went through! I can open a shop with Spirit Studio now, hahahaha¡­"

    Lu Xinyan''s voice was pretty loud, even Qiao Wen could hear her.

    "Congrattions!" Ning Xi smiled.

    There was a short silence, then came Lu Xinyan''s awkward voice, "Well¡­thank you!"

    "For?"

    "Thank you for helping me! I''m a fair person! You helped me, so of course, I''m going to thank you!" Lu Xinyan said.

    Ning Xi humbly replied, "Thank you for your fairness, Ms. Lu, but you don''t have to thank me. I didn''t do anything. When Director Qiao came to me earlier, they had already decided to ept your proposal."

    "Does it mean I passed with my own abilities?" Lu Xinyan''s tone was full of excitement.

    "You can say so." Ning Xi nodded.

    There was another short scream again. Lu Xinyan then cleared her throat, "Well, then thank you for being fair and not hindering my proposal submission!"

    "You''re wee."

    "Just wait and see, my shop will definitely score the top sales among the six!"

    "Okay, I''m looking forward to it!"

    ¡­

    After Ning Xi finished the call, Qiao Wen asked, "Boss, you know Lu Xinyan?"

    From their conversation, they seemed pretty close.

    "Sort of! We had someplicated matters between us before and she thought I''d purposely obstruct her proposal¡­but the misunderstanding is probably cleared by now!" Ning Xi exined.

    Qiao Wen nodded, then took another look at the woman in front of her again.

    The more she knew, the more she felt like this woman was like a mystery with many secrets dwelling within her¡­

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After she left the studio, she went to the garage with her car key. As she got into the car, her phone rang again.

    The screen showed it was Tang Lang.

    Ning Xi picked up the call. "Hello, Second Senior Brother? What''s up?"

    "Little Junior Sister, I just received interesting news! Come to the usual ce!" Tang Lang''s oddly excited voice came over from the phone.

    "Interesting news? What interesting news?"

    "Come and you''ll know! Quick! Remember to bring some money with you! I don''t have any! It''ll be on your tab!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was about to go home but after the call from the mysterious Tang Lang, she drove towards bar Number 8.

    "Did you bring enough money?" Tang Lang asked her urgently when she reached.

    "Yes I did, what''s the matter?" Ning Xi asked impatiently.

    "Water! Get me another bottle of Remy Martin Club Brandy!" Tang Lang yelled generously after his human ATM arrived.

    Ning Xi mmed her hand on the table hard. "Hey! Did you lie just to get me here to pay for your alcohol?"

    Tang Lang was stuffing popcorn into his mouth greedily and dropped the whole bowl when Ning Xi mmed the table. He then put on a mature expression and haughtily said, "Rude! How can you talk to your master like this?!"

    Ning Xi clenched her teeth, then put on a sickly sweet, honeyed smile. "If guns weren''t banned in China, do you think I''d need you?!"

 Chapter 1075: How Should I Feel?

    <h4>Chapter 1075: How Should I Feel?</h4>

    Everyone in the organization had a specialized skill of their own. Tang Lang had his fighting prowess. As for Tang Ye, aside from fighting, he had extraordinary business management skills. Feng Xiaoxiao specialized in assassination while Annie was the medical expert. Feng Jin was all about strategy and Ning Xi was the sharpshooter.

    When they were abroad, as long as she had a gun in her hand, to say that no one could get near her was not an exaggeration.

    However, things were different here. Guns were strictly prohibited in China.

    In addition to her career as an actress, if she was found out carrying a gun with her at all times, it would gravely affect her acting career, which was why she had to train her fighting prowess and expand her capabilities in some things that were not her forte.

    It was quite difficult for her.

    "That''s why I said that the best, the most perfect weapon in the world is your body!" Tang Lang acted like a professional.

    "Fine. Stop it. Are you done being so secretive? If you''re not going to tell me, I''m leaving!"

    Tang Lang quickly replied as his human ATM was going to leave, "Why are you in such a rush!? You can''t get anything done without patience, okay? But¡­this news isn''t really a secret anyway. It''s been known throughout the organization!"

    "You mean it''s rted to them?" Ning Xi''s expression darkened.

    Tang Lang waved when he saw Ning Xi''s serious expression. "Rx, it''s good news! Do you know Satan actually ordered that no one is toy their hands on you?! What he said was ''if anyone hurts her, I''ll crush all their bones¡­''"

    Ning Xi was surprised. "Are you sure? Didn''t he say the opposite? Maybe he put up a bounty for people to crush my bones!"

    Tang Lang rolled his eyes at her. "Not just the organization, the entire ck market, including The Sins and the other mercenary groups were warned. No one dares to take any orders that might be involve you because of what happened the other day!

    "And do you think it was just a normal gun shot to Feng Jin''s hand? That shot was aimed at his veins on purpose. His hand is long gone. If it wasn''t for Annie, he might even have problems coping with his daily life. He might not even able to hold a gun ever again!"

    Ning Xi pinched the bridge of her nose. "That''s his personality alright, never allowing anyone to disobey his orders¡­"

    Was that all¡­?

    Tang Lang put on the face of a curious paparazzi and shoved his fist like an imaginary mic into her face. "Hey, Little Junior Sister, don''t you feel anything after hearing what I''ve just said?"

    "How should I feel?"

    "Touched! Not only did you leave the organization and broke up with him, you even get together with the big boss of the enemy, yet Satan didn''t kill you! He''s even protecting you. This is what I call true love!" Tang Lang said in a exaggerated tone.

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. "You''re thinking too much!"

    Maybe he did not want others toy their hands on her because he wanted to kill her personally. Moreover, what did he mean about "breaking up" with him!?

    Back then, after the guy had saved her, she had made a four-year promise that she would work for him for four years. As payback, she would do anything for him during the four years.

    After four years, she was promised that she could leave as she wished.

    In the end, on thest day, that man broke his promise and did not let her leave, driving her frustrated.

    Ning Xi could not do anything, so she asked him what he wanted.

    That man had the gall to ask her to be his girlfriend!

 Chapter 1076: You Profiteer!

    <h4>Chapter 1076: You Profiteer!</h4>

    To repay one life with another, as long as she agreed, she would not owe him anything anymore!

    Ning Xi agreed easily since he had not mentioned the period anyway! She had so many exes, so he was just another on on the list.

    After she agreed, she decisively escaped the next day¡­

    Thiat was the truth behind her one-day rtionship with Yun Shen¡­

    Tang Lang did not know about Ning Xi''s true story. "So, from what I see now, your safety is definitely secured!"

    He then sighed, "Now you know why I need you to pay for my alcohol, don''t you? I might lose a part of my sry soon!"

    Ning Xi stared at him in disbelief. "Don''t worry, you won''t! Didn''t you say that the best and most perfect weapon in the world is your body? So, please continue to train me! Who knows if he might go crazy and want to crush my bones? I have no one to rely on!"

    "Well, that''s true, you still need me. I''m your Master!" Tang Lang nodded.

    "However, since you''re not that useful and the fact that my safety is secured for now, your doubled sry has returned to the normal rate now!" Ning Xi grinned.

    "Hey! You profiteer! You think I won''t go and get back my card from Tang Ye, huh?!" Tang Lang howled.

    "Heh, you can always try. No one''s stopping you. But don''t say that I didn''t remind you. Thest time I was caught there, I saw First Senior Brother with several new scars on his arms! He must''ve put himself through some devilish training! Compared to your half-assed training, I wonder if you''ll be getting your card back or giving your life up?"

    "Little Junior Sister, I suddenly feel that your suggestion about my sry adjustment is appropriate!" Tang Lang quickly changed his attitude.

    ¡­

    Lu Xinyan was impatient. The moment her proposal passed, she immediatley opened her store.

    On top of that, she organized a grand opening ceremony on the first day, inviting several popr celebrities over, and because of Lu Corporation backing her up, many socialites came over to support her.

    At the same time, outside of Spirit''s store, Ning Xueluo and History''s marketing manager stood somewhere near the store.

    "Boss, it''s here¡­" The manager pointed at Spirit''s sign.

    History had a store in thisplex as well, but the location was not as strategic as Spirit''s. Their retailer was a general fashion retailer, and while they were not bad, their status and name could never beat Lu Corporation''s.

    As he saw Ning Xueluo''s expression darkened, the manager said, "Boss, although Lu Xinyan has the name of Lu Corporation behind her, she''s useless! All her previous businesses ended up losing money and her ex-partners were almost ruined by her, so her involvement with Spirit is Spirit''s misfortune!"

    Ning Xueluo did not seem happy about it. She did not care about their business at all. It was the fact that Spirit was able to attract people like Lu Xinyan.

    That meant that Spirit was just as popr as History¡­

    Ning Xueluo looked at the man beside her coldly. "You cannot let Spirit continue to grow. Use whatever method you can!"

 Chapter 1077: A Real Talent

    <h4>Chapter 1077: A Real Talent</h4>

    "You cannot let Spirit continue to grow. Use whatever method you can!"

    "Understood, Boss! Just wait and see! They are still too young to go against me!" The man looked confident.

    Ning Xueluo''s expression softened when she saw the man''s determination. This man was the previous marketing director of SF, a well-known market maniptor in the industry. He helped SF destroy countlesspetitors, so it was worth the fortune she had spent to get him on her side¡­

    As for her, she had something more important going on.

    It was confirmed that the elder was going to write his will!

    ¡­

    In just a few days time, the news of the cousin to the CEO of Lu Corporation, Lu Xinyan''s new store opening spread like wildfire.

    Many people came to support her. In addition to the strategic location of her store, her sales remained the highest among all the stores for the first few days.

    Ning Xi was relieved when she saw Lu Xinyan doing well.

    Unfortunately, the situation did notst long¡­

    Inside Spirit Studio, Ning Xi held the sales report of Lu Xinyan''s store in her hands. Shey her head on the table of Qiao Wen''s office in exhaustion. "I was wrong¡­I was really wrong this time¡­"

    Aside from the spike in sales in the start, the sales of Lu Xinyan''s franchise store had dropped steeply and the loss incurred was extremely severe.

    "Seriously, with the support of so many people, a strategic location, and sufficient backup¡­she could still lose this much money¡­ A real talent indeed! How does she even do that?" Ning Xi sighed.

    Actually, Qiao Wen had somewhat expected this to happen.

    She had gone through Lu Xinyan''s proposal personally and found the n was pretty solid, but a business was run by people. With Lu Xinyan as the boss, her decision would affect everything and if her execution went astray of her n, the proposal would be meaningless.

    With this much loss incurred, Lu Xinyan did not tell Ning Xi about it and nned to tough it out, but numbers could not lie. Qiao Wen could identify the problem at one nce.

    She quickly called Ning Xi over for a discussion the moment she realized something was wrong.

    "I''ve gone over and investigated how she was doing before. Historically, she would just lose more and more. She''s just not a business-minded person," Qiao Wen exined, "Not only could she not differentiate between peak season and normal season, to boost her sales numbers, she also had promotions almost every week. Although it looked like they attracted a lot of customers, as time went on, a high-end brand turned into cheap. After the event ended, how could she expect to sell them at the prices of a high-end brand again?"

    Ning Xi looked helpless. She finally believed that that girl was really an amateur. In regard to Lu Xinyan''s loss, Ning Xi sort of expected it, but she just did not expect it to be this severe.

    "If this goes on, it''ll definitely negatively influence to Spirit as well as the other stores," Qiao Wen said.

    Ning Xi pinched the bridge of her nose. " Director Qiao, you''re still tied up with the business expansion project. I''ll go and discuss with Lu Xinyan personally!"

    Qiao Wen nodded without any objection.

    She was not afraid for Lu Xinyan to make mistakes; she was afraid that Lu Xinyan would not realize her own mistake and continue to make them. Judging by the conversation Ning Xi had with her thest time, they should be pretty close, so it would be great if they could talk this out.

    ¡­

 Chapter 1078: Find A Madman

    <h4>Chapter 1078: Find A Madman</h4>

    At the headquarters of History, David swirled the wine ss in his hand, then took a sip. He said happily, "Boss, like I said before, brand and poprity is one thing and business management is another. No matter how good their designer is, they aren''t a threat to us!

    "Now that you''ve seen it for yourself, you can rx now! The marketing department said that Lu Xinyan was a real amateur. All the business she has handled before failed in the end. That girl from Lu Corporation simply has no idea how a franchise works. She made money-losing promotions one after another, turning Spirit into another cheap brand now. When people stoppeding by after promotion period ended, she''d start another promotion campaign again! Hahaha¡­"

    David guffawed heartily.

    Ning Xueluo wore a long dress. She looked outside the window with a sneer.

    They thought they had gained a solid supporter and tried to get involved with Lu Corporation through Lu Xinyan. Great! Instead of gaining, they have lost a lot more now!

    Nevertheless, she already expected that this would happen with Lu Xinyan. It was nothing to be surprised about.

    "Oh yes, I''m here today to ask you something. Have you heard of this person?" Ning Xueluo passed David an Italian fashion magazine.

    David''s eyes glowed when he saw the designs on the cover, but when he saw a vague face of the designer, his expression changed.

    "Han Xiao¡­?!"

    Although the picture was not clear, he could tell that it was him.

    "Do you know him?" Ning Xueluo asked when she saw the obvious change in his expression.

    "Boss, this Han Xiao is a Italian-born Chinese¡­h-he''s a madman!" David seemed to be reminded of something scary and his forehead was full of sweat. "I went to Italy to study for a period of time before. Although Han Xiao was impressive, he has a bad reputation. He betrayed his own teacher, always had extreme mood swings, and he only does whatever he likes!"

    David had heard a lot about Han Xiao before. Although he was a newbie in the fashion design industry, everyone called him "The Demon". However, he disappeared a long time ago as his interest in design did notst long. He quit after his interest fizzled out.

    He could recognize the man because he had met him personally before at a gathering in Italy and his friends had told him about Han Xiao.

    "That''s great then. I heard he came to China recently. He''s right in our city! Help me look for him." Ning Xueluo grinned.

    Find Han Xiao?

    David shivered. Even if he met him, he would want to leave as far away as possible. Who would want to be with a madman?

    "Boss, what''re you saying?" David felt uneasy. Why did Ning Xueluo want to find Han Xiao? Maybe¡­

    "I need him to help History get to the next level," Ning Xueluo said straightforwardly. However, there was a twist. "But you can rx, you''ll still hold your position. Since he''s a madman, I''ll probably just use him once or twice."

    "Understood." David smiled as he stood up and finished the wine in his ss.

    ¡­

 Chapter 1079: Private Visit

    <h4>Chapter 1079: Private Visit</h4>

    At West City Mall, Lu Xinyan''s store was having all kinds of promotions. Ning Xi shook her head when she reached there.

    When Ning Xi walked into the store, a few salespeople were chatting away happily, not even greeting Ning Xi when she entered.

    "Anyone here?" Ning Xi frowned a little and asked.

    The salespeople then turned around and looked at Ning Xi.

    "I''m sorry, we''re getting off work soon. Pleasee again tomorrow," said one of the taller salespeople.

    "If you''re getting off work soon, that means you haven''t just yet," replied Ning Xi.

    They were a little surprised, then took a closer look at Ning Xi. She dressed a little inly today, but they all had instantly looked down on her.

    "Miss, Spirit is a high-end luxury brand. Although we do have some promotions going on, all of them still cost at least tens of thousands." The tall salesperson sounded impatient.

    Their customers used to be mostly rich socialites and famous celebrities. However, ever since their promotion campaign started, more and more people visited them and asked them for the prices as if it was a market. The salespeople felt disgusted as they knew that these people would not be able to afford them even after asking.

    Ning Xi ignored them and went inside the store.

    "What''s wrong with you? Didn''t I tell you that we''re closing soon!?"

    They went after her and the tall girl looked especially annoyed.

    Ning Xi''s eyesnded on a long coat and she put her hands on it. The tall girl wallked in front of her, grabbed the coat and put it on a higher rack to avoid Ning Xi from touching it.

    "I''m sorry, Spirit is a luxury brand. You can neither try nor touch it!"

    "How much is this?" Ning Xi asked.

    "This?" The tall girl nced at Ning Xi disdainfully. "This is a new design from Spirit. It''s $ 40,000 after discount!"

    "$ 40,000?"

    Ning Xi was more than a little shocked. The cost price cost was more than that. Each piece Lu Xinyan sold made losses. The more she sold, the more she lost.

    The salesperson thought that Ning Xi was shocked by how expensive it was. When they saw her frown, they tittered coldly at her.

    "You can go to other stores. Spirit''s clothes are the definition of luxury."

    All of them looked at Ning Xi like she was some poor, pennilessdy.

    "What time is it now? Is it really time to close?" Ning Xi looked at them coldly.

    "That''s none of your business! Please go somewhere else and stop looking for trouble!"

    The tall salesperson was really rude.

    Before Ning Xi could continue, a man and a woman entered. The girl had a branded sling purse on her right shoulder while her left arm clung onto the man beside her.

    "Is it closing?" The girl asked the tall salesperson.

    "Oh, Sis Li Xun, of course not. We''re waiting for you!" The tall salesperson ignored Ning Xi and quickly went up to Li Xun with a smile.

    Li Xun nced at Ning Xi, then forced a smile. "For a brand that''s meant to be the definition of luxury, no wonder you''d want to close now to avoid random peopleing in."

 Chapter 1080: Extremely Severe Issue

    <h4>Chapter 1080: Extremely Severe Issue</h4>

    "You''re right, Sis Li Xun. Even though Spirit is having promotions now, not many people can still afford them. There''re even some people who sneak inside luxury shops and get prepare to steal when they think no one notices."

    The tall salesperson then intentionally threw a nce at Ning Xi.

    "Sis Li Xun, we have some new products. Our boss''s discount is much better than the main branch''s. Do you want to have a look?"

    The other salesperson went up to her and introduced some new designs.

    "We''ll just take a look then." Li Xun clung on to her man and followed the salesperson.

    "Hey, why are you still here? Don''t block the path!"

    They shoved Ning Xi aside, making her very frustrated. All the salespeople in the franchise stores were paid directly by the main branch, even Lu Xinyan''s store.

    Ning Xi had note for nothing this time. She now realized an extremely severe issue. Spirit was too focused on making the brand popr and setting their brand positioning in the market, but they ignored personnel training. Whether it was the salesperson or store manager, they should have received proper training from the main branch before being sent out to other franchises.

    When they saw that Ning Xi was not leaving, the salespeople ignored her and served the couple.

    "This looks pretty good, how much is it after discount?" Li Xun asked.

    "Sis Li Xun, this discount on this one isn''t good enough. We have another one that''s fresh from the main branch."

    The tall salesperson then took out an elegant coat.

    "Let me tell you, this cost $ 60,000 when the boss took in from the main branch, but after discount, this is $ 58,000!" The tall salesperson beamed.

    "Let me try."

    The girl quickly put it on for Li Xun.

    "Dear, does it look nice on me?" Li Xun turned around and asked the man beside her.

    "Mmm, not bad, looks better than the one you bought for $ 120,000 from History." The man smiled adoringly at her.

    "Hmm, Spirit can neverpare to History. History is the real luxury brand. You can''t even try the clothes on there." Li Xun pouted, "But, well, Spirit is kind of okay."

    The man shrugged. From his experience in both shops, Spirit was way behind History. The salespeople in History were very professional.

    "This is pretty good, give me this one." Li Xun took off the coat.

    "Give me a moment, Sis Li Xun, I think I can get this coat even cheaper." The tall salesperson gave her a secretive smile, then made a call.

    "Manager, it''s thetest coat. A customer wants it to be cheaper and you know we''re still new anyway¡­ Mmm, okay, I understand."

    The girl ended the call and winked at Li Xun. "Sis, the final discounted price is $ 55,000. That''s another extra $ 3,000 discount!"

    "You''re really good at closing deals. The next time youe to my ce, I''ll definitely give you some special service." Li Xun was satisfied.

    "Sis, with our rtionship, of course I''d want to save money for you."

    After they packed the clothes, they all sent Li Xun out of the store with wide smiles.

 Chapter 1081: Personnel From Main Branch?

    <h4>Chapter 1081: Personnel From Main Branch?</h4>

    "Why aren''t you leaving? We''re closing!" The tall salesperson said coldly when she saw that Ning Xi was still there.

    "I remember that Spirit is a high-end store and trying on items isn''t allowed." Ning Xi stared defiantly at this arrogant salesperson right in front of her.

    "Anyone else can try except for you. Leave now or I''m calling the security guard!"

    The other two salespeople went up and wondered where this woman was from and why was she not leaving.

    Ning Xi scoffed at them, "Get me your boss."

    "Boss?"

    "What''s wrong with you? Who do you think you are?"

    "Are you here to look for trouble?"

    "Knowing my boss'' identity? Who do you think you are to see her?"

    One of the salesgirls went out and called the security guard.

    "Guard, she came in and looked for trouble. Please get her out!" The tall salesperson red at Ning Xi as she saw the security guard entered.

    "What''s the fuss? What happened?"

    Before the security guard could say anything, a middle-aged woman came in.

    "Manager Gu Yue, why are you here thiste?"

    The salespeople went up to the middle-aged woman as she walked in.

    "Manager Gu, this random woman stayed in our store for a long time. She just asked for prices and didn''t buy anything. I''m suspecting that she might want to steal our clothes. Didn''t we lose a few before?"

    "Right, the whole mall has been having a volume of thefts recently, from branded shoes to bags. They were all stolen when no one noticed."

    The manager looked at Ning Xi impatiently, but when she saw her, she felt that she looked familiar.

    "Are you¡­from the main branch?"

    The manager tried to remember. Some time ago, she had gone to the main branch with her boss to do some paperwork and she was sure that she had seen this woman there before.

    "The main branch?!"

    "Spirit''s main branch?"

    The salespeople were surprised. Why would a person from the main branch be at their store?

    "Maybe she wants to buy something from our store because she heard about the discounts," said one of the girls.

    "Main branch? So what if she''s from the main branch? We might even be more well-off than her. Look at how poorly she''s dressed. She still can''t afford things from our store even when it''s discounted!" The tall sales guide said.

    Ning Xi had no more tolerance for people like her anymore. She looked at the store manager and then called Lu Xinyan.

    "My big boss, it''s veryte already. Can we talk about this tomorrow?" Lu Xinyan sounded like she was sleeping.

    "Come to your store, right now. If I don''t see you in ten minutes, you can close your store tomorrow."

    Ning Xi did not give Lu Xinyan any chance to talk and ended the call immediately.

    The manager and the few sales guides were dumbfounded. They did not know that Ning Xi was talking to Lu Xinyan just now.

    Lu Xinyan acted quickly this time and actually arrived her store within ten minutes.

    The store manager and the salespeople went up to greet their boss who had suddenly appeared.

    "What''s so urgent that you need me here right now? What happened? Can''t we talk about this on the phone?" Lu Xinyanined unhappily while looking at Ning Xi.

 Chapter 1082: Bear The Consequences

    <h4>Chapter 1082: Bear The Consequences</h4>

    The store personnel were totally stunned when they heard what Lu Xinyan said.

    Their boss actually knew this woman?

    "Lu Xinyan, these people in your store¡­where did you find them? Didn''t the main branch assign some professional salespeople to you?" Ning Xi nced at the sales guides and the manager.

    "I hired them! It''s my own shop, so of course, I''m going to recruit the people myself. Only then will it be counted as my own effort!" Lu Xinyan looked proudly at Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi almost passed out hearing the girl''s logic. She took a deep breath. "Change them! All of them! I''ll pick out personnel from the main branch for you. Just follow the protocol!"

    Ning Xi''s tone was ferocious and she did not give any chance for Lu Xinyan to say anything.

    "Fine, fine¡­you''re the boss. I''ll do whatever you say¡­but what happened?"

    Lu Xinyan frowned a little, she could sort of guess what had happened. Ning Xi must have noticed some issues when she arrived in the store. Otherwise, she would not be this angry.

    Anyway, Lu Xinyan felt immensely guilty. Although her financial report seemed to be earning a lot on the surface, she was losing money. A lot of money¡­

    "Big boss?!"

    "Boss from the main branch?!"

    The few sales guides could not believe it. This woman was the founder of Spirit?! They freaked out, never imagining that the boss would suddenly appear in the store.

    The store manager had only felt like she had seen Ning Xi before, but she had not known that Ning Xi was the founder of Spirit.

    Ning Xi''s voice softened as Lu Xinyan''s attitude was gentle and she had toned down. "Also, cancel all your promotions. Go and look for Director Qiao tomorrow. Learn how to run a franchise from her!"

    "Huh? Cancel? I came up with these campaigns with all my wits!" Lu Xinyan sounded dejected.

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. "My dear, you used up all your wits just to lose money like this?!"

    Lu Xinyan''s expression froze. "Y-you found out¡­"

    Oh, no! Her cover was blown!

    "In three days, I want to see you strictly following the n and our protocol! If not, you''ll bear the consequences!" Ning Xi left the store without even looking back at the workers.

    They were all shocked when they saw Ning Xi''s attitude towards Lu Xinyan.

    Lu Xinyan was Lu Tingxiao''s cousin! Yet, Ning Xi had yelled at her!

    Who exactly was this woman?

    "What happened?!" Lu Xinyan asked angrily while ring at her people after Ning Xi left.

    "Boss¡­I-I don''t know anything! Big boss was already angry when I came back. It must be them!" The store manager pushed the responsibility awaypletely.

    One of the salesgirls told the truth.

    After she heard everything, Lu Xinyan immediately fired everyone, including the manager.

 Chapter 1083: Interesting Person

    <h4>Chapter 1083: Interesting Person</h4>

    Ning Xi had a headache after she left Lu Xinyan¡¯s store. She felt really helpless.

    Six franchise stores but only Lu Xinyan¡¯s shop was doing so badly. With a manager and salespeople of that standard, plus an amateur owner, the store would definitely close down sooner orter. It was a good thing that Ning Xi found out about it early¡­

    Thud!

    As Ning Xi was deep in thought, a person suddenly shed by and collided with her, making her almost fall.

    "I¡¯m sorry,dy, are you alright?" The person stopped and held Ning Xi to avoid her from falling down.

    Ning Xi shook her head. "I¡¯m okay."

    "Ahdy, you seem pretty agile. Have you learnt martial arts before?" The man looked at her with perked interest.

    Ning Xi could not help but roll her eyes. Just where was he from, calling her dy" like an ancient, old man?

    "Haha, I¡¯m d that you¡¯re alright. I have to flee." The man smiled and looked back, his smile growing wider.

    Flee?

    Ning Xi tilted her head and raised her eyebrows questioningly.

    Before Ning Xi could say anything, numerous running footsteps came from the back. About a dozen people were running towards their direction.

    "Are¡­they your enemies?"

    Ning Xi was taken aback. Who exactly was he to be chased by a dozen of people in the middle of the night?

    "Haha!" The manughed, "I don¡¯t know them, but I saw that they fought pretty well against each other. They couldn¡¯t decide the winner after quite some time, so I beat them up instead. Who knew they''d have guns? Haha, no matter how good I am, I can¡¯t be faster than bullets!"

    "Oh¡­how are you not dead by now then?"

    Ning Xi was impressed by the man¡¯s shameless attitude. He had offended some people and was chased by a dozen of them, yet he was still acting tough.

    And people were fighting on their own, so why did he involve himself? Was he asking for trouble?

    "Farewell, mdy, I have to go!"

    As the man was about to flee, Ning Xi held him back.

    "Follow me."

    Ning Xi dragged the man and forced him under a SUV.

    "You¡­what are you doing?"

    The man was taken aback by her action.

    Ning Xi looked at him smilingly. "Luck is in your favor. I like your adventurous attitude!"

    And¡­everything she was interested in¡­

    This man had just so happened to possess them all.

    Ning Xi stopped talking to him. She stood in front of the car and blocked the man from the sight of his pursuers. A short while, the dozen of people reached her.

    "First¡­First Senior Brother?!"

    Ning Xi''s eyes flew wide open when she saw a familiar face framed by a pair of sses.

    The man at the front was Tang Ye! The more outrageous fact was not only that Tang Ye was there, Tang Lang was also beside him!

    How had they ended up together?

    "Little Junior Sister, why are you here?" Tang Lang asked while panting.

    "Second Senior Brother? I¡¯m about to ask you guys! What are you guys doing? Why are you with First Brother Senior?"

    Ning Xi was stunned.

    Could the man under the car be hunted by Tang Ye and Tang Lang?

    Really? Who exactly was that man who was able to make Tang Ye and Tang Lang cooperate?

    Ugh¡­wait¡­ Just now, that man mentioned that he saw two people were fighting and that he beat them up because they could not decide the winner after a long time. Could the people he was talking about be First Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother?

 Chapter 1084: Playing Around Lovingly

    <h4>Chapter 1084: ying Around Lovingly</h4>

    "Little Junior Sister, did you see a madman pass by?" Tang Ye¡¯s cold eyes looked questioningly at Ning Xi from behind his sses.

    Ning Xi was not stupid. The madman Tang Ye was referring to must be the same one under the car.

    After a difficult moment of internal struggle, Ning Xi nodded.

    "Where!?"

    Tang Ye and Tang Lang suddenly became alert as they focused on Ning Xi.

    "Right here." Ning Xi inclined her head towards Tang Lang and Tang Ye.

    "Where?" Tang Ye swung around.

    "Here, two madmen, right in front of me!" Ning Xi looked seriously at them.

    "You cheeky little brat! We¡¯re asking you about something serious!" Tang Lang eximed.

    "Go back early tonight. It¡¯s not safe here," Tang Ye said expressionlessly.

    She became more and more curious. Just who was the man under the car and how did he get on First Senior Brother be aware of him?

    "Second Senior Brother, what happened?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Just now, I was ying around lovingly with your First Senior Brother when suddenly, a madman butted in and said he wanted to give us advice. He even fought with the both of us!"

    Tang Lang was really annoyed. What the heck was "ying around lovingly"?

    Ning Xi¡¯s expression darkened. "Then¡­the both of you lost?"

    Was she really looking at Tang Lang and Tang Ye?

    Ning Xi was shocked. Tang Ye losing? Tang Lang also losing? Tang Ye and Tang Lang had both¡­lost?

    Tang Lang seemed a little awkward. He pped Ning Xi¡¯s head lightly. "Nonsense! Your First Senior Brother lost, I didn¡¯t!"

    "I understand¡­but, why do you need so many people for?" Ning Xi looked at the dozen people behind him.

    If he could really win, why did he need the people behind him?

    "They¡­they''re here for us to find him easily. Anyway, I have no time to stay and chat anymore!" Tang Lang realized that this girl was up to no good.

    "Let¡¯s go." Tang Lang turned around and left as they had lost the guy. He did not even bother ncing at Tang Lang.

    "Hey! Where are you going? We¡¯re not done yet! Give me back my card!" Tang Lang yelled at him.

    "My dear Second Senior Brother, if you don¡¯t put in more effort, First Senior Brother probably won¡¯t look for you again because it seems like something more interesting has just popped up!"

    Tang Lang was reminded of that madman and his expression turned broody. "Go away! I can finish him instantly with just a little bit more training!"

    ¡­

    After Tang Ye and Tang Lang left, Ning Xi¡¯s curiosity was killing her. Who exactly was the man under the car?

    Ning Xi was well aware of the abilities of Tang Ye and Tang Lang. Wth the both of them together, how could they have possibly lost to the madman?

    As Ning Xi was thinking about it, a powerful palm casually tapped her shoulder.

    Ning Xi was surprised by the sudden contact and she swiftly swiveled a kick behind her.

    What was surprising was that her instinctive kick missed! A dark shadow moved through the air at an inhumane speed.

    If Ning Xi was in a forest, she would have surely assumed that it was a beast.

    "Lady, you¡¯re really well trained!"

    The man had easily dodged her attack and suddenly stood right in front of her.

    Ning Xi instinctively backed away. This man is extremely dangerous. Extremely!

 Chapter 1085: End Him Anytime

    <h4>Chapter 1085: End Him Anytime</h4>

    "The both of them are your Senior Brothers? They aren¡¯t much," the man mocked,ughing in a rather hoarse and creepy way.

    "Who are you?" Ning Xi looked at the man as her senses were on alert.

    "My name is Han Xiao, what about you?" Han Xiao half-smiled at her.

    "I''m Ning Xi."

    He did not seem like a bad guy, so Ning Xi rxed a little. The reason that she felt Han Xiao was really scary was that knowing Tang Ye and Tang Lang¡¯s high standards, he could still beat them. It was incredibly hard to believe for her.

    "Lady, you saved me, so this meal is on me." She noticed that Han Xiao¡¯s eyes sometimes looked crystal clear, but at times were filled with a devilish charm. One look of his was able to send a chill down anyone''s spine.

    "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m kind of busy," Ning Xi rejected Han Xiao¡¯s invitation.

    She had saved him unintentionally just now. Now that she knew it was Tang Lang and Tang Ye who were chasing after him, she did not want to get too deeply involved with him anymore. However, since she had already helped him, she would finish the job.

    "No, no way. I never owe others¡­ If you don¡¯t want to eat, let me help you with some self-improvement. Would like some stic surgery? Ladies nowadays like to do it on their face, don¡¯t they? Although you already look great, I can make you look perfect!" Suddenly, Han Xiao took out a scalpel.

    "Hey! What do you want?!"

    Ning Xi doubted whether it was a right decision to help him.

    "Don¡¯t worry, I forgot to tell you that I was a surgeon before. Oh, I was also a fashion designer¡­ I''ve even worked as a grave caretaker¡­" Han Xiao looked like he was seriously recalling the jobs he had worked as before.

    "A designer¡­" Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched.

    This guy was once a designer?

    "Hey, didn¡¯t you say you want to buy me a meal? Let¡¯s go!"

    Ning Xi did not know what this madman was thinking, so she might as well go to a more crowded area, which would be safer for her. In case anything happened, it was easier for her to escape as well.

    ¡­

    Halfway to the restaurant, Han Xiao sped up ahead of her.

    "Mountains aren¡¯t blessed with heights. It¡¯s blessed if a god resides within¡­ A river isn¡¯t judged by its depth. It¡¯s spiritual when a dragon stays within¡­ Spirit¡­the name feels pure."

    Han Xiao stood outside Spirit''s store and looked at the garments inside through the ss window.

    "I looked through the design concept and the garments of a few stores. This Spirit is pretty good. I¡¯d like to see who the designer is." Han Xiao grinned creepily.

    "I think you should go back to be a grave caretaker¡­ You really think you¡¯re a designer?" Ning Xi said.

    Han Xiao turned around sharply. "Lady, believe it or not, Spirit¡¯s designer is nowhere near my level, I can end him anytime."

    "I believe you," Ning Xi acquiesced, "I believe that with your scalpel, you can end him anytime you want."

    Ning Xi was sure that Gong Shangze would never beat him in a fight.

    "And please, don¡¯t keep calling me dy''. Call me Ning Xi," Ning Xi interrupted before he could say anything else.

    Han Xiao looked at Ning Xi with a sly smile. "You¡¯re pretty courageous. No one has ever talked to me like that before."

    "Right, aren¡¯t you a grave caretaker? The dead ones are usually pretty shy to talk to the living." Ning Xi felt like she was going crazy talking to a madman.

    Han Xiao stopped talking to Ning Xi until they reached a 24-hour KFC outlet.

    "I¡¯ll buy you a meal here." Han Xiao then dragged Ning Xi in.

 Chapter 1086: Bro, Youâ€™re Really Creative!

    <h4>Chapter 1086: Bro, You¡¯re Really Creative!</h4>

    "Two hamburgers and two milk teas, please."

    Treating your life savior to a meal in KFC¡­ Bro, you¡¯re really creative!

    After he paid, Han Xiao really brought over two hamburgers¡­and two cups of milk teas.

    Han Xiao smiled as he saw Ning Xi¡¯s odd expression. "Don''t eat so much at night or you¡¯ll get fat."

    Ning Xi did not bother to reply.

    It was dim earlier but now, Ning Xi could see Han Xiao¡¯s face clearly. He had long, dark hair that fell to his waist, the tendrils falling messily like intersecting streams of waterfalls.

    His brown eyes were filled with a mysterious spiritual aura and were as clear as crystal. They peeked out from under his long eyshes, making him look very pretty.

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart got caught in her chest for a moment. She swore that she had never met any man¡­so beautiful!

    This Han Xiao had nothing to do with being cool; there was only one word to describe him: beautiful.

    If Han Xiao had not opened his mouth to speak, she would never have known that he was a man.

    Ning Xi started to doubt herself. Maybe, Han Xiao¡¯s voice was just a little too masculine and he was actually a real woman¡­

    Ning Xi kept staring at him while wondering if he was actually a man or woman.

    Han Xiao stood up a short whileter and said, "Lady Ning, thank you for your help tonight although you were just a busybody¡­"

    "I should¡¯ve just give you to them," Ning Xi replied.

    "This is my contact. Lady Ning, if you have any problems, do give me a call. I just feel that¡­a hamburger and some milk tea don¡¯t seem enough to repay you."

    Han Xiao snatched Ning Xi¡¯s phone away and punched in his contact number to save, then he returned the phone back to Ning Xi.

    Before Ning Xi could say anything, Han Xiao turned around and disappeared.

    "First Senior Brother and Second Senior brother aren¡¯t wrong¡­ Han Xiao really is a madman!"

    Ning Xi felt her brain go haywire after talking to him. She would never want to meet him again!

    ¡­

    At night, after she returned to her vi, Ning Xi soon forgot about it. As she was about to shower, she received a phone call from her grandfather.

    "Mmm, I¡¯m alright. Little Treasure¡¯s doing well too¡­ I know, I¡¯ll go over tomorrow!"

    The elder had called her to inform her that he was going to write his will tomorrow and told her that she had toe.

    Ning Xi was not surprised. As expected, Ning Yaohua had approached her the other day about this matter.

    After her shower, Ning Xi went to bed early. She heard that even the long-lost Aunt Ning Qiutong hade back as well¡­

    There would probably be a storm tomorrow¡­

    ¡­

    The next morning, Ning Xi wore the same floral dress she wore at the cooking show. She took her bag and drove towards the Ning residence.

    "Miss Xi, wee! Elder Master said to inform you to meet him in the study room when you¡¯ve arrived!"

    It could be the BMW she drove today, or because they knew that the elder, who always had a soft spot for her, was making his will that they thought they might get some sort of advantage from her. The servants had never once called her "Miss Xi".

    Ning Xi nodded, then went upstairs.

    After she had left, she did not have to even bother guessing the kind of things these people said about her behind her back¡­

 Chapter 1087: Not Recognize The Real Master

    <h4>Chapter 1087: Not Recognize The Real Master</h4>

    "Tsk, how shameless! She came to take their assets from them as a foster daughter¡­"

    "Right! Shameless indeed!"

    "This girl is different now. Did you see her outfit? That''s a very popr brand recently and it''s pretty expensive too. Plus, she drives a BMW! With her seductive face, who knows which old man kept her as his mistress?!"

    "What is the Old Master thinking? He already has Miss Xueluo, yet he wanted to adopt another girl from the countryside!"

    ¡­

    "Chatting very happily, aren¡¯t we?! Who¡¯s the girl? Hmm?"

    As the big bunch of servants was gossiping happily, a cold voice came from behind. Everyone was shocked and they turned around.

    "A bunch of servants biting your master¡¯s tail, eh? Is this the standard of the Ning family¡¯s servants?" A woman in her thirties reprimanded them. She had short hair and wore a champagne-colored dress, looking very much like the epitome of a strong woman.

    Ning Qiutong was the cousin of Ning Yaohua and Ning Yaobang. Her parents had passed away early, so she left home and ventured overseas. Rumor was that her business was going really well and that she had married into a good family. It had been many years since shest came back. Her name was sometimes brought up in conversations because of how well she was doing overseas and some of the older servants in the Ning family knew about her.

    Even after so many years, the intimidating aura she gave off was still the same.

    "W-we¡¯re talking about Ms. Xi, not Ms. Xueluo¡­"

    "That¡¯s right! We¡¯re talking about the countryside girl!"

    Ning Qiutong was not someone to pick fights with, so they quickly exined to her.

    Ning Qiutong red at all of them, her tone going even colder. "Why would I have to scold you all if you guys were talking about Ning Xueluo!?"

    Ridiculous! The servants could not even recognize their real master now! If it was not for her uncle¡¯s call, she really did not want toe back.

    "Miss¡­ She¡­ What does she mean? What does she mean she wouldn¡¯t have scolded us if we were talking about Ms. Xueluo?"

    "Who knows!?"

    "Actually, I realized that Ning Qiutong did not like Ms. Xueluo many years ago. I don¡¯t understand what went wrong between them¡­"

    They started gossiping again, discussing the capable Ning Qiutong¡¯s legendary life.

    ¡­

    When Ning Xi stepped into the study room, she saw that everyone else had arrived. Ning Yaohua, Zhuang Lingyu, Ning Xueluo, Ning Yaobang, and Ning Tianxin were there. Even Su Yan attended the session.

    "Xiao Xi, you¡¯re here! Come to Grandfather!" The elder¡¯s serious expression broke into a smile the moment he saw Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi had put on peach-themed makeup today, matching her youthful outfit. The elder was pleased that she looked healthy and happy.

    Ignoring the cold res from multiple directions, Ning Xi went up to her grandfather smilingly. "Grandfather, are you alright? How was the herbal medicine prescription I gave you thest time? Was it effective?"

    The elder was excited to update her. "Ah, I was just about to tell you! The prescription you gave me worked like a charm! My headache stopped and I stopped having sweat when I sleep. I can even walk more now! Look at me walk!"

 Chapter 1088: He Must Be Crazy!

    <h4>Chapter 1088: He Must Be Crazy!</h4>

    Ning Xi''sughter tinkled lightly. "That¡¯s great then. I¡¯ll get more for you after you''ve finished it!"

    "Xiao Xi, which old traditional Chinese medicine doctor did you go to? He really must be the real deal! I¡¯ve gone to a few before. All the prescriptions they gave tasted horrible and were all very useless. Those that were useful have severe side effects!" The elderined.

    "It¡¯s a friend of mine. He''s not that old but he has really good medical knowledge," Ning Xi replied.

    After Annie¡¯s visit thest time, they texted each other from time to time, so in one of these conversations, Ning Xi had just asked her casually about how to treat her grandfather''s condition. Annie had replied with a very detailed prescription, so she went to a traditional Chinese herb store and bought whatever she needed ording to the prescription. To her surprise, it worked very well.

    She had to find a time to thank Annie properly¡­

    "You actually dared to trust a young doctor¡¯s prescription? What if any problems arose?" Ning Yaobang mumbled.

    Ning Yaohua interrupted him, "Didn¡¯t Father say it was effective? Stop your nonsense!"

    Ning Yaohua then switched to a gentler attitude and spoke to Ning Xi, "Thank you so much, Xiao Xi!"

    It was a sensitive period right now. No matter how unhappy he was towards Ning Xi, he had to get Ning Xi on his side right now.

    Zhuang Lingyu was about to say something but was stopped by Ning Yaohua. "Xiao Xi, take a seat!"

    As she observed Ning Yaohua¡¯s attitude towards Ning Xi, Ning Xueluo could not do anything but to suppress her emotions inside.

    What was important now was to get the shares from Ning Xi.

    "Sister,e over here!" Ning Xueluo dragged her to her seat where Zhuang Lingyu was on her left and Su Yan was on her right. When Su Yan saw Ning Xueluo trying to drag her over, he moved over a space, so Ning Xi now sat in between Ning Xueluo and Su Yan.

    After Ning Xi sat down, Su Yan did not feel at ease and moved away slightly further. However, his effort was futile as the girl¡¯s natural sweet scent invaded his nostrils everytime he breathed, seeping right into his heart.

    He did not remember thest time he was this close to her¡­

    He also did not understand why he was feeling so ufortable when they were just sitting next to each other.

    The girl was talking to Ning Xueluo at the moment. He nced at the girl¡¯s butterfly-like eyshes, her soft lips, and her exquisite corbone¡­

    He must be crazy! His fiancee was right here, yet he was attracted to another woman and this woman was one whom he treated like his little sister¡­

    Ever since he realized his feelings for Ning Xi were unusual, he had stopped himself from seeing Ning Xi. For a period of time, he did forget about her. Unfortunately, now, the moment they were reunited again, the burst of his long-suppressed feelings was hardly controble¡­

    Su Yan! Wake up!

    The man took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

    "Sis, this outfit looks really good on you!" Ning Xueluo sounded impressed.

    She touched the fabric, and said, "Sis isn¡¯t this thetest product from Spirit this season? I saw you wore this on the cooking showst time. Many people have asked me about the brand. I heard that this particr design is sold out!"

 Chapter 1089: Lets Begin Then

    <h4>Chapter 1089: Let''s Begin Then</h4>

    Without waiting for Ning Xi to say anything, Zhuang Lingyu had already revealed a dismal expression. "She knows that Spirit is a rival to her sister''spany, yet she intentionally wore their clothes to advertise them. You''re always helping outsiders!"

    When Ning Yaohua heard this, he quickly tried to smooth things over and said, "Girls! When they see pretty clothes, they buy it if they like it without paying attention to such things! But, Xiao Xi, this Spirit has really been going against your sister''spany recently, so you should watch out a little. If you like this kind of style, just let your sister give you a few outfitster on!"

    "Thest time Sis came to our store to shop, I told her that I wanted to give her some, but¡­Sis¡­" Ning Xueluo did not finish her sentence. Nevertheless, it was enough for Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu to fill in the nks by themselves.

    Zhuang Lingyu''s face was full of loathing. "Why should you care about her? She''s petty, always fussing over minor matters and throwing tempers!"

    It turns out that having her entire life snatched away was just a minor matter to her!

    Ning Xi sat on the side and watched the three of them like a drama and she almostughed out loud. She kept on calling her "Sis", yet she did not know when she had one. It made them look like they were really a family now that they really seemed to have forgotten about breaking ties with her and chasing her out of the house.

    As he watched the girl''s indistinct smile, like thezy short-lived bloom of a cactus in the dead of the night, once again, Su Yan''s logic broke through his cage of control and he felt reckless¡­

    When she felt a fervent sight on her, Ning Xi subconsciously turned to look.

    The instant his gaze met the girl''s, Su Yan thought his heart was about to explode. He had used up all his might to regain self-control. In a calm tone, he said, "I watched your show a few days ago. Your culinary skills have improved again!"

    When he said this, Su Yan could not help but feel a forlornness in his heart. There was a time when she had learned to cook for him, yet now he could only find out that her cooking had improved through a television show¡­

    Ning Xi smiled and said, "Really?"

    She naturally did not miss the sentiment and ambiguous affection in Su Yan''s eyes when he looked at her.

    If this man could be loyal and love Ning Xueluo unchangingly, she could still respect him a little more. Sadly¡­

    There was the sound of three knocks on the door. Someone pushed the door open and walked in.

    Everyone in the room turned to look, then they saw Ning Huiyuan strolling in, cool and proud.

    "Uncle!" Ning Qiutong did not look at anyone else and only greeted the elder.

    "Huiyuan is here¡­" When the elder saw his niece whom he had not seen for years, he could not help but feel rueful. At least, he felt assured as he knew that she had a good life outside.

    After the two made some small talk, the elder''s gaze swept across the crowd before he said, "Since everyone is here, let''s begin then!"

    The moment he said that, everyone''s expression turned serious. After ncing at each other, they slowly got up and walked to the long oval table to sit down. Thewyer was holding the prepared will and stood beside the elder who was sitting at the head of the table.

    On the table, Ning Yaohua, Zhuang Lingyu, Ning Xueluo and Su Yan sat on one side, while Ning Yaohua and Ning Tianxin sat on the other. Ning Qiutong sat beside Ning Tianxin.

    Then, there was Ning Xi left.

    Ning Xi''s eyes swept past the empty seat opposite Su Yan, then ignored Ning Yaohua''s warning gaze and sat casually opposite Su Yan, beside Ning Qiutong.

 Chapter 1090: Some Things To Say

    <h4>Chapter 1090: Some Things To Say</h4>

    When Ning Yaohua saw that she had actually sat opposite, his expression darkened.

    Now, he could only wait and see. He hoped that Xueluo would get a little more shares. That way, he would feel less pressure and would not need to involve the root of all his trouble, Ning Xi!

    "Well¡­ Father, you''re so healthy now. You don''t actually need to rush your will!" Ning Yaobang knew that the current version of the will was most unfavorable for him, so he said that as his final attempt.

    Ning Tianxin, who sat beside him, was indifferent instead.

    When the elder heard his second son''s words, he was furious and immediately roared, "Shut up! You have no right to tell me what to do! If you have the capability, then turn the tables for thepanies under you that lose money every year, or else, don''t talk to me!"

    Ning Yaobang was sullen after such a scolding while Ning Yaohua looked delighted.

    The elder calmed down before saying, "To avoid any grudges among all of you, I have some things to say before thewyer reads out the will!"

    "Okay, okay¡­speak, Father! We''re all listening!" Ning Yaobang started to be the obedient child after getting criticized.

    The elder gave him a harsh look, then continued to say, "You can see that I''ve called Su Yan over as well this time. I know some of you have opinions about this, but Su Yan is going to be engaged to Xueluo soon, so he''s counted as half a Ning already!"

    "Father''s right, this needs to be done," Ning Yaohua quickly echoed as Zhuang Lingyu nodded. Ning Xueluo looked shyly at her grandfather.

    The elder looked towards Su Yan and continued, "Regarding the distribution of the inheritance, the Nings have nothing much to hide. To avoid any trouble in the future, I might as well just invite you to hear for yourself!"

    "I''ll leave everything in your hands. I married Xueluo because of who she is as a person. No matter what the results are, it won''t affect my decision," said Su Yan.

    Ning Xueluo looked intensely at the man beside her, feeling moved. "Bro Yan¡­"

    The elder looked at Su Yan and nodded with satisfaction. He had always had a pretty good impression of his granddaughter''s husband. He remembered back when Su Yan and Xiao Xi seemed to be quite close too. He thought that there was a possibility of a romantic rtionship between them but who would have expected him to choose Xueluo in the end. Nevertheless, it was not right for him to probe too much into the children and their rtionship matters.

    When Ning Xi first met Su Yan in the countryside, she was just a simple girl. Su Yan''s family would definitely not agree to their rtionship, so they had secretly dated.

    Even after Ning Xi returned to the Ning family, because she had caused a series of ruckus and embarrassment, to avoid implicating Su Yan, she continued choosing to temporarily hide their rtionship. It was only until she was pregnant that she had to tell Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu.

    Thus, apart from Ning Yaohua, Zhuang Lingyu, and Ning Tianxin who had identally found out about their rtionship, many people in the Ning family including the elder did not know that Ning Xi and Su Yan had dated.

    When he was finished with Su Yan, the elder''s gaze fell on Ning Qiutong again. "As for Qiutong, I know her business is expanding and her life is steady¡­"

    "Why did you call her over if you knew? It''s not like she''scking any wealth!" Ning Yaobang mumbled.

    The elder shot him an annoyed look. "What I wanted to say is that her father also contributed to thepany back in the day. Now that her parents have passed away, it doesn''t matter how great her life is. I will give her what she deserves. It doesn''t matter whether she wants or needs it or not, I will still give it as her uncle!"

 Chapter 1091: Furious

    <h4>Chapter 1091: Furious</h4>

    The elder''s tone was incredibly solemn. No one at the table dared to say a word. Even if Ning Yaohua and Ning Yaobang were miserable that another person had suddenly appeared for the inheritance, they could not say anything either.

    Ning Qiutong was not one to mess with. If the shares fell into her hands, it would be extremely difficult to get it from her. Worse still, if she had intention to fight for the rights to inherit thepany, that would make things harder¡­

    Ning Yaohua and Ning Yaobang both looked like they were about to face a huge adversary while Ning Tianxin seemed absent-minded. Only Ning Xi was the most rxed at the table.

    Ning Qiutong was taking in everyone''s reactions¡­

    "Okay, Lawyer Cai, please announce the will!"

    The moment he said that, everyone found themselves sitting up straight.

    Thewyer flipped the document in his hand and started to read, "The Will of Mr. Ning Zhiyuan. Due to his old age and his concern that he might suddenly fail in health, to avoid any dispute over his inheritance, he has written this will and his assets are as follows: Ning International Private Limited Company''s 51% in shares, foreign trust funds¡­"

    After thewyer listed out the elder''s assets, he started to go into the distribution of it. "The three estates and two shop lots in Imperial as well as the foreign trust funds will go to the granddaughter, Ning Xueluo!"

    "What!? Are you crazy?! To give an outsider this much inheritance!" Ning Yaobang was the first to p the table and stand up. He could not believe that the old man had given half of his stable property to Ning Xueluo, a granddaughter who was not even blood-rted. Also, that foreign trust fund was not a small sum of money.

    "What outsider? Xueluo is my daughter, Brother-inw. Do you need me to repeat it for you?" Zhuang Lingyu asked with a sharp look.

    "Daughter, my ass! She''s just a country girl you had carried home wrongly. My two other blood-rted daughters aren''t allowed to be present today, so on what basis can your outsider get our Ning family''s inheritance?!"

    "On the basis that she was raised by me myself! We don''t even know which cheap woman gave birth to your daughters, so on what grounds can they appear here to tarnish our Ning family?"

    ¡­

    Opposite her, Ning Xi, who maintained the attitude of a third party, had a sudden change in expression. The unyielding attitude of a mother protecting her daughter from Zhuang Lingyu took her by surprise.

    Hmph! She had long told herself that Zhuang Lingyu was just a stranger to her, yet why had her heart still experience inexplicable pain when she watched her protect Ning Xueluo so fiercely?

    Ning Xi closed her eyes lightly and soon returned to normal momentster as if nothing had happened.

    No one had noticed Ning Xi''s subtle change in emotions. No one but Ning Qiutong beside Ning Xi who was taking everything in.

    This child¡­ It had only been a few years since they met, yet she had changed so much. Not just in terms of looks, but more so her temperament. She was far calmer and more mature than those her age. There was not the faintest shadow of that weak girl from many years ago¡­

    At the table, Ning Yaohua, Zhuang Lingyu, and Ning Yaobang were turning the room upside down with their argument.

    Atst, the elder had to knock the table harshly to quiet them down. "Everyone, shut up! Xueluo is indeed not blood-rted to us, but humans are living things and we cannot be merciless. She has been my granddaughter for more than 20 years, so I consider these my dowry for her! No one is allowed to say another word!"

    Ning Yaobang pped a fist on the table in fury.

 Chapter 1092: Didnt Even Get Half A Share

    <h4>Chapter 1092: Didn''t Even Get Half A Share</h4>

    Zhuang Lingyu scoffed as she consoled Ning Xueluo by patting the back of her hand, "Don''t worry, Mother is here. No one can bully you!"

    "Mother, thank you¡­" Ning Xueluo teared up as shey in Zhuang Lingyu''s embrace. Her eyes caught Ning Xi''s and there was an undoubted sneer in her eyes.

    After the momentary dispute, the will announcement resumed.

    The remaining funds and property had been evenly divided among a few people. Ning Xi had received a property in City C too. City C was where her foster parents lived and where she had grown up for the past 18 years. The elder had really put thought into this arrangement.

    After that was done, the most important part remained -- thepany shares!

    This was also the reason why Ning Yaobang had refrained from causing a ruckus. The shares were the most important portion.

    At that moment, Ning Xueluo looked slightly nervous. She had observed the elder''s attitude towards her earlier. In terms of shares, he would not treat her unfairly, would he?

    Thewyer flipped the page then continued to read aloud, "Ning International Private Limited Company. With a total of 51% in shares, the distribution is as follows: Ning Yaohua 15%, Ning Yaobang 6%, Ning Qiutong 10%, Ning Tianxin 10%, Ning Xi 10%! End of announcement."

    The instant thewyer finished, the study room was pin-drop silent.

    The end?

    The sharing of the will had ended?!

    After the distribution of shares had been announced, Ning Yaobang breathed a sigh of relief. Even though Ning Yaohua had 15%, on his side, he and Tianxin would have a total of up to 16%, which was exceeded Ning Yaohua''s portion by 1%, so how could he not be happy?

    Even though Ning Xi had received 10% as well, based on her bad rtionship with the other side, she would definitely not give up her shares to Ning Yaohua!

    However, he did not expect that Ning Qiutong would get as much as 10% too. As the elder''s biological son, he himself had only gotten a mere 6%, so it made him a little sulky.

    On Ning Yaohua''s face was aplicated expression as he looked towards Ning Xi. Even he could not help but affirm that experience counted. The way it was distributed was really¡­

    It hadpletely tied everyone to each other. No one could influence anyone.

    The first person to say something was Zhuang Lingyu. "You''re done reading? What about Xueluo?"

    As much as Ning Xueluo had been holding it in, she could not help but turn pale at that moment. She never would have thought that the elder had not left any shares for her!

    Was this a way of him pping her before the entire Ning family? Even with Su Yan present!

    How could she remain honorable when she married into the Su family?

    Earlier, he had even pretentiously said some things about values and family ties¡­

    This godd*mn old man! How cunning of him!

    Ning Yaobang scoffed, "Hasn''t all that should be given been given? What more do you still want? Sister-inw, let me advise you that as a person, you shouldn''t be too greedy!"

    "Well, you can''t just leave Xueluo out. Not even a percent of the shares! What is this supposed to mean? Isn''t Xueluo part of the Ning family? Even you said so yourself, Father. Humans are living beings and we cannot be merciless. Xueluo has, at least, been your granddaughter for so many years. You make us disillusioned by treating her this way!" Zhuang Lingyu said this in outrage.

    "Huh¡­" Just as Zhuang Lingyu was expressing the injustice of the situation, a soft peal ofughter was suddenly heard from a corner.

    Zhuang Lingyu immediately looked crossly at Ning Qiutong. "Qiutong, just be upfront if you have anything to say. There''s no need to be peculiar!"

    "Since you said so yourself, then let me be straightforward."

 Chapter 1093: Stabbed In The Heart

    <h4>Chapter 1093: Stabbed In The Heart</h4>

    Ning Qiutong straightened up slightly, then looked at Zhuang Lingyu squarely. "Sister-inw, you say that Uncle made you disillusioned when you''re the one who''s sorely disappointing!"

    "What are you saying?" Zhuang Lingyu frowned.

    "It''s fine if the outsiders don''t know, but everyone sitting in this room is very clear that Ning Xueluo is just an adopted daughter while Ning Xi is your biological daughter. She''s the one who''s blood-rted to the Ning family. Is it wrong for Uncle to distribute his shares to Ning Xi?"

    "I never said that it''s wrong for Father to give Ning Xi his shares. That''s his right. I''m asking about the reason Xueluo gets nothing!" Zhuang Lingyu replied.

    Ning Qiutong jeered, "Well, then, let''s talk about why the shares aren''t distributed to Xueluo! Ning Xueluo is just an adopted daughter that we carried home wrongly from the hospital, yet she has enjoyed a life of luxury for 18 years that should''ve belonged to Ning Xi. After the truth was revealed, she didn''t return to her original home and biological parents. Instead, she remained in the Ning family and held the name of ady of the Nings. She even used this identity to get a good match to Su Yan!

    "On the other hand, Ning Xi who is blood-rted to the Ning family wandered afar for 18 years and lived 18 years of poverty. When she had finally been found by the Ning family, she could only continue with the title of an adopted daughter. The things that should''ve been hers were taken away. Even the servants can bully her and call her a wild chicken and bumpkin!

    "And all this while, what have you two done as parents? You took the side of the outsiders and criticized her for being vulgar and tacky! What rights do you have to criticize and scold her? Have you raised her or taught her at all?

    "Do you think you''vepleted your duty as parents just by bringing her home, giving her food to eat and clothes to wear? To have such cruel parents like the two of you, you might as well have just let the child continue to live in the countryside and know nothing! That''s better than losing faith in humanity and being stabbed in the heart by her own parents!"

    When they heard this, the table was dead silent. No one said anything.

    Ning Xueluo felt herself stiffen. Even Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu''s faces clouded as they kept silent. The elder looked at Ning Xi while his expression was full of guilt. Su Yan had balled his hand into fists¡­

    Ning Xi sat there quietly, her eyes full of mixed emotions as she looked at Ning Qiutong beside her. She had long been numb and was used to the indifference from this circle. She never would have thought that¡­

    Ning Qiutong could actually disregard everything but she had said these words to defend her¡­

    All of these¡­were words that no one had ever said on behalf of her¡­

    Ning Qiutong paused, then her sharp gaze cut to Ning Xueluo. "Uncle has given Ning Xueluo those assets. It''s enough for her to marry gloriously and live in luxury for the rest of her life. Since she''s just a vige girl who''s eaten from the Ning family, lived with us and held the title of ady of the Ning family, what else are you unsatisfied about?

    "Tang Xueluo, I have to ask you one thing. What else are you dissatisfied about and what qualifies you to even hanker after our Ning family''s shares?!"

    When she heard Ning Qiutong''s every word, especially hearing her address her as "Tang Xueluo", Ning Xueluo''s shoulders shook violently and her fingernails stabbed into her own palms. She had lowered her hateful face at this point, and in the next second, she got up and ran out the door¡­

    When Su Yan saw that, he quickly chased after her.

    "Ning Qiutong, you''re too much! Even if you''re a part of the Ning family, this is our family matter and you have no right to intervene! Don''t spew nonsense here when you don''t know anything!" Zhuang Lingyu was instantly riled up in anger when she saw her daughter run out after being deeply hurt.

 Chapter 1094: Switched Lives

    <h4>Chapter 1094: Switched Lives</h4>

    Ning Qiutong sneered, "Hah, I don''t know anything? I wonder who''s being blind. Let me advise you to clearly see the kind of thing that''s sitting beside you every day! Don''t wait till you get bitten to death. You''re attracting that wolf to your home and you still aren''t aware!"

    "Ning Qiutong! I''ll tear your mouth apart! I raised my daughter myself. You have no say about the kind of person she is!" Zhuang Lingyu was so agitated that she wanted to walk over but Ning Yaohua held her back.

    "Hahaha¡­I think Qiutong is quite right! I''ve told you, Sister-inw, you two treat this outsider like a gem. Your IQ and logic are a little hard for me toprehend!" Ning Yaobang was enjoying the good show.

    "Shut up, Ning Yaobang! I think you''re just envious!" Ning Yaohua roared back.

    The two sides started to quarrel and the situation was chaotic¡­

    The old man massaged his temples and did not have the energy to care about their arguments. He just allowed thewyer to help him up to walk out of the room¡­

    At the same time, in the Ning family''s courtyard, Ning Xueluo had run straight to the woods and was crying loudly in sorrow as she leaned on a tree.

    Su Yan stood behind her and carefully pulled her into his embrace. "Don''t be sad. Aunty Qiutong''s words are a little harsh, but that''s just her personality, don''t take it to heart¡­"

    "How can I not take it to heart!? She made me sound utterly horrible as if I robbed everything from Ning Xi! I''m also my mother''s daughter! I''ve been in the Ning family since I was born and have been Ning Xueluo for 18 years. When you suddenly tell me that everything I have isn''t mine and that my parents aren''t really my parents, does she really think I felt good about it?

    "Why did she say I robbed Ning Xi!? Wasn''t it she that suddenly appeared to rob me of everything? Grandfather repeatedly said that I''m his granddaughter too, yet he treats me like this. Maybe he did not treat me as a part of the Ning family at all!" Ning Xueluo was incredibly emotional as she blurted all of this out.

    As Su Yan listened to Ning Xueluo''s words, he was suddenly tongue-tied.

    Had Ning Xueluo had cried to him about this before, he would have definitely supported her unconditionally and be on her side.

    However, now¡­perhaps it was because he was not sure about his feelings towards Ning Xi¡­or it could be the things Ning Qiutong had said earlier¡­

    He suddenly felt like Ning Qiutong was not wrong¡­

    All of this should have belonged to Ning Xi!

    Ning Xi was born to be thedy of the Ning family, yet because of a confusion, their lives had been switched¡­

    Ning Xueluo did not know what Su Yan was thinking about at the moment. She was weeping in his embrace, "Bro Yan¡­what to do? What should I do? How can they treat me like this?"

    Su Yan patted Ning Xueluo''s shoulder and said gently, "Xueluo, didn''t you say it before? You don''t even want everything from the Ning family. We can rely on ourselves and you''re already doing excellently right now, so why should you care about these mere worldly possessions?"

    "That''s not the same! Why should I let go of the things that should be mine?!" Ning Xueluo yelled out in the moment of agitation.

    When he heard this, Su Yan''s expression instantly changed into disapproval. "Xueluo, how can you say that? That should be Ning Xi''s¡­or did you really want to fight for the Ning family''s inheritance?"

    Ning Xueluo almost exploded at the first half of the sentence but she was instantly clear-headed when Su Yan finished his sentence!

 Chapter 1095: A Beautiful Past

    <h4>Chapter 1095: A Beautiful Past</h4>

    Damn it! She was too emotional and had identally blurted that out. No matter if it was Su Yan or Zhuang Lingyu or Ning Yaohua, if it was something she liked, she would get it. She could not show that she actually coveted the Ning family''s inheritance¡­

    Thus, Ning Xueluo revealed a hurt expression and quickly covered up, "Bro Yan, how can you say that about me? If I really wanted the Ning family''s assets, would I need to work so hard? I''m just feeling very sad. I always thought of myself as a part of the Ning family and I prioritize the Ning family for everything, yet it turns out that they had always treated me as an outsider! And there''s you too, Bro Yan, I want to marry you grandly. I want everyone to say that you married a good wife!"

    Su Yan''s expression softened when he heard this. "Xueluo, I understand where you''reing from, but you don''t have to worry. If you''re Su Yan''s woman, no one will dare say you aren''t good enough. You don''t have to worry about being scorned when you marry me. I will exin to my parents!"

    "Bro Yan, thank you¡­ Thank you for always being by my side¡­" Ning Xueluo could only temporarily suppress all her dissatisfaction and anger, obediently leaning into his embrace. When Ning Xueluo was facing the other way, Su Yan lifted his head to look up at the study room''s direction.

    Through the window, he could still roughly see the silhouette of Ning Xi sitting on the chair. The image of that little girl from back then could not help but appear in his mind.

    That girl who had carried him all the way while she sweated and her legs started to shake, yet promised to never leave him¡­

    The girl who had picked fresh wildflowers for him every day¡­

    The girl who had cooked delicious dishes so that he would eat his medicine obediently every day¡­

    She was poor and wore clothes that had been mended many times and spoke shoddy Mandarin, yet the way she said it was beautiful and cute!

    When had all of this begun to change?

    From the day he was healed and picked up by the Su family, from the time he returned to the pretentious city, from when he was charmed by Ning Xueluo''s beauty, all the good times that once were in his memories had be uneptable¡­

    But at this moment, why did he miss it so much?

    He missed the girl''s innocence, missed the way her eyes would sparkle and cling onto him when she stared at him¡­

    -

    At the Ning family''s gate.

    "Um¡­ Aunty¡­" Ning Xi hesitated but still decided to call out to Ning Qiutong.

    "Hmm?" Ning Qiutong who was about to open her car door paused her steps and looked at Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi''s cleared her throat and walked up to her. "About today¡­ Thank you."

    No matter what, she still had to thank her.

    Ning Qiutong was nonchnt. "We''re family. There''s no need to thank me."

    Ning Xi felt a mix of emotions hearing her say that they were family. She took a deep bow graciously. "I still want to thank you!"

    As she watched the girl before her, Ning Qiutong sighed, "Sadly, I was abroad that year. I didn''t know many things and when I did, it was toote. I never would have thought that my cousin would be foolish to this extent. If I let him continue like this, the elder''s hard-earned family business will fall into the hands of an outsider!"

    As Ning Qiutong said this, a hostile glint shed in her eyes.

    Ning Xi fell into deep contemtion.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    At night, in Ning Xueluo''s bedroom, Zhuang Lingyu covered Ning Xueluo with her nket, then turned around to close the door.

    On the bed, Ning Xueluo, who was dozing off, immediately woke up again.

 Chapter 1096: Help Me Do Something

    <h4>Chapter 1096: Help Me Do Something</h4>

    There was no sleepiness in her eyes. In fact, it was full of darkness and hatred.

    How could she fall asleep in such a situation!?

    Ning Yaohua currently had 15% of the shares, while Ning Yaobang had 16% of shares, and Ning Qiutong had 10% of shares.

    So, the key was Ning Xi.

    Whoever she used that 10% of shares of hers to support, that person would be thergest shareholder of thepany and they would have the most potential to fight for the rights to inherit the entirepany!

    This time, Ning Yaohua and Ning Yaobang would definitely go crazy trying to snatch away the shares in Ning Xi''s hand.

    While she had not gotten any of the shares, she had no say in this at all. Even if she risked her life to get all the loose shares in the market, she could only get 2% back at most which would not do much.

    There was no doubt that Ning Qiutong was a hard woman to handle, so there was no way they could get the shares from her. The key was those shares in Ning Xi''s hand!

    She obviously hoped that Ning Yaohua could get Ning Xi''s shares and acquire thepany.

    However, if Ning Yaohua bargained anything with Ning Xi for that 10%, such as let here home or even publicly announce her identity, everything would be over for Ning Xueluo!

    This matter was a top priority. She needed to have a strong backbone to let Ning Yaohua forget about the idea of announcing Ning Xi''s true identity!

    Ning Xueluo immediately thought of the Zhuang family!

    However, she had identally overheard Zhuang Lingyu arguing with Ning Yaohua at Zhuang Lingyu''s original home. Zhuang Lingyu forbade Ning Yaohua to have any contact with the Zhuang family. In fact, she was very firm about this.

    That was why she had not dared to im any connections with the Zhuang family, but now she could not care anymore. She had to take this opportunity!

    She also had a way to handle Zhuang Lingyu.

    Besides, Zhuang Keer had already been gone over to Ning Xi''s side in advance, so she had to hasten her n!

    However, ady like Zhuang Keer would be hard to curry favor from. From what happened before this, Ning Xi and Zhuang Keer seemed quite close and she was not sure if Ning Xi had said anything bad about her already¡­

    When she thought of this, Ning Xueluo narrowed her eyes with hatred.

    If it was not for Ning Xi ruining things thest time, she could have given the outfits to Zhuang Keer who would have worn History''s dresses at the international banquet. That way, she would have been connected to Zhuang Keer and hugely promote herpany.

    In the end, everything had been ruined by Ning Xi!

    Now that she had lost the key opportunity, she might need to use some special methods to get acquainted with Zhuang Keer¡­

    As Ning Xueluo thought about this, she took out a key and used it to open a safe. She took out a handphone from the safe, charged it, then made a call, "Hello, it''s me! Do me a favor!"

    "Who is it again this time?" A raspy voice came from the other end.

    "Zhuang Rongguang," Ning Xueluo said a name.

    "Zhuang Liaoyuan''s son?" The voice on the other end said in a low voice.

    "Yes, it''s Zhuang Liaoyuan''s son!"

    "Huh, little girl, you''re getting braver, aren''t you?" The voice from the other end sinisterly answered.

    Ning Xueluo replied indistinctly, "Don''t worry, I just want you to frighten him a little. I''m not asking you to actually do anything to him. When it happens, just do as I say. But you must wait for a suitable opportunity and do it cleanly! I can wait¡­but don''t make me wait too long¡­"

 Chapter 1097: Your Mans Analysis

    <h4>Chapter 1097: Your Man''s Analysis</h4>

    At Peachwood, when she returned home, Ning Xi was still thinking about the events from the day when her doorbell rang.

    "Steamed bun, help me see who''s here," Ning Xi said.

    "Yes, my beloved Master!" The robot''s face revealed a small screen which showed the image from the security monitor at the door. It was Lu Tingxiao.

    When Ning Xi saw it was Lu Tingxiao, she immediately got up to open the door. "Big Boss! It''s sote. Why''re you here?"

    "I''m worried about you."

    "Come in! Steamed bun, serve some water, please!"

    "Yes, my beautiful Master!" The robot immediately rolled off to get a cup of water.

    Ning Xi took the water from the serving tray and gave it to Lu Tingxiao before sitting down beside him on the sofa.

    Lu Tingxiao took the cup and asked, "How did it go today? Did those people trouble you?"

    "With Grandfather, no one dares to trouble me. In fact, something that happened today surprised me. You know my aunt, don''t you? Ning Qiutong! She came back this time!"

    "I''ve heard of her, she''s someone alright. What happened?"

    "This time, when the will was being announced, I almost got into an argument but she helped to defend me!"

    "An argument?"

    Ning Xi nodded. "Yeah! Grandfather gave Ning Xueluo a lot of estates and trust funds. He said it was her dowry but he didn''t give her any shares. At that moment, Zhuang Lingyu immediately raised her doubt and voiced that Grandfather was not fair with the distribution. Then, Ning Qiutong got up and defended me a lot. She was basically saying that Xueluo did not have any right to inherit the Ning family''s shares. Ning Qiutong is quite amazing. Xueluo lost control of her emotions on the spot and ran out!"

    Lu Tingxiao long fingers tapped the ss lightly and analyzed, "Your grandfather''s distribution of shares for you guys should be¡­15% for Ning Yaohua, 10% for Ning Qiutong, 6% for Ning Yaobang, 10% for Ning Tianxin, and you get 10% too?"

    Ning Xi widened her eyes at his guess. "Whoa! Lu Tingxiao, how do you know this so clearly? You couldn''t have bribed thewyer too, could you?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her casually. "Your man would obviously have such basic analytical skills."

    Ning Xi instantly broke out in a sweat. "Cough, cough¡­okay! You''re amazing! Whatever it is, your analysis is right. Grandfather distributed it like that!"

    "It''s currently the best way to divide the shares. It''s good check and bnce for everyone."

    "But it''s quite frustrating too. Ning Yaohua and Ning Yaobang will definitely start to disturb me!" Ning Xi sighed.

    "Do you want Ning International?" Lu Tingxiao looked at her and suddenly asked.

    "Uhh¡­" Why was the devil''s tone so suspenseful? It was as if he was asking with the same nonchnce as asking her, "Do you want to drink water? If you do, I''ll go pour a cup for you".

    Ning Xi thought about it, then said, "To be honest, I don''t."

    Based on her current situation and energy, she did not care for it that much.

    "But, of course, I definitely won''t let thepany fall into Xueluo''s hands!"

    Thus, she was still struggling with this issue¡­

    It was a good thing that with the current situation, it was still a stalemate, so she still had a sufficient amount of time.

    "Then, I suggest that you temporarily pass your 10% of shares to Ning Qiutong," suggested Lu Tingxiao.

    "Transfer them to Ning Qiutong?" Ning Xi thought about it, then her eyes lit up.

 Chapter 1098: Born To Be The Bane of Me

    <h4>Chapter 1098: Born To Be The Bane of Me</h4>

    "This is a good idea! I don''t want to give it to Ning Yaohua or Ning Yaobang either, and if I hold on to it, I''m worried that they''ll trouble me! Giving it to Ning Qiutong is a smart thing too. Based on her personality, she definitely wouldn''t let the other two sides go easy. Besides, with Ning Qiutong''s business capabilities, she won''t let Grandfather''spany wane! Boss, you''re too smart!"

    Ning Xi discussed it with Lu Tingxiao for a while more, then when he saw that it was gettingte, she asked, "Do you want to sleep over?"

    When Lu Tingxiao heard her, he looked at her and said, "Nah."

    "Ah? Why not? It''s quitete! Isn''t it troublesome to rush back? Do you still have things to attend toter?" Ning Xi was confused.

    Lu Tingxiao massaged his temples helplessly as he said, "Because I will easily lose control, especially in our future matrimonial home. Understand?"

    "Uhh¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao rubbed the girl''s head adoringly. "I don''t necessarily have to wait till after marriage, but I still want to do so because you''re the most important person to me, so I''m willing to wait and I want to give you the utmost respect too."

    Ning Xi sighed, enjoying her head being rubbed against his broad palm as she mumbled, "I am forever within your hands¡­ I really have noints at all¡­ You were born just to be the bane of me, weren''t you?"

    A whileter, Ning Xi sent him off.

    Before he left, Lu Tingxiao suddenly thought of something and gave her a red, gold-ted invitation.

    Ning Xi opened it to read and asked in confusion, "Huh¡­a birthday invitation? Who is Mo Jianzhang? Why am I invited?"

    "It''s Mo Lingtian''s father. The invitation was sent by Lingtian. If you''re free tomorrow night, then you can go with me. Otherwise, then it''s fine."

    Mo Lingtian must have been prepared to invite Lu Tingxiao and his female partner, but because they could not appear as a couple, he had especially prepared an individual invitation for Ning Xi. This gesture showed that he valued her.

    Ning Xi thought about it. "There isn''t much going on tomorrow night, but I''ll be at the studio in the day, so I''ll go over myself at night!"

    Not many people in Lu Tingxiao''s circle acknowledged her or treated her as a friend. Plus, he had been so thoughtful, so it was not nice for her to reject the invitation.

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "Okay."

    Ning Xi tiptoed and leaned in to kiss the man''s lips. Then, she said in the tone of a tyrannic CEO, "Baby, one day I will let you stand beside me rightfully and honorably! I''ll let the entire city''s women know that you''re mine!"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    Well, those were nice words¡­but did they reverse their roles?

    ¡­

    The next day, at Spirit Studio, because Spirit had been preparing to expand their business to H district, Ning Xi arranged the details and proposal for that site whenever she found the time.

    Without realizing it, she had been in discussion with everyone tillte at night. Ning Xi looked at the time on her phone and saw that she would bete soon, so she quickly said, "I have a dinner to attendter, I''ve to go first!"

    "Okay, Boss, just go!"

    "Don''t work overtime too. Rest earlier! Ah, right, Shangze, are there any ready-made gowns in the studio? Simply get one for me! I don''t have time to change at home!" Ning Xi said.

    "Yes, what kind of style do you want, Boss?" Gong Shangze asked.

    Ning Xi thought about it. "It''s a birthday banquet for an elder, so the color and style should be low-key and staid!"

    "Okay, Boss, please wait for a moment!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1099: Give The Most Perfect Life

    <h4>Chapter 1099: Give The Most Perfect Life</h4>

    Momentster, Ning Xi changed into the gown Gong Shangze had taken out for her before putting up some light make up and t ironing her hair.

    The evening dress that Gong Shangze had found for her was indeed a very understated design. It was a traditional ssic qipao which was in a simple yet elegant color. The ck orchids printed on it were outlined subtly and she looked very much like the chaste daughter of a noble household from the Republic of China era.

    Ning Xi stood before the full-length mirror to look at herself and was satisfied. "Not bad, it''s splendid! This one, then! Thank you, Shangze! I''ll make a move first, bye bye!"

    "Okay¡­"

    Gong Shangze watched his boss leaving and hesitated to say something.

    This dress was rtively low-profile¡­but once she donned it, it was not inconspicuous at all¡­

    Ning Xi was the muse of his inspiration, the source for many of his designs, and was even the model in his head when he designed his pieces. You could say that she was the real owner of all of Spirit''s apparel. When she had worn the dress herself, she brought his designs to life perfectly¡­

    ¡­

    At the Mo residence, Mo Jianzhang''s birthday banquet was organized in the outdoor garden today and the current atmosphere was extremely lively.

    Lu Tingxiao had reached earlier, knowing that Ning Xi was busy in the studio, so he did not rush her.

    Mo Lingtian held a goblet in his hand and worriedly asked Lu Tingxiao, "Hey, Lu Tingxiao, your bunny will turn up, won''t she? Is she still angry at me? Is she okay from thest time that she almost fell off the cliff? Was she traumatized?"

    When Lu Tingxiao heard this, he cast a sidelong nce at his best friend without a word.

    Frightened? That little girl had said that she had a lot of fun and that it was quite exciting!

    He really hoped that she could be frightened a little. That way, she would be more careful.

    Mo Lingtian did not know what Lu Tingxiao''s nce meant. Just as he spoke to him, a familiar outline appeared at the door.

    Ning Xi handed over her invitation to the guard at the gate before walking in leisurely. Under the gorgeous and dazzling chandelier at the doorway, the girl looked as if she had stepped into the world of mortals from thin air with her simple gown and her wooden hairpin in her loosely-tied hair. She walked with her back to the light and the view behind her gradually faded away like an ink-washed painting¡­

    The dress did not just fit her well; it was Ning Xi''s unique talent of being able to change her own spirit that made the air around her shift with the gown she wore. It was for that reason that both person and dressplemented each other well.

    Ning Xi''s appearance made the banquet room fall into a hush for a while, then came the lowered voices of discussion.

    When they suddenly saw such a breathtaking new face, people would obviously be curious. While the girls were curious about Ning Xi''s identity, they were most interested in timeless topics such as clothes and essories, thus many people took notice of Ning Xi''s qipao very quickly.

    "Who''s the girl that just walked in? She looks like a certain female celebrity¡­ That gown is amazingly beautiful! She looks very charismatic!"

    "Ah! I know that gown¡­ That''s a Spirit piece. I''ve seen it in the boutique before but I didn''t buy it because I thought it seemed too ordinary. Who knew that it would be so stunning when you put it on? I really regret not buying it then!"

    "Spirit''s pieces are not bad. I really like it too, but most importantly is who wears it! The more understated these dresses look, the more it chooses who wears it!"

    "You''re right!"

    ¡­

    After Ning Xi walked in and caught Lu Tingxiao''s eye, she found a corner to sit down.

 Chapter 1100: Dont Even Have A Girlfriend

    <h4>Chapter 1100: Don''t Even Have A Girlfriend</h4>

    Mo Lingtian hung his arm over Lu Tingxiao shoulders and could not help but started listing, "Two-faced fox, cute little bunny, shooting expert, adorable maid, warrior, daughter of nobility¡­hey! How many faces does your little bunny have? I finally know why you''re so charmed by this woman. She bes a different person every time she dresses up. Do you feel like you''re changing girlfriends every day?"

    Lu Tingxiao responded, "I like her no matter how she looks."

    Mo Lingtian''s joke suddenly became an emotional moment when Lu Tingxiao said that.

    Mo Lingtian felt like he had just been shot with an arrow to his chest. "Bro, I noticed that after you started dating, you''ve practically be a love guru! I would never have known before this! I thought you had low EQ! Speaking of which, the strategy you gave me earlier was too general, can''t you teach me a few more tricks in detailpared to that cringy affectionate words you just uttered?"

    "How''s Ziyao?" Lu Tingxiao suddenly asked.

    Mo Lingtian sighed, "You''ve already made it so clear thest time. Based on Ziyao''s personality, she definitely will give up, I guess. She''s not the kind of woman who would cling on and pester."

    Mo Lingtian chatted with Lu Tingxiao for a while more, then greeted Ning Xi before entertaining other guests.

    In the end, many people at the banquet asked him about Ning Xi, even his old man was looking at her.

    "Lingtian, is that girl your friend?" Mo Jianzhang asked.

    "Yeah, why?"

    "I didn''t think that you''d have this kind of friend!" Mo Jianzhang looked at his sonmentably.

    "Huh? Father, how can you talk about your own son like this?!"

    "When are you going to progress and make her your girlfriend?" Mo Jianzhang suddenly asked.

    Mo Lingtian spat his drink into his ss and started coughing furiously. He was almost startled to death by his father''s words. "Father! Don''t scare me!"

    Mo Jianzhang frowned at him. "Don''t make a fuss about nothing. How did I scare you? The old saying goes that you can see one''s values through their looks. I can see that this girl is not bad. She''sposed and well-mannered. Since the two of you are friends and were chatting happily earlier, why can''t you just take it further? You''re about to reach your thirties. Even Lu Tingxiao has a girlfriend, so how much longer do you n to fool around?"

    Mo Lingtian looked like he would rather die. "Father¡­ I have something to say! Today is your birthday. Can''t you just talk about something happier?"

    "Then, can you do something that can make me happier? Which family is that girl from? If you''re not going to say anything, I can help you propose a marriage! If you get married this year, she should be able to give birth to a bouncy little baby by next year!" Mo Jianzhang was obviously fixated on the thought of having grandchildren.

    "Father! My dear father! Don''t joke around anymore! She is Lu Tingxiao''s other half!" Mo Lingtian finally could not hold it in any longer and blurted out.

    Mo Jianzhang was stunned. "What? That''s¡­that''s Lu Tingxiao''s girlfriend?"

    Mo Lingtian pinched the space between his brows. "Yes! So, can I please ask you to stop right there?! Besides, I already have someone in my heart!"

    Mo Jianzhang scoffed, "Huh, the person in your heart has high standards. Would she ever like you?"

    "Father, am I actually your child?! She has high standards but I''m not that shabby, okay?" He had already been working hard recently to court his love interest.

    Mo Jianzhang looked at Ning Xi''s direction and sighed with regret, "You useless thing! You don''t even have a girlfriend till now!"

    Mo Lingtian was speechless.

 Chapter 1101: Sheâ€™s My Future Wife

    <h4>Chapter 1101: She¡¯s My Future Wife</h4>

    Awkward¡­

    He would not have been treated this badly if Lu Tingxiao had not gotten a girlfriend so soon.

    He still had a friend in him before and could still use Lu Tingxiao as his shield! But not anymore!

    He really had to speed up his game to get closer to Ziyao¡­

    As he was about to go and look for Guan Ziyao, a guy suddenly dragged him aside and asked excitedly, "Master Mok, is that girl in the corner your friend? What¡¯s her name? Where''s she from?"

    "What do you want?" Mo Lingtian nced at him suspiciously.

    This guy was an infamous Casanova in Imperial and changed girlfriends as often as he changed his clothes. Worst of all, he loved to mess with other people¡¯s girlfriends.

    Wang Shengzhe raised his eyebrows. "Of course, I¡¯m interested! You know I like that type of chick!"

    Mo Lingtian sipped some wine to contain his annoyance. "You don¡¯t have to know who she is. All I''ll say is don¡¯t mess with trouble."

    Wang Shengzhe eximed, "Hey, don¡¯t jinx me! It¡¯s normal for a guy to be attracted to such a beautifuldy!"

    Mo Lingtian said without any expression, "She¡¯s taken."

    "So what? There¡¯s no girl in Imperial that I wouldn''t dare to flirt with!" Wang Shengzhe then courageously walked towards Ning Xi¡¯s direction.

    Somewhere nearby, Guan Ziyao was talking to Lu Tingxiao. She wore a ck Chanel gown in her usual simple and elegant style, but her expression looked tired.

    Guan Ziyao looked at the man in front of her and spoke slowly, "Tingxiao, I¡¯m sorry for what happenedst time. I lost control of my emotions. I should¡¯ve said something before I left.

    "I understand what you¡¯re trying to say. You¡¯re the mostpatible man I¡¯ve ever met and I once thought that we could spend the rest of our lives together. But there is still a long way to go and too many things are simply unpredictable¡­ It¡¯s regrettable but I respect your decision."

    Guan Ziyao then smiled with poise. "So, we¡¯re still friends right?"

    Without a doubt, this was the best way for her to move forward right now. She had forced herself not to look for him during this period of time. She thought that if she stepped back, Lu Tingxiao would not reject her this time.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at her, then said with his usual cold expression, "I¡¯m sorry, to avoid any further misunderstandings with my girlfriend, we really shouldn¡¯t contact each other anymore."

    Guan Ziyao¡¯s face froze. She did not expect Lu Tingxiao¡¯s reply. His words hadpletely disregarded her!

    Guan Ziyao looked hurt and her voice trembled, "Tingxiao¡­we¡¯ve known each other for about 20 years, I understand that you have someone you love, but I already dered that I will leave you. Are you going to give up our friendship for a woman you haven''t known for very long?"

    "She¡¯s not just a woman I haven''t known for long. She¡¯s my future wife." Lu Tingxiao then coldly looked at her with a warning re and Guan Ziyao felt a chill run down her spine¡­

 Chapter 1102: Youâ€™re Really Good At Joking

    <h4>Chapter 1102: You¡¯re Really Good At Joking</h4>

    After Lu Tingxiao finished his conversation with Guan Ziyao, his eyes moved to Ning Xi and he noticed that Wang Shengzhe sat opposite her.

    The man¡¯s cold expression changed slightly. He excused himself from Guan Ziyao and headed towards Ning Xi¡­

    ¡­

    The Mo family¡¯s little garden was really pretty with had a pleasant view. The corner Ning Xi was sitting in had vines around it with flowers sprouting from it. Beside her was a pond reflecting the full moon.

    What was more beautiful than the view was the person under it.

    Yet, the person was only focused on Lu Tingxiao and Guan Ziyao.

    What were they talking about? It was taking really long! Damn it!

    Many young men or parents like Mo Jianzhang, who intended to look for a girl for their sons, all noticed Ning Xi. However, before they could make a move, they all saw the infamous flirt walking towards her.

    As they saw Wang Shengzhe in hunting mode, they hoped that this innocent-looking little girl would not be fooled by him!

    He actually came from a pretty prestigious family in Imperial. Although he was capable, he always indulged himself with lustful deeds.

    As Ning Xi was wondering what Lu Tingxiao and Guan Ziyao were talking about, a man had suddenly walked up to her. "Hi there, is there anyone sitting here?"

    The man wore a fitting English three-piece suit, looking rather retro and cool. His looks were above average, but his lustful eyes were a huge turn-off to Ning Xi.

    Nevertheless, no matter what the man did, it did not concern her, so Ning Xi kept on looking at Lu Tingxiao. Without looking at the man, she replied, "Yes."

    Wang Shengzhe was a little taken aback but quickly smiled, "You¡¯re really good at joking, I¡¯ve been watching you for a while. You seem to be here alone."

    Ning Xi was speechless at his nerve to ask something he already knew.

    Wang Shengzhe noticed that Ning Xi was not reacting to him but that got even more excited. His eyes were like a radar, scanning every inch of Ning Xi.

    Wang Shengzhe was way more knowledgeable than women in girly stuff and he soon found a topic to approach her about. "Is your dress from Spirit?"

    Ning Xi reacted a little when she heard the brand name. "Yes, why?"

    Wang Shengzhe got his chance and he beamed proudly before continuing with the topic, "This is just a normal ready-made dress, isn''t it?"

    "Correct." Ning Xi nodded and was waiting to see what he would say next.

    "I¡¯m guessing you weren''t able to get a custom-made piece? I heard that Spirit¡¯s list of custom-made dresses has a waiting line of 6 months now. It¡¯s really difficult to get one but I know someone on the inside. If you''d like, I can help you!" Wang Shengzhe tried to make himself appeal to Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi smiled benovelently. "No way! I didn¡¯t do anything to deserve that!"

    Wang Shengzhe''s pride swelled when he felt that he had a chance. "You¡¯re too humble, Miss. For a beauty like you, simply existing is hard work!"

    He then scanned the girl¡¯s gentle eyes, her neat nose, cherry-like lips, and the gentle swell of her hips¡­

 Chapter 1103: Surname

    <h4>Chapter 1103: Surname</h4>

    The girl¡¯s outfit was quite reserved as the dress was longer than her knee and the cor was high around her neck as well, but she was emitting an aura that made him excited.

    What a real hottie!

    Wang Shengzhe decided that he had to get this girl for himself, entirely forgetting Mo Lingtian¡¯s warning to him.

    "Oh, I don¡¯t know your name yet. How should I address you? My surname¡¯s Wang, I¡¯m Wang Shengzhe," Wang Shengzhe asked as he inched closer to Ning Xi.

    Wang Shengzhe thought his flirting skills were top-notch, but Ning Xi rolled her eyes so hard that she could practically see her brain.

    What was this!? He was the best flirt in Imperial?

    With this sort of standard?

    "I¡­" She looked at the devil who was slowly ambling towards her.

    After a long, happy chat with his childhood friend, finally, he wasing over!

    Wang Shengzhe was really attracted to how Ning Xi gazed in a different direction when speaking to him. How seductive!

    At the same time, Ning Xi smiled and answered Wang Shengzhe, "I go by the surname Ning now, but it¡¯s going to be Lu in the future."

    Lu Tingxiao had an aggressive expression on his face but after he heard her, his eyes turned gentle.

    Lu¡­

    What a great reply! As expected of his wife!

    "Oh? Which Lu?" Wang Shengzhe asked.

    "Lu Tingxiao," Ning Xi replied.

    Ning Xi was staring at Lu Tingxiao for quite some time. Wang Shengzhe understood her and grinned coldly. "Heh, Miss Ning, you¡¯re really greedy, aren¡¯t you?"

    "Why not? I¡¯ve decided that I¡¯ll not marry anyone apart from Lu Tingxiao!"

    Wang Shengzhe almostughed out loud. "Every girl in Imperial wants to be Mrs. Lu. Do you think you can really do it? Why don''t you¡­have a more realistic goal?"

    As he spoke, he tried to extend his hand towards Ning Xi¡­

    Suddenly, Lu Tingxiao came in between the two of them.

    "Hey! CEO Lu, you¡­" Wang Shengzhe was a little surprised as he thought that Lu Tingxiao was here to talk to him.

    However, the man did not even look at him, he focused on the girl opposite him with a gentle gaze and a doting tone, "We¡¯ll go back togetherter."

    Ning Xi nodded with a big smile. "Okay!"

    This short conversation was impactful enough to give Wang Shengzhe a good fright.

    This¡­the both of them¡­what was happening¡­?

    Could it be¡­?

    "Well¡­CEO Lu, you¡­I¡­" As Wang Shengzhe realized what their rtionship was, his soul almost left him. He just stared at the man blindly.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at him murderously, then left without saying a word.

    Although it was just a short nce, Wang Shengzhe felt like he had experienced a brief moment of death¡­

    After Lu Tingxiao left, Wang Shengzhe looked at Ning Xi. "Y-you¡­and Lu Tingxiao¡­"

 Chapter 1104: Lu Tingxiaoâ€™s Woman

    <h4>Chapter 1104: Lu Tingxiao¡¯s Woman</h4>

    Ning Xi smiled coyly. "It¡¯s exactly as you think it is."

    Wang Shengzhe was speechless.

    Wang Zhengzhe quickly went to Mo Lingtian. "Damn you, Mo Lingtian! Why didn¡¯t you tell me that that girl is Lu Tingxiao¡¯s woman?"

    "Didn¡¯t I tell you earlier?" Mo Lingtian saw that the man was panting and sweating like he had been chased by a beast.

    "When?!" Wang Shengzhe almost broke down.

    "I told you to not mess with trouble. Think! Just how many people could give you trouble in Imperial? You''d know after some careful deduction," said Mo Lingtian as a matter-of-factly.

    Wang Shengzhe freaked out. "Oh no! What should I do?! I actually flirted with Lu Tingxiao¡¯s woman! Should I buy something for her as an apology? She seems to like Spirit¡¯s clothes. Should I buy her a few?"

    Mo Lingtian stared at him like he was an idiot. "That girl is the owner of Spirit!"

    Wang Shengzhe was once again speechless.

    From an outsider''s point of view, they had seen Wang Shengzhe flirting with the girl and then, Lu Tingxiao walked over. As it was a corner, everyone could only see Lu Tingxiao¡¯s back as he blocked Ning Xi, so everyone thought Lu Tingxiao had said something to Wang Shengzhe. The supposed Casanova ran away like that corner of the room was haunted¡­

    What exactly did Lu Tingxiao say to him?

    Still, there were also people who understood what had happened.

    "Hahaha¡­ Wang Shengzhe is really looking for trouble! He even flirted with Lu Tingxiao¡¯s woman!" Ling Fei roared.

    Most people did not know what had happened because only a few people who were close to Lu Tingxiao knew the girl¡¯s identity.

    Zhao Haisheng held his wife close. "But you can¡¯t me Wang Shengzhe. Who would¡¯ve thought a girl here would turn out to be Lu Tingxiao¡¯s girlfriend!?"

    "Speaking of which, do Lu Tingxiao and Miss Ning n to keep their rtionship hidden?" Ling Fei asked.

    "I heard that because of Miss Ning¡¯s career, they can¡¯t publicize their rtionship!" Zhao Haisheng said.

    Ling Fei looked at the girl¡¯s direction. "I actually think this girl is pretty nice. If any other female celebrity were to hook up with Lu Tingxiao, she would surely announce it to the whole world. Do you know Su Yimo from Glory World Entertainment? She¡¯s totally unrted to Lu Tingxiao, but she always calls herself Mrs. Lu or Lu Tingxiao¡¯s true love¡­ But in truth? Lu Tingxiao probably doesn''t even know who she is!"

    "That¡¯s true! Although we¡¯ve just met twice, she¡¯s pretty nice and quite special, always scaring us with her stunts, hahaha¡­"

    ¡­

    At a quiet corner in the garden, Guan Rui was holding a wine ss, looking absent-mindedly in the direction of the pond.

    Guan Ziyao looked nervous. "Father¡­are you sure that this method¡­is really okay?"

    Guan Rui sipped some wine. "There''re a lot of government officials among the guests today. There¡¯s even a personnel from thew department and Judge Liang is also here¡­ If she killed someone here, even Lu Tingxiao can''t help her! While he might be able to spare her from death, do you think a murderer could ever enter the Lu family?"

 Chapter 1105: Somethingâ€™s Wrong, Smells Fishy

    <h4>Chapter 1105: Something¡¯s Wrong, Smells Fishy</h4>

    Guan Ziyao frowned and looked at the woman in white talking to Ning Xi. "There¡¯s no issue on Lirong¡¯s side? If she doesn''t die¡­"

    "She will surely die!" Guan Rui¡¯s eyes shed with the intention to kill.

    If she did not die, he had already arranged for his own people to take care of it at the hospital. Nothing would go wrong.

    It was her first time getting involved in matters rted to a person¡¯s life. Guan Ziyao¡¯s fingers were shaking with nervousness but she quickly calmed down. She was just trying to stop the woman from continuing to fool Lu Tingxiao. What she was doing was not wrong¡­

    Her ns had failed so many times. There could not be any more idents this time. Extreme situations require extreme measures.

    This time, she would make sure there was no turning back for Ning Xi!

    She forgot all about her worries the moment she was reminded of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s coldness towards her.

    Guan Rui patted his daughter¡¯s shoulder firmly. "Go and prepare yourself! It¡¯s our turn to show up soon! Call your Uncle and Aunty Lu too! Let them see Ning Xi kill someone for themselves. Now, that would be interesting¡­"

    "Yes, Father!"

    ¡­

    After Wang Shengzhe was terrified away by the devil, Ning Xi was finally alone. She picked up some fish food and was stood by the pond, tossing the pellets in.

    A big school of red koi fish rushed over, fighting for the food.

    Ning Xi suddenly thought of the glutton Lu Jingli, so she snapped a picture of the fishes and sent it to him.

    As she was feeding the fishes happily, there was the sound of footsteps behind her suddenly.

    Ning Xi thought that it was another guy trying to flirt with her. As she raised her head, she saw a strange and frail girl in a long, white dress.

    The girl had makeup on but it could not hide her pale and weak state. Ning Xi analyzed her longer, wanting to ascertain that she did not know her. She was not sure why the girl was there, so she waited quietly to see what she wanted to do.

    The girl looked at Ning Xi like she was trash and she smiled coldly. "So, you¡¯re Ning Xi? Your face is thicker than the Great Wall! A cheap girl like you trying to get into the Lu family?"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows.

    Although this girl looked weak, her mouth was anything but.

    However, I''m sure that I don''t know this girl¡­ What''s happening?

    Something''s wrong¡­ It smells fishy¡­

    As Ning Xi was guessing the girl¡¯s intentions, the girl started uttering more and more ridiculous words, "Do you think you can hide the fact that you¡¯re just a vige girl by dressing like a model? You¡¯re just a low-life. Who do you think you are?! You motherless thing!"

    With thatst sentence, Ning Xi squinted her eyes and emitted a lethal aura.

    The girl became more motivated when she saw Ning Xi¡¯s reaction, so she kept on provoking her.

    "Who doesn¡¯t know howplicated the entertainment industry is? You¡¯re just another filthy slut! Stop acting innocent! You witch!"

    The girl in the white dress did not expect Ning Xi to be able to suppress herself this well and not get angry at her yet. She then sshed the ss of red wine she was holding onto Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi¡¯s face and hair were all dripping with wine. Her clothes were all drenched as well. She looked like a mess and her eyes were filled with darkness¡­

 Chapter 1106: Go Along With The Plan

    <h4>Chapter 1106: Go Along With The n</h4>

    The girl in white dress looked gleeful. Now, she would finally attack her!

    The girl became more aggressive, pushing Ning Xi by her shoulders. "You witch! How dare you re at me?!"

    And yet¡­

    The girl did not expect what happened next. She had just lightly pushed Ning Xi but Ning Xi¡¯s body was like a stray kite that weighed nothing. She fell into the pond!

    How¡­how did this happen!?

    It should be Ning Xi who pushed her into the pond! How did the roles get reversed!?

    What made it worse was that the moment Ning Xi was "pushed" into the pond, Guan Ziyao came over while clinging onto Yan Ruyi¡¯s arm. Lu Chongshan and Mo Lingtian¡¯s parents were together with them as well, chatting as they strolled over.

    At the exact same moment, Ning Xi fell into the pond with a loud ssh.

    All of them saw it.

    Some of the servants nearby saw someone falling into the water, so they yelled, "Argh! Someone fell into the water! Someone fell into the water!"

    "Ady fell into the water!"

    "Quickly save her!"

    ¡­

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan were shocked.

    What happened?!

    The person who had fallen into the water just now looked like Ning Xi.

    "Someone! Anyone good at swimming? Please save her!" Mo Jianzhang quickly pleaded for help.

    Suddenly, someone jumped into the pond.

    "Ah! CEO Lu went in!" A servant yelled, "Be careful, CEO Lu!"

    "Tingxiao!" Yan Ruyi¡¯s face turned pale.

    Lu Chongshan¡¯s expression changed slightly. "Don¡¯t worry, Tingxiao is a good swimmer!"

    Mo Jianzhang did not expect something like this to happen. "This pond is pretty deep and there''re some big rocks under the water. It¡¯s dangerous!"

    "I¡¯ll go too!" Mo Lingtian was about to dive into the pond but a few servants stopped him. "Master, it''s dangerous. The security guards are here!"

    Guan Ziyao did not expect the person to fall into the pond not to be the arranged person, so she was dumbfounded. Guan Rui looked furious as well as he red at the girl in white dress.

    The girl was in shock. She trembled when she felt Guan Rui''s dagger stare on her.

    At the same time, under the pond, Lu Tingxiao felt a hand brush against his, so he quickly dragged the girl towards him.

    As he was about to bring her up, the girl stopped him, tracing on his palm with her finger: [Cooperate with me]

    Others might not know it but Lu Tingxiao was sure that with Ning Xi¡¯s ability, a weak girl would never be able to push her into the pond and no one would pick this day to hurt Ning Xi.

    There was only one possibility. Ning Xi had fallen into the pond herself.

    Although he guessed it before he dove in, he was still shocked and had jumped into the pond to get her, afraid of any idents that might happen.

    Now, the girl had finally informed him about her stunt!

    Lu Tingxiao angrily pinched the girl¡¯s waist and her eyes flew wide open as if she wasining, "Hey! I almost can¡¯t hold my breath in, no thanks to your pinch!"

 Chapter 1107: This Isnt Over!

    <h4>Chapter 1107: This Isn''t Over!</h4>

    After she shot him a look and reciprocated by biting on Lu Tingxiao''s lip, she continued to use her finger to write on his palm: [Pengci ]

    Ning Xi did not understand the reason why that woman in the white dress had incessantly provoked her like a maniac at first. The moment she had sshed the ss of wine at her, she had almost retaliated physically.

    Thankfully, she reacted at the key moment and decided to make a move first by turning the tables!

    Pfft! You want to trick me with that bad acting of yours? I''ll trick you right back!

    Lu Tingxiaoprehended Ning Xi''s thoughts. There were obviously many other ways to solve this problem but this girl had to always make it so¡­exciting.

    This time, it had even happened right before his eyes. He did not know what to say anymore¡­

    When he was opposite the pond, even though he had to continue entertaining all the guests that came up to him with small talk, he always left a sliver of his attention on Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi was feeding the fishes at first, then a girl in a white dress started speaking to her with her back against him. Then, the next scene had happened before he could react¡­

    Actually, Ning Xi knew that she could have moved away when she realized the other person''s intentions, but that would be to their advantage. She really wanted to, at least, bite them back, so she did!

    This was not over!

    Just as Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi were being lovey-dovey down there, the people on thekeshore had gone crazy.

    "My God, my God! What to do?! Why hasn''t Tingxiaoe up yet!?"

    "Don''t worry! Security is here!"

    ¡­

    Guan Ziyao was getting impatient at this point. She immediately shot a look at the woman in the white dress. If this woman was caught and had the gall to reveal her, they would be done for. Even if she did not, they would not be able to get themselves off the hook.

    Because Cao Lirong was a distant rtive of the Guans. She could only turn up for this banquet because she had especially asked Mo Lingtian for an extra invitation.

    At first, she thought that this could give them a position to catch Ning Xi. Who would have known that it became such a huge issue that could be used against them instead!?

    After the woman in the white dress received Guan Ziyao''s stern look, she turned as white as a sheet and was thinking about sneaking off while everyone was still in chaos. However, just as she was prepared to sneak off, she was noticed and caught by Zhao Haisheng. "Hey, you! Where''re you running away to?! How dare you run off after pushing someone over?!"

    "I didn''t! I didn''t push her!" Cao Lirong shrieked.

    Ling Fei caught her by the wrist too. "Everyone saw you. How dare you act dumb?!"

    As she was denounced loudly by Zhao Haisheng and his wife, everyone else started to turn their attention to her too.

    Mo Jianzhang immediately called for the crowd to hold the woman down and not let her escape.

    Guan Ziyao had no choice but to force herself to say, "Uncle Mo, Cao Lirong is my sister. What happened earlier is a misunderstanding!"

    Mo Jianzhang had seen for himself earlier that this girl had pushed the person in, so he looked solemn and said firmly, "No matter what happens, we must wait until the person is rescued before further discussion! Thisdy cannot leave yet!"

    In a corner, an indistinct coldness shed across Mo Lingtian''s eyes when he saw Guan Ziyao''s nervous expression.

    The security team entered the water one after another and used their super strong shlights to search for those who had gone into the water¡­

    Right at that moment, Lu Tingxiao finally came up to the shore and in his arms, he carried Ning Xi who was heaving herst gasps.

 Chapter 1108: Cooperate With The Wifes Performance

    <h4>Chapter 1108: Cooperate With The Wife''s Performance</h4>

    When Yan Ruyi saw the woman in Lu Tingxiao''s arms, it was as she had predicted. It was really Ning Xi! No wonder her son had jumped in so quickly!

    But why would Ning Xi and Guan Ziyao''s rtives argue and have a fight to the point that the former was pushed into the water?

    "Move!" Lu Tingxiao ordered the guests who blocked his way. With the girl in his embrace, he walked quickly towards the door¡­

    ¡­

    An hourter, in one of Imperial''s high-ss private hospitals, which was under the Lu Corporation, to cooperate with his wife''s performance, Lu Tingxiao had called up the hospital beforehand, so Ning Xi had been immediately wheeled into the emergency ward.

    In the corridor, all the elders, Lu Chongshan, Yan Ruyi, Guan Rui, and Mo Jianzhang were present. Apart from that, Guan Ziyao and Mo Lingtian were there too.

    On the bench in the corner sat the girl who had pushed Ning Xi over earlier, shivering coldly.

    Not too far away, the sound of footsteps approached them. A few of the uniformed public security personnel walked over and greeted Mo Jianzhang, "Minister Mo!"

    Mo Jianzhang quickly exchanged some polite greetings with them.

    When Guan Rui saw that Mo Jianzhang had actually called the police over, he immediately looked serious. "Minister Mo, it''s just a squabble between the young ones. Do we have to trouble our friends from the police station for such a petty quarrel?"

    Guan Ziyao echoed, "Today is Uncle Mo''s birthday. It might not look good to cause such amotion. We can just privately resolve this matter. Later, I''ll have Rong Rong apologize to Ning Xi!"

    Guan Ziyao looked to Mo Lingtian for help. He seemed absent-minded since the incident but when he noticed Guan Ziyao''s silent cry for help to say a few words to back her up, he frowned and looked at the red light of the emergency ward worriedly, not bothering to say anything in the end.

    Lu Chongshan contemted for a moment before saying, "Old Mo, let''s not make this a huge matter. If the child is alright, we can just do this privately!"

    Guan Rui immediately echoed after Lu Chongshan, "She''s just a drowned rat and should be fine. This small matter really doesn''t need suchrge forces."

    He indirectly implied that Mo Jianzhang was blowing a small issue out of proportion.

    Little did they realize that if the person lying in the emergency ward had been Cao Lirong as a result of being pushed over by Ning Xi, he would have caused an enormous ruckus and Ning Xi would not be able to get away. He had even nned to drag Cao Lirong''s unreasonable rtives toe over for a fight¡­

    When Mo Jianzhang heard his two friends'' advice, he started to be swayed¡­

    However, at that moment, the door of the emergency ward was suddenly pushed open and a nurse rushed out from inside. "Which one of you is the patient''s family? The patient''s heart has suddenly stopped. We need a signature for the notice of her critical condition!"

    The moment the nurse called out for the signature, the entire corridor fell into a dead silence.

    Guan Ziyao and Guan Rui looked at each other in horror. It had just been a case of near-drowning and Lu Tingxiao had immediately jumped in to save her. How could it be this severe!?

    "I am." Lu Tingxiao, who had kept silent all the while, stood up to take the document from the nurse and sign his name.

    Then, Lu Tingxiao''s extremely chilly eyes swept across Guan Rui and Guan Ziyao. In a cool voice, he said, "Intentional murder! Does this look petty to you?"

    When they saw that the acknowledgment document had been signed and the fact that this girl was Lu Tingxiao''s girlfriend, Mo Jianzhang knew that he could not take this lightly, so he did not hesitate further and immediately told the policeman in front of him, "Xiao Chen, take her away."

 Chapter 1109: Carrying A Little Bun

    <h4>Chapter 1109: Carrying A Little Bun</h4>

    Then, one of them walked over and cuffed Cao Lirong''s hands.

    Cao Lirong immediately looked in rm towards Guan Rui adn Guan Ziyao. "Ziyao, Uncle Guan! Save me¡­I didn''t push her! She fell over herself! I really didn''t push her!"

    Nevertheless, the few people who were in the corridor, including Guan Ziyao and Guan Rui, had all seen her push Ning Xi in herself. How could they believe her words?

    Yan Ruyi frowned unhappily. How could the Guan family have such an evil rtive?

    Even though she had not always been very fond of Ning Xi, she had not gone the point of wanting her to die. Now, the person who had pushed Ning Xi into the pond was someone from the Guan family, so she could not help but overthink with endless what-ifs.

    Guan Rui had wanted to say more, but Mo Jianzhang immediately apologized, "I''m sorry, Bro Rui. This matter has seriously gone overboard. The victim''s life is still hanging precariously and there were so many guests in my home earlier including important people from the government. To have such a thing happening under other people''s watchful eyes, I must give everyone a proper exnation."

    Guan Rui stood there stiffly. He could not even say anything else. These words should have been his, yet it had now be all the reasons fornding the me on him¡­

    "Uncle Guan, save me! Uncle Guan! I really didn''t push her!" The girl in white dress screamed as she was taken away by the police.

    Guan Rui stood in the same spot with a darkened expression. The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was weird. What had happened? Their n was clearly wless. How did the person who fall into the water be Ning Xi in the end? Could it be that when Cao Lirong was executing the n, she had missed and identally pushed her over? She could not achieve anything but had ruined things instead!

    "Rong Rong has no hatred for Ning Xi. How could she have nned to murder her?! This doesn''t even make sense!" Guan Ziyao quickly eximed.

    "It really doesn''t make sense, so she must have been instructed to do so by someone. I believe the police will find out the real culprit soon." With just that single sentence, Lu Tingxiao had immediately pointed the arrow at the Guans.

    Guan Ziyao did not think that she would have fallen into the trap as all color was drained from her face.

    If Cao Lirong had really ratted them out, it would all be over¡­

    Even if their initial n was not intentional murder but to frame Ning Xi, if they were found out, it would not make much of a difference¡­

    The emergency ward light stayed on. In the corridor, everyone had different thoughts racing through their minds.

    The phone in Lu Tingxiao''s pocket vibrated. A message had been sent over: [Baby, to make it look real, you must act sadder! I''ll teach you! Imagine how you''d feel if your wife died!]

    When he read Ning Xi''s message, Lu Tingxiao''s face was immediately as ck as the bottom of a pot. This girl! Why did she casually throw such words around?

    Lu Tingxiao''s acting was already not bad but with this message from Ning Xi, he looked even more terrible. The expression on his face was definitely not too far from having a dead wife¡­

    Guan Ziyao had a glimmer of suspicion that something was amiss, but once she saw Lu Tingxiao''s expression, she thought it was not quite possible.

    They never would have thought that while they tried to frame Ning Xi, they had been tricked by her instead. In fact, Lu Tingxiao had cooperated with his performance from the start till the end to help her trap someone else¡­

    Although this time, Ning Xi decided to screw them over all the way, she never would have thought that she did miss out on one crucial thing.

    The elevator doors opened.

    At the end of the corridor, someone was running towards the emergency ward. In their arms was a little bun.

 Chapter 1110: Mommy! I Want Mommy!

    <h4>Chapter 1110: Mommy! I Want Mommy!</h4>

    "What''s happening?! How''s Sister-inw? She was just attending a banquet. How did she fall into the water?" Lu Jingli carried Little Treasure and panted as he asked loudly.

    When Yan Ruyi saw that Lu Jingli had brought Little Treasure over as well, her expression changed instantly. "Why''re you here? And you even brought Little Treasure to such a ce!"

    Lu Chongshan asserted, "This is nonsense! Quickly take Little Treasure home! The hospital is filled with bad vibes and viruses!"

    Lu Jingli wiped off the sweat from his brow. "I was just taking care of the child obediently at home. But I suddenly received the news that Sister-inw had been pushed into the water, so I rushed over. Little Treasure heard my call and said that he had toe with me. I didn''t have a choice! I could only bring him with me!"

    As he said this, Little Treasure''s eyes stayed fixated in the direction of the emergency ward. He started to struggle violently in Lu Jingli''s arms, shouting unintelligibly in a raspy voice.

    Lu Jingli could only put down the little guy.

    The moment Little Treasure was put on the ground, he sprinted towards the emergency ward.

    As he stared at the huge, white doors that were shut tight and at the striking red light above his head, the little bun''s face turned pale and his little body shook hard. Then, he suddenly started to shout piercingly, "Ah!!! Ah!!! Ah!!!"

    As he shouted, he pounded hard on the operating theatre doors.

    This child''s emotional actions frightened everyone. Yan Ruyi quickly ran over and hugged her dear grandchild in her arms, trying to soothe him, "Little Treasure, don''t worry! It''s okay! The doctor is inside! Your Aunty Xiao Xi wille out soon! Don''t be scared!"

    Lu Chongshan quickly consoled him too, "Little Treasure, don''t be scared, Grandfather is here. I''ll definitely have doctors heal your Aunty Xiao Xi! Let''s go home first, okay? You''ll disturb the doctors at work here."

    However, Little Treasure could not hear the voices around him anymore, sinking deeper into his own bubble. He continued to lose control yet, he did not stop even when his voice was hoarse. He shouted and used his little hands to hammer on the door with all his strength. His eyes were filled with fear and worry. Everyone could not help but be moved¡­

    Mo Jianzhang was already ming himself profusely. Ning Xi had met with trouble at his ce, after all, so he had to bear the me.

    Mo Lingtian''s body shook as he almost could not stand upright anymore¡­

    The second time, this was the second time¡­

    He had given that woman''s invitation to Guan Ziyao! He was the one who had extended it to her!

    "How could this be!? Sister-inw was still sending me messages earlier about cute koi fishes! How could she suddenly be dying so soon?" Lu Jingli''s shoulders shook as he almost started sobbing with Little Treasure too.

    The situation was chaotic¡­

    As Lu Tingxiao''s watched this uncontroble scene from the side, he felt a headacheing. He never would have thought that Lu Jingli would bring Little Treasure over.

    The soundproofing of the emergency ward was so good that Ning Xi did not know what was happening outside at all.

    However, Ning Xi would never let Little Treasure be sad for a single second even if she had to stop her n midway¡­

    Lu Tingxiao thought about it and was prepared to carry his son elsewhere, then secretly tell him the truth¡­

    It was all they could do.

    Lu Tingxiao decided to do so, then walked over to his son. "Little Treasure, calm down. Listen to me, your¡­"

    But before Lu Tingxiao could continue to speak, Little Treasure had bitten the back of his hand and pushed him away hard. He shot his father a dirty look with his pair of fearful and angry eyes, akin to a little beast that was hurt. He stared at him and then red at everyone else as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Mommy! I want Mommy! I want Mommy!!!"

 Chapter 1111: About To Really Die From Happiness!

    <h4>Chapter 1111: About To Really Die From Happiness!</h4>

    In the empty corridor, that mournful sound of the child shouting "Mommy!" over and over again stunned Lu Tingxiao, Lu Jingli, Yan Ruyi, and Lu Chongshan¡­

    Little Treasure had spoken¡­

    He had called out for¡­Mommy¡­

    Lu Tingxiao''s first reaction was to press a few buttons on his phone without a change in expression.

    Then, the doors of the emergency ward were pushed open and a doctor in a white coat walked out. "One of the patient''s family members, pleasee in. Maybe you could awaken the patient''s drive to survive!"

    "Little Treasure! Doctor! Let Little Treasure go in!" Lu Jingli immediately pleaded.

    The doctor quickly pulled Little Treasure by the hand into the ward. The door closed again and the corridor returned to silence.

    At this moment, in the emergency ward, there was actually one more hidden room inside and Ning Xiy there to sleep.

    Suddenly, the door was flung open from the outside. Ning Xi thought that the doctor had something to say to her, but what met her eyes was the doctor leading Little Treasure in with the little bun''s eyes all red and full of tears!

    "Little Treasure?!" Ning Xi was surprised to see the little bun and she quickly climbed off the bed.

    Before she could even walk over, Little Treasure had let go of the doctor''s hand and dashed ove. He stuffed his face into his mother''s embrace and started crying out loud in the next second!

    Before this, even if Little Treasure was upset, he would only use teary eyes to look at you. He had never cried this heartbrokenly before and Ning Xi''s clothes were drenched in no time.

    As she watched the little bun cry till he was out of breath and listened to his heartwrenching crying, Ning Xi''s heart was about to crumble.

    At the same, she realized that she had forgotten about Little Treasure!

    Damn it, it must be that Lu Jingli who had brought Little Treasure here!

    "Baby, don''t cry. Baby, don''t cry, okay? Look at Mommy, aren''t I just fine over here? I''m not missing an arm or a leg, I''m still jumping around and alive! I''m neither actually sick at all, nor am I hurt. I''m bluffing them! I didn''t think that even my baby would be lied to too¡­" Ning Xi quickly exined to the little bun.

    The little buny in his mother''s embrace while his little hand held on tightly to her clothes, unwilling to let go. His little shoulders still shook from crying a lot.

    "Mommy¡­Mommy is bad¡­"

    "Yes, yes, yes! Mommy is bad! Mommy is the worst! It''s all my fault! I should have told Little Treasure beforehand. Atst, not only did I frighten the bad guys, I also actually frightened our Little Treasure too! Sorry! Sorry, sorry! Mommy is the¡­worst¡­uhh¡­"

    Mid-sentence, Ning Xi suddenly realized something. Her eyes suddenly flew wide open and she stared hard at the little bun in her arms. "L-little bun¡­what did you just say? What did you say earlier? Quickly say it again! Quick!"

    Was she experiencing an illusion? Did she really hear Little Treasure call her?

    Little Treasure looked up with a resentful little face and frowned at Ning Xi unhappily. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Mommy is bad¡­"

    When he finished, Ning Xi hugged the little bun tightly in her arms and tears fell immediately.

    Little Treasure called me Mommy¡­

    Little Treasure actually called me Mommy!

    The little bun said I''m bad!

    Oh! Little Treasure said Mommy is bad!

    Oh my God! I''m really about to die from happiness!

 Chapter 1112: I Will Definitely Be Your Mommy

    <h4>Chapter 1112: I Will Definitely Be Your Mommy</h4>

    It has been quite a few months since Little Treasure hadst spoken, and in this period of time, Little Treasure had not said a single word.

    Even though she was anxious, she knew that she could not rush such things, so she had never forced the child to say anything. As time went on, she had long gotten used tomunicating with Little Treasure using the writing board. So much so that most of the time, she could understand him just by Little Treasure''s single nce. She did not even feel that Little Treasure was any different from other child¡­

    However, when her ears had clearly heard Little Treasure call her "Mommy", it felt like her chest was hit hard by something, making her breath get caught in her throat. Warmth flooded from her heart to every inch of her body. There was an indescribable, magical feeling¡­

    She hugged the little bun tightly and actually felt that her intimacy with this child was as a matter of bones and blood as if they had never separated, that they were originally one¡­

    "Miss Ning, CEO Lu asks¡­if you can go out now?" The nurse called out in a gentle voice at the door.

    Even though Ning Xi wanted to stay with the little bun a while longer, she had to finish this show, so she quickly calmed herself down and replied, "Sure!"

    Then, Ning Xi wiped away the little bun''s tears as her eyes lit up and she said word by word, "Little Treasure, don''t worry! I will definitely be your Mommy!"

    The little bun nodded vigorously. The tears welled up in his eyes as he hugged his mother firmly¡­

    ¡­

    A few minutester, the red light above the ward dimmed and the door was pushed opened. Ning Xi was wheeled out by a few doctors as the little bun followed her beside the wheelchair with tear stains on his face.

    Even though the little bun still looked pitiful, he seemed much better than earlier, so everyone guessed that Ning Xi was probably alright now.

    Indeed, the doctor announced, "The patient is no longer in critical condition."

    The moment he said that, everyone present breathed a huge sigh of relief!

    "Indeed my Little Treasure is most useful!" Lu Jingli was very emotional.

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan shared a look of relief too. When they had seen Little Treasure earlier, they were not sure what would happen to him if something had really happened to this woman! As much as they did not like her, they could not deny that Little Treasure really could not lose her.

    Guan Ziyao''s body trembled and there was darkness in her eyes. The situation had already reached this stage. It would actually be better if the woman had just died, yet she had not¡­

    Not only that, Little Treasure''s call for "Mommy" earlier had actually moved Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan¡­

    The situation was getting increasingly worse¡­

    ¡­

    In a secluded corridor of the hospital, Mo Lingtian looked like he was struggling. Atst, he could not help but ask, "Ziyao, was what happened today purely an ident?"

    Guan Ziyao was already distraught with anxiety. When she heard Mo Lingtian, she looked even more troubled. "Mo Lingtian, what are you trying to say? Under everyone''s watchful eyes, I wouldn''t be able to get off the hook if I did anything. And Cao Lirong is my distant rtive too, so how could I have directed her to murder Ning Xi in broad daylight? Do you think I''m that stupid?"

    Mo Lingtian knew that it was impossible for Guan Ziyao to do that, but he still felt that this situation was odd and too much of a coincidence.

    "But we have seen the CCTV earlier. The entire thing started with Cao Lirong provoking Ning Xi first. All was okay before that. Why would she suddenly be so aggressive?" Mo Lingtian continued.

 Chapter 1113: No Use Looking For Anyone

    <h4>Chapter 1113: No Use Looking For Anyone</h4>

    Guan Ziyao''s expression faltered, but she calmed down very quickly. "I''m in a bad mood these past few days. Rong Rong has been apanying me all this while. Maybe I had a bit too much to drink and told her some things about Lu Tingxiao and me. She found out about Ning Xi''s existence and so she was probably taking it out on her as she felt that it was unfair to me. All of this was just an ident! Now, are you suspecting me? Suspecting that all of this was my instruction?"

    Mo Lingtian watched Guan Ziyao''s hurt eyes ze and he balled his hands into fists. "I''m sorry¡­ Today, Ning Xi had almost¡­you know, I gave you that invitation¡­ If Ning Xi had really¡­you know, well, I''d have to bear the me too¡­"

    Guan Ziyao''s expression softened and she walked to Mo Lingtian to pull on his hand. "Lingtian, I''m sorry, I''ve involved you in all this¡­but all of this is my fault. It has nothing to do with you! You don''t have to me yourself!"

    Mo Lingtian watched the girl tug on his hand and looked down with struggle evident in his eyes¡­

    Ziyao, can I really still trust you?

    "Lingtian, what happened was really an ident, but Lu Tingxiao had called it intentional murder in the heat of the moment. That''s too severe of an usation! Lingtian, can you think of a solution for me? After all, Rong Rong only came to apany me, and because of me, this misunderstanding happened. She''s still so young. If she has a criminal record because of this, then her entire life will be ruined!" Guan Ziyao said worriedly.

    Now, the most important thing was to quickly get her out before Cao Lirong ratted them out!

    However, the fate of her entire family was in their hands and they believed that she would not do such a stupid thing either, but still, just in case.

    When he saw Guan Ziyao''s worried expression, Mo Lingtian did not obey as he used to. Before this, as long as it was her, he would help without hesitation. This time, he pinched the space between his brows and said instead, "I''m really sorry, I can''t help you this time. You know how Tingxiao is too, Ning Xi almost died this time, so he won''t let go of her easily. Now, even if it was me, on the police''s end, I wouldn''t be able to intervene."

    "Then, what do we do? Rong Rong was just here for a holiday and this happened! What do I tell her family?" Guan Ziyao buried her face in her hands and her body faltered.

    Everything that happened had been out of her control. Her emotional burden had long reached its limit¡­

    Mo Lingtian quickly held her and consoled, "Ziyao, don''t be too worried! Thankfully, Ning Xi is fine now. Plus, as you said, Rong Rong and Ning Xi were just quarreling. She didn''t have intentions to murder her. With the truth, the police won''t make things hard for her after their investigation. Even if Tingxiao has a strong influence, they can only sentence her to intentionally injuring someone¡­"

    Guan Ziyao held her forehead, her eyes aloof. Mo Lingtian was right. There was no way Lu Tingxiao would let this go this time, so there was no use looking for anyone¡­

    There was only one other option¡­

    ¡­

    Late at night, at the guardhouse, Guan Rui had used all of his tricks, yet he could not bail Cao Lirong out. He only managed to get a few minutes of time to speak to her.

    "What actually happened? Tell me everything clearly!" Guan Rui demanded with a gloomy expression.

    When he had reyed the CCTV footage many times, the footage clearly showed that she did push Ning Xi into the water. There was no way of getting off the hook.

 Chapter 1114: Call Father

    <h4>Chapter 1114: Call Father</h4>

    Cao Lirong''s figure was trembling slightly and her face was sickly pale as she held onto the metal bar and said emotionally, "I''ve said it so many times! I didn''t push her! I didn''t! I was only jostling her slightly to force her to hit me. Even though my actions looked strong, I was really only shoving her lightly without using much force! It''s her! She''s framing me! She fell into the pond by herself! That witch is framing me! Uncle Guan, believe me!"

    "What''re you saying? Are you saying that Ning Xi did this intentionally?" Guan Rui immediately stood up.

    "That''s right, she''s doing this on purpose!" Cao Lirong''s tone was confident.

    "You sure?" Guan Rui frowned.

    "I''m sure! Uncle Guan, you saw for yourself. She was still quite a distance from the side of the shore, and I did not even use much force. There was no way she could have fallen in!" Can Lirong solemnly vowed.

    When he heard this, Guan Rui''s expression changed and he slowly sat back down on his chair dispiritedly.

    Damn it!

    How did this happen?

    That woman did this on purpose! Could she have long seen through their n, so she decided to turn the tables on them to frame them?

    If that was the case¡­the emergency rescue after¡­the critical condition¡­what was all that about?

    Right, Lu Tingxiao¡­Lu Tingxiao¡­

    That private hospital was under the Lu Corporation and with Lu Tingxiao''s singlemand, it would be beyond easy to perform an entire show.

    But would Lu Tingxiao really stoop to such a level for that woman?

    What made him even more shocked was that the woman had actually seen through his n and even turn the tables on him!

    If that woman had really known it all, that would be bad. There was no way he could use "arguing" and "ident" to smooth this over¡­

    "Uncle Guan, I''m sorry, I really didn''t know this ident would happen. Please give me another chance! Wu Wu can''t wait any longer. Can you please just bank in some money to me?" Cao Lirong begged.

    Her son''s surgery required a huge amount of money and his life was in Guan Rui''s hands. If she ruined this, she could not imagine¡­

    Guan Rui shot Cao Lirong a sideways look and there was something murderous in his eyes as he said, "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of your son."

    ¡­

    The next morning, the sky had just turned to light when Little Treasure began to knock on his father''s door.

    Quickly wake up! Little Treasure wants to visit Mommy in the hospital!

    Lu Tingxiao opened the door and looked at his son solemnly. "Call Father."

    Call me Father then I will bring you there.

    The little guy instantly revealed an expression of condescension. He turned his head away, then ran downstairs.

    I do not want Father! I can take a cab by myself!

    When he saw his son''s act of disdain, the corner of Lu Tingxiao''s mouth helplessly curved up. After he washed up and was prepared to take Little Treasure to the hospital, Yan Ruyi, Lu Chongshan, and Lu Jingli hade over too. All of them were immediately fixed onto Little Treasure.

    Little Treasure had spoken again yesterday!

    Including the first two times from before, this was his third time!

    The three of them turned their gaze to Lu Tingxiao.

    Yan Ruyi pulled anxiously on his son. "Tingxiao, how did it go? Did Little Treasure say anything else after you guys came homest night?"

    "Last night, Little Treasure was asleep when we carried him back."

    "Then¡­then, did he say anything else when he woke up this morning?" Lu Chongshan questioned.

    "No."

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan looked at each other, instantly filled with disappointment.

    "This time, will he not speak for another few months again?" Yan Ruyi was clearly a little disappointed.

    "It''s already very good progress," said Lu Chongshan in an attempt to console himself.

    Lu Jingli squatted before the little bun. "Little bun, call Second Uncle! Call me! Second Uncle will give you candy!"

 Chapter 1115: Call Mother

    <h4>Chapter 1115: Call Mother</h4>

    Little Treasure just ignored him. He turned away, prepared to bring his loving bento to Mommy .

    Lu Jingli scratched his head. "It doesn''t work! But don''t be too disappointed, you guys, maybe Sis-inw has a way to make him speak again."

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan''s eyes immediately lit up again when they heard this. Yan Ruyi quickly rushed, "Then, let''s quickly visit Xiao Xi in the hospital!"

    Lu Jingli''s mouth twitched. Ahem, Xiao Xi?

    This was his first time hearing his mother call Ning Xi so intimately¡­

    Thus, the family of five rushed to the hospital to visit.

    The private hospital''s facilities were very luxurious. Ning Xi''s ward wasparable to a presidential suite at a hotel with very warm and cozy interior decoration. It almost looked like she was here for a vacation and not for a hospital stay.

    The moment they walked in, they saw that Ning Xi''s face was pale with huge eyebags underneath her eyes.

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression changed when he saw Ning Xi like that because he could immediately tell whether she was faking it or not. He had already repeatedly reminded them to use the best for her stay. How did she turn this haggard in just one night?

    "Little Treasure! You''re here!" On the bed, Ning Xi, who was initially staring nkly at the ceiling, immediately sprung up when she saw her baby Little Treasure. Her eyes shone so brightly and her face was full of energy, all her haggardness vanishing.

    When Lu Tingxiao saw her reaction, his face darkened. This girl¡­ Could it be that after Little Treasure called her "Mommy ", she had not slept for the whole night as a result of being too excited, so she looked that haggard now?

    The moment Little Treasure saw his mother, he swiftly ran over and shouted, "Mommy!"

    On the way there, it did not matter whether it was Yan Ruyi, Lu Chongshan, or Lu Jingli. They could not make Little Treasure speak. The moment he saw Ning Xi, he had unexpectedly opened up by himself, the three of their jaws falling open in shock.

    Ning Xi, on the other hand, was ecstatically happy. She carried the Little Bun and said, "Oh, I can finally confirm it! I wasn''t experiencing any illusionst night! Baby really called me Mommy!"

    It made her excited yet worried and sleepless for the entire night!

    Now, she could finally feel assured!

    But she was still a little worried¡­

    "Baby, can you call me one more time?" Ning Xi looked in anticipation.

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi could not help but hold their breaths to wait too¡­

    "Mommy!" Little Treasure did not hesitate to call out again.

    "Again!"

    "Mommy!"

    "Again, again!"

    "Mommy!"

    "Can you say it onest time?"

    Little Treasure scooted over and hugged his mother''s neck tightly. There were remnants of fear and worry in his eyes from yesterday''s shock and his voice was raspy, "Mommy, don''t leave Little Treasure alone¡­"

    Ning Xi''s heart ached as she med herself. She carried the precious little guy in her arms. "I never will!"

    "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight¡­oh! Oh my God! Little Treasure just said eight words altogether! Eight words! Mother, did you hear that?" Lu Jingli gasped.

    When she saw this scene, Yan Ruyi could not help but tear up and she nodded. "I did, I did!"

    Even Lu Chongshan felt rueful. Little Treasure had spoken, he was really willing to speak! Now, could they finally be sure that he was alright now?

 Chapter 1116: My Baby Is So Smart

    <h4>Chapter 1116: My Baby Is So Smart</h4>

    Ning Xi looked at Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan. She knew that they cared about Little Treasure''s condition too, so she pointed towards the vase beside her bed and asked gently, "Little Treasure, what''s this?"

    Little Treasure looked at the direction Ning Xi pointed at, then said with perfect diction, "Flower."

    "What about this?" Ning Xi suppressed her excitement and held up an apple.

    "Apple."

    "This?" Ning Xi picked up the air-conditioner remote control.

    "Remote control."

    ¡­

    Ning Xi continued to point at quite a few things and the little guy answered them all. Even though he had not spoken for a long time, his pronunciation was wless.

    "My baby is so smart!" Ning Xi praised him emotionally.

    The little bun shyly pursed his lips as he was praised by his mother, indicating that he was very happy. He then brought his bento over and said "Mommy, eat."

    "Okay¡­thank you, baby! Mommy will finish it all!"

    Yan Ruyi cried out in joy on the spot, "This is wonderful! Too wonderful!"

    This time, Little Treasure could really open up and speak!

    Initially, she had been worried that even if Little Treasure opened up, he might have speaking difficulties as he had not spoken for a long time. Before this, Ziyao had mentioned introducing a teacher to help with Little Treasure''snguage recovery, but by the looks of it now, there was no issue with hismunication skills.

    Lu Chongshan looked at his dear grandson, feeling gratified. He seemed not to care even if his grandson had called Ning Xi his mother.

    "Well, something good hade out of this ident¡­" Lu Chongshanmented.

    Yan Ruyi shot him a look and lowered her voice to say, "What are you saying? I''ve told you long ago that this girl is a lucky star! Look what happened this time. Not only did she turn a misfortune into a blessing, she''s even added blessings for our Little Treasure! If it was not for the provocation of this incident, would Little Treasure have properly opened up and spoken?"

    Lu Chongshan looked at his wife. Because he was in a good mood, it was rare that he did not argue back.

    Little Treasure apanied Ning Xi for a little while more, but because he still had school, he had to go off with his grandparents and Second Uncle first. Lu Tingxiao stayed back to watch after Ning Xi.

    When there was only Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao left in the ward, Ning Xi finally could not control her excitement any longer. She instantly jumped up and down the bed and into Lu Tingxiao''sp. "Lu Tingxiao, did you hear that!? Little Treasure called me Mommy!"

    "So, you were so excited that you didn''t sleep for the whole night?" The man asked unhappily as he carried her back onto the bed.

    Ning Xi did not care that she was being reprimanded. She continued to be in her own world of excitement. "Little Treasure called me Mommy, called me Mommy! Hahahaha, I''m so happy¡­"

    As he watched Ning Xi go on like that, Lu Tingxiao had no doubts that she could be ecstatic for the whole day and not sleep. "I know, he called you Mommy. I''ve already helped you record his voice earlier. Can you sleep soundly now?"

    "Ah! Really? My dear, you''re so considerate! Quick, y it for me! Quickly!" Ning Xi rushed.

    Lu Tingxiao could only obey and open his phone''s recorder to y the earlier recording.

    The moment he clicked y, the phone yed Little Treasure''s baby voice. "Mommy".

    Ning Xi immediately cradled Lu Tingxiao''s phone in her arms like a baby. She yed it over and over again, then she suddenly thought of something and mumbled, "Well, this time I''d really have to thank Guan Rui and Guan Ziyao¡­ Oh yes, what happened to Cao Lirong?"

 Chapter 1117: Little Treasure, What Is This?

    <h4>Chapter 1117: Little Treasure, What Is This?</h4>

    "The police are interrogating. There''re no results as of yet."

    "The Guans must definitely have something to ckmail her with. It will be hard for her to rat them out, but there is one thing I''m curious about. If they really wanted to frame me, it wouldn''t be enough for me to just push her into the pond, unless¡­"

    "A life for a life," said Lu Tingxiao with squinted eyes.

    Ning Xi''s gaze changed to one of discovery. "That''s right! Unless I identally killed her under everyone''s watchful eyes¡­ Huh, they have really put in their all this time, actually buying someone''s life to frame me! Even if I could save her and she didn''t die, I''m sure he would do something on the hospital''s end with the determination to frame me for murder!"

    When she thought of this, Ning Xi continued, "I''m afraid that Guan Rui might kill Cao Lirong to stop her from exposing them¡­"

    "The police has already delegated people to watch her 24 hours a day."

    ¡­

    At the same, in the Lu family''s car, after they were sure that the little bun could really speak normally, Yan Ruyi, Lu Chongshan, and Lu Jingli were all very excited.

    On the way to school, the three of them continued to think of ways to make Little Treasure speak, especially Lu Jingli.

    Sadly, after leaving the hospital, Little Treasure mmed up when he was not before Ning Xi, making Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan anxious.

    Lu Jingli was using all of his ideas to tease Little Treasure to speak. He imitated Ning Xi and held up a doll to ask, "Little Treasure! What''s this?"

    Little Treasure held his chin and looked out the window as if he had not heard him.

    Lu Jingli held up a car fragrance bottle. "Little Treasure, what''s this?"

    Little Treasure still did not react at all.

    Lu Jingli tried again by picking up his phone. "Little Treasure, do you know what this thing is?"

    Little Treasure remained silent.

    Lu Jingli pulled Yan Ruyi over. "What about this? Do you know what this is?"

    Atst, even Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan felt Lu Jingli was annoying. Yan Ruyi shouted, "Jingli, stop disturbing Little Treasure. He''s just beginning to speak again, don''t wear him out!"

    Lu Chongshan echoed, "Your mother is right."

    Lu Jingli was speechless. "Who can be tired from speaking!? Don''t you two want to hear Little Treasure speak? Don''t you?"

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan kept quiet. Of course, they did!

    Thus, Lu Jingli did not give up and found an apple. "Little Treasure, what is this, what is this? Do you know? Do you?"

    This time, Little Treasure finally moved his line of sight from outside the window to Lu Jingli''s face, then under his uncle''s incredibly excited gaze, he said word for word with a poker expression, "Second Uncle, are you an idiot?"

    The three of them were all speechless.

    A moment of silenceter, Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan could not help butugh out loud. Even the driver was having trouble holding back. The Little Master was too cute!

    Yan Ruyi was loving his baby grandson more and more. "My Little Treasure is so smart!"

    Lu Chongshan nodded. "It''s the grandson of the Lu family. Of course, he''s quick-witted!"

    "Hey, hey, hey¡­how can you be like this? I''m still the son of the Lu family! This little punk just called me an idiot! Yet, you praise that he''s quick-witted!" Lu Jingli protested in dissatisfaction.

    Why was it that when the sister-inw showed him an apple, he would obediently say "apple"!? He, on the other hand, had received such a heartbreaking answer! Where was the justice in this!?

    Yan Ruyi shot him a look. "Little Treasure called you Second Uncle earlier. Aren''t you satisfied? I haven''t even heard him call me Grandmother till now!"

    Lu Chongshan sighed, "He didn''t call his grandfather either."

    When Lu Jingli heard this, he immediately chuckled through his tears excitedly. "Right! He only called his mother. He didn''t even call out for Brother! Hahaha¡­Little Treasure addressed his Second Uncle! The second one he addressed is his Second Uncle! Hahaha¡­I must go and brag to Brother!"

 Chapter 1118: Meat Pie From The Sky

    <h4>Chapter 1118: Meat Pie From The Sky</h4>

    A few dayster, at a certain public figure''s private gathering in Imperial.

    Inside the VIP room, there were hearty greetings of congrattions. A few men were fighting to clink sses with Zhao Haisheng.

    "Congrattions, CEO Zhao!"

    "There are four happy things in life - rain falling in times of great drought, meeting an old friend in a foreignnd, your wedding night, and when one''s name is bestowed with a title! You punk, you got two things in just a few days! You''ve married your wife and sessfully inherited thepany!"

    "Hahaha! Everyone is too courteous. I just have good luck!" As he listened to the praises surrounding him, Zhao Haisheng drank up and replied humbly while smiling ear to ear.

    "Well, don''t let it be so good either! How did you actually hook up with the Lu Corporation? As we watched yourpany about to be taken over by that bastard son, Lu Tingxiao suddenly fell from the sky and threw money in the billions and helped you sit firmly in your CEO seat of the Zhao Corporation overnight!"

    "Exactly! My eyes were about to roll out watching all that happen!"

    "Hey, let''s be serious. How did you get Lu Tingxiao to help you? Are you two usually so close?"

    ¡­

    Inside the room, everyone asked one question after another and Zhao Haisheng waved. "All of you praise me too highly. I just followed Bro Tian to climb a mountain and all, but I didn''t say anything to him! Don''t even talk about you, even I''m confused! Not only did I not befriend CEO Lu, the two of ourpanies have no business dealings at all. I still don''t know why he would help me!"

    "Pfft, that''s enough! Don''t pretend and all that tosh after getting the advantages!"

    "Hahahaha¡­then it must be because CEO Lu admires my talents, so he decided to help me out! This is called personal charm!"

    ¡­

    The room was a frenzied buffoonery, yet in a corner, Mo Lingtian''s mouth twitched as he sipped on his drink when he heard Zhao Haisheng''s conversation with those guys.

    Personal charm? Talents?

    Talents, my ass!

    However, this little punk Zhao Haisheng had really been lucky! Others may not know, but he did.

    Lu Tingxiao had only helped Zhao Haisheng because Zhao Haisheng and his wife had stopped Cao Lirong and not let her escape¡­

    Zhao Haisheng would probably never have guessed that his casual act would have received such a return of favor from Lu Tingxiao¡­

    "Oh yes, a few days ago, someone almost died at Bro Tian''s father''s banquet. Did you guys hear about that?" Someone in the room suddenly asked in a lowered voice.

    "Really? No wonder Bro Tian has been unhappy and hid in the corner to drink!"

    "Then, what happened after?"

    "After that, I heard that person who pushed the person into the pond died in the police station!"

    "What!? How did he or she die?"

    "It seems like he or she had identally been in contact with some over-sensitive thing and died¡­"

    ¡­

    Zhao Haisheng had been there. He even knew that the person involved was Lu Tingxiao''s girlfriend and that the person who pushed her was Guan Ziyao''s rtive. There must be an evenplicated situation behind all that, so he only listened to the others discuss it and did not say much himself.

    On the other hand, as Mo Lingtian listened to the discussions around him, his hurting head now ached even more and felt like it was about to explode.

    In the next second, he suddenly kicked the coffee table, then walked right out of the room.

    Behind him was dead silence.

    They waited till Mo Lingtian had walked away for a long time before another round of gossip began¡­

    ¡­

 Chapter 1119: An Aura That Made One Relax

    <h4>Chapter 1119: An Aura That Made One Rx</h4>

    Mo Lingtian braced his exploding head and drove aimlessly on the empty road.

    That was right¡­

    Cao Lirong had died¡­

    Ziyao''s exnation to him was that Cao Lirong was allergic to peanuts. Apparently, she had identally eaten a peanut-based product and died. From a medical perspective, there was nothing odd about it.

    However, Cao Lirong had died at such a chaotic time. How could he believe that this incident was a coincidence from the start to the end?

    In denial, he did not even want to think that within all of this happening, Ziyao had really done something¡­

    To his impression, he was sofortable and at ease with her. How could she do something against her principles for a personal vendetta?

    Mo Lingtian had continued to make excuses for her. Before this, her father had investigated Ning Xi himself. This time, it must have been her father again, yet she knew nothing?

    Mo Lingtian felt like his mind was about to split into half. One half of him believed her, and the other half was suspicious of her¡­

    Unknowingly, he had driven to a row of small houses, then he walked muddle-headed towards one of the old houses. He stumbled in front of the door and started to knock hard on it¡­

    At the door, there was a sound of rushed footsteps before a girl in her sleeping gown and a carelessly thrown-on coat opened the door swiftly with a shocked expression. Her eyes sparkled in a pleasant surprise. "Lingtian¡­"

    In this dense and stifling night, the girl stood at the door akin to the sincerity and elegance of a lily, emitting an aura that made one feel incrediblyfortable and rxed.

    Mo Lingtian felt like he was a traveler in the wilderness in the dead of the night and that he had finally returned home¡­

    Because he had suddenly rxed, he lost every ounce of strength he had and just slumped to the front¡­

    "Ah!" The girl shouted, then quickly hurled out her arms to help him up but she really could not hold his weight. Atst, the two of them fell together onto the floor.

    Before the man''s head could hit the ground, the girl had used the back of her hand to cushion his head. The impact on her hand almost pushed her to tears. She looked panicked as she asked, "Are you okay? Did the fall hurt? Quickly get up!"

    The girl spoke as she tried to help him up. Mo Lingtian was delirious as he looked at the girl''s face. He was being propped up halfway when he suddenly used his strength to push the girl down and started a heated kiss. One kiss after another fell hotly on her lips, corbone, shoulders¡­

    The girl tried her best to push him away but he was too strong, and he was drunk. One of his legs pressed against her knee and his palms locked her arms above her head, easily making her immobile. She could only let him slowly devour her skin and brush aside the cor of her sleeping gown. He continued to kiss her all the way down¡­

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    At the CEO''s office of the Lu Corporation.

    "Chairman Guan, you cannot go in. The CEO is not receiving guests right now! Chairman Guan¡­Guan¡­"

    Guan Rui ignored the secretary''s feeble warnings and pushed open the door to the CEO''s office. "Lu Tingxiao!"

    Before the wide desk, the man looked up from his pile of documents and at his secretary. The secretary immediately walked out nervously and shut the office door.

    "Lu Tingxiao, what is the meaning of this?" Guan Rui threw the newspaper harshly before him.

 Chapter 1120: Do I Need A Reason?

    <h4>Chapter 1120: Do I Need A Reason?</h4>

    The headline of the finance section in the papers showed the Lu Corporation and Zhao Corporation''stest proposal for coboration. However, the coboration was meant to be between the Guans and the Lus instead!

    "I''ve discussed this coboration with your father, yet you''ve disregarded that and signed it with the Zhao family. Don''t you think I deserve an exnation?" Guan Rui''s words were intense as he interrogated.

    Lu Tingxiao looked inly at the man. "Chairman Guan, you don''t seem to have understood who makes the decisions for the Lu family now."

    "You¡­" Guan Rui could not say a word. Imperial was Lu Tingxiao''s turf. They needed to establish themselves, so they had to go through the Lu family to do so but Lu Tingxiao now called the shots!

    Guan Rui could only suppress his anger and calm down to persuade patiently, "Tingxiao, I don''t know if that woman has said anything to you, but the truth is before you. What happened thest time was clear. It was just amon quarrel that caused the ident. Not only that, Rong Rong has already paid the price with her life for it, isn''t that enough?"

    The moment Guan Rui finished, a dim light shed across Lu Tingxiao''s cold eyes.

    Not too long ago, he had received a phone call from the police station that Cao Lirong was dead. The cause of death was a sudden heart attack.

    Guan Rui was lucky. He had asked people to watch her 24 hours a day and there was no way they could do anything, but Cao Lirong was probably too pressured and had died as a result in the police station.

    Dead men tell no tales. The Guan family could exin it however they wanted. It was also because of this that Guan Rui came here to interrogate him without holding back.

    "What intentional murder? All of that wasplete nonsense. You''ve used this baseless usation to ruin the friendship between our families without any evidence. Tingxiao, you''d better think over clearly!" Guan Rui''s tone came threateningly.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the man before him without any expression and he said slowly, "Whoever said that I needed evidence?"

    Who said that I needed evidence to cut off that coboration?

    Did he need a reason to let his wife vent her anger?

    Guan Rui was really incensed now. "You fail to understand what''s wrong or right just for a woman. You''ve really been muddle-headed by that woman''s charm! One day, you''ll regret this!"

    Guan Rui had rushed over in anger and left even more furious.

    After he left the Lu Corporation building, he made his way straight to the Lu family''s old residence, yet when he arrived, he was told that Lu Chongshan was at tinum Pce.

    So, Guan Rui made his way to tinum Pce.

    When Guan Rui arrived, Little Treasure was in the building behind learning from Song Jin and Lu Chongshan was observing on the side. Once in a while, he would chat to Song Jin about some insights or interesting anecdotes about Little Treasure. The atmosphere was incredibly harmonious.

    When he heard the maid announce that Guan Rui had found his way over, Lu Chongshan was quite unhappy as it would disturb his quality time with his grandson.

    "Elder Song, I have a guest. Excuse me for I must leave."

    Helpless, Lu Chongshan could only inform Song Jin before making his way to receive Guan Rui in the living room.

    "Bro Guan, what wind has blown you over here?! Why didn''t you inform me beforehand that you wereing?" Lu Chongshan walked over courteously to greet him.

    "I couldn''t contact your phone," Guan Rui replied.

    When Lu Chongshan heard this, he quickly said, "Sigh, look at my memory. I was apaning my grandson practicing his painting earlier, so I switched off my phone, I''m really sorry!"

 Chapter 1121: Not Up To An Outsider

    <h4>Chapter 1121: Not Up To An Outsider</h4>

    Guan Rui was full of rage now. He did not bother making any more small talk with Lu Chongshan and went straight to the point, "Old Lu, I won''t say more, but I''m sure you know why I''m here. That coborative proposal was discussed with you when I had just returned to the country, and I just confirmed with you half a month ago that there aren''t any problems, yet now you suddenly back out of the promise and even gave it to some random Zhao family. Isn''t this hitting us Guans below the belt?"

    Obviously, Lu Chongshan knew that he was here for this. He first made him sit down then said helplessly, "Bro Guan, our families have been friends for so many years. Of course, I''ll help you, my bro, now that you''re back in the country to expand and I''m d to coborate with the Guan family. Not only I, Tingxiao has the same thoughts too. He also agreed to this arrangement earlier¡­but, you know as well as I do about that incident a few days ago¡­"

    Guan Rui was immediately furious when he heard Lu Chongshan bring that up. "That incident has already been investigated to be an ident, Rong Rong was wrong to speak rudely, but it''smon for girls to squabble a little. She''s even paid with her life, yet that woman is still unwilling to forgive. Isn''t she a little too evil!?

    "I don''t know what that woman has been saying to Tingxiao until we have suddenly been cut off from such a huge proposal! Chongshan, Tingxiao is young, credulous, and he acts on impulse. He''s about to be bewitched by that woman. Are you just going to watch him mess up?"

    When Lu Chongshan heard this, his expression turned solemn. He could scold and interrogate his own son, but he would not let an outsider say all of these. Even if this person was Guan Rui.

    Furthermore, he had seen that incident from the moment it started. He had seen for himself that Ning Xi was pushed into the water by a rtive of the Guan family. He also saw for himself in the CCTV footage that the woman had been rudely provoking her, while Ning Xi did not say anything all the way until she was pushed into the emergency ward. When they received an official letter informing them of her critical condition, he had heard the heartbreaking cries of Little Treasure himself¡­ All of this still left him fear lingering in him.

    Even though Cao Lirong had died after that, it was ssified as sudden death and not caused by the Lu family. Still, Guan Rui''s tone sounded as if she had been killed by the Lus and that it was the Lu family who was unwilling to forgive.

    Besides, the dead could not testify, so no one knew whether the Guan family had a hand in this incident. Even he could not help but be suspicious, much less Tingxiao.

    Thus, even though he felt that it was slightly negligent of Tingxiao to cut off their coboration without a word, he could understand why his son did it.

    It was impossible for any man to be indifferent when such an incident happened. Even if he had opinions about Ning Xi, he could not deny that the incident had nothing to do with Ning Xi at all.

    On the contrary, it was still thanks to her that Little Treasure could finally speak.

    When he thought of this, Lu Chongshan just said, "Bro Guan, Tingxiao was indeed sloppy to suddenly change the coboration, but it''s understandable. After all, the Guan family was wrong in the first ce. If it was not for Cao Lirong''s sudden provocation to hurt someone, would the incident have developed to the stage it was now at? Knowing Tingxiao, the fact that he had only changed the coboration, this is already mild considering our two families'' many years of friendship!"

 Chapter 1122: Little Treasureâ€™s The Most Important

    <h4>Chapter 1122: Little Treasure¡¯s The Most Important</h4>

    Guan Rui was really frustrated, but he also understood that there was no use arguing with Lu Chongshan now. He said in a low voice, "Bro Lu, I know that my family is responsible in this matter, but Tingxiao really hurt our rtionship. Anyway, we¡¯ll be a family soon in the future.

    "Ziyao¡¯s already suffered a lot because of that woman. First, he had a woman outside before Ziyao came back, and now he¡¯s attacking us for that woman¡¯s sake. Is this really the right thing to do?"

    Lu Chongshan¡¯s expression turned serious. After putting some thought into it, he sighed, "Bro Guan, in regards to Ziyao, Ruyi and I have both really liked her since she was small. We view her like half our own daughter. If possible, of course, I hope we can be a family.

    "But we Lus aren''t so selfish as to ask Ziyao to wait endlessly for Tingxiao. After all, you know what¡¯s happening to Tingxiao now. Ruyi and I can¡¯t do anything, so I really don¡¯t want to waste Ziyao¡¯s time. I suppose we should leave rtionship matters in their hands!"

    Lu Chongshan genuinely hoped that they could be a family with the Guans, but with the current situation, not only Tingxiao, even Little Treasure was getting closer and closer to the woman. They could not make the Guan family wait forever!

    They might not be friends anymore and might even be enemies, so Lu Chongshan decided to be straightforward with Guan Rui.

    Guan Rui¡¯s expression changed.

    He had no rebuttal to Lu Chongshan¡¯s words since they had just promised each other privately. There was not even a marriage contract, so the Guan family had no say in this.

    He was too impatient this time!

    Lu Chongshan took the risk into consideration and backed off¡­

    Guan Rui clenched his teeth. "Bro Lu, I believe the both of them still have feelings for each other. It''s just a small misunderstanding. It¡¯s alright if the project won¡¯t be carried out with us. Just take it as an apology for what happened thest time. It¡¯s my fault, I shouldn¡¯t have brought a distant rtive to an event like that¡­"

    "Bro Guan, since it¡¯s a misunderstanding, it¡¯ll be fine after some clear exining! Our rtionship won¡¯t be affected by our children¡¯s drama!"

    As Lu Chongshan spoke, he felt his sleeve being pulled at from behind. He looked around and saw his own grandson tugging on his sleeve. In his other hand was a painting.

    Lu Chongshan¡¯s expression turned gentle. "Are you done? Do you want to show Grandfather?"

    Little Treasure nodded and looked at Guan Rui. He probably remembered that he had seen this man at the dinner thest time and that he was the grandfather of Guan Zhichen, so Little Treasure tensed up.

    Lu Chongshan realized his grandson¡¯s unease, so he quickly sent Guan Rui away. After Guan Rui left, Lu Chongshan returned to the living room.

    There was nothing more important than getting his dear grandson to call him "Grandfather"!

    Lu Chongshan looked at Little Treasure¡¯s painting and praised him with a loving smile.

    As he saw Little Treasure¡¯s lively expression and beautiful eyes, Lu Chongshan sank into deep thought¡­

    He was not against Lu Tingxiao being with that woman because he hated her. It was because his past experience had traumatized him¡­

 Chapter 1123: Mother!

    <h4>Chapter 1123: Mother!</h4>

    At night, Yan Ruyi came over with a lot of bags. She had bought all of them for Little Treasure.

    The moment she went in, she saw Lu Chongshan who had disappeared for the whole day, following Little Treasure around while handing pens to him and praising his drawing¡­

    Yan Ruyi yelled irritatedly, "Lu Chongshan! You lied to me that you went to y golf with your friends, yet you¡¯re here!"

    Lu Chongshan coughed unnaturally when he saw his wife, "Can¡¯t Ie over? Do I have to report to you that I''m visiting my grandson?"

    "If you¡¯re just visiting your own grandson, why do you have to hide from me?" Yan Ruyi realized what his intentions were.

    Lu Chongshan kept quiet.

    Yan Ruyi pointed her finger at him, in anger and jealousy. "You stayed a whole day with him. Did Little Treasure call you ''Grandfather''?"

    Suddenly, Lu Jingli popped out of nowhere, munching on an apple. Heughed, "Hahaha¡­Mother! Don''t worry! Father¡¯s unfair strategy didn''t work! I asked the maid already. Little Treasure said nothing at all today!"

    Lu Chongshan was frustrated. "Bastard! So what?! I spent some quality time with him!"

    Yan Ruyi suddenly felt lighter when she heard that Little Treasure did not call him Grandfather!

    Good thing he did not. If not, Lu Chongshan would surely have bragged to her!

    Lu Jingli was even more gleeful. "Hahaha, I told you so, Little Treasure is my true love!"

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan were trying to get closer to Little Treasure these days, but their tactics did not work.

    He was still the record holder!

    The door suddenly opened. Lu Tingxiao returned with Ning Xi. They had a few bags full of vegetables and meat with them.

    Ning Xi was surprised when she saw Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan there. She whispered to Lu Tingxiao, "Why didn¡¯t you tell me your parents were going to be here?!"

    Lu Tingxiao innocently shrugged. "I just found out myself."

    "Oh! My sister-inw! Are you making some dishes tonight? Are you? No wonder birds were singing outside my window today! Come in!" Lu Jingli quickly took the things from Ning Xi, then yelled loudly towards upstairs, "Little bun! Your mother is back!"

    A quick patter of footsteps came from upstair. The little bun was summoned by the word "mother". He hugged her, then opened his arms wide and asked for a hug again, "I want a hug, Mommy!"

    His expression seemed to be saying, "I¡¯ve waited for Mommy the whole day long".

    With Little Treasure¡¯s touching words, Ning Xi forgot even about Lu Tingxiao, only the little bun filled up the space in her heart.

    She quickly handed all her stuff to Lu Tingxiao and freed her hands to hold Little Treasure up. Her gentle tone made even Lu Tingxiao jealous. "My baby, what did you do today?"

    "Drawing!"

    "And?"

    "Writing!"

    "Did you do your training?"

    "Yes."

    "My baby is the best!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1124: Little Treasure Calls Grandfather

    <h4>Chapter 1124: Little Treasure Calls Grandfather</h4>

    Seeing how Little Treasure was having a conversation with Ning Xi, Yan Ruyi looked at Lu Chongshan, happiness and pride swelling in their hearts.

    They had asked Qin Mufeng about Little Treasure¡¯s condition. He mentioned that Little Treasure was mostly fine now, but he would probably just talk to the people he felt safe with.

    Unfortunately, they took some extreme measures while trying to help Little Treasure back then, so now, their only grandchild did not trust them.

    Yan Ruyi walked towards them and asked, "Tingxiao, are you guys cooking your own dinner?"

    "Little Treasure¡¯s homework is to cook a dinner with his parents," replied Lu Tingxiao.

    Yan Ruyi nodded. "I see! What a meaningful homework! Would your father and I be interrupting?"

    Lu Tingxiao was surprised and even Ning Xi felt odd.

    She was just here today to make dinner with Little Treasure and did not expect Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan to be here as well. She was thinking that she might have to return tomorrow toplete Little Treasure¡¯s homework, but not only did Yan Ruyi not look unhappy, her attitude was also¡­far gentler than ever¡­

    Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi looked at each other. "It¡¯s alright, just watch some TV for a while. Dinner will be ready soon."

    "Okay, go on! If you need help, let me know!" Yan Ruyi said. Lu Chongshan did not have anyints as well.

    "Mmm," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    After Ning Xi greeted the elders, she went into the kitchen with Little Treasure.

    Lu Jingli went back to his own yard to get some vegetables after the three of them went into the kitchen as he felt that his own vegetables were the best.

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan sat on the sofa as they looked at the happy family in the kitchen with mixed expressions.

    From time to time, they heard Little Treasure¡¯s cute little voice from the kitchen¡­

    This was the ideal scenario they had dreamt of¡­

    Ever since Little Treasure¡¯s incident, the Lu family was surrounded by stormy drama. They never expected that they could still be alive to see the day Little Treasure recovered¡­

    "Chongshan, I suppose we should put down what happened thest time. We can¡¯t just deny everyone else because of one person. We¡¯ve observed this girl for so long. She really cares for Little Treasure¡­" Yan Ruyi sighed.

    Lu Chongshan remained silent. He did not react like before and erupt into anger. He mumbled, "Let¡¯s observe longer¡­"

    You would really only know a person after a long enough time!

    ¡­

    In the kitchen, under Ning Xi¡¯smands to the big bun and the little bun, they soon finished preparing a delicious meal.

    Ning Xi nced at the pot of soup on the stove and told the little bun, "Little Treasure, we¡¯re finishing soon. Go and tell Grandfather and Grandmother toe and eat!"

    "Okay, Mommy." Little Treasure obediently ran towards the living room.

    When Little Treasure went over, Yan Ruyi was speaking to Lu Chongshan and they did not notice him there.

    When they were still talking, they heard a cute little voice call out, "Grandfather!"

 Chapter 1125: To Become Motherâ€™s Leg Accessory

    <h4>Chapter 1125: To Be Mother¡¯s Leg essory</h4>

    Lu Chongshan¡¯s opened his mouth wide as he turned around in disbelief. His body trembled slightly while looking at the little guy, not believing his own ears¡­

    Did Little Treasure¡­just say¡­something?

    "Grandfather, dinner¡¯s ready!" Little Treasure repeated, then turned to Yan Ruyi, "Grandmother, time to eat!"

    It was so sudden that Yan Ruyi lost control of her tears. She turned around and wiped her tears, then replied, "Okay¡­we heard you, we¡¯ll be there soon!"

    Little Treasure then left happily.

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi both looked at each other, their eyes tearing up.

    Yan Ruyi wiped her tears away and said to Lu Chongshan, "Little Treasure called you first, happy now aren¡¯t you!"

    "Look at you. He just called both of us together, stop being so petty! How childish!" While Lu Chongshan said that, he could not hide the satisfaction and excitement on his face.

    Yan Ruyi mumbled to herself when she saw Lu Chongshan¡¯s face. Although he said it did not matter, he was actually ecstatic on the inside! Who was childish now!?

    During dinner, the atmosphere was warm and everyone was happy at the table.

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan were smiling all the while. Their attitude towards Ning Xi had improved as well.

    After dinner, as Ning Xi was about to leave, Yan Ruyi said to her, "It¡¯s veryte already, why don''t you stay here for tonight?"

    Ning Xi was really surprised by Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi¡¯s attitude tonight. She rejected carefully, "Thank you, Madam Lu, for your concern, but I have to go to Qingdao tomorrow for a business trip. I have to go back and prepare the materials I need for tomorrow."

    "I see¡­" Yan Ruyi nodded. "Is it for your apparelpany?"

    Ning Xi affirmed, "Yes."

    "I heard Xinyan¡¯s retail store housing your brand is doing pretty well."

    Ning Xi put on a bitter smile. "She had a great start. ount-wise, her store had the highest sales, but who knew that she was running multiple discount campaigns and tried to pump up her numbers with more sathat? She even changed the professional salespeople I arranged for her¡­"

    Although Yan Ruyi was not a professional, after being around Lu Chongshan for so many years, even she understood the problem. "This child! How could she do that?! Then, what happened?"

    "I talked to her and made sure she followed the rules and regtions. Her discounts have made her a great loss and it''ll take some time for her to recover, but as long as she doesn¡¯t do anything reckless, it¡¯ll surely get better¡­"

    Yan Ruyi patiently listened to Ning Xi¡¯s market analysis of several brands and she nodded, continuing to chat with her.

    Lu Chongshan had actually investigated Ning Xi¡¯spany and found out that she not only started it up by herself, she also did most of the things on her own. Despite being a smallpany to develop to the state it was today, Tingxiao had never involved himself in any of the process¡­

    Yan Ruyi chatted with Ning Xi for quite a while. It was only after Lu Tingxiao urged her to leave so she would not be too tired that Ning Xi was sent to the door.

    "Mommy!" The little bun clung onto Ning Xi¡¯s trousers and looked up as if he wished to be his mother¡¯s leg essory and follow her back.

 Chapter 1126: Get One Yourself!

    <h4>Chapter 1126: Get One Yourself!</h4>

    "Ah!" Ning Xi squatted down and patted the little bun¡¯s head.

    "When will youe back?"

    "Mmm, I¡¯m not sure yet, but I¡¯ll video call you!"

    "I want a hug!"

    Ning Xi hugged him for a while.

    "I want a kiss!"

    Ning Xi kissed his forehead.

    Only after a long while did Ning Xi finally leave.

    Lu Jingli witnessed the whole process of the little bun parting with Ning Xi.

    The moment Ning Xi left, Lu Jingli went up to the little bun and said, "Don¡¯t be sad, Little Treasure, Second Uncle can give you hugs and kisses. Come to Second Uncle!"

    The little bun¡¯s gentle gaze remained focused on his mother before he looked at Lu Jingli seriously. "Second Uncle, I¡¯m my mother¡¯s baby. If you¡¯d like to one, get one yourself."

    Lu Jingli was speechless. He felt like multiple arrows had just been shot through his chest!

    "Brother! Look at your son!"

    Lu Tingxiao patted his son¡¯s head. As expected of his clever son! "Mmm, Little Treasure is mother¡¯s baby."

    Yan Ruyi went along, "Little Treasure¡¯s right. If you like kids, go and find someone and get your own kids. Stop troubling other people¡¯s kids!"

    Lu Chongshan sneered at him, "If he¡¯s capable to find one that is!"

    He was attacked simultaneously by his nephew, his brother, and his parents¡­

    He did not dare to brag to them about Little Treasure calling him "Second Uncle" again¡­

    ¡­

    The next morning, after a good night''s rest, Ning Xi brought Han Momo with her to Qingdao.

    Qingdao was under the Hubei province, which was much closer to Imperial. There were twopeting shoppingplexes and Qiao Wen had already contacted one of them.

    Ning Xi¡¯s aim this time was to discuss the details. She did not have to do everything by herself as the boss, but she wanted to experience this learning process.

    On the ne, Han Momo was arranging Gong Shangze¡¯s designs as Ning Xi was looking into the proposal carefully in case there were any mistakes that needed to be rectified.

    Ning Xi did not really feel pressured for this cross-state retail store as this was just the first step. Spirit would be expanding its roots to every state in the country until it went international.

    Qingdao was not far away, so it only took them an hour of flying.

    After they left the airport, they checked into the hotel they had booked.

    After lunch, Han Momo followed Ning Xi and went to thergest shoppingplex in Qingdahad the New Era mall.

    In Qingdao, there were two renowned shoppingplexes, one being New Era Mall, and the other was Allstar mall.

 Chapter 1127: Initial Success

    <h4>Chapter 1127: Initial Sess</h4>

    A few years ago, Allstar Mall dominated New Era Mall in terms of customer flow and product cement.

    Due to the development in recent years, many infrastructure had been built such as schools, government buildings, and residential areas, contributing to higher traffic flow to New Era Mall.

    New Era mall grabbed the opportunity and promoted themselves heavily, then rose as thergest shoppingplex of the city.

    The business deal this time was with one of the best clothingpanies, whose owner was called Deng Kuan. He had eight brands under him and he handled low to medium-ss brands well, but what hecked was a luxury brand like Spirit.

    During this period of time, Spirit¡¯s poprity was rising. Along with the attractive bonus for franchising, this made Deng Kuan interested in joining them.

    About half an hourter, Ning Xi brought Han Momo to New Era. After they walked around for a while, they realized that New Era Mall was pretty big and a lot of people came here as well. If the deal with Deng Kuan went well, it would be very advantageous for Spirit¡¯s growth in the Hubei province.

    Ning Xi called Deng Kuan to inform him that she and her assistant had arrived. A short whileter, a middle-aged chubby man with a female secretary came to Ning Xi.

    "Hello Ms. Ning, I¡¯m Deng Kuan." Deng Kuan smiled and shook hands and Ning Xi.

    Deng Kuan then led Ning Xi to his office.

    After some small talk, Ning Xi passed her proposal to Deng Kuan as she smiled. "Mr. Deng, the details of franchising are all in the proposal. Please have a look."

    Deng Kuan nodded and started to go through the proposal seriously.

    "We¡¯ve included some of ourtest works inside. Check it out." Han Momo presented a well-packed outfit to Deng Kuan.

    "Mmm¡­great!" Deng Kuan smiled. "Ms. Ning, I¡¯ve been to Spirit¡¯s store twice and I really like Spirit¡¯s quality and designs. Overall, I think it¡¯s great, but, about the price, do you think you could give me a little discount?"

    Ning Xi replied, "Mr. Deng, I¡¯m sure you understand that qualityes with a price. We¡¯re really looking forward to Mr. Deng¡¯s coboration as well, so we¡¯ve made a special consideration on the pricing."

    "Heh, Ms. Ning, we¡¯re business people. We¡¯re all aiming to earn more money, no?" Deng Kuan said suggestively.

    "Mr. Deng, well¡­" Ning Xi paused for a short while. "If I tell you that I can give you more discouan today, then Spirit¡¯s loss will need to bepensated from the materials. It would be a bad thing for both the consumers and you, Mr. Deng. With Spirit¡¯s poprity and assurance in quality today, I believe you can see for yourself, as a smart businessman, you¡¯d be able to understand the full potential of Spirit."

    Deng Kuan¡¯s eyes brightened as he looked at this young founder in front of him. He was trying to get a lower price, yet she was so experienced that what she said made sense.

    Spirit¡¯s brand impact and potential was what he was aiming for.

 Chapter 1128: Breach Of Contract

    <h4>Chapter 1128: Breach Of Contract</h4>

    "Haha, Ms. Ning, it¡¯s all set then. Let¡¯s return to Imperial tomorrow together. Let me take a look at Spirit¡¯s headquarters and we¡¯ll get the contract signed. How does that sound?" Deng Kuan beamed.

    "Of course, we¡¯ll wee you. It¡¯s set then. If there¡¯re any more questions, you can contact me anytime." Ning Xi¡¯s expression softened.

    After a short casual chat with Deng Kuan and agreeing on the time to go back together to sign the contract, Ning Xi left with Han Momo.

    Ning Xi and Han Momo went straight back to their hotel after they left New Era mall.

    ¡­

    Just a moment after Ning Xi left, a man walked into Deng Kuan¡¯s office.

    "Mr. Deng, please allow me to introduce myself. I¡¯m the Marketing Director of History, Qin Zifan." The man looked at Deng Kuan smilingly.

    "History?"

    Deng Kuan was a little taken aback. Of course, he knew about History. History had been founded earlier than Spirit. Coincidentally, both their brand positionings and styles were simr. Everyone knew that these two luxury brands were currentlypeting.

    "Qin Zifan¡­if I remember correctly, you¡¯re the former Marketing Director of SF?" Deng Kuan took a nce at Qin Zifan, seeming to remember him.

    Qin Zifan nodded, not denying it.

    "Haha, Mr. Qin, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re toote, I¡¯ve already made an agreement with Spirit. I¡¯m going to franchise Spirit¡¯s brand. Sorry but you¡¯ve wasted your efforts toe here."

    An experienced businessman like Deng Kuan could surely guess Qin Zifan¡¯s intentions for being there.

    "Oh¡­hmm, an oral agreement?" Qin Zifan pondered, "I believe as a businessman, I¡¯ll be straightforward with you. We¡¯re really interested in working with you. This proposal was written by me personally. You may take a look before making a conclusion."

    Deng Kuan took the proposal and read through it patiently.

    "Two points lower than Spirit?!"

    Deng Kuan was shocked. This offer was much more attractive than Spirit¡¯s!

    "If you ept our offer, from the brand management to the supply and training of the salespeople, we¡¯ll make the necessary arrangements directly from our headquarters, and most importantly, any fees needed for promotions will be provided by us as well." Qin Zifan offered an extremely attractive deal.

    Deng Kuan took some time to contemte. "Well, we¡¯re all friends. Let¡¯s have dinner tonight and go through the details¡­"

    Qian Zifan gave Ning Xueluo a call after he came out of the office.

    "Boss, it¡¯s done! I told you so, the Marketing Director of Spirit is just a nobody!"

    He ended the call with a wide grin, then left.

    ¡­

    The next day, in the hotel room, Ning Xi received an abrupt message from Deng Kuan. He said that after a long consideration, they decided to give up Spirit and choose History instead. The main reason was that History made a better offer.

    "How could he be like this? That Mr. Deng broke our promise!" Han Momo expressed her injustice of the situation.

    "We were too careless this time. Anyhow, we should go there and confirm with him directly¡­" Ning Xi¡¯s expression turned serious. She did not say much and went straight to New Era mall. She then realized that Deng Kuan had made his decision earlier

    He had invited Ning Xi for lunch but had not said anything about Spirit¡¯s franchise.

 Chapter 1129: Aceâ€™s Move

    <h4>Chapter 1129: Ace¡¯s Move</h4>

    Ning Xi found out that after she left, the Marketing Director of History, Qin Zifan, had quickly gone to talk to Deng Kuan.

    After he dropped by, Deng Kuan decisively gave up on franchising Spirit and chose History; one did not have to guess much about what happened.

    As she was leaving New Era mall, Ning Xi gave Qiao Wen a call and asked her to go over to Qingdao immediately.

    The Marketing Director of History seemed to be very experienced. In such a situation, she could only rely on Qiao Wen!

    Let¡¯s hope she has a solution¡­

    In the afternoon, Qiao Wen rushed to Qingdao and stayed in the same hotel as Ning Xi.

    In the video call before, Ning Xi had already told Qiao Wen about the situation, but she repeated it again after they met each other.

    "Give up on New Era," Qiao Wen voiced her thoughts straightforwardly.

    "Give up? My ace¡­are you sure?" Ning Xi felt skeptical. Was this something Qiao Wen would say?

    "That¡¯s right," Qiao Wen replied, "The Marketing Director of History came here fully prepared. He wanted to wage a war of pricing. If we deal with him, we won¡¯t be able to win. In fact, we¡¯d lose even if we get the deal."

    "What do you mean, Director Qiao?" Han Momo was a little confused.

    "It''s simple. History wanted a price war, so they gave New Era the lowest price possible, which means that History wouldn¡¯t be earning. If we¡¯re going to get the deal back, we can only offer a lower price, which is bad for Spirit. It might even affect our product¡¯s quality. It¡¯s not necessary to go that far just for New Era," Qiao Wen exined.

    "Director Qiao, do you mean that if we were to get the deal back, we¡¯d be hurting ourselves, and History would stop giving their sweeter deal as they would have achieved their goal? If we don¡¯t try, New Era would be go to History anyway. Although they will have very little profit, it¡¯s still good promotion for History¡¯s brand," Ning Xi said.

    "That¡¯s right." Qiao Wen nodded and Ning Xi understood the situation perfectly.

    Ning Xi was shocked. Who exactly was the Marketing Director of History? He had just created a sure-win scenario for himself!

    If Spirit wanted to get New Era back, then they would have to pay a price. On the other hand, if Spirit did not do anything, it would benefit History. Regardless of whether they snatched the deal back or not, Spirit would still lose either way!

    Spirit was now stuck in an awkward position. Neither moving forward nor backward was good.

    "So, we¡¯ve lost?" Ning Xi felt a little frustrated as their first cross-state deal was snatched by History.

    "Lose? The game has just begun." Qiao Wen¡¯s cold face lit up when she talked about a topic involving her area of expertise.

    "Ah? But, Director Qiao, you just said that no matter what we do, we¡¯ll lose, so what should we do?" Han Momo was confused.

    Not just Han Momo, even Ning Xi could not tell what Qiao Wen was thinking about.

    "Besides New Era, we have another suitable choice. It''s New Era¡¯s opponent, Allstar," Qiao Wen replied.

    "Allstar mall¡­"

    Ning Xi thought about it when she heard Qiao Wen mentioned Allstar.

    "In thesest few years, while New Era was performing better than Allstar in overall, it did not mean that Allstar was doing poorly. Instead, Allstar was really capable, especially its luxury franchise retail stores. Allstar performed well in this area and the customer flows are consistent," Qiao Wen borated.

    "So, Director Qiao, you''re saying that we should go to Allstar instead?" Ning Xi somewhat understood Qiao Wen¡¯s intentions.

 Chapter 1130: An Eye For An Eye

    <h4>Chapter 1130: An Eye For An Eye</h4>

    "Actually, I¡¯ve been talking to people from Allstar. They''re interested in working with us as well," Qiao Wen said.

    "Then, why did you ask me to look for Deng Kuan in New Era?" Ning Xi realized that she did not understand this woman at all.

    "Boss, if you and Han Momo went to Allstar first, wouldn¡¯t it mean we''d have to give up Allstar and go to New Era instead?" Qiao Wen replied.

    Han Momo and Ning Xi were shocked. What Qiao Wen meant was that she already had a conclusion to put Spirit in Allstar, and not New Era all along! She and Han Momo had been deceived and used by Qiao Wen!

    Ning Xi was speechless. She had deceived her own boss. The gall of it! She would surely reduce her sry!

    Qiao Wen realized Ning Xi¡¯s thoughts andughed, "Boss, it¡¯s not what you think. The best case scenario is to ce our brand in both Allstar and New Era, but since History is interested, we¡¯ll just give them New Era. It¡¯s not a big deal."

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes glowed. She was really touched that Qiao Wen was fully focused on fighting for Spirit!

    "Director Qiao, you¡¯re really awesome. If we had gone to Allstar first and History started the price war, we could only hand it over to them. But now that History has chosen New Era, to defeat us, they offered a near zero-profit proposal! This means that the moment History stepped into Hubei province, they''ve already lost!" Han Momo was really impressed by Qiao Wen, totally forgetting about her earlier dissatisfaction towards her.

    History had snatched New Era away with a near zero-profit offer and was probably grinning ear-to-ear happily now, not knowing they had already lost.

    Had it not been for Qiao Wen, even if History nned to ce a store in New Era, they would not have such a healthier profit margin. They would have had to spend a lot and offer a hefty discount to Deng Kuan too!

    "Director Qiao, how did you know that History would surelye andpete with us?" Han Momo was still a little confused. Maybe Qiao Wen could predict the future!

    Qiao Wen replied, "History¡¯s current Marketing Director is Qin Zifan and he worked in SF before. During his time there, he used simr tactics to defeat many strong opponents for SF. Since we¡¯re now History¡¯s most threatening opponent, he''ll surely do something about us."

    "What if Qin Zifan didn¡¯t go over?" Han Momo asked.

    Qiao Wen looked at Han Momo like she was a silly girl. "If he didn¡¯t, then both New Era and Allstar will be ours."

    "Awesome! Really impressive! Now, I know what a real tactic is!"

    "I think I have to treat Owner Qin to another meal¡­" Ning Xi smiled.

    An eye for an eye. Qiao Wen had thought a step further than Qin Zifan.

    Qiao Wen was not really keen on New Era anyway. Most of the clothing brands there were proposed by Deng Kuan, which meant that New Era never really had a luxury clothing store before, so the market potential there was low.

    As for Allstar, they started taking in luxury clothing brands many years ago and were probably the earliest in the Hubei province to do so, which made Allstar popr with high-spending potential customers.

 Chapter 1131: Bumped Into Someone Familiar

    <h4>Chapter 1131: Bumped Into Someone Familiar</h4>

    The definition of Spirit was obvious. It was ssified as a high-end luxury brand. While New Era''s human traffic was more than Allstar''s, they were clearly not the ones Spirit was targeting. Allstar was different; it had many high-end customers!

    ¡­

    In just two days, Ning Xi and Qiao Wen had discussions with Allstar and finally signed the contract for opening a retail store.

    And this retailer was even more capable than New Era''s Deng Kuan. It was one of Allstar''s shareholders!

    In the past few days, Qiao Wen had apanied Ning Xi to travel back and forth Hebei and was very busy helping Spirit''s retailerunch their business in person. This made Allstar''s shareholders have a favourable impression of her.

    Further unexpectedly for Ning Xi, on the first day of business, she had bumped into a familiar face in Allstar.

    Ming Fangfang.

    She was not shocked to bump into Ming Fangfang in Qingdao. She was more surprised to see the man beside her. The man was tall and handsome. He looked very young and was holding a mix of big and small bags with an ice cream in one hand. He was attentively pampering her.

    "Miss Ning, long time no see! Didn''t think I would actually bump into you here! I haven''t thanked you for thest time. Let''s find a ce for a meal together," Ming Fangfang suggested when she saw her.

    She was different from the hysterical and sallow woman from before. The Ming Fangfang today emitted the gentleness of a woman and looked really good too. It seemed like she was living a healthy and lucky life.

    "This is¡­?" The man looked at Ning Xi and asked.

    "Ning Xi. I''ve mentioned her to you before."

    "Oh, you''re Ning Xi¡­" The man instantly revealed a good-natured expression. "Then, we should indeed treat her to a meal. I wonder if you''re free?"

    When Ning Xi regained her senses from her shock, she answered frankly, "Sure! Of course, I don''t mind being treated to lunch!"

    At a nearby restaurantter, the man knew that with him around, they would not be able to speak freely, so he did not bother them and left after dropping them off at the restaurant. "Call me when you''re done, I''ll pick you."

    "Mmm," Ming Fangfang responded.

    After he left, Ming Fangfang leaned back on her chair and looked at Ning Xi, then asked, "Have you been shooting recently?"

    "I just finished shooting a movie. If all goes well, then it should be in the theatres soon," answered Ning Xi.

    "Which director?"

    "Chen Mian."

    "What a coincidence! The first movie I shot was with Director Chen¡­" Ming Fangfang could not help but say ruefully.

    Ming Fangfang had acted in Chen Mian''s second movie "Love Is In The Future" as the female protagonist. That movie was still an insurmountable ssic and it had also established Ming Fangfang''s status in the entertainment industry.

    Sadly, Ming Fangfang was the daughter of an affluent family. She had only joined the entertainment industry for fun. Atst, she had only acted in this one movie before getting married.

    However, even though she had left the industry for a while now, her name still held some prestige, which was why so many people had been interested when Hu Hongda was revealed to be having an extramarital affair.

    After exchanging a few more conventional small talk, Ming Fangfang looked to Ning Xi to say, "Don''t you have anything that you want to ask?"

    Ning Xi had been curious since before, but she just felt that it was not polite to ask too much. However since Ming Fangfang had raised it herself, she decided to just nose in, "Um, Senior, that man just now is¡­?"

    "My husband," answered Ming Fangfang, pleased by the sound of Ning Xi addressing her as "Senior".

    "Ah¡­" Ning Xi had meant to ask whether she had divorced Hu Hongda. Well, now it looked she did not have to. Not only did they get a divorce, she had even remarried very quickly.

 Chapter 1132: He Isnt Fertile Either

    <h4>Chapter 1132: He Isn''t Fertile Either</h4>

    No wonder she appeared in Qingdao. It turns out that she had gotten married and moved here!

    Ning Xi instantly showed her a thumbs up. "Cool!"

    Ming Fangfang was amused by her reaction. "Am I?"

    "Of course! To be honest, I was quite worried before this. I was afraid that you''d be soft-hearted! I could see that you really loved Hu Hongda. After all, you even forgave him when he had an affair¡­but thankfully, you''re a true goddess! You decisively cut him off!" Ning Xi kowtowed with her fists together as a sign of respect.

    Ming Fangfang forced a smile. "I''m not as blunt as you say I am. It''s because I''m too indecisive that I dragged it on for so many years¡­to the point that if it were not for Fang Ya appearing at our door and showing me their true colors, I might have really repeated my mistakes!"

    "Fang Ya actually went to your house?" Ning Xi could basically imagine how the situation had panned out. "Even though I think that you should have gotten the divorce¡­wouldn''t that be letting Fang Ya off too lightly?"

    Ming Fangfang sneered, "It looks like you haven''t been reading the newstely."

    Ning Xi blinked and spread her hands innocently. "Are you talking about the news in finance? I only read the entertainment section!"

    "Hu Hongda is bankrupt," said Ming Fangfang.

    "Bankrupt¡­then Fang Ya¡­" Even though Ning Xi was a little shocked, this was still within her predictions. In that situation then, New Era''s estates would have already been ruined to the brink of death by Lu Tingxiao, and since they had even chased away Ming Fangfang, naturally, there was only one dead end.

    "What do you think?" Ming Fangfang looked at her.

    Ning Xi raised her brows. "Did she get an abortion, then run off?"

    Hu Hongda was bankrupt, so there was no way Fang Ya would continue to be with him.

    In their n, they thought that Ming Fangfang wouldpromise and help to save thepany, then they could continue to collude together and enjoy the luxury of wealth, but the did not expect Ming Fangfang not to do as they wished. In the end, the two were left with nothing.

    "Huh, thepany went bankrupt and after Fang Ya aborted their child, Hu Hongda immediately ran back to look for me¡­"

    Ning Xi revealed a worried expression. "With his personality, he must have clung on you to no end and refused agree to the divorce. Am I right?"

    "You guessed it."

    "Then, how did you get rid of him in the end?"

    "What else can I do with these kind of people? My family got someone to beat him up, then he immediately straightened up. Otherwise, do you think I could have gotten logic through him any other way?"

    Ning Xi revealed an expression of satisfaction. It looked like Ming Fangfang had thoroughly let go of that good-for-nothing. "The one you have right now¡­he looks like he treats you very well."

    When she brought up that man from earlier, Ming Fangfang''s initial cool expression softened quite a little. "Mmm, he''s¡­indeed very good to me¡­he''s liked me for many years, but I''ve never considered him because he''s five whole years younger than me.

    "At that time, I thought that he was young and didn''t believe that he was serious. I also felt that children of wealthy families like him wouldn''t be reliable, but who would have thought that he waited on me for so many years? He immediately came looking for me when he heard that I had gotten a divorce.

    "At first, I still couldn''t ept him because I felt inferior and that his family would definitely not agree to let him marry a woman who''s a divorcee and was so many years older than him¡­"

    Ning Xi frowned. This was indeed a little thorny. "Then, what happened?"

    Ming Fangfang continued with a more tender expression now, "Then, I frankly told him that it''s hard for me to get pregnant and that I might never bear a child my entire life. I wanted him to back out¡­atst, he actually got a diagnosis from the hospital and told me that what a coincidence! He isn''t fertile either."

 Chapter 1133: Come Over To Support A Friend

    <h4>Chapter 1133: Come Over To Support A Friend</h4>

    Ning Xi dumbfoundedly eximed, "Wow? Is he really¡­not fertile?"

    Ming Fangfang touched her lower belly bashfully and said, "I''m pregnant, what do you think?"

    Ning Xi immediately looked overjoyed. "Whoa! Really?! You''re pregnant? Congrattions!"

    There was no need to ask any further. That man had obviously lied to her.

    When Ming Fangfang saw the girl''s genuine joy for her, she felt touched. "Thank you!"

    When she talked about this, Ming Fangfang still had some remnants of rm. "When I had first found out I was pregnant, I was frightened. I thought it was Hu Hongda''s and I was ready to get an abortion. Halfway through, he found out and told me the truth, then he brought me to the hospital for a detailed check up. From the timeline, it showed that it was indeed his child, so then his parents agreed to us too¡­"

    Ning Xi listened to this, her hair raised. Thankfully, Fate would not treat the kind-hearted unfairly. She had finally waited for the arrival of a life and it wasing to fruition.

    "As for that Fang Ya, I''m toozy to actually find out how she''s doing, but someone did end up telling me that they heard she was being shut out because of her bad reputation, so now she''s off to shoot those kind of films¡­" When she mentioned Fang Ya again, Ming Fangfang''s expression had calmed down much more, as if she had just spoken about a stranger.

    "I''m very sorry that I misunderstood you then and said all those things to you. Now, I can''t drink, so I''ll use tea to rece booze and drink to you!" Ming Fangfang apologized to her with a solemn expression.

    Apart from apologizing, she had even more gratitude. If it were not for Ning Xi who had exposed Hu Hongda''s lies back then, she would not have the life she did today¡­

    Ning Xi quickly returned the toast and said, "No worries, you weren''t aware back then."

    Ming Fangfang looked at her a little worriedly as though she wanted to say something, but atst she simply said, "I wish that you and that person¡­can get through everything smoothly too."

    "Thank you." Ning Xi was a little surprised and she raised her brows. "I thought you would advise me not to fall for that fatal attraction."

    Ming Fangfangughed, "If it was me, I probably wouldn''t have resisted a man like Lu Tingxiao either. Furthermore, you''re a young girl! Besides, I can see that Lu Tingxiao does quite like you. Ever since I''ve gotten pregnant, I just feel like¡­anything is possible in this world, isn''t it?"

    "Of course, I''ve always thought so!"

    After hearing a story so full of positive energy, Ning Xi''s mood lightened up quite a bit.

    ¡­

    After parting ways with Ming Fangfang, Ning Xi returned to the hotel and prepared for the second day of the businessunch. Unexpectedly, she met her at theunching ceremony again.

    "Miss Ming¡­no, Mrs. Zhao?"

    "I''ve juste over to take a look, am I not weed?" When she saw Ning Xi''s shocked expression, Ming Fangfang teased.

    "Of course, you''re wee, I''m just a little surprised! You''re pregnant. Are you sure it''s okay?" When she chatted with Ming Fangfang yesterday, Ning Xi had just casually mentioned the reason she was in Qingdao and had briefly talked about theunch today, but she did not think that she woulde to support her personally.

    "It''s just a little walking. What problems can there be? Don''t treat me like I''m made of ss!" Ming Fangfang was probably nagged by her husband often at home, so she quickly rebuked.

    But how would Ning Xi dare be careless? She quickly held the pregnantdy to support her.

    "Mrs. Zhao! You''re here! Excuse me for not going out to meet you!" Even the person in-charge of Allstar was humbled and overwhelmed at the sight of Ming Fangfang, so they quickly rushed up to greet her.

    "I''vee to support a friend!" Ming Fangfang''s tone was casual.

 Chapter 1134: Hooked

    <h4>Chapter 1134: Hooked</h4>

    Not only was Ming Fangfang queen of Imperial''s prestigious families, her husband was also from one of the most renowned tycoon, so they did not think that Spirit''s owner would be friends with her. The attitude of Allstar''s person-in-charge instantly increased in respect and important regard for this retail store.

    "Mrs. Zhao, this way in! If I knew you wereing, I would''ve covered up all the corners in this ce just in case you knock into anything!"

    Everyone knew how CEO Zhao pampered his wife!

    Ning Xi was speechless from the sidelines. Not bad, this person has a talent for brown-nosing!

    Ming Fangfang held her forehead in mock distress. "You see that? Everywhere I go, it''s like this! I have to suffer days like this for another seven months!"

    Ning Xi smiled teasingly. "I pity you!"

    As Ning Xi said this, she definitely would not have thought that¡­one day, she would be the one who deserved the most pity¡­

    Not too far away, Qiao Wen and Han Momo''s eyes were full of astonishment as they watched the way Ning Xi conversed happily with Ming Fangfang. Before this, they had been worried about finding the right person tounch their retail store in Qingdao, but who would have known that Ning Xi had invited Qingdao''s favoritedy from the Zhao family over?

    Not only was she famous in the entertainment industry, her and her husband''s families were public figures too. This was perfect for Spirit''s niche and demand. Very soon, they could see hat the effect of Ming Fangfang''s visit was even better than they had imagined.

    Since Ming Fangfang was had gotten pregnant, she was rarely out and about and had not appeared before the media in a long time. This time, after Qingdao''s media heard the news, they all flocked over. It had even attracted a lot of Ming Fangfang''s high-end die-hard fans. On just the first day of theunch alone, Spirit''s retail store in Allstar had almost been cleared out of stock, making the revenue on the first day tally up to several millions!

    Inparison, History''s store that had opened yesterday seemed a little quiet. Their two days of business turnover could not even reach Spirit''s bar at Allstar.

    After Allstar''s opening ceremony ended, Ning Xi had stayed for a few more days to see how Spirit would fare in Allstar. Throughout a few days of observation, Allstar''s turnover rate looked promising every day.

    Ning Xi was now incredibly full of admiration for Qiao Wen''s strategic mindset. Allstar''s high-end crowd was indeed a few times more than New Era''s, making it an excellent starting point for Spirit to begin in the Hebei Province.

    As for Qiao Wen and Han Momo, they thought that Ning Xi was truly magical instead. She always had unexpected surprises for them every single time. Ming Fangfang''s visit and support was truly the powerful key that led to Spirit being renowned in the Hebei Province.

    Now, Deng Kuan from New Era was utterly regretful. If he had known that it would turn out like this, he would not have turned on his words back then!

    But there was no pill for regrets. It was a done deal now¡­

    ¡­

    Very quickly, the news had spread to Imperial. When Ning Xueluo heard about this, she flew into a terrible rage and scolded Qin Zifan ruthlessly.

    She never would have thought that not only did Spirit get a deal with Allstar Mall, even Ming Fangfang had gone over to show her support! Allstar did not have such power, so it must have been Spirit who invited Ming Fangfang¡­

    Damn it! What was happening recently!? Not a single thing has been going right!

    Ning Xueluo was annoyed as she picked up the phone and said impatiently to the other end, "How''s that thing I asked you to help me do thest time? Why aren''t there results yet?"

    "What are you rushing for? The target is hooked. Be prepared to pull your in," the man replied nonchntly on the other end of the phone.

 Chapter 1135: Born From Mothers Womb

    <h4>Chapter 1135: Born From Mother''s Womb</h4>

    Ning Xueluo breathed a sigh of relief before a sinister look hsed in her eyes. "You can be a little cruel when you do it. That way, it''ll seem more realistic!"

    "Don''t worry, little girl, you don''t have to teach me these things! Don''t forget about what I want!" The man lowered his voice.

    Ning Xueluo''s tone was slightly annoyed. "Didn''t I say that I''d find a time to help you ship those things in? There''ll be some stocking from Los Angeles to Imperial next month! There won''t be any problems, you just have to help me get this done right, then everything goes!"

    ¡­

    At tinum Pce in Imperial.

    In the study room, the little bun was lying his head on his father''s desk and his huge eyes stared at the man, unblinking. He asked for the sixteenth time today, "When is Mommying home?"

    These past few days, Lu Tingxiao and Little Treasure''s conversation was basically:

    "When is Mommying home?"

    "Why isn''t Mommy home yet?"

    "Will Mommy being home today?"

    "Will Mommy being home tomorrow?"

    ¡­

    Obviously, a son who could speak was harder to deal with than when he could not say a word. Before this , he only used his eyes to attack, but now he could attack with his voice too.

    Lu Tingxiao knitted his brows and closed theptop before him, then he tilted his head and looked at his son with aplicated expression.

    These past few days, Little Treasure had called out for Mommy, Grandfather, Grandmother, and even Second Uncle.

    Even though Little Treasure was always driving Lu Jingli crazy when he spoke to him, he could see that Little Treasure actually liked Jingli very much because he spoke the most to him and he would basically respond every time.

    Yet, he¡­had yet to hear Little Treasure call him "Father" once.

    Every time Little Treasure looked for him, he would only ask about Ning Xi. Apart from that, he had nothing else to say.

    To say that he was not bothered at all was lying.

    "Little Treasure,e here, let''s have a chat," Lu Tingxiao said as he waved at his son.

    Little Treasure was focused on waiting for his mother''s return, so he was not in the mood for a chat. He clearly looked very unhappy.

    "Are you unwilling to call me?" Lu Tingxiao asked him frankly.

    When he heard Lu Tingxiao''s words, Little Treasure''s tiny face instantly turned stiff.

    Indeed, this child was unwilling, which was why he had intentionally not called out to him.

    "Why? Can you let me know?" Lu Tingxiao tried his best to soften his tone when he asked.

    But the little guy''s expression looked even worse now, to the point that he was unwilling to even speak to Lu Tingxiao now. He immediately took out his writing board that he had not used for a while.

    Even though he now spoke to express himself, the habit of bringing his writing board with him everywhere had not yet changed.

    Then, Lu Tingxiao saw his son write stubbornly on the board: [All your fault]

    All my fault?

    When Lu Tingxiao read the three words, he was confused. "What do you mean?"

    The little bun''s eyes were full of grief and indignation as he continued to write: [All your fault that Little Treasure wasn''t born from Mommy''s womb! Little Treasure wants to be born from Mommy''s womb!!!]

    The little guy''s eyes reddened as he held up the board, his expression lookIng like he was about to cry. He knew that even though Aunty Xiao Xi had always been good to him, she was not his biological mother and not the person who had given birth to him.

    When he thought of this, he felt especially angry at Father!

    Why did Father not have him with Aunty Xiao Xi!?

    When Lu Tingxiao saw his son''s words, he was startled and stunned for a while, then he did not know whether tough or cry.

 Chapter 1136: Angry Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 1136: Angry Little Treasure</h4>

    This little guy¡¯s logic¡­

    He would obviously love to have given birth to him with Ning Xi, but if it was their child, then it would not be Little Treasure¡­

    Unfortunately, Lu Tingxiao could not exin all of this to Little Treasure. Or maybe, there was no need for him to exin.

    Little Treasure understood all of this deep down too. He was just angry, bitter, and felt wronged. Why could he not have been Aunty Xiao Xi¡¯s biological child?

    Inside the study room, the atmosphere between the father and son had suddenlye to a stand still.

    At that moment, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s phone rang. It was Ning Xi.

    "Hello?"

    "Big Boss, do you miss me?" The girl¡¯s cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone. Simply from her tone, it must have gone well on her end.

    "I do." He had never missed her more than this very moment.

    My wife, if you do note home soon, I cannot deal with the son anymore.

    "Hehe, I¡¯m about to get on my flight. I¡¯ll reach Imperial tonight but it''ll be quitete when I do, so I won¡¯t disturb your sleep. I¡¯ll go look for you and Little Treasure tomorrow morning."

    "I¡¯ll pick you up."

    "Uhh, I¡¯ll be with Momo and Director Qiao. Do you really want to frighten them both? I¡¯ll just get a cab back! Good boy! Oh, is Little Treasure asleep? If he isn¡¯t, can I say a few words to him?"

    Then, Lu Tingxiao passed the phone over to his son who had been waiting impatiently beside him.

    "Mommy!" When the little bun heard Ning Xi¡¯s voice, his expression turned much more obedient as if he was a different person from the angry Little Treasure earlier.

    ¡­

    At the same time,te at night, in a certain underground casino, Zhuang Rongguang¡¯s eyes stared at the cards in his hand and his palms started to sweat while everyone around him watched with fixed gazes.

    Finally, thest card was revealed bit by bit, and the instant it was revealed, Zhuang Rongguang¡¯s nasty friends had already emotionally jumped up from their seats and Zhuang Rongguang swiftly tossed the cards in his hands as he dered, "Straight flush! Give me my money!"

    A stack of chips were pushed over and Zhuang Rongguang looked very happy. He had already nned to travel the world after graduating, but his family would definitely not agree and had even execute an economic sanction on him. His sister was also very firm on this; she was definitely on the family¡¯s side and refused to give him a single cent.

    Recently, he had been thinking about ways to crowdfund, so when his friends heard about his situation, they suggested for him to try his luck here. Even though he was yful, he knew that he should not be involved with certain things like gambling, but this time, he was really in dire need for cash and when he saw that quite a few of his buddies had won quite a bit, he decided to give it a go.

    At first, he did not dare to risk too much, but Lady Luck was on his side today and he had gathered quite a few million in chips in no time.

    Up next, Zhuang Rongguang yed for another three rounds and had won all of them. Initially, he felt that he had collected enough money and was ready to leave, but since he felt so lucky, he could not bear to go and decided to continue ying, fueled by his friends¡¯ persuasion¡­

    Not too far away in a corner, a square-faced man with blonde hair and bare arms revealed a vulgar smile. He picked up his phone and made a call, "The big fish is hooked, reel in the!"

    Not too long after the blonde-haired man hung up, a tall man wearing a thick gold chain had squeezed through the crowd without batting an eyelid and walked right up to Zhuang Rongguang. "Hey! Little brother! I¡¯ve watched you for half a day and they all say you¡¯re in luck today but I don¡¯t quite believe them. Dare to y a round of huge stakes with me?"

    "Bring it on, I¡¯m not afraid of you!"

 Chapter 1137: Fall Into The Trap

    <h4>Chapter 1137: Fall Into The Trap</h4>

    One hourter, Zhuang Rongguang had lost all of his winning chips.

    The man wearing the gold chainughed out loud delightedly before drawing all the chips to him, "You little punk, you''re still too inexperienced to y with me!"

    "One more round!" Zhuang Rongguang''s expression darkened as he mmed his fist hard on the table.

    "What!? You''ve lost everything! Go home and look for your mother, so she can feed you milk!" The man hissed.

    The moment he said that, the entire casino instantly burst intoughter.

    At this moment, Zhuang Rongguang had really lost it all. The clothes on him were all branded and had been taken off as loan coteral. Even the genuine leather wallet his sister had given him for birthday was gone too.

    He was initially prepared to earn some money for the road, yet he had lost all of his life savings instead. Most importantly, he had initially won all those money, but it had now all been gambled away. Withthis roller coaster ride, his young chest was furiously heaving and no matter what, he was unwilling to back down. "Stand right there! Go another round with me! If I lose, then I''ll owe you!"

    The man withughed aloud, "Hahahaha¡­little brother, I don''t do that owing thing! I want to see cash!"

    "Damn it! Can''t I just owe that little bit of money? Come on! If I lose, I''ll immediatey have someone send money over!" Zhuang Rongguang roared.

    "Pfft¡­it looks like you wouldn''t let it go if we don''t go for another round. Then, I''ll just be kind and go one more round with you!" The man returned to the gambling table.

    Momentster¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang fell, stupefied on his chair and moaning, "No way¡­no way! One more!"

    The man revealed a vicious expression at the sound of this. "We can go for one more, but you''ll have to return the five million you owe me first!"

    "I¡­I''ll just give you all of it altogetherter!" When he heard that he had lost five million without realizing it, Zhuang Rongguang''s expression changed.

    "Pfft! You little punk, you want to trick me!? I''ve already let you owe me for five rounds now! You want to owe me more? Who do you think I am? Quickly get someone to send the money over! Or else¡­"

    Zhuang Rongguang had wanted to say something, but he was instantly surrounded by a few of burly guys and they all looked malicious.

    Zhuang Rongguang''s back was slick with sweat now. He quickly pulled his two friends beside and asked, "Do you guys still have money on you?"

    "We don''t have anymore money. All that we have has been given to you!"

    "Exactly, even my watch has been taken out for coteral!"

    "Hey! Then what do we do now? This was all becuase of you guys who made mee here to gamble!" Zhuang Rongguang was frantic now.

    "How dare you say that? We only brought you here cause we''re nice and you said you needed money. There''s winning and losing in gambling. We can''t control things like your luck either!"

    "Stop talking crap. I don''t care what ways you think of. Quickly help me get the money!"

    "Where are we suppose get five million?!"

    ¡­

    "You lot, are you done discussing?! If you don''t show me the money, I need one of you to leave a hand!" The man shouted at him sininsterly.

    These kind of things happened too often in the casino, so everyone just watched with the attention of an audience, or just ignored them and focused on their own games.

    Zhuang Rongguang''s face turned pale. "What are you rushing for? Aren''t I getting the money for you now?"

    He carefully evaluated those people. Apart from that man with the gold chain, there was another blonde who seemed to be the lead. That blonde''s gaze was devillish, his entire body filled with exaggerative tattoos and even scars. His mouth was full of vulgarities and he was obviously a gangster, but he did not look local and even had an ent in between his speech. He looked like someone from out of town.

 Chapter 1138: Just Chop It Off!

    <h4>Chapter 1138: Just Chop It Off!</h4>

    In short, it was obvious that they were not a good idea to mess with!

    At this moment, Zhuang Rongguang''s two friends looked at each other before one of them said, "Guang, how about this, Qiang and I''ll go out and get the money for you first or else, there''s no way we can get money just by waiting here!"

    "Exactly! We''ll get the money as soon as we can and send it over!"

    Zhuang Rongguang looked at the hulking, vicious men and agreed, "You two had better hurry!"

    "Yes, yes, yes¡­" The two of them flew out the door.

    Then, Zhuang Rongguang was brought to an abandoned store not too far away from the casino. Once the group of people brought him there, they did not care about him and started to y cards and drink noisily because they were guarding the sole exit; there was no way for him to escape at all.

    It waste at night and the remote ce was eerie with a moldy smell. He was afraid that even if he was killed there, no one would ever find out¡­

    When he thought of this, Zhuang Rongguang could not help but feel a chill travel up his spine.

    If this was his usual desperate times, he would definitely use his family, but this time, he had really gone overboard. If his family found out, he would be done for! So, he could only put his only hope in those two friends!

    However, with time passing by every second, there was still no news from his two friends, not even a call¡­

    "Hey, punk! Why aren''t they here yet!? Your two friends wouldn''t have run off, would they?" The gold-chained man kicked him.

    "No way! I''ll call them now! Maybe they''re already on the way!" Zhuang Rongguang quickly dialed their numbers.

    Atst, their phones rang for over ten times without anyone picking up before automatically hanging up. Zhuang Rongguang continued to attempt both their numbers and this time, they had just switched off their phones.

    "Sheet!" Zhuang Rongguang was so angry he almost broke his phone.

    Usually, when they had fun together, he would always pay. He even paid for them to pick up girls and lent them his cars, yet when he was in trouble, they disappeared!

    "Did they really run away?"

    "Huh! They''re ying a fool out of us!"

    ¡­

    When the gang realized what had happened, they were instantly furious.

    "Wait! Wait a while more! They will definitely return. They should be getting the money. Five million is a lot. They''ll need some time!" Zhuang Rongguang pleaded anxiously.

    Though this time, those people had no more patience left. "Motherf*cker! I think this punk won''t cry unless he''s staring Death in the face! Chop this punk''s hand off!"

    "You dare?! Do you know who I am? My father is Zhuang Liaoyuan¡ª" Under extreme fear, Zhuang Rongguang blurted out.

    When those people heard him, not only were they fearless, they had guffawed out loud instead. "Hahahahaha¡­Zhuang Liaoyuan is your father!? Then, Zhuang Zhongren is my grandfather! You think you''re Zhuang Liaoyuan''s son while you look like such a wimp? My ass!"

    "You¡­you people!" Zhuang Rongguang was so angry he turned scarlet.

    "Chop it off!" The gold-chained man''s gaze turned dark, then the blonde-haired man held a sharp knife and walked over while another person held Zhuang Rongguang''s hand down firmly.

    Zhuang Rongguang mixed with themunity in Imperial, so those in the social circle would know him, and no matter how huge a matter was, they would still respect the Zhuang family a little. No one would really dare to do anything to him. This was the first time someone had actually treated him this way.

 Chapter 1139: How Dare You Touch These Things

    <h4>Chapter 1139: How Dare You Touch These Things</h4>

    As much of a rascal as he was, he was still only 18 years old. Zhuang Rongguang was so frightened that he started shaking as he struggled hard. "Hold on! Hold on! Give me one more chance! I''ll immediately call for someone to send money over! This time, they''ll definitelye! I guarantee! Guarantee!"

    The man with the gold chain looked at the blonde first, then said, "We''ve said it clearly. We want cash!"

    "I know! I know!" Zhuang Rongguang replied as he trembled and called Zhuang Keer.

    "Hello, Rongguang? Where are you, it''s already sote? Why aren''t you home yet?" On the other end of the phone was Zhuang Keer''s anxious and reproachful voice.

    "Sister! Save me! Quickly bring five million to Third East Avenue. There''s an abandoned store here! Hurry!" Zhuang Rongguang did not care to borate much and immediately shouted.

    "What''s happening? Exin properly!" Zhuang Keer''s tone changed now.

    "Sis! Don''t ask anymore, just quickly get the money and send it over! My life is in your hands!"

    "You want me to get five million for you without exining clearly?! Five million isn''t a small sum. Did you get someone hospitalized again?"

    "No¡­no¡­" As he watched the crowd of people eyeing him covetously, he could only force himself to mumble, "I owe people five million in gambling debt¡­"

    "Gambling debt?! Zhuang Rongguang, are you crazy!? How dare you touch those things?!" Zhuang Keer shrieked angrily.

    "Sis¡­sis, can you be softer?! Please, sis! Quickly save me! If you don''te, then they''ll chop off my hand! Please, sis! Ah!!!" Zhuang Rongguang suddenly cried out miserably as he was kicked in the guts.

    "You¡­you people, don''t touch him, I''ll send the money immediately! Don''t touch him, do you hear me?!" Zhuang Keer shouted.

    The man picked up Zhuang Rongguang''s phone and said, "I''ll give you 30 minutes. For every minute that you''rete, I''ll chop off one of his fingers!"

    Then, he mmed the phone down.

    At the Zhuang residence, Zhuang Keer looked at the dead phone and looked stricken.

    Sex! Gamble! Drugs! Those were all the things we Zhuangs are strictly not allowed to touch. Even if we did in the slightest, Zhuang Liaoyuan will really kill him with a bullet! Grandfather has a heart problem. There''s no leeway at all¡­

    She could not even report it to the police. If she did, Rongguang would be done for¡­

    It was a good thing her father was not home today¡­

    Zhuang Keer had no choice. She could only quickly get the money, rush to the location to pay the ransom and get him¡­

    ¡­

    Time passed in agonizing seconds and Zhuang Rongguang''s entire being was tormented.

    He did not know if his sister could gather the money soon enough. Would she just not care about him?

    After all, he had always caused trouble for her and let her clean up his mess. She had probably been long annoyed by him¡­

    When he thought about the two friends that had ditched him, Zhuang Rongguang became increasingly frightened¡­

    "Three more minutes!" The gold-chained man looked at the time on his phone and said.

    The blondie blew the sharp knife in his hand. "Don''t worry, my skills are really good. Just one clean cut¡­I guarantee that you won''t be in any pain at all¡­it''ll be neat and clean¡­"

    "There''s¡­there''s still three minutes! What are you rushing for!?" Zhuang Rongguang''s voice trembled as he spoke.

    The gold-chained man sneered before continuing to drink and chat idly with his buddies.

    Finally¡­

    Three minutes were up¡­

 Chapter 1140: So What If We Crippled You?

    <h4>Chapter 1140: So What If We Crippled You?</h4>

    It was just three minutes, yet Zhuang Rongguang felt like an entire decade had passed.

    The blonde man hinted at the tattooed man beside him, who then put down his bottle of drink and slowly walked over. He pinned Zhuang Rongguang''s hand down.

    The blonde spat on his knife. "Punk, time''s up! Now, it''s just one finger! Say, which one should I chop off first?"

    The blonde''s gaze skimmed his ten fingers like a venomous snake.

    Zhuang Rongguang started to struggle like crazy. "Let go of me, let go! My father is Zhuang Liaoyuan, my grandfather is Zhuang Zongren! If you touch me, my family will never let you go!"

    "Hahahaha¡­you sure? Even if you''re really Zhuang Liaoyuan''s son, you''re just a useless piece of crap, so what''s the issue if I cripple you? Maybe your family will thank me for helping them educate you!

    "Little bro, if you really don''t understand, I''ll teach you. It''s not that easy to roll on the streets. If you owe money and can''t return it, then you should pay the price. No matter where you go, that''s the rule! Even if it''s the Zhuangs, I''m not afraid! If you really want to cause a huge ruckus, I''d really like to see who would be unluckier!" The blonde''s tone was fearless.

    As he spoke, the blonde had already spread Zhuang Rongguang''s fingers out wide and aimed his knife at his pinkie.

    "Ah! Ah ah ah!!!" Zhuang Rongguang howled at the top of his lungs.

    "Stop right there!" At the same time at the entrance of the store, a girl snarled.

    The blond first looked at the girl, then annoyedly struck Zhuang Rongguang''s face with the back of the knife. "What are you screaming for? I haven''t even chopped it off! Cowardly weakling!"

    Zhuang Rongguang looked at his perfectly unharmed pinkie and was already frightened to the point of tears and sniveling. He then nced hopefully at the person at the entrance as if he was looking at hisst life-saving straw. "Sis¡­Sis¡­save me!"

    He had always boasted about having friends everywhere and always called others his buddies, yet at that moment, the only person he could beg for help¡­and to help him regardless of anything¡­

    ¡­was unexpectedly his sister whom he had always found annoying!

    Zhuang Rongguang felt an indescribable feeling appear as a lump in his throat¡­

    Zhuang Keer panted at the entrance with her hands on her knees. When she saw that they had not done anything to him yet, her face was full of uncertainty and fright. Her stare at Zhuang Rongguang was full of disappointment and anger.

    The blonde''s demonic gaze swept over Zhuang Keer up and down like a sticky fly before he asked, "You brought the money?"

    "I did! Count it, five million, not a cent less!" Zhuang Keer threw the entire box to them.

    The man with the gold chain took the box and threw it to his men to count. A few men gathered around to start counting.

    Because she did not have much time, Zhuang Keer''s box contained cash, gold bars, and some jewelry. It would definitely add up and probably be in excess instead of being less.

    Momentster, one of them shouted, "Boss, no problem! This chick is honest!"

    "Now, can you let him go?" Zhuang Keer asked coldly.

    "Of course!" The blonde signaled and two of the men immediately released Zhuang Rongguang.

    "Sis!" Zhuang Rongguang wiped his tears away and rushed to Zhuang Keer. Zhuang Keer was furious but she knew this was not the ce to talk. It was more important that they left quickly.

    Although, as they were ready to leave, a few people had blocked the entrance.

 Chapter 1141: Dont Touch My Sister

    <h4>Chapter 1141: Don''t Touch My Sister</h4>

    The blond-haired raised his brows. "Babe, where are you going?!"

    "Didn''t we already give you the money? What more do you want?"

    "We only agreed to let your brother go. We didn''t agree to let you go!" The blonde evaluated Zhuang Keer up and down with a devilish gaze.

    "What do you mean?! You''ve already gotten the money. How can you go back on your word?!" Zhuang Rongguang instantly flew into a rage.

    The man with the gold chain chuckled, "Haha, you''ve given us the money but you dyed it for so long, so shouldn''t we ask for some interest?"

    "Interest?" Zhuang Keer had a bad feeling about this.

    "What stupid interest?! I think you''re just intentionally picking fault!" Zhuang Rongguang was so mad that his chest heaved but he was pulled back by Zhuang Keer. There were too many of them. It was no use for them going the difficult way.

    "You want more money? I can get more. I just need some time!" Zhuang Keer said.

    The man with the gold chain and the blonde looked at each other and revealed strange smiles. The blonde held his chin and looked at the woman before him. "I don''t need money. We aren''t reallycking any! We just need you to stay here for a night with us and our buddies! Then, that interest will be considered paid off!"

    Zhuang Rongguang could not hold it in anymore. He struggled away from Zhuang Keer''s grip and rushed up to the blonde. "Bastard! I''ll kill you!"

    Unfortunately, how could his small figure fight against those people?

    Among the crowd, a man with a scar on his face went up to him and punched him to the ground. "You punk! Damn it! How dare you cause trouble here!?"

    At the same time, a sneering man in a ck tank top with a body full of tattoos walked towards Zhuang Keer¡­

    Zhuang Keer never thought that Zhuang Rongguang would ever mess with such people, but it was toote to say anything now. She could only stagger backward¡­

    However, she was just a girl and all of these were huge men. She could not really escape anywhere. She had just run a few steps before getting caught by the arm by the tattooed man. He shoved her hard towards the gang. In the process, her coat was inevitably pulled away and her flimsy nightgown was revealed¡­

    "Eh, this girl knew what we wanted! She''se dressed like this¡­" The tattooed man''s eyes were full of lust and everyone elseughed along too.

    Zhuang Keer was beyond anxious when she had heard the news that Zhuang Rongguang was caught and that they had only given her 30 minutes to gather the money or else, they were going to chop his fingers off. How could she have had the time to change? She had just put on a coat and ran out. Even the shoes on her feet had not been changed. She wore slippers and in her haste, only one side was left on her¡­

    "Let go! Let go of me!" Zhuang Keer pped him in her struggle.

    When the p was heard, the man''s devilish urge flourished and he tore Zhuang Keer''s clothes apart¡­

    "Bastard! All of you stop! If you''re that capable, thene for me! Don''t touch my sister!" In the corner, when Zhuang Rongguang saw Zhuang Keer being pushed to the ground, his entire face copsed. Earlier, he had been beaten up and was dying on the floor but now, he sprung up and fought like crazy with two men.

    "Don''t touch her! Don''t touch her! If you dare, thene for me!"

    It was not sure where Zhuang Rongguang found the strength. He actually struggled away from the two buff men and rushed to Zhuang Keer, ready to push off the tattooed man¡­

 Chapter 1142: An Alluring Woman

    <h4>Chapter 1142: An Alluring Woman</h4>

    However, the man was instantly angered. He balled his fists and yelled at Zhuang Rongguang while everyone else watching had rushed to topple the teenager too¡­

    "Rongguang!" Zhuang Keer held on to her wrecked clothes and let out a shrill shriek.

    In the next second, Zhuang Keer was pped and the tattooed man was even rougher as he pulled onto her hair, dragging her to a corner. "Whore! What are you shouting for!? Come here! I''ll have you screamingter!"

    "Sis! Sis! Let go of her¡­ah!!!" Zhuang Rongguang was surrounded by the few men and beaten up. Slowly, he could not speak anymore. He could only fix his gaze on where Zhuang Keer was being pulled to, his eyes filled with tears.

    As he helplessly watched Zhuang Keer get dragged away while the man pinned her down to pull on her clothes, he could only watch as his sister was vited by the rogue. Zhuang Rongguang felt his heart was about to explode. His voice was already hoarse and he could only shout weakly like a trapped animal, "Don''t touch my sister! Don''t touch her¡­don''t touch my sister¡­don''t touch her¡­"

    He had never, never hated himself this much as he did this very moment! He hated himself!

    He wanted to kill himself!

    He wished he could kill himself with a knife!

    He was an animal¡­

    An animal!

    ¡­

    At the entrance of the store, the man with the gold chain lit the cigarette of the blonde and revealed a worried expression. "I think that''s about enough. Wouldn''t this be going overboard? The boss only said to scare them a little!"

    "What are you rushing for? Since we''re scaring them, we have to do it right! Didn''t the boss say that he wanted to be the hero that saves the beauty to get the other person''s goodwill? Obviously, we have to make it more realistic. That way, the effect will be better!" The blonde-haired man said nonchntly.

    The man with the gold chain looked at Zhuang Keer and sinisterly grinned. "I''m just afraid that if we continue like this, Old K wouldn''t be able to hold back. That chick is a real fresh one!"

    "Haha, if he can''t hold back¡­then, we''ll just let our buddies have some fun!" The blonde looked to the tattoed man who was clearly starting to lose control and sneered.

    The man with the gold chain instantly reprimanded, "Hey, don''t mess around! That''s Zhuang Liaoyuan''s daughter!"

    "Pfft, so what if that''s Zhuang Liaoyuan''s daughter?" The blonde unhurriedly took out his phone and was ready to call the boss.

    Unexpectedly, at this moment, a person suddenly appeared at the entrance. She was decked in high heels and wore a wine red dress, covered by a ck windbreaker and her naturally curly, long hair tumbled on her shoulders like kelp.

    It was an alluring woman.

    The cigarette of the man with the gold chain fell to the ground from his mouth, while the blonde guy had forgotten about his call too. Even the man who was ripping Zhuang Keer''s clothes had stopped to gape astonishedly at the woman.

    "Xiao Xi, run! Quickly run! Quickly leave this ce! Run!"

    When those people had not noticed, Zhuang Keer had randomly pressed a number on her mobile phone and secretly sent a message to cry for help. However, when she had seen that it was Ning Xi''s number, she regretted it, worried that Ning Xi would be in danger because of her¡­

    Who would have thought that the thing she was worried most about had still happened?

    When she saw that Ning Xi had actuallye alone, Zhuang Keer was immediately rmed and quickly shouted for her to leave.

    At the ruined entrance of the store and with her back to the dim moonlight, the woman''s ck windbreaker was wantonly teased by the wind. When her eyes fell to the corner where the girl was pinned down by a man with her clothes nearly torn apart to nothing, her eyes instantly turned murderous.

    The blonde-haired man stared at Ning Xi''s sudden appearance and his expression was lewd. "Eh, have we got another chick? Just nice! I was just worried about not having enough to share!"

    Just as he said that, the sound of the wind came rushing at him and a strong force hit him on the temple. The blonde was kicked to the ground and hey there unmoving. He had actually fainted from the kick.

 Chapter 1143: Tyranny!

    <h4>Chapter 1143: Tyranny!</h4>

    The others noticed that something was not right and were rmed. All of them rushed up to the front to take her on¡­

    However, this woman''s motions were practically diabolical. They could not get close to her no matter what they did. Instead, they had been beaten up one after another.

    They had met with numerous police who were difficult to deal with and had escaped police chases numerous times, yet they had never met such a strong opponent.

    This woman, who was she?

    Ning Xi''s cold poker face remained as she stepped on all those men rolling on the floor howling in grief. She made her way towards Zhuang Keer.

    "Xiao¡­Xiao Xi¡­" Zhuang Keer covered herself with both arms and shivered.

    Ning Xi''s expression remained calm as she took off her windbreaker and wrapped Zhuang Keer up tightly.

    "Xiao Xi! Careful!" Zhuang Keer saw that behind her, the tattooed man had suddenly gotten up and held a stick in his head, ready to hit Ning Xi on her head.

    Ning Xi carefully put Zhuang Keer down against the wall before abruptly turning around. Instead of backing up, she moved in and before the stick could fall on her, she kicked his wrist. The stick fell to the ground with a loud thud. Following that, the man was struck to the ground.

    Even after he had fallen onto the ground, he did not know how this woman''s moves could be so swift. In fact, every move of hers had urately hit him on his fatal points.

    Ning Xi looked down on the tattooed man she had beaten to the ground. He was the man who had bullied Zhuang Keer earlier. Then, she bent over and squatted before him, pulling him by the cor before she hit his face hard with a fist, then another fist, and another¡­

    The girl''s face was devoid of expression as if she was isted from the outside world, entirely tranced in her own world. She robotically hit the man''s face, one punch after another. The empty store echoed with the horrifying sounds of the punch¡­

    One could almost not recognize the man''s face and Ning Xi''s hands were stained red with blood as well¡­

    It was not sure whether the color of that blood was his or her own from hitting him too hard¡­

    Yet, she did not stop at all. Her punches grew vicious and her eyes had an inhumane look in them as if she was a devil that had just crawled out of hell¡­

    All those present were stunned with shock. All her victims from earlier felt their legs give way as they fell to the ground, their faces full of fear.

    Even Zhuang Rongguang and Zhuang Keer were frightened too.

    At that moment, suddenly a voice yelled from behind Ning Xi, "Whore! Stop! Raise your hands up!"

    The man with the gold chain from earlier suddenly held up a gun and was pointing it at Ning Xi''s head.

    Zhuang Rongguang and Zhuang Keer''s faces dropped. "Xiao Xi¡­"

    Ning Xi''s attention was now caught. She pushed the tattooed man away and used the back of her hand to wipe off the sttered blood near the corner of her mouth. Her gaze fell on the gun¡­

    "Raise both your hands! Come here! Take off all of your clothes for me!" The man snarled and hooted.

    "Xiao Xi¡­" Zhuang Keer was so worried that her eyes turned red. "Aren''t I your target? Let her go!"

    "It was, now it isn''t anymore! This whore has hurt so many of our buddies. Does she think we''ll let her go easily? No way!"

    The men that had been beaten up all slowly struggled up and viciously surrounded Ning Xi. The atmosphere could not have been tenser.

    "Rongguang, cover Keer''s eyes," said Ning Xi calmly.

    Before his brain could process anything, Zhuang Rongguang''s body had already quickly followed Ning Xi''s orders as he stumbled over and covered Zhuang Keer''s eyes.

    In the instant Zhuang Rongguang covered Zhuang Keer''s eyes, the sound of guns firing filled the empty night sky.

    The man with the gold chain had his eyes staring wide open as he fell to the ground with a bloody bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.

    In Ning Xi''s hand was a gun, pointing straight at the direction where the man had stood.

 Chapter 1144: Practically A Monster!

    <h4>Chapter 1144: Practically A Monster!</h4>

    In the instant that man fell to the ground with a bloody bullet hole in his forehead, those surrounding Ning Xi had a change in expression.

    One of them subconsciously touched his waist and indeed, it was bare.

    The gun in her hand was his. He did not even realize when she had taken it from him.

    God damn it!

    Now, among them were three leaders. One had fainted from this woman''s kick the moment she walked in, another had been punched to a pulp, and thest one had been killed.

    These three people had recently started making their mark in Imperial. Rumor had it that they were malicious characters in the circle and ran heroin cartels at many casinos. They even had connections for weapons, yet today they had all fallen by the hand of a woman!

    If Ning Xi was a lunatic for beating someone up coldly earlier, the current version of her was practically a robot with a gun in hand. She was a heartless, murderous robot¡­

    Facing human lives, even if it were ruthless people like them, they would still tremble a little with a gun in their hands, yet this woman had not hesitated for half a second from the moment she whipped out the gun and aimed to kill!

    This was no sweet beauty. She was practically a monster!

    Zhuang Rongguang had covered Zhuang Keer''s eyes while he watched Ning Xi kill someone with the gun, his facepletely pale at this point.

    Even though he was born in a military family, this was his first time watching someone kill just a few steps away from him. A life was gone just like that.

    Under his father and grandfather''s influence, he roughly knew that even if someone were incredibly talented in shooting, practicing and actual gunfire were two different things. Even if it were a professional police or a sniper with years of training, they did not dare to shoot a living person. They even needed a long time of counseling after killing someone for the first time¡­

    Nevertheless, no matter if it was before or after shooting, Ning Xi''s expression seemed to not have changed at all¡­

    As he was suddenly caught in this bloody scene and seeing a living person killed before him, the fear in Zhuang Rongguang''s heart had reached its peak. He felt even more admiration for this woman before him and a strong disdain for himself¡­

    Even though he was stupid, he was not entirely clueless. The instant he saw the man holding a gun, he knew that these people were not usual rogues who would not have guns!

    If it were not for Ning Xi''s sharp marksmanship subduing them earlier, they would have counter-attacked like mad right now.

    As for him, not only did he involve his sister, but when she was being vited, he could only watch without any way of retaliating¡­

    "Xiao Xi!" When Zhuang Keer heard the gunshots, her entire being was engulfed in fear. She pushed away Zhuang Rongguang''s hand that covered her eyes.

    When she saw that the person on the ground was the man with the gold chain while Ning Xi stood in the same spot unharmed, Zhuang Keer felt relieved and at the same time, her eyes were filled with worry¡­

    That shot¡­was Ning Xi?

    "Whore! Y-you''re dead! You¡­you killed someone! You actually killed someone!" One of the other men trembled in fear as he shouted.

 Chapter 1145: No One Leaves Tonight

    <h4>Chapter 1145: No One Leaves Tonight</h4>

    Ning Xi reacted as if she had heard a joke. Her lips curled. "So? Should I help you call the police?"

    "You¡­" The few men looked at each other and were so pale. They found themselves tongue-tied.

    When the three men had been drunk, they had bragged that they were the number one criminal gang on the police''s red files and had even boasted about how many policemen they had killed in pursuits. For this level of fugitives, even if they were caught, they would immediately be executed by a firing squad. How would they dare to call the police!?

    Underground casinos, kidnap and extortion, rape attempts, and sheltering fugitives! All of them would be behind bars!

    The few of them looked at each other and came up with a conclusion. The woman before them was even more terrifying than the three rogues, so their best n was to run away!

    Thus, they started to flee¡­

    Before they could run out, a woman''s cold voice was heard from behind them.

    "Stop right there."

    All of them froze.

    "Did I allow you people to leave?" The woman''s tone was like a call from hell. They were so frightened that they shuddered.

    Ning Xi lowered her gaze. Her eyes were filled with an animalistic darkness and blood-thirsty excitement before a hunt. She had intentionally not called the police and came here alone. There was no way she would allow them to leave so easily¡­

    No one was allowed to leave tonight!

    Ning Xi''s deadly gaze swept across those people. "Earlier, who else touched her?"

    "No! No! I didn''t!"

    "I didn''t either!"

    "I swear I didn''t touch a single hair of hers! Earlier, it was all of them who caught her and her brother!"

    ¡­

    In that instant, everyone started to panic and swear that they were not involved, almost swearing on all 18 generations of their ancestors.

    Ning Xi''s gaze slowly fell on the rat-faced man hiding behind several people and trying to sneak off. Earlier, when that tattooed man was tearing apart Keer''s clothes, it was he who had helped hold Keer down¡­

    When the man noticed Ning Xi''s attention on him, he knew things were about to take a bad turn, yet before he even had the time to escape, there was a loud thud on his face.

    In the next second, a loud wail followed and the man''s wrist turned into a bloody mess as he rolled on the floor from pain.

    "Damn it, you witch! I will kill you!"

    That man''s evil bellow came from his guts. He suddenly cursed loudly and then took out his handgun, yet the instant he held it up, it was smacked down by the butt of Ning Xi''s gun and he covered his hand as he rolled on the floor and wailed again.

    The speed of her gun was inhumanely fast!

    "Beautiful, spare our lives!"

    "Big Sis, spare our lives! We didn''t even touch your friend at all!"

    "Really, trust us!"

    ¡­

    Those with guns had been crippled. Forget about those unarmed, now all of them did not even bother to resist. The remaining few just fell to the ground, kneeling one after another.

    Unfortunately for them, Ning Xi did not look like she was nning to let them off the hook. The murderous air around her had grown stronger as the gun in her hand pointed straight at the rat-faced man''s head.

    Now that the two of his hands were crippled, he had no means of resisting. It was like ughtering a sheep.

 Chapter 1146: Xiao Xi, Calm Down!

    <h4>Chapter 1146: Xiao Xi, Calm Down!</h4>

    "Big Sis! I''m wrong! I''m really wrong! I don''t know anything! I''m just a nobody that runs errands for others. I will do whatever the boss says! When settling disputes, you shouldn''t involve third parties. All of this is unrted to me¡­" That rat-faced man was engulfed by fear at this point and he started to beg for his life as he saw the gun pointed at him.

    "You touched her." The woman''s expression did not falter.

    That gaze! She really wanted to kill him!

    "I didn''t! I didn''t! I just held down the girl''s hands¡­no, no, no¡­I didn''t mean to¡­please spare me my life¡­please¡­" The man''s legs were shaking so badly at this point. There was stinky, yellow liquid dripping from the crotch of his trousers. He was so scared that he had actually peed his pants.

    Ning Xi did not have the patience to listen to his nonsense. Instead, the viciousness in her eyes was losing control from his mor. Her head kept reying that image of Zhuang Keer being pushed down by that man to be vited. That image¡­it was slowly melding with that scene from five years ago¡­

    Her headache felt like it would split her skull. At the same time, it was getting harder for her to hold back¡­

    Ning Xi left her finger on the trigger. She slowly increased its pressure, about to pull the trigger in the next second¡­

    At that moment, a pair of soft and warm arms hugged her from the back, breaking through her foggy mind. "Xiao Xi! Enough! Enough! Calm down! I''m alright! I''m alright! Look at me! Xiao Xi! Calm down okay? Xiao Xi, Xiao Xi¡­"

    The girl''s anxious and worried voice rang in her ear.

    Ning Xi''s rigid spine gradually softened and the bloodlust in her eyes had slowly extinguished as well, returning to a dim calmness.

    Just as Ning Xi put down her gun, the gangsters quickly grabbed the opportunity and ran out.

    From the corner of her eye, Ning Xi caught a nce of them and she raised a hand to fire near one of the guy''s foot as he held a box in his arms. The man cried out and was so frightened that his soul almost left him. He respectfully delivered the box to the monster, then stumbled off¡­

    He thought to himself, "Damn it! That was five million! Never mind! It was more important to stay alive."

    That box was the five million that Zhuang Keer had spent the night gathering.

    "We''ve got the money back. Xiao Xi, let''s leave this ce quickly!" Zhuang Keer was afraid that something else would happen, so she quickly urged.

    "You guys leave first, I need to clean up the ce," said Ning Xi.

    "But you¡­" Zhuang Keer was obviously worried about leaving her alone.

    "Go." Ning Xi''s gaze was gentle but resolute as she patted Zhuang Keer''s shoulder, then her eyes shot to Zhuang Rongguang. "Come here, hold your sister!"

    "Oh¡­" Zhuang Rongguang got up in a flurry, and because he walked too hastily, he was tripped by the body of the man with the gold chain and almost fell. He made his way to Zhuang Keer and carefully helped her out of the store.

    Ning Xi cleaned up all traces of her at the scene before calling the police.

    Usually, in such a situation, the police would just think that there had been a gang fight and a deadly brawl. Besides, when she fought with them, she noticed that the three leaders were notmon rogues. They had an ent from the drug paradise, Golden Triangle, and were most likely deadly fugitives¡­

    How had Zhuang Rongguang provoked these sort of people?

    Ning Xi did not think further. She quickly left the scene and disappeared into the night¡­

    ¡­

 Chapter 1147: Wanted To Be Someone Like That

    <h4>Chapter 1147: Wanted To Be Someone Like That</h4>

    By the roadside, Zhuang Keer waited restlessly outside the car. She was only relieved when she saw Ning Xi walk out. She quickly walked up to her and called out, "Xiao Xi!"

    "Let''s go!" Ning Xi opened the car door for her and quickly helped Zhuang Keer in.

    Zhuang Rongguang just quietly shrunk into the backseat of the car.

    Zhuang Keer pulled Ning Xi''s windbreaker closely around her and said worriedly, "If I go home like this and bump into the maids, it might be troublesome to exin¡­"

    "Let''s go to my ce first."

    "Mmm." Zhuang Keer nodded, her eyes teared up as she looked at the driving girl."Xiao Xi, I''m really sorry about tonight. In a moment of desperation, I just sent the message without thinking, then I started to worry that I would implicate you and something would happen. I have to bear the me¡­I''m really sorry¡­"

    Ning Xi looked at Zhuang Keer through the rearview mirror, her gaze no longer as murderous as it was in the warehouse. Her voice was gentle. "No need to be sorry. I''m very happy that at such a moment, the person you thought of was me."

    As she looked at Ning Xi''s gentle expression, Zhuang Keer felt an indescribable feeling. She took out a tissue and helped Ning Xi wipe off the blood stter on her cheeks. "But¡­Ning Xi, how did youe so quickly?"

    "I''ve been outstation for work these few days. I just got on a flight back to Imperial tonight and I saw your message on the way home from the airport. Thankfully, the cab was not too far away from you at that time."

    Or else, if she had been a littleter, she dared not to imagine what would have happened¡­

    Zhuang Keer understood, then she looked worried again. "Xiao Xi, would this affect you or anything? After all, you have just¡­"

    Ning Xi tilted her head and gave Zhuang Keer a look of assurance. "Trust my capabilities of erasing traces."

    "Mmm." Zhuang Keer nodded, she had an unconditional trust in the person before her.

    In the back seat, Zhuang Rongguang stared at Ning Xi with an absent-minded expression. His eyes¡­there was a certain yearning and longing that he had not noticed himself¡­

    He wanted¡­wanted to be someone like this¡­

    A person that others could rely on¡­

    For the people around him to trust and rely on without reservations¡­

    He wanted to be a real man¡­

    ¡­

    Half an hourter, Ning Xi arrived outside her bungalow.

    Inside the house, Ning Xi immediately found a clean set of clothes for Zhuang Keer. "Go and take a hot shower. Change out of your clothes."

    "Mmm."

    After Zhuang Keer left to shower, Zhuang Rongguang stood in the living room at a loss. He thought that with Ning Xi''s temperament, she would have berated him endlessly, and maybe even beat him up, so he was prepared to face it all.

    Atst, Ning Xi did not scold him. She did not even look at him as if he was invisible. He was beingpletely ignored.

    Ning Xi''s indifferent attitude made him feel even worse than being scolded or beaten up¡­

    A whileter, Zhuang Keer was done with her shower.

    Ning Xi let Steamed Bun bring the first aid kit over, then called Zhuang Keer to sit down beside her, "Come here, let me look at your wounds."

    Ning Xi just skimmed her body slightly and saw all the shocking signs of force on Zhuang Keer''s wrists and neck. It was even starker on her pale white skin and this had yet to include the bruises under her clothes¡­

 Chapter 1148: Are You Still A Man?

    <h4>Chapter 1148: Are You Still A Man?</h4>

    When she saw Ning Xi''s increasingly ghastly expression with some hints of those uncontroble emotions at the warehouse, Zhuang Keer quickly held her hand and consoled, "Xiao Xi, it''s okay, they''re just small bruises!"

    Though, when she heard these words, Ning Xi''s expression did not calm down.

    Were these really just small bruises? To any woman, such an incident would cause trauma and even cast fear across a person''s life. It could not be measured by the number of external wounds!

    Furthermore, this was Zhuang Keer, a simple, innocent and well-protected girl who had never been wronged like this, yet she had met with such a horrific incident.

    Thankfully, she hade in time and those people did not get away with it or else, she would not have let go of any of them. She would even chop Zhuang Rongguang into pieces!

    Ning Xi took a deep breath and restrained the aura around her that wanted to wreak havoc. She lightly put medication on Zhuang Keer''s wounds. "It hurts a little, bear with it for a while."

    Zhuang Keer was afraid that Ning Xi would lose control again, so she did not dare to cry out even if it hurt. She repeatedly consoled her instead, "It''s okay, it doesn''t hurt that much¡­"

    In the corner, Zhuang Rongguang, who had not spoken a word since the warehouse, stared stunned at the horrific bruises on Zhuang Keer''s body. In his head, he kept reying that scene of Zhuang Keer being assaulted while he was helpless¡­

    The dark clouds that shrouded him grew increasingly dense. The air pressure was increasingly low and, atst, it was as if he had finally reached his breaking point. He suddenly exploded¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang balled his fists so hard that they creaked and his upper shoulders were shaking ferociously. In the quiet living room, his stammering sobs and whimpers were heard. They were akin to the sounds a trapped beast made and it was getting louder and louder¡­

    When she heard the sound behind her, Ning Xi paused putting medication on Zhuang Keer and turned to look at the youth who was crying his eyes out uncontrobly¡­

    To be honest, the person she wanted to kill most in the storehouse was Zhuang Rongguang. The reason why she had not said a single word to Zhuang Rongguang or even nced at him once was that she was afraid she would lose control.

    With her temperament, it was a waste of space to leave such dregs here!

    Ning Xi treated thest wound on Zhuang Keer before she put down the medication in her hand, closed the first aid kit and looked up calmly at the young boy.

    "Zhuang Rongguang, you want freedom, want to be at ease and unrestrained. You want a life that isn''t being controlled by anyone, don''t you? Well then, let me tell you that it doesn''t matter if you smoke, drink, fight, race, or gamble. That''s right, these are all free for you to do! You''re already 18 years old, you''re an adult, so you have a right to choose your own life! Even your parents have no right to n your future! You can do whatever you want to do!"

    When she said this, Ning Xi''s eyes suddenly turned cold. "But the prerequisite for all of this is that you must have the godd*mned capability to take the burden of your choices and its consequences! If you can''t, then stop telling people to stop intervening your life while doing things that make your closest kin worry for you! To let a helpless girl gather five million and rush to that chaotic and dangerous cete at night to pay your ransom! Ask yourself, are you still a man?"

    Zhuang Rongguang choked on his sobs and walked to Zhuang Keer with a tear-stained face, then knelt down and started pping his face. "Sis¡­sorry¡­sorry¡­"

 Chapter 1149: Sleep With Me Tonight

    <h4>Chapter 1149: Sleep With Me Tonight</h4>

    "I¡¯m sorry, sis¡­no more next time¡­"

    Seeing her brother cry in front of her, her chest tightened, but she felt helpless at the same time.

    She witnessed how her brother had gradually be like this. She already had no hopes for him and did not expect him to be extremely sessful in the future. She just wished that he could live happily and safely, but now, he had just almost lost his life¡­

    She had no idea what to do with this brother of hers. She saw her brother¡¯s regretful expression ut still held no faith in him. He might even return to his old ways in the next few days. Who knew?

    Because of Ning Xi¡¯s provocation, he invested his time and effort in shooting practice but it did notst for long¡­

    Zhuang Keer¡¯s unsaid words were condensed into one in sentence, "Get up, don¡¯t go to ces like that ever again."

    Zhuang Rongguang nodded. He wiped his tears away and stood up.

    "What happened to your friends, Sun Bin and Liang Haoqiang? Are they alright?" Zhuang Keer suddenly remembered them and asked Zhuang Rongguang.

    Based on her knowledge, Zhuang Rongguang was best friends with them. Both of them were infamous rich brats in Imperial and were always up to nothing good. The three of them always looked for trouble, so they must have been involved this time as well.

    When Zhuang Rongguang heard those two names, his expression changed¡­

    The two of them¡­

    They disappeared a long time ago and had not even called him up till now. They did not even care about whether he was alive or not.

    Their families stopped supporting them financially. He could still get a little money from his sister and he always shared his cash with them, thinking that his good deeds earned him two true friends, yet they had just taken him for granted. He was being treated as a huge fool¡­

    Zhuang Keer could somewhat guess what had happened from his expression. She sighed and did not ask anymore.

    They had most probably ran away and left him there¡­

    She had already told him not to befriend them, but he would get angry every time she spoke to him about it. He would say that she was disrespecting his friends. In the end, they would end up being unhappy about it and he would stay outside for several nights.

    "So now, do you guys want to go back or stay here for the night?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Xiao Xi, can I stay here for one night?" Zhuang Keer asked.

    Ning Xi nodded. "Of course."

    Zhuang Keer felt happy. "Then, I¡¯ll message my nanny¡­"

    Zhuang Rongguang then raised his hand. "I¡­I want to stay here too! Can I? Sis¡­Ning Xi¡­"

    Ning Xi looked at him expressionlessly. "Sofa."

    Zhuang Rongguang replied almost instantly, "No problem! I don¡¯t even mind sleeping on the floor! I¡¯ll watch the door for you!"

    "Keer, sleep with me tonight," Ning Xi told Zhuang Keer.

    "Mmm, okay!" Zhuang Keer was d about it.

    They then went into the bedroom.

    Ning Xi arranged the bedsheets and the both of themy on the bed. To avoid Zhuang Keer from having nightmarester, Ning Xi kept talking to her about some rxing topics to distract her from what had happened earlier.

    Zhuang Keery on the soft andfy bed with the gentle and sweet girl beside her. With her soft words drifting into her ears, all her leftover fear was gone.

 Chapter 1150: Such A Brother!

    <h4>Chapter 1150: Such A Brother!</h4>

    What a wonderful feeling to have a friend to share worries with and to share a bed together¡­

    "Xiao Xi, thank you so much. I¡¯m really not scared anymore. I was pretty scared and in despair at first¡­ but I¡¯m really d that you came! It¡¯s alright now. You don¡¯t have to worry about me anymore!" Zhuang Keer eased Ning Xi¡¯s worries as she wasforting her.

    "Alright then, let¡¯s go to sleep!"

    "Mmm, goodnight."

    ¡­

    At night, the two girls slept beside each other.

    Although Ning Xi closed her eyes, she did not fall asleep until a stable breathing sound came from beside her.

    Zhuang Keer slept peacefully with a warm expression on her face and no signs of fear or any symptoms of a nightmare.

    Ning Xi¡¯s worried heart eased.

    That was fortunate¡­

    She did not want to see another one like herself¡­

    She tried her best to avoid something like this from happening, so sheforted Zhuang Keer as if she was saving her former self¡­

    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

    Ning Xi shifted her body up slightly. "Come in."

    The door opened and Zhuang Rongguang came in quietly. "Sis Xi, is my sister asleep?"

    "Mm-hmm."

    "I¡­" Zhuang Rongguang looked at Ning Xi cautiously. "Sis Xi, can I talk to you for a bit?"

    Ning Xi looked at him and left the bed.

    In the living room, Zhuang Rongguang was standing awkwardly in front of Ning Xi. He quickly took a chair and gestured to Ning Xi. "Please sit, Sis Xi."

    He then got her a ss of water before standing in front of her awkwardly again. He did not know how to initiate a conversation with her.

    Ning Xi took a sip of water from the ss and nced at the young man. "Speak your mind!"

    Zhuang Rongguang chewed on his lip. After some time, he spoke quietly, "Sis Xi, can I still be saved?"

    Ning Xi studied him. He seemed like a nervous young man awaiting his life sentence. "The world will save the one who wants to save himself. Now that you¡¯re still here and asking me this question, there¡¯s still hope for you."

    Zhuang Rongguang¡¯s tensed up back rxed a little and his eyes watered. "I know about the story of the boy who cried wolf. I understand that no matter what I say, no one will believe me again¡­but this time, I will prove myself through my actions¡­"

    Zhuang Rongguang looked at Ning Xi shyly. "Sis Xi, I want to be a man like you in the future!"

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched. "Your ambition¡­"

    Wait, she was a woman, alright!?

    "Sis Xi, what were you doing before? Are you really just a normal actress?" Zhuang Rongguang asked her curiously.

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes brightened. "What if I said no?"

    Zhuang Rongguang was a little taken aback, then he said with determination, "No matter who you were before, good or bad, you¡¯re treating my sister so well and have helped us so much. You¡¯re a good person in my heart! Moreover, giving the enemy kindness is being cruel to yourself! You became my brother when you opened fire!"

    "Thank you¡­"

 Chapter 1151: Two People In Bed

    <h4>Chapter 1151: Two People In Bed</h4>

    Late at night, in a high-ss vi area in Imperial, Ning Xueluo was walking around her living room with an annoyed and angered expression. "I''ve waited for a whole night and now you tell me there''s been an ident?! You told me that nothing would go wrong. I don''t have to teach you how to do things, do I? There''re so many of you and you can''t handle Zhuang Keer, a girl, and the useless Zhuang Rongguang! Is this how you handle things?"

    "Brat! You assured us that Zhuang Keer would never tell anyone from the Zhuang family for the sake of her brother, and now my team is all gone. Obviously, someone from the Zhuangs assisted them! I''ve lost three men in this matter and now you''re yelling at me?"

    The voice from the other side of the phone sounded very angry.

    "Anyway, it was yourck of capability that caused this! You have to settle this for me!"

    "It was already a risk when you insisted on going against someone from the Zhuang family. Now that we''ve made them rmed, you still want me to be involved further? We''re done!" The phone call ended.

    "You! Hey¡­hey!" Ning Xueluo threw her phone aside with a frustrated expression.

    ¡­

    The next morning, the sun was bright and birds were singing in the sky. Pink flower petals drifted over all the way from the mountain, leaving a light aroma of blossoms in the air.

    The usuallyte Zhuang Rongguang actually woke up early today. He quietly drove to a famous breakfast shop in Imperial and bought breakfast for thedies back home.

    A while after Zhuang Rongguang had left, a ck Maybach parked outside. Lu Tingxiao came out of the car. He went to the back seat and helped his son down.

    The moment the little bun got down, he ran towards the door. He stopped as he reached the entrance. He was not tall enough to reach the password lock.

    The little guy went to his father embarrassingly and opened his arms wide signaling to his father that he needed help.

    Lu Tingxiao just looked at his son questioningly. He crossed his arms and did nothing. His intention was obvious.

    Call me "Father".

    The smart little bun, of course, understood. He pouted and his eyes screamed with anger.

    The little guy suddenly took out a small ck controller. After clicking on it a few times, the door was opened from the inside.

    "Wee back, the cutest and Mommy''s favorite Little Master!" The robot Steamed Bun greeted.

    The little bun patted its head, then nced at his father cheekily.

    Lu Tingxiao smiled, his eyes doting on his son. It surely was troublesome to have a smart child, but it was his genes in the little guy after all.

    As the door opened, the little bun quickly ran in.

    Lu Tingxiao saw his son carefully opened his mother''s bedroom door, but oddly, instead of going in, he stood there hesitantly¡­

    What happened?

    Lu Tingxiao went over and took a look.

    He then saw two lumps of figures on Ning Xi''s bed. There were two people in bed¡­

 Chapter 1152: Damn It! Listen To Me My Dear Wifeâ€¦

    <h4>Chapter 1152: Damn It! Listen To Me My Dear Wife¡­</h4>

    Ning Xi slept soundly with Zhuang Keer beside her in Ning Xi''s pajamas. She was cuddling with Ning Xi¡­

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression turned dark instantly.

    She had gone out for work tillte at night. Not only did she not see him, she had slept with another woman?!

    Probably due to the strong aura of hatred emanating from Lu Tingxiao, Zhuang Keer woke up. She saw Lu Tingxiao by the door and was shocked. "Ah¡­"

    Ning Xi woke up as well. The moment she saw Lu Tingxiao, her expression changed. She sat up and said, "Damn it! Listen to me, my dear wife¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    Ning Xi felt that something was off about what she just said¡­

    She was dazed!

    It was all Zhuang Rongguang''s fault! He kept calling her a man and a bro. She almost thought she was really a man!

    Ning Xi cleared her throat and returned to her usual self. "Boss, why are you here? Ah, my little bun is here too! Wait for me outside, I''ll be there soon!"

    The little bun nodded obediently and went to the living room.

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the space between his eyebrows. "I''ll leave you guys to change first."

    He then slowly closed the door.

    As Ning Xi was picking out clothes for herself and Zhuang Keer, she saw Zhuang Keer not looking very happy, so she asked nervously, "Keer, what''s wrong?"

    Zhuang Keer looked at Ning Xi and mumbled, "For some reason, I think Lu Tingxiao hates me!"

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. "Just ignore him. As long as I like you!"

    "Mmm." Zhuang Keer nodded with a smile.

    While Ning Xi acted tough on the outside, her heart was throbbing fast. Apparently, the devil was being jealous again¡­

    ¡­

    After Ning Xi finished changing, she went to the living room. The little bun went up to her quickly.

    Ning Xi held him up happily and kissed his soft little cheeks. "My little bun! I really missed you! Give me a kiss!"

    She nced at the cold Lu Tingxiao on the sofa. After she was done with the little bun, she slowly went up to Lu Tingxiao. She kissed the man''s lips and in a volume that little bun could not hear, she said, "Of course, I miss my sweetheart even more¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression was still pretty gloomy but he felt much better listening to the girl''s sweet words.

    Still, he did not forget about the important issue at hand. "If I''m not mistaken, it was already midnight when you reached Imperialst night."

    It did not make sense that Zhuang Keer would appear here at that time.

    At the same time, Lu Tingxiao''s eyesnded on the sofa on the opposite. There were obvious traces that someone had slept on it.

    The doorbell rang just then.

    Could it be Zhuang Rongguang?

    Ning Xi went up and opened the door. Just as she thought, it was Zhuang Rongguang.

    "Sis! Sis Xi! I bought you both breakfast!"

    Ning Xi scratched her head, then reported what happened to Lu Tingxiao like a primary school kid reporting her homework to the homeroom teacher. "Actually, Zhuang Rongguang was in trouble and angered Chief Zhuang again, so Keer brought him over here just for the night¡­"

 Chapter 1153: Rumored Fear Of Wife?

    <h4>Chapter 1153: Rumored Fear Of Wife?</h4>

    As Zhuang Rongguang heard her, he went along with her. He then looked at Lu Tingxiao nervously. "Pardon my intrusion, Brother-inw Xi."

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression obviously softened when he heard how Zhuang Rongguang addressed him.

    Ning Xi let out a sigh of relief when the emergency was settled. She subtly signaled a "good job" sign to Zhuang Rongguang.

    Zhuang Rongguang¡¯s expression was indescribable¡­

    After knowing her for so long, she had always acted arrogantly. This was the first time seeing her so afraid of someone.

    So, was this the rumored¡­fear of wife?

    Zhuang Rongguang had a lot of stic bags in his hands. He bought a wide variety of breakfast, more than enough for the five of them to eat.

    "Sis, have some buns! I bought your favorite crab meat bun from Restaurant Yi Xing! You can¡¯t get them even if you went and queued up for it. Luckily, the owner recognized me and reserved a box for me!" Zhuang Rongguang then passed Zhuang Keer a colorful little box.

    He then went up to Ning Xi. "Sis Xi, I¡¯m not sure about what you like to eat, so I bought some of everything. Just eat whatever you like! I bought these from the famous shops in the city!"

    Zhuang Rongguang was really familiar with these sort of things. These were popr items from the renowned restaurants in Imperial and you would not be able to get them if you did not go early enough to queue up for it.

    "Thank you!" Ning Xi gave the little bun his favorite shrimp bun, then fed the devil beside her a slice of fried pancake. "Boss, you''ve probably never tried this before! Take a bite, it¡¯s really delicious!"

    She was feeding him personally. Seeing how the girl was treating him, the devil was happy now, so he took a bite.

    "How''s it? Good?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Brother-inw Xi, while it¡¯s really cheap, that''s the best fried pancake in town!"

    "Not bad." He did not care where was it from. It tasted good because his wife was feeding him.

    While they were having breakfast, Zhuang Rongguang could not take his eyes off Lu Tingxiao. He felt more respectful towards Lu Tingxiao aspared to Ning Xi. He had heard about Lu Tingxiao from before. When he realized that his family might arrange his sister to get married to him, he simply thought that Lu Tingxiao was just a richer businessman.

    His perspective was totally changed now. To be able to tame Sis Xi and make her act like a real woman meant he could not be just an ordinary person!

    He was really curious¡­ How did he do that?

    After breakfast, the siblings prepared to leave as they knew Ning Xi had just returned from work outstation, so they did not want to bother their family time.

    Before they left, Zhuang Rongguang went up to Lu Tingxiao when Ning Xi was talking to Zhuang Keer. He asked the question he was pondering about over breakfast, "Well¡­Brother-inw Xi¡­can I ask you something?"

    "Sure."

    "I¡¯m just a little curious. You¡­how did you manage to handle Sis Xi?" Zhuang Rongguang was like a student awaiting enlightenment.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at the young man as he gave the question some thought.

    Zhuang Rongguang waited for his reply patiently.

    Lu Tingxiao replied after a while, "With my beauty."

    Zhuang Rongguang was speechless.

 Chapter 1154: Overnight Growth

    <h4>Chapter 1154: Overnight Growth</h4>

    At the Zhuang residence, after Zhuang Keer and Zhuang Rongguang reached home, Zhuang Rongguang spent some time and effort to find his long-lost school bag.

    All the textbooks inside were almost brand new. There was even a new English dictionary and an electronic dictionary. The stationery was well prepared. It was all thanks to Zhuang Keer¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang swept the dust off the bag, then took out a new set of uniform which he had never worn before from his messy wardrobe. On the school badge was "Hong Wen High School". After he found his uniform and bag, Zhuang Rongguang took a shaver. He went into the toilet and trimmed his most treasured hair, letting it fall into the t hairstyle that he hated the most.

    He wiped off the bits and pieces of hair on his neck. Zhuang Rongguang stared into the mirror and looked at himself for a long time, his eyes tearing up. He took a deep breath and forced his tears back in. Then, he went back to his bedroom, put on his uniform and picked up his school bag.

    Zhuang Rongguang closed his bedroom door and left his bedroom.

    As he passed by Zhuang Keer¡¯s room, he stopped. He looked at the weak-looking yet always protective sister and called her, "Sis¡­"

    Zhuang Keer was folding theundry in her room. She turned around as she heard someone calling her. To her amazement, she whispered when she saw who was at the door, "You¡­Rongguang¡­"

    The young man stood up straight. He had put on his blue school uniform and slung his bag over his shoulder. His clean, short hair made him look freshened up. The light in his eyes especially made him look like the rising sun¡­

    This¡­was her brother¡­?

    Although he was still the same person, he also felt like totally different¡­

    She had never seen him like this¡­

    Zhuang Keer almost could not recognize him. She did not know how to react.

    Zhuang Rongguang greeted his sister, "Sis, I¡¯ll be going to school now."

    Zhuang Keer returned to her senses. She just replied instinctively, "Oh, okay¡­it¡¯s still early now, be careful on the road!"

    "Mmm, okay." Zhuang Rongguang nodded. He looked at Zhuang Keer and seemed like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just left.

    Sis Xi said it. A man should walk the walk, and not just talk.

    Zhuang Keer still felt surreal. She quickly went to the balcony to look out. She had really seen her brother walk out in his uniform with his school bag. Her eyes welled up¡­

    The 18-year-old young man seemed to have grown up overnight¡­

    At Hong Wen High School in Imperial, Zhuang Rongguang was actually pretty handsome, but his old look was intimidating and he always looked for trouble everywhere, thus no one liked to be near him.

    With his new short haircut, Zhuang Rongguang went to school. He walked past the green blinds with his hands in his pockets. He attracted a lot of attention on the road, especially from the high school girls, who were all discussing him¡­

    "Wow! Who¡¯s that guy? He looks so cool!"

    "I don¡¯t know! I¡¯ve never seen him before! How can I not know about such a hot guy in our school?!"

    "Ugh, why does he look a little like Zhuang Rongguang?"

    "Zhuang Rongguang? You mean that troublemaker¡­ Are you kidding me?"

    ¡­

    More and more people talked about him. Finally, a girl was impatient. "This is stupid, we¡¯ll know the moment we call his name!"

    She then raised her voice and yelled, "Hey, Zhuang Rongguang! Zhuang Rongguang!"

    Zhuang Rongguang turned around as he heard someone call out his name. "What?"

 Chapter 1155: Get Lost!

    <h4>Chapter 1155: Get Lost!</h4>

    The students'' jaws fell when they heard his reply.

    "Wow! That¡¯s really Zhuang Rongguang! Did he go for stic surgery?"

    "Can stic surgery fix his brain as well?"

    "Hahaha, who knows? Maybe it can even cure his stupidity¡­"

    ¡­

    Everyone roared withughter. With Zhuang Rongguang¡¯s former attitude, he would have already punched the person in the face, but because of his near-death experiencest night, he felt his former self had been so childish that he almost wanted to give himself a tight p in the face.

    They were right. He had been pretty stupid before.

    Zhuang Rongguang just stayed quiet when peopleughed at him. He turned around and walked to ss to everyone''s surprise.

    "What¡¯s happening? Did he eat something wrong?"

    "Maybe he argued with his family!"

    "That¡¯s not something new. He¡¯s just a useless guy!"

    "I think he was probably triggered by something¡­"

    "No point guessing. Isn¡¯t it good that we have another handsome guy in our school? I¡¯ll leave handsome Zhang to you. I''m on my way to the new target!"

    ¡­

    The whole day of sses took a toll on Zhuang Rongguang.

    Because he never really paid attention in ss, he had no idea what was happening. It was like he was listening to some foreignnguage and he felt like he was being tortured.

    Finally, school ended. The young man looked a little disappointed, but he was not about to give up yet¡­

    By the school entrance, there were two people with weird clothes and odd hairstyles. They had cigarettes between their fingers and were puffing while looking at the students walk out¡­

    One of them whipped out his phone and made a call. "Hey, Xiao Guang, where are you? Why''s your phone switched off all the time?!"

    "Opposite you." Zhuang Rongguang looked at his former best friends right outside the school entrance.

    Sun Bin looked around to see a guy with a phone by his ear and his cigarette dropped out of his mouth. "You¡­Xiao Guang?"

    Zhuang Rongguang ended the call and walked up to them. "What¡¯s up?"

    Sun Bin and Liang Haoqiang looked at each other in disbelief.

    "Xiao Guang, are you alright?"

    Zhuang Rongguang looked at the time on his phone impatiently. "If you have something to tell me then just say it or else, I¡¯m going home."

    "Hey, Xiao Guang, are you angry about what happenedst night? We really couldn¡¯t do anything. Where could we have gotten so much money?! By the way, how did you get out of it? Did your sister bring the money over?" Sun Bin asked.

    "Did you ask more from your sister? Let¡¯s go and win some back! You must be able to do it. You have good luck!" Liang Haoqiang was excited.

    Last night, when he was abandoned by the both of them, he thought countless times that he would bash them up the moment he saw them, but now, he felt that he did not want to waste any time and effort on them.

    If he had really been betrayed by his brothers, he might really get angry, but the two of them¡­were they even his friends?

    "Get lost!" Zhuang Rongguang spun on his heel and left.

 Chapter 1156: Who Did It?

    <h4>Chapter 1156: Who Did It?</h4>

    At the Zhuang residence.

    Recently, a few of Zhuang Liaoyuan''s old friends came to Imperial for work. Since it was such a rare opportunity, Zhuang Liaoyuan invited them to his house.

    Zhuang Keer served the guests, then ordered the servants to prepare dinner.

    A middle-aged man with a three-star rank greeted warmly, "How¡¯s the old chief?"

    "My father¡¯s recovering in the military caretaking center recently. He''s still going strong!" Zhuang Liaoyuan replied as he served them tea.

    "Is your wife not back yet?"

    "I¡¯ve already requested to the higher-ups, but I guess I won''t get an easy approval."

    "Fortunately, you still have Keer with you. She''s be even more beautiful after a few years. Who knows which kid will be lucky enough to be with her in a few years!?"

    "I bet Liaoyuan won''t let her daughter get married so easily¡­"

    "Hahaha¡­"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan was very proud of his daughter. His wife worked as a military scientist and her job required a high level of secrecy, so she stayed in theboratory mostly and gave almost all of her time to her career and country. He, on the other hand, spent most of his time in the army and Keer handled most of the things at home.

    "Oh, how¡¯s Rongguang?" One of them asked.

    The moment he said it, the others looked at him nervously and shook their heads. His son was a taboo topic!

    That person forgot about it and felt a little awkward, but he could not take his words back now¡­

    Zhuang Liaoyuan felt a little bitter looking at hisrade¡¯s awkward expression. He did not really care about keeping up his reputation anymore because it had all been ruined by Zhuang Rongguang.

    Even he had already given up even with his strong personality¡­

    "Rongguang, he''s still like his old self!" Zhuang Liaoyuan replied.

    What a helpless remark.

    "Right, I have big news this year. Do you guys still remember the three drug lords who escaped four years back? Mr. K, Poison Eye, and Dragon Head¡­" One of them changed the topic.

    "Yeah! What about them?" This topic caught everyone¡¯s attention.

    "All of them were caught! Mr. K is injured severely. His face is nearly destroyed. Dragon Head was killed with a gunshot to his head. Poison Eye is slightly better, he just had a concussion¡­ They''re all in prison now!"

    "Really?"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan was really interested. "Who did it?"

    "The person wasn¡¯t found. The crime scene was at a rtively remote area. No witnesses, no security cameras. We asked a few of their henchmen, but they said they drank too much and fought among themselves! Even Mr. K and Poison Eye said so although the evidence didn¡¯t show otherwise¡­but I feel that something isn¡¯t right¡­"

    "Who cares!? No matter whether they fight within themselves or someone else did it, it¡¯s a good thing! It¡¯s because of the three of them that we lost two goodrades!"

    ¡­

    As Zhuang Liaoyuan chatted happily in the living room, there was a familiar voice from behind him. "I¡¯m back!"

    "Is Rongguang back?" Everyone looked towards the entrance.

 Chapter 1157: Did He Lose His Mind?

    <h4>Chapter 1157: Did He Lose His Mind?</h4>

    Did hee back this early?

    Zhuang Liaoyuan was suspicious. That brat always came backte and was not home recently. Normally, he would have returned eventer than usual.

    He turned around and was about to nag him "you still know this is your home, huh?", but the words could note out¡­

    The boy entered in his school uniform and his school bag. With a cleanly cropped haircut, he looked exactly like a healthy high school boy.

    Was this¡­his son?

    Not only Zhuang Liaoyuan, hisrades were shocked as well. Thest time they saw him, he had hair longer than a girl''s and always wore striking-colored outfits like a disco ball.

    This young man in front of them was way too different from what they remembered!

    "Uncle Zhang, Uncle Ling, Uncle Zheng¡­" Zhuang Rongguang greeted the guests.

    They returned to their senses.

    "It¡¯s really Rongguang! I almost couldn¡¯t recognize him!"

    "Me too!"

    "Liaoyuan, what do you mean like his old self? He looks totally different!"

    "He''s really grown up! Like father, like son!"

    ¡­

    While Zhuang Liaoyuan had a lot of questions, it was not the time to ask, so he just casuallymented, "Stop praising him just because he looks like a human being now!"

    At dinner, Zhuang Rongguang acted obediently the whole time. He used to hate dinner like these with many older people around. He would usually eat very little and quickly retreat to his room. However, this time he actually finished the entire meal and sent the guests to the door after dinner.

    After the guests left and before Zhuang Liaoyuan could ask anything, the young man went up to his father. "Father, I need your help for something!"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan raised his eyebrows. So, he was up to something!

    He acted obediently because he needed something? But he really invested a lot this time. He had even cut his most precious hair!

    Zhuang Liaoyuan¡¯s expression darkened a little. He decided that if Zhuang Rongguang mentioned anything about "going on an adventure", he would disown him and let him be!

    "Say, what is it?" Zhuang Liaoyuan said coldly in the study room.

    The young man stood in front of his father. He nced at his father¡¯s silver-streaked hair nervously before taking a deep breath. "Father, I¡¯d like you to hire a tutor for me, or send me to a tuition ss. My exams are in a few months'' time. I know with my grades now, it¡¯s impossible to get into any university. Forcing me into a university will be a waste of time as well, so I¡¯d like to join the army first, then I¡¯ll study while training. Next year, I¡¯ll go to military school."

    Zhuang Liaoyuan was stunned when he heard the first sentence and was dumbfounded when Zhuang Rongguang finished¡­

    Zhuang Liaoyuan tried to organize his thoughts. He asked, "What did you say just now? You want to join the army and go to military school? You want me to¡­hire you a tutor? Tuition sses?"

    Did he lose his mind?

 Chapter 1158: I Deserve It

    <h4>Chapter 1158: I Deserve It</h4>

    "Yes!" The young man replied in a determined tone. His expression did not look like he was joking.

    "Why do you suddenly have this thought? How can I believe that you¡¯re not just acting at the spur of the moment or¡­is this just a bad joke?" Zhuang Liaoyuan¡¯s expression looked serious.

    The young man clenched his teeth. "Father, I¡¯m serious about it. As for why, you know that I''ve never really had any huge ambitions. I just don¡¯t want people around me to worry about me. I also hope that I can protect the people I love if anything happens. I want to be someone you can rely on, and not just someone to be protected."

    Zhuang Liaoyuan was truly surprised by his son¡¯s words.

    If Zhuang Rongguang said something like "I want to protect my country and make my family proud", he would never believe it.

    But yet he had uttered these.

    As Zhuang Liaoyuan was thinking it through, Zhuang Rongguang took out a scary long whip and gave it to his father. "Father, I actually wanted to follow sister¡¯s advice and hide it from you, but I can¡¯t just let it be."

    The young man¡¯s body trembled as he remembered what happenedst night. "Last night, I tried to get money on my own to leave the house, so I listened to Sun Bin and Liang Haoqiang. I went to the casino and was cheated. I lost five million dors."

    "What did you say!?" Zhuang Liaoyuan smacked the table furiously as his expression changed.

    Zhuang Rongguang put the whip on the table and continued, "They aren¡¯t local and there were a lot of them. I was actually expecting Sun Bin and Liang Haoqiang toe back with the money to save me but in the end, they abandoned me¡­"

    "Expecting the two of them to save you¡­" Zhuang Liaoyuan¡¯s expression darkened. "How can my son be so stupid?"

    "I did something even more stupid afterwards." Zhuang Rongguang¡¯s voice went hoarse. "I dared not call home. Without any more ideas, I called Sis¡­"

    "You bastard!" Zhuang Liaoyuan threw his teacup away as uneasy thoughts suddenly floated in his mind. He freaked out. "What happened to your sisterst night?! Tell me!"

    If something had not happened to Keer, there was no way he would change so drastically all of a sudden!

    With his experience, he could easily imagine what had happenedst night. The moment he thought about what Keer might have gone through, his mind went haywire¡­

    "Sis brought the money over but they did not fulfill their promise. They wanted her¡­to stay with them for the night¡­"

    In the next moment, Zhuang Liaoyuan whipped the young man harshly. Zhuang Rongguang fell to the floor.

    The door was opened from outside. Zhuang Keer rushed in and stopped her father from hitting Zhuang Rongguang. "Rongguang! Didn¡¯t I tell you not to tell Father!? What happened to you!?"

    Zhuang Rongguang¡¯s face went pale from the pain. "Sis¡­I don¡¯t want to hide behind you anymore¡­I¡¯ll be responsible¡­I deserve it¡­"

 Chapter 1159: Become Someone Like Sis Xi

    <h4>Chapter 1159: Be Someone Like Sis Xi</h4>

    "Keer! Go away! I¡¯ll surely kill this bastard today!" Zhuang Liaoyuan was totally blinded by his rage. "I shouldn¡¯t have let you go thest time! And now you made your sister¡­"

    Why did he not kill this bastardst time!? Why!? Zhuang Liaoyuan drowned in his feelings of guilt. He med himself for how useless he was!

    If his wife came back, how could he be responsible for this? And his father¡­

    He wanted to kill himself right away!

    Zhuang Keer yelled loudly as she realized her father had gone berserk. "Father! I¡¯m alright! I¡¯m okay! Nothing happenedst night!"

    Zhung Liaoyuan did not believe her. With his eyes wide, he roared, "How could nothing have happened!? Why would he kneel in front of me now!? Go away, Keer!"

    "I¡¯m telling the truth, Father! It¡¯s true that I was almost vited by the bad guysst night, but then Xiao Xi came and saved both of us! We stayed for the night at Xiao Xi¡¯s cest night and only came back this morning! You can ask Xiao Xi if you don¡¯t believe me!"

    "Xiao Xi¡­?" Zhuang Liaoyuan was shocked.

    "Yes! Father, the three druglords you discussed with your friends today was probably the three fromst night! Xiao Xi killed one of them with a gun she took from them and another one passed out from fighting. As for thest one, his face was almost destroyed because when Xiao Xi reached the scene, she saw he was bullying me, so she beat him up really badly¡­ It should be the three of them in the news¡­" Zhuang Keer exined to him as fast as possible.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan¡¯s uncontroble anger cooled off a little. "What you just said¡­is it true?"

    "Yes! Father, if something really happened to mest night, would I still be here today?" Zhuang Keer exined logically.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan¡¯s tensed up expression softened a little as he finally believed his daughter.

    Zhuang Keer then told his father about what happenedst night in detail. She then asked worriedly, "Father, will anything happen to Xiao Xi? She killed a person after all! I¡¯m really worried that she might be charged!"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan replied coldly, "What can happen? Even if something were to happen to her, I will ensure her safety!"

    Zhuang Keer felt assured now. Xiao Xi would definitely be safe since her father gave her his word.

    Now, Zhuang Liaoyuan understood why the gang had lied and said they drank too much and fought among themselves. They wanted to save their face and not admit that a little girl had defeated them!

    As for the henchmen, they had probably gone along with the lie after they saw how powerful Ning Xi wasst night.

    "Get up! You should be grateful that your sister is okay. If not, I¡¯d have killed you no matter how regretful you feel!" Zhuang Liaoyuan said coldly.

    Zhuang Rongguang covered his bleeding shoulder. With Zhuang Keer¡¯s help, he stood up slowly.

    "So, this is why you suddenly changed?" Zhuang Liaoyuan asked.

    Zhuang Rongguang nodded. "I want to be someone like Sis Xi¡­"

    "If you be a hundredth of her, I would be extremely grateful!" Zhuang Liaoyuan sneered at him.

 Chapter 1160: What Had She Been Through

    <h4>Chapter 1160: What Had She Been Through</h4>

    "Now, I owe that girl another one again¡­" Zhuang Liaoyuan sighed.

    Zhuang Keer was really grateful for Ning Xi. It was the first time she met someone like Ning Xi. If someone treated her just a little nicer, Zhuang Keer would do anything to repay them.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan studied his son. "I¡¯ll make arrangements for what you mentioned just now as long as you¡¯re determined to change! Also, it¡¯s Saturday tomorrow, so spend some time with your grandfather at the care center. Let him worry less about you! As for what happenedst night, you can tell him about it, but don¡¯t tell him like how you broke it to me. I almost killed you instantly. You know your grandfather has a heart condition!"

    "I understand, I know what to say!"

    "Okay, go and take care of your wound!"

    "Mmm."

    ¡­

    At midnight, Zhuang Liaoyuan stood beside the window. He gazed outside with aplicated expression.

    Let¡¯s hope that the child will really grow up this time¡­

    Many people mature after experiencing some life-changing events. As for Ning Xi¡­for her to be where she is now, what has she gone through?

    ¡­

    The next day, at History¡¯s main office in Imperial, Ning Xueluo did not look very happy. David and several other core members were also present.

    Besides the Zhuang family drama being ruined, History was also not doing well.

    The quality of theirtest product was especially far weaker than before. Even though the design department would release new designs from time to time, it was getting worse. Spirit and the fashion media would pressure them.

    David was the most uneasy one among everyone present. As the head of the design department, of course, he understood the main issuey with him. If History had no more high-quality designs, Spirit would overtake them soon enough.

    "Is there anything you¡¯d like to say?"

    Ning Xueluo suddenly turned around and looked at David.

    "Boss¡­actually¡­"

    As David was about toe up with an exnation, Ning Xueluo interrupted him, "I don¡¯t need your exnation, I just want results." Ning Xueluo¡¯s sounded indifferent. "Spirit¡¯s recent designs are bing more and more popr. They''re taking a really huge hit at History. Spirit¡¯s business is growing bigger and bigger. What is the design department doing!?"

    "That¡¯s right. In the end, the one that put us up at the top spot is the design department¡­and all these responsibilities should fall under you, David, since you¡¯re the design director," one of the members said.

    David red at that person, then turned towards Ning Xueluo as he was freaking out.

    "Did you find the person I asked you to?" Ning Xueluo asked.

    David knew who Ning Xueluo was talking about. It was the genius from Italy, Han Xiao.

    However, putting Han Xiao and fashion design together was odd, and people had already forgotten about him long ago. Who knew if he was still as good as before? Moreover, David did not want to be near that crazy guy, so he had not really paid much attention to it when Ning Xueluo mentioned it previously.

    Of course, most importantly, he was worried that his position would be affected.

    To look for a designer that was surely better than him, and with such a troublesome character spelt trouble for him!

 Chapter 1161: Good Luck

    <h4>Chapter 1161: Good Luck</h4>

    However, now, he had topromise. If History was toppled, he would be done for too.

    "Boss, I know how I can find Han Xiao. Give me two days¡­but, even if I can contact him, I can''t guarantee that he will help us." David understood Han Xiao a little. To hire someone as unpredictable as him to help History was not an easy task.

    "As long as he''s capable, we''ll fulfill whatever requirement he needs," said Ning Xueluo.

    "Okay, Boss, I understand." David nodded and then left.

    ¡­

    After he went out, David took out his phone, checked his phone log and made a call.

    "Hey David, what''s up?" A cheerful voice came from the other side of the phone.

    "Jill, I need help with something," David said.

    "The great designer David needs something from me! What is it?"

    "Jill, do you remember that Italian Chinese called Han Xiao?" David went straight to the point and told him that he wanted to find Han Xiao.

    ¡­

    There was an awkward silence after David blurted out Han Xiao''s name.

    After a while, Jill cautioned, "David, I was once in the same ss as Han Xiao. He studied design just for fun. You don''t understand that maniac at all. You have to stay away from him, David, I''m not kidding!"

    "Jill¡­that maniac, what did he do?" David could hear her tone of fear when he mentioned Han Xiao.

    "Han Xiao was on the cklist of the underground powers in several countries. You could never imagine the things he did. That crazy dude once offended an Italian mafia gang and they sent hundreds of men to kill him, but the hundreds of men vanished that night! They couldn''t find them up until now!"

    David was shocked and stopped in his tracks.

    "That''s not all! The next night, that maniac finished off the whole mafia. The gang leader and core members were all found dead in their vi. It was reported that their internal organs were all removed with a scalpel and a few of them were stitched together. There''s even a mural of a grave on the wall!"

    "Who did it? Was it Han Xiao?" David whispered.

    "Who knows? People were saying it was Han Xiao who did it, but there was no proof. If it''s really Han Xiao, nobody knows how he even brought down the whole gang in just one night. He even finished off the boss and the core members!"

    David felt a chill travel down his spine as he swore to himself that he never wanted to have anything to do with that maniac.

    Unfortunately, for Ning Xueluo, he still had to look for him.

    "Jill, do you have Han Xiao''s contact?" David sighed.

    "Okay, David, I''ll give you his contact number. Good luck¡­"

    ¡­

    After he ended the call and having finally got his hands on Han Xiao''s contact number, he felt uneasy. Following some consideration, he was too afraid to call the maniac, so he sent Han Xiao a text.

    [Haha, Han Xiao bro, I''m David. Do you remember ma!?]

    A notification soon lit up David''s phone.

    [Who''s your ma?]

 Chapter 1162: Weâ€™d Like Your Help

    <h4>Chapter 1162: We¡¯d Like Your Help</h4>

    Damn it! He felt nervous when he thought of the terrible rumors of Han Xiao, so he had typed in terror and made a typo, putting "ma" instead of "me".

    [Bro Han Xiao, I mean, do you remember me? I''m David, a friend of Jill''s. We''ve met before in Italy!]

    David retyped his message multiple times, then picked the one he thought was most suitable to send.

    [Oh, David, I don''t know you.]

    David felt a little awkward staring at his reply. They had really met before in Italy. In fact, he had sat right beside Jill.

    [Haha, Bro Han Xiao, you must be too busy. We did meet before. You''re coursemates with Jill, aren''t you? I''m a good friend of hers.]

    Even though Han Xiao had forgotten about him, he could not have forgotten about Jill.

    [What''s the matter?] Han Xiao replied.

    [Bro Han Xiao, I found out that you''re in Imperial now. So am I, how coincidental! I''d like to meet you to catch up.]

    David struggled to send this message. He kind of hoped that Han Xiao would agree to meet him, yet a part of him hoped that Han Xiao would decline.

    If Han Xiao declined, then he did not have to deal with such a dangerous person anymore, but it would mean he failed to deliver what he promised to Ning Xueluo.

    [I''m eating at the finger-licking good store. It''s on the west side of the Oriental East building.]

    [It''s KFC, isn''t it?] David asked hesitantly.

    [KFC, without the ''isn''t it''.]

    David was speechless. He lost a few years of life just texting this guy¡­

    After he received Han Xiao''s location, David was still contemting. Should he really meet that maniac?

    However, as he reminded himself about Ning Xueluo and History''s current situation, David knew what he had to do. David toughened himself up and drove to meet Han Xiao.

    After some time, David stood outside of KFC''s entrance. He took a deep breath before he entered. Han Xiao was easy to spot. He had the looks of a ssic Asian hunk. Han Xiao was wearing a sporty outfit with his long ck hair tied into a ponytail. He also wore a ck snapback on his head and looked cool as usual.

    Several sweet-looking girls were in front of Han Xiao, all staring at him.

    "H-hello¡­y¡­do you mind¡­giving me your¡­contact number?"

    Before David went up to him, several girls around the age of 18 were gathered around Han Xiao. Han Xiao raised his head a little and nced at the girls. He seemed to be experienced in situations like this, so he ignored them.

    The few girls just left without a word.

    "Hahaha, my bro Han Xiao! I''m David!" David grinned at him as he went up to him.

    "Sit." Han Xiao looked at the empty seat in front of him. "Order whatever you like, pay for yourself."

    "It''s alright, I ate before I came." David forced a smile.

    "You''re David, huh? I have some vague impression of you. What''s the matter? Be straightforward, I don''t like people wasting my time." Han Xiao then gobbled up the chicken he had, though he still looked unsatisfied.

    "Alright, bro Han Xiao, I currently work at History. My boss knows how capable you are, so we''d like to invite you to join History." David dared not to beat around the bush with him and went straight to the point.

 Chapter 1163: Direct Invasion

    <h4>Chapter 1163: Direct Invasion</h4>

    "Get me a few more chickens first. I''m not full yet." Han Xiao looked at David with a bored expression.

    "Sure, sure!" David stood up immediately and ordered five Orleans drumsticks. He took the tray with the chicken on it and carefully ced it in front of Han Xiao.

    "About what you said just now, I''m not interested." Han Xiao munched on the chicken as he replied David nonchntly.

    David was speechless.

    You ate five Orleans drumsticks that I bought and now you say you''re not interested?

    "Bro Han Xiao, my boss said that as long as you can help us to overthrow Spirit, we''ll fulfill whatever you need¡­" David tried to convince him.

    ''Spirit, hmm¡­" Han Xiao put on a thinking face.

    "Boss, I found Han Xiao. He''s right beside me. Alright, I''ll turn the speaker on, so you can speak to him personally." David called Ning Xueluo right away and put the call on speaker.

    A gentle female voice was heard on the phone. "Hello Mr. Han, I''m¡­"

    "Didn''t I just tell you that I''m not interested?" Han Xiao red coldly at David.

    For just a moment, David felt a chill shudder throughout his body. He ended the phone call immediately without giving any chance for Ning Xueluo to speak.

    "I''m¡­I''m sorry." Cold sweat ran down David''s brow. Although Han Xiao looked calm, a re from him made David feel like it was oddly difficult to breathe.

    "That''s alright," Han Xiao said.

    "Yes, please carry on with your meal. Do call me if there''s anything¡­oh, texting is fine as well."

    David then left the shop awkwardly. After Han Xiao finished the chicken, he licked his hand and then left, heading towards the direction of History''s headquarters.

    ¡­

    "Wait! What are you looking at? I''m talking about you!"

    On the first floor of History''s headquarters, a few security guards stopped Han Xiao who was dressed in a sports outfit.

    "Do you know where this is? Who do you think you are toe in?!" One of the guards pointed his electric baton at Han Xiao threateningly.

    Not just anyone could enter History''s headquarters. Their boss was the renowned celebrity, Ning Xueluo, and numerous media and paparazzi wanted to go in every day.

    "Put away your toys."

    Han Xiao put on an odd smile when the electric baton was pointed at him as his clear eyes started to change.

    "You look just like a sissy. Go away!" The security guard impatiently demanded.

    Han Xiao ignored him and walked right past the few guards with a couple of deft steps, then went right into the headquarters.

    "Are you deaf!?"

    "Who is this guy looking for trouble?!"

    The few guards were enraged. A few days ago, they were informed not to let any media reporters go in, especially strangers. Seeing this person in a sports outfit ignoring them, one of the guards attacked Han Xiao with his electric baton.

    These security guards were ying by the rules. They could not aim at the troublemaker''s head because they would be held responsible if something bad happened, so they aimed at his body instead.

    Whoosh!

    The baton swung down with a considerable amount of force.

    Bang!

    The next moment, the security guard was shocked.

    Han Xiao did not even turn around. He had simply blocked the electric baton by pointing a finger at his back.

 Chapter 1164: Such Beauty! It Must Be A Boy

    <h4>Chapter 1164: Such Beauty! It Must Be A Boy</h4>

    The few remaining guards were all surprised.

    Did he just stop the electric baton with a finger?! That baton was swung by a guard weighing 180 pounds!

    "Didn''t I just say¡­to keep your toys away?"

    Han Xiao slowly turned around and there was a sh of morbid insanity in his eyes. Under the aghast expressions of the guards, the electric baton had been broken into half by Han Xiao''s right hand.

    "Big Bro! This way here! Please let us know if you need anything!" The security guard suddenly did 180-degree change and sumbed to him. The other guards were frightened and had broken out into a cold sweat as well. Was this beautiful man before them even human? Could he be some sort of demon or ghoul?

    Han Xiao did not continue to care about the guards. Instead, he turned around and walked right into History''s headquarter.

    With the presence of Mr. Han Xiao, History''s headquarters instantly exploded into a frenzy.

    "Ooh¡­so pretty! Even prettier than our big boss, Ning Xueluo!"

    "Such a pretty girl. Those female celebrities whose poprities rely on their faces aren''t even this pretty!"

    "Are you blind?! Such beauty, it must be a boy!"

    "Bro Han Xiao, why are you here?!" David, who was ready to go out, thought his eyes had deceived him when he saw Han Xiao as soon he stepped out of Ning Xueluo''s office.

    "Quickly,e in!"

    David immediately went up to lead Han Xiao into Ning Xueluo''s office.

    ¡­

    At that moment, Ning Xueluo was flipping through some documents in the office when she heard David''s voice. She frowned and was about to say something when she noticed a beautiful man walk in with David into her office.

    "David, this is¡­?" Ning Xueluo''s eyes could not help but closely assess Han Xiao, then she asked.

    Ning Xueluo had seen Han Xiao''s pictures from fashion magazines, but they were all quite blurry and he also looked different now, which was why she could not immediately recognize Han Xiao.

    When he heard her, David quickly walked up and introduced with a huge smile, "Boss, this is Han Xiao."

    "Han Xiao?"

    When she heard it was Han Xiao, Ning Xueluo was stunned for a moment. This graceful man before her was once the mad genius of Italy''s fashion design industry?

    "Mr. Han, I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time." Ning Xueluo immediately got up from her chair and walked up to extend her right hand towards Han Xiao.

    However, Han Xiao merely walked past Ning Xueluo and sat on her chair instead. He then propped his feet up on the table and asked inly, "So, History''s boss, what do you need me for?"

    When he saw Han Xiao''s attitude towards Ning Xueluo, David was afraid that Ning Xueluo would be offended and that things could get out of hand, so he wanted to exin, "Boss, Han Xiao¡­he''s like this, don''t¡­"

    Nevertheless, Ning Xueluo just watched the man''s antics and did not seem to care. She put down her arms and turned to face Han Xiao. As she smiled, she said, "Mr. Han Xiao, I''ve been meaning to meet you but it looks like you''ve heard a bit from David. No worries, I can repeat it again."

    "I''m listening," said Han Xiao as he lowered his hat, looking like he was about to fall asleep.

    "Mr. Han Xiao, let me first introduce myself. I''m Ning Xueluo, History''s owner, and History is a high-end luxury fashion brand. As for myself, I admire all of your past work, thus I''d like to hire you handsomely as History''s design consultant," Ning Xueluo got right to the point.

 Chapter 1165: Im Quite Interested

    <h4>Chapter 1165: I''m Quite Interested</h4>

    "Oh¡­History''s design department? Isn''t there anyone else." Han Xiao leaned back into Ning Xueluo''s chair and stacked both feet up on her expensive desk as he smirked at her.

    When Han Xiao said this, it was a little hard for David to keep a straight face. He was the head of the design department! However, David did not dare to lose his temper at Han Xiao, so he could only smile carefully and go with whatever Han Xiao said.

    "I won''t hide, Mr. Han. History''s design team iscking inspiration recently and our market share has been taken over by ourpany''s biggest rival. Otherwise, we wouldn''t have thought of troubling you," said Ning Xueluo, not bothering to tread carefully.

    Her priority now was to overpower Spirit; everything else could be discussed. She understood that those with talents were always slightly more entric. As long as he had the capability, it did not matter!

    "Spirit," mumbled Han Xiao.

    He had looked into Spirit''s apparels and felt that the designer was indeed a genius. From the outfit''s designs to its charm, they were all perfect. In just this aspect, it had outdone History too much.

    The current History could only continue to fight with Spirit because it had be a market leader earlier, and the consumers had a strong first impression of it. Plus, History''s past famous works had initially gone viral thanks to the media. Otherwise, History would have been long gone and overpowered by Spirit.

    Frankly, it was apany that was on the verge of danger. Even though it looked alright on the surface, over time, if History still could not produce attractive work, they would bepletely destroyed by Spirit. It was just a matter of time.

    Spirit''s designer was indeed worthy of being called a genius. Such a person and his work actually got Han Xiao excited.

    Even though he had only studied fashion design out of boredom back then, as long as there was something that sparked his interest, he was d to continue dabbling in it regardless of the field.

    When she saw that Han Xiao was having a long contemtion, Ning Xueluo smiled and asked, "I wonder if you know of Spirit''s brand?"

    Han Xiao did not answer Ning Xueluo''s question. In his mind, he recalled the few designs in Spirit''s store from that night. They were elegantly ssic with a unique vor and charm to them.

    In addition to that, those few designs had ignited quite a bit of his creative inspiration. Had it been him, he would have torn that charm from the East into fragments and break the traditional yokes to create a deathly and ck-colored feast.

    "I''m quite interested in Spirit." Han Xiao fixed his hat straight and there was a burning radiance in his eyes.

    That night, he told Ning Xi that Spirit''s designer was not as good as him, yet that woman still did not believe him and even made cutting remarks. He saw no harm in warming up andparing himself with Spirit''s talented designer to see whose work could be full of unstoppable charm.

    Ning Xueluo examined the handsome man before him and her eyes shone. Did this mean they had a deal?

    "Mr. Han, if possible, I would like to hire you to be History''s head designer for a handsome fee," announced Ning Xueluo as she smiled gently at Han Xiao.

    "Boss¡­" David''s expression instantly changed into an incredulous one. He wanted to say something but had been received a warning re from Ning Xueluo.

    David had mixed emotions. He had gone through all the trouble to invite Han Xiao over today, yet his boss Ning Xueluo had let Han Xiao take over his position. They had already discussed beforehand that he was only invited to cope with the emergency at hand!

 Chapter 1166: How Long Do I Need To Kneel On The Washboard For?

    <h4>Chapter 1166: How Long Do I Need To Kneel On The Washboard For?</h4>

    "Huh! I''m not interested, I''m only interested in Spirit," said Han Xiao as a cold sparkle twinkled in his eyes.

    When she heard that Han Xiao was not interested, Ning Xueluo was obviously disappointed and David was secretly relieved.

    "Mr. Han, may I just ask one more thing? Do you actually have a history with Spirit?" When she thought about this, Ning Xueluo could not help but look gleeful.

    "Nah, I''m just bored," said Han Xiao with a shady smile.

    "Hmm, okay." Ning Xueluo felt a little awkward. Han Xiao was just as the rumors said. He would only do what he fancied and did not need any reason at all.

    "How much in rewards do you need to be willing to take on the task?" Ning Xueluo tried to ask again.

    "Zero. I''m just getting an itch, that''s all," Han Xiao simply said, startling them even more.

    ¡­

    At Peachwood, Ning Xi had finally ended her outstation work trips and was free, so she had prepared to spend the day with the big and little bun.

    However, just as she was ready to get some groceries from the supermarket, her phone rang. It was Zhuang Keer.

    Lu Tingxiao had obviously seen the name on the screen from the corner of his eye. When she received the superior wife''s, no¡­the superior''s boss''s look, Ning Xi immediately turned on the loudspeaker before picking up the call.

    "Hello, Keer?"

    "Xiao Xi, I''ve got something to tell you. Are you free now?"

    Hmm, from Keer''s tone, what was she trying to say?

    "Well¡­" Ning Xi swallowed her saliva. Could she say no? Definitely not!

    Thus, Ning Xi could only force herself to say with a straightforward and upright expression, "Yeah, I''m free! Go ahead!"

    "My father and my grandfather already know about you saving me and Rongguang from the night before," said Zhuang Keer from the other end of the phone.

    When she heard this, Ning Xi felt her legs go weak as she looked miserably at the poker-faced devil beside her. Damn it! She was dead!

    She had painstakingly kept it a secret for so long but atst, she was still caught off-guard! What worried her even more was that the devil seemed so calm. Could¡­could this be the calm before the storm?

    "Xiao Xi¡­Xiao Xi, are you still listening to me?" When Ning Xi suddenly went silent, Zhuang Keer asked from the other end of the phone curiously.

    "Um, yes I''m here. How did your father and grandfather find out? Didn''t we already say that we won''t tell your family? How''s Zhuang Rongguang? Did he get a terrible beating?" Ning Xi asked gloomily.

    "Rongguang was whipped by my father. He got a pretty deep wound but it''s been treated and it''s alright now. Thankfully, I''m okay, or else, my father would''ve really killed him! Xiao Xi, we really have you to thank¡­" Zhuang Keer sighed.

    "Keer, is there anything else?" Ning Xi asked.

    Because if there was nothing else, she was going to hang up and ept the devil''s punishment¡­

    Zhuang Keer quickly continued, "Oh, I almost forgot the main thing. My father and my grandfather want to treat you to dinner today. They told me that I must invite you over!"

    "Well¡­" Ning Xi was hesitant, then she secretly stole a look at the devil.

    The thing was she did not know how long she would need to kneel on the washboard and whether she could leave¡­

    The calmer the devil looked, the more afraid she was. Arghh!!!

 Chapter 1167: My Mommys Right! Even If Shes Wrong, Shes Right!

    <h4>Chapter 1167: My Mommy''s Right! Even If She''s Wrong, She''s Right!</h4>

    "Xiao Xi, you muste this time. if we don''t thank you for this, our family won''t feel good. Of course, it''s not just for the night before! A lot has happened recently. I''ve told my parents about it and my mother especially applied for leave from the military to rush home to meet you!" Zhuang Keer said quickly.

    Well¡­

    Even Keer''s mother had returned? She heard that Madam Zhuang''s work was highly confidential and that she would onlye home a few times a year!

    "Actually you really didn''t have to go through all the trouble. I was just helping out. We''re friends. Do you still have to thank me for helping you? Besides, you''ve helped me out before too!"

    "Xiao Xi, those things I helped you with were nothing. It wasn''t even anything¡­ Whatever it is, this is a must and if you don''te, my family won''t feel good!" Zhuang Keer insisted with a serious tone.

    Since Zhuang Keer had put it as such and Madam Zhuang had applied for leave, Ning Xi thought about it and decided it was not good to reject, so she could only say, "Okay, got it, I''ll go over!"

    "Mmm, that''s it then! I''ll wait for you!" Zhuang Keer hung up happily.

    After they hung up, Ning Xi quickly ran to the kitchen and found a washboard. Then, she decided it was not enough and suddenly dug up a durian before appearing before the devil.

    Ning Xi held the washboard in one hand and the durian in the other as she stood before Lu Tingxiao and looked up to him. Her expression was as ttering as she could be. "My dear, choose one! As long as you won''t be angry!"

    Lu Tingxiao remained expressionless. His eyes skimmed the washboard and the durian in her hand, then the space between his brows tripped as if he was about to copse. "You think this is enough?"

    This¡­was this not enough¡­!?

    Ning Xi instantly felt like a bolt from the blue had just struck her. She looked hopeless and threw the things in her hands away, then whipped out her fatal weapon.

    "Oh!!!" She wailed as she hugged the little bun''s leg. "Little bun, save me!"

    "Mommy?" Little Treasure tilted his head in confusion. Even though he did not know why Mommy wanted him to save her, he hugged his mother with determination as he shot a mean look at his father with a protective pose.

    "You know that she did something wrong, don''t you?" Lu Tingxiao looked at his son and said coldly.

    The little bun looked at Mommy first, then continued to look vengefully at Father without hesitation. Basically, his attitude shouted, "My Mommy is right! Even if she''s wrong, she''s right!"

    Ning Xi continued to pretend to cry and hug the little bun.

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    As he watched the mother and son duo, the ice on Lu Tingxiao broke and he pinched the space between his brows. "Enough, I already know about it."

    When Ning Xi heard him, she was stunned.

    Huh? What did the devil mean?

    "You¡­you already knew?" Ning Xi''s eyes widened.

    "Did you really think you hid it very well?" Lu Tingxiao looked at her disdainfully from the corner of his eye.

    Ning Xi swiftly went with the flow and brownnosed him, "My dear, you really do love me! My acting is so good, yet you saw through me immediately!"

    Lu Tingxiao shot her a look from the side again. "Practice makes perfect."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    How many times had she done this for him to be so polished?

 Chapter 1168: Calling You Handsome

    <h4>Chapter 1168: Calling You Handsome</h4>

    Ning Xi thought about it and suddenly remembered something. "I just heard the news that a hidden illegal casino has been destroyed and that all the punks present were arrested. The police station almost couldn''t fit them all¡­so¡­was it you?"

    The more she thought about it, the more she felt it must have been Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything. He remained in his cool and elegant posture.

    Ning Xi instantly let go of the little bun and snuggled into the big bun''s embrace. She hopped up to kiss the man''s chin. "Big Boss, thank you!"

    ¡­

    She had used a lot of energy to console both the big bun and the small bun. After she promised to make up for it in the future, Ning Xi made her way to the Zhuang family''s residence.

    The moment she reached the military district yard, there were men ready to bring her to the Zhuang residence.

    At the residence gate, a graceful and subdued woman waited. When she saw the girl beside the security guard, the woman looked suspicious and did not walk over to greet her.

    "Xiao Xi! You''re here!" Behind her, Zhuang Keer ran out from inside the house and greeted the girl beside the guard.

    Ning Xi smiled. "Keer!"

    When she confirmed that this girl in a light pink dress with waist-length hair was Ning Xi, Meng Ling gaped in disbelief. "Keer, this¡­this is the Xiao Xi you guys talked about?"

    Ning Xi was prepared to apany Lu Tingxiao and the little bun today, so she looked very domesticated like a true well-behaved maiden. She was probably poles apart from what Meng Ling had imagined her to look like.

    "Yes, Mother!" Zhuang Keer led Ning Xi to Meng Ling and introduced her to Ning Xi, "Xiao Xi, this is my mother!"

    "Madam Zhuang, nice to meet you," Ning Xi greeted her. The woman before her was probably in her thirties, at most. She had an oval-shaped face with red phoenix eyes and her aura was a ssic beauty. She practically looked like sisters with Zhuang Keer and Ning Xi could not hide the marvel in her eyes.

    "Nice to meet you. Good girl, I finally meet you! I''ve heard them describe you and I thought you¡­I didn''t think you would be such a beautiful, well-mannered girl. Quickly,e in and we''ll continue!" Meng Ling intimately pulled Ning Xi by the hand and led her into the house.

    Meng Ling had never met Ning Xi before and had only heard the description of her from her husband and children. They said that her marksmanship was more amazing than Rongguang''s and that herbat was remarkable, and how she did not flinch when killing the drug lords. From all of that, she had always thought Ning Xi was an especially¡­um, especially tough girl. She did not think she would be this obedient and sweet.

    In the living room, Zhuang Rongguang was holding onto an English dictionary with a long-standing resentment but when he saw Ning Xi, his eyes lit up the way a fan would when meeting their idol. "Sis Xi, you''re here! Have a seat!"

    Then, he served her tea and brought her some dessert.

    Today, Zhuang Rongguang had worn a simple white tee and jeans. This 18-year-old was in the spring of his lifetime and oozing with youthfulness.

    Ning Xi sized him up and could not help but tease, "If you looked like this before, would your girlfriend have run off with someone else?"

    Zhuang Rongguang was embarrassed from the teasing. "Sis Xi, don''t expose my dark past!"

    "Did I? I''m calling you handsome!"

    "Hahaha, really?"

    ¡­

    When she saw how her spoilt child had be the way he was now, Meng Ling felt a mix of emotions and her gaze at Ning Xi filled with gratitude. "You guys continue to chat here. I still have two dishes to finish!"

    When Zhuang Rongguang heard her, he immediately extended his hand and insisted, "Mother! Mother, don''t go! Let the nanny do it!"

 Chapter 1169: Have To Trouble You

    <h4>Chapter 1169: Have To Trouble You</h4>

    Meng Ling replied unhappily, "We have a guest, so of course, I must cook a few dishes to show my sincerity!"

    "Yes, we have a guest. At least, she knows that you want to thank her, or else, she''d think you want to repay with revenge!" Zhuang Rongguang mumbled.

    Meng Ling immediately shot him a look. Even though she was angry, there was still love in her eyes. "You brat!"

    Keer leaned into Ning Xi''s ears andughed as she exined, "My mother''s not great at cooking¡­"

    "Ahh¡­" There was indistinct envy in Ning Xi''s eyes as she watched at the interaction between Madam Zhuang and her children.

    "Xiao Xi, have fun with Keer and Rongguang for a while. Dinner will be ready soon!"

    "Okay, don''t worry about me!"

    ¡­

    Momentster, dinner was ready.

    On the roundtable, the Zhuang family was gathered at an unusual asion.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan picked up his wine ss and stood up first. "Xiao Xi, a toast to you!"

    Ning Xi was overwhelmed by this and quickly stood up with her ss too.

    "Sis Xi, I want to drink to you too. Bottoms up for me but you can do as you wish! You''re a girl, don''t drink too much!" Then, Zhuang Rongguang downed his drink.

    Ning Xiughed as she shook her head. He finally remembered that she was a girl.

    Then, Zhuang Keer and Meng Ling all offered her a toast too.

    Finally, it was Elder Chief Zhuang''s turn. Before he got up, Ning Xi quickly stood up and said, "Elder, if you do that, I really don''t deserve this!"

    The entire meal was very cheerful, probably because the woman of the house was back, so the entire atmosphere was much warmer.

    During dinner, Men Linng liked Ning Xi the more she talked to her. She even pushed her own children away and forced Ning Xi to take home all the gifts she had brought home. She almost gave her the jade bangle on her wrist too, but it was turned down gracefully by Ning Xi. She only took home gifts like local specialties which impressed her enough.

    It was already veryte. Atst, Zhuang Liaoyuan delegated his security guards to send her home.

    After Ning Xi left, in the master bedroom, Meng Ling looked to her husband and muttered, "Is Xiao Xi really Lingyu''s daughter?"

    "Mmm, I''ve investigated it thoroughly. I can''t be wrong," Zhuang Liaoyuan lit a cigarette and said confidently.

    Meng Ling''s gaze was cold. "Who would have thought that that isted sister could give birth to such a wonderful daughter!? Thankfully, because she grew up in the vige, she''s so obedient! If she had been left beside her to be raised, I''m not sure how she would''ve turned out!"

    "It''s best to speak less about it!" Zhuang Liaoyuan sighed.

    "I still think there''s something fishy about Ning Xi being shunned out of the Ning family. In fact, it might be rted to that adopted daughter¡­" Meng Ling muttered, then she asked, "What''s the elder nning to do? Are we going to ept her as kin? Then, the Ning family made a poor judgment and can''t differentiate good from the bad. It''s fine if we don''t know, but we can''t just sit back and not care even we do!"

    "The elder said that he''s still not over the incident from years before, but he loves Ning Xi and told me to take good care of her!" Zhuang Liaoyuan said.

    "Of course, we must! The Zhuang family isn''t watching Ning Xi because she was born from her womb, but because we really like this child, there are no qualms about it!"

    Once his wife put it like that, Zhuang Liaoyuan felt light-hearted and everything became clear at once. "You''re right."

    Meng Ling was still worried. "You old man, what do you know about taking care of people? You even wanted to recruit such a delicate girl into the military! The report I submitted should be done soon. Wait for me to return, then I''ll handle this!"

    Zhuang Liaoyuanughed, "I''ll have to trouble you then, my wife!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1170: Earn Marriage Capital

    <h4>Chapter 1170: Earn Marriage Capital</h4>

    After she returned from the Zhuang family, Ning Xi quickly rushed to tinum Pce to apany the big and small buns. She even made time the next day to go to Ocean Park with them.

    A short breakter, she delved back into the path of earning money for marriage!

    Spirit had been enjoying rapid progress recently, and their market share began to overtake History by leaps and bounds. History began to be questioned by the media and public over their performance. Ever since those striking designs that made their name and put History at the top dwindled, History started to go downhill and released new design at a slower pace. Unfortunately, none of them could achieve the quality of their famous pieces and they even resorted to giarizing their own past work, upsetting all their customers.

    On the other hand, History''s greatest rival, Spirit, did not stop with their energy. They had new products on the racks every other time and their design quality was very bnced. This also earned Spirit a lot of diehard fans.

    On History''s official Weibo forum, there were some onlookers who questioned History every day. They caused many of History''s loyal fans to be upset and even spew vulgarities.

    [What about Spirit?! They''re just a counterfeit copy of History''s concept!]

    [If it were not for History''s breathtaking opportunity that opened up the market to more potential, Spirit would not have gotten to where it is today.]

    [Every industry has its bottleneck phase. Designers aren''t gods either. Inspiration takes time.]

    [Some of these useless people are so lowly. You''re all just hired by Spirit, aren''t you? This is so funny. You''re saying that History giarized Spirit''s design ideas. Do your parents know you''re so good at writing? I''m not sure where Spirit was when History''s brand became famous. I think there really is giarism for sure, but it''s Spirit giarizing History''s ideas. History is tolerating them to not fuss over minor matters, but now they dare to hit back! What a trashy brand! Only trashy people would like a trashy brand like Spirit.]

    [I think we should speak with truth. History''s initial pieces were indeed very stunning, so History easily took over the entire market and won initial sess. But look at Spirit''s old designs. They''re indeed very simr to History''s famous designs but they had more charm. This was what History did not do at the start. Perhaps, this whole giarism thing might not be a baseless im. As for whether anyone copied the other, it should not be based on which brand had seeded first.]

    [That guy up there is obviously Spirit''s fifty cents party , Spirit probably paid you more than fifty cents, huh?]

    [+10086 points to that!]

    [What a joke! History''s retarded fangirls are like crazy dogs, biting anyone they catch with no rationale at all.]

    [Haha, I''mughing, I just want to say to Spirit''s fifty cents party: eff off!]

    [Spirit''s retarded fifty cents party is pure dumbass.]

    ¡­

    Spirit and History''s loyal supporters exploded on Weibo and even made it to thetest hot topics.

    At History''s headquarters, Ning Xueluo looked at the hot topics on Weibo on her phone. News about History and Spirit spilled all over the pages.

    Now, the online news was all over the rivalry and most of the fingers pointed at Spirit copying History. It looked like moreizens were joining the conversation. Ning Xueluo''s mouth curved into a smile.

    "David, how''s Han Xiao''s designing along?" Ning Xueluo put down her phone and looked to David to ask.

    "Well¡­" David stunned, then he shook his head and shrugged to show that he did not know. Ever since Han Xiao came to History, he hadpletely taken over the design department and even the department''s employees had been chased out by him. The entire department consisted of only Han Xiao.

 Chapter 1171: Breathtaking!

    <h4>Chapter 1171: Breathtaking!</h4>

    Usually, David would not be willing to interact with Han Xiao, so he rarely went to the design department.

    Ning Xueluo knew to strike while the iron was hot. Now that most of theizens thought that Spirit was copying them, they could topple over Spirit once and for all if Han Xiao could design a high-quality apparel in this short period of time!

    "Follow me to the design department," Ning Xueluo ordered as she made her way out of the office and walked towards the design department.

    Helplessly, David followed after her.

    ¡­

    Momentster, in History''s design department.

    The originally snow white wall had been scribbled to aplicated mess by Han Xiao using water color pen, and it was filled with images that were hard toprehend.

    "Mr. Han Xiao, when can you show us some of your work?" When she stepped into the department, Ning Xueluo stared at Han Xiao who was sitting on the chair and smiled.

    Han Xiao lifted his cap to peek at her and did not respond to Ning Xueluo. He only leafed through the drafts on his table.

    Ning Xueluo received the hint and walked up to him, spreading out the design drafts and examining them closely.

    "This¡­"

    Momentster, there was astonishment in Ning Xueluo''s eyes.

    There were a total of ten design drafts of various apparels. If one were to look at them individually, they looked run-of-the-mill and did not seem particrly attractive, but once you put the ten pieces together, the uniqueness of Han Xiao''s designs were finally revealed to Ning Xueluo and David.

    The contents if thepleted drafts had an irresistible charm that made one want to dive into it; just one look would make onepletely sink into it.

    "Darkness, suffering¡­and death¡­"

    "The entire artistic direction is supernatural, creating a kind of dejected feel. The detailed motifs add a sense of witchcraft, and with the abyss, the night, a looming curse, loneliness, despair, it all makes one feel like they have reached hell on Earth just by looking at it¡­"

    David examined the assembled drafts and felt his forehead break out in a cold sweat.

    This was apletely avant-garde style with the dark elements. It reached the peak of unconventionality, yet this kind of gothic style was notpletely uneptable. It could even be called perfection. Even a in woman would have an increase in charisma once donning this outfit, and that unnamed arrogance would only virtually create a stronger presence.

    "This is so beautiful¡­"

    Most importantly, this was just simply unique and eye-catching. It would definitely fit with the crowd''s hunt for novelty.

    Ning Xueluo''s eyes lit up. She had seen simr styles from other designs that used darkness and death as a theme, but to be frank, the entire style would cause people to be ufortable and even a little fearful. Ultimately, people would not even wear them.

    On the other hand, Han Xiao''s design had an entirely different feel to it. Even though it was full of murky colors of despair, there was no murderous vibe to it. Instead, it held an extremely elegant and vintage vor of the mysterious Oriental culture.

    Even Ning Xueluo herself could not help but want to own this piece.

    "How¡­long did you take to design this?" Ning Xueluo retrieved her gaze reluctantly and asked Han Xiao.

    "What''s the meaning behind your question?"

    "I''m just a little curious."

    "Then, it''s best that you rein in that curiosity back in." Han Xiao was expressionless, yet his eyes could chill one to the bone.

 Chapter 1172: Black Religion

    <h4>Chapter 1172: ck Religion</h4>

    Han Xiao''s attitude made Ning Xueluo displeased, but neither was Han Xiao David, nor was he an employee of History. In fact, she had to borrow Han Xiao''s hand to throw Spirit into the bottomless abyss, so she could only hold it in for now.

    "Haha, don''t take it to heart, Mr. Han, I''m just casually asking¡­ As for your design, I''m in full admiration of your work, so I''m nning to mass produce it," Ning Xueluo finished and started to examined the designs again. However, within a few breaths, Ning Xueluo frowned.

    Before this, she had not noticed it but there was an obvious w. All of the designs hadcked bodies.

    "Mr. Han Xiao, there''s a slight w with your designs." NIng Xueluo put the designs back onto the table before Han Xiao and pointed out.

    When he saw this, Han Xiao stood up and looked at Ning Xueluo with eyes that revealed no human emotion.

    Being sized up by Han Xiao like this, she was not sure why but Ning Xueluo felt her entire body turn stiff.

    "Can an incoherent rookie like you know what a w is?" Han Xiao''s lips curled up and revealed a devillish smile. "There''re no perfect designs. Perfection¡­is an imperfection in itself. If that is so, why should I rack my brains to pretend to achieve perfection?"

    "Oh, Bro Han Xiao is right! Boss is just worried about you, so please don''t take it to heart¡­haha¡­" David stammered. Even if he did offend Ning Xueluo, he dared not to step on Han Xiao''s toes.

    In fact, his Boss was really not well-versed in this aspect, yet she had questioned Han Xiao''s work. Wait till she riled up this crazy Han Xiao, then she would know what a w was. He was afraid that trouble would implicate the innocent and he would be turned into a w by Han Xiao¡­

    "Bro Han Xiao, this design must be trying to express that perfection is a form of ugliness, and we should just admit our shorings. That''s a kind of beauty in itself." David smiled widely as he brown-nosed.

    "What do you know?" Han Xiao pulled down his cap again and leaned back. "I''m justzy to continue designing ws."

    When he heard this, David''s face turned gloomy and he felt awkward. Han Xiao was being a little too straightforward.

    "Then, Mr. Han, what''re you trying to say?" Ning Xueluo enquired.

    Ning Xueluo was not confident. Even if there were some ws and despite not being able to resist the charm of this apparel, she did not know what Han Xiao meant. This person was so weird.

    "History can produce this piece but the numbers cannot exceed 50 units," said Han Xiao inly.

    "50?!"

    "You mean to make it a limited edition?"

    "My work is meant to be looked at, not for profit. Understand?" Han Xiao replied.

    "Okay, I understand, I''ll produce 50 first." Ning Xueluo thought about it and agreed in the end.

    After all, as long as Han Xiao stayed in theirpany, they would have many more of such work and even if the production was little, it could improve History''s branding.

    "Mr. Han Xiao, I wonder what this outfit should be called?" Ning Xueluo asked before she left.

    "ck Religion," Han Xiao answered.

    ¡­

    Very soon, Han Xiao''s ck Religion was finally been produced by History. There were a total of 50 pieces, no more, no less.

    And the first outfit from ck Religion had been kept for Ning Xueluo''s personal collection.

    Subsequently, Ning Xueluo invited all the huge fashion magazines and some influential fashion houses to view History''stest masterpiece.

 Chapter 1173: Beauty!

    <h4>Chapter 1173: Beauty!</h4>

    ck Religion was magical. Each and every piece in the line had different colors and styles. After being published in the media, every socialite in Imperial visited History and wanted to buy its products.

    However, History released news that each piece of ck Religion outfit would only be limited to 50 units and that it would not be for sale at the moment. In just a few days'' time, the price of every piece of ck Religion outfit was hiked up to the unbelievable prices of seven figures.

    And because of ck Religion, History''s sales boosted significantly, they became even more popr than before.

    On Weibo, ck Religion shot to the top of the hot topic list.

    The moment ck Religion was released, Spirit was gravely criticized by many.

    [Spirit is the joke of the century! Do they dare to say that History''s potential is lost? Their level is totally different. Do you know ck Religion? It''s priced at seven figures now and it''s limited to 50 pieces worldwide! History''s the real deal. If "ck Religion" were to be mass-produced, do you think Spirit can survive?]

    [Don''t be so cocky just because your are a supporter of History! It''s true that ck Religion is good, but no one knows what will happen next!]

    [Spirit''s dogs, where are you? Where were the ones who said History wasing to an end?]

    [Spirit is really shameless. They reek of a disgusting smell. Not only did they giarize History, they even looked down on History, and now they''ve gone all quiet when "ck Religion" is released?]

    History''s newly released line made their fans go crazy and the voices of Spirit''s supporters quickly faded away. Most of Spirit''s fans urged Spirit toe up with a new series better than "ck Religion", or else, they would turn their backs on them.

    ¡­

    In Spirit''s office, Ning Xi stared at the ck Religion article on the fashion magazine and frowned.

    "Impossible!" Gong Shangze stared at the magazine in his hand. "David could have never designed something like this!"

    "You mean¡­?" Ning Xi actually understood what Gong Shangze meant. If David was really this capable, would he really need to steal Gong Shangze''s designs earlier?

    "I''m not sure." Gong Shangze shook his head. "But I can guarantee that David is not this talented. I think someone else is helping History!"

    "Whether or not someone is helping History, ck Religion has already been created. It''s a fatal blow to Spirit. History''s market share has been way higher than ours recently. It''s going to be bad if this goes on any longer," Ning Xi said.

    "But isn''t it just ck Religion that''s taking the world by storm? Director Gong, why don''t you create a White Religion and counter History!?" Han Momo made a cup of coffee for Ning Xi while she cheered Gong Shangze on.

    "It''s not easy." Dread filled Gong Shangze''s eyes. "ck Religion''s poprity isn''t a fluke. Ancient Oriental elements of darkness were incorporated and it merges perfectly with the concept of Buddhism''s core idea. It''s a real beauty!"

    Han Momo was surprised. Was ck Religion really this powerful? To the point that even the difficult Gong Shangze found it hard to surpass?

 Chapter 1174: Nothing, On Abstinence. Training

    <h4>Chapter 1174: Nothing, On Abstinence. Training</h4>

    "Moreover, this design was specifically made to counter us by using one extreme concept to counter another¡­ Who could it be?" Gong Shangze clenched his fists in frustration.

    Ning Xi did not know much about fashion design but as a woman, she knew when she saw a good one. Truthfully, she really loved ck Religion. If it was not from History themselves, she would haveid her hands on one.

    "Boss, give me some time." Gong Shangze looked serious.

    "I believe in you." Ning Xi smiled. It seemed like Gong Shangze had met his opponent. After all, it was not really a bad thing sincepetition drove the best to the maximum potential.

    Still, Ning Xi was curious as well. Which expert had History hired to go up against Spirit? Like Gong Shangze said, ck Religion was specifically made to counter Spirit, by attacking Spirit''s extreme design style¡­

    ¡­

    After she left thepany, Ning Xi was feeling annoyed and wanted to release her stress. ck Religion probably reminded her of someone else. A person she had met before had the aura that matched the ck gothic elements perfectly.

    She then made a phone call.

    "What''s up?" Azy voice came through the phone.

    "God, what are you doing?" Ning Xi smiled amusedly.

    "Nothing, on abstinence. Training."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    "Han Xiao, please talk properly. If not, I''m going to p you hard," Ning Xi scolded him.

    "How much do you hate your hand? Aren''t you afraid that it might break after pping me?"

    "Stop trash talking. God, please teach me a few skills," Ning Xi said.

    "Does this count as returning you the favor thest time?"

    "Nope¡­" It was really difficult for him to owe her a favor, so she was not going to let him off so easily.

    "Oh, I''m not going then."

    "God, don''t be like this. I''ll treat you to a meal at KFC!"

    "Where are you? I''ll be there!"

    Ning Xi was speechless again.

    ¡­

    If someone were to offer him a meal, Han Xiao would surely be there. He would not even bete for half a second. KFC was his favorite!

    Looking at the way Han Xiao ate and his enormous appetite, Ning Xi shook her head. He wasted the beautiful face he was born with.

    "5 more Orleans baked chicken wings!" Han Xiao called out.

    "Stop eating. I''ll bring you to a nice ce."

    Before he could finish, Ning Xi dragged Han Xiao away and into her car.

    A whileter, at a Taekwondo center, Han Xiao looked around in confusion. "This is the nice ce you mentioned?"

    "Come on, God, teach me a few skills!"

    Ning Xi looked at him admiringly. Although this guy was mad, he was a powerful fighter.

    Every time she trained with Second Senior Brother, she was criticized again and again. She wanted to learn something new to counter him!

    "I''m not interested in fighting in front of these trash." Han Xiao flopped down on the floorzily.

    "Kid, who did you just call trash?"

    The next moment, a few big guys went up to him. The one who had spoken was a fat guy. Judging by his body size, he probably weighed about 120 kilograms.

    "I''m sorry¡­ My friend is just kidding," Ning Xi exined.

    "It''s none of your business!" The fat man pushed Ning Xi away roughly.

    "Kid, I''m talking to you. Who did you call trash?

    They surrounded Han Xiao menacingly. Han Xiao looked perplexed as he scanned around and looked at the fat man. "I''m not targeting anyone. I''m just saying that everyone here is trash. I''m not just talking about you, don''t be angry."

 Chapter 1175: Youâ€™re Really Good At Looking For Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 1175: You¡¯re Really Good At Looking For Trouble</h4>

    "Are you asking for death?!"

    The fat man raged and he grabbed Han Xiao up from the floor.

    "You bastard, acting tough in front of thedy, huh!?"

    "You idiot, I''m going to p you until you can''t be recognized by your mother!"

    The other students started yelling at him the moment he was grabbed.

    Ning Xi covered her face and groaned. This guy was too good at looking for trouble!

    "Fatso, listen to me, let go." Han Xiao smiled at him.

    "Who did you just call a fatso? I''m going to punch you to death!" The fat student became even angrier.

    "Fatso, do you believe that I can kill you with just a finger?" Han Xiao''s smile vanished.

    "You''re dead!" The fat student yelled at Han Xiao and thenunched a punch at him.

    Before his punch even reached Han Xiao, a shadow of a finger sliced through. In the blink of an eye, before Han Xiao''s finger even reached him, the force of his finger blew a gust of wind at the fat student''s hair. He then pointed his finger at the fatso''s torso.

    The onlookers did not know what happened, but they saw the 120-kilogram student fly across the room all of a sudden.

    Bang!

    The fat student crashed on the floor hard. He groaned as he covered his torso with both hands.

    "See! I told you so but you didn''t believe me." Han Xiao sat back on the floor and giggled.

    Everyone was shocked. Had the sissy-looking man really used just a finger to make the fat student fly across the room?

    "Who''s that monster?"

    "DId he just make Weiqiang fly that far away with just a finger?"

    "Skills?! Inner strength? Don''t tell me he came here from the ancient kungfu times!?"

    "You watch too much drama series!"

    "Such explosive power with that tiny body frame! Could he have used force?!"

    "Force? What force?"

    "You guys don''t know? I read about it in an ancient book. People train strength first, then only revise their form. As the form matures, it bes a skill. At the end of a skill, it bes force, hidden force, transformed force, the training of Qi, et cetera!" A middle-aged man exined.

    "Bro Liang, are you serious about what you just said? All that is real?"

    "You youngsters are too young to understand. Of course, it''s real. It''s recorded in an ancient book. You think it''s fake just because you don''t know about it." The middle-aged man shook his head.

    "Ancient book? I bet, Bro Liang, you''ve read too many martial arts novels!"

    "Fine, take it as I''m lying. You guys are the best, go and fight him!" The middle-aged man shrugged.

    Everyone shook their heads. Even a fat guy was blown away with just his finger, so who would dare to fight him?!

    "Sorry¡­ I''m really sorry!"

    Ning Xi was embarrassed as she dragged Han Xiao to flee from the Taekwondo center. She just wanted to find a ce for Han Xiao to teach her a few skills, but who knew this would happen?

    "You''re really good at causing trouble." Ning Xi red at Han Xiao after she stopped the car.

    "Lady, it was those people who wanted to attack me." Han Xiao put on an innocent expression.

    "Would they attack you if you didn''t call them trash?" Ning Xi was helpless.

    "They really are trash." Han Xiao thought about it.

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. She had noeback to this.

    "Just some fancy moves, there''s nothing interesting." Han Xiao said with a bored face

 Chapter 1176: Kneel To This God

    <h4>Chapter 1176: Kneel To This God</h4>

    "Haha, noble warrior, why don''t you fly to the sky?!" Ning Xi rolled her eyes at Han Xiao, then threw him out of the car and pointed at the wall to sneer, "If you''re all that capable, show me how vicious you can be. Prove it to me¡­"

    Before Ning Xi could finish her sentence, Han Xiao''s hand shed by and a thunderous sound was heard. Ning Xi stared at the wall that had been turned to powder by Han Xiao and found herself frozen on the spot.

    With just one hand, he had hit the wall into rubble. Parts of the wall had be fine powder and they floated like snow in mid-air.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    I''m going to kneel to this god!

    This peasant has failed to recognize your great talents!

    Ning Xi could swear to God that she had only seen such martial arts skills in novels. Only in novels¡­

    If she had not already had Second Senior Brother as her mentor, Ning Xi would definitely have made this crazy guy her instructor.

    Pfft, actually even if she had Second Senior Brother, she could still get another mentor.

    But she kept her thoughts to herself. This guy''s moves probably could not be learned by just anyone. She could probably only learn a move or two to protect her life.

    "You have some kind of vengeance towards this wall?" Han Xiao retrieved his hands and looked at Ning Xi with confusion.

    "No¡­" Ning Xi dumbfoundedly shook her head.

    "No? Then, why did you make me hit the wall? You''re crazy." Han Xiao turned around and got into the car.

    Ning Xi was speechless once again.

    What the hell? You''re the one who is crazy!

    She had just simply said so, but who would have thought that he would really hit it!?

    Was the crazy one not him?

    "Haha, noble warrior, what would you like to eat tonight? I''ll definitely treat you to anything¡­ Teach me two moves too¡­" Ning Xi mocked him at heart but was smiling to curry favor on the surface.

    Then, Ning Xi''s phone suddenly rang. It was Gong Shangze.

    Ning Xi''s expression immediately turned serious. "Understood, I''ll get back immediately. I hope we can topple History''s ck Religion this time," Ning Xi said, then hung up.

    Han Xiao obviously heard Ning Xi''s words.

    "You know ck Religion too?" Han Xiao was instantly energized.

    "Of course, I do." Ning Xi did not hide much from Han Xiao. "I''m Spirit''s boss! Recently, History released ck Religion and it impacted ourpany hugely. Never mind, you wouldn''t understand even if I told you!"

    Han Xiao''s eyes flew wide and he gaped at Ning Xi with astonishment. "You''re Spirit''s boss?"

    "Do you have to be so shocked?" Ning Xi grumbled.

    "You should have told me earlier. I designed ck Religion! What do you think? Not bad, right?!" Han Xiao said cheerfully, crossing one leg over the other.

    "It was you? The entire world''s famous brands were made by you, the god." Ning Xi shot Han Xiao a skeptical look. Of course, she did not believe him.

    "It''s really my design," said Han Xiao firmly.

    "I know, you designed it." Ning Xi had a serious expression and nodded cooperatively.

    "I''m telling the truth¡­" Han Xiao was not dumb either. He obviously knew that Ning Xi did not believe him.

    "Don''t mess with me anymore, I''ll really push you out." Ning Xi gritted her teeth and immediately opened the car door. She was already very annoyed by this incident, yet this guy kept bringing it up.

    "ck Religion is really mine¡­"

    Before Han Xiao could finish, he had actually been pushed out of the car by Ning Xi.

    Han Xiao knocked on the car window and said nkly, "It''s really me¡­"

    The moment he said that, Ning Xi floored the elerator and disappeared, leaving Han Xiao behind on the roadside.

 Chapter 1177: Compete

    <h4>Chapter 1177: Compete</h4>

    At Spirit''s Headquarters, when Ning Xi rushed back, Gong Shangze and the national artist, Song Jin, were having an intense discussion. Since Song Jin had agreed to coborate, he had been experimenting new things with Gong Shangze, but because of ck Religion''s sudden appearance, the two had to make some changes to the initial design.

    "Elder Song! You''re here!" When she saw Song Jin, Ning Xi quickly greeted him respectfully.

    Song Jin nodded. "I already know about ck Religion."

    "What do you think, Elder Song?" Ning Xi asked for Song Jin''s opinion.

    "Mmm¡­not bad, it has a very strong artistic feel to it, but since we arepeting on style, it''s not like we''re at a dead end." Song Jin smiled and looked confident.

    Gong Shangze looked emotional as well as he led Ning Xi to the sample room. "Boss, take a look at this!"

    The sample room had numerous clothes in various designs that could dazzle a person, but the instant Ning Xi stepped into it, there was only one dress in her line of sight.

    As she gawked at the white gown that seemed like clouds of immortality lingered around it, Ning Xi was stunned for a few seconds before she reacted. There was an exmation of admiration and excitement that she could not hide in her voice. "This is¡­"

    Song Jin touched the beard on his chin and said meaningfully, "This is Luoshen ."

    "Luoshen?" Ning Xi''s eyes lit up. "Is that the name of this dress? It''s very fitting!"

    Ning Xi''s head instantly recalled the phrase in "Luoshen Fu".

    "Light as a frightened goose, graceful as a swimming dragon with the glory of the autumn chrysanthemum, dense with spring pines; like the soft clouds shielding the moon, floating like the snow returning to the wind; looking from afar, bright as the break of dawn; running swiftly to see it, luminous like lotus emerging from clear waters¡­"

    It was perfectly suitable!

    This gown named Luoshen used the phoenix as its main motif andplemented it with mystical clouds, exhibiting the beauty of China''s ssic mythologies and expressing the aura of "immortality" and mystery, creating a strikingparison to ck Religion.

    In fact, it gave people the yearning for bountiful goodness¡­

    A flower in a world, a leaf in pursuit. A song and a sigh, a life for the one.

    The point was from the style to the meaning behind it, Luoshen was entirely created to go against ck Religion.

    "Way awesome! If it''s this piece we''re talking about, it can definitelypete with ck Religion!" Ning Xi said excitedly.

    Gong Shangze did not rx. He continued, "''I''m just worried that the other designer hasn''t even expressed their full potential¡­so, I can''t be careless! The other side will probably have even more amazing working up."

    He had never met someone who could make him feel such distress. It was not sure whether that person was only temporarily putting out the fire at History or had they been taken in.

    If it was thetter, then that would make the situation stickier¡­

    ¡­

    On the other end, at History''s headquarters, after Han Xiao returned, he did not sit around and had taken the initiative to create new designs, which was a pleasant surprise to Ning Xueluo.

    In the design department, Han Xiao called David over and said with fire in his eyes, "David, I need arge amount of cloud-pattern brocade!"

    "Cloud-pattern brocade?" David was stunned.

    As a designer himself, he obviously knew that cloud-pattern brocade was a traditional Chinese woven handicraft and held the title of "every inch is gold". It was said to have close to 1,700 years of history.

    During the ancient times, the brocade represented the highest form of textile. Many generations of emperors'' daily clothing were made of it, so it was highly rare and treasured.

 Chapter 1178: Even More Astonishing Work

    <h4>Chapter 1178: Even More Astonishing Work</h4>

    Many huge brands in the market also used cloud-pattern brocade but they were clearly different whenpared to the authentic brocade.

    "Plus diamonds, gold silk, high quality blended fabric, and jadeites," Han Xiao listed out quite a few materials at a go.

    When he heard Han Xiao''s request, David was dumbfounded. What was this Han Xiao trying to do? Everything he listed was incredibly rare and expensive.

    The gold silk and diamonds were aesthetically pleasing while the jadeites need no exnation. The high-quality blended fabric was high-tech materials used for astronaut uniforms.

    "Uhh¡­ Hold on¡­ I-I''ll go talk to the boss," said David with a weak smile before he quickly turned around and left.

    David dared not to offend him. Besides, even though the things he wanted were expensive, Ning Xueluo called the shots and controlled the budget anyway. Momentster, David reached Ning Xueluo''s office and informed her of Han Xiao''s request.

    "I''ll prepare it for them as soon as possible," answered Ning Xueluo without much hesitation.

    After all, Han Xiao had already proven his capabilities and Ning Xueluo was very confident about him. If he wanted those materials, then he must want to create better outfits, so of course, she was eager to give him what he wanted.

    Ning Xueluo was very efficient. Within two days, she had finished gathering all the materials Han Xiao needed. As for the price, it was considered sky-high, especially the jades. It had all been prepared ording to Han Xiao''s request and the jadeite was of the highest quality.

    When he got the materials, Han Xiao chased the unnecessary people out of the department and locked himself in the room.

    Three dayster, Han Xiao submitted all of his drafts and materials that he had polished and processed to Ning Xueluo, telling her to produce the pieces ording to the drafts.

    Ning Xueluo opened the draft and felt her heart beat faster.

    This was like Asura''s purgatory. Apart from Asura''s ghostly figure, most of them used the mysterious strange beasts from the "ssic of Mountain and Sea" as the main pattern. Compared to ck Religion, the level of its avant-garde was considerably higher.

    "Mr. Han Xiao, what''s this piece called?" Ning Xueluo was a little curious.

    "Beings," answered Han Xiao.

    "Good name, but you only produced one outfit," Ning Xueluomented uncertainly.

    "If you have enough funds and have a lot of such materials, then we can also consider mass production," Han Xiaoughed evilly.

    Ning Xueluo immediately shook her head. The price of these materials was too expensive and History would not even be able to afford to mass produce them, but if it was only one piece, it could be considered the most treasured piece of the collection, the key highlight.

    "Ha, Spirit, you guys are about to close down reeaaal soon." Ning Xueluo''s mouth curved into a grin and there was a sinister sparkle in her eyes.

    It took a week to produce Beings and when the sixth day came, Ning Xueluo released news that History was about to announce the highlight piece of their collection and that it was on a level that far surpassed ck Religion.

    When this news was released, all the media swarmed to wait outside History''s headquarters. They all wanted to be the first to see History''stest highlight.

    There were even more History''s loyal fans that had started live streaming about the highlight piece and it instantly made it to Weibo''s hot topic list. Almost all of the fans were waiting with anticipation.

    Just one line, ck Religion, had pushed History to the peak. If this piece was on a higher level than ck Religion, they simply could not imagine it.

    History''s diehard fans were running high on enthusiasm. They had taken the initiative to insult Spirit and its fans online. The hooting and rivalry online was getting more and more intense, and there was no sign of it stopping.

    At first, Spirit''s supporters would fight back asionally, but once it went on longer, they all fell into a silence and there was no response from Spirit''s end.

 Chapter 1179: Iâ€™m Here To Give You A Gift

    <h4>Chapter 1179: I¡¯m Here To Give You A Gift</h4>

    The next morning, journalists from every fashion magazine swiftly swarmed into History''s headquarters.

    Ning Xueluo was as pleased as punch. She looked proud as she led the media into the design department.

    However, in the end¡­

    They were dumbfounded when they reached.

    The entire department was empty. Han Xiao and Beings had vanished altogether.

    All the reporters present started to cause amotion as they looked at one another in dismay.

    "Uhh, CEO Ning, where is your brand''s highlight piece?"

    "Is there some mysterious surprise?"

    "Probably, quickly get ready!"

    ¡­

    Among the discussion, Ning Xueluo kept a calm expression and lowered her voice to ask David, "Where''s he?! Didn''t he know I was going to bring the media here today?"

    David was even more taken aback. "I''ve told him! In fact, I reminded him over and over! Don''t worry, I''ll call him now¡­"

    ¡­

    At the same time, at Spirit headquarters, Han Xiao had just crashed the office, and the few security guards were all bruised up in the face as they followed behind Han Xiao carefully. They dared not to get close to him.

    "Who''re you looking for?" Gong Shangze looked at Han Xiao with rm and asked.

    "Ning Xi," said Han Xiao.

    Gong Shangze looked at the beaten up security guards behind Han Xiao and did not say much. He walked to Ning Xi''s office and called out, "Boss, someone''s looking for you!"

    "Boss, this person¡­just barged in, we couldn''t stop him!" One of the security guards quickly exined.

    "No worries, you guys leave first." When Ning Xi saw Han Xiao, she was first stunned, then she shot him a mean look and turned around to smile sweetly at the guards.

    When the guards had left, Ning Xi instantly looked unhappy. "You came to mypany and hit my guards? Is this how you treat the person who saved you?"

    Han Xiao looked sternly at her. "Where should I begin, Lady Ning? I''m here to give you a gift."

    "I''m not free!"

    Ning Xi was not free. She looked anxiously at Gong Shangze and said, "Isn''t History announcing their highlight piece today? Is there any news?"

    Gong Shangze was flipping through hisputer and looked shocked when he saw something, then he immediately said, "That''s weird¡­the current news is actually¡­all the media are criticizing History''s hype. They found nothing when they went to History''s headquarters. There isn''t any highlight piece¡­"

    "What?" When she heard this, Ning Xi had just sipped on her coffee. She spat it all on Han Xiao''s face instead and eximed in disbelief, "The highlight piece that''s been said to surpass ck Religion in every aspect is just an empty hype?"

    She had worried for a night and not slept as she was getting ready for all the impact from History''s god-like designer, yet they had made such a mistake?!

    "Lady Ning, there isn''t a highlight piece for History, but I do have one for Spirit here." Han Xiao silently wiped away the coffee drops on his face and opened the box in his hand. Heid an incredibly luxurious gown out before Ning Xi.

    Before Ning Xi could look at it, Gong Shangze had jumped up and taken big steps over to carefully hold up the gown in disbelief.

    "So¡­so exquisite¡­" Until Ning Xi had examined it clearly, she was dumbstruck as well.

    "This style¡­ It''spletely an upgraded version of ck Religion!" Gong Shangze could not help but gasp.

 Chapter 1180: Cant We Chat Happily

    <h4>Chapter 1180: Can''t We Chat Happily</h4>

    This time, the ssic dark style was borated to its ultimate elegance. It was definitely not on par with History''s previously produced ck Religion outfits!

    The only style it could bepared to was probably only Gong Shangze and the national artist, Master Song Jin''s Luoshen!

    "So beautiful, and these materials¡­ This is? Whoa, diamonds? And jades? Traditional cloud-patterned brocade! My God, gold silk!" Ning Xi waspletely overwhelmed on the spot. The materials used to produce this gown alone were out of this world!

    "High-quality blended fabric?" Gong Shangze touched Beings and his expression changed to one of bewilderment.

    "Blended fabric? What''s that?" Ning Xi quickly asked.

    Gong Shangze paused for a moment before exining, "Let me exin. This kind of material is usually used to produce astronauts'' uniforms when they go to outer space."

    Ning Xi did not know what to say anymore. Even though she was not an expert in the industry, it was enough to know just a little. The one word "expensive" was enough. Thus, she instantly picked up the gown and carefully held it up.

    Then, she suddenly turned to look at Gong Shangze and looked extremely afflicted. "Han Xiao, tell me honestly, did you steal this from History?!"

    History had even called the media over and said that they would show their highlight piece today. How could they have hyped things up over nothing!?

    Ning Xi was seriously suspecting if this very gown was History''s highlight piece and if it had been stolen by Han Xiao.

    He definitely had the capability to steal the gown!

    "This dress?" Han Xiao stared at Beings lovingly. "I made it."

    "My ass!" Ning Xi did not believe him.

    "ck Religion was mine too. This one is called Beings," said Han Xiao.

    Ning Xi pinched the space between her brows and did not have the energy to deal with him. "My noble warrior, can''t we chat happily?"

    "If such a dress had been stolen from Spirit, would you report it to the police?" Han Xiao narrowed his eyes and smiled wryly to ask.

    "Nonsense, of course, I''d report it to the police," Ning Xi said.

    "Then, could History be even dumber than you? Even you know how to call the police, yet History remained silent and is even being criticized by the media for hyping up nothing. Still, they don''t say a word?" Han Xiao gave a sneaky smile.

    Ning Xi was stumped for words. "Ugh¡­who are you calling dumb now!?"

    "Boss, if History had really been robbed of such a dress, they definitely wouldn''t remain silent and would be honest with the media. After all, the value of this dress¡­is too high," Gong Shangze immediately dered. At the same time, his expression when he looked at Han Xiao gradually changed.

    As they spoke, Han Xiao''s phone suddenly rang. It was David. Han Xiao picked up the phone and put it on the loudspeaker.

    "Bro Han Xiao, where did you go? Today is the press conference for Beings and all the fashion media are here at History''s headquarters. If you disappear, then Beings will disappear too¡­"

    In such a state of emergency, David''s voice remained gentle and he did not sound angry at all. He wanted to shout and scold Han Xiao but sadly, he did not have such guts.

    "What does that have to do with me?" Han Xiao asked in reply.

    "Bro Han Xiao¡­isn''t Beings the highlight piece that you designed for History?" David asked weakly, and even though his voice was gentle, it was clear enough for Ning Xi and Gong Shangze to hear.

    "Which ear of yours heard me say this?" Han Xiao''s voice struck out coldly.

    "No, no, no¡­haha, that''s our boss who misunderstood. She misunderstood¡­"

    "Beings is my work. I''ll handle it however I want to. You might understand what I mean," said Han Xiao.

 Chapter 1181: Would It Hurt You?

    <h4>Chapter 1181: Would It Hurt You?</h4>

    "I understand, I really do. Your Beings never had any ties to History¡­ You didn''t sign any contract with the boss either, so naturally, you can handle it however you want to now," David chuckled along and even found a reason for Han Xiao himself.

    After David finished, Han Xiao hung up.

    While Ning Xi looked stupefied, her heart was all over the ce, yet she could not say a word¡­

    She remembered that back then, Han Xiao did say he was a designer but she had not believed him.

    What the hell!? This violent madman is unexpectedly an even more talented designer than Gong Shangze!

    She would not believe this even if she was given another chance! This was just too illogical!

    As he looked as Ning Xi''s astonished and sullen expression, Han Xiao was finally satisfied. "ck Religion made a huge impact on Spirit, so Beings is considered my small token of sincerity. It can be a gift or apensation to you. Please ept it."

    Uhh, what was with his tone that sounded like he was just casually giving her a little trinket!?

    Ning Xi looked at the incredibly luxurious gown from the corner of her eye. "Uhh, that¡­wouldn''t be too suitable¡­"

    Han Xiao looked at her firmly. "Don''t worry, it''s not meant to make up for the previous favor. My life is not that cheap. History will definitely not dare to look into this, don''t think too much."

    "Sigh, since you''ve put it that way, I''ll just ept it reluctantly!" Despite saying that she was reluctant, her hands epted the gown swiftly. "Momo, store the gown properly!"

    Even though Han Xiao''s tone was arrogant, she now entirely believed that this dress was really just a trifle to him. Furthermore, this had been extorted from Ning Xueluo, so of course, she would not waste it!

    As Gong Shangze watched the way this rollercoaster had progressed far beyond his expectations, he remained at a loss¡­

    History''s trump card which they had worried most about actually knew Ning Xi and seems to even owe her a favor¡­

    Had their rival''s highlight piece now be theirs?

    This¡­

    Han Momo had been working on the side and was shocked until her jaw dropped. She only returned to her senses when Ning Xi called for her to put the gown away and she ran over immediately.

    "Also, Momo, quickly contact the media to say that Spirit will announce our highlight piece today!" Ning Xi decided to strike while the iron was hot and announce both Spirit and Han Xiao''s two outfits following History''s mishap.

    "Okay! Right away!" Momo was instantly excited when she heard the order.

    If History saw that their dress had appeared in Spirit, they would be furious! This was truly the meaning of sewing somebody else''s trousseau !

    As Ning Xi said this, Han Xiao suddenly pulled onto Gong Shangze''s cor and asked, "Want to fight?"

    Ning Xi quickly hit his hand away annoyedly. "What are you doing?! He''s an innocent designer. Why would he want to fight with you!? Do you think everyone''s like you?"

    "Then, why is he looking at me like that?" Han Xiao asked coldly.

    Ning Xi pinched the juncture between her brows. "My designer has been wanting to know who the designer behind ck Religion is ever since he saw it. Now that you''re standing right before him, he''s just taking a few extra nces at you, so what''s wrong? Would it hurt you?"

 Chapter 1182: Definitely Big News!

    <h4>Chapter 1182: Definitely Big News!</h4>

    Gong Shangze felt a little embarrassed. "I''m sorry, Mr. Han, I was only interested in your design style¡­"

    Han Xiao looked at this young man in front of him with interest. "So, he''s Spirit''s designer?"

    "Yeah, didn''t you mention that he made you feel like challenging him? Fine, I need to apologize. I''m sorry that I didn''t believe you were a designer. I''m really impressed!" Ning Xi said.

    Han Xiao nced at her. "I told you so. But Spirit''s designer is not at my level and I can end him anytime I want to. Do you believe me now?"

    Ning Xi suddenly thought of something. "Wait! Wait! So¡­the reason you went to History and made all this fuss¡­was because I didn''t believe in you?"

    "Yeap."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    What a straightforward bastard!

    She had guessed a million times who Ning Xueluo had hired, but she did not expect that all of this had happened because of her¡­

    Ning Xi put a hand on her forehead. "I''m wrong, my God! I''m really wrong¡­ I''ll believe every single thing you say in the future! Every. Single. Thing!"

    Gong Shangze was startled as well. He did not expect this person to design ck Religion because of him. He was not angry when Han Xiao said that he could end him anytime because he really could. Gong Shangze was actually d that Han Xiao saw him as a worthy opponent.

    "Okay, as my apology and gratitude for your gift, I''ll treat you to dinner tonight after the conferenceter!" Ning Xi told Han Xiao.

    Of course, he would not reject an invitation for food!

    Han Xiao gave her an "OK" sign, then left swiftly.

    After Han Xiao left, Gong Shangze asked Ning Xi, "Boss, do you think it''s possible to recruit Mr. Han into ourpany?"

    If someone like him were to join Spirit¡­

    Ning Xi denied Gong Shangze''s suggestion instantly, "Don''t even think about it. I can''t control that guy at all. No matter how powerful a weapon is, if you can''t control it, it''ll go against you."

    Ning Xueluo was the best example.

    Moreover, someone as unpredictable as him would not stay anywhere for too long. From his attitude, one could see that design was just one of his little hobbies.

    Gong Shangze did not pursue any further and his eyes brightened. Talented people were out there and they were talented to the point that not even jealousy could help. He could only be impressed and continue to work on his own craft to close the gap¡­

    After a short preparation, Han Momo quickly released the news of the conference. The venue would be at the Royal Jazz Hotel in Imperial.

    Although the news was releasedte, the media sped to the venue as soon as possible and the news went viral.

    It really made people curious what Spirit''s announcement would be, especially right after they got nothing from History!

    It was definitely big news!

 Chapter 1183: What The Heck Are They Doing?

    <h4>Chapter 1183: What The Heck Are They Doing?</h4>

    At the multipurpose hall in the Royal Jazz Hotel.

    In just an hour after the news was released, the hall was fully seated.

    Most of the journalists were disappointed at History. Just as they were about to write articles criticizing History, they quickly came over the moment they heard about Spirit''s conference. It was very likely that they would get big news, so of course, they would reach there as soon as possible.

    Of course, while History was busy looking for Han Xiao after he disappeared, they received the news about Spirit''s conference.

    Ning Xueluo sent some people over, but because she was anxious, she put on a pair of sunsses and went there personally. She wanted to see for herself what the heck Spirit was doing! No matter what they did, as long as she could get Han Xiao back, History still stood a chance.

    Han Xiao was already so unpredictable. Even after the phone call, Ning Xueluo did not give up, and she asked David to try everything he could to get in contact with him again.

    On the Inte, History''s fans said that History would never use such a method to raise their poprity and that some ident must have happened. After it was solved, they would surely present their highlight piece in the grandest way possible.

    Qiao Wen''s public rtions team was professional as they were able to arrange the conference in a short amount of time.

    As most of the journalists arrived, Spirit''s spokesman, the Public Rtions Director Xie Yichuan cleared his throat, "Thank you, everyone, foring today. Spirit will be announcing our new design. This design was made as a result of the coborated effort of our lead designer, ZX, and Elder Song. It will be the highlight piece of our brand!"

    Everyone was shocked when they heard Xie Yichuan.

    "Song¡­Song Jin?"

    "The national painter, Song Jin? Are you kidding me!"

    "Didn''t Elder Song retire a long time ago? I went to his ce for an interview before, and I was not able to meet him at all! Why would he work with a fashionpany like Spirit? Unbelievable!"

    "They are probably just bluffing!"

    "How can they bluff about something like this?"

    "Even History could give us fake news, so what else is impossible?"

    ¡­

    "Everyone, please settle down, our brand''s highlight piece is going to be presented soon, and today, we''re honored to have Elder Song with us. He''s going to introduce the masterpiece!"

    The people who were suspicious earlier were now dumbfounded.

    Song Jin was here today personally?!

    Everyone held their breaths; they looked at the direction of the entrance.

    Spirit had invited so many people here today. If they were to pull a simr fluke to History, they were going to be in deep trouble!

    In the corner, Ning Xueluo''s eyes behind her sunsses were furious. "Song Jin? How is that possible?!"

    All this while, History had been attacking Spirit for giarising their designs, and now Spirit was able to coborate with Song Jin?

    Absurd!

    Song Jin was not avable for hire with just money. History had tried to invite him before as well, but they did not even get to meet him in person.

    "This is highly unlikely¡­"

 Chapter 1184: Grand Entrance

    <h4>Chapter 1184: Grand Entrance</h4>

    History''s Marketing Director, Qin Zifan said, "Boss, don''t listen to their lies! How could it be Song Jin? It''s probably one of Song Jin''s students!"

    "Song Jin has no students," Ning Xueluo replied.

    "They might just say that Elder Song isn''ting today because he''s not feeling well. They''re just trying to make their words more believable, but the truth is that Elder Song retired long ago. He wouldn''t know about Spirit. Even if he did, he won''t coborate with them based on his personality.

    "Coboration? They probably just bought a work of Elder Song''s, then incorporated the elements into their new design¡­ These are all gimmicks, I''ve seen too much of these!" Qin Zifan made his conclusion.

    As everyone was curious and excited. Most people had the same thoughts as Qin Zifan.

    Soon, two girls in Spirit''s uniforms appeared at the entrance, carefully carrying a garment covered with thick cloth. They ced the garment at the center of the stage, then they stood beside it on both sides.

    "Well, at least they are better than History. They actually have something to show," someone mumbled.

    "Even if they have something new, it won''t be able to surpass ck Religion. Spirit''s not going to win! Borrowing Elder Song''s name isn''t going to help!"

    Everyone around looked impressed the moment ck Religion was mentioned. "You''re right¡­"

    Soon, a healthy, vibrant old man came in with the guidance of a youngdy. The hall was dead silent as they saw Han Momo lead the old man in¡­

    Song Jin was the symbol of painting in the country and his picture was even printed in national textbooks. Everyone knew him, so of course, all the journalists recognized him.

    "S-Song Jin!"

    "Oh my God! It''s really Elder Song!"

    ¡­

    For a well-known master like Song Jin, everyone stood up out of respect.

    Actually, Ning Xi had not expected for Song Jin toe personally.

    Gong Shangze hadmunication issues and could not speak the moment he faced a camera, so usually, Han Momo would speak in his stead. That was the arrangement this time as well, but the conference was too important, so Gong Shangze was worried that Han Momo was unable to present his idea urately.

    As they were thinking of a solution, Elder Song suggested toe himself. Ning Xi was really grateful. She actually hoped for Elder Song to appear because it would be difficult to convince people they were really coborating if he did not.

    "Elder Song, are you really coborating with Spirit?"

    "Master, why do you choose to work with Spirit and not other bigger brands? I heard the top China brand Lotus Step invited you before and you turned them down!"

    "History seemed to have invited you before as well!"

    ¡­

    The journalists were really excited, shooting one question after another about Song Jin¡­

    Song Jin cleared his throat and he reminded them curtly, "Today is Spirit''s new product conference. I hope everyone can get their focus right."

    After this, Song Jin removed the thick cloth on the garment.

    As it was removed, Spirit''s treasure was finally revealed¡­

 Chapter 1185: Found Him?

    <h4>Chapter 1185: Found Him?</h4>

    The reporters, who were interviewing Song Jin one after another earlier, had all stopped and were astonished!

    "My¡­My God! It''s too beautiful!"

    "This is Spirit''s highlight piece?"

    "I thought History''s ck Religion was already the pinnacle of breathtaking, but now, we''ve seen the pinnacle of apletely different style! This is astonishing!"

    "ZX''s personal style and Elder Song''s painting elementsbined so perfectly! This entire outfit practically makes one feel like they have fallen into Wondend!"

    "Elder Song! Does this dress have a name?"

    ¡­

    Song Jin was very happy with the reporters'' reactions. He grazed his white beard and said leisurely, "Light as a frightened goose, graceful as a swimming dragon, with glory of the autumn chrysanthemum, dense with spring pines; like the soft clouds shielding the moon, floating like the snow returning to the wind; looking from afar, bright as the break of dawn; running swiftly to see, luminous like lotus emerging clear waters¡­"

    When he recited this, one of the reporters asked emotionally, "Could this dress possibly be named Luoshen?"

    Song Jin nodded sagely. "That''s right."

    Everyone eximed in admiration.

    "Luoshen¡­ Luoshen is indeed true to its name!"

    "How fitting!"

    "Spirit is astonishing!"

    "Exactly, they have such unexpected surprises every time!"

    "Sadly¡­"

    "Sadly what?"

    "Obviously, I''m feeling sad¡­ We even met Master Song Jin today, yet we haven''t met Spirit''s legendary designer, ZX!"

    "Oh yeah! They''re so secretive! What do you think this ZX code name means?"

    "Maybe it''s the abbreviation of his name?"

    ¡­

    In the corner, Ning Xueluo was so angry that her face looked distorted. "Damn it! Qin Zifan! What is up with you!? How could not know about this huge news that Spirit managed to get Song Jin?!"

    Qin Zifan broke out in cold sweat as well. Damn it, how could he have thought that Spirit could not invite Song Jin!? Besides, he was only in charge of the marketing department, so all these design stuff was not under him.

    "Where''s David?!"

    "Seems like he''s still looking for him¡­" Qin Zifan muttered weakly.

    Ning Xueluo gritted her teeth viciously. "Hmm, what Luoshen? It''s just that! As long as we find Han Xiao and Beings is released, it will definitely crush Spirit¡­"

    "Yes, yes, yes¡­obviously," Qin Zifan echoed.

    However, his mouth was twitching, the problem was that they had to find the person first!

    That designer was sly in temperament and his whereabouts so uncertain. They have even called and he was not willing to let them use Beings, so where could they look for him now? It would be of no use even if they found him!

    Actually, when Ning Xueluo had hired that person at first, he had felt indistinctively unassured and thought that she would definitely not be able to control such a person. There were too many uncertainties, and now, indeed the thing he had worried most about had happened¡­

    "Boss¡­" A person rushed over, panting behind Ning Xueluo. It was David.

    "You found him?" Ning Xueluo immediately asked.

    David looked miserable as he shook his head. "N-No, he seems to have cklisted my number. I''ve gone to the ce he might eat at, but I didn''t find him¡­"

    "Useless! It''s been so long. Don''t you know where he stays?" Ning Xueluo cursed in rage.

    David looked even more miserable now. "I''ve tried to track him before, but that guy was too alert. I couldn''t even follow through. There was once I followed him, but he actually walked into the cemetery and I didn''t dare to continue following¡­"

 Chapter 1186: Second Highlight Piece!

    <h4>Chapter 1186: Second Highlight Piece!</h4>

    "What do we do now then? Look at Spirit''s new work! They''ve even invited Song Jin!" Ning Xueluo eximed in annoyance.

    David did not look pleased as well when he saw the white gown oozing magic on stage and Song Jin doing the exnation.

    No way, they were going to lose this round and his reputation would be gone. Hispany would fall!

    David gritted his teeth and became determined again. "Boss! Don''t worry! I''ll just go look for him at the cemetery¡­"

    "Then, go quickly!" Ning Xueluo lowered her voice to scold him.

    On the stage, Xie Yichuan''s voice was heard, "To all friends from the media, please don''t rush to leave. For this press conference, we have a second highlight piece!"

    David immediately stopped in his footsteps. Ning Xueluo and Qin Zifan, who were about to leave, swiveled to the stage at the same time. "What? There''s still a second one?"

    David turned pale, then he sneered, "Based on the first one, you can basically guess the second outfit''s style. It''s actually the same whether there''s one or two. Besides, the rarer something is, the greater its value. Of course, there should only be one highlight piece, but Spirit created two. They are so dumb¡­"

    Qin Zifan observed the stage. "How could they have designed two highlights of the same quality in such a short amount of time? Even if the designer had the inspiration, the cost of creating every piece is considerably high and Spirit''s capital flow wouldn''t have been able to handle it, would they?"

    On the stage, Song Jin had left.

    The presenter was changed to a member of the crew donning a ck little dress.

    Two crew members carefully carried out another dress that was covered in cloth, then thedy in the ck dress walked to the center of the stage. Before she revealed the piece, she slowly exined, "First of all, we will need to exin to all the friends in the media that this design was not a work of our designer, ZX, but another designer that Spirit has especially invited. The clothing he designed for Spirit is just this one piece, and the style ispletely opposite of Luoshen''s. Our aim is to give our consumers different experiences and fulfill everyone''s various needs¡­"

    "Don''t talk so much, quickly reveal it for us to see!"

    "Exactly, you make it sound so mysterious!"

    "Just show us and we''ll evaluate it as it is!"

    ¡­

    When she heard the introduction, there was a sly smile on Ning Xueluo''s face. "Apletely opposite style? Could Spirit have prepared toe up with a piece to go against our ck Religion?"

    David naturally thought of this too. "That''s just lunatic! Han Xiao''s style cannot be imitated by just anyone!"

    "Our piece is called Beings!"

    When they heard the name being dered, David, Ning Xueluo, and Qin Zifan were all shocked to the core.

    "What? Beings?!"

    "Did Spirit steal our idea?"

    ¡­

    "Vo!" They said as the crew members revealed the piece.

    An incredibly luxurious and mysterious gown with strong elements of Eastern and traditional Chinese characters appeared before the crowd¡­

    It was neither a theft of ideas, nor was it an imitation following the trend!

    It was Beings!

    This piece was unexpectedly Han Xiao''s design, Beings!

    The three of them were stupefied as they all looked on in disbelief. Their expressions changed like a multi-coloredntern with a carousel of paper horses¡­

    The Beings that had disappeared, the one they had searched all over for had appeared at Spirit''s press conference and it was announced as their highlight piece!

    Their highlight piece had be Spirit''s¡­?!

 Chapter 1187: Furious

    <h4>Chapter 1187: Furious</h4>

    Once Beings appeared, many of the reporters present immediately stood up as they were overwhelmed with emotions.

    "My God! I thought that ck Religion was the pinnacle. Who would''ve thought¡­?"

    "This¡­this is just mind-blowing!"

    "What kind of aura could ovee this dress?"

    ¡­

    Of course, among the praises, there were some doubts as well.

    "But this was not designed by Spirit themselves¡­ Didn''t the announcer say so earlier? They especially hired another designer!"

    "So what if it was a special feature? Did you think that History''s ck Religion was designed by David himself? Even though he has been vague and let people misunderstand that it was his design, but it definitely isn''t! They also invited an outsider to help!"

    "Even though a designer''s style can change, there are still boundaries and limitations. How could the same person have controlled such a huge span of variation? It''s understandable for Spirit to hire an outsider! Besides, History did it first!"

    "Speaking of which¡­ Why do I think ck Religion''s and Beings'' styles are so simr?"

    "No matter what, Spirit has really seized overwhelming victory this time!"

    "Haha¡­ Today has been a brilliant day, I have attention-grabbing headlines to write!"

    ¡­

    As they watched Spirit''s presenter introduce the piece on stage with lots of hype, and as she heard the media''s endless admiring exmations and praises, Ning Xueluo was furious!

    What did they mean by simr style!?

    That was designed by the same person!

    That belonged to History!

    Ning Xueluo took a deep breath and suppressed the bitterness in her throat. "Go¡­go report to the police. Say that Spirit has stolen our expensive highlight piece!"

    David found it difficult and replied, "Boss, this¡­I''m afraid that''s not right. Even though I don''t know how Spirit did it, this dress had indeed been willingly given to them by Han Xiao¡­"

    "So what?! All those gems, diamonds and jades on that dress, every thread on it are my money!" Ning Xueluo almost lost control and roared in a lowered voice.

    "Boss, be softer¡­" David pulled Ning Xueluo to a corner. "Even though that''s how we say it, but, Boss, Han Xiao did not take a single cent from ck Religion before. If we really are to ount for the cost, our ims will be quite groundless. Besides, he didn''t sign a contract with us. We also provided all those materials willingly to him¡­"

    "Don''t talk about ck Religion to me. Is there any meaning to a defeated design?" Ning Xueluo was raging at this point.

    David obviously knew this too. "But it''s already like this¡­"

    "So, are you telling me to grin and bear it, to watch myself sew Spirit''s trousseau for them?"

    David was also irritated at this point. "Boss, obviously, I don''t want that! But we really cannot mess with Han Xiao. If you don''t believe me, then, Boss, please don''t me me for not reminding you when the consequencese!"

    David spoke seriously. Ning Xueluo had also heard about Han Xiao''s past from him. Even if she was about to explode to anger, she obviously did not dare to really do anything¡­

    "David, listen to me. All of what''s happening right now originated from your ipetence, so you know what you should do!" Ning Xueluo threw out her ultimatum.

    David balled his hands behind his back into tight fists¡­

    He did not finish using the designs he had stolen from Gong Shangze, but because it was limited in number, and he had previously used too much from not restraining himself, he would not simply use it if not for it being a critical time¡­

    Unfortunately for him, now it looked like he really had to use a few of them¡­

    At this point, every design he used would really be like cutting at his flesh¡­

 Chapter 1188: Im Here To Eat, Not To Chat!

    <h4>Chapter 1188: I''m Here To Eat, Not To Chat!</h4>

    Spirit''s press conference had ended perfectly. Since they had first dered war not too long ago, they finally won splendidly this time around.

    Soon after the press conference ended, the Inte was already filled with reports from the event. There were so many highlights and surprises from this event, and with the articles about History titled "Standing The Media Up" and "Empty City Strategy" toplement, Spirit''s poprity instantly exploded and the public opinion became inclined to Spirit¡­

    When she saw that everything had gone smoothly, Ning Xi could finally rx from all the past days of being tensed up, then she took out her phone and called Han Xiao to treat him to dinner.

    To indicate her sincerity, she had invited him to her house and even called Gong Shangze, Han Momo, Qiao Wen, and the others. Elder Song did not want to disturb the youngsters gathering, so he gave it a pass.

    "God,e over for dinner. All of us want to thank you properly. You''ve given us such a huge gift, so we must definitely treat you to a meal. I''m in Peachwood!" Ning Xi invited passionately.

    "It''s too far," said Han Xiao from the other end of the phone.

    "Where do you live then? I''ll just go pick you up!"

    "Imperial Qianshan Cemetery."

    "When she heard these words, Ning Xi''s face instantly turned as ck as charcoal. "I''m¡­I''m sorry, I can''t pick you up from this location. Change the location. How about Regal Riveria Hotel? This should be nearer, shouldn''t it?"

    "Sure." Han Xiao then hung up.

    Ning Xi was speechless that he had hung up on her.

    Brother, who stays in the cemetery? Is he not afraid of being frightened to death? She did not know where to begin to mock him¡­

    However, she seemed to recall that she had heard someone say that he was a cemetery caretaker.

    The span of this guy''s upations is just too hard to understand¡­

    After Ning Xi bought the ingredients from the supermarket, she went to prepare dinner at the Regal Riveria Hotel. It was a good thing that even though she had moved, all the kitchen tools were stillplete.

    Gong Shangze and the rest made their way in one after another while Ning Xi cooked in the kitchen.

    When they saw all the dishes Ning Xi had prepared, Gong Shangze, Han Momo and everyone''s else had a strange expression.

    Han Momo looked at the pots of food on the table and swallowed her saliva. "Sis Xi, isn''t this too much?"

    Ning Xiughed, "Definitely not! I was afraid that it wouldn''t be enough. Hold on, there are a few more dishes in the kitchen!"

    The doorbell rang and Ning Xi rushed to open the door. It was Han Xiao. He still wore the same ck and white striped sports attire, but he took off the cap on his head and revealed a head of jet ck long, straight hair.

    Speaking of which, this was really the first time she had met a man who looked so good with long hair¡­

    "God, you''re really good at picking your time toe. The dishes are just done! Quicklye and sit, so we can start eating!"

    "Mmm." Han Xiao sat down on the side of the table.

    Ning Xi put the final pot of pork leg on the table and took her seat too.

    "Mr. Han, I''ll drink to you, your design is really amazing. I hope that I would have more chances of interacting with you in the future!" Gong Shangze raised his ss.

    Han Momo echoed, "It''s really all thanks to you for this time, Mr. Han. The press conference was very sessful, and History was furious. Thank you so much!"

    Next up, Qiao Wen and Xie Yichuan said a few words too.

    However, Han Xiao looked miserable instead¡­

    When Ning Xi noticed this, she was not sure what had made him unhappy, so she quickly asked, "Hey, God, what''s wrong?"

    Han Xiao lifted up his head to look at her. "Didn''t you invite me over to eat?"

    Ning Xi nodded. "Yeah!"

    Han Xiao then said, "I only eat, I''m not here to chat."

    Everyone at the table was speechless.

 Chapter 1189: Related To A Woman?

    <h4>Chapter 1189: Rted To A Woman?</h4>

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded. This person just kept making her speechless.

    "Okay, let''s not chat any longer. No one speaks from now on. Let''s just focus on eating, God, please eat! Eat!"

    It was only then that Han Xiao picked up his chopsticks unhurriedly.

    Even though he was cool, this did not seem to obstruct his speed of eating. Very soon all the pots of food were finished. Han Momo who had been smitten by Han Xiao earlier watched him until her eyeballs almost fell out. He had such a huge appetite!

    "God, eat as much as you want today. There''s more in the kitchen!" Ning Xi smiled and walked to the kitchen to bring over the remaining dishes.

    There were many people withrge appetites doing live streams online recently and they were all pretty popr. If Han Xiao started an eating live stream as well, he would definitely top all the rest.

    She had invited the studio people along to show their gratitude and sincerity to him, yet he only cared about the food. He might even find them insincere for having so many people around to fight for food with him.

    Thus, Gong Shangze and the rest tactfully took their leave after they were done eating.

    After Han Xiao finished up the food, Ning Xi quickly asked, "God, are you satisfied with the food?"

    "Not bad, it''s yummier than KFC."

    Ning Xi was speechless. Her culinary skills had fallen to the point of beingpared to KFC¡­

    After he was done eating, Han Xiao got up and was prepared to leave, but a few stepster, his eyes seem to have caught sight of something and he stopped.

    "What is it?" Ning Xi followed Han Xiao''s line of sight to see. Han Xiao seemed to be looking at the direction of her closet. To be exact, it was one of the gowns in the closet¡­

    Ning Xi watched as Han Xiao stared at the gown, then she asked, "What''s up? Are you interested in that gown? Indeed, great minds think alike! That''s my personal favorite! It''s a very cool yet rarely known brand called GE!"

    Ning Xi thought he was interested in thebel, so she walked over and flicked the power switch on the dressing table. The wall behind the closet suddenly opened and the two doors slid away to the sides, revealing a room full of GE branded clothes inside.

    Han Xiao looked absent-mindedly at those clothes with almost a sense of sadness in his eyes that surprised Ning Xi. "Um¡­God¡­God? Is there something wrong with these clothes?"

    "I designed them," said Han Xiao inly.

    When Ning Xi heard, she was instantly dumbfounded. "What!? You designed them? You''re that genius designer that appeared and then vanished?"

    Wait¡­was there really such a possibility?

    "You like them?" Han Xiao asked.

    "What do you mean? These clothes? Of course, they''re so beautiful! Who wouldn''t like it? I don''t believe any girl would dislike it! But I don''t have the capability to collect all of thempletely. I got these with my boyfriend''s help¡­"

    "No girl would dislike it¡­ That''s good¡­" Han Xiao muttered, obviously in a tone of delight, yet for some reason, he sounded regretful and lonely.

    Ning Xi stroked her chin.

    Hmm, something is up¡­

    This gaze of his obviously explicated that it was rted to a woman¡­

    "I''m leaving." Ning Xi was still confused when Han Xiao just waved and left.

    "Ah! Shall I send you?"

    "Didn''t you say you don''t go to the cemetery?"

    "Uhh, you really stay in the cemetery? Fine, fine, fine¡­as you wish¡­"

 Chapter 1190: Han Xiao: Even If Im Enemies With The World

    <h4>Chapter 1190: Han Xiao: Even If I''m Enemies With The World</h4>

    After leaving the Regal Riveria Hotel, Han Xiao walked to where one of thergest mausoleum parks was in Imperial, the Imperial Qianshan.

    It was not sure whether it was because he had seen his past designs at Ning Xi''s ce that his train of thoughts could not help but reminisce to a time from long ago. He had already forgotten how long it had been since he recalled what had happened those years back.

    Seven years ago, deep in the mountains, dead trees were spread all around and the sound of wild beasts howling was heard from time to time, but very quickly, they were ovee by gunshots.

    Ahead, there were a few people hugging withered trees, and when one looked closely, it had been shot to resemble sieves with numerous holes. The handsome guy dashed across and the fallen leaves from the ground swooshed up into the air.

    Behind, three guys held guns and one of them wore a branded tuxedo and expensive sunsses. "Ha¡­indeed they''ve changed. That''s apletely inhumane speed!"

    "Be careful, you should know that person''s background!"

    "Ha, Li Suifeng, aren''t you the number one hitman on the leaderboard and even several of Asia''s underground empires have to respect you? You''re terrified already?" The short one looked at the sturdy, well-dressed Asian man before him andughed lightly.

    "Haha, Li Suifeng, even if that person''s amazing, would they not be afraid of guns?" The other person chuckled.

    At this moment, Li Suifeng, who was called the number one hitman on the leaderboard, frowned, "Venus, Jackie, even the Rothschild family who was the king of the underground in Europe, was quite afraid of his existence¡­"

    When they heard Li Suifeng mentioned the European king, Venus''s and the other person''s expressions changed.

    "No wonder you''re so careful. This is the Rothschild''s family''s mission. I''m afraid that the only people who could invite you in this world is the old man from the Rothchild family," the short Venus said softly.

    "I am quite wary, or else, I wouldn''t have asked the two of you to assist me. That man¡­"

    Li Suifeng frowned, then he suddenly realized something and did a hand gesture for the rest to keep quiet. The three bent down and crept slowly towards the forest before them.

    Momentster, Li Suifeng and stopped and his cold gaze looked to a faraway ce, then he called out coldly, "Lord Xiao,e out. You know as well as I do¡­ This time, I''ve even gotten Venus and Jackie with me."

    Venus''s and Jackie''s eyes were filled with curiosity and fire as they stood before Li Suifeng. They really wanted to see what was so different about that Lord Xiao that even the number one hitman Li Suifeng had to be this wary.

    Roar!

    Li Suifeng and the rest looked startled. Ahead, they only saw a beautiful man with hair that extended to his waist standing on a huge, white tiger.

    "Motherf*cker, what attitude is this? He could tame a white tiger?!" Venus''s eyes widened and she looked astonished.

    The white tiger''s gaze was violent and the murderous vibe from it was extremely frightening. With its sharp eyes, fierce teeth, and shiny fur, one look and they could tell it was a purebred wild tiger, definitely not a domestically reared one. Who was that handsome man? How was he standing on a white tiger?!

    "Lord Xiao, you won''t be able to escape." Li Suifeng took a deep breath.

    "Haha, you''re Han Xiao¡­ I heard that your bragging skills are number one in the world, the world invincible Han Xiao." When Jackie saw Han Xiao''s effeminate face, heughed with disdain.

    Han Xiao hopped down from the tiger and looked like he was in contemtion, then he shook his head. "World invincible¡­that might not be the truth. Sometimes I''m first, sometimes I''m second."

    "Oh¡­" Venus took half a step forward and yed around with the gun in her hand. "As amazing as you may be, can you be better than the gun?"

    "Gun?" Han Xiao was dazed for a moment, then he quickly sped his hands together and looked frightened. "Have mercy!"

    When they heard Han Xiao say this, the little Venus and Jackie were surprised. The person before them was a figure that made the Rothschilds wary. How could he be this terrified of a gun?

    "Lord Xiao¡­you know that I''m an assassin. I owe the Rothschilds a favor. The mission this time is to kill you," Li Suifeng sighed.

    "Youngster, who taught you all of your kungfu? Now that you don''t have another opponent, you dare toe look for some fun from your Lord Xiao?" Han Xiao stared at Li Suifeng with a grin.

    "Lord Xiao, I don''t have a choice either," Li Suifeng sped his fists together. "If I die in your hands this time, I can only hope that Lord Xiao will let my two friends go," Li Suifeng said firmly.

    To kill Han Xiao, he had created an alliance with these two top assassins as he did not have any confidence in just himself.

    "Li Suifeng, you were his student?!" Venus looked at him in shock. She knew about Li Suifeng''s capabilities as the number one assassin, but this Han Xiao was actually Li Suifeng''s master?!

    Li Suifeng just stared at Han Xiao and did not answer Venus''s question.

    "Hah¡­that old Rothschild man. Just ''cause I didn''t want to marry his daughter, he got someone to kill me. Is there a woman who is befitting of me in this world? Huh, you guys, have you seen such a woman?" Han Xiao''s eyes had a certain insanity in it.

    "Han Xiao, weren''t you just begging for mercy earlier? Now, you aren''t scared to die anymore?" Jackie said.

    "Nah, I was just lying to you guys." Han Xiao shrugged, there was a simple and unadorned sword hanging on his waist. He took huge steps towards Li Suifeng and the other two.

    "Lord Xiao¡­forget about you, even if it was your n, they might not dare to go against the Rothschilds. If you married Rothschild''s daughter, the entire underground empire would be yours in the future, Lord Xiao! Unless, Lord Xiao, you''re really abstaining from romantic rtions and lust?!" Li Suifeng took a deep breath. Han Xiao was all about martial arts, so it was not empty talk for him to denounce romantic rtionships for the art.

    When he saw that Han Xiao had stopped replying, Li Suifeng''s eyes revealed a spine-chilling coldness. As long as he killed Han Xiao, the Rothschild n would grant him advantages he could only dream of.

    "Okay, they say that Lord Xiao can take a bullet. I, Li Suifeng have not witnessed it my entire life although after bing the number one assassin, I''ve experienced a lot more. Nevertheless, I understand that you, Han Xiao, are not undefeatable."

    As the other twoprehended the end of Li Suifeng''s sentence, his gun aimed at Han Xiao and¡­bam! A gunshot was heard.

    Qiang!

    At the same time, Han Xiao disappeared from where he was. A flurry of fallen leaves floated in mid-air.

    "What?!"

    Venus and Jackie were stunned in their spot. They were astounded that Han Xiao had escaped Li Suifeng''s bullet!

    Even Li Suifeng himself was shocked by this.

    "Careful!" Suddenly, Venus shouted at Li Suifeng.

    "Wow¡­youngster, your speed is getting slower and slower. There are some things that cannot be solved with guns, you tell me!" Han Xiao''s mouth curved into a smile and it was devilish.

    His right hand turned to ws and lightly gripped onto Li Suifeng''s throat.

    "I already said that you can''t take a bullet, but I didn''t think that you could evade bullets." Li Suifeng looked hopeless as the coldness in his eyes vanished, reced by fear. "Lord Xiao, I was your student¡­ Do you really want to kill me?!"

    Now, Li Suifeng regretted it. He knew how Han Xiao was like, yet he had lost his mind with all the things the Rothschilds had promised.

    "Don''t worry, you''re my student. I won''t kill you," Han Xiao paused for a moment, then replied.

    "Lord Xiao¡­thank you, I¡­"

    However, before Li Suifeng could finish, there was a crisp sound. Li Suifeng''s throat had been broken by Han Xiao.

    "Nah¡­I''m lying again, so forgetful."

    Han Xiao''s right hand let loose and Li Suifeng''s body fell limply to the ground. When they saw that Li Suifeng had been killed in between ying it down, Venus and Jackie gasped in disbelief.

    "Kill him!"

    Their expressions returned to the usual calmness very quickly. They swiftly dispersed and shot a few times at Han Xiao.

    Bam! Bam!

    Han Xiao''s sword had blocked the bullets in front of him as the sound of gold and metal shing rang with fiery sparks flying off the sword.

    "Bloody hell, this must be fake! Is he a human or a monster?" Jackie''s forehead broke out into a cold sweat. There were people who can evade bullets in this world, but who had seen someone use a sword to block a bullet?!

    "Han Xiao, are you done ying games?"

    Suddenly, from afar came a man and a woman. The man who spoke donned an all-ck outfit and he looked grave, while the woman wore a long dress and her sharp eyes stared at Han Xiao. She looked very pretty and sweet.

    "Haha, I''m just ying around," Han Xiaoughed.

    "Original Sins leaderboard''s number one assassin, Asia''s number one assassin, and America''s number one assassin¡­ Han Xiao, who did you offend?" The ck-clothed man asked curiously.

    "Rothschild, that old man. I don''t want to marry his daughter, so he got someone to kill me," said Han Xiao as he shrugged.

    "Interesting." The ck-clothed man looked in disdain. "There''s no one in this world that can suit you."

    Once he said this, that pretty girl pulled on his ear. "Qin Wentian, if you continue to incite Han Xiao, I will p your mouth!"

    "Qin Youge, I''m just telling the truth. No woman in this world fits him," said Qin Wentian seriously.

    "Me included?" The girl called Youge said unhappily.

    "Uhh¡­you? You''re not amon girl," Qin Wentian said helplessly.

    "Are you guys done!?"

    The fury in Venus rushed out as she shot at the ck-clothed man, Qin Wentian.

    Qiang!

    Qin Wentian immediately pulled out a sword and waved it with an inhuman speed.

    "It broke¡­"

    After Qin Wentian blocked the bullet, he stared at his broken sword and his eyes turned vicious.

    "Are you looking for death?"

    Instantly, Qin Wentian had flown in a few steps to Venus, and before she could react, his broken sword shed Venus''s neck.

    "Freaks¡­two freaks!"

    Jackie had goosebumps now. He was America''s number one assassin and had never been defeated. The entire America would be terrified at the sound of him, yet today he had met two freaks!

    "Do you think you can escape?"

    As they watched Jackie escape into the forest, Qin Wentian flung the broken sword and it cut through the air before stabbing right through Jackie''s head.

    Once they settled the two of them, Qin Wentian walked to Han Xiao and said, "Rothschild''s underground influence covers the entire Europe. I heard he even has a huge influence in Asia and America. He was even the mastermind behind several war-torn countries¡­"

    "

    "That amazing? Then, I guess I should just marry his daughter!" Han Xiao held his chin and thought about it before he said.

    "There''s no worldly woman that can suit you," Qin Wentian said expressionlessly.

    "If worldly women don''t suit me, do you suit me? Do you have a crush on me?" Han Xiao hinted at Qin Wentian.

    "Bugger off!"

    Qin Wentian tried to smack Han Xiao, but he easily evaded.

    "You descendants of dynasties are all so violent, that''s not good," Han Xiaoughed, then pulled the girl''s hand and walked away.

    "Hey, I''m a descendant of the dynasty too." The girl stared at Han Xiao unhappily.

    "Haha, Qin Shi Huang was ruthless and his descendants also have the genes of ruthlessness if I''m not wrong."

    In a sh, Han Xiao reached the summit of the mountain and took the girl into his arms.

    "In any case, you''re not allowed to say that! You''re not allowed to say that Qin Shi Huang''s descendants are ruthless anymore!" The girl was annoyed and pinched his face.

    "I know, I know¡­" Han Xiao looked helplessly at this spunky woman before him.

    The girl was satisfied now and she happily twirled before him. "Is my outfit pretty?"

    Han Xiao thought about it, before saying with a smirk, "It''d be prettier if you don''t wear it."

    "Idiot, if you have time, you should go outside the world to look around. This is Italy''s top brand and there''s only a global limited edition of ten pieces." The girl pouted and was unhappy that Han Xiao did not know how to admire it.

    "It''s just ordinary stuff to me. Wait till I design a few for you to wear the next time," Han Xiao said pridefully.

    "Hmm, you said so. I''ll be waiting then." The girl sat down and leaned in Han Xiao''s embrace. There was a worry between her eyes. "Will there be trouble since you rejected Rothschild''s daughter?"

    "Trouble?" Han Xiao suddenlyughed aloud scornfully. "In this world, if I wanted someone to die, they would, so who could go against me? I''ll settle my scores with that old guyter!"

    "Hmm, boasting again! Wait till you defeat Qin Wentian before you brag about the title of world undefeatable again." The girl could not help but attack back.

    "Don''t mention Qin Wentian again. It''s fine if he''s giving up on romance since he kept urging me to. I''m a person with a wife!" Han Xiao''s fingers twirled the girl''s hair as he scoffed.

    "That''s because he''s worried you would neglect martial arts. Only you are a worthy opponent of his, so if you''re gone, there''s no fun in him being alive," the girl giggled.

    "You be careful. That old pervert better not fall in love with me or you''ll gain a romantic rival," said Han Xiao seriously.

    Before Han Xiao could continue, there were sounds of footsteps from behind them suddenly. The two turned around to see a white-haired elder.

    "Old guy, why are you here?" Han Xiao demanded.

    "Uncle Han Yin." The girl swiftly stood up and looked at the elder with slight rm.

    The elder was the master that had enlightened Han Xiao''s talent and the girl was quite familiar with him too.

    Before Han Yin could say anything, he walked up to the girl and then raised his hand. With the speed of lightning, the handnded harshly on the girl. The sound of ruptured bones was heard and before the girl could struggle, she had fallen limply onto the ground.

    The elder had caught them off-guard with the attack. Han Xiao did not get the chance to react from the start till the end. He had to watch the girl fall before him¡­

    "Han Xiao, you disgraceful bastard! You don''t want the European king''s daughter, yet you''ve been charmed by this woman till you''ve lost all your wisdom!" The elder did not even look at her. He just turned to look at Han Xiao.

    "Youge¡­" Han Xiao stared at the girl''s fallen body. His gaze was straight ahead while his body was trembling fiercely.

    "Hmm, Han Xiao, remember this, you must marry Rothschild''s daughter!" Han Yin said.

    "Youge¡­" Han Xiao moved closer to the girl, squatted down, and with trembling shoulders, he hugged the girl tightly within his embrace.

    "Xiao¡­I''m¡­cold¡­"

    There was blood pouring out of the girl''s eyes, nose, mouth, and nose.

    "Don''t me¡­Uncle Yin¡­he''s just¡­doing the best¡­for you¡­" The girl wanted to hug Han Xiao tightly, but her arm hung halfway before it fell lifelessly.

    "Youge, I''ll fix you¡­don''t be afraid¡­" Han Xiao quickly carried her and walked down the hill.

    "You¡­you''re lying to me again¡­big fat¡­liar¡­you only know how to k-kill people¡­you don''t know medicine¡­or saving people¡­"

    Han Xiao kept his face close to hers. "I''ll learn, I''m willing to learn anything, don''t die, don''t die!"

    "You¡­once said that¡­you''ll bring me¡­to Kunlun¡­summit¡­to see¡­see the snow¡­I might¡­not be able¡­to apany you¡­anymore¡­can you¡­find¡­a safe country¡­find¡­a woman who loves you¡­more than me, to help me¡­spend the rest of life¡­with you¡­"

    "I really want to¡­marry you¡­and be with you¡­really¡­really do¡­"

    As she finished, a huge amount of blood spilled out of her mouth and her white dress was stained a bright red color. Her body gradually turned cold in Han Xiao''s embrace.

    "Youge!" Han Xiao''s fingernails stabbed into his palm and blood flowed freely between his fingers. He put down the girl''s body aside and then turned around to look at Han Yin as he slowly retrieved the sword from his waist.

    "Han Xiao, what are you doing?!"

    When Han Yin saw what was happening, he was stunned. This punk had always been respectful towards him, yet today he dared to use his sword on him for a woman?!

    "I want to¡­deceive and destroy the ancestors." Han Xiao held the sword and walked towards Han Yin.

    "Han Xiao! You want to betray the entire n?!" When he saw that Han Xiao was really ready to murder him, Han Yin started to feel uncertain.

    "All because this vixen from Qin Shi Huang''s bloodline made youpletely lose all rationality?!" Han Yin shouted angrily and kicked her body down the bottomless pit off the cliff.

    "I want your pathetic life!"

    Han Xiao had entered a state of insanity and flew to Han Yin before his sword shed horizontally.

    "Han Xiao, you dare¡­!?"

    Han Xiao''s sword was strong and vicious. Han Yin evaded it awkwardly.

    Swoosh!

    The second sword struck out.

    Qiang!

    Han Xiao put the sword back into his sheath, and without another look at Han Yin, he ran down the cliff.

    After Han Xiao left, a huge amount of blood sttered out of Han Yin''s neck. He had long been shed at the throat by Han Xiao.

    ¡­

    Three dayster, in the same forest, the viciousness in Han Xiao''s eyes showed as he took huge steps towards Qin Wentian.

    "Han Xiao, you killed Han Yin. Follow me back to confess your crime," Qin Wentian said sternly.

    "I will only say it once¡­bugger off."

    Han Xiao''s eyes were full of insanity and his body trembled lightly as if it was resisting the craziness in him.

    "Han Xiao, you did something wrong." Qin Wentian could not bear to see Han Xiao like this.

    "Youge is dead," said Han Xiao.

    "I know, I''ve told you from the start that you should have cut off love and lust. Youge''s death was the n''s orders. It seemed to be rted to the Rothschild, but you killing Han Yin is betraying the n." Qian Wentian''s disturbed expression faded and he returned to calmness.

    "n?! Huh, they are just mediocre people and yet they dared to touch my woman!" Han Xiaoughed sinisterly.

    "If you want to challenge the n, there''s just you and me today. Only one can live." Han Xiao got up.

    "You''re a mess. You''re not my opponent, today¡­ I won''t kill you. From now on, I, Qin Wentian and you, Han Xiao will cut ties. In future encounters, I won''t care for friendly regard, only rivalry!" Qin Wentian finished, then flung his broken sword down and it pierced the ground.

    "This ''Three Thousand Desires'' was given to me by you from way back when. Now, I return it to you!" Han Xiao pulled out his sword and threw it at Qin Wentian.

    Qin Wentian took the sword and he looked like he wanted to say something, but he said nothing in the end and left.

    "Youge, where are you? I can''t find you¡­can''t find you¡­"

    Only until Qin Wentian left did Han Xiao go crazy and look all over for the girl''s body, but he had never¡­never found it¡­

 Chapter 1191: Your Boss Needs To Work Too!

    <h4>Chapter 1191: Your Boss Needs To Work Too!</h4>

    The next day, History called for another press conference to exin that they met with a slight mishap the day before, hence they had to postpone the announcement.

    At Spirit studio, Gong Shangze looked at the headlines on hisputer screen showing History''s announcement on their highlight piece as something cold shed in his eyes.

    "Director Gong, is this your design too?" Han Momo asked.

    Gong Shangze nodded. There was not much anger in his eyes. "In fact, it was one of my earliest works¡­"

    Even though his earlier works were immature, they had the childishness and innocence that old designers did not have. This was something that could not be imitated with experience or practice, and it was this very vibe that made the design much rarer and precious!

    Indeed, based on thements online, even though it did not have the breathtaking and overflowing beauty of Spirit, thements for History''s design were not too shabby.

    Ning Xiughed. "This guy has kept quite a lot of stock of drafts. The days toe will only get harder for him¡­"

    "If I remember correctly, there''re still some backup drafts that I consider my best work. He''s probably keeping them to use at critical times!" Gong Shangze said.

    "Oh, Director Gong, even if you can''t remember all of your previous designs, you should be able to remember the more impressionable ones, shouldn''t you? Can''t we just release those before he does?" Han Momo suddenly suggested.

    Gong Shangze shook his head. "My backup drafts and digital drafts are all with him, and there are dates on them, so if I release them before he does, we''d only be called giarizers! Not only that, I still need to break away from those styles and elements so as not to sh with my stolen designs¡­"

    "Jeez¡­this is evil!" Han Momo was very mad.

    Ning Xi wanted to say something when her phone rang. It was Ling Zhizhi.

    "Hello, Sis Zhizhi?"

    "There''s a celebrity charity dinner banquet tonight. You should join it and remember to prepare some suitable items for the charity auction. It doesn''t need to be too expensive or outstanding. I will have Xiao Tao apany you to it."

    "Okay, got it!"

    Ning Xi hung up, then looked to Gong Shangze and the rest. "My babies, continue to push onwards and upwards. Your boss needs to work too!"

    "Boss, you too!" Han Momo cheered her on, "Oh yes, Boss, when did you say your new movie will be screening in theatres again?"

    "Because of some scheduling problems, it''s being temporarily pushed back, but it should be quite soon!"

    "Mmm, I''ll definitely get everyone around me to support you then!" However, Han Momo could not have guessed that it would be hard for her to even get one ticket; not only could she not support her, she had to ask Ning Xi for some backstage passes instead¡­

    "Thank you!"

    ¡­

    The charity banquet was organized by a huge luxury brand. They had invited the big shots in the entertainment industry as well as public figures in the political and the business world. This was one of the year''srgest charity banquets. The entire venue was glistening with starlight and many prominent figures were present¡­

    Ning Xi brought her item for the charity auction, and behind her was Xiao Tao. The moment they walked in, they noticed a familiar figure¡­

    Yun Shen? How could it be?

    Ning Xi''s eyes passed through the crowd and she fixed her gaze on the figure that had just walked over. She wanted to catch the color of that man''s hair, but he had very quickly immersed in the crowd, apanied by his bodyguards¡­

 Chapter 1192: Next Time Ill Go For Sure

    <h4>Chapter 1192: Next Time I''ll Go For Sure</h4>

    "Sis Xi, what are you looking at?" Xiao Tao asked suspiciously.

    Would that guye to such a charity banquet?

    Is this a joke?

    Ning Xi shook her head. She decided to forget it. "Nothing, let''s go!"

    Currently, Ning Xi wore Spirit''s clothes for many asions. Because this asion was more important, Ning Xi did not choose a ready-made piece and went for a high-grade bespoke design instead.

    Han Momo had initially urged her to wear the store''s highlight piece, but Ning Xi refused to. With her current identity, she could not pull off the highlight piece, whether it was Luoshen or Beings, but there would be one day when she would need it.

    Ning Xi walked in and bumped head-on into Ning Xueluo.

    The piece on Ning Xueluo was obviously the highlight piece that History had just announced the day before.

    With Ning Xueluo was Su Yan. Ning Xueluo wore a long gown embellished with handcrafted flower petals that looked like they came from the fairytale Garden of Eden. Itplemented her entire pure and innocence, while by her side, Su Yan wore an elegant white tuxedo. It made him look as gentle as a jade. The two of them looked like the ideal couple.

    "Xiao Xi, you''re here too!" Ning Xueluo obviously recognized the outfit on her. "Are you wearing Spirit today? It looks really detailed! Bro Yan, don''t you think so?"

    Thest time Ning Xi had gone to the Ning residence, she had worn Spirit''s clothes as well. She had then been scolded by Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua for helping outsiders.

    If thest time had been a coincidence, Ning Xi donning Spirit''s outfit again this time could be said to have beenpletely intentional.

    Ning Xueluo had also deliberately said these words while looking sad as part of her performance for Su Yan.

    However, Su Yan, who was usually attentive, had not noticed Ning Xueluo''s feelings. Instead, his gaze fell upon Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi wore a white Oriental long gown with blue and red embroidery. The gradual change in the embellishment of colors, the embroidery of corals, and the translucent gentle chiffon made her look as if she was surrounded by a magical aura¡­

    The person before him was within reach, yet it made him incredibly distant from her like she could not be touched¡­

    This feeling made his heart tighten¡­

    Su Yan only returned to his senses after a while. He nodded and said, "Mmm, it''s very nice¡­"

    Ning Xueluo had probably noticed the absent-mindedness in Su Yan''s gaze too, and a coldness shed across her eyes before she smiled slightly and held onto Su Yan''s arm to say to Ning Xi, "Xiao Xi, apart from celebrities donating items for the charity auction today, there''re quite a few organizers who have prepared auction items for the event climax too. One of it is a crown called ''Queen''. I fancy that especially and Bro Yan said he''ll get it for me to use for the wedding¡­ Ah, right, Bro Yan and I are getting engaged soon. Sis, you must make it for the engagement banquet then!"

    Engaged?

    Ning Xi raised her brows when she heard the news. So, her sister had unexpectedly disregarded that her career was in its rising phase and was getting engaged so soon?

    It looked like she was reallypelled by the issue with the will¡­ha¡­

    When Xiao Tao heard Ning Xueluo called Ning Xi "sis", she could not help but look on suspiciously.

    Why did she feel like there was a weird vibe between the three of them?

    Also, Ning Xueluo was actually getting engaged soon! She had unexpectedly found out such huge news!

    "An engagement banquet?" Ning Xi muttered.

    "Yes, sis, you''lle, won''t you?"

    "I''m sorry, I''m quite busy recently. Next time, next time, I''ll go for sure!" Ning Xi said while beaming before turning around to leave.

    Xiao Tao was stunned for a moment, then she almost blurted outughing.

    Behind them, Ning Xueluo face had turned green¡­

    An engagement banquet the next time? Damn it! She was clearly cursing her to get divorced!

 Chapter 1193: Bidding Up The Prices

    <h4>Chapter 1193: Bidding Up The Prices</h4>

    Su Yan was stunned for a moment, then he reacted miserably.

    Ning Xueluo was just about to whine to Su Yan when a group of reporters surrounded them, so she gathered her emotions and smiled to face the questions from the reporters.

    "Xueluo, did you prepare anything special for the auction today?"

    "It''s nothing special, just a few personal essories."

    "Ooh, Xueluo''s personal essories. I''m sure it will have everyone bidding madly. We remember thatst year, Xueluo, you just untied a ribbon from your wrist and that fetched a bid of a hundred thousand!" All of the reporters spoke highly of it.

    "Well, everyone''s just doing it for charity!"

    "Xueluo, is there anything you want to bid for today then?"

    "There is one thing, but everyone will knowter!"

    "It''s been quite long since Mr. Su sessfully proposed. I wonder when we''d be able to attend your wedding?"

    Ning Xueluo looked shyly at Su Yan beside her and said, "Soon, we''ll inform everyone then!"

    ¡­

    After Ning Xi entered the hall, all the big shots and public figures wereworking with small talk and chit-chat. In front of the stage, the host and auctioneer were preparing for the auction.

    "Sis Xi, I''ll deliver the items for auction!" Xiao Tao said.

    Ning Xi nodded. "Okay."

    Because of her clout, it was not suitable for her to bring an item that was too expensive, so Ning Xi chose to donate a jade bracelet worth $ 30,000.

    Ning Xi fixed her skirt and then found a ce to sit down. Momentster, Xiao Tao returned and passed her a numbered bidder''s card. Every guest had one for the auctionter, but there was nothing she particrly wanted, so she probably would not get to use it.

    When all the guests had arrived, the hosts started the event passionately on stage. "To all the honorable guests present here today, wee to our annual LA celebrity charity banquet. Our theme for this year is ''let charity be fashionable''."

    After some simple opening remarks and speeches from celebrities and phnthropists, the banquet entered the auction segment of the night.

    The first round was to bid for the items donated by the celebrities.

    Some of the items donated by the celebrities included branded handbags they were spokespersons for, some clothing of sentimental significance, and some essories. Basically, there were all sorts of things put up for sale.

    Because they were items donated for charity, all of them did not have a starting price, but overall, thest bid would usually be higher than the original price, and the prices would be associated to the celebrity''s status and reputation.

    Because of her schedule, Glory World Entertainment''s artiste, Su Yimo, was not present, thus all the attention fell on Ning Xueluo.

    She was Starlight Entertainment''s rising star and Ning family''s daughter, while Su Yan was from Imperial''s most powerful family in the upper-ss circle, so naturally, the two of them attracted everyone.

    "The next item is Miss Ning Xueluo''s own diamond bracelet. There''s also no starting price. Everyone can begin to bid for it!"

    The moment Ning Xueluo''s item appeared, there were continuous bids.

    "$ 100,000!"

    "$ 120,000!"

    "$ 180,000!"

    ¡­

    "$ 500,000!" A beer-bellied tycoon had just straight up called, causing quite amotion.

    The original price of Ning Xueluo''s bracelet was only $ 300,000 at the most, yet that tycoon had not started from the bottom. Instead, he just bid for a price several times more than the original.

 Chapter 1194: For The Beautys Liking

    <h4>Chapter 1194: For The Beauty''s Liking</h4>

    Despite so, the passionate bidding did not seem to slow down. In fact, it had started to increase by the hundreds of thousands¡­

    "$ 600,000!"

    "$ 700,000!"

    "$ 1 million!"

    "$ 1.1 million!"

    "$ 1.2 million!"

    ¡­

    Even though Ning Xueluo and Su Yan were a well-known couple, Ning Xueluo still had many suitors and admirers. When they saw Ning Xueluo appear at the event with Su Yan, many men started topete for the bidding out of jealousy and hatred. To add on, because of those who were supporting the Ning and the Su family''s reputations, the bidding prices had unexpectedly broken into the millions and continued to go up, breaking Ning Xueluo''s own record from the previous year¡­

    Many of the female celebrities looked on enviously at the situation. "Pfft, it''s nice to have a solid family background¡­ People will support and protect them wherever they go, even getting a husband who''s a public figure with a well-matched social status. Unlike us, despite all of the hard work and training we do, we are just toys in their eyes¡­"

    "Well, who let them excel at reincarnation!? They were rich the moment they were born, unlike us¡­"

    ¡­

    "$ 5 million!"

    At this moment, bidder number 60 raised their card.

    "60! Mr. Su raised his card! $ 5 million! Mr. Su called for $ 5 million! Is there anyone who would like to challenge this bid?! Anyone?" On the stage, the auctioneer was already excitedly shouting as he looked below the stage.

    The person who had bid was Su Yan!

    For $ 5 million!

    He caused quite amotion.

    Her rightful owner hade out and called for such a high price at a go, so all those supporting earlier obviously stopped bidding. As for Ning Xueluo''s admirers, they were all reputable people and it was enough; they would not want to look too obnoxious at such an asion by being jealous, so they could only unwillingly keep their cards.

    "Would anyone else like to bid higher? No? Calling once! Calling twice! Calling¡­three times!"

    The auctioneer asked three times in a row. When he saw no one else was contesting, he mmed the mallet down. Bam! "Mr. Su is now the recipient of Ms. Ning Xueluo''s diamond bracelet! Congrats, Mr. Su!"

    All of the guestsughed and teased, "Hahaha¡­ Master Su, general''s fury for thedy herself!"

    Ning Xueluo looked at the man beside her with adoration. "Bro Yan, why did you¡­"

    Su Yan gently gazed at her and said, "I was already nning to bid for it. How could I let someone else have your personal item?"

    Many people remembered that Ning Xueluo''s personal essories were also bid by Ning Yaohuast year, but this year it was Su Yan, so they could not help butment to themselves about Ning Xueluo''s good fortune¡­

    On the stage, the auctioneer teased her for a bit, then gave his well wishes to the lovely young couple, Ning Xueluo and Su Yan. He continued, "Okay, our auction goes on! The next item up for auction is¡­"

    The auctioneer paused, then said, "The next item for auction is a donation from Glory World Entertainment''s Ms. Ning Xi - a jade bracelet!"

    When she heard the auctioneer''s voice on stage, Ning Xi''s brows raised from the corner she sat in.

    Was her item put right after Ning Xueluo''s?

    Beside her, Xiao Tao looked at Ning Xueluo''s direction and looked resentful. "How could it be so coincidental that we''re right after Ning Xueluo!? This is probably someone''s intentional arrangement!"

    Ning Xueluo had been in the limelight just now, so whoever was right behind her would just look bad.

 Chapter 1195: Want To Attempt Courting Her

    <h4>Chapter 1195: Want To Attempt Courting Her</h4>

    "Ms. Ning Xi has acted in Director Guo''s popr ancient costume film, ''The World'' with our Xueluo. She was the second female lead, Meng Changge, in the film, and the audience was very fond of her character," the auctioneer briefly introduced Ning Xi.

    "The World" had indeed been a hit, yet she still had to bepared to Ning Xueluo as one female lead and one supporting role, making her future seem bleak. Almost no one in the celebrity circle knew this artiste who yed the role of a co-lead.

    After the auctioneer finished the introduction, Ning Xi stood up and greeted everyone.

    When they saw Ning Xi in person, many of them eximed and gasped in surprise instead.

    "Yo! Since when did we have such an exquisite woman in the circle? She''s damned pretty!"

    "There are many beautiful female celebrities in the circle, one after another areing in. Could you possibly catch them all?"

    "This is different! This one is really beautiful! Look at that body¡­ Has she only gotten secondary roles so far? It looks like she''s not taken!"

    "What? CEO Sun, are you thinking of something?"

    "Hehe, I am¡­"

    ¡­

    Of course, there were many in the circle who recognized Ning Xi too. The few socialities beside Ning Xueluo started to discuss when they saw her.

    "Isn''t this Ning family''s adopted daughter?"

    "Ning family''s adopted child? You mean the one they brought back from the vige?"

    "Yeah! Thest time, I saw her at Elder Ning''s birthday banquet. I''m sure it''s her!"

    "No way! Such a huge change? Back when I first saw her years ago, it was still Xueluo''sing-of-age party, and she was so unsophisticated that she even wore an imitation outfit¡­"

    "I heard that she was chased out of the family for stealing Xueluo''s boyfriend and seducing Su Yan, then she got stic surgery elsewhere and now uses her vixen face to enter the entertainment circle! This chicken wants to be a phoenix. Why don''t you take a piss and look at yourself?"

    ¡­

    "Okay, everyone can begin bidding!" The auctioneer said.

    Unfortunately, the moment he said that, the crowd had weirdly quieted down. Suddenly, no one bid anything.

    On such an asion, there definitely would not be a situation whereby no one would bid, unless¡­someone had intentionally manipted the results in the dark¡­

    Xiao Tao gritted her teeth. "I knew someone would intentionally y such a trick. It''s a good thing we''re well prepared!"

    "Prepared with support?" Ning Xi leaned in to ask.

    Xiao Tao nodded. "Exactly, to prevent such situations! I''ll immediately inform him!"

    To avoid this sort of awkward situations whereby no one would bid, or to intentionally raise the bid, many people would prepare some backup. That''s exactly what Ling Zhizhi had already prepared in advance.

    Xiao Tao was just about to inform their people to act when someone suddenly raised their card in the crowd. "One dor!"

    At this juncture, the crowd instantly burst intoughter.

    Someone had bid one dor. Who was it?

    The auctioneer broke intoughter too. "Number 17, CEO Qian''s bid¡­one dor! CEO Qian is quite humorous¡­"

    CEO Qian was also the tycoon that had bid most vigorously when Ning Xueluo''s bracelet was auctioned.

    "Hey! Such a bully!" Xiao Tao was furious. CEO Qian was definitely Ning Xueluo''s fan!

    Thankfully, at this moment, another CEO bid, "$ 100,000!"

    "Number 39! CEO Sun bids $ 100,000!" The host looked at the plump middle-aged man not too far away.

    When the crowd heard CEO Sun helping Ning Xi out, all of them looked on with a thought. Everyone knew that this infamous pervert was just ying the hero saving the beauty card. He was obviously interested in Ning Xi''s beauty and wanted to attempt courting her¡­

 Chapter 1196: Such A Dumb Backup

    <h4>Chapter 1196: Such A Dumb Backup</h4>

    When Su Yan saw CEO Sun bid, he looked upset and his hand inched up to raise the card, but the back of his hand had been expressionlessly covered by Ning Xueluo.

    At this assion today, many people knew about the dispute between them and Ning Xi. If Su Yan helped Ning Xi, who knows what gossip mighte out of it?

    Ning Xueluo quickly said, "Bro Yan, don''t worry. Based on Ling Zhizhi''s way of working, there will definitely be someone else to help Sis from her side¡­"

    Su Yan temporarily suppressed his impulse. However, when he saw CEO Sun''s salivating demeanor that he did not even bother to hide, an irritation remained in his heart.

    "CEO Sun called for $ 100,000! Anyone else?" The auctioneer asked.

    "$ 100,001!"

    From a seat in the corner where there was no light, a person had indistinctly raised his bidding card.

    "Pfft¡­$ 100,001? This is hrious! You don''t bid like that!"

    "They only added one dor!"

    "Who''s that?"

    ¡­

    The host did not know whether tough or cry either, but the person had not gone against the rules, so he could only continue, "The man from number eight bid $ 100,001!"

    CEO Sun frowned and raised his card. "$ 200,000!"

    Number eight continued to bid, "$ 200,001!"

    CEO Sun gritted his teeth. "$ 300,000!"

    Number eight continued, "$ 300,001!"

    Thepetition between the two of them attracted sneers from the crowd. "Hahahaha¡­ This is cracking me up! Who''s this number eight? Could it be Ning Xi''s backup?"

    "This backup is so unprofessional! Who raises prices like this? How embarrassing!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. "Number eight¡­is our backup?"

    Xiao Tao''s face was stunned for a moment, then she shook her head like a rattle-drum. She replied emotionally, "No way! Why would Sis Zhizhi hire such a stupid one? I''ve just called, but I''m not sure why I suddenly couldn''t contact our guy! I don''t know who this guy is either! Damn it! Could it be Ning Xueluo''s person slotted in to cause trouble? It must be! This is too much!"

    Xiao Tao was about to explode from anger.

    Ning Xi thought things were a little weird instead, so she turned slightly to look at number eight, but it was just too far and she could not see clearly who the person was.

    Atst, even CEO Sun was unwilling to continue bidding so embarrassingly, so he just gave up on bidding. Naturally, no one else would not bid as well. Atst, Ning Xi''s jade bracelet had been bought by number eight with the price of $ 300,001.

    The original price of Ning Xi''s bracelet was thirty thousand$ 300,000, and the bid had just nicely exceeded it by one dor¡­

    Everyone looked at Ning Xi with condescension. "I told you! Adopted children are like that! She''s even worse at getting a backup! They actually bid like that! How hrious!"

    "Hahahaha¡­exactly!"

    "Those from the vige really don''t know much! To hire a backup and not wanting to spend too much! This is how it will turn out! It''s understandable, understandable, hahaha¡­"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo turned to look at Chang Li delightedly and lowered her voice to say, "You arranged for this person? Good job!"

    Chang Li had finally done something right!

    Chang Li was actually confused. She did not know where this number eight had popped up from, but when she heard Ning Xueluo put it that way, she did not deny and just smiled along.

 Chapter 1197: Intense Bidding

    <h4>Chapter 1197: Intense Bidding</h4>

    "Bro Yan, I told you that Sis would have her own arrangements! Her bracelet fetched a pretty decent price, and it shouldn''t be too far from the original price!" Ning Xueluo looked innocently at Su Yan.

    Su Yan could not help but feel slightly relieved that he had not presumptuously bid earlier, or else, the person who would be humiliated now would not be CEO Sun, but him¡­

    Xiao Xi was still not experienced and careful enough in dealing with these things.

    ¡­

    Xiao Tao still felt indignified all the way till the celebrity donation auctions had ended. She almost wanted to leave the banquet and rush to see who the troublemaker number eight was. Atst, she was stopped by Ning Xi. If Xiao Tao had walked to number eight now, it would only further prove that that person was someone they had arranged.

    Next up, the second round began.

    The second round was the auction of ten items that were considered the climax of the event. These few items were the treasures collected from the elite members of society. The margin of the bid price that exceeded the original price would go to charity

    There were many public figures from the political and business scene aiming for these rare treasures. The entire atmosphere became lively again. The bids were unstoppable and the final prices of the items were all very impressive as well.

    Ning Xueluo had bid for a pure gold pen, intending to give to her father as a gift. She won praises from the crowd for being such a filial daughter.

    As for Su Yan, he had not bid for anything all the way up to the ninth item, so the crowd was curious and started to question.

    "What''s up? There''re so many valuable babies today, but none that have caught Master Su''s eye?"

    "There is something. I''m waiting for it." Su Yan looked at Xueluo beside him and smiled.

    Ning Xueluo smiled shyly back at him.

    As soon as he said that, the host''s voice was heard from the stage. "Now, we will exhibit the final item. It''s also the rarest treasure in this auction. It''s called Queen, and it is a crown that is embellished with 12 Colombian pear-shaped emerald gems. The gems weigh 600 karats, which is an astonishing weight. It was specially customized by Country Y''s King Charles for Queen Eugenie to represent his faithful love for the queen. It was once sold as a private collector''s item by an anonymous person for $ 30 million. This time, we are auctioning it off for the anonymous person for charity¡­"

    Once the introduction was heard, the crowd all realized that this was the item that Su Yan had been waiting for. The couple''s wedding was happening soon, and this crown was clearly meant to represent a token of their love that he wanted to get for the happiness of his belle!

    "Sigh! My wife took a fancy to this too and told me that I must bid for it, but it looks like I don''t have a good chance!" One of the richds nced at Su Yan with a helpless expression.

    The other few rich public figures, who were aiming for this crown,ughed too. "No matter what, I must at least try!"

    Many people were interested in this item. All of them were eager to give it a try while Su Yan maintained a calm expression, his determination clear on his face.

    With the Ning and the Su families joining hands strongly together, their business expanded greatly, especially for thetter. Their business had grown to the overseas market and they were astonishingly strong in terms of their finances, so it was no wonder why he was this confident. Of course, there were many others with the same capabilities in the auction room too. The fight for this item would probably be extraordinarily intense¡­

    Even the auctioneer''s tone was abnormally emotional. "Now, the auction begins! Everyone, please ce your bids!"

    "$ 20 million!"

    "Okay! Now, CEO Zhao of number 31 opens with $ 20 million! Anyone else?!"

    "$ 21 million!"

    "Number 56 bids for $ 21 million!"

    "$ 23 million!"

    "CEO Sun has bid $ 23 million! Everyone knows that this crown of ours is very rare and precious. There''s still some time to continue bidding¡­ Would anyone like to ce their bids?"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1198: Ask My Wife For Instructions

    <h4>Chapter 1198: Ask My Wife For Instructions</h4>

    Because this item was incredibly expensive, everyone was still quite conservative when bidding, so not only was it lower than the base price, it only had increments of one or two million. The further it went on, the range of increment reduced too, especially after the bid had crossed the base price of $ 30 million as everyone started to bid more cautiously.

    The reason for the slow climb was because if the bid went past the base price, it meant that the bidder might suffer a losspared to the actual item value.

    Of course, because this item had such a ster reputation, even if the bidding price went over slightly, the bidder would not suffer too much of a loss. Besides, at such an asion, whether or not something could be sessfully sold depended on the bidders wanting to prove their reputation. No one wanted to show that they were weak in terms of resources, so the bidding continued¡­

    "$ 38 million!" CEO Sun shouted in a hoarse voice.

    When they heard CEO Sun''s bid, everyone looked at each other in shock. Momentster, someone shouted, "$ 40 million!"

    Once it passed $ 40 million, the crowd started to shift around restlessly because it had surpassed the base price by arge amount. Even if one were to sessfully bid for it now, it would not be worth it. Thus, the remaining bidders were the richer people or those with an extraordinarily strong interest in the item.

    Su Yan was one of them. "$ 45 million!"

    In such a situation, his bid caused amotion instantly.

    The auctioneer''s voice was shaking at this point. "Number 60''s Mr. Su Yan calls for $ 45 million! Is there anyone else who would like to continue? Even though the base price of this crown is $ 30 million, it''s a rare treasure of the world¡­"

    To encourage higher bids, the auctioneer started to introduce the fame and value of the crown.

    There were only four bidders left in thepetition. Apart from Su Yan, there was still CEO Sun, the rich merchant who had coveted Ning Xi earlier, CEO Zhao Haisheng, who wanted to give it to his wife, Ling Fei, as a gift, and another person''s identity who was a little unique. It was Su Yan''s half-brother, Su Xun, who shared the same father but had a different mother.

    The reason Su Xun was bidding was obviously to simplypete with Su Yan.

    Those in the circle who were up to date with the gossip would know that because Su Yan had a lung disease and was ill when he was young, the Su family was afraid that he would not make it into adulthood, thus they took Su Xun in. The idea was to raise him to be Su Yan''s recement; if Su Yan died, Su Xun would take his spot.

    Unfortunately for him, after Su Yan recuperated in the vige for a few years, but not only did he not die of sickness, he had even slowly recovered and was finally brought home to the Su family. On the other hand, Su Xun, who had initially been raised to be the heir, had suddenly be an awkward existence.

    Today, these two brothers were fighting in the Su family. Su Yan was still the eldest son and was born in wedlock, so he was deemed right and proper. Su Xun''s current circumstances were very awkward, but because of the connections he had umted in his adolescence, he still had some power to fight back.

    The two brothers had started topete on such an assion. It was going to be an interesting show to watch¡­

    "$ 46 million!" Su Xun followed Su Yan''s bid.

    "$ 47 million!" Su Yan shouted.

    "$ 48 million!" Su Xun again.

    "$ 50 million!" Su Yan retorted.

    "Fifty¡­ $ 55 million!"

    When Su Xun''s bid rang out, the crowd looked at him with their jaws dropped. The Second Master of the Su family was really going all out just for vindication.

    "Mr. Su Xun bid $ 55 million! Are there any more bids? Mr. Zhao, do you still want to continue?" The auctioneer looked at Zhao Haisheng''s direction.

    Zhao Haisheng scratched his head uncertainly. "Um¡­hold on, I need to call my wife to ask for further instruction!"

    The entire crowd roared withughter and teased him mercilessly.

 Chapter 1199: Spending Money Recklessly

    <h4>Chapter 1199: Spending Money Recklessly</h4>

    "Hahaha¡­then I''ll wait for you!" The auctioneer howled.

    Very quickly, Zhao Haisheng put down his phone and smiled apologetically, "The wife says that it''s too expensive, so we won''t bid on it further. Please continue!"

    "Madam Zhao is indeed a good wife!" The auctioneer concluded, then looked to CEO Sun. "What about you, CEO Sun? Would you like to continue?"

    "$ 56 million!" Sun Zhanpeng looked at Ning Xi as he said as if he was trying to brag about his wealth to the beauty.

    "$ 56 million! CEO Sun bid $ 56 million! The two Mr. Sus'', would you like to continue?" The auctioneer''s eyes shone as he looked at the brothers, Su Yan and Su Xun.

    Su Xun looked miserable. He had reached his limit. If he continued to bid, even if he managed to get it, he would have suffered a great loss just for this vindication! His remaining supporters would also have opinions about his irrational behavior.

    Atst, Su Xun could only gloomily say through gritted teeth, "I forfeit my bid!"

    The entire crowd sneered at him and Ning Xueluo looked at him with ridicule too. He was just a bastard child, yet he wanted to fight with Su Yan for the limelight. How funny!

    Because the contest in this auction was so intense, Xiao Tao was getting frustrated in a corner. Due to her anxiety, she had forgotten all about her anger earlier as she pulled on Ning Xi''s sleeve to ask, "Sis Xi, who do you think will win this crown?"

    Ning Xi was bored stiff as she yawned. "Who knows? It has nothing to do with us anyway¡­"

    What charity banquet? She was done watching all these so-called rich tycoons and public figures pretending to be cool.

    She might as well just donate the money directly to those who need it, but this was how it was in the industry. One had to put up a show. Even if she had privately donated a lot and done tons of charity, others would not know about her deeds or praise her. Nevertheless, of course, she did all those out of her conscience and did not need any praise.

    The maximum threshold of the bid was $ 60 million. They were probably about to determine the winning bidder soon, so Ning Xi packed up her bag and was ready to leave to catch up on sleep.

    Xiao Tao was still mumbling to herself excitedly, "Even though I really wish it wasn''t him, I''ve already predicted that it would be won by Su Yan in the end. Before this, Ning Xueluo already said that she was here for the crown¡­ Furthermore, the Sus are so wealthy¡­"

    The moment she said that, Su Yan jumped the gun and shouted, "$ 60 million!"

    "S-sixty million?!" The auctioneer''s eyes flew wide. "Mr. Su has bid for $ 60 million! Would anyone like to continue? CEO Sun, do you want to continue? CEO Sun?"

    Sun Zhanpeng was red in the face. He did not say anything for a while. Obviously, this price was way more than what he could swallow.

    It was not that he could not pay for it, but as a businessman, even if he wanted face, he would not spend $ 60 million for such a trinket.

    The auctioneer knew that such a high price was very rare, so he knew it was time to end the auction and he shouted out, "Mr. Su, $ 60 million once!"

    At this moment, there were already sounds of admiring exmations, congrattory remarks, and praises off-stage¡­

    "They are the Su family, after all. Indeed, he who has wealth speaks the loudest! Even Sun Zhanpeng dered that it''s game over!"

    "Ning Xueluo is terribly lucky. If someone would spend so much money to buy me a crown, I would really wake up from my dreamughing¡­"

    "Congrattions, Master Su! You really went all out for your belle!"

    "It''s not all out. This small sum of money is like a drop in the ocean for Master Su!"

    "Hahaha, you''re right¡­"

    "Remember to invite us to your wedding banquet!"

    ¡­

    Su Yan humbly responded to everyone''s praises. Truthfully, he also let out a sigh of relief as he knew in his heart that $ 60 million was his maximum. If Su Zhanpeng continued to bid, he would probably not be able to follow.

    However, as he listened to the crowd''spliments, he felt a great sense of satisfaction, while Ning Xueluo intimately clung on to his arm and beamed sweetly at him.

    On the stage, the auctioneer started his second confirmation, "$ 60 million, twice!"

    "$ 60 million¡­thrice!" As these words fell, the auctioneer raised the auction mallet in his hand high. Once the hammer fell, the auction would beplete.

    The entire crowd held with bated breath to watch, waiting for the hammer to fall.

    Unexpectedly, as the auctioneer''s hand fell halfway, in the silently tense air, from the inconspicuous corner behind, a card with the number "8" was slowly raised up.

    "$ 100 million!"

 Chapter 1200: Spend Money Like Nothing!

    <h4>Chapter 1200: Spend Money Like Nothing!</h4>

    One¡­one hundred million dors?!

    The auctioneer almost mistakenly flung his hammer in sheer shock. After he calmed himself down, he took a deep breath. "Eight¡­number eight just offered $ 100 million! Mr. Eight offered $ 100 million! Gosh!"

    Many people who attended the auction were anonymous, and number eight was one of them, so the auctioneer only knew that the bidder was a man. He did not know anything else about him, hence the auctioneer merely addressed him by his number.

    There was a dead silence across the room. After a while, the crowd returned to their senses. Some people even stood up and strained to look back at the quiet corner, but they could only see a dark figure sitting there alone. The light was too dim to see his face, so they could only see his elegant pale white hand¡­

    "Wow! Did I hear wrongly? $ 100 million? Did someone just offer $ 100 million? Is he crazy? Who exactly in Imperial has this amount of wealth to waste? Moreover, is this how you''re supposed to bid? This is like throwing money away!"

    "It''s as though money is nothing to him! $ 100 million, just for an essory!"

    "Wait! This isn''t right¡­ If I''m not wrong, number eight is the one who raised the offer? Wasn''t number eight with the new artiste called Ning Xi just now?"

    "Right! I remember as well! He was raising the price dor by dor for an earlier item, then suddenly his bid has now jumped to $ 100 million! What''s happening!?"

    ¡­

    Not just the crowd, the auctioneer himself was startled. After being an auctioneer for so many years, it was his first time seeing an auction like this. The price had leaped from $ 60 million to $ 100 million as if money meant nothing to him!

    In the end, the host wiped the sweat off his forehead while he went up to remind the auctioneer to continue his job. He took a deep breath.

    "Everyone, please settle down, settle down. The auction is still in progress! Just now, Mr. Su offered $ 60 million before the third call, but it''s not validated yet, and now guest number eight has offered the crazy high price of $ 100 million for the crown ew know as ''Queen''! Yes! $ 100 million! Anyone else going to challenge this bid?" The auctioneer rattled this off in a single breath out of excitement.

    He actually bid for an item at a price that was ridiculously higher than the original price. This would definitely be one of the proudest moments of his career!

    The crowd returned to pin-drop silence after the auctioneer''s short speech.

    The auctioneer nced at Su Yan. Because he thought the crown was already his, his expression darkened. Having his item being snatched away all of a sudden and at such a high price, anyone would feel unhappy about it¡­

    Ning Xueluo felt embarrassed, then she turned to Chang Li. "What happened? Isn''t number eight one of your men?"

    Chang Li was really confused but she had to be honest with her right now. "N-no¡­ Actually, I''ve been meaning to tell you just now. Number eight isn''t one of ours¡­ I don''t know who he is as well¡­"

 Chapter 1201: Refreshing!

    <h4>Chapter 1201: Refreshing!</h4>

    "What did you say?" Ning Xueluo''s expression changed to a dubious one.

    If it was not Chang Li''s arrangement, could he really be Ning Xi''s man? This was impossible! Otherwise, who was this random guy?

    Somewhere nearby, when Su Xun saw Su Yan''s item being snatched away, he felt refreshed. He nced over andughed, "Haha, he really thought Imperial is ruled by the Su family. However rich you are, there''s someone richer. Imperial has the most number of discreet wealthy men around! Stop thinking that you''re the richest person around!"

    "You¡­" Ning Xueluo stopped arguing with him. She then gave Su Yan an imploring look. "Bro Yan¡­"

    She had already expected to get the crown and even already released news that she would surely make it hers. Everyone also knew that Su Yan would give this crown to her during their wedding, yet it was now snatched away right before their eyes. How embarrassing!

    Of course, she hoped that Su Yan would not give up and would snatch it back!

    Su Yan did not want to back off as well, but after he saw Ning Xueluo''s expression, he looked worse for wear. It was $ 100 million, nearly double his offer. He definitely could not continue because he could not gather that amount of money anyway.

    Ning Xueluo understood as well. She leaned closer to Su Yan and whispered, "Maybe I can chip in a little as well?"

    Su Yan frowned. "I would never take your money. Moreover, for the auction this time, they will sign the contract immediately after the deal is validated!"

    What did that mean? It simply meant that paying $ 100 million was a simple task for the person, and fighting with him would just make Su Yan look worse!

    Ning Xueluo clenched her fists hard until her fingernails broke through her skin. "Damn it¡­"

    Who was that? What was his purpose?

    He had just ruined her ns¡­

    Today was her first step towards building momentum for Su Yan and her wedding, and this had to happen¡­

    On the stage, the auctioneer continued as no one replied, "Is no one going to offer higher? Okay, then¡­$ 100 million, once! $ 100 million, twice! $ 100 million, thrice!"

    Thud! After the hammer mmed down, the deal wasplete.

    Su Yan was quiet the whole time. He had nothing to say about that price.

    Another person who looked just as terrible as him was Sun Zhanpeng.

    "Congrattions to Mr. Eight for getting this crown! Now, let''s invite him to the stage to retrieve his item!" The auctioneer invited excitedly.

    Everyone looked at the red carpet.

    Who exactly was this number eight?

    A person with such an absurdly wealthy background, yet he had raised the price dor by dor earlier. His suspicious behavior was so unpredictable that it really made people curious¡­

    In the corner, Xiao Tao shook Ning Xi''s shoulder repeatedly out of excitement. "Oh my god! $ 100 million! $ 100 million! This was amazingly shocking! I don''t know who this is, but it''s refreshing! I''m happy as long as Ning Xueluo doesn''t get it! I''ve mistaken the man just now! But still, he''s really weird. Why did he raise dor by dor to buy your cheap bracelet?"

 Chapter 1202: What A Beast

    <h4>Chapter 1202: What A Beast</h4>

    "Maybe he just really liked the bracelet? Hehe¡­ Sis Xi, it was I who picked out the jade bracelet for you! I never knew my taste was this good, hahaha¡­"

    Xiao Tao kept on talking and talking while Ning Xi remained silent as she felt uneasy.

    The way this number eight acted seemed eerily familiar. Moreover, she thought that she saw a familiar silhouette earlier.

    As everyone focused on the stage, a big and buff man who resembled a bodyguard went up to the stage. He mumbled quietly to the host, then swiftly signed the contract, paid for it, and left.

    $ 100 million! $ 100 million¡­and he had signed it off just like that¡­

    There was something unusual. When the guy left, he did not take the crown with him.

    "What''s happening? Doesn''t he want the crown?" The crowd was disconcerted.

    The auctioneer carefully took the crown in his hands and looked at the audience, his eyes bright as he said with utmost excitement, "Everyone, I''ve just received a request from our guest, Mr. Eight! The crown he bought at such a high price is a gift to someone among us today! Mr. Eight is a true fan of thisdy!"

    "What? A gift?!"

    "Wow! A live gift presentation! What a beast! He spent $ 100 million to buy a gift for a girl!"

    "A true fan? Seems like a female celebrity! That''s some fan right there!"

    "Whose fan is it!? He''s powerful!"

    "I''m betting $ 100 that it must be Ning Xueluo''s fan. Her fans are usually very powerful!"

    ¡­

    Xiao Tao tried to peer as she mumbled to herself, "Please don''t be Ning Xueluo''s fan! Please! No! Please! If he''s Ning Xueluo''s fan, I''ll kill myself right now!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    At this moment, a buzz flooded the room. A few other famous celebrities and actresses including Ning Xueluo were the topic of discussion¡­

    For suspense, the auctioneer waited until the time was right, then he announced, "The crown ''Queen'' is gifted to¡­Ning Xi! Ms. Ning Xi, just now Mr. Eight also bought your jade bracelet. He''s truly a big fan of yours!"

    The auctioneer was trying to heat up the atmosphere, but the crowd gave no response as their jaws went ck.

    What!? Was the auctioneer kidding?

    Are you sure he is a real fan and not a hater?

    Xiao Tao''s eyes almost popped out.

    At the same time, Ning Xi''s phone beeped as she received a new message: [My dear, do you like the present?]

    Sender: Carrot Yun

    When she saw the nickname "Carrot Yun" that she had changed herself appear on her screen, Ning Xi pinched the juncture between her eyebrows and her veins popped out on her head. Her expression was changing rapidly as well like she was going through a manic episode.

    [Not! At! All!!!!!]

    She knew it¡­this familiar¡­crazy behaviour¡­

    As expected, it was that guy!

 Chapter 1203: Little Junior Sister Was Extra Touched, Wasnt She?

    <h4>Chapter 1203: Little Junior Sister Was Extra Touched, Wasn''t She?</h4>

    "Oh¡­ Oh my God! Sis Xi! Sis Xi, did you hear that?! That $ 100 million crown¡­is actually for you! It''s a gift for you! Number eight is actually your fan! I almost thought it was your hater!" Based on the way Xiao Tao was, even if she did not die from hitting her head on a pole in her frenzied state, she was still about to die from excitement.

    However, when she watched everyone else''s reactions, Xiao Tao was actually considered quite calm.

    "Please, we would like to wee Ms. Ning toe on stage."

    When they heard the host''s words, the entire crowd exploded.

    "It''s actually Ning Xi¡­"

    "How did this happen? Shouldn''t the Ms. Ning he''s referring to be Xueluo?"

    "Is there some kind of confusion?"

    ¡­

    "Please Ning Xi, Ms. Ning!" The host had probably picked up on the discussion in the crowd and had especially emphasized Ning Xi''s name again.

    Finally, no one was questioning it.

    "The base price of this crown was $ 30 million, but now at the transacted price of $ 100 million, it means that this auctioned item has raised $ 70 million in charity funds for us. Ms. Ning, you are undoubtedly the guest who has raised the most for us at this auction, and we really thank you for your contribution to charity. We sincerely wish you all the best in your acting career."

    On the stage, the host was cordially praising Ning Xi, while Ning Xueluo looked beyond miserable and waspletely uninterested in the host''s words. She was, instead, drowned by hatred and jealousy.

    She would never have thought that the person to steal this crown away from her would be Ning Xi.

    Ning Xueluo was so bitter that she was shaking, and when she looked at Su Yan beside her, her expression was one of incredible sadness and misery. "Bro Yan, why? Why does Sis have to treat me like this? She knows that I like this crown. She knows what this crown means to me. Why must she steal everything that belongs to me?"

    Su Yan did not expect that it would turn out like this either and he pinched between his brows in exhaustion. "Xueluo, Xiao Xi didn''t mean to¡­"

    "Didn''t mean to? Would there be so many unintentional coincidences? For thest celebration banquet when you proposed to me, she already used all sorts of ways to steal my limelight, and now it''s like this! She just can''t afford to see me live well! I''ve been patient with her, yet she has humiliated me again and again. Bro Yan, I really can''t stand it anymore¡­"

    "Xueluo, even if Xiao Xi is capable, there''s no way she could pull this off. It''s probably just a fan that truly likes her. Don''t be sad. Later on, I''ll prepare something even better for you!"

    "Bro Yan, why do you keep making excuses for her!? Are you also going to be stolen away by her? Are you starting to regret getting together with me?"

    "Don''t talk nonsense."

    ¡­

    Inside a ck-colored car, a silver-haired and pretty flirtatious-looking man just got in. Feng Xiaoxiao excitedly rubbed her hands together to ask, "How did it go? My trick isn''t bad, is it? A hero saving a damsel is a trick that works every time! Little Junior Sister was extra touched, wasn''t she?"

    Once she said that, the man''s cold eyes shot her a look.

    Feng Xiaoxiao felt goosebumps rise and she weakly coughed to ask, "W-what''s wrong?"

    The man casually slid his ck-colored phone across the seat. Feng Xiaoxiao quickly caught it and then looked at the phone, and she saw the conversation¡­

    [My dear, do you like the present?]

    [Not! At! All!!!!!]

    Feng Xiaoxiao was dumbfounded. "This¡­this is illogical!"

 Chapter 1204: An Incompetent EQ

    <h4>Chapter 1204: An Ipetent EQ</h4>

    "How could this be? Little Junior Sister isn''t such an unreasonable person!" Feng Xiaoxiao repeatedly read the text messages and was further stupefied.

    The man squinted his eyes and hiszy voice revealed traces of danger. "Are you trying to say¡­that I''m unreasonable?"

    Feng Xiao Xiao coughed lightly and quickly waved to deny. "No, no, no! I wouldn''t! But this result is actually way too different than what I expected! Boss, did you really do as I told you to? Logically, Little Junior Sister hates that trash and b*tch duo the most in China. You''ve helped her savagely p them on the face in public. Even if Little Junior Sister doesn''t appreciate the kindness, she shouldn''t be scolding you either!"

    Feng Xiaoxiao thought it was weird, then she looked to Tang Ye, who was beside the silver-haired man and asked, "First Senior Brother, how was the situation like? Could you tell me? It''s best to be more specific!"

    Tang Ye''s sses reflected the light from hisptop. When he heard her, he just typed a few words on theptop and passed it to her. Feng Xiaoxiao quickly leaned closer to theptop and saw the screen ying the live stream of the charity banquet¡­

    The live stream was recorded by the organizers and there was a high amount of traffic. It was currently in the top spot of live streams, making it clear that some shocking thing must have happened at the charity banquet.

    Feng Xiaoxiao was a busybody and excitedly clicked on it to watch. Sadly, the more she watched, the worse her expression became. All the way till the end, her face cringed as it was a spectacle too horrible to even endure¡­

    With a resounding bam, Feng Xiaoxiao mmed theptop shut as she looked at the two men with quivering hands and was green in the face. "You¡­you two¡­"

    Momentster, the irate Feng Xiaoxiao who was about to explode finally forced herself to find the strength to speak, "My dearest Boss! Please allow my humble self to ask you sincerely, why did you increase your bid a dor at a time before that? How does your brain even work?"

    "I was happy to. Is there a problem?" The silver-haired man shot her a look from the side.

    Feng Xiaoxiao sped her chest dramatically and almost spit blood out. She could notmunicate properly with this person, so she then turned to Tang Ye and raved bitterly, "First Senior Brother! You know the Boss''s EQ! Why did you just watch and not stop him?!"

    Tang Ye opened hisptop and started to work on hisplicated financial forms again. He did not even look up to say, "Why should I stop him?"

    Feng Xiaoxiao was speechless.

    Lord! Someone, please save her!

    She was about to die from infuriation by this bunch of scoundrels with negative EQ!

    She really should not have had any high hopes of them.

    Feng Xiaoxiao looked like she was struggling to breathe as she said weakly, "Boss, since you''ve hired me to be your advisor¡­ No, wait, your love advisor, then you should strictly follow the way I taught you to and not add any tricks for yourself! What''s the difference between your earlier actionspared to a hater? Little Junior Sister probably thought you were hired by Ning Xueluo to mess around!"

    "It''s too troublesome." The silver-haired man started to look irritated.

    Feng Xiaoxiao was afraid of angering this guy, so she quickly softened her tone, "Hey, my dear Boss, if you want to keep a hold on Little Junior Sister''s heart, then it''s inevitable for things to be a little troublesome¡­"

    Actually, money was the ultimate me for this guy''s low EQ because to him, only one trick was needed to treat women -- throw money, throw money, and throw more money. Besides, he was uninterested in man-woman matters. His brain worked in weird ways too, so naturally, he would never want to study such tricky matters of the heart.

 Chapter 1205: Someone Is Stealing Your Wife!

    <h4>Chapter 1205: Someone Is Stealing Your Wife!</h4>

    She was initially hoping that First Senior Brother could advise the Boss by having him stay beside him, yet the two were like Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Unreliable!

    The only people she was close to and had a normal functioning brain in the organization was Little Junior Sister and Second Senior Brother, but now that they were both gone, they had left her lonely and every day she got infuriated.

    If not for the fact that she was seriously lonely, she would not havepromised to help that guy go after Little Junior Sister. If he could really get Little Junior Sister back, then that would definitely be a huge delight!

    Sadly, now that she had tried this once, she would much rather move to the countryside to farm than teach this guy to court women anymore.

    One hundred million dors had floated away just like that¡­

    ¡­

    In the CEO''s office in the Lu Corporation.

    "Second Master!"

    "Second Master, you''re here!"

    "Hi, Second Master!"

    ¡­

    "Where''s my brother?"

    "The CEO is in his office!"

    Lu Jingli did not have time to attend to the others. He flew like a tornado past the employees and ran straight to the CEO''s office.

    He pushed open the door, and then¡­bam! Lu Jingli''s hands were gripping his brother''s work desk in desperation.

    "My God, my God, my God! Bro! Why are you still in the office? Don''t work anymore!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked up from his mountain of documents and massaged his temples. "Did something happen?"

    "Of course, something happened! Something huge has happened! There''s some guy who''s trying to pick up your wife!" Lu Jingli was beyond fury. The expression he wore was even angrier than having his own wife stolen, even though he did not have one.

    Lu Tingxiao paid attention now and he cast a questioning look at his brother.

    Lu Jingli quickly moved closer and used Lu Tingxiao''sputer to search. He opened up a live stream and eximed, "Bro! Look, one hundred million, one hundred million! Yeah, a true fan sounds nice and all, but they''re obviously coveting after your wife! Although, I don''t know why this guy started by intentionally making fun of Xiao Xi Xi. Could it be to leave a stronger impression on her? Hmm, it must be! This is so cunning! Bro, you must not lose! Look, I''ve already helped you choose the present. Every one of them can definitely surpass that crown¡­"

    Lu Jingli prattled on and had even started clicking on his iPad to show Lu Tingxiao the presents he found. There was a crown, a ring, and even a sports car. There was variety, and everything one could think of was listed!

    It looked like he was confident of winning this round!

    For a couple of seconds, Lu Tingxiao''s eyes fell on the corner where the raised number eight card was. One could not read his expression¡­

    "Bro, bro? Bro, did you hear what I say? The enemy hase in full force. We cannot be weak! Look at all these presents and tell me which one is suitable. I''ll get them for you immediately!" Lu Jingli said impatiently.

    "No need," responded Lu Tingxiao.

    "How can there be no need?! It''s too much of a need, I tell you! Even though you and Xiao Xi Xi are doing good now, there''s still a need to protect this rtionship! Things like gifts are still very important!" Lu Jingli said with a serious expression, then he frowned and mumbled, "Also¡­this number eight might be a little prank. Even I couldn''t find out who he is and where he''s from. How could I not know someone in Imperial with such wealth? But I can confirm that he''s a crazy admirer of Xiao Xi Xi, otherwise, he wouldn''t have spent like that. The thing is I''m not sure what his rtionship is to Xiao Xi Xi. Maybe it''s someone she knows¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao leaned back in his chair and said with a cool expression and calm tone, "He''s just an ex-boyfriend."

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

 Chapter 1206: Preparing A Gift

    <h4>Chapter 1206: Preparing A Gift</h4>

    "What?!" Lu Jingli''s eyes flew wide open. "Ex¡­ex-boyfriend? This guy is Xiao Xi Xi''s ex-boyfriend? How do you know?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything and just returned to his documents.

    For him to use $ 100 million this easily and to disy that erratic behavior¡­

    He did not even need to investigate to know who it was.

    Ning Xi had once said that that man had only been in a rtionship with her for a day.

    Even if Ning Xi once liked him or was even in love with him, it was all in the past¡­

    Lu Jingli was impressed at how calm his brother was. "Right, both number eight and Su Yan are just her exes. No matter what they do, you''re still the current one! Hehehe¡­"

    After he looked through thest document, Lu Tingxiao picked up his coat and was about to leave.

    "Er, Bro, where are you going?" Lu Jingli asked.

    "To prepare a gift."

    "Huh? You''re going to give Xiao Xi Xi a gift? What are you giving? You don''t need me to pick for you?" Lu Jingli was a little disappointed, but at the same time he was also curious, could his brother have something better for Xiao Xi Xi?

    ¡­

    On the other hand, after the dinner ended, Ning Xi let Xiao Tao go home first, then she sent Annie a text message and asked her out for a meeting.

    Although $ 70 million for the crown went to charity, $ 30 million was not a measly amount either. It was a gift from someone, so it would be inappropriate for her to donate it right away on stage, hence she had taken it with her. Now, she could only ask Annie to return it back.

    She knew this money was worth near to nothing to a certain someone. She also knew he would never take back something he gave, but she had her own principles. She already had the devil, so of course, she would not take anything given by another man.

    Although that person was not considered a man or even a human by her¡­

    Before she met Annie, she purposely went back and took the huge diamond with her as well as the gift for Annie she had prepared beforehand.

    ¡­

    Inside a guest room within a restaurant.

    "Bro Xi!" Annie was really thrilled to see Ning Xi.

    "This is for you." Ning Xi gave her a pink stic bag.

    Annie saw the cute cartoon-shaped biscuits inside the bag and her eyes brightened. "Wow! How cute! Are these for me? Where did you get them?"

    "I made them myself. I hope you''ll like it."

    "What? Bro Xi, you made them yourself? I really like them! Thank you so much!" Annie hugged them protectively. She did not expect Bro Xi to be able to make something this cute, so she was pleasantly surprised.

    "I should be thanking you. Your prescription for my grandfather thest time was really effective," Ning Xi said.

    "It''s nothing, really. Bro Xi, you came looking for me¡­ Is there something else you wanted to see me about?" Annie asked.

    Ning Xi nced at her. "Do you know what happened today?"

    Annie was hesitant to speak up but did anyway, "Actually, I''m not too sure myself. I just know that Boss, Bro Ye, and Sis Xiao Xiao went out together. They seemed like they were going to look for you¡­ Did you guys meet?"

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. Even First Senior Brother and Third Senior Sister had been there? What were they trying to do?

    Ning Xi scowled. "Actually, I have a favor to ask of you. There are two things I''d like to return to Satan! Knowing him, he probably wouldn''t want it, so just put them back in his room quietly for me. I wanted to go in person, but well, I really don''t feel like going to where you guys are staying at again¡­"

 Chapter 1207: Why Are You Suddenly Here?

    <h4>Chapter 1207: Why Are You Suddenly Here?</h4>

    As Annie stared at what Ning Xi just passed to her, she seemed like she had a lot to say, but she probably felt it was futile to say anything else, so she just replied shortly, "Alright! Bro Xi, I''ll return this for you¡­"

    "Thanks."

    ¡­

    Inside a creepy vi in the outskirts, as promised, Annie went back and quietly opened a door to a certain room.

    The Boss should still be out now¡­

    The house was quiet and there was no light. She carefully walked towards the cupboard and wanted to put the item inside¡­

    The moment she opened the cupboard, the candle on the wall lit up, and there was a voice beside her ear, "My little bait, what are you looking for?"

    "Argh!" Annie looked back in shock and saw the man lying on the bed, her face turning pale right away. "Nope, nothing! I''m not looking for anything! I-I just¡­"

    "Your hand." The man used an extremely cold voice.

    Annie could not do anything else, so to prove her innocence, she took out the diamond and the crown from the bag.

    The man understood instantly the moment he saw those items, and the atmosphere turned chilly all of a sudden. "The other one."

    Annie then put the things in her right hand onto the bed as well, the cute cookies clearly seen through the transparent stic bag.

    "Leave what''s in your right hand, throw what''s in your left."

    He meant for her to leave the biscuits there, and throw the others away?

    "B-but¡­the biscuits are for me¡­" Annie looked reluctantly at her boss.

    The man red at her coldly, then Annie quickly left her biscuits and ran away.

    How could he do this? Bro Xi made those cookies for me¡­

    ¡­

    At Peachwood, after Ning Xi asked Annie to return the items, she felt relieved. It had been a long day and she was hammered. She changed into her slippers after she entered the house, leaving her bag aside. She started undressing as she walked into her room¡­

    She took off her coat, then her stockings. She proceeded to take off her bra and jump onto her soft bed¡­

    But when she jumped on it, she was dumbfounded.

    It did not feel quite right!

    It was hard¡­and warm¡­ What was this? It feels like muscles, full of power¡­ Did the nket just gain some kind of human characteristic?

    Ning Xi quickly rolled off the bed and clumsily turned on the light.

    Suddenly, the room was bright as day.

    She then saw¡­the devil lying on the bed, wearing a pair of silver-framed sses. He was reading a book with his pajamas on and his hair was still a little wet. He had probably juste out of the shower. However, his pajamas were all messy now because of her, his chest bare¡­

    This was the direct opposite of his usual cold look¡­ How seductive¡­

    Ning Xi put her hand on her chest and tried to calm her thumping heart down. "Lu¡­Lu Tingxiao, why are you here?"

    He made space for her and patted the bed. "Come over."

    Ning Xi gulped as she quickly went over and looked at her man. "Baby, what''s happening? Why are you suddenly here?"

    Warming the bed and sleeping with her?

    He raised his eyebrows. "You don''t like it?"

 Chapter 1208: Only You, I Only Like You

    <h4>Chapter 1208: Only You, I Only Like You</h4>

    Ning Xi shook her head vigorously. "Of course, I do¡­"

    How could she not like it? It was just that her heart might not be able to take it.

    He seemed satisfied with her reply. He kissed the girl''s forehead gently, then her lips. His gentle kisses seemed like a tiny dip in the water, but it was packed with the torrent of a strong wave¡­

    Ning Xi put her hand on her sensitive corbone while she realized that the man''s emotions were inconsistent with how he usually behaved.

    Hmm, could the devil have known about what had happened today?

    She just told him that she was attending a charity dinner. Furthermore, Lu Tingxiao was too busy to know everything about her. Still, there was the busybody Lu Jingli beside him, so¡­the possibility of him knowing was very likely!

    "Who do you like more?" The man asked.

    Ning Xi''s heart skipped a beat.

    Of course, he would know! Lu Jingli, you busybody!

    Damn it! She would get her paybackter. What was important now was tofort the wife¡­

    Ning Xi turned around and straddled him. "What do you mean more? There''s no more to it. There''s only you, I only like you¡­"

    The man''s dangerous stare turned into a passionate gaze as his hands ced themselves firmly around her hips¡­

    "That busybody, what did he tell you again? I''ve already asked someone to return the gift back to the so-called fan. The bracelet doesn''t really mean anything to me as well. Xiao Tao just bought it for me. I''m someone with a family and I will only ept things from my sweetheart!"

    Ning Xi suddenly realized why he was there andughed, "So, you''re here to give me a present today? If I knew this would happen, I should''ve found a few more fans to make you more jealous!"

    "Are you sure you can take it?" The man asked her suggestively.

    Ning Xi''s heart skipped a beat again. "I''m just saying¡­"

    "When''s your movie screening?" The man asked her.

    Ning Xi was a little dumbfounded.

    In her mind, the question sounded like "When are you going to marry me?".

    After a while, Ning Xi returned to her senses and she replied, "I just spoke to Director Chen on the phone yesterday. He said it''ll be released next week! Let''s go watch together, alright?"

    She was really sad when she did not get to watch "The World" with the devil, but now that she had acted in this other movie with him, it was much more meaningful!

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Mmm."

    "Oh, the movie that was snatched away by Liang Biqin will be released tomorrow. The marketing these few days has been especially intense. Everyone is talking about how awesome the script is, how good the production is, the special effects, and how prestigious all the involved actors are¡­ I''m going to have a look tomorrow. I want to see how good it is! But for me to contribute to her movie, it makes me feel frustrated!" Ning Xi mumbled.

    Lu Tingxiao took hisptop and after some clicking around, a movie started ying. It was Liang Biqin''s "I Only Like You".

    Ning Xi was surprised. "Wow! Boss, you''re awesome! You even got the original cut? And it looks super-HD¡­"

 Chapter 1209: Didnt You Want To Do Business In Bed? Ill Satisfy Your Wish!

    <h4>Chapter 1209: Didn''t You Want To Do Business In Bed? I''ll Satisfy Your Wish!</h4>

    The movie had not even been released yet, but Lu Tingxiao had already gotten a copy of it. Clearly, he had done it all for her.

    Ning Xi was moved as she sighed, "Such a lovely person beside me, yet here we are, watching Liang Biqin''s movie¡­ This is too much of a waste¡­"

    "Then, what would you like to watch?"

    Ning Xi suddenly thought of something and smiled sneakily as she stroked her chin."We should watch some romantic action movie or something like that¡­ Wouldn''t that be better for the mood?"

    The man looked down at her and said, "Do you really think that with you by my side, I''d still need to watch such movies?"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Devil, your pick-up lines are increasing in depth¡­

    She realized that every time she teased him now, the favor would be returned.

    She coughed, "Let''s just watch the movie!"

    After close to two hours into the movie, Ning Xi had finished it without fast-forwarding any parts. To be honest, Ning Xi thought that it was not as bad as she had imagined.

    Even though this movie Liang Biqin had acted in did not have a script as epic as Chen Mian''s, the storyline was still quite strong and it had quite an original theme too. Otherwise, Ning Xi would not have taken interest in it back then.

    After all, with the script and all that money thrown in, the effects weremendable. Apart from noticing the obvious traces of the stunt doubles and Liang Biqin''s slightly awkward acting through her professional lens, there was not too much damage done.

    Supported by the huge amount of money used for promoting the movie, and with all the big shots involved in it, they would definitely profit at the box office! Then again, that was inferred based on the perspective of the mass audience. Of course, if she were to honestly speak her personal perspective and standards, this was trash. The actors'' acting was not mindful throughout; even the experienced actors were obviously not in the zone. They were practically fooling around, and it made her mad to see their quality of acting.

    However, movies were shot like that nowadays. Even if there was poor quality, it would still rack up ticket sales based on marketing and the celebrity effect. This also created the phenomenon whereby directors and investors cared more about the poprity of actors rather than their talent.

    "Boss, what do you think about Liang Biqin''s movie?" Ning Xi asked Lu Tingxiao''s opinion, cocking her head sideways.

    However, when she heard no reply, she looked up and met his eyes¡­

    Uhh, had he been not watching the movie all this while and been staring at her instead?

    Okay, the devil''s reaction seemed to have summed up his views about this movie. It was not interesting at all to him¡­

    "Mmm, Big Boss, when Chen Mian called me yesterday, he even asked if you and I have been¡­ Um, by you, I mean Ke Mingyu¡­ He asked me if I''ve been in contact with you! It sounded like he wanted to introduce an agent to you!" Ning Xi muttered.

    "I''ll arrange itter on," said Lu Tingxiao.

    When Ning Xi heard his reply, her eyes instantly lit up. "You¡­you want to get an agent? Does this mean that you won''t disappear right after finishing this movie and that I''ll still have a chance to act with you in the future?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her ssy-eyed. "Didn''t you want to do business in bed? Your wish is mymand."

    Damn it! The devil''s taunting is so dirty!

    Ning Xi threw herself on him and wailed, "My God! Previously, when I told Jiang Muye that I wanted to keep you as a mistress, he mocked me by saying that I would need to wait for my next life! Who would have thought that I''d get this chance in this lifetime?! My darling, I love you so much!"

 Chapter 1210: Ill Give You This Number

    <h4>Chapter 1210: I''ll Give You This Number</h4>

    At night, in a private room in one of Imperial''s fancy hotels.

    The room was all brouhaha and everyone exchanged toasts with each other. It was very lively.

    The director of "I Only Like You", Zheng Kangde, the producer, Wu Kai, the main actors like Liang Biqin, and the other creative staff were all present. At the main seat was a shrewd-looking middle-aged man dressed in a Giorgio Armani tuxedo. He was the manager of The People''s Cinema, Cui Zhihao.

    Among the cinema box office ranking in Imperial, The People''s Cinema came in first ce by raking in $ 3.8 billion. When it came to a movie, the cinema manager was said to have the ultimate control of its number of shows on the premiere day.

    To have settled Cui Zhihao was the equivalent of having guaranteed the sess of half the box office.

    In the industry, in order to get more screenings, apanying them for meals and drinks were basic obligations. tant bribes like rebates and extra red packets were also a norm in the industry, and Imperial''s number one cinema was no exception.

    At the dinner table, Director Zheng Kangde eagerly offered a toast to Cui Zhihao. "Come on, Manager Cui, I will drink to you once more. We''re counting on you to look after our movie!" Zheng Kangde said as he hinted at Liang Biqin before she quickly walked over to serve Cui Zhihao herself, while keeping her chest indistinctively close in contact with Cui Zhihao''s arm.

    Another actress was not ready to be outdone by Liang Biqin, so she ttered Cui Zhihao, "I''ve always heard that movies which Manager Cui takes interest in will definitely be a hit!"

    Zheng Kangde quickly echoed, "Manager Cui is our industry trendsetter!"

    Cui Zhihao was smiling from ear to ear with Liang Biqin on his left, and a beautiful second female lead on his right as he chuckled, "No, Director Zheng, your theme is fresh and it will attract all the younger audience. It''s the driving factor in the current box office sales. Don''t even mention the famous actors involved; with such strong marketing, you don''t even need to tell me what to do. I will definitely prioritize it!"

    "Manager Cui, youvish us with too much praise. Whatever movies the audience watches are all decided by you. As great as our movie could be, we won''t be able to escape your support!" When Zheng Kangde saw that the atmosphere was about right, he closed in and showed Cui Zhihao five fingers.

    "As long as you support us fully, Manager Cui, I can make the decision on our end and give you this number!"

    When Cui Zhihao saw the number Zheng Kangde''s fingers revealed, his eyes instantly shone. This meant that he wanted to give him a 50%mission on the ticket sales!

    Usually, if a movie distributor wanted to "coborate" with a cinema, the cinema would suitably increase the number of screenings, but the pre-requisite was to get some sort ofmission from the sales, which was also the so-called "red packet." These grey profits would mostly fall into the hands of the cinema manager.

    Within the industry, the usualmission rate was 30%, so Zheng Kangde was being rather generous.

    Based on Zheng Kangde''s investment, the big shots, and the promotion of this movie, at least $ 300 million at the box office was guaranteed. Based on the 50%mission, he could get more than $ 10 million!

    When he thought of this, Cui Zhihao instantly grinned. "Don''t worry, Director Zheng, I can provide you with this number for the frequency of the movie screenings!"

    Chi Zhihao then syed out his five fingers at Zheng Kangde.

    That was half of the total screenings!

    Zheng Kangde instantly looked satisfied and gratified. "Manager Cui, you''re frank indeed!"

    In the current market, if the movie could upy over 30% of the screenings, it would mean that there would be 50,000 shows in a day -- definitely the standard for a blockbuster movie. The Hollywood blockbuster that exploded in poprity recently also only took up 50% of the allotted screenings.

 Chapter 1211: Over This Time

    <h4>Chapter 1211: Over This Time</h4>

    Cui Zhihao suddenly thought of something and revealed a questioning look. "Wait, Director Zheng, there''s something I don''t quite understand. Wasn''t the initial release date decided to be next month? Why did you suddenly move it forward to this month?"

    "Haha, I''m not sure if you''ve heard that Chen Mian has released a new movie recently?" Zheng Kangde asked meaningfully.

    Cui Zhihao recalled for a moment before replying, "Director Chen, aye. Obviously, I know about it. I was shocked earlier because I haven''t heard anything for a while, then he suddenly came out with a new movie and I especially noticed that he had used an entire cast of newbies!"

    Zheng Kangde chuckled, "Director Chen''s movie coincides with ours. The theme is also youthedy and it''s also about a woman in man''s clothing. Director Chen''s fame really intimidates me!"

    The audience always had the impression of the first mover being the stronger, so with two movies with the same theme, they would be more inclined towards watching the first movie.

    Even though Zheng Kangde put it that way, he was actually saying it with a tone of mockery and nonchnce.

    Cui Zhihao instantly understood Zheng Kangde''s intentions. All these years, he had been overpowered by Chen Mian, but now it looked like he was ready to overthrow him with this great opportunity!

    Despite the concept of the first mover advantage, he could space out more time in between so that he could release his movie before Chen Mian because simr themes would cause a contest for the audience.

    However, Zheng Kangde had intentionally nned for it to be released only two days before Chen Mian''s movie. Now, they were releasing it at almost the same time, so clearly, he was ready to steal Chen Mian''s entire target market and crush him!

    Chen Mian''s movie had neither big shots nor huge supporters behind it, so how could it fight with Zheng Kangde''s?

    This would practically result in a stalemate¡­

    Cui Zhihao shook his head and said, "Hah, Chen Mian is indeed great, but his performance at the box office for the past few years has been going downhill and that''s the truth! It''s almost impossible for him to return to his glory days! Now, he''s even independently produced this movie with such a small capital. Did he really think that he''s still the Chen Mian from ten years ago? Is the movie market still the same one from ten years ago? Director Chen is really confused silly this time. All the fame he''s umted for all these years will be ruined by this movie¡­"

    "I wonder how you''re preparing to arrange Director Chen''s screening frequency?" Zheng Kangde served Cui Zhihao another drink and pretended to ask casually.

    Cui Zhihao gave him a knowing look. "Naturally, I''ll make arrangements as it should be. Our cinema is not a charity organization. Everyone''s here to make money for a movie that obviously won''t hold up in the box office. At most, it''ll only get 10% of screen time even if it had Chen Mian''s reputation on it¡­"

    ¡­

    When they finished discussions, the two continued to drink and chit chat, atst both sides had left satisfied.

    Liang Biqin said excitedly, "Director Zheng, you''re amazing! With such a high screening frequency, our box office would definitely be great!"

    When the trailer had been released, because of the actors'' poprity, there were many praises and anticipating fans, but there were also many who criticized it for being stupid and melodramatic, she was initially a little worried¡­

    "Haha, of course! Don''t overestimate the audience''s taste nowadays. The age of cinema-goers is getting younger, so they won''t know what''s great or not. They just watch movies for the hype and they''ll watch whatever is avable to them!" Zheng Kangde said with a confident expression.

    Liang Biqin nodded trustfully at Director Zheng''s words. Of course, what made her feel most satisfied was that Chen Mian''s wonder years were up!

 Chapter 1212: Of Course It Was On Purpose

    <h4>Chapter 1212: Of Course It Was On Purpose</h4>

    That damned Chen Mian! He had even criticized her publicly on Weibo when he was defending Ning Xi. Furthermore, he had picked Ning Xi as the main character to piss her off and made a movie with a very simr theme, obviously to snub her!

    Now, she would like to see who would be thest one standing in the industry! The moment she imagined Chen Mian and Ning Xi''s downfall, she felt extremely satisfied. They would be killing two birds with one stone!

    "Right, Director Zheng, Producer Wu, should we count Oriental Cinema in?" The secondary female lead asked.

    They had already dealt with most of the top cinemas, so only Oriental Cinema was left.

    When Oriental Cinema was mentioned, Zhang Kangde sneered, "That witch from Oriental Cinema isn''t cooperative at all. We don''t have to deal with her. The ones we''ve contacted are already enough. Just wait until our movie is popr enough, she''ll surely beg us for it!"

    "Based on what you''re saying, is there something wrong with the manager from Oriental Cinema? Wasn''t she known as ''China''s First Row''?" The secondary female lead looked confused.

    The producerughed, "This Fang Jiayue! While she''s great at running business, she''s not a people person and very inflexible. She never takes any incentives from anyone, thinking that she''s better than everyone else, and she''s actually breaking the unsaid rules within the industry. No one likes to deal with her¡­"

    "I see, this woman is really daring, huh?"

    ¡­

    The next day, "I Only Like You" was officially released. Ning Xi had watched the movie beforehand and already had an idea of the quality of the movie, so she focused on the screenings and online ranking. She also browsed through the online movie review sites.

    After the first day, Ning Xi realized that the movie''s screening frequency was shockingly high. It wasparable with the few popr Hollywood blockbusters from before. The ratings from professional review sites were not low as well. It scored 7.6 out of 10, pretty good for a local movie. Even thements from theizens were mostly positive as well. Although there were some of them that criticized its clich¨¨ plot, it was soon flooded with praises from various experienced movie reviewers.

    With such elementary acting and shooting quality, the marketing team had done a considerable amount of effort for it to achieve such results. Most of the budget was not spent in the movie itself, but on marketing and business rtionships instead.

    On the third day, the results for the first day of "I Only Like You" was released. It had reached $ 110 million at the box office! Over $ 100 million!

    Early afternoon, in Chen Mian''s office, Ning Xi, Chen Hanchen, Jian Shu, Ji Yumeng, and the other core members of the team were present.

    On Chen Mian''s table was the ranking list of the box office. "I Only Like You" ranked third.

    Now, everyone knew that the dates of the "Dream Chaser" shed with the airing of "I Only Like You", and thetter had done extremely well. The atmosphere in the room hung heavy.

    Ji Yumeng was frustrated. "Zheng Kangde did this on purpose! Director, you already checked their release date beforehand and avoided them, but now they changed the date secretly, even scheduling it to air before us!"

    On purpose, of course, it had been done on purpose. If anyone lent it a little thought, they would know it had been done on purpose.

    They had no other choice now. They could only sh with it face on since the release date was decided and they could not change it now.

 Chapter 1213: Pleasant To The Eyes

    <h4>Chapter 1213: Pleasant To The Eyes</h4>

    They were all newbies. Although Ning Xi had acted in "The World" before, she had only acted in one previous movie. Plus, her fanbase was rather small and it had been such a long time since herst movie. With such a drastic shift in genre as well, it would not really impact the box office.

    "Just continue with the nned marketing. I''ll work on the cinema''s side," said Chen Mian calmly. Since he decided to take on this path, he had anticipated this day.

    Everyone looked at each other as they knew the situation was not positive.

    Zheng Kangde''s movie was doing abnormally well, almost taking away a huge chunk of the market. One would need a miracle to have a breakthrough¡­

    Although it was not mentioned explicitly, everyone sort of gave up.

    Deep down, they all understood that their movie was way better than Zhang Kangde''s, but the current movie industry seemed not to care much about the quality¡­

    No one understood this more than Director Chen Mian did. It was because of this that Ning Xi was really impressed with Chen Mian''seback this time.

    ¡­

    Back in the day, every cinema would fight over Chen Mian''s movies. Even when he had not been doing very well in the past few years, the allocation slots for his movies never fell below 30%.

    Nevertheless, this time, without any famous actors or strong investors, he only got about 10% allocation in most cinemas, some even 5%, and most of them were scheduled in the morning before noon or after 10 p.m, basically at rather odd timings.

    Moreover, these were the results that Chen Mian had to fight for.

    Finally, the premiere of "Dream Chaser" arrived.

    Ning Xi checked the timing at most big cinemas and was disappointed to see that all the screenings were scheduled in the morning and at night.

    In the end, Ning Xi bought tickets for a 10 p.m. movie.

    It was already veryte, so there were only a few people left in the cinema. And among these few people, most of them chose to watch "I Only Like You" since both movies were of a simr genre, so of course, they would go with the more popr one.

    A couple was discussing in front of the poster of "I Only Like You".

    "Baby, let''s watch this! There''re a lot of famous actors in it and I heard it''s pretty funny as well!" The man suggested.

    The girl mumbled sourly, "No, I don''t like Liang Biqin! She''s too superficial! And her in a male outfit looks so ugly!"

    "Really? I think it''s alright!"

    "I just don''t want to watch a stupid movie! Watch it by yourself if you insist!"

    "Then, what do you want to watch? Doesn''t seem like there''s anything else good to watch at this time¡­"

    "Let me see¡­ Hmm, Dream Chaser? The main cast is Ning Xi, Chen Hanchen¡­ I''ve never heard of them before! But¡­ Wow! The male lead in the poster looks sooo handsome! Totally my type! That gaze, that aura¡­ Let''s watch this!"

    In the poster of "Dream Chaser" was a man and a woman. However, the man was actually Ning Xi instead of the male lead. One of the figures was Ning Xi in a male outfit, while the other one was her in a female outfit. Those who did not know the context would really mistake the two figures as the male and the female lead.

    The man was a little speechless. "But this seems like a stupid movie as well¡­"

    "Stop with theints. If they are both stupid movies, at least a handsome lead is more pleasant to the eyes!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1214: Mysterious Audience

    <h4>Chapter 1214: Mysterious Audience</h4>

    In the end, the couple bought tickets for "Dream Chaser".

    As Ning Xi witnessed the whole process, she thought it was hrious. "Haha, I didn''t expect my face to attract a spectator like this¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao caressed the girl''s hair and assured, "It''ll get popr."

    Ning Xi giggled, "How are you more confident than I am? Hmm, Boss, are you thinking of doing anything behind the scenes?"

    "There''s no need to." Lu Tingxiao looked calm. "While money can manipte the market, it can never change the market rules. Over-manipting the market will cause a bacsh."

    Ning Xi seemed hesitant but then nodded continuously.

    Hmm, she did not understand at all¡­

    Still, she was impressed¡­

    Ning Xi clung to the man''s arms and smiled, "I don''t know about the market. I only know that no matter how much maniption is done, the spectators can see for themselves and they will decide the movie''s fate!"

    Lu Tingxiao gazed at the girl gently. "Exactly, you''re bright."

    "Hehe, it''s all thanks to you, Boss."

    ¡­

    After a short chat with Lu Tingxiao, Ning Xi''s mood improved by a drastic amount. They went to buy popcorn and drinks before entering the cinema hall happily, enjoying their hard-earned date.

    Before they went in, Ning Xi peeked into the cinema hall that was ying "I Only Like You" and noticed that about half the seats were upied. It was pretty good considering it was ate night screening.

    It was the third day of "I Only Like You" airing, and the Inte was already flooded with topics revolving around this movie. Whether good or bad, it was really popr.

    Ning Xi actually followed its news closely. Unlike the tsunami-like amount of positivements, the rating of the movie kept on plummeting in the following two days, which was quitemon among low-quality productions.

    Usually, the numbers would look good on the first day because of the productionpany''s marketing, but after the audience watched and formed their own ratings, the movie would face its true trial. Something like that could not be faked. If you wanted to create fake ratings, it would be gravely criticized by the audience!

    An hour ago, Ning Xi had checked the rating for the movie again. In just two days, it had dropped from 7.6 to 6.5, and manyizens had started criticizing it as well.

    Nevertheless, the productionpany and cinema did not seem to mind at all. In recent years, everyone had be ustomed to criticisms. Although the audience wouldin, they would still keep watching since mostmercial films were of this level and there was nothing really better anyway.

    Being criticized was not the worst thing that could happen. The worst thing would be no one caring enough to criticize. After all, critiques would still need to pay money to watch the movie.

    Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao sat in thest row, so they could see the whole cinema from there. Before the movie started, there were only seven people¡­

    Aside from her and Lu Tingxiao, there was the couple from before, a pair of schoolgirls, and the other member of the audience was ady in a champagne-colored dress. She looked about 30 years old and she hade alone. She sat right in front of Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao.

 Chapter 1215: A Breathtaking Opening

    <h4>Chapter 1215: A Breathtaking Opening</h4>

    Ning Xi could still understand why the couple and those two schoolgirls had picked this film, but she could not help but feel curious about the shrewdly dressed female in the row before them.

    Such a person did not look like the type to watch youthedy, though no one made the rule that they could not watch it either. Actually, with the current stress levels society faced, more and more people increasingly preferred to watch light-hearted movies.

    The target market for their movie could actually be considered very broad; it was not limited to youth at all.

    Ning Xi observed the two other pairs of audience The lovebirds sat in the right corner. The man did not look too interested in the movie. He was clearly just there to apany his girlfriend, while the girl munched on her popcorn and looked absent-mindedly at the big screen. It seemed like she was not expecting much.

    As for the two students sitting in the middle¡­

    Hmm, they had brought a bunch of things to eat and drink. They were already eating non-stop before the movie began, looking more like they were here for a pic than to watch a movie.

    When the movie was about to start, two more people walked in. It was a man and a woman. The man was tall and wore shades and a mask. He was making his way towards thest row, while Ning Xi actually recognized the woman beside him¡­

    It was Chen Hanchen''s manager, Cheng Yanan.

    Before this, Chen Hanchen had wanted to get Ning Xi to join Fashion Media and even gave her Chen Yanan''s name card, but the devil had thrown it away.

    There was no question that the man beside Chen Yanan must be Chen Hanchen.

    Oh dear, who would have thought that I would bump into Chen Hanchen when watching his own movie premiere?

    Crap! I cannot let him see that I''m with Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Thankfully, Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao''s seat was located right at the side, so the duo did not even notice them and simply found a ce to sit down in thest row.

    Ning Xi leaned in to whisper into Lu Tingxiao''s ear, "Lu Tingxiao, the two that walked in earlier¡­ They look like Chen Hanchen and his manager¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao grunted and nodded to say that he had seen them too.

    Ning Xi covered her forehead in anxiety. "Jesus¡­ There are only nine people in the audience and almost half of it is our own people¡­"

    This really sucked.

    She did not know what to say anymore.

    Finally, the reel of advertisements ended and the movie began to y.

    The first scene of the movie was the first time Ning Xi had acted with Chen Hanchen when she first disyed her power unto him.

    Because this was the opening scene, it was very important and required the aura of both the actors to be on par, so they had shot it for an entire day. At that time, Chen Hanchen had been pranked thoroughly by her. Atst, he had been annoyed with her about this until he saw her in a female outfit and had realized that she was actually a girl.

    At this moment when she recalled the shoot, even though there had been some strife, it was quite nostalgic to think about it. All those scenes felt like it had just been yesterday. In a blink of an eye, this movie was already out in theatres.

    The couple in front watched the screen absent-mindedly while the two students ate non-stop like two little squirrels, and the shrewd-lookingdy hugged her arms and stayed unmoving¡­

    With the sound of orchestra music, the screen faded into the scene of a dinner banquet. At the end of the spiraling staircase stood two men. One was dressed in ck and the other in white, one in front and one at the back, one noble-looking while one looked rxed, and both were slowly making their way down.

    Halfway down, the man in front turned around and said something to the other young man. The scene closed in on the young man raising his brows ever so slightly, before smiling indistinctively at the other guy.

    In that instance, bam! Akin to bedazzling fireworks, the audience''s minds exploded with numbness at this scene¡­

 Chapter 1216: Updated Like Mad

    <h4>Chapter 1216: Updated Like Mad</h4>

    What was that feeling the audience experienced?

    It was breathtaking and caused a throbbing that surpassed gender, age and all else¡­

    The big screen tested actors the most because any w would be magnified many times, yet the young man in the movie seemed to have been born for the silver screen. Everything was wless.

    Not only had Chen Hanchen been stunned. Even if the other person in the movie was himself¡­ Even if he had done many bad takes for this scene back then, and that he knew this scene''s every detail like the back of his hand¡­

    Still, when he watched it as a member of the audience, he was stillpletely and thoroughly attracted by the young man on the silver screen.

    "Aaaah¡­he''s so handsome! Even more gorgeous than the poster! I told you I made the right choice!" The girl cried out in wonderment from the front.

    Shortly after that, the girl muttered suspiciously, "But this guy in the ck tuxedo is not bad, huh? Could he be the second male lead?"

    Chen Hanchen snapped out of his stunned demeanor and thought to himself, "I am the male lead!"

    The girl''s boyfriend looked more attentive now too. "Even as a man that blew me away! That gaze¡­was just¡­"

    The two schoolgirls in the middle of the cinema were even more excited than the girl.

    "Ah, ah, ah! So handsome! Who would have thought that the entertainment industry had such a handsome rookie?!"

    "Mmm, I seem to¡­smell some bromance!"

    "Me too, me too! Oh, I''m so emotional!"

    ¡­

    As it turns out, there were also fujoshis.

    Even though there was not arge audience in this hall, everyone was quite diverse.

    Next up, the five people in the audience had obviously focused their full attention on the movie. As the movie progressed and they found out that the one in the white tuxedo was actually a woman in a male outfit, the cinema was a flurry of emotional shrieks again.

    "Ah, ah, ah! That''s the female lead! That''s actually the female lead, oh my God! How could there be such a handsome woman? Oh my God!"

    "Not even giving us men a way out¡­"

    "Where''s my sketchbook?! Where is it?! Crap! I''m getting overflowing inspiration! I feel like I can conquer a hundred chapters of this movie''s gayics tonight!" The girl excitedly took out her sketchbook and pencil from her bag. It appeared that she was an artist.

    ¡­

    In the next hour or so, since there were only a few people in the cinema, apart from the shrewd woman in front of Ning Xi who remained rather quiet, the couple and the two schoolgirls had never stopped shrieking from the start of the movie until the end. The four of them had even periodically turned around to apologize for their overenthusiasm, clearly embarrassed though theypletely lost control at the end.

    The two students especially had to hug each other and shriek practically every three minutes.

    It was worth mentioning that there were two more people who came in halfway. It looked like they werete, so they looked regretful and muttered to themselves to watch the movie again tomorrow.

    After the movie ended, that night, the female artist updated like mad on her QQ Space, friend circles, Weibo, and Twitter about watching "Dream Chaser". She had even attached her own bromance fan art.

    [Tonight, I learned of a new and very interesting movie! The name is called "Dream Chaser". You guys must go watch it! A must-watch! A must-watch! Important things need to be repeated three times! You''ll definitelye back to thank me after watching it!]

    The girl was rather popr within her circle since she always drew bromance fan art of some popr movies or novels, so she had a huge group of loyal fans.

 Chapter 1217: When Girls Become Handsome

    <h4>Chapter 1217: When Girls Be Handsome</h4>

    When they saw the artist they liked rmending a moviete at night, alll her fans were curious.

    [Whoa! She actually rmended a movie! And it''s a local production too! Didn''t she say she wouldn''t watch another local production anymore thest time?]

    [Oh my God! I went to search the "Dream Chaser" trailer and the female lead is handsome AF! The plot is quite interesting too! I must go check it out tomorrow!]

    [Me too, me too, me too! Coincidentally there isn''t anything I want to watch recently, if she rmended it then it must be great!]

    ¡­

    The female artists'' boyfriend''s statuses were usually all lovey-dovey. Tonight, he had surprisingly posted something rted to the movie.

    [Tonight, I watched a movie called "Dream Chaser", the female lead is super cool. Although it''s just makeup, she could interchangeably be both a goddess and Prince Charming. Actually, when girls be handsome, there''s really not much use for men anymore! Especially after watching "I Only Like You", I strongly rmend everyone to watch "Dream Chaser". You''ll know for yourself that it cannot bepared¡­and that it reigns supreme *spreads hands*]

    This status update included two photos, both of which were taken from the movie. One was the female lead in a woman''s attire and the other was her in a man''s outfit.

    As for the two schoolgirls, they lived just near the cinema and had already decided to watch it again for the second and third time on another day. Of course, they had also highly rmended the movie in their respective onlinemunities too.

    Simr situations also happened to many members of the audience who had randomly chosen to watch this movie. Even though there were very few who came to watch on the first day, almost everyone who did had started to promote it by word-of-mouth after watching it. Just like a tiny spark with a huge effect, the greatness that was "Dream Chaser" had quietly spread to every corner of Imperial.

    ¡­

    After the movie finished, the woman in the champagne dress left the hall expressionlessly. She walked away quickly as she made a phone call. "Hello, Assistant Manager Zhang¡­"

    "Manager Fang! It''s ratherte, is there anything you need me for?" On the other end of the phone, a man''s respectful voice was heard.

    "What''s the current screening frequency for "Dream Chaser"?" The woman asked straightforwardly.

    "Dream¡­ Dream Chaser?" On the other end, the person could not instantly recall which movie she was referring to.

    "Chen Mian''s new movie," the woman reminded.

    "Ah! Director Chen''s new movie?" The other person finally recalled. "Hold on, let me check¡­ Oh, found it. It''s about five percent!"

    The woman frowned. "So low?"

    The man quickly exined, "Director Fang, you probably don''t know. Even though this movie was directed by Chen Mian, it''s only a small production with a few million dors in investments this time. It used an entire cast of new faces. The only person with past experience in movies is the female protagonist who''s also acting as a lead for first time. Without any big shots, the likelihood of being the talk of the town or a huge multi-national, it definitely can''t hold up at the box office. This five percent was only done for Chen Mian''s sake¡­"

    "Have you watched this movie?" She demanded.

    The person was taken aback by her abruptness. "Well, I didn''t, but I''ve definitely taken into ount all aspects¡­"

    As a professional, when they arranged the screenings, they would have a basic estimation before the release and prior to deciding on the number of screenings.

    However, everyone cared about the public''s interest nowadays. Almost nobody would truly watch a movie for its content anymore.

    When the woman heard that, she just instructed, "Make the screening frequency for this movie 60 percent tomorrow!"

 Chapter 1218: Confidence In My Flirting Abilities

    <h4>Chapter 1218: Confidence In My Flirting Abilities</h4>

    "W-what!? How much?" The voice over the phone stammered in disbelief, "CEO Fang, did you make a mistake? Or were you meaning ''I Only Like You'' by Director Zheng Kangde? Did you confuse the two movies?"

    The woman''s voice was calm. "There''s no mistake. It''s Chen Mian''s "Dream Chaser"."

    "But¡­that''s impossible! ''I Only Like You'' currently takes up half of our movie slots. How can we give ''Dream Chaser'' 60%?"

    "Reduce the slots for ''I Only Like You''. Do you still need me to teach you such a simple solution? I want to see the new allocation schedule tomorrow morning!" The woman ended her sentence strongly and ended the phone call as well.

    ¡­

    On the way back home, Ning Xi sat shotgun. She looked at Lu Tingxiao and said, "Although there were very little people, their reactions are awesome! There are exciting moments every few minutes in the movie! It''ll definitely be popr if it gets more attention! Only thedy in front of us was pretty calm. She didn''t really react¡­ Maybe, she doesn''t like movies like this."

    Lu Tingxiao replied her without ncing at her, "Whether she likes it or not, you''ll know by checking the movie slots for ''Dream Chaser'' at Oriental Cinema tomorrow."

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded. "Huh? Oriental Cinema? What do you mean?"

    "Thatdy is the CEO of Oriental Cinema, Fang Jiayue."

    Ning Xi gasped in surprise, "Wow! The CEO of Oriental Cinema? Why didn''t you tell me when we were inside!?"

    "Well, I didn''t see her face when we were inside."

    "Ugh, okay¡­" Ning Xi felt a little nervous when she found out who the mysterious woman was. "I wonder if she liked it! It''d be bad if she didn''t! The screening allocation for our movie is already poor enough¡­I''m really nervous! Boss! Do you think she liked it?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied almost instantly, "She will."

    "How are you so sure?"

    Lu Tingxiao stared at the girl in the eye. "If the CEO of Oriental Cinema was a man, there''s a 70% chance he''ll like it. But if it''s a woman, 100%."

    Ning Xi broke out in cold sweat. "Ugh, thanks for having confidence in my flirting abilities¡­"

    ¡­

    The next day was the fourth day for "I Only Like You" to be aired, and the second for "Dream Chaser".

    "I Only Like You" became extremely popr on the Inte. Everyone would talk about it whenever the topic of movies was mentioned. They chatted about how it was the most invested movie of the year, and how well it was performing at the box office. Currently, it had reached $ 300 million at the box office, and it still contributed to the screening allocation at most cinemas.

    Of course, everyone would love to allocate more slots to movies that would help them earn money from ticket sales. The one cinema that did it differently was Oriental Cinema.

    Inside the meeting room of the Oriental Cinema office, the management team was having a meeting. Everyone did not look too happy.

    Fang Jiayue''s orderst night had caused a storm in theirpany.

 Chapter 1219: Resign As The CEO

    <h4>Chapter 1219: Resign As The CEO</h4>

    In Oriental Cinema''s meeting room, the shareholders voiced out their doubts, "CEO Fang, everyone knows that the current top-earning movie is Zhang Kangde''s movie. I don''t know why you''ve considered making such a ridiculous decision. You''re reducing the slots for Zheng Kangde''s movie, and recing it with the nameless ''Dream Chaser''? And up to 60 percent allocation at that! I hope you can give us an exnation!"

    The others in the management team and the shareholders nodded in agreement.

    "Even if you believe in Chen Mian''s ability, giving him a 10 percent quota would be enough, but this is 60 percent we''re talking about! This is absurd! Even the Hollywood blockbusterst year ''Life On The Line'' got 60 percent! What makes thisedy-drama deserve the same as that?"

    "CEO Fang, we acknowledge your professionalism, and we also admit that you''ve sessfully predicted many unexpected winners and underdogs, but this time it''s too much! The data today proves that it''s a big mistake. ''Dream Chaser'' has less than 10 percent of seats sold. We''ve lost a lot just today!"

    "This is the same as sending the audience to our rival cinemas. We request that the screening allocation be rearranged immediately to avoid any more losses!"

    ¡­

    Fang Jiayue''s behavior, which did not go along with the flow, was not only despised in the industry. Even people within thepany did not like it as they felt like she restricted thepany''s growth.

    A cinema was set up to earn money, what use was there with just a good name?

    Even if she sessfully discovered ten high-quality unpopr movies, it could notpete with the revenue brought in by a well-knownmercialized movie. This made Oriental Cinema''s ranking fall within the industry average and they could never make it to the top.

    Vice President Zhang Yong was secretly d that everyone was attacking Fang Jiayue. He faked a worried expression. "I was really surprised when I received CEO Fang''s call yesterday. I tried to convince her, but CEO Fang insisted on it, so I trusted her decision but I didn''t expect the numbers today. Sigh¡­"

    "CEO Fang, what''s your take on this? You have to give us an exnation!"

    Some people were impatient as Fang Jiayue still remained silent.

    Fang Jiayue carefully looked at everyone. "I''ve heard everyone''s questions and doubts."

    As everyone sighed in relief, Fang Jiayue continued, "But I will not change my decision."

    "What?"

    "You''re not changing it even though the loss is this great?!"

    "What is the woman thinking?! Does she even take us, the shareholders, seriously? She thinks that thepany is her own?"

    ¡­

    Facing everyone''s criticisms, Fang Jiayue spoke once again, "In ten days, if my decision is really a bad one, I''ll resign from my position as the CEO."

    Everyone fell silent. Vice President Zhang Yong was especially happy when he heard that.

    If Fang Jiayue was gone, he could potentially be the CEO then!

 Chapter 1220: Throwing Business Away

    <h4>Chapter 1220: Throwing Business Away</h4>

    He already had enough working under her; not only did she not take bribes herself, she also forbade all her co-workers from epting them, which made him look at loads and loads of cash fly past him, eluding his grasp¡­

    Unfortunately, Fang Jiayue upheld a really reliable name in the industry. Although thepany could not be the best, it was still always within the top ten, and he could not do anything against her.

    He did not expect Fang Jiayue to say something this stupid. What a joke! Ten days?!

    That unpopr film was the kind of movie used to fill the slots for, at most, three days. He was really looking forward to seeing all the empty cinemas. However, he had to thank this movie. It somewhat made Fang Jiayue go crazy, and finally, he now had a chance!

    After Fang Jiayue said that, all the shareholders left the meeting room.

    Had it been a few years ago, she would have patiently discussed the movie details with them and tell them why she thought it was a good movie, but now she did not bother to make the effort anymore. These people did not know about movies at all, so it would just be a waste of time.

    In fact, most of the people in the industry did not know about movies at all, and it was precisely these people who were manipting the market, ying with the audience''s taste, and causing the divide between local production and foreign movies to grow further apart.

    ¡­

    At the same time, Zheng Kangde was chatting with the producer, Wu Kai.

    "Old Wu, how is it?"

    "Because of the great response from the first three days, we''re still having pretty good slots in most cinemas! We''re leading ahead of the other movies! But¡­"

    "But what?" Zheng Kangde asked.

    "There''s one exception¡­"

    "Oh? Which one?" Zheng Kangde was curious.

    Wu Kai replied, "Oriental Cinema¡­when I was gathering the data, I noticed that Oriental Cinema reduced our slots to five percent and raised "Dream Chaser" to 60 percent!"

    "What? How much?" Zheng Kangde was surprised.

    "60 percent!"

    Zheng Kangde''s expression darkened. "This Fang Jiayue¡­ Is she crazy? Is she taking her revenge on me? Interesting!"

    Wu Kai shook his head, "With Fang Jiayue''s personality, I don''t think that''s the case. While this might be very odd to others, it''s actually pretty normal for Fang Jiayue. She always does things this way, giving extremely high screening allocations for unpopr movies. The only thing she did differently this time was that she gave even more.

    "The movies that she supports have very high chances of being popr. If not, they wouldn''t have earned the title ''China''s First Row''."

    "Hehe, she''s throwing her business away this time!" Zheng Kangdeughed coldly.

    Wu Kai replied with a sarcastic tone, "Of course, I checked Oriental Cinema''s numbers today. Although they gave ''Dream Chaser'' such a high allocation, the attendance is terrible. Almost no one watched it! To be honest, I really don''t get her. No matter how popr these unknown movies can be, it can never be as popr as themercialized ones. Her giving them slots are just a waste of resources¡­"

 Chapter 1221: Bent Into A Mosquito-Repellent

    <h4>Chapter 1221: Bent Into A Mosquito-Repellent</h4>

    Zheng Kangde looked quite pleased. "She''s making such a big show out of it this time. I''m sure the shareholders of Oriental Cinema aren''t going to keep quiet about this. I don''t think she''ll be staying in her CEO seat for long."

    Just as Zheng Kangde and Wu Kai were confidently predicting that Fang Jiayue would get the sack, online, a strong force had been quietly growing and spreading¡­

    In the blink of an eye¡­

    It was already "Dream Chaser"''s third day in theatres.

    The ticket sales at Oriental Cinema remained low, yet it was not as bad as Zhang Yong had predicted. In fact, it had increased significantly.

    At night, when all the masses had finished work for the day and returned home to casually scroll Weibo, they suddenly noticed a movie title that was new to everyone making its rounds on Weibo''s hot topic leaderboard, Dream Chaser!

    The leading Weibo post was posted by an artist. This Weibo artist had passionately rmended a movie called "Dream Chaser", and even attached a personal gay fan art, depicting a ssic pstickedy scene from the movie.

    The artist had 30,000 fans on her Weibo ount. While it was actually not considered a massive number, because there was just too much love for theic fan art, it had snowballed to gain huge traction especially after a few very famous people had shared it as well, indicating that they had watched the movie and strongly rmended it. Even they drew their own fan art too!

    The top ten posts on Weibo included three gay fan art of "Dream Chaser" by well-known artists.

    Talk about "Dream Chaser" had started spreading within the artist circle. Of course, it even spread to all the other circles¡­

    At 10 p.m, "Dream Chaser"''s trailer on their official Weibo, which had been unfrequented, suddenly made it to the number one hot topic by passionateizens who indicated that they wanted to watch the movie in cinemas the next day.

    [Oh, oh, oh! Oh my God! Why did I just find out about this movie?! Just watching the trailer is making me feel the passion!]

    [I''ve been bent into a mosquito repellent coil. Can someone light me up so that I can ascend to heaven?!]

    [Want to know how it feels like to be bent by handsomeness? Go watch "Dream Chaser" to find out!]

    [Hehe, I''ve already gone to the cinema to watch it thrice. The female lead is just too breathtaking! I''ve already been bent into a paperclip! I strongly rmend for all of you to watch it! I can''t believe this movie was unknown. How outrageous!]

    [Well, of course, this movie is yed out by a cast of rookies and they have such low-key marketing, so obviously, not many people noticed it, unlike a certain movie that''s in theatres now too. They keep hyping things up, paying to appear in trending topics, and even privately paying for their own box office! Pushing away all of the good movies!]

    [To those who''ve been giving high praises to Liang Biqin''s idiotic movie, go and watch "Dream Chaser" please. You will hear the sound of "pow, pow, pow"! That''s the sound of ps in your face!]

    ¡­

    Just like that, with an overwhelming force, "Dream Chaser" abruptly fell from the sky and exploded into every corner of socialworking sites.

    Initially, theizens who did not know about this movie at all thought it looked okay after watching the trailer. There were also some of them who thought it was a melodramaticedy, and that the reviews were exaggerating. However, no matter what, due to the superb reviews online, the crowd''s curiosity had been hooked, and most of them had expressed that they would definitely watch it the next day to understand once and for all.

 Chapter 1222: Beyond Imagination

    <h4>Chapter 1222: Beyond Imagination</h4>

    In the past, during a period when the Inte had yet to bemon, the public could only receive messages through newspapers, television, and radio stations, and these sort of media could easily be controlled by organizations and individuals.

    However, now in the age of the Inte, the scope of China''sizen base reached up to eight billion. All sorts of new media had emerged and the power of the Inte was beyond anyone''s imagination. More importantly, it was hard to control.

    Within just one night of brewing on the Inte, huge groups of audiences entered the cinema for "Dream Chaser", a movie that was built on little capital and marketing, which led to zero attention on it at all. Once the effects of word-of-mouth took ce, it would be worth much more than hundreds of millions in terms of marketing and publicity.

    Late at night, at a certain cinema in central Imperial, it was currently past nine. Usually, around this time, after the prime time movie had ended, the entire cinema would be quite empty without many customers.

    However, it was an abnormal night today. Despite being sote and despite neither being a holiday nor were there any special activities, the flow of customers into the cinema had increased instead.

    Inside the cinema, a group of young men and women were gathered together, discussing enthusiastically.

    "There''s usually not a shadow in sight at this hour. Why''re there so many people tonight for thete night show? I thought it would be just us two!" A girl had said to her partner.

    Her partner was also a young girl. She looked around and said, "There''re probably a lot of people who are here to watch "''Dream Chaser'' like us. Earlier, I heard a lot of people discussing it!"

    "The trailer does look quite good, I hope the actual movie won''t be disappointing! It''s just that there are too little showtimes for this movie. Apart from the one early in the morning, there''s just this midnight show, so we had to rush over in the middle of the night!"

    "Exactly, it will already be past midnight when we finish. I still have to work tomorrow! I especially rushed over for the movie. If it''s not good, then it''s really not worth it!"

    ¡­

    Not too far away, a middle-aged man d in a tuxedo had walked to the cashier with his hands behind his back.

    "Manager Zhou!"

    "Good evening, Manager Zhou!"

    ¡­

    Because there were a lot of customers, the two cashiers were flustered as they tried coping with the crowd. When they saw the middle-aged man, they quickly made time to greet him.

    Manager Zhou just waved to indicate that they need not care about her and told them to continue with their work.

    The two cashiers only finished at 11 p.m. when the movie was about to start.

    At that moment, the manager walked up to ask with a delighted expression, "The customer flow tonight isn''t bad, eh? Has the cinema been doing any promotions recently?"

    The two cashiers shook their heads, then one of them said, "Manager, there hasn''t been any promotions recently!"

    "Then, what''s up?" asked Zhou Zhihe, as he lifted his chin in question.

    "I was looking through the ticket sales and over 90% of the customers tonight are here to watch ''Dream Chaser''!" The other cashier answered.

    Zhou Zhihe paid full attention to them now. "Dream Chaser? The one that people have been discussing online?"

    "Yep, the first two days when the movie was just released, there were a few people watching it, but it seems to have viral overnight!" The cashier exined.

    "Manager, it''s not just the night show. Even the earlier one was almost sold out. Usually, each hall will only have a few seats taken up, but today''s was half-filled!" Another cashier eximed excitedly.

    Zhou Zhihe had obviously seen some of the discussion going on online with regards to this movie, and she looked pensive at the sound of this.

 Chapter 1223: Maiden Heart Beating

    <h4>Chapter 1223: Maiden Heart Beating</h4>

    After chatting a while with the two employees, Zhou Zhihe walked into the cinema hall which was showing "Dream Chaser" for a peep.

    One glimpse and she could see that there was more audience in the night screening than in the morning one. For a hall that could fit about a hundred people, almost 70 to 80% of it was sold out.

    Based on his many years of experience, he could roughly judge that this movie had huge potential to be a big hit.

    Unfortunately, it just had to sh with Zheng Kangde''s movie¡­

    After leaving the cinema hall, Zhou Zhihe thought for a long while and decided to make a call to another cinema manager to try to find out something.

    "Hello, CEO Zhang!"

    "CEO Zhou, could you be calling me thiste at night about ''Dream Chaser'' as well?" The other end of the phone teased.

    "As well? It looks like the others have called you too!" Zhou Zhihe raised his brows.

    "Exactly, I''ve just gotten off the phone with CEO Zhao and CEO Liang!"

    "Well¡­what did you say then? Are we going to increase the screenings of this movie or not?" Zhou Zhihe asked the key question.

    "CEO Zhou, Chen Mian''s movie''s quality is not bad. If hugepanies had invested in it and if they had big casts like they did in the past, we would definitely push it forward vigorously¡­but with this movie¡­well, you know¡­there are so many such movies that go viral online nowadays, and theizens'' enthusiasm fades as quickly as it happens, so how long can itst if it just went viral in one night? Besides, we have a collusion with Zheng Kangde. If it was some other movie that was increasingly popr, we wouldn''t mind increasing the showtimes but, Chen Mian, he''s Zheng Kangde''s rival¡­"

    "Alright CEO Zhang, I understand." Zhou Zhihe hung up.

    To offend Zheng Kangde and all of his supporters for "Dream Chaser", which had an uncertain future, was just not worth it.

    It was easy to determine whether or not to change its screening frequency; they just had to follow Peoples'' Cinema. If the industry leader did not make a move, they would not either.

    So far, it looked like Peoples'' Cinema waspletely on Zheng Kangde''s side, and they would probably not change anything.

    ¡­

    The next day, "Dream Chaser" was getting more and more attention online. The movieworks rated it an 8.6 and there were almost 100% good reviews. Everyone who had watched the movie had given it high praises.

    All of thementary on movie review sites and socialwork sites were rapidly progressing¡­

    [Because there were too many people rmending it online, I risked not waking up for work and went to watch "Dream Chaser" in the middle of the night with my BFF. In the end, it was actually really, really, really awesome! Forget about the 10 p.m. showtime! Even if it was in the wee hours of the day, it''s definitely so, so worth it! I''ve already nned to watch it the second time with my BFF!]

    [My dear, from today onwards, I have a new Prince Charming (image) #Dream Chaser#]

    "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! I''ve been charmed by a woman to the point of mncholy and suffering! Wait for me, my husband, I will continue to see you in the cinemas tomorrow!]

    [Actually, the male lead is very handsome too! But he''s not as handsome as the female lead! In fact, their interactions are super duper cute! Even though I''m old, my maiden heart is beating like a runaway train. I haven''t been this excited in a long time!]

    [Why is no one talking about the second male lead, Ling Yu??? Even though Ling Yu looks pretty average, he''s especially ssy and charismatic!]

 Chapter 1224: Return Of The King!

    <h4>Chapter 1224: Return Of The King!</h4>

    [The scene where he kissed the female lead made my heart jump! I watched the movie a second time for Ling Yu!]

    [Oh! I''m shipping the female lead and Ling Yu as well! Ling Yu''s presence is really strong! He really dotes on her. Every time the female lead faced any issues, he was always by her side. He also helped to cover up her real identity! It''s really a shame that the female lead didn''t pick him in the end!]

    [Not only the lead characters, even the secondary female lead in the movie, Ning Xiaomeng, and the male lead''s best friend, Jiang Xiaohai, are really likable characters as well! The interaction between Ning Xiaomeng and the female lead is pretty interesting! Jiang Xiaohai is the joker of the whole movie! I didn''t really have much expectations when I watched it, but I didn''t expect it to be so good! To be honest, it''s been a really long time since Ist saw a movie with such a well-written plot, in addition to the superb actors! This movie is the bomb! I rmend everyone to watch it! No disappointments!]

    [All the actors in the movie are really great, but it''s obvious that the core character is the female lead, afterwards I found out that she also acted Meng Changge in "The World", I already followed her after I saw her acting in "The World", she''s definitely not the surface-only actress as rumours said, she''s the real deal!]

    [Another important thing to note is that no one realized that the director of this movie is Chen Mian! THE Chen Mian who made "The Stars, The Moon, and The Sun". Also the same Chen Mian who made "Love Is In The Future"! He''s been making some horrible films in recent years. I''ve been disappointed, but this time, I''m really excited! The king has returned!]

    [I''d really love to watch it after all of yourments, but sadly, the showtimes are either early in the morning, or veryte at night! I can''t watch it unless it''s my off day!]

    [Actually, you can try suggesting to the cinemas through their suggestion box or make aint through the phone. I''m pretty sure they will increase the screenings if many people make requests together!]

    ¡­

    While the online discussion boards were full of topics revolving around "Dream Chaser", inside a high-ss hotel in the Imperial, Zheng Kangde and Wu Kai had called the lead actors from their movie. They had also invited the managers from each of the big cinemas. Their purpose was obviously to make sure that they would not be swayed by thements online.

    After a few drinks, in addition to Zheng Kangde''s strong hint, the managers who were led by People''s Cinema''s CEO Cui Zhihao all made a promise not to let anything affect Zheng Kangde''s film, and the showtimes for "Dream Chaser" would not change as well.

    They paid them arge sum, after all, so they had to follow the rules.

    "Rest assured, Director Zheng, I know where this is headed. Onlinements aren''t always real. The heat will go down after a few days!"

    "That''s right, Chen Mian is just making his final struggle!"

    ¡­

    Three dayster, not only did the audience numbers for "Dream Chaser" not decrease, it became more and more popr. Despite taking up less than 10% screening frequency in most cinemas, they were doing better. On Saturday, it reached $ 100 million at the box office in a day!

    To reach such a box office record with incredibly low showtime allocation meant that the attendance for each screening was very high.

    In all of the cinemas, despite the odd showtimes, every screening was a full house.

 Chapter 1225: Instant Fame!

    <h4>Chapter 1225: Instant Fame!</h4>

    At the same time, customer''s suggestions andints flooded many big cinemas. Every day, countless customers requested more showtimes for "Dream Chaser".

    "Manager, what should we do? There were more than 100 calls today alone asking for more showtime allocations for ''Dream Chaser''!"

    Simr conversations urred in the offices of many cinemas.

    Nevertheless, with the pressure from Zheng Kangde, all the managers stood together and ignored their customers'' requests. They still tried to force the customers to watch "I Only Like You" by limiting their choices.

    ¡­

    The consequences.

    On the fourth day, on a weekend,izens'' love for "Dream Chaser" and their dissatisfaction towards the cinemas reached its peak.

    As the poprity of "Dream Chaser" rose, Zheng Kangde''s movie was criticized harshly.

    [Give me back my money, Liang Biqin! I didn''t really feel this way before watching "Dream Chaser", but after that, I realized that a movie that''s produced in mere ten days isn''t a movie at all! It''s just a tool for making money!]

    [Liang Biqin''s movie is terrible. It''s not funny at all! After watching "Dream Chaser", I felt like my soul has been cleansed!]

    ["I Only Like You" already told me that it''s aedy from its promotional video, but the real thing is worse than the promotional video!]

    [Trash movie!]

    [Have you grown tired of living? Why watch Liang Biqin''s movie?]

    [What the heck? Why is the showtime allocation for "Dream Chaser" still so low? I wanted to book tickets for "Dream Chaser", but the list is full of that stupid movie of Liang Biqin''s!]

    [So many people are rmending it! With "Dream Chaser" being so popr now, why is there still so little showtimes? Are the people-in-charge for the cinemas blind?]

    [It''s not that hard to guess! Of course, there''s some under-table deal going on! All those managers must''ve taken some money!]

    [It''s because of these people! They are the one who made China''s movie industry be such trash!]

    [Damn it! Not only do they like trash themselves, they are even forcing us to watch trash as well! This is the sorry state of the current movie industry!]

    [Rise up! People who don''t want to watch any more trash! Let''sin! Don''t watch that stupid movie again!]

    [You''re right! Boycott stupid movies! Get that stupid movie out of the industry!]

    ¡­

    Zheng Kangde did everything he could to shift the premiere date of his movie to be near to that of "Dream Chaser". However, he did not expect that not only did he not make "Dream Chaser" go down, but due to theparison, his movie was criticized badly instead.

    Ironically, after Zheng Kangde had spent so much money on marketing "I Only Like You", it helped "Dream Chaser" much more. Anywhere "I Only Like You" was mentioned, people would surelypare it with "Dream Chaser" and the poprity of thetter rose higher as it got a lift in marketing from "I Only Like You"¡­

    ¡­

    On the weekends, most of the cinemas showing "I Only Like You" at peak times were empty. Only a few people were inside therge cinema halls.

    When it came to odd timings like early in the morning andte at night, the cinemas were revived. Any hall that was showing "Dream Chaser" was fully upied with no empty seats to the extent that tickets were hard to get.

 Chapter 1226: Overwhelming Confession

    <h4>Chapter 1226: Overwhelming Confession</h4>

    In the cinema, Zhou Zhihe looked at the full cinema hall, and the louder theughter from the audience from time to time during the funny scenes, the darker his expression became.

    The Vice President of the cinema looked afflicted. "CEO Zhou, are we really not allocating more showtimes to ''Dream Chaser''? We''re getting more and moreints. The online attacks and suspicions are getting fiercer as well! Most importantly, Zheng Kangde''s movie has been declining in numbers. It''s a weekend today and we should have the biggest audiences, yet only 6% of the seats were filled! We gave Zheng Kangde half of the slots, so we''re at a great loss right now¡­"

    "How''s the situation with the other cinemas?" Zhou Zhihe asked.

    "It''s almost the same, but there''s one exception¡­"

    "Oriental Cinema?"

    "Yes." The Vice President nodded.

    Zhou Zhihe put up a bitter smile. "I heard on the second day after ''Dream Chaser'' was released, Fang Jiayue raised its showtime allocations to 60%. Such decisiveness is expected from ''China''s First Row''¡­"

    The Vice President looked envious. "Oriental Cinema must be earning loads! The people can''t see the movie anywhere else, and her cinema has so many slots! Actually, I went to one of their cinemas and took a look¡­ Gee, the amount of people!"

    The Vice President did not finish his sentence, but Zhou Zhihe could already imagine what he had seen.

    For a cinema, their loss was not just confined to ticket sales. Large numbers of audiences would spend more on snacks and beverages as well as merchandise. Adding them together made it a huge loss.

    At the same time, at one of the Oriental Cinema outlets in Imperial, there was an extremely long queue at the counter.

    Because Oriental Cinema gave "Dream Chaser" the most showtime allocations, they even opened all six halls for thete night slots. One of the cinemas could even fit 300 people.

    Even with this generous slot allocation, many people still could not get the tickets they wanted because many people were bidding for tickets online¡­

    Most of the people were there to watch "Dream Chaser", and a lot of them were watching it for the second or third time, some even the fourth. All of them had simr topics to talk about and everyone chatted happily¡­

    "Finally, I got my tickets! I''m so excited! I didn''t expect Oriental Cinema to have this many slots!"

    "Now you know! Oriental Cinema always have this many slots! I''ve rmended many people toe here!"

    "I only came here after seeing thements online. It''s just too far away from my house, but it''s worth it! I''d rather drive two hours here and look at my dear Bro Xi than watch that fake face of Liang Biqin''s!"

    "I really like Bro Xi as well. Oh, did Bro Xi add you on Weibo yet?"

    "Yes! Sadly, Bro Xi didn''t have any pictures of her in a male outfit and she hasn''t updated her status recently! How sad!"

    "If we break a high record at the box office, let''s request Bro Xi to post a picture of her in a male outfit!"

    ¡­

    With the rising poprity of "Dream Chaser", all the main cast in the movie became famous as well, especially the female lead Ning Xi. Her Weibo waspletely flooded. Thements section and her private messages inbox were all full of confessions and countless requests of Ning Xi''s picture in a male outfit.

 Chapter 1227: Be Responsible For Flirting

    <h4>Chapter 1227: Be Responsible For Flirting</h4>

    At Peachwood, Ning Xi was looking through thements on her Weibo.

    Within the few days that "Dream Chaser" had been showing in theatres, the number of Ning Xi''s Weibo fans had broken through 20 million and it was insanely increasing.

    The fans had begun to intimately address Ning Xi as "Bro Xi". Of course, even more people were calling her "Husband" and "Prince Charming".

    [If Bro Xi posts a photo in a male outfit, I will swallow five boxes of shampoo, copy theplete works of the news broadcast, break open a durian with my bare hands, crush a huge rock with my chest, knock my head against bricks, bungee jump without a rope, and catch a naked sword with my hands, eat tangerines with the skin on, copy the entire Chinese dictionary, proverb dictionary, Chinese-English dictionary, the Book of Dao, the Three Character ssic, the ssic of Mountain and Sea, the three hundred Tang dynasty poems, the five hundred Song dynasty poems! That''s how confident I am!]

    [Ning Xi, you''ve been suspected of theft! Many maidens have been saying that you have stolen their hearts, but now they are punishing you and telling you, ''Be responsible for flirting! Or else, we will chase you to the ends of the Earth!'']

    [Husband, if you were a little ugly, I might still want to shop, watch movies, have Western food, take a walk and admire the night sky, while talking about poetry and life philosophy with you, but you''re so handsome that it makes me only want to sleep with you!]

    [How''s a life of being unable to sleep with Bro Xi different from being a piece of salted fish?]

    ¡­

    Probably because Ning Xi had made such a memorable impression of the movie''s character into everyone''s hearts, apart from the many confessions, many people were even questioning Ning Xi''s sexuality and wondering if she liked girls¡­

    As she went through all of the overwhelmingments about wanting to sleep with her and just thinking about the fact that they were all girls, Ning Xi felt quite pleased about it.

    Lu Tingxiao obviously saw thements too. With a poker face, he said, "Why are all the girls nowadays so¡­unreserved?"

    When she saw Lu Tingxiao''s serious expression, Ning Xiughed. "This is just a way for everyone to express that they like me! For example, I''m like them with you¡­"

    Ning Xi closed in to his ear and whispered, "Better to sleep with you than ten miles of spring, better to sleep with you than enchanting you, better to sleep with you than to be loyal to you, better to sleep with you than have thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, better to sleep with you than¡­"

    The man squinted as he rolled over and pushed her down. "You have to be responsible for flirting with me."

    Hey! The devil had actually picked up the fans'' words!

    Truly applying what he studied¡­

    Ning Xi quickly replied, "Of course, as much as I flirt, I''ll only be responsible for you, okay!? Besides¡­I like men, are you still not sure about this?"

    The moment he said that, the man kissed her hard until her petal-like lips swelled up slightly before he was satisfied.

    He thought he could be indifferent to all of this, but the truth was that no matter how many times he experienced it, even if they were just girls, as long as he saw them overbearingly covet his wife, he still could not bear it.

    Still, this girl was increasingly understanding of him. She had a way of resolving his worries every time.

    The thing he hated and abstained from the most was having his emotions be controlled by others. However, before her, he endured this punishment dly, even enjoying the feeling of her controlling him.

    Ning Xi suddenly thought of something and got up immediately. "Mmm, oh yes, Lu Tingxiao, wait for me. I''m going to change. Help me take a picture! Director Chen said that our box office is about to surpass $ 5 million. They need the leads to give the fans some rewards! I thought about it¡­ There were most requests for me wearing a male outfit. They will definitely love it!"

 Chapter 1228: You Seduced Me

    <h4>Chapter 1228: You Seduced Me</h4>

    Practice makes perfect. Ning Xi changed very quickly. Half an hourter, she had changed from her homely little bunny outfit into a handsome and reckless looking Prince Charming.

    Ning Xi had chosen a biker outfit,plete with a head of short, messy hair and a studded leather jacket.

    There was a scene in the movie where the female lead was riding on a motorbike and was flirting with girls. By then, the male lead had already distinctly felt his strange feelings towards her then. When he saw his good buddy flirting with other girls, he could not help but feel jealous, and because of all sorts of emotional struggles, he thought he had liked men¡­

    This was also one of the ssic scenes that the fans loved to discuss most.

    For this scene, Ning Xi had even brought our her baby, ckie, which she had spent a lot of her own money on to assemble and maintain.

    "My dear, do I look okay?" Ning Xi ruffled her bangs slightly and asked Lu Tingxiao who was on the sofa.

    Lu Tingxiao skimmed his eyes over her and replied, "Yes, do you have a camera?"

    Ning Xi shook her head. "You don''t need to go through all the trouble. Just use the phone to take it. It doesn''t need to be deliberate. I want that sense that even though it''s posed for, it feels candid! Later, I''ll act out some situations and you just take the pictures!"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded to indicate he understood, then he took out his phone and prepared to shoot.

    Ning Xi walked out of the door and held a cool, ck helmet in her hand as she pushed the door to walk back in.

    Then, she put the helmet down and took out a bottle of mineral water from the fridge. After she sat down on the sofa, she seemed to notice that someone was taking pictures of her. In between swigs, the youth suddenly raised his brows at the camera''s direction, the smirk on his face boasting of confidence¡­

    Click! This scene was captured in both the phone and in the man''s eyes.

    Ning Xi was going to continue when she saw the man suddenly walk towards her with the phone. She thought that Lu Tingxiao was going to do a close-up shot, yet he kepting closer¡­

    Uhh? Isn''t this a little too¡­too close?

    The next second, the man''s arm held her waist as he leaned over and his thin lips covered hers off-guard. As her mouth was pried open, a reckless invasion followed quickly and the man''s kiss became increasingly passionate¡­

    Ning Xi looked dumbfounded as she blinked her eyes, then she panted as she pushed the man away. "Hey, photographer, you''re not being very professional, are you?"

    The man''s gaze darkened as his low voice rang in her ear, "You just seduced me."

    Ning Xi was quite stupefied by this. She raised her brows. "Hey! When did I seduce you?"

    The man''s reply was an even more passionate kiss as if she had seduced him again a second before heined¡­

    Even though this photographer was unprofessional and too easily distracted, they continued another two hours of taking pictures on and off in between hungry kisses. Thankfully, the photographer managed to retain some semnce of professionalism.

    Earlier, Ning Xi saw that he had just simply clicked on the phone to snap pictures, yet she realized that every shot he took made her look very handsome!

    She was about to bend from her own handsomeness.

    The devil was so reliable! To seduce him into helping her take pictures was the right choice!

    Ning Xi was very satisfied as she saved the pictures to be used when needed.

    "Your photography skill is amazing! I feel so lucky to have a boyfriend that can take such amazing shots!" Ning Xi gave the devil a sloppy kiss, then her eyes suddenly lit up as she thought of something. "Oh, Lu Tingxiao, the character that you acted as, Ling Yu, is quite popr too. Many fans flooded my Weibo to ask about you. Do you want to consider starting an ount or something?"

 Chapter 1229: Im Only Trying To Please You

    <h4>Chapter 1229: I''m Only Trying To Please You</h4>

    "I don''t want to," Lu Tingxiao simply said.

    "Ah? Why?" Ning Xi did not understand.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl and shrugged. "I''m only trying to please you."

    Ning Xi was first stunned speechless, then she wailed dramatically to indicate that an arrow had just pierced her heart.

    Bloody hell! To say that he''s just trying to please me is too much¡­

    Fine, she had already subconsciously started to n Lu Tingxiao''s career earlier, but she had forgotten that her big boss did not shoot a movie to act in.

    If they said that the entertainment industry was a game, Ning Xi was a yer who worked hard to fight monsters and level up, while Lu Tingxiao was practically the Game Manager, continuing his unnaturally defiant existence¡­

    ¡­

    The next day, numbers for the box office was released. "Dream Chaser" had steadily surpassed $ 500 million.

    "I Only Like You" had such a huge production and marketing budget and had even been released two days before "Dream Chaser", yet their box office sales was only slightly over $ 500 million.

    Before this, after "I Only Like You" surpassed $ 300 million, their growth slowed down, and that was with Zheng Kangde spending money to buy up the box office behind the scenes. In the meantime, "Dream Chaser" ticket sales continued to increase against the current and went on to rapidly grow further.

    These past few days, apart from Oriental Cinema''s outlets, "Dream Chaser" showtime allocations remained low on the surface. However, in reality, many cinemas had started to secretly increase the showtimes after seeing its poprity. Their subtle methods included changing from a small hall to a big one and changing the screenings to prime times. That way, the showtime frequencies were not affected, but in reality, the number of people watching the movie had increased significantly.

    Initially, because of Zheng Kangde, they could only use this way to secretly increase the number of viewers they could amodate. Once they had a whiff of the sweet taste of sess the moment "Dream Chaser" had surpassed $ 500 million in the box office, and especially when they heard the news that Oriental Cinema''s turnover rate had gone from number eight to number one¡­

    Finally, all of the cinemas could not sit still any longer!

    People''s Cinema that had previously ranked first particrly regretted it horribly.

    Bloody hell! Just because of Zheng Kangde, they had to endure all the horrid insults from theizens and even suffered a great loss, letting even Oriental Cinema topple them. They had really lost big time!

    This time, no matter how much money Zheng Kangde wanted to stuff them with, Cui Zhihao would not listen to him anymore.

    "Director Zheng, you can see the current situation yourself. I can barely hold onto my CEO seat just for you. No matter what, I''ve already been extremely kind! Go look at thements online yourself! I''m just saying if your movie''s quality was even only slightly better, it wouldn''t get to this stage¡­"

    It was fine if he ruined things for himself, but their cinema''s reputation had been implicated as well, so how could Cui Zhihao not be angry?

    Zheng Kangde knew that he could not save the situation either, so he could only leave unhappily.

    For the past few days, he had spent all his energy holding down the cinemas by paying a lot of people to try and change thementaries online. However, the more he wanted to reverse the situation, the more theizens fought back harshly to the point that even if one person wanted to say something nice about "I Only Like You", they would be bombarded by everyone else.

    Even the mainstream media had gradually chimed in offline! All of the lead stories had simr headlines.

    "The Return of the King", "Director Chen Mian Creates Magic Again, Might Break The Box Office Record for Homegrown Production", "Country''s Young Woman Changes Into Prince Charming: Ning Xi, An Actress That Embodies Idol Material and Strength", "Bringing You Behind The Scenes of ''Dream Chaser'': Producing Movies Steadfast", "The Crew of ''I Only Like You'' Paid For Astroturfers, Inciting Fury From Netizens"¡­

 Chapter 1230: Creating Legend

    <h4>Chapter 1230: Creating Legend</h4>

    The harsher the oppression, the stronger the rebound. The people were already extremely angry about the current local movie industry. Zheng Kangde now felt the full counter of rage from everyone.

    On that day, People''s Cinema raised the showtime frequency for "Dream Chaser" to 50%. Soon after, all the other cinemas also followed suit. Some of them even allocated staggering numbers of up to 70% to recover back their losses¡­

    Inside Oriental Cinema''s meeting room,pared to the stiff and arrogant environment a few days ago, all the stakeholders and management staff pasted big smiles on their faces.

    On the big screen, numbers showed that Oriental Cinema had risen up to the top spot. Everyone praised Fang Jiayue.

    "As expected of CEO Fang! Amateurs like us just can''t make it!"

    "That''s great. Just because we increased showtimes frequency for ''Dream Chaser'' on the second day, everyone ismending us! The loss on the first two days is just a small matter!"

    "All thanks to CEO Fang''s decisiveness, we were able to reach the top this time!"

    "I heard that all the other cinemas are increasing the showtimes frequency as well, haha. It has already been a week! That''s kindate for that¡­"

    "CEO Fang looked far into the future. I can''t believe that I doubted her decision before. I still have a lot to learn from CEO Fang!" Vice President Fang Yong, who had thought he might be able to rece Fang Jiayue this time, put on a bitter fake smile.

    He did not expect a small production movie to be such a big hit. He also did not expect that after ten years, Chen Mian would create another legend.

    Over on Ning Xi''s side, she received a call from Chen Mian early in the morning. "Xiao Xi, we''ve reached $ 500 million at the box office, but don''t post your picture first. I''ll get Chen Hanchan to post his reward photo for $ 500 million. We''ll keep yours forst! Post it when we reach a billion!"

    "A billion?" Ning Xi was taken aback.

    "Why? Are you not confident?" Chen Mian teased her.

    Ning Xiughed, "We''re going to make it if you say so!"

    ¡­

    At Lu Corporation, in the staff pantry, a few girls wereining.

    "Did you guys get tickets to watch ''Dream Chaser''?"

    "No, the cinema near us added a lot of showtimes, but the tickets were all gone in just two hours! Crazy!"

    "I got myself a pair. I have two friends who wanted to watch as well, but they couldn''t get any!"

    ¡­

    As they were chatting, two people entered the pantry.

    "Bro Xiong! Bro Xiao!" The staff greeted warmly when they saw the CEO''s personal bodyguards. Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi whipped out a stack of movie tickets. They were all tickets to watch "Dream Chaser".

    "This¡­" The group of employees was confused.

    "Go and distribute it to everyone! It''s free!" Shi Xiao generously said.

    "Let us know if it''s not enough!" Zhi Xiong added.

    The girls looked at each other, then grabbed the tickets swiftly. After the duo left, they discussed among themselves.

    "What''s happening?"

    "I don''t know, could they be Bro Xi''s fans?"

    "Uhh¡­you think they like Bro Xi in a female outfit or a male outfit¡­haha¡­"

    "Of course, in a female outfit! But¡­it''s possible that they might like the other one as well, hehe¡­"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1231: Everyoneâ€™s Victory

    <h4>Chapter 1231: Everyone¡¯s Victory</h4>

    As Ning Xi''s movie became more and more popr, Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi were probably the happiest. Not only did they join the "Dream Chaser" discussion forum, they even bought tickets with their own money and distributed it to people around them for free. They were even the VIP members of Ning Xi''s international fan club.

    With theirdy boss getting more and more popr, they would soon be back at work!

    As the cinemas increased the showtimes frequency, the number of tickets sold for "Dream Chaser" became higher and higher¡­

    $ 600 million, $ 700 million, $ 800 million, $ 900 million¡­

    On the tenth day, "Dream Chaser" reached $ 1 billion at the box office!

    As for "I Only Like You", it stopped around $ 500 million and its online ratings dropped to a wretched 3.5!

    All theizens celebrated! This was not just a movie''s victory, it was everyone''s victory. To a certain extent, it was a monumental moment for the movie industry in China!

    ¡­

    Inside a high-ss vi in Imperial, Liang Biqin cried in front of Su Yimo, "Cousin! That woman is really wicked, she''s just pushing me into a corner! If it wasn''t for her, my movie would surely be a big hit, but now, everyone is criticizing me¡­ How can I still survive in the industry?!"

    Su Yimo flipped through the magazines and newspapers beside her. All of them sang praises for Ning Xi and she did not look very happy.

    They had ignored Ning Xi when they found out she was involved in Chen Mian''s small production movie, but who would have known that this movie would be such a big hit?

    "Cousin, this woman is really calctive. First, she took care of me. I''m afraid she''ll be dealing with you next!" Liang Biqin wept.

    Su Yimo smiled coldly. "She''ll have to be up to my standards first."

    Liang Biqin knew something was up, so she asked, "How can she be up to your standards? You simply didn''t do anything against her before, but if you really wanted to, she wouldn''t stand a chance against you!"

    "She''s at her peak right now. We would be troubling thepany if we go against her now. Let''s give it some time. Moreover, it''s at the peak for her movie to reach a billion." Su Yimo sounded calm.

    "Cousin, you''re too kind, you''re thinking about thepany even now!" Liang Biqin mumbled, "It''s just one billion. Of course, it''s nothing to you, your best movie reached $ 1.8 billion! Almost double of hers!"

    ¡­

    Most people had the same judgment about "Dream Chaser" as Su Yimo. They predicted that it would be difficult for it to rise anymore after hitting a billion in sales.

    Usually, the peak period for a movie was the first week after its release. Afterward, it would not budge much.

    On the day the movie reached $ 1 billion, Ning Xi followed Chen Mian''s instructions and posted a set of photos of her in a male outfit.

    However, because the photos Lu Tingxiao took were so perfect, Ning Xi did not want them to go to waste, so she posted all of them in a photo grid.

    Theizens had already been asking for her photos for several days. After Ning Xi uploaded the photos, it was shared for over a hundred thousand times within just two hours.

    Her attraction was simr to the influential power of a first-ss actress!

 Chapter 1232: Sweet Taste Of Love

    <h4>Chapter 1232: Sweet Taste Of Love</h4>

    After she posted the photos, thousands of girls went crazy in thements section!

    "Ah! Why is my screen so dirty!? Lick lick!"

    "My hubby''s sexy-at-home look. I''m losing it!"

    "What a hot photo, you dirty little creature!"

    ¡­

    Some of theizens realized something¡­

    "Don''t you guys think that in Bro Xi''s picture¡­there''s an odd sweet taste of love?"

    "Yes! I can feel like I''m in love at first nce! The way Bro Xi looks into my eyes is like she''s a gazing into the eye of a lover!"

    "My body is trembling! I''m really jealous of Bro Xi''s photographer! To be so near to her!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi read through thements, then she somewhat understood Lu Tingxiao''s reaction the other day.

    Hmm, maybe the devil really was being professional after all? I did seduce him¡­

    Well, it was the devil''s fault for being so attractive in the first ce¡­

    As Ning Xi was scrolling through thements section, her phone rang. It was a call from Jiang Muye.

    "Hey, what''s the matter?"

    "So, I can''t find you without anything important now huh, big shot!?" Jiang Muye mumbled.

    Ning Xi teasingly replied him, "What? Are you jealous?"

    "You still have a long way to go!" Jiang Muye had said it over and over again before, but this time, his tone was much humbler.

    "What''s up?"

    After a while, Jiang Muye finally asked, "Your photos¡­who took them for you?"

    "Why are you asking this?"

    "Answer me first!"

    "Your uncle! Who else?" Ning Xi replied.

    "Hmph¡­I knew it¡­that cheeky smile¡­" Jiang Muye then ended the call abruptly.

    Ning Xi was confused.

    This crazy guy! He called just to ask me this?

    After Jiang Muye, Chen Mian soon called her.

    "Xiao Xi, who took your photos for you?"

    She did not expect Chen Mian to ask her the same question.

    "A friend of mine took them for me at home. Is there any problem?" Ning Xi asked.

    Chen Mianughed, "No problem, no problem! Your friend takes good pictures! This is great!"

    Chen Mian then continued, "Do you know that I just got news that within the two hours after you posted the photos, all the tickets were sold out in all cinemas!? We might break the record for the reaching highest box office number in a day!"

    "Really?!" Ning Xi only knew her pictures were doing well, but she did not realize that they could affect the box office to such an extent.

    Chen Mian chuckled, "It''s understandable that we have managed to achieve this much. You''re reaching both the male and female fans!"

    "I see¡­okay¡­"

    "So, I have to remind you, you can''t be too biased towards your female fans. If we break the record, remember to post a set of photos of you in a female outfit. It''d be great if your friend can help you again!" Chen Mian was looking out for her male fans.

    Ning Xi smiled. "Sure!"

 Chapter 1233: Dont Overestimate My Self-Restraint

    <h4>Chapter 1233: Don''t Overestimate My Self-Restraint</h4>

    Coincidentally, it was a week-long national holiday the next day, so all of the major cinemas had given "Dream Chaser" the highest number of showtime allocations.

    Given that it was the holiday season, plus the extremely high screening frequencies, and Ning Xi''s Weibo posting''s promotional effect, it could be said that everything was perfect.

    On the third morning of the week, the box office numbers for "Dream Chaser" from the day before were revealed.

    $ 802 million!

    Just in one day, within 24 hours, the box office had achieved this stupefying number of $ 800 million and had broken the record ofedy king, Pang Xun''s moviest year by a neck''s length. "Joyful asion" had only reached $ 798 million!

    In fact, the total box office sales of "Dream Chasers" had reached $ 1.8 billion at this point.

    If they continued on with the current situation, it was not just the single day box office records that they would surpass, they might even be able to break the record for total box office sales.

    When everyone had thought that $ 1 billion was the peak of their performance, the surge in the box office numbers practically shocked all of the media and industry people!

    At the same time, just as Chen Mian had predicted, waves of people started to ask for Ning Xi to post herself in a female outfit on Weibo.

    Even though Ning Xi was dressed as a man most of the time in the movie, something was deemed precious when it was rare. Not only were those few scenes in female outfits forgotten, on the contrary, it left a more impactful impression on the audience, especially when it was worshipped as a ssic scene by a huge group of men.

    Many of the male audience had at first been like Chen Hanchen and Qi Fang. Because of Ning Xi''s skilled acting, they hadpletely forgotten that she was a woman. Realizing that she was so popr with thedies, especially those with wives and girlfriends, they could not help but feel uneasy when they saw their other halves so charmed by Ning Xi.

    However, when they went to watch the movie with them and saw the breathtaking beauty of the female lead when she returned to her original female state, all of them had be crazy fans of Ning Xi along with their wives.

    In the past, couples would get jealous when one of them was chasing after a celebrity, but now that they liked the same idol at the same time, they were unusually harmonious and the eagerness to idolize Ning Xi had multiplied.

    Early in the morning, Ning Xi''s phone was about to explode with congrattory messages, and of course, there was Chen Mian''s reminder to prepare the reward.

    Ning Xi had thought that even if they broke the record, it would not be so soon, yet who would have thought that it had only taken a day to achieve it? She quickly called the devil and nned for him to help her take pictures after he was done with work.

    In the afternoon, after Lu Tingxiao came, Ning Xi quickly hopped over and massage his shoulders and back. "Big Boss, your pictures thest time were amazing! Director Chen told me that I must ask you to help me again this time!"

    Lu Tingxiao shot her a side look, then asked, "This time you''re going to take pictures in a female outfit?"

    Ning Xi nodded. "Right, right! Big Boss, you''re so smart!"

    "I don''t want to."

    Ning Xi was speechless!

    The devil had actually rejected her¡­

    Ning Xi was instantly disappointed and she pouted. "Why?"

    "I can''t bear to."

    When she heard this, Ning Xi almost choked on her own saliva and a long pauseter, she cleared her throat. "But¡­weren''t you fine with it thest time?"

    "Do you think that if I could barely hold it in for you in a male outfit, I could restrain myself to see you in a female outfit too?" Lu Tingxiao said, then continued expressionlessly, "Don''t overestimate my self-restraint."

    Ning Xi was speechless again.

    As she looked as Lu Tingxiao''s adamant look, Ning Xi felt a headacheing on.

    Did he really not want to help her take pictures just for this reason?

 Chapter 1234: Little Treasure is Very Happy

    <h4>Chapter 1234: Little Treasure is Very Happy</h4>

    The pictures this time were quite important. Ning Xi wanted to reenact the quality and candidness from the first time, so she did not want to hire those professional photographers that would make her pictures look too posed. For a moment, she really did not know who else to ask for help from.

    As she was fretting, inspiration struck her. "Ah! I got it!"

    Hehe, he was not the only reliable male in this house!

    "Little Treasure will be done with school soon, won''t he? I''ll go fetch him!" Ning Xi said happily.

    She had decided that this time, she would get baby Little Treasure to help her with the pictures. This was different from the past. Ever since Ning Xi had exploded in poprity overnight, it would definitely be harder for her to leave the house now.

    Before this, she would always dress as a male to leave the house conveniently, but now it was probably safer to dress as her normal self.

    Thankfully, her name that was registered with the teachers as Little Treasure''s parent was "Tang Xi", so it was still alright to use the excuse of looking like a celebrity in terms of looks.

    However, to be safe, Ning Xi still did not get down from the car. Lu Tingxiao picked Little Treasure up instead.

    Even though it was Father fetching him from school personally today, the little bun was quite calm about it.

    Through the car window, Ning Xi could see the little guy carrying a schoolbag on his back as Lu Tingxiao held his hand. His face was as wless as Lu Tingxiao''s, and he walked expressionlessly towards the car.

    The conversation between the father and son made one go speechless.

    Lu Tingxiao asked, "What did your teacher teach in school today?"

    Little Treasure answered, "I don''t know."

    Lu Tingxiao inquired, "How are you getting along with your ssmates? Do you talk to them?"

    Little Treasure answered, "Boring."

    Lu Tingxiao questioned, "How did you do on your quiz?"

    Little Treasure responded, "Alright."

    ¡­

    The father and son pair had this odd conversation as they walked to the car.

    Lu Tingxiao walked up and pulled open the car door, then the little bun was instantly stunned.

    "Mommy!" The little guy''s expressionless face instantly revealed an adorable expression as he softly called out to his mother before he quickly ran to the car and into her embrace.

    "Little Treasure!" Ning Xi hugged the little guy and kissed his soft little cheeks.

    "Mommy, are you here to fetch Little Treasure?" The little guy''s eyes lit up like the stars in the sky.

    "Yes, but I didn''t get down because I''m afraid of getting recognized. Little Treasure, don''t be angry at Mommy, okay?"

    The little guy quickly shook his head. "Little Treasure will never be angry at Mommy, Little Treasure is already very happy to see Mommy!"

    When he saw his son''s entirely different expression and distinct treatment, Lu Tingxiao admitted that he was already used to it.

    The car slowly started to move.

    Ning Xi was so excited that she kissed the little guy again, then she hugged Little Treasure to chatter, "Baby, what did your teacher teach today?"

    "Mommy, Teacher taught us maths, art, and nursery rhymes!"

    "How are you getting along with your ssmates? Do you talk to the kids in your ss?"

    "Mommy, Little Treasure did! Little Treasure followed Mommy''s advice and talked to the other children."

    "Very good!"

    The little bun looked happy as he was praised, then he turned around and took out an exam paper to show Ning Xi, "Mommy, Little Treasure got 100 marks!"

    Ning Xi looked at the red-inked full score on the paper and was delighted. "My dear Little Treasure is just awesome!"

    She knew that Little Treasure did not like to waste time on boring things, yet he had done the kindergarten-level paper and had even gotten 100 marks. Obviously, he had done so to make her happy.

    When she thought about this, she felt her heart melt into mush¡­

 Chapter 1235: Obedient and Sweet-Talking

    <h4>Chapter 1235: Obedient and Sweet-Talking</h4>

    In the driver''s seat, Lu Tingxiao looked helplessly at his obedient and sweet-talking son through the rearview mirror¡­

    If they had not done the paternity test quite a few times back then, he would still have doubted whether this little guy was his biological son.

    Instead, this little guy was closer to Ning Xi than if she were his biological mother.

    Lu Tingxiao stared at the mother and son duo in a daze. Not only were the two harmonious in interaction, it almost seemed as if some of their smaller actions and mannerisms were somewhat simr, especially when they smiled. That little quirk on the tip of their brows was just too alike¡­

    If Little Treasure was really Ning Xi''s biological son¡­

    Just as he thought about this, Lu Tingxiao sighed and shook his head to brush off this wild thought¡­

    After they reached the vi at Peachwood, Ning Xi told Little Treasure about asking him to help her take some pictures. The little bun instantly agreed and indicated that he was very happy to be able to help Mommy.

    As Ning Xi was thinking about her look for the shoot, Ling Zhizhi called.

    "Director Chen is asking you to post a picture in a female outfit for thetest reward. Have you chosen your outfit?" Ling Zhizhi asked.

    "Mmm, nope, I''m still fretting about it¡­ Is there a sponsor?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Yes, in fact, there''re many, but I suggest that you wear your own brand," suggested Ling Zhizhi.

    "Sis Zhizhi, you mean Spirit? Right! Why didn''t I think of it!?" Ning Xi eximed.

    The past few days had been a roller coaster, so she was a little muddled in the head. It hadpletely slipped her mind about wearing Spirit''s outfit for her pictures.

    She had told Ling Zhizhi the moment she founded Spirit, hence her manager had always known about her business and was very supportive.

    It was her brand and it fit her charisma very well, so it was very suitable.

    "Now, the most important thing for you is not those sponsorships. It would benefit you much more in the future for Spirit to rise up," analyzed Ling Zhizhi.

    "Mmm, but which series should I pick?"

    "The ready-made series."

    "Ready-made series?" Ning Xi thought Ling Zhizhi would ask her to wear a custom-made one.

    "You will go viral this time and you''ve been entirely pushed forth by the public. You have the foundation of strong public influence, so to stay down-to-earth instead of suddenly progressing towards a high-end direction would have a much better effect. And most of your fans are just normal youngsters. Even though the ready-made ones aren''t cheap, most of the working ss fans can still afford one."

    From this perspective, the ready-made series with a more wallet-friendly pricing was much better than the luxurious and expensive bespoke series.

    She could promote the bespoke ones when she was much stabler¡­

    When she thought about this, Ning Xi immediately said, "Okay, got it! Thank you, Sis Zhizhi, I''ll send you the pictures I''ve takenter!"

    She had Spirit''s ready-made pieces right at her home, so Ning Xi just picked out nine outfits from her wardrobe.

    Ning Xi changed into the first floral dress and walked out. "Little Treasure, you ready to shoot?"

    Little Treasure''s expression was serious as he nodded, then he had one hand holding the phone and the other hand gesturing something in the air.

    Ning Xiughed at this sight. She wondered if this was some special way of taking pictures.

    Oh, never mind, as long as Little Treasure was happy!

    Very quickly, the nine outfits were all shot and Ning Xi flipped through the photos. The more she looked at them, the more she felt shocked.

    Even with ayman''s eye, she could tell thatpared to the ones Lu Tingxiao had taken which had a casual andzy vibe, every picture of Little Treasure''s had been urately framed within the golden ratio, so each still looked like an oil painting or blockbuster movie.

    It looked the little guy had lent all hisposition skills from his art to take pictures.

 Chapter 1236: Because Mother Looks Great

    <h4>Chapter 1236: Because Mother Looks Great</h4>

    Ning Xi really liked the pictures. "Baby, how are you so talented!? You took such great pictures of me!"

    The little bun looked up at his mother and said with a serious tone, "Because, Mommy, you look great!"

    Ning Xi felt an arrow full of love shoot through her heart.

    She already thought Little Treasure was cute enough before he had started talking, but now that he started to speak again, everything he said was terribly sweet, rendering her helpless. If he wanted the stars in the sky, she would probably do anything to get them for him¡­

    Before she posted them on Weibo, she sent the photos to Ling Zhizhi and Chen Mian for a look first.

    As she waited for their reply, Ning Xi saw that Lu Tingxiao was staring at his phone. Lu Tingxiao¡­was intently ogling her photos¡­that he had discreetly taken just now.

    Ning Xi swiftly snooped up behind him. "Lu Tingxiao, I saw that! You took my pictures! Didn''t you say you didn''t want to? Why are you doing that?! Let me see!"

    Secretly-taken photos usually looked bad and she would not allow horrible pictures of hers to be on Lu Tingxiao''s phone!

    Lu Tingxiao did not stop her. He let her snatch his phone away from him.

    Ning Xi looked at his phone, then she blushed¡­

    She red at the man on the sofa. "You hooligan!"

    Lu Tingxiao raised his eyebrows. Oddly, he felt great even though he was being scolded at the moment. "Mmm?"

    Ning Xi became even angrier at his innocent expression. What was the meaning of that?!

    Even though she looked the same, it was a totally different feeling when it was taken by different people.

    Little Treasure''s photos had focused on her elegance, but in Lu Tingxiao''s photos, she just looked so provocative. Each of the pictures looked like she was seducing someone and she blushed even deeper¡­

    The saying "you see what you think of" was true!

    However, to be honest, Lu Tingxiao''s picture would probably be more attractive to the fans¡­

    As Ning Xi thought about it, Lu Tingxiao swiftly snatched back his phone. Apparently, he knew what she was thinking.

    Ning Xi pouted. "Stingy!"

    Now, she understood why Lu Tingxiao had not wanted to take pictures of her. The photos he had taken of her in a female outfit was at least a hundred times more seductive than when she was in a male outfit.

    "Whatever, my son takes better pictures!"

    The little bun nodded along with his mother.

    Ling Zhizhi and Chen Mian replied her, expressing their satisfaction with this set of photos.

    "Xiao Xi, this looks great as well although the style is vastly different! Your friend sure is talented!" Chen Mian praised.

    "Ah, right¡­" Father and son, of course, their styles were different¡­

    After they approved of the photos, Ning Xi then posted the photos on her Weibo.

    Afterwards, Ning Xi remembered something about herpany, so she called Han Momo. "Momo¡­"

    "Bro Xi! Ahhhhhh! Bro Xi called me!"

    Before Ning Xi could say anything else, Han Momo let out a deafening scream of excitement.

 Chapter 1237: Prince Charming to Goddess in One Second

    <h4>Chapter 1237: Prince Charming to Goddess in One Second</h4>

    As she listened to Han Momo''s overly excited reaction, Ning Xi was quite speechless. "My dear, it''s not like you''re a fan who can''t see me in person. Why are you so excited as well?"

    "But, Boss, I''ve never seen you in a male outfit! Boss, you''re really incredibly handsome in it! Could you be so kind as to provide me some employee welfare? I really want to see how you look like in a male outfit, aaaaaah¡­"

    "Forget it!" Ning Xiughed.

    "Why!?" Han Momo was instantly disappointed.

    Ning Xi smirked, "I''m afraid that one nce will doom your love life."

    The moment she said, Han Momo replied with a whiny, unbearable tone, "Bro Xi, don''t talk to me like that¡­my heart can''t take it! Oh my God! If all of your crazy fans know that you''re on the phone with me right now, and know that I''m your employee, they''d definitely be horribly jealous of me!"

    "Okay, I won''t tease you anymore. Let''s get back to business. Momo, quickly exin to the factory team to prepare for an increase in production for ready-made wear anytime. The recent sales might increase slightly," Ning Xi told.

    "Ah? Why?"

    "Look at mytest Weibo post."

    "Oh, oh, let me get to it," said Han Momo as she opened Weibo on herputer.

    Momentster, Han Mom excitedly shrieked from the other end of the phone. "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! Boss! You''re too humble! It won''t just increase a lot! I''m guessing the warehouse is going to just explode! These are just the normal ready-made wear. It''s not very expensive, but why does the effect on you look like it''s a branded bespoke piece worth millions?! There are already peoplementing below¡­"

    Han Momo was trembling emotionally as she typed to answer the fans'' questions on Weibo.

    [Oh, Bro Xi is so beautiful, my God! I thought that I was just charmed by Bro Xi in a male outfit, but it looks like I''m really turning gay this time! These photos show that Bro Xi is really gentle. I feel healed just by the look of this! P.S. May I ask what''s the brand of the dress on Bro Xi?! I like this style way too much!]

    [I like it too, but it''s obviously very expensive. It will cost millions, to say the least, and it''s probably a limited edition. We definitely can''t afford it!]

    Han Momo quickly typed away: [I know! The brand Bro Xi is wearing is called Spirit. In fact, it''s not even that expensive! You could buy it with just a few thousand dors. Spirit''s custom-made pieces are indeed very expensive, but these outfits are just from the off-the-shelf line. It''s not that hard to get them. All of Spirit''s boutique stores will sell them. There''re currently six Spirit franchises in Imperial. The addresses are¡­City Q''s boutique''s address is¡­for more information, you can log on to Spirit''s official website¡­]

    Very quickly, Han Momo had answered with a detailedment and it had been liked by fellowizens who soon made it a topment.

    Previously, Ning Xi''s Weibo already had some pictures of her in a female outfit, but she was different from the female celebrities who always posted selfie and portraits with lots of makeup. Most of Ning Xi''s Weibo were pictures of the set or fun cosy pictures. There were very few ones of herself, and not even one selfie, so she was quite exoticpared to the crowd of female celebrities.

    That was why this time, she had posted nine pictures at a go, allowing the fans a feast for their eyes.

    It was simply magical how her previous Weibo were pictures of her as a Prince Charming, and the next Weibo exuded a goddess''s vibe!

    Whether it was the male fans or the female fans, all of them professed their astonishment for her.

    Apart from having their breath taken away by Ning Xi, many male fans also asked about her outfit. They all said that they wanted to buy it for their wives and girlfriends. The effects of this subsequent promotion of Spirit was even better than what Ning Xi could have ever imagined. They would just need to observe the sales the next few days¡­

 Chapter 1238: Overnight Popularity

    <h4>Chapter 1238: Overnight Poprity</h4>

    Currently, "Dream Chaser" had only been in theatres for half its nned release period and the total box office had already surpassed $ 1.8 billion, thus no one dared to simply predict how the trend of their box office would continue to fare.

    Usually, a movie''s release period would depend on the box office. If its performance was too dismal, then it would basically be considered a "Three-Day Run". There was even quite a number that had been taken down after one day of release.

    One such example was Ning Xueluo''s most recently released andpletely unknown art house film, "Mountain". Forget about the pitiful box office performance, even its reputation was bad. Initially, they were prepared to hang on for half a month before they stopped ying it, yet even after doing it for the sake of Starlight Entertainment, it could onlyst for three days.

    Many cinemas were allocating as many screenings as they could for "Dream Chaser". How could they bear to waste their allocations on a movie without as great a turnover rate? Big shots were useless now, and it was best to let the ticket sales speak for themselves.

    With "Dream Chaser"''s level of poprity, they would probablyst for another month.

    In the earlier stages, "Dream Chaser" had managed to draw sales with the quality of the movie as well as the fantastic performances by the actors. Later on, Director Chen Mian''s strength had also started to umte and work its magic.

    That year, Chen Mian''s debut work, "The Stars, The Moon and The Sun" had be popr all over the country and was even dubbed "Asia''s star" by America''s Business Weekly. The movie leads had also burst into poprity. Now, they were all experienced big shots in the industry.

    His youth-themed movie called "Love Is In The Future" had also been the champion of the box office back then, paving the way for a bunch of othering-of-age movies and trends.

    It was exactly because Chen Mian had started with a bang that the audiences had very high expectations and anticipations of him. This was also why several of his works after, whichpromised with the investors and themercial market, had invited much criticism.

    The media had always praised the winners and stepped on the losers. This time, after Chen Mian had returned to glory, almost all of the print and online media were hailing Chen Mian all over, stating that they "owed Chen Mian a movie ticket". All of the industry big shots that Chen Mian had made popr previously had also promoted the movie themselves. The huge crowd of Chen Mian''s old fans dating back all the way to ten years ago had all entered the cinema for him.

    Even though Zheng Kangde''s team was on their toes, they could do nothing but watch.

    The trend was strong and there was no reversing.

    One monthter, "Dream Chaser"''s total box office numbers were out. It had raked in $ 3.275 billion!

    It had broken "Joyful asion"''s $ 2.48 billion record in the box office and steadfastly took the champion seat for highest box office sales in the history of the local cinema. It was practically a miracle in the history of Chinese cinema!

    In the movie, all of the leads and co-leads had all be famous, especially the female lead, Ning Xi and the male lead, Chen Hanchen. They had gained fame overnight and were suddenly leveled with the A-list actors now.

    Ning Xi''s movie contracts, ambassadorship, and variety shows¡­all of it had insanely swarmed onto Ling Zhizhi¡­

    The gamingpany that Ning Xi and Jiang Muye had both been spokespeople for was overjoyed at this point. Before this, they had hired Ning Xi for five years for only a million dors, so now they had really earned big!

    Of course, some were happy while some were worried.

    At Starlight Entertainment, Chang Li hade to the office as always, but she was greeted by peculiar gazes and whispers from all her colleagues.

    "Have you guys heard that Ning Xi''s movie''s box office surpassed $ 3 billion? They are the Chinesenguage movie box office champion! They''ve broken more than 20 records!"

    "Pfft, duh! Of course, I heard of the huge news. I''ve already seen people post about it in groups early in the morning. Everyone''s saying¡­this time Chang Li''s probably going to regret it a lot!"

    "Pfft¡­obviously! Back then, Ning Xueluo had harshly chased Ning Xi away¡­ Hah, now Ning Xi has gone over to Glory World and instantly exploded in poprity¡­"

 Chapter 1239: Defeated Terribly

    <h4>Chapter 1239: Defeated Terribly</h4>

    Recently, following "Dream Chaser"''s huge counterattack, Ning Xi''s poprity increased at a terrifying pace. Ling Zhizhi had regained her prime as a golden manager, while Chang Li continued to be insulted for her bad judgment. All of these whispers andparing just made her agitated. She was one step away from losing her mind!

    If Ning Xi was still her artiste this morning, if she had not chased Ning Xi out of Starlight back then, all of this glory would have been hers!

    The one people would be envious of and worshipped would have been her! Her career would have taken a huge step, and most importantly, she would have gained this money tree!

    Sadly, now, she could only watch as what should have been hers fell into the hands of Ling Zhizhi. In fact, she had delivered it over herself.

    Most ironically, Ning Xueluo had decided to act in some art house film to win awards and be cool, but atst, the box office performance had been tragic. She did not earn any good reputation and the show had even embarrassed her through and through¡­

    Now, she had to suffer thatdy''s temper too!

    Ning Xueluo looked at the silent Chang Li and mockery filled her eyes as she caressed her nails. She sneered, "Why? Now that you see Ning Xi blowing up in poprity, you''re regretting it, aren''t you? Regretting that you terminated her contract back then?"

    In this Inte war, Ning Xueluo had not been idle. She had been quietly helping Liang Biqin by paying astroturfers to suppress "Dream Chaser". After her n failed, she tried to use "Mountain" to replicate "Dream Chaser"''s pathway to poprity as a counterattack, but who knew that she would be defeated so terribly?

    The thing she hated most was that not only did the b*tch step all over her with the movie, she even promoted Spirit endlessly. That way, even History was hugely affected. Clearly, she was intentionally going against her¡­

    When she heard Ning Xueluo speak, no matter what Chang Li thought in her heart, there was no way she could admit it, so she bucked up and replied, "Xueluo, what are you saying? Why would I not be visionary?! Many people gain poprity overnight in the entertainment industry. How many can really go far? It''s just temporary! So what if a melodramaticedy does well in ticket sales? Wait till our movie gets awarded. We''ll still defeat her the same!"

    However, the reality was that even though their movie was directed by a famous director, the reviews within the industry was not fantastic. If they really wanted to get a worthy award, it was quite unlikely. It all depended on how strong Ning Xueluo''s connections were, and whether she could get through to the judges over on the other side¡­

    She was probably quite satisfied with Chang Li''s answer, so Ning Xueluo did not act out for now. She just scoffed, "Let her climb. The higher she climbs, the quicker she dies¡­"

    When Chang Li heard her, she rolled her eyes as she knew that Ning Xueluo meant that Su Yimo''s team would take action¡­

    Ning Xi was quite demonic. She could actually rise up despite being suppressed by both Su Yimo and Liang Biqin. They heard that thest time, Liang Biqin had intentionally stolen the main role in "I Only Like You" and let Ning Xi get Chen Mian''s small production. Who would have thought that this very production would have gone viral?

    This woman''s luck was just excessively good, was it not?

    However, Su Yimo did put her support back there. If she really wanted to mess with her, it would be easier than killing an ant, whether or not she was popr!

    Ning Xi''s smooth-sailing days was about toe to an end¡­

    ¡­

    At the same time, at Glory World Entertainment, Ning Xi wore a new gown from Spirit that had yet to be released on the racks. She donned sunsses and had Xiao Tao beside her, causing quite amotion the moment she stepped into thepany.

 Chapter 1240: Go On A Show With The Devil

    <h4>Chapter 1240: Go On A Show With The Devil</h4>

    When everyone saw her, the people who usually ignored her suddenly stood up. The newbies, who were still in training, joined in as well, offering their praises.

    "Ah! Bro Xi! Bro Xi, can you give me a signature? I''m your fan!"

    "Senior! You''re awesome! I wonder when will I ever be like you¡­"

    "Sis Xi, it''s been some time since youst came here! I''m d that I didn''t change my shift today! Can I take a picture with you?"

    Not only Ning Xi, even Xiao Tao was surrounded by some people. She had been Leng Manyun''s assistant before. she had been "demoted" to be Ning Xi''s assistant. Many people hadughed at her, but now the way people looked at her changed.

    "Xiao Tao, you''re really lucky! You''ve worked with Sis Manyun before, and now Ning Xi is so popr!"

    "Right, it''s a blessing that you followed Sis Ling''s arrangement. Sis Ling was right!"

    "Please remember us if you''re going to do well in the future¡­"

    ¡­

    After being dyed for quite some time, Ning Xi and Xiao Tao finally got past them and arrived at Ling Zhizhi''s office.

    "I bet they don''t dare to look down on us anymore!" Xiao Tao was relieved as she went to get Ning Xi a ss of water.

    Ling Zhizhi did not need Xiao Tao''s exnation to guess what had happened outside. She handed Ning Xi a full schedule. "These are your arrangements for the next month. We can adjust again if you have any issues with it."

    She then gave Ning Xi a few other documents. "These are some information about the recent shows. As for your new movie, there are a lot of scripts here, but you have to pick carefully. It''s not urgent."

    "Thank you, Sis Zhizhi!" She looked at Ling Zhizhi''s dark eyebags and gratefully took the stuff from her hands.

    The first document on the stack was about "Beauty''s Specialties".

    Ning Xi nced through it. "Hmm¡­the director invited me to go with Chen Hanchen?"

    Ling Zhizhi nodded. "Yes, I thought about it and I think this show suits you right now. The audience would like to see you appearing with Chen Hanchen as well."

    "Hmm¡­" Ning Xi scratched her head, then she told Ling Zhizhi, "Sis Zhizhi, I have a request!"

    "What is it?" Ling Zhizhi asked.

    "For the male guest on this show, can we invite Ke Mingyu?" Ning Xi begged.

    Ling Zhizhi was a little surprised, then she stared at her incredulously.

    Ning Xi felt a little awkward. "Sis Zhizhi, please don''t misunderstand. It''s just that I owe him one. I want to help him a little since he''s from Glory World as well, so it''d great for both me and thepany, right?"

    Lu Tingxiao had assigned his character Ke Mingyu under a manager of Glory World Entertainment.

    Ling Zhizhi thought about it carefully. "Actually, Ke Mingyu is too low-profile. He has quite some fans himself, so I guess we can invite him since he''s in the samepany as us, but I think the crew favors Chen Hanchen''s poprity more. It might be difficult to convince them¡­"

    Ning Xi looked confident. "That''s easy, I can tell them that if they agree to let Ke Mingyu to appear on the show, I''ll attend the show in a male outfit!"

 Chapter 1241: It Belongs To The Devil!

    <h4>Chapter 1241: It Belongs To The Devil!</h4>

    Countless programs had invited Ning Xi to attend their show in a male outfit, but Ning Xi and Ling Zhizhi both thought it might affect her future career if she made too many appearances in a male outfit, so currently, she had only agreed to two shows.

    With Ning Xi persistence, Ling Zhizhi thought it did not matter if there was just one more, so she listened to Ning Xi''s request and contacted the person-in-charge of the program.

    On the phone, when the director Wang Shaoyuan heard Ling Zhizhi say that she hoped for the male guest to be Ke Mingyu, he felt a little troubled.

    He had a good time working with Ning Xi before, so he made an early arrangement for her to appear in the next show.

    Now that Ning Xi had be famous, he was worried that she might note, but she had approved pretty quickly. What surprised him even more was that Chen Hanchen had agreed toe as the male guest as well. He was overjoyed that he got to invite the most-discussed on-screen couple in town.

    But now Ning Xi wanted Ke Mingyu to be the male guest. Compared to Chen Hanchen, Ke Mingyu''s poprity was much lower¡­

    "Can I speak to Ms. Ning directly?" Wang Shaoyuan asked.

    Ling Zhizhi passed the phone to Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi took the phone. "Hello, Director Wang!"

    "Hello, hello, Ms. Ning. I heard that you want the male guest to be Ke Mingyu?"

    "Yes." Ning Xi nodded. "I remember you promised me that if I were to join your show the second time, I could pick the male guest."

    Wang Shaoyuan felt a little awkward. "Well, I did promise you, but Ms. Ning, if the male guest this time is Chen Hanchen, it''s a win-win situation for us. I''m sure that the show ratings would skyrocket! So, how about we don''t change the guest? I put in quite a lot of effort to invite him. I''m afraid that it''s difficult for me to tell him about changing guests now¡­"

    So, what Wang Shaoyuan meant was that he was going to break his promise to her¡­

    Ning Xi was always a straightforward person. If someone respected her, she would respect them back. Even though she had be very famous now, she still took his show as a priority, and now Wang Shaoyuan wanted to break his promise just to get his high ratings¡­

    Damn it! She had been preparing that spot for the devil!

    Ning Xi did not sound mad. Instead, she just said casually, "I see, then, please look for another person to be your female guest."

    Wang Shaoyuan thought she would surely agree and did not expect her to act this way. "Ms. Ning! Wait! Wait! We can discuss this slowly. Please don''t be angry. It''s my fault, it''s all my fault. I shouldn''t make the decision alone! I just thought that you would be happy with the male guest I selected this time¡­"

    If Ning Xi was noting, there was no point having Chen Hanchen!

    Although they were both main characters in the movie, Ning Xi''s poprity was much higher than Chen Hanchen''s.

    It would be great if they could bothe.

    What a waste!

    Wang Shaoyuan could not help it. To avoid any further mistakes, he said, "Please don''t be angry, Ms. Ning. I promise you, I''ll take whoever you want! I''ll do anything to fulfill your needs!"

 Chapter 1242: Blessing From The Heaven

    <h4>Chapter 1242: Blessing From The Heaven</h4>

    Wang Shaoyuan really did not understand why Ning Xi insisted on having Ke Mingyu on the show instead. Maybe they were trying to bring Ke Mingyu up. That was quite possible¡­

    After Wang Shaoyuan promised her, Ning Xi did not press on the matter further. "Thank you, Director Wang. As for your viewers, you don''t have to worry. I''ll be on your show in a male outfit."

    Wang Shaoyuan was shocked by this sudden blessing from heaven. "You¡­ What did you say? Ms. Ning, are you saying that you''re willing to attend our show in a male outfit?"

    Wang Shaoyuan could not believe his ears. So many popr programs had invited Ning Xi to go on air in a male outfit, and she had rejected most of them, so he had not even dared to think about it because he thought it was impossible.

    In the end, Ning Xi suggested it herself. He was ted! He would agree to whatever requirements she had now, not just the male guest!

    "Ms. Ning, please rest assured. I''ll make sure the show will be great. If there''s anything else you need, please let me know! I''ll exin the situation to Chen Hanchen''s side and make sure that there are no issues for you!" Wang Shaoyuan then ended the phone call and told the good news to his crew.

    Ling Zhizhi looked at Ning Xi. She actually did not have to say that she would attend the show in a male outfit, but she still did.

    She really was doing a lot for Ke Mingyu¡­

    It was normal for Ning Xi to fall for a man at her age. As long as it was within boundaries, there was nothing wrong with it, but Ling Zhizhi was just curious. Why Ke Mingyu?

    ¡­

    Soon, Chen Hanchen''s manager, Cheng Yanan, received a call from "Beauty''s Specialties".

    After the call ended, Cheng Yanan went to the theatre room and looked for Chen Hanchen.

    On the screen, "Dream Chaser" was ying. He had watched it several hundred times already and he still had not gotten bored of it¡­

    Cheng Yanan shook his head. "Hanchen, "Beauty''s Specialties" just gave me a call. Because of some mimunication, the male guest will be changed."

    "Change? Who to?" Chen Hanchen looked away from the screen when Ning Xi appeared on-screen in a female outfit. He looked at his manager curiously.

    "Ke Mingyu," Cheng Yanan replied.

    Chen Hanchen''s expression changed. "What? Why the sudden change?"

    "ording to them, Ning Xi will only attend the show if the male guest is Ke Mingyu. Glory World probably wants to promote Ke Mingyu more," Cheng Yanan exined.

    Chen Hanchen''s expression darkened and he kicked the seat in front of him roughly. "So, you''re just going to let someone else snatch the show away from me?"

    Cheng Yanan felt a little odd at Chen Hanchen''s anger. "It''s just a cooking show. There''re so many more shows that are better than this. There''s no point making a fuss about this and it''s also not necessary to have a bad rtionship with Glory World. Ning Xi even promised that if Ke Mingyu could go, she would attend the show in a male outfit. They would surely agree to whatever conditions she has!"

    Chen Hanchen seemed even more upset and Cheng Yanan looked at his own artiste with a confused expression.

    ¡­

 Chapter 1243: Sweetheart?

    <h4>Chapter 1243: Sweetheart?</h4>

    After Ning Xi left thepany, she went straight to tinum Pce.

    "Boss, the male guest for "Beauty''s Specialties" has been confirmed, we can go sign the contract tomorrow!" Ning Xi said happily.

    On the sofa, Lu Tingxiao put down his book and weed the excited Ning Xi with a warm hug. "Mmm, Cheng Feng told me just now."

    Lu Tingxiao had assigned his character Ke Mingyu under a normal manager in Glory World Entertainment, but his actual matters for Ke Mingyu were all dealt by Cheng Feng.

    "That director was really bad. He almost wanted to break his promise and invite Chen Hanchen instead, but I made sure he kept his promise!" Ning Xi felt proud of what she did. "Hehe, sweetheart, what would you like to eat? I''ll make it for you on the show!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s emotions were obviously influenced by the girl''s happy mood as he caressed the girl''s hair gently. "Anything."

    Ning Xi gave it some thought. "Then, I''ll decide and you just have to eat it then¡­"

    "Okay."

    ¡­

    "Ohh!"

    As Ning Xi was talking sweetly with Lu Tingxiao, a howling sound was heard and a person came thundering in through the door swiftly.

    It was Lu Jingli. He was looking at something on his phone and mumbling angrily, "Bro! How can you do this?! This is too much! You stopped me from being the male guest thest time, and now you''re bing the guest yourself! How unfair!"

    Apparently, Lu Jingli was talking about Lu Tingxiao bing the male guest on "Beauty''s Specialties".

    For promotional purposes, the guests for the next show had been released. The viewers were really looking forward to it, but some of them felt a little sad that the male guest was not Chen Hanchen.

    Of course, some people who liked Ke Mingyu were really excited. It was his first time on a variety show after the movie "Dream Chaser" was released.

    The production team did not release any news about Ning Xi''s outfit that day but theizens were already discussing it in thements section.

    Ning Xi frowned at Lu Jingli. "Stop fussing about it. Your brother didn''t do anything. He got it with his own abilities, alright!?"

    Lu Jingli did not believe her. "Impossible! Stop lying. I know that the male guest was supposed to be Chen Hanchen, but now it''s my brother. I''m pretty sure he did something!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "Nonsense, it was I who told the production team that I wouldn''t go if the male guest isn''t your brother!"

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

    "You¡­you''re heartless! Do you call this by his own abilities?"

    Ning Xi replied as-a-matter-of-factly, "Of course, I''m your brother''s woman. My ability is his ability as well. Am I right, sweetheart?"

    Lu Tingxiao gazed at her in the eyes. "Mmm."

    Lu Jingli felt hopeless. "I''m definitely not your biological brother, Tingxiao, or your brother-inw, Xiao Xi¡­"

 Chapter 1244: Be Gentler To My Girls

    <h4>Chapter 1244: Be Gentler To My Girls</h4>

    On the day of the show, arge crowd had gathered in front of the TV station building as they had gotten ahold of information that Ning Xi would being today.

    A short whileter, a ck car stopped in front and Ning Xi walked out in a light grey trench coat.

    The girls went crazy when they saw Ning Xi, some even passing out instantly¡­

    "Ahh¡­Bro Xi! Bro Xi!"

    "Bro Xi! Look here!"

    "I love you! I want to make babies with you!"

    ¡­

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi were officially on the job now. They were dressed in ck suits and dark sunsses as they carefully guarded Ning Xi and opened up a path for her.

    They were shuddering internally when they heard the girls screaming about wanting to make babies with theirdy boss¡­

    One of the girls was too excited and broke through the security line. Shi Xiao''s expression darkened and blocked her with a solid arm.

    The girl fell backward because of the inertia, so Ning Xi swiftly went up and held her shoulder firmly. She then looked at Shi Xiao unhappily, "Hey, be gentler to my girls!"

    "Ahhhh!!!" A deafening scream from the crowd tore her attention away.

    Facing the bunch of crazy fangirls, all the security guards including Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi were crying deep inside. They just hoped that Ning Xi would stop adding on to their workload¡­

    Shi Xiao and Xiong Zhi looked at each other, psyching themselves up.

    They had actually looked down on celebrity''s personal guards before as they felt it was too easy a job, but it seemed like they got the wrong impression¡­

    They had to protect theirdy boss and not hurt any fans most importantly. The reputation of theirdy boss was terrifying. With all the fangirls screaming, it was crazy¡­

    After some struggle, they finally reached the studio.

    "Ah! Sis Xi is here!"

    "Bro Xi looks so cool in a male outfit! Much more charming than in the movie! Gosh, I can''t take it anymore! Too bad Bro Xi has already put on her makeup. I don''t have the chance to do it!"

    "Thest time she came, she was still an exquisite beauty. It''s amazing! I''ve always felt that Ning Xi would be popr one day. I just didn''t expect it to be this soon!"

    "She has both male and female fans on her side! We can really expect the TV ratings for this episode to soar!"

    "Sadly, the male guest this time is Ke Mingyu¡­ If it were Chen Hanchen, then it''d be perfect! I heard that Chen Hanchen woulde today as well but for another programme¡­"

    "Right, Ke Mingyu looks pretty charismatic in the movie, but in real life, he looks too normal. His existence is too weak!"

    ¡­

    As she reached the studio, Director Wang Shaoyuan and a few others came over and greeted her. Ning Xi nced around and saw that Lu Tingxiao had already arrived, so she went to the rest area to look for him after she had greeted everyone.

    "Keke, you''re here already!"

    "Senior." Lu Tingxiao greeted her. He was already in Ke Mingyu mode.

    Ning Xi almostughed when he called her "Senior", but she still felt happy every time he addressed her that way.

 Chapter 1245: Beloved One

    <h4>Chapter 1245: Beloved One</h4>

    Moments of preparationter, the show began rolling.

    "Hello, fellow viewers before the screen. Everyone knows that ''Beauty''s Specialties'' always has someone beautiful as the female guest. This time is no exception, but the beauty we invited for today is slightly special. I''m sure many would already know her. She is Ning Xi!" The host, Zhu Shuan, announced excitedly as she invited Ning Xi up.

    The moment she said that, the audience off-stage shrieked in excitement and held the lighted-up boards with Ning Xi''s name.

    "Hello, everyone, long time no see. I''m very happy to be here again today," Ning Xi said as she took a bow like a gentleman in her light grey tuxedo.

    The deafening screams were going shrilly non-stop¡­

    Zhu Shuan''s eyes lit up as she stared at Ning Xi, then she touched on her sleeve and said exaggeratedly, "My God, I can''t believe my eyes. Thest time you came, you were clearly a beautiful woman, but now you''ve turned into the nation''s Prince Charming. All of the girl''s dream lover, and of course, mine too¡­"

    When they saw that the host was getting so close to Ning Xi and had touched her while flirting, all of the crowd screamed in a wave of excitement and envy again.

    The host chatted with Ning Xi for a long time until the stage director had to remind her of the time, so she unwillingly said, "Now, we''ll invite our male guest for the day, Ke Mingyu, who acted in "Dream Chaser" as Ling Yu¡­"

    The moment Ke Mingyu stepped on stage, the host set aside the small talk she prepared and turned the topic to Ning Xi again. "Bro Xi, I wonder what delicious food you''re going to be preparing for us today!"

    Ning Xi looked at Ke Mingyu and said, "Today, I''m going to prepare a prettymon dish, omelet wrap, but it''s very suitable for everyone to make it for their beloved!"

    Oh! Beloved!

    The few fans who shipped Ji Feixue and Lingyu hugged each other emotionally.

    Zhu Shuan was still a little unhappy that the male guest had been changed from Chen Hanchen to Ke Mingyu, so she intentionally neglected Ke Mingyu on stage and did not let him speak. At this moment, she just casually looped him in. "How exciting! Looks like our male guest is in for a treat today!"

    "Well, then, can we begin?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Of course!" The host smiled back and asked shyly, "Bro Xi, is there anything you need my help with? Shall I help you cut the vegetables?"

    Not only did she neglect the male guest, she even stole his dialogue¡­

    Ning Xi understood Zhu Shuan''s meaning immediately, so she smiled inly and then said, "Girls'' hands should not be used to do these things. Just let the men do it!"

    When she heard this, Zhu Shuan was still fascinated even though she was rejected. All of the viewers were entirely charmed too.

    After sessfully covering up, Ning Xi walked to the stove.

    To give the viewers the best viewing pleasure, Ning Xi had worn an English suit, looking very dapper. However, it was just not convenient to cook in.

    She had just walked over to the stove and there was no need for her to say anything before Ke Mingyu, whose existence had been quite neglected, walked to her and helped her roll up her sleeves meticulously.

    "Thank you." Ning Xi met with the man''s eyes and smiled.

 Chapter 1246: Attacked By PDA

    <h4>Chapter 1246: Attacked By PDA</h4>

    This was clearly amon scene, yet for some reason, when it was done by the two of them, it gave one a sweet and romantic feeling of being wrapped in pink bubbles.

    The fangirls off-stage felt their cheeks blush and their hearts beat fast at this sight.

    "Oh, my maiden heart! Why do I feel like I''ve been attacked with PDA ?"

    "Ah, ah, ah¡­I''m going crazy! There''s so much love! I love Ling Yu and Ji Feixue the most! Never would I have thought the two of them were these fitting in real life too! My little heart can''t take it anymore!"

    "Mmm, even though I''ve always stood on the male and female lead''s side, but when the two of them are together, they feel oddly harmonious¡­"

    "Don''t you guys think that Ke Mingyu''s presence is super strong? There is an aristocratic air in his gesture! In fact, such an aura definitely can''t be put on¡­I always feel my heart palpitating every time I see this!"

    ¡­

    Even Zhu Shuan, who had neglected Ke Mingyu, could not help but admit that he did have a unique attractiveness to him.

    After Ning Xi thanked him, she lowered her head and whispered reminders to Ke Mingyu about the things she needed help with.

    Ke Mingyu nodded slightly before he left to prepare the ingredients.

    Every word and every little interaction between the two of them was full of chemistry. The audience reacted as if they were watching a romanticedy. Once in a while, they would burst out in excited shrieks.

    The director, Wang Shaoyuan, did not think that having the two of them on his show would create such a great effect. At this moment, he was smiling from ear to ear. Initially, he was prepared to have Zhu Shuan create some jokes and fireworks between the two, yet he was surprised to find that their natural and harmonious romantic interactions created a better atmosphere, so he let them improvise freely¡­

    The audience all indicated that they were satisfied.

    "Oh¡­I feel like I''m not here to watch a cooking show, but "Dream Chaser"''s side story instead!"

    "Exactly! Ji Feixue and Ling Yu''s intimate life post-marriage¡­ It''s just too lovely!"

    ¡­

    With the help of Ke Mingyu, Ning Xi''s omelet-wrapped rice was soon ready.

    After she wrapped the rice with the egg, Ning Xi picked up the ketchup sauce on the side and contemted before writing on the dish: ''I (heart shape) U''.

    When they saw Ning Xi''s love message on the dish, the shrieks almost blew through the roof as all of them screamed Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu''s names.

    The director quickly reminded the cameraman to do a close-up shot on Ning Xi as he looked delighted with this progress.

    This time, the episode could be promoted as a teasing joke about being "Dream Chaser"''s side story to attract viewers!

    He had turned a cooking show into an idol drama. What a genius! This episode was definitely going to go even more viral than he had imagined. Now, he was incredibly grateful that he had agreed to let Ning Xi bring Ke Mingyu along.

    At this moment, everyone''s gaze fell onto Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu on-stage. No one noticed that in a corner of the backstage, Chen Hanchen''s cool figure had appeared after he just finished another show''s shoot. It was not sure how long he had stood there for¡­

    Chen Yanan looked at his artiste with confusion. Before this, he might not have been sure, but now with Chen Hanchen''s repeatedly odd reactions, one conclusion was clear. She was afraid, yet was sure that Chen Hanchen had fallen for Ning Xi¡­

 Chapter 1247: How Does It Feel To Live Off A Woman?

    <h4>Chapter 1247: How Does It Feel To Live Off A Woman?</h4>

    After the show finished recording, Ning Xi had especially cooked a few dishes for the audience and her fans present as an Easter gift. This made all of the girls extremely excited and they offered themselves for marriage. Atst, even a few shy boys had walked up to confess their love for her.

    In the empty resting room backstage, the moment the door closed, Ning Xi was engulfed by a kiss¡­

    When he saw the "I love you" on the dish, he had already wanted to do this¡­

    "Mmm, angry?" Ning Xi thought Lu Tingxiao was jealous of the fans'' reactions.

    "I''m not," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Ning Xi raised her brows. "You sure?"

    A sigh followed by a passionate kiss fell on her lips again. "Only I can do this to you."

    She was speechless. Okay, she could not argue with that¡­

    ¡­

    In front of the TV station, it was not convenient for Ning Xi to leave with Ke Mingyu, so the two of them went home separately.

    "Keke, I''m leaving now!"

    "Mmm, stay safe." Ke Mingyu watched the girl leave in her car.

    After Ning Xi left, Ke Mingyu was about to leave too when suddenly someone walked over to him.

    Chen Hanchen had stopped beside him as he lit up a cigarette, then smiled indistinctly at him with an insulting tone, "Ke Mingyu, how does it feel to live off a woman?"

    Ke Mingyu looked at Chen Hanchen and was not as angry and annoyed as he expected. Instead, he replied expressionlessly, "Not bad."

    After he said the two words, the man left in his car.

    Chen Hanchen stood in his original spot and only returned to his senses momentster. Then, he threw the cigarette butt in his hand away and looked so furious that his handsome face was distorted.

    To a man, being used of living off a woman was definitely the worst insult, hence he had intentionally said this to embarrass him. Who would have thought that he would react like that instead?

    After he got into his car, Chen Hanchen remained on the verge of exploding with fury.

    Cheng Yanan quickly tried to console him, "Hanchen, why are you being petty with such people? He''s already alright with living off a woman. Could he have any more shame?"

    Chen Hanchen was young and fiery after all, so he immediately roared, "Which part of me is lesser than Ke Mingyu? Why would she be willing to spend the effort to help that weakling instead of giving me a second look?"

    Cheng Yanan cleared her throat. could not be just exined in a few sentences. Besides, who asked him to keep going against her when the two of them were shooting the movie? He had just let someone else get the advantage over him¡­

    However, she obviously would not just say that to provoke this prince''s anger, so she soothed him instead, "Hanchen, I think you might be overthinking. Ke Mingyu is now signed with Glory World, so Ning Xi just wanted to help him. Thest time, you asked me to get Ning Xi over to Fashion, didn''t you? It''s actually not possible¡­"

    "What do you mean?" Chen Hanchen immediately asked.

    Cheng Yanan continued, "Actually, I already heard that¡­Su Yimo will do something to go against Ning Xi soon. She probably won''t stay at Glory World for long¡­"

    "Ning Xi is so popr now. There''s no way Glory World won''t want to profit. Is Su Yimo really all that powerful to make Glory World give up on a popr A-lister?" Chen Hanchen asked uncertainly.

    Cheng Yanan shook her head. "You don''t know¡­ Forget about a popr A-lister, even if it''s a really experienced A-lister, if Su Yimo wanted you out, you''re out¡­"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Do you know whose woman Su Yimo is?" Chen Yanan said with a sly expression.

    "Who?"

    Cheng Yanan showed one finger and pointed upwards. "Lu Corporation¡­"

    Chen Hanchen frowned. "Lu Jingli?"

    Cheng Yanan shook her head, then she continued with a tone that seemed to be terrified every time she mentioned his name, "Not Lu Jingli, it''s¡­Lu Tingxiao!"

    "What?!" Now, even Chen Hanchen''s expression changed.

 Chapter 1248: He Canâ€™t Kissâ€¦

    <h4>Chapter 1248: He Can¡¯t Kiss¡­</h4>

    Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao went back to tinum Pce separately.

    Because Lu Tingxiao was going out of the country the next day and they might not meet for a long time, Ning Xi stayed over for the night.

    After the little bun went to sleep, Ning Xi closed the door quietly and crept to Lu Tingxiao''s bedroom. When she saw that he was not there, she found him in the study room.

    The man was still working at his desk.

    "Why aren''t you asleep yet? Rest earlier! You have a flight to catch tomorrow!" Ning Xi eximed unhappily when she saw Lu Tingxiao was still working.

    "Mmm, just a little more," Lu Tingxiao replied without looking at her. He was reading through a contract, then he naturally extended his arms and pulled the girl to sit on his thigh.

    Ning Xi touched Lu Tingxiao''s face gently. "I shouldn''t have made you go on the show with me. You''re already so busy¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao then held the girl''s hand and kissed it. He looked at her. "Nothing is more important than you are. Are you trying to take away the only fun part of my life?"

    Ning Xi blushed. The moment she heard the exact same words she had once saiding out of the devil''s mouth, it was way too much for her to handle.

    The devil was too good at applying things he had just learned!

    "So, where are you going this time?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Russia, Moscow."

    "When will you be back?"

    "I''m not sure yet. I''ll be back when things are settled," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Ning Xi frowned a little. She remembered some recent news mentioning that the Lu Corporation assets had been encountering continuous idents abroad. Furthermore, recently, a wealthy investmentpany had taking over Lu Corporation''s market share in China.

    It seemed like pretty normal news, but it was too much to be a coincidence, so Ning Xi felt uneasy.

    Lu Tingxiao saw through the girl''s concerned face, and he murmured into her ear, "Are you missing me already?"

    Ning Xiughed, "Right, there are a lot of beautiful girls in Russia with big, blue eyes and blonde hair. What if you''re snatched away by them?"

    "Other women are no different from dust to me," Lu Tingxiao said with a serious expression, really feeling that way.

    Ning Xi kissed him. "Me too!"

    ¡­

    The next morning, Ning Xi sent Lu Tingxiao to the airport.

    Although everyone could recognize Ning Xi now, her disguise skills were amazing. If she needed to go out for private matters, she just had to spend some time on more delicate makeup.

    Today, Ning Xi had actually disguised herself as a high school girl, even wearing a school uniform. No matter how sharp the eyes of her fans were, they could never recognize that this high school girl was actually their idol.

    Lu Jingli''s mouth twitched as he looked at his underaged sister-inw. "Xiao Xi Xi, this is really superb. I''m impressed!"

    He thought Xiao Xi Xi could never go too wild now that her fans were everywhere, but clearly, he was too naive to believe so.

    "I''ll be going now." Lu TIngxiao patted the girl''s head and leaned over to kiss her, but her outfit today made it difficult to do so¡­

 Chapter 1249: Itâ€™s Not Over Yet

    <h4>Chapter 1249: It¡¯s Not Over Yet</h4>

    Ning Xi was waiting for her goodbye kiss, so she looked miserable. "My kiss!"

    Lu Tingxiao pinched between his eyebrows and looked helpless.

    Lu Jingli felt awkward. "Xiao Xi Xi, aren''t you afraid that my brother will be locked up after he kisses you?"

    As Lu Jingli was silently thanking the heavens that he did not need to see them disy their affection for each other again, Ning Xi shrugged off her school jacket and kissed the man''s lips intensely.

    Lu Jingli stayed silent.

    What a bold move!

    It was not over yet.

    After they were done, Lu Tingxiao turned over to him sternly. "Look after Ning Xi and thepany."

    Ning Xi and thepany¡­ Of course, he would prioritize his wife first!

    As for him¡­haha¡­

    After he sent Xiao Xi Xi back, he went straight to the office to take care of business.

    Glory World Entertainment was meant to be a training ground for Lu Jingli, and now that it had be more and more sessful, most of the matters were handled by the Vice President, Yi Xudong. Nevertheless, Lu Jingli was now shifting his focus back to the main office.

    ¡­

    At a ribbon-cutting ceremony of a high-end brand, Zhao Meixin had just ended a call. She walked in jauntily. "Yimo, Director Ye from the Lu Corporation''s Adverts Department just called me. He said there''s no issue at all, so we can go and sign the contract in a few days!"

    Su Yimo''s contract with Lu Corporation had expired recently, and they were discussing the renewal of the contract.

    Seeing how Ning Xi was so popr currently, Zhao Meixin could not just let Ling Zhizhi stay on top of her, so she had doubled the price for Su Yimo''s contract fees.

    Su Yimo actually smiled genuinely for once. "What did they say specifically? They really have no issues with you doubling the price?"

    Zhao Meixing looked cheekily at her. "What are you saying, Yimo? How dare they say anything about it!? If I gave them any lower, it would be destroying your reputation! CEO Lu would never turn down your request!"

    Liang Biqing said in excitement, "Cousin, CEO Lu really pampers you!"

    Su Yimo blushed, but soon she looked bothered. "But it''s been so long¡­and we''ve¡­never actually met each other alone¡­"

    At first, she thought that Lu Tingxiao was being low-profile and as a way to protect her, she thought that this might be how he was conveying his feelings.

    However, as a year passed, Lu Tingxiao had never requested to meet her, so she felt a little disappointed and insecure.

    Liang Biqinforted her, "Cousin, that''s Lu Tingxiao. Of course, he''d be different than other men. I believe he has his own concerns and is trying to find the best time to publicize the rtionship between you two!"

    Zhao Meixin was worried that it might be a misunderstanding.

    Still, it was true that the Lu Corporation was treating her exceptionally well. Su Yimo came from a normal family, hence it was impossible for her to be rted to anyone from the Lu family. The only exnation was that Lu Tingxiao was into her¡­

    Zhao Meixin spoke up, "Biqin''s right! I heard the elders in the Lu family don''t really like people in the entertainment industry, but CEO Lu is probably trying to convince them.

 Chapter 1250: Gathering The Seven Male Idols

    <h4>Chapter 1250: Gathering The Seven Male Idols</h4>

    Su Yimo felt better after listening to the both of them.

    Liang Biqin massaged Su Yimo''s shoulders. "Cousin, speaking of Lu Corporation, I heard some news about them preparing to invest arge amount of money and invite seven extremely popr male idols in the industry, including Jiang Muye, to make an epic ad. This ad will be used to promote all the products from the Lu Corporation."

    Su Yimo replied, "I heard bits and pieces of this. What about it?"

    Superstars like Jiang Muye would cost loads to hire, and Lu Corporation was going to hire seven of them!

    Theizens went crazy when the news was released. They had already confirmed six of them and thest slot was still a mystery.

    However, because they were all male stars, she was unrted to it. Therefore, Su Yimo did not understand why Liang Biqin was mentioning this.

    Liang Biqin sounded annoyed. "Hasn''t Ning Xi''s weird male alter ego be pretty poprtely? I heard some sources saying that they are trying to get Ning Xi into this ad!"

    Su Yimo''s expression changed instantly. "What?!"

    She was trying to be considerate to Ning Xi, but now she was stepping into her territory¡­

    Liang Biqin instantly knew Su Yimo understood what she was trying to imply, so she followed up, "Cousin, Ning Xi is really too much! Not only did she take away what was supposed to be mine, now she''s overstepping her boundaries! How arrogant of her!"

    If it had not been for Ning Xi, the overwhelming poprity and this epic ad from the Lu Corporation should have all been hers. Liang Biqin was practically boiling from anger!

    Su Yimo sneered coldly as she shed a look at Zhao Meixin, "Sis Xin, call Director Ye this moment and ask her if they are really hiring Ning Xi. You know what to do."

    Su Yimo then went for the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Liang Biqin.

    Of course, Zhao Meixin understood what Su Yimo meant, and she quickly called Director Ye of the Lu Corporation.

    "Hi, Ms. Zhao, is there anything wrong with Yimo''s contract?" Ye Ying asked helpfully.

    Zhao Meixin replied, "Sorry to bother you again, Director Ye, but it''s not about Yimo this time. I just want to know something¡­"

    "Oh? What is it? Please tell me."

    "I heard the Lu Corporation is going to make a big ad inviting seven male celebrities, and one of them¡­is Ning Xi?" Zhao Meixin asked.

    Ye Ying turned pale after she heard Zhao Meixin''s inquiry. She had decided on Ning Xi and this idea was supported by their whole department.

    But her worst worry still surfaced¡­

    In Glory World Entertainment, their rumoreddy boss, Su Yimo, seemed to be on bad terms with Ning Xi. Now that Su Yimo knew about it, it might be impossible to hire Ning Xi for this project!

 Chapter 1251: Almost Puked Blood

    <h4>Chapter 1251: Almost Puked Blood</h4>

    "With regard to inviting Ning Xi to be the spokesperson, we do have such ns on our end. I wonder how Ms. Su feels about this?" Ye Ying trod carefully.

    When Zhao Meixin heard this, she sounded incredibly upset as she said, "Director Ye, I won''t beat around the bush. I''m sure you know how it''s like here at Glory World. Ning Xi as an artiste¡­ She''s not very sensible and keeps making our Yimo very unhappy.

    "Our Yimo is quite considerate. She kept being patient with her, but now she has be a spokesperson for the Lu Corporation like Yimo and this nauseates Yimo right before her eyes. Do you think Yimo can ignore this?"

    Ye Ying sighed silently, then she continued, "Ms. Zhao, I understand what you mean. I admit I''ve indeed been neglectful in my considerations. I''ll get someone else to be the ambassador. Please have Ms. Su rest assured that in any future advertisements and endorsements for the Lu Corporation, Ning Xi won''t be anywhere in sight. I hope Ms. Su won''t mind."

    After much struggling, Ye Ying decided to settle it this way.

    Other people might not know about it, but as the marketing and public rtions director of the Lu Corporation, she was clearest about how the Big Boss himself had once instructed them to satisfy all of Su Yimo''s requests!

    Besides, previously, Su Yimo frequently came in and out of thepany. She was even close with the little master!

    So, even though this time the lioness, Zhao Meixin, had asked for double in endorsement fees, she had agreed without hesitation; what more on the issue of changing spokesperson¡­

    Although, sadly, she had really spent a lot of thought and effort in nning the advertisement strategy. If she could get a unique character such as Ning Xi, it would definitely be a great finishing touch to her idea with double the effect, but now she could only resort to looking for another candidate¡­

    As Ye Ying wasmenting about this to herself, Zhao Meixin added on, "Since you need to look for another person, how about I rmend someone to you? Our Liang Biqin also has experience in being in a male outfit and she''s quite good! Director Ye, what do you think?"

    When Ye Ying heard this, she almost puked blood!

    To let Liang Biqin rece Ning Xi? How dare she actually make such a request?

    Currently, Liang Biqin had already beenmbasted through and through by the viewers whenpared to Ning Xi. If they hired such a person for the advertisement, all of her hard work would go to waste!

    "What''s wrong, Director Ye? Is there a problem?" Zhao Meixin''s steady tone was pressuring and threatening with arrogance.

    After all, Yimo could really be the futuredy boss. Even if she did not, she was still someone that the Big Boss personally protected. Thus, despite her reluctance, Ye Ying had topromise.

    "O-of course, there isn''t a problem!" Atst, Ye Ying had to reply through gritted teeth.

    On the other side, after Su Yimo and Liang Biqin were done with their activities, Zhao Meixin informed them of the oue of her phone conversation.

    "Yimo, it''s done. I''ve told them your thoughts and Director Ye immediately said that they definitely won''t invite Ning Xi to be a spokesperson. Not only that, all of the future rted endorsements and activities of the Lu Corporation won''t have Ning Xi anywhere near it!"

    "Mmm." Su Yimo nodded satisfaction.

    "Okay, there''s also good news. I''ve also helped Biqin get the endorsement instead," Zhao Meixin beamed as she announced.

    Liang Biqin was overjoyed when she heard this. "What? Sis Xin! You''re saying Ning Xi''s spokesperson spot is now mine?"

    "Yes!"

    "Ah! Sis Xin! Thank you! And Cousin Sister! I''m so lucky to follow after Cousin Sister!" Liang Biqin eximed emotionally.

    Su Yimo looked calmly at her cousin''s excited demeanor and said, "Happy now? I won''t have to hear you whining in my ear anymore!"

    "Happy, definitely happy! Cousin, you''re amazing! That Ning Xi is nothing to you¡­"

 Chapter 1252: Think Very Highly of Me

    <h4>Chapter 1252: Think Very Highly of Me</h4>

    At Ling Zhizhi''s office in Glory World Entertainment, Ning Xi was discussing a script with Ling Zhizhi.

    Ling Zhizhi handed a particr script to Ning Xi. "Ning Xi, take a look at this."

    Ning Xi skimmed through it. "Guo Qisheng is the director?"

    She had coborated with Guo Qisheng for "The World" and experienced a very smooth and positive time.

    Ling Zhizhi nodded. "Yes, though this script is not for a movie, but for a drama series. Even though youe from a background of movies, I don''t rmend that you only stick to movies in the future. There''re many movie actresses who think that shooting a drama will lower their statuses, but that''s not true! The market for television dramas is expansive, and there''re already few differences between the statuses of a movie actor and a TV drama actor."

    Ning Xi echoed, "I''ve never thought of only shooting movies. As long as the script is good, I''m happy to explore. Even the queen of movies, Song Lin, dropped in poprity after doing just movies for so many years and despite being determined not to act in dramas, she has just taken up a TV drama recently, hasn''t she?"

    After they reached an agreement, Ling Zhizhi continued, "This script of Guo Qisheng''s is not bad. It''s a very popr fantasy series led by the country''s top scriptwriter and they''ve even hired a Hollywood special effects team. All of the participating cast are big shots and experienced ones in the industry, so I think it''s quite suitable for your first TV drama!"

    Ling Zhizhi paused, then continued, "Actually, Guo Qisheng already gave me the script a few months ago. Unfortunately, you''ve alreadymitted to Chen Mian''s movie then. Thankfully, their crew was still in the preparation stage. Recently, they''re wrapping up with that and all of the main leads have been decided."

    "What will be my role then?" Ning Xi asked.

    "You''re one of the female leads. This drama has two female leads, one protagonist, one antagonist. Both have their own unique characteristics. In the original, both characters were of equal poprity online. Most of the focus andedic interactions in this drama will be based on the two female leads," Ling Zhizhi exined.

    Ning Xi could not help but be shocked at this.

    Guo Qisheng had already delivered the script over months ago?

    She did not have her current poprity at all then, yet Guo Qisheng had already felt assured enough to hand her the female lead role.

    Even though it had two female leads, based on how Sis Zhizhi described it, this role might be even more important than if it just had one female lead¡­

    When she thought about Guo Qisheng''s trust in her, Ning Xi felt quite moved.

    "Who''s the other female lead?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Golden Film Award and Golden Phoenix Award winner, Meng Shiyi!" Ling Zhizhi answered.

    Ning Xiughed and held her head in disbelief. "Director Guo sure thinks very highly of me!"

    Even at her current status, she was still far from Meng Shiyi¡­

    Meng Shiyi had always acted as the female lead ever since her debut. In fact. all of her roles were premium ones. She herself was a talented actress and was considered a resourceful artiste with solid capabilities, which was why she had received both awards at such a young age. Moreover, these two awards were the two most prestigious awards in the movie industry, so the world was her oyster.

    When she thought about how she could act with someone of such capabilities, Ning Xi felt her passion ignite.

    "Sis Zhizhi, I will spend the time to read through the script and then give you my answer as soon as possible!" Ning Xi said even though she had basically decided in her heart to take on this drama.

    At the same time, she could also see if there were any characters suitable for the devil toe in as a cameo. Her rtionship with Guo Qisheng was pretty good. Plus, Ke Mingyu''s current poprity was not too bad, so it should not be a problem for him toe in as a supporting character with a few scenes¡­

 Chapter 1253: The Big Boss Will Attend

    <h4>Chapter 1253: The Big Boss Will Attend</h4>

    At this moment, Ning Xi''s phone rang.

    Coincidentally, it was Guo Qisheng.

    Ning Xi quickly picked up. "Hello, Director Guo! I was just discussing the script you sent over with Sis Zhizhi, and then you called!"

    "Hey, Ning Xi, I was going to tell you something about it too. Um¡­did you¡­," Guo Qisheng sounded hesitant, wavering momentarily before asking, "Ning Xi, did you offend anyone recently?"

    When she heard this, Ning Xi was stunned. "No, why would you ask that?"

    Guo Qisheng sighed, "I''ve just met a few investors, and a few of them seemed worried that I''ll be casting you. They said that the Lu Corporation has put out an order to shut you out, so they''re worried that casting you would bring trouble¡­"

    "Cough, cough!" Ning Xi almost choked on her own saliva. "Director Guo, what are you saying? Who''s put out an order to shut me out? The Lu Corporation?"

    When she heard Ning Xi''s words, Ling Zhizhi''s expression changed.

    Guo Qisheng continued from the other end of the phone, "I don''t know how this news got out either. Whatever it is, the rumors are bad for you and will cause quite an uproar¡­ Even if they''re just rumors, it''s enough to make many potential opportunities turn away in fear."

    "Thank you for your tip, Director Guo, I''ll check on this issue."

    "But don''t you worry about my side. I''ve created the role perfectly for you, so it will definitely wait for you," guaranteed Guo Qisheng.

    Ning Xi thanked him again and updated Ling Zhizhi.

    Ling Zhizhi looked worried. "I''m afraid it''s not entirely baseless ims. Su Yimo''s side is probably on the move¡­"

    Ling Zhizhi was always very calm, yet she looked concerned now. "Ning Xi, I''ve told you before right from the start that we cannot offend the support Su Yimo has. If this was really released from the Lu Corporation¡­well, we don''t have much ground to counterattack. You know that before such a strong force, tactics are no use."

    Ning Xi did not know how to console Ling Zhizhi. She could not just tell her that her dearest would never shut her out.

    Thus, she could only say, "Sis Zhizhi, don''t worry. Maybe it''s not as bad as we think!"

    "Sis Zhizhi, Bro Xi, time for the meeting!" At this moment, Xiao Tao knocked on the door to remind them.

    Because it was going to be Glory World Entertainment''s anniversary celebration soon, thepany had especially gathered all the management and influential signed artistes for a huge meeting.

    The crowd had to wait for half a day before Su Yimo, Liang Biqin, and Zhao Meixin made their way inte. However, almost everyone treated it as a regr urrence. Obviously, they were used to Su Yimo''s ways.

    "Yimo, why do you work sote? Take care!" The Vice President did not reprimand her for tardiness at all, instead, voicing out his friendly concern.

    "Okay, since everyone is here, let the meeting begin! Because the CEO is back at the main office and he''s very busytely, I will be chairing this meeting¡­"

    At the meeting, Yi Xudong especiallymended many of the artistes with outstanding contributions. All sorts of flowery praises for Su Yimo was a given.

    As for this year''s most outstanding underdog, Ning Xi, Yi Xudong did not bother to mention her at all; she was basically ignoredpletely.

    After he finished his lengthy prologue, Yi Xudong said emotionally, "Today, I''ve called everyone to also inform you about a very important matter! For thepany''s anniversary celebration this year, our CEO, Lu Tingxiao, will also be attending the event, so everyone must perform well!"

 Chapter 1254: Opportunity For The Hero To Save The Belle

    <h4>Chapter 1254: Opportunity For The Hero To Save The Belle</h4>

    At the Lu Corporation, Lu Jingli was working hard in his office when someone knocked on his door.

    "Come in."

    "Second Master¡­" It was the Creative Director of the Advertising Department, Ye Ying.

    Lu Jingli stretched himself and looked at her, "Yo, little leafy , what''s up?"

    As she looked at Lu Jingli''s wide smile that seeped into his eyes and with him intimately addressing her, even if Ye Ying had been in this role for a long time, she could not help but blush and lightly say, "Second Master, there''s something I need your directions on. Su Yimo''s endorsement contract with our Lu Corporation is up. Currently, we''re discussing renewing it, but Zhao Meixin has increased the renewal fee by double¡­"

    Lu Jingli just indifferently asked, "Just this?"

    Ye Ying quickly continued, "Don''t worry, Second Master. I''ve already agreed on that and didn''t want to disturb you with such small matters at first, but there''s still one more thing¡­ Ourpany has a very important endorsement ad this year, I was going to invite seven super popr male stars. For the seventh person, I was prepared to invite Ning Xi, the female artiste who''s been very popr recently, to let her be the spokesperson with the other six in a male outfit; that way, we would achieve both creativity and ignite talkability¡­"

    Lu Jingli''s eyes lit up when he heard this. He sipped on his coffee and said, "It sure is a good idea."''

    When she heard Lu Jingli''s praise, Ye Ying was both proud yet disappointed. "But Su Yimo''s party has also taken interest in this advert and rmended Liang Biqin to rece Ning Xi. If it''s just about status, then Liang Biqin is fine actually, but if it''s about her image in a male outfit, I''m afraid Liang Biqin''s image won''t cut it and would negatively impact the effect of the ad, and even pull down ourpany''s image."

    Ye Ying kept thinking about it. Finally, she still decided that she could not bear to watch this advertisement be ruined like that. Even if she knew Lu Jingli would probably agree to Su Yimo''s request, she was skeptical and had gone to him for further direction.

    "Ms. Su seems to dislike Ning Xi very much, so to avoid Ms. Su''s unhappiness, I''ve agreed that all the endorsements and activities under the Lu Corporation will exclude Ning Xi¡­"

    "Pfft!" When he heard this, Lu Jingli spit out his coffee.

    Ye Ying was shocked. "Second Master, is there a problem?"

    Lu Jingli took a while to gather himself. Just as he wanted to quickly blurt something out, he suddenly had a thought and remained silent.

    Lu Jingli stroked his chin. Obviously, he could help Xiao Xi Xi right now¡­but it was such a good opportunity for the hero to save the belle, so of course, he should let his brother do it!

    Besides, whoever started the trouble should end it, and only his brother could¡­

    Su Yimo had somehow identally saved Little Treasure''s life back then, but it was just a gimmick to make her popr. This was nothing. As long as she did not ruin herself, merely having that luck from identally saving Little Treasure once was enough for her to have afortable lifetime.

    Back then, his brother had put out a word and did not care about this matter. He had probably long forgotten about her, what more pay attention to this nobody who had been rubbing off on his poprity.

    This time, unfortunately for her, that woman had definitely seeded in getting his brother''s attention¡­

    "Little leafy, do you know that you just saved your own life?" Lu Jingli looked at Ye Ying intently and said.

    "Ah? Second Master, what do you mean?" Ye Ying was confused.

    Lu Jingli sighed, then he kindly said, "Director Ye, don''t sign Su Yimo''s contract renewal and the ad terms for now."

    "Wh-what? Why?" Ye Ying did not understand.

    Lu Jingli smirked. "You''ll know when the timees."

 Chapter 1255: Final Say In This Industry

    <h4>Chapter 1255: Final Say In This Industry</h4>

    At Glory World Entertainment, after the meeting ended, because Vice President Yi Xudong had announced the news about their CEOing, everyone was excited.

    "My God! Will CEO Lu reallye? I''ve worked at Glory World for five years and I''ve never seen the Big Boss!"

    "At least, I''ve seen him once at some event!"

    "How was it? How was it? Is he really as handsome as the rumors say? How''s hepared to our Second Master?"

    "Of course, he''s handsome! He''s so handsome that my knees went weak with just one look! He can''t bepared to the Second Master because they''re two entirely different types!"

    ¡­

    The few crew murmured amongst one another as they looked at Ning Xi pitifully.

    "Ning Xi is so sad. She just became popr but it''ll all be over soon¡­"

    "Who told her to shoot to poprity so quickly, and even hit Queen Su in the face?! I heard that she initially had an endorsement with the Lu Corporation, but one word from Su Yimo changed the spokesperson to Liang Biqin. In fact, Ning Xi shouldn''t even think about being the spokesperson for any of the Lu Corporation''s brands anymore."

    "What? This is so sad! Will the next step be aplete ban?"

    "I think it''s over for Ning Xi. Don''t you see that CEO Lu is personallying over to support Su Yimo?"

    "Hey, I suddenly thought of something. Do you think CEO Lu is going to go public about his rtionship with Su Yimo at this year''s anniversary celebration?"

    ¡­

    On the other side, after the meeting ended, Ning Xi turned off the silent mode on her phone and suddenly saw a message from the devil.

    She quickly opened it and only saw five words on the screen.

    Cabbage Lu: Wait for me toe home.

    When Liang Biqin walked past Ning Xi, she intentionally bumped her hard on her shoulder, but Ning Xi was steady. Not only did Ning Xi not move, Liang Biqin had instead staggered from the recoil and had to be held steady by Zhao Meixin.

    Liang Biqin shot Ning Xi a disgusted look and scoffed with an arrogant attitude, "Ning Xi, if you kneel before me now and apologize to me, maybe I could forgive you once and let you go on living in the entertainment industry."

    Su Yimo watched Liang Biqin insult Ning Xi in public without any intention to stop the action.

    Ning Xi held back the fuming Xiao Tao and put her phone away before shooting Liang Biqin a sideways look as she smiled indistinctly. "The exact same words apply to you. Every dog will have his day, Ms. Liang. Allow me to remind you that it''s not yet certain who has the final say!"

    The moment Ning Xi blurted out these words, almost everyone gasped.

    This Ning Xi was so gutsy! Was she crazy? How dare she say those words in public?

    Ning Xi finished and spun on her heel to leave, ignoring everyone''s reactions.

    After Ning Xi left, Liang Biqin finally realized how arrogant all the words Ning Xi had just uttered were. She was so mad she almost burst a vein. "Cousin! Look at her! Obviously, the lesson this time has not made her reflect on her shorings! How dare she say such arrogant words in front of you to provoke you?!" Liang Biqin said with gritted teeth, then she lowered her voice and said into Su Yimo''s ear, "Cousin, when are we doing it? I''ve already thought of a few good ns for you. I guarantee to kill Ning Xi in a hush-hush manner!"

    Su Yimo smiled coldly. "Do I need a n to deal with her?"

    Liang Biqin was stunned for a while. "Uhh, Cousin, you''re saying¡­"

    At this moment, Zhao Meixin grinned wryly. "Biqin, with our Yimo''s identity, to deal with a witch like Ning Xi only requires one word. There''s no need to go through so much trouble!"

    Liang Biqin instantly brightened up. "Right¡­look at me being all silly!"

 Chapter 1256: Breathtaking

    <h4>Chapter 1256: Breathtaking</h4>

    Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, it was Glory World''s anniversary celebration.

    That day, after thepany meeting, Su Yimo had put word out to the entire entertainment industry to shun Ning Xi.

    Su Yimo was Glory World''s big shot after all, so she had quite an influence in the entertainment circle. Together with the covet for her poprity, Ning Xi''s work stagnated and she almost lost the right to join in the celebrations.

    Atst, it was only after Su Yimo had spoken to Vice President Yi Xudong that Ning Xi was allowed to attend.

    It was such an excellent opportunity for her to get Ning Xi to open her eyes wide and see clearly for herself who had the final say in this industry!

    Glory World''s annual celebration was extraordinarily grand every year. Furthermore, the big boss was attending the function this year, thus Vice President Yi Xudong had put in tremendous effort to make the grand ceremonyvish, and had even invited all the influential media.

    To boost Su Yimo''s status in the entertainment industry, Zhao Meixin could not let go of today''s great opportunity. She had intentionally slipped to the media beforehand that Lu Tingxiao was attending the event for Su Yimo, and in fact, might even publicize his rtionship with Su Yimo today.

    When they heard that the legendary CEO of the Lu Corporation would attend, all of the media could not wait to witness it. Entrance tickets were hard toe by. Besides, there was such controversial gossip making its rounds in the industry. How could they not be excited?

    Tonight, Su Yimo donned the brand that she was a spokesperson for. She wore a custom-made white, long gown that cinched her waist and swelled into a fishtail train. She was extraordinarily charismatic, winning stunned gazes and continouspliments.

    For Su Yimo to have achieved the status she held, it would be wrong to say that she was ipetent at all. A textbook example was how her signature cold and elegant goddess look had been used thoroughly to the point of perfection. Even though many fans were quite tired of her one-dimensional image, there was still a huge crowd of die-hard fans who digged it.

    As soon as Su Yimo stepped onto the red carpet, cameras shed and did not stop.

    After she signed on the autograph wall, Su Yimo was immediately surrounded by many reporters.

    "Yimo, you''re so beautiful today! Only you can bring out Chanel''s ''Goddess'' Wings'' this well!"

    "Yimo, todayis Glory World Entertainment''s fifth year anniversary celebration. Do you have any reflections you''d like to share with us?"

    "Yimo, we heard that CEO Lu of the Lu Corporation will also be here today, and we heard that you''re in a close rtionship with CEO Lu privatel. Is this true?"

    ¡­

    "Ah¡­ That''s¡­"

    As the media was trying to worm facts out of Su Yimo one after another, someone suddenly looked towards the door and eximed.

    All the reporters who were surrounding Su Yimo turned to stare at the door and their eyes zed over¡­

    At the end of red carpet, Ning Xi stood wearing an extremelyvish ck gown. No one could be sure what was used to create that gown, but the threads were light as flowing water, and the gems embellishing it were akin to the Milky Way. The mysterious motifs released a strong vibe of presence no one could ignore.

    Even though Ning Xi wore this extremely breathtaking outfit, as incredibly elegant as it was, her own charisma was not drowned out by it at all. In fact, she looked like the queen of all beings¡­

    Momentster, the stunned crowd started to exim.

    "Too¡­too beautiful!"

    "Who¡­who''s that woman?!"

    "Ning Xi! It''s Ning Xi! Oh my God! I almost couldn''t recognize her!"

 Chapter 1257: Disdained "Beings"

    <h4>Chapter 1257: Disdained "Beings"</h4>

    "My God! What''s the brand of her outfit? How have I never seen it before? This design is practically the work of the gods!" Many started to ask.

    "I know! That''s one of Spirit''s store highlight pieces. It''s called ''Beings''. It''s famous! When it was first released, many socialities and celebrities wanted to buy it, but Spirit didn''t relent even with the sky-high prices offered. It''s very difficult to even rent it for a day. Most importantly, not everyone can carry the dress well. It''s better to be bought for your own personal collection since almost no one dares to wear it¡­"

    "Who would have thought that Ning Xi would look so perfect in it!? In that outfit, she really makes me feel like a ''being'' under her feet,pletely tamed by her!"

    "Oh, my Lord! Our Bro Xi''s female outfit is simply beautiful! Leaving Su Yimo far, far behind! No wonder Su Yimo is so wary of our Bro Xi!" One of the junior reporters was Ning Xi''s fan, so he spoke out indignantly.

    "Softer! Don''t let Su Yimo hear you¡­"

    ¡­

    After the photographers saw Ning Xi, almost all of them had a spark of inspiration and passion at the same time as they raised their cameras.

    Some did not dare to outrightly shoot her, so they did it discretely.

    Unfortunately, because of Su Yimo''s "ban", even if these pictures were taken, they probably would not have the chance to be published.

    Apart from the photographers, the reporters also had their breaths taken away by Ning Xi, but at this moment, no one dared to walk up to her for an interview.

    Despite the media''s apparent neglect, Ning Xi walked in at ease akin to a queen who was walking towards her own garden.

    She slowly floated over the red carpet regally, paused at the autograph wall and signed her name.

    Every one of her move made it hard for one to look away.

    Earlier, when they had seen Su Yimo, they thought that she was stunning, yet now before Ning Xi, Su Yimo was nothing!

    Ning Xi was clearly a rookie who had just entered the circle. She had even been attacked after she rose to stardom with great difficulty, should she not feel entirely set back instead?

    How could her presence still remain so strong?

    This woman was practically born for the entertainment industry, but sadly, she had to go against Su Yimo. This was suicide!

    There were too many artistes in the circle who appeared momentarily and then vanished. After today, it might also be herst public appearance.

    Such a potential seedling might need to end its journey just like that, while she could only watch helplessly. This feeling was akin to knife being twisted cruelly in her heart.

    After Ning Xi''s brief interlude,twist focus of the celebration returned to Su Yimo.

    Compared to Su Yimo being surrounded by many, Ning Xi could only sit in her arranged corner that was far behind.

    All the guests slowly arrived. It was a big drinking party and everyone looked splendid. The night was bing increasingly lively¡­

    "Ms. Su, you''re truly gorgeous today!"

    "Yes, yes! Someone''s really lucky¡­"

    Some of the investors and the CEOs of Glory World Entertainment''s partnerpanies were extremely friendly to Su Yimo. One of them smiled and gave her a toast. "Ms. Su, we''re old friends too. Don''t forget to say a few kind words for me to CEO Lu!"

    Her boosted ego from being surrounded by so many admirers instantly made Su Yimo''s short unhappiness from Ning Xi''s appearance earlier fade. She kindly conversed with the CEOs with some arrogance in her attitude. She was now representing Lu Tingxiao, so she could not let others take her lightly.

 Chapter 1258: My Brother Will Definitely Come Tonight

    <h4>Chapter 1258: My Brother Will Definitely Come Tonight</h4>

    "Ah ah ah!"

    "Second Master! Second Master!"

    "CEO Lu!"

    Apanied by the sound of emotional shrieks from the girls, Lu Jingli stepped foot in the venue.

    Lu Jingli wore an extremely shy pink tuxedo, making him look even more flirtatious and unruly, causing all the girls to scream non-stop.

    In the corner, Ning Xi looked at Lu Jingli''s neon-colored outfit and felt her mouth twitch, but she could not deny that this punk quite suited this color.

    Su Yimo thought Lu Tingxiao hade, so she could not help but feel slightly disappointed when she saw that it was Lu Jingli.

    Liang Biqin teased her from the side, "Cousin is already peering with eager expectations¡­"

    Su Yimo blushed as she shot back, "Nonsense!"

    When he saw that Lu Jingli had arrived, the Vice President, Yi Xudong, quickly went up to greet him and then looked nervously behind him, "CEO, you''re here! What about CEO Lu?"

    He had worked so hard for this. If CEO Lu decided not toe¡­

    "He just got off the ne and is on the way," said Lu Jingli with an indistinct smile towards Yi Xudong, "Don''t worry, my brother will definitelye tonight."

    Yi Xudong felt like Lu Jingli''s tone was somewhat odd, but he did not think further about it. He sighed in relief. Great if he was reallying!

    After he was done with Yi Xudong, Lu Jingli walked to the stage, then raised his hand to signal everyone to quiet down.

    Instantly, everyone kept silent and looked to Lu Jingli on stage.

    Lu Jingli picked up the mic, and with his seductive eyes, he drawled unhurriedly, "Today is Glory World Entertainment''s fifth anniversary. I thank you all for being here, and as everyone knows, my brother will be here today as well. Apart from that, I''ve also got a huge reward for all of ourdies!"

    When they heard this, a wave of curious conversations began.

    "Ah! A reward?!"

    "Second Master, what reward?"

    "Second Master, quickly tell us! Don''t tease now!"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli was calm and collected as he nced towards a certain corner before he continued, "Well, in the past, our opening celebratory dance would be begun by yours truly, but for this year, CEO Lu will do the honors!"

    "Aaah!"

    The moment he said that, his voice was drowned out by sounds of excited yells.

    Lu Jingli pretended to look sad, "Sigh, turns out everyone dislikes me this much!"

    "No way! We like you the most!"

    When the girls saw Lu Jingli''s disappointed expression, that stirred them up again.

    After he was done basking in praises, Lu Jingli continued, "As for my brother''s dance partner, I''m going to shake things up tonight! I''m sure that everyone has received the numbers given out by the waiters when you entered tonight! Please keep this number carefully, everyone. Later on, my brother will be randomly picking one of thedies present to begin the dance with!"

    "What if CEO Lu picks a man?"

    "Don''t worry, there''re onlydies'' numbers in the box."

    All the girls were really excited to hear this.

    "Oh my, does that mean even I would have a chance to dance with CEO Lu?"

    "In your dreams! Don''t even talk about your luck being that good. Do you really think that it will be so random?"

    "You''re right. It''s probably just going to be Su Yimo! We''re just here toplement their fun. Ah, forget it¡­"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1259: Attacked by PDA

    <h4>Chapter 1259: Attacked by PDA</h4>

    Because of the huge announcement Lu Jingli had just made, the entire event seemed even livelier.

    Even though everyone knew that CEO Lu''s dance partner was most probably going to be Su Yimo, thedies still could not help but cling on to a glimmer of hope. What if they were really randomly picked?

    In a certain corner, Jiang Muye''s manager, Lei Ming, was anxiously making a call. "My prince, the CEO is here and CEO Lu is on the way too. Why aren''t you here yet?"

    From the other end came Jiang Muye''s annoying voice. "Who said I wasing?"

    Lei Ming was so fed up with him. "Today is such a huge asion and you''re noting? What are you doing then? Did some emergency happen?"

    Jiang Muye replied, "I''m ying video games."

    "¡­Muye, I''ll beg you then! Even if you just show your face and then leave, it''s fine! It''ll just take up one hour of game time!"

    "I already said I''m not going," said Jiang Muye, annoyed as he hung up.

    Hmm, no way I''m going. I''ll definitely be attacked by PDA¡­

    ¡­

    Offstage, after Lu Jingli finished speaking, Liang Biqin looked starry-eyed as she held Su Yimo''s arm excitedly. "Cousin, I didn''t know CEO Lu was this romantic!"

    Zhao Meixin looked delighted as well, her gaze towards Ling Zhizhi full of mockery.

    As long as Su Yimo was here, she would be Glory World Entertainment''s number one manager forever. It was useless even if Ling Zhizhi discovered great new talents!

    Su Yimo looked longingly at the door as she muttered, "It''s just a random pick. Who knows who''ll get picked?!"

    Zhao Meixin smiled, "Yimo, CEO Lu had prepared everyting tonight especially for you, how could it be anyone else if not you.

    Su Yimo checked her makeup nervously. "Sis Xin, do I look okay? Do I look fine?"

    "All''s fine! You''re so beautiful! CEO Lu would definitely fall for you! CEO Lu has done so much for you, this friendship is remarkable!"

    ¡­

    The celebration event continued ardently.

    However, everyone''s attention was obviously distracted to focus on the person who was about to arrive.

    Time passed slowly. Lu Tingxiao still had not appeared, causing many people to whisper.

    "Why hasn''t hee!? Could it be that he''s noting anymore?"

    "CEO Lu is quite busy after all. I heard that he''s just flown in from work overseas. He''s rushing over right afternding."

    "Does CEO Lu really value tonight''s celebration so much?"

    "He probably values a certain person¡­"

    ¡­

    As they waited worriedly, the Vice President Yi Xudong received a phone call. "What? He''s here? Good, good! Got it!"

    Yi Xudong hung up with a wide smile on his face, then he ran to the door. Glory World Entertainment''s shareholders and management team followed after.

    Outside the entrance, a low-profile ck Maybach stopped quietly.

    With Yi Xudong as the lead, the management stood in two organized lines and waited outside the car.

    The driver got out of the car to pull open the door as a pair of long legs stepped out.

    The man wore a neat ck formal outfit. Without any expression on him, he exuded the prestige of a leader. He was very handsome as if he was God''s most meticulously sculpted work, but his presence overpowered his looks.

    Yi Xudong walked up to greet him humbly, "CEO¡­CEO Lu! You''re here! Come in!"

 Chapter 1260: Fantasy Shattered

    <h4>Chapter 1260: Fantasy Shattered</h4>

    "Ah! He''s here!"

    "CEO Lu is here!"

    "He''s real! It really is CEO Lu!"

    "Oh my God, he looks so handsome. I''m falling for him!"

    "The woman who CEO Lu loves must''ve saved the world in her previous life!"

    ¡­

    Amidst a bunch of girls'' screams, Lu Tingxiao appeared.

    As the man slowly walked along the aisle, the spotlight shadowed him closely. Su Yimo''s heart raced rapidly and she felt herself heating up.

    Liang Biqin reminded her, "CEO Lu is here! Cousin, what are you doing? Go!"

    Zhao Meixin gave her some encouragement as well, "Go, Yimo."

    Suddenly, every woman looked at Su Yimo with intense jealousy.

    Su Yimo imagined herself walking towards him and the man holding her hands¡­

    Finally, she took a deep breath. With her elegant steps and under everyone''s watchful eyes, she walked step by step towards the man¡­

    Lu Tingxiao was walking on the same line as her. As he was blocked by her, he stopped and looked at the woman in front of her.

    Aside from Lu Jingli, everyone else was grinning. "CEO Lu, you''ve made Ms. Su wait for you for a long time¡­"

    Su Yimo seemed as bashful as a little girl. She looked up nervously and saw the god-like man. She quietly called out his name, "Tingxiao¡­"

    She had called this name countless times in her dreams. Now, she could finally say it in real life this time.

    However, Lu Tingxiao''s expression turned colder as he looked at the woman like she was an insignificant ant. "Who are you?"

    At that moment¡­

    There was dead silence.

    No artiste, investor, or media partner expected Lu Tingxiao to react this way.

    This was¡­way different from what they had imagined.

    Su Yimo was still fantasizing about him holding her hands, but the moment she received that three-word reply, she stood there frozen¡­

    What¡­what was happening!?

    Could Tingxiao not want to let the public know about it? Why did hee here personally today then?

    Lu Jingli stood aside and touched his nose. He was impressed by his brother''s ruthless public murder of a girl''s heart.

    Before anyone could follow what was happening, Lu Tingxiao walked pass her expressionlessly.

    After Lu Tingxiao signed his name on the wall, the media partners returned to their senses and surrounded Lu Tingxiao swiftly.

    The journalist from First Entertainment News went first. "CEO Lu, did you just say that you don''t know Ms. Su?"

    "Should I know her?"

    A journalist from One Weekly Magazine asked, "Uh¡­don''t you know about the rumors between you and Ms. Su?"

    "Rumors?"

    The journalist from South News Daily responded, "It is said that you loved Ms. Su for many years, and have been supporting her behind her back!"

    The journalist from First Entertainment News questioned, "Aren''t you nning to make your rtionship with her public during this event?"

    The journalist from The Sun Daily added on, "Rumors say that Ms. Su is your girlfriend!"

    ¡­

    Facing the barrage of questions from a bunch of journalists all at once, Lu Tingxiao stared intently at every one of them. "Do I look like I have such bad taste?"

 Chapter 1261: Revenge For The Wife

    <h4>Chapter 1261: Revenge For The Wife</h4>

    "Do I look like I have such bad taste?"

    When Lu Jingli heard his brother say those words, he felt the pain even though his brother was not talking about him. Imagine what Su Yimo felt¡­

    The way his brother treated any woman aside from Xiao Xi Xi was incredibly cruel¡­

    Su Yimo stood there dumbfounded. She was in deep shock while Liang Biqin and Zhao Meixin were extremely confused as well. Of course, the management in Lu Tingxiao''spany had interesting expressions on their faces as well.

    There was a long silence, then discussions sparked in every corner of the venue.

    In Glory World Entertainment, the oppressed staffs and artistes were unleashing their fury right now, unable to hold it in anymore.

    "Wow! This¡­is the best drama of the year!"

    "Our boss doesn''t know Su Yimo at all. He doesn''t know who she is!"

    "Moreover, didn''t you hear, Boss? He wouldn''t even consider her!"

    "Can I just say that our Boss is the coolest? Did you see Su Yimo''s expression when her fantasy shattered? It was just her own fantasy all along! I knew our Boss wouldn''t have such bad taste! He avoided women for so many years, and he wouldn''t go for someone like Su Yimo!"

    "But¡­I wonder what kind of girl could steal our Boss'' heart!"

    ¡­

    "Huh, I''ve already felt something was not right before. As expected, Su Yimo must''ve gotten delusional. She imagined the plot of a romance movie happening to her, but he doesn''t even know who she is!"

    "Of course, someone like our Boss wouldn''t know about her! She''s just a little famous in the industry. Does she think she''s really a goddess?"

    Although both of them were first-ss renowned celebrities, Su Yimo was still ssified way behind the retired international star Leng Manyun. Everyone was dissatisfied to be ced someone as revolting as Su Yimo as she would use her so-called "supporter", who was Lu Tingxiao, anytime and anywhere. A lot of artistes were just d to see that her "supporter" was non-existent anymore.

    As for the media partners, they were all here for the big news tonight and juicy news indeed they got!

    ¡­

    With just a few words from Lu Tingxiao, the guests and media partners almost went crazy. Even Lu Jingli almost went mad as well.

    Bro, I asked youe here to support me, alright?

    Yet, the moment he arrived, he had taken revenge for his wife!

    "Hey, she''s an artiste from Glory World. Give me some face please!" Lu Jingli went up to him.

    Although it just seemed like a casual conversation, it was meant to further rify the rtionship between Su Yimo and Lu Tingxiao, hinting that Su Yimo''s advancement in career was just because of Lu Jingli''s influence since Glory World Entertainment was his firstpany. On the other hand, Su Yimo had mistakenly thought that Lu Tingxiao had fallen in love with her. What a joke!

 Chapter 1262: Bossâ€™ Taste

    <h4>Chapter 1262: Boss¡¯ Taste</h4>

    In the corner, Xiao Tao was brimming with excitement. She almost wanted to kneel before her boss.

    "Ah¡­Bro Xi! Did you hear that!? Our Big Boss is really cool! Su Yimo must be so embarrassed this time! I''ll see how she use her title as the dy boss of the Lu Corporation'' in the future!"

    Ling Zhizhi did not expect this to happen as well. It was like a wild rollercoaster ride.

    So, this was all a misunderstanding! Lu Tingxiao did not know Su Yimo at all!

    The Lu Corporation''s leniency towards Su Yimo was simply just because she was from Glory World Entertainment?

    But there were so many potential artistes previously, so why did they pick Su Yimo who was not known at that time, and provided her with so much?

    "I think Su Yimo was just lucky. Thepany decided to support one artiste and that''s it, yet she thought Lu Tingxiao was in love with her! Nonsense! I saw the Boss''s expression. He did not look very happy just now. Su Yimo''s going to get into trouble this time¡­" Xiao Tao mumbled.

    Ning Xi just sat there quietly without saying a word. Xiao Tao asked her curiously, "Bro Xi, I realized that you''re pretty calm about this. You don''t even feel anything about everyone avoiding you. Could you have predicted the future and known about this already?"

    Ning Xi looked at her man who was surrounded by journalists andughed, "Because I believe our Boss wouldn''t have such bad taste!"

    "Ugh¡­" Xiao Tao had no rebuttal for this reason.

    Xiao Tao saw Ning Xi was really focused when she looked at the Boss. In fact, she was so focused that there was a certain sweetness in her gaze¡­

    Xiao Tao shook her head and cleared her thoughts. The Boss looked so handsome. Of course, any girl would have this expression.

    ¡­

    "Boss has no rtionship with Su Yimo at all, so about the deal that Second Master mentioned, do we stand a chance now?" One of the female artiste piped up happily.

    "Ahh! I''m so excited!"

    "I want to dance with the Boss!"

    "God, please bless me. Make him pick me!"

    ¡­

    At this moment, Su Yimo still stood frozen at the same spot. Zhao Meixin and Liang Biqin had to drag her to a corner.

    Looking at the man who was far out of reach and the sneers around her, Su Yimo felt like the sky was falling.

    "This isn''t real¡­ This isn''t real¡­ He loves me¡­ He loves me so much¡­" Su Yimo''s mind was not sound at the moment, and she kept mumbling to herself.

    She had been creating this love fantasy for too long, totally deceiving herself¡­

    Actually, she felt that things did not make sense from the start. That small seed of suspicion and greed grew bigger and bigger. In addition to the advantages she had gained from the rumors she had with Lu Tingxiao, she became deeply addicted to it.

    She wanted toplete her perfect dream. Just as she was enjoying herself with the advantages she had gained from everyone, she also deceived herself. She had genuinely believed that this man truly loved her¡­

    Until today, the dream was destroyed, forcefully crushed in front of everyone¡­

 Chapter 1263: Now Taken

    <h4>Chapter 1263: Now Taken</h4>

    She really regretted it¡­

    Why had she not been more careful? If she had, if she was just a little more rational, if she had not been so greedy, she could have continued to enjoy the halo of being "Lu Tingxiao''s woman" and remained on her seat on the throne of the "futuredy boss of the Lu Corporation".

    But tonight, it was all over¡­

    Zhao Meixin also regretted it thoroughly at this point. She thought that with Su Yimo''s grace, Lu Tingxiao would not have embarrassed her publicly even if he was not actually interested in her. Yimo was still the nation''s goddess after all. As long as his attitude had been slightly more ambiguous, they could still continue to go with the flow and cook up this rumor. Had they not been doing this all along since Lu Tingxiao was not the kind to pay attention to entertainment gossip and would not intentionally rify anything?

    Unfortunately, she would not have thought that Lu Tingxiao would be so cruel and leave no room for them. His single sentence of "Who are you?" was enough to crush everything they had nned for. Even hisst reply to the reporters was enough to cast them eternal damnation¡­

    The scariest thing was that CEO Lu looked like he was furious!

    Zhao Meixin would never know what had gone wrong and how tonight had escted to such a stage.

    "Okay, to all friends of the media, just as my brother said, everything you said is a misunderstanding! I hope that everyone will stop believing such rumors in the future. After all, my brother is now taken. He''s also very happy and in love with his girlfriend. If it caused my sister-inw to misunderstand, hehe, I''m afraid he''d need to kneel on the washboard!" Lu Jingli teased.

    Lu Jingli''s joke had caused a huge wave of sensation across the room!

    The media would never have thought that shocking news woulde one after another!

    Hundreds of mics were hurled out by the reporters to Lu Jingli.

    "Wh-what!? Second Master, are you trying to say that CEO Lu already has a girlfriend?"

    "I wonder whichdy is CEO Lu''s girlfriend? Or is it someone in the entertainment circle?"

    "Second Master, is what you''re saying true?"

    "Second Master, could you reveal a little bit more?!"

    "Second Master¡­"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli chuckled, "I''m not allowed to reveal too much about my future sister-inw''s identity, but I can tell you that they''ve been dating for almost a year and their rtionship is very stable. I''ve been stuffed by all their disy of affection!"

    The media could never hope to get ahold of the woman''s identity, so they could only attack from other aspects, and the mics all turned to Lu Tingxiao.

    "CEO Lu, is Second Master telling the truth?"

    "When are you nning to get married to your girlfriend?"

    "CEO Lu has such good taste. I''m sure your girlfriend is very beautiful too!"

    ¡­

    After Lu Tingxiao took revenge for the wife, he did not n to speak again, but he was in a good mood at this moment and answered the reporters curtly, "It''s true. Up to her. Beautiful."

    The crowd was speechless.

    Uhh, his answers were really concise!

    As for the first question, it turns out that Lu Jingli was telling the truth! The rumors from before were true. Lu Tingxiao already had a girlfriend. However, that person was not Su Yimo who had been using his name to show off and swindle! No wonder CEO Lu had rified it in public for the first time. He was afraid that the one back home would misunderstand and be jealous!

    In regard to the second question about when to get married, CEO Lu actually said he would go with the girl''s thoughts. This tone sounded like he had been entirely locked down by the woman.

    As for thest question¡­beautiful! Oh, this loving yet proud tone!

 Chapter 1264: Who Could It Be?

    <h4>Chapter 1264: Who Could It Be?</h4>

    When they heard Lu Tingxiao''s reply, the crowd all agreed with what Second Master had said, even they had been attacked by the sudden disy of affection!

    So much of the revealed information had been learned within only a few sentences of interviewing him!

    As the No. 1 person on the leaderboard for the man that women wanted to marry the most, he had finally announced his unavable status today!

    Lu Tingxiao had a girlfriend! It turned out Lu Tingxiao liked women. In fact, the two had been dating for quite a while!

    In that case, if it was someone in the entertainment industry, to have a boyfriend like Lu Tingxiao, that woman must be a powerful somebody in the industry by now!

    After all, if Su Yimo could do as she wished in the entertainment circle just by borrowing Lu Tingxiao''s name, what more Lu Tingxiao''s actual girlfriend!

    Who could it be?

    Was it Leng Manyun who had previously retired?

    That was not right. Leng Manyun was not young. In fact, she had retired to marry someone, and CEO Lu had not yet married his girlfriend¡­

    Could it be that super popr singer from Polystar Records, Qu Jing, that skyrocketed to fame?

    Or Meng Shiyi, the movie star who debuted with great opportunities, and was even rumored to have a strong support?

    ¡­

    All those who had risen to fame and had strong support behind them in the entertainment circle was spected by everyone. Of course, most people still leaned towards hazarding the girlfriend being a socialite.

    "Okay, since everyone is here, let''s officially begin our celebration! That''s right, next up is the segment you''re all most excited for. We''ll see who''s the lucky one that''ll get the chance for this dance!" Lu Jingli said this with enthusiasm.

    Finally, it was time for the lucky draw. All the girls present were very excited. Someone in the crowd then said, "Wouldn''t thedy boss be jealous if the Boss dances with another woman?"

    Lu Jingli''s gaze turned to a corner and said with a smirk, "How could it be!? This is work! My sis-inw is still quite understanding!"

    Yet, the truth was¡­how could his brother dance with another woman? Hehehe¡­

    Lu Tingxiao walked to the middle of the stage, then twodies carried a big red box onto the stage.

    Vice President Yi Xudong turned pale with fright when he saw it. He wanted to stop them but it was toote. On stage, the man''s long fingers had unhurriedly picked out a strip of paper with a number on it¡­

    The host carefully took the paper from the Big Boss, then he excitedly looked to the crowd and said, "Who will our luckydy be? I will immediately announce this for all¡­"

    "Stop with the suspense, quickly announce it!"

    "What number!? What number!?"

    "Number 7, number 7. Please be number 7, aaaah!"

    ¡­

    Under all the tense faces, the host slowly opened up the strip of paper, then said, "The luckydy is¡­number 29! Who''s number 29?"

    The crowd buzzed and everyone looked at each other. Sadly, none of them were number 29¡­

    "Yimo! It''s you! You''re number 29!" Zhao Meixin who had been gloomy, suddenly excitedly pulled at Su Yimo''s arm.

    Su Yimo then returned to her senses and looked pleasantly surprised at her number. "Is it¡­me?"

    "Yes, Yimo!" Zhao Meixin did not care about everything else. She was afraid of losing this chance to turn the tables, so she quickly said aloud.

    When Zhao Meixin spoke, there was a momentary silence across the crowd¡­

    Su Yimo? How annoying!

 Chapter 1265: Amazing, My Brother!

    <h4>Chapter 1265: Amazing, My Brother!</h4>

    Everyone looked dismally at the unfairness of the situation!

    Anyone was better than Su Yimo!

    "How shameless! Now that she''s unsessful in bragging and swindling, she''s turned to straight up seducing now?"

    "The Boss dislikes her! Please don''t dance with her! Anyone is better than Su Yimo!"

    "But it''s such an important asion today. Many reporters are watching too. Second Master has already exined the rules. Even if Su Yimo rigged it, they probably can''t change anything¡­"

    ¡­

    "Yimo, don''t give up! With your beauty, no man would be unmoved. It''s just a girlfriend. They''re not married, so you still have a chance!" Zhao Meixin spoke to Su Yimo as she shot a mean look at the host.

    The host was in Su Yimo''s gang of supporters, and he was afraid that there would be changes, so he quickly continued, "Congrattions, Yimo! Could we please invite her¡­"

    However, before he could finish, a cold voice was heard beside him, "Change it to someone else."

    The host was stunned. He had been frightened by Lu Tingxiao''s presence that his entire body shook.

    Change to someone else?

    Lu Tingxiao had actually ordered him to change just like that. He was not subtle about his hatred for Su Yimo at all!

    "Oh! Long live the Boss!"

    "Too cool!"

    "This is how you need to treat people like her!"

    ¡­

    "You pick," Lu Tingxiao looked to the host and said.

    The host dared not disagree. He swiftly picked out another number and after he looked at the number, the host almost fell to the ground as his knees gave way¡­

    At the same time, the suspended high-definition camera had been guided to zoom in on the strip of paper¡­

    On the huge screen behind him, a two-digit number was clearly shown on the strip of paper. It was 29!

    29 again!

    "Hey! How could there be two 29''s?"

    "Is this even a question? That box is definitely filled with number 29''s!"

    "Hahaha¡­Su Yimo is being humiliated big time tonight!"

    "Could she be any more embarrassed tonight?"

    ¡­

    The Vice President Yi Xudong staggered up onto the stage and was terrified as he said, "I"m really sorry, CEO Lu. There''s been a slight mistake!"

    Then, he shot an angry look at the host. "What are you doing? How could you have gotten two of the same numbers?"

    The host looked guilty, yet he could not defend himself.

    Offstage, Zhao Meixin fell to the ground¡­

    Over¡­

    It was all over¡­

    They had thought that this could be their chance to turn the tables, but who would have thought that it was thest straw to topple them instead?

    She dared not think about how crushed Su Yimo''s carefully crafted image of an elegant star would be after tonight.

    After a short obstacle, Lu Jingli chucked as he brought another box on stage, and to indicate fairness, he had even picked out multiple numbers to prove that they were all different, then he reced the host''s spot¡­

    This time, everyone agreed on the fairness of the situation, and they watched with excitement as Lu Tingxiao reached into the box again¡­

    "Oh, oh, oh, who could it be!? This time, it''s reallypletely based on luck!" Xiao Tao held onto Ning Xi''s arm excitedly.

    On stage, Lu Jingli smiled sneakily as he took the strip of paper from his brother. He slowly opened it up and was ready to rig it to be Xiao Xi Xi, yet his eyes widened at this point¡­

    Whoa!

    Number 166!

    My amazing brother! He actually managed to pick Xiao Xi Xi?

 Chapter 1266: Totally Unfair!

    <h4>Chapter 1266: Totally Unfair!</h4>

    It was already proven that the box waspletely unrigged, but Lu Jingli had a pair of magic hands. No matter what number his brother picked, he could swap it with Xiao Xi Xi''s number without anyone seeing¡­

    He was much better than Yi Xudong!

    This was not the first time Lu Jingli was doing this, so Lu Tingxiao knew about it as well.

    As Lu Jingli was about to demonstrate his skills, his brother had actually picked Ning Xi''s number on his own!

    Bro, what luck!

    Even the heavens are helping you. That''s totally unfair!

    Lu Jingli had invisible tears on his face as he looked at the number on the small piece of paper. "The number your dear boss picked is¡­number 166! Please wee our luckydy tonight!"

    The camera shifted through the crowd and looked for number 166¡­

    Ling Zhizhi was dumbfounded. It was Ning Xi!

    Xiao Tao was hopping happily. "Ah! Bro Xi! It''s you!"

    She was really lucky tonight. Not only could she witness Su Yimo''s embarrassing moment, she had also won the lucky draw of the night.

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows, but she soon noticed that it must be a trick of Lu Jingli''s.

    The camera closed in on Ning Xi and the number 166 in her hand. The crowd was surprised.

    "Wow! It''s Ning Xi!"

    "Although I''m not selected, somehow I feel d that Ning Xi was selected!"

    "Hahaha¡­of course! Su Yimo was trying to bully her before!"

    "I think Ning Xi being the lucky girl is pretty nice. Lady Su''s expression must be so fascinating!"

    "But¡­I wonder if the Boss is happy this time. Maybe he might want to change?"

    ¡­

    "Oh, my! It''s Ning Xi! As expected of the girl I recruited personally, just my luck! Come here quickly!"

    After Lu Jingli''s invitation, Ning Xi adjusted her dress a little and went up the stage.

    Su Yimo stared at Ning Xi, she clenched her fists so tightly that her fingernails left on her palms. "How could it be Ning Xi!?"

    "It must be rigged! It''s impossible for it to be Ning Xi!" Liang Biqin was really bitter. "CEO Lu would never agree to dance with that witch! I bet not¡­since he doesn''t even¡­"

    Liang Biqin almost wanted to say "he doesn''t even like you".

    Under everyone''s gaze, Lu Tingxiao suddenly moved. He adjusted his cor a little and walked down the stage towards Ning Xi.

    Finally, they stood in front of each other, just two steps away.

    Lu Tingxiao took a gentlemanly bow and extended his hand towards her.

    Ning Xi looked at the cold-looking man in front of her. She was mesmerized for a while, then she gently ced her hands on the man''s wide palm.

    The music started ying and Lu Tingxiao led the girl to the dance floor. He put his hand around her waist, then started moving along with the music¡­

    Lu Jingli remained silent. He had prepared a long, exciting speech to heat up the atmosphere.

    How could you two start dancing right away?

 Chapter 1267: Bad Hand!

    <h4>Chapter 1267: Bad Hand!</h4>

    Ning Xi thought there would be a lot of interacting events with the crowd, but she did not expect Lu Tingxiao to drag her to the dance floor right away.

    "Umm¡­your brother looks like he has something else to say¡­" Ning Xi nced at the appalled Lu Jingli.

    "Ignore him."

    "Okay¡­"

    Under therge crystal ball, the man in the ck suit was a fitting pair with the woman in the retro Oriental ck dress as if they were a couple. Surprisingly, Ning Xi seemed unfazed in front of such a charismatic person like Lu Tingxiao¡­

    As the saying went, the enemy of an enemy is a friend. A few female artistes whispered among each other. Although they were really envious, they did not really hold any ill intentions against Ning Xi¡­

    "To be honest, from her outlook alone, I have no opinions about Ning Xi!"

    "What an orchestra of beauty!"

    "I''m so envious! I want to dance with the Boss too! Why aren''t I as lucky as Ning Xi!"

    One of the female artistes seemed like a fan of Ning Xi''s. "Bro Xi wasn''t really that lucky. She was ostracized by Su Yimo''s gang and could only take on small-budget projects. Now that she''s be famous, everyone avoided her just because of a few words. I think she deserved it. If not, I''ll be questioning my life if Su Yimo could get her way!"

    "Su Yimo won''t be controlling us anymore!" Someone said.

    Some people looked suspicious. "Even if the Boss didn''t know anything about Su Yimo, Lu Jingli should know how arrogant Su Yimo was acting. I don''t get why he was so lenient with her¡­"

    "Maybe he''s been unhappy about it for some time. If not, why did he recruit Ning Xi over to suppress her?!"

    "Now, that''s interesting. Since Su Yimo lost her title as the "Lady Boss of the Lu Corporation", can she beat Ning Xi?"

    A slightly more experienced female artiste analyzed, "Even if we factor out Lu Tingxiao, Su Yimo has a solid foundation in the industry, so it''s not easy for Ning Xi to rece her! But she''s still young and has a lot of potential. Now that Lu Tingxiao has helped her out personally¡­we wouldn''t know what could happen in the future!"

    ¡­

    The rumors between Su Yimo and Lu Tingxiao had been cleared. After Lu Tingxiao danced with Ning Xi, it meant that people no longer had to avoid Ning Xi anymore!

    All the photographers aimed their camera on Ning Xi. The people who had taken photos of Ning Xi just now were d that they did. Those who were afraid of Su Yimo and had not taken any photos earlier started regretting it, so they seized the chance and took more shots now¡­

    At midnight, at tinum Pce, no.6.

    The chat group was chiming non-stop. Jiang Muye ignored all of it as he knew they must be discussing the anniversary tonight.

    The screen shed with a big "GAME OVER". Jiang Muye threw away his controller angrily, then hey down on the floor mat behind him.

    Notifications still kept popping up on his phone annoyingly.

    Finally, Jiang Muye opened the chat group. Thetest message was a video, and Jiang Muye tapped on it.

    In the video, right in the center of the dance floor, under the mesmerizing lighting, Ning Xi was waltzing with Lu Tingxiao. It looked just like they were in a movie¡­

    Jiang Muye was miffed. He tossed his phone away and he pped his hand hard. "Bad hand! Bad hand!"

    He had already avoided the celebration this much, yet it was all futile¡­

 Chapter 1268: Fateful Match

    <h4>Chapter 1268: Fateful Match</h4>

    After they finished the dance, Lu Tingxiao made a short speech then passed the floor back to Lu Jingli and Yi Xudong.

    "¡­a notable mention fromst month, ''Dream Chaser'' became a big hit. Ning Xi is the real unexpected winner of the industry this time¡­" When he was making the concluding speech, his cold and ignorant attitude towards Ning Xi was nowhere to be seen. He even specially mentioned her achievements in "Dream Chaser" and gave her a lot of encouragement as if he had be a totally different person.

    If possible, of course, he wanted Glory World to produce more high-quality artistes.

    Glory World Entertainment was fairly new, but they had caught up very quickly. Their overall level of artistes was very high, and they had a lot of amazing new recruits as well. Their sales numbers had been leading the chartspared to otherpanies, and they even surpassed the toppany in the industry, Starlight Entertainment, but¡­theycked charismatic and influential top artistes.

    Starlight Media was the oldest in the industry. They had the ssic and well-known Song Qiumin, Ding Shan, and Liu Yan. Although most of them were not active in the industry anymore, they helped to build the foundation of Starlight. Even the newer generation artistes like Ning Xueluo, Li Yueling, and Fan Luo were doing pretty well too¡­

    Speedy Multimedia produced the dozen award winner, Song Lin, and had several best actors and actresses of the year award holders. Even the newly started Sunset Multimedia had a young best actress of the year achiever, Meng Shiyi¡­

    Ever since Leng Manyun left Glory World Entertainment, they had a lot of new artistes, but none of them were influential enough to represent thepany on their own. There were several instances when some of them received foreign awards before, but they were all best female supporting characters¡­

    As for Ning Xi, Yi Xudong did not expect much from her. Because she was too pretty, it would be very difficult for her to get awards. None of the prominent award holders were chosen because of their looks. Having a slightly normal face would actually increase the chance of getting recognition, so the beautiful female artistes would need to make themselves look uglier on purpose to stand a chance. That was the unsaid rule within themunity¡­

    Take Su Yimo for example. She would never take on any jobs that would tamper with her image. After she had reached where she was at the moment, she would not really advance any further. The reason anyone was interested in Su Yimo was because of Lu Tingxiao¡­

    ¡­

    At midnight, after the anniversary celebrations, Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi went back to the tinum Pce one after another.

    The moment Ning Xi reached home, she was weed with a passionate warm hug.

    "Is Little Treasure asleep?"

    "Mmm."

    "Youpleted everything you had to?" Ning Xi looked at the man''s tired face. He had rushed to the dinner right after hended, probably having sped up his schedule and working overtime.

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao was busy kissing her and probably did not really hear what she just said. He was focused on her lips¡­

    She did not have the time to remove her makeup. Oddly, her regal look seemed like she was a cute little girl in his arms.

    Ning Xi felt a little itchy, so she pushed him away. "Right, Lu Tingxiao, I''ve been wanting to ask you just now. When you picked the number, did Lu Jingli do any tricks to it? Or did you?"

    The man looked at her solemnly. "Nope, it''s you."

    "Huh? What do you mean?" Ning Xi was confused.

    "I picked your number."

    Ning Xi opened her eyes wide. "What!? No way! Are you for real?"

    "It''s real."

    "So, you guys were nning to do something, but you picked my number instead? It''s fate! My dear, we''re a fateful match indeed!"

    "Mmm."

 Chapter 1269: Something Major Happened!

    <h4>Chapter 1269: Something Major Happened!</h4>

    The next morning, all the entertainment tabloids in the newspapers and magazines as well as the Inte headlines all featured the shocking news from Glory World Entertainment''s anniversary celebration!

    Su Yimo''s public rtions team had to work overtime and find ways to stop the flow of information through media, yet their efforts were to no avail. Without Lu Tingxiao backing her up, Su Yimo was just another artiste in the entertainment industry¡­

    Even a more famous artiste''s life and death were within the control of the media.

    Furthermore, withst night''s situation, Lu Tingxiao had made it clear that he had intentionally rified the rumors. All of them would obviously fight to be on his good side.

    Early morning, at the pantry in the Lu Corporation, Ye Ying had arrived a littlete today. After she put down her bag, she took her mug to the pantry and immediately heard excited chatter.

    "What''s with the excitement today?"

    When they saw Ye Ying, someone immediately gripped her excitedly and said mysteriously, "Director Ye, you still don''t know!? Something major has happened!"

    "What? What happened?" Ye Ying asked.

    One of the secretaries replied, "Yesterday, at Glory World Entertainment''s anniversary celebration, our Boss publicly announced that he already has a girlfriend! In fact, they''ve been dating for a long time, and their rtionship is going steady too!"

    "What?" Ye Ying was so shocked that her hand shook and the coffee in her mug sloshed violently. She questioned, "The Boss really went public with Su Yimo?"

    When they heard Ye Ying''s words, everyone in pantry spurt out inughter. "What!? The exact opposite! The Boss publicly turned Su Yimo down and said he didn''t know her at all. He even said that he wouldn''t have such bad taste!"

    Ye Ying was even more bewildered now. She was stunned for a long time before reacting, "W-What!? If it''s not Su Yimo¡­then who is it?"

    "I don''t know, the Boss is keeping it a tight secret. He didn''t reveal anything, but we do know that the Boss really pampers her. Last night, we were attacked by huge disys of affection! You can see for yourself!" One of the secretaries passed a newspaper to Ye Ying.

    Ye Ying quickly put down her mug and impatiently flipped through it.

    All the media did not dare to reveal too much of Lu Tingxiao''s news. They did not even attempt to put a single picture, but they did describest night''s events vividly as if it was a nove. There were many twists and turns like a roller coaster¡­

    "Who are you?", "Should I know you?", "Is my taste that bad?". Just three of these sentences were enough for one to imagine the strong presence that man hadst night¡­

    Whoa!

    She had been carefully serving Su Yimo all along but the woman had been bragging and swindling about nothing from the start?

    When she finished reading it, Ye Ying almost puked blood. At the same time, she was incredibly grateful that Lu Jingli had told her not to rush into signing the contract with Su Yimo.

    After she put down the newspaper, Ye Ying walked swiftly back to the office in her high heels and immediately called Ning Xi''s manager, Ling Zhizhi.

    Earlier in the tabloids, even with Su Yimo stealing the show, Ning Xi still managed to garner most of the reports.

    Even though there were no pictures in the report, it had substantially mentioned how Su Yimo tried to rig the lucky draw, yet was rejected by Lu Tingxiao on the spot before he picked Ning Xi for the dance¡­

    This dance was not just a simple dance. It further rified Lu Tingxiao''s attitude towards her.

    "Hello, is this Ning Xi''s manager, Ms. Ling? Hello, I''m the Creative Director of the Lu Corporation, Ye Ying. Our corporation is going to shoot amercial soon, and we''d like to invite Ning Xi over for an audition¡­"

    After she sessfullymunicated the audition details to Ling Zhizhi, Ye Ying felt refreshed and energetic.

    At that moment, her phone rang.

    It was Zhao Meixin.

 Chapter 1270: Fell From Pedestal

    <h4>Chapter 1270: Fell From Pedestal</h4>

    "Hello, Director Ye?"

    "Ms. Zhao, you''re calling pretty early. Is there anything you need ?"

    "Well, I just wanted to ask when our Yimo should sign the renewal of her contract. Also, Biqin''smercial! It''s been many days. Logically, it should be time to sign the contract,"

    When Ye Ying heard this, she sneered. This Zhao Meixi! How dare she mention this!?

    She was the Creative Director of the Lu Corporation headquarters. Everyone in the circle were courteous her, except for Zhao Meixin who used her position to bully others, even going overboard with requests in their time of coboration. Now that she knew Su Yimo was not even the Big Boss''s woman, she did not need to care to be courteous.

    "Huh, Ms. Zhao, I''m very sorry. The double endorsement fees previously requested was really just too outrageous, and Ms. Su''s influence for our products during her endorsement hasn''t been that fantastic, so we''ve already decided to use other artistes. As for Liang Biqin¡­Ms. Zhao, you know well enough about the online reviews Liang Biqin received for her movie. How could we let a rat''s feces ruin the pot of porridge if we''ve made huge investments in this ad? It''s best to have some self-awareness!"

    After she kept it in for so long, she could finally release it all in one breath. Ye Ying had really not given any face to Zhao Meixin.

    "You¡­" On the other end of the phone, Zhao Meixin was about to explode, but she probably remembered that times were different now, so she surpressed her anger and said, "Director Ye, what do you mean? Haven''t we already discussed these things earlier? Yet, now you want to go back on your words?"

    It was best if she did not mention it, but now that she did, Ye Ying was more offended. "Without my Boss''s name, you fully know yourself how much your artiste is worth! Our Lu Corporation is not a rubbish hub!" Ye Ying finished and hung up.

    At a certain high-end vi in Imperial, for the entire night, Su Yimo, Zhao Meixin, and Liang Biqin did not sleep a wink. Since the night before, they had beening up with ns and making calls, but the situation had still progressed to such a dire stage.

    Zhao Meixin was worried that any dy would bring trouble. The moment it was working hours, she called Ye Ying to talk about the contract, but she never expected this response¡­

    She thought that only Biqin''smercial gig would not hold up at most, but it never urred to her that even Su Yimo''s contract renewal was a lost cause.

    "How''s it?" Su Yimo asked.

    Zhao Meixin looked gloomy as she responded, "That god damned Ye Ying! She''s taking advantage of the situation. Not only did we lose Biqin''smercial, even your contract won''t be signed¡­"

    "How could this be!? Those people are too much!" Liang Biqin was exasperated.

    Su Yimo clenched her fists hard. In just one night, her everything had turned upside down. All those who used to fawn over her were beginning to avoid her.

    Ever since she had risen to fame, she was carefully treated everywhere no matter where she went, but now that she had fallen from her pedestal, how could she bear this grief?

    Then again, she had forgotten that all of this was never hers to begin with.

    When she saw that Su Yimo looked increasingly upset, Zhao Meixin pinched the space between her brows and said, "Yimo, don''t be too sad. Even without Lu Tingxiao, you''re still Glory World Entertainment''s A-lister¡­"

    "Huh, A-lister¡­" Su Yimo sneered.

    What A-lister? Now, she was just a joke in Glory World Entertainment and the entire entertainment industry!

    Zhao Meixin knew that without Lu Tingxiao''s halo, their loss was huge. The entertainment industry had strongpetition, and Su Yimo was not young. Without any backup, she could be reced if she was not careful.

    No! She had made it to her position with hard work and she would not allow everything to be over just like that!

    Zhao Meixin cleared her throat and softened her tone as she leaned closer to Su Yimo and advised, "Yimo, we must move on. The situation''s already like this. The most important thing is to quickly think of a resolution. I''ve just helped you set a dinner appointment. It''s with Rong Xin Real Estate''s boss¡­"

 Chapter 1271: Who Else Are You Remaining Your Chastity For?

    <h4>Chapter 1271: Who Else Are You Remaining Your Chastity For?</h4>

    Who would have thought that before Zhao Meixin could finish, Su Yimo flew into a terrible rage?

    "Zhao Meixin! What do you mean?! Are you treating me like those women who sell themselves in the entertainment industry?!"

    As soon as Su Yimo finished, Liang Biqin instantly looked upset.

    What did she mean by "women who sell themselves"? Before this, she had slept with the director and investors many times to maintain her rtionship with them. Was she just a woman who sold herself in her eyes while Su Yimo remained pure herself?

    Zhao Meixin was upset but she suppressed her emotions and continued, "Yimo, look at you. Hasn''t the entertainment industry always been like this? You''ve been in it for so long. Don''t you understand? I''ve just gotten news that themercial has gone to Ning Xi. Even the endorsement might be taken away by her. Guo Qisheng''stest production has also booked her to be the female lead. If you still don''t open up, you''ll soon be stepped on by her, then you''d really be done for!"

    Su Yimo bit her lip as her expression darkened. "No, I will not entertain that disgusting old man!"

    From Lu Tingxiao to Sun Zhanpeng, that 50-odd-year-old man with a huge belly and perverted appetite¡­she could not take it!

    Liang Biqin could not help but mutter, "Cousin, Lu Tingxiao''s already dissociated himself from you publicly. Who else are you remaining your chastity for?"

    "You! How dare you!?" Su Yimo pped her.

    Now, even Liang Biqin dared to speak to her like that.

    Liang Biqin looked miserable as she held her face in shame. She roared back, "Am I wrong? That''s what happened! Why can I do it but you can''t!? Do you think you''re still that high-updy boss of the Lu Corporation!? Lu Tingxiao doesn''t even fancy you, yet you still pretend to be all virtuous. Do you expect all of us to die with you?"

    She had previously been treating her cousin like the queen, being her little minion, but now she did not even dare to leave her house. All of the fantasized glory and wealth were all gone!

    "Stop fighting!" Zhao Meixin frowned. "Yimo, Biqin''s words don''t sound pleasant, but she''s just telling the truth. CEO Sun obviously can''tpare to Lu Tingxiao, but how many in the circle can get to such a high position at a young age like Lu Tingxiao did?"

    Su Yimo felt her body tremble as her eyes were bloodshot. She said coldly, "Who said that I must personally sleep with him to get on Sun Zhanpeng''s good side?"

    "You''re saying¡­" Zhao Meixin was muttering to herself.

    "Didn''t we hear that Sun Zhanpeng was interested in Ning Xi too?" Su Yimo said with a sinister tone.

    "I heard about that too. At a charity banquet, Sun Zhanpeng had gone up against another tycoon for Ning Xi!" When she said this, she thought about the rich fan that had spent $ 100 million to curry her favor and Zhao Meixin was a little envious.

    If Su Yimo had Ning Xi''s looks, it was possible to get close to any bigwigs! Even seducing Lu Tingxiao would be very likely.

    Unfortunately¡­

    Liang Biqin was attracted by this idea as well. "Cousin, you''re saying¡­send Ning Xi to Sun Zhanpeng? But Ning Xi is very cunning. I''ve never heard her have any rtionships with any tycoons despite being in the industry for a while now. She''s probably waiting on a good offer for solid support. It''s not that easy¡­"

    Zhao Meixin shook her head while something shed in her eyes. "Not necessarily!"

    Now that Su Yimo''s poprity had hit rock bottom, even if they looked for Sun Zhanpeng now, he might not buy the deal, and might even take them lightly. If they could figure a way to help Sun Zhanpeng get Ning Xi, it would double the effect¡­

    Zhao Meixin''s head started to be full of ideas. Coincidentally, there was a great opportunity happening soon! This would determine whether they could make aeback or not!

    In Su Yimo''s current situation, she needed to get stable backup as soon as possible.

 Chapter 1272: Iâ€™ll Go And Get You

    <h4>Chapter 1272: I¡¯ll Go And Get You</h4>

    A few dayster, at a holiday resort in Imperial, the Vice President of Glory World Entertainment had organized a dinner. He invited numerous investors and partners to attend the function.

    Of course, there were several famous artistes there, and Ning Xi was one of them.

    Usually, important dinners like this would be apetition among the top artistes. Ning Xi would surely not be able to have this chance, but Xu Yidong had invited her specifically. Apparently, he wanted her to be more prominent now.

    As for Su Yimo, the incident from the anniversary night had died down a little, so after some thought, Yi Xudong still invited her in the end. They had invested too many resources on her and could not just let it go to waste.

    Throughout the night, the investors, who were usually focused on Su Yimo, had been putting their attention on the rising star, Ning Xi.

    "I didn''t expect that Ms. Ning would look even more beautiful than she does in the movies!"

    "I was wondering which artiste was so amazing to turn a few million dor project into $ 3 billion revenue! It''s your artiste after all, Mr. Yi!"

    "Hahaha¡­no wonder CEO Sun couldn''t forget about her!"

    ¡­

    "Haha, it''s normal for a gentleman to like beautifuldies!" Sun Zhanpeng touched his chin and looked at Ning Xi with a wicked gaze.

    Usually, he would haveid his hands on his victim already, but he was oddly civil tonight although he could not hide the wild intentions in his eyes.

    He had been hinting to Su Yimo that he wanted to have a taste of what Lu Tingxiao''s woman felt like, but she had rejected him. Now that everyone realized she was totally unrted to Lu Tingxiao, he had wasted all his resources spent on her earlier.

    Oh, well, that woman promised him a big "gift" tonight!

    Recently, Yi Xudong had been facing immense humiliation because of Su Yimo, but now that he saw that Ning Xi was being highly praised by his partners, he felt pleased. "Ning Xi sure has potential, but of course, it was all thanks to everyone''s support! I hope that our rtionship can still continue!"

    When Ning Xi first returned, she was not really used to events like these, but now she was able to handle it perfectly. She shared a toast with Yi Xudong. The way she carried herself was great as well, so Yi Xudong was very contented.

    Liang Biqin stared at Ning Xi while stabbing the piece of beef on the te with her fork. Su Yimo remained silent with hatred in her eyes.

    Wait until the whole world sees your nude pictures with that disgusting old man Sun Zhanpeng! I''ll see what you will do then!

    If this big news blew up, her embarrassing incident at the anniversary would soon be forgotten¡­

    "I''ll go to the washroom!" Ning Xi left her seat politely.

    Liang Biqin then hinted to the waiter near her. The waiter nodded and he refilled the drinks in Ning Xi''s ss. At the same time, he mixed in some powder from his palm without anyone noticing¡­

    In the washroom, Ning Xi''s phone rang. It was Lu TIngxiao.

    Ning Xi''s mask was removed instantly. "Hello¡­"

    "Is it over?" The man asked.

    "Nope, but it should be soon!"

    "At Dragon Leap Club?

    "Yeap!"

    "Let me know when you''re done. I''ll go and get you."

    "Okay!"

 Chapter 1273: You Wonâ€™t Die If You Donâ€™t Ask For It

    <h4>Chapter 1273: You Won¡¯t Die If You Don¡¯t Ask For It</h4>

    Ning Xi returned to her seat pretty quickly.

    As she sat down, Liang Biqin straightened her back and Su Yimo tensed up as well. They were secretly looking over at Ning Xi''s direction.

    Ning Xi nced at the filled up ss in front of her, then she held it up slowly and ced it on her palm.

    But after some time, Ning Xi did not drink it. Liang Biqin and Su Yimo were starting to get impatient.

    When Ning Xi was out of the country, she had been imitating how First Senior Brother did it. They just drank it all in one shot. When she came back, she could not really adapt to the culture in the entertainment industry and was drugged several times. She would never make that kind of mistake again¡­

    It was an unspoken rule that one should never drink any alcoholic drink after you leave your seat unattended, especially in a club or a dinner like this as you would never know if it had been drugged.

    Moreover, both Liang Biqin and Su Yimo were here¡­

    She would be an idiot if she drank it!

    Su Yimo could not wait any longer, so she stood up and made a toast. "I''m very thankful for everyone''s support towards Glory World and I. Here''s one for everybody!"

    "Me too!" Liang Biqin stood up as well.

    Several other artistes followed their example, including Ning Xi.

    Yi Xudong felt relieved when he saw Su Yimo''s considerate behavior. Su Yimo finished her drink, then nced at Ning Xi.

    Finally, Ning Xi held up her ss and finished her drink as well. She then courteously used a white towel to wipe her mouth.

    Su Yimo and Liang Biqin looked at each other in relief.

    Actually, Ning Xi had not drunk the alcohol at all. She had spat it out into the white towel.

    "I''m sorry, everyone. I think I''m a little drunk now. I''ll go back to my room first!" Sun Zhanpeng could not wait anymore, so he could not focus during the dinner. Instead, he went back to his room before 11 p.m.

    After Sun Zhanpeng left, most people did not drink much and left soon after.

    Dragon Leap was one of the top clubs in town and the location was very quiet, so Yi Xudong had booked rooms for everyone to stay there for the night.

    After the dinner ended, Ning Xi sent Lu Tingxiao a message and she went back to her room.

    In the dark, Ning Xi did not change her clothes. Shey down on her bed without any intentions to sleep, feeling a little excited.

    Within a minute, she heard some sounds outside her door.

    That was pretty quick.

    The door was opened from outside, and a person came in with a very strong smell of alcohol.

    "My beauty, you must''ve waited for a long time! Don''t be impatient, I''ll show you some love right now¡­" Sun Zhanpeng was giggling like a pervert as he leaped onto the bed towards the dark figure.

    The next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his elbow.

    "Ah!" Sun Zhanpeng screamed, but Ning Xi used a pillow to muffle his voice. The voice he made became more suggestive and ambiguous.

    Outside the door, Liang Biqin heard the man''s panting voice and was really excited!

    Ning Xi was done for!

    Liang Biqin called Su Yimo, "Cousin, it''s done, we can call the media now!"

 Chapter 1274: Karma

    <h4>Chapter 1274: Karma</h4>

    After she finished the call, Liang Biqin was really d. She felt excited when she imagined Ning Xi on the bed with the disgusting Sun Zhanpeng, and as she thought about the pictures of her on the bed appearing on the headlines the next day, she felt extremely relieved!

    Because of this witch, she had been criticized harshly. Even her ad was being snatched away!

    Liang Biqin put her phone away. As she was about to leave, she heard the door behind her open. Someone was pulling on her arm, and before she realized what was happening, she was already inside the room¡­

    Bang! The door closed.

    Liang Biqin was confused. When she realized what was happening, it was already toote. A thick arm tossed her onto the bed roughly. There was the sound of garments ripping and she felt pain in her lower region¡­

    Aside from Ning Xi''s drink, they had actually drugged Sun Zhanpeng''s drink as well. It was several doses stronger than usual. At this moment, Sun Zhanpeng had lost his mind and was crazily expending his energy on Liang Biqin.

    What had gone wrong?

    Liang Biqin could not even scream. As she was struggling, a p rendered her unconscious¡­

    Outside the door, Ning Xi heard the man howl with a satisfied grin.

    Checking up on your bad deed? Time for your karma!

    Ning Xi went to the reception and got herself a new room, then she sent the new room number to Lu Tingxiao.

    At the lobby, the waiter who drugged Ning Xi drink saw her, his face full of shock.

    Was that not¡­Ning Xi? She was supposed to be in the room with Sun Zhanpeng¡­ Why was she here?

    Su Yimo walked around her room with delight after she heard Liang Biqin''s call. Finally! Finally, she could take her revenge!

    "Have you called the media? Have theme tomorrow¡­ No! No! Have theme now! I heard from Biqin that they''re already doing it! Let the Vice President and the other partners see how promiscuous this woman is!" Su Yimo said.

    Zhao Meixin was relieved and she smiled. "Rest assured, I''ve made arrangements. The media will be here in half an hour!"

    Only Ning Xi would receive the bacsh in this matter. It would not affect Sun Zhanpeng at all. In fact, it would just be another notch on the bedpost for him.

    Tonight, she not only done Sun Zhanpeng a favor, she had also destroyed Ning Xi and could make people forget about what had happened before. Killing three birds with one stone!

    Zhao Meixin was really thrilled. She told Su Yimo, "Yimo, you''re such a genius for thinking of this brilliant idea. Do you want to go and have a lookter?"

    Su Yimo sipped some red wine. "Sure, of course, we have to be there!"

    ¡­

    At the same time, Ning Xi was already in another room. Lu Tingxiao would only arrive sometimeter, so she took a shower first.

    When she was done showering, the doorbell rang. Ning Xi put on her bathrobe, then she opened the door while drying her hair.

    At the door, Lu Tingxiao felt a little nervous when he received Ning Xi''s message about changing rooms. He straightened up when he saw Ning Xi in her bathrobe¡­

 Chapter 1275: Utterly Shocked

    <h4>Chapter 1275: Utterly Shocked</h4>

    When she saw Lu Tingxiao standing at the door in a daze, Ning Xi pulled him in.

    "Did you have something to do nearby tonight?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Mmm, I had a dinner." The fresh fragrance of the girl''s post-shower aroma lingered in his nostrils. Lu Tingxiao had a straight expression that said, "It was for work and not for my wife that I had specially gone for the dinner".

    As Lu Tingxiao spoke, he took the towel from Ning Xi''s hands and started to help her dry her damp hair.

    Ning Xi enjoyed the devil''s service like a little kitten.

    "Why did you change your room number?"

    Above her head, Lu Tingxiao''s question came.

    Ning Xi smiled coldly. "Because it was too dirty!"

    Then, Ning Xi exined sinctly the events of the night to Lu Tingxiao.

    Lu Tingxiao''s face was as cold as the northern wind. Initially, he was ready to end the issue because that woman had saved Little Treasure once, but now, even if he had promised Ning Xi not to intervene in her problems, there was no way he could not do anything about this!

    "Don''t be angry! When I left, Liang Biqin was coincidentally on the phone outside the door, so I just pushed her in!" Ning Xi had a cunning expression on her face.

    "Sorry, I''m still angry," Lu Tingxiao said with a stiff face, already deciding to do something about this.

    At the same time, at the entrance of 801 Presidential Suite, when the reporters heard the news, all of them rushed over. More and more people were surrounding the door with excited expressions.

    "Is it really Ning Xi inside?"

    "Definitely! The person who leaked the info is someone on the inside!"

    "Whoa! This is disillusioning! Bro Xi is my Prince Charming! I can''t believe she''d get together with that perverted Sun Zhanpeng!"

    "That''s why they say we may know someone''s exterior but not their true nature! It''s best if you don''t believe the tricks of actors! Just look at Su Yimo!"

    ¡­

    In the corner, when Su Yimo and Zhao Meixin saw that almost all the reporters had arrived, they exchanged a look before making a call to let the waiter open the door for the reporters.

    "Where''s Biqin gone to?" Su Yimo had been so immersed in her excitement of Ning Xi''s misfortune that she just realized that Liang Biqin had disappeared after her first call and had not returned to the room to look for them either.

    "Forget about her. She''s probably rolled into some investor''s room!" Zhao Meixin said nonchntly, guessing that Liang Biqin had gone to look for her own patron tonight as well.

    The waiter had rushed over after receiving the call. Because she had seen Ning Xi in the hall earlier, she kept thinking that something was odd, but she did not care. As long as she followed orders, she would do whatever the ones paying her told her to!

    Thus, the waiter pretended to shoo the reporters, but she intentionally opened up the door amidst the chaos.

    The instant the door opened, all of the media swarmed in and crazily squashed into the room¡­

    The scene in the room did not disappoint them at all!

    The room was filled with a sweet and unctuous scent mixed with a nauseating alcohol stench. There was even the metallic whiff of blood in the air¡­

    When he saw the reporters rush in, Sun Zhanpeng still went crazy on the woman and his face was filled with lust. The woman''s face was buried in the nkets and her body had been bitten bloody with signs of bruises. It was a ghastly sight.

    All of the reporters'' eyes flew wide at this shocking sight, but soon they returned to their senses and then came the shes and clicking of cameras.

    "Save¡­save me¡­cousin, save me! Sis Xin, save me¡­help¡­" Liang Biqin had regained consciousness now, and she started to call out for help.

    At this moment, one reporter started to realize, "This¡­this doesn''t seem like Ning Xi!"

    "Huh? Not Ning Xi? Then, who is it?"

    ¡­

    Right then, Sun Zhanpeng violently clutched Liang Biqin in a different position, instantly revealing her face before all the media¡­

    All the media were utterly shocked.

    "Liang¡­Liang Biqin! It''s not Ning Xi! It''s Liang Biqin!"

 Chapter 1276: That Man In Ning Xis Room

    <h4>Chapter 1276: That Man In Ning Xi''s Room</h4>

    When they noticed the situation in the room be increasingly odd and even heard some people indistinctly mention "Liang Biqin", Su Yimo and Zhao Meixin suddenly had a bad feeling in the pits of their stomachs.

    What happened? Why did they hear someone say that the person in the room was Liang Biqin?

    While the media''s attention was focused on what was going in the room, the two quickly closed in to check what had happened. Atst, when they were clear about the situation inside, they were frozen with shock!

    Why was the person inside not Ning Xi, but Liang Biqin!?

    "How could it¡­how could it be Biqin?!" Su Yimo could not believe her eyes.

    Zhao Meixin was going crazy too. "Where''s Ning Xi?! Ning Xi, that witch!"

    It did not matter how all of this happened but they were done for. This time, they were really done for!

    The two could not understand how it could have turned out like this.

    When they saw the waiter look around near the end of the corridor, Zhao Meixin immediately rushed angrily towards her and said through gritted teeth, "What happened!? Didn''t I ask you to drug Ning Xi!?"

    When she saw Zhao Meixin and Su Yimo''s mean re, the waiter said innocently, "I don''t know either! I really did! You saw for yourself when I put the drugs in!"

    "How did the person in there be Biqin?"

    The waiter could only quickly blurt out how she had seen Ning Xi earlier. "I saw Ning Xi and CEO Sun enter the room before leaving butter when I was in the hall, I think I saw Ning Xi! She stayed at the reception for a while. I didn''t know what she was doing either!"

    "Why didn''t you tell us earlier!?" Zhao Meixin was exasperated. "Quickly find out what Ning Xi was doing there earlier!"

    Zhao Meixin felt like this was the key to their problem.

    The waiter quickly made a call to the reception, then her expression changed. She nervously replied the both of them, "Ning¡­Ning Xi didn''t stay in the room she booked previously. We don''t know why either. She booked another room for herselfter on!"

    Now, Su Yimo and Zhao Meixin were utterly dumbfounded!

    No doubt Ning Xi had seen through their trick although they were not sure how¡­

    When the waiter saw that they looked increasingly upset, she added, "But the reception just told me that after Ning Xi got into her room, a man entered not too long after!"

    "What? Are you telling the truth?" Zhao Meixin''s eyes lit up again while Su Yimo looked over anxiously.

    "Shouldn''t be wrong¡­" The waiter dared not guarantee either.

    Zhao Meixin and Su Yimo exchanged a nce. Atst, Zhao Meixin said, "No matter what, let''s go check out the situation first! This time we''ll go over ourselves!"

    Su Yimo nodded, then asked, "Where''s Ning Xi''s room?"

    "Right upstairs! Room 906!" The waiter answered.

    The two had no time to think. They could not even care about Liang Biqin who had been crying for help as they rushed upstairs¡­

    As they stood before Room 906, Zhao Meixin and Su Yimo took a deep breath.

    If there really was a man in Ning Xi''s room, there would not be too huge of a loss tonight. The reporters were just downstairs anyway, so getting them upstairs would require one call. Even if that man ran, he would not make it¡­

 Chapter 1277: Chance Encounter With Lu Tingxiao?

    <h4>Chapter 1277: Chance Encounter With Lu Tingxiao?</h4>

    "You''re sure the person inside is Ning Xi?" This time, Zhao Meixin asked carefully.

    The waiter was quite certain. "I''m sure! You need to register for room reservations. It''s definitely Ning Xi! In fact, I also saw her walk to the reception myself. I can''t be wrong¡­"

    Outside the door, Su Yimo took a deep breath, then she shot her a look. "Open up."

    "Lightly, don''t surprise the people inside!" Zhao Meixin reminded. In fact, she had strategically turned on her camera on her phone to record just in case anything happened. It was best to have first-hand evidence.

    The waiter found it difficult to reply. "Our room cards are only limited to rooms on the eighth floor and below. We can''t open this one!"

    Zhao Meixin pinched her temples unhappily, then she said, "Ring the doorbell and say you''re room service!"

    The waiter nodded, then rang the doorbell under the guise of being room service.

    They waited for a while, then the door opened from the inside.

    However, in the next second when they saw who it was at the door, Su Yimo and Zhao Meixin, who had been holding their breaths, were instantly aghast.

    Zhao Meixin''s eyes widened and her expression became distorted. She looked quite ridiculous as she almost bit her tongue to say, "Lu¡­CEO Lu?!"

    There was indeed a man in this room!

    But the one opening this door was Lu Tingxiao!

    He seemed to have just showered. With the white robe on and his slightly damp hair, the water droplets rolled down from his neck. The entire scene made one pretty thirsty.

    In the midst of Su Yimo''s shock, infatuation set in. After she reacted to this scene, even her tone turned gentle, "Ting¡­Lu¡­Mr. Lu¡­"

    Zhao Meixin shot a mean look at the waiter beside her. This ipetent bugger got it wrong again!

    The one staying in this room was not even Ning Xi. It was Lu Tingxiao!

    Still, this was considered an unexpected bonus.

    For the past few days, she had been trying to get a chance for Su Yimo to apologize properly to Lu Tingxiao in order to salvage the situation, but for people like them to meet Lu Tingxiao was an impossible feat. However, who would have thought that they would have a chance encounter him in such a situation?

    Zhao Meixin was quick-witted. She humbly said in a hasty manner, "CEO Lu, we''re really sorry to disturb your rest thiste at night. We heard that you''d be staying here tonight and hade presumptuously. We hope to apologize for theplications from the issue before! Our Yimo really didn''t know about those rumors and we weren''t sure how it could have been misunderstood like that! Of course, we''re really very sorry to have not noticed it earlier and rified it, bringing trouble to you and your girlfriend!"

    These words rolled out uninterruptedly like a temte, and Su Yimo, who had been rendered speechless by Lu Tingxiao''s presence, was satisfied with it.

    This manager of hers was quite useful in times of need¡­

    At this moment, when the waiter heard that this person was actually the CEO of the Lu Corporation, she froze. Oh¡­oh my God! She actually met that legendary figure in this lifetime! Indeed¡­he is so handsome, aaahh!

    But how could the reception make such a mistake? Could she have remembered the room number wrongly earlier?

    After Zhao Meixin finished, Su Yimo''s eyes immediately reddened. With tears welling up in her eyes, she bowed humbly to Lu Tingxiao and choked as she said, "CEO Lu, I would like to apologize to you and your girlfriend about the matter from before! If¡­if she still can''t ept it, I''m willing to exin and apologize to her personally!"

 Chapter 1278: Arenâ€™t You Going To Apologize To My Girlfriend?

    <h4>Chapter 1278: Aren¡¯t You Going To Apologize To My Girlfriend?</h4>

    Su Yimo''s shoulder was trembling and even the waitress beside her felt pained to see her like this.

    Zhao Meixin nodded to herself. Yimo''s acting tonight was in top-notch!

    Zhao Meixin and Su Yimo were not expecting Lu Tingxiao to listen to them, but he actually stood there patiently and listened to everything they had to say.

    The man then looked at Su Yimo coldly. "So, you want to apologize to my girlfriend?"

    Su Yimo raised her face hopefully. "Yes, as long as you can forgive me, I''ll do anything!"

    Seeing what was unfolding, Zhao Meixin was overjoyed. Something was going to happen tonight!

    No man could get past a girl who looked vulnerable and pitiful¡­

    In the bedroom, Ning Xi was focused on reading her script for the new movie. It was already toote, so Ning Xi was going to stay there for the night with Lu Tingxiao.

    She realized Lu Tingxiao had note back for some time, so she turned her head and called out, "My dear?"

    There was no reaction. Ning Xi scratched her head and walked towards the door.

    At the door, Zhao Meixin and Su Yimo heard the voice of a woman from inside the room. Su Yimo''s face turned pale. Lu Tingxiao was with his girlfriend tonight?

    She thought Lu Tingxiao would be the cold type and would be very restrictive in his love life as well. She envisioned the woman he liked to be simr. Such a sweet nickname was very unexpected¡­

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression turned from a cold, ignoring face into a warm one like the ice had just melted right away.

    For Lu Tingxiao to be so protective of her¡­ Who was this woman?

    Not just Su Yimo, even Zhao Meixin was really curious as well. The waitress wanted to take a peek but Zhao Meixin chased her away.

    The soft patter of feet stepping on the carpet came closer. Su Yimo held her breath and controlled her mixed emotions as she gawked into the room¡­

    It was just a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity to Su Yimo.

    Finally, someone appeared from the corner of her eye.

    The girl seemed to have just finished showering, so her face was still a little flushed. She wore a pink bathrobe and her hair fell on her shoulders. She was also holding a script marked with many colorful Post-Its while she walked towards the door.

    When they saw who the woman inside was, Su Yimo felt like an aerolith had just crashed into her¡­

    "Ning¡­Xi¡­" Su Yimo''s lips were trembling. She felt like she was going crazy.

    Ning Xi was surprised to see the shocked Su Yimo and Zhao Meixin.

    Nheless, since her cover was already blown, there was no helping it. Ning Xi was quickly attracted by something else. She went up to Lu Tingxiao and covered up his low-cut pajamas¡­

    Lu Tingxiao smiled at the girl''s childish behavior as he held onto Ning Xi''s hands and turned to the two women outside the door. He returned to his usual cold tone, "Aren''t you going to apologize to my girlfriend?"

 Chapter 1279: Itâ€™s All Over

    <h4>Chapter 1279: It¡¯s All Over</h4>

    "Your¡­your girlfriend¡­is Ning Xi? How''s that possible? How could it be Ning Xi? Impossible! This is impossible!" Su Yimo mumbled to herself as she shook her head in denial.

    Zhao Meixin''s expression darkened and she fell to the floor.

    Oh my God!

    Everything had gone wrong! So wrong!

    When she saw that the person who had opened the door was Lu Tingxiao, her first reaction was that she had gotten the room number wrong. She did not expect the waitress to tell the truth!

    The room number was not wrong. It was Ning Xi''s room number, but the man the waitress mentioned seeing was Lu Tingxiao!

    The rumored girlfriend of Lu Tingxiao¡­was Ning Xi!

    From what Lu Jingli revealed the other day, they had been together for a very long time.

    No wonder Lu Jingli had recruited Ning Xi personally and got Ling Zhizhi to manage her.

    No wonder Lu Tingxiao appeared at the anniversary celebration this year.

    No wonder after Lu Tingxiao had rejected Su Yimo, the dance partner randomly picked had been Ning Xi.

    Zhao Meixin felt that she was going insane. What made her fear the most was that since Ning Xi knew about their ns, then Lu Tingxiao must have known about them too!

    Lu Tingxiao''s sudden appearance here must be because of this!

    They had actually tried to set up Lu Tingxiao''s woman and intended to frame her with the pervert Sun Zhanpeng.

    It was over¡­

    This time, it waspletely all over¡­

    Zhao Meixin was quivering in extreme fear. She knelt down wobbily. "Ning Xi¡­Ms. Ning! I didn''t do it on purpose! It''s all Su Yimo''s idea! She said to give you to Sun Zhanpeng. She called the media. I was just following her orders! Please forgive me, Ms. Ning!"

    Zhao Meixin almost wanted to strangle herself right there and then. She had been blind! She had been helping the fakedy boss all along, and even helped her to frame the real one!

    Lu Tingxiao was not an ordinary businessman. Five years ago, he had settled the chaos from within the Lu Corporation. He then pushed the Lu Corporation to the peak and made it into an international brand in just five years!

    Eliminating a person like her was as easy as squashing an ant¡­

    Su Yimo was dumbfounded. She did not expect Zhao Meixin to betray her and even pushed all the responsibilities onto her. She could not care any less about her image anymore, so she yelled at her, "Zhao Meixin! I''ll break your mouth! You''re the one who nned to use Mr. Lu. You nned everything tonight and now you''re pushing the me on me¡­"

    She was exasperated! Why was she not Lu Tingxiao''s woman? She might be able to ept it if it was someone else, but why Ning Xi!? Why was it always Ning Xi!?

    Su Yimo regretted that she had tried to frame Ning Xi. If the incident tonight had not happened, she could still be a celebrity, but it was toote now¡­

    As the both of them argued, Lu Tingxiao looked impatient.

    Soon, several bodyguards in ck suits appeared swiftly. They then quickly took the two women away¡­

 Chapter 1280: One And Only Bed Scene

    <h4>Chapter 1280: One And Only Bed Scene</h4>

    "Ugh¡­" Seeing Su Yimo and Zhao Meixin appear so suddenly and watch them get dragged away, Ning Xi could not say anything.

    "It''s okay. They won''t tell anything about this to anyone." Lu Tingxiao closed the door.

    Ning Xi shrugged. "I''m not worried about that. They are the two people in the world that would never tell anyone about this!"

    "Sorry, I promised to not get involved in your work, but not this time." Lu Tingxiao was determined to deal with them.

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "But¡­she saved Little Treasure¡­"

    Su Yimo actually did not know that she had saved Little Treasure. She had drunk and crashed into the car that almost hit Little Treasure, but she had still saved him.

    Lu Tingxiao looked serious. "She wanted to hurt you."

    He meant, "My wife, you''re more important. More important than my son, yep."

    Ning Xi tiptoed and kissed him. "Okay, I get it! I''ll leave this matter to you!"

    "Mmm." The man nodded. He was not ashamed to admit that he was helping his wife to removepetitors, speeding up their marriage¡­

    Lu Tingxiao nced at the script Ning Xi was holding, then he changed the topic. "New script?"

    "Yep! Want to read it?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Nope, things won''t go wrong with Guo Qisheng''s film. He''ll probably design the role just for you."

    Ning Xi blinked and asked with a surprised tone, "How do you know?"

    "Just a guess." Lu Tingxiao just assumed that his wife was so amazing that Guo Qisheng would do that for her.

    "Okay, so you''re bing a psychic!" Ning Xi leaned on Lu Tingxiao as they looked through the script together.

    "Mr. Ke Mingyu, who only cares about the beauty, any character that you like?" Ning Xi asked.

    Lu Tingxiao scanned through the character list. After a while, he pointed at a name.

    Ning Xi looked closer. "Liu Yan?"

    "Mmm."

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. "That''s¡­a good choice!"

    "Thank you for the praise, Ma''am."

    Ning Xi then looked at Liu Yan''s description. "Liu Yan, the female lead''s bodyguard. He doesn''t have many scenes. Most of the scenes are with me. Most importantly, the only bed scene in the series isn''t with the male lead, but with Liu Yan¡­"

    Ning Xi then nced at the man. "Which is the reason that you picked this character? The former or thetter?"

    "Both," Lu Tingxiao said with a straight face.

    "Okay¡­"

    ¡­

    As Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xiy on the bedfortably. Things were bing chaotic downstairs as more and more reporters arrived.

    It was not just because of Liang Biqin. People had also seen Su Yimo and Zhao Meixin being thrown out in big fabric bags by men in ck suits¡­

    The news broke out like wildfire within the industry.

    The next day, every entertainment news website had nearly the same headlines and almost everyone was talking about it¡­

 Chapter 1281: Lets Meet Up

    <h4>Chapter 1281: Let''s Meet Up</h4>

    All the media coverage was filled with headlines such as the "Liang Biqin Sex Scandal" and "Liang Biqin''s Passionate XX". There were even pictures and videos attached.

    News such as "Su Yimo Banished After Unsessfully Seducing Lu Tingxiao" and "Su Yimo Banned" dominated the headlines too. The Inte was in chaos.

    Everyone was still discussing Su Yimo''s drama from days before. Who would have expected such a shocking development?

    The entire morning, Glory World Entertainment''s Public Rtions department phones were ringing off the hook. Once such a scandal was exposed, Glory World instantly suffered huge losses. Yi Xundong was overwrought, but the employees and female artistes who had once been repressed by Su Yimo were so delighted that they almost wanted to publicly celebrate.

    The happiest one in the industry was clearly Starlight Entertainment.

    Starlight Entertainment, which had been suppressed by Glory World Entertainment when it had once been the leader in the industry, was now rejoicing at its rival''s misfortune.

    Of course, not everyone in Starlight Entertainment was equally joyful¡­

    Ning Xueluo mmed the newspaper in her hands onto the table and looked utterly upset.

    "What''s this Su Yimo doing!?"

    She had been hoping for Su Yimo to make a move. That way, she would not have to do anything to get rid of Ning Xi since someone else would do the dirty work, yet here she was watching Su Yimo ruin her own quality brand bit by bit!

    When Lu Tingxiao had publicly rified, rejected, and humiliated Su Yimo before this, she was not at all worried that Su Yimo had no support. Instead, she was surer that Su Yimo would not hesitate to get rid of her arch-enemy, Ning Xi.

    When she thought about this, Ning Xueluo had been in a pretty good mood. However, who would have anticipated that the news would be about Su Yimo, Liang Biqin, and Zhao Meixin''splete defeat!

    Chang Li frowned as she said, "Logically, Zhao Meixin shouldn''t make such a mistake! How did she let someone get a handle on something that could be used against them? She even let the reporters get their pictures!"

    "The three of them couldn''t defeat that witch, Ning Xi. What a bunch of morons!" Ning Xueluo was furious.

    "Sigh, this is tricky! Without Su Yimo, wouldn''t Ning Xi be even smugger?! She''s directly under Lu Jingli and has recently be very popr. I''m afraid all of the opportunities from the Lu Corporation that were meant for Su Yimo will now be hers." Chang Li looked worried.

    Who would have thought that the inflexible Ning Xi would now swim like a fish in the water within the entertainment industry? Even Su Yimo had fallen by her hand.

    Analyzing Ning Xi''s steps in the industry closely, she had really been advancing gracefully and climbing up the popritydder at a speed that was worth fearing.

    Chang Li dared not to think anymore. Otherwise, she might drown in her regrets again¡­

    Now that the situation had reached such a point, there was no turning back. Ning Xueluo gritted her teeth and called Ning Xi.

    "Hello, Sister, congrattions! Didn''t think you''d be this amazing!"

    When she received Ning Xueluo''s call, Ning Xi was not surprised at all. "What''s up?"

    "Let''s meet up."

    "Sure!"

    She could guess the reason Ning Xueluo wanted to meet up with her. Since she was free anyway, it would be fun to y around with her!

    ¡­

    An hourter, in a certain caf¨¨.

    Ning Xueluo was frank. "I won''t beat around the bush. I''m sure you know very well why I''ve asked to meet up. I can give you a price 3% higher than the market rate to purchase that 10% in shares that you hold! Of course, that''s quite a lot of money, so I won''t be able to give them all at a go. For whatever outstanding amount, I can use History''s shares as mortgage!"

 Chapter 1282: Crazy Fangirls

    <h4>Chapter 1282: Crazy Fangirls</h4>

    When she heard this, Ning Xueluo looked like her heart ached. Clearly, if she was not desperate, she would not have offered such a condition.

    Ning Xiughed when she heard her say "History''s shares".

    Ning Xueluo scoffed, "You know that History''s shares are still very valuable now. Don''t worry, you won''t suffer a loss."

    Initially, she had hoped for Su Yimo to get rid of Ning Xi. However, now that the situation had turned out like this, the issue of the shares could not be dyed further. To avoid worrying about it for too long, she prioritized in obtaining this 10% worth of shares from Ning Xi first.

    Ning Xi replied unhurriedly, "Actually, I''m not interested in the Ning family''s shares at all."

    When she heard this, Ning Xueluo thought things were looking positive and her eyes lit up.

    In the next second, she heard Ning Xi continue instead, "I''d rather use it to feed the dogs than give them to you."

    "You¡­" Ning Xueluo could not take it anymore. She was clearly insulting her by implying that she was inferior to dogs!

    There was a darkness in Ning Xueluo''s eyes. "Ning Xi, don''t forget that I still have something against you! If I expose your scandal from years ago¡­"

    Ning Xi did not seem to care. She held her chin and said, "Well, then we''ll see whether my gossip is more shocking, or the fact that you''re the fake daughter of a wealthy family!"

    Ning Xueluo''s expression changed. She almost puked blood.

    Atst, the two of them parted on bad terms.

    The people in the Ning family were quite organized. Ning Xi had just finished meeting up with Ning Xueluo when Ning Yaobang called her.

    "Xiao Xi, my good niece! Do you have time to meet up for a meal? Second Uncle will treat you!"

    When it came to trash men like Ning Yaobang who deceived his first wife, then cheated to give birth to several bastards while driving his wife insane, Ning Xi was utterly disgusted and did not even have the mood to deal with him, so she just hung up.

    When she saw that it was about time, Ning Xi went home and changed into a male outfit before walking towards the Lu Corporation for her advertisement casting.

    This time, the Lu Corporation had thrown in lots of money into this shortmercial film titled "Seven Days". They also invited seven super-popr male stars, and the shooting locations would be the seven main industries under the Lu Corporation. The ad would feature all of the brands under the Lu Corporation, and its influence was estimated to be huge.

    Despite being trained well as a Lu Corporation employee by Lu Tingxiao, when they heard that they would be seven Prince Charmings of different stylesing over for audition today, all of them could not help but be distracted the entire morning. They were there in the building, yet their souls were not.

    When Ning Xi arrived, the entire building was filled with shrieks. The man surrounded by female employees had striking blonde hair with huge sunsses on. He cheekily smirked. It was no other than Jiang Muye!

    When she saw the female employees'' reaction, she guessed that Lu Tingxiao must have gone out for inspecting and had yet to return to thepany.

    Someone in the crowd then turned to Ning Xi''s direction and shrieked again. Then, all the women surrounding Jiang Muye instantly ditched him to swarm towards Ning Xi.

    "Bro Xi! Bro Xi! Bro Xi!"

    "Husband!"

    "Prince Charming, I love you!"

    ¡­

    "Slow down. Be careful not to fall!" Ning Xi held a girl who had almost tripped from being pushed.

    "Ah, ah, ah!" The only replies she got were their even more excited shrieks.

    Jiang Muye was speechless as his hand hung mid-air holding a pen.

 Chapter 1283: Prince Charming That Girls Wanted To Sleep Most With

    <h4>Chapter 1283: Prince Charming That Girls Wanted To Sleep Most With</h4>

    When he saw Ning Xi''s daunting poprity with the girls, Jiang Muye was about to break down inside!

    Previously, he had been pompous to Ning Xi, saying that she was still far from him. However, in an instant, the situation had be one whereby "the new generation excels thest, while thest dies on the beach".

    There was one more thing that scared him even more. Recently, Ning Xi had been listed on the same list as him, the list of Prince Charmings that girls wanted to sleep with the most!

    Jiang Muye had been championing that list for many years and he would never have thought that this year, he had actually been surpassed by Ning Xi!

    Last night, when his manager Lei Ming sent the image of that list to him, he almost puked blood onto his game console.

    The name of the number one person on the list had been typed in bold, red font. It was Ning Xi!

    Bloody hell, he had been beaten!

    And this person was his ex-girlfriend!

    Jesus, this scene was too beautiful that he was about to cry blood.

    Was this not a list exclusively for male celebrities? How could she a woman just random barge in!? Did this list even have prestige and integrity anymore? Hey! He wanted to call andin!

    He had already been triggered enoughst night, but at this moment, after witnessing this scene, Jiang Muye admitted defeat. He wanted to quit the industry!

    "Hey¡­you guys¡­"

    Was anyone going toe and pay attention to him?

    But the girls had been charmed silly by Ning Xi. All of them were in highly-positioned white cor jobs, yet all of them were screaming their lungs out like girls going through their first awakening of love in front of Ning Xi. He just could not watch anymore!

    The crowd seemed to have lost control, even Lu Tingxiao''s secretariat manager. Disciplinary Committee Member Liu Ruohua was leading the crowd of infatuated fans. All the other women simply did not care anymore.

    Right at this moment, the elevator door opened and the steady sound of footsteps was heard; it was one that could petrify the entirepany.

    The man made his way in, and his cold, sharp gaze skimmed the crowd.

    The entire workce had been transported from the equator to the North Pole!

    Liu Ruohua pushed up her ck-framed spectacles and immediately scolded, "What are you all doing!? Look how you all are! Quickly go back to work!"

    All the female employees scattered like frightened birds, internally mocking to themselves that she seemed to have been the craziest earlier. Sis Liu, you almost took off your clothes for her to autograph!

    All the employees went back to their busy working mode and Lu Tingxiao looked towards Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi walked up respectfully to greet, "Nice to meet you, CEO Lu!"

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao nodded slightly, then he walked towards his office.

    God knows how much he wanted to just pull his wife into his office!

    After Lu Tingxiao went in, the office outside returned to quiet conversations.

    "How sad! Why did the Boss return so early? Didn''t he say he was only going to be back in the afternoon?"

    "I''m so sad. It was such a great opportunity. Even though Bro Xi is my new love, I wanted to get the autographs of all the other Prince Charmings too!"

    "The happiest person is probably Director Ye. I''m really suspecting that she organized thismercial for personal gains!"

    When she said this, Xiao Zhao the secretary suddenly thought of something. "Shouldn''t the happiest person in this advertisement be the female lead? To be able to act with seven Prince Charmings!"

    "Right! Who''s the female lead?"

    Xiao Zhao shook her head. "I don''t know. I''ve asked Director Ye a few times but she won''t tell me. It seems quite mysterious!"

 Chapter 1284: If Heartache Can Be Exchanged For My Dearest

    <h4>Chapter 1284: If Heartache Can Be Exchanged For My Dearest</h4>

    Jiang Muye watched Lu Tingxiao''s figure enter his office and felt his mouth twitch. This Lu Tingxiao came right on time, did he not?

    Did he have to watch her so strictly to even be wary of girls?

    Without the female employees obstructing them, Ning Xi and Jiang Muye walked towards the advertising department.

    Jiang Muye looked at Ning Xi and muttered, "Ning Xiao Xi, you''ve now be a hen-pecked male, haven''t you?"

    Ning Xi shot him a side look with raised brows. "dly!"

    Jiang Muye gritted his teeth. "Who said that year that they would be unruly and love the freedom? Now, look who''s been locked down? Won''t your conscience be hurt?!"

    "If my heartache can be exchanged for my dearest, then I''m willing to be hurt even a hundred times over!"

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    He hated his mouth!

    He had already been attacked so much. Why did he still have to raise this issue with her!?

    As Jiang Muye and Ning Xi spoke and passed by Lu Tingxiao''s door, Lu Tingxiao seemed to need something and walked out, coincidentally overhearing their conversation. His cold eyes instantly shone as dazzlingly as the splendid zing sun¡­

    ¡­

    Jiang Muye and Ning Xi had just stepped into the department when they saw a few people already in the room.

    On the genuine leather sofa, there was a man on each end. In a ssic athleisure attire was Qin Ran, and the one listening to his own music with his earphones was Han Yuncheng.

    The two of them looked extraordinarily handsome. Both full-on pretty boys, they were once the main singers of a popr boy band, CMT, then they had a falling out after flying solo. They took the teen idol pathway and had always been rivals. By the looks of the atmosphere here, it was indeed as tensed as the rumors were said to be.

    On the wooden chair by the window, there was a kindly, handsome guy in a white T-shirt with a book in his hand. He was holding his head and very focused on reading. It was Luo Fan from Starlight Entertainment!

    Thest one wore a leather jacket and was chewing gum. His hair was gelled and only highlighted his reckless and crazy demeanor. It was Li Lekai from Speedy Entertainment

    Tsk tsk tsk¡­

    At the door, when Ning Xi saw this scene in the room, even she could not help but exim to herself. It was indeed a feast of suave men!

    She was afraid that in the whole of China, only the Lu Corporation had the influence to gather all of these people together.

    In terms of poprity, Ning Xi had only risen in poprity recently, but those who sat here, including Jiang Muye, had all been famous for a while now. Every one of them had their own cult of die-hard fans who could stir up trouble and would even climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a sea of mes for them.

    However, Qin Ran, Han Yucheng, Luo Fan, Li Lekai¡­one, two, three, four, plus her and Jiang Muye, there were only six people. It looked like one more had yet to arrive.

    "Ning Xi, Muye, you''re here too! Please have a seat! Wait for a moment. When Mo Yuxiu arrives, then we''ll begin!" Ye Ying courteously greeted the both of them.

    When Ye Ying finished, Ning Xi was stunned.

    Mo¡­Mo Yuxio?!

    Did she hear wrongly?

    "Ning Xiao Xi, what''s with this expression of yours?" When they found a ce to sit, Jiang Muye noticed Ning Xi''s odd expression and could not help but ask.

    Ning Xi massaged between her brows as she had a headache, and she looked incredibly gloomy like she had just been struck by bad luck.

    Jiang Muye frowned. "You know Mo Yuxiu? What dispute do you have with him for you to look like this?"

    Ning Xi shot Jiang Muye a look.

    Jiang Muye got goosebumps. "I''m just asking. Why are you looking at me like that for?"

    Ning Xi had an expression that said "counter soldiers with arms, water with an earth weir". She said weakly, "Well, there were some disputes in the past. The situation between Mo Yuxiu and I is quite simr to yours and mine¡­"

    Jiang Muye was bbergasted. "What?! Mo Yuxiu is your ex-boyfriend?!"

 Chapter 1285: The Calm of A First Wife

    <h4>Chapter 1285: The Calm of A First Wife</h4>

    Ning Xi sat with her legs together and held her chin, apparently hopeless.

    Bloody hell! She knew that God would not let her have an easy life!

    Here came her romantic misfortunes again¡­

    Jiang Muye''s eyes were full-on wide, but momentster, he remembered the rumors about Mo Yuxiu and did not find it odd anymore.

    Jiang Muye pinched the space between his brows and lowered his voice to say angrily, "You really think you''re a maiden savior, don''t you? Going all around to do God''s work and causing a bunch of these troubles for yourself¡­ I''ll see how you deal with itter! Not everyone is as nice as I am!"

    Ning Xi sighed. She had been living like a walking corpse back then. There was nothing she was afraid of. Naturally, she would do as she wished, but who would have thought that she would be where she was today?

    Jiang Muye''s features softened when he saw her worry and sigh. He then asked with concern, "After you returned to China, have you seen a psychologist? It''s fine overseas since no one knows you, but did you mess around when you return?"

    Ning Xi shook her head as she recalled, "Dr. Smith told me that Ipletely recovered the moment I decided to return."

    Jiang Muye was slightly relieved, roughly understanding Dr. Smith''s meaning.

    To Ning Xi, when she had a goal and the motivation to live, it was roughly the same as gaining a new life.

    "Later on, when I was in one of my moods, I would change my outfit and go clubbing a few times, but that''s when I wasn''t famous yet, so it wouldn''t affect much," said Ning Xi.

    Jiang Muye thought about it and felt that he had asked too much.

    She now had Lu Tingxiao as her "psychologist". She was living the high life and would not even need any doctor.

    As they discussed this, Jiang Muye suddenly went closer to Ning Xi and looked delighted as he asked, "What''s up with you and Mo Yuxiu? Quickly tell me!"

    If that guy was worse than him, he would at least feel consoled!

    Ning Xi pped Jiang Muye''s hand like it was meaningless dust and said, "Men and women should not get too close. Watch your image."

    Jiang Muye looked at everyone else who were busy doing their own thing and said, "Watch out, my ass! Look, who here is treating you as a woman?"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Okay, although all of them saw her and Jiang Muye with their arms around each other, everyone was extremely calm. No one felt like it was odd.

    "Quickly tell me!" Jiang Muye urged impatiently.

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. "You''re such a busybody. Almost more than your Second Uncle!"

    ¡­

    At the same time, in Lu Tingxiao''s office, Lu Jingli flew in swiftly and bedazzlingly. "Bro! Your wife''s about to be gone! How are you still sitting here?!"

    An extremely familiar line.

    Lu Tingxiao looked up from his stack of documents at Lu Jingli, then continued to work seemingly at ease.

    This kind of calm belonged to the first wife.

    Besides, he had already stuffed the wife with an incredibly sweet candy earlier.

    Lu Jingli was worried as he observed while the involved remained calm. "Hey, bro! Don''t ignore me! It''s very serious this time! First ss alert! No, special ss! Six! Xiao Xi Xi will be working with six exquisitely handsome men who are all attractive in their own ways!"

    Lu Tingxiao still did not react.

    Lu Jingli was anxious. "Xiao Xi Xi''s ex-boyfriends cover the entire entertainment industry. What if there''s one of them among the six!? Oh no, there''s already one -- Jiang Muye. What if there''s another one?!"

 Chapter 1286: Ning Xiao Xi! Youre Too Cruel!

    <h4>Chapter 1286: Ning Xiao Xi! You''re Too Cruel!</h4>

    In the advertising department, Jiang Muye kept urging her, but Ning Xi still did not want to share anything. She smiled and continued to relish his agitated demeanor.

    Not too far away, because he was bored from waiting alone, the gum-chewing Li Lekai had walked over to Luo Fan. He looked at Jiang Muye and Ning Xi and said, "Hey Luo Fan, what do you think their rtionship is?"

    Luo Fan put down the book in his hand. He looked over and replied, "Probably best friends. They''re from the samepany after all, and they''re both apprentices."

    Luo Fan did not have much of a strong background. The fact that he could get to where he was today relied primarily on his high EQ and his skills in handling people. He behaved carefully, so for such a question, he naturally gave a diplomatic answer.

    Li Lekai pouted. He thought that Luo Fan was too pretentious and boring, so he went to look for Qin Ran instead.

    Time passed by and Mo Yuxiu had yet to arrive. Many of them in the room started to look impatient. Only others waited for them; they were never the ones waiting. Was this Mo Yuxiu doing this because he felt that he was superior to them?

    "He just won someme award in Spain and now one of the four prestigious movie awards. What''s he so arrogant about!? As popr as he may be, it''ll be ruined by that horrible private life of his!" Li Lekai was furious now as he started to mock him without restraint.

    Qin Ran and Han Yucheng were also tired of waiting. If it had not been the Lu Corporation that had invited them this time, they would have pulled a long face and left a long time ago.

    Apart from Jiang Muye who had been busy trying to get Ning Xi to talk, the only person who remained calm in the room throughout was Luo Fan.

    "I''m very sorry. Please wait for a moment longer. Yuxiu is probably dyed by some issue. Let me call to ask!"

    Ye Ying had also been periodically consoling everyone and speaking on behalf of Mo Yuxiu with a warm and courteous attitude.

    That was right. Ye Ying herself was a loyal fan of Mo Yuxiu¡­

    "Even though I don''t want to admit it, but this Mo Yuxiu is quite a few ranks higher than I am. How did you get him?"

    At this moment, the curious Jiang Muye suddenly thought of this. "That''s not right. Based on that guy''s personality of taking revenge and all, he hasn''t caused trouble to you even though you''ve been in the industry for so long. He probably can''t even recognize you!"

    "It''s true that he can''t recognize me in a female outfit," answered Ning Xi.

    "Then, what are you worried about?!" Jiang Muye was frustrated.

    Ning Xi looked at him like he was an idiot. "But he knows me in my male outfit!"

    Jiang Muye was stunned now. In confusion, he asked, "Ah? What do you mean?"

    Ning Xi was done teasing him, so she finally said, "Are you an idiot? I mean that I was with him in my male outfit!"

    "I¡­what!!!" Jiang Muye eximed aloud, only lowering his voice when the others looked over. "Bloody hell! You turned him gay in your male outfit?"

    Ning Xi shrugged. "Looked like it."

    Jiang Muye looked like he was in solidarity with the guy. "Too¡­too cruel! You''re too cruel¡­"

    It turned out that Ning Xi had gone easy on him. There were worst things than his situation!

    Jiang Muye had felt sullen for so many years, but at this moment, he felt redeemed.

    "Then, aren''t you going to die tragically?!" Jiang Muye suddenly said.

    This hatred she attracted wasing by the buckets!

    "Duh, why do you think I''m worried now?" Ning Xi gave him a look that said, "Obviously, it''s a sticky situation if it''s worth my worry".

 Chapter 1287: Even If Bent Broken, Its Nothing

    <h4>Chapter 1287: Even If Bent Broken, It''s Nothing</h4>

    Jiang Muye was astonished. He had to surrender to her now. "You''re too cool! I surrender!"

    Ning Xi stroked her chin. "Mo Yuxiu''s one of those who received the highest-ss treatment from me, but too bad that he''s too much of a piece of trash."

    Jiang Muye was trash as well. That was because he had been influenced by his upbringing, and was so popr. He could get anything easily and failed to appreciate most things instead.

    He never cared and changed girlfriends at the speed of light. There was no such thing as "faithfulness unto death" in his principle, but at least, he was loyal and did not cheat whenever he was in a rtionship.

    On the other hand, Mo Yuxiu had zero moralpass and zilch proper human rtionships. Cheating wasmon to him. He treated a girl''s pain as his joy, and he especially liked naive and innocent girls. With that face of his, he ruined many girls. The number of girls who threatened tomit suicide for him could form a circle around the entire Imperial city. He was insane.

    Forget about bending this person, even if he was bent broken, it meant nothing!

    Jiang Muye was in a good mood as he rambled on, "Pfft, I thought the one with the highest-ss treatment was me!"

    "Now you know how sweet I am to you, don''t you?"

    "I do, I do! Hey, why isn''t Mo Yuxiu here yet? I''m suddenly anticipating his expression for when he sees youter!" Jiang Muye was more than a little excited.

    ¡­

    Speak of the devil and he appeared. Ye Ying pushed the door inwards with a wide smile. Behind her was a tall and lean man.

    The man wore a custom-made Armani suit with huge shades on, and he had brown hair, while his obsidian stud earring shone ever so slightly. The instant he took off his shades, revealing his handsome Caucasian face, the man seemed to be looking for someone as his sharp gaze skimmed the entire room.

    Three secondster, it fixated on the "man" beside Jiang Muye. He looked incredibly troubled and it seemed like he was going to jump over and strangle someone anytime.

    This reaction was not too far from Ning Xi''s expectations.

    After Ning Xi met the other person''s gaze, she smiled wolfishly. It was so annoying that the man lost control and took a step forward, about to rush over.

    Thankfully, he had some rationality and restrained himself. After all, if they had caused a ruckus here, the others would find out the embarrassing incident about him turning gay.

    Ning Xi was probably fearless for this reason as well. Even though the situation was rather sticky, she would never be afraid of anyone else apart from her dearest.

    After Mo Yuxiu took off his shades, Ye Ying stared stunned at his face. She almost forgot to speak, then she returned to her senses. "I''m sorry for letting everyone wait for so long. Yuxiu iste because he was stuck in a traffic jam! Let''s all head to the audition venue now!"

    Jiang Muye could not help but feel a little disappointed when Mo Yuxiu actually held back and there was no drama to watch. Hezily yawned and got up.

    Qin Ran, Han Yucheng, and Luo Fan had gotten up too.

    "Who''re you trying to fool by saying there''s a traffic jam at this hour?" The others chose to keep the peace, but Li Lekai was not easily fooled.

    "Well¡­" Ye Ying trailed off awkwardly now.

    "Director Ye, I''vee because I trust yourpany, yet now you''ve invited this morally inferior piece of trash to shoot themercial with us. Did you not think about how it could implicate all of our reputations, or worse still, the Lu Corporation''s reputation?!" Li Lekai spoke strongly.

    The moment Li Lekai finished, the room fell into an ufortable silence.

    Ye Ying was about to smooth things over when Mo Yuxiu spoke nonchntly, "Pfft, Li Lekai, I just slept with your woman! Do you really have to hold a grudge against me till now?"

 Chapter 1288: Just Wanted To Cause Trouble!

    <h4>Chapter 1288: Just Wanted To Cause Trouble!</h4>

    Everyone was floored. Because this was an incident from a very long time ago, not many knew about it.

    Of course, Li Lekai would never tell others about being cheated on.

    Who would have thought that today it would be brought up by Mo Yuxiu with such an attitude!?

    This kind of man had seduced someone else''s woman but had the gall to provoke the cuckolded indifferently. Only Mo Yuxiu could do such a thing.

    In the next second, a shadow shed past. Li Lekai had rushed up and swung a fist at him in fury.

    Mo Yuxiu leaned aside to avoid the punch, then he threw his shades up. With a glimmer of excitement in his eyes, he clearly wished for the whole world to be in chaos. He just wanted to cause trouble when there was none!

    The two of them started to throw fists back and forth. The entire scene was turmoil. Ye Ying was anxious and her advice to them to stop fell on deaf ears. The sticky thing was that in order avoid the news of this incident traveling out of this room, she could not call for security.

    Not too far away, Jiang Muye was confused. "Shouldn''t the people fighting be you and Mo Yuxiu? How did it be Li Lekai?"

    This was not following the script at all¡­

    Ning Xi watched the show as she sighed in mock seriousness, "Indeed, God still stands on the side of justice!"

    "Who would have thought that these two would¡­" Qin Ran muttered in shock.

    Han Yucheng, who had not interacted with Qin Ran since he entered, also could not help but chime in, "What''s so odd? There are many people in the entertainment industry whose partners have cheated on them with Mo Yuxiu. It''s just a matter of the incident being exposed!"

    Qin Ran grinned and looked over. "You sound experienced. Have you been cheated on too?"

    "Bugger off!" Han Yucheng shot him a look.

    "But Mo Yuxiu has been on hiatus in the past few years. It seems like it started about three years ago when he suddenly decided to change for the better. Not only did he cut off rtionships with all women, he even stopped getting close to them. He started working on his self-restraint, and because of his repentance, he started to regain poprity again," analyzed Qin Ran.

    "It was probably pressure from thepany! Who knows how he''s like privately?" Han Yucheng scoffed.

    "Well, that''s true¡­"

    ¡­

    "Stop fighting! Yuxiu, Lekai! Stop fighting, the two of you! Can''t we have a peaceful conversation instead?" Ye Ying was anxiously attempting to calm them down, but even she felt her words were a little weak.

    Ye Ying was scared witless watching the two of them. She was afraid that they would get hurt, especially on their face. If that happened, themercial''s shoot would need to be paused!

    She was personally in charge of this extremely importantmercial and would never have thought that this would happen.

    Ye Ying was so worried that she was about to cry. Atst, she called the security personnel because she just could not stop them.

    "Hahaha, that woman''s like a dead fish in bed. I didn''t think you''d like such uninteresting types¡­" Mo Yuxiu mocked provocatively.

    The next second, Ye Ying panicked and shouted, "Ah! No!"

    The two understood that they could not hurt each other''s faces, so they still had some rationality left when fighting earlier. However, Mo Yuxiu was really asking for it by taunting Li Lekai. In a surge of anger, Li Lekai''s fist instantly impacted hard on Mo Yuxiu''s face.

    At the same time, Mo Yuxiu had fought back and attacked his opponent''s eyes.

    "Ah!" Ye Ying squeezed her eyes shut hopelessly.

    The sound of a swift breeze swooshed past her¡­

    When she opened her eyes, she saw an unexpected scene. Ning Xi had stood quite far away earlier. Suddenly, she had gone over and in one move, separated the two of them.

 Chapter 1289: Fallen In Love With Someone Else

    <h4>Chapter 1289: Fallen In Love With Someone Else</h4>

    Blind with fury, the two men had really gone at each other''s throats and their punches were not light. To pull them apart at this moment was to get punched.

    So, no matter if it was Qin Ran, Han Yucheng, or Luo Fan, no one had any intentions to intervene. They all stayed far away instead.

    What a joke! Did they know how much insurance they had bought for their bodies? A slight knock or bump would dy their work and time; all of that was money! To randomly run over and get hit in the face? Who would take responsibility then?

    However, the instant Mo Yuxiu and Li Lekai''s fists were about to smash into each other, Ning Xi used a hand to stop Li Lekai''s fist, while the other steadily held Mo Yuxiu''s swift fist.

    The two had instantly been shaken apart.

    When Mo Yuxiu''s fist was held by Ning Xi, he recoiled like he had been electrocuted while he looked upset. He suddenly did not have the interest to mess with Li Lekai anymore.

    Unfortunately, Li Lekai was not willing to let this go easily. He just pushed Ning Xi''s hand away roughly as he looked murderously at Mo Yuxiu while charging at him again.

    Ning Xi immediately stopped Li Lekai with his right shoulder and said into his ear, "Whatever it is, the two of you need to meet somewhere privately to resolve it. Why should you trouble a girl?"

    Li Lekai looked at Ye Ying who had been anxious to the point of tears and reluctantly forced his fist down.

    Ye Ying was actually a masochist. She liked bad boys like Mo Yuxiu, but when Ning Xi swiftly appeared in between the two and when she said those words, Ye Ying''s worldview suddenly turned upside down¡­

    She seemed to have¡­

    Fallen in love with someone else¡­

    Even though many female employees in thepany had been charmed by Ning Xi, she was not affected. She felt that as suave as she looked in a male outfit in the drama, she was still a girl.

    Yet now¡­this boyfriend force was being maxed out!

    Not too far away, Jiang Muye was so done when he saw Ye Ying''s starry-eyed expression.

    Huh, just a bit of work and she has gained yet another fangirl!

    Mo Yuxiu stared at his hand that had been touched by Ning Xi and looked odd.

    Li Lekai probably remembered the importance of thismercial and started to calm down. Finally, the conflict between the two was temporarily suppressed¡­

    Ye Ying quickly shifted their attention and led them to the multipurpose room for the audition.

    Qin Ran slowly got up and mumbled, "Who would have thought that there''d be such a shocking secret between Mo Yuxiu and Li Lekai?"

    When Qin Ran said this, he definitely could not have imagined that Mo Yuxiu and Ning Xi''s secret would be the truly shocking one!

    When they walked past the employees in a line, thetter would have gone crazy at this once-in-a-lifetime gathering of Prince Charmings from the entertainment industry if their Boss had not been there.

    Very quickly, they reached the audition location.

    The so-called audition was just to get them to run through themercial and act out the scene of their characters for the director, who was one of China''s topmercial directors. Even they had to be courteous to him.

    "Director, everyone''s here!" Ye Ying announced.

    At this moment, Mai Huaian had also been preparing the props. When he saw the seven people behind Ye Ying, he looked quite thrilled. Clearly, he was looking forward to this shoot.

    "Nice to meet you, Director Mai. How''s the purple y teapot I gave you?" Luo Fan walked up and greeted him first.

 Chapter 1290: He Was Jealous

    <h4>Chapter 1290: He Was Jealous</h4>

    The director beamed happily. "Great, it''s a great work of art, especially the carvings on the pot, marvelous! I didn''t expect that you could make that!"

    Luo Fan seemed to have investigated Mai Huaian''s interests and had given him a purple handmade y pot.

    The others greeted the director as well, but they all felt a little ufortable upon seeing Luo Fan''s behavior.

    Then again, it was an undeniable fact that this guy was excellent at what he did. Not even a professional manager was up to par with him. It was said that he handled his own working schedule, job arrangements, and public rtions.

    Han Yuncheng nced around, then asked, "The female lead isn''t here yet?"

    Qin Ran chuckled, "Director Ye, are you still trying to hide it now?"

    Ye Ying smiled. "Of course not, she''s already here!"

    "Really? I don''t see her, Director Ye. Is she invisible?" Qin Ran teased her.

    Ye Yingughed, "She can''t be invisible, but she can transform herself!"

    Qin Ran then asked curiously, "What do you mean?"

    Luo Fan realized what was happening. "Could it be¡­Ning Xi?"

    Everyone then looked at Ning Xi''s direction.

    Ning Xi blinked her eyes innocently. "Me?"

    Ye Ying nodded. "That''s right! We actually wanted to invite another person as the female lead, but on thest day of our meeting, we all decided that you''re the most suitable person, Ms. Ning!"

    Ning Xi thought about it. One person serving as two characters. It was quite an interesting idea.

    As for the others, while they were surprised, they did not have any objections as they did not have any conflict of interests with a female artiste like Ning Xi.

    Although it was pretty easy to forget that she was a female.

    It was a big opportunity for her. "Thank you for the opportunity, Director Ye. I''ll do my best!"

    "I saw ''Dream Chaser''. It was really great! You handled the characters well in both male and female outfits. I''m sure you can do it in this ad!"

    Ye Ying spoke more casually with Ning Xi now. They even talked about the plot of the movie.

    Jiang Muye was used to this already, but he identally saw Mo Yuxiu secretly staring at Ning Xi and felt like his gaze did not look right¡­

    Jiang Muye was way too familiar with eyes like these.

    This guy¡­was jealous?

    He was put through such torture, yet he still liked Ning Xi?

    How miserable!

    Jiang Muye suddenly felt that he shared the same fate as him¡­

    At the same time, inside the CEO office, Lu Jingli pestered around for some time but Lu Tingxiao did not move an inch. "You know who''s the female lead for this advert? It''s Xiao Xi Xi! It''s Xiao Xi Xi! She''s going to be in a rtionship with six beautiful men¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao suddenly put his pen down and stood up.

    Lu Jingli was relieved. "You finally realize the severity of the issue! Thank God I didn''t waste my time trying to convince you for the past half an hour!"

    Lu Tingxiao nced at Lu Jingli. "You''re too noisy."

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

 Chapter 1291: I Want Ning Xiâ€™s Character

    <h4>Chapter 1291: I Want Ning Xi¡¯s Character</h4>

    In the audition room, the director was delegating roles to everyone.

    This ad focused on a female lead that was wooed by seven different types of handsome men. Many popr groups used a simr plot as well, but with these seven people that the Lu Corporation had invited, they utilized this plot to the very maximum.

    The idea of this plot was to mainly satisfy the fantasies of young girls, erging the brand''s recognition among this target audience.

    Women had a great deal of spending power after all!

    Director Mai held the script and looked at everyone. "So, Qin Ran, you''ll be ying a young man from a rich family!"

    "No problem." Qin Ran seemed to be satisfied with his role.

    "Han Yuncheng, you look much younger, so you''ll be a student!"

    He nodded. "Sure."

    The director then looked at Luo Fan. "Luo Fan, you''ll be ying a biology professor! A fitting role for a person as knowledgeable as you!"

    Luo Fan replied humbly, "Thanks for the praise!"

    The director then looked at the miserable Li Lekai and the bored Jiang Muye. "Li Lekai, you''ll be ying a wild racer and, Muye, you''ll just be ying yourself, a famous superstar!"

    Li Lekai and Jiang Muye agreed without any problems.

    It was then down to Mo Yuxiu and Ning Xi.

    Mai Huaian flipped a page, then he looked at Ning Xi first. "Ning Xi, I heard from Director Guo that you''re really professional, and very good at action scenes as well! It must be tough for a girl like you toe this far while being a stuntwoman in your earlier years!"

    "Director Guo was overstating. It''s part of my job," Ning Xi replied.

    Mai Huaian nodded. "You''ll be ying a secret agent. There''ll be an important fight scene in this. Are you alright with it?"

    "No problem." Ning Xi had no objections.

    Lastly, the director looked at Mo Yuxiu. "Yuxiu, you''ll be ying a matured-looking CEO! A lot of little girls like this type¡­"

    Mo Yuxiu was aiming towards this style after he changed his image. Mai Huaian gave it some thought and decided that this suited Mo Yuxiu the most.

    As he was about to let them try out their characters, Mo Yuxiu red at Ning Xi''s direction. He suddenly said, "I want Ning Xi''s character."

    Everyone including the director was taken aback.

    The bored-looking Jiang Muye straightened his back. It wasing¡­

    The others did not understand. They thought Mo Yuxiu would look for trouble with Li Lekai, but he had aimed at Ning Xi instead.

    Could it be because Ning Xi had stopped them just now?

    Mai Huaian was a little troubled. Although Mo Yuxiu''s reputation was getting better in recent years, his personality had actually be worse. He was always impatient and violent, and it was not unusual for him to be in conflict with his colleagues.

    Mai Huaian tried to persuade him, "Yuxiu, the role I gave you suits you the most! Ning Xi''s character is mostly acting out fighting and fleeing scenes. One would get injured easily if you''re not professionally trained before."

    Mo Yuxiu was adamant. "If you don''t believe in me, then I''ll fight Ning Xi right now. The one who wins gets the role!"

    Before the director could say anything, he rushed towards Ning Xi¡­

 Chapter 1292: Ning Xi Stole His Woman?

    <h4>Chapter 1292: Ning Xi Stole His Woman?</h4>

    Ning Xi''s flexibility was impressive. She avoided Mo Yuxiu''s attack by bending herself backwards. Still, Mo Yuxiu did not stop. Ning Xi did not want to hurt him, so she just kept a defensive stance.

    Everyone was confused at this sight.

    Why was Mo Yuxiu looking for trouble?

    What was happening?

    Qin Ran stroked his chin. "Mmm, could it be like Li Lekai, Ning Xi was cuckolded by Mo Yuxiu?"

    Han Yuncheng rolled his eyes. "If that''s how it is, Ning Xi should be the one asking for a fight. Moreover, Ning Xi''s a woman, alright?!"

    "Oh, I almost forgot¡­then could it be, Ning Xi stole Mo Yuxiu''s woman instead?"

    Ning Xi was pretty popr with thedies after all.

    Han Yuncheng looked at him like he was an idiot. "Do you think Mo Yuxiu would care about his women sleeping around?"

    "Nope." Qin Ran shook his head.

    He did not care about what his women did. He was just fooling around after all, so it did not matter who his women slept with.

    Not only Qin Ran, even Li Lekai was full of doubts as well, but at the same time, he also hoped that Mo Yuxiu would be beaten up. However, Ning Xi was still a woman, and they thought that there would be a vast difference in strength between them. It was already difficult enough for her to defend herself.

    Mai Huaian did not expect them to get in a fight, and he was shocked. "Yuxiu¡­Ning Xi¡­stop! We can discuss this further! You don''t have to¡­"

    Mo Yuxiu ignored what he said, bing angrier as Ning Xi was just defending herself and not reacting. Heunched more and more ferocious attacks.

    If the fight with Li Lekai just now was just all about mockery and provoking, this fight against Ning Xi now was an expression of his true rage. He red at her as if she had done something unforgivable.

    Ye Ying did not expect her idol to get into trouble again. There was Ning Xi to stop him earlier, but what about now!?

    Everyone was worried that Ning Xi might be injured by this madman.

    Only Jiang Muye sat there and looked around. Unfortunately, there was no popcorn around.

    Ning Xi avoided Mo Yuxiu''s attack as she whispered to him, "I''ll continue with you after the audition!"

    Mo Yuxiu ignored her. He did not want to wait. If he was willing to wait, he would not have started attacking her just now.

    Bang! Some props fell from their fight, causing a loud noise.

    Ning Xi could not stand him anymore, so she went on the offense. Mo Yuxiu''s eyes looked even crazier as Ning Xi turned aggressive.

    Everyone''s expression changed when Ning Xi started attacking.

    Qin Ran opened his eyes wide, clearly impressed. "This woman is the real deal!"

    Han Yuncheng and even Luo Fan were a little excited. They were guys, after all, so of course, they would enjoy an exciting action scene.

    But at the same time, they felt bad about themselves, knowing that Ning Xi was a woman.

    As everyone was focused on Ning Xi and Mo Yuxiu, there were two sets of footsteps from behind.

    Ye Ying realized it first and her face lost all color. "C-CEO Lu!"

 Chapter 1293: My Dearest Is Here

    <h4>Chapter 1293: My Dearest Is Here</h4>

    She saw that the "king" had arrived.

    Ye Ying was so terrified that her knees almost gave way and she nearly knelt down.

    Damn it!

    Why did CEO Lu and Second Master suddenlye over and coincidentally, witness this scene? She was bound to bebeled inefficient!

    Lu Jingli, who had been ignored by his own brother earlier, had followed after a bout of whining. Nevertheless, once he thought about how he could watch the gossip unfold, he immediately became reenergized and stopped being such a baby.

    However, who would have thought that the moment they reached, they would witness such a shocking scene!?

    Xiao Xi Xi, you have never disappointed me!

    When they saw the CEO of the Lu Corporation had actually personallye over, everyone else subconsciously straightened up and greeted him.

    Because Mo Yuxiu and Ning Xi were engrossed in fighting, they seemed to have not noticed Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli''s arrival.

    Mai Huaian quickly walked up to smile and greet them sheepishly, "CEO Lu, you''re here! Coincidentally, we''re holding the auditions!"

    Lu Jingli chuckled, "You sure they''re not just fighting?"

    Mai Huaian forced augh. "Second Master, you must be joking! How could they be!? The two of them are auditioning for a very skilled special agent character!" Mai Huaian said as he gestured to them to sit on the sofa.

    Ye Ying could only follow the director''s lead, "Yeah, that''s right, CEO Lu, Second Master!"

    Not too far away, Ning Xi had already noticed that her dearest and the busybody hade, but because she could not afford to be distracted at the moment, she continued to deal with Mo Yuxiu and even increased the intensity of her attacks.

    Hey you, Mr. Mo! My dearest is here. I don''t have the time to y with you!

    Everyone noticed that Ning Xi was increasingly vicious in her attacks as well, and they could not help but turn all their attention unto them.

    After they sat down, Lu Jingli saw that his brother seemed quite calm about his wife fighting with someone else, so he leaned over to ask, "Bro, are you not gonna help?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied expressionlessly, "Why should I help a stranger?"

    His words implied that the person who needed help was the man, and not Ning Xi.

    Clearly, he was incredibly confident in his wife''s strength!

    Lu Jingli was speechless. Fine, he could not refute him.

    Lu Jingli watched for a moment more and gradually felt that something was off.

    "Hey, Bro, why do I feel like the vibe between these two¡­is odd?" Lu Jingli stroked his chin, then he called Jiang Muye over with a finger and said, "Muye,e here!"

    Muye could only grudgingly walk over. "Second Uncle, what''s up?"

    "Let me ask you, do Xiao Xi Xi and Mo Yuxiu know each other? Is there some kind of vengeance going on between them?" Lu Jingli immediately hit the nail on the head.

    Jiang Muye looked in fear at Lu Tingxiao, then cleared his throat and said, "Well, I think you should just ask Ning Xi herselfter! I''m not too sure either!"

    Lu Jingli put his arms on Jiang Muye''s shoulders firmly and said, "But you''re obviously very in the know about this!"

    Jiang Muye felt troubled. "Uncle, don''t make life difficult for me!"

    Lu Jingli raised his brows and muttered to himself, "Could he really be Xiao Xi Xi''s ex-boyfriend?"

    Jiang Muye was stunned. "How do you know?!"

    "Whoa! It''s true!" Lu Jingli''s eyes lit up. "Bro, I''m amazing, aren''t I? I actually guessed it right!"

    The moment he finished, Lu Jingli felt a chill travel up his spine. His brother''s expression had suddenly turned cold.

    Lu Jingli immediately stopped bragging. He looked to Jiang Muye again and asked excitedly, "My good nephew, quickly tell me what exactly is the story?"

 Chapter 1294: Bro, Your Charm Crushes Everyone

    <h4>Chapter 1294: Bro, Your Charm Crushes Everyone</h4>

    "Second Uncle, I really know nothing. It''s best if you ask Ning Xi herself!" Jiang Muye dared not to reveal much, lest he might get beaten up by Ning Xi, so he just answered half-heartedly before swiftly escaping.

    "Hey, where''re you running to?" Lu Jingli called out, his curiosity getting to him.

    In the midst of his wondering, he finally remembered his brother and cleared his throat to console, "Ahem, Bro, it''s all my fault for making such inauspicious remarks, but it looks like the two of them have beplete enemies. Also, look at Sis-inw''s savagery towards the punk. Mo Yuxiu is definitely not threatening."

    "So what if he is?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Lu Jingli quickly soothed, "Yes, yes, yes! No worries even if he''s threatening! Bro, your charm crushes everyone present!"

    The moment he finished, the sound of a man wailing was heard, Ning Xi had twisted Mo Yuxiu''s arm behind his back, then she stepped on his back, pressing Mo Yuxiu''s entire body onto the floor.

    The fight had finally ended!

    Everyone marveled and almost wanted to p!

    Momentster, Ning Xi lifted her leg and let go of Mo Yuxiu.

    If it was not for her self-restraint and fear of hurting Mo Yuxiu, in turn affecting the shootter, it would not have taken as long to subdue him.

    Although they had fought for quite a while, Ning Xi only perspired a little on the forehead, her clothes and everything were still intact.

    On the other hand, Mo Yuxiu was sweating profusely. Even his clothes were thoroughly wet and disheveled. There was also an obvious footprint on his back.

    When he saw Mo Yuxiu getting tortured, Li Lekai felt quite delighted. Karma would surely get the vile ones!

    With this opportunity, Mai Huaian quickly said something to smooth things over, "Very good, how exciting! Yuxiu and Ning Xi are both talented, bringing us a visual feast, but in the end, Ning Xi is still a cut above, so this character is best for Ning Xi."

    Mai Huaian nced at Mo Yuxiu to probe, "Yuxiu, you''re alright with that, aren''t you?"

    Because the fight had been so intense earlier, Mo Yuxiu had yet to regain his breath. He panted hard and did not say a word. His silence could be considered a tacit agreement.

    When Mai Huaian saw this act of submission, both he and Ye Ying were visibly relieved following the cmity.

    Mo Yuxiu slowly stood up, his gaze fixated on Ning Xi. It was full of struggling,plex emotions. His eyes were not just filled with simple anger and hatred¡­

    All the while, Ning Xi''s attention was all focused on her dearest.

    "Well, CEO Lu, shall we continue our auditions now?" Mai Huaian asked. He did not think that CEO Lu would personallye over. Clearly, he felt that themercial was important.

    Lu Tingxiao nodded slightly.

    Lu Jingli waved to rush them. "Quickly begin! Begin!"

    Wait till they were done. He still needed to look for Xiao Xi Xi to nose around her story! He was furious now!

    After the short crisis, they finally began the auditions.

    Probably because Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli were present to observe, everyone really went all out in their performances. Atst, it ended smoothly, and everyone''s characters were settled as well.

    But there was one remaining casting to be done, and that was Ning Xi as the female lead.

    "Do I need to change?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Oh, right, I''ve already prepared a room for you!" Mai Huaian said.

    "Bro Xi, please follow me!" Ye Ying led Ning Xi into the changing room.

    "Okay, sorry for the trouble, Director Ye!" Ning Xi followed Ye Ying.

    The remaining of those who had finished their auditions were curious. Apart from Jiang Muye, they had all seen pictures of Ning Xi in a female outfit, but not in real life.

    Since Ning Xi entered the changing room, Mo Yuxiu had especially looked very restless as if he was waiting to pass his judgment.

 Chapter 1295: Youre Too Cool

    <h4>Chapter 1295: You''re Too Cool</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao did not stay any longer because he had a meeting soon, plus he did not want to disrupt her work, so he got up and left midway through the audition.

    Lu Jingli thought about how he could not ask Xiao Xi Xi anything at the moment anyway, so he left as well.

    "Bro, don''t you want to see Xiao Xi Xi change into her female outfit?" Lu Jingli followed after him and asked.

    Lu Tingxiao shot him a look from the side. "Like I''ve never seen her in it before?"

    Lu Jingli nodded like a chicken pecking on rice grains and said, "Oh, yes, you have! You''ve seen Xiao Xi Xi in every shape and form. In fact, you get to see her however you want, in whatever form, unlike those inexperienced punks!"

    ¡­

    Inside the changing room, Ye Ying brought out the outfit that had been prepared for Ning Xi, and there was also a makeup set ready.

    "Bro Xi, do you need me to call the makeup artist over?"

    "No, it''s fine. I''ll do it myself," Ning Xi said as she took off her jacket, then unbuttoned her cor.

    Ye Ying''s heart randomly skipped a beat. "Well¡­well, then I''ll go out first! Please change. Call me if you need anything!"

    "Okay." Ning Xi nodded and unbuttoned the second button, revealing her fair corbones and the indistinct trace of a white cloth binding her chest.

    Ye Ying quickly turned around and rushed out, even staggering and almost tripping on the way out.

    Outside the entrance, Jiang Muye''s mouth twitched when he saw Ye Ying blushing. This punk, what did she do to this girl again?

    Actually, Ning Xi had really been innocent this time; she had not been extraordinarily nice or anything¡­

    Mm hmm, she really did not do anything!

    When Ning Xi was changing and putting on her makeup inside, the few of them outside started chatting as they waited.

    Qin Ran read through the script, "Innocent¡­naive and adorable¡­and even obedient? This character is far too different from what Ning Xi really is. They must be joking!"

    Han Yucheng agreed. Based on Ning Xi''s image in a female outfit, she was practically on the level of the nation''s queen!

    As for her in a male outfit, all of them had just experienced it, so there was no further exnation needed.

    Luo Fan was from Starlight Entertainment, and he had bumped into her quite a few times when she was still with Starlight, so he was not very curious about Ning Xi in her female look. Instead, he was chatting away with the Director.

    Li Lekai was staring at Mo Yuxiu, still apparently angry. However, he noticed that the guy was distracted, seeming impatient and absent-minded.

    Momentster, the door to the changing room opened from the inside. Everyone subconsciously looked up at the door.

    At the entrance of the changing room, a radiant, red-lipped beauty stepped out, her pair of clear eyes sparkling as her white off-shoulder dress hugged her figure intimately. Her hair fell beautifully on her shoulders, and she bnced confidently in pink stilettos. There was a simple yet refreshing vibe to her. She was incredibly breathtakingly beautiful.

    The girl''s expression seemed introverted, serene, and shy. She looked extraordinarily innocent, lovely, and obedient, making one feel protective of her.

    "Whoa!" Qin Ran dropped the script onto the floor, his mouth gaping open.

    Jiang Muye guffawed. She was tricking people again!

    Han Yucheng was dumbstruck. "This¡­"

    Li Lekai rubbed his eyes hard, and even Luo Fan was stunned as well¡­

    Mo Yuxiu immediately stood up and his gaze was fixed on the girl.

    "Shoot! You''re¡­you''re really Ning Xi! Way cool! How did you do this? Could this be a different person?" Qin Ran ran over and circled Ning Xi a few times in disbelief.

 Chapter 1296: I Wonâ€™t Do It Again!

    <h4>Chapter 1296: I Won¡¯t Do It Again!</h4>

    This was simply amazing.

    She was totally a different person!

    He could not believe it was her at all!

    As he was still in shock, Qin Ran extended his hand towards Ning Xi''s chest area.

    The quiet girl swiftly grabbed Qin Ran''s wrist with a tight grip.

    Qin Ran screamed, "Ah! Stop! Bro! Friend! Let go! It''s my fault! You''re Ning Xi! You''re Ning Xi, alright!"

    Ning Xi then let go of his hand. "Where were you thinking of touching?"

    Qin Ran squatted down and cowered. "I was just too shocked. It''s my bad, I won''t do it again!"

    As Qin Ran paid his price, everyone saw the wild expression in Ning Xi''s eyes. While she was in a female outfit, she was undoubtedly the same person as the man before.

    While everyone else surrounded Ning Xi, Jiang Muye was focused on Mo Yuxiu.

    His expression totally changed when he saw Ning Xi walk out of the changing room. His expression became odder after he saw the scene between Ning Xi and Qin Ran. Who knew what he was up to?

    Ning Xi was going to have scenes with all six of them, so it would take quite some time.

    She sent Lu Tingxiao a message and asked him to go home first, informing him that she would go straight to tinum Pce after she was done with work.

    Things went smoothly with the first few people. Thest scene was with Mo Yuxiu.

    Mai Huaian picked one of the scenes. "Let''s do this encounter under the rain!"

    This scene was the female lead meeting thepany CEO in the street. The CEO would take off his coat and cover her while running together in the rain.

    Mai Huaian was a little worried as Mo Yuxiu did not look very well since the incident just now. "Yuxiu, is this alright?"

    Mo Yuxiu was really troublesome. No more issues, please!

    Mo Yuxiu looked a little impatient as he scoffed, "Whatever!"

    "Alright, we''ll start then!" Mai Huaian said.

    The take started.

    Ning Xi made a gesture to cover her head from the drizzle. "C-CEO Mo, why are you here?"

    Mo Yuxiu did not say anything. He took off his coat and sheltered the girl''s head. "Go!"

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi nodded nervously, dodging under the coat. They then walked together to take shelter from the rain.

    "Cut! Good take!" Mai Huaian let out a sigh of relief, "Yuxiu, you did well, like I said¡­"

    Before he could finish his sentence, Mo Yuxiu suddenly yanked on Ning Xi''s hand and walked out.

    In just a moment, they both disappeared!

    Mai Huaian was confused.

    Jiang Muye was the first to stand up and chase after them.

    Ye Ying was worried as well, so she followed. "Yuxiu, where are you going?"

    Qin Ran raised his eyebrows. "So, what''s happening? Is the scene finished, or do we have another fight scene to catch? He''s going to fight Ning Xi in her female outfit?"

    Han Yuncheng squinted his eyes. "These two must have something going on."

    Qin Ran replied almost instantly, "Isn''t that obvious? And it''s something more severe than his rtionship with Li Lekai! Interesting!"

 Chapter 1297: Date Me

    <h4>Chapter 1297: Date Me</h4>

    Jiang Muye and Ye Ying were too slow. Ning Xi and Mo Yuxiu were already gone.

    "Damn it!" Jiang Muye cursed.

    Ye Ying was worried. "What should we do? We have to find them! Will Ning Xi be alright?"

    Jiang Muye looked at her and sighed, "I''m also worried that Ning Xi might identally kill him¡­"

    "Ugh¡­"

    ¡­

    At the same time, on an empty rooftop, Mo Yuxiu blocked the only exit, staring at the woman for a long pause before blurting out a name, "Tang Xi¡­"

    When Ning Xi had tricked Mo Yuxiu, she had used her fake identity Tang Xi, which made him think that she was a man until he watched "Dream Chaser".

    Mo Yuxiu was dumbfounded when he saw the man in the movie. He was even more surprised when he found out that this man was actually a woman!

    Ning Xi¡­Tang Xi¡­

    Were they the same person?

    Mo Yuxiu had his doubts but he did not make effort to confirm it until the opportunity he had today.

    Before he came, he was contemting if he should, which was the real reason that he had beente.

    However, the moment they met, he knew that the person in front of him was Tang Xi!

    He spent every ounce of his consciousness to control himself from not assaulting her right away, but his inner rage could not be suppressed, which was why he had looked for trouble with Li Lekai.

    Mo Yuxiu closed in on her. "It''s been three whole years! I''ve been looking for you!"

    Ning Xi crossed her arms. "Mmm? For what?"

    "Ever since then, I could never get it up for any other woman again. Why do you think I''m looking for you?!" Mo Yuxiu really wished he could strangle her right now.

    Ning Xi was shocked. Mo Yuxiu had erectile dysfunction?

    She was really surprised about this¡­

    She had just meant to trick him and leave him with some traumatic experience. She did not expect it to be this severe! As expected of her former self!

    So, he was not putting on an act when he had been avoiding women in recent years. He had really lost interest in women.

    Ning Xi remained silent for a short while. "So¡­you want me to be in a gay rtionship with you?"

    "Shut up!" Mo Yuxiu was triggered. He could not stand to hear the word "gay" now, or anything that rhymed!

    He furiously gritted his teeth. "Listen carefully, Tang Xi. You only have one choice: date me!"

    Mo Yuxiu seemed a little ufortable, then he added, "Well, at least you''re a woman now, no?"

    One could only wonder what went through his mind when he realized he had feelings for Ning Xi in her female outfit.

    He thought he would really get rid of women from his life¡­

    Of course, he would never admit it!

    Ning Xi shrugged, looking apologetic. "Sorry, I already have a boyfriend!"

    Mo Yuxiu was a little taken aback, but he then replied, "Doesn''t matter, I don''t care."

    Damn it. Whilst he had been struggling painfully every day, she had happily found herself a boyfriend!

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "You don''t care but I do, alright? Do you think everyone is as promiscuous as you are?"

 Chapter 1298: Iâ€™m Going Back To My Wife

    <h4>Chapter 1298: I¡¯m Going Back To My Wife</h4>

    Mo Yuxiu squinted his eyes as he concluded, "So, you''re rejecting me?"

    "Of course!"

    Mo Yuxiuughed coldly. "As far as I know, you shouldn''t be in a rtionship now. Aren''t you afraid that I''ll tell everyone about it?!"

    Ning Xi smiled wryly. "I think the news of Mo Yuxiu having erectile dysfunction is much more interesting than this."

    "You¡­"

    Mo Yuxiu clenched his teeth and brought his face to hers. "Do you want me to prove if I''m able to get it up or not?"

    Actually, he really wanted to try to.

    Although he had feelings for Ning Xi in her female outfit, he was not 100% sure yet.

    Ning Xi squinted her eyes, mimicking his tone, "Do you want me to prove to you that no matter whether you can get it up or not, I''ll make sure it''ll never get up again?"

    Mo Yuxiu stepped back and looked at her cautiously.

    Damn it, woman! How could she be so skilled at fighting?

    Until he did not suspect her gender at all!

    "Get lost! I''m going back to my wife!" Ning Xi pushed Mo Yuxiu away and left.

    Mo Yuxiu looked unwell. "Tang Xi! You watch out!"

    Bastard, had she really found a boyfriend?!

    Who was it? Could it be¡­Jiang Muye?

    It might really be possible¡­

    Ning Xi saw Jiang Muye by the corridor when she came out.

    Jiang Muye looked behind her in fear. "You didn''t kill him, did you?"

    Ning Xi nced at him. "Did I kill you when I beat you up?"

    Jiang Muye was annoyed. "Can you please not use me as an example? Thanks!"

    Ning Xi waved her hands and continued walking. "Let''s go!"

    "Right, you haven''t told me yet. What business did Mo Yuxiu have with you?" Jiang Muye asked curiously.

    Ning Xi replied, "Some sort of warning!"

    Jiang Muye looked anxious. "What if he really troubles you? The entertainment industry treats stuff like these very sensitively!"

    "Don''t worry. I have some tricks up my sleeve!" Ning Xi said.

    Jiang Muye did not ask further when he saw Ning Xi''s confidence. He just felt that Mo Yuxiu''s attitude was not as simple as it seemed.

    At tinum Pce, for the first time ever, the person who wished Ning Xi to be back soonest was not Little Treasure, but Lu Jingli instead.

    He paced up and down ever since he got home. "Ah¡­why is she not back yet?! Why?! Why is Xiao Xi Xi not back yet?! I called just now and they said the casting is already finished! What is she doing? She''s not picking up my phone! And not replying my messages either! Little Treasure, do you want to give your mother a call?"

    Little Treasure, who was watching television on the sofa, looked up. "Second Uncle, you''re really noisy."

    "Little Treasure, you''re so mean!"

    Just like his father!

    At this moment, there was a sound from the door. Familiar footsteps came in.

    The little bun jumped off the sofa and rushed to the door. "Mommy!"

    "Ah! My baby!"

    "Mommy, wee home! I really missed you!"

 Chapter 1299: Itâ€™s Too Late

    <h4>Chapter 1299: It¡¯s Too Late</h4>

    "Mommy, are you tired?" The little guy greeted his mother as he handed over a pair of house slippers. What a sweet child!

    "I''m not tired anymore the moment I see you!" Ning Xi held up the little guy, feeling d that he had gained more weight than before.

    Little Treasure''s body had recovered to normal standards. In addition to his training with Tang Lang, his body was getting stronger. He used to get sick from time to time, but recently, he did not have any issues at all.

    "Mommy, teacher gave me homework that has to be done with you!" Little Treasure announced.

    "Really? What is it!? Let me help you!" Ning Xi replied.

    Little Treasure took out something from his bag and presented it to Ning Xi on his palm.

    It was a small cardboard with a dozen ck dots on it.

    Ning Xi realized what it was. "Oh, your teacher wants you all to rear silkworm babies?"

    These should be silkworms.

    Little Treasure looked at his mother in astonishment. "Mommy, you''re so amazing! You know the moment you saw them. Second Uncle didn''t even know what it was!"

    "Hahaha¡­because I''ve reared them before!" Ning Xi grinned at being praised.

    "You''re back." Lu Tingxiao hade down.

    "Mmm, did you get the ingredients? Shall I make dinner?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Let the kitchen helpers do it. You''ve been busy all day long."

    Ning Xi did not mind. "It''s okay. Making dinner is rxing. I''ll go and get a box for Little Treasure''s silkworm babies. I''ll be back soon!"

    "Okay."

    Lu Jingli was ignored as he watched Ning Xi run away with Little Treasure. "Is no one going to acknowledge me?"

    Yep, no one acknowledged him.

    Lu Jingli then went up to his brother. "Bro, are you really not curious at all?"

    He acted like nothing had happened at all.

    Lu Tingxiao said calmly, "If she wanted to tell me, she would."

    Lu Jingli hated his calm expression.

    Fortunately, Lu Jingli found himself a new target to pester.

    A whileter, Jiang Muye came over.

    If he knew he would be tortured by Lu Jingli''s never-ending questions, he never would havee over.

    But it was toote¡­

    Lu Jingli held Jiang Muye firmly by the shoulder as they sat on the sofa. "My dear nephew, I''m not going to ask you about you and Xiao Xi Xi if you don''t want to tell me, but you don''t have to hide about others, alright?"

    Jiang Muye replied, "If I tell you, and if Ning Xiao Xi were to beat me upter, will you help me?"

    "Of course not! Are you kidding me?"

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    ¡­

    This was the scene that Ning Xi saw when she came down with Little Treasure.

    Jiang Muye quickly rified himself, "I didn''t say anything!"

    Ning Xi did not have to guess what happened. She stared at Lu Jingli. "Okay, stop pestering him. Go and prepare the ingredients for me. Iit''s not story time yet!"

    Lu Jingli''s eyes brightened up. It seemed like Xiao Xi Xi was ready for story time¡­

    Why didn''t you tell me earlier!?

    Ning Xi nced at Lu Tingxiao''s direction with aplicated gaze.

    Lu Tingxiao had given her his utmost trust and tolerance. All the rumors about her messy private life abroad and her psychological issues, she might never tell anyone in her life, but he had given her the courage to open up¡­

 Chapter 1300: Theyre All Trash

    <h4>Chapter 1300: They''re All Trash</h4>

    After dinner, Ning Xi came downstairs after she put Little Treasure to sleep.

    It was a rare asion for the house to be this quiet.

    Lu Jingli''s eyes sold out his paparazzi desperation. "Well, Xiao Xi Xi, if it''s a really private matter, you don''t have to tell us about it! I''m just concerned. It looks like Mo Yuxiu has a great deal of hatred towards you. If anything has happened, you have to let me know, so I can do something about it!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. She would love to see if Lu Jingli would start crying should she ask them to go to sleep now!

    "Any alcohol? Go and get something to drink!" Ning Xi told Lu Jingli.

    "Yes, yes!" Lu Jingli nodded.

    "Wait!" Ning Xi suddenly yelled, going to Lu Tingxiao. "Boss, can I drink a little tonight? Just a little! I''m going to stay here for the night and won''t be driving!"

    Lu Tingxiao ran his fingers through her hair. "You don''t have to say anything."

    Ning Xi felt warm inside as she looked into the man''s eyes. "But I wanted to tell you. There are a lot of things that I can''t achieve and can''t tell you about. I don''t know how far can I go, but I''ve been putting in effort. I''ve been trying to go higher. I want to remove the thorns on me to be closer to you, closer¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao was intensely touched by her sudden outflow of emotions and he hugged her. "It''s alright, you don''t have to remove the thorns¡­"

    It doesn''t matter if I get hurt.

    ¡­

    Somewhere nearby, Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye were watching.

    Lu Jingli spoke up, "Did they forgot about our existence?"

    Jiang Muye replied, "We exist?"

    Lu Jingli then went to fetch a bottle of good wine.

    Lu Jingli tried to be understanding and cleared his throat, "Actually, if it''s really private, the both of us can go back first!"

    Ning Xi said, "It''s alright, Jiang Muye knows about it, and you''re Lu Tingxiao''s brother, not just anyone."

    Most importantly, if she really left him out today, he would surely pester herter on¡­

    Lu Jingli was surprised. "Damn you, Jiang Muye! You knew after all!"

    Ning Xi poured herself a ss of wine. She took a sip and then looked at Lu Tingxiao. "I''ll keep it short. I do have some past conflict with Mo Yuxiu. Three years ago, I made him gay, and the traumatic experience seemed to have given him erectile dysfunction!"

    Lu Jingli was so bewildered by this that he spit out the wine. "Bro Xi, can you not give me such shocking news right off the bat?!"

    No matter how hard he guessed, he never would have thought of this.

    As expected of Ning Xi¡­

    Lu Jingli took a deep breath. "Can I ask why is it that all of your exes have such miserable experiences?"

    "Because they''re all trash!" Ning Xi replied matter-of-factly.

    "And you still went out with them?" Lu Jingli suddenly understood something.

    When he heard about Ning Xi, he did not know anything about her. He just knew that all of her exes were pretty miserable, including Jiang Muye. It was his first time being abandoned by someone. At first, Lu Jingli thought it was all a coincidence, but now he realized maybe it was not¡­

 Chapter 1301: As Long As I Like You

    <h4>Chapter 1301: As Long As I Like You</h4>

    Before Ning Xi could exin further, Jiang Muye interrupted, "She was weird. She thought that she''s some superhero and wanted to eliminate trash guys in order to protect the innocent girls!"

    Ning Xi nodded, satisfied with Jiang Muye''s exnation.

    "Huh? What?" Lu Jingli was confused.

    How did the topic turn from Xiao Xi Xi''s love story to a superhero saving innocent girls?

    Ning Xi sat beside Lu Tingxiao, resting her head on Lu Tingxiao''s shoulder. She let out a sigh, "Actually, I can''t stand it when I see trash guys bullying girls. This happened since I broke up with Su Yan five years ago. My psychiatrist said it''s a form of obsessivepulsive disorder, and that it couldn''t be fixed. Of course, I didn''t want to fix it at that time¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao patted her head. He was very understanding of her situation.

    Ning Xi blinked her eyes. "Dear, I had such a bad reputation back then. You didn''t really know me well either, so why did you still like me? I really had nothing but a pretty face back then. I was so bad at everything else¡­"

    "The person I like doesn''t need to possess anything or be good at anything as long as I like you," said Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi hugged him. "My dear, you''re so cool!"

    "Ugh¡­ Be more serious! We''re talking business here!" Lu Jingli then asked, "So, all your exes were cases like this as well? Your purpose to be with them was to take revenge on them? Even Jiang Muye?"

    Jiang Muye was annoyed. Could they not mention him all the time?

    Was he really his true uncle!?

    Okay, they were not really rted by blood¡­

    Ning Xi nodded. "Except Su Yan, and that someone¡­ The others all happened this way!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression changed ever so slightly. He instantly understood that the unsaid name was Yun Shen.

    "Wow, Jiang Muye, no wonder you didn''t tell me the truth even after being so drunk! Xiao Xi Xi didn''t like you at all. She was just there to torture you!" A moment of realization dawned on Lu Jingli.

    Jiang Muye''s expression darkened. Why couldn''t he be more considerate?

    Still, a certain devil was feeling really smug. His wife was too cute!

    "Since she shared this much¡­now, you can tell us what happened between the two of you?" Lu Jingli patted Jiang Muye''s back. "Young man, tell us your story!"

    Jiang Muye had held it in for far too long as well, so he opened up, "Well¡­you know how I was a few years back! I betted with a bunch of friends on whether I could get Ning Xi to be my girlfriend in a day. We betted on a car!"

    "Then?" Lu Jingli quickly filled up Jiang Muye''s ss.

    Lu Tingxiao was feeling great as he focused on Jiang Muye''s story!

    With Ning Xi''s words, most of his love rivals were eliminated, so of course, he would feel great!

 Chapter 1302: Playing With My Heart

    <h4>Chapter 1302: ying With My Heart</h4>

    "And then¡­" Jiang Muye gulped his drink, then stared at Ning Xi with a simr expression to Mo Yuxiu''s. "And then, I really did get her in a day, but¡­"

    Lu Jingli''s mouth twitched. "Can you spit it out already?"

    "On the seventh day, I brought her to meet my friends and to receive my reward. But in the end, the car went to her!"

    "What do you mean?" Lu Jingli asked, "Why did it go to Xiao Xi Xi? You gave it to her?"

    "Does she need me to? She was colluding with my friends to trick me. She''s the real scammer!" Jiang Muye said.

    Jiang Muye had really fallen in love with Ning Xi, so he had really been struggling when he brought Ning Xi to meet his friends.

    As they reached the ce, he was about to give up the reward and continue to be together with Ning Xi, but Ning Xi had toasted with his friends. Only then was he informed that he had been tricked.

    Ning Xi did not like him at all at that time. She had betted with his friends that she would be able to get together with him, then abandon him. In return, she would get the car.

    Jiang Muye had been in the ying field for over 20 years, and his heart had been crushed by Ning Xi.

    After Jiang Muye finished his story, Lu Jingli patted the poor boy''s back sympathetically. "Well, just take it as your karma!"

    Jiang Muye kept quiet. Was that how one was supposed tofort another!?

    "Compared to the other guy, you''re really lucky!" Lu Jingli added.

    Jiang Muye admitted it with his silence.

    "Just how bad was Mo Yuxiu that you had to be this cruel? He''s even got erectile dysfunction now!" Lu Jingli said.

    Ning Xi shrugged. "To be able to receive such treatment from me, imagine for yourself! I saw a girl almost kill herself with a baby inside her. She told me about Mo Yuxiu and that triggered me to do something. I was actually nning to go back at that moment and wanted to stop myself from acting out, but he was too much of a piece of trash to ignore¡­"

    "Hmm, Xiao Xi Xi, then how are you now?" Lu Jingli was concerned about her psychological state.

    Ning Xi held onto Lu Tingxiao''s arm. "Now? My focus has been on your brother. I don''t have anymore time for other men. If I have extra time, I''d rather be with Little Treasure!"

    Lu Jingli stood up. "I got what I want. It''s time to go back! Goodnight, my dear brother and sister-inw!"

    Lu Jingli left together with Jiang Muye.

    Lu Jingli looked satisfied. He had never really known much about Xiao Xi Xi before, but he did realize that there was something odd about Xiao Xi Xi''s past. To his relief, today''s events finally cleared his doubts.

    Especially when his brother first started to get closer to Xiao Xi Xi, there was once that he had stalked her to a pub and witnessed how she tortured another man¡­

    Lu Jingli went home happily!

    God, please bless me with a good woman with all the good deeds that I have done!

 Chapter 1303: It Wonâ€™t Fall Into Someone Elseâ€™s Hands

    <h4>Chapter 1303: It Won¡¯t Fall Into Someone Else¡¯s Hands</h4>

    Ever since her grandfather had announced his will, the others from the Ning family had been putting in the effort to get her share of 10%.

    Because she had something they wanted, they probably would still go soft on her by trying to buy it from her with a high price. If she held on it for too long, they would surely use more extreme methods.

    Ning Xi thought it was about time to settle this once and for all.

    After themercial shoot with the Lu Corporation ended, Ning Xi wanted to contact Ning Qiutong. However, before she could, Ning Qiutong called her first.

    "Xiao Xi, are you free now?" Ning Qiutong''s gentle voice came over from the other side of the phone.

    "Aunt, what a coincidence! I was about to contact you! I have something to discuss with you," Ning Xi said.

    "Then,e over to my ce. I''m at the Royal Jazz Hotel ballroom," Ning Qiu Tong requested.

    Ning Xi thought Ning Qiutong was busy, so she agreed, "Okay."

    A whileter, Ning Xi drove to the Royal Jazz Hotel.

    The waiter saw Ning Xi in her sunsses and face mask, so he said politely, "Hello, do you have an invitation card?"

    "I''m looking for someone. Madam Ning Qiutong?" Ning Xi said.

    The waiter replied, "Please follow me. Madam Ning is already waiting for you!"

    The waiter brought her to the door of a presidential suite and then left her there.

    Ning Xi rang the doorbell.

    The door soon opened. Ning Qiutong stood there with a champagne dress on her. She quickly invited Ning Xi in, "Xiao Xi, you''re here! Come in!"

    "Quick, put this on. I''ll set your hairstyle for youter." Ning Qiutong showed her a bed full of dresses and essories.

    "This is?" Ning Xi was confused.

    Ning Qiutong grabbed her arm, "There''ll be many famous people in the country at the cocktail party today. Not just anyone can join. I''ll bring you around and introduce youter! It''ll definitely help you out!"

    Ning Xi coughed, "Aunt, I''m alright¡­"

    Ning Qiutong looked troubled. "You little child, don''t be shy! If you''re not going to fight for it, then it''ll be snatched away by others. All of these belong to you! Now that I''m back, I can''t just leave you alone!"

    Ning Xi knew Ning Qiutong was really treating her kindly and was on her side. Her insides felt warm. "Rest assured, Aunt. It won''t fall into someone else''s hands."

    "No matter what, you have to join the party today. I''ve already told people I''m bringing my beautiful niece!" Ning Qiutong looked determined as if her reputation would be affected if Ning Xi were to be absent today.

    Ning Xi did not reject her anymore. "Thank you, Aunt."

    "That''s more like it! Give this a try. If it''s not suitable, I''ll get someone to change it." Ning Qiutong handed her some dresses.

    She and her husband were busy with their business and had no children, so she never had any chances to pick clothes out for a child. While she found Ning Xi really independent and was impressed by her determination, Ning Qiutong decided to help her out.

 Chapter 1304: Only To People I Like

    <h4>Chapter 1304: Only To People I Like</h4>

    A whileter, Ning Xi came out in her changed outfit.

    It was a cier blue dress with matching tassel earrings and a pair of silver high heels.

    Anyone who was slightly familiar with fashion would know that everything on Ning Xi was valuable limited-edition items.

    The dress was a special item from the renowned ES, and the high heels were from the Eden series of Ralph Lauren. As for the earrings, they were designed by one of the top designers in the country, Fang Yi.

    Ning Qiutong''s eyes lit up. "Great! You look marvelous!"

    "Thank you! You have really great taste!" Ning Xi smiled.

    "Such a sweet-talker you are, but why do you have such a terrible rtionship with your family?" Ning Qiutong sighed.

    "I''m only a sweet-talker with people whom I like!"

    Ning Qiutong beamed happily. "Come here. I''ll do your hair for you."

    "Mmm." Ning Xi sat in front of the dressing table.

    Ning Xiutong used ab and brushed her hair gently. "Let me think what kind of hairstyle to do for you, but you look so great already. I don''t think I have much to do here¡­"

    Ning Xi looked at Ning Qiutong''s loving expression through the mirror. She had an indescribable feeling when her hair was being caressed by Ning Qiutong''s gentle fingers¡­

    Ning Qiutong realized that Ning Xi''s eyes were a little red, so she asked nervously, "Xiao Xi, what''s wrong?"

    Ning Xi shook her head. "It''s alright, I just slept tootest night, so my eyes are a little irritated."

    ¡­

    At the same time, in the banquet hall, everyone was chatting, drinking, bonding, and talking about business. Some people even tried to look for a partner for their children. All in all, the atmosphere was very lively.

    Zhuang Lingyu was bringing Ning Xueluo around with pride. No matter where she went, everyone had nothing but praises for them.

    "Madam Ning, when are we going to get invited to your daughter''s wedding?"

    "Sadly, my useless son iste!"

    "You''re so blessed, Madam Ning. You have an understanding husband and such a capable daughter. Now there''s even an excellent son-inw!"

    ¡­

    Zhuang Lingyu looked at her daughter in her elegant white dress, and she patted her shoulder. "My biggest achievement in my life is to have Xueluo as my daughter!"

    Ning Xueluo acted bashfully. "It''s my blessing to be your daughter!"

    Everyone was really jealous of how close they were. Most of the higher-ss families did not have good rtionships with their children, who were usually rebellious and arrogant. None of them would be as obedient as Ning Xueluo was!

    "Lingyu, I heard that your sister-inw who stayed overseas has returned recently?" Ady went up to Zhuang Lingyu and asked.

    "Mmm, yes, she''s back." Zhuang Lingyu did not look very happy when her sister-inw was mentioned.

    "Coincidentally, my husband was looking for people to coborate on his project. Would you mind introducing us?" Thedy made a request.

    Zhuang Lingyu frowned, but as she was about to reply, the hush fell over the hall.

    Everyone stared towards the entrance.

    There was ady in a golden dress along with a stunning girl behind her. They both entered the hall regally.

 Chapter 1305: This Is My Niece, Ning Xi

    <h4>Chapter 1305: This Is My Niece, Ning Xi</h4>

    Ever since Ning Qiutong had returned, many in the circle had given her presence much attention because they wanted to suck up to her and be her business partner.

    Naturally, many people recognized her now, but who was that elegant and incredibly gorgeous girl beside her?

    They did not recall having met such an elegant socialite before!

    Could it be Ning Qiutong''s daughter?

    That was even more impossible. Ning Qiutong did not have children!

    Some of them who had recognized Ning Xi were in disbelief too. Her appearance and the fact that she had attended the banquet by Ning Qiutong''s side was simply a huge surprise.

    "Is the person who just walked in Ning Yaohua''s sister, Ning Qiutong?"

    "Yes, that''s her, but I don''t know who the girl beside her is. They look quite close!"

    "Ning Qiutong is childless, so it can''t even be her daughter-inw. Could it be a friend''s daughter? That''s not quite logical either¡­"

    ¡­

    The crowd started to guess the identity of the girl beside Ning Qiutong, and when Zhuang Lingyu took a look at who it was, she looked extremely upset and instantly stomped angrily to Ning Yaohua. She lowered her voice to say, "Ning Yaohua! What''s your sister doing? Why did she bring Ning Xi?"

    Ning Xueluo felt her heart lurch in her throat too. Damn it, Ning Qiutong! This busybody old woman!

    Ning Yaohua replied awkwardly, "How would I know? She didn''t tell me anything! But I think she''s just bringing Ning Xi along to join the event. Don''t be too sensitive! I''ve chatted with her once about not interfering in our family matters, so she wouldn''t do anything, I think!"

    "CEO Ning, finally, we meet! Before this, I''ve made quite a few appointments with you, but you were busy. It''s really hard to meet you!" Not caring who the person beside Ning Qiutong was, someone had already grabbed the opportunity towork.

    A cocktail party like this was the best ce to have business chats andwork.

    "I''ve just returned, so there have been too many things and people to deal with. Indeed, I''m quite busy. Forgive me, CEO Xiong!" Ning Qiutong responded unhurriedly.

    "No, no, I''m willing to wait for another month if it''s for the beautiful CEO Ning¡­" CEO Xiong offered friendly small talk, then he turned to the quiet yet elegant girl beside Ning Qiutong to ask, "CEO Ning, I wonder who''s the beauty beside you?"

    Ning Qiutong looked lovingly and pridefully at Ning Xi before answering, "CEO Xiong, let me introduce you. This is my niece, Ning Xi."

    "Ah¡­" CEO Xiong was stunned when he heard this. "Niece?" CEO Xiong said as he subconsciously looked at Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Xueluo''s direction. He thought to himself, "Isn''t Ning Qiutong''s niece Ning Xueluo?"

    The other niece would be Ning Yaobang''s daughter, Ning Tianxin, who was here today as well, but this girl did not look like her. Where had this niece named Ning Xi popped up from?

    He knew that Ning Yaobang had two daughters out of wedlock, but there were not members of the circle, so there was no way they have such charisma. Besides, with Ning Qiutong''s status, there was no way she would show such high regard to two illegitimate daughters!

    CEO Xiong thought it was odd, but it was not polite to ask at that time. "Oh, so it''s your niece! I was wondering how she was this charisma! Indeed, it''s in the bloodline! Good genes! She really has your demeanor from way back when!"

 Chapter 1306: Person Under Her

    <h4>Chapter 1306: Person Under Her</h4>

    CEO Xiong''s words were actually trying to probe further.

    Still, Ning Qiutong did not deny. "I do agree with you, CEO Xiong. This child is like me."

    Zhuang Lingyu was only a few steps away, and when she heard Ning Qiutong speak ambiguously with the topic moving towards a dangerous one, her face was turning ck from anger¡­

    If she let her continue on like this, all of the scandals just might be revealed then and there!

    Zhuang Lingyu immediately walked over swiftly. "Qiutong, you''re here too!"

    Ning Qiutong shot her a look, then said with a cold gaze, "Why? Can''t Ie?"

    Zhuang Lingyu suppressed her fury. She did not fight with her and just looked sharply at Ning Xi. "This child, why don''t you address me when you see me? Don''t know how to address me as your foster mother anymore?"

    Before Ning Xi could speak, Ning Qiutong sneered, "I think you should let someone else call you foster mother!"

    Ning Qiutong did not give Zhuang Lingyu any face at all. She was like an old hen protecting her chick, steadily shielding Ning Xi behind her. She had brought the person over, so naturally, she would not let her be wronged.

    When he heard Zhuang Lingyu''s words, CEO Xiong revealed an understanding expression.

    So, that was where this girl came from! It turns out that it was the rumored adopted daughter of the Ning family!

    Did they not say that she was not presentable at all? This did not seem to be the case today! She was much more charismatic than the real daughter of the Ning family.

    If that was the case, Ning Qiutong''s attitude was enough to raise suspicions. Why would she be so nice to an adoptee? In fact, her words to Zhuang Lingyu were quite odd too.

    Never mind. Every family had its problems and he did not want to be caught in this mess, so he left after a short chat.

    After CEO Xiong left, Zhuang Lingyu quickly said, "Ning Qiutong, don''t air your dirtyundry in public! How does it benefit you to cause such a ruckus? Do you want us Nings to be implicated by this girl? The elder''s health is not in good shape. If you cause any more trouble, you might want to consider the consequences!"

    Ning Qiutong''s eyes squinted. "Cousin-inw, I don''t know if cousin has ever told you that the thing I hate most is others threatening me!"

    Now that the interest of the Ning family had been confirmed, the change in the heirs would turn thepany upside down. Before everything was ready, she did not want to act blindly. She needed to at least be sure that Ning Xi would not be hurt in this storm.

    However, this did not mean that she had to ept this woman''s threats.

    "You¡­" After Zhuang Lingyu was threatened instead, she looked upset. However, looking at Ning Qiutong''s attitude, she seemed to have some concerns, so to avoid infuriating her further and causing a bacsh, she left angrily.

    It looked like she really needed to find time to settle the shares issue to avoid any more dy or trouble¡­

    "How did you survive these past few years?" Ning Qiutong looked at Ning Xi with a frown.

    Ning Xiughed, "It''s alright. Apart from the year that I returned to the Ning family, everything has been quite alright."

    Ning Qiutong felt worse hearing this. She took a deep breath and pulled Ning Xi to meet all the influential people in the circle, introducing her to those worth knowing andworking with.

    Even if Ning Xi had the title as an adopted daughter, she was someone under her. No one would dare to disrespect her!

    The truth was such. Even though many people felt odd that Ning Qiutong was lifting the reputation of the adopted daughter from the Ning family, they had given face to her. Besides, this girl was charismatic and beautiful, plus her current level of fame did not lose to Ning Xueluo''s. Naturally, they were happy to honor Ning Qiutong as well.

    Ning Xueluo watched from the side as her father''s sister, her aunt, helped Ning Xi and felt her face turn pale from anger¡­

 Chapter 1307: Someone She Liked For Many Years

    <h4>Chapter 1307: Someone She Liked For Many Years</h4>

    This godd*mn woman! The person that Father and Mother recognized was her. She was thedy of the Ning family!

    She had already followed her father''s wishes and sucked up to her by stooping topromise, yet that woman had never been nice to her. Worse still, she had brought Ning Xi to attend such an influential asion today. Clearly, it was meant to make her look bad!

    "What''s up, Ning Xueluo? Why''s your aunt so close to that vige girl?" Ying Fanglin frowned.

    Ning Xueluo forced augh. "I''m not sure either. I don''t know why but my aunt doesn''t seem to quite like me. She''s rather close to Ning Xi instead."

    Jin Xuanxuan chimed in, "You''re just too innocent. How could you beat that woman?! She''s an Iron Lady, a female version of Zhuge ! Your aunt''spany is quite huge, and your uncle, Guo Wenbo, is doing quite well abroad too. Of course, Ning Xi would be scrambling to get such a huge support system!"

    Ying Fanglin pouted indifferently. "What Iron Lady? What female Zhuge ? I think Ning Qiutong''s head''s not working. Isn''t she afraid that people wouldugh at her for being so nice to an adopted vige girl?"

    "I''m telling you that this hillbilly has tricks! She''s only been in Glory World Entertainment for less than a year, yet she has defeated Su Yimo. In fact, thoroughly uprooted her! Now, the entire Glory World Entertainment is under her rule!" Jin Xuanxuan spoke exaggeratingly.

    When she heard this, Ning Xueluo looked even more upset.

    Even though she was the number one young beauty in Starlight Entertainment, there were still many experienced big shots above her. Some had top-ss international resources and opportunities to appear in Hollywood blockbusters. It was not her turn to rise to such fame yet at this point.

    On the other hand, it was different for Ning Xi in Glory World Entertainment, which was famous for their famous rookies, but theycked big shots. Without Su Yimo, this rookie, who had been personally hired by Lu Jingli, managed by golden manager Ling Zhizhi, and even recognized by Lu Tingxiao at the anniversary celebration had "The World" as a solid foundation, and again, she rose to fame with "Dream Chaser". Was she not at the height of her limelight!?

    Now that Su Yimo was gone, Glory World Entertainment would definitely elevate her as the number one actress, and all of the opportunities would go to her first.

    To say that Glory World Entertainment was now under her rule was not quite an exaggeration.

    It was a good thing that Ning Xi''s current status was still far from entering the international market. Then again, she could not let her continue expanding like this.

    ¡­

    After Ning Qiutong brought Ning Xi around to meet the prominent people in the circle, she stopped when she was satisfied and called Ning Tianxin over. They chatted as they ate.

    However, Ning Tianxin looked absent-minded throughout the conversation, ncing at her phone every now and then.

    "Tianxin, are you dating now?" Ning Qiutong teased.

    Ning Tianxin immediately blushed. "No, Aunty, don''t tease me!"

    Ning Xi blinked. "Mmm, you keep looking at your phone. Could you be waiting for that man you have liked stubbornly for many years?"

    Ning Tianxin was stunned and her cheeks turned even more scarlet. It looked like Ning Xi had guessed correctly.

    Ning Xi seemed like she had expected this. She snorted, "I knew it was him!"

    Her cousin was not the usual kind of stubborn. She would not look at others no matter how well they treated her. Her loyaltyy with only one man, and his every action preupied her mind. Although he had only given her a leaf, that single leaf had been treasured by her for many years.

    Ning Xi indicated her admiration for this unwavering loyalty. Every time she looked at her, she saw her old self¡­

    Note: Zhuge - Short for Zhuge Liang, a famous Chinese politician, military strategist, writer, engineer and inventor during the Three Kingdoms period.

 Chapter 1308: Arrogant Appearance

    <h4>Chapter 1308: Arrogant Appearance</h4>

    "Any updates recently?" Ning Xi leaned in to nose around.

    "A little, I guess! Actually, I don''t know if it counts!" Ning Tianxin looked troubled like a woman who hadpletely fallen in love.

    Ning Qiutong smiled at the two girls, sighing as she thought how nice it was to be young again. "I have to leave for a while. The two of you chat along!"

    "Okay, bye bye, Aunty!"

    "Aunty, don''t worry about us!"

    ¡­

    "What does ''a little'' mean? Be more concrete! Let me analyze for you!" Ning Xi could not bear the way the girl looked so confused and suppressed herself from losing her patience.

    Ning Tianxin hesitated for a moment. When she saw no one was nearby, she weakly said, "We¡­we did it!"

    "Whoa! What!?" Ning Xi almost cried out in surprise. She looked shocked at her usually obedient, traditional, and conservative cousin. "Sis Tianxin, how is this ''a little''? You''re really usually quiet and now you''re amazing me with a single shocking feat!"

    Ning Tianxin''s face turned scarlet. "I''m saying¡­ Even though we did it, But our situation didn''t change much."

    When she heard this, Ning Xi instantly felt something was not right. "Bloody hell, that punk did it and ran?"

    "He was drunk then, so he wasn''t too clear-headed himself. After that, he apologized to me too¡­" Ning Tianxin looked like she was in a lot of pain.

    Ning Xi was so mad that her chest hurt. Not only did he run after doing it, it was also a drunk one-night stand!

    "Sis Tianxin, why are you so innocent? If a man was really drunk, how could he still do it?" Ning Xi looked bbergasted by finding out how she had been taken advantage of so cruelly. Undeniably, she was so furious. She really wanted to know who this person was! She would definitely cut that punk up into eight pieces!

    Sadly, she had asked a long time ago but Ning Tianxin was very adamant and would not tell who he was no matter what.

    When she looked at a loss at Ning Tianxin,, Ning Xi suppressed the fury in her and frowned. "Let me ask you. The night you were with him to do it, did you guys take safety measures?"

    Ning Xi looked shyly at her. "No, we were at my ce then. I don''t¡­don''t have those kind of things!"

    "I knew it!" Ning Xi chopped the man into eight pieces in her heart again, then she quickly asked, "Wait, did you take a morning after pill after that?"

    Ning Tianxin turned pale. "I was too confused then. To be honest, I''m still quite confused now¡­ I didn''t even think about it¡­"

    Ning Xi''s gaze subconsciously moved to Ning Tianxin''s stomach and felt her head hurt.

    It was understandable if the innocent Ning Tianxin knew nothing, but would the guy not have known either? Since he did not want to take responsibility, how did he not even think about reminding her?

    She would never have thought that someone close to her would meet such trash men too¡­

    After Ning Xi reminded Ning Tianxin about the possible implications, she could not sit still any longer. "Xiao Xi, I-I''ll leave first!"

    This would not do. She had to get a pregnancy test kit from the pharmacy to check.

    Ning Xi was worried about Ning Tianxin being alone, so she quickly chased after her. When she reached the door, she bumped into someone and was so frightened that she immediately turned around and ran the other way!

    Crap! Yun Shen!

    No way!

    This was¡­impossible!

    Ning Xi hid in the crowd of the banquet hall as she carefully peered between the gaps of the crowd towards the door again.

    Yet, she actually did not need to look. The reactions of the people all around her had answered her.

    That Yun Shen must be crazy. He had actually appeared openly at such a public assion and did not bother to cover up his appearance at all! That arrogant head of white hair was way too recognizable¡­

 Chapter 1309: A Moving Gold Mine

    <h4>Chapter 1309: A Moving Gold Mine</h4>

    A head of unbridled white hair and that demonic look instantly attracted everyone''s gaze.

    If it was a normal person with a head of white hair, it would turn heads and send tongues wagging, but this person did not look out of sorts. He was supposed to be like that, akin to poppy; even though one knew that it was poisonous, one still could not help but fall into its trap.

    Many of the female socialites looked over in a daze.

    "Who''s that man?"

    "So¡­so handsome! But how have I never seen him? Logically, with such extraordinary charisma, I wouldn''t not remember if I''ve seen him!"

    ¡­

    Among the buzz and whispers, someone in the crowd suddenly gasped excitedly, "Is that¡­could that be the legendary CEO Yun?"

    "What? Which CEO Yun?"

    "Yi Lan Investment Group''s CEO!"

    "Whoa! No way! Isn''t that the tycoon that suddenly appeared recently and brought huge amounts of capital back into the country?"

    "Well¡­I''m not too sure because neither has anyone ever seen how that CEO looks like, nor do we know how old he is, but the rumors say that he has a head of white hair. Plus with this man''s aura, I made such a deduction!"

    ¡­

    Amidst the discussions in the crowd, no one dared to walk over to him because they were not sure of his identity until the event organizer, the old CEO of Mingyuan Technology wiped his sweat on his brow and rushed to the white-haired man with his personal assistant. Then, he respectfully led the man in.

    When they saw this, there were instantly gasps among the crowd!

    "It really¡­is him?"

    "I shouldn''t be wrong. That person must be the CEO of Yi Lan''s Investment Group, Yun Shen! Mingyuan Technology was initially just an above average techpany, and it was because Yi Lan Group invested $ 10 billion that they leaped to be the industry leader!"

    "My God!"

    ¡­

    In that instance, almost all thepany owners'' eyes lit up. In their eyes, Yi Lan Investment Group was a huge gold mine!

    Furthermore, Yi Lan Investment Group had just started up and was looking for investment partners, so it was the best time to befriend him.

    Instantly, many people quickly walked up to him with the intention of getting a piece of the gold mine.

    Of course, it was a taboo to rashly walk up at such an assion. They needed someone to introduce them ording to etiquette, thus the CEO of Mingyuan Technology, Cui Mingyuan, was suddenly very busy. Of course, even then, he still felt very honored that he could invite such a famous man to attend his event, and his chubby face was delighted.

    He had just been trying his luck with the invitation. He thought that he would definitely not ept it, so he did not tell anyone about this, but who would have thought that he had reallye? He was really overwhelmed by this.

    Yi Lan Investment Group had invested in quite a few startups the moment they settled in the country, and all of them had performed greatly. The upper-ss circle in Imperial had long heard about this young legendary CEO, but sadly this person moved around with elusiveness and it was incredibly difficult to meet him. Now that they had been presented with such a great opportunity, all the guests would, of course, rush to grab their chance.

    Even Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu instantly forgot about Ning Xi. They went around to look for someone to introduce them to him.

    As for Ning Xi¡­well, after she was sure it was Yun Shen, she had been racking her brain for ways to sneak away.

    She was not clear about things within the business industry and she had only heard of Yi Lan Investment Group once in a while, but she would never have thought that the CEO of thispany would be Yun Shen!

    She thought that this guy was just temporarily back in the country, but it looked like he was obviously moving his operations back here¡­

 Chapter 1310: That Woman Must Be Blind

    <h4>Chapter 1310: That Woman Must Be Blind</h4>

    The crowd of people had incidentally blocked the entrance, so Ning Xi could not find a chance to leave. She could only find a corner to temporarily sit down and wait for him to leave.

    Based on her understanding of him, he probably would not stay for long.

    However, this time, that guy must have wanted to go against her or something because he did not seem to have any intention of leaving.

    "CEO Yun, you''re truly young and promising, already seeding at such a young age. It''s truly admirable! I wonder what business were you previously doing abroad?"

    To the point that he could umte such terrifying amounts of wealth¡­

    Many others were very curious about this too. All of them were suspecting that he might be a member of some long-established, big-time n abroad.

    The white-haired man''s long fingers gently grazed his ss of blood-red wine and he said unhurriedly, "Weapons."

    There was dead silence after that.

    Then, came a wave of dryughter. "Hahahaha¡­CEO Yun, you''ve got a pretty good sense of humor!"

    "Exactly! CEO Yun, you''re too funny!"

    ¡­

    "CEO Yun, do you already have a girlfriend?"

    Clearly, this question was in the heads of all the CEOs with daughters.

    The white-haired man seemed to look off into the distance indistinctly, then he said, "I did, but I''ve been dumped."

    The rest coughed in shock. "CEO Yun, you''re joking again! How could any woman dump you?"

    "Exactly! That woman must be blind!"

    ¡­

    Not too far away, the "blind" Ning Xi was speechless.

    "You''re truly generous for having returned to the country to invest and support the nation''s infrastructural developments. I wonder which industry are you particrly interested in?" Someone asked.

    Yun Shen replied, "It depends on my mood."

    Everyone was speechless.

    Bloody hell! Couldn''t they just have a happy conversation!?

    Even if they were annoyed, they had to continue the conversation.

    Fine, you have money, you have the logic, you make all the decisions¡­

    ¡­

    Ning Xi watched how every question posed to Yun Shen received a cold response, yet the crowd was still determined to continue the awkward conversation. Ning Xi admired their psychological perseverance.

    She kept waiting, yet Yun Shen would not leave, and trouble came instead¡­

    She was sitting in a corner and maintaining a low profile when a strong whiff of alcohol closed in on her. A drunk-looking man in his forties had staggered before her with a beer in his hand, muttering, "You''re¡­you''re Ning Xi?"

    "Anyments, sir?" Ning Xi frowned.

    "How¡­how much?" The man asked.

    "What?" Ning Xi squinted.

    "I''m asking you! How much for a night?!" That beer mouth released the stench of alcohol as he asked impatiently.

    The man was quite loud and he gradually garnered the attention of those who were with Yun Shen.

    "Excuse me, sir, you''re drunk." Ning Xi did not want to attract any attention, so she tried her best to be patient and chase him off.

    "Cut the crap. I''m asking you how much! Hehe, they all say you''re really arrogant. I would like to see how hard it can be to sleep with you¡­" The beer-bellied man started to say worse things.

    One of the hotel managers noticed themotion and he quickly walked over to smooth things over, but that person had probably drunk too much and was foul-mouthed while ignoring them. All those who attended the event were important guests. Thus, the manager dared not to offend anyone. The atmosphere instantly fell into a deadlock¡­

 Chapter 1311: What Sin Had She Committed?

    <h4>Chapter 1311: What Sin Had She Committed?</h4>

    The beer-bellied man pointed to the bar filled with sses of white wine and shouted roughly, "You just want money, don''t you? I''ve got the money! You just have to finish all these wine and I''ll invest $ 50 million in your show!"

    Because he was causing a hugemotion, everyone was startled, including the one who was being surrounded by an admiring crowd¡­

    Ning Xi was furious. Bloody hell! What sin had shemitted to deserve this?

    Trouble was bound toe whenever that guy was around.

    "Wow! $ 50million!"

    "For the female artistes in the entertainment industry, it''s actually quite profitable for them to get such an advantage just by drinking and sleeping with people!"

    "That girl has Ning Qiutong''s support!"

    "I think Ning Qiutong has ulterior motives in supporting this girl too¡­ She''s just an adopted daughter. Everyone knows what an adopted daughter is best for."

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo watched themotion happen not too far away and listened to all the discussion around her. She looked pleased as punch.

    "Ning Yaohua, you''d better watch your daughter. I already told you to find a way to chase her away, yet you said nothing would happen!" Zhuang Lingyu looked incredibly upset.

    Even if she was just an adopted daughter, the situation was embarrassing enough. If people knew the truth about her being her biological daughter, she could not imagine the shame.

    Ning Yaohua did not look satisfied. He only looked sternly at Zhuang Lingyu and said, "What are you scolding me for? This is unexpected to me too! How could I have predicted this?"

    Ying Fanglin advised, "Aiyo, Uncle, Aunty, don''t be angry. Ning Xi works in the entertainment circle after all, and she''s pretty. Such things are inevitable!"

    Jin Xuanxuan quickly said, "What? Then why doesn''t Xueluo meet with such issues? Things don''t happen for no reason! It''s all because she doesn''t have any self-restraint!"

    The two echoed one another, causing Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua to look increasingly unsettled. However, at this moment, none of them wanted to rescue her. They would need to face the onlookers'' watchful gazes waiting for them to slip up if they did.

    Since Ning Qiutong had brought her, it had nothing to do with them anyway, so they decided to just stay in the clear and save themselves the trouble.

    Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu exchanged nces, both firm about not intervening.

    Not too far away, the drunk beer-bellied man did not give up. "Drink! Think it''s too little? You''re just an actress! Do you really think you''re a prestigious, hoity-toitydy?"

    Around them, many people looked towards Ning Xi and whispered.

    "Do you guys think the girl will drink?"

    "There''s so much wine. It''ll kill her¡­"

    "But this is $ 50 million! Who could resist? I''d drink even if I died! Why would I care about face?"

    ¡­

    Since she had already been noticed, Ning Xi was not going to pretend to be noble. She immediately smiled coldly and drawled, "What a coincidence! I quite like to watch people drink too, Mister. If you finish all the wine in this bar, I''ll give you $ 10 billion. How about that?"

    The moment she finished issuing her challenge, the crowd fell silent, then came the buzzing of chatter.

    "Hey! This lil girl is quite daring! $ 10 billion! Where''s she getting the $ 10 billion from?!"

    "So what if she doesn''t have it? Qian Caijun won''t drink it all anyway!"

    "I''m suddenly impressed by this youngdy. She''s got quite the guts!"

    "Hahaha¡­ I had those who use drunkenness to go crazy and even insult others. Even if you wanted to mess with girls, you don''t need to cause such a ruckus in public for ady, do you?"

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, a dazzling radiance shed across the white-haired man''s eyes and he chuckled.

 Chapter 1312: Ill Give You $ 1 Billion

    <h4>Chapter 1312: I''ll Give You $ 1 Billion</h4>

    The day she had chosen to enter the entertainment industry, Ning Xi was already mentally prepared.

    These sort of urrences weremon, and the situation before her now could merely pass as a small case.

    Had it been in the past, she might have chosen to keep the peace, but today, she was here with Ning Qiutong. If she did nothing and let this man get away with it, Ning Qiutong would be humiliated.

    In fact, before she said this, she had already secretly asked one of the hotel employees to get her Ning Qiutong.

    Now, she just needed to deal with this for a while. She just had to dy it for a while till Ning Qiutong rushed over.

    "One¡­one billion? Bitch! You''re messing with me, aren''t you?!" The beer-bellied man suddenly flew into a rage.

    Ning Xi innocently said, "Sir, I''m serious, or else, you could try finishing the drinks and see if I''m messing with you!"

    When she finished, everyone roared withughter again.

    "This youngdy is quite interesting, aye!"

    "She is! She''s pretty and quite smart!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was obviously speaking boldly because she knew Qian Caijun would definitely not drink up.

    "You¡­stop talking nonsense here! Are you drinking or not?!" There was a viciousness in Qian Caijun''s eyes. How could he be willing to let it go now that he had been humiliated by a woman in front of hundreds of watchful eyes?

    Actually, based on the situation, many people were already on Ning Xi''s side. Even if Ning Xi was an adopted daughter and a female celebrity, Qian Caijun''s tactics were just stooping too low.

    Instead, Ning Xi''s neither servile nor overbearing ways of handling the situation received many praises.

    Still, Qian Caijun had quite some influence in Imperial. He had a brother in politics, which was why no one dared to offend him either. They only silently sighed about the girl''s unfortunate luck.

    Qian Caijun continued on incessantly, while Ning Xi continued to dy the time as well. Not too far away, a pathway had suddenly opened in the midst of the surrounding crowd.

    The white-haired man that she had been avoiding earlier was passing through the crowd and walking towards her and Qian Caijun.

    Ning Xi''s attention was suddenly heightened, the grade one warning bells in her head ringing.

    What was this guy trying to do?

    When the others saw Yun Shen walk over, all of them subconsciously looked over too.

    "CEO Qian," greeted the man when he stopped in front of Qian Caijun.

    When Qian Caijun saw Yun Shen, his expression changed and he instantly sobered up. "C-CEO Yun!"

    He did not think that Yun Shen would take the initiative to talk to him. Qian Caijun quickly wiped his hand on his shirt and held it out. "Nice to meet you! I''ve long made an appointment to meet you, but you attend to a myriad of affairs every day. Truly a busy person¡­"

    Qian Caijun was not sure the reason Yun Shen had suddenly walked up to him, but he just quickly brownnosed him.

    Yun Shen did not offer his hand in return, but Qian Caijun did not care either. He hadpletely forgotten about Ning Xi and continued to eloquently dive into his proposal, "CEO Yun, if you invest in my project, you definitely won''t lose. You don''t have to worry about rtionships with the government''s side either."

    Before he could finish, the handsome white-haired man said to him, "It''s not an issue to invest."

    Qian Caijun instantly looked delighted, "CEO Yun, you''re saying¡­"

    Ning Xi was nervous too, on standby to deal with any unexpected circumstances.

    With everyone''s attentive eyes on him, Yun Shen said slowly, "Well, I don''t have any other hobbies. I just like watching people drink. If you can finish all of this wine, I''ll give you¡­$ 1billion!"

 Chapter 1313: Acting Unconventionally

    <h4>Chapter 1313: Acting Unconventionally</h4>

    These¡­

    These words¡­were practically the exact same words as what Ning Xi had said to Qian Caijun!

    The crowd exchanged nces. All of them thought it was odd.

    Could CEO Yun be¡­trying to y the hero that saves the damsel?

    ording to the normal plot line, it seemed that way, but based on Yun Shen''s short appearance earlier, the crowd pretty much understood his temperament. He was ever-changing and unpredictable. One could not usemon sense to pass judgment on him.

    Thus, they dared not to be certain about what he meant either.

    Ning Xueluo watched as Ning Xi was about to be publicly humiliated. Who would have thought that someone would turn up unexpectedly and disrupt the n, and this person had to be Yun Shen?! She bit her lips until they turned purple.

    Before the situation could even clear up, Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu were still full of doubts and did not act rashly.

    "How then?" Yun Shen sipped on his wine, unknown motives shing across his eyes.

    Qian Caijun was thoroughly clear-headed now, his thoughts moving fast in his head.

    What was this man trying to do?

    Was he really here to help the woman, or just purely having an idle conversation? Or did he really like watching people drink?

    He¡­could not see him through!

    But! $ 1 billion! This was $ 1 billion!

    Initially, he had thought about how the project could be started with $ 300 to 500 million, but now that he was thrown with such a huge number, he was tempted.

    Besides, for someone like Yun Shen, his words lent enormous weight. He would not just blurt something out like this girl, would he?

    He had to thank this girl for creating such a good opportunity for him!

    When he thought about this, Qian Caijun was promptly decisive. "That''s nothing. As long as you fancy, such a small feat is easy, CEO Yun! Coincidentally, I''m not good at anything but drinking!"

    Then, Qian Caijun took a deep breath and took up one of the wine sses, downing it in one go before he very quickly picked up the next one¡­

    Yun Shen smiled faintly as he watched from the side. The corner of his eyes was hooked on a certain someone¡­

    When everyone around saw Qian Caijun down the wine like water, they found it a ghastly sight.

    "Bloody hell, so much wine! Isn''t Qian Caijun worried that he''ll die drinking all those? There''s no way he can be that good at drinking even if he has a high tolerance!"

    "I think he''s drunk quite a bit before this. If he continues like this, I''m worried it''ll really be fatal¡­"

    "But Qian Caijun is really short on money, and this is such a good opportunity. It''s just drinking a few sses. Who wouldn''t be willing?! Are you unwilling?"

    "Nonsense, of course I''d be willing!"

    ¡­

    As he watched Qian Caijun''s eyes turn increasingly ssy and his entire body ready to topple any moment, Yun Shen had no change in his expression. There was a frightening iciness in his eyes.

    Everyone had suddenly lowered their voices.

    Ning Xi pinched the space between her brows as she watched Qian Caijun continue despite his belly turning into a bloated ball.

    Finally, Qian Caijun finished all the wine on the bar and mumbled incoherently, "C-CEO Yun¡­are you satisfied from watching?"

    Yun Shen raised his brows at this, then he slowly scoffed, "Pfft, I was just kidding! I didn''t think that you''d really think I was serious! CEO Qian, you''re too cute."

    These words¡­ If he was just kidding, why did he not stop him halfway and even continued to watch for so long?

    These words were clearly meant to make someone puke blood!

    "You¡­" Qian Caijun''s eyes instantly widened in disbelief. He wanted to throw a fit but he could not. His entire face was distorted with drunkenness and fury.

    Had he just been fooled?

    He did not think that Yun Shen would actually have a slip of the tongue on the spot. The others were dumbfounded at this too. At the same time, they actually thought it was expected. This was more like the kind of thing someone as unconventional as him would do.

 Chapter 1314: Almost Passed Out

    <h4>Chapter 1314: Almost Passed Out</h4>

    As Qian Caijun almost passed out of anger, Yun Shen turned around and said, "Ah, I have limited resources, $ 1 billion is impossible, but something lesser is doable."

    Qian Caijun was revived as he heard Yun Shen. "Of course, I understand! It''s alright for you to invest any amount!"

    From his tone, he would probably give $ 300, or even $ 500 million!

    Yun Shen then gave a word to the stern bodyguard beside him, and thetter left afterwards.

    It seemed like he had gone to prepare the money!

    Soon, the bodyguard came back. Qian Caijun was full of expectations as the bodyguard extended his hand out without any expression on his face.

    Qian Caijun opened his palm, practically hyperventting in excitement.

    The next moment, a silver coin dropped onto Qian Caijun''s palm.

    Everyone was taken aback!

    One¡­one dor!

    Did their eyes fail them?

    "Uh, $ 1? Is that a single dor? Or am I mistaken!"

    "That''s¡­right, it is!"

    "CEO Yun is so cruel! You''ll never guess what he''s going to do next!"

    "Is there some vengeance going on between CEO Yun and Qian Caijun?"

    "Who knows!? But seems like it!"

    "Qian Caijun deserved it. It''s not the first time he looked for trouble with this girl. He tried to insult her by offering a $ 1 bid at the charity auctionst time. This is karma!"

    "Now that you mentioned it, why does it seem like CEO Yun has something going on with this girl?"

    ¡­

    Thud! Qian Caijun had fallen backwards. This time, he had really passed out.

    Ning Xueluo was hopping mad!

    The hotel manager quickly had several waiters send him out, then he carefully apologized to Yun Shen, "I''m sorry to let you experience this! Really sorry!"

    As the drama garnered more attention and everyone was stealing nces at her and Yun Shen, Ning Xi was having a headache with all the sprouted discussions and suspicions. She took the opportunity to flee when Qian Caijun passed out.

    Ning Yaohua could not wait any longer. He went up to Yun Shen excitedly and said, "Thank you for helping my daughter, CEO Yun!"

    Ning Yaohua then handed his name card. "CEO Yun, I''m the president of Ning International, Ning Yaohua. I''ve submitted a project proposal to yourpany before. I wonder if you remember anything about it?"

    Who cared why Yun Shen helped Ning Xi? This was a hard-earned chance for him.

    There were so many people around him just now, so Ning Yaohua did not have the chance to even speak.

    Ning Xi''s expression darkened when she saw Ning Yaohua swiftly go up to Yun Shen at this point but had ignored her when she needed help just now.

    Yun Shen nced at the girl, then he took the name card. "Ning International, I remember."

    Ning Yaohua looked overjoyed. He then described the proposal details, "I didn''t expect you to remember! Although we might not be the best in the country, we''re one of the oldest in the industry, plus we have very close ties with the Su family¡­"

 Chapter 1315: My Dear, Iâ€™m Yourâ€¦

    <h4>Chapter 1315: My Dear, I¡¯m Your¡­</h4>

    In the hall, everyone was jealous at how close Ning Yaohua could get to Yun Shen effortlessly.

    "How cunning! He doesn''t even know he was helping his daughter by going up to him so quickly!"

    "Great, we tried for so long and now he''s getting everything!"

    "What a lucky man!"

    ¡­

    Yun Shen was listening to Ning Yaohua patiently, making somements and replies from time to time.

    Ning Yaohua was ecstatic as he inquired after that, "What do you think, CEO Yun?"

    Zhuang Lingyu was enjoying the looks of jealousy from everyone else, feeling really proud of her husband. Even Ning Xueluo forgot about Ning Xi at that moment, focusing on the man with white hair in front of her.

    If this project were to happen, it would be a big step for Ning International. Most importantly, after the elder made his will, Ning Yaohua needed strong backing for him to hold power against the other shareholders.

    Finally, Yun Shen spoke up, "President Ning''s projects are not bad, so¡­"

    So¡­?

    As the three of them stared at him nervously, Yun Shen smiled, then looked at Ning Xi and said, "So, my dear, what do you think? Should I invest in your father''spany?"

    Ning Yaohua, Zhuang Lingyu, and Ning Xueluo were speechless. Ning Xi was confused.

    She had already tried to make her presence less obvious. Why was she being involved again?!

    She knew it! She could not run away from it.

    This guy had done it on purpose.

    Suddenly, Ning Yaohua, Zhuang Lingyu, and even Ning Xueluo all stared at her in disbelief.

    What was happening?

    Ning Xi took a deep breath, suppresing her own emotions. "You really like to joke around, CEO Yun. This seems to be unrted to me."

    Ning Yaohua nervously yelled at her, "Xiao Xi, stop talking nonsense!"

    "Too bad then. If that''s how it is, then we''ll let this matter go," Yun Shen casually rejected Ning Yaohua.

    Ning Yaohua''s expression darkened while Zhuang Lingyu did not look very happy as well.

    Ning Xueluo clenched her fists and asked, "Actually, what''s your rtionship with my sister, Mr. Yun?"

    Ning Xi replied instantly, "No rtionship at all!"

    Yun Shen smiled. "How could you say that? My dear, I''m your¡­"

    Ning Xi red at him. Bastard! If he dared to say anything weird, she was going to kill him!

    "Ah¡­" The man had enough fun and he looked at Ning Xi''s re dly. "I''m your most loyal fan!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu looked at each other. Ning Xueluo''s face went pale as she remembered something.

    Ning Xi''s fan¡­

    She was reminded of what happened at the charity auction.

    Could he be the one that had bought the crown at $ 100 million?

    The host had mentioned it was a fan of Ning Xi''s¡­

 Chapter 1316: Shameless

    <h4>Chapter 1316: Shameless</h4>

    Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu were apparently reminded of the same event as well, and they were shocked. They could never have guessed that the person they had been trying to look for would turn out to be Ning Xi''s fan!

    And it seemed like he would listen to anything Ning Xi said!

    Ning Yaohua was really outraged by Ning Xi''s reply just now.

    This damn brat! If she had just agreed, he could have gotten the billion-dor investment already!

    As far as he knew, none of Yun Shen''s investments would be worth less than a billion¡­

    As Ning Yaohua was trying to make amends, Yun Shen had lost interest in him. The man turned around and left.

    Before he left, he stopped and stared intensely at Ning Xi. "My dear, don''t miss me too much. We''ll meet again soon."

    Ning Xi remained silent.

    When Yun Shen left, Ning Yaohua could not hold it in anymore. Zhuang Lingyu vented her anger together with him.

    "Ning Xi, how could you do that!?"

    "Why didn''t you say you wished he would invest just now? Do you know how much loss that cost thepany?"

    "Sister, you really went overboard just now."

    ¡­

    Ning Xi nced at the three of them in obvious disgust as she said coldly, "When I was in trouble with Qian Caijun just now, all three of you feigned not to know me at all, and now you''re expecting me to ask such a big favor from a stranger. Are you going to use me to pay him back?"

    "Xiao Xi, I was about to stop the person just now. Don''t be so immature! Why not schedule a time, and ask CEO Yun out for dinner? Then, talk to him again about my projects." Ning Yaohua did not want to infuriate Ning Xi as he knew how Yun Shen doted on her, so he tried to be as kind-sounding as possible.

    "So what if we didn''t go over earlier? You want us to be embarrassed as well?" Zhuang Lingyu did not bother to disguise the brutality in her tone. She was furious as she thought of what had just happened.

    Ning Xueluo was patting her back, trying to cool her down.

    Suddenly, a sharp voice came from the back. "How shameful!"

    "Aunt¡­" Ning Xi looked over.

    Ning Qiutong had heard about everything from the waiter. She patted Ning Xi''s head, then red at the three of them. "It''s an embarrassment for Ning Xi to have you two as her parents! You guys ran away the quickest whenever anything happened, and when she has some semnce of value to you, she suddenly bes your daughter again! I''ve witnessed a new level of brazenness today!"

    "You¡­" Zhuang Lingyu''s expression darkened.

    "What? I''ll tell you what. You''ve never acknowledged Ning Xi as your daughter, so you have no right to ask her to do anything!"

    "Qiutong, be quiet!" Ning Yaohua hissed, looking around carefully.

    There was a fire of rage in Ning Qiutong''s eyes, but her outlook was as cold as ice. She held Ning Xi''s hand and walked towards the crowd.

    "She¡­what is she trying to do!?" Zhuang Lingyu had a strong sense of unease.

    Ning Xi frowned and looked at Ning Qiutong. "Aunt¡­"

    Ning Qiutong interrupted her, "Xiao Xi, don''t say anything. I''m here for you."

    Then, she addressed the crowd, "Everyone!"

    At that moment, the crowd all looked to her.

 Chapter 1317: The Lady Of The Ning Family

    <h4>Chapter 1317: The Lady Of The Ning Family</h4>

    With the sound of Ning Qiutong''s voice, everyone instantly nced over with questions in their eyes, not sure about what Ning Qiutong wanted to do.

    The crowd exchanged nces and were murmuring amongst one another, then they heard Ning Qiutong say, "I heard about the situation earlier. Regarding Qian Caijun''s actions and harassment towards my niece, I will do a thorough investigation, and of course, it won''t be limited to legal consequences."

    This clearly meant that she was going to mess with him.

    Did Ning Qiutong have to go this far for an adopted daughter from the vige?

    Even Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu had not said anything earlier.

    In that instance, the crowd was clearly baffled.

    "Other than that, I think everyone has misunderstood, so I feel the need to exin to those of you present. Earlier, as I already introduced, Xiao Xi is my niece, my biological niece. She''s not adopted!"

    The moment Ning Qiutong said that, it caused amotion.

    Ning Xueluo immediately turned pale. Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu wanted to stop her from saying anything further but it was toote. Ning Qiutong swiftly continued, "When Ning Xi and Ning Xueluo were born, they had been taken home wrongly from the hospital. We only got Ning Xi back to the Ning residence from the countryside when she was 18! Ning Xi is my biological niece, our eldest granddaughter of the Ning family! Today, don''t talk about Xiao Xi''s identity at hand. Even if she was just a regr girl, Qian Caijun''s actions earlier were still despicable! I trust that no one here would disagree!"

    Zhuang Lingyu''s pupils abruptly contracted in ire. "Ning Qiutong! She dared! She really dared to do that! I''ll tear her apart!"

    Ning Yaohua pulled Zhuang Lingyu back roughly. "Calm down! Look at what asion it is! Don''t you think we''ve caused enough of a ruckus? If you fight with her now, what good would you do? Everything she''s saying is true! How about we just wait for things to calm down?"

    At this moment, no one cared about Qian Caijun. Everyone''s attention had turned to Ning Qiutong''s shocking expos¨¨.

    "What¡­what''s going on? Ning Xueluo''s not their biological daughter? It''s actually Ning Xi?"

    "Wait, wait, my head''s about to go dizzy. So, you''re saying that Ning Xi is the realdy of the Ning family and that Ning Xueluo''s just a countryside girl that was brought home wrongly? This is just crazy!"

    "No wonder Ning Xi''s charisma and poise are so outstanding! Who would have thought there would be anotheryer of secrecy in this?!"

    "Pfft, he actually publicly messed with the realdy! He''s dead this time. No wonder Ning Qiutong is this angry!"

    "I think the situation''s not that simple. If it really was as Ning Qiutong said, why did the Ning family not announce Ning Xi''s identity earlier? Instead, they pampered Ning Xueluo like she''s their real daughter. Are Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu cuckoo in the head?"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo''s best friends, Ying Fangli and Jin Xuanxuan, exchanged looks, then they looked to Ning Xueluo with an odd expression.

    Ning Xueluo was not even the biological daughter of the Ning family, but was an actual hillbilly? On the contrary, Ning Xi was actually the real daughter?

    This¡­ How could this be!?

    If that was the case, what was the meaning of all those times they had hung out with her, treated her like a princess, and evenughed at Ning Xi together?

    If that was the case, Ning Xueluo must have been in the loop herself, yet she had not said anything while she watched them like fools?

    What was actually going on here?!

 Chapter 1318: Is She Any Nobler?

    <h4>Chapter 1318: Is She Any Nobler?</h4>

    "Xueluo, what''s this? Is your aunt crazy? She actually said Ning Xi is the realdy of the Ning family, and that you got mixed up with Ning Xi?" Ying Fanglin asked in bewilderment.

    Ning Xueluo squeezed her nails into her palms and said sadly, "I don''t know why Aunty''s saying that either¡­"

    Ying Fanglin and Jin Xuanxuan looked at each other, only believing half of Ning Xueluo''s words. There were just too many irregrities in this situation¡­

    "I apologize for disrupting everyone''s mood. I hope that everyone will have a pleasant night. Next time, I''ll organize a banquet to make it up to everyone!" Ning Qiutong finished wlessly, then she led Ning Xi to leave, leaving a shocked crowd, and an anxious Ning Yaohua and his wife.

    Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu would not just let things go. They would want to bring this up to the elder.

    Obviously, Ning Qiutong let Ning Yaohua and the rest tell one side of the story, then she had quickly brought Ning Xi to the Ning family''s old residence.

    Coincidentally, it was time they rified about tonight''s incident!

    "It''s alreadyte at night. What''s everyone making so much noise for?" The elder looked angrily upon themotion in his house.

    It was not only Ning Yaohua and Ning Qiutong; even Ning Yaobang who loved chaos hade too. He had already received news about what had happened. Ning Qiutong had actually publicly announced Ning Xi and Ning Xueluo''s mix up, while Ning Yaohua and Ning Qiutong had gone against each other. What a show! Obviously, he would rush over to watch!

    Zhuang Lingyu was going crazy with fury. ''Father, why don''t you ask what your niece has done?! Ning Qiutong has gone too far! She didn''t even greet us and even brought Ning Xi to Mingyuan Technology''s cocktail party without our permission tonight."

    Ning Qiutong sneered, "Without permission? Sis-inw, watch your choice of words. It''s my freedom to bring whomever wherever I like. There''s no reason for me to report what I do to you."

    "Shut up! Ning Xi is my¡­"

    "Mmm? She''s your what?"

    Zhuang Lingyu took a deep breath. "Don''t change the topic!"

    Then, she looked to the elder and spoke again, "Father, it''s fine if she brought Ning Xi to the cocktail party, but she even announced there that Ning Xi is my biological daughter, saying that Ning Xi and Ning Xueluo have been mixed up!"

    Ning Yaohua spoke up too, "Father, Qiutong has really gone too far this time!"

    The elder''s gaze swept across everyone, then he said, "How''s that overboard? Qiutong was just telling the truth!"

    "Father¡­" Zhuang Lingyu immediately cried out in defiance.

    Ning Xueluo''s eyes were filled with gloom in that instant as well.

    "Enough, don''t fight anymore. Even though it wasn''t the best time to do it, this should''ve long been announced. I''ve already given you both such a long time to prepare, for you to settle it well, yet what did you have to show? Do you want to wait for the day that I die before I can see Xiao Xie back home?" The elder stomped hard with his walking staff, furious.

    Zhuang Lingyu roared, "Father, you might be a little too biased! Now that Qiutong has caused such amotion, how''s our Xueluo supposed to go on? What would others think of her?"

    Ning Qiutong scoffed, "Then, why don''t you think about Xiao Xi, whom you''ve titled as the adopted daughter, and how she''s been living her life? What others think of her!? What''s wrong? Xiao Xi can suffer, but she can''t? Is she any nobler than anyone else?"

    As she continued to be rendered speechless by Ning Qiutong, Zhuang Lingyu finally could not hold back and ran over. The situation turned into instant chaos¡­

    Ning Yaohua quickly went up to hold her back, not bothering about his strength either. Ning Qiutong was almost elbowed by Ning Yaohua. Atst, he was flung away by Ning Xi by the wrist, then she pulled Ning Qiutong to protect her behind her¡­

    "You¡­you unfilial child! How dare you do that to your old man?!" Ning Yaohua only felt pain shoot up his wrist amidst his hot anger.

 Chapter 1319: Share Transfer Agreement

    <h4>Chapter 1319: Share Transfer Agreement</h4>

    "Everyone, stop! Look at you!" The elder cried out in anger.

    Ning Yaohua stared at Ning Xi as if he was staring at an enemy. "Unfilial child, don''t think I don''t know your motives. You''ve gotten close to your aunt by every possible means just for that bit of shares, haven''t you? You thought that if you could deceive your aunt for those shares, you can inherit thepany! You think that those old guys in thepany are easy to deal with? Without my protection, you''d be swallowed whole!"

    Zhuang Lingyu looked on mockingly, "You keep on saying that you don''t want Ning assets, and you don''t want to acknowledge us as your parents. What''re you doing now then?"

    "The two of you, shut up! Even if Xiao Xi inherits thepany, it''s right and proper!" The elder had rage written all over his face.

    Amid the arguments, Ning Xi suddenly spoke up, "Regarding the shares, I was intending to invite everyone out to rify it once and for all. Since the two of you are now so impatient, let''s just settle it now. Plus, it''s good that Grandfather is here too."

    The elder frowned. "Xiao Xi, you''re¡­"

    Ning Xi gave her grandfather a consoling nce, then she took out a stack of documents from her bag.

    In that instance, Ning Yaohua, Zhuang Lingyu, Ning Xueluo, and Ning Yaobang turned their attention to the documents in her hands.

    On the first page of that document, it was clearly stated in ck, bold words: Share Transfer Agreement!

    Suddenly, everyone''s eyes widened, especially Ning Yaohua and Ning Yaobang''s.

    "The share transfer agreement!" Ning Yaobang eximed. Was Ning Xi nning to transfer her shares?

    Ning Xueluo looked nervous. Could Ning Xi have been persuaded by her offer from before?

    That was not right¡­ This witch had never wanted anything beneficial to her. There was no way she would sell the shares to her!

    Bam! Ning Xi just flipped open the share transfer agreement and mmed it onto the table.

    The contents were instantly presented before everyone.

    ¡­

    Ning International Private Limited Company Share Transfer Agreement

    Transferor: Ning Xi (Party A)

    Assignee: Ning Qiutong (Party B)

    ¡­

    Ning Qiutong!

    When they saw that name, Ning Yaohua and the rest were stupefied.

    Yet, there was more that shocked them after that.

    The agreement stated that Party A would be transferring 10% of Ning International''s shares to Party B at no cost.

    At no cost!

    "Ning Xi! You''re crazy!" Ning Yaohua could not take this.

    Zhuang Lingyu was in disbelief too. She did not think that Ning Xi would transfer all of her shares to Ning Qiutong for free!

    She would rather give it for free to Ning Qiutong and not sell it to them?

    Ning Qiutong looked at the share transfer agreement and felt a mix of emotions. Clearly, she did not expect for Ning Xi to do that either. They had only met a few times, yet she had trusted her so much and just transferred all of her shares to her.

    Ning Yaobang looked on in pain. "Sigh, my niece, even if you''re not interested in thepany and don''t want to sell it to my brother, you could sell it to me! It''s just too stupid to give it to someone else not even for a single cent!"

    "Father, are you just going to let Ning Xi mess with the shares like that?" Ning Yaohua anxiously pleaded.

    Ning Zhiyuan looked at Ning Xi, and when he saw her determined demeanor, he took a deep breath and said, "Since I''ve already given the shares to Xiao Xi, they are hers. Whatever she wants to do with them is up to her."

    Zhuang Lingyu hated Ning Qiutong the most. There was no way she would allow Ning Qiutong to take up 20% of Ning International''s shares and immediately step over Ning Yaohua. She immediately roared angrily.

 Chapter 1320: You Canâ€™t Cover It Up Forever

    <h4>Chapter 1320: You Can¡¯t Cover It Up Forever</h4>

    "Father, Qiutong is an outsider anyhow. Do you really think it''s alright for her to hold onto such arge amount of shares?!"

    Ning Zhiyuan looked at Ning Xueluo''s direction. "You know very well who the outsider is here. I don''t want to say any harsh words. One is my biological granddaughter, another one I''ve been taking care of since young. They''re both the same to me, but what you guys did to Xiao Xi is really too much!"

    Ning Zhiyuan then stared harshly at Ning Xueluo. "Xueluo, our household is in a mess now because of you. If you feel grateful towards us, or if you feel any guilt towards your sister, please convince your parents!"

    If Ning Xueluo was as innocent as she looked and did not covet anything, Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu would not need to act this way.

    This girl, he could not just let her be anymore¡­

    Now that Xiao Xi had handed her shares over to Qiutong, and Qiutong was looking after her, it was the best arrangement as of now.

    Five years ago, when the elder had realized that his sole granddaughter was not blood-rted, he had fallen sick. After they took Ning Xi in, he was ignorant about many things and was too tired to care as well, which led to the situation today.

    "Then, what about the Su family? How do I tell the Su family about this!?" Zhuang Lingyu felt really anxious about what was about to ensure. She hated Ning Xi and Ning Qiutong so much! "She caused such a mess tonight. The Sus will surely hear about this, and if they know Xueluo isn''t my real child¡­"

    Ning Qiutong nced at Zhuang Lingyu in disdain. "You can''t hide it forever. I''m just helping you to face the truth earlier so that she doesn''t get chased out after marriage!"

    Zhuang Lingyu pointed her finger at her shakily. "You¡­Ning Qiutong! Are you happy that you''re making us miserable?! Can you really be d that you''re taking these shares?"

    Ning Qiutong shrugged innocently. "My niece gave it to me. Why not?"

    The elder sighed, "I''ve already told you to tell the truth from the very beginning. The three of you begged me to hide it. Now, you bear the consequences on your own."

    "Father, if the marriage with Su family is called off, that will affect the whole of Ning International!" Ning Yaohua was apprehensive. Not only was Xueluo''s real identity exposed, his position as the top shareholder would not be secure as well. Even more so, the marriage matter was uncertain at this point.

    "Although we''re not the best family around, we don''t need some marriage to hold our stand. Didn''t you all say that the Sus like Xueluo as a person, and it''s not rted to the Ning family at all? Does her real identity really matter?" Ning Zhiyuan looked exhausted. He did not want to listen to Ning Yaohua anymore, so he signaled to the caretaker to help him up.

    Ning Yaohua could not refute his statement, but how could a foster daughterpare to a biological daughter in this matter!?

    Ning Yaobangughed coldly, "You said that it''ll affect the whole of Ning International, but it''s just a matter of you losing your stand!"

    Although Ning Qiutong was not at an advantage this time, he was happy as long as Ning Yaohua suffered.

    Ning Xueluo calmed herself down, then she turned to Ning Xi. "Xiao Xi, think carefully. Everything is my fault. It''s nothing to do with Father and Mother. They are still your parents and they would never do anything bad to you. Don''t be deceived!"

 Chapter 1321: The Stupidest Thing

    <h4>Chapter 1321: The Stupidest Thing</h4>

    Zhuang Lingyu dragged Ning Xueluo backward. "Xueluo, there''s nothing else to say to her anymore. She''ll only be happy after all of us are dead!"

    The elder and Ning Yaobang left. Only Ning Qiutong and they remained in the room.

    Zhuang Lingyu could not keep it in anymore. "She still hates us for what happened before! Not only did she get herself pregnant and lied to us that it was Su Yan''s baby, but in the end, she made Su Yan leave her and he ended up choosing Xueluo!

    "We could only send her overseas to avoid her from being an embarrassment to the family! We didn''t announce her identity because someone might find out about her past!

    "We didn''t even tell the elder about this, so we''re doing her a great favor! She deserves what happened to her! What rights does she hold to hate us?"

    "Lingyu, be quiet!" Ning Yaohua looked ufortable.

    It was one of the darkest stains in his life¡­

    Ning Xueluo joined in, "Mother, please don''t talk about it anymore. Even if Bro Su doesn''t like Sister anymore, I shouldn''t have gotten together with him. It was I who made her suffer all these years¡­"

    Ning Qiutong was really shocked.

    What?

    So many things had happened over the years?

    From what Zhuang Lingyu said, Su Yan had been with Ning Xi before? Ning Xi had gotten herself pregnant outside and had lied that it was Su Yan''s baby?

    After running businesses for so many years, her senses of judging a person had sharpened.

    No matter how she looked at it, Ning Xi did not look like someone who would do that.

    Ning Qiutong asked, "Are you sure that''s the truth, and there''s nothing else you''re hiding?"

    "What else could I hide?! I took care of her during her pregnancy. She told me that it''s Su Yan''s baby. After Su Yan returned from abroad, he told me that he had never slept with Ning Xi at all! Do you know how embarrassed I was?" Zhuang Lingyu''s expression darkened as she was reminded of the past.

    Ning Yaohua chipped in, "Qiutong, I know you think that Lingyu and I are cruel, but a lot of things have happened. Every family has a skeleton in their closet."

    "Enough." The girl''s icy-cold voice echoed in the quiet room.

    Zhuang Lingyu narrowed her eyes at Ning Xi with a disgusted expression. "We''ve touched a sensitive scar, huh? Now, you feel embarrassed? What have you been doing?"

    After a while, Ning Xi looked up with crystal clear eyes. "Do you know what was the stupidest thing I''ve ever done? It''s not giving all my heart to love Su Yan. It''s also not treating Ning Xueluo like my real sister and hide nothing from her. The stupidest thing I''ve done was to cry and try to exin, and beg you all to believe that I didn''t do it! I''m really sorry. You can think what you want now. It has nothing to do with me."

    Ning Xi then left.

    Ning Qiutong quickly followed. When she was at the door, she turned around and looked at Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu. "You choose to believe two outsiders rather than your own daughter. You really broaden my views every day! Take a proper look at who''s around you!"

 Chapter 1322: Just A Fake?

    <h4>Chapter 1322: Just A Fake?</h4>

    After Ning Qiutong and Ning Xi left, Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu looked upset.

    Zhuang Lingyu was still furious. "That brat! She was still trying to quibble¡­"

    Ning Xueluo suddenly spoke up, "Father, Mother, over these years, I''m really grateful for the both of you! Thank you for your care! Thank you for your love and trust! Now that things have progressed this way, it''s really not what I hoped for. Although I really don''t want to, I think I should leave¡­"

    Zhuang Lingyu''s expression changed. "Xueluo, what do you mean?"

    Ning Yaohua frowned. "Xueluo, what are you talking about? Where are you going?"

    Ning Xueluo miserably looked at them. "Wherever! I don''t want to add anymore trouble to this family. The both of you have sacrificed a lot for me! Grandfather is right. If I''m really grateful, I shouldn''t keep staying here! I-I don''t belong here after all¡­ I should go back to where I belong¡­ I should''ve done this much earlier. It''s all my fault!"

    "Xueluo, your grandfather isn''t chasing you out. You don''t have to care about what anyone says as well. I brought you up, and I know who you are. Would anyone know you better than your own mother? Don''t do anything foolish. Don''t leave me!" Zhuang Lingyu begged.

    Ning Xueluo cried, "But, Mother, I can''t stay in this home anymore¡­ Sorry, I''m really sorry!"

    Zhuang Lingyu stared at Ning Yaohua and urged him to do something.

    Ning Yaohua sighed, "Xueluo, I know that it''s been hard for you, but things aren''t as serious as you think. Not many people were at the party yesterday anyway. I''ve ordered an information lockdown as well, so it definitely won''t cause any damage to your career! You''re our sweetheart, and we''ll always be by your side. Who would dare to look down on you?"

    "That''s right!" Zhuang Lingyu went along.

    As Ning Xueluo felt slightly better, Ning Yaohua''s phone suddenly rang.

    It was Su Hongguang. The head of the Su family had called him!

    Ning Yaohua''s expression changed. Under Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Xueluo''s nervous gazes, he picked up the phone. "Hello¡­"

    "President Ning, I''m pretty sure you know why I''m calling. I hope you can give me a good answer! The Su family is one of the most prestigious families in Imperial. Now that this happened, are you trying to embarrass us!? We thought we were marrying a princess, and now she''s just a fake!"

    Ning Yaohua felt attacked, but he had to suppress his emotions. "That''s a bit too harsh. We''ve been taking care of Xueluo since she was young. She''s always our sweetheart, always our princess. What do you mean by ''fake''? You know her capabilities and how she''s like, don''t you?"

 Chapter 1323: Decide As Soon As Possible

    <h4>Chapter 1323: Decide As Soon As Possible</h4>

    "Ning Yaohua, don''t change the topic here. Do you think this is a good reason for lying to the Su family?" Su Hongguang sounded angrier now.

    Ning Yaohua spoke solemnly, "Regarding this issue, please don''t worry. I''ll definitely give you a satisfactory answer!"

    "Okay, I''ll give you three days!" Then, he hung up.

    ¡­

    After he hung up, Ning Yaohua looked rather gloomy.

    Zhuang Lingyu quickly asked, "What''s wrong? What did they say?"

    Something shed in Ning Xueluo''s eyes, then she said sadly with a tinge of hopelessness, "Now that Aunty has exposed the whole fiasco, most people have probably taken her word with that powerful influence of hers. Never mind other people. They won''t investigate further, but to the Su family, since they''ve heard the rumors, they''ll definitely do a thorough investigation. We can''t cover this up anymore. I don''t want to deceive them either. Father, Mother, don''t trouble yourselves. I''ll go break up with Su Yan now¡­"

    Ning Yaohua''s expression turned sullen, and in a strict tone, he asserted, "Xueluo! You''re crazy! How can you just say such things?!"

    "Father¡­at this point, instead of letting the Su family raise it, I might as well bring it up myself. That way, I can leave some dignity for myself. Now that I have nothing, I don''t match¡­don''t match Bro Yan¡­" Ning Xueluo spoke as she started to sob sadly.

    "Silly child, don''t cry! It''s all my fault. When I saw Ning Qiutong appear then, I should''ve been more alert!" Zhuang Lingyu heartachingly consoled Ning Xueluo who could not stop crying now.

    Ning Yaohua had fallen into deep contemtion. Even though Xueluo had said those words on impulse, it was not all illogical.

    When the elder had set up his will thest time and did not leave any shares for Xueluo, the Su family had already been suspicious. How was it logical to not leave shares to the biological granddaughter but leave some for Ning Xi, the supposedly adopted one?

    It was a lucky thing that Su Yan had probably gone back and spoken to them, which was why they had not said anything, but now there was no way they could exin this.

    Now that Xueluo was not their biological daughter and did not have any shares under her name, forget about having no status if she married into the Su family. The problem now was that the marriage might not even happen.

    Xueluo had worked hard and connected them to the Su family by marriage. if their marriage was called off, it would be a huge loss to him!

    To Ning Yaohua, the Su family''s existence was more important than any shares. A huge reason for his firm status on the board of directors was due to the Su family''s support.

    Thus, no matter what, this marriage had to happen!

    However, now there was only one way to prove the Ning family''s sincerity and raise Xueluo''s status. He had to transfer the shares under his name to Xueluo. That way, the Sus would not be able to criticize them!

    Unfortunately, transferring all of his shares to Xueluo was quite a huge decision, and it was hard for him to immediately decide.

    As great as Xueluo was, she was still not their biological daughter¡­

    Thus, Ning Yaohua fell into a dilemma.

    Momentster, Ning Yaohua took a deep breath and said, "Xueluo, don''t worry, let me think it through. Don''t act on impulse with Su Yan either. I''ll settle everything for you!"

    When Ning Xueluo heard this, something shed in her eyes, but she continued to look dejected on the surface. She did not nod or shake her head, leaving Ning Yaohua with an ambiguous response.

    In other words, she was forcing Ning Yaohua to decide as soon as possible.

 Chapter 1324: Someone To Rely On In The Future

    <h4>Chapter 1324: Someone To Rely On In The Future</h4>

    Outside the Ning residence.

    "Xiao Xi, are you sure that you want to give your shares to me?"

    "Aunty, just take it. I don''t want anything of the Nings. Of course, I don''t want to favor other people. Thankfully, you appeared. I''m just afraid¡­that these shares will bring you trouble," Ning Xi said worriedly.

    Ning Qiutongughed grimly. "Huh, trouble? Just their little moves aren''t enough trouble for me to pay attention to! If that is so, I won''t reject your shares, Xiao Xi. I will ept them. Just focus on doing the things you want to do. I''ll watch out on the Ning family''s side."

    "Thank you, Aunty!" Ning Xi looked gratefully at Ning Qiutong, then she could not help but ask, "Aunty, you don''t want to ask me about what happened back then?"

    Ning Qiutong smiled understandingly. "What''s there to ask? I can guess roughly what had happened, but with Ning Xueluo''s schemes, you probablycked witnesses. Now that Ning Xueluo asserts that it''s you, plus with Su Yan on her side, you won''t be able to rify matters even if you had 100 mouths! If they don''t trust you, there''s no use exining no matter how many times. If they trust you, you wouldn''t need to say a word! Don''t worry, I trust you!"

    She looked at the experienced yet gentle woman before her and hugged her. Ning Xi felt a mix of emotions rushing. "Aunty¡­"

    The girl did not say anything, yet Ning Qiutong could sense her emotions. She was heartbroken as she patted the girl''s head. "My good child, you''ve suffered. Don''t worry. Ning Xueluo''s ws won''t be able to stay hidden for long. Your two blur parents will one day regret it," said Ning Qiutong as she sighed on the inside. This child had been holding on for so many years. It was not easy!

    As much as she hated them, what could she do? Of all people, they had to be her biological parents. No matter what she did to them, it would still be her fault.

    As for Ning International, it was the elder''s hard work, so she could not touch that.

    It was not easy for the child to persevere till today. Instead of being blinded by vengeance to take the wrong path, she had found her own direction and was even progressing greatly.

    When she thought about this, Ning Qiutong felt happy for her.

    Such a great child, but what had happened to her was just unfortunate!

    Probably because of what had happened back then, especially Su Yan''s betrayal, she had been quite traumatized. She had to see if there were any suitable men around. It would be good for Xiao Xi to have someone to rely on in the future. Old Guo had a few young men in his family and they looked pretty alright.

    ¡­

    After she chatted with Ning Qiutong for a while, the two left to go home.

    As she was driving, Ning Xi suddenly remembered something!

    Crap, she had forgotten all about Sis Tianxin!

    When she recalled the odd way Ning Tianxin had acted when she left, Ning Xi quickly called her.

    The phone kept ringing but no one picked up, making Ning Xi worried.

    Damn it, did something happen?

    Ning Xi cursed the mysterious trash man a few hundred times before she turned her car around and drove straight to where Ning Tianxin lived.

    As far as she knew, Ning Tianxin did not live with Ning Yaobang and the rest. She had rented a ce outside instead. Furthermore, she had been there once so she remembered the ce vaguely.

    Momentster, Ning Xi''s car stopped at a slightly dated building.

    These houses were quite some generations old, so they looked rather traditional. Most of them had retro-styled architecture. They held a beautiful and elegant charm in the day, but looking at it at night made it seem a little decrepit.

    Ning Xi parked her car, then rushed to the door and knocked.

 Chapter 1325: Pregnant

    <h4>Chapter 1325: Pregnant</h4>

    The sound of the knocking door rang through the house.

    The house was dark without any lights on, so she did not know if anyone was even inside.

    However, it was already sote, and Ning Tianxin did not have anywhere to go either. Logically, the only ce she could be at was here!

    Could something have happened inside?

    Ning Xi kept ringing the doorbell, but no one opened it. She was prepared to break down the door.

    At that moment, the door was opened from the inside.

    Ning Tianxin stood there looking pale. Her expression was stunned, and when she saw Ning Xi, she looked like she could not bear to hold on any longer as she broke down in Ning Xi''s arms. "Xiao Xi, Xiao Xi¡­what should I do?"

    Ning Xi instantly understood her. "You''re¡­pregnant?"

    When she heard the words, Ning Tianxin''s body trembled hard and she nodded slightly. Her tone was emotional as she admitted, "Yes, I''m pregnant. I''ve tried quite a few different types of pregnancy tests¡­and tested many times. All of them said positive¡­all of them!"

    "Okay, okay, don''t worry. Let''s go in and talk!" Ning Xi suppressed her murderous rage and carefully guided Ning Tianxin inside.

    She switched on the lights and when she saw the pregnancy tests strewn on the table, Ning Xi felt a wave of headacheing on.

    "How many months has it roughly been?" Ning Xi asked.

    "About three months¡­"

    "Do you have any symptoms?"

    "I''m just sleepier, have a bad appetite, and a slight urge to puke¡­but when I was sick previously, I had simr symptoms. My period would also be irregr when I''m stressed, so I didn''t even think it could be this at all," said Ning Tianxin as she buried her head in her hands out of frustration.

    Ning Xi pinched the space between her brows and asked the key question, "What are you doing to do now? Do you want this child or not?"

    "No¡­I don''t want it." Ning Tianxin immediately shook her head.

    Ning Xi thought Ning Tianxin would not be able to let it go. After all, it was the child that she conceived with the man she had liked for many years. She did not think Ning Tianxin would be so firm in saying "no", so she could not help but be shocked. "You sure?"

    Ning Tianxin nodded in certainty. "Xiao Xi, I will miss this child, but I can''t have it. I don''t want my tragedy to reenact on this child."

    When she heard this, Ning Xi came to a realization.

    Ning Tianxin''s parents had always had a bad rtionship. As a victim of it, she naturally did not wish for her future child to suffer the same fate.

    Ning Tianxin slowly said, "That person¡­he already has someone he likes. He really, really likes her the same way I like him. He''s liked her for many years, so I understand very well that there''s no way he''d give up on that woman! I don''t want to reach the point of using a child to tie him down. That''d be too lowly. I can''t keep this child!"

    When she heard Ning Tianxin''s words, Ning Xi could not help but feel admiration. Her cousin looked weak, yet she was quite opinionated on something like this.

    However, based on Ning Tianxin''s suffering demeanor, she did not need to ask to know that she had struggled hard toe up with such a cruel decision.

    Ning Xi still did not have the heart to let it be. She tried to ask, "Sis Tianxin, how about you decide after asking that guy? Maybe the two of you could still work things out?"

    Ning Tianxin shook her head. "No need. I''ve already confirmed how he feels based on thest time. I know that the night after he was with me, he felt horrible. Horrible for betraying the person he likes, so why should I make life hard for him again?"

 Chapter 1326: Beat Him Up

    <h4>Chapter 1326: Beat Him Up</h4>

    This silly child¡­

    Ning Xi did not know what to say.

    She was afraid that the guy would suffer, but she never thought about herself, or about the fear of facing single motherhood and the pain of going through an abortion.

    Then again, she was not the right person to tell her off since Ning Xi had a simr foolish experience before as well.

    No one would be able to help her. Ning Tianxin could only struggle through it herself.

    Ning Xi was actually relieved that Ning Tianxin decided to abort the child. It would be really difficult if she were to be a single mother.

    Although she did not know who the man was, from Ning Tianxin''s description, he did not sound like a reliable person.

    "You''ve decided?" Ning Xi asked.

    Ning Tianxin took a deep breath and nodded. "Mmm."

    Ning Xi opened her arms wide and hugged Ning Tianxin. "Alright, I''ll support whatever decision you make. The pregnancy tests aren''t always 100% urate, so the first thing to do tomorrow is to do a checkup at the hospital. I''ll apany you tomorrow!"

    "Thank you, Xiao Xi."

    "Don''t mention it! If you really want to thank me, tell me who that man is. I''m so angry right now, I wish I could beat him up!" Ning Xi started rolling up her sleeves.

    Ning Tianxin smiled. "Xiao Xi, stop messing around. That man¡­he''s pretty powerful in Imperial. I didn''t want to tell you because I know you''d surely do something. And you don''t have to. It was I who loved him for so many years. It was an ident that night after all¡­"

    Ning Xi looked disappointed, "Alright, if someday you change your mind and want him beaten up, you must tell me!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was worried about leaving Ning Tianxin alone, so she stayed there for the night.

    At midnight, her phone suddenly rang.

    She saw it was Lu Tingxiao''s name, Ning Xi quickly got up. "Hello?"

    "Where are you?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "I''m over at my cousin''s ce! Are you done with work?"

    "Just finished. Are you alright?"

    Ning Xi was a little taken aback. "Uh¡­you knew about it¡­"

    She did not want to tell him about what had happened because he had been so busy, but he still found out somehow.

    "You don''t have to worry about me. It''s not really a big deal. I transferred my shares over to my aunt and settled the matter once and for all. I''m here with my cousin because¡­something''s happened to her. I might have to stay with her for a while!"

    Ning Xi frowned. "Do you also know¡­about the appearance of him at the party?"

    "Mmm," Lu Tingxiao grunted.

    "I''ve been trying to ask¡­things seem to be hectic for you. Is it because¡­" Ning Xi was worried that that guy would do anything to Lu Tingxiao because of her.

    "Open the door," Lu Tingxiao said suddenly.

    "Huh?" Ning Xi was confused. "You¡­you''re at my cousin''s ce?"

    "Mmm."

    Ning Xi carefully walked out of the room and when she saw Ning Tianxin already sound asleep, she then quietly walked downstairs.

 Chapter 1327: Sudden Jealousy

    <h4>Chapter 1327: Sudden Jealousy</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao was right outside when she opened the door.

    "How do you¡­" Ning Xi was dumbfounded when she saw Lu Tingxiao at the door. "How did you know I''m here?"

    He had probably already been on his way here before he called her.

    "I guessed."

    Ning Xi was impressed. "You''re such a genius! But you don''t really have toe over, do you? We can talk tomorrow!"

    Lu Tingxiao opened his arms wide. "I''m here to give you a hug."

    Ning Xi''s eyes welled up as she jumped onto the man. "Lu Tingxiao, how can you be so cute?!"

    Even after being busy for a whole day, he was here to give her a hug tofort her?

    The both of them embraced each other tightly in the cold night.

    Lu Tingxiao ran his fingers through her hair. "Stop overthinking. Whatever has transpired between him and I has nothing to do with you. It''s our private grudge."

    Ning Xi suddenly realized that Lu Tingxiao seemed to know Yun Shen''s identity already.

    Did they know each other from before?

    "Both of you¡­know each other?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Yes." The man looked at the girl''s worried face. "Are you worried about me¡­or about him?"

    Ning Xi smiled. "Of course, I''m worried about my man! Would I still care about others?"

    Her man and others.

    Lu Tingxiao looked pleased, "You don''t have to worry about me. The only person I''d look out for is you."

    Ning Xi was at ease after she saw Lu Tingxiao''s confidence. While she was happy with the sweet words, she still pouted. "This is a weird thing to be jealous of, isn''t it?"

    The man looked into her eyes. "He''s the person you liked before."

    Although Ning Xi had just been fooling around with all the other guys, Yun Shen was the only one she truly liked before.

    It was impossible for him to ignore it.

    Ning Xi was confused. "Uh¡­"

    What?

    Yun Shen was the person she had liked before?

    How did hee to that conclusion?

    It seems like she had mentioned it before¡­

    Damn it!

    She had probably used that guy as her shield when she tried to reject Lu Tingxiao before.

    Lu Tingxiao did not want to trouble her further, so he ended the topic. "It''s prettyte already. Go to sleep."

    Ning Xi did not let go of her hands around him. "I don''t want you to go."

    "Then, I''ll stay with you for a little longer."

    "It''s not enough. I want to be your foot essory. I''ll follow you anywhere!" Ning Xi hid her face into Lu Tingxiao''s chest. "Ah, my dear, you''re so good¡­so, so, so good¡­ You should marry a wless fairy instead. I feel that your value has dropped by just being with me¡­"

    "You''re the fairy."

    "Hehe¡­liar!"

    ¡­

    After a whileter, Ning Xi sent him off. "I''ll stop messing around now. Go home and rest well!"

 Chapter 1328: Mistaken?

    <h4>Chapter 1328: Mistaken?</h4>

    "You too." The man looked at the girl for a while longer before he left.

    As he was about to enter the car, Ning Xi called out to him, "Lu Tingxiao¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao turned back and looked at her.

    Ning Xi gripped her hands into fists, then rxed it after a while. In the end, she just waved."Be careful on the way back."

    "Mmm."

    ¡­

    Ning Xi remained stationary for a long time after Lu Tingxiao left. Until she felt a numbness pass throughout her body, she went back into the house.

    There was something she had to tell him¡­

    Even if it was difficult¡­

    She had to eliminate it from the deepest, darkest roots even if it meant that she would have to face another hell.

    ¡­

    The next morning, before going to the hospital, Ning Xi went home to change.

    She put on a jersey and braided her hair. Then, she drew freckles all over her face and wore a pair ofrge sses, turning herself into a less attractive version.

    After they reached the hospital, Ning Xi made Ning Tianxin sit down and wait, then she went and queued up to register. After that, he then brought her up to the Gynaecology Department.

    "Xiao Xi¡­sorry for troubling you!" Ning Tianxin wiped off sweat from Ning Xi''s forehead, feeling bad for Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi replied, "Sis Tianxin, you''re my cousin, alright? I''m going to get angry next time you say something like this again!"

    "But don''t you have to work today? And¡­if someone saw you here¡­" Ning Tianxin was worried.

    "Don''t worry about it, Sis Tianxin. I have nothing scheduled today. Moreover, my makeup is on point, so no one will be able to recognize me."

    As Ning Xi wasforting Ning Tianxin, she saw two familiar people at the entrance of the Orthopedics Department.

    Two people that she could not ignore¡­

    The guy was Mo Lingtian, and the girl was Guan Ziyao!

    Mo Lingtian held a big stack of bills in one hand. The other one was carefully holding Guan Ziyao''s hand. It seemed like Guan Ziyao had injured her foot.

    Ning Xi realized that Mo Lingtian liked Guan Ziyao from before, but now it seemed like he was going to step up his moves.

    Ning Xi did not really care much. It was not a concern of hers anyway as long as Guan Ziyao stopped her moves towards her sweetheart¡­

    As Ning Xi was about to talk to Ning Tianxin, she noticed Ning Tianxin looked unwell all of a sudden.

    She still looked fine a short while ago, but now she was staring at the opposite door with trembling lips and a pale face.

    Ning Xi looked at the direction Ning Tianxin was staring at and realized that she was looking at Mo Lingtian and Guan Ziyao¡­?

    What had happened?

    Was she mistaken?

    As Ning Xi was having doubts, the nurse called their number, swiftly bringing Ning Tianxin over to the examination room.

    A series of thorough examinations went by. Ning Xi felt that something was definitely wrong with Ning Tianxin as she was not able to focus during the whole examination process at all.

    Atst, the tests were done. Ning Tianxin sat down before the doctor, whilst Ning Xi stood by the side. "Doctor, how is it?"

 Chapter 1329: Might Be Infertile Forever

    <h4>Chapter 1329: Might Be Infertile Forever</h4>

    The doctor was a woman in her forties. She skimmed the report and announced, "You''re in your twelfth week of pregnancy. The fetus is currently very healthy. Do you want to keep it?"

    She had probably noticed Ning Tianxin''s amiss expression and realized that the person beside her was not a man beside her, but a woman, so the female doctor asked frankly.

    Doctors like herself had witnessed such situations far too many times, hence such a question was amon urrence.

    "Sis Xin¡­"

    Until Ning Xi nudged her, Ning Tianxin had been absent-minded. Breaking out of her reverie, she quickly said, "No, I don''t! Doctor, can I immediately get an abortion now?"

    Ning Tianxin looked rather impatient as if the thing inside her was unnatural and causing her difort.

    The middle-aged gynecologist looked at Ning Tianxin, and her expression instantly turned slightly cold. She had been in this line of work for a long time now, but she felt very strongly against people who wanted to get an abortion.

    Many people had tried so hard to get a child, yet they could not, but people like these behavedpletely irresponsibly simply because of the fact that they were young.

    The female doctor spoke coldly, "It''s been too many days since conception. There''s no use for a medical abortion. We can only do a curettage, which is the only way the job can be done cleanly. I must remind you that this kind of surgery is very harmful to the body. In fact, based on the results of your checkup, your uterus isn''t in the best shape. It was initially very hard for your body to conceive, and after getting an abortion this time, I''m afraid the possibility of conceiving another one in the future is quite bleak."

    When she heard this, Ning Tianxin was shocked by the news. "What¡­"

    She did know that her body was quite fragile, and she would experience extreme pain during her menstruations. She has seen Chinese medicine doctors who dered that she had a weak uterus and that she had to take care of it. She never would have thought the consequences would be this serious.

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded too. "It''s that serious?"

    The female doctor replied coldly, "Obviously, I''m telling you the most serious consequence, but it''s not meant to just frighten you. The fact that she could get pregnant this time was not an effortless one."

    Ning Xi felt her mouth twitch. Where was the hard part? Ning Tianxin had only done it once and scored!

    However, it was impossible for the doctor to intentionally scare her either. The risk of Ning Tianxin''s abortion was indeed quite high, to the extent that she might be infertile forever.

    For this to happen to a woman was really serious!

    There was a dead silence within the consulting room.

    Momentster, Ning Tianxin''s hollow voice was heard. "Doctor, please arrange a time for me. The sooner, the better."

    When Ning Xi heard her, she was immediately worried. "Why so soon!? It could have such a serious consequence on your health. We can''t be so s¨¦! I must make that man responsible! How long do you want to protect that bastard for?"

    "Xiao Xi, don''t mention it anymore¡­" Ning Tianxin looked miserably in pain.

    Something shed in Ning Xi''s eyes. She frowned and asked, "Let me ask you, is that man Mo Lingtian?"

    When she heard this name, Ning Tianxin''s body swiftly turned rigid, and panic flooded her face. Every inch of her bodynguage screamed that she would never have thought that Ning Xi would find out.

    When Ning Xi saw her reaction, she knew she had guessed it correctly and her temper skyrocketed. "What!? I knew it! No wonder you looked miserable when you saw him and Guan Ziyao together earlier¡­"

    She would never have guessed that the man Ning Tianxin liked would be someone she knew.

    Just as Ning Xi was speaking agitatedly to Ning Tianxin, the two of them had not noticed how the middle-aged woman doctor looked startled when Mo Lingtian''s name was mentioned.

    Lingtian?

    This¡­this girl''s baby is¡­Lingtian''s child?

 Chapter 1330: Take Responsibility

    <h4>Chapter 1330: Take Responsibility</h4>

    Or was it just coincidentally the same name?

    No!

    She had clearly heard the name Guan Ziyao too.

    Mo Lingtian might be just a coincidence, but there was no way that both names could be the same! When she thought about this, that gynecologist instantly seemed incredibly upset.

    Sister and brother-inw had prayed hard for a grandchild to the point that they were about to donate quite a few temples!

    Yet, Lingtian this punk¡­

    "This punk! How dare he impregnate a girl and not be responsible?!" Suddenly enraged, the doctor mmed hard on the table and blurted out.

    Ning Xi and Ning Tianxin, who were in the middle of their debate, were been startled by her words. Then, the two of them looked over at the doctor.

    The doctor quickly gathered herself. She cleared her throat and looked at Ning Tianxin. With a much softer tone this time, she advised, "I''ve just told you regarding the harm and consequences of the abortion. It''s not to frighten you, but these sort of things are truly very harmful to a woman''s body. Furthermore, you have quite a unique physique¡­"

    The doctor patiently repeated the risks and possible consequences of getting an abortion, then she continued, "So, child, I suggest that it''s best you consider properly before making a decision. Your friend is right, You should get the child''s father to be responsible!"

    The doctor clearly emphasized thest sentence.

    "I''ve already thought it through," Ning Tianxin said with determination.

    She was afraid, afraid that after she left this ce, she would not find the courage to make this decision again, so she dared not give herself any leeway to back out.

    This was clearly because she had been triggered by the sight of Lingtian and Guan Ziyao together earlier, thus she was even more determined to get an abortion!

    The doctor was anxious now. She could only firmly and calmly continue to advise, "Based on your current psychological state, if I were to let you do it and you regretter on, who will be responsible for when you cause trouble? In fact, even if you decide to do it, it won''t happen today. Appointments are queued up to a week. How about this? I''ll arrange the time for you first. Go home and think it through again while you wait."

    Ning Tianxin hesitated slightly, then she agreed, "Well, okay¡­Dr. Kang, thank you!"

    The doctor had already advised her to this extent, so all Ning Tianxin could do was to leave with Ning Xi.

    After the two girls left, Kang Wanru immediately called a fellow doctor. "Hello, Dr. Zhang. I have an emergency family matter. Could youe over and rece my shift? Yes, yes, immediately!"

    When she was done with the call, Kang Wanru took off her white coat, changed into her regr clothes and then picked up her bag, rushing to leave.

    On the way, Kang Wanru drove to the Mo residence at top speed as she called her sister. "Hello, Sis, where are you now?"

    "I''m at school. What''s wrong? Don''t you have work today? Why do you have time to call me?"

    "Sis, it doesn''t matter where you are. Come home immediately, and call Bro-inw too!"

    "What''s happening? Your brother-inw is still working!"

    "Is work more important than your grandchild? Quicklye back! I have something important to tell you two!" Kang Wanru spoke with urgency.

    "Grand¡­grandchild? Wanru, what are you on about?"

    "Juste home, okay? Also, immediately call Lingtian. Have hime home too! A life is at stake!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1331: He Didnt Have The Capability

    <h4>Chapter 1331: He Didn''t Have The Capability</h4>

    With phrases like "a life is at stake" and "grandchild", how dare the Mo family dy any further?

    Mo Jianzhang and Kang Shuhui immediately rushed home.

    Just the word "grandchild" would be enough for them to rush home, even if they were in the North Pole.

    "Wanru, what grandchild are you talking about?! You even said a life is at stake!" Kang Shuhui quickly asked.

    Mo Jianzhang looked over confused as well. He looked at his watch and said, "Wanru, quickly go ahead if you have anything to say. I still have to rush back to the unitter."

    Kang Wanru drank half a cup of her tea before saying, "Today, I was just in the clinic. There was a young girl this morning who came for a checkup with her sister, and the report showed that she was three months pregnant. She wanted to get an abortion¡­"

    Kang Shuhui instantly echoed, "Sigh, youngsters these days are terrible. That''s a life right there. How could she just abort it? Why didn''t they take the necessary precautions at the start!? The worst is the man. He must be a good-for-nothing to not take responsibility after getting a girl pregnant, and even have the girl go to the hospital herself¡­"

    "Exactly!"

    Mo Jianzhang cleared his throat as he watched the two women started to nag together. "Wanru, you''ve called us back just to tell us this?"

    Kang Shuhui realized it as well. "Um, right, Wanru. What did you want to tell us?"

    Kang Wanru looked at her sister and her brother-inw, then frankly said, "Sis, that good-for-nothing man you just cursed earlier is your Lingtian."

    The moment she said that, Kang Shuhui and Mo Jianzhang looked like they had been struck by lightning.

    "Wanru, what did you just say?" Kang Shuhui was stunned for a long while before she found her voice, then said regretfully, "How could our punk have such capabilities!?"

    If he could get a girl pregnant, she would immediately get her to be her daughter-inw. That way, their family would have descendants, and she would not be fretting as she did now.

    Mo Jianzhang frowned too. "Wanru, I don''t know about other people doing this kind of thing, but it''s impossible for our Lingtian to do so! Otherwise, would you see his mother and I be this worried? That punk has remained chaste for that Guan girl. He even told us that if he doesn''t get to marry Guan Ziyao in this lifetime, he would never get married, and definitely wouldn''t have a child with another woman!"

    When he said this, Mo Jianzhang was filled with fury!

    Kang Wanru knew they would not believe her, so she exined the entire situation to them, "I heard the girl''s sister say that Lingtian had forced the girl to sleep with him after getting drunk, and that girl had liked Lingtian for many years. After she realized she was pregnant, she was determined to get an abortion because she knew he liked the Guan family''s daughter and did not want to trouble him. It''s all because you two have been praying sincerely to the Buddha for many years that this girl coincidentally came to me, and I spent quite an effort in advising her to go home and think it through first!"

    Mo Jianzhang and Kang Shuhui exchanged looks. Both of them were dumbfounded by Kang Wanru''s words.

 Chapter 1332: Bring Me Back My Grandchild!

    <h4>Chapter 1332: Bring Me Back My Grandchild!</h4>

    "I know it sounds unbelievable. I was dumbfounded as well. I almost killed my own grand-niece or nephew. What we have to do now is to call Lingtian back and ask him about it! Have you called him?" Kang Wanru asked.

    Kang Shuhui suddenly remembered. "I called him just now but it didn''t get through. I''ll call again!"

    Kang Shuhui quickly dialed the number again and someone picked up.

    ¡­

    At the same time, in a high-ss restaurant in Imperial, Mo Lingtian pulled Guan Ziyao''s te of steak over and carefully sliced it up for her before returning it to her. "Don''t always look so down and lose focus. You even fell off from a horse! You really scared me!"

    "I''m sorry," Guan Ziyao apologized with a bitter face.

    "You don''t worry too much, alright? Tingxiao might be a little harsh with his words, but we''ve known each other since we were little. Our friendship won''t be affected by a woman. He should''ve cooled down by now. We''ll find a chance and ask him out to talk, alright?" Mo Lingtian was trying really hard tofort this beauty in front of him.

    Guan Ziyao''s expression softened. "Lingtian, thank you¡­ Thank you for always being by my side¡­"

    Mo Lingtian beamed. "Don''t mention it, we''re friends after all."

    As they were talking, Mo Lingtian''s phone rang. It was home.

    Mo Lingtian did not want to pick it up, but there had been several calls already. He was worried that there might be something urgent, so he picked it up atst. "Hello, Mother? If it''s nothing important, can you call backter? I''m busy at the moment!"

    "Busy, busy, busy! What are you so busy about?! Come home right this instant!" Mo Lingtian''s mother yelled loud enough that Guan Ziyao could hear her.

    Mo Lingtian covered his phone. "Ziyao, let me take this call."

    "Okay."

    Outside the restaurant.

    "Mother, I''m busy getting you a daughter-inw!" Mo Lingtian exined himself.

    Not only did his mother not soften her voice, she became even angrier. "Guan Ziyao again! You useless kid! The most important thing now is my grandchild. Youe back right now, and bring me back my grandchild!"

    "Grandchild? Mother, are you having delusions? You''re longing too much for a grandchild!" Mo Lingtian''s mouth twitched.

    "I''m crazy? The girl went to the hospital and wanted to get an abortion today. If it wasn''t for your aunt, my grandchild would''ve been gone already! If my grandchild is gone, I don''t want to live either."

    "Wait, wait, Mother! Is there anyone else beside you? Is Father there? I think you''re acting abnormally."

    Mo Lingtian''s father voice came over through the phone. "You bastard, you''re the abnormal one! I don''t care where you are. Come back right this instant! We have questions for you!"

    ¡­

    Mo Lingtian realized that something was not right. He had to go back right away, so he went home after sending Guan Ziyao back.

 Chapter 1333: Genes

    <h4>Chapter 1333: Genes</h4>

    "I''m back." Mo Lingtian walked into the living room unhappily.

    It was still afternoon, yet both his parents and even his aunt were home, so he was a little taken aback. "Can you guys like¡­chill!? Did some random womane and say that she has my child again?"

    Mo Lingtian plopped down on the sofa. "I''m sorry, but my genes aren''t that easy to get!"

    Mo Lingtian was the only descendant of the Mo family. Everyone in their circle knew his parents were longing for a grandchild, so a lot of women tried to con them, but in the end, all of them proved to be fake.

    Mo Lingtian was really careful in this matter, and he was confident of himself.

    Mo Jianzhang kicked him off the sofa. "You bastard, kneel down! Your aunt found out about it. The girl didn''te to us!"

    Mo Lingtian was used to this already, so he cooperatively knelt down. "Aunt, can you tell me who this woman is then? And can she meet me to talk?"

    "I''ve already gone against my work ethics for you. Now, you want me to reveal the patient''s private information? You wish! She came to me for an abortion! Which girl would want to meet an irresponsible guy like you!? If it wasn''t for you, I would''ve helped with her the abortion and let her carry on with her life already!"

    Kang Shuhui held onto Kang Wanru''s hand firmly. "No way! Wanru, please don''t be angry at him! I''m really thankful for you!"

    Mo Lingtian pinched his be between his eyebrows. "I''m not sure what''s going on. You have to let me know what happened, alright? I haven''t been fooling around outside!"

    His parents red at him when he said he had not been fooling around outside. They then let Kang Wanru describe what had happened again.

    Mo Lingtian''szy expression became more and more serious until both his hands were on his forehead as if he was thinking hard about something.

    "Lingtian, do you remember anything now?" Kang Shuhui asked nervously.

    Time passed by slowly¡­

    There was just silence in the living room. No one said a word.

    Mo Lingtian raised up his head. He had a serene calmness on his face as he tried to hide his great anxiety beneath. He looked at Kang Wanru. "Aunt, the girl''s name¡­ Is there¡­"

    Mo Lingtian took a deep breath. "Is there a character that''s simr to the one in my name?"

    Kang Wanru thought about it, then she quickly nodded. "Yes, yes! There''s one that''s simr in both of your names! The character''Tian''!"

    Mo Lingtian¡­Ning Tianxin¡­

    Mo Lingtian''s calmness shattered.

    Mo Jianzhang''s expression darkened. "What now? Did you remember? Is that child yours?"

    Mo Lingtian swiftly got up and ran out.

    "Lingtian! Lingtian! Where are you going?" Kang Shuhui went out and looked for him, yet Mo Lingtian had already vanished.

    Kang Wanru then said, "By the looks of his reaction, it''s definitely his."

 Chapter 1334: Too Small

    <h4>Chapter 1334: Too Small</h4>

    "What is Lingtian going to do? Could he be forcing the girl to get an abortion?" Kang Shuhui was worried.

    Mo Jianzhang unlocked his phone. "I''ll have someone stop him right now!"

    Kang Wanru could not care about her work ethics too much at the moment. "That girl''s name is Ning Tianxin! Brother-inw, check and see where she stays!"

    "Okay!"

    ¡­

    At the same time, at Ning Tianxin''s ce, in the kitchen.

    "Xiao Xi, how do you know Mo Lingtian?" Ning Tianxin asked.

    "He''s a friend of my friend''s," Ning Xi replied as she was looking through the shelves, then she slowly took out a sharp fruit knife.

    Ning Tianxin looked at the knife. "Xiao Xi, you know, I never had any intentions of getting married anyway, so not being able to bear a baby wouldn''t really affect me."

    "Nope¡­too small¡­" Ning Xi probably did not hear Ning Tianxin. She looked through again and found a butcher''s knife that was twice as long as the fruit knife earlier. She mumbled to herself, "Still too small¡­"

    Ning Tianxin was speechless.

    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

    "I''ll go and get the door," Ning Tianxin told Ning Xi.

    Who could it be?

    Ning Tianxin''s expression changed when she saw who was outside. "Ling¡­Lingtian¡­why are you here?"

    He looked like he had rushed over. Mo Lingtian was sweating all over and panting. He leaned one of his arms on the door frame, and his eyes were locked on the girl''s face.

    Ning Tianxin frowned a little.

    Could he know?

    No way. It was impossible. She had just found out about it herself not too long ago. No one should know aside from her and Xiao Xi.

    Ning Tianxin soon eliminated that possibility as she calmed herself down. "Lingtian, what''s the matter? I''m really sorry, I can''t ask you in because I have a guest over."

    Oh no! Xiao Xi is inside and she''s really angry. If she saw Mo Lingtian now, who knows what would happen?

    Ning Tianxin wanted Mo Lingtian to leave. "If it''s not something urgent, can we talk again someday?"

    Mo Lingtian stared at the girl. He wanted to look for a sign in her expression, but she showed nothing.

    She had his child. Now that he was in front of her, was there nothing she wanted to say? How could she be this calm? Could his aunt be wrong?

    Mo Lingtian was nervous. If he could not rify this today, he would never be at ease, so he asked, "Is there anything that you want to tell me?"

    Ning Tianxin was sure that Mo Lingtian did not know about her being pregnant. She asked with a confused expression, "What?"

    Mo Lingtian looked at her stomach pointedly and said, "Are you pregnant?"

    Ning Tianxin was dumbfounded, then she reflexively replied, "How did you know?"

 Chapter 1335: How Dare You Mess With My Woman?

    <h4>Chapter 1335: How Dare You Mess With My Woman?</h4>

    How did Mo Lingtian find out about this?!

    As Ning Tianxin uttered those words, Mo Lingtian waspletely stunned as well. His eyes were filled with hopelessness and panic. "So, it''s true! You''re really pregnant! Was it from that time that I got drunk?"

    When she saw Mo Lingtian''s extremely miserable expression, Ning Tianxin''s heart instantly constricted. Even though she knew very well that this would be his reaction, it still made her heart ache to the point that it was hard to breathe.

    Ning Tianxin''s body shivered. She did not know where she found the strength, but she forced herself to say calmly, "Lingtian, what are you talking about? How could it be? I don''t know how you found out about this, but¡­the child''spletely unrted to you¡­"

    "Unrted to me?" Mo Lingtian spoke slowly, "Do you know who''s the gynecologist that did the checkup for you today? That''s my aunt! She heard your conversation with your sister herself¡­"

    Now, Ning Tianxin waspletely dumbfounded. She would never have thought that there could be such a coincidence.

    That doctor was actually Mo Lingtian''s aunt?

    Now that she recalled that doctor''s attitude from before and after her conversation with Ning Xi, it did seem a little out of the ordinary.

    "What¡­what a coincidence!" Ning Tianxin bit her lip, then she continued, "Well, your aunt probably heard us wrong. I was fighting with my cousin a little then, my cousin misunderstood and thought the child was yours, so she wanted to look for you."

    Mo Lingtian looked at her. "So you''re saying that it''s not mine."

    "It''s not," replied Ning Tianxin.

    Mo Lingtian gritted his teeth. "Okay, it''s not mine, then tell me whose is it?! The day that I was with you was your first time!"

    "I¡­" Ning Tianxin had been pushed by Mo Lingtian to her breaking point.

    Just as Mo Lingtian continued to interrogate, a gloomy voice came from behind Ning Tianxin. "The child in her belly is mine! Do you have any opinions about it?"

    Then, Mo Lingtian saw a girl walk out from the shadows. She looked murderous and she even held a huge kitchen knife in her hand.

    The thing that surprised him the most was¡­

    This¡­this girl was¡­

    "Little¡­little bunny?!"

    At this moment, Ning Xi''s wig and ck-framed spectacles disguise had been taken off, so Mo Lingtian could immediately recognize the person before him as Lu Tingxiao''s little bunny.

    With the kitchen knife in her hand, the little bunny stared at him sinisterly. It was really frightening.

    "Huh, you don''t want to take the easy way and barged in the hard way, Mo Lingtian! ept your death!" Ning Xi said as she raised the kitchen knife and charged towards Mo Lingtian.

    "Ah, ah, ah!" Mo Lingtian shouted as he ran. "Hey! What''s wrong?! Ning Xi, are you crazy?"

    Why had Ning Xi appeared at Ning Tianxin''s ce?!

    Wait, something was not right.

    Ning Xi¡­Ning Tianxin¡­ They both shared the surname.

    My God! Crap! Could Ning Xi be Ning Tianxin''s cousin?

    He really did take the hard route instead of the easy one.

    If he had known Ning Xi was here, he never would havee!

    Those who did not know her would think she was a little bunny, but after witnessing her valiance many times, Mo Lingtian was about to go crazy at this point.

    Now, he was grateful that it was just a kitchen knife and not a gun in her hand.

    "Hey! Mo Lingtian! If you''re still a man, stop right there!"

    "Ning Xi, calm down, let''s just talk calmly¡­"

    "Talk, your ass! Go to hell, bastard! How dare you mess with my woman?!"

    "Ah! Whoa! You''re for real!"

    "I''ll give you three seconds. Bid farewell to your little brother!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1336: You Almost Hurt My Baby

    <h4>Chapter 1336: You Almost Hurt My Baby</h4>

    She did not think that this would happen and Ning Tianxin was worried. "Xiao Xi, stop! Don''t chase him anymore! This is too dangerous! Xiao Xi!"

    Unfortunately, Ning Xi could not hear her at this point.

    Ning Tianxin was worried that they would get hurt if this continued. Anxiously, she rushed over to stop them from fighting any longer.

    The two of them did not expect Ning Tianxin to suddenlye over. They could not avoid her in time and identally bumped into her. Ning Tianxin''s entire body fell backward.

    Ning Xi felt her soul leave her body and Mo Lingtian was so frightened he almost peed his pants too. Thankfully, they managed to steady Ning Tianxin together.

    Ning Xi looked at Ning Tianxin''s belly in rm. "Bloody hell! You almost hurt my baby!"

    Mo Lingtian was so done. "Isn''t it mine?"

    Ning Xi instantly shot a sinister look at him. Hmm? What did you say?"

    "Nothing, nothing¡­ Right, it''s your baby¡­yours¡­ You''re always right¡­"

    Ning Xi scoffed, then she carefully brought Ning Tianxin into the living room.

    Ning Xi sat cross-legged on the sofa, while Mo Lingtian shrunk to a corner on the sofa opposite.

    Ning Tianxin brought two cups of scented tea for the both of them. She was relieved to see that Ning Xi had calmed down.

    Mo Lingtian pinched his temples and looked at Ning Tianxin. "She¡­is really your cousin? Biological?"

    Ning Tianxin nodded. "Yes."

    "What the hell? Why didn''t you tell me earlier?!" Mo Lingtian was having a meltdown.

    Bam! With a loud crash, Ning Xi had mmed the coffee table hard opposite him. "Watch the way you speak to her!"

    Mo Lingtian gulped. "No, what I''m saying is¡­if she had told me earlier, I would''ve mentally prepared myself. Now that I didn''t, I got a shock."

    Ning Tianxin did not say anything about this. She had actually mention Ning Xi before and had even said her name. However, he would neither remember nor take it to heart.

    Ning Xi raised up the kitchen knife. "Bloody hell! How dare you still question my cousin? Who gave you the guts?! Was she the one who got drunk and forcefully tried to sleep with you? Did she want to get pregnant? If she had not stopped me, I would''ve chopped you up in the hospital!"

    Mo Lingtian knew he was wrong, so he quickly avoided the de and said, "It''s my fault. I didn''t act properly earlier. I was just too anxious to rify things."

    "Aren''t you sure of what you''ve done yourself?"

    "Now, I am¡­"

    Ning Xi put the kitchen knife down with a m on the table. "Tell me, how are you going to resolve this?"

    The atmosphere in the living room instantly turned to a chill.

    Atst, Ning Tianxin spoke first, "Xiao Xi, I want to speak to him alone."

    Ning Xi was worried about Ning Tianxin being alone, but Ning Tianxin was determined, so she could only shoot Mo Lingtian a murderous warning gaze. She unwillingly got up. "Call me if there''s anything."

    Ning Tianxin looked gratefully at her. "Mmm."

    After Ning Xi left, the living room returned to silence.

    Momentster, Mo Lingtian asked with difficulty, "Why didn''t you tell me?"

    Ning Tianxin did not say anything.

    Some time passed, and Mo Lingtian finally took a deep breath. He looked to Ning Tianxin and said in a single breath, "Tianxin, about this, it''s my fault. I''m sorry, I''m really sorry! I know that it''s useless to say it a million times! I know that as a man, I should be responsible. I know that the words I''m about to say are shameless, but I''m very sorry. I can''t have this child¡­"

 Chapter 1337: Come Out and Hang!

    <h4>Chapter 1337: Come Out and Hang!</h4>

    Ning Tianxin smiled calmly. "I didn''t tell you because I didn''t want to have to hear such things with my own ears!"

    Mo Lingtian was stunned. He was suddenly speechless.

    "Lingtian, you don''t have to say anymore. I know that you don''t like me, and I know you have someone else that you like. I was ready to abort the child. It was just an ident. There''s really no need to do so much, or were you worried that I''d use the child to force you into marrying me?"

    "No! I didn''t mean that!"

    If Ning Tianxin was going to cause a ruckus, if she really did, he might even feel slightly better.

    Mo Lingtian buried his head in his hands and looked like he was in physical pain. "If this was another woman, I might give her a lump sum of money, but, Tianxin, I¡­I really don''t know how to face you¡­"

    Ning Tianxin smiled. "I''m really thankful that you didn''t talk about giving me a sum of money. Lingtian, go home. It''s really nothing."

    "I¡­" Mo Lingtian wanted to say that he would apany her to the abortion, yet he could not bring himself to. Saying that would sound like he was worried about her and wanted to force her to get the abortion. Even though the thing he had done at that moment was already cruel.

    "Go home, I''ll go to another hospitalter on," sighed Ning Tianxin.

    Finally, Mo Lingtian got up and quietly left.

    Almost in the instant that Mo Lingtian left, Ning Tianxin''s tears fell.

    When she heard that there was suddenly no more sound of activity outside, Ning Xi walked out.

    She had just stepped out when she saw Ning Tianxin''s silent cries as she faced the door. She felt her heart ache so much that she was about to fling the kitchen knife in her hand right out the door.

    She did not have to guess the result of their conversation.

    "Sis Tianxin, are you really going to just let him off like that?"

    "Xiao Xi, let''s not talk about it anymore. I''ve already decided¡­ I want to be alone¡­"

    Ning Xi did not know what to say. She could only hug her, then leave her alone.

    If it was those trash men in the past, Ning Xi naturally had a hundred ways to deal with them, yet now the situation involved Sis Tianxin''s guy that she loved to his bones to the extent of not wanting to trouble him about things like this.

    As an outsider, she could not intervene much in rtionship problems. Besides, she was busy enough with her own things.

    After she left Ning Tianxin''s ce, Ning Xi returned to Peachwood.

    She sat there deep in her thoughts from noon till sunset.

    It had been long since she felt like this. That incident she had intentionally forgotten about and buried in a deep, dark corner had now struggled out like a beast. It was as if a huge mountain was stalking her relentlessly and pressuring her, torturing her in a suffocating way¡­

    The sky dimmed outside her window. Ning Xi got up and changed into a male outfit, then she called Tang Lang and said with a rxed tone so that no one would pick up anything odd, "Second Senior Brother! Come out and hang!"

    "Pfft, no! I wouldn''t hang out with you even if I was going to hang! Ever since you started dating, it''s not even fun to go out with you!" Tang Lang''s tone was filled with disdain from the other end of the phone.

    "Come on,e on! I''m waiting for you, okay?"

    ¡­

    At Bar No. 8, under Ning Xi''s persuasion, Tang Lang came in the end.

    However, it was not long before Tang Lang had really regretteding again.

    Not because Ning Xi had just sat there without drinking much and being a total bore, this time¡­

    What the hell? The girl was going overboard!

 Chapter 1338: Is She Crazy?

    <h4>Chapter 1338: Is She Crazy?</h4>

    "Hi! Second Senior Brother!" Ning Xi greeted, then started drinking.

    Before Tang Lang realized, she had already finished three bottles of whiskey and was starting on her fourth.

    Tang Lang''s eyes widened. "What the heck!? What''s happening?"

    After finishing her fifth bottle, Ning Xi went right up on the stage took the mic away from the man who was singing.

    The heated up crowd started booing. "Hey! What are you doing?"

    "Where''re the security guards? Get him off the stage!"

    "Dude! I''ve been waiting for Kevin to get on stage!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi kicked the singer named Kevin off the stage. She even kicked the security guards away, then she picked a song called "What Makes You Beautiful".

    The club was then filled with the upbeat music.

    "Baby, you light up my world like nobody else.

    The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed

    But when you smile at the ground it ain''t hard to tell.

    You don''t know, oh-oh;

    You don''t know you''re beautiful.

    If only you saw what I can see,

    You''ll understand why I want you so desperately.

    Right now I''m looking at you and I can''t believe"

    Slowly, the crowd started to cheer for her, then people started screaming.

    "Ahhhh! So cool!"

    "Who''s that guy?"

    "I don''t know, but why do I feel like he looks like Bro Xi!"

    "How could Bro Xi be here?! But damn! He does look like Bro Xi! Oh, my heart!"

    "Quickly, get the others here too!"

    ¡­

    More and more people gathered in the club until there was no ce left to stand. People started to stand on the tables and many people were rushing in from the outside as well.

    Tang Lang was almost squashed. "Damn it! Is she crazy?"

    Even if she was not afraid of Lu Tingxiao, was she not worried about people recognizing her?

    Tang Lang felt things were really odd.

    What had happened?

    Could she have broken up?!

    Otherwise, he really could not think of a reason for her to act this wild tonight.

    "Baby, you light up my world like nobody else.

    The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed.

    But when you smile at the ground it ain''t hard to tell¡­"

    No matter how hard Tang Lang tried to give her a sign, Ning Xi did not react at all. His voice was drowned in the shrieks and loud music.

    Ning Xi was giving her all on stage as the girls were going crazy for her. Even the guys were raving hard.

    Tang Lang had forgotten thest time he had seen Ning Xi like this, but it was prettymon for her to act like this five years ago¡­

    The situation was getting out of control. Some reporters were even there. Tang Lang moved through the crowd, then finally got up on stage. He then dragged Ning Xi and ran away through the back exit.

    Praise my skill!

    Tang Lang spent every ounce of his strength and hauled Ning Xi out. He looked at her angrily. "Damn it! Warn me before you go crazy, alright?"

 Chapter 1339: Lu Tingxiao Come!

    <h4>Chapter 1339: Lu Tingxiao Come!</h4>

    "Damn it! Warn me before you go crazy, alright?"

    Ning Xi nodded and replied, "Oh¡­"

    "Let''s go now! What are you looking about for?" Tang Lang realized that Ning Xi was not following him. He looked over at what Ning Xi was staring at. It was a bunch of guys with motorcycles surrounding a pretty girl.

    "Hey, girl, hang out with me!"

    "I¡­I can''t, my friends are inside waiting for me¡­"

    "Just to look at that male singer? What''s so good about him?! Let''s go! I''ll make sure you''ll feel very good tonight¡­"

    "Hey, let go of me!"

    ¡­

    "Please, I''ll ask the guards to take care of this, alright? Can you not get involved again? I just only got you out! The reporters are going to be here anytime soon!" Tang Lang was really exhausted.

    Ning Xi started counting, "Three¡­two¡­"

    "Huh? What are you counting?" Tang Lang was confused.

    "One!" Ning Xi suddenly sprinted forward and kicked the man who was on the motorcycle down. She then rode the bike and escaped.

    Tang Lang was speechless.

    Was that countdown meant to be a warning to him?

    Thank you very much!

    The man who was harassing the girl just a minute ago was enraged. "Damn it! That bastard! He dared to take my bike!"

    "Get him!"

    "Go!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was really a skilled troublemaker. There were about a dozen of people chasing after her. They all looked ferocious and were chasing her on their expensive, heavy-duty bikes.

    Tang Lang could only continue to follow them. He grabbed one of their bikes and rushed towards Ning Xi.

    He was still taking the sry of a bodyguard after all!

    What an inhumane job!

    Soon, the group dispersed, and only the pretty girl was left there alone.

    Was she mistaken? Why did the person just now look like Bro Xi?

    ¡­

    Tang Lang''s sixth sense told him that he would not be able to handle Ning Xi alone tonight, so he decisively made a call to Lu Tingxiao while chasing Ning Xi. "Hey! Boss, your Ning Xi has gone crazy! She''s like a wild dog now! If you don''te and hold her back, I really can''t take it anymore!"

    "Where are you?" Lu Tingxiao did not say much, going straight to the point.

    "I''m¡­ I only know where I am now, but I can''t be sure aboutter! I''m moving at a really high speed! I''m on the highway connecting Sky Dragon Bay and Death Valley¡­ I''m losing her! Pleasee here quickly!" Tang Lang ended the call and quickly caught up.

    As Tang Lang caught up with them, the dozen people were already beaten up by Ning Xi.

    And she was not letting them go.

    Ning Xi squatted down in front of them. "I''ll ask you guys a question. The person who gets it right can leave¡­"

 Chapter 1340: Do You Have A Girlfriend?

    <h4>Chapter 1340: Do You Have A Girlfriend?</h4>

    "What question? I''ll answer it!" They realized they could not beat Ning Xi, so their attitudes changed.

    Ning Xi pointed at a guy with yellow hair. "You, do you have a girlfriend?"

    "N-No¡­" He shook his head reluctantly.

    Ning Xi then beat him up. "You don''t even have a girlfriend!"

    The guy with yellow hair was speechless.

    Ning Xi pointed at another guy with red hair. "You, do you have a girlfriend?"

    "Yes, yes! I do!" He nodded.

    Ning Xi squatted before him. "Let me ask you. If your girlfriend is hiding something from you, would you break up with her?"

    The guy with red hair thought about it. "Well, I think honesty is important for two people to be together. If my girlfriend were to hide something from me, I might break up with her!"

    And he got beaten up as well.

    The guy with red hair was speechless.

    "Who else has got a girlfriend? Raise your hand!" Ning Xi roared at them.

    All of them kept quiet.

    "I''m going to beat up everyone who doesn''t raise their hands!"

    Suddenly, everyone raised their hands.

    Ning Xi pointed at a bald guy. "You, if something uneptable happened to your girlfriend, although she told you a little about it beforehand and you''ve also told her that you don''t mind her past, would you break up with her if she told you the truth about what actually happened?"

    The bald guy had no idea what was Ning Xi talking about, but due to the two previous examples of his the fallen brothers, he quickly replied, "Of course not! For one to break up with the girlfriend over a small matter like this, is he still a man?"

    Then, he was beaten up too. "Who did you say isn''t a man?!"

    The bald guy was speechless.

    Everyone was beaten up for some weird reason.

    They finally understood that this person did not really want to ask questions. This person just wanted to beat people up!

    "Bro, where are you from? What do you want? Tell us!" The bald guy was bn the verge of crying.

    Tang Lang saw what had happened, so he stepped in. "Hey, that''s enough! Let them go!"

    All of them looked at Tang Lang gratefully, asking silently for help.

    Then, Tang Lang was attacked.

    Everyone did not know how to react when they saw Ning Xi attack her own person.

    Just where did this demone from?

    "Are you really crazy?" Tang Lang grappled with Ning Xi.

    Under his teaching, Ning Xi had had visible improvement from before, and some time passed as they fought.

    For some reason, she still had a lot of strength in reserve despite drinking and singing so much. She was still so energetic!

    Tang Lang could just only go along with her as he wondered just what had happened to her.

    Some of the thugs wanted to escape, but they were beaten up once again.

    It was chaos.

    At this moment, a ck Maybach stopped nearby quietly.

    The car''s headlight was lighting up the path ahead. The people in the car could see a young man stepping on a bald man''s back, and several men with colored hair crying and begging for the young man to let them go. It was a pitiful sight¡­

 Chapter 1341: Lu Tingxiao, Is This How You Teach Your Child?

    <h4>Chapter 1341: Lu Tingxiao, Is This How You Teach Your Child?</h4>

    The car door opened, and a chilly man in a ck tuxedo stepped out. He walked straight to where the chaos was.

    When Tang Lang saw Lu Tingxiao from the corner of his eye, he almost cried with joy, "Oh my God! Boss, oh! You''re finally here¡­"

    Ning Xi had also clearly noticed Lu Tingxiao too. As she was about to grow wings and fly off, she suddenly stopped her movements and looked dazedly at the person before her.

    With that familiar sound of steady footsteps, the man walked with his back to the light and slowly towards her¡­

    As if air and time hade to a standstill, she stood there unmoving as she watched, stunned, at the silhouette walking towards her until that figure stopped right before her.

    The two people faced each other.

    The girl stared at the man, then her head fell on his chest, her wig falling off and revealing her long, jet ck hair.

    In the next second, the weak sound of her voice echoed from his chest. "It hurts¡­"

    The man''s expression changed into one of urgency. "Where are you hurt?"

    The girl looked at him sadly as she showed her finger. There was a crimson bloodstain the size of a needle tip on her finger. "My finger hurts¡­"

    All the punks, who had been punched ck and blue, were speechless.

    Bro¡­no! Sis! Are you messing with us?

    Lu Tingxiao frowned and held the girl''s finger up into the light to have a closer look. "Come to the car. I''ll clean it up for you."

    What was there to clean?! That little wound was the size of a needle tip. That tiny drop of blood might not even be hers but ours! Bro, look at us! Look at how we have been beaten up¡­

    What made them break down was the fact that the devil was actually a woman, and all of them had been beaten up by a woman to this extent!

    Ning Xi did not move. She just sniffed miserably, then opened up her arms. "Leg hurts."

    Lu Tingxiao immediately bent down to carefully pick her up by the waist, then carried her to the car with the gentleness of a treasured darling.

    From behind, Tang Lang spoke up, "Hey, hey, hey¡­Lu¡­Boss¡­is something wrong? I called you here to educate her! Is this how you teach your child? Huh?"

    The answer to that was just the m of the car door closing.

    Then, the car door of the driver opened. Lu Tingxiao''s personal assistant, Cheng Feng, walked out and walked to the punks. He quickly wrote a cheque for them. "You know what to do?"

    The bald leader''s eyes flew wide open at the cheque. "Bloody hell! A million dors!"

    This beating was rather worth it.

    "We do, we do! Don''t worry!" The bald-headed guy replied.

    Not long after, the police cars caught up. Since those punks had taken the money, they clearly did not mention Ning Xi and just said that it was a scuffle among them.

    Tang Lang was speechless. He did not want to say anything anymore¡­

    Nice! She had caused so much trouble, yet there was not even one word of scolding. They even helped her cover up!

    Great! This was so like Lu Tingxiao!

    Now, he knew why this girl was so out of control!

    At the same time, he finally knew that Ning Xi would restrain herself beside Lu Tingxiao because she was willing to do so. She was willing to change for him, and not because Lu Tingxiao had limited her from doing anything.

    On the contrary, she could always be herself when she was by his side.

    At Tang Lang watched the vast and obscure night sky, he shook his head and sighed, "Just look at that. This Yun guy, you''re really losing¡­very justifiably!"

 Chapter 1342: Wife-Protecting Devil

    <h4>Chapter 1342: Wife-Protecting Devil</h4>

    At tinum Pce, Ning Xi was still lively on the outside, but after Lu Tingxiao brought her back, her energy seemed to have been drained entirely. She simply did not want to move at all.

    Lu Tingxiao carried her down from the car, then took her all the way upstairs before carefully putting her to bed. He helped her take off her coat, and immediately checked for any wounds on her.

    It was a good thing that she was obedient this time. It did not matter how the others had been beaten up because she was just fine with no wounds at all. Her fair and smooth fingers were intact as well. That bloodstain on her fingertip earlier was probably not hers¡­

    Thus, Lu Tingxiao was not even angry at all.

    Mmm, very good.

    Ning Xi withdrew the finger that he kept checking and held his face. She was humming indistinctly, "Baby, you light up my world¡­the way that your beauty gets me overwhelmed¡­"

    Then, she leaned in and wanted to kiss his thin and seductive lips¡­

    Lu Tingxiao avoided the kiss. He asked seriously, "Tell me, what is it?"

    Even though Ning Xi was very impulsive, she had principles. She knew what she should not do and she cared especially for her career. If something drastic had not happened, she would not have acted as she did tonight.

    Unless she could not control her own behavior anymore.

    And what could have made her lose control to this extent?

    Ning Xi buried her head in his embrace. Perhaps, she missed his hug, or she was trying to avoid his gaze. "I''m in a bad mood."

    "Why''re you in a bad mood?"

    "Because¡­because Mo Lingtian¡­"

    "Hmm?" How did it involve Mo Lingtian?

    "He bullied my cousin, and even made her pregnant without wanting to take responsibility!"

    "Ning Tianxin?"

    "Mmm¡­" Ning Xi felt her head getting heavier, so she nodded a little slowly.

    "Bro!"

    At this moment, the door was mmed opened and Lu Jingli stood dumbfounded at the door when he saw the both of them. "Eh, Xiao Xi Xi, you''ve already been caught and brought back home! That was fast!"

    Because she was way too tired, she had already shut her eyes and fallen asleep in Lu Tingxiao''s embrace.

    Lu Tingxiao signed Lu Jingli to keep quiet. He lowered her down before walking out of the room.

    ¡­

    In the living room downstairs.

    "Hey! Bro, was Xiao Xi Xi triggered tonight? Look at the things she did tonight. It really became the talk of the town tonight!" Lu Jingli immediately yed a video for Lu Tingxiao to watch.

    The video showed Ning Xi kicking the male singer off the stage to sing. Then, when fast-forwarded, some passerby had taken a video of Ning Xi''s stealing cars to race in a blurry cameo.

    This video had been shared on the entire Inte in just a few short hours, but it had been cleaned up by the people Lu Tingxiao hired. Ling Zhizhi had also quickly released a statement to respond that the person tonight was not Ning Xi.

    Nevertheless, the entire cyberspace was going crazy with the discussion. Glory World''s public rtions department had also been busy the entire night.

    Ever since Ning Xi entered thepany, she had been very cautious and conscientious, a model worker who always spared Lu Jingli any worries.

    However, now, Lu Jingli realized he had been too naive. "Xiao Xi Xi is so cruel! She kept quiet for a long time and then does this single brilliant feat, giving me such a huge heart attack at a go¡­"

    "Settle this before she wakes up tomorrow morning," ordered Lu Tingxiao expressionlessly. His tone was one that did not allow his wife to be upset about this when she woke upter.

 Chapter 1343: Little Treasures Only Mother

    <h4>Chapter 1343: Little Treasure''s Only Mother</h4>

    "Settle this before she wakes up tomorrow morning." His tone was one that did not allow his wife to be upset about this when she woke upter.

    "Understood!" Lu Jingli epted his fate of being mentally and physically tortured.

    Later on, Lu Jingli suddenly thought of something. His eyes lit up as he said, "Right, bro, do you know? Apart from Xiao Xi Xi''s ruckus tonight, there''s also super huge gossip! You know that Mo Lingtian has been secretly crushing on Guan Ziyao, don''t you? Well, I guess it''s not considered so much of a secret anymore¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao was ready to go apany his wife, but he paused when he heard Mo Lingtian''s name and he frowned.

    Lu Jingli continued, "That bloke has been remaining chaste for Guan Ziyao, but this time he identally got a girl pregnant. Tonight, the Mo family even tried forcing him to get married for the sake of the child! Of course, Mo Lingtian was reluctant. He said he wouldn''t get married if it wasn''t Guan Ziyao, causing quite a storm in the Mo family. Ha! Even though his love for Guan Ziyao is unrivaled, he can''t just do it and not admit it, can he? What about that innocent girl who''s pregnant? I wonder which girl has been so unlucky¡­"

    When he put together Lu Jingli''s words with what Ning Xi had been saying earlier, Lu Tingxiao could understand what had happened.

    That girl must be Ning Xi''s cousin, Ning Tianxin.

    Ning Xi said she was in a bad mood¡­because of this?

    After he finished sharing the gossip, Lu Jingli left enthusiastically to attend to his work.

    Lu Tingxiao looked gloomy as he walked up to Ning Xi''s room, but was stunned when he pushed opened the door¡­

    The space that belonged to him had been taken up by a soft little bun, and the little guy stuck to Ning Xi''s embrace, sleeping soundly. He did not know when the little guy had run in here.

    When he heard the footsteps at the door, the little guy alertly opened up his eyes and looked at his father who was walking to the bedside.

    Lu Tingxiao sat on the bedside and watched as the little bun wrapped his arms around the girl who slept soundly. He lightly stroked her hair, then rubbed his son''s little head. "Okay, stay with your mother."

    The little bun puffed up his cheeks and rolled back into his mother''s embrace with an expression that said "duh."

    A whileter, the little bun blinked and worry was etched on his soft little face. He looked up to ask Lu Tingxiao, "Is Mommy unhappy?"

    Children were the most sensitive. Even if Ning Xi was sleeping, he seemed to have noticed that his mother was not in a good mood.

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Mmm, Mommy''s in a bad mood."

    The little bun immediately looked serious and nervous as he asked, "Why?"

    "Because I haven''t done well enough," replied Lu Tingxiao.

    The little bun frowned and said, "Little Treasure isn''t good too."

    Little Treasure wants to be better¡­even better¡­ That way, Mommy would not be unhappy¡­

    "Little Treasure." Lu Tingxiao looked at his son and his gaze suddenly looked very solemn. "You must remember even though Ning Xi isn''t your biological mother, since you''ve called her Mommy, she will forever be your mother, and the only one too. From now on, no matter what happens, this will never change, understand?"

    The little bunzily yawned when he heard his father. He pouted indifferently andid back into his mother''s embrace, his little mouth muttering indistinctively, "She is Little Treasure''s real mother¡­"

    His tyrannic tone seemed to say, "It is if I say so!". He really took after his father''s demeanor.

    Lu Tingxiao smiled and kissed the both of their foreheads. "Goodnight."

 Chapter 1344: Important Announcement

    <h4>Chapter 1344: Important Announcement</h4>

    The sun soon rose the next morning.

    It was going to be an extraordinary day.

    Looking through the newspapers, almost all of the news was huge.

    "Imperial Chief Police Officer Qian Caidong Arrested Due to Involvement in Bribery", "Qian Corporation Loses Investors, Qian Caijun Might Dere Bankruptcy", "Economic Typhoon Caused by Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group, Mysterious Investor Yun Shen Makes His Way into The Forbes'' World Billionaires Ranking".

    Apart from the zing financial and social section headlines, the entertainment news was full of hot topics as well.

    "Guo Qisheng''s Super Popr Fantasy Series ''Nine Realms'' In Preparation, Double Female Protagonists with the Gathering of Top Actors", "Top 1 Socialite in the Entertainment Industry Ning Xueluo Proven To Be A Foster Daughter", "Sudden Appearance of World''s Most Wanted Husband Ning Xi in Bar No. 8"¡­

    Thanks to "Dream Chaser", Ning Xi''s news was featured quite heavily and wasparable to Ning Xueluo''s. Even though Lu Jingli had been trying to suppress it for the whole night, it was still one of the main headlines of the day, but currently, the discussion had taken a great turn¡­

    On a morning entertainment news channel, a reporter was interviewing a pretty girl.

    "Ms. Li, are you the person who saw Ning Xi assaulting a guy and taking his bike?"

    "What are you talking about?! That video is so blurred. How do you know that''s my Bro Xi? I''d know because I was so near at that time. That person looks nothing like Bro Xi. Maybe his side profile looks a little simr, but he''s nowhere as cool as Bro Xi, alright? He can''t evenpare to Bro Xi at all¡­"

    "Okay, okay, thank you. We understand."

    "What do you understand?! Let me finish! A single strand of Bro Xi''s hair is much more beautiful than that person! I know Bro Xi is really popr now, but you guys don''t have to bring her down like this! Bro Xi is a public figure. Why would she appear alone somewhere like thatst night?"

    In the end, a public interview turned into a confession from Ning Xi''s fan¡­

    Simrly, some of the people who were interviewed on the spot said simr things as the girl.

    Lu Jingli had arranged some of them, while the others said it on their own ord.

    Most of them were Ning Xi''s fans. Out of their love and protection towards Ning Xi, all of them denied that the personst night was Ning Xi.

    As time passed by, the loyalty of Ning Xi''s fans started to build up¡­

    By that night, the previous night''s incident was concluded to be a misunderstanding.

    Glory World Entertainment had been busy for a whole night and Starlight Entertainment was not able to rx as well because of Ning Xueluo''s rumor.

    For Ning Xueluo, whose image was anchored on her being the "Winner in Life", "Elegant and Precious", if the rumor held true, it would cause a fatal blow on her career.

    It was not just Starlight Entertainment; even the Ning family was anxious.

    The Ning family arranged a press conference, which Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu attended together and denied the rumors firmly. They even mentioned that they would seek legal advice if needed.

    At the same time, in order to distract everyone, at the end of the press conference, the Nings said that there would be an important announcement soon!

 Chapter 1345: Only One Way Left

    <h4>Chapter 1345: Only One Way Left</h4>

    Everyone guessed that the announcement was about the marriage between the Ning and the Su family.

    Were Ning Xueluo and Su Yan finally going to get married?

    If they really got married, to a certain extent, it would crush the rumor of Ning Xueluo being an adopted daughter because there would be no way the Su family would agree to Su Yan marrying a foster daughter from some unknown rural vige.

    The sun rose slowly. It was getting brighter and brighter outside.

    In the study room of the Ning residence, Ning Yaohua had stayed up the whole night.

    There was a knock on the door. Zhuang Lingyu came in with a bowl of tonic. "Yaohua, have something to eat!"

    Ning Yaohua looked at his wife and sighed, "Lingyu, what do you think¡­if I transfer the 15% share I have to Xueluo?"

    Zhuang Lingyu''s eyes brightened. "Yaohua, you finally thought this through?"

    Ning Yaohua did not say a word. He did not even have to think about it. There was only one option left.

    He had originally nned to get the 10% of shares from Ning Xi, then he would be the biggest shareholder in thepany. In addition to the strong support of Su family, Ning Yaobang and Ning Qiutong would then have nothing to be afraid of. Only if that night, Ning Xi would have just helped him out a little, then he would have gotten billions of dors of investment funds¡­

    But now, it was all ruined.

    That damned brat Ning Xi! Was she really born to go against him?

    Ever since she came back, he had been on a streak of bad luck!

    Zhuang Lingyu quickly said, "There''s nothing much to think about anyway. Everything will be solved if you transfer your share to Xueluo! Can''t you trust Xueluo enough? Yaohua, make your decision quickly. I saw Xueluo''s already packed up her things. Are you going to regret after she leaves?"

    After some time of silence, Ning Yaohua finally spoke up, "Call Xueluo over."

    "Okay, I''ll go now!"

    Zhuang Lingyu went to get Ning Xueluo immediately as she was afraid of any sudden changes.

    Ning Xueluo saw Ning Yaohua''s exhausted expression and she looked down. "Father, did you not sleep for the whole night? I''m sorry¡­ It''s all my fault¡­"

    Zhuang Lingyu felt her heart ache looking at her daughter. "How can this be your fault? It''s all caused by that brat! We''re d that you''re still with us! If not, your father and I really wouldn''t know what to do!"

    Ning Yaohua looked at his daughter and sighed, "Xueluo, I''m going to gamble everything on you. You have to make us proud, alright?"

    Ning Yaohua then took out a share transfer agreement from his drawer. "Xueluo, sign this, then the 15% share I have will be yours."

    Ning Xueluo stared at the contract in shock as she suppressed the light of joy in her eyes. She looked in bewilderment. "Father, what are you doing?"

    Zhuang Lingyu patted her shoulder. "Xueluo, sign it."

    Ning Xueluo cast her eyes down. "I''m not going to sign it! Father, Mother, who do you take me as?"

    Ning Xueluo almost cried, "I don''t care how others see me, but I don''t want you both to see me as a greedy woman! Father! Please take it back! I''d never take anything else from the Ning family!"

 Chapter 1346: Something So Sweet

    <h4>Chapter 1346: Something So Sweet</h4>

    Ning Yaohua''s worries disappeared when he saw the girl''s heartbreaking expression. He tried to persuade her, "Xueluo, of course, I understand you, but you have to take this. Only you can help me now! The Su family will only reconsider if you take the shares. Only then can you be with Su Yan. Currently, your aunt has 20%, while your uncle and Tianxin have 16%. We really need the support of the Su family, do you understand?"

    Zhuang Lingyu held Ning Xueluo''s hands gently. "Xueluo, take it as helping your father. You''ve said so yourself that you don''t care about what others think. You just have to know that your father and I don''t think of you that way! Just take it!"

    "But¡­" Ning Xueluo still looked hesitant.

    Zhuang Lingyu stepped up her gear. "No buts, or are you really willing to leave Su Yan behind? It doesn''t matter if the share is with you or with us. It''s the same! We''re still expecting you to take care of us in the future! You can''t do anything foolish. You won''t be going anywhere and you shall stay by our side!"

    Ning Xueluo''s tears fell as she sobbed, "Father¡­Mother¡­thank you¡­thank you¡­I will not let the both of you down! I''ll hold the Ning family together!"

    Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu nodded sadly. "Good girl¡­"

    In a dark corner, Ning Xueluo grinned, looking extremely happy and sneering.

    Thanks to you, Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu finally gave me their shares¡­

    This is only the first step¡­

    Soon, the whole Ning family will be mine¡­

    ¡­

    At tinum Pce, Ning Xi woke up with a start.

    She dreamt being drunk, singing in a bar, taking someone''s bike, and fighting with some people¡­

    Ring! A notification sound came from her phone.

    There was a headline sprawled on her phone screen. "Ning Xi found singing at Bar No. 8".

    Her memory came back to her at once and Ning Xi screamed while covering her face in aghast. Oh, she was done for!

    Ning Xi quickly navigated through her Weibo and several other news sites. She then realized it was not as severe as she thought. Most of the discussion went along the lines of "someone who looked like Ning Xi appeared at Bar No. 8"¡­

    Obviously, Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli has done something about it.

    "You''re up." The man''s deep voice appeared beside her.

    Ning Xi raised her head up, almost in tears. "Boss¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao had a bowl of soup in his hands. "It''s alright, I''ve already covered up what happenedst night. Drink up."

    Ning Xi took the soup and drank it sip by sip obediently. With an anxious heart, she mumbled, "You¡­aren''t you going to scold me?"

    "You''re not hurt, so why should I scold you?"

    "Ugh¡­"

    Why did he act like as long as she was not hurt, she could do anything she wanted?

    Could he not do something this sweet so early in the morning?

 Chapter 1347: Beautiful Trap

    <h4>Chapter 1347: Beautiful Trap</h4>

    Can you please stop being so good to me all the time, please?

    The girl looked down, her eyes like marble spheres that had lost its shine.

    Before that negativity could spread out, Ning Xi suppressed it back inside her.

    Ning Xi wrapped her arms around the man''s neck. "Lu Tingxiao¡­"

    "Hmm?" Lu Tingxiao really liked the girl''s small gestures like this. Her silky smooth hair fell on his shoulder, making his heart flutter. He really wanted to give her the whole world.

    Ning Xi whispered into his ear, "Why do I like you so much? When I decided to be with you, I thought I already liked you enough¡­"

    Before that, she never thought that she would be with anyone else. If she did not really like him, she would not have taken that step forward.

    "But now I realize, the way I like you then was just a very small fragment of my feelings for you now¡­"

    She poured her heart and soul out to the man. She had still kept a part to herself when she decided to be together with him, telling herself that if anything unpredictable happened, she could leave right away.

    However, at this point, she realized that although they had not known each other for very long, he had already be one with he. If they were to be separated, it would be excruciatingly painful.

    Lu Tingxiao felt warmth in his chest when the girl confessed to him, but his sensitive mind felt a sense of unease.

    Ning Xi hugged the man, then after a while, she took a deep breath and said, "Lu Tingxiao, it''s been some time since we went on a date. When you''re free, let''s go out together, just the two of us!"

    "I''m free anytime." As long as it is with you.

    "Okay, then I''ll confirm my schedule with Sis Zhizhi. I''ll let you know soon! When the timees¡­I have something to tell you!" Ning Xi tried her best to sound normal.

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao noticed something. For Ning Xi to lose control over herself, it must have been because of that¡­

    Ning Xi left the man''s warm hug, crawling out of bed. "Ah! I fell into your beauty trap again! I have to go to the studio today. I''m going to bete!"

    Ning Xi quickly put on her makeup and changed, then she kissed Lu Tingxiao and left the house.

    When she reached the studio, Xiao Tao was already there waiting for her.

    "My dear, please tell me that Sis Zhizhi isn''t angry with me!" Ning Xi pleaded with Xiao Tao nervously.

    Xiao Tao looked worried. "She''s not really angry, just worried about you. We couldn''t contact youst night, so we were really anxious¡­ Fortunately, Second Master managed to stem the news. Bro Xi, is your family matter settled? If it wasn''t for Second Master, we all thought that the person really was you¡­"

    Family matter?

    Ning Xi was a little taken aback. It must have been an excuse made up by Lu Jingli. She quickly nodded. "Sort of."

    Because it was a private matter, Xiao Tao did not ask further about it. She just looked at Ning Xi with curious eyes. "Bro Xi¡­are you and Second Master really just normal friends? I feel like he''s been really extra nice to you¡­"

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched a little. "Haha¡­"

    Of course, they were not just normal friends!

 Chapter 1348: So Cool!

    <h4>Chapter 1348: So Cool!</h4>

    Most of the people reporting to the studio today was the main cast.

    The main cast she knew of consisted the other female lead, Meng Shiyi, while the male lead would be yed by Jiang Muye. The tertiary female lead would be taken up by another female artiste under Glory World Entertainment, Li Yiqing.

    As Ning Xi reached the dressing room, she heard a loud yell from inside.

    "Hey, what''s wrong with you? You can''t even do something so simple! Do you intend to kill Shiyi? Do you know how soft her skin is!?"

    When Ning Xi walked in, she saw Meng Shiyi sitting in front of the mirror like a queen, and her assistant was scolding a girl. Her sharp fingernails almost struck the girl''s face.

    Ning Xi then realized that girl was Li Yiqing from Glory World Entertainment. Her eyes were welling up and she was almost going to cry, yet she did not make a sound.

    Ning Xi immediately held onto the assistant''s threatening finger.

    "Ah!" The assistant shrieked, yanking back her nearly lost finger as she red at Ning Xi. "You¡­"

    Ning Xi let her go and sat down on a chair nearby. She looked at her coldly. "Hmm?"

    When the assistant saw it was Ning Xi, she toned down her temper and went back to Meng Shiyi to hide behind her.

    Li Yiqing was surprised when Ning Xi helped her. She quickly went behind Ning Xi.

    It was rumoured that Meng Shiyi had someone powerful supporting her. Everyone who offended her before met a terrible fate, which exined why no one dared to get in her way within the industry.

    As most people realized, the entertainment industry was one of the quickest ways tounder money. The sudden appearance of Sunset Media sprouted suspicion, and people were afraid of Meng Shiyi as well.

    Still, now that Ning Xi was one of the top artistes from Glory World Entertainment, with the protection from the Lu Corporation, even Meng Shiyi had to be careful of her.

    "When did our artiste from Glory World Entertainment be your nanny?" Ning Xi demanded coldly.

    The assistant mumbled, "I just asked her for a little massage, okay? It''s her honor to be able to massage Shiyi!"

    "Mmm? What did you say? I can''t really hear you?" Ning Xi said slowly and carefully in a cold, eerie tone.

    The assistant ducked behind Meng Shiyi with a pale face, remaining silent.

    Meng Shiyi nced at Ning Xi as she was checking her manicure, then she smiled. "How powerful you are, Ms. Ning!"

    Ning Xi smiled back wryly. "Not as much as you, Ms. Meng."

    At this moment, the assistant director came in and asked Meng Shiyi to go for the audition, abruptly ending the conflict.

    Li Yiqing let out a sigh of relief. She blushed and looked at Ning Xi with gratitude. "S-Sis Xi, thank you¡­"

    When Su Yimo was around, they would be considered fortunate if they were not bullied, so when Ning Xi got promoted, everyone was really worried that she would be the next Su Yimo.

    She did not expect that Ning Xi was not afraid that she might be penalized. Li Yiqing was really touched when she helped her.

    Although Ning Xi was still in a female outfit, she felt that Ning Xi was really cool!

 Chapter 1349: Girls Left And Right

    <h4>Chapter 1349: Girls Left And Right</h4>

    "You''re wee. We''re from the samepany after all," Ning Xi replied.

    Ning Xi''s down-to-earth attitude made Li Yiqing feel even more grateful. "Sis Xi, my grandfather is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor and he''s really good at massaging. I''ve been learning from him since I was a child. Do you want me to give you a massage?"

    Ning Xi smiled. "It''s alright, you can work on your stuff. Don''t let me affect your work."

    Li Yiqing shook her head. "Not really, I''ve finished my audition already! Let me help you with a massage as a token of appreciation of what happened just now. If not, I''d feel really bad about it!"

    Ning Xi saw the girl''s passionate eyes, so she could not reject her. "Alright then, thank you."

    "Okay!" Li Yiqing stood behind Ning Xi gleefully, her pale little hands on Ning Xi''s shoulders and she started massaging.

    Although she looked petite, she had quite some strength. The way she massaged was reallyfortable.

    Li Yiqing frowned a little as she was massaging. "Sis Xi, have you been stressedtely? Your shoulder muscles are really strained!"

    Ning Xi looked into the mirror and mumbled, "Mmm, a little¡­"

    Xiao Tao was watching Li Yiqing''s actions. "Looks great to know this. I''ll learn from you, then I''ll be able to help Bro Xi massage the next time!"

    Li Yiqing replied, "Sure! I''ll teach you!"

    When Jiang Muye came in, he saw someone enjoying thepany of girls left and right, so he looked a little annoyed. "You really know how to enjoy yourself, huh?!"

    "Senior Jiang!" Li Yiqing greeted when she saw it was Jiang Muye. She exined, "Sis Xi helped me out just now, so I''m just massaging her as a token of appreciation!"

    "Okay, get out now. I have something to talk about with this girl!" Jiang Muye shooed her out of the room.

    Both Li Yiqing and Xiao Tao knew that Jiang Muye was on good terms with Ning Xi, so they both left quickly.

    Ning Xi was unhappy when Jiang Muye chased her girls away. "What?"

    Jiang Muye looked at her disdainfully. "Look at how rxed you are. Your death ising upon you and you''re still flirting around¡­"

    "What do you mean? Can you not jinx me this early in the morning?"

    "Do you know¡­who the secondary male lead of this movie is?" Jiang Muye asked.

    "What does that have to do with me?"

    Jiang Muye raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure? The secondary male lead is Mo Yuxiu!"

    Ning Xi suddenly shot to her feet. "Are you kidding me?"

    "Kidding you? He''s already here! Right outside!" Jiang Muye plopped down on a chair.

    "Damn it! That can''t be¡­" Ning Xi was speechless.

    As the old saying went, there could not be two tigers in the same territory. At

    "Because of you, that guy was willing to stand below me and be a secondary male lead! Ning Xiao Xi, look at you!" Jiang Muye taunted her.

    Ning Xu''s expression darkened. "Damn it! I''m already troubled enough¡­"

 Chapter 1350: Bite Me!

    <h4>Chapter 1350: Bite Me!</h4>

    Why couldn''t they let her have a peaceful life?

    When he saw Ning Xi''s fretful reaction, Jiang Muye shot her a side look and said, "The person at Bar No. 8st night was you, wasn''t it?"

    Ning Xi tilted her head to the side and did not say anything, but her expression answered him.

    Jiang Muye snorted, "I knew it was you!"

    Then, he looked a little worriedly at her. "Did¡­something happen?"

    If the public rtions team had not dealt with the matter properly, this incident was enough to ruin all the image and poprity she had worked so hard to build.

    Based on Ning Xi''s excellent work ethics, she definitely would not make such a rookie mistake.

    "It''s nothing." Ning Xi obviously did not want to discuss this.

    Jiang Muye rolled his eyes at her sarcastically. "Still hiding things from me? Yet, here I am thinking about sharing your burden with you! My kindness is being treated as malice!"

    Ning Xi simply said to Jiang Muye, "Not everything can be shared. There are some things I just want to bring to my deathbed."

    Jiang Muye''s mouth twitched. "Speak human to me!"

    Ning Xi replied, "I just don''t want to tell you, so bite me!"

    Jiang Muye had nothing to say.

    ¡­

    Momentster, Ning Xi finished putting her makeup on and walked to the audition venue.

    In the studio, Meng Shiyi''s still image for her character was being photographed.

    With a long silver sword, an outfit whiter than snow, her flowing ck hair, and the expression that conveyed neither sadness nor happiness, brilliantly conveying the immortally graceful charisma and love-refusing demeanor of the series'' female lead, the photographers, director, and surrounding crew members praised Meng Shiyi profusely.

    "Meng Shiyi is amazing! She''s even more fitting of the role than we thought after putting on her makeup for the image! She''s practically like a goddess that has descended from the Ninth Heavens!"

    "She''s exactly the same as Leng Aoxue in the novel. Fans of the book will have nothing to criticize!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi crossed her arms and watched quietly from the side. There was fiery enthusiasm radiating from her eyes as if she had met a worthy opponent.

    To be honest, Meng Shiyi was indeed spectacr at acting. An expressionless character like Leng Aoxue looked easy, yet it was actually extremely difficult to perform because it would look like she had facial nerve paralysis if she did not act carefully. Nevertheless, Meng Shiyi had mastered it well. There were not many who could achieve this.

    She was worthy of holding the title of the two-time award-winning movie queen.

    As the crowd buzzed, someone saw Ning Xi from the corner of their eye. She had changed into her costume as well and instantly, exmations began.

    "Wah! Yun Huang!"

    "Ning Xi''s Yun Huang is really amazing too! The vibes!"

    "Ning Xi is quite suitable for such viinous characters. She did well in ''The World'' as Meng Changge. No wonder Director Guo cast her!"

    ¡­

    The two female leads in the series, Leng Aoxue and Yun Huang, had starkly constrasting personalities and settings. One was the leader of the right-wing Xuanji faction, and the other was a witch from a ce upied by sinister forces. One was elegant and free from vulgarity, the other was sly and unpredictable.

    The male lead having to contend between the two women, and the love-hate dynamics of this love triangle was considered one of the show''s highlights.

    Of course, if Yun Huang''s character was simple as that, Guo Qisheng would not have especially casted Ning Xi, and even imed that it had been tailored for her.

    The main feature of Ning Xi''s character was the fact that Yun Huang was spellbound as a result of having practiced magic and thus, had two split personalities.

 Chapter 1351: A Gathering of Ex-Boyfriends

    <h4>Chapter 1351: A Gathering of Ex-Boyfriends</h4>

    One of the split personalities was sinister and cruel, the other was innocent and guiltless, so kind that she would not even want to kill an ant.

    Such a situation often appeared within the script. Yun Huang would be sinister one second, then turn innocent. Even when this red up, she would have to constantly switch between two personalities. Such a role demanded much skill from the actor.

    When she saw Ning Xie over, Meng Shiyi sized her up and had an arrogance in her eyes. It was a condescending look often used in the circle by actors from the capability camp towards the idol camp.

    To Meng Shiyi, she was just an artiste that became popr overnight from acting in a a melodramatic movie. She did not even have any reputable awards; such people were a dime in the dozen in the entertainment industry. Most of them would just use their instant poprity to profit hugely, and there were many like her, so she was not worth a mention.

    Yun Huang''s character was not that difficult for Ning Xi, so the audition and shooting of the image stills concluded rather quickly.

    When she was finished, Ning Xi was speaking to the director when a ck silhouette shed from not too far away. The person who had just turned around the corner was Mo Yuxiu who hade miles for the kill¡­

    Ning Xi speechlessly covered her face in her hands. Bloody hell, had he really chased her here?

    What was this guy trying to do?

    Mo Yuxiu looked at her, but he did not do anything for now. Hepleted his audition and photoshoot by the book. To an outsider, he had perfect work ethics.

    Only Ning Xi understood his calm expression''s real meaning, which was, "Tang Xi, there are more days toe. We will have our fun!"

    Yet, today was probably meant to be a disastrous day for her¡­

    Just as Ning Xi thought the situation was bad enough, the assistant director suddenly smiled tteringly and led someone in. "CEO Su, this way! We''re shooting the image stills!"

    Ning Xi looked at the man behind the assistant, and was shocked as if struck by lightning.

    Su Yan¡­?!

    What was he doing here?

    Bloody hell! Jiang Muye, Mo Yuxiu, and Su Yan¡­ There were three exes in one show¡­ Just one more would be enough for a round of mahjong!

    Was this meant to create more chaos for her?

    When Guo Qisheng saw who had arrived, he immediately walked up eagerly to greet, "CEO Su, you''re here! Why didn''t you tell me so I could prepare?!"

    "I had some work nearby today, so I decided to swing by for a look. No need to cause amotion." Su Yan was the elegant and kind gentleman as always.

    Guo Qisheng led Su Yan to the audition venue. "Since you''re here, let me introduce you to the main cast so far. Have a look and give us some pointers¡­"

    Su Yan humbly said, "I obviously trust your judgement, Director Guo. I''m just an industry outsider. I can admire the charm of the main cast, but I daren''t offer pointers."

    When he heard Su Yan''s words, Guo Qisheng felt as if he was bathed in good vibes. Most investors would try to pretend that they knew things and stick a finger in the pie anywhere at this point but people like Su Yan just made one feelfortable.

    Jiang Muye used his elbow to nudge the stunned Ning Xi and he shot her a side look. He pouted and said, "Hey, you okay? Indeed, true love is different! You''ve been stupefied since he walked in!"

    Ning Xi shot Jiang Muye a mean look. "True love, my ass! How did Su Yan be the investor of this show?"

    That was not logical!

    Jiang Muye blinked. "What''s so odd about that!? Do you know what''s the total investment for our series so far? Five billion dors!"

 Chapter 1352: Gathered Enough For Mahjong

    <h4>Chapter 1352: Gathered Enough For Mahjong</h4>

    "The lineup of the cast and the script for this show has ensured that this series will be a big hit. With such a huge cake, everyone wants a piece of it, including the Su family who''s preparing to enter the entertainment business. It''s not surprising that they''d be part of this. The Su family''s investment isn''t really considered extremely high; they''re just one of the many investors."

    "But with Su Yan and Ning Xueluo''s rtionship¡­" Would the Sus invest a show in which she was the female lead?

    "Rtionships are phony, profits are the priority!"

    Ning Xi calmed down to think about it and decided that it was really not that odd.

    Even if Ning Xueluo was the daughter-inw-to-be of the Su family, in order for the Sus to enter the entertainment business, they could not just invest in Ning Xueluo''s productions.

    Ning Xi considered it and suddenly had a bad feeling. She quickly pulled Jiang Muye aside to ask, "Who are the other investors for this show apart from Su Yan?"

    Jiang Muye rolled his eyes at her. "I''m not that free to pay attention to these things. Who cares!? I only know that Glory World Entertainment invested $ 1 billion dors."

    "CEO Su, this is our female lead, Meng Shiyi, our second male lead, Mo Yuxiu, and our second female lead, Li Yiqing. You''re familiar with the first male lead and the other female lead, Jiang Muye and Ning Xi," Guo Qisheng introduced each one of them to Su Yan.

    Everyone was rather friendly and performedmon courtesy towards the investors.

    Su Yan greeted each and every one of them, his gaze pausing on Ning Xi for a moment, but he regained it very quickly, revealing not a single hint. "Director Guo, I still need to rush for a family dinner, so I won''t stay longer."

    "Of course, CEO Su, feel free to leave if you''re busy! I''ll send you off¡­"

    After Guo Qisheng returned from sending Su Yan off, Ning Xi immediately ran over and cornered Guo Qisheng to ask, "Director Guo, who are the other investors?"

    "There are many! In fact, there are more than ten investors! The Su family''s investment is the thirdrgest," answered Guo Qisheng.

    "More than ten¡­" Ning Xi scratched her head. "Who invested the most then? Glory World Entertainment?"

    Guo Qisheng shook his head. "No, yourpany is the second. I''m sure you''ve heard of thergest investor. It''s Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group that recently became very famous in Imperial''s business circle. They''re surely rich and generous, investing $ 2 billion in a go!"

    What? Yi Lan Investment Group? Was that not Yun Shen''spany?!

    When she heard that it was Yi Lan Investment Group, Ning Xi felt like she had been struck by lightning from all sides, and it was as if her fate of death was fast approaching.

    Guo Qisheng continued, "It seems like their boss is rather interested in the business of filmmaking. Oh right, their boss will even be featured as a cameo in the show himself!"

    When she heard this, Ning Xi''s face darkened. "C-cameo? Who''s he going to cameo as?"

    Guo Qisheng looked to Ning Xi and smiled mysteriously. "His character has a trivial rtionship with your character!"

    Ning Xi put her hand to her heart that was about to stop short. "He¡­ What''s he acting as? Director, don''t tease me anymore, let me be mentally prepared!"

    Guo Qisheng answered, "He''s acting as Yun Huang''s father."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Yun Shen, f*ck you!

    He was actually going to act as her father?

    Fine, you are cool. You have money. You are my father!

    At this moment, Ning Xi was breaking down on the inside¡­

    She had thought that the role in this show was not challenging and rather rxing for her. She could even improve her acting skills with capability camps like Meng Shiyi, making it perfect, yet who would have thought that it had now be the most difficult obstacle in her acting life!?

    Great, now they had really gathered enough for a round of Mahjong!

    God, you are truly ying games with me!

 Chapter 1353: Can I Go On Strike?

    <h4>Chapter 1353: Can I Go On Strike?</h4>

    Guo Qisheng patted Ning Xi on her back when he saw that she was looking a little green. He told her in a confident tone, "You don''t have to worry so much about it, Ning Xi. He doesn''t really have many scenes, so it won''t affect the series much, and most of them are just scenes with you. Lead him a little and it''ll be fine!"

    Television series were different from movies. The standard requirements were not as high; some minor characters would not be that important.

    Ning Xi felt dreadful¡­

    Ning Xi thought to herself, "Can I go on a strike?"

    Guo Qisheng suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, Ning Xi! The character you rmended for Ke Mingyu has been decided!"

    Ning Xi was speechless¡­

    An extra blow!

    Guo Qisheng had no idea what Ning Xi was fretting about. He just told her to do her best and then left.

    Jiang Muye came over and was enjoying the chaos flitting across Ning Xi''s face. "What''s up with you? You look like you want to jump into the river after the conversation with the Director!"

    Ning Xi leaned against the wall, mumbling to herself, "As the Heavens entrust a person with great responsibilities, his resolve will be tested, exhausting his muscles and bones, exposing him to hunger, and leaving him in extreme poverty in order to make up for his shorings¡­"

    ¡­

    At the Big Pearl Hotel which was near Ning Xi''s audition location.

    In the room, the Nings and the Sus gathered to discuss what had happened at the cocktail party the other day.

    "Uncle, Aunty, the hotel has a batch of fresh seafood today. Let''s try some!" Ning Xueluo tried to speak carefully.

    On the opposite of the roundtable, Su Yan''s parents looked unhappy. There was no sign of the kindness usually shown to Ning Xueluo. They acted indifferent to her instead.

    Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu were unhappy about their attitude, but they could only remain silent.

    Ning Yaohua asked, "Where''s Su Yan? Why isn''t he here yet?"

    Ning Xueluo quickly said, "Bro Yan is already on his way. He should be here soon¡­"

    Suddenly, the door opened and Su Yan walked in.

    Ning Xueluo''s eyes brightened. She went up to him and had tears in her eyes. "Bro Yan¡­"

    Su Yan did not have to ask and knew that his parents were giving Ning Xueluo a hard time. In sympathy, he gave her a gentle gaze and sat with her.

    Su Yan''s mother became broodier when she saw her son''s protective behavior. "Su Yan,e and sit over here."

    Ning Xueluo''s face turned pale.

    "Mother, didn''t we talk about this before we came?"

    It seemed like Su Yan had said something to his parents beforehand, but of course, they would refuse to listen to any of it.

    Su Yan''s mother was upset. "I can''t take this! Look at what their family has done! And you, you knew it all along! Why didn''t you tell us?"

    Su Yan''s father voiced out as well, "This is a serious matter, Su Yan. You''re being ridiculous!"

    Although Su Hongguang looked like he was ming Su Yan, he was ring at Ning Xueluo, apparently ming Ning Xueluo for seducing Su Yan.

    Actually, it was understandable why Su Hongguang and Zheng Minjun would act this way.

 Chapter 1354: Chicken And Phoenix

    <h4>Chapter 1354: Chicken And Phoenix</h4>

    When they first found out that Su Yan had fallen in love with a girl from the vige, they had spent a lot of effort to separate them, and even said a lot of terrible things to her like how she was unworthy of Su Yan and that she had to know her ce.

    Then, for some reason, Ning Zhiyuan decided to make Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu retain Ning Xi''s identity as their foster daughter. Although she was already part of the Ning family, her identity was not worthy to be associated with the Su family.

    After they realized Su Yan was in love with the real daughter of the Ning family, Ning Xueluo, they were overjoyed, thinking that she was the real golden phoenix.

    In the end, the roles were all reversed!

    Ning Xi was the real daughter, and Ning Xueluo was the wild chicken trying to act as the phoenix. They had been deceived for five years. How else would they feel?

    "Uncle, Aunty, I''m sorry¡­I''m really sorry. I didn''t want to hide it from the both of you," sobbed Ning Xueluo as tears started falling down her face.

    Su Yan held Ning Xueluo''s hands and frowned. "Father, Mother, I''ve already said that it was I who asked Xueluo to not say it. It has nothing to do with her."

    Zhuang Lingyu could not hold it in anymore. "Please think about it. Why didn''t we announce Ning Xi''s identity after we found out the truth? Why did we treat Xueluo as our princess and ignore our biological daughter?

    "It''s simply because of the time we spent together. We''ve already epted Xueluo as our real daughter. We don''t want her to get hurt! Compared to Ning Xi with whom we don''t really have any emotional connections!

    "I agree that it''s our fault for hiding the truth, but Xueluo has been with us since she was born. We''ve nurtured her well and we didn''t treat her any different even after we took Ning Xi back in. In our hearts, Xueluo is our real daughter. We''ve decided to treat her as our real daughter. It doesn''t matter if we tell anyone about it or not."

    Zhuang Lingyu then hardened her tone. "You know that Xueluo is a kind-hearted child. She''s really outstanding and was even nominated as Best Actress. Furthermore, her clothing brand is doing really well. Who else in the socialite circle is better than her? I dare say that none of them are worthy of Su Yan or of the Su family!"

    Su Yan''s mother looked at Ning Xueluo sadly and her facial expression softened. "I admit that Xueluo is really good. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have liked her so much! But families like us are really particr about matters like this, Madam Ning. I believe that you can understand it all too well."

    Su Yan''s father nodded. "To be honest, no matter how well your persuasion is, what is a fraud can never be the real thing. She''s not your biological daughter after all!"

    Su Yan''s mother became more straightforward. "That''s right. What if you''re biased towards your biological daughter in the future?"

    One biological daughter, one foster daughter. Was it not obvious enough who was going to inherit the family''s assets?

    If the Su family took in a wild chicken and ignored the real phoenix, not only would they be made fun of, they would also not be able to get any benefits as well. It would be bad for business!

 Chapter 1355: Blessed Day

    <h4>Chapter 1355: Blessed Day</h4>

    Su Yan''s mother was much more particr than her husband was on this matter because Su Hongguang had an illegitimate child, waiting to take over Su Yan''s ce anytime.

    She was hoping for Su Yan to have a solid marriage so that it could help him in the future. If not, she would not have gone against the rtionship between Su Yan and Ning Xi back then.

    She was really hostile towards the Ning family''s dishonesty. It was no wonder Ning Zhiyuan had only given Ning Xueluo assets and none of the shares, but he had given Ning Xi 10% of shares!

    Now, everything made sense.

    It still boiled down to legitimacy.

    In the end, Ning Yaohua took out his trump card. He grabbed a folder from his suitcase and handed it over to Su Hongguang.

    Su Hongguang stared at Ning Yaohua and epted the folder suspiciously.

    Su Hongguang and Zheng Minjun looked at each other in surprise when they saw the contract and share transferral. Apparently, they did not expect Ning Yaohua to go this far.

    Ning Yaohua had transferred all 15% of his shares to the non-blood rted Ning Xueluo.

    "Can you ce your faith in me now?" Ning Yaohua said.

    Su Hongguang looked much better after he went through the contract. After he going through it, he returned it to Ning Yaohua. "What can I say? You really love Xueluo! I have nothing else to say!"

    Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu looked at each other and felt relieved.

    Ning Xueluo was slightly relieved as well, but at the same time, she was also thinking how cunning these elders were. They would only be satisfied when they saw something of value to them.

    Luckily, Ning Yaohua had transferred the shares to her, otherwise, her marriage with Su Yan might really be ruined.

    Su Yan''s mother nced at the contract and her attitude had an entirely different shift. She sighed, "We''re just concerned about our child''s future. I hope you don''t mind!"

    Although Zhuang Lingyu was scornful about their snootiness, she used a much friendlier tone to reply, "We''re all parents here. Of course, we understand. We just hope they''ll be happy forever. We''re satisfied as long as Xueluo is happy!"

    The atmosphere between them seemed much better after the share transferral contract was revealed. Ning Yaohua then quickly took the opportunity to mention the marriage. "Su Yan and Xueluo have been together for five years. It''s about time for them to settle down!"

    Zhuang Lingyu went along, "Xueluo''s clothing brand is going to coborate with another brand in the US. She has some free time right now, but if we wait any longer, she''ll be really busyter¡­"

    Su Yan''s mother thought about it. "Their rtionship and careers are solid. It''s true that their marriage can''t wait anymore."

    Ning Yaohua then looked at Su Yan and Ning Xueluo hopefully. "What do you guys think?"

    Ning Xueluo looked down bashfully. "I''ll go with whatever you both say."

    Su Yan looked absent-minded and did not say anything.

    Su Yan''s mother looked at her own son curiously. "Su Yan, what about you?"

    He returned to his senses. "I have no objections as well."

    Su Hongguang then dered, "Tomorrow, I''ll go and request for a blessed date from Master Long!"

 Chapter 1356: A Breathtaking Chance Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 1356: A Breathtaking Chance Encounter</h4>

    Everyone else nodded to what Su Hongguang said, indicating that they did not have any objections.

    Su Yan''s mother recalled that Master Long had previously said Ning Xueluo had a fate that brought luck to her husband, then she felt much more at ease.

    Next up, the two families began to discuss the marriage details and roughly decided upon the flow as if all the previous woe had never happened.

    When all was finalized, Ning Xueluo breathed a long sigh of relief. Indeed, what was hers would still be hers!

    ¡­

    After the dinner ended, the two families were a bundle of joy and harmony. They both cordially bade each other goodbye.

    The two parents left separately, while Ning Xueluo and Su Yan left together. With the wedding happening soon, the parents understood that the two lovebirds would want to catch up privately.

    Su Hongguang and Zheng Mingjun walked towards the carpark and chatted.

    Zheng Mingjun was rather satisfied with the Ning family''s attitude for the night although she still felt a sense of unease in her heart about something. She sighed to her husband, "Hey, considering that she was still born to some vige woman, Xueluo is actually not bad already. I''m just afraid¡­afraid that as time goes on, her true colors will be revealed¡­"

    Su Hongguang prioritized profits more, so he did not think much about this. "The Ning family isn''t unreasonable. Xueluo has been pampered like a princess since she was young. She''s received a great education and nurturing, so I''m sure it won''t be that bad.

    "Instead, it''s that Ning Xi who grew up in the vige that would be truly uncouth. Even if they tried to change her in the future, I''m afraid it can''t be reversed. Did you forget all the things she did? And there was Elder Ning''s birthday banquet thest time at which she actually wore a casual outfit!

    "Otherwise, why did you think that cunning Ning Yaohua would rather have a foster daughter than admit Ning Xi is his real daughter?"

    As she listened to her husband, Zheng Mingjun nodded. "That''s true¡­"

    The two were speaking when two girls bumped into them head-on.

    It was Ning Xi and her assistant, Xiao Tao.

    At that moment, Ning Xi was wearing Spirit''s bespoke high-quality piece with an Oriental vibe. She wore high heels and had light makeup on her. It would not be exaggerating to say that she possessed a celestial beauty. Most importantly, there was no frivolousness on her face. Instead, she exuded a natural elegance.

    "Xiao Tao,ter on, remember to email me thetest itinerary. I need it urgently¡­" Ning Xi was talking to Xiao Tao when she looked up and saw the two of them. She could not help but stop for a moment in shock.

    Su Hongguang and Zheng Mingjun!

    Ning Xi never would have thought that she would bump into Su Yan''s parents here.

    She would especially recognize his mother, Zheng Mingjun, anywhere. After all, back then, in an effort to break her and Su Yan up, she had really beenpletely unscrupulous.

    She had been a weak, soft and easily bullied girl then. Zheng Mingjun''s harsh words had cruelly crushed her naive self, and it was also then that her innocence had beenpletely turned upside down¡­

    "Hey, Ning Xi, wait up!" Behind her, Director Guo Qisheng caught up.

    When Su Hongguang and Zheng Mingjun saw Ning Xi, they did not dare to confirm if it was her, yet when they heard Guo Qisheng call out her name, they exchanged nces and their expressions changed.

    How could it be? This pretty girl with an elegant aura was¡­really Ning Xi?

    Ever since Ning Xi had returned to the country, they had only seen her at Elder Ning''s birthday banquet. They knew that Ning Xi had entered the entertainment industry too, but they never paid any attention¡­

 Chapter 1357: How Many Girls Hearts Have You Stolen

    <h4>Chapter 1357: How Many Girl''s Hearts Have You Stolen</h4>

    The instant they saw Ning Xi and wondered about this girl''s mannerisms and appearance, the line "the apple doesn'' t fall far from the tree" shed across Zheng Mingjun''s mind.

    She was worthy of being the real daughter of a prestigious family. Even if she had stayed in a rural vige for 18 years, it was just something in her bones.

    Then, she thought about how Zhuang Lingyu was Zhuang Zongren''s daughter, thus making Ning Xi Zhuang Zhongren''s niece and how she had part of the Zhuang family''s bloodline. Zheng Mingjun felt upset again¡­

    Ning Xi very quickly returned to her senses after her initial surprise of seeing Su Hongguang and Zheng Mingjun. She turned around to Guo Qisheng. "Director Guo? What is it?"

    Guo Qisheng panted, "Why did you leave so quickly? I still have something I need your help with!"

    Ning Xi broke into bubblyughter. "What could be so important that you had to personally chase after me, Director Guo?"

    Guo Qisheng cleared his throat, seeming a little unnatural as he scooped out a pink notebook filled with hearts. "Please autograph this for me!"

    Ning Xi almostughed out loud. "No way, Director Guo! I didn''t think you were a crazy fan too?"

    Guo Qisheng shot her an embarrassed look. "Nonsense, this is my daughter''s! Quickly sign it! The little girl''s been urging me so many times. If I don''t get it done today, she''s going to torment me again!"

    Guo Qisheng''s daughter¡­

    Jeez, was that so!?

    Ning Xi took the book and skimmed through it. She realized it was filled with her pictures. What a true fangirl!

    Ning Xi''s heart warmed at this sight. She properly signed her name and even included a few words of encouragement.

    Guo Qisheng took the book back and looked like his family''s good crop was going to be snatched away by Ning Xi. "Hey you need to restrain yourself a little! You''re but just one girl, but how many little girl''s hearts have you stolen?!"

    Ning Xiughed heartily. "Director Guo, are you jealous!?"

    Guo Qisheng shot her a look before leaving.

    Su Hongguang and Zheng Mingju were driving home. The two of them had some pent-up frustrations. Initially, they had consoled each other and persuaded themselves that Ning Xueluo was a hundred times better than Ning Xi, yet who would have thought that with just one look at Ning Xi earlier, they would begin to waver¡­

    ¡­

    At Peachwood, after she reached home, Ning Xi took off her shoes as she let Steamed Bun prepare a bath for her, then the first thing she did was immerse herself in the tub.

    Only when her entire body was engulfed by warmth, her tensed nerves could finally rx a little.

    The restlessness in her was screaming crazily with an impulse to escape the limitations of rationality.

    Obviously, that little moment fromst night was not even enough for her to relieve stress.

    Ning Xi continuously took deep breaths and forced herself to forget about going out to wreak havoc.

    Ding! Her phone rang. It was probably Xiao Tao sending over the itinerary.

    Ning Xi wiped her hands and took her phone. Indeed, it was Xiao Tao.

    Ning Xi opened the itinerary in her inbox. She realized that her workflow would soon be pretty filled up especially in the next two days. When the Lu Corporationmercial was done, she would have to cooperate and attend all sort of promotional events by thepany.

    After she was done being busy for the next few days, Ling Zhizhi had kept her weekends free for rest. When she was done resting, the crew of the television series would be ready to start work.

    Thus, it was probably only those two days that were best¡­

 Chapter 1358: Want To Be In Dearests Embrace

    <h4>Chapter 1358: Want To Be In Dearest''s Embrace</h4>

    Ning Xi stared at the two dates marked in red for a long time.

    Finally, she sent Lu Tingxiao a text: [My dear, let''s have our date this weekend?]

    If possible, she wished she had more time. She was worried that something would happen and she lost control of herself. It would affect her work, but now with the new series about to begin shooting, she could only resolve this as soon as possible before they began. If she continued to drag this on, she would not be able to focus on doing anything else.

    The text had just been sent shortly when Lu Tingxiao called her. "I''ve seen your text. I''m good with it."

    "Okay, that''s settled then!" Ning Xi spoke with a light-hearted tone, yet the truth was that the instant she heard Lu Tingxiao''s voice, she immediately had the thought of backing out, so she could escape from what she had justmitted to and forget about the whole thing.

    "Are you done with work? I''ve just finished my meeting. Shall I go over to you?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi''s heart skipped a beat. "Ah, don''t¡­ I-I''m not done yet. I might be quitete¡­"

    "Okay, don''t work too hard. Finish earlier and rest soon."

    "Mmm, I''m hanging up now okay? Mwah mwah!" Ning Xi hung up seeming like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

    Jeez! All she did was hear Lu Tingxiao''s voice and it was enough to waver her. When they met in real life, she might really throw away her determination into the Mariana Trench!

    This would not do. She had to be firm before this weekend came. She had to make sure she would say it all in one go and settle this once and for all¡­

    ¡­

    The next day, Ning Xi woke up bright and early to rush to the Lu Corporation.

    She had just parked when a familiar ck Maybach suddenly stopped beside her. In the shotgun seat was an excited Lu Jingli. "Hey, Xiao Xi Xi, what a coincidence! You''re here¡­"

    Before he could finish, Ning Xi had already run off.

    "Uhh?" Lu Jingli scratched his head and looked at his brother in confusion. "Didn''t Xiao Xi Xi see us? That''s not right! She clearly did! Our eyes even met¡­ Then why did she run off faster than a hare at the sight of us? There''s no one else nearby either."

    Lu Tingxiao looked towards the direction she had left. There was an unnoticeable frown on his face.

    In the elevator, Ning Xi patted her chest as if she had just escaped death.

    That was close¡­

    She had almost cleared out the MP she had umted the entire night.

    (Note: MP - Magic Points; magic/mana is an attribute assigned to characters within a role-ying or video game that indicates their power to use special abilities or "spells". Magic is measured in MP.)

    Sobs¡­ Bloody hell! She clearly just wanted to fly over and be in her dearest''s embrace!

    No, she must hold back! She did not want to use any more excuses to hide anything from him. Even after she told him, the price she would have to pay might not be something she could bear.

    She walked into the advertising department, the first to arrive.

    "Bro Xi, you''re here! You''re really early!" Ye Ying cordially greeted her.

    "Morning, Director Ye! Hmm, aren''t the others here yet? Then, I''ll just shut my eyes to rest! Is that okay?"

    "Of course! Bro Xi, you must be quite busy recently. Don''t tire yourself out! Rest, it''s fine. It''ll probably take a while for others to arrive! When they''re here, I''ll call you!" Ye Ying said.

    "Thanks!"

    Then, while the others had yet to arrive, Ning Xi sat on the sofa and leaned back to rest. She had not slept for the entire nightst night because she had been fighting the restlessness in her.

    Her stress-relieving methods in the past had all been disastrous such as partaking in extreme sports or dangerous missions¡­

    Very quickly, the others slowly arrived.

    While Ning Xi was still resting with her eyes shut, she heard a sinister voice by her ear, "So, then, have you considered what I said before?"

 Chapter 1359: So, Then, Still Want To Continue?

    <h4>Chapter 1359: So, Then, Still Want To Continue?</h4>

    Ning Xi did not even open her eyes. Her voice was even more sinister and terrifying than his. "I''m not in a very good moodtely. I advise you to stay away from me."

    The girl''s creepy tone caused a chill to shoot up Mo Yuxiu''s spine. He scoffed mockingly, "Huh, in a bad mood? What''s wrong? Are you breaking up with your man?"

    At that moment, the words "breaking up" were a me that could ignite an entire barrel of explosives¡­

    In the next second, with a resounding thump, Mo Yuxiu was attacked with a shoulder throw by Ning Xi, and he fell to the floor. The girl towered over him and glowered down at him, her eyes containing a slight chill that could make one''s blood run cold.

    This sudden scene shocked everyone else in the office¡­

    Qin Ran, Han Yucheng, Luo Fan, and Li Lekai all exchanged confused looks.

    Bloody hell, why were these two fighting again?

    This time, it looked like Ning Xi had made the first move.

    In the corner, Jiang Muye shook his head and sighed as he looked pitifully at Mo Yuxiu.

    Pfft, I wonder what happened to that girl. She has been a mess recently. Even I daren''t get close to her. Mo Yuxiu had to go to her now of all times. It was practically suicide!

    "Frick¡­" Mo Yuxiu was the most confused. He did not expect Ning Xi to suddenly revolt. In defiance, he cursed and attacked her right back.

    Ning Xi''s usual fighting capabilities were enough to beat Mo Yuxiu. Now, the situation was even more savage that it was hard for anyone to watch.

    Then¡­nextup¡­Mo Yuxiu had undoubtedly been beaten up by Ning Xi¡­

    In fact, Ning Xi did not care about his dignity at all this time. She sat on Mo Yuxiu and beat him up to the extent that he had no way of fighting back. Only her final sliver of rationality held her back from hitting his face.

    Qin Ran stroked his chin andmented, "Watching Ning Xi fight is quite exciting!"

    Li Lekai, whose partner had cheated on him with Mo Yuxiu, was watching the show rather gleefully. He almost wanted to get his phone out and record this, so he could watch it before sleeping every night. It just felt so good!

    "Bro Xi¡­Yuxiu! Don''t fight anymore. Things were just fine. What happened?" Ye Ying was anxiously calling out from the side.

    She was speechless as well. Why had her two Prince Charmings gotten into a fight again? What weird addiction was this!?

    Thankfully, after the previous incidents, she was getting familiar with things and now she was much calmer. Plus, Ning Xi did not his hit face, so she felt that she would not act out of hand, reassuring her slightly.

    Until the end, Ning Xi used one knee to pin Mo Yuxiu''s back down. She panted slightly, then leaned into the man''s ear and warned, "How then? Still want to continue?"

    When Mo Yuxiu felt the girl''s slim legs on his back, while the girl''s warm breath gasping close to his ear, he suddenly felt his heart beating faster beyondprehension¡­

    That was¡­the long-awaited¡­feeling of arousal¡­ The feeling of being aroused by a woman¡­

    Bloody hell! Damn it! It was just once or twice, yet he had been beaten to the state of arousal?

    He himself did not know that he was into masochism!

    "Let go!" Mo Yuxiu was getting frightened by his own thoughts. He struggled vigorously from Ning Xi''s grasp and escaped far away, but his gaze towards Ning Xi had secretly increased in passion.

    Jiang Muye looked at Ning Xi, then at the beaten-up Mo Yuxiu.

    Sigh, now Ning Xi had someone else to beat up. Finally, he did not have to suffer anymore, but why did he suddenly feel lonely?

 Chapter 1360: Seen As A Romantic Rival

    <h4>Chapter 1360: Seen As A Romantic Rival</h4>

    With Ning Xi''s grave warning, Mo Yuxiu finally decided to stop. The crowd first gathered for a meeting at the advertising department, then they proceeded to Emerald Vi together and had a press conference for themercial "Seven Days".

    Ye Ying had specially chosen a remote and secluded location to organize the press conference, yet when they arrived, the venue was already crowded with people. Even if the hotel had done preparations in advance, they still could not hold back the enthusiasm of the fans. Atst, even the police force had to be there.

    Among these seven people, just a group of their fans would be enough to overwhelm. What more when it was all seven of them together! The crowd almost got into a fight.

    The funniest thing was that many fans had even change sides at the event, switching to be another person''s fan. As for those fujoshis that liked to matchmake, with the seven Prince Charmings before them, they had already silently thought of all sorts of ships. They were in heaven!

    Ning Xi was already in bad condition. When she reached such a chaotic venue, she felt her head hurt even more, but she forced a smile and greeted the fans.

    As they walked in, being confused and disoriented, Ning Xi did not notice the staircase in front of her. When she walked up, she identally tripped.

    In the next second, before her body lost control, two hands unexpectedly reached out from her left and her right.

    Jiang Muye''s expression darkened. He looked like a worried mother hen. "What are you thinking about?! Can you watch where you''re going? Do you want to perform kissing the floor for your fans?"

    Mo Yuxiu did not expect to hurl out his arm too. He immediately withdrew it back when he realized what had happened, then he remained expressionless.

    It was just a brief interlude, yet the crowd had already burst into shrieks that could pierce through the roof.

    "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! Muye pampers Bro Xi so much!"

    "XiYe, sugoi !"

    "XiYe is canon , happiness!"

    ¡­

    Amid the shrieks, a few of Mo Yuxiu fans had also emotionally said, "But Bro Xi is quite fitting with our Xiu Xiu too! Xiu Xiu is so tsundere in front of Bro Xi! How cute!"

    However, the moment they started, they were rebutted by Muye and Ning Xi''s shippers , "Huh! Bro Xi and Mo Yuxiu? What''s this evil cult!? Drag them out! Our Muye and Ning Xi is the true canon, okay? From ''The World'' to ''Our 18-Year Old Youth'', no matter in a male or a female outfit¡­"

    ¡­

    As Mo Yuxiu listened to the fans'' discussions, he could not help but take a second look at Jiang Muye''s direction.

    Even though they were in the samepany and had coborated many times, it was not unusual for them to be close, yet he still felt their rtionship was not merely tonic.

    Could Ning Xi''s boyfriend really be Jiang Muye?

    Were the two of them secretly dating?

    "Huh, Tang Xi¡­ I thought how high your standards were, but they''re just so low!"

    "Ah-choo!" Up front, Jiang Muye who did not realize he had been perceived as a romantic rival, suddenly sneezed. He scratched his head and mumbled, "Who''s talking bad about me?"

    ¡­

    Themercial received the popr response that they had predicted and the press conference ended smoothly.

    A day very quickly passed by amid the bustle. Ning Xi had just reached home when her phone rang. Lu Jingli was calling.

    "Hey, what''s up?" Ning Xi''s tone waszy, revealing a dispirited energy.

    "Bro Xi, I''m at my brother''s. A friend just gave me an Australian lobster and a king crab. I''ve moved it here. Come over and cook it! It''s too wasteful to leave it to my chefs!"

    When she heard that Lu Jingli wanted her to go over to Lu Tingxiao''s ce, Ning Xi immediately felt her back tense u. "I can''t today. I have to look through my script."

    "Then, I''ll just let my chefs cook it. Juste over to eat!"

    "I''m not free to eat either!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1361: Wanting To Break Up With You?

    <h4>Chapter 1361: Wanting To Break Up With You?</h4>

    Lu Jingli hung up, looking disappointed. He nced sadly at his brother on the sofa. "Xiao Xi Xi is noting. She said she needs to look through her script, but she should have time for a meal, shouldn''t she? Hmm, maybe I''m too sensitive. Why do I feel like Xiao Xi Xi is intentionally evading me?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything. His eyes just dimmed.

    Lu Jingli stroked his chin and said, "I still feel like something''s odd with Xiao Xi Xi. It was already weird in the morning. I get the feeling that she''s very afraid of you, evading you, and feeling guilty the moment she sees you¡­"

    In a certain sense, Lu Jingli had been overly insightful.

    The tangled up feelings Ning Xi had towards Lu Tingxiao had been concluded rather urately by him.

    After Lu Jingli had franklyid this out, Lu Tingxiao looked worse.

    When Lu Jingli saw his brother''s upset look, he tried to ask, "Bro, are you and Xiao Xi Xi having trouble?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s answer was a cold look.

    Lu Tingxiao immediately cleared his throat. "Okay, I''m wrong. How could the two of you lovebirds be falling out?! Since you aren''t having any conflicts, what''s up then? Bro, tell me properly! Otherwise, I won''t be able to help you analyze! I''m not spewing nonsense. Such things could be an issue! I really think there''s something odd about Xiao Xi Xi¡­"

    He stayed silent for a long while before Lu Tingxiao said, "She''s been quite unusualtely¡­ Since the day she got drunk at the bar¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the space between his brows and spoke inartictely about Ning Xi''s condition the past two days, detailing it not just for Lu Jingli, but also for himself.

    Ning Xi''s condition was indeed worrying him recently.

    Lu Jingli stroked his chin. "Hmm, let me summarize this. Xiao Xi Xi first suddenly got drunk at the bar, and even raced with the punks, then fought with them. She seemed in a rather bad mood. Fromst night onwards, she showed signs of evading you¡­ Most importantly, she suddenly solemnly invited you for a date this weekend, saying that she had something to tell you¡­"

    When he reached this part, Lu Jingli suddenly thought of something and his expression changed drastically as if the world was falling down. He looked at his brother and blurted out, "Jesus! It''s over! Bro, Xiao Xi Xi wouldn''t be thinking about breaking up with you, would she?"

    When he finished, the entire room''s temperature instantly plummeted¡­

    Lu Jingli then realized he had been disgraceful with his words. He quickly covered his mouth and looked in terror towards his brother, who had turned into a gloomy state.

    Oh my God! It was too frightening!

    He had just simply made a guess, yet his brother''s expression had turned murderous. It would be worse if Xiao Xi Xi really broke up with him!

    However, based on the current situation, all signs pointed towards this unfortunate ending!

    Xiao Xi Xi was fed up and wanted to break up, but she felt that his brother had been too good to her, so she felt guilty towards him, which was why she struggled and found it difficult to express it. But rtionships cannot be forced, so she still decided that she had to meet his brother this weekend and rify things¡­

    Within a few short seconds, Lu Jingli''s brain had already filled in the gaps andpleted the plot.

    Oh no! What to do?

    Lu Jingli decided to calm his brother first. He quickly cleared his throat and carefully consoled, "Ha¡­haha¡­Bro¡­ My brain is so weird. There''re too many 8 PM melodramatic soap operas that I''ve been watching recently. How could Xiao Xi Xi break up with you?!"

 Chapter 1362: Making The Ladyboss Happy

    <h4>Chapter 1362: Making The Ladyboss Happy</h4>

    The next day, the whole of the Lu Corporation once again felt the fear of the devil''s dictatorship.

    Lu Jingli was surrounded by arge group of people.

    "Second Master! What happened? Why is CEO Lu a little scary-looking today?"

    "A little? He''s freaking scary! I don''t even dare to take another look! When our eyes met, I thought I was going straight to hell!"

    "Second Master, did Boss get into a fight with the Lady Boss? You have to help them!"

    "Aren''t they on good terms? Why did they get into a fight?! If Boss isn''t doing anything about it, Second Master, you really have to do something!"

    "Right, you have to make our Lady Boss happy!"

    "If our Lady Boss is happy, our Boss will be happy. We will only get better days if our Boss is happy¡­"

    ¡­

    All the people in thepany now understood the key to their Boss'' emotional shift.

    It must be rted to the Lady Boss.

    However, now that everyone knew Su Yimo was not the Lady Boss anymore, they did not know who it was, so they could not help even if they wanted to.

    They could only go to Lu Jingli.

    With everyone talking to him, he was really troubled. He was still single, so why did he have to be concerned with the lovebirds? It was really tiring!

    But the situation was pretty grave. The weekend was just the day after tomorrow.

    He had to find a way to find out what Xiao Xi Xi was trying to say¡­

    After work, Lu Jingli took Ning Xi''s schedule for the day and went to the Royal Jazz Hotel.

    Ning Xi had a dinner function tonight.

    Lu Jingli executed his n, staying in a dark corner of the hotel lobby and covering his face with a newspaper.

    Time passed by.

    Ning Xi did not appear for a very long time and Lu Jingli identally fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already midnight. He quickly asked a nearby waiter, then found out that the people in the room had already left.

    The miserable Lu Jingli could only go straight to her ce.

    When he was about to leave, he heard a familiar voice. It sounded like Ning Xueluo, and he heard Ning Xi''s name being mentioned¡­

    Lu Jingli stepped back and hid in an empty room.

    "Xueluo, are you alright?! You drank too much!"

    "Haha¡­I''m okay¡­ I''m going to get married¡­ I''m just happy¡­"

    "Xueluo, be careful!"

    "Sis Chang, be honest with me. Are you regretting the decision of letting Ning Xi go?"

    "I''m not¡­"

    "Let me tell you¡­ Ning¡­ Ning Xi, that witch¡­ She''s never going to beat me¡­ No matter how high she reaches¡­ I can always bring her down¡­ Do you believe me?"

    "Yes, yes, yes, I believe you!" It was clear from Chang Li''s tone that she replied for the sake of replying.

    Ning Xueluo was unhappy with her attitude. "You don''t believe me? Let me tell you¡­ Ning Xi¡­ At 18¡­ She was pregnant at 18¡­ and she even delivered the child¡­ Did you know that? Hahaha¡­"

    "W-What?!" Chang Li was shocked. "Then¡­ What happened to the child?"

    "Died¡­ That child died when it was born¡­ What a waste¡­ If that child was still alive¡­ How wonderful it would be¡­"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1363: Xiao Xi Xi, You Traitor!

    <h4>Chapter 1363: Xiao Xi Xi, You Traitor!</h4>

    After Ning Xueluo and Chang Li left, Lu Jingli came out of the room with a shocked expression.

    He did not go to Ning Xi''s ce anymore. Instead, he headed right back to the tinum Pce.

    "Bro! Bro! I overheard big news!" Lu Jingli found Lu Tingxiao in the study room, panting as he burst in.

    There was only a dim light turned on. Lu Tingxiao was looking out at the night view.

    Although his face was not revealed, Lu Jingli felt like he was about to be suffocated by the depressed atmosphere when he stepped into the room. The room was extremely dangerous¡­

    His brother''s condition was much worse than he imagined¡­

    Lu Jingli continued with his report anyway, "Bro, I was about to look for Xiao Xi Xi just now, but I coincidentally overheard the conversation between Ning Xueluo and her assistant. She said that¡­ Xiao Xi Xi was pregnant when she was 18¡­ And gave birth to a dead child¡­ I noticed that she was really drunk when she said it¡­ So, I''m not sure if she''s telling the truth¡­"

    After he finished, the room remained dead silent.

    After some time, Lu TIngxiao replied, "So what if it''s real? So what if it''s fake?"

    For any other men who heard news like this regarding their girlfriends, they would have freaked out, but Lu Tingxiao did not react at all.

    "Ugh¡­" Lu Jingli was at a loss.

    Well, truth or not, it would not matter to his brother anyway.

    "I mean, no matter it''s the truth or not, I''m afraid that Ning Xueluo might be scheming something against Xiao Xi Xi again. Do you want me toe up with something to prevent this?" Lu Jingli suggested.

    Lu Tingxiao was slightly more alert when he heard it was about his wife''s safety. He raised his hand and indicated his agreement.

    "Oh, okay, then I''ll investigate itter!" He looked at his brother worriedly. "Bro, you don''t have to worry so much. It''s all my fault. Xiao Xi Xi would never break up with you¡­"

    "What if¡­she''s going to?" Lu Tingxiao looked back uncertainly at Lu Jingli.

    If she really wanted to leave, what should he do to keep her here?

    He had to admit that Lu Jingli''s prediction might actually be urate. Ning Xi''s recent behavior was rather aligned with the prediction¡­

    It did not matter why she wanted to do this. What mattered was that she wanted to¡­

    Lu Jingli was anxious but his eyes brightened. "Even you''re not confident in yourself. Have some faith in Little Treasure! Just bring him along on your date! Xiao Xi Xi would never be able to say that she wants to break up with you!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked lost. "She''s mentioned that it has to be just the two of us."

    Lu Jingli remained silent.

    She had explicitly mentioned to not bring Little Treasure?

    Damn it¡­ Things are getting serious¡­

    Xiao Xi Xi, you traitor!

 Chapter 1364: Second Uncle, Youâ€™re Overthinking

    <h4>Chapter 1364: Second Uncle, You¡¯re Overthinking</h4>

    On Saturday morning, the little bun had just finished lessons with Elder Song. He was holding a calligraphy scroll when Lu Jingli suddenly grabbed his arm.

    "Little bun! Your mother is going to break up with your father! Please convince her! Only you can do this now!"

    The little bun struggled out of Lu Jingli''s tight grasp and carefully adjusted his outfit.

    "Hey¡­my dear, don''t ignore me! I''m being serious here! I''m begging you now because I can''t think of anything else! We''re all depending on you now!" Ning Xi''s schedule in the past several days was unusual. Lu Jingli had missed her countless times, so he could only beg Little Treasure to help him.

    The little bun looked at Lu Jingli coldly. "Mommy wants to break up with him?"

    The little bun was still calling Lu Tingxiao "him"; not once had he called him "father".

    "Yes! It''s tomorrow! Your mother has been avoiding your fathertely. She asked him out tomorrow and said she has something to tell him! What else is there aside from breaking up?!" Lu Jingli desperately said.

    The little bun just stared at Lu Jingli.

    Lu Jingli stared back nervously.

    They both stared at each other.

    After a short while, the little bun spoke up, "Second Uncle."

    "Yes!"

    "You''re overthinking."

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

    What did he mean by overthinking? What did he mean!?

    "My dear bun, I''m being logical, alright?! You''ll regret it if you don''t listen to me!"

    The little bun bit his lip, his expression clearly indicating that he was worried for Lu Jingli''s IQ. "Second Uncle, no wonder you still don''t have a girlfriend."

    Lu Jingli was once again speechless¡­

    Was he that despicable now?

    Why did he feel that ever since Little Treasure started talking, half of the time, he was talking to his mother, while the other half of the time, he was saying negative things about Lu Jingli?

    Why!?

    ¡­

    Today, the servants in the Ning residence were all hurriedly busy.

    As Ning Xueluo''s marriage was just around the corner, they already started decorating the house. They wanted to create a joyful celebration.

    Outside the door, there was a young teenager dressed in a casual outfit and he had a big stic bag in his hands. He also had arge ck backpack on his back.

    A servant noticed the young teen, so he went over and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

    The pondering teenager was taken aback by being called out. He quickly replied, "Um¡­ Is Tang¡­ No, I mean, is Ning Xueluo here?"

    The servants looked at him suspiciously. "Why are you looking for her?"

    The young man let out a sigh of relief after knowing that he had gone to the right ce. "Can you please call her for me? I''m her brother!"

    "Brother¡­?" The servants noticed he was wearing pretty in clothes and they went into alert mode. "Are you mistaken?! She''s a single daughter and has no brother at all!"

    "I really am her brother! Please send her a message. Say Tang Nuo is here. She surely knows me!"

    The servant saw that he was pretty determined. "Wait here."

    In Ning Xueluo''s bedroom upstairs, someone knocked on her door.

    "Come in!"

 Chapter 1365: Affectionate As Always

    <h4>Chapter 1365: Affectionate As Always</h4>

    In her bedroom, Ning Xueluo was looking at her makeup delightedly. Even though her poor and crude biological parents were useless, at least, they had given her pretty good looks.

    "Miss, there''s a guy outside who says he''s your younger brother. Should we let him in?" The servant asked.

    "My younger brother?"

    "Yes, he said he''s called Tang Nuo."

    The instant the servant said that, there was a crisp shattering sound. The bottle of skincare in Ning Xueluo''s hand had fallen to the ground and fragmented into pieces.

    The servant was frightened. "Miss, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

    Ning Xueluo''s expression clouded over. She swiftly got up and pulled open her curtains to look downstairs.

    Indeed, at the entrance was an uncouth youth with lots of bags with him.

    Damn it!

    Why did this punke here!?

    And precisely at such a sensitive time too!

    She had finally suppressed all the rumors out there, and her marriage with the Su family was happening soon. Was he here to go against her?

    Ning Xueluo shouted unhappily, "What have you been doing in the Ning family all these years? Since when did I have a brother?! This is clearly some random guy trying to pretend to be a rtive ande to leech on us! Quickly chase him away! Do I need to teach you this little matters?"

    "Yes, yes, yes¡­ I''ll go now! Miss, don''t be angry!" The servant quickly ran out after being berated terribly.

    ¡­

    Outside the yard.

    "Leave! Where did you poor good-for-nothingse leeching from!? How dare you im connections with ourdy!?"

    "I''m not¡­"

    "You''re not what? Our Miss already said that she doesn''t know you! We''ll let the dogs out if you don''t leave!"

    ¡­

    Amidst the horrible scoldings and being chased away, the youth left sadly while turning around to gaze up at Ning Xueluo''s window repeatedly.

    ¡­

    Under the grey skies, there was heavy traffic.

    This huge, flourishing city bedazzled him with fresh sights, yet not a single speck of this belonged to him. It did not belong to someone like him.

    He knew that he should not havee¡­

    He really should not have¡­

    But he really had no other way¡­

    Ning Xueluo shutting the doors on him and chasing him away had cut off the young man''s only hope.

    Suddenly, raindrops fell from the sky and the youth very soon became dripping wet. Numbly, he walked to the shed of a small store robotically, lugging his heavy things.

    Ning Xi was driving aimlessly on the streets of Imperial when she suddenly saw a familiar silhouette by the roadside and she almost thought she was experiencing an illusion.

    Tang Nuo?

    Why would Xiao Nuo appear in Imperial?

    With a screech, Ning Xi stopped not too far away from the store entrance.

    "Don''t stop right here! You''re disrupting my business!" At that moment, the shop owner was reprimanding the youth as if he was a lowly beggar.

    The youth looked hurt. Still, he quietly lugged his things and walked into the rain again.

    "Xiao Nuo!"

    At this moment, a familiar voice that pulled at his heart strings and almost made him cry was heard from behind.

    The youth felt his back stiffen as he turned around in disbelief. He stared at the woman opposite him in a daze, his pale lips trembling. It was a long time before he blurted out, "Sis¡­"

    Tang Nuo and Ning Xi had always been in contact. He also constantly looked out for news about Ning Xi online. Despite that, he was still shocked at the sight of Ning Xi in front of him. She had really changed so much, but the affectionate gaze in her eyes was still the same as always¡­

 Chapter 1366: Who Bullied You?

    <h4>Chapter 1366: Who Bullied You?</h4>

    "Xiao Nuo! It really is you!" Ning Xi was stunned to see him looking so battered. She did not stop to think and quickly took off her coat to wrap him up firmly. "Get into the car first!"

    Ning Xi took his things and put them in the boot as she urged to get in.

    However, the youth stood ufortably outside the luxury car. "Sis, I''m dirty¡­"

    "What nonsense!? Has the rain turned you silly!?" Ning Xi pushed him into the car agitatedly.

    The BMW drove off with the beauty and youth in it.

    Behind them, the shop owner remained in a state of confusion.

    Did he just witness a rich and beautiful woman suddenly drive off with a beggar?

    And that beautiful woman looked like a celebrity¡­

    In the car, Ning Xi ramped up the heater and handed the young man a towel, looking very upset. "Wipe yourself! What''s wrong with you?! Don''t you know that you''re weak?! Don''t you know how to get out of the rain? Why did you suddenlye to Imperial? Why didn''t you tell me? Don''t you have my number and new address?"

    As he listened to her nagging ramble on, the youth could not help it. His tears started to stter onto the back of his hand.

    Ning Xi was worried when she saw his tears. "Why are you crying? What happened? Who bullied you?! Tell me!"

    Tang Nuo shook his head. He rushed to wipe his tears away and blushed with shame. "No, it''s just because I haven''t seen you for a long time. These are tears of joy!"

    "You punk!" Ning Xi could not help butugh, but she still felt that Tang Nuo had something on his chest. She was nning to ask him properly when they got back home.

    Half an hourter, Ning Xi brought Tang Nuo back to the vi.

    When he saw the opulent residence, Tang Nuo''s eyes were full of amazement. "Sis, you''re so amazing! It turns out that it''s true that you''ve moved to a huge house¡­"

    "Duh, would I lie to you? I already told you that I''m popr now! Don''t you watch TV? Okay, we''ll talk againter. Go take a hot shower first!" Ning Xi found one of her male outfits and gave it to him. She pushed him into the bathtub and exined how to use the bathroom in detail.

    After Tang Nuo went in, Ning Xi sat on the sofa and her head was swimming with the sight of Tang Nuo looking pitiful and battered earlier. Suddenly, mournfulness filled her eyes¡­

    She had been closest to her brother, Tang Nuo, since they were young. Even though she was always weak and easily bullied, if someone dared to bully Tang Nuo, she would be the first to step up. How could she bear seeing her beloved brother being bullied?

    Only until there was the sound of footsteps of Tang Nuo having gotten out of the shower, did Ning Xi gather herself. She looked serious when she asked him, "Tell me, what happened?"

    Tang Nuo immediately said, "No-nothing¡­ I just came to Imperial for vacation since it''s the holidays. I didn''t want to trouble you so I didn''t tell you¡­"

    They had lived together for 18 years since they were young, so Ning Xi could immediately tell that he was lying. "Did something happen at home?"

    The youth instantly tensed up. "No! Everything fine''s at home. What could''ve happened?"

    When she saw that he still did not want to tell, Ning Xi intentionally sounded more solemn. "Since you see me as an outsider, that''s fine. I won''t force you."

    Tang Nuo''s eyes instantly reddened at Ning Xi''s words. "Sis, I didn''t!! I-I''m just afraid that you''d worry¡­"

 Chapter 1367: Where It All Began

    <h4>Chapter 1367: Where It All Began</h4>

    Ning Xi''s expression instantly changed. "So, something really did happen at home?"

    When Tang Nuo saw that he could not hide it anymore, he clenched his fists and bit his tongue in an attempt to stop the words from pouring out, but because he was worried that Ning Xi would think that he thought her as an outsider, he started to stutter, "Something d-did happen at home¡­ You know our father is easily persuaded. Some time ago, he met someone at the construction site and was tricked into lending a huge amount of money¡­ B-but¡­ Now we can''t get it back¡­"

    "How much did he lend?" Ning Xi frowned to ask.

    "P-probably¡­ All of his savings¡­ Even the money you sent back home previously. About $ 600,000 in total¡­ We were nning to buy a house in town¡­ But now, we don''t even have enough for my school fees¡­ Grandma has fallen sick from being so angry earlier¡­ All the medical fees are on loan. " The more he spoke, the worse he looked.

    Ning Xi fell silent for a while and said, "You went to look for Ning Xueluo, didn''t you?"

    When he heard, he quickly exined, "It''s because I was really desperate¡­ Otherwise, I definitely wouldn''t have gone looking for her. Yet, in the end¡­ Huh, I really shouldn''t havee¡­"

    Even if he did not tell her, Ning Xi could roughly guess what had happened after he went looking for Ning Xueluo.

    Ning Xi was about to say, "Why didn''t you look for me?", but she swallowed it and sighed instead. "Okay, I understand the situation now. You''ve been on the road for about for a day, so you must be tired now. Sleep at my ce for the night and rest well. Tomorrow, I''ll go home with you."

    Tang Nuo instantly looked up. "Sis¡­"

    To avoid the youth rejecting her, Ning Xi just cut him off. "If you still see me as your sister, then don''t spew nonsense anymore. Go to sleep! The fact that you went to look for Ning Xueluo and not me tonight has already made me really angry!"

    Since Ning Xi had said all of that, Tang Nuo had no other choice but to obey and go to bed restlessly.

    In reality, he had always, always wished his sister would go home.

    However, the words that Mother had said back then had definitely hurt her, so as much as he missed her, he dared not let here home. Even though something this huge had happened, he was embarrassed toe trouble her.

    Yet, now, he still had to trouble her in the end¡­

    ¡­

    Late at night. it was still a sleepless night.

    She walked quietly to the youth''s room and straightened his nket, then she quietly watched him sleep.

    Go home¡­

    Even just once could do her good.

    Maybe, returning to where it all began could clear her head.

    ¡­

    The next morning, Ning Xi brought Tang Nuo to Chang Chun City. She wanted to settle the issue on that side as soon as possible since she needed to rush home to meet Lu Tingxiao at night.

    To avoid being recognized, Ning Xi disguised herself a little as always.

    This time, she dressed up as an innocent and cute vige girl.

    When Tang Nuo saw the girl with flushed cheeks in a flowery dress and twin pigtail braids, he teared up.

    It had been so long. Even if he missed her, he dared not toe looking for her. It was also because he was afraid¡­afraid that the sister in his memory would nevere back again.

    Thankfully, his sister was still here¡­

    Ning Xi knew she had not slept well for the past few days, so she did not dare to drive while being so exhausted. She took the long-distance coach with Tang Nuo.

    Tang Nuo did not mind at all. He was quite pleased actually, and he felt very much like himself.

    The siblings chatted about all sorts of things on the road. Very quickly, they had returned to their usual intimacy as if they had never separated.

 Chapter 1368: Because The Person He Loved Was There

    <h4>Chapter 1368: Because The Person He Loved Was There</h4>

    Halfway through, Ning Xi took out her phone and sent Lu Jingli a text message.

    [Lu Jingli, I''m going to Chang Chun City to handle some family matters, but I''ll surely be back by evening. Please tell your brother that I''ll look for him the moment I get back to Imperial.]

    ¡­

    At the same time, at tinum Pce, in Lu Tingxiao''s study room, the man had been sitting there for the whole night.

    Lu Jingli knocked before carefully entering the room. "Bro¡­Xiao Xi Xi sent me a message just now. She asked me to tell you that she''s going to Chang Chun City to settle some family issue, but she''ll surely be back by evening. She also said that she''ll¡­look for you when she''s back¡­"

    Lu Jingli then suggested, "Bro! Why don''t I tell Xiao Xi Xi to change the meeting? Let''s not tire her so much!"

    What a genius!

    Dy it as much as possible!

    There was just a long, dead silence in the room. Time seemed to have slowed down¡­

    After some time, Lu Tingxiao got up and reached out for his coat and car keys, then he headed out.

    Lu Jingli was confused. "Bro, you¡­"

    Where was he going?

    Could he be going to Chang Chun City?

    Did he want to die this badly?

    Things could still change!

    Lu Jingli was about to say something, but when he saw Lu Tingxiao''s expression, he was silent and just watched him leave.

    He was reminded of how ancient heroes left their homes and martyred themselves for their people¡­

    He knew that there might not be any hope, but the person he loved was there. No matter where it was, he had to go.

    ¡­

    After a long journey, Ning Xi finally saw the strange yet familiar vigeing into sight.

    After five years, she had returned to the ce she lived in for 18 years. Ning Xi had an odd sense of nostalgia.

    This was where she was worry-free for 18 years. It was also the ce where all her nightmares began. As time passed, there was only sadness left¡­

    "Sis, there''s still a long way to go. I''ll call for a bull cart!" Tang Nuo was afraid that she might be tired.

    Ning Xi replied, "I still know how to walk, alright?"

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xi red at him but Tang Nuo felt joyful.

    He was afraid that Ning Xi might act strangely with him, but her familiar attitude made him feel at ease.

    As they walked, Ning Xi asked, "Who''s the person who borrowed the money?"

    "The person''s name is Hong Bin. He used to work in Hai Cheng City. He returned to the vige not long ago, saying that he worked for several big shots before, but apparently, he was just lying.

    "I''ve told Father many times to avoid getting close to people like him, but after a few dinners, they became on good terms. Father gave him everything he had. Don''t even talk about the promised high interest. He did not even pay back a single cent¡­"

    Tang Nuo''s expression went bitter, but then he said, "But, Sis, don''t worry about it. We''ve already reported him to the police. We''ll get the money back for sure!"

 Chapter 1369: Never Treated Us As Family

    <h4>Chapter 1369: Never Treated Us As Family</h4>

    Of course, Ning Xi did not believe him. If reporting to the police could solve the issue, he did not have to go all the way to Imperial to look for Ning Xueluo.

    After about a twenty-minute walk, they arrived. Just as Ning Xi was about to prepare herself mentally, they heard very loud noisesing from inside the house, including the loud yelling of vulgarities from several men and the bone-chilling screaming of her foster mother, Sun Lan.

    "Ah! Stop! Please stop!"

    "Damn you, Tang Shan! You dared to report me to the police?! I''ll kill you today! I''ll see who''s going to save you!"

    "You witch! Shut up! I''ll cut off your tongue!"

    ¡­

    "Father! Mother! You guys, get lost! What are you doing?! Robbery under broad daylight? Thew still exists here!"

    "Law? I am thew!"

    "Xiao Nuo¡­ Xiao Nuo! Why are you back?! Leave! Leave right now!" Sun Lan was terrified.

    "So, your son is back! Good timing! Didn''t you go to Imperial to borrow money from your sister? Now, give me the money and I might be kind enough and let your father live for several more days!" Hong Bin said like the jerk he was.

    "Hong Bin¡­you''re stepping over the line!" Tang Shan had bruises all over and his words sounded very weak.

    Sun Lan shrieked, "Leave, Xiao Nuo! Don''t give them the money!"

    "Witch, do you want to die?!" Hong Bin red at them with his ferocious eyes. "Give me the money if you don''t want to die!"

    Tang Nuo looked at his mother. "Mother, it''s enough. I don''t have any money with me at all¡­ Why did you think I''ll have the money? I''ve told you so¡­ She won''t lend to us¡­ She wants us dead¡­"

    Sun Lan''s expression changed. "Xiao Nuo, what nonsense are you talking about?!"

    "Nonsense? I went to look for her. I didn''t even get to see her. She chased me out like some random beggar, iming that she has no brother at all! Don''t you understand? She has never treated us like her family!" Tang Nuo''s suppressed anger exploded all at once.

    Sun Lan and Tang Shan looked horrified. Although they did not want to believe it, their son could not be lying.

    Sun Lan shook her head. "Impossible! Xueluo wouldn''t be this cruel. She must be too busy and had no time for you, or did you find the wrong ce?"

    Tang Nuo was really tired and did not want to exin further to his mother.

    Hong Bin impatiently scowled. "I''m not here to listen to your bbering. I don''t care if you steal or rob. $ 100,000! I''ll leave when I get the money! Give me $ 100,000! Then, I''ll let you stay alive! Or else¡­"

    Having to face this robber in front of them after finding out that their daughter had abandoned them, there was only despair left in Sun Lan and Tang Shan''s eyes¡­

    Tang Shan roared, "Hong Bin, don''t you go overboard! I only reported you to the police because you didn''t return my money. Now, you even injure me and want more money from me! You''re a bastard!"

    Hong Bin was enraged and he said coldly, "Bastard? I''ll show you what a real bastard looks like! You think only girls are worth money nowadays? Many rich people have weird fetishes of their own! Your son looks pretty handsome. I think¡­ I should be able to fetch a good price¡­"

 Chapter 1370: Exception

    <h4>Chapter 1370: Exception</h4>

    Before Hong Bin could finish his sentence, a loud p struck across his face.

    Smack!

    There was traces of blood on his mouth.

    "Who is it?! Do you want to die?" Hong Bin''s underlings looked at the entrance.

    There was a cutedy there, dressed in really in clothes and pigtails. She looked weak, but her expression said otherwise.

    "Sis¡­" Tang Nuo then remembered he had brought Ning Xi here. He quickly went over to shield Ning Xi.

    When Tang Shan and Sun Lan heard Tang Nuo call out for his sister, they looked over.

    "Xiao Nuo, what did you say? Xueluo''s here?"

    "Xueluo?"

    ¡­

    When they saw who it was by the door, they were shocked.

    It was not Xueluo¡­

    It was¡­

    Tang Xi¡­

    It was Xiao Xi!

    Why was Xiao Xi here?

    Did Xiao Nuo not look for Xueluo?

    Hong Bin wiped the blood off his face and looked extremely hateful. "You''re Tang Shan''s daughter? Do you know who I am? How dare you hurt me?!"

    His underlings went along. "You witch, do you want to die!?"

    "Damn it, Bro Bin, let''s just take the both of them away! This girl looks pretty cute as well!"

    "That''s right! Look at her skin and her face. I don''t think anyone looks as attractive as her around here. I didn''t know Tang Shan has such a pretty daughter¡­"

    ¡­

    Tang Nuo was really incensed listening to them. "I''ll kill you if you dare touch my sister!"

    Sun Lan did not know why Ning Xi was there. She dragged Tang Nuo back. "Xiao Nuo, don''t be reckless!"

    "Get them!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi looked at the time on her watch, seeming impatient.

    After five minutes, those hulking, angry men were all on the ground.

    The jaws of Tang Shan, Sun Lan, and Tang Nuo all dropped.

    Ning Xi stepped on Hong Bin''s wrist, making him yell loudly. Her expression only turned gentle when she looked at Tang Nuo. She exined herself, "If I don''t be harsh with them, they might look for trouble again after I leave."

    "Ah¡­ Please forgive me! I won''t do it again! I''ll never look for trouble with Bro Tang again!" Cold sweat fell from Hong Bin''s forehead.

    Although it seemed normal, her way of fighting was all calcted. There would not be any obvious injuries on the surface, but it could make a person suffer in pain for a long time. Not even doctors could detect what was wrong with them. She usually would not use skills like that but this time was an exception.

    "Just no trouble?" Ning Xi said coldly.

    "I''ll return the money! Right now!"

    "Just the money?"

    "And interest! I''ll add the interest too!"

    ¡­

    In the end, they forked out about $ 700,000 and gave them all to Tang Shan. Only then did Ning Xi let them go.

    After Hong Bin''s gang left, the house looked a little empty. A total of $ 700,000 in cash was on the table.

    Sun Lan helped Tang Shan up from the floor and they both stared at Ning Xi.

 Chapter 1371: Lu Tingxiao, Her Light

    <h4>Chapter 1371: Lu Tingxiao, Her Light</h4>

    "Sis, you''re¡­ You''re so amazing! Where did you learn all of that from?! Oh, oh, oh, I almost forgot that in one of the interviews, you said that you were a stunt double when you had just entered the industry overseas. I thought it was just superficial! I didn''t think it was this amazing! Sis, teach me if you have time! That way, I won''t have to worry about people bullying us anymore!" Tang Nuo spoke with an excitement as if he was admiring a superstar. It made Ning Xi''s heavy heart rx a lot.

    She rubbed his head of hair and said, "Okay, when there''s a chance."

    When he saw that the atmosphere was a little odd in the house, Tang Nuo quickly reminded his parents, "Father, Mother¡­ Say something! Sis is finally home!"

    As if the two of them had just woken up from a dream, Tang Shan seemed a little unsure of how to face this "daughter" that they had not seen for five years and had experienced such a huge change. He said awkwardly, "Xiao Xi, thank you so much for this time¡­ If it wasn''t for you¡­ Sigh¡­"

    "Look, now you''ve met such an incident the moment you returned! Have you eaten? I''ll go cook for you lot!"

    ¡­

    As she watched what was once her close family now treat her with awkwardness and a cautious attitude, Ning Xi felt an indescribable feeling. She quickly said, "Don''t bother. I still have something to do tonight, so I have to rush back! Next time, when I''m free, I''lle back to meet you all!"

    "Oh, okay¡­ Xiao Nuo, send her off."

    "It''s okay, Xiao Nuo, Father and Mother are just shocked. Apany them, quickly get Father to the hospital to treat that wound." Ning Xi tried her hardest to ignore the expression on Sun Lan''s and Tang Shan''s faces that seemed relieved of a huge burden when she said she had to leave. She turned around and left very quickly.

    Behind her, when Sun Lan and Tang Shan heard Ning Xi address them as "Father" and "Mother", they were stunned, then both their eyes welled up.

    That was Xiao Xi¡­

    That was their daughter¡­

    It had been five years and she had finallye home, yet they were going to let her leave just like that¡­

    ¡­

    Ning Xi did not know how she left the Tang residence. She felt as if her entire being was drowned in the salty ocean. It felt heavy and sticky, making her every step drain her of all her energy¡­

    The darkest part of her soul and her negative emotions all engulfed her like demons right at this moment.

    She was such an unlucky person; ever since she was born, she had been on the losing end.

    Losing all her most important things¡­

    The harder she tried to catch it, the quicker they disappeared.

    Only when she did not want anything anymore, would she stop losing¡­

    It was as if the road ahead had been sheathed by ayer of blurred mist. Across that mist, she seemed to see a silhouette¡­

    Under the glow of the zing sunset, there was a familiar ck Maybach and that lean figure that she knew so well.

    Every time, that figure seemed to pierce through the mist and light up her world with bedazzling sun rays¡­

    Yet, at this moment, her expression changed as if her death toll had just rung.

    "Lu Tingxiao¡­"

    "Done with your thing?" She was not sure how long Lu Tingxiao had waited there. There was a bunch of cigarette butts beside his feet and the light odor of tobo on him.

    Ning Xi stood there, stunned. The instant she saw Lu Tingxiao, all the determination she had mustered for the past few days was instantly crushed to powder.

    She did not want to¡­

    Did not want to lose the person in front of her¡­

 Chapter 1372: Do It Once Before Breaking Up?

    <h4>Chapter 1372: Do It Once Before Breaking Up?</h4>

    "Mm-hmm, done!" Ning Xi tried her best to make herself sound normal. She asked, "Didn''t I tell Lu Jingli to inform you that I''ll look for you when I get back? Why did youe? It''s so far!"

    "So I can see you earlier." It was as if Lu Tingxiao did not notice the girl''s odd manner. He walked over and opened the car door for her.

    Ning Xi took a deep breath and walked robotically into the car.

    Lu Tingxiao started the engine, then the car slowly and bumpily drove out on the narrow vige roads¡­

    It was silent inside the car. No one said anything.

    Outside the car window, the familiar views and viges flew by akin to the brightness that had departed her life¡­

    The road ahead was already leading onto the highway and leaving the vige, bing increasingly wide. Because the vige was rather far, there was not a single car on the road¡­

    Lu Tingxiao''s long fingers grasped the steering wheel as he looked at the road ahead calmly. From the shotgun seat, a hand suddenly pulled hard on the steering wheel.

    Screech!

    With a piercing screech, the car suddenly swerved from the left to the right and drove into a wide paddy field¡­

    "Ning Xi!"

    Because of the girl''s dangerous action without any warning, Lu Tingxiao''s initially cold expression suddenly changed and he shouted angrily.

    In the next second, Lu Tingxiao''s car seat was suddenly pushed down as the girl pressed the button. The anger in his eyes instantly disappeared when she abruptly closed in on him and that cool, softness on her lipsnded on his¡­

    Ning Xi''s body trembled hard as she leaned on him. She kissed him hard in a chaotic mess as if things had reached a dead end¡­

    Lu Tingxiao could not care less at the moment. He cursed softly and his wide hand cupped the back of her head. He returned the kiss even more passionately¡­

    Ning Xi had used her all to kiss the man before her, her cool fingers sliding through his hair, his chest, and his hips¡­

    Clunk.

    The seat belts were unbuckled.

    Lu Tingxiao gasped. She got on his nerves! In his eyes was suddenly a strong wave of fury. He held the girl''s wrist down strongly¡­

    Damn it!

    Damned woman!

    What did she mean? What was she trying to do?

    In the time he had dated Ning Xi, Lu Tingxiao had always paid attention to the Inte so as to keep up with the times. Plus, Lu Jingli had been influencing him in his ear.

    In such a situation, three words suddenly shed in his mind: break-up sex.

    Was this what Ning Xi meant? To do it with him one time¡­ Before they broke up?

    What was this? Compensation?

    When he thought about this, Lu Tingxiao felt disappointment in his heart.

    Ning Xi looked down at his hand holding on to her wrist. Because he had been too angry, his veins were bulging¡­

    Since she had been stopped by Lu Tingxiao from continuing, Ning Xi kneeled over him. Momentster, sheughed tauntingly, "Huh, Lu Tingxiao¡­ You really don''t need to¡­ I''m not some chaste girl¡­ It''s not my first time either¡­"

    When Lu Tingxiao saw Ning Xi''s look of self-rejection, while there was heartache, there was also anger. "Ning Xi! Do you think I would care about such things?"

 Chapter 1373: I Seduced You

    <h4>Chapter 1373: I Seduced You</h4>

    Ning Xi looked up quietly at the man before her. There was no light in her eyes. "Lu Tingxiao, you don''t care¡­ That it''s not my first time? Well, then¡­ What if five years ago, when I was just 18, I already wasn''t a virgin? What if I had sex with a stranger I didn''t even know and had even given birth to a dead child? A bastard?!"

    When she reached the end, Ning Xi was hysterical and her body shivered uncontrobly.

    As the words she blurted out recklessly yed back in his head, Lu Tingxiao was suddenly stunned. There was an odd expression on his face as if he had been redeemed.

    Lu Tingxiao was afraid that he would cause anxiety to the girl. He softly and slowly asked, "Ning Xi¡­ The thing you wanted to talk to me about today¡­ Was this?"

    Ning Xi clenched her fists like all her energy had been drained as if she was waiting for the final judgment. "Yes."

    The moment her words fell like a gavel, the sky spun and when she reacted, the man was now all over her and passionately kissing her earth-shatteringly as if he had received a new lease of life¡­

    The man''s lips fell one kiss after another on her with strong, fiery affection. On her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, her lips, her corbones¡­

    Even though he did not say anything, Ning Xi could feel his emotion from the kisses alone.

    Lu Tingxiao''s reaction¡­did not seem to be quite like what she had imagined¡­

    In her daze, her lips were suddenly bitten.

    Ning Xi suddenly cried out loud. There were tears in her eyes as she frowned at the personmitting the crime withint written on her face.

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyes were filled with raging fury. "I will ask you again. You''ve called me out today to tell me something. It was just that?"

    Ning Xi subconsciously nodded. "Yes¡­"

    The moment he finished, the man kissed her unyieldingly once again.

    A long whileter, he let her go and asked again, "Don''t have anything else to say, do you?"

    Ning Xi did not dare to say "yes" again. She looked confused and asked, "What did you think¡­ I was going to say?"

    Even though Ning Xi did not answer "yes" this time, Lu Tingxiao''s expression suddenly seemed worse for wear and he kissed her more fervently than before. He was totally punishing her.

    Amidst the rolling waves of paddy fields in the sealed car, an undetermined amount of time passed before the man''s lengthy and heated kisses finally stopped. "Ning Xi, do I seem like the kind of person to go back on my words to you? In your heart, is my affection towards you so easily wavered? I''ve said even if you have a past I am not a part of, with all those wicked beyond redemption things you''ve done that may risk universal condemnation, I don''t mind! Do you think I was lying to you?"

    "The person who''s really lying is me!" Ning Xi lost control and shouted.

    Lu Tingxiao pulled the girl who was breaking down into his embrace. He said word for word into her ear clearly, "Ning Xi, listen closely. You didn''t lie to me. You''ve already told me right from the start. No, you''ve warned me! I seduced you, I provoked you. It was I who tore open your wounds that you never wanted to tell anyone, yet I was so mean to you earlier¡­ It''s all my fault¡­ Don''t be angry at me! I thought¡­ I thought you wanted to break up with me¡­"

    The tears Ning Xi had been holding in up till now were falling hard and silently. Each tear drop bore the trauma that had never left her for the past five years¡­

 Chapter 1374: That Strange Man

    <h4>Chapter 1374: That Strange Man</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao caressed the girl carefully, his eyes full of pain.

    Actually, when he first came into contact with Ning Xi, he had always felt that she avoided intimate body contact, and sometimes even showed hatred towards men. He guessed that she must have had some bad experiences before.

    So, he never pried into her past. He would never ask if she did not want to share, and was even more careful on rtionship matters. He would rather endure it himself rather than trouble her.

    The girl was like a little beast being extremely wary of humans after being hurt. She looked outside out of curiosity, then carefully came out and peered around, and soon she braved up and licked his fingers. She leaped onto his legs and rested on them. She dared to make faults in front of him.

    She tried again and again until she was sure he was not dangerous, his gentleness making itself apparent.

    Until today, she removed all her armor. She took off all her protective gear and opened up the most painful wound, showing him her weakest spot.

    As if she was making an offering, sheid them down all in front of him.

    Lu Tingxiao hugged the girl tightly.

    Aside from feeling touched and pained, there was a darkness within his eyes. It seemed like what Lu Jingli had heard from Ning Xueluo was true.

    Ning Xueluo knew about this too, and she was going to use it to ckmail Ning Xi.

    However, there was still something odd what Ning Xi just said.

    A strange man that he did not even know¡­

    Why would she do it with a man she did not know? If she had been forced, why would she keep the child of that man?

    "Is it rted to Ning Xueluo?" Lu Tingxiao asked with certainty.

    Ning Xi thought she would never tell about it since even the best psychiatrist could not make her say it with hypnotism.

    Though now, she just spoke of it naturally. "I thought Ning Xueluo was a true friend to be trusted. I never suspected her. Of course, I didn''t know she had been with Su Yan behind my back. On Su Yan''s birthday, she drugged me and arranged two men¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao''s arms tensed up. "Don''t say it if you don''t want to!"

    Ning Xi shook her head and she continued, "I believed her, and went to the room where she told me to look for Su Yan. Then, some ident happened. I went into the wrong room. The room wasn''t the one where the two men Ning Xueluo arranged were¡­ Until now, I don''t even know who that man is¡­"

    Ning Xi''s body was trembling as she was reminded of what had happened that day.

    "Ning Xi¡­"

    "Lu Tingxiao, let me finish it! If I don''t say it now, I might not have the courage to speak of it ever again!"

    Ning Xi raised up her head and continued, "I lost consciousness after I went in. I didn''t know what happened. I didn''t know Ning Xueluo tricked me. I didn''t even know that Su Yan had already betrayed me¡­

    "I only found out the next day, Su Yan was beside me on the bed, so naturally, I assumed that I had done it with him, and Su Yan told me that as well¡­"

 Chapter 1375: You That I Love Most

    <h4>Chapter 1375: You That I Love Most</h4>

    Ning Xi put up a bitter smile. "You can guess what happened afterwards. After I got pregnant, I thought it was Su Yan''s child, so I insisted on keeping it. During that time, Su Yan went overseas for a long time and was only back when I was eight months into my pregnancy.

    "After he came back, he told me the truth. It wasn''t him that night. The child wasn''t his. He revealed what Ning Xueluo did to me. He told me that he only lied to cover up what Ning Xueluo did to me.

    "When Ning Xueluo told me the truth, I lost control and ran out onto the road and got hit by a car. The child was dead when it was born. This is probably the only kindness the heavens showed me. If not, I really wouldn''t know how to face this child¡­"

    All her past feelings wereing back to her. "Do you know how I felt back then? The world crumbled around me¡­

    "Both Ning Xueluo and Su Yan didn''t know, but I''ve doubted Su Yan from the very start. Although my memories were messed up that night, I can never forget the feeling¡­

    "That strange man¡­was very scary. I felt pain¡­ It was agonizing. I felt like I was going to die¡­

    "After that time, I had a high fever for a whole week. I stayed in bed and only recovered after about a month. When I went to the doctor, I can never forget the embarrassment¡­

    "The only thing that kept me going at that time was the thought that I had done it with Su Yan. I didn''t want to think that that person wasn''t my boyfriend.

    "So, I kept on lying to myself until I couldn''t anymore¡­ And I paid the price."

    Ning Xi stopped for a bit, then continued, "Afterwards, my fear towards men followed me everywhere. I hated men. That was my only experience with sex. I went to counseling for a very long time. It didn''t help, but I didn''t care anymore¡­"

    As he was listening to Ning Xi, especially when she mentioned about the fear towards the strange man, Lu Tingxiao''s bloodlust surfaced. "Who''s that man?

    Ning Xi trembled a little. "I don''t know. I investigated for a very long time¡­ There was no clue at all¡­ I''m not sure if Ning Xueluo arranged it¡­ It''s like the man didn''t even exist in the first ce¡­"

    After she was done, Ning Xi looked lost. She just stared at the man in front of her. "I''m finished. So, this is my past. You''re so good. Sometimes, I think¡­ It''d be nice if you were a little more terrible¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao frowned and looked at the girl in the eye. "Ning Xi, I''m telling you this. You think I''m good because you love me! My first and only time was with some other woman, and I even¡­had a child, a ck spot that can never be removed¡­"

    "Nonsense! Little Treasure isn''t a ck spot!" Ning Xi''s sense of loss was gone, reced with a serious expression.

    Lu Tingxiao smiled. "That''s right, to me, everything that has happened to you isn''t as well. No matter what happened in your past, that''s all you, that''s what made the current you, the you that I love the most."

 Chapter 1376: Rotting Little Cabbages

    <h4>Chapter 1376: Rotting Little Cabbages</h4>

    "Thank you," said Lu Tingxiao as he kissed the girl.

    Ning Xi looked confused. "What are you thanking me for?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression turned dark. "Thank you for telling me this and not breaking up with me. Thank you for not killing me."

    Ugh¡­thank you for not killing him¡­

    Ning Xi was stunned. "Um¡­ I''ve been wanting to ask. Why would you think that I want to break up with you? That idea is so¡­ Stupid¡­"

    Ning Xi quickly changed her tone after she realized Lu Tingxiao did not look right. "Uhm¡­I mean, why would I be so stupid to break up with you?"

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the space between his eyebrows. He also felt he was pretty stupid to have been influenced by Lu Jingli so easily.

    Until now, Ning Xi finally understood why Lu Tingxiao''s attitude was so odd recently. He looked at her like she was some irresponsible jerk, but under that enraged gaze was the fear and anxiety of losing her¡­

    He was afraid that she might break up with him?!

    Ning Xi tried to remember her recent behavior towards Lu Tingxiao. Not only did she lose control of her emotions, she had avoided him. Then, she suddenly asked him out and told him that she had something to talk to him about¡­

    It was pretty easy to be misunderstood after all.

    ¡­

    Evening, at tinum Pce, near the entrance, under the evening breeze, there was a miserable-sounding singing.

    "Little cabbages, rotting on the ground, three-year-old, Mommy''s gone¡­ Things''re still good, staying with Father, just afraid that he''d remarry¡­"

    "He remarried. Several yearster, there''s a brother, much better than I am¡­ He''ll eat the noodles, while I drink the soup. I cried as I washed the bowl¡­"

    The little bun wiped his eyes and walked slowly towards the door.

    "Little bun, my dear little bun¡­" Lu Jingli''s eyes were watery as he hugged the little bun.

    What if the house went back to the way it was after Xiao Xi Xi left? What if he could not enjoy those delicious meals again? How miserable!

    The little bun could not help it. He gently patted his Second Uncle''s head,forting his broken spirit¡­

    The sound of an engine came closer and closer. Lu Jingli focused and looked outside. He then saw that familiar car drive slowly towards the entrance.

    Lu Jingli was really anxious, then he saw his brothere down from the driver''s seat, going to the other side and helping a girl down¡­

    Lu Jingli''s eyes widened. Had his brother abducted Xiao Xi Xi?

    But judging from Xiao Xi Xi''s power, it did not seem possible!

    The little bun was relieved when he saw his parents were back. He was worried that his Second Uncle might go crazy.

    "Bro¡­what''s happening? You guys¡­"

    Lu Jingli kept on asking as Lu Tingxiao carefully put Ning Xi down on the bed upstairs.

 Chapter 1377: Drag That Beast!

    <h4>Chapter 1377: Drag That Beast!</h4>

    After he tucked her into bed, Lu Tingxiao kissed her lightly on the lips.

    Ning Xi had not been sleeping well for the past few nights. After she had exined everything to Lu Tingxiao and all the stress had been relieved, she could not hold on any longer and fell asleep on the way home.

    Now, the girl opened her eyes in a daze and saw the gentleman before her. "Mmm¡­ Home?"

    "Mm-hmm." Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Home."

    Ning Xi reached out with her arms and held onto his neck. "I''m sleepy¡­ I want to sleep¡­"

    "You can continue to sleep."

    She instantly frowned. "Aren''t you going to sleep with me?"

    Lu Tingxiao almost said he would, then he caught hold of himself and said,"I have some things to handle. I''ll let Little Treasure apany you, alright?"

    Ning Xi nodded obediently. "Mmm."

    "Little Treasure, sleep with Mommy," Lu Tingxiao turned to his son and ordered.

    Obviously, the little bun did not need Lu Tingxiao''s orders. He had long taken off his shoes and soon climbed on the bed to sleep with Mommy. "Mommy, can Little Treasure sleep with you!"

    Ning Xi hugged the soft and nice-smelling little bun before giving him a kiss, feeling incredibly contented.

    Lu Tingxiao kissed both his son and wife''s forehead before getting up to leave.

    Lu Jingli waspletely frustrated from the sidelines. "Hey, I''m still here¡­ All of you¡­ Can you care about me first?"

    Also, what did this familiar disy of affection mean?

    They even had to disy it with all three of them together!

    It was not what he had imagined at all¡­

    ¡­

    After he settled Ning Xi, Lu Tingxiao indicated for Lu Jingli to follow him to the study room. Lu Jingli obviously followed after like an excited child.

    "Bro, what happened? Did you and Xiao Xi Xi break up?"

    Lu Tingxiao shot him a sharp and cold look, and Lu Jingli immediately weakly gulped, "I usually have urate foresight. Could I have actually guessed wrongly this time?"

    From the situation, it seemed quite obviously that he was indeed not as urate as he thought¡­

    "Did you investigate the thing from before?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Lu Jingli did not immediately understand what Lu Tingxiao meant. "Huh? What thing?"

    "The thing you heard from Ning Xueluo."

    Lu Jingli instantly looked unwell when he heard his brother. "The initial investigations show that it''s true. Xiao Xi Xi did indeed give birth to a dead child. As for the concrete situation, because I''ve been worried about you and Xiao Xi Xi''s thing, I haven''t done a detailed investigation¡­"

    "Investigate this. The more detailed, the better."

    Lu Jingli was a little shocked when he heard him. His brother was clearly not interested in this at all previously, yet after returning from Chang Chun City, he suddenly ordered him to investigate it thoroughly?

    Lu Jingli''s thought process churned, then suddenly his IQ was on point. "Uhh, Bro¡­ Don''t tell me that¡­ The thing Xiao Xi Xi wanted to tell you this time¡­ Was actually this¡­?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything, so it was considered a silent agreement.

    Lu Jingli was about to cry. "What the hell? Just this?"

    That meant he had just scared himself for so long!

    After being nerve-wrecked for half a day, Lu Jingli could finally rx. Okay, as long as they were not breaking up, it was fine if he had inurate foresight!

    Speaking of which, he suddenly really admired Little Treasure. Bloody hell! He was practically the pir of the house with his calm manner!

    Next up, Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli exchanged some information with each other.

    When Lu Jingli finished listening, he was immediately furious. "What?! What kind of shameless person is this!? A beast! Bro, don''t worry, I''ll help you drag this beast out!"

 Chapter 1378: Were Both On Your Side

    <h4>Chapter 1378: We''re Both On Your Side</h4>

    In a certain loft in the old city district, Ning Tianxin was sitting on the sofa, looking helpless.

    She had been looking for a hospital to get her abortion, but the Mo family seemed to have intervened from the inside.

    She had found quite a few hospitals, yet all of them rejected her on ount for the fact that her body was not suitable surgery. Either that, or she had to queue for a date that was at least half a monthter.

    Just as she was thinking of other ways, Mo Lingtian''s parents had personallye to look for her.

    When she opened the door and saw the two incredibly charismatic middle-aged couple, Ning Tianxian was shocked. "The two of you are¡­"

    "You must be Tianxin. We''re Lingtian''s parents. We''re really sorry toe here so suddenly like this. May we go inside and chat with you for a bit?" Kang Shuhui spoke as she examined the girl before her. She saw the girl was dressed in a in-colored casual outfit with not much makeup on her face. She thought she looked surpassingly beautiful, slender, and elegant. Immediately, she had a favorable impression of her.

    Indeed her sister was right. This girl was different from all the previous ones.

    "Of course, please doe in." There was no way Ning Tianxin would m the door on two elders who had personallye to see her, so she had to invite them in.

    She suppressed the worry in her as Ning Tianxin served the both of them tea.

    "You don''t live with your family?" Mo Jianzhang looked around the house and casually asked.

    "I moved out when I started university."

    "Are you still in university now?"

    "I''m attending graduate school."

    Mo Jianzhang nodded with satisfaction. Still a student. No wonder she looked so innocent.

    "Miss Ning¡­ May I call you Tianxin?" Kang Shuhui''s tone was extraordinarily gentle.

    Ning Tianxin nodded. "Feel free, Madam Mo."

    "Sigh, Tianxin! I''m sure you know the reason we''re here. You''re now pregnant with the flesh and blood of our Mo family. No matter what, I will have Lingtian be responsible for this! Don''t you worry! Please don''t be impulsive. Don''t hurt this child! We''ll definitely let you make the decision!"

    Kang Shuhui had intentionally emphasized on "don''t hurt this child". Clearly, she knew about Ning Tianxin looking for hospitals to get her abortion recently.

    Ning Tianxin thought it was far-fetched. She chose her words carefully before saying, "Mr. Mo, Mrs. Mo¡­ I''ve already discussed the way to resolve this with Lingtian."

    "So, the oue of your discussion is to abort the child? Is life just child''s y to the two of you? This is nonsense!" Mo Jianzhang could not help but shout in fury.

    Kang Shuhui immediately shot her husband a look. "It''s all your son''s fault. Why are you being so fierce to Tianxin?! What if she''s frightened?"

    Mo Jianzhang voice then toned down quite a bit. "I¡­ I''m not fierce! I''m angry at our son!"

    Kang Shuhui patted Ning Tianxin''s hand lightly. "See? Aunty and Uncle Mo are both on your side! You don''t have to be afraid of anything!"

    ¡­

    At night, in a certain VIP room in Imperial''s Eaton Bar, Mo Lingtian gathered a bunch of single friends and had already been at the nightclub for three days and three nights. He was in a state of drunken stupor.

    "What is up with Master Mo?" Someone who did not know asked from the side.

    Immediately, someone who was familiar with Mo Lingtian''s personal issues answered in a busybody way, "Don''t you know? He''s being forced to marry recently! It''s going around the circle!"

    "Forced to marry? Isn''t that normal? Hasn''t he always been like that?" The person who asked was confused.

    The other came closer again and said with a shock factor, "This time is different! This time there''s a baby involved!"

 Chapter 1379: Loved For So Many Years

    <h4>Chapter 1379: Loved For So Many Years</h4>

    That person was shocked to hear that. "What?! No way! No wonder Master Mo looks so tragic¡­ His parents have long wanted a grandchild. Now, they''ll really drive him crazy! This is clearly going down the path of an arranged marriage due to a pregnancy!"

    "Sigh, our loyal one here finally waited for his goddess to return, and his hugest romantic rival Lu Tingxiao is now taken. When the time and tide were right, such a thing had to happen¡­"

    "Who''s the woman? She must be quite high-ranking! That she could even get through our Master Mo!"

    "That I don''t know¡­"

    ¡­

    "Master Mo! Master Mo, stop drinking now!"

    When they saw that Mo Lingtian had really drunk too much tonight, everyone started to advise him to stop as they were afraid there would be a mishap.

    Unfortunately, no matter who tried to tell him to stop, Mo Lingtian just continued to guzzle the booze like he was drinking water as if he really wanted to die from drinking. He kept muttering, "Ziyao¡­ Ziyao¡­"

    "Got it! Whoever hung the bell on the tiger''s neck must untie it. I think we should just call Miss Guan over! Otherwise, something might really happen if we continue to let him drink on like this."

    A few people gathered around to discuss, then one of them called Guan Ziyao.

    About one hourter, Guan Ziyao finally arrived.

    Everyone else had very tactfully walked out, leaving the two of them some space.

    "Why did you drink so much?" Guan Ziyao frowned and took the ss away from him.

    When he saw who it was before him, Mo Lingtian instantly hugged her tightly as he looked hopeless. "Ziyao¡­ You found out, didn''t you? I''m sorry, I''m really sorry¡­ It wasn''t intentional¡­ That was just an ident¡­ I was drunk. I thought she was you. I don''t even like that woman¡­

    "You know¡­ I only have you in my heart¡­ I like you¡­ Ever since we first met when we were six years old, I have already liked you! I have liked you for more than 20 years!

    "I''ve been waiting for you¡­ Waiting for you toe back¡­No one can rece¡­ Apart from you¡­ I won''t like anyone else anymore¡­"

    Guan Ziyao watched the man''s devoted manner and something shed in her eyes.

    She was well aware of Mo Lingtian''s feelings towards her, and she knew this a long time ago. To say that she was not moved at all would be lying. Sadly to her, the only person who was her match was Lu Tingxiao.

    How could she be willing to lose to that cheap woman as a failure, and settle for Mo Lingtian as the next best thing?

    Her dignity would definitely not allow that!

    "How did your family find out about that woman''s pregnancy? Did she tell them?" Guan Ziyao frowned.

    Even though she never thought about being with Mo Lingtian, she still felt a little ufortable at the sound of such news.

    Mo Lingtian''s face turned pale. "When she went to the hospital for a checkup, the doctor was coincidentally my aunt. My aunt had found out the child was mine through her conversation with her cousin, then she told my parents¡­"

    "What a coincidence!" Guan Ziyao asked.

    Mo Lingtian''s thoughts were a mess, he held onto Guan Ziyao''s hand, "All of this is not important, no matter what, unless it''s you¡­ I won''t marry anyone else¡­"

    Guan Ziyao slowly pulled her hand away. "Lingtian, I''m sorry, there''s no way we''ll get together. I really don''t want to lose you as a friend. Didn''t we say that we were going to be friends forever? The way you are behaving now is making things difficult for me¡­"

 Chapter 1380: You Just Want Me To Marry Her

    <h4>Chapter 1380: You Just Want Me To Marry Her</h4>

    "Is it because of this?" Mo Lingtian asked with a shaky voice.

    Guan Ziyao frowned. "Lingtian, I believe you''re not someone who would mess around. Maybe you''ve been tricked, but what''s happened has happened."

    Mo Lingtian then said, "It was really an ident. The child won''t be kept¡­ You can ept the same thing for Lu Tingxiao, but why not me?"

    Guan Ziyao''s expression changed. "Even if this didn''t happen, it''d be impossible between us."

    She then turned around and left.

    Mo Lingtian tried to follow her. "Ziyao, I''m sorry. That''s not what I meant¡­"

    After just a few steps, two men blocked his path. "Master, Old Master wants you to go back!"

    "Get lost! Get out of my way!" Mo Lingtian looked furious.

    "Master, please don''t make it tough for us."

    "I ask you to get lost. Did you hear me!?"

    "Sorry, Master!"

    They looked at each other and forcefully brought him into the car.

    Mo Lingtian was too drunk to get out of their grasp. He could only watch Guan Ziyao disappear into the darkness¡­

    It was midnight, yet the Mo family was still up.

    After Mo Lingtian got back, he saw his parents were in the living room. Not only that, there was a girl opposite Mo Jianzhang and Kang Shuhui. It was Ning Tianxin¡­

    "Look at you now!" Mo Jianzhang was angered when he saw Mo Lingtian was drunk.

    Mo Lingtian stared at Ning Tianxin as if she was a ghost haunting him. "Why are you here?"

    His fearful and suspicious expression made Ning Tianxin''s face turn pale.

    She had already called Mo Lingtian countless times and sent him a lot of messages, but he did not pick up or reply to any of them.

    With the sudden visit of Mr. and Mrs. Mo, they asked her to keep the child, putting her in an awkward position and she really had no say, so she just followed them back and wanted to have a discussion with Mo Lingtian.

    Who would have thought¡­?

    Mo Jianzhang was enraged. "What''s with your attitude? Your mother and I invited Miss Ning over!"

    Kang Shuhui said gently, "We asked Tianxin to be here to discuss what''s going to happen next. Lingtian, running away won''t solve the problem!"

    Mo Lingtianughed. "Solve¡­ Solve what issue? Your solution is to for me to marry her, isn''t it?"

    "Is there anything wrong with that? Shouldn''t you be responsible for what you did? How are you even my child?" Mo Jianzhang yelled at him.

    "Lingtian, the child in Tianxin''s stomach is yours. Are you really this cruel?" Kang Shuhui looked miserable.

    Mo Lingtian was triggered. "To the both of you, I''m just a tool to continue our family''s bloodline! Have you ever thought about how I feel? Have you ever thought about who I really love?"

    "Bastard!" Mo Jianzhang smashed the table, almost passing out from anger. "You''ve been messing around for so many years because of that woman. You did so many ridiculous things! Have I ever forced you to marry anyone else?

    "Your feelings! Your romance! Have you thought about the opportunities this girl will miss because of you? Saying irresponsible things like this! Are you really a man?"

 Chapter 1381: Goodnight, Goodbye

    <h4>Chapter 1381: Goodnight, Goodbye</h4>

    "Huh, a man¡­ When Ziyao told me that we were impossible, I''ve already ceased to be a person anymore." Mo Lingtianughed like a maniac, then he looked at the three of them coldly. "You want me to marry her? Sure! I''ll do what you say¡­ I''ll marry whoever you want me to¡­ Anyone who''s not Ziyao. It doesn''t make any difference¡­"

    Mo Lingtian then suddenly went unconscious and fell to the floor.

    Kang Shuhui was shocked. "Ah! Lingtian!"

    It was chaos until the servants helped Mo Lingtian into his bedroom.

    A whileter, in the living room, Kang Shuhui looked at the quiet Ning Tianxin apologetically. "Tianxin! I''m really sorry, it must be tough for you! That child drank too much. Don''t take his words personally!"

    Mo Jianzhang''s expression darkened. "Tianxin, don''t worry. I''ll make this marriage happen! Make some preparations at home. I''ll bring that kid over to your ce tomorrow!"

    Ning Tianxin was touched when she saw the concerned expression of these two elders. "Thank you, Mr. Mo, Mrs. Mo."

    Kang Shuhui patted her shoulder. "Good girl! I know you like Lingtian. Don''t worry, he''s just confused for now. After you get married and give birth to your child, I''m sure he''ll understand what''s the best for him!"

    Tears started falling from Ning Tianxin''s eyes. She suppressed her emotions and nodded. "Mmm."

    Kang Shuhui and Mo Jianzhang were relieved as Ning Tianxin calmed down and did not mention anything about getting an abortion again.

    "Tianxin, it''s reallyte already. Why don''t you stay over for the night?" Kang Shuhui offered.

    "Thank you, Mrs. Mo, but I think I''ll still go back. I have to arrange things with my family."

    Kang Shuhui nodded. "Right! Then, I''ll have our chauffeur send you back!"

    "Can I have a look at Lingtian before leaving?" Ning Tianxin asked.

    "Of course, you silly! Go now!"

    ¡­

    Upstairs, in Mo Lingtian''s bedroom, she opened the door and went in. Ning Tianxin sat by his bed, looking at the man''s face quietly.

    Although he was asleep, he looked pained. He was still mumbling about the one he loved¡­

    Suddenly, Mo Lingtian opened his eyes. When he saw who was there, he said sarcastically, "Ning Tianxin, I''ll marry you¡­ You happy now?"

    Ning Tianxin closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and smiled. "I''m happy¡­ At least, I''ve heard that you''re going to marry me¡­"

    It was really distressing for her.

    Mo Lingtian then fell asleep again. He mumbled, "Ziyao¡­ Ziyao, don''t leave¡­ What should I do? I''m not worthy of you anymore¡­ I can''t love you anymore¡­"

    "Goodnight." Ning Tianxin kissed the man''s forehead, then left.

    That goodnight gesture was packed with magic. Mo Lingtian''s agonized expression faded and he fell into a deep sleep¡­

    ¡­

    Mo Jianzhang had his servant send Ning Tianxin back to Ning Yaobang''s ce, but after they arrived, Ning Tianxin did not go in. She called a taxi and went elsewhere.

    In the car, Ning Tianxin took out a piece of flyer promoting a clinic for abortions.

    She could not do it at big hospitals since the Mo family had told them not to take her in. This was her only choice left¡­

 Chapter 1382: Mother Loves You

    <h4>Chapter 1382: Mother Loves You</h4>

    After half an hour, the taxi stopped on a quiet street.

    "I can''t go inside there. You have to walk a little." The driver peeked at Ning Tianxin from the rearview mirror, finding her odd.

    She looked like a university student, yet she was here alone going to a private clinic.

    Most girls came here for abortions.

    "Okay, thank you." Ning Tianxin paid the fare and stepped out of the car.

    She walked into the dark alley. At the end was a lit up signboard that said, "An Tai Hospital".

    Although the name said "hospital", it was just a house and was more like a clinic.

    Ning Tianxin ced her hands on her stomach. She felt like lead was chained to her foot. After a long time, she finally walked inside.

    The dark alley was like a beast, slowly consuming the girl¡­

    "Hello?"

    The nurse at the receptionist counter was munching on some sunflower seeds while watching a drama series on her phone. Although she saw someone walked in, she did not even raise her head., "Abortion?"

    "Mmm."

    "Inquiry or do it right away?"

    "Do it right away."

    "Go and pay in the room next door, then we can start the operation."

    "How long will it take?"

    "It depends. We''ll do a checkup first. Usually, it''ll just be a few minutes. At most, it''ll take about half an hour. Don''t worry, it''ll be quick. Our doctors conduct dozens of operations like this every day. They are very experienced."

    "Okay¡­"

    After the fees were paid, she went through an obligatory check-up. In the operation room, an old doctor was preparing his tools. "Alright, go and wait outside. We''ll start the operation in ten minutes."

    Ning Tianxin nodded and sat down on the rickety bench.

    To abort this child, she had checked through all the hospitals avable, but now, there were no inquiries, no warning, and no waiting. She just had to pay and the operation would be done. It was too quick for her to even react¡­

    Ten minutes¡­

    After ten minutes, this child who should not exist in this world, this child that would make his father suffer, this child that caused such a chaos¡­ Would finally leave this world¡­

    Ning Tianxin looked down. Her hair was covering her eyebrows and she held the sonogram image of her baby in her pale hands. In the image, the baby already had taken on a human form. It had small hands and feet, and was lying down obediently¡­

    It was so, so cute¡­

    Tears fell onto the picture¡­

    The girl was now holding the picture close to her heart, crying without a sound, her whole body trembling¡­

    "Baby, I''m sorry¡­ I''m sorry¡­

    "Sorry¡­ Mother can''t keep you¡­

    "Sorry¡­ Mother loves you¡­"

    She had never told anyone how much she wanted the child although it was a surprise to her, even if the child caused her so much pain.

    She remembered the first time she had gone for a checkup. When she saw the image of the child in the machine for the first time, her heart felt so tender.

    But she understood, like Mo Lingtian''s love, this child did not belong to her¡­

    Mo Lingtian, this is thest thing I could do for you¡­

 Chapter 1383: Late Night Call

    <h4>Chapter 1383: Late Night Call</h4>

    Late at night, at tinum Pce, because of the mental stress for the past few days, Ning Xi slept soundly since she returned from Chang Chun City. At midnight, she was suddenly awoken by an unknown number calling.

    To avoid waking the little bun, Ning Xi walked out to answer the call. "Hello, who''s this?"

    "This is An Tai Hospital. Do you know Miss Ning Tianxin?"

    Hospital?

    Ning Xi''s heart suddenly skipped a beat. "Ning Tianxin¡­ Is my cousin. Has something happened?"

    "She came here to get an abortion. There''s been a slight mishap during the process. Our end doesn''t have sufficient medical qualifications to handle it. She needs to be immediately transferred to another hospital. Please quickly inform her family members toe, or else, if the person dies at our ce, we won''t be responsible for it!" Then, the person told her the address before hanging up quickly.

    Ning Xi stood stunned and suddenly felt cold.

    "What''s wrong?" Lu Tingxiao''s concerned voice came from behind.

    Ning Xi suddenly returned to her senses. She clenched her fists and was shaking as she said, "Lu Tingxiao, something''s happened to my cousin. I need to go to the hospital quickly! It''s some An Tai Hospital in the northern city''s mountain roads¡­"

    Ning Xi then just rushed out, wearing her pajamas and slippers.

    After she ran out, Ning Xi realized she did not drive her car over, then she anxiously wanted to run back to Lu Tingxiao.

    At that moment, a white Bugatti Veyron swiftly stopped beside her. Lu Tingxiao lowered his car window and said, "Get in."

    Ning Xi instantly pulled opened the front passenger door and got in. There were a pair of shoes and a white mask in front of her.

    "Change your shoes, put on the mask," ordered Lu Tingxiao, then the white supercar drove off and disappeared into the darkness like a lightning bolt.

    Twenty minutester, the car stopped at a remote alley entrance.

    Ning Xi opened the car door and ran into the hospital.

    The instant she saw that so-called hospital, Ning Xi felt her heart drop. This was not a hospital! This was an illegal clinic!

    Why would Sis Tianxin get an abortion here?

    They had already decided that when she was going to get it, she would call her to go together!

    Did the hospital mess up?

    Ning Xi carried this sliver of hope and rushed in. "Where''s Ning Tianxin?!"

    The nurse at the entrance did not look too confident. "Walk straight ahead. She''s in the operating room! Why did you juste?! She''s not going to hold on any longer! If she dies here, she''s going to ruin our reputation. Quickly get her away!"

    Ning Xi was furious when she heard this, but she did not have time to fight with the person. She promptly rushed into the operating room with Lu Tingxiao following closely behind.

    The moment she pushed open the door, Ning Xi faced a bloody sight¡­

    On the operating bed was a pale and barely alive girl who was Ning Tianxin. Ning Xi felt her mind go nk. Even thest hope in her had vanished¡­

    ¡­

    The sky was turning brighter, yet Ning Xi''s heart was increasingly gloomy.

    Until they had transferred Ning Tianxin to Ren Ai hospital, she still could not believe that the person who was rescued in the operating room was Ning Tianxin.

    "CEO Lu, the patient is not doing too well. I''m afraid that you''ll need to prepare for the worst," the doctor said solemnly, then he rushed back into the operating room.

    She had been just fine a few days before, but now her life was at risk¡­

 Chapter 1384: Who Is Stupid Now?

    <h4>Chapter 1384: Who Is Stupid Now?</h4>

    Ning Xi''s mind was filled with the image of the girl lying lifelessly on the operating theatre. Her body shook and her legs were weak.

    Why? Why did it turn out like this?

    "It''s all my fault¡­ My fault¡­ I should''ve always been by her side," Ning Xi''s entire being was engulfed with me towards herself.

    Lu Tingxiao felt his heart ache as she held the girl by her shoulders. "Don''t think too much. It''s got nothing to do with you. Something probably happened on Mo Lingtian''s end."

    Otherwise, Ning Tianxin would not have suddenly gone to a small clinic for abortion ale at night.

    "Mo Lingtian!" Ning Xi gritted her teeth and there was fire in her eyes. She took out her phone and chaotically found Mo Lingtian''s number.

    After she called him, the other end beeped to say his phone was switched off. Ning Xi was so enraged that she wanted to rush over to him, but she could not leave the hospital now.

    "Don''t rush," consoled Lu Tingxiao as he rubbed her head, then he called Mo Jianzhang.

    ¡­

    It was dawn at the Mo residence.

    The sun had just risen when Mo Lingtian was pulled out of bed by the servants as instructed by Mo Jianzhang.

    In the living room downstairs, Mo Jianzhang and Kang Shuhui were discussing a suitable gift for the first meeting.

    On the sofa, Mo Lingtian''s hair was a mess. He was still wearing his pajamas fromst night and his expression was apathetic.

    When she saw Mo Lingtian''s indifferent manner, Kang Shuhui saidmentably, "Lingtian, we''re going to the Ning residence to propose a marriage today. How long more do you want to dillydally? Do you want them to think that we Mos don''t even have the most basic etiquettes? Or do you want to regret again?! Last night, you agreed!"

    Mo Lingtian leaned on the sofa and smirked, "What''s the difference whether I agree or not? This is the wedding you guys want anyway¡­ You two can just go¡­"

    Hah, he once swore that he would never get married in this lifetime unless it was her. Even when his opponent was Lu Tingxiao, he had never given up. Hested till today and finally saw a sliver of hope, but now, he was actually going to get married¡­

    He and Ziyao had to thoroughly end like this¡­

    He would be imprisoned and shackled forever now without any more hope¡­

    Mo Jianzhang was in a towering rage. "You fool, you can''t differentiate the good from the bad. Tianxin is such a wonderful girl. You will regret it one day!"

    When Mo Lingtian heard his father''s words, there was arger cloud and feeling of rejection in his heart.

    He had also thought that Ning Tianxin was different from the other women. Even when Ziyao said that it was all too coincidental, he had not suspected her. However, now, she did not fulfill her promise of aborting the child. Instead, she had managed to bribe his parents in just a few days¡­

    When he thought about this, Mo Lingtian''s long-suppressed anger exploded at this moment. "If she is really as wonderful as you say, could she push me to this point? If she is as innocent as you think, could it be such a coincidence that Aunty found out her child''s father is me? Am I the stupid one or are you two? Huh, or maybe, you don''t even care what kind of person she is! You only care about the child who can continue the bloodline! I regret! I regret it the most that I''ve judged her wrongly!"

    "You¡­" Mo Jianzhang was about to erupt when his phone suddenly rang.

    It showed that the caller was Lu Tingxiao.

    Why would Lu Tingxiao call him this early in the morning?

    There was a trace of doubt on Mo Jianzhang''s face as he picked up. "Hello? Tingxiao! It''s quite early, what is it?"

    "Uncle Mo, is Lingtian beside you?"

    "Yes, yes, you''re looking for Lingtian?"

    "Uncle Mo, please turn on your loudspeaker," said Lu Tingxiao from the other end of the phone.

 Chapter 1385: Unexpected Ending

    <h4>Chapter 1385: Unexpected Ending</h4>

    Mo Jianzhang did not understand, but he still obeyed and turned on his loudspeaker.

    Lu Tingxiao''s monotonous voice was heard. "I''m at Imperial Ren Ai hospital highest floor''s emergency ward. Ning Tianxin has lost a lot of blood from her abortion. They''re trying to save her."

    Lu Tingxiao''s words echoed clearly in the empty living room, ringing in Mo Jianzhang, Kang Shuhui, and Mo Lingtian''s ears as if they had just heard thunder¡­

    They reacted after quite a while. Kang Shuhui took the phone from her husband and quickly asked, "Tingxiao, what are you saying?! We talked to Tianxin for the entire afternoon. She was still fine when she went homest night. She promised us that she wouldn''t think of aborting the child anymore. We wanted to have her stay over because it was quitete, but she said she wanted to go home and discuss the marriage with her father, so the driver even sent her to the door personally. How¡­ How could she have gone to get an abortion?"

    "I''ve spoken to Ren Ai hospital before. If Tianxin went over, I would definitely know!" Mo Jianzhang followed up to say.

    When he heard this, Lu Tingxiao finally understood why Ning Tianxin had rushed to a remote private clinic for abortion at thest minute. "Last night at dawn, Ning Tianxin went to a private clinic in the northern city alone."

    Kang Shuhui felt herself waver. She still did not want to believe this. "Tingxiao, how did you know about this?"

    Lu Tingxiao coldly replied from the other end, "Ning Tianxin is my girlfriend''s cousin. Xiao Xi received a call from that clinicte at night. When we reached, she could barely hold on because she''s lost too much blood, so we transferred her to Ren Ai hospital immediately."

    Mo Jianzhang regretted it now. He asked anxiously, "How''s Tianxin right now? What about¡­ The child? How''s the child? Was the child saved?"

    "The child''s gone. She''s being rescued right now. It doesn''t look too optimistic. Her uterus might not be saved either."

    Lu Tingxiao''s words caused Kang Shuhui and Mo Jianzhang to be thoroughly stunned.

    Kang Shuhui covered her mouth and choked on her tears.

    Mo Jianzhang steadied his wavering figure. "Shuhui, quick! Let''s go to the hospital! Call Wanru too. We can''t let anything happen to Tianxin!"

    Otherwise, he would not be able to forgive himself ever.

    Kang Shuhui nodded. She choked on her sobs as she made the call. Mo Jianzhang immediately had the butler prepare the car, and the two of them then rushed to the door.

    Behind them, Mo Lingtian continued to sit on the sofa absent-mindedly as if he could not snap out of what had just happened.

    Abortion¡­

    Child¡­ Is gone¡­

    Uterus might not be saved either¡­

    Tianxin¡­

    A long whileter, Mo Lingtian suddenly woke with a start and got up. He then ran to the door muddleheaded.

    On the way to the hospital, Mo Lingtian drove his car at the speed of light. At the same time, with shaking hands, he took out his handphone that had been switched off for the past few days.

    The moment he switched it on, many missed calls popped up; most of them were from Ning Tianxin.

    In his text message inboxy the messages that Ning Tianxin had sent him¡­

    [Lingtian, I''ve been looking for quite a few hospitals in the past two days. All of them used all sorts of reasons to reject my abortion. I think your family might have done something. Have you exined to your parents?]

    [Lingtian, please reply quickly when you see this.]

    [Lingtian?]

    [Lingtian, Mr. Mo and Mrs. Mo came to look for me at my house today. Call me when you see this. Maybe we can have a proper conversation with your parents. I believe they''ll understand you.]

    ¡­

    Thest text was sent at dawn today. It only had two words: Lingtian.

    Apart from a name, there was nothing after as if she had written it halfway and just sent it because she did not know what to say¡­

 Chapter 1386: Security Camera Footage

    <h4>Chapter 1386: Security Camera Footage</h4>

    At Ren Ai Hospital, when Mo Lingtian reached, Ning Tianxin was being wheeled out from the operation room.

    The girl''s lips were dry and her face was pale white. Her skin was pale to the point it looked almost papery and transparent.

    "Doctor, how''s my cousin?" Ning Xi went up to ask.

    There was a lot of sweat on the doctor''s forehead. He looked tired and sighed, "Fortunately, she got here on time. We managed to save her uterus, but¡­"

    The doctor sounded like he was giving a lecture. "Didn''t her doctor tell her that getting an abortion would really hurt her body, and might even cause her to be unable to get pregnant again? And she even went to an unauthorized clinic for an abortion! I''m afraid she won''t be able to get pregnant in the future."

    "My fault¡­ It''s all our fault¡­ If we didn''t stop her from doing the abortion in the hospitals, she wouldn''t have been forced to go to an unauthorized clinic." Kang Shuhui was crying as she saw the girl on the bed.

    Mo Lingtian stood nearby, he stared at the pale girl nkly.

    Ning Xi saw Mo Lingtian. Without considering that Mo Jianzhang and Kang Shuhui were there, she wanted to go up to him, but Lu Tingxiao stopped her. "Hey, go and be with your cousin. Let me handle this, alright?"

    Ning Xi looked at Ning Tianxin. She obeyed and went to look after her.

    Kang Shuhui and Mo Jianzhang did not even look at Mo Lingtian. They carefully followed Ning Tianxin into the room.

    Only Lu Tingxiao and Mo Lingtian were left at the corridor.

    Lu Tingxiao went up to Mo Lingtian, not saying anything. He clicked on a video on his phone and handed over to Mo Lingtian.

    Mo Lingtian stared nkly at him, then took his phone.

    Lu Tingxiao patted his shoulder then walked into the room.

    Mo Lingtian looked like his soul left him. He held the phone in his hand and sat down on a bench nearby.

    The video seemed to be a security camera footage.

    In the video, it looked like it was a small clinic.

    Suddenly, Mo Lingtian''s expression changed. As expected, Ning Tianxin appeared.

    Mo Lingtian straightened his back and stared at the lonely girl.

    Ning Tianxin looked lost. She went in alone, asked the nurse some questions, paid, did a checkup, and waited on the bench.

    The girl looked calm the whole time.

    Until¡­ Until the doctor told her it was ten more minutes before the operation¡­

    The girl was holding the sonogram image, and she broke down.

    From his view, he could only see the girl with her head hanging down and her whole body shaking. She did not make any sound, but his heart was akin to being squeezed by a metal fist. It was suffocating.

    In the video, there was sound of the girl sobbing¡­

    "Baby¡­ I''m sorry¡­ I''m sorry¡­

    "Sorry¡­ Mother can''t keep you¡­

    "Sorry¡­ Mother loves you¡­"

    ¡­

    "Ning Tianxin, you cane in for the operation now!" The doctor announced to her in the video.

    The girl looked up. There were fear and tears on her face.

    The next moment, she quickly took out her phone and typed on it. She was texting someone and looked like she was asking for help.

    Nevertheless, in the end, her expression hardened. She deleted that long message she had just typed.

    Mo Lingtian unlocked his phone and looked at thest message the girl sent him. "Lingtian". Two lonely words. He looked at the unfinished message, then balled his fists tightly and cried uncontrobly.

 Chapter 1387: My Wifes Hands Might Be Injured

    <h4>Chapter 1387: My Wife''s Hands Might Be Injured</h4>

    People were walking by the corridor, cautiously looking at the man in his slippers and pajamas sitting on the bench and sobbing like a little child.

    After some time, the door of the room opened and a tall man came out. He stood in front of Mo Lingtian. "You finished?"

    Mo Lingtian raised his head slowly, looking utterly miserable. "Lu Tingxiao, you''re so cruel."

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "I''m just worried that my wife''s hands might get injured if she hits you."

    Ning Xi had just walked out of her painful past and had not recovered fully yet. How could he allow her to worry about something else?

    Mo Lingtian was speechless.

    Was this how bros were supposed to act?

    Sometimes, a man knew how to make another man feel pain better than a woman did.

    Even if Ning Xi beat him to death, the pain could notpare to when he watchedTianxin getting the abortion all alone.

    When he remembered her expression of despair before she went into the operation room¡­ That iplete message¡­ His heart shrunk¡­

    Three days ago, when she told him she would abort the child, she had seemed so rxed, so indifferent.

    And he had actually believed it.

    Until the very end, he suspected her and even misunderstood her.

    Mo Lingtian sat there looking lost. "Lu Tingxiao, thatst moment, Tianxin was about to send me a message. What do you think she was going to say?"

    Lu Tingxiao nced at him, then said calmly, "At thatst moment, Ning Tianxin was not acting as the woman who loves you. She was acting as a mother. From her maternal instincts, she probably wanted to endure all the usations, just so she could save her child."

    Mo Lingtian, who had calmed down, started to tear up again.

    Lu Tingxiao continued, "But, she knew you didn''t want it. So despite her despair, she went into the operation room and killed her own child, just to grant you your wish. She knew the risk of the abortion, which was that she might never get pregnant again, but she was willing to trade her life for yours."

    "Stop talking!" Mo Lingtian pulled at his hair as he howled.

    When Ning Xi walked out of the room, she heard what Lu Tingxiao said. she also saw Mo Lingtian''s trembling body, curling himself up into a ball and yelling painfully.

    Lu Tingxiao went up to her, between bros and wife, it was obvious who he was with, "Are you still angry?"

    Ning Xi pinched the space between her eyebrows as she saw Mo Lingtian. "Whatever. I won''t hit him even if I was still angry. Beating him up would just help purge his guilt."

    Ning Xi noticed that Lu Tingxiao''s phone kept ringing, so she huffed, "Lu Tingxiao, Sis Tianxin is alright now. You can go and work on your stuff now!"

    "Alright, give me a call if you need anything."

    "Mmm." Ning Xi nodded, then she tiptoed and kissed the man in appreciation. "Lu Tingxiao, thank you."

    Everything had happened too suddenly. She had freaked outst night but almost everything had been settled by Lu Tingxiao. He even lectured Mo Lingtian for her.

    Lu Tingxiao patted her head. "Don''t exhaust yourself."

 Chapter 1388: Just Wanted To Take A Look

    <h4>Chapter 1388: Just Wanted To Take A Look</h4>

    After Lu Tingxiao left, Mo Jiangzhang, Kang Shuhui, and Kang Wanru walked out of the doctor''s office.

    The atmosphere was heavy. They did not look at Mo Lingtian who was still motionless on the bench.

    "Wanru, be honest with me. How severe is it?" Kang Shuhui asked nervously while Ning Xi frowned.

    Kang Wanru sighed, "Chief Liang already said clearly. I have nothing else to add. Under this situation, there''s almost no chance for her to get pregnant again. She''s already very fortunate to be able to keep her uterus!"

    Kang Shuhui kept on crying and ming herself, "Oh no¡­ What should we do?"

    Mo Jianzhang looked at Ning Xi. "Miss Ning, we''re really grateful for you. If it wasn''t for you¡­ Oh, wait, does her family know about this already? Should we tell them? It''s such a serious matter after all¡­"

    Ning Xi shook her head. "There''s no need. My grandfather isn''t very well and he can''t take any shock. Sis Tianxin won''t want her mother to worry about her. As for my uncle, if he knows about this, I wonder what crazy things he''ll do¡­ It''ll just make Sis Tianxin''s life difficult. I believe that''s what she doesn''t want at all!"

    Ning Xi then hardened her tone, "Thank you for your concern over Sis Tianxin. I''ll let her know you guys stopped by. I''ll be taking care of her, so don''t you worry."

    Ning Xi tried her best to be polite but she was basically chasing them away.

    Anyone from the Mo family could trigger Ning Tianxin who was already in such frail health.

    "If there''s anything we can help with, please don''t hesitate to contact us." Of course, Mo Jianzhang understood what she meant. He did not want to trouble her anymore. He then red angrily at Mo Lingtian. "What are you sitting here for? Everything''s gone your way!"

    Mo Lingtian did not move an inch as if he did not hear anything his father said.

    Kang Shuhui was about to say something, but in the end, she did not. She simply shook her head and left.

    It was not all Lingtian''s fault. They were at fault as well because they had been too impatient and did not listen to Tianxin''s exnation.

    Tragically, it was all toote now. They could only try to make amends.

    In just one night, their daughter-inw had be a weak shell and their grandchild had disappeared. It was a really huge blow to them, and they both suddenly looked ten years older.

    At the entrance of the hospital, Kang Shuhui wept sadly, "She''s such a nice girl! We''re not blessed enough to have her¡­ We don''t deserve such a good daughter-inw! I don''t care what you and Lingtian think. From now on, Tianxin is my daughter!"

    ¡­

    After everyone went off, only Ning Xi and Mo Lingtian were left.

    Mo Lingtian stood up and walked towards the door.

    Ning Xi raised her leg and blocked his way.

    "Let me take a look at her."

    "From now on, if you go near her, I''ll call you Grandfather!"

    "Just a look."

    "What can you do by looking at her?"

    Mo Lingtian could not say anything.

    He did not know. He just wanted to see her¡­ He was dying to see her¡­

 Chapter 1389: The Only Thing You Can Do

    <h4>Chapter 1389: The Only Thing You Can Do</h4>

    Amidst the dead silence, there was the sound of a phone ringing. Mo Lingtian reflexively reached for his phone. When he saw whose name flickered on the screen, he turned pale in an instant.

    It was Ziyao.

    The child he once thought was threatening was now gone. Ning Tianxin did not entangle herself with him. His parents were no longer forcing him to get married, and Ziyao herself was even calling him¡­

    When the day turned to dawn, it was not the endless darkness that waited for him. Instead, his life had returnedpletely to the right track.

    Still, why did he feel that all of this was meaningless? The only thought in his head was that he wanted to see her¡­ He desperately needed to see her¡­

    Mo Lingtian hung up on Guan Ziyao''s call. He looked to Ning Xi with an ashen face and continued to repeat determinedly, "I just want to have a look."

    Ning Xi''s gaze was cold towards the man before her. "Mo Lingtian, if you genuinely have even the slightest guilt towards Sis Tianxin, then please never appear before her ever again. This is the only thing you can do for her."

    Mo Lingtian''s back stiffened. He stood at the same step for a long, long time¡­

    It was probably more than ten minutes when he finally made a move, turning around, and walking step by step away¡­

    Mo Lingtian finally left. Ning Xi massaged her temples and sighed before she took out her phone to make a call.

    The other end rang for a short while before being picked up. Then, there was the sound of a girl''s pleasantly surprised voice. "Hello? Bro Xi!"

    "Annie, are you free now? Can you do me a favor¡­"

    Before Ning Xi could finish, the girl''s anguished weeping was heard. "Bro Xi¡­"

    Ning Xi''s worry spiked. She quickly asked, "Annie, what''s wrong?"

    "Bro Xi, I''ve been grounded by the Big Boss!"

    Ning Xi frowned. "Grounded? What did you do? Why is he grounding you?"

    "I think the Boss might be jealous of me," answered Annie in between sobs and sniffles.

    "Uh¡­ What?" Ning Xi was confused, not understanding Annie.

    "Bro Xi, ever since that day you called me to meet up, the Boss has been asking people to watch me. They won''t allow me to leave the house. Most importantly, he even snatched the little biscuits you made for me! All of them!" Annie exined as she started to snivel heart-wrenchingly again.

    Bloody hell! That guy actually snatched away the biscuits I gave Annie? What the hell?

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. She was so done! She quickly consoled the girl, "Be good, Annie. Don''t cry, don''t cry. They''re just some handmade biscuits. I''ll just make them again for you the next time! I''ll make as many as you want! Don''t be sad!"

    Annie continued to sob, then she anxiously asked, "Uh, Bro Xi, why do you need my help? Are you injured?"

    Ning Xi pinched her be. "It''s not me. It''s a friend of mine¡­ Is Satan at home or is he at thepany now?"

    "At this time, he should be in the office," answered Annie.

    "Then, who''s looking after you at home? Is First Senior Brother there?" Ning Xi asked again.

    "It''s Sis 16, I don''t know whether First Senior Brother is here or not¡­"

    "Okay, got it, wait for me. I''ll go to you."

    "Mmm," the little girl responded obediently.

    After hanging up on Annie, Ning Xi made another call.

    The phone rang more than ten times before the phone owner finally picked it up slowly. Then, came the sound of the man''szy and sleepy drawl, "Hello?"

    "Hey, Second Senior Brother! Come with me to the haunted vi!" Ning Xi spoke quickly.

 Chapter 1390: Im Just Afraid You Dont Need Me

    <h4>Chapter 1390: I''m Just Afraid You Don''t Need Me</h4>

    "What haunted vi?" Tang Lang questioned in a blur daze.

    "There one where First Senior Brother and the rest live!"

    Tang Lang yawnedzily. "Why''re you going there for? Aren''t you scared of ghosts?"

    "I need to look for someone."

    Tang Lang was even more speechless. "Look for someone? Who is it?"

    "Annie."

    After the long moment of silence from the other end of the phone, Tang Lang continued, "Does your Lu Tingxiao know you''re asking me to apany you to look for women?"

    "I have some serious business that needs Annie''s expertise. She''s been grounded by Satan and can''te out now. Make your way over now. We''ll immediately meet there," Ning Xi spoke quickly.

    "I''m not going! What if I bump into Tang Ye, that pervert?" Tang Lang groaned, determined not to fall into such a situation.

    "Nonsense! Obviously, I need you as a back up if I''ve to go against First Senior Brother!" She could settle the rest of them herself.

    "Hey! Where''s your humanity!?"

    Ning Xi instantly ground her teeth viciously. "How dare you talk to me about humanity? Do you want me to punch you?! You should really count how much money you owe me since you''ve returned to the country! What''s your measly sry doing?! Thest time after we hung out, didn''t I pay for the bill!? Even if you prostitute yourself to me, it wouldn''t be enough to repay your debts! Besides, this is your rightful duty as a bodyguard, okay?"

    Tang Lang immediately refuted, unconvinced, "Why is it not enough to repay you? My head was once on the Original Sins leaderboard for a bounty of US$ 100 million, alright?"

    Ning Xi buried her face in her hands. "I can''t believe you think it''s okay to brag about that¡­"

    After she was done with Tang Lang, Ning Xi immediately rushed to Yun Shen''s residence in the suburbs.

    Now, although all the doctors had pronounced that it was unlikely for Sis Tianxin to get pregnant again in her current condition, she wanted Annie to check Sis Tianxin out. Even if there was a sliver of hope, she wanted to try her luck.

    ¡­

    After she went home and changed into a male outfit that made it easier for her to move around, Ning Xi drove her ckie and rushed to that sinister, old residence in the suburbs.

    Even though it was daytime, the house still took on an eerie look, worthy of its title as Imperial''s number one haunted house.

    However, because it was daytime, plus having watched an entire hard disk of horror movies that seemed to have taken effect, Ning Xi was obviously much calmer this time.

    Tang Lang looked up at the vi and startedmenting, "Pfft¡­ One look at this house and I know that that guy has basically bidden goodbye to any other girl¡­ Which girl would be willing toe home with him?"

    "Enough nonsense. Let''s quickly get things done." Ning Xi held her breath and looked on, then she quietly pushed opened the gate and sneaked in.

    It was best was to sneak Annie out without rming anyone else, then send her right back in half an hour. Hush-hush¡­

    Just as Annie had said, there did not seem to be many people there today. She did not even see 16. Ning Xi had very smoothly avoided startling any sirens. She climbed up through the windows and found Annie''s room.

    "Annie¡­" Ning Xi called out in a lowered voice.

    "Bro Xi!" Inside the room, the sulky girl, who was pounding medicine, put down her things and flew over to her. "Bro Xi, you''re finally here. I miss you so much!"

    "Be good¡­ Don''t cry¡­"

    Ning Xi gently consoled the girl, then looked apologetically. "I''m sorry, Annie. I need to trouble you again."

    Annie immediately shook her head hard. "Bro Xi, don''t say that. You saved my life! I''m just afraid that you won''t need me!"

 Chapter 1391: Triggered?

    <h4>Chapter 1391: Triggered?</h4>

    Tang Lang leaned on the door, scowling. "That''s enough! Outsiders would think that the two of you want to elope! If we rm Tang Ye, the unlucky one is going to be me!"

    Ning Xi pulled on Annie''s hand and quickly followed Tang Lang out.

    The trio smoothly reached the main entrance, but once they walked out, there was a surprise waiting for them.

    16 was staggering as she ran towards them with blood all over her¡­

    Ning Xi, Tang Lang, and Annie were all shocked.

    When 16 saw Ning Xi and Tang Lang secretly helping Annie escape, she was startled too, but she did not have time to think. She looked towards the looming danger behind her, panic written all over her face.

    Right at that moment, an incredibly terrifying gust of wind from the palm of a hand suddenly attacked 16. Her face was filled with near-death despair.

    In the next second, Ning Xi pulled 16 behind her, then she glowered at Tang Lang and threw him forward.

    "Bloody hell! Tang Xi how dare you?!" How dare she use him as a human shield?!

    Tang Lang shouted furiously as he used one hand to meet with the force.

    When they saw who it was, Tang Lang was dumbfounded. His legs and stomach were shaking. "Tang¡­ Tang Ye¡­"

    Tang Ye''s eyes were murderous. He did not have his spectacles on him -- a clear sign that he hadpletely lost all rationale.

    "What the heck!? What''s up with this guy?" Tang Lang howled in grief as he quickly handled Tang Ye''s crazy attack.

    The panicked 16 looked at the man that had held her by the waist and saved her. In her daze, she took a while before she finally reacted. "Tang¡­ Tang Xi¡­"

    Well, after all, thest time she followed Feng Jin''s orders and kidnapped Tang Xi to the house, she was dressed like an extremely delicate, underaged girl, and was so scared of ghosts,pletely ruining the image of Tang Xi she had once admired.

    Thus, now when she saw the Tang Xi from her memories emerge again, she did not know how to react immediately.

    "What''s wrong? Why does First Senior Brother want to kill you?" Ning Xi frowned and asked.

    16 then regained her senses. "I don''t know. Bro Ye suddenly started attacking me like mad¡­ Like he had been triggered or something¡­"

    "Triggered?" Ning Xi''s expression suddenly changed.

    Tang Ye had acted out like this in the past, but it was incredibly rare. What was it that could trigger him to this point?

    "Tang Xi! Quicklye help me! I''m about to die because of you!" Not too far away, Tang Lang shouted as he was being pushed back step by step by Tang Ye''s madness.

    Facing apletely irrational Tang Ye, even Tang Lang would find it unbearable. Besides, although Tang Lang had said then that he would work hard and train, he still wasted time every day.

    Ning Xi knew that Tang Lang had things on his mind, but this guy always looked so sloppy. Every time she asked, he would change the topic. Obviously, he did not want to tell her and she could not help him.

    "Annie, check up on 16." Ning Xi ced 16 carefully on the sofa, then quickly joined the fight.

    Thest time 16 exchanged hands with Tang Xi, she knew that Tang Xi''s skills had deteriorated to a tragic extent. She suddenly looked over a little worriedly.

    Yet, she realized that because of Tang Xi joining them, the dynamics of the fight had suddenly changed.

    In just a few short months, Tang Xi''s skill had improved tremendously. In fact, her moves were a little odd. It did not look like the old moves. She had never seen them before¡­

    Even Tang Lang was shocked. "Bloody heck! Punk! Where did you steal these moves from? Why haven''t I seen these moves before? How dare you steal someone else''s moves when you have me as your master?"

 Chapter 1392: Would You Not Die Finishing Them?

    <h4>Chapter 1392: Would You Not Die Finishing Them?</h4>

    "It''s because you''re useless that I have to learn from others!" Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him.

    The three of them were having an intense fight. Although Ning Xi had learned a few tricks from Han Xiao, she could only hold on for a little while. The both of them were losing against Tang Ye.

    Tang Ye had already lost his mind. A blownded on Ning Xi''s shoulder, then he aimed towards Tang Lang''s fatal area¡­

    Until azy voice came from somewhere nearby.

    "Ye."

    Suddenly, Tang Ye stopped. All his movements halted mid-step.

    Tang Lang had sweat all over his forehead. To his relief, he managed to avoid Tang Ye''s fatal blow.

    Ning Xi was panting as she bent over and nced over at the white-haired man. It was Yun Shen¡­

    It was over. This guy hade back.

    Tang Ye''s wild insanity vanished. He now looked lost and lonely.

    Ning Xi was really troubled when she saw Tang Ye''s expression. What exactly had happened?

    First Senior Brother was seriously weird today.

    After some time, Tang Ye returned to his senses and he stared right at Tang Lang. "Follow me."

    Tang Lang wiped the blood from his mouth. "Damn it! Can I not go?"

    He was going to die if he went now. It was all Tang Xi''s fault!

    Tang Ye replied with a cold voice, "If not, we''ll continue."

    He would continue the fight if he did not follow? Damn¡­

    "Yes, yes,ing." Tang Lang went up with him.

    Ning Xi looked at the two of them worriedly, "What happened to First Senior Brother?"

    The white-haired man smiled and looked at her. "My dear, shouldn''t you be worried about yourself? You want to steal my people when I''m not around?"

    Ning Xi''s expression darkened.

    Steal his people?

    Ning Xi was still worried about her First Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother, but she did not want to cause a scene. She took a deep breath and admitted, "I''m here to look for Annie. I only need half an hour with her. Under what condition will you let her leave with me? Tell me."

    The man raised his eyebrows. "Beg me"

    "I beg you."

    The man looked disappointed. "That''s not fun at all."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    So, what do you want?

    The man saw Ning Xi''s defeated expression. "Pay me."

    Ning Xi saw a chance and she perked up. "Sure, how much?"

    The man then replied, "Cookies. 10,000 of them. Made by you."

    Ning Xi was speechless once again.

    Ten thousand cookies¡­ Won''t you die finishing them?

    Annie was ming herself now that Bro Xi had gotten into trouble. As expected, the boss was still angry about the cookies. She should have been more careful and not let the boss see the cookies! She knew that his way of thinking was very different from how normal people thought.

    Annie was really anxious and she tried to help. "Bro Shen, 10,000 is a little too much! And you want her to make them herself¡­"

    Yun Shen then thought about it and nodded. "It''s a little too much indeed. 9,999 cookies then."

    Ning Xi, Annie, and 16 all were dumbstruck.

 Chapter 1393: Stuffed To Death

    <h4>Chapter 1393: Stuffed To Death</h4>

    Was there any difference between 10,000 and 9,999?

    One day, I''ll take all the girls from your organization away!

    Ning Xi was offended but she took a deep breath and said, "9,999? Sure! But my initial half an hour will take a month!"

    She did not care anymore. Her priority was to bring Annie to check on Sis Tianxin, so she requested for more time in case of an emergency.

    The man''s white hair was swaying in the air as he smiled. "Deal."

    Ning Xi was afraid that he might go back on his words, so she swiftly ran away with Annie.

    "Bro Xi, are you really going to make that many? You''re not going to make them all by hand, are you?" Annie looked worried.

    "I''ll do it. Why not? I''ll make sure he''s stuffed to death!" Ning Xi then took a nce at the direction Tang Ye and Tang Lang had left in.

    She wondered what was the matter with them¡­

    Nevertheless, she could not care less. Yun Shen was there. First Senior Brother had returned back to his senses, and with Tang Lang''s thick skin, he would be fine!

    "Get on and hang tight." Ning Xi helped Annie put a helmet on, then quickly drove towards the hospital.

    ¡­

    At Ren Ai Hospital, Annie looked curiously at the pale white girl on the bed.

    She looked really unwell and very weak, but Annie could see that she was a real beauty.

    Seeing how nervous Ning Xi was, and that she had mustered up her courage to go look for her even though she was so terrified of ghosts, Annie asked, "Bro Xi, is this¡­ Your new friend?"

    "She''s my cousin, Ning Tianxin," Ning Xi replied.

    "Oh¡­ She''s your cousin!" She looked much happier. "What happened to her? She looks like she''s lost a lot of blood¡­"

    "She did abortion in an unauthorized clinic. Some ident happened and caused her to hemorrhage. She was just rescued in time and almost lost her uterus. All the doctors say she can''t have children in the future anymore." Ning Xi sounded serious.

    Annie nodded. "Then¡­ Let me take a look."

    "Okay!" Ning Xi quickly brought her a chair.

    Annie sat down beside the bed. She gently took up Ning Tianxin''s wrist and started her examination.

    Ning Xi stood beside quietly, not daring to interfere.

    Time passed by. Annie''s expression looked more solemn by the second and Ning Xi''s heart sank little by little.

    Could it be that Annie could not help either?

    After about five minutes, Annie stopped and put Ning Tianxin''s wrist back under the nket.

    "Annie, how''s my cousin?" Ning Xi asked.

    Annie sighed, "Does she have a cold uterus?"

    "Yes!"

    Annie then said, "Although she had a cold uterus before, it wasn''t really serious. Some supplements could help with that. But now, apart from having a cold uterus, her abortion severely exhausted her body. She''s lost a lot of blood, and her energy within her is depleted as well¡­"

    "Is there any way to help? Is it true that she can''t get pregnant ever again?" Ning Xi was really nervous.

    Annie chose her words carefully before saying, "The chances of her getting pregnant are very low, but it''s not impossible. The problem is that with her condition as of now, she won''t be able to keep the baby if she gets pregnant again."

 Chapter 1394: Donâ€™t Let Him Get Near

    <h4>Chapter 1394: Don¡¯t Let Him Get Near</h4>

    Annie then repeated her examination and said, "But, Bro Xi, don''t worry. Fortunately, you told Bro Shen to let me go for a month. In this month, I''ll help you nurse your cousin. I''ll also use acupuncture to help her remove some toxins in her body.

    "As long as she follows what I say, takes her medicine on time and rests properly, at most, it will take three to five years. If she''s lucky, she can probably recover in one to two years. Then, it might be possible for her to get pregnant sessfully."

    The tensed Ning Xi was relieved."That''s great¡­ As long as there''s hope! Annie, thank you!"

    "You don''t have to thank me, Bro Xi. Your cousin is my cousin as well! Oh, right¡­" Annie looked at the girl on the bed and she reminded, "Under this situation, the patient''s psychological state is important as well. I''m not sure what she went through but, Bro Xi, you have to take care of her, and make her stay happy most of the time. If necessary, hire a professional psychiatrist!"

    "Okay, I get it. Thanks for reminding! I''ll contact er. I know someone!" Ning Xi looked a little worried as she looked at Ning Tianxin.

    Suddenly, her phone rang. It was Xiao Tao.

    Ning Xi then remembered that today was the opening ceremony for "Nine Realms", so she quickly picked up the phone. "Hello, Xiao Tao?"

    "Bro Xi, are you up yet? The ceremony is starting in two hours. Don''t forget about it!"

    "Alright, got it." Ning Xi ended the call.

    "Bro Xi, if you''re busy, you can leave first. I''ll take care of her!" Annie assured.

    Ning Xi hugged her gratefully. "Thank you, Annie. If it wasn''t for you, I really don''t know what to do. I''ll leave first and I''ll get back as soon as possible. If there''s anything, do give me a call. If you need anything, call this number and he''ll help you out!"

    Ning Xi then passed Xiong Zhi''s number to her.

    "Okay, go now!"

    After she left the room, Ning Xi called Xiong Zhi.

    "Miss Xiao Xi, anything I can help?"

    "My cousin is in the hospital right now. I''m fine with just Shi Xiao for now. Do help me out at the hospital. There''s another girl in the room called Annie. She''s my friend. If she needs anything, help her¡­ But the most important point is not to let Mo Lingtian get near her! Remember that!"

    Ning Xi especially focused on thest part of her sentence.

    "Got it, Miss Ning Xi! I''ll not let him get near her!" Xiong Zhi did not ask why and promised her.

    "Okay, that''s all for now. Thank you."

    Ning Xi left the hospital after she had settled everything.

    At Movie City, Ning Xi changed into her outfit and put on her makeup. She had reached half an hour earlier.

    Ceremonies like these would usually have a blessed day and time picked out and beingte to such a function would be deemed unlucky.

    The main cast, director, filmmakers, and producers all came one after another. There were also several important investors, and of course, the media partners. The ce was buzzing.

    The table was all prepared, covered with a red cloth. A Guan Di figurine was put on it, and beside it was an incense burner together with some fresh fruits and a roast pig as an offering.

 Chapter 1395: The Mystery of Ning Xis Boyfriend

    <h4>Chapter 1395: The Mystery of Ning Xi''s Boyfriend</h4>

    She had been on the go since the middle of the night till now and Ning Xi felt light-headed. After she finished dealing with the media, she was about to find a spot to rest before the ceremony began.

    However, the moment she pushed open the door to the resting lounge she saw¡­

    Jiang Muye, Mo Yuxiu, and Su Yan¡­

    Each one of them took up a corner to sit in and the vibe between them was odd.

    It was fine with Jiang Muye and Mo Yuxiu, but why was Su Yan in the actor''s resting lounge too?

    Bloody hell, she better find somewhere else to rest!

    Unfortunately, it was obviously not that easy. Ning Xi was about to escape when Su Yan, who sat on the left side of the sofa, had gotten up and started to walk towards her. "Xiao Xi¡­"

    Xiao Xi?

    Mo Yuxiu, who had been quietly observing Jiang Muye, suddenly turned his gaze towards Su Yan.

    Did Su Yan and Ning Xi know each other? He even called to her so intimately¡­

    Unfortunately, Mo Yuxiu was still there, so Ning Xi could only turn around to answer, "Yes, CEO Su?"

    "Can we talk? I have something to tell you."

    "Sure." To avoid Mo Yuxiu picking up anything to use against her, Ning Xi could only follow Su Yan out.

    ¡­

    As he watched the two of them leave the resting lounge, Mo Yuxiu''s expression instantly changed.

    This Su Yan! Even his gaze towards Ning Xi was odd!

    Could it be that Ning Xi''s boyfriend was not Jiang Muye, but Su Yan instead?

    Did Su Yan not have a girlfriend already? And the two of them were about to get married soon!

    Damn it! This girl could not have gotten together with a taken man, could she?

    Jiang Muye watched as Ning Xi left with Su Yan, looking quite unhappy too. What would these two talk about?

    ¡­

    Momentster, Ning Xi and Su Yan found themselves in the garden behind the hotel.

    "Be quick if there''s anything you want to tell me. The ceremony is about to start!" Ning Xi glimpsed at her watch and said hurriedly.

    Su Yan looked at the girl with mixed feelings. A whileter, he finally took out a red invitation card and passed it to her. "Xueluo and I have decided on the wedding date. It''s on the 8th next month."

    Ning Xi took the invitation and looked at it apathetically. "Congrats!"

    When he saw Ning Xi''s reaction, Su Yan did not know why he felt even worse.

    If she could still mock and insult him like before, that would show that she cared, but now¡­

    When he saw that Ning Xi just wanted to leave after receiving the invitation and offering her congrattions, Su Yan clenched his fists tightly and suddenly chased after her to pull the girl''s hand. "Xiao Xi! Don''t you have anything you want to say to me?"

    Before Ning Xi could say anything, a hand suddenly appeared from behind and grabbed Ning Xi away from Su Yan.

    Ning Xi turned her head. She raised her brows at Jiang Muye who had suddenly run over. "Blondie?"

    Jiang Muye shot her a scowl. "What''s there to talk about with an ex? What if pictures of the two of you were taken?"

    Then, he looked coldly at Su Yan. "Mr. Su, you''re about to get married. Please watch yourself. Even if you''re not afraid of gossip, my little junior sister is afraid of scandals!"

    Su Yan watched the two of them leave with a frown.

    Not only were the two of them close, Jiang Muye even knew about him dating Ning Xi in the past.

    Could the rumors about Ning Xi dating Jiang Muye really be true?

    After he brought Ning Xi away, Jiang Muye immediately demanded, "What nonsense were you talking about with that trashy man?"

    Ning Xi shrugged. "He was obviously here to wait for me. I decided to just settle it once and for all to save my time!"

    Jiang Muye looked at her sceptically like he did not quite believe her. "Really? You wouldn''t happen to still be hung up on this first love, would you?"

 Chapter 1396: Pleased As Punch

    <h4>Chapter 1396: Pleased As Punch</h4>

    After all, first love is the hardest to forget¡­

    "Do you truly think I''m brainless?" Ning Xi said unhappily.

    Jiang Muye looked even more solemn. "Then, are you preparing to use those ways to handle Su Yan? Such as seducing Su Yan then dumping him?"

    Ning Xi raised her brows. "Me seducing Su Yan? If I was really about to seduce him, do you think Ning Xueluo would still be in the picture?"

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    It seemed that he could not argue with her.

    Ning Xi suddenly stared at Jiang Muye. "Blondie, have you ever heard of a particr saying?"

    Jiang Muye frowned. "What saying?"

    Ning Xi shot him an aristocratic look as light as a feather. "Acting nonchntly is the most savage revenge."

    To just let her seduce Su Yan might be a little too gross.

    Ning Xi finished, then continued to say, "Right, there''s one more saying. Usually, if a person can''t move on from their ex, that must be because the current partner isn''t good enough. Thus, now that I have a partner such as my dearest darling, do you think¡­ That I have any reason to not forget my ex?"

    Jiang Muye was speechless yet again.

    Well, he could consider that his mouth asked for it¡­

    Jiang Muye took quite a few deep breaths before he recovered from the pain of being stuffed with public affection for the Nth time. He muttered to the sweet-looking girl, "Have you and Lu Tingxiao made up from your fight? Look at you, pleased as Punch!"

    Previously, it was as if she had a contagious disease. Even he did not dare to get within three steps of her.

    Ning Xi recalled the evening from yesterday¡­ Spring winds in a small town¡­ Paddy fields¡­

    She did not care about Jiang Muye''s question. Her face revealed an incredibly gentle expression as she murmured, immersed in her own words, "Sigh, I suddenly have an impulse to propose to my dearest darling. I got to speed up on my progress of umting dowry¡­"

    Jiang Muye had nothing to say.

    Let''s just pretend I didn''t ask¡­

    Very soon, it was time for the opening ceremony to begin shooting.

    The main creatives from the drama team took turns to light up their joss sticks and pray to the deities. Atst, the director lifted open the red cloth that covered the camera and announced the beginning of the shoot.

    The scene was a wave of cheers and apuses.

    Meng Shiyi, who was beside Ning Xi, had been looking around and seemed absent-minded since the ceremony began. Now, she walked to the director to ask, "Director Guo, did CEO Yun note today?"

    "We did inform Boss Yun''s end, but as he''s such a prominent figure, he definitely won''t attend small ceremonies like this!" Guo Qisheng answered.

    "Understood." Meng Shiyi revealed a disappointed expression, then she asked again, "Will he really being to do the cameo then?"

    "Well, he only mentioned it once on the phone. As for whether he will actuallye, I really am not sure. After all, the rumors have said that that CEO''s temperament is a little unpredictable. We''ll only know everything when the timees," Guo Qisheng said in an unsure tone.

    Meng Shiyi thought about it and suggested, "Right, Director Guo, isn''t that character for Leng Aoxue''s mysterious master still avable? How about you let CEO Yun cameo as that? This is an upright and positive character. In fact, it was very popr among the readers of the original work. It must be more suitable than being the father of a sinister witch, isn''t it?"

    When he heard this, how could Guo Qisheng not understand Meng Shiyi''s intentions? He cleared his throat and said with difficulty, "I''m afraid that this isn''t something I can decide on. The character Yun Haotian was first chosen by Boss Yun himself."

    "He chose it himself? Why did he have to choose this character?"

    "Maybe because this character''s surname is coincidentally also Yun, and it caught Boss Yun''s interest? I''m not too sure about how rich people think either!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi listened to Meng Shiyi and Guo Qisheng''s conversation and pinched the space between her brows. She took a long sigh, indicating that she was tired.

 Chapter 1397: Could Only Rely On Herself

    <h4>Chapter 1397: Could Only Rely On Herself</h4>

    After the ceremony ended, Ning Xi apologetically rejected the uing social with the reason that her family member was ill, then she rushed right back to the hospital to observe Ning Tianxin.

    Ning Xi had just reached the hospital entrance when she saw someone running towards her.

    "Tang Xi, you bastard!"

    "Oh, Second Senior Brother, you''re back!" Ning Xi skimmed the man before her through her sunsses.

    Tang Lang''s hair was messy and his clothes were a dirty grey. He had even rolled through tree leaves, the bits making him look even more disheveled. One look and it was clear that the tumble had been pretty vigorous¡­

    "Punk, I went to help you, but atst, you ditched me and left me alone!"

    "I just didn''t want to disturb you and First Senior Brother''s love for one another! I haven''t even asked you yet. What did you do to trigger First Senior Brother like this?" Ning Xi looked curious and closed in to ask.

    Tang Lang''s expression changed slightly and he said unhappily, "Go away! Children shouldn''t be so bothered about adult matters!"

    Then, he ran off.

    Ning Xi looked towards the direction that Tang Lang left and worry floated onto her face.

    It was probably rted to Tang Lang betraying the faction and the reason he left the organization. Previously, she had wanted to ask Lu Tingxiao about it, but with Tang Lang''s secretive attitude that clearly did not want anyone to know, she felt it would not be good to randomly ask such a question¡­

    She walked to the ward and saw that Xiong Zhi was guarding the door diligently like a statue.

    "Miss Xiao Xi!"

    "Did anyonee while I was away?" Ning Xi asked.

    "No."

    Ning Xi nodded. At least, that guy was tactful.

    Ning Xi pushed open the door and saw that Annie was talking to Ning Tianxin who was lying on the sick bed.

    "Sis Tianxin, you''re awake!" Ning Xi quickly walked over.

    "Bro Xi, you''re back. Sis Tianxin just woke up!" Annie said.

    Ning Tianxin''s gaze skimmed the drip on the back of her hand. Then, she looked around the white ward, her face at a loss. "Xiao Xi¡­ How did I get here?"

    "There was a problem when you did the abortion at the clinic. You were bleeding non-stop. We transferred you here at dawn."

    When Ning Tianxin heard this, she sub-consciously ran her hands over her t stomach and there was a distance in her eyes. Last night''s memories were slowlying back to her¡­

    When Ning Xi saw Ning Tianxin''s sub-conscious action and the hollow expression on her face, her heart tightened. "Sis Tianxin, how do you feel now? Are you unwell anywhere?"

    Ning Tianxin was slow to shake her head, she looked to Ning Xi, "I''m sorry for worrying you, Xiao Xi."

    Ning Xi sighed, "I was frightened to death by you¡­"

    "Does the family know?" Ning Tianxin asked first.

    "Don''t worry. I didn''t tell them. I''m helping you keep this a secret! But the Mo family already knows. In the morning, Mo Lingtian''s parents and aunty were here to see you, I was worried that you would be agitated, so I had them leave, and Mo Lingtian¡­ That guy said something about wanting to take a look at you. I chased him away too.

    "You still need a few days of observation before you can check out of the hospital. After that, you can go to my ce for a while. I really am not okay with leaving you alone. Oh, and this is my friend, Annie. Her medical expertise is especially awesome. With her helping you heal, your body can definitely recover!"

    "Thank you, Xiao Xi."

    Ning Xi noticed that Ning Tianxin''s expression had been unenthusiastic since she woke up. There was neither sadness nor happiness, much less any vigorous reaction. This made Ning Xi even more worried instead.

    However, she knew that worrying would not help such situations. She could only rely on herself, and on time to help her out of this rut¡­

 Chapter 1398: I Donâ€™t Believe That I Canâ€™t

    <h4>Chapter 1398: I Don¡¯t Believe That I Can¡¯t</h4>

    These few days, everyone in the Lu Corporation was pretty tense.

    The annual general meeting would be held soon. Every manager and supervisor from each business under the Lu Corporation would gather in Imperial and the meeting wouldst for a week.

    In this period of time, everything could not go wrong.

    The director''s meeting had just adjourned and people started to leave. Finally, only Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli were left in the room.

    Lu Jingli leaned back into the chair, seeming exhausted. "The scariest time of the year ising again!"

    Every time the annual meeting arrived, apart from talking business, it was a regr phenomenon for people to start introducing girls to his brother.

    Of course, he would get a lot of introductions as well.

    He could not stand it even with him liking girls so much. However, his brother had it worse.

    Although his brother was no longer single, his rtionship with Ning Xi could not be announced yet. Even if everyone knew, people would still introduce him girls anyway because of Ning Xi''s less-than-desirable societal standing.

    It was an important position, after all. Huge amounts of benefit were involved and everyone wanted to have someone they knew to be in the coveted position.

    What happened to Ning Xi in the past was worrying Lu Tingxiao as well¡­

    Lu Tingxiao looked out of the window at the sunset. "How''s the investigation going?"

    Lu Jingli scratched his head. "It''s pretty tricky to find out. It''s such a big hotel with so many rooms, so it was really difficult to check. Moreover, it''s Qin Yuan Hotel after all. They are renowned for having great privacy. There aren''t any security cameras anywhere within 10 miles in the radius of the hotel. But it''s alright. I''ll make sure to vet through everyone who stayed in the hotel that night. I don''t believe that I can''t get him!"

    "I''ll give you seven days of leave."

    "No problem! I''ll get it done as soon as possible."

    ¡­

    After Ning Tianxin was discharged she stayed at Peachwood. Aside from Annie, Ning Xi had Qin Mufeng go over as well.

    The breeze blew through the night.

    Ning Tianxin was sitting on a rattan chair and drinking a special herbal tea made by Annie. It had a slightly bitter but refreshing fragrance.

    She looked at the man beside her and said, "Doctor Qin, Xiao Xi is too nervous. I''m really alright. When I decided to do the operation, I''ve already anticipated the worst, and I was already sure that I could take it.

    "From the beginning till now, I''ve never regretted any of my decisions. Sometimes, clinging to hope is more painful than losing all hope."

    Qin Mufeng looked a little defeated because he realized he had nothing to do there.

    "I knew Mo Lingtian as well. To be honest, I can''t believe that you fell for him!"

    One was an infamous rich kid in Imperial while the other one was a kind and strong girl. Their personalities were totally different.

    Ning Tianxin raised her head and looked up at the moon in a mncholic way. "It was easy to fall in love back then. I didn''t need any particrly strong reason. Maybe that someone just happened to wear that particr white shirt that I liked, or maybe just one look¡­"

 Chapter 1399: Not Knowing Where Love Comes From

    <h4>Chapter 1399: Not Knowing Where Love Comes From</h4>

    "I remember that the first time I met him was on a bus. I was on my period and had bad stomach cramps. He was sitting next to where I was standing with dyed hair and odd clothes, yet he stood up and offered me the seat."

    Qin Mufeng looked at the girl as she was reminiscing about the past. He suddenly thought of a saying, "Love; not knowing where ites from, deep into it we fall."

    Damn it! Was Mo Lingtian blind?

    ¡­

    After Qin Mufeng was done chatting with Ning Tianxin, Ning Xi dragged him into the kitchen. "Qin Mufeng, be honest with me. How''s Sis Tianxin''s condition?"

    Qin Mufeng looked helplessly at her. "Boss, I''ve told you a lot of times. Don''t fret thing. Tianxin has a frail outer appearance but she''s strong inside. She''s really calm! She won''t fall into depression or seek death!"

    "Are you sure?"

    "Trust in my professionalism, alright?"

    Ning Xi''s expression indicated she had serious doubts.

    Qin Mufeng nced at the girl in the garden. She looked so thin and pale, but there were no signs of resentment in her expression. Instead, she was rxed.

    Ning Xi waved her hands in front of Qin Mufeng''s eyes. "What are you staring at?"

    "With my past experience, I thought her psychological state would be unstable, but in the past few days, she''s really surprised me. In a nutshell, Tianxin is really alright. Maybe she was revived after experiencing death once!"

    Ning Xi was relieved.

    "So, my job as a psychiatrist is done here! The therapy is finished!" Qin Mufeng said.

    Ning Xi was surprised. "Huh? This soon? It''s only been a few days!"

    "Nonsense. If I continue to be her psychiatrist, how do I get closer to her?"

    Ning Xi''s eyes flew wide. "What did you say?"

    "Uhm¡­ Nope! Nothing!"

    Ning Xi squinted her eyes and looked at him. "You said it. You want to get closer to her!"

    Qin Mufeng was dripping with sweat. He could only admit, "Fine, well¡­ Tianxin¡­ She''s totally my type! I want to get closer to her!"

    In his profession, he could not have any other special rtionships with his patients.

    "You bastard! She just went through such a traumatic experience!" Ning Xi looked like she was about to kill him.

    Qin Mufeng waved his hand and shrugged. "It''s exactly because of this that she needs a new rtionship to forget about her past painful experience!"

    Ning Xi stared at him. "And¡­ You don''t mind Sis Tianxin''s condition?"

    Qin Mufeng replied, "Of course not. It''s not her fault that she fell in love with the wrong person. As for having a child, I don''t mind at all! I have seven siblings at home. I''m not tasked to have children! My parents are both overseas and they''re pretty open about stuff like these!"

    "Are you serious?" Ning Xi frowned.

    Qin Mufeng sighed, "Bro, Tianxin is your cousin. Would I tell you all this without being serious? If I''m just fooling around, don''t you think that I''ll be afraid you''ll break my third leg?"

    "Great that you''re aware about that!"

    "But well, don''t tell her that I like her. It''ll scare her off if you tell her now while her current condition is stable. She''ll have severe trauma!"

 Chapter 1400: Take A Look At Her

    <h4>Chapter 1400: Take A Look At Her</h4>

    "What trauma?" Ning Xi stiffened.

    "It''ll be very difficult for her to ept another person. Didn''t you realize that she doesn''t care about whether she can have a child in the future again? She nned to be alone until her death. If you let her know what I think now, then it''ll be the end for me," Qin Mufeng analyzed.

    "I''m quite worried about that too," Ning Xi sighed.

    "Now, you don''t have to worry. Of course, it''ll be the end for others, but I''m a professional!" Qin Mufeng gave her a triumphant look.

    Ning Xi looked at him squarely. "Qin Mufeng, I realized your profession is pretty handy when ites to wooing girls!"

    "Of course, let me tell you. There isn''t any girl I can''t get except those that I don''t want to."

    Ning Xi stared at him. "Just how many girls have you wooed before?"

    "Well, I''m just saying, up until now Tianxin is the only girl that can make my heart race!"

    Seeing how Ning Xi was looking at him like he was a pervert, Qin Mufeng started sweating again. "Don''t be so riled up. It''s not like I''m going to abduct her right away. I just like her for now. Even if we don''t get to be lovers in the end, we can still be friends! I won''t force her!"

    Ning Xi rxed a little after hearing what Qin Mufeng said.

    If he said he could not have anyone else besides her just after three days, she would never believe him!

    ¡­

    At the same time, somewhere near Peachwood, a car was parked quietly by the roadside.

    A man leaned on the car, still wearing the same pajamas he had worn to the hospital the other day. He had a cigarette lit and was staring at a garden nearby.

    His phone on the driving seat had a notification, and he picked it up. After seeing the iing call, he answered it after a while, "Hello?"

    "Lingtian, what happened? Why didn''t you pick up your phone?" The girl''s worried voice came through the phone.

    "Nothing¡­ What''s the matter?"

    "I''m sorry, Lingtian. I was too harsh the other night."

    "It''s alright."

    "Lingtian, you don''t sound right. Are you sick?"

    "No."

    "Are you still troubled over that woman? She probably just wants money anyway. If she doesn''t want to take it, she probably just wants more¡­"

    Mo Lingtian was not paying any attention to Guan Ziyao. Halfway through their conversation, he mumbled something and quickly ended the call. He gazed at the direction of the garden nervously.

    The door suddenly opened. A familiar figure came out of the house and was walking nearer towards his direction.

    Mo Lingtian quickly put out his cigarette, then hid behind a tree.

    The thin figure walked towards a trash can near him and she threw a ck stic bag inside.

    Under the dim light of the night, he could see the girl was getting gaunt. She looked really pale as well and would probably be blown away by a slightly stronger gust of wind.

    "Sis Tianxin, why are you outside?! Just let me handle the trash!" Ning Xi had followed her out and she carefully held Ning Tianxin.

    "I''m not that weak. It''s just a few steps anyway." Ning Tianxin sounded helpless.

    "No! Annie said that you need bed rest these few days!"

    ¡­

    Only when the girl had entered the house did Mo Lingtian slowlye out from behind the tree.

    He had already lingered there quietly for three days.

    Finally, he saw her¡­

    However, his first reaction was to hide himself¡­

    Ning Xi was right. So what if he met her?

    He knew that he had no right to see her, but¡­ He could not control himself¡­

    He was anxious and frustrated at whatever he did for the past few days. Despite his exhaustion, he could not sleep. He could only feel better when he was somewhere near her¡­

 Chapter 1401: Seven To Summon The Dragon

    <h4>Chapter 1401: Seven To Summon The Dragon</h4>

    At Movie City, the crew of Nine Realms was working.

    Amidst the wide emerald green sea of bamboo, two green and red figures were aggressively exchanging blows. The two werepatible and well coordinated, their moves as natural as billowing clouds and flowing water, dazzling spectators. However, if one went up-close, one would notice that the girl''s expression was a little fleeting.

    A few minutester.

    "Cut! Ning Xi, that was pretty good, but based on your standards, you can do better! Let''s rest for ten minutes, then we''ll go again one more time!" Guo Qisheng said.

    "Okay." Ning Xi nodded, wiped her sweat and returned to the resting area.

    Jiang Muye passed the sword prop in his hand to his assistant and sat beside Ning Xi on the long sofa. He shot her a look unhappily, "Ning Xiao Xi, what do you mean, aye? Are you looking down on me or something? Can you be more attentive? Your mind is wandering all the way out of Sixth Ring Road! What are you thinking about?"

    Ning Xi epted the mineral water that Xiao Tao passed to her and tilted her head back to drink. "I''m just thinking about whether there''s still time for me to quit acting¡­"

    Jiang Muye''s expression turned dark instantly. "What crazy meds are you on?"

    Ning Xi flipped open the script and went through the scene arrangements. Her eyes fell on thest scene.

    Scene: Great Poison Hall

    Characters: Yun Huang, Yun Haotian

    "I keep feeling like I''ll die in this show," Ning Xi sighed.

    "You will die in this show in the end!" Jiang Muye was confused.

    "Don''t talk to me, please and thank you. I need some quiet time¡­"

    Jiang Muye followed her gaze and looked at the script in her hands. "Is yourst scene for today with that investor who wants toe for the cameo?"

    When he asked that question, she was not sure what Jiang Muye was thinking about, but he suddenly stared at her speechlessly and said, "Wait, this investor¡­ Wouldn''t have some kind of rtionship with you, would he?"

    Ning Xi''s face was as ck as the bottom of a pot. "Young man! Didn''t I tell you not to talk to me anymore?"

    Jiang Muye responded, "What the hell!? There''s really some kind of rtionship? Bloody hell¡­"

    Jiang Muye was shocked for practically half a day before he could finally react. The veins on his forehead were popping and he was having a breakdown. "Ning Xiao Xi! I really give it to you! I let you go wild! Great! Now, you''ve finally yed yourself dead!"

    Jiang Muye held out his fingers to count, "One, two, three, four¡­ Whoa! One full table of mahjong yers! Another three more and you can summon dragons!"

    Ning Xi''s expression darkened as she held her chin in thought. "Summon, your butt! I didn''t want this either, okay?"

    Who would have thought that one day, all these people would actually be gathered together in one show?! She was about to have a heart attack!

    The worst thing was¡­

    Bloody hell! Her wife was also going toe for a cameo! There were still a lot of scenester that saw everyoneing together¡­

    She had always wanted to shoot an especially exciting show. Well, fantastic, it really is exciting now!

    Jiang Muye red at her in speechlessness. "What''s the situation with this one? Was he also tortured by you and then dumped? Don''t me me for not reminding you that this Yun Shen''s background ain''t simple! You''re practically courting death!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "Do you think I have the guts? His situation is different from yours and Mo Yuxiu''s¡­"

    When he heard this, Jiang Muye''s expression suddenly changed. He looked meaningfully at her. "His situation is different from ours? Did you actually turn out to be sincere?"

    Ning Xi fidgeted as she pulled at her hair. "It''s hard to exin with a few words. The point is that this is the thorniest one¡­"

    "Everyone, get ready. We''ll go one more time!" Guo Qisheng shouted for them to begin, so Jiang Muye could only restrain his questions with a heart full of doubts.

 Chapter 1402: How Bored Was He?

    <h4>Chapter 1402: How Bored Was He?</h4>

    The scene had finally smoothly finished after re-shooting several times.

    Ning Xi sat on the chair and started waiting for thest "scene of death" to arrive.

    After her scene with Jiang Muye, it was Meng Shiyi and Jiang Muye''s scene, which was also a fighting scene. Meng Shiyi was clearly experienced. She shot three scenes in a single take, earning everyone''s cheers.

    "Sis Shiyi is really amazing!"

    "Proving herself to be the Capability Camp! All scenes were done in one take!"

    "I heard that when Ning Xi shot ''The World'', she was also famous for getting scenes done in a take!"

    "It was probably fake rumors. Even though her acting isn''t bad, it''s obviously not on the same level as our Sis Shiyi''s!"

    ¡­

    When she was done shooting, Meng Shiyi carried an air of smugness as she looked mockingly towards Ning Xi''s direction.

    Ning Xi was troubled, so obviously, she had no mood to care about Meng Shiyi''s pomp.

    Finally, it was time for thest scene, yet a certain "Big Shot Cameo" had not arrived.

    Guo Qisheng looked at the watch on his wrist. "Um, everyone let''s break for a while!"

    He was the one with the money and they only needed to wait for a while, thus naturally the crowd did not have any opinions. Instead, because they knew that this scene would involve the cameo of the legendary rich Boss Yun, everyone was incredibly excited.

    Meng Shiyi''s scenes were over, but she did not have any intentions of leaving. She remained seated and touched up her makeup while she looked the entrance from time to time.

    Ning Xi had long changed into the makeup and costume for that particr scene. One hand propped up her tilted head, while the other tapped on the chair''s armrest. Her eyes were spinning round and round.

    Hmm, maybe that guy had just simply mentioned doing the cameo but was not nning toe from the start.

    She heard Annie say that he had been very busy since he returned to China, always moving in and out elusively. He probably would note over to do such a boring thing just to mess with her, would he?

    The more Ning Xi thought about it, the more she felt it was possible!

    "CEO Yun! You''re finally here!" She was just thinking about this when she heard Guo Qisheng''s excited voice.

    Then, she saw the director, executive producer, filmmaker and the whole huge lot of main creatives walk towards the entrance.

    As she watched that head of familiar, unbridled white hair¡­

    Ning Xi was done.

    He had reallye. How bored could he be?

    When he saw this dude appear at such a ce like the drama set, it gave her some sort of unrealistic feeling.

    He was very handsome. Not only did the light scar on above his brows not affect his looks, instead it added a dangerous and flirtatious air to him.

    That extremely unique charisma waspletely unlike those teen idols that the entertainment industry kept churning out. He was akin to a species that only lived in the dark of the night, identally trespassing in the broad daylight that he did not belong to.

    "Bro Yun!"

    When she saw who was there, Meng Shiyi immediately gathered her skirts and ran over in small steps. She had still been aposed and steady movie queen a second ago, yet now she embodied the spirit of a little girl.

    When they heard Meng Shiyi''s intimate call, all the actors and crew members present started to whisper and revealed a shocked expression.

    "Dang! Meng Shiyi and CEO Yun know each other?"

    "Meng Shiyi has a pretty strong background. It''s not too weird if she knows someone like him. I''ve heard previously that the two seem to be long-time family friends!"

    The female artistes, who had been eyeing Yun Shen covetously, all suddenly looked disappointed. A piece of fat meat had finallye, yet it had already been eyed by the eagle.

    Meng Shiyi was not one to be messed with. Would that not mean all of them had no hope at all now?

    ¡­

 Chapter 1403: Good Daughter, Wait For Me

    <h4>Chapter 1403: Good Daughter, Wait For Me</h4>

    Meng Shiyi ran over to the man, but before she could get closer to him, two stern bodyguards in ck tightly separated them.

    "Bro Yun¡­" Meng Shiyi tiptoed and looked pitifully at him.

    Yun Shen''s light grey eyes skimmed Meng Shiyi''s face like a wind across dust, then he turned to Guo Qisheng and asked slowly, "Director Guo, am I acting as a brother?"

    Guo Qisheng was first stunned, then he instantly seemed awkward. "No, no, CEO Yun, your role hasn''t been changed. It''s still the one you chose yourself before as Yun Huang''s father, not the brother¡­"

    When these words came out, the spectators suddenly burst out intoughter.

    It turns out that he did not even know her!

    Meng Shiyi''s eyes instantly widened in horror. She did not expect Yun Shen not to give her any face amidst their watchful eyes!

    Damn it! He knew who she was, yet he dared to act like this towards her.

    "Can we start?"

    "Of course, CEO Yun. Please follow me. The makeup artist and stylists have been arranged!" He did not think that this big boss would be so proactive. Guo Qisheng eagerly led the way up front.

    The white-haired man followed after Guo Qisheng unhurriedly with his long legs, and when he passed by Ning Xi, he seemed to have nced at her indistinctly from the corner of his eyes. His thin lips parted slightly and said soundlessly, "Good daughter, wait for me."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Wait, your head! I am your father!!!

    Very soon, the man had changed and exited the changing room.

    The instant Yun Shen changed into his attire for the drama, the entire set heated up.

    Yun Shen''s character in the show also had a head of silver hair. The man donned a mysterious, ancient, ck robe with a dragon-patterned belt on his waist. The silverplemented with the makeup made him look even more attractive and flirtatious, while his light grey eyes really made one''s heart palpitate.

    Because Yun Haotian practiced demonic powers, he did not age, thus Yun Shen did not need to deliberately dress up as an old man.

    "Oh, oh, oh¡­ Oh my God! Are you guys sure CEO Yun is acting as the female lead''s father?"

    "I''m hyperventting! I actually fell in love with the female lead''s father!"

    "This is definitely the most handsome father in history. He''s practically stealing away the male lead''s limelight too!"

    "If I had such a charming evil father, why would I need the male lead?!"

    ¡­

    Guo Qisheng was also watching with pleasant surprise and satisfaction from the side. Although he was just an investor that was slotted in, he might be one of the show''s highlights. Of course, he was happy! He just could not guess how his acting skills were¡­

    Hmm, with Ning Xi to guide him, it definitely would not be a problem!

    "Ning Xi, get ready. Let''s start!" Guo Qisheng was not assured, so he especially went over to remind Ning Xi again, telling her to take care of the rookie.

    Ning Xi braced herself.

    All departments were ready and the shoot began.

    This scene was very easy. It was about how the female lead had been in close contact with the male lead until her father found out and became furious.

    "3, 2, 1, action!"

    Inside the gloomy hall, the enchantingly handsome man leanedzily on the chair. The armrests were carved into two pythons that coiled grandiosely around the chair. The man''s long and fair fingers carelessly wrapped around the python''s body, and there was a kind of astonishing and strange sense of aristocracy.

    He had just heard his subordinates report the recent movements of his daughter, Yun Huang. The man should have burst into anger, yet Yun Shen had handled it with an expression of ease as if nothing had happened.

    Guo Qisheng frowned slightly, but he did not yell "cut", continuing to watch instead.

    At that moment, the sound of footsteps was heard from outside the hall from a distance until it got closer. Ning Xi appeared in a robe that was as red as a raging inferno.

 Chapter 1404: I Really Want To Kill My Father

    <h4>Chapter 1404: I Really Want To Kill My Father</h4>

    When he saw who had arrived, in the middle of the hall, the man half-squinted akin to a resting beast that was awoken mid-slumber. Hezily said, "Finally willing toe back?"

    Ning Xi brushed her robe and bowed with half a kneel, then she lowered her head to respectfully call out¡­

    One second¡­

    Two seconds¡­

    Three seconds¡­

    Ning Xi''s head stayed there unwavering. That word "father" was stuck in her throat, but it went nowhere. She just could not say it.

    "Cut!" Finally, Guo Qisheng called out to stop when she noticed something was not right.

    "Sorry, I was distracted." Ning Xi pinched the space between her brows.

    "It''s okay, it''s okay. Try it one more time!" Guo Qisheng was slightly shocked. He did not think that the first person to get a bad take would be Ning Xi.

    Could Ning Xi have intentionally done a bad take to relieve the pressure for this honorable cameo?

    In the hall, the white-haired man''s gaze fell on the girl, who was taking deep breaths to calm down in a corner, and a smile shed in his eyes.

    Very quickly, the shoot began again.

    Yun Hao Tian said, "Finally willing toe back?"

    This time, Ning Xi just lowered her head and walked over, then she lowered her head to bow with a kneel. She did not even raise her eyes to look at a certain bastard in this hall, so as to avoid herself from calling him out.

    This move was sure useful. Ning Xi kept her head down and was about to call out, but the person on the seat suddenly interrupted her, "Lift your head up and look at your father!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Hey! This guy had actually changed the dialogue by himself!

    Still, Guo Qisheng did not interrupt them, so she would still need to continue. Because television dramas were not very strict, it was normal to have improvisation mid-way.

    Ning Xi was forced to lift her head up. Looking at that face, she had an impulse to rush up and perform "patricide". She was pathetically stuck again¡­

    "Pfft¡­" From the side, Meng Shiyi''s sneers were heard, "Director Guo, this is your so-called professionalism and respect for work? A potential actor that won''t disappoint me even if she acted with me? In any case, she''s still an A-lister. It was just a slight change in dialogue, yet she didn''t even have the ability to respond impromptu. Can you really call such a person an actor, Director Guo?"

    Guo Qisheng felt ufortable. He was confused too. This was a situation that he never experienced in thest show. What was up with Ning Xi?

    It was just an incredibly simple one-word dialogue, yet she had done a bad take twice in a row. This was just too weird.

    All the crew members surrounding them were whispering to one another too.

    "Indeed, Idol Camps can''tpare to Capability Camp!"

    "Aren''t all those vases that rely on their looks to climb up all like this!? Nothing odd about that!"

    "It was pretty okay when I was watching her in the movie, but who would''ve thought that her standards would be this bad when shooting in real life? She must have privately done a lot of bad takes!"

    ¡­

    Not too far away, Jiang Muye was no less shocked than Guo Qisheng.

    He only knew one person who could affect Ning Xi to such an extent, that was¡­ Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Thest time Ning Xi had taken a bad take, it was when she had a kissing scene with him in "The World". Because Lu Tingxiao had been present, she had done quite a few bad takes. But for this ex-boyfriend of Ning Xi''s to actually affect her this much?

    At the same time, Mo Yuxiu, who had been secretly observing, was puzzled. Based on Ning Xi''s odd performance, this newly appeared Yun Shen was quite suspicious too¡­

    Bloody hell! Who was this woman''s boyfriend? It was practically impossible to unravel!

    "CEO Yun, my apologies. I''m really sorry. Ning Xi must''ve been too excited to see you!" Guo Qisheng quickly walked over to apologize to Yun Shen.

    However, the man did not seem angry at all. Instead, he was amicable and seemed like he was in a rather good mood. He smiled as he looked at Ning Xi to say, "No worries, Director Guo. Let''s take a 10-minute break. I want to practice the scene in private with Xiao Xi. Let her practice a few more times!"

 Chapter 1405: Ill Add In Arsenic For You!

    <h4>Chapter 1405: I''ll Add In Arsenic For You!</h4>

    When Ning Xi heard that, she felt so outraged by that sanctimonious dude till she almost puked blood!

    To her disgust, that guy walked over to her with a script in deadly earnest.

    Ning Xi lowered her voice with a murderous spirit in her eyes. "You, with the surname Yun! What are you trying to do?"

    The man held his chin and looked at her ponderingly. "Where are my biscuits?"

    Ning Xi shot him a look. "What must I do for you to leave the set?!"

    The man revealed a contemtive expression when he heard her as Ning Xi waited nervously for his reply.

    The man muttered to himself for a long time before he finally said, "Hmm¡­ I like to eat sweet stuff. Add more sugar!"

    Ning Xi was speechless. She had used up all her rationality to restrain her impulse of wanting to grab him by the cor and strangle him.

    I will add arsenic for you!

    When she saw Yun Shen and Ning Xi chatting nearby, Meng Shiyi suddenly realized something. "This witch! She''s intentionally doing bad takes just to worm her way into being friends with Bro Yun, isn''t she?!"

    Her assistant closed in from the side to echo, "Probably so, but she doesn''t even need to fake her acting skills! Look at the way she''s been acting for the past few days. She practically can''t evenpare to a finger of yours, Sis Shiyi! I really don''t know why directors who have coborated with her would praise her to the highest heavens. There''s most likely something fishy¡­ I think even CEO Yun seems to be seduced by that woman¡­"

    When she heard this, Meng Shiyi could no longer be patient. She tookrge strides towards the direction of the two of them.

    Atst, just like earlier, before she could get close to them, she was separated from him by two cold-faced bodyguards.

    "Presumptuous! Do you know who I am?" Meng Shiyi red at the two men even though she was but a sheep in wolf''s clothing.

    The two bodyguards were like emotionless humanoid weapons. They did not respond at all and continued to effortlessly block Meng Shiyi from going over.

    "You two¡­ Good¡­ Very good!" Ferocity shed across Meng Shiyi''s face, then she turned around and stormed off in huge strides.

    ¡­

    Ten minutester, the shoot continued again.

    This time, Ning Xi even whipped out the psychological hypnotizing move that Dr. Smith had taught her before, and she could finally continue her performance.

    It was just a short scene, yet it was even more tiring than acting in a strenuous fighting scene.

    Unfortunately, the tragedy had only just begun¡­

    Very soon, her dearest would enter the team too. Haha!

    Ning Xi was about to drag her ruined and destroyed body home like a dead dog when her phone rang.

    The caller ID showed Zhuang Rongguang''s name. This guy had forcefully saved his own number thest time.

    When she saw it was Zhuang Rongguang, Ning Xi was a little surprised as if she never thought that he would call her. "Hello?"

    "Hello, Sis Xi! Are you done with work? Come over and y!" From the other end of the phone was Zhuang Rongguang''s animated voice.

    "y what?"

    "Shooting, of course! Still at the old spot. Come quickly! Challenge me! I''ve been getting quite good recently! I think I''m going to surpass you already, hahaha¡­"

    The youth''s excited and passionate voice from the other end of the phone infected Ning Xi''s somber mood a little. She thought about how she had really been tormented recently. It was a good idea to rx a little, so she agreed, "Young man, since you''re begging to be educated, I will satisfy you! Wait for me! I''ll be there right away!"

    ¡­

    At the same time, at tinum Pce, in Lu Jingli''s vi''s study room, Lu Jingli was dizzily analyzing and arranging all sorts of information from five years ago. He was running through a checklist of all the suspects from that night.

 Chapter 1406: Its That Beast!

    <h4>Chapter 1406: It''s That Beast!</h4>

    That night, Ning Xi had gone to look for Su Yan in room number 713, butter on, some mishap seemed to have happened. She had entered another room and met not with the two male prostitutes that Ning Xueluo had arranged, but another beast that was more brutal than them.

    If it were male prostitutes, those who were in their profession would definitely not get someone else pregnant. Not only did that man not take any precautions, he had even run off when he had done the deed. There were no traces of him at all.

    Finally, he found out that that night, Ning Xi had actually entered the room opposite 713, room number 718.

    Qin Yuan was membership-based. All the rooms needed to be booked in advance, and they had detailed records of the bookings, so he just needed to check who had booked room number 718 that night. Then, he could basically find out who the culprit was.

    However, things could not be that easy.

    Indeed, after investigations, the booking records of that room from five years ago had been erased. He could not find any clues at all.

    In the next few days, Lu Jingli began to hungrily investigate who the person that booked the room that night was.

    In the end, he had endured quite a few days of interrogations and even found aputer expert to try recovering the erased records, yet he came up empty-handed.

    When he saw that the one week''s time limit was up, Lu Jingli could only go with his panda eyes to report his investigation progress to Lu Tingxiao.

    Lu Jingli had not even changed. He was still in the pajamas and slippers that he had worn for a few days. As he carried the resources, he whimpered and ran over next door to look for his brother.

    "Bro! Bro, I''ve let you down! Wuwuwu¡­ I said that I would definitely drag that beast out for you within seven days! But that guy was really too cunning! He didn''t leave any clues at all. No wonder Xiao Xi Xi couldn''t find out who it was for five years! I think that guy''s modus operandi was not impromptu malice, but he''s a habitual criminal! A perverted demon!"

    Lu Jingli carried the stack of information and cried as heined. That handsome face he was proud of was now as wan and sallow as a pitiful schr that had been extracted by a female ghost. One could see that investigating this matter these past few days had really tormented him.

    When he saw Lu Jingli in such a terrible shape, Lu Tingxiao was slightly dismayed. Investigating was Lu Jingli''s best domain. He had even given him the highest degree of convenience, but in such a situation, he still could not find out who the man from that night was within seven days?

    "Progress?" Lu Tingxiao spoke with a cold expression before his desk that reflected his ice-cold luster.

    Lu Jingli immediatelyid the stack of information before Lu Tingxiao. "I''ve already locked down the target. I just can''t seem to investigate who the dude is! Qin Yuan has thetest defense system from America. Even if it was a top hacker, there''s no way he could quietly erase traces of himself and even make it irretrievable¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyes quickly skimmed the date and the room number on theputer screen.

    The instant he had a clear look at the date and room number, Lu Tingxiao''s usually stony face, which would not change even if Taishan toppled, suddenly shifted in expression.

    Lu Jingli had not immediately noticed because he was too emotional as he continued, "Now I can confirm that the room Xiao Xi Xi had entered that night was 718. This 718 is definitely the beast we''re trying to find, but I just don''t know who booked 718¡­ Bro¡­ Bro, are you listening to me?"

 Chapter 1407: Do You Think Iâ€™d Get It Wrong?

    <h4>Chapter 1407: Do You Think I¡¯d Get It Wrong?</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao nced up, his view shifting from hisptop to Lu Jingli''s face.

    That gaze was extremely suspicious¡­

    Lu Jingli felt a little confused and scared. "Bro, what¡­ What''s wrong?"

    Lu Tingxiao ran his fingers across the date and the room number, then he said in a terrifying voice, "It was me."

    Lu Jingli scratched his head. "Huh? What? You?"

    Lu Tingxiao repeated the date and the room number. "That night, the person who booked the room was me."

    Lu Jingli was totally thunderstruck as if he could not understand what Lu Tingxiao had just said. "Bro¡­ You¡­ What are you saying? This room¡­ You¡­ You booked it?"

    "I deleted the record that night personally as well," Lu Tingxiao continued.

    There was a dead silence in the room.

    After a while, Lu Jingli quickly went up to Lu Tingxiao''s table and took a look at the dates and room number again, especially the date. His eyes widened and shock was etched all over his face. "I¡­ Damn it!"

    He remembered¡­

    "Wasn''t this¡­ The day I drugged you five years ago!?"

    He had totally overlooked it. He had not thought about it at all!

    However, it was not his fault! It was such a long time ago and he had been really focused on investigating Xiao Xi Xi''s matter, so he did not think about this. He did not really notice the date. As for the room number, their family had been regr customers at Qin Yuan Hotel, so he would not remember something as specific as the room number.

    Now that his brother mentioned it, he finally remembered!

    No wonder no matter how hard he tried, he just could not find the person!

    He could never find something that his brother had personally deleted! No one could ever know!

    Lu Jingli looked at the pages again and again, going out of his mind. "Five years ago, you and Xiao Xi Xi appeared at the same hotel¡­ At the same time¡­ What a crazy coincidence! Bro, did you remember wrongly?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at him with his ice cold gaze. "Do you think I''d get it wrong?"

    Lu Jingli was slightly intimidated and shook his head wildly.

    No! Never!

    Lu Jingli held onto his head like it was going to explode. "Then, what happened?! I''m going crazy! It''s impossible that Xiao Xi Xi went into your room! That bastard¡­"

    Lu Jingli suddenly stopped short when he mentioned the word "bastard". "Nope¡­ I must''ve mistaken something!"

    Oh God! Someone please tell him that this was all a dream!

    What a terrifying turn of events!

    And something even worse wasing.

    Lu Tingxiao turned the page and asked, "The day that Ning Xi met with an ident and had a premature delivery¡­ Was it the 18th of August?"

    Lu Jingli nodded, uncertain why his brother suddenly mentioned this. "Yes, I''m sure."

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the be between his eyebrows, his expression like a stage-12 typhoon. "What day did Little Treasuree to us?"

 Chapter 1408: Oh God! He Was So Dead!

    <h4>Chapter 1408: Oh God! He Was So Dead!</h4>

    Lu Jingli''s face cracked the moment he heard the question. He was dumbfounded, then after a while, he answered, "18th¡­of August¡­ It was 18th of August as well!"

    Lu Jingli felt like he was going to pass out processing so much information at once.

    Five years ago, the ce where he had drugged his brother, and where Ning Xueluo had drugged Ning Xi was coincidentally the same ce and the same time!

    The most terrifying part was that the day Ning Xi met an ident and gave birth to a dead child was the same day Little Treasure had arrived at the Lu family''s!

    This¡­ What did all this mean?

    He had called the person a bastard for so many days¡­ Could it be¡­?

    Lu Jingli did not dare to think about it anymore!

    "Continue with the investigation." Lu Tingxiao''s expression hardened. Even Lu Jingli did not have the guts to look at his face.

    "Yes¡­ I''ll go and look it up again! I''m probably wrong. Xiao Xi Xi wouldn''t have gone into your room!" Lu Jingli looked extremely troubled.

    Before he left, Lu Jingli mustered up some courage. He stopped and turned around on shaky legs. "Bro¡­ No matter how much I investigate, there''ll surely be some mistakes here and there. Although you booked the room, other people might''ve gone inside¡­ Actually, there''s a method to clear things up¡­"

    "Shut up!"

    "Oh¡­" Lu Jingli was so startled that he ran away. He had never seen Lu Tingxiao any scarier than this.

    If even he could think of this, of course, his brother thought of the same thing as well.

    The easiest way was to let Ning Xi and Little Treasure to do a DNA test, then everything would be as clear as day.

    But how could he say it!?

    He was so terrified!

    That night that he had drugged Lu Tingxiao, he had given him three times the normal dosage.

    Lu Tingxiao''s room, number 713, was opposite of the room 718. Moreover, 713 and 718 looked so simr¡­

    What if¡­ What if Xiao Xi Xi went to the wrong room¡­ And met his brother who had been drugged so heavily?

    If everything went by his guess, then Xiao Xi Xi''s child would be his brother''s child! However, Xiao Xi Xi had given birth to a dead child, so how could the child have been sent to the Lus without her knowledge?

    Lu Jingli felt his brain was about to be shortwired!

    From his conversation with Lu Tingxiao, he knew how much hatred Ning Xi had towards the man, and how much pain the man had caused Xiao Xi Xi. If the man who raped Xiao Xi Xi was his brother, then¡­

    Oh God! He was so dead!

    Wait, no¡­ It was not all negative anyway¡­

    If Xiao Xi Xi was Little Treasure''s mother, then he would be really happy!

    Could he use this to beg for forgiveness?

    ¡­

    In the study room, Lu Jingli should be grateful that he ran away because the moment he left the room, the temperature dropped to near freezing point. The man emitted a terrifying aura around him.

    Lu Tingxiao could never have guessed that the investigation of the man who had humiliated Ning Xi might have led to him¡­

    The man that he wanted dead¡­ Might be himself¡­

    All of this sounded like a ridiculous nightmare!

 Chapter 1409: Looked Exactly Like Ning Xi

    <h4>Chapter 1409: Looked Exactly Like Ning Xi</h4>

    Some time passed by as Lu Tingxiao remained stationary in the study room. Out of the blue, he stood up and put on his coat. He took his car keys and headed out.

    "Master, are you going out?"

    "Prepare the car. I''m getting Little Treasure."

    "Okay!"

    ¡­

    At the school entrance, school had just ended and many people gathered around the entrance. A lot of lively children walked out and left with their parents.

    Lu Tingxiao''s usually tidy cor was now ruffled as he quietly leaned against his car with a lit cigarette in his hand.

    Finally, a familiar tiny figure appeared at the school entrance.

    The little bun was carrying his little bag, putting up his usual stern face while waiting for the chauffeur to fetch him. Just then, he saw a familiar car and the familiar person right beside it.

    His eyes brightened up and he sprinted over. "Mommy!"

    Lu Tingxiao extinguished the cigarette. "Your mother didn''te."

    The little bun was disappointed, turning from a steamy hot bun into an ice-cold bun in an instant.

    The ck car rumbled along the road as the scenery outside the window passed by quickly.

    Inside the car, the adult and child were both silent.

    Little Treasure sat expressionlessly in the passenger seat while Lu Tingxiao grasped the steering wheel and plodded along, but he was ncing at his son through the rearview mirror at the same time.

    Little Treasure''s expressionless face looked exactly like his. A perfect copy. No one would ever doubt that this little guy was not his son.

    Even after so many years, every time someone doubted Little Treasure''s identity, they would just give up the moment they saw Lu Tingxiao.

    "Is Mommying over tonight?" Little Treasure asked.

    "I''ll give her a call." Lu Tingxiao stared at the contactbeled "My Love" in his phone list for quite some time before he finally made the call.

    "Hello, my sweetheart!" The girl''s voice floated through the phone like a warm river flow that calmed his exhausting heart.

    "Where are you?"

    "I was just done with work. Zhuang Rongguang called me and invited me to go to the shooting range, so I''m going there to blow off some steam."

    "Can I bring Little Treasure over? He misses you."

    "Of course, bring me my cute little son!" Ning Xi chirped happily.

    Lu Tingxiao had a lot of thoughts running through his mind when he heard her say "my cute little son".

    "Okay, we''ll be there soon."

    "Are we going to where Mommy is?" Little Treasure''s face lit up.

    "Mm-hmm." Lu Tingxiao nodded.

    The little guy then put up a smile.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at him. The moment Little Treasure smiled, his expression looked exactly like Ning Xi''s¡­

    Lu Tingxiao was taken aback.

    Ever since Ning Xi had appeared, Little Treasure started to smile a lot more. He then realized that when Little Treasure smiled, it was a different expression from his own.

    Some people had mentioned that Little Treasure was bing more and more like Ning Xi after spending so much time together, especially their smiles.

    He used to think it was just coincidence and never gave much thought to it.

    Now, he remembered how Little Treasure acted intimately with Ning Xi when they had first met, how Ning Xi''s oddly loving attitude was towards Little Treasure¡­ All of that¡­ What a terrifying coincidence!

 Chapter 1410: Such A Beauty Can Shoot?

    <h4>Chapter 1410: Such A Beauty Can Shoot?</h4>

    At the shooting range, despite just being a few months, Ning Xi almost could not recognize Zhuang Rongguang when they met.

    It was not just his outlook that had changed. The vibe he exuded was brand new. He was chatting with his friends, a sign of determination in his expression.

    It seemed like he had really changed for good and not made some half-assed change.

    Ning Xi was wearing a custom-made Spirit red dress with a pair of silver diamante high heels. She took off her sunsses and revealed her beautiful face.

    Today was not a holiday, so not many people would go to the shooting range. Even as a celebrity, she did not have to hide having some fun at the shooting range, so Ning Xi did not bother with a disguise.

    Anyhow, Ning Xi still attracted quite some attention, purely by merit of her outward appearance and not her identity as a celebrity.

    Ning Xi''s male outfit appearance was much more popr than her female outfit, especially among the girls. Most of the people in the shooting range were guys, so not everyone could recognize her in a female outfit except for several fans.

    "Wow! There''s a beauty! A hot one too!"

    "Where?! Where is she?!"

    "Isn''t that the celebrity Ning Xi?"

    "Which Ning Xi?"

    "The female lead of ''Dream Chaser''. She looks just like that in her female outfit!"

    "Why would a celebritye here? Could she like shooting?"

    ¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang heard the gossip around him and he turned around towards the entrance.

    The young man took some time to recognize who the beautifuldy with strong aura was. He waved his hand excitedly. "Sis Xi, here! Come over!"

    Zhuang Rongguang had made quite some friends recently and all of them went up to him.

    "Hey! When did you know such a beauty?"

    "And a celebrity on top of that!"

    "Introduce to us!"

    "Is she your new girlfriend?"

    ¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang blushed a little as he elbowed the young man behind him. "What are you talking about? Didn''t you hear me calling her ''sis''? She''s my sister''s good friend! She''s got top-tier shooting skills! She''s the expert that I mentioned before!"

    "Wha¡ª Zhuang Rongguang are you kidding me? The godly expert that you mentioned is her?"

    "You''re joking, right? It''s impossible! Such a beauty can actually shoot?"

    "I thought it would be a really manly woman¡­"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi heard their conversation from far away and felt tickled.

    "Sis Xi! You''re finally here! Let these idiots see what real gunmanship is!" Zhuang Rongguang went up to her excitedly.

    Ning Xi picked a gun and attempted a few trial shots, which were already enough to impress the young men. Soon, they all started calling her "sis" too.

    When Zhuang Rongguang saw the shocked expressions of his friends, he felt prouder than when he was praised himself.

    More and more people went over, so Zhuang Rongguang brought Ning Xi to another quieter range.

 Chapter 1411: My Dear Son

    <h4>Chapter 1411: My Dear Son</h4>

    Zhuang Liaoyuan was about to apany Elder Zhuang to fish, but when they heard Zhuang Rongguang had invited Ning Xi over to the shooting range, they were both interested and went over instead.

    When they arrived, Zhuang Rongguang was bragging happily to Ning Xi, "Sis Xi, I''ve finally mastered that blindfold shot of yours!"

    He then took out a ck cloth and covered his eyes. Confidently, he picked up his gun and aimed at the target.

    Bang!

    Bang!

    Bang!

    After three shots, the scores were disyed: 10 points, 10 points, 10 points.

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Not bad!"

    "Isn''t it?!" Zhuang Rongguang was so ecstatic that he could almost fly when he heard Ning Xi praise him. "I told you that I''m talented! I just didn''t want to learn before. Even I scare myself when I get serious!"

    "Idiot, getting all worked up because of some small aplishment!" Zhuang Liaoyuan chided with a stern face, but there was a hint of pride andfort hiding in his harsh words. He looked at Ning Xi with a grateful gaze.

    It was all thanks to her that his son was like this today.

    Ning Xi quickly greeted Zhuang Zongren and Zhuang Liaoyuan when she saw them. She beamed. "Rongguang is doing well to be able to reach this level in such a short time!"

    Zhuang Rongguang cheekily said, "See, even Sis Xi said so! Sis Xi, ignore them! Let''s continue!"

    They continued for a while, then there was a childish voice calling, "Mommy!"

    Ning Xi immediately put down the gun when she heard her baby''s voice. She turned around joyously and held the little guy up. "My dear son!"

    The little guy smelled really good and felt really fluffy. Ning Xi did not want to let go of him at all.

    Elder Zhuang was surprised when he saw the little guy running towards Ning Xi and calling her "Mommy". He looked at Zhuang Liaoyuan in confusion. "This child is¡­"

    As they were talking, solid footsteps came in. A man in a suit, who looked simr to the child Ning Xi was holding, came inside.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan did not have to say anything and Zhuang Zongren immediately understood. "This is the grandchild of the Lu family?"

    "Yes." Zhuang Liaoyuan put up yet another stern face when he saw Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi was not married yet. They were just in a rtionship, so how could his son call her his mother already?

    "Mr. Elder Zhuang, Chief Zhuang," Lu Tingxiao greeted the both of them.

    He then called Little Treasure over, "Greet them"

    Little Treasure looked at Zhuang Liaoyuan, then at Zhuang Zongren. After a thoughtful pause, he greeted obediently, "Hi, Uncle Zhuang. Hi, Grandpa Zhuang!"

    The little guy looked really cute like a round bun. When he tilted his head and greeted them obediently, Zhuang Liaoyuan''s expression softened and he nodded.

    He felt that something was differentpared to when hest saw him at Elder Lu''s dinner. The little guy now seemed much more active.

    Zhuang Zongren was looking at him lovingly. He extended his rough palm and patted his head. "Good boy!"

    Probably because he was already old and really liked children, he really took a liking to Little Treasure the moment they met.

 Chapter 1412: Iâ€™ll Call You Father

    <h4>Chapter 1412: I¡¯ll Call You Father</h4>

    Somewhere nearby, Zhuang Rongguang was looking at Lu Tingxiao and Lu Tingxiao''s mini-me. He mumbled unhappily, "Sis Xi, there are so many men in this world! Why Lu Tingxiao?"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows. "Because he''s cool!"

    Zhuang Rongguang almost choked but when he looked at Lu Tingxiao''s God-given wless face, he had noeback. Instead, he said, "How shallow! His kid is already so old!"

    "Sorry, I like the kid the most!"

    Zhuang Rongguang was speechless.

    A soft little bun. That was not cool at all. What was there to like about him?

    "Sis Xi, I think you''re more suitable to be with a mighty army man. I''ll look out for you when I get into the army. I''ll make sure to find someone 100 times cooler than Lu Tingxiao, then you''ll have a kid with superb genes, and your child will be as cool as you¡­"

    Ning Xi''s domineering omnipotent image was deeply crafted inside Zhuang Rongguang''s mind like the God of eagles, Contin, gathering courage, wisdom, patience, justice, and strength all into one. She was his Goddess. How could she be chained down like some canary by a rich man and just stay at home as a housewife!?

    What a terrible waste!

    Ning Xi was all over her dear son right then as she ignored the mumbling Zhuang Rongguang. She went up to the little bun with a gentle look.

    The little bun was looking at the gun in Zhuang Rongguang''s hand. She bent over and asked, "Baby, do you want to y?"

    The little bun''s eyes widened. "Mommy, can I?"

    Ning Xi smiled. "Of course!"

    When Ning Xi agreed to let Little Treasure to use the gun, Lu Tingxiao, Zhuang Liaoyuan, and Zhuang Zongren did not have any issues with it, especially thetter pair. They felt like it was normal instead.

    The Zhuangs were born out of warfare. Zhuang Zongren''s generation was brought up among the war. When Zhuang Rongguang started to walk, Zhuang Liaoyuan had given him guns as toys. At about five years old, Zhuang Liaoyuan started bringing him to the shooting range.

    Zhuang Rongguang had inherited his family talent and liked guns as well. Unfortunately, things were tough during that period of time as conflict was rife and they missed out the most important phase of growth in his life. Sadly, when they wanted to make amends, they almost destroyed this talented young seed with their extreme measures¡­

    Zhuang Rongguang pouted when he saw Ning Xi''s doting expression. "Sis Xi, be careful! He might sprain his arm! Not everyone''s like me who touched guns at three, and get 10 points at five!"

    "What if I can get a 10-pointer?" A childish yet cold voice came from below.

    Zhuang Rongguang looked at the little thing and chortled, "Ha! Brat! Have you ever touched a gun before?"

    "Nope."

    Zhuang Rongguang replied instantly, "And you dare to challenge me! If you can get a 10-pointer, I''ll call you ''father''!"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan red at him.

    Zhuang Rongguang felt awkward. "Um¡­ Well, or something like that anyway! If you can get a 10-pointer, I''ll do anything you want!"

    Little Treasure looked at him coldly with an expressionless face. "If I get a 10-pointer, promise never to drive a wedge between my parents in front of my mother again."

 Chapter 1413: Inherited Shooting Talent

    <h4>Chapter 1413: Inherited Shooting Talent</h4>

    Damn it! This child''s hearing was so excellent that he heard it even when he tried to whisper.

    Zhuang Rongguang was slightly embarrassed, then he defended himself stubbornly, "I didn''t! I''m just telling the truth! And is she even your real mother? Stop calling her your mother so casually!"

    "She''s my mother!" The little bun clenched his fists tightly and his face was frigid. Apparently, he was truly offended.

    He then said to the young man, "If I were to get a 10-pointer, you''ll say that she''s my mother a hundred times!"

    Zhuang Rongguang peered down at him. "Sure! I''m not afraid of you!"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan''s expression darkened when he saw his 18-year-old son bullying a five-year-old kid. "Rongguang, stop messing around!"

    Zhuang Zongren felt embarrassed as well. "You brat, how old are you? Aren''t you embarrassed bullying a child?!"

    "It''s alright." Lu Tingxiao did not seem to mind.

    "What''s wrong? He''s the one who suggested it¡­" Zhuang Rongguang mumbled, dissatisfied.

    "I started it. If I can''t do it, I''ll apologize to you and will call you ''brother'' a hundred times."

    "Sure! I''ll be waiting for you!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi understood that the little bun was not a capricious child. He was serious and was probably really mad.

    "Baby, are you really up for this?"

    The little bun looked at Ning Xi as if he was looking at the most important treasure in the world. "Mommy, you''re my mother."

    Ning Xi witnessed the little bun''s determination, then she picked out a gun for him.

    It was just two kids sorting out their own conflict, so Lu Tingxiao did not mind at all. On the other hand, Zhuang Liaoyuan and Zhuang Zongren did not intervene anymore.

    Ning Xi chose a light handgun for the little bun. Although the recoil was not very strong, it would be pretty tough for a five-year-old as holding the gun properly was already a big challenge itself.

    Nevertheless, everyone present was professional which was why Little Treasure was allowed to handle it.

    "Baby, we''re just here for fun. I''m always your mother. You don''t have to prove it to anyone, alright?" Ning Xiforted him.

    The little bun nodded obediently, his eyes shining.

    "Come, let Mommy teach you how to hold a gun!" Ning Xi patiently taught the little bun how to hold the gun and aim.

    Zhuang Rongguang started interrupting, "That''s wrong! How can you put your fingers there? How can you even make such a simple mistake? When I was three¡­"

    Ning Xi threw him a re. "Do you want me to have a spar with you using real knives and guns?"

    Zhuang Rongguang gulped, shaking his head wildly. He felt sour deep inside. Why was she acting like a hen protecting her chick? Just which part of this little bun was great?! He was just slightly cuter, slighter fairer, and slightly more adorable!

    Lu Tingxiao was carefully watching Ning Xi patiently teach Little Treasure. As he was observing his son who was absorbing the information seriously, a dim light passed in his eyes.

    A five-year-old 10-pointer.

    If it was not for people like Ning Xi and Zhuang Rongguang with inherited genes from their family, it would definitely be impossible.

    The Lu family ran businesses for generations and all of them received royalty-like education, so theycked talent in the field of gunmanship.

 Chapter 1414: My Father Would Have Killed Me

    <h4>Chapter 1414: My Father Would Have Killed Me</h4>

    Ning Xi was teaching the little bun patiently, and they were really enjoying themselves while emitting a cozy aura. Intermittently, Zhuang Rongguang who was just standing aside, intervened here and there.

    "Baby, are you ready?"

    "Mommy, I can do it now." Little Treasure nodded.

    "Alright, let''s try! Control your breathing. Aim the three points in a line¡­" Ning Xi guided beside him.

    Little Treasure held the gun in his hand, standing up straight. Due to his height, he had to adjust his angle upwards as he aimed at the target.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan, Zhuang Zongren, and Lu Tingxiao, who had been chatting, now all turned their attention to the little guy.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan and Zhuang Zongren''s eyes brightened when they saw Little Treasure''s posture and his grip on the gun.

    Zhuang Zongren looked surprised. "This little boy¡­ I didn''t expect his wrist strength to be this good¡­"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan nodded. "His stance is solid as well."

    He then nced at Lu Tingxiao. This child seemed to have been trained regrly. Fortunately, he was not just another bookworm from the Lu family.

    Little Treasure''s health was improving rapidly. He was already much stronger than others his age, so firing a gun was not really that difficult a task for him.

    While Zhuang Rongguang was a little surprised to see the little guy''s posture and his aim, he mumbled, "Just having the form is useless!"

    Bang!

    Little Treasure released his first shot.

    Everyone looked at the direction of the target.

    The scoreboard then revealed the score: 0 points.

    There was an awkward silence.

    Zhuang Rongguang thenughed hysterically, "Hahahaha¡­ Zero points! He totally missed the target! It''s impossible to miss the targetpletely even with your eyes closed! Hahaha¡­ And you''re telling me you''re going to get a 10-pointer? What a joke!"

    Ning Xi red at Zhuang Rongguang with a sinister expression. "It''s Little Treasure''s first time using a gun, alright!? How is it possible to get a 10-pointer right from the start? It''s already amazing that he could sessfully make a shot!"

    Actually, Ning Xi was right. It was a real gun, which normal kids would not even dare to touch. Even if they dared to, they would not be able to use it and it was impossible for them to make a shot at their first attempt.

    "At such a young age, he''s already pretty good!" Zhuang Liaoyuan and Zhuang Zongrenplimented.

    "He was the one who talked big anyway," Zhuang Rongguang mumbled.

    Although his first shot had missed and he was mocked by Zhuang Rongguang, Little Treasure had no change in his expression at all. In fact, the fiery determination in his eyes grew even stronger.

    Ning Xi had never seen the little guy so excited before. She could feel his enthusiasm as she squatted down and asked gently, "Baby, are you having fun?"

    The little bun''s eyes lit up and he nodded.

    "Then, let''s continue! Ignore the childish guy!" Ning Xi red at Zhuang Rongguang.

    The little bun raised up his gun again.

    Bang!

    3 points.

    "Not bad! You hit the target! Continue!" Ning Xi encouraged him.

    Bang!

    4 points.

    "Amazing! You improved again!" Ning Xi looked especially proud.

    Zhuang Rongguang''s mouth was twitching. "Can you stop exaggerating?! It was so bad! If I were to get those scores, my father would''ve killed me!"

    Ning Xi ignored him and continued with the little bun.

    The little bun was really enjoying himself.

    Bang!

    5 points.

    Bang!

    6 points.

    Bang!

    7 points.

    ¡­

 Chapter 1415: Dear Wife, Itâ€™s Your Genes

    <h4>Chapter 1415: Dear Wife, It¡¯s Your Genes</h4>

    When the scoreboard disyed 9.2 points, Zhuang Liaoyuan and Zhuang Zongren''s expressions changed slightly, but Zhuang Rongguang was still unimpressed.

    "Lucky brat! You actually got a 9.2! But you can''t get 10 points based on just luck!"

    As he finished his sentence¡­"Bang!" 10 point!

    Bang!

    Another 10 points!

    Zhuang Rongguang almost bit his own tongue after he saw the consecutive full-score shots. He stuttered, "You''re pretty lucky, aren''t you?"

    Bang!

    Little Treasure then proceeded to hit his third 10-point shot.

    Zhuang Rongguang was speechless.

    Three consecutive 10-pointers? Was this lucky streak¡­going rather overboard?

    Bang!

    Another 10 points -- the fourth precise shot.

    Afterward, he fired several more shots, every one of them a 10-pointer, the perfect score.

    Not only was Zhuang Rongguang shocked; Zhuang Liaoyuan and Zhuang Zongren looked stunned, and even Ning Xi was taken aback. She had still been praising him just a while ago, but she was now so astounded that she did not know what to say.

    Besides managing to hit a 10-pointer so soon, after some practice, Little Treasure was able to hit the target consistently like an expert marksman.

    After a while, Ning Xi stuttered, "Gosh! Lu Tingxiao, your son¡­ He''s amazing! The genes inherited are way too strong!"

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything.

    Dear wife, the genes don''t seem toe from me¡­

    At this point in time, he was looking at his trigger-happy son with mixed feelings.

    He was sure that no one from the Lu family, including him, possessed talent in this field, and it was Little Treasure''s first time using a gun.

    Zhuang Rongguang''s talent was inherited from his parents, and Ning Xi''s talent could probably be traced back to the blood of the Zhuang family.

    Then, what about Little Treasure?

    Where did his talente from?

    He was reminded of the investigation result Lu Jingli hade up with. That seed of doubt had now sprouted into arge tree.

    Ning Xi was afraid that the little guy might hurt himself due to his young age and undeveloped wrist strength, thus they stopped after a while.

    The little bun was still touching the gun as if it was not enough for him.

    Little Treasure usually had very little interest for almost anything, so Ning Xi was pretty happy to see him respond this way. She felt an intimate moment with him.

    At first, Zhuang Liaoyuan had a little prejudice towards Little Treasure because he was Lu Tingxiao''s son, but now all that was gone. The way he looked at Little Treasure was much more excited than when he first saw Ning Xi. "This boy¡­ He''s so talented! Even more talented than Rongguang!"

    He might even have surpassed Ning Xi.

    Zhuang Rongguang was almost crying. He was embarrassed enough already.

    Stop adding salt to my wound, alright? I have to call him "father"!

    The little bun then remembered his priorities and he turned towards Zhuang Rongguang coldly. "Don''t forget about your promise."

    Zhuang Rongguang would not stoop so low so as to break a promise with a child, so he said bitterly, "I promise I won''t drive a wedge between your parents ever again."

    "And?"

    "Ning Xi is your mother, your mother¡­ Your mother¡­"

    The little bun''s tense shoulders now rxed. He pasted a cute and satisfied smirk on his face.

    When Zhuang Rongguang saw the little bun''s smile, he was a little taken aback.

    Damn! Why did he feel that this annoying little guy actually looked cute for a moment?

 Chapter 1416: Do You Like Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 1416: Do You Like Little Treasure</h4>

    When Ning Xi realized the little bun was rather talented at shooting, while feeling quite surprised and particrly proud, she could not help but be a little jealous.

    The little bun''s genes were so amazing that they were practically illogically perfect! His biological mother must have been an especially excellent and astonishing person!

    It was just a short encounter, yet Zhuang Liaoyuan and Zhuang Zongren had both already taken a liking towards the cute little bun. On ount of the little bun, they had eagerly invited the father and son to have dinner with them at their residence. They were extraordinarily eager towards the little bun over dinner. The elder even wanted to get the little bun to stay and y for a few more days.

    Lu Tingxiao obviously turned it down gracefully. He left with his wife and the little one as soon as they were done with dinner.

    These Zhuangs! Was it not enough that they wanted to steal his wife? Now they were even thinking about his son too?

    ¡­

    Late at night, at tinum Pce, Ning Xi closed the door and walked out after coaxing the little bun to go to sleep.

    She still had to return to the vi. Just as she was about to wave goodbye to Lu Tingxiao, she could not find him.

    Atst, she saw him under the hidden vines of the Japanese rose bush in the little garden behind.

    The man was wearing a casual cotton outfit and he sat on the rattan chair under the flowers. One hand was draped across the back of the chair, while the other held a lit cigarette. The red light on the cigarette butt glowed indistinctly in the dim light of the night.

    Ning Xi frowned as she stepped onto the softwn and walked over. "Why are you here alone?"

    When he heard the girl''s voice, theyer of ice that surrounded him and seemed to separate him from the world broke down and split open. He put out the cigarette in his hand and looked up at the girl. "Come here."

    Ning Xi obeyed and walked over. Just as she stood before him, he pulled at her hand and guided her to sit on his knees.

    The man''s embrace was warm and bore a mild tobo smell together with a bit of air that made Ning Xi slightly uneasy.

    "What''s wrong? Is there something on your mind?" Ning Xi looked up to ask.

    "Do you like Little Treasure?" Amidst the tranquil night breeze, Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "Of course, I do!" Ning Xi answered perplexedly. She did not know why Lu Tingxiao had suddenly asked her this.

    Did this question even need to be asked?

    To prove that it was true, Ning Xi continued, "Actually, before I met Little Treasure, I didn''t quite like children. Hmm, it''s not that I didn''t like them. It was just that¡­ I wasn''t willing to get close to children¡­ Until I met Little Treasure¡­"

    As he listened to Ning Xi''s hesitant words, Lu Tingxiao felt his heart weigh heavier.

    That day, in the paddy fields of the vige, Ning Xi''s every word seemed to still ring in his ear.

    "The child was dead¡­ When it was born¡­ This is probably the only kindness the heavens showed me¡­"

    "If not, I really wouldn''t know how to face this child¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao subconsciously tightened his hug around the girl in his embrace. He leaned over slightly as though he wanted to kiss her, yet he suddenly pulled back just as he was about to get close. The girl''s words shed across his mind again.

    "That strange man was very scary¡­"

    "I felt pain¡­ It was agonizing¡­"

    "I felt like I was going to die¡­"

    "I had a high fever for a whole week. I stayed in bed and only recovered after about a month. When I went to the doctor, I can never forget the embarrassment¡­"

    "Afterwards, my fear towards men followed me everywhere. I hated men. That was my only experience with sex¡­"

    Each word and sentence was still ringing in his ears like a ze burning up his heart, making him feel like half of him was in heaven, while the other half was stuck in hell.

    It was only at this moment that he finally knew how Ning Xi felt carrying an unspeakable secret.

 Chapter 1417: Ning Xis Blood Sample

    <h4>Chapter 1417: Ning Xi''s Blood Sample</h4>

    An indefinite time passed before the billowing undercurrents in Lu Tingxiao''s jet ck eyes suddenly came to a deathly stillness.

    In the next second, the man''s long fingers covered the girl''s fair and long neck. With an intense sentiment that could not be resolved, his cool kiss fell onto the corner of her lips.

    Ning Xi did not know the source of Lu Tingxiao''s unease. She could only meet with his kiss to set his mind at rest.

    "Ah!" Suddenly Ning Xi gripped her neck and cried out in pain.

    "What''s wrong?" Lu Tingxiao asked urgently.

    "Umm¡­ Something seems to have poked me!" Ning Xi rubbed her shoulder.

    Lu Tingxiao raised his hand and looked at his cuff. "I''m sorry. My button''s broken and must have scratched you."

    Then, he quickly took out a handkerchief to cover Ning Xi''s bleeding cut as he held her and said, "I''ll bring you up to clean it!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s face was covered with dark clouds, and he looked incredibly miserable.

    Ning Xi watched his exaggerated expression. It was as if she had just bled a tub of blood and sheughed helplessly. "It''s just a small wound. It''s fine!"

    When Lu Tingxiao saw that the girl did not have a single inkling and was not at all wary towards him, he felt an ache as if a knife was twisted in his heart¡­

    In the bedroom upstairs, Lu Tingxiao carefully disinfected the girl''s wound and put a ster on it.

    If one looked closely, they would not notice it as it was positioned near her shoulder and could coincidentally be covered up by the cor of a shirt. It would not affect her daily life or her acting.

    "Lu Tingxiao, what''s up with you today? Your thoughts are wandering!" Ning Ximented a little worriedly.

    Lu Tingxiao kept the first aid kit and looked at her. "I''m afraid you''ll ditch me because I have a child with me."

    When she heard this, Ning Xi finally realized the issue and was shaking withughter and tears as she hung on to the man''s neck. She kissed the cheeks on his serious face. "Did you really take to heart the things that child Rongguang said? I already said I like Little Treasure the most! Why would I be ditching you because of him?! Little Treasure is clearly your plug-in, your godly assist , alright?"

    "Mmm." the man kissed her forehead but he did not seem consoled by her words.

    From the start till the end, Ning Xi did not suspect Lu Tingxiao''s peculiarities at all¡­

    Because Ning Tianxin and Annie were still over at Peachwood, Ning Xi was worried, so she rushed back even though it waste at night.

    After the girl left, Lu Tingxiao looked at the blood-stained handkerchief and his line of sight did not move for a long time until his phone rang. It was Lu Jingli.

    "Bro, you asleep yet?"

    "Come over."

    "Oh, oh, oh! I''ll be there right away!"

    It was not even a few minutes before Lu Jingli had rushed over from next door.

    When he saw his brother''s entire frosty demeanor dripping with icicles, Lu Jingli did not dare to get too close. He weakly reported from afar, "Bro, I''ve checked once more¡­ Xiao Xi Xi really did enter your room that night¡­ but as to when she entered, and whether she could''ve entered after you left, and if someone else had gone in after you left¡­ That I can''t be sure¡­"

    Before Lu Jingli finished, Lu Tingxiao suddenly opened up his palms and offered him something.

    Lu Jingli walked up in confusion. He subconsciously took the handkerchief his brother gave him. "Um¡­ What''s this?"

    Could it be for me to wipe my sweat?

    Lu Jingli was curious when he suddenly stared at it and realized there was a blood stain on the handkerchief, thus his eyes flew wide open. He stammered, "This¡­ This blood is¡­"

    Could it be¡­?

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "Xiao Xi''s."

 Chapter 1418: Little Heart About To Jump Out

    <h4>Chapter 1418: Little Heart About To Jump Out</h4>

    Indeed!

    His brother still decided to test the DNA! He should have done this much earlier! He had to investigate until he was about to puke three litres of blood¡­

    "Bro, how did you get the blood? Will you raise Xiao Xi Xi''s suspicious? Now the situation is quiteplicated. What if¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao just cut off Lu Jingli''s mumbling."Sexual entrapment."

    "Uhh¡­" Okay, since he had used this move, she definitely would not suspect anything.

    "What about Little Treasure''s blood sample?" Lu Jingli asked again.

    "Tomorrow, Little Treasure''s school will be organizing a collective health checkup."

    "Oh, oh, oh¡­ Then, it shouldn''t be a problem!" Lu Jingli nodded as he trembled carefully with the blood-stained handkerchief in his hands.

    It was not convenient to collect other samples. It was fine to use hair, but it had toe with hair follicles. Furthermore, because a child''s hair follicles might not be fully developed, there could be a deviation when tested. The most urate sample would still be blood. If they got blood to test, then it would definitely absolutely safe and there would not be any mistakes¡­

    Oh! Bloody hell!

    He was really nervous!

    His little heart was about to jump out!

    The worst thing was that this was such a huge and shocking secret. He still had to firmly stifle it and not breath a single word but he was not sure whether the stifling would kill him¡­

    It turns out knowing too much of a huge drama is also a kind of distress¡­

    ¡­

    The day that Ning Xi was most worried about had finallye.

    Her dearest darling was going to enter the set.

    In fact, today''s scene arrangements were really rather exciting. There were scenes with the male lead, the second male lead, the female lead''s father, and the female lead''s secret guard. Jiang Muye, Mo Yuxiu, Yun Shen, and her dearest darling had a high likelihood of bumping into one another.

    What did this mean?

    This meant that a table of mahjong was about to be gathered fully¡­

    However, when she got down the car and saw the devil disguised as Ke Mingyu from far away, she was still quite gleeful and temporarily pushed her worries to the back of her mind.

    There was no one else in the parking lot, thus Ning Xi hopped happily over to the man. "Ke Ke!"

    The man was neither recognizable, nor was there any expression on his face, yet the instant he saw the girl, there was a gentleness in his eyes. He opened up his arms ever so slightly and hugged the girl who hopped over. "Had your breakfast?"

    "I did, I did! Are you busy? Is it alright for you toe over to the set?" Ning Xi actually really wanted to say, if you are too busy, how about you just quit acting? Still, she also could not bear to miss this rare opportunity of being able to be with the devil.

    Sigh, if only those other mahjong yers were not here, I would be so happy to use this show to secretly date the devil!

    "It''s fine. I''ve already sorted it out." Lu Tingxiao lightly caressed the girl''s hair. "Okay, get on the set!"

    "I don''t¡­ I want to hug a little longer!" Ning Xi hugged him tightly and did not want to let go. She was just feeling too dejected, so she needed to hug her dearest darling to recharge for a while.

    The man''s lips curved upwards. There was an indulgent sort of helplessness between his brows. "Careful, we might get photographed."

    "I''ve already observed around, there''s no one!" Ning Xi still did not let go.

    Mmm, Ning Xi was right. There was no one around except¡­ Shi Xiao had apanied her that day. At that moment, he was standing not too far away behind her and he was petrified into a statue¡­

    What the heck!?

    What did he see!?

    Thedy boss¡­ Thedy boss is actually hugging a male artiste and does not want to let go!

    Now, he was considered thedy boss''s loyal fan. If he recognized correctly, that man was the second male lead from thedy boss''s previous movie, Ke Mingyu!

 Chapter 1419: Battle Between The Exes And The Current Boyfriend

    <h4>Chapter 1419: Battle Between The Exes And The Current Boyfriend</h4>

    Why was thedy boss together with this extremely in-looking artiste!?

    And she was even acting so seductively!

    Was she not someone who judged by aesthetics?

    If she wanted to find someone else, it would not be him, would it?

    Wait, that was not the point!

    The point was that she was cheating! What had he found out!?

    Shi Xiao was going crazy¡­

    Something even crazier wasing¡­

    Lu Tingxiao would never be able to resist his woman, so he kissed her back. "Be good. I''ll apany you tonight."

    Shi Xiao was crushed when he saw the man kiss her. He was so shocked that he forgot to follow them and just watched them walk away.

    Damn it!

    What should he do now?

    Should he report it to the boss now? Could he still live after knowing the fact that his boss was being cheated on?

    Should he beat up that artiste? What if another one came again after he beat up the first one?

    Ning Xi was worried about her exes, so she did not notice Shi Xiao at all. Moreover, her impression was that Ke Mingyu was the devil himself, so she did not avoid Shi Xiao at all. She forgot that Shi Xiao did not know about the disguise.

    As for Lu Tingxiao, he only had his wife in his eyes.

    On the way back to the set, Ning Xi decided she should let Lu Tingxiao know. "Dear, the people in this crew might be a littleplicated¡­"

    Among them, she did not have to worry about Jiang Muye. Su Yan would not be visiting too frequently, and she was confident that she could settle Mo Yuxiu on her own. It was easy if she were to face them by themselves, but it might be a little tough to take them on all together. Oh, and there was also that annoying person.

    She was afraid that he would cause some ruckus. Fortunately, no one knew Ke Mingyu was Lu Tingxiao yet.

    "That boss of Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group¡­ He''s thergest investor in this series¡­ And he''s going to act as my father¡­" Ning Xi struggled to tell Lu Tingxiao.

    As for who the boss of Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group was, Lu Tingxiao would surely know.

    A dim light glowed in Lu Tingxiao''s eyes. "Mmm, I get it."

    "Hmm, didn''t you say there''s something between you guys? But he doesn''t know you''re Lu Tingxiao, so there shouldn''t be any problem," she guessed.

    "It''s alright, carry on with work."

    "Mmm."

    After she told Lu Tingxiao, she felt relieved when she saw his reassuring expression.

    They were both walking towards the crew when they suddenly bumped into a person. Ning Xi''s heart almost stopped.

    The man had his usual arrogant stance and white hair with his two bodyguards behind him. The man took off his sunsses when he saw Ning Xi and smirked. It was as if he could see through her soul. He scanned Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu¡­

    Lu Tingxiao had no change in expression. No one could tell what he was thinking about.

    Ning Xi felt incredibly nervous when the guy kept on looking at Lu Tingxiao. She quickly tried to break the ice. "CEO Yun, isn''t your part in the afternoon? Why are you here so early?"

    The man stopped assessing Ke Mingyu, then he smiled and looked at Ning Xi. "My dear, because I miss you!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Damn you, Yun Shen!

 Chapter 1420: That Person Was Wooing Her

    <h4>Chapter 1420: That Person Was Wooing Her</h4>

    "Oh, right¡­" The man suddenly closed in. "My dear, don''t forget about our promise¡­ I want them tonight¡­"

    Ning Xi was startled.

    Damn you!

    It was just some cookies, yet he just had to phrase it so ambiguously!

    The man left, but before he departed, he nced over at Ke Mingyu.

    After Yun Shen left, Ning Xi quickly turned around and exined to the devil, "Dear, don''t listen to his nonsense! I went to ask for help from Annie and was forced to make a deal with him. This sick bastard wanted me to make him 9,999 handmade cookies for him! I promised him at that time because I was too worried about Sis Tianxin¡­"

    She was troubled about this guy the most, but she did not expect the problem to arise so soon. They had just met and she was almost shocked to death!

    Ning Xi was having a headache. "That bastard loves to make fun of others. Don''t believe anything he says. Just believe me, okay?"

    Ning Xi was a little confused. Did that guy act that way just now to just tease her, or did he realize Ke Mingyu''s real identity and intentionally said those words in front of him?

    It seemed impossible! Even she could not recognize Lu Tingxiao! She had to be overthinking.

    The darkness within Lu Tingxiao''s eyes vanished when he saw the girl awkwardly trying to exin herself. "Of course, I believe you."

    Of course, he would not fall for such cheap tricks but¡­

    That person had been appearing in Ning Xi''s life more and more frequently. He could not just ignore it.

    He had given her the crown at the charity dinner, then there was the incident at the party, and now he even invaded her workce¡­

    This girl in front of him did not notice at all. She did not know that man was actually¡­wooing her!

    There was a dark mist in Lu Tingxiao''s mind.

    If that man was really here for her and would do anything to get her back, would Ning Xi return to him?

    "Dear, what are you thinking about?" Ning Xi waved his hands in front of him when she saw he was daydreaming.

    Lu Tingxiaopartmentalized his thoughts. "Nothing. What about the cookies? Need any help?"

    Ning Xi was relieved when she thought Lu Tingxiao did not mind about what had happened. She said confidently, "Nope, it''s easy. I can settle it on my own!"

    ¡­

    After Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao left, a person came out of behind a pir.

    Meng Shiyi stood there, looking surprised and angry.

    She was angry because Yun Shen had really been seduced by this vixen, even speaking to her in such an ambiguous tone. She was surprised because she did not expect Ning Xi would be with such a low-level artiste and she really seemed to care a lot about him. She tried so hard to deny her rtionship with Yun Shen and it did not seem fake¡­

    Meng Shiyi had a suspicion on her mind. Was Ning Xi that stupid? She ignored Yun Shen and went for a male artiste who was a nobody!

    Well, all of that was not important. The main point was that Yun Shen really liked that vixen¡­

 Chapter 1421: The Creatures Called Ex-boyfriends

    <h4>Chapter 1421: The Creatures Called Ex-boyfriends</h4>

    The resting lounge and the dressing room for the main casts were different from that for the others. Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao went separate ways to put on their makeup.

    As she stepped into the resting lounge, there was no sign of the makeup artist and assistants. She only saw Jiang Muye humming a song in front of the dressing table.

    The moment he saw Ning Xi, he quickly removed his earphones and went up to her. "Ning Xiao Xi, how was it? Is my uncle here today?"

    Jiang Muye looked outside when he questioned her as if he was longing to see chaos. "Hahaha¡­ What a wild fight! I wonder if there''ll really be a fightter¡­"

    Ning Xi sat down on a chair and pinched between her eyebrows. "I don''t want to see any creature called ''ex-boyfriends'' right now, not even a strand of hair of them. If you keep appearing in front of me, I might just do something¡­"

    Before Ning Xi could finish her sentence, Jiang Muye swiftly ran away. Smart move.

    He had witnessed many times how violent Ning Xi could be when she was in a bad mood.

    Xiao Tao and the makeup artist arrived a whileter, so Ning Xi pumped her spirits up and started her preparations.

    ¡­

    After she was done, the first thing she did after going out was to look for her sweetheart and to watch out for her enemies.

    She saw Lu Tingxiao in a full ck outfit in a dark corner. He was holding a script in his hand. His presence was so subtle that he did not attract any attention at all.

    And then there was the other guy¡­

    Yun Shen was rxing on a luxurious-looking sofa with arge umbre over his head. Almost everyone was surrounding him and was trying to talk to him.

    After her warning, Jiang Muye sat in the resting area, pretending to read his script obediently.

    Mo Yuxiu''s scene was muchter, so he was not there yet.

    Ning Xi tried her best to make her presence unknown, hoping to pass this day in peace, but of course, it was impossible¡­

    As she was walking towards her own seat, she heard azy voice calling out for her, "Feng¡­"

    Ning Xi was pretending to not hear it, but that annoying guy called her again.

    "Come here, Feng!"

    Yun Shen was thergest investor in this series, so the director had hinted to them to try their best to get along with him, which meant that she had to do it too.

    Ning Xi toughened up and went over. "CEO Yun, are you looking for me?"

    The man tilted his head and smiled at the girl''s tormented expression. He signalled her to sit down beside him. "Feng, let''s have some practice so you won''t have any bad takester. Your father''ll feel sad if you did."

    You bastard, are addicted to roleying as the character now?

    However, the man had already changed into his acting outfit and put on his makeup for the role. As he said those lines with his seductive appearance, the female artistes and staff got very excited.

    "Oh¡­ I''m so jealous! I want to have a father like CEO Yun as well!"

    "If my father were this handsome, I would never marry anyone!"

    "CEO Yun is the national father!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was annoyed. What the heck was "the national father"?!

 Chapter 1422: Pick Up Skills Awakened!

    <h4>Chapter 1422: Pick Up Skills Awakened!</h4>

    Having been on the set for a whole day and keeping her guard up, Ning Xi was really mentally and physically exhausted. She kept making mistakes throughout the shoot and even identally whipped Jiang Muye''s hand in the middle of a fight scene.

    Jiang Muye preciously held his hand and pulled back carefully, looking miserable. "I''ve already been so good. Why do you have to hurt my hand?! When did I ever provoke you?"

    Ning Xi speechlessly gaped at him as his hand looked like it was about to break. "Why are you howling for? It''s just an ident. Hmph, just one red impression is enough to make you howl like this? Are you a man!? I''ll let you whip me back, okay?!"

    Then, she stretched out her hand.

    Atst¡­

    "You harmed me! Yet, you want to harm me again! My uncle is here. Wouldn''t I be seeking death if I dare to hit you?!" Jiang Muye eximed in exasperated, indicating that he had long seen through her trick. He avoided her far away.

    Ning Xi had no words, so she helplessly buried her head in her hands. It really was getting more and more chaotic¡­

    Not too far away, Meng Shiyi had been blocked by Yun Shen''s two bodyguards numerous times. Whether she used the hard way or the soft way, it was useless.

    While Yun Shen spoke to Ning Xi, he kept calling her "Huang Er" or "Little Huang Er" and kept going to her to rehearse scenes. The others in the crew including the director neither dared to get too close to him nor were they willing to even do so, because as long as they were within three steps of him, his two bodyguards would stare at them with a terrifying gaze that could murder someone.

    The weird thing was, for some reason¡­

    It seemed that only Ning Xi was an exception¡­

    Guo Qisheng had especially observed this for a few days and noticed that the two bodyguards were incredibly wary towards anyone, but they were obviously very rxed whenever Ning Xi was near.

    "What''s wrong, Little Huang Er? In a bad mood?" Yun Shen strolled carefreely to Ning Xi, his long and fair fingers wrapped around a box of delicate and pretty gto. "I heard they say that eating sweet things can lift one''s mood."

    Ning Xi rubbed the goosebumps on her arms as she looked suspiciously at this guy and lowered her voice to say, "What crazy meds are you on?"

    This fellow had been behaving very oddly the entire day; he was being so gentle that it horrified her¡­

    The manughed lightly as if he had not heard her. His tone became even tenderer. "Do you need me to feed you?"

    Ning Xi subconsciously looked towards Lu Tingxiao''s direction. She ground her teeth and revealed an invulnerable and tactful smile. "Thank you, CEO Yun, for your good intentions but I''m very sorry. I''m on a diet to lose weight."

    "Isn''t it better to be slightly chubby?" The man looked at her with a smile rippling in his eyes. "If you''re chubbier, the parts of you that I like¡­would just be rounder¡­"

    Ning Xi was so done!

    Crap!

    How had such an intelligent pick-up line actuallye out of this guy''s mouth?!

    What had this dude been triggered by?

    ¡­

    Even though everyone around was far away and did not know the content of their conversation, based on Yun Shen''s extra concern and intimate attitude towards Ning Xi, all of them looked envious.

    Although the both of them had the most scenes together in the drama, and they were acting as father and son, was CEO Yun not a little too kind to Ning Xi? Meng Shiyi had used up all her efforts to get close to him yet she had not been sessful. It looked like the rumors about this boss being Ning Xi''s fan was actually true.

    Was this not such great luck to have such a cool fan? No wonder someone like CEO Yun would especially make the time toe over and cameo! He had spent $ 300 million to invest and buy this cameo role¡­

 Chapter 1423: Wipe Out Using Acting Skills

    <h4>Chapter 1423: Wipe Out Using Acting Skills</h4>

    "Sis Shiyi, are you¡­ Are you okay?" Meng Shiyi''s assistant asked timidly.

    Meng Shiyi''s expression was honestly frightful.

    "That damn witch! How dare she even snatch my man!? She really thought that with the Lu Corporation''s support, I wouldn''t dare touch her?" Meng Shiyi hissed with a terrifying fury.

    The assistant echoed on the side, "Yeah, yeah, yeah! Sis Shiyi, you don''t need to give face to anyone in this entertainment industry! This woman is shameless! We should show her a little something! If Chairman Meng knows this, she''d definitely be in for it!"

    Meng Shiyi scoffed, "Do I need to rely on my daddy to deal with someone like her?"

    The assistant responded without any objections, "Of course not! Sis Shiyi, you can wipe her out with just your acting skills!"

    "Next set! Ning Xi, Shiyi, the both of you, please get ready!" Guo Qisheng shouted from the side.

    Very soon, the shoot began.

    A red and a white figure stood opposite each other.

    With the two entirely different styles of beauty appearing in the same scene, it was pleasing to everyone''s eyes without a doubt.

    Meng Shiyi looked at Ning Xi opposite her as a sly light shed across her eyes.

    She had already observed her for quite a few days. She thought that for someone who could earn praises from Guo Qisheng and Chen Mian for her acting, Ning Xi would have some skills up her sleeves, but who would have thought that she was just mediocre. At most, she was only slightly better than the usual artistes.

    Today, she would humiliate her in front of everyone.

    With Ning Xi''s meager abilities, to intentionally overshadow her in the scene was easy.

    Meng Shiyi was full of confidence. The actual situation had been easier than she imagined. She had only unted her acting skills slightly, yet Ning Xi had done a bad take three times in a row. Atst, they had even done a total of 12 takes before this scene could be wrapped up.

    Even though Ning Xi was not in very good condition recently, she had never surpassed five bad takes. This was a first for her to do so many bad takes in a row¡­

    To Meng Shiyi, she thought it was because she was overpowering Ning Xi''s acting. In reality, Ning Xi was only disturbed by a certain evildoer''s odd behavior earlier.

    In a corner, Lu Tingxiao saw that Ning Xi had been underperforming abnormally like never before and his unfathomable eyes darkened a little more.

    Byparison, a certain originator of evil was sitting there in a jovial mood and admiring Ning Xi''s 12 bad takes.

    For the entire day, her gaze had been on "Ke Mingyu", but now she was finally inadvertently distracted.

    "Director Guo, our Sis Shiyi''s time is very valuable. In fact, she''s always acted as the female lead. This time, she even tolerated your choice to have double female leads. You should at least find someone up to par. This is practically pulling down our Shiyi''s ranks!" When the assistant saw that Meng Shiyi was returning to triumph, she immediately started aggravating Ning Xi''s situation by exaggerating to curry favor with Meng Shiyi.

    Guo Qisheng actually had a headache too. It was not just Ning Xi who had been underperforming these past few days. All the other actors were not doing well either. Even though there were no huge slip-ups in their acting, it was still very far from the quality he had expected. Even "one-take" Ning Xi from thest movie had turned out like this, troubling him to a great extent.

    "Ahem, Shiyi, Ning Xi is still considered half a rookie. Her acting is not very stable. She''ll still need to trouble you to pardon her mistakes!" Now, Guo Qisheng dared not to praise Ning Xi anymore, so he could only try to resolve the situation.

    Meng Shiyi simply sneered, "If she knows she''s a rookie, then she shouldn''t make such big talk! Who''s she bragging to?"

    "Exactly! Our Shiyi, who is the double award-winning movie queen of the Golden Film and the Golden Phoenix awards didn''t even say anything. As a crappy artiste, she really is too bold!"

 Chapter 1424: How Dare You Touch My Man!?

    <h4>Chapter 1424: How Dare You Touch My Man!?</h4>

    In reality, Ning Xi never said how great her acting was. Her acting abilities had traveled through word of mouth via all the crew members she had worked with before, yet it now sounded as if she had been tooting her own horn. Consequently, the other people in the crew also pointed their fingers at her with unpleasant words.

    "I heard from friends who''ve praised Ning Xi''s acting. I thought she was a capability camp! Who would''ve thought that she was just another one relying on her looks? How disappointing¡­"

    "Actually, if youpare Ning Xi''s acting to those good-looking actresses, she''s actually considered pretty good. Just that this time, she''s met a real capability camp!"

    "Indeed, it''s all about rtivity. Whenpared to Meng Shiyi, you can see who''s the better one right away!"

    ¡­

    When she heard those words around her, Xiao Tao was infuriated.

    What!? Her Bro Xi''s acting is amazing! She could wipe out Meng Shiyi by miles!

    Despite being the party implicated, Ning Xi did not care at all. Her entire body and mind were vignt about what a certain evildoer would do next. She really did not have the unnecessary mood to deal with Meng Shiyi, and this time she was aware that her performance was disappointing but there was nothing she could say¡­

    "Bro Xi, what''s up with you recently? Are you ill? How about I tell Sis Zhizhi? We can apply for a few days of leave for you from the drama!" Xiao Tao asked worriedly.

    "No need." Ning Xi waved weakly.

    Why would she apply for leave? It was just a matter of dying sooner orter¡­

    After the short dispute, the shoot finally continued.

    Ning Xi briefly skimmed the script and her spirits lifted a little.

    Finally, it was time for her dearest darling''s scene.

    Even though most of Lu Tingxiao''s scenes were with her, today''s scene was a little special. It was with Meng Shiyi.

    From the corner of Ning Xi''s eye, she met Meng Shiyi''s gaze by coincidence. She could not help but frown. There was an uneasiness in her heart.

    Why did she feel like there was something fishy about the way Meng Shiyi looked at her earlier?

    Ning Xi shook her head. She thought that she was really being paranoid now. Ke Mingyu and Meng Shiyi had nothing to do with each other!

    Meng Shiyi retrieved her gaze, then she skimmed Ke Mingyu opposite her with disdain.

    This was the man Ning Xi liked?

    Huh, she would really like to see what was so different about this man!

    "3, 2, 1¡­ Go!"

    This scene depicted Leng Aoxue who had been severely injured during a certain sun-setting experience practice, and by chance, Yun Huang saw her.

    Yun Huang often acted fiercely and inhumanely, but the male lead, Ling Xiao, was her only weakness. She knew that Leng Aoxue was Ling Xiao''s sweetheart that he was madly in love with. Atst, she secretly sent her shadow guardian, Liu Yan to rescue her.

    In the jungle.

    Leng Aoxue''s white robe was soaked with blood, while her shoulder and torso had horrifying wounds as a result of being attacked by wild beasts. Shey barely alive in her own pool of blood. The beauty''s pale face was still incredibly breathtaking although she was on the verge of death. The cameraman quickly zoomed in for a few shots.

    At that moment, a masked man in ck appeared quietly like a ghost before Leng Aoxue. After checking Leng Aoxue''s injuries, he then helped her up.

    Leng Aoxue''s captivating eyes looked in bewilderment at the person before her. "You¡­ Who are you?"

    There were no issues as the plot progressed to this part, but something suddenly shed across Ning Xi''s eyes. Her gaze was shooting straight towards Meng Shiyi like a sharp de.

    Just then, the character Leng Aoxue, portrayed by Meng Shiyi, had her clothes slightly rumpled due to her encounter with the beasts. She vaguely revealed twin cunning curves and a deep ravine, so pure yet inviting¡­

    If Ning Xi''s sight did not fail her, when Meng Shiyi was acting with Ke Mingyu, she seemed to be indistinctly rubbing her chest against Ke Mingyu''s arm¡­

    Kas-shhh! A spine-chilling sound was heard.

    Jiang Muye watched in sheer terror as Ning Xi actually crushed the teacup in her hand into pieces¡­

    Pieces¡­ Pieces!

    Hmm, it looked like¡­ Someone was running out of luck¡­

 Chapter 1425: Someone Is About To Run Out of Luck

    <h4>Chapter 1425: Someone Is About To Run Out of Luck</h4>

    The instance the teacup shattered, the tea flowed down along Ning Xi''s fair fingers.

    Jiang Muye stared at Ning Xi''s face, then at the teacup in her hand. He gulped and swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

    Oh my¡­ The Ning Xi I''m looking at now is terrifying¡­

    What was up with Meng Shiyi? She was a movie queen herself. Why would she be secretly seducing a lesser-known male artiste like Ke Mingyu?

    Meng Shiyi was obviously well-experienced and was rather sensitive to the cameras and their positions. She had intentionally avoided them so that no one would notice her hidden dirty trick¡­

    However, only Ning Xi and the others who sat there could see very clearly from their angle¡­

    There was no way Meng Shiyi could hide her little stroke, as unintentional it may seem to others, from an experienced person in the romance field such as Jiang Muye, much less Ning Xi.

    "What¡­ What is happening Ning Xiao Xi? Hasn''t Meng Shiyi been sucking up to Yun Shen? Why did she suddenly go over to provoke Ke Mingyu?" Jiang Muye said as he quickly looked at Ning Xi''s hand. He was only relieved when he saw that she had not been hurt.

    When he said that, Jiang Muye seemed to have suddenly remembered something and his eyes widened. "Wait! Meng Shiyi wouldn''t have realized that you and Ke Mingyu have an extraordinary rtionship, would she? She saw that Yun Shen was treating you very specially, so she intentionally seduced your man to take revenge!"

    He was really in awe of Meng Shiyi''s courage!

    Jiang Muye had been excitedly analyzing, while Ning Xi silently cleaned up the shattered pieces pf ss. She slowly wiped her hands clean of the tea with a tissue, devoid of any expression on her face.

    However, Ning Xi seemed horrifying to Jiang Muye, and he felt a chill creep across his back¡­

    "Cut! Very good! It''s a pass¡­" Guo Qisheng yelled.

    When it ended, Meng Shiyi gave Ke Mingyu an ambiguous look. So long as he was a normal man, he would understand that this was an intimate hint from a woman to a man.

    After she finished her deed, Meng Shiyi finally felt better and she sat down with refreshed spirits on the couch.

    Huh, based on her status in the entertainment industry, she could toss Ning Xi many streets away. This kind of men, who relied on women to climb up thedder, would naturally know how to choose.

    "What''s the next scene?" Meng Shiyi asked casually.

    "It''s a scene with Ning Xi," the assistant said with a sardonic tone.

    Meng Shiyi smiled. She could teach that vixen another lesson, so naturally, she would notin about having too much work to do.

    Today she had to make her leave this set crying!

    "Okay, the next scene is about to begin! Ning Xi, Shiyi, please get ready!" The director''s voice was heard.

    Before they began, Gup Qisheng had particrly gone through the scenes with Ning Xi for half a day, helping to relieve her mood.

    Ning Xi looked at Guo Qisheng apologetically. "I''m sorry, Director Guo. Because of some personal reasons, I''ve been troubling you for this period of time."

    "Sigh, it''s fine. It''s normal to be in a bad state sometimes. Don''t be pressured because of this. Take it easy," Guo Qishengforted.

    Ning Xi nodded. "Director Guo, don''t worry. For our show, I''ll definitely make it even more popr than you can imagine!"

    Ning Xi then turned around and left towards the scene location.

    Guo Qisheng watched the girl''s departing figure nkly, feeling like Ning Xi seemed to be a little different earlier.

    Earlier, she did not say "our" show would be popr. Instead, she had said, "I" will make it popr.

    Huh, this little girl!

    It was clearly such arrogant words, yet for some reason, Guo Qisheng really believed her¡­

 Chapter 1426: Who Overshadows Who?

    <h4>Chapter 1426: Who Overshadows Who?</h4>

    When he saw that the next scene was about to begin shooting, Jiang Muye rushed to make himself a pot of tea and took out a bag of melon seeds, getting into the mood of watching a show.

    His favorite thing to watch was Ning Xiao Xi activating her massacre mode towards anyone else apart from him!

    "Hey, want some melon seeds?" Jiang Muye was in a great mood, thus he enthusiastically offered his snack to Mo Yuxiu opposite him.

    Mo Yuxiu looked towards Jiang Muye with an indistinct gaze. Because there had been no progress in his observation for the past few days, he finally could not help but ask, "You and Tang¡­ Ning Xi, are you guys dating?"

    When he heard this, Jiang Muye coughed and almost choked on his tea. "No way!"

    "If it''s not you, who is it then?" Mo Yuxiu was so preupied with his spection. If anyone was in a bad state, Mo Yuxiu would top the ranking.

    Jiang Muye crossed his legs and cracked the seeds between his teeth as he shot him a side look. "Forget it. That dude is indeed taken. In fact, he isn''t someone that you can beat with your abilities!"

    "You like her," Mo Yuxiu said in a certain tone.

    Jiang Muye once again choked. He was flushed and rolled his eyes at him. "That''s none of your business!"

    Mo Yuxiu could not help but fall into deep thought.

    A man that could let even Jiang Muye restrain his fear and not dare to make a move on Ning Xi¡­ Who could it be?

    Jiang Muye seemed to have seen through Mo Yuxiu''s thoughts and he pouted with a gloomy face. Bloody hell! Could he not be afraid? Just by seniority in the family, the other person could pressure him to death!

    ¡­

    "Everyone, please take your ces. Get ready, go!" Guo Qisheng shouted to start.

    Meng Shiyi''s assistant yawned as she was stood there with her arms crossed, boredom apparent on her face. She looked at the time on her phone as she said impatiently, "Sis Shiyi has rejected invitations from so many big directors to shoot for this show. She even rejected Hollywood roles! Who would have thought that she would be conned into joining a crap team like this?"

    In reality, the television series market was currently flourishing. As high-profile as Meng Shiyi''s movies were, without the foundation of the masses, it would be very hard for her to make money. If she wanted to continue taking the high-profile road and not care about money, that was fine. Since she had rejected so many movies and taken up this television series, she clearly still wanted to fish for a quick buck.

    As the country''s most invested super fantasy series plus having a team of top-notch director, producer, and cast, many top actors and actresses wanted to join the "Nine Realms" production. Even if they wanted to hire an international top actress, they would have enough to spare, much less Meng Shiyi who had only received two national awards.

    Meng Shiyi had required many connections to get the role of the female lead. However, as she spoke with such a tone of disdain and behaved so ostentatiously to such an extent now, as good-tempered as Guo Qisheng was, he could not help but be irritated at that moment.

    However, Guo Qisheng would not be calctive with a petty assistant, so he suppressed his anger and focused his attention on Ning Xi and Meng Shiyi''s shoot.

    Twilight hung low, and the light in the jungle was a little dusky.

    A red and a white figure hung mid-air from a wire. The white one was chasing after the red one, and the two figures were moving quickly.

    Swoosh! Yun Huang''s skirt fluttered high up in the sky like a raging me, her arms extended like an eagle. The tip of her toes brushed the ground and she suddenly stopped ahead.

    Leng Aoxue, who pursued closely, had followed and fallen to the ground. A sharp silver arrow was aimed fiercely at the girl up front. "Witch! Stand right there! I must enforce justice on behalf of the heavens today!"

    Meng Shiyi''s eyes were full of ferocity and anger with a perfect expression that bemoaned the state of the universe and pitied the fate of mankind, brilliantly conveying Leng Aoxue''s character that was incredibly indifferent yet also amazingly merciful.

 Chapter 1427: Great Flash of Anger For Great Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 1427: Great sh of Anger For Great Beauty</h4>

    This plot for this scene revolved around Yun Huang''s personal shadow guardian, Liu Yan, being hurt by the upright faction. Yun Huang had gone on a killing spree for revenge and the blood of the upright faction flowed like a river. Leng Aoxue wanted to enforce justice on behalf of the heavens.

    This entire scene had Leng Aoxue upying the dominant protagonist role, so it was especially befitting that she overshadowed her co-actress. As long as she pushed it a little more, Ning Xi would definitely be even more humiliated this time¡­

    Under Meng Shiyi''s gaze with concealed overtones, the girl in the red robe opposite her seemed not to notice Leng Aoxue''s overflowing fury and murderous intentions at all. She stood there, contented and unhurried, as she drawled with an indistinct smile, "I wonder what path you''re practicing, fairy Aoxue?"

    Leng Aoxue''s cold, beautiful gaze became even more zealous. "Witch! How dare you quibble?! You ughtered all 107 of Seven Star Faction''s people in one evening. Such a wild massacre youmitted! It will be hard to eliminate your sins! Heaven''sw cannot tolerate such evil!"

    "Huh¡­" Yun Huang looked down and scoffed. In a sh, her ck feather-like eyshes slowly blossomed and her gloomy gaze fixed on Leng Aoxue. Her fingers lightly brushed away the blood stains on her cheeks as her hair whipped in the strong wind that blew in her face. Her entire being was akin to a demon. "I''ve said that if anyone dares to touch a single strand of hair of his¡­ I will have his head¡­ If anyone dares to hurt him, I will kill his entire faction¡­"

    When he saw this, Guo Qisheng''s eyes suddenly lit up. His emotional heart was fluttering!

    This girl was back to her amazing self!

    Her acting was just too awesome!

    Guo Qisheng had already put all his woe from before to the back of his mind as he looked excitedly towards Meng Shiyi.

    "Wit-"

    Unexpectedly, in such an emotionally-stirring moment, Meng Shiyi had actually forgotten her script!

    "Witch¡­" Meng Shiyi tried to speak again, but she was still stuck. She could not utter a single word of the generous speech that came after.

    She had already prepared her emotions well, preparing to topple Ning Xi until she could not recover from the minor setback. However, who would have thought that when she met Ning Xi''s eyes, her brain suddenly lost all control. The script that she wanted to blurt out was stuck in her throat, and she only said a word before she could not make any more sound.

    "Cut! One more time!" Guo Qisheng wrung his hands and sighed.

    Meng Shiyi had yet to react to what had happened. The sound of Guo Qisheng yelling "cut" rang beside her ear.

    Damn it! What was happening?

    Had she suffered apse in concentration earlier?

    As for the mistake this time, Meng Shiyi only thought that she had been momentarily absent-minded. Her assistant and the other crew members did not pay much mind to it.

    Very soon, the second part of the shoot continued.

    Meng Shiyi took a deep breath. This time, her state of mind had to be even more fervent than her attitude thest time. She felt a huge pressure that weighed like the Earth on her entire body as she walked over to Ning Xi. "Witch! How dare you quibble¡­"

    If it were just a minor actorcking basic training, they definitely would have performed awkwardly and would even find it hard to recite the script.

    Still¡­

    "I''ve said that if anyone dares to touch a single strand of hair of his¡­ I will have his head¡­ If anyone dares to hurt him¡­ I will kill his entire faction¡­"

    Faced with the situation of Meng Shiyi whipping out almost her entire closet of skills to intentionally pressure her, Ning Xi felt even more at ease instead. The words from her mouth seemed to be the rightful principle and Heaven''sw that she wanted to convey to Meng Shiyi about her disgraceful behavior.

    At that moment, the girl in red was arrogant and unparalleled as she stepped over Heaven''sw.

    This was Yun Huang!

 Chapter 1428: Itâ€™s Just Getting Started

    <h4>Chapter 1428: It¡¯s Just Getting Started</h4>

    Ning Xi had brought her acting to another level again and Guo Qisheng was really excited.

    "You witch! You¡­"

    Unfortunately, Meng Shiyi faced another bad take again.

    Ning Xi''s attitude and her lines seemed tock strength on the surface, but for some reason, Meng Shiyi felt like there was an uncrossable realm in front of her. She just could not move at all.

    Damn it! What had happened to her!? Why could she not say her lines?

    If the first time was just a coincidence, then this time¡­ She felt that things were not as simple as it seemed¡­

    Meng Shiyi looked a little pale. She frowned and looked at Ning Xi''s direction. Ning Xi drank some water offered by her assistant and gave Meng Shiyi a chilling smile.

    "Sis Shiyi, what happened? Are you tired? It''s all her fault for having so many bad takes just now! She wasted your effort!" The assistant quickly consoled Meng Shiyi.

    Meng Shiyi''s expression softened with her assistant''sforting words.

    Somewhere nearby, Jiang Muye was munching on some melon seeds like a chipmunk. He looked at Meng Shiyi with a cold smile. "Heh¡­ Can''t take it anymore? It''s just about to start¡­"

    ¡­

    The third take started soon.

    Meng Shiyi flipped through her well-memorized script again. She made sure that she would not make any mistakes again this time. Shortly, the shooting resumed.

    Meng Shiyi did not want to be careless again, so she prepared herself and brought everything she had for the first time ever since she had joined this crew.

    As she finished her lines, her charismatic aura was so impressive that everyone focused on her. Even the cameraman quickly did a close-up shot of her.

    The wind blew stronger¡­

    Yun Feng was like a scorching phoenix. Her eyes were full of disdain towards humans subsiding to the rules of morality. She overstepped the rules and stared at Meng Shiyi as if she was watching some lowly ants. She proceeded with her frivolous line¡­

    This time, Meng Shiyi just stood there stunned. She could not even say the word "witch".

    As for everyone else, including the working staff and artistes, they were mesmerized by Ning Xi''s expression.

    Those were such rude and frivolous words, yet everyone was taken in by that maniac attitude and fell for it¡­

    After some time, everyone returned to their senses.

    Their first reaction was that it felt surreal¡­

    Had Ning Xi just transported everyone into the scene?!

    Suddenly, everyone then also realized that Meng Shiyi had made a mistake again.

    Although sheined about Ning Xi just now, she had made three mistakes in a row as well.

    From everyone''s perspective, Ning Xi was famous because of just her looks and it was normal for her to have bad takes, but when it happened to the actress that everyone looked up to, the person that was supposed to crush Ning Xi, it was really surprising¡­

    Meng Shiyi looked extremely unwell.

    "Sis Shiyi, she must''ve really exhausted you. Come and take a break," the assistant mumbled, still ming it on Ning Xi.

    However, after seeing what had just happened, everyone could not agree to the excuse the assistant used.

    That was not being tired at all! It was more like she had been too shocked by Ning Xi''s performance.

 Chapter 1429: How Violent

    <h4>Chapter 1429: How Violent</h4>

    After a short break, the fourth take started.

    Bad take after bad take, the streaks of bad takes continued.

    Then, it was the fifth time, sixth time, seventh time¡­

    More and more people gathered around in surprise.

    Until the 12th time!

    Ning Xi seemed to have retaken the same scene 12 times as well just now.

    Just as everyone was thinking about it, Meng Shiyi did another bad take.

    13 times¡­

    She made even more mistakes than Ning Xi¡­

    After the 13th time, Meng Shiyi almost broke down. She tossed the sword in her hand away. Then, she went into the resting lounge and swept all the cups and pots on the table to the floor.

    With all the nging and the scattering shards all over the floor, her pale assistant covered her ears. "Sis-Sis Shiyi¡­"

    "Get lost!"

    ¡­

    Everyone looked at each other when they saw Meng Shiyi go crazy.

    No matter how hard they wanted to find an excuse for her, it was the 13th time, and she had made the simplest mistake of forgetting her lines. That really did not add up to her famed title as the actress of the year.

    It was such a rookie mistake¡­

    "So, that''s all an actress of the year has got," someone said.

    Among the crowd, there was an excited voice, "The main attraction is Ning Xi! Her acting just now was so cool!"

    "Right, despite being the main antagonist, she was really cool! I want to marry Ning Xi! Why does it feel like Yun Huang is cheating with Liu Yan instead? I feel so angry right now!"

    "Director Guo was not exaggerating after all! Ning Xi''s acting is really superb! She probably wasn''t feeling well before¡­"

    "Then, there''s Meng Shiyi. Both her acting and personality are overrated¡­"

    ¡­

    Meng Shiyi was furious as she heard everyone discussing her and she red at Ning Xi''s direction.

    Damned witch, what did you do?

    Why could I not say the lines?! Just exactly why?

    Could it be¡­ Could it be¡­ That I''m being suppressed?

    No! Impossible!

    That decorative ornament without any real acting skills would never know how to do it. In the whole industry, there were not many people who could do such a thing, and at most, it could only be used against newbies. Ning Xi would never be able to pull it off¡­

    Meng Shiyi did not want to believe it since just a while ago, she made Ning Xi retake the same scene 12 times¡­

    "Wow¡­ How violent¡­" Jiang Muye was enjoying what was happening.

    Sigh¡­ Why do some people hate living so much? Why do they have to seek death instead!?

    Jiang Muye thought about it. Ning Xi had not really been herself recently. He did not expect her to be this furious just because Meng Shiyi had touched his uncle slightly, and it was not even direct skin contact¡­

    Jiang Muye''s expression darkened and he looked slightly bitter.

    He knew it. The moment his uncle joined the production, he was going to see these situations happening. He just did not expect so much to happen on the first day.

    At the same time, Yun Shen never said anything after the shooting for this scene started. He just sat there quietly under the shade, his evil-looking face concealed in the shadows. Although no one was able to see his face, his two bodyguards were stiff as if they were facing a powerful enemy.

    They had followed their boss for many years, so they knew his mood exactly. His mood right now was extremely terrible¡­

 Chapter 1430: Which Hand Did She Touch

    <h4>Chapter 1430: Which Hand Did She Touch</h4>

    "Sis Shiyi, do you still want to continue? Should I tell the director that we''ll continue tomorrow?" The assistant suggested after seeing Meng Shiyi make so many mistakes.

    Not only was it not effective, it made Meng Shiyi fly into a rage. "What are you talking about!? Continue!"

    If she left right now, she would be a joke to everyone!

    Because Meng Shiyi insisted, the 14th take started.

    All the staff stayed focused and continued.

    Under everyone''s gaze and face to face with Ning Xi, a fear welled up inside Meng Shiyi. This woman¡­ she was the devil¡­

    Soon, it would reach the part she had failed 13 times.

    Meng Shiyi''s palms were sweating while she grasped the sword.

    "I will kill his entire faction!" Yun Huang stated.

    Ning Xi''s performance was still as impressive as ever. After repeating it so many times, she could still make everyone immerse themselves in it; it was so powerful every time. Anyone who knew anything about acting would definitely be impressed¡­

    The only difference was that Meng Shiyi noticed the force that was holding back her throat was now gone. She caught the opportunity and finally finished the line she had not been able to let out for so long¡­

    "Cut! Good take!" Guo Qisheng yelled with great excitement.

    Although it had taken 14 times, it was definitely worth it. Both the main leads had given it their all, and the oue was amazing.

    "Shiyi, like I said, people will have times when they aren''t in the right state. It''s just several bad takes, so don''t mind it so much! It was really great just now!" Guo Qisheng tried to smooth things over.

    Although Meng Shiyi did not look very happy about it, she was exhausted and was too tired to say anything.

    Damn it¡­ She underestimated that witch¡­

    There were still several scenes afterward, mostly rted to Ning Xi.

    One of it was a fighting scene with the secondary male lead Mo Yuxiu, while the other one was a romantic scene with the main male lead Jiang Muye.

    After the 14 retakes just now, not only did Ning Xi not look tired, she was all fired up. She helped Mo Yuxiu and Jiang Muye immerse into their scenes. Both scenes passed on their first take, and the effects were outstanding. It was on par with the quality of a movie.

    Guo Qisheng could not stop smiling when he was looking at the footages. Mo Yuxiu was really going at her with the intention to kill, and the scene with Jiang Muye was really tear-jerking¡­

    The day came to an end.

    Finally, Ning Xi got the chance to look for her sweetheart.

    They went to a corner without anyone around. Ning Xi pushed Lu Tingxiao against a wall and bit the man''s lips.

    The man grunted. His big palms supported the girl''s hips, aiding her tomit her crimes¡­

    "Which hand did she touch?! This one?! Or this one?" The girl fumed.

    Seeing the girl''s jealous face and thinking about her being in her rage mode just now, the man looked really amused. He gently kissed her red lips andughed.

    "Stopughing!" Ning Xi red at him.

 Chapter 1431: Providing For A Pretty Boy

    <h4>Chapter 1431: Providing For A Pretty Boy</h4>

    "Don''t worry, she didn''t touch me," Lu Tingxiaoforted.

    "But I saw it! I saw her rub her chest against you!" When she said this, Ning Xi got even angrier.

    "Do you think that I would have let her touch me?" The man''s wide palm rubbed the hair of the girl who was about to explode. The haze that lingered in between his brows the entire day today had also quietly dispersed. "I moved back and evaded it. Just that from your angle, it looked like we touched."

    It turned out she had viewed it wrongly from a misalignment of position. She knew that the devil would not have just let anyone take advantage of him.

    Only when she heard this, did the fire of fury in Ning Xi''s heart somewhat extinguish a little.

    Freaking hell! She had been on edge for so long and had been worried that Lu Tingxiao would fall into the vinegar jar , but who would have thought that in the end, it was she who almost died from drowning in vinegar¡­ Jeez¡­

    After she cooled down, Ning Xi''s recent uneasy frame of mind had already calmed down quite a lot. Her rtionship with Lu Tingxiao would not reach to the extent of being affected by this little matter. Since Lu Tingxiao was fine, she had nothing to be worried about then¡­

    Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao walked towards the car park. They noticed two people strolling from the other side directly opposite them. Coincidentally, it was Meng Shiyi and her assistant.

    This was truly a case of enemies on a narrow road.

    "Why is it that no matter where we walk, we bump into this crappy vase? How unlucky!" Meng Shiyi''s assistant was muttering despicably.

    Meng Shiyi immediately revealed an expression that was delighted about getting on Ning Xi''s nerves when she saw her, then she looked mockingly towards Ke Mingyu beside her and smirked maliciously. "Huh, Ning Xi¡­ I wonder¡­ If your manager and your fans know that you''re providing for a pretty boy. Sleeping with a junior from the samepany¡­ How would their reactions be like?"

    When she heard this, Ning Xi instantly raised her brows.

    Huh? Sleeping with him?

    She liked this term! She liked the party she was sleeping with even more.

    Meng Shiyi watched as Ning Xi did not seem in the least concerned. Her expression then turned gloomy, and she spoke sternly, "Ning Xi! Do you think that I can''t do anything to you because I don''t have evidence? Huh, I''m telling you, when I, Meng Shiyi, speak in the entertainment circle, I don''t need evidence!"

    Indeed, with Meng Shiyi''s status, if she were to expose Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu''s scandal, even if everyone did notpletely believe her, word would get around and most of them would talk.

    When she heard this, Ning Xiughed then she slowly took out her phone and yed a video. She mocked, "Top actress Meng, obviously, you don''t need evidence when you speak, but mere characters like us¡­ Well, we obviously need to have some evidence when we speak!"

    Ning Xi yed the video showing Meng Shiyi doing many bad takes in a row and losing her self-control. On the screen, she was fuming mad after the bad takes, and there was even a scene of her flying into a terrible rage.

    After she guessed that Meng Shiyi might have found out about her rtionship with Ke Mingyu, Ning Xi had long asked Xiao Tao to quietly help her record the scenes.

    As the saying went, a beggar can never be bankrupt. It was fine if she did bad takes, but it mattered very much to Meng Shiyi. Besides, Meng Shiyi had even done those bad takes in front of someone like her, a junior she felt was beneath her, a rookie, a vase, an idol camp¡­

    Meng Shiyi did not think that Ning Xi would have had something up her sleeves. Her expression instantly changed. She was so angry that her face turned a livid purple. "You!"

    If this video was shared with the public, the consequences would be more severe than Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu''s scandal. Within the entertainment industry, scandals weremonce. Even though there would be oues, it would be limited. Besides, Meng Shiyi would be speaking like an empty vessel since she did not have enough evidence that could shock and attract eyeballs. However, to Meng Shiyi, the video in Ning Xi''s hands could ruin her image that she had worked so hard to build.

    Thus, Ning Xi had correctly predicted that Meng Shiyi would definitely not dare to act rashly.

    When she saw that she had achieved the results she wanted, Ning Xi had no patience to be long-winded with her, so she just held Ke Mingyu''s hand right in front of her and left swiftly.

    Behind them, Meng Shiyi almost passed out from anger. Besides the fact that she could not do anything to her, she had even been thoroughly made a fool of!

    ¡­

 Chapter 1432: Feeling of Being Protected By The Wife

    <h4>Chapter 1432: Feeling of Being Protected By The Wife</h4>

    "My dear, I''m here, don''t worry!" Ning Xi looked like an overbearing guardian protecting her lover. She was quite dedicated to adhering to their illegal rtionship.

    Lu Tingxiao coughed lightly and held back hisughter. "Mmm."

    As he observed the girl''s protective look, Lu Tingxiao could not help but recall the girl''s words from the series, "If anyone dares to touch a single strand of hair of his¡­ I will have his head¡­ If anyone dares to hurt him, I will kill his entire faction¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao''s heart instantly turned to a pile of mush. He instinctively leaned towards her lips¡­

    However, before Lu Tingxiao could get closer, apanied by a gust of wind, a palm swept directly towards his face.

    Ning Xi instantly reacted and immediately pushed Lu Tingxiao behind her to protect him, then she raised a palm against the person who had ambushed him.

    To her surprise, Ning Xi''s palm met nothing. When the other person saw that it was her they were striking, they immediately retrieved the attack.

    "Who is it?!" When Ning Xi looked up and clearly saw who the attacker was. She was dumbfounded. "Shi Xiao?"

    At that moment, Shi Xiao was staring straight at Lu Tingxiao with a murderous expression at whom she protected behind her.

    Hmm, this was a rather familiar situation¡­

    This was the exact same reaction Lu Jingli had when he first saw Ke Mingyu.

    Ning Xi put her hand to her forehead helplessly.

    Now, she finally remembered Shi Xiao, and at the same time, she remembered that it was probably in the morning when Shi Xiao had first seen her intimate contact with Ke Mingyu. With Shi Xiao''s restless and impulsive personality, he had probably held back and only made a move now. She could imagine the kind of brutal struggle his heart must have experienced the entire day.

    Shi Xiao''s gaze looked like he wanted to pummel someone as he walked past Ning Xi without a word and moved to attack Ke Mingyu behind her again.

    However, with Ning Xi there, Shi Xiao was destined to not be able to touch a single hair of Ke Mingyu''s.

    Shi Xiao''s continuous attacks were all stopped by Ning Xi''s tight defense. Do not even mention beating up that pretty boy; he could not even touch him. His frustration almost drove him to his own death.

    Bloody hell! He knew that running here to be the Lady Boss''s bodyguard was just bringing contempt upon himself. Now, he could not even handle one little pretty boy¡­

    What was the point of the Boss wanting him to do this job? How could he still face the Boss!?

    Whilst facing his subordinate that was on the verge of breaking down, a certain devil had no reaction at all. Hmm, being protected by the wife was not a bad feeling at all.

    After thest failed attempt, Shi Xiao felt really defeated. He looked with bloodshot eyes towards Ning Xi and the pretty boy beside her andined, "Miss Xiao Xi, how can you do such things behind the Boss''s back? Even though¡­ Even though the Boss is serious, stubborn, unromantic and doesn''t know how to make girls happy, when he''s angry, he''s no different from the King of Hell¡­"

    When she heard this, Ning Xi could not hold it in anymore and buried her face into Lu Tingxiao''s chest to explode inughter. "Hahaha¡­ My dear, now that you''ve heard your subordinate''s honest evaluation of you, how do you feel?"

    Shi Xiao was ranting halfway when he suddenly looked up in disbelief at Ke Mingyu again.

    The Lady Boss''s words¡­ What did she mean?

    Lu Tingxiao looked helplessly towards the girl who wasughing in his embrace, then he looked up towards Shi Xiao and said expressionlessly, "It''s me."

    This time, Lu Tingxiao used his real voice.

    When that familiar voice rang in his ears, Shi Xiao''s entire face looked like it had been rocked by a major disaster. "Boss?!"

 Chapter 1433: No Problem

    <h4>Chapter 1433: No Problem</h4>

    Momentster, in the car, Shi Xiao drove as he kept looking through the rearview mirror at the person in the back seat.

    Ning Xi was listlessly leaning against Lu Tingxiao. As she kept yawning, her pair of starry eyes watered. She had done so many scenes in a row today and had used up too much energy. Once she got the chance to rx, it was immediately hard to stay awake any longer.

    Lu Tingxiao helped to adjust the girl into afortable position. "If you''re tired, then sleep for a while."

    Ning Xi nodded with sleepy eyes. Shey on Lu Tingxiao''sp and shut her eyes. Very soon came the sound of drawn-out, exhausted breathing.

    Lu Tingxiao took out a nket from the storagepartment and gently covered the girl with it, then he ordered the person driving up front without even looking up, "Increase the temperature a little."

    Before Shi Xiao''s brain could process the order, his body had already swiftly increased the temperature of the air conditioner by a little.

    Uhh¡­

    This automatic conditioned reflex terrified him.

    Was this person truly his boss?!

    Even though he hadpletely changed his face, in a situation where the man was not intentionally keeping a low profile at that moment, his presence and his every move were incredibly natural, especially that loving gaze when he looked at Ning Xi¡­ Mmm, that was his boss, no doubt¡­

    He knew that things like a human-skin mask existed, but he would never have thought that his boss would use such a method to apany Ning Xi on drama sets and actually act. This was pampering to the point of defying the natural order!

    Ke Mingyu¡­

    The boss had, in fact, already joined the crew during "Dream Chaser", entering the team to protect Miss Xiao Xi himself.

    When he thought about this, Shi Xiao''s expression could not help but darken. If it was not for him losing his boss''s trust, the Boss would not have needed to go to this extent.

    ¡­

    At night, at Peachwood, after Ning Xi woke up from her sleep, she immediately got busy in the kitchen.

    Annie ran over worriedly. "Bro Xi, let me help you! How many days are you going to spend making so many biscuits!?"

    "Never mind, it''s done." Ning Xi waved her hand.

    Ding! She opened the oven door and a strong waft of sweetness filled the air.

    Ning Xi put on a pair of thick mittens and took out the biscuits.

    Annie was just about toment on how it was not enough, but when she took a closer look at the biscuits, she was instantly speechless.

    "Sess!" Ning Xi swiftly packed the biscuits up in a box and then pped her hands.

    Ning Xi had made eight biscuits. Every one of the biscuits had a word scrawled on with jam. Putting them together would make "nine", "thousand", "nine", "hundred", "and", "ny", "nine", "biscuits".

    Nine thousand nine hundred and ny-nine biscuits. No problem!

    To deal with illogical maniacs, you would need to use unusual logic!

    Obviously wanting to get this over with as soon as possible, Ning Xi immediately rushed to the suburbs to deliver the biscuits when she had just finished. After she passed it to 16, she did not stay longer. She left the biscuits in the woman''s hands and immediately ran off.

    Little did she know that not too long after she left, outside the haunted old residence in the suburbs, a ck, low-profile car had stopped mystically at the entrance.

    The person in the driver''s seat quickly got down and walked to the back before carefully opening the back door.

    Momentster, a 50-odd-year-old man in a traditional Chinese outfit and white hair stepped down from the car. Feng Jin and four other bodyguards followed behind him with solemn and respectful expressions.

    The man in the Chinese outfit had just walked to the door when Tang Ye personally went up to greet him. He lowered his gaze and spoke with utmost respect, "Master!"

    "Mmm." The man in the Chinese outfit responded expressionlessly, "Where''s Ah Shen?"

    "Inside the house."

 Chapter 1434: Obviously The Woman

    <h4>Chapter 1434: Obviously The Woman</h4>

    The man d in the traditional Chinese outfit walked inside the house. Along the way, everyone was filled with nerves and no one dared to say anything.

    In the master bedroom upstairs, Yun Shen was lying on the recliner on the balcony. On the short table beside his hand was a script and a box of biscuits.

    When he heard movement, the man leaned over to see who it was. In azy drawl, he said, "Uncle Qiao, what wind has blown you here?"

    Qiao Yu looked upset. He first raised his hand to dismiss everyone else, then he spoke with a frigid expression. "Ah Shen, don''t forget the purpose of your return to the country! Is it for the Lu family or a woman?!"

    Under the moonlight, Yun Shen''s expression was cool and frivolous. "Obviously, the woman."

    Qiao Yu choked. "Yun Shen!"

    "Huh, what!? I''m just kidding! Don''t be so tense!" The manughed lightly.

    Qiao Yi''s face was covered with gloom. He had raised this person before him, and the person who understood Yun Shen the most in the world was him. Sadly, he was not sure when it began, but he actually felt that he could no longer read him anymore¡­

    "As long as you know it well in your heart!" Qiao Yi huffed before he walked out with a stiff expression.

    In the corridor, Tang Ye stood as straight as a ramrod and waited.

    "Ah Ye, follow me."

    Tang Ye seemed to expect that Qiao Yi would look for him. The fists by his side tightened slightly before he followed Qiao Yi into a study room.

    Under the dim lights, Qiao Yu''s expression was a little bleak. "Ah Ye, the three-month period is up. Don''t tell me that despite so many of you catching Tang Lang, none of you couldy a hand on him!"

    Tang Lang''s eyes were instantly filled with darkness and he knelt down at once. "Master, Tang Lang¡­"

    Qiao Yi raised his hand and cut him off. "Ah Ye, I know you and him grew up together. You love each other like brothers. How could my heart not ache? Usually, when he causes trouble, have I ever said a word? But this time, it is a capital offense to betray the faction. For the sake of our master-disciple rtionship, I''ve let you make the move. I''ve already offered extreme benevolence towards him!"

    When he said this, there was clear stress and warning in Qiao Yi''s eyes. "I will give you seven more days, Ah Ye. Don''t disappoint me!"

    ¡­

    At this same time, at the Ning family''s official residence, the house was decorated withnterns and colored banners. It was avish party of glitz and m in the living room.

    Today, it was the auspicious day of the engagement between the Su and the Ning families.

    Because it was just an engagement party, everyone present were the rtives from the two families. Even so, the asion was still rather grand; those who came and went were figures of prestige.

    "Congrattions!"

    "The two children are really perfect with each other. They are a match made in heaven!"

    ¡­

    All of the guests courteously offered congrattory and celebratory wishes as if the incident of Ning Qiutong publicly exposing Ning Xueluo''s life history at the cocktail event the other day had never happened.

    Now that even Ning Yaohua''s shares had been passed to Ning Xueluo, the Sus would carry out the wedding as nned next month to take Ning Xueluo into their family. Those with eyes would know which of the two Ning daughters were more important. No one would mention that incident on such an asion.

    Ning Xueluo clung onto Su Yan and was busily receiving all the guests, epting everyone''s well wishes and envious gazes. There was a contentment that she had never felt before in her heart.

    This was just the beginning. In the future, what she would be getting would be so much more¡­ Much more¡­

    Sadly, that witch Ning Xi was not there that day. She could not see all of this for herself¡­

    However, that was fine. It was her wedding next month. When that happened, the entire city would bear witness to all of this. Even if she wanted to avoid it, she would not be able to!

 Chapter 1435: Ideas About The Zhuang Family

    <h4>Chapter 1435: Ideas About The Zhuang Family</h4>

    The sound of a phone ringing interrupted her gloating to herself. Ning Xueluo took out her phone to take a look. It was an unknown number.

    "Hello? Who''s this?" Ning Xueluo asked with a sweet and courteous voice, thinking that it was a guest who was calling.

    "Xueluo¡­ It''s me¡­ It''s mother¡­"

    Ning Xueluo''s expression instantly changed. She covered the mouthpiece on her phone and smiled at Su Yan beside her. "Bro Yan, I''m going to take a call."

    "Mmm, go ahead."

    Ning Xueluo rushed to the courtyard with her phone. The sweet smile on her face instantly vanished, and she spoke sternly now, "Didn''t I tell you not to call me?"

    There was a pause from the other end, then came the sound of a slightly embarassed voice, "Xueluo, I heard that it''s your engagement today¡­ As your mother, I just¡­"

    "Shut up!" The sound of "mother" seemed to have touched Ning Xueluo''s raw nerve. She immediately cut her off sternly.

    Sun Lan probably realized her daughter''s fear of the taboo, so she immediately changed her words, "I just wanted to congratte you¡­"

    "There''s no need. As long as you pretend that I don''t exist, I''d be really grateful to you!"

    "Oh, earlier, Xiao Nuo went looking for you¡­"

    "How dare you mention Xiao Nuo? How many times have I told you guys to nevere to the Ning residence?! Did you even hear what I said? Must you ruin me before you''re happy?" Once that incident was brought up, Ning Xi''s fury was ignited again. She did not even bother asking about the reason Tang Nuo hade to the Ning residence.

    "Xueluo, it really hurts me to hear you to speak like this. I know that you don''t have it easy in the Ning family either. So as not to cause you trouble, we''ve never once gone looking for you all these years. This time, it was because we had no other option. That was why we let Xiao Nuo make a trip to Imperial¡­"

    "Enough! I''m very busy right now. I''ve no time to talk about all this with you. Just say it, how much money do you want? But just this once! Please get it straight. You guys have never raised me a single day. I don''t have any obligations to you lot and I''m not your ATM!" Ning Xueluo immediately guessed that based on the tone of her voice, Xiao Nuo had probablye looking for money. She instantly looked disgusted.

    "No¡­ Xueluo, you''ve misunderstood¡­ I''m not calling because of money¡­" Sun Lan never would have thought that her daughter would misunderstand her like that. If it was not for those rogues who had forced them into a tight spot, they would not have troubled her. Still, she had not even asked why Xiao Nuo went looking for her at all or what might have happened at home before she uttered such words.

    "Xueluo, why are you here alone?" Behind her, Su Yan''s mother called out. Ning Xueluo did not wait for Sun Lan to exin and quickly hung up.

    "Aunty Su¡­" Ning Xueluo rushed to sh her signature sweet-tempered and lovable smile.

    "Good child! It won''t be long before you have to correct yourself and call me ''Mother-inw''! I''ve waited this day for five years!" Su Yan''s mother yfully tugged Ning Xueluo''s hand affectionately.

    Ever since Ning Xueluo''s identity had been exposed, Su Yan''s mother''s attitude towards her had be quite indifferent. Even after Ning Yaohua had transferred all his shares to her, it was still hard to return to how it was.

    Ning Xueluo never would have thought that Su Yan''s mother would suddenly be so friendly towards her. She could not help but feel a little taken aback by the affection, then she quickly revealed a shy and touched expression. "It''s my good fortune to have a mother-inw like you!"

    Su Yan''s mother smile spread wide as she tugged at Ning Xueluo''s hand to say a few more intimate words, then she changed the topic. "Xueluo, on your wedding day, is your family inviting anyone from the Zhuang family?"

 Chapter 1436: Free of Worries

    <h4>Chapter 1436: Free of Worries</h4>

    When she heard this, Ning Xueluo was instantly stunned. She was just wondering why Su Yan''s mother was suddenly so friendly and eager to her tonight. She did not think that it would have been because of the Zhuangs¡­

    Ning Xueluo immediately revealed an embarrassed and awkward expression. "Well, I''ve never heard my parents mention it. On the guest list, there doesn''t seem to be any sign of people from the Zhuang family¡­"

    Su Yan''s mother instantly frowned, then she held Ning Xueluo''s hand again as she spoke earnestly, "Xueluo, in any case, we''re already a family now, so there are some things I still need to say. Which parents aren''t at fault in this world? As parents, don''t we all just want the best for the future generation? Your mother has been estranged from the Zhuang family for so many years already. It''s time to let go. What do you think?"

    Ning Xueluo chose her words carefully. "Obviously, I hope that Mother can bury the hatchet with Grandfather too. I hope for the entire family to be harmonious and happy, but you know Mother''s personality as well¡­"

    Something shed in Su Yan''s mother''s eyes. "Silly child, there are some things that your mother obviously can''t do in fear of hurting someone else''s feelings. The Zhuang family needs a way out too. Now, we''ll obviously need to rely on you young ones.

    "Next month, your wedding will be a good and rare opportunity! If, at this moment, you make the initiative to invite the Zhuangs and give them a way out, as long as they have the intention to reconcile, they''ll definitelye.

    "Then, once the Zhuangs arrive, on such an assion like your wedding, even if your mother is unhappy, she definitely won''t make it obvious. Taking advantage of the joyous atmosphere, everyone can talk about some things inmon. Wouldn''t the awkwardness be resolved then?

    "After all, the Zhuangs disagreed with the marriage between your mother and your father back then because they felt they were not an appropriate match. Now that the Ning family is expanding, while you''re so well-educated, bright, andpetent, added with the fact that you are now inws with us Sus too, no matter what, the Zhuang family should have a change in their attitudes¡­"

    Su Yan''s mother did not even think about the issue of whether Ning Xueluo was the biological daughter of the Ning family or not. Even Zhuang Lingyu had acknowledged Ning Xueluo as her daughter, so the Zhuang family would obviously do the same. Otherwise, would they still get close to Ning Xi who had been scorned by the Ning family?

    Su Yan''s mother had spoken so much, and to such a logical extent, yet there was an unpleasant look on Ning Xueluo''s face.

    If Su Yan''s mother could think of it, how could she have not?

    Right from the start, she had already secretly sent an invitation to the Zhuang family, but it had been many days and there was not a single response from their end. Clearly, they did not have any intentions of acknowledging the Nings.

    Now, there was Su Xun ring like a tiger watching his prey on the Su family''s side. Su Xun''s wife was not one to be messed with. If that was just the case, based on her connections in the entertainment circle, her ownpany, and the Ning family''s shares in her hands, it would be more than enough for her to gain a foothold after marrying into the Su family.

    However, now that the scandal of her not being the biological daughter of the Ning family had caused such a ruckus, it was like a time bomb hanging over her head. If she could have the Zhuang family''s backing, she could then be free of worries.

    Ning Xueluo obviously could not just tell Su Yan''s mother about how dismissive the Zhuangs were towards the Nings, so she said, "Aunty Su, I understand what you mean. I''ll try my best to invite the Zhuangs!"

    When she saw that Ning Xueluo was intelligent enough to understand her intentions, Su Yan''s mother nodded, pleased.

    A darkness shed across Ning Xueluo''s eyes. It looked like she needed to think of another way to handle the Zhuang family¡­

 Chapter 1437: Everyoneâ€™s Trying To Get You Girls

    <h4>Chapter 1437: Everyone¡¯s Trying To Get You Girls</h4>

    The next morning, at the Lu Corporation office, the directors meeting had just ended. As everyone had departed, only Lu Chongshan and Lu Tingxiao were left in the meeting room.

    Because of Little Treasure''s speedy recovery to the point that he was just like any other normal child, in addition to his intelligence and outstanding performance, the atmosphere in the Lu family was pretty harmonious.

    However, the family gathering was soon approaching and Lu Chongshan was reminded of his worries again.

    "Tingxiao, the family gathering is near. As the eldest son of the family, how are you going to exin the situation? Are you going to tell them¡­ that their futuredy of the house is a little actress?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked out of the window without any expression. "I don''t have to exin to anyone."

    Lu Chongshan was enraged. "You''re in an important position! How could you say something so se?"

    "It''s exactly because I''m in this position that I can."

    If he could not even protect the one he loved in his position, there was no point doing anything anymore.

    Lu Chongshan looked helpless and exhausted. He softened his tone, "Tingxiao, it''s normal that you have someone you love. I''m not against you being in a rtionship with this woman. You can dote on her however you want, but the position asdy of the house is not a joke."

    With Lu Tingxiao''s position, there would never be a problem as to whomever and however many women he wanted, it could be easily solved with money, but the one he was going to marry would be a family matter.

    Besides, Lu Chongshan''s biggest worry was Little Treasure¡­

    After a short silence, Lu Chongshan said with a serious expression, "Tingxiao, it doesn''t matter how much you dislike Ziyao. You have to admit that with her family background, at least Little Treasure''s kidnapping three years ago would never have happened!

    "As for Ning Xi, can you be absolutely sure that an actress at the very bottom of the food pyramid wouldn''t have any impure thoughts when she sees everything the Lu family has? What if she uses Little Treasure against us, especially now that Little Treasure trusts her so much?!"

    Lu Chongshan halted a little and looked regretful. "If I knew you were going to pick a woman like her, I would rather find out who Little Treasure''s real mother is and get her in!"

    Although Lu Chongshan had rattled on so much, Lu Tingxiao did not look like he heard a word he said. He just sat in the main chair and rested his head on his arm, appearing distracted.

    Lu Chongshan left with a stormy expression as he knew whatever he did was not working.

    Their conversation once again ended unhappily.

    After a short while, Lu Jingli cautiously went into the meeting room.

    "Father''s doing the talk again? Well, it''s still alright now! Wait until the family gathering. It''s terrifying when everyone''s trying to get you girls!" Lu Jingli shuddered when he was reminded of what had happened in the past.

    "When''s the reporting out?"

    Lu Jingli''s eyes brightened. "Today! This afternoon! I''ll go to the hospital for the reportter! I went to the main branch of the military hospital in Imperial. It''s definitely urate!"

    Lu Tingxiao red at him coldly, and Lu Jingli instantly understood what he wanted to say. "I swear I never told anyone about it, and will never breathe a word! Rest assured!"

    Lu Jingli then coughed lightly and asked, "Bro¡­ The results for the DNA test¡­ You¡­ Do you hope that it''ll be positive or not?"

 Chapter 1438: Urging For A Blind Date

    <h4>Chapter 1438: Urging For A Blind Date</h4>

    What was his expectation of the results?

    Lu Tingxiao was a little taken aback, but he did not say anything.

    If he knew the answer to this question, he would not be this worried.

    Lu Jingli scratched his head, realizing that it was indeed an odd question. "I''ll just go to the hospital and wait now. We''ll wait until the results are out. Any talk now is meaningless!"

    ¡­

    In Peachwood.

    Ning Xi did not have work today, so she stayed at home.

    Flowers were all around the garden, and the air was also filled with the fragrance of herbs.

    Annie was happily arranging her herbs on the floor to dry them, while Ning Xi and Ning Tianxin were sitting on rattan chairs, enjoying some tea and desserts.

    "It''s been such a long time since I have been this rxed¡­ What a great day indeed!"

    Inparison to Lu Tingxiao who was currently facing one of the biggest challenges in his life, Ning Xi got her hard-earned rest. Without her bunch of exes back at the production, she looked at the cute Annie, then at the rxed Ning Tianxin. She was definitely in a good mood with thepany of the beauties beside her.

    Ning Tianxin caught onto Ning Xi''s happiness when she saw how she was enjoying herself.

    Actually, ever since she had moved there after she was discharged from the hospital, her mood had been uplifted. She felt a peace that she never experienced before.

    She did not have to care about anyone anymore. Her happiness was no longer controlled by that single person now.

    A phone rang. It was Ning Tianxin''s cellphone.

    "Hello?" Ning Tianxin tensed up a little, and her tone sounded cold.

    "Tianxin, are you home? Can I go over? I have something important to talk to you about!"

    "Nope, I''m at Xiao Xi''s ce. What''s the matter?"

    Ning Yaobang sounded excited. "A huge matter! Do you know Hong Xiongjie? The big boss that has a worth of over $10 billion? He''s even more powerful than the Su family. CEO Hu saw you once at the dinnerst time and took a fancy to you. He actually contacted me to suggest dinner some time¡­"

    "I don''t have time. I''ve got to go."

    Ning Tianxin ended the call after just a few terse words.

    "Did Second Uncle call?" Ning Xi asked. From Ning Tianxin''s expression, it must have been something unpleasant.

    Ning Tianxin nodded. "He''s urging me to go on a blind date."

    Ning Xi''s expression darkened slightly. "He''s so persistent! Who is it this time?"

    Birds of a feather flocked together. The people in Ning Yaobang''s circle could not be of any good, and he could not have found anyone decent.

    Ning Tianxin replied, "Hong Xiongjie."

    Ning Xi was triggered when she heard the name. "Damn! He''s even introducing you to a 50-year-old man? Is he really your biological father?!"

    She knew Ning Yaobang was not reliable, but she did not expect him to be this shameless.

    Hong Xiongjie was the gambling lord of Macau and the pioneer of the number betting industry. He was definitely powerful and rich, but he was way past his fifties and was an infamous pervert who had already changed several wives and probably had a lot of mistresses as well.

    Sending Ning Tianxin to a person like this? What was the differencepared to sending her on the path to hell?

    It seemed like Ning Yaobang was anxious about Ning Yaohua already being on good terms with the Sus to the point that he had to make contact with people like this.

    Ning Tianxin did not react much. From herck of anger, it seemed like she was already used to this.

    Ning Xi frowned and mumbled worriedly, "Second Uncle probably won''t give up¡­"

 Chapter 1439: Overseas

    <h4>Chapter 1439: Overseas</h4>

    "I was already expecting this. It just came sooner than I expect," Ning Tianxin sighed, "I''m graduating next month. I''m nning¡­ to go overseas."

    "Ah¡­" Ning Xi looked bitterly at her. "Sis Tianxin, are you going to work overseas?"

    Ning Tianxin nodded. "I''ve already applied to severalpanies in Los Angeles."

    Ning Xi was missing her already, but she knew that it was the best for Ning Tianxin. "Okay, as long as you''re happy! Going overseas is a pretty exciting adventure too! I''m quite familiar with Los Angeles and I have a few friends there as well. If you need any help, remember to let me know!"

    "Mmm, thank you, Xiao Xi." Ning Tianxin was really grateful. "If it wasn''t for you¡­"

    Ning Xi quickly interrupted her as Ning Tianxin was about to start thanking her again, "We''re family. It''s alright!"

    "Eh? Sis Tianxin is going overseas?" Annie felt a little down just thinking about it.

    "Yes! Annie, thank you for your care during this period of time!" After spending these few days with her, Ning Tianxin really liked this friend of Ning Xi''s as well.

    "You''re wee. Bro Xi''s sister is my sister as well! Let me know when you''re leaving. I''ll prepare some medicine for your treatment as well as a prescription for your health care!"

    "Thank you!"

    ¡­

    In a Western restaurant in Imperial.

    "Lingtian¡­ Lingtian?" Guan Ziyao waved her hand in front of the man.

    "What?" The daydreaming Mo Lingtian came back to his senses.

    "Lingtian, what''s up with you? You don''t seem to be yourselftely. Isn''t the issue with that woman resolved?" Guan Ziyao asked worriedly.

    Mo Lingtian''s eyes darkened. He rubbed his forehead and forced a smile. "It''s alright. I probably just didn''t rest well."

    Guan Ziyao frowned. "Stop staying up sote already. Go easier on the alcohol as well. Your body won''t be able tost long if you don''t take care of yourself."

    "Mmm, got it." Mo Lingtian managed a feeble smile again. "Haven''t you been busytely? What''s with the sudden invitation?"

    Guan Ziyao took out a file and handed it over to him. "Lingtian, I looked for you today because I need some help. This person¡­ Can you help me look for him?"

    Mo Lingtian scanned through the documents. "Who''s this?"

    "I''m sorry. It''s a private matter of mine." Guan Ziyao did not seem willing to say more, and she knew that Mo Lingtian would not push her.

    Mo Lingtian closed the file. He took a deep breath and tried to remove that image of his worthlessness inside of him. He also tried to forget the entire incident. Despite his best efforts, he was not able to focus in front of Guan Ziyao. "I''ll try my best."

    Guan Ziyao gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Lingtian, for always helping me!"

    "Oh, I promised you to ask Tingxiao out, but he''s been so busytely and probably won''t be avable anytime soon."

    Guan Ziyao did not seem to mind. "It''s okay. The Lus have been pretty busytely after all. About Tingxiao¡­ It''s fine¡­ Let it be¡­"

    Mo Lingtian was a little surprised by Guan Ziyao''s reaction.

    Had Ziyao¡­ moved on?

    He did not know how long he had been waiting for this day. He had imagined this countless times. If his obstacle in the form of Lu Tingxiao did not exist, he would have done everything he could to be with her, yet at this moment, probably because of his guilt towards Tianxin, he felt no joy or victory. The passion and excitement he imagined were nowhere to be felt¡­

 Chapter 1440: Freaked Out Little Goldfish

    <h4>Chapter 1440: Freaked Out Little Goldfish</h4>

    At tinum Pce.

    Lu Jingli held his suitcase in front of his chest as he walked swiftly and stealthily like a thief into his brother''s ce.

    The moment he reached the entrance, he bumped into another person and freaked out. "What the-?! Xiao¡­ Xiao Xi Xi!"

    "What''s wrong with you? Am I really that scary to you!?" Ning Xi looked at Lu Jingli with a suspicious expression.

    Lu Jingli gripped onto his suitcase tightly, his handsome little face going pale. At that moment, she was way scarier than a ghost!

    "Xiao Xi Xi, you¡­ Why are you here? Don''t you have work today?" Lu Jingli forced his anxious heart to calm down as he tried to ask with a calmer tone.

    Observing Lu Jingli''s timid eyes, his sweating forehead, and the stuttering speech, Ning Xi narrowed her eyes. "Did you do something bad?"

    "No! Who told you that I did something bad?! I''m so cute and nice! You''re the one who did something bad. Your whole family did something bad!" Lu Jingli quickly denied.

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. What a big reaction! That was definitely suspicious!

    "What are you holding?" Ning Xi looked at the ck suitcase Lu Jingli was protecting.

    Lu Jingli''s little heart skipped a beat. "A suitcase! Can''t you see?"

    Ning Xi did not let him off and she persisted, "What''s inside? Why are you so nervous?"

    "Of course, there are documents inside! Secret documents! That''s why I''m nervous!"

    "The thing is¡­ Why are you so nervous to see me?"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli was on the verge of crying. "I''m busy. I have to go and give something to my brother!"

    Ning Xi grinned and blocked the way right in front of Lu Jingli. She closed in slowly and spoke in the low tone of a gangster, "Hey, don''t go! I think you''re really suspicious¡­ Is there something rted to me inside this suitcase?"

    Oh¡ª

    Bro¡ª

    Save me!

    Lu Jingli yelled from deep down inside his soul. His brother had asked him to make sure no one knew about it. Most importantly he could not let Xiao Xi Xi know!

    How unfortunate! The moment he came back, she was here and he could never prevail against her.

    As Ning Xi''s hand was about to reach out for Lu Jingli''s suitcase, suddenly someone hugged her from behind gently yet firmly.

    "What are you doing?"

    It was Lu Tingxiao''s voice.

    Ning Xi was distracted by the person behind her. She turned around and hugged the devil,ughing cheekily. "I''m just teasing your brother! He was so freaked out just now, hahaha¡­"

    Lu Jingli was exhausted.

    How could she do this!?

    He was almost scared to death!

    "Every year during our family gathering, people will always send some¡­ Hmm¡­ Information about girls¡­" Lu Jingli looked at Ning Xi as he exined helplessly with a nervous face.

    "Oh¡­ I was wondering what it was about! You think I''d get jealous over this?" Ning Xi pouted. She remembered that she once waited for Lu Tingxiao in his office and happened to see an album of his potential blind date candidates on his table. Lu Tingxiao''s reaction was even bigger than Lu Jingli''s then when he returned from the factory as soon as possible, all just to avoid her misunderstanding the situation.

    Ning Xi would never doubt Lu Tingxiao about this.

 Chapter 1441: Madly In Love

    <h4>Chapter 1441: Madly In Love</h4>

    One simple sentence solved the immediate crisis.

    Lu Jingli was impressed at his brother''s acting and his seduction skills. Then, he followed up, "Alright. I know you probably won''t look at them. I''ll take them all on my own, I guess¡­"

    He then slipped away.

    Anything to avoid Xiao Xi Xi now!

    "Why are you here?" Lu Tingxiao held the girl''s hand and asked as they walked into the house.

    "I have a day off today. I was resting at home this morning and apanying Sis Tianxin, so I''m here to apany my son this afternoon! Is Little Treasure back yet?"

    "He''s back. He was just asking me earlier if he could visit you."

    "Of course, you don''t have to be wary of Sis Tianxin actually. I''ve already told her about us, so you can bring Little Treasure over anytime!"

    "Okay."

    Lu Tingxiao nced behind him secretly. Lu Jingli had already vanished.

    Just by hearing her footsteps, the little bun quickly sprinted down from the second floor. He jumped right into her arms. "Mommy!"

    The little guy still acted pretty cool as usual. Although he could talk now, there was not much difference from before. When Ning Xi was not around, he still might not say anything throughout the day, but the moment Ning Xi appeared, he would surely greet her with a sweet sounding "Mommy", and every time he spoke to her he would definitely add the word "Mommy" in his sentence. What a sweet little guy!

    Anyone who did not know them would never doubt their rtionship as parent and child, and a lovely rtionship at that.

    "Little bun, look what Mommy brought you! Hehe¡­" Ning Xi opened the bag she had brought over. There was all sort of guns inside.

    Of course, all of them were toy guns.

    "You''re too young and shouldn''t y with real guns yet. I''ll y water guns with you, alright?"

    "Yes, Mommy, Little Treasure likes water guns!"

    "Go and invite your father to y with us! It''ll be fun with more people!" Ning Xi told Little Treasure.

    The little bun hesitated for a while, then he went towards Lu Tingxiao. He looked up and said, "Together."

    Ning Xi felt amused looking at how the little bun switched into his cool mode in an instant.

    The little bun already had called his grandfather, his grandmother, and even his Second Uncle. He would also address strangers politely, but why was he unwilling to call Lu Tingxiao "Father"?

    ¡­

    Ning Xi yed with Little Treasure the whole afternoon. After dinner, the both of them fell asleep, exhausted.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at both of them with a gentle gaze.

    Lu Tingxiao kissed the forehead of Little Treasure and Ning Xi, then he ced his palm on Ning Xi''s eyes, her nose, her lips¡­ All the way until her stomach¡­ He was touching her ever so gently¡­

    Before he met Ning Xi, he was not really expecting much out of his life, but ever since he met her, marriage, family, children¡­ These things that he did not have high expectations of suddenly became so important all because of her.

    As he thought about how she might be Little Treasure''s biological mother, about how the girl he had fallen so madly in love with might have born a child for him before, his heart was filled with an indescribable warmth of bliss and happiness.

    A child¡­ His and her child¡­

 Chapter 1442: No Matter The Results

    <h4>Chapter 1442: No Matter The Results</h4>

    At the same time, the little goldfish at the vi opposite was almost going crazy.

    Although only a few hours had passed, it was a cruel punishment to make him wait with such a significant secret near him and not being able to see it.

    As Lu Jingli was about to open the DNA test results, his brother finally called him.

    "Come over."

    Lu Jingli sprinted like an athlete when his brother summoned him, and he reached there swiftly.

    Although his brother had called him, he was a little traumatized by Ning Xi this afternoon. Lu Jingli looked around carefully before entering the premises.

    "Bro! Is Xiao Xi Xi asleep?" Lu Jingli asked in a low voice, still panting from the sprint just now.

    "Mmm."

    "Oh¡­" Lu Jingli carefully closed the door of the study room and locked it from the inside. He felt relieved and walked towards his brother as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

    Lu Tingxiao focused on the ck suitcase Lu Jingli had with him.

    Lu Jingli carefully opened the suitcase and took out a report from inside, cing it in front of Lu Tingxiao.

    A single piece of paper that felt as heavy as a mountain.

    Lu Jingli still felt like this was surreal¡­ Because this was just¡­ Too fantasy-like!

    After a long while, Lu Tingxiao did not seem to have any intentions of opening it and he became nervous. "Bro, what''s wrong?"

    Many things were going on inside Lu Tingxiao''s head as if the item in front of him governed his life and his death.

    Some time passed. Lu Tingxiao still did not touch the report, so Lu Jingli asked, "Bro, actually I think you''re overthinking it. That bastard would never be you! This report will surely prove your innocence! If you''re not looking, then I''ll take a look! I''ve risked myself for it after all! I''ll just take a look and not tell you, alright?"

    Lu Tingxiao remained silent, so Lu Jingli went on and fingered the report. "I''m going to look now. I''m really going to look now. I promise if you''re not going to ask me, I''ll not say anything¡­"

    Lu Jingli then quickly took out the report. He scanned it and locked his gaze onto the veryst line.

    "The genes underwent Mendel''s Law inheritance and were processed through rtionship identification. From the test results of 19 STR genes, Ning Xi''s genes met the assumption of being Lu Qinyu''s mother. The uracy of their parental rtionship is 99.99%¡­

    "ording to the DNA analysis, the hypothesis of Ning Xi being Lu Qingyu''s biological mother is proven true."

    When Lu Jingli read thest line, even though Lu Tingxiao did not see it for himself and Lu Jingli did not say anything, he just knew Lu Jingli too well. From a tiny expression of his, he already knew the results of the report.

    Ning Xi¡­ was the real mother of Little Treasure¡­

    "Bro, you¡­ Why are you looking at me? I didn''t say anything¡­"

    Wordlessly, Lu Tingxiao used, "But your eyes were yelling, ''Ahh! Oh my God, oh my God, Xiao Xi Xi is really Little Treasure''s mother! The bastard that night was really my brother!''"

 Chapter 1443: Little Treasureâ€™s Hero

    <h4>Chapter 1443: Little Treasure¡¯s Hero</h4>

    Lu Jingli was expecting his brother to be cleared of suspicion after the DNA report was out, then he could go all out to find the real bastard.

    However, the moment he saw the results, he felt like he was shocked to pieces and regrouped back again.

    Lu Jingli could not believe it. He looked at Lu Tingxiao like he was some sort of god¡­

    "Oh my God, bro, you''re too awesome! I thought your progress with Xiao Xi Xi was way too slow! After so long, you guys haven''t even done it yet, but not only did you guys do it, your kid is now five years old! I''ve never been so impressed by anyone else! I would never ever say you''re bad at wooing girls again! You''re my idol, my superstar, my advisor in life¡­" Lu Jingli bbered without any stopping in between his sentences.

    As if that was not enough, he paced around the room and could not stop. "Oh my God! Oh my God! If Little Treasure knew about this, he would be mad happy! Xiao Xi Xi is really his mother, his real mother! It''s actually real! Little Treasure is way too lucky!"

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the space between his eyebrows as he extended his hand to his bbering brother.

    The excited Lu Jingli came back to his senses, and he handed over the report obediently.

    Lu Tingxiao took the report and carefully looked through all the contents.

    Although he knew about the results from Lu Jingli already, he still felt a strong impact when he saw the line "the hypothesis of Ning Xi being Lu Qingyu''s biological mother is proven true".

    The excitement level of a certain devil was no lower than the little goldfish.

    It was her¡­

    If he were to investigate five years ago, then would he have met her earlier?

    As he was pondering, many thoughts passed through his mind.

    After all the mumbling, Lu Jingli carefully observed Lu Tingxiao''s expression, then he asked carefully, "Bro, well¡­ Although it was my stupid idea, and I drugged you and picked that address, and I made you be a bastard for once¡­

    "But¡­ But these mistakes led you to Xiao Xi Xi! Not only was your chastity protected, your first time¡­ Your child¡­ Basically, everything belongs to Xiao Xi Xi! What a thing to be celebrated! Can it cover my demerits now?"

    Lu Jingli then peeked at his brother again, adding shamelessly, "I actually think¡­ My merit is higher in this¡­"

    Hehe, it had to be the case! If his brother would not admit it, he would ask Little Treasure to support him!

    Little Treasure would definitely support him if he knew the truth!

    He would be the hero in Little Treasure''s eyes!

    Lu Tingxiao looked at Lu Jingli coldly.

    He could not deny that Lu Jingli''s words really hit the spot.

    When he found out that the woman he had slept with was Ning Xi, he had to admit that¡­ Somewhere deep inside his heart was excitement and relief¡­

 Chapter 1444: Too Dominant

    <h4>Chapter 1444: Too Dominant</h4>

    After what had happened five years ago, there was a thin wall between him and Lu Jingli. In addition to Lu Jingli''s own guilt, he was always afraid of his brother and would never try to bring up the matter.

    Up until now, for Ning Xi''s sake, that matter was once again brought to the table.

    And now¡­

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his stupid little brother. He sort of felt that he looked alright¡­

    "Bro¡­" Lu Jingli was a little freaked out by his brother''s intense stare. "Can you say something? You''re being pretty scary¡­"

    Oh no! It was over! His brother might kill him for real!

    Why did his gaze look so gentle? Was it hisst time seeing him?

    Lu Jingli quickly added on, "Bro, actually I think it''s alright for Xiao Xi Xi to know about this. Although she might really hate the person and would love to kill him, if it''s you¡­ Everything will be different¡­ Xiao Xi Xi likes you so much¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyes darkened as he heard Lu Jingli. Of course, he had thought about it before.

    That was what he used tofort himself with all this time.

    However, neither did Lu Jingli hear nor see for himself how Ning Xi cried in despair when she was talking about what had happened in the past.

    Every word¡­ Every sentence¡­

    They sliced his heart up like knives.

    Damn it!

    Lu Jingli had drugged him so much that he only had very blurry memories. All he knew was that a woman had entered and closed in on him, then he was not sure what happened after that¡­

    He had actually injured Ning Xi, made her have a high fever¡­ and she was even bedridden for two months¡­

    He did not dare to think about what was going to happen.

    Ning Xi always said he was her sunlight, but at this moment, he had be the source of her nightmare¡­

    How could he tell her this cruel truth?

    What would her reaction be after she found out?

    No matter how powerful Lu Tingxiao was in the world of business, he could not predict this at all. He also could not tell if he would be able to bear the consequences.

    Lu Jingli instantly knew what he was thinking. His face blushed a little as he said, "Bro, is it¡­ Were you were too dominant that night¡­ And Xiao Xi Xi suffered? That''s why you''re not telling her?"

    His brother red at him like a typhoon brushing over him.

    Mother, save me!

    Lu Jingli was trembling and he almost cried. "Fine, fine! It''s my fault! I shouldn''t have drugged you¡­ But you always looked like you were indifferent towards sex¡­ And our parents forced me¡­ I couldn''t help it¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao looked through the report again and again, feeling both anxious and happy at the same time. After some point, he dered, "I''ll tell her, but not now. I''ll wait until everything is clear."

    How did the person then be Ning Xi? How did the dead child be Little Treasure? Amidst all this confusion, someone definitely knew something¡­

    Of course, apart from this, the most important thing was that his rtionship with Ning Xi had just entered the best phase. Even he himself was taken aback by such a sudden shock, but he would not dare to tell her until everything was crystal clear¡­

 Chapter 1445: Dream Without Clothes?

    <h4>Chapter 1445: Dream Without Clothes?</h4>

    After Lu Jingli left, Lu Tingxiao looked through the report numerous times again before he put it away carefully.

    He slowly opened the door to Ning Xi''s room. The mellowmp added a veil of tranquility over the mother and son; anyone who saw this scene would surely be affected by the gentle vibe.

    Lu Tingxiao sat by the bed, tucking Ning Xi''s hair behind her ears.

    Little Treasure was hugging her and they were sleeping soundly. With her makeup removed, she actually looked really young.

    Right, she was just at the tender age of a regr university graduate.

    She was 18 when she had been pregnant, still a child herself and she had to face such a serious matter. Then, so many dramatic incidents kept happening. Had it been someone with weaker mental strength, the person would either break down or shut downpletely.

    In the documents Lu Jingli investigated, Ning Xi did try tomit suicide before¡­

    Lu Tingxiao was really afraid. He felt a searing pain in his heart.

    He had never felt such a strong desire to hold her in his arms before¡­ He wanted her to merge into one with him¡­

    Lu Tingxiao quietly carried Ning Xi up and ced her in his bedroom.

    Although Lu Tingxiao had been very careful, Ning Xi still woke up when she wasid down on his bed.

    Because Lu Tingxiao gave her a sense of security, Ning Xi let down all her guards. She opened her eyes and realized that Lu Tingxiao had brought her back to his bedroom but she had no issues with it. She rubbed against Lu Tingxiaofortably. "Mmm¡­ My dear¡­"

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao did not take back his hand which was supporting Ning Xi''s head. He justy beside her like that.

    Ning Xi snuggled closer to the man. "Why aren''t you asleep yet?"

    "I miss you. I dreamt of you."

    Listening to his loving voice, hearing him say that he missed her while she was just in the room beside him, she felt really loved. She smiled as she opened her eyes.

    Her eyes were like the stars in the sky, ever so beautiful. In addition to her half-awake state, she seemed really seductive¡­

    Just then, Ning Xi''s severe habit of flirting started. She looked at the man beside her and whispered, "You dreamt of me? With clothes on¡­ Or without?"

    Suddenly, the man''s eyes darkened. As Ning Xi was still talking, he kissed Ning Xi roughly¡­

    Ning Xi''s neck felt tickled and sheughed as she was trying to avoid him. "That tickles!"

    Lu Tingxiao slowly kissed the girl''s corbone and traced further down. He looked up slightly and saw the girl''s smile as well as theplete trust and love she had in him, making him fall for her even more¡­

    When they had just known each other, he noticed Ning Xi was really against rtionships and when he could not suppress himself, he would resort to pretending like he had sleepwalking issues in order to get closer to her.

    Fortunately, now not only was shefortable, she was totally used to being intimate with him.

    Lu Tingxiao felt really touched and grateful, but at the same time, his worries still lingered¡­

 Chapter 1446: S**x Scene With The Devil

    <h4>Chapter 1446: Sex Scene With The Devil</h4>

    Such acknowledgment filled Lu Tingxiao''s heart to the brim with melted emotions and contentment. At the same time, he obviously had his secret concerns.

    However, the worry that had just appeared on his face was disrupted.

    The room door was pushed open, then they saw Little Treasure with his puffed-up cheeks as he stood angrily at the door. His little face had an expression that said, "You are despicable! Stealing my mother again?"

    Lu Tingxiao found the spectacleical and he waved to his son. "Come over."

    The little guy was obviously not willing, but he could care less when he saw his mother. He instantly ran over.

    His short legs took quite an effort to climb up the bed, and Lu Tingxiao chuckled a little as he pulled his son up, cing him in the middle.

    Ning Xi swiftly forgot about the father once she had her son beside her. She hugged and kissed her dearest little bun, while the little bun also hugged his mother and shot a warning look towards his father behind him.

    Lu Tingxiao''s brows hiked up. He watched his son with a pensive look, suddenly feeling a little anticipation. If the little guy knew that Ning Xi was his biological mother, if he knew that he had been the love child of both him and Ning Xi, what would his reaction be like?

    ¡­

    In the next few days, ever since Ning Xi had returned to her usual state, the entire team''s progress started to soar.

    It was worth mentioning that almost every time Meng Shiyi acted with Ning Xi, she would do a few bad takes. If it was a minor hup, it would be three to five takes.However, if she performed really badly, it would go up to more than ten takes, and almost every time it was Meng Shiyi''s fault.

    Even though the final cut that was produced at the end was exceptionally good, when the two were contrasted, Ning Xi and Meng Shiyi''s acting skills could immediately be measured up to see who was worthy and who was not.

    Perhaps because thest time Ning Xi had recorded the video that made her more careful, Meng Shiyi had unexpectedly not caused any more trouble and was unusually content with her ce.

    Ning Xi was obviously delighted with the peace and quiet too.

    Apart from the first time that she had intentionally overshadowed Meng Shiyi in the scene, in all the scenes after that, she performed very seriously. However, once she started to take things seriously, her acting skills would naturally soar. If Meng Shiyi could not keep up, many of the effects in the plot would not be executed to their full potential.

    Every day with Meng Shiyi just trying to keep up with Ning Xi and wanting to overthrow her consumed almost all her energy.

    As for Guo Qisheng, seeing the two female leads really go all in to bring the show to greater heights was exactly what he had been hoping for.

    Even when she acted with Yun Shen, Ning Xi could be at peace with herself and call him "Father".

    On the contrary, it was the scene with Lu Tingxiao today that really made Ning Xi slightly nervous¡­

    Mmm, that was right! It was finally time for Yun Huang and Liu Yan''s sex scene.

    This plot in this scene was Yun Huang being infected by the charm poison, so she wanted to look for her beloved, Ling Xiao, to detoxify, then take advantage of the situation to sleep with him. She did not think that she would coincidentally witness Ling Xiao''s emotional confession to Leng Aoxue. In fact, he had nervouslypletely cleared himself of any rtions with Yun Huang in front of Leng Aoxue.

    Yun Huang felt unbearably hurt and firmly left Xuanji Pce Mountain, forcing herself to drag her tortured body that was on the verge of being possessed by the poison as she walked muddleheaded into the dangerous jungle of wicked beasts¡­

    Right at this moment, the shadow guardian Liu Yan appeared, and next up¡­ was the erotic sex scene between the both of them in the mountain caves¡­

    "Oh! I''m so nervous! Ah!" Ning Xi covered her face and looked bashful.

    She had never even rolled in bed sheets with the devil in real life!

    She would never have thought that their first time would be in a show!

    Jiang Muye watched Ning Xi''s expression that disyed her clear excitement yet she was pretending to be innocent from the sidelines and his face turned dark.

    In reality, after seeing the scene arrangements for the day, he did not look happy at all.

    Bloody hell! This was really karma. Back then, Lu Tingxiao had to watch his intimate scene with Ning Xi before he stormed off. In the blink of an eye, it was his turn to watch Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao act out an intimate scene, and it was even a sex scene! A sex scene!

    Still, Jiang Muye could not help but look towards a few different directions. It seemed like there were people with more miserable reactions than his!

 Chapter 1447: Control The Scale Well

    <h4>Chapter 1447: Control The Scale Well</h4>

    "Ning Xi, Mingyu,e here, the two of you. I want to run through the scene with you!" Guo Qisheng waved and called them over.

    "Have you familiarized yourselves with the script?"

    Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu nodded together.

    "You not only have to be familiar with it. You must even mull over itpletely. This scene is a very important turning point in terms of Yun Huang''s feelings. It''s important to portray the character''s change of heart, reflecting the character''s personality, and not on how erotic the sex scene will be shot.

    "We''re a reputable drama crew. We don''t need to rely on sex scenes to attract eyeballs, so we won''t need to shoot the scene so explicitly. Just remember thatter when you''re shooting it. You must treat it with a professional attitude. You must control the scale well¡­ Understand?"

    Guo Qisheng''s expression was a little stern when he said this. In fact, he put emphasis on looking intently at Ke Mingyu when he spoke.

    In the past, there were male artistes who had taken advantage of intimate scenes to cozy up to female artistes, especially those as popr and pretty as Ning Xi. It would be more likely for her to encounter such a situation.

    Out of Guo Qisheng''s protectiveness over Ning Xi, he naturally emphasized warning Ke Mingyu to let him know what should and should not be done.

    "Understood." Ke Mingyu nodded.

    "Mmm!" Ning Xi echoed.

    Sigh, this scene was indeed quite a test of her professionalism¡­ The director was not wrong in bringing this up!

    "The two of you have coborated once in ''Dream Chaser'' before. Coincidentally, you save time in trying to break the ice, so let''s strive for a one-take! Avoid at all costs what I mentioned earlier¡­ The main effect that I want to portray is the character''s internal struggle¡­ I want substance¡­ I want sex without the obscenities¡­"

    Guo Qisheng rattled on in concern for quite a while before he finally let them go off to prepare.

    It was not long after Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu left that Mo Yuxiu strolled to Guo Qisheng.

    "Director Guo."

    "Yuxiu, do you need me for anything? Are your scenes for the day finished?"

    "I do have something to bring up. I think that the next scene between Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu is a little inappropriate," Mo Yuxiu spoke with a cold expression.

    Jiang Muye had been staring at Mo Yuxiu right from the start. Now that he saw this situation, he immediately straightened his back and perked up his ears as he looked over. Oh, it looked like someone finally could not help it! Very good! He did not need to make a move!

    Jiang Muye''s mind was still thinking about when they had shot "The World", including that man-made rain and the many intimate scenes that had been deleted. Helplessly, he did not dare to take revenge¡­

    "Oh? How is it inappropriate?" Guo Qisheng immediately asked.

    Guo Qisheng was a director that was very patient at listening to other people''s opinions. Mo Yuxiu''s status in the crew was no less than the male lead, so Guo Qisheng rather valued his opinions.

    "Yun Huang is one of the female leads, yet she has intercourse with someone apart from the male lead. Many viewers may especially find storylines like this a taboo. Director Guo, are you sure thatter when it''s released, this storyline won''t crumble Yun Huang''s image and the entire plot?" Mo Yuxiu articted with a serious expression that said, "I ampletely considering this on behalf of the crew and definitely do not have any selfish motives".

    Guo Qisheng muttered to himself for a while after he listened to the man. "When the novel was first made into a series, this part was indeed the storyline that created the most controversy among readers. Many readers expressed that they could not ept Yun Huang getting together with someone apart from the male lead¡­"

    Mo Yuxiu immediately said, "So, when we adapt it into a television series, can''t we make some changes to this part of the storyline?"

    "Changes?"

    "Even if you arrange the second male lead to be with Yun Huang, that would definitely create a better effect than Liu Yan. Even though the second male lead, Nan Gongchen, and Yun Huang are arch-enemies in the series, their rtionshipter is actually quite ambiguous when they fight. Many readers liked this pairing. Wouldn''t the effect be even better if you just changed it to a love-hate rtionship?" Mo Yuxiu suggested without batting an eyelid.

 Chapter 1448: How Dare You Ruin My Happy Occasion?

    <h4>Chapter 1448: How Dare You Ruin My Happy asion?</h4>

    On the side, when Jiang Muye heard this, he instantly cursed!

    Bloody hell! This Mo Yuxiu was terribly sinister! He actually wanted to seize the opportunity to immediately make the female lead and the second male lead a couple!

    I have yet to even speak as the male lead!

    Guo Qisheng could understand why Mo Yuxiu would make such a suggestion. Such an alteration would also be very beneficial to him. Then, the number of scenes and his status would not be very different from the male lead''s.

    The content would actually be rather enriching if he adapted the series to have two pairs of couples. It was not as if he had not thought about this before. However, when he considered the needs of the original work, he tried not to make too many changes to the storyline, plus one more very important reason which was¡­

    Before Guo Qisheng could speak, Ning Xi had slowly strolled over. Her gaze indistinctly skimmed over Mo Yuxiu. "Teacher Mo, your words are wrong. Where there is controversy, there''ll be attraction and a hot topic of conversation. When this storyline started a huge war in the book review forums when the novel was first made into a series, the degree of people talking about it was off the charts. It was also exposed to be a television series. It is a highly anticipated part of the plot by the many readers who were unhappy with the male lead. As long as it is handled well, this part of the storyline will be carefree and uninhibited.

    "Besides, Yun Huang''s character is free and unruly. Forget about worldly etiquettes! Even the heavenlyw is a load of crap to her. Would she care about things like chastity? I think you''ve viewed the female lead''s make up a little too narrowly!

    "The intial ending of this series is that Yun Huang will experience much sorrow until shees to ept everything, then she lets go of the love that restricts her, regaining herself in the process. She and the male lead will forget each other in this world, and she travels to ends of the world with her sword. That''s Yun Huang! When she is dead set on loving you, she can even sacrifice her life, and when she doesn''t love you, you''re nothing! Yet, now you want to change her into bing someone who falls in love with the second male lead between fighting and having sparks fly. Such a change to Yun Huang''s character would be the real reason it crumbles! Teacher Mo, don''t you think so?"

    Once Ning Xi expressed all of this, with every word sounding justified and sensible, she practically stifled Mo Yuxiu''s face with frustration as he could not say a single word. He could only grit his teeth and re at her. "You¡­"

    Ning Xi returned his re unhurriedly instead.

    Hehehe! How dare you try to ruin my happy assion?! I am so going to kill you!

    As he watched the gunpowder between the two main actors'' be increasingly dense, and they looked like they were about to start arguing, Guo Qisheng quickly tried to smooth things over. "Okay, okay, I''m very d that you guys can seriously discuss the plot like this, but for this part of the storyline, let''s still follow the original work! I forgot to tell you guys that for our script, it''s okay to change the small details, but we can''t change any of the central themes at all¡­"

    "Why not?" Mo Yuxiu frowned.

    ¡­

    Not too far away, one of the cool-looking bodyguards nervously walked to the white-haired man and leaned into his ear to say something.

    Yun Shen''s expression instantly turned cold.

    There was a drop of cold sweat across the bodyguard''s forehead. "I''m sorry, Boss. I''ve checked. The ones who bought the copyright to this series is actually the Lu Corporation, and they have requested the crew not to change any of the central theme''s storyline, or else, they will revoke the rights to the script¡­"

    ¡­

    "Lu Corporation?" At this moment, Mo Yuxiu also heard about the same thing from Guo Qisheng and he instantly frowned.

    He could not figure out why the Lu Corporation would buy this script out of the blue.

    He had only heard of them investing, but not about paying to buy the script, then letting others shoot it. There were no benefits at all!

    Could it be that someone from the top management was a loyal reader of this novel and wanted to satisfy their feelings or something?

    Ning Xi blinked. She looked in shock towards Ke Mingyu''s direction.

    Jiang Muye waspletely speechless too¡­

    Bloody hell! I consider you savage!

    His uncle actually controlled the script from its source! Others had done a little harm, yet he had retaliated all the way.

    ¡­

 Chapter 1449: Youâ€™re The Cure

    <h4>Chapter 1449: You¡¯re The Cure</h4>

    After the minor incident, the shooting finally started.

    All the scenes today would be shot in the indoor studio, which was decorated as an ancient forest with a strong magical aura. Of course, it was just an initial set up; the special effects would be added post-production.

    "3, 2, 1! Lighting, rainwater, be prepared¡­ Action!"

    As the pperboard announced that they were rolling, Ning Xi who was standing in the forest went into her acting mode instantly.

    A drizzle started falling. It waste autumn now, and the cold rainwater fell like little daggers, but none of that couldpare to the pain she felt from witnessing what had happened a while ago.

    She had been a little devil back then, and she had grown up to be a big devil. She only did things on her own ord and was never ever concerned about anyone. However, she had never felt this way before, her mind faltering all because of one person.

    Ning Xi''s crimson outfit was all wet and it stuck onto her body with her hair pasted on her face. She was covering her agonizing torso and walked aimlessly without knowing where she was going.

    The rain fell on her like icicles, but her insides were burning from the charm poison.

    Atst, she could not hang on any longer and started to lurch forward.

    Just before shended, a dark shadow blitzed through the trees and held her up. "Master!"

    The girl''s body was burning up and she was unconscious.

    Liu Yan did not have time to think. He just brought her to a cave nearby to take shelter from the rain.

    There were no split angles in this scene as it was a single-view scene. The videographer followed them into the cave while wheeling the camera on a trolley.

    Liu Yan put Yun Huang on a pile of dry grass. He checked her pulse, then his usually calm eyes started to waver after a while.

    Charm poison was incurable¡­

    The only way to curb the effects was to have¡­ sex¡­

    If not, she would lose herself and be destroyed!

    However, out of respect towards Yun Huang, he would never be able to do something like that.

    Ke Mingyu was nodding his head, performing very well. All his character''s struggles were expressed with just his eyes.

    At that moment, Yun Huang woke up.

    Ning Xi opened her eyes, her blur vision preventing her from seeing who was in front of her.

    Liu Yan asked, "Master, how do you feel?"

    Liu Yan quickly stood up when he realized Yun Huang was not replying.

    The moment he was leaving the vicinity, there was a cold voice behind him. "Where are you going?"

    "To find a cure for you."

    The so-called "cure" was to find a man.

    With a deep, rumblingugh, she hooked Liu Yan''s belt with a wet finger, pulling him back. Liu Yan fell to the ground carelessly.

    Ning Xi held one of her arms in front of the man. Her expression was very different from her numb coldness just now. She was overflowing with seductiveness, and even her voice sounded alluring. "Heh, a cure? Aren''t you here now?"

    The three people who were watching this scene were speechless.

    Every crew in the studio felt the sudden drop in temperature around them¡­

    "Cut!" Guo Qisheng suddenly yelled out at this moment.

    Jiang Muye felt like his heart was on a rollercoaster. This was extremely exciting.

    After the director said "cut", Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu stood up and stopped their acting.

 Chapter 1450: Real Kiss or Fake Kiss?

    <h4>Chapter 1450: Real Kiss or Fake Kiss?</h4>

    Guo Qisheng frowned and went up to them. He thoroughly thought about what to say. "Ning Xi, your expression isn''t right. The person you like just confessed to another woman and wants to avoid you. You''re in despair¡­ Although you''re seducing Liu Yan while being controlled by the charm poison, you''re behaving as clear as sky inside. Your eyes should show more despair¡­ but weren''t you acting too naturally just now?"

    Ning Xi coughed lightly and touched her nose. "My bad. I''ll be more careful."

    Guo Qisheng then went up to Ke Mingyu after he was done with Ning Xi.

    She mumbled out of Guo Qisheng''s earshot, "Damn it, I was too excited and wasn''t able to contain myself¡­"

    Although Guo Qisheng missed it, the three people who were resting nearby heard her!

    Yun Shen remained silent.

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    Mo Yuxiu was shocked!

    What did he just hear? He had just found out something interesting!

    He had received zero results after so many days of thorough observation. Could Ning Xi''s man¡­ be Ke Mingyu?!

    "Mingyu, for now, your part is fine, but the scenester on are the main feature, so stay focused¡­"

    As Guo Qisheng was speaking to Ke Mingyu, Ning Xi suddenly thought of a question. She went back and asked, "Director Guo, for the kissing scer, are we kissing for real?"

    When she asked this question, the three guys nearby were once again taken aback.

    Guo Qisheng thought about it, "Well, I guess¡­"

    He was about to suggest manipting the angle like how they did it in "The World", but Ning Xi interrupted him as if she was showing off her professionalism as an actor, "Director Guo, I think we should do it for real! Yun Huang and Meng Changge have different personalities. If it''s a fake one, I won''t be able to exhibit Yun Huang''s personality fully and that will dampen the effect we intend to show the viewers!"

    Since Ning Xi offered this solution herself, Guo Qisheng could not wish for anything better. He was really touched by Ning Xi''s professionalism and patted her on the shoulder. "Alright, thanks for the hard work!"

    Somewhere nearby, Jiang Muye almost crushed his sunsses in his hand. You bastard, how shameless! So shameless!

    They always used an odd angle to avoid actually touching when she was acting with him, but when it came to his uncle, she requested to do it for real on her own!

    Director, please wake up. Wake up! This bastard is doing it for her own self-interest!

    "Okay, if there''s no problem, then we''ll continue! The front part is fine. Let''s continue from inside the cave!" Guo Qisheng told every department to get ready again.

    "3! 2! 1! Start!"

    "Where are you going?" Yun Huang asked.

    "To find a cure for you."

    "Heh, a cure? Aren''t you here now?"

    The water droplets on Yun Huang''s finger dripped onto Liu Yan''s corbone. Her finger reached for his cor and she unbuttoned it¡­

    "Master, no." Liu Yan''s expressionless eyes seem to be full of panic.

    Yun Huang felt a sharp pain and her expression changed. Her eyes were full of bloodlust now. She choked the man and demanded, "What now? Even you dare to defy me?"

    She released all her anger on the person in front of him because she knew that no matter how she treated him, he would never leave her.

 Chapter 1451: My Dear, Youâ€™re Amazing

    <h4>Chapter 1451: My Dear, You¡¯re Amazing</h4>

    "I don''t dare to." Liu Yan obediently lowered his hand, but his body was tensed up like a strung bow.

    "That''s more like it¡­" Yun Huang sounded like the devil who had deceived countless girls. Her tone turned gentle and not even a saint could escape from those flirtatious eyes of hers¡­

    Finally, she closed in and slowly kissed the man''s lips.

    As Yun Huang closed her eyes and kissed Liu Yan, teardrops fell out of her eyes. Her expression the moment she closed her eyes was impactful enough to make anyone share the pain.

    That wild unruliness was just a thin protective shell of hers; the female devil had true feelings too.

    Guo Qisheng pped excitedly with the script in silence as he closely watched and did not stop them.

    Then, the camera zoomed in on Liu Yan.

    Liu Yan acted as a human weapon in the series and had no emotions of his own. The only thing he grasped was his loyalty towards his master.

    However, at this moment, when his master kissed him, the man''s cold eyes turned scorching hot as if a hidden beast inside him was struggling to be uncaged¡­

    Deep inside Liu Yan''s heart, the uncontroble feeling he knew he should not have aside from loyalty towards his master was trying to surface.

    Liu Yan did not know what he was feeling as he had never experienced love before. At that moment, he felt the strange emotions bubbling¡­

    This scene was not just Yun Huang''s turning point. It was Liu Yan''s too.

    However, of course, a small character like Liu Yan was not important, but with Ke Mingyu''s acting, no one could ignore him. People would just be more interested in his feelings towards Yun Huang¡­

    Suddenly, Yun Huang''s poison reacted and anguish filled her face. Liu Yan finally acted. The man turned around and carefully ced his master down, his fingers stopping for a while on his master''s waist. Then, he swiftly undid her belt.

    "Oh, crap!" Jiang Muye was too focused on watching and did not realize that the cigarette in his fingers was finishing. It burnt his finger.

    Damn! Why was he here to watch his ex shoot a sex scene with his uncle!?

    He was looking for torture for himself!

    But his¡­ His legs just would not budge!

    Her crimson outfit was peeled offyer byyer. Eachyer removed only increased the tension in the room as everyone gulped while awaiting the uing steamy scene¡­

    At that moment, Liu Yan looked at the cave entrance with a sharp gaze, then there was an odd sound. Liu Yan''s finger moved silently and a small stone bounced off the vines near the entrance.

    Swishhh! The vines then covered the entrance, blocking them.

    Everyone was confused.

    This seemed different from the script!

    Guo Qicheng''s eyes lit up after he looked down at his viewing monitor for a while. He indicated to the videographer to continue.

    There were some tiny gaps in between the vines, and the people outside could barely see what was happening inside. Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu could not take directions from Guo Qisheng, so they were free to perform by themselves¡­

    Mmm, they were free to perform by themselves¡­

    Ning Xi was longing for this!

    She had been holding it in for too long. She quickly sped her hands around the devil''s neck and gave him a solid kiss. She lowered her voice, "My dear, you''re amazing¡­"

    That little stone throw was way too urate!

 Chapter 1452: Clearly I Forced Myself Onto Him

    <h4>Chapter 1452: Clearly I Forced Myself Onto Him</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression changed slightly.

    Was she saying things like "you''re amazing" to him right now?

    This girl was terribly reckless!

    "Sigh, my dearest, what position do you like? Mmm, based on Yun Huang''s personality, this position is probably better," Ning Xi said as she flipped over and pushed Lu Tingxiao back. Her fine ck hair hung down as she slowly kissed the man''s thin lips.

    Lu Tingxiao did not restrain himself anymore. He held the girl''s head steady and kissed her back hard.

    Outside the cave, everyone looked so nervous that they were about to puke blood. Bloody hell! This was like scratching an itch through one''s boot. They were practically torturing them to death!

    Even though they knew everything inside was fake and was probably an illusion of position, it was as if half her face hid behind a pipa , making it 100 times more seductive than just letting one see it clearly¡­

    With the vines separating those ambiguous and tantalizing movements, Jiang Muye expressed that he had suffered ten thousand points of injury.

    These two people werepletely crazy and ridiculous!

    Mo Yuxiu looked extremely upset. He swiftly got up and left.

    Immediately after that, there was a sound by his ear. Jiang Muye seemed to have heard the familiar sound of a teacup being crushed to pieces.

    He carefully looked to the side. Well, Yun Huang''s father''s teacup had indeed been crushed in his hands.

    ¡­

    This part of the plot would have roughly 30 seconds of music and shbacks slotted in, so Guo Qisheng waited 30 secondster before he called it to a stop. "Cut! Pass!"

    Momentster, Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu walked out. Both their clothes were tidy as if the tantalizing situation earlier had been an illusion.

    "Eh? Did we pass just like that? Director Guo, are you sure?" Ning Xi quickly asked.

    "I''m sure! Don''t worry, that shot earlier was perfect! You and Ke Mingyu performed really well!" Guo Qisheng was not stingy with his praises.

    Facing Guo Qisheng''spliments, Ning Xi was oddly not happy. Instead, she sounded slightly regretful as she muttered, "Oh, okay¡­"

    She hardly had the chance to shoot an intimate scene with the devil, yet she had seeded with only one take. What a waste! Such a mistake!

    Guo Qisheng looked at Ning Xi weirdly. Why did he feel like this girl''s reaction was not very right? Still, she could not figure out what was wrong, so he could only shake his head and forget it. He continued to prepare for the uing scenes.

    ¡­

    The next scene involved Ning Xi, Ke Mingyu, and Yun Shen.

    The storyline of this set was about Yun Haotian having realized that his daughter had done it with Liu Yan. He flew into a terrible rage and wanted to kill Liu Yan.

    Mmm, it was rather intense too¡­

    Jiang Muye braced through his severe injury and continued to stay behind, all because he wanted to continue watching this scene among the three of them.

    At the start, Guo Qisheng was still quite worried about this boss of his. After a few interactions though, he realized that Yun Shen''s acting was unexpectedly quite solid, thus he was now much less worried. He shouted to start after briefing the three of them.

    "All departments, get ready! Action!"

    Yun Haotian stood opposite as he looked at his daughter and the ck-clothed shadow guardian beside her. His expression did not change, but the aura around him and the air he exudedpletely changed within a second.

    That overbearing force was like a huge mountain omnipresently pressuring the two of them. With that gaze that could almost make one tremble from the depths of one''s soul, it was definitely a performance method that was a thousand times better than straight up stomping with fury.

    Even the crew members present did not dare to utter a single sound. It was simply too frightening.

    Yun Shen waved his sleeve firmly, then Ke Mingyu bit the blood capsule in his mouth open. For a moment, his figure wavered and he spat out blood.

    Yun Haotian''s expression was increasingly dark akin to the Grim Reaper''s making his way closer to Liu Yan''s direction step by step.

    Yun Huang instantly jumped out to block Yun Haotian. "Father! What are you doing?!"

    "He touched you."

    "Father, wait! Father, can''t you speak more sense? Clearly, I forced myself onto him! Father, why would you hit him for nothing?" Ning Xi called him "father" in every sentence, saying it ever so reflexively.

    "You¡­"

    Yun Shen just did a bad take.

 Chapter 1453: Sharp Eyes!

    <h4>Chapter 1453: Sharp Eyes!</h4>

    "Tang Xi!" An angry shout between gritted teeth was heard.

    What? Who was Tang Xi? Yun Shen seemed to have called out the wrong name.

    Guo Qisheng had no choice but to yell "cut".

    As he watched Yun Shen who had been so outraged by Ning Xi that he did a bad take, Jiang Muye felt as if his heart had just received a huge constion.

    If even such a conniving, scheming monster as Yun Shen with a terrifying background could be angered by Ning Xi to this extent, he was really nothing.

    At the same time, Jiang Muye looked at Yun Shen and suddenly remembered who he was. Tang Xi¡­ There were not many who knew this name of Ning Xi''s!

    Plus, with that shocking head of white hair¡­

    When they were abroad, he knew that Ning Xi always disappeared for long periods of time. He was not sure what she did either. Sometimes, he would see her with a unique group of people, and one of the few who left a particr impression on him was a curly-haired man who wore gold-rimmed spectacles, and one more had white hair.

    Because he had seen Ning Xi in a male outfit, he could recognize her then. Could Yun Shen be the white-haired man from back then?

    It looked like Yun Shen and Ning Xi''s rtionship was indeedplicated¡­

    At this moment, some of the crew members and background actors lowered their voices to whisper.

    "Oh, what to do? I''m a loyal fan of the Xi Ye party, but now that I''ve seen two scenes, I''ve suddenly fallen in love with Yun Huang and Liu Yan as a couple!"

    "Actually, I''ve always been a fan of the Bro Xi and Ke Mingyu couple. When I watched ''Dream Chaser'', I already liked the coupling of Ji Feixue and Ling Yu even though this pairing is quite unpopr¡­"

    "Hehe, that''s nothing. I''d say that I''ve taken a liking to the Yun Huang and Yun Haotian father-daughter pairing!"

    "It could be my imagination but I feel like the way Yun Haotian looks at Yun Huang is not ordinary!"

    ¡­

    Jiang Muye thought to himself, "Silly human beings, it is not that Yun Haotian''s look towards Yun Huang is out of the ordinary. It''s the way Yun Shen looks at Ning Xi!"

    After a short rest, the shoot began again.

    Ning Xi, Ke Mingyu, and Yun Shen''s scene had to be shot five times in a row before it finally passed.

    Finally making aeback, Ning Xi hummed a tune. She was mentally and physically free from worry, so her mood was especially great.

    Lu Tingxiao walked out from the washroom. The moment he stepped out, he saw someone leaning on the shiny wall opposite him.

    The man''s white hair covered the thin scar on his eyebrow bone and there was a cigarette between his fingers. When he saw Lu Tingxiaoe out, he looked up ever so slightly and smiled faintly to say, "CEO Lu, such a pleasure¡­"

    Even though his identity had been exposed, there was no reaction on Lu Tingxiao''s face at all. He only looked at the man with a poker face. "Likewise."

    On the other side, Jiang Muye had a dder emergency and was about to go to the toilet when he saw these two deities at the washroom entrance. He instantly emergency braked and hid in a corner.

    Then, he listened to their conversation.

    Wow, how did Yun Shen recognize Lu Tingxiao? His eyes were really sharp!

    Also, the two of you should not talk to each other anymore! Both of you are real senseless!

    Both of you aren''t at yourpanies to be tyrannic CEOs, yet you havee to this drama set to snatch the other''s rice bowl. What are you trying to do?!

    Jiang Muye thought to himself, "Fight! How awesome if these two could fight each other!"

    That way, would he not be the fisherman that caught both when the sandpiper and the m waged a war against each other? Even if he did not benefit, he would still be happy to watch the show!

    Yun Shen looked Lu Tingxiao and was about to say something when he noticed the hovering figure from the corner of his eye as if marking the person hiding there. He smiled and then unhurriedly turned around to leave.

 Chapter 1454: Thanks For Your Trouble, My Wife

    <h4>Chapter 1454: Thanks For Your Trouble, My Wife</h4>

    At a certain high-end wedding dress studio in Imperial.

    Fingers shrouded in a whiteced mitten softly pulled open the curtains. Ning Xueluo''s magnificent pure white wedding dress appeared before everyone''s eyes.

    Continuous exims of admiration were instantly heard outside the curtains.

    "Oh my God! Incredibly beautiful!"

    "Miss Ning, this wedding dress really suits you very well!"

    "Indeed, Mr. Su''s eye for ss is outstanding! He picked out this style that fits Madam Su the best!" Quick-witted shop assistants immediately changed their address of Ning Xueluo to Madam Su.

    ¡­

    At this moment, Su Yan stood there waiting in his superior, tailored to fit, hand-stitched tuxedo. The second he saw Ning Xueluo walk out in her wedding dress, a dazed expression shed across his face.

    Ning Xueluo was clearly extremely satisfied with the man''s reaction. She stood there elegantly and said shyly, "Bro Yan, does it look nice?"

    Su Yan had a gentle expression as he replied her, "It''s nice."

    Ning Xueluo immediately revealed a happy expression. She snuggled up into the man''s embrace with a dependent and yearning look on her face. "Bro Yan, I can finally be your bride! Do you know how long I''ve waited for this day?"

    Su Yan looked at the dreamy girl in the sacred wedding dress. The girl looked as if she was looking at her entire world. That sliver of distracting thoughts that he should not have was pushed back into the recesses of his mind as he caressed the girl''s hair lightly. "Me too."

    There were a few shop assistants, stylists, and the store manager on the side. When they saw the two of them being so loving, they all had envious admiring expressions. "Madam Su, there''s still the matching set of essories. Why don''t you put it on and see the effects?"

    "Okay, I''ll have to trouble you then!"

    "Of course not! It''s our honor that Madam Su woulde to our store to custom make your wedding dress!" The store manager spoke courteously.

    This hade by after a longpetition with quite a few of the shops in Imperial. Ning Xueluo''s huge wedding would definitely be thergest and grandest asion in the entire city, and its promotional effects would be far greater than any amount ofmercials.

    Next up, Ning Xueluo tried on all of the matching essories.

    These essories had been custom-made in advance overseas by Su Yan. There were none other like them globally, especially the crown on her head, which originally belonged to the English royal family. Previously, it had been bought by a private collector at the auction, then Su Yan had bid for it at a high price. Compared to the Queen''s crown from the charity banquet thest time, even though it had not been exaggeratively bid at $100 million, this one cost a staggering total of $60 million, double the price of the Queen''s actual market price.

    All of them were praising him on the side, and Ning Xueluo''s face was full of contented happiness.

    After everything was settled, Ning Xueluo clung onto Su Yan''s arm and considerately said, "Bro Yan, I will check the outfit, essories, and some other things onest time, then I''ll go straight to the beauty parlor for a spa. You don''t have to apany me. If you''re busy, then go ahead and settle your stuff!"

    "Okay, thanks for your trouble, my wife!" Su Yan lowered his head and kissed Ning Xueluo''s lips before he left.

    Ning Xueluo watched the man''s slender and firm figure depart, the man who was about to bepletely hers. Her eyes were full of delight. Ha! Such a man should belong to her. That was right¡­

    Ning Xueluo was discussing some additional details with the staff when her phone rang. It was Su Yan''s mother.

    Ning Xueluo frowned. She went to the balcony before picking up. "Hello, Aunty¡­"

    "Xueluo, are you looking at wedding dresses with Su Yan today?"

    "Yes, we just finished and Su Yan has already left for thepany."

 Chapter 1455: Su Familys Eldest Daughter-In-Law

    <h4>Chapter 1455: Su Family''s Eldest Daughter-In-Law</h4>

    "Satisfied? If there''s anything you''re not happy about, feel free to let me know. I will have him satisfy all of your requests. After all, getting married is a once in a lifetime assion. You definitely cannot skimp!" Su Yan''s mother''s tone was extraordinarily affectionate.

    When she heard the gentle generosity in her voice, Ning Xueluo already knew that she might have something else to say. Something shed in her eyes, then she quickly spoke in a tone that seemed overwhelmed by the affection, "Aunty, I''m very happy! Actually, it really doesn''t have to be so troublesome. As long as I can be with Bro Yan, everything else doesn''t matter! Weddings are just a matter of formality!"

    "That can''t do. You''re our eldest daughter-inw. Obviously, we cannot make you feel guilty at all! Whatever it is, as long as you''re happy, that''s good¡­" Su Yan''s mother assured. Indeed, the topic changed and she continued, "Xueluo, how about the thing that I talked to you about thest time? Is anyone from the Zhuang familying over?"

    Ning Xueluo''s expression turned broody, but she maintained her obedient and sweet tone to say, "Aunty, don''t worry. Things are already starting to look up. I will do my best to invite them. It shouldn''t be too much of a problem!"

    When she heard Ning Xueluo''s answer, Su Yan''s mother was satisfied and she reminded her to invite the Zhuangs for a few times again before hanging up.

    Su Hongguang''s bastard, Su Xun, had married the third daughter of the Zhao family, Zhao Shanshan. The Zhao family was increasing in their dominance recently, and their threat to Su Yan was increasingly huge as well. At such a time, such a huge slip-up had urred on Ning Xueluo''s side too. She had to n for Su Yan''s future.

    Ning Xueluo took a deep breath as she took out her phone and made a call. "Have you ordered the bracelet?"

    The other end of the phone was Chang Li''s voice. "I did, I just retrieved it from the store. Should I deliver it over to you now?"

    "Send it straight to the beauty parlor."

    "Okay."

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo walked back into the room after her call.

    The store manager quickly walked over and spoke nervously, "Madam Su, it looks like they forgot to prepare the bracelet!"

    "No worries, I will arrange it myself here."

    "Oh, okay, okay¡­"

    ¡­

    After she left the wedding dress studio, Ning Xueluo drove to a membership-based beauty parlor that all the top rich daughters and socialities loved to frequent the most.

    At the entrance, Chang Li was already waiting there with a ck velvet box in her hand. When she saw Ning Xueluo walk over, she quickly delivered the items to her.

    Ning Xueluo opened it up to take a look. After she confirmed that there was no problem, she said, "Is everything ready on the media''s end?"

    "Don''t worry, it''s all been prepared. They have even written the articles in advance. It won''t be a problem to hog the entire month''s hot topic," Chang Li confirmed with a confident tone.

    Quite a few days ago, the media had already begun to promote the wedding of the century. From Ning Xueluo''s wedding dress, the ring, and the crown to the hotel dishes and the door gifts, every step was toy the foundations for the day that the wedding officially happened.

    "Mmm, that''s enough. You can go home."

    Ning Xueluo nodded, then she walked into the beauty parlor.

    Chang Li looked suspiciously at Ning Xueluo''s direction, not understanding why she had secretly bought such an expensive bracelet for herself.

    Weren''t all the essories used during the wedding prepared by the Su family?

    ¡­

    The membership to the beauty parlor that Ning Xueluo arrived at was only open to Imperial''s socialities, thus even if Ning Xueluo used her A-lister female artiste identity, she would not be able to go in. However, she was the daughter of the Ning family and the future Madam Su, so naturally, she managed to be a prestigious member.

    Ning Xueluo was greeted with a familiar store assistant''s smile and congrattory wishes the moment she arrived.

    "Miss Ning, you''re here! I''d like to congratte you in advance!"

    "Congrattions on the big wedding! May you live a long and happy life together!"

 Chapter 1456: My Mother

    <h4>Chapter 1456: My Mother</h4>

    "Thank you!" For the past few days, Ning Xueluo had clearly gotten used to such congrattory wishes, so she thanked the salesgirl politely, then she quietly observed the surroundings.

    Finally, Ning Xueluo''s eyes lit up when she saw the objective that she hade for today.

    Zhuang Keer strolled in with a cool elegant aura in her high-heeled shoes, wearing a champagne tailor-made Spirit dress.

    Ning Xueluo looked at the Spirit outfit on Zhuang Keer, and the light in her eyes dimmed for an instant, then she very quickly reined herself in. She pretended that she had not seen her as she put her handphone into her bag and walked towards the direction up front.

    Just as she walked past, a photo had inadvertently fallen out of her handbag, and coincidentally brushed against Zhuang Keer''s leg.

    Zhuang Keer subconsciously bent down to pick up the photo and was about to call out to the person in front, but her expression changed slightly when she had a clearer look at the picture¡­

    This photo seemed to have been taken quite some years ago just by looking at the background, but the photo was newly refurbished. Most importantly, among the five people in it, there were four that she knew!

    In the middle was her grandfather. On the left of her grandfather was her second aunt, third aunt, and on the right was her father. There was also one other woman¡­

    Even though the people in the photo were much younger, she could confidently recognize them. However, who was that woman beside her father?

    Why would she appear in such a photo that seemed like a family portrait?

    When Zhuang Keer finally regained her senses after being distracted and wanted to call out to the person in front, Ning Xueluo had already walked around the corner.

    "Hi, I''d like to ask who was thatdy that just walked over there?" Zhuang Keer could only ask the staff beside her.

    "That¡­ That''s thedy of the Ning family, Ning Xueluo!'' The staff answered enthusiastically.

    "Ning Xueluo?" Zhuang Keer''s expression changed.

    Xiao Xi''s sister?

    She had only found out that Ning Xi was the foster daughter of the Ning family after getting close to Ning Xi. Otherwise, she did not know anything else about the Nings.

    However, why would Ning Xueluo have such a picture?

    After a moment''s pondering, Zhuang Keer said, "Help me arrange for me and Ms. Ning to be in the same private room."

    "Okay."

    ¡­

    After Ning Xueluo entered the room, sheid downfortably on the genuine leather recliner, waiting for the beautician''s service¡­ and Zhuang Keer¡­

    Indeed, it had not been more than three minutes before the cking of high heels was heard.

    Zhuang Keer passed her the picture, then said to probe, "Ms. Ning, you seemed to have dropped something."

    When Ning Xueluo saw the picture in Zhuang Keer''s hand, her expression instantly changed and she nervously took it back. "Ah! Yes, it''s mine¡­ Thank you, thank you! Thank you so much, really!"

    Then, she caressed the photo in her hand lightly like she greatly treasured it.

    Zhuang Keer observed Ning Xueluo''s expression as she said apologetically, "I''m sorry, Ms. Ning, may I ask why would you have this picture? Even though it''s a little random, the people in this picture of yours is of my grandfather, my father, my second aunt, and my third aunt."

    Ning Xueluo immediately revealed a troubled expression when she heard her as if she had not expected this picture would be exposed to Zhuang Keer.

    At the same time, she had confirmed one thing. It looked like Zhuang Keer was not aware of the fact that she still had one more aunt.

    Ning Xueluo seemed to hesitate for a while. Finally, she ordered the two beauticians, who had just entered, to leave first, then she looked helplessly towards Zhuang Keer and said, "I didn''t think that you would identally see this picture. Actually, one of the people in this photo is my mother!"

 Chapter 1457: Third Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 1457: Third Daughter</h4>

    "The one beside my father?" Zhuang Keer instantly revealed a shocked expression.

    "Yes."

    "How could this be?!"

    When they got to this juncture, the two had gone with the flow and sat down to begin talking.

    Ning Xueluo looked at the picture and sighed, "My mother''s name is Zhuang Lingyu."

    When she heard Ning Xueluo say her mother''s surname was "Zhuang", Zhuang Keer instantly reacted, "She also has the surname Zhuang¡­ Could it be¡­?"

    "Yes, my mother is the youngest daughter of the Zhuang family," said Ning Xueluo.

    "Why have I never heard of this before?" Zhuang Keer frowned.

    Grandfather had a third daughter? She had never heard anyone in the family mention this before!

    Ning Xueluo chose her words carefully, then she said, "Actually, I didn''t know about it from the start either. I only discovered this when I grew up. Obviously, I didn''t know any specifics either. I only roughly heard that back then, my mother and my father loved each other. However, because their families did not match in terms of statuses, Grandfather wouldn''t agree no matter what. In order to be together with my father, my mother fought multiple times with Grandfather. Misunderstandings and conflict deepened. Atst, it reached the stage of severing father-daughter ties. They had not been in contact for more than 20 years¡­ So, now almost no one knows about this incident from back then!"

    After she had shared so much, Ning Xueluo''s face was full of gloom. "Actually, I know that my mother especially regretted hurting Grandfather then, and she missed her family too. Sadly, my mother is too stubborn, so she wasn''t willing to give in all this while¡­"

    When Ning Xueluo reached this part, she looked at Zhuang Keer with a slightly pained expression. "I''m actually sad that my mother''s like this, so I tried to resolve the misunderstanding between my mother and Grandfather¡­ But it''s too hard for me to contact and meet Grandfather, so in that period of time, I tried to contact you, Ms. Zhuang. Unfortunately, I didn''t think that because of some small misunderstanding, I would''ve missed the opportunity to speak to you¡­"

    Ning Xueluo''s words were no doubt hinting at the incident of Zhuang Keer standing up for Ning Xi previously in History''s store, even implying that Ning Xi had been obstructing her from speaking to her from the start.

    Zhuang Keer looked at Ning Xueluo again, and asked suspiciously, "Why would you bring this photo around with you?"

    "I found this photo at my mother''s bedside. Probably because of long-term fingering, the wear and tear have already been pretty severe, then I secretly brought it to be restored at a shop. Today, I just collected it¡­ Actually, I''vee to the beauty parlor today also with a mentality of trying out my luck, thinking about whether I would meet you, Cousin. Who would have thought that God has finally helped me out?" Ning Xueluo did not deny it at all. She just admitted her purpose and intention, even pretending that she had unconsciously changed her address towards Zhuang Keer as "Cousin".

    Indeed, when she heard Ning Xueluo speak like that, Zhuang Keer''s expression softened quite a bit. She had already begun to believe Ning Xueluo''s words.

    After all, Ning Xueluo did not need to lie to her. For such a matter, she just needed to go home and ask to find out whether it was real or not.

    She did not expect that she would have three aunts and that one of them had run away from home and severed ties with her family for so many years¡­

    Now that she recalled it, Grandfather always had a worried expression on his face. She thought that it was only because he missed Grandmother. Could it have also been because of this youngest daughter who had left home for many years?

    "It''s not good for us younger generation to interfere with the older generation''s matters, yet I can''t bear to see my mother continue to look so haggard every day. That''s why I presumptuously rambled on so much to you," Ning Xueluo said apologetically.

 Chapter 1458: Did She Really Say That?

    <h4>Chapter 1458: Did She Really Say That?</h4>

    If Zhuang Lingyu was really her aunt, then Ning Xueluo would be her cousin.

    However, Zhuang Keer did not feel veryfortable about being addressed as "Cousin" by Ning Xueluo.

    Something still did not feel right. Just because Grandfather did not like the person she married, they had just ignored each other for over twenty years?

    "Is it possible for me to keep this picture?" Zhuang Keer asked.

    Ning Xueluo nodded with a positive heart as Zhuang Keer finally showed interest in this matter. "Of course, I made a few copies for safekeeping."

    "Thank you."

    "Actually, my mother has been trying to make up with Grandfather, but she didn''t do it because of her personality. Another reason is that there hasn''t really been a right time to do so¡­"

    Afterwards, Ning Xuoluo told Zhuang Keer about how much Zhuang Lingyu had missed her family so much in the past years. She also mentioned a little about her marriage, and they left the beauty parlor together after they were done.

    They both waited outside the entrance for their transport.

    Ning Xueluo received a call out of the blue. "What? The car battery died? But I have to attend an event next. It''s going to start in half an hour¡­"

    Sending another car here would take too long a time and it would be inappropriate for her to take a taxi due to her identity as a public figure, so Ning Xueluo was anxious.

    Zhuang Keer''s car arrived. Before she got in, she asked, "Where are you going?"

    "The exhibition center!"

    "It''s on the way. I''ll send you there."

    "Thank you, Cousin!" Ning Xueluo boarded the car gratefully. In the car, she took the chance and indirectly invited Zhuang Keer to attend her wedding.

    ¡­

    At the Zhuang Residence.

    After Zhuang Keer went back, she looked at the picture multiple times.

    Should she ask them?

    Then again, the elders in the house never mentioned Zhuang Lingyu before, so it should be a taboo topic of the family. Would it be a bad idea for her to ask?

    It would definitely be a big no to ask Grandfather. As for her mother, she might not know very well¡­

    Then, Xiao Xi?

    That would not work as well¡­ Xiao Xi was just the foster daughter of the family and probably would not know about something so hidden. Plus, she had never mentioned it before¡­

    As she was struggling with what to do, familiar footsteps came by.

    "Father, you''re back!" Zhuang Keer stood up.

    "Mmm, where''s your grandfather?" Zhuang Liaoyuan was wearing his military uniform, his expression stern.

    "He went fishing and isn''t back yet." Zhuang Keer hesitated, then asked, "Father, how many daughters does Grandfather have?"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan''s cold face frowned when he heard this question. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

    "I heard someone said today that Grandfather has three daughters. There''s another one called Zhuang Lingyu?" Zhuang Keer tried to ask carefully.

    As expected, Zhuang Liaoyuan''s expression changed the moment he heard that name. "How did you find out? Who told you?"

    "So, it''s real after all!" Zhuang Keer was surprised. She handed the picture she over. "I met the girl from the Ning family, Ning Xueluo, when I was at the beauty parlor today. I picked up this picture that she dropped. We talked for a little¡­ She said that her mother has been missing Grandfather a lot¡­"

    "Did she really say that?" Zhuang Liaoyuan looked oddly at her.

    "Yeah, she also said this picture has always been by her mother''s bedside. It was damaged because of her frequently touching it, so she went to get it restored¡­" Zhuang Keer nodded.

 Chapter 1459: Iâ€™ll Surely Come

    <h4>Chapter 1459: I¡¯ll Surely Come</h4>

    Zhuang Liaoyuan did not have any sign of being touched or any sadness on his face when Zhuang Keer told him about it. Instead, he seemed well and thoroughly pissed off. His expression turned even colder. "This shouldn''t be any of your concern. Just act it as if you''ve heard nothing about it. Don''t mention it in front of your grandfather."

    Because Zhuang Liaoyuan looked so afflicted, Zhuang Keer skipped the part where Ning Xueluo had extended her wedding invitation.

    While her father did not say much about this matter, surely there was more to it. She could not just believe everything Ning Xueluo said, but she would not simply interfere either.

    For Xiao Xi''s sake, she would not want to get too close to this cousin who had just suddenly appeared.

    ¡­

    At tinum Pce, Lu Tingxiao was cooking dinner that night. Little Treasure was helping him. Ning Xi had been chased out of the kitchen as they ordered her to just wait.

    Ning Xi looked through the entertainment news feed. Nearly everything was about Ning Xueluo and Su Yan''s wedding, so she turned off the feed and peeked at the little bun and the big bun.

    The moment Ning Xi put down her phone, it suddenly rang.

    The iing call was from Tang Nuo.

    Could something have happened at home again?

    Ning Xi quickly picked up the call. "Hello, Xiao Nuo? Did something happen back home again? Those people went back looking for trouble?"

    "No, no! Sis, they didn''te back. Oh, wait, they dide once, but they came to give us flowers and fresh fruits, and they were really nice to us as well¡­"

    They were probably afraid of Ning Xi. It seemed like her decision to be harsher on them was correct.

    "Oh, that sounds great then!" Ning Xi was relieved and she smiled broadly. "Young man, your exams are in a few days'' time. Do you want me to apany you?"

    "No, please. No, don''te at all, let me just be by myself!" Tang Nuo quickly said.

    Ning Xiughed lightly. "Okay! All the best, I''m waiting for you toe to Imperial!"

    "Sis, just wait, I''ll surelye!"

    "How ambitious!" Ning Xi teased him, but Tang Nuo always had good grades, so it would not be a problem for him to get into a school in Imperial.

    "Right, sis¡­ I called you for something else¡­" Tang Nuo seemed embarrassed to tell her, and he hesitated for a while. "Sis, you left too soon after helping us big time. We didn''t have time to thank you at all. Father and Mother said that¡­ We should treat you to a meal. When are you free, can youe back home? Sis, it''s been a long time since our family gathered together¡­"

    Tang Nuo sounded really pitiful with thatst sentence.

    The sister he had grown up with since he was a young child had left him so suddenly until she ended up bing someone totally unrted, Tang Nuo did not feelfortable about it as well, but too many people were involved. His parents were against him getting too close to Ning Xi. No matter how much he missed her, he could only endure it until this incident was settled and Ning Xi went back home. However, the strangled situation was starting to unravel¡­

    Ning Xi hesitated as well, but she was not cruel enough to reject the young man. "Alright, I''ll go when I''m free¡­"

    "Really? Sis, you promised! You can''t go back on your promise!"

 Chapter 1460: Let Me Blow The Pain Away

    <h4>Chapter 1460: Let Me Blow The Pain Away</h4>

    "Fine, fine, I promise. Don''t be distracted now. Focus on your exams!"

    "Mmm, I got it. I''ll definitely make you proud!"

    "Good!" Ning Xi smiled warmly.

    After a short chat, Tang Nuo then sounded odd again. He asked, "Oh, is that woman getting married soon?"

    Ning Xi then realized he was talking about Ning Xueluo. She nodded. "Yes."

    Tang Nua sneered, "She never called us. We found out about it on the TV. I''m really worried that Mother is going and will get rejected. Fortunately, Mother didn''t say anything this time and she didn''t mention that she''s going¡­ Before that, she kept on pestering me to buy some local specialties and send it to her wedding. I tried to convince her but failed, then suddenly she stopped¡­"

    She was probably was rejected when she called Ning Xueluo, but Ning Xi did not say it out loud.

    After Ning Xi was done talking to Tang Nuo, Lu Tingxiao and the little bun were done with dinner.

    "Mommy, dinner''s ready!" The little bun quickly led his mother to the dinner table.

    Ning Xi saw four dishes and a bowl of soup on the table. There was a fresh tomato sd, roast meat, c chicken, and pork rib soup with herbs. There was also Lu Tingxiao''s best dish, fried cabbage.

    It was much more than she expected and the dishes looked delicious.

    "Taste it." Lu Tingxiao passed her a pair of chopsticks.

    Ning Xi took the chopsticks and tried all of them.

    The big bun and the little bun looked at her anxiously.

    After a while, Ning Xi''s eyes brightened and she gave them a thumbs-up. "Not bad at all! Delicious!"

    Both the buns were relieved. The little bun looked especially vibrant. Lu Tingxiao pulled out Ning Xi''s seat for her. "Let''s eat!"

    "Mmm¡­" Ning Xi saw a blister on the back of Lu Tingxiao''s hand, then she held onto his hand to examine closely. "What happened?"

    "I just got sshed by some oil. It''s alright, I''ve taken care of it," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Ning Xi blew some cool air on his hand. "Does it still hurt? Let me blow the pain away!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at Ning Xi''s childish behavior andughed as warmth flooded his heart.

    The ignored little bun looked at his father angrily. His face seemed to say, "How could you use such a cheap tactic behind my back to catch Mommy''s attention?!"

    "Mommy, Little Treasure wants it too!" The little bun spoke up.

    Ning Xi chuckled and she quickly gave the little guy''s fair hand a light puff of air as well.

    The little bun was satisfied now.

    Look, I got it even without any tricks!

    ¡­

    After finishing dinner and putting the little bun to sleep, Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao sat in the garden and had a little chat.

    "Dear, why are you treating me especially nicely today?" Ning Xi asked.

    Actually, it was not just today. This had been going on for the past few days as well.

    Lu Tingxiao was already treating her kindly enough, but the past few days had been way off the charts. She felt like she was bing a good-for-nothing.

    Lu Tingxiao would never admit that it was because of his guilt.

    "I''m afraid that you might be sad." Lu Tingxiao quickly came up with an excuse.

    "Sad? You mean about Su Yan''s wedding?" Ning Xi raised her eyebrows. "If it''s about that, you''re overthinking. They suit each other, so it''s a blessing for them!"

 Chapter 1461: Are You Sure You Want Me To Go?

    <h4>Chapter 1461: Are You Sure You Want Me To Go?</h4>

    Recently the progress of "Nine Realms" had been going very well. Apart from the filming, Ling Zhizhi also arranged for Ning Xi to attend some suitable events.

    The filming period of a series would take at least several months. Being away from the public eye for such a long period of time would easily have her be forgotten, so she would still need to ensure that some attention was still on her.

    Ning Xi''s poprity had been increasing. As more and more people liked her, there were a lot of critics as well, using her and making up gossip, but thanks to Ling Zhizhi and the support of thepany, they were not really any real threats. Instead, it fueled her high-rising poprity.

    As she had been working hard on her career, the one thing that Ning Xi had been doing consistently was charity work.

    What she could do before this was limited, but in her current position, she could do much more.

    Ling Zhizhi agreed and supported her, actively approaching non-profit organizations and setting up a charity fund under Ning Xi''s name.

    "The ceremony for theunch of the fund set up has been arranged. It''s on the 8th of this month, and you don''t have any scenes on that day," Ling Zhizhi said.

    "The 8th?" Ning Xi''s eyebrows raised a little.

    "Do you have something up on the 8th? Here''s the list of guests. Take a look."

    "Okay!" Ning Xi nodded and browsed through it. They were all celebrities in the entertainment industry and there were also some important partners. "Looks alright."

    ¡­

    Ning Xi''s phone rang the moment she came out of Ling Zhizhi''s office.

    Ning Xi slid her finger across the screen and answered the call before she could see who was calling, Ning Yaohua''s voice came through the phone. "Hello, Xiao Xi. Don''t forget about Xueluo''s wedding tomorrow!"

    "I have something on the 8th."

    "You have something on? What else could be more important than Xueluo''s wedding?" The person speaking was now Zhuang Lingyu.

    "Are you sure you want me to go?"

    Ning Xi''s tone put Zhuang Lingyu on alert. Of course, she did not want her to go!

    Who knew what could happen again if she turned up?

    "Do you think I want to do this? It''s a big day for Xueluo. Not only you, even Tianxin isn''ting. Are you guys trying to tell the whole world that our family is at a discord?" Zhuang Lingyu said in an annoyed tone.

    "Whatever. Let her be. It''s not a big deal¡­" Ning Yaohua mumbled, then he tried to say carefully, "Xiao Xi, what are you up to on the 8th? Actually, let the past be the past. You can''t force a rtionship after all¡­ I think CEO Yun is pretty good¡­"

    His tone sounded like he thought she was trying to stir trouble out of jealousy. Furthermore, Ning Yaohua had not forgotten about Yun Shen as well.

    He had treated her much better recently because of the value he saw in her now. However, it only made her feel disgusted.

    "CEO Ning, you can look at my schedule on the official website or call my assistant." Ning Xi then hung up.

    ¡­

    The 8th came very soon.

    The entrance to the Imperial Exhibition Centre was congested. Nearly half of the entertainment industry, as well as the rich and famous among the guests from various industries, were gathered there. It wasparable to an awards ceremony.

    Most celebrities would hold their wedding in a hotel or on a small ind, but there were simply too many guests at the wedding of Ning Xueluo and Su Yan, so they had to have it in the Imperial Exhibition Centre.

 Chapter 1462: His Lucky Star Indeed

    <h4>Chapter 1462: His Lucky Star Indeed</h4>

    Ning Xueluo and Su Yan were greeting guests at the entrance, looking every bit like they hade straight out of a beautiful painting. Their bridesmaids and best men were all young, glowing celebrities as well, making the whole posse a very attractive sight.

    "Congrattions, CEO Su!"

    "Thank you, CEO Li. Wee in!"

    "Congrattions, Xueluo, best wishes! You look very beautiful today!"

    "Sis Lin, you''re the beautiful one today, alright? I might not even measure up to you even as the bride!"

    ¡­

    Inside the wedding hall, Ning Yaohua was happily greeting the guests and chatting with some older CEOs in the top industry.

    At that moment, he was relieved that he had made the decision to give his portion of the 15% of shares to Ning Xueluo.

    Xueluo was his lucky star!

    Back in the day, the Zhuang family had looked down on him and was strongly against their daughter marrying him. He wondered what they would think if they were to see this scene today.

    Based on these thoughts, he did not raise any objection when Xueluo sent the Zhuangs her wedding invitation.

    If the Zhuang family were to change their attitude, he would not mind letting go of his grudge¡­

    After a long time, most of the guests had arrived.

    "Xueluo, Su Yan, leave it to us here. You guys should go in now. There''s a rehearsalter!" Zhuang Lingyu smiled kindly at her.

    Ning Xueluo frowned ever so slightly. "It''s alright, Mother. Some guests aren''t here yet, we''ll stay for a little while longer!"

    "Okay, don''t wait for too long." Zhuang Lingyu then went back inside.

    Ning Xueluo waited for a while longer. Only a fewte guests arrived, but no one from the Zhuang family turned up.

    Damn it¡­

    She had gone out of her way and invited them, but it was not working.

    Was the Zhuang family really this heartless?

    She had given them the perfect opportunityve. She had even told Zhuang Keer so much. If they had even the slightest intention to make up, they would have appeared today.

    "Xueluo, is anyone from your maternal grandfather''s sideing?" Su Yan''s mother went over and asked with a concerned expression.

    "Not yet, they''ll probably bete. Let''s go in first!" Ning Xueluo smiled, but there was a slight darkness in her eyes.

    Su Yan''s mother was really concerned about the Zhuang family. If she screwed up performing the first task in her marriage, how could she take a firm stand in the Su family?

    She had to make someone from the Zhuang familye no matter what, even if it was to just show them face.

    It seemed like she had to use herst resort¡­

    ¡­

    At the same time, in the military area, Zhuang Keer put on a dark-colored formal outfit. She took her bag and was about to leave home.

    "Keer, are you meeting your friends? Is it a boy or a girl?" Meng Ling asked from the living room sofa, her eyes brimming with expectation.

    Zhuang Keer answered exasperatedly, "Mother, I''m going to support Xiao Xi today!"

    "Xiao Xi? What does that child have going on today?" Meng Ling probed.

    "Xiao Xi''s charity fund is being set up today. As her good friend, of course, I have to go!" Zhuang Keer replied.

    Meng Ling nodded. "That child is really nice. She''s not blinded by fame. She never forgot about her roots as expected¡­"

    "Mother, as expected of what?"

    As they were talking, the nanny came in with a ck box in her hands.

    "Miss, did you put this bracelet in the car?"

    "Bracelet? What bracelet?" Zhuang Keer was confused.

    The nanny replied, "Old Zhang found it when he was washing the car. It looks pretty expensive, Miss. Be careful with your belongings. It''s not safe putting them in the car¡­"

 Chapter 1463: Not So Simple

    <h4>Chapter 1463: Not So Simple</h4>

    Zhuang Keer opened the box and took a look. She insisted on confusion, "This isn''t mine!"

    The nanny was perplexed as well. "Not yours? Then, is it Madam''s? But from the style of the bracelet, it looks like it''s made for young girls¡­"

    "It''s not mine. I''ve never seen it before," Meng Ling dered.

    "That''s weird¡­ No one has sat in my car before¡­" Zhuang Keer studied the bracelet again. It was obvious that this bracelet would cost at least a few million dors.

    Zhuang Keer then suddenly remembered something. "Could it be¡­Ning Xueluo?"

    "Keer, who?" Meng Ling frowned a little when she heard the name.

    "She''s the daughter of Ning family. Her father is Ning Yaohua, and her mother is called Zhuang Lingyu. I just recently found out that she''s my cousin¡­"

    "Cousin?" Meng Ling frowned deeper. "How is she your cousin?! Wait¡­ How did you know about this? Who told you?"

    "Ning Xueluo told me herself." Zhuang Keer tried to remember what had happened the other day. She told her mother about her meeting Ning Xueluo at the spa centre.

    Meng Ling listened quietly, then sheughed coldly. "She can really talk! Would Zhuang Lingyu really put the picture by her bedside and miss us? If she actually had a conscience, she wouldn''t have done something so terrible back then!"

    "Mother, what exactly happened? I asked Father but he''s not willing to tell me anything. He also told me not to mention it in front of Grandfather." Zhuang Keer felt troubled.

    Meng Ling dismissed the nanny before continuing, "Do you know why your grandfather didn''t agree to the marriage of Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua?"

    "Because our families aren''tpatible? It shouldn''t be that simple, right? If that''s the reason, the worst that could''ve happened would just be some argument. It wouldn''t have blown up to be this serious, would it?" Zhuang Keer said.

    Meng Ling did not look well, and did not seem very willing to talk about this matter. However,

    After some consideration, Meng Ling told her, "Actually, the Ning family wasn''t a bad match even back then. Although they aren''t from any government organization or super rich, they did have apany of their own. Despite it not being really big, you could somewhat call them rich. Ning Zhiyuan was still the head back then, and thepany was growing well. He sent both his sons out into society for two years in order to train them.

    "Sadly, the Ning boys were the worst. The second son, Ning Yaobanghe, was always drinking his life away, and the eldest son, Ning Yaohua, started a smallpany of his own. He looked like he was doing well, but he was using his good looks and paved his way by seducing differentdies. It was not his first time taking advantage of women.

    "After your father made a thorough investigation about him, he told Zhuang Lingyu about it, yet your ignorant aunt was totally blinded by love. She did not listen at all, and used us of simply going against her will, and even¡­"

    Meng Ling looked worse for wear when she reached this point. "Ning Yaohua even tried to have a go at me, but he did it very subtly. There isn''t any evidence. I told your father about it, and since your father is a straightforward person, he went and told Zhuang Lingyu about it. You can guess what happene. Not only did she not believe it, she used me of seducing her man¡­ Ugh, my taste isn''t that bad!"

 Chapter 1464: See Through The Trick

    <h4>Chapter 1464: See Through The Trick</h4>

    Zhuang Keer was really taken aback. Now, she understood why her father did not want to talk about it. Matters about the elders was pretty difficult to share with the youngsters in the family.

    "Ning Yaohua then started using Zhuang Lingyu, who came back and messed with your grandfather. She wanted your grandfather to help him with his business. At that time, she was so naive and thought it would be a really simple matter to get a piece ofnd. The higher-ups were really strict at that time. In addition to your grandfather''s righteous principles, he never even gave his son any special help. Everything your father has achieved was all through his own abilities."

    Meng Ling had probably hold it in for far too long, so her words rushed out all at once. "In the end, after she was rejected, Zhuang Lingyu secretly used the family name andmitted bribery. Afterward, your grandfather''s political opponent found out, and this matter almost cost your grandfather his career and reputation. Your grandfather was furious and severed ties with her¡­"

    Zhuang Keer gaped in shock. "So, that''s what happened!"

    Meng Ling sneered, "After he severed ties with her, your father was still a kind person. He went to warn Ning Yaohua with a gun to make him promise that he would treat Zhuang Lingyu well. Otherwise, why do you think Ning Yaohua would always treat Zhuang Lingyu so kindly even when she didn''t bear him a son?"

    Zhuang Keer finally understood. "Then, what Ning Xueluo said¡­

    Meng Lingughed coldly. "When we met Zhuang Lingyu a month ago, she was still having that arrogant attitude towards me and your father. She didn''t even want to look us in the eye. What makes you think she''d regret what she had done? While Ning Xueluo is young, she''s really cunning. She just wants to gain some fame from us!"

    "Then, what about this bracelet? Could she intend to get on my good side but was afraid that I wouldn''t ept it, so she left it in my car?" Zhuang Keer was confused. Her exnation did not seem to make sense.

    "She wanted to trick you to attend her wedding!" Meng Ling looked at the time. "You can give it some time. She''ll call you soon and say she identally left her bracelet in your car. She''ll make up various excuses about you having to return it to her personally!

    "If you go, even if it''s just to return the bracelet, the others might not know that and will interpret it as you attending her wedding, even giving her an expensive bracelet as a gift. People will recognize you as the daughter of the Zhuang family, and that you''re representing all of us! Thus, Ning Xueluo could boost her value by using us!"

    Meng Ling knew her daughter too well. She only looked cold on the outside, but if Ning Xueluo truly wanted to trick her, there was an 80% chance that she would fall for it.

    Fortunately, she had found out about it just in time.

    Zhuang Keer bit her lip in disgust as if she had just eaten a fly. "This woman is terrifying¡­"

    First, she tried to build a family bond, then to avoid her from not taking the bait, she had purposely left her bracelet in her car. How cunning!

    Meng Ling looked sharply into the distance. "Good one, Ning Xueluo. We haven''t looked for her yet and she dares to use us!"

    She then stood up and turned to Zhuang Keer. "Did you just say Xiao Xi is setting up her charity fund today?"

 Chapter 1465: Going Along With The Plan

    <h4>Chapter 1465: Going Along With The n</h4>

    "It''s today. What about it?"

    "Where is it?" Meng Ling asked.

    "It''s on the top floor of the International Exhibition Center. I remember Ning Xueluo''s wedding is at the same venue as well. She reserved thergest floor of the whole building!" Zhuang Keer replied.

    The exhibition center always had a lot of events and meetings going on. The middle floor was thergest of the halls, and most of the time, only important national meetings or reallyrge-scale events were held there. Most of the other events would be hosted in the smaller hall on the top floor.

    Zhuang Keer was a big fan of Ning Xi''s. She had seen on her official website a long time ago that Ning Xi''s charity fund was going to be set up today. The venue and time had been announced back then as well, long before Ning Xueluo decided on her wedding date.

    What a coincidence for them to be at the same venue on the same day!

    At that moment, Zhuang Keer''s phone rang. It was Ning Xueluo! On the day they had met at the spa center, Ning Xueluo had exchanged numbers with her.

    Zhuang Keer looked at her mother questioningly.

    Meng Ling smiled sarcastically, then she said, "Pick it up. Let''s see what she''s going to say."

    "Mmm." Zhuang Keer nodded and picked up the phone, then she turned on the loudspeaker.

    "Cousin! Can I trouble you for something? I lost a bracelet that I have to use for my wedding today. I can''t find it at all. I think I might have left it in your car the other day. Can you help me look for it? I''m really sorry!" Ning Xueluo sounded genuinely worried.

    What she said was exactly the same as Meng Ling had predicted.

    Zhuang Keer was really incensed, especially when she called her "Cousin" because despite the endearment, she was actually nning to trick her.

    Meng Ling hinted to her daughter to agree to what Ning Xueluo said.

    Zhuang Keer replied, "Wait for a while. I''ll look for it."

    "Okay, thank you so much!"

    Zhuang Keer hung up. "Mother, what do you want to do?"

    "Tell her that you''ll send it overter. I''ll make the arrangements," Meng Ling said.

    "Alright."

    After waiting for a few minutes, Zhuang Keer called Ning Xueluo back. "I found it! It''s in my car."

    "That''s great! This bracelet is really meaningful to me. It''s my lucky item¡­ If I had really lost it on my wedding day, I really don''t know what to do¡­"

    Ning Xueluo sounded relieved, then she changed her tone and asked hesitantly, "Cousin, I''m really sorry to ask this, but are you free now? I might have to trouble you again! My wedding is starting soon. I probably can''t make it if I send someone over now¡­ Could you¡­ Could you please bring it to me? I''m really sorry!"

    A wedding was such an important day for a girl. Furthermore, with the fact that the bracelet was so important to her and was obviously worth at least a few million dorsbined with her urgent tone, Zhuang Keer would have sent it over personally if she had not known anything.

    Zhuang Keer went along. "I''ll send it over to you."

    "Thank you, Cousin! I''m beyond grateful!" Ning Xueluo thanked her several times.

 Chapter 1466: True Support

    <h4>Chapter 1466: True Support</h4>

    After she hung up, Zhuang Keer had a lingering fear in her heart.

    If she really went over to pass the bracelet to Ning Xueluo, everyone would talk¡­

    Even if gossip such as the Zhuang family joining Ning Xueluo''s wedding and even presenting a precious gift got to her, Ning Xueluo could just im that the guests had misunderstood and dismiss all responsibilities¡­

    On the other hand, Zhuang Keer would not have gone to the extent of exining and rifying the actual situation to every single one of the guests there¡­

    Meng Ling looked at her daughter''s expression and sighed.

    Her daughter was good at everything, but her thought process was just too naive.

    However, when her straightforward husband had heard his daughter talk about Ning Xueluo looking for her, he did not bother warning her either.

    Fine! It was best for her to do such things by herself! Since she had long nned to do it, she only had to bring it forward now.

    Taking advantage of the opportunity today, she would like them to see for themselves how cheering someone on truly looked like and what truly supporting someone was!

    Meng Ling picked up her phone and made a call. "Hello, Section Chief Zhao, what have you been busy with recently? Hehe, what else can I be up to? I''ve been transferred back to Imperial, so I''m a little not used to suddenly being quite free. I''ve mainly been doing some charity recently¡­"

    Next up, Meng Ling continued making quite a few calls.

    Zhuang Keer realized something and she picked up the phone to start inviting the people within her circle of friends too.

    Even though she did not usually have many friends, there were countless people who wanted to suck up to her. With just a single word, people would definitely be willing toe and support her.

    Momentster, Zhuang Keer wore a little ck dress with a handbag in her hand and a delicate gift bag. Meng Ling wore a solemn, dark outfit too. The mother and daughter got into their car and made their way towards the exhibition center.

    At the same time, inside the wedding hall in the middle of the exhibition center, Su Yan''s mother had already been urging Ning Xueluo quite a few times. There were subtle signs of impatience between her brows too.

    Ning Xueluo had just finished talking to Zhuang Keer on the phone, and there was a smug happiness across her face. She walked quickly to Su Yan''s mother and said confidently, "Mother, don''t worry. I''ve just called my cousin. She''s already on her way!"

    "Really? That''s great then! Quickly have people greet them at the entrance!" Su Yan''s mother was overjoyed.

    "I''ve already sent them over!"

    "That''s good then. Will your cousin being alone?" Su Yan''s mother questioned.

    "Well, probably¡­"

    "Oh, well¡­ That''s good! It''s great enough that your cousin can make it!" Su Yan''s mother looked pleased as she kept ncing towards the entrance in anticipation.

    After Ning Xueluo spoke to Su Yan''s mother, she walked to Zhuang Lingyu.

    She was worried that Zhuang Lingyu would ruin things, so she worriedly clung onto Zhuang Lingyu and spoke softly, "Mother,ter there will be someone from the Zhuang familying over¡­ I hope you won''t bicker with them. Otherwise, you''d worsen your health, and that won''t be worth it¡­"

    Zhuang Lingyu actually already knew that they had secretly invited the Zhuangs. She had been turning a blind eye to it, but when she heard this at that moment, she said, "I understand. It''s your big day today and I''m in a good mood, so I won''t bicker with them much."

    Of course, she had her own considerations as well. Even though she definitely would not forgive her brother and father for the things that they had done years ago, she could not deny that if the Zhuang family could join Xueluo''s wedding, it would benefit Xueluo greatly. She would just force herself to attend to themter.

 Chapter 1467: They Have Strong Support Too

    <h4>Chapter 1467: They Have Strong Support Too</h4>

    At the wedding banquet, among the guests who attended the celebration, almost everyone in the entertainment circle hade to show their support. There were even quite some people from the rivalpany, Glory World Entertainment.

    After all, even though they were attached to Glory World, thepany''s opposing stances could not limit their private rtionships.

    Two female celebrities from Glory World were discussing softly in a corner.

    One of the female artistes in a yellow outfit said worriedly, "Sigh, based on Starlight and Glory World''s situation, wouldn''t it be to our disadvantage for us to be attending Ning Xueluo''s wedding? Recently, Ning Xueluo and Ning Xi''s rtionship seems to be quite tensed too¡­"

    The female artiste in red was quite unbothered. "Otherwise? If you don''te for such an important assion, would you rather run to that unpresentable small hall upstairs to join some nuisance charity donation ceremony? If you want to go, you can go yourself!"

    "Huh? I''m just saying¡­ Speaking of which, Ning Xueluo¡­ Ning Xi¡­ Do these two have some kind of blood rtion? Their surnames are both Ning¡­"

    Long ago, when Ning Xi was still at Starlight, Ning Yaohua had alreadypletely shut Ning Xi out from the Ning family just in case, so Ning Xi''s identity in the entertainment circle was still unknown till now. Then again, the walls had ears, so it was inevitable for that bit of rumor to leak out.

    When the artiste in red heard the hypothesis, she said, "There is this rumor. It''s probably just a baseless im. If Ning Xi were really rted to the Ning family, the Nings won''t need to directly go against her as they have done previously. For Xueluo, they withdrew their investments and even chased her out of Starlight. Didn''t you notice that Ning Xi didn''t appear at such an important assion today?"

    "That''s true¡­" The artiste in yellow nodded, feeling much more reassured.

    "In fact, the Nings aren''t just people who do business as you see on the surface. They have strong support behind them too!"

    "Oh? What do you mean?"

    "I heard that today even Imperial''s famed Zhuang family wille! The founding state general, Zhuang Zongren. That Zhuang family! Now, do you understand? Pfft¡­ I''m not talking to you anymore. I have to get down to business!"

    The artiste in red hastily touched up her makeup, then she stood up and sashayed towards one of the old CEOs that she had long been watching.

    Ning Xueluo''s banquet had amassed almost all of Imperial''s rich and powerful, and they were all cash cows in most people''s eyes. It was such a great opportunity that only a fool would refuse to attend.

    Ning Xi had only been reigning as queen after Su Yimo had fallen from Glory World Entertainment and there were no other tigers in the mountain. She was not like Su Yimo who bore the scary title of "Lady Boss of the Lu Corporation" and had an entire backstage supporting her.

    Ning Xueluo did not need to give Ning Xi any face to the extent of giving up such a great opportunity¡­

    ¡­

    These kind of asions were most suitable for all sorts ofworking. It was also the best opportunity to make connections and discuss coborations. Basically, everyone had the same goals as the female artiste in red.

    As for the news that the Zhuang family wasing, many of the guests present had heard it too.

    Now, many people had gone to find out the truth from Su Yan''s mother.

    "Madam Su, we heard that there''ll be someone from the Zhuang familying. Is it true?"

    Su Yan''s mother had already received the confident answer from Ning Xueluo, thus she was smiling from ear to ear at this moment as she said, "Yes, that''s true! Earlier, Xueluo just told me that Ms. Zhuang is already on her way!"

    "Eh, Xueluo? How did Xueluo get to know people from the Zhuang family? Madam Su, your daughter-inw is quite remarkable!"

    ¡­

    Now that Su Yan''s mother was surrounded by a group of people, not too far away, Su Xun and his wife looked gloomy, yet they had to force themselves not to express their dismay. Who would have thought that Ning Xueluo would suddenly pop up with such a huge supporter!?

 Chapter 1468: An Unexpected Surprise?

    <h4>Chapter 1468: An Unexpected Surprise?</h4>

    As Su Yan''s mother listened to the praises around her and looked at that bastard Su Xun''s miserable expression, she felt satisfied and said delightedly, "Sigh, actually, it''s because the Zhuangs are our inw''s parental home¡­"

    When they heard this, everyone around was even more startled. They thought that it was just some friendly connection between the younger generation at most. Unexpectedly, there was ayer of blood ties!

    The Zhuangs were Zhuang Lingyu''s parental home?

    But¡­ why had they never heard of this before?

    The crowd looked at each other in confusion, yet they knew not to ask any further.

    At this moment, some of the older people suddenly realized something and talked among themselves. "There really is such a thing¡­ Back then, the eldest daughter-inw of the Ning family was old General Zhuang''s youngest daughter. However,ter she had a fall out with them. They haven''t kept in touch for many years. By the looks of it, they might have reconciled!"

    "After all, it''s one own''s flesh and blood, so it''s normal to reconcile, right?"

    "So, that''s what it is! Tsk tsk, the Su family is really fortunate this time! I initially thought that a fake phoenix has been taken in as a wife¡­"

    "What fake phoenix? I think it''s just Ning Qiutong having ideas about the Ning family''s property business and causing issues. Didn''t Ning Yaohua already hold a press conference to deny it?"

    ¡­

    As the crowd was discussing spiritedly, at this moment, someone from the crowd shouted in disbelief, "The one at the entrance¡­ That¡­ Isn''t that thedy from the Zhuang family?"

    In an instant, everyone subconsciously looked towards the entrance.

    At first nce, they could not notice anything.

    Soon, the crowd unexpectedly saw not only a young girl but an older, dignified woman with aposed manner beside her. The two of them seemed to be saying something to the weingmittee.

    They saw that woman had maintained herself rather well. She wore a navy blue embroidered cheongsam, and she did not look like the mother standing beside the girl. Instead, she looked like her older sister. Even though she did not wear any precious or impressive essories, her aura naturally upheld a certain grandeur.

    Immediately, several people recognized the two of them. "That''s right¡­ It''s thedy of the Zhuang family! And Madam Zhuang!"

    "What? The one beside the girl is Madam Zhuang?"

    "Oh my God! I didn''t expect that even the general''s wife woulde! Madam Zhuang has never appeared at such an asion!"

    "It looks like the blood ties between the Zhuangs and the Nings are real¡­ They would not have ced any importance on this assion if they weren''t their inws¡­"

    ¡­

    With the appearance of the twodies, almost all of the guests'' attention was fixated on the entrance. Not too far away, Ning Xueluo and Su Yan''s mother, who had been long waiting, exchanged a look before they walked up quickly to greet them.

    They did not expect for even Madam Zhuang, also known as Meng Ling, would havee too!

    Ning Xueluo was especially surprised because she had only asked Zhuang Keer to help send over the bracelet. She did not think that she would have brought Meng Ling with her too.

    It looked like it was not just about delivering the bracelet. Could it¡­ Could it be that the Zhuang family had finally changed their minds at the final second and agreed to attend her wedding?

    If that was the case, it would be more than wonderful!

    Ning Xueluo looked towards Zhuang Lingyu with a begging expression. Zhuang Lingyu looked quite reluctant on the surface, especially when she saw Meng Ling. She seemed tight-lipped and pale. However, for the sake of her daughter, she fixed the hair around her temples and still followed Ning Xueluo to walk over together.

    Ning Yaohua was even more overjoyed, especially when he saw Ning Yaobang''s face filled with utter jealousy that he was practically hopping mad.

    Earlier, Ning Yaobang had still beenining that he had given his shares to a daughter that was not even blood-rted and called him a moron. He warned him to be careful of wasted efforts that led to futility. Now, he could prove how right his strategy was!

 Chapter 1469: To Steal A Chicken and Lose The Rice Used To Lure It

    <h4>Chapter 1469: To Steal A Chicken and Lose The Rice Used To Lure It</h4>

    However, Ning Yaohua''s status was very different now. Even if he were delighted in his heart, he maintained a reserved look. When he saw that Ning Xueluo and Zhuang Lingyu had walked over to them, he did not rush to walk up. Instead, he responded to the praises of the crowd as he waited for the congrattory wishes from the Zhuang family.

    Under all of the guests'' watchful scrutiny, the bride, Ning Xueluo, had personally gone over to greet them at the hall entrance, she intimately called out, "Cousin, Aunty¡­ This way please¡­"

    When she finished, she did not forget to introduce them to Su Yan, "Bro Yan, this is my cousin and my aunt. I''ve told you about them before¡­"

    Cousin!

    Aunt!

    When the other guests who were still not familiar about the Nings'' and the Zhuangs'' rtionship heard Ning Xueluo''s address, there was the unmistakable rise and fall of gasps.

    In fact, this time, Ning Xueluo was very high-profile. She did not hold back voice when addressing them too as she was practically afraid that the others would not hear it.

    Initially, if it were just Zhuang Keer who hade, she would be afraid that the others would know about the truth of why she was there. In turn, she definitely would have been more low-profile and bring her to a ce where no onc would not hear them speak. She would have made it more obscure and ambiguous. It was best for others to misunderstand if that were the case, but now, she did not need to do that at all!

    Su Yan''s mother was eager too. "Madam Zhuang, what a surprise to see you here too. Ms. Zhuang is really getting prettier by the day¡­"

    At the entrance, just as Ning Xueluo and Su Yan''s mother were enthusiastically making small talk, Meng Ling finally spoke.

    Meng Ling nced past the people before her indifferently as she would look at a stranger, then her beautiful brows wrinkled slightly and she turned towards Zhuang Keer beside her. "Keer, who are they? Do you know them?"

    Zhuang Keer was further bewildered, but she put on an innocent expression. "I don''t know either. I don''t know them¡­ Mother, let''s go, if we''re anyter we won''t be able to make it!"

    Meng Ling nodded, then allowed herself to be pulled away by Zhuang Keer. They made their way upstairs without turning their heads back at all¡­

    Ning Xueluo, Zhuang Lingyu, Su Yan''s mother, Su Yan, Ning Yaohua¡­ and all the guests behind them were speechless.

    There had been at least more than ten seconds of silence before the huge hall of people who had been ditched started to react¡­

    What¡­ What was going on?

    Did Madam Zhuang and Miss Zhuang just say that they did not even know them at all?

    In fact, the two of them were not even there to attend Ning Xueluo''s wedding. It seemed that were only passing by when they walked to the entrance!

    Su Yan''s mother was confused and seemed to not be able to regain her senses from the unforeseen scenario. She could not even mask her tone that was filled with anxiousness as she shouted at the waiters at the entrance, "What did Miss Zhuang and Madam Zhuang say to you earlier?"

    The waiters were dumbfounded as well but they nervously answered, "N-nothing¡­ Earlier, Madam and Miss were just asking for directions¡­"

    What? Asking for directions?

    This scene from earlier was heard clearly by everyone present. Very soon, amidst the whispers, all the guests found out that Madam Zhuang and Miss Zhuang were not even there to attend Ning Xueluo''s wedding.

    "Oh my God¡­ What is happening? I''mpletely confused¡­"

    "Don''t you understand? The Zhuang family is not rted to the Ning family at all. Hmm, okay, whether or not they''re rted, based on the Zhuangs'' attitude, the point is that they definitely aren''t nning to be rted to the Nings. From the start to the end, it was just the Ning family''s own wishful thinking!"

    "Pfft, this is funny¡­ Even if Ning Xueluo wanted to put a feather in her own cap, she didn''t need to tell such lies, did she?"

    "Who knows!? It could also be possible that the Zhuang family did actually agree, but they backed out halfway through. It''s even more likely that purely because the Zhuang family is hostile towards the Nings, they intentionally embarassed thetter with their show of strength!"

    "Haha, this is truly a case of trying to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it ¡­"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1470: Getting Out Of Hand

    <h4>Chapter 1470: Getting Out Of Hand</h4>

    "What did Miss Zhuang and Madam Zhuang say to you earlier?"There were a lot of people present who did not like Ning Yaohua''s arrogant attitude anyway, so they were all secretly gloating at the moment.

    The Nings and the Sus had responded by saying that it was a mistake and tried to brush it off. It was a happy day after all, and the guests did not make it difficult for them. Everyone just had smiles pasted on their faces.

    However, after today, who knew what people would say over their private dinners?

    The wedding ceremony was about to begin, so the two families took the chance and went back into the hotel room.

    Su Yan''s mother could not hold it in anymore. The moment they closed the door, she startedining, "Xueluo, what''s the matter? Didn''t you say that someone from the Zhuang family woulde? While they dide, they were here to mock us!"

    Ning Xueluo did not know what had gone wrong as well, but she did not have any other choice. Her tears flowed down. "Mother, I don''t know¡­ I really don''t know¡­ Things were alright when I was on the phone with Cousin¡­ I don''t know why it would turn out like this¡­"

    Zhuang Lingyu was angry when she saw Su Yan''s mother''s attitude. "How can you me Xueluo? Do you think Xueluo would still ask them toe if she knew this would happen? And to be fair, if it weren''t for you wanting Xueluo to invite the Zhuangs, the incident earlier wouldn''t have happened!"

    Su Yan''s motherughed coldly. "So, now it''s my fault? Why do you think I wanted you guys to invite the Zhuang family? It was all¡­"

    Seeing that his mother-inw and mother were about to fight, Su Yan also nced at the poor Ning Xueluo. He pinched the space in between his eyebrows. Before his mother said anything worse, he interrupted, "Mother, it''s not the time to talk about this now. There might be some misunderstandings. Let''s find out after the wedding!"

    Ning Yaohua and Su Hongguang looked extremely unwell, but they could only bite their tongues. "The ceremony is starting soon. Go and prepare yourselves, and don''t let anything else go wrong!"

    ¡­

    After the short conversation, both the families went out and greeted the guests once again because it would be suspicious if they left the hall for too long.

    Currently, things in the wedding hall were getting out of hand.

    "Oh boy, did you guys hear that just now? Ms. Zhuang said something about going to bete. They seem to be here for some other event!"

    "An event? Thergest floor in the exhibition centere has been reserved by the Su family. The top floor is just a small hall. What kind of event could the general''s wife and her daughter be attending personally?"

    "That''s odd¡­"

    ¡­

    As the crowd was discussing about it, people had been getting phone calls one after another and they answered the calls quietly.

    "What? Charity fund¡­ Section Chief Zhao¡­ Upstairs?"

    "Even Minister Liu? Are you sure? Don''t joke with me! I''ve been trying to get in touch with Minister Liu for three months and it didn''t happen!"

    "That doesn''t sound possible. Okay¡­ I''ll go and take a look¡­"

    "I didn''t get any invitation. Is it alright to just go? What? No invitation needed? I just have to donate? It''s alright then¡­ Got it¡­"

    ¡­

    With the calls drawing the attention away from the wedding reception, there were lesser and lesser guests¡­

 Chapter 1471: Might As Well Donate It

    <h4>Chapter 1471: Might As Well Donate It</h4>

    Guests were bidding farewell to Ning Yaohua and Su Hongguang.

    "Chairman Ning, I have to apologize. There''s some emergency at mypany, and I have to leave now. Congrattions again! Sorry!"

    "It''s alright. Your attendance itself is my pleasure. Thank you, CEO Wang!"

    After Ning Yaohua bade farewell to one guest, another one came to him. "Chairman Wang, mypany has been busytely and I forgot that I have a meeting scheduled today. I''ve got to go now. I apologize in advance!"

    Ning Yaohua quickly replied, "Not at all, let me send you off!"

    "It''s okay. Stay here! I''ll leave on my own¡­"

    At first, Ning Yaohua did not realize something was wrong. Only until the fifth person came to him, he knew that things were odd.

    At the same time, Su Hongguang was faced with the same situation as well.

    Unfortunately, the wedding ceremony was about to start, so they did not have much time to think about it. The host called them up on stage to start getting ready.

    ¡­

    At the same time, in the multipurpose hall upstairs, a poster of the charity fund had been ced by the entrance. There were two usherers, and the setup was simple. Nevertheless, the poster design was clean and neat, and the usherers were really kind and polite as they were guiding the iing guests towards the registration counter. It was clearly well thought out.

    The decoration inside the hall was simple and tidy. Most of the people present were artistes from Glory World Entertainment and thepany partners. There were not a lot of people but there was afortable vibe around.

    Ning Xi was working together with the assistants and managers while having a call at the same time too.

    It was from Zhuang Keer, who had just told her that she was about to reach with her mother.

    Ning Xi was surprised, then she beamed gratefully. "Thank you, Keer!"

    "You''re wee. I''m here already!"

    At the entrance, Zhuang Keer registered her name, then she put a gift bag onto the table. "I''m donating this bracelet."

    The item Zhuang Keer had taken out was the bracelet Ning Xueluo had left in her car. She would feel disgusted if she kept it, so she might as well donate it.

    After she was done registering, Zhuang Keer went in with her mother.

    Ning Xi quickly greeted them, "Keer, Mrs. Zhuang! Thank you foring!"

    Not just Keer, even Mrs. Zhuang was present. It was really an honor, and Ning Xi was a little shocked.

    Meng Ling noticed Ning Xi''s gratefulness, and she spoke to her gently, "Look at you. I''ve told you a lot of times that you don''t have to be so uptight. We should be the ones thanking you. You''ve helped us a lot and we''ve just treated you to a few meals. We don''t really have anything else left to help you with. Plus, we could definitely help out at a charity event like this. You don''t have to thank us!"

    Meng Ling had made the decision today after thorough consideration. Charity was a noble cause. It was the best way to help both the Zhuang family and Ning Xi, and no one would say anything bad about it.

    Ning Xi was aware about it as well, and she was touched by Meng Ling''s heedful thought. She smiled warmly and served them some tea.

    However, Ning Xi did not expect that not only did Meng Linge. She had done much more than she could ever imagine¡­

 Chapter 1472: These People Are The Ones I Invited

    <h4>Chapter 1472: These People Are The Ones I Invited</h4>

    Soon after Meng Ling came in, the empty entrance was soon filled with people, and they seemed to behave oddly¡­

    For example, an old man who was registering wore a full suit and seemed like he had juste over from an important function. He then asked, "Do you only ept cash? Can I donate items instead?"

    "Of course, you can!" The staff nodded.

    That elder instantly removed a pricey-looking watch from his wrist. "Then, I''ll donate this!"

    "Okay¡­"

    To the surprise of the people manning the registration table, several other guests did the same as this elder. They all said that they had rushed over and did not prepare items in time. Then, they immediately took off some of their essories and donated it, causing the two staff too look at each other in dismay.

    ¡­

    As Ling Zhizhi saw more and more strange, unfamiliar faces, she went up to Ning Xi. "Ning Xi, did you invite them?"

    Ning Xi looked around and saw people who were obviously not on the list. "Uhh, Sis Zhizhi, didn''t you invite them?"

    They were confused as they both thought that the other person had invited these people.

    The banquet tonight was for charity purposes, so Ling Zhizhi had started promoting it and invited people very early, but it was pretty obvious that many of these people would not fall under her radar.

    In addition, most people attended Ning Xueluo''s wedding, which was coincidentally on the same day as her event instead.

    Ning Xi suddenly thought of something, and she mumbled, "I think I know what happened¡­ Let me ask¡­"

    After Ning Xi told Ling Zhizhi to wait, she approached Zhuang Keer and Meng Ling. "Mrs. Zhuang, it seems like a lot of top CEOs and celebrities are here today, and they aren''t on our guest list. By chance, did you invite them?"

    Meng Ling looked at those people and smiled rather mysteriously. "These people? Nope."

    She denied being responsible for this strange turn of events.

    They were not invited by Meng Ling. Then, who?

    Ning Xi was really confused.

    The elder CEOs who entered in a hurry were chatting.

    "What''s happening? Is the information given mistaken? I asked just now. It''s just a charity fund organized by some little artiste!"

    "Let''s wait for a while. Didn''t you see that Mrs. Zhuang and Ms. Zhuang are here?"

    "What about Chief Zhao and Minister Liu? Didn''t the news say they woulde? None of them are here! I risked offending both the Su and the Ning families toe here. I might get into trouble!"

    "Ms. Zhuang looks pretty young. Maybe she''s a fan of this artiste called Ning Xi. My daughter is a fan of hers as well, always talking to me about her¡­"

    "That might just be it¡­"

    "Uhh, so¡­ The news about the chief and the minister are not true? Should we go back down?"

    ¡­

    As they were confused andining that they had donated their items for nothing, a group of people strolled in from the entrance.

    They were chatting happily on the way here, and leading them were Chief Zhao and Minister Liu¡­

    The people behind them were even more powerful. There were several government officials who rarely showed their faces in public and even their wives were here.

    And then they saw¡­

    "That¡­ Is that Zhuang Liaoyuan, General Zhuang?!"

    At the same time. Meng Ling looked at Ning Xi, then she grinned. "There¡­ These are the ones I invited."

    "Uhh¡­"

 Chapter 1473: People Are Gone

    <h4>Chapter 1473: People Are Gone</h4>

    Ning Xi was really shocked to the core.

    So, these were the ones Meng Ling invited¡­

    As for the others, from the chatter, they seemed to havee after they heard these people wereing.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan walked towards Ning Xi''s direction after a word with his colleague.

    "Chief Zhuang," Ning Xi greeted Zhuang Liaoyuan personally, not knowing what to say. It was a really great honor to her.

    "Ibined your event with a project from the Charity Fund Association without asking. I hope you don''t mind," Zhuang Liaoyuan said.

    Ning Xi quickly replied, "Not at all, but it must have really troubled you!"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan did not seem to mind. "As long as it''s not troubling you."

    "Of course not! But the space here is a little small, and the decoration is a little too simple as well. It might not meet your expectations¡­"

    "Don''t worry about it. The space is definitely enough. We''re doing charity here and not somemercial show, so the simpler, the better."

    Ning Xi was relieved, then she thanked him again. "I''ll leave you here for now. I''ve got to work hard!"

    Meng Ling said gently, "Go now, you don''t have to worry about us!"

    Ning Xi went to exin the situation to Ling Zhizhi.

    "Ning Xi, you know General Zhuang?" Ling Zhizhi was surprised.

    "I helped the Zhuang family a little out of coincidence, so I''m on friendly terms with Zhuang Keer in private. They are probably here to support me because of the help I''ve extended before," Ning Xi exined.

    Ling Zhizhi was then relieved. Although it was a surprise to have so many people turn up, she did not have to worry anymore. The people from the Charity Fund Association hade to help too, and armed with their experience, they were already taking over the event.

    ¡­

    In the wedding hall downstairs, the long-awaited wedding ceremony was finally starting. After a passionate speech by the host, the sacred wedding tune was yed. At the end of the red carpet, the bride in her breathtaking white gown was apanied by her father. They were walking slowly on the red carpet towards the groom.

    They had finally reached this exciting moment. The cameras of all the invited media partners were focused on the bride Ning Xueluo, the guests, and especially on the girls who were so envious while looking at her. The awkwardness brought upon by the Zhuang family earlier was almost forgotten entirely¡­

    Due to therge venue, and the red carpet being rather long, while Ning Xueluo was walking towards the stage, arge crowd of guests left the venue quietly.

    "What''s happening? Why do I see so many people leaving halfway?" An artiste in a yellow dress from Glory World Entertainment looked around suspiciously.

    The artiste in red dress seemed doubtful as well. As they spoke, a CEO beside her got up to leave hastily too.

    The artiste in red shirt stopped him. "CEO Li, where are you going?"

    "Haha, I have an important event to attend. We''ll talk again next time, Ms. Feng." CEO Li then quickly fled.

    The more the artiste in red dress thought about it, the more she felt it was very strange. Finally, she could not suppress her curiosity and went outside with the artiste in yellow dress following her as well. They then saw that the guests who had left earlier were all going upstairs¡­

 Chapter 1474: Make It Even Better

    <h4>Chapter 1474: Make It Even Better</h4>

    "That''s weird¡­ Is there an important event upstairs?"

    "Isn''t it Ning Xi''s charity event going on upstairs? It''s just a small hall, and it wouldn''t fit any other event."

    ¡­

    As the two artistes were discussing, a group of people came up from the staircase.

    The one leading the posse was their boss Lu Jingli, and the one beside him was their big boss Lu Tingxiao. The ones behind were all the elusive higher-ups of Glory World Entertainment.

    That was not just all. Soon, another group of people came up from the stairs. There was a white-haired man with sunsses with several cold-looking bodyguards behind him, and a man in gold-framed sses beside him.

    This¡­ This iconic white hair! Could¡­ Could it be the rumored CEO Yun?

    As the two artistes were shocked by what they saw, the two groups of people faced each other.

    "Yo, CEO Lu, what a coincidence that you''re here! Are you here to make things even better?" The man with white hair took off his sunsses and smiled at the expressionless man.

    Lu Tingxiao did not react. He just paused in his steps for a bit, then continued going up.

    Lu Jingli looked at the man behind, then he quickly caught up with his brother.

    Why was this guy here as well?

    What a rough day!

    They had already nned to support Xiao Xi Xi, and to go against the couple celebrating their wedding on the floor below them. In the end, the Zhuang family intervened, so not only did they have not much to do, even the love rival was here as well¡­

    Downstairs, at this moment, people started to realize that something was amiss. They started asking around about what had happened. In the end, everyone found out that the people who had left went upstairs.

    Even the guests could sense something was wrong, so of course, the media would catch up as well.

    A few quick-witted reporters sensed that there might be big news this time. They decided to take the risk and give up on Ning Xueluo''s wedding, secretly going upstairs instead¡­

    They were shocked at what they saw.

    They thought that what they had just witnessed downstairs was already a rare scene, but what was happening upstairs would be what one called a legendary scene.

    It was a gathering of high officials and the obscenely rich¡­

    If at this moment, a bomb were to go off inside there, the whole of China would crumble.

    All the reporters who went upstairs did not return at all.

    Ning Xueluo was clinging onto Ning Yaohua''s arm, her eyes ssy and shin as she walked closer and closer towards her happiness. Her everything¡­

    Finally, as she reached in front of Su Yan, she turned around and to her horror, she realized that the once fully-seated hall was now only half-filled, and she could see people leaving quickly.

    "What''s happening?"

    However, she could not do anything about it now, so Ning Xueluo could only keep her insecurities in check and wait until the ceremony was over.

    The exchange of the rings, the recital of the sacred oath¡­

    It was supposed to be the part she looked forward to the most, but the people in the hall kept on trickling out, and in the end only about a third was left.

    The moment the ceremony ended, Ning Xueluo asked around about what had happened.

    "Father, Mother¡­ What happened? Why are so many guests suddenly leaving?"

 Chapter 1475: Eh, Another One?

    <h4>Chapter 1475: Eh, Another One?</h4>

    Ning Yaohua was sweating buckets as he reported, "I just sent someone to investigate. It seems that the guests are going upstairs!"

    "What are they doing upstairs?" Ning Xueluo''s expression darkened.

    The wedding had been going well at first, then the issue from the Zhuang family turned up, and people started disappearing at such an important moment. The rest of the guests were not really paying attention to her exchange of vows and were discussing what was happening. She felt like an idiot on stage. In retrospect, she wondered how she had endured that period of time, and had even recited the oath wrongly¡­

    The worst thing was no one noticed that she had misspoken¡­

    Upstairs?

    Was it not Ning Xi''s nonsensical charity event?

    She had picked the same day and venue for her wedding. A huge part of the reason was to go against Ning Xi, which is what reminded her of it.

    But what were these people doing upstairs?

    Could Ning Xi have changed the date to avoid her, and some other important event was going on right now?

    "We''re not sure yet. It''s really full upstairs at the moment, so there''s no space to get in. No one knows what''s happening," Su Hongguang said with a heavy expression.

    Zhuang Lingyu looked pale as she looked at Su Hongguang and Su Yan''s mother. "Why would something like this happen on such an important day? And up until now, the cause of the issue is still unidentified. Are you expecting us to take care of it?"

    Su Yan''s mother was unhappy. "Didn''t we say we''re working on it!? We''re still not sure who''s causing the issue here! Not all the guests who left are from the Su family''s list!"

    "What are you implying?"

    ¡­

    Su Yan looked really exhausted and he quickly intervened, "Mother, please stop arguing. I''ll go up and check it out myself."

    "Bro Yan¡­"

    "Be good and wait here. I''ll be back soon." Su Yan patted Ning Xueluo''s head, then he headed outside the hall.

    ¡­

    When Su Yan went upstairs, the crowd outside had dispersed.

    He just saw a board that was put up outside of the hall with Ning Xi in it. It was a poster of her wearing a white dress for the event promotion.

    "Good evening, sir, please register here!" One of the staff invited him warmly after seeing Su Yan.

    At that moment, another staff recognized Su Yan and quickly said something to the other colleague.

    The staff saw the tag that said "groom" on Su Yan''s chest and awkwardly stopped the other colleague. He wondered what Su Yan was doing here when he was a groom today.

    "I''m sorry, I''d like to know if there''s some event going on here today?" Although he had seen the board, Su Yan asked for confirmation anyway.

    "It''s the initiation of a charity fund and a donation ceremony by Bro Xi!" The staff replied cheerfully.

    Su Yan frowned. It was really Ning Xi¡­

    While he knew that it was rude, Su Yan could not help but to look into the hall. To his astonishment, he saw most of the guests who had left his wedding banquet were all here; not only that, the people seated in the front were all important officials of the city. He even saw people from the Zhuang family!

    "Eh¡­ Another one?" Just as all the blood had rushed out of Su Yan''s face from the shock, there was a voice behind him.

    He turned around and saw a white-haired man looking at him with a questionable smile.

    Another person also showed up at the same time¡­ Lu Tingxiao?

    Coincidentally, Ning Xi knew that her big boss wasing over, so she was about to wee her sweetheart personally, but then, she saw such an odd scene.

 Chapter 1476: Dear, You Were Blind!

    <h4>Chapter 1476: Dear, You Were Blind!</h4>

    What the heck?!

    What was going on?

    Why was Yun Shen here too?

    Apart from that, why was Su Yan here as well?

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao, then at Yun Shen, then at Su Yan¡­ She was well and utterly confused¡­

    How did the three of them end up together?

    Yun Shen chuckled when he saw Ning Xie out. He said as he looked at Su Yan, "Dear, this is your first love? How blind were you?"

    Ning Xi was annoyed. "You''re blind! Your whole family is blind!"

    Yun Shen observed Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli when she said that, then heughed maniacally, "My whole family is blind? You''re probably right¡­"

    "Lunatic¡­" Ning Xi was speechless. She then red at Tang Ye, "Can you please hold your boss back?"

    Tang Ye''s expression told her that it had nothing to do with him at all.

    Ning Xi then peered at Su Yan, her eyebrows raised a little. "Mr. Su, aren''t you at the wrong ce?"

    Su Yan had mixed expressions across his face. He was about to say something, but the words just could note out, so he turned around and left.

    He thought that Ning Xi did not attend his wedding because she could not ept it and did not want to face them, but the truth was much more different than that.

    It was as if his wedding today did not affect her in any way at all. Even his appearance did not stir any emotions inside her.

    What really shocked him was the attitude of the two men and the way they looked at Ning Xi.

    Being a man himself, he knew exactly what those eyes meant!

    And the important guests in the hall¡­

    The person-in-charge had issued a special order to open up the other connecting hall to contain all the guests.

    He realized that the girl he used to know so intimately had turned into someone he hardly recognised.

    Ning Xi turned towards Lu Tingxiao with glistening eyes after Su Yan left, and her attitude had totally changed. "Boss, pleasee in!"

    Lu Tingxiao seemed to be satisfied with the girl''s joyful expression when she saw him. "Mmm, don''t overexhaust yourself."

    "Mmm, I got it, Boss!" Ning Xi nodded.

    "Hey, there''s another Boss here too! Xiao Xi Xi, you have really bad eyesight!" The neglected Lu Jingli startedining.

    "Yes yes, Boss. Pleasee in as well. Thank you for your hard work!"

    "That sounds better!" Lu Jingli then went in.

    The uninvited Yun Shen did not seem to mind at all, and he entered on his own ord.

    The moment Lu Tingxiao went inside, there were gasps of shock everywhere, and as Yun Shen followed in afterwards, the voices grew louder¡­

    "Oh my gosh! I was just saying earlier that if Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen were to be here, all the big shots in the world of business would be gathered at this one spot! And¡­e they did!"

    "This is really shocking! Who exactly is that artiste? Isn''t this too much?"

    "I heard she''s the top artiste of Glory World Entertainment now¡­"

    ¡­

    After the two female artistes from Glory World Entertainment who joined Ning Xueluo''s wedding found out about the event upstairs, they regretted not being there even though they were invited. They had missed such a huge opportunity, and when they reached there, the event was already going on halfway!

 Chapter 1477: Married A Wild Fowl

    <h4>Chapter 1477: Married A Wild Fowl</h4>

    "Bro Yan, you''re back! Have you found out? What''s happening upstairs?" Ning Xueluo asked impatiently.

    "It''s an important event. The guests who left probably went to show their faces there¡­" Su Yan only mentioned the important event, but he did not bring Ning Xi up at all.

    Still, just because Su Yan hid it from her, it did not mean that the others would not talk about it.

    Su Xun came over unexpectedly and sneered, "An important event? It''s just a private charity fund initiation by a female celebrity! Oh right¡­ I almost forgot¡­ That celebrity is Ning Xi!"

    Ning Xueluo''s face went pale. "Su Xun, what did you say?"

    "Su Xun, shut up if you know nothing.Su Yan already said that it''s an important event!" Zhuang Lingyu''s expression changed when she heard Ning Xi''s name.

    Su Xun acted even more high and mighty as he continued, "You think I''m talking nonsense? If you don''t believe me, you can ask Su Yan if I''m telling the truth! Mrs. Zhuang and Ms. Zhuang, who imed not to know anyone from the Ning family just now, were the guests of Ning Xi! Also, even Chief Zhuang is here!

    "Not only did the three of them attend a little charity event. They even invited many high officials there¡­"

    "Su Yan, is he telling the truth?" Before Zhuang Lingyu could say anything, Su Yan''s mother, Zheng Minjun, was holding onto Su Yan''s arm in disbelief. Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Xueluo were shocked as well.

    Ning Xueluo could not believe anything Su Xun just said. It was like¡­ a fairytale story¡­

    Somehow Ning Xi was on good terms with Zhuang Keer, but at most, she was just friendly with her. How could she make Mrs. Zhuang and Chief Zhuang do so much for her?

    Impossible!

    Su Yan''s expression darkened and he did not say anything at all, but his silence was enough to be deemed guilt.

    It was still far from being over. Su Xun''s wife smiled. "Those are nothing. Even the CEO of the Lu Corporation, Lu Tingxiao, and the rumored elusive CEO Yun are there! With such a legendary lineup, of course people would run over after hearing about it¡­"

    Ning Yaohua was shocked. "What? Lu Tingxiao is there?"

    He could understand themotion since Lu Tingxiao was somewhat the boss of Glory World Entertainment¡­

    "CEO Yun¡­ Which CEO Yun?" Ning Yaohua asked.

    "The CEO Yun that supported Ning Xi during the cocktail partyst time!"

    Zhao Shanshan probably thought that Ning Xueluo did not hate her enough already, so she purposely brought up the cocktail partyst time. She even looked at Su Yan''s mother, Zheng Minjun, and said, "Mother, I really don''t know what you were thinking, spending so much effort and money¡­ Just to marry a wild fowl?

    "This wild fowl looks okay, but she can''t standpetition at all! I mean, the moment a phoenix stands in front of her, she has nothing that she can use to win!"

    "Zhao Shanshan! Who did you say is a wild fowl?!" Zhuang Lingyu was fuming. It was thest straw and she went up to Zhao Shanshan.

    "Are you not admitting it now? Are you brave enough to tell everyone that Ning Xueluo is your biological daughter? Why don''t you go to the hospital and do a paternity test now? You can trick outsiders, but what''s the point of acting in front of us?" Zhao Shanshan''s words sounded harsher by the moment, and they were all critical hits. Each and every wordnded on Ning Xueluo''s weakest spots.

 Chapter 1478: Really A Huge Loss!

    <h4>Chapter 1478: Really A Huge Loss!</h4>

    Zhao Shanshan had gone out of her way and investigated Ning Xueluo before her wedding. Unfortunately, she was not able to gather any solid proof, but now that she found an opportunity, she would never let this chance to humiliate her slip by!

    Su Xun had felt ufortable when he saw that Su Yan''s wedding was organized in a much bigger scale than his. Now that the wedding was falling apart, he was so gleeful that he gloated, "Bro, I really didn''t want to say this! But as far as I know, you were in a rtionship with Ning Xi, weren''t you? Your taste is getting worse¡­ You then picked up someone like this?"

    "Shut up!" No matter how well mannered Su Yan was, he looked furious. "I don''t need you toment on my personal matters!"

    Su Xun was chuckling happily. After finished messing with Su Yan, he was going to mess with his father. "Father, I''m impressed by your train of thought. What were you guys thinking? That the Zhuang family would recognize this wild fowl Ning Xueluo? Aside from what you guys thought, who do you think the Zhuang family are? Do you think they can''t separate the truth from a lie? Will they ignore their true heir and help a non-rted wild fowl?"

    Su Xun kept on repeating the word "wild fowl", and the faces of Ning Xueluo, Zhuang Lingyu, and Ning Yaohua looked extremely unhappy, but a lot of guests were still outside now. It would only make matters worse if they made a scene here, so they could only bear with it for now.

    Ning Yaohua warned, "Su Xun, be careful of what you say!"

    At this moment, apart from the sour looks Su Yan''s parents had on their faces, they were starting to regret on the inside.

    While Su Xun''s words were unpleasant, they made sense as he had urately depicted the whole situation today¡­

    Everything had started when the Zhuang family was backing Ning Xi up, which was why so many guests had left. Even people like Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen went had gone to support, spurring more and more people to go¡­

    Could the Zhuang family really be there to back Ning Xi up?

    Zhuang Lingyu was the daughter of Zhuang Zongren, and her precious child Ning Xueluo could not get any attention from them. On the other hand, Ning Xi being just a little well-known star in the industry was enough to make them invest in so much effort for her?

    It was unbelievable, but it really did happen¡­

    Su Hongguang and Zheng Minjun looked at each other, noticing the fear in each other''s eyes.

    If the Zhuang family was really more concerned about Ning Xi, and even epted and acknowledged Ning Xi, then this marriage between them and the Ning family was really a huge loss!

    A hundred Ning families could not evenpare to just a fragment of the Zhuang family!

    Ning Xueluo saw the faint traces of regret on Su Hongguang and Zheng Minjun''s expressions, then she clenched her fists so hard that her manicured fingernails almost broke. She acted calmly and said, "In recent years, the government has been encouraging artistes to use our influential power as celebrities to do more charity work. Ning Xi was probably just lucky and aligned herself with a government project."

    Ning Yaohua went along with her, "That''s right, that must be it! It''s just a coincidence that our events shed on the same date. No matter what, let''s quickly run through the remaining programme! The guests are still waiting for the toast!"

    Zheng Minjun''s expression hardened. She could not suppress her emotions anymore, and she looked at Ning Xueluo in annoyance. "Going for a toast or to embarrass yourself?!"

    Ning Xueluo bit her lips, her eyes were red. "Father¡­ Mother¡­ I''m really sorry. It''s my fault. I should''ve considered more options. I really didn''t expect it''d sh with Ning Xi''s event¡­"

 Chapter 1479: Divorce and Remarry

    <h4>Chapter 1479: Divorce and Remarry</h4>

    "I really didn''t think that my wedding would sh with Ning Xi''s event¡­ I''m sorry¡­" Ning Xueluo choked between sobs, appearing wronged.

    So, why would they have shed so coincidentally? And on such a bitter note?

    The two families present had started to think about this question, especially Zhuang Lingyu, who was so angry that she immediately cursed in rage, "That brat, she''s clearly doing this on purpose!"

    No matter how it happened, it was no longer a matter of consideration. The priority was still to quickly smooth things over.

    After he pondered for a long while, Su Hongguang finally took a deep breath and said, "Let''s talk about other thingster. Su Yan, immediately take Ning Xueluo out for your toast!"

    Su Yan put his arm over Ning Xueluo''s shoulders and ushered her out.

    Ning Yaohua also consoled Zhuang Lingyu to go out and attend to the guests.

    Still, Zheng Minjun was still not quite satisfied. Until everyone had left, she shot her husband a dirty look and demanded, "Are you really just going to let it be!?"

    Su Hongguang replied with a whine, "What was I supposed to do then? They''ve registered, and we''ve announced it to all our family and friends. Plus, the wedding is also halfway through. How can we still reject the goods now?"

    "I''d really like to return it¡­" Zheng Minjun muttered.

    "Don''t even think about it! It''s already chaotic enough. Don''t cause trouble for me! Now, we''re not even sure about what''s with the Zhuangs'' attitude yet! Even if we are, they''re already married. Are you going to let Su Yan get a divorce? It would look worse then! Aren''t you worried that we aren''t embarassing enough today?" Su Hongguang was filled with anger.

    When she heard this, Zheng Minjun''s thoughts started to run wild. "Whoever said that we have to let them get a divorce now? Obviously, we have to wait and see¡­ If the Zhuang family is really willing to give Ning Xi face and even acknowledge her as their granddaughter, so what if we let Su Yan get divorced? He can then remarry. Whatever it is, it was still the Nings who lied to us Sus first! If they had not intentionally kept it a secret from us, would we have taken in a fake? No matter what we do, we wouldn''t be going overboard at all!"

    Su Hongguang did notpletely agree when he heard this, but he did not disagree either. He just urged Zheng Minjun to quickly go out and entertain the remaining guests.

    It had already reached this state, so no matter what the situation was, it was irreversible. They could only quickly continue the uing toast in the programme. Otherwise, even the remaining guests would leave if they continued to dy.

    The remaining ones who had not yet left were mostly the rtives of both families. If it were not for the shared benefits from their rtives, they would not have been able to hold it in by now. Naturally, they could not wait for the wedding banquet to quickly end.

    Based on the traditional wedding ritual, at least some of the lively guests would mess with the bride and groom, but now the entire wedding banquet was so quiet that it was incredibly awkward.

    Ning Xueluo faced the many peculiar gazes and braced herself to share a toast with Su Yan, then they sent the guests off. As they watched the guests who had just left, they noticed that they were secretly sneaking upstairs right away¡­

    She had worked on her wedding today for so long and had even invited so many people, yet in the end, she had provided an advantage to Ning Xi!

    Even if she died, she wanted to die with a clear perspective of what had happened!

    Ning Xueluo kept thinking about it and was still upset. When she entered her hotel suite to remove her makeup and change her clothes, she immediately changed in clothes, put on a face mask, sunsses, and secretly rushed upstairs. She hurriedly donned a pair of earrings and then sneaked inside.

    When she rushed there, she saw that there were almost no empty seats left in the hall. Even the inner hall that had never been opened to the public was filled.

    She had finally squeezed her way to the front when she saw the honored list of guests sitting in the front row. It was truly an astonishing sight. Every one of them were figures who could make people tremble at the stomp of their foot in the government and business world!

    All these people¡­ were actually here for the Zhuang family?

    After she witnessed the Zhung family''s terrifying influence, Ning Xueluo was so resentful that she almost split her lips from biting on them.

    If the Zhuang family hade for her wedding banquet today, then all of this should have belonged to her¡­

 Chapter 1480: Have Fun With You

    <h4>Chapter 1480: Have Fun With You</h4>

    If the Zhuang family hade for her wedding banquet today, then all of this should have belonged to her¡­

    This thought tortured Ning Xueluo until she felt like she was going crazy.

    Even now as she watched Ning Xi looking bright and beautiful on the red tform, giving a speech with all attention on her, she thought about how her dream wedding had be a nightmare. It waspletely ruined¡­

    After Ning Xi finished her speech, there was a thunderous apuse from the audience. Then, the host announced that the donation ceremony was about to begin.

    In between her racing thoughts and blind fury, Ning Xueluo watched Zhuang Keer walk up stage, while the host introduced the item Zhuang Keer had donated.

    It was a bracelet¡­

    Zhuang Keer had clearly said that she would be attending her wedding, yet in the end, she had unexpectedly appeared here, and even donated the bracelet she had left in her car!

    Ning Xueluo was as pale as a ghost behind her mask of sweetness. Could the Zhuangs already know about the mix-up between her and Ning Xi?

    Was it because the Zhuangs had realized she was not the biological daughter that they treated her this way?

    She was clearly thedy of the Ning family! She was clearly the only daughter that Zhuang Lingyu had personally acknowledged! She was clearly the granddaughter that the Zhuangs should be acknowledging!

    Why¡­ Why had it be like this!?

    Ning Xi, that witch! Why!?

    Worried that if she stayed any longer she would be noticed, Ning Xueluo ground her teeth and rushed to leave with the remaining rationality she had.

    Now, she had too many things to resolve apart from Zheng Minjun''s anger, and the expected coverage from the media tomorrow¡­

    ¡­

    An hourter, Ning Xi''s charity event ended perfectly.

    Apart from the guests who had arrivedter, Ning Xi had many friends who attended too. Most of them were Glory World Entertainment artistes and some partners she had met from previous shoots.

    After the event ended, Jiang Muye, who could not stay, had gathered a huge group of friends on the spot to go to the KTV. Obviously, there were a hundred answers to his single phone call.

    Thus, after the group of people left the exhibition centre, they followed Jiang Muye to the KTV.

    As the organizer, Ning Xi still had to stay back and finish up some work, but in between, Jiang Muye called many times to rush her.

    "Ning Xiao Xi, are you done? Come quickly! Everyone''s here. We''re all just waiting for you!" Jiang Muye frantically urged her.

    Ning Xi was arranging the donation details as she said, "Blondie, have you been injected with chicken blood? What are you so excited for? I''m already tired from the whole day''s events! Where am I going to find the energy to have fun with you!?"

    From the other end of the phone came Jiang Muye''sint. "What!? It really doesn''t pay to be a good guy. It''s not about you having fun with me. I especially organized a gathering to have fun with you, okay?"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrow. "Huh? Why did you specially organize a gathering to have fun with me?"

    Jiang Muye snorted unhappily, "It''s Su Yan''s wedding night tonight! Aren''t I afraid that you''d think of nonsense when you''re alone tonight and have nothing to do? Enough nonsense. Are youing or not?"

    She did not think that this guy would have even thought of this¡­

    She had almost forgotten about it herself¡­

    When she heard Jiang Muye''s impatient tone, Ning Xi''s heart warmed. "Okay, okay, send me the address. I''ll be there right away. You guys have fun first! Also, it''s my treat tonight!"

    "Hmph, that''s more like it!" Jiang Muye hung up satisfied.

    Ning Xi grinned helplessly, then she rushed towards the address Jiang Muye sent her.

    Hmm¡­ If she had the ability to see the future and if she had known that she would be tricked by Jiang Muye tragically, she would not have gone even if it killed her¡­

 Chapter 1481: Play Mahjong

    <h4>Chapter 1481: y Mahjong</h4>

    To make it easier for everyone, the karaoke center was pretty near. It was just right opposite the building, so Ning Xi walked over after she came out of the exhibition center.

    Hmm¡­ If she could predict the future, if she had known Jiang Muye would make her life so miserable, she would never have gone¡­

    When she reached, Ning Xi gave Jiang Muye a call as she walked upstairs. "Blondie, I found it. Which room are you guys at?"

    "Uh, well¡­ About that¡­" Jiang Muye stuttered.

    "Which one? You don''t even know which room you''re at?" Ning Xi was exasperated.

    Jiang Muye coughed lightly. "No, that''s not it¡­ Ning Xiao Xi, I think¡­ You''d better note¡­"

    Her annoyance red. "Blondie, are you messing with me?! I''m already here!"

    "That''s not my name though," Jiang Muye said weakly.

    "Stop changing the topic! Which room is it? Are you drinking a little too much?" Ning Xi frowned, sensing that Jiang Muye''s tone was odd.

    Someone had probably overheard that Ning Xi was on the phone, so the person yelled towards Jiang Muye''s phone, "Is it Bro Xi? We''re in room VVIP 888. Come quickly!"

    Ning Xi did not think much about it. She hung up after hearing the room number. She looked around and saw room 888 was just nearby. Ning Xi walked over and opened the door¡­

    It felt like a thunderbolt struck her the moment she opened the door¡­

    One second¡­

    Two seconds¡­

    Three seconds¡­

    Ning Xi instantly mmed the door shut again, then she screamed in her mind.

    Ahhhhhh!

    What the heck did she just see!?

    Even if it was just for a split second, with the room full of people inside, it was impossible to miss any of the few people that stood out!

    Jiang Muye¡­

    Mo Yuxiu¡­

    Yun Shen¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡­

    ¡­

    Damn you, Jiang Muye! What happened to having fun?! How do I have fun here?! How about the four of you go and y mahjong?!

    Forget about Mo Yuxiu! Why were Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao here too?

    As Ning Xi was contemting about what she had just seen outside, the door was opened from the inside, and twodies excitedly dragged her inside.

    "Bro Xi, what are you doing outsid?! Come in!"

    "Quicklye, Bro Xi! The big boss is here today, and so is CEO Yun¡­"

    ¡­

    Before Ning Xi could say anything, she was pulled into the room.

    Because they knew she was on good terms with Jiang Muye, they had left an empty spot beside him.

    Ning Xi avoided the eyes of the other three as she red at Jiang Muye. "Jiang Muye! Do you want to die?! You tricked me!"

    She had a tough time struggling through the charity event, and just when she thought she could breathe a sigh of relief, the four of them were gathered once again!

    Jiang Muye looked innocent and backed off. "I didn''t call for them, alright? I didn''t know they woulde! I also warned you just now and asked you to note¡­"

    Ning Xi pinched her be and clenched her teeth. "Thank you so much! Thanks to you and your whole family!"

    Because of these few guys, she had no energy left to think about the other ex again¡­

    Was this fighting poison with poison?

 Chapter 1482: Youâ€™re Here After All

    <h4>Chapter 1482: You¡¯re Here After All</h4>

    Jiang Muye was just trying to throw a small private party, then Lu Jingli wanted to join in, but he did not only bring himself. He had brought Lu Tingxiao over too.

    Because Lu Tingxiao was joining, several top leaders of the business industry from the charity event just now followed him as well. In the end, even Yun Shen came here¡­

    A private party had suddenly be a business gathering. It was not really a ce to go wild. They might as well go back and sleep after the event ended, but now they had to endure it longer.

    Ning Xi sat there uneasily. She could not feelfortable at all, so she felt bored and just kept on drinking until her sweetheart looked at her.

    A lot of people were around Lu Tingxiao and there was not a free moment at all, but he still stared at her guzzling the drinks.

    After the warning stare, Ning Xi smiled and sent Lu Tingxiao a text message: [You''re here after all!]

    So, it was okay even if she drank a lot!

    Lu Tingxiao pretended to listen closely to a CEO talking beside him, then his phone vibrated. He took a nce at it and his expression softened. He did not stop Ning Xi from drinking anymore.

    From time to time people talked to Ning Xi out of curiosity with the intention of knowing more.

    "Bro Xi, you''re really amazing! So many people came to your event! I''m so shocked!"

    "Right, I thought the guests for Ning Xueluo''s wedding were jaw-dropping enough, butpared to you, that''s nothing at all¡­"

    Ning Xi sipped some wine before she said inly, "It''s just a coincidence that thepany is promoting this. In addition to our Boss''s attendance today, I''m just lucky to be the representative this time¡­"

    The few artistes seemed to understand after hearing what Ning Xi said.

    The line-up of the guests today was impressive and they could not help but think that there was someone else backing Ning Xi up, but when they thought about how Ning Xi had be famous, it did not seem very possible. If she really had a powerful supporter, Ning Xi did not have to be cast in so many minor roles and viin roles before getting to the top¡­

    The people with really strong backing were people like Meng Shiyi, who had never cast as any minor characters before. Every one of the movies she acted in was directed by famous directors, and she received the best actress award in her first movie, which would be the perfect example of a rising star.

    So, after they heard what Ning Xi said, they did not doubt her at all. In fact, they felt Ning Xi was really down-to-earth due to her honest vibes.

    There were a lot of youngsters in the room, and they suggested to y truth or dare. Ning Xi felt a headache the moment she heard them suggest that game. ying this with the four of them around was digging her own grave!

    Without hesitation, Ning Xi used the toilet as an excuse!

    She went to an empty corner to take a breather, but just a while of resting while leaning outside the window, there was the sound of footsteps behind her.

    Ning Xi turned around and saw a drunk Mo Yuxiu as he stood in front of her.

    Ning Xi felt her headache intensify. "Mo Yuxiu, I''ve already told you what I''ve got to say. Just what do I need to do to settle things between us? Tell me now!"

    Mo Yuxiu ran his fair fingers through his hair, his eyes looking wild as heughed coldly. "Settle things between us? I freaking lost to a useless man that''s ugly, poor, and doesn''t even have a strong family background at all! Do you think I can just ept it as it is?"

 Chapter 1483: Whoâ€™s My Man?

    <h4>Chapter 1483: Who¡¯s My Man?</h4>

    Ever since he realized Ning Xi was in an ambiguous rtionship with Ke Mingyu, Mo Yuxiu had been holding a grudge against him.

    He had been wondering what kind of man could make her fall in love. Who knew it was a useless man! How could he ept it?

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. A useless man¡­ Was he talking about her sweetheart?

    "Are you talking about Ke Mingyu?" Ning Xi raised her eyebrows as if challenging him.

    "Don''t tell me there''s nothing going on with him! I''ve been watching you guys for a very long time. If there''s nothing between you guys, I''ll swallow this rubbish bin whole!" Mo Yuxiu pointed randomly at a steel bin nearby

    Ning Xi made a "tsk-tsk" sound. She realized that Mo Yuxiu had sharp eyes. He did get the person right on his first try after all although she was assuming he would suspect Jiang Muye first.

    She did not answer the question clearly. Instead, she returned with a question, "Then, who does my man need to be in order for you to ept it? I''ll get him now and make you choke on the reality of it here and now."

    "You¡­ You''re the one choking!" Mo Yuxiu almost gagged on her words.

    "Hey, I''m serious! Tell me! Tell me a name that can make you ept the fact! We''ll settle the score today once and for all!" Ning Xi said.

    Mo Yuxiu looked at the girl in front of him, feeling like she was messing around with him, but since he was the one holding a grudge and actually thinking about it¡­

    Not that he was bragging, but to him, all the male artistes in the entertainment industry, even including Jiang Muye, none of them were up to his standards. As for people outside of the industry, there were not many people he looked up to as well.

    One could not me Mo Yuxiu for being so arrogant. His father was a rich businessman in Hangzhou, and his second uncle was the Vice CEO of Hollywood''s TL Entertainment. On top of that, his family was one of the more prestigious families as well.

    Many people were rich in this era, but most of them would be older men in between 50 to 60 years old. There were many second-generation rich families, but none of them were as good-looking as him¡­

    Mo Yuxiu thought about it for some time. Only several candidates crossed his mind. The people who could make him really impressed would be¡­

    "Hey, are you done thinking yet?" Ning Xi prodded impatiently.

    Mo Yuxiu leaned against the wall, lit up a cigarette, and put on an evil grin. "Give up, woman, unless it''s Lu Tingxiao or Yun Shen, we wouldn''t be done no matter who your man is!"

    The Lu family was the top family in Imperial, and Lu Tingxiao was a legend in the business world. Although Yun Shen had just suddenly appeared in the country, his background was a secret and there were even rumors that he was the king of the underground society¡­

    Mo Yuxiu purposely gave her two names that seemed impossible, obviously trying to challenge her.

    However, after Ning Xi heard those two names, her expression turned odd¡­

    She did expect Mo Yuxiu to call out Lu Tingxiao, but she did not expect him to include Yun Shen. She felt a little creeped out when she heard the two names together.

    Nevertheless, the main point now was to settle as much of the problem as possible. After Mo Yuxiu finished his piece, Ning Xi took out her phone and made a call. "Hey, sweetheart, I''m at the emergency exit near the end of the hallway. Can youe over? I need you for something¡­ Yes, now. Mmm, okay¡­ I''ll be waiting for you!"

    Mo Yuxiu frowned when he saw Ning Xi make a call. "Who are you calling?"

    Ning Xi smiled broadly. "Take a guess!"

 Chapter 1484: Jump Onto Him

    <h4>Chapter 1484: Jump Onto Him</h4>

    Mo Yuxiu frowned. He heard Ning Xi calling someone "sweetheart" just now, making him feel disgusted. Could she be calling that man over?

    And from her tone, this man seemed to be someone in the room!

    Who could it be?

    Or was this woman fooling with him again and ying tricks on him!?

    Mo Yuxiu looked at her with rm. "Tang Xi, what are you going to do?"

    Ning Xi shrugged innocently. "I''m seriously trying to solve the issue! Please keep your promiseter and don''t go back on your words!"

    Mo Yuxiuughed incredulously. "Are you going to tell me your man is Yun Shen?"

    Mo Yuxiu''s expression changed a little as they reached this point because he remembered that during the filming, Ning Xi seemed to have a strange rtionship with Yun Shen, and it was rumored that Yun Shen was a big fan of Ning Xi''s. He had invested and acted in the series all for her¡­

    Could Yun Shen really be Ning Xi''s man?

    However, when Ning Xi told him she had a man already, it was when they were filming the ads, and Yun Shen had just returned not too long ago, so he probably still did not know Ning Xi at that time.

    This damned woman was tricking him again!

    As Mo Yuxiu was thinking about it, Ning Xi shook her head. "That''s wrong. Yun Shen''s the ex, the current one is Lu Tingxiao!"

    Mo Yuxiu was speechless¡­

    Mo Yuxiu was appalled by Ning Xi''s words. He was so annoyed and demanded angrily, "I must be crazy to talk rubbish with you here for so long. Just how much did you drink tonight?"

    Ning Xi spread her hands. "So, no one''s believing the truth nowadays?"

    Mo Yuxiu was furious beyond words. The look on his face was saying that he definitely would not believe what she said anymore. "Nonsense! It''s because I believe you that I''m this outraged now!"

    "But I really didn''t lie¡­"

    "Get lost!"

    ¡­

    As they were arguing, the sound of solid footsteps came nearby.

    Mo Yuxiu turned around, then he saw a tall man in a full ck suit walking towards Ning Xi and him with a frigid face. In the end, he stopped right in front of Ning Xi.

    Lu Tingxiao¡­?

    What was he doing here? Was he here to take a breather too? Or had he been tricked by Ning Xi?

    As Mo Yuxiu was having countless thoughts running through his mind, Ning Xi suddenly jumped onto Lu Tingxiao¡­ She jumped onto him¡­ Jumped!

    Besides that, the more shocking matter was that after Ning Xi jumped onto Lu Tingxiao, she clung onto Lu Tingxiao''s neck, and pulled his neck down, then kissed him forcefully¡­ She kissed him forcefully!

    Mo Yuxiu was taken aback. He just stared at what was unfolding in front of him until he felt a sharp pain on his fingertip. The cigarette had burned to the end and stung his finger.

    In the phone call before, Lu Tingxiao had not asked Ning Xi why she called him over. He just went, but did not expect Mo Yuxiu to be there as well.

    There was a shine in Lu Tingxiao''s eyes. Before he could say anything, his wife jumped onto him wordlessly.

    Lu Tingxiao was fully focused on her only as he gently held the girl''s body. He also lowered his head, cooperated with the girl and let her kiss him¡­

 Chapter 1485: Romance-Ending Device

    <h4>Chapter 1485: Romance-Ending Device</h4>

    Ning Xi was like a puppy, hugging the man as she nibbled yfully on him, her eyes full of possessiveness.

    Lu Tingxiaoughed heartily as he gently caressed her head and said in a pampering and indulging tone, "What are you up to now?"

    Ning Xi hugged Lu Tingxiao, then she red furiously at Mo Yuxiu who had turned to stone on the side. "Nothing much, I''m just a little bored from getting some air here myself! So, I asked you toe over!"

    Lu Tingxiao caught a glimpse of Mo Yuxiu from the corner of his eye. How could he not fathom Ning Xi''s thoughts?

    To help his wife defeat his romantic rivals and being his wife''s shield was obviously all that he could wish for and would endure dly.

    Besides, him and Ning Xi had dated in secret for so long that it was a rare change for Ning Xi to initiate publicizing his identity.

    At this moment, there were no indifference, alienation, or signs that told one to keep away from Lu Tingxiao. He looked at the girl with a gentle expression that could drown one in sweetness as he leaned over slightly and kissed the girl''s lips lightly again. "Want to go home?"

    Ning Xi nodded. "I''ve long wanted to go home! It''s all that Jiang Muye''s fault! He''s so unreliable and swindled me¡­"

    ¡­

    Until the two had already left only did Mo Yuxiu finally return to his senses behind them. He quickly called out, "Wait!"

    Ning Xi paused her footsteps up front, then she turned around to look at Mo Yuxiu. "Hey, you''re a grown man. You wouldn''t go back on your words, right?"

    Mo Yuxiu did not respond to Ning Xi. Obviously, he was afraid of Ning Xi''s tricks. He still could not believe her up until this moment, so he did not give up as he stared at Lu Tingxiao and said, "CEO Lu, I apologize for presumptuously asking, but what is your rtionship with Ning Xi? Who is Ning Xi to you?"

    Mo Yuxiu clenched his fists tightly. He thought that these two were just putting on a show. They might be lovers, friends with benefits, or even simply messing around¡­

    After all, Lu Tingxiao had announced to the outside world that he had long had a stable girlfriend that he was in a rtionship with!

    This damned woman! She kept saying that she was not the same species as him, yet in reality, she was just the same¡­

    Lu Tingxiao looked expressionlessly at the man opposite him, then he answered with that calm and unwavering ice-cold face, "My future wife."

    Then, without caring what Mo Yuxiu''s reaction turned to, he just pulled Ning Xi and turned around to leave.

    Behind them, Mo Yuxiu''s face turned nk. He waspletely stupefied¡­

    The legendary rightful girlfriend of Lu Tingxiao''s¡­ was Ning Xi?

    He thought that Ning Xi was just slurring drunk, but it had been real?

    Lu Tingxiao was really her current boyfriend. Then, was Yun Shen really her ex?

    Mo Yuxiu dared not to continue thinking about it.

    Ever since he met this woman, she had never been conventional¡­

    ¡­

    When Lu Tingxiao came over to look for her, he had already bid goodbye to everyone in the room and announced that he had to leave first. Lu Tingxiao went to the car park to wait for her first while Ning Xi bade farewell to the crowd in the room too.

    When she returned, Yun Shen was not there. It seemed like he had left early too.

    On the way home.

    They managed to get through the daunting night without any mishaps. Ning Xi looked like she had a huge weight off her mind as she said, "Sigh, finally I settled one! My, darling, you''re really useful! You''re practically the ultimate romance-destroying tool! From the looks of Mo Yuxiu''s expression, I''m sure that even if he had an erectile dysfunction forever, he won''te bothering me ever again!"

    Tsk tsk, her romantic misfortunes could indeed only be resolved with Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Lu Tingxiaoughed lightly. "Thank you for thepliment."

    "But¡­ There''s one more that''s probably not that easy to cut off¡­ Sigh, what do I have to use to chop that one off?" Ning Xi muttered softly.

    She thought that Lu Tingxiao did not hear her, but momentster came Lu Tingxiao''s calm voice, "A marriage certificate."

    "Uhh¡­" Savage.

 Chapter 1486: Thorough Preparation

    <h4>Chapter 1486: Thorough Preparation</h4>

    In order to quickly earn enough dowry and begin her journey to her life''s peak to exchange the ultimate romance ax, the "marriage certificate", Ning Xi had run over in the middle of the night to Ling Zhizhi''s ce as if she had been injected chicken blood .

    After the charity event ended, Ling Zhizhi did not go home. Instead, she had gone straight to the office. Apart from that, Xiao Tao and the public rtions staff had all been called over that very night too.

    This time, Ning Xueluo''s so-called "wedding of the century" had beenpletely ruined. Starlight Entertainment would not sit idly and would most likely use them. Thus, the moment the event ended, Ling Zhizhi immediately summoned all the manpower and made thorough preparation to respond to Starlight Entertainment''s tricks.

    Early morning the next day, all the newspapers and the entire Inte were filled with reports on the wedding banquet between the Su and the Ning family.

    What was different from everyone''s expectations was that all of the wedding reports had been followed by Ning Xi''s name and an unknown charity event.

    "Ning Xi''s Charity Fund Ceremony Rapidly Wiped Out The Wedding Of The Century"

    "Exclusive Deciphering Of The Mystery About Ning Xueluo''s Wedding Of The Century''s Premature End"

    "Charity Function Of The Century Versus Wedding Of The Century"

    ¡­

    Rted reports had described the entire flow of events in incredible detail. Ning Xueluo''s wedding had gone from a full house to being deserted, and the charity event upstairs was a controversial grandeur in the entire Imperial¡­

    "Pfft, this is too funny! I want to see how the people from Starlight are going to gloat after this! They''ve beenpleted wiped out by us Glory World!"

    "Exactly, our Glory World''s little charity ceremony was already enough to crush their wedding of the century!"

    "Ever since Su Yimo copsed, many people have said that our Glory World is about fall and theye up with all sorts of badmouthing. It''s so infuriating! Now, I''d really like to see if they dare shoot their mouth! Elevating another A-lister is a piece of cake for Glory World, alright?"

    "I''m just afraid that it''ll be another Su Yimo¡­"

    "Probably not. I feel that Ning Xi didn''t change at all after she was promoted. She''s still quite nice. Previously, when I was bullied by Meng Shiyi, she even helped me out!"

    "Speaking of which¡­ Thest time my show was interrupted by Starlight people, it was also Ning Xi who helped me resolve it. Bro Xi''s fighting skills are super strong! She had only said a few words then and frightened that director into immediately returning the show''s slot to me¡­"

    "Mmm¡­ Previously, when Su Yimo was around, she only knew how to extract from us, especially us female artistes who have shing opportunities against her. She watched us as if she was afraid that we''d waver her position but Ning Xi is quite helpful in covering up our errors instead¡­"

    "That''s the difference between someone with capabilities and someone with none, okay? Based on our Bro Xi''s capabilities, she wouldn''t be worried about being rattled!"

    ¡­

    Compared to Glory World''s Entertainment''s light-hearted and pleasing atmosphere, the entire Starlight Entertainment was pervaded with ayer of dark clouds.

    Yesterday, half of theirpany had gone to support Ning Xueluo''s wedding. As they watched Ning Xueluo being embarrassed and awkward, they felt ashamed too. Of course, there were many who were rejoicing in this misfortune of hers¡­

    Inside Chang Li''s office.

    On the first day of her newlywed status, Ning Xueluo had arrived early, and the expression on her face right now was an unprecedented indication that stormsy ahead.

    Chang Li was frantically busy. When she was finally free, she said, "Xueluo, just let them gloat for a little while. In the afternoon, I''ve prepared to leak out the good news¡­ This time, we''ll definitely make Ning Xi receive the consequences!"

    When she heard Chang Li''s words, Ning Xueluo''s expression did not soften. Just because they had tricks up their sleeves did not mean that Ling Zhizhi''s side was not on guard. It was not realistic to topple Ning Xi with just these. They needed a more effective strategy¡­

 Chapter 1487: Comments War

    <h4>Chapter 1487: Comments War</h4>

    Several days ago, the Inte was filled with all sorts of big shots and celebrities riled up with posts of Ning Xueluo''s wedding invitation and door gift. Everyone was waiting to see how popr it would be after the actual wedding happened.

    In the end, no one would have thought that the wedding would conclude with such a pathetic ending.

    Ning Xueluo''s grand wedding had been pped in the face by Ning Xi''s small charity event until they could not lift their heads¡­

    Suddenly, there were all sorts of voices online. There were thoseughing at Ning Xueluo, and there were some gossiping about Ning Xi''s supporters. There were also many who thought that Ning Xueluo spending more than a billion on a wedding was luxuriously wasteful. On the other hand, the first thing Ning Xi did after she rose to fame was charity, making the difference between them obvious when they werepared to each other.

    Very soon, thisizen''sment was pushed to the list of hot topics. Suddenly, all those who had initially been unhappy with Ning Xueluo''s great fanfare of a wedding started to speak out.

    [Hehe, Ning Xueluo wasn''t organizing her own wedding. She was just giving the media a wedding! It was all for show only!]

    [I''ve long wanted to say that these few days, Feng Yn, who had won the Nobel Prize and brought honor to our country, didn''t receive any attention. Instead, the coverage was all on a female artiste''s wedding. Can this society be any better?]

    [I think that this Charity Fund Association and the upper-ss people probably can''t bear to watch, and had intentionally made this happen to fix the morale of the entertainment industry!]

    ¡­

    Initially, the Inte was full of ridicule and criticisms towards Ning Xueluo. When afternoon came, the course of events had slowly changed.

    [Despite things turning out like this, don''t you think that this has been rather strange from the start to the end? Why was Ning Xi''s charity event coincidentally on the same day as Ning Xueluo''s wedding, and was even just upstairs?]

    [Even if this whole thing was the upper society''s intentions, there are so many senior big shots in the entertainment industry. Why did they choose a female artiste that had be popr overnight?]

    [Wedding is the most important thing in a woman''s life, so what if it was a little grand when they have the means? It''s not only Ning Xueluo who''s like this! It''s a little unfair to condemn her for this, don''t you think? Instead, it''s Ning Xi''s charity event that was done too deliberately, as if she was putting on a show!]

    [Hehe, there''s more to this charity fund. Do you think artistes aren''t really setting up charity funds to earn money? Have you guys forgotten Wang Hao and Fang Yihua''s scandal?]

    ¡­

    Up until the end, thements led towards the three points: "Ning Xi intentionally choosing this day to steal Ning Xueluo''s limelight", "Ning Xi has strong supporters", and "Ning Xi is using the charity fund to fish for a quick buck".

    The former two were fine since almost all female artistes would encounter such gossip. Those with no evidence would fall apart after several days, but it was thetter that was severe enough to ruin an artiste.

    Previously, Wang Hao''s charity fraud had caused her reputation a devastating decline. The vague ounts under Fang Yihua''s fund and other scandals had not only caused him to be unable to continue in the entertainment circle, but he was even almost imprisoned¡­

    One could see how vicious this move of Ning Xueluo''s was.

    "Dang, these people are so shameless! We clearly decided on the time and venue in advance. Who would want their event to intentionally be on the same day as theirs?!" Despite preparing in advance, when they saw thements online, Xiao Tao was still furious.

    "Put up the first evidence first," Ling Zhizhi instructed.

    "Mmm, understood!" Xiao Tao immediately logged on to Weibo and put up the evidence of them booking the time and venue three months in advance.

 Chapter 1488: Instant Turn

    <h4>Chapter 1488: Instant Turn</h4>

    Just moments after Ning Xi made her rification, Ning Xueluo changed her ammunition. They knew they could not bring Ning Xi down with the first two points, so they focused on the third one.

    Soon, some users started iming that they were insiders and were going to leak news. They used Ning Xi of being an evil hypocrite. The false rumors of her using the funds collected from the charity for her own purposes and earning loads of money in the name of charity seemed extremely detailed as if they had been hiding under Ning Xi''s bed all along and knew about every single thing she did.

    The matter this time around involved the senior management. If Ning Xi were to have such nasty rumors flying around, they would not sit idly by and do nothing about it. They would at least investigate her as a result of the pressure from the public.

    Although Chang Li did not have any solid proof, too many artistes had been doing such tactics in the industry, so she assumed that Ning Xi must have done it as well. If she were able to spread this across the Inte and involve the higher-ups, the moment they found one bit of her dirty deals, then Ning Xi would be done for¡­

    "Xueluo, do you know how much Ning Xi''s house in Peachwood costs? And she bought several sports cars recently¡­ Even if she became famous now, it''s only recently that she shot to the limelight. It''s impossible for her to have made this much money. Including her pay from filming and her endorsements, she still wouldn''t have this much! Something must be going on here¡­" Chang Li smirked confidently.

    Of course!

    Ning Xueluoughed coldly. DId Ning Xi think she could live peacefully after hooking onto Zhuang Keer?

    She was going to turn them into bitter curses¡­

    With Ning Xueluo''s effort, rumors soon floated around on the Inte. Manyizens were not smart enough to distinguish the truth, and they just sided with whichever direction the discussion was progressing towards. At this point, everything was going smoothly as Ning Xueluo had predicted.

    She did not believe that the Zhuangs would still do nothing when Ning Xi messed up like this. They would never let Ning Xi bring them down!

    Although she could not find traces of Ning Xi''s underhanded activity, if the Zhuang family was involved, they would surely be able to¡­

    And yet¡­

    This time, Ning Xueluo''s n failed again.

    Chang Li started off by attacking Ning Xi''s character. She made up various statements and defamed her, framed her as a hypocrite of using charity as a veil to cover up her dirty deals, and she tried to convince everyone that Ning Xi would pocket the charity funds.

    Then, when the matter became more severe and they were about to bring it a step further, a document was released on Ning Xi''s official Weibo ount.

    The document recorded the charity activities Ning Xi had done in the past.

    They included receipts of fund transactions and gratefully written letters from sponsored students. There was a trail of Ning Xi having been involved in charity since she was 18, and she had never stopped until now.

    If Ning Xi had really been doing charity just for show and as a method to stand out from her peers, then what about before she joined the entertainment industry? Why did she have to do all these?

    Ling Zhizhi did not have to do anything else. The journalists went to the areas mentioned in the document and started collecting evidence¡­

    If it were just a few ces or several people, it might still be fake, but after going through all the listed sources, they were all proven real. Following that, the whole discussion instantly took a different turn.

    At first, no one knew why the higher-ups had picked Ning Xi, even appointing and fully supporting her to be the ambassador of the charity fund, but now they understood why.

 Chapter 1489: Not Brought Up Wrongly

    <h4>Chapter 1489: Not Brought Up Wrongly</h4>

    Many people were looking closely at the activities on the Net.

    ¡­

    In the Zhuang''s living room, Zhuang Liaoyuan, Zhuang Zongren, and Meng Ling were present.

    They knew what was happening. It was obvious that someone was pulling some strings behind the scenes. If it were not handled properly, it would be really troublesome. The worst thing was that if they intervened, even if the final result proved that Xiao Xi was innocent, the rumors would never end. People could still use them of protecting Ning Xi¡­

    Out of wanting to protect Ning Xi''s reputation, they had to consider carefully. As the three of them were discussing what actions to take, Zhuang Keer, who was looking at herptop, screamed with excitement. She took herptop to them hurriedly. "Father, Mother, Grandfather¡­ Look at this!"

    The three of them looked at each other questioningly, then stared at the screen together. They then saw therge number of transaction details and the gratitude letters from the children, including the childish words and drawings¡­

    Zhuang Keer searched through some of thetest news about Ning Xi''s work in charity which consisted of interviews with various people, including caretakers, teachers, and also many innocent faces of children¡­

    "Yes, Sis Xiao Xi just came by a few days ago! She brought us many food and books!"

    "I like Sis Xiao Xi the most!"

    "When is Sis Xiao Xiing again?"

    ¡­

    Not just interviews, the journalists also found a lot of old videos¡­

    Zhuang Keer looked really proud when she saw these. "I told you guys there''s nothing to be worried about!"

    For some reason, no matter what happened, she hadplete trust in Xiao Xi.

    Even though she knew Ning Xueluo was her cousin by blood, she would never waver to stand on Ning Xi''s side.

    The discussion on the Inte was overturned. The negative rumors about Ning Xi as well as the suspicions of the higher-ups and even the Charity Fund Association all disappeared.

    There was no need for them to intervene anymore. No doubt this was the best oue.

    Zhuang Zongren looked at the videos and sighed with sympathy, "Such a good child, yet she had to go through so much¡­"

    Meng Ling knew what Zhuang Zongren was thinking about and she smiled. "Father, you should be happy that Ning Xi didn''t grow up with her parents! If not, she might''ve been brought up wrongly! Look at how great she is now!"

    "Uhh¡­" Zhuang Liaoyuan coughed lightly. Despite his wife being a little blunt, she was telling the truth.

    ¡­

    Of course, just getting a tie was not enough.

    Ling Zhizhi had to make a counterattack, but she did not have to do anything really. Many people on the Net could easily think of who was behind this usation towards Ning Xi.

    The overlooked Ning Xueluo was once again brought into the spotlight, but for all the wrong reasons.

    [Now, I understand what it means by "don''t judge a book by its cover". Not all beauties are evil!]

    [Ning Xi is actually pretty unfortunate. Everyone said that she''s only relying on her looks, but to me, not only did her looks not help, her looks attracted her a lot of unfair treatment too!]

    [Seriously, with Bro Xi''s gorgeousness, if she really wanted to, she could''ve just married into a rich family already! Why suffer so much in the entertainment industry?]

    [Someone should really shut up now! Whatever it is, she can''t travel back five years in time to do all these things, can she?]

    [A certain someone''s really great at pulling strings! As for who''s that certain someone, I believe I don''t have to specify who it is, do I?]

    ¡­

 Chapter 1490: Only To Pave Way For Others

    <h4>Chapter 1490: Only To Pave Way For Others</h4>

    Chang Li sat down on the chair, her face looking dreadful.

    It was a big miscalction¡­

    No matter what, they could never have guessed that Ling Zhizhi could provide such solid evidence!

    Ning Xi had already been doing charity work way before she entered the entertainment industry. It did not matter what they said anymore. This even helped to boost Ning Xi''s poprity, reputation, and image. In other words, they had just done a free promotion for her.

    This had a much better effect than just posting the information from Ling Zhizhi''s side to boost Ning Xi''s image.

    After spending so much effort, it only paved the way for someone else.

    Chang Li started to regret helping Ning Xueluo go against Ning Xi.

    She realized that things had been going way out of hand, not just once or twice, but numerous times! It must not be a coincidence as Ning Xi had proven to be a very tough opponent.

    As expected, soon came the loud sound of things breaking and Ning Xueluo''s scolding.

    Ning Xueluo''s temper had been getting worsetely as she was having a pretty bad time herself.

    Everyone outside assumed that Ning Xueluo was verydylike and gentle, but only she knew the true colors of Ning Xueluo. However, after knowing so many secrets about her, it was toote to regret now.

    Sometimes, when she saw Ning Xi and Ling Zhizhi and saw how they chatted gaily with each other like friends, she would be lying if she were to say she did not feel anything.

    After Ning Xueluo was done throwing her tantrum, she growled with a ferocious expression, "There''s no need for panic! I''ve said before, Ning Xi is just a piece of meat on my chopping board. No matter how high she leaps, I can grant her her death any moment I want!"

    However, they both had secrets in each other''s hands, except that it was not the right time to reveal it at the moment¡­

    By the time they were to really go against each other for real, Ning Xi would be the one in a grave situation!

    She had to do what she had to, if not, Ning Xueluo might get triggered again. Chang Li covered her bleeding wound caused by the shattered ceramic pieces just now before she injected energy into her voice and said, "Let''s justy low for a while now and wait until the discussion dies down. I''ve just gotten news that ''Mountain'' has been nominated in the Golden Film Awards this year, and you''ve been nominated as a candidate for the best actress. Soon, I''ll find a suitable time to release this news. Also, I''ve been talking to Director Robert on a coboration, so it shouldn''t be difficult to get a role¡­ As an actress, in the end, people will still judge you by your work¡­"

    Ning Xueluo pinched the space between her eyebrows with a dark expression. After spending so much effort, she had finally got a nomination! In addition to getting a role in a Hollywood movie, although it might just be a few minutes appearance, it was a rare opportunity for an Asian to be cast in Hollywood films. This indicated that she was breaking into the international market, and her career would enter a new chapter! That witch Ning Xi who had fallen to filming series could neverpare to her!

    "Keep an eye on Ning Xi¡­" She was sure that one day she would be able to get ahold of her dirty secrets!

    Chang Li just nodded, but Ning Xi was guarded tightly by Ling Zhizhi. Apart from that, she felt there was another force working in the dark because after such a long investigation, nothing really came up. It was futile no matter how much she tried.

    Nevertheless, she could never bring herself to tell Ning Xueluo that. Even if she did, she would only get scolded¡­

 Chapter 1491: Real Lady

    <h4>Chapter 1491: Real Lady</h4>

    To Ning Xueluo, the entertainment industry rumor was not the most troubling one. Compared to going against Ning Xi, she had more important things to be done.

    She made Chang Li turn down most of the recent jobs as she wanted to spend more time with Su Yan as well as get on Zheng Minjun''s good side.

    If people from the Zhuangs had turned up at her wedding, her position as the eldest daughter-inw of the family would be secured. However, now not only did she have to act lowly in front of them, she had to put up with the witch Zhao Shanshan, listening to her insults.

    "Mother, History is going to be invited to Lorraine Fashion Week soon. Here''s a first-row ticket for the show. If you''re free on that day,e by and have a look."

    Zheng Minjun seemed happy when she epted the ticket. She knew that this ticket could not havee by easy, and it was a first-row seat. "Thanks, Xueluo, that''s very nice of you!"

    Ning Xueluo beamed. "You''re wee, Mother."

    At this moment, Zhao Shanshan came down from the stairs, holding the newspaper in her hands. She purposely walked in front of Su Yan''s mother and Ning Xueluo, speaking in a weird tone, "As expected from a daughter from a prestigious family, Mother. Just look at her attitude and her aura¡­ She''s done so many kind things without leaving her name¡­

    "This is how a realdy acts. With the blood of a prestigious family, her nobility lies in the blood! Not like someone else being so small-minded, showing off to the whole world the moment she made some small achievements¡­"

    "You¡­" Ning Xueluo was so mad that she was shaking.

    Zhao Shanshan really had an evil mouth!

    She had to do something now. If not, her position in the Su family would always be maintained as passive.

    "Okay, Shanshan, stop being like that. Xueluo is your sister-inw!" Because Zhao Shanshan was the wife of her husband''s illegitimate child Su Xun, of course, she would take the side of Su Yan''s wife, Ning Xueluo.

    Still, Zhao Shanshan''s words hit the spot where it hurt the most.

    Ning Xueluo''s identity still remained one of the biggest thorns she had in her heart.

    "I''m just telling the truth. She is a wild fowl from the rural area!" Ever since Zhao Shanshan found out about this nickname that could trigger Ning Xueluo, she had been using it happily.

    Suddenly, the maid, who Ning Xueluo had brought over to the Su family after she was married, rushed over. She seemed to be boiling with anger and had been holding it in for some time. "Second Madam, you''re really too much! You''re bullying her when she just married into this family! She was brought up by our Madam since young. Not only is she highly educated, she''s not small-minded at all. The one who''s not presentable is the rural girl Ning Xi. Do you really think she''s as nice as she looks? She¡­"

    Ning Xueluo looked pained as she pleaded with an aggrieved expression, "Xiao Ling, stop it!"

    "Xueluo, why did you stop her? Let her speak! Xiao Ling, what is it? What did Ning Xi do?" Zheng Minjun quickly demanded.

    She already felt that something was odd back then. Why did her son, who had initially insisted on being with Ning Xi, suddenly break up with her?

    She thought her son had found out that Ning Xueluo was the better choice and changed his mind, so she had been happy for her son and did not think much about it. Furthermore, Ning Xi had also been sent overseas. Now that she thought about the whole incident, she felt that something was not right¡­

    Xiao Ling was actually acting following Ning Xueluo''s nce, and was about to tell what Ning Xueluo wanted her to say after her signal, "Ning Xi¡­"

    At this moment, there was an extremely aloof voice from the entrance. "Shut up."

    It was Su Yan.

    A scary expression had taken over Su Yan''s ever gentle face. Xiao Ling was so scared that she could not say anything and her body trembled.

 Chapter 1492: Still Have Feelings For Ning Xi?

    <h4>Chapter 1492: Still Have Feelings For Ning Xi?</h4>

    Even Ning Xueluo was shocked by Su Yan''s reaction. "I''m sorry, Bro Yan. I didn''t train her well enough¡­"

    "Go and get your sry for the month, then get out," Su Yan ordered heartlessly.

    Xiao Ling was trembling in fear. "Master-inw, it was wrong of me¡­ I really was wrong to say that¡­ Please don''t chase me out¡­"

    "Bro Yan, please forgive her. Xiao Ling has been always by my side. She''s been taking care of me for a very long time. She just couldn''t help it¡­" Ning Xueluo then looked at Zhao Shanshan''s direction with teary eyes.

    "Fine, that''s enough! You guys just got married. What a mess you''re making! Xiao Ling, you can give us some space now! Shanshan, go back to your room too!" Zheng Minjun snapped.

    Zhao Shanshan pouted and left with a dark expression, thinking about how well-practiced Ning Xueluo''s pity acting was. No wonder Su Yan was controlled by her!

    "Su Yan, why are you so angry? At least listen to what she has to say," Zheng Minjun sighed.

    Su Yan frowned. "Mother, you know I''m really against the servants talking about the people they serve. The things she wanted to say were probably about the things Xiao Xi did because she wasn''t aware of the social norms at that time. What else could she say?"

    Zheng Minjun thought about it. Xiao Ling would not have known much since she was just a servant anyway, so she stopped pressing on the matter.

    Then again, when she saw her son being so protective, some thoughts lingered in her mind¡­

    He hade out from her womb after all, and she knew him the best. Could Su Yan still have feelings for that girl?

    After a while, in Su Yan and Ning Xueluo''s room.

    "Bro Yan, are you still angry?" Ning Xueluo carefully walked to the balcony.

    "What was Xiao Ling trying to tell Mother just now?" Su Yan leaned on the railing, his expression hidden in the dark and his tone slightly cold.

    Ning Xueluo freaked out a little, but she soon calmed down. "What else? Probably just about how Ning Xi made a fool out of herself because of her bad manners¡­"

    Su Yan turned around, ring intensely at the woman beside him directly into her eyes. His expression was deathly serious. "Xueluo, remember what I told you back then. That incident affected Ning Xi so much. No one can know about it! Including anyone in my family! And it was our fault!"

    "Bro Yan, of course I know it''ll affect Sister greatly. I''d never tell anyone about it! Bro Yan, do you not trust me? You¡­ Do you think I wanted Xiao Ling to tell Mother about this?" Ning Xueluo had a look of disbelief on her face as if she was almost going to break down.

    Su Yan remained silent.

    He had managed to stop Xiao Ling just now, so there was no point in finding out what she was trying to say in the first ce anymore.

    Now, tears flowed down Ning Xueluo''s face as she staggered backwards with a sad and pitiful expression. "Bro Yan, in your heart, am I really such a mean person?"

    When he saw how distressed the girl was and thought about how much she had gone through in the past two days, Su Yan''s heart softened. "I didn''t mean that. I''m just reminding you. Stop crying now. I sounded too harsh, I''m sorry."

    Ning Xueluo leaned into Su Yan''s chest and sobbed, "Bro Yan, I''m sad. I''m really sad¡­ I just wanted to be with you. I just wanted to marry you¡­ Why is everyone saying things like that?"

 Chapter 1493: Stay Away From Imperial

    <h4>Chapter 1493: Stay Away From Imperial</h4>

    "You don''t have to care about Zhao Shanshan. We''ll apany Father and Mother for a while before we move out of this old residence to live alone. As for the rumors online, don''t look at them anymore. Those who believe you will naturally do so,"forted Su Yan.

    Ning Xueluo looked disappointed and uneasy. "Bro Yan, do you also think that my sister is better? I¡­ My family background¡­ I don''t match you at all¡­"

    "What''re you saying now? If I cared about this, why would I be with you since the start then?" Su Yan frowned as he lightly patted her back. "In a few more days, I''ll take you out and drive away your worries. I''ve already made the bookings for our honeymoon. For now, don''t let your imagination run wild."

    Ning Xueluo nestled against his embrace and nodded. "Mmm, Bro Yan¡­ I won''t think of anything else right now. I just want to quickly bear your children¡­"

    Aggressive as she was, she was ready to let Zheng Minjun know about Ning Xi''s scandal from thest time through Xiao Ling. However, unexpectedly Su Yan had seen it. In fact, he had such a huge reaction. What made her even more nervous was Su Yan''s attitude towards Ning Xi. She kept having a feeling that it was not just guilt he harbored¡­

    Now that Su Yan was already suspecting her, she could only drop it for now. Wait till she had Su Yan''s child and the Su family''s eldest grandchild! Zheng Minjun and Su Hongguang would have nothing to say about that!

    Whether it was for the Su family or the Ning family, this child was extremely important.

    Now, she could not tolerate any more mistakes.

    The next day, Ning Xueluo made some time to call the Tang family.

    Since the past few years, this was her first time making the initiative to call them.

    On the other end of the phone was Sun Lan''s tone that sounded unusually emotional as if she was still in disbelief. "Hello¡­? Xue¡­ Xueluo?"

    "It''s me."

    "Xueluo, why have you called me? Is there anything wrong? I wanted to attend your wedding, but I was afraid that you wouldn''t like it, so I didn''t go¡­ Have you been well?" Sun Lan asked carefully.

    Ning Xueluo went straight to the point. "Send me your ount number. Just tell me how much money you want, but it''ll be just this once."

    Sun Lan immediately rejected with an embarrassed tone, "No need, no need. The matter''s been resolved. The people who borrowed our money have already returned it to us! Xueluo, sorry¡­ Back then, the group of people came to our doorstep with knives every day. We were really desperate before I asked Xiao Nuo to go look for you in Imperial¡­ I really didn''t intend to trouble you¡­"

    "Okay, I don''t have to talk about all of this with you. Since it''s resolved, then forget it. I want to know which city did Tang Nuo choose for his first choice of university?" Ning Xueluo asked.

    Sun Lan thought that Ning Xueluo was concerned about her brother, so she quickly answered proudly, "Xiao Nuo! Yesterday, Xiao Nuo told me that he was going to put all of his top choices in Imperial! This child¡­ He''s been wanting to make it to Imperial since he was young. His results are pretty good, so it shouldn''t be much of a problem.

    "He hasn''t really left the house since he was young, so I''m really worried about him. Wait till he goes to university. I thought about going over to apany him, but Xiao Nuo said there was no need for me. Sigh, all of these are matters for the future. We''ll discuss again then¡­"

    Sun Lan was long-windedly telling her all of this while Ning Xueluo was frowning deeper and deeper on the other end of the phone. "Let Tang Nuo change his first choice. Tell him to choose other cities."

    "Ah¡­?" Sun Lan was stunned when she suddenly heard this. There was silence as if she had not reacted.

    "If you really feel any guilt towards me at all, if you really see me as your daughter, let Tang Nuo change his first choice. Stay far away from Imperial!" Ning Xueluo''s words were remarkably straightforward and cruel.

 Chapter 1494: Taking Away Opportunities

    <h4>Chapter 1494: Taking Away Opportunities</h4>

    "I¡­ Of course, I see you as my real daughter! But how is this rted to which city Xiao Nuo will go to university in?" Sun Lan anxiously questioned.

    Ning Xueluo''s tone turned even more bitter. "Ning Xi has already leaked out my real identity. Even my inws know that I''m not the real daughter of the Ning family and that I''m just the daughter of a rural woman! Do you know how awkward of a situation I''m being ced in? And now Tang Nuo ising to Imperial. Plus, you''re even following him! Don''t you think enough people know about this already?"

    Sun Lan''s heart ached when she heard the line "daughter of a rural woman."

    She did not expect her daughter to detest them that much¡­

    Sun Lan''s tone trembled slightly, "Xueluo, I understand that it''s difficult for you, but this is rted to Xiao Nuo''s future! I can choose not to go to Imperial, but Xiao Nuo won''t be changing his first choice¡­ Xiao Nuo has been looking forward to going to Imperial. If I were to tell him to change now, he wouldn''t be able to take it¡­"

    Ning Xueluoughed coldly, "You just said that you can do anything for me, but you''re acting like this the moment your son is involved. This is the extent of your so-called love?"

    "Xueluo, no. I¡­ Xueluo, let me think about it¡­ Give me some time, alright? This isn''t something I can decide on alone."

    ¡­

    In Spring Breeze Town, Chang Chun City.

    Inside a single-story house, Sun Lan was weeping by the table while Tang Shan smoked, squatting on the doorstep.

    The young man''s face was full of rage. "Why?! Why should I change my first choice?! Who does she think she is?! Who gives her the right to make us do this?! While it''s true that she''s never been under your care, but what about her? She has never fulfilled her filial duty! No one owes her!"

    Sun Lan was sobbing, "Xiao Nuo, don''t say that¡­ She''s your sister anyhow, and she''s in a difficult situation right now. She said her identity has been revealed. Her inws know about it, so she''s in a tight spot¡­"

    Tang Nuo''s expression looked worse. "So what if it''s been revealed? Everyone should''ve known about it five years ago! Does she think she''s really the daughter of the Ning family? All of that belongs to my sister¡­ to Sis Xi! She took away Sis Xi''s opportunities for so many years. Was that not enough? Mother, can you not be so selfish?! Even though Sis Xi isn''t your real daughter, she stayed with us for 18 years. She''s the first one to help us when we''re in trouble!"

    "I''m not. I don''t mean that Xiao Xi isn''t good. We''re talking about Xueluo now¡­ What should your sister do? She''s worried that if we go to Imperial, more people will know about her identity. I know these opportunities are supposed to belong to Xiao Xi, but your sister hase a long way¡­

    "She just got married to a rich family. It must be hard for her. If we''re close to her, even if we don''t look for her and no one finds out, she''d still feel ufortable. She''d always live in fear¡­"

    "Hard for her? She married into a rich family and gets to enjoy life every day. Which part of that is hard for her? After taking away Sis Xi''s opportunities for so long, she deserves to live in fear! Mother, think about how she treated us along the years. I really don''t understand why you''re feeling guilty towards her!" The young man''s face was bright red with anger.

    "Father, do you agree that I should change my first choice as well?" The young man looked at his father challengingly.

 Chapter 1495: Nothingâ€™s More Important Than My Grandson

    <h4>Chapter 1495: Nothing¡¯s More Important Than My Grandson</h4>

    The mother and son kept on arguing, but Tang Shan did not say anything at all. He never really had an opinion of his own. At this moment, he had no idea what to do.

    He looked at his wife when his son asked him, then he stuttered, "Xiao Nuo, actually, your mother has a point. It''s not a must for you to go to Imperial. There''re a lot of good schools out there too. You can always find a university that''s in a city near Imperial¡­"

    Tang Nuo was enraged and disappointed. "You two¡­ No matter what, I''ll not change my first choice! I want to go to Imperial! No one''s stopping me!"

    It was not just about the fact that he had been longing to go to Imperial since he was little. Ever since Ning Xi left, his desire to go to Imperial grew stronger. He missed his sister dearly. After enduring it for so long, he looked forward to the day when he could finally get into a university in Imperial. Then, he could be closer to his sister and could look for her more often¡­

    And now, with just a word from her, they want me to give up my hopes and dreams! Why?!

    She detests me, but I hate the fact that my sister was taken away too!

    "I heard you arguing the moment I came in. What is it about? Xiao Nuo''s having his exams soon. Why don''t you let him study quietly?! Did¡­ Shan lend others money again?" An old, stern, white-haired woman came in.

    "Grandmother¡­" Tang Nuo greeted her.

    "That''s not it, Mother. How could I?!" Tang Shan quickly exined.

    Sun Lan was nervous when she realized that her mother-inw hade.

    Her mother-inw had lost her husband when she was young, so she had brought up her son alone. Since she was the straightforward and headstrong dictator at home, Sun Lan was always a little afraid of her.

    "What''s the matter? Xiao Nuo, my dear grandson, tell Grandma about it!" The elder looked at Tang Nuo with a gentle expression.

    Tang Nuo''s eyes brightened. She was like his savior. He went up to the elder and told her everything.

    The young man gave her a massage while recounting the injustice he had just experienced. "Grandmother, just because of aughable excuse of her feeling ufortable, my parents want me to change my first choice and not let me go to Imperial¡­ but you know me, Grandmother, I''ve been longing to go to Imperial since I was little. I also promised to bring you there for fun one day!"

    The elder was crossed. "Nonsense! Who''s going to make my dear grandchild change his first choice?! Who does she think she is to decide on such AN important matter? That little witch dares to overstep her boundaries?!"

    Sun Lan subtly nudged her husband, then Tang Shan spoke up helplessly, "Mother, you''re overreacting¡­ Whatever it is, she''s my daughter¡­ and your granddaughter¡­"

    "Nonsense, she has never even been in this house before. How is she my granddaughter? Since she was given away, she''s someone else''s daughter. I don''t want to be near her anyway. She had better not dare intervene in our matters! Especially regarding Xiao Nuo!" The elder''s voice was strong and loud. "Nothing''s more important than my grandson. If I hear you and Shan make Xiao Nuo change his first choice again, go back to the Sun family!"

    Sun Lan did not dare to say anything, and Tang Shan kept quiet as well.

    Well, of course, they did not want to disappoint their son as well, but somehow they missed this daughter who had never been by their side¡­

    In the end, the matter was closed after the elder intervened. The both of them decided to let it go¡­

 Chapter 1496: Did Darling Not Miss Me?

    <h4>Chapter 1496: Did Darling Not Miss Me?</h4>

    After she finished filming in Movie City, Ning Xi followed the crew of "Nine Realms" and traveled across the country to shoot in different locations.

    Some time passed, and finally, after the shooting session today, she could return to Imperial.

    Coincidentally, thest scene was filmed in Chang Chun City, and it was exactly in the maize field in Spring Breeze Town.

    A sex scene in "Heroes of War" had been filmed here. So was thest time she had jumped onto her darling¡­ Too bad they did not do it then¡­

    During this period of time, there were no scenes of Ke Mingyu at all. It had been a long time since shest saw Lu Tingxiao, and Ning Xi was really longing to see both the big and the little bun, but now that she was in Chang Chun City, she might as well take the chance to fulfill her promise to Tang Nuo.

    After she talked to Tang Nuo about it, Lu Tingxiao called her.

    "Hello!"

    "Are youing back today?"

    "Mmm, I remembered that I promised Xiao Nuo to have dinner with them. Coincidentally, I''m at Chang Chun City today, so I''ll head over for dinner before going back. I''ll probably be home prettyte!" Ning Xi said.

    "Don''t rush back if it''s toote. You cane back tomorrow."

    "Mmm, I got it!"

    "Going to a meeting in a bit. Talk to you soon."

    "Okay, get back to work! My work''s starting soon as well!"

    Ning Xi was a little down after she hung up the phone. After not seeing each other for so long, did her darling not miss her at all? He had actually asked her to not rush ande back tomorrow¡­

    Evening soon came.

    All the scenes werepleted that day. Ning Xi bade farewell to the crew, then she told Xiao Tao that she was going nearby to visit a rtive. Afterward, she drove towards the Tang residence.

    There was a path that could not be essed by car, so Ning Xi parked her car by the roadside and started walking.

    The moment she got down from the car, she saw a familiar silhouette.

    "Sis!" Tang Nuo was a little taken aback when he saw her, but he appeared overjoyed.

    Ning Xi did not disguise herself as a rural-looking girl this time. She was dressed as her real self. She had removed her makeup and put on her normal clothes after she was done with work. Although her face was bare, her skin glowed, and her facial features looked really pretty. Her naturally curly, seaweed-like hair matched her mint-green long dress, making her look youthful and beautiful.

    "Xiao Nuo, why are you here?"

    "I''m here to get you!" The young man said as-a-matter-of-factly. His eyes were shining as he looked at her. "Sis, people online say that you look really amazing¡­ I didn''t believe them at first! I thought it''s all the work of Photoshop¡­"

    Ning Xi was speechless. "Please! I''m the real deal, alright? Are you really my brother?!"

    Ning Xi said it without giving much thought to it, but after that, she realized it made things awkward between them¡­

    Ning Xi quickly changed the topic, "Let''s go now. Don''t let your parents wait for too long!"

    "Mmm! After knowing that you''reing, Mother went to the market very early in the morning. Father went fishing as well and caught some very fresh produce¡­" Tang Nuo started chatting with Ning Xi.

    "Ah, I almost forgot! You''ve gotten a really high mark on your exams, so there shouldn''t be any problem for you to get into a university in Imperial, should there? My brother is amazing! Have you gotten your university eptance letter? Let me take a picture and show it off!"

    Tang Nuo looked a little embarrassed. "Not yet! I''m still waiting for it¡­"

 Chapter 1497: Drastic Changes

    <h4>Chapter 1497: Drastic Changes</h4>

    They reached the Tang residence.

    Sun Lan had already prepared a full feast, and Tang Shan was waiting by the doorstep. When they saw the two of them, they quickly weed them in.

    Compared to the awkward atmospherest time, it was much better this time around. Although they were still pretty courteous and distant, it was not cold at all.

    "Xiao Xi''s here. Come in quickly! I''m really sorry. You left thest time before I could make you stay for dinner!"

    "That''s alright. It''s just a piece of cake. Do you need help?"

    "No need at all. Just sit around and wait for dinner. There''s still the soup left to prepare, but it''ll be ready soon!"

    ¡­

    After a while, the family of four reunited together at the dinner table.

    Sun Lan looked at Ning Xi, feeling a little awkward. "Such drastic changes! I almost can''t recognize you anymore¡­"

    Tang Shan nodded in agreement. "Xiao Xi, you''ve be prettier!"

    They did not really notice it since she had disguised herself thest time they met her, but they now discerned the transformation of the girl who was once their daughter. Both her outlook and her aura had turned into something exceptional to them.

    It might be awkward for them to talk about other topics, thus slowly they started talking about Tang Nuo. They were talking about how Tang Nuo had gotten himself into a good university, and how proud Sun Lan and Tang Shan were.

    "This child, he has been looking forward to going to a university in Imperial and he finally did it!"

    "Boys should go out and take a look at the big city and go through some hardships!" Ning Xi said.

    Tang Shan nodded. "That''s right!"

    Sun Lan and Tang Shan were really d about their decision when they saw their son''s excellent grades. If they had actually made Xiao Nuo change his first choice, then it would really affect his future pathway.

    "But the eptance letter hasn''te yet. It''s quite worrying¡­" Tang Shan frowned.

    "Why are you being so worried? The eptance letter won''t just fly away!" Sun Lanmented.

    As they spoke, Tang Nuo''s grandmother ran over to their house.

    All of them stood up when they saw her.

    "Grandmother¡­"

    "Mother, why are you here at such ate hour?"

    The elder had a restaurant in town, and she usually stayed there.

    The elder looked into the house and saw that there was an extra person. "This is¡­?"

    "Grandmother, she''s my sis! Tang Xi!" Tang Nuo held onto Ning Xi''s shoulder as he introduced her.

    "Tang¡­ Tang Xi¡­ Why is she here?" The elder was surprised, but she did not say anything else about it. Instead, she quickly took out arge envelope excitedly. "Xiao Nuo, your eptance letter is here!"

    "What?!"

    "Your university eptance letter!"

    ¡­

    Suddenly, everyone was focused on the envelope the elder was holding.

    "I couldn''t wait for it. I always went and checked for Xiao Nuo''s letter every once in a while. I finally got it! Open it and see! Read it for me¡­" The elder looked like she was over the moon.

    Tang Nuo took the envelope with trepidation, then he took a deep breath and opened it. Sun Lan and Tang Shan gathered around him.

    Ning Xi was really thrilled for Tang Nuo when she saw the four of them so happy together.

    The next moment, Tang Nuo''s expression suddenly changed.

    It was a university eptance letter indeed, but it was not an eptance letter from the university in Imperial! It was from a university in Xi Jiang, somewhere extremely far away from both Chang Chun City and Imperial¡­

    "What happened?! What is this Xi Jiang Polytechnic Academy? I didn''t put this in any of my choices at all. Why did I get an eptance letter from them?"

 Chapter 1498: Something Went Wrong

    <h4>Chapter 1498: Something Went Wrong</h4>

    "What? Xi Jiang?" Startled, Sun Lan asked her husband to quickly take a look at it since she could not read.

    Tang Shan took the eptance letter and looked through it. "This¡­ How did it turn out this way? Why is it not Imperial University, but an academy in Xi Jiang? Did they send it to the wrong person?"

    "But Xiao Nuo''s name is written on it!" While Sun Lan could not read, she could still recognize her son''s name in the familiar Chinese script.

    Elder Madam Tang did not expect this oue after she had jovially gone over. She quickly asked Tang Nuo, "Xiao Nuo, did you mistakenly fill in the wrong name for your university choices?"

    "Impossible! I never picked any school in Xi Jiang at all, and I''ve checked it over and over again. I definitely wouldn''t have gotten it wrong!"

    "Then, what happened? Does someone have the same name as you, or did the school from Xi Jiang make a mistake?" Madam Elder Tang made a guess.

    Tang Shan shook his head. "The possibility of a mistake by the school is very low. If Xiao Nuo didn''t choose this school, how could they have Xiao Nuo''s information?"

    Sun Lan''s face was pale. "Xiao Nuo, quickly check what kind of school this is."

    Tang Nuo was already on it. He looked up from his phone with a darkened expression. "It''s a school in the second-tier priority listing. The ce is really far away. In order for them to get more students, one can get into it with just around 300 marks¡­"

    "Second¡­ Second tier¡­ With Xiao Nuo''s marks, he deserves to go to a top-tier school! Why did it end up bing this school?! And it''s so far away! It''ll take two days and two nights just to get there! I heard it''s a really messy ce. The order there is questionable as well¡­ How can Xiao Nuo go to school there?! What should we do?" Sun Lan started weeping.

    Tang Shan was flustered. "Well¡­ Let''s give it some time. Maybe we''ll receive the eptance from Imperial University a few dayster."

    Sun Lan boiled. "The teacher already said that it wouldn''t happen. A person cannot be epted by two schools at the same time! If he''s really been epted by this school, then he can''t go to Imperial University anymore! Damn¡­ Why does Xiao Nuo have to go through this?"

    "Stop crying! What help can that do?!" Elder Madam Tang became heated when she saw Sun Lan crying.

    ¡­

    The silent Ning Xi spoke up, "It''s reallyte now and we probably can''t contact anyone. We''ll wait for tomorrow to call the schools to ask what happened."

    Sun Lan nodded when she heard Ning Xi. "That''s right¡­ We''ll call and ask! Something must''ve gone wrong!"

    Tang Nuo grabbed the eptance letter in silence.

    Tang Shan''s head drooped miserably. "That''s all we can do now¡­"

    Elder Madam Tang looked at Ning Xi and did not say anything.

    ¡­

    That very night, the Tang family discussed Tang Nuo''s issue again, but of course, it was not fruitful.

    "Sis, it''s reallyte now. It won''t be safe to drive back tonight. Why don''t you stay here for the night?" Tang Nuo cheered himself up and invited Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi gave it some thought, then she nodded. "Okay."

    She had nned to go back to Imperial tonight, but now that Tang Nuo had encountered this issue, she could not just leave him alone. She agreed to stay, so she then quickly sent a text message to Lu Tingxiao and told him about what had happened.

 Chapter 1499: Youâ€™ll Definitely Get In

    <h4>Chapter 1499: You¡¯ll Definitely Get In</h4>

    "Sis, you can sleep in my room! I''ve washed and dried my bed sheets!" Tang Nuo announced.

    After he received the call from Ning Xi this morning, he had gone out of his way and washed his bedsheets, just in case she needed to stay for the night.

    Previously, Ning Xi slept in the small storeroom with various knickknacks lying around. After so many years, of course, that room could not be slept in anymore.

    "Where will you sleep?" Ning Xi asked.

    "I''ll just sleep on the floor in the living room!" Tang Nuo did not seem to mind.

    At that moment, Elder Madam Tang''s expression changed into aghast. "How can you do that? What if you catch a cold?"

    "Grandmother, I''m a man. I''m alright with sleeping on the floor. I can''t let a girl do that, can I?"

    "No, your body is weak. The floor is really humid. How can you sleep there?!" Madam Elder Tang red stubbornly as if Ning Xi was trying to murder her grandson.

    ¡­

    "Uhh¡­" Ning Xi coughed lightly, "Xiao Nuo, it''s alright. I''ll just bunk at an inn in the town for the night."

    "That''s worse! The rooms at the inn are horrible and messy!" Tang Nuo frowned as he shot his stubborn grandmother a look. Then, he pleaded to Ning Xi with his eyes. "Home is still better. Then, Sis, you''ll sleep in the living room. I''ll prepare thicker sheets for you to sleep on!"

    "Okay." Ning Xi nodded when she saw Tang Nuo''s determined eyes.

    Elder Madam Tang did not say anything this time around. She dragged her son and daughter-inw aside to demand, "I haven''t asked you two. Why is this brat here today?"

    Tang Shan coughed lightly, "Mother, she''s the daughter of a rich family now¡­ She''s not your granddaughter¡­"

    "We fed her for so many years. All for nothing, and she''s now be the daughter of another family! I already said that we should''ve thrown her out back then, but the both of you didn''t listen to me! Great, we raised a daughter for someone else!" Elder Madam Tang grumbled.

    Tang Shan quickly dragged his mother further away. He spoke with a low voice, "Mother, stop it! If we really had thrown her away and her family came for her, we''d be in real trouble!"

    ¡­

    The voices of the three of them went further and further away. After Tang Shan and Sun Lan sent the elder off, they went into their room.

    Tang Nuo was setting up the bedsheets in the living room. "I''m done!"

    "Thank you!" As Ning Xi was about to lie down, Tang Nuo dragged her up. "What are you doing, Sis?! You think you''re really sleeping here?! I was just lying to Grandmother. I could never let you sleep right here! Get into the room and sleep!"

    Ning Xi was taken aback as she was reminded of some old memories. Her eyes watered, and the next moment, she stepped forward and hugged the young man. She did not want him to see her teared-up eyes. "Brat¡­"

    Tang Nuo scratched his head innocently. "Sis, what''s wrong?"

    Ever since they had been kids, he was always like this, protecting her at all times.

    Ning Xi kept her emotions in check and she let Tang Nuo pull away. "Nothing."

    "Sis, quickly go and sleep now. You''ll get dark circles if you sleep toote!"

    "Okay, I''ll not argue with you about this. Oh, right, don''t worry too much about the eptance letter. It''ll be alright!" Ning Xiforted him.

    Tang Nuo''s expression darkened when the topic of his eptance letter was mentioned. He smiled bitterly. "How can I not worry about it? I''ve been looking forward to it for so many years. I put in so much effort. Actually, Sis, I''m really, really sad. I''m afraid¡­ What if I really can''t get into Imperial University?"

    Ning Xi patted the young man''s head. "Don''t worry, I assure you, you''ll definitely get in!"

 Chapter 1500: Outcome of Despair

    <h4>Chapter 1500: Oue of Despair</h4>

    The next morning, Elder Madam Tang came over early to ask her son and daughter-inw to start making calls to the university.

    No one picked up as it was still too early for anyone to be in the office.

    Elder Madam Tang, Tang Shan, and Sun Lan all looked weak and sleep-deprived. They probably had not gotten any rest the whole night. As for Tang Nuo, probably because of Ning Xi''sforting, he had actually fallen asleep.

    They waited until office hoursmenced, then Tang Shan called the number to Xi Jiang Polytechnic Academy, but he was too nervous to speak clearly. In the end, Tang Nuo took over the phone and turned on the loudspeaker.

    "Hi, is this Xi Jiang Polytechnic Academy? I''m a third-year high school student from Yu Lin High School in Chang Chun City. My name is Tang Nuo. I received an eptance letter from your university, but I didn''t put your school on my list of choices, so I just hope you could check for me if something went wrong¡­"

    "You received an eptance letter?"

    "Yes."

    "Since you''ve received an eptance letter, then our school has epted you. What''s wrong with that?"

    "But on my list¡­"

    "Then, you must have filled it in wrongly. You should look for the rted department in the district council, or just ask your teacher."

    "I''m going to, but I''d like to confirm if there was a mistake here¡­"

    "You can go and check your list first. If there''s nothing wrong, then call back again!" Then, the person hung up.

    ¡­

    "What''s wrong with this person?! It''s about Xiao Nuo''s life. How could he push away the responsibility?! How much time would it take him to check?" Elder Madam Tang fumed.

    "Whatever, he''s probably busy. Xiao Nuo, make a call to the district council and ask!" Tang Shan said.

    Tang Nuo frowned a little, but he made the call anyway.

    He was sure that he had not made a mistake, but since the school in Xi Jiang said so, he just had to double check.

    Checking the information took some time. After a long wait into the afternoon, they finally received a call. The final oue had everyone in despair¡­

    "There''s no mistake. Xi Jiang Polytechnic School was stated as your first choice!"

    "Impossible! I didn''t write this school down at all. I wrote Imperial University!" Tang Nuo vexed.

    "Mister, can''t we change it?" Sun Lan asked carefully.

    "If every student came and told me they didn''t choose their school wisely and say ''I didn''t choose this school'', do you think it''s possible for me to just change it?"

    "I have a teacher as my witness!" Tang Nuo said.

    The person on the phone chuckled coldly, "Who knows if you guys are working together? Let me tell you, I''ve seen a lot like you! You''re the third of such a case today!"

    "I''m not¡­ I really didn''t put that down¡­"

    "Sure, sure, stop quibbling! Your choice now is either to attend the school in Xi Jiang or to repeat another year!"

    The phone call ended.

    There was dead silence.

    Tears of disbelief filled Tang Nuo''s eyes and he clenched his fists tightly. "I don''t believe it¡­ I don''t believe it¡­ I didn''t make a mistake!"

    Ning Xi suddenly spoke up, "Could someone else have changed it?"

    Of course, she believed that Tang Nuo would not make such a low-level mistake, but the main point was that Tang Nuo did not even know about this school and had not put it as an alternative as well. How could he have magically filled it in wrong?

 Chapter 1501: I Have A Brother-in-law?

    <h4>Chapter 1501: I Have A Brother-inw?</h4>

    "What¡­ What should we do?" Sun Lan was sobbing non-stop hopelessly.

    Elder Madam Tang was filled with dread as well. "Could someone have really changed it? Which damned person did it?!"

    "Sigh, even when we have a teacher as a witness?" Tang Shan asked.

    "The person already said ''no'' just now! Moreover, we''re not sure if the teacher made the mistake himself¡­ Maybe he wouldn''t testify for us to avoid the responsibility¡­"

    Their three faces were full of desperation¡­

    Tang Nuo looked like he had lost his soul. After a while, he picked up the phone again.

    He called the Ministry of Education, the exam center, and the school. All he received were the same official answers. If what he submitted was really Xi Jiang, then he had no choice but to go there.

    "Is there really no way out of this?" Sun Lan looked very lost.

    Tang Shan squatted down and started smoking. "We don''t have power at all. What can we do? We can only take it as it is¡­"

    Elder Madam Tang was filled with wrath. "How can we do that?! I''m not going to do nothing! I don''t care. I''m going to seek justice for Xiao Nuo! I will go and sleep before the entrance of the district council! I don''t believe no one will listen to me!"

    Tang Shan tried helplessly to cate the old woman. "Mother, you''re already really old. Don''t do that. Elder Niu from the nearby vige has been struggling for three years over his son''s matter and nothing has happened. Some time ago, a bunch of people suddenly broke his leg too. Without power, no one will listen to you¡­"

    Tang Nuo slumped, utterly defeated. "Grandmother, don''t act rashly. It''s fine¡­ I can just repeat a year¡­"

    Ning Xi actually felt a little awkward. Although she was not supposed to intervene, she figured that she had to speak up. "I''ll make a call and see if I can get help."

    Everyone from the Tang family peered at her.

    "Xiao Xi, you¡­ You know someone that can help?" Sun Lan asked while trying to hide her excitement as Tang Shan looked over as well.

    Ning Xi chose her words carefully. "It shouldn''t be a big problem. Don''t worry too much."

    Elder Madam Tang grumbled, "You''re talking big. What can a little actress like you do?"

    Tang Nuo fidgeted uneasily as he thought of something, then he dragged Ning Xi aside. "Sis, I''m really alright. Don''t trouble others because of me!"

    He knew Ning Xi did not have a positive rtionship with the Ning family. She had achieved everything she possessed today by herself, and he did not want her to beg the Nings for his sake.

    Ning Xi smiled warmly. "It''s no trouble at all. I''m calling your brother-inw!"

    "Huh? Bro¡­ Brother-inw? I have a brother-inw?" Tang Nuo was taken aback.

    "I''ll talk to youter. Let me make a call first." Ning Xi patted Tang Nuo''s shoulder, then she went into the room to make the call.

    "Hello?" The man''s voice through the phone made her feel at peace.

    "Hi, darling. I might need your help¡­ It''s about what I told youst night¡­"

    "Your brother''s eptance letter?"

    "Yes, someone might have changed Xiao Nuo''s first choice¡­"

    "Okay, I got it. I''ll get back to you as soon as possible." It was just a simple, curt reply.

    ¡­

    After the call, Sun Lan went up to her. "Xiao Xi, have you called him? How was it?"

    "He''ll get back to me as soon as possible," Ning Xi replied.

 Chapter 1502: My Boyfriend

    <h4>Chapter 1502: My Boyfriend</h4>

    When they heard her ambiguous reply, Sun Lan and Tang Shan were a little disappointed while Elder Madam Tang was making calls to see if anyone she knew could help out.

    "Xiao Xi, who did you call? Is the person even reliable or not?" Tang Shan asked.

    "Hmm, it''s my boyfriend." Ning Xi did not bother hiding.

    Sun Lan was a little shocked. "Ah, Xiao Xi, you have a boyfriend now? What does he do?"

    "Business," replied Ning Xi tersely.

    Elder Madam Tang, who had just finished making a call, had a clearly condescending smirk on her weathered face. "What can a businessman do? If you want to look for someone to help, you should get someone in the government! Don''t just dy time and affect Xiao Nuo¡­"

    Ning Xi did not retort back. She just listened quietly to Elder Madam Tang''s acidic words.

    The Tangs did not put much hope on Ning Xi''s call, so they paced around like headless flies, thinking of various ways to resolve this dilemma.

    Tang Nuo was pretty interested in this mysterious "brother-inw". He went up to Ning Xi and rattled off a few questions.

    "Sis, do you really have a boyfriend already?"

    "Why would I lie to you?!"

    "Is he handsome? Compared to Bro Su¡­ Uhh¡­ No, wait, is he more handsome than Trash Su?"

    "Duh, of course, he''s more handsome than him!"

    ¡­

    In the blink of an eye, it was already evening and the sky was turning dark. The Tang family was at their wit''s end, and there was no news from Ning Xi''s side either.

    "Xiao Xi, has your boyfriend replied you?" Already at the end of her tether, Sun Lan could only ce herst sliver of hope on Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi shook her head. "Not yet."

    Even though there was no news from Lu Tingxiao, Ning Xi was not worried, so she did not call to rush him either.

    How could she doubt her darling''s capabilities?

    "Oh¡­" Sun Lan instantly looked crushed.

    Finally, the sky had turnedpletely dark.

    Tang Shan could not sit still anymore. "Xiao Xi, still no news? Why don''t you call and ask?"

    "What''s there to ask? Are you really counting on a lowly actress like her?" Elder Madam Tang was worried about her grandson''s issue and was now filled with anger, her tone bing increasingly hostile.

    She did not care who Ning Xi was. She was just an ungrateful wretch who had leeched onto their Tang family for so many years!

    In her ire, she muttered under her breath, "Daughters are money-losing propositions. There''s no use raising them. They''re just an irksome presence¡­"

    Rat-a-tat!

    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. It sounded exceptionally clear in the dead silence of the house.

    "It''s already sote. Who could it be?" Sun Lan peered outside.

    "I''ll go open it!" Tang Nuo eximed as he walked towards the door.

    The door creaked as it opened. In the next second, Tang Nuo stood stupefied as he gaped at the tall figure standing before the door.

    The man wore a well-tailored, gunmetal grey formal outfit with a dark patterned tie. He stood there akin to a refreshing breeze with his back against the night, brightening the dim, narrow, little house instantly¡­

    The following words instantly crossed Tang Nuo''s mind: "Your presence brings light to my humble dwelling".

    "You¡­ You are¡­" Tang Nuo looked nkly at this handsome man with such an aristocratic aura and asked. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Are you¡­ Are you my brother-inw?"

    When the man heard "brother-inw", his cold eyes flickered as he skimmed the youth. "Are you Xiao Xi''s brother, Tang Nuo?"

    "Uhh, yes, I''m Tang Nuo!" Tang Nuo quickly nodded.

    The man heard this and raised his hand.

    This was precisely when Tang Nuo realized that there was a huge envelope in his hand, and he asked in confusion, "This is¡­?"

    The man directly delivered the envelope to his wife''s younger brother before him. "A gift."

    "Ah?" Tang Nuo looked nkly at the man as he subconsciously took the envelope and was prepared to courteously reject it when he skimmed the words on the envelope. His expression changed instantly.

    The envelope was clearly marked as an Imperial University stationery. With trepidation, he opened the envelope in a flurry to see its contents. It was an eptance letter from Imperial University!

 Chapter 1503: Impressive

    <h4>Chapter 1503: Impressive</h4>

    "Ah! Sis! Sis,e here!"

    Tang Nuo yelled in excitement from the entrance. Immediately, Tang Shan, Sun Lan, Elder Madam Tang, and Ning Xi all went over¡­

    The four of them saw a man outside the door and Tang Nuo gasping dramatically with a letter in his hand.

    "Sis! Look! The eptance letter! The eptance letter from Imperial University!"

    "What¡­? Xiao Nuo, where did you get that?!" Sun Lan, Tang Shan, and Elder Madam Tang surrounded him eagerly. Even Ning Xi looked surprised as well.

    "Brother-inw¡­ Brother-inw gave it to me just now! He said it''s a gift for me!" Tang Nuo held it in the crook of his arm like his baby, then he took it out to let his parents and grandmother see.

    Uhh¡­ A gift?

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched when she saw the man by the door.

    She knew the devil was always efficient, but this was surpassing his usual standards!

    He had actually brought the eptance letter of Imperial University over personally.

    It was not even that long after she called him -- just half a day! Excluding the time he needed to drive there, he had probably obtained this letter in less than an hour¡­

    Impressive!

    As Tang Nuo was still trembling in tion, Ning Xi went up to Lu Tingxiao. "Your speed¡­ You are way too fast¡­"

    "It''s the first time you''ve asked me for help," Lu Tingxiao said.

    It was such a rare chance that his wife needed him.

    Ning Xi coughed lightly. "Uhh¡­"

    Why did it feel like Lu Tingxiao wasining?

    Come to think of it, she had never actually asked Lu Tingxiao for help before. This time, she had done so for Tang Nuo''s sake.

    "This¡­ Is this really the eptance letter from Imperial University?" Sun Lan could not believe her eyes.

    They made countless calls and had gone to so many ces, but everyone had told them it was impossible. Who would have expected a call from Ning Xi would grant them an eptance letter from Imperial University at their doorstep?

    "Xiao Nuo, did you check it properly?" Elder Madam Tang was both surprised and worried.

    "I read through it thoroughly. It''s correct. There''s also a stamp from Imperial University!"

    "Xiao Xi, how do we address your boyfriend? We''re really thankful to him! So grateful!" Sun Lan gushed.

    "He¡­ His family name is Ke." Ning Xi cautiously did not tell them the truth.

    "Mr. Ke, I really don''t know how to thank you!"

    "Brother-inw, how did you do it? Everyone told us that it''s impossible!"

    "I asked a friend to help. Since you have a teacher as your witness, it''s not a big issue," Lu Tingxiao gave a simple exnation.

    It was a really simple reply, but the whole Tang family knew that it was not that easy. Had Xiao Xi''s boyfriend not help this time, they could only suck it up¡­

    Elder Madam Tang was still clutching the eptance letter in joy. She did not expect the girl to really help them this time. Raising her was not for nothing after all! At least, she still helped her brother, and was better than that heartless brat who had never evene back once!

    The man this girl had found¡­ Although they did not know much about his background, from his looks and aura which were impable, he looked much more outstanding than the First Master from the Su family¡­

 Chapter 1504: Thanks To You

    <h4>Chapter 1504: Thanks To You</h4>

    Elder Madam Tang went up to Lu Tingxiao cheerfully. "You¡­ Mr. Ke! We''re really grateful to you about Xiao Nuo''s matter. It''s a long way out here and you must be hungry. Please stay for dinner!"

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything and just looked at Ning Xi.

    Tang Nuo quickly told Ning Xi, "Sis, it''s Brother-inw''s first time here. Of course, he has to stay for dinner! I''ve so much to talk to him about!"

    What else would you have to say when you were both meeting for the first time?

    Ning Xi felt awkward when Tang Nuo kept addressing him as "Brother-inw". "Okay."

    Elder Madam Tang started cooking in high spirits. She also ordered both her son and daughter-inw around. "Lan, go and get the chicken from the backyard. Shan, go and dig out that bottle of alcohol we''ve been keeping for so long. Xiao Nuo, go and pick up some vegetables from the garden. The stuff we have here are fresh. You city people would never be able to eat such goodness anywhere else¡­"

    She then looked at Ning Xi and chided, "Girl, don''t just stand there. Bring your partner inside and make him some tea. Use the tea leaves in the red can. I bought them from town! There''s also some dried fruits in the cupboard. Go on, serve him¡­"

    When Ning Xi was making tea with the tea leaves from the red can, she was impressed once again. He had actually been able to get on the good side of the irondy of the Tang family despite the fact that she was such a difficult person.

    "Thanks to you, the elder has never even treated me this kindly before¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao touched the girl''s hair and winced in pain.

    Ning Xi knew what was he thinking, so she smiled warmly. "That''s all in the past. The kindness you''ve shown me is enough to make up for all my misfortunes!"

    At the dining table, Tang Shan had gotten himself drunk. "Xiao Xi, this one''s for you¡­ About you lending me money thest time, you helped me out as well¡­ The Tang family owes you too much¡­w We''re really in your debt¡­"

    "Shan, you''ve drunk too much!" Sun Lan awkwardly covered up for Tang Shan.

    Elder Madam Tang frowned a little. "You mean that issue thest time was settled by her as well?"

    "Sis just scared them off. If not, those thugs wouldn''t have paid us back so obediently!" Tang Nuo was afraid that his grandmother might be biased towards Ning Xi, so he omitted the part about her beating them up and chasing them away.

    Elder Madam Tang was silent, her deep anger towards Ning Xi extinguishing to a huge extent. It was pleasant that she still had some conscience.

    She was very riled up about getting the wrong daughter. Not only did they bring up the daughter of another family''s, that daughter of theirs did not even return to them. It simply did not make any sense!

    After Tang Nuo''s matter was solved, the Tangs started thinking about another issue¡­

    "About Xiao Nuo''s first choice of university¡­ How did it suddenly be the school in Xi Jiang?" Sun Lan questioned in a lowered voice.

    "I''m sure that I didn''t make a mistake!" Tang Nuo sounded firm.

    Lu Tingxiao spoke up, "There''s no formality in the processes here. From the collection of choices to the record system, there''re a lot of loopholes to tamper with. If someone decided to be secretive about it, it would be untraceable."

    There''s a faint glow in his eyes as he stopped for a bit, then continued, "You guys had better think properly if you''ve offended anyone recently."

    "Offended anyone? N-not really¡­ How could we offend anyone? It can''t be those thugs, can it? They left Spring Breese Town a long time ago." Tang Shan frowned.

    Sun Lan thought about it for a long time. She truly had no idea.

    Suddenly, Elder Madam Tang stood up. "I know! It''s that brat! That damned brat!"

 Chapter 1505: What Did We Do?

    <h4>Chapter 1505: What Did We Do?</h4>

    "Mother, who are you talking about?" Sun Lan suspiciously queried.

    Elder Madam Tang pointed a shaky finger at Sun Lan angrily. "Who else could it be?! It''s your daughter! She didn''t want Xiao Nuo to go to Imperial! Didn''t she call back a while ago and demand that Xiao Nuo change his first choice?"

    Sun Lan was taken aback. She had never thought about this possibility before. "This¡­ This is absurd! I''ve already exined to Xueluo that only Xiao Nuo will go alone, that I won''t follow him, and I''d never let Xiao Nuo bother her life¡­ She agreed then and didn''t say anything further¡­"

    Ning Xueluo wanted Xiao Nuo to change his first choice?

    Ning Xi frowned. She felt that the whole matter was rather strange from the start. It seemed like her guess was correct all along - that it was most probably Ning Xueluo''s doing.

    Although she had suspected it from the very beginning, she never mentioned it because if she had voiced out her doubts, she might have been considered biased.

    However, as an outsider, after Lu Tingxiao mentioned it, the elder instantly thought of Ning Xuleuo¡­

    Elder Madam Tang was furious. ''You idiot, did you really just believe whatever she said? Just who would we have offended that''s powerful enough to change Xiao Nuo''s first choice behind our backs?! She''s now the daughter of a rich family in Imperial, and she''s even recently be the daughter-inw of the Sus. Doing these underhanded things should be a piece of cake for her! Who else could it be besides her?!

    "I was too careless! Too, too careless. I didn''t expect to have almost ruined Xiao Nuo''s future! What an evil and cruel woman! Just what did we Tangs do¡­"

    Elder Madam Tang then started wailing as she pped her leg viciously over and over again.

    Tang Shan woke up from his drunken stupor when he heard his mother crying. He quicklyforted her, "Mother, Mother, please calm down¡­ We don''t have any proof of this. Xiao Nuo is her brother after all. I don''t think Xueluo would be this-"

    "Both of you are idiots! You''re still being so ignorant! Xiao Nuo would die in the hands of both of you one day!" Hatred had taken over the emotions of Elder Madam Tang. "She''s here to collect her debts from us! She''s the root of the Tang family''s disaster! She''s afraid that she''ll be embarrassed if people find out that she''s born in this rural area. She''ll never let it go¡­"

    "Mother, there might be some misunderstanding. Let me call Xueluo and ask her about it tomorrow."

    "What''s the point? Do you think she''ll admit what she has done?" Elder Madam Tang red at Sun Lan, then she sobbed again as she hugged Tang Nuo. After that, she peered at Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao like she was looking at their savior.

    "Xi girl! Although Xiao Nuo isn''t your real brother, you''ve been siblings for 18 years. You have to help him when he goes to Imperial!"

    Tang Nuo looked a little troubled, "Grandmother! I don''t need help! I''ll be fine on my own!"

    Before Ning Xi could say anything, Lu Tingxiao spoke first, "Xiao Xi has been really loving towards her brother Tang Nuo. Although they aren''t blood-rted, they are closer than most siblings. After being with her for so long, she''s never requested me to help her with anything. This is the first time she''s asked me for help. When Tang Nuo goes to Imperial, we''ll surely take care of him."

    Lu Tingxiao then turned the conversation into another direction, "But, Elder Madam Tang, you have to understand that Xiao Xi is just an actress, and I just have a small fortune of my own. We''re lucky that this time, I know someone from the Ministry of Education, so if this powerful enemy of yours won''t back down and wants to do something against Tang Nuo in the future again, I''m afraid that we might not be able to help much."

 Chapter 1506: Youâ€™re Cute When You Donâ€™t Mean What You Say

    <h4>Chapter 1506: You¡¯re Cute When You Don¡¯t Mean What You Say</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao''s words were reasonable. There was no issue at all.

    Elder Madam Tang then replied, "Xi girl, Mr. Ke, you both just have to look after Xiao Nuo. As for that little witch, this grandma will figure out a way to handle her!"

    Since Ning Xueluo was the true daughter of the Tang family, Sun Lan and Tang Shan really missed her as well, but no one was more important than her grandson from the perspective of Elder Madam Tang. So what if she was her real granddaughter? Even her son and daughter-inw were not her top priority. She would do anything to keep her grandson away from harm.

    Armed with that knowledge, Lu Tingxiao had phrased it that way. He knew that the Tang family was Ning Xi''s weakness, and the best way to go against Ning Xueluo was through the Tangs themselves¡­

    ¡­

    Because Lu Tingxiao was had apany meeting the next day, Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao drove back to Imperial after dinner.

    After they got back, they were busy again. Lu Tingxiao had been very hectictely, while Ning Xi also had a lot of matters to handle.

    Ling Zhizhi had just signed her up for an endorsement deal which was in high demand by many top celebrities including Ning Xueluo. Her new movie script was in the selection process as well, and as for Spirit, they were preparing for Lorraine Fashion Week. If things went smoothly, they would be able to be listed by next year.

    Spirit was not like previously anymore. Most things were on track and did not need constant supervision from Ning Xi, but she still liked to take the time to go over during such a critical period. Fortunately, the shooting of "Nine Realms" was going easily and would probably be wrapped up after several days.

    Lu Tingxiao''s scenes were all shot. Ever since the incident at the karaoke, Mo Yuxiu finally gave up, and even the troublemaker Meng Shiyi had been oddly quiet. Her days in the production were peaceful and rxing atst.

    Finally, after the scenes that day, Yun Shen''s scenes would be allpleted as well. She would be free after that!

    Ning Xi was sipping on juice while humming a song when a voice suddenly came from behind her, "In a good mood?"

    Yun Shen sat down on the luxurious massage chair beside her, talking to her while ying with a Swiss knife in his hand.

    The knife was flying around his hand swiftly. Anyone who saw his skills would probably freak out¡­

    Ning Xi frowned. She snatched the knife while it was in mid-air, flicked the des inwards and tossed it to Yun Shen''s guard. She said in a cold voice, "You, are you trying to die?"

    The guard awkwardly caught the knife and timidly looked at his boss''s reaction.

    Yun Shen was just a little startled but did not seem to be angry. His evil-looking eyes matched his sly smile perfectly. "My dear, are you worried about me?"

    Ning Xi''s expression darkened. "Narcissism is an illness. Go and get it treated! I''m worried about Annie, alright?"

    He knew his own condition, yet he still yed with such a dangerous item. With their boss being so childish, she felt tired on behalf of all his underlings.

    Yun Shen supported his head with an arm and stared at the girl. "My dear, you''re really cute when you don''t mean what you say!"

    "Bastard, who are you calling cute?!"

    "You''re cute when you call me bastard too!"

    "Have you been possessed from staying too long in the haunted house?"

    The manughed with a deep, throaty voice. "Tang Xi¡­"

    Ning Xi''s heart skipped a beat. This guy never called her by her name. He would always slyly call her "my dear". Nothing good happened whenever he addressed her by name.

 Chapter 1507: I Must Be A Fake Male Lead

    <h4>Chapter 1507: I Must Be A Fake Male Lead</h4>

    Ning Xi looked over in rm. "What do you want now?"

    "Let''s get back together," said Yun Shen simply.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    "Ning Xi, CEO Yun, get ready. The next set is about to start soon!" Not too far away came Guo Qisheng''s voice.

    Ning Xi stared at Yun Shen as if she had just seen a ghost. She scurried away for dear life towards the set.

    This was Ning Xi and Yun Shen''sst scene together.

    Speaking of which, Yun Shen''s character development was rather interesting in this scene. It was definitely a scene that would gain his fatherly character brownie points.

    In the series, all the mythical factions hadbined to attack Yun Huang, and her life was hanging by a thread. There were already no possibilities of escaping alive.

    Right at that moment, the sinister, legendary Yun Haotian, who had been sealed off from the world for hundreds of years and had never stepped out of the Great Poison Hall, had appeared.

    All of the elders, honored sirs, and masters from the various factions were powerless in front of him as Yun Haotian advanced unopposed and rescued his daughter amid the bloodshed¡­

    "Oh, oh, oh¡­ Finally, it''s this scene! I''m so excited, so excited, so excited! My Father Yun will definitely explode with handsomeness in this scene!" Some of the novel fans in the crew were already very emotional.

    "Once this scene is done, Father Yun will be done with the show. I can''t bear to leave Father Yun!"

    "I dare to guarantee that when our series is released, the ratings will definitely be off the charts! Bro Xi and movie queen Meng are a given. All our characters, even the cameos and supporting roles, are outstanding!"

    ¡­

    Amidst the anticipation of the fangirls, Ning Xi and Yun Shen were hung on a wire.

    Not too far away, Jiang Muye gripped his chin unhappily. "Bloody hell! I don''t get sex scenes with the female lead, I don''t get to be the hero that saves the beauty either, I must be a fake male lead¡­"

    When Meng Shiyi heard this, she frowned slightly.

    What did he mean by not getting any of those scenes? Was she not the female lead?

    Actually, Jiang Muye did have intimate scenes, and scenes where he was the hero saving the beauty. In fact, there were quite a few of it, only all of them were scenes with Meng Shiyi and not Ning Xi.

    In the show, Ning Xi''s martial skills were far better than the male lead''s by miles, thus the male lead really did not have any opportunities of being the hero¡­

    "All departments, get ready! 3, 2, 1, action!"

    Under Guo Qisheng''s orders, Ning Xi immediately entered the zone and her expression was stern as she flew forward hanging on the wire.

    "Witch! Where you running to?!" Several of the cultivators chased closely behind.

    Yun Huang was injured and she held her side as she ran, barely evading the group attack.

    Finally, Yun Huang was forced to a dead-end. It was a bottomless pit off the cliff before her, and there was already no way out.

    Yun Huang took a few steps backward while the group of cultivators moved closer, eyeing her covetously. Energized by the momentum of having surrounded their enemy, they swore to kill the witch then and there.

    "Kill her!"

    "Kill her!"

    "The witch massacred the innocents! Utterly heartless! She even shamelessly seduced our faction disciples! Everyone has the right to punish her!"

    ¡­

    Guo Qisheng nervously waved and indicated for the videographer to keep pace.

    The high altitude camera propped up on a steel frame took an aerial shot of Ning Xi. Under the sky, the girl had casually wiped off the traces of blood at the corner of her lips. It was already hard to distinguish whether the crimson stains on her was the color of her robe or her blood.

    Even though she was on the verge of desperation, the girl did not look hopeless or panicked at all. Instead, she was her usual frantic and reckless self, exuding a kind of relentless, born-to-die spirit.

    She was Yun Haotian''s daughter. Even if she were to die, she definitely would not reveal any fear before these people¡­

 Chapter 1508: Sudden Misfortune

    <h4>Chapter 1508: Sudden Misfortune</h4>

    "You don''t have to talk to this witch about morality. Everyone, together!"

    In that instant, everyone swarmed forward with their magical tools. As Yun Huang was about to be crushed by the attack from all sides, right at that moment, a mysterious figure plummeted down from high in the sky. His sleeves fluttered with the momentum akin to destroying Earth to an apocalypse.

    Immediately, everyone wailed and all of them copsed chaotically. A single move had wiped them out!

    Yun Huang looked in a trance at the man who had descended from the sky. Probably because she realized she was finally safe, all of her strength was drained away at lightning speed.

    On the verge of copsing, she fell into an embrace with a familiar cold and sinister air. "Father¡­"

    "Good girl." A ck-clothed Yun Haotian gently put his daughter aside, then his extremely ice-cold eyes looked at the people from the factions like the King of Hell had just climbed out from hell¡­

    All the actors and cameos seemed genuinely terrified. Earlier, they had been righteous and stern, yet now all of them looked cowardly. Some of them even staggered to flee.

    Guo Qisheng nodded at this sight as the assistant directormented askance, "CEO Yun''s acting skills are just fantastic! That gaze¡­ Tsk, tsk, tsk¡­ Just that¡­ Isn''t his performance as a father be a little too ambiguous?"

    Guo Qisheng shook his head. "No, no, no. Yun Shen handled it very well! In the series, Yun Haotian''s wife is the chief disciple of faction number one. Because she fell in love with him, she was personally murdered by the people from the faction. There wasn''t even a body, so Yun Haotian''s hated people from the upright faction to their very bones.

    "That incident has been his most persistent obsession and demon, so when faced with his only daughter who also looks incredibly simr to his wife, as he watched her be attacked by the upright faction, it triggered memories of his wife being murdered back then, hence his performance at the moment was simply spot on¡­"

    The assistant director nodded as he listened.

    The following scenes continued, but it was all simpler ones. After Yun Shen did some impressive and cool moves to defeat the assants, special effects would be added in post-production, and this scene would be wrapped up.

    Everything was going smoothly, but suddenly there was a sudden misfortune.

    There was a loud crack from the camera above Ning Xi''s head, rming everyone. Then, it fell from the trestle above, heading straight towards Ning Xi''s direction¡­

    At that moment, Ning Xi had shut her eyes and was lying on the floor, pretending to have fainted, so she did not even know what was happening. When the cameraman cried out, "Move away!", it was toote¡­

    Everyone around had also turned pale with fright and cried out.

    "Ah!"

    "Ning Xi!"

    ¡­

    When Ning Xi opened her eyes, she sensed a weight suddenly pressing on her from the side, then that body crushed her hard, and whoever he was grunted¡­

    "Yun Shen!" Ning Xi immediately helped up Yun Shen who had protected her to block her from the camera''s strong thump.

    "Ah! My God! CEO Yun!"

    "Boss Yun!"

    "CEO Yun, are you okay?"

    ¡­

    Everyone in the crew was a mess.

    "Boss!" Yun Shen''s two bodyguards had also quickly rushed over, their faces pale with fright.

    "What''s with the noise?" Yun Shen stood up impatiently, his movements seeming rather rigid.

    Because he wore ck, no one could tell whether he was injured or not.

    Ning Xi immediately wrenched off Yun Shen''s dark-patterned long-sleeved top and carefully checked him all over. There was a never before seen panic-stricken expression on her face.

 Chapter 1509: Go Along With It?

    <h4>Chapter 1509: Go Along With It?</h4>

    "My dear, there''re so many people around! That''s not very appropriate, is it?"

    The man sounded as annoying as ever, but Ning Xi clenched her teeth hard. She could not care less about the people around there. She yelled loudly, "Are you freaking crazy?! Who told you toe over?!"

    Although he was being scolded, the man seemed to be in a jovial mood. "Are you always this furious towards your saviors?"

    Ning Xi ignored him and dragged the man''s coat off, then saw his white undershirt which was stained with bright red blood. Ning Xi''s expression changed as her hands started shaking. "You''re bleeding!"

    Yun Shen turned and looked over his arm, then he frowned a little, "How troublesome!"

    "Gosh! CEO Yun is injured! Someone call an ambnce!" A person nearby yelled loudly.

    Ning Xi forced herself to calm down, but her voice was still trembling, "No¡­ He''s not going to make it¡­ He''s not going to¡­"

    "Ning Xiao Xi, what''s wrong? Are you hurt?" Jiang Muye squeezed through the crowd.

    Ning Xi then looked at Jiang Muye sharply. "Jiang Muye, what car did you drive today?"

    Jiang Muye looked confused. "My big red sports car¡­ Why?"

    Ning Xi helped Yun Shen up. "Get us to the hospital!"

    "Huh?"

    "Quick!"

    "Oh¡­"

    ¡­

    Somewhere nearby, Meng Shiyi witnessed the moment that Yun Shen risked his life to save Ning Xi. She clenched her fists out of jealousy.

    That damned witch! She had charmed Yun Shen to the point that he would trade his life for hers, risking his treasured body for that cheap person¡­

    On the other hand, Ning Xi quickly helped Yun Shen into Jiang Muye''s car, then she asked Jiang Muye to speed to the nearest hospital, Imperial First People Hospital.

    The metal strip on the camera had made a long gash at the back of Yun Shen''s neck, and blood was flowing out quickly. Ning Xi ripped off part of her dress and did some quick patching as she pressed onto the wound tightly. At the same time, she was pressuring Jiang Muye who was driving, "Jiang Muye, are you really sure you can do it?! Go faster! If you can''t, then let me do it!"

    Jiang Muye was annoyed. "Who said I can''t do it?! I''m going very fast already!"

    She had actually asked a man if he could do it!

    Ning Xu kept on urging him, "Ignore the red lights. Beat them if there''s no one else around! Quick!"

    Jiang Muye did not feel veryfortable when he watched Ning Xi from the rearview mirror. He had never seen her this nervous. He asked in a rude tone, "It''s just a small wound for a man. Do you really need to be this nervous?"

    Ning Xi replied with a stern voice, "Stop talking to me. Focus on driving!"

    Jiang Muye felt wronged¡­

    You''re the one who was bothering me! We''re both your exes, but why is the way you treat us so different?

    From the back seat, Yun Shen quietly looked at the girl''s frown and her sweat trickling. He smiled. "You never meant what you said¡­ You said just now that you don''t care about me¡­"

    Ning Xi red at the blood gushing out between her fingers as she pressed on the wound. "I just don''t want to owe you anything again!"

    The man''s eyes darkened. He leaned back and mumbled, "How cruel¡­ Can''t you just go along with it for once?"

    "Shut it! Don''t talk anymore! Save some strength!"

    Jiang Muye felt strange when he heard their conversation. Ning Xi''s attitude towards Yun Shen¡­ Was she not overreacting?

    This ex-boyfriend was really scary¡­

 Chapter 1510: How Unfortunate

    <h4>Chapter 1510: How Unfortunate</h4>

    They finally reached the hospital. Ning Xi helped Yun Shen into the emergency room as quickly as possible. Jiang Muye parked his car and was about to follow them when he nced over at the backseat and was shocked.

    What the heck!?

    It was just a small wound, but why was there so much blood?

    It looked like metrorrhagia had just happened¡­

    Jiang Muye was a little distracted, but he did not have time to think about it. He rushed to catch up with them.

    When Jiang Muye found them, Yun Shen had already gone into the treatment room. Ning Xi looked anxious and seemed to be calling someone.

    "Right¡­ The emergency room of Imperial First Person Hospital¡­ Alright, be quick¡­"

    Jiang Muye saw that Ning Xi''s hands and outfit were full of blood. Bloody footprints were all over the floor as well¡­

    "Gosh! Ning Xiao Xi, what happened? Is he hurt elsewhere? This is too much blood for that little wound¡­" Jiang Muye looked dumbfounded.

    Ning Xi slowly lowered herself down on the bench by the walkway. She was exhausted as she pinched the space between her eyebrows. "He has coagulopathy¡­ Once he bleeds, it won''t stop¡­"

    Besides, there was something even worse that Ning Xi did not mention.

    "No wonder!" Jiang Muye now understood why Ning Xi had been so nervous. He knew a little about this disorder as he had a friend with the same condition. He usually looked normal, but once any bleeding happened, it would be way worse than menstrual bleeding¡­

    Time passed by. After a long while, the door to the emergency room opened.

    The nurse came out urgently. "He''s losing blood too quickly. It''s difficult to stop even with medication. Moreover, his blood is Rh negative AB type. There''s not enough of it in the blood bank. We probably can''t help even if we used up all the blood avable in the city¡­"

    "What? Rh negative¡­ Isn''t that a really rare blood type?" Jiang Muye was confused.

    Not only did he have coagulopathy, he had such a rare blood type. How unfortunate was this guy!?

    Ning Xi''s most feared scenario was happening. She looked terrible. "I have a friend who can stop the bleeding with acupuncture. She''s already on her way¡­"

    Annie would take at least an hour to reach there from Peachwood. Even if she was there, the effectiveness of acupuncture was very limited. The only way was to use more blood to keep him alive and give him more time, yet his blood was so rare. If they ran out of blood before his bleeding stopped, then he would die of hemorrhaging¡­

    The hospital was arranging for the blood to be transported from other hospitals as soon as possible at the same time that Annie and Tang Ye reached the hospital.

    At first, the doctor did not agree for Annie to go in, but after Tang Ye negotiated with the doctor, she was allowed in.

    Ning Xi waited outside anxiously, her expression turning worse and worse by the moment. People with this blood type were terribly rare. Surely not many people in Imperial had it, and even lesser were known on official records¡­

    "What happened?" Tang Ye went up to Ning Xi after he talked to the doctor.

    "The camera fell down¡­ He blocked it for me¡­" Ning Xi had a bitter smile on her pale face. "This bastard! Doesn''t he know his own condition?! Why is he trying to show off?!"

    Tang Ye looked at Ning Xi and sighed.

    So what if he knew? When he saw the person he liked in danger, even though he understood that it might put him at risk, he could not help but act.

    The door opened again, and this time, the nurse came out with bad news. "The blood is finished! The patient''s blood pressure is falling lower by the moment¡­ Do you guys know anyone who has this blood type?"

    Ning Xi''s face went pale as she looked around in despair¡­

    At this time, solid footsteps came from the back. There was a man''s deep,manding voice. "Use my blood."

    Ning Xi turned around and was surprised. "Lu Tingxiao¡­"

 Chapter 1511: Help You To Recover

    <h4>Chapter 1511: Help You To Recover</h4>

    "Then, quicklye in!" The nurse urged.

    It was an emergency, so Lu Tingxiao did not have time to exin to Ning Xi. He assured her, "Don''t worry, it''ll be alright."

    He then followed the nurse inside.

    Tang Ye looked at the man''s back as he went inside the room. There was a shine on his sses.

    "What?! Such a coincidence? My uncle has that blood type too?" Jiang Muye was really surprised. He had no idea at all¡­

    This was news to Ning Xi too. She stared into the direction of the emergency room. She did not expect Lu Tingxiao toe over and coincidentally have the same blood type as Yun Shen¡­

    Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao were both inside the room while Ning Xu sat on the bench outside. Jiang Muye was beside her as Tang Ye was making a call at the end of the corridor. The atmosphere was heavy.

    As time passed by, the air became suffocating¡­

    After a long time, the emergency room door opened again.

    Ning Xi stood up instantly. "Doctor, how is it?"

    The doctor in a white gown was sweating profusely as he said tiredly, "He''s not in danger for now."

    Annie then came out from the room, sweating profusely too. A few patches of blood could be seen on her clothes. "Don''t worry, Bro Xi! Thanks to Mr. Lu, Bro Shen is alright now!"

    Two nurses wheeled Yun Shen out from the emergency room and were heading towards a recovery room.

    Ning Xi''s tensed up nerves finally rxed a little when she knew Yun Shen was fine at the moment, but then she became nervous all over again. She peeped inside. "Where''s Lu Tingxiao?''

    Familiar footsteps came out of the room. It was Lu Tingxiao.

    Probably because too much blood had been taken from him, the man looked pale. He had already taken off his coat and was only wearing a white shirt, his sleeves rolled up. He was pressing his fingers on the spot where blood had been drawn from earlier.

    Ning Xi went over and held him steadily. "Are you okay? Feeling dizzy?"

    Lu Tingxiao let go of the cotton ball when his bleeding stopped, then he ran his fingers through the girl''s hair. "I''m not that weak."

    Ning Xi carefully held onto Lu Tingxiao as she asked him. "How do you know what happened on my end¡­"

    "Shi Xiao called me," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    "I see¡­" Ning Xi saw Lu Tingxiao''s pale expression and felt really bad. "I''ll make some nourishing food for youter. I''ll help you recover!"

    Jiang Muye was speechless when he had to witness this scene after having to drive Ning Xi and Yun Shen here¡­

    "What about me?! I spent the effort to be your chauffeur, and now blood is everywhere in my baby!"

    She treated both her ex and current boyfriend so well, but treated him as her dog!

    Ning Xi took out a car key. "Thanks, you can drive my Whitey first. I''ll wash your car for youter on. I''ll definitely work on it after I''m done with filming!"

    Jiang Muye felt better after she said that, but was still dissatisfied anyway. It was not only towards Lu Tingxiao; he was really unhappy that Ning Xi had been so worried for Yun Shen.

    The feelings he was experiencing were like when one was advised not to be jealous of Einstein but would be jealous anyway because the kid next door was better than you¡­

    Annie followed Yun Shen into the room, and Tang Ye went up to Lu Tingxiao. With a questionable nce and tone, he said, "CEO Lu, thanks for your help."

    "Don''t worry about it. Xiao Xi''s matter is my matter as well."

 Chapter 1512: Iâ€™ll Pay Back For What She Owes

    <h4>Chapter 1512: I¡¯ll Pay Back For What She Owes</h4>

    In the recovery room.

    Yun Shen was not unconscious for very long; it was just a small wound after all and he would be alright once the bleeding stopped.

    The man looked at peace when he was unconscious. His soft, silver hair covered his forehead and his left eye. He actually looked a little weak right then, vastly different from the arrogant vibe he usually carried.

    However, when he opened his eyes, he instantly transformed back into his usual self.

    The man was alert and looked around. When he saw the girl by the bedside, his yful side returned to him. "Seems like I''m not dead yet¡­"

    "Please!" Ning Xi red at the man. "Can you not mention dying in the hospital?"

    The man said regretfully, "How disappointed¡­"

    Ning Xi was speechless. "You''re disappointed that you''re not dead?"

    The man''s eyes twinkled. "I just wanted to see what kind of expression you''d make if I died¡­"

    Ning Xi stayed silent¡­

    This maniac!

    "My dear, I saved you once again!" The man''s eyes were gleaming and he sounded happy.

    Ning Xi had enough of him. She became wary. "Don''t try to trick me again¡­"

    She really wished she had been the one injured!

    "Anyway I''ve lost a lot of blood for you, so it''ll be alright for you to stay and take care of me, won''t it?"

    Ning Xi thought this guy was about to request for something impossible, which she was going to reject instantly, but since he had returned to normal and it was a reasonable request, she suddenly had no idea how to reply him¡­

    "Dear, go and peel me an apple!"

    Before Ning Xi could reply, someone already started making requests with a big smile pasted on his face.

    Ning Xi frowned. Her eyes looked at the bandages on Yun Shen''s shoulder and blood patches all around him, then she reached out for an apple.

    As she was about to peel it, a hand extended from behind her.

    Lu Tingxiao suddenly came over and took the apple and knife from Ning Xi''s hand. He said with a deep, cold voice, "I''ll do it."

    Yun Shen looked at the person with an odd smile.

    Lu Tingxiao was really skilled and deft. He finished peeling the apple in an instant, the peel connected in one strip without any breakage at all. It was a blissful sight for those who had obsessivepulsive disorder.

    Lu Tingxiao''s long fingers passed the apple to the patient on the bed as he said expressionlessly, "I''ll pay back for what she owes."

    "Lu Tingxiao¡­" Ning Xi had an indescribable feeling inside her when she heard that.

    The man with white hair narrowed his eyes. He let out a cold vibe but it was not shown in his expression at all. He stared at the apple Lu Tingxiao had in his hand and said with a disgusted tone, "I only eat apples in the shape of a bunny."

    Ning Xi was speechless. She had had enough of him!

    Lu Tingxiao patiently took a te and then swiftly cut the apple into shapes of bunnies.

    "I suddenly don''t feel like eating an apple now!" The man on the bed said. He looked around with his seductive eyes. "Help me change my clothes¡­"

    Ning Xi could not stand him anymore. She red at him as if he was trying to flirt with her partner, and she was about to bite him to death. "Damn it! Enough is enough!"

 Chapter 1513: Im Not Interested In Men

    <h4>Chapter 1513: I''m Not Interested In Men</h4>

    Bloody hell! This dude doesn''t abstain from men or women! He had better not have taken a liking to my darling!

    Actually, there had been a long period of time when she had suspected that he liked men. After all, before she returned to the country, she had appeared in male outfits before this guy. When she dressed up as a man for long, she herself had almost forgotten her own gender. She remembered that when Yun Shen had suggested that they start dating, she was so shocked that she was at aplete loss and had immediately insisted, "I''m not gay!".

    Later on, she and Third Senior Sister Feng Xiaoxiao had privately discussed their niggling suspicion about whether he actually liked men many times.

    When he saw Ning Xi''s expression, the man on the sick bed gentlyughed, "Don''t worry, I''m not interested in men."

    Ning Xi remained alert. "Do you think your words are trustworthy? Also, even though you helped me this time, because you kept bleeding like you were on your menses and almost died, it was Lu Tingxiao''s blood transfusion that saved you. We''re considered even now!"

    The man revealed a contemtive expression as thoughts raced through his head. He said indifferently, "As the head of the Lu family and as the Lu Corporation''s helmsman, just in case of anything, do you think the entire Lu family wouldn''t store such a rare blood type? Yet, he had personally transfused blood to me¡­

    "Huh, my dear, you can''t even recognize such a shallow trick of injuring oneself to gain the enemy''s confidence! Has your IQ been fed to the dogs?"

    The moment he said that, Lu Tingxiao''s eyes dimmed. He looked icily at the man on the sick bed who kept provoking him. At the same time, there was an indistinct worry in them.

    After Ning Xi heard Yun Shen''s words, she was stunned, then she looked nkly at Lu Tingxiao beside her. In the next second, she threw herself into the man''s embrace and looked up with a touched expression. "Darling, thank you¡­"

    The words that Lu Tingxiao had said to her at the start, "I just wanted to let you know, no one, and nothing can affect your decision, you only need to consider me, and one thing, that is whether you like me or not" suddenly shed in Ning Xi''s mind.

    And he had really done just that just so she would not be burdened. He did not hesitate to transfuse blood for Yun Shen personally just to help her return this favor to Yun Shen.

    Lu Tingxiao breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the girl with an incredibly gentle gaze.

    There had never been a need for words of exnations between them.

    Yun Shen, who watched them hug and was almost so bitter that he was about to bleed again, was speechless.

    "Ahem¡­" At the room entrance, Tang Ye had spoken up in time and saved his boss who was about to die from anger. "Little Junior Sister, you guys can go back now. I''ll be here to watch him."

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "Ah, that wouldn''t be too nice. I think I''ll stay to help. After all, it was because of me¡­"

    Tang Ye only sighed and tactfully said, "With you two here, it''ll stir the patient''s emotions."

    Ning Xi just realized she seemed to have identally disyed her affection publicly. Yun Shen''s gaze looked murderous, so she pulled Lu Tingxiao and ran off immediately. "Ahem, okay¡­ First Senior Brother, if there''s anything you need me for, contact me again. Bye bye¡­"

    ¡­

    After Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao left, the man on the sick bed looked wretched. "Busybody."

    Tang Ye adjusted his spectacles and did not respond. "The master is on his way here."

    Yun Shen frowned and looked even worse now. "Troublesome¡­"

    Soon after, there was the sound of many footsteps outside the room, then the door was pushed opened. A middle-aged man in a traditional Chinese outfit walked in.

 Chapter 1514: More Will Be Snatched Away

    <h4>Chapter 1514: More Will Be Snatched Away</h4>

    The man''s gaze skimmed Yun Shen on the sick bed, and he looked very upset. "Utter nonsense!"

    Then, he red at Tang Ye, his expression darker. "Didn''t I tell you many times to watch him!?"

    Tang Ye immediately admitted his mistake, "It''s my fault."

    Although, in reality, he had not watched him at all because he knew that even if he did, he would not be able to control him.

    "What happened?" Qiao Yi could guess that it was partly due to Yun Shen''s temperament too, so he took a deep breath and calmed down to ask.

    Tang Ye concisely exined the entire incident, then he said, "In the entire Imperial ck market blood bank, Satan''s blood type is under the Lu family''s control. I thought that this time the other side would take advantage and was set to kill him¡­ But, unexpectedly, Lu Tingxiao came over personally to transfuse blood to Satan¡­"

    "Hmm¡­" On the sick bed, when the man heard this, he groaned again as if he disliked a certain person''s blood.

    Qiao Yi changed his attitude and advised, "Ah Shen, it''s not that that girl Xi has no feelings for you. There''s just too much temptation outside. Lu Tingxiao is one to habitually use tricks too. It''s normal for her wisdom to be charmed. You know youngdies really don''t have much resistance towards men like Lu Tingxiao¡­"

    When he said this, Qiao Yi suddenly changed the topic. "But if one day, you reced that person and get everything¡­ Just wait for the day that he''s left with nothing! Do you think there''ll still be women after him? On the other hand, more would be snatched away from you, including Tang Xi¡­"

    Qiao Yi hinted as such, then he left the ward but not before shooting a look at Tang Ye, hinting him to follow him out.

    Tang Ye''s eyes shed, but he could only follow the man outside.

    Because Tang Ye had paid for the entire floor, there was no one else on this level.

    The corridor was cold and dead silent. The moment they stepped out, Qiao Yi''s murderous intentions spread. "Ah Ye, you''ve really disappointed me!"

    Tang Ye immediately knelt down on one knee and lowered his head. "Tang Lang''s skills are improving rapidly¡­"

    "Don''t tell me that even you''re no match for him."

    "Yes," Tang Ye answered without hesitation.

    Qiao Yi looked down at Tang Ye. Once he saw that expression, he knew that Tang Ye was intentionally throwing the game.

    Momentster, Qiao Yi finally said, "Never mind¡­ I will make a trip myself, and settle that evil creature!"

    The fingers that Tang Yeid by his side suddenly tensed up. "Master¡­"

    At that moment, there was the sudden sound of abrupt footsteps from the end of the corridor, exceptionally clear in the quiet air.

    When he heard these familiar footsteps, Tang Ye subconsciously looked up and saw¡­

    "Tang Lang¡­" When he saw who it was, Tang Ye''s expression immediately changed.

    The air surrounding Qiao Yi suddenly became dense with murderous spirit as he looked gloomily at his former disciple. "Evil creature, how dare you still appear before me?!"

    Tang Lang maintained his usual heartless expression before he broke into a smile. "Long time no see! I''ve especiallye to ask how you''ve been doing, Master!"

    Qiao Yi looked at him like he was a dead man. "I''ll allow you to leave yourst words."

    "Huh¡­" Tang Lang chuckled and looked up atTang Ye who was already a mess at the moment. "First Senior Brother, look at me, I''m dying soon. How about you let me have a peek at my lil credit card onest time?"

    Tang Lang was speechless.

    The instant Tang Lang finished, Qiao Yi charged ahead without the slightest hesitation.

    He watched the intense fight between the two. One had been a brother he grew up with, the other was a master whom he viewed as a father figure and to whom he owed his upbringing. Tang Ye had no expression on his face, yet his heart was bleeding from struggling and being torn apart between the two of them¡­

 Chapter 1515: Show No Mercy

    <h4>Chapter 1515: Show No Mercy</h4>

    Tang Ye was more worried about Tang Lang going up against their master. Tang Lang almost had no chance of winning at all¡­

    Tang Lang was being pushed back by his master. There were several times that he escaped death, but Tang Ye could not just be a bystander at this point.

    As expected, Tang Lang did not even reach the tenth exchange when Qiao Yi was about to go in for the kill. Tang Ye''s expression changed as his hand twitched like he was going to do something. Tang Lang''s body was as flexible as a gymnast and he avoided Qiao Yi''s assault.

    After that, Tang Lang stood about three steps away from Qiao Yi and grinned. "Master, that''s ten exchanges. Please be careful from this point onwards!"

    "Arrogance!" Qiao Yi roared and he attacked even more aggressively.

    However, Tang Lang did not just stay on the defense like he had earlier. He countered every single attack. While Tang Lang had learned everything from Qiao Yi, Qiao Yi also knew him the best, and of course, Tang Lang knew Qiao Yi very well too.

    Tang Ye was not lying when he said Tang Lang had improved tremendously. In just a short span of time, Tang Lang''s improvement in skills was enough to make Qiao Yi''s jaw drop.

    They were tied, but after a hundred exchanges, Tang Lang gained the upper hand because he was younger and had more stamina.

    Finally, Tang Lang wed Qiao Yi''s throat.

    "Tang Lang!" Tang Ye interfered, blocking Tang Lang''s killing move.

    Qiao Yi was shocked, still reeling from the fact that he had lost to his student.

    Tang Lang did not continue after Tang Ye intervened. He looked at Qiao Yi coldly. "Master, this time, I''ll let you go as repayment for whatever you''ve done to raise me, but the next time, I''ll show no mercy."

    He then spun on his heel and left.

    Qiao Yi cracked his finger joints and gritted his teeth. "You bastard! Bastard!"

    He knew that Tang Lang was really talented, but he waszy. If he could put in a tenth as much effort as Tang Ye, it would just be a matter of time to surpass him.

    Although he had realized this a long time ago, it was still shocking for him to witness such monstrous growth, which was also why he needed to get rid of Tang Lang as soon as possible.

    Still, the situation was getting trickier. Tang Ye was not able to kill him because Lu Tingxiao had always been interfering from the dark. Although he had sent many others as well, all of them failed¡­

    Well, he was still just a small fry anyway. The top priority would still be the Lu family¡­

    ¡­

    In the CEO office of the Lu Corporation.

    Lu Jingli went to report to his brother after he finished investigating the matter. "Bro, I investigated¡­ The camera falling was indeed an ident!"

    Lu Tingxiao did not n to just let Lu Jingli go. Instead, he uttered, "Video."

    At the scene, there was more than just one camera, and they would have recorded what happened. Lu Jingli must have seen them all.

    "Ugh¡­" Lu Jingli looked troubled. He coughed lightly, "Bro, I''ve checked through all of them. There wouldn''t be any mistake, so you don''t have to watch the videos, do you?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything. He just looked at Lu Jingli.

    Lu Jingli was intimidated by his brother''s heart-piercing stare, but he eyed him carefully. "Bro, are you really doubting my abilities?"

 Chapter 1516: Position In Her Heart

    <h4>Chapter 1516: Position In Her Heart</h4>

    Because Lu Jingli kept on avoiding the topic, something fishy must have been going on.

    After Lu Jingli declined to show him the videos again, Lu Tingxiao did not ask anymore. He just looked at theputer on his table.

    Lu Jingli thought he had covered up well, but then he heard some familiar voices from Lu Tingxiao''sputer¡­

    "We don''t have to be considerate towards the witch. Everyone, let''s go!" The voices of the actors.

    "Ah! Ning Xi!" The voice of a crew member.

    "Yun Shen!" Ning Xi screamed.

    Lu Jingli''s eyes were popping out of their sockets. When he went before Lu Tingxiao''sputer screen, he saw the video, which was supposed to be only in his inbox, ying.

    "Hey! You hacked myputer?! How could you do that?!"

    Lu Tingxiao nced at him. His eyes seem to be saying. "Do I really need to hack yourputer?"

    Lu Jingli then looked properly again. His brother had simply logged into his inbox. "Damn! How do you even know my email password!"

    The video was still ying on the screen, and Lu Jingli could no longer hide it anymore. He could only look on as his brother witnessed the scene where Ning Xi was extremely worried for Yun Shen.

    "Bro, actually it''s nothing much. That guy got hurt because of Xiao Xi Xi anyway. It''s normal for her to be this worried¡­" Lu Jingli''sforting words were contradicting himself.

    Since it''s nothing much, why did you try to stop me from watching it earlier?

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the screen quietly, his expression not betraying his emotions at all.

    Ning Xi had been nervous because she was the cause. Because Yun Shen had coagulopathy and because he was the one who had helped her through her darkest times, even though he brought her darkness, she prevailed through it¡­

    Even though he met Ning Xi before Yun Shen, he missed out the most important phase of her life¡­

    No matter what, he had to admit that that man had an irreceable position in her heart.

    ¡­

    After leaving the hospital, Ning Xi started replying her calls from everyone.

    Because of this ident, the whole filming crew was in chaos. Guo Qisheng and the producer had almost gone crazy. They were only relieved after they received the call from Ning Xi that Yun Shen was okay.

    Ning Xi then went back to the crew and discussed how to handle the leftover mess. In the frantic emergency earlier, someone had taken pictures of her and Jiang Muye sending Yun Shen to the hospital, and put them on the Net.

    Then again, as long as Yun Shen was alright, these were not big issues, and the crew was more than capable to handle it¡­

    ¡­

    The next day, Ning Xi went to the set as usual.

    The ident yesterday had happened at the moment when filming waspleted, so Yun Shen''sst scene was done and did not need a retake.

    Most of the scenes in the next few days were between her and Meng Shiyi.

    She waited from morning until afternoon, only then was she informed that Meng Shiyi could not make it for the uing few days.

    Guo Qisheng nned to finish the remaining scenes all in one go, but he did not expect Meng Shiyi to be absent at this moment, so he could only give up and give everyone the day off.

    Ning Xi held onto her car keys and went to the underground parking lot. She contemted for a while and decided to visit the guy at the hospital, then she would go to Spirit Studio before heading to Lu Tingxiao''s ce to make some tonic for his recovery.

    "Don''t move."

    Ning Xi was nning her day in her mind when there was a deep voice behind her. She also felt a cold, hard tube pressing behind her lower back at the same moment.

 Chapter 1517: Thereâ€™s No Way

    <h4>Chapter 1517: There¡¯s No Way</h4>

    What a familiar sensation to her.

    "Turn around and raise your hands!" The man yelled cruelly.

    Ning Xi cooperated and put her hands up. She looked behind and saw a big guy wearing a ck tank top, ring at her fiercely while pointing a gun at her. There was also another man beside him, aiming a gun at her too. He said in a deep voice, "Get in the car!"

    Ning Xi looked at the white van beside her car. There were another two people inside, all of them armed. These were definitely not your everyday kidnappers.

    After assessing the situation, Ning Xi knew she could not run away from this unscathed, so she cooperated and waited for her chance to escape.

    When they shoved her hard, the pink crystal hair clip on Ning Xi''s hair fell on the ground.

    It was the one Little Treasure had given her on her birthday¡­

    Ning Xi tensed up. Just as she was about to pick it up, therge man stepped on it, crushing the hair clip.

    "What are you doing?! Do you want to die?!" The man pushed Ning Xi inside the car.

    Ning Xi took a deep breath and hid her rising bloodlust. She was tied up after she got into the car, but they did not blindfold her.

    Ning Xi frowned. They did not blindfold her¡­ so were they not nning to let her stay alive?

    "Who are you people?" Ning Xi carefully assessed the four people in the car and tried to probe.

    The driver had a long scar across his face as if it was done by a knife. The blonde in the passenger seat looked carefree and was smoking, while the one on her left was the big-sized guy and on her right was a tall, skinny man.

    After some basic evaluation, these people looked strong and they were obviously trained, but not to the level of a mercenary like Feng Xiaoxiao, so she could omit the possibility that Feng Jin had sent them.

    However, of course, they were not your regr kidnappers or thugs. These guys probably came from the streets and hadplicated backgrounds.

    The big-sized man was ying with the gun in his hand and he said in a spooky voice, "Someone who wants your life!"

    The blonde in front turned around as he rubbed his hands. "Before we take her life, let me have some fun!"

    The big-sized man stared at the blonde. "It''ll only be your turn if the Boss doesn''t want her!"

    "Ugh¡­ She''s such a beauty¡­ There''s no way the Boss won''t want to do it!"

    "Stop with the nonsense. Why are you so impatient when I haven''t even said anything?!"

    "Yes, yes¡­ I''ll just pick up whatever is left over by you guys¡­" The blonde smiled and eyed Ning Xi with a perverted gaze.

    To the blonde, the woman in the back seat had really fair skin, and her cute little face was really impressive. In that pink number, she looked so adorable.

    "Tsk¡­ Such a cutie, no wonder Miss wants to eliminate her," he mumbled.

    Ning Xi now knew who was behind this! Could it be Meng Shiyi?!

    The big-sized man seemed to realize that Ning Xi might have found out the identity of his Miss, but he did not mind at all. She was about to die, after all, so it would not make a difference if she knew about it or not!

    ¡­

    These people were really vignt. They probably knew about her physical abilities beforehand, so the entire car journey, there was always a muzzle pointing at her.

    Ning Xi was really obedient along the way. She closed her eyes and rxed, curious about Meng Shiyi''s rumored background. What could it be?

    After some time on the road, the car stopped.

 Chapter 1518: Play Until She Dies

    <h4>Chapter 1518: y Until She Dies</h4>

    The car door opened and Ning Xi was shoved out of the car.

    What greeted her eyes was a building that looked like a martial arts center. There was a pole with a huge g propped up in front of the door, and the sign on the g showed the word "Qing".

    Ning Xi''s brows raised slightly. Tsk, the Qing Xuan Gang?

    So, it turns out that¡­ Meng Shiyi''s supported by the Qing Xuan Gang¡­

    Earlier, she overheard that blonde address her as "Miss". Could she be Qing Xuan Gang''s leader, Meng Zhenhuan''s daughter?

    No wonder she was absolutely unrestrained, daring to order people to use guns and kidnap in ces like Imperial in broad daylight. Oh, yes, and she was even about to kill her¡­

    There were many big and small underground gangs in China. Apart from Province D''s ck Tiger Fang, the most prestigious and influential one was the Qing Xuan gang. While they did not have the most members, they were the most influential. After all, they controlled the underground world of Beijing and its surrounding provinces¡­

    Ning Xi was thinking about all this to herself as she followed them past a Taoist rites area and walked deeper in.

    Probably because they had reached their base camp, they had clearly rxed significantly. They must have thought that since she was here in their grounds, she would not be able to run even if she had wings.

    Ning Xi observed her surroundings for a while. The ce was not considered huge, and the members were rather scattered too although it should only be a small part of them. Of course, to Meng Shiyi, if she wanted to kill someone, mobilizing a small subsection gang leader was more than enough.

    "Boss, we''ve brought the person Miss wants!" The big-sized guy yanked Ning Xi hard in front of someone.

    In the middle of the hall was a wide, red, wooden seat. There was avish tiger fur spread out on the seat, and on it sat a man of tough and stocky build, with tattoos all the exposed areas of his skin. He sat cockily on the seat with women nking his left and his right.

    When he saw Ning Xi, the man pushed the two sexy and skimpy-clothed beauties beside him away and sauntered to Ning Xi with interest. "So, you''re the youngdy that wants to kill yourself by daring to provoke our Miss?"

    Ning Xi kept quiet and cowered appropriately, showing a fearful and frightened expression. In reality, her eyes were evaluating her surroundings rapidly.

    When her gaze fell on an object in an open iron trunk not too far away, Ning Xi''s eyes lit up slightly. Ah, she seemed to have spotted something fun to y with¡­

    "I''m asking you a question! Wasn''t it reported that you''re quite capable? Why are you mute now?" When the subsection leader saw the girl shivering and weak, his eyes were filled with lust. He forced himself to have some self-control and asked his subordinate beside him, "What did the Miss say to do?"

    The big-sized guy walked up and sneered, "The Miss asked us to shoot a few astonishing videos, then we''re free to y¡­ y with her until she dies!"

    "Hahahaha¡­ Right in line with what I want!" That leader instantly cackled heartily. He was probably used to doing such things because very soon, someone had brought video equipment.

    "Boss, you first! You first! We''ll all learn from your majestess!" The blonde eagerly licked his boss''s boots.

    Because Ning Xi looked like she waspletely submissive, no one was guarding her securely. The leader started to remove his shirt as he impatiently made his way towards her¡­

    Right at this moment! When everyone was not vignt¡­

    How dare you break the hair clip that Little Treasure gave me?! Do you want to y? I will bloody y tricks with you!

    The instance the man had advanced for her, Ning Xi''s hand reached behind his waist and grabbed his gun. Then, she swiftly aimed it at the man''s forehead. Before everyone could react, Ning Xi had dragged him to the iron trunk she had noticed earlier and took out a tiny instrument from the trunk, stuffing it into his mouth and forcing him to swallow it¡­

 Chapter 1519: Its Easier To Invite The Devil In Than Send Him Away

    <h4>Chapter 1519: It''s Easier To Invite The Devil In Than Send Him Away</h4>

    This lightning attack had happened in just three short seconds.

    The blonde who kept boot-licking, the tall, skinny guy who held his handphone to vulgarly shoot the spectacle, and the perverted, big-sized guy¡­ All the subordinates around them holding equipment were stunned like Medusa''s statues!

    After Ning Xi stuffed the tiny apparatus into the man''s stomach, she did not care about him anymore and thrust him away like he was trash. Then, she walked unhurriedly to the tiger fur seat where the tattooed leader had sat on earlier. Sshe casually propped up her legs and skimmedzily at everyone.

    "My god!"

    "This coont!"

    "Catch her!"

    ¡­

    At that moment, the stunned subordinates finally returned to their senses and all of them hooted as they ran towards her.

    Ning Xi looked carefreely at them run towards her. Amidst the crowd''s raging call for murder, she raised her fair hand and in her fingers was a bright red device that looked like a switch.

    "All of you,e back! Come back!" Behind them, that tattooed leader howled his lungs out, then he fell to Ning Xi''s feet and was scared witless. "Don''t! Don''t, don''t, don''t! Don''t touch it! It''s dangerous¡­ Dangerous¡­"

    The leader wept and bawled as he used his hand to desperately dig at his throat, trying to vomit out the thing he had swallowed. Helplessly, this thing had really seemed to grow roots once it entered him. He just could not get it out no matter how¡­

    At that second, everyone else was terrified when they saw the switch in Ning Xi''s hand. They subconsciously took a few steps backward.

    The man had swallowed a microbomb. After it entered the stomach, it would automatically be absorbed by the stomach wall. Even though it was minute in size, once the switched was flicked, the power was enough to annihte a person into pieces.

    And now, this switch that controlled his life and death was in the woman''s hand.

    The woman wore a cute and pretty dress. She was clearly still the same person, yet now the character she gave off was entirely different. Her expression was not that bone-chilling. She even smirked and smiled faintly, yet he felt like he had juste face to face with the devil.

    Even though he was just a subsection gang leader, he still had the ability to make a discerning judgment. In hindsight, the entire process of her snatching the gun and forcing him to swallow the bomb were not skills a regr person would have. Even if she had done martial stunt doubling and had some foundation in fighting, she definitely would not have been able to do that to that extent¡­

    Especially this woman''s posture of holding the gun¡­ One look and you would know she was experienced!

    In fact, she unexpectedly knew how to handle these types of new firearms like the back of her hand. How would a normal person know that this was a bomb?

    Bloody hell! What kind of person had they provoked?

    There was not enough time for the leader to think much. He was scared out of his wits as he stared at the fuse in the woman''s hand. He started to beg for forgiveness without a care for his image. "Big sister¡­"

    Ning Xi''s eyes narrowed. "Hmm? What did you call me?"

    "Big¡­ No, no, no! Great aunt! I failed to recognize your importance and great talent. Please be magnanimous! That thing really cannot be simply toyed with!"

    Something shed in the corner of Ning Xi''s eyes. She got up and kicked the blonde who had tried toe and snatch the device from her hand. "Tsk, leader, looks like someone wants you to die sooner!"

    "Bastard! Are you trying to die?! No one move!" The leader snarled, then kicked the blonde guy again after he had been kicked to confusion by Ning Xi.

    Then, he looked carefully at Ning Xi again. "Great aunt, I''m wrong¡­ I really know it''s my fault¡­ I''ll send you out now. How about that?"

    Ning Xi spun the fuse under the leader''s frightened gaze and giggled. "Send me out?"

    "Yes, yes, yes¡­"

 Chapter 1520: We Try Switching To Woman?

    <h4>Chapter 1520: We Try Switching To Woman?</h4>

    "Who said I wanted to leave?"

    "Uhh¡­" The man was dumbfounded and everyone else exchanged nces too.

    "Then¡­ Then, what do you want?"

    "Wait till I''m done having fun!" Ning Xi looked smug and had an expression that said she wanted to stay and settle down. Everyone''s faces darkened at this sight. They were speechless.

    Not only that, Ning Xi had even used her finger to poke at the armrest of the red wooden seat. She then said, "All of you, everyone eat one of the microbombs!"

    Then, she added on, "Women don''t need to."

    "What?!" Suddenly, everyone was afraid. The two girls, who had been serving the leader earlier, sighed in relief.

    "This¡­ We don''t need to do this, do we?" The tall, skinny one started to back away.

    The big-sized guy cleared his throat too. "This is our leader. His life is in her grasp! How dare we say no?"

    Ning Xi pouted. "What if anyone of you wants him to die and seize the throne for yourselves?"

    The leader instantly jumped up and pped all of them. "Swallow it! All of you! I''ve already swallowed it! Can''t you? Huh? Quick! Are you trying to revolt?"

    The big-sized guy looked miserable. "If we all eat it, you won''t be able to different whose number is which!"

    All the bombs had corresponding numbers and the fuse in Ning Xi''s hand allowed her to select the bomb number to defuse, but if everyone swallowed it, she definitely would not be able to differentiate which number was whose.

    Ning Xi pretended to ponder. With everyone anticipating their bomb being let off anytime, Ning Xi blinked and then said, "I''ll just click on the main switch and bomb everyone!"

    Everyone was speechless.

    Bloody hell! Monster! A female monster!

    They were practically meat on her chopping board. Because their leader''s life was hanging so precariously in Ning Xi''s hands, everyone was forced to swallow one bomb.

    "Great aunt, are you happy now?" The leader rubbed his hands and asked even more carefully.

    Ning Xi turned the fuse in her hand and looked bored stiff. "Boring¡­"

    These words were like a voodoo that hastened their death, frightening the souls out of everyone.

    The leader quickly followed up to ask, "What do you like then? What do you want to y? I''ll get it for you! Are you willing to leave once you''re happy with the fun you''re having?"

    The priority was to quickly coax this little devil well. Otherwise, their bodies might be dismembered on the spot if they were not careful!

    "We''ll see¡­"

    The blonde submissively walked up to the leader who was discussing and said, "I-I¡­ I have an idea!"

    "What idea?" The leader lookedmentably at him.

    The blonde leaned into his ear and said softly, "Boss, call Sis Hua Hua to send over some obedient, pretty boys¡­"

    "Would this really work?" The leader and big-sized guy looked at him, full of doubt.

    The blonde quickly said, "Maybe it''ll work! All woman are all interested in those¡­"

    The leader contemted. As he was desperate, he quickly walked to a corner and made a call.

    Momentster, a long line of more than ten handsome, attractive, and trained to be respectful boys stood before Ning Xi.

    The leader rubbed his hands and asked nervously, "Great aunt, take a look and see if you like these? You can have fun as you wish! They''ve all been trained well! They''re especially good at serving people!"

    Ning Xi sat on the tiger fur seat just like the king of a mountain as her eyes skimmed the men below. She immediately frowned.

    Her eyes were used to Lu Tingxiao''s type. How could she be interested in these?

    When he saw Ning Xi frown, the leader felt sweat drip down his face as he quickly chased them all away. He kicked the blonde again. "Look at the rotten idea you came up with!"

    The blonde cried out and scowled miserably, "This doesn''t make sense! Even this can''t do¡­ This was the best stock already¡­ Hmm, could it be¡­ Could it be that this great aunt''s appetite doesn''t swing this way? How about¡­ We try switching to women?"

 Chapter 1521: Believe It Or Not

    <h4>Chapter 1521: Believe It Or Not</h4>

    "How about¡­ We try switching to women?"

    The blonde guy got a solid kick from his boss. "Idiot! Don''t try to get me into more trouble!"

    The blonde groaned and used his arms to shield his head. "No, that''s not what I meant! It might really be possible. Didn''t you notice that she made all of us swallow the bomb but not the two girls? She looked so disinterested and was even disgusted towards the young men we got her. She probably doesn''t like men!"

    The big-sized guy touched his chin as he weighed the possibility. "Well, Boss, the kid''s got a point this time¡­"

    The boss clenched his teeth. "Nonsense¡­"

    A beauty who liked girls instead of men? He would never believe it!

    "Boss, let''s try since we all might die anyway," the blonde mumbled.

    The boss felt that his assumption was not reliable, so he refuted the idea.

    At the same time, a female devil somewhere was looking for someone to y a shooting game with her because she was bored.

    The henchmen obediently arranged the targets for her, fulfilling all her needs.

    Ning Xi was casually spinning a gun around in her hand as she smiled at everyone. "ying by myself is no fun at all. Let''s do something interesting, alright? If anyone can best two out of three matches against me, I''ll let him go!"

    Everyone seemed to have found a ray of hope as she said this. They all looked at her direction.

    "Really? As long as we win, then we can go? What if you break your promise?" Someone timidly voiced out his suspicions.

    Ning Xi nced at that person. "Believe me or not, it''s up to you!"

    "Uhh¡­" Everyone looked like they were about to cry.

    The blonde''s eyes lit up and he quickly ran over. "Then, I''ll go first! I believe you''ll keep your promise!"

    Ning Xi waved her hand casually. "Sure."

    The blonde whipped out his gun and took a deep breath before he aimed at the target.

    At the same time, everyone around looked at the blonde nervously.

    They knew that the blonde had pretty good marksmanship. If not, he would not have challenged her.

    "I''ll start now then!"

    "Stop talking!"

    "Yes, yes¡­"

    The blonde pulled the trigger. Bang!

    "9.2 points!" A skinny score recorder yelled.

    Bang! The second shot. "9.5 points!"

    Bang! The second shot. "10 points!"

    "Oh! Marvelous!" The crowd cheered for him.

    "What a hideous man! He''s going to leave us behind!"

    ¡­

    Among the cheering, there were triple loud, consecutive shots. Ning Xi had made three shots and all of them hit the bullseye.

    Everyone was mind-blown.

    "Go ahead," Ning Xi said without any expression.

    "This can''t be real¡­" Someone blurted out after a short silence.

    After that, several other people challenged her out of frustration. In the end, all of them were defeated.

    Finally, Ning Xi became impatient and she told the next challenger, "From now on, anyone who loses will tell me his bomb number."

    Everyone dreaded whatever wasing next. Oh no, the female devil was going to start a killing spree!

    The boss with tattoos could not just sit around anymore. If she kept this up, everyone was going to end up dead!

 Chapter 1522: Can I Still Make It If I Castrate Myself Now?

    <h4>Chapter 1522: Can I Still Make It If I Castrate Myself Now?</h4>

    "Oh, my great aunt, just what do we need to do to make you leave? Give us a price. Can we buy our lives?" Someone pleaded.

    "Oh, then a hundred million per person!" Ning Xi announced.

    That was daylight robbery! How cruel!

    Everyone was speechless. They would rather die.

    This situation was getting really out of hand.

    The boss thought of whatever he could, but he had to ept that she was not leaving. He red at the blonde. "I''ll trust you this once! If it fails, without needing her to do anything, I''ll kill you!"

    He then made a call. "Hey, No more guys¡­ Get me some girls! Of course, some pretty ones! Those that look clean and nice. Hurry!"

    "Great aunt, please forgive me! Please forgive me!" A failed challenger fell on the floor with weak knees while the others trembled. The next person might be¡­

    As Ning Xi was about to say something, a bunch of girls walked in.

    The girls looked rather young. They were all around 20 years old, just the right age. Unlike the two skimpy-clothed girls from earlier, these girls dressed casually and looked like sweet, obedient girls. Most importantly, they were very cute and pretty. The man was still trembling before her.

    Ah, pretty good¡­

    Ning Xi''s mood improved drastically after she saw the pretty girls. She waved a hand at the man who was begging for his life. "Well, I won''t scare the girls by making you explode here for now."

    So, she let him off.

    What a sudden turn of events! The henchman could not believe it! He profusely expressed his gratitude then ran away.

    The boss was speechless. Was the method actually working? It seemed to be darned effective!

    After a short while¡­

    The girls'' eyes glittered in fear. At times, they even blushed. They started getting possessive over Ning Xi. All of them were pouring wine for her and feeding her fruits.

    The boss remained silent.

    The blonde bit on his fingernails. He was really jealous of Ning Xi''s gentle attitude towards the girls. Hemented, "Oh, why am I not a girl?"

    Someone mumbled, "If I go and tell her that I''m actually a woman and that I went for a sex reassignment surgery, would she believe me?"

    Another person said something more unbelievable. "Can I still make it if I castrate myself now?" Losing his penis was better than losing his life¡­

    Everyone else was speechless.

    ¡­

    At the same time, Ning Xi did not know that things were going crazy outside.

    At the Imperial First People Hospital, Feng Xiaoxiao was holding an apple and trying really hard to carve it into a bunny shape.

    "Phew! I''m done. Enjoy it, Boss!" Feng Xiaoxiao passed him the apple. She was always hustling outside. Delicate tasks like these would kill her.

    The man lying on the bed was looking at the direction of the entrance as if he was waiting for someone impatiently. He looked unfocused and fidgety. When he saw at the apple in Feng Xiaoxiao''s hand, he simplymented, "Ugly."

 Chapter 1523: Historic Moment

    <h4>Chapter 1523: Historic Moment</h4>

    Feng Xiaoxiao was speechless.

    Her heart was shattered into pieces! How could he say the word "ugly" to a girl? He should not have done that even if he wasmenting on the apple she peeled!

    "Hey, I tried, okay? How is it ugly? It''s so cute! Who carved this apple?" Feng Xiaoxiao saw a yellowish apple on the table. "This apple was carved really carefully. I mean, it''s a piece of art by itself, but you didn''t eat it either¡­"

    The man then stared at her with a blizzard-like gaze.

    Feng Xiaoxiao backed off with the apple still in her hand, looking innocent. "Is there something wrong?"

    The door opened and Tang Ye came in. "Little Junior Sister was kidnapped by the Qing Xuan Gang."

    Yun Shen and Feng Xiaoxiao''s expressions changed.

    In a few minutes, Feng Xiaoxiao calmed down. "Well, my woman''s instincts told me that Meng Shiyi wouldn''t be able to stand down, but I knew Little Junior Sister would be alright! Boss, you already told everyone in the industry. No one would dare toy their hands on Little Junior Sister unless they aren''t close to the core and didn''t know about your orders. Still, she can easily handle those small fries by herself¡­"

    Feng Xiaoxiao''s prediction was correct. Even if Meng Shiyi were the daughter of the boss of the Qing Xuan Gang, she could not summon the main forces of the gang either. At most, she could only utilize a small section of them.

    Yet, the man on the bed was not rxed at all. In fact, he looked terrible as he got up from the bed and looked at Feng Xiaoxiao coldly. With a sarcastic tone, he said, "It''s alright? It''d be alright if it were a year ago! Now, she''s be a useless person after being with Lu Tingxiao!"

    "Uhh¡­"

    So what if she became useless now? So many women were longing to be spoiled like that! How unromantic! No wonder he can''t find a girlfriend.

    Just admit that you''re worried about Little Junior Sister¡­

    The man quickly put on his coat. Tang Ye frowned and blocked his path. "Satan, your wound hasn''t recovered yet. You can''t leave the bed."

    Feng Xiaoxiao went along, "Right, right. I think Lu Tingxiao must''ve gone over already. We don''t have to join them¡­"

    Tang Ye pinched the space between his eyebrows and red at Feng Xiaoxiao in silence.

    Feng Xiaoxiao was confused. "What''s wrong again?"

    Because of Feng Xiaoxiao''s words, Tang Ye knew there was no going back. He just looked at Yun Shen as he gathered 20 elites and headed towards the Qing Xuan Gang branch.

    Just ten of his elites would be more than enough already, but not only did he gather 20. He even had Tang Ye and Feng Xiaoxiao with him, his two war machines.

    When they reached the location where Ning Xi had been abducted, they met Lu Tingxiao and his people.

    Feng Xiaoxiao looked at the chilly man leading the other group, then she looked at her own boss. "What a rare sight to behold. The Qing Xuan Gang must be very lucky, having these two people look them up today. This historic moment should be recorded in their gang''s history¡­"

    The troubled Shi Xiao was standing behind Lu Tingxiao.

    Although he was Ning Xi''s bodyguard, he was not remarkably effective at all. Ning Xi only brought him along to events with crowds to avoid people mistaking her for being arrogant.

 Chapter 1524: A Happy Welcome

    <h4>Chapter 1524: A Happy Wee</h4>

    However, when Ning Xi was filming, he could not follow her. He would only stay in the car or keep an eye on her somewhere obscure. Thanks to the jaw-dropping martial skills of hisdy boss, he was actually bored every day. He had no chance to redeem himself at all. At least Xiong Zhi was being ordered to protect thedy boss''s cousin.

    Ning Xi had gotten into trouble while he was thinking about how useless he was. It was way past her working schedule and she had not appeared yet. He realized that something was wrong but by the time he found out that hisdy boss had been kidnapped, it was toote. At first, he wanted to save her all by himself to redeem himself but his boss found out about it too and was going to save her personally.

    Not only that, what was the other group doing here?

    Shi Xiao could not just stay idle anymore. He knew he would not be able to do anything further, so he offered, "Boss, I''ll go and take a peek at what''s happening inside!"

    "Wait," Lu Tingxiao rejected Shixiao''s request as he looked at the entrance carefully.

    At the same time, Yun Shen was also looking at the tightly-sealed entrance, his cold gaze rendering everyone quiet.

    Tang Ye frowned a little. "Something might go wrong. Everyone, be careful."

    Feng Xiaoxiao was on high alert as well. "Something isn''t right. Why isn''t there anyone guarding the entrance? It''s way too quiet¡­ Where are the people? Are we sure that Little Junior Sister was brought here? Damn it! Could it something have happened to her!? How dare they!?"

    ¡­

    In the hall, the boss was pouring some wine for Ning Xi regrettably.

    It was a high-grade wine that he had been keeping for many years!

    Money, beauties, rum¡­ He had tried everything, yet the woman was enjoying herself and did not seem to have any intentions of leaving.

    What made it worse was that while she was really gentle towards the girls, her attitude towards men was absolutely cruel! She was fooling around with them endlessly. They were about to go crazy!

    The big-sized guy was looking up online about how to get on a girl''s good side. After a while, he cried and went up to his boss, "Why''s she not leaving yet?"

    "Who am I supposed to ask?"

    Suddenly, a henchman ran over, panting. He went up to his boss and gasped, "Boss! Outside¡­ Outside¡­"

    "What about outside?" The boss sounded angry.

    "There are people! A lot of people¡­ A lot¡­ They seem to be here to rescue this woman¡­"

    "Really?" The boss''s eyes brightened up. He then gathered several of his men and they sneaked towards the entrance while Ning Xi was busy with the girls.

    By the door, as everyone was worried about the strange situation and Ning Xi''s safety¡­

    The door creaked as it was opened from the inside.

    Suddenly, everyone pointed their weapons towards the entrance.

    The boss raised his hands up high. "No¡­ Please calm down! I believe you guys are here to rescue great¡­ To rescue Ms. Ning?"

    They just stood by the entrance and did not move another inch. If they were too far away, it would trigger the rm on Ning Xi''s detonator.

    "Let her go then!" Shi Xiao howled.

    The boss knelt on the floor and cried with joy, "Rejoice! Rejoice! You guys are finally here!"

    The people behind the boss were overjoyed. They quickly swung the door open wide. "Pleasee in! Everyone, please!"

    Lu Tingxiao, Yun Shen, Tang Ye, and Feng Xiaoxiao did not know what to say.

    Why were these people so ecstatic to the point that they were about to dance?

 Chapter 1525: Feel The Sadness

    <h4>Chapter 1525: Feel The Sadness</h4>

    Feng Xiaoxiao''s mouth twitched in amusement. "Is it just me, or do these people look really happy?"

    Could they be plotting something?

    The boss of the branch finally got up after crying for a while. He looked like he was afraid that they might leave. "Everyone, I''m sorry for not being able to serve you better. Pleasee in quickly¡­"

    What did he mean by that?

    Things were really strange¡­

    Oh, well, with theirbination, they feared no tricks.

    Since the both of them prioritized Ning Xi''s safety, Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao looked at each other. Then, they nodded and ordered their men to go in at the same time.

    "This way!" The boss led them personally, his eyes still wet while the other members rushed into the hall in high spirits.

    Out of the blue, many people came out. All of them looked at the group as if angels had juste to visit them. The atmosphere was oddly saturated with hope and joy.

    Someone mumbled, "That''s great¡­ Someone''s finally here to save us¡­"

    Huh?

    What had happened?

    Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao walked up front. Behind them was Feng Xiaoxiao, Tang Ye, Shi Xiao, and a group of fierce elites.

    The situation was peculiar, so all of them were on high alert. When they were just a few steps away from the hall, their vignce heightened to its peak.

    Then, Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen saw the girl, who had made them worry so much, sittingfortably on a tiger pelt on a chair. A bunch of pretty girls was around her. One was massaging her shoulder, one was massaging her back, one was pouring her some wine, and some were fanning her. Some were even dancing for her.

    On the other hand, the men were performing some street tricks such as shooting apples on top of each other''s heads, crushingrge bricks on top of their chest and so on. Some were even giving an entertaining show-and-tell performance¡­

    How was this kidnapping? This was the conquering of a territory!

    Everyone by the door was quiet.

    The boss of the branch was worried when all of them stopped moving. "Everyone, please bring Ms. Ning away quickly! We really didn''t hurt a strand of hair on her at all¡­"

    She''s the one who has been hurting us!

    "We''re too ignorant. We know our fault now. We wanted to let her go as soon as possible, but she didn''t want to leave. We''ve tried everything, but we ran out of ideas¡­"

    Please get this she-devil away from us!

    The others were whimpering and agreeing to what their boss said. "We''re just following orders. We didn''t eveny a hand on Ms. Ning!"

    "I haven''t gotten married¡­"

    "I''ll surely do good from this point onwards¡­"

    ¡­

    The guys were crying, making anyone who saw them surely feel the sorrow within them.

    They were not to be med. Ning Xi had had her torturous ways with them, and she was undeniably an expert at psychological warfare. Their traumatic experience had reached their maximum at this point.

    "So, so pitiful," Feng Xiaoxiao mumbled.

    In the hall, people started streaming towards the entrance when they realized something odd was going on. Ning Xi raised her head and suddenly spat out some wine.

    "What the heck!?"

 Chapter 1526: The Situation Was Very Chaotic

    <h4>Chapter 1526: The Situation Was Very Chaotic</h4>

    Dearest darling¡­

    And that Yun fellow¡­

    Why had theye, even appearing at the same time?

    Also, there was such a grandiose, majestic sight behind them. What was up with this epic troop formation?!

    Ning Xi gulped hard. Uh, it seemed like¡­ she had gone overboard!

    "Hmph, rather free and unfettered, aren''t you?" Yun Shen put on a fake smile as he looked at a certain someone who sat on her tiger pelt in a dictatorial manner. That gaze of hers appeared like she was about to murder someone.

    Ning Xi ignored Yun Shen. Instead, she tossed the wine ss in her hand away, then quickly ran towards Lu Tingxiao.

    The leader behind them faltered as he dashed over to catch the wine ss. Oh! This ss was an antique and was very expensive!

    "My dearest darling!" Ning Xi snuggled into Lu Tingxiao''s embrace like a young swallow that had returned to the forest. The expression on her little face looked like she had suffered terribly. "Oh, they bullied me¡­"

    With a crash, the wine ss in the leader''s hand had fallen to the ground and made an ear-piercing sound¡­

    Not only him, even all of the small bandits on the side looked towards Ning Xi as if they had just seen a ghost.

    What?! That was not what had happened!

    One could not be that shameless¡­

    "No! We didn''t!"

    "Injustice!"

    "Great one, we''re being used!"

    "How dare we bully the great aunt?!"

    "Please, the two of you must distinguish right and wrong with acuity and give us justice!"

    ¡­

    Suddenly, the wails in the hall started. Their expressions were way more tortured than Ning Xi''s. They probably knew that Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao called the shots, so all of them were asking the two of them to provide them justice.

    The situation was very chaotic.

    Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao were speechless.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl in his embrace a little helplessly. "What''s happening?"

    Ning Xi sobbed and sniffled as she looked up at him. "My hair clip¡­ Hair clip was broken by them¡­"

    "What nonsense?" Yun Shen was a little agitated at the sight of Ning Xi fastening herself to Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi shot him a look. " You''re nonsense! It''s a present that my son gave me for my birthday! It''s so important, yet they broke it by stepping on it!"

    Everyone in the hall, including Yun Shen, had no words to utter.

    Bloody hell¡­ Was there a mistake? They had been tortured like this all because they had broken her hair clip?

    The leader drew a deep breath and looked at the few people who were responsible for kidnapping Ning Xi earlier. "You lot, who stepped on Miss Ning''s hair clip and broke it?"

    The blonde, the tall, skinny guy, and the scar-faced driver all pretended to look innocent. The big-sized guy trembled like he had nothing to live for as he murmured, "I think it was me¡­ But it was an ident!"

    "Is this it?" At that juncture, Shi Xiao took out the broken hair clip from behind him.

    He finally had a chance to perform, but he was not charging and breaking through the enemy lines. He had just unintentionally picked up a hair clip¡­

    "That''s the one!" Ning Xi quickly took it heartbreakingly. That murderous aura in her eyes was rising again.

    A certain leader was afraid that this great aunt would flip again. He immediately went over to kick the big-sized guy. "Who asked your feet to be so careless?! You don''t even know how to kidnap a person¡­ Why did you step on the youngdy''s hair clip for no reason?! Are you sick in the head?!"

    The big-sized guy was speechless. Who was the one sick in the head now?!

    "Yes, yes, yes¡­ Yes, I''m sick in the head¡­ It''s all my fault¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl''s pitiful expression and rubbed her head. "It''s fine, it can be fixed. I''ll get it fixed when we get home."

 Chapter 1527: They Were Here To Rescue The Kidnappersâ€¦

    <h4>Chapter 1527: They Were Here To Rescue The Kidnappers¡­</h4>

    "Mmm." Ning Xi nodded obediently. At the same time, she was relieved that she had avoided a catastrophe.

    Suddenly, Yun Shen''s voice reached her ears. "What''s up with those girls?"

    Why did he have to mention that? Gah!

    Ning Xi almost wanted to kill him. She replied almost instantly, "That''s none of your business! My darling hasn''t even said anything yet!"

    "You¡­"

    Tang Ye coughed lightly and reminded her, "He''s still injured."

    Please take it easy on him, Little Junior Sister.

    "What''s up with the girls?" This time, it was Lu Tingxiao who asked.

    It was such a rare moment that Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao were on the same side. Yun Shen was so surprised that he looked at Lu Tingxiao.

    This time, Ning Xi could not answer half-heartedly again.

    She phrased her words carefully, "It''s all their fault! They stooped so low and tried to win me over by seducing me! At first, they brought the guys, then it was the girls! Do you think I''m the kind of person who can be won over by such low tactics? Of course not! I''m just afraid the girls might be scared by their ferocious faces, so I chatted with them for a little and soothed their feelings¡­"

    Everyone from the gang was rendered speechless.

    Who was the ferocious one?! Compared to her, all of them were obedient little babies!

    As Ning Xi was twisting her words, Yun Shen interrupted, "Soothing their feelings? You really had to let them sit on your thighs?"

    Ning Xi could not find aeback.

    "What are you talking about?! Who''s sitting on my thighs?!"

    "If we hadn''te here in time, wouldn''t someone already be sitting there?" He had caught a glimpse of a girl slowly inching closer to Ning Xi just now.

    "I wouldn''t let them do that even if you guys didn''te, alright? Do you think I''d be someone with such low integrity like you?" Ning Xi fumed.

    The man continued to sneer, "We were thinking of ideas to rescue you outside, yet you were having fun in here. Are you making any sense? If we were here anyter, you''d probably have a wife already!"

    "You¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao sighed and he stopped their argument. "Let''s leave this ce first."

    The gang members nodded vigorously. All of them wished that they would leave as soon as possible!

    The group left, which made the gang members cheer happily. They practically wanted to throw a party to celebrate their freedom.

    At the entrance, Ning Xi saw Yun Shen looking pale and checking his wound from time to time. She frowned. "Why are you here when you''re not even fully recovered yet?!"

    Yun Shen''s expression darkened. "What now? Are you worried that your partner will be sucked dry by me?"

    Ning Xi was speechless. Could he be any worse?

    Feng Xiaoxiao shook her head, thinking that her boss truly had very low EQ.

    Little Junior Sister was just concerned about you!

    "So, what are we doing here today?" Feng Xiaoxiao felt like she had been defeated over nothing.

    "For a rescue," Shi Xiao said.

    Mmm, to rescue the kidnappers. That''s right.

    ¡­

    At midnight, the white-haired man was looking out of therge window. "Before dawn, take over the Qing Xuan Gang."

    His short instruction was about to cause a massive bloodbath in Imperial that night¡­

    Tang Ye epted his order. "Will do."

    ¡­

    Inside a VIP room in a high-ss club.

    Things were getting wild in the room. Everyone was surrendering to their desires and having fun when suddenly there was a loud bam. The door was kicked open all of a sudden.

 Chapter 1528: Bloodbath

    <h4>Chapter 1528: Bloodbath</h4>

    A troop donning ck suits surrounded the room.

    "Who the heck are you guys to ruin my fun?! Prepare to defend your lives!" The man, who seemed to be the leader, spoke. He looked drunk.

    As he finished his sentence, a cold gun was pointed at his forehead. "Pledge your allegiance to us, or die."

    "You¡­ Who are you people? Do you know who I am? I''m the boss of the White Tiger Section from the Qing Xuan Gang. I¡­"

    The sound of a gunshot rang out in the night. A bloody hole appeared on the man''s forehead and he fell to the ground. The gun was equipped with a silencer, so the sound was muffled but it packed enough impact to render everyone in the room pale.

    "Murder¡­"

    "Boss!"

    "Oh no! They killed Wang Hu!"

    ¡­

    "Anyone has any objections?" The shooter in the ck suit looked at everyone in the room coldly.

    No one uttered a word.

    Another person in a ck suit crossed out "White Tiger Section" on a piece of white paper¡­

    "Next."

    ¡­

    At the same time, many simr incidents happened all over Imperial. That night, a thick fog covered Imperial.

    In the study room of a luxurious house by the hillside.

    A person barged in as he slumped to the ground. "Boss, it''s bad¡­ Things are bad!"

    "Why are you freaking out? What''s wrong?"

    "Just now, an unknown party invaded our bases in Imperial¡­ Within just an hour, they''ve taken control of 11 branches¡­"

    "What did you say?" Meng Zhenhuan stood up in fury and disbelief. "Who are they? How dare they?!"

    "They were too quick. We still don''t have a lead yet! But I seem to have seen a monogram of the letter ''S'' on their outfit¡­"

    "What?" Meng Zhenhuan''s expression changed. "Are you sure?"

    "I''m very sure! Boss, could it be¡­ Are they from Satan?" The henchman shivered a little.

    To have the ability and guts to raid their bases this quickly, he could not think of anyone else besides that man.

    "Impossible." Meng Zhenhuan rejected his subordinate''s guess.

    They had met each other when that man entered Imperial. Even then, he had questioned his intentions too.

    He did not seem to be interested in the underground powers in Imperial. They even said that they need not be concerned and could just carry on as usual.

    Then, why would they suddenly do something like this?

    "Then, did we offend someely?" The henchman looked confused.

    "Wait, I''ll make a call¡­" Meng Zhenhuan muttered to himself, then he called a number from his phone.

    However, no one picked up.

    Meng Zhenhuan was getting uneasy. He made another call.

    It got through this time.

    "Hi, Master Ye. I''m sorry for bothering you thiste at night. My man told me that many of our branches were invaded and that the invaders seem to be from your organization."

    "It''s Satan''s orders." A cold voice came through the phone.

    Meng Zhenhuan could not immediately react to what he just heard. His face drained of all blood. "What?! Why would Satan do this? Last time, he said¡­"

    "About this, I suggest you find out about it on your own, Mr. Meng." The call was then hung up.

 Chapter 1529: Stray Dog

    <h4>Chapter 1529: Stray Dog</h4>

    Meng Zhenhuan was shocked when he heard what Tang Ye said.

    What did he mean by finding out about it himself?

    Could there be some issue with him? Did someone from his side offend that man?

    How was that even possible!?

    Meng Zhenhuan then made several other calls. In the end, he got a lead. One of the branch heads hinted to him to ask his daughter.

    Ask Shiyi?

    How would Shiyi know anything about this?

    Meng Zhenhuan was confused, but he still asked her toe over.

    "Father, what do you need me for at this time? Why did you disturb my beauty sleep!?" Meng Shiyi pouted impatiently.

    "Let me ask you. What have you been up to recently?" Meng Zhenhuan asked in his deep voice.

    "What else can I do? Filming, shopping, and facials¡­"

    "Anything else?"

    "Nothing!"

    "Think properly!" Meng Zhenhuan mmed hard on the table.

    Meng Shiyi was shocked by the sudden aggression. She tried to focus when she saw her father''s terrible expression. "I really didn''t do anything¡­ Why are you being so fierce towards me?!"

    "Did you offend anyone recently?"

    "Father, what are you talking about? Who''s worthy enough to make you use the word ''offend''?" Meng Shiyi said, full of pride.

    Meng Zhenhuan seemed like he was about to erupt. He said in a stern voice, "Satan''s people have been shutting our gang down. Do you know that they areing right into our house soon?! Think about what you might''ve done that could have upset him! I''ve asked around and someone told me to ask you! Did you offend anyone?"

    Meng Shiyi''s expression changed. "Impossible! I just¡­"

    "You just what?" Meng Zhenhuan realized something was up and he asked carefully.

    Meng Shiyi gnawed on her lip. With a guilty conscience, she said, "I just gave a lesson to that vixen who seduced Bro Shen!"

    Meng Zhenhuan mmed the table furiously. "That''s probably it! Where is she?! Let her go! We might still have a chance for forgiveness if you go and apologize personally!"

    As Meng Zhenhuan confronted his daughter, numerous people with blood all over them came in and reported bad news to him. More and more branches had been wiped out.

    "Boss, the Green Dragon Section has fallen."

    "Boss! Chang Chun City is controlled by them now!"

    "Boss, Dong Ying City has turned their back on us¡­"

    ¡­

    Meng Shiyi just stood in the middle of the room, watching these peopleing in and going out, and the leaders of each branch asking her father what to do. She felt like she was in a dream.

    Before this, she had still been a powerfuldy. However, suddenly she was like an abandoned stray dog¡­

    Meng Zhenhuan gave up talking to his daughter. He quickly investigated what had happened that day, then he summoned the people who were ordered to kidnap Ning Xi.

    "Boss, the person is alright¡­ She''s alright! The great aunt isn''t hurt at all! She''s been rescued a long time ago! I just didn''t tell you the truth to avoid me from Miss¡­" The head of the small branch replied fearfully.

    He was just a minor leader. His legs were shaking as it was his first time seeing so many bosses around him.

    Meng Zhenyuan let out a sigh of relief when he found out that the girl was alright. He then asked, "She was rescued? Who rescued her?"

    "I don''t know who they are. I''ve never seen them before, but all of them looked like trouble¡­ Oh right, there were two groups of people. One of the leaders looked pretty unique. He had white hair¡­"

    "White hair?!" Meng Zhenhuan stood up suddenly.

 Chapter 1530: Support Request Denied

    <h4>Chapter 1530: Support Request Denied</h4>

    Satan had gone to rescue her personally, which showed just how important this woman was to him, and Shiyi had kidnapped this woman.

    "Who''s that woman?" Meng Zhenhuan asked.

    "She''s just an artiste called Ning Xi¡­"

    Meng Zhenhuan tumbled into his chair, hisst strand of hope destroyed. "It''s over¡­ It''s really over¡­"

    "Father! She''s just a mere artiste! So what!? And she''s alright now, so why are you so nervous? Well, I could just go and apologize to Bro Shen!"

    Meng Zhenhuan pped Meng Shiyi''s face. "Do you know who she is? She''s Tang Xi! The Little Junior Sister of Tang Ye and Feng Xiaoxiao! Yun Shen''s only woman! Some time ago, Yun Shen issued an order forbidding anyone toy their hands on her! Didn''t I warn you that you can do anything to any woman around Yun Shen besides her?!"

    The minion, who had been tortured by Ning Xi earlier, was speechless at the moment.

    What the heck?! So, that woman was the rumored Ning Xi¡­

    Today, they would die of an unjust cause.

    Meng Zhenhuan would never have expected that his own daughter would cause his downfall.

    Meng Shiyi totally freaked out. "How would I know that she''s Tang Xi?!"

    Actually, she was just mad that her father had told her that. In addition to finding out that Yun Shen had rescued Ning Xi, her rationality went out of the window. She had ignored her father''s warning and kidnapped Ning Xi, not knowing that it would cause such severe consequences.

    "Boss, we need toe up with something right now!" One of his henchmen reminded.

    The hundred-year-old organization was facing the fate of being annihted overnight and everyone sumbed to their fear.

    Meng Zhenhuan looked dreadful. "It might still be effective to apologize if it were someone else, but now, it''s probably still useless even if I killed my daughter personally¡­"

    He paused for a bit, then said, "Go! Someone get Lu Tingxiao! Our only chance left to survive is with the help of the Lu Corporation¡­"

    The Qing Xuan Gang had been controlling the underground society in Imperial and numerous other ces for a long time. Since the Lu Corporation was such a prominent group, they had several important connections. If the Qing Xuan Gang was annihted, it meant that Imperial might be controlled by some other organization. The Lu Corporation would not just let them do as they pleased!

    "Yes! I''ll do that now!"

    The subordinate left quickly.

    Time passed by and the sun rose.

    The subordinate who had gone to request for help came back.

    "How did it go? What did Mr. Lu say?" Everyone looked at him in anticipation.

    The person looked crushed. "Mr. Lu¡­ Mr. Lu¡­"

    "What''s the situation!? Spit it out!" Meng Zhenhuan was frustrated.

    "I contacted Mr. Lu''s people, but the person replied me¡­"

    "What did he say?"

    "He said that we should be d that Satan''s the one making a move instead of the Lu Corporation."

    "What does that mean?" Everyone including Meng Zhenhuan was stunned.

    "Why is the Lu Corporation targeting us too?"

    "Satan did it because of the woman, but what''s up with Lu Tingxiao?"

    ¡­

    Among their argument, a timid voice piped up. It was the lowly branch leader earlier. "Well, I mentioned just now that there were two groups of people who came to the girl''s rescue. The other group¡­ The person who was leading it seemed to be¡­ CEO Lu¡­"

    "What did you say?" Suddenly, everyone looked at the branch leader in disbelief.

    He trembled. "I didn''t believe it at first too. I was afraid that I might have been mistaken, so I kept quiet just now. I''ve never seen him in person anyway, but I''ve seen his bodyguard Shi Xiao before, and today I saw Shi Xiao standing right behind him¡­"

 Chapter 1531: Why Donâ€™t You Try Something Else?

    <h4>Chapter 1531: Why Don¡¯t You Try Something Else?</h4>

    "Shut up! You''re talking nonsense!" Meng Shiyi scolded.

    Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao had gone to rescue Ning Xi together?

    Not just Meng Shiyi, even Meng Zhenhuan and the other core members of the gang found this outrageous.

    Yun Shen''s rtionship with the Lu Corporation was extremelyplicated. They had beenpeting with each other aggressively in every manner possible. If they were to meet each other with fully armed forces, there would surely be an epic fight! How was it possible for them to work together to rescue Tang Xi?

    Even though Tang Xi had left the organization, she was still from Yun Shen''s side. It was impossible that Lu Tingxiao did not know this. He might have even questioned Tang Xi''s motivation to enter Glory World Entertainment.

    Meng Zhenhuan looked at the branch leader with a stern face. "Are you sure that you''re not mistaken?"

    After being scolded by Meng Shiyi, and with so many people being suspicious about his words now, he replied timidly, "Well, I''m not really sure¡­"

    Meng Shiyi thought she had it all figured out. She took out her phone. "This idiot must''ve been mistaken! There must be a misunderstanding! I''ll give Lu Jingli a call right now!"

    Meng Shiyi worked in the entertainment industry, so it was normal for her to have Lu Jingli''s number, and Lu Jingli was crystal clear about who Meng Shiyi was.

    Meng Zhenhuan did not stop his daughter. This whole situation was really odd. Even if he had to die, he needed to know the reason why!

    As she called Lu Jingli, Meng Shiyi turned on the loudspeaker.

    After a long wait of ringing, everyone became really high-strung. Finally, a sleepy voice came from the phone.

    "Hello, Second Master! I''m Meng Shiyi! Sorry for bothering you thiste at night! I''ll get straight to the point because of the urgency of the matter. Our gang was raided by Yun Shen tonight. We wanted to request help from CEO Lu. I hope Second Master can help us to pass him the message.

    "In the past few years, the Meng family has been on good terms with the Lu Corporation. I believe CEO Lu won''t abandon us! If there''s any misunderstanding, we can exin¡­" Meng Shiyi swiftly rified the situation.

    There was a short silence. He was probably trying to digest Meng Shiyi''s words as he had just woken up.

    Time ticked by slowly. Everyone was holding their breaths¡­

    After a short while, Lu Jingli''s dumbfounded voice came through the phone. "Are you guys idiots? You sent people to kidnap my sister-inw, and you expect my brother to help you? Why don''t you try something else?"

    Meng Shiyi, Meng Zhenhuan, and all the other gang members were inarticte.

    "Second¡­ Second Master! What do you mean?" Meng Shiyi was shocked.

    "I mean exactly what I said! Xiao Xi Xi is my brother''s woman, my future sister-inw. Do you understand? My brother didn''t take action because of the connection we''ve built through the years. There won''t be any chance for others to do anything¡­" Lu Jingli mumbled in an annoyed tone before he hung up.

    There was a dead silence in the study room.

    Lu Jingli''s words echoed in everyone''s mind. Ning Xi was his future sister-inw. She was Lu Tingxiao''s woman.

    Although it was hard to believe, if it was true, everything now made sense¡­

    It also meant that because of Meng Shiyi''s rashness, the Qing Xuan Gang was doomed. They were done for!

 Chapter 1532: Spoiling

    <h4>Chapter 1532: Spoiling</h4>

    At tinum Pce.

    Ning Xi was reflecting on her actions, about how she worried Lu Tingxiao by not informing him in time, and also¡­ about the girls almost sitting on herp.

    What had happened during the day bothered her as well.

    She nced through the people Yun Shen had brought over. It was a terrifying force as they were the core elites among the organization. Usually, they were scattered all around the world, but currently, all of them had gathered in Imperial.

    That guy had made all the elitese back. What was he trying to do?

    She had a feeling that the guy was trying to pull off something, which was rted to Lu Tingxiao!

    Fortunately, she knew that although Lu Tingxiao was just a businessman, he had immense power in the dark as well. Furthermore, they were on Lu Tingxiao''s turf now, so they could not really do anything at the moment.

    ¡­

    The next day, the little bun was focusing on sticking crystals onto a custom-made hairpin one by one using glue. He looked so adorable when he was focused.

    Only the stic portion of the hairpin that was stepped on before was broken. The crystal decoration was fine, so they just needed to remove the crystals and stick it back onto another hairpin.

    It was often said that focused men were the charming ones, but she felt her little bun was the most charming one of all.

    As expected of her son, he looked so cute even when he was just fixing her hairpin.

    Ning Xi looked at him brightly. "I''m sorry, baby. I''ll be extra careful next time. I''ll never break it again!"

    The little bun was done with thest piece of crystal. He blew at it a little to make it dry. "It''s alright, Mommy. I''ll fix it for you again if that happens."

    "Oh!" Her baby was spoiling her too much!

    After the glue dried off, the pink heart-shaped hairpin looked anew. The little bun put it on Ning Xi''s head and beamed. "Mommy, you look great!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression turned gentle when he saw this heartwarming scene as he was walking downstairs.

    "Sister-inw, good news! Good news! Super good news!" Lu Jingli suddenly ran into the house.

    "What''s the good news?" Ning Xi turned around and asked.

    Lu Jingli held arge stack of documents in his hand and said in excitement, "Sister-inw, you¡­"

    "You''ve been nominated as the Best Female Lead for the Golden Film Awards," Lu Tingxiao finished.

    Lu Jingli was upset. "Hey! How can you do that?! I found out about it quick enough already. Howe you knew about it earlier than I did?! Can''t you let me show off for once?"

    Ning Xi was taken aback. "What¡­?"

    Lu Jingli seized the hesitation as his chance to talk. He handed the documents to Ning Xi. "Your role in ''Dream Chaser'' has been nominated as the Best Female Lead. This is first-hand insider news! It''s all written here! They''ll probably announce this list to the public in three days!"

    Ning Xi scanned through the document, then she saw that "Dream Chaser" had been nominated for two awards: Best Director and Best Female Lead!

    She also saw another familiar name. "The World".

    "''The World'' has been nominated as well?" Ning Xi asked.

    Lu Jingli took a nce. "Seems like it! ''The World'' couldn''t make itst year, so it''s been included in this year''s awards instead! You''re nominated in ''The World'' as well for the Best Female Secondary Lead! I only noticed your Best Female Lead just now and missed out on this one!"

 Chapter 1533: Your Wife Is The Best

    <h4>Chapter 1533: Your Wife Is The Best</h4>

    When Ning Xi saw the words "Best Female Secondary Lead", she felt just as thrilled as when she found out she had been nominated for the Best Female Lead for "Dream Chaser".

    "The World" was her first movie, thus it was sentimental to her. To be nominated in the country''s most prestigious awards ceremony, it was a great affirmation to her past rookie self.

    When she browsed the document further, she saw¡­

    "What the heck?! Ning Xueluo''s lousy acting got her a nomination for Best Female Lead?" Lu Jingli was surprised, then he mumbled, "There must be some hidden deal behind this, or her name might just be included there for the sake of it!"

    After Ning Xi studied the whole list, she realized that Ning Xueluo had two movies that had been nominated for Best Female Lead. One of it was "The World", and the other one was "Mountain".

    It seemed like Ning Xueluo was pushing to redeem herself¡­

    "She''s been nominated for two roles! The judging panel must be blind!" Lu Jingli kept onining.

    Ning Xi stroked her chin and started analyzing, "Ning Xueluo''s performance in ''The World'' was pretty satisfying. It''s within expectation that she''s been nominated as the Best Female Lead for that."

    Even now people were still talking about how Ning Xueluo''s performance in "The World" was the peak of her entire acting career.

    In truth, most of Ning Xueluo''s acting had been a reaction to Ning Xi.

    She could not find the same sense of urgency in theter films. Of course, she could never reach that level of performance again¡­

    Ning Xi paused for a little, then continued, "As for a film like ''Mountain'', because it was aired at the same time as ''Dream Chaser'', they did terribly at the box office and earned only a few million, but this movie never aimed to do well at the box office anyway. It was aimed at winning awards based on the type and theme of the movie. The judging panel likes character development such as the one in the film, so it''s not unexpected that it''s nominated¡­"

    It did not matter whether Ning Xueluo had pulled any strings behind the scenes. There would not be any objections from anyone about these two roles of hers being nominated.

    As for Ning Xi''s "Dream Chaser", which wasbeled as amercial soap drama, it was really unexpected for it to be nominated, and although she performed pretty well in "The World", the Best Female Secondary Lead category was prettypetitive this time. She saw several other strong opponents in the list. It would be difficult for her to win.

    Lu Jingli patted Ning Xi''s shoulder. "Xiao Xi Xi, my guess would be that¡­ Your chances of winning an award are pretty high! You''re really talented after all!"

    Lu Tingxiao interrupted, "Do you really still have to guess?"

    Lu Jingli was speechless. "Fine, fine¡­ We don''t need to guess. Your wife is the best!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at Ning Xi andforted her, "Don''t worry, the Golden Film Award is one of the most highly regarded awards, not only because it''s professional, but it''s also well-known for their fairness. One will need to win an award by merit."

    Even if someone pulled tricks from within, they would never be able to affect the final results.

    Ning Xi was a little nervous since it was her first time being nominated after all, but she felt much better after Lu Tingxiaoforted her.

    "Congrattions for being nominated, Mommy!" The little bunplimented his mother, and he had somehow brought her a bouquet of flowers as well.

    The bouquet was too huge for the little bun. It almost covered his whole body.

    Lu Tingxiao took the bouquet and presented it to Ning Xi. He kissed her forehead and murmured, "Congrattions."

    The two of them¡­ They hade prepared!

    The single Lu Jingli was so jealous of them. He suppressed his pain and took out a car key. "It''s a reward from thepany! I''m giving it to you in advance!"

    "Thank you¡­" Ning Xi gently held the flowers. She was not worried about winning an award at the moment. Warmth flooded her heart.

 Chapter 1534: Companionship Is The Best Confession

    <h4>Chapter 1534: Companionship Is The Best Confession</h4>

    She was reminded of the time when she had clinched the role of Meng Changge. She did not even have a person to share the happiness with back then.

    As she was about to indulge in hotpot alone at home, Lu Tingxiao had dropped by with the little bun suddenly. The father and son pair then congratted her over dinner¡­

    "What''s up?" Lu Tingxiao tousled her hair and asked as he saw Ning Xi was staring nkly into space.

    Ning Xi smiled and shook her head. "Nothing, I just remembered when you first brought the little bun to my house. You were the first person to congratte me back then."

    Without realizing, this man had walked alongside her for this long.

    From being an unknown little artiste until now that she had made a name for herself in her dream career, from what she thought would be impossible, they were now connected through their hearts¡­

    ¡­

    In the next few days, Ning Xi was back to filming and she finished off what was left of "Nine Realms".

    Meng Shiyi looked withered. Even makeup could not cover up her haggard looks, but she was very cooperative until the end. The filming process went on smoothly.

    "Ohh, we''re done!"

    "Congrattions!"

    "Good work everyone!"

    "Oh, I''ll miss everybody!"

    "I''ll really miss everyone here too!"

    ¡­

    After the final scene, everyone cheered and some even cried. The assistant director brought out a cake for the celebration as many people exchanged their contacts and hugged each other, reluctant to leave.

    Even though it was not her first time experiencing this, it was still one of Ning Xi''s happiest moments.

    "Hey! What about me? You only care about the girls!" Jiang Muye''s expression darkened.

    Ning Xi smiled at the prideful blonde. "Thanks for your hard work, Senior Jiang!"

    "Hmph¡­" Jiang Muye''s expression was a little awkward when the girl hugged him tightly. He sighed quietly.

    Maybe he should be d that he had kept the secret, which allowed him to still be by her side, unlike a certain someone else.

    He wondered what Ning Xi had done to Mo Yuxiu, who seemed rather depressedtely. He could imagine all kinds of torturous stuff Ning Xi could have done to him!

    After a while, people started adjourning to the nearby Four Seasons Hotel for dinner together.

    Ning Xi was walking towards the parking lot when she spotted someone waiting for her there.

    It was Meng Shiyi.

    Meng Shiyi shivered like a terrified little animal when she saw her. She did not utter a word. She just bowed and ran away as if some enormous beast was chasing her.

    Back then, a certain beast had gotten ahold of Meng Shiyi and was about to let Ning Xi end her life.

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes and rejected the chance. She did not have a hobby of killing people. She merely said that "Nine Realms" was not done filming yet, then she left.

    Because of her, Meng Shiyi was able to keep her life¡­

    That particr beast had annihted the Qing Xuan Gang in a night. The henchmen all moved over to his gang while most of the higher-ups ended up dead or injured. Meng Zhenhuan was imprisoned. In addition to that, the entertainmentpany Meng Shiyi belonged to went bankrupt and was leveraged.

    After Yun Shen came back, he was supposed to take over the Qing Xuan Gang to control the underground forces anyway, but for some reason, he did not do it for a long time. Her kidnapping became the fuse and triggered this incident to happen earlier than expected

 Chapter 1535: Whoâ€™s Going To Win?

    <h4>Chapter 1535: Who¡¯s Going To Win?</h4>

    Although that guy was pretty annoying sometimes, he was really caring towards hisrades.

    Ning Xi then realized that that guy seemed to still consider her as one of them.

    Meng Shiyi had lost thepany and her powerful background had crumbled overnight as well. She had now be a regr artiste in the industry. It was fortunate that she did not go crazy after such a terrible experience. She would never have the capacity to scheme anything else now.

    Ning Xi was not sympathetic towards Meng Shiyi''s circumstances. It was simply how their world worked, following thew of the jungle.

    She had to bear the consequences of her own behavior. If Meng Shiyi had kidnapped a run-of-the-mill girl that day instead of her, the girl would have probably been dead by now.

    ¡­

    The next day, the nomination list for the 53rd Golden Film Awards was announced.

    Being one of thergest events in the industry, it quickly grabbed everyone''s attention, causing a big ruckus when the list was released.

    The biggest attraction was the double nomination of the Best Female Lead for Ning Xueluo for her role in the films "The World" and "Mountain". Besides that, "Mountain" was also nominated for eight other awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Secondary Female Lead, and others. It became one of the most nominated films this time around and seemed like a popr candidate to win some awards.

    Suddenly, Ning Xueluo''s rating on the Net skyrocketed. Film critics used various ways to tter Ning Xueluo''s performance in the two films. As for Ning Xueluo''s fans who had gone silent because of her wedding incident and the usation of her defaming Ning Xi, all of them were revived with excitement¡­

    "My Xueluo is the best! Two Best Female Lead nominations! Thest time this happened was ten years ago!"

    "An actor''s job is to act well unlike someone who''s always ying tricks to grab the spotlight and rip off others'' poprity! I heard that someone''s been nominated for Best Female Lead as well! She''s nominated for just a stupid romance drama. Is the judging panel blind?!"

    "So what? She''s probably just there as a benchwarmer!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was still a newbie, after all, so suspicions about her nomination for Best Female Lead and Best Secondary Female Lead were not out of the ordinary.

    However, Ning Xi''s current fan base was pretty powerful on their own. They waged an all-out war with Ning Xueluo''s fans and anti-fans. Many fans who knew the ropes analyzed why Ning Xi had been nominated¡­

    "A stupid romance drama? There''s a saying that you only see what you are. Only uncultured people would think that ''Dream Chaser'' is a stupid drama!"

    "Our Bro Xi yed the role of the female lead and the female lead''s brother. She had to act as two different genders! None of the scenes felt odd at all. Everything progressed so smoothly, yet you''re telling me she doesn''t know how to act?"

    "And as for Bro Xi''s role as Meng Changge in ''The World'', from an innocent little girl to a female general that bears her family''s fate, then turns into a cunning princess¡­ She acted out the drastic c changes in the development of the character Meng Changge! That was Ning Xi''s first movie and she was already at that level! Those people who say Bro Xi isn''t capable are blind!"

    ¡­

    In a nutshell, ever since the day the list was announced, the war continued on. Many people even ced bets over the Net, wagering on who would grab the Best Female Lead award.

 Chapter 1536: Warzone of Female Stars

    <h4>Chapter 1536: Warzone of Female Stars</h4>

    Many private casinos started taking bets on the results. While most people betted on Ning Xueluo, Lu Jingli betted arge amount of money on his sister-inw instead.

    At Starlight Entertainment.

    "Sis Xueluo is here!"

    "Congrattions, Sis Xueluo! Both your films have been nominated for Best Female Lead! That''s amazing!"

    "''The World'' received four nominations and ''Mountain'' received eight nominations. I''m pretty sure you''ll win the Best Female Lead award!"

    "Of course! Sis Xueluo only has one opponent after all!"

    ¡­

    She replied everyone''spliments humbly, "I''m not as great as everyone says. They''re just nominations. Moreover, there''re a lot of powerful candidates this time!"

    "Sis Xueluo you''re too humble. ''Mountain'' is the work of Director Feng! He''s a well-known award-winning director. Directors who produce trashmercialized films like Chen Mian cannotpare to him at all!"

    "She''s right! Sis Xueluo will win it for sure, yet the fans of a certain someone are such a joke. They actuallypared thatmercialized film to Xueluo''s film! ''Dream Chaser'' isn''t even worthy of picking up Xueluo''s leftovers!"

    "Someone didn''t just bask in Sis Xueluo''s glory using the mor of the Best Secondary Female Lead from ''The World''. Her fans are even criticizing Xueluo. How shameless!"

    ¡­

    The haze in Ning Xueluo''s mind cleared after she heard the ttery from them and their disgust towards Ning Xi. She smiled. "It''s my treat at Hao Jue tonight. Doe if you''re free!"

    "Surely!"

    "Thank you, Sis Xueluo!"

    ¡­

    After Ning Xueluo left, the artistes earlier gathered again and started gossiping.

    "I believe the fight this time will be tough! But look at her! She''s already acting like she''s already won. I wonder how many people did she pay to get all that ttery online!"

    "The Ning Xi today isn''t the same person as she was when she was still under Chang Li. She has the outlook, the resources, and the capabilities. Both of her movies are of high quality. ''Nine Realms'' that just ended was a big production as well. I think she''ll gain even more poprity soon."

    "After getting several awards, she''ll eventually be the second Leng Manyun. Compared to Su Yimo who always thought that she was thedy boss, Ning Xi is so much more reliable!"

    "The only bad thing about Ning Xi is probably her background. I heard she''s from a rural area and that her household is pretty poor. Her parents are farmers. Compared to Ning Xueluo who''s born in a rich family with a silver spoon, there''s still a gap between them¡­"

    "You don''t have a choice about these sort of things, after all. You can''t do anything about it¡­"

    They sighed together. They were no different from Ning Xi. All of them came from normal families, so they were really jealous and admired people like Ning Xueluo.

    ¡­

    The forum about the Golden Film Awards was rather lively this time around. The poprity of the topic did not dip at all. A monthter, the day of the awards ceremony finally arrived.

    Ning Xi was a little nervous. It was her dream, after all. It was the day to assess the results she had achieved based on her efforts.

    Before the ceremony, there was the usual gunpowder-filled walk on the red carpet, an especially important warzone for the female stars. Everyone would give their all to contend for attention.

    Ning Xi was initially arranged to enter with another female star, but something unexpected happened¡­

 Chapter 1537: Male Companion Needed

    <h4>Chapter 1537: Male Companion Needed</h4>

    A female artiste named Ye Zixuan was a beauty no less attractive than Ning Xi. She had been called a vase as much as she had been called a goddess, and many people liked topare Ning Xi and Ye Zixuan.

    Because Ye Zixuan had been famous for a long time, she had many fans. Her supporters started to berate Ning Xi by saying that she overestimated her capabilities. Of course, there were also many who said that Ning Xi was the new generation surpassing the previous one.

    Even though the two had never interacted directly, because they were constantly beingpared to each other, their rtionship was indeed slightly awkward.

    This time, the organizers had intentionally put the two of them together, probably to create something amusing. After all, there were so many people who wanted to see the two of them in the same frame.

    Ling Zhizhi obviously knew what the organizers were up to. Initially, she wanted to reject it because there would be no damage done if there was noparison. As long as one of their images dropped to a lower level, people would grab the opportunity to m them.

    However, after Ling Zhizhi saw Ning Xi''s red carpet look, she forgot all about it.

    Forget it¡­

    Ning Xi had no opinions about it. Atst, it was actually Ye Zixuan''s end that had a problem. The moment before they were about to walk on the red carpet, they declined to enter with Ning Xi.

    "What?! How can they do that? If you were willing, then say it earlier! You''re just about to reach the entrance when you say you don''t want to enter with our Bro Xi! What a fraud!" Xiao Tao was really annoyed.

    Under usual circumstances, because there was a limited amount of time, everyone would make an entrance at the red carpet with the relevant people ording to their shortlisted films. It would usually be a male and a female, old and young, or a groupbination. Ning Xi and Ye Zixuan were considered a type ofbination. Unless there was a special situation, only award-winning actors and actresses with higher status would enter solo.

    Still, the people from Chen Mian and Guo Qisheng''s side had already gone in. Ning Xi was about to walk the red carpet alone, putting her in a rather awkward situation.

    Right at that moment, a ck car had stopped up front, and Ning Xueluo and Su Yan got down from the car.

    Su Yan led Ning Xueluo by her hand like a gentleman as the two of them walked ahead.

    As one of Starlight Entertainment''srgest shareholders and Ning Xueluo''s husband, it was extremely normal for Su Yan to hold her hand and walk the red carpet.

    In that instant, the shes started to go off. There were never-ending shrieks from fans on both sides of the red carpet.

    Not only was there a problem with Ye Zixuan, unexpectedly the person who walked right before Ning Xi was Ning Xueluo. Now, it was even more awkward¡­

    Ling Zhizhi swiftly made a call. "Jiang Muye, are you arriving soon? Ning Xi needs a malepanion at thest minute! Can you rush over?"

    Jiang Muye was about to walk in alone this time. Initially, Lei Ming had arranged a femalepanion for him, but he had refused no matter what. He was used to doing things his own way anyway and did not care about other people''s opinions of him.

    "What happened? Isn''t Ning Xiao Xi walking with Ye Zixuan?" From behind them came Jiang Muye''s voice. He was still holding onto to the phone he spoke into.

    Ling Zhizhi let out a huge sigh of relief at the sight of him, then she hung up. Thankfully, she managed to get someone to help.

    Jiang Muye was talking when he caught a glimpse of Ning Xi in the car from the corner of his eye. It was only a vague peek of her side profile, but he was instantly stunned. "No wonder¡­"

    He suddenly understood very well why Ye Zixuan had turned back on her words at thest minute. She had probably secretly found out about Ning Xi''s look for the night!

    This brat! Today she had really been possessed by a witch. Which woman would be willing to walk in with her?! They probably had brain damage!

 Chapter 1538: A Big Cut Above The Rest

    <h4>Chapter 1538: A Big Cut Above The Rest</h4>

    However, the number of men who would have loved to walk with Ning Xi would be enough to form a long queue.

    He did not mind. In fact, as a normal man, he was pretty happy to do so¡­

    His assistant was getting smarter. She knew to look for him in case of an emergency!

    On the stage.

    "Ms. Ning and Mr. Su are really the perfect couple. What more can you expect from our role model married couple? All of us here wish you a happy marriage and that you''ll hopefully get a baby soon! We also wish that Xueluo will be able to win the award tonight, making achievements in both your love life and career. Alright, let''s wee them in!"

    Although it was just Ning Xueluo and Su Yan, they took quite some time on the red carpet. After all, she was one of the popr candidates. In addition to being a popr ship with a powerful background, the hosts spared nothing, raining praises over them before they then turned towards the following people entering.

    The two hosts had been informed that Ning Xi and Ye Zixuan were going toe in separately, but they did not know if it was Ning Xi who had rejected to do so, or Ye Zixuan who had requested it¡­

    Under everyone''s gaze, a ck car slowly stopped at the end of the red carpet. A pair of glittering high heels full of diamontes stepped out. Then came a long, fair leg¡­

    As the door fully opened and Ning Xi came out of the car, the whole arena hushed and all chatter stopped.

    After a few seconds, the cameramen started taking pictures one after another. shes exploded everywhere as the fans on both sides of the red carpet screamed their lungs out.

    "Ah! Bro Xi, Bro Xi, Bro Xi!"

    "Goddess, please marry me!"

    "Marry me, Bro Xi! I want to bear your kids!"

    ¡­

    The girl''s perfect facial features seemed as if God had created her personall. Her skin was glowing even under the dark sky. Her dark hair was like seaweed and she was wearing a red dress tonight. The dress looked like it had been intentionally burnt. There were a lot of golden caramel burn marks on the dress, presenting an irregr shape.

    A lot of people recognized it. Ning Xi''s dress tonight was designed by the legendary designer who had won the Golden Top Awards at his inaugural attempt. This piece of work was called "Nirvana Reincarnation".

    This red dress was one of the ssics in the line and many female stars, including Qin Shengyue, had worn it before, but none of them were able to pull off the impact like Ning Xi did.

    Ning Xi''s aura was like a reborn phoenix, giving people a strong visual impact and perfectly matching the theme of this dress.

    All of them knew that Ning Xi could dress in female outfits as impressively as she did in male outfits. They also knew that Ning Xi''s outlook was always marvelous, but they did not expect her to be this breathtaking. Everything else besides her paled inparison.

    Everyone was thinking about the same thing at the moment: what a big cut above the rest!

    ¡­

    At the same time, in a high-ss apartment.

    Gong Shangze, Qiao Wen, and Han Momo were watching the live stream of the awards ceremony that night.

    When Ning Xi appeared, Gong Shangze''s eyes lit up, then he teared.

    He had actually suggested that Ning Xi pick one of the two brand treasures, so he had assumed she would have them as her first choices.

    Then again, unexpectedly, Ning Xi had selected this dress without a doubt.

    She selected this piece that was aplete original. The very same piece that helped him to get back on track to pursue his dreams, Nirvana Reincarnation¡­

 Chapter 1539: Stand Out Even More

    <h4>Chapter 1539: Stand Out Even More</h4>

    The two hosts on stage looked at each other the moment Ning Xi appeared. They were both thinking about the same thing.

    No wonder Ye Zixuan did not want to stand beside Ning Xi!

    Surely it could not have been Ning Xi''s request. Ye Zixuan must have been the one who refused to walk with her.

    Not just Ye Zixuan, no woman present would want to walk beside her. They would just feel humiliated!

    Ning Xueluo slowed down intentionally just to look at Ning Xi who wasing right behind her. She wanted to see the woman''s expression when she saw her and Su Yan together, but she did not expect that she would attract everyone''s attention with just her face alon. She stood out much more than Ning Xueluo''s appearance just now¡­

    This witch! She was definitely a vixen!

    Su Yan looked distracted beside her. Although he was stunned like the others, when he saw the passionate gazes of the other men on her, he had an indescribable feeling welling up inside him.

    The little girl back then had now be a morous and gorgeous celebrity¡­

    And the first love of this girl that was able to make every man go crazy, the person she had liked for the very first time was him.

    She had once loved and admired him, and had been willing to sacrifice everything for him.

    As he thought about this, his eyes were fired up. He felt an odd sense of fulfillment, but the next second, for some reason he felt down¡­

    ¡­

    Naturally, Ning Xueluo noticed Su Yan''s line of sight. She looked at him with a far-fetched expression and spoke in a slightly disappointed tone, "Bro Yan, Sis looks really gorgeous today. She''s definitely a cut above all the female stars present tonight!"

    Su Yan nodded absent-mindedly. "Mmm, she''s pretty."

    If it what been some time back then, he might have still been considerate about Ning Xueluo''s feelings andfort her with some words, but now, he could not say anything that contradicted with what he truly thought.

    Ning Xueluo choked back her fury. Her fingernails dug into her palm as she clenched them tightly.

    She gritted her teeth and red at Ning Xi again with a dark expression. Ning Xi came out of the car alone and no one was beside her. Ye Zixuan was supposed to make her entrance with Ning Xi, but it seemed like Ye Zixuan would not be appearing.

    With her standing out so much tonight, she would face the bacshter!

    On Ning Xi''s side, Ling Zhizhi had already told Jiang Muye about the situation.

    After Ning Xi got down from the car, she waited for Jiang Muye''s car which was behind hers as she straightened her dress. At the same time, the photographers and her fans were yelling at her.

    "Look over here, Bro Xi!"

    "Look at me, my goddess!".

    She heard the sound of solid footsteps closing in. Ning Xi turned around and was about to enter with Jiang Muye, but she was taken aback the next second.

    The man unexpectedly went up to her and helped her with her dress. Then, he stood beside her and signalled her to hold onto his arm.

    "Dar-¡­" Ning Xi was surprised by who it was.

    Darling?

    He had a face that could steal the shine away from the stars, emitting a powerful aura like that of a cold and aloof nobleman from the olden days. Everything he did was elegant. Every picture he was in looked like a fashion image. He appeared far more outstanding than every male star at the event. Who else would it be aside from Lu Tingxiao!?

    "Why are you here?" Ning Xi asked quietly.

    "Don''t you need a partner?" Lu Tingxiao asked her back without any expression. He carried the attitude as if he was expected to be there.

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched.

    needed a male partner was because walking the red carpet alone would stand out too much, but if you being my partner will make me stand out even more!

 Chapter 1540: Weâ€™re In The Same Boat

    <h4>Chapter 1540: We¡¯re In The Same Boat</h4>

    Nevertheless, Lu Tingxiao was looking absolutely ravishing today!

    Before this charm of his, she could not think of anything to reject him! What a tragedy!

    After a painful internal struggle, Ning Xi held onto Lu Tingxiao''s arm.

    She could push all the responsibilities to Ye Zixuanter. It was her fault for declining at thest minute anyway. She could just say that Lu Tingxiao was there to help her out.

    Ning Xi found herself a perfect excuse to cover up the fact that she had fallen for his charm.

    The moment Ning Xi held onto Lu Tingxiao''s arm and stepped onto the red carpet, the media, invited guests, and the surrounding fans all went crazy!

    "Ah, oh my God! Who''s that?! Who''s the partner Bro Xi is with now? Why haven''t I ever seen him before?!"

    "It''s impossible for a wolf like me to miss out on something so juicy. He''s not an artiste. He''s probably the boss of somepany or someone at the management level." Because of the two of them, the scene turned chaotic.

    Some people in the industry, who knew Lu Tingxiao, could not believe it. "Wow! Am I mistaken? Ning Xi''s male partner¡­ is¡­ is Lu Tingxiao?"

    Several artistes from Glory World Entertainment were really excited too. "Oh my gosh! Bro Xi is not just drop dead gorgeous. Even the Boss is here to please our eyes!"

    "Thisbo from ourpany can bebeled as the strongest in history! Amazing! Starlight Entertainment must be startled now! Let''s see if they''ll continue using their artiste''s attractiveness as their main selling point! Our artistes are so much better looking than theirs!"

    ¡­

    One was a zing fire while the other one was a calm mystery as they strolled in together.

    It was just a short walk on the red carpet, but it felt like they were walking down a wedding aisle, almost blinding everyone''s eyes.

    A blonde behind them almost puked blood¡­

    Did he just cut my line? And damn you, Ning Xiao Xi, you just went away with him like that!

    Lu Jingli patted his nephew''s shoulder sympathetically. "We''re in the same boat. Don''t be sad, you have me with you!"

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    Who''d want to be with you!?

    When Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao finally reached the autograph wall, the two stunned hosts came back to their senses.

    They looked at each other awkwardly, recalling how they had praised Su Yan and Ning Xueluo as the ultimate couple, and how they were the best looking ones around¡­

    They could notpare to these two at all!

    "Wee, Bro Xi! Oh no, tonight you should be Goddess Xi! Wee, Goddess Xi and CEO Lu! Both of you look really attractive tonight!"

    "That''s right, the sight of the both of you is really pleasing to the eyes!"

    ¡­

    Su Yan looked at the man beside Ning Xi from the entrance, his face turning pale.

    Even though it was normal for Lu Tingxiao to be with a popr artiste since he was the big boss of Glory World Entertainment, he felt gloomy and frustrated when he saw Ning Xi hold onto this man. A crazy thought even crossed his mind. If only the man beside Ning Xi right now was him¡­

    After sending off the couple, the other pair behind was pretty attention-grabbing as well.

    Lu Jingli wrapped his arm around a reluctant Jiang Muye''s shoulder as he dragged him up the red carpet.

    One of them smiled like a blooming flower as the other looked disgruntled and impatient. The fujoshi spirit within the fans was awakened¡­

 Chapter 1541: Stars of The Night

    <h4>Chapter 1541: Stars of The Night</h4>

    After two hours, the red carpet appearance ended.

    The exciting award ceremony had finally begun!

    The Golden Film Awards was regarded as the Oscars of the Chinese filmmunity. Anyone who was into films would know that it was the highest honor for Chinese films to be nominated for the award. This award was a huge aplishment and attestation to the production of films and the capabilities of actors. Song Lin, Leng Manyun, Zhao Sizhou, Fang Xiaowen, Meng Shiyi¡­ All the big shots had received this award before.

    Frankly, the Golden Film Awards also indicated one''s status.

    The Golden Film Awards was regarded highly all because of its fairness. The whole judging process was done in secret. All the nominated artistes were nervous.

    Ning Xueluo was also rather jittery. Even after investing so much effort, she only managed to receive the nomination list slightly earlier from Chang Li. To build more interest around the film "Mountain", she had slipped it into several other unimportant nominations, but in the end, she still would not know the final results.

    However, she had actually been nominated for the two roles because of her own capability. She became the top candidate to win the award and her chances were quite high.

    She was the center of the attention the whole night and was projected on the big screen most of the time.

    Ning Xueluo sat there with her impably perfect posture as she put on a smile. She nced at Ning Xi nearby andughed at her deep down inside. "This is the Golden Film Awards ceremony. It''s not a ce that you can win by just unting yourself. You still need the capability to speak for yourself!"

    If she won the award, all her previous negative news would be washed away.

    Furthermore, the issues from the Tang family had now been taken care of as well.

    She had sent someone to investigate. The Tangs had tried to seek help everywhere. They were naive enough to think they would be able to change the selected university but of course, they had failed and could do nothing else.

    Everything had gone ording to her n.

    People from the Tangs had no power at all. They could just suck it up. The rted organizations would not care enough to go through all the trouble just to help them!

    Sun Lan had even given her a call after that, asking if she knew anything about Tang Nuo''s first choice university being changed. She was probably trying to ask her for a favor, so Ning Xueluo had replied impatiently and hung up.

    She could never ever be held back by these people, by her family!

    All the celebrities were gathered off the stage.

    In the middle row, the crew from "Mountain", "The World", and "Dream Chaser" were seated.

    The pretty hostess for the night, He Jiaying, went up the stage gracefully.

    "Dear guests and audiences from all over the world, I''m your host for tonight, He Jiaying! Wee to the 53rd Golden Film Awards ceremony¡­"

    After her wee address, the crowd gave her a round of apuse.

    After a short while, it was time for the award presentation.

    "Up next, we''ll be presenting the Best Visual Effects Award. As everyone knows, this award signifies the movie''s post-production quality, which is one of the most important aspects of movie production. Now, let''s look at the nominated works¡­"

    After the first few awards, there was a singing performance by an invited guest. Soon after a short interval, the ceremony reached its tiny climax.

    He Jiaying gushed with excitement, "The next award we''re presenting is¡­ Best Female Secondary Lead!"

 Chapter 1542: His Pride

    <h4>Chapter 1542: His Pride</h4>

    There was a huge round of apuse!

    The cameras screened through the five nominated candidates, who were then disyed live in the same frame on the big screen, showing everyone''s expression.

    Ning Xi was right in the middle.

    She pped along with the crowd as she appeared very nervous. Of course, the other candidates looked just as anxious as well.

    Ning Xueluo sat back in her seat and watched Ning Xi''s nervous expression on the big screen. She was sneering at her deep inside. It was just an award for the Best Female Secondary Lead, and was nothing worthy to be nervous of.

    On the big screen, they started ying short snippets of the nominated films as introductions were heard. "Wu Yan in ''I Have A Secret'', Liu Jingjing in ''Tenant'', Qin Cailin in ''Cafe No.8''¡­ Ning Xi in ''The World''¡­"

    Thest one showed a video of Ning Xi acting as Meng Changge in "The World". The organizers had taken the most iconic part of the movie. Ning Xi was holding onto the dead Sun Huanqing as she stared nkly at the Chang An pce, blood leaking out from the corner of her mouth. In that one nce, she had transformed herself from a general into an enchantress.

    The crowd could feel the huge impact through the screen. Ning Xi''s performance packed a lot of punch!

    Amateurs and anti-fans loved to criticize that Ning Xi only had looks, but the professionals were really impressed by the girl''s acting. It seemed like another miracle had been born into the industry.

    "Dear friends, now I''m going to reveal it. The 53rd Golden Film Awards Best Female Secondary Lead goes to¡­"

    Apanying the host''s voice, the camera swiftly went through the five nominees. Finally, the five of them were all shown together in the same frame.

    Because the five candidates were shown next to each other, the camera did not capture Jiang Muye who was beside Ning Xi.

    That guy looked down at Ning Xi''s sped fingers as he mumbled, "Why are you so nervous?"

    Ning Xi wanted to re at him, but the camera was aiming at her at that moment, so she had to keep up her image.

    "The 53rd Golden Film Awards Best Female Secondary Lead winner goes to¡­ Ning Xi!"

    As the host finished her sentence, everyone swiveled to Ning Xi''s direction and pped thunderously.

    "I told you that you don''t have to be so nervous. Be more confident. You''re someone who''s going to grab all the awards in the future!" As Jiang Muye was still mumbling, Ning Xi hugged him tightly.

    Before Jiang Muye could react, Ning Xi had already let go of him and was hugging Guo Qisheng and some other crew members.

    "Ning Xi was nominated as the Best Female Secondary Lead for her role in ''The World''. She acted as Meng Changge and performed multipleyers of characters¡­"

    As the host was exining why she deserved the award, Ning Xi was being congratted by friends around. She prepared herself to go up on stage.

    Jiang Muye looked at the girl on stage with a hollow feeling in his chest, but he felt quite proud. She was his partner in the movie! He had yed a part in her winning this award!

    The host stood aside and handed the stage over to Ning Xi.

    Lu Tingxiao sat in the first row at the moment. Although he was pretty far away from Ning Xi and they almost missed each other earlier, as Ning Xi stood on stage now, they were really close to each other.

    The man kept on pping, his eyes locked on her. He looked so proud. Even if it was just an award for Best Female Secondary Lead, he felt like she had done something extremely incredible.

 Chapter 1543: Thank You To My Boss

    <h4>Chapter 1543: Thank You To My Boss</h4>

    Ning Xi took a deep breath as she stood in front of the microphone and started to give her speech. "''The World'' is the first ever movie I''ve ever acted in. It has a very special meaning to me, so here today, I''d like to thank the Golden Film Awards. I want to thank the judging panel for giving me this affirmation. I want to thank my director, Mr. Guo Qisheng, for giving me this opportunity. Thanks to my partner, Jiang Muye¡­"

    Ning Xi had very few people to thank for this movie. She had been framed by Ning Xueluo, chased out of herpany, and was even isted without any help. It had been one of her most difficult times¡­

    Jiang Muye looked so overjoyed when he heard his name. That girl still had gratitude for him after all! He had actually broken his cardinal rule and acted in a non-leading role. He had made such a huge sacrifice to act as Sun Huanqing! Although, at that time, the rumor had almost gotten him killed by her¡­

    "In the end, I''d like to thank¡­" Ning Xi paused as she looked at the middle of the first row. "Thank you to my boss, Mr. Lu. Without him, I wouldn''t be here today. Thank you for the trust you put in me¡­"

    The camera focused on Lu Jingli. Everyone knew that Ning Xi had been handpicked by Lu Jingli and it had been hot news at that time.

    The smiling Lu Jingli understood perfectly¡­ That damned Xiao Xi Xi''s gratitude was not directed towards him, but his brother instead!

    "Acting is my dream. It was also a form of responsibility towards the people who trust and love me. I''ll do my best for the people who understand me!" Ning Xi ended her speech.

    The crowd gave her a big round of apuse. Her speech provided many people with a positive impression, proving that not only was her acting solid but that she also had a high emotional quotient too.

    Ning Xueluo kept her smile on as she pped along with the crowd. She looked at Ning Xi who stood out at the moment.

    Damn it¡­

    She had actually won the Best Female Secondary Lead!

    After receiving the Best Female Secondary Lead award, she would still get jobs anyway even if she performed worseter on. Most importantly, winning this award was a strong counter towards the people who criticized her for only having pretty looks.

    Ning Xueluo took a deep breath and swallowed her displeasure.

    It was just an award for Best Female Secondary Lead. Oh, right, she would always just be a secondary character -- forever and ever a secondary character!

    Only she would be the eternal main character¡­

    The ceremony continued.

    Moving on, "The World" received the Best Action Design award. The other award winners were announced as well. Everyone reacted warmly to the most nominated "Mountain" receiving the Best Original Screeny award. Apparently, most people thought that it deserved this award.

    With such a ster screeny, it might even be possible tond a spot in one of the four international movie festivals. Qi Feng hade here with that ambitious goal.

    As for "Dream Chaser", it was a small production after all, and it was not an original story. They did not have enough budget to hire top quality staff, so of course, they would miss out with awards that required arge budget such as "Best Film", "Best Visual Effects", and "Best Art Design". They were only nominated for "Best Director" and "Best Female Lead".

    The Best Male Lead award was won by an experienced actor who had been nominated six times. Then, finally, they came to the secondst award, which was also one of the most important awards, the Best Director award.

 Chapter 1544: Unexpected But Reasonable

    <h4>Chapter 1544: Unexpected But Reasonable</h4>

    The nominated films included "Mountain", "The World", and "Dream Chaser". The other two nominated works were a science fiction movie and an action movie.

    The five directors appeared on the big screen: Qi Feng, Guo Qisheng, Chen Mian, Xie Yilei, and Qiao Yan.

    Not just the directors, even the main casts were nervous. It was a matter of glory!

    Ning Xueluo took a deep breath to soothe her worries. It did not matter if Guo Qisheng or Qi Feng received the award, but¡­ Please, not Chen Mian, please!

    Jiang Muye was on Ning Xi''s left, and next to him was Guo Qisheng. Chen Mian was on Ning Xi''s right.

    Qi Feng was seated a row in front, diagonally across Chen Mian.

    Among them, Qi Feng had received the most awards before. He had been nominated inrge-scale movie festivals numerous times and had even received the Golden Feather Award from one of the four big movie festivals, the Lorraine Movie Festival. He had also received two Golden Film Awards before. In addition to that, he had raised countless famous artistes. Ning Xueluo was willing enough to cast in his movie without any pay and she evenpromised with all his requests, even acting in challenging, unpleasant scenes in the movie.

    With so much prior experience, Qi Feng was the calmest one there. Guo Qisheng put on his usual smile. He usually took on the route ofmercialized films anyway, so being nominated was a good enough reward for him.

    As for Chen Mian, he had told her before that he did not have much chance of winning the award. Although his nomination signified that there were people in the judging panel who admired his work, most judges in the panel would still prefer melodrama and it was difficult for their movie to appeal to their preferences.

    A foreign director had been invited as a guest to present the award. He spoke in less than fluent Chinese, "Moving on, I''ll be revealing the winner of the Best Director award¡­"

    Everyone was patiently waiting for the results.

    This award was important because the Best Director award was usually a significant predictor for the Best Female Lead award. Most of the time, the same film would receive both awards together.

    "The Best Director award this time goes to¡­ Guo Qisheng!"

    Guo Qisheng was pretty popr in the industry. Everyone pped and cheered for him, and people started congratting him.

    Guo Qisheng was a little surprised when he heard his own name. He then stood up and thanked the people around him.

    Guo Qisheng''s victory this time was unexpected but reasonable. He had all the conditions in favor of him -- good screeny, sufficient budget, and quality actors.

    Ning Xueluo was thrilled. She stood up and was about to give Guo Qisheng a hug.

    However, Guo Qisheng turned towards Ning Xi and hugged her first instead.

    Ning Xueluo seemed a tad upset. Not only did he not reach out to her, the female lead first. What was he trying to express by going to the female secondary lead first?

    Ning Xi sat nearer to Guo Qisheng anyway, so it made sense that Guo Qisheng had approached the nearest person first.

    Guo Qisheng then hugged the main casts, Ning Xueluo, Zhao Sizhou, and some other core members.

    Chen Mian smiled and congratted Guo Qisheng. No one knew what Qi Feng''s expression was like at the moment¡­

    On the stage, Guo Qisheng went by the book and thanked everyone for receiving this award.

    As he was about to leave, the host asked him something to liven up the ceremony. "Director Guo, can you give us your prediction about who''ll be the Best Female Lead? Speaking of which, Xueluo has two nominations this time. Do you think ''The World'' or ''Mountain'' has a better chance of winning?"

 Chapter 1545: Gave It Her All

    <h4>Chapter 1545: Gave It Her All</h4>

    It was really a difficult question, yet the hostess always loved to ask this sort of question. Because of the unique situation, it was a tough one to answer.

    Was his "The World" better, or was Qi Feng''s "Mountain" better?

    How was he supposed to answer this?

    Guo Qisheng smiled and pushed the question back skillfully to the hostess by bringing up another topic¡­

    ¡­

    After the Best Director award, there was only onest award left. It was the Best Female Lead, the award that received the most attention this time around!

    It was pretty obvious because the attendees, who were tired after the long ceremony, suddenly looked refreshed and focused.

    "Thank you to our guest, and congrattions to the winner! Next up, we have our guests, Jiang Xingzhou, Song Lin!"

    The guests themselves were exciting enough to the audience!

    One was a respectable international director while the other one, Song Lin, was a record keeper!

    Jiang Xingzhou greeted, "Good evening."

    Jiang Xingzhou wore a ck suit tonight. He looked courteous and friendly, but anyone who had worked with him before knew that he was a totally different person when filming. He was so strict that some artistes required counseling after they worked with him and many people had experienced it before.

    However, there were still a lot of people who wanted to work with him because almost every one of his films received an award. Still, his auditions were extremely tough and most people failed at the very first stage.

    Song Lin greeted, "Good evening, everyone! I''d like to thank the organizers for inviting me to present this award¡­"

    Song Lin wore a white dress tonight and looked resplendent. At just the age of 35, she gathered the three best awards an actress could have ever received in the Chinese filmmunity: the Golden Film Awards, Golden Phoenix Awards, and the Golden Deer Awards. Including awards from the Asian region, she had 12 awards in total at the moment. She was also the youngest award holder in the country and had even been nominated in the Golden Ball Awards, which was known to be a great predictor of Oscar winners. She was definitely one of the notable icons of China.

    After the greetings and some small talk, the big screen started ying the videos.

    Xu Jiaojiao in "Canoe".

    Luo Qi in "Alice''s Mirror".

    Ning Xueluo in "The World".

    The scene they took from "The World" was when Ning Xueluo looked back at the male lead and smiled under that pear tree.

    The next one was Ning Xi in "Dream Chaser".

    The opening sequence of "Dream Chaser" yed. It was the scene of the banquet where Ning Xi was in a male outfit and she smiled as she whispered to Chen Hanchen. A loud cheer rose from the crowd.

    Finally, they reached thest nominated film. Ning Xueluo''s name appeared on the big screen once again together with "Mountain".

    The video of "Mountain" formed a great contrast with the beautiful and luxurious environment of "Dream Chaser". In the background, there were miles of dested ground with short houses. Ning Xueluo yed a ruraldy, who was speaking with a rarely used dialect. Even she was nearly unrecognizable to herself. She had given it her all in order to win the award this time. If it were back then, Ning Xueluo would have never agreed to take on a role like this.

    The crowd gave them another round of apuse after the video ended.

    Ning Xueluo put up a humble smile for the camera aiming at her.

 Chapter 1546: This Is The Best Female Lead Award

    <h4>Chapter 1546: This Is The Best Female Lead Award</h4>

    A person in the industry, who sat beside Guo Qisheng, mumbled, "The film industry''s getting worse and worse every year. Out of so many actresses, they picked Luo Qi. It''s so obvious that they are using her to just fill up the spot, but Xu Jiaojiao''s film is quite interesting¡­

    "As for ''The World'', although Ning Xueluo performed really well, with Ning Xi as Meng Changge in it she might not stand out much¡­

    "If we''re only looking at ''Dream Chaser'' and ''Mountain'', Ning Xueluo really gave it her all and threw away her pride this time around, and it was obvious that ''Mountain'' suits the judging panel''s taste more? What do you think, Guo?"

    Guo Qisheng smiled. "It doesn''t matter what I think. The point is what the judges think!"

    The person sulked, "Not only did you avoid the question from the hostess, you''re not even being truthful with me now?"

    Guo Qisheng looked at the person helplessly and just replied, "This is the Best Female Lead award."

    "Huh? What do you mean?"

    Before the person managed to understand what he meant, on the stage, the two guests were ready to announce the winner.

    Jiang Xingzhou and Song Lin tried to let each other announce the winner. In the end, Song Lin passed the envelope to Jiang Xingzhou to let him do the job.

    Jiang Xingzhou then opened the envelope and spoke into the microphone slowly, "Then, let me announce the winner¡­"

    With the sound of drums rolling in the background, suspense filled everyone''s hearts. The camera scanned through all the guests, Guo Qisheng, Qi Feng, Chen Mian, Su Yan, Lu Jingli, Lu Tingxiao¡­

    In the end, the faces of the four nominated candidates were showed on the screen.

    Everyone was nervous while waiting for the final results. Aside from the nominated candidates and the guests, there was also the audience in front of their televisions at home.

    Gong Shangze, Qiao Wen, Han Momo, the Zhuang family, Ning Tianxin, Annie, Tang Nuo¡­ All of them were watching the live stream closely.

    "The Best Female Lead of the 53rd Golden Film Awards goes to¡­ Ning¡­"

    When they heard the word "Ning", Luo Qi, and Xu Jiaojiao obviously looked a little down. Inparison, Ning Xueluo''s eyes brightened. Her manager and some staff were not able to suppress their emotions. Some were even about to hug her and congratte her¡­

    "Ning Xi!"

    The next moment that Jiang Xingzhou''s voice echoed throughout the whole hall, the name lingered in everyone''s ears. It was Ning Xi!

    After about a second of silence, the crew of "Dream Chaser" screamed in excitement. Ji Yumeng hopped onto Ning Xi from the back. "Bro Xi! Congrattions!"

    Only then did Ning Xie back to her senses. She hugged everyone who congratted her.

    The crowd stood up and cheered.

    "Ning Xi showed us her exquisite acting technique through ying the double roles of Ji Feixue and Ji Feibai. She acted as both genders and illustrated the colorful inner world of the characters¡­ Let''s wee our Best Female Lead of the year!" The host invited her on stage warmly.

    Maybe it was on purpose but the camera was aimed at Ning Xueluo. She almost did not manage to hide her upset face in time but she pped the moment she saw her face was on the big screen. She acted to be apuding generously, but she still looked a little reluctant.

 Chapter 1547: The Soul of A Film

    <h4>Chapter 1547: The Soul of A Film</h4>

    When the director of "Mountain", Qi Feng, saw the results, he looked like he had been expecting this all along.

    In the end, the Best Female Lead award still came down to the acting skills of the female leads.

    No matter how amazing the screeny of "Mountain" was, even if the judges really liked it, it could not change the fact that Ning Xueluo''s acting was not able to touch their hearts.

    The fact that they had received the Best Screeny award was a huge irony. Despite such solid screeny, he could not live up to its standards¡­

    As time went on, arthouse films got less and less popr. Even with directors like him, a lot of them would give in and invite some young and rising stars, ending up with some cliche-filled melodramatic movies.

    Even he was not spared. He insisted on honoring the original screeny. He understood that Ning Xueluo''s acting was not able to provide him with the effect he wanted, but in the end, he gave in to her high poprity. Moreover, not only did she invest arge sum, she had also agreed to star in his movie without any pay. The conditions she offered were too difficult for him to reject.

    As for Chen Mian, for him to be able to produce a movie like "Dream Chaser" under such a harsh environment with fairly new artistes, so his courage was something worthy of praise.

    Of course, he felt more envious towards him, envious that he was able to meet an actress like Ning Xi.

    It was safe to assume that without Ning Xi, "Dream Chaser" would cease to exist; even if it did exist without her, it would be just another average film.

    In a nutshell, the actors were the soul of a film.

    It was Ning Xi''s second time on stage tonight. She bowed as she received the trophy from Song Lin, then she stood in front of the microphone, bing the center of attention of everyone at the scene and in front of the television.

    Ning Xi was still a little absent-minded while she stood on the stage with the trophy in her hands. She reflected back on five years ago when she could not even see a beam of light in her future to finally being on stage with the award. Moreover, it was her role model, Song Lin, who presented her with the award.

    She had finally escaped hell and started a new life.

    All of this felt like a dream to her. Floating on the soft clouds, it did not feel real.

    Ning Xi stood there in silence but no one urged her. Everyone just looked at the girl on stage quietly.

    Inparison to her powerful entrance, the girl lookedposed at the moment. She was so quiet and beautiful that no one wanted to disturb her.

    In an old mansion in Imperial.

    The man with white hair sat in front of the huge television. He tilted his head sideways and looked at the girl on stage. "She left because of this?"

    Tang Ye spoke to him, "Everyone has their own determination and goals. It might not be worth anything to others but it might mean everything to them."

    The man frowned but his eyes were locked on the girl. He did not understand it before but the moment he saw the girl receive the trophy, he suddenly understood¡­

    After a short silence on the stage, the girl looked up with her slightly teary eyes and spoke slowly, "I''m very excited and very honored to receive this award. What makes me really happy is that my favorite idol presented me with this award!"

    The crowd chuckled and Song Lin smiled as well. The girl was full of enthusiasm and integrity. No one doubted if she had any other intentions. Instead, they were touched by her straightforwardness.

 Chapter 1548: For The Person I Love

    <h4>Chapter 1548: For The Person I Love</h4>

    "For me to be able to receive this award, I need to thank a lot more people. Thanks to my crew, thanks to the director, thanks to my manager, and every fan that has supported me. I also want to thank the person who supported me in my darkest, toughest time, and times when I almost wanted to give up.

    "If Meng Changge was the start of my dream, then Ji Feibai is the first station that I reached sessfully. I still have a long way to go, a very long way. I''ll never forget my aspirations and will give it my all to continue on this path!"

    Ning Xi paused for a bit, then she looked somewhere in the crowd with her passionate gaze. She continued, "For my dreams and for the person I love!"

    The crowd gave her a big round of apuse as she ended her speech.

    With the song "Stubbornness" ying in the background, the Golden Film Awards officially ended.

    "When I''m different from the world, then let me be different.

    I''m my own God in the ce I lived;

    Me and my proud stubbornness, I sing out loud amidst the wind.

    I''m going crazy for myself this time.

    Yes, those who love me. don''t be nervous; my stubbornness is kind

    You didn''t care about my past and saw my wings.

    You said that only after being burnt, then only a phoenix could be born

    A headwind is more suited to soar."

    ¡­

    At this moment, the entrance was flooded with journalists. People surrounded the artistes the moment they left the hall.

    "Director Feng, ''Mountain'' received eight nominations this time but only managed to win the Best Screeny award. What do you think?"

    "Director Feng, do you feel regret that you missed out on the Best Director award?"

    Qi Feng went forward in silence without any intentions of answering any questions.

    The journalist would not let him get away this easily. "Director Feng, what do you think about the Best Female Lead winner this time?"

    "Director Feng, please don''t go yet!"

    "Director Feng, say something, please!"

    ¡­

    Amidst the chaotic crowd, Qi Feng suddenly stopped. He looked at the journalists quietly, then he said, "She deserved it."

    Everyone and the journalists were taken aback. After that, they were in an uproar.

    Qi Feng had actually said Ning Xi deserved the award?

    It was apparent that no one expected the other director candidate to regard her this highly. Everyone was also impressed by Director Feng''s generosity. He was able to reply them with this feedback under such high pressure.

    When Ning Xueluo heard what he said, her face turned green.

    Before she could recover from her emotions, the journalists surrounded her when they saw her. She had nowhere to go.

    Of course, it was not because she stood out tonight. It was because¡­ She had be such an embarrassment!

    Ning Xueluo was the top favorite this time, yet in the end, she received nothing and disappointed a lot of people. It was already embarrassing enough and her director had just stepped on her further by indirectly saying that Ning Xi''s acting was better than hers.

    What did it signify when "Mountain" was nominated for eight awards but only managed to win one?

    "The World" received four nominations: Best Action, Best Director, Best Female Secondary Lead, and only the Best Female Lead did not manage to win. Again, what did this say about the situation?

    Even a blind amateur could tell¡­

    "Xueluo, you had the best chance this time around, but you''ve lost. Just now, Director Feng said Ning Xi deserved the award. Can you tell us what you think?"

    "''Mountain'' only managed to win the Best Screeny award. Does it mean that you weren''t able to bring out the best of it?"

    "As everyone knows, you were trying to change your style with this film. Now that you''ve failed, what are your future ns?"

 Chapter 1549: She Would Not Allow This

    <h4>Chapter 1549: She Would Not Allow This</h4>

    The journalists'' questions were increasingly explosive to the point that someone even asked her, "How do you feel to be defeated by a junior who was in the samepany as you?"

    Even Ning Xueluo''s manager, Chang Li, could not escape. She had been asked quite a few questions that made her feel like burrowing her head in the ground.

    After all, she had chased away this award-winning actress, Ning Xi.

    "Miss Chang, back then, when yourpany ended the contract with Ning Xi, did you ever think that Ning Xi would have such potential?"

    "Miss Chang, have you regretted your decision in the past?"

    ¡­

    "Everyone, please make way. Please make way. Thank you, everyone, for your concern towards Xueluo. Later on, we''ll arrange for an interview with everyone to gather the answers to all your questions!" Chang Li and Su Yan both shielded Ning Xueluo and tried to get through the crowd.

    "Mr. Su, regarding Ms. Ning''s painful loss in the Golden Film Awards, what do you have to say about that?" The journalists started to train the awkwardness at Su Yan.

    Under the journalist''s jostling, Su Yan frowned, then he said, "Xueluo will forever be the best female lead in my heart."

    When she heard Su Yan''s words, Ning Xueluo''s extremely miserable expression finally looked slightly better.

    Right at that moment, someone from the crowd suddenly cried out in surprise excitedly and shrieked.

    The award-winning actress for the night, Ning Xi, hade out.

    The moment Ning Xi appeared, all the journalists, who surrounded Ning Xueluo earlier, leftpletely. Even Su Yan''s eyes could not help but look over.

    "Ning Xi, congrattions on your win for the best secondary female lead and best female lead! You managed to bring home two trophies! As the biggest winner of the night, can you let us know how you''re feeling right now?"

    "Surpassing seniors who have long been in the industry in such a short amount of time, movie queen Ning has proven that she was born to be in the entertainment industry!"

    "Just wondering what are your uing work arrangements, movie queen Ning. We heard that Director Jiang Xingzhou has already shown a gesture of peace. Is this true?"

    ¡­

    Movie queen Ning¡­ Movie queen Ning¡­

    This title of "movie queen Ning" should have been hers, but at this moment it had be Ning Xi''s!

    It was Ning Xi''s! How had it be Ning Xi''s?!

    She had taken a long time to prepare and even made such a huge sacrifice. She did not even hesitate to act as those dirty and lowly characters. Two films had been nominated at the same time, yet atst, Ning Xi had won the award. How was she going to maintain her footing in the entertainment circle after this?

    Since the dawn of time, people stepped on those above and lifted those below them. There were even whispers in her ears from the other artistes¡­

    "Hehe, back then, Ning Xueluo even said something about how actors should speak with their capabilities! Tsk tsk, her words were so right! As actors, they should indeed be speaking with their abilities! Now, she should have nothing to say, right?"

    "Her looks and acting skills can''tpare to Ning Xi''s. I wonder where she found her sense of superiority every day¡­ Even with men¡­ Tsk tsk, with Ning Xi''s qualifications, it shouldn''t be too hard if she wants to find someone wealthier and more influential than Su Yan, should it?"

    ¡­

    As she listened to these horrible things, Ning Xueluo felt as if there was a fire raging in her.

    Shut up, shut up, shut up!

    She was the honorabledy of the Ning family, Ning Xi was just a lowly hillbilly. How could shepare to her!?

    She thought about how in the future, as long as she was in front of Ning Xi in the entertainment industry, she would be a rank lower than her. With the headline that she lost her junior, that violent resentment was about to swallow her whole.

    No! She would not allow this!

    That vige wild fowl, that lowly foster daughter¡­ What reason did she have!? For what reason did she dare to walk all over her!?

    Because of her extreme anger, Ning Xueluo''s entire body was trembling. While Su Yan had gone to get the car, she immediately gave Chang Li a sinister gaze to hint her to make a move.

 Chapter 1550: Completely Replace

    <h4>Chapter 1550: Completely Rece</h4>

    Chang Li instantly understood Ning Xueluo''s hint. She said a little hesitantly, "Do you really want to do that?"

    Chang Li had long known that Ning Xi came from a lowly background. In fact, she knew about her being the Ning family''s foster daughter, but she somehow felt quite uneasy about exposing this right now.

    "Didn''t Charmain Ning say that the Ning family''s rtionship with Ning Xi can never be revealed to outsiders?" Chang Li hesitated.

    "Since when did you have a say in the things I do! You just do whatever I tell you to! Quickly go do it!" Ning Xueluo was already on the verge of exploding at this point. Of course, she would not listen to anything.

    She did not want to watch Ning Xi strut around in front of her anymore. She did not want to see a single second of it. She simply wanted her to be disdained, despised, and sneered at!

    In any case, because of that witch Ning Qiutong causing a ruckus before this, the news about the Ning family having two daughters, one biological and one foster, had already been spread out there. In order to rify it, Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu were forced toe out and publicly make a statement. They said that she was the realdy of the Ning family. In fact, they exined that the other one was just an orphan that the Ning family had adopted from the vige, dismissing the rumors about them carrying the wrong baby home.

    At that time, the media wanted to dig out who the foster daughter was, but they had all been suppressed by Ning Yaohua.

    However, since there was already a crack in the matter, it being exposed was just a matter of time. The media could even have been continuing their digging¡­

    Thus, it would be better for her to just grasp this key opportunity and expose this herself today.

    If this foster daughter had been anyone else, it would not have mattered. However, it was Ning Xi, who was also in the entertainment industry. Plus, it was Ning Xi who was opposing her!

    What would the media and public think?

    They would think that as an orphan from the vige, even though Ning Xi was kindly adopted by the Ning family, she did not know how to be grateful and had even tried in vain to substitute one thing for another. She had shamelessly pretended to be ady from a wealthy family¡­

    Most importantly, once Ning Xi''s identity as the foster daughter was confirmed, Ning Xi would forever owe the Nings for raising her, thus she would owe her too. Even her existence would just be like a tiny servant girl before her. Ning Xi would forever be beneath her. All of the conflicts and hostility before this could also be concluded as envy. She could be construed as not knowing what was good for her ownself and being ungrateful¡­

    She believed that Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu, including all of the people in the Su family, would stand on her side. They would all prove that she was the realdy of the Ning family.

    Coincidentally, she wanted to use the opportunity today to pull the carpet from under Ning Xi. She wanted to resolve all of her worries of the future and forever be the realdy of the Ning family, recing Ning Xi''s position so that no one would suspect this ever again!

    When she saw that Ning Xueluo was very determined, Chang Li had no choice. She could only find a corner with no one else and secretly make a few phone calls to the journalists that she had arranged in advance.

    Initially, she thought that Ning Xueluo''s wins were in the bag, but in the end, it was still not an absolute possibility. The Golden Film Awards were indeed hard to predict. Thus, so as to not have this unwarranted incident, which was in the event that Ning Xi bagged the award, Ning Xueluo had prepared this n.

    Chang Li kept thinking about it. She felt that exposing this thing would indeed benefit Ning Xueluo. In fact, it could turn the tables on a wider scale, thus she slowly felt more at ease and had watched the entire course of events from the sidelines.

    At this moment, one of the taller journalists suddenly rushed to Ning Xi and asked loudly, "Movie queen Ning, you and Ning Xueluo both share the same surname. Do you have some kind of family rtionship? There''s a rumor that you''re the foster daughter of the Ning family. Is this true?"

 Chapter 1551: Simply Inhumane

    <h4>Chapter 1551: Simply Inhumane</h4>

    What?

    Ning Xi was the foster daughter of the Ning family?

    In that instance, a tossed stone stirred a thousand ripples.

    However, even more shocking news was toe after.

    That journalist continued to fire away, "You were initially a lowly and uncouth vige orphan girl. The Nings pitied you and decided to take you in. In fact, they sent you to study abroad, but the first thing you did after you returned was to enter the entertainment industry, going against Ning Xueluo constantly, stealing her limelight everywhere you went. You even allied with your rtive toe up with the story of carrying the wrong baby home, trying to take what isn''t your own, scheming to seize the Ning Corporation''s inheritance. Such a despicable shamelessness of ingratitude! You''re simply inhumane¡­"

    Silence. Dead silence.

    No one would have thought that right after Ning Xi bagged the award, such a world-shaking scandal would surface.

    If this were the case, Ning Xi''s encouraging image would turn into a case of a scoundrel realizing their ambition.

    Many of the journalists present all thought of the statement the Ning family had made previously. However, as for the involved foster daughter, they could not find out who it was.

    Still, they never would have thought that person would be Ning Xi!

    "Miss Ning, is he telling the truth? Are you really the foster daughter of the Ning family?!"

    "It is said that you used flowery words and cheated Elder Ning out of 10% of shares. Is that true?"

    "You keep on saying that you''re grateful for those who have helped you in the worst of times. Is that how you repay them now?"

    ¡­

    Facing all the severe disdain and reprimands, Ning Xi''s expression was abnormally calm throughout. Her gaze looked past the journalists who surrounded her as she quietly looked towards Ning Xueluo who was not too far away.

    Ning Xueluo smirked at her. She mouthed her lips, "I told you, all of these are mine."

    Ning Xueluo dared to invert the right and the wrong, and twist the truth, all because she knew that everyone would stand on her side because she knew that even if it was all lies, it would be hard for her to exin herself.

    At this moment, Su Yan returned. When he saw this scene before him, his expression changed. "What happened? How do these journalists know about all those things?"

    Ning Xueluo looked anxious as she shooked her head. "I don''t know either. It looks the journalists have found out about Sister and her rtionship with the Ning family¡­

    "Thest time, because Aunty Qiutong and Sister said those things at the cocktail event, it affected me hugely. Father and Mother had to make a public statement. The journalists already started investigating since then. Even if Father and Mother had been sealing off information, but sooner orter it just can''t be concealed anymore¡­

    "However, I didn''t think that¡­ It would be exposed at such a moment. Bro Yan, what do we do?"

    Ning Xueluo started to cry as she pulled on Su Yan''s sleeve and said sadly, "Bro Yan, I can''t just watch Sister continue to be misunderstood like this. Maybe I should go tell the journalists the truth. Tell them that I''m the foster daughter, that Ning Xi is Father and Mother''s biological daughter¡­"

    Su Yan''s expression turned terrible. He blurted out, "No!"

    When Ning Xueluo heard that, there was a delight in her eyes. She found his reaction as expected. She knew that Su Yan would stand on her side.

    She was his wife now, and they were bound together for good or bad. If she were to be humiliated, it would humiliate him and the entire Su family.

    He was very clear about who ought to be protected.

    At the same time, Ling Zhizhi frowned and defended Ning Xi as she revealed a hesitant expression, "Indeed, they havee prepared! Are you sure she''s okay alone? Do you want to get someone to help her?"

    Ning Xi withdrew her gaze from Ning Xueluo and Su Yan''s direction before she said inly, "There''s no need. You just need to let her in."

 Chapter 1552: Wicked People Will Be Afflicted With Wickedness

    <h4>Chapter 1552: Wicked People Will Be Afflicted With Wickedness</h4>

    Because such a huge ruckus had suddenly broken out, as the party involved, Ning Xueluo was surrounded by journalists very shortly.

    "Xueluo, is Ning Xi really the foster daughter of the Ning family?"

    "Miss Ning, Ning Xi has done so many horrible things to you! Why would you want to protect such a lowly, shameless, ungrateful, nasty person?!"

    ¡­

    Facing the journalists who came to her aid for the injustice and the barrage of questions, Ning Xueluo revealed an expression that showed how much she had been enduring silently. "No, no, it''s not¡­ It''s not like what you think. I believe there must be some misunderstanding in between. I really don''t know why Sister would do that."

    Her words seemed to be absolving Ning Xi, yet in reality, theypletely confirmed the journalists'' words.

    Indeed, Ning Xueluo''s words caused a hugemotion.

    Ning Xueluo did not deny what they said!

    Ning Xi was actually the foster daughter Ning family!

    Ning Xi had really done all those filthy things!

    Oh my God!

    Initially, they had thought that she was an encouraging goddess, but who would have thought she was a mean and lowly nasty person?!

    All the while, the pure and kind-hearted Ning Xueluo had been enduring the burden silently.

    The scene went into a frenzy when there was suddenly a stinky odor. The crowd could not help but cover their noses.

    Right at that moment, someone suddenly vigorously and boorishly pushed the crowd of reporters. Because they did not know what the incredibly stinky item the person held was, the crowd immediately evaded and let the person through until she walked all the way up to Ning Xueluo.

    "My God! What''s that thing?! It''s so smelly!"

    "Stop pushing, stop pushing! Who''s this crude person!?"

    "Who''s this? Where did shee from?"

    ¡­

    The crowd was still grumbling when they saw an olddy with solid footsteps holding a huge, ck wooden bucket. She had walked right up to Ning Xueluo.

    In the next second, with the sound of a crash, that olddy had unexpectedly flung the wooden bucket, sshing all the dirt and filth onto Ning Xueluo.

    In that instant, the stink assaulted the nostrils of all present. Almost everyone fainted from the stench.

    "Ah!!!" Ning Xueluo was stunned for a second, then she released an earth-shattering screech.

    When everyone else realized what happened, they were dumbfounded too. They would never have thought that an olddy would suddenly appear and ssh Ning Xueluo with feces and urine.

    Before the crowd could fathom what had happened, in a loud and clear voice that was louder than Ning Xueluo''s screech, the olddy started shouting, "Aiyo, aiyo! I won''t be able to stay alive! We''re going to be forced to our deaths! Our entire family is going to be hounded to death by this lowly wench!"

    This¡­ This was huge news!

    Everyone''s first reaction was to raise their cameras and start shooting instead of helping Ning Xueluo up.

    However, one could not me them either. Even Chang Li and Su Yan were stupefied. They did not dare to touch Ning Xueluo who was currently covered from head to toe in filth. Only Ning Xueluo was hopping mad like a crazy person. "Someone! Someone,e! Someone,e help me!"

    Helplessly, her voice was drowned out by the olddy. "Don''t be fooled by this wench! She''s not thedy of some wealthy family. She''s a lowly brat from our valley gutter. This granddaughter of mine was brought home wrongly from the hospital and that''s how she got into a rich family!

    "Once she was with the rich people, she forgot her roots. Not only was she not in the least concerned with us because she was afraid that we''d leak her identity out, she even wanted to hound our entire family to death!

    "When our family was forced into a tight spot by the gangsters, my grandson came to Imperial and begged her, but she told the maids to chase my obedient grandson, her brother, away like he was a beggar!

    "She was afraid of people realizing that she is a lowly wench, so she changed her brother''s first choice of university and refused to let hime to Imperial to study¡­"

    "You, shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Ning Xueluo''s face was full of fear as she rushed over like a mad woman.

    However, before Ning Xueluo could get close, the olddy fell to the ground and yelled, "Aiyo, murder! Murder! Help!"

 Chapter 1553: Irrefutable Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 1553: Irrefutable Evidence</h4>

    Ning Xueluo had never met such a shameless person. She was so frightened that she quickly backed away. "No! I didn''t even touch her!"

    The olddy was still lively earlier, but now shey sprawled on the ground wailing like she was dying. "She just wants to hound our family to death. That way, no one will know all her scandals! What sin has our Tang familymitted to have borne such a vicious woman?"

    Ning Xueluo was so angry that she was about to pass out. "No, no, it''s not like that! Don''t believe her! I don''t even know what she''s talking about. I don''t even know her either!"

    "Once you as a wild fowl turned into a phoenix, you never even came back once. Of course, you don''t recognize me, but even I, this old woman, have never seen you once. I can recognize you. You''re from the Tang family!" There was a glorious sh in the old woman''s eyes and her tone was incredibly certain.

    Chang Li finally reacted at this moment. She rushed over, shouting, "Security! Where''s security?! How do you work around here? How could you simply let people like her juste in?!"

    When Chang Li said this, her gaze turned straight to stare at Ning Xi''s direction. "Ning Xi! Don''t go overboard! Do you think that you can just twist the truth by hiring some olddy of unknown origins here? You still haven''t repented until now. You''re just shameless!"

    Chang Li had always thought that Ning Xueluo was the truedy of the Ning family and that Ning Xi was the foster daughter, thus she was sure that Ning Xi was intentionally ying tricks right then.

    When the crowd heard this, they all suddenly realized what was up and looked towards Ning Xi.

    "Right, how could it be such a coincidence? The news about Ning Xi being the foster daughter has just been exposed, then suddenly an olddy from the vige pops up to say that she''s Ning Xueluo''s real grandmother and that Ning Xueluo was brought home wrongly as a baby!"

    "Don''t tell me Ning Xi intentionally arranged this!"

    "I think it''s possible¡­"

    ¡­

    When Ning Xueluo saw that the circumstances were easing up, she was relieved and she revealed a slightly deranged expression.

    Haha¡­ Ning Xi, you are just too naive! You really thought that you can kill me with just one hillbilly from the Tang family!?

    However, before Ning Xueluo could enjoy her ecstasy, she turned pale in the next second.

    "Mother, Mother, what are you doing?! Why did you suddenlye here?! Mother, get up! Get up!" The person who cried out was Sun Lan.

    The crowd saw a sallow, middle-aged woman rush over. She called that deliberately provocative olddy "Mother" as she anxiously helped her up.

    What made everyone turn pale with fright was that apart from this middle-aged woman''s skin being rather unhealthy, her facial features looked like it was created from the same mould as Ning Xueluo''s!

    When the olddy saw Sun Lan, she pped her. "I can''te!? Why can''t Ie!? If I don''te, Xiao Nuo''s future and our entire family''s future is going to be ruined by this wench that you gave birth to!

    "Did you think that after that Xi girl helped Xiao Nuo this time, you can be free of worries? Wait till Xiao Nuoes to Imperial, when hees to this wench''s turf. We don''t know how else she''s going to hurt our Xiao Nuo, you moron!

    "Fine, you don''t care! All of you don''t care! Then, let me care! I definitely can''t just sit idly and watch our Tang family be ruined in the hands of this wench!"

    All the journalists present looked at each other in utter confusion.

    "What¡­ What''s happening? Don''t you guys think this woman looks very much like Ning Xueluo?"

    "What do you mean look like? They''re practically from the same mould!"

    "Hey! Could this woman¡­ really be Ning Xueluo''s biological mother?"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo looked at Sun Lan''s face as she listened to the discussions around her. Her eyes were full of panic as she shook her head and stepped back as if she had seen something incredibly scary. "No, that''s not it. She''s not¡­ She''s not my mother¡­ No, I''m thedy of the Ning family¡­ I''m Zhuang Lingyu''s daughter¡­"

    She thought that she had everything under control, but she had forgotten that bloodline was something that could never be obliterated. Even if she could fake the paternity test, how about her face?

    This face of hers and Sun Lan''s looked exactly the same,pletely exposing all of her lies under the sun¡­

 Chapter 1554: Zero Relations

    <h4>Chapter 1554: Zero Rtions</h4>

    It was not just the circling watchful journalists and other artistes, even Chang Li was dumbfounded She stared nkly at the countrywoman and was tongue-tied.

    What¡­ What was happening?

    "Oh my God! Is this real or fake? Ning Xueluo isn''t actually some heiress. Are these really her biological mother and grandmother?"

    "Then, why did the Ning family stick to saying that Ning Xueluo was their biological daughter all these years?"

    ¡­

    The situation was getting more and more confusing. Breaking out of their temporary stupor, all of the journalists rushed to Ning Xi''s direction.

    "Miss Ning! Miss Ning! What''s the actual situation? Can you exin a little to us?"

    "Ning Xi, do you know these two people?"

    "Ning Xi, what''s your rtionship to these two people?"

    ¡­

    The old madam pushed Sun Lan away and rushed to Ning Xi. She started bawling without saying anything. "Xi girl¡­ My Xi girl¡­ They won''t believe a rotten olddy''s words. Quickly tell them that this girl is a wench, that I didn''t tell a single lie! If I did, I would be struck to death by a lightning bolt from the Heavens!

    "I know that in the past 18 years when you were in our Tang family, I''ve disdained the fact that you''re a girl and always hit you, scolded you, and was mean to you¡­ Just for Xiao Nuo¡­ Xiao Nuo has always treated you like his biological sister!

    "Even though that child hid it from me, how could I not know that he always secretly left all the meat and left the good stuff for you to eat?

    "Do you still remember that when you were younger, there was once when our family was so poor that we had nothing to eat? With no choice left, I had to throw you to a mass grave but who would have thought that not too long after that, Xiao Nuo started to have a high fever and he wasn''t getting any better. He kept calling out for his sister. I had no choice but to bring you back. Your life was saved by Xiao Nuo¡­

    "Even if we Tangs have let you down, that''s all because that wench did that. It''s because she was greedy for all the glory and wealth, hogging your parents and not letting go¡­"

    The olddy revealed more and more information, entrancing everyone as they listened.

    At the same time, Sun Lan, who was being surrounded by the journalists, was already at a loss. She could only continue to wring her hands in denial out of wanting to protect Ning Xueluo. "Don''t ask me! Don''t ask me anymore! No¡­ It''s not¡­ I''m not¡­ I''m not her mother. I don''t know who she is¡­ I don''t know her either. She''s not my daughter. She''s the heiress of the Ning family. Ning Xi¡­ Ning Xi is my daughter¡­ Yes, Ning Xi is the daughter I gave birth to¡­"

    If Sun Lan had asserted that Ning Xueluo was her daughter, it could still raise suspicions, but now her protective attitude towards Ning Xueluo made all of the journalists even more positive about the earth-shattering truth that she was Ning Xueluo''s real mother.

    Unspoken thoughts raced through the journalists'' minds.

    Huh, Ning Xi is your daughter?

    You should take a look in the mirror to see how you look! How could you give birth to a face like Ning Xi''s?

    Facing the swarm of journalists and the endless questions, Ning Xi had only uttered one sentence, "In the past 18 years, I have indeed lived in the Tang household. As for my Ning family, it doesn''t matter if it was the past or the the future, we have zero rtions."

    The ruckus caused was so massive that Ning Xueluo crazily called everyone as she wanted to get someone to stop it all. Unfortunately, none of the security guards came over.

    It was not until Ning Xi spoke up and said this that people finally started to disperse from the crowd. Shi Xiao brought a few tight-knitted bodyguards to protect Ning Xi as she left.

 Chapter 1555: The Truth Will Come Out

    <h4>Chapter 1555: The Truth Will Come Out</h4>

    A crisis episode had finally quieted down again.

    However, to some people, this was just the calm before the storm.

    In the grand,vish vehicle, Chang Li was enduring the stench and using a towel to wipe Ning Xueluo''s hair.

    Coincidentally, Su Yan had already rushed home after a phone call.

    At that moment, Ning Xueluo''s entire body was covered with filth. Her eyes were murderous red and her entire body was shivering while the expression on her face was gloomy to the point of being sinister.

    Chang Li did not dare to provoke her right then, but her phone was exploding with calls. Even the boss had personally called to ask about what had happened.

    Thus, Chang Li could only brace herself and ask, "Xueluo, the impact of this incident is simply huge. I must immediately handle the public rtions and rify everything. Otherwise, the consequences will be unthinkable! However, before I handle the PR, I must understand something. About what that olddy and that woman said¡­ Is it true or not?"

    Smack! There came a clear sound as Ning Xueluo''s p struck Chang Li''s face. "Shut up! Moron! How could it be true?!"

    Chang Li held her heated and painful cheek. Even though Ning Xueluo kept denying it, she had been by Ning Xueluo''s side for many years after all. From Ning Xueluo''s exasperated reaction and the panic in her eyes, she knew very well that all of this was probably true.

    All this time, Ning Xueluo had been snobbish and felt that she was an heiress who was nobler than others, yet she had always called Ning Xi the hillbilly. Unexpectedly, she was the wild fowl!

    That lowly and shameless ingrate was Ning Xueluo herself!

    How had she kept a straight face while she used Ning X? How did she bewitch the Ning family so much so that they were willing to leave their biological daughter behind to protect her?

    What was the depth of this woman''s schemes?

    When she thought about this, Chang Li shuddered.

    Ning Xueluo berated her sternly, "Go! Go and make a statement for me! Just say that all of this is fake! That damned olddy is fake! That wench of a woman is fake too! All of this was because Ning Xi was ganging up with those people to nder me!"

    Chang Li looked troubled. "Now that the Tang family has personally said all of these, the journalists will definitely continue to investigate their clues like locusts. There are just too many gaps. Sooner orter, the truth will be out! Be-besides, there''s¡­ There''s also that person and your features¡­"

    "Are you done speaking?!" Ning Xueluo pped her again.

    Chang Li instantly shut up.

    ¡­

    It had just been a night, yet yesterday''s incident was already the talk of the town. Everyone knew about it.

    Even if the Su and the Ning families both mobilized their resources to try and surpress the incident, they still could not redeem anything.

    Almost all of the newspapers and magazine headlines were aboutst evening''s incident. Huge pictures of Ning Xueluo and Sun Lan togethere were stered everywhere.

    The media had found out that Ning Xi had indeed lived in the Tang household for 18 years with the identity of the Tang family''s daughter, but she had suddenly run away from home when she was 18. All their neighbors thought that she had gone away for work.

    Initially, there was not much use in finding out about this, butst night, Ning Xueluo had personally admitted that Ning Xi was the daughter of the Ning family.

    Previously, Ning Yaohua had made a statement saying that his foster daughter was an orphan and they had adopted her.

    Why would Ning Yaohua lie to the public? Why would he adopt an 18-year-old girl who was not even an orphan and had even changed her surname to Ning?

    Why did Ning Xi''s mother not look like Ning Xi, but instead seemed like she hade from the same mould as Ning Xueluo?

    Indeed, just as Chang Li had said, there were too many gaping holes. They could not give a usible exnation to these loopholes. Thus, no matter how much Ning Xueluo''s side denied it, they were quibbling in the eyes of others.

    In just one night, Ning Xueluo''s carefully sculpted image of a "Ms. Perfect", "Heiress, and "Winner of Life" had copsed with a bang.

 Chapter 1556: Told The Truth

    <h4>Chapter 1556: Told The Truth</h4>

    Such a melodramatic clich¨¨ as "bringing home the wrong daughter" was something well-received among the masses. The parties involved were currently popr artistes in the entertainment circle. They were women who called the shots in Starlight and Glory World. Furthermore, Ning Xi had even recently been promoted as an award-winning actress.

    With such a terrifying level of public interest, amplified by the influence of the Su family and Ning family, the uproar definitely could not be surpressed.

    In just a short amount of time, the media had interviewed almost all of the people who could provide them with information.

    Everyone wanted to create a huge ssh of headlines and they were having a field day!

    The video showed a drunk Ning Yaohua who was stopped and questioned by a journalist.

    The journalist asked, "Mr. Ning, may we ask if you''ve been paying attention to the rumors about your niece?"

    "Well, of course!"

    "What''s the truth!? Mr. Ning, could you reveal it to us?"

    "Hahahaha¡­ The truth? The truth is that my foolish brother''s whole family ditched their biological daughter and treated the wild fowl like a gem¡­"

    "Then, why would your older brother do that?"

    Ever since Ning Xueluo had married Su Yan, Ning Yaohua''s days in the office were getting worse. His daughter, Ning Tianxin, had gone missing and he was in a foul mood recently, thus he just said gloomily, "That wench¡­ She has many tricks up her sleeve! How can Ning Xi beat her? She was capable of getting Ning Yaohua to transfer 15% of his shares to an illegitimate child!"

    ¡­

    At the Ning residence.

    "Ning Yaobang! Look what you''ve done!" Ning Yaohua had just finished watching the video on hisputer and he called Ning Yaobang over. He mmed the table and flew into a rage.

    After all, if it were just a hillbilly woman''s words, not everyone outside would simply believe it, but this was just great! Ning Yaobang, his own brother, had actually said that kind of words in front of the journalists. Now, there was really nothing they could do to clear their name!

    Ning Yaobang was like a dead pig that did not fear the heat of boiled water. He crossed one leg over the other and said tauntingly, "If you dare, then go and vent your anger at your darling daughter! What are you angry at me for? I didn''t expose all these scandals! I just simply told a few truths. The person who sshed crap and caused an unreasonable scene is your filial daughter''s own grandmother. She''s the one who appeared with that face before the camera to be disgraced as if she was afraid people wouldn''t know that she''s the wild fowl. That''s your good daughter''s own mother!"

    "Shut up! Get lost!"

    Ning Yaobang slipped away. "Yes, yes, yes, I''ll get lost¡­ I''ll wait and watch you hand thepany over to this wild girl borne by the hillbilly and see what kind of ending you''ll have!"

    Soon after Ning Yaobang left, there was a knock on the door.

    "Come in!"

    "Father¡­" Ning Xueluo pushed the door open and stood shyly at the entrance.

    When he saw Ning Xueluo, Ning Yaohua had mixed expressions. "You''re here. Come sit."

    Ning Xueluo did not sit down. Instead, she plonked down and kneeled before Ning Yaohua at his desk.

    "Xueluo! What are you doing?" Ning Yaobang immediately got up.

    "Father, I''ve let you and Mother down¡­ Let the Ning family down¡­ It''s all my fault. I''ve implicated the both of you." Ning Xueluo''s body trembled vigorously. "I''m willing to take on all the responsibility!"

    "What do you want to do?"

    "This incident has received a lot of attention and has had a huge impact. No doubt it''s because I''m in the entertainment circle. Now, the only solution would be for me to quit the entertainment industry¡­" Ning Xueluo''s expression was dismal and in pain as if she had to ept apromise and had to make a huge sacrifice.

    However, the reality was that her image hadpletely copsed to the point of no return this time. Even if she continued to stay in the entertainment industry, she would not be able tost for long.

 Chapter 1557: Wanted A Son

    <h4>Chapter 1557: Wanted A Son</h4>

    "I''ll release an announcement. I''ll quit my career¡­ Forever¡­ Then, no one will care about this matter anymore! If I stay in the entertainment industry for another day, this matter will keep on being brought up!"

    Zhuang Lingyu''s voice came from behind her. "Xueluo, what are you talking about? Isn''t acting your favorite thing to do? Isn''t that your dream? This matter isn''t as serious as you think. So what if everyone knows you''re not our biological daughter? You''re still the daughter of the Ning family!

    "As for the rumors going around and the nonsense your Second Uncle spouted, they have no proof at all. Don''t mind them. People will forget them soon enough!"

    Of course, Ning Xueluo knew that. Although the whole situation seemed grave,pared to matters that were fatal to artistes such as drugs, extramarital affairs, or political affairs, her situation was at most, a personal issue. While it would affect her image to a certain extent, it would not reach the point where her career would be ruined.

    She had joined the entertainment industry because she knew that Ning Xi liked acting, so she just wanted to get something that Ning Xi could not attain.

    It was definitely possible for her to stay in the entertainment industry, but she would always bear the tainted name of a leech. No matter where she went, she would always bepared to Ning Xi.

    She could never stand being humiliated like this. How could she look at Ning Xi acting all high and mighty in front of her?

    At this point in time, she might as well take a step back and quit her acting career once and for all!

    Ning Xueluo was still kneeling with a determined attitude. "Father, Mother, I''ve already decided! I''ll do anything to reduce the consequences our family has to face!"

    Zhuang Lingyu felt sorry for her daughter and hugged her. "Xueluo, it must be tough for you¡­"

    Ning Yaohua sighed helplessly, "Xueluo, I''m so sorry for what you have to go through!"

    Zhuang Lingyu looked angry. "It must be impossible for the olddy toe all the way here from that small town! It''s obvious that someone''s behind this! They even picked the opportunity to sabotage the event and cause such an uproar!"

    Ning Yaohua had a stern expression on his face. "Ning Xi''s really overdone it this time!"

    "Does she think that we''d have to give her face if she did that? Dream on! I''m only regretting that it wasn''t Xueluo who came out of my womb! Xueluo''s suffered so much for nothing!" Zhuang Lingyu spoke angrily.

    Ning Xueluo seemed satisfied when she saw Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua defending her. She said gratefully, "Father, Mother¡­ I''m alright! Really! Actually, it''s fine this way. I can focus on thepany. History is in a busy phase as well and there''re lots to be done."

    "I''m d that you can think this way, Xueluo. Everything will pass. Mother and Father will always be on your side."

    Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohuaforted her for a long time.

    After Ning Xueluo left the study room, Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua stayed back.

    Ning Yaohua was really troubled over this matter and it showed on his face. He was staring nkly at the newspaper on his table.

    The newspaper had allocated a full page to publish the picture of Ning Xueluo and Sun Lan. They were two almost identical faces, constantly reminding him that the girl in front of her was not his real child.

    No matter how great she became, she was not his real child after all¡­

    If he had a son, that would be a joy.

    As far as he knew, his brother had not given up on getting a son. He was still out messing with young girls.

    Sadly, the Zhuangs were not people he could mess with! So, if he really wanted a son, it had to be an offspring of him and Zhuang Lingyu.

    Actually, it was not impossible to have another child with Zhuang Lingyu again¡­

 Chapter 1558: Perfect Plan

    <h4>Chapter 1558: Perfect n</h4>

    Actually, it was not impossible to have another child with Zhuang Lingyu again¡­

    Zhuang Lingyu''s first delivery had happened in a run-down town. Unfortunately, her womb had an infection after she gave birth, so although she recovered, she still suffered from a severe loss of blood. After her first child, she was unable to conceive again.

    Because of that, Zhuang Lingyu was really focused and concerned on her only daughter Ning Xueluo.

    It was supposed to be a taboo topic in front of Zhuang Lingyu, so Ning Yaohua had never dared to suggest having another baby again.

    However, after Ning Xueluo''s real identity was exposed and especially when the people from the Tang family, especially Sun Lan who looked so identical to Ning Xueluo appeared, Ning Yaohua felt that it was worth mentioning again.

    With a caring attitude, Ning Yaohua went to Zhuang Lingyu''s side and held her shoulders. He asked gently, "Lingyu, have you thought about what I told you before? Actually, surrogate pregnancy is really advanced nowadays. Not only can you choose the gender of the child, most importantly, you don''t have to suffer for nine months!"

    Zhuang Lingyu looked a little ufortable, but she was not against it. She frowned a little. "I''m already at this age. Would it work?"

    The moment Ning Yaohua saw his ning to light, he patted her shoulder. "Who said that? If I told people my wife is 20 years old, I bet people would believe it too!"

    "Stop that nonsense!" Zhuang Lingyu pouted. Although she was scolding him, she did not sound angry at all.

    When she saw how identical Xueluo was to Sun Lan, she was a little regretful and the thoughts that she tried to suppress for a long time surfaced.

    Who would not want a child with their very own blood flowing in their veins?

    If she could have another child again, she would surely raise him far better and give him everything. That child would be more perfect than Xueluo¡­

    More and more people had done surrogate pregnancy in recent years. She had heard about it from her circle of friends. Just some time ago, Mrs. Li conceived another son through a surrogate pregnancy although she was already 48 years old.

    Maybe¡­ she could try?

    Although they were old and might not be able to apany this child for a very long time, he would be fortunate because he had a gentle and caring sister to take care of him¡­

    Xueluo had always mentioned how lonely it was being the only child and was always looking forward to having a younger sibling. If it really worked, she would be really d!

    "Lingyu, if you agree, I''ll reschedule my work and apany you for a checkup overseas!" Ning Yaohua suggested in excitement.

    "Let me think about it!" Zhuang Lingyu then asked hesitantly, "Yaohua, should we discuss this with Xueluo first?"

    Ning Yaohua replied, "There''s no need. It''s not confirmed, after all. We''ll tell her after it seeds to give her a surprise."

    Zhuang Lingyu gave it some thought. In the end, she agreed to it. She could not really bring herself to talk about this matter.

    Ning Yaohua''s n was perfect. Wait until his son was born. The shares he had given Ning Xueluo would then have to be transferred back to his one and only heir. Xueluo would not have any issues with that since she was so obedient, and it wasmon sense for a son to inherit his father''s career. Even the Su family would not have a say in this.

    Of course, he would not treat Xueluo any less by then.

    Moreover, it was already good enough insurance for her to marry into the Su family.

 Chapter 1559: Bro Xi Has Us

    <h4>Chapter 1559: Bro Xi Has Us</h4>

    At the Grand Count Hotel, Ning Xueluo had arranged for a press conference here today.

    Following the incident, apart from a statement of denial from Chang Li, Ning Xueluo did not appear in public at all.

    After the news of her having a press conference was made known, not only journalists, a lot of other people showed up as well. Nearly half of them were Ning Xi''s fans. Apart from that, Ning Xueluo''s fans took up a lot of spots as well.

    After the incident happened, Ning Xueluo''s fans had turned their backs on her.

    Ning Xi''s fans were going around and speaking up for Ning Xi under Zhuang Keer''s lead. Even though they were angry, they kept their cool and won a lot of people over. Soon, many of Ning Xueluo''s fans jumped over to Ning Xi''s side.

    "Get out of the industry, Ning Xueluo!"

    "Witch! Apologize to Bro Xi! Apologize! Apologize!"

    "You filthy liar, Ning Xueluo. Is this how you repay your fans?!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo donned a pair of sunsses and a face mask as she was escorted into the hotel by a dozen security guards.

    Up on stage, Ning Xueluo sat in the middle, looking pale. Beside her were Chang Li and another management-level staff from thepany.

    Chang Li''s expression looked the worst. She did not expect that Ning Xueluo would quit.

    With Ning Xueluo''s reputation falling into the depths of the deepest valley, as her manager, she suffered simrly as well. Although Ning Xueluo was leaving her with such a mess, she could still return home and still be the rich daughter of her family.

    What about her? Her career was totally destroyed¡­

    Even if she said that Ning Xueluo had hidden it so well that even as her manager, she did not realize at all, no one would believe her!

    Chang Li regretted it deeply. As she held the announcement of Ning Xueluo quitting the entertainment industry in her hands, she felt a sense of despair rise within her.

    Ning Xueluo looked dejected as she sobbed, "I believe that everyone knows a lot of things have happened recently. I understand that no one will believe what I say now but there are a lot of things that aren''t as simple as they look on the surface¡­

    "As this matter brought pain to my friends and fans that have supported me, I genuinely apologize. Thank you for your support and trust up until now. Thank you so much¡­

    "Acting is my dream and hobby, but to be able to give everyone a satisfying reply, I''ve decided that from today onwards, I''m quitting my acting career!"

    The journalists caused quite amotion the moment Ning Xueluo announced the end of her acting career. The camera shlights exploded one after another.

    The journalists held their breaths and were waiting for some kind of twist in the announcement, but Ning Xueluo was swiftly escorted out of the room after she was done.

    In a short span of time, the news of Ning Xueluo quitting the industry spread everywhere.

    Theizens were discussing it frantically.

    "What did Ning Xueluo mean? She made it sound like there''s some hidden agenda behind it as if people have used her!"

    "What else could be hidden? If there''s something else, she''d have said it already! Nothing can change these facts! This witch still won''t change even at this point in time! Where''s the apology?! I didn''t hear anything about an apology to Ning Xi at all!"

    "The point is, is quitting the entertainment industry enough? She''s been acting as the daughter of the family for so long and even took over Ning Xi''s life. What''s she going to do about that?!"

 Chapter 1560: It Must Be A Girl

    <h4>Chapter 1560: It Must Be A Girl</h4>

    Not just Ning Xi''s fans, even bystanders were angry for Ning Xi''s sake. "That''s right! How''s that going to be settled?! She''s going to shamelessly enjoy what supposedly belongs to Ning Xi! Isn''t she embarrassed that she''s stealing another person''s parents?"

    After a lot of rants, some of Ning Xi''s hardcore fans replied to the bacsh.

    "Bro Xi has said it. She has zero rtions with the Ning family, whether in the past or in the future! Bro Xi doesn''t need to be an heiress. She doesn''t need rich parents. Our Bro Xi is the queen herself!"

    "Right, she doesn''t need parents who are blind! Bro Xi has us!"

    Suddenly, the direction of the discussion took a sharp turn. "Stop mentioning that witch already. Let me tell you guys something interesting. Didn''t you guys recall thest sentence Bro Xi said after she received her award?"

    "Of course I did. I''ve already memorized it! ''For my dream and for the person I love¡­'' Ah! Ah! The person she loves? Could Bro Xi have someone she likes?"

    "Is it a guy or a girl?"

    "Hmm¡­ I think it''s a girl! A very cute girl at that!"

    ¡­

    At Glory World Entertainment.

    Because what happened the other day was too sudden, there were a lot of things to be taken care of. After Ning Xi left the Golden Film Awards ceremony, she went back to thepany with Ling Zhizhi and spent all her time there.

    Only until today when Ning Xueluo called for the press conference were they able to take a break.

    "Bro Xi, Ning Xueluo is really shameless! She''s stepping on you even before she leaves!"

    Ning Xu had a tiny glimpse of darkness in her eyes. She knew that Ning Xueluo''s words were but a warning for her.

    If it had been some time back then, she might have feared her, but ever since she came clean to Lu Tingxiao, she was fine with it now.

    Ning Xi looked at her phone screen.

    There was a new message from Su Yan. [Xiao Xi, can we meet up?]

    Things were differentpared to back then. Would the Su Yan today still help Ning Xueluo like he did before and lie for her?

    Ning Xueluo probably could not be confident about this too.

    Ning Xi knew that with Ning Xueluo''s personality, she would not take the risk.

    As for the rumor that stemmed from Ning Xi''s speech, Ning Xi had told Ling Zhizhi not to overthink. She had meant her fans and not really someone special, so Ling Zhizhi felt that there was no need to make any exnation.

    Ning Xi paid it no mind. Actually, from a personal standpoint, she did not want to give any exnation too.

    After things cooled down, everyone went back home to rest.

    Ning Xi went to the garage and realized that Shi Xiao was not waiting for her as he usually did.

    She opened her car door suspiciously. The next moment, she sprung towards the person in the front passenger seat. "Darling!"

    Lu Tingxiao leaned back and carefully embraced the girl. As he was about to say something, he felt a tiny stab in his chest as something hard poked it. "This is¡­"

    "Oh, right!" Ning Xi took out a shiny trophy and passed it to Lu Tingxiao as she looked at him with her glittering eyes. She was so excited that her face turned red. "Darling! This is for you!"

    "That''s a very special gift."

    But you did not have to keep it on you all the time, did you? Was it not bothering you in any way?

 Chapter 1561: Heâ€™s My Man

    <h4>Chapter 1561: He¡¯s My Man</h4>

    "After I received the trophy that day, I wanted to do this even then. I wanted to rush to your side and give this to the person I loved the most but so many things have happened. It''s only today that I can finally give this to you!" Ning Xi''s tone sounded pitiful.

    "It''s okay." Lu Tingxiao gently patted the girl''s head. "Thank you. I really like it."

    Lu Tingxiao knew that the way the girl had gazed at him at that time was so obvious that the people around him had almost found out.

    Ning Xi got closer to him as she just wanted to stay near him for a little while more when her phone rang. It was Tang Nuo.

    "Hello, Xiao Nuo? Did something happen?" Ning Xi asked worriedly.

    Tang Nuo quickly replied, "Nothing much actually. Just that that woman is shameless enough to call us and ask Mother and Grandmother to tell the press that you asked them to do what they did. She''s asking us to lie!

    "You know how my mother is. She''ll do anything whenever that woman shows any sign of distress. Grandmother was alright, but when she heard that woman was willing to give us money to send me overseas to study, she wavered¡­"

    Ning Xi quietly listened to Tang Nuo. The people who were spying on the Tangs did not mention this or Ning Xueluo leaving the entertainment industry.

    "Then? How did you settle it?" Ning Xi asked.

    "How do you know I settled it?" Tang Nuo asked.

    "Besides my brother, who else could?" Ning Xi teased.

    Tang Nuo replied cheekily, "I didn''t do much actually. I tied a rope to the beam of the house, then I told the three of them that I''ll hang myself here if anyone agrees to her conditions!"

    Ning Xi found it really funny. It was simple and straightforward, but effective.

    Besides, she felt really touched. "Thank you, Xiao Nuo."

    After she hung up, her phone rang again.

    Ning Xi was just starting the car engine, so she told Lu Tingxiao, "Darling, help me pick it up."

    Lu Tingxiao saw the name "Su Yan" on the screen. After two seconds, he picked up the call.

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything and the person on the other end was silent as well.

    After several seconds, a man''s voice came through the phone. Su Yan sounded like he had drank a lot. "Xiao Xi, I''m sorry¡­ I''m really sorry¡­ I know¡­ I don''t deserve your forgiveness¡­ But¡­ We¡­ Is it still possible for us?"

    The atmosphere in the car turned cold when he said that.

    "She''s not avable at the moment."

    Su Yan sounded more clear-headed when he heard a man''s voice answering Ning Xi''s phone. He said with a stern tone, "Who are you? Why do you have Xiao Xi''s phone?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything but his expression turned colder.

    Ning Xi had just driven out of the garage when she heard the somewhat familiar voice of a man from the phone. He had even asked who Lu Tingxiao was, so she asked, "Who''s on the phone?"

    Before Lu Tingxiao could answer, Ning Xi nced over and saw Su Yan''s name.

    Ning Xi''s expression darkened.

    It was this guy¡­

    Ning Xi then tilted her head to Lu Tingxiao''s direction before she spoke into the phone, "He''s my man. Do you have an issue with that?"

 Chapter 1562: A Hole In His Brain

    <h4>Chapter 1562: A Hole In His Brain</h4>

    Ning Xi''s short reply tamed Lu Tingxiao instantly. Su Yan was silent for some time, then he hung up the phone.

    Ning Xi felt a little odd after the call was hung up. She asked Lu Tingxiao, "Lu Tingxiao, what did that guy say on the phone?"

    Lu Tingxiao had not seemed very alright just now¡­

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "He asked if it''s still possible for the both of you."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    It took some time for Ning Xi to get her voice back. Her mouth twitched. "Is there a hole in this guy''s brain?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything. He nced over at the girl as he pursed up his lips.

    He had already realized something was not right with the way Su Yan looked at Ning Xi, especially on the night of the award ceremony¡­

    As a man, he perfectly understood the intention in Su Yan''s gaze towards Ning Xi.

    His girl was bing more and more amazing, turning more attractive than ever¡­

    "Darling, don''t mind him. If you care what he says, your standards will drop!"

    Ning Xi''s eyes turned cold.

    Was it still possible?

    Where did he even find the courage to ask that?

    ¡­

    At the Su''s residence.

    Ning Xueluo had just returned from the press conference.

    Leaving the entertainment industry was just the beginning. Things were about to get messier.

    The moment she returned home, the whole family was there, including Su Hongguang, Zheng Minjun, Su Xun, and Zhao Shanshan.

    Everyone except Su Yan.

    "Father, Mother, Su Xun, Shanshan¡­" Ning Xueluo greeted everyone.

    "Wow! Look at who this is? Our star is back!" Zhao Shanshan said with a sarcastic tone. She would never pass up a chance to humiliate Ning Xueluo.

    Zheng Minjun''s expression looked terrible. She stared at Ning Xueluo. "Why are you back sote?"

    She had been alright with Ning Xueluo when she had not been aware that she was the foster daughter of the Nings. However, ever since she found out about it, especially when she saw her vulgar-looking mother and grandmother, she felt disgusted towards Ning Xueluo.

    She was bing the joke among her circle of friends and was too afraid to go out as people might look at her weirdly. She feared that people might mock her for letting her son marry a wild fowl instead of a real phoenix.

    If it were not for the 15% of shares in her hands, she would not have tolerated this situation at all!

    Ning Xueluo hid the anger in her eyes and spoke softly, "I had some things to work on in thepany after the press conference¡­"

    Before Ning Xueluo could finish exining herself, Zheng Minjun interrupted her, "Is there anything else more important than your husband? It''s been three days since Su Yan has been absent from thepany or even came home! Don''t you care about where he went?! Is this how you are as a wife?"

    "Mother, I''m sorry. I''ve been really busy these few days. There''re still some procedures to be done at Starlight and I need to check into Ning International. I''ll go and look for Su Yan now¡­"

    Zheng Minjun''s temper improved slightly when she heard Ning Xueluo was going to work at Ning International, but she still warned, "Don''t go anywhere these few days. You know how messy things are thanks to your mother and your grandmother. I don''t even dare to attend private parties at the moment! Don''t embarrass yourself!"

    Ning Xueluo clenched her fists while keeping an obedient attitude on the surface. "I got it, Mother. I''ll stay at home until this matter cools off."

    "Okay, go and look for Su Yan now!" Zheng Minjun waved her hands impatiently.

 Chapter 1563: At Last Shes A Match

    <h4>Chapter 1563: At Last She''s A Match</h4>

    Ning Xueluo had just left when Zhao Shanshan immediately went up to Zheng Minjun toin, "Mother, you''re so patient! Why are you speaking so nicely to her? The face of our Su family has been thrown out of the window by her!"

    "Speak less! Don''t think I don''t know what you''re thinking. You''d better stop it. If I find out that you''ve been spewing nonsense outside, don''t me me for not warning you!" Zheng Minjun threatened unhappily.

    Su Hongguang''s gaze skimmed the both of them from the side. He also spoke strictly, "Your mother''s right. I don''t care what thoughts you guys have. This is rted to our Su family''s dignity. You two had better keep your mouths shut!"

    Zhao Shanshan pouted and muttered softly, "Does she even still have dignity? I don''t even need to say anything¡­"

    Su Xun leaned on the sofa, then he thought of something. He said indistinctly, "Actually, now we should be worried most about Big Brother, shouldn''t we? After all, Brother is the number one victim in this whole thing! To a man, face is most important!

    "All the sons of nobilities in Imperial are married to wives who aredies from prestigious families, but he''s been fooled and he married a fake heiress. Where is Big Brother going to put his face?"

    When he saw that this brother of his, who had always been better and excelled further than him, being humiliated, Su Xun felt incredibly delighted.

    Tsk, tsk! Even God was helping them. The two of them had just gotten married not too long ago, and now Ning Xueluo''s matter was exposed. In fact, the evidence was undeniable. Even the Ning family could not cover it up. This time, they really had quite a mess at hand¡­

    Even though Su Xun''s words were not pleasant to hear, he had pinpointed the one thing Su Hongguang and Zheng Minjun cared about the most all at once.

    Especially in Zheng Minjun''s eyes, her son was the most outstanding. How could she bear him having such a taint?

    After they returned to the bedroom, Zheng Minjun kept pondering about it. Atst, she could not help but say to Su Hongguang, "Hongguang, I keep thinking about it and I still feel that my heart is stifled. It''s so difficult to bear!"

    "Then, what do you want to do? The matter has already reached this stage!" Su Hongguang was naturally angry too.

    Zheng Minjun probed, "Hongguang, what do you think¡­ about the girl, Ning Xi? Actually, these past few days, I can see that our Su Yan still has feelings for Ning Xi¡­"

    Su Hongguang instantly frowned and looked over. "Do you think things aren''t chaotic enough? Su Yan has already gotten married to Xueluo after all. We''re unclear about Ning Xi too. What are others going to think about Su Yan and the Su family?"

    Zheng Minjun immediately replied with displeasure, "Do you think I don''t know all these things that you''ve just said? Obviously, I will do it secretively. Why would I let anyone else know?!"

    Su Hongguang did not say anything as he continued to listen.

    Zheng Minjun spoke again, "So what if Ning Xi doesn''t have a good rtionship with the Ning family? You saw for yourself at the wedding thest time that the Zhuang family was obviously inclined towards Ning Xi! After all, Ning Xi is thedy with the Zhuang family''s bloodline!

    "In fact, even if the timees for Su Yan and Ning Xueluo to get a divorce for him to marry Ning Xi, I believe the Ning family would have nothing to say. It was the Nings who lied to us first! Whatever it is, we''re the reasonable ones!

    "Wait till our Su Yan marries Ning Xi, then we pull the Zhuang family over. Would we still be worried about the Nings not recognizing Ning Xi as their daughter then?"

    Su Hongguang finally wavered when he heard this, but he still said doubtfully, "All these are just your own wishful thinking. How do you know what Su Yan and Ning Xi are thinking?"

    Zheng Minjun immediately said with a matter-of-fact tone, "Is this even a question? Didn''t you forget how Ning Xi this girl was madly in love with our Su Yan? Now, she''s constantly going against Xueluo. A huge part must be because Xueluo snatched Su Yan away!

    "Initially, I definitely wouldn''t have taken a fancy to that girl, but now that I look again, after not seeing her for a few years, that girl has really blossomed pretty well. Atst, she''s a match for our Su Yan!"

 Chapter 1564: He Was Married

    <h4>Chapter 1564: He Was Married</h4>

    Ning Xueluo drove away from the Su residence, then she immediately made a call. "What has Su Yan been doing these past few days?"

    "CEO Su seems to have returned to Chang Chun City''s Spring Breeze Town. After he came back, he''s been drinking in the bar nonstop," the person on the other end of the phone replied.

    "Sprint Breeze Town¡­" Ning Xueluo frowned. "Where''s he now then?"

    "Well¡­" The person seemed to hesitate.

    "I''m asking you something!" Ning Xueluo was impatient.

    "CEO Su is now¡­ at¡­ at Peachwood¡­"

    "What did you say?!" Ning Xueluo''s expression changed.

    She obviously knew that Peachwood was where Ning Xi stayed.

    "What time did he go in?" Ning Xueluo immediately asked as her fingernails stabbed into her palms.

    "No¡­ It''s not like that! CEO Su didn''t go into the house. He''s been standing outside the whole night¡­"

    "Got it. Continue watching him!"

    Ning Xueluo hung up, her body trembling slightly because she was very furious. She managed to calm down after quite a while.

    She stopped in front of the Su family''s Yifeng Corporationpany building, then she found a stone nearby. She clenched her teeth before she hit herself hard on the forehead with the stone¡­

    Fresh bloodstain slid down her forehead and into her eyes, making her face look incredibly sinister.

    "Ning Xi, one day¡­ All of this¡­ I''ll return them to you in double!"

    Ning Xueluo slumped to the ground beside the car, then she picked up her phone to call Su Yan. The phone rang for a while before it went to voicemail. Ning Xueluo was so mad that she almost smashed it, but she continued to call nonstop.

    When she called for the fourth time, it finally went through.

    Before Su Yan could say anything, Ning Xueluo immediately weakly and painfully groaned with a frightened tone, "Bro Yan, save me¡­ Save me¡­ Save me, please¡­"

    From the other end of the phone immediately came Su Yan''s worried voice, but his voice was intentionally lowered as if he was afraid of being too loud. "Xueluo? What''s wrong?"

    "Blood¡­ I''m bleeding a lot¡­ Bro Yan¡­ Am I about to die soon?"

    "What nonsense are you saying?! Where are you now?"

    "I''m¡­ I''m at yourpany entrance¡­ I¡­ I didn''t want to go look for you! I know that you''ve been in a bad mood these few days, so I didn''t want to disturb you¡­ But¡­ But today I went home¡­ And Mother said you haven''t been home for quite a few days already. She said that I haven''t been doing my duty as a wife. She told me to go look for you¡­ That''s why I could only¡­ I''m sorry¡­"

    "What actually happened? Are you hurt?"

    "I don''t know¡­ I had just gotten down from the car when I was suddenly attacked by someone¡­ Maybe it''s¡­ Sister''s fans¡­"

    "Don''t talk anymore. I''ming over now!"

    ¡­

    After she hung up, Ning Xueluo''s weak and pitiful expression instantly turned malevolent.

    Ning Xi! Did you think I wouldn''t know what you want to do? What you want?

    Did you think that you could just snatch Su Yan away like this?! Dream on!

    ¡­

    Su Yan''s mood had been extremely gloomy recently. He returned to Spring Breeze Town to the residence he had stayed at back when he was recuperating. As he recalled the little details of when he was with Ning Xi, his depression started to get out of hand¡­

    He wanted to see Ning Xi like mad, even if it was only to listen to her voice.

    As expected, Ning Xi did not reply his messages. He had borrowed the courage of alcohol and called her, yet he did not expect a man to answer. In fact, Ning Xi had said herself that the person was her man!

    In that instant, his despair was at its ultimate point. It was as if a beast was mming into his chest because the current him had long lost the rights to question her¡­

    He was married¡­

 Chapter 1565: I Want A Child

    <h4>Chapter 1565: I Want A Child</h4>

    It was only when Ning Xueluo''s call rang that he woke with a start from these emotions. He immediately rushed to the office.

    After he had made his way there, he saw Ning Xueluo leaning on the car under the dim lights and there was a pool of blood beside her, inducing a ghastly sight.

    "Xueluo!"

    "Bro Yan¡­ You''re here¡­ I thought that¡­ I wouldn''t see you¡­"

    "Don''t talk nonsense! Let me send you to the hospital!" As he watched the girl''s weak expression in desperation, Su Yan felt his heart tighten. He immediately carried the girl into the car.

    After some hurrying, Su Yan sent Ning Xueluo to the hospital to treat her wound before they went home.

    When they saw that Ning Xueluo being carried in by Su Yan, Zheng Minjun, and Su Hongguang were shocked.

    "What happened?"

    Su Yan looked at Zheng Minjun in distress. "Mother, it''s already sote. Why did you have Xueluo go out to look for me!?"

    "We haven''t seen you for quite a few days now. I was just worried about you! She''s your wife. Obviously, she should be doing this kind of thing!" Zheng Minjun was quite exasperated.

    "What''s up with Xueluo''s wound?" Su Hongguang asked.

    "She went to mypany to look for me. Halfway, she was attacked by an unknown person."

    Su Hongguang spoke with a drop in his tone, "That incident has caused such a huge ruckus. It''s really too chaotic outside there right now. Later on, arrange two bodyguards for her!"

    "Father, Mother, I''m fine¡­ It''s just a small wound¡­ I''m sorry for giving you both trouble¡­" Ning Xueluo looked pale.

    When they saw Ning Xueluo like this, even if Zheng Minjun was angry, she could not express it. Otherwise, she would make Su Yan upset if she said too much.

    Su Yan was too protective of this girl!

    Thus, she could only keep it in for now.

    Inside the room.

    Su Yany Ning Xueluo on the bed and was about to leave when a pair of arms reached out around his neck gently.

    "Bro Yan, give me a child, alright? I want a child that belongs to us. Now that I''ve quit the entertainment industry, I can prepare for pregnancy with ease. Once I have children, I''ll have more time to take care of them, to apany them¡­"

    Something shed in Su Yan''s eyes. "There''s no need to rush. We''re both still young."

    There were tears in Ning Xueluo''s eyes. Her fingers searched out for his lower body. "But I want¡­"

    "Don''t mess around. You''re still hurt."

    "It''s okay! We just have to be a little more careful!"

    ¡­

    With her provocation, Su Yan could not help it in the end.

    "Ah¡­ Bro Yan¡­ Slowly¡­ Slowly¡­"

    Tonight, Su Yan was particrly rough for some reason, yet Ning Xueluo felt reassured. Su Yan still loved her the most and had to sumb to her body.

    Ning Xueluo thought about this, but she did not even notice that when Su Yan was thrusting into her, he had not looked at her once throughout as if he was distracted and deep in some fantasy¡­

    In thest moment, after Su Yan rammed hard into her once more, his body then slumped onto the girl. His head lowered beside the girl''s ear, then he indistinctly muttered, "Xiao Xi¡­"

    After that, Su Yan fell asleep in a daze as he hugged Ning Xueluo tightly in his embrace in his sleep.

    The instant she heard Su Yan say that name, Ning Xueluo felt as if her entire being was struck by thunder. She turned pale.

    Su Yan¡­ How could it be?

    How could he? How could he be charmed by that woman!?

    That dirty woman had sex with some hideous mess of a man and had even given birth to a bastard!

    Back then, a huge part of the reason why Su Yan had left Ning Xi was that he cared about this. Which man could ept that his woman had done it with another man and had even given birth to that man''s child?

    One must know that back then when she was together with Su Yan, that had been her first time!

    So, it was impossible¡­ She must have heard him wrong! Bro Yan definitely would not have any more thoughts about Ning Xi¡­

 Chapter 1566: Are You Free Tonight?

    <h4>Chapter 1566: Are You Free Tonight?</h4>

    The post-drama of the Golden Film Awards had finally ended and Ning Xi''s career was back on track.

    After receiving two Golden Film Award trophies, Ning Xi''s reputation skyrocketed.

    At the same time, she expected more from herself.

    Ling Zhizhi also became more careful at selecting the next movie script for her.

    Ling Zhizhi thought about it for the longest time. In the end, she passed a script to Ning Xi. "Ning Xi, I suggest you audition for this one."

    "A new movie from Jiang Xingzhou?" Ning Xi took a look at the script.

    Anyone in the entertainment industry would feel a chill down their spine whenever they saw the name "Jiang Xingzhou".

    Director Jiang was notorious when he was filming. Even Song Lin, a person with a high status, would be a little afraid when Director Jiang was mentioned.

    Ling Zhizhi told her, "The main character of this movie is a dumb mother. In the movie, it progresses from her teenage years until her old age. I''ve read through the script and find it really good. With Director Jiang as the director, it''ll surelynd you an award locally. The main point is to aim for an international award like one of the big four movie festivals. Of course, because of this, the audition will be really tough. Thepetition will be fierce this time!"

    Ning Xi was flipping through the script and was already attracted to it just by reading the introduction. "It''s really an excellent script! Totally different from ''The World'' and ''Dream Chaser''. It doesn''t have many plot twists. It''s mostly talking about a mother and her life, but scripts like this really put the actor''s skill on trial!"

    Ling Zhizhi nodded. "If it were someone else, I''ll surely pick something safer like the one from Director Ling, but I think you''re more suitable for this role."

    Ning Xi felt her adventurous soul burning inside her. "We''ll go with this then! No matter what, I''ll go for the audition! If I fail, then we''ll go with another one!"

    "Alright, it''s decided then. Go back and make the preparations."

    "Mmm!"

    ¡­

    The moment Ning Xi left thepany, her phone rang.

    Ning Xi looked at the screen. She was so shocked that her soul almost left her!

    Song¡­ Song Lin!

    Her goddess, Song Lin!

    After they had exchanged numbers backstage at the Golden Film Awards, she never thought of bothering her goddess. However, her goddess was now calling her!

    Ning Xi took a deep breath to calm herself down, then she picked up the call. "Hello¡­ Se-Senior Song?"

    "It''s me. Are you free to talk right now? Am I bothering you?" The charming voice of her goddess came through the phone.

    "No! Not at all! You can talk to me now, Senior Song!" Ning Xi quickly replied.

    There was a shortugh over the phone. She seemed to be amused by the girl''s cute reaction. "it''s nothing much actually. I just wanted to have a chat with you. What movie are you going to cast in next?"

    "I''ve just finished discussing with my manager. I''m going to prepare to audition for Director Jiang''s movie ''Mother''," Ning Xi replied seriously.

    "I see¡­ As expected."

    "I''m not really that confident¡­ The people who are going to the audition this time must be very skilled." Ning Xi scratched her head.

    It was not an exaggeration to say that the elites within the entertainment industry would be attending this audition. Ning Xi''s acting was great, but there were many other talented artistes as well. The closer she was to the peak, the better the people she would meet. Still, she was really excited about the challenge.

    Song Lin replied, "What a coincidence, I have a character in this movie too, but it''s just a minor role. It''s been decided."

    "Really?" Ning Xi''s eyes brightened. "So, if I pass the audition, I might have a chance to work with you!"

    Song Lin sounded pleased. "That''s right."

    "Senior Song, I''ll do my best!" Ning Xi felt motivated.

    "Ning Xi, are you free tonight?" Song Lin suddenly asked in her ever so gentle tone. Ning Xi could also sense a tiny sense of seduction, so much so that even as a woman, Ning Xi almost could not take it.

 Chapter 1567: Wear Nothing

    <h4>Chapter 1567: Wear Nothing</h4>

    Ning Xi gave it some thought. "Tonight? Nothing much really¡­"

    "If you don''t have anything on,e over to my ce. We can talk about the script."

    Ning Xi was stunned when she heard that. She felt as if a huge gift had fallen from the sky. "Uhh¡­ S-Senior Song, you mean¡­ You''re giving me some private tutoring?"

    Song Lin had always been her idol, the person she had admired for so many years, a beloved goddess. Not only did she contact her personally, but she was even offering to give her some private tutoring?

    What a sudden wave of pleasant surprises!

    Song Linughed, "Sort of, do you want toe?"

    Of course!

    Ning Xi suppressed the words that she almost yelled out. She tried to act more reserved. "Well, wouldn''t that be troublesome? You''re so busy after all!"

    "It''s alright. I''ll send my address over to you. Come over tonight," Song Lin replied.

    ¡­

    When she received the message from Song Lin, Ning Xi almost wanted to frame up her phone.

    At night, after having dinner at tinum Pce, she tried out various outfits in the room.

    "La¡­ It doesn''t matter whether we talk all night. I don''t mind going shopping with you everywhere. I''m grateful that you made me reborn again, and let me understand all over again what is L-O-V-E, lov-I-N-G, happy-I-N-G¡­ I feel like I''m sitting on a jet ne¡­"

    With Ning Xi''s cheerful singing, Lu Jingli who was ying five-in-a-row with Little Treasure sulked, "Bro, are you guys going dating again tonight?"

    "Nope."

    "No?!" Lu Jingli did not believe it. "Then, who is she going out with? Look at her, acting so cheerful and happy!"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    Lu Jingli then realized he had said something wrong. He covered his mouth and tried toe up with an exnation. "Um¡­ Well, maybe she''s just trying out clothes for fun! It might not really be a date¡­"

    "I''m finally done! How does this look?"

    Ning Xi wore an aqua silk dress, which was a horrifying color. Anyone with slightly worse skin tone would have ruined the look with the dress, yet when Ning Xi wore it on her¡­

    The little bun quickly KO-ed his second uncle, then he ran up to his mother. "Mommy, you look really pretty!"

    Ning Xi hugged the little bun and kissed him. "My son has great taste!"

    "Mommy, are you going out for a date?" The little bun asked as he tilted his head.

    Lu Jingli looked over nervously like paparazzi waiting for a scoop. Lu Tingxiao turned his head over slightly as well.

    Ning Xi sounded really excited. "Yes! Mommy has a very important date tonight! Quickly give me a kiss of encouragement!"

    The little bun obediently gave his mother a quick kiss.

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless once again.

    Lu Jingli was shocked.

    She really was going on a date!

    Lu Jingli was stunned. "Bro Xi, who are you dating? Who''s important enough to make Bro Xi try out a few dozen clothes and several different types of makeup? Even my brother isn''t treated like this! How can you do this, Xiao Xi Xi!? You''re responsible for my brother!"

    Ning Xi red at Lu Jingli angrily, then she went up to Lu Tingxiao. She tiptoed and kissed him. "What now?! I can even wear nothing in front of your brother! Darling, don''t listen to your brother''s nonsense!"

    The coldness on Lu Tingxiao''s face instantly melted. He betrayed his brother without a second thought. "Mmm."

    Lu Jingli was again shocked by the turn of events.

    Damn you, devil tamer Xiao Xi Xi!

 Chapter 1568: Motherâ€™s Baby

    <h4>Chapter 1568: Mother¡¯s Baby</h4>

    Damn you, devil tamer Xiao Xi Xi!

    Shameless! So shameless!

    "Bro, can you please have some dignity? Little bun, you too. Your mother is going on a date with someone else!" Lu Jingli looked extremely worried.

    The observer was much more anxious than the person involved.

    Ning Xi stomped her foot on Lu Jingli''s leg. "I''m dating my goddess. Are you jealous? You single dog!"

    "What single dog?! What are you talking about?! I''m a lone wolf! A lone wolf!" Lu Jingli insisted angrily, then he realized, "Huh? Goddess? A woman¡­"

    "You don''t say!" Ning Xi took a look at the time. "I''m not going to speak nonsense with you anymore. I''m going out now. If not, I''ll bete! My goddess is going to give me some pointers for my next movie! I can''t leave a bad impression!"

    "Goodbye, darling. Goodbye, my baby!" Ning Xi bade farewell to the big bun and the little bun, then she left happily.

    Lu Jingli then mumbled, "Why is she doing so much just to see a woman? Little bun, who''s your mother''s goddess?"

    The little bun was his mother''s top fan. Of course, he would know. He started to introduce Song Lin in detail, "Song Lin, 35 years old, the youngest actress to receive all the biggest awards in the country. She was nominated in the Golden Ball Awards as Best Female Lead before. She''s the first person who''s closest to receive an Oscars from the Chinese entertainment industry¡­"

    "Ah! Song Lin¡­ No wonder!" It suddenly dawned on Lu Jingli.

    Everyone near Ning Xi would know that she was a big fan of Song Lin. Her behavior just now made sense now.

    However, everyone in the field knew that Song Lin was cold and arrogant. She rarely interacted with anyone, so it was unexpected that she would see Ning Xi differently after meeting her just once at the award ceremony.

    Anyhow, Song Lin had an excellent reputation in the industry and her capabilities were genuine too, so it was beneficial for Ning Xi to be in contact with her.

    Lu Jingli did not give it much thought because he had a more troublesome mess to deal with.

    "Oh! Bro! My bro! The family meeting is happening in three days time! All of them areing to Imperial! Almost everyone prepared girls for us! What are we going to do?!" Lu Jingliy down on the sofa with a dreadful face. "Should I make a public announcement that I like men? Wait¡­ Father and Mother will kill me¡­"

    The little bun looked at his weird Second Uncle in disdain, then he went back to his room to sleep.

    His father had his protection anyway. He would never allow anyone to stop him from being his mother''s baby!

    After Lu Jingli reminded him of the family meeting, Lu Tingxiao sat on the sofa. He seemed to be thinking about something. His eyes darkened and his expression seemed to warn that a storm was brewing.

    Lu Jingli looked at his brother worriedly. He felt like he might be thinking too much, but he had a hunch that trouble would happen during the family meeting.

    ¡­

    The address Song Ling had sent Ning Xi was located in the luxurious Splendnd.

    Ning Xi was surprised when she saw the address because from what she knew, Splendnd should be Song Lin''s personal address.

    Usually, big shots like Song Lin would be very mindful of their privacy and would not easily invite people to their personal homes.

 Chapter 1569: To Let Other People See Me

    <h4>Chapter 1569: To Let Other People See Me</h4>

    Ding dong.

    Ning Xi stood at the door after nervously ringing the doorbell.

    Very soon, the door opened from the inside.

    Song Lin wore a casual nude-colored outfit. Her shiny, jet-ck hair was casually pinned into a bun, and her bare feet stepped on the plush, white carpet. "Hey Xiao Xi, I thought you''d be arriving soon. Come in!"

    Ning Xi was stunned for a moment before she reacted. She quickly bowed and greeted Song Lin, then she entered the house. "Sorry to trouble you, Senior!"

    Everyone loved beauty, and Ning Xi''s eyes almost could not tear themselves away from Song Lin.

    In her casual outfit, Song Lin seemedpletely different from the radiant beauty in front of the camera, who had so many fans such as Ning Xi. It was sheer luck that she was special enough to indulge in the secret joy of seeing the other side of her idol.

    Now, she really understood how those groupie fans felt!

    "Sit," Song Lin weed her as she poured her a cup of tea.

    In the middle of the living room was a coffee table. On top of it was a flower arrangement in a white ceramic vase and an exquisite tea set.

    "Thank you, Senior!" Ning Xi took the cup, then sat down on the cushion beside the coffee table. "What tea is this? It smells really good!"

    "It''s sakura tea. I made it myself."

    "Really!" Once she heard that the goddess had made it herself, Ning Xi looked excited.

    Song Lin smiled as she looked at the girl''s genuine enthusiasm and joy, which infected her mood too.

    It had been a long time since she was in such a glorious mood.

    She had been in the entertainment industry for a long time and had attained much in the line of acting work. When she met someone, she could immediately tell whether they genuinely liked something, if they were faking apliment, or if they had a deliberate motive.

    It was rare for her to be confused. Sometimes, she really hated herself for being able to see everything so clearly.

    Thus, when she had met this girl for the first time at the Golden Film Awards, as she witnessed the unadulterated excitement and adoration in her eyes together with her love for acting, she felt like she had just seen an oasis after traversing the desert for a long time.

    Song Lin gave Ning Xi some of the dessert she had made as she casually chatted with her, "Why did you want to start acting?"

    Ning Xi paused for a moment when she heard the question. Why did she want to start acting?

    She had not even spoken to Lu Tingxiao about this and had never revealed the answer in front of the media.

    However, with the person who could be said to be someone who changed her life before her right now, she could not hide the truth.

    Ning Xi looked down and pondered, then she answered, "Actually, there isn''t any special reason¡­ I just wanted¡­ To let other people see me, to know that I exist. However, at that moment, I didn''t know how I could do that¡­ I just knew that one day, that one time I saw you on television when you were epting an award on stage, you were so bedazzling and everyone''s eyes were all on you¡­"

    When she was younger, because of her experience of being abandoned and being thrown out more than once, it made Ning Xi realize that she was insignificant and weak. Apart from the only younger brother who cared for her, even if she went missing and disappeared or if she died, no one would notice.

    The desire to let people know about her existence built her survival instinct right from the start.

    Even though Ning Xi had not exined her emotions in concrete, Song Lin thought about the girl''s background and could roughly fathom the source of her thoughts.

    Ning Xi smiled when she finished. "Of course, I''m also bound by convention. It''s also to earn more money and be more amazing!"

    She still wanted to stand alongside that person¡­

    Ning Xi studied Song Lin. Her gestures held the manner and charm of someone with years of practice. No matter if it was in the entertainment circle or the business and investment industry, she had almost reached the pinnacle. She instantly felt that she was too far behind¡­

 Chapter 1570: More Normal Entrance

    <h4>Chapter 1570: More Normal Entrance</h4>

    Ning Xi chatted a lot with Song Lin.

    Initially, she was a little awkward, but by the end of their chat, it was practically familiarity at first sight. The two of them shared many simr views and beliefs. Later on, they even analyzed arge chunk of the script all the way until it waste at night, but they still had not had enough.

    As the old adage went, listening to the right person speak was better than studying for ten years. Today, she finally understood the meaning of the saying!

    All along, she had always fumbled alone and worked hard to read books and study by herself. Now, there was suddenly someone leading the way, helping her resolve many problems she had long been puzzled by, and even pointing out some errors.

    "Thank you, Senior Song. Thank you so much for today!" Ning Xi took a deep bow and thanked her.

    Song Lin smiled nonchntly. "You''re wee. It''s hard toe by people you can hit it off with immediately. It''s been a long time since I''ve chatted this happily with someone too. Call me ''Sis Lin'' next time. There''s no need to be so distant!"

    Ning Xi immediately responded, "Sis Lin!"

    "It''s veryte. Did youe alone? Do you want to stay at my ce for a night?"

    "There''s no need to trouble you. I''ve already bothered you a lot. I came with a chauffeur," Ning Xi quickly said.

    "Okay then, get home and be careful on the road."

    "Mmm, I''ll go now. Goodnight, Sis Lin!"

    "Goodnight." After Ning Xi left, Song Lin did not immediately enter her house. Instead, she quietly watched the girl''s bouncy silhoutte leave.

    ¡­

    Downstairs, when Shi Xiao saw Ning Xie down, he breathed a sigh of relief.

    Even though the Lady Boss was meeting a woman¡­

    However, based on his understanding of the Lady Boss, women were not safe either!

    "Miss Xi, returning to tinum Pce?"

    "Mmm, let''s go home."

    On the way, Ning Xi was humming a song in mood as she summarized notes on the enlightenment she had received from chatting with Song Lin earlier.

    She was absorbed in her writing when the smoothly driven car suddenly came to a sudden halt with an ear-piercing screech.

    "What''s happened?"

    "Miss Xi! Be careful!" Shi Xiao was horrified as he yelled out in a trembling voice.

    Then, Ning Xi saw a dark human figure squatting like a spider on her car hood.

    "Damn it¡­" Ning Xi rubbed her eyes. She almost thought that she had seen a ghost.

    What the heck was this?

    Shi Xiao took a gun out from the car''s hiddenpartment, then he swiftly opened the car door and pointed it towards the unknown entity on the car hood.

    The entity moved with an inhuman speed and attacked Shi Xiao.

    Ning Xi quickly got down from the car too. When she clearly saw what was attacking Shi Xiao, her eyes suddenly widened and she quickly stopped Shi Xiao. "Shi Xiao! Don''t shoot!"

    Pop! The sound of a silenced gun burst. The unknown figure used an extremely weird angle to evade the bullet''s speed, then it immediately snatched the gun from Shi Xiao''s hand.

    "I hate other people using guns to point at me."

    When she heard this familiar voice, ten thousand "what the hells" shed across Ning Xi''s mind. Well, I hate people squatting on my car hood in the middle of the night!

    "Master Han Xiao! I''m sorry, I''m sorry! My bodyguard didn''t mean it! But you¡­ Why the hell in the dead of night are you here?" Ning Xi asked with a twitching mouth.

    Couldn''t you have made a more normal entrance?

    Han Xiao replied, "I''m hungry."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Master, don''t you know that you saying such words to me in the middle of the night is very terrifying?

    Thankfully, even though they had not been in contact much, she still understood a part of this guy''s entric temperament¡­

    "Oh, oh, oh, then I''ll treat you to a meal! Kentucky is open 24 hours!"

    "Mmm." The master instantly moved his murderous gaze away from Shi Xiao.

 Chapter 1571: Blow It, Ill Be There

    <h4>Chapter 1571: Blow It, I''ll Be There</h4>

    Late night, at KFC.

    As the two female waitresses watched the heap of bones in front of Han Xiao increase, their ogling went from the restlessness of seeing a handsome guyte at night to the horrified gaze of seeing a ghostte at night¡­

    Such a mysterious and unique, handsome, long-haired guy was unexpectedly a glutton!

    Even though Ning Xi was already mentally prepared for Han Xiao''s appetite, she still stared at him in amazement from behind her shades.

    "Master, earlier¡­ Were you just coincidentally passing by?" Ning Xi probed.

    Han Xiao finished off a drumstick in two bites before answering, "Nope, I''vee to look for you."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    He had jumped onto her car hood in the middle of the street dead in the night to look for her. She was really humbled, haha!

    At this moment, at a table diagonally opposite them, the muscles on Shi Xiao''s entire body were tensed up. He looked as if he was facing a mortal enemy as he stared at Ning Xi and Han Xiao''s direction.

    This was a fear that came from the survival instinct of meeting a mighty opponent.

    Up until this moment, Shi Xiao was still breaking down from recalling the scene earlier.

    Bloody hell! Why were the people around the Lady Boss getting scarier than the other?! He really felt like he was the one who needed protection the most!

    Lady Boss, are you sure this person is safe? Do we need to go get back up right now?

    "I wonder¡­ What has the mastere looking for me for?" Ning Xi eagerly ordered a family bucket set again, then asked.

    Han Xiao swept the entire family bucket set clean, then finally found some time to take something out before casually tossing it towards her.

    Ning Xi quickly caught it. Han Xiao had thrown her something carved with an unknown pattern. It was a whistle-shaped pendant hung on a red string.

    Ning Xi kept fumbling with the whistle, yet she still could not figure out what it was. "Master, what''s this? Why are you giving this to me?"

    "For you to stay alive," said Han Xiao.

    "Ah?" Ning Xi was a little confused. She did not understand what he meant.

    Han Xiao exined, "Blow it and I''ll be there."

    "Huh? Cough, cough¡­" Ning Xi almost choked on her own saliva. "Well, Master, something doesn''t seem very right. How loud can the whistle be? Unless you''re just nearby, you won''t be able to hear it and rush over, will you?"

    "I''ll be there," Han Xiao repeated himself. In fact, he started to look quite upset by Ning Xi''s doubts.

    Once Ning Xi saw his frown, she dared not say more, so she quickly nodded. "Okay, okay, okay! I''ll ept this then! Thank you, Master! Thank you very much! Master, you''re too good to me! Definitely one of the most loyal people out there!"

    Now, Han Xiao started to look better. However, his eyes were gloomy as he said, "Imperial has been chaotic recently."

    When Ning Xi heard him, she thought to herself, "A certain someone''s back in the country¡­ Of course, Imperial is chaotic¡­"

    She did not expect him to appear because she had casually helped him out and had even half-joked that he owed her a life. He had really remembered her deed.

    He was really honest.

    However, this brain of his did not seem too right.

    She felt like he still had a primitive thought process.

    Ning Xi did not know whether tough or cry as she looked at the whistle in her hand, but she felt his concern and her heart was pretty grateful.

    "Thank you for your reminder, Master. I will pay more attention," Ning Xi said.

    "Mmm, I''m leaving." After Han Xiao was full, he left without any sign of reluctance. He was lightning quick and before anyone could react, he was gone.

    On the other side, Shi Xiao, who was prepared to call for back up, was stupefied.

    Gone?

    He was actually gone just like that¡­

 Chapter 1572: Donâ€™t You Think These Are Cuter?

    <h4>Chapter 1572: Don¡¯t You Think These Are Cuter?</h4>

    At Imperial Qianshan Cemetry.

    The evening drizzle made one feel a little cold whening in contact with the rain.

    A ck Hummer stopped quietly.

    The driver swiftly got out and opened the door of the passenger seat, using a wide, ck umbre at the same time to shelter the passenger from the rain.

    A man in a ck suit stepped out of the car.

    The man''s silver hair was swaying in the gentle breeze and he held a bouquet of white roses as he looked at the cemetery.

    The other passenger door also opened and a middle-aged man in a ck Tangzhuang suit came out.

    Qiao Yi ordered everyone to stay back. Neither did he bring anyone, nor did he use an umbre as he went into the cemetery with Yun Shen.

    Under the rain, they walked silently up to a gravestone.

    Qiao Yi''s expression turned cold when he saw the gravestone. His hands balled into fists.

    Yun Shen remained quiet as hey the white roses in front of the gravestone.

    There was a picture of a young woman on the gravestone. She looked beautiful, but her expression seemed a little poignant.

    Qiao Yi stared at the picture with a furious gaze. "After so many years, I''m finally back¡­ Don''t you worry. I''ll get everything that belongs to you back!"

    Yun Shen turned around and lit up a cigarette, the smoke covering his indifferent attitude and the ridicule in his smirk.

    ¡­

    At the same time, at tinum Pce.

    The audition was in a few days'' time. Ning Xi was going through the script like there was no tomorrow when she suddenly received a call to ept a delivery.

    Ning Xi went down to get the delivery. After some effort, she lugged the bulky, heavy box into the house with Lu Tingxiao''s help.

    "What''s this?"

    Ning Xi opened therge box suspiciously. Although she had bought something on the Net recently, she did not remember buying something this big!

    Ning Xi removed the outer packaging and a ck wooden box was revealed inside.

    "Wait." As Ning Xi was about to open the box, Lu Tingxiao stopped her and dragged her behind him, then he opened the box.

    The moment it was opened, Ning Xi covered her eyes with her palms and groaned, "Ooh, what¡­?!"

    My eyes!

    Gold!

    A whole box full of gold!

    Ning Xi was stunned for a while, then she carefully bit on one of it. "Damn! It''s real! These are real! What''s happening? Which madman send me a box of gold?!"

    Lu Tingxiao studied the gold. He thought of something and his eyes turned cold.

    He saw a gold card on the top of the glittering pile. Lu Tingxiao picked it up cautiously.

    Ning Xi saw Lu Tingxiao looking at the card, so she nced over curiously. She then saw a familiar handwriting. "My dear, what''s so great about the Golden Film Awards? Don''t you think these are cuter? -YS"

    Ning Xi almost broke down.

    Well, when she had thought that it was some lunatic, she should already have thought about that guy!

    "He''s at it again¡­" Ning Xi felt a throbbing headacheing on. She closed the box of shiny gold. "I''ll get someone to send it backter."

 Chapter 1573: Kiss of Punishment

    <h4>Chapter 1573: Kiss of Punishment</h4>

    "What the heck?! Just what''s wrong with this guy?! Just how do you think his brain works? What''s wrong with the Golden Film Awards?! Did the Golden Film Awards ever offend him? He sent over diamonds before, but now he''s stopped using diamonds and resorted to gold instead! Just what did I do wrong in my past life to meet him in my current life?"

    As Ning Xi wasining, the man beside her suddenly kissed her.

    It was a sudden kiss that bore a slight sense of punishment as he nibbled on the girl''s lips lightly¡­

    Ning Xi grumbled as she was bitten, then she looked up at him innocently. "Mmm¡­"

    The man hugged the girl even tighter and did not allow her to escape. He only let her go after a while before he looked at her in the eye. "Don''t talk about that person so intimately."

    "Ugh¡­" Ning Xi''s mouth twitched as she was a little speechless. "Darling, your thought process is quite odd too¡­"

    When did she talk about that madman intimately!?

    How did you get to that conclusion, darling!?

    She somehow felt that Lu Tingxiao was not in the right mindset today.

    Whatever, her darling was always right anyway. He was right even when he was wrong.

    Ning Xi quicklyforted him, "Yes, yes, darling, you''re right. It''s my fault! Don''t be angry! Think about it this way! Me receiving a Golden Film Award is the equivalent of us getting half of our marriage certificate!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression softened. He grazed the girl''s lips with his fingers, then continued to kiss her gently¡­

    Ning Xi let the man kiss her as she sneakily kicked the box away from them.

    After the man calmed down, Ning Xi took the chance and changed the topic as she dragged Lu Tingxiao onto the sofa. "Lu Tingxiao, tomorrow''s your family meeting! I''ve already prepared your suit! Look, this is yours, and this is little bun''s, okay? But little bun''s one looks a little too mature for his age, so I''ve added something to his pocket. Look, isn''t this bunny cute?"

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao hugged the girl as she went on and on. He peered at the suit Ning Xi had prepared for him. "Aren''t you going with me?"

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "Even with the Golden Film Awards, I''m only halfway there¡­ It''d be great if I can be like Senior Song, the nation''s goddess, with such an exceptional reputation and influence. She''s even bought 5% of the Lu Corporation''s shares on her own. I remember¡­ I remember that after she bought the shares, in just three days, the share of the Lu Corporation reached the daily upper limit!"

    Just a meager 1% of Lu Corporation''s share was extremely costly, what more 5%!

    She was already regarded as one of the big stakeholders with just 5% shares in hand, so she had a substantial amount of influence in thepany.

    Song Lin''s ex-husband was the CEO of the Merck family from America, and her current boyfriend was the owner of the SC Company in Hollywood. Besides that, her best friend was the princess of United Kingdom¡­ Basically, the people around her were all people standing at the top, making her existence even more legendary.

    Even the reserved super-rich families in Imperial, who were biased against people from the entertainment industry, had to be wary of her.

    Looking at the girl''s deted expression, Lu Tingxiao instantly felt regret. He kissed the girl''s forehead and gentlyforted her, "It''smendable that you have a goal, but don''t rush yourself. Song Lin did enter the industry ten years before you did, after all. You''re doing really great with your current achievements. You''ll be a one of a kind legend."

    One of a kind legend¡­

    Ning Xi''s dejection vanished after she heard the devil''s prophecy-like words.

    "Although you can''t attend it with me in public, you can apany me another way," Lu Tingxiao said mysteriously.

    "What way?" Ning Xi asked.

    Lu Tingxiao thought about it before he asked, "Have you got a lipstick?"

 Chapter 1574: Too Flirtatious

    <h4>Chapter 1574: Too Flirtatious</h4>

    "Lipstick?" Ning Xi was a little stunned. "I do, but what do you need it for?"

    "I need to use it."

    "Huh? Use it¡­"

    What was Lu Tingxiao going to do with it? He could not be using it on himself, could he?

    Ning Xi searched through her bag in confusion and took out a lipstick she usually used.

    Lu Tingxiao removed the cap, then he lifted the girl''s chin with his long fingers and carefully applied it on her.

    Ning Xi blinked her eyes. She still had no idea what Lu Tingxiao was trying to do.

    Finally, Lu Tingxiao was done applying the lipstick, then he handed his white shirt to her.

    Ning Xi then realized what was Lu Tingxiao trying to do. Her heart was throbbing fast, so fast that she felt light-headed.

    Ning Xi coughed lightly, "Uh, darling, are you¡­ sure?"

    "Yeah."

    Ning Xi looked at the clean cor of the shirt. She hesitated for a while. In the end, she gently left a lipstick stain near the cor.

    Ning Xi blushed when she saw the red mark of hers that her kiss left on the shirt.

    She did not expect Lu Tingxiao to have her apany him this way. At the same time, he could use this to avoid the other women.

    Oh! Her darling was too flirtatious!

    How could he do this!?

    The devil''s flirting skills had evolved to another realm!

    "Is this¡­ alright?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Perfect." Lu Tingxiao folded the shirt back.

    Ning Xi was really touched as she felt the unlimited love and indulgence from him. She leaned over slightly. "Boss, do you want it somewhere else?"

    The man''s eyes darkened. He caressed the girl''s head and showered the girl''s lips with kisses¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    The next day, the Lu family meeting was held in one of their properties.

    The major sessors of the whole of the Lu family along with therge stakeholders were all gathered together.

    The music fountain by the front door was switched on, and there was a small band ying in the banquet hall. The very definition of a rich man''s life was disyed under the huge crystal chandelier.

    The guests were from the Lu family or people with deep ties to the Lu family. Everyone took this chance to connect with each other, making it rather lively. Laughter echoed everywhere and everybody wore a smile on their faces.

    Under Lu Tingxiao''s leadership for the past few years, the Lu Corporation had reached its peak. Of course, the people present had benefitted as well.

    In the whole hall, there was only one unhappy person -- the poor little guy who was also the most popr one in the hall at the moment. Everyone was trying to talk to him.

    "Second Master, this is the daughter of my brother-inw''s second aunt. She''s called Ying Ying. At 24 years old, she graduated from Princeton University. She took the same course as you did, so you guys must have a lot to talk about¡­"

    "Jingli, this is my niece Yan Yan. She''s 18 this year and is still in high school. She really admires you. Why don''t you talk to her for a little?"

    "Second Master, look at this girl on my phone. What do you think? She''s three years older than you. As the saying goes, you''ll be full of gold with a girl that''s three years older!

    "Second Master, Second Master¡­"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli was trapped among the crowd of aunties around him. No one was able to save him and he looked like he was trampled.

    Oh ¡ª

    Brother ¡ª

    Why are you not here yet?!

    Save me!

 Chapter 1575: My Brother Is Not Easy To Bully

    <h4>Chapter 1575: My Brother Is Not Easy To Bully</h4>

    Lu Jingli had only managed to narrowly escape from the crowd.

    Of course, he liked girls and beauties, but he could not have all of these beauties because all of them were forcing him to get married!

    Dating would be fine, but he did not want to enter the graveyard of love called marriage!

    For him to be willing to enter the graveyard, it had to be his goddess!

    "Father! Mother! You''re too much! Am I your son? Earlier, I was already begging for help, yet you guys ignored me!" Lu Jingli ran up to Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan in anger.

    Yan Ruyi fixed her son''s slightly messy hair and shot him an annoyed look. "What nonsense are you spewing?! What about helping or not?! How old are you now? You should start considering marriage. There are so many excellent girls here today. Don''t you fancy even one of them?"

    "We''ve let you be for so many years, but that''s enough. Use this wonderful opportunity to decide on someone to marry within the year!" Lu Chongshan issued a stern military order.

    Lu Jingli instantly muttered unhappily, "You guys only know how to bully me! If you''re that good, then speak to my brother about this!"

    Lu Chongshan shot his son a look. "Your brother too!"

    Yan Ruyi glimpsed at all the young girls present tonight and there was a hopeful radiance on her face. "All the girls here tonight are all pretty amazing. Maybe there''ll be someone Tingxiao likes¡­"

    Lu Jingli casually skimmed the candidates. "Mother, don''t say false things. None of them are as pretty as my sister-inw!"

    "What sister-inw?! Don''t simply address people like that!" Lu Chongshan immediately warned.

    He knew that that woman would not be attending tonight, so he had decided to hide the fact that Lu Tingxiao already had a girlfriend.

    Even though Tingxiao had announced it previously, as long as that woman did not appear tonight and get in the way, anything was possible.

    Lu Jingli obviously knew what his father was thinking. He could not help but immediately dampen his enthusiasm and said, "Father, you''re too naive. You think that just cause my sister-inw can''t apany brother to attend this event, brother would allow you to order him about? My brother isn''t as obedient and easy to bully as I am¡­"

    "You brat! What are you saying? Can''t just think for your brother''s sake?" Yan Ruyi shook her head helplessly, then she looked the clock on the wall. "It''s already sote. Why isn''t your brother here yet?"

    Yan Ruyi was about to make a call to ask Lu Tingxiao where he was when suddenly there was the sound of excited shrieks at the scene. In fact, at the entrance, the crowd had started to part to create a path.

    Against the light, there were arge and a small silhouette standing. They were slowly making their way towards the front of the banquet hall.

    The little boy beside the man wore the same ck tuxedo as the man, and he stood out, attracting hundreds of eyeballs.

    In his solid ck tuxedo, the little boy''s face had precisely the same cold and distant look as Lu Tingxiao. He was practically a carbon copy of his father with the look that could repel people miles away.

    Even though the little guy looked so distinguished and had perfectly inherited the Lu family''s genes, he seemed a little too gloomy at such a young age.

    As some thought about this, the little guy came nearer.

    Upon closer inspection, they saw that on the little guy''s tuxedo pocket was a cute little bunny ornament, instantly adding liveliness and childish cuteness to the child. All the adults around him melted from his charm.

    While Lu Tingxiao''s presence was powerful andpelling as always, he was also as handsome as a god.

    All the young girls present had been anxious when they heard the rumors about Lu Tingxiao''s frightful nature and indifference that made him hard to get along with. However, the moment when they saw Lu Tingxiao in person, they were already so excited that they almost wanted to immediately jump on him!

 Chapter 1576: Womans Lip Stain

    <h4>Chapter 1576: Woman''s Lip Stain</h4>

    "Ah, ah, ah¡­ Oh my God! This¡­ This is the chief of our family n?"

    "The chief of our family n is actually so handsome! Chi Yingying, that bastard! She actually lied to me that the chief was a sinister, scary, and ugly monster, which was why he seldom appeared in public and didn''t allow the media to publish his pictures! She made me reject my aunt''s help to introduce us! I want to pick a fight with her!"

    "Oh my God, you''re unbelievably stupid! You actually believed that? She obviously wanted one lesspetitor!"

    "Ah, I really want to marry to the chief too! My uncle said that this time, the host family is also prepared to choose a suitably aged girl to go on a blind date with Second Master and the family chief at the same time!"

    "Enough dreaming! Do you think it''s that easy to be the headdy of the family? Even if it''s Second Master, you''re not even qualified yet!"

    ¡­

    Lu Chongshan looked at his incredible son and listened to all the praises around him, seeming very delighted.

    His eldest son was the hugest pride in his life. He had elevated the Lu family to an unprecedented peak. It was not an exaggeration to say that he was the Lu family''s most perfect and outstanding family head in history.

    As his mother, Yan Ruyi was obviously pleased too. She had been quietly taking note of all the girls who were there that night.

    Good thing that girl still has some self-awareness and didn''te tonight¡­

    "Eh, this isn''t logical! My brother actually obediently walked into the wolf''s den?" Lu Jingli was confused. After all, based on his understanding of his brother, this protective devil would definitely not let any other woman but Xiao Xi have the chance to lust after him.

    "Do you think your brother will behave like you and act inappropriately?!" Lu Chongshan shot Lu Jingli a dirty look.

    "Oh! No! I don''t believe it! This is illogical!"

    He waited until Lu Tingxiao had brought the little bun and walked up to the three of them. Lu Jingli immediately closed in like a tracking dog. He peered up and down to examine his brother and did not leave any corner unturned.

    Lu Tingxiao did not stop Lu Jingli from acting so crazy either. He just stood there, speaking to Lu Chongshan.

    "Little Treasure is attending our family meeting for the first time. You should bring him around to get to know everyone!" Lu Chongshan gazed lovingly at his darling grandson.

    Although that was what he said, he was actually trying to imply that Lu Tingxiao should take Little Treasure around and show him off.

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao nodded.

    "Ah!"

    Lu Tingxiao was still speaking to Lu Chongshan, then Lu Jingli suddenly tugged Lu Tingxiao''s cor like Colombus discovering the New World. "Dang! Bro¡­ You should watch your image a little!"

    On Lu Tingxiao''s cor was obviously a lip stain. Half of it was exposed on the outside of the cor, while the other half was hidden in the tuxedo. Now that Lu Jingli pulled at it, it waspletely presented to the crowd.

    Since Lu Tingxiao was the focus of everyone''s attention, how could no one not notice this lip stain? Only, no one dared to confirm it or simply utter anything.

    "That thing on the chief''s clothes¡­ Is that actually really a woman''s lip¡­ Lip stain?"

    "I heard that the chief once announced to the public that he has a girlfriend¡­"

    "No! No way! There isn''t any woman beside him!"

    ¡­

    At that moment, there were suddenly gasps of astonishment in the banquet hall. If one listened closely, one would be able to hear the breaking of all the youngdies'' hearts.

    Lu Tingxiao shot his brother a sideways look, then slowly waved his hand and rearranged his cor properly. "Don''t touch me."

    Lu Jingli indicated that he had been severely hurt and immediately held his chest in mock pain. "Bloody hell! You''re too much! Sister-inw didn''t evene, but you can still publicly disy your affection alone!"

 Chapter 1577: I Want To Wear The Same Thing As Father

    <h4>Chapter 1577: I Want To Wear The Same Thing As Father</h4>

    One lip stain¡­

    Just like that, his affection was publicly put on disy¡­

    Just like that, he had announced to everyone present that he was taken!

    No matter what their parents said, Lu Jingli was confident that his brother definitely would have prepared something, but this move was so savage. It was such a simple act of cruelty that he had not even thought of.

    All the girls stared right at the lip stain on Lu Tingxiao''s cor. If their prating gazes could release mes, Lu Tingxiao''s clothes would have had a hole burnt right through it.

    "Look at that lipstick color and form. It should be the newly released color code NT260 bypany G. This color is especially tricky. If one can''t pull it off well, they''ll look very tacky. I''ve only seen specific women pull off this color. That woman actually dared to use this shade!" The girls discussing this had a natural passion for things like lipsticks, so obviously, they would know a lot about it. Many of the girls exchanged information about this lipstick just based on its color.

    "That should be the chief''s woman. She must definitely be very beautiful! Obviously, she''d dare to wear this color! I''m so heartbroken. I haven''t even tried and it''s already fruitless¡­"

    "I heard that the chief is extremely fastidious, but he actually allowed that woman''s lip stain to remain on his shirt cor!" Some girls were so jealous that they almost ground their teeth to bits.

    Lu Tingxiao''s aura was cool and remote as he held his head up high with esteem and pride. His entire beingmanded an air of being above themon popce. That lip stain which had so abruptly appeared on his cor drew a contrast that added an extremely appealing sexiness and attractiveness to him.

    To have the gall to leave a lip stain on such a man''s cor¡­ How was that like? Just thinking about it really made one burn up and overwhelmed with emotions!

    A girl in a ssy ck gown was sipping on champagne, then her eyes narrowed and she said, "I think tonight you guys had better watch out! The chief is clearly hinting that he''s not happy that this eventbeled as a family meeting is bing an event for blind dates¡­"

    When they heard the girl''s words, all the girls looked around at each other and felt miserable.

    Even though that was the case, who could resist such the temptation of being the headdy of the Lu family?

    Even if there was only a sliver of possibility, no one would be willing to give up, would they?

    The crowd all had thoughts of their own. Lu Chongshan''s face was already darker than the bottom of a pot, while Yan Ruyi''s expression showed signs of helplessness too.

    They could not deny that Jingli still knew his brother the best.

    "You¡­ Sigh¡­ If you''re really against it, could we force you? Why do you have to do something like this?!" Yan Ruyi sighed to express her displeasure.

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything, but his expression clearly demonstrated that he did not trust his mother.

    Yan Ruyi cleared her throat a little awkwardly. Obviously, she felt pretty guilty saying that. After all, she had recently been secretly preparing for this. All the girls that could enter tonight had also been carefully selected by her.

    Even though Lu Chongshan was angry, he could not cause a huge scene at such an asion today. He could only suppress his agitation. "Quickly go change your outfit."

    Before Lu Tingxiao said anything, the little bun spoke up from the side, "Grandfather, I want to wear the same thing as Father."

    The father and son duo wore the same design. The gem ornaments on their cors were the same too.

    When Lu Chongshan heard his darling grandchild speak up, he instantly nodded kindly. "Okay, okay, okay, don''t change then! As long as our Little Treasure likes it!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his own son. When he heard him call him "Father" in between his sentences, his brows raised. In order to protect his mother, the little guy had made a pretty huge sacrifice.

 Chapter 1578: The Prince Is The Key

    <h4>Chapter 1578: The Prince Is The Key</h4>

    The lip stain incident was in the past for now, but the impact of it was pretty effective for Lu Tingxiao.

    The consequence was¡­

    "Bro! You''re overdoing it!"

    The firepower was all focused on Lu Jingli now.

    As for those who were aiming to be the headdy of the family, they understood that it was almost impossible for them to get closer to Lu Tingxiao. They would not dare to as well since he had made his stand obvious. They would not just sidle closer with the knowledge that they would get hurt. Some of the smarter ones were flexible enough to change their n.

    "Rumor has it that the woman is getting along really well with the prince! Lu Tingxiao has never been close to girls anyway. She must have gotten her chance because she''s close to the prince!"

    "I also heard that that woman is from a non-presentable family background. Maybe because she''s too close to the prince, even Mr. and Madam Lu have to be wary of her!"

    "It seems like the prince is the key!"

    "You only realized it now? Look at the Guans!" People started looking somewhere nearby.

    ¡­

    Guan Rui brought his eldest son, Guan Zihao, and grandson, Guan Zhichen, to go over and greet Lu Chongshan warmly.

    To avoid making a scene, the Guan family had note with Guan Ziyao.

    Things had gotten really heated up before and might even have resulted in them being looked down upon. Moreover, the Guan family was now different from before.

    Guan Zihao had won himself a government-funded project the moment he came back. The profit from this project was able to double the size of theirpany. They would be able to secure a solid standing in the country after this project.

    Guan Zihao looked rather handsome and he was polite as he admitted, "Uncle Lu, I heard from my father that Zhichen caused a ruckus on your birthday thest time. It''s my fault for not teaching him properly. If he said anything offensive, I''m apologizing on his behalf today."

    Lu Chongshan looked at this youngster whom he had not seen for many years and was impressed by his humbleness. He replied, "It''s just a small matter. Don''t mention it."

    He had actually felt bitter towards the Guan family that day, but he was satisfied with the end result. The negative rumors about Little Treasure all vanished.

    The Guans had been doing pretty welltely, and to be considerate, they had even left Guan Ziyao out from the asion, so of course, he would not force them.

    Even if their children did not get married, they did not need to be enemies.

    "I''m sorry, Brother Little Treasure. I''m apologizing to you. It was my fault the other day. I shouldn''t have misunderstood you just by listening to the rumors. I didn''t expect you to be so amazing at such a young age. I''m really impressed!" Guan Zhichen sounded really genuine and evenvished high praises on Little Treasure.

    He was just a young brat, so getting on his good side was very simple.

    If it were not for his father and grandfather, he would never have said such disgusting words to a brat. Amazing? Impressive? Nonsense!

    As Guan Zhichen was ridiculing Little Treasure on the inside, he took out a colorful Rubik''s cube to pass to Little Treasure. "This custom-made Rubik''s cube was a gift my father brought back from America. I really like it. I spent about an hour to solve it, but I''m now giving it to you, so you can kill some time with it."

 Chapter 1579: His Little Bun Is Secretly Evil

    <h4>Chapter 1579: His Little Bun Is Secretly Evil</h4>

    Guan Zhichen''s attitude looked friendly, but arrogance was hidden in his tone.

    Anyone who knew about the Rubik''s cube would know that this model was especially difficult to solve. A normal person would take three to five weeks to solve it, but he did it within an hour.

    Even his father had praised him!

    The little bun looked at Guan Zhichen, then looked at the Rubik''s cube he handed over. He blinked as thought about what to do.

    His mother told him that it was rude to ignore a person that was talking to him.

    So, the little bun took the Rubik''s cube and started ying with it.

    Guan Zhichen looked at his father and grandfather proudly as Little Treasure epted his gift and started ying with it. He then went up to the little bun as he tried to teach him. "Brother Little Treasure, you can''t make all the sides the same color this way¡­ Let me teach you the technique¡­ You should work on thisyer first, and¡­ Ah, not like this. You can''t get anywhere like this¡­ You have to follow what I said¡­"

    As Guan Zhichen adopted the big brother role and tried to teach Little Treasure patiently, the next moment, all his words were stuck in his throat when he looked at the cube in Little Treasure''s hand.

    Little Treasure looked up expressionlessly as he handed the Rubik''s cube that he had solved within just two minutes back to the older boy. He looked at Guan Zhichen and obeyed what his mother taught him. He said calmly, "Thank you. It''s fun."

    Guan Zhichen was speechless.

    What a good way to kill time! Two minutes¡­

    "Pfft!" Lu Jingli witnessed this scene when he just got out of the crowd. He almostughed out loud but stopped when Lu Chongshan red at him.

    His little bun was secretly evil! Overpower! He killed it!

    Although Lu Chongshan red at Lu Jingli, actually¡­ He felt pretty good about it!

    Only Lu Tingxiao was calm andposed. He fully understood his son''s level of power and what he was capable of, so he was never worried about him from the beginning.

    Guan Zhichen''s face reddened in embarrassment. He almost puked blood, especially when Little Treasure spoke with such a straight face.

    Damn it! Was this brat trying to humiliate him?

    Because of his grandfather and father''s warning back at home, he could not get angry at all even when he was embarrassed. He forced a smile and praised the little bun, "Uhh, you¡­ You''re really amazing, Brother Little Treasure! You solved it so quickly! The way you solved is really special. I''ve never seen it before¡­"

    Guan Zihao noticed that his son could not continue the conversation any longer, so he jumped in. "Zhichen, bring Brother Little Treasure over there to y! Take care of him!"

    He had not been aroundst time, but he had to admit that the young prince of the Lu family was really something.

    "Okay, Father, I got it!" Guan Zhichen took a deep breath and continued to build the bond with this person whom he hated.

    After the two kids left, Guan Rui then spoke to Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi with a smile, "Zhichen has been praising Little Treasure every day at home. He said that only Little Treasure could get him interested in a discussion. They''re really simr to Ziyao and Tingxiao back then¡­''

    Guan Zihao was looking at Lu Tingxiao and they spoke as if good friends who had not met for a long time.

    From the elders of the Lu family to Lu Tingxiao, and even the prince¡­

    Despite the absence of Guan Ziyao, everyone at the scene knew what the Guans were scheming, but their tricks were really well thought out.

 Chapter 1580: Cannot Let Her Down

    <h4>Chapter 1580: Cannot Let Her Down</h4>

    Speaking of the Guans and the Lus, they hade a long way.

    They had been on amicable terms since the generation of Guan Rui''s father. Some of the descendants of the Guan family had married the Lu family as well. Some of them had working rtionships. They had always been very close to each other, even during the years that the Guan family were overseas.

    After the Guan family returned, even though there had been some hostility between them, their strong bonds still existed.

    However, numerous capable people who were aiming for the position of the headdy were present. They could not just do nothing when they saw the Guan family making advances. People started letting their children get close to the young prince as well. At the same time, they were trying to appeal to the two elders, creating chances for their own people.

    For those who knew their worth, they gave up on that and took the chance to build their connection with the others tonight.

    Anyone who appeared at this event today was all top-level connections, especially people from the Lu family and the stakeholders. Each one of them was rarely seen in public. No one would pass up the chance to get closer to this core circle of the society.

    Lu Tingxiao was surrounded by many people, but in front of this young head of the family, everyone did not want to overdo shining his shoes. Those in lower positions knew their ce and left after a short toast.

    Those with a certain level of position carefully made small talk and reported some development of their business. Only close rtives like Lu Chongyuan talked to his nephew closely and even touched on some sensitive topics.

    "Tingxiao, as the saying goes, build your family first before your career. You should really consider marriage now. Even if it''s not for yourself, think about your child!" Lu Chongyuan tried to convince him before he carefully mentioned, "I think that Ziyao girl isn''t bad! You both have known each other since you were little, and you guys were really close too. A matching pair!"

    Obviously, Lu Chongyuan was on the Guan family''s side.

    The project Guan Ziyao had received recently involved thepany Lu Chongyuan was in charge of. In addition to that, the sister of Lu Chongyuan''s wife was Guan Rui''s wife, making them inws, so of course, he would help the Guans out.

    He Jingzhu tilted her head and looked at her daughter, Lu Xinyan. "Xinyan, why is Sis Ziyao not here today?"

    Lu Xinyan looked around and said, "Sis Ziyao''s not here? I don''t know¡­"

    He Jingzhu then questioned her, "How would you not know although you''re so close to Ziyao? Didn''t I ask you to bring her home for fun more often? We haven''t seen each other for such a long time¡­"

    "Mother, you''re really annoying. I told you I don''t know. I just don''t know! Your daughter is someone doing big things now. I''m really busy!" Lu Xinyan then ran away.

    After all, she had been saved by Ning Xi once, and her first sessful business owed thanks to Ning Xi as well. No matter what, she could not just let Ning Xi down!

    However, she was really close to Sis Ziyao. Her parents were leaning towards the Guan family as well. What she could do now was to stay away and not help anyone to avoid being in an awkward position in the future.

    As everyone was talking in the warm atmosphere, a person suddenly entered.

    Everyone avoided looking at the person directly when they saw who it was. The hall turned quiet for a moment, but it soon returned to usual. No one looked at the entrance as if they were ignoring and avoiding the person who just walked in.

 Chapter 1581: Reduced To Such State

    <h4>Chapter 1581: Reduced To Such State</h4>

    Lu Chongshan had two brothers and three sisters. All his sisters were married and moved somewhere pretty far away, but no matter the background of their husbands, they were doing well because of the Lu family.

    The second brother, Lu Chongyuan, was now living in Imperial together with his wife, He Jingzhu, and his daughter Lu Xinyan. He was handling several important properties belonging to the Lu family, and he was really close to the top powers.

    As for the other son, Lu Chongming, who was the fourth child, he was reduced to a state whereby he would only show his face during the annual family meeting. He was regarded as a taboo and was rarely mentioned by people.

    At this moment, the person at the door was Lu Tingxiao''s fourth uncle, Lu Chongming.

    Back then, Lu Chongshan, Lu Chongyuan, and Lu Chongming were fighting among one another fiercely; all of them were aiming for that position.

    In the end, because of Lu Chongshan''s outstanding ability and since he was always his father''s favourite child, he was the intended sessor anyway. No matter how much Lu Chongyuan and Lu Chongming tried, he still inherited the family business.

    Lu Chongyuan was good at assessing the situation, so he understood that he could not win. He backed out and did very well even until now.

    As for Lu Chongming, he was very ambitious and tactful. He was patient when his father had still been around, but after his father passed away, heunched his long-nned scheme. He caused enormous chaos within the family and almost destroyed the whole of the Lu Corporation.

    At that time, Lu Chongshan fell ill due to overexhaustion. His life was in danger and the whole of the Lu family fell into panic.

    At the same time, Lu Tingxiao had returned from Wall Street in the United States. He took over thepany along with the title of the family head from Lu Chongshan. He single-handedly suppressed the chaotic situation, eliminated Lu Chongming''s base, and even sent Lu Chongming away to a faraway smallpany, making hiseback impossible.

    From an outsider''s perspective, Lu Chongming had it pretty easy because the Lu family''s teachings forbade siblings from hurting each other, which was why Lu Tingxiao let him off. Lu Chongming still had 5% of shares. If he lived his life earnestly, he would still be able to stay wealthy.

    However, for someone who was ambitious enough to aim for the top spot, Lu Chongming could not ept that someone younger than him had taken his spot and enjoyed all the spotlight, while he could only hide in a corner and everyone avoided him¡­

    After Lu Chongming came in, he sat by himself in the corner of the bar.

    After a while, a chubby, middle-aged man came over with a ss of wine in his hand. He smiled and went to Lu Chongming''s side, then he raised his ss slightly. "Fourth Master, it''s been some time! How''re you doing?"

    Lu Chongming felt disgusted when he saw who was talking to him.

    It was Wu Jianda. He had just been a little henchman back then, but after he realized Lu Chongshan was on the rise, he changed sides to Lu Chongshan''s and betrayed Lu Chongming. He was faring well now because of his achievements back then.

    Now, he dared toe over and talk!

    Had it been back then, Lu Chongming would have already kicked him away, but times were different now, so he could only endure whatever that came to him.

 Chapter 1582: Iâ€™ll End You!

    <h4>Chapter 1582: I¡¯ll End You!</h4>

    Wu Jianda sat down with his jiggly tummy in front of him. "Fourth Master, let me tell you, a person has to be flexible! Look at Lu Chongyuan. He''s doing really great now¡­"

    Lu Chongming swirled the red liquid in his ss. "He''s just a dog to Lu Chongshan!"

    "Uhh¡­" Although Lu Chongming was chiding Lu Chongyuan, it was obvious that he was also implying that Wu Jianda was included.

    Wu Jianda coughed slightly and told him earnestly, "Fourth Master! I know you despise me for what I''ve done, but if I hadn''t done that, we''d all have died together! I have my parents and children to take care of. I can''t sacrifice my whole family, can I?

    "And actually, this new head of ours is certainly aplished. I have to admit that even though Lu Tingxiao is young, he''s really something!"

    Wu Jianda then looked over at Lu Tingxiao''s direction andmented with an envious tone, "I wonder where Lu Chongshan''s luck came from. He has such a filial son, and even his second son, Lu Jingli, albeit being a little in, any smart person would know that he''s doing it for the family! If Lu Jingli isn''t like what he is now, the Lu family wouldn''t be this peaceful! So many people are waiting for the brothers to fight with each other so that they''ll get a chance!"

    In the end, Wu Jianda finally revealed his true intentions. He tried to convince Lu Chongming, "Fourth Master, times are different now. Things have been set in stone. Why don''t you work under CEO Lu and have him move you back here?! You can''t always stay at that odd ce, can you?"

    Wu Jianda was not saying these for Lu Chongming''s sake. Since he had been his henchman before, he could not make his way into the core leading group unless Lu Chongming gave in and went back to Lu Chongshan. Then, he would have a chance¡­

    Of course, Lu Chongming saw through Wu Jianda''s n, so he scolded him, "Get lost! If you keep on bbering crap to me, I''ll end you!"

    Wu Jianda''s expression froze and he mumbled, "What the heck!? You think you''re really still the Fourth Master of the Lu family? Calling others dogs, you''re even lower than a dog!"

    "You¡­" Lu Chongming was furious at being humiliated by someone like him. The man''s raging eyes were burning into the man under the spotlight and he clenched his fists tightly.

    Lu Tingxiao!

    If it had not been for him, he would not have be like this now. All of this was supposed to be his!

    Back then, he had been so close, but Lu Tingxiao''s return foiled all his ns and he never got a chance to make aeback again¡­

    ¡­

    Somewhere nearby, Lu Jingli called Jiang Muye out of desperation. He wanted someone to share his burden.

    "Hey! Jiang Muye! Come over right now!"

    "You think I''m stupid? I''m not going!" There was the background music of Jiang Muye ying his game.

    "If you don''te, then I''ll tell Xiao Xi Xi you like her!"

    Suddenly, there was the telltale sound effect of "Game Over" from the other side of the phone. "What?!"

    "Quick, I''m giving you ten minutes!"

    "Be responsible for your words. Which eye of yours saw that I like her? Are you blind?" Jiang Muye denied.

    Why was everyone threatening him with this!?

 Chapter 1583: Night Has Fallen!

    <h4>Chapter 1583: Night Has Fallen!</h4>

    "So, you''re noting? Then, I''ll call Xiao Xi Xi now! I''ll call her!"

    "I''ll. Come. Now!" Jiang Muye clenched his teeth.

    As expected, Jiang Muye went over as soon as possible.

    Although Jiang Muye was not rted by blood to the Lu family, he was much closer than the other branched families, so the Jiang family held a pretty high status within the family.

    Of course, that and the fact that Jiang Muye was a popr superstar.

    The moment Jiang Muye reached, the pressure on Lu Jingli was diminished by half.

    Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye were saved when the music in the hall stopped, and the host announced that Lu Tingxiao was about to give a speech. They both hid together in a corner.

    Jiang Muye was panting, "Uncle didn''t bring any partner tonight, so everyone should be aiming him instead. Why are they so aggressive towards us? This shouldn''t be the case¡­"

    Lu Jingli''s mouth twitched. "Look at your 10 o''clock, at my brother''s cor."

    "Huh? What happened to his cor?" Jiang Muye looked over as directed. The next moment, he spat out the wine in his mouth. "What the¡ª?"

    Jiang Muye coughed, "Don''t tell me! He had that lipstick mark on him the whole night?"

    Lu Jingli nodded gravely. "Yes! Don''t you think it''s cruel?"

    "Too cruel¡­"

    He did not want to say anything more¡­

    After a short chat with Lu Jingli, Jiang Muye nced and saw that Wu Jianda had gone over to look for Lu Chongming. He frowned. "Second Uncle, the two of them are acting suspiciously. Shouldn''t you be wary of them?"

    "There''s nothing to worry about. Wu Jianda would never dare to pull something off at an event like this. What do you think he''d do? He''s just trying to convince him toe back!" Lu Jingli said casually.

    Jiang Muye looked irritated. "You mean your fourth uncle hasn''t given up yet?"

    Lu Jingli scoffed coldly, "Given up? He tried to contact me in secret. He said he''ll help me to get to the top! Is he an idiot? He wants to work with me to betray my brother! I''m my brother''s most loyal little sheep!"

    Lu Jingli looked really proud.

    Jiang Muye was amused, but he had to admit that even if everyone in the world betrayed Lu Tingxiao, Lu Jingli would never go to that extent, yet Lu Chongming could not get it. No wonder he had fallen to this state today¡­

    "Good evening." Lu Tingxiao''s cello-like deep voice came from the stage.

    It was a short and simple opening, just like the master of the voice.

    The guests gave him a big round of apuse. Everyone was looking admiringly at the young head of the family on stage.

    "In the past year, together with the effort of everyone, the Lu Corporation has achieved results we were never able to reach in the past. We''ve surpassed expectations for every project¡­"

    Watching his son on stage, Lu Chongshan was really proud and felt deeply moved.

    Since he could witness such tremendous growth of the Lu Corporation while he was still alive, he would be able to face his ancestors when he joined themter on.

    After Lu Tingxiao''s speech, Lu Chongshan took over the microphone. He was really excited. "Tingxiao said most of it just now, so I''ll keep it short. I don''t have a lot of achievements in my life. I just hope that I''m able to protect our family business and to keep the Lu family prosperous. The proudest thing I''ve done in my life is to have my two sons.

    "Everyone knows that it''s easier to get rich than to stay rich. For families like us, power and wealth aren''t the most important factors. It''s our outstanding heirs so that the future can be secure. This is also why I put a lot of emphasis on encouraging the nurturing of our heirs.

    "I believe Tingxiao will be able to lead everyone, to lead the Lu family to greater heights¡­"

    Bang!

    Before Lu Chongshan could finish his sentence, there was a loud boom. The whole hall was covered by ayer of dark haze.

    All of sudden, it was like night had fallen¡­

 Chapter 1584: Came From Hell

    <h4>Chapter 1584: Came From Hell</h4>

    "Ah!"

    "What''s happened!?"

    "What''s this?"

    ¡­

    With people screaming within the chaos, flower petals rained from above. They were ck flower petals, signifying a bad omen.

    Lu Jingli snatched one of the petals with his finger. His expression turned cold and he instantly remembered the bouquet of ck mands during the night of his father''s birthday¡­

    The flowernguage of ck mands: revenge!

    What had toe¡­ finally came!

    He looked at his brother who looked exceptionally calm as if he was expecting this to happen.

    As the ck flower petals eddied down, a young man with silver hair came in. He had a long unknown object in his hand and was walking into the hall regally¡­

    "Security! Where''s security?! What''s happening?"

    "The security system is having issues!"

    "How did this persone in?"

    "W-we don''t know as well!"

    "Solve the issue now!"

    ¡­

    It was chaos. On stage, as Lu Chongshan saw the young man who was walking slowly towards him, an unknown fear grew in his heart.

    "Who are you?" Lu Chongshan questioned through the microphone.

    The white-haired man had a creepy aura around him. He crushed the ck petals with his steps as if he walked through the path of death and had returned from hell alone, but it seemed as if countless ghosts were bound to him, so no one dared to go near him¡­

    "Stand right there!" Lu Chongshan yelled loudly, but in his aggressive yell, there was a tint of fear that he himself did not even realize.

    "Heh¡­"

    It was quiet in the hall and the young man''sughter sent shivers down everyone''s spines.

    The man''s casual words echoed in everyone''s ears, "You gave birth to me, yet you ask who I am? What is this? My dear¡­ Father¡­"

    "You¡­" Lu Chongshan''s expression looked pale as he stepped backward unconsciously. "What nonsense are you talking about?!"

    The white-haired man walked closer. He grinned. "Really? Nonsense? Back then¡­ My name was christened by you, father! Tingshen. Lu¡­ Tingshen."

    Lu Chongshan was clearly shaken when he heard that name. His hands were trembling. "Who¡­ Who did you say you were?!"

    The white-haired man lifted his fringe, revealing a scar near his eyebrow. Heughed creepily. "One of your outstanding heirs."

    "Shut up! You, shut up! I don''t know you¡­ I don''t know who Lu Tingshen is¡­ I only have two sons! Where are you from, you swindler? How dare you to lie to us Lus?!" Lu Chongshan roared at him and ordered the security guards to catch him, but his reaction only exposed that he was guilty and panicking.

    Finally, when the white-haired man was about ten steps away from Lu Chongshan, he revealed what the object he was holding was. It was a memorial tablet covered in a white cloth.

    There were carvings on the tablet that said, "My Wife, Yun Lan".

    People who knew Lu Chongshan were shocked because the handwriting on the memorial tablet¡­ was Lu Chongshan''s!

    My wife?!

 Chapter 1585: Those Secrets

    <h4>Chapter 1585: Those Secrets</h4>

    My wife¡­?!

    Lu Chongshan had only ever had one wife who was Yan Ruyi. Who was this Yun Lan?

    The instant he saw that memorial tablet, the final tensed up nerve in Lu Chongshan''s mind ruptured as if his entire being had been emptied. His face went nk.

    He stood there nkly as he stared at the memorial tablet. He opened his mouth like a goldfish, but he could not say a single word. Beneath his dull eyes, there only remained huge fear and panic that was about to swallow him whole as if that memorial tablet was some kind of terrifying beast.

    Lu Chongshan turned a sickly color as he fell forward without a warning.

    "Ah! Chongshan! Chongshan! Chongshan, what''s wrong?" When Yan Ruyi saw the two words on the tablet, she looked poorly as well. She only returned to her senses when she saw Lu Chongshan pass out. She turned pale with fright before quickly holding him up.

    "Oh my God!"

    "Uncle Lu! Uncle Lu¡­"

    "Director Lu, how are you? Quickly call an ambnce!"

    The silence was broken by this unforeseen event, turning things turbulent once again.

    As Lu Chongshan was surrounded by the crowd, he was barely breathing, yet he had looked past the people to stare at the devilish young man and the memorial tablet in his hand. His lips trembled as he wanted to say something, yet because he was too emotional, he could not make a sound¡­

    ¡­

    Not too far away, Lu Jingli clenched his grip tightly and stood there, his eyes turning murderous red because of his father''s reaction. His gaze was filled with disbelief, fright, and sorrow.

    It was true¡­

    All of this was actually true¡­

    That person¡­ was really Father''s son¡­

    Even if he did not want to admit it, Lu Chongshan''s reaction had already revealed everything, disallowing him from continuing to believe his own lies.

    Even if his brother had been hiding it from him, he was responsible for the intelligence after all. How could he have not received any of the rumors? He had already long suspected it, just that this revtion had still caught him unprepared and he still was not willing to believe it¡­

    Up until then only did Lu Tingxiao raise his hand slightly. A group of well-trained subordinates had rapidly controlled the crowd inside and outside the hall.

    From the start till the end, Lu Tingxiao''s expression showed neither sadness nor happiness as if he was just an observer, as if the other person was just an insignificant speck of dust, as if all of this was just a farce.

    When they saw that Lu Tingxiao had made a move, those who were especially unhappy with Lu Tingxiao cast a scornful look as if they were in a top position, watching powerless individuals. The man subconsciously stroked the scar on his brow bone and chuckled, "Huh, simply because you want to confirm that all this was the truth, you intentionally indulged me by putting on a good show? Well then, my dearest brother, are you satisfied with what you''re seeing? I dare guarantee that there is still much more that you don''t know. That would be even more exciting¡­"

    "Stopplicating things unnecessarily. Who are you? Wait, I don''t care who you are. Please immediately leave my home!" Lu Jingli rushed over in fury.

    The man revealed a faint smile that did not reach his cold, squinting eyes. He looked at the two people opposite him with a chiding expression. "You should be more courteous when speaking to your older brother. Want to considering to my side? If you do it now, you can still make it."

    "Go to hell, brother! Who do you think you are? You''re just a bargaining chip of some woman who wants to make it to the top! I''ve seen a lot of people like you!" Lu Jingli started to rebuke angrily as if he had been triggered.

    "Really? I hope that after you learn the truth, you can still be¡­ So innocent." The man showed mock pity all over his face, then he indistinctly strolled away.

    He had walked out halfway when he suddenly turned around, inclined his head to look at Lu Tingxiao and said, "Ah, right, brother, help me pass the message to that girl. Since she''s unwilling to return, she doesn''t need to because very soon¡­ The entire Lu family will be mine¡­"

 Chapter 1586: Who Is He Actually?

    <h4>Chapter 1586: Who Is He Actually?</h4>

    In a high-ss VIP ward at Ren Ai Hospital.

    At that moment, the disordered guests had settled down and all the rtives who hade to visit had left. Little Treasure had been sent home by the butler. Suddenly, there was only Lu Chongshan on the sick bed, Yan Ruyi who sat by the bedside, as well as Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli who stood in the ward.

    There was a never-felt-before heaviness in the atmosphere.

    It had been a while before Lu Jingli could not help but break the silence. His voice trembled slightly as he said, "ording to that person, he''s older than I am and younger than my brother¡­"

    What did this mean?

    It meant that Lu Chongshan had cheated during his marriage!

    Yan Ruyi shut her eyes and quietlymanded, "Jingli, that''s enough¡­"

    Lu Jingli''s face was filled with grief and indignation. He did not care about his mother trying to stop him. He balled his fists and continued to say, "You clearly cheated during the marriage, yet you personally wrote ''My Wife'' on that woman''s memorial tablet! Father! Where did you ce our mother?"

    Even though Lu Chongshan''s temperament was stubborn and a little too conservative, no matter whether it came to his family or thepany, he regarded responsibility highly.

    With families like theirs, a lot of those in power had a mess of illegitimate sons and daughters. However, for all these years, apart from their mother, Lu Chongshan had never had any other woman. It had only been him and his brother, the two sons.

    Usually, even though Lu Jingli always ridiculed him, he had always adored him in his heart.

    Unfortunately, today it was as if his belief system all this while had suddenly copsed¡­

    He could not ept it no matter what.

    Lu Jingli was overwhelmed with emotions. He was about to continue speaking when a broad palmnded gently on his shoulder, then that palm rubbed his head tofort him.

    Lu Jingli looked at his brother beside him. Regardless of what happened, there would always be his brother who protected him. He could remain calm even at such a moment. Lu Jingli suddenly felt his eyes water.

    On the sick bed, Lu Chongshan had a regretful expression. Because he was too weak, he spoke with a stammer, "This¡­ is my fault¡­ but¡­ now is not the time to talk about these things¡­ Jingli¡­ Tingxiao¡­ the two of you¡­ quickly get prepared¡­ In two hours¡­ organize a high-level management meeting with everyone¡­ I¡­ I will host it myself¡­"

    "Chongshan, you''re already in this condition. How can you chair any meeting?! It won''t be toote to wait for you to get better, or maybe you should just leave this Tingxiao and Jingli¡­" Even if Yan Ruyi was miserable, she still could not just remain indifferent to seeing Lu Chongshan like this.

    "No!" For some reason, Lu Chongshan''s emotions were suddenly been stirred up. "I want to go by myself! I want to go myself¡­ That person¡­"

    It was not sure what Lu Chongshan was thinking about, but there was an unease in his eyes as he instructed coldly, "Whatever it is, do as I say!"

    Lu Jingli looked at Lu Chongshan''s unusual reaction and frowned. "Father, why do you look like you''re wary of that person? Who is he actually? No, wait¡­ Maybe I should ask¡­ Who is his mother actually?"

    "This is not what you should be asking! Get out!" Lu Chongshan instantly turned aloof.

    "What do you mean it isn''t something I should ask about? You should be giving us an¡­"

    Lu Jingli was about to argue when Lu Tingxiao held him firmly by the shoulders.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at Lu Chongshan on the sick bed and spoke with a calm tone, "I''ll host the meeting. Mother, you apany Father, so he can rest easy. Jingli, follow me outside."

 Chapter 1587: Not That Simple

    <h4>Chapter 1587: Not That Simple</h4>

    "Bro, why don''t you let me ask him properly?!" Even though Lu Jingli had been coaxed to go out, he still felt dejected.

    Lu Tingxiao lit a cigarette, the smoke covering his cool face. "Let Father and Mother chat alone for a while."

    Lu Jingli muttered, "Mother is so soft natured. Without us helping her, what could she ever find out? Also, bro, did you already know about this?"

    Lu Tingxiao shook his head.

    He had just been presuming from the start to the end about this issue. He had urately guessed about Yun Shen, yet he could not check out on a story about that woman''s identity at all. Furthermore, from his father''s reaction, it was impossible to find out anything from him.

    Lu Tingxiao crushed his cigarette and said, "Based on Father''s temper, if it''s something he''s not willing to talk about, it''ll be useless even if you keep asking. Prepare for the meeting instead."

    Lu Jingli had no choice but to suppress his strong curiosity and resolve the issue at hand. That damned guy! He had actually dared toe out with an arrogant ptrap about wanting the entire Lu family. He would really like to see how!

    ¡­

    In the ward.

    It was as if Lu Chongshan had aged ten years overnight. "Ruyi, I''m sorry¡­"

    Yan Ruyi turned with her back towards him before she wiped the tears in the corner of her eye. "Chongshan, what''s actually happening?"

    Even though they had first met through a blind date and their marriage had been arranged by their families, their rtionship after the marriage had always been very stable. Lu Chongshan treated her very well. He had none of those vile habits of men in high society and had always kept his hands clean. They were a couple in perfect harmony and they shared a mutual respect. They had always been a solid pair in the social circle. Because their two sons had grown up in such an environment, the rtionship between the two brothers had also always been very peaceful¡­

    Who would have thought that in just one night, all of these would have been turned upside down?

    Lu Chongshan closed his eyes and breathed a long sigh, "Back then, it was my fault¡­ I betrayed you¡­ Betrayed the children¡­ I was momentarily spellbound¡­ and I didn''t handle it well¡­ That''s why the fiasco today happened¡­"

    There was probably no man who would be willing to talk about the mistakes they had made when they were young. Even though Lu Chongshan did not say much, Yan Ruyi could roughly guess what had happened from his vague apology.

    After they had gotten married and she had given birth to Tingxiao not long after that, Lu Chongshan had actually cheated and even had a child with that woman while she had not realized it at all.

    When she thought about this, she felt a sharp pain as if a knife was twisted in her heart¡­

    Lu Chongshan paused, then he looked unquestionably at his wife. "But don''t worry. I, Lu Chongshan, only have two sons, Tingxiao and Jingli in this lifetime. I definitely won''t let the Lus fall into someone else''s hands!"

    Yan Ruyi pursed her lips. She obviously believed him about this. If Lu Chongshan really had anything more to do with that woman, he might have gone to look for that child and would not have waited for so many years for that child to appear.

    However, that child seemed to bear a deep resentment for the Lu family, causing her to feel unease in her heart¡­

    She was most worried that Tingxiao and Jingli would be hurt.

    When she thought about this, Yan Ruyi sighed and made apromise, "That child is still your blood and flesh, after all. If you can, this incident should be best resolved peacefully."

    Lu Chongshan obviously understood what Yan Ruyi meant. He looked solemn as he shook his head. "This isn''t something that can be solved with money¡­ What he wants¡­ Is not that simple!"

    Yan Ruyi suddenly felt fearful. "You mean he wants to fight for the Lu family''s right of inheritance?"

    Lu Chongshan shut his eyes and did not speak anymore. He sighed in his heart again. It was not just that¡­

    The thing he was most afraid of was not about him wanting to fight for the Lu family''s right of inheritance. It was that he might destroy the Lu family.

 Chapter 1588: Is Your Ex-Boyfriend

    <h4>Chapter 1588: Is Your Ex-Boyfriend</h4>

    That person had chosen to appear at an assion like the family meeting to expose the incident to everyone in the family because he knew it would definitely cause a huge uproar.

    The reason the Lu family had been so stable this generation was because of Lu Chongshan and his two sons'' harmonious rtionship. Now that such a bastard had suddenly appeared, that child''s mother and Lu Chongshan seemed very close too. If such a thing was not handled well, it would cause turmoil in the entire family.

    After all, this involved the most important question about his sessor.

    If that bastard were just an ordinary person there to get some benefits, that would be fine. After all, Lu Tingxiao''s current status was as steady as Mount Tai. Even if a few brothers of the same father and different mothers appeared, it would not pose a challenge to him.

    However, the tricky thing was that many people present had already recognized that the bastard was actually someone who had recently appeared in the country and started the most influential investmentpany in Imperial. He was none other than Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group''s boss, Yun Shen!

    He had robust finances and his background had an unfathomable depth. Among society, he had even been considered to be the only person who could contend against Lu Tingxiao.

    Such a person had suddenly turned out to be Lu Chongshan''s illegitimate child. It seemed like he ranked above Lu Jingli too. Like cold water sshed into a deep fryer, the effect was pretty explosive.

    Suddenly, the entirepany was filled with anxiety.

    At a meeting room in the Lu Corporation.

    The screen disyed some slides that revealed Yi Lan Investment Group''s top secret information in detail. In just a nce, one would know that it was well-prepared, and had been nned for a rather long time.

    On the chief seat, the man''s presence was cold and powerful as always as if nothing had happened that day. He spoke clearly as he analyzed Yi Lan Investment Group''s situation as though every sentence was an imperial edict¡­

    The man up front was akin to an enormous and majestic mountain, steadily standing tall. He practically calmed everyone down in an instant.

    Right¡­ We still have Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Having gone through five years of peace and prosperity, had they actually forgot how terrifying that living King of Hell had been back then?!

    Yun Shen looked like someone who was not easy to deal with. Back then, Lu Tingxiao had even managed to solve the crisis of the Lu family''s dying mess both domestically and abroad. How could he be pushed around by some illegitimate child now?

    ¡­

    After the meeting, everyone had felt much calmer.

    At Peachwood.

    Ning Xi did not know why she had felt so restless the entire day. She was considering whether to call Lu Tingxiao to ask or not when her doorbell rang endlessly.

    Ning Xi looked through the monitor of her robot, Steamed Bun and saw that it was Jiang Muye, so she pressed the button to open the door.

    The moment the door was opened, Jiang Muye rushed up to her like a little rocket. He held her by the shoulders and shook her vigorously. "Ning Xi, something¡­ Something huge has happened¡­"

    "What happened? What huge thing has happened? Did something happen to Lu Tingxiao?" Ning Xi immediately asked.

    Jiang Muye shook his head. "No, no, not Lu Tingxiao¡­ No, wait, technically it is rted to Lu Tingxiao! No, no, no¡­ That''s not right! I should say that it''s more like it''s rted to you!"

    Ning Xi felt the veins on her forehead popping. "Yo, can you continue chatting happily forever? What are you trying to say?!"

    Jiang Muye was frantic. He took a few seconds before he finally recovered his normal speaking abilities as he exined, "Today, at the family meeting, the old man suddenly popped up with an illegitimate child. My uncle suddenly has an illegitimate younger brother¡­"

    "Wh-what!?'' Ning Xi was stupefied by the impact of this news.

    When he saw Ning Xi''s incredibly shocked expression, Jiang Muye pitied her. Was she already dumbfounded just like that?

    "Illegitimate child! Is this true? Wait¡­ What does that bastard have to do with me?" Ning Xi quickly asked.

    Jiang Muye massaged his forehead to calm his emotions first, then he said, "The Lu family bastard¡­ My uncle''s brother of the same father and different mother¡­ is your¡­"

    Ning Xi almost got a heart attack from the anticipation. She gritted her teeth and said, "My what? Mr. Jiang, if you tease me anymore, I''m going to beat you up until you throw milk up!"

    Jiang Muye immediately blurted out, "Is your ex-boyfriend."

    Ning Xi was speechless.

 Chapter 1589: Frightened Silly

    <h4>Chapter 1589: Frightened Silly</h4>

    Ning Xi looked like she had just been fed with crap.

    The Lu family''s illegitimate child¡­ was¡­ her ex-boyfriend?

    The more important thing was¡­

    "Jiang! Mu! Ye!"

    Was this guy doing it on purpose!?

    I had so many ex-boyfriends. How would I know which one you''re referring to?

    "Which¡­one?!" Ning Xi asked through gritted teeth.

    Jiang Muye flinched and curled up to a corner of the sofa. Fear was obvious across his face. He shivered and faltered, "I don''t know¡­ I don''t know anything¡­ Ask my uncle about the rest¡­"

    Ning Xi almost could not hold herself back from strangling him to death. He had already said that the person was one of her ex-boyfriends. Why would she dare to go ask Lu Tingxiao?

    "Do you know that speaking midway will get you beaten to death?" Ning Xi squinted maliciously at him.

    Jiang Muye replied, "Then, kill me!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Out of options, Ning Xi could only specte by herself.

    Based on the people in Imperial now and the people Jiang Muye knew¡­

    Su Yan?

    It couldn''t be! The master of the Su family was definitely proper. He would not have suddenly be the Lu family''s illegitimate child.

    "Mo Yuxiu?" Ning Xi asked, horrified.

    Jiang Muye weakly shook his head. "No¡­"

    Ning Xi chewed on her fingernails. She thought about it for a long while before she stared straight at Jiang Muye. "Is it you?!"

    Jiang Muye looked even more appalled at this. He immediately wailed out loud, "How could it be me!?"

    Ning Xi was even more emotional than he was. "Who is it then? Tell me! It''s definitely not Su Yan!"

    Jiang Muye looked at her questioningly. "Ning Xiao Xi, didn''t you notice that you seemed to have missed someone out?"

    "I missed someone out? No! I''ve mentioned everyone! Who did I miss? I¡­" Ning Xi was going on when she suddenly thought of something. She suddenly felt like her entire being had been struck by lightning and she stiffened on the spot.

    Jiang Muye did not say anything either. He just watched that expected expression of hers, watched the way she was terrified and looked like a fool.

    In that instant, strong winds buffeted through Ning Xi''s mind, hitting her hard and messing everything up. One name had terrifyingly surfaced in her mind¡­

    Some time passed before Ning Xi finally found her voice. She rigidly turned her head to Jiang Muye on the sofa. "Yun¡­ Yun Shen¡­?"

    Yun Shen was the illegitimate son of the Lu family? Was Lu Tingxiao''s brother of the same father but a different mother?

    How could this be!?

    Even though it was not quite the bestparison, the explosiveness of this news was no less horrifying than Jiang Muye being her son¡­

    Jiang Muye nodded like a chick pecking on grains. "Now you know why I didn''t say it, don''t you? I''ve been frightened silly too¡­"

    "Jiang Muye! Are you messing with me?!" Ning Xi shouted angrily.

    "Why would I mess with you? Do I get anything out of it?" Jiang Muye was so mad that he took out his phone and yed a video.

    Instantly, there was an incredibly familiar face on the screen.

    A white-haired man held an object covered with a cloth as he walked slowly towards the stage. "You gave birth to me, yet you ask who I am? What is this? My dear¡­ Father¡­"

    "Ah, right, brother, help me pass the message to that girl. Since she''s unwilling to return, she doesn''t need to because very soon¡­ The entire Lu family will be mine¡­"

    Ning Xi watched the video on the phone and saw the man''s devilish face. When he uttered thest sentence, it was as if he noticed that Jiang Muye was secretly recording him. He suddenly looked towards the camera as if he was looking at her through the video. Ning Xi was so startled that her hand trembled and she tossed the phone away.

 Chapter 1590: Youre The Best Second Child

    <h4>Chapter 1590: You''re The Best Second Child</h4>

    Jiang Muye picked up his phone and quickly deleted the video before he felt assured again.

    "Ning Xiao Xi, now that the Lu family has fallen into chaos, my uncle is at thepany, having an emergency meeting! Wait till my uncle returns and you can ask him. Then, you''d know¡­ Everyone at the scene was ordered to keep their mouths sealed and not tell outsiders, but I think my uncle''s orders about outsiders definitely excludes you. I was afraid that you''d be worried if you couldn''t contact him, so I decided to stille and let you know¡­"

    Ning Xi buried her head in her hands before she lifted up a hand and indicated for Jiang Muye to stop talking.

    She needed some silence. Her head was about to explode.

    She had been guessing what Yun Shen''s grudge with the Lu family was, but she would never have thought that things would turn out like this¡­

    Bloody hell! Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao were brothers of the same father but had different mothers. This was clearly messing with her!

    "Where''s Lu Tingxiao now? Still at the office?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Probably."

    "Got it. Thanks foring over to tell me. I''ve to make a trip to thepany now!" Ning Xi swiftly got up, put on a jacket and grabbed her bag. She put on her shades and mask before walking out. She could not wait a moment longer to figure out what this was all about.

    Ning Xi had just reached thepany building when she saw the two men standing there.

    One was Lu Jingli and the other was an older, middle-aged man that she did not recognize.

    "Oh, Third Master, where are you going?" The middle-aged man greeted Lu Jingli mockingly.

    Lu Jingli''s usual smiley expression had now turned as cold as ice. "Fourth Uncle, what did you say? Please say it again!"

    "I said¡­ Third nephew¡­"

    At the sound of the man''s voice, bam! Lu Jingli''s fist made contact with the face of the man he called "Fourth Uncle".

    The man staggered from the hit. There was a sh of malice in his eyes as he instantly returned a fist, then the two of them started to get tangled in a fight.

    Lu Jingli had the upper hand. He kept beating up the middle-aged man like crazy as if he had been suppressing himself and had finally found a loophole to vent.

    Ning Xi had never seen Lu Jingli this terrifying.

    At that moment, that middle-aged man, who had been pushed down to the ground, suddenly felt for the hiddenpartment in his shoe and pulled out a knife. He held it up and looked murderous as he aimed at Lu Jingli''s back to stab him¡­

    Ning Xi''s eyes were sharp. She immediately lunged forward and kicked his wrist that held the knife.

    With a tter, the knife fell to the ground.

    "My¡­ God!" Lu Jingli looked at the knife with gloominess and lingering fear on his face.

    Lu Chongming looked surprised at the woman in the windbreaker, shades, and mask. Then, he looked at Lu Jingli who was about to jump over and beat him up again. He quickly got up and reeled as he ran away.

    When Lu Jingli saw Ning Xi, there were no more traces of the viciousness from earlier. His face was covered in sorrow like a bullied child who clung to his mother. "Oh! Sister-inw, I''ve been bullied¡­ They''re all bullying me¡­"

    Ning Xi felt her mouth twitch. She thought to herself, "Clearly, you were one-sidedly beating up the other person, alright?"

    "What''s the situation?"

    Lu Jingli wailed, "I''m not the third son! I''m not the third son! I''m the second child! The second!"

    Lu Jingli''s mournful cries about being the "second child" echoed in the sky above them.

    Ning Xi was so done with him. "Can you be softer, bro?"

    Lu Jingli was still earnestly announcing his ranking, "I am! I''m the second child! Whoever says I''m not the second child, I''ll beat the crap out of them!"

    Ning Xi was speechless. "Yes¡­yes, yes, yes! You''re the second child! You''re the best second child. Is that good enough?"

 Chapter 1591: A Girl Was Lying There

    <h4>Chapter 1591: A Girl Was Lying There</h4>

    Lu Jingli kept on yelling, "Sister-inw! You''re only my sister-inw! No one else''s! Your roasted pork ribs and sweet and sour fish are mine and mine alone! You cannot be anyone else''s sister-inw! Never!"

    "Uhh¡­" Anyone else''s sister-inw?

    When Ning Xi imagined someone calling her sister-inw, goosebumps rose all over her!

    "Lu Jingli! That''s enough! Get up and stop yelling! Where''s your brother?" Ning Xi could not stand it anymore and stopped him.

    Lu Jingli stood up aggrievedly. "He''s still in a meeting. The senior management meeting just finished. Now, he''s holding a meeting with the stakeholders. It''ll probably take some time¡­ I''m about to go to the hospital to visit my father. Sister-inw, did you find out what happened at the dinner?"

    "Mmm, Jiang Muye told me about it." Ning Xi''s expression darkened slightly, then she asked, "Is it okay if I wait for him upstairs?"

    Lu Jingli then mumbled, "It''ll be okay even if you waited for him in the meeting room! Let me make a call. I''ll get the secretary to lead you into his office!"

    "Okay."

    ¡­

    After she went into the building, a secretary weed her and brought her right into Lu Tingxiao''s office.

    "Madam, the CEO is still in a meeting. Please wait for a while." The secretary served Ning Xi with a smile and even directly addressed her as "Madam".

    The Second Master had mentioned that it was his sister-inw on the call, so she should be the rumored genuine girlfriend of the CEO!

    Of course, she would need to seize this chance after all those wasted efforts on the fake girlfriends¡­

    "It''s alright. It''s no issue."

    "Madam, what would you like to drink? Tea, coffee, or juice?"

    "I''ll have some juice."

    "Okay, I''ll get it for you!"

    Although the woman on the sofa was wearing sunsses and a face mask, judging by her appearance and jawline, she must be a real beauty!

    While the secretary was really curious about her real identity, she did not want to make her unhappy, she quickly retreated after a short nce.

    Soon, the secretary returned with a ss of juice.

    Ning Xi thanked her and continued waiting, but because she was too tired from the continuous script reading, she could not help it and fell asleep on the sofa¡­

    On the other hand, Lu Tingxiao had finally finished another long meeting. Several stakeholders trailed behind him towards his office. They seemed to have several other matters to talk about.

    Lu Tingxiao opened the door into his office and the others went in as well. Then, everyone saw that lying on the sofa in the CEO''s office was a girl! Everyone was stunned.

    Lu Tingxiao was slightly taken aback in surprise when he saw the girl on the sofa. Secondster, his expression was like a melting frozen mountain, the aloof vibes of his vanishing.

    "You guys can go back first. We''ll talkter," Lu Tingxiao spoke to the stakeholders in a low voice. He then went up to the girl a little unhappily and frowned as he covered the girl with a nket.

    The stakeholders nodded as they were leaving, but they nced back after a few steps. Though, they could not see anything because Lu Tingxiao blocked their view¡­

    Was that the rumored Lady Boss everyone was talking about!?

    What a stingy boss! He could have let them at least take a look¡­

 Chapter 1592: Donâ€™t Mind It

    <h4>Chapter 1592: Don¡¯t Mind It</h4>

    As the stakeholders were chased away, the girl on the sofa seemed to have stirred. She half-consciously reached out and wrapped her wrists around the neck of her boss delicately. "Hmm¡­ Darling¡­"

    The girl called him intimately and very naturally gave him a peck on his cheek.

    From that angle, although they only saw a fraction of the girl''s face, she was stunning enough to them. What was more shocking to them was the expression their boss had on his face for that split second. He looked so loving that they were about to melt¡­

    Everyone was speechless by what they saw.

    When he heard voices from the back, Lu Tingxiao realized that the people had not left yet, so he turned around and red at them.

    The stationary stakeholders then quickly left the room and closed the door.

    Damn!

    What a shock!

    "I didn''t expect our boss to have this side of him. He was like the King of Hell during the meeting just now¡­ He has a soft spot after all!"

    "Guys, what kind of person do you think our Lady Boss is?" A few stakeholders were presuming.

    "That''s a tough question, but just by looking at our Boss'' attitude, she really must be the one!"

    "Then, why are so many people still trying to introduce girls to him?"

    One of the slightly older stakeholders spoke up, "This would mean that¡­ The boss is satisfied with this woman, but his parents aren''t¡­ She probably isn''t from a good background¡­"

    "That makes sense!" The people around him agreed. They then mumbled quietly, "So, this means the others still stand a chance to be the headdy! Especially since it''s now such a crucial period of time, a marriage will help the Lu family secure their position. No matter what, CEO Lu will have to consider the grand scheme of things¡­"

    "It''s just a guess after all. I suggest not doing anything rash. What if the Lady Boss is from an extraordinary background? No one knows!"

    ¡­

    After they chatted for a little while, someone went up to the slender-looking female stakeholder who was walking at the very back. "Well, Ms. Song, it''s a rare assion that we get to see you. Want to go out for a mealter?"

    "Sorry, I still have something to doter," Song Lin apologized and turned them down.

    "That''s too bad. Next time then. Pleasee out with us the next time¡­"

    "Of course, CEO Feng, I''ll take my leave first."

    As Song Lin was leaving, she turned her head around for another look at the CEO''s office, her eyes hiding something.

    ¡­

    In the CEO office, Ning Xi woke up when Lu Tingxiao came closer to her. She unconsciously leaned over, then she realized that this was Lu Tingxiao''s office!

    And she vaguely recalled seeing a bunch of people behind Lu Tingxiao earlier.

    Oh no! How embarrassing!

    Ning Xi instantly got up. She scratched her head shyly. "I''m really sorry. I''m a little blur having just woken up. I''ll be careful next time¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao leaned in and kissed the girl''s lips, only letting go after a long while. "I don''t mind it."

    "Oh."

    Lu Tingxiao did not move away. He sat on the sofa beside Ning Xi and put the girl along with the nket onto hisp. He appeared sleepy and tired since he probably had not rested for the past day. He was even wearing the same shirt that still had that familiar lip stain on it¡­

 Chapter 1593: Find Someone Little Treasure Likes

    <h4>Chapter 1593: Find Someone Little Treasure Likes</h4>

    "You heard?" Lu Tingxiao''s finger slowly fixed the girl''s tousled hair.

    Ning Xi nodded, then she probed, "So¡­ It''s all real? Have you¡­ known for a long time?"

    "I was just guessing previously."

    Ning Xi now had a lot of questions. She could not help but continue to ask, "Then, what''s the concrete situation? Is that guy really your¡­?"

    She just really could not say it. She was still very dumbfounded up till now!

    Lu Tingxiao did not cover anything up and he exined, "Father merely said that back then, he had been just momentarily spellbound and had made a mistake."

    Ning Xi frowned. Was he trying to imply that there was more to it?

    Even though she had been by Yun Shen''s side for a long time, she did not know anything. She was also thest person to find out about his rtionship with Lu Tingxiao¡­

    "I don''t know all of these either. He''s never revealed anything rted to this," said Ning Xi.

    Lu Tingxiao lifted the girl''s fingers to his lips and kissed them. "You don''t have to do anything. You don''t have to feel bad either. I''ve said that this is between me and him."

    Ning Xi frowned slightly.

    No wonder Lu Tingxiao had said back then that it was a private grudge.

    This was quite a huge beef indeed¡­

    Ning Xi studied the man before her. She looked startled.

    This man¡­ Regardless of when, what he cared most about was that she would not be implicated and troubled.

    When he saw the girl looking at him, Lu Tingxiao asked, "What''s wrong?"

    The girl lifted her head ever so slightly. The way she looked at him was as if her gaze was full of stars. "Lu Tingxiao¡­ No matter who the Lu family belongs to¡­ Whoever belongs to whoever¡­ I am yours¡­"

    The man''s eyes suddenly dted. An abyss wavered violently at the depth of his eyes. Momentster, it turned into a pond of soft ripples as he sighed softly. He held the girl''s head and kissed her hard¡­

    ¡­

    After the family meeting, the Lu family''s secret had caused violent waves beneath the tranquillity. Even the entire Imperial was in turbulent times.

    Even if they had tried to lock down the information, it was such a huge scandal and it was impossible for them to have continued keeping it a secret. Among the high society circle, those who were well-informed would know that the Lu family was going to experience a change in regime¡­

    The fourth brother of the Lu Corporation''s director, Lu Chongming, had initially been at an overseas branch of thepany. However, recently, he had taken on a new lease of life and be part of the top management at Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group. In fact, he had transferred all five percent of his shares to Yi Lan. This was such a huge move. Even if everyone wanted to overlook it, it was impossible!

    Yi Lan''s team was clearly ready to fight the war of shares. Lu Chongming was just the first step.

    All these years, the Lu Corporation had been had been ruled with an iron fist under Lu Tingxiao''s management. To ovee it would definitely be no easy feat. Apart from Lu Chongming, they could only buy some of the dispersed shares. However, Yi Lan''s financial capabilities were mind-blowing. If they let them continue like this, no one would know what would happen next.

    At the Lu family''s old residence.

    It had only been a few short days, yet Lu Chongshan''s hair had turned much whiter.

    "Ruyi, have you arranged the thing I asked you to prepare?"

    Yan Ruyi looked hesitant. "Is it really okay for us to hide it from Tingxiao? Isn''t it best to discuss with him first?"

    "No need. Don''t you understand Tingxiao''s temper by now? It would just be a waste of energy! Most importantly, we''re out of time right now! We must make thorough preparations! He''s in this position and all these things are what he must bear!"

    When Yan Ruyi heard this, she felt sorry for her son. Her frustration was clear, yet she could not retort back.

    "Go. Get someone to bring Little Treasure over first. I''ll talk to Little Treasure about this¡­ We still have to consider Little Treasure''s opinion¡­ We have to at least find someone that Little Treasure can ept¡­"

    When she heard this, Yan Ruyi''s expression softened. "I''ll get someone to fetch him now."

 Chapter 1594: I Will Protect Mother Well

    <h4>Chapter 1594: I Will Protect Mother Well</h4>

    At tinum Pce.

    The servant carefully knocked on the door of the study room. "Master, someone came from the old master''s side. They said that they''re here to pick Little Master up to go over for a meal."

    Lu Tingxiao peered up from his documents. "Ask Little Master toe here for a while."

    "Okay, Master," the servant answered and went out.

    A whileter, Little Treasure entered the study room.

    Lu Tingxiao stood up from his chair before his desk, then he sat on the sofa in the room. He said to his son, "Come sit here."

    The little bun walked over and sat down as he hugged a furry bunny in his arms.

    This bunny was the one he had saved thest time they had gone for a pic with Mommy. After the bunny''s leg had healed, Ning Xi brought Little Treasure to try letting the bunny go, but unexpectedly, it only wanted to follow Little Treasure and not go anywhere else. Furthermore, Little Treasure hated to part with it too, so he had just brought it back and kept it as a pet.

    Now, the bunny had be as fat and round as a ball. In the little bun''s arms, it looked just like a round, little white dumpling.

    Lu Tingxiao told his son, "Grandfather and Grandmother want to bring you back for dinner. Of course, apart from the meal, there''ll be something else¡­"

    The little bun stroked the bunny in his arms with single-hearted devotion without even looking up.

    Lu Tingxiao then said, "It''s rted to your mother."

    The little bun instantly nced up and stared at Lu Tingxiao. Even the bunny in his arms had perked up its ears.

    Lu Tingxiao did not know whether tough or cry as he sighed and continued, "Your grandfather and grandmother are preparing to put me up to a blind date."

    The little bun immediately understood his father''s meaning. He then pursed his lips. Momentster, there was a determination in his eyes as he said, "I will protect Mommy well!"

    No one can rece Mommy!

    Lu Tingxiao nodded, satisfied. "Try to drag as much time as possible. I''ll deal with the rest."

    The little bun nodded.

    ¡­

    After the father and son finished their chat, Little Treasure then followed the people who hade to fetch him to the old residence.

    "Grandfather, Grandmother!"

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi had long been sitting in the living room and waiting. When they saw their dearest grandson had arrived, the two elders instantly beamed with happiness. The gloomy clouds in the past few days instantly vanished.

    "Little Treasure is here! Grandmother missed you so much! Quicklye here and give Grandmother a hug!"

    The little bun obediently ambled over and hugged his grandmother.

    Yan Ruyi was so overjoyed that her heart melted and her face showed that all was well with her grandchild.

    "Quicklye over for dinner. Don''t starve Little Treasure!" Lu Chongshan said as he urged for the kitchen to start serving.

    On the dining table was all of Little Treasure''s favorite dishes. Little Treasure''s bowl had turned into a tiny mountain as Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi kept spooning food.

    As the two elders looked at their obedient, sensible, and bright grandson, their eyes were filled with affection.

    Lu Chongshan cleared his throat. He had to disrupt the mood, so he looked at his wife to remind her of something.

    Yan Ruyi frowned before she probed, "Little Treasure, what kind of woman would you like to be your mother?"

    Little Treasure pretended to contemte her question seriously. Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan watched him nervously.

    "A girl like my Mommy," answered Little Treasure.

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were speechless.

    Without a doubt, Little Treasure''s "Mommy" was definitely referring to Ning Xi.

    Yan Ruyi helplessly cleared her throat. She resumed, "Baby, your Aunty Xiao Xi is indeed a very excellent woman but¡­ Actually, there are even more excellentdies! You''re just too young, so you''ve never seen them¡­ If there''s a woman you like even more, would you be willing to let them be your mother?"

    The little bun blinked. "Then, I''ll have to see them before I know."

    When Lu Chognshan and Yan Ruyi heard this, they were instantly thrilled. They did not expect things to go this smoothly.

    Lu Chongshan immediately said, "Then, Grandfather and Grandmother will arrange for it. Later on, we''ll let you choose yourself, okay?"

    The little bun nodded. "Okay."

 Chapter 1595: Bunch of Idiots

    <h4>Chapter 1595: Bunch of Idiots</h4>

    When they heard their grandson''s confident answer, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were incredibly pleased.

    "So, Little Treasure, Grandfather and Grandmother havee to an agreement with you and you can''t back out, okay?"

    "Mmm, Little Treasure will take a serious look at it."

    Lu Chongshan let out a long sigh of relief, feeling the weight on his heart finally lifted by half.

    Initially, he thought it would be very hard. After all, their grandson waspletely taken by the woman and they did not know what she had said to Little Treasure behind their backs either. He was worried that Little Treasure would cause a ruckus, so he did not expect things to have gone much smoother than he thought.

    As long as Little Treasure was willing to be in contact with others, he had confidence that they could definitely change Little Treasure''s mind!

    ¡­

    After Little Treasure confirmed it, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi started to organize everything in full swing.

    The blind date banquet this time was definitely much grander than the one that had ended midway five years ago.

    He did not believe that with so many incredible girls, all of them heiresses from top wealthy families, there would be none that would catch Little Treasure''s eye.

    Apart from that, the biggest difference between this time and the one from five years ago was probably¡­ The fact that the person they had prepared to meet the girls thest time was Lu Tingxiao, but now it was Little Treasure.

    ¡­

    Very soon, the news about the Lu family organizing a "socialite tea party" had spread all around the circle.

    On the surface, it was said to be a tea party to which all the heiresses of the top families would go over and be guests to admire flowers. However, in reality, those who were well-informed would know that this was actually a marriage arrangement dinner.

    The reason it was put like that was merely an elegant and tactful way to say it.

    After the family meeting ended, most of the socialites who hade for Lu Tingxiao had yet to leave Imperial. Therefore, when they heard the news about the tea party, all of them started to get excited.

    In a certain luxury resort under the Lu Corporation.

    In the spa room, a group of girls was anxiously bickering to get an aromatherapy facial massage. They were all gathered in groups as they chattered on continuously.

    "Oh my God! I still don''t feel like it''s real. Is Mr. Lu really going to have a marriage arranged for him?"

    "I was surprised too. I thought that this time, I had definitelye for nothing! After all, that lip stain on the chief''s cor was so striking during the family meeting the other day¡­" The girl spoke with a jealous tone.

    "Such a huge thing has happened to the Lu family, so this is rather expected, isn''t it?" Someone muttered sorrowfully, but because this was taboo, she did not dare to even speak loudly.

    "Enough talking. It''s best to prepare quickly! I''m really nervous! I wonder what''s the chief''s type!"

    "He''s a still a man. Men, they''re all the same! They just like the pretty ones¡­"

    The few girls were debating when suddenly there was a mocking scoff that came from the side, "Bunch of idiots!"

    The girl who spoke had fair skin, good looks, and a slim body. Her face was full of arrogance.

    A girl, who was getting her nails done, instantly exploded when she saw who it was. "Hey! Chi Yingying! Who are you calling idiots!? Thest time you lied to me that the head of the family was an ugly monster. I haven''t even settled that score with you!"

    The girl by the side took off her mask too. "Exactly! Who said we''re idiots?! Be frank if you have anything to say! Why are you being so peculiar, skulking here?"

    "I''m not responsible for giving all you idiots lessons," the girl finished, then turned around and left. She did not linger for even a moment.

    She had long received the insider news that the person who would appear at this tea party would not be Lu Tingxiao, but Lu Tingxiao''s only son, the little prince of the Lu family¡­

    So, all these idiotic woman were just doing useless things!

    Up till now, they still did not know the real key to being the headdy. If they were not idiots, then what were they?

 Chapter 1596: Iâ€™m Brother Little Treasureâ€™s Wife

    <h4>Chapter 1596: I¡¯m Brother Little Treasure¡¯s Wife</h4>

    Chi Yingying was not the only one who had received insider news.

    Many people had received the news directly from the Lu family, especially people who caught Lu Chongshan''s eye.

    Guan Zhichen had been going over to their residence every day ever since the family meeting. He might as well be staying there already. The Chi family also sent their grandson, Chi Shuai, who was the same age as Little Treasure to y with him as they wanted to get to know him better.

    Some of the further-sighted people were thinking that even if they could not have a headdy in their family, maybe they could have a future one from the next generation.

    Suddenly, the garden in the residence was filled with grandchildren from all the prestigious families.

    In the living room were their mothers, watching their lively children with loving gazes.

    Apart from their parents'' exhortation, the children were genuinely fond of Little Treasure. While he was quiet, he was very polite and really bright. He had a natural sense of leadership.

    The girls were especially admiring Little Treasure after a few days of being together. All of them wanted to y with him, and even gave him whatever nice things they found such as food and toys.

    Guan Zhichen was in disdain when he saw this brat beingplimented and fawned over, but on the surface, he kept on praising him as well, "Brother Little Treasure is such a genius. I gave him a Rubik''s cube, which took me an hour to solve, but Little Treasure solved it in about a minute! There was also a really difficult maths question thest time that no one was able to solve but Little Treasure¡­"

    "Wow! Little Treasure is awesome!"

    "Amazing! Little Treasure, can you be my master!?"

    "Me too, me too!"

    Among the crowd, a pretty and cute lolita hopped over and said sweetly, "Brother Little Treasure, I want to marry you when I grow up!"

    Because of this, the peaceful atmosphere was broken¡­

    A heavy-set boy rushed out from the crowd. "Tian Tian! No! You''re my wife!"

    The lolita looked at the boy in disgust, then she walked beside Little Treasure. "I''m not your wife! I''m Brother Little Treasure''s wife!"

    "You are! You are!" The boy''s face was all red when he heard that, and he even tried to drag the girl away.

    ¡­

    Despite being in the limelight, Little Treasure backed away, still having no expression on his face as usual. He was not really interested in girls like his father. More apparently, he was not interested in the topic of who was going to be whose wife.

    "Say it out loud! Tian Tian is my wife! Not yours!" The chubby boy went up to Little Treasure and shoved him to get him to admit it when he could not convince the girl.

    Guan Zhichen looked at this little boy and recognized him as the grandson of one of thergest stakeholders of the Lu Corporation. He was Chi Shuai, Chi Jingwen''s dear grandson. The Chi family doted on him to the point that he was fearless. He also got angry and violent easily.

    It was surprising that the Chis would send him over without worrying that he might get into trouble, but this was their best chance.

    His father had said that the Chi family was his aunt''s biggestpetitor¡­

    He would use this chance to eliminate his aunt''spetitor, so that they would not even get the chance to participate in the tea party!

 Chapter 1597: Little Bunny Doll

    <h4>Chapter 1597: Little Bunny Doll</h4>

    An evil thought that was inconsistent with his age shed through his mind. The best scenario for him was to kill two birds with one stone. It would be great if he could finish the arrogant brat Lu Qingyu together!

    He had humiliated him during dinner thest time, causing him to be grounded by his grandfather and father for a whole month, then he was forced to apologize and be nice to this brat like a servant. He had had enough.

    He needed to let it out on him this time!

    A super genius? An outstanding little prince? He would humiliate him in front of everyone. He would then see if anyone wouldpare this brat to him again!

    It was obvious that Chi Shuai liked the lolita. He was impatient now. He had been fine with Little Treasure before this argument because his family had persuaded him, but now that the girl he liked was being taken away, he suddenly forgot about everything. He even forgot his mother''s attractive promise of buying him a Transformers figurine if he became friends with Lu Qingyu¡­

    "Did you hear that? Tian Tian is mine!" The chubby boy roared.

    "Oh." Little Treasure nodded. He did not seem to be very interested in girls.

    The chubby boy was taken aback. He did not expect Little Treasure to really give up on such a cute girl like Tian Tian.

    Seeing that the chubby boy might not get mad now, Guan Zhichen instigated with a yful tone, "Brother Chi Shuai, you can''t do this! As a gentleman, you need to respect the girl''s wishes!"

    He seemed like he was helping Little Treasure by defending him since he was not speaking up for himself.

    Little Treasure looked at Guan Zhichen with a frigid stare.

    Guan Zhichen freaked out a little. There was no issue with what he had just said. There was no way that this brat would see through it. Even if he did, he could not do anything about it¡­

    Chi Shuai looked nervous. "Tian Tian! Tell me! Who do you like?!"

    "Of course, I like Brother Little Treasure!" The lolita replied almost instantly as she clung to Little Treasure. "I like Brother Little Treasure. I don''t like you. Stop pestering me! I hate you!"

    With Guan Zhichen''s meddling, the issue bubbled to the surface once again.

    Chi Shuai was even angrier this time.

    While Chi Shuai was the same age as Little Treasure, he was about a head taller than Little Treasure and much bigger in size too. When he rushed angrily in front of Little Treasure, he looked like a big mountain inparison to Little Treasure.

    "Tian Tian! What''s so good about this shorty?! He''s so short and skinny! Look at his pocket! He has a little bunny doll inside! That''s a toy for girls! He''s a sissy! How shameful!"

    Children were innocent, but it was also the worst when innocent children became evil.

    Little Treasure had been ill for a few years after all. Even though Ning Xi had helped him grow quite a bit, height was not something to be rushed easily. He was slightly shorter than other children of the same age.

    The impatient Chi Shuai started calling him names like "shorty", "sickly person", "sissy", and so on. A lot of children were not satisfied with Little Treasure as well, especially when he was so popr with the girls.

    Trouble arose when it came to people; it was the same in the children''s world.

    They had been forced to go there by their parents. As time went on, with this incident as a trigger, they exploded.

 Chapter 1598: It Was Exactly Like Xiao Xi Xis

    <h4>Chapter 1598: It Was Exactly Like Xiao Xi Xi''s</h4>

    Some people started voicing out after Chi Shuai made his move. "That''s right. He''s so short and fair, just like a girl!"

    "Sissy! Sissy¡­ I saw on TV that he''s like a sissy¡­"

    "He even ys with girl''s toys!"

    ¡­

    Guan Zhichen was defending Little Treasure, "Stop messing around. We''re all friends! Don''t make things worse. How could you guys say that about Brother Little Treasure?"

    The girls, including Tian Tian, were defending Little Treasure angrily. "You guys are overdoing it! Don''t bully Little Treasure!"

    Chi Shuai rushed in and took out the little rabbit plushie from Little Treasure''s suit pocket. He clenched it in his hand and mocked, "That''s right! ying with a girl''s toy! Disgusting!"

    At this moment, thedies in the living room realized that something was not right in the garden, especially Elder Madam Chi. She stood up and went towards the garden quickly.

    The expressionless Little Treasure''s face changed when his little bunny was snatched away.

    Guan Zhichen did not realize this. He was just smug when he saw the brat being bullied and not having anyeback.

    "Give it back." Little Treasure looked at the little bunny doll that had been snatched away by Chi Shuai with an extremely cold expression.

    Chi Shuai shivered but felt incredibly pumped up when he saw Little Treasure looking so weak. He was fearless at home after all, so it was not a habit that could be changed so easily. "Nope! I don''t want to! Get it from me if you can, shorty!"

    Chi Shuai held the little bunny high up as he was taunting so that Little Treasure could not reach it. The other boys wereughing at him. "He might cryter!"

    "Only girls cry!"

    "He''s a girl after all¡­"

    ¡­

    Little Treasure took a deep breath. "I''m saying it for thest time."

    "I don''t want to! Come on! I''d rather throw it away than giving it back to you! Shorty! Sissy!" Chi Shuai was waving the doll around with his soiled hand.

    At this moment, the quiet, expressionless Little Treasure appeared right in front of him in a blink of an eye.

    Without any time to react, he only heard the sound of wind passed by his ears¡­

    The next moment, Chi Shuai, who was almost twice the size of Little Treasure, was kicked away by a long distance. He fell hard on the ground and dust flew up in the air¡­

    Everyone gasped. The children stood there, stunned.

    Little Treasure walked slowly towards Chi Shuai. He red at the chubby boy who was still confused by what had just happened. It was supposed to be a really cute face, but his expression was extremely cold at this moment. "I warned you."

    Somewhere nearby, Lu Jingli witnessed this whole scene just when he wanted to check on what was happening¡­

    What the heck!?

    That kick¡­

    It was exactly like Xiao Xi Xi''s!

    He was actually worried that Little Treasure might get bullied, so he had rushed over.

    The children of the two monsters, his brother and Xiao Xi Xi¡­ With thebined entity of their genes, could he even be bullied?

 Chapter 1599: So Cool

    <h4>Chapter 1599: So Cool</h4>

    "My mother taught me to use peaceful measures before using force and I''ve given you a chance." The little bun bent down, picked up the little bunny that had fallen. He carefully cleaned the dust on it with a handkerchief before carefully putting it back into his pocket at his chest.

    Half of the little bunny was stuffed into his pocket, while the other half of its head hung outside as if it was sticking its head out and leaning from the pocket. It was especially cute.

    "Oh dear" Thedies who had just rushed over and coincidentally saw Chi Shuai being kicked were instantly stunned and only reacted momentster. They quickly ran over, Elder Madam Chi being the fastest.

    "Shuai Shuai! Shuai Shuai! Are you okay? Oh my God! This isn''t good¡­" Elder Madam Chi was so frightened that her soul left her.

    "I didn''t hit his vital parts. He''s fine," answered Little Treasure with a cold expression.

    He had been kicked so far away! How could he be okay?

    At this moment, Chi Shuai who was dumbfounded by the kick had be clear-headed again. Once he snapped out of it, he immediately pushed his grandmother who was hugging him away. Then, he ran to Little Treasure like a tornado before he said emotionally and incoherently, "Lu Qingyu, you¡­ You¡­ You¡­ How did you do that?! Do you know kungfu?! Like the swordsmen on TV who can kick people until they fly? And can make them even fly¡­ Do it again! Do it again!"

    Uhh¡­

    Elder Madam Chi instantly looked embarrassed. Now, she believed that her grandson was indeed okay. "What nonsense are you saying?! What do you mean ''do it again''?! You monkey, how many times have I told you? This is someone else''s house and we''re guests. You must know your manners. Why are you causing trouble again!"

    Elder Madam Chi had seen her grandson snatching someone else''s belonging and provoking them first with her own eyes. Earlier, she had been worried that her grandson had been hurt, but now that she had returned to her senses, the lingering fear dawned on her!

    He must have offended him horribly!

    Chi Shuai did not know that much. He was already circling Little Treasure excitedly as he kept asking him how he did it and whether he could teach him. He even brought his treasured toys to exchange for the knowledge. If this little guy had a tail, it would probably be wagging crazily.

    It was not just Chi Shuai. All of the children were very interested in things like this, especially the boys, thus Little Treasure was instantly surrounded by the little guys again.

    "Brother Little Treasure is so cool!"

    "Brother Little Treasure is so amazing! He''s a real man! Not a girl!"

    "Lu Qingyu, why are you so strong?"

    "Lu Qingyu, do you know the Lightness Skill ?"

    ¡­

    The group of brats'' moodiness came and left rather quickly. Now, they were surrounding Little Treasure and everyone was chattering away. There were no more traces of trying to pick a fight¡­

    "Madam Lu, look at this. I¡­ I''m really sorry! My Shuai Shuai is just too mischievous but he has no ill intentions!" Madam Elder Lu looked apologetically to Yan Ruyi and apologized.

    Yan Ruyi had been really incensed when she saw Little Treasure getting bullied earlier, but now she obviously felt pleased when she saw her grandson teaching all those children. She said, "They''re just children. It''s normal to have some friction, Madam Chi. There''s no need to worry."

    Elder Madam Chi let out a sigh of relief. Immediately, there were otherdies on the side who saw a gap and quickly took advantage of it. They started to brownnose her. "Madam Lu, your Little Treasure is extraordinary! He''s still so young, yet he''s so talented already!"

    They were not really brownnosing. With the disy of Little Treasure''s skills earlier and the way he was teaching the other children now, one look and they could tell that he had gone through proper training.

    Çá¹¦ - The ability to make the body light and move with great agility & swiftness. At high proficiency, practitioners of this skill can run across water, leap to the top of trees, or even glide through the air.

 Chapter 1600: Ill Turn Everyone That Comes Gay

    <h4>Chapter 1600: I''ll Turn Everyone That Comes Gay</h4>

    Yan Ruyi proudly announced, "Actually, it''s nothing. I just hired a master for him to train from so that he can strengthen his body¡­"

    "This isn''t just at a level of strengthening the body, is it? I hired a Taekwondo teacher for mine too, but it wasn''t effective at all!"

    "Mine too. I wonder which master did you hire, Madam Lu?" One of thedies asked.

    When Yan Ruyi heard this question, she looked a little awkward. She had heard Jingli mention that Little Treasure''s master was one of Ning Xi''s friends.

    "Well¡­ It''s all arranged by Tingxiao, so I''m not too sure either!" Yan Ruyi answered vaguely.

    On the other side, Lu Jingli was secretly texting Xiao Xi Xi and his brother.

    Lu Jingli: Xiao Xi Xi, do you know what I just saw? Our Little Treasure was so cool! He used one leg and kicked that chubby boy from the Chi family who bullied him into the air!

    Very soon, Ning Xi replied to his text.

    Ning Xi: My dearest''s genes are indeed incredible!

    Lu Jingli sent the same content to his brother too.

    Lu Tingxiao''s reply was, "It was the child''s mother that taught him well."

    Lu Jingli was instantly stuffed with their mutual public disy of affection, causing him so much pain that he just did not want to live¡­

    Are you two on this together, hey!?

    ¡­

    At Peachwood.

    Ning Xized on the rattan chair in the backyard under the shade of the flower bush. She had a script in one hand, while her phone was in the other hand held as she replied Lu Jingli''s messages with delight in her eyes.

    When the phone chimed, Lu Jingli replied her again. It was a screenshot of Lu Jingli having sent the same thing to Lu Tingxiao, and Lu Tingxiao''s reply being: "It was the child''s mother that taught him well."

    Ning Xi instantly giggled to herself. She could almost imagine Lu Jingli''s expression upon reading her and Lu Tingxiao''s reply.

    Tomorrow, she would be going to Jiang Xingzhou''s set for the audition. At night, Lu Tingxiao, Little Treasure, and Lu Jingli woulde over for dinner. They had said that they wanted to support her. Ning Xi had decided to invite her Second Senior Brother, Tang Lang, over too. After all, he was Little Treasure''s master. His contributions could not go unnoticed now that Little Treasure was being so amazing.

    At night after he came over, Lu Jingli started to vividly describe the way Little Treasure had carried himself well throughout the day to Ning Xi.

    "Now, that group of brats has been obediently reduced to submission by our Little Treasure!"

    Tang Lang was initially not very happy about having this student. However, now he was particrly content as he felt an odd sense of achievement. "Well, you should see who taught him!"

    Ning Xi looked speechlessly at a certain someone who was glittering with sunshine. "Stop blowing your own trumpet! that''s my Little Treasure. If it were a different person, they''d definitely be angered to death by an unreliable master like you! Are there masters like you who disappear so frequently?!" Ning Xi said as she looked gently at the father and son duo who were busy in the kitchen. There was a faint smile in the corner of her mouth.

    "Well, I didn''t dy teaching either. Today''s incident was the best testimonial¡­" Tang Langughed mischievously, then he looked contemtively at Ning Xi on the sofa. He beamed in admiration. "Tsk tsk, Little Junior Sister! It''s not that I want to nag you, but you''re rather calm! Your dearest darling is about to have a marriage arranged for him, yet you can still smile?"

    "With my darling and baby keeping watch, what''s there for me to worry about?" Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him, then she paused and drawled to say, "Besides¡­"

    "Besides what?" Tang Lang raised his brows with interest.

    Ning Xi propped up her legs on the coffee table, one handzily supporting her head as she continued with wandering eyes, "Besides, there''s still me! If anyone dares to seduce my darling, worste to worst¡­ I''ll turn everyone thates gay!"

    Tang Lang was speechless.

    "Pfft¡ª" Lu Jingli who had just brought a cup of water in had spat out and coughed until the earth shattered.

 Chapter 1601: Always Be With Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 1601: Always Be With Little Treasure</h4>

    Lu Jingli coughed for a really long time before he managed to stop. He had an rmed expression as he said, "Xiao Xi Xi! You''re scary! Next time, I''ll definitely keep my girlfriend far away from you!"

    Ning Xi shot him a side look. "Let''s talk when you get a girlfriend, okay? You single dog, you''re really worried about nothing!"

    "Hey!" Lu Jingli cursed under his breath as he immediately walked towards the kitchen angrily and started to wail, "Bro! Bro! Sis-inw says she''ll turn all the girls who want to seduce you gay! Do you even care anymore? Hey!"

    Now, it was Ning Xi''s turn to scold him."Hey! Lu Jingli! Are you 3 years old? You actuallyined?!"

    Ning Xi quickly took a narrow stance and nervously looked at the direction of her darling. She saw that Lu Tingxiao was bringing a dish over. He looked at Lu Jingli expressionlessly and said, "I won''t give her the chance to."

    He was trying to imply that he would not give other women a chance to seduce him. That way, Ning Xi naturally would not have the chance to make any move.

    Ning Xi instantly beamed. She delightedly shot a look at Lu Jingli, then she walked up to Lu Tingxiao''s cheek and kissed him.

    "Find a person that you love most and deeply enough to bid singlehood farewell¡­ An affectionate, infatuated, heartless person came to scar me¡­"

    Lu Jingli was defeated once again and he went to the toilet to cry.

    ¡­

    After dinner, because Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli still had to return to thepany and settle things, they could not stay any longer. Ning Xi wanted to let the little bun stay for a night, but he rejected it.

    The little bun looked up to his mother, disying reluctance to part. Still, he was very determined. "Mother, today it''s best for me to return to Grandfather and Grandmother!"

    He was afraid that Ning Xi would be unhappy, so the little guy had nervously added on, "Mommy, don''t be angry. In the future, Little Treasure will always be with Mommy!"

    Ning Xi knew that the little guy had taken the initiative to stay in the old residence for her. She felt overwhelmingly touched as she squatted down and hugged the little guy''s soft body. "Mmm! Mommy will also always be with Little Treasure in the future! I''ll forever be with Little Treasure!"

    Little Treasure instantly pursed his lips, stemming his happiness.

    After she sent the three of them off, Ning Xi and Tang Lang had gone up to the roof to chat and drink.

    Tang Langy on the floor with one hand supporting his head as hemented, "Tsk, my obedient student is really so lovable! It''s no wonder you''re willing to be with a single father!"

    Ning Xi was leaning on the railing as she looked up at the starry sky above her. When she heard what he said, she instantly whipped around bitterly. "Are you jealous that they brought their own tag-along?!"

    "Fine, fine, fine¡­ I''m jealous!" Tang Lang looked at her protective stance speechlessly, then he thought of something and a worried expression was written on his face. "Truly horrifying! Who would have thought that Satan and Lu Tingxiao would have this kind of rtionship?"

    Even though Tang Lang had been in the organization since he was born, he had only just found about this. Plus, his nature was to enjoy cockfights and dog racing all day, not caring about anything, much less things like these.

    Ning Xi pinched the space between her brows. Once this was brought up, she had a headache. She was the one who had received the most shock!

    "Second Senior Brother¡­ You''ve been by Satan''s side for so long. Have you seen his mother before? Do you know what kind of person she is?" Ning Xi probed.

    Tang Lang shrugged. "I''ve never met her or heard him mention her before. I really can''t imagine what kind of human would have given birth to that guy. If it were not for this incident, I would''ve thought that he had jumped out of cracks in stones at birth!"

    Ning Xi had no words.

    Forget it! She knew that she should not have asked this unreliable guy! She should save her time and go read her script!

 Chapter 1602: True Capability

    <h4>Chapter 1602: True Capability</h4>

    The next morning, Ning Xi went to the audition venue on time.

    In recent times, the only thing she did was just study the script. Ling Zhizhi had only helped her to find a vast amount of videos for her reference and she did not really care about anything else.

    As wasmon knowledge throughout the industry, Director Jiang Xingzhou''s audition was the simplest, and also the toughest.

    It was simply because he would ignore every private rmendation. He only cared about an actor''s capabilities. Nevertheless, it was also tough because of the exact same point.

    Jiang Xingzhou was recognized for being extremely strict. Artistes in the industry would get goosebumps just hearing his name.

    Regardless of that, his films had quality and standard. Everyone would love to be part of it.

    When Ning Xi reached the venue, as she expected, many of the top performing artistes were gathered there. A lot of them belonged to the Capability Camp too.

    Those without a certain level of capability would not even dare to be there.

    Once, an artiste with a huge fan base came to audition for Jiang Xingzhou''s movie, but the artiste had performed really badly. Because of Jiang Xingzhou''s harsh criticism, he almost left the industry.

    As Ning Xi arrived, she greeted everyone before she sat down in a corner and started preparing herself. Everyone else was focusing on themselves as well. They were all experienced artistes, but when it came to auditioning for Director Jiang, they still felt like they were taking their first acting exam back in university.

    Ning Xi looked around and saw a few familiar faces. Fang Xiaowen, Xu Jiaojiao¡­ She had seen the both of them at the audition for the perfume ad back in Los Angeles. Seeing Fang Xiaowen there was expected. She had received a Golden Film Award before after all. As for Xu Jiaojiao, Ning Xi was rather impressed by her courage.

    There were also several others who were like Xu Jiaojiao who did not really have much acting skills but were trying their luck there.

    Besides that, there were several married and pregnant artistes; the character was a mother after all. The scene to be portrayed was of a middle-aged woman. Even with good acting skills, being too young might hinder a person from disying a maternal instinct. When she was talking to Song Lin before, she had mentioned in passing that Director Jiang wanted to find someone slightly older.

    No matter her age and appearance, she did not carry much threat to herpetitors.

    "Senior Song!"

    "Sis Lin!"

    "Sis Lin, you''re here!"

    ¡­

    There was a small ruckus among the crowd as Song Lin arrived.

    Song Lin was also one of the judges in this audition.

    Ning Xi reactively turned over when she heard Song Lin''s name. What surprised her was that her goddess was wearing a design by Spirit today.

    Song Lin put on an elegant smile and greeted everyone back. She did not really talk much to Ning Xi and went into the audition room swiftly.

    After Song Lin arrived, the audition soon started.

    The first one to go in was Xu Jiaojiao. After three minutes, she came out in tears.

    No one was surprised. It was pretty much expected. A few other female artistes, who were there to try their luck, suddenly turned pale.

    The audition continued and it was soon Ning Xi''s turn.

    A lot of people looked at Ning Xi when her number was called.

    After receiving thement that "she deserved it" from Director Feng at the Golden Film Awards ceremony, and receiving both the Best Female Lead and Best Secondary Female Lead Awards, it was normal for her to attract attention.

 Chapter 1603: Small Disturbance?

    <h4>Chapter 1603: Small Disturbance?</h4>

    Whilst everyone would not say it out loud, they felt that Ning Xi was too arrogant. To put it in another way, she overestimated herself.

    She had just only received a Golden Film Award and was never even close to any international awards before, yet she was there despite the fact that she did not fit the image of this movie at all.

    She was no different than Xu Jiaojiao¡­

    "Hello to all the judges. I''m Ning Xi from Glory World Entertainment." Ning Xi gave a simple greeting.

    There were five judges that day. Jiang Xingzhou sat right in the middle and Song Lin was on his right. The others were the producer, the co-director, and the scriptwriter.

    Without a doubt, Jiang Xingzhou was the ultimate decision-maker.

    Probably because there was no one suitable after a dozen auditions, Jiang Xingzhou''s expression looked terrible and his aura was even scarier.

    "Hey, Director Jiang, if you keep this face up, it''ll affect the actresses'' performance!" Song Linughed at him.

    Song Lin was probably the only person who would crack a joke to Jiang Xingzhou at this moment.

    "If they can''t even take such a small hup like this, should they still be in their acting careers?" Jiang Xingzhou retorted coldly.

    "Small hup? You''re too humble, Director Jiang. Back then, after my first audition with you, I had a few nights of horrible dreams¡­"

    ¡­

    With the judges'' chatter, and knowing that Song Lin had also been nervous when she first auditioned for Jiang Xingzhou''s movie, the tension in Ning Xi rxed. She looked at Song Lin gratefully.

    "Okay, let''s start," Jiang Xingzhou said.

    Ning Xi nodded and drew a piece of paper.

    Scene 37: The Loss of A Son On A Rainy Night.

    Ning Xi frowned a little when she saw which scene it was that she had picked. Damn it, why this scene out of all the others?

    Several people had gotten this scene earlier. Jiang Xingzhou did not have any specific expression on his face. Instead, he said, "You have ten seconds to get ready."

    Someone had already started the timer as Jiang Xingzhou finished his sentence. There was no time for the actress to react at all.

    Even when the main character was a mute and had no lines at all, it was already a huge challenge for the actress to read the script in ten seconds and get into character.

    Fortunately, she had prepared herself well. She could already memorize the whole script, so she knew what she needed to with just a look.

    The ten seconds ended.

    The working staff started reading the narration, "Out¡­ Out of breath¡­ Little Zhu Zi is out of breath¡­"

    The staff was just reading the lines without any emotion. The audition was all about how the artiste was got into character anyway.

    Ning Xi had a stunned expression on her face after the staff read the lines. She crawled over and held up the props on the floor.

    Pathetically, it was a poorly made prop consisting of a tied up nket. She had to imagine it as a child.

    When Ning Xi rushed over like a crazy woman, everyone thought that she would cry out loud, but she did not.

    Ning Xi held the "child" tightly. She put her face against its cheek and kissed the child''s cold forehead and face¡­ She also took off her coat and wrapped it around the child, holding onto the child gently¡­

    As if the child had not died¡­

    However, from the mother''s shivering body to her fearful yet forced strong expression and her tears rolling down¡­ Everyone knew that the child was really dead¡­

    In the end, the mother''s suppressed expression shattered. She cried without a sound, rousing even the apathetic audience.

 Chapter 1604: Itâ€™s My Own Problem

    <h4>Chapter 1604: It¡¯s My Own Problem</h4>

    After she was finished, she returned to herself almost instantly. She stood up and bowed to the judges.

    Jiang Xingzhou gazed at her as though he was about to say something, but in the end, he merely said, "That''s all."

    Ning Xi responded with a slight nod and left the room, her eyes dark.

    She had probably failed¡­

    After the audition ended, Ning Xi was walking around aimlessly when a white car suddenly halted beside her.

    "Xiao Xi!"

    Ning Xi came back to her senses when she heard Song Lin''s voice. "Senior Song!"

    "Want to grab a drink?" Song Lin invited.

    Ning Xi was not really in the mood, but since her goddess had invited her after all, she nodded.

    Song Lin brought her to a members-only music bar. There were not a lot of people inside and soothing music was being yed, adding to the really pleasant atmosphere.

    "What do you want to drink?" Song Lin asked.

    "I don''t mind anything."

    "Then, shall I order for you?"

    "Mmm." Ning Xi nodded.

    Song Lin smiled when she saw the girl''s obedient air. "How''s the audition today? Are you confident?"

    Ning Xi looked a little awkward, but she still answered genuinely, "To be honest, I''m not really confident. There were a lot of strongpetitors and my performance was, at best, average¡­"

    Song Lin looked at her squarely in the eye. "Not at all. Your performance before was definitely above average, but¡­"

    Song Lin made a pause, then she continued, "While it was good, the chances of getting this character at that level aren''t very high."

    Ning Xi looked like she expected that answer. She had not analyzed it properly when she first epted the script. She only realized her fatal issue after she studied it back at home and had been trying to resolve the issue on her own, yet¡­ during the audition, she had still failed¡­

    "Actually, I''ve prepared myself for this. I''ll try again next time!" Ning Xi smiled reassuringly.

    The waiter sent the two cocktails Song Lin had ordered over.

    Song Lin took a sip and looked at the girl. "Why?"

    Ning Xi was confused when she heard Song Lin''s question. "What?"

    "Why did you hide your acting skills deliberately?" Song Lin asked.

    Ning Xi was a little taken aback when she heard Song Lin''s direct question and she felt a little helpless inside.

    As expected of Senior Song. She could not hide from her after all.

    "You''re overestimating me, Sis Lin. I''ve already given it my all," Ning Xi replied.

    Song Lin thought about it, then she spoke again as she rested her chin on her hand. "Let me rephrase myself. You''re worried about something, so you didn''t perform at your level best. I don''t think that was your best¡­"

    Ning Xi felt really troubled.

    Actually, her performance today was pretty solid, from just the perspective of acting.

    However, her fatal mistake was that she had not put any emotion in at all. There was no resonance and she had not really immersed herself into the scene.

    A normal person might not be able to see through it, but people like Jiang Xingzhou and Song Lin were able to identify it at first nce, especially thetter. He was really particr about emotions in acting and must have been really unsatisfied with her acting.

    "Is someone threatening you?" Song Lin asked.

    Ning Xi shook her head. "No, it''s my own problem."

 Chapter 1605: Liking You More and More

    <h4>Chapter 1605: Liking You More and More</h4>

    Ning Xi obviously did not want to say much. Plus, based on Song Lin''s EQ, she naturally would not continue questioning her.

    Only, she more or less felt that it was a pity.

    She was very clear about the value of the film and the possibility of it catapulting Ning Xi to a higher level. If she missed out on this chance, waiting for the next film of such a quality would probably take quite a few years or more.

    "Xiao Xi, do you have a boyfriend?"

    Song Lin suddenly changed the topic, surprising Ning Xi so much that she choked on her drink. "Cough, cough, cough¡­"

    "Are you okay?" Song Lin quickly patted her back.

    "I''m okay, I''m okay¡­" Ning Xi''s breath eased.

    "Why? Is this question harder to answer than the previous one?" Song Linughed lightly.

    Ning Xi quickly said, "No, no boyfriend!"

    Sigh, even though her goddess was sitting opposite her, she really could not tell the truth to this question.

    "Really?" Song Lin swirled the drink in her ss. "Well¡­ What about a girlfriend?"

    "Pfft¡ª" Ning Xi choked again.

    Song Lin was amused and she startedughing uncontrobly at the girl''s innocent reaction. "Xiao Xi, you''re so cute!"

    Ning Xi looked miserable. She could not tell that the goddess still had this private side of her that liked to make jokes!

    Song Lin seemed intoxicated. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the girl in front of her. "I really¡­ am liking you more and more!"

    Ning Xi was humbled by this affection. "I really like you too, Sis Lin!"

    Song Lin smiled and did not say anything.

    This girl was definitely not innocent. Otherwise, she would have been gobbled up in this industry with nothing left. The remarkable thing was that in front of people she liked and admired, she still managed to retain her pure and honest side.

    She liked everything that was real and honest.

    It made her want to collect them for herself¡­

    ¡­

    After she bade Song Lin goodbye, Ning Xi immediately returned Ling Zhizhi''s call.

    However, before she left, Song Lin had told her not to give up so quickly and that there still might be hope. She was actually certain that based on Jiang Xingzhou''s demanding nature, no matter what the reason was, her performance today would definitely have not passed his test.

    "Sis Zhizhi, the audition ended¡­ very miserably. I picked the one scene that I was the least confident with¡­ I''m a little worried¡­"

    When Ling Zhizhi heard this, she consoled her, "It''s okay, as long as you did your best. Just wait for their crew to inform us first. If we didn''t make it, then we''ll just use that back up one. There aren''t many scenes. If all goes well, then you''ll finish shooting in a few days, so it''s just nice for you to go shoot this one first. Because the other one is quite urgent this time, and it''s a small role, there''s no need to audition. You can just immediately join the team the day after tomorrow."

    Even though Ling Zhizhi put it like that, anyone knew that even if it was just a few seconds of screentime, to be able to appear in a Hollywood blockbuster was every Chinese artiste''s dream. Even those few seconds could be their first step to entering Hollywood.

    Many of those who had long been famous and were A-listers did not even have any business with Hollywood. Although Ling Zhizhi made the role sound rxed, she knew that clinching it was definitely not easy.

    Ning Xi was a little shocked when she heard Ling Zhizhi. "A Hollywood blockbuster? Could it be¡­ Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad? The one that Ning Xueluo had been previously signed on?"

    "That''s right. They were initially in talks with Ning Xueluo, but after Ning Xueluo quit the entertainment industry, this role has been vacant. Even though there was the impartial element of changing someone at thest minute, the vacant role still has quite strongpetition. A huge reason why you''ve been chosen was that your role in ''The World'' received a great response when it was aired in America. There were more fighting and Chinese martial arts scenes, which perks the interest of those foreigners. After the director saw the trailer, they were very pleased¡­"

 Chapter 1606: Brought Upon By Him

    <h4>Chapter 1606: Brought </h4>

    So, that was the case¡­

    Coincidentally, Ning Xueluo had quit the entertainment industry, and Ning Xi had won the Golden Film Awards. With her fitting image and poprity, the right timing, and favorable social conditions, shended the role.

    "Okay, Sis Zhizhi, got it! I''ll be joining the crew the day after tomorrow, is that right?"

    Previously, Ning Xi had understood the role. It was a mysterious Eastern woman with excellent martial arts skills who looked majorly cool. Such a role was not too difficult for someone like her who had a martial arts stuntwoman background.

    Nowadays, the Chinese film market was expanding. Even Hollywood could not be indifferent to it. In order to pull this end of the ticket sales, many Hollywood blockbuster movies liked to use this method. They would get an adequately popr Chinese person to star in a supporting role, then when it was promoted in China, they would use this point to boost interest. However, in reality, when it aired in theatres, the Chinese artiste would only be featured in the story for only a few minutes, or even tens of seconds. Even their dialogues would also only be limited to one or two lines.

    Previously, when she had done her internship in Hollywood, there was a vast difference between the treatment of Chinese people and white people.

    Even though it was very cruel, one could not do anything about it. It was simply how the current situation was.

    On the other end of the phone, Ling Zhizhi responded, "Yes, enter the set the day after tomorrow. Because the post-production of ''Nine Realms'' isplete and it''ll be entering promotional period soon, I need to get ready. I can''t personally apany you over. Later on, I''ll get Xiao Tao to go to the set with you."

    "Okay, no problem." After Ning Xi finished talking to Ling Zhizhi, she hung up.

    Even though she was informed of such a surprisingly good news, today''s defeat at the auditions still made Ning Xi feel somewhat regretful.

    Late at night, at Peachwood.

    At the door, the security system automatically recognized the face and fingerprint password of the person who had arrived with a beep.

    Lu Tingxiao had just entered the living room when he saw that the lights in the living room were switched on. The girl wore pajamas and reclined on the sofa, sleeping soundly. Her hand grasped onto a script filled with annotations.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned as he walked lightly over and slowly pulled the script out of her hands.

    He was about to put the script on the table when he clearly saw the contents of the script and was astonished for a moment.

    Scene 37: Loss Of A Son On A Rainy Night.

    This chapter had clearly been read through many times. The sides of the script had even started to show rough edges and were dog-eared.

    "Mmm¡­ Lu Tingxiao¡­?"

    "Hmm?"

    "Why are you here sote?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not answer. He bent down and picked the girl up from the sofa. He walked towards the bedroom. "Why don''t you go sleep in your room?"

    Obviously, it was because he was worried about her.

    Lu Jingli had already told him about the situation at her audition that day. It did not seem to have gone too well.

    "I identally fell asleep¡­" Ning Xi rubbed her eyes in a daze.

    Lu Tingxiao put the girl onto the bed. The girl had very knowingly rolled over to sleep on the other side, leaving space on half of the bed.

    Lu Tingxiao caressed the girl''s hair andy down beside her. "Today''s audition didn''t go too well?"

    Ning Xi sighed, "Actually, it was okay. There were just too many great candidates¡­ but it''s okay. Before I went, I knew that thepetition this time would definitely be tight. If I don''t make it this time, I''ll just work harder next time!"

    The girl''s tone sounded very rxed as if she did not mind. Had she not held onto the script in her sleep and continued to read that scene after she came home, he might have really believed it¡­

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl hesitatingly but he still said atst, "Mmm, next time, you''ll still have opportunities."

    Actually, right from the start when he knew that she had chosen this film, he was already worried. Now, it looked like his worries hade true.

    The girl he loved the most¡­ All of her pain¡­ Had unexpectedly been brought upon by him¡­

 Chapter 1607: Unpredictable Outcome

    <h4>Chapter 1607: Unpredictable Oue</h4>

    As she looked at Lu Tingxiao''s expression, Ning Xiughed softly. She could not help but reach out to touch his cheeks. "Hey, it''s just a movie. You don''t have to look like you''re sadder than I am! It''s really fine. I''m not that weak that I can''t ept this little failure!"

    As he studied the girl, who was obviously hiding her hurt and sadness,fort him, Lu Tingxiao felt as if a knife was twisted in his heart. He squeezed the girl tightly in his arms, wanting to console her, yet he did not dare touch that past.

    Ning Xi saw Lu Tingxiao''s expression and knew that she could not hide it from him. She sighed, "Okay, I was actually¡­ a little affected by what happened back then¡­ After all, that child¡­ had been in me for almost eight months¡­"

    No matter what the final truth was, she had thought that the child was from her and her most loved person. From the start to the end, she had carried a deep longing and anticipation for the arrival of a new life. In the days when Su Yan had lost contact with her, only this child had apanied her. She spoke, sang, and told stories to it, throwing in all of her beautiful emotions and a mother''s love¡­

    However, when she woke up from her sleep, everything had been turned upside down. That pulsing little life inside of her, who was tied to her by blood, had disappeared just like that¡­

    When she was brought to the morgue and saw her little baby''s purple and cold body¡­

    That was an image that she never wanted to recall ever again in this lifetime.

    While this film only had 37 scenes, if shepletely immersed herself in the character, she could definitely use that scene from back then.

    However, she did not dare to get too immersed in the story.

    That was a reflexive function of self-protection, causing her to uncontrobly suppress her acting skills.

    Lu Tingxiao kissed the girl''s forehead. He stopped her from continuing, "If you don''t like it, then don''t act in that role. I''ll keep an eye out for a better script for you."

    Ning Xi, if I told you that the child didn''t die¡­ If I told you that the child''s father was me¡­ If I told you, that that person whom you hate to the bones was me¡­ That person who is the source of all your pain was me¡­

    As much as Lu Tingxiao could n what to say, he was unable to predict what he would face when Ning Xi found out about all of this¡­

    ¡­

    At the Su residence.

    The topic of the real and the fake heiress had notpletely gone away. These days, Ning Xueluo had been staying at home to curry favor with Su Hongguang and Zheng Minjun.

    "What did you say? That Hollywood role fell into Ning Xi''s hands?" Ning Xueluo answered a call at the balcony, her face instantly filled with malevolence.

    "Yes, I heard the contract has been signed and that she''ll be joining the crew tomorrow." From the other end of the phone came Chang Li''s voice.

    "That slut¡­" When Ning Xueluo thought about how much energy she had spent on getting the role, yet it had been easily snatched away by Ning Xi, her heart was filled with resentment.

    If it were not for that slut, the Golden Film Awards movie queen, and Hollywood blockbuster contract¡­ All of these halos should have been hers!

    "What about that? It''s just some cameos that I left and didn''t want! It''s only a three-minute scene in the entire thing with two lines of dialogue! What''s she got to be happy about?!" Ning Xueluo said in disdain. Now, she would not mention how when she had first gotten the role, she had gone around bragging to everyone about how she was going to make her way into Hollywood.

    "She can only y with what you left behind. I heard that recently she went to audition for Director Jiang''s new movie. Her performance was a mess, so she''s definitely eliminated! Later on, I''ll get someone to create talk about it. It''s guaranteed to humiliate her big time!" Chang Li went to a great extent to say things that made Ning Xueluo thrilled.

 Chapter 1608: Feels Like Honeymoon

    <h4>Chapter 1608: Feels Like Honeymoon</h4>

    Indeed, Ning Xueluo''s mood was much better when she heard this. "Pay close attention to the audition results."

    "Don''t worry about that. I definitely will!" Chang Li guaranteed, then she took the advantage to ask, "Right, Xueluo¡­ About what I said thest time¡­ What about it? When can I leave Starlight?"

    Now, her status in Starlight had taken a nosedive. Still, being in the entertainment industry meant that she met Ning Xi and Ling Zhizhi frequently. She was really too embarrassed to continue staying there, so she hoped that Ning Xueluo could let her enter Ning International''s public rtions department.

    "We''ll talk again. I''ve been staying at home myself, so how could I help you settle it?" Ning Xueluo''s tone was annoyed. "You help me watch Ning Xi closely first. Otherwise, everything else is off the table!"

    Chang Li knew that Ning Xueluo had thoughts of using her and squeezing everyst piece of value out of her, yet she had no other choice. She could only respond lowly, "Got it¡­"

    After she finished her call with Chang Li, Ning Xueluo opened a pregnancy test kit and walked into the bathroom.

    Momentster, she walked out with a glum expression.

    Damn it! I''m not pregnant¡­

    She was not pregnant again!

    Recently, Su Yan''s days at home were getting lesser and lesser. She could even feel that he was intentionally evading her. Zheng Minjun was only bing increasingly cold to her. What made her even more fearful was Ning Yaohua. Thest time, he had actually vaguely investigated her to say something about how great it was if she had a younger brother. That way, he could have helped her and support her¡­

    What a joke! Support?

    If she really had a brother, if Ning Yaohua really had a son, where would she stand in the Ning family? She was afraid that she would not even be able to keep her shares!

    Ning Yaohua was most afraid of Zhuang Lingyu. He definitely would not dare to mess around outside, so why would he suddenly have such thoughts?

    Or maybe she was overthinking it¡­?

    ¡­

    In a blink of an eye, it was the day to meet the crew.

    The scene in "Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad" in China was to be shot at Province S in Sichuan City. Thendscape in Sichuan City bore the most distinguishing features of China akin to andscape ink painting.

    Because the movie shoot this time had a huge promotional effect, Sichuan City had sealed off their scenic area especially for the crew to shoot. The hotels that the artistes stayed in wereplimentary as well.

    "Wow, the view is amazing! If it were the holiday peak season, the hotel rooms here would need to be booked three months in advance!"

    Xiao Tao excitedly pushed open the hotel windows. The vast emerald green bamboo forest came into sight with the sound of a river flowing. Not too far away were dark mountains and the sounds of birds chirping¡­

    "Oh, Bro Xi, I wish that you wouldn''t always just pass in one shot. That way, we could stay here for a few more days!"

    Ning Xi was stretching her legs on top of the railings when she heard Xiao Tao. She turned her head andughed as she looked at Xiao Tao. "I''m sorry, my dear. I''m afraid I''ll have to disappoint you!"

    With that single endearment and that confident and dazzling expression, Xiao Tao indicated that she had been attacked by a knowing look, then she quickly snapped a picture of the breathtaking scenery.

    "Bro Xi, can I post a Weibo?" Xiao Tao animatedly showed the picture she had just taken to Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi did not look closely at it. "Sure, go ahead."

    Ning Xi signing on to this film had already officially been announced, so she could already reveal her journey to the fans.

    Xiao Tao swiftly and happily posted a Weibo status.

    [ (shy) hazukashi ~ kind feels like I''m on a honeymoon with Bro Xi! ]

    The background of the picture was the elegant scenery outside the window. Under the glow of the setting sun, Ning Xi was stretching her legs. The high difficulty and extremely precise movementsplemented the girl''s figure incredibly well, especially that confident yet doting smile that faced the camera, which really sent one''s emotions all over the ce, wiping out men and women alike¡­

 Chapter 1609: Bro Xi Is Amazing

    <h4>Chapter 1609: Bro Xi Is Amazing</h4>

    Once Xiao Tao''s Weibo status was posted, it instantly garnered numerous likes,ments, and shares. Very soon, it had been pushed to the hot topics. Ning Xi''s fans were so jealous that they almost wanted to beat Xiao Tao up.

    Apart from all of sorts of screen-licking, many fans could recognize that Ning Xi was at the shooting venue of "Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad" and they were instantly even more excited.

    [I''ve started to be a fan of Bro Xi since "The World". My Bro Xi has be more and more popr, and now she''s even filming with the god Colin. This is way too exciting!]

    [And my elf Ondo, Benny, and my goddess, Jennifer! All of them are super international big shots! My Bro Xi is amazing!]

    Amidst the excitement, there were inevitably some ipatiblements¡­

    [I''m really speechless. Isn''t she just going to be a cameo? Do all you retarded fans have to be so excited? You make it seem like she has some really important role. Later on, when the movie is shown in theatres, you''ll be dumbfounded. She''s just a cameo, so she''ll probably just be cut to a few seconds'' feature of her face!]

    [Tsk, she came from being an unknown cameo, and until today, she''s still just a cameo!]

    [Wasn''t this role left behind after Ning Xueluo quit the industry? What heiress? She actually picked up something that someone else didn''t want!]

    ¡­

    [A certain someone''s astroturfers should keep their mouths clean. Something so shameless was done, yet they dare to hoot here. What do you mean ''didn''t want''? Ning Xueluo was clearly chased out of the industry like a stray dog! Everyone knows that she spent tens of millions and even lost money by reducing her value to be paid nothing just for this cameo. Now you''re speaking in a disdained tone! Where''s your face?]

    [Instead, it''s a certain shameless person, who had racked their brains to fight for everything. Until now, she''s still brazenly hogging the title of an heiress. It''s our Bro Xi that doesn''t want it and doesn''t care about either!]

    It was a good thing that Ning Xi''s fans had strong debating skills. Very soon, they had scolded the other party until they had nothing to say.

    If one asked whose fans were the strongest in the current entertainment industry, apart from Jiang Muye, it would be Ning Xi''s!

    There were even many people who privately thinking that if one day, Jiang Muye''s fans and Ning Xi''s fans started a fight, who would win?

    ¡­

    After they rested and got reorganized in the hotel the entire night, the next morning, Ning Xi punctually made her way to the crew and the shooting venue.

    There were about 50-odd people at the scene. Everyone clearly had tasks delegated to them. The atmosphere was tense as they were shooting a gun battle scene.

    This scene focused very much on the gun battle, but Ning Xi had no part there. Her character had a few scenes, only two, and they were ssic Chinese martial arts scenes.

    This movie had four main characters: three men and one woman. Colin, Ondo, Benny, and Jennifer were well-known Hollywood big shots in China.

    Ning Xi yed a subordinate working under the viinous boss.

    As for the entire movie''s plotline, it was about a few heroesing together to save the world. The main highlight of Hollywood blockbusters was still the special effects and sets.

    The scene of the high-strung shoot ended very soon. After the director yelled "cut", a Chinese girl not too far away caught the attention of his eye. His eyes instantly shone and he enthusiastically greeted her, "Hey, Ning Xi?"

    "Director Martin!" Ning Xi held out her hand to greet the director.

    "Oh, baby, you''re even prettier than I imagined! You''re practically an Eastern ceramic doll!" The director exaggerativelyplimented her, then he enthusiastically hugged Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi humbly had a small chat with the director. She would not take the director''s words to heart. After all, one knew after interacting enough with the foreigners that they were habitually enthusiastic and did not necessarily find one amazing.

 Chapter 1610: Add Scenes

    <h4>Chapter 1610: Add Scenes</h4>

    Not long after that, the other lead actors walked over too, greeting Ning Xi in order.

    Colin was America''s earliest generation of pretty boys, equivalent to the teenage male idols that were bing popr in China now. However, Colin was already over 40 years old. He had hustled in the industry for many years and his entire body was filled with a mature man''s charm. He was true to his name, a Prince Charming to all his fans around the world.

    Benny was a hunk. He held Hollywood''s ssic bald man of steel image whilst Jennifer was a knockout beauty with a hot body and a head of wavy blonde hair. She was the entire movie''s only female lead.

    "Ondo. Very happy to meet you, my little belle!" The one who spoke was Ondo, who was nicknamed as "The Elf" by Chinese fans. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. With just one look, you would know he was a handsome man of many romantic endeavors. No matter if it was a matter of truth or if he was just in character, the gaze he used to size Ning Xi up was one of interest, but he did not make it too explicit.

    Fans who were familiar with Ondo would know that he especially liked Eastern woman. Quite a few of his ex-girlfriends had been Chinese.

    "Me too. You''re very popr among the girls in China!"

    "Huh, really?"

    ¡­

    Because Ning Xi had previously studied abroad in Los Angeles, her English was pretty fluent and she did not have any problems interacting with everyone. After a short small conversation, Ning Xi left to put on makeup and change into her outfit.

    For convenience, Ning Xi had gone over in a simple white t-shirt and jeans.

    She only had one outfit in the movie. It was a qipao that could best reflect the Chinese culture.

    Ning Xi changed inside the dressing room, while the flurry outside was going in full swing, preparing for the next scene''s setting.

    Because the director was busy going through lines with the few leads, he had casually told a crew member to get Ning Xi to prepare herself first after she was done with the makeup.

    After Ning Xi finished changing, she walked straight into the hut where they would be shootingter on.

    Later on, the few leads would be acting to visit her master and she was responsible for receiving them.

    Ning Xi waited in boredom in the hut for a while before someone finally shouted that they were ready to begin from the outside.

    "Action!"

    Outside an old hut with an interesting aura to it, Colin, Ondo, Benny, and Jennifer exchanged a look, then they were on high alert as they moved closer to the hut.

    Creak¡­

    With the raspy sound of the hut door being pushed open by fair and slim fingers, a Chinese woman who wore a dark-colored cloud print qipao had appeared before the audience''s sight.

    The woman was like an entirely different person than the one who had worn the t-shirt and jeans earlier. Her morous qipao outlined her perfect physique. The ssic makeup was done just right and itplemented her entire person like she was a ssic beauty who had walked out of an art scroll. Her fine ck hair was casually held together with a wooden hairpin on her crown and her features were far from dull. Her lips were delicate. With this ink painting-like scenery, itposed a dreamy scroll of art¡­

    As the wind from the mountains brushed the girl''s hair by her temples, it was as if Ning Xi''s features were covered in frost. Her eyes were cold as she skimmed the uninvited guests at the door. "Who hatheth?"

    As he looked at this girl full of Eastern charm before him, Ondo''s expression was nk. His face had changed from the indifference of earlier''s small talk to a warm one. The other three lead actors'' eyes had also had amazement shing in them.

    The director did not seem to expect Ning Xi to achieve such a huge effect upon changing into her outfit, so he forgave his leads for their collective bad take.

    The shoot began once again. Ning Xi opened the door to receive the four people, then she served them tea and invited them to wait for her master''s return.

 Chapter 1611: Iâ€™m Head Over Heels For You

    <h4>Chapter 1611: I¡¯m Head Over Heels For You</h4>

    Director Martin was well-informed about the Chinese culture. He could tell that Ning Xi''s method of brewing tea was rather professional.

    It was supposed to be amon scene, but Ning Xi''s tea brewing movements carried artistic and ssical nuances as well as demonstrating the sh of both Western and Eastern cultures. This was what Martin was hoping for!

    Even though the scene was going way over time, Martin did not yell "Cut". Instead, he made the cameraman continue and was not going to omit any scenes out from this footage.

    "Xi, you''re doing really great!"

    The director went up to hug Ning Xi after the scene, his praises sounding more genuine this time around.

    "Have you learned how to brew tea before?"

    Ning Xi was thrilled that she was recognized by an international director like Martin. "A little, but I''m not really an expert at it. It''s eptable enough to be on camera only, I suppose."

    "Not at all! I think you''re much better than many professionals! You''re skillful!" Director Martin looked earnestly, he then gazed silently at Ning Xi with some thoughts ruminating in his head.

    He had intended for a Chinese actress just to boost the sales of the movie in China, but he did not expect this girl to be this spectacr.

    Would three minutes be too little to feature her?

    ¡­

    The scene went on smoothly, and soon the next was up.

    Ning Xi only had two scenes. If things went well, she could leave by tomorrow¡­

    The next scene was a fighting scene between her and Ondo. The director had hired a professional martial arts director to choreograph the fight.

    Ondo seemed to have been training with the martial arts director as he was used to the movements already. Nevertheless, Ning Xi, of course, picked it up very quickly.

    When Ning Xi and Ondo were rehearsing, they started with slow movements, but they soon became faster as they got more familiar with the steps.

    Ondo''s attitude towards Ning Xi changed after he saw her in her acting outfit. He was really gentle and patient towards her as if he was afraid to hurt her.

    Ning Xi was a little disgusted by his doting attitude. She was very experienced after all, so of course, she knew what he was trying to do.

    Was this guy¡­ trying to flirt with her?

    Rumor had it that Ondo liked Asian girls. Hmm, it seemed like it was true.

    However, Ondo was quite a gentleman. While he was suspected to be flirting in the name of acting, he never used any suggestivenguage or did anything overboard to her.

    "Alright, everyone in position! We''re starting the next scene!" Director Martin informed everyone.

    Ondo then spoke to Ning Xi affectionately, "Don''t worry. We can slow down the tempoter, so you don''t have to worry about not being able to follow¡­"

    "Thank you, Senior Ondo!" Ning Xi acknowledged obediently.

    Ondo smiled as his desire to protect her was content.

    "Action!"

    The shoot started.

    Ondo was facing Ning Xi in a forest.

    This scene depicted Ondo stealing the treasure map and Ning Xi stopping him.

    The moment the director snapped the pboard, the gentle-looking ssic beauty acted like a different person. Sheshed out at Ondo sharply with a strong kick and a determined attitude.

    The white inner side of her cheongsam flew together with her swift steps.

    When they were practicing, they had just been getting used to the movements. Ondo was taking this first take as a chance to practice too, so he did not expect such a drastic change when she was filming. She was like a walking killing machine.

    Without waiting for his reaction, she was attacking him fiercer than ever, being far from cute at all. In fact, she was terrifying.

    At thest moment, Ning Xi stepped on Ondo, taking the treasure map back while looking at him coldly.

    Ondo was lying on the dried leaves, studying the girl''s terrifying expression charmingly. He mumbled, "Oh baby, I''m head over heels for you!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    That line did not exist!

    This guy was not fond of Asian girls. He was a straight up masochist!

 Chapter 1612: Directorâ€™s Invitation

    <h4>Chapter 1612: Director¡¯s Invitation</h4>

    "Good take!"

    The director said after a while.

    Not just Ondo, even Ning Xi was stunned when she heard the director.

    Was she mistaken? Did he just dere "good take" instead of "take two"?

    Whatever! Maybe the director felt that Ondo''s impromptu line was sufficient!

    It was good for them that it had passed naturally.

    Ning Xi quickly took her foot off Ondo. Then, she extended her hand to him and apologized, "I''m really sorry, Senior Ondo. Did I hurt you anywhere?"

    Ondo looked as if the Empress herself had just arrived. He quickly sped Ning Xi''s hand. "Of course not, my dear. You''re too gentle! You should be rougher! Let me feel the pain!"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    What the heck was that about, being rougher and making him feel pain?

    Was he truly a masochist?

    "That''s great then! Thank you so much! I''m d to have worked with you! I hope there''ll be chances of us being in a simr scene again in the future!" Ning Xi bowed. After that, she also went to thank the other actors and working crew.

    After this scene, she would be done.

    Xiao Tao returned to her senses from her Bro Xi''s extremely cool scene, then she realized that Bro Xi was done!

    Sis Zhizhi had mentioned it would take a few days if things went well, but it seemed like it had gone a bit too well¡­ She was done in just a day! Oh, how regretful!

    Not only was the scenery there great, there were a lot of hot guys too!

    Ondo live up to the nickname "The Elf" that his fans had christened him. He was so charming and charismatic!

    Ondo could not stand it anymore when Ning Xi was bidding farewell to everyone, so he went up to Martin and begged him, "Oh, my dear director! I made a mistake just now, didn''t I?"

    Let me redo it again!

    The director was thinking about something seriously. He waved his hand impatiently. "Ondo, that scene has passed. Please don''t disturb me."

    He then went to the camera to look at the footage.

    Ondo looked at the director dreadfully.

    After bidding farewell to the actors and staff, Ning Xi went up to the director. "Director Martin, I''m honored to have worked with you. Albeit it being a short time, I''ve learned a lot¡­"

    She wrapped up the small talk. "If there''s nothing else you need me for, I''ll be leaving tomorrow."

    The amodation was free for her after all, so it was considered a public resource and it would not be right if she continued staying after finishing her scenes.

    Director Martin peeled his eyes away from the footages and looked at the girl. He said seriously, "Dear Xi, I have a request. Your acting today is really good. There''s no issue at all, but I hope you can stay for a few more days! Three days¡­ No, two days. Is that okay?"

    Ning Xi thought about it. Maybe there would be some other parts that she would be needed in. For example, if they changed the script, then her role would be affected too.

    Since the director had asked her and she had some free time too, Ning Xi did not reject him and agreed, "No problem. Of course, I''ll be at the hotel. Just contact me whenever you need me!"

    Martin breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you very much!"

 Chapter 1613: Itâ€™ll Surely Be Wonderful

    <h4>Chapter 1613: It¡¯ll Surely Be Wonderful</h4>

    After they wrapped up, Director Martin looked for the scriptwriter. "Charles, pleasee to my room after you''re done here! Bring the script!"

    Charles, who was smoking at the moment, looked like he expected this and he shed an OK sign.

    ¡­

    In the hotel room, Martin was pacing back and forth. The second Charles entered, he went straight to the point. "Buddy, I want to add some scenes for Xi. What do you think?"

    Charles gave Martin a high five and spoke in Mandarin to him, "Great minds think alike."

    Martin shared his idea excitedly, "One action scene is too little! Xi moves really well and adds to the effect¡­"

    Charles gave it some thought, then he interrupted, "But¡­ Buddy, remember that if you add too many scenes, something''s gotta give and you''ll have to cut some others out!"

    Movies had very strict restrictions in terms of timing; just one scene could cost a lot of money and any extra seconds were precious.

    Martin was struggling because of this issue too, but he looked determined. "Charles, don''t you think the marvelous nature here would pair better with Xi''s strong ssic Oriental vibe rather than some chilly special effects? I know that it''s risky, but I believe in my judgment!"

    Charles shrugged. "Okay, if you insist but actually, I think so too! Alright, let''s talk about the new scenes. How long do you want them to be?"

    "Ten minutes! No¡­ 15 minutes!" Martin eximed in excitement.

    Appearing for 15 minutes in a movie that was full of special effects added up to almost as much screen time as the female secondary lead! Even one of the main casts, Tony, only had just above ten minutes of screen time.

    Charles then replied, "If that''s the case, I suggest we add another romantic element between her and Ondo¡­"

    Before Charles could finish his sentence¡­ Bang! Arge-sized man charged in like a typhoon and hugged Charles. "Oh baby, I love you! You''re my angel!"

    Charles pushed him away helplessly. "Ondo, don''t thank me. I think Martin thought about it too. If not, he wouldn''t have retained the scene where you made a mistake just now¡­"

    Ondo was about to go and bear hug Martin but the man avoided him and looked gravely at him. "Ondo, I know that she''s your type¡­"

    Ondo interrupted him with a serious expression. "Oh no! My dear, she''s not just my type! She''s my queen!"

    Martin was speechless for a few seconds before he reminded, "I have to warn you again. You know me. No rtionships between members of a film crew. Avoid any scandal! You''d better be careful!"

    Ondo dered, "I swear to God! I''ll only go for her after we''re done filming!"

    While Martin knew that Ondo was a flirt, he was relieved that Ondo still maintained that level of professionalism within him after all.

    Since the director was not angry anymore, he nudged the scriptwriter who was more easygoing, grinning suggestively, "Hey, dear Charles, what do you think about adding a sex scene? It''ll surely be wonderful!"

 Chapter 1614: Please Accept My Love For You

    <h4>Chapter 1614: Please ept My Love For You</h4>

    Ondo''s request was immediately rejected by the director.

    The final decision was to go with an ambiguous direction. Despite Ondo''s keen interest in this mysterious Asian woman, King Xiang had dreams, yet the Goddess was not in the mood. The falling flowers pine for love, but the heartless brook ripples on .

    Unfortunately, the point was that it was only Ondo''s wishful thinking.

    He imagined the way those cold and expressionless eyes would look at him disdainfully. He suddenly felt excited. To be rejected heartlessly by the queen felt remarkably moving too!

    ¡­

    After Ning Xi returned to the hotel, she first reported the situation to Ling Zhizhi.

    "Sis Zhizhi, today''s shoot went pretty well. The two scenes are already done, but the director told me to stay for another two days because there might be some follow-ups that would need me!"

    On the other end of the phone, Ling Zhizhi paused for a while when she heard this, but she did not say much. "Okay, got it."

    Usually, they would not ask the artistes to remain with the crew after the shoot was done. Besides, Ning Xi''s scenes would not have huge effects added to them, so there would not be any possibilities of changes unless¡­ she had some scenes addedter on.

    However, this was a Hollywood film crew, after all. It was already a good thing if a Chinese artistes''s scenes were not deleted off. Many artistes had followed through and were on-site for quite a few months, yet in the end, the edits left them with only a few shots. It was impossible for such a situation to add on scenes.

    Ling Zhizhi dared not to be sure, so she did not say anything. Instead, she let Ning Xi continue waiting.

    Ning Xi had just finished her shower and was lying on a deck chair on the balcony. The cool breeze was swaying the nts like a luby when suddenly there was a low and raspy singing voice, full of emotions that came from below¡­

    "You satiate me with the taste of love

    Like the night in the silence of the forest

    Like the mountain, swollen in the throes of spring

    Like the carefree, wandering in the rain

    Like the feverish storm in the desert

    Like the gentle and calm turquoise sea¡­"

    Xiao Tao ran out of the room in an instant. "Ah¡­ How pleasant to hear! This¡­ This sounds like Ondo''s voice!"

    Before Ondo entered the acting industry, he had been a singer. His voice was very alluring and he had once held the title of the prince of love songs. Now on such a beautiful night, with such a beautiful scenery, he was singing this love song so passionately. It was enough to make all of the girls fall into the river of love¡­

    Xiao Tao did not even bother with her face mask anymore. She removed it, then excitedly leaned over the railing to look down and excitedly cried out, "Ah! Bro Xi! It really is Ondo!"

    At that moment, Ondo was standing under a rack of Japanese roses. Behind him was the gleamingke surface. With his head of blonde hair and his blue eyes, he looked full of emotions as he peered up to Ning Xi''s direction to sing. It was practically a romantic scene that only existed in old movies¡­

    "Let me dedicate my life to you

    Let me submerge into your smile

    Let me die in your arms

    Let me forever be by your side

    Please ept my love for you¡­"

    When she heard this, Xiao Tao suddenly came back to her senses from being drunk on the music. She covered her mouth in aghast. "Ah¡­ Oh my God! Or-Ondo, what was the meaning of this?"

    He was standing below Bro Xi''s balcony to sing a love song and it was even¡­ a love song with such lyrics¡­

    Even though Ondo was singing in English, this song was incredibly popr. It was well-known in China too, so Xiao Tao was also very familiar with it and she understood all of the lyrics.

    Ning Xi looked down and coincidentally her eyes met with Ondo''s deeply emotional ones.

    Ning Xi was speechless. She thought that even if Ondo felt anything towards her, he would not express it during the filming, yet now¡­

    Ning Xi pinched between her brows. She was fretting about what to do with this situation when she heard Ondo''s phone ring from downstairs.

    At the same time, the window opposite opened. Ning Xi vaguely saw through the shadows of the tree that the person holding up the phone and angrily berating Ondo was Director Martin.

    "Ondo! What did I tell you?!"

    Ondo looked guilty as he was yelled at. "I just promised you¡­ but¡­ She''s too cute, I could not help it! My dear Martin, if you''ve ever been in love with ady, you''ll definitely understand what I mean¡­"

    "Shut up! Immediately leave that ce!"

 Chapter 1615: Separating An Affectionate Couple

    <h4>Chapter 1615: Separating An Affectionate Couple</h4>

    "Shut up! Immediately leave that ce!" Martin''s yell was so loud that even Ning Xi could hear him from the opposite end.

    As Ning Xi listened to the two people bickering, she felt helpless.

    Ondo looked towards Ning Xi as he was reluctant to leave, then he muttered to Martin through the phone, "Martin, do you know that you''re now like a father separating an affectionate couple, and ruining his daughter''s romantic life?!"

    Martin was speechless. He really wanted to beat that joker up right then and there!

    Following the scolding, Ondo finally left while he turned back with every step to look at her.

    Soon after he had left, Ning Xi''s phone rang. It was Director Martin calling.

    From the other end of the phone, Martin sighed weakly, "Xi, I''m really sorry. That fellow is too rude. I hope he didn''t cause any disturbance for you. Just ignore him!"

    "Cough¡­ It''s fine¡­"

    Thankfully, this entire area had been sealed off, so there were no outsiders. There was no huge impact on her.

    Martin continued to say, "There''s one more thing. Initially, I wanted to wait until it was prepared before I told you, but I should just tell you about it now. I''ve already discussed with the scriptwriter and I want to add scenes for you. We''ll try out best to firm up the concrete content that we''ll be adding as soon as possible, so I''ll have to trouble you to wait for a few more days."

    When she heard Martin''s words, Ning Xi was instantly stunned. "Add more scenes?"

    "Yes, your performance was excellent today. I believe that you''ll be a little surprise for the audience."

    Based on what he was saying, it seemed like the additional scenes were also more than just a few seconds.

    Ning Xi quickly calmed herself down. "Director Martin, thank you! I''m really thankful for your confidence!"

    "No, this is what you deserve. Oh, your scenes¡­ Apart from adding fight scenes, there''ll also be a romantic connection with Ondo, but don''t you worry. It''s just more to the direction of an ambiguous romance!" Martin especially exined.

    "Okay, I''ve got it. Thank you, Director. I''ll perform well! Thank you for your trust and the opportunity!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi still did not know how to react until she had hung up. Not only were fight scenes added, but there was even an added romantic plot line with one of the important characters?

    Xiao Tao had immediately forgotten about Ondo and was attracted by the words "add more scenes".

    "What, what? What additional scenes? Bro Xi! Did the Director say that he''s adding scenes for you?"

    "Probably yes."

    "That''s great!" Xiao Tao was so excited that she was frantic. "Let me report this good news to Sis Zhizhi!"

    After Ling Zhizhi received Xiao Tao''s phone call, she did not expect for her prediction toe true. She immediately ordered Ning Xi to cooperate fully, then she told them both not to reveal this news to outsiders by all means.

    After all, this was just the director''s words and it had yet to be confirmed. Besides, even if it was, there was no certainty that the scenes would be deletedter on or not. If they revealed this now, and the scenester got deleted, they would inevitably be seen as intentionally lying to hype things up.

    Now, Ning Xi was being watched by numerous people, she had to always be careful.

    "Got it, Sis Zhizhi. Also¡­ there''s one more thing¡­" Xiao Tao looked a little hesitantly at Ning Xi. She was not sure whether she should mention Ondo.

    Ning Xi was having a headache too, but she felt that there was a need to inform Ling Zhizhi, so she just nodded at Xiao Tao.

    Then Xiao Tao started, "Sis Zhizhi, Ondo seems to¡­ seems to be interested in our Bro Xi¡­ Earlier this evening, he was serenading Bro Xi with a love song downstairs, but he was scolded and chased away by Director Martin. Oh, Sis Zhizhi, do you know how handsome and charming Ondo is? He sings so well and he even looks like he really likes our Bro Xi¡­"

 Chapter 1616: Reluctant To Part

    <h4>Chapter 1616: Reluctant To Part</h4>

    Xiao Tao was clearly reporting about her work, yet she had suddenly gone off topic as she spoke.

    Ling Zhizhi did not know whether tough or cry when she heard about this from the other end of the phone. After all, they were talking about Ning Xi''s image. When it came to things like these, when she had first decided to manage Ning Xi, she was already prepared for such things. Ning Xi had always been careful and watched her own speech and behavior, very much a role model.

    However, she did not expect this. Nothing had happened with the artistes in the country, yet when she joined the Hollywood crew, something had happened¡­

    "We just need to manage ourselves well and not leave anything for them to gossip about. As for Ondo, Director Martin is famous for being strict, so the director will constrain him on set."

    As for what happened after they finished shooting, Ning Xi would leave the crew, and Ondo wouldplete his scenes and return to his home country. When that happened, the two would naturally not cross paths again.

    After she finished the call with Ling Zhizhi, Ning Xi felt much more assured. Indeed, she just needed to make it through this period of time with the filming crew.

    Besides, with men like Ondo, their passion came just as quickly as they faded.

    ¡­

    Two days after that, the new script was rushed out after the scriptwriter worked overtime for nights in a row.

    After Ning Xi read it, she was surprised. Her weight in the plot¡­ was even heavier than she had imagined!

    When she found out about this news, Ling Zhizhi immediately helped her adjust her uing travel arrangements and emptied her schedule.

    Even if it were to be deleted in the end, such an opportunity was simply too rare. They had to fight for it even if it was just a sliver of hope.

    "Sis Zhizhi, has there been news from Director Jiang''s side?" Ning Xi had initially already told herself not to think about it. However, she still could not help but ask.

    "There are rumors that say it could be Fang Xiaowen, but for now there hasn''t been any confirmed news from officials. I''ll immediately let you know," answered Ling Zhizhi.

    "Okay, thank you, Sis Zhizhi!"

    ¡­

    Time flew by. Ning Xi''s time with the filming crew went smoothly. With Director Martin''s presence right there, at least, Ondo restrained himself.

    In a blink of an eye, tomorrow would be the shoot for herst scene.

    Ondo walked up to Ning Xi as he looked bashful. "Xi, I really wished this movie wouldn''t end, and that we could continue shooting it¡­"

    Ning Xi beamed diplomatically. "We have a saying in China. It says that all good thingse to an end. If we''re fated, we''ll definitely have more opportunities of working together again but during this period of time, thank you, Senior Ondo, for watching out for me!"

    It was probably because of the rumors about Ondo possibly being masochistic, Ning Xi privately tried her best to uphold a gentle and obedient image, but from what she had seen, it did not seem to have much effect on him.

    Not only did the feverish way Ondo stared at her not diminish, it had instead be even fierier with time¡­

    "Xi, I''m really afraid that I won''t be able to film tomorrow''s scene." Ondo looked at the gun in his hand with sorrow.

    Tomorrow''s scene would be the one where Ondo killed Ning Xi with a gun himself¡­

    Because of this ending, Ondo had hugged the scriptwriter Charles and cried many times. He even wanted to request for his character to be killed by Ning Xi. He said that he would not be able to kill Ning Xi even if it was just an act.

    NIng Xi''s gaze unintentionally fell onto the gun in Ondo''s hand, then her brows raised. They could not help but stay on the firearm for a few more seconds.

    When Ondo saw her piped interest, he immediately introduced it to her enthusiastically, "This is a Beretta 92F! The king among guns! The body itself uses aviation aluminum alloy¡­"

    Probably because men were naturally more interested in guns, Ondo had rambled on and on to Ning Xi for a long time, then he said, "This is fake, but it''s been crafted to look very real! You''ll be using guns for your scenes tomorrow too. Come, let me teach you how to hold a gun!"

 Chapter 1617: Ill Kill This Romance Myself

    <h4>Chapter 1617: I''ll Kill This Romance Myself</h4>

    Ning Xi still had to maintain her weak and little bunny-like image, so she obviously could not say that she was used to ying with such things. Thus, she said innocently, "Thank you, Senior."

    Once Ondo heard her, he dly and diligently taught Ning Xi the way to hold the gun and pull the trigger in detail as well as the trick to making the movement look even more graceful.

    "Ondo, prepare for the next scene!" The director shouted from not too far away, his voice brimming with a warning.

    During the filming period, so long as Ondo stuck close to Ning Xi for more than five minutes, he would immediately receive a "friendly greeting" from Martin.

    Ondo looked resentfully at the hammer that was separating the affectionate couple, then he carefully put the gun into Ning Xi''s hand. "Do you like it? You can take it back to y with it. Just return it to me at tomorrow''s shoot! Martin let me familiarize with the way to hold the gun, so I''m already very skilled!"

    Ning Xi initially wanted to say that there was no need, that she had no interest in a fake gun. Besides, she did not have many scenes of her using the gun. It was just a single shot, so she did not need to practice. However, once she met with his twinkling eyes that were bright as gems and full of anticipation¡­

    It was hard to refuse such kindness. Ning Xi could only nod and ept the gun. "Thank you!"

    In this period of time, she had explicitly and implicitly indicated her rejection. She had even vaguely revealed that she already had someone she liked, yet the other person was sopletely immersed in his zing emotions that were about to set himself on fire that he had not even heard her¡­

    Thankfully, they were going toplete the shoot tomorrow¡­

    ¡­

    At night, she returned to the office after finishing her work.

    After she showered, Ning Xi gave Lu Tingxiao a call.

    At this moment, the Lu Corporation''s building was still brightly lit. In the meeting room, the tedious and intense memories made everyone''s faces tensed with fatigue.

    Amidst the cold and still air, there was suddenly the sound of a phone ringing.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the caller ID, then unexpectedly raised his hand and interrupted the higher management staff that was reporting to him, "Meeting time-out."

    Everyone exchanged looks. How important was this call that it could have the boss interrupt the meeting at such a time?

    "Is that even a question? One look at the boss''s expression and you''d know!"

    "Thank you, Lady Boss, for your saving grace¡­"

    ¡­

    "Hello?" Lu Tingxiao walked to a quiet part of the balcony.

    "I miss you so much¡­"

    When he heard the girl''s voice from the other end of the phone, the man''s expression instantly softened. "I''ll get Cheng Feng to book the earliest flight ticket."

    Ning Xi obviously knew that Lu Tingxiao was really busy during this period of time, but just because of her single casual sentence, he wanted to immediately rush over¡­

    Sigh, she must have saved the world in her past life to deserve him.

    Ning Xi quickly said, "No need! I''m just calling to tell you that myst scene is tomorrow. I can go home the day after tomorrow!"

    "Send me your itinerary. I''ll go pick you up."

    "Mmm!"

    Ning Xi was about to speak intimately with Lu Tingxiao when there was suddenly singing from downstairs outside her window. "You satiate me with the taste of love, like the night in the silence of the forest, like the mountain swollen with the throes of spring¡­"

    Ning Xi was dreading this. She almost forgot that a certain person would randomly go crazy and start a concert. "Cough, one of our main leads was a singer. He likes to sing when he''s bored¡­"

    "Let me forever be by your side. Please ept my love for you, my dear Xi, my most beloved Xi¡­"

    Ning Xi was rmed now. Damn! This guy had actually changed the lyrics!

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    Ning Xi replied, "Boss, don''t worry, I''ll kill this myself!"

    ¡­

    The next day, at the filming venue.

    Last night, Ning Xi had to miserably exin the whole situation to Lu Tingxiao for a long time. The first thing she did aftering over to the filming crew was to focus on the preparation. She strived to be done within one take.

    On the other hand, Ondo had decided that today he had to make a few bad takes!

    Yet, when it was time for the shoot, Ondo was stupefied¡­

 Chapter 1618: Aroused Beyond Redemption

    <h4>Chapter 1618: Aroused Beyond Redemption</h4>

    Today''s filming location was a steep cliff with a magnificentndscape.

    Initially, Ning Xi''s tragic ending was to die from Ondo''s gunshot, but after Martin and Charles had discussed, they finally decided to arrange for an open ending of her being shot by the gun, then falling off the cliff. The cliff-hanger would not explicitly state whether Ning Xi lived or died.

    When Martin hade up with this suggestion, Charles had surprisingly understood him.

    This movie could very likely have sequels. If the first movie proved that Ning Xi''s character received a great response, then there was a huge possibility that Martin would let her continue shooting the sequels.

    When Ning Xi had received the altered script at the start, she had already thought of this too. Even if it was not to evade Ondo, she had to give it her all today.

    "3, 2, 1, action!"

    With the ck of the pperboard, the shoot began.

    Right from the start, Ondo had intentionally slipped up with the thought of spending more time with Ning Xi. He had been in the entertainment industry for a long time, so to make bad takes without leaving any traces was a piece of cake for him.

    Yet, when the shoot had officially begun, Ondo''s entire being was stupefied¡­

    The instant the director had yelled "Cut", not too far away from where Ning Xi held the gun and fought with all the extras, it was as if she was possessed by something horrifying.

    Initially, her scene was designed simply, yet the way she expressed her persona, she transformed it into something else. That bedazzling marksmanship, that explosively cool action of holding the gun, that chilly gaze that made one so excited that they could tremble¡­ It was like she was really a heartless assassin¡­

    In fact, Ning Xi''s marksmanship was so shocking. Yesterday, he had just taught her a little with other things in mind and his tips definitely would not have brought her to this level.

    Even though this was the first shoot, and they had not run through the script at all previously, Ning Xi could actually take the lead to immerse everyone into the act. Even Ondo, who had nned to do bad takes, felt his body involuntarily cooperate with the girl''s entangled hits. He kicked the gun in her hand away, then from ten steps away, he raised the gun to aim at her heart. His face was a mix of love and hatred¡­

    At this moment, he had forgotten everything, forgotten that he was Ondo, forgotten that he had initially wanted to do a bad take. As he watched the girl before him, hepletely entered into the world of the lead character, Randy¡­

    This mysterious girl who aroused him beyond redemption was, unfortunately, his enemy¡­

    Compared to Ondo''s mixed and struggling expression, Ning Xi was just a murder weapon who had been trained since she was young. She did not have any feelings. Even if she was faced with death, there was still nothing in her eyes.

    Ning Xi looked at Ondo. The corner of her eye fell on the gun in his hand. In the next second, her gaze turned sharp. Her indifferent expression that was initiallypletely immersed in her act indistinctly wavered¡­

    That gun¡­

    Bam! At this moment, Ondo shut his eyes and finally pulled the trigger.

    The instant Ondo pulled the trigger, his initially shut eyes instantly widened with fright. In fact, he was immediately confounded out of his act by the sound of the gunshot.

    What was happening!?

    This was just a fake gun. Why would it make such a sound?! Also, that feeling when he pulled the trigger did not feel quite right¡­

    It was not just Ondo. Everyone at the scene was mindblown too. Martin, Charles, and all of the crew members were a mess. All of them looked rmed as they ran towards the direction where the girl had fallen.

    "Oh! Oh my God!"

    "Oh my God! That''s a real gun!"

    "F, U, C, K! What''s happening!"

    "Xi! Ning Xi! How are you?"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1619: That Person Isâ€¦

    <h4>Chapter 1619: That Person Is¡­</h4>

    At the hospital, outside the ward.

    Ondo''s beautiful blonde hair had been ruffled until it was messy. His clothes were wrinkled too, and one of his shoes had even gone missing. At this moment, his face was full of panic.

    Apart from Ondo, there was also the director, the producer, the scriptwriter, the props master, and Xiao Tao outside the ward¡­

    "Ondo! You''d better give me an exnation! What happened!?" Martin was as irritable as an angered lion at that moment.

    "Martin! I don''t know! I really don''t know¡­ I don''t know how it became a real gun!" Ondo looked pained as he buried his head. Until now, his fingers were still trembling.

    Martin stared straight at this man before him. From his expression, he did not look like he was pretending¡­

    However, Martin''s expression did not soften at all. "You don''t know?! That gun has been with you all this while. How could you not know?"

    Ondo was distracted right then. He buried his head and only a whileter he stammered, "It was¡­ was with me¡­ but it wasn''t with me throughout. I¡­ Yesterday, I gave the gun to Xi¡­ to let her take it back to practice. She returned it to me this morning¡­"

    When Xiao Tao, who was crying until her eyes were about to swell into peaches, heard this, she sobbed and sniffled as she said, "Director, Teacher Ondo did indeed give the gun to Bro Xist night. The next day it was I who returned it to Teacher Ondo¡­"

    "Did it pass through anyone else''s hands in between?" Martin immediately asked.

    Xiao Tao shook her head. "I don''t think so!"

    "Damn it¡­" Martin was so annoyed that he cursed under his breath.

    The hotel was sealed. Apart from the filming crew, outsiders could not enter. What kind of person could change the gun without anyone noticing? And the person wanted them to do this?

    Earlier, the scene had been chaotic. Ning Xi wore a red costume as well, so they could not see where she had actually gotten injured.

    Right then, the doctor was still doing a check-up on her inside the room. They were not sure what the situation was either.

    Ning Xi was the most popr artiste under China''s most capable managementpany, Glory World Entertainment right now. Furthermore, Glory World Entertainment was apany under the Lu Corporation. If something happened to Ning Xi when she was in his crew¡­

    Even if this matter did not startle Mr. Lu, they would definitely be faced with huge trouble¡­

    China was very strict with gun management, so he had pulled some strings and sent her to this extremely hidden private hospital. If they had sent her to another hospital, once they saw it was a gun wound, even the police force would be rmed¡­

    "Why isn''t Xi out yet¡­?" Ondo kept anxiously looking towards the ward.

    "Ondo, you go back and wait in the hotel. I hope that you''re clear that you''re still a suspect!" Martin said coldly.

    Ondo looked defeated. "I will, but please let me first confirm Xi''s condition!"

    At this moment, the ward door was opened. A doctor dressed in a white gown walked out.

    "Doctor, how''s she?" A group of people surrounded the doctor frantically.

    Just as Martin was worriedly trying to confirm Ning Xi''s condition with the doctor, there was suddenly the sound of footsteps from the hallway behind them.

    Martin''s face instantly fell.

    How was there someone here? He had clearly ordered for the hospital to seal off this floor.

    They saw that this man was followed by a subordinate who looked like his assistant. As if the frost on him hade from a world of ice and snow, his entire body emitted a terrifying presence¡­

    When he saw who hade, Martin felt his heart thump like a bullet train. He muttered to himself that this was no good.

 Chapter 1620: Personally Come Over and Kill The Romance

    <h4>Chapter 1620: Personally Come Over and Kill The Romance</h4>

    Lu¡­ Lu Tingxiao¡­

    How could this be?

    The CEO of the Lu Corporation, America''s Wall Street legend, the legend of China''s business world¡­

    He kept an extremely low profile and rarely revealed himself on public asions. Martin could recognize him because there was once when they had met each other at a cocktail party. The other person did not seem to be as unreasonable as the rumors said. In fact, he seemed to be very interested in the entertainment industry and had very professional insight. He had chatted with him about many professional issues¡­

    "Leo¡­" Martin nervously called out his English name.

    Martin almost did not dare to recognize him because the man before him right now was much more different than the one he had met that day.

    "How''s she?" Lu Tingxiao''s gaze did not stay on Martin at all. Instead, he looked towards the doctor directly akin to a sharp de.

    Martin had thought that he was lucky, yet he did not expect what he worried most about had happened. He had reallye for Ning Xi!

    The CEO had actually personally appeared for a subsidiarypany''s employee!

    The doctor felt a shiver travel up his spine just by looking at his terrifying aura. After the man appeared, he instantly assumed a position of control. The doctor quickly ditched Martin and turned to him to answer, "She''s fine. Luckily, it''s just a bruise."

    "A bruise?"

    "Really just a bruise? Are you sure?" On the side, Ondo could not help but butt in.

    "Yes, the bullet didn''t hit any vital organs. It hit her shoulder," the doctor answered matter-of-factly.

    When he heard the doctor''s words, Martin looked like he had escaped death by a close shave. His back was already slick with sweat.

    Immediately, Martin''s eyes were filled with disbelief. Ondo''s gun had been aimed right at Ning Xi''s heart. If it had hit her, everything would have definitely pointed to disaster.

    However, at this second, he suddenly remembered that before Ondo had pulled the trigger, Ning Xi seemed to have very quickly shifted. Could she have noticed that something was not right then and had intentionally evaded it?

    In such a situation at that moment then, how did she notice that something was off and had even urately evaded her vital parts?

    Ondo did not have the mood to care about who this person who suddenly appeared was. The moment the doctor finished, he immediately barged into the ward impatiently. "Xi!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s gaze paused for a second on Ondo before he swiftly walked into the ward as well.

    Martin had yet topletely understand what was going on. He could only restlessly follow them in¡­

    Inside the ward.

    Ning Xi was lying on the sick bed, her wound already treated. She had also changed into a patient''s gown and appeared like she was in an alright state except that she was a little pale.

    "Xi, are you okay? I''m so sorry! Really so sorry¡­ I really didn''t know that gun was real¡­ I''d rather the bullet hit me¡­ Hit me thousands of times to take on all the pain you suffered for you¡­" Ondo said. Just as he was about to emotionally hold Ning Xi''s hand, for some reason, he suddenly felt a chill shudder up his spine, so he withdrew his hand midway.

    When Ning Xi saw Ondo, she was about to say something but from the corner of her eye, she looked past Ondo and got a proper look at the man behind him. She excitedly said and almost jumped as she did, "Dea¡­ Boss!"

    She dangerously corrected herself.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned as he walked over with his long legs to hold her down. His tone was extremely cold. "Don''t move!"

    "Boss! Why are you here!?" Oh! My dear! I miss you so much!

    "I was passing by on my business trip, then I heard about you." Because the entire ward was filled with the film crew at the moment, Lu Tingxiao simply said so.

    In reality, it was after he had received the call from Ning Xi yesterday that he had already booked a flight ticket to rush over that day. He was worried that the wife''s hand would get hurt from killing the romance, so he wanted to personally go over and do it for her.

 Chapter 1621: I Want A Kiss and A Hug

    <h4>Chapter 1621: I Want A Kiss and A Hug</h4>

    In the end, he did not think that once he got down from the ne that he would receive such news that frightened him stiff.

    "Thank you, Boss! The doctor just checked me. It''s just a bruise. It''s nothing too serious!" Oh! I am in so much pain! I want a kiss and a hug!

    Even though Ning Xi was calling him "Boss", her gaze alreadypletely betrayed her coquettish ways. Lu Tingxiao almost could not hold back and was about to lose control.

    Ondo''s Mandarin was not too shabby. When he listened to their conversation, he realized that this man who had suddenly appeared was unexpectedly Ning Xi''s boss.

    Ondo looked solemn as he turned towards Lu Tingxiao. He instantly bent over and made a 90-degree bow towards him. "It turns out you''re Xi''s boss! I always hear Xi mention you. She says you''re someone she admires very much! This was my fault from the start to the end. It was I who didn''t safeguard the gun properly, which led to the gun getting reced by someone. It was I who caused Xi to suffer such dreadful harm¡­ Please don''t worry. I''ll definitely take responsibility for this!"

    Based on just the way Ondo looked at Ning Xi, Lu Tingxiao knew that this person was the Casanova that he had heard through the phonest night. There was ayer of dense frost across his face. "Responsibility?"

    Ondo shyly took a peek at Ning Xi, then he continued in Mandarin, "I''ve decided that I want to marry Xi!"

    While his Mandarin was clearly not the best, he did not differentiate between "to marry" and "to take a wife", but he seemed to have noticed that after he finished, so he corrected himself, "I want to take Xi as my wife! The point is that I''ll get married to Xi!"

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    Ning Xi had no words too. Brother, what hatred and resentment is there between us? Was it not enough for you to hit me with the gun? I''m already like this, yet you still don''t want to let me go?

    Even Martin could not bear to watch it any longer. "Ondo, shut up!"

    He had almost killed her, yet now he wanted to take her as his wife. What logic was this?

    In fact, he was not sure whether he was having illusions. He kept feeling like Lu Tingxiao''s appearance was rather odd. It could not be as coincidental as purely finding out about this when passing by, so he was worried that idiotic Ondo would say the wrong things.

    Unfortunately, Ondo did not heed anyone''s advice. He looked emotionally towards Lu Tingxiao and continued, "Mister, you must believe my sincerity towards Xi and be the witness to my promise today! None of my words are untrue! Ever since the day I first met Xi, I had fallen for her. It didn''t matter if it was the way she beat me up or her expression as she looked at me coldly¡­ All of it made me believe without a doubt that she''s the one I''ve been looking for! I ask of you to hand Xiao Xi over to me!"

    Ning Xi was speechless. I just barely escaped death. Am I going to be angered to death by this dude now?

    She already¡­ dared not look at Lu Tingxiao''s expression at all¡­

    In the air was an odd silence.

    Ondo stubbornly continued to watch Lu Tingxiao attentively.

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "You can''t."

    "Why?!" Ondo instantly frowned. "I''m sincere towards Xi. In fact, for the sake of her career, I can keep our rtionship a secret¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao''s gaze skimmed Martin and the rest. "I''d like to trouble everyone to leave for a moment. I have some things to say to this mister in private."

    Martin already had a barrage of questions, yet in the end, he had been interrupted by Ondo and did not get the chance to ask. As he watched the way things progressed, he could only helplessly walk out with the rest first.

    "Why not?" After everyone had left, Ondo continued to ask without wanting to listen to any excuse.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl on the sick bed, his long fingers caressing her chin. In the next second, he leaned over and covered the girl''s lips with a loving French kiss.

    "Because she''s mine."

 Chapter 1622: So Cool It Gave Her Butterflies

    <h4>Chapter 1622: So Cool It Gave Her Butterflies</h4>

    Ondo stood there, bbergasted. He looked as if he had been struck to ashes by lightning.

    With his messy hair, his mouth opened then closed as if he wanted to say something, yet he had no words for a long time. Some time passed when finally an awkward Chinese proverb had jumped out from his mouth, "You¡­ You, you you¡­ You embezzled!"

    Ning Xi was speechless. If your Mandarin isn''t great, just stop trying hard to show off, okay?

    Speaking of which, she really had toment, her darling''s cruel romance-destroying skills were getting better and better! It was so cool that it gave her butterflies!

    Ning Xi cleared her throat and corrected his words, "It should be a harmonious couple. Senior, I''ve told you previously that I already have someone I love already."

    Ondo stared lifelessly at Lu Tingxiao. It seemed like his outlook on life had been overturned in a huge way. "This is impossible! How could there be girls who like someone as cold as you?! I''m more handsome, more charming, more sweet-talking, cuter, more passionate than him¡­ Xi, are you being coerced by him? Because he''s your boss?"

    Ning Xi replied, "It was I who confessed to him and asked him to date me."

    When he heard the girl''s protective words, Lu Tingxiao''s expression was incredibly gentle.

    Ondo was on the verge of copsing as he held his bruised heart, yet he still did not give up. He suddenly remembered something and emotionally said, "He¡­ I heard he has a son! He even has a son! He isn''t pure anymore!"

    Isn''t pure¡­

    Ning Xi was even more inarticte when she heard this. He spoke as if he himself was very pure. Thising from someone who had so many girlfriends before¡­

    "Senior, people who love each other won''t care about these things."

    "How could this be¡­?" Ondo had a gloomy cloud above him as he squatted in the corner in disbelief. "This can''t be true¡­ I don''t believe it¡­ I won''t give up¡­"

    Finally, all of the crew members including Ondo were invited over to cooperate in the investigation with someone assigned by Cheng Feng.

    Instantly, the ward was only left with Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi started to soothe him, "Lu Tingxiao, I''m really okay¡­ One second before Ondo pulled the trigger, I noticed that the gun looked real in time, so I evaded my vital parts¡­ The bullet only grazed me. It looks frightening, but it''s just an external bruise and it''ll heal very soon¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao remained silent, his expression unhappy.

    What if she had not evaded it? That shot would have hit her right in the heart!

    He did not even dare think about the possibility.

    "It looks like someone wants to kill me¡­"

    However, there were too many suspects and she had no clue at the moment¡­

    Ning Xi frowned as she recalled Ondo''s performance from the start to end. "In this period of time, based on my interaction and understanding of Ondo, he should indeed be oblivious. Also, that gun had always been with me and shouldn''t have passed through anyone else''s hands. It''s weird¡­"

    "Don''t think about it. Rest well, leave all of this to me."

    "Oh." Ning Xi was obedient.

    "Let''s get you home." Lu Tingxiao immediately lifted the girl by her waist. Even though his tone was harsh, his movements were incredibly gentle.

    When Ning Xi heard him, she immediately said, "Huh? But this was myst scene. What do we do?"

    She had almost lost her life, yet she still thought of her work?

    Lu Tingxiao''s face remained cool. "With special effects."

    As she looked at Lu Tingxiao''s frigid expression, Ning Xi immediately did not dare to ask more. She thought about it. Up till the end, she was still in the scene. The shot where the bullet hit her heart and her falling off the cliff would be enhanced by special effects, so it set her mind at rest¡­

 Chapter 1623: Truly Enemies On A Narrow Road

    <h4>Chapter 1623: Truly Enemies On A Narrow Road</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao did not dy for another moment. He immediately used a private ne to send Ning Xi home.

    Ondo was still leaning on the little window, waiting to look for Ning Xi after the investigations were done, not knowing that she had long left Sichuan City.

    "Sleep for a while."

    On the ne, Lu Tingxiao carefully covered the girl with a nket.

    In order to finish shooting early and leave as soon as she could, Ning Xi had indeed felt worn out in this period of time. Her energy was beyond depleted. Now that Lu Tingxiao was by her side, she instantly rxedpletely. She nodded in a daze and fell asleep very soon.

    Lu Tingxiao''s movements were tender as he undid the girl''s clothes. He studied the gauze on the girl''s shoulder and his expression darkened even more.

    ¡­

    At Imperial, after they returned, Ning Xi temporarily stopped all of her work under Lu Tingxiao''s orders. She was incredibly obedient as she stayed at home to heal. Only until the gauze was removed and her wound had formed a scab was she allowed to leave the house.

    At night, she met up with Ning Tianxin in a restaurant.

    Because Ning Tianxin did not want to trouble her so much, she went home when she was closed toplete recovery.

    In the period of time that Ning Xi was upied with filming, Ning Tianxin was busy preparing to leave the country, so it had been quite a while since theyst met.

    "Xiao Xi, is your wound okay?"

    "It''s just a small wound and it''s already healed. You, on the other hand¡­ How''s your body? Did you continue taking the meds that Annie prescribed you?" Ning Xi asked.

    "It''s fine. Annie''s meds are very useful and I''ve been taking them on time. The doctor said I''m recovering very well," said Ning Tianxin proudly.

    Ning Xi was a little more assured when she heard this though, of course, she also knew that Ning Tianxin was more or less consoling herself. How could there be no problems at all? Even Annie had stated that her situation was not something that could be healed in a short period of time. As for whether or not she would be able to have children in the future, it was all still unknown.

    "Are you all done with the procedures to go abroad?"

    "Almost," Ning Tianxin said with a teacup in her hands. She seemed rather hesitant. "I initially wanted to bring my mother with me. That way, it''ll be easier to take care of her too but she''s unwilling to go, saying that she wouldn''t be used to the life abroad¡­"

    "It''s like that. In fact, when one is older, they''re less willing to move. Second Aunty has already moved out to live alone and there aren''t many messy things to deal with. You should hire a reliable housekeeper. When I''m free, I''ll make frequent trips to visit Second Aunty. Don''t you worry!" Ning Xi consoled.

    "Xiao Xi, thank you. If it was not for you this time¡­"

    "Look at you! You''re starting to be courteous with me again!"

    The two chatted for a while until Ning Xi noticed that Ning Tianxin was turning pale. She immediately asked with worry, "Sis Tianxin? What''s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

    Ning Tianxin''s fingers lightly held her underbelly. Her brows furrowed and she shook her head. She said softly, "It''s fine, Xiao Xi. I''m just having my period today, plus maybe because this is the first time I''m having it after my abortion, it feels like the reaction is slightly worse¡­"

    Ning Xi felt her heart ache so much upon hearing this. She quickly stood up and walked over to hold Ning Tianxin, ming herself as she said, "Then, quickly go home and rest! If I had known that, I wouldn''t have asked to meet you today!"

    When she saw Ning Xi looking like the sky was going to fall, Ning Tianxin said helplessly, "It''s just period pain. It''s nothing huge anyway."

    "Just? You''re already turning pale¡­" Ning Xi held Ning Tianxin as they slowly walked outside.

    Ning Tianxin herself had not expected that her reaction this time would be even worse than usual. Her body really could not bear the strain, thus Ning Xi had to hold her as they left the restaurant.

    The two had just walked out when they unexpectedly bumped into two people¡­

    It was Mo Lingtian and Guan Ziyao, of all people¡­

    When she saw the two of them, Ning Xi''s expression instantly darkened.

    This was truly a case of enemies on a narrow road!

 Chapter 1624: Shes Not That Kind of Person

    <h4>Chapter 1624: She''s Not That Kind of Person</h4>

    Opposite them, Mo Lingtian was also confounded when he saw Ning Xi and Ning Tianxin. Especially when he looked at Ning Tianxin that he bumped into directly, he stood there stunned without any response for a long time.

    Ning Tianxin''s gaze slowly swept past Mo Lingtian and the woman beside him, her expression only frightened ever so slightly. There was no reaction to be seen on her face.

    Earlier, when Ning Xi was chatting with Ning Tianxin, she intentionally did not mention Mo Lingtian at all because she was worried that Ning Tianxin would recall the past, yet who would have thought that right as they were leaving, they would bump into them directly. Forget bumping into them; it had to be Guan Ziyao beside Mo Lingtian of all people!

    Ning Xi thought this was foocking incredulous. She resisted the violent urge to walk away at the sight of Mo Lingtian. Her expression was cold as she pulled Ning Tianxin past the two people to leave quickly without a word.

    Behind them, until Ning Xi and Ning Tianxin had already left, Mo Lingtian was still frozen in his earlier position.

    "Lingtian¡­ Lingtian¡­"

    Until Guan Ziyao''s voice was heard, Mo Lingtian came back to his senses. "What?"

    "Are you okay?" Guan Ziyao asked she looked behind her towards the two people who had walked far away. "Earlier, the one beside Ning Xi¡­ Was that she¡­ That woman? The one who previously threatened you with a child?"

    "Shut up!" Mo Lingtian suddenly said. In fact, his voice was unusually cold and his face was covered with frost.

    Guan Ziyao had never seen Mo Lingtian act this coldly towards her, so she was instantly dumbfounded.

    When he noticed Guan Ziyao''s hurt expression, Mo Lingtian pinched the space between his brows and softened his voice as he started to exin, "Ziyao, I''ve told you that she''s not that kind of person. It''s my fault. Don''t say things like that ever again."

    Guan Ziyao frowned, but in the end she did not try to defend herself. She only revealed a slightly hurt expression and mumbled, "Sorry, I got it."

    ¡­

    In the car, Ning Xi drove as she carefully observed Ning Tianxin''s reaction through the rearview mirror.

    "How unlucky that we had to coincidentally bump into that trash!" Ning Xi could not help but mutter, looking very upset.

    What made her even angrier was as she pondered the reason Sis Tianxin had to be hurt so badly while that trash was all ruddy with a beauty by his side like he was a free man.

    She was saying that at the start, he had been boisterous about wanting to see Sis Tianxin every day but after that, they heard no more from him. It turned out that he had settled on his true love!

    Bloody hell! Where was her knife!?

    She should not have held back earlier¡­

    "He''s living pretty happy and freely despite having hurt you so badly¡­"

    As Ning Xi was indignantly muttering, she noticed that on the front passenger seat, Ning Tianxin had shut her eyes and seemed to be asleep. Cold sweat had broken out on her forehead.

    Ning Xi quickly sped up. It looked like Ning Tianxin''s condition was quite severe. It was best to go straight to the hospital for a check-up.

    As she was about to switchnes, beside her came Ning Tianxin''s weak voice, "I don''t want to go to the hospital¡­ Xiao Xi, send me¡­ Send me home, okay?"

    Ning Xi was hesitant.

    "I have meds at home¡­ I''ll be fine after I rest for a while¡­"

    Since Ning Tianxin was against going to the hospital, Ning Xi had no choice. In the end, she still sent her home. "Okay, we won''t go to the hospital. I''ll send you home. Rest at ease in the car for a while!"

    ¡­

    In the restaurant, there was the melodious sound of a violin by his ears. The air was filled with a strong fragrance of flowers.

    Opposite him, Guan Ziyao was wearing Chanel''stest couture gown in white. It lined and hugged her slim waist, her skin smooth as butter and her bosom prominently on disy. She was oozing with nobility and pride from top to bottom. She sat there silently, yet she was akin to a shining being, stealing everyone''s attention.

 Chapter 1625: Ill Be Here To Accompany You

    <h4>Chapter 1625: I''ll Be Here To Apany You</h4>

    Many men around looked enviously towards Mo Lingtian.

    However, the man on the chair opposite her was leaning back at the moment, his arms casually across the armrest. There was aloofness and alienation in his eyes. Even though he was still sitting right there, his expression clearly showed that he was distracted in his own world.

    Guan Ziyao obviously noticed that Mo Lingtian had started to be odd since he saw that woman.

    In reality, after that incident had happened, Mo Lingtian had been quite out of it.

    Because that woman once had his child, so even if he did not like her, it still would not be the same?

    Even if she did not actually like Mo Lingtian, as she watched the way his attitude towards her changed, especially earlier when he had spoken to her that way because of that woman, she still felt unease in her heart.

    Since they were children, Mo Lingtian had never uttered a harsh word to her. Every time he saw her, all of his gaze and attention would be on her, yet now¡­

    Guan Ziyao tried very hard to make herself ignore the heaviness in her heart. "Uncle Lu and Aunty Lu have actually organized some socialite tea party behind Tingxiao''s back, and even let Little Treasure help him choose the woman¡­ It really is unfortunate¡­ but this time, the Lu family''s situation is rather sticky. It''s no wonder Uncle Lu and Aunty Lu would be so worried!"

    When she thought about how one batch of women after another had racked their brains to sidle up to the Lu family, Guan Ziyao felt indifferent.

    Using this kind of way to let people nit-pick as they wished was really a drop in ss.

    Mo Lingtian''s long fingers stroked the ss in his hand. There was a gloominess in his eyes. This was undoubtedly the woman he loved the most in this lifetime opposite him, yet it was like he had gone crazy. His head was filled with what he had seen earlier, which was the image of another girl.

    Originally, when he had first found out that Tianxin had aborted the child and he had seen that security footage for himself, he had badly wanted to see her. Later, logic made him regain control of himself and he did not bother her anymore.

    Even if he suppressed it more, his urge of wanting to see her had be even stronger.

    He would never have thought that today he would bump into her in such a way with absolutely no preparation.

    She was much skinnier. She had already been gaunt back then, but now she looked even frailer. When she saw him, she had been very calm¡­

    He noticed that she did not look too well. She was very pale. Could she be feeling ill?

    Opposite him, Guan Ziyao was saying something. He barely heard anything. When he thought about this, he could not sit still any longer.

    With the squeaking sound of the chair rubbing against the floor, Mo Lingtian took out a brown file holder from behind him and ced it in front of Guan Ziyao. "This is the thing you want. Sorry, I''ve got something to do. I need to leave first."

    "Lingtian¡­" Guan Ziyao was shocked as she stood up and wanted to ask more, but Mo Lingtian was already gone.

    ¡­

    "Sis Tianxin, are you sure you really don''t need to go to the hospital?"

    Ning Xi had given Ning Tianxin painkillers, then followed Annie''s prescription to brew a dose of medicine for her, but she was still worried.

    "It''s just an old problem. I''m well aware of how it is. I''ll be fine after sleeping."

    "Okay then. I''ll stay here to apany you," Ning Xi said as she tucked her in.

    After Ning Tianxin fell asleep, Ning Xi walked to the balcony and softly gave Annie a call.

    "Hey, Annie¡­"

    The call had just gotten through when Annie''s worried voice came through from the other end. "Bro Xi! Bro Xi, I heard that you got hurt. Are you better now? I wanted to go see you, but it''s a mess here on my end¡­"

    "What''s up on your end?" Ning Xi quickly asked.

 Chapter 1626: Honest Body

    <h4>Chapter 1626: Honest Body</h4>

    Ning Xi had not been online much to focus on healing herself. She was not aware of what was happening around her.

    Annie hesitated, "Bro Xi¡­ Don''t you know? Bro Shen was arrested by the police¡­"

    "What?" Ning Xi''s expression changed. "When did this happen?"

    "Three days ago¡­"

    "Why was he arrested?"

    "They said he''s suspected of possessing drugs. He was brought to the station for investigation and he''s not back yet¡­ Bro Xi, I know you''re in an awkward position¡­ but¡­ can I please ask you a favor? Please go and take a look at Bro Shen. He''s not willing to see anyone now. No one knows what happened to him¡­ We''re very worried¡­"

    Drugs?

    Drugs were a very good way to get rich quickly. Almost all underground organizations dealt with it, but Yun Shen was an arms dealer. He hated people who did drugs and he also forbade anyone in his organization to get involved with drugs.

    Now that things between Yun Shen and the Lu family were so intense, his arrest might have been caused by people from the Lu family¡­

    Ning Xi was in an awkward position indeed. She decided not to get involved after knowing the rtionship between Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao, but it was Annie who was asking her. Annie, who had helped her countless times¡­

    "Annie, don''t worry. Master is still around. He won''t leave him alone¡­ It''s really hard for me to be involved. I can only help to take a look at him if he''s willing to see me, that is."

    The problem was¡­ That guy was such a delicate person. If he rejected seeing anyone at a time like this, then he might not see her too!

    Annie was grateful. "Thank you, Bro Xi! Bro Shen will definitely meet you! I''ll arrange with Bro Ye now¡­ Oh right, I almost forgot, what did you call me for?"

    "Nothing much actually. It''s about my cousin. She''s having her period today and she had quite a bad reaction. She''s having really bad cramps, but she''s not willing to go to the hospital. I''m a little nervous¡­"

    "This is normal. I expected this. She can only endure through it. I''ve given her a prescription to counter this situation. You can follow it and make it for her."

    "Mmm, I''ve already made it."

    "She just did a full body check and has been recovering well. Let her get a good night''s sleep and after she drinks the medicine, she''ll be fine."

    "Alright, I got it, thank you, Annie!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was much more at ease after the call with Annie.

    After she took the medicine and fell asleep, Ning Xi spent some time on her phone to look through the news. She was apanying Ning Tianxin when suddenly her phone rang. It was Ling Zhizhi.

    Ning Xi picked up the phone. "Hello, Sis Zhizhi?"

    "Xiao Xi, are you feeling better now?"

    "I''m alright now."

    "That''s great. Can youe over to thepany? There''s news¡­ about Director Jiang''s movie!" Ling Zhizhi did not tell her the results directly. It seemed like there was something more to it.

    "What?" While she prepared herself to bid farewell to this movie, she was alert the moment she heard the about the movie.

    Although she had said no, her body was honest¡­

    She actually liked the script and genuinely wished that she could get it. Moreover, she could work with Song Lin in this movie.

    As Ning Xi looked at the fast-asleep Ning Tianxin, who was already regaining her pallor, she replied, "Alright, Sis Zhizhi. I''ll be there right away!"

 Chapter 1627: Not Bother Her

    <h4>Chapter 1627: Not Bother Her</h4>

    After Ning Xi made sure Ning Tianxin was alright, she left her a note and went off.

    By a big tree near the apartment, Mo Lingtian lit up a cigarette. He hid under the shadow of the tree, staring at the window of Ning Tianxin''s unit. Suddenly, the door opened from the inside.

    Mo Lingtian freaked out and quickly extinguished his cigarette as he hid behind the tree. He tried to suppress his breathing.

    Ning Xi seemed like she was in a rush and was not really paying attention to her surroundings. She got into her car and left.

    Mo Lingtian only came out from behind the tree after the sound of the engine rumbled far away. It was just a short while but his back was already covered with sweat.

    After Ning Xi left, Mo Lingtian stood there for a long while. It was quiet inside the apartment and there was no sound at all.

    She had not looked too well earlier. Was she sick?

    Then again, since Ning Xi left, she should be fine, shouldn''t she?

    Mo Lingtian was extremely anxious. No matter if it was money or any other method, as long as it was able to make it up to her and calm him down, he would do anything. He did not want to be a person he himself did not recognize anymore.

    Unfortunately, the only thing he could do now was to not bother her.

    ¡­

    At the Glory World Entertainment office.

    "Sis Zhizhi, what did Director Jiang say? Has the role been finalized?" Ning Xi asked directly the moment she reached the office. She was panting while asking, obviously having rushed over.

    "Sit down first." Ling Zhizhi got her a ss of water.

    After Ning Xi recovered, Ling Zhizhi tried to find the words to tell her, "The results were actually out several days ago. I didn''t tell you about it to avoid disturbing your recovery."

    Ning Xi''s heart sank when she heard that. "So, what''s the result?"

    "You didn''t pass the audition. The female lead is Jiang Xinyi," Ling Zhizhi revealed.

    Ning Xi''s expression looked down. As expected, she had not passed.

    Jiang Xinyi, one of the iconic artistes from the Capability Camp, had received a nomination for the Best Female Lead Award at the Berlin Film Festival before. She was 30 this year, married, and had a pair of cute twins with her husband. She was especially talented at acting tragic scenes, so she was suitable for the movie "Mother" in each and every aspect.

    Ning Xi thought Ling Zhizhi wanted to talk to her about other scripts, but Ling Zhizhi gave her a surprise instead. "From what I know, it was supposed to be Jiang Xinyi, but afterward she was called to try out several scenes. Director Jiang wasn''t really happy with it. I heard the news that there might be a second audition."

    "A second audition?!"

    This turn of events was making Ning Xi anxious.

    "Yes, I heard about it from some internal connections that I know. It''s a reliable source. If nothing goes wrong, they''ll be arranging the second audition in theseing few days."

    "What about the people shortlisted for the second audition?" Ning Xi asked.

    "There are five people and you''re one of them," Ling Zhizhi replied as she observed Ning Xi''s expression. "Think about it if you want to go for the second audition. Whatever it is, I''ll respect your decision."

    Obviously, Ling Zhizhi noticed Ning Xi was behaving quite oddly this time.

    While she was hoping to get it, she would still respect Ning Xi''s wishes. If there was some issue with her, it would not reach her expectations even if Ning Xi somehow managed to get this role.

    As Ning Xi was hesitating to answer, Ling Zhizhi''s phone rang.

 Chapter 1628: Second Audition

    <h4>Chapter 1628: Second Audition</h4>

    "Mmm¡­ Mmm¡­ Okay, I got it. Thank you, thank you very much. I''ll discuss with Ning Xi about it. I''ll reply to you soon!"

    Ling Zhizhi looked at Ning Xi after she hung up the phone. "It''s a call from the crew. It''s been set. 8 a.m. tomorrow morning is the second audition. They''ve informed you to go. This was much sooner than I expected¡­"

    Ling Zhizhi did not say anything else afterward, giving Ning Xi some time to think.

    Ning Xi sat on the sofa, staring into the distance nkly. After a while, she looked at Ling Zhizhi. "Sis Zhizhi, I''ll go. Please reply to the crew for me!"

    "Okay." Ling Zhizhi was not sure if she should be relieved or hope that Ning Xi was not pushing herself too much.

    However, since she knew Ning Xi really well, she knew the girl must have made the decision after some serious thought.

    "I''ll go with you tomorrow." Ling Zhizhi was still worried.

    "Thank you, Sis Zhizhi!"

    ¡­

    After she finished speaking with Ling Zhizhi, Ning Xi drove right back to Peachwood.

    On the way back, she received a call from Annie.

    "Hello, Bro Xi! Will tomorrow morning work?"

    Ning Xi was still a little disoriented, then she suddenly remembered that she had promised Annie to take a look at Yun Shen. "What time tomorrow?"

    "9 a.m," Annie replied.

    Ning Xi frowned. "I have an audition tomorrow at 8. If it''s 9, I might not be able to make it, but I''ll try my best¡­"

    "Alright, I''ll go and let Bro Ye know. Thank you, Bro Xi!"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi did not do anything else after she went back. She did not look through any videos or the script. Instead, she went right to sleep after dinner.

    She did not dream of anything that night.

    It was 6 in the morning when Ning Xi woke up. She had breakfast and got ready, then she met up with Ling Zhizhi and reached the audition venue half an hour earlier.

    She realized that the four other artistes thought just like her too. No matter their position, all of them arrived half an hour earlier.

    Everyone looked nervous, especially Jiang Xinyi, who looked terrible.

    It had been supposed to be her, but now the role had to be auditioned for again. How humiliating!

    If this was some other director and not Jiang Xingzhou, she would have already made a big scene!

    It was not the first time Jiang Xingzhou was particr on role selection. There was once when the chosen artiste was not able to live up to his standards halfway through the filming, so he insisted on changing the person even if he had to breach the contract. He did not care about anyone else.

    Jiang Xinyi assessed her otherpetitors carefully. All of them were not on her level. If not, Jiang Xingzhou would not have picked her back then.

    She was really unhappy about the second audition because she felt it was unnecessary, but of course, it was herst chance as well. If Director Jiang was still unsatisfied this time, there would never be a third chance.

    The five of them picked their sequence numbers. Jiang Xinyi was number four and Ning Xi was thest one.

    Ning Xi frowned when she saw the number she had picked. She nced at her watch. The police station was strict with their visiting time. If she was not there by 9, then she would not be able to see him¡­

    At 8 o''clock sharp, Jiang Xingzhou and Song Lin''s group arrived.

    After they went into the room, the producer sat down and mumbled to Jiang Xingzhou, "Director Jiang, is it really necessary to have this audition? The results of the first round were obvious. The other four can''t make it. Only Jiang Xinyi can do it!"

    The scriptwriter went along, "Actually, Jiang Xinyi was really not bad!"

    Jiang Xingzhou looked at him coldly. "Not bad? You call that not bad? Are you guys working with me for the first time?"

 Chapter 1629: Last Chance

    <h4>Chapter 1629: Last Chance</h4>

    "Cough, cough¡­"

    As they were hit with resentment from Jiang Xingzhou, the producer and editor were instantly embarrassed and dared not to speak up anymore.

    However, they really thought that Jiang Xinyi''s performance had reached the pinnacle. If this was still not enough, what was it that he wanted?

    After all, even the scriptwriter was very satisfied with Jiang Xinyi''s performance¡­

    Song Lin''s expression was indifferent as she watched this scene. She did not say anything throughout. Only she knew that Jiang Xingzhou''s audition this time was held for just one of them.

    He wanted to be sure that the person''s acting was not just that. It was something that she could see, so Jiang Xingzhou could obviously see it too.

    There was no way he could not have noticed that Ning Xi''s performance thest time was not her level best.

    Jiang Xingzhou was a strictly impartial and incorruptible person. It was important to have the skills, but to reject all interference andpletely disy one''s acting skills was also an important element of an artiste. Otherwise, it would be useless to just have acting skills.

    Thus, even when Jiang Xingzhou had seen through what she was going through, he did not say anything.

    Until Jiang Xinyi''s performance had failed to achieve the effect he had envisioned multiple times, Song Lin pretended to be careless as she took the opportunity to mention some things about how Ning Xi had not seemed to give it her all at the first audition¡­

    Song Lin''s fingertips lightly tapped the table''s surface as she looked contemtively towards the door¡­

    Director Jiang had given her one more chance, but this was also the sole opportunity.

    If Ning Xi could not seize it this time, then this show would bepletely impossible, Even if she had been hinting by Jiang Xingzhou''s ear, it would be useless.

    Outside the audition room, the staff had exined the day''s agenda for the audition to Ning Xi and the rest.

    It was not a random draw. Instead, it was a fixed scene they all had to y out. It was scene 37, The Loss of A Son On A Rainy Night. The five of them only needed to audition this particr scene.

    The staff had very efficiently arranged everything well, then the few artistes had gone in for the audition in order.

    The audition process was even quicker than Ning Xi had thought. First one, second one, third, thebination of all the three people did not surpass ten minutes. On average, each of the them came out after about three minutes. In fact, based on the expressions of those three, it seemed like it had not went very well.

    Finally, Jiang Xinyi, who was before her, was called in.

    Jiang Xinyi had gone in for a very long time. Ning Xi took a glimpse at the time. She had particrly recorded it, and she noticed that she had gone in for 18 minutes already.

    On the side, Ling Zhizhi patted Ning Xi''s hands, indicating for her to not be nervous.

    Another two minutes passed. Finally, Jiang Xinyi came out.

    Jiang Xinyi pushed the door open to walk out, then she took a deep breath. Her face appeared as if she had a weight taken off her mind.

    Jiang Xinyi was originally the best performer among them, and this time, she experienced Jiang Xingzhou''s personal grinding. The fact that she had performed well this time was within everyone''s expectations.

    "Last one, Ning Xi!" The staff member shouted outside.

    "I''ll leave first. Good luck to you!" Jiang Xinyi smiled at Ning Xi, then she just turned around and left. The way she acted was as if she already had victory within her grasp. If she had even the slightest worry, she would not have left immediately then. Instead, she would have stayed to wait and see the results were after Ning Xi was finished.

    Ning Xi did not mind. In reality, she did not pay any attention to what Jiang Xinyi had said at all. After the staff called for her, she got up and immediately walked into the audition room.

    "Director Jiang, now you should be satisfied, shouldn''t you? Xinyi''s understanding of the role this time was very spot-on!"

    "After all, she''s a mother herself. With her age right there, she also has ample experience. Imagine if it was her own child that left her. It would be even more immersive!"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1630: Staking It All!

    <h4>Chapter 1630: Staking It All!</h4>

    When Ning Xi went in, she heard the few judges discussing. It looked like they were very satisfied with Jiang Xinyi''s performance. However, Jiang Xingzhou, who sat right in the middle, did not say a word at all. When he saw Ning Xie in, he then looked up to say, "Begin!"

    "Okay." Ning Xi nodded.

    "Already out of breath¡­," the staff member read out the script.

    Ning Xi''s face was nk. There was no expression on her face at all.

    A few secondster, it was as if she suddenly fathomed that person''s words. She walked slowly towards the child step by step, then carried the child in her embrace.

    Her nk and lifeless eyes widened. She looked at her child as if she had been removed of her soul. For minutes, she just continued to look on expressionlessly.

    She just sat there without moving as if she was a weathered statue.

    She had not actually done anything. There was even no expression on her face. However, in a split second, the atmosphere in the entire audition room was suddenly stifled to an extreme point. Initially, those judges, who thought Ning Xi was just someone who would not pass, instantly straightened up. Their spines tensed up as they held their breaths and stared straight at the girl who sat motionlessy on the cold floor.

    Jiang Xingzhou did not seem to have a change in expression, but his hand which held a pen had obviously tightened quite a bit and his thin lips had tensed into a firm line.

    Like the stifling air before a rainstorm, the entire sky was covered by haze and dense clouds.

    Finally, when this atmosphere had been repressed to the extreme point, the girl lowered her head and her shoulders started to subtly tremble softly. Her arms that hugged her child tightened bit by bit¡­

    Suddenly, the girl embraced the child firmly to her chest.

    "Ah!!!" Her screaming and crying started to ring through the air.

    "Ah¡ª"

    A sense of urgency, hopelessness, and of falling apart overwhelmed her.

    Her entire world was crumbling before her eyes¡­

    Her child¡­

    Her child, whom she had beared for 9 whole months¡­ They had relied on each other. He had still been lively the previous second, yet now he had be a cold, dead body¡­

    Her only kin in this world, her only spiritual sustenance¡­

    She had nothing now¡­

    It was not sure how long had passed.

    As if the rainstorm had juste to a halt, the girl''s emotions finally started to calm down a little. She embraced the child and remained sitting in the same posture as before.

    However, everyone did not know that it was no longer the same inside her. She could no longer go back. All of the life in her had been drained with the loss of this child. Only an empty shell was left right there¡­

    "Director Jiang¡­" In the end, it was Song Lin who had spoken up to call for everyone''s attention. Only then did Jiang Xingzhou and the rest of the judging panele back to their senses as if they had just woken up from a dream.

    Ning Xi''s scene had ended.

    The producer''s widened his reddened eyes as he nkly stared at her. He took a deep breath and mumbled in awe, "This girl¡­ is truly remarkable¡­"

    While the scriptwriter on the side had tears streaming down her face right from the start, hurriedly, she took out a tissue to wipe her tears away.

    She finally understood why Jiang Xingzhou had persisted.

    Even she herself had initially felt that Jiang Xinyi''s performance was the pinnacle of excellence.

    However, when she saw Ning Xi, she finally knew what real acting was.

    Thest time, after Ning Xi had finished acting, she had immediately removed herself from the scenes. This time, despite having already finished acting, she remained seated nkly on the floor, the child prop still in her embrace.

    "Quickly get up. The floor''s cold." Song Lin stood up and walked over to help Ning Xi up.

    Ning Xi''s expression remained a little stunned as she robotically turned her head to look at Song Lin.

    That look made Song Lin feel a pang of heart ache. This girl was staking it all!

    Even if she wanted to immerse herself in the scene, she should leave some leeway in any case.

    She was an actress too, so she understood the aftermath ofpletely immersing oneself in such a story line.

 Chapter 1631: Dont Torment Us Anymore

    <h4>Chapter 1631: Don''t Torment Us Anymore</h4>

    Many excellent actors had gone through this in the past. Because they were too immersed into the act, they could not snap out of it for a long time even after the filming was done, and had even suffered from depression.

    "Ning Xi, don''t be stunned anymore. Congrattions! Wee to the team!" Song Lin spoke with a brisk tone as she tried to help Ning Xi snap out of it.

    Ning Xi''s gaze finally had some focus. What did this mean?

    Jiang Xingzhou''s usually grave and detached face now had some admiration written across it. The way he spoke had also softened quite a fair amount."Ning Xi, you''ve performed very well. You''ve seeded this audition. Is your manager here? If possible, we can sign the contract today."

    "She''s here, right outside¡­" Ning Xi said reflexively. She finally regained consciousness.

    She had seeded?

    She got the part?

    "Thank you, Director! Thank you, Sis Lin! Thank you, judges!" Ning Xi gratefully expressed, then she walked out to report the good news to Ling Zhizhi.

    In the audition room.

    The problem that had been so perplexing was finally solved. Jiang Xingzhou let out a long sigh of relief, his gaze skimming the people beside him. "Do you now see what I mean by ''not bad''?"

    The other judges all nodded. They had no differing opinions and all of them started toment.

    "Director Jiang, you''re ever the professional! I''m convinced!"

    "Speaking of which, this girl is quite young, yet she''s really remarkable! Even Jiang Xinyi can''t achieve that extent! She probably could not perform well at thest minute thest round. Thankfully, there was another audition!"

    "The younger generation will surpass us in time!"

    ¡­

    "Sis Zhizhi! I got through!" Once Ning Xi walked out, she rushed up to Ling Zhizhi.

    Ning Xi had gone in for ten minutes. Although it was not considered very long aspared to Jiang Xinyi, it was enough to make Ling Zhizhi nervous. Now that she saw Ning Xi walk out, despite her usual calm and collected demeanor, there was a hint of pleasant surprise across her face. "Really? What did the director say?"

    "Director said that we can sign the contract today, and asked you to go over!" Ning Xi said as she suddenly remembered something. She quickly looked at the time on her watch and said, "Sis Zhizhi, I have to trouble you for the contract. I still have an emergency and I have to leave first!"

    Now, it was already 8.40 a.m. There was only 20 minutes left to the appointed time.

    "No worries, go. Leave this to me!"

    "Okay, well, Sis Zhizhi I''ll make a move first. Call me if there''s anything!"

    ¡­

    After she exited the audition building, Ning Xi got into the car and rushed towards the police station.

    At the entrance of the police station, Tang Ye, Feng Xiaoxiao, Annie, and another person who seemed like awyer were all waiting.

    "Bro Xi! You''re finally here!" When she saw Ning Xi rush from afar, Annie excitedly went up to greet her, "I thought that you wouldn''t make it! I want to call you, but I was afraid that I''d disturb your audition!"

    "I''m sorry. The audition just ended!"

    "What''re the results? Did it go well?" Annie asked with concern.

    Ning Xi revealed a broad smile. "Mmm, it went well!"

    "Great! Congrattions, Bro Xi!" Annie was thrilled for her too.

    At that moment, Tang Ye cleared his throat to disrupt the two of them. "It''s almost time."

    Ning Xi turned to Tang Ye, seeming a little helpless. "So, First Senior Brother, may I ask you what should I say when I go in? Do I just see how he''s doing?"

    Just then, Feng Xiaoxiao went over and hugged Ning Xi to interject, "Little Junior Sister, please advise him to be kind and not torment us anymore. Tell him toe out quickly please. It''s already chaotic outside. Is it thatfortable in there? Has he been indulging in pleasure and forgotten his home and duties?"

    "Uhh¡­" Ning Xi broke out in a sweat. So, the dude himself did not want toe out?

    She should have guessed it¡­

    "Okay¡­ I''ll try my best¡­"

 Chapter 1632: Iâ€™m Worried About You

    <h4>Chapter 1632: I¡¯m Worried About You</h4>

    After that, Ning Xi was brought into the visiting room.

    The person sat down right across a piece of ss that separated the prisoners from their visitors. He rested his head on his palmzily, looking like he was annoyed by this visit. Not only did he not look anything like a prisoner, he looked even more arrogant than ever as if he was not in prison, but his turf instead¡­

    "What''s the matter?"

    He made it sound like this was his house.

    This was her first time meeting him after knowing about his rtionship with Lu Tingxiao. Ning Xi was not sure how to face him.

    Ning Xi stared at him and was mumbling to herself silently, "Is this guy really Lu Tingxiao''s brother from another mother? No matter their appearance and aura, there was nothing alike at all¡­ How mysterious! Gene mutation?"

    "Are you done gawking?" The man narrowed his eyes when he noticed Ning Xi staring at him.

    Ning Xi then came back to her senses. "Um, nothing much. I''m just here to be the messenger. Are you done staying here? When are you leaving?"

    Yun Shen looked aloof when he heard Ning Xi''s reply. "Wrong answer."

    He then was about to turn around and leave.

    Ning Xi was shocked.

    Was he about to just leave because he did not like what she said?

    She even had to rush there¡­

    "Wait! Hey, wait!" Ning Xi stuck her face onto the ss in desperation. "What''s with the wrong answer? Fine, even if it was a wrong answer, you can at least give me a hint!"

    The man turned around and looked at her. He acted generously and sat back down before saying with azy tone, "I''ll give you another chance. What are you here for?"

    Oh no¡­

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched and she had her hands to her forehead. What else could she be here for? She was just here to be a messenger! What else could it be?

    That was the wrong answer, so what was the right one? What did he mean?

    Ning Xi almost went crazy trying to figure out his logic¡­

    After some time, Ning Xi blurted out, "Can I ask for help?"

    The man raised his eyebrows a little.

    Ning Xi assumed his silence to be a form of agreement, so she called Tang Ye.

    "Hello? What''s going on?"

    Ning Xi startedining subtly, "Don''t worry. He looks perfectly fine. He can probably torture every one of us and still be fine! As for persuading him toe out¡­ He''s mad! I can''tmunicate with him at all! He asked me what am I here for. I told him I''m here to be the messenger and to ask him when he was leaving, then he told me that''s the wrong answer. He wanted to leave after that. Now, it''s my second chance to answer¡­"

    Tang Ye remained silent. He was probably speechless by the situation as well.

    Then, the phone seemed to have been snatched by Feng Xiaoxiao as her voice came through, "Idiot! Why are you here!? ''Because I''m worried about you!'' Standard answer! Got it?"

    Ning Xi was inarticte.

    Feng Xiaoxiao ranted to her, "Listen to me, Little Junior Sister. He''s a person like that, and super childish at that. He just wants your attention!"

    "It wouldn''t be right?"

    "Give it a try!"

    "Whatever! I''ll try to talk to him again. If it doesn''t work, then I have no more ideas¡­"

    She could never say that to him!

    Even though she had actually been a little worried about him before¡­

 Chapter 1633: Get Me Out Of Here Right Now

    <h4>Chapter 1633: Get Me Out Of Here Right Now</h4>

    "Don''t hang up the phone then. I''ll remind you when the timees!" Although Feng Xiaoxiao said that, she just wanted to hide the fact that she wanted to eavesdrop on some juicy stuff.

    Ning Xi did not overthink. She also wanted to let them know how troublesome this guy was and that she had tried her best.

    Ning Xi went back to the seat without hanging up the call.

    "Before I answer you, can you answer something first? Why''re you staying inside?" Ning Xi asked.

    The man put on a sarcastic smile. "To let you see how your white knight is really like when he carries out his duties."

    Ning Xi frowned.

    So, did he mean that this was Lu Tingxiao''s doing?

    "Before we decide on who did this, even if someone from Lu Tingxiao''s side is involved, you guys are against each other now, and you''ve been causing a lot of problems for the Lu Corporation, haven''t you?" Ning Xi interrogated.

    The man''s expression did not change at all. He conversed self-righteously, "So what? I''m not a good person, but I''ve never hidden that from you before."

    Ning Xi was shocked.

    What was with this nonsense?

    She still could notmunicate with him after all¡­

    Suddenly, Ning Xi thought of Annie''s worrying face, and she forced herself to continue, "All of us are worried about you. If it''s about this, there''s no need to. Fine, I get it now, I know what he''s doing. Is that what you want?"

    Feng Xiaoxiao was really anxious on the line. "Little Junior Sister, you can''t say that! He''s just making excuses up now. Follow the answer I told you just now. Nothing else will work¡­"

    Ning Xi hesitated again. How could she really say that?

    "You''ve used up all your chances." The man then turned around and left.

    "Hey¡­ You¡­" In her attempt to stop him, she probably got up too quickly and cked out for a few seconds. She felt dizzy as she tried to stabilize her body, but soon she lost consciousness¡­

    Thud¡ª

    There was an odd sound.

    The man stopped and turned around to see the girl fell on the ground unexpectedly.

    "Ning Xi!" The man rushed towards her, hiszy tone suddenly turning fearful. "Damn it! Don''t try anything funny!"

    The girly on the floor and did not move, her face oddly pale. She was frowning and her breathing was pretty quick and shallow.

    "What happened?" Tang Ye asked.

    At that moment, the man''s expression looked terrible. He roared at the small window connecting through the ss.

    "Tang Ye! Get me out of here right now!"

    Tang Ye and Feng Xiaoxiao were dumbstruck.

    ¡­

    Tang Ye went in with awyer.

    In just five minutes, they got him out and he was politely invited to leave.

    "Where''s she?" The man demanded coldly.

    Ning Xi had been moved outside by the police staff after she passed out.

    "In the car," Tang Ye replied.

    "She''s in the car already. Don''t worry, Annie''s here!" Feng Xiaoxiao told him.

    The man, who seemed like he was about to stay in the police station forever, was now walking swiftly outside¡­

 Chapter 1634: How Cruel!

    <h4>Chapter 1634: How Cruel!</h4>

    In the backseat of the wide SUV.

    Suddenly, the door was opened from the outside and the man got into the car with a terrible expression. He frowned and looked at the girl who was lying down. "What''s wrong?"

    Annie carefully studied the man before she carefully phrased her words, "I assessed Bro Xi''s pulse just now¡­ Bro Xi passed out because she was exhausted and emotionally unstable¡­"

    Tang Ye and Feng Xiaoxiao caught up with them. Feng Xiaoxiao turned her head from the front seat in shock. "What the heck!? Emotionally unstable¡­ Exhausted¡­ Boss, what did you do to Little Junior Sister just now?"

    It had just been a few minutes, and he had made her tough Little Junior Sister like this. How cruel!

    The man stared at the girl''s pallid face as he tried to remember what had happened at the police station. He pursed his lips and red at Feng Xiaoxiao coldly. "Shut up! Do you think she''s that weak?"

    "Uhh¡­" Feng Xiaoxiao thought about it, then she nodded and mumbled, "You''re right¡­ If she''s this weak, she would probably have died about a hundred times after arguing with you¡­ Then, what happened? Just what could have caused such an emotional wreckage within her?"

    There was a silence in the car for a while, then Tang Ye spoke up, "It might be because of her audition in the morning."

    Annie added, "Bro Xi told me that she was going to an audition this morning. Aside from that, she didn''t really tell me about anything else. Bro Xi also rushed over right after her audition ended¡­"

    So, that was the only possibility.

    "Get me her audition video!" Yun Shen said.

    Feng Xiaoxiao put on a sly smile. "Boss, that''s not very appropriate, is it?"

    Yun Shen gave her a cold stare. "Are you very free now? Are you done with your S-rank mission?"

    Feng Xiaoxiao''s expression looked like she had just eaten poop. "Hmph, I''ll go now! I''ll go now¡­"

    Master had assigned her an S-rank mission three years ago, which was to assassinate an important figure, but that person was too troublesome to deal with, so she could not find an opening to do so for the past three years. Three years! It was such a big humiliation to her!

    Damn it! When he fell into her hands, she would make him suffer before killing him!

    After Feng Xiaoxiao left out of mortification, the ever-obedient Tang Ye got Yun Shen the video of Ning Xi''s audition.

    "I''ve already sent it to your phone."

    Yun Shen put on his earphones and yed the video.

    His expression turned worse and worse as he watched the video. He threw his phone away halfway through the video, then he looked at the girl beside him. He grasped the girl''s jaw with his long fingers. "Idiot¡­"

    Annie noticed that the man was increasing his grip strength until Ning Xi''s chin was turning red, making her feel anxious. "B-Bro Shen, let me send Ning Xi back to rest!"

    The man looked at her sternly. "Go to my ce."

    Annie spoke in fear, "But¡­ Bro Shen¡­ Your ce is too scary¡­ Bro Xi will be afraid¡­ She probably can''t take it¡­ She needs to rest well¡­"

    Annie''s voice was getting tinier and tinier as the man''s expression became too scary for her.

    In the end, a certain someone, who always acted as he wished, never listened to anyone''s advice. They brought Ning Xi back to the "haunted house".

 Chapter 1635: Youll Be Mine From Now On

    <h4>Chapter 1635: You''ll Be Mine From Now On</h4>

    "In two hours, redecorate this damned ce entirely," the man instructed, then with a "bam", he shut the door of the master bedroom.

    Annie looked at the door, her expression one of worry and self-me. "Bro Xi will be fine, won''t she?"

    After all, it was her who had asked for Bro Xi''s help. If something happened to Bro Xi¡­

    Tang Ye replied, "It''ll be fine. I''ll keep watch."

    When she heard Tang Ye say that, Annie felt slightly more assured. "Then, I''ll go get busy first. Make sure to tell me if anything happens!"

    Bro Shen should still care a lot about Bro Xi. He was clearly so worried when he saw that Bro Xi had fainted. Even though he did not care that Bro Xi would be scared and had insisted on bringing her there, he had still particrly ordered her to redecorate the "haunted mansion".

    ¡­

    In the master bedroom, on the wide, soft bed, the girl was sleeping soundly.

    The man stood by the bed as he watched her sleep quietly. His expression was fleeting as if he had fallen into some far away memory¡­

    Back then, when he had first met her, she had been bullied by a group of scum.

    Those people were local notorious rogues. They loved to y with Chinese girls who had no background and no troubles. Almost all of them had blood on their hands and they acted recklessly with the support of a gang behind them. Once you were marked by those people, even if you did not die, you would be destroyed.

    When he had a clearer look at the girl''s face, he instantly understood why she had been caught.

    Even though the girl looked like she was in dire straits, she had a beautiful face. Especially with that weak and easily bullied appearance, she further excited the group''s sadism.

    He would not be so bored as to care about this kind of thing, so he had continued to stay on the balcony as he watched this one-sided kill indifferently like he was overlooking tiny individuals with no power.

    Yet, he did not expect that the following plot would surprisingly exceed his expectations.

    The instance those people had closed in, the girl whipped out a gun from behind her.

    It was legal to carry guns in America, so it was not odd for her to have one.

    Tsk, clearly she was a rookie and was holding a gun for the first time. Her hand was shaking and her eyes were terrified. It was just a meaningless and ludicrous struggle.

    He understood this kind of people too well. Weak and insignificant, even if they had a butcher''s knife in their hands, it would be useless.

    She did not dare to open fire.

    Finally, just as he had expected, it had be a one-sided kill.

    However, it was the girl killing those scums.

    Bam! The bullet had hit the bully who wasughing most furiously and most unbridled right in the middle of the head. It had urately hit his fatal point, killing him in one shot.

    Bam! There came another fire. Another bully had fallen and the bullet had found the same target.

    The person he had judged to be someone who definitely would not dare to open fire had unexpectedly opened fire twice in a row.

    The girl''s body was shaking all over. Her entire body was wet with sweat as if she had been pulled out of water. Her wide eyes were filled with rm, but the instant she had opened fire, she was terrifyingly calm. Clearly, it was her first time shooting, yet every shot of hers had been fatal¡­

    If it were just a normal person, even faced with an animal, one might not necessarily dare to open fire, what more a living person?

    She was really such an interesting child¡­

    Unfortunately, the gunshots had provoked the gang''s aplices, so she would still die tonight.

    ¡­

    In her sleep, Ning Xi had a very, very long dream. She dreamt of all sorts of things upon returning to the Ning family. She dreamt about that ident, dreamt about the child''s purple body. She even dreamt about that one time she had almost lost her life in Los Angeles¡­

    She dreamt about her killing people, dreamt that she had been surrounded by a group of vicious people, a white-haired man appearing out the blue and standing right before her. He said to her, "I saved you. You''ll be mine from now on¡­"

    ¡­

 Chapter 1636: Most Easily Hooked Up With

    <h4>Chapter 1636: Most Easily Hooked Up With</h4>

    She was clearly such a small and weak person¡­

    However, the moment she started to open fire until the years that he had brought her back to the organization, she had unexpectedly surprised him over and over again.

    It was as if she was a weed at the lowest level, yet she had the toughest will to live, drawing from everything around and growing like mad.

    Maybe it was because he had been living a dull life that many years after that, she had unknowingly be his only joy, the only uncertain element apart from his fate¡­

    He was not sure when but whenever he saw the girl smile at him tenderly and act like a spoiled child, there would be vicious tendencies in his heart. When he found out that the girl had thoughts of returning to China, it was even harder to suppress these vicious tendencies. He did not hesitate to go back on his agreement with her then and there, rejecting her request to leave, and he had even made such a request even if he knew that he could not make her stay¡­

    He should have gotten used to it by now. All that he cared about, he would not be able to keep in the end¡­

    ¡­

    "Bro Ye, I''ve already had people organize everything and it''s about done. Bro Shen¡­ Is he not out yet?" Annie stood at the door worriedly.

    The two of them had already been inside for close to two hours.

    It was very quiet inside.

    It seemed to be too quiet that it felt strange.

    Tang Ye frowned, then he turned around and knocked lightly on the room door.

    There was no response from the inside.

    He knocked again, but there was still no response.

    Tang Ye''s expression changed. He decided to push open the bedroom door while Annie nervously followed after him.

    The two of them solemnly pushed the door to enter, yet in the next second, they were both stunned.

    Ning Xi was breathing steadily as she slept soundly on the bed, while Yun Shen¡­ had actuallyid by the bedside with his eyes shut. From the looks of it, he seemed to have fallen asleep¡­

    In his sleep, the man''s fingers seemed to have unconsciously held on to the hem of Ning Xi''s clothes.

    "Bro Shen¡­" Annie muttered in shock.

    Tang Ye watched the man sleep soundly, then indistinctly he sighed softly, "Let him sleep a while."

    Annie kept quiet and nodded. "Ever since¡­ Ever since thest time he returned from the Lu family meeting, Bro Shen has barely been sleeping¡­"

    "Motherf- my eyes! I can''t believe I''m actually seeing this. This scene is quite heartwarming and beautiful¡­" It was not sure when Feng Xiaoxiao had returned, but she leaned her head on Annie''s shoulder after she looked in and saw this scene. She looked like she had just seen a ghost.

    "Shh, don''t wake them up¡­"

    They shut the door and left.

    Feng Xiaoxiao stood at the door, still looking horrified. "I thought that this dude was going mad again after bringing Little Junior Sister home¡­ He might as well have gone mad¡­ This is too frightening!"

    "Bro Shen isn''t that scary!" Annie muttered.

    Feng Xiaoxiao shot Annie a look from the side and pouted. "If this dude weren''t wrong in the head, I''m afraid he would have long gotten Little Junior Sister! Four whole years. How many chances!? And it was even such a dreamy storyline of the hero saving the beauty! How old was Little Junior Sister then? It was when she could be most easily hooked up with! Such a good hand of cards, yet he had yed it like that. Even I''m amazed! Great now¡­ It''s toote to regret anything¡­"

    Feng Xiaoxiao kept on ridiculing, but beside her, Tang Ye did not say anything throughout.

    He and that person had technically grown up together. That person¡­ just did not know how to express his feelings at all. More so, he did not know how he should be treating someone well¡­

    Or maybe, his subconscious was rejecting him from investing too much energy into someone, so he had never revealed his true self to anyone¡­

    ¡­

    Probably because she had depleted much of energy emotionally, Ning Xi had fallen into a very deep sleep.

    When she woke up, between her daze, her eyes suddenly met an asleep face. She was instantly frightened fully awake.

    As she was subconsciously pulling back, she noticed that her clothes hem was firmly grasped in his hand¡­

 Chapter 1637: Personally Carried You Onto The Bed

    <h4>Chapter 1637: Personally Carried You Onto The Bed</h4>

    As Ning Xi subconsciously looked at the way her clothes hem was being clutched by the man, she had a stupefied expression on her face.

    In his slumber, the man''s usual arrogant andzy facade had faded away. His face looked like there was a hint of childishness. She could not be sure what he was dreaming of, but his brows were furrowed and he seemed like he was experiencing some horrible pain. His knuckles started to nch as he held on too tightly to her hem.

    He looked terrible. Could he have fallen ill?

    Ning Xi observed the thinyer of perspiration on his forehead and reflexively reached out to touch him. Atst, her hand was caught off-guard and held tightly by the man as if he was a drowning person holding on tight to thest piece of driftwood¡­

    Ning Xi frowned slightly. Just when she wanted to pull back, she heard the man mutter in a daze, "Mother¡­"

    Ning Xi was stunned.

    Mother?

    Did she hear him wrongly?

    "Mother¡­" Yun Shen muttered softly again. This time, it was quick and clearly filled with rm. There was no mistake about it since his voice was very clear.

    He was really calling out for his mother.

    Ning Xi immediately fell into deep thought. What could Yun Shen possibly be dreaming of?

    Why did he react so painfully when he was dreaming about his mother?

    The man was still immersed in his nightmare, his expression turning more and more pained. Even his body had started to jerk slightly, so Ning Xi reached out to shake him. "Hey¡­ Wake up¡­ Yun Shen¡­ Yun Shen!"

    Swoosh! The man suddenly opened his eyes.

    In the next second, Ning Xi''s throat was gripped in one hand and she instantly turned silent.

    Yun Shen''s gaze in this instance was extremely terrifying. It was cold and sinister. Just that line of sight was enough to suffocate anyone.

    One second, two seconds passed¡­

    When he finally had a clearer look at who it was, the strength of his grip choking her finally vanished, but he still looked very dreadful. "Who allowed you to be here?"

    When Ning Xi saw that he was still reeling from the nightmare, she wanted to console him, but when she heard him call out for his mother, she felt destitute. "How would I know? I remember that I fainted when I was at the police station, didn''t I? Was it not you who brought me over?"

    "Stop ttering yourself!" The man denied without hesitation.

    Ning Xi scratched her head. Could it have been someone else? Then, who had brought her over here?

    It could not have been Feng Jin just like the same asst time, could it?

    It was impossible. First Senior Brother and Third Senior Sister were there too¡­

    Ning Xi did not delve into it further. She mumbled, "You had a nightmare earlier. I was simply being kind and woke you up, but you almost strangled me to death¡­"

    "What did you see?" The man stared at her with a gaze that seemed as if he was looking at a peeping tom.

    Ning Xi was astounded by that stare of his. "What else could I have seen? What''s so fun about watching you have a nightmare? It just sounded like I heard you calling for your mother¡­"

    The man''s expression was turning increasingly cold. In his eyes bubbled a rage of humiliation from having his privacy invaded. "Get out!"

    "I want to as well, but you have to first let go of my shirt!"

    Yun Shen''s expression stiffened. Then, he let go of the shirt in his hand. His expression was one of disdain as if she had forced her shirt into his hand.

    Ning Xi muttered apprehensively as she left.

    At the door, Tang Ye, Feng Xiaoxiao, and Annie were all there. When they saw Ning Xi walk out, all of them immediately walked up to her.

    "Bro Xi! You''re awake!"

    "Little Junior Sister, are you okay? That guy didn''t do anything to you, did he?"

    Ning Xi shook her head. "No."

    Feng Xiaoxiao''s expression darkened when she heard that. There was a sigh about the predicted oue as well as a resentment towards the guy for failing to meet their expectations and an impatience to see some kind of progress.

    "Right, how did I end up here? And¡­ and I was even lying on that guy''s bed!" Ning Xi eximed in puzzlement.

    Feng Xiaoxiao blurted out an answer, "That guy insisted on bringing you back, and even personally carried you onto the bed!"

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded.

 Chapter 1638: Youâ€™d Be Single Forever

    <h4>Chapter 1638: You¡¯d Be Single Forever</h4>

    "That guy insisted on bringing you back and even personally carried you onto the bed!" Feng Xiaoxiao sold him out without hesitating.

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded.

    Was that guy suffering from schizophrenia?

    His lying and acting were way out of the world.

    "Damn! Just now he chased me out and even asked me why I was here!" Ning Xiined.

    Feng Xiaoxiao could not say anything.

    Boss, you''ll be single for your entire life if you keep this up!

    "Anyway, you only went for an audition this morning. How did you pass out? Annie said you''re emotionally unstable and too exhausted! Even an action scene wouldn''t take you that much effort, would it?" Feng Xiaoxiao asked.

    Ning Xi coughed lightly, "It happens sometimes when I''m too invested in my role. The main reason is probably cause I''m too tired recently¡­"

    Feng Xiaoxiao did not doubt her. "Boss insisted on seeing your audition video¡­"

    Ning Xi''s heart sank. "What did he say?"

    Feng Xiaoxiao shrugged. "I''m not sure. I told him that it wasn''t a nice thing to do, then he chased me out of the car!"

    Ning Xi nced at Annie with a questioning look.

    Annie seemed a little troubled, but she could not ignore Ning Xi''s question, so she said awkwardly, "Nothing much¡­ He just said a single word¡­"

    "What is it?"

    "I-idiot¡­"

    Ning Xi did not say anything.

    Suddenly, Feng Xiaoxiao''s phone rang.

    A certain someone was calling.

    "You send her back." It was the man''s cold voice.

    Feng Xiaoxiao''s eyes lit up. Finally, he was up to something. Just as she wanted to y Cupid and tell her Little Junior Sister that he could be pretty normal at times, a harsh and bone-chilling voice came through the phone, "If you say anything to her, I''ll break your leg!"

    Feng Xiaoxiao was speechless.

    She gave up on curing her own boss¡­

    In the end, Feng Xiaoxiao did not say anything. "Little Junior Sister, your car is still at the police station. I''ll send you back!"

    Ning Xi nodded and did not reject her offer. She could not have gged a taxi in a deserted area like this.

    Ning Xi had just woken up and was still half conscious, but when she walked down the stairs with Feng Xiaoxiao, she was shocked to see the decoration in the ce¡­

    "W-what the heck!? Am I dreaming? Did I go to the wrong ce?"

    The creepy haunted house had been totally refurbished. The scary oil paintings on the wall had been swapped to colorful modern art pieces. The dark wooden furniture swapped for lighter ones as well, and freshly cut flowers were on the table. The ghost-like white curtains had been reced by dreamy pinkce curtains¡­

    Had the haunted house transformed into a princess''s castle?!

    "Just what happened? Why did his taste change so much?"

    Feng Xiaoxiao was really annoyed when she saw her Little Junior Sister''s ignorant expression, but she could not tell her "It was all for you".

    Upstairs, by the window of the master room, the man lit up a cigarette as he looked at the girl leaving. The video of her audition was ying in a loop in his mind.

    Idiot, hopefully, you won''t regret after you find out the truth¡­

 Chapter 1639: I Never Doubted That

    <h4>Chapter 1639: I Never Doubted That</h4>

    Ning Xi received a call from Ling Zhizhi when she arrived home.

    The contract had been finalized.

    She had finally clinched the role!

    Jiang Xinyi had been too impatient before. She ignored the crew''s warning of not leaking any news about the movie and had secretly told a few media sources after she passed her audition. It caused a pretty huge uproar when they announced the change in the selected actress and it raised some suspicion from several parties.

    While Ning Xi had received the Best Female Lead Award from the Golden Film Awards, she was stillgging way behind Jiang Xinyi who had been in the field for the past decade. After the role for Jiang Xinyi had been decided, the crew went through a second audition and swapped her out, so no one could me the public for being suspicious.

    However, because the director of the production was Jiang Xingzhou, his reputation in the field was too solid to be questioned and most people still believed in the crew.

    The doubts did not cause that big a wave. More people were buzzing about how they were looking forward to the performance of this new and young talented artiste as well as what kind of surprises she would bring.

    Aside from the small incident at the beginning of filming, the whole progress of the production went quite low-profile. They filmed the movie in a small vige, so there was no news about it at all.

    For a better effect, the whole crew stayed in the vige. They worked and ate with the vigers.

    Everyone thought that Ning Xi might not be able to stand a life like this, so no one expected her to adapt very well. She toiled in the farm like an expert and was even able to teach others.

    Jiang Xingzhou would not candidly just select a person. He investigated her background thoroughly and found out that she had stayed in a rural area for 18 years. Despite his usual strictness, he was very satisfied with Ning Xi''s performance.

    "This girl isn''t bad at all. She''s a raw gem! If she stays on the right track, she might overtake you!"

    Song Lin did not mind hearing such high praises for Ning Xi. Instead, she looked at the direction of the girl and smiled. "I never doubted that!"

    Suddenly, Song Lin received a notification on her phone.

    She picked it up and took a look, then her expression changed immediately.

    Soon after, Jiang Xingzhou received a notification too. In one nce, he looked as shocked as Song Lin as rage filled him up.

    Song Lin caught a glimpse of what was on his phone and she quickly tried to calm him down. "Director Jiang, please don''t act rashly before we rify things!"

    Jiang Xingzhou had gone through a lot in life, after all, so he suppressed himself. "Let''s finish this scene first. Don''t affect her mood."

    "Thank you, Director!" Song Lin was grateful, but at the same time, her face showed shes of worry.

    At this point, Ning Xi had no idea what was happening because she did not really pay any attention to anything else other than acting.

    Until the evening and the shooting of the scene was over did Ning Xi realize that the crew members were acting oddly. They were ncing at their phones and whispering at each other while staring at her.

    Ning Xi frowned and went towards Xiao Tao.

    She noticed Xiao Tao was talking to someone on the phone anxiously.

    "Xiao Tao?"

    "Ah! Bro Xi!" Xiao Tao hung up the phone and looked at Ning Xi nervously.

    "What''s happened?" Ning Xi asked Xiao Tao.

 Chapter 1640: Who Could Have Done It

    <h4>Chapter 1640: Who Could Have Done It</h4>

    Xiao Tao was chewing on her lower lip. She could not bring herself to say it.

    "Give me your phone," Ning Xi reached her hand out andmanded sternly.

    Xiao Tao hesitated, but she knew she could not hide it forever. In the end, she surrendered it to Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi saw a news bubble pop up when she unlocked the phone.

    A catchy title appeared before her eyes: Golden Film Award Best Female Lead Sex Scandal!

    Ning Xi frowned a little. Ever since her debut, news like this happened from time to time, but after Ling Zhizhi sued one of the magazines as a warning, and in addition to Glory World Entertainment''s power in the industry, not even infamous and irresponsible media would report stuff like this.

    However, this time, the news came from one of the influential media sources.

    Judging from the staff members and Xiao Tao''s reaction¡­

    Ning Xi clicked on it and her pupils shrank.

    Numerous photos were exposed. Even if they were censored, the couple''s lewd position was still identifiable.

    She was not shocked by these pictures, but by the woman''s face in this pictures¡­ It was her!

    Could it have been Photoshopped?

    Still, it did not seem like it¡­

    Ning Xi scrolled down and saw that there was even a video. While the video was censored, the faces were clearly seen.

    That woman was really her!

    The video removed the possibility that the scandal was fabricated and proved that the pictures were real!

    ording to the news article, the man in the video was a famous, flirtatious, young heir to a rich family.

    "Bro Xi¡­ Stop watching it¡­" Xiao Tao said nervously, afraid that Ning Xi would be triggered.

    Ning Xi pinched her be. She felt forlorn. Even Xiao Tao thought that she was the woman in the video, and the others¡­

    This spelled trouble.

    Ning Xi was reminded of the incident of the gun swapping when she was filming for "Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad". Despite the reach of Lu Tingxiao''s power, he still had not found out who could have done it, and now this had happened¡­

    So, since they were not able to kill her, were they now aiming to destroy her?

    Or perhaps, these cases might be unrted and this might have been done by another group of people.

    She was really attracting a lot of attentiontely.

    "Ning Xi, the director asked you to go over for a bit!" As Ning Xi was deep in her thoughts, the director''s assistant came over and shot her an uneasy look.

    "I got it. Thanks."

    Ning Xi did not exin anything to Xiao Tao first. She went straight to the director.

    Both Jiang Xingzhou and Song Lin were in the room, and the atmosphere was heavy.

    "Have you found out about it?" Jiang Xingzhou had a serious expression as he asked straightforwardly.

    Ning Xi nodded. She did not look guilty at all as she replied, "Director Jiang, the woman in the video and photos isn''t me. I''m sorry to have troubled the crew. I''ll contact my manager to solve this issue quickly. I won''t affect the filming progress!"

    Since Ning Xi had such a scandal at that moment, ording to the contract, she would have to pay a huge sum of money because her image was trampled due to personal reasons. While it was a small matter, the important point was that everyone''s effort would have been in vain if they had to re-audition and start over again. They would not make it for the film festival, and her whole acting career would be destroyed as well¡­

 Chapter 1641: Your Judgement Is Not That Bad

    <h4>Chapter 1641: Your Judgement Is Not That Bad</h4>

    On the side, Song Lin had spoken up to break the solemn atmosphere, "Director Jiang, you heard that. I told you it can''t be Xiao Xi! This woman in the video just looks very simr to Xiao Xi. She doesn''t have any of Xiao Xi''s charm and grace. Her expression is stiff, and her figure is clearly not as attractive as Xiao Xi''s! No matter if it was Xiao Xi''s waist or legs or breasts, her physique is well-proportioned and her body fat ratio is perfect too; no more and no less. You can say she''s perfect. On the other hand, the body of the woman in this video is soft. The proportion of her legs are too short too, her boobs¡­"

    "Cough, cough¡­" Jiang Xingzhou cleared his throat.

    Song Linughed lightly and innocently tinkled, "Director Jiang, I''m just spelling out the truth."

    Even Ning Xi started to perspire hearing her. She could not help but feel embarrassed. Goddess, is this your judgment from your piercing eyes?

    She did not expect that her great goddess would have paid much attention to her daily and had even given her such high ratings.

    Speaking of figure and faces, Song Lin was the one with true charm. In fact, even as this age, she still maintained her physique perfectly.

    "Okay, I''m relieved that it isn''t you. I hope you can handle this matter well. If this affects the filming crew in any way, I won''t bend thew to favor you!" Jiang Xingzhou responded with a sunken expression.

    Even though Jiang Xingzhou''s tone sounded like it was hostile, in reality, his attitude already indicated that he was on her side. After all, he had chosen to believe her.

    "Yes, I got it. Thank you, Director!" Ning Xi eximed.

    She had just walked out from Director Jiang''s vicinity when Ning Xi saw that Ling Zhizhi was waiting outside, looking travel-worn. From the looks of it, she had rushed over immediately.

    "Sis Zhizhi, why are you here? I was about to make my way back!"

    "There''s no need. Don''t affect your shoot."

    Ning Xi was stunned for a moment. Did Sis Zhizhi mean that¡­

    "Let''s go. Let''s discuss how we''re going to clear the air on this," Ling Zhizhi said frankly.

    Ning Xi had swallowed all of the things she initially wanted to exin. She blinked in surprise. "Sis Zhizhi, you know it''s not me?"

    Ling Zhizhi replied, "Your judgment isn''t that bad."

    Ning Xi coughed profusely.

    She suddenly remembered that back then, she had rather coolly told Ling Zhizhi that in the entire circle, the only man she would fancy was their Big Boss, Lu Tingxiao¡­

    At that time, she had just said it on a whim. Who would have thought that Ling Zhizhi would still remember?

    Inside the room.

    Xiao Tao stared at the video and reyed it almost a hundred times. She was about to get cross-eyed. "Dang! I knew it! Even if my Bro Xi wanted to choose a man, she''d at least choose someone of Second Master Lu''s rank! I was worked up for so long but it isn''t even Bro Xi! But¡­ this¡­ this is really simr! She practically looks exactly the same as Bro Xi!"

    Indeed, it was very simr.

    Anyone who was not extremely familiar with Ning Xi or knew her well would definitely think that person was Ning Xi. After all, even Xiao Tao, who was so close to her, had not recognized that it was not her.

    This was also the thorniest problem.

    Because the woman was so simr to her, even if she had dered that the person in the video was not her, with the circumstances of having no evidence to prove her innocence, no one would believe her.

    "There is one possibility, which is this person just naturally looks like you. The possibility of this is very minute. There is another possibility, that is someone intentionally had stic surgery to look like you. However, the recovery time for stic surgery would take over a year at most, and two to three months at least. Besides, to go for a surgery to such an extent would definitely have taken some time¡­ This means that this person has been preparing to plot something against you from a very long time ago," analyzed Ling Zhizhi.

    On the side, Xiao Tao was dumbstruck by what she heard. It was a long time before she came back to her senses. "This¡­ This is too scary!"

 Chapter 1642: A Warm and Gentle Sensation Planted On Her Forehead

    <h4>Chapter 1642: A Warm and Gentle Sensation nted On Her Forehead</h4>

    Ling Zhizhi frowned. "Now, all your fans are defending you online. It isn''t like thest time. Just one sex scandal is enough to destroy a female star. As long as it doesn''t involve morality issues such as being the other woman, this kind of scandal can only be considered as your privacy being maliciously exposed. It''ll definitely affect your image, but it won''t be enough to ruin you¡­ Then again, the problem is that the other person clearly came prepared. There''s no way they would just release a video and leave it as simple as that!"

    The corner of Ning Xi''s mouth pulled down. "She''s gone through great difficulty for a stic surgery to look like me and has waited for so long. How could they be satisfied if they didn''t cause a huge ruckus?"

    She was afraid that this video was still just the prologue¡­

    The three of them had unknowingly discussedte into the night.

    Indeed, sooner than they had expected when it was close to midnight, Xiao Tao, who had been scrolling for thetest news, suddenly cried out in rm, "Oh no, Bro Xi, Sis Zhizhi! There''s a new video up!"

    Ning Xi and Ling Zhizhi looked over to see. The other person had exposed a new video. In fact, the content of this video was even more shocking. That woman was bedding three men at the same time, two of whom were married men¡­

    This time, their only chance of whitewashing might have very well evaporated.

    The thing they were worried most about had still happened. Ling Zhizhi looked appalled. "Now, the only way to prove your innocence is to find that woman as soon as possible! But they came prepared and definitely won''t let us find her easily. If we don''t rify everything effectively soon, once too much time has passed, what is false will only turn into truth¡­"

    When that happened, it would really be over¡­

    "Even if it''s thepany''s Public Rtions team, finding someone who has premeditated motives and is deliberately hiding their tracks will still be no different from finding a needle in a haystack!"

    "Then¡­ Then, can we ask¡­ the people from the parentpany to help?" Xiao Tao asked, in a loss.

    Ling Zhizhi smiled bitterly when she heard her. "How''s that possible? The Lu Corporation has been in a tense state of affairs recently. Even Second Master has been transferred back to the parentpany. Glory World Entertainment is just one of the Lu Corporation''s many subsidiaries. They won''t startle the parentpany for an artiste."

    Ning Xi was stroking her phone and pondering to herself. Finding that person would indeed prove to be hard, but it was not entirely impossible as long as she used her old connections¡­

    However, unless she had hit a dead end, she was not willing to use her connections from that side.

    Then again, based on the current situation, she was now backed into a corner.

    "Sis Zhizhi, don''t worry. I have some connections from back when I was in America. Maybe they can be of help¡­"

    Ning Xi had not finished her sentence when at that moment, someone had suddenly pushed open the door of the little wooden house from outside. The lean shadow of a travel-worn man, who still seemed handsome and bursting with life with an attractiveness index that could make one''s adrenaline spike, had instantly appeared at the door¡­

    Because the folk in the vige were simpletons all the doors had no locks on them.

    The person who came seemed to have just rushed over from some formal assion as he wore a meticulous ck formal outfit. His shirt was buttoned all the way up and his tie was well-ironed. His face had a towering, murderous air that belonged to only the top leaders of the world¡­

    "Uhh¡­ Boss¡­"

    Ning Xi was just about to cover up and call him "Boss" when a long arm suddenly drew her closer, making her roll over into his cold embrace. Then, there was a warm and gentle sensation nted on her forehead¡­

    Ning Xi''s brain crashed. She was stupefied on the spot¡­

    What the heck!?

    What''s going on, my Big Boss, my dearest darling!?

    Bloody hell! Sis Zhizhi and Xiao Tao are still here!

 Chapter 1643: Lady Boss Is Right Beside

    <h4>Chapter 1643: Lady Boss Is Right Beside</h4>

    Ning Xi subconsciously reached out to touch her forehead that had just been pecked with a kiss. Her eyes widened and she looked to her superior, Ling Zhizhi, and her assistant, Xiao Tao¡­

    Great¡­

    These two people have now turned into stone¡­

    As calm as Ling Zhizhi was, she was now standing stiffly right there, what more Xiao Tao. The way they looked could bepared to the horrified expression in the famous painting, "The Scream".

    Ning Xi was nning to give a final struggle, yet the devil had just leaned over and his warm lips lovingly met hers.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Darling, this house¡­ There are still people¡­

    There are still other people around. Hello¡­

    She was not sure whether she was having illusions, but she suddenly felt like Lu Tingxiao''s current state was a little¡­ unusual¡­

    What had happened?

    To avoid the devil from doing anything unexpected when she was not noticing again, Ning Xi quickly shifted his focus. "You¡­ Why are you here?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "If I don''te, are you going to forget that you''re someone with a boyfriend?"

    "Uhh¡­"

    This tone of his sounded incredibly resentful¡­

    Probably because he had heard what she had said earlier.

    She knew that he was busy and she did not want him to be distracted!

    Ning Xi reflexively looked towards Xiao Tao and Ling Zhizhi again. There was no question about it. With the devil''s "boyfriend", both their views on the world, life, and values had crumbled into dust and were then reorganized again.

    "Ah! Ah, ah, ah!" Xiao Tao''s abilities to swallow this confounding phenomenon had reached its breaking point. She could not help but cry out loudly, though very quickly, she covered her mouth to avoid startling other people. After all, the soundproofing there was not that great.

    Oh my God, oh my God! What did she see and what had she just heard?! Was she dreaming?! She must be dreaming! She saw the Big Boss hug Bro Xi. She even saw the Big Boss kiss Bro Xi! She even heard that the Big Boss say he was Bro Xi''s boyfriend. Ah, ah, ah!

    The Big Boss''s legendary girlfriend, who was said to be incredibly mysterious, so mysterious that she was titled the entertainment industry''s number one unsolved mystery¡­

    Their futuredy boss had actually¡­ actually always been by her side!

    It was actually her Bro Xi!

    Poor Xiao Tao was shocked to kingdome by this news¡­

    Ling Zhizhi took a deep breath. She used all of heridbackness from the day she entered this industry to calm herself down again before she gawked at this big boss of hers who had appearedte at night like a god descending. "CEO Lu¡­ You¡­"

    Great¡­ She could not even calm down at all!

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao with a headache, then at Ling Zhizhi again.

    Her and Lu Tingxiao''s rtionship had been exposed too abruptly. All of a sudden, she did not know how to exin it to Ling Zhizhi at all.

    Ning Xi took a long while before she slowly summoned up the courage to say, "Sis Zhizhi, I''m sorry¡­ You told me right from the start that I can''t date. I went against my promise to you back then."

    Ling Zhizhi did not know how to answer her.

    Now, the point was clearly not that she had been secretly in a rtionship. It was that her boyfriend was unexpectedly¡­

    At this moment, Ling Zhizhi had recollections from the start to the end of all the things that had happened since she took over managing Ning Xi. From when Lu Jingli had personally hired her, to when the Lu Corporation''s number onewyer, Chen Jing, had personally settled Ning Xi''s contract dispute with Starlight, to that dance at thepany''s anniversary celebration¡­

    Now that she thought about it, this rtionship was not exactly without a trace.

    Nheless, this girl was too good at keeping it a secret. Not one drop had leaked out. If Lu Tingxiao had not intentionally exposed it himself today, she would not have realized at all¡­

 Chapter 1644: Uncontrollable Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 1644: Uncontroble Kiss</h4>

    Ling Zhizhi really could not bring herself to say that she med Ning Xi for anything.

    This girl had even hidden it from her. Forget about anyone else. She had been in a rtionship with Lu Tingxiao for at least half a year now, but it had not affected her work at all. She had never even used her rtionship with Lu Tingxiao to rise to stardom.

    "Miss Ling, thank you for taking care of Xiao Xi all this time."

    Ling Zhizhi returned to her senses and she quickly responded, "CEO Lu, your words lend weight. This is my duty."

    "As for my rtionship with Xiao Xi, I''ll respect her opinion and not affect her work. I promised her right from the start that I won''t interject on any matters rted to her work." When he reached this point, Lu Tingxiao suddenly changed the topic. "However, this matter started because of me, so I will settle it. I hope you understand."

    On the side, Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao in shock. This had happened because of him? What did he mean?

    Ling Zhizhi was slightly suspicious as well, but she did not question further. She let out a sigh of relief and said, "This matter is indeed very tricky. I''m worried sick about it too. If you can help resolve it, that would obviously be best, CEO Lu"

    Ling Zhizhi finished, then she looked at the duo in front of her. She wanted to say something but she stopped. Her expression was one of worry.

    As if Lu Tingxiao knew what she was thinking, he added on, "The pre-condition of Ning Xi and I getting together was marriage. Basically, as long as she gives the green light, I can immediately go and get a marriage certificate with her. Miss Ling, don''t you worry. Xiao Xi has promised me that when she''s reached the pinnacle of the entertainment industry, she''ll agree to marry me, so I''ve got to trouble the both of you."

    In other words, whether or not he will be able to marry his wife would be up to the two of them.

    Ling Zhizhi and Xiao Tao were speechless.

    These words undoubtedly shocked Ling Zhizhi and Xiao Tao to the core again.

    This¡­ This is immense pressure, Boss!

    Ning Xi buried her face in her hands. At herst straw, she lowered her voice to say to Lu Tingxiao, "That''s enough! Don''t frighten my manager and assistant anymore¡­"

    When he saw that his wife was about to get angry, Lu Tingxiao finally obediently stopped. "Mmm."

    Ling Zhizhi and Xiao Tao had very knowingly not stayed longer. After some small talk, they quickly left.

    Ning Xi was now full of questions that she wanted to ask Lu Tingxiao, so she waited for Ling Zhizhi and Xiao Tao to leave before she quickly turned to Lu Tingxiao to ask, "Hey¡­ Lu¡­ Mmm¡­"

    However, just as she opened her mouth, it was sealed with a fiery kiss.

    Unlike the patient and consoling kiss earlier, the man now gripped her by the waist as his palm cupped the back of her head. He was recklessly plundering her mouth.

    Ning Xi felt the air in her chest dwindle and her head was dizzy. Her tongue was being sucked numb as if her soul was about to be swallowed¡­

    There was a sudden twinge of pain on her lips and Ning Xi reflexively made a sound in protest.

    The man''s actions started to be slightly gentler, but it was only momentary. Very soon, he could not control himself and had increased in force¡­

    Lu Tingxiao''s actions today were indeed a little strange. Even if there was some kind of emergency, based on his personality, he would still discuss with her and not suddenly expose them in front of Ling Zhizhi.

    In fact, it was almost as if the second Ling Zhizhi and Xiao Tao left, Ning Xi clearly felt that deliberately suppressed gloom, ruthlessness, and¡­ all sorts of intense feelings of irritation and unease within him. They had erupted all at once, wreaking havoc in this cramped little house¡­

    Did something happen?

 Chapter 1645: Find Some Maize Field To Roll In

    <h4>Chapter 1645: Find Some Maize Field To Roll In</h4>

    Ning Xi was still pondering amidst her lightheadedness when her body was suddenly lifted mid-air. In the next second, she was carried onto a narrow, little wooden bed in the house.

    The quality of the wooden bed was not great. It immediately released the teasing sound of a creak.

    Ning Xi did not have much time to think. Next came the passionate kisses again. They lingered on her sensitive earlobes, her corbones, her chest¡­ Warm hands also followed and sneaked under her clothes, arousing trembles wherever they touched¡­

    Unfortunately, as long as their actions were a little vigorous, the small wooden bed was like a tiny boat in the howling winds and torrential rain. It was rocking like it was going to fall apart¡­

    Ning Xi felt agitated by the creaking sounds. She panted slightly as she said, "Damn it! This little bed¡­ Hey¡­ Darling¡­ Can I discuss something with you? We should just go outside and find some maize field to roll in¡­"

    When Lu Tingxiao heard her request, he paused his business and then bit softly on the girl''s tender breasts. "Nonsense."

    "I''m serious¡­"

    With Ning Xi''s interruption, the air of ruthlessness on the man had clearly tempered milder. His arms tightened as he hugged the girl in his embrace.

    Ning Xiy on the man and held his arm as she looked up from his chest. "Lu Tingxiao, what happened?"

    The man''s voice was low. "Nothing. I missed you."

    Ning Xi thought about it. To shoot this movie, they had indeed not seen each other for a long time. This answer of his seemed quite usible, but she still felt like there was something else.

    "Then, earlier you told Sis Zhizhi that what happened today is rted to you. What did you mean by that?" Ning Xi asked again.

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression was solemn. "I''m still not sure for now, but you only need to focus on earning dowry. Leave this for me to handle."

    Ning Xi was speechless. Focus on earning dowry¡­

    The man watched the girl before him, his eyes filled with a heavy darkness that would not dissipate. His wide hand held her waspish waist lightly. "Xiao Xi¡­"

    "Hmm?"

    "Have you ever regretted it?" The man asked in a raspy voice.

    "Regret? Regret what?" Ning Xi did not understand.

    "Getting together with me."

    Ning Xi immediately widened her eyes at this. She said without hesitation, "How could I?! This is my rightest and most brilliant decision in my entire life! Marry one, get one free! Why wouldn''t I want to get such an amazing deal?!"

    Lu Tngxiao sighed as he caressed the girl''s head in his embrace. "It''s veryte. Get some sleep and don''t think too much. I''m here for everything. I''ll apany you for a while and leave before daybreak."

    "Mmm." Ning Xi snuggled up into the man''s chest and nodded.

    Because of Lu Tingxiao''s appearance, all those unsightly videos and pictures online, all those horrible words and guesses had instantly vanished, turning into post-fatigue sleepiness.

    The girl clingily stuck to his embrace like a little animal. Amidst her hazy sleepiness, she muttered in a daze, "Darling¡­ I like you the most¡­ You are my sunshine¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao''s back stooped and he leaned over to nt a kiss on the girl''s forehead.

    Beside him, the girl was already sound asleep. However, Lu Tingxiao did not sleep the entire night. His head was filled with that video recording he had watched not too long ago.

    The recording of Ning Xi''s second audition¡­

    That recording where he was personally brought to that scene when she had experienced hopelessness years ago¡­

    The scene in his head switched and another scene had appeared.

    Lu Tingxiao was using his phone to check his e-mail inbox. He clicked on a recent anonymous email attachment.

    There were a few pictures in the attachment. The first one was the one that he had seen when he was at Ning Xi''s apartment, helping her move home back then.

    The picture depicted a group of young people dressed in heavy metal punk outfits, Ning Xi was right in the middle, wearing ck motorcyclist apparel, appearing quite boyish. There was recklessness and a careless grin on her face.

    Her arm was casually slung on another man''s shoulders and her head was turned to talk to him. Her posture showed that it should be someone she was quite familiar with.

    While that man was leaning his head to one side and starting a lighter, in the dusky lighting, his face could not be seen clearly. There was only an obscure side profile and a head of white hair¡­

 Chapter 1646: Aim Achieved

    <h4>Chapter 1646: Aim Achieved</h4>

    There were still a few more pictures, all of them depicting Ning Xi''s life in America. Even though they were all group pictures, there were no ambiguous gestures between her and that person. However, the familiarity and chemistry between the two of them in those images were unveiled without a doubt, despite just being pictures.

    As for thatst picture¡­ the date stamp on it was the day of Ning Xi''s second audition.

    In the picture, Ning Xi was reclining on the bed sound asleep while the white-haired man quietlyy by the bedside, his fingers holding onto the girl''s clothes hem, fast asleep as well¡­

    ¡­

    Just yesterday, he had received this anonymous email. The sender had used a fake IP, so there was no way to find out who it was.

    Even though none of these pictures had any explicit imagery, every one of them was enough to make him jealous to the point of losing control.

    Yes, jealous.

    Although he did not want to admit these feelings.

    However, the somber feelings that he had been deliberately neglecting and suppressing in the deepest nooks of his heart right from the start were beginning to scream as they surged out violently like banshees.

    Every one of Ning Xi''s words back then had wrecked havoc in his blood, shredding apart every one of his nerves.

    "Lu Tingxiao, I''ve already told you from the start - there is already someone that I like, very, very, much!

    "Even though there are reasons that I can''t be with him, he will live in my heart forever, filling it to the brim so much so that no one else can rece him. There just isn''t any more space for anyone else.

    "Even if that person was more wonderful and even more perfect, it would still be a ''no''. Do you understand?"

    The image on his phone changed and a phone call suddenly came in, disrupting his thoughts.

    The doom and gloom on Lu Tngxiao''s face washed away like the tide. He walked to the back of the house to pick the call up.

    "Hello?"

    "Boss, we''ve caught the mole! That guy almost swallowed poison to kill himself. It''s a good thing that you reminded us in advance, Boss! Now, we''ve sessfully pinned him down!"

    "Got it. I''ll be back tomorrow to assess him personally."

    "Yes, Boss!"

    Lu Tingxiao hung up with a sinister intent to kill shing across his eyes.

    The photos in that anonymous person''s email could not have been taken by just anyone. No matter who it was, their aim had been achieved.

    Even he was clear that the sender had intentionally sent those pictures to incite conflict between him and that person¡­

    ¡­

    Late at night, in a court in the suburbs of Beijing.

    Qiao Yi swiftly mmed the table and stood up, his face filled with a terrifying rage. "What did you say?"

    The subordinate who came to report to him nervously answered, "Hei Long¡­ was found out¡­ Now, he''s being held by Lu Tingxiao''s people¡­"

    "Useless!" The man''s expression was a dark cloud of anger. "Have you sent people over?"

    The subordinate''s forehead was overflowing with cold sweat. "I did! But¡­ We missed him. He''s already been transferred. In fact, even if we found him, I''m afraid we won''t be able to rescue him. The security is far too tight¡­"

    Qiao Yi naturally knew this too. Otherwise, he would not have felt such fury and irritation.

    Hei Long was the code name for one of their insiders in the Lu Corporation. He was also the sole chess piece they had buried most deeply. At that point of time, his position in the Lu Corporation was very high and he had provided them numerous important intelligence bits, yet at the same time, Hei Long held a huge chunk of ssified information from them too.

    Once Hei Long fell into Lu Tingxiao''s hands, the consequences would be unimaginable.

    This would not do. They had to think of a way to bail him out. If they failed to rescue him, they would still need to kill him before he spoke out.

    Qiao Yi paced back and forth the house. "Go call Xiaoxiao back. Stop her mission and tell her to return immediately!"

    "Yes!" The subordinate quickly received the order and retreated.

    At this moment came azy voice from the door, "It''ll just be a waste of energy."

    "Ah Shen¡­" Qiao Yi looked towards who hade.

 Chapter 1647: You Dont Even Love Me Anymore!

    <h4>Chapter 1647: You Don''t Even Love Me Anymore!</h4>

    "It''s already reached deep into Lu Tingxiao''s mouth. Are you still counting on digging it out?" Yun Shen drawled unhurriedly, in mockery written on his face.

    Qiao Yi''s brows furrowed. "Well, I can''t just let Hei Long fall into Lu Tingxiao''s hands either. He knows too much about us!"

    The man indifferently raised his brows. "And what about it?"

    Qiao Yi warned in a low tone, "Ah Shen, don''t underestimate the enemy. Lu Tingxiao isn''t that easy to deal with!"

    The man''s mouth curved upward cynically. There was a sliver of mad interest in his eyes. "Huh! If he were easy to deal with, where would be the fun in that?"

    Qiao Yi suddenly turned strict. "Ah Shen! By all means, be as yful as you wish for all else, but this isn''t for you to have fun with! Don''t forget how your mother died, how the Yun family was destroyed!"

    "What does the Yun family''s destruction have to do with me?" The man''s voice suddenly turned cold.

    Qiao Yi was startled. "Fine, let''s not talk about the Yun family. Let''s only talk about your mother. Ah Shen, don''t let your mother die without justice!"

    "Uncle Qiao, you don''t need to trouble yourself and remind me. I have the image of her dying etched into my mind every night. Are you satisfied with this answer of mine?"

    "Ah Shen, I know you''re in pain, but you must remember¡­ All of this was brought onto you by the Lus!"

    ¡­

    In the wee hours of the morning, at about 5 a.m.

    The vige was extremely quiet. All the filming crew members were still fast asleep apart from Ling Zhizhi and Xiao Tao, who were so shocked that they had not slept the entire night.

    Creak¡­

    With the lightest squeak of the bed, Lu Tingxiao turned over to get up and put on his clothes.

    He was just about to get off the bed when a pair of delicate arms had very clingily circled his waist. "Mmm¡­ Where are you going?"

    Lu Tingxiao turned over to kiss the girl''s lips as constion. "I have to go."

    Ning Xi was barely awake. She just subconsciously shook her head like a rattle-drum. "Don''t¡­ I don''t want you to go¡­"

    "Be good."

    "Mmm, then let me get up and send you off¡­"

    "No need. Sleep a while longer. Your filming duties today are very important. Don''t dy, alright?" Lu Tingxiao said softly.

    Still, it was as if the girl had heard something heartless. She instantly felt upset as she grumbled, "You only know how to let me earn dowry. You don''t even love me anymore!"

    Lu Tingxiao gazed weakly at her, but the hint of love and indulgence between his brows could almost melt anyone. "I''lly with you for a little while longer, hmm?"

    "Mmm¡­" Now, the girl was satisfied and had fallen back asleep in a daze.

    Heid with her for a little while longer. Only after lots of coaxing and kisses did Lu Tingxiao finally manage to leave.

    If he had been anyter when everyone else had woken up, he would not have been able to leave.

    Lu Tingxiao gently shut the door. He had just walked to the entrance when he unexpectedly bumped into someone.

    Song Lin¡­

    When the other person saw him walk out of Ning Xi''s house, there was no sign of expected shock. Instead, she just raised her brows ever so slightly. "CEO Lu, what a coincidence."

    Before Lu Tingxiao could say anything, Song Lin smiled and added, "Don''t worry, I''ll keep it a secret."

    "Thank you, Xiao Xi is indebted to your care." Since this person before him was an idol that his wife had always worshipped, Lu Tingxiao was very courteous.

    "CEO Lu, you''re too gracious. I''ve always quite liked this girl. However, I didn''t think that that girl we saw at your office the other day would have turned out to be¡­ really Xiao Xi¡­" Song Lin meaningfully muttered, then she nced at Lu Tingxiao and asked, "CEO Lu, I have some things to discuss with you. I wonder when you''ll be free?"

    "When I find the time, I''ll get my assistant to inform you, Miss Song."

    Song Lin beamed slightly. "Okay, then I will patiently wait for your update."

 Chapter 1648: Her Capabilities Dont Need It

    <h4>Chapter 1648: Her Capabilities Don''t Need It</h4>

    With the arrival of dawn, after an entire night of brewing, the issue yesterday was currently broadcasted all over the Inte.

    A group of astroturfers set out to vilify Ning Xi as well as Jiang Xinyi, who still harbored resentment against her from before, had currently emerged.

    "Oh my God! This is crazily shocking! The video is still continuously being renewed. Now there''re already nine people. Is she riding on the wave of sleeping with the entire entertainment industry?"

    "I really thought that she was a promising movie queen! I didn''t think that her private life would be this wanton. Did all those resources of hers really alle out of sleeping with people? Last time, I wouldn''t have believed it without any evidence, but now this is irrefutable evidence! No wonder Jiang Xinyi''s role was stolen after shended it! There''s already been so many expos¨¦. Who knows how many more she''s slept with that hasn''t been revealed yet!?"

    "Now that you say it, Ning Xueluo, who was previously chased out of the entertainment industry by Ning Xi, is truly quite pitiful! No wonder the Ning family would rather have a foster daughter than their biological daughter, Ning Xi. It turns out it was because she had corrupt morals!"

    "Please don''t simply say things before any rification. We''re still not sure who the person in the video is!"

    "A certain someone''s astroturfers are too much. Are you all blind? The pictures show the truth but you still don''t believe it. What more do you guys want?"

    "Please get it right about who the real astroturfers are here. She''s already been chased out of the entertainment industry, yet she still pays astroturfers every day to attack Bro Xi without letting go. That''s enough! If you were really innocent and noble, then feel free to leave the Ning family and prove it. Why did she still enter other people''spany shamelessly? Why is she still reluctant to part with the luxury and wealth that she has stolen?"

    ¡­

    Her own fans were fighting for her, so Ning Xi could not just sit idly.

    Since Lu Tingxiao had promised her, then he must have a n.

    Ning Xi had discussed with Ling Zhizhi before she posted a simple message on Weibo: [The person in the video is not me. Thank you for your trust, everyone!]

    Once Ning Xi''s Weibo status went up, it was as if all of her fans were immediately instilled with a backbone. Their fighting strength soared and they worked even harder to defend her against those defamatory astroturfers. As long as she said so, they would believe her.

    As Ning Xi watched her own fans'' spontaneous rush to defend her and their unwavering trust in her, she was moved.

    "Previously, I''ve always quite envied Jiang Muye''s fans. I never thought that one day I''d have this many fans who would support me¡­"

    When Ling Zhizhi heard Ning Xi mention Jiang Muye, she seemed to have suddenly understood something.

    No wonder¡­ No wonder with Jiang Muye''s personality¡­ He would be willing to withdraw¡­

    After she posted that Weibo, Ning Xi made her way towards the shooting location.

    She had just arrived when the group of staff instantly looked to her altogether.

    Ning Xi''s expression was unchanging as she greeted everyone "Good Morning", then she walked up to Jiang Xingzhou.

    Jiang Xingzhou resembled a man with no problems as if nothing had happened. His attitude was at ease as he started to run through the scenes with Ning Xi.

    When the others saw Ning Xi act candidly with nothing to hide, affirmed by the director''s attitude, their trust in Ning Xi was already won by half.

    After all, throughout the shoot up till today, they had been getting along for quite a while now. They had seen this girl''s diligence and great effort for themselves.

    Thus, most of the staff had chosen to remain neutral. There were also those close to Ning Xi who did not care about being implicated. They openly used their usernames to log in to Weibo and issued their thoughts: [I believe that the person in the video is definitely not Ning Xi. To say that Ning Xi relied on sleeping with people to make her way up the entertainment industrydder isplete nonsense because based on her capabilities, she doesn''t even need to!]

 Chapter 1649: Can The Boss Do It?

    <h4>Chapter 1649: Can The Boss Do It?</h4>

    If one wanted to prove that Ning Xi had relied on her body and sleeping around to climb up thedder, they would at least need to prove that Ning Xi had received those opportunities without living up to the reality.

    However, the reality was that every job, every spokespersonmercial, and every movie that Ning Xi hadpleted since she debuted had beenpleted exceptionally remarkably.

    Still, the Inte did not stop the ruthlessness. They started to change the topic and use Ning Xi of being naturally slutty and liked to hook up with men. They said that even if she had the capability, it could not cover up the fact that her moralpass was out.

    Because Ning Xi had only issued one Weibo statement, and there was no other stronger evidence for a long time, such a discussion very quickly upied an overwhelming position.

    On the third night of the scandal, the other party had exposed another video.

    This time, the man in the video was one of the important investors of "Mother".

    Those who had initially attacked Ning Xi without letting go had instantly acted like a starving wolf that had just seen fresh meat. They started to use that scandal to kick up a wild fuss. They selectively neglected the fact that despite being an investor in Director Jiang''s film, they would have no right to interfere with the casting.

    After all, those who enjoyed a ruckus would only want to fan the mes as they only chose to see the most direct and superficial things.

    However, the shift in this matter had also stemmed from this video.

    When Xiao Tao saw thetest video, she was fretting all over. "Bro Xi, are you sure there won''t be a problem? It''s already been three days, but there isn''t any news at all from the Boss''s side. Still, the other person''s evidence continues rolling out¡­ Can the Boss do it?"

    Ning Xi was lying on the bed with fresh cucumbers spread out on her face. She meaningfully said, "My dear, you''re brave, aren''t you? Actually questioning whether or not the Boss can do it¡­"

    Xiao Tao was so afraid that she almost wet her pants. "Bro Xi! I didn''t! I''m just worried about you, yet you still make fun of me! What if the Boss can''t settle it?"

    Not being able to stay in the entertainment industry was secondary. She was afraid that she would''ve to be burdened with such a scary usation for the rest of her life. To a woman, her life would be considered entirely destroyed.

    The other person''s intentions were simply vicious. They were clearly out to kill her!

    Ning Xiughed lightly. "There''s no ''what if''."

    Almost the instant that Ning Xi said this, her phone rang. It was Lu Tingxiao.

    "Darling, are you done with work?"

    When she saw her Bro Xi who was usually wild, cool, and bedazzling turn into a smitten woman in love within just one second, Xiao Tao internally dered that her view on life had turned around by 180 degrees.

    Bro Xi would not be on the phone with the Big Boss now, would she?

    Oh my God! Bro Xi had actually called the Boss her darling! How sweet!

    Because Ning Xi wanted to help the Boss prove his capabilities, she turned on the loudspeaker.

    Indeed, from the other end of the phone came Lu Tingxiao''s voice. "Mmm, miss me?"

    Xiao Tao was speechless.

    Oh my Lord, she thought that only Bro Xi was the cheesy one!

    "Of course, I do, but the good thing is that I''ve been very obedient and focused on filming. The progress is great, and I''ll be able to go home in a few more days!"

    "Good."

    Xiao Tao was speechless as she listened to the way her own Big Boss spoke in a horrifyingly gentle voice. His tone was as if he was coaxing a child.

    No, wait, the focus was on them. They were in such an emergency situation right now. Could they not talk about the important things first before publicly disying their affection?

    She was really a spectator who was more anxious than the person involved¡­

    "Xiao Xi, get ready. Tomorrow night at 8 p.m. we''ll have a press conference. I''ve already sent the concrete agenda to Ling Zhizhi."

    Xiao Tao had been silently tortured by the affection for so long. Then, she finally heard the key point and her mind was jolted!

    A press conference tomorrow night at 8 p.m? This meant that¡­ the Boss already had a way to rify everything!

 Chapter 1650: Too Cool Too Considerate

    <h4>Chapter 1650: Too Cool Too Considerate</h4>

    "Okay, then I''ll go request for a day''s leave of absence from the crew."

    "There''s no need. The press conference will be at the hotel near your location, so you can just go show up after finishing work."

    "Uhh, okay¡­"

    You actually made all the reporterse to this remote wilderness for a press conference? Big Boss, you''re too cool!

    After Ning Xi hung up, Xiao Tao was so excited that she almost jumped up and down. She was wrong to have questioned the Big Boss!

    "Ah, ah, ah, Bro Xi! Boss is just way too cool and way too considerate!"

    Their Bro Xi was not wrong anyway. Why would she need to pay for this matter? These people were the ones who were adding fuel to the fire and wished for the whole world to be in chaos. Since they wanted to get the gossip so badly, they should just make the journey themselves.

    ¡­

    After Lu Tingxiao made the call to inform Ning Xi, Glory World Entertainment''s official Weibo released a notice too, indicating that tomorrow night at 8 p.m, they would have a press conference at City D''s Four Seasons Hotel. When the time came, they would respond to and exin thetest "sex scandal".

    With this news, the entire Inte exploded. Glory World Entertainment had finally responded publicly!

    Where the press conference would be held was moot. All of the invited media had rushed towards City D unrelentingly.

    Ning Xi had slept until daybreak, then she went on location and continued to shoot as usual.

    Because there were more scenes with young actors, the young onescked experience and Director Jiang''s demands were harsh, so everyone had apanied them through many bad takes.

    When she was done with work, it was already past 7 p.m.

    At the same, the entrance of the Four Seasons Hotel was already surrounded by reporters.

    As the time passed tick by tick, it was about to be 8 p.m. soon, yet there was not even a shadow of the representative from Ning Xi''s end, and the reporters started to whisper.

    "What''s going on? Why aren''t they here yet? They wouldn''t be messing with us, would they?"

    "Could it be that she doesn''t dare toe anymore?"

    "I told you. Glory World Entertainment is just stubborn and stuck in denial. The woman in the video is definitely Ning Xi. There''s no doubt! From the moment Ning Xi debuted, our paper has been in charge of following her news, so we understand her very well! There''s no way we''d recognize her wrongly!"

    "Actually, I also think that whether it was stic surgery or that they just look naturally simr, there would at least be some ws, but the woman in the video¡­ Even the mole on her earlobe was exactly the same, so how could it be someone else?!"

    "Exactly¡­"

    ¡­

    Amidst the discussions, a white car had stopped at the side. Instantly, someone recognized that it was a dedicated vehicle from Glory World Entertainment. In an instant, the shes started to go off and all of the cameras were aimed at that car.

    With a thud, the car door opened and a woman got down.

    The woman had long, curly locks and she wore a rose-colored off-shoulder dress, whichplemented her porcin jade-like skin. When she looked up, she revealed a delicate and beautiful face.

    "Ning Xi! Regarding the videos and pictures recently exposed on the Inte, what are your thoughts?"

    "You posted on Weibo that the person in the video isn''t you. Is this true? Or are you lying?"

    "You said the person in the video isn''t you. Do you have evidence?"

    ¡­

    The reporters surrounded the woman like locusts. One after another, their questions fired continuously.

    The woman looked pale and her face was full of guilt. Such an expression was like a catalyst, exciting all of the reporters even more. They were even more convinced that their judgments were right.

    The others who got down from the car were two more bodyguards in ck and Glory World Entertainment''s public rtions director, Liang Feixing. When the three of them saw the woman being surrounded, neither did they react, nor did they have any intentions of stepping forward to stop them.

 Chapter 1651: The Real One Appeared

    <h4>Chapter 1651: The Real One Appeared</h4>

    The reporters had obviously noticed the situation too. Immediately, all of them thought in their hearts that Glory World Entertainment was clearly ready to give up on Ning Xi!

    "Ning Xi, do you think that you''re worthy of the many fans who have supported and believed in you?"

    "You want to lead the life of a whore but still want a monument put up to your chastity. That''s too much!"

    "Are you here to apologize to everyone today?"

    ¡­

    Just as the reporters were obstructing the hotel entrance and interrogating one after another, there was suddenly a voice from behind.

    "Excuse me, could everyone please make way?"

    The one who spoke was Ning Xi''s assistant, Hu Tao.

    When they heard the familiar voice, the reporters reflexively turned to look. Everyone was dumbstruck.

    There were three people behind them.

    Xiao Tao, Ling Zhizhi, and the woman in the middle was¡­

    Was that¡­ Ning Xi?!

    Due to the filming, all of the crew hadpletely returned to the rustic countryside lifestyle. Even after they had finished work, they still wore the rough hemp garments of the countryside. Furthermore, the shoot had overrun slightly today and they were short on time, so Ning Xi was wearing what she usually wore after work. There was a casual pigtail on her head and her skin had a medium tan because of the long-term exposure to the sunlight. A closer look would reveal that the skin on her hands had be coarse too. They were full of tiny scars from harvesting wheat and doing farm work¡­

    What stood out were the girl''s pair of eyes that were exceptionally bright and lively. With such a tranquil and calm air around her, her presence was the first thing that people noticed instead of her appearance and manner of dressing.

    The girl''s eyes skimmed the reporters present. Her tone was calm and polite as she announced, "I''m sorry for making everyone wait for so long. Today''s work ended a littlete."

    "Bro¡­ Bro Xi!" One of the female reporters who had been pushed to the back had excitedly cried out, "Are you guys blind? That''s my Bro Xi!"

    Ning Xi had a vague impression of the female reporter who spoke up. She was one of Ning Xi''s fans and had always fought to defend Ning Xi on the frontline. Indeed, she had also gone over this time.

    Ning Xi looked at the girl with a grateful smile. The reporter was instantly even more emotional. For some reason, she felt that even if her goddess was currently garbed in rough hemp and had coarse skin, she looked extremely beautiful!

    A person''s looks could be faked, but their aura was not something that could be imitated overnight. Once Ning Xi appeared, even if she currently looked very different from her usual appearance and celebrity image, everyone present knew in an instant and concluded that the woman before them was the real Ning Xi!

    So, that woman who had alighted from the car earlier¡­ was actually fake?

    The reporters swiveled to the woman they had surrounded earlier. Shortly, all of their jaws were about to fall off from shock.

    There was really someone who did look so simr to Ning Xi. From her facial features and silhouette to even the position of the mole on the earlobe, she was exactly the same and could definitely pass as the woman herself.

    That was if the real one had not appeared.

    This time, before the reporters could return to their senses and surround Ning Xi, the bodyguards and Liang Feixing had already personally shielded Ning Xi to walk into the hotel.

    The phony was escorted by another bodyguard and they walked in too.

    This hotel''s conditions were unlike those in Imperial. The multi-purpose hall was crowded to the brim. Even the corridors were filled with people standing, but no one had anyints. Everyone''splete attention was locked on the stage.

    Everyone looked at the real Ning Xi, then at the fake Ning Xi. It was too much for their eyes to take in.

    Glory World Entertainment''s efficiency had always been top-notch. They did not beat around the bush. Plus, the Big Boss had specially ordered his men to resolve this as soon as possible, so the Lady Boss could go back and rest. Liang Feixing gave a simple opening address, then he let the staff switch the projector behind him on.

    The screen lit up with a whir. From the top of the screen floated down the report of an internationally acimed stic surgery hospital. A stream of professional stic surgery terms scrolled past, then the bottom of the screen revealed the graphicparison of two faces.

    One was before stic surgery while the other was after.

    The face after stic surgery looked like Ning Xi''s, while the one before surgery¡­ was unexpectedly one of Glory World Entertainment''s previous A-listers, Su Yimo!

 Chapter 1652: Just Using That Face

    <h4>Chapter 1652: Just Using That Face</h4>

    When they had a clear look at the slide on the screen, there was pin-drop silence in the crowded multi-purpose hall.

    A few secondster, the reporters recovered from the shock and the crowd was in an uproar. They stared at the bogus Ning Xi. Cries and shrieks started to be heard non-stop.

    "Oh¡­ Oh my God! This is really deceiving my eyes! That¡­ That woman in the pre-surgery picture¡­ Isn''t that Su Yimo?"

    "There''s a name on the hospital medical record. It''s written there in ck and white. It''s Su Yimo!"

    "Wait¡­ Wait, wait! Let me get this straight! What the foock?! This¡­ This fake Ning Xi is actually Su Yimo after stic surgery? This is a modern-day magic drama!"

    ¡­

    Back then, Su Yimo had borrowed the title of Madam Lu to tyrannize the entertainment industry. She had dominated the limelight and no one couldpare to her until the real CEO Lu had appeared and exposed her on the spot. In fact, he had publicly announced that he long had a girlfriend whom he was in a stable rtionship with. After that, Su Yimo had vanished without a trace.

    Everyone thought that Su Yimo had angered Lu Tingxiao and had been banned from appearing in public, so the media kept quiet out of fear and did not dare to report anything about Su Yimo.

    Who would have thought that when they saw Su Yimo again, it would be under such shocking circumstances that could make one''s eyeballs fall off!?

    Su Yimo, who had disappeared for a long time, had taken on a new lease of life and undergone stic surgery to look exactly like Ning Xi. It was as if she had been carved from the same mold. Incredibly scary!

    "Excuse me, Miss. Are you really Su Yimo?"

    "Is the woman in all those videos you?"

    "Why did you get stic surgery to look like Ning Xi and frame her?"

    "Is it because back then Ning Xi had reced your position, so you wanted to use this way to get revenge on her?"

    ¡­

    Without Liang Feixing needing to say much, the reporters had already figured out the development of the entire situation. Besides, their deduction waspletely logical.

    The only thing they did not know was that Ning Xi was Lu Tingxiao''s real girlfriend that he had defended back then, and it was the secret reason Su Yimo had done stic surgery to look like Ning Xi.

    "Miss Su, please say something!"

    Facing the reporters'' barrage of questions and relentless pursuing, the woman in the red dress waspletely pale. Her body started to tremble vigorously as if she had been ripped off of all her clothes and was being exposed before everyone.

    Liang Feixing frowned. He red at the girl and gave her an urgent warning hint.

    The woman then looked up in apprehension. That delicate and beautiful face of hers waspletely revealed to everyone, causing a wave of rmed cries again.

    The scene then suddenly quieted down as if there was a unanimous agreement. They stared straight at the woman, afraid to miss anything she said. It was worth it for them to go all the way there to this remote ce for a press conference. The stunning news that day was enough to cause a stir in the entire entertainment industry.

    On the side, Ning Xi had scanned the woman too. Out of her trust in Lu Tingxiao, she had not asked much throughout the investigation. She too had only found out that this woman was Su Yimo through the projected slide. At that moment, she stared at that odd face that was exactly the same as hers as an indescribable feeling welled up in her. Clearly, she was also very surprised that Su Yimo would actually go to this extent¡­

    Facing the numerous eyes before her, the girl reflexively looked over towards Ning Xi.

    The girl''s skin was coarse and her outfit uncouth. There was no hint of her former bedazzling self.

    This slut¡­ She''s just been using that face of hers! Apart from this face, what else does she have? While being known for just a few awards, she''s wrecked my only capital. It''s so absurd that it''s such a joke!

 Chapter 1653: Turning Around To Charge The Victim

    <h4>Chapter 1653: Turning Around To Charge The Victim</h4>

    When they saw the woman stare at Ning Xi and not say anything for a long time, the reporters started to buzz with discussion and urge her again.

    At this moment, the woman looked at the crowd and she finally said, "I''m Su Yimo."

    She knew that since they had found her and had even retrieved those reports and images, it was useless even if she denied it.

    Although the reporters were already very clear about this, all of them still looked startled when they heard her personally admit it.

    "Really¡­ It really is Su Yimo!"

    "Is she crazy?"

    "Back then, even if it wasn''t Ning Xi who reced her, it would still have been someone else, wouldn''t it? She did not spare getting stic surgery to this extent and wanted to set Ning Xi up. How perverse!"

    "She had even had sex with so many men just to tarnish Ning Xi''s name! Oh my God! I''m so shocked that my view of the world has been shattered!"

    ¡­

    Just as the reporters confirmed the whole story of this incident, a tall male reporter in the crowd suddenly raised a suspicion. "Even if she''s Su Yimo, it doesn''t really prove anything, does it? It''s her choice to get stic surgery and look however she wants to! That doesn''t mean that the woman in the video is definitely her. If you guys really want to put it that way, can I also say that Su Yimo was dragged out by you, Glory World Entertainment, to help Ning Xi take the fault?"

    Once the reporter said this, all the other reporters exchanged questioning looks.

    This was a possibility that could not be ruled out entirely¡­

    "It wouldn''t really be Glory World finding someone to take the fault, would it?"

    "Maybe. The two of them really look so simr just from their appearance alone. It''s really hard to distinguish the genuine from the fake!"

    ¡­

    When he saw the crowd started to raise doubts too, the tall one smiled delightedly. He intentionally asked, "Miss Su, are you being threatened by Glory World Entertainment?"

    Su Yimo thought of something and her shoulders subtly cowered. She did not say anything and fear was obvious on her face. This reaction was no doubt to further convince every one of the reporter''s words.

    Liang Feixing''s expression did not change at all. He coldly looked to the reporter, then two pictures appeared on the screen behind them.

    One of the pictures was taken from thest scene of the sex tape between "Ning Xi" and the investor of "Mother" that was leaked on the Inte.

    In the video, there was a handphone at the bedside. When the man moved, he identally tapped on the phone and it lit up. The phone screen disyed the actual date and time of the moment.

    Because the video was very clear, the date and time on the phone could be seen very distinctly too.

    The second picture was taken from a security footage. In the picture was Ning Xi standing at the door. A woman had pulled open her door and was about to invite her in.

    This woman was unexpectedly Song Lin.

    The point was that this security footage timestamp had, as it turned out, ovepped with the time in thest picture.

    What did this mean?

    As long as one was not blind, they would understand.

    Unless Ning Xi knew how to clone herself, how could she appear on the investor''s bed and Song Lin''s doorstep at the same time?

    "During this time, I had invited Ning Xi to my house to be a guest. I wonder who the one in the video is then?"

    The sound of footsteps was heard at the door. No one could be sure when Song Lin had arrived. She started to walk step by step towards the stage with her staff apanying her.

    "Ah! It''s Song Lin!"

    "It''s Teacher Song!"

    ¡­

    Song Lin''s status in the entertainment industry was self-evident. No one would doubt her words., Besides, the evidence was undeniable. Even Song Lin had personallye out to prove it too.

    "I told you that the person in those videos definitely won''t be Bro Xi! Now, the whole truth is brought to light! Bro Xi has an alibi! There''s no way Teacher Song would lie!"

 Chapter 1654: Extremely Beautiful Face

    <h4>Chapter 1654: Extremely Beautiful Face</h4>

    There was a trace of gloom on the tall reporter''s face. "What about that? It''s only one of the videos with her alibi proven¡­"

    "Are you retarded? As long as it''s proven that the person in any one of the videos isn''t Ning Xi, that could entirely prove that this woman is trying to frame Ning Xi!"

    "Actually, I was already suspecting it from before. If Ning Xi were really a maniptive, vile person as you people say, then how could she be so careless when she did all these things? Every one of the videos was recorded by someone and so clearly too, especially the face! Isn''t this nonsensical?"

    "Unless she nned to record it herself!"

    "This is super sinister to scheme for such a long time and even put the me on the victim! Hey, which media house do you belong to? Are you Su Yimo''s shill?!"

    ¡­

    All the reporters talked at once and went against the tall reporter. Suddenly, he was tongue-tied.

    When the tall reporter saw that the situation was set in stone, he quietly left the multi-purpose hall while the reporters were fervently questioning Song Lin.

    This person thought that he was subtle enough, yet he did not know that he was already being watched closely. He had just stepped out when two tall and strong bodyguards stopped him and bundled him into a car¡­

    ¡­

    After the press conference ended, the issue was considered to havee to an end.

    Su Yimo looked absent-minded. Her expression was full of defeat. She would never have thought that there would be a slip-up like that in the end.

    Liang Feixing peered at the woman with a nk expression beside him, and there was a taunting sneer on his face. This woman had released so many videos at once in her hunger for revenge. She thought that the more evidence she released, the harder it would be for Ning Xi to make aeback, yet she forgot that the more information there were, the more ws would be revealed¡­

    "I¡­ I want to see Mr. Lu! I have something to say to Mr. Lu!" Su Yimo suddenly grabbed onto Liang Feixing''s arm and said emotionally.

    Liang Feixing tore her arm away with repulsion as he said coldly, "Do you think you can just meet CEO Lu whenever you wanted to?"

    Please, the Boss was a protective devil! He would not dare to send this woman who had used the Lady Boss''s face to sleep with men all over to meet his Boss to invite a scolding. Was that not suicide?

    Su Yimo said pressingly, "I''ve been used! Someone forced me! Someone forced me to do that! I didn''t have thoughts of harming Ning Xi! I wouldn''t dare touch Mr. Lu''s woman!"

    "Someone forced you? Who is it?" Liang Feixing immediately asked in a lowered voice when he heard her ims.

    "I¡­ I want to see Mr. Lu¡­ I can only tell Mr. Lu about this!" Su Yimo pleaded with a determined attitude.

    Liang Feixing pinched between his brows and took a look at her. He walked to the side and called Lu Tingxiao.

    Momentster, Liang Feixing finished his call and said impatiently, "Let''s go!"

    "Did CEO Lu agree to see me?" Su Yimo was instantly overjoyed. She quickly followed Liang Feixing into the car.

    After she got in, Su Yimo had frantically took her makeup out from her bag and started to carefully touch up. Her makeup for the day was an imitation of Ning Xi''s simple makeup that had once splendidly outshone all the beauties at the Golden Film Awards ceremony.

    Ever since then, Ning Xi had been dubbed the "Queen of Red Carpets".

    Su Yimo faced herself in the mirror. Slowly, she revealed the smile that she had practiced a thousand times. This face had been blessed by the heavens and was perfect to the point of wlessness.

    However, now, it was hers! Even if came to Ning Xi herself, she could notpare to her!

    Liang Feixing drove as he sneaked peeks at the woman behind from the rearview mirror. When he saw Su Yimo smile with Ning Xi''s face, even though that face was extremely beautiful, chills were sent down his spine.

 Chapter 1655: Devote Her Life

    <h4>Chapter 1655: Devote Her Life</h4>

    In the room of a certain private club.

    When she saw the noble and frigidly arrogant man, a peculiar shine glowed in Su Yimo''s eyes. "Mr. Lu¡­ I¡­"

    "Cut the crap! You''re looking at the Boss himself now, so just exin who''s the person manipting you from behind the scenes!" Liang Feixing urged as he was afraid that his Boss would be unhappy confronting this face.

    "I don''t know who they are, he''s always hidden his identity when contacting me, but I was really under duress! That person even threatened that if I didn''t listen to their orders, they''d kill me! He forced me to get stic surgery, and even made me do those things to frame Ning Xi!" Su Yimo stared at Lu Tingxiao, insisting that she had not done it voluntarily. She looked sorrowful and exploited, indicating that she was a victim of the circumstances too.

    From the side, Liang Feixing observed this woman that had the tear-stained face of a beauty. He could not help but roll his eyes. Forced? Even if there was someone pulling strings from behind the scenes, she must have yed a part in the entire plot as well!

    This woman clearly wished for Ning Xi to have her reputation swept away, and probably even wanted to use this face to seduce the Boss. She was probably more than thrilled to coborate with the other party!

    If it were something that even he could understand, his Boss could obviously distinguish it too. Only this dumb woman still dared to spew foolish words and even use that dreamy gaze to look at the Boss.

    When he finished listening to Su Yimo''s justification, Lu Tingxiao raised his hand. Very soon, someone escorted Su Yimo out.

    Su Yimo was in disbelief when she saw what was happening. He had not even faced her directly, let alone utter a single word to her.

    "Mr. Lu¡­ Mr. Lu¡­ Everything I said was true¡­"

    Su Yimo''s voice faded outside the door. Liang Feixing inched closer to probe, "Boss, do we need to use any special measures to investigate her further?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "No."

    It was obvious that Su Yimo did not know anything. Since the other party had dared to go to such an extent, they would not have left any loopholes and clues on Su Yimo''s end.

    Liang Feixing had thought of this too. His expression was solemn as he said, "There''s nothing we can find out from Su Yimo. That reporter also imed that he was just acting for the sake of money. What do we do now? Could Su Yimo be directing and acting by herself, and that there isn''t even anybody making her their puppet?"

    "You can go back now. I''ll appoint someone to investigate this matter," dismissed Lu Tingxiao.

    "Oh, oh, understood. I''ll focus on looking after Lady Boss!" Liang Feixing nodded, then he said, "Boss, don''t you worry. With the things Su Yimo has done to frame, nder, and disseminate explicit media along with other numerous crimes, she''ll be behind bars for at least three to five years. For that face of hers to have healed to that extent in such a short amount of time would definitely have required elerated surgical methods. It''ll be ruined and won''t be able tost past half a year¡­"

    "Let her go," Lu Tingxiao suddenlymanded.

    When Liang Feixing heard his Boss, he was dumbfounded. What?! Let her go?

    Could the Boss have bent his will for the sake of that face?

    Gah! How could the Boss be someone who lost his head over lust? Even if he was, he would only lose his head for the Lady Boss!

    "Boss, are you thinking of¡­ luring a snake out of its hole?"

    ¡­

    In City D.

    This press conference was probably the most rxed one that Ning Xi had ever attended. It was over without her even saying anything throughout.

    "Sis Lin, thank you so much this time around!" On the way back, Ning Xi could not stop gushing.

    Song Lin looked at the girl''s appreciative face. Despite not having any makeup on, and even having deliberately exposed herself to the sun for the film, hence making her skin be in a poorer condition, she still looked charming. "No need to thank me. I didn''t discover the clue. Everything I did was just a very slight effort."

    "Well, I''d still need to thank you for being willing to appear for me! Thank you!"

    People in the entertainment industry usually preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble. Who would be willing to get involved in such things? Furthermore, for someone of Song Lin''s stature, she could havepletely stayed out of it.

    Ever since she had gotten to know Song Lin, she felt that the woman was incredibly caring towards her to an extent that she actually felt a little overwhelmed!

    If she were a man, she would probably have devoted her life to this goddess!

 Chapter 1656: His Brotherâ€™s Secret Date

    <h4>Chapter 1656: His Brother¡¯s Secret Date</h4>

    All the rted videos disappeared from the Inte after Glory World Entertainment ended the press conference. Su Yimo''s transformation into Ning Xi became the talk of the town, and things only calmed down slightly after Ning Xi was done with filming.

    "Sis Lin! We can finally go back! To show my appreciation, I''d like to treat you to a meal tomorrow night!"

    A night before they wrapped up, Ning Xi invited Song Lin for dinner. She had not been able to thank her properly because they had to rush the progress of the movie. The first thing she wanted to do when she had the time was to acknowledge her deed.

    Song Lin nced regretfully at her. "Tomorrow? I''m booked out. Can we change the date?"

    "Of course, I''m fine with any day!" There must be many people who wanted to meet Song Lin when she returned, so Ning Xi did not think much about it and agreed.

    After she went back to her room, Ning Xi gave Lu Tingxiao a call.

    "Darling, I''m going back home tomorrow!"

    "I''ll send Cheng Feng to pick you up at the airport tomorrow. I have an appointment at night, but I''ll try to get back earlier," Lu Tingxiao said gently.

    "Alright, get back to work!"

    ¡­

    The next day, in a members-only Chinese restaurant in Imperial.

    "Hey, Second Master! What brings you here today?" A slender hostess in a qipao greeted Lu Jingli felicitously.

    "I''m treating some clients to a meal tonight. Get me a room!" Lu Jingli was slowly bing somewhat alcoholic.

    "How unfortunate! Your room has been booked tonight!" The hostess apologized.

    "Booked? By whom?" Lu Jingli frowned.

    "CEO Lu!"

    "My brother? Impossible!" Lu Jingli looked surprised.

    His sister-inw wasing back today, so just who could be important enough to get his brother out today? And to have dinner there!

    This restaurant was called Wang Jiang Tower and there was a room in the restaurant exclusively for the Lu Corporation. The deal was that the room would be avable anytime to them.

    "Who''s my brothering with?" Lu Jingli asked curiously.

    "Well¡­" The hostess hesitated.

    Lu Jingli raised his eyebrows. "Is there something you can''t tell me?"

    The hostess knew how close the brothers were, so she felt like there was nothing to hide anyway. She replied in a hushed tone, "CEO Lu is with Ms. Song."

    "Ms. Song? Which Ms. Song?"

    "The rumored girlfriend of CEO Lu!" She answered quietly while revealing an expression that said, "I know about it already, so you don''t have to hide it from me!"

    Lu Jingli''s eyebrows shot up again. "Who told you that¡­ the family name of my sister-inw is Song?"

    She was stunned. "Uhh, so CEO Lu''s girlfriend isn''t Song Lin?"

    Lu Jingli was bbergasted. "Song Lin? You''re overthinking!"

    "Ah¡­ So, I misunderstood! CEO Lu was with Ms. Song Lin tonight. I thought¡­ My bad, " the hostess apologized with a smile.

    Lu Tingxiao''s girlfriend was still a secret, but many people guessed that it was someone from the entertainment industry, and just how many people within the industry could be on par with him?

    Song Lin had the highest likelihood, so she thought that it was Song Lin since Lu Tingxiao was meeting her tonight, but it had been a mistake¡­

    That was weird. Who else could it be?

 Chapter 1657: What I Want Isâ€¦

    <h4>Chapter 1657: What I Want Is¡­</h4>

    Lu Jingli was touching his chin after he heard the hostess''s reply, "What? My brother is with Song Lin?"

    What was he doing with Song Lin?

    The Lu Corporation had gotten into some trouble recently. Every big stakeholder was targeted, and Song Lin held 5% of the Lu Corporation''s shares¡­

    Could it be rted to this?

    "Thanks, I''ve got it!" Lu Jingli was pacing around mindlessly. Without realizing, he was already standing in front of the room.

    With his sharp senses, he felt that their meeting was not that simple¡­

    At the moment, inside the room.

    "Thank you for your helpst time, Ms. Song." Lu Tingxiao gave a toast to her.

    Song Lin took a sip and smiled. "You''re wee, CEO Lu. Of course, I''d help Xiao Xi."

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression froze when he heard her reply.

    Song Lin then continued, "Xiao Xi and I hit it off pretty well. I like her! Girls like her are very rare in the industry. Someone who''s truly passionate about acting with such an incredible look¡­ Plus, she was willing to put in more effort and was also able to stay true to herself. Even¡­ With someone like you behind her back, she never used you, CEO Lu. How¡­ cute¡­"

    Song Lin spoke a lot, but Lu Tingxiao only listened quietly and did not interrupt.

    Suddenly, the conversation took a sharp turn. "I wonder if you know that someone offered me a high price to buy my share of 5% that I have in the Lu Corporation¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "A little birdy told me."

    Compared to those who were in favor of the current CEO, neutral parties like Song Lin were valuable targets, so it was expected.

    This was the other reason he wanted to see Song Lin today.

    Outside the room, Lu Jingli tensed up as he heard their conversation.

    Damn it, it was really about the shares¡­

    He had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

    "I''m really hesitating. Should I sell it or not?" Song Lin was swirling the liquid in her wine ss. Despite her casual tone, it was an obvious hint.

    "Name your condition," Lu Tingxiao suggested straightforwardly.

    Since she had looked for him, it meant that there was still room for negotiation and that she had something she needed from him.

    Lu Jingli chewed on his finger nervously outside the door. What the heck!? He could totally foresee what was going to happen next!

    There were too many women who were trying to get into the Lu family after all.

    Was Song Lin trying to force his brother?

    "Actually¡­ I''m not interested in money. Acting''s just a pastime for me now¡­ but¡­ recently, I found something¡­ that I¡­ really want¡­" Song Lin looked at the man passionately. "What I want is¡­"

    Lu Jingli was having a nerve-wracking moment outside the room!

    Damn it! As expected! He had gotten it all right!

    Song Lin was aiming for his brother!

    Song Lin was going to say "I want you" next!

    "What I want is¡­ Ning Xi."

    Both Lu Tingxiao and the little prophet Lu Jingli were speechless.

    What?!

    What did just Song Lin say?

    There had to be something wrong with Lu Jingli''s eavesdropping!

 Chapter 1658: Forgoing His Glory

    <h4>Chapter 1658: Forgoing His Glory</h4>

    The person Song Lin liked was not his brother, but it was¡­ Xiao Xi Xi?!

    The progression of this subject was like an unguarded wild dog! It was totally unexpected!

    Lu Jingli was stunned outside the room. He felt like he had just been struck by lightning, and he could almost smell his skin burning.

    Just how amazing was Xiao Xi Xi!?

    He could just kneel before her right now¡­

    He felt really sad for his brother¡­

    There was a 10-second silence in the room.

    "She''s not an item." The man''s expression turned cold. The temperature in the room plummeted drastically as a result of him suppressing himself for Ning Xi''s sake.

    "CEO Lu, you understand what I mean." Song Lin looked at him meaningfully. "I totally understand why you''d choose Xiao Xi. She''s really cute and charming, and what you desire is just her outward appearance. If that''s the case, there''s someone more suitable right now!"

    Song Lin was obviously talking about Su Yimo.

    "As for Xiao Xi, she was born to fulfill her dreams. She was born for her fans. She wasn''t born to be someone''s pet or exclusive property."

    "She''s not a pet. Neither is she an exclusive property. She''s the person I''m spending the rest of my life with."

    Song Lin did not expect that reply and was caught off guard. She frowned a little. "I believe that you understand you''re not suitable for her, and you can''t give her what she wants. As for me, I could bring her to new heights that she longs for¡­"

    Suddenly, there was a resounding thud. In his stunned stupor, Lu Jingli had identally fallen inside the room.

    Song Lin and Lu Tingxiao looked at the door, both of them with an indescribable expression on their faces.

    Lu Jingli crawled back up, then he scratched his head awkwardly. "Uhh¡­ Haha¡­ I¡­ I was just passing by¡­ and identally fell¡­ Please continue¡­ Continue¡­"

    He then ran away.

    After five seconds, Lu Jingli ran back in and poked his head inside the room. "Actually, Beauty Song, you''re mistaken about one thing¡­ Xiao Xi Xi''s dream is to be at the top of the entertainment industry alright¡­ But the reason she''s so desperate to be on the top¡­ It''s all¡­ for the sake of marrying my brother!"

    Lu Jingli then mmed the door and fled, forgoing his glory!

    Song Lin was speechless.

    ¡­

    Ning Tianxin was about to leave the country soon, so Ning Xi took her out for dinner since she was free.

    "Sis Tianxin, Wang Jiang Tower''s dishes are really delicious. You can never find this taste overseas, so you have to eat more tonight!" Ning Xi tugged Ning Tianxin''s arm.

    The both of them were walking inside and unexpectedly bumped into another pair.

    Lu Tingxiao¡­

    And her goddess¡­

    Ning Xi was a little confused when she saw the two of them walking out of the room.

    Could it be that¡­ her goddess'' meeting tonight was with Lu Tingxiao?

    Lu Tingxiao''s appointment was with Sis Lin?

    Ning Xi blinked her eyes. She came back to her senses after a while, then she quickly greeted, "Boss, Sis Lin, you guys are here for dinner too!"

    While Ning Xi''s tone sounded normal, her expression was skeptical when she looked at them.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned as he knew that Ning Xi had misunderstood something judging by her reaction, but it was not an appropriate time to exin. "Mmm, some business matters."

 Chapter 1659: Could Not Be Stolen Away By Anyone

    <h4>Chapter 1659: Could Not Be Stolen Away By Anyone</h4>

    "Oh, oh¡­ I asked Sis Tianxin out for a meal!"

    Lu Tingxiao reached out to caress the girl''s hair. "I''ll wait for you toe home."

    "Okay¡­"

    After they finished, both parties started to walk towards their respective directions.

    Ning Xi had gone halfway when she could not help but turn around to watch the silhouette of their backs.

    Even though Song Lin was slightly older than Lu Tingxiao, she had maintained herself so amazingly well. No one would be suspicious even if she said that she was in her twenties, yet the aura on her was definitely not something any ordinary girl couldpare to. At this moment, as she stood with Lu Tingxiao, they seemed like two royals standing side by side.

    That was the exact state she had been striving for¡­ She hoped to stand shoulder to shoulder with Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Ning Xi was watching them when she vaguely thought she heard their conversation.

    "CEO Lu, I was serious about everything I said tonight. I hope you can consider it through."

    "There''s no need to."

    ¡­

    After they entered the private room, Ning Xi was quite absent-minded.

    Ning Tianxin obviously had taken in the whole scene from earlier. She worriedly said, "Xiao Xi, are you okay? Didn''t Mr. Lu already tell you earlier? They''re just discussingpany matters. Don''t think too much¡­"

    Ning Xi hit her head on the table in sorrow. "Oh, how could this be!?"

    When Ning Tianxin saw her being emotional, she wanted to continue consoling her, yet Ning Xi continued, "My goddess is very suitable with the Big Boss, am I right?!"

    Ning Tianxin could only respond with a stammer.

    This reaction was clearly not within her expectations at all¡­

    Ning Xi sighed, then she suddenly really felt like rolling on the ground. "It kind of feels like my idol is being snatched away!"

    At this moment, Ning Tianxin did not know what to say anymore. This girl was not worried about Lu Tingxiao being stolen but instead, she was worried about¡­ Song Lin being snapped up?

    Maybe, in this girl''s sub-conscience, she was confident that Lu Tingxiao could not be stolen away by anyone¡­

    Initially, Ning Tianxin had been very worried about Ning Xi dating Lu Tingxiao, yet as time went on, she knew that Lu Tingxiao was truly serious about Ning Xi, and what moved her the most was the trust between them.

    ¡­

    At tinum Pce.

    Lu Tingxiao had just reached home when Lu Jingli followed suit and fled from his brother''s sight.

    On the sofa in the living room, his brother''s expression darkened as he pinched between his brows.

    Lu Jingli silently indicated his heartfelt sympathy. The forces that wanted to snatch his brother''s wife had already evolved to such a stage, and it was really bing more and more ferocious¡­

    Lu Jingli walked over and sighed, "Bro, this is all my fault. It''s my fault that I didn''t check the ins and outs of Song Lin properly, but this woman really hid it so well! Who would have thought that she liked both men and women!?"

    When he said this, Lu Jingli carefully shot his brother a sidelong look, then he murmured, "One must know¡­ Song Lin''s position in Xiao Xi Xi''s heart is extraordinary. If this woman failed to get a jump start on your end, she''ll directly approach Xiao Xi Xi. I''m really afraid that Xiao Xi Xi won''t be able to control herself¡­"

    The instant he made contact with his brother''s deadly gaze, Lu Jingli shrunk back, but he still braced himself and said, "Bro, trust me. In any case, I''ve been in the entertainment industry for pretty long, so I''m quite sure that the meaning of an idol to a fan is beyond your imagination. At key moments, in front of idols, even husbands would need to take a back seat¡­"

    In short, his brother''s romantic rival this time was really extremely awesome¡­

 Chapter 1660: Not Your Romantic Rival, Shes Mine

    <h4>Chapter 1660: Not Your Romantic Rival, She''s Mine</h4>

    After they finished dinner, Ning Xi sent Ning Tianxin home, then drove to tinum Pce.

    On the way, Ning Xi had a huge load on her mind and she wanted to look for the little bun to cure it with cuddles when she got home. However, she suddenly remembered that the little bun was still at the old residence!

    Thus, Ning Xi was suddenly like a sunflower without the sun. She looked listless as her head hung down before she flung herself onto the sofa.

    Shey down, lost in her thoughts for a while when footsteps suddenly shuffled behind her.

    "Why''re you lying down here?"

    Ning Xi turned to see Lu Tingxiao who seemed to have just gotten out of the shower and was wearing low-slung pajamas¡­

    Her eyes traveled up and down this man who was a feast for her sight. Ning Xi instantly puffed up her cheeks and revealed an unhappy expression.

    Lu Tingxiao walked over to sit down beside the girl. "You have something on your mind?"

    Ning Xi nodded vigorously in all honesty. "Mmm!"

    Lu Tingxiao asked, "Because of Song Lin?"

    Ning Xi continued to nod. "Mm-hmm!"

    Lu Tingxiao chose his words carefully as he thought about how to start.

    "Oh, my goddess has suddenly be my romantic rival. How can I continue to face the goddess from now on?" Ning Xi was at a loss as she grumbled.

    Clearly, Ning Xi had the same idea as Lu Jingli at first. They both thought that Song Lin liked Lu Tingxiao.

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless when he heard her.

    My wife, you have thought too much! Song Lin isn''t your romantic rival. Instead, she''s mine.

    Ning Xi did not notice Lu Tingxiao''s unusual expression. She was still feeling dejected. Of all people, it had to be Song Lin, her idol that she had always admired. Even she felt that she was close to perfection and suited Lu Tingxiao more than she did.

    As he watched the girl in all her confusion, Lu Tingxiao faintly sighed. Atst, he still did not tell Ning Xi the truth.

    After all, the other person was someone Ning Xi had always admired, so he did not wish to ruin Ning Xi''s pure and beautiful affection.

    Lu Tingxiao said, "It''s good that you know, so the next time, it''s best if you didn''t get too close to Song Lin."

    Ning Xi felt that Lu Tingxiao made sense, so she nodded. "Understood!"

    After all, such a rtionship was really just too awkward.

    Lu Tingxiao let the girl''s dispirited little head lean on his shoulder as he continued to coax her patiently. "From today onwards, try your best to avoid being alone with Song Lin. Understand?"

    Ning Xi replied, "Mmm!"

    Lu Tingxiao continued to urge her, "Don''t ept any of her invitations after 10 p.m."

    Ning Xi could only respond, "Okay¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao added, "Maintain your distance and avoid any intimate bodily contact."

    Ning Xi felt her mouth twitch. "Uhh¡­ The first two I still understand, but why this one?"

    They were both women, and would sometimes cling arms or hug for a while. That was all very normal, was it not?

    "To avoid any friction and conflicts," Lu Tingxiao exined casually.

    Ning Xi scratched her head. "Oh¡­"

    Is that so?

    Why do the three requests seem a bit weird when put together?

    Forget it, I''ll stop thinking about it.

    Ning Xi rolled into Lu Tingxiao''s embrace, her watery eyes filled with longing. "Darling¡­"

    "Hmm?"

    "I miss the little bun!"

    "Are you working tomorrow?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Ning Xi''s eyes instantly brightened. "No, it''s my rest day tomorrow! Apart from sending Sis Tianxin to the airport, I''ve got nothing else to do!"

    "Okay, tomorrow I''ll bring Little Treasure back."

    "Mmm mmm!" Once she heard that she could see her dearest Little Treasure again, Ning Xi immediately left all her worries buried at the back of her head.

 Chapter 1661: Quite Cute

    <h4>Chapter 1661: Quite Cute</h4>

    In a private room of a certain bar in Imperial.

    The woman took out a contract from her bag, then she casuallyy it on the table. She lit a cigarette andzily took a drag.

    Tang Ye''s eyes stayed on the contract for a second before he reached out to take it.

    He flipped it over slightly. He was then surprised to see the share transfer agreement already signed with a woman''s name, Song Lin.

    Yun Shen leaned on the sofa and held a ss of red wine in his hand. He looked at the signed agreement from the corner of his eyes and asked, "What? Miss Song, have you changed your mind?"

    Song Lin unhurriedly exhaled the smoke. "CEO Yun offered me. I have no reason to reject it. Isn''t that so?"

    Yun Shen smiled faintly as he looked at this woman opposite him. Obviously, he did not believe that she would sell her shares to him because of this. If she had really been tempted by the offer, she would not have dragged it on for so long.

    "Who would have thought¡­ that you''d also be interested in the position of being Madam Lu?" Yun Shen''s words were pretty explicit.

    In other words, Song Lin was prepared to use this five percent of shares to seize Lu Tingxiao, but she had failed.

    Song Lin raised her brows ever so slightly as she said indistinctly, "There is something I''m indeed interested in, but it''s not Lu Tingxiao."

    "Oh?"

    Some unknown thought shed through Song Lin''s mind and a passionate fire lit her eyes up. "I wonder if you know that girl by Lu Tingxiao''s side, CEO Yun?"

    Yun Shen''s hand that was pensively swirling his wine ss had reflexively paused, "Ning Xi? I''ve heard of her. Why?"

    Song Lin''s head tilted to the side and sheughed lightly. "She''s quite cute."

    The corner of Yun Shen''s mouth twitched as he was speechless.

    Even Tang Ye''s expression darkened.

    Clearly, the two of them had not expected to hear such an answer.

    When Song Lin saw this, she raised her brows. "CEO Yun, you aren''t like those vulgarmoners, are you?"

    Yun Shen''s expression darkened slightly. He was not interested in Song Lin''s sexual orientation. Besides, he did not find this strange either.

    He really did not expect that Song Lin''s final reason to take on a united front with him to be this outrageous.

    It was a possibility that Song Lin had tried to use this five percent of shares to exchange Ning Xi with Lu Tingxiao, but he had rejected, so she hade looking for him.

    On one hand, it could have been because of Lu Tingxiao''s rejection. On the other hand, it was also likely because she had yet to have given up¡­

    The Lu family had already had thoughts of connecting families by marriages. The more pressure the Lu Corporation was under, the quicker this matter would be urged and prompted. When that happened, Lu Tingxiao would need to marry another woman, and the two of them would naturally break up¡­

    A few moments of contemtionter, Yun Shen hurled out his hand. "Well then, Miss Song, happy coborating!"

    The enemy''s enemy is a friend.

    There was one more saying. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind .

    "Happy coborating!"

    Yun Shen was about to continue exining some details rted to the contract when his phone suddenly rang.

    "Hello?"

    "Boss, Hei Long has been rescued!"

    "Rescued?" Yun Shen was surprised at the news he heard. "Got it. I''ll be back right away."

    After he finished his call, Yun Shen looked apologetically to the woman before him. "Apologies, I have some emergency to deal with. I''ll discuss in detail with you on another day, Miss Song."

    "Feel free to, CEO Yun!"

    ¡­

    In the suburbs of Beijing.

    Yun Shen and Tang Ye had rushed back.

    "What happened? Who made the move?" Yun Shen asked in a lowered voice.

    Previously, even Feng Xiaoxiao could not get him out, so how had he been rescued?

    Initially, he had already prepared to n for the worst because based on his understanding of Lu Tingxiao, he would definitely not let them have any chances of getting the person out!

 Chapter 1662: Helping In Secret

    <h4>Chapter 1662: Helping In Secret</h4>

    The henchman replied, "I was patrolling when I saw a person by the door. I looked closely and realized it was Hei Long¡­"

    Yun Shen squinted his eyes. "You mean¡­ Hei Long appeared there on his own?"

    "Yes!"

    "Did someone from our side take action?"

    The henchman grimaced a little. "I thought it was someone from our side who did it too, but after my investigation, everyone gave up after your orders from thest time. Therefore, there shouldn''t be anyone who''d have done it on their own. Boss, do you think Hei Long escaped on his own?"

    Yun Shen nced over. "Escaped on his own? You want to try it out yourself?"

    "Uhh¡­" The henchmen were afraid and they stopped talking.

    Even Feng Xiaoxiao failed to rescue Hei Long from the ce he was detained. She had even almost lost her life. Hei Long looked really exhausted, so it was impossible for him to escape on his own.

    "Where''s he?" Yun Shen asked.

    "Upstairs. He''s still unconscious."

    "Let me know the moment he''s awake."

    "Got it!"

    Yun Shen tilted his head and looked at the quiet Tang Ye. He slung his arm over his shoulder. "Ye, what are you thinking about?"

    Tang Ye came back to his senses and spoke, "I feel like something is odd. It''s impossible for Hei Long to escape on his own, but it''s not our people who rescued him. This means¡­"

    "Someone''s helping us in secret?" He naturally led up to the same conclusion.

    Tang Ye looked at the henchman who had found Hei Long. "Get someone to investigate if there''s any reaction from Lu Tingxiao''s side."

    "Got it!"

    Soon, news came back.

    "Boss, Bro Ye, we''ve looked into it. An anonymous person forcefully broke in and took Hei Long away from Lu Tingxiao''s ce. There were no traces left. Even Lu Tingxiao doesn''t know who did it. They probably thought we did it!" The henchman replied.

    "Forcefully broke in?" Yun Shen dragged out.

    Tang Ye''s expression changed. The detaining location was inundated with numerous traps, not just anyone could break through it. One would simply need the knowledge of solving traps and extremely rich experience.

    Tang Ye said in a deep voice, "What we can be sure about is that someone is helping us in the dark. There are two possibilities of who this person is. One, this person is on another level above Xiaoxiao. The people whom I know under this category won''t help us without a good reason. Two, there''s a traitor among Lu Tingxiao''s people who helped us to get Hei Long out."

    Yun Shen stroked his chin. "Huh, things are getting more interesting¡­"

    "Boss, Hei Long''s woken up!" Suddenly, someone rushed in and reported.

    Inside one of the room upstairs.

    The man was struggling to get up when he saw Tang Ye and Yun Shen. "Boss, Bro Ye¡­"

    Tang Ye put his hand on the man''s shoulder gently. "Lie down. We just have something to ask you. Who rescued you?"

    Hei Long was taken aback. "It wasn''t you guys who sent someone for me?"

    "You didn''t see who rescued you?" Tang Ye frowned.

    Hei Long tried to remember. "I remember I was sleeping at that time, then I realized someone was closing in. Before I could see who was it, I lost consciousness and when I woke up, I was already here¡­"

 Chapter 1663: Taking My Spotlight?

    <h4>Chapter 1663: Taking My Spotlight?</h4>

    Tang Ye and Yun Shen looked at each other silently.

    Soon, Qiao Yi arrived after he found out what happened.

    "What happened?"

    Tang Ye summarized the incident to Qiao Yi.

    Qiao Yi then threw sharp gazes at Hei Long who was still on the bed.

    Hei Long endured his injury and quickly spoke, "Boss, Uncle Qiao, rest assured. I only told them some useless information. They tried everything to know about our underground deals. Luckily, I was rescued tonight¡­ If not¡­ I might¡­ really not have made through it¡­"

    It was not unusual for them to be this nervous when Hei Long had been captured by Lu Tingxiao. The situation had been really jumpytely. A wrong move at this point might be fatal. If their underground deals were exposed, they would have to half all their trades, and the loss of revenue would be severely destructive. If they did not stop, they would get caught red-handed¡­

    As Hei Long was speaking, Feng Xiaoxiao stormed into the room as she rolled up her sleeves. "Damn it! Who is it!? Taking away my spotlight? Hei Long! Who got you out?"

    Even she as the top mercenary had not been able to rescue him, and now he was alive and well! What a humiliation!

    "Sis Xiao, I was unconscious, so I don''t know as well¡­" Hei Long put on a bitter smile, not forgetting to put out someone''s rage. "It might be a traitor from the Lu Corporation¡­"

    Qiao Yi looked at Feng Xiaoxiao with a darkened expression. "Xiaoxiao, from now on, you don''t have to bother with any other mission. Finish your S-ranked mission within a month!"

    Feng Xiaoxiao''s back tensed up and she almost cried, "Yes, Master!"

    Damn it! Clearing that mission within a month was like asking her to die!

    ¡­

    The next morning, at the Lu residence.

    "What did you say?" Lu Chongshan stood up angrily as he listened to the reports from his subordinates.

    Yan Ruyi looked anxious as well. "Did you say Song Lin sold all her shares¡­ to that person?"

    "Yes, I''ve already confirmed it."

    "Does Tingxiao know about it already?" Lu Chongshan asked in a deep voice.

    "CEO Lu already knows about it.''

    "Okay, you can leave now!" Lu Chongshan waved his hands impatiently.

    After the subordinate left, Lu Chongshan could not suppress his anger anymore. "This Song Lin¡­ We, the Lu Corporation, have not been mistreating her over the years, yet she betrayed us at this critical moment without batting an eye. Artistes are heartless! That''s for sure!"

    Yan Ruyi frowned. "I thought Song Lin was a pretty nice person¡­ I didn''t expect¡­"

    "Where''s Little Treasure? Is he up yet? We can''t just keep waiting anymore!" Lu Chongshan said in a rush.

    He had been really pleased when Little Treasure tried to ept other girls and was really cooperative by staying over and choosing the girls for his father seriously.

    However, as time passed by, he realized that the little guy was serious. In fact, he was a little too serious and he took such a long time just shortlisting. Until now, the party had not happened yet.

    Things were getting worse with time. He simply could not wait anymore!

    "Grandfather, Grandmother!" At this moment, a cute little bun walked down the stairs.

 Chapter 1664: Cute Little Grandson

    <h4>Chapter 1664: Cute Little Grandson</h4>

    The little bun was very adorable today. His face was a little red. Furthermore, the way he called "Grandfather, Grandmother" just melted their hearts. They would not hesitate to pick out the stars from the sky if he asked for it.

    "Little Treasure,e over to Grandfather!" Lu Chongshan''s expression turned from angry to happy the instant he saw his grandson.

    "I want a hug from Grandfather!" The little guy opened his arms wide as he walked over to his grandfather.

    Lu Chongshan was overjoyed as he held the little guy in his arms. "Okay, hugs for you!"

    "Grandfather, Father ising over to pick me upter. It''s been a long time since I''ve been with Father, but don''t you worry. I''ll be back to apany you soon. Don''t miss me too much!" The little guy was chatting to his grandfather like he was the adult.

    Lu Chongshan felt really content. "Alright, you''re such a good child!"

    Yan Ruyi was speechless by her husband''s transformation and she coughed lightly to remind him.

    Who had been the one in a rush just now? He forgot about everything when he saw Little Treasure¡­

    Lu Chongshan came back to his senses, then he hemmed awkwardly as he looked at his dear grandson and asked gently, "Little Treasure, are you done picking from the list already? We have to finalize it within this month!"

    Little Treasure''s mind was working fast. He knew that his n to dy hade to an end. He could start the next phase now, so he nodded, "Alright, Grandfather, I''ll be quick. I''ll be done in the next few days!"

    Lu Chongshan let out a sigh of relief. "That''s great, that''s great¡­"

    His cute grandson was the best!

    Little Treasure went to his grandmother and held onto her hands before he asked with a serious expression, "Grandmother, what kind of daughter-inw do you like? I, Little Treasure, will surely pick someone nice and filial, so she can take care of Grandmother with me!"

    Yan Ruyi was really touched by his words. "Good boy, thank you very much¡­''

    As Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan were talking to their grandson, Lu Chongshan caught a nce of his own son at the door and his expression darkened.

    "You''re here."

    Lu Tingxiao saw that his son had dealt with both the elders well. "Mm-hmm, I''m here to get Little Treasure."

    Lu Chongshan''s expression turned dour. It was obvious that they were going to see that woman, but he did not point it out to avoid making Little Treasure unhappy.

    "Do you know about what Song Lin''s done already?" Lu Chongshan asked.

    "Yes." Lu Tingxiao had zero expression on his face, making Lu Chongshan feel like he had punched cotton.

    He wanted to avoid fighting in front of Little Treasure, so he stopped talking. "Go now, be careful!"

    "Goodbye, Grandfather. Goodbye, Grandmother!"

    "Alright, goodbye, Little Treasure!"

    "Be careful!"

    ¡­

    In the car, Little Treasure switched from cute grandson mode to his usual cool mode.

    "Where''s Mommy?" As expected, his first question was about his mother.

    "At your aunt''s ce. We''ll go to the airport to send her off first," replied Lu Tingxiao.

    "Mmm." The little bun nodded and never said anything else. He was busy working on something on his phone.

 Chapter 1665: Not Love

    <h4>Chapter 1665: Not Love</h4>

    At the Mo residence.

    Mo Lingtian was sleeping soundly when he was suddenly awoken by the sound of the phone ringing. He was instantly fired up. "Who is it? Early in the morning¡­ Looking for death?"

    "Bloody hell! Mo Lingtian, I''m getting married today! You said you''d be with the bros to pick up the bride. Look at what time it is!" From the other end of the phone came a man''s raging voice.

    Mo Lingtian was stunned for a moment and he murmured in a daze, "Pick up the bride?"

    "Dude! You didn''t forget, did you? I don''t want to nag you, Mo Lingtian, but what''s up with you nowadays? You''re always distracted, you don''te for gatherings, you don''t join for socials either, now you''ve even forgotten about something as huge as me getting married!"

    "You''re so noisy! Why are you foolishly shouting? I''ll be there right away!" Mo Lingtian hung up and irritatedly ruffled his messy hair, then he showered and changed before swiftly rushing downstairs.

    In the living room, Mo Jianzhang and Kang Shuhui were having breakfast.

    Mo Lingtian casually picked up a piece of buttered toast. "Father, Mother, I won''t be having breakfast. I''ve got an emergency and I''ve got to leave now!"

    Kang Shuhui frowned and tried to stop him. "You should at least have some breakfast. It''s so early. Where are you rushing to?"

    "Hao Zi is getting married!" Mo Lingtian casually answered.

    "Oh, right¡­ the son of the Zhuos is getting married today¡­" Kang Shuhui vaguely recalled. She was still mumbling nkly when she came back to her senses momentster. "Quickly go then, don''t bete!"

    "Mmm," Mo Lingtian answered muffledly before he rushed out of the door.

    He had just reached the door when Mo Lingtian''s face sunk.

    Had it been in the past, when he had friends who were getting married or even if they had just gotten a girlfriend, his parents would take turns to nag him for three days straight. They would urge him to get a girlfriend and shove marriage down his throat.

    However, ever since that incident, the two of them had not even once mentioned getting him a girlfriend or urging him to get married¡­

    Since he turned 20 years old, his ears had never experienced such peace!

    It was so peaceful that he was not used to it¡­

    The murmurs of a woman faintly shed across his mind¡­

    Lingtian, thest thing¡­ I could do for you¡­

    He knew that he owed her too much, but this self-me and guilt was not love.

    Mo Lingtian wiped his face as if he was trying very hard to wipe the chaos in his head away. Then, he started his car engine.

    ¡­

    At the Imperial airport.

    Ning Xi was reluctant to part ways as she hugged the girl tightly. "Sis Tianxin! I hate to part with you!"

    "I''ll contact you often."

    "Remember to take care of yourself well. If you need anything, you must let me know!"

    "Got it!"

    "Also, you must remember to continue to take the medicine that Annie prescribed you. Also, the public safety abroad isn''t as good as it is here, so you have to be particrly careful. Don''t go out alone at night. Also¡­ also¡­"

    When she saw that Ning Xi was not stopping nagging her, there was an extremely feeble voice from a certain someone on the side, "Please, there''s still me apanying her. Do you have to be so worried? I guarantee that I''ll properly help Tianxin settle down. Please rx!"

    Ning Xi hugged Tianxin, then she shot Qin Mufeng a look of warning. "The thing I''m most worried about is you!"

    Qin Mufeng looked innocent as he turned to Lu Tingxiao for help.

    Lu Tingxiao held Ning Xi by the shoulders and patted her to console her, "Okay, be good. It''s about time. Mufeng is very familiar with the ce abroad, and I''ve also arranged for the branch assistant to fetch them from the airport, so there won''t be a problem."

    "Okay¡­" Ning Xi finally let go of Ning Tianxin with a heavy heart. "Sis Tianxin, goodbye! Little Treasure,e say goodbye to your aunt!"

 Chapter 1666: All Good Things Must Come To An End

    <h4>Chapter 1666: All Good Things Must Come To An End</h4>

    Little Treasure obediently walked up, then he looked up and said crisply, "Aunt, this is a present that I''ve prepared for you!"

    The little guy very caringly presented a parting gift. It was a portrait he had done of Ning Tianxin based on the picture his mother had sent him and even cameplete with a frame for her to hang up.

    Apart from drawing his mother, this little guy seldom drew portraits. One could see that he had a positive impression of this aunt and really liked her.

    Ning Tianxin fondled it admiringly, her expression incredibly gentle as she looked at the little guy before her. She squatted down to hug him lightly. "Thank you, thank you, Little Treasure! I really like it!"

    The little guy''s body was soft, and there was even a whiff of milk fragrance on him, making one''s eyes well up for some reason.

    Ning Tianxin quickly let go of him. "Xiao Xi, I''m leaving now. You guys should go back!"

    "Mmm, take care!"

    ¡­

    After they sent Ning Tianxin off, Ning Xi''s mood was a little somber.

    When the little bun saw his mother in such a low mood, he immediately started tofort her very seriously, "Mommy, don''t be sad. All good things muste to an end. In fact, Little Treasure believes that Aunty will have a new and even better start!"

    Ning Xi looked at her dearest son and instantlyughed between tears. "Mmm, Little Treasure, you''re right!"

    Qin Mufeng had said that he was going to America for work, so he could coincidentally be with Ning Tianxin and look after her on the journey too.

    This dude had long admitted his intentions towards Ning Tianxin to Ning Xi, so Ning Xi knew that he had ulterior motives. Whether or not this two would turn into a pair in the end was still a mystery.

    If they did, Qin Mufeng was actually a rather reliable partner.

    Far away, the ne was buzzed and rose into the sky, gradually flying further and further until it vanished from sight¡­

    Ning Xi finally retrieved her reluctant gaze, then she sent a message in her moments . "All good things muste to an end, my dearest sweetheart. I believe you''ll have a brand new and even better start!"

    ¡­

    At a certain high-end vi district in Imperial.

    A lively wedding was going on. A group of people were messing and joking around, and the atmosphere was exceptionally enthusiastic.

    "Not allowed to enter, not allowed! Where''s your red packet?"

    "Hand over the red packet!"

    "No, no! That''s not enough! Do a hundred push-ups first!"

    "Whoa, are you guys trying to act dumb!? How do you get ten people to do ten each!?"

    ¡­

    Mo Lingtian followed the groom and had blended into the crowd. From time to time, he followed and came up with some rotten ideas. After being tortured for half a day, he finally helped his buddy to enter the bride''s room smoothly.

    Zhuo Haoran was one of the loiterers in their circle. Usually, he would be all over town, enjoying cockfights and dog racing. Now, when he saw his wife, he would smile like a fool. At that moment, he was clumsily helping the girl put on her shoes¡­

    Mo Lingtian leaned on the wall to stand, quietly watching this scene before him. It was clearly so lively right now, yet for some reason, his heart felt empty.

    His phone rang from time to time. He casually opened up the moments folder and scrolled through it. All of it was friends from the circle who wished Zhao Haoran well for his wedding, and he clicked a few likes in passing.

    As he continued to scroll down, Mo Lingtian''s expression suddenly turned stiff.

    Female Monster posted: "All good things muste to an end, my dearest sweetheart. Hope you will have new beginnings!"

    "Female Monster" was the nickname he gave Ning Xi.

    Sweetheart ¡­?

    When he read this word andbined the meaning of the sentence, Mo Lingtian''s expression suddenly stiffened as he quickly clicked on the below picture.

    There was a picture attached and in the picture was a delicate frame. In the middle of the frame was a brightly colored hyperbole-styled portrait, but based on the features, one could instantly recognize that that was Ning Tianxin¡­

 Chapter 1667: Unconditional Assistance

    <h4>Chapter 1667: Unconditional Assistance</h4>

    Mo Lingtian repeatedly read that line on his phone and studied that picture over and over again.

    That drawing style was clearly Little Treasure''s, and the person in the portrait should be Ning Tianxin, no doubt.

    All good things muste to an end¡­ What did this mean?

    At this moment, he noticed Ning Xi''s location as Imperial Airport.

    When he read the location address properly, Mo Lingtian''s fingers trembled. Before his head could react, his body had already rushed out.

    "Eh? Mo Lingtian! Where are you going?"

    "What''s up with this guy?"

    "I don''t know!"

    ¡­

    All of the voices disappeared behind him. Mo Lingtian had gone down and hopped into his car at the quickest speed possible.

    In the driver''s seat, Mo Lingtian looked at that message from the corner of his eye again. He was about to start his engine when he hesitated. He suddenly stopped everything that he was doing.

    Ning Xi had posted this status an hour ago¡­

    This meant that¡­ she was probably long gone¡­

    Even if he got lucky and she had not left, he was at the peak of a mountain. It would take at least two hours to get to the airport from here, so he would not be able to make it.

    Suddenly, Mo Lingtian felt as if he had abruptly fallen from a towering cliff. The weightlessness mixed with dizziness instantly engulfed him.

    It was not sure how long had passed. The man still held onto his phone andy on the steering wheel. He did not move at all, and the part of his chest, where his heart was beating, felt as if it had been forcibly hollowed out as a cold wind whistled by.

    As if it was only at this point that he was truly aware, that girl who had stood at the same spot no matter where he turned had really, thoroughly left his life¡­

    ¡­

    After leaving the airport.

    Ning Xi was still thinking about Ning Tianxin. "Darling, what kind of person is Qin Mufeng really? Is he reliable?"

    "His character isn''t too bad. He''s led a simple private life. His family and parents are more tolerant and open-minded."

    Lu Tingxiao''s few simple sentences had included all of the things Ning Xi cared about.

    Ning Xi''s expression softened. "Sigh, I hope this guy will work harder! I wonder how his pick up skills are like, but at least he studied psychology! If he really can''t do it, then let him ask me. I''ll teach him! Whatever it is, just as long as it isn''t Trash Mo, as long as he''s sincere towards Sis Tianxin, I''ll definitely offer unconditional assistance!"

    Lu Tingxiao did not know whether tough or cry as he looked at the way she was even graver than Qin Mufeng. "This sort of things can''t be rushed. It still needs your cousin to move on by herself."

    "I know¡­" sighed Ning Xi.

    One could not me her for worrying because she knew Ning Tianxin too well. Based on her personality, she was most unwilling to implicate others. The kinder someone treated her, the more she would be like that. She was afraid that she would really choose to spend the rest of her life alone¡­

    It was not easy that they were out with the little bun. Ning Xi tried hard to lift her own spirits. "Baby, where do you want to y today?"

    "Mommy, can we go to the theme park?"

    "Of course, we can!"

    The little bun was still very simr to the other normal children in this aspect. Whenever she was free, he would let her bring him to ces that other children liked to y at, and there was even once that he let her bring him to KFC. The reason was that he saw other children he liked going there very often too.

    The little bun was gradually blending into the crowd, bing the same as other normal children. Naturally, Ning Xi was the happiest about this.

    The family of three went around to have fun for an entire day, then they went home together feeling incredibly contented and happy.

    "Mommy, can we go up the roof to look at the stars?" After they reached home, the little bun suddenly looked up, his eyes exceptionally bright as he asked.

 Chapter 1668: Nothing Compares To Mommy

    <h4>Chapter 1668: Nothing Compares To Mommy</h4>

    Ning Xi beamed and patted the little guy''s head. "Sure!"

    She then went up to the rooftop with the little bun.

    Lu Tingxiao trailed right behind them, ncing at his son questionably.

    When they reached the rooftop, Ning Xi gazed up at the sky regretfully, "What a shame! We can''t see that many stars in Imperial¡­ Next time, we''ll look at the stars from Peachwood!"

    The little bun watched his mother contentedly. "It''s alright, Mommy. We can look at something else!"

    Ning Xi blinked her eyes in confusion. "Something else? What''s that?"

    The little bun pursed his lips and pointed towards the sky. "This¡­"

    Ning Xi scanned the direction the little bun pointed at. Suddenly, there was a bright sh and a stream of light popped up from below, then it exploded mid-air. Fireworks started going off one by one, forming a few words¡­

    At the same time.

    Lu Jingli was enjoying some wine by his balcony, and Jiang Muye was ying games inside his room when the both of them suddenly heard a loud explosion outside.

    They then gawked at the fireworks in the sky that formed three words: "I love you".

    A shadow crossed Jiang Muye''s face when he saw the three words. His hands shook and his game avatar died on-screen.

    "What the heck?!" Lu Jingli shot up to his feet. He leaned against the balcony railing and looked up into the sky. "Dude! Do they have to do this after all this time?! Can you please let your brother be at peace? My little heart is so wounded¡­"

    As Lu Jingli wasmenting on and on, there was another explosion as another word appeared in the sky, "Mommy".

    I love you, Mommy?

    "Uhh¡­" Lu Jingli stood there in disbelief.

    He thought his brother was being romantic, but it had been actually Little Treasure all along?

    "W-wow, my little bun is amazing!"

    This damned kid was impressive. Just how old was he? Besides, he would only get better when he grows up!

    Jiang Muye looked like a dog when he saw the words "I love you, Mommy" and "Nothingpares to Mommy". So, the difference between him and Lu Tingxiao was but a child?

    What a godly form of support! He could just kneel before him now¡­

    Compared to Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye, the one with more mixed feelings should be¡­ the devil himself.

    He realized that the little guy had been busy preparing something since the morning, but he did not expect this¡­

    Son, you just snatched my job away, do you know that?

    However, the little guy did remind him that as time passed and the longer they dated, whilst they became more intimate and closer to each other, starting to act like an old couple, he was not really an expert at this and that their rtionship wascking some spice and romance.

    His son did not get such ideas from him for sure; he received these romantic genes from Ning Xi¡­

    "Wow¡­ These are¡­" Ning Xi was really surprised before she could realize what was going on.

    Despite being an outrageous flirt who knew about everything a Casanova would do, Ning Xi was just as excited as any typical girl would react right then.

    "Little Treasure, did you prepare this for your Mommy?"

    Little Treasure nodded shyly as he looked nervous. "Mommy, I read a book says that girls need romance! Do you like it?"

    Ning Xi replied with a big hug and kisses to the little bun. "Oh! I love it!"

 Chapter 1669: I Love You

    <h4>Chapter 1669: I Love You</h4>

    Ding! Ding!

    Ning Xi received two message notifications consecutively.

    [Naughty King: Fine, I''ll move now! Goodbye!]

    [Prince of Koi: Woof!]

    Ning Xi chuckled out loud.

    After the fireworks ended, Ning Xi sent Little Treasure back to the Lu Residence with Lu Tingxiao.

    When they returned to tinum Pce, Lu Tingxiao suddenly took out a square box covered in ck swan feathers from his pocket and gave it to her.

    Ning Xi blinked her eyes. "What?"

    "A present," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Ning Xi epted it suspiciously. "It isn''t a special day today. Why''re you giving me a present?"

    "Do I need a reason to?" Lu Tingxiao raised his eyebrows, his expression saying, "Do I really need a reason to give you a present?"

    Ning Xi grinned. The moment she opened the box she almost went blind. "Oh my God!"

    Lu Tingxiao had given her a diamond ne, which seemed like a new design from TFN called "Starry Night".

    As the name went, it was incredibly shiny¡­

    "Uhh¡­" Ning Xi had an indescribable expression when she saw the sparkling diamond ne.

    "What''s wrong?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    "Darling, you¡­ like diamonds?" She was surprised that he had the same interest as a certain someone!

    Lu Tingxiao replied casually, "I don''t really like diamonds. I just like how they look on you."

    Ning Xi felt like Cupid had just shot his arrow through her heart.

    Her darling was the best!

    Him and his magical words!

    Ning Xi closed in dly and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. Put it on for me!"

    "Mm-hmm." Lu Tingxiao took the ne and carefully helped the girl wear it.

    "Does it look good?"

    Ning Xi mostly wore jades and stones, and rarely diamonds because she was really sick of diamonds, but at the moment, she felt that this ne was extremely beautiful. No wonder all women loved diamonds!

    Lu Tingxiao gently hugged the girl by her waist. There was a tint of darkness in his tone as heforted firmly, "Xiao Xi, give me a little more time. Believe me and I''ll solve everything. The tea party will happen in a few days'' time, but Little Treasure bought me enough time to solve everything."

    "Mmm, I believe in you!"

    Ning Xi expression looked a little troubled. She did not know what Lu Tingxiao was up to and how far he would go. The other party was not an easy opponent. If he were forced into a corner¡­

    That person had saved her life after all. If his life was in danger, she was afraid that she could not just be a bystander anymore¡­

    Lu Tingxiao seemed to be able to see through her. He spoke as he caressed the girl''s hair. "The Lus have a house rule. We forbid siblings from hurting each other."

    Ning Xi was relieved when she heard that. She understood what Lu Tingxiao meant. He was saying that if it ever reached that point, no matter what the other side did, he would not kill him off.

    Not just because of the Lu family house rule, it was probably¡­ because of her¡­ because he was afraid that she would feel troubled¡­

    "Lu Tingxiao, thank you¡­"

    "Mmm?" Lu Tingxiao raised his eyebrows. "You sure that''s what you''re trying to say?"

    Ning Xi smiled and kissed the man on his lower lip. "Okay, it should be¡­ I love you!"

 Chapter 1670: Foolish Humans

    <h4>Chapter 1670: Foolish Humans</h4>

    Since Ning Xi had some free time after she was done shooting, she took some time to prepare a lovely and healthy lunchbox for Little Treasure to bring to school. It had been a really tough period for the little bun recently because as a little child, he had to be burdened with the adults'' affairs.

    Hopefully, this would all end soon¡­

    Three days passed.

    With the bustling preparation of the whole Lu family, the long-awaited "Socialite Tea Party" began.

    To wee all the socialites, the whole Lu residence was refurbished. There was an elegant vibe across the ssical interior design, and various luxury cars were parked by the entrance. Everyone was dressed to the nines and there were all kinds of girls were present. It was a dazzling sight.

    It was impossible for Lu Jingli to not be there for some juicy gossip on such a big day. Well, he was just there to gawk around anyway¡­

    At the moment, the grandeur of the scene almost gave him goosebumps.

    Luckily, he had his brother as his shield. If not, this horrible scenario might have happened to him instead.

    "Jingli, what are you doing here? Go and fetch Little Treasure from school!"

    "Understood!"

    "Also, don''t think you''re uninvolved. Look around today and see if there''s any girl you like!"

    "Mother, what did you say? The wind is too strong I can''t hear you¡ª", Lu Jingli let his voice fade, then he ran away.

    Yan Ruyi red at his son helplessly.

    Whatever! She had to settle her sons one by one then. Her priority now was to take care of this matter for Tingxiao.

    "Aunty Lu, why don''t I see Little Treasure anywhere?" A sweet-looking girl came over and asked.

    "Little Treasure is still in school. Jingli has gone to fetch him already! Please wait for a while, everyone. Let''s go and have some tea first!"

    "I see, it''s alright! Studies are important!"

    ¡­

    Soon, Little Treasure came back with Lu Jingli.

    While most of the socialites here were not seeing Little Treasure for the first time, they were still charmed by the little guy who shared the same facial features and manner as Lu Tingxiao.

    Even when they knew Lu Tingxiao had a son whose mother was unknown, even if they knew they were going to be a stepmother after marrying him, it was hard for them to not like him when he was such a cute boy.

    "The prince is so cute!"

    "I''d wake up smiling from my dream if I had such a cute son!"

    "I heard the prince is actually pretty easygoing¡­"

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli mumbled to himself as he realized that the girls were deceived by Little Treasure''s innocent appearance, "Tsk tsk, foolish humans! I''m sure you''ll all cryter¡­"

    The little bun was very efficient. He took out the deck of materials he had prepared, then he told his grandparents, "Grandfather, Grandmother, we can start now."

    "You just came back. Don''t you want to rest first?" Lu Chongshan was a little worried.

    "It''s alright, Grandfather. I''m not tired. Let''s get on with this quickly." The little bun looked serious.

    Lu Chongshan replied happily, "Alright, we''ll go with what you say. Let''s start now! Are the rules still like what we''ve discussed before?"

    Little Treasure nodded. "Mmm, I''ll give out the questions since they differ for each person. I''ll give the questions based on the situation. Those who can answer will stay for the next round."

    "Okay!" Lu Chongshan asked the butler to inform everyone that they would start now.

 Chapter 1671: Impressive Character?

    <h4>Chapter 1671: Impressive Character?</h4>

    In the courtyard outside, the socialites, who were having tea and chatting, had been assigned with number tes. They would enter when their number was called.

    The butler had tactfully said that the tes were for everyone to hold on to and that they could y a little game such as a lucky draw or somethingter on, but everyone was well aware of what these number tes really did.

    "Sigh, I''m so nervous! I wonder how the Lu family has prepared to test us!"

    "My family has used all sorts of methods to help me find out. They tried to get the test questions or something, yet they did not find out anything. We only know that it''s the little prince who came up with the questions, but we don''t know what the actual questions are!"

    "You don''t say! This little prince is a genius. His thought process is unlike the average person too. The questions he hase up with must be especially hard! How tragic that my grades weren''t good when I was still in school, but I''ve been making up for it recently."

    "What''s the use trying to make up for it? The little prince is well versed in piano, chess, painting and calligraphy, astronomy, geography, and pretty much everything! The scope of possibilities is too huge¡­"

    ¡­

    The education that this group of heiress socialities had received since they were young had mostly emphasized on building their character. Basically, they were shy but hollow beings. If the little prince were to test them on topics like physics, maths, and science, there was nothing they could do about it. This knowledge could not be achieved in a short time either.

    As she heard the discussions around her, Chi Yingying sneered and snorted at them, "To think of making a hastyst-minute effort only right now¡­ Could you people be anyter?"

    Chi Yingying had always been arrogant. Everyone was a little fearful of her, so even though they despised her taunting them, they could only ridicule her silently. However, Chi Yingying was a Harvard graduate, and they had to acknowledge that she was publicly known to be a talented girl.

    "What is she being so arrogant for? Even though her odds are better than us, don''t forget that there''s the Guan family too!"

    "The Guans have a rtionship with Lu Chongyuan, and they''re on good terms with the Lu family too. I''m afraid that it''s long been internally decided while we''re just here to go through motions for formality!"

    "Who said that we weren''t?! Then again¡­ even if there''s one sliver of hope, I''d still want to try¡­"

    After all, that was a position that all women had long dreamt of.

    "Number 1, Miss Chi, pleasee in!" The butler had already started to call out numbers. Suddenly, everyone was so tensed that they kept quiet.

    That was right. The first one was Chi Yingying.

    Precisely because of that, everyone had be even more high-strung. If Chi Yingying performed well, then they would have no business lingering anymore, and all their preparation would have been for nothing¡­

    In the room, Little Treasure sat on the sofa, while Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi sat opposite him.

    Lu Jingli was afraid that if he stayed, Yan Ruyi would urge him to take a long, hard look at the youngdies, but he was just too curious about what the little bun would be testing those socialites on. Faced with a major dilemma, his curiosity won in the end and he had resolutely stayed!

    In fact, it would be good for him to give his brother and Xiao Xi Xi a live broadcast too¡­

    When he saw Chi Yingying, Lu Jingli was stunned for a moment. Oh dear, the first one was already an impressive character!

    "Nice to meet you, Sis!" When he saw the person walk in, Little Treasure sweetly greeted her.

    As Chi Yingying listened to the little guy''s respectful greeting, her frazzled nerves instantly rxed a lot. "Nice to meet you too, Little Treasure. My surname is Chi. We''ve met at the banquet previously!"

    "Mmm, I remember. You''re Chi Shuai''s sister!"

    "Yes!" Chi Yingying was instantly delighted. Initially, she was furious because her family''s fatty had offended Little Treasure, but who would have thought that the two had be friends after the fight? They now got along pretty well.

    "Sis Chi, I will start with the questions!"

    "Okay," answered Chiy Yingying as she reflexively straightened up.

 Chapter 1672: Our Baby Is Beyond-This-World Cute

    <h4>Chapter 1672: Our Baby Is Beyond-This-World Cute</h4>

    On the side, Lu Chongshan, Yan Ruyi, and Lu Jingli looked over nervously at Little Treasure.

    Then, they saw that Little Treasured blink before asking, "Sister, do you know how to sing?"

    Chi Yingying was stunned for a moment. "I do."

    Little Treasure happily dered, "That''s great! Then, Sister, can you sing ''Leap Frog'' for me? I really like this song. Every night, I have to listen to it to sleep. Otherwise, I won''t be able to fall asleep!"

    Chi Yingying was dumbfounded. "Uhh¡­"

    ''Leap Frog''?

    What was that?

    No, wait¡­ Was this little prince not a prodigy? Why was he asking her to sing him a children''s song?

    However, if you were to ask her to point out what was not right with the question, she would be tongue-tied as well. He was a child who had just entered kindergarten, so the fact that he wanted to listen to children''s songs before sleeping at night, hoping that his stepmother would sing it for him the next time was incredibly normal.

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were very surprised that Little Treasure woulde up with such a question, but upon pondering, they just felt their hearts fill with an ache. Even if he was very sensible, he was still just a child!

    Their Little Treasure hade up with an excellent topic!

    "Sis Chi, don''t you know how to?" Little Treasure revealed a disappointed expression.

    Chi Yingying looked awkward. "I''m sorry, I really don''t know this song¡­"

    Little Treasure said again with anticipation, "Then, Sis Chi, do you know other children songs?"

    The little guy looked like he quite liked her since he had actually given her a second chance.

    Chi Yingying looked worse. "Well¡­ I don''t know either¡­ I''m not good at this kind of songs¡­"

    She had been receiving an elite education since she was young, so she would not know things like children songs. Even if she had heard one or two lines, she was afraid that stumbling while singing it would only make things worse.

    She could not have predicted that the little prince woulde up with such a topic. She was not prepared at all!

    Thus, the most hopeful talented Harvard graduate, Chi Yingying, was stumped by this request for the "Leap Frog" song.

    Lu Jingli recalled the first time he heard Ning Xi sing "Leap Frog" to Little Treasure back then and he felt incredibly rueful.

    Back then he was despondent that his little bun would actually like listening to such childish songs, butter on, he was rueful that Xiao Xi Xi actually knew how to sing such songs.

    Lu Jingli thought about it as he added his brother and Xiao Xi Xi into a group chat, then he sent out a message to the group: [The first one, Chi Yingying, has fallen! Little Treasure''s task was to sing the song "Leap Frog"! Isn''t he savage?]

    Very soon, there were replies in the group chat.

    [Lu Tingxiao: ¡­]

    [Ning Xi: You''re the fierce one! Our baby is beyond-this-world cute!]

    As for Chi Yingying''s elimination, the two elders did not have any objections. Instead, they startedforting the little bun endearingly.

    "Little Treasure, don''t be sad. There''re still many sisters after this! There''ll be someone that Little Treasure likes!"

    "Yes, yes, yes, Little Treasure. Let''s continue!"

    ¡­

    At this moment, when the heiresses outside saw Chi Yingying walk out looking miserable, all of them felt a chill in their hearts.

    "Why does Chi Yingying looks so terrible? Has she been eliminated?"

    "Her face has already turned so dark. She must''ve been!"

    "We''re over! For even Chi Yingying to be eliminated, how hard were the questions?!"

    ¡­

    "Number two, Miss Song, pleasee in!"

    After the second heiress entered, LIttle Treasure had obediently greeted her as usual, then came the question. "The time starts now. In ten minutes, as long as you can make me speak, you''ll pass!"

 Chapter 1673: Feel Sorry For Baby Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 1673: Feel Sorry For Baby Little Treasure</h4>

    When the Song heiress, Song Yuyan, heard this question, she did not immediately react.

    Make the little prince speak within ten minutes?

    It was just making him speak up. Even just a word would count, so would this not be too easy?

    "Sister, it has begun," the little bun politely reminded, then he maintained his stiff posture and sat quietly on the sofa.

    Just as Song Yuyan thought about theck of challenge of this task, the instant that little guy on the sofa was heard, she had an entirely different feeling.

    Earlier, he had clearly still been an active and cute little prince, yet now it was as if he had an invisible mask disconnecting him from the outside world. He seemed sealed within apletely different world from them.

    When Song Yuyan saw this indifference of his, her heart jumpe. All the things she had initially prepared to tease the little guy to speak had all been swallowed by the child''s pitch-c, ice-cold eyes.

    On the side, Lu Jingli squinted and sighed on the inside. The little bun had really given it a lot of thought¡­

    Cold beads of sweat were about to slide down Song Yuyan''s forehead as she struggled for the longest time before she finally tried to speak, "Little Treasure¡­ My family has a chocte factory with lots of yummy chocte. Next time, I''ll bring you there to y, okay?"

    The little guy reacted as if he had not heard her speak at all. To be more precise, the little did not deliberately evade her. He was indeed looking at her, but this person before him clearly did not enter his line of sight as if she was not the same species as him and he did not understand her at all¡­

    On the side, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi, who had a heavy expression since they heard Little Treasure''s question, now clearly looked even more solemn.

    The existence of this version of Little Treasure was a nightmare to them.

    Time passed by. Song Yuyan, who was probably not great at getting along with children, was even more nervous now in front of Little Treasure. Her clumsy conversational skills made the entire situation more and more awkward. Soon, her attempts also stagnated.

    "Time''s up," reminded Lu Jingli from the side.

    Ten minutes had finally passed. Song Yuyan''s first reaction was not disappointment or sadness. Instea, she let out a long sigh of relief. It had finally ended¡­

    She finally understood why Chi Yingying had looked so miserable when she had walked out earlier.

    "Sister, do I need to give you more time?" Little Treasure suddenly turned into the polite little prince that he was, and spoke very nicely again.

    Previously, all the socialites, including Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan, had thought that Little Treasure might make things difficult for them, yet the reality was that the little guy had been unexpectedly gentle.

    Before Song Yuyan could say anything, the two elders had already rushed to speak up about Little Treasure''s tolerance and generosity.

    "That won''t do, Little Treasure. There''re already set rules. If you change them, then they don''t count!" Yan Ruyi looked anxious.

    "Okay, that''s it then!" Lu Chongshan rushed to finalizuld it too.

    They really did not want to continue seeing Little Treasure act the way he had earlierave. Despite just acting, it had caused them much anxiety as if Little Treasure''s current cheerful manner was just an unrealistic rosy view, and if they were not careful, he would revert back to his previous ways.

    That was something they definitely did not want to see.

    They had only tested two girls, yet Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi could barely have the heart to continue on.

    However, Little Treasure had already efficiently called in the third person.

    This third girl had a different style from the previous two. The previous two had gone with a socialite style, but this one came in with short hair and even wore a gender-neutral dress. She looked neat and tidy, and carried herself tall, actually catching one''s o attention.

 Chapter 1674: Second Uncle, Help Me

    <h4>Chapter 1674: Second Uncle, Help Me</h4>

    When Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi saw the girl who walked in, they reflexively sat up straight as ramrods. This girl was a coteral rtive . Compared to other girls, her personality was vivacious and they heard that she was very talented too.

    Perhaps, changing to an extroverted personality could coincidentallyplement Little Treasure.

    The girl started to exin as a matter of fact, "I''m Liang Yi and I''m 23 years old this year. Usually, I like to work out. I''m trained in judo, taekwondo¡­"

    "Nice to meet you, Sis Liang. Please hold on a moment!" Little Treasure greeted the girl, then he turned towards Lu Jingli. "Second Uncle, I need your help with this question."

    "OK, no problem. How do I help?" Lu Jingli answered evenly.

    Little Treasure waved him over, then Lu Jingli immediately strolled over happily and squatted in front of him as directed by the little bun.

    Then, Little Treasure turned to look at that girl. "Sis, my question is simple¡­"

    Before he finished his sentence, there was a "swoosh" as he had efficiently extended his leg up and above towards Lu Jingli''s temples, but his foot hovered an inch away from his uncle.

    "My question is how can this move be unraveled?"

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi looked at their dashing darling grandson and felt immense pride in their hearts.

    Liang Yi did not expect Little Treasure toe up with such a question, but she had just dered that she was well-versed in this discipline, so it was rational for him to post a question rted to the area she was an expert in.

    Liang Yi chose her words carefully, "This move¡­ If the force is strong enough, there''s basically no way of disengaging. With a single to kick to the right meridian points at the temples, a person can be knocked out¡­"

    Liang Yi muttered to herself, "But I can try."

    Little Treasure nodded. "Okay, I''ll let my Second Uncle spar with you. Is that okay?"

    "Of course, thanks!"

    Next, Lu Jingli had practiced with that youngdy over ten times, yet in the end, none of her methods worked. She failed to unravel the move.

    Atst, Liang Yi was eliminated.

    "Jingli, isn''t it unfair for you to test the youngdy as a grown man yourself?" When she saw that they had eliminated three candidates with excellent qualities at a go, Yan Ruyi started to worry.

    Lu Jingli said helplessly, "Mother, even if you don''t understand all of this, you should be able to tell that I didn''t use a single percent of force earlier. I''m worried about hurting someone''s delicate girl. If she were really skilled in a particr area, I would have given in. Although literature isn''t her expertise, at least she had martial arts, didn''t she? Sadly, she clearlycked substance! If she didn''t have the capabilities, she shouldn''t have sold herself so highly! Now that she''s been exposed, is it truly my fault?"

    Lu Chongshan consoled himself, "Forget it. Let''s continue with the next one. It''d still be better if girls were more gentle and wifely."

    After a short interval, the fourth girl walked in.

    This time, the girl waspletely in line with Lu Chongshan''s demands. She was gentle and homely, plus she even had culinary expertise.

    "I want to eat tanghulu personally made by you. Can I?" Little Treasure spelled out the test question.

    When she heard the question, the girl was instantly dumbstruck. She had not lied about her culinary talent since she had indeed trained professionally. Chinese and Western desserts were nothing difficult, but¡­ was tanghulu considered a dish as well?

    The girl looked like she found the challenge difficult. Obviously, she did not know how to make it.

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were bothpletely on Little Treasure''s side now. They did not find Little Treasure''s test question inappropriate at all. Instead, disappointment filled their faces.

 Chapter 1675: Whats Wrong With Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 1675: What''s Wrong With Little Treasure</h4>

    Did she not boast about her culinary prowess? How could she not know how to make tanghulu?

    He remembered that Ning Xi seemed to have made it for Little Treasure before, and Little Treasure had even sent quite a fair bit to the old residence. Those tanghulu were made into all sorts of shapes, and had been pretty and yummy. It was much better than those bought from outside¡­

    As they watched the fourth one about to be eliminated too, Little Treasure''s expression suddenly changed.

    The little guy reached out his small hands to hold onto his stomach, his face revealing a pained expression.

    When Yan Ruyi saw that something was wrong with Little Treasure, she quickly rushed over. "Little Treasure, what''s wrong?"

    "Nothing¡­"

    "How could it be nothing?! Your little face is all pale now!'' Yan Ruyi was worried.

    "It''s okay, Grandmother. My stomach''s just hurting a little¡­" Little Treasure consoled, yet in just a short amount of time, his fair forehead had broken out into a cold sweat.

    "He was just fine earlier. Why is his stomach suddenly hurting? Xing Wu! Get the car ready! Quickly get ready to speed to the hospital!"

    The butler hesitated. "Then, all thedies outside¡­"

    "Dismiss them!" When they saw Little Treasure suffering from the pain and had even started to vomit as his body jerked, the two elders began to panic and did not care about anything else.

    Lu Jingli frowned. He quickly carried Little Treasure and took quick, long strides towards the door.

    ¡­

    At Imperial Hospital.

    Little Treasure was sent to the emergency room. Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were anxiously pacing around in circles outside while Lu Jingli had quickly informed his brother and Ning Xi.

    "Father, Mother, don''t be too worried. Based on Little Treasure''s reaction, he''s probably just having a bit of a stomachache," Lu Jingli was still consoling them when the doctor finally came out.

    The two elders hurried to the doctor to ask, "Doctor, how''s the child?"

    "Please don''t worry. He''s okay now," answered the doctor.

    When Yan Ruyi heard the report, she finally caught up with her breath. "What actually happened? Why did the child suddenly be like this?"

    As they were questioning the doctor, the sound of urgent footsteps came from behind. Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi had rushed over.

    "Where''s Little Treasure? How''s Little Treasure?" In Ning Xi''s eyes was only the little guy on the sickbed. She ran straight up to him and held onto Little Treasure''s hand.

    The little guy was ashen. His lips had cracked from dehydration, making Ning Xi''s heart ache as if it had been pierced by a needle.

    "What going on?" Lu Tingxiao asked in a low voice.

    The doctor handed them a test report. "We''ve tested the child''s vomit and we found a certain poison in his food, which causes symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and so on."

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi''s expressions changed. Lu Jingli was a little shocked while Lu Tingxiao''s emotions could not be read.

    "What? Food poisoning? How could that be!? Little Treasure''s diet has been¡­," Yan Ruyi spoke as her brows furrowed, "Apart from having dinner at home these past few days, Little Treasure has been having breakfast and lunch prepared by that girl. After Jingli brought Little Treasure back this afternoon, he didn''t eat anything. He didn''t even drink anything before we began¡­"

    This meant that Little Treasure had only eaten food that Ning Xi had prepared that day.

    Suddenly, Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan swiveled towards Ning Xi.

    All of Ning Xi''s attention was on the little bun. Her focus only shifted when she heard this.

    What? Little Treasure had food poisoning? In fact, based on what Yan Ruyi said, Little Treasure had only eaten the food she had cooked that day¡­

    Lu Chongshan was hyperventting. "Tingxiao, you consider how to handle this by yourself!"

    Lu Tingxiao said expressionlessly, "Handle what?"

 Chapter 1676: Wheres Mommy?

    <h4>Chapter 1676: Where''s Mommy?</h4>

    Lu Chongshan''s temper shot up. "Shameful punk, Little Treasure is your son! Are you neglecting your son just for a woman? This woman didn''t spare to striking Little Treasure down to stop you from marrying other women! Things have already turned out this way, yet you still want to shield her?"

    On such an assion, something like this had happened to Little Treasure, disrupting the "tea party". Combined with his fixated prejudice, Lu Chongshan obviously immediately thought that Ning Xi would be the one who benefitted the most out of the situation.

    Yan Ruyi had obviously thought of that too. She looked coldly towards Ning Xi and stood beside Little Treasure in rm. "Tingxiao, you''ve really overstepped it this time!"

    Ning Xi frowned and was about to say something when Lu Tingxiao gave her a consoling nce. As he looked at his parents, his expression was stony. "Reason."

    "Reason? Does this still need a reason? It''s an open secret!"

    "Based on what you both are saying, the reason Xiao Xi would do this is to stop the ''tea party'', isn''t it?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Lu Chongshan snorted, "Is it not?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "This reason doesn''t hold water."

    Lu Chongshan took a deep breath. "You should exin yourself. How does this reason not hold water?"

    Lu Tingxiao answered, "The tea party was something that our family of three discussed to be the best way to dy time, so why would she want to stop it?"

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were speechless.

    The two of them almost choked on Lu Tingxiao''s words that held a great amount of nonchnce and confidence that justice was on their side.

    On the side, Lu Jingli''s mouth twitched. He quickly tried to smooth things out, "Father, Mother, can the both of you calm down? We haven''t investigated this properly! Wouldn''t it be inappropriate to convict her of the crime right now? Maybe Little Treasure ate something else in school?"

    "Little Treasure would never simply eat food from outside!" Yan Ruyi said in a certain tone.

    Lu Jingli could only turn things around and say, "Okay, okay, okay. Even if Little Treasure only ate the food that my sister-inw prepared, how can you guarantee that someone didn''t pull any tricks somewhere in between? Based on what you said, my sister-inw did this to stop the assion, but can I also point out that someone might have intentionally used this incident to frame and set her up?"

    "You two have all been charmed silly by this woman¡­"

    Lu Chongshan was still raving mad and was about to continue when suddenly came the sound of a weak voice.

    "Mommy¡­"

    "Mommy''s here!" Ning Xi quickly held Little Treasure''s small hand.

    "Little Treasure! Little Treasure, you''re awake!"

    "Don''t get up, lie down properly!"

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi set aside their grievance that Ning Xi had called herself his mother. They all rushed to the bedside and watched the little guy''s weak gestures, their hearts aching incredibly.

    When Little Treasure saw his mother by his side, he softened into a relieved smile, his little cherub face clingily rubbing against his mother''s hand.

    Soon after, Little Treasure looked towards his grandfather and grandmother and apologized, "Grandfather¡­ Grandmother¡­ I''m very sorry. Little Treasure lied to you two."

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi exchanged a look, then they quickly looked towards their grandson. "Baby, what are you saying? Lied to us?"

    Little Treasure nodded as he said word for word seriously, "Previously, I said I would earnestly consider those sisters, but I lied to you two. My real aim was to dy time. There''s only Mommy Xiao Xi in my heart. As intelligent, excellent, or pretty as they may be, they aren''t my mother. Besides, my Mommy Xiao Xi is the best."

    "Little Treasure¡­" Ning Xi was so moved that she did not know what to say.

 Chapter 1677: I Will Settle Everything

    <h4>Chapter 1677: I Will Settle Everything</h4>

    As they heard the child''s sincere words, even Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were suddenly tongue-tied.

    Lu Jingli was so touched that he was about to cry. He murmured, "Father, Mother, I didn''t want to say anything, but sometimes your lines of thought are too stubborn, especially Father''s. Why do you always have to view others with prejudiced lenses? Even though I can understand that once bitten, twice shy, but you can''t paint everyone with the same brush, can you?"

    "You punk, keep quiet. What do you know?!" Lu Chongshan scolded his son, then he looked at Lu Tingxiao. "Tingxiao,e out with me for a while!"

    Lu Jingli immediately gave his brother a reassuring look.

    Lu Tingxiao stroked Little Treasure''s forehead, then he said to Ning Xi, "I''m going out for a moment."

    "Mmm."

    ¡­

    In the empty corridor.

    Lu Chongshan''s face was covered with dark clouds. "Tingxiao, are you like Jingli? Do you think I''m stubborn and unreasonable?"

    Lu Tingxiao grunted, "Mmm."

    Lu Chongshan was speechless. He was so enraged that he almost could not catch his breath.

    "Father, all your worries, prejudice, and dissatisfaction with Ning Xi is just because you are worried at such a critical period. If I make one wrong move, it''ll cause the destruction of the entire Lu family," said Lu Tingxiao.

    In reality, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi had previously been much warmer towards Ning Xi, but because of this incident, their attitudes had returned to the previous nerve-wracking times, thus, settling this matter was the root of the problem.

    Lu Chongshan''s expression softened. "At longst, you still have some rationality."

    "Within seven days, I''ll settle everything," promised Lu Tingxiao.

    "Seven days?" Lu Chongshan almostughed out of anger. Even if he had always been proud of this son, to handle that huge a monster with such a deep background was being a little overconfident.

    "Put aside whether you''ll be able to achieve your promise or not. Even if everything is settled, how are you going to exin today''s incident? How are you going to prove that she didn''t poison Little Treasure? I''ve just asked Xing Wu to check. There''re surveince cameras at home and in school. In this period of time, there were no suspicious persons who had been in contact with Little Treasure''s meal. The only person who could have done anything was her!

    "I don''t need to go into how an environment affects a person. You understand that too, so I won''t even mention how growing up in barren hills and wild rivers would''ve affected her. The Ning family was willing to keep the foster daughter rather than acknowledge her back then. They even sent her far away abroad. Aren''t you a little suspicious at all? Apart from the fact that she wasn''t presentable, was there possibly an even more unbearable truth behind?

    "More and more of such things are emerging in the circle. How many hedonistic sons of rich parents were sent abroad just to conceal the embarrassment? How can I feel at ease in letting her be Little Treasure''s mother or the future headdy of our Lu family when shees from such a background? Just on the basis of that dispensable bloodline with the Zhuang family? Can you be sure of her moral character that she won''t hurt Little Treasure?"

    Lu Chongshan cared most about these things and today''s incident had clearly triggered his initially weak nerves again, causing all of his repressed dissatisfaction and worries to burst out again.

    Lu Tingxiao enunciated word for word, "Firstly, I''ll fulfill my promise. Secondly, when that happens, I''ll tell you the truth about everything too. Thirdly, as for your concern about Xiao Xi''s character, time will tell and you''ve always rejected and repelled trying to get to know her. Simply based on your so-called ''spection'', how would you know how she''s really like?"

    Lu Chongshan pinched his brows and did not say anything. Momentster, he said, "Okay, since you say I''m prejudiced, then I''ll give her a chance!"

 Chapter 1678: You Have Me For Everything

    <h4>Chapter 1678: You Have Me For Everything</h4>

    In the ward, Yan Ruyi looked at the way Little Treasure relied so much on Ning Xi. She sighed softly, "Little Treasure, are you feeling ill anywhere else?"

    The little bun was stuck in Ning Xi''s embrace as he shook his head.

    With Mommy around, he would be fine anywhere.

    Ning Xi patted Little Treasure''s back and coaxed the little guy to sleep, then she looked to Yan Ruyi and said, "Madam Lu, I will give you a proper exnation about Little Treasure getting food poisoning."

    When Yan Ruyi heard her, she did not know what to say. She was a mother as well. Whether or not a woman was genuine towards a child, she could roughly tell, but there was no knowing what was in a man''s heart. This affected Little Treasure''s safety, so she dared not be careless at all.

    "Mommy¡­"

    "What''s wrong, baby?"

    "Sing me a song."

    "Okay, I''ll sing a song for you. What do you want to listen to?"

    "Leap Frog."

    "Okay."

    ¡­

    When Lu Tingxiao entered, he saw the girl hugging the child and humming a song softly. On the side, Yan Ruyi looked at the two of them with mixed expressions and dilemma clearly written on her face.

    "Xiao Xi¡­"

    "Shh, softer. Little Treasure''s asleep." Ning Xi carefully put Little Treasure back onto the bed before getting up.

    When she walked out of the ward, Ning Xi''s expression suddenly turned cold. Based on how the Lu family valued Little Treasure, they must have investigated immediately. If the problem did not originate from the Lu residence or at school, then she was afraid that it had really originated from her end¡­

    Lu Tingxiao took the girl into his arms and hugged her in his embrace. There was a turbulent darkness in his gentle eyes. "Don''t me yourself. It''s not your fault. Rest well, work easy. You have me for everything."

    Ning Xi seemed deep in thought as she looked a little absent-minded. Then, she nodded unhappily. "Mmm."

    ¡­

    In a blink of an eye, three days had passed.

    In just three short days, too many things had happened. After Song Lin, the Lu Corporation had threerge shareholders switched sides.

    Yun Shen now held a terrifying number of 28 percent of shares. In fact, he made it no secret that he was joining the Lu Corporation''s board of directors, roping in a group of shareholders and upper management who were unhappy with Lu Tingxiao''s harsh ruling and had originally been dissatisfied with him.

    He had only returned to China in just a few short months, yet he had used a huge sum of money to purchase the Lu Corporation''s shares like mad. His actions were like a sharp de stabbing into the Lu Corporation''s heart, causing the entire Lu family and even the whole of Imperial to be anxious, dissapointed, and sorrowful.

    When Lu Chongshan found out that even Chi Chengkai, who had been one of the earliest to fight with him, had also betrayed the Lu Corporation, he was so mad that he fell ill. In front of him, he had pledged his loyalty, but behind his back, he had sold the shares to Yun Shen.

    As they observed the situation turn grim, Yan Ruyi was worried. "Why would Old Chi suddenly sell off his shares behind our backs? Could it be due to Yingying''s elimination at the tea party? But¡­ after that, because something happened to Little Treasure, we cancelled the tea party¡­"

    Lu Chongshan gasped for breath, his fingers trembling as he said, "Ruyi, immediately pay a visit to the Guan family. Remember to visit them more often. Some things that should be put into order should be done so now. Go and pass the message to Guan Rui. Just say it''s from me!"

    Even though there were many candidates among the socialities, the suitable ones were only those few. The Guan family had strong forces within and outside of thepanybined. Guan Ziyao was also someone they knew through and through. She had known Tingxiao since they were children, so there was a certain foundation of camaraderie. In addition to that, Lu Chongyuan had always been ying matchmaker from within, and Lu Chongshan had always been most inclined towards the Guan family.

 Chapter 1679: Just At This Level

    <h4>Chapter 1679: Just At This Level</h4>

    Previously at Mo Jianzhang''s birthday banquet, when the Guan family had secretly set Ning Xi up, it had caused them to be estranged. Nevertheless, with all that was said and done, it did not actually affect anything. After all, this incident did not affect his interest. Besides, he was initially unhappy with Ning Xi, so with the current situation, he would naturally make the decision he felt was best.

    He had already been wrong once. He could not, definitely could not watch the Lu family be destroyed in his hands¡­

    "Chongshan, do we want to wait for a while more? Didn''t Tingxiao already say that he has a n to settle everything?" Yan Ruyi thought about it, then hesitated to say.

    "Settle? It''s already been three days. All I see is the Lu Corporation on the brink of crisis! I can''t just gamble the Lu Corporation away based on his word! If it were before, I could still trust him, but now he''s already been captivated by that woman''s charm!" Lu Chongshan eximed as he trembled.

    "Okay, okay, understood. I''ll go then. Don''t get all riled up! The doctor already said so many times that you shouldn''t get angry!" Yan Ruyi advised helplessly.

    "Also, the most important thing is¡­ don''t let that woman be alone with Little Treasure!"

    "I''m well aware of the situation. Don''t you worry!"

    ¡­

    At the same time, in the suburbs of Beijing.

    Qiao Yi was alone in the dimly lit house. On the table in the middle of the house, the joss stick was lit up and a woman''s memorial tablet was ced there.

    The man''s eyes were burning as he stared at the picture on the table. There was a bitterness on his face. "Lan Er, don''t you worry¡­ I will avenge you very soon¡­ I will make everyone pay the price¡­"

    There were three raps on the door.

    Qiao Yi instantly returned to his indifferent expression. "Come in."

    Feng Jin took big strides as he pushed the door to enter and he quickly reported, "Uncle Qiao, the discussions are settled with the Liang family too!"

    There was a shine in Qiao Yi''s eyes when he heard that. He nodded with satisfaction. "Very good."

    Money could resolve half of the world''s problems. Things that could not be wavered by money would definitely have a gap too because as long as it came to people, there would definitely be information that could be used against them. Humans would no doubt have weaknesses.

    The Lu Corporation seemed to be a huge monster that would be hard to waver, yet therger the corporation was, the more hidden underground problems there were. When he uncovered them, it would all be rot and filth underneath!

    Feng Jin finished reporting thetest progress, then hesitated to ask, "Uncle Qiao, all of this¡­ would it be too quick¡­ too smooth sailing?"

    Qiao Yi looked at him levelly. "You''ve just overestimated the Lu Corporation! We''ve prepared for so many years. It''s just at this level and you''re already panicking?"

    "Uncle Qiao, you''re right!" Feng Jin nodded and agreed.

    Besides, they had carefully considered every segment and there were definitely no slip-ups.

    ¡­

    In the CEO office of the Lu Corporation.

    Lu Tingxiao was discussing something with Lu Jingli when Cheng Feng looked solemn as he rushed in to report, "Boss, I just got news. The other party privately went to meet Director Liangst night. I''m afraid that Director Liang has also¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao had 30 percent of shares in his hand while Yun Shen already had 28 percent. Once he managed to acquire Director Liang''s shares, all of the shares he owned would surpass Lu Tingxiao''s by leaps and bounds!

    The will of the people were already unsteady at this point. If they continued to let them acquire the Lu Corporation''s shares like mad, the consequences would be unthinkable.

    On the side, Lu Jingli stayed silent, his expression unusually solemn.

    Lu Tingxiao said, "Understood. Go on down."

    "Okay," Cheng Feng responded before he left looking worried.

 Chapter 1680: Reel The Fish In

    <h4>Chapter 1680: Reel The Fish In</h4>

    The dreadful looking Lu Jingli pasted a grin on his face the moment Cheng Feng left. "Bro, we can finally reel the fish in!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyes stayed on the monitor, his finger tapping on the table. Bloodlust overtook his expression and the usual gentle expression reserved for Ning Xi was nowhere to be found.

    Lu Jingli shivered when he took a nce at Lu Tingxiao''sputer screen. "Bro, don''t be angry anymore. They''re just trying to mess with you when they keep sending you these pictures! But they don''t know you. They''re just too naive by thinking that just sending these can affect you!"

    Not only was it useless¡­ It made his brother be even more brutal!

    He had witnessed it five years ago, and this time his brother hade back even stronger. Slowly but surely, his opponent was falling into his trap. Lu Jingli was shaken to his core as he was there to see the whole process!

    "Xiao Xi Xi is all over you anyway. She couldn''t be with anyone else!"

    A slight sense of humanity returned to his expression when Lu Tingxiao heard that.

    Lu Jingli also took the chance to ask, "So, can I do it now? I can, right?"

    Lu Tingxiao nced at him. "Wait until they sign the contract with Liang Deyun."

    "Oh, okay!" Lu Jingli had sweat all over his forehead. That was a really bold move. His brother would rather risk having fewer shares than his opponent in order to make a lethal strike.

    Soon, Lu Tingxiao''s fidgeting finger stopped and he raised his head. "Time''s up."

    Lu Jingli looked at the time. It was as expected.

    A short whileter, in a well-hidden property belonging to the Lu Corporation, on a wide green in field, Lu Jingli was holding a golf club in his hand. He swung it, then cheered, "Wow! My luck today is off the charts! A hole-in-one!"

    Somewhere nearby, a tall and hefty middle-aged man in a casual outfit was walking towards their direction.

    Despite his casual outfit, his back was straight and his steps powerful. He had a different vibe from regr people.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan stopped before them. He went straight to the point and asked, "Where''s the stuff?"

    Lu Tingxiao passed a chip that was the size of a thumb. "It''s all in there. Everything about their underground arms deal."

    They were in a golf field, but there were only three of them, so they had no need to worry about being spied on.

    "Are you sure it''s reliable?" Zhuang Liaoyuan asked with a serious expression as he took the chip.

    "Yes," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan hesitated, but he still answered, "Okay, I''ll pass it on for you, but I won''t be able to control or interfere how the ck cats will act, or if they''ll believe this information is reliable or not."

    "Thank you."

    Actually, he was sort of being the guarantor by just handing the information over on behalf of him.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan put the chip away and he looked at the man. He changed the topic. "I heard you''ve been set up for blind dates recently?"

    "It''s a method for dying. I''ve told Xiao Xi about it already," Lu Tingxiao said boldly.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan did not seem impressed. "Don''t think we Zhuangs are dead. I didn''t stop this because I don''t want Xiao Xi to be with you!"

 Chapter 1681: Heâ€™s So Persistent

    <h4>Chapter 1681: He¡¯s So Persistent</h4>

    Zhuang Liaoyuan did not hide his true intentions at all.

    While he was dissatisfied with Lu Tingxiao, he could not do anything when Ning Xi was so in love with him. He was only a person who was slightly closer to Ning Xi, so it was not appropriate for him to interfere.

    He could not stand it when he saw Xiao Xi struggle so much in the Lu family, but at the same time, he also wished for Xiao Xi to understand and leave this guy on her own ord. He would then find her someone better!

    He was only helping this guy this time because it was a serious matter and he could not just leave it after he knew the stakes involved.

    Lu Tingxiao, of course, knew what Zhuang Liaoyuan was thinking. He said slowly, "I''m afraid you''ll be disappointed. I hope you''lle and support us during my wedding with Xiao Xi, Chief Zhuang."

    He said it as if his matrimony with Ning Xi was set in stone in the end.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan was frustrated and he left with a darkened expression.

    Lu Jingli started being cheeky after Zhuang Liaoyuan left. "Why would Chief Zhuang be so persistent? Your child with Xiao Xi Xi is already so old. He can''t do anything at all! Dirt wille out together if he tried to forcefully take the carrot out! Uhh, the analogy seems odd, but that''s just how it is¡­"

    ¡­

    The following night, Yan Ruyi was visiting the Guans as asked by Lu Chongshan.

    "Ziyao¡­ Ziyao! Your Aunty Lu is here. Come out and stop hiding in your room! This girl has been in her room all day long recently. I wonder what she''s doing¡­" Mother Guan was chatting to Yan Ruyi as they walked towards Guan Ziyao''s room.

    "Aunty Lu!" Guan Ziyao quickly stood up and closed the book she was reading when she heard her mother''s voice.

    However, Yan Ruyi saw the title. It was a book about child psychology. She nced around Guan Ziyao''s room and realized that there were a lot of books about child education.

    Yan Ruyi picked up one of them up. "Ziyao, these books are¡­"

    Guan Ziyao seemed a little embarrassed. "Aunty Lu, it''s nothing. Didn''t I mention I was studying courses on this topic before? I''m just reading up a little¡­"

    "A little? How many days have you stayed in your room already? I was just wondering what you were up to. It turns out that you''re reading these books?" Mother Guan sounded angry.

    Guilt spread across Guan Ziyao''s face. "Because of my inability, I caused such a big misunderstanding thest time. I''m really sorry¡­"

    Yan Ruyi was stunned and seemed a little shaken by the apology. "Silly child, it''s been such a long time and you''re still not over it. I''ve already told you that it''s not your fault. You''re still unclear about Little Treasure''s condition!"

    Yan Ruyi suddenly grabbed Guan Ziyao''s hands. "It''s no use if you just read the books. You need more time with him together. As you both spend time together, you''ll get to know him more, won''t you?''

    Guan Ziyao and Mother Guan looked at each other, obviously understanding what Yan Ruyi meant.

    Yan Ruyi sighed, "Our Lu family only has one precious grandchild and in addition to the fact that he has no mother since he was born, we''re more concerned about him and we hope that Ziyao can excuse us!"

    "Please don''t say that, Aunty Lu. I quite like Little Treasure myself! He''s a really sweet child!" Guan Ziyao said in a sincere tone.

    Yan Ruyi seemed satisfied. "It''s really kind of you to still stay by Tingxiao''s side¡­ You know, a lot of things have been happening recently, but I''m sure Tingxiao will be able to resolve it. It''s just a matter of time!"

 Chapter 1682: Spectator

    <h4>Chapter 1682: Spectator</h4>

    "Of course, I believe in Tingxiao," replied Guan Ziyao.

    Yan Ruyi nodded confidently. She thought about something, then said, "But, well, I still feel a little uneasy, so I''m going to Fahua Temple this weekend together with your Uncle Lu and Little Treasure! I wonder if you have time to join us?"

    She wanted to create more chances for her to spend time with Little Treasure, and together with the elders, it was a big recognition of her identity.

    Guan Ziyao and Mother Guan looked at each other and bobbed their heads up and down. "I do have time, Aunty Lu. I don''t have to go to thepany on weekends, so I''m free."

    "Great!" Yan Ruyi smiled, then she chatted with Guan Ziyao for a long time.

    A short while after Yan Ruyi left, Guan Rui came back.

    "Father!"

    "You''re back!" Mother Guan went over and took Guan Rui''s jacket for him.

    "I heard your Aunty Lu came over today?" Guan Rui asked his daughter.

    Guan Ziyao answered, "Mmm, she came over in the evening and just left not very long ago."

    "What did she say?"

    Mother Guan poured her husband a cup of tea, looking disgruntled. "What else? She''s here to give us a treat! With the Lu family in dire straits, of course, she would be impatient! Also¡­ are you sure it''s alright for us to stand by Lu Tingxiao''s side at this moment? I heard that the illegitimate child now has more shares than Lu Tingxiao!"

    "Hmph, that''s a naive opinion. Shares aren''t absolute. Lu Tingxiao''s strongest weapon is his reputation in the Lu Corporation. Moreover, apart from his power on the surface, Lu Tingxiao has a lot of underground forces that we can''t see," Guan Rui said.

    "That''s right. Also, Lu Tingxiao is the legitimate eldest son of the family. That man is just an illegitimate child who can''t show his face," said Guan Ziyao.

    "So, you both mean that Lu Tingxiao will surely win?" Mother Guan asked.

    Guan Rui looked at her in the eye. "Of course not! That illegitimate child was able to build his fortune in just a few months after he came back. Do you think he''s just a normal person? His background might be even more terrifying than Lu Tingxiao''s, but he does not have a solid base here. He''ll be a powerful foe if he continues to grow. I don''t know if Lu Tingxiao can defeat him!"

    Mother Guan became anxious. "Then, you still want Ziyao to marry into the Lu family? What if¡­"

    Guan Ziyao frowned.

    Guan Rui said in a carefree tone, "Since when did I mention that I''ll let Ziyao marry him? Why are you so impatient? We''ll just watch the show for now!"

    Mother Guan was a little taken aback at first, then she understood the whole n. "I got it!"

    "Yan Ruyi invited Ziyao to visit Fahua Temple this weekend. Should she go?" Mother Guan asked another question.

    "Sure, why not? It''s not a serious matter."

    Guan Rui''s intention was obvious. He wanted to give the Lu family some bait, then act based on the situation since they had never promised anything anyway.

    Light bounced off Guan Ziyao''s sparkling eyes. In the end, she never said anything and obeyed her father''s arrangement.

    ¡­

    The next day was also the fifth day since Lu Tingxiao had made the deal with Lu Chongshan. The situation had intensified.

    Lu Tingxiao was pushed into a corner, and the people who were supportive of him now started to be shaken as they realized that the illegitimate child was extremely cruel. If they did not change sides soon, the people who still supported Lu Tingxiao would be his next target after he shifted into a position of power!

 Chapter 1683: Sorry, Mother

    <h4>Chapter 1683: Sorry, Mother</h4>

    However, Lu Tingxiao had been umting power for so long after all. They were not Lu Chongming who had been exiled and abandoned to despair or Song Lin who was all alone in the world. They did not have the nerves of Chi Chengkai and Liang Deyun to change sides at this moment. The fate of those traitors five years ago was still fresh in their memories. This dilemma put them in a sufferable entanglement.

    Sigh, things like an illegitimate child were the main culprit of bringing chaos to rich and powerful families. Even the Lu family could not escape it¡­

    In the blink of an eye, it was already the sixth day.

    It was the weekend. Yan Ruyi had already nned the day before for the entire family to go to the temple for prayers.

    Initially, she wanted to call Tingxiao and Jingli along too, but with the condition of thepany. The two of them were incredibly busy as they ran around. They definitely would not have the time and as their elders, they could help with carrying out such spiritual obligations.

    These past few days, Little Treasure had recovered well. When Lu Chongshan heard that she had gone to the Guan residence and that Guan Ziyao woulde along for the weekend, he felt much calmer.

    The sun shone brightly outside the window. The weather was pretty good today and it was a suitable day for a trip out.

    Early in the morning, Yan Ruyi had woken up to get ready. She had particrly ordered the kitchen to prepare Dana vegetarian dishes.

    Guan Ziyao had arrived very early too. She was sitting on the sofa and chatting with Little Treasure, who did not deliberately make things difficult for her either, but it was clear that he was acting distant.

    When Yan Ruyi walked out from the kitchen and saw Little Treasure''s eyes looking outside fixated, she asked suspiciously, "Little Treasure, what are you looking at?"

    "Nothing," said Little Treasure as he retrieved his gaze.

    When all the preparations were done, Yan Ruyi, Lu Chongshan, and Guan Ziyao, all of them left the house together with Little Treasure.

    After they left, Little Treasure pursed his thin lips and looked in the distance far away. He seemed upset. When Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan asked him questions, the little guy was obviously distracted.

    When they were about to get into the car, there was suddenly a screech like a car braking. A white race car had drifted to stop outside the old residence.

    Very soon, a girl quickly pushed open the door to get down from the car, then she ran worriedly towards Little Treasure, quickly bringing him into her embrace. "Little Treasure!"

    "Mommy!" When the little guy saw Ning Xi, his face which had been tense the entire morning instantly blossomed with a huge smile.

    Ning Xi sized him up carefully, then there was a suspicion across her face. "Baby, where are you hurting? Where do you feel ill?"

    Little Treasure blinked a little guiltily. He looked down and said softly, "Mommy, sorry¡­ Little Treasure lied to you¡­ Little Treasure is fine¡­ not hurting anywhere¡­ not feeling ill anywhere either¡­"

    "It''s okay if you''re fine. It''s okay¡­" Ning Xi''s first reaction was to puff out a sigh of relief, then she had the remaining energy to study the three people behind Little Treasure with different expressions on all of their faces.

    One look and Ning Xi could already guess why Little Treasure had lied for her toe over.

    Little Treasure held onto Ning Xi''s hand tightly. He walked up to Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi. He said, "Grandfather, you promised me. You taught me that men must keep their word!"

    When Lu Chongshan saw that Ning Xi had unexpectedlye over today to disrupt things, he was filled with anger, yet Little Treasure''s few words suddenly made him tongue-tied.

    He did promise Tingxiao to give Ning Xi a chance, but how did Little Treasure know about this?

    That punk! He only knew how to use Little Treasure against him!

    Lu Chongshan''s brows furrowed. He looked at his dearest grandson''s determined expression, knowing that if he was too tough, he would definitely hurt Little Treasure. He was afraid that today''s matter had fallen through too. Besides, it was inauspicious to dy praying for blessings.

 Chapter 1684: Mommy Only Likes You

    <h4>Chapter 1684: Mommy Only Likes You</h4>

    As Guan Ziyao watched the way Little Treasure was so protective over Ning Xi and had even secretly contacted Ning Xi, the fingers by her side suddenly turned rigid. She took a deep breath and said in an easy manner, "Uncle Lu, Aunty Lu, just let Ning Xie with us! It''s okay to have one more person!"

    She waspletely taking on the tone of a hostess.

    Lu Chongshan''s re at Ning Xi was filled with warning. "Let''s go together then."

    He looked towards Little Treasure with love-filled eyes. "Little Treasure, how''s this? Of course, Grandfather will keep his promise!"

    Little Treasure nodded. Now, he was happy, but then he looked nervously at Ning Xi, "Mommy, I''m sorry, Little Treasure knows he''s wrong. Mommy, is it okay if youe along?"

    No matter how Lu Chongshan, Yan Ruyi, or Guan Ziyao''s attitudes were, Ning Xi did not care at all. She only cared about Little Treasure.

    At that moment, as she looked at the little guy. Ning Xi was helpless. There was no way she could reject any of her baby''s requests. "Okay, Mommy will go with you! But you can''t do this again the next time. Do you know how worried I was?"

    "Understood, Mommy! Mommy, you''re the best!" Little Treasure''s coquettish ways were getting to the point of perfection that Ning Xi could not help but beam at him.

    Ning Xi iming herself to be his mother was entirely out of habit, yet to Guan Ziyao''s ears, it was a kind of provocation. Her gaze had suddenly turned much colder.

    After the short change in ns, the five of them got into the car and drove towards Fahua Temple.

    The extra long Lincoln was very spacious. Little Treasure, Ning Xi and Lu Chongshan sat on one side, while Guan Ziyao and Yan Ruyi sat opposite them.

    Because Ning Xi had rushed over, she did not manage to disguise herself. Because he knew she would worry about it, Little Treasure had already taken out a mask, a pair of sunsses, and even a wig from his little bag like he was a Doraemon character.

    Ning Xi did not know whether tough or cry. "Naughty little one, you''ve been nning this in advance!"

    "This aspect of being a celebrity is so inconvenient. It''s so troublesome to just go out,"mented Guan Ziyao opposite her. She looked as if she did not intentionally mean toin, but was just reminding Ning Xi of her profession and identity.

    Indeed, the moment she said that, Lu Chongshan frowned.

    "Mmm, it really is troublesome!" The little bun looked serious as he nodded in agreement.

    Guan Ziyao was happy when she heard that. In the next second, she saw Little Treasure shuffle closer into Ning Xi''s embrace and he looked upmentably to mutter, "I hate that so many people like Mommy! Mommy is mine alone!"

    The little guy then he winked to his mother to say wordlessly: "Mommy, don''t worry. Father isn''t here, so I''ll protect Mommy on behalf of him!"

    Ning Xi looked at Little Treasure''s protective stance and felt moved yet amused. She touched his nose lightly. "So what? No matter how many people like Mommy, Mommy only likes you!"

    Little Treasure instantly smiled brighter than the sunshine outside the car window.

    Lu Chongshan snorted on the inside. Those were just flowery but insincere words even though this scene before his eyes was one that he hoped to see the most¡­

    He hoped to see someone to take care of Little Treasure, to talk to him and make him happy¡­

    But why did it have to be this woman of all people?

    There were turbulent undercurrents all the way before they finally reached Fahua Temple.

    The temple courtyard was covered densely with old trees. It was very peaceful, and one step in could make one feel as if their hearts had settled down.

    Thest time she came here was when Xi Shiqing had wanted to be a monk and she had gone over to stop him.

    Master Xuan Jing had even told her fortune. Atst, he gave her a peach blossom, hinting that she would have romantic misfortunes¡­

 Chapter 1685: Wish That Im My Mothers Child

    <h4>Chapter 1685: Wish That I''m My Mother''s Child</h4>

    The five of them bought joss sticks outside and walked into the hall. They took turns to put up the joss sticks and pray for blessings.

    Ning Xi carefully helped Little Treasure light up his joss stick, then she taught him how to put the joss stick on the altar and kneel to pray.

    Little Treasure arranged the joss stick on the altar, then very properly and extremely sincerely knelt on the praying mat and closed his eyes as he earnestly made a wish.

    As Ning Xi watched the little bun''s sincere behavior, her lips curled up as she asked, "Little Treasure, what did you wish for?"

    It was rare for the little guy not to answer Ning Xi. He earnestly said, "I can''t say it. If I do, then it won''t work!"

    "Okay, okay, okay!" Ning Xiughed lightly.

    However, she was really curious! What would the little bun''s wish be?

    The little bun pursed his lips as he looked up to his mother, then to the Buddha statue again. He silently reiterated the wish in his heart.

    I hope that Mommy can be my mother forever! Grandfather Buddha, forgive my greed. If it is possible to have one more wish, I also wish¡­ How great would it be if I was my mother''s child¡­

    "Buddha, please bless us. Bless our Lu family in getting through this cmity!" Yan Ruyi prayed with a fervent expression, then she murmured again as her voice lowered further, "I hope that Tingxiao can settle down and get married soon¡­"

    Ning Xi knelt down too, but she soon got up after that. She did not wish for anything as she believed Lu Tingxiao. There was really nothing to request from the Buddha.

    Lu Chongshan donated a golden Buddha statue, and the monk gratefully pressed both palms together to say, "Amitabha. Benefactor Lu is truly generous! Thank you for your contribution, Benefactor Lu!"

    Lu Chongshan put both palms together and replied "Amitabha" before he asked, "I wonder if Master Xuan Jing is in the temple today? Is he free? I have something that I may need to bother him about and receive the advice of the Master!"

    When the monk heard the request, he replied, "Master is currently in seclusion, so it isn''t too convenient to meet guests. I''m truly sorry."

    "No worries, we understand. Thank you!" Lu Chongshan appeared regretful.

    Initially, he had wanted to ask Master Xuan Jing if there was any way to resolve the Lu family''s matter.

    Unexpectedly, he had even reached to the point of requesting help from God and Buddha¡­

    Even though he could not meet Master Xuan Jing, they did not immediately leave either. To express their sincerity, they had chanted sutras in the temple and transcribed the scriptures. They only left the temple when the sun set.

    A ck car silently traveled back to the city.

    They had been out for the entire day. Little Treasure yawned and wearily fell asleep in Ning Xi''s embrace. Ning Xi was infected by the little bun''s sleepiness, and she also started to feel sleepy.

    While the other three people were all deep in thoughts of their own, they were clearly not sleepy at all.

    "Ning Xi, let me carry Little Treasure!" Yan Ruyi took Little Treasure from Ning Xi''s arms.

    Ning Xi reluctantly let go. After leaving his mother''s embrace, the little bun uneasily frowned as Yan Ruyi lifted him.

    "Ziyao, have dinner with us tonight!" Yan Ruyi intimately invited Guan Ziyao.

    Ning Xi had suddenly appeared and she was so close to Little Treasure, so she could not help but worry that Guan Ziyao would feel uneasy.

    "Just eat at our residence! Today, our entire family must have a proper gathering!" Lu Chongshan immediately decided.

    The two of them, intentionally or otherwise, straight up neglected Ning Xi''s existence. They did not mention her at all.

    Lu Chongshan''s expression was sunken. He did not believe that with such words, this woman would still be thick-faced and use Little Treasure as an excuse to stay again.

    At this moment, Ning Xi, who had been resting, suddenly woke up with wide eyes. An aloofness had suddenly appeared in her eyes. "Careful!"

    Almost the instant after she said that, came a loud bam that sent a chill up everyone''s spines. Their car had been severely rammed into.

 Chapter 1686: Definitely Not Normal People

    <h4>Chapter 1686: Definitely Not Normal People</h4>

    "Ahh!" Yan Ruyi and Guan Ziyao were screaming.

    Ning Xi checked on Little Treasure. In just a blink of an eye, the car door opened and a dark silhouette swiftly grabbed the fast asleep Little Treasure away from the panicked Yan Ruyi.

    Tears filled Ning Xi''s eyes as she jumped towards Yan Ruyi''s direction at top speed, yet she could only reach Little Treasure''s shirt.

    "Oh¡­ my God! Little Treasure!" Yan Ruyi came back to her senses and screamed in despair.

    Ning Xi caught up with the abductor and fought with him. She felt worried after they exchanged blows. These were professional mercenaries and definitely not normal people!

    She was being careful as the person had Little Treasure, so the confrontation turned into a stalemate.

    She was feeling nervous as too many things had happenedtely. She had been training by herself and was now powered up to her top form since Little Treasure was involved this time. As she was about to grab Little Treasure back, another person suddenly attacked her from the side. Each and every blow aimed to kill her.

    The opponent was a man and had the advantage of strength. He unleashed a high kick packed with immeasurable power. If itnded on her temples, passing out would be the most fortunate situation. This guy might even kill a person with that kick.

    Yan Ruyi reactively screamed when she saw what was happening.

    As the fatal blow was about tond, Ning Xi used both her hands and caught the man''s ankle to reduce the impact force. Then, using her hands like sharp des, she twisted the man''s foot 360 degrees around, forcing him to the ground before she stomped on his abdomen.

    "Argh!" The man groaned painfully and was rolling on the ground.

    Ning Xi had no time to mess with him any longer. She tried to catch up to the other man.

    "Damn!" The man with Little Treasure cursed, his eyes filled with bloodlust. He had a ferocious expression on his face. "Stop! If you dare¡­"

    Before he could finish his sentence, Ning Xi had already closed in like a ghost. He suddenly felt a sharp paining from his elbow and knee at the same time. The man knelt down in pain¡­

    Ning Xi took the chance and grabbed Little Treasure, quickly running towards the direction of the car behind her.

    She was only a few steps away from the car when two mercenaries caught up to her. One of them grabbed onto Ning Xi''s shoulder with his w-like hand and stopped her.

    She could not move forward. Just as Little Treasure was about to be snatched away again, she saw Guan Ziyao was closest to her, right beside the driver''s seat. Ning Xi decisively handed Little Treasure over to Guan Ziyao and yelled, "Drive! Go!"

    She then turned around and faced the two men, hoping to buy them enough time to get into the car so that they would be safe!

    This car had aplete security system. It was impossible for the mercenaries to get Little Treasure this easily if the driver had not betrayed them¡­

    As Ning Xi was thinking about that, she nced back at Guan Ziyao and her pupils shrunk. Guan Ziyao just stood there in panic. Even after receiving Little Treasure and Ning Xi''s instructions, she just stood there without doing anything and missed the best timing to escape.

 Chapter 1687: Mother Wonâ€™t Let You Be Alone

    <h4>Chapter 1687: Mother Won¡¯t Let You Be Alone</h4>

    In just a few seconds, one of the men broke through her defenses and snatched Little Treasure away from Guan Ziyao.

    At the same time, there was a loud noise nearby and small storms whipped around them. A helicopter slowlynded and three more masked mercenaries in the same uniform alighted from it with weapons in their hands.

    Ning Xi felt a chill in her bones and her heart sank.

    It was over¡­

    Yan Ruyi could not stand it anymore. She was shivering as Little Treasure was being rescued and taken away again. She had sweat all over her. Leaning onto Lu Chongshan for support, she mumbled to herself, "Little Treasure¡­ Save Little Treasure¡­"

    Lu Chongshan threw away the walkie-talkie which he received no response from. He spoke to the people in a stern voice, "Who are you people? Let that child go and tell me whatever you want!"

    The person, who seemed to be the leader of the group, had a face mask with the letter "K" on it. He looked at his subordinates who had almost failed coldly and did not even spare Lu Chongshan a nce. He just left with a bitter re as he raised his hand and all his men boarded the helicopter.

    The propeller created a loud noise as the helicopter slowly rose into the air.

    Yan Ruyi went forward with unsteady steps as she saw Little Treasure taken into the helicopter. "Little Treasure¡­"

    "Aunty Lu, be careful!" Guan Ziyao helped Yan Ruyi to stand up as she seemed like she would fall at any moment.

    Lu Chongshan''s face turned pale when he saw Little Treasure taken away from him. He clutched his chest, feeling like everything was spinning around him and he almost cked out.

    At this moment, Lu Chongshan heard Ning Xi mumble to herself, "Don''t worry, my baby¡­ Mommy won''t let you be alone¡­"

    The next moment, he saw the girl leap up towards the helicopter like an arrow released from a bow. At the exact moment before the door closed, Ning Xi forced herself into the helicopter.

    The helicopter shook unsteadily but after several rotations in the air, it disappeared out of vision gradually¡­

    Yan Ruyi sat down on the ground, looking extremely pale. Guan Ziyao quickly stood by her side while Lu Chongshan was still staring into the empty sky.

    "Master! Madam! Are you guys alright?" There was a loud yell. Xing Wu walked over, limping clumsily while he covered his bleeding arm.

    "What''s wrong with you people?! Where''s everyone?! There were so many people just now! Where are all of them?! Do you know Little Treasure''s been kidnapped?!" Yan Ruyi found an outlet to release her anger and she shrieked in despair.

    Wait, no. It was not a kidnapping. The mercenaries had snatched him away right in front of them!

    "What? Little Master''s been kidnapped?!" Xing Wu did not expect the situation to be much worse than he thought. His face went ghastly and he knelt down. "It''s all my fault! All of us were suddenly ambushed at the same time. They seem to know all our security ns and the routes we take¡­"

    "Shut up! I don''t want to listen to your excuses!" Lu Chongshan interrupted him.

    Ever since Little Treasure had been kidnapped once, the Lu family had upgraded their security system thoroughly, but now Little Treasure had been taken away right before their eyes. They had no one by their side. At thest moment, only that woman had stepped up¡­

 Chapter 1688: Quickly Rescue Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 1688: Quickly Rescue Little Treasure</h4>

    "Tingxiao¡­ Chongshan, quickly let Tingxiao know! Quickly get him to rescue Little Treasure!" Yan Ruyi hurriedly said, then she added, "And also that girl¡­"

    Yan Ruyi closed her eyes, mumbling in her trembling voice, "Thank goodness Little Treasure isn''t alone this time¡­ At least, he won''t be as scared with that girl around¡­ I can''t imagine if Little Treasure was alone¡­"

    Tears started falling out of Yan Ruyi''s eyes.

    She felt like killing herself when she thought about how she could have allowed this to happen again, about the magnitude of psychological trauma Little Treasure would go through. and also if Ning Xi had not gone with him.

    "It''s me¡­ It''s my fault¡­ I didn''t protect Little Treasure¡­ Why didn''t I hold onto Little Treasure tightly? Why did I take Little Treasure from Ning Xi just now? If Ning Xi had been holding onto Little Treasure¡­" Yan Ruyi was flooded with guilt.

    Lu Chongshan did not say anything, but he was not feeling any better than Yan Ruyi. If it had not been for his impatience to bond with the Guan family, they would not havee to Fahua Temple today and given the opponent a chance.

    Guan Ziyao helped Yan Ruyi up carefully. "You shouldn''t me yourself, Aunty Lu. It''s not your fault. It''s my fault¡­ I was too shocked to react and didn''t take Little Treasure away in time¡­"

    "Master, Madam, we shouldn''t stay here too long! Let''s go back and n it out! Another secondter means more danger to the Little Master!" Xing Wu quickly reminded them.

    "Return! Quick!"

    ¡­

    On the way back, Lu Chongshan could not reach Lu Tingxiao''s phone, so he ordered Xing Wu to go straight to thepany.

    The moment they got out of the car in the underground parking lot, they saw Lu Tingxiao''s special assistant Cheng Feng.

    Cheng Feng stepped out of his car while taking a phone call. He was grinning and seemed to be in a good mood.

    "Cheng Feng!" Lu Chongshan called out to him.

    Cheng Feng hung up and looked at Lu Chongshan, Yan Ruyi, and Guan Ziyao in surprise. "President? Madam? Why are you all here thiste?"

    "Where''s Tingxiao? Why isn''t he picking up the phone?" Yan Ruyi went up and demanded.

    "CEO Lu is working hard right now!" Cheng Feng reported to Lu Chongshan excitedly. "President! The Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group is done for this time around!"

    "What did you say?" Lu Chongshan was stunned.

    "The Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group had issues with a big order and they failed to deliver the goods up to the promised standard, so they needed to pay a huge penalty, but they''ve been using all their money to purchase our shares and have no ready cash now.

    "If they want to keep Yi Lan, they have to sell whatever Lu Corporation shares they have. They spent money several times more than the market value of these shares. If they sell them at a lower price because they need the money, they''ll suffer a huge loss even if they manage to keep Yi Lan safe. Most importantly, their threat towards the Lu Corporation will then be solved!"

    "Furthermore, President, please look at the stock market¡­"

    Cheng Feng opened the stock charts of the several shares Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group had invested in on his iPad. All of them started with a strong performance, but their stock was now declining sharply.

 Chapter 1689: Hes Your Grandson!

    <h4>Chapter 1689: He''s Your Grandson!</h4>

    Cheng Feng studied the trend of the share prices as he continued to exin to Lu Chongshan, "Boss unexpectedly organized a task force six months ago. All of them were top-notch traders from Wall Street, and now Boss is personally leading this group of dealers. If nothing goes wrong, we just need one night. Tomorrow morning, Yi Lan''s share prices will fall to its lowest and everyone will dump the shares inrge quantities¡­"

    Cheng Feng was still admiringly going on about how Lu Tingxiao hadid out theworks and buried traps as well as how he had nned ahead, while Lu Chongshan stared at the shares on the iPad. He was stumped for words.

    Seven days¡­ Tingxiao had promised him seven days¡­

    Now, it was the sixth night.

    That child¡­ He had really done it¡­

    No wonder! No wonder Little Treasure was suddenly kidnapped!

    It seems that they were driven to act in desperation!

    "Uhh, President¡­ What''s wrong? And Madam¡­" Cheng Feng finally noticed that they seemed like a bundle of frazzled nerves.

    "Today, Uncle Lu, Aunty Lu and I went to the temple to pray with Little Treasure. We suddenly met a group of kidnappers midway and they''ve kidnapped Little Treasure!" Guan Ziyao exined. At the same time, there was a hidden shine in her eyes. She knew that the man she fancied was not that weak!

    No wonder Little Treasure was kidnapped. It was most probably the work of the illegitimate child. Those people were not good people and they would do anything if they were desperate.

    In fact, this time it was not only Little Treasure. That woman had joined them by herself too.

    Everything that she had been worried about would unexpectedly be all resolved tonight.

    "What did you say? Little Treasure¡­ Little Treasure is kidnapped?! How could this be?" Cheng Feng was so frightened that his expression instantly changed.

    "What''s so impossible about that? Little Treasure was kidnapped right before our eyes! Don''t dy it any further. Quickly inform Tingxiao!" Yan Ruyi urged.

    "Well¡­" Cheng Feng was about to respond when he suddenly thought of something and he hesitated.

    Before Cheng Feng could say anything, Lu Chongshan already stopped him. "Wait! We can''t tell Tingxiao now!"

    "What did you say?" Yan Ruyi looked at her husband in disbelief. "Why can''t we tell Tingxiao? It''s already a critical stage!"

    Lu Chongshan spoke solemnly, "Yi Lan''s side has definitely begun to fight back already. Tonight''s share market trade is exceptionally important. Tingxiao cannot be affected by anything. As long as there''s an error, all his previous efforts will go down the drain! Why do you think the other party suddenly racked their brains to kidnap Little Treasure? It''s to disturb Tingxiao!"

    Yan Ruyi felt her lips tremble as she stared lifelessly at this man before her as if she could not recognize him at all. "Lu Chongshan¡­ Do you know what you''re saying? Little Treasure was kidnapped! He''s your grandson! You keep saying that it''s for the Lu family and for the benefit of all. You''ve sacrificed so much and been wronged¡­ Finally, you''re even sacrificing Little Treasure''s life too? Do you even still have a heart?!"

    Lu Chongshan frowned. "Ruyi, that''s not what I meant. When did I say that I want to sacrifice Little Treasure''s life? I''ve already informed everyone to investigate that group of people''s tracks. In fact, those people will definitelye to us to make demands. When that happens, we''ll¡­"

    "Enough! Lu Chongshan! You don''t need to go on with your bombastic talk! I know that the Lu family is even more important than Little Treasure''s life to you!" Yan Ruyi lost control and roared.

 Chapter 1690: Compromise

    <h4>Chapter 1690: Compromise</h4>

    On the side, Guan Ziyao advised, "Aunty Lu, calm down a little. Uncle Lu makes sense too. If we tell Tingxiao now, then we would''ve fallen into their trap. What if,ter on, they get their way and don''t let Little Treasure go?"

    "You shut up too!" At this moment Yan Ruyi''s heart was entirely flooded with the thought of Little Treasure meeting danger and she chided Guan Ziyao insensitively.

    Guan Ziyao had never been shouted at. Yan Ruyi appeared fierce even though she may be cowardly at heart. Guan Ziyao turned pale as she looked hurt and kept quiet.

    "Lu Chongshan, you won''t say it, will you? Okay! Then, I''ll go look for Tingxiao myself!" Yan Ruyi pushed the people beside her away, quickly walking towards the dedicated elevator.

    She had just reached the elevator when she wavered. She had passed out on the ground without a warning.

    She had gone through too much today. The fact that she could hold on till now was her ultimate grasp to save Little Treasure. At that moment, she finally could not bear it anymore.

    "Ruyi!"

    "Aunty Lu!"

    "Madam!"

    The three of them quickly rushed over to help her up.

    "President, this¡­" Cheng Feng panicked.

    "Quickly call the doctor!" Lu Chongshan ordered worriedly.

    "Then¡­ that thing about the Little Master¡­ Do we tell Boss?" Cheng Feng asked.

    Lu Chongshan''s hands nervously trembled as he shut his eyes. Some time passed before he finally said, "Don''t tell Tingxiao first¡­ but once midnight has passed, and if Little Treasure hasn''t been rescued yet¡­"

    Lu Chongshan heaved a long sigh before he continued, "No matter how the condition of the Lu Corporation is like, you must immediately inform Tingxiao!"

    Cheng Feng nodded. "Okay, I''ve got it."

    Lu Chongshan looked at Yan Ruyi who had lost consciousness. His ears rang with her everyint and his heart ached dully.

    He had watched Little Treasure grow up. Even now, he still remembered the first time he saw the little guy''s excitement, remembered the soft touch when he hugged him. Then, he had watched him grow up day by day as he became smarter and smarter, cuter and cuter, and now he was obedient, sensible, and filial¡­

    That was his grandson, his life! How could he not be worried? How could his heart not ache?! He would have much rather have himself be kidnapped!

    However, this affected the entire Lu family''s life and death. Everything had started with him too, so he could not just disregard all of this.

    To wait until midnight was already the onlypromise he could think of.

    ¡­

    Not too long before that, in the Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group building.

    In the dimly lit office, theputer screen shone on the man''s gloomy face and his white hair.

    He was looking at pictures. All of them were images of Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao getting along in a heartwarming manner on the daily with the little bun together. He was browsing through pictures of this family of three. They were all captured on film, yet it was incredibly real. He could feel the love in the girl''s eyes even if it was just through photographs.

    His inbox page was open. The sender was not anonymous. Instead, the identity was disyed without any cover-up: Lu Jingli!

    Without a doubt, this fit Lu Jingli''s personality very much.

    His brother had been provoked by those pictures every day, so naturally, he would give him a taste of his own medicine! Who was afraid of who?!

    "Boss¡ª no! Something''s wrong!" At this moment a person had suddenly rushed in through the door.

    "What did you call me?" The man''s gaze was indistinct as he looked up.

    "CEO! CEO! Something''s wrong! There''s a problem with our bill with Jia Xing. Now, we need to pay them $3 billion in U.S. dors¡­"

    "Just pay up."

    "But¡­ we have no more money!"

 Chapter 1691: That Would Definitely Be Very Interesting

    <h4>Chapter 1691: That Would Definitely Be Very Interesting</h4>

    "Where''s the money?" The man carelessly asked.

    "Previously, we''ve used all of it to acquire the Lu Corporation''s shares! There''s not a single cent left! You said we don''t need to care and that all of our resources should be used to acquire them!" The subordinate looked rmed as he answered.

    The man''s brows shot up when he heard him. "Did I say that?"

    "You did!" The other person was about to cry from being tortured by his own boss.

    Right at that moment, the office door was pushed open once again. Qian Yi walked in with an air of haughtiness, then the subordinate said, "In fact, all our underground business channels have been exposed!"

    This meant that all of their financial resources were cut off!

    Previously, when Hei Long had been bailed out in time, they thought that there would definitely be no further problems. Who would have thought that these channels were still exposed, and had been directly disclosed to the ck cats? Where had it gone wrong?

    However, now was not the time to think about it.

    Damn it! This Lu Tingxiao was remarkable indeed!

    Thankfully, he had prepared for this!

    Behind him, Tang Ye continued, "Now, Lu Tingxiao has prepared a group of traders. They are attacking our share market!"

    Yun Shen''s usuallyzy and uninterested eyes suddenly had an unprecedented light in it as if something interested him, fueling his earnest desire to the surface¡­

    "Very good, let''s y with him!" The man''s fingers moved slightly, andplicated share market charts shed on theputer screen. "Huh, I''d like to see if the former Wall Street legend is really undefeatable¡­"

    If he defeated Lu Tingxiao in a field that he was most of proud of and well-versed in, that would definitely be very interesting!

    Qiao Yi watched Yun Shen''s expression and knew that this guy was finally being serious. He was gratified and worried at the same time.

    He knew that Yun Shen was actually the same as Lu Tingxiao. They had a shocking talent in the aspect of share markets. The reason they could bring the Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group to such heights within such a short amount of time after they returned to China was not just with the simple feat of cash.

    This time, he really had no way of determining the winner.

    However, he would not allow any possibility for failure!

    This time, he must win! They would definitely win!

    He would do it at all costs!

    Yun Shen waved everyone away. He buried his head in the sea of data while Tang Ye quickly gathered thepany team to begin their standoff with the Lu Corporation.

    Qiao Yi walked out after he gave his subordinate a warning look. "You cannot let Ah Shen know about tonight''s matter!"

    Sometimes, that child just could not wrap his head around things and took too much responsibility. A man of great ambition did not bother about trifles, so what if it was by hook or by crook? To deal with someone like Lu Chongshan, there was no need to talk aboutpassion with him!

    "Understood," responded the subordinate.

    ¡­

    Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

    Yan Ruyi was still unconscious. Lu Chongshan had mobilized all of the Lu family''s underground forces to search for Little Treasure''s whereabouts. At the same time, the only thing he could do was wait for the other side to contact him.

    Once they contacted him, they would definitely raise an unreasonable demand, but as long as they reached out to him, they could identify their location and rescue Little Treasure.

    However, as time passed by and the night turned darker, many people had been mobilized, yet there was still no news of Little Treasure at all. That helicopter seemed to have vanished into thin air, not leaving any traces behind. They were not even sure if they were still in the country and the other party had not contacted him either¡­

    The once certain Lu Chongshan finally had a change in expression¡­

 Chapter 1692: As Long As Iâ€™m With Mommy

    <h4>Chapter 1692: As Long As I¡¯m With Mommy</h4>

    In a manor in the suburbs of Beijing.

    "Uncle Qiao! The Lu Corporation didn''t react at all. It seems that Lu Chongshan hid the incident from Lu Tingxiao and sent people to pursue us in secret. Should we contact Lu Chongshan?" Feng Jin was waiting for orders.

    "What''s the point of contacting Lu Chongshan?" Qiao Yi asked.

    Feng Jin was taken aback. "Well, of course¡­"

    "Do you think I want to threaten Lu Chongshan with that child?" Qiao Yi asked with a questionable smile.

    Feng Jin was confused. "You don''t? Then, what do you n to do?"

    Qiao Yi was sitting on a long, red wooden chair. He gazed outside into the dark coldly. An ugly, ferocious beast hid in the deepest parts of his soul, longing to break free. He then slowly answered Feng Jin, "Kill that child."

    Feng Jin''s pupils shrunk, his face filled with fear. "What?"

    The manughed coldly. "What now? Are you scared?"

    Feng Jin looked down and tried to hide his horror. "No¡­ Just¡­"

    "What''s there to be afraid about? Everything will be ours after tonight. Lu Chongshan will be reduced to being a loser!"

    Feng Jin frowned. Even if that was the case, they did not have to kill the child, did they? There were so many other better ways to do this¡­

    What if killing the child caused an extreme reaction from the Lu Corporation?

    "Any more problems?" Qiao Yi red at the person before with him his ghost-like eyes.

    Feng Jin felt a chill run down his spine. "Nope! I''ll execute it now!"

    Afterward, he thought of something, then asked again, "Then¡­ What about Tang Xi?"

    The only unexpected thing was that they had caught Tang Xi too. She had almost ruined their n.

    Could Uncle Qiao want Tang Xi?

    As he thought about it, Feng Jin''s arm that had been shot by Yun Shen before unconsciously jerked.

    Qiao Yi sighed and said in a helpless tone, "Keep her. It''s rare for Shen to have found something he likes. Let her see with her own eyes how the child will die."

    So that she would know the consequences of being a traitor¡­

    Feng Jin''s voice trembled slightly. "Noted."

    After Feng Jin left, Qiao Yi gently touched the ne around his chest. He unsped it and looked at the picture inside. While his eyes seemed gentle, it was terrifying at the same time. "Heh¡­ Lu Chongshan¡­ After letting you live happily for so many years, it''s time¡­ I''ll let you have a taste of losing your dear ones¡­ ha¡­ hahaha¡­"

    His psychoticugh echoed through the night, making everyone shiver.

    ¡­

    Ning Xi and Little Treasure were brought to a 20-meter square feet house while blindfolded.

    There were no windows in the house. There was only a steel door and two men on guard outside. Inside, there was nothing except her and Little Treasure. She had no idea where they were.

    No one talked to them after she and Little Treasure were imprisoned there.

    Time passed slowly and soon, two hours went by.

    Ning Xi''s expression became more and more solemn as time passed.

    "Little Treasure, are you scared?" Ning Xi hugged the little guy tightly.

    Little Treasure shook his head as he was hugged warmly by his mother. He did not look afraid. "As long as I''m with Mommy!"

    Ning Xi kissed the little guy''s forehead gently as she hid the darkness in her eyes. "Good."

 Chapter 1693: Mommy Wonâ€™t Let Bad Things Happen To You

    <h4>Chapter 1693: Mommy Won¡¯t Let Bad Things Happen To You</h4>

    Ning Xi was on high alert at the moment. She was closely observing what was happening outside, but the two guards were like stic models. She almost could not hear their breathing and no one else wasing. They did not reply to any of her questions as well.

    Another half an hour passed, and Ning Xi''s expression darkened.

    Only they were able to assemble a group of A-rank mercenaries to take a child away from the Lu family.

    There would only be one reason for this. Lu Tingxiao must have started resisting, and they might have been pushed into a corner, so they wanted to use Little Treasure to threaten the Lu family.

    She had thought of this angle from the start. Since they had demands, she was not really worried that they would hurt Little Treasure.

    However, as time passed by, she felt like things were not right.

    If they were trying to use Little Treasure to threaten the Lu family, they should have stated their demands to Lu Chongshan when they first abducted Little Treasure. Even if they missed the chance, they should have already contacted the Lu family by now. Their disadvantages would pile up as time went by.

    Why did they not contact the Lu family?

    Unless¡­

    She hugged Little Treasure even tighter as she thought of a certain possibility.

    After some time, there was the sound of footsteps outside the door.

    The leader with the letter "K" on his mask was talking to the two guards.

    Ning Xi''s sharp eyes saw shock on the face of one of the guards.

    What had the "K" said that could cause such a reaction from him?

    They did not seem to care that she was here and spoke in a loud voice. Ning Xi heard a few phrases, "tonight midnight", "it''s an order from above", "keep that woman"¡­

    Ning Xibined the phrases together and her blood froze.

    He had specifically mentioned "keep that woman". What did that mean?

    Discard the child?

    The sound of footsteps faded away as the leader left and silence returned again.

    Ning Xi could not stop shivering.

    "Mommy¡­" Little Treasure looked at his mother anxiously as he could tell that she was very shaken up by her emotions.

    Ning Xi hugged him tightly. "It''s alright¡­"

    It was alright¡­ Nothing bad will happen¡­

    Mommy will not let bad things happen to you!

    Ning Xi did everything she could to calm herself down. Her expression changed the next moment. She clutched her stomach and had a painful expression on her face.

    "Mommy?" The calm-looking Little Treasure had a change in expression as well when he saw what happened to Ning Xi. He looked over in rm. "What''s happened, Mommy?"

    Ning Xi could not say anything. Her body started twitching and she was groaning painfully.

    "Mommy!"

    The guard on the right side turned around and looked inside when he heard something. He frowned.

    As he was about to act, the other guard stopped him. "What are you doing?"

    "She¡­"

    "Don''t do anything unnecessary," his partner warned him.

    The guard hesitated a little, then returned to his post.

    After that, Ning Xi''s reaction gradually became stronger. She was rolling around in pain and was knocking her head against the wall. Blood streamed down her face.

 Chapter 1694: Donâ€™t Forget Sheâ€™s Tang Xi

    <h4>Chapter 1694: Don¡¯t Forget She¡¯s Tang Xi</h4>

    The little bun screamed. He cried as he hugged Ning Xi who was rolling around. "Mommy¡­"

    The guard could not help it anymore. "I''ll go in and take a look!"

    Before his partner could say anything, he stated coldly, "The bosses ordered us to keep that woman. Are you going to be responsible if anything happens to her?"

    The partner spoke in a sarcastic tone, "That''s Tang Xi! And don''t forget that she''s an actress!" He added, "And a very outstanding actress at that!"

    He was obviously well-informed about Ning Xi.

    The guard, who was about to go in, hesitated and stopped in his tracks. He just observed what was happening inside.

    "Mommy¡­ Please save my Mommy!"

    The child was crying hysterically as he knelt down before the steel door and begged them to save his mother. Even cold-blooded people who underwent special training could not help but frown at this situation.

    At the same time, the frequency of the woman jerking was getting lesser and lesser. Blood started foaming out of her mouth. In the end, she stopped moving¡­

    Finally, both the guards had a change in expression.

    One of them opened the door and rushed in, while the other one stood by the door and cautiously held his gun up.

    The guard who rushed in went beside Ning Xi and kicked her. He then squatted down and checked her.

    The tide turned at the exact moment. The man''s feet was swiped by a huge force. He fell down on the floor, head first. In the next second, the woman''s bloody eyes turned sheer cold. She covered the child''s eyes with one hand and grabbed the guard''s hand holding the gun with the other. She aimed at the guard on the outside and pulled the trigger by pushing the man''s hand. The bullet shot from the silencer and went through the guard''s forehead. He fell backward while maintaining his shooting position.

    Another silent gunshot went off as she shot through the heart of the other guard.

    All of it happened in the blink of an eye, and there were now two corpses in the room.

    Yes, she was Tang Xi. She was an outstanding actress.

    So what if they knew about her?

    True acting was just that. No matter how well you understood her, the moment she was immersed in her role, even she would forget that she was acting.

    "Mommy¡­" Little Treasure pulled his mother''s palm away. He looked coldly at the two corpses on the ground without any fear.

    However, when he saw his mother, he leaped towards her worriedly. "Mommy, you''re alright¡­"

    "I''m alright. I was just tricking them. I''m sorry I made you worry!" Ning Xi kept the gun at the back of her trousers, then she picked Little Treasure up and found a rope on one of the guards'' bodies. She tied Little Treasure tightly in front of her.

    "Don''t worry, baby. Mommy will bring you out of here!" Just as Ning Xi finished preparing herself, loud, rming sirens started ringing inside the empty house. The two bodies were glowing with red lights.

    "Damn it!" Ning Xi''s expression changed as she stared at the red lights.

    She did not expect there to be sensors on the both of them. If a person with a sensor died or their heartbeat was odd, the linked system would trigger the rm.

 Chapter 1695: Treat You To A Good Show

    <h4>Chapter 1695: Treat You To A Good Show</h4>

    In the suburbs of Beijing.

    "Uncle Qiao! Something''s gone wrong!"

    "What is it?" Qiao Yi, who was fondly recalling people in the past, looked up unhappily as he was disrupted.

    "It''s¡­ It''s Tang Xi¡­ Tang Xi killed two guards¡­ She brought the child with her and escaped!" Feng Jin panted as he reported.

    "Where did they go?" Qiao Yi frowned. He was upset that it had been such a simple mission, yet they repeatedly ran into problems.

    "They are still within our territory. They should¡­ should not be able to escape!" Even though Feng Jin said this, in reality, his tone sounded uncertain.

    This woman was too unpredictable. In that situation with such tight security and a child with her, she had actually killed two A-grade mercenaries and escaped.

    Qiao Yi''s hand that was stroking his ne stopped. He slowly got up, fixed his sleeves, and said, "Let''s go."

    "You want to personally go and¡­" Feng Jin was shocked.

    "What if I don''t go? Which one of you will dare to touch that girl?" The man''s expression was so sinister that one''s soul started to tremble too.

    Indeed, Feng Jin turned pale when he heard this.

    What did Qiao Yi mean?

    The man regretfully shook his head and sighed, "That girl is quite naturally talented. There''s a friendship between us with me as her master. Sadly, she chose to take this path that she shouldn''t have¡­ Well, then we can''t keep her¡­"

    Feng Jin watched the sh of perverted madness in the man''s eyes and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

    ¡­

    At the Lu family''s old residence.

    "Master, everyone''s already gone out to search, but there''s still no news!"

    "No one from their side has contacted us either!"

    ¡­

    As Lu Chongshan listened to the reports from his subordinates, he looked at the silent handphone andndline. He nced at the numbers on the clock approach zero by the second, his fingers starting to quiver more and more uncontrobly. The bad feeling in his heart started to grow too.

    "Master, what do we do now? Do we want to¡­ continue waiting?" Xing Wu''s forehead was full of nervous sweat as he looked at the time on the wall.

    There was still ten more minutes till midnight.

    "How''s it going at thepany?" Lu Chongshan asked.

    Xing Wu answered, "Earlier, Cheng Feng sent news that all is going well. We''re almost there! The shares have fallen close to their base prices. If they don''t protect their trades soon, they definitely won''t be able to keep those shares. If they do, then they''ll still suffer a huge loss. They might not be able to hold on any longer¡­"

    Lu Chongshan''s voice trembled as he said with much difficulty, "Just¡­ wait a bit more¡­"

    Xing Wu only replied, "Understood¡­"

    Time passed by, one second after another.

    It was just a few short minutes, yet it felt as long as a few decades.

    Ringggg! The sound of the primitive default ringtone broke the silence of the living room akin to a sudden p of thunder.

    Lu Chongshan''s phone rang and on the screen of the handphone popped up an unknown number, requesting for a video call.

    "It''s here!" When Xing Wu saw it, his eyes widened.

    It was finally here!

    He knew that they would contact him!

    Lu Chongshan calmed himself down, then he clicked to answer the call.

    In the next second, the phone screen flickered, then it showed a middle-aged man''s face.

    The man wore a navy blue Tang suit and it seemed like he was sitting on a tall tform. The stage''s strong lights shone downwards. Below it was the abandoned ruins of a city. The light illuminated every corner of the ruins clearly with nothing to hide.

    "Yun Yi!" Lu Chongshan stared at the middle-aged man''s face, horror etched on his expression.

    The man lowered his head andughed, "Haha, so you still remember me, Director Lu? I thought that you''re a noble blood who forgets many things!"

    "Yun Yi, you still have time to stop all of this. You know that what happened back then¡­" Lu Chongshan spoke in a lowered voice.

    The man cut him off byughing sympathetically, "Director Lu, no need to mention what happened back then. There''s no need to y games and dy anymore. I''m not nning to do something as boring as ordering the dukes about in the name of the emperor in captivity¡­"

    When the man said this, he chuckled slyly. "Haha, tonight, I want to treat you to a show, Director Lu¡­ A good show¡­"

 Chapter 1696: Dies Right In Front of You

    <h4>Chapter 1696: Dies Right In Front of You</h4>

    "Tonight, I want to treat you to a show, Director Lu¡­ A good show¡­"

    As he observed the man''s cold and sadistic gaze filled with a madness for revenge and as he heard this sentence, all of Lu Chongshan''s calm rationality vanished at that moment. He shouted to Xing Wu as his voice almost broke, "Inform Tingxiao! Immediately inform Tingxiao now!"

    "Master¡­"

    "Shut up! Hurry!"

    ¡­

    On the other end of the video, the middle-aged man smiled delightedly when he saw his reaction. "How unfortunate¡­ It''s already toote¡­"

    The second the middle-aged man finished, the video changed to a different shot. The camera pointed at the abandoned ruins underneath the tall tform, then it gradually zoomed in. The scene in the shot was very clear. Although it was night time, one could clearly see the situation down below.

    Finally, the screen showed a familiar figure.

    It was that woman!

    Ning Xi carried Little Treasure tightly in her embrace, swiftly rushing out of a building. She checked around vigntly, then headed towards a distance with all her might and speed. However, she did not know that what waited for her was not life, but a long plotted inescapable, a crazy massacre¡­

    Without any warning, there was the explosion of a gunshot from the phone.

    "Ah!" Ning Xi cried out under her breath. Her wrist that got shot instantly bled.

    Ning Xi''s face suddenly revealed immense despair and panic. She could not care less about the gunshot wound on her arm. She squeezed Little Treasure in her arms tightly, looked up, and studied the empty surroundings as if there were numerous monsters hiding and waiting to tear them apart.

    "Mommy¡­" Little Treasure suddenly cried out, his little face filled with terror.

    "Baby, don''t be scared! That was fake¡­ fake¡­ Mommy was just lying to people¡­" Ning Xi used an extremely gentle tone tofort him. When the little guy was not noticing, she rapidly tapped the back of Little Treasure''s neck with controlled force.

    The little guy''s terror-filled eyes gradually closed and he fell into a deep sleep.

    Ning Xi tied Little Treasure tighter to her again, then she continued to run forward without hesitation.

    10 meters, 50 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters¡­ As she was about to reach the next juncture¡ª

    Bam! There came another gunshot.

    Ning Xi''s right leg fell into a kneeling position on the ground. She bent over akin to a dried shrimp to protect the child as her chin trembled. Very quickly, she stood up again and dragged her bleeding leg. At a speed no slower than before, she swiftly continued to run forward.

    She did not stop for a second.

    Even if she knew that she was surrounded by a group of beasts and it was close to impossible to survive, even if the pain on her leg was excruciating, she had to escape! She had to escape out of this ce! She had to bring Little Treasure out of here! She had promised Little Treasure¡­

    The other party was like a cat catching a mouse. Every time he saw that the girl could not hold on any longer, he would intentionally let her stop, let her have time to catch her breath, and when she was about to see hope again, he would crush her hopes to pieces with a gunshot¡­

    Her arm, her calf, her torso, her ankle¡­ The other party did not shoot her fatal parts intentionally, yet he had tossed her into the sky and let her fall ruthlessly with every gunshot.

    While the girl clearly knew the other person''s game, after every time she tripped, she would continue to move forward without hesitation.

    "Enough!" Lu Chongshan held his violently aching heart and shouted into the phone, "I said enough! What do you want?! Yun Yi! What do you want?! You want the Lu family, don''t you?! I''ll give it to you! You let go of the child! Let go of him! Did you hear me!"

    The middle-aged man appeared on the phone screen again. When the man saw his pained expression, heughed frantically, "Hahahaha¡­ What do I want? Lu Chongshan! I want you to be in so much pain that you don''t want to live! I want you to look on helplessly as your closest kin dies right in front of you!"

 Chapter 1697: Give You Your Heartâ€™s Content

    <h4>Chapter 1697: Give You Your Heart''s Content</h4>

    The man''s every word was like a sharp awl that had been thrust hard into his chest, then ruthlessly twisted.

    Lu Chongshan''s heart felt an increasingly vigorous sharp pain. His face had turnedpletely pale. "You¡­"

    As he observed Lu Chongshan''s sorry look of losing all control, no longer as insufferably arrogant as before, the man shook his head and sighed as if he pitied him. However, his tone was ultimately taunting and cold as he said faintly, "Who would have thought¡­ that Director Lu would have a side of him that valued kinship too? It''s really a shock to me¡­"

    When he finished, he turned to the person beside him and raised his hand. "Enough. We''ll let Director Lu feel the pain to his heart''s content!"

    Lu Chongshan instantly widened his eyes. His hoarse voice struggled to say, "Yun Yi! You dare?! You¡­"

    An unbearably excruciating pain shot through his heart. Lu Chongshan had spoken halfway when he stopped as he cked out and fell to the floor.

    The phone ttered to the ground.

    The second before he lost consciousness, he clearly saw something bombarded in the girl''s direction of escape. The massive wall behind her had toppled over with a loud rumble, then the girl had instantly vanished from his line of sight. Only a broken wall and ruins were left. A pool of bright red blood gradually flowed out from between the cracks of the bricks, drenching that part of the soil, dying it red¡­

    ¡­

    In the Lu Corporation''s office building.

    Ci¡ª!

    There came an ear-piercing sound. The pen in Lu Tingxiao''s hand had identally shed through the paper, leaving an ugly mark.

    The man''s thin lips pursed tightly. He looked at the white paper covered in data before him and frowned. For some reason, his face had sunken.

    "Bro! This time they''re definitely screwed!" Lu Jingli ran over gleefully. When he saw Lu Tingxiao''s expression, he suddenly asked nervously, "Bro, what''s wrong? Is there a problem somewhere?"

    Lu Tingxiao swiftly stood up. "Where''s your sister-inw?"

    Lu Jingli did not expect for him to switch topics so quickly, so he could not respond immediately. "Ah? Xiao Xi Xi! She''s at the old residence! Father and Mother went to the temple in the day. At night, they asked Guan Ziyao to stay for dinner, then Little Treasure worked hard and had Xiao Xi Xi stay too¡­"

    "Boss! Come over and take a look!" One of the traders frantically ran up to Lu Tingxiao.

    "Boss, the other side still hasn''t made a move. What do we do now? Do we still want to continue tossing out the shares we have? There''s only $7 million left!" From the other end came a voice asking for instructions too.

    It was a critical time right now. Lu Tingxiao steered everyone and he could not afford to be distracted for even a minute. Otherwise, one wrong mistake would render all their previous efforts useless with no hope of reprieve!

    "Bro, what are you worried about? Little Treasure is there! Xiao Xi Xi won''t be taken advantage of! We''re almost there!" Lu Jingli urged.

    Just a little more, and this repulsive person and his brother''s biggest romantic rival would bepletely disposed of!

    Lu Jingli did not care about Lu Jingli''s urging. He raised his hand to let those waiting on his instructions to wait momentarily, then he turned to Lu Jingli. "Go and fetch Ning Xi over. Go right now. I want to see her within my line of sight."

    Lu Jingli wailed, "Bro, are you serious? You just haven''t seen each other for six days¡­ Tomorrow, everything will be resolved¡­ It''s just one more day!"

    His brother''s icy gaze shot over from miles away and Lu Jingli immediately epted the order. "I''ll go fetch her right away!"

    Just as Lu Jingli said this, a figure suddenly staggered in. "Master! Second Master! Not¡­ not good! Little Master has been kidnapped¡­ and¡­ and that Miss Xiao Xi¡­"

 Chapter 1698: Bastards! Iâ€™ll Kill Them!

    <h4>Chapter 1698: Bastards! I¡¯ll Kill Them!</h4>

    "What did you say? Kidnapped? When did this happen?"

    Xing Wu was wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Evening¡­ About 6 o''clock¡­"

    "What the heck?! Why are you only telling us now when it happened in the evening? Tell us every single detail about the whole situation now!" Lu Jingli howled as he asked anxiously.

    Lu Tingxiao did not say a thing after Xing Wu spoke. His dark eyes were like an enormous abyss. He then spoke in an icy-cold tone that could make a soul shiver. "Are they still alive?"

    The rampaging Lu Jingli froze when he heard his brother''s question as if blood had been sucked out from his whole body.

    They had kept this matter that happened in the evening a secret probably so as not to bother his brother at such a crucial time. However, why were they now so desperate to let them know?

    Something must have happened¡­

    Thud.

    Xing Wu knelt down, his trembling lips finally blurting out, "Currently¡­ unknown¡­"

    Lu Jingli yelled angrily, "There''s only alive or dead! What do you mean by ''unknown''?!"

    "Their aim¡­ doesn''t seem to be to threaten us¡­ It''s¡­" Xing Wu could not continue, but Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli understood what he was trying to say.

    The opponent wanted their lives!

    A dreadful silence lingered in the air.

    Lu Tingxiao made a phone call and issued an order with a deadpan tone, then he spoke to Xing Wu, "Tell me the whole story from the beginning."

    Xing Wu started, "We were ambushed when we left Fahua Temple. The driver had been bribed. Little Master was taken away in a helicopter. As for Ms. Ning Xi¡­ she forced herself onto the helicopter and followed them¡­"

    Lu Jingli''s eyes turned red. "Sister-inw must''ve been worried about Little Treasure being alone, so she followed him!"

    Lu Tingxiao had no expression on his face as usual. He then made another phone call.

    Lu Chongshan''s weak voice came through the phone. "Hello, Tingxiao¡­ I''m sorry¡­ It''s Father''s fault¡­ Quickly¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao interrupted him, "Send me the recording of the video call."

    Lu Chongshan was stunned. After some time, he replied, "Okay."

    Although Lu Tingxiao was not sure about the whole situation, he already predicted that they had made a video call.

    However, if Lu Tingxiao saw that video¡­

    "You don''t have to worry that I can''t take it." Lu Tingxiao hung up after saying.

    Lu Chongshan stared nkly at his phone. If possible, he would prefer that his son never saw that scene, but there might be important hints in the video.

    Soon, Lu Tingxiao received a notification on his phone, indicating that there was a video file in his inbox.

    Lu Tingxiao yed the video.

    As they watched it till the end, Lu Jingli punched the wall beside him. There was blood on his fist as he snarled, "Bastards! I''ll kill them!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked like a cold machine made of steel with no emotions whatsoever in him. He did not disy any sentiments and just watched the video quietly.

    They heard the loud noise at the very end and watched the thick wall behind the girl explode and cover the girl''s body. Blood soaked the ground below the girl.

    After a while, two masked men in ck suits walked out slowly and crudely dragged the girl out from the rubble.

    Her body was covered in blood as she maintained a fetal position until the very end. She had taken on all the damages and protected the child in her arms.

 Chapter 1699: Please Be Alright

    <h4>Chapter 1699: Please Be Alright</h4>

    Even Xing Wu''s eyes teared up, yet Lu Tingxiao still had no expression whatsoever.

    "Bro¡­" Lu Jingli freaked out when he noticed how calm his brother was at this moment.

    It might be better if he was exploding furiously or hopping mad, but now¡­

    After the video finished, Lu Tingxiao turned to Lu Jingli and said, "I''m sorry."

    There was a loud noise outside the window. A helicopter closed in and was hovering near thepany building.

    Lu Tingxiao took ast look at the video, then he kissed the screen. After that, he jumped onto the helicopter from the balcony.

    Lu Jingli clenched his fists tightly as he stared in the direction where the helicopter flew off to.

    He knew that Lu Tingxiao had apologized because he had to leave then. The apology was for abandoning his family and thepany for Ning Xi and Little Treasure.

    Lu Jingli rubbed his tearful eyes and turned away.

    Bastard! Why did you apologize?! Why do you care about thepany now when your wife and child are in danger?! That was not how a person was supposed to think!

    Xiao Xi Xi¡­

    Little Treasure¡­

    Please be alright¡­

    If not, he really would not know what would be of his brother.

    ¡­

    There were four people on the helicopter Lu Tingxiao was on. Three of them were his people. There was the pilot, two people who were scouting for the location, and thest one was Tang Lang.

    Tang Lang watched the video in Lu Tingxiao''s phone repeatedly. He shook his head apologetically. "I''ve never seen this ce before and I''m not sure where is it¡­ but timing-wise, it shouldn''t be very far. It''s surely not within the country as they were able to use so many weapons. We can check the small countries nearby. It''s just a matter of time."

    Tang Lang''s expression changed when he realized that the toughest issue was time itself.

    Little Junior Sister could not wait!

    From the video, Little Junior Sister must have been injured gravely assuming she was still alive. She could notst much longer¡­

    And also, there was Little Treasure whose condition was unknown.

    There were so many countries around, and most of them hadplex terrains as well. It was not an easy feat to search for that small plot ofnd shown in the video!

    He was worried that Little Junior Sister and Little Treasure were already¡­

    Tang Lang looked at the man beside him nervously in reverence.

    His most beloved woman and his only son had fallen victim to something like this, and they might already be dead, yet he had neither lost control nor broken down.

    Time passed by slowly.

    After checking a few ces, even using all theworks avable, they were not able to locate where the ce was.

    It was midnight in the video. Most of the ces were pitch ck except for the ces that had been lit up, so it was difficult to identify the location.

    The opponent must have picked the most ndestine ce to torture them. It would not be easy to find it.

    Soon, ten minutes passed.

    Lu Tingxiao closed his eyes and remained stationary. He seemed to be concentrating and calming himself down to think¡­

    After a short while, Lu Tingxiao opened his eyes and took out his phone. He sent an email and made a phone call.

    Tang Lang noticed he did not look for a name in his contact list. Instead, he dialed a bunch of numbers, and oddly enough, this number was a little familiar to Tang Lang¡­

 Chapter 1700: Finally Found The Place

    <h4>Chapter 1700: Finally Found The ce</h4>

    After he called the number, Lu Tingxiao directly said, "Look at your inbox. Reply me in 10 seconds."

    Following the short sentence, Lu Tingxiao hung up and sat there waiting for his reply.

    Time went on¡­

    As Tang Lang was counting down to ten seconds in secret, Lu Tingxiao received a notification on his phone.

    Lu Tingxiao nced at his inbox, then he spoke to the pilot, "Turn around. Inform everyone Country F, E 31, N¡­"

    Tang Lang was shocked when he heard Lu Tingxiao read out the address, and even with urate coordinates.

    Who did Lu Tingxiao call? That person was able to find out the location in ten seconds!

    You could not even finish watching the video in ten seconds!

    Unless the person knew the moment he saw the video, then sent Lu Tingxiao the email¡­

    Tang Lang reminded himself about the number Lu Tingxiao called just now and he was stunned.

    He remembered!

    That¡­ that was one of Satan''s personal numbers!

    Had Lu Tingxiao called him?

    The more shocking fact was that Satan had actually sent him the address.

    Was he not the person who kidnapped them?

    Tang Lang looked suspicious. "Satan¡­ I mean Yun Shen¡­ Can his words be trusted? Will Little Junior Sister and Little Treasure be there?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "They''ll be there."

    ¡­

    Finally, they flew over to Country F as soon as possible.

    Fortunately, Country F was on the border of China, so it was pretty close to Imperial.

    As expected, they did not go very far¡­

    Soon, they saw a familiar building from afar. It was very simr to the one in the video, so it should be there alright!

    Was the address Satan sent real?

    As they reached that ce, they did not waste another second andnded the helicopter.

    Unexpectedly, they were surrounded by a group of people the moment theynded.

    Tang Lang looked at the armed forces and the familiar logo on them, then he realized they were in control of this area as well. He had left the organization earlier and had no idea about it. This ce was probably theirst hand¡­

    If it was not Yun Shen¡­ probably no one would know this ce¡­

    Lu Tingxiao started emitting an intense horrifying vibe as he knew Ning Xi and Little Treasure were somewhere near the building behind them, but they were being blocked by this group of people.

    However, even if they had the upper hand, it would take some time to finish them all.

    At the very moment, a silver helicopter descended. Before itndedpletely, a person jumped out of it.

    The man''s silver hair was waving due to the wind caused by the helicopter propellers. The vibe he had was simr with that of Lu Tingxiao''s.

    The group of people blocking Lu Tingxiao and his men suddenly looked afraid when they saw the appearance of the other man.

    The leader quickly went up front and said in a fearful tone, "Satan, we''ve been ordered by Uncle Qiao to ¡­" to guard here.

    "Get lost!"

    The leader came into contact with his striking cold eyes. He shivered and stopped talking, even backing off and giving way.

    The others followed. They backed off and opened a path¡­

 Chapter 1701: Iâ€™m Afraid Theyâ€™re Alreadyâ€¦

    <h4>Chapter 1701: I''m Afraid They''re Already¡­</h4>

    "Where are they?"

    The small leader shivered as he said, "Uncle Qiao got people to deal with them directly¡­ I''m afraid they''re already¡­"

    Before he could finish, he was knocked out with a kick.

    Lu Tingxiao, Yun Shen, and Tang Lang swiftly ran in.

    They had just stepped into the ruins of the building when Yun Shen, who was taking big strides ahead, seemed to have thought of something. He suddenly stopped mid-step as his trembling fingers balled into tight fists.

    Lu Tingxiao did not stay. He just walked past him and pressed forward. While he had already walked far ahead, Yun Shen remained there unmoved.

    Tang Lang turned to look pensively at the man behind him. He seemed to have noticed vaguely that there was a sh of emotions of fear and helplessness in his usually careless eyes.

    Was he¡­ afraid?

    Afraid that he might see¡­ Little Junior''s body?

    Previously, when Yun Shen had just immediately given Lu Tingxiao the address, Tang Lang was very shocked, but now he seemed to have realized that Yun Shen might not have known about Little Treasure and Ning Xi''s kidnapping at all.

    Even though there was the possibility that Qiao Yi had done all of this behind his back, how did Lu Tingxiao know it for sure, and was even certain that Yun Shen would help them?

    He had known this man for a long time, yet he did not dare say hepletely understood him, or was sure of what he would or would not do.

    ¡­

    Finally, they reached the ruins seen in the video. The air was filled with a mix of gunpowder and blood.

    When they reached the ce, everyone was stunned.

    The ruined city was extremely quiet. Apart from the sound of the wind hurtling by, there was no superfluous noise.

    What was even weirder was that on the way, they saw that some of the guards and mercenaries had fallen to the ground disorderly.

    Tang Lang went closer to inspect and was dumbstruck.

    "All these people are dead¡­"

    Initially, they thought that they had just passed out since there were no wounds or traces of blood on them. However, after closer inspection, they noticed that all of them had stopped breathing.

    Not only that, these people had all died the same way. They had all suffered severe internal injuries. Their insides were destroyed to pieces and they had died on the spot.

    At this moment, Lu Tingxiao ran swiftly to the pile of rubble.

    Beside the rubble alsoy two bodies of mercenaries. Their guns were lying on the ground, and there was still arge area of dark red bloodstains that had yet to dry up.

    "What''s going on?" Tang Lang vigntly looked around.

    At this moment, Yun Shen caught up too. He stared at the bloodstains on that rubble, then nced at those mercenaries'' bodies. His expression turned even more dreary.

    He hinted at his subordinate, then someone immediately brought the small leader over.

    "Where did they go?" Yun Shen asked with a darkened expression.

    The leader peered around, then looked at the dead mercenaries strewn around. In shock, he remarked, "Earlier, they were still¡­ How did this happen? Uncle Qiao had even especially ordered them to bring the body back after they were done¡­"

    The leader sneaked a look at Lu Tingxiao. "Send the body to the Lu residence¡­"

    "Did someone enter earlier?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    The leader looked at Lu Tingxiao and did not answer. He felt that he could not answer the rival''s questions truthfully in front of his boss, yet in the next second his own boss gave him a boot in the shins. "He''s asking you a question! Apart from us, did anyone else enter?"

    The leader quickly answered, "No! Apart from you guys, no one else has entered! And no one else has left either! Our people are guarding in a radius of dozens of miles. If anyone has gone out, I''d definitely know!"

 Chapter 1702: Unknown Whereabouts

    <h4>Chapter 1702: Unknown Whereabouts</h4>

    \Although there were people guarding all around, no one had noticed that someone had entered and left?

    When they heard this, Lu Tingxiao, Yun Shen, and Tang Lang''s expressions changed.

    "From the traces here and the way that all these mercenaries had died, the other party is acting solo. This person actually evaded so many guards and even killed all of these mercenaries hush-hush without anyone noticing?"

    As Tang Lang stated his observation, he frowned. "LIttle Junior Sister and Little Treasure have most likely been taken away by him¡­ but is the other person friend or foe? Why did they take them away?"

    "There''s no such person that I remember¡­" Yun Shen muttered to himself.

    Tang Lang solemnly said, "That''s why I''m curious as to where he suddenly appeared from. Even if Tang Ye and I worked together, we wouldn''t be able toe and go without a trace with such tight security, and also take two people away!"

    "These mercenaries haven''t died for long. They must be still within the borders of Country F. Let''s search separately. We can conduct an inch-by-inch search," Lu Tingxiao immediately ordered the subordinates he brought with him.

    "Gather everyone. Search the entire city for me inside and out!" Yun Shen''s had also ordered with a determined fury.

    "Pass," Lu Tingxiao looked at the silver-haired man and said coldly.

    If they did not have a pass and they met Yun Shen''s people in the process of their search, the two parties would definitely get into conflict and waste time.

    Yun Shen looked at the leader. "Give them a pass!"

    The leader did not dare to disobey. He quickly gave all of Lu Tingxiao''s people a pass though he was now utterly confused. Were these two not rivals? Why was the Boss obeying Lu Tingxiao''s words?

    Forget this little leader. Even Tang Lang could not help but feel the space between his eyebrows twitch at this odd scene.

    After they received the passes, Lu Tingxiao did not dy another moment longer. He led his people and quickly left.

    The two teams of manpower had very quickly filled up every corner of the city.

    ¡­

    At the Lu family''s old residence in China.

    At that moment, Lu Chongshan was lying weakly on the bed with an intravenous drip to his hand.

    Xing Wu rushed in through the door. "Master¡­"

    "Does Tingxiao have news?" Lu Chongshan sat up with difficulty.

    "Master, the doctor says you can''t get up!" Xing Wu quickly went over to help him.

    "Enough crap. Quickly tell me how''s it now?" Lu Chongshan pressed.

    Xing Wu seemed like he did not know how to report to him as he hesitated.

    As Lu Chongshan watched Xing Wu''s expression, he felt a chill in his heart and his body started to tremble vigorously. "Are they¡­ Are they already¡­"

    When Xing Wu saw that Lu Chongshan had misunderstood, he quickly exined, "No, Little Master and Miss Xiao Xi seemed to have gone missing¡­"

    "Miss¡­ missing? How could they have gone missing!?"

    "I''m not quite sure about the concrete situation either. That''s the news from them. They said that Master has found the location where Little Master and Miss Xiao Xi were kidnapped, but when they rushed over, they didn''t find them. Now, they''re looking for them in Country F¡­" Xing Wu shared.

    Xing Wu then quicklyforted, "Actually, it''s considered positive news that they can''t find them. At least¡­ at least, there''s a huge possibility that they might still be alive! Master, don''t worry anymore. Otherwise, if anything happens on your end, Master will be distracted from the other end."

    "Where''s Little Treasure?! Where''s Little Treasure?! Is Little Treasure back yet? Has Little Treasure been rescued yet?" Xing Wu was speaking to Lu Chongshan when Yan Ruyi, who had just regained consciousness, pushed the door to enter as she demanded urgently.

 Chapter 1703: My Little Treasure Is Dead

    <h4>Chapter 1703: My Little Treasure Is Dead</h4>

    Xing Wu suddenly felt a headacheing on when he saw who it was. They were screwed!

    "Madam¡­"

    "Xing Wu, Chongshan¡­ Where''s Little Treasure? Where is he? Didn''t you guys already get Little Treasure back?" Yan Ruyi seized Xing Wu and looked to Lu Chongshan whoy on the bed. There was suddenly immense horror across her face. "Did something happen to Little Treasure? Tell me! Did something happen to Little Treasure?!"

    Otherwise, why would Chongshan have fallen ill?

    Lu Chongshan''s face was full of fatigue as he quickly tried to console her, "Ruyi, calm down! Nothing has happened to Little Treasure¡­ Tingxiao has already gone to save them¡­"

    Then, he looked at Xing Wu on the side.

    Xing Wu understood Lu Chongshan''s reminding gaze and quickly followed up, "That''s right, Madam. Master has already gone to save him! Very soon, we''ll be able to bring them back!"

    "Really?" Yan Ruyi was pacified a little, then she reached her hand out to her chest. "Then, why¡­ Why do I feel like I still can''t be at ease? This is exactly what I felt thest time Little Treasure was kidnapped. Can Tingxiao save Little Treasure? Little Treasure will be okay, won''t he?"

    "Of course, he''ll be okay! Since the other party has stated their conditions for an exchange, as long as we fulfill their requests, the Little Master will definitely be okay! Madam, please wait patiently! Don''t you trust Master?" Xing Wu''s tone held a degree of certainty.

    "Okay, okay¡­ I''ll go recite some chants¡­ I''ll go pray for the Buddha to protect our Little Treasure¡­ and that girl¡­" Yan Ruyi nodded, then she left the room in a daze.

    Xing Wu and Lu Chongshan let out a sigh of relief.

    After Yan Ruyi left, Lu Chongshan picked up the phone and yed the video again. He was trying to see if he could find any clues he might have missed out on previously. Unfortunately, he still came up with nothing.

    A whileter, Yan Ruyi knocked on the door and entered again. She held a cup of ginseng tea in her hands. "Chongshan, drink some ginseng tea."

    Lu Chongshan quickly put the phone down. "Okay, don''t busy yourself. Rest more!"

    "I''m fine¡­ I can''t stay idle¡­" Yan Ruyi still looked panic-stricken as she answered Lu Chongshan. "Chongshan, do you still remember? Master Xuan Jing said that the girl would bring good luck. She could turn misfortunes into blessings! That girl has gone along too! Her good fortune will shade our Little Treasure! So, this time, our Little Treasure will definitely be okay, right? Don''t dismiss all of this. Sometimes it really works!"

    Lu Chongshan agreed with her, "Yes, he''ll definitely be okay! I didn''t dismiss it! I do believe in it!"

    Probably because she had some spiritual support, Yan Ruyi felt slightly better. She walked out with Lu Chongshan''s empty cup in her hands.

    Lu Chongshan did not notice that when Yan Ruyi left with the cup, she had silently taken his handphone¡­

    It was toote when Lu Chongshan realized his phone had gone missing.

    At that second, his wife''s frightened shriek was heard outside the door, then bam! There was no further sound.

    Lu Chongshan quickly pulled out the drip and staggered out, then he saw that his wife had fainted with the phone still ying the video recording in her hand.

    Yan Ruyi had not believed them after all. It was probably because she saw that he was looking at his phone that she sneaked it away for a look¡­

    "Madam! Madam, wake up!'' Xing Wu nipped Yan Ruyi''s philtrum .

    Yan Ruyi gradually regained consciousness and she sat nkly on the cold floor. Her jet ck eyes were filled with a coldness that sent chills up one''s spine. "Little Treasure is dead¡­ My Little Treasure is dead,isn''t he?"

 Chapter 1704: I Want To Kill You

    <h4>Chapter 1704: I Want To Kill You</h4>

    "No, no, Madam¡­ It''s not like what you saw. Even though¡­ We can''t say that they''re definitely¡­ dead¡­" Xing Wu could not continue anymore.

    Anyone knew that in such a horrible situation as that, there was a very low likelihood of the two of them surviving, especially the girl.

    "My Little Treasure is dead¡­ My good grandson¡­ Little Treasure is dead¡­" Yan Ruyi stared nkly, muttering this over and over again until her panic-stricken helplessness reached its peak.

    "My fault¡­ It''s my fault¡­ I killed Little Treasure! Why did I take Little Treasure from Ning Xi? If it had been Ning Xi who carried Little Treasure, then he definitely wouldn''t have been snatched away¡­ I didn''t carry Little Treasure tightly¡­ I let him get taken away¡­ I killed Little Treasure¡­ I killed my grandson¡­ It was me¡­ Ahhhh!!!"

    Yan Ruyi broke down and wailed out loud as she kept hitting her own chest. She almost could not catch her breath from choking on her sobs. "Grandmother killed you¡­ It was Grandmother who killed you, my Little Treasure¡­"

    Lu Chongshan pulled his copsing wife into his arms. "Ruyi! Ruyi! It''s not your fault! It''s not your fault, you hear me? It''s me¡­ Everything started because of me¡­ If someone''s to be at fault, it would be me¡­ I''m sorry¡­ Sorry¡­ I''ve let all of you down¡­ let Little Treasure down¡­"

    "Uncle Lu, Aunty Lu¡­ What''s wrong?" At the door came Guan Ziyao''s voice and behind her was Father Guan, Mother Guan, and Guan Ziyao''s older brother, Guan Zihao.

    When Yan Ruyi saw Guan Ziyao, there was suddenly an immense hatred that exploded out of her. She ran to Guan Ziyao all of a sudden and pped her hard on the face. She yanked her hair and pushed her to the floor.

    "You evil woman! Give me back Little Treasure! Give me back Little Treasure! Ning Xi already rescued Little Treasure, then passed him to you! Why didn''t you start driving to get Little Treasure away? Why didn''t you save Little Treasure? Why did you hand my grandson over to those gangsters?! Why did you kill my Little Treasure?!"

    "No, Aunty Lu, I didn''t¡­ I was just too frightened to respond then. It really wasn''t intentional¡­ Aunty, you have to believe me¡­"

    "I want to kill you¡­ Kill you!"

    Yan Ruyi''s grace and grandeur had vanished at this point. She was like a mad woman, pulling on Guan Ziyao and not letting go.

    It was a while before everyone else returned to their senses from the sudden turn of events. They quickly consoled her and it was terribly chaotic.

    "Doctor! Quickly call the doctor over! Inject Madam with a tranquilizer!" Lu Chongshan shouted.

    The torment went on for a long time before Yan Ruyi was finally pulled away. She was held down for the doctor to inject her with a tranquilizer, then all became quiet again.

    Guan Ziyao''s cheeks were swollen and her hair messy. There were bloody scratches on her skin where it was exposed. Mother Guan supported her up as she stood there in a daze. "I''m sorry, Uncle Lu¡­ I''m sorry¡­ It really wasn''t intentional¡­ It''s all my fault¡­"

    Lu Chongshan had no energy tofort Guan Ziyao. He looked weary as he said, "Something''s happened to Little Treasure, so Ruyi is emotionally very stirred up."

    Guan Rui''s eyes shifted and he quickly went up to ask, "Earlier, she said that Little Treasure has been killed. What did she mean? Could Little Treasure already be¡­"

 Chapter 1705: Wait To Become The Lady of The Lu House

    <h4>Chapter 1705: Wait To Be The Lady of The Lu House</h4>

    Could Little Treasure be dead?!

    When they heard this, Guan Ziyao, Guan Zihao, and Mother Guan all looked at Lu Chongshan.

    Lu Chongshan seemed horrible as he vaguely answered, "Little Treasure''s current situation is still unclear. Tingxiao has already gone to look for them."

    Still unclear?

    That included¡­ whether life or death was unpredictable, and everything pointed to disaster?

    Something shed in Guan Rui''s eyes and he said with a sorrowful expression, "It''s all because our Ziyao is a girl, and a timid one at that. She couldn''t help then, so she''s been ming herself for a long time since she returned home. She''s been really worried that''s why she came over to check on this. We''re really sorry!"

    Guan Zihaoforted, "Uncle Lu, we''re very sad about Little Treasure''s mishap too. Please take care of yourself. The entire Lu family andpany is still counting on you! If there''s anything you need our help with, feel free to let us know, Uncle Lu. We''ll definitely do all we can if it''s something we can help with!"

    "Thank you, but we don''t need it for now. Our apologies that we''re unable to tend to guests today. Please return home first," Lu Chongshan simply said, indicating for them to leave.

    ¡­

    Outside the Lu residence.

    When they got into the car, Mother Guan''s expression immediately changed. Her heart ached as she checked the injuries on Guan Ziyao. "Damn it! Isn''t that Yan Ruyi an heiress from a prestigious family? How is she a dame? She''s practically a shrew! Look at how she hit our Ziyao! She was so vicious with the hits!"

    "Forget it. Their only beloved grandson has died. It''s normal to be a little crazy," said Guan Rui, sounding like he was in a very good mood.

    "Didn''t they say it was still unclear? How do you know he''s dead?" Mother Guan asked.

    "Don''t you know Lu Chongshan by now? He must''ve dyed and hidden it from Lu Tingxiao to protect thepany. Then, hepelled the other end until they killed the hostage. Otherwise, why do you think Yan Ruyi was so stirred up? Something must''ve happened, and everything points to disaster!" Guan Rui analyzed.

    "Then¡­ what about Ning Xi?" Guan Ziyao''s expression was gloomy as she touched her swollen cheeks to ask.

    On the side, Guan Ziyao said, "The little prince has died. She''s just an unimportant person. Do you think she''d live? Obviously, she would have died sooner!"

    "But that woman''s pretty skilled¡­ Wouldn''t she ruin their ns?" Guan Ziyao asked worriedly.

    Guan Zihao raised his brows. "Are you kidding? As skilled as that woman may be, she''s just a woman. What could she possibly do facing the group of kidnappers? You should just wait to be thedy of the Lu house!"

    "Sadly, this incident has caused Aunty Lu to misunderstand me¡­" Guan Ziyao was concerned.

    Mother Guan said without being concerned in the least, "Silly girl, she''s just grieving right now from losing her grandson. Wait till you give birth to another one for her. Then, how could she not like you? She''ll still cup you in her hands like a treasure! A mother''s honor increases with her son. These words will work anywhere!

    "That was why I said that Lu Tingxiao''s illegitimate child must not be kept! The Lu family values this child so much that they''d leave all their family property to him in the future. Then, wouldn''t our marriage connection with the Lu family be a huge loss? Even if nothing happens to the child this time, we must think of ways to get rid of him in the future. This time, we managed to save ourselves the trouble. In fact, we killed two birds with one stone -- even that woman has been disposed of!"

    Guan Zihaoughed, "Mother is right, Sister! Don''t worry too much. Let''s go home and celebrate tonight! Tomorrow, we should be able to hear the ''good news'' about that little child!"

 Chapter 1706: Do You Deserve The Surname Yun As Well?

    <h4>Chapter 1706: Do You Deserve The Surname Yun As Well?</h4>

    In Country F.

    With Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen''sbined forces, they sealed Country F and turned the country upside down, yet they still could not find Ning Xi and Little Treasure.

    Rationally, the other person had a woman and child with him, so the target was rtively huge. There was no way they could disappear so quietly.

    Time passed by the second. With every second of dy, Ning Xi and the child would be in more danger.

    Another half an hour passed. Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen gathered in the city. The two of them exchanged a nce and knew that the other had not found them.

    Instantly, the atmosphere stagnated to a tensed peak.

    Country F was very small and was not as big as certain cities in China. Such a long amount of time was enough for them to search the entire country and look through each area a few times, yet there were no traces at all as if they had vanished into thin air.

    Annie had already been summoned by Yun Shen. At this moment, she followed closely behind him in order to treat Ning Xi and Little Treasure immediately after they found them.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at Annie. "How much longer can they hold on for?"

    Annie''s expression turned solemn when she heard this. "Bro Xi embraced Little Treasure. I couldn''t see how injured he was, so I have no way of judging. As for Bro Xi, her calf, arm, abdomen, and many other parts had been shot. The most fatal one was thest attack. I specte that¡­ her internal organs are definitely severely harmed¡­ I''m afraid that she sustained some terrible head injuries too¡­"

    When she said this, Annie almost could not continue, "Even if she got lucky and didn''t die on the spot, if she wasn''t immediately treated in time¡­ she definitely¡­ won''t be able to hold on for long¡­"

    Annie did not answer Lu Tingxiao how long she couldst because based on Ning Xi''s severe injuries, with so much time dyed¡­ she might have already¡­

    After Annie finished, there was a deathly stillness in the air. The two men looked ghastly as well.

    After a moment of tormenting silenceter, Lu Tingxiao suddenly said, "Return to the ce earlier."

    Something shed in Yun Shen''s eyes. "The ce earlier? You mean?"

    Tang Lang suddenly cried out, "Right! We couldn''t find them after searching for so long. Could it be that they hadn''t even left that ce?"

    Thus, the group rushed towards the ce that Ning Xi and Little Treasure had gone missing. They started tob every inch of the abandoned building and its ruins¡­

    "Ah Shen!"

    Just as Lu Tingxiao, Yun Shen, and everyone else was racing against time to search for them, there was suddenly an angry voice behind them.

    When he heard this voice, Yun Shen''s eyes squinted as he turned around and his gaze chilled them to the bone.

    Qiao Yi was furious as he walked right up to the man. "Ah Shen! Are you crazy? How are you not keeping watch in thepany?! Why did youe here? This isplete nonsense!"

    "Uncle Qiao, don''t you know the reason why I''vee?" The man asked in a distant tone.

    "Ah Shen! I didn''t tell you about this because I didn''t want to affect you. Everything I do is for your own good! And you''re now ruining all of our ns! I''m ordering you to immediately return to thepany right now!" Qiao Yi rebuked angrily.

    Yun Shenughed under his breath, "Huh, ordering me? Qiao Yi¡­ who do you think you are? My uncle? Do you deserve to? Do you even deserve the surname Yun as well?"

    "Yun Shen!" Qiao Yi''s expression changed drastically as he flew into a rage.

    When both Tang Lang, who was beside Yun Shen, and Tang Ye, who was beside Qiao Yi, heard their conversation, they had incredibly bbergasted expressions on their faces.

    What?

    Qiao Yi was¡­ Yun Shen''s uncle?

 Chapter 1707: Iâ€™d Like To See Who Dares To Touch Him

    <h4>Chapter 1707: I''d Like To See Who Dares To Touch Him</h4>

    Qiao Yi used the name Tang Yi in public. Only their own people knew that his real name was Qiao Yi.

    However, now as they listened to their conversation, they were shocked to find out that Qiao Yi actually had another name, anotheryer of identity!

    He and Yun Shen actually shared this shockingyer of identity¡­

    Qiao Yi did not look too happy either. His expression was incredibly gloomy. "Yun Shen! Just for a woman, you actually speak to me like this! Just for a woman, you want to just look on as our years of efforts fall through! Did you forget how your mother died? Do you not want her to rest in peace!?"

    Opposite them, Tang Lang was picking at his ears and internally mocking him.

    Tsk, this line again! He had heard it so many times that there were calluses on his ears. Could he not say something different?

    When Yun Shen heard Qiao Yi''s words, heughed, "Right¡­ That''s right¡­ All for a woman¡­"

    He suddenly stopped smiling, and his usually indifferent eyes were covered in ruthlessness and tyranny. "I already warned you long ago not to touch her!"

    As Qiao Yi watched the expression on Yun Shen''s face, he felt a thud in his heart. Actually, he had already regretted it.

    He knew Yun Shen too well. It was hard for anyone to get to his heart, but once someone did, he wouldpletely integrate them to his limits, and would not allow anyone else to touch them even for a second.

    This time, he had really gone too far. However, whenever he remembered the incident back then, whenever he saw Lu Chongshan''s face, he really could not hold back. He had even disposed of that girl who had turned on them.

    He did not expect Yun Shen''s reaction to be even more intense than he imagined. This time, even his mother could not constrain him.

    "Yun Shen, it''s just a woman. You can have as many as you want in the future! A traitor isn''t even worth what you''re doing for her! Return with me right now¡­ We¡­"

    Qiao Yi was speaking halfway when Lu Tingxiao had just walked out afterpleting a search of the building.

    Qiao Yi''s expression instantly changed. He immediately ordered all his subordinates, "Capture Lu Tingxiao!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression did not change at all as he walked right up to Qiao Yi and stopped in front of him.

    Qiao Yi sneered, "CEO Lu, you''re pretty gutsy! You don''t want to take the road to heaven, but you barge into hell where there isn''t a door !"

    In between speaking, Lu Tingxiao and his subordinates were already surrounded by Qiao Yi''s people.

    Damn it! Since he could not move Yun Shen, he would just get rid of Lu Tingxiao. Get it over once and for all!

    At this moment, Yun Shen took two unhurried steps towards Lu Tingxiao. He skimmed the crowdzily and said, "I''d like to see who dares to touch him!"

    "You! Yun Shen! Have you really gone mad?! Do you know what you''re doing?" When he saw the two of them stand together before him, Qiao Yi was in disbelief.

    Why the heck would Yun Shen actually be helping Lu Tingxiao!?

    Now that Lu Tingxiao had stepped on his turf, he did not want to let go of such an extremely rare opportunity. Qiao Yi had no time to think, so he immediatelymanded, "Everyone, go!"

    All around, the subordinates looked at each other. Suddenly, no one dared to move.

    "How dare you people not follow my orders!?" Qiao Yi roared.

    The people he had brought over were all his trusted aides. Even Country F was controlled by him, yet now all of these people were not following his orders!

 Chapter 1708: Who The Mysterious Person Was

    <h4>Chapter 1708: Who The Mysterious Person Was</h4>

    Qiao Yi''s chest was heaving, and his face was covered in incredulity.

    To prevent such an uncontroble situation like how Yun Shen was acting today, he had secretly controlled the most important batch of forces. While Yun Shen looked like he could not care less about these things usually, he never had any objections on this and had exhibited extreme trust towards him, leaving everything for him to handle.

    He thought that he had gained control of everything all these years. Unfortunately, it was only now that he realized he had really underestimated this person in front of him.

    Yun Shen fixed his sleeves. There was an impatience in his eyes as he said faintly, "Send Uncle Qiao back to rest. He''s old. It''s not good to be staying up sote at night!"

    When he saw Qiao Yi being forcefully taken away, Feng Jin lowered his head and kept quiet, trying his best to remain as low profile as possible. He was one of Qiao Yi''s most important confidants. If Qiao Yi and Yun Shen fell out, the first person whom Yun Shen would go after was him.

    Even though Tang Ye wanted to say something, he knew that the current situation could not be reversed by him alone. Saying too much would infuriate Yun Shen instead, so he just remained silent.

    At this moment, the man before them had torn apart thatyer of the harmless and carefree facade he wore. His inner ruthless, blood-thirsty, and morbid side was all out to wreak havoc akin to a time bomb that could explode anytime¡­

    "Continue searching! Within three minutes, if we still don''t find them, all of you will die with me!"

    Three minutes?

    They had looked for so long and still could not find any traces. How could they find anything in three minutes?

    The ce was suddenly depressing¡­

    As they looked at the tyrant before them, all those who had joined this kidnapping mission started to regret it horribly, but they just followed orders¡­

    Just as everyone was overcast by the shadow of death, Lu Tingxiao, who was rapidly working on aptop, had said to the man, "Come over."

    "Do you think you''re calling a dog?" A certain tyrant''s eyes shed with ire, but he still walked over.

    "What''s the password?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Yun Shen looked at Lu Tingxiao''s screen, and a shock crossed his face. "You even managed to find this¡­"

    City F was more or less an abandoned city. The surveince systems in the city had been destroyed to close to nothing, but Lu Tingxiao had found the only monitoring node in this city of ruins. When they had first taken over Country F, Yun Shen had reset the node password.

    "Password!" Lu Tingxiao urged impatiently.

    Yun Shen pouted. "The girl''s birthday."

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    So were Tang Lang and Tang Ye.

    Such an important password, yet he had used such simple digits such as a birthday?

    Wait, no¡­ That was not the point¡­

    The point was that this guy had actually used Little Junior Sister''s birthday as the password!

    "Pfft! I really couldn''t tell that this pervert would have such boyish moments!" Tang Lang crossed his arms and muttered into Tang Ye''s ears to taunt.

    Lu Tingxiao had just paused for a moment, then he very quickly entered Ning Xi''s birthday and obtained the historical surveince footage.

    Compared to the fuzzy video in Lu Chongshan''s phone, this surveince camera overlooked the entire abandoned city below. The facility was quite high-end too, so it was still a very clear shot at night. The effect was clearly much better than the video, and even their expressions could be seen clearly.

    Lu Tingxiao immediately fast-forwarded the surveince to when those people were about to deal with Ning Xi to see what had happened, and who that mysterious person who had suddenly appeared was¡­

 Chapter 1709: Is She Going To Run Off?

    <h4>Chapter 1709: Is She Going To Run Off?</h4>

    In the footage, Ning Xi was dragged out from under the rubble by two mercenaries.

    The girl was beaten ck and blue, and drenched in blood. You could not tell if she was dead or alive. Little Treasure, who was in her embrace, had his face covered in blood too. No one could not tell if it was his or Ning Xi''s blood.

    One of the mercenaries kicked Ning Xi and cursed, "Slut! You caused two of our bros to die!"

    Beside him, the other mercenary said impatiently, "Enough crap! The higher-ups have ordered us to cut her up into pieces! Quickly do it! Avoid any undue dy that may bring trouble!"

    "Tsk, tsk! The most interesting part about cutting them up is when they wake up¡­ when it''s still happening, and to let them watch helplessly as their flesh gets sliced piece by piece until only the bone is left¡­ until they die. Now, it''s really boring¡­ but what do you think Lu Chongshan''s reaction will be when he sees his grandson be a pile of ground meat?"

    These atrocious mercenaries were mostly mentally morbid. They were crazy and blood-thirsty. Torturing people for fun was a sport to them. At this moment, they looked very excited.

    "Sadly, this one''s a beauty. With her skills, if she had left this child behind, she would''ve had a chance to escape. Tsk, tsk¡­ Ladies first, we''ll start with you first¡­" The mercenary held a knife that shed in the cool light and smiled grimly as he moved closer to the girl.

    Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen, who were staring at the screen, suddenly changed in expression when they saw this scene. They could not hear the sound from the surveince footages, but once they zoomed into the footage, they could roughly understand their conversation by reading their lips.

    The mercenary inched closer to Ning Xi and revealed a sinister and ted expression. He casually slit Ning Xi''s arm with a knife and blood instantly gushed out.

    As he was about to continue, he suddenly thought of something and temporarily stopped what he was doing. Then, he took out an item from his pocket.

    It was a silver whistle the size of a thumb, and it had a simple design carved on it.

    He had found this whistle on the woman previously, and because he recognized this design bore weight of some important connections, he had secretly kept it.

    The mercenary looked at the totem, then at the woman. He hesitated.

    Why would this woman have such an item? Could she be¡­ rted to that legendary family?

    But this was not possible¡­

    Then, how would this thing have appeared on her then?

    There were extremely few people who knew the symbol of this totem. It would not have randomly appeared on a whistle. Also, what was it used for?

    The mercenary became more and more curious. He tried to hold the whistle up and lightly blow it. It seemed to be made like a whistle that was solid instead, yet there was no sound at all.

    Then, he fumbled with the whistle and continued to carefully examine it¡­

    "Hey! What are you dilly-dallying for?!"

    It was only when someone urged him that the mercenary put the whistle back into his pocket. "Pfft! What''s the rush? Like seriously! Is she going to run off?!"

    Forget it! Whatever background this girl had or whichever family she was rted to, she had to die that day! Besides, that family only existed in the myth. How could it be real?

    After the brief interlude, the mercenary picked up his knife again and closed in on the girl¡­

    Right at that moment, the eyes of the mercenary with the bloody-thirsty smile suddenly widened before he fell forward with zed eyes.

    "Who is it?!"

    "What''s happening?!"

    All around, the other mercenaries started to hold up their weapons at this weird phenomenon. They looked around vigntly, yet before they could even get a proper look at the figure, they had quietly fallen one after another. Soon, the entire abandoned city was dead silent¡­

 Chapter 1710: Which One of You Is This Girls Man?

    <h4>Chapter 1710: Which One of You Is This Girl''s Man?</h4>

    Then, a person appeared on the screen.

    There was a man with long, ck hair, who looked as beautiful as a demon.

    The man took out the whistle from one of the mercenaries'' pocket, then walked up to Ning Xi. His thin lips started to mouth, "You lucky devil¡­"

    Then, he bent over and carried the girl, disappearing after a few leaps.

    The instant they saw this person, Tang Lang and Tang Ye cried out at the same time¡ª

    "What the hell?! How is it this guy?!"

    "It''s him!"

    ¡­

    "You know him?" Yun Shen asked.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned too. He had seen that whistle with Ning Xi before. Ning Xi had told him that a skilled master had given it to her because he owed her a favor. Whenever she blew it, the master woulde to save her. However, it looked like something had happened, and Ning Xi did not remember the whistle in time to blow it for help before it was taken away by those mercenaries.

    It was only at the veryst moment when that mercenary had curiously blown it by coincidence, and that master was probably just nearby, that he could have rushed over so quickly.

    No wonder that person would say something like "you lucky devil".

    Lu Tingxiao was already extremely disturbed as he imagined this.

    The master Ning Xi had mentioned back then was probably this man who appeared on the screen, and since the other person owed Ning Xi a favor, he must be a friend and not a foe.

    Tang Lang spoke emotionally, "That guy was the one who disrupted my fight with Tang Lang, and had even¡­"

    Beaten us up till we were scared witless¡­

    "Back then, even with Tang Ye and Ibining forces, we couldn''t get close to him. He''s a monster! Why did this dude appear here and save Little Junior Sister, and how do they know each other?"

    "This isn''t the main point. He seemed to have walked towards the cemetery," said Tang Ye.

    "The cemetery?"

    ¡­

    They did not have time to think further. Immediately, they brought everyone to rush towards the cemetery.

    They were very close to the cemetery and their people had already patrolled that area, yet they did not find any traces at all!

    The group finally made it to the cemetery and walked the grounds one more time. Unfortunately, they still came up with nothing.

    Right at that moment, in the eerie cemetery, there were suddenly creaking sounds that made one''s blood run cold.

    Everyone felt their backs tense up as they looked to see where the sound wasing from.

    It sounded like Hell''s door was being opened. There was suddenly a man''s faint voice in the cemetery. "Hey, you people, which of you is this girl''s man?"

    Lu Tingxiao, Yun Shen, Tang Lang, Tang Ye, and the group of subordinates all rushed to the man. When they got closer, they realized that he was indeed the man from the surveince camera.

    When he heard the man''s question, Yun Shen frowned. "That would be me. Who are you? Where''s Tang Xi?"

    The man''s brows knitted, then he said in all seriousness, "I hate being lied to."

    Yun Shen looked like he was about to choke. On what basis did this dude im that he was lying?

    The man did not care about Yun Shen''s terrible expression. His eagle eyes gazed at Lu Tingxiao. "It''s you, isn''t it? You look exactly the same as that little guy."

    "It is I." Lu Tingxiao could not care how Yun Shen felt. He walked quickly towards the man.

    At that moment, an underground pce of an old tomb suddenly appeared behind the man. Both sides were lit up with oilmps, and it was so deep that no bottom could be seen.

    "Follow me." The long-haired man started to walk down.

    Lu Tingxiao followed him and that door immediately shut seamlessly. Buried in the grass, there was not a single trace that there had once been an entrance.

 Chapter 1711: You Said Little Treasure Is Alright?

    <h4>Chapter 1711: You Said Little Treasure Is Alright?</h4>

    After they passed through a long corridor, they reached a hidden room.

    There were two people on the stone bed inside the hidden room. It was Ning Xi and Little Treasure.

    After searching for so long, he had finally found them¡­

    "They¡­ How are they?" Lu Tingxiao''s voice trembled as he got closer to them. He wanted to touch her, but he was afraid he might affect the girl''s wounds.

    Ning Xi''s wounds seem to have been treated, but he could not feel her breathing at all. As for Little Treasure, he could see his chest undting evenly.

    The man replied, "The little guy is alright. I''m not very good with children, so I made him fall asleep for now. As for the big one¡­"

    "What about the big one?"

    The man looked at the girl on the stone bed, then he sighed and spoke with aplicated expression, "My expertise is with external wounds and it can only help this much. Bring her to a hospital now, but I can''t guarantee her survival."

    The man''s words brewed an extremely uneasy feeling in Lu Tingxiao. "Okay! Thank you!"

    ¡­

    At the Imperial Hospital in China.

    After a night of tough tracking, Lu Tingxiao had finally found Ning Xi and Little Treasure, then he brought them back.

    Yun Shen did not go to the hospital, but he let Annie apany them.

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan rushed to the hospital from home immediately, while Lu Jingli went there from the office.

    "Tingxiao! Where''s Little Treasure?! Where''s my Little Treasure?! Where''s Little Treasure?!" Yan Ruyi''s face looked pale as she grabbed onto Lu Tingxiao''s clothes tightly. Her reddened eyes looked everywhere frantically in fear.

    Lu Chongshan was panting and he barely managed to walk with a crutch. "How''s Little Treasure?"

    Lu Jingli''s tears fell as he saw Lu Tingxiao staring nkly outside the operating room. "Bro, is Little Treasure¡­"

    After a while, Lu Tingxiao finally spoke up, "Little Treasure is alright."

    Yan Ruyi, Lu Chongshan, and Lu Jingli were stunned when they heard Lu Tingxiao.

    "What? Tingxiao what did you just say?"

    "Bro, did you say Little Treasure is alright?"

    "Tingxiao, don''t try to lie andfort me! How''s Little Treasure? As long as he''s alive, I''m not hoping for much¡­"

    ¡­

    The impatient Tang Lang looked at the anxious Lu family. "Stop pestering him. Didn''t he say Little Treasure is alright? He''s in the room upstairs. Go and look at him yourself!"

    After Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi heard him, they hurried upstairs with the help of Lu Jingli.

    As the three of them arrived at the door of the ward, a doctor in a white robe came out of the room.

    "Doctor! Doctor! How''s Little Treasure?"

    The person who treated Little Treasure was the deputy head of the hospital. He replied to them, "Elder Mister Lu, Elder Madam Lu, rest assured. Your grandchild is alright. He only has some external wounds. While he was still unconscious earlier, he should be up soon."

    Yan Ruyi was stunned when she heard the doctor. She could not believe her ears. "Doctor! What did you say? Little Treasure is alright? Did you say Little Treasure is okay?"

    "Yes, you may go in and take a look at him now," he told her.

    "Okay¡­ I''ll go now!"

    The three of them went in and saw the little guy sleeping on the bed.

    Yan Ruyi grabbed the little guy''s warm hand. She also touched his beating heart and felt his rhythmic breathing. Then only did she finally believe he was alive¡­

    "Little Treasure is alive¡­ My Little Treasure is still alive¡­ Thank God¡­ Thank God¡­" Yan Ruyi could not hold it in anymore. She sobbed as she held onto Little Treasure''s hand.

    Lu Chongshan had tears in his eyes too. He thought that Little Treasure would be a sacrifice this time and did not expect Little Treasure to return safely to them.

    Lu Jingli''s expression became worse after he saw his relieved parents and the safe and sound Little Treasure. "Father, Mother, I''ll go down and take a look at Sister-inw. I wonder what happened to her¡­"

 Chapter 1712: Weâ€™ve Tried Our Best

    <h4>Chapter 1712: We¡¯ve Tried Our Best</h4>

    "Right, that girl¡­" Yan Ruyi suddenly remembered her.

    "You take care of Little Treasure. I''ll go down and take a look." Lu Chongshan looked at Little Treasure dearly, then he touched the little guy''s warm face before leaving with Lu Jingli.

    Yan Ruyi was worried as she saw them both out.

    ¡­

    The red lightbulb of the operating room was still lit up when Lu Chongshan and Lu Jingli went downstairs. Ning Xi was still in the middle of her surgery.

    "How''s the girl?" Lu Chongshan asked.

    Lu Tingxiao had been sitting on the cold bench since just now. He looked downcast without moving an inch. Despite having heard his father, he did not react at all.

    Tang Lang replied coldly, "She was shot in her arm, her torso, both her calves, her scap sustained a fracture. She''s also got three broken ribs, and her head received¡­"

    Lu Chongshan''s face turned paler and paler as Tang Lang said more. He witnessed what had happened to the girl in the video, so of course he knew.

    Lu Jingli did not know what to say. He went up to Lu Tingxiao and put his hands on his brother''s shoulders. "Sister-inw is blessed. She''ll be alright!"

    Lu Tingxiao still did not respond.

    Lu Jingli knew he would not listen to anything no, so he stayed quiet after a few words offort.

    His brother was not talking, while Tang Lang looked like he was about to explode anytime soon. Lu Jingli felt really anxious. Then, he suddenly saw a savior. Annie was standing by the corner and he went up to her. "Hey, you''re my sister-inw''s friend. You''re the really talented doctor named Annie, aren''t you?!"

    Annie nodded. She was staring nkly into the distance and was not really focused.

    "My sister-inw¡­ How is she? She''ll be alright since you''re here, won''t she?" Lu Jingli asked.

    Annie looked at him in the eye and answered inly, "I wasn''t able to help much."

    No matter how good she was, she could not be better than the most advanced modern healthcare system. Moreover, the mysterious man had handled Bro Xi''s wounds perfectly. Even she had to admit that she would not be able to do as well a job. If that person had not been there, Bro Xi would not have made it to the hospital in time.

    The girl did not say anything else afterwards and just stared at the direction of the operating theatre.

    Lu Jingli studied Annie''s eyes. He felt an uneasy feeling in the depth of her eyes¡­

    ¡­

    Time passed by slowly¡­

    The surgery went on from midnight until sunrise.

    At 6 o''clock sharp in the morning, the red light was turned of. The door of the operating theatre opened from the inside.

    Two operation assistants came out, followed by the main surgeon.

    The surgeon was drenched in sweat. The surgeon''s gown clung onto his sticky skin. He took off his mask and had an unpleasant expression on his face.

    Everyone''s hearts sank when they saw the doctor''s expression.

    Yan Ruyi came over as well. She had been praying with her hands sped together as she chanted Buddhist scriptures. Nervously, she went up to ask as the doctor came out, "Doctor, how did the operation go? How''s the child?"

    The doctor phrased carefully as he studied their gazes, "I''m sorry. We''ve tried our best. Although the operation was sessful, the patient received too much damage, and she can''t wake up now. The patient is unable to breathe on her own. Her brain stem reaction and brain waves can''t be detected¡­"

 Chapter 1713: Xiao Xi, Forgive Me For Being Selfish

    <h4>Chapter 1713: Xiao Xi, Forgive Me For Being Selfish</h4>

    When they heard the doctor''s answer, everyone stood there stunned. They froze for a long time.

    After a while, Lu Jingli asked emotionally, "What do you mean ''unable to breathe on her own''? What ''missing brain stem reaction and brain waves''¡­ These damned descriptions¡­ Aren''t they all just a way of describing a dead person? Doctor, can you please be clearer?"

    The main surgeon was the President of the hospital himself, and he knew how important this operation was. However, at that moment, he could only be honest. "The patient has now entered into a deepa. Currently, we can only use a breathing machine and medication to sustain the patient''s sign of life. Once life support is pulled off, the patient will immediately be dead."

    With the doctor''s words, the entire corridor fell into a deathly stillness.

    Yan Ruyi turned pale as she slumped onto the bench. "How could this be¡­ How could this be?"

    Lu Tingxiao was like a statue as he stood there without moving at all.

    The doctor paused and looked at Lu Tingxiao. "My condolences to the family members. I apologize that right now I still have to formally ask if¡­ you want to continue to keep the patient on life support or¡­ remove it¡­ and let the patient pass away in ease¡­"

    A whileter, the tension in the air was at its peak. No one said anything. In the end, it was still Tang Lang who asked with a tremble in his voice, "What will happen if we continue to keep the life support?"

    "If you continue to keep the support¡­ then she''ll be in what wemonly know as being in a vegetative state. She might lie on the bed forever. Usually, even if we use machines and medication to sustain them, they''ll only be able to hold on for slightly over ten years because when the time passes, the patient''s living functions will gradually degenerate," answered the doctor with a sigh. Even though this was considered living, it was actually just living to suffer.

    Every word that the doctor said chilled everyone''s hearts even more.

    "Of course, we''ll keep her! Even if she''s in a vegetative state, there might be a day when she wakes up!" Lu Jingli quickly said.

    The doctor nodded. "That''s right. Even though the chances are very minimal, there have been many previous sessful cases."

    "Is that still a question then? Of course, we''ll maintain life support!" Lu Jingli immediately decided.

    The doctor looked a little unsure. Atst, he still turned to Lu Tingxiao and asked, "CEO Lu, do you want to¡­"

    When Lu Jingli saw that the doctor was still asking his brother, he became very anxious. Asking his brother this question was practically the same as using a knife to stab his heart!

    Some seconds passed before the empty corridor was filled with the man''s raspy voice, "Continue the life support."

    "Okay, understood," the doctor sighed and left.

    ¡­

    In the best ward of the hospital.

    At that moment, that girl, who was always so reckless and at ease as the wind, nowy quietly on the bed. She had been beaten ck and blue, and had lost all consciousness. She could only rely on the breathing machine to preserve her life.

    Lu Tingxiao sat in front of the sick bed without any expression on his face. He carefully held the girl''s hand, which was filled with little cuts, and gently lowered his head to nt a kiss on it as if he was afraid that he would disturb her even though he knew that she might never wake up ever again.

    Xiao Xi¡­ I''m sorry¡­

    Forgive me for being selfish¡­

    I can''t let you go¡­

    I am sorry¡­

    Outside the door, Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan did not enter because they med themselves. They looked through the window into the ward with solemn expressions on their faces.

    They saw their stern and apathetic eldest son, who usually remained calm even if he met with the most insurmountable challenges, currently holding a girl''s hands with his head buried, shoulders trembling as he broke down in tears¡­

 Chapter 1714: Gift You As Dowry

    <h4>Chapter 1714: Gift You As Dowry</h4>

    All this time, they had misunderstood the girl, been suspicious of her, and denied everything that she had done for Little Treasure. They thought that she would definitely hurt Little Treasure.

    However, in the end, when Little Treasure was in the most danger, only she had gone forward to protect Little Treasure regardless of everything.

    In that situation, as she faced all those vile people, she had protected Little Treasure and ensured that he was not hurt the slightest. In the meantime, she had been wounded to this extent and might never wake up ever again¡­

    In Yan Ruyi''s head, the image of a girl shed. Even if she had been shot, she still carried Little Treasure and ran quickly. Her mind shed to the moment right before the bomb, and the girl''s first reaction had still been to protect Little Treasure tightly under her. The guilt and regret wrenched Yan Ruyi''s heart.

    How much of pain and torture had the girl suffered just to make sure Little Treasure was safe and sound?

    Even if she did not understand it, she could tell that the girl was skilled. With her talents, if she had not taken Little Treasure with her, she could have escaped herself. Besides, all of these disasters were unrted to her, yet she had done all she could to this extent for Little Treasure.

    She truly liked Little Treasure, loved Little Treasure¡­

    A love like this was no less than a mother''s love for their child!

    As a mother, how could she hurt her own child?

    As Yan Ruyi looked at the girl in the ward who was covered in bruises, she was ovee with regret. "It''s all my fault¡­ I shouldn''t have misunderstood that girl¡­ Someone that Tingxiao trusted so much¡­ Someone that Little Treasure liked so much¡­ Why didn''t I try to get to know her better back then?

    "If I had trusted Tingxiao and Little Treasure¡­ trusted that girl¡­ all of this wouldn''t have happened¡­

    "Now, this girl is like this¡­ How can I face Tingxiao? When Little Treasure wakes up, how can I exin this to him?"

    As he listened to his wife choke with sobs, Lu Chongshan stood there nkly. He did not say anything. All of his hair had turned white overnight as if he had aged ten years.

    His grandson was safe¡­

    Yet, as he looked at the girl in the ward¡­

    The Lu family owed this girl too much, far too much. He was afraid that even if they did everything, they would not be able to repay her¡­

    One mistake led to the other. Because of his stubbornness and bigotry, he had almost lost his grandson. In the end, had let an innocent person suffer all the consequences.

    If he could, he would much rather that it was him suffering all of this, but now nothing he said could reverse the situation.

    ¡­

    At the end of the quiet corridor.

    Annie stood there for a long time in a daze. Finally, she picked up her phone and made a call. "Hey¡­"

    "How''s she?" From the other end of the phone came a man''s low and hoarse voice.

    Annie kept silent for a long time. While the person kept silent on the other end of the phone, he did not rush her.

    A long whileter, the girl took a deep breath and said, "The operation just ended. Even though it was very sessful, Bro Xi is severely injured. She can''t wake up just yet. Currently, they can only preserve her life through a breathing machine. If she''s lucky, maybe she''ll wake up some day. There''s also a possibility¡­ that she might never wake up forever¡­"

    As the girl finished, the other end of the phone remained silent. There was no response for a long time.

    "Bro Shen?" Annie asked with a concerned tone.

    "Nothing. Stay there. If you can help with anything, help them," the man said before he hung up.

    In the darkness, the man stared at theplicated stock charts on his flickeringputer screen and muttered softly to himself, "Huh, these toys¡­ I''ll consider it your dowry then¡­ If you don''t wake up, they''ll benefit another woman¡­"

 Chapter 1715: Little Treasure Woke Up

    <h4>Chapter 1715: Little Treasure Woke Up</h4>

    The sun rose, and the bright radiance shone upon the whole city.

    The Lu family''srge-scale fight for power between the eldest son and the illegimate child, as well as the the Lu Corporation and the Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group''s war had ended with the Lu Corporation emerging as victor.

    Because Yi Lan''s many important investments and shares suffered a steep fall and huge losses in addition to therge penalty from their trading partner, they had no choice but to toss out the Lu Corporation''s shares inrge quantities to repay their debts. In just one night, they hadpletely withdrawn from the Lu Corporation''s board of directors.

    However, this incident still wavered the Lu Corporation''s roots. After all, there was still much left to deal with, and the other party mighte back from their defeat anytime.

    It was as if Lu Jingli had matured overnight. From being a frivolous heir without high ambitions, he had silently assumed all responsibilities, this scattered family, and thispany with all the chaos breaking out everywhere¡­

    Ever since the start of Ning Xi''s surgery, Lu Tingxiao had not left her side at all.

    Lu Jingli turned away. He covered his teary eyes and then turned to look at the man by the sickbed. He said seriously, "Bro, don''t worry. You have me at thepany. I''ll take care of Father and Mother too. You¡­ just have to apany Sister-inw¡­ You don''t have to think about anything else¡­"

    He understood too well. Understood how much pain and remorse he must be feeling right now.

    Until now, he still remembered the moment before the grievous news was broken. Lu Tingxiao had suddenly told him to pick Ning Xi up and put her within his line of sight.

    He had probably sensed the danger then.

    Lu Tingxiao held the girl''s hands tightly. There was agony curling at the corner of his mouth.

    Huh, apany her right now? What was the use anymore?

    Even though he did not want to admit it, he knew clearly that those pictures and his jealousy for that man had made him lose rationality and judgement in this incidente. In his absorption to resolve all of this, he had neglected the most important thing.

    He had made her wait¡­ Wait for everything to get sorted out¡­

    And now, she could not even see the results.

    If only he had considered things more thoroughly, maybe all of this would not have happened¡­

    When he thought of this, the huge lump of hopelessness and remorse that surfaced almost swallowed him whole.

    He thought that if he had considered things more thoroughly, if he could have been calmer and less extreme, if he had not teased her right from the start¡­ If he had not forcefully brought her into his world¡­

    She had been so wanton and at ease, so free, so enthusiastic. The person she liked was just like her too¡­

    Yet, she had slowly put away her ridged corners and folded her wings for him. She had slowly changed herself, wronged herself, and even put her life at stake¡­

    "Maybe I''ve been wrong right from the start¡­ I shouldn''t have forced her to be with me¡­" At that moment, the man''s tone had lost all its usual arrogance and reclusiveness. His tone was weak as if it could be broken with a touch.

    Lu Jingli had never seen someone as proud as Lu Tingxiao look this frail and dispirited. His heart throbbed with pain. "Bro, what nonsense are you saying!? Xiao Xi Xi truly likes you!"

    Lu Jingli anxiously wanted tofort him further when his phone suddenly rang. It was Yan Ruyi.

    "Hello, Mother. What happened?"

    "Hello, Jingli. Quicklye over. It''s best for your brother to rush over too. Little Treasure has woken up¡­" From the other end of the phone came Yan Ruyi''s panicked voice.

    Lu Jingli''s expression tensed up. "Little Treasure is awake? Okay, I''ll be there right away!"

 Chapter 1716: That Was His Mother

    <h4>Chapter 1716: That Was His Mother</h4>

    Downstairs, inside the VIP ward.

    "Little Treasure, you''re up! Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? Grandmother will get someone to make whatever you like for you!"

    "Little Treasure, are you feeling ufortable anywhere? Tell Grandfather!"

    ¡­

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan helped Little Treasure up carefully, then they stood by the bed and anxiously bombarded Little Treasure with questions.

    On the bed, the little guy was sitting there quietly with his clean clothes. There was a ster on the back of his hand, and he had no expression on his pale little face as he stared nkly at Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan who kept talking to him.

    That was the scene Lu Jingli and Lu Tingxiao saw when they arrived.

    The two elders were speaking to the child worriedly while Little Treasure just sat on the bed quietly, devoid of expression. His eyes were like a puddle of stagnant water. There was no light in his eyes at all as if he was only a shell.

    "Jingli, Tingxiao¡­ Look at Little Treasure! What''s happened to him? He''s been like this ever since he woke up. He has no reaction at all! He''s not replying to anything we''re asking!" Yan Ruyi panicked.

    Lu Jingli went over and gave the little guy a hug, then he patted him on the shoulder. "Don''t be afraid, Little Treasure. It''s alright now and you''re safe. No bad guys will hurt you again! Look, Grandfather, Grandmother, and everyone are here! Everyone will protect you!"

    At this moment, the door opened and Xing Wu came in with a few boxes of food. "Madam, the meals are ready!"

    "Good, bring it over quickly!" Yan Ruyi took the boxes and said, "Little Treasure, you must be hungry after so long. Eat something, alright?"

    "Yeah¡­ Eat something!"

    The few of them tried to get the boy to eat or say something, but no matter what they said or did, the little guy on the bed did not react at all.

    Yan Ruyi''s hands were trembling. She then started crying, "What should we do?"

    Lu Chongshan closed his eyes, frustrated.

    In the end, he had made Little Treasure suffer¡­

    Little Treasure had recovered and be a smart and cheerful kid under the girl''s patient care. However, now he had turned into a state that was worse than before¡­

    Lu Jingli closed his eyes. "Little Treasure must''ve known that Xiao Xi Xi¡­ If he didn''t wake up, then he wouldn''t have to face all of this¡­"

    The atmosphere in the room was heavy.

    After some time, the quiet Lu Tingxiao went to the bedside and looked at his son who was staring nkly. "I''ll bring you to her."

    Yan Ruyi sounded afraid. "How can you do that!?"

    Lu Chongshan frowned as well. "Little Treasure is in shock and it''s already bad enough. If he saw the condition the girl is in now¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao bent over and carried his son up from the bed. "He''ll have to face it one day."

    "But¡­ It''s too cruel¡­" While Yan Ruyi knew they could not hide it forever, she still could not bear the agony her grandson would have to go through.

    Lu Tingxiao brought his son to the room Ning Xi was in.

    He then put his son down when they arrived at the door. The little guy stood by the door and looked at the bed in the middle of the room.

    There was a woman on it. Her face looked drained and there were bandages all over her. She was hooked up to a breathing machine. With the countlessplicated tubes and wires connected to her, she looked scary.

    His breath hitched when he realized that the unnerving person who was lying in the bed was his mother.

 Chapter 1717: Mommy Needs You

    <h4>Chapter 1717: Mommy Needs You</h4>

    Lu Chongshan, Yan Ruyi, and Lu Jingli looked at Little Treasure anxiously. They were afraid that he would lose control when he saw his mother. They even had the doctor stand by in case anything happened.

    What awaited them was something far worse than him losing control.

    The little guy still had no reaction at all even after he saw Ning Xi. His dull expression did not change one bit from before.

    What they worried about the most had still happened¡­

    The child had witnessed Ning Xi being shot. In addition to that, Ning Xi had knocked him out while his extreme fear was at its peak. He might have even woken up for a little when Ning Xi had been covered in blood¡­

    In his sub-conscience, Ning Xi might have died.

    So, he had followed his mother and locked himself in that world.

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan looked at their unresponsive grandchild, who behaved as if he was a wooden puppet without any emotions, in despair.

    Because of Ning Xi, Little Treasure was able to walk steadily on the path of recovery.

    However, this time, Ning Xi would not be around. Who else could help Little Treasuree out of his trauma for the second time?

    Lu Jingli was impatient. He held Little Treasure''s hand and walked towards the bed, then he ced Little Treasure down beside Ning Xi and led his little hand to touch Ning Xi''s cheek gently. "Baby look, it''s your mother!"

    The little guy was like a doll being controlled, like a machine¡­

    Lu Jingli''s heart sank and he hugged the little guy. "Little Treasure, please wake up¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao''s cold voice echoed in the room, "Her arms, her torso, and her feet were shot. She also had a scap fracture plus three broken ribs¡­"

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan were apprehensive when they heard Lu Tingxiao''s words. They did not understand why their son would say these words to trigger Little Treasure, and they tried to stop him.

    Still, Lu Tingxiao continued without hesitation, "She''s in a PVS state now, which means she''ll remain in a vegetative state. Because she was injured too severely, she might not wake up forever even if her life isn''t in danger anymore."

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his son whose back was tense. He knew his words were heard. "Of course, she might suddenly wake up one day. She''ll then need someone who cares and loves her to be by her side, calling her, and taking care of her.

    "Your mother did her very best to protect you. If you want her to stay like that forever, if you''re willing to let her sacrifice to go to waste, then you can continue to be like this."

    Lu Tingxiao paused, then continued in a voice that broke everyone''s hearts, "Little Treasure, Mommy needs you."

    The little guy''s nk eyes finally changed after he heard Lu Tingxiao. His little hand on Ning Xi''s cheek fidgeted a little.

    Yan Ruyi quickly went over when she saw Little Treasure looking at the food she was holding. "Little Treasure, do you want to eat?"

    Little Treasure stared nkly at the food Yan Ruyi had and nodded slowly.

    Yan Ruyi was overjoyed when Little Treasure reacted. Lu Chongshan and Lu Jingli were relieved as well.

    "Come, Little Treasure, let''s have some porridge! This porridge smells really nice!"

    Little Treasure took the bowl and slurped the porridge down quickly as if he was really hungry.

    "Take your time. There''s still a lot¡­"

    Little Treasure only stopped after finishing two bowls. He turned around and went beside Ning Xi, taking his mother''s hands and putting them on his round tummy.

    Mommy, look! Little Treasure is doing well. Little Treasure is good¡­

 Chapter 1718: Things Might Go Wrong

    <h4>Chapter 1718: Things Might Go Wrong</h4>

    At the Guan residence.

    "How is it? Did you find out anything? What''s the situation?" Mother Guan asked nervously when she saw her son return.

    Guan Ziyao looked over tensely. "Brother, how''re Little Treasure and that woman?"

    Mother Guan rolled her eyes. "How fortunate of them toe back alive from that situation!"

    Guan Rui sat there, rxed. "Why are you so impatient? Listen to Zihao carefully!"

    Guan Zihao took off his coat and drank some tea, then he said, "Mother, Ziyao, don''t worry. While they did rescue them, the results aren''t really that different. The two of them don''t pose a threat to us anymore!"

    "No? You mean¡­ They''ve broken down? I heard that those people are especially good at torture!" Mother Guanmented.

    "It''s way worse. The vixen is in aa. As for Lu Tingxiao''s child, I asked around and heard that he stopped talking and eating because of the shock. He''s now like a wooden puppet and it''s much more severe than before. Basically, he''s useless now!" Guan Zihao exined to them in detail.

    His parents looked gleeful when they heard the news. "Are you sure? Is your source reliable?"

    "Of course! You guys can start preparing for a visit soon!" Guan Zihao said with certainty.

    Guan Ziyao''s expression softened, but she was still slightly worried. "If she''s in aa, it means there''s still a chance for her to wake up, right?"

    Mother Guan fretted, "That''s right! What if the woman wakes up? That witch isn''t simple to handle. If she wakes up and makes Little Treasure well again, then our efforts will go to waste!"

    Guan Zihao said in a carefree tone, "It''s not so easy for a person in aa to wake up! And that woman suffered grave injuries! It''ll probably take her 8 or even 10 years if she''s lucky. Lu Tingxiao isn''t an idiot. He wouldn''t waste so much time waiting for a person in a vegetative state! Even if he wanted to, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi wouldn''t allow it!"

    "I''m just afraid¡­ things might go wrong if we leave it be for too long¡­" Guan Rui mumbled, then he looked at his wife and Guan Ziyao. "Ziyao, pay a visit to the hospital now with your mother. Take a better look at the situation and get an idea of what they''re thinking about!"

    Guan Ziyao instinctively touched the scars on her skin with a darkened expression. She did not seem very willing to go. "Now? But Aunty Lu was so unhappy with me. Thest time, she even¡­"

    Mother Guan held her hands tried to convince her, "Didn''t I tell youst time? It''s just temporary. Wait until you give them a cute little grandchild, then everything will be fine! Be patient for now. No matter what Yan Ruyi thinks, we have to let them know that it was an ident and that you feel very guilty about it. Don''t let her think that you''re trying to hurt Little Treasure on purpose¡­"

    Mother Guan knew that hurting the little guy was the biggest taboo of the Lu family. If they crossed the line, then there would be no chance left for them.

    Guan Rui nodded. "Your mother''s right. Go now, Ziyao. Be patient and our ns will prevail!"

    Guan Zhichen suddenly came out of his room. "I want to go too! Has that dumb kid turned back into an idiot again? I want to see!"

    "Stop messing around. You''re just going to trigger him if you go!"

 Chapter 1719: Im Setting My Mind On This Daughter-In-Law

    <h4>Chapter 1719: I''m Setting My Mind On This Daughter-In-Law</h4>

    At Imperial Hotel.

    Mother Guan and Guan Ziyao had just walked out of the elevator when they saw someone standing at the end of the hallway and wiping away their tears. It was Yan Ruyi.

    "Sis! Are you okay?" When Mother Guan saw her, she quickly went over, full of concern.

    Guan Ziyao did not dare to go to near. Instead, she stood behind Mother Guan and her pale face was covered with guilt. "Aunty Lu, how''s Little Treasure?"

    Yan Ruyi quickly wiped away her tears and returned to normal. She looked at the two of them and replied, "Little Treasure is awake. Thankfully, he wasn''t really hurt, just still slightly shocked."

    At this moment, Yan Ruyi was an entirely different person from the unkempt shrew that she had beenst night. She had returned to being the noble and elegantdy of the wealthy family that she was.

    Mother Guan and Guan Ziyao exchanged a nce, slightly shocked. Indeed¡­

    "As long as he''s fine, then that''s good¡­" Mother Guan looked ayed as she patted her chest, then she tugged at Guan Ziyao to apologize once again, "Sis, we really let you down this time. It''s right for you and Bro Lu to me her. Ziyao has been feeling horrible about it too. In fact, she''s been feeling so bad that she hasn''t had any appetite. She hasn''t even drank a drop of water!"

    As she looked at Guan Ziyao''s pale and frail demeanor, Yan Ruyi sighed, "I should be the one saying sorry. I was too impulsivest night. Ziyao, does it stilll hurt?"

    When she saw that Yan Ruyi had changed her attitude, Guan Ziyao''s eyes secretly lit up. "Aunty! I''m fine! As long as you''ll forgive me, I''ll do anything! I can even help to take care of Little Treasure!"

    Yan Ruyi tactfully rejected her, "I''m very thankful that you offered, but there''s no need. There are already people taking care of Little Treasure."

    When they heard Yan Ruyi''s evading reply, Mother Guan and Guan Ziyao already confirmed what her brother had found out.

    Mother Guan gentlyforted Yan Ruyi a while more. When she saw that Yan Ruyi had softened, she tried to probe, "Sis, as they say, those who survive a great disaster are destined for good fortune after that. Now that thepany is alright, and Little Treasure is saved, extreme sorrows will definitely turn into joyter on! But with so many things having happened, there''ll still be some bad luck. You need to have some happy asions to rinse it away. What say you?"

    When Yan Ruyi heard this, she paused, immediately understanding Mother Guan''s intentions.

    Initially, she wanted to find a suitable opportunity to talk about thister on, but since she had brought it up, she did not want to drag it on either.

    Thus, after Yan Ruyi contemted momentarily, she turned to Mother Guan and said, "Sis, the reason I don''t me Ziyao is that she''s still unrted to us in any way. I don''t have the right to ask her to do anything for our Little Treasure. At that time, in that sort of situation, if Ziyao had done anything, she would have most likely been implicated too, so I don''t me her."

    When they heard Yan Ruyi pretty much drawing a line between their rtionship, Mother Guan''s face instantly soured and Guan Ziyao frowned.

    Yan Ruyi continued, "While that girl Ning Xi¡­ One could say¡­ that this time¡­ our Little Treasure''s life was saved by her! She exchanged his life for her own!"

    As Yan Ruyi said this, tears could not help but well up in her eyes. She slowly started to continue, "We must conduct ourselves with a conscience. Based on the fact that she''s done so much to this extent, if I still continue to misunderstand her and stop her from getting together with Tingxiao, wouldn''t that be too frightening?!"

    Aware of the change in expressions of Mother Guan and Guan Ziyao, Yan Ruyi summed up,"So, no matter how the girl is going to be, and whether she''ll wake up again, I''m setting my mind on this daughter-inw!"

 Chapter 1720: Sometimes I Want To Listen To My Heart Too

    <h4>Chapter 1720: Sometimes I Want To Listen To My Heart Too</h4>

    When Yan Ruyi finished, Mother Guan and Guan Ziyao stood there stunned. They were in disbelief as if they had not expected Yan Ruyi to say such things.

    "I won''t hide it from you. That girl''s severely injured and she might never wake up forever¡­"

    Wouldn''t she be stabbing her own son''s heart if she forced him to marry another woman right now? How could she bear to do such a thing?

    Even if it were not for her son, she would not have done it for the sake of Little Treasure!

    Mother Guan did not think that Yan Ruyi''s attitude would have changed so drastically. She took a long while to calm down before she said, "Sis, I understand what you''re thinking, but¡­ but you can''t just let Tingxiao marry a person in a vegetative state because you feel guilty, and in turn, make a decision that could harm the child forever!"

    Yan Ruyi let out a bitterugh. "If I force him to marry someone he doesn''t like right now, that would really be harming him forever¡­"

    As Yan Ruyi said this, she gave them an apologetic look. "Sis, you know I''ve always liked Ziyao very much. I thought that Ziyao could cultivate some feelings within Tingxiao¡­ yet, in the end, it was still¡­ I''m very regretful¡­ Tingxiao''s heart and eyes are only filled with the girl right now. In these circumstances, to force Tingxiao and Ziyao together would be irresponsible to Ziyao too!"

    Yan Ruyi looked at Guan Ziyao and sighed, "Ziyao, you''re a wonderful youngdy. It''s us Lu family that''s not blessed!"

    Guan Ziyao looked even paler than before. She bit her lips and did not say a single word.

    Yan Ruyi would rather have Tingxiao marry a person in a vegetative state than let him marry her?

    Ning Xi had already be like this¡­ and she had still lost to her?

    Just because that woman had saved Little Treasure?

    Since Yan Ruyi had already put it that way, Mother Guan was obviously uneasy. "Sis, there are some things I think you can''t just rashlye to a conclusion about. How do you know that Little Treasure was definitely saved by that woman? What could she do as a woman herself? It''d be good enough if she didn''t be a hindrance after she forcefully followed them!"

    When she heard Mother Guan''s doubts, Yan Ruyi''s gentle expression suddenly hardened. "Sis, you can be very assured that I''ve obviously investigated this matter clearly!"

    When Yan Ruyi finished, sheughed at herself on the inside. Right now, she was unhappy with other people''s doubts about Ning Xi, yet back then, the person who had been dubious all along was herself¡­

    Mother Guan suddenly could not find any else to refute. She only frowned and said, "Sis, I think it''s best if you consider this matter properly! After all, this is rted to the children''s lifetime happiness! The child''s headstrong, but you can be headstrong with him too!"

    Yan Ruyiughed, "I''ve been rational my whole life, sometimes I want to listen to my heart too. Sis, Ziyao, thank you foring over with concerns, I still have to go and take care of Little Treasure, I won''t apany you longer then."

    It was only when Yan Ruyi had tactfully asked them to leave did Mother Guan unwillingly bring Guan Ziyao out of the hospital unhappily.

    After she sent Mother Guan and Guan Ziyao off, she turned around and saw Lu Chongshan standing not too far away from her.

    Yan Ruyi was startled. "Did you hear everything?"

    Lu Chongshan did not say anything, implying that he did.

    Yan Ruyi''s expression suddenly turned cold. She red at him defensively. "Why? Want to criticize me?"

    Lu Chongshan looked at his wife''s rare fierce stance even though she was soft on the inside, and sighed, "Am I really that unreasonable in your eyes?"

 Chapter 1721: Did Not Want To Be Wrong A Second Time

    <h4>Chapter 1721: Did Not Want To Be Wrong A Second Time</h4>

    "Ruyi, you and I are the same. We only didn''t trust this girl back then because of her identity as an actress. We were worried that she would be just like that woman from years ago, that everything she did for Little Treasure would be a fake pretense and acting."

    As Lu Chongshan said this, he shooked his head andughed bitterly, "I''ve lived for so long, yet I still can''t see through people as well as Tingxiao. That child was right. In the end, the person who hurt Little Treasure was no one but I who was overprotective of Little Treasure in the name of love. The old man who kept living in the shadow of the past and couldn''t walk out of it¡­"

    Yan Ruyi closed her eyes. How was she any different?

    "Then, you¡­ agree to the two children¡­?" Yan Ruyi asked.

    Lu Chongshan kept quiet and did not answer immediately.

    Yan Ruyi looked like she expected this. She straightforwardly said, "I don''t care what you think. Whatever you need to consider or however much you need to worry, this time, I only want to stand on my son''s side as his mother."

    Lu Chongshan stared nkly at the direction of the ward, a pained expression crossing his face.

    For his entire life, he had been the heir, the director, the head of the family. He had always done things for the bigger picture, for thepany, for all of the family members, yet he had never done anything for him.

    Until he had helplessly watched Little Treasure "die" in the video before him did he realize how many things he had missed out on in his life.

    This was his inherent mission. Even if he was given another chance, he could only make the same choices.

    Still, he was wrong for being too conceited, too stubborn, and too confident in his own judgments.

    He had already been wrong once. He did not want to be wrong a second time.

    This time, he chose to believe his own son.

    It was not sure how long had passed before Lu Chongshan finally said in a lowered voice, "I''m afraid it won''t be easy to exin to the Guans. I''ll try my best toe up with a way that satisfies both sides. After all, we''re in the wrong too. If that really can''t do, we''ll just offer them somepensation¡­"

    When she fathomed Lu Chongshan''s words, Yan Ruyi could not help but look surprised.

    Who would have thought that this man, who had been stubborn his whole life, would see the day that he gave in andpromised?

    ¡­

    At the Guan residence.

    "What did you say?" When he finished listening to his wife exining the whole scenario, Guan Rui mmed the table and stood up.

    On the sofa, Guan Ziyao looked incredibly gloomy. "Who does he think we Guans are? They want us to always be at their beck and call! Don''t forget that it was them who came knocking on our door first! Now that thepany is fine, they''re just going to abandon us upon achieving their goals? Nothing''s that good!"

    Mother Guan was furious. "Exactly! When I heard Yan Ruyi, I almost couldn''t hold back and scolded her! What does she mean now? My perfect daughter can''t evenpare to an actress that''s lying on the sickbed and handicapped? The Lu family is such a bully! No matter what, I want justice! Old Guan, say something!"

    Guan Rui said coldly, "Obviously we can''t just let this go, but it hasn''t reached that stage yet. Don''t get into a mess just yet! Now, it''s just Yan Ruyi''s one-sided statement. It''s normal for women to be short-sighted and credulous. Besides, her words won''t take much effect. We still need to see Lu Chongshan''s opinion about this!"

    Guan Ziyao frowned. "I think this time, the incident affected Uncle and Aunty Lu a lot. Just in case Uncle Lu is also¡­"

    Guan Rui immediately picked up his phone and made a call. "I''ll give Lu Chongshan a call now and invite both families out for a talk! I''d like to ask Lu Chongshan the meaning of all of this myself!"

 Chapter 1722: A Proper Explanation

    <h4>Chapter 1722: A Proper Exnation</h4>

    At Imperial Hospital.

    Lu Tingxiao finally walked out of the ward.

    Yan Ruyi felt her heart ache when she saw her son looking so haggard. "Don''t be too sad, Tingxiao. Weren''t you the one who convinced Little Treasure before? You have to be well on your own! The modern healthcare system is really advanced now. There''s still a big chance Xiao Xi will wake up! As for your father and I¡­ we know that it''s toote¡­ I know we''ve been wrong¡­ We misunderstood this child¡­"

    Yan Ruyi feared that he might not believe her, so she continued, "The Guan family came by just now, and I''ve already told them about it. Your father shares the same thoughts as mine too. While we have been doing a lot of things behind your back all these years and given Ziyao much false hope, it''s our fault, but you don''t have to care about this. Your father and I will take care of it and try to not affect the rtionship between our families¡­"

    Lu Chongshan understood that his son would never ept any other woman with that girl in this condition. Even if time could heal him and he might one day open his heart again, it would take a ridiculous amount of time¡­

    It was regretful that they were not able to be inws with the Guans, but under such circumstances, he could not just let them be and had to give them a proper response.

    "We shouldn''t be enemies even if we can''t be inws¡­" Lu Chongshan sighed. As he was about to say something again, his phone rang.

    Lu Chongshan frowned when he saw who was calling. "It''s the Guans."

    "Speak nicely, please," Yan Ruyi reminded him.

    Lu Chongshan nodded and answered the call, "Brother Guan¡­"

    There was a muted anger beneath Guan Rui''s voice, "Brother Lu, I understand that the Lu family has suffered a great disaster this time. I, too, sympathize with that girl''s condition, but there''re a lot of ways to make up to a person. You can''t sacrifice the happiness of the two children!"

    By the "two children", Guan Rui apparently meant Lu Tingxiao and Guan Ziyao.

    Lu Chongshan already expected Guan Rui to call him. He exined helplessly, "Listen to me, Brother Guan. We Lus owe the girl. We can''t have Tingxiao marry someone else when the girl has be like this. It''s too much of an act of betrayal. We can''t do this. Moreover, Tingxiao won''t give up on her¡­ and we don''t want to waste any more of Ziyao''s time¡­"

    Guan Rui did not expect Lu Chongshan to behave this way. His wrath grew stronger. "Waste Ziyao''s time? You''ve already wasted lots! Brother Lu, you told me that Tingxiao was just fooling around with that woman and nothing would affect Ziyao. You were the one who wanted them to get closer too!

    "So many outstanding guys came over and proposed after we returned to the country, yet we rejected all of them because you promised me. Then, what happened? We waited and waited, and now you''re telling me that you''re breaking the promise because of some lowly peasant woman!

    "Brother Lu, Ziyao is my precious daughter. I''ve been taking care of her dearly since she was born. Because of her love towards Tingxiao and our families'' rtionship, we''ve been lenient about the matter of Tingxiao with that woman. We even treated Little Treasure as our own grandchild!

    "But what about your family? What does the Lu family take us for? Something you can just manipte at your will? You have to give us a proper exnation!"

 Chapter 1723: Wait And See

    <h4>Chapter 1723: Wait And See</h4>

    Lu Chongshan knew he was in the wrong. He said in a lowered tone, "Brother Guan, it''s inappropriate of the Lu family to handle it this way, but it''s not rted to Tingxiao at all. It''s my fault as a father. I''ll bear all the consequences and am willing to make up¡­"

    Lu Chongshan was suddenly interrupted by his son behind him.

    "Let me speak to Chairman Guan," Lu Tingxiao said.

    Lu Chongshan hesitated, but he still passed the phone over to his son.

    Lu Tingxiao took the phone and addressed coldly, "Chairman Guan."

    Guan Rui chuckled when he heard Lu Tingxiao''s voice and that distant title. "Tingxiao, what an obedient child. You''re not even calling me ''Uncle'' anymore?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression did not change even when Guan Rui was ridiculing him. "Meet me at the guest room on the top floor of the Imperial Hospital. I''ll give you a proper exnation there, Chairman Guan."

    Guan Rui sneered, "How sincere of you! You''re going to give me an exnation and you''re noting to me. Instead, you want this old man to visit you at the hospital! Sure, I''ll go. I''ll see what exnation the Lu family is going to give me!"

    Yan Ruyi went over worriedly after the phone call ended. "Tingxiao, what are you going to do?"

    Lu Jingli came out of the room and patted his mother''s shoulders. "Mother, don''t worry! You have two handsome and intelligent sons. Would you really have to worry? Just wait and seeter!"

    Yan Ruyi pouted at him. "What do you mean wait and see? Don''t mess around!"

    "Since when did I mess around before!? Even if you don''t trust me, have some faith in my brother! Both of you don''t have to do anything. Just be there!" Lu Jingli said with certainty.

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan looked at each other. They had no idea what the two of them had prepared.

    However, they were relieved that Tingxiao was not overly depressed and had offered to handle matters.

    ¡­

    Little Treasure stayed right in the room with Ning Xi while Annie looked after them.

    Lu Chongshan, Yan Ruyi, Lu Tingxiao, and Lu Jingli were preparing for the meeting with the Guan family.

    After half an hour, the Guan family arrived.

    "Uncle Lu, Aunty Lu, Jingli¡­" Guan Ziyao greeted them one by one, then she looked hesitantly at the man she had not seen for some time. "Tingxiao¡­"

    Mother Guan was upset by Lu Tingxiao''s cool reaction. "That''s enough, Ziyao. So what if you treat him well? Someone got seduced by some woman outside and has no idea what he''s doing now after being tricked!"

    Mother Guan felt the vibe around the distant and cold man change suddenly. While it was not obvious, she could feel an unseen pressure surrounding her and suffocating her.

    Mother Guan coughed lightly and changed her tone, "Tingxiao, take my word of advice. Aunty has lived much longer than you and has seen more than you, which is why I can see things from a clearer perspective. Look at that woman, and then look at Ziyao. Ziyao is our princess and there are no ws in her personality and talents. She''s pure and kind, and your parents have been known her since she was a child. They understand¡­"

    Putting Mother Guan''sments about Ning Xi aside, Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan were really satisfied with Guan Ziyao. At the moment, they could not hide the guilt on their faces.

 Chapter 1724: Being Used

    <h4>Chapter 1724: Being Used</h4>

    Guan Rui retorted when he saw the guilty expressions on Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi, "That woman saved Little Treasure by coincidence. I understand that you''d like to make up to her, which is why I said over the phone just now that there are a lot of ways to make up to someone, but for Tingxiao to marry someone like her¡­

    "And by someone like her, I don''t mean the girl for being in a vegetative state now. I mean that she has a very bad reputation¡­ Like the scandalst time, the videos were spread everywhere on the Net. It''s such a shameful thing! How can the headdy of the Lu family be a woman like her?"

    Yan Ruyi frowned. "I searched online a little on that matter. Things were rified afterward. The girl was being framed. Another celebrity had gone under the knife to look the same as her¡­"

    Guan Zihao also spoke up, "Aunty Lu, there''s no smoke without fire. That woman must have had some issues of her own. You might not always notice news about the entertainment industry, but this woman always had a very bad reputation. A scandal urred every few days, and she has haters everywhere!

    "For men with an important status like us, sure, we can have some fun with women like her, but it''s inappropriate to marry someone like her. You''re lucky if you just receive some criticisms here and there. Worst case is that thepany stocks might be affected severely!"

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi looked solemn. Although Guan Zihao''s words were unpleasant and mostly true, Ning Xi had saved Little Treasure, so they were prepared to bear the consequences.

    Mother Guan was very pleased with Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan''s reactions. She went on, "Our Ziyao really loves and respects Tingxiao, which is why she doesn''t mind even if he has an illegitimate child. In fact, she cares a lot about the child!

    "Do you really think she learned all about psychology and early childhood education out of interest? It was all for Little Treasure! But how did Tingxiao treat her? He trampled all her efforts and humiliated her by being with a small-time actress! What is he going to do with Ziyao and the rtionship between us two families?

    "And now even both you and Brother Lu want to hurt us¡­ I''m really¡­"

    As Mother Guan was running her mouth and dering how hurt she was, and how they were being betrayed, Lu Jingli picked his ear with a ridiculing expression.

    Lu Tingxiao did not interrupt anyone from the Guan family since the start, but now he said expressionlessly, "Are you done?"

    Guan Rui remarked rudely, "What now? Is there anything we said that''s wrong? Our whole family is here now. Where''s your exnation?"

    Lu Tingxiao made a phone call. He simply said two words over the phone, "Come in."

    The next second, two stony bodyguards came in and threw a man in.

    The Guan family saw and recognized who it was. It was the cook of the Lu family.

    "Elder Master, Elder Madam, First Master¡­ I know I''m wrong! I really do! I was being used!"

    The cook was crying and sobbing as he knelt before Lu Tingxiao. "Please forgive me, First Master! Please forgive me. Little Master isn''t really hurt this time! They asked me to put double the dosage, but I didn''t! I only put a dab on the food container. I really didn''t n to hurt Little Master¡­"

 Chapter 1725: Couldnt Resist Temptation

    <h4>Chapter 1725: Couldn''t Resist Temptation</h4>

    Based on the cook''s words, he was referring to thest time Little Treasure had food poisoning.

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan''s expressions suddenly changed. They had always thought that it was Ning Xi. They would never have thought that the issue was from their end!

    It was none other than the cook who had put poison on Little Treasure''s dedicated food box!

    Guan Rui drank his tea unhurriedly, then hemented, "So, it was the cook who did something thest time Little Treasure was poisoned!"

    Guan Zihao squinted. "Now, we''re talking about matters between our families. Why did you pull this person out for?"

    Lu Jingli smiled as he said, "Master Guan, what are you rushing for? Just watch!"

    Yan Ruyi red at the cook and was suddenly so furious that she trembled. "Master Chen! You''ve been working for our Lu family for more than ten years now. We have treated you with nothing but kindness. Who was it that gave you whatever advantages that made you do something as cruel as this?! You know that Little Treasure is my life!"

    "Elder Madam¡­ I''m sorry, I''m sorry¡­ I let you down¡­ I''m sorry, Elder Master¡­ I¡­ was possessed! It was that Ning Xi¡­ That Ning Xi¡­ She slept with me for a night and gave me a huge sum of money. She coaxed me to do all of this. She said no one will definitely find out that it was me. I¡­ I couldn''t resist the temptation, that''s why I took the risk¡­"

    "What are you saying?!" Yan Ruyi''s expression suddenly changed.

    Lu Chongshan looked grim too, but he did not react much. He just sat there quietly. Since Tingxiao had especially gotten Master Chen over, then the matter must not be as simple as this.

    "Elder Madam, Elder Master, and First Master, I''m telling the absolute truth. I daren''t lie! It really was that Ning Xi who told me to do this! If I lie, then I will be struck by lightning! Even if you give me a hundred guts, I wouldn''t dare lie anymore!" Master Chen made a solemn vow.

    When Mother Guan heard him, she instantly shook her head mockingly. "Forget the fact that to achieve her goals, she wouldn''t spare hurting a child. She actually even slept with a cook¡­ This is really¡­"

    Right at that moment, the door was flung open once again.

    A woman walked in.

    "Is that her?" Lu Tingxiao asked.

    The cook stared at the woman at the door and immediately nodded. "Yes, it''s her! The celebritiy, Ning Xi!"

    When they saw who the woman at the door was, Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan looked shocked. Ning Xi? How could this be?

    Ning Xi was clearly still in aa and lying on the sick bed!

    Then, this woman was¡­

    Yan Ruyi recalled, "Is this¡­ Is this woman who had stic surgery to look like Ning Xi, Su Yimo?"

    "That''s right, it''s her." Lu Jingli nodded.

    Now, Yan Ruyi patted her chest in fright. "No wonder I felt like this woman''s gaze is odd¡­"

    "Mother, you have discerning eyes!" Lu Jingli praised.

    "Don''t be garrulous! So, you''re saying, the person who directed this cook to put the poison was actually Su Yimo?" Yan Ruyi rified.

    At this moment, Guan Ziyao said faintly, "You can''t be sure! Since the two look exactly the same, who could differentiate who it was? Who knows if CEO Lu didn''t frame this woman to clear Ning Xi''s name?"

    Mother Guan agreed, "With one call, you asked us over, and you didn''t talk about the main things, letting us watch all this nonsense instead! What is the meaning of this?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at Lu Jingli, and when Lu Jingli received his brother''s hint, he picked up his phone and clicked on a voice recording.

    "The following recording might not be suitable for children¡­ but thankfully, we aren''t adults yet¡­"

 Chapter 1726: It Is All Over

    <h4>Chapter 1726: It Is All Over</h4>

    The instant Lu Jingli clicked on the recording, the room was filled with the heavy breathing sounds of a man and woman as their bodies collided with each other.

    Even if it was just audio, everyone present was adults, and they could immediately tell what the two people were doing.

    "You damned child, why are you ying this?!" Yan Ruyi shot Lu Jingli an angry look.

    Opposite them, Guan Zihao was still listening like it was a farce, yet after a while, his expression suddenly changed as he shot a cold looked towards Su Yimo who had cowered in a corner.

    Just as Yan Ruyi was about to stop Lu Jingli from continuing the recording, there was suddenly a familiar voice from the phone.

    "Tsk, so distracted¡­ Why? You don''t care about dealing with me now that you''ve hooked onto Lu Tingxiao? Let''s make this clear. You''re a counterfeit, do you really think you can rece the original? Just in the state you''re in, apart from your face, you really don''t deserve to even help Ning Xi hold her shoes!"

    "I''ve already done all the things you want me to do. I framed Ning Xi, I''ve slept with so many people, I even had to sleep with the gross cook. Why won''t you let me go? I don''t want to do things for you anymore!"

    "Wow! Lu Tingxiao was just slightly nicer to you and let you go this time without killing you. Do you really think you can make it up there with this face of yours? Can''t wait to kick me away? I''ll tell you! Don''t even think about it! I''ve spent so much money on you to fix your entire face! Want to run off so easily?"

    "Now, Lu Tingxiao has already found out about my existence. Everyone knows that I''ve gotten stic surgery to look like Ning Xi. I''ve been exposed! I can''t help you do anything anymore! You''d better not keeping to look for me. If I get discovered by Lu Tingxiao, don''t me me for not warning you¡­"

    ¡­

    Then, came the sound of a man and woman panting again, but at this point, they had heard enough.

    The voice in the recording was obviously Guan Zihao''s.

    Deathly stillness stagnated in the room.

    It was very obvious that such a private and intimate recording could only be recorded by the people involved.

    "B*tch! How dare you!?" Guan Zihao burst with rage as he blurted out and stared at Su Yimo. Then, he suddenly mmed up. His eyes were rmed as he realized he had just exposed himself.

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi would never have thought that everything from Ning Xi being framed and set up, to Little Treasure getting poisoned, had all unexpectedly been Guan Zihao''s work. The two of them stared at the handsome and talented youth, then at the Guan family. They were in a dumbfounded daze for a long while¡­

    Guan Ziyao twisted her fingers nervously as she was losing her head out of fear. At the same time, she looked at her brother in disbelief.

    She had repeatedly urged him to handle this thing properly, but he had done it like this? All the way onto Su Yimo''s bed? And had even left such information that was used against him!

    Just because Su Yimo had a beautiful face now?

    Even her own brother could not resist the temptation!

    Suddenly, Guan Ziyao''s face turned extremely morose¡­

    Over¡­ It was all over¡­

    Lu Jingli raised his brows. "Master Guan, do you have anything else you want to say right now?"

    Lu Chongshan''s fingers were shaking. "Zihao! You actually¡­"

    Before Lu Chongshan could say anything more, Guan Rui suddenly pushed his chair and stood up. Hended a p on Guan Zihao''s face. "Bastard! How can you do such a thing!?"

    After Guan Rui pped Guan Zihao, he immediately turned to Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi sharply. "Bro Lu, Sis, his mother and I were unaware about this. Ziyao knew nothing at all! I didn''t think that he would do such things behind our backs! Zihao is full of youthful vigor, after all. He just saw Ziyao wronged and went to such an extent because he was angry and could not bear it. He even harmed Little Treasure, but his real intentions were definitely not that¡­"

 Chapter 1727: Said They Want To Take Miss Xiao Xi Away

    <h4>Chapter 1727: Said They Want To Take Miss Xiao Xi Away</h4>

    Lu Jingli thought this was funny. "He especially told him to double the dosage. Was that not his real intentions?"

    The matter had already progressed to this stage, yet Lu Tingxiao did not say anything. He stood up and left to return to Ning Xi''s ward, not wanting to waste any time on anything else.

    While Lu Jingli chuckled as he picked up his phone, ying another recording. "Stop acting. I think you guys can go fight for an Oscar!"

    The voice from the recording was Mother Guan''s.

    "Damn it! Isn''t that Yan Ruyi an heiress from a prestigious family? How is she a dame? She''s practically a shrew! Look at how she hit our Ziyao! She was so vicious with the blows!"

    "Forget it, their only beloved grandson has died. It''s normal to be a little crazy." Then came Guan Rui''s voice.

    When they heard these words, Mother Guan and Guan Rui suddenly turned as white as a sheet.

    What made them even more fearful were the uing words¡­

    "Silly girl, she''s just grieving right now from losing her grandson. Wait till you give birth to another one for her¡­ That was why I said that Lu Tingxiao''s illegitimate child must not be kept! The Lu family values this child so much that they''d leave all their family property to him in the future. Then, wouldn''t our marriage connection with the Lu family be a huge loss? Even if nothing happens to the child this time, we must think of ways to get rid of him in the future¡­"

    "Mother is right, Sister! Don''t worry too much. Let''s go home and celebrate tonight! Tomorrow, we should be able to hear the ''good news'' about that little child!"

    ¡­

    Yan Ruyi could not believe that the whole family she had been treating as kin had such sinister intentions. The entire family, all of them were malicious!

    "Guan Rui! You¡­ All these years, I''ve been helping you and treating you as a bro¡­ You actually¡­" Lu Chongshan grasped his chest that was vexing with pain from an old illness, and he could not say anything more.

    Thankfully, they were in the hospital. Lu Tingxiao seemed to have been well prepared. Immediately, a doctor came in to treat the emergency and stabilized Lu Chongshan''s condition.

    Someone that he had always treated as a good brother and close friend, the considerate daughter-inw he had always fancied¡­ He had persistently thought that the Guan family shared a profound kinship with them, that they knew their roots, and most importantly, they would not hurt Little Treasure. Besides, he had just heard them say for themselves how much they loved Little Treasure and treated him like their own grandson¡­

    But privately!

    Despite not even having married into the family, they were already thinking about how to kill Little Treasure and how to seize their assets!

    Yan Ruyi was aghast as she thought of whether Guan Ziyao had really been stunned back then, or was it intentional? Thinking about this made her blood run cold!

    The truth had proven that they were wrong, extremely wrong. It was them who did not see through people, and it was them who really almost killed Little Treasure.

    They were practically pushing Little Treasure into a living hell!

    Fancy that they were feeling guilty about how this marriage did not happen! They were thinking about how to make it up to them, yet they were thinking about how to celebrate when a great tragedy had fallen upon their family¡­

    When Guan Rui saw that everything had fallen through and was exposed, there was indignation in his eyes as he said coldly, "Bro Lu, don''t me me. If you want to point fingers, me your son for being blind. He doesn''t want my excellent daughter. He fancied a lowly actor!

    "Ask yourself honestly, if the two of our families arebined by marriage, how perfect would that be? As for Little Treasure, as long as you make Ziyao''s child the heir, we obviously wouldn''t make life difficult over a child! It''s not toote for you to regret now!"

    "You¡­ You shut up¡­" Lu Chongshan panted as he angrily rebuked. Suddenly, Xing Wu''s frantic voice came from outside.

    "Elder Master, Elder Madam, Second Master! Quickly go outside and take a look! Not good! Not good! A lot of people suddenly came and they''re wearing military uniforms. They said they want to take Miss Xiao Xi away!"

 Chapter 1728: Here To Retrieve Our Ms. Ning Xi

    <h4>Chapter 1728: Here To Retrieve Our Ms. Ning Xi</h4>

    "What did you say? Take Xiao Xi away?" Yan Ruyi was shocked.

    "Who are these people!? How dare they take people away from us Lus?!" Lu Chongshan''s expression darkened suddenly.

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi ignored the Guans and took a look at what was happening outside.

    The Guan family looked at each other, then followed them out in silence.

    Lu Jingli frowned. "Military uniform? Could it be¡­"

    Damn it¡­ If it was people from that side, it would be bad¡­

    They saw two rows of grave-looking soldiers when they came out of the room. The President and the Vice President of the hospital were right beside the door to Ning Xi''s room, seeming really nervous with sweat on their foreheads.

    "Mr. Lu, Madam Lu¡­ Look at this¡­ These people just suddenly rushed in¡­ They even said they have orders to take Ms. Ning away¡­ I can''t stop them¡­" The President looked at the people in fear.

    They had experience seeing people like these, and of course, they realized that these were not regr people, or people someone should make enemies with.

    "Who are you people? On whose orders did youe?" Lu Chongshan red at them coldly and asked with a stern tone.

    The young leading officer went up to Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi and spoke without any expression on his face, "I''m here on Chief Zhuang''s orders to retrieve our Ms. Ning Xi!"

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were stunned by the young officer''s words.

    "Chief Zhuang¡­?" Yan Ruyi looked at her husband, confused.

    Lu Chongshan''s expression turnedplicated. So, he was right. They were people sent by the Zhuang family after all¡­

    Only people from the Zhuang family¡­

    Who else would make such a scene and was daring enough to take people from the Lu family with an army of soldiers?

    Lu Jingli stomped his foot and cursed.

    Damn it, it''s all over! They''re really people from the Zhuang family¡­

    In a corner, the Guan family were shocked as they hid behind the guest room door.

    "Chief Zhuang? Which Chief Zhuang?" Mother Guan asked quietly.

    "Who else could it be aside from Zhuang Liaoyuan?" Guan Rui''s face darkened.

    Guan Ziyao frowned. "What did the officer mean? Did he say to take back their Ms. Ning Xi? Does he mean Ning Xi? How is Ning Xi rted to the Zhuangs? Father, didn''t you investigate that Ning Xi''s real identity is the daughter of the Ning family, the daughter of Ning Yaohua?"

    "Yes, I did, there''s no mistake about it! Wasn''t that matter made public soon after?" Guan Rui grimaced as well.

    Guan Zihao had a twisted expression. "How is that cheap woman rted to the Zhuang family? Tsk, maybe she''s in a dirty rtionship with Zhuang Liaoyuan¡­"

    Mother Guan nodded firmly. "That must be it! What else could it be? Or maybe she vited thew!"

    ¡­

    After Lu Chongshan listened to the officer''s reply and realized it was people from the Zhuang family, he pleaded, "Officer, please send a word to Chief Zhuang for me. The Lu family will take full responsibility for Ms. Ning Xi!"

    Suddenly, there was an old but strong voice from the back.

    "Hmph! You Lu family will take full responsibility? Who are you Lus, and on what grounds are you going to be responsible for my granddaughter? Zhuang Zongren''s granddaughter!"

 Chapter 1729: Top Family

    <h4>Chapter 1729: Top Family</h4>

    A old man full of white hair came hobbling from the end of the corridor. He ambled over with the help of his clutch and Zhuang Liaoyuan.

    There was also another tall young man beside him who stared at the Lu family in ire with his bright eyes.

    Not only Zhuang Liaoyuan, even the Elder Chief Zhuang Zongren was there. Lu Chongshan kept his stern and impatient expression in check., "Elder Chief Zhuang, why are you here?"

    At this moment, the few people from the Guan family were all frozen when they heard Zhuang Zongren say "granddaughter".

    "Granddaughter¡­ What granddaughter? Ning Xi¡­ is Zhuang Zongren''s granddaughter?!" Mother Guan was mumbling unbelievably.

    Guan Ziyao''s face went pale. "Impossible! How could Ning Xi be Zhuang Zongren''s¡­"

    She was suddenly reminded of something. She paused for a bit, then turned to her father. "Father, in the information you found before¡­ Ning Xi''s mother¡­ What''s her name? Is it¡­ Is her surname¡­"

    Guan Rui was horrified. "That''s right, her surname is Zhuang! Zhuang Lingyu!"

    Guan Zihao''s jaw dropped. He came back to his senses after a long while. "Ning Yaohua''s wife is the daughter of the Zhuang family? Impossible! I''ve never heard about it before!"

    Guan Rui pinched the space between his eyebrows. "We''ve been away for a long time, after all, and we''re not sure about a lot of things. I didn''t really further investigate when I found out Ning Xi''s father is Ning Yaohua. I might''ve been careless¡­ Zhuang Lingyu''s identity isn''t so straightforward¡­"

    Elder Chief Zhuang was here to address Ning Xi as his granddaughter personally. There was no mistake at all!

    Guan Ziyao stared nkly when she heard her father. Despair filled her eyes as she froze and just stared at what was happening in front of her.

    Impossible¡­

    This was impossible¡­

    She still felt hopeful moments ago. Since Ning Xi had fallen into a vegetative state, no matter how sorry the Lu family felt for her, and no matter how much Lu Tingxiao loved her, they would not really wait for her forever. Furthermore, that child was just in a temporary slump right now and he could probably recover soon. Because the Lu family was not in danger anymore, the Guan family still stood a chance.

    She thought that one day, he would realize she was the one for her, and the Lu family would one day turn back to her for the benefits they could reap¡­

    However, she had never expected Ning Xi''s grandfather to be Zhuang Zongren!

    The Zhuang family had been in political power for generations. As the top family in Imperial, they were definitely not people to mess with, considering their history and achievements. Even the Lu family was beneath them.

    "If I were not here, my granddaughter might even lose her life!"

    Lu Chongshan did not dare to say anything to Zhuang Zongren''s reprimand. He knew he was in the wrong, so he exined with a soft tone, "Elder Chief Zhuang, Ms. Ning Xi''s injured this time because of us Lus. Because she rescued Little Treasure, our whole family is really indebted to her. We''ve hired the best specialists and will give it our all to save Ms. Ning Xi! Please rest assured that we''ll take full responsibility of her!"

    Before Zhuang Zongren could say anything, Zhuang Rongguang could not wait and started scolding angrily¡­

 Chapter 1730: No One From The Lu Family Is Good

    <h4>Chapter 1730: No One From The Lu Family Is Good</h4>

    Rage filled the young man''s eyes, his tone fluctuating due to his anger. "Get lost! My cousin''s in this state because of your family! And you guys still don''t want to let her go! Do you think my cousin was ever alone and had no one to rely on? Let me tell you, we''re surely taking her away today! Who knows what else could happen to her if she keeps on staying here?! No one from the Lu family is good!"

    His team had gone out shopping that day, so Zhuang Rongguang had grabbed the chance to sneak back home. Coincidentally, he overheard his father and grandfather, and found out that something major had happened to Sis Xi. He then also found out Sis Xi was really his cousin!

    That was it! No wonder Sis Xi was so awesome! They were a family after all!

    So, he decided to forcefully tag along with his father and grandfather to the hospital.

    His sister and mother were waiting for their news back at home. He would get Sis Xi out of this mess no matter what happened!

    Since there was something his grandfather could not say due to his position, then he would say it! He had the image of a delinquent after all. Without Bro Xi, he would have still been wandering around somewhere aimlessly!

    Zhuang Liaoyuan only shot his son a cold stare after the outburst, but there was no intention of stopping him. Apparently, he was very dissatisfied with the Lu family as well.

    Lu Chongshan''s expression looked terrible after he was criticized, but he could only take them head-on. He continued with a humble attitude, "I''ve had a lot of misunderstandings towards Miss Ning. It''s my fault and I apologize! Miss Ning saved Little Treasure this time and she''s our savior. I''ll give it my all to make up to her. Why would I harm her? Please, Elder Chief Zhuang and Chief Zhuang, believe me that we''re going to make amends!"

    "We''ll never know what you really think!" Zhuang Rongguang scoffed.

    The quiet Zhuang Liaoyuan finally spoke up, "President Lu, you don''t have to. Xiao Xi has always been kind and I believe she willingly wanted to save the child. It''s not rted to anyone and we don''t need anything. As Xiao Xi''s family, we just want to get her back and we don''t need outsiders to take care of her. I believe there shouldn''t be any problems with this request."

    Zhuang Liaoyuan''s words caused Lu Chongshan to feel at a loss.

    They did not need anything and just wanted to take Ning Xi back as her family. Of course, there was no issue at all.

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

    With the Zhuang family''s current attitude, it was obvious that they would forbid anyone from the Lu family to be in contact with Ning Xi after they took her.

    Lu Tingxiao had totally fallen for this girl and Little Treasure could never leave her side. If they really took Ning Xi away, what would happen?

    "Who are these people who are being so sneaky!? Come out!" Zhuang Rongguang picked up the subtle movement with his sharp eyes. He leaped and dragged one of them out of the guest room.

    "Ah! Stop¡­ Let go! Let go!" Guan Zihao groaned in pain. His parents and Guan Ziyao came out and tried to tug him back.

    Lu Chongshan''s expression turned worse when he realized that the Guan family was still around and that the Zhuangs had discovered their presence.

    The Zhuang family was already upset with them. It seemed that this was going to deepen the misunderstanding.

    As expected, Zhuang Liaoyuan''s eyes looked angrier when he saw those people. "Xiao Xi is in aa right now, and you guys brought these people here. How sincere¡­"

 Chapter 1731: Off The Charts

    <h4>Chapter 1731: Off The Charts</h4>

    Zhuang Rongguang twisted Guan Zihao around and kicked him to the ground. His lungs were about to explode from anger. "You talk about thanking her! About sincerely making amends! All that is bullsh*t! My cousin isn''t dead yet! You''re already rushing to find another one for your son! Later on, are you going to also have the wedding ceremony in front of her ward!?"

    "Ah!" Guan Zihao''s wrist was about to break from getting twisted. He shouted painfully, "No! It''s got nothing to do with us! The Lu family has betrayed us and called our entire family over to get rid of the wedding contract!"

    What?

    Get rid of the wedding contract?

    Not just the Zhuangs, even Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were stunned to hear this.

    Guan Rui intentionally looked at the Zhuang family and revealed a disappointed expression. He said mockingly, "I was just saying why did Bro Lu suddenly act so heartlessly¡­ It turns out¡­"

    Mother Guan took advantage of the situation and started to shout with her shrill voice, "Well, Lu Chongshan, I''m saying you initially swore and everything was going well. Why did you suddenly want to cancel the wedding contract with our family?! It turns out you''ve climbed on a taller branch! Imperial''s Zhuang family''s granddaughter! Of course, it''s not something our family of a lower status canpare to! Lu Chongshan, you''ve really calcted well!"

    When she saw that the Guan family was blurting without thinking and inverting right and wrong, Guan Ziyao stood there with a hurt expression as if the Lu family had really been heartless. Lu Chongshan was so infuriated that his illness was almost provoked again. At that moment, he had really seen this family through and through.

    Yan Ruyi had immediately stood out and pped Mother Guan on the face. "This p is on behalf of my Little Treasure!"

    When she finished, another p came. "This p is on behalf of the girl! Chongshan and I have been treating you Guans as longtime friends of the family in vain. We believed in your family''s moral character and upbringing. We didn''t even care that Tingxiao already had someone he liked and repeatedly wanted to matchmake Tingxiao with your daughter!

    "Yet, you people¡­ Until today, until Tingxiao brought out the evidence and exposed everything I didn''t know all these years! The people Chongshan and I had trusted and treated as family was a pack of ravenous wolves!

    "You keep saying that you''re pure and good, yet behind our backs, you have done everything dirty and vile from framing Xiao Xi, hurting Little Treasure, and even scheming how to steal our assets before even marrying into the family. Now, you''re still trying to nder us by saying that we have a wedding contract with you Guans?

    "At that time, the Lu family met with trouble, and indeed I hoped that the two families could bebined through marriage as soon as possible. Not only did I try to offer Tingxiao all kinds of girls behind his back, I even knocked on your door to probe your family''s intentions, yet now, what kind of attitude are you having? When you saw that the Lu family''s circumstances weren''t positive, you then kept making excuses!

    "Now that thepany''s matters have been settled, and Xiao Xi has even sacrificed her life to save Little Treasure, you guys were really thinking about reaping where you haven''t sown? You really think our Lu family is a family of fools?

    "I''m telling you! Forget about that girl being in aa right now! Even if she doesn''t wake up forever, I, Yan Ruyi will acknowledge only her as my daughter-inw!"

    Yan Ruyi''s words echoed in the corridor¡­ They echoed for a long time¡­

    On the side, Lu Jingli was bbergasted. He even gasped in amazement.

    Whoa! My mother is off the charts today!

    One must know that his mother cared most about image. Her personality was delicate and gentle. Usually, she would not speak loudly much, but now she was unexpectedly so ferocious¡­

    Indeed, itplied with that saying: while women are vulnerable, the mother is strong.

    "Do you still want me to y your family''s filthy evidence in front of Chief Zhuang and Elder Chief Zhuang?" Yan Ruyi shouted coldly, then she looked to her younger son.

    "Jingli!"

 Chapter 1732: Only One With Better Judgment

    <h4>Chapter 1732: Only One With Better Judgment</h4>

    Lu Jingli acknowledged the order and immediately clicked on the recording.

    Once the recording yed, the Guan family''s expressions immediately changed. Before the Zhuangs could react, they quickly pulled Guan Zihao away from Zhuang Rongguang and ran off swiftly without even daring to fart.

    When Zhuang Rongguang heard the contents of the recording, he instantly erupted, "These pieces of sheet!"

    They were the ones behind the incident that had gotten Sis Xi framed previously?

    Zhuang Rongguang was about to chase after them when he remembered that he had something more important to do that day, so he temporarily held himself back.

    Forget it! There''s no rush! Later on, I''ll have time to deal with them!

    "Huh, now you know who''s right and wrong! You should have known earlier!" Zhuang Rongguang muttered coldly, "I think of all you people from the Lu family¡­ only that guy my cousin likes has better judgment¡­"

    Lu Jingli quickly raised his brows and pointed at himself. "Here, here, here! There''s still one more person with good judgment! I''ve always supported my brother and my sister-inw! Please call me ''godly assist number two''!"

    After the misunderstanding was rified, Zhuang Liaoyuan''s expression softened.

    As for what the Guan family had said about the Lu family wanting to climb the socialdder, Zhuang Liaoyuan himself knew that this was impossible.

    Previously, his father still could not resolve the matter with Lingyu, so he had only been keeping watch of Xiao Xi in private, but he did not officially recognize the child. On the other hand, due to his own prejudice towards Lu Tingxiao, he did not want Xiao Xi to be with that fellow, so even when he clearly knew about the Lu family''s situation and knew that Xiao Xi was faced with a difficult situation, he did not step in. Indeed, he had hoped she would back out from the awkward situation herself. In the end, this was the consequence.

    They yed a huge responsibility in this matter too¡­

    That child Xiao Xi had helped them so many times, yet they could not do anything for her.

    After the Guan family ran off, Yan Ruyi walked up to Zhuang Liaoyuan and Zhuang Zongren. With a sincere attitude, she said, "Elder Chief Zhuang, General Zhuang, as parents, we were the ones in the wrong. It was us who did not see the true colors of people, and we kept misunderstanding Xiao Xi. We repeatedly stopped Tingxiao from being with that girl! But our Tingxiao is true to Xiao Xi!

    "This child is stubborn. One nce and he had his eyes set on that girl. No matter how much we advised him, his feelings towards Xiao Xi never wavered. No matter if it was the blind date banquet previously, or the intentions for marriage with the Guan family, they were all his father and my personal decisions against his will¡­"

    Lu Chongshan closed his eyes and sighed, "At the start, I was determined about objecting to their rtionship. I told Tingxiao that as thepany leader and the entire family head, his choice for a wife wasn''t his matter alone. Then, Tingxiao said something to me¡­ He said apart from me and his mother, no one else can affect his decision¡­"

    When he heard this, something in Zhuang Liaoyuan''s eyes shifted. Zhuang Zongren''s solemn expression looked deeply moved too.

    Actually, now that they recalled it calmly, they had met Lu Tingxiao a few times. He even had dinner at their house, and seeing the way he interacted with Xiao Xi, they could tell that the child was genuine about Xiao Xi.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan''s prejudice towards him had mainlye from the way his family had wronged Xiao Xi¡­

    As Lu Chongshan spoke, tears flooded his eyes and his voice trembled slightly. "Tingxiao is a very filial son. He''s always been searching for a way to please both sides. Actually, his mother and I did waver previously and were prepared to go with the flow, but who would''ve thought that such a turmoil would befall the Lu family?

    "Just seven days ago, Tingxiao told me that they could solve everything and had set a seven-day pact with me, but¡­ I didn''t believe him¡­ It was my fault¡­"

 Chapter 1733: Today We Must Take Her Away

    <h4>Chapter 1733: Today We Must Take Her Away</h4>

    After Zhuang Liaoyuan contemted to himself, he exchanged a nce with his father beside him, then chose his words carefully as he said, "We''re not interested in getting involved with the Lu family''s disputes. The main point is now that the matter has developed to this, whatever you say won''t change the fact that Xiao Xi is in aa. We just want to take Xiao Xi home now."

    "Lin Jian, retrieve thedy." Without waiting for Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi to say anything, Zhuang Liaoyuan had already raised his hand tomand the people. Obviously, they were determined to take her away that very day.

    "Understood!"

    After the young officer from earlier epted the order, he immediately brought a team of people, including a professional medical personnel, to walk straight towards the ward entrance. Beside them, the doctor and nurses were intimidated by the hostility of the militants. All of them cowered on the side. No one dared to step up and stop them.

    That young officer named Lin Jian took huge strides towards the ward entrance and was about to push the door when suddenly, the door was opened from the inside.

    A towering man in a ck suit with a reserved air stood at the entrance. He gazed around from the corner of his eye. That powerful presence of a person who always found himself in top positions and the murderous aura that could only be exuded by someone who had experienced thousands of battles suddenly oozed right out.

    Lin Jian, who had long endured battlegrounds, had his sharp senses heightened towards danger. His hand suddenly felt for the weapon by his waist in rm and he paused in his steps, not daring to continue moving forward.

    When Zhuang Liaoyuan saw Lu Tingxiao appear, the air around him suddenly dropped a few degrees too.

    The two men stood opposite each other, their presence equally matched. Suddenly, the atmosphere turned extremely tense.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan''s thin lips tightened into a straight line. His voice was extremely cool as he said, "Lu Tingxiao, before this I was already against the two of you getting together because I know very well that Xiao Xi is too innocent. Families like yours aren''t suitable for her. And this has been proven. All of this hase true. In such a situation, once there''s a first, there might be a second.

    "I only hate myself for not stopping it in time back then and letting something like this happen today. I watched helplessly as she became the way she is today. So, I''m sorry! Today, we must take her away! In the future, whether Xiao Xi is doing well or not will have nothing to do with you Lus!"

    On the side, Zhuang Rongguang nodded in agreement. "That''s right! I already thought you didn''t match my cousin. She''s so beautiful and wonderful. She could''ve married anyone. Why would she marry someone with a child from their previous marriage?! Now, my cousin has almost lost her life from rescuing your son! Isn''t this enough?"

    Zhuang Zongren stood on the side without saying anything, but clearly, he agreed with Zhuang Liaoyuan. It was evident that they had set their mind to it. They were ready to take their granddaughter far, far away from the Lu family.

    Lu Tingxiao did not respond to Zhuang Liaoyuan and Zhuang Rongguang. Instead, his eyes fell onto Zhuang Zongren. "Chief Zhuang, may I speak with you privately?"

    Zhuang Rongguang became anxious when he heard this request. "What for?! What more is there to say? You should just bring your son to find some family''s heiress to be his stepmother! Don''te to hurt my cousin anymore!"

    Zhuang Zongren stared solemnly at the young man opposite him. There was no shift in his eyes at all as he stared right back.

    Momentster, Zhuang Zongren said, "Okay."

    "Grandfather¡­"

    Zhuang Zongren raised his hand to tell his grandson to keep quiet, then he walked to the end of the corridor to speak alone with Lu Tingxiao.

    Zhuang Rongguang was worried about them. "Father! Why didn''t you stop them earlier?! What if that guy''s glib tongue bewitches Grandfather?"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan shot his son a sidelong look. "Do you think it''s so easy to bewitch your grandfather?"

    Zhuang Rongguang scratched his head. "Well, you''re right¡­"

 Chapter 1734: Do Not Be Nice, Slam Him!

    <h4>Chapter 1734: Do Not Be Nice, m Him!</h4>

    Zhuang Rongguang was muttering to himself and rolling up his sleeves ready for battle.

    Grandfather, do not be nice! m him!

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruiyi exchanged a nce, their hearts filled with unease.

    The Zhuang family was very determined. Could Tingxiao really have a way to persuade the Elder Chief?

    What if he failed? What would they do?

    What about Little Treasure?

    At the end of the corridor.

    Zhuang Zongren''s expression was cold as if there was frost on his face. He was very determined. "What do you want to say? Say it now. But I must state in advance. No matter what you have to say, I''ll definitely bring the Xi girl away today. I was already wrong once because of my hesitation. I''ll definitely not let Xi girl be hurt once more. Even though Rongguang''s words were harsh earlier, his rationale was not wrong. Xi girl doesn''t need you people to make anything up to her. She doesn''t need your meaningless guilt. You can take the child away and start your new beginnings, while Xi girl¡­"

    "Little Treasure is Ning Xi''s and my own flesh and blood," interrupted Lu Tingxiao.

    Zhuang Zongren''s remaining words were stuck in his throat. He stared in bewilderment at the young man before him. "You¡­ What did you just say?"

    "Ning Xi and I are parents to Little Treasure," repeated Lu Tingxiao.

    Despite his raging temperament, Zhuang Zongren was currently bbergasted for a long time before he reacted, "You''re saying¡­ You''re saying Little Treasure is Xi girl''s biological child?!"

    "Yes. Little Treasure is Ning Xi''s biological son, and your great-grandchild," answered Lu Tingxiao truthfully.

    Most of the Zhuang family''s generation up to Ning Xi, Zhuang Keer, and Zhuang Rongguang had not gotten married yet. Those who did get married had been so busy with work and careers that they did not have any children yet, so Zhuang Zongren did not have any great-grandchildren. He felt very regretful about this and was wondering if he would be able to cradle the Zhuang family''s fourth generation of children before he passed¡­

    Now, Lu Tingxiao suddenly told him that he had a great-grandson¡­

    How was this not a shock to him?

    Apart from being shocked, there was a stir of emotions that could not be suppressed.

    "Young boy, are you telling the truth? Are you swindling me?" Zhuang Zongren asked seriously.

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression did not stir. "I privately did a DNA test at Imperial''s military hospital for Little Treasure and Ning Xi. If you don''t believe me, you can go ask Dr. Zheng from the hospital. You have an amicable personal friendship with him, so I''m sure you''ll believe his words. Taking a step back, even if there wasn''t any test, just based on your judgment, do you really think that Little Treasure isn''t a part of your Zhuang family?"

    The old chief immediately replied without even thinking, "This child has excellent marksmanship at such a young age. He''s even more talented than Rongguang! Would it be strange if he''s a part of our Zhuang family?"

    When Zhuang Zongren finished, he realized that he seemed to have fallen into Lu Tingxiao''s trap, but he could not care less. He recalled the short encounter he had with Little Treasure back then and was even more fearful as he thought about it. "Simr¡­ Too simr¡­ No wonder I thought that Little Treasure seemed to have a remarkable resemnce to Xi girl¡­"

    Zhuang Zongren then paused. "No, wait¡­ You just said that you only knew about this after doing the DNA test. Could it be that Xi girl doesn''t even know about this herself?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s cast turned grave and he nodded. "Yes, currently Xiao Xi still doesn''t know this. This matter is veryplicated. On one hand, it''s due to my selfishness. On the other hand, there have been too many doubtful points that I''ve yet to rify. I daren''t act rashly so as to not alert anyone else.

    "This isn''t the ce to talk about this. Later on, I''ll exin the whole situation in detail, but before I get to the bottom of things, I hope that you can temporarily keep this matter a secret."

    Zhuang Zongren nodded his head heavily and said, "Naturally, I will act ordingly."

    Then, he looked somewhat eagerly as he asked, "Where''s Little Treasure now?"

 Chapter 1735: Exactly What He Wanted

    <h4>Chapter 1735: Exactly What He Wanted</h4>

    "Little Treasure is with Xiao Xi in the ward."

    Lu Tingxiao then continued, "The incident this time has caused a massive trauma to the child because he''s feeling overly guilty. He can''t face the fact that Xiao Xi might''ve died to save him. After he woke up, he couldn''t hear anyone. He didn''t eat, didn''t drink, and didn''t say anything."

    Zhuang Zongren''s face instantly tensed up. "How did that happen? How''s the child now then?"

    "Later on, I told him that Xiao Xi''s in aa right now and that his mother needs him. Then, he started to slowly recover and he''s been guarding closely by her side. Little Treasure can''t leave his mother right now, and I believe that with the joined hearts of mother and son, Little Treasure is the person who could most possibly awaken Xiao Xi."

    Zhuang Zongren, who had treated Lu Tingxiao with disdain earlier, was now nodding at everything he was saying. "That''s right, you make a lot of sense! We definitely can''t separate Little Treasure and Xi girl now!"

    Zhuang Zongren turned to Lu Tingxiao and asked, "What do you think?"

    Lu Tingxiao paused before he suggested, "With Elder Zhuang''s connections, you can obviously get better medical treatments than me, so I support you taking Xiao Xi away."

    When Zhuang Zongren heard Lu Tingxiao''s opinion was not like his parents who had wanted to blindly keep Xiao Xi, the remaining anger in his heart dissipated and he revealed a satisfied expression. "At least, you know what''s good and what''s bad."

    "But Little Treasure definitely can''t be separated from Xiao Xi, so how about we let Little Treasure go with you?"

    When Zhuang Zongren heard this, he was overjoyed as that was exactly what he wanted. "Let Little Treasuree with me? That would obviously be the best! But are you sure you can make the decision about this?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "My parents would agree. Don''t you worry."

    Zhuang Zongren immediately pped his hands in delight. "That''s fantastic. Let''s decide on that then!"

    ¡­

    Not too far away, when Zhuang Rongguang saw that his grandfather was still talking to the man for such a long time, he could not help but start to worry.

    The two of them had their backs facing them, so they could neither hear anything nor see their expressions. They did not know what they were talking about for so long.

    As he was considering whether he should secretly sneak over to eavesdrop, the two people finally returned from the end of the corridor.

    "Grandfather! Grandfather, you''re back! You definitely didn''t listen to this guy''s cheating wheedling, did you?" Zhuang Rongguang quickly walked right up to his grandfather with an anticipating expression.

    Zhuang Zongren shot his grandson a look. "What nonsense are you spewing?"

    Zhuang Rongguang quickly massaged his shoulders to curry favor with him. "I knew that Grandfather definitely wouldn''t! Now, we can take Cousin away, can''t we?"

    Zhuang Zongren responded, "Mmm, naturally we need to take her."

    Zhuang Rongguang''s was instantly thrilled, while Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi revealed anxious expressions opposite them.

    "Lin Jian¡­"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan was about to order his people to go in and retrieve her when Zhuang Zongren unhappily interrupted him, "Hold on, don''t move! Everyone, back away. There are so many of you. What if you frighten them? I''ll go myself!"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan frowned. Zhuang Rongguang was confused.

    Frightened? Sis Xi is in aa! Who is going to be frightened?

    Zhuang Zongren personally walked over and naturally, no one dared to stop him.

    Thus, the crowd could only watch as Zhuang Zongren walked towards Ning Xi''s ward with a grave expression.

    After he entered, he saw a tender little guy lying by Ning Xi''s bed. His little hand was in his mother''s palm as he stared at her without blinking as if afraid she would disappear, as if in his eyes, there was only him and his mother in this entire world¡­

    Zhuang Zongren was moved when he saw this. tears started to well up in his eyes. He tried his best to speak with a gentle tone as if afraid of startling the little guy, "Little Treasure¡­ Hey, Little Treasure! Come to Great¡­ Cough, cough¡­ Come to Grandfather Zhuang¡­"

 Chapter 1736: Who Are You Calling Kiddo?

    <h4>Chapter 1736: Who Are You Calling Kiddo?</h4>

    The little guy seemed to have noticed that an outsider had invaded his reclusive world. His initially clingy expression when looking at his mother suddenly changed. His cute little face suddenly froze and his gaze sharply shot towards the other person in the ward.

    Like a little beast that suddenly revealed its ws, even though he was young and tender, his vigor was not weak at all.

    Clunk, clunk! Suddenly, there was a weird sound like metal chafing. A row of robots suddenly appeared inside the suite. The robots'' bodies reflected ice-cold brightness as the metal arms'' pitch-dark ports all pointed towards the "invader".

    "Oh my God! When did Little Treasure bring these toys over?" Lu Jingli was so frightened he almost fled ignominiously. He quickly found something to block them to avoid any idental injuriester on that would bring him to his death.

    When they saw those uniformed robots which were clearly controlled by someone, the people in the Zhuang family including the officers outside were all shocked.

    Zhuang Rongguang''s eyes were about to fall out of his sockets. "So cool! These¡­ these robots can''t possibly be controlled by this kiddo, can they?"

    When he took a better look, there was indeed a ck object that looked like a control device in Little Treasure''s hand.

    "Little bunny kiddo! Who are you calling a kiddo?!" Zhuang Rongguang had just finished when his head was smacked hard by Zhuang Zongren.

    Zhuang Rongguang instantly wailed and clutched his head, seeming stupid from getting beaten. "Grandfather, why did you hit me!?"

    Zhuang Zongren shot him a look. His eyes were full of praise as he looked at the little guy who was sternly protecting Ning Xi. His tone was even gentler and more loving now. "Little Treasure, don''t be nervous. Don''t be afraid. We won''t hurt her¡­ We''re here to help her¡­"

    Little Treasure''s expression did not change at all. He was on high alert as he used his little body to block Ning Xi from the front. Those robots of his remained in their standby mode too.

    Zhuang Zongren revealed a helpless expression.

    At this moment, Lu Tingxiao walked past the robots and right up to Little Treasure. He squatted down and said to him, "Want to let Mommy get better sooner?"

    The little guy''s attention was immediately attracted by this sentence and he looked hopefully at Lu Tingxiao.

    Lu Tingxiao continued, "You''ve met Grandfather Zhuang before. Mommy was there too, do you remember?"

    When he heard "Mommy", the little bun started to consider seriously, then he nodded.

    After Zhuang Zongren saw that the little guy still remembered him, he seemed instantly gratified.

    "Grandfather Zhuang is Mommy''s friend. He can send Mommy to a better hospital," said Lu Tingxiao.

    When the little guy heard this, even though he had rxed a little, he still did not have any intentions of yielding.

    "You stay with Mommy. Go with Grandfather Zhuang, okay?"

    It was only when Lu Tingxiao said this did Little Treasurepletely rx and he nodded.

    At the same, the robots that had blocked the sickbed all put away the weapons on their arms and retreated in two rows, making a pathway.

    When Lu Jingli saw this, he patted his chest and walked out from behind the door in confusion.

    What was going on? His brother was not only letting the Zhuang family take Xiao Xi Xi away. He even let them take Little Treasure too?

    Was this not giving away his bride and losing his son too?

    At this moment, Zhuang Zongren took a deep breath and tried to probe again, "Little Treasure,e. Come to Grandfather Zhuang?"

    Little Treasure hesitated, then he finally walked towards Zhuang Zongren.

    As Zhuang Zongren watched the way the little child pledged his life to protect his mother and the way the child walked towards him while he kept looking back, his heart ached for him. He carefully picked the little guy up in his arms.

    After he consoled Little Treasure, Zhuang Zongren then ordered the entourage of medical personnel to transfer the patient out.

 Chapter 1737: So Aggrieved That He Almost Threw A Tantrum

    <h4>Chapter 1737: So Aggrieved That He Almost Threw A Tantrum</h4>

    Zhuang Zongren carried the tender little guy in his arms and coaxed him extremely patiently, "Little Treasure, don''t be scared. Follow Grandfather home. Grandfather will take good care of your mother. Grandfather will also ensure that no one is allowed to separate Little Treasure and Mommy. Little Treasure can continue to stay by Mommy''s side!"

    As the little bun watched this warm old man before him, his vignt little face softened and he nodded obediently.

    When he saw that the little guy had reacted to his words and had even nodded, Zhuang Zongren could not contain his joy. "Good, good, good¡­ Let''s go home right now!"

    Zhuang Zongren was very strict with his children and the younger generation. Furthermore, since he had been in top positions for most of his life, he usually conducted himself more seriously and rigidly. A smile in front of the younger ones was rare, yet now he was unbelievably gentle to Little Treasure.

    When Zhuang Rongguang saw his own grandfather fondly carrying the little bun, he was dumbfounded. He quickly walked up to Zhuang Zongren. "Grandfather, what''s up with you? It''s enough to take Cousin away! Why''re we even bringing this kiddo¡­ this little brat along?"

    What happened to drawing the line with the Lu family? What was up with this little bun!?

    Zhuang Zongren gently patted Little Treasure''s back to persuade him as he unhappily shot Zhuang Rongguang a look. "Do I need your approval to do things? Don''t blindly cause a ruckus here. Now that you''re here, quickly return to the unit!"

    "Huh! You want to take this little brat home, yet chase me away! Am I still your true grandson?!" Zhuang Rongguang was so aggrieved that he was about to throw a tantrum. "Father, are you even going to care!?"

    Zhuang Liaoyuan''s thin lips pursed and he did not say anything. He nced dully towards Lu Tingxiao''s direction, not looking satisfied at all.

    He did not know what the fellow had said to his father, so much so that he could make his father insist on bringing the child along.

    The point was not about bringing the child along; it was that after they did so, they definitely could not pull away from the Lu family.

    Damn it, he had still underestimated him!

    "I will transfer Xi girl to the Beijing suburban military sanatorium. As for Little Treasure, I''m sad that he''s so young and has a close rtionship with Xi girl, so he can''t leave her now. I''ll bring him along. Do you guys have any objections?" Zhuang Zongren turned to Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi.

    Even though Zhuang Zongren had used an inquiring tone, he still held on to Little Treasure without letting go. Clearly, he was set on his decision.

    Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi looked at each other. They did not expect that the final oue would be like this. They suddenly fell into a dilemma.

    It was great that Little Treasure and Ning Xi were not separated, but to let the Zhuang family take Little Treasure away too¡­ This¡­

    "Why? Still worried that our Zhuang family will conspire to murder your grandson?" Zhuang Zongren suddenly said in a stiff tone.

    Lu Chongshan looked at his son on the side. He knew that this was probably the best oue that his son could have fought for. Since Tingxiao had done so, he must have had his reasons.

    Besides, since people like the Zhuang family were going to fetch Little Treasure over, they would definitely take good care of him, so their worries were unnecessary.

    Thus, after Lu Chongshan''s short hesitation, he said, "Elder Zhuang, you''ve nothing to be skeptical about. We''re just worried that Little Treasure will trouble you too much!"

    "It''s no trouble." Zhuang Zongren immediately decided upon hearing this. "Since there''re no opinions, it''s decided then."

    "Damn¡­ Who said there aren''t any opinions?" Zhuang Rongguang had beenpletely ignored.

 Chapter 1738: Dont Want Father To Leave

    <h4>Chapter 1738: Don''t Want Father To Leave</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao personally sent them to the Beijing suburban military sanatorium.

    Only the country''s top leaders or their family members could ess the sanatorium. All of the medical facilities were top-notch. Most importantly, there were elite troops stationed all around, so it was definitely safe and secured.

    Lu Tingxiao bent over to nt a kiss on the girl''s forehead. He looked at her for a long time before he got up, then he said to his son, "Little Treasure, stay with Mommy. Listen to Uncle Zhuang and Grandfather Zhuang. Understand?"

    Little Treasure stood there, with his head lowered, and did not say anything.

    "I''m leaving."

    Little Treasure still did not move. There was no reaction at all.

    Lu Tingxiao sighed faintly. His wide palm patted the little guy''s head gently before he turned around to leave.

    He had just walked a few steps away when there was suddenly a soft bump on one of his legs.

    Lu Tingxiao looked down and saw that his son was hugging him tightly. He looked up at him and did not say anything, yet his little face was already covered in tears.

    Yes, he hated Father. He had always hated him, but he did not want Father to leave¡­

    When he saw his son''s little tearful face, Lu Tingxiao heart felt as if it was gnawed on by greenflies. It was a pang of pain right to his heart. He quickly squatted down and pulled his son''s little body into his embrace. He had picked up the way Ning Xi usuallyforted Little Treasure as he gently patted him in a flurry. "Don''t cry. What''s wrong?"

    Zhuang Zongren, who stood at the entrance, felt tears well up in his eyes. He quickly walked over to console, "Little Treasure, don''t cry, don''t cry! Daddy''s not leaving and noting back forever. Your father cane over to see you and your mother anytime! Grandfather guarantees it!"

    Sigh, he was still a child, after all, and he had just experienced such a shock too. The mother he was closest to might never wake up again for saving him, and now his father was going to leave too. Suddenly, he had to be left in apletely foreign environment. How could he not panic!?

    When he saw the little guy cry without a word, Zhuang Zongren''s heart ached and he was at a loss. He blurted out, "Ahh, well¡­ Tingxiao, how about you stay here for the night? This suite is huge. It''s enough for you two to stay in. You apany Little Treasure, then we''ll decide again when he adapts to the environment. Don''t rush to leave! What''s more important than your child? Do you hear me?"

    Lu Tingxiao was stillforting Little Treasure as he did not know what to do. He sub-consciously nodded when he heard the old man. "Got it."

    It was one thing to bring the child along. Now, he had even allowed Lu Tingxiao to visit as he wished, and even let him stay for the night?

    At the entrance, Zhuang Liaoyuan could not interrupt at all. Before he could stop the old man, he watched helplessly as things progressed to this stage, seeming rather unhappy and helpless as he sighed to himself.

    ¡­

    Lu Tingxiao left the next morning.

    When he reached tinum Pce, there were already five lean men all in ck uniforms, waiting in the study room. One man stood out away from the five of them. Tang Lang wore something multi-colored like a color palette. He had disheveled, curly hair as he casuallyid on the sofa, appearing a little dispirited.

    At the desk, the man said with an icy expression, "The operation this time will have Tang Lang as the mainmander. Do you have any objections?"

    The five people all answered "no" together.

    Tang Lang raised his hand and his mouth twitched as he grumbled, "Me? Mainmander?"

    Lu Tingxiao shot him a side look. "Do you have a problem?"

    "No¡­ No problem at all! Boss, you''re exceptional at mobilizing people!" Tang Lang''s dispirited expression was swept clean and there was a sh in his eyes. "I absolutely won''t disgrace your order!"

 Chapter 1739: Someone Who Can Definitely Get In Touch

    <h4>Chapter 1739: Someone Who Can Definitely Get In Touch</h4>

    At Ling Zhizhi''s office in Glory World Entertainment.

    Xiao Tao panted as she knocked to enter. "Sis Zhizhi! Bro Xi''s house¡­ and all of the ces that Bro Xi might have gone¡­ I''ve searched them all¡­ but I still can''t find her¡­"

    "She''s not at any of those ces?" Ling Zhizhi''s expression sunk when she heard her.

    In this period of time, Ning Xi''s filming had gone on one after another. She almost had not taken any rest, so after "Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad" finished shooting, she had given Ning Xi a long break to let her rest well.

    Even though she was on break, in case there was an emergency, as usual, she had especially urged Ning Xi thatmunicating via the phone would still be necessary.

    In this aspect, Ning Xi had always acted ordingly. Basically, she would not worry her, but who would have thought that this time, there would be a problem?

    Tonight was the premiere of "Nine Realms". Initially, she had asked Xiao Tao to call Ning Xi to post on Weibo to promote and interact with her fans and drive up the ratings. However, Ning Xi''s handphone and homendline could not be contacted. Xiao Tao was worried and went to Ning Xi''s house to look for her, but she did not find her. After that, she had even gone to the ces she frequented, yet she was nowhere to be found.

    Xiao Tao wiped the sweat on her brow. "Yes, I''ve looked everywhere! What do we do now, Sis Zhizhi? Something couldn''t have happened to Bro Xi, could it?"

    "Don''t be nonsensical."

    "Okay¡­" Xiao Tao quickly kept quiet, then her eyes lit up. She suggested, "Sis Zhizhi, there''s someone who can definitely get in touch with Bro Xi!"

    "Who?"

    "Big Boss!" Xiao Tao blurted out, "How about we call the Big Boss to ask?"

    Ling Zhizhi thought hard about it. That person''s identity was rather special, and she was just a mere manager, so directly calling to ask for Ning Xi''s whereabouts was probably inappropriate.

    After Ling Zhizhi considered it over and over again, she made the call.

    It had probably rung seven or eight times before the call got through. A sleepy voice picked up. "Manager Ling¡­ If you don''t have a good reason for waking me up¡­"

    "Ning Xi is missing. Do you have any way of getting in touch with her?" Ling Zhizhi asked frankly.

    The other end of the phone was quiet for two seconds, then the man''s voice was clearly much more awake. "Ning Xi is missing? What do you mean?"

    "Tonight is the premiere of "Nine Realm". I initially wanted to ask her to post on Weibo, but we can''t get through to her phone. We''ve looked for her at home and the ces she usually frequents, but we couldn''t find her," Ling Zhizhi quickly exined the situation.

    "Tsk, this fe¡­ Is she hiding somewhere to drink again? Can''t believe she didn''t call me for a drink!" muttered Jiang Muye.

    "Ning Xi isn''t someone who''d act inappropriately," insisted Ling Zhizhi.

    "Please! Did you forget about thest time she went crazy at the bar and almost caused a fan rebellion?" Jiang Muye immediately dug up an old story.

    "I''m just worried something''s happened to her¡­"

    "You''re thinking too much! Even if something happened. It would happen to someone else, ok?" Jiang Muye mocked. However, when he considered Ling Zhizhi''s anxious tone, he kindly said, "Fine, I''ll help you look for her!"

    "Okay, and may I trouble you to help me check if she''s with CEO Lu?"

    "Oh¡­" Jiang Muye was suddenly astonished in the next second. "Bloody heck! You¡­ How do you know about her and my uncle?"

    "This isn''t the main point."

    "How is it not the main point? Gosh! I''m still counting on using this against that girl! She was afraid of you finding out! Now, there''s no more fun," Jiang Muye said with a pained tone.

    Ling Zhizhi fell into a speechless silence.

 Chapter 1740: Iâ€™m Here For Ning Xiao Xi

    <h4>Chapter 1740: I¡¯m Here For Ning Xiao Xi</h4>

    After Jiang Muye hung up on the call with Ling Zhizhi, he went outside in just his pajamas.

    Where else could the girl be? Apart from filming, she would just be showering her affection all over her man¡­

    When he arrived at the door to Lu Tingxiao''s vi, a person suddenly rushed over and they both shed.

    "Oh! Second Uncle¡­ What are you doing? Why are you in such a hurry?!"

    Lu Jingli picked up the documents from the floor one by one and quickly asked, "I''m here for my brother. Why are you here?"

    "I''m here for Ning Xiao Xi! Ling Zhizhi called me and said that she couldn''t get in touch with her!" Jiang Muye replied.

    Lu Jingli''s expression changed and he froze when he heard Ning Xi''s name.

    Jiang Muye frowned when he saw the change in Lu Jingli''s expression. "What happened?"

    Lu Jingli pinched the space between his eyebrows. He was not sure where he should begin.

    Too many things had happenedtely and the whole Lu family was in a mess right now. Everyone was at a loss about what to do. They were just done with the Zhuang family. A lot of other things still had to be handled.

    Handling Ning Xi''s career would be extremely difficult¡­

    No one knew when Ning Xi would wake up, so what could they do with her career? How should they tell the media and her fans?

    Jiang Muye had never seen such a serious expression on Lu Jingli''s face before. He became nervous and he asked, "Second Uncle, what''s wrong? Could it be¡­ that she wants to break up with Uncle?"

    Lu Jingli took a deep breath and said, "Xiao Xi Xi¡­ Something happened to her¡­ Little Treasure was kidnapped¡­ She was injured gravely from rescuing Little Treasure¡­ She''s still unconscious after the surgery¡­"

    Jiang Muye''s face went nk. He did not expect that something bad would have really happened to Ning Xi.

    "What¡­ What do you mean she''s still unconscious?" Jiang Muye''s voice trembled.

    "She''s in aa, a vegetative state. She needs to rely on a breathing machine to survive at the moment¡­"

    "How could it be? How could it be like this?! When did this happen?" Jiang Muye still could not believe it.

    "We brought her back the night before yesterday. The surgery waspleted yesterday morning, and she''s now being sent to the military sanatorium in the suburbs¡­"

    Jiang Muye was stunned. His jaw went ck, but no words came out.

    The Lu family had locked down the news, so nothing had leaked out despite it being such a severe matter. Therefore, he only found out about it now!

    "Bro!" Lu Jingli saw Lu Tingxiaoe out of the house.

    Lu Tingxiao took the documents from Lu Jingli. At the same time, a ck car stopped by the door. Lu Tingxiao boarded it swiftly and left a message. "Go and get Ling Zhizhi and Xiao Tao. Send them to the sanatorium. I''ll be there soon."

    Jiang Muye then offered, "Uncle, let me get them!"

    Lu Tingxiao contemted his offer.

    Lu Jingli gave Jiang Muye a pat on the shoulder. "Thank you then, Muye. Remember to keep this a secret! We have to discuss how to work this out from now on. We''re trying not to affect Xiao Xi Xi''s career¡­"

    Jiang Muye nodded.

    After the car left, Jiang Muye stood there for some time before he called Ling Zhizhi. "Hello, Zhizhi¡­ Where are you and Xiao Tao? I''ll go and get you guys!"

 Chapter 1741: I Canâ€™t Keep The Pretense Up For Very Long

    <h4>Chapter 1741: I Can¡¯t Keep The Pretense Up For Very Long</h4>

    At the military sanatorium in the suburbs of Beijing.

    A ck Maybach and a silver Ferrari came to a stop near the entrance at the same time.

    "Uncle, I got them here!"

    "CEO Lu!"

    "Boss!"

    After they greeted one another, everyone went towards the sanatorium.

    Xiao Tao''s eyes flew wide open when she saw the ce in front of her. There were armed soldiers guarding the entrance and a tall sentry box with guards.

    Was this not the legendary military sanatorium? It was said that only important officers or family members could stay here!

    Why was Bro Xi here?

    Could CEO Lu have arranged it?

    As they arrived at the entrance, Lu Tingxiao made a call. "I''ve brought a few people, hoping to see Xiao Xi. They are Xiao Xi''s manager and assistant. We have to handle Xiao Xi''s career carefully, so they need to know about this."

    Soon, someone came out from the inside.

    It was a young officer.

    The guard by the door saluted the officer. "Colonel Lin!"

    "Mmm, open the door and let them in."

    "Yes."

    "Please, CEO Lu." Lin Qian brought the group into the care center.

    On the first floor, they walked for about ten minutes and went past several sentry posts, before finally reaching a small, red-bricked building hidden within a forest. If not for Lin Qian''s guide, regr people would not make it there.

    It was not advisable for too many people to go in at once, so Ling Zhizhi''s group stood outside and looked in through the ss window.

    "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl who was liked by everyone. The person who liked her the most was her grandmother. She would give her everything she wanted. Once, the grandmother gave the girl a small red hat made of velvet. It fit just right on the girl''s head. Ever since¡­"

    The soft and gentle voice echoed in the room.

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression softened as he looked at Little Treasure and the girl in silence.

    Lu Jingli was touched as well. "Little Treasure spoke¡­"

    Under the warm sunlight, the little boy was sitting by the bed with a book in his hand. He was reading the book with his gentle voice like an angel.

    The girl beside him was lying on the bed quietly. Bandages were all over her withplex-looking machines beside her and numerous tubes were hooked up to her body.

    Jiang Muye could not stand it anymore. After just a nce, he covered his eyes in denial and rushed out.

    Ling Zhizhi looked on in pain. Jiang Muye had only told her about the situation vaguely in the car, but she did not expect it to be this terrible after she saw it for herself.

    Xiao Tao stood beside Ling Zhizhi with a pale face. Her body started shaking. "Bro Xi¡­"

    "Ms. Ling, how long can you dy the news?" Lu Tingxiao asked straightforwardly.

    Ling Zhizhi took a deep breath to calm herself down, then she replied, "To be honest, I''m not sure. It would depend on the reaction of her fans.

    "The three projects Ning Xi was involved in will be airing soon: "Nine Realms", "Mother", and "Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad". Ning Xi''s poprity will reach its peak, and at this period of time, it should be her most active period. She would have to attend all the promotional events since she''s part of the main cast.

    "It would still be alright if Ning Xi doesn''t show up once or twice, but people will start to be suspicious if the frequency of her not appearing grows."

    Ling Zhizhi then said with a troubled expression, "I''m afraid¡­ I can''t keep the pretense up for very long¡­"

 Chapter 1742: Iâ€™m Sorry, Itâ€™s My Fault

    <h4>Chapter 1742: I¡¯m Sorry, It¡¯s My Fault</h4>

    The atmosphere became heavy after Ling Zhizhi''s reply. Everyone looked tense.

    They understood how much Ning Xi loved her career and how much effort she had invested in it. They would try their best to protect what she held dear.

    Lu Tingxiao quietly observed the girl behind the ss window. After a short moment of silence, he grimly said, "If Xiao Xi is still unconscious after three months, announce her actual situation."

    Ling Zhizhi nodded. The deadline Lu Tingxiao had given was somewhat simr to the estimation of the tenure she could handle.

    "During this period of time, I''ll manage Ning Xi''s social media ounts and try my best to drag on in order to maintain Ning Xi''s poprity. It''d be best if Ning Xi wakes up, but¡­ if things go out of control, I''ll hold a press conference and prepare a suitable exnation to tell Ning Xi''s fans."

    Ling Zhizhi understood that the chances of Ning Xi''s recovery were low, but she wanted to try as long as there was hope.

    Fortunately, Ning Xi was staying in the military sanatorium. There was nowhere else that could offer more privacy, so they could avoid any news from leaking.

    However, just what had happened for Ning Xi to be injured this badly?

    Ling Zhizhi could sense that there was a lot of secrets within the Lu family involved, so she did not pry into it. She was Ning Xi''s manager. All she had to know was that she would give her all to protect Ning Xi''s career.

    "Mmm." Lu Tingxiao nodded and agreed to Ling Zhizhi''s n. He then gave Ling Zhizhi his personal number. "Call me directly if there''s anything about Xiao Xi."

    "Okay." Ling Zhizhi nodded.

    Now, she understood why Ning Xi, the freedom-loving girl, would choose this man in front of her.

    With Lu Tingxiao''s position and identity, he could have built a wall around her, given her everything she wanted and made her follow his will.

    Ning Xi had been in a rtionship with Lu Tingxiao behind her back and she had never noticed it. Ning Xi had even told her that Ke Mingyu was Lu Tingxiao.

    This man loved her, yet he had never forced her to do anything. He stayed by her side, respected her, and protected her everything.

    As Ling Zhizhi was discussing the details with Lu Tingxiao, Xiao Tao was staring at Ning Xi behind the ss window with a pale face.

    "Bro Xi¡­ Is there any chance of her waking up? When will she wake up? In three months?" Xiao Tao asked desperately.

    Lu Jingli replied with an awkward tone, "Not sure. Even the doctors don''t know when she''ll wake up. She might¡­ never wake up¡­"

    "You mean Bro Xi might stay like this her whole life?" Xiao Tao''s trembling got even worse.

    Lu Jingli put on a bitter smile. "It''s not impossible¡­"

    Lu Jingli''s words flipped a switch inside her. Xiao Tao seemed to break down. She covered her face and cried, kneeling on the floor and wailing loudly, "Bro Xi¡­ I''m sorry¡­ It''s my fault¡­ It''s all my fault! I''m sorry¡­ sorry¡­"

    Ling Zhizhi was taken aback when she saw Xiao Tao crying out loud on the ground. She turned around to ask, "Xiao Tao, what''s wrong?"

 Chapter 1743: Betrayal

    <h4>Chapter 1743: Betrayal</h4>

    When they saw Xiao Tao''s reaction, Lu Jingli exchanged a look with Lu Tingxiao. They did not say anything. Their gazes were calm as if they had predicted this.

    "Xiao Tao, please get up first!"

    Xiao Tao shook her head hard and pushed Ling Zhizhi away. She insisted on kneeling. "No! Sis Zhizhi! I''m not getting up! It''s I¡­ It''s I who hurt Bro Xi¡­ It''s I who caused Bro Xi to be like this¡­ Bro Xi has been so good to me, yet I made her this way¡­"

    "Xiao Tao, please calm down. What''s going on?" Ling Zhizhi''s expression was even more solemn now.

    Xiao Tao remained very emotional and she kept repeating, "It''s all my fault!". Ling Zhizhi consoled her for a very long time before Xiao Tao finally calmed down slightly and knelt there nkly. She said in a shaky voice, "I knew¡­ I already knew¡­ that someone wanted to hurt Bro Xi in secret¡­ They wanted to kill Bro Xi¡­ They wanted Bro Xi''s life¡­"

    "What? Someone wants to hurt Ning Xi? How do you know?" Ling Zhizhi quickly asked.

    Xiao Tao choked on her sobs as she admitted, "Because those people already came looking for me! When we were filming in Sichuan City, that gun¡­ I switched the gun! It was I who switched the fake gun for a real one!"

    "What did you say?" When she heard Xiao Tao''s words, Ling Zhizhi stood there stunned. She would never have thought that the culprit they had not discovered up till now¡­ was actually Xiao Tao!

    Lu Jingli looked at Xiao Tao who kneeled on the ground and sighed softly.

    Previously, they had been trying to investigate who had switched the gun, but they could not get to the bottom of it. It seemed like that gun had been switched in thin air.

    But how was such a thing possible?

    Then¡­ maybe there was only one possibility left¡­

    This had been done by someone beside Ning Xi who was closest to her, and whom she trusted the most. That was the only way the gun could have been mysteriously switched without leaving any traces.

    The person who was beside Ning Xi then, and had such a chance was most likely Xiao Tao.

    "Thest time, I already almost killed Bro Xi! Thankfully, Bro Xi was alright because she''s skilled! I was d she got lucky. I thought that after those people failed to seed then, they definitely wouldn''t risk it again, so I didn''t say anything! I didn''t warn Bro Xi! I didn''t think I would''ve hurt Bro Xi and she''d be like this¡­ Sis Zhizhi, I''m sorry¡­ CEO Lu, I''m sorry¡­ It''s all my fault¡­ CEO Lu, please lock me up¡­" Xiao Taoy on the ground and when she gazed at Ning Xi who was in the bed and covered in bruises, she cried even harder.

    Lu Tingxiao looked gravely at the girl on the bed. When he had found out it was Xiao Tao, he was worried that Ning Xi would not be able to ept it, so he had temporarily kept it from her. Instead, he had ordered people to secretly spy on Xiao Tao''s movements.

    One thing he could be sure of was that the person who ordered Xiao Tao to take Ning Xi''s life was definitely not the same group of people from Qiao Yi''s end.

    Xiao Tao did not understand the whole situation. She thought that Ning Xi''s getting harmed this time was also by the same people who had ordered her from before, so when she saw Ning Xi like this, she suddenly broke down and felt that she had hurt her. Under the pressure of extreme self-me, she confessed everything.

    Today, he intentionally got Xiao Tao toe over too. More or less, he had hopes that she woulde clean herself.

    "Xiao Tao, why would you do that? Who made you do that?" Ling Zhizhi interrogated urgently.

    Xiao Tao looked frightened. "Sis Zhizhi, you know I have a younger brother who''s studying in an American university right now. Those people captured my brother and threatened me. They said that if I don''t follow their orders, they''d kill him¡­ I didn''t know who they were either¡­ I just know that they spoke English¡­ They had a trantor beside them¡­ They''re probably not Chinese¡­"

 Chapter 1744: Did Not Trust Anyone

    <h4>Chapter 1744: Did Not Trust Anyone</h4>

    "Did those people look for you again after that?" Lu Jingli asked from the side.

    "Not anymore after that, but they said that they might have tasks for me to do anytime¡­ Probably waiting for a chance to attack¡­ They even threatened me not to tell anyone¡­ Otherwise, my brother will be in danger¡­"

    The reason Xiao Tao would say all of these today, on one hand, was that after she saw Ning Xi in that condition, she broke down out of guilt.

    On the other hand, she knew that this ce was definitely safe, so she hadpletely rxed all her defenses and admitted all of this.

    When she thought about Ning Xi, Xiao Tao started to break down in tears again. "Bro Xi was so good to me. She trusted me so much¡­ She never suspected me at all¡­ Other artistes would always order their assistants around. When they''re in a bad mood, they would even beat and scold them at every turn, but Bro Xi has always been so gentle to me. he would always think of me whenever there was something yummy or fun. I was clearly the assistant, yet she was always worried that I''d be tired. She wouldn''t let me do all the dirty and tiring work¡­

    "This period when I worked alongside Bro Xi was some of my happiest days. If I could¡­ I really wish I could apany Bro Xi for the rest of her journey¡­"

    Sadly, there was probably no chance of that anymore.

    As she listened to Xiao Tao, Ling Zhizhi did not know what to say. Even though she could not believe that the person who betrayed Ning Xi was the person she trusted the most, she could not find much fault with Xiao Tao''s situation.

    Xiao Tao took a deep breath. She stopped crying and begged Lu Tingxiao, "CEO Lu, I''ve let Bro Xi down with her care and trust towards me. I''ve let thepany down. You can punish me as you wish! But I''m afraid that after those people find out about my confession here, they''ll fly into a rage and something might happen to my brother¡­ I know that you''re a resourceful person. You can punish me any way you want, but could you¡­ could you help my brother?"

    In an instant, everyone looked at Lu Tingxiao.

    Lu Tingxiao said, "I won''t punish you. You''re Xiao Xi''s person. Even if there''s punishment, it should be decided by her. As for your brother, if you trust me, I''ll guarantee his safety, but I''ll state beforehand, you mustply with all my arrangements."

    On the side, Lu Jingli exined, "He means just pretend that today didn''t happen. Continue to keep in touch with their end and be our spy. If they have any movements, you must tell us right away!"

    Xiao Tao was ready to expect the worst, yet she would never have thought that such an oue awaited her.

    She knew that Lu Tingxiao had given her a chance for Ning Xi''s sake. Xiao Tao''s tears started to fall again and she nodded profusely, "I can cooperate with everything you guys want! As long as I can make up for my past mistakes!"

    "About your brother, if other people can touch him, so can I," Lu Tingxiao added with an ice-cold expression.

    Clearly, he did not trust anyone.

    Xiao Tao suddenly felt her spine shiver. Her body trembled like a sift chaff. "I understand, I understand¡­"

    She knew that she had betrayed Ning Xi once and that she was not deemed trustworthy anymore. She couldpletely understand CEO Lu''s actions.

    Instead of being on edge every day, she might as well trust CEO Lu. Even if she was exploited by CEO Lu, it would be better than being threatened by those people.

    Ling Zhizhi looked at the way Lu Tingxiao handled things and let out a breath of relief. It seemed like the best course of action. Ning Xi was currently in an unusual phase. If they suddenly changed the assistant that had worked by her side for so long, this would alert the enemy. If they got another person, forget about not being able to exin the situation to the new person, she would not feel at ease using them either¡­

 Chapter 1745: Mother-Protecting Dragon Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 1745: Mother-Protecting Dragon Little Treasure</h4>

    When he saw that the atmosphere had taken such a terrifying turn, Lu Jingli cleared his throat and tried to smooth things over. "Okay, okay, now that everything is out, we''ll decide that then. Bro, you shouldn''t keep putting on a poker face. Do you know that even I''m frightened by the way you look until I''m about to pee my pants? You''re so near to Sis-inw. Your aura will affect her!"

    When he heard thest sentence, Lu Tingxiao''s expression softened.

    After they left the ward, they walked to the courtyard and saw that Jiang Muye was squatting underneath a huge tree. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked like he had just cried.

    When he saw theme out, Jiang Muye stood up and walked over. He stood in front of Lu Tingxiao grimly. "May I talk to her alone for a while?"

    Behind them, Lu Jingli''s mouth twitch. Impossible¡­

    "You can''t."

    Indeed, just as he thought, Lu Jingli heard his brother''s answer.

    Jiang Muye clenched his fists at the same time.

    Right after that, Lu Tingxiao added, "Little Treasure is there."

    When Jiang Muye heard this, he saw an opening, so he quickly said, "It''s fine if Little Treasure is there!"

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything. He walked away instead, indicating a tacit eptance.

    Jiang Muye then rushed in.

    "Pfft¡­ Jiang Muye, this idiot¡­" When Lu Jingli saw this scene, he did not whether tough or cry as he shook his head.

    How could it be fine with Little Treasure there?

    This guy was probably going to express his feelings to Ning Xi!

    In front of LIttle Treasure!

    Thinking about that scene made one feel refreshed¡­

    As Ling Zhizhi watched the back of Jiang Muye running at lightning speed, there was an expression of clear understanding on her face.

    He regrets now, does he not?

    Many times, people had to lose something before they regretted¡­ Before they loathed themselves and questioned why had they not said some things, why had they not done some things¡­

    ¡­

    In Ning Xi''s ward.

    Little Treasure had just finished reading the story of "Little Red Riding Hood" to Ning Xi when he realized someone had suddenlye in to disturb them. Instantly, he frowned unhappily.

    Jiang Muye quickly exined, "I just want to say a few words to her. Your father agreed¡­"

    Little Treasure did not say anything. He did not respond to him either. He just continued sitting there quietly.

    Jiang Muye cleared his throat and probed, "So, Little Master, could you temporarily step aside a little and let me say a few words to her in private?"

    When he heard this, Little Treasure''s initial indifferent expression suddenly turned cold. The temperature in the entire ward fell by a few degrees.

    Jiang Muye was suddenly embarrassed. He finally knew why Lu Tingxiao had particrly mentioned that Little Treasure was there. "Okay, okay, okay, don''t step aside then! You don''t have to step aside¡­"

    He thought that since he was just a child, he would not know anything. Jiang Muye did not care about him anymore as he dragged a chair and sat down by Ning Xi''s bedside.

    Up close, the injuries on the girl looked even more terrifying. Her entire body showed no signs of vitality at all as if all of her life had been sucked out of her.

    Jiang Muye wiped his face and stared at the unmoving girl on the bed. "Bastard¡­ Didn''t we agree to be reckless beyond horizons?"

    After he said this, he buried his head in his hands.

    A long whileter, Jiang Muye muttered under his breath in an agonizing tone, "If I knew¡­ If I knew, I wouldn''t care so much¡­ Why was I so worried about? I don''t care what you think of me. I don''t care who you like. To hell with dignity! Bastard¡­ I¡­ I like¡­"

    Before Jiang Muye could finish, a breeze whizzed past and locked onto him substantially.

    His emotions had just been stirred up when he saw that there was a white and tender little bun by the bedside, staring at him as if he was guarding his precious giant dragon.

    That little gaze¡­ was fierce¡­

 Chapter 1746: Lure Him Out

    <h4>Chapter 1746: Lure Him Out</h4>

    No wonder a certain someone allowed him to see Ning Xi so easily¡­

    There was someone else waiting for him!

    In the end, Jiang Muye could not utter those words under the intense re of the little T-Rex. He just sat there dejectedly and mumbled to himself, "Damn it! Did I mess with the matchmaking temple in my past life?"

    What a terrible fate of romance!

    ¡­

    Late at night, at the border of Country F.

    Tang Lang picked a leaf from somewhere and chewed on it. He turned around and told the person beside him, "The guard around the target is at its weakest now. You only have to be mindful of a guy with sses. I''ll seduce that guy¡­ No, I mean, lure him out!"

    The person in the ck suit was speechless. Was there any difference between seducing and luring? He asked in a doubtful tone, "Are you sure we have enough people? I think we''re taking a big risk! They are arms dealers, after all. If they have¡­"

    "Rest assured, Boss said that they definitely won''t do anything about it. Don''t chicken out and just go for it!" Tang Lang reaffirmed.

    He had been pretty worried himself at first, but since Lu Tingxiao said it would be alright, then he had no issues with it.

    He was not just blindly trusting Lu Tingxiao¡­ He was just like a miracle!

    Thest time, no one expected Lu Tingxiao to call Satan at such a crucial time. Then, Satan had actually told him the exact location and listened to him¡­

    He totally believed in Lu Tingxiao''s understanding of Satan.

    Tang Lang slowly took out his phone and sent a text to Tang Ye: [I''m in the forest 800m away in your 10 o''clock. I can tell you the answer to your questionst time. Want toe over?]

    Tang Ye replied to him almost immediately after he sent the text: [Ok]

    The trap wasid. When he saw a familiar silhouette came out of the house, Tang Lang shed the person behind him an OK sign. "Done, do it!"

    A group of people closed in on the building slowly through the night¡­

    In the forest.

    Tang Lang was sitting on a thick tree branch when Tang Ye came over.

    He leaped down when he saw Tang Ye. "Hey, that was fast!"

    "Answer!" Tang Ye looked at the man expressionlessly.

    Tang Lang shrugged. "Tsk, you already know it. Why do you want to ask me again?"

    "I want to hear you say it!" Tang Ye gazed at him sharply.

    "Fine, fine, I can do that! But let''s fight! I''ll tell you after you win!" Tang Lang then took the offense.

    Tang Lang''s expression did not change. He shifted slightly and avoided the first attack. They then shed with each other.

    After ten blows, Tang Lang looked at his opponent''s gold-framed sses and a fire lit up in his eyes. "Are you going to leave your sses on? Looking down on me now?"

    He then started unleashing even more fervent attacks!

    After about a hundred exchanges, Tang Lang yelled, "Damn it! Tang Ye, you madman!"

    Tang Ye had the odd and crazy ability to get stronger when he met a stronger opponent. They fought neck to neck even when he still had his sses on and he had not gone berserk¡­

    Tang Ye would not be distracted if he went into battle mode. He would not realize what was happening around him.

    It was precisely what Tang Lang wanted.

    After some time, Tang Lang rxed a little when he saw the signal of the operation having gone sessfully.

    At that very moment, Tang Ye grabbed his vein.

    Tang Lang suddenly closed in, but he did not attack. Astonishingly, he hugged his opponent and muttered, "Senior Brother, I''m sorry¡­"

    Tang Ye suddenly snapped out of his battle mode. He looked at the building nearby in terror. "Tang Lang! You¡­"

    Tang Lang said in a cold voice when he saw Tang Ye was about to rush over, "You don''t have to go, we''ve already taken him. Don''t me me for this, Senior Brother. I said before that I don''t want to make you my enemy. This is the only way I can think of."

 Chapter 1747: Do Whatever You Want

    <h4>Chapter 1747: Do Whatever You Want</h4>

    In a vi on the outskirts of Beijing.

    Feng Jin covered the gunshot wound on his body and went inside a dark room. "Satan! Uncle Qiao has been kidnapped by Lu Tingxiao''s people! Hurry¡­ Quickly send some people to get him! If not, it''ll be toote if he falls into Lu Tingxiao''s hands¡­"

    On therge sandalwood chair was the silver-haired man. He did not seem bothered at all. He tilted his head and took a sip from his teacup. Then, he looked up coldly. "What does that have to do with me?"

    Feng Jin''s expression froze and he seemed in despair. "Satan! I know it''s Uncle Qiao''s fault that he did that behind your back, but everything he did was for your sake! No matter how angry you are, you can''t just let him die! He''s your¡­"

    Feng Jin''s face went pale when the man red at him with his striking cold gaze. Feng Jin omitted the second half of what he wanted to say. "Master, please remember that he stayed by your side all this year, after all. He invested a lot of effort¡­"

    "Are you trying to gain my sympathy now? Why didn''t you think of me as your master when you ignored my orders?"

    Feng Jin felt guilty when he remembered what he had done in the past, but he could only continue begging despite the anger directed at him. "Please, think about your mother¡­"

    Yun Shen''s expression became even colder when Feng Jin mentioned his mother. "What makes you think that I''m a nice person? That I''d give chances to people who keep on ignoring my orders?"

    Feng Jin was anxious when he realized Yun Shen was serious about leaving Qiao Yi behind. "Uncle Qiao has a lot of information on our important matters. It''ll be disastrous if Lu Tingxiao gets ahold of him! Hei Long was the best example!"

    They thought Hei Long really had not said anything, but he had leaked all their underground secrets, which caused them to suffer a great loss.

    Yun Shen was starting to get impatient. "Your so-called important matters? I already gave orders to stop them a year ago, but what did you guys do behind my back? You think I really don''t know anything?"

    "If we had really stopped the businesses, we''d have lost an arm. How can we fight the Lu family then? Please don''t fall into the trap of the Lu family! If Uncle Qiao really gives in, can you imagine the impact to our organization? After Uncle Qiao, Lu Tingxiao''s next target will be you!"

    "Really? I''m looking forward to it."

    ¡­

    Feng Jin went out defeated after he failed to convince Yun Shen.

    Feng Xiaoxiao leaned against the wall, expecting Feng Jin''s defeated expression. "I told you it''s futile! You think he''s still the doll controlled by Uncle Qiao?"

    "But Uncle Qiao did everything for him! How can he be so ungrateful!?"

    Feng Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. "Nonsense! That guy is mad about this, alright? If it weren''t for you guys kidnapping Little Treasure, we''d still stand a chance to win! He was looking forward to defeating Lu Tingxiao, and it was all destroyed by you guys. Of course, he''d be angry! Great! Now since you guys are so smart, you guys can do whatever you want!"

    Feng Jin felt very sorry for himself. He had been hesitant when Qiao Yi wanted to harm Ning Xi, but he thought Satan would just be angry for a while and then let it go. He did not expect him to abandon Qiao Yi!

    "The problem now is how to convince Master¡­"

    "Don''t be so naive! You stepped onto his death zone. It''s useless whatever you say. Give up!"

 Chapter 1748: You Want It?

    <h4>Chapter 1748: You Want It?</h4>

    "Just look at Tang Ye. He''s much smarter than you. He knew that it''s impossible and never thought about looking for him regarding it!"

    Feng Jin saw hope when Tang Ye was mentioned. "Maybe Tang Ye would have an idea¡­"

    Feng Xiaoxiao sighed, "What can he do? We couldn''t even rescue Hei Longst time. Do you think we can get Uncle Qiao out this time? Moreover, they have Tang Lang with them this round¡­"

    "Don''t mention that traitor!"

    ¡­

    In an underground winery under the Lu Corporation.

    "Aaah!"

    An eerie howl echoed behind a thick soundproof wall.

    "I''ll tell¡­ I''ll tell you everything¡­"

    Lu Jingli''s mouth twitched. "Really? So quick? Your Hei Long withstood three days!"

    Lu Tingxiao was sitting on the sofa without any expression.

    Qiao Yi''s kneecap was scraped off his leg along with the flesh around it. He was sprawled down on the floor helplessly and stared at the man on the sofa. The man looked so noble and prestigious, yet his means were way worse than a devil''s. Qiao Yi looked on in fear.

    He had thought Hei Long could actually endure this.

    He also thought Lu Tingxiao was just another businessman, he never expected the means he used to be way worse than people like them!

    Under such extreme torture, even God would not be able to stand it¡­

    The Lu family were all hypocrites after all!

    He could not die. He definitely could not die! The Lu family had not been annihted yet! How could he die here, and die within the hands of these people!?

    If he could leave this ce alive, he would never let these people go!

    And that ungrateful brat had really left him to die¡­

    The man on the sofa did not show any change of expression when Qiao Yi said he was going to start talking. "Continue."

    Lu Jingli scratched his head. "Huh? But he said he''s going to start talking! Hmm, okay, he''s probably lying since he''s giving up this early! Let''s continue¡­"

    ¡­

    It was almost dawn.

    The man walked out of the room in his usual ck suit as if he had just left a morous wine reception except a vicious bloodlust lingered around him.

    Lu Jingli looked at his brother. Not only did he not feel scared, he felt a sense of warmth instead.

    He liked his brother better this way.

    The real him and even the scary him, not the inhumanly perfect him or the him that hid all his darkness behind.

    Tang Lang turned around from the bar when he heard footsteps. "Done?"

    Lu Jingli waved the recording chip in his hand. "Done! Enough to get him a death sentence!"

    Tang Lang raised his eyebrows and mumbled, "Why the trouble? Just put him down now!"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at him. "It''s legal."

    Lu Jingli went over and got himself a ss of wine. He took a sip and exined to Tang Lang, "My brother means that we''rew-abiding citizens. Of course, we''ll go through the proper legal procedures and work following thew!"

    Tang Lang''s mouth twitched.

    Yeah, sure, you guys sure werew-abiding. Prison looks like heavenpared to you guys¡­

    "You want it?" Lu Tingxiao asked him suddenly.

    "Huh? What do I want?" Tang Lang missed the point.

    A certain koi brand-tranting machine continued his work. "My brother is asking if you want his life. We n to hand him over to the ck Cat , but if you want, we can give it to you! It''s thanks to you that we caught this guy after all!"

    Tang Lang was taken aback. After a short moment of silence, he shrugged and replied, "It''s okay. You guys are right. Let''s bew-abiding citizens!"

    Just let it be¡­

    If he killed the man with his own hands, Tang Lang would hunt him down for his whole life¡­

 Chapter 1749: Am I Your Most Beloved Younger Brother

    <h4>Chapter 1749: Am I Your Most Beloved Younger Brother</h4>

    They left the underground winery.

    The early morning wind was slightly cool, dispersing the air on them that reeked of blood.

    After working for an entire day, Lu Jingli stretched while being heavy-lidded. He could not help but mock, "Bro, don''t you think that guy is weird?! He''s told us so many ssified information¡­ but when we ask who that Yun Lan woman is, he wouldn''t say anything¡­ Our father is just the same. He won''t tell us anything!

    "Actually, I''m quite puzzled by this. Based on that old guy''s personality that values the family and n ideology, even if he met a woman he liked and couldn''t help himself, he definitely wouldn''t think of marrying her! But the words carved on the memorial tablet was his handwriting¡­ I''m so curious! Do we want to investigate a little more?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "There''s no need."

    Qiao Yi wanted to live, so he had confessed everything quickly, but to him, there were things even more important than his life.

    However, the ins and outs of this dispute were not important to him.

    Lu Tingxiao watched the color of the sky''s horizon gradually lighten for a very long time. A whileter, he looked at Lu Jingli with a slightly gentle expression. "Go back and rest."

    Lu Jingli rubbed his eyes that could not stay open much longer and nodded. "Oh, what about you?"

    "I have some things to handle."

    When Lu Jingli heard this, his eyes widened and he quickly said, "Still?! Even if it''s an extremely important task, you should at least have a nap first! Since the day we went to save Sis-inw and Little Treasure, I haven''t seen you sleep!"

    "I''m fine."

    "How could you be fine? You¡­"

    At that moment, Lu Tingxiao''s phone rang, so he raised his hand to interrupt Lu Jingli and picked up the call. "Hello? Mmm. Today. Book thetest flight. Okay."

    Lu Jingli was in disbelief. "Where''re you flying to? You''re really trying to die! If something happens to you, what about Sis-inw and Little Treasure!"

    "I know what to do."

    "You know what to do, my ass! You''ve already forgotten that you''re still human! No, you must go and sleep today! Immediately, right away! Otherwise, don''t even think about going anywhere¡­"

    Before he could finish, Lu Jingli suddenly felt a pain at the back of his neck and then he cked out. He slowly lost consciousness and could vaguely feel like he was being carried into the car by huge arms.

    "Bro¡­"

    "Be good."

    Lu Jingli unwillingly shut his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

    Jeez! He had actually knocked him out without saying anything. Knocked him out, knocked him out!

    Am I still your most beloved younger brother!?

    What he worried most about had still happened. He knew without Xiao Xi Xi around¡­ no one could stop him¡­

    ¡­

    At the same time.

    All of the media were crazily reporting the most anticipated ultra-fantasy series of the year, "Nine Realms". This show had $ 500 million in investment and the super luxurious line-up of a double-award winning actress. On the first day of itsunch, the ratings rocketed to the number one spot. The number of reys online easily surpassed hundreds of millions too. The new couple Jiang Muye and Meng Shiyi had very quickly be a hot topic.

    Because Ning Xi''s screentime was limited in the first few episodes, not much attention was paid to her yet.

    Ling Zhizhi was relieved. Then, sheughed bitterly. Now, she was actually not worried about Ning Xi being unpopr. Instead, she was worried that Ning Xi would be too popr¡­

    She logged on to Ning Xi''s Weibo ount and imitated Ning Xi''s tone to post a Weibo promotional post. Jiang Muye had then very coordinatedly shared it too. Currently, all was going well with the fans and no one had noticed anything out of the ordinary.

 Chapter 1750: Better Watch Out!

    <h4>Chapter 1750: Better Watch Out!</h4>

    When Lu Jingli woke up, it was already dark outside.

    The first thing he wanted to do was to find his brother. He had just stepped out the door when his phone rang. The screen showed that it was Mo Lingtian calling.

    Why was this guy calling him right now?

    Lu Jingli suspiciously picked up the call. "Hey, Bro Tian! What''s up?"

    Mo Lingtian''s tone sounded very serious. "Jingli, what''s up with your brother? Why have you suddenly fallen out with the Guan family?"

    "Ah? Fallen out? Yes, we did! We''ve long fallen out with each other! But how did you find out?" Lu Jingli asked suspiciously.

    "How did I find out? Right now, everyone in the entire circle knows! Recently, the Guan family''s huge deal with the government has been exposed for huge amounts of bribery and uwfulpetition. Guan Rui has already been taken away for investigation, while the Guan family''s listedpany abroad is on the verge of bankruptcy overnight. Now, the Guans are running all over to get help through connections, but your brother just released word to the circle that if anyone helps them, it''ll mean they''re going against him!" Mo Lingtian quickly exined.

    Lu Jingli was bbergasted. "Crap! I only fell asleep and just woke up¡­ He''s already bankrupted the Guans?"

    "Now, I''m calling your brother, but I can''t get through, so I can onlye looking for you. What actually happened?" Mo Lingtian asked in a lowered tone.

    Lu Jingli pouted. "Tsk, did Guan Ziyao ask you for help? Bro Tian, don''t say that I didn''t warn you. It''s best that you don''t get involved with this. Otherwise, we''ll end up not being friends!"

    "I have to at least know the reason!"

    Lu Jingli taunted, "Before I tell you the reason, I''d quite like to know what Guan Ziyao said to you."

    "She said that your brother did this for Ning Xi. This reason¡­ is logical, but doesn''t make total sense. If nothing particr hadn''t happened, he wouldn''t have done things to this extent."

    When he heard that Mo Lingtian was rational at least, Lu Jingli''s attitude eased. "Good thing you came looking me. Had you looked for my brother, based on his personality, he definitely wouldn''t care to exin. Later on, you''ll fall into the honey trap. She''ll simply cry a little. You might even be fooled! Wait! Let me send you two very entertaining voice recordings. You listen for yourself!"

    Lu Jingli finished, then he sighed, "Bro Tian, I really admire you for being dead set on liking someone and even liked her for so many years. I respect your persistence, but I''m afraid some people aren''t what they seem. You''d better watch out!"

    After Mo Lingtian hung up, he fell into a deep thought.

    Very quickly, there was a notification of a new e-mail in his inbox.

    Mo Lingtian lit up a cigarette. He hesitated momentarily before he clicked on it. Listening to the sound of the voices, his expression looked worse and worse¡­

    It was not sure how long had passed before Mo Lingtian finally returned to the private room.

    Inside the room, when Guan Ziyao saw him she quickly asked nervously, "Lingtian, what did Tingxiao say?"

    Mo Lingtian looked at her with mixed emotions, then he said, "I couldn''t get through to Tingxiao. I called Lu Jingli. He sent me two recordings."

    When Guan Ziyao heard the words "recordings", she instantly turned pale.

    Mo Lingtian stared lifelessly at this woman before him. "Ziyao, is there something you''re hiding from me?"

    Guan Ziyao copsed onto the chair behind her. She knew she could not cover it up anymore, so she smiled bitterly as she said, "Yes¡­ My father, mother, and brother have done some silly things, but they did it all for me¡­ just so I can get my happiness. I can pay the price for my stubbornness, but they''re innocent¡­"

 Chapter 1751: Chase Away All The Gloom of This World

    <h4>Chapter 1751: Chase Away All The Gloom of This World</h4>

    "Innocent? Ziyao, you really think¡­ that they''re innocent?" Mo Lingtian clicked on the second recording right away. The Guan family''s tant words all poured into the sealed private room.

    After the recording ended, there was a dead silence in the room.

    "Lingtian¡­"

    Before Guan Ziyao could justify herself, Mo Lingtian continued to say, "Back then, at my father''s birthday banquet when Ning Xi was pushed into the water and almost drowned, that was all arranged by you guys, wasn''t it? Huh, I actually believed you up till now that that was just an ident¡­"

    Guan Ziyao broke down as she stared at him. "No matter what they did, they are my father and my brother! What was I supposed to do? Watch helplessly as the Guan family''s everything be destroyed and not care?"

    Mo Lingtian felt his back stiffen. His eyes watered. There was disappointment and hostility that she had never seen before. "Ziyao, all the things your family did¡­ You knew about all of it, didn''t you? But you never stopped them!"

    "Huh¡­" As she faced by Mo Lingtian''s interrogation, Guan Ziyao suddenlyughed grimly under her breath. She looked up and stared at him as she said word for word, "Why would I stop them? That woman doesn''t even suit Tingxiao! If Tingxiao hadn''t been deceived and bewitched by that woman, our two families would have long beenbined through marriage. Based on our Guan family''s capabilities, if our two familiesbined forces, that illegitimate son would''ve been nothing to fear about. All of this wouldn''t have happened, and Little Treasure wouldn''t have been kidnapped! But now Tingxiao wouldn''t spare both sides the suffering just to defeat the Guan family! All of this is caused by that woman!"

    Mo Lingtian stared at the woman in front of him. There was suddenly a strong sense of powerlessness in him.

    He loathed Guan Ziyao''s stubbornness extremely, yet he could not say a word to her because¡­ was he not like that to her too?

    He knew clearly that it was impossible. He knew that she liked someone else, yet he still could not let go¡­

    In the past, no matter what happened or what he faced, as long as he could see her, as long as he could hear her speak, he would be incredibly contented. He was willing to do everything for her.

    Especially after she returned to the country, he felt that his entire being was reborn. No matter what he did, he was filled with drive. He thought of countless ways to make her happy. Even if it was not reciprocated, he was d to endure it.

    However, now, every time they met, there was only a stifling sensation that made it hard for him to breath¡­

    That girl in his memories who had made him palpitate with an eagerness to do things was moving further and further away from him. She was bing more and more blurry, and he had almost forgotten how the girl he liked was. Was it the same person as this one before him?

    Mo Lingtian''s heart started to ache tremendously.

    At this moment, his phone buzzed slightly. It was an overseas number sending him a picture.

    On a quietne, the girl wore a light green floral dress as she squatted by the roadside and was teasing a tubby little orange kitten. The expression on her was so gentle as if it could chase away all the gloom of this world. Even the suffocating sensation that nagged him at this moment had suddenly faded away¡­

    Tianxin¡­

    Tianxin¡­

    When he realized that this name suddenly shed across his mind repeatedly, Mo Lingtian''s expression suddenly changed and he hurriedly put his phone away.

    He liked Ziyao. He loved Ziyao. He swore that he would only like this woman in his entire life, but now, what was he doing!?

    This feeling as if he had betrayed himself made him suffer even more¡­

    "Lingtian, we''re indeed wrong in this. No matter what my brother did, he shouldn''t have touched Little Treasure, but at least he never thought of hurting Little Treasure. Little Treasure was alright then, and that woman had always had Tingxiao protecting her. We didn''t do any damage to her, did we? The fact that she''s now hurt has nothing to do with us Guans! Tingxiao''s trying to take his anger out on us has gone rather excessive! Lingtian¡­"

    Mo Lingtian took a deep breath and interrupted her, "Ziyao, for your father, I can help you find someone to lighten the sentence as much as possible, but about thepany¡­ I''m sorry, I can''t get involved."

 Chapter 1752: Im Done As Well

    <h4>Chapter 1752: I''m Done As Well</h4>

    Guan Ziyao could not believe it when Mo Lingtian said he could not get involved.

    This man was always willing to do anything for her. Moreover, she was in a critical period now.

    "Lingtian, since Tingxiao released those words, I can only ask you of this. Only you can help me to speak a few words to him for me. I''d nevere and trouble you if I had other choices left¡­"

    Mo Lingtian numbly said, "Ziyao, the three of us grew up together. You''re my friend. Tingxiao is my brother. The Guan family is at fault this time, and this is as far as I can help you. It''s also¡­ thest time I''m doing anything for you."

    Moreover, Ning Xi was not just Tingxiao''s lover. She was also¡­ Tianxin''s cousin¡­

    Guan Ziyao clenched her fists. "What do you mean?"

    Mo Lingtian closed his eyes and told her, "Ziyao, I understand how strongly you feel for Tingxiao because it''s the same for me towards you."

    "Lingtian, I just know that you''d understand me¡­"

    Mo Lingtian ignored her words and interrupted her, "But, Ziyao, I love you. I make advances properly and have never hurt you or anyone beside you. I''ve also never forced you to do anything. As for you and Tingxiao, it''s not love anymore. Loving someone doesn''t mean you have to be with them or even use underhanded tactics! Do you understand?"

    Mo Lingtian was not sure if he was saying those words to Guan Ziyao or to himself.

    Still, he felt somewhat relieved after saying those words.

    He remembered what Lu Jingli told him. Some people were not who they seemed to be¡­

    He thought the person he loved was the most special one, that she was different from all the other girls, shining ever so brightly. He trusted that she could really let it go¡­

    He thought that she was the one he had in mind. He kept on living in his memory, submerging himself in his own fantasy¡­

    He should have realized it a long time ago. She always said that she would let it go, but she would grab onto any chance to be near Tingxiao. The whole time, his only value to her was being Lu Tingxiao''s buddy. She probably did not even see him as a friend.

    However, he did not want to see the girl he loved in such a negative light. He also did not want to believe that the girl he liked for so long had be someone he hated¡­

    After Mo Lingtian was done, he stood up and left.

    Guan Ziyao sat there in shock. She looked at the direction the man was leaving. At that moment, she realized that she had lost something.

    The next moment, she stood up quickly and chased Mo Lingtian. She held onto his arm and said in a trembling voice, "Lingtian, I''m sorry¡­ I know I''ve disappointed you. I know I''ve lied to you. I''ve never given up on him, but I don''t have a choice¡­ I can''t help it¡­ I love him¡­

    "I really can''t let the Guan family to get destroyed in my hands. Please, just one more time¡­ okay? I''m really done this time. I won''t bother him anymore¡­"

    Mo Lingtian looked at the girl''s hand without saying anything.

    After a short while, he shook the girl''s hand off his arm. "Ziyao, I''m done as well."

    Guan Ziyao''s face went pale.

    "I''ve made too many mistakes for you. I''ve also hurt a lot of people. So, I''m sorry."

 Chapter 1753: Might Have Went To Look For Tianxin

    <h4>Chapter 1753: Might Have Went To Look For Tianxin</h4>

    A weekter.

    There were blisters all over Lu Jingli''s mouth all because he had been talking his brother out of it, but nothing worked.

    He really missed the times when Xiao Xi Xi was around. He would do anything as long as she said it¡­

    He was on the verge of crying just remembering it.

    As Lu Jingli was sighing, his phone rang. He took a nce and noticed it was from the Mo family.

    "Helly, Aunty Mo?"

    Kang Shuhui''s anxious voice came through the moment the call connected. "Jingli, have you seen Lingtian for the past few days?"

    "Bro Tian? Nope! What''s wrong?"

    "We haven''t seen Lingtian for a week! We can get through to his phone but no one''s picking up. I''ve been asking around, but no one knows where he is! I''m worried sick!"

    "What? Gone?" Lu Jingli''s expression changed.

    A week ago¡­

    Was it not the day he told Bro Tian the truth?

    "Could something have happened to him?" Lu Jingli mumbled mindlessly.

    Kang Shuhui almost went crazy. "Jingli! What did you say? What happened? Do you know something? You have to tell Aunty about it! Lingtian¡­ Ever since the incident with Tianxinst time, he has been very obedient. Hees back on time, but now he''s disappeared for such a long time¡­"

    Lu Jingli was worried something had happened, so he told her the truth. "A week ago, Bro Tian came to ask me about what happened between my brother and the Guan family¡­"

    "Then? I knew it''d be rted to that woman again! He''d only behave this way whenever she''s involved! People from the Guan family came over and begged Lingtian''s father, but we didn''t do anything since we''re not sure what happened!"

    "Then, I just told him the truth, mainly about how the Guans have been ying dirty tricks behind our backs and have been trying to harm my brother''s girlfriend. They even almost harmed Little Treasure¡­ I think Bro Tian wasn''t really involved this time. He probably just needed some time to ept it¡­"

    Lu Jingli thenforted her, "Don''t worry, Aunty. He won''t be in trouble so easily. He probably just felt depressed and wanted to be alone. I''m always like this when I''m not happy myself!"

    "Really?"

    "Really, don''t worry. I''ll help you look for him as well!"

    "Okay, okay¡­ Thank you, Jingli¡­"

    ¡­

    Kang Shuhui told Mo Jianzhang about it after she hung up.

    Mo Jianzhang then said, "Just let him cool down for a few days. Why are you so anxious?"

    "How can I not be!? You know just how crazy your son is towards that woman! What if he can''t take the shock? It''s been seven days! We''ve lost our grandchild. Do you want to lose your son too?"

    Mo Jianzhang realized his wife was getting overly worried. "We''ve already sent people to look for him! Be patient, alright? I wonder where that brat went to. Even I can''t find him!"

    Suddenly, Kang Shuhui thought of something. "Do you think¡­ Lingtian might have gone to look for Tianxin?"

    "Tianxin?" Mo Jianzhang''s expression froze. "Isn''t Tianxin overseas right now?"

 Chapter 1754: Relieved

    <h4>Chapter 1754: Relieved</h4>

    Kang Shuhui thought that it was possible. "I''ve been looking actually. Lingtian isn''t as heartless as he thought towards Tianxin. It''s just that he didn''t realize it himself. Didn''t you notice that he''s not really himself after Tianxin left? In addition to the shock from the incident of Guan family this time, he might have really gone to look for Tianxin!?"

    Mo Jianzhang started to waver as well. "What if he didn''t? It''s inappropriate for you to just look for her out of a sudden!"

    Kang Shuhui hesitated. "I don''t want to bother Tianxin as well. I''m too embarrassed to call her¡­ Fine, we''ll wait until tomorrow and see if there''s news¡­"

    ¡­

    A night passed.

    Mo Lingtian was still nowhere to be found.

    Kang Shuhui finally broke down. She could not care about anything else anymore. She punched in Tianxin''s number with her trembling fingers.

    "Hello?"

    Kang Shuhui could not hold it in anymore when she heard that gentle voice. She sobbed, "Tianxin¡­ I¡­ I am Lingtian''s mother¡­"

    "Madam Mo?" She sounded surprised.

    "Am I bothering you resting?" Kang Shuhui was apologetic.

    "No, it''s afternoon around here, but you¡­ It''s really early¡­ What''s happened?"

    Kang Shuhui felt even guiltier after she heard the girl''s gentle and polite words. She felt a heat sear across her face. She would understand even if Tianxin hung up on her call right now, but this girl was just as kind as ever even after going through so much.

    "Tianxin, I''m really sorry to bother you. I''ll state my matter quickly. Did Lingtian look for you in the past few days?" Kang Shuhui asked anxiously.

    There was a short silence when Mo Lingtian''s name was mentioned. "No."

    "No?" Kang Shuhui''s expression froze when herst glimmer of hope faded. Her heart sank.

    When she heard sobbing, the girl quickly asked, "Madam Mo, are you alright?

    "I''m okay¡­ It''s Lingtian¡­ He suddenly went missing. I''m worried that something might''ve happened to him. We can get through to his phone, but no one''s picking up¡­ If possible, can I ask you to give him a call, or even just a text message? Ask him where is he. Maybe he''d reply if it''s you¡­" Kang Shuhui begged as she cried.

    "Well¡­"

    "I understand that I''m imposing this on you, but I''ve run out of all options. If it''s too much trouble, it''s alright¡­"

    "I''ll try, but I think¡­ it won''t be of much help¡­"

    "Really? That''s great! Thank you! Thank you, Tianxin! Thank you very much!"

    ¡­

    In Los Angeles, America.

    Ning Tianxin sat on the bench in her campus quietly after she hung up. She stared nkly at the sky.

    She had agreed just now because Kang Shuhui was crying.

    However, after she calmed down, she realized that it was ridiculous for her to get involved.

    After some thoughts ran through her mind, she gave Ning Xi a call.

    "Hello, Xiao Xi¡­"

    "Hello, I''m Ning Xi''s manager, Ling Zhizhi. Are you Ning Xi''s cousin?" The voice from the other side of the phone was not Ning Xi.

    "Yes."

    "I''m sorry. She''s in the midst of working right now and isn''t really avable to take calls at the moment. Can I have her reply to your messagester?"

 Chapter 1755: Go With The Heart and Instincts As Long As The Conscience Is Clear

    <h4>Chapter 1755: Go With The Heart and Instincts As Long As The Conscience Is Clear</h4>

    "Ah¡­ There''s no need. It''s not an emergency. Don''t disturb her."

    When she heard that Ning Xi was busy, Ning Tianxin hung up. She fell silent for a while before she started to shake her head gently, and found the whole situation rather absurd.

    They were already unrted anyway, so why should she care about what he would think. Why should she care about whether she was acting ridiculously?

    Go along with the heart and natural instincts as long as my conscience is clear.

    Ning Tianxin felt relieved, then she opened her Wechat and very quickly sent a message over. She picked up her book and continued towards the direction of her ss.

    ¡­

    On an ind in City S.

    The small ind was all alone in the middle of the sea. On the ind was a vi with a unique design. It was cut off from the rest of the world, making the beautiful scenery even more exclusive and exotic.

    However, at this moment, it was a total mess in the wine cer.

    The thick curtains hadpletely blocked out all sunlight. The entire wine cer was practically hollowed out. The floor was strewn with empty wine bottles, and the ce was filled with the pungent smell of alcohol.

    The many in the middle of the wine bottles and fragments of ss, his body emaciated and his stubble-covered face sunken in. There was not a glimpse of light in his defeated eyes. He was like an animal nearing death¡­

    The phone beside him was in silent mode and only lit up asionally, lighting up the dim space.

    It was not sure how long had passed before the man robotically got up. He simply took another bottle of wine from the wine rack that was already emptied by half.

    He tripped over something and he clumsily fell to the ground all of a sudden.

    The man did not care either and justy there in despair.

    At that moment, the phone beside him lit up again.

    The man could barely see anything. He did not even so much as nce at it, but he did seem to be annoyed by the re right beside his eyes. It was too irksome, so he finally found that bit of energy¡­

    The instant his fingers clicked on the power button, the man''s numb and defeated eyes suddenly burst open as if there were raging mes that sparked in them. His entire body suddenly sat right up and he looked in disbelief at the name on the screen.

    Tianxin¡­?

    Because the main screen only disyed the sender and not the content of the message, Mo Lingtian instantly attempted to unlock his phone with trembling fingers.

    However, it was right at that moment that his phone automatically shut down because it was out of battery.

    "Damn it!"

    For seven whole days, the wine cer was devoid of any human contact, but now the man''s furious curses rattled away under his breath.

    He turned the entire vi upside down, but he could not find the charger.

    The man immediately ran out of the door and raced his yacht away from the small ind.

    The nearest shore to the small ind was a fishing vige. He tore at a flying speed towards the local grocery store.

    "Boss¡­ Charger¡­ Do you have?"

    When the shopkeeper suddenly saw this shabby man with messy hair and a smudged face, he was frightened. "You¡­"

    Before the shopkeeper could say anything, Mo Lingtian mmed a hundred bucks onto the table.

    "We do! We''ve got it! We have whichever type you want!"

    "Can I charge it here?"

    "Can. Look beside your foot. Yes, there''s a power socket!"

    Mo Lingtian took the charger that was offered and sat right down on the floor, then he inserted the charger into the socket.

    One second¡­ Five seconds¡­ Ten seconds¡­

    "Why''s it so slow?"

    "Hehe, it''s a counterfeit. How could it be fast? Just wait for a while more!" The old man curiously examined him. "Young man, were you duped into those multi-level marketing things? Do you need me to help you call the police?"

    "No." Mo Lingtian''s eyes did not blink for a second as he stared at the red progress bar on the phone.

    He waited for three whole minutes before the phone could finally be switched on.

    Mo Lingtian was about to click into his WeChat app, but he suddenly paused. His fingers clenched then rxed again repeatedly before he finally opened the app and read the message.

 Chapter 1756: The Only Thing I Can Do For You

    <h4>Chapter 1756: The Only Thing I Can Do For You</h4>

    [Tianxin: Where are you? Your mother''s very worried about you. If you see this, please call her back.]

    When Mo Lingtian read her message, the blood rush and the turbulent emotions in him instantly quieted down.

    It was not an illusion¡­

    It turned out not to be an illusion¡­

    The old vendor was humming songs and arranging his stocks. From the corner of his eye, he saw the young man, who was squatting at his door to charge his phone, suddenly stiffen his back as his fists tightened into balls. He was staring at his phone. Momentster, water droplets fell onto his handphone screen¡­

    "Hey! Young man, what''s wrong? Are you sure you don''t need help?" The old man ran over to ask a little worriedly.

    The man did not look up. "Give me a packet of cigarettes."

    "What kind do you want? I don''t have any good ones here. In fact, I''m worried you won''t be used to them¡­"

    "Anyone. It''s fine."

    The old man sized him up as he hesitantly grabbed a pack of cigarettes for him from the stock rack, and passed him a lighter.

    Mo Lingtian lit up the cigarette, took a drag, and suddenly coughed profusely from the nose-piercing stench of tobo.

    The old man guffawed. "Strong, isn''t it?! Our cigarettes are powerful enough, eh?!"

    This ce went with the folkways and was simple. The old man was probably worried that he was burdened by problems, so he kept talking to him. His words were long-winded and rang by his ear. Nearby, on the surface of the sea, the sky turned brighter, and the sea breeze that came with a salty humidity caressed his face¡­

    Mo Lingtian read the message on his phone quietly over and over again.

    It felt as if something in his body had suddenly been filled with a huge amount of power. All of sudden, this power broke through from underneath the soil that had been dark and lonely without any daylight.

    Time passed quietly¡­

    The man did not move as he stared at the message. His finger fell onto the reply button, yet in the end, he still did not do anything.

    When his phone had a little more juice, Mo Lingtian pulled up his contact list and called home.

    "Hello, Mother¡­"

    "Lingtian¡­ Lingtian! It really is you! You brat! Where''ve you gone? Do you know that you''ve really frightened your mother to death?! What''s wrong with your voice? Are you sick? Where are you ill? Where are you now? Where''ve you gone these past few days?" Kang Shuhui suddenly fired a whole barrage of questions.

    "Mother, I''m sorry. I''ll be going home right away. I won''t make you worry anymore."

    "Child¡­" When she heard her son''s raspy and frail voice, Kang Shuhui felt her heart ache.

    "Mother, please call Tianxin back and just tell her I''m fine," said the man.

    When Kang Shuhui heard this on the other end of the phone, she was stunned. "Tianxin contacted you? Why don''t you tell her yourself? Lingtian, tell me honestly. Do you feel something towards Tianxin?"

    "Mother, no." The man''s voice held no hesitation, then he added, "Please help me reply her. My phone is running out of battery."

    Kang Shuhui did not doubt him. Plus, she wanted to see her son sooner, so she quickly replied, "Oh, oh, okay¡­ Then quicklye home, alright?"

    "Mmm."

    ¡­

    After he finished the cigarette, the man slowly stood up. "Thanks, the cigarette''s pretty good."

    The old man chuckled. "Isn''t it? Those who''ve tried my cigarettes say they''re good indeed! Young man, have you¡­ run into some problems?"

    The man gazed quietly at the sea not too far away. "I just suddenly understood some things."

    He finally understood and was willing to admit that in those long years andpanionship, he had fallen for another girl.

    Only, when he finally realized this, it was already impossible between them.

    The only thing I can do for you is one thing.

    To not disturb you¡­

 Chapter 1757: Call Xiao Xi Too

    <h4>Chapter 1757: Call Xiao Xi Too</h4>

    At the Ning Residence.

    "Madam, thedy is home!"

    When she heard the servant''s announcement, Zhuang Lingyu, who was on the sofa, was instantly overjoyed as she got up to receive her daughter.

    Ning Xueluo passed all her bags to the servant and sweetly called out, "Mother!"

    "Hey, quicklye in! Look at you all sweating! You must''ve been so busy the whole day! You have to run to ourpany and prepare to list your ownpany on the stock market. You''re already so busy. Why have youe running to me!?"

    "Mother, I missed you! I especially got someone to help me get some cogen and bird''s nest for you. Their quality is really good. You should eat more of these daily to supplement your health!"

    "You should keep these for your mother-inw!"

    "I did give some to her too."

    Zhuang Lingyu pulled on her hand with concern. "How''s it? Has it been good at the Su residence? How''s Zheng Minjun''s attitude towards you?"

    Ning Xueluo forced a smile. "Even though it still can''tpare to before¡­ It''s already much better¡­"

    As she looked at her daughter''s reaction, she knew that she must have been mistreated at the Su residence. Zhuang Lingyu could not help but look unhappy.

    Ning Xueluo quicklyforted, "Mother, don''t worry about me. I''ll definitely work hard and not let anyone crush me. I''ll let everyone know that you''ve raised a good daughter!"

    Ning Xueluo''s wordspletely hit Zhuang Lingyu in the right spot. She was instantly calmer and she praised, "Good, Xueluo you''re already amazing. It''s just those self-interested ones who can''t see things clearly!"

    Ning Xueluo was about to say something when she saw Ning Zhiyuan walk in from a distance with a walking stick. She quickly stood up and greeted, "Grandfather!"

    "Mmm." Ning Zhiyuan nodded slightly and did not say much. He was about to continue to his room when he suddenly thought of something. He paused in his steps and said, "Tomorrow night, Wenno is returning to the country. The whole family should get together. Call Xiao Xi toe over too."

    Zhuang Lingyu''s expression sank. "Father, you know that girl. Did you forget what she said before? She doesn''t even care about having any rtionship with us Nings! Why do we still have to show warm feelings and be met with cold rebuke !"

    At this moment, Ning Yaohua walked over and cleared his throat. "Lingyu, the child was just speaking out of anger. There are some things that we haven''t done right either. She''d feel wronged. It''s best if the whole family is harmonious. Why should you stoop to the child''s level!? I think tomorrow night we should call Xiao Xi toe as well!"

    Ning Zhiyuan nodded with satisfaction, but he seemed not to believe him. He just stood there and challenged, "Then, make the call right now."

    Ning Yaohua shook his head helplessly. "Father, do you still not believe me? I''ll call her right now!"

    Zhuang Lingyu was anxious by this and she kept trying to hint Ning Yaohua.

    Ning Yaohua lowered his voice to say, "Father''s health hasn''t been great. Don''t anger him because of this. It''s just a meal. Besides, even if we don''t invite her, Qiutong will definitely call Xiao Xi. Why should we keep letting her be the good guy, and drive a wedge in our family?"

    On the side, when Ning Xueluo heard Ning Yaohua say "our family", gloom shed in her eyes.

    In front of the elder, Zhuang Lingyu could not say much and Ning Yaohua was quite determined too, so she could only let him make the call.

    "Hello, Xiao Xi¡­ Tomorrow night¡­"

    When Ning Yaohua got through to Ning Xi''s handphone, he was about to act like a loving father when he was disrupted by the formal robotic voice on the other end.

    "Hello, may I know who''s this? I''m Ning Xi''s manager. She''s currently working and can''te to the phone right now."

    Ning Yaohua was stunned for a moment, then he said arrogantly, "I''m her father. Tell her that she will pick up."

 Chapter 1758: Tempted

    <h4>Chapter 1758: Tempted</h4>

    "Are you her foster father, Mr. Tang Shan?"

    "Foster father? I''m her biological father!"

    "Sir, as far as I know, Ning Xi has broken off contact with her biological parents."

    Ning Yaohua stormed away and spoke quietly, "You''re her manager. How can you listen to that nonsense? Get Xiao Xi on the phone right now!"

    "I''m sorry, Sir, everyone around her knows that Ning Xi won''t take private calls when she''s working."

    ¡­

    Ning Yaohua was enraged when the line went dead.

    Ning Xueluo saw a light of hope when she noticed the darkened expression on Ning Yaohua. "Father, what''s wrong?"

    "Nothing¡­" Ning Yaohua would never reveal how a little manager had just talked back to him over the phone. He changed the topic quickly. "Xiao Xi''s not free to pick up my call right now."

    Ning Xueluo acted like she understood. "Sister''s really popr now. It''s not odd that she''s busy. It''d probably be difficult for her to join us¡­"

    Zhuang Lingyu let out a coldugh. "She''s acting all high and mighty after starring in just a few movies. She was still a nobody when Xueluo was famous! Now, she''s forced you out of the industry and taken over all your resources. How dare she do this to us?"

    Ning Zhiyuan stared at them unhappily. "It''s fine. Just let it be if Xiao Xi''s busy. Why the fuss?

    "If you lot told everyone about Xueluo''s matter from the very beginning instead of lying, Xueluo wouldn''t have ended up this way! Things would''ve turned out vastly different if you guys had nurtured the rtionship with the Tang family properly. What a shame to the Ning family!

    "You lot brought these consequences upon yourself. Don''t me everything on Xiao Xi!"

    Ning Yaohuaforted him, "Please don''t be angry, Father. We won''t mention the past again. As for the family gathering tomorrow¡­ I think she won''t being because of some tiny misunderstanding, but I also think that she mighte along together with Qiutong and Wenbo."

    Zhuang Lingyu was already upset that the elder was on Ning Xi''s side, and she got even angrier when Ning Yaohua was speaking for Ning Xi as well.

    She knew what was happening. Ning Yaohua was not concerned about the elder''s health at all. He was thinking that he might be able to get something good out of Ning Xi since she was affiliated with the Zhuang family now and his greed tempted him.

    The Zhuang family was terribly selfish. They were willing to abandon their own child out of reputation. How could they pick up that girl?

    Even if the Zhuang family really took her in, that girl would have told the whole world about it already instead of keeping quiet all this time.

    ¡­

    The next night.

    In the banquet room, Ning Yaohua, Ning Yaobang, and Ning Qiutong were present. Beside Ning Qiutong was her husband Guo Wenbo, who had juste back from abroad. Ning Xueluo and Su Yan were there as well.

    When they were about to start, Ning Xueluo asked with a concerned tone, acting natural, "Are we not waiting for Xiao Xi?"

    Su Yan was taken aback when he heard Ning Xueluo''s question. He unconsciously looked over at the door. Except on TV and newspaper, he had not seen her since the Golden Film Award.

    Ning Qiutong replied, "Xiao Xi''s busy today. She won''t being."

 Chapter 1759: Who Else Is An Outsider?

    <h4>Chapter 1759: Who Else Is An Outsider?</h4>

    "Oh¡­" Ning Xueluo put on a surprised expression. "Father called her, but her manager said she''s busy, I thought if Aunt called, she would surelye¡­"

    Zhuang Lingyu smiled. "That girl''s busy crawling her way up. She''ll forget about the Ning family very soon!"

    Ning Qiutong looked at her coldly. "I''m happy that Xiao Xi is doing well on her own. Who wouldn''t tell me that my niece is pretty and capable wherever I go? Every day, so many peoplee to me and ask for her autograph, or even to visit her at work!"

    Ning Xueluo''s expression tightened as her fingernails dug deep into her palm. Zhuang Lingyu hid her anger. Ning Qiutong had been on her toes, and every time she aimed, it hit wherever it hurt the most.

    She knew that Xueluo had left the entertainment industry and she was saying all these to trigger her!

    "Alright, let''s eat!" The elder coughed lightly and the heavy atmosphere dissipated forcefully.

    "Wenbo, how long are you going to stay for this time?" The elder made some small talk.

    Guo Wenbo put his chopsticks down and replied gently, "Not for long. I''m mainly here to meet a client and to settle some matters for Qiutong."

    Settle some matters?

    Ning Yaohua squinted his eyes sensitively.

    As expected, Ning Qiutong spoke up, "Isn''t Chen from the financial department going to retire soon? We''ll need a person to fill in the CFO role. I''ve asked Wenbo to help hire a person from abroad!"

    Before Ning Yaohua could say anything, Zhuang Lingyu could not hold it in anymore. "Hire? You''re just putting your people inside, aren''t you?! Yaohua has already left the position of CFO to Xueluo. She can fill the position after a short probation period, so you don''t have to worry too much!"

    Ning Qiutong replied, "I''m worrying too much? Don''t you forget, Sister-inw, while I don''t have a position in thepany, I''m thergest stakeholder of thepany."

    Ning Xueluo had not gotten any shares. Even after Ning Yaohua transferred all his shares over to her, she only held 15% of shares.

    As for Ning Qiutong, she had 10% on her own, and with the addition of the 10% Ning Xi had given her, she had 20% of shares in total, making her thergest stakeholder of thepany at the moment.

    Zhuang Lingyu was antsy. "You don''t have that authority to make that decision on your own! You don''t get to put your people into such an important position of thepany!"

    Ning Qiutong raised her eyebrows. "Oh? So, you do have someone?"

    Zhuang Lingyu replied in disdain, "Xueluo''s not an outsider!"

    She meant to imply that Ning Qiutong was just an outsider.

    Ning Qiutongughed out loud. "Ha¡­ Sister-inw, are you joking? Who else is an outsider here except for her?"

    "Ning Qiutong! That''s too much!"

    Ning Yaohua''s expression darkened. "Qiutong, you''ve overstepped your boundaries. Yes, you have the most shares, but I''m the President. You don''t get to decide the human resources in thepany!"

    Ning Qiutong sternly retorted, "I see, President. What a fancy title! A president without any shares? Let me tell you, I have the right to put Ning Xi in that position if she''s willing to! Try me if you don''t believe me!"

 Chapter 1760: Fair Competition

    <h4>Chapter 1760: Fair Competition</h4>

    She had to take up the responsibility since Xiao Xi had transferred the shares to her. She would never allow these people to mess up thepany.

    "You¡­" Ning Yaohua fumed.

    Ning Yaobang was watching the show happily as he enjoyed the alcohol.

    Su Yan felt a little awkward, but he was here today for some other reason anyway. He was obviously not focused the whole time.

    Su Yan would usually back her up under circumstances like this, but the man beside her did not say anything at all. Ning Xueluo bit her lips aggrievedly, but he did not even notice it.

    For quite some time, he had been giving less and less attention to her.

    Of course, she realized what Su Yan was thinking about. It was that witch who seduced him¡­

    Thud¡ª! Ning Zhiyuan hit the ground loudly with his walking stick. "Enough, shut up! Do you guys want to destroy the home before I die?"

    There was silence across the room.

    Ning Zhiyuan was panting. After a while, he took a deep breath and started talking, "Xueluo''s still inexperienced. It is indeed inappropriate for her to take on this role. It''d be difficult for the other employees to obey her too. Qiutong, no matter how amazing the person you hire is, it''d be useless if that person doesn''t understand the status of Ning International!"

    "So, what do you mean, Father?" Ning Yaobang asked as he gleefully hoped for more chaos to ensue.

    The elder red at Ning Yaobang, then he continued, "Qiutong, it''s okay for the person you hire to join thepany, but he has to start from the bottom like Xueluo. They''d then have a fair chance atpeting. After judging their performance, we''ll hold a poll in the next stakeholder meeting."

    While both parties were unhappy about the decision, they could not do anything about it. Ning Yaohua and Ning Qiutong did not say any thing, and agreed tacitly to the elder''s idea.

    The dinner was finally over.

    Zhuang Lingyu was still grumbling on the way back, "Fairpetition? Father was obviously biased towards Ning Qiutong. Not only does she have more shares than us, she also has Wenbo to help her! How can Xueluo fight against her? It''s all that damned brat''s fault for giivng Ning Qiutong all the shares out of her hatred towards us! We wouldn''t be in such an awkward state otherwise!"

    Ning Xueluoforted, "Don''t get angry, Mother. Bro Yan will be helping me, right, Bro Yan?"

    Su Yan finally nodded and said something after a whole night of keeping mum, "Of course."

    Zhuang Lingyu''s expression softened. She put both their hands together. "You are both great. It''d be better if you guys have a child soon. Then, the elder will focus on you guys more!"

    "What are you talking about, Mother?" Ning Xueluo looked embarrassed.

    Zhuang Lingyu urged her, "It''s an important matter. Listen to me, the both of you! Su Yan, isn''t your mother longing for a grandchild?"

    Su Yan coughed lightly, "My mother is alright. She''s respecting our wishes."

    His mother was actually longing for a grandchild way before his marriage to Xueluo, but after they got married, his mother suddenly stopped looking forward to it and did not really say anything about it afterward¡­

 Chapter 1761: This Is What I Got You

    <h4>Chapter 1761: This Is What I Got You</h4>

    At midnight in tinum Pce, the light in the study room was still on.

    Lu Jingli looked at the documents in his hand with his bleary eyes that could barely open while a certain someone was still handling theplicated-looking documents.

    He had been on guard for the past few days. Since he was not able to convince him, he just stayed by to make sure that everything would be alright.

    "Bro¡­ Bro¡­ I know¡­ You want to show Sister-inw a peaceful world when she wakes up¡­ and to tell her, ''Look, this is what I got you!'' How damned romantic! But you have to be alive when the timees, don''t you?"

    Lu Tingxiao stared at Lu Jingli who was now lying weakly on the sofa.

    Lu Jingli then cowered unconsciously. "What now? Do you want to hit me again? Fine, fine¡­I know¡­ I''ll shut up! I need to keep myself alive to look after you on Xiao Xi Xi''s behalf!"

    Suddenly, Lu Tingxiao''s phone rang.

    The man picked it up.

    "CEO Lu, the media and her fans are still alright for now, but¡­ recently, Ning Xi''s cousin called for something. Today, Ning Yaohua and Ning Xi''s aunt Ning Qiutong also called. It seems like Ning Xi''s uncle came back and they had a family gathering. I made up an excuse for her and they didn''t suspect a thing."

    Ling Zhizhi reported everything regarding Ning Xi to Lu Tingxiao, then asked for further directions, "Do we¡­ hide from all of them too?"

    "It''s better if fewer people know about it."

    Ling Zhizhi nodded. "Alright, noted."

    Xiao Tao''s incident was just a warning. The fewer people knew about Ning Xi''s condition, the better.

    After Lu Tingxiao hung up, someone rushed into the room. Tang Lang was panting as he bent over. "Damn it! Qiao Yi got rescued by someone! He was sent into the prison already and still managed to make it out! Is that guy really human?"

    "What? Prison break! Is it the same person who rescued Hei Longst time?" Lu Jingli was suddenly roused.

    Tang Lang caught his breath. "From the modus operandi, I think it''s the same person! People from Qiao Yi''s end thought that we released Hei Long on our own, yet he was snatched away from us, then now this guy has reappeared again!"

    Lu Jingli was confused. "Just who is that person? Even Qiao Yi doesn''t know? So, they aren''t working together?"

    Tang Lang scratched his head and was annoyed. "But I''ve never known about such a person even after being in the organization for so many years. If there is, being a fighting maniac, Tang Ye would surely know him!"

    Lu Jingli nodded in agreement.

    "Unfortunately, I didn''t have to chance to deal with the person. Otherwise, we could do a deeper investigation!" Tang Lang then turned to the cold-looking man in front of the table. "Boss, what should we do now?"

    The man leaned back in his chair, his eyes like a never-ending abyss. "Wait."

    "Huh? What do you mean?" Tang Lang was taken aback.

    Lu Jingli smilingly went over to Tang Lang and said in a quiet voice, "When that guy was unconscious, my brother put something¡­ interesting inside his body!"

    Tang Lang gasped, "You guys put a tracker inside Qiao Yi?"

 Chapter 1762: Peak Popularity

    <h4>Chapter 1762: Peak Poprity</h4>

    "Then, can we know where they are now?" Tang Lang did not think much and asked straightforwardly.

    Lu Jingli exined, "Don''t be so impatient. He isn''t your everyday thug after all. He might''ve figured it out, and our efforts would be in vain if he found out about the tracker! So, we haven''t activated it yet. We''ll track him once he lets his guard down!

    "Also, that thing has both voice and visual recording functions! It''ll send over all the information the moment we activate it. If it were forcefully destroyed, it''ll still send over the information first!"

    Tang Lang''s mouth twitched. As expected of them brothers¡­ Both of them were crazy¡­

    Qiao Yi was definitely not a threat to them anymore under his condition, yet they had still prepared something beforehand.

    Could they expect the person fromst time to appear again?

    "Actually, Qiao Yi can''t do much anymore. He can''t really do anything even after he''s escaped. Satan cut him offpletely and took over all his resources."

    Tang Lang looked at the man before the table questionably.

    Now that they had settled Qiao Yi, would his next target¡­ then be that guy?

    Was a bloody waring?

    ¡­

    Soon, three months passed by.

    The whole Imperial was peaceful, and the war that Tang Lang expected did not happen.

    Everyone was waiting for the miracle, but nothing happened as well.

    The girl was still lying in the cold and heavily guarded sanatorium with no signs of waking up.

    The worse thing was that "Mother" had aired, and it received the Golden Deer Awards and Golden Phoenix Awards for Best Female Lead respectively. In addition to the Golden Film Awards before, she had received the threergest titles for a female actress within Imperial. With the many other titles that she had achieved, she almost won all the film awards possible within the country. Jiang Xingzhou also delivered the news that "Mother" had made into the Lorraine Film Festival.

    At the same time, Ning Xi''s poprity had been on a steady rise with the airing of "Nine Realms". The bedroom scene of Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu even broke the record for view counts of Imperial Channel in the past ten years. The rey count on the Web was refreshed again and again. Even online games of the same name were created. Everywhere, everyone was talking about the series.

    Every main and supporting cast of the series became extraordinarily famous. Ning Xi totally overshadowed Meng Shiyi with her tremendous poprity and extraordinary acting. Furthermore, she was nominated as the Queen of Golden Orchid Awards.

    It was no doubt that Ning Xi was the biggest winner of the year in both the film and TV industries respectively. All the news media were raving about her.

    "Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad" had not aired yet due to the time needed for post-production, but Ning Xi''s poprity had skyrocketed with just those two works. No one from the industry was able to measure up to her at the moment.

    If Ning Xi was renowned as Leng Manyun''s sessor before, people''s evaluation towards her now was "Better Than The Rest", "Best Of The Century", "Gem Of The Industry", "Genius Actress", "Second Song Lin"¡­

 Chapter 1763: Canâ€™t Suppress It

    <h4>Chapter 1763: Can¡¯t Suppress It</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xi''s poprity had risen to the peak. However, at this moment, a dark mist filled up Ling Zhizhi''s office within the Glory World Entertainment office building.

    There were too many events for Ning Xi to attendtely. While she could reject some of them, the events to promote her movie and the awards ceremonies were not something she could just say no to.

    As of now, Ning Xi had already been absent from all the promotional events for "Mother", the Golden Orchid Awards, the Golden Deer Awards, and even the Golden Phoenix Awards yesterday.

    With the help of Jiang Xingzhou and Song Lin, she could somewhat get away from the events of "Mother". The Golden Orchid Awards and the Golden Deer Awards allowed managers to receive the award in ce of the artiste, but the Golden Phoenix Awards had strict rules that the award recipient had to attend in order to receive the award. Otherwise, the award would not be granted.

    Although her name would still be maintained as the winner, Ning Xi had left an unpleasant impression on all the judges and fans by being absent for such an important event.

    Even if she had given perfect excuses for Ning Xi in the past three months, under such circumstances, no matter how perfect the justifications were, she could not drag it on any longer. She could not give any more excuses for her vanishing for three whole months¡­

    Ling Zhizhi''s mobile phone and office phone did not stop ringing off the hook. Xiao Tao was just handling the necessary stuff with the media, while Ling Zhizhi took care of all the other matters on her own.

    Looking at the countless headlines about Ning Xi, the numerous invitations from various award events, the overwhelming amount of scripts and adverts, Ling Zhizhi was under immense pressure.

    In the end, she had underestimated Ning Xi¡­

    This time, she could not suppress it anymore¡­

    Suddenly, there was a loud knock on her door.

    The CEO of Glory World Entertainment came in agitatedly and flung a stash of newspaper on Ling Zhizhi''s table. "Ling Zhizhi! What are you doing? Is this how you work? Where is she?! Where is Ning Xi?!"

    All the newspapers were talking about Ning Xi''s absence in the big events. The media and fans looked back at Ning Xi''s schedule and realized that Ning Xi had vanished for three months. Rumors were spreading on the Net¡­

    "I thought you learned your lesson based on Leng Manyun''s incident. What about this time? It''s happened again! What kind of manager can''t manage their artiste?!" Yi Xudong was extremely enraged.

    However, he was not to be med.

    With Ning Xi''s current poprity, 90% of thepany''s profits came from Ning Xi alone, yet at this very crucial moment, she had gone missing. Not only did she miss all the important events, she had also skipped all the important advertorial coboration! Those were all money!

    Lu Jingli had started letting go and had left Glory World in his hands. Now that he had risen to the position of CEO, he could not afford to let such a huge mistake happen before he could secure his position.

    Ling Zhizhi pursed his lips as though she were absorbing Yi Xudong''s anger. "I''m sorry."

    She understood Yi Xudong''s anger, but she could not tell him the truth, so those were the only two words she could say to him now.

    Yi Xudong became even angrier after she apologized. "What''s the use of apologizing?! Look for her! Do you think the investors and important partners will wait for you forever? Let me tell you, ourpany doesn''t need artistes like her who ignore the policy and contract regtions! Gather all the scripts and coboration projects under Ning Xi and pass it to me! If she won''t do it, many others will!"

 Chapter 1764: Without You

    <h4>Chapter 1764: Without You</h4>

    "Understood." Ling Zhizhi did not make any objections.

    With Ning Xi''s current condition, these contracts would only rot if they stayed with her. Yi Xudong would rather let other artistes take over, and nothing much would have differed even if Lu Jingli were there.

    If this continued, Yi Xudong would probably look for people to rece Ning Xi''s position.

    If not, all the resources for Ning Xi would go to waste.

    She could wait, but Yi Xudong could not.

    "Ling Zhizhi, I don''t care whether you can contact her now or not. I''ll give you seven days! If she doesn''t appear in the next seven days, she doesn''t have toe back ever again!"

    Yi Xudong then left aftershing out with his anger.

    ¡­

    After Ling Zhizhi was donepiling the documents and scripts, midnight arrived.

    When she passed by Yi Xudong''s office, she overheard the ambiguous voice of both a man and a woman. She frowned¡­

    That woman''s voice seemed like a newbie who had just joined not too long ago¡­

    Thepany took in new artistes simr to Ning Xi''s style due to her sess, and that newbie was one of the best. She had simr vibes to Ning Xi''s, but Ning Xi was so popr that these bunch of newbies did not even have the chance to shine.

    It was only normal for some people to be impatient with such a great opportunity looming in front of them.

    This was the reality of the entertainment industry. It was a never-endingpetition.

    Ling Zhizhi stopped for a while, then left swiftly as if nothing had happened.

    ¡­

    The next morning.

    It was quiet around the sanatorium in the military area.

    Lu Tingxiao had sat before Ning Xi''s bed quietly for the whole night.

    The past three months was more than enough time for him to finish everything he had to until he could not find anything else to numb himself.

    Time passed by. Finally, the clock hands pointed at 6 o''clock.

    It was exactly three months since Ning Xi had fallen unconscious.

    Ning Xi had not been officially diagnosed in a vegetative state before. A person in a vegetative state was meant for people who were still unconscious after three months¡­

    The biggest chance for the patient to wake up was within the first three months. After that, the chances would be miraculously low.

    The girl was lying quietly on the bed as if she was just asleep. Little Treasure was sleeping right beside her. Everything looked just like before at home, like the world around them was still at peace.

    Sadly, the reality was cruel. The girl he loved might never speak again. She might never give him any reaction, might never wake up again¡­

    The man held the girl''s hand and leaned his head into her hand, mumbling quietly, "Xiao Xi, I''m sorry¡­ I might¡­ not be as strong as you think¡­"

    I just found out that I''m nothing without you¡­

    I realized all my weaknesses¡­

    The door opened.

    Lu Jingli came in. "I knew you''d be here¡­ Bro, were you here for the whole night again? I bought some breakfast. Come and eat!"

    Lu Tingxiao let go of the girl''s fingers. He stood up, but the moment he did, his whole body fell backward.

    "Bro¡ª¡ª!" Lu Jingli freaked out and rushed over.

    Little Treasure woke up in shock. He peered at the man on the floor in fear¡­

 Chapter 1765: Canâ€™t Be Solved By Normal Means

    <h4>Chapter 1765: Can¡¯t Be Solved By Normal Means</h4>

    "Someone! Quick! Doctor!"

    After much ruckus, Lu Tingxiao was put on a bed and the Zhuangs were notified of what happened as well.

    The doctor frowned as he checked up on Lu Tingxiao. Lu Jingli was extremely anxious. "How''s my brother? What''s wrong with him?"

    The old specialist took off the stethoscope and scolded, "This is nonsense! How can he torture his body this way? You should ask which part of him is still okay! He has a hole in his stomach and it''s been that way for at least two months! He hasn''t sought help and has been treating himself poorly. If this continues for another few months, he wouldn''t be any better off than the girl!"

    Lu Jingli''s face went pale and he almost cried. "Ever since Xiao Xi Xi went unconscious, my brother has rarely slept¡­ I''ve tried my best to look after him every day. I''m afraid that something might happen to him¡­ but I¡­ I can''t help¡­ I know no one can help him anyway¡­ He can''t control himself¡­"

    The old specialist and Zhuang Zongren let out a sigh after they heard Lu Jingli''sment.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan still had his usual stern face on, but there was a worry in his eyes especially when he saw the anxious Little Treasure staying by his father''s bedside¡­

    He was definitely biased towards the father-son duo from the beginning. He could not understand his father''s decision, but after some time, he could see how Little Treasure was treating Ning Xi, and how while Lu Tingxiao did not change much, his figure had be thinner every day. Now, he had even copsed.

    The tiny bit of dissatisfaction within him disappeared.

    At least, Xiao Xi did not fall for the wrong person.

    He imed to be her family, but in the end, he did not really do anything for her. He did not have the right to criticize her choice.

    Lu Jingli sobbed, "I actually knew it all along! Although he looked alright, he''d probably fall if a strong gust came by¡­ He can''t hold it any longer, yet¡­ he forced himself¡­"

    Up until thest day of the three months, his final sliver of hope had copsed as well.

    During this time, it was not only about Ning Xi being unconscious. Even more damaging were his self-me and regrets. Everything was corroding his heart and mind¡­

    Lu Jingli clenched his fists tightly as he stood up and bowed. "Please take care of my brother. I''ll be back soon!"

    He knew this could not be solved by normal means.

    He needed to¡­ needed to think of something!

    If this continued, his brother would go down even before Xiao Xi Xi could regain consciousness!

    Lu Tingxiao woke up soon after Lu Jingli left. The first thing he did was check the time on his watch.

    The old doctor red at him when he saw Lu Tingxiao suddenly sit up. "Lie down!"

    This old doctor was Doctor Zhao who had done the DNA analysis for Ning Xi and Little Treasure.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned. He did not think about his body condition and did not even ask why was he there. Instead, he said, "I''ve made an appointment with a specialist team to do a full body checkup for Xiao Xi today!"

    Doctor Zhao sternly scolded him, "Lie down. Do you think they don''t know how to do the checkup without you?"

    "I''m sorry." Lu Tingxiao did not argue. To the doctor''s horror, he took the intravenous drip and walked out of the room.

 Chapter 1766: Diagnosis Results

    <h4>Chapter 1766: Diagnosis Results</h4>

    "You, you¡­ I''ve never met such a troublesome patient like you! Do you still want to live?!" Doctor Zhao frustratedly huffed as he followed his patient who ran away to the other room.

    It was a special day today. The Zhuang family had made an exception and allowed both Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi toe.

    They were shocked when they heard that their son had copsed, but at the same time, they were really anxious to hear Ning Xi''s diagnosis from the specialists.

    "Tingxiao! Are you alright? What happened? Jingli said you copsed! How many times have I told you to take care of yourself? You convinced Little Treasure, but what about you yourself!? Do you know how much pain Xiao Xi would be in if she wakes up to you like this?"

    "It''s okay."

    "How is that possible?!" Tears fell out of Yan Ruyi''s eyes as she peered into the room. "How''s Xiao Xi''s condition?"

    "What did the specialists say?" Lu Chongshan asked

    Lu Tingxiao stood there quietly. "Let''s wait for the results."

    ¡­

    Doctor Zhao shook his head and sighed when he saw the child waiting by the door for the diagnosis.

    Zhuang Zongren, who was waiting anxiously, suddenly frowned when he saw Doctor Zhao sigh. "Zhao, why are you sighing? Is Xiao Xi''s condition that bad?"

    Doctor Zhao looked at Zhuang Zongren, not bothering to hide his concern. "It''s not optimistic."

    Zhuang Zongren''s expression darkened.

    After a while, the team of specialists was done with the checkup. They had a short meeting beforeing out of the room.

    No one said a word as they just waited for the results in silence.

    The lead specialist said with a heavy tone, "During this whole time, the patient''s condition¡­ didn''t change much¡­ Our diagnosis results are the same asst time."

    What?

    Until now the results were still the same as before? Had Xiao Xi not be any better at all?

    Zhuang Zongren was carrying Little Treasure carefully in his arms. He had not wanted him to be there today, but the child was as stubborn as his father. Zhuang Zongren quickly asked, "Is there still any possibility of Xiao Xi waking up?"

    The lead specialist fidgeted uneasily and he spoke in a roundabout way, "Pardon my straightforwardness. The chances of her waking up were the highest in the past three months. After this three months, the possibility of her waking up is¡­ extremely low¡­ The patient''s bodily functions will start to degenerate gradually¡­"

    The air was heavy after the specialist finished the report. Everyone''s hearts sank as their expectations were crushed heavily.

    Lu Tingxiao stood there in silence. He did not have any expression on his face after he heard the results.

    He had looked through mountains of books and information rting to Ning Xi''s condition in this past few months, and he was sort of half a specialist now.

    It was exactly as he had predicted.

    He knew it all along, but he had to be there to hear the results personally.

    Somewhere nearby, Lu Jingli had just returned to hear what the specialist said. He saw that his brother was as empty as a shell, barely seeming alive at all as if he would just drop dead the next moment.

    Lu Jingli''s heart clenched like a vice. Holding a cold object in his finger, he took a deep breath and walked over swiftly. He dragged the man all the way to a nearby yard under a tree and put a recorder pen in his hand. "Bro! Listen to this! Right! This! Moment!"

 Chapter 1767: Sealed Truth

    <h4>Chapter 1767: Sealed Truth</h4>

    Lu Jingli was troubled when Lu Tingxiao did not react at all. He pressed the switch and the recording clip started ying.

    Ning Xi: [Hey, you started drinking without me?]

    Jiang Muye: [Didn''t you say you want to stop? I''d just be drinking by myself anyway even if I waited for you!]

    Ning Xi: [Fine! Please continue! Did you order juice for me?]

    Jiang Muye: [Come on! This is a bar! How am I supposed to get you juice?!]

    ¡­

    Lu Tingxiao''s attention shifted to the recorder pen when he heard the ever-so-familiar voice of Ning Xi.

    Lu Jingli let out a sigh of relief, then he wiped the sweat off his forehead and pressed the fast-forward button.

    Ning Xi started asking some questions.

    [Let me ask you. That day¡­ Lu Tingxiao¡­ he really¡­ kissed me?]

    Lu Jingli quickly exined, "Bro, do you still remember this pen? Muye just came back around that time and the crew of ''The World'' invited him to dinner. Xiao Xi Xi was drunk when you went to pick her up. It was obvious that Jiang Muye was interested in Xiao Xi Xi and questioned you about your feelings towards her, then you kissed her right in front of him.

    "Muye could not keep his feelings to himself and told Xiao Xi Xi. Then, she wanted to meet up with him.

    "I wanted to eavesdrop since there''d surely be some big news, but you stopped me at that time. However, some paparazzi was eavesdropping as well, and out of their supervisor''s respect for me, they sent the recorder pen over to me¡­

    "You didn''t want to pry into Xiao Xi Xi''s privacy like this, so you didn''t want to hear it, but I kept this pen in secret!"

    Lu Tingxiao''s eyes slowly came back to life. It seemed that he remembered the incident. Lu Jingli quickly skipped to the most important part.

    Ning Xi: [Sure, since you asked me something, I''ll ask you something back!]

    Ning Xi: [If you walked into a room and saw your lover on aphrodisiac in a filmy sleeping gown, lying on a king-sized bed with flower petals all around, what would you do?]

    Ning Xi: [Do you know what Lu Tingxiao did under those conditions?]

    Ning Xi: [He didn''t do anything. Heforted me so I wouldn''t be afraid. He talked to me to distract me and never did anything to harass me. He just quietly spent my most helpless and agonizing night with me.]

    Ning Xi: [What do you think are the possibilities? Is he not a man? Or does he not like me?]

    Jiang Muye: [¡­ I''m pretty sure he likes you!]

    Ning Xi: [I wasn''t sure before, but now I''m sure that he does. So, there''s a third possibility.]

    Jiang Muye: [What?]

    ¡­

    At this point, Lu Tingxiao''s reaction was simr to Jiang Muye''s at that time. He held his breath.

    Then came Ning Xi''s sigh: [It''s not that I''m stupid because his status is too high. It isn''t weird for me to fall for him. I''m not disappointed¡­]

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression changed when he heard that line. A flurry ofplicated feelings shed within him.

    Even Jiang Muye''s voice trembled: [You''ve fallen for him?]

    Ning Xi: [I don''t want to admit it and I''ve been running away from it, but it''s the truth.]

    ¡­

    The man gripped onto the recorder pen, his face as he stared nkly at it¡­

 Chapter 1768: No One Else, Itâ€™s You

    <h4>Chapter 1768: No One Else, It¡¯s You</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Jiang Muye was rallied and shot her with a barrage of questions: [Ning Xi! How much do you know about him? You''ve only seen the side of him that''s a pretense in front of you! Do you think Lu Tingxiao is really as gentlemanly as he looks? Do you know that Jia Qingqing died somewhere in the wild? Do you know what happened to that fatty Zhu Xiang? Do you know he used an aviation crew to create artificial rain just to stop a kissing scene? Even the incident of my family... He nned everything!]

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression froze when he heard Jiang Muye''s usations.

    [But, Jiang Muye, he''s never done anything to hurt me! If I get afraid of him, avoid him, and abandon him because of that, it''s unfair. No matter what you say, I just know that he treats me very well. Very, very well. No one has ever treated me this kindly before.]

    When Lu Tingxiao heard the girl''s reply, he felt like he was dragged back from the very edge of the cliff.

    She said that no one had ever treated her this kindly before¡­

    The girl continued.

    Ning Xi: [I know what I am. I''ve fallen for him, but it doesn''t mean that I''ve lost my mind. I know what I''m doing and what I should do.]

    Ning Xi: [Let me quote you back: How well do you know me? What you see now is just the side I''m showing you. Do you think that this is truly me?]

    ¡­

    The recording stopped there.

    Lu Tingxiao had mixed feelings in his heart. His face was still nk as he stood frozen under the big tree. Finally, the whole matter was clear.

    Her rejection towards him from the beginning was all about the incident that had happened back then, and the so-called person that she liked was just an excuse.

    Lu Jingli''s eyes were a little sour as he saw the expression on his brother''s face. "Bro, did you hear that? No ifs! No one else! Xiao Xi Xi liked you from the beginning! Only you!"

    Lu Tingxiao closed his eyes and held onto the recorder pen tightly. An infinite number of shbacks came back to him, flooding his brain¡­

    He remembered back when Ning Xi had said proudly, "The person I like? He... He''s cool and talented in all areas... gentle and romantic and smart and reliable and rare and unpredictable and beautiful and... just amazing! If you knew who he is, you''d never think that I''m exaggerating!"

    He also recalled that she had told him firmly, "Lu Tingxiao, I''ve already told you from the start - there is already someone that I like very, very much! Even though there are reasons that I can''t be with him, he will live in my heart forever, filling it to the brim so much so that no one else can rece him! There just isn''t any more space for anyone else. Even if that person was more wonderful and even more perfect, it would still be a ''no''. Do you understand?"

    He also remembered that one night after she had rejected him, he heard her singing in the room, "I miss you, really miss you, but I''m lying to myself... I miss you, really miss you, I''ll keep it as a secret... I miss you, really miss you, deep in my heart¡­"

    There was also a status that she had posted before: "I can ept the darkness... if I''ve never seen the sun. However, the sun has magnified my loneliness¡­"

    Once, she had told him that he was her sun¡­

 Chapter 1769: Witness

    <h4>Chapter 1769: Witness</h4>

    That person that he had thought she loved, that he thought was a person that suited her more¡­ In the end, it was himself.

    There were so many ws, so many hints¡­

    Why did he only realize it now?

    The man sat on a wooden chair nearby with his head down and he did not move at all. Lu Jingli did not disturb him and walked away to let him be alone for a while.

    After some time, the man stared at the recorder pen nkly, then he took out his phone and made a phone call in his hoarse voice, "Hello, Ms. Ling. Please help me prepare Ning Xi''s signature. I''ll get my assistant to get it from youter."

    He then made another call. "Go to my office right now and get something for me. In thest desk¡­ and¡­"

    Lu Jingli watched the man make a few calls as he just sat there quietly.

    ¡­

    Inside Ning Xi''s room, the atmosphere was unbelievably heavy.

    Even Zhuang Keer and Zhuang Rongguang had arrived. Zhuang Keer was sobbing by Ning Xi''s bedside while Zhuang Rongguang looked really dismal.

    Yan Ruyi could not bring herself to look at the girl on the bed. "It''s all the fault of us Lus¡­ We made this child suffer¡­ Master Xuan Jing said she had a blissful life. She probably used it all up and exchanged it for Little Treasure''s life¡­"

    Lu Chongshan knew that it was useless no matter what he said, so he just stood there in silence.

    Zhuang Zongren sighed. This girl had yet to know that Little Treasure was her real child, yet she was willing to sacrifice herself for him¡­

    Zhuang Liaoyuan''s expression darkened. "Since it hase to this state, it''s futile no matter what we say. We don''t care what will be of Xiao Xi. We will take care of her forever."

    He then looked at Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan. "You can see Xiao Xi''s condition for yourself. We get that you feel guilty, but it''s alright now. Just forget about it."

    In Xiao Xi''s condition, she probably would never wake up again, so what was the point of guilt-tripping the Lu family and tying Lu Tingxiao down to a person in a vegetative state forever?

    It had just happened. While they might indeed be guilty of it, what could make a person stay forever?

    As everyone was silent in their thoughts¡­

    There was the sound of footsteps behind them.

    Lu Tingxiao and Lu Jingli had returned together. Behind them were Ling Zhizhi and Lu Tingxiao''s special assistant, Cheng Feng.

    For some reason, Lu Tingxiao seemed kind of different than before¡­

    Lu Tingxiao went into the room and gazed at everyone. "Since everyone''s here today, I''d like everyone to witness something for me."

    Witness?

    What was it?

    Everyone exchanged looks with no idea what Lu Tingxiao had in store.

    Even Lu Jingli was not sure what he had prepared, but he could somewhat guess a little¡­

    "Cheng Feng," Lu Tingxiao called his assistant.

    Cheng Feng quickly went up to him and took out a small, ck, square box from his bag. He handed it over to Lu Tingxiao carefully.

    Everyone then gaped as Lu Tingxiao went before Ning Xi''s bedside with that little ck velvet box.

 Chapter 1770: My One And Only Wife

    <h4>Chapter 1770: My One And Only Wife</h4>

    The man opened the box, revealing a pair of rings with a very simple design inside. The letters ''XX'' could be vaguely seen engraved on the inner surface of the ring.

    With everyone''s shocked gazes, Lu Tingxiao knelt down on one knee and slid the thicker ring onto the ring finger of his left hand, then he put the other ring onto Ning Xi''s ring finger gently.

    He¡­ This¡­

    This was¡­

    Zhuang Liaoyuan and Zhuang Zongren were astonished. Zhuang Keer and Zhuang Rongguang just stared at him nkly while Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan watched silently.

    After the initial surprise, Lu Jingli''s gaze softened. He had sort of expected this to happen.

    Lu Tingxiao kissed the girl''s finger, his cold and hoarse voice echoing in the quiet room, "I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life, Ning Xi, my one and only wife."

    The sun seeped through the window. The man was citing the oath alone, but his expression was saying that he was putting all of his life into this rtionship.

    Zhuang Keer''s eyes welled up and she started crying.

    The others were shocked from the beginning, but now all of them teared up¡­

    After a while, Cheng Feng softly said, "Boss, this is done as well."

    Cheng Feng handed him two booklets. It was¡­ their marriage certificate.

    Cheng Feng had to prepare everything in advance in the shortest time possible after Lu Tingxiao called him. He had called someone from the Civil Administration Department and got the entire deed done.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan had been really biased against Lu Tingxiao before, but he could not even utter a word at this moment. He did not expect Lu Tingxiao to pull off this move.

    Although Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan were shocked at first, they did expect it a little.

    They knew that it was bound to happen anyway¡­

    Yan Ruyi looked at the brightly-colored marriage certificates, feeling a pang of regret. If she had not been so stubborn back then and had let these two children be together earlier, they would have a happy family now instead of being in the current circumstances.

    It was toote to say anything now.

    Little Treasure could not stay still any longer when he saw what Cheng Feng had in his hand. He jumped off Zhuang Zongren and ran up to Cheng Feng swiftly, staring at Chengfeng intensely.

    Cheng Feng squatted down and handed the certificates to him.

    The little guy carefully held them in his arms, flipping them over and over again¡­

    Lu Jingli grinned as he went over and picked the little guy up. He peeked at Zhuang Rongguang and then mischievously said, "Are you happy, Little Treasure? If there''s anyone else who tells you that Xiao Xi Xi isn''t your mother, just hang these around your neck! One at the front, one at the back! Let them see!"

    Little Treasure nodded blissfully as he held the certificates tightly to his chest.

    ¡­

    Outside the room.

    Ling Zhizhi, Lu Jingli, Lu Tingxiao were talking beside a flower bed.

    Ling Zhizhi nced at the ring Lu Tingxiao had on his finger and she felt really touched.

    She did not expect to witness this scene. Little did she think that the two of them would really get married and under such circumstances.

    "It must be tough for you, Manager Ling. I''m afraid¡­ things are really chaotic on your side? Xiao Xi Xi is just too awesome!" Lu Jingli put up a bitter smile.

 Chapter 1771: Sheâ€™s Irreplaceable

    <h4>Chapter 1771: She¡¯s Irreceable</h4>

    Ling Zhizhi sighed, "Right! Xiao Xi is a natural born actress!"

    To be able to reach this height in such a short amount of time, it was not odd for the whole entertainment industry to be shaken.

    Ling Zhizhi paused for a while before she asked Lu Tingxiao, "CEO Lu, about the current situation¡­ I can''t suppress it anymore¡­ Are we following our initial ns and announcing Ning Xi''s condition?"

    The air turned still after Ling Zhizhi''s question.

    After some time, Lu Jingli broke the silence. "I suggest not to. Bro, you don''t understand how the entertainment industry works. You''d think with Xiao Xi Xi''s personality, she''d want her fans to know.

    "But, actually, it might be better if they didn''t know about it. If they found out that she''s in a vegetative state, people will start to question how she got her injuries. And where she is now? The media will pester us like bugs. They might find out about the sanatorium and might even involve the Zhuang family. It''ll getplicated and eventually get out of our control¡­"

    Ling Zhizhi looked dignified. "Second Master is right. That''s exactly what I was worried about, so I''m here today to discuss it with you."

    Lu Jingli tried to phrase it charmingly. "Bro, maybe we should just handle it by not handling it. We shan''t give any response and let time this matter away. It''s not umon for popr celebrities within the industry to suddenly vanish anyway. While it''ll attract a lot of attention in the short term, the public''s attention span is limited. As time passes, they''ll forget about it."

    Ling Zhizhi nodded. "Yes, if they can''t find out what happened, people will just assume that Ning Xi has retired. No matter what kind of personal reason they guess, it wouldn''t be anything serious."

    After a short while, Lu Tingxiao finally concluded, "We''ll do as the two of you said."

    Ling Zhizhi was relieved. "Okay."

    The three of them then discussed some other details.

    Lu Jingli looked like he had something else in mind. When they were about to wrap up, he hesitated again and finally turned to Lu Tingxiao. "Bro, actually¡­there''s another way¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao and Ling Zhizhi both looked at Lu Jingli''s direction.

    Lu Jingli then reminded them, "Did you guys forget about Su Yimo who''s still in jail? Her face is like a mirror of Ning Xi''s. If we didn''t catch her thest time, everyone was almost deceived by her. If we arrange it appropriately, there wouldn''t be any issue."

    Ling Zhizhi did not say anything. She just raised her eyebrows a little. There did not seem to be any w in Lu Jingli''s suggestion at all, but¡­

    This time, both Lu Jingli and Ling Zhizhi looked at Lu Tingxiao, waiting for his decision.

    Lu Tingxiao looked down and touched his ring. After some time, he said, "She''s irreceable."

    Ling Zhizhi felt a heavy blow to her heart when she heard him.

    Lu Jingli smiled, then shrugged. "Alright, alright. I knew you''d say that anyway, which is why I didn''t mention it before."

    Lu Jingli then said with a serious expression, "You''re right though. She''s irreceable."

 Chapter 1772: He Never Gave Up Waiting

    <h4>Chapter 1772: He Never Gave Up Waiting</h4>

    Winter passed and spring came.

    Swiftly, a year had passed.

    Early in the morning, the heavily guarded sanatorium was still cold and lonely as usual.

    There was a rock table under the Chinese parasol tree and two men were ying chess on it.

    The man opposite Zhuang Zongren had a ck chess piece in his hand. The ring on his finger gave off a fleeting shine.

    The man was in his usual ck suit, buttoned up to his sleeves. The coldness he used to exude, which could make anyone beside him suffocate, had mellowed and be a more reliable and matured aura.

    "That was fast¡­ A year has passed¡­" Zhuang Zongren sighed as he looked up into the sky.

    The man did not say anything, but the finger holding that ck chess piece paused.

    After some time, Zhuang Zongren put his chess piece down and asked the man opposite him, "Tell me, what is it that you want from me this time?"

    The man replied swiftly, "I want to bring Xiao Xi away."

    Zhuang Zongren frowned. After a long silence, he replied, "Fine, go then¡­ The girl must be bored staying in a lonely ce like this."

    A year was enough for everything to settle down. The public and media were crazy and furious at first, but now no one was looking at her anymore. No one would even mention her name again.

    She would not be bothered by anyone as she was long forgotten.

    Zhuang Zongren looked at the man. In the past year, this man did not stop apanying Xiao Xi. There was not a day that he stopped thinking about ways to make her wake up. He never gave up waiting.

    Even if it was just false hope.

    Zhuang Zongren opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but in the end, he just sighed.

    ¡­

    In the outskirts of Imperial, in a town spared from human pollution.

    An exquisite little house was located in the east corner of the town. There was a garden in the backyard by the mountains and beside it was a bigke which looked like crystals under the sunlight. Little deer and wild bunnies visited frequently to take a stroll and have a drink.

    Because there was a lot of deer around, people called it Deer Town. The town was pretty like it hade straight out of a fairy tale.

    Lu Jingli brought Lu Tingxiao around. "Bro, you have an excellent memory! You even remembered that I have a house here! I almost forgot about it myself. The people in this town are pretty nice and there''re no tourists around. It''s a quiet ce.

    "If there''s no jam, it''s about an hour''s drive to the city. You''ll never find another ce like this in Imperial. It''s really the best ce to recuperate.

    "Fortunately, I have some maids over here to maintain. It''s pretty spacious and enough for the medical staff and nurses, so if there''s no issue, you can transfer Sister-inw here anytime."

    Lu Jingli loved to y around and had gathered quite an amount of properties when he had gone wild back then.

    Lu Tingxiao nodded after looking around. "Alright."

    "Deal! Here''s the key." Lu Jingli tossed a bunch of keys over

    It had been a year since Xiao Xi Xi went unconscious. Everyone actually knew that this seemingly unbreakable man was clinging onto that tiny little glimmer of hope.

    Lu Jingli wanted tofort him but words just did note out.

    He had heard way too manyforting words.

 Chapter 1773: All Good Today

    <h4>Chapter 1773: All Good Today</h4>

    After that, Lu Tingxiao ferried Ning Xi from the sanatorium to Deer Town.

    Thend in Imperial was extremely expensive. This small town was initially the same as the rest and was meant to be relocated and reconstructed. However, back then, the residents had all gathered together to protest. Plus, one of the residents was an internationally renowned geologist. After he ran around advocating to save the town, it was preserved as a cultural heritage and to protect thendform, it was not opened to outsiders.

    In the evening, the afterglow of the sunset covered the entire garden. There was sweet-sounding birdsong by their ear, and the petals'' dew on the flower rack covered in Japanese roses was refracting shards of rainbow-colored rays.

    "Mr. Lu, you''re so early today!" When the caretaker saw from afar who hade, she quickly walked out to greet and took the jacket from the man''s hand.

    "How''s the Madam today?" The man asked as usual.

    "The Madam is all good today," answered the caretaker.

    "Mmm." The man nodded, then he walked upstairs.

    As usual, the caretaker swiftly prepared the hot water to bring upstairs and walked out of the room.

    Even though she was a professional caretaker hired by the Lu family with a high sry, her actual work was actually very little. This man had picked up all the skills of a caregiver, regarding all the care that the Madam needed, he would do it by himself. He even did it better than her as a professional.

    For an entire year, whether rain or shine, he never stopped.

    She had been a caretaker for many years and had seen too many forms of cold and warmth on Earth. The saying went that there were no dutiful children at the bedside ; this line wasmonly used between husband and wives too. Most people might grief at the start and personally take care of the patient for a few days, but once the days got longer, those who apanied these patients would usually only be left with caretakers themselves¡­

    This was the first time she had seen a man go to this extent for his wife¡­

    In the room.

    Lu Tingxiao casually rolled the sleeves of his blouse up and soaked the towel in hot water before he started to wipe the body of the girl on the bed.

    At that time, all of Ning Xi''s external wounds had been treated by that mysterious long-haired man, whose stitching skills were even gushed over in admiration as the work of God by the best suturing doctor in the military hospital.

    After a year of recovery, supplemented by medication to remove the scars, Ning Xi''s body almost showed no traces of injuries at all.

    On the contrary, because she stayed indoors all year round, on top of the utmost nursing and great care, the girl''s skin was even fairer and tender. Shey quietly on the bed as if she would wake up in the next second.

    Lu Tingxiao wiped the girl''s body well, then he put on all sorts of skincare products on her. He carefully helped herb her long, jet-ck, waterfall-like hair. After that, he skillfully massaged her body.

    After he was done with everything, the man sat at the bedside and lightly nted a kiss on the girl''s forehead.

    Every day, he repeated the same process, the same actions.

    At this moment, there was the sound of someone running upstairs from outside the door. It disrupted the man''s absent-minded routine, then he saw that Little Treasure was holding a huge bouquet of flowers that he had just picked as he ran swiftly towards the room.

    Indeed, because he ran too quickly, he was careless when passing through the doorway. The little guy suddenly tripped and he fell sturdily onto the ground. The wildflowers in his hand scattered across the ground.

    Lu Tingxiao quickly got up and walked swiftly over to help Little Treasure up. He frowned as he looked at how his knee was red and swollen.

    "Sit here, don''t move. I''ll go get medicine." Lu Tingxiao immediately had a serious expression as he turned around to get the first aid kit.

    Behind him, Little Treasure sat on the floor, staring nkly at the injury on his knee.

    Lu Tingxiao was putting the medicine for him as the little guy stared nkly at his knee. He did not say anything from the start to the end. He also did not shift his gaze at all.

    "What''s wrong?" Lu Tingxiao asked with a frown.

    The little guy touched his knee, looked up, and answered the man with his ck eyes, "Mommy¡­ Mommy will blow wind for Little Treasure¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression suddenly stiffened as if that weakyer of shell around him had suddenly been struck hard and was covered in cracks.

    Momentster, the man calmed down as he looked at his son and bent over to get closer. He blew clumsily at the part of his son''s knee where it had been hurt. "Does it still hurt?"

    Little Treasure rubbed his eyes, then he shook his head. "I''m not a five-year-old child anymore."

    Mommy, Little Treasure is already six years old! In fact, there is still a few more months before Little Treasure will turn seven.

    Mommy, when I turn seven years old, can you wake up?

    Mommy, I know I am not a child anymore .

    But, Mommy, I really miss you¡­

    ¡­

 Chapter 1774: House Is Not A Home

    <h4>Chapter 1774: House Is Not A Home</h4>

    Not long after dinner, Lu Tingxiao''s phone suddenly rang urgently.

    "Hello?" Lu Tingxiao picked up the call.

    "Hello! Bro! Not good¡­ Father¡­ Father fainted at home! Now, he''s been sent to the hospital¡­ The doctor says¡­ this time¡­ he might not make it¡­" From the other end of the phone came Lu Jingli''s stammering, clearly at a loss.

    The man''s expression instantly sank deeply. "I''ll be there right away."

    "Hold on! Bro, bring Little Treasure along too. What if Father, he¡­" Lu Jingli still could not bring himself to utter the possibility.

    The man paused. "Understood."

    ¡­

    At night, at Imperial Hospital.

    Lu Chongshan had just been rescued and was lying in the intensive care ward.

    "Doctor? How''s my husband?"

    The attending doctor looked solemn. "In this period of time, Mr. Lu''s health hasn''t been too good. This time was an especially dangerous situation. I''m afraid it''ll be very hard for him to make it¡­"

    Yan Ruyi''s body trembled. She could not stand upright anymore and she fell into Lu Jingli''s embrace, weeping, "Chongshan¡­"

    "Mother, don''t cry! Nothing''s happen to Father yet! Didn''t he make it through all those times? It was also a dangerous case six years ago, but he didn''t he make it too? Father''s experienced so much. This time, he''ll definitely make it through!" Lu Jingliforted with a firm tone.

    The doctor encouraged, "On our side, we''ll definitely do our very best."

    Little Treasure stared nkly at the old man in the intensive care ward through the ss window. He lightly tugged onto his grandmother''s hand and held it tightly.

    Yan Ruyi squatted down and hugged Little Treasure in her arms as if she was hugging onto ast floating log down the river.

    On the side, the silent Lu Tingxiao nced at the doctor, then asked him to go to a spot far away in a lowered voice.

    "I want to hear the truth," Lu Tingxiao said frankly.

    The doctor forced a smile and answered, "Actually, the main thing will depend on the patient''s will to live. You''ve seen the elder''s health situation in this one year for yourself. He suffers from a mental knot, not being able to untie the knot and facing this result right now was something that was bound to happen¡­ His illness is affected too much by his emotions¡­"

    Actually, they had indeed predicted this. Since the beginning of the meeting of the ns and the blow from the stream of events that had happened, in the past year, Lu Chongshan''s body had gradually deteriorated and weakened¡­

    "On our side, we''ll definitely do our best. As family members, you can''t do much now either. Try your best tofort him, have him to not take things too hard. Maybe things will take a turn for the better." Even though the doctor said this, he did not hold much hope either. It had been a year after all and if there was any mental block that could be resolved, it would have long been resolved. How could it improve overnight?

    "Got it, thank you."

    Yan Ruyi was tired from crying. She sat in a daze on the bench and muttered to herself, "Your father, he¡­ Even though he usually doesn''t say it, he knows that¡­ hurting you guys was all of his fault¡­ hurt Xiao Xi¡­ hurt you¡­ and hurt Little Treasure too¡­ Now Xiao Xi will be bed-ridden for the rest of her life¡­ As for you and Little Treasure, your lives are considered ruined too¡­ Our entire family is ruined too¡­ The house is not a home¡­"

    Lu Jingli and Lu Tingxiao stood there in silence as no one said anything.

    In the quiet corridor, only the sound of Yan Ruyi''s mournful sobs was heard. Gloomy clouds hovered over everyone''s heads.

    After that, Lu Chongshan had to be closely monitored in the hospital.

    Only when Little Treasure was around would Lu Chongshan''s situation improve a little. He could force himself to take a few bites of food. In this period of time, Little Treasure had been obediently apanying him in the hospital.

    The news of Lu Chongshan being critically ill was leaked. All the family ns had rushed from all over to Imperial to find out about it. Suddenly, all the people in the entire family n and the Lu corporation were anxious again¡­

 Chapter 1775: Early Mornings First Beam of Sun

    <h4>Chapter 1775: Early Morning''s First Beam of Sun</h4>

    Darkness¡­

    Boundless¡­

    As if it was a darkness that would note to an end¡­

    She did not know how long she had been walking for, nor did she know how far she had walked¡­

    She only knew that this road did not seem to have an end¡­

    So tired¡­

    So tired¡­

    Just like that¡­

    Justy down here like that¡­

    Her consciousness was gradually stripped away, swallowed bit by bit by the darkness¡­

    However, every time she was about to be swallowed by that swamp-like darkness, there would always be a weak beam of light shining ahead weakly yet persistently. There seemed to be a gentle and beautiful voice by her ears too. It had never stopped injecting her body with energy in a steady flow.

    She got up again and continued to walk, continued to walk¡­

    She was too exhausted and did not know what was going on. She could not think about anything, but she still remembered one thing - that at the end of that weak light was something very important waiting for her¡­

    ¡­

    The tug-of-war kept repeating like that. She was not sure how long it had persisted, how many times.

    Finally, that light was bing brighter and brighter as if it was closer to her now¡­ much closer.

    She fought hard with herst bit of strength, running against the direction of that light with all her might.

    Boom! There was an explosion!

    The ring white light engulfed her entire being, her entire world turning from the extreme darkness to extreme brightness.

    Inside this room that was filled with a floral fragrance, on a simple bed with exquisite wooden carvings that was designed to be exceptionally cozy, there was a girl dressed in a white sleeping gown. Her eyes that had not reacted the slightest for a long time were now trembling.

    Some time passed when those pair of eyes finally, gradually opened up bit by bit. Her eyshes were like the wings of a butterfly that started to unfold.

    The early morning''s first beam of sunlight filled those pair of crystal clear eyes. It was unfathomably beautiful.

    Her sight was saturated with the ring white light. After a long while, her vision slowly recovered and she could see everything before her clearly.

    Above her were ace canopy and a ceiling with a ssic design. It was a clean and elegant room that was decorated tastefully. On the table was an enameled vase with a bunch of beautiful wildflowers. The wind chimes at the door were making tinkling sounds in the breeze.

    Outside the window, the gem-like surface of theke was overflowing with light and colors, reflecting the sky and the morning sun above them.

    It was a fairytale-like ce.

    Had she juste from a nightmare to a sweet dream?

    Ning Xi looked around. After she finished examining her surroundings, she then used her arms to push herself up slowly.

    Her initially nimble body had, for some reason, be extremely stiff. Although she had just tried to sit up, she had done it with much difficulty.

    Also, the breathing mask on her face plus all sorts of instruments and wirings attached to her made her unhappy.

    Ning Xi did as she wished. One by one, she took all of those things off and used a long while to get used to her stiff body before she slowly got down from the bed and muddleheadedly walked out of the room.

    Ning Xi''s entire body felt like she was stepping on clouds. She felt like she was floating about and unconsciously, she found herself walking downstairs past the garden. She drifted further away aimlessly.

    If this was still a dream, she liked this dream.

    It had been too long. She was done with the darkness.

    Now in this dream, at least she could see, hear, and move.

    This dream was great.

    She kept walking¡­

    Until¡­

    She walked to the entrance of a little store filled with books, magazines, and newspapers.

    In the shop, an old man was sitting inside and watching television. The television seemed to be showing the entertainment news, then came the regretful voice of a female host.

    "Sigh, the rookies seem to be getting worse with each generation. It looks like Han Zixuan''s job-hopping had a huge impact on Glory World Entertainment. Once the leader of the entertainment industry, it is now rapidly waning. I''m afraid they''re about to withdraw from the history of entertainment¡­"

 Chapter 1776: After A Nightâ€™s Sleep

    <h4>Chapter 1776: After A Night¡¯s Sleep</h4>

    "Sigh, the rookies seem to be getting worse with each generation. It looks like Han Zixuan''s job-hopping had a huge impact on Glory World Entertainment. Once the leader of the entertainment industry, it is now rapidly waning. I''m afraid they''re about to withdraw from the history of entertainment¡­"

    Ning Xi''s wandering thoughts came back when she saw this news.

    She looked nkly at herself, then observed the town.

    Was she dreaming?

    Where was this? Why was she here after she woke up? Where was Lu Tingxiao and Little Treasure?

    Was Little Treasure not kidnapped by Qiao Yi?

    However, it did not feel real¡­

    She could not understand the entertainment news from the television at all.

    Who was Han Zixuan?

    Was Glory World Entertainment dwindling?

    She looked up at the television, but the news had ended. The old man changed the channel and was enjoying his soap opera.

    Ning Xi''s eyes were set on the newspapers in front of the stall as she said gently, "Bo-¡­"

    Her voice was hoarse like sandpaper rubbing together. Were her vocal cords injured as well?

    "Boss¡­"

    Ning Xi tried again. It went much smoother this time.

    It did not feel like she was injured; more like she had not spoken for a long time and had not adapted to it.

    "I''m here! What do you need?" The uncle peeled his eyes off the television and looked at the girl in front of his stall.

    The next moment, the owner was stunned. He did not even realize the cup was overflowing while he kept pouring alcohol into it as he just stared at Ning Xi¡­

    The girl did not put on any makeup or essories. She had waist-long ck hair and was wearing a white skirt with some little flowers on it. The immense flower bed behind her was not able to steal the highlight away from her¡­

    Simply too beautiful¡­

    She was like an angel that had fallen from the sky¡­

    "Boss?"

    Ning Xi called him a few times before he came back to his senses. "Ah¡­ You¡­ What do you need?"

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t bring any money out¡­ May I have a look at these newspapers?"

    "S-sure! Of course! Feel free to look around!"

    "Thank you."

    Ning Xi took up the nearest paper and flipped to the entertainment news.

    The headline consisted of a picture from a scene. The woman in the picture was wearing an ancient, red Oriental dress. She sat on the yellow sand with a big earthen jar of Chinese wine beside her. With her bright red lips, elegant eyebrows, she was a rampant beauty¡­

    The title of the headline was "Guo Qisheng Directing The TV Series of ''The World'', Han Zixuan Confirmed to Take Up the Role Of Meng Changge".

    Han Zixuan¡­

    This name again¡­

    Was Guo Qisheng making a TV series of "The World"?

    How was that possible?

    She never heard about it before!

    Ning Xi flipped through several other newspapers and realized that the name Han Zixuan appeared frequently. Most of the newspapers and magazines were talking about her.

    She even saw an ambiguous photo of her and Jiang Muye¡­

    The two of them were kissing in a dark bar. While the image was unclear, it was obvious that the man in the picture was Jiang Muye¡­

    What had happened?

    After a night''s sleep¡­

    The whole world had changed so much!

 Chapter 1777: Unreal Feeling

    <h4>Chapter 1777: Unreal Feeling</h4>

    As the information from the newspapers and magazines flowed into her mind, she felt confused and chaotic.

    Until¡­ she saw another headline¡­

    It was also about Guo Qisheng initiating the TV series of "The World", but the title this time was "After Two Years, Guo Qisheng Is Making The TV Series Of ''The World''!"

    Ning Xi''s eyes locked onto the word "after two years"¡­

    Two years?

    How was that possible?

    A year had not even passed yet since she hadpleted filming!

    Was it the editor''s mistake?

    Suddenly she realized that all the dates on these newspapers¡­ were 201X?!

    The editor might be mistaken, but it was impossible for all these newspapers to be wrong, wasn''t it?

    Ning Xi''s voice trembled slightly, "Boss¡­"

    "Miss, do you need anything else?" The owner''s eyes had not strayed from the girl in front of him the whole time. He swiftly replied when she called out to him.

    "I''d like to know¡­ what year is it now?"

    The owner''s expression turned from impressed to stunned. He was thinking that maybe this beautiful girl was actually mentally challenged.

    "Uh, Miss, are you alright? It''s 201X year now¡­ By the way, I think I''ve never seen you in town before. Are you from¡­"

    Ning Xi could not hear what the owner said at the end. She could not believe what she had just heard.

    Had she slept for a whole year?

    No wonder! No wonder everything had changed¡­

    Many new faces had appeared in the entertainment news.

    The entertainment industry moved on quickly. New artistes would pop up every now and then, what more after a year¡­

    There were two high school girls behind Ning Xi when she was talking to the owner and they were staring at Ning Xi''s direction.

    One of them dragged her friend closer. "Gosh! Look at thatdy! Why¡­ Why does she look so much like Ning Xi?"

    "Ning Xi? Who?" Her friend was confused.

    "That Ning Xi! The artiste I really liked before!" The student almost screamed.

    After some time, she managed to recognize her. "Oh, you seemed pretty into female celebritiesst year¡­ but you must be mistaken! Didn''t you say she retired?"

    "But¡­ she really looks like it¡­ Hmm, wait, her aura¡­ Something seems different after all¡­ She gives off an unreal feeling¡­"

    "Stop messing around! You must''ve made a mistake!"

    "Okay¡­"

    ¡­

    "Thank you."

    Ning Xi went back to the house she came out from after she thanked the owner.

    It seemed like she would need to ask someone to know more.

    At the same time, by the room door on the second floor of the house.

    Lu Jingli was like a cornered lion. He was going crazy. "Missing! What do you mean missing? How can a person suddenly vanish?"

    The caretaker was dumbfounded. She replied as her whole body trembled, "Second Master, I really don''t know¡­ Ms. Annie''s ointment is meant to be applied every three hours. I''m just here on time to apply it on Madam¡­ but¡­ she was gone¡­"

 Chapter 1778: Long Time No See

    <h4>Chapter 1778: Long Time No See</h4>

    A vegetative-state person in bed could not walk or jump on her own. The caretaker had no idea how Ning Xi had vanished.

    A man in a ck suit came into the room with a defeated expression. "Second Master, I''ve contacted everyone and no one has reported anything odd¡­ and I''ve checked around. There''s no sign of anyone breaking in¡­"

    Lu Jingli stared at the empty bed and the machines that had been obviously yanked around. He did not want to hear anything else as he held his head in despair and kept on repeating the same phrase, "It''s over¡­ It''s over¡­"

    Xiao Xi Xi was now his brother''s life!

    If something went wrong¡­

    His brother, Little Treasure¡­ Even the whole Lu family might not be able to take this blow¡­

    The sanatorium was so heavily guarded andcked human contact due to the tight security, so they wanted to switch ces for Xiao Xi Xi and hopefully, it would help her a little. There was no overlyplicated security in the house like there was in the sanatorium.

    A year passed and Ning Xi''s name was nowhere to be seen in the entertainment industry. No one tracked her news anymore. As for other possibilities¡­

    The people in town were pretty simple. They had even set up a security perimeter around the town, so they would have noticed if anyone suspicious entered.

    Then, just who could have brought Xiao Xi Xi away?

    Who else could move a person away without anyone noticing?

    Could it be the mysterious man from before?

    Unlimited possibilities were running through his mind. Lu Jingli fisted his hair in frustration.

    "She''s gone! She''s gone! She''s gone! How can she be gone?! How can there be no traces at all? Is it even possible that she got down from the bed and walked out on her own?

    "If someone brought her away, they must still be in the town! Go and look around! Get everybody on it! No matter what, we need to find her before my brother finds out! Quick!"

    Lu Jingli was yelling and his voice echoed through the house. A flock of birds nearby were scared off.

    At that moment¡­

    There was azy and hoarse voice behind him.

    "Mmm¡­ Who are you looking for? Me?"

    Suddenly¡­

    The air froze.

    Lu Jingli seemed petrified. His whole body turned into a rock. Only after some time, he turned around slowly.

    He then saw a girl with long ck hair in a white dress. Her hair was rippling in the wind¡­

    The caretaker and the man in the ck suit were stunned when they saw the girl who had suddenly appeared.

    Lu Jingli just stared at the girl in front of him, his mouth was wide open and his mind went out of control. He did not know how to react.

    Ning Xi smiled gently at the awkward man, "Second Master, long time no see."

    Lu Jingli''s eyes went watery as tears rolled down his face. "Xiao Xi Xi¡­"

 Chapter 1779: Evil Spirit That Could Remove Seals

    <h4>Chapter 1779: Evil Spirit That Could Remove Seals</h4>

    Lu Jingli''s head was about to explode. He already did not know whether tough or to cry.

    "This¡­ This can''t be real¡­ I''m dreaming¡­ I must be dreaming," Lu Jingli mumbled as he reached out towards Ning Xi with a faltering hand, but very quickly, he pulled back. "Oh, no¡­ My brother will beat me up¡­ I''d better just pinch myself¡­"

    Then, he pinched his thigh as hard as he could.

    "Ow¡ª!" He cried out in pain as his tears fell down even harder. He was practically bawling like an idiot. "Sis-inw! You woke up, you''ve woken up, you''re up! You really woke up! I''m not dreaming! Oh my God! I''m about to go crazy!"

    Lu Jingli darted around the room emotionally. When he was done, he suddenly came to a sudden halt and ran up to Ning Xi. He carefully extended a finger out and poked her body. "Y-you''re really¡­ not an illusion! Oh¡­"

    After he poked her, he started going around the room like a madman again.

    When Lu Jingli''s brain finally returned to normal, a very long while had passed.

    In the room, only Lu Jingli and Ning Xi were left.

    Ning Xi looked helpless. "Okay, dunce! Stop running around. My eyesight is getting blurry. Come over and hold me¡­ My legs are a little numb¡­"

    When Lu Jingli heard this, he quickly ran over and held as though he was holding the emperor''s father. Carefully, he helped Ning Xi to the sofa.

    "Sit down. I''ve something to ask you."

    "Oh, oh, oh¡­" Lu Jingli quickly sat down obediently.

    "How long have I been in aa for?" Ning Xi asked the question she was most concerned about.

    "Exactly a year and a month!" Lu Jingli immediately answered.

    Ning Xi was horrified as she iled her arms and legs. "I''ve really been in aa for so long! No wonder I feel like my body doesn''t feel like mine anymore. I''m practically a mummy. Walking and just talking requires so much effort¡­:

    Lu Jingli stared at her incredulously. "Please! You''ve been lying in bed for a year. Not a day, not a week and not a month either! Other people find it hard to even get up after lying down for a year! They don''t run around like you. Do you know that you almost frightened me to death?!"

    Ning Xi blinked innocently. "Mmm¡­ I just walked around nearby downstairs. I wasn''t very clear-headed when I just woke up. I thought I was still in my dreams and I walked out in a daze¡­"

    "You actually went downstairs too! You even walked around!" Lu Jingli was incredibly dumbfounded by the woman before him. Out of the blue, he was then almost blinded by the bedazzling woman before him.

    If they said that the Ning Xi in aa was a sleeping beauty, then the Ning Xi who had just woken up was practically an evil spirit that could remove seals, even more powerfully than before! He simply could not find the right adjective to describe this beauty!

    Little Annie''s prescription was just too God-like!

    She hadin for so long, yet her skin was still so supple that you could bounce moisture off it. Although her body was very stiff,pared to a typical person, she was already many times better.

    Most importantly was her mannerisms that seemed as if it had gone through a thorough change. Her entire being had shed ayer of mortal flesh.

    "Right, who''s Han Zixuan?" She had finally caught onto someone''s name, so Ning Xi immediately asked the question she was previously puzzling over.

    She was pressed to rify the situation and to confirm that she had now really woken up and was living in reality.

    Lu Jingli was a little surprised when he heard her. "How do you know the name Han Zixuan?"

    "Earlier, when I passed by a nearby shop, I saw it in the newspaper," answered Ning Xi.

    Lu Jingli studied her, unsure if he should say it. He only answered after choosing his words carefully. "Han Zixuan could be considered the most popr female artiste in the entertainment industry right now¡­"

 Chapter 1780: Wow, I Was So Amazing!

    <h4>Chapter 1780: Wow, I Was So Amazing!</h4>

    "A year ago, you fell into aa. In the first three months, Ling Zhizhi covered up for you and we hoped she could drag it on until the day you woke up, but in the end, we still couldn''t keep it covered up for long.

    "''Nine Realms'' and ''Mother'' were released in theatres one after another. You just got too popr and you received all sorts of huge awards and endorsements until Ling Zhizhi''s hands were tied. All over the media was coverage about you. Among the female artistes in the entire entertainment industry, you were the most popr¡­"

    Lu Jingli was just getting emotional as he recalled this when he quickly stopped. He nced worriedly at her, afraid that she would not be able to ept the current contrast in circumstances.

    "Wow, I was so amazing!" Ning Xi cupped her chin and was listening eagerly. Then, she urged, "Continue! And then? What does all of this have to do with Han Zixuan?"

    When Lu Jingli saw that she seemed quite nonchnt, he continued, "Exactly! Because you were so popr, you drew too much attention, so your going missing couldn''t be contained anymore. Later on, after we discussed it at length, we decided not to respond to the public and let you naturally retire¡­"

    Ning Xi nodded in understanding. In such a situation then, cold treatment was indeed the best way to deal with it because if they responded, no matter what message was released, it would only be attacked like mad by the media, leading to all sorts of suspicions. It might even be intentionally distorted and misinterpreted.

    "This Han Zixuan popped up after you vanished. She was initially Glory World Entertainment''s new artiste. You rocketed to poprity. Glory World Entertainment wanted to create a few more simr artistes with your style, so they recruited many rookies who looked attractice, but because of your limelight suppressing them, none of these rookies stood out.

    "However, because you suddenly went missing, all your resources and a lot of coborations were all set aside. Naturally, Glory World could not sit idle. They had to find other artistes under theirbel to gobble up all of these opportunities.

    "Back then, I had already returned to help my brother with thepany. Glory World''s side of things waspletely handed over to Yi Xudong to handle. The new artiste that Yi Xudong groomed to rece you after that was Han Zixuan!

    "All of your opportunities were almost all taken over by her. In such a situation, even a blockhead can be popr!"

    "No wonder¡­ What''s the deal with the job-hopping? Yi Xudong supported her so well, so why would she still jumppanies?" Ning Xi was confused.

    Lu Jingliughed grimly and answered, "Haha, Sis-inw, not everyone''s like you! To repay the gratitude of patronage, you can go through water and tread on fire. There are too many people in the entertainment industry who wouldn''t hesitate to kick their benefactor in the teeth. Besides, Yi Xudong and that Han Zixuan were just bordering on unspoken rules; it was simply a transaction of money and lust.

    "Because all of Han Zixuan''s opportunities were initially yours, she waspletely taking your route. As long as she stayed in Glory World Entertainment, she would need to live in your shadow, thus naturally, she couldn''t wait to leave!

    "Not only did she leave, she even took away arge group of Glory World''s artistes with her manager. All of them turned to Glory World''s rival, Starlight. Every opportunity that Yi Xudong had thrown her way were obviously all wrenched away too. Everything really went right down the drain!"

    Lu Jingli paused, then he spread out his hands and continued to say, "The point is, now Glory World Entertainment isn''t the same as before. We''ve beenpletely suppressed by Starlight.

    "After the incident happened, I looked for Yi Xudong to discuss matters once. I let him allocate the more urgent opportunities in equal proportions ording to the performance and qualifications of thepany''s artistes. Those that could be dragged on should be dyed, especially those with better scripts.

    "However, he promised the sun and the moon in front of me before he turned around to throw it all at that woman. When I questioned him, he even tried to push the me and said that the investors had mentioned names to be assigned. Pfft! Did he think I didn''t know about the tricks he was pulling behind my back?

    "Now that it''s turned out like this, the guy still has the audacity to run to the corporation to cry for help! Sure, I''ll save his ass!"

 Chapter 1781: Just Woken Up And Already Going Overboard Messing Around

    <h4>Chapter 1781: Just Woken Up And Already Going Overboard Messing Around</h4>

    "This idiot! He put so much effort into creating a counterfeit, but in the end, he threw away the entirepany!"

    As he spoke, Lu Jingli started to get angrier.

    As the party involved, Ning Xi was rather calm and collected. She said without a look of surprise, "The weak are prey to the strong. Personal interestse first. Hasn''t the entertainment industry always been like this?"

    Even if 90% of the entirepany''s artistes were to bebined, it would notpare to the huge benefits reaped by producing a superstar. It was no wonder that Yi Xudong would have wanted to clone another version of her.

    She had listened so far when Ning Xi''s heart that had been floating listlessly finally firmlynded onto the ground.

    That endless darkness was finally over¡­

    She was finally awake¡­

    "Where''s your brother? And Little Treasure? How are they?" Ning Xi''s voice trembled slightly as she asked.

    Lu Jingli did not want to worry her, so he briefly exined the situation. "When Little Treasure just woke up, he was in shock, butter on he recovered because he knew that you needed him, so he was very sensible and apanied you to take care of you. Every day, he read to you, sang to you and stayed with you. Every day, he would draw you a portrait even if you looked the same every day. These past few days, my father has fallen ill, that''s why he''se over less recently¡­

    "As for my brother, since you''ve be like this, how else could he be? His entire spirit is defeated. He''s left holding on to a sole belief, waiting for you to wake up¡­"

    When Lu Jingli said this, he suddenly shouted, "Ah, ah, ah! Right! I have to quickly tell my brother that you''ve woken up! My brother will definitely be hopping happily!"

    Just when Ning Xi saw that Lu Jingli was about to make a call, she held his hand down instead. "Hold on."

    "What''s wrong?"

    "Where''re your brother and Little Treasure now?" Ning Xi asked.

    Lu Jingli looked at the time on the clock, then he answered, "Right now, Little Treasure must be in ss. As for my brother¡­ he''s at the bar!"

    Ning Xi was astonished when she heard this. She thought that she heard him wrong. "The bar? At this hour?"

    In fact, Lu Tingxiao did not drink.

    Lu Jingli nodded as he smiled bitterly. "You have no idea. Ever since you fell into aa, my brother''s insomnia became more and more severe. Only every night when he bes pissed drunk in that chaotic and noisy bar does it be slightly better.

    "I know that if things continue like this, his body won''t be able to take it, but if I don''t let him vent it out and temporarily numb his pain, he wouldn''t be able to hold on¡­ Thankfully¡­ thankfully, Sis-inw, you''re finally awake!"

    "Second Master¡­"

    Lu Jingli blinked and said, "Sis-inw, call me Jingli! Call me Jingli! We''re a family! That sounds like you''re regarding me as an outsider!"

    Ning Xi did not notice any problem with Lu Jingli''s sentence. After all, he had always straight up called her sister-inw back then, so she changed her mind and said, "Okay, Jingli, Little Treasure is in school. Let''s not disturb him first. Bring me to look for your brother first!"

    Lu Jingli was slightly shocked. "Ah? You want to immediately go look for my brother? You mean¡­?"

    "I want to surprise him," Ning Xi said with a little cunning light in her eyes.

    Lu Jingli''s mouth instantly twitched. "Ahem¡­ Are you sure it''s a surprise? Why do I feel like my brother will be frightened to death by you?! Sis-inw, shouldn''t we take it easier? You''ve just woken up and you already want to go overboard messing around. That can''t be too good an idea, can it?"

    Ning Xi''s glittering eyes narrowed. "I''ve already been lying down for a year. Now that I''ve finally woken up, can''t I mess around for a while?"

    Earlier, Ning Xi had given him a surreal feeling, but now when he noticed the girl''s familiar tone and mannerisms, Lu Jingli nodded like a rattle-drum. "Sure! Sure, you can! Super can! Whatever you say goes!"

 Chapter 1782: You Think Iâ€™ll Eat Him Alive?

    <h4>Chapter 1782: You Think I¡¯ll Eat Him Alive?</h4>

    At the bar.

    The music was very loud and bright lights were dancing everywhere to the tempo of the music.

    Lu Jingli led Ning Xi into the bar through a special entry, carefully shielding her.

    When they reached the entrance, Lu Jingli suddenly stopped and had a serious expression on his face. "Wait, wait¡­ Sister-inw, let''s get something to cover your face! It''s attracting too much attention!"

    He then grabbed a silver mask that was able to cover half her face from the bar top and put it on Ning Xi, feeling much safer.

    Ning Xi looked around the noisy environment, then she understood why Lu Tingxiao would go there to get himself drunk.

    Only ces like this made him feel alive.

    Ning Xi felt an excruciating pain twist her insides.

    "My brother is upstairs." Lu Jingli pointed somewhere on the second floor.

    The first level was a crowded dance floor, while the second floor had several semi-closed rooms, from which people could watch the dance floor. Those on the dance floor, on the other hand, would not be able to see anything in the room. In those private rooms, one could have a bird''s eye view of the whole ce, but not be disturbed at the same time.

    "Sister-inw, actually¡­ I think you should be gentler¡­ For example, I was almost scared to death just now!" Lu Jingli was still trying to convince her as he brought her upstairs.

    "Am I not gentle?"

    "No, no! I didn''t mean that! I just want to know how you''ll be springing the surprise on my brother. At least, I can be mentally prepared!"

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. "What do you need to prepare when I''m giving your brother a surprise!? Stop messing around and bring me there. Do you think I''ll eat him alive?"

    "Uhh, of course not! You''re not like that!" Lu Jingli said.

    "How do you know? It''s just that my body isn''t what it used to be before!" Ning Xi sounded regretful.

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

    ¡­

    Ning Xi was getting impatient with Lu Jingli''s nagging and she went forward towards the room.

    The hulking bodyguard in the ck suit blocked the door like a mountain when he saw someoneing. "If you''ve got no business here, you aren''t allowed here."

    Lu Jingli quickly went up to ask, "Is my brother inside?"

    The bodyguard''s expression softened when he saw Lu Jingli. "Yes, Second Master, he''s inside."

    "Oh, okay. Then, open the door and let her in," Lu Jingli ordered.

    The bodyguard was looking at the unknown masked woman alertly hesitantly. "Second Master, this¡­"

    "It''s okay, move away. I''ll take responsibility if anything happens." Lu Jingli waved his hand.

    The bodyguard shifted away since he saw it was someone Lu Jingli had brought personally and the Second Master had said so with such certainty.

    Lu Jingli was about to enter the room with Ning Xi when she raised her eyebrows and stopped him. "Why are you following me?"

    Lu Jingli was trying to make his final struggle. "Well, my being in there doesn''t really affect your surprise, does it?"

    Ning Xi grinned. "If you''re not afraid of what you''re about to see, thene on in. While I might not be able to do a lot with my current body, it''d be enough to make you jealous!"

    Lu Jingli quickly changed his tone in the next moment. "Please go in, Sister-inw. I''ll guard the door for you outside!"

    Just how could he be responsible!?

    Xiao Xi Xi was going to make things wild, and he would not be able to bear any responsibility!

    He could not do anything anyway since he was at the bottom of the food chain!

    Bro, don''t me me! I was forced to do so!

 Chapter 1783: Darling, Iâ€™m Back!

    <h4>Chapter 1783: Darling, I¡¯m Back!</h4>

    Ning Xi pushed the door and went inside.

    The room had a simple design. A ck coffee table was in the middle with a U-shaped calf leather sofa surrounding it. Opposite it was a semi-closed European-style railing from which one could take in all of the mor and bustle below.

    The room was exceptionally clean and not as messy as she expected.

    While the environment outside was noisy, this room felt isted, providing her with an intense feeling of loneliness.

    What attracted her was the man on the sofa.

    Ning Xi felt every single sound pass by her ear when she saw the person. The bright lights around her turned dim as well.

    In her eyes, in her whole world, there was only one light left; only this person in front of her was left.

    The man''s eyes were cold as he pursed his lips and closed his eyes. He put his elbow on the sofa arm and rested his head on his arm. If it were not for the numerous amount of empty wine bottles beside him, anyone would think he was just thinking or taking a rest.

    This man was so disciplined even when he was getting himself drunk.

    Ning Xi held back the urge to cry. Instead, she stood there and smiled. "Mister, do you need some service?"

    The girl''s dry and hoarse voice joined the noisy music.

    "Get lost."

    The next moment, a wine ss smashed to the floor beside her feet.

    While the ss did not injure her, the man''s overwhelming rage and the cold aura he emitted was enough to make anyone feel like a death god was pointing a de at their throat.

    The girl did not seem to sense the danger. She went up to the man. "Are you sure, Mister? I''m sure you''ll be satisfied with me."

    "Do you want to die?"

    The man on the sofa opened his eyes and red at her with his striking cold eyes.

    At the same time, Ning Xi''s legs seem to have its own consciousness. They went forward, ignoring everything as they continued to march towards the man''s direction.

    All the surprise ideas in her head had now turned into one single thought: get near him! Hug him! Kiss him!

    "Miss you¡­"

    The next moment, the girl took off her mask, her cloud-like weight falling into the man''s arms.

    At the same time, her lips connected with the man''s lips without thinking like soft petals.

    When the familiar face came into his sight, when her gentle body fell onto his, when the girl''s sweet fragrance filled his nose¡­

    The man tensed up. His hands were frozen mid-air as they lostmand. He just sat there without moving and let the girl kiss him¡­

    A few seconds ago, he was exuding such an immense intent to kill, but now he let down all his armor and showed his weakness. Ning Xi''s heart ached with pain.

    After that, she pushed the man down on the sofa with the feeble strength she mustered. Her hair formed a curtain above the man''s face.

    The man''s deep, dark eyes were staring right at the girl. His hand on her waist suddenly tightened as he trembled slightly.

    "Mmm, don''t pinch me! You''ll feel your heart ache!" The girly down on the man''s chest, then she gently bit the man on his lips. "Darling, I''m back¡­"

 Chapter 1784: Accompany Me For A Little Longer, Alright?

    <h4>Chapter 1784: Apany Me For A Little Longer, Alright?</h4>

    It had been a long time¡­ since hest saw that smile¡­

    That lively light¡­

    His life¡­

    His whole world¡­

    Was back¡­

    Waves weaved in the man''s eyes as he locked his eyes onto the girl and kissed her without hesitation.

    The girl clung to the man''s neck and kissed him back.

    Within just ten seconds, Ning Xi felt exhausted. She turned her face away and rested on the man''s shoulder. "S-stop for a while¡­ I can''t breathe¡­ It''s suffocating¡­"

    The man''s expression changed, then he quickly sat up and straddled the girl on hisp. "Where do you feel ufortable?"

    "Mmm, it''s okay. It''s just that I feel slightly weaker than before¡­ Damn it! I was nning to fool around even more! This body is way too weak¡­"

    The man''s expression darkened. "Who allowed you toe here?"

    "It''s Lu Jingli! He brought me here!" Ning Xi sold Lu Jingli out without hesitation, but she exined in his stead, "But I forced him to bring me here because I wanted to give you a surprise."

    The girl smiled as her eyes became watery with emotion. "Mr. Lu, are you satisfied?"

    Ning Xi was suspicious when the man did not reply. "Why aren''t you talking?"

    "So real¡­" The man said quietly.

    "Huh? What?" Ning Xi was confused.

    "It''s the first time I had such a lucid dream," the man said.

    Ning Xi''s heart flinched. She just realized the man''s eyes were not clear. He was really drunk.

    "Apany me for a little longer, alright?"

    The undefeatable and omnipotent strong man was caressing her neck and talking in an extremely weak tone.

    Ning Xi opened her mouth and was about to say something, but then her sentence turned into just one word. "Okay."

    The man hugged her tightly, but as if he was suddenly afraid that she might disappear like sand, he let go of her and just hugged her gently. He kissed the corner of her lips and her corbone¡­

    From Lu Tingxiao''s reaction, it was obvious that he was stiff even when he was drunk.

    At this moment, the man hugged her and fell asleep like a harmless little child¡­

    At the same time, outside the room.

    Lu Jingli was sticking himself onto the door like a lizard.

    Unfortunately, it was too loud for him to hear anything.

    The bodyguard was speechless by someone''s indecent behavior.

    He suddenly sent a girl into the Boss''s room, then he wanted to listen to what was happening! What was he trying to do?

    As time passed by, Lu Jingli was so desperate he almost wed all his hair off.

    Damn it! What was happening inside? Why did it seem like nothing had happened?

    He was anxious¡­

    Did Xiao Xi Xi not say she couldn''t do much with her current body?

    Lu Jingli was worried that he might see some fiery hot image when he went in, so he just waited outside.

    After an hour, Lu Jingli finally could not contain himself anymore. He pushed the door and rushed in.

    He then saw what was in the room. The man was sitting on the sofa with a girl in his arms. The both of them were sleeping soundly as they hugged each other.

    The man woke up as he noticed someone had invaded his space. Knitting his eyebrows together, he opened his eyes grumpily.

    Before he looked over with his usual cold eyes, the man''s body froze and he looked down slowly¡­

    He then saw the girl in his arms¡­

 Chapter 1785: Youâ€™ve Scared Him

    <h4>Chapter 1785: You''ve Scared Him</h4>

    "Mister, do you need some service?"

    "I miss you¡­"

    "Are you sure, Mister? I''m sure you''ll be satisfied with me."

    "Darling, I''m back¡­"

    "Okay."

    ¡­

    Every scene of his dream started to rush forth like the tide.

    He had thought that God''s biggest mercy unto him was to finally let him see her in his dreams.

    If this was a dream, he would be willing to never wake up forever.

    Yet, he never would have thought that after he had woken up, all of this would actually be not a dream¡­ It was real¡­

    When he saw his own brother''s stunned expression, Lu Jingli cleared his throat and looked away. "Bro, don''t ask me, ask her!"

    At this moment, the girl in his embrace rubbed against him like a cat with her shaggy head, then she yawned as she opened her eyes in a daze. She kissed the corner of the man''s lips. "Mmm¡­ Darling! You''ve woken up! Did you sleep well?"

    When he saw that Ning Xi had woken up, Lu Jingli immediately could not help but start to mock, "Sis-inw, you''ve frightened me! You didn''te out for so long! I thought you did something to him! Did you actually get to speak to my brother properly?"

    Ning Xi sat on Lu Tingxiao''s and rocked her legs. She held onto his neck and rubbed against him lovingly as she rolled her eyes at Lu Jingli. "Do you think I''m stupid? Of course, I did!"

    Lu Jingli was dumbfounded. "If you did, why''s my brother still looking utterly confused?! I already told you not to frighten him, yet you had to give him a surprise! Great! Now, you''ve scared him!"

    "He was drunk, so he thought he was dreaming. I saw that he was extremely tired, so I just let him have a decent nap first! How did I frighten him? Darling, did I scare you? I was gentle! Darling wanted me to apany him, so I did. Darling wanted me to smile, so I smiled for him. Darling wanted me to sing, so I sang¡­" Ning Xi looked like an obedient little bunny.

    Lu Jingli expressed that he did not believe a single word. "I don''t believe you!"

    ¡­

    Momentster, the two noisy people sat down on the sofa, seeming well-behaved.

    Strictly speaking, it was Lu Jingli who was sitting on the sofa being well-behaved.

    Ning Xi grumbled about how the sofa was ufortable, and immediately she was carefully carried back to sit on a certain someone''sp. Furthermore, ayer of nket appeared to create padding for her.

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression was incredibly serious. "What''s going on?"

    Ning Xi went along, "Fool, Darling is asking you to exin!"

    Lu Jingli shrugged helplessly. "Pfft, why is it me?! This thing was clearly started by you! It was you who wanted to mess around!"

    Ning Xi simply said, "Darling, my throat hurts."

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "Jingli, speak."

    Lu Jingli was tortured by this disy of affection that he almost wanted to m his head on the ground. It was his misfortune that he could only ept his fate and exin the entire process about Ning Xi waking up without leaving out a single detail to Lu Tingxiao.

    Lu Tingxiao instantly frowned. "She was messing around and you yed along?"

    "I know I''m wrong!" Lu Jingli lowered his head and admitted his fault. He had indeed been wrong in this incident. He should not have let this person mess around. Previously, he had already regretted it.

    "Immediately have all the doctors wait at Deer Town. Also, contact Annie," Lu Tingxiao instantly ordered rapidly as if they had to be on guard against all threats.

    "Okay!"

    Ning Xi mumbled softly on the side, feeling wronged, "I didn''t mess around. Obviously, the first thing I want to do after waking up is to see you!"

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

    She had slept for a year, yet this skill of brown nosing had not deteriorated at all¡­

    Lu Tingxiao''s body trembled as he pulled the girl into his arms. "Xiao Xi, I can''t lose you a second time."

 Chapter 1786: Cant Move Around Vigorously

    <h4>Chapter 1786: Can''t Move Around Vigorously</h4>

    In a building in Deer Town.

    After all of the doctors received their orders, they got all ready in order and were on alert.

    When Ning Xi suddenly noticed that the room was slowly filling with people in white garments andplex instruments, she instantly felt the entire situation getting on her nerves.

    Lu Tingxiao immediately sensed her restlessness. "Be good. Your body must go through aplete check-up. It''ll be quick."

    Ning Xi nodded obediently.

    After a thorough check up.

    "How''s it?" Lu Tingxiao''s thin lips tensed into a line. Beside him, Lu Jingli looked nervous too.

    The chief doctor fixed the spectacles on the bridge of his nose and looked emotionally, yet happily at Lu Tingxiao. "All of Madam Lu''s indicators of health are normal. If I may even say it, for her to be able to maintain such a condition is a miracle. All of this can be credited towards Madam Lu''s impable body foundations, appropriate nursing, and most importantly, that ointment concocted by that young, highly skilled doctor. Indeed, it has magical effects!"

    This expert, who was older than all of them, expressed a genuine exmation in his tone.

    At the start, Lu Tingxiao had insisted on trusting that youngdy to let the patient use those medications of unknown origins. The doctor had objected many times and had even felt that his authority was being challenged.

    At this moment, he really could not help butment that there were no boundaries in medicine. There were still too many mysteries and experts among people that he did not know about in this world.

    "Now, she feels that her body is stiff, weak in strength, her breath is impeded, and her throat is ufortable. Are all these normal?" Lu Tingxiao asked one by one seriously. He did not dare lower his guard at all.

    When the doctor heard the symptoms, he consoled him with a rxed tone, "Mr. Lu, I''ve checked thoroughly. There aren''t any huge issues. After all, she''s been lying down for so long! All of these are perfectly normal. Later on, I''ll arrange for aplete rehabilitation n for Madam. I believe that with her foundation, she''ll be able to recover very quickly.

    "Only, be sure to take it step by step! You can''t be impatient in order to avoid hurting her fundamentals. This body of hers needs to properly recuperate!"

    Lu Tingxiao took note of everything. "Thank you."

    "Bro Xi¡­" At this moment, there came a girl''s voice that was trembling slightly and in disbelief from the door.

    "Annie!"

    When she heard the girl''s familiar voice, Ning Xi immediately hopped down the bed and shuffled towards the door.

    "Bro Xi, slow down! You can''t move around vigorously right now!" Annie panicked as she went up to greet and hold her. In the next second, her eyes filled with tears. "Bro Xi, you''ve really woken up¡­ When Second Master called me, I thought I was dreaming!"

    Ning Xi lightly patted the girl''s back as she choked on her sobs. "Don''t cry! Am I not up right now? Annie, thanks for your trouble during this period. The doctor said that the ointment you concocted for me was very useful!"

    Annie quickly shook her head. "Bro Xi, it''s no trouble at all. Actually, I didn''t do anything. When you were severely ill and in aa, I couldn''t help with anything. Tthe only thing I could do was to try my best to slow down the degeneration of your bodily functions. The gathering of the herbal ingredients and your nursing was all taken care of by Mr. Lu''s end."

    "Annie, could I trouble you to take Ning Xi''s pulse?" Beside them, Lu Tingxiao requested.

    At this moment, Annie remembered the most important thing. She quickly helped Ning Xi to take a seat. "Bro Xi,e over and sit down. Let me take a look!"

    "Okay!" Ning Xi sat down by the table and held out her hand.

    Annie put her fingers on Ning Xi''s pulse, her face full of concentration.

    Everyone held their breaths as they watched Annie, waiting for her diagnosis.

 Chapter 1787: Always Be By Your Side

    <h4>Chapter 1787: Always Be By Your Side</h4>

    A good whileter.

    Annie repeatedly verified her pulse quite a few times before she retrieved her hand. She smiled as she repeated the same diagnosis results as the expert did, "Apart from slight lethargy and weakness in Bro Xi''s pulse, all else is normal. Now, some of her bodily functions might still not be able to adapt, but this is just a question of time. Just recuperate properly and she canpletely recover to the way she was before!"

    It was only at this moment that the final tensed chord in Lu Tingxiao''s head finallypletely rxed.

    His girl¡­

    Had really returned to his side¡­

    In the next second, Lu Tingxiao reached out both hands and pulled the girl hard into his embrace.

    Lu Jingli signaled everyone else and immediately they slowly went out of the room.

    Suddenly, only the two of them embracing each other were left in the room.

    Ning Xi returned the hug to the emaciated man. She felt her heart ache. "Darling, are you still sleepy? Do you want to sleep for a while more?"

    The man quietly fixed his gaze on her. "I''m not sleepy."

    From the instant he woke up clear-headed, the man''s gaze had never left the girl in his arms. He could not bear to miss her every word, expression, and even the up and down movements of her body every time she breathed.

    "Next time, don''t drink so much anymore."

    "Okay."

    "Eat your meals properly too. That fool brother of yours said that you already had gastritis quite a few times." Ning Xi frowned.

    "Okay."

    "Also, no smoking."

    "Okay."

    "Also¡­"

    Ning Xi initially had a lot of things to nag him about, yet in the end, she kept it all in. She just ended with a sentence that she murmured with a faint smile, "Forget it. I''ll always be by your side from now on anyway."

    "Okay." The man suddenly tightened his arms around the girl. His head was buried deep into the hollow of her neck.

    Ning Xi felt the man''s burning hot and moist tears on her neck, and her heart felt as if it had been tightly gripped by a huge palm. "I''m sorry for worrying you."

    She could not imagine that in this entire past year which must have felt like forever, he had held on to an absurd wait. How had he gotten through every day? How had he endured everyte night?

    Lu Tingxiao was worried about Ning Xi''s health, and very soon he carefully helped her to sit on the bed. "Has Jingli told you about what has happened in the past year or so?"

    Ning Xi nodded. "I roughly understood, but I didn''t ask in detail. I only know that I seemed to have be pretty popr in the entertainment industry at the time."

    Lu Tingxiao responded, "No one could fight with your splendor."

    Ning Xi was startled when she heard this. The fire in her heart was instantly ignited by Lu Tingxiao''s short sentence. "Darling, you''re such a sweet talker!"

    "Did ''Mother'' win the award?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Mmm, the Golden Deer and the Golden Phoenix Awards for Best Female Lead, plus the second year''s Golden Film Award for Best Female Actress for the second time, the Lorraine Movie Festival award for Best Chinese Film, Best Female Lead¡­" Lu Tingxiao listed out all of Ning Xi''s awards and honoraries.

    As Ning Xi listened to all of this, she felt surreal as if she was listening to someone else''s story. She sighed, "At longst, I''ve lived up to Director Jiang''s trust and expectations."

    "''Nine Realms'' also received the Best Actress and the Best Series awards, breaking 37 records, and making you the most popr female artiste in the nation," Lu Tingxiao continued.

    A single show had garnered her a terrifying amount of poprity, while another had led to her seizing all the huge awards. Both shows had instantly pushed her into the peak position within the entertainment industry.

    However, now¡­

    Lu Tingxiao did not miss that brief mncholy that shed in the girl''s eyes. "You can stille back out of retirement."

    Ning Xi looked in a daze at this man who would support her from behind no matter what.

    The cool breeze passed through mountains andkes as it lightly fluttered by. The girl''s face blossomed into a faint smile that was at ease. "Never mind. It''s fine if I retire. Since I was 18, I''ve never stopped my footsteps. Now, I''ve already gotten all that I should, so there''s nothing I regret. And now, I have something even more important than just dreams."

 Chapter 1788: You And Little Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 1788: You And Little Treasure</h4>

    The reflection in the girl''s eyes was full of his shadows. "And now, I have something even more important than just my dreams."

    The man''s heart felt like it was hit by arge impact. "Are you sure?"

    The girl smiled sweetly. "My job is done. I just want to be with you and Little Treasure now."

    If it were in the past, she would have regretted it if she were to retire from the peak of her career, but after returning from death''s door, she understood what were the most important things in her life.

    The man kissed the girl''s forehead tenderly. "Little Treasure and I will always support you no matter what decision you make."

    Ning Xi''s body required more rest right now, and returning to her former state was impossible to aplish in such a short amount of time.

    He was worried that Ning Xi might not be able to ept the fact that everyone had forgotten her after she woke up.

    He did not expect the girl to surprise him once again.

    "Oh, Little Treasure ising back soon, isn''t he? Let''s go pick him up!" Ning Xi looked at the time and eximed.

    "Okay, let''s go and pick Little Treasure up."

    "Wait, let me change my clothes first! Is there anything I can change into here?" She searched frantically and just put on a jacket.

    "Yes, wait."

    ¡­

    After a moment, Ning Xi changed into a light pink dress, her long hair left loose behind her back.

    "Is it okay?"

    "Looks great."

    "What about my hair?"

    "Excellent."

    After they got into the car, Ning Xi kept on checking herself in the mirror. "Lu Tingxiao, do you think Little Treasure will hate me? I''ve made him wait for so long¡­"

    Ning Xi was really anxious for the entire journey.

    "Don''t worry, he won''t," Lu Tingxiaoforted.

    "In the past year¡­ has Little Treasure been alright?" Ning Xi asked hesitantly.

    "He''s been good, but he misses you a lot."

    Ning Xi was feeling uneasy. A lot of time had passed after all.

    Maybe Little Treasure forgot about me¡­

    Maybe he will distance himself¡­

    Did he get taller?

    Maybe Little Treasure likes some other Aunty now¡­

    ¡­

    In the midst of her overthinking, they reached the school entrance.

    It was not Little Treasure''s kindergarten that they stopped at. It was a primary school. Little Treasure was currently in first grade.

    There was about ten minutes left before school was over. Lu Tingxiao parked by the roadside quietly.

    Time passed by very slowly¡­

    Ring!

    Finally, the school bell rang over and over again as it echoed across the sky.

    Voices of the children started toe out of the quiet school as they ran out of the ssrooms happily¡­

    Ning Xi looked among the students and parents¡­

    After another ten minutes, there were fewer and fewer people around the entrance, but there was still no sign of Little Treasure.

    Ning Xi was a little worried. "Why is Little Treasure not out yet?"

    After a while, until there was almost no one else at the entrance, Ning Xi saw a familiar silhouette.

    The little guy had his bag on his back as usual with no expression at all. He was holding a square box in his hands.

    Ning Xi''s tears started falling the moment she saw the little guy. "Little Treasure has gotten taller¡­"

    "Mmm, 6 cm taller."

 Chapter 1789: Never Forgotten

    <h4>Chapter 1789: Never Forgotten</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao opened the door. "I''ll go and pick him up. Don''te down. There''re a lot of people and cars around here."

    "Okay." Ning Xi''s gaze did not leave Little Treasure at all as she nodded half-heartedly.

    Lu Tingxiao went down and walked towards his son.

    Little Treasure, who was waiting by the entrance, started walking towards his father when he saw him.

    Lu Tingxiao patted his son''s head tenderly. "Why are you sote today?"

    Little Treasure gazed down at the box in his hands. "There was a cooking ss. I made a cake for Mommy."

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the cake, then he took it and walked towards the car as he held his son''s hand.

    The both of them passed by a stall selling some bamboo strip toys. There were butterflies, ants, and some other characters made out of bamboo strips.

    The stall owner made an offer when he saw the cute little boy staring at his wares. "Hello there! Do you like them? Have your daddy buy you one!"

    Little Treasure turned around and left without hesitation.

    None of them looked as good as those Mommy made!

    Little Treasure stopped when they reached the car. "I''m going to Grandfather''s house today. Please bring the cake to Mommy for me."

    Lu Tingxiao did not reply.

    Little Treasure frowned and looked at his father.

    "I¡­" Little Treasure thought his father had not heard him and was about to repeat himself.

    Then, Lu Tingxiao interrupted him. "Hand it over yourself."

    He opened the door.

    Little Treasure''s expression changed instantly as he stared at the backseat of the car.

    The little guy seemed to have seen something impossible. He stood there stunned with his mouth wide open, no wordsing out of it.

    Ning Xi could not care much about her anxious emotions anymore. She went out of the car and embraced the little guy warmly. "Baby¡­"

    Little Treasure was engulfed by a warm hug and his eyes flew open wide. Tears started to roll down his cheeks¡­

    The little guy called out to her with his trembling voice, "Mommy¡­"

    "I''m sorry that I made you wait for so long."

    "Mommy¡­"

    "I''m here!"

    "Mommy¡­" The little guy hung onto his mother''s neck and cried uncontrobly.

    All the waiting, all his memories, they all came to him like a sh flood.

    Ning Xi was heartbroken when Little Treasure cried so hard. "I''m sorry¡­ I''m really sorry, baby¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the crying mother and son pair with gentle eyes. He reminded Little Treasure gently, "Didn''t you have something for your mother?"

    Little Treasure then stopped crying. He sobbed as he took the box from his father and handed it to his mother.

    "Is this for me?" Ning Xi asked.

    Little Treasure nodded.

    Ning Xi opened the box carefully. Inside it was a cake and jam had been used to draw on top of the cake.

    With the use of brisk, simple lines, there was an illustrated woman lying in the bed with a small child beside her¡­

    Her Little Treasure had never forgotten about her¡­

    Ning Xi felt regretful when she thought about how the little guy had been sitting by her side alone as he waited for her to wake up. Why did she not wake up earlier, much earlier?

    "Thank you¡­ I like it a lot¡­ Thank you¡­"

 Chapter 1790: Am I Not Calm Enough?

    <h4>Chapter 1790: Am I Not Calm Enough?</h4>

    Inside a high-ss apartment in Imperial.

    It was an absolute mess in the living room.

    Sparks wereing out of the cracked TV on the wall. There was a loud crash from the impact of a game controller being thrown onto a photo frame.

    Lei Ming was covering his head as he hid in a corner. He was crying helplessly, "My Little Master! Stop smashing things¡­ Stop¡­ Please calm down¡­"

    "Am I not goddamned calm enough now?!" Jiang Muye roared furiously, then he kicked the coffee table in front of the sofa.

    The items on the coffee table were thrown everywhere. Even theptop was not able to escape his wrath.

    On the flickering screen was an entertainment news. A picture took up most of the screen.

    It was a dark bar. A couple was in an ambiguous position and were about to kiss.

    The people in the picture were the famed Jiang Muye and Han Zixuan.

    The picture quickly showed up in most headlines of the major news sites and appeared in the hot topic section of Weibo.

    At the same time, the Netizens dug up past news and ambiguous rtionships between them. Fueled by thebination of the media and the people, everyone thought that they were already an item.

    "Yes, yes, yes! You''re just being angry at your home. You''re very calm!"

    Lei Ming forced himself to say some words offort. "Muye, you''ve been in the scene for a very long time. Just how many female artistes have been trying to leech off your poprity already? It''s just a small matter! You don''t have to be this angry and risk injuring yourself!"

    "Is there anyone as shameless as her? She''s been doing this again and again! You think I really don''t know what she''s been doing behind my back?" Jiang Muye was like an enraged lion whose anger would not subside at all.

    "Yes, yes¡­ At first, she was just an artiste from Glory World. It''s unavoidable that you''d need to guide her a little. We just allowed them to do whatever they were trying to do.

    "This time, they are really overdoing it by leaking the photos to the media without even letting us know!"

    Lei Ming''s tone sounded upset, but what had happened had passed. He needed to find a solution that would not cost him his life.

    Jiang Muye''s expression darkened. "Post a rification notice right now! If you don''t, then I''ll post it on Weibo myself!"

    "No, no, no! My Little Master, please don''t touch your Weibo!"

    In Jiang Muye''s current condition, he would probably cause a big mess if he posted anything on Weibo right now.

    Lei Ming almost knelt before him as he continued to convince Jiang Muye. "Muye, think about it. Why would Han Zixuan''s team want to leak this photo right now? They probably just want to boost the poprity of the uing ''The World''!

    "To be honest, this tactic is beneficial to Han Zixuan, us, and the crew. It''s a triple win situation!"

    "Huh, so you mean you want me to stay down?" Jiang Muye smiled questionably.

    He did not want to take on the role for "The World" at first, but it was a meaningful project for Ning Xi, so he could not stand by and let the others destroy it.

    Lei Ming gulped. As a manager, of course, he wished for him to lie low. He would prefer to not have conflicts at all, but he could not say it out loud.

    Han Zixuan''s side had decided to do so because they expected them not to do anything about it.

 Chapter 1791: Contract Signing Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 1791: Contract Signing Ceremony</h4>

    Lei Ming was having a really bad headache. He had been living in hell ever since Ning Xi retired and Ling Zhizhi quit her job.

    "Muye, it''s not that I don''t want to rify. I can''t! The crew is very strict on being secretive about this movie. If you expose the movie to rify yourself, Han Zixuan''s side won''t be responsible at all. They can just say that they didn''t know why the photo was leaked. We''d be in trouble by then! This is Chen Mian''s movie!"

    Actually, Jiang Muye had taken on a small role out of respect for Chen Mian.

    The person who benefited the most from this leaked photo was Han Zixuan.

    "The contract signing ceremony for ''The World'' is happening soon. If this thing goes out of hand, the crew from ''The World'' will be affected too. Both main actors fought with each other before the filming started. What would people think about it?" Lei Ming tried to convince him with all his might.

    Jiang Muye''s attitude changed a little after he heard that "The World" might be affected.

    Lei Ming quickly continued, "Wait until Chen Mian''s movie is announced officially and the filming for ''The World'' starts, then we''ll rify and all will be good. Just bear with it for a little while longer¡­"

    Lei Ming finally managed to convince Jiang Muye and avoided a catastrophe.

    ¡­

    The rumor between Jiang Muye and Han Zixuan was bing more and more popr in a short amount of time. Even the uing "The World" became sessful because of it.

    Sun Huanqing and Meng Changge in the new version of "The World" would be yed by the popr secondary cast from the movie, covering the regrets of the fans, and attracting a lot of attention.

    Manyments and discussions were sparked online.

    "Wow! Han Zixuan as Meng Changge, Jiang Muye as Sun Huanqing! I''m really looking forward to this cast! I have a feeling that it''ll be better than the original!"

    "Of course, they are a pair in real life, after all! They''d just be acting as themselves!"

    "I''m so heartbroken. The goddess is taken! But why are they keeping it a secret? The news seems to have been going on for a long while!"

    "It''s probably the guy''s side. You know what I mean!"

    "If it''s really the guy who wants to keep it a secret, Jiang Muye might really be a jerk. He wants to be in a rtionship without giving her a proper title!"

    ¡­

    At the Imperial Royal Jazz Hotel.

    The press conference for the famed "The World" had finally arrived.

    Almost all the media arrived. The whole multipurpose hall was filled up, and even the walkway was packed with journalists with their cameras on standby.

    Han Zixuan wore an iconic little red dress. Her dark hair and fair skin along with her beautiful face stood out. There was quite a fuss when she arrived and they took many shots of her.

    "Hello, everyone!" Han Zixuan greeted the media politely, then she sat down on the seat with her name in front.

    At the table was the director Guo Qisheng, the co-director Wang Linhai, the producer Qin An, the scriptwriter Ye Linglong, Han Zixuan''s manager Zheng Anru, and the two main leads, Han Zixuan and Jiang Muye.

    A trailer yed before they introduced all the characters. There were some new faces and many original actors from the movie as well.

    The ones left now were the two highly acimed main actors.

    At this moment, everyone else had arrived except Jiang Muye and his manager.

 Chapter 1792: Played Games For The Whole Night

    <h4>Chapter 1792: yed Games For The Whole Night</h4>

    Ten minutes had passed since the press conference started, but Jiang Muye was still nowhere to be seen.

    Han Zixuan was having small talk with the others and she would also chat a little with the journalists to shift everyone''s attention, carefully softening the awkwardness of the male lead beingte.

    "Isn''t Jiang Muye really arrogant? He''ste to such an important event!"

    "Right! He''s making a girl cover up for him!"

    "Goddess Zixuan is so sweet. She has such high EQ!"

    "It''s really rare to find a female actress that''s beautiful, smart, and good at acting nowadays!"

    ¡­

    After another ten more minutes, Jiang Muye finally arrived.

    "Sorry! There was a traffic jam on the road! Sorry to make everyone wait!" Lei Ming apologized to the director, the producer, and the media. He seemed extremely experienced with situations like these.

    Lei Ming quickly led Jiang Muye to his seat after the apologies, relieved that he could finally take a breather.

    Jiang Muye looked like he had just woken up. He wore a wrinkled white t-shirt and sat there with his legs in a wide, rxed stance. He rested his arm on the back of the chair and tilted his head as he looked around with his eyes narrowed¡­

    Fortunately, Jiang Muye''s appearance was rather outstanding. Even with this messy look, he was still as cool as ever. Hiszy attitude and wild aura were much more attractive than his usual self.

    Theining journalists, especially the females, forgave him almost instantly.

    Han Zixuan looked at Jiang Muye and frowned a little. "Senior Jiang, were you up all night looking at the script again? I heard from Director Guo that you''re taking this series very seriously. I''m really looking forward to working with you."

    Her words not only covered Jiang Muye. She even put him under a good light.

    Any normal person would just go along with it, especially with such a beauty, yet Jiang Muye was not a normal person.

    Jiang Muye did not even bat an eyelid. "You''re overthinking it. I just yed games the whole night."

    Han Zixuan was speechless.

    Lei Ming felt like he wanted to die!

    Whatever! They were just chatting in private after all¡­

    At the same time, the manager of the promotions department took his script and made a start.

    "Alright, since everyone is here, let''s begin the press conference!

    "Firstly, thank you for all the love and attention for ''The World'' from all the fans and media. For everyone invited to the scene today, we''ll be announcing the two important main actors of the series and have our contract signing ceremony here.

    "So as not to betray everyone''s expectations, after three months of a meticulous selection process, the final candidate for the role Meng Changge and Sun Huanqing have been finalized.

    "The male lead is the same actor in the original movie, Jiang Muye.

    "The female lead is the beloved actress starring in many popr drama series such as ''Crush'', ''Peachville'', and ''Empire of Smoke'', the goddess Han Zixuan!

    "Her outstanding acting as Princess Chang An in ''Empire of Smoke'' was enough to convince everyone that she can live up to the role of Meng Changge.

    "I believe everyone feels relieved after knowing who the main cast is¡­"

    After the speech was done, the emcee announced, "Next up is the Q&A session. Everyone can start asking questions now!"

    The journalists raised their hands quickly as they had all been waiting for this session.

 Chapter 1793: Do I Have A Choice?

    <h4>Chapter 1793: Do I Have A Choice?</h4>

    The first reporter, who was picked to shoot his question, asked in excitement, "I believe my question is asked on behalf of all the media and the fans. Zixuan and Muye, are you guys really together?"

    There was a big fuss when the question was asked.

    It was pretty big news anyway, so everyone was looking at them with high expectations.

    Jiang Muye''s indifferent expression slowly froze up¡­

    Lei Ming was freaked out by the question. He stared at Jiang Muye carefully and was afraid that he might explode any moment.

    Lei Ming forced a smile and replied, "Haha, it''s just a misunderstanding. Don''t overthink it, everyone!"

    The reporter would not back down so easily. "The photo is so obvious. I''m afraid it''s not just some misunderstanding!"

    As Lei Ming was about to reply that they would give everyone an appropriate exnation in due time, Han Zixuan''s manager, Zheng Anru, interrupted, "I''m sorry. Thank you for everyone''s concern towards Zixuan, but today is the press conference for ''The World''. I hope everyone can focus their questions on the series itself!"

    Lei Ming''s expression darkened.

    The others might not understand it, but he fully understood the underlying meaning.

    She acted like the good cop to end the question, but her words were basically admitting it!

    As expected, the reporter stopped asking, but everyone''s eyes seemed different. They most likely thought that their rtionship was secure.

    The other reporters started asking more questions.

    "Zixuan, this time it''s a remake. Are you worried that you might not be able to surpass the original?" The second reporter asked.

    This question was no doubt the toughest question for a new artiste participating in a remake.

    Han Zixuan replied without a change in expression as she looked calm andposed, "There''s no surpassing, and I don''t have to surpass anyone. I am myself."

    Her short reply seemed confident, but not arrogant, leaving a good impression on everyone at the scene.

    Jiang Muye stared at the woman beside him and grinned sarcastically.

    The third reporter looked at Jiang Muye and asked, "Muye, it''s been about two years. How do you feel about ying the role of Sun Huanqing again? Are you satisfied with your new partner?"

    Lei Ming opened up his palm in secret and let Jiang Muye see the answer he had prepared for him.

    Ignoring Lei Ming, Jiang Muye replied, "Do I have a choice?"

    Lei Ming was speechless.

    Well¡­ that was a pretty okay answering from him¡­

    "Haha, Muye just loves to joke around. Of course, we''re very happy with the candidate the crew spent three months selecting. We''re really looking forward to working together."

    No matter what happened, Han Zixuan kept a smile on her face. Zheng Anru was looking at Jiang Muye with a moody expression.

    Soon, everyone''s questions were answered.

    As the end approached, the host said, "Onest question! Yes, the one in the red shirt!"

    The girl in red shirt looked really excited. She took a deep breath and stood up as she looked at Han Zixuan with a serious expression. "Everyone knows that ''The World'' is the famed work of Ning Xi. It also helped her score the Golden Film Award''s title of Best Female Secondary Lead. Her acting as Meng Changge was absolutely remarkable."

 Chapter 1794: Erupting Blondie

    <h4>Chapter 1794: Erupting Blondie</h4>

    "To many of the old fans, Ning Xi''s portrayal of Meng Changge is their conviction. Even if the ending of the movie''s ending was regretful, there is a beauty in regret too. I''d like to ask Ms. Zixuan, what are your thoughts towards the feelings of these fans of the original piece?"

    This question took a different approach but had a simr oue to the first question earlier. However, it was more biting. The girl had even mentioned the name that was almost forgotten by the public. She straight up pointed out that Han Zixuan could notpare with Ning Xi, that she would tarnish the original version of Meng Changge in the old fans'' hearts.

    When she heard the name in such a sarcastic question, Han Zixuan did not react extraordinarily as if that person was just an insignificant name.

    At this moment, Zheng Anru spoke from the side, "Allow me to answer this question on behalf of Zixuan."

    Zheng Anru paused, then she continued, "The reason I''ll be answering is that Zixuan doesn''t know or understand the artiste named Ning Xi that you''ve mentioned.

    "To avoid affecting the original work, Zixuan has never once seen the original movie. Just as Zixuan had answered earlier, she doesn''t need to surpass anyone. She just needs to be her best version of herself."

    Haha, did not know?

    Did not understand?

    The curve of Jiang Muye''s taunting smile was even more obvious now.

    She was a person who had taken over all of Ning Xi''s opportunities, initiated the routes that Ning Xi took, and stolen more than half of Ning Xi''s fan. To break free from Ning Xi''s radiance, she had maliciously breached her contract and left thepany. Even the way she responded to the reporter earlier was a botched mimic of Ning Xi''s arrogant style¡­

    Was this called "not understanding"?

    When Han Zixuan''s manager said this, she looked slightly crossed as she continued to say to the public, "Since Zixuan started her career, she has experienced many malicious nders. Also. because her appearance is outstanding, she''s also beenpared with many other female stars who are just pretty and have no substance.

    "However, time and her capabilities can prove everything. Zixuan cannot be ced on par with a sub-standard person who uses her face and body to make it to the top. This is an insult to Zixuan!"

    The instant Han Zixuan finished, Jiang Muye''szy eyes suddenly widened as an earth-shattering coldness started to spread¡­

    On the side, Lei Ming had been frightened stiff by Zheng Anru''s words!

    He had been by Jiang Muye''s side for a long time, and he was clear about what was Jiang Muye''s bottom line and untouchable spot!

    "Used face and body to make it to the top¡­" Zheng Anru had said these words because during the period when Ning Xi had started to vanish, many people had suspected and maliciously created rumors that it was because Ning Xi had been kept as a mistress¡­

    Zheng Anru was clearly implying this.

    Lei Ming was so anxious that his forehead was overflowing with cold sweat. He fixed his gaze on Jiang Muye, afraid that he would do something impulsive.

    Unfortunately, Zheng Anru''s own artiste had clearly been stepping on Ning Xi''s head all the way and then harped on Jiang Muye''s poprity to make it to the top, yet now she continued to condemn Ning Xi righteously. She fearlessly twisted the facts just because Ning Xi had long retired and no one paid any more attention to her.

    "Here, I''d like to solemnly state to all the media that I hope everyone won''t ask such insulting questions in the future! Don''t mention Zixuan''s name with some unbearable people of poor moral conduct!" Zheng Anru substantially stated her final conclusion.

    Lei Ming''s hands were shaking as he was about to pee in his pants from the fright, yet he saw that Jiang Muye sat obediently on the chair, ying with his phone as if he did not notice Zheng Anru''s words. He let out a sigh of relief.

    However, the instant he felt relieved, Jiang Muye put his phone back into his pocket and suddenly stood up with everyone watching. Then, he started making his way towards the door in strides.

    All of the crew members and journalists, including Lei Ming, were baffled¡­

    Suddenly, there was a cacophony of buzzing and ringing of phones in the room¡­

    They had all set a special notification on their Weibo for some of the more important artistes in the entertainment industry.

    Everyone had received a notification that just a few seconds ago, Jiang Muye had updated a new Weibo post.

    Jiang Muye had shared a post about the scandalous news between him and Han Zixuan. That scandal had a picture of them kissing attached. In fact, they had romanticized Jiang Muye and Han Zixuan''s passionate history. All thements were about how infatuated Jiang Muye was with Han Zixuan.

    However, in that Weibo post that Jiang Muye had shared, he had written two words: [F*ck your mother!]

 Chapter 1795: Enough Time To Accompany

    <h4>Chapter 1795: Enough Time To Apany</h4>

    Lei Ming looked at the reactions of those reporters present as his heart skipped a beat. He had an incredibly bad feeling.

    He trembled as he took out his phone, hoping that the situation could not be as terrible as he imagined. Heforted himself. He had been with Jiang Muye for so long that he had seen all sorts of things¡­

    In the end, when he saw those words, his tall and strong figure wavered, and he almost cried.

    Oh, Master¡­

    You are asking for my life right now!

    At the same time, Zheng Anru, Han Zixuan, and the members of the main creative team discussed with each other for a while. Instantly, they all had seen the Weibo post that Jiang Muye had posted too. All of their expressions were so furious that one could not bear looking straight at them.

    After Guo Qisheng was briefly startled, he shook his head and let out a helpless, bitterugh that seemed like he expected this.

    When those people had mentioned Ning Xi, he already had a bad feeling¡­

    Indeed¡­

    In this one year, Jiang Muye had kept down his temperament. He even gave people the illusion that he had restrained his sharp temper and was mature, yet they forgot that Jiang Muye was still that old Jiang Muye.

    Inside the hall, after a few seconds of awkward silence, the organizers of the press conference were instantly besieged by the shaken reporters. All sorts of questions rained down on them.

    "May we ask what just happened?"

    "Why would Jiang Muye suddenly post such a Weibo?!"

    "May we ask if the two main actors are on amicable terms or not?"

    "Hey, don''t go! Please exin!"

    ¡­

    The organizers would never have thought that such a huge chaos would happen. They did not have any contingency ns at all, so they could only let everyone leave first and avoid the crazy reporters.

    Suddenly, the entire ce was in an uproar while the originator of the chaos was already nowhere in sight.

    Lei Ming had narrowly escaped the pursuits of those reporters, then he hid in an unmanned corridor to frantically call Jiang Muye.

    To his horror, Jiang Muye''s phone was already in an area without service¡­

    While his phone was already exploding from the calls from everyone, there were tens of calls from just Yi Xudong alone.

    After all, Glory World Entertainment was currently practically being held together by Jiang Muye alone. If their sole scion got into trouble too, he, Lei Ming, could die ten thousand times and it would still not be enough of an apology.

    Earlier, when Ling Zhizhi was still around, at least Jiang Muye would still listen to her, but now that Ning Xi was gone, Lu Jingli had long returned to the corporation and no longer cared. Even Ling Zhizhi had vanished after Ning Xi retired. He was really isted and without help right now¡­

    ¡­

    In Deer Town.

    The bedroom was empty. There were no traces of the girl.

    Lu Tingxiao was holding a bowl of ginseng soup as he stood at the door. The bowl suddenly slipped from his hands and shattered on the ground beside his feet.

    "Ah¡­ Darling, what''s wrong? Are you hurt?"

    When he heard the girl''s voice from behind him, Lu Tingxiao abruptly turned around and pulled the girl hard into his embrace.

    The man''s heart was beating extraordinarily fast. His breath was hurried and disordered as it heated the girl''s neck.

    The instant Ning Xi was drawn hard into his embrace, she seemed to notice a frightened and weak expression on Lu Tingxiao''s face that she had never seen before¡­

    Was it because she had just gone out for a while and he suddenly saw that she was not there, so he was worried?

    Ever since she had woken up, Lu Tingxiao seemed to be just like this. As long as she was not within his line of sight, he would be spooked easily, seemingly due to past experiences.

    Little Treasure was the same. He was unwilling to leave her for even a moment.

    Never mind. She had enough time to apany them and make up for when she had been vacant for a long time¡­

 Chapter 1796: Cannot! Get It Going!

    <h4>Chapter 1796: Cannot! Get It Going!</h4>

    Apart from that, after she woke up, she still had one more very important thing to do!

    It was the one thing that she had regretted not doing earlier the most during the time she had fallen into aa.

    Ning Xi thought of something and then tugged on Lu Tingxiao''s hand. Her face was glittering with a glow. "Darling, follow me. I noticed a ce with an especially great scenery. It''s particrly suitable for rxing. I''ll bring you there to look around, okay?"

    Lu Tingxiao did not suspect anything. His tone was filled with a longing to pamper and indulge her. "Okay."

    Lu Tingxiao helped Ning Xi put on a jacket, then the two of them walked towards the forest behind theke.

    Along the way, Ning Xi started to ramble incoherently as she kept talking to Lu Tingxiao. No matter what she said, Lu Tingxiao would listen fully focused, and he would respond earnestly.

    The further they walked into the forest, the quieter it became. The scenery became more and more beautiful as well, while Ning Xi''s palm that was holding onto Lu Tingxiao''s gradually started to sweat from all the nerves¡­

    Bloody hell! She was already experienced at flirting. Why was she so terrified at such a key moment?

    No! Get it going!

    The two of them walked past flowers and brushed past leaves as they strolled through the forest filled with the breath of nts. Before them, their line of sight suddenly widened. Ahead of them was actually a sea of flowers that had formed intoyers of floral waves with the caress of the spring breeze¡­

    She had noticed this ce when she looked out from her window. Earlier, she had secretly left the house to check out this location too.

    When he suddenly saw such a huge sea of flowers, even Lu Tingxiao''s breath was taken away too.

    Even though he had been living here for more than a month, apart from that building which had her, he had not step foot on other ces.

    "Darling, isn''t it beautiful?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked into the girl''s eyes that reflected the sea of flowers which spread out over mountains and responded, "Mhm."

    Ning Xi looked up at the man before her. "Lu Tingxiao¡­"

    Ning Xi had never called out his name this seriously before. Lu Tingxiao''s expression could not help but tense up as he silently looked at her and waited for her to continue.

    Ning Xi took a deep breath, then she said, "Before I met you, I only existed for the sake of existing, achieved my dreams for the sake of it. As for when everything I should''ve done waspleted, what meaning was there left for me to continue on living? I had never thought of it, Even if you let me die right at that moment, I probably wouldn''t have had anything I couldn''t bear to part with or would''ve missed."

    When he heard this, Lu Tingxiao''s gaze tightened slightly.

    Ning Xi smiled faintly as her gaze was fixated on the man before her. She continued to say, "However, I met you and Little Treasure. It was the first time knowing how it felt like to be needed, the first time knowing how it felt like to be someone''s entire world, the first time I knew that I could also be weak, that I could also be headstrong, that I could also just be myself, that I could also love like normal people, and to live¡­"

    The girl tiptoed and kissed the man''s lips. "Lu Tingxiao, having ten thousand eyes on me can''tpare to being the only one in your heart. You are the most wonderful, warmest person I have ever met in my lifetime¡­"

    "Lu Tingxiao, let''s¡­ get married¡­"

    The sea of flowers rolled up and down in waves as the butterflies fluttered around. Lu Tingxiao''s consciousness seemed to have suddenly been shaken from the heavens. He stood there rigidly while the girl kissed him. He did not move and had lost all ability to react.

    What¡­ did he just hear?

    The man did not react for a long time. As skilled as Ning Xi was, she could not hold on much longer at this moment. Her palms started to sweat. "You still didn''t tell me your answer."

    Some time passed before the man finally came back to his senses from that ecstasy that almost swallowed him whole. His voice trembled as he answered, "Madam, I''m afraid¡­ I can''t do that¡­"

 Chapter 1797: Iâ€™m Already Married

    <h4>Chapter 1797: I¡¯m Already Married</h4>

    I''m afraid I can''t do that¡­

    Can''t do that¡­

    Ning Xi''s face turned pale when she heard Lu Tingxiao and she was stunned.

    She used up all her might to stay calm, then forced herself to ask, "Why?"

    Lu Tingxiao took his hand away from the girl''s palm and showed her the back of his hand.

    Under the sunlight, Ning Xi could clearly see a simple ring on Lu Tingxiao''s ring finger.

    Was that¡­ a wedding ring?

    Countless possibilities had shed in her mind the moment before, but she never expected things to turn out this way.

    Lu Tingxiao¡­ was married?

    That ring was so simple-looking that perhaps she never realized it up until now.

    "You¡­ you''re married?" Ning Xi had no idea how she managed to ask this question.

    "Yes." Lu Tingxiao gave her a firm answer.

    Bloodlust practically spurted out of Ning Xi''s eyes as she felt confused. "Who''s that woman?"

    "She¡­" Lu Tingxiao paused, then he looked at the girl and continued, "She''s the cutest, kindest, and brightest girl I''ve ever seen in my life¡­"

    The girl in front of him was clenching her fists. She was about to turn into an evil dragon.

    "The first time we met, the way she questioned my sexual orientation was cute. When I offered myself to her, the way she fled was cute. She liked me so much, but the way she denied it was cute¡­"

    Ning Xi was confused when she heard Lu Tingxiao.

    "My wife¡­ She''s cute when she calls me Lu Tingxiao. She''s cute when she calls me ''Boss''. She''s also cute when she calls me ''darling''. She''s even cute when she''s about to bite me to death in front of me right now¡­"

    Ning Xi was stunned speechless. It took her a while to regain her voice. "You¡­ What do you mean?"

    Lu Tingxiao took out another ring from his pocket and slide it onto the girl''s ring finger. "I''m already married to you."

    Ning Xi looked at the ring on her finger. Apparently, it was a matching pair with the one on Lu Tingxiao''s finger.

    What?

    "Sorry, you were a little swollen back then. I was worried that it might block your blood flow, so I took the ring off you. As for our marriage certificate, they are with Little Treasure. He can only sleep with it nowadays, but I''ll ask Little Treasure to let you look at itter."

    What? What?

    She knew all the words Lu Tingxiao had just uttered, but why did she not understand it when they were grouped together?

    Ning Xi felt stupid at the moment. "W-wait! Wait! You mean¡­ you¡­ you''re already married? And to me? We even got the certificates? How could I not know about it? Do I have amnesia?"

    "On the third month of youra, the doctor did another body check-up and said that you have almost no chance of waking up again. On that day, I proposed before your bed and made the necessary marriage arrangements," exined Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    So, she was really married to him?

    Yet she was stupid enough to propose to him just now?!

    No wonder Lu Tingxiao said he could not do it¡­

    Right, he had called her his wife after she woke up. She had not really been paying attention. Even Lu Jingli had been calling her "Sister-inw" after she woke up as well¡­

    Ning Xi was overwhelmed at the moment.

    She had brought him here to propose to him, and after the whole fuss, the person she proposed to was already her husband?

    Was there anyone as unfortunate¡­ no¡­ as lucky as her?

 Chapter 1798: Youâ€™re Right My Wife

    <h4>Chapter 1798: You¡¯re Right My Wife</h4>

    "Sorry, without your permission¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao was about to apologize for making a decision without her permission.

    The next moment, the girl stared at the ring on her finger and gushed in excitement, "Wow! My luck sure is amazing! After a nervous proposal, I find out that you''re already my husband?"

    Lu Tingxiao smiled. This girl was always thinking differently from everyone else.

    "You almost scared me to death! I thought you were really married to another woman!" Ning Xi pouted andined.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the girl in front of him quietly. "What would you do if I was really married to another woman?"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows when she heard the question. "How is that possible? I''m so kind, cute, and obedient. You''d need to be really stupid to marry someone else!"

    Lu Tingxiao grinned andughed genuinely. "Mmm, you''re right, my wife."

    Ning Xi felt really warm inside when she heard Lu Tingxiao called her his wife. She jumped towards him and hugged him. "I like it when you call me your wife. Say it again¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao coughed lightly with a slightly unnatural expression. "My wife."

    Ning Xi was finally satisfied, but she then thought of another important question that asked in a serious tone, "Is there anything else I don''t know?"

    "Quite a lot of things have happened when you were in thea," replied Lu Tingxiao.

    He was afraid that she might get confused by telling her too much, so he withheld some information about what happened.

    Ning Xi pestered him, "What is it? Tell me!"

    The two of them walked back slowly as they chatted.

    "It''s about the Zhuang family."

    "Zhuang family? What about them?" Ning Xi did not understand.

    "You didn''t stay here at first. You were in the Imperial military sanatorium. After that, I shifted you here because you might be bored there and I was hoping it might help you to recover," replied Lu Tingxiao.

    "I stayed in the sanatorium because the Zhuang family helped me?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Mmm, the Zhuang family already knows about your identity, and they already thought of you as one of their own. They''ve been helping to take care of you and have been researching different ways to help you regain consciousness in the past year."

    "Ah¡­" Ning Xi sounded surprised. "Even Keer and Rongguang knew?"

    "Yes." Lu Tingxiao nodded, he did not mention about the initial conflict they had to not let her worry about it, "So, while we''re keeping it a secret from the public that you''ve woken up, we still need to let the Zhuang family know about it, I''ve asked Jingli to tell them."

    "Mmm, of course!" Ning Xi nodded.

    Ning Xi was waiting for Lu Tingxiao to continue, but he had stopped, so she carefully phrased her next sentence. "I heard from Jingli and Little Treasure that your father isn''t doing very well recently."

    Lu Tingxiao was silent for a while, then he said, "It''s not looking good. He''s barely holding on with the help of medicine. You saved Little Treasure, so my parents are immensely grateful towards you and they felt guilty as well."

    Apart from that, Lu Tingxiao did not say anything else.

    As they arrived at the door, they met Lu Jingli who had juste out of his car and was walking in.

    Lu Jingli saw them and ran over. "Bro, I''ve informed the Zhuangs already. Father and Mother know too!"

    Lu Jingli then looked at Ning Xi before he said hesitantly, "Also, Father said¡­ he wants to meet Sister-inw. So did Mother¡­ She has something for Sister-inw¡­"

 Chapter 1799: Spare My Life

    <h4>Chapter 1799: Spare My Life</h4>

    Lu Tingxiao frowned and just as he was about to decline, Ning Xi stopped him. "They''re your parents and not some wild beasts. It''s alright to meet them."

    Since she was already married to Lu Tingxiao, they could not just keep on eluding them.

    Lu Jingli nodded. "That''s right! Sister-inw, my parents are much better now. They''re really grateful towards you. My father declined every single girl who came to propose marriage, and my mother has probably visited every single temple in the country to pray for you!

    "You don''t know this, but Guan Ziyao did a lot of things behind our back. My brother investigated it and revealed all of them in front of my parents. From Su Yimo''s altered appearance, Little Treasure''s poisoning¡­ Those were all the Guan family''s scheming! They spoke among themselves in private and mentioned that the first thing they were going to do after Guan Ziyao married into our family was to eliminate Little Treasure!

    "And also, when Little Treasure was in danger, I''m sure Guan Ziyao let him go on purpose so the bad guys could take him!

    "My parents know that they are at fault and that they''ve wronged you. My father regretted not believing my brother. My mother is also ming herself for misunderstanding you.

    "When I told them that you''ve woken up, my father, who was supposed to be bedridden, suddenly sat up and started saying that he wants to see you. Even my mother was also making a fuss that she wants to follow me here¡­"

    Ning Xi giggled at Lu Jingli. Was there anyone who would talk about their parents like this?

    "Please believe in me, Sister-inw, I won''t deceive you! It''s really okay to meet them!" Lu Jingli said in a serious tone.

    Ning Xi squinted her eyes. "You won''t deceive me? Then, why didn''t you tell me earlier that I''m already married to your brother?"

    "Uhh¡­" Lu Jingli was taken aback. "Right, you didn''t know yet¡­ but¡­ you can''t me me for this! I didn''t think about it at all! You''ve been my sister-inw for over a year, so I was already used to it¡­"

    Lu Jingli then looked at them carefully. "Why? What''s wrong?"

    Ning Xi pouted. "I brought your brother to a romantic sea of flowers. I was prepared to grandly propose to your brother, then he told me that he can''t do it because he''s already married! Do you understand how I felt just now?"

    Lu Jingli was annoyed. "Then, can you understand the pain I feel right now? Please spare my life!"

    Since she could not get anything out of Lu Tingxiao, Ning Xi grabbed onto Lu Jingli and demanded, "Hold up, tell me what happened? How did your brother get married to me?"

    Lu Jingli looked at Lu Tingxiao and coughed lightly.

    Lu Jingli did not notice his brother''s expression at all and sold him out. "Sister-inw, at that time, everyone thought you''d never wake up again. The Zhuang family even told my brother not to wait for you anymore, and that they''d take care of you forever.

    "Then, my brother took out a ring and knelt by your bedside to propose to you. The Zhuangs, my parents, and even your manager were there. My brother swore before everyone, proposed to you, and helped you put the ring on. He even prepared the marriage certificates¡­"

 Chapter 1800: Your Mother Thinks Youre Cold

    <h4>Chapter 1800: Your Mother Thinks You''re Cold</h4>

    Ning Xi had been smiling as she listened. When she heard till the end, she had tears in her eyes instead.

    "Eh, Sis-inw, why are you crying?! Did I say something wrong?" Lu Jingli had been rambling on in a lively manner, but when he saw this, he was immediately worried.

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression changed too. "What''s wrong?"

    "Nothing." Ning Xi shook her head.

    Just when she thought about how Lu Tingxiao hadpleted something that was meant for two people to do together by themselves, there was an unexinable pain clutching at her heart.

    ¡­

    The three of them discussed for a while and atst, they decided to meet up that night.

    After Lu Jingli left, Ning Xi immediately went to look for Little Treasure to see the marriage certificate.

    The little guy fixed his gaze on Ning Xi and was unwilling to shut his eyes. He did not sleep for the entire night and only nodded off when it was morning.

    Ning Xi kissed the little guy''s sleepy face and asked Lu Tingxiao softly, "Where is it?"

    Lu Tingxiao held his son''s head up slightly, then he pulled out two red folders from underneath his pillow.

    Little Treasure frowned softly, but probably because he sensed his mother''s familiar aura, he very quickly rubbed his hand against the back of his mother''s and fell asleep soundly.

    Ning Xi carefully opened the marriage certificate. She kept flipping it to study it over and over again. As she looked through it, she softly muttered, "Mmm, this is not a fake certificate, is it?"

    Lu Tingxiao''s expression instantly darkened. "It''s real."

    Ning Xi looked through this new and odd document for a long time. She still felt that it was incredibly mystical that she was already married when she woke up from her long slumber.

    The photo had been taken at the photo sticker booth from when she went out on a date with Lu Tingxiao. He also had gotten a way to obtain the documents. Even the signature was actually hers¡­

    "You''re sure you want to see them?" On the side, Lu Tingxiao asked with a scowl.

    Ning Xi gripped the marriage certificate in her hands and looked earnestly at the man before her. "Lu Tingxiao, all this while, you''ve always told me to leave everything to you, but now that we''re husband and wife, no matter what the problem is, we should always face it together."

    That single phrase "husband and wife" instantly made the space between his brows fill with tenderness¡­

    ¡­

    At night.

    Ning Xi, Lu Tingxiao, and Little Treasure returned to the old residence together as a family of three.

    Once they reached the door, they saw that the entire old residence and courtyard lookedpletely new. The car had juste to a stop when the butler and a servant had jubntly walked out to greet them, all of them calling out uniformly, "Master, Little Master, Lady!"

    Just from the servants'' attitudes, they knew that the two elders must have briefed them. From a certain level, the servants represented the opinions of the two elders.

    Very soon, a woman with graceful mannerisms had rushed out of the house. It was Yan Ruyi.

    When Yan Ruyi saw Ning Xi, she was first stunned, then her eyes instantly became wet before she walked over to greet her quickly. She held onto Ning Xi''s hand emotionally. "Xiao Xi, you''re here! Why are you wearing so little? Aren''t you cold? Tingxiao, why don''t you let Daughter-inw put on a few moreyers of clothes? This weather is a cold snap during spring. It''s still cold!"

    When Lu Tingxiao heard his mother''s concern, he readily followed the sound advice and added one of his coats onto Ning Xi''s shoulders even though she was already very tightly bundled up.

    Behind them, Lu Jingli shook his head and sighed, "There''s a kind of cold called ''your mother thinks you''re cold''!"

    Yan Ruyi shot her son a displeased look. "Your sister-inw''s body is weak right now. I already said that I''ll personally go over myself, yet you won''t let me! If she''s worn out, who are we putting the fault on?"

    Lu Jingli, who got unjustly attacked for just being present, was speechless.

    Indeed, bachelors had a statusless existence at home!

    "Xiao Xi, quicklye in and have some chicken soup to warm your body up first. I personally stewed it myself for a few hours on low heat!" Yan Ruyi cordially clung to Ning Xi''s arm and led her into the house, even forgetting all about her two other sons.

    Only Little Treasure was still barely remembered. Yan Ruyi added, "Little Treasure, you quicklye too!"

 Chapter 1801: My Daughter-In-Law

    <h4>Chapter 1801: My Daughter-In-Law</h4>

    The few of them had just entered when they suddenly saw Lu Chongshan''s faltering figure walking down the stairs with the help of the servants'' support.

    When Lu Chongshan saw the girl who was intimately held onto by his wife, he was suddenly so emotional that he started to tremble.

    "Father, why did you get down from bed?" Lu Jingli quickly went up to hold him steady.

    Lu Chongshan had a stern face as he waved his hand. "Not that weak."

    Lu Jingli was speechless. "Not yet! Yesterday, you were still lying on the bed and couldn''t move. You even needed Little Treasure to coax you before your forcefully ate two bites of food!"

    "Punk!"

    "Okay, okay, okay, I''m wrong. You''re not that weak. You still have the energy to scold me. Quickly sit down, you!"

    After everyone had sat down at the dining table, no one said anything. Suddenly, the atmosphere was a little awkward.

    Yan Ruyi quickly signaled her husband with her eyes, telling him not to look so stern and to say something.

    Lu Chongshan really did not know how to start. Momentster, he finally cleared his throat and looked at his son opposite him. "Tingxiao, how''s your wife''s health? Has it been checked?"

    "The check-up is done. There''re no issues. She just needs rehabilitation and to recuperate for a period of time," said Lu Tingxiao.

    "That''s good then¡­ That''s good¡­" When Lu Chongshan heard the oue, he let out a long sigh of relief as if this huge mountain that had been a weight on him for a long time had finally been lifted. He finally had the room to breathe.

    "Okay, let''s eat first. We''ll talk after we eat. Don''t let Xiao Xi and Little Treasure starve," Yan Ruyi said as she started to scoop dishes for Ning Xi.

    Little Treasure and Lu Tingxiao kept spooning Ning Xi dishes too. Very soon, her bowl had already turned into a little mountain.

    It was at this moment that Lu Chongshan said, "Get your wife some fish maw and lingzhi soup¡­"

    Ning Xi had initially mentally prepared herself with all sorts of ways to respond, yetter on, she realized that the change in the two elders'' attitudes towards her was even more exaggerated than what Lu Jingli had told her earlier. On the contrary, she did not know how to respond, so as to conceal her helplessness at the meal, she could only keep striving to eat and eat.

    After dinner, Yan Ruyi pulled Ning Xi''s hand and said sincerely and earnestly, "Xiao Xi, can I chat with you alone?"

    When she heard this, Ning Xi stayed silent as Lu Tingxiao instantly frowned.

    Yan Ruyi knew what he was thinking the moment she saw her son''s expression. "What are you frowning for? Could I possibly eat up your wife? Xiao Xi is also my daughter-inw, alright?"

    Lu Tingxiao pinched between his brows. "I didn''t mean it that way."

    "I gave birth to you. Do you think I wouldn''t know what you''re thinking?"

    When she saw that the mother and son pair was probably going to start arguing, Ning Xi first signaled Lu Tingxiao and then quickly cleared her throat to say, "Elder Madam Lu, we don''t have to care about him. You can just tell me anything!"

    The wife had already spoken up, so Lu Tingxiao could onlypromise helplessly.

    Yan Ruyi held onto Ning Xi and walked to the beautiful greenhouse in the courtyard behind. On the round table in the middle was a steaming pot of fruit tea brewing.

    "Try this fruit tea. It''s fresh and tasty, and aids digestion too."

    "Thank you."

    As she watched Ning Xi''s courteous manner, Yan Ruyi''s looked miserable. However, when she recalled how the girl had been unconscious for a year and had finally woken up, her eyes were filled with dness and she felt gratified again. "It''s Bodhisattva''s blessing. It''s been a year and you''ve finally woken up! Later on, I''ll go to all the temples to redeem the vow!"

    Yan Ruyi''s tone was filled with regret. A momentary silenceter, she said, "Xiao Xi, today I''ve asked you toe. On one hand, it''s to thank you. Thank you for everything that you''ve done for Little Treasure and Tingxiao. On the other hand, it''s to apologize to you. Tingxiao''s father and I have misunderstood you very much. Other than that, there''re still some things that I want to exin to you¡­"

 Chapter 1802: The Whole Story Back Then

    <h4>Chapter 1802: The Whole Story Back Then</h4>

    Ning Xi realized that the things Yan Ruyi were about to say might be very important, so she listened quietly.

    Yan Ruyi released a long sigh. "Xiao Xi, actually, a lot of things are not the way you think they are. When we first knew that Tingxiao liked a girl and that even Little Treasure liked that girl too, Tingxiao''s father and I were extremely happy until¡­ we found out¡­ that you''re an actress¡­"

    "So, it''s because of my profession," Ning Xi muttered.

    Yan Ruyi shook her head. "Later on, the reason we had been so against you getting together with Tingxiao, and even objected you getting too close to Little Treasure was not because of your family background. It''s not even because of your profession¡­

    "Or rather, it was indeed because of your profession, but it''s not the way you think it is. We don''t unt ourselves to be superior and look down on people in the entertainment industry.

    "Actually, we respect everyone who works hard earnestly in every industry. Even I had been an idtor and until now there are still some old actors that I really like¡­"

    When she said this, Yan Ruyi paused, then she continued, "The reason we have a prejudice against the acting profession would need to start from when Little Treasure was kidnapped years ago¡­"

    When she heard this, Ning Xi''s gaze suddenly changed. Her expression was solemn as she continued to listen.

    "Years ago, this incident caused a huge ruckus. It''s also one of the biggest taboo in our Lu family, that''s why we have never mentioned it to anyone. We''ve also erased all traces of what happened.

    "But, Xiao Xi, you''re not an outsider. You''re Tingxiao''s wife and our daughter-inw. There are many things that I still hope you will know. As for how you''d think after finding out, that is your freedom."

    Ning Xi knew a little about Little Treasure being kidnapped too, but she also knew that this incident was considered a secret, so she had never looked into it much.

    Yan Ruyi was deep in thought as she recalled the incident. She took a deep breath and continued, "Ever since he was young, Tingxiao has been keeping to himself. He''s rtively detached. Even when he became an adult and reached the age of discussing marriage, he had never dated any girl and never had the desire to date.

    "For this reason, his father and I had been worried silly. We also used all sorts of ways, hoping that he could settle down soon, yet we didn''t seed.

    "Initially, his father and I had already given up and were hopeless. We even acknowledged that Tingxiao¡­ He, ahem, might not like girls¡­ It was at this moment that Little Treasure appeared¡­"

    When she mentioned Little Treasure, Yan Ruyi''s eyes were filled with tenderness and affection. "As one can well imagine, our entire family was happy with the arrival of Little Treasure. Of course, Little Treasure was indeed very lovable too! The only regret was that this child did not have a mother to be by his side!"

    Yan Ruyi sighed, "Back then, Little Treasure was directly sent to the doorstep of the Lu family. When he was dropped off, he did not have anything with him. There was just a note that said he was Tingxiao''s child.

    "In such an absurd situation with unknown origins, I just looked at Little Treasure once and almost immediately believed it by a distance. It was truly because this child looked so simr to Tingxiao when he was younger. Later on, we did a DNA test and indeed he was Tingxiao''s child.

    "Tingxiao has probably told you how Little Treasure came about. Don''t misunderstand Tingxiao. All of this was because we were desperate in the crisis back then. Tingxiao was unwilling too.

    "That time Jingli had gone to investigate the girls that he had initially arranged, yet he did not find Little Treasure''s biological mother¡­ Until Little Treasure was three years old, a woman appeared¡­"

    When she heard this, Ning Xi''s expression was solemn. "A woman?"

 Chapter 1803: A Nightmare

    <h4>Chapter 1803: A Nightmare</h4>

    Yan Ruyi picked her words carefully and told Ning Xi, "That woman was the same as you. She was an actress."

    Ning Xi frowned slightly and started to understand why the two of them would have such a huge prejudice towards actresses.

    "Actually, Little Treasure wasn''t as cold as Tingxiao. Little Treasure was much more active. While he would sometimes go quiet and be focused when he saw something that interested him, most of the time he was pretty lively. Don''t get me started on how sweet his tongue was¡­"

    Just as Yan Ruyi was narrating with a gentle expression, her face soon turned glum. "Although we''ve been protecting him well, Little Treasure matured much earlier than others. When he was a little older, he then realized he was different. He knew that he was different from other children as he didn''t have a mother¡­"

    Ning Xi''s heart clenched when she heard Yan Ruyi''s words.

    "Little Treasure kept on asking about it in the beginning. However, probably because we looked uneasy every time he asked, and with him being really observant, he stopped asking. But anyhow, he did mind.

    "With Tingxiao''s personality, he wasn''t a person who''d take care of a child, plus at that time, he was really busy with work and frequently went overseas. The love Little Treasure received from his parents was very little."

    Yan Ruyi let out a long sigh. "At this moment, that woman suddenly came up to us and said that she was Little Treasure''s biological mother¡­"

    Ning Xi looked surprised. "Little Treasure''s biological mother¡­"

    Yan Ruyi nodded. "Yes, that girl looked really pure and beautiful. She seemed pretty simple. She gave us a really detailed walkthrough of what had happened back then. She said that with her identity, she''s surely not worthy of marrying into the Lu family, but if she kept the child, her career would be over. Out of choices, she sent Little Treasure to the Lu family. She said she really missed Little Treasure over the years, which was why she came to us.

    "Little Treasure was so young and very protected by us. Being the kind child that he is, in addition to his desire to have a mother, he went head over heels for the girl at first sight.

    "As for Tingxiao, he was really elusive about what happened that night. We did not dare to mention anything about it in front of him. Moreover, he didn''t know who the girl was himself, so we asked Jingli.

    "Jingli said that this girl was indeed one of the girls he arranged for Tingxiao. Since Little Treasure liked her so much and they got along well, we believed her words almost instantly!"

    "Then¡­ what happened?" Ning Xi felt like she could not take the suspense anymore as she thought about Little Treasure''s experience.

    Yan Ruyi closed her eyes as if she was in pain. "Afterwards¡­ it was a nightmare! That girl was so skilled at acting and that she won us over in a short amount of time, especially Little Treasure!

    "Little Treasure''s grandfather and I were thinking that since Little Treasure liked her so much, her career and family status didn''t matter. As long as Little Treasure liked her and she was from a clean family, it wasn''t a problem for Tingxiao to marry her, even if Tingxiao didn''t want to. We already nned to have her stay in the Lu family to keep Little Treasurepany. Who''d have known that after some time, Tingxiao might change his mind?"

 Chapter 1804: Head Lady

    <h4>Chapter 1804: Head Lady</h4>

    Based on Yan Ruyi''s tone, that girl seemed to have been a fake¡­

    Ning Xi then asked, "Didn''t you guys have the girl and Little Treasure do a DNA test?"

    Yan Ruyi looked regretful when she heard Ning Xi''s question. "We were too excited and happy, so we didn''t doubt her at all. Little Treasure arrived that fateful night, and we never expected anyone toe and deceive us!

    "Afterward, the girl was getting better and better with Little Treasure. We did think about having them do a DNA test before, but Little Treasure rejected us every time. Little Treasure would do anything for that woman!

    "We were delighted to see Little Treasure happy, so we did things his way. We treated that woman pretty well too¡­"

    "Didn''t Tingxiao say something about this?" Ning Xi did not understand.

    Yan Ruyi sighed, "Tingxiao was really mad about what happened. He couldn''t care any less about this woman. He just reminded us to do a DNA test and didn''t say anything else¡­

    "What I regret the most was my blind trust towards that woman and never having bothered to confirm it¡­

    "Only until Tingxiao came back and asked to see the DNA report, we thought about it and decided that it was safer to do the test as well, so we brought it up again.

    "Little Treasure argued with us over this matter, but that woman calmed him down. She said it was alright and let the doctor take her blood obediently.

    "We thought that we were overthinking and were being rude to the girl. We med Tingxiao for being cold. Not only did this hurt Little Treasure, it hurt the girl too¡­"

    Yan Ruyi was reminded of something and her voice shuddered, "And then¡­ on the night when we were waiting for the DNA test results, Little Treasure was kidnapped¡­"

    The atmosphere became heavy all of a sudden.

    It took a while for Yan Ruyi to calm down. "We then realized the girl was part of the n of an old core member of thepany who had been kicked out when he was found out to be misusingpany funds! Although we were able to get there on time to stop the worst from happening and Little Treasure didn''t get hurt, he was hurt by a person he trusted dearly. Ever since then, Little Treasure closed himself uppletely¡­

    "As for us, we didn''t believe anyone easily anymore. We also forbid Jingli from getting too close with any of the artistes under him¡­"

    Yan Ruyi then grabbed Ning Xi''s hands tightly. "Xiao Xi, I''m sorry¡­ What happened back then had a really huge impact on us. No matter who we saw, we just thought that they had bad intentions, especially you¡­ You were much too simr to the woman back then¡­

    "We hoped Tingxiao would find a suitable mother for Little Treasure, partly for the family. At least, we hoped that the same tragedy won''t happen again. After that whole fiasco, there was a huge mess within the family. As everything added up, tragedy still struck¡­

    "Until¡­ until you used your life to wake us up, to walk out of the past shadows and prejudice¡­

    "I know that we''ve done some irreversible damage. I don''t expect you to ept terrible inws like us as long as you wake up, as long as you''re safe with Tingxiao and Little Treasure!"

    Tears welled up in Yan Ruyi''s eyes as she took a bracelet off of her wrist. "This is a bracelet that''s been handed down for generations. It''s for the headdy of every generation. I''m passing it to you now, I hope¡­ you''ll ept it¡­"

 Chapter 1805: Little Treasureâ€™s Only Mother

    <h4>Chapter 1805: Little Treasure¡¯s Only Mother</h4>

    Yan Ruyi looked at the girl nervously.

    Ning Xi studied the bracelet quietly. After a while, she epted it carefully and replied gently, "Thank you, Mother-inw."

    Yan Ruyi''s expression was stunned for a moment, then her long-suppressed tears started falling as she sobbed and trembled.

    Ning Xi patted thedy''s shoulder gently.

    In the end, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi were not evil. They were just concerned about their children, and until now, they had never done anything to hurt her directly.

    Moreover, they were Lu Tingxiao''s parents and Little Treasure''s grandparents after all.

    It took Yan Ruyi some time to stop her sobbing. She held onto Ning Xi''s hand. "Don''t worry, Xiao Xi, as long as Tingxiao''s father and I are around, you''ll be the eldest daughter-inw of the family. No one can waver your position. Even if Little Treasure''s biological mother were to appear in the future, you''re Little Treasure''s only mother!"

    ¡­

    Outside the room.

    Little Treasure bolted towards Ning Xi when she came out.

    Ning Xi hugged the little guy, feeling distressed about his past experiences.

    After being betrayed by a person he had trusted so much, just how difficult was it for him to open up to her?

    How precious was such dependence and trust?

    "You both are finally done! If it took any longer, the two of them were about to take down the house!" As Lu Jingli was mumbling, he noticed a familiar-looking bracelet on Ning Xi''s wrist. He hurried over like he had seen a rare treasure. "Wow! You''re really giving it all, Mother! You even gave her this?"

    Yan Ruyi pped Lu Jingli''s shoulder. "What are you talking about? Xiao Xi is the eldest daughter-inw of the family. This should be hers!"

    Yan Ruyi then looked at her elder son with a serious expression. "Come here, Tingxiao. I have something to tell you too!"

    Lu Tingxiao took a nce at his wife and son, then he went over to his mother.

    Yan Ruyi said with a stern face, "I''ve already exined to Xiao Xi how someone pretended to be Little Treasure''s mother and caused him to be kidnapped back then. I''ve also told Xiao Xi that no matter what, even if Little Treasure''s biological mother were to appear, Xiao Xi is Little Treasure''s only mother and the only headdy of the Lu family. There shall be no idents and nothing should ever hurt Xiao Xi''s heart!"

    Yan Ruyi pinched the space between her eyebrows regretfully as if she was afraid her peaceful life might be ruined once again.

    Lu Tingxiao responded, "Rest assured, it''ll be alright."

    The truth about Ning Xi being Little Treasure''s biological mother was not important anymore, but the identity and purpose of the person who had left Little Treasure with the Lu family were still unclear even after such a long investigation. However, he was able to make a guess from the tiny hints he had found¡­

    Not many people, especially Ning Xi, could ever find out about it¡­

    After he finished talking with his mother and was about to go back to Ning Xi, his phone suddenly rang.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned when he saw the name of the iing caller.

    Gong Shangze¡­

    Ever since Ning Xi had fallen into thea, Spirit was doing well on its own, but Gong Shangze was facing a grave problem. He had slowly reached a bottleneck and was not able toe up with new designs. As the core of thepany, the withering of the designer''s creativity was fatal for thepany. This impeded Spirit''s ns to get listed.

 Chapter 1806: Husband

    <h4>Chapter 1806: Husband</h4>

    "Hello, Mr. Lu¡­" From the other end of the phone came a raspy and haggard voice.

    "Mmm."

    "Apologies for presumptuously disturbing you. Today, I''m calling you because there''s something I''d like to get your instructions on."

    "Speak."

    "I¡­" The young man on the other end seemed to have gone through a long struggle before he finally said, "Mr. Lu, I want to resign."

    Lu Tingxiao''s brows furrowed. "I''m not your boss. I don''t have the authority toment on your request."

    When the young man heard this reply, his tone became a little impatient. "But you''re the only person who can make this decision on behalf of the Boss. If I continue in my position, I''ll only destroy Spirit. After I resign, with your capabilities, you can definitely hire a much better designer for Spirit!"

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the space between his brows and did not say anything.

    He never breathed a word about the truth behind Ning Xi''s disappearance to anyone in Spirit. He did not know how Gong Shangze and the rest had guessed it.

    Han Momo and Qiao Wen were alright. Even though at first, there were some twists and turns, in the end, they still managed to hold the fort down and had been steadily running thepany.

    However, Ning Xi''s departure had affected Gong Shangze significantly.

    After all, designers were sentimental, especially since Ning Xi''s existence had been like a belief to Gong Shangze. Now, this solid belief of his had suddenly left without a word, so one could well imagine how it affected him.

    He could still somewhat assist running thepany in secret. However, even he could not intervene with the designer''s inspiration.

    Previously, when Ning Xi had asked about Spirit, he did not mention much about Gong Shangze''s situation but based on the current situation, he could not continue keeping it a secret.

    After he finished the call with Gong Shangze, Lu Tingxiao hesitated momentarily, but in the end, he still told Ning Xi about it.

    "Earlier, Gong Shangze called."

    "Ah! Ah Ze! What did he say?" Ning Xi immediately asked.

    "He wants to resign."

    "What?" Ning Xi''s expression instantly changed. "Why does he suddenly want to resign?"

    Lu Tingxiao looked at her gravely. "Actually, Shangze''s situation in the past year hasn''t been great. After you disappeared, he''s been turning into a worse and worse state, until he fell into a bottleneck. It''s been half a year since he couldn''te up with a design that he''s satisfied with. Initially, I didn''t want you to worry and get worn out, so I didn''t immediately tell you. I wanted to wait till you''ve recovered a little, but now, I''m afraid you''ll need to step in."

    "How did this happen?" Ning Xi massaged her temples, then she immediately said, "I want to look for him right now!"

    Lu Tingxiao revealed a helpless expression. He knew that she would definitely react like this upon finding out.

    Ning Xi observed Lu Tingxiao''s tightly knitted brows and went over to hug him. She said with a gentle tone, "Husband, don''t keep treating me like I''m made of ss. This isn''t acting. I don''t need to use any physical strength or energy. I don''t need to draw designs and I don''t need to settle any ounts. I won''t be worn out.

    "Besides, I must finish what I started. Spirit is a collective effort of a lot of us. I didn''t even say anything and ditched them to sleep for a year. Indeed, it''s my fault. Since I''m already awake now, no matter what, I should exin things to my partners who''ve worked hard together with me. Ah Ze definitely won''t reveal my situation to anyone outside. Plus, aren''t you here too!?"

    Atst, Lu Tingxiao sighed, "I''ll go with you."

    In reality, when Ning Xi had said the first word, he was already bound topromise.

 Chapter 1807: Still His Turf In The End

    <h4>Chapter 1807: Still His Turf In The End</h4>

    At the same time, at Eaton Bar.

    Inside the VIP room, drinks were exchanged and raucous voices loudly chatted all around.

    "Come,e! Let us all drink a toast to our designer, David!"

    "Cheers!"

    "Cheers! Thest season''s sales were once again championed by History! Director David''s contributions can''t go unnoticed!"

    "Before this, Spiritpletely copied our style. They actually even attempted to steal our market share in vain. Our Director David probably had to teach them how to conduct themselves, hahaha!"

    ¡­

    The room was filled with sounds of praises and David was red from drinking. He beamed as he said to the group of colleagues, "I''ve said that in this profession as a designer, it''s not to see who travels the fastest, but to see who can travel the furthest!"

    "Director David speaks words of wisdom! I''m going to write this down. It''s best to let those rookies, who overestimate their abilities, see how a real designer is like!"

    "That alphabet named guy¡­ whatever genius designer he is¡­ He showed parts of him and pretended to be mysterious, but after all of that, he just ended up being a short-lived dabbler. He''s only crossed swords for a few battles and he''s already been defeated by Boss David that he daren''t even leave his house!"

    "Hahaha, Spirit hasn''t even released new designs for half a year! I think they''re not too far away from closing down!"

    ¡­

    David was ted by all thepliments, but at least, he was not over his head. He turned to tter the woman in the middle of the sofa. "I''m only responsible for splendid designing, but ourpany is only here today because of our Miss Ning''s brilliant leadership!"

    When others heard him, they all quickly started to brown nose Ning Xueluo too.

    "Our Boss is now not only the Finance Director of Ning International, and the Vice General Manager of Starlight Entertainment; it''s not too much to call her a woman Zhuge!"

    "Say, in the entire Imperial, is there anydy or madam that canpare to our Boss?"

    In the middle of the sofa, Ning Xueluo elegantly and gracefully sipped her red wine. "That''s enough. All of you, don''t ce me on a pedestal. Everyone''s worked hard in this period of time. All of you will get a triple bonus this month."

    When she announced that, the entire room was instantly filled with cheers of excitement.

    Ning Xueluo took out a set of car keys from her bag and casually tossed it at David. "Our Director David is the hero. There''s no need for doubt about that!"

    "Wow! A Ferrari! Boss, you''re incredibly generous!"

    "Boss David,ter on, let me borrow it to drive it around!"

    "Me too, me too! Lend it to me to drive too!"

    ¡­

    David looked thrilled as he swiftly caught the keys in his hand. "Thank you, Boss, for the reward!"

    Ning Xueluo smiled. "As long as you work earnestly with me, I won''t discriminate when ites to thepany''s profit. You''ll all get returns that you''re satisfied with!"

    "Thank you, Boss! To work with Boss means great benefits!"

    "Boss, we''ll definitely work hard! To shine for thepany! To ignite for thepany!"

    David said confidently, "Boss, don''t worry! This time for the international Spring/Summer fashion week, I''ll definitely render Spirit to a point where they won''t be able to make aeback so as to avoid them from even being there and being irksome!"

    When Ning Xueluo heard his promise, she said inly, "That''s fine, actually."

    David went along. "Boss, you''re right. Spirit''s not even worthy for us to pay them any attention!"

    This past year was no doubt the year that David had lived mostfortably. Initially, he was gasping for air with Spirit suppressing him. He had even been scolded by Ning Xueluo all day long and suffered from all kinds of sneers from those in the industry. What had worried him most was that secret, mysterious designer XZ, whose design style was exactly the same as a particr person¡­

    However, now, he did not need to worry about all of that anymore¡­

    This world of fashion design was still his turf in the end!

 Chapter 1808: History Was Written By The Victors

    <h4>Chapter 1808: History Was Written By The Victors</h4>

    After it ended, everyone went home separately.

    A Bentley had stopped steadily at the entrance of the bar. Ning Xueluo waved goodbye to everyone, then got into the car under everyone''s envious and worshipping gazes.

    After Ning Xueluo got into the car, she leaned over to the man in the driver''s seat and kissed his lips. "I''m exhausting you, Bro Yan. It''s already sote, yet you still picked me up! Our sales figures came first again this session, so I brought everyone over for some fun!"

    "The person who''s exhausted is you. Don''t get so busy till you fall ill."

    "I won''t! Work''s not exhausting at all!"

    Su Yan rubbed the top of the girl''s head gently, then he started the engine.

    Ning Xueluo took a peek at the man beside her. She pretended to nonchntly say, "Bro Yan, ''The World'' is going to be remade. Did you know that?"

    Su Yan nodded. "I heard a bit about it."

    "Previously, the drama crew even invited me over to join the promotions and stuff. They said they wanted to invite all of the original cast and the new cast together to do a promotional stint, but I said that I''ve already quit the entertainment industry, so I was still considering whether I should go!"

    Su Yan did not say anything for a moment, then Ning Xueluo realized that he was lost in his thoughts. "This time, Sister''s character, Meng Changge¡­ is portrayed by ourpany''s Han Zixuan. She''s a pretty talented girl and is full of potential. She''s progressing very quickly, plus thepany has also beenrgely promoting her¡­"

    When she said this, Ning Xueluo changed the topic suddenly. "I wonder where Sister has gone for this past one year. She can''t be contacted at all. There isn''t even any news about her. All the people around her don''t know where she went either. No matter what the situation is, she should at least let the family know. Now, so many people are worried about her! Many people even like creating drama and created rumors about how she''s retired because she was taken in as a mistress¡­"

    Su Yan pinched the space between his brows. He did not look very pleased. "Xiao Xi definitely has her reasons."

    Ning Xueluo nodded. She looked concerned as sheforted, "I trust Sister too. I''m just worried that something''s happened to her¡­ I hope that there''ll be news about Sister soon¡­"

    When Ning Xi had just gone missing, she had indeed be worried for a very long time. Secretly, she had been searching for traces of her, but after three months, then half a year, and until now, a whole year had passed, but no matter how the outside world had continued turning on its axis, Ning Xi still did not appear¡­

    Finally, she had stopped looking for her too.

    Now, Ning International was hers, while History was standing steadily on its feet. With Su Yan''s help, she had invested in Starlight and Han Zixuan hadpletely reced Ning Xi''s position in the entertainment industry.

    Right now, even if Ning Xi returned, she would just be a useless person, an outdated female star. She would even be inferior to a rookie. What could she possibly bring topete with her?

    As for the Su family, previously Zheng Minjun and Su Hongguang, who had been picking on her, were now worshipping her like a master too. That damned Su Xun and Zhao Shanshan would even avoid her when they saw her.

    Only Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu''s side seemed to be somewhat odd recently. When she was done being busy, she probably needed to assign people to watch them, but now, all of the Ning family was within her grasp. She had even gotten Ning Yaobang''s shares and Ning Qiutong could not do anything to her. Knowing them, they would not be able to cause any ruckus.

    Hah, at the start if she had really stupidly followed those hillbillies, she would probably just be a vige woman now. How would she be able to enjoy everything she had now?

    Family background was a wide gap that a person could never move past.

    If it had not been because she was thedy of the Ning family, how could she have smoothly entered the entertainment industry? How could she have matched up to Su Yan, and how could she have obtained everything she had today?

    Wait till "The World"''s promotional activitiesunched! She could even use this opportunity to make aeback, washing away all the past shame.

    As the saying went, history was written by the victors!

 Chapter 1809: How To Coax Someone?

    <h4>Chapter 1809: How To Coax Someone?</h4>

    Compared to the environment of a lively bar, this was a cold and lonely studio.

    It was so dark that no light came into the room.

    A young man curled into a fetal position in a corner as a mist-like spider web covered his hair and body.

    Beside the young man was his phone that had gone t. The whole room had scattered messy drafts, while blots of ink and multiple pens were strewn everywhere on the floor. As a gust blew into the room, the sound of the draft papers rustling echoed through the empty room¡­

    The studio was pitch dark when Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao arrived. It was as though no one was there.

    "Is Ze here?" Ning Xi asked hesitantly.

    This ce exuded a vibe that it had been vacant for a very long time.

    After Spirit had expanded and moved to a biggerpany, only Gong Shangze remained there to design. He said that he could only find inspiration there. Ning Xi had not forced him at that time and he was still here after a year.

    "ording to the assistant, he''s been keeping himself in here 24/7," Lu Tingxiao replied.

    Ning Xi frowned.

    Lu Tingxiao shielded Ning Xi and pushed the creaking door of the studio open.

    He searched around and switched on the lights. The light bulbs flickered several times before emitting a dim light.

    Ning Xi''s pupils shrunk the moment she saw the condition of the studio.

    Drafts were scattered everywhere in the room. From the halfpleted drafts, the messy lines, and the destroyed sketches, it was obvious that the creator had gone through a difficult struggle.

    The young man was lying down in the corner of the room. He did not move at all as if he was slowly bing a part of the room.

    Before going over, Ning Xi had prepared herself that Gong Shangze might not be in good shape, but she did not expect to see such a heartbreaking scene.

    When she had picked him up back in Los Angeles, even though he was a disheveled beggar, he was very critical towards her outfit, yet the person in front of her right now was like a person who had been robbed of all his talents, dropping from the stage of heavens to the realm of mortals.

    As if he was a child of faith being abandoned by God¡­

    The young man did not notice someone was there. Ning Xi was not even sure if he was conscious.

    After some time, Ning Xi came back to her senses from the mess she saw in front of her. She took a deep breath and walked slowly to the young man.

    Ning Xi squatted down slowly and used her hands to remove the cobwebs on the young man''s hair. She was afraid to startle him, so she called out to him gently, "Ze¡­"

    The young man''s body shivered the moment Ning Xi called him as if his soul had just received a shock.

    "Ze¡­ I''m back¡­"

    The young man raised his head from his knee mechanically. His dead-looking eyes were staring at Ning Xi like a never-ending abyss.

    The next moment, the young man covered his eyes with his arm.

    Ning Xi then saw big drops of tears start to plop down on the drafts, blurring the painful colors and lines¡­

    The young man did not say anything or make any sound. He just covered his eyes with his arm as he wept.

    Ning Xi had never seen a man cry like this before. She never knew that a man could weep this much either, so she freaked out and turned around to Lu Tingxiao when she realized she had just made a grown man cry. "Uhh, darling¡­ What should I do?"

 Chapter 1810: Still King of The World

    <h4>Chapter 1810: Still King of The World</h4>

    Ning Xi looked helpless. "What should I do?"

    Lu Tingxiao massaged his temples. Apparently, he was not experienced with such a dilemma as well.

    Ning Xi almost cried. Fine, she made this mess, so she was going to fix it.

    Ning Xi crouched down and started exining, "Ze, I''m really sorry for disappearing for so long. I didn''t want to. I didn''t mean to ignore Spirit''s business as well. I''ve been injured gravely and have been lying in bed for the past year. I just woke up a few days ago, but because I was unconscious for too long, my body was weak and I couldn''t even speak well, so I didn''t contact Spirit right away. We locked down the news and didn''t tell anyone to avoid any negative rumors. I''m really sorry¡­"

    After Ning Xi spoke for a long while to the point her mouth was nearly bruising, the young man finally replied, "I thought¡­ I disappointed you¡­"

    Ning Xi covered her forehead with her palm in horror. "How is that possible?! You''re amazing! You''re a treasure that I found!"

    "I thought¡­ I wasn''t good enough¡­ that I couldn''t satisfy you¡­ I thought Spirit didn''t really matter to you¡­ I suddenly didn''t know¡­ didn''t know the meaning to persist any longer," the young man continued, his face full of dread and despair of being abandoned.

    Ning Xi almost broke down. The way he phrased it made it sound like she was a cheater!

    She had not!

    "Gosh! Why do you like to overthink so much?! Shouldn''t you understand best whether Spirit is important to me or not? From the very first design, the first customer, the first gship store, we''vee a long way since then. I haven''t seen the Spirit brand go on the international stage yet! I haven''t let everyone know that you''re much better than that bastard David!"

    Gong Shangze was still looking downwards as he clenched his fists tightly. "Boss, sorry¡­ When you weren''t around¡­ I didn''t¡­ didn''t do well¡­ I''m sorry¡­"

    "It''s alright! It''s my fault after all!" Ning Xiforted him.

    Actually, she could fully understand Gong Shangze''s feelings at the moment.

    Gong Shangze had undergone the trauma of being betrayed and abandoned once before, and this time, during a long wait, various guesses and doubts magnified by the tendency to me himself slowly evolved into him hating himself and thinking that all his effort was useless. Soon, he felt that everything was meaningless.

    The most fatal bottleneck for a creator besides self-doubt was the loss of meaning. Any one of these two situations was enough to destroy a designer.

    Gong Shangze had gone through both and it was tough for him to hang on until now.

    If she had woken up anyter, this genius might have really fallen and never gotten back up on his feet ever again.

    Ning Xi suddenly felt afraid about what could have happened. "There''s more than one thing you should be sorry about. Look at you! I made you into a handsome young man, and you''ve turned yourself back into a dirty old man! Get up, follow me!"

    Gong Shangze stood up slowly. "Boss¡­ Where are we going?"

    "To my ce! Don''t worry. I won''t cause you trouble!"

    Gong Shangze looked at Lu Tingxiao. "I¡­ It''s okay¡­ I''m good to stay here¡­"

    "What''s so good here? If I got here anyter, you''d have be a dried corpse! Why are you looking at my darling? Don''t worry! The ce is huge. You won''t be bothering at all! What inspiration could you get by locking yourself up inside here? Get into a new environment and you''ll realize you''re still the rocking genius designer XZ! You''re still the king of the world!"

 Chapter 1811: He Was Flirting Again!

    <h4>Chapter 1811: He Was Flirting Again!</h4>

    You''ll realize you''re still the rocking genius designer XZ¡­

    Still the king of the world¡­

    In the midst of waiting in the dark and his suffering, the girl''s words were like a beam of light, chasing away all the darkness in his world. The shackles mping onto his soul suddenly crumbled into nothing.

    ¡­

    In the end, Ning Xi brought Gong Shangze into her house in Deer Town.

    It was a tiny wooden house in the lush garden and it was a suitable ce for Gong Shangze to stay.

    Gong Shangze had fallen into a deep slumber after he reached. He did not leave the house for two days. Ning Xi checked up on him for a few times and was relieved to find that he was just sleeping.

    On the third morning, Gong Shangze finally woke up. Compared to his usual headaches and grogginess upon waking, he felt really refreshed and rxed.

    After a while, he then remembered he had been brought there by his boss.

    The young man looked around the house with the interesting design. He crawled out of bed slowly and went outside.

    It was already night time when he came here with his boss, so he did not have the chance to look around. Gong Shangze was stunned when he stepped out of the house.

    A picturesqueke was right in front of him with several deer drinking from it, and birds were flying across theke.

    Gong Shangze looked appreciatively at the mountain and theke nearby. He took a deep breath, feeling like he was in heaven.

    The girl was wearing a two-piece woolen outfit that was simr to what the little boy beside her wore too. The two of them were doing Five Animal y Qigong with very synchronized movements. A man in casual clothes went next to the girl and wiped the sweat off her.

    "That''s all for now. Take a break," said Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi nodded, then she sat down on a swing nearby and then picked up the plump bunny beside her feet. Sheughed. "How heavy! I didn''t expect this bunny to still be here!"

    "Little Treasure took really good care of it," said Lu Tingxiao.

    Little Treasure went up to his mother with an alert sense of urgency when he saw his mother hugging and kissing the bunny.

    He did not want to raise a rival for himself!

    Ning Xi put the bunny down and dragged Little Treasure into her arms with a smile. She gave him a pat on the head. "You''re amazing, Little Treasure!"

    The bunny ran around after it was put down, but some timeter it would return to Little Treasure and stay close by.

    "Little Treasure, go into the house and get the ginseng soup from the table," Lu Tingxiao said.

    Little Treasure nodded and ran inside the house.

    Ning Xi then said, "I could''ve gone myself. Why did you ask Little Treasure¡­"

    The man kissed her before she could finish his sentence. "I want to be alone with you for a while."

    Ning Xi covered her blushing face. Oh, he was flirting again!

    Gong Shangze was watching the lovely scene right in front of him, feeling like he had returned to the human realm. His dried up creativity suddenly flourished as a huge wave swiftly colored the entire ce¡­

 Chapter 1812: The Boss Is Back!

    <h4>Chapter 1812: The Boss Is Back!</h4>

    "Eh? Ah Ze! You''re awake! There''s millet porridge in the kitchen. Quickly go have some! Do you know you''ve slept for three days?" When Ning Xi noticed Gong Shangze who was close by, she quickly walked over.

    "Thank you, Boss. I''m good, it''s fine!"

    The young man was an entirely different person from the person he was three days ago. Even though he still looked slovenly dressed, he gave off an entirely different vibe right now.

    Ning Xi was slightly relieved and she smiled. "See, I told you I wouldn''t lie to you! Isn''t this ce great? Do you have any new inspiration?"

    The young man watched this girl before him who was dressed casually in house clothes and appeared entirely different from the way she always looked in splendor as he recalled. He then nodded. "Mmm."

    Ning Xi was pleasantly surprised. "Haha, really?! So soon? Then, you must stay for a few more days!"

    Gong Shangze smiled back and said tenderly, "Thank you, Boss, but there''s no need. I''m fine already, I''m going to return to the studioter to avoid everyone worrying about me. In fact, I''ve alreadyy wasted for too long. Now, every second is very important!"

    Ning Xi noticed the way Gong Shangze recovered his fighting spirit and naturally felt d in her heart. "That''s fine too. Finish your breakfast before leaving. When you go back, help me exin to Momo and Sis Wen too!"

    "Okay."

    "Right, remember to go to the guest room upstairs and change your clothes. Oh, andb your hair too."

    "Mmm."

    ¡­

    At Spirit studio.

    Han Momo stared at the empty and messy design studio as her face was clouded with worry and gloom. "Mr. Lu said that Director Gong went to his ce, but it''s already been three days. Why hasn''t Director Gong returned? He wouldn''t have really resigned and then ditched thepany, would he?"

    "Don''t assume." On the sofa, Qiao Wen held her tilted head in her hands, her face covered in fatigue too.

    She was in marketing and sales after all, so her mental strength was obviously stronger than others, but Ning Xi was the core of thepany. Her sudden disappearance had more or less affected her quite a bit. Now that thepany was already not in an optimistic situation, she could only force herself to hold things up in between the cracks.

    This time, the international fashion week would be their only chance of turning the tables. If they failed again, she was afraid that thepany would really copse for good.

    And with Gong Shangze''s current state, there was practically zero odds of sess for them at the international fashion week¡­

    Han Momo sighed. Qiao Wen''s train of thought was all over.

    They waited this way for a long time when the familiar sound of footsteps padded up to the door. Han Momo and Qiao Wen subconsciously looked over to the direction of the door.

    With the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer, a slender and fair hand pushed open the door¡­

    The instant they saw the young man who had suddenly appeared, Han Momo covered her mouth. She immediately eximed, "Gong¡­ Director Gong¡­"

    Oh, my! How long had she not seen her dashing and yummy, beautiful director? She practically felt like she was dreaming!

    Qiao Wen was also stunned when she saw Gong Shangze who seemed fresh and cool from head to toe while his expression was energetic.

    When he saw the two of them, Gong Shangze did not pause for a second as he immediately ordered, "Momo, immediately prepare a pen and paper for me! Call all the couture masters over too!"

    "Oh, oh, oh¡­" Han Momo subconsciously nodded and started to look for tools for him as she stared at Gong Shangze nkly. "Director Gong, what triggered you?"

    Han Momo suddenly looked rmed. "Uhh, Director Gong! You wouldn''t have taken drugs, would you?!"

    Many designers would take drugs to find their so-called "inspiration". As for Gong Shangze, forget about drugs; he would not even touch cigarettes and alcohol. He was probably a rarity in the design industry.

    "I didn''t." Gong Shangze swiftly picked up his pen and paper and started to draft designs as he said without even looking up.

    "Then, what''s going on?" Han Momo was utterly confused whilst Qiao Wen was puzzled too.

    In just a few strokes, Gong Shangze had already sketched out lively lines that looked natural and smooth, then he wrote down a few words for the theme on those first drafts. He looked up at Qiao Wen and Han Momo as he answered, "My muse¡­ She has returned¡­"

    Han Momo and Qiao Wen exchanged a nce. Suddenly, they revealed expressions of disbelief. They looked nkly at the young man who seemed to have been reincarnated. "Your¡­ your muse? You mean¡­ The Boss is back?!"

 Chapter 1813: My Wife Talks Sense

    <h4>Chapter 1813: My Wife Talks Sense</h4>

    In a little house in the garden.

    After Gong Shangze left, Ning Xi thought about how her disappearance had made so many people worried. She pondered for a long time and decided that there were some people who needed to be informed about her situation.

    Gong Shangze would exin it to herpany for her before she personally went over after a period of time. Besides that, she also had to think about¡­ Sis Tianxin¡­

    "Darling, how did you exin to Sis Tianxin back then?" Ning Xi asked.

    "I was afraid that she would worry, so I said that you''ve gone to study abroad in seclusion. I''ve also been using your phone to keep in touch with her," answered Lu Tingxiao.

    "Has she never suspected?"

    "She has."

    "Mmm, indeed. Knowing Sis Tianxin''s meticulous mind, she probably would''ve long suspected¡­ I''d better exin the situation to Ning Tianxin to avoid her fretting about me."

    When Lu Tingxiao heard this, he frowned and said, "I''d suggest that the fewer people know about this, the better."

    Ning Xi muttered, "But Sis Tianxin doesn''t even know anything. She must be very worried as she keeps guessing things by herself. I don''t want to let simr situations like Ah Ze''s happen!"

    Lu Tingxiao pinched his be and did not say anything.

    When Ning Xi saw that his odd expression, she probed, "When I was in aa, did any other thing happen? Almost everyone has been mentioned, but¡­ you seemed to have left Xiao Tao out. Where''s Xiao Tao? Sis Zhizhi resigned, then what about her? Has she left thepany too?"

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Yes, she left thepany."

    Ning Xi looked solemn, then she asked again, "Did something happen to Xiao Tao?"

    When Lu Tingxiao saw Ning Xi''s expression, he knew that she must have somewhat suspected something, so he revealed to her, "Yes, back then when you were in that final scene for ''Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad'', Xiao Tao was the one who switched the gun for a real one."

    Ning Xi suddenly fell silent when she heard the truth.

    No wonder Lu Tingxiao was always so careful and even put up his guard against everyone¡­

    It was not sure how long had passed before Ning Xi finally said, "Actually, I had thought about that back then too, but it was just a spection. I never would''ve thought that it would really be Xiao Tao¡­ Was she threatened by someone?"

    Lu Tingxiao confirmed, "Someone used her younger brother who was studying abroad to threaten her."

    Ning Xi said, "Is that so? Then, how''s her brother right now?"

    Lu Tingxiao replied, "You''ve retired for a year. There was no news from the other side too, and her brother''s fine."

    Ning Xi was then relieved. "Did you find out who did it?"

    "It was a bunch of influential gangsters in Los Angeles. They only started to expand in the past two years, and their internal ops are very messy. Their motives are temporarily unclear, but I''ve already assigned people to watch them," answered Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi nodded, then she looked slightly terrified.

    Lu Tingxiao watched the girl''s deste expression and reached out to pull her into his embrace. "Don''t be sad."

    "I''m fine¡­"

    Even though in the end, the person who had betrayed her was proven to be Xiao Tao, she still did not regret the trust she had given her back then.

    Ning Xi took a deep breath and very soon, she was alright again. "Even though they say ''once bitten twice shy'', I can''t just reject all the wonderful things because of a single experience. Look at us! Aren''t we the best example? So, I still must tell Sis Tianxin!"

    As Lu Tingxiao watched the girl''s little face shine brightly, unaffected nor invaded by gloominess, his expression was gentle. "Mmm, my wife talks sense."

    Ning Xi was instantly pleased by the ttery. "Right, right!"

 Chapter 1814: So Frightened That The Bunny Was Tossed Away

    <h4>Chapter 1814: So Frightened That The Bunny Was Tossed Away</h4>

    Indeed, when Ning Xi video called Ning Tianxin, Ning Tianxin said she was already preparing to apply for long leave to return to the country.

    Although she trusted Lu Tingxiao, she had always suppressed the suspicions in her heart, but after so long had passed, no matter what she had to personally see Xiao Xi before she felt assured.

    "Sis Tianxin, I''m fine. I''m leaping and frisking about! I''ll leap for you to see right now as a matter of fact!" Ning Xi said as she started bounding about while holding the phone.

    "Good that you''re fine¡­ good that you''re fine¡­" Ning Tianxin was considerate as she did not probe further. She was just assured to see her doing well.

    "Sis Tianxin, what about you? How are you recently? Why do you look a little frazzled?" Ning Xi asked with concern.

    Ning Tianxin sighed softly, "It''s not too huge of an issue. It''s already been resolved."

    "Did Ning Yaobang annoy you again? That guy''s never-ending. Why hasn''t he given up yet!?" Ning Xi frowned.

    Ning Tianxin said helplessly, "Do you know about the Ning family''s situation right now?"

    Ning Xi muttered, "I roughly understand it a little."

    On the other end of the phone, Ning Tianxin chose her words carefully before she said, "I don''t know what methods Ning Xueluo used, but my father actually gave all 6 percent of his shares to her, so now Ning Xueluo has a total of 21 percent of shares. That''s even more than Aunty Qiutong''s shares, therefore Ning Xueluo is now basically single-handedly dominating thepany.

    "Furthermore, my father sees that forcing me to get married won''t work, so he wants to steal my 10 percent of shares¡­"

    "Shoot! Don''t give it to him! These shares are for you and your mother to settle down and carry on with your pursuits!" Ning Xi quickly insisted.

    "I know, I definitely won''t hand it to him. My studies have already ended here and I''ve also moved to a new ce, so he probably won''t find us again."

    Ning Xi nodded. "You be careful yourself. Are you still in touch with that Qin Mufeng?"

    "Yes, Doctor Qin has helped me a lot."

    "That''s good then. If you have any problems, just go look for him. Don''t be courteous. I''ll help you keep watch from here in the country too. If there''s anything urgent, you must contact me."

    "Okay, I got it. You take care of yourself too."

    ¡­

    After Ning Xi finished her call, the man stroked the girl''s hair. "Now, are you satisfied?"

    Ning Xi nodded. "Mmm, not worried now!"

    "Go y outside for a while. Little Treasure and I will cook for you."

    "Ah? I should go and help too!" Ning Xi pulled on the man''s hand.

    "No can do! The kitchen is oily and smoky." The man looked sternly at her. There was no room for any leeway.

    "Mmm, okay!"

    Lu Tingxiao and Little Treasure went to cook in the kitchen. The two buns both thought that it was not beneficial for the body as there were oil and smoke in the kitchen. Then, they made her wait for her meal outside.

    Thus, Ning Xi carried the chubby bunny and strolled around the little garden.

    Gong Shangze had recovered, she had contacted Sis Tianxin¡­ She had finally gotten a few loads off her mind¡­

    Now, by coordinating with the ointment that Annie had prescribed earlier, her body had recovered at a swift pace. She would probably be healed in no time.

    Lu Tingxiao saw that she was incredibly bored in this period of time, so he had even arranged for a small shooting range on the side for her to satisfy her for a while. The entire thing would probably be set up by the afternoon.

    Ning Xi carried the bunny and leisurely walked around as her thoughts trailed off, thinking about some trivial matters. She seemed very contented to the extent that when she took a detour around the curtain of flowers and suddenly saw a white-haired man amidst the rack of Japanese roses, she was so frightened that she immediately tossed the bunny in her arms away!

 Chapter 1815: My Dear Sister-in-law

    <h4>Chapter 1815: My Dear Sister-inw</h4>

    The poor bunny was thrown on the floor just as it was still enjoying being caressed just a moment ago. It looked stunned beside the white-haired man''s feet.

    Ning Xi just remained stationary as if she had just seen a ghost in the middle of the day.

    "You¡­ you¡­ you¡­" Ning Xi stuttered and was not able to get her words out.

    It was really terrifying to see this guy unexpectedly!

    The man was ying with a rose with dew on its petals as he said in aining tone, "What about me? Do you want to cast me away after taking my dowry, my dear¡­ Sister-inw?"

    S-Sister-inw?

    Ning Xi was shocked. "You¡­ Don''t mess around! What ''Sister-inw''?"

    "Am I mistaken?" The man raised his eyebrows as he held the rose in his hand like he was a nimble, little elf.

    "Uhh¡­" Ning Xi was not able to give him aeback. Did this guy know she was married to Lu Tingxiao?

    "Then, what do you mean by the dowry? Since when did I receive any dowry from you?" Ning Xi continued feigning ignorance.

    The man did not answer. He studied the bunny beside his feet with interest, then he bent over and picked it up in front of Ning Xi''s anxious gaze. His fair fingers were running through the rabbit''s gentle fur. "Tsk, how fat."

    Ning Xi''s expression darkened. "So what? It doesn''t eat your carrots!"

    The man looked at her in amusement. "You look energetic now. You seem fine."

    Ning Xi''s expression softened when he said that. So, this guy was just concerned about her? "That''s right! I have heavy attack points and high defense! Thanks to your suppression back then!"

    Could he just appear normally?! She had almost fallen back into aa again!

    She had been havingplicated feelings towards Yun Shen.

    One of her most concerned matters was about Yun Shen and Qiao Yi. She then found out Yun Shen and Qiao Yi had turned their backs against each other. After that, Lu Tingxiao caught Qiao Yi, but he was rescued by someone and was nowhere to be found up until now as he had never appeared again.

    Qiao Yi''s matter aside, Yun Shen was supposed to be at war with Lu Tingxiao; their powers were on par with each other.

    However, in the span of a whole year, the two parties were able to maintain an odd bnce and it had never broken down.

    Under the rosebuds, the man smiled. It was not a cold smile, a half-hearted smile, or an empty smile. It was¡­ a smile she had never seen before. A really warm smile¡­

    As Ning Xi''s thoughts were straying, the man turned around. "I''m leaving."

    "Ah¡­" Was he going to leave like this?

    After scaring her?

    Ning Xi suddenly realized she still had something with him, so she yelled out, "Hey, my bunny!"

    The man turned around and Ning Xi went over to take the bunny from him.

    Thank me, you little one! If not, this scary guy would surely eat you up.

    Ning Xi saw a fluffy, white ball hanging outside of the man''s pocket, seeming very creepy. She asked, "The thing in your pocket¡­ What is it?"

    The man looked down and took out his phone. "This?"

    Ning Xi then saw that the white ball of fluff was a phone essory.

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. "What the heck? You''re using this as a phone essory?"

    Why did she feel like this little white ball was so familiar?

    She could not recall where she had seen it before¡­

    The man raised his eyebrows and pinched the white ball. "Is it cute?"

    Ning Xi coughed, "Well, it''s pretty cute¡­ but it doesn''t suit you!"

    The man suddenly thought of something and his expression went nk for a moment. He then mumbled, "Really? Doesn''t suit me¡­ I see¡­"

    Ning Xi was not sure what to say. She just thought that the man''s expression at the moment was weird.

    Yun Shen then left without saying a word.

    As he walked away, his silhouette of this man, who was indifferent towards anything, gave off a vibe of loneliness¡­

 Chapter 1816: Chaotic Battlefield

    <h4>Chapter 1816: Chaotic Battlefield</h4>

    After some time, the incident where Jiang Muye had left the press conference of "The World" halfway and swore on Weibo gradually intensified.

    Han Zixuan''s fans quickly attacked Jiang Muye''s Weibo, his official ount, his manager''s ount, and even Glory World Entertainment''s official ount. They madly criticized Jiang Muye''s unreasonable behavior because he swore as a public figure, and they wanted a proper apology for their Goddess Zixuan.

    Most of Han Zixuan''s fans were converted over from Ning Xi''s fanbase. Back then, Ning Xi''s fans were neck and neck with Jiang Muye''s fans. In addition to the incitement this time, it was a great war and the Inte fell into chaos.

    Jiang Muye''s harshest criticism was that he had cursed, and towards a woman.

    Under such circumstances, a lot of fans ignored the cause of it and did not care about it. They would just jump to the conclusion that Jiang Muye was rude and ungentlemanly. No matter what, he should not have done something like that to a girl.

    Especially since most of the fans assumed that Jiang Muye and Han Zixuan were an item, this incident made Jiang Muye bebeled as trash.

    Glory World Entertainment utilized their public rtions team but their efforts were in vain. With the pressure from Starlight Entertainment, Jiang Muye''s image went down the drain.

    What made the situation worse was that Jiang Muye was not cooperative. They could not contact him at all after that day and whatever they did was useless.

    At the CEO''s office.

    Yi Xudong mmed the table in front of him loudly and he started scolding Liang Feixing angrily, "Liang Feixing, what the heck is wrong with you? How did a simple matter escte like this? You can''t even settle such a tiny matter! And you dare call yourself the God Maker in the industry? Pack your things and go back to your hometown! Trash!"

    Liang Feixing sat on the sofa with an indifferent attitude as he faced Yi Xudong''s rage. He said, "I can''t do much on my own, you know. The whole PR team has left. Are you expecting me to get help out of nowhere?

    "Oh right, CEO Yi, I forgot to tell you that Starlight called me just now. They wanted me to go over, and the annual sry they offered is three times what you''re paying me right now. Do you think I should go, or I should really go?"

    If it had not been for the Big Boss, and his knowledge about Ning Xi''s rtionship with him, he would never have stayed under this idiot Yi Xudong!

    Second Master had just left not very long ago, and this guy was starting to act big, taking advantage of his own artistes, and forcing Ling Zhizhi away. Fueled by a whole lot of incidents including trusting rumors and making wrong decisions, he was the one who had made Glory World fall to this state.

    Yi Xudong remained silent, not daring to say anything to him now.

    If Liang Feixing left, then Glory World would be really over¡­

    Yi Xudong''s inner rage had nowhere to go, yet he did not dare to yell at Liang Feixing again. He turned to Lei Ming who kept quiet in the corner. "And you, Lei Ming! You''re the one responsible for this whole incident. As Jiang Muye''s manager, I ordered you to look after him, but just what are you doing?

    "How can you let him post such a status on Weibo under the current sensitive situation?! Why don''t you get him to exin himself? You said that you''ve managed to convince Jiang Muye, and this is the result?"

 Chapter 1817: Like My Wife Ran Away

    <h4>Chapter 1817: Like My Wife Ran Away</h4>

    Lei Ming was unlike Liang Feixing. Although he was big-sized, he had a delicate personality and would not utter back a word even after getting scolded. He just sat there quietly.

    "Useless thing, you''re keeping quiet after things have gone wrong! You''re even worse than a woman¡­" As Yi Xudong was saying more and more harsh words, the office door was pushed open suddenly. A drunk middle-aged man came tumbling in.

    The man had a bottle of alcohol in his hand, while his outfit was messy and reeked of alcohol. He spoke to Yi Xudong, "CEO Yi, you¡­ are you looking for me?"

    Yi Xudong''s expression soured when he saw the person who came in. "Xu Tao! Look at yourself! Let me ask you what happened to the few female artistes under you? You spent a long time bringing them up, but why are they all quitting all of a sudden?! And I only found out about it after I received the letters from thewyers!"

    "Ran away¡­ ran away¡­ Damn it¡­ haha¡­ I don''t even put in that much effort taking care of my daughter¡­ I''m treating them like my own children, my princesses¡­

    "I drank until my stomach has internal bleeding just to get them an advertisement¡­ I''ve never made them drink before¡­

    "In the end, they were scouted away and they''re telling people that I harassed them sexually, that I''m making them doing stuff they are unwilling to¡­ and I''m torturing them¡­ bullying them¡­ hahaha¡­ I''m torturing them¡­" Xu Tao kept on rambling as he continued drinking.

    Yi Xudong was really furious at him. "That''s because you''re trash! Useless! You can''t even manage a few girls!"

    Xu Tao''s eyes suddenly turned cold and he sneered, "Yi Xudong, don''t you dare yell at me! When I was at the top of the industry as the best manager, you were still in your mother''s arms!

    "Second Master scouted me toe here! When I was with Second Master enjoying life, regardless of which artiste, even the big shots would rather be polite to me. Even an idiot like you would have to call me Bro Tao! Ask your conscience who the hell is it for that I''ve fallen into such a state?!"

    Xu Tao then smashed his bottle, scattering broken pieces all over the ground.

    Liang Feixing frowned and went over to him. "That''s enough, Xu."

    Lei Ming went over to hold him back as well. "Let''s go."

    They both knew that in the whole of thispany, the most bitter person was Xu Tao.

    When he was at his peak, Zheng Anru had just been a little assistant under him.

    When Han Zixuan and her manager Zheng Anru took away most of the opportunities together with a big batch of new artistes, and after Ling Zhizhi left as well, Xu Tao held the fort on his own. He started looking for partnerships everywhere, getting his resources back persistently. He forced himself to bring up more and more artistes under the tough environment created by Starlight Entertainment. Because he had been perceived as a significant obstacle by Starlight Entertainment and Zheng Anru, he encountered trouble before.

    There was once when he had been beaten up by a bunch of thugs in an alley and ended up in the hospital for about a month¡­

    A strong, iron-willed man had finally broken down after the two artistes he groomed suddenly left him without any pretense at all¡­

    "Liang, Lei Ming, do you know how the heck I''m feeling right now?" Xu Tao punched his chest savagely. "It feels like my damned wife ran away with someone else¡­"

 Chapter 1818: The Nourishment of Love

    <h4>Chapter 1818: The Nourishment of Love</h4>

    "Yes, yes, yes, I understand how you feel, but you can''t keep destroying your own body. Don''t keep drinking so much! You should rest properly. Start over again. With your capabilities, you can definitely make aeback!" Lei Ming already had no time to care for himself, but he was still working hard tofort this big brother before him.

    Xu Tao scoffed under his breath, then he muttered, "Start over again? Do you think it''s so easy to start over again? I already can''t stand to start over again, Lei Ming¡­

    "Do you think that everyone''s Ning Xi? In this entertainment industry, reliable young sessors only appear once every three or five years. Someone like Ning Xi won''t even appear again in a hundred years¡­

    "With thepany in such a state, how would I start over again? Lei Ming, I''m tired¡­ I''m really tired¡­"

    Lei Ming did not say anything as he did not know how to respond.

    Liang Feixing sighed. His face was covered in gloom too. Now, thepany was only left with the few of the older ones; the tea cools down as soon as the person is gone . While things remained the same, people had changed. After all the excitement, only the ruined was left. The entertainment empire that belonged to them, the world that belonged to them was now gradually moving further and further away from them¡­

    Xu Tao fell to the ground in a daze. Through the huge ss window, he could see the setting sun far away. "The Glory World today can''t make it past half a year¡­ If¡­ if Ning Xi didn''t retire back then¡­ If only Ning Xi could return¡­ Huh¡­ No way¡­"

    ¡­

    In Deer Town.

    Under the big bun and little bun''s meticulous care, Ning Xi recovered very quickly.

    When Annie came over to check up on her, she was also surprised by the speed of her recovery.

    Ning Xi simply credited it to "the nourishment of love".

    Bang!

    After three days of adapting, Ning Xi could finally urately hit the bullseye target again.

    At the start, not feeling as strong as she wished made her feel terrible, especially when she saw that she could not even hit the sixth and seventh ring. Thankfully, Lu Tingxiao and Little Treasure had apanied her. They distracted her and helped her slowly adapt.

    In the end, she realized that the feeling of regaining this strength of hers felt pretty good.

    Hey, I am indeed still so awesome!

    Ning Xi was practicing her shooting when not too far away, there was suddenly reverberating cries of rm from a young man. "Oh! Sis Xi, Sis Xi, Sis Xi! You''re really awake!"

    "Rongguang¡­ Keer¡­"

    When she saw who hade, Ning Xi instantly looked pleasantly surprised. "Why are you guys here?"

    Zhuang Rongguang rushed over like an arrow and then did an emergency brake. He shot Lu Tingxiao a look and said with hate, "I wanted toe much earlier! It''s this guy who keeps hiding you away. He even mentioned that he was politely refusing the disturbance of guests, that''s why we could onlye to see you now! Sis Xi, you''re seriously too awesome! You were in a vegetative state, but you actually woke up! I just knew that you''re a person who''ll do great things, Sis Xi!"

    Ning Xi did not know whether tough or cry at Zhuang Rongguang''s words. " You''ll do great things. I heard you''re doing pretty good in the army. You came in first for the martial arts tournament?"

    "Hahaha¡­ Nah! So-so only!" The young man scratched his head. Although his response was humble, his tail had long risen all the way up to the sky.

    The young man noticed that there were still a few more guns in Ning Xi''s hands. His eyes instantly lit up like light bulbs. "Hey, damn! Gold Walter, Colt Revolver¡­ That''s sick, too sick! I''ve only seen them in pictures! Bloody hell, these are all antique guns of the legends, aren''t they?!"

    "Sis! Sis, sis, sis! Can I try?" The young man was about to drool.

    Ning Xi smiled faintly and looked at the young man. "Then, you''ll have to ask your brother-inw."

 Chapter 1819: Continue To Live Well

    <h4>Chapter 1819: Continue To Live Well</h4>

    Zhuang Rongguang instantly pouted unhappily. "I don''t want to! I still haven''t acknowledged him as my brother-inw! Sis, what do you think about my bro, Lin Qian? He''s so young and is already a colonel! Previously, it was he who was responsible for sending you over to the military sanatorium. He was responsible for your safety. Even if you don''t trust my judgment, you should at least trust my father''s judgement! He''s my father''s trusted aide, the legendary child from another family, the one who Father usuallypares me to¡­"

    On the side, when Lu Tingxiao saw that Zhuang Rongguang was tempting Ning Xi away right in front of him, he did not say anything. He just took out a gun and shot at the target in front, hitting the bull''s eye.

    The instant Zhuang Rongguang saw the gun in Lu Tingxiao''s hand, it was like he had seen his dream lover. He suddenly leaped over. "Oh! A H. Fox! Brother-inw! Cousin-inw! Let me touch it! We''re family! You definitely wouldn''t be so petty, would you?"

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    The condescending Little Treasure was inarticte too.

    Ning Xiughed for a while before she turned to Zhuang Keer who had not said any anything. She clung to her arm and sat down beside the wooden table under the flower rack nearby.

    The girl did not say anything. She just gave Zhuang Keer a huge, huge hug.

    She knew that for the current version of Zhuang Keer, this was the best way to reunite.

    Under the Japanese roses that swayed in the breeze, the two girls hugged each other in silence, creating a picturesque oil painting.

    Zhuang Keer''s body trembled slightly. Only until Ning Xi''s body warmth crept through the hug did she feel that this was real. Her voice choked on her sobs. "I just knew¡­ I just knew¡­ that you''d definitely wake up¡­"

    "Of course, I can''t bear to let you worry about me, Sis Keer!"

    Zhuang Keer only calmed down her stirred up emotions after a while. She let go of Ning Xi and said with a gentle expression, "No wonder we hit it off so well. Who would''ve thought that you''re actually my biological cousin?"

    Ning Xiughed. "Fate is indeed miraculous!"

    "Xiao Xi, you¡­ did you know much earlier? About our families'' rtionship?" Zhuang Keer asked.

    "I heard a little from Zhuang Lingyu''s side before¡­"

    "Then, why did you never mention it?" Zhuang Keer frowned.

    Ning Xi smiled. "Because it''s the same whether I mention it or not. Whatever it is, we''re good sisters!"

    Zhuang Keer''s heart was warmed and she instantly nodded. "Mmm, you''re right!"

    Suddenly, Zhuang Keer''s expression darkened. "Xiao Xi, I''m sorry¡­"

    "Why are you suddenly apologizing?!" Ning Xi said.

    Zhuang Keer lowered her head. "I didn''t handle your fan club well¡­ Ever since you fell into aa¡­those who left, just left¡­ and those who dispersed, just dispersed¡­"

    Ning Xi quicklyforted her, "That''s inevitable. After all, I''ve vanished for so long."

    Zhuang Keer sighed with a deste expression, "At the start, everyone was holding on. We were holding on and waiting for your return. No matter what happened, there was still a group of people who never wavered¡­

    "Until Han Zixuan''s appearance, they had secretly infiltrated our internal team and even bribed the higher management of our fans. They created all sorts of rumors while I wasn''t around, swaying the will of the people, causing our side to be a mess, then slowly everyone outside couldn''t hold on any longer too¡­

    "Plus, Han Zixuan''s style is remarkably simr to yours and Yi Xudong promoted her heavily. Suddenly, they snatched away a huge bunch of our fans¡­"

    As Ning Xi listened to Zhuang Keer, even though it was just a few words, she could feel how themotion had been like back then, and the scenes of Zhuang Keer''s powerlessness while she still held on firmly. Even though she did not personally experience all those scenes of them battling for her, she could feel the shock of it rising in her heart¡­

    Zhuang Keer finished and took a deep breath before she looked at Ning Xi and suddenly beamed happily. "But everything''s in the past now! You''ve woken up. For the people who truly like you and care about you, as long as you''re happy, contented, and healthy, then all is good. As long as you continue to live well even if it''s in a ce that they cannot see¡­"

 Chapter 1820: Toss About In Bed

    <h4>Chapter 1820: Toss About In Bed</h4>

    Late at night, Ning Xi woke up from tossing and turning.

    Every single word from Zhuang Keer still lingered in her mind.

    She kissed baby Little Treasure on his cheek, then she lightly crossed over Lu Tingxiao. She got down from the bed and walked towards the study room.

    She sat in front of the study desk for a long time and finally switched on theputer.

    After she decided to retire, apart from what she heard from Lu Jingli, she did not pay attention to any other news online.

    She started the search engine and stared nkly at the disy screen for a while. Momentster, she gently typed in the words "Ning Xi retirement".

    She had just clicked on the "enter" button when a flood of rted news appeared. They were basically all old news from one year ago.

    There were fans who had raised banners in support to express that they would wait for her return, while some did demonstrations and protests in front of Glory World Entertainment''s entrance. Her absence at all sorts of huge award ceremonies raised huge controversy.

    All of the headlines, all of them were about her¡­

    With the passing of time, her name started to appear lesser and lesser. She was gradually reced by Han Zixuan and numerous newbies until she had vanished without a trace in the entertainment industry.

    Ding! On the right bottom corner, a hot topic entertainment news suddenly popped up. It seemed to mention Jiang Muye''s name.

    Ning Xi took a look and casually clicked on it.

    Then, she saw a striking and erged headline: "Fans Unite To Petition In Protest: Jiang Muye Get Lost From The Entertainment Industry!"

    What happened?

    Ning Xi''s expression instantly changed and she took a closer look at the article.

    She realized that it was coincidentally rted to Han Zixuan again.

    Jiang Muye had publicly cussed and insulted her on Weibo, even insulting her mother¡­

    "F*ck your mother¡­"

    Ning Xi read the Weibo post and her brows furrowed. Even if Jiang Muye was impulsive, he probably would not have used such aggressivenguage towards a woman.

    Ning Xi started to investigate the matter in detail.

    It turned out that she already knew about the cause of this incident too. It was exactly that scandal revolving around Jiang Muye and Han Zixuan that she had seen in the newspaper at the little stall in Deer Town when she had just woken up.

    Initially, Jiang Muye seemed to have not thought about caring. After all, there were too many female artistes who leeched off his poprity.

    Ning Xi had guessed that that picture was probably a photo taken during production or something like that. When the production could be publicly announced, things would settle down after they rified.

    Unfortunately, the matter had suddenly gone out of control at the press conference of "The World".

    Jiang Muye suddenly left halfway and had posted that Weibo without any warning.

    Ning Xi looked closely at what happened during the press conference.

    Then, she found a video.

    In the video, Han Zixuan''s manager was righteously responding to a reporter''s question¡­

    Zheng Anru responded, "Since Zixuan started her career, she has experienced many malicious nders. Also, because her appearance is outstanding, she''s also beenpared to many other female stars who are just pretty and have no substance¡­

    "Zixuan can''t be ced on par with a sub-standard person who uses her face and body to make it to the top. This is an insult to Zixuan!

    "Here, I''d like to solemnly state to all the media that I hope everyone won''t ask such insulting questions in the future! Don''t mention Zixuan''s name andpare her to some unbearable people with poor moral conduct!"

    ¡­

    When Zheng Anru said these words, Jiang Muye''s expression was hidden in the shadows and could not be seen clearly. He kept ying with his phone absent-mindedly.

    Yet, in the instant that Zheng Anru finished, Jiang Muye slowly stood up and started to leave without saying a word.

    After that, the entire venue turned into chaos.

    Jiang Muye had posted that cursing Weibo right at that moment.

    Ning Xi watched the video, studying the way Jiang Muye''s arrogant and ice-cold face in that video was mocking everyone, the way his leaving silhouette was unbridled without even looking back. She sighed softly and revealed a helpless smile¡­

    This guy¡­

 Chapter 1821: Fight For Love

    <h4>Chapter 1821: Fight For Love</h4>

    "Can''t sleep?" The man''s voice came from behind her.

    Ning Xi turned away from theputer screen and looked at Lu Tingxiao. She seemed distracted. "Mmm¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao nced at the videos and search logs on the screen, then he tousled the girl''s silky hair with his broad palms. "I told you I''ll support you no matter what decision you make."

    Ning Xi turned around and rubbed her head against the man''s body, remaining silent for a long time.

    After some time, the girl''s eyes became more and more determined. "Lu Tingxiao, I want to go back."

    "Okay."

    Jiang Muye had done it for her this time, so she could not just leave him be.

    Simr to Jiang Muye, there was also Keer and many others that she might not know about, including the fans that had been supporting her all this time.

    If her first debut was meant to fulfill her dreams, this time would be for the people supporting her from behind.

    ¡­

    After deciding that she wanted to help Lu Tingxiao''s nephew now, Ning Xi spent some time recovering. At the same time, she caught up with what had happened to the entertainment industry in the past year.

    After she finished scrolling through the old news, Ning Xi was sitting on a rattan chair in the garden and was looking through the recent entertainment news.

    Ning Xi''s eyes stopped scanning when she saw a familiar name in the corner.

    Xu Tao¡­

    In the picture, Glory World Entertainment''s most experienced top manager was dressed in a messy outfit to buy himself some alcohol. Then, he got into an argument with one of the female artiste he previously handled. To make things worse, he was publicly pped and humiliated by her assistant.

    The news was obviously inclined towards the female artiste as sarcasm was embedded all over the article, indicating that Xu Tao was bullying his artistes and that this was karma for him.

    Ning Xi frowned when she was reading the article.

    Xu Tao had always kept up a good reputation in the industry. After things kept getting messy, he had held Glory World up. He even sold his property and he would never do something so unprofessional.

    Well, it was not unusual for this to happen.

    The artistes he raised were scouted by Starlight. Afraid of beingbeled as being ungrateful, they wanted a proper excuse for them to betray thepany, which was why they framed him.

    Ning Xi had asked Lu Tingxiao to check on Sis Zhizhi. Her family members did not seem to be in the best of health and she had been busy caring for them.

    Sis Zhizhi had put in so much effort to bring her to that position and she did not want to burden her again.

    Ning Xi was bothered about who she should get to be her manager this time¡­

    "Xu Tao¡­" Ning Xi gently pointed at the name on the paper with a thoughtful expression.

    ¡­

    Somewhere nearby.

    "Boss, you¡­ What did you call me here for?"

    Liang Feixing never expected that he would be summoned by the Big Boss one day.

    He had been guessing why the boss had called him, but he did not dare to ask much, so he just followed the man behind anxiously.

    A whileter, after he followed the man, going throughyers of foliage and leaves, he vaguely saw a woman on a rattan chair nearby. However, the woman''s face was obscured in the shadows, so he could not see well.

    A suspicion formed in his mind. Liang Feixing looked doubtful, but soon he thought it was impossible.

    At this moment, the woman stood up. That bright face of hers that could put the afternoon sun to shame slowly appeared before him¡­

    "Director Liang, long time no see."

 Chapter 1822: A True Winner In Life

    <h4>Chapter 1822: A True Winner In Life</h4>

    "N-Ning Xi¡­"

    Liang Feixing''s eyes widened when he saw who the woman was. He felt as if a thunderbolt had just struck him.

    He gaped in disbelief at the woman who had vanished for a year, not just because of the shock, but also because of her current aura.

    Back then, Ning Xi was enough to attract the spotlight all to herself, and currently, this woman in front of him felt like time had reversed for her. Not only did her appearance not seem any duller, but she even had a more dignified presence now.

    Liang Feixing could not imagine what everyone''s expression would be when they saw her, especially the anti-fans who were guessing Ning Xi had gone through a botched stic surgery, or that her body size had spiraled out of control.

    He could not imagine how much of an impact it would be if Ning Xi reappeared in front of the public again!

    The whole entertainment industry would turn around for her sake.

    As long as she was willing to¡­

    She was born to be the king of the world¡­

    The chatterbox Liang Feixing suddenly became mute at the moment as he was in shock and could not believe what was happening.

    At this moment, he saw a low-profile ring on the woman''s finger¡­

    He then looked at the Big Boss. As expected, he saw the same design¡­ Wedding rings!

    What the heck!?

    Did they get married?

    Although he knew about their rtionship long ago, he was still taken aback little.

    Oh, his Boss, his queen, they really were married¡­

    Damn, if this got into the news, it would surely make the whole entertainment industry explode!

    He thought about those who said that Ning Xi had be a mistress to some rich old man, or had gotten pregnant by ident.

    She''s be a true winner in life, you foolish mortals!

    "L-Lady boss! Long time no see¡­ Long time indeed." After a long time, Liang Feixing finally regained his ability to speak normally again.

    Lu Tingxiao was a little unhappy when Liang Feixing stared at Ning Xi, but his expression softened when he called her ''Lady Boss''. "Xiao Xi is looking for you."

    "Ah¡­ Lady Boss, you''re looking for me? What do you need to see me about?" Liang Feixing''s expression became even more anxious.

    Ning Xiforted, "Don''t be so nervous, Director Liang, it isn''t a big deal. Sit down and have some tea."

    "O-Okay¡­" Liang Feixing sat down and took a sip of the flower tea.

    "Director Liang, I called you here today because¡­ I want toe out of retirement," said Ning Xi.

    Liang Feixing spit out the tea and coughed profusely. "W-What! No¡­ Lady Boss, what did you say just now?"

    "I said I want toe out of retirement," Ning Xi repeated herself as a smile lit up her angelic face.

    Liang Feixing could not say anything.

    What did he just hear!?

    Ning Xi wanted toe back?

    How was that not a big deal?!

    But how was it possible? Ning Xi had everything now, she had made it to the top of the industry, and married someone like Lu Tingxiao, so what else could she be looking for? Why would she want toe back out from retirement?

 Chapter 1823: It Has Nothing To Do With Stamina

    <h4>Chapter 1823: It Has Nothing To Do With Stamina</h4>

    Ning Xi guessed that Liang Feixing had doubts, so she said, "I seemed to have brought everyone a lot of trouble after I retired, and I found out about Jiang Muye''s matter recently. I''m the cause after all."

    "Not at all! It''s not because of you. Things became like this because of someone acting stupid!" Liang Feixing said quickly.

    He did not expect that nearing the end of Glory World, when even the main group had abandoned them, Ning Xi would suggesting back out of retirement.

    It was not just a simple second debut. She was representing the Boss and the whole of the Lu Corporation.

    "Lady Boss, you know what? A few days ago, I was chatting with Xu and a few others, and we were all thinking that it''d be great if you coulde back! Lady Boss, are you sure you want toe back out of retirement? Who do you n to appoint as your manager this time? Should we go and look for Ling Zhizhi?" Liang Feixing rattled off a bunch of questions.

    "Sis Zhizhi has some issues at home. Let''s not bother her. I''ll go with Bro Tao," said Ning Xi.

    "Xu? Are you sure? Damn! That guy would be mad happy if he knew!"

    Liang Feixing was really excited, but suddenly his expression froze and he side-eyed the wife protector. "Then¡­ does the Boss agree to let youe back out of retirement?"

    Ning Xi clung to Lu Tingxiao''s arm. "Hmm, I''ve asked permission from Darling. As long as I''m not too tired because my body isn''t in the best condition now."

    "Huh? Lady Boss, are you pregnant?" Liang Feixing''s eyes flew wide open and he looked at Ning Xi''s stomach.

    Ning Xi''s mouth twitched. "I was sick pretty badly, and I''m still recovering¡­"

    "Oh, I see! Boss, Lady Boss, please don''t worry about the amount of work. Lady Boss, your pinky finger is enough to bepared to anyone else. You don''t have to put in too much effort! Youreback this time will just lead our taking back the world!"

    Ning Xi chuckled. "Director Liang, you have too much faith in me."

    "Lady Boss, it''s the truth! Right, when are we starting?" Liang Feixing asked quickly.

    Ning Xi thought about it. "As soon as possible. Tomorrow then. Let''s look for Bro Tao tomorrow."

    "No problem!"

    ¡­

    It was a quiet night.

    Ning Xi kissed Little Treasure who was asleep, then she went beside Lu Tingxiao and stuck herself to him. "Darling, don''t worry. I''ll really take care of myself and won''t tire myself out! My body is mostly recovered already!"

    She was nning to rest for several days more, but she was worried that things might worsen for Jiang Muye if it dragged on, so she wanted to resolve it as soon as possible.

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything. Ning Xi cuddled him and kissed him yfully. The man could not wait anymore. "You''re mostly recovered? Hmm?"

    He picked the mischievous girl up from the bed and carried her to a guest room next door.

    Ning Xi felt herself being lifted in the air for a while and then shended on a soft bed.

    Under the moonlight, the man''s eyes look like fire. The heat was closing in on her, and a sudden kiss on her lips raised her temperature as well¡­

    Mmm ¡­

    Were they finally going to do? What were they supposed to do on their wedding night?

    With their twirling tongues and their deep kisses, she felt like her soul was being sucked away. Ning Xi felt a tremble start deep down from her insides as her tender toes curled up.

    Just a short while of forey was enough to make Ning Xi feel like a fish in a dry pond. She was starting to have difficulty breathing.

    After some time, the man finally let go of her lips. He used up every ounce of his rationality to suppress himself. At the same time, his fingertips were leaving the girl''s body slowly. "Can you still say that you have the stamina now? Hmm?"

    Ning Xi buried her head in the man''s arms as she yfully smacked the man. "How is that the same!? It has nothing to do with stamina, alright? Your smile is enough to make me go crazy. Moreover, you''re doing so many things to me altogether at once¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao was taken aback. Then, heughed at her. "You and your nonsense¡­"

    "It''s the truth!"

 Chapter 1824: Even If The Emperors Father Returned

    <h4>Chapter 1824: Even If The Emperor''s Father Returned</h4>

    Because of the so-called "physical strength" orck thereof, they did not manage to finish their wedding night business.

    Ning Xi had secretly set her mind on increasing her recuperation pace. It was more reliable if she strived towards it.

    Last night, they had already reached that extent, but Lu Tingxiao had actually held himself back when he saw that she physically could not endure it.

    It was not sure whether it was just her illusion, but sometimes she really felt that in this aspect, Lu Tingxiao seemed to be a little too careful with her.

    However, the feeling of being respected and treasured still moved her every time.

    If that person were not him, she would probably never have such intimate encounters with a man ever in this lifetime.

    ¡­

    The next day, Liang Feixing personally drove over to pick her early in the morning.

    Before they left, to avoid any trouble, Ning Xi temporarily took off her wedding ring and put it on a silver ne to wear around her neck.

    "Uhh, Lady Boss, well¡­ Bro Xu''s state hasn''t been great recently¡­ Later on, when you see him, don''t be too shocked¡­" Liang Feixing gave Ning Xi a warning beforehand. He was slightly worried that when Ning Xi saw Xu Tao''s wretched look, she would change her mind.

    As a friend, he obviously hoped that Xu Tao could grab this sole opportunity of making aeback.

    "No worries." Ning Xi looked like she did not mind.

    After a half an hour journey, the two of them stopped in front of an out-of-date apartment in a cramped environment.

    "To promote the newbies under him, Bro Xu sold off all of his assets. He rented this ce by himself here. When he finally helped them debut, who would''ve thought that the two of them would run off without a word and even make a false countercharge against him? Bro Xu has been dejected about this. He''s been getting drunk every day and a few days ago, he was even pped in public by an assistant at the bar, probably making his mood worse¡­"

    Liang Feixing sighed as he carefully led Ning Xi upstairs.

    The two of them had just reached the door when they saw that things were being thrown out of the house continuously. Then, they heard a shrill, harsh voice from inside. "Pah, you shameless and stinky alcoholic! What gold manager? And even the big stars, Liu Xiaorou and Yin Youyou, were managed by you? A gold manager with your revolting behavior? I''m telling you if you still don''t pay up your rent tomorrow, get lost!"

    After a series of crashes and bangs, the plump femalendlord in a sleeping gown walked out from the house in an overbearing manner. When she saw the extraordinarily well-mannered man at the door and the woman in sunsses beside him, she paused for a moment, then she curiously turned to look at the two of them a few more times before leaving and muttering to herself¡­

    "Cough, Lady Boss, apologies! Slow down! This way!" Liang Feixing did not think that the reality would be worse than he had imagined. He carefully kicked the junk by his feet away and led Ning Xi into the house.

    Once they entered, there was the pungent stench of alcohol. All of the things in the house were smashed and the ce was a mess while Xu Tao himself was like mud as hey unconsciously on the pile of junk.

    Liang Feixing pinched his nose and reached out with his leg to kicked Xu Tao''s shin. "Old Xu! Quickly wake up and see! See who hase!"

    Xu Tao impatiently waved the bottle of alcohol in his hand. "Go away¡­ All of you, get lost¡­ Even if the emperor''s father hase¡­ I don''t care to meet¡­"

    Liang Feixing looked awkwardly towards Ning Xi beside him. He was so anxious that he snatched the bottle in Xu Tao''s hand and threw it away. "Look properly. Ning Xi, it''s Ning Xi who''s returned! She wants to hire you to be her manager!"

    When he heard the name Ning Xi, Xu Tao was stunned for an instant, then he giggled until his tears fell. "Ha¡­ hahaha¡­ Liang, why are you even drunker than I am? Ning Xi''s returned¡­ Ning Xi wants to hire me to be her manager¡­ haha¡­ If Ning Xi''s returned, I''ll let you manage me!"

    Liang Feixing replied, "Thanks, but I''m not interested in you!"

 Chapter 1825: Lets Go Get It Back

    <h4>Chapter 1825: Let''s Go Get It Back</h4>

    "Thanks, but I''m not interested in you!"

    When Xu Tao heard this, he instantly exploded, "Pfft! On what basis are you not interested in me?! Do you know how many pretty boys I wiped out back then with my mind-blowing looks? Do you know how many female artistes and male artistes wanted to sleep with me? Bloody hell! Now, all of them dare say that I was inappropriate with them, that I forced them to sleep with me? I wouldn''t sleep with them even if they offered themselves to me!"

    Liang Feixing looked at his rotten uncle with disdain, then he buried his face in his hands speechlessly.

    "Pfft¡­" Ning Xi who stood on the side could not help but snicker out loud.

    When he suddenly heard a girl''s gentleugh in the house, it was as if Xu Tao, who was being all foul-mouthed, had his throat in a clutch. He instantly kept quiet.

    It was only now that he realized that there was still another person behind Liang Feixing.

    Ning Xi controlled herughter, then she took her sunsses off and looked at the man who was lying among the junk. She softly said, "Bro Tao."

    Xu Tao was still stunned.

    "Director Liang didn''t lie to you. I do want to hire you to be my manager," continued Ning Xi.

    "B-Bloody hell! Liang Feixing f*ck you!"

    Momentster, Xu Tao uttered an earth-shattering curse in rage and abruptly stood up. All the things around him fell all over the ground.

    The man did not care much. Like a spinny top, he quickly found the only clean chair amidst the mess and then used a bed sheet to wipe it before he brought it to Ning Xi. "Sit¡­ Goddess Xi, quickly sit! I''m sorry that the house is terribly messy!"

    Then, he pulled Liang Feixing, who was standing rxed on the side and enjoying the show, to a corner. "Damn you! Why didn''t you tell me earlier?!"

    Liang Feixing smirked. "If I had told you earlier, how would I have gotten the chance for Beauty Xu to offer himself to me?!"

    "Get lost!" Xu Tao scolded the man as he kicked him. When he turned to Ning Xi, he immediately switched to ttery. "I¡­ I''m not dreaming, am I?! Movie queen Ning, you''ve really returned and you''re ready to make aeback?"

    "Yes, I do have such ns."

    "But¡­ Why me? Are you sure you want me to be your manager?" Xu Tao was a little awkward as he looked at his own sorry state.

    Damn Liang Feixing! Had he told him earlier, then he would not have left such a terrible impression to the goddess.

    Liang Feixing seemed to have guessed what he was thinking. His arms were crossed as he raised his brows. "Don''t mutter to yourself now. Do you think Ning Xi doesn''t know how sorry you are right now? Your rotten uncle pictures have long spread all over!"

    "Bro Tao, you''re the person who understands thepany''s state most right now. I think you''re the most suitable candidate. Besides, I also admire the loyalty that Bro Tao has held fast up till today," said Ning Xi.

    When Xu Tao heard her assessment, he was astonished and tears started to well up in his eyes.

    "If Bro Tao thinks it''s okay, we can already start to arrange the work right now. Is there anything I need to do now?"

    Xu Tao''s confused and stunned gaze instantly turned sharp as he finally realized that Ning Xi was serious, He finally realized that all of this was real and that he was not dreaming.

    He had really managed to wait for the chance to make aeback¡­

    Xu Tao wiped his face and quickly dug out a stack of materials from a drawer, speaking very quickly, "This is YLD''s skincare product advertisement. I managed to get it for Liu Xiaorou after chasing for a month. In the end, it became Starlight''s credit after they stole her¡­ They''re signing the contract this morning! Even the time was set by me back then!"

    Ning Xi nodded as she stood up determinedly. "Then, let''s go. Let''s go and get it all back from this advert onwards."

 Chapter 1826: Classy and Intelligent

    <h4>Chapter 1826: ssy and Intelligent</h4>

    Let''s go and get it all back from this advert onwards.

    It was just a simple sentence, yet it instantly sparked a me in Xu Tao''s cold heart.

    When he saw that Xu Tao had recovered his spirit, Liang Feixing was relieved. "My mission of mediating is done. I should get busy too."

    Now that Ning Xi was making aeback, he still needed to prepare a series of public rtions ns.

    Ning Xi nodded. "If anything happens, contact me through the phone."

    The three of them discussed for a while, then they began to execute their ns separately.

    Xu Tao quickly made himself more like a presentable human, then he immediately brought Ning Xi to rush towards YLD''spany branch in China.

    Being a spokesperson for a top international brand was no doubt something that every female artiste, who wanted to ascend to being gold-ted, would yearn for.

    Liu Xiaorou was now only a few huge brands ambassadorship and renowned awards away from leveling up, which was why he had spent so much effort to get this endorsement job for her.

    Because Liu Xiaorou waspletely different from Ning Xi, Yi Xudong did not think highly of her. He was not willing to spend much energy on her either. You could say that he had really risked his old bones and fought for all of her opportunities.

    For this ambassadorship, he had gone back and forth with his thick skin and found many connections. All of the expenses for social niceties had been borne entirely by him too, but in the end, he had fallen to such a degree. How could he not have lost control of his emotions?

    He knew that this time, Starlight had done it deliberately. Previously, he had offended Starlight viciously, so the other party had long been waiting to catch him with the ultimate strike.

    ¡­

    At the YLDpany building.

    The person-in-charge of YLD, Parker, Liu Xiaorou, and Liu Xiaorou''s new manager, Cheng Yibin, were conversing merrily in the office.

    Cheng Yibin said in an earnest tone, "Sigh, now there are so many substance-less vases out there. There aren''t many artistes with distinguished features and distinctiveness such as our Xiaorou. I''m not boasting. In China, we have a great saying that an elegant temperamentes from being knowledgeable. Well-known and profound brands such as YLD need someone as ssy and intelligent as Xiaorou to be their spokesperson!"

    Liu Xiaorou''s appearance was not prominent. However, she exuded a veryforting, educated appearance like a rush of clear spring water in the giddy entertainment industry, which was also why Xu Tao had initially fancied her.

    Indeed, atst, after Liu Xiaorou had acted in a few ssic roles because of her unique aura, she had attracted a huge group of diehard fans. It also proved that Xu Tao''s judgment was spot on.

    Parker smiled and said, "Haha, we also fancy this special quality of Miss Xiaorou''s."

    Parker was clearly very satisfied with Liu Xiaorou. Although at first, the person who used this pretext to convince him was Xu Tao, this did not make a difference to him.

    As long as the results were the same, it would be fine. It did not matter to him who Liu Xiaorou''s manager was changed to. Besides, Starlight was much stronger than Glory World, so Liu Xiaorou joining Starlight was instead more favorable for them.

    Cheng Yibin looked at Liu Xiaorou beside her. When she thought about Xu Tao''s flustered and exasperated expression, she felt pleased on the inside. "Director Parker, if there aren''t any other problems, let''s sign the contract today. I''ve already made reservations at the Grand Count Hotel to celebrate our wonderful coboration this time!"

    Parker nodded, then he flipped open the thick stack of contracts next to his hand. "Of course, there''s no problem. This is¡­"

    He was speaking halfway when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

    The assistant apologetically pushed the door to enter. She walked up to Parker and seemed troubled.

    "What is it?" Parker asked in a lowered voice. He was a little annoyed about being disturbed.

 Chapter 1827: The Only Chance To Surpass SS

    <h4>Chapter 1827: The Only Chance To Surpass SS</h4>

    "Director, well¡­ Mr¡­ Mr. Xu is here¡­" The assistant looked at Liu Xiaorou and Cheng Yibin, and said hesitantly.

    "Xu Tao?" Parker frowned.

    Liu Xiaorou and Cheng Yibin nced at each other and frowned as well.

    "Yes."

    "What''s he doing here?" Parker asked.

    The assistant coughed awkwardly and replied, "He said¡­ he''s here to sign the contract¡­"

    Before Parker could reply, Cheng Yibinughed. "Sign the contract? Who did he bring to sign the contract?"

    "I saw that he''s brought a female artiste here," the assistant replied.

    "A female artiste? Who?" Liu Xiaorou tried asking.

    He did not remember anyone outstanding under Xu Tao.

    "She was wearing a mask and a pair of sunsses. It might be a neer under him," the assistant guessed.

    Cheng Yibin looked angry. "This drunkard must be crazy! He just brought someone here randomly and said he wants to sign the contract? Who does he think he is?"

    Liu Xiaorou put on a somber cast. "Bro Tao is probably still unhappy that I left¡­"

    Cheng Yibin''s expression darkened. "Unhappy? Should he feel unhappy? Xiaorou is such an extraordinary talent that should''ve bloomed a long time ago. Had shee to us Starlight earlier, she didn''t need to suffer and waste her time there!"

    Liu Xiaorou pouted and seemed slightly bitter as well.

    Because of Cheng Yibin''s brainwashing, she kept assuming that she was where she was today all because of her own capabilities. She was determined that Xu Tao and Glory World had been pulling her leg. She never thought that was it not for Xu Tao, she never would have been exposed at all.

    Parker was really upset with Xu Tao''s behaviour. He said with a darkened expression, "Ask him to leave. Tell him that I''ve decided to sign the contract with Ms. Liu."

    "Okay." The assistant nodded, but because Xu Tao had handed him a big red packet just now, he casually added another remark, "Right, Director, Mr. Xu asked me to send you a message. He said¡­"

    "What did he say?" Parker asked.

    "He said if you insist on signing the contract with Ms. Liu, you''ll lose the only chance to surpass SS," the assistant replied.

    Parker''s expression changed as soon as he heard his assistant.

    Being international brands together, SS was YLD''srgestpetitor in the country. Their sales were always below SS''s every year. As the director of the Chinese region, he was criticized harshly every time in the regional meeting, and he had also been ordered to surpass SS this year.

    Unfortunately, the ambassador SS had this year was the popr female star, Han Zixuan. No matter what, he could not find another one to topple her, so Xu Tao had convinced him to go for another direction and they picked Liu Xiaorou.

    However, Xu Tao, who had convinced him back then, was now telling him that if he signed the contract with Liu Xiaorou, he would miss his only chance at surpassing SS. What irony!

    Cheng Yibin quickly said something when he noticed that Parker''s expression was not right. "Director Parker, please don''t listen to that guy''s nonsense! He just has nothing to lose and is trying to trick you! What does he mean by losing the only chance to surpass SS? Is he saying that signing the contract with him would mean you could surpass SS? Nonsense!"

 Chapter 1828: True Capabilities

    <h4>Chapter 1828: True Capabilities</h4>

    Liu Xiaorou also followed up. "As far as I know, after Sis Youyou and I left, there wasn''t really anyone with Bro Tao anymore. Even within the whole of Glory World, there aren''t any decent artistes left¡­"

    Parker was silent when he heard Cheng Yibin and Liu Xiaorou.

    He had to admit that what Xu Tao said hit him right in his weak spot. That sentence was simply impactful.

    After some time, Parker stood up before the two of them. "Mr. Cheng, Ms. Liu, please wait here while I meet him. I''ll be back as soon as possible."

    Cheng Yibin was distressed but he did not show it. Instead, he smiled and said, "You''re one considerate man, Mr. Parker. I believe you''ll be able to exin enough for him to note back to trouble us again."

    Cheng Yibin''s expression darkened after Parker left in a hurry. He mmed the coffee table. "Damn you, Xu Tao! Do you dare to y tricks with me now? It seems like I''ve been too easy on him! That damned thing!"

    Liu Xiaorouforted him, "Don''t worry, Bro Bin. He doesn''t have anyone presentable under him, so even if he''s able to talk to Director Parker, he''d just humiliate himself."

    Cheng Yibin had a cruel gaze. "I''ll make him pay after we sign the contract!"

    ¡­

    YLD''s meeting room was designed with an artistic vibe, equipped with retro-styled colored ss, sofa with hand-stitched floral patterns, and a furry, white velvet floor carpet, whilst big camelia and peonies were blooming beautifully from a vase. The huge cupboard beside it had the whole series of their ssic products lined up.

    Ning Xi had already taken off her sunsses and mask at the moment. She was sitting on the sofa and flipping through an art book avable there.

    Xu Tao did nothing but stare at Ning Xi like a ve guarding his treasure.

    He could not be med. Any man or just any person, in general, could never be able to avert their gaze away from Ning Xi.

    They did not wait long. Sounds of footstep came closer outside the door.

    The footsteps stopped right before the door. Parker opened the door with a cold and unhappy expression. "Mr. Xu, what did you mean? You''re the one who rmended me Liu Xiaorou. Even if she''s not under you now, you shouldn''t interfere¡­"

    As Parker was talking angrily, the next moment he felt like his eyes had their own consciousness and was attracted to the figure on the sofa. His pupils contracted and he was in disbelief. "My God¡­ Ms¡­ Ms. Ning¡­"

    Xu Tao was not surprised at Parker''s reaction at all, he shrugged, "Director Parker, I''m not contradicting myself. I told you before that if you use Liu Xiaorou, you might be able to go in another direction and take some risks to win. This time¡­"

    Parker understood almost instantly and his attitude changedpletely. "I''m really sorry. I was a little busy just now. Please wait for a little while."

    He turned around, opened the door, and hissed to the assistant, "Go and prepare a new contract now!"

    "Huh?" The assistant was taken aback.

    The director had just gone in for just a few seconds. What happened?

    At this moment, Xu Tao smirked with an indescribable feeling.

    He had really given it his all when he tried to convince Parker to use Liu Xiaorou, and now he just had to utter this one short sentence.

    With true capabilities unfolding before them, not all skills were needed.

 Chapter 1829: Fulfill Any Requests

    <h4>Chapter 1829: Fulfill Any Requests</h4>

    Parker wiped off the sweat on his palms, then he gave a gentlemanly bow and extended his hand to Ning Xi. "Hello, Ms. Ning Xi!"

    Ning Xi extended her hand to connect. "Hello, Director Parker."

    Parker was extraordinarily excited when he saw Ning Xi''s seemingly time-reversed face. "It''s been a really long time, Ms. Ning! Thest time I saw you was at a dinner. It''s been a year! I didn''t expect Ms. Ning to look much more beautiful in just a year''s time!"

    Not taking into ount the impact caused by Ning Xi''s reappearance, just the title of "time-reversal" was enough to be her greatest selling point.

    In the history of advertising, many big brands were able to break records with the resurfacing of retired top celebrities. Moreover, Ning Xi had just retired not too long ago, so it would surely spark a lot of debate.

    If he never saw Ning Xi after a year, he would not be so sure about her winning the current trend, Han Zixuan, but after he saw her in person, he forgot all about his worries.

    Han Zixuan and Ning Xi were at different levels after all¡­

    Xu Tao was right. If he missed it this time, he would probably have blown his only chance at beating SS.

    He would need to do anything to coborate with them this time!

    "Director Parker, you''re exaggerating."

    "Not at all. I''m simply saying what I''m thinking!" Parker''s expression looked oddly genuine. "I just didn''t expect that you''de back out of retirement, Ms. Ning. It''s really a big surprise! If I knew about it beforehand, I would surely pay a visit instead of youing here¡­"

    He then looked at Xu Tao gratefully. "Mr. Xu, please forgive me if I''ve ever been rude to you before. Please sign the contract with us YLD, and of course, we''ll discuss the price again. Just give me an offer. Even I''m able to handle such decisions!"

    Xu Tao grinned happily. "Haha, is that really alright? Don''t you still have people waiting for you? It might not be good if people use us of snatching the contract away."

    Parker then said, "I''m supposed to meet Mr. Xu today. I don''t think there''s anything wrong with it. Everyone in thepany can bear witness that I''ve been discussing the coboration with Mr. Xu."

    Xu Tao was a little speechless. This foreigner was good¡­

    "Alright, then let''s talk about the details now!" Xu Tao let him off the hook.

    "No problem, please look through the contract. I''ll make sure to fulfill any requests of yours and Ms. Ning''s!"

    ¡­

    At the same time, in his office.

    Parker had told them he would be back shortly, but he just vanished. Cheng Yibin and Liu Xiaorou had waited for about half an hour and he was still not back yet.

    The impatient Cheng Yibin became annoyed. "What happened?! Where''s he?"

    Xu Tao was a veteran manager in the industry, after all. He was the real deal after surviving in the entertainment industry for so many years. Could he have used a trick, so things were going his way?

    Liu Xiaorou looked at the door''s direction. She believed that no matter how good Xu Tao was, he would not be able to change anything. She said casually, "He''s probably being bothered by Xu Tao. You know how difficult it is to get Xu Tao off¡­"

    Cheng Yibin looked impatient. "They should''ve just asked the security guards to chase out jerks like him. What''s the point of talking so much to him and wasting our time!?"

    As Cheng Yibin wasining, Parker''s assistant came in.

 Chapter 1830: Both of You Dont Need To Come Anymore

    <h4>Chapter 1830: Both of You Don''t Need To Come Anymore</h4>

    "Assistant Feng, you''re finally here! Where''s Director Parker?" Cheng Yibin peeked behind the assistant, but he did not see anyone.

    The assistant said courteously, "Apologies, Director Parker is currently receiving honored guests. Pleasee back another day."

    Cheng Yibin was stunned when he heard the update. "Honored guests? Which honored guests could make Parker interrupt such an important contract?"

    They were just one step away from signing the contract, and he had even made reservations for the celebratory feast too, yet now there was a sudden change. Cheng Yibin immediately looked quite overwrought. He lowered his tone to say, "Assistant Feng, could I trouble you to pass the message to Director Parker that we''ve long made an appointment to sign the contract today? On my end, I''ve rejected quite a few important gigs for Xiaorou just to rush here. Now that yourpany is suddenly changing the dates like this, it''s quite inappropriate. If we have to reschedule the appointment, we might not be able to free up our time within the next one month on our end."

    Cheng Yibin''s tone came with a severe warning.

    When Liu Xiaorou heard Cheng Yibin, her confidence was boosted. Now that she was an artiste with Starlight Entertainment, things had changed.

    A hint of mockery shed in the assistant''s eyes. Not only did she not look nervous at all, instead she replied unhurriedly, "We''re not changing the dates. The both of you don''t need toe anymore. We''ve already decided on a different candidate to be the spokesperson."

    "What did you say!?" The second the assistant finished, Cheng Yibin immediately shot to his feet.

    Disbelief flooded Liu Xiaorou''s face.

    "Who do you think Starlight Entertainment is? You want to change the spokesperson as you wish, but you''re not even going to talk to us?" Cheng Yibin felt utterly embarrassed and his face was covered with rage.

    The assistantughed, then slowly said, "Mr. Cheng, your words are too serious! You know the rules in the industry as well. Verbal promises don''t count. As long as nothing''s signed, anyone can have the chance topete. Besides, even if it''s a verbal agreement, it would also be between Director Parker and Mr. Xu, so it should have nothing to do with Mr. Cheng, am I right?"

    "You¡­"

    "But the person Xu Tao fixed to be the spokesperson was me!" Liu Xiaorou whined unhappily.

    "Well, now Mr. Xu has rmended an even better candidate for us."

    Cheng Yibin''s lungs were about to explode, yet he did not dare to really cause a scene at YLD. He could only suppress his anger and ask with a gloomy expression, "Who''s the spokesperson that Director Parker has recently decided upon?"

    He really wanted to see who had not watched their step and actually dared to steal the ambassadorship from Starlight!

    So what if they had stolen this spokesperson''s gig? He would immediately shut her out. See if Xu Tao can protect her!

    "Apologies, this is ssified information. Forgive me for not being able to reveal more," the assistant simply said before leaving right away.

    Liu Xiaorou fell onto the chair in a stupor. "This can''t be¡­ Xu Tao couldn''t have had any better candidate to offer¡­"

    Cheng Yibin snorted, "He probably pulled some dirty trick!"

    Liu Xiaorou was incredibly anxious. "Bro Bin, what do we do now? This ambassadorship was supposed to be mine! Bro Bin, you must help me get it back! I''ve waited for so long and then¡­"

    "It''s just a small spokesperson''s gig. What are you anxious about? Your horizons are too narrow! You''re with me. Are you worried that you won''t be able to get any other ambassadorship?" Cheng Yibin said.

    Parker was already behaving with this attitude. How could he get it back?

    He would not be like Xu Tao, acting all shamelessly just for a spokesperson''s job!

    Liu Xiaorou wanted to say something more, but when she saw Cheng Yibin being so impatient, she just kept quiet and felt aggrieved.

    Cheng Yibin had strong cards in his hand. All of the excellent opportunities would go to the others first, so what good opportunities would he have for her?

 Chapter 1831: Shield

    <h4>Chapter 1831: Shield</h4>

    In fact, this was to be a spokesperson for YLD. It was an ambassadorship that was on the same level as SS. If she managed to be the spokesperson, all of her opportunities and ambassadorships from hereafter would definitely be taken to the next level.

    Initially, she thought that after getting with Starlight, things would definitely change ording to the flow, yet who would have thought that once she left Xu Tao, she would lose such an important contract?

    She had really underestimated Xu Tao!

    Damn it! He was being deliberate! Intentionally ruining her!

    The one who had allowed the assistant to publicly p him and insult him was Yin Youyou, not her. She was just focused on marching forward for her ideals. She was just doing it to defend herself, so on what basis was he going against her? On what basis was he stealing away this thing that she had gotten with so much difficulty?

    Without this contract, how could she, a person without any status and background, who had job-hopped midway, make her stand in Starlight where thepetition was fierce?

    ¡­

    In front of the YLD building.

    Xu Tao carefully pulled open the door and helped Ning Xi into the car.

    He was about to turn around and make his way to the driver''s seat when suddenly, there was an angry voice from behind.

    Liu Xiaorou had chased after him alone in her high-heels. Once she saw Xu Tao, she started to harshly curse with rage, "Xu Tao! You''re too much!"

    Xu Tao paused mid-step, his brows raised slightly. "Oh? Too much? Superstar Liu, may I know how have I gone overboard?"

    Liu Xiaorou''s eyes were filled with resentment. "You know how important this ambassadorship is to me!"

    Xu Tao sneered, "Huh! Of course, I know."

    If he did not, would he have risked his old bones to fight for it for her?

    Liu Xiaorou was so angry that she sharply taunted him, "Xu Tao, don''t keep pretending like you''ve sacrificed so much for me. The reason I''m here today is all because of my own hard work. If I had been at Starlight and not Glory World, I''d long have been an A-lister among the A-listers. It''s all because I''ve been with a useless person like you that I''ve been held back. You don''t deserve to be my manager at all!"

    Xu Tao did not say anything. He had already be numb from hearing these kinds of words from Liu Xiaorou.

    Yet, right at this moment, the door of the ck car was pushed open by a fair hand.

    A woman slowly got down from the back seat and looked at the girl in front of the car who felt indignant at the injustice. "You know very well that with your aptitude, if you were at Starlight, you never would''ve stood out. If it were not for Bro Tao, you would just be a cameo forever in Glory World. Don''t deserve it? You''re right about that! You don''t deserve to have a manager like Xu Tao."

    Liu Xiaorou''s eyes widened. She stared nkly at the woman who had suddenly alighted from the car as if she had seen something terrifying. Even her body started to tremble slightly. "S-Senior Ning Xi¡­"

    How¡­ how could this be?

    The new artiste that Xu Tao was managing was actually¡­ Ning Xi¡­

    "Forget it, Ning Xi. There''s nothing more to be said here." When she saw that Ning Xi had actually stepped in to shield him and stand up for him, Xu Tao was a little taken aback. At the same time, her actions warmed his heart.

    "In the future, you''ll have many opportunities to find out who you''ve betrayed and what you''ve lost today." After Ning Xi said this, she turned around and stepped into the car.

    Liu Xiaorou watched the ck car as it drove further away. She stood in the same spot in a daze, only returning to her senses after a long while.

    That line about how she did not deserve a manager like Xu Tao had severely hit her.

    Ning Xi was back¡­

    Ning Xi had actually chosen Xu Tao to be her manager?

    Just this was enough to put her into a panic.

    She felt like a trash that she had discarded with utter disdain had suddenly been picked up by someone one day, who announced that it was a priceless treasure, while she had simply failed to recognize it for what it was¡­

 Chapter 1832: Crash The Party

    <h4>Chapter 1832: Crash The Party</h4>

    In the car.

    "Um, Ning Xi, about earlier¡­thank you. You actually didn''t need to. I''m already used to it. Exining to those people will only bring down your status," said Xu Tao gratefully.

    Ning Xi held the side of her head at an angle, not minding. "It''s fine. I just hate seeing others bullying my people."

    When Xu Tao heard this, tears suddenly welled up in his eyes. Bloody hell, it was just so nice to be riding on somebody''s coattails!

    "Who else is under you right now?" Ning Xi nodded her head slightly and asked.

    Xu Tao sighed, "Sigh, not many outstanding artistes. Just one B-lister, Qin Shuang. She''s quite a hardworking girl, but I t''s just that she''s a little unlucky. She''s been in the industry for 8 years. Those who entered around the same time as her have already be popr batch after batch. It''s just her who isn''t; she''s always just one step behind."

    Ning Xi pursed her lips. "Later on, I''ll pull her up."

    Xu Tao was instantly overjoyed. "That''d be great!"

    Ning Xi browsed her phone for the gossip regarding Jiang Muye and Han Zixuan that was still being updated non-stop. She frowned and asked, "How''s it going on Jiang Muye''s end?"

    Xu Tao shook his head helplessly. "Lei Ming says that he''s still not cooperating at all. In fact, the situation is worsening. If these kind of things are dragged on too long and aren''t rified in time, it''ll create an inherent impression to the fans. Later on, if he wants to rify, it''ll already be too tough¡­"

    "That picture of him and Han Zixuan, is it a still?" Ning Xi asked, but her tone was very certain.

    Xu Tao nodded. "It''s a still from Chen Mian''s new movie. Jiang Muye''s was just a cameo, and that kissing scene back then was just an illusion of position.

    "Because this movie subject matter is rtively sensitive, it''s very hard to get it shown in theatres in the country. Chen Mian has prepared to secretly release it overseas, so they definitely cannot leak this ahead. Otherwise, once the news gets out, it''ll definitely be blocked, then all of the hard work would be for nothing.

    "Jiang Muye is quite loyal too. Although he''s been scolded by so many people as a piece of trash, yet he''s still holding on and not saying anything. Lei Ming and Liang Zi were initially discussing letting him apologize and then suppressing the matter first, but he''s not willing to¡­ Now, they can only refuse to budge¡­"

    Ning Xi sighed softly and shook her head. With Jiang Muye''s personality, there was no way he would apologize.

    Xu Tao probed, "Ning Xi, youring out of retirement this time is rted to Jiang Muye too, isn''t it? For this matter¡­ You''re going to¡­"

    Actually, those who knew him well would realise that Jiang Muye had publicly gone against Han Zixuan with those foul words was all because of Zheng Anru''s words at the press conference.

    All the old-timers in Glory World Entertainment knew how Han Zixuan had made her way to the top, yet in the end those people had said such shameless things in public!

    Ning Xi thought about it, then she asked, "When''s the next promotional period going to be for ''The World''?"

    Even though Xu Tao had recently been muddleheaded and drunken, he still knew this information like the back of his hand, so he immediately answered, "It''s in two days. Because thest press conference was messed up by Jiang Muye, this time they have arger venue and have actually invited all of the original cast of ''The World'' movie who can make it to boost support. The movie king, Zhao Sizhou, the old actor, Feng Yibo¡­ and I heard that even Ning Xueluo will be attending."

    Ning Xi nodded. "Then, let''s prepare a little. Let''s go and join in on the fun too."

    Xu Tao''s eyes lit up. It was exactly as he wished. "You''re saying that you''ll steal the role back? Then, do we need to get Jiang Muye in on this too? I heard that they''ve given Jiang Muye an ultimatum. He has to give a public apology, otherwise they''ll change the male lead! This time, we might as well get the roles of the male and female leads back too!"

    When Ning Xi heard his suggestion, she raised her brows slightly and said faintly, "Who said that I''m going to steal the role back?"

    "Ah? Aren''t you?" Xu Tao was confused. "What are we going to do then?"

    Ning Xi smiled. "Obviously we''re going to¡­ crash the party."

    Xu Tao was speechless.

 Chapter 1833: Only They Can Surpass Themselves

    <h4>Chapter 1833: Only They Can Surpass Themselves</h4>

    At the Royal Jazz Hotel.

    The main cast and several important investors of "The World" had gathered together.

    "Jiang Muye is terribly arrogant. This big project was almost ruined by him alone!" A man with a beer belly bemoaned unhappily.

    "Why should we still give him anymore chances? Just kick him out already!" A well-dressed middle-aged man said.

    The CEO of Starlight Entertainment tried to smooth things over. "Jiang Muye''s poprity is the real deal. If he''s willing to change and apologize to Zixuan, plus be cooperative in future promotions, he still deserves a chance. If he''s around, then the series would surely spark a lot of discussion!"

    Producer Qin An said, "I''ve already contacted Lei Ming and told him that Jiang Muye must issue a public apology the day after tomorrow. I believe they know what to do!"

    The co-director Wang Linhai held up his ss, "Alright, now, let''s not talk about the unhappy stuff. Cheers to our beauty here, Han Zixuan! This time, he must''ve caused Zixuan a lot of trouble!"

    "Jiang Muye is really too much to have such an irresponsible attitude!"

    "His character is the worst!"

    ¡­

    Everyone started criticizing Jiang Muye and toasted to Han Zixuan. She was the main cast after all, so even the main investors would need to make her happy.

    A red-faced investor stood up and said in excitement, "Everyone, I believe that with the strong team we have, we''ll surely surpass the record made by ''Nine Realms'' a year ago!"

    "Hahaha, of course! With Zixuan''s poprity, she''ll surely make the series the talk of the town!"

    ¡­

    With the massive hit of "Nine Realms", not only did it make a huge bunch of people popr, all the investors profited a great deal from it. It was no surprise that they were still thinking about it, which was why they invited Guo Qisheng, the director of "Nine Realms", hoping that he would create another miracle.

    Although the invested funds allocated for "The World" wasparable with "Nine Realms", and thetter had the poprity of the movie "The World" as a boost, even with the gimmick of a memorable remake, Guo Qisheng did not expect much from it.

    It would surely achieve hefty earnings with this amount of investment and team, but to make it a big hit? And even surpass "Nine Realms"?

    Haha¡­

    Did they know that even a minor supporting character back then had be so popr that numerous original fan-written stories of them were created?

    Did they know that the father of the female lead who had extremely little screen time was able to gather a big bunch of fans?

    Moreover, there was Ning Xi''s ssic image of Yun Huang. She was so popr that grandmothers up to 80 years old and even a little girl of six years old could recognize her¡­

    Did they think making such a big hit was an easy feat?

    Even with the huge fanbase of "The World", it would not be able to surpass "Nine Realms" easily.

    He dared to conclude that if there was anyone in the world who could top the achievements of "Nine Realms", it would have to be Ning Xi and Jiang Muye themselves!

    These investors did not understand the core and soul of "The World". He found it pointless trying to exin it to them.

    Since the investors were aiming for "The World", even if they did not ask for him, they would have gotten someone else. As for him, it did not matter who the actress was after Ning Xi had retired.

    However, now that Jiang Muye might not even stay, he felt even more defeated.

    They were still expecting Jiang Muye to issue an apology and even tried to use up his veryst bit of value.

    How naive!

 Chapter 1834: Actually Didnt Need To Push

    <h4>Chapter 1834: Actually Didn''t Need To Push</h4>

    At Garden Tower, Deer Town.

    Ning Xiy down on the sofa after she went back home. Lu Tingxiao massaged her legs. "Tired?"

    Ning Xi narrowed her eyes like afortable kitten. "Nope, I just went to talk about an endorsement today. I didn''t really do or say anything, then we were done!"

    Lu Tingxiaoughed. "As expected of my wife."

    "Hehe, of course! Whose wife do you think I am?" A certain someone did not forget about her darling when praising herself.

    Lu Tingxiao loved her liveliness. He kissed her forehead and brought her the cooled soup from the table.

    "Didn''t I drink it just now? What''s this?" Ning Xi frowned.

    "My mother made it for you."

    "Darling, can we talk about this? Don''t let her make me anymore soup. Look at my tummy! It''s showing¡­" Ning Xi pouted and rubbed her t belly exaggeratively.

    Lu Tingxiao said gently, "I only took a small bowl for you and I left the rest to Jingli."

    Ning Xi giggled. "You''re his real brother, alright¡­"

    A certain koi fish with a full stomach was thinking that he must be a fake little brother!

    Lu Tingxiao spooned soup to his wife contentedly. "You need me to find Jiang Muye for you?"

    He knew that Ning Xi was really worried about Jiang Muye''s condition.

    Ning Xi''s fox-like eyes rolled. "It''s alright. The blondie wille out on his own."

    After finishing the soup, Ning Xi got off the sofa and leaped forth. "I''m going to stop here and try my best to exercise!"

    Lu Tingxiao frowned. "Didn''t you say you won''t tire yourself out aftering back out of retirement?"

    Ning Xi blinked her eyes. "Who told you that it''s for my career? It''s all for you!"

    "For me?" Lu Tingxiao was dumbfounded.

    "Right, to push you down! You said that my stamina is bad!" Ning Xi then ran away swiftly, obviously bothered by what had happened that night.

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    She actually did not have to push him down. He could¡­ cooperate¡­

    ¡­

    In the following two days, Ning Xi was quiet after taking on the endorsement.

    While Liu Xiaorou was shocked at Ning Xi''s appearance the other day, she did not tell anyone because she was not sure what was happening. Moreover, there was no merit for her to tell anyone. Nevertheless, she had been scared and hoped that things were like what she imagined, praying that there might be some sort of misunderstanding.

    After losing the YLD endorsement, she had been trying to get on Cheng Yibin''s good side and hoped he would get her some other endorsements or opportunities. She was desperate to establish herself in Starlight.

    In the end, after Cheng Yibin received countless benefits from her, he finally agreed to make some connections for her. He brought her to drink with a 60-year-old man alone at night¡­

    It was obvious what the intention was!

    That old man was just a senior management staff in a lesser known brand.

    She suddenly remembered that Xu Tao had once told her when he was drunk that he would rather sell his own body rather than let them be defiled by someone else¡­

    "In the future, you''ll have many opportunities to find out who you''ve betrayed and what you''ve lost today."

    She did not expect for Ning Xi''s words toe true so quickly¡­

 Chapter 1835: Countless Highlights

    <h4>Chapter 1835: Countless Highlights</h4>

    The next day, at the Imperial International Exhibition Centre.

    The organizers were generous and they wanted to reim their glory to make up for thest press conference. They created a huge campaign out of their conference this time and held it in a hall that could amodate 2000 people. The tickets were all gone the moment it was released; every media was trying to get in.

    "How is it? What does Glory World say?"

    Backstage, the CEO of Starlight Entertainment, Wang Haojun, asked a public rtions senior with a darkened expression.

    "I''ve already warned them. Glory World replied that they''ll give us a satisfactory answer by today," he reported happily.

    Wang Haojun was expecting it, then he said coldly, "I knew it! I thought they''d be tough. In the end, they still have to lower their heads! If it were not for his poprity, I would''ve changed everyone into artistes from Starlight, keeping them away from the profits!"

    "You''re right, CEO Wang!" His colleague chirped.

    Starlight Entertainment had left halfway through the filming of "The World" and was not able to gain anything from it, so they had been aiming for it at the very beginning. Finally, they finally got the rights to create a remake, and they also became thergest investor this time.

    "I have something to confirm with you. Is Vice CEO Ning going to attend this event?"

    Wang Haojun replied, "Vice CEO Ning will appear thest. Not just as the original main character, but also as the important investor of the series."

    What had happened back then was history. Moreover, Ning Xi had already retired, so it was the best chance for Xueluo to show herself in public again.

    ¡­

    "Zixuan, can you see? All these people outside¡­ They are here for you!" Zheng Anru was gawking at the crowded group outside, her heart filled with excitement and ambition.

    Han Zixuan was ying with her hair and did not seem interested. It was inevitable. What was there to be excited about?

    "I heard that Chen Mian''s movie has more than 80% chance to receive an award if everything goes smoothly. In addition to the series ''The World'' that will help boost your visibility within the country, you''ll be the legendary icon of the industry. No one will ever mention the name Ning Xi in front of you again. Even if they did, they''d just be embarrassing themselves¡­"

    Han Zixuan''s eyes reacted a little when she heard that, and her gaze looked much softer.

    Zheng Anru continued with the ttery as she noticed that she had hit the right spot. "That damned Jiang Muye! We''re trying to help promote him, yet he''s not appreciating it. Don''t worry, Zixuan, he''ll be issuing a public apology to you today!"

    ¡­

    At the same time, things were going well on the front stage.

    The two hosts were announcing the opening lines passionately and were trying to hype up the crowd. On the big screen behind them was the new characters'' look and some highlights.

    The fans would scream from time to time, enjoying the feast for their eyes.

    "Now, let''s wee the team for ''The World''!"

    "Wee them, everyone!"

    ¡­

    The pair of hosts introduced and interviewed each and every one of them one by one, at the same time interacting with the crowd.

    It was just the appetizer as there were more highlights on the way.

 Chapter 1836: Best Meng Changge

    <h4>Chapter 1836: Best Meng Changge</h4>

    After the main crew finished the interactive session, the host started to keep the audience in suspense. From the supporting roles to the leads, they invited the actors in the original version on stage to reminisce and chat with everyone.

    When Zhao Sizhou, who portrayed the leading male role of Chu Beichen in the original "The World" appeared, there was instantly a buzz of excitement at the venue. The interaction between Zhao Sizhou and the new version of Chu Beichen gained a lot of attention too.

    When the main organizer and the investors in the VIP front row saw that the mood was running high at the event, all of them revealed pleased expressions.

    Until the fans and media''s appetites had been whetted, the host finally said excitedly, "Next up to appear¡­ Does everyone know who it is?"

    "Han Zixuan!"

    "Zixuan! Zixuan! Zixuan!"

    "Xuan Xuan! Xuan Xuan! Xuan Xuan!"

    ¡­

    The venue suddenly burst with thunderous shouts as all the fans madly waved glow sticks and boards in their hands. As if on cue, everyone shouted altogether, "No Changge without Zixuan!"

    "No Changge! Without Zixuan!"

    "No Changge! Without Zixuan!"

    "The best goddess Xuan, the best Meng Changge!"

    ¡­

    The slogan started to echo in the huge exhibition hall deafeningly. The event atmosphere was at its peak.

    "Oh my God! Our Zixuan is crazy popr!"

    "Of course! Goddess Xuan is the queen of poprity!"

    "Then, what are we waiting for? Let''s quickly invite our goddess Xuan onto stage! Everyone, let''s be a little louder, okay? Let the goddess hear you calling for her! Let her feel your enthusiasm!"

    ¡­

    All sorts of slogans and calling out were heard. Amidst the crowd''s manic anticipation, Han Zixuan finally walked up stage leisurely.

    As Starlight Entertainment''s leading artiste, she naturally had to give the higher-ups face. Han Zixuan was well-versed in this matter, thus she wore History''s key highlight piece that was just released half a year ago named Flourishing Prosperity.

    The meaning behind this gown was very suitable with Han Zixuan who was making it big at the moment too. Both artiste and brand could be said toplement each other well.

    Embedded on the graceful material that was dream-like and hazy were 365 pearl flowers by hand by ten masters within three months. It fanned out from the chest to the skirt, looking incredibly gorgeous. On her neck was a diamond ne made up of 15 round diamonds, 26 pear-shaped diamonds, nine heart-shaped diamonds, and five emeralds that glittered and shone like stars in the night sky. The jewels on her wrist were from KDY''s centennial model, while the high heels on her feet were couture from brand C that had yet to be released.

    At this moment, the woman on stage had all eyes on her. From every single strand of her hair on her head to her toes, she looked graceful and elegant.

    "Oh my God! Goddess Xuan is amazingly beautiful today!" The female host exaggeratively cried out.

    The male host''s eyes already cound not pull away from her. "Our Goddess Xuan is clearly beautiful every day! Don''t you guys think so?"

    "Yes!" The fans shouted at the top of their lungs, causing them to be even more emotional.

    After the hosts hyped up the crowd, they invited Han Zixuan to take a seat on the sofa. They followed the agenda and started to talk about the story line with the other actors and the main creators from the drama crew.

    The assistant director was full of ttery. "Director Guo''s ''The World'' is indeed already a ss, but because of Xuan Xuan joining us, I dare say that when the movie is done filming, it''ll definitely blow your imagination!"

    The producer chuckled, "This role could be said to be created just for Xuan Xuan, especially after modifying the script to make Meng Changge the lead. It''ll definitely make up for all of the audience''s regrets, satisfying everyone!"

 Chapter 1837: One More Person

    <h4>Chapter 1837: One More Person</h4>

    Beside them, Zheng Anru said arrogantly, "For this movie, our Xuan Xuan has been preparing since half a year ago. She personally learned martial arts from a master, and she insisted on not using a stunt double. When the timees, she''ll personallyplete all of the scenes!"

    Once Zheng Anru said this, it immediately won the love of the huge group of fans again. There were sounds of people emotionally shouting slogans off stage, their hearts aching for their goddess who worked hard for them.

    When the host heard this, they immediately followed the nned flow and pretended to say excitedly, "Really? We look forward to it! I wonder if we could witness Xuan Xuan''s brilliant performance here today. Does everyone want to see it?"

    "Yes!" Off-stage there were instantly loud shouts.

    When Han Zixuan saw the response, she looked at her outfit and said, looking troubled, "I might need to change my outfit first."

    "We can wait!"

    "For the goddess, we can wait as long as it takes!"

    ¡­

    Amid the fervent anticipation, Han Zixuan had gone with the flow and went backstage to change as the hosts continued to hype up the crowd up-front.

    Momentster, in a cool, red clothes, a high ponytail and with a pike in hand, Han Zixuan walked out from the wings in a heroic and thriving manner.

    Unsurprisingly, the shrieks of fans offstage almost blew the roof off!

    Apart from Han Zixuan on stage, there was another staff in armor who was going to act with Han Zixuan.

    On the huge screen behind them, Han Zixuan''s eyes shed sharply and the pike in her hand immediately flew at the other person. The wonderful and brilliant fight made the fans cry out as it was a feast to their eyes. Almost all the fans present were holding up their phones to record, while the video cameras were also shooting at 360 degrees, capturing everything.

    After all, this video would need to be put online for promotional purposes when the time came.

    After a brilliant live performance, the loud cries of "No Changge without Zixuan" started to be even more enthusiastic.

    Backstage, Wang Haojun nodded very happily, it was indeed worth having paid such a huge price to promote this.

    Now, only Jiang Muye''s apology was left. Lastly, Vice CEO Ning would represent the investors to make the closing remarks, then they could end perfectly!

    "Inform Glory World that they can let Jiang Muye go on stage now," Wang Haojun ordered his subordinate.

    "Okay, right away!"

    ¡­

    After the hosts were notified by the backstage crew through wireless earphones, they smiled and said, "Did everyone notice something? There''s still one other person who''s not here today!"

    Most of the crowd present knew that the host meant Jiang Muye. Han Zixuan''s diehard fans immediately made hissing sounds. At the same time, the response of Jiang Muye''s fan club was intense too. The two parties were like water and fire, and they almost started fighting then and there.

    "I heard that thiste guest has something to say to our Zixuan!"

    The crowd''s curiosity was hooked by the host and they all looked towards the direction of the stage wings.

    There was no movement from there at all.

    Roughly a minute passed before a middle-aged man in a ck tuxedo appeared before the crowd.

    Xu Tao¡­

    "Why is it him? Where''s Lei Ming?" Wang Haojun frowned when he watched this from backstage.

    "He probably couldn''t handle Jiang Muye, so he changed his manager!" His subordinate spected on the side.

    "Huh, is there a difference? Isn''t Xu Tao useless too?"

    On the stage, Xu Tao appeared in the midst of the ring spotlight.

    Then, the crowd saw that the man had carefully reached out a hand towards the darkness behind him, then fair fingers sped onto the man''s arm. She was led by the man slowly from the darkness, appearing on the stage with glittering lights¡­

 Chapter 1838: Outdated Female Star?

    <h4>Chapter 1838: Outdated Female Star?</h4>

    The woman who walked out from the darkness and slowly appeared in the light wore a flowy, white qipao devoid of any other color. Her jet-ck hair was loosely worn in azy bun at the nape of her neck. Apart from the ne with a ring near her corbones, there was no superfluous jewellery on her.

    However, the instant the girl appeared in the light, she was akin to a sun in the night sky. That split second of youth was enough to overshadow everything else on Earth.

    The host, the actors, the guests, the fans, and the media¡­

    In that huge exhibition centre, there was a deathly stillness as if by making a sound, everything before them would disappear like flowers in the mirror and the reflection of the moon in theke.

    "Ning Xi¡­" Among the crowd, someone murmured

    Then, this name was like a wave that rapidly rolled through the entire venue and was surging into everyone''s ears. Everyone suddenly stared at the woman who had slowly walked to the centre of the stage as if they had just woken up from a dream. Like a rising tide, the voices became increasingly louder¡­

    "Oh my God¡­ Ning Xi¡­ It''s really Ning Xi¡­" There were female fans who lost control and cried out loud in disbelief.

    "This¡­ This is impossible¡­"

    ¡­

    Even more confused than the fans and crowd off stage was Wang Haojun who was backstage.

    Wang Haojun had just slowly regained his senses from Ning Xi''s shocking appearance. He was on the verge of breaking down. "What''s happening!? Isn''t it supposed to be Jiang Muye on stage? Why is it Ning Xi?!"

    On the side, the public rtions officer was dumbfounded too. He was a mess and was going all around like a spinning top to ask what had happened.

    It was no better on stage. The two professional hosts gaped at each other speechlessly, unable to say a single word. Even Zheng Anru, who was alwaysposed and had a glib tongue, was taken aback.

    Meanwhile, Han Zixuan, who had just finished her live performance, was now standing on the side nkly.

    A moment ago, she was still a red goddess who stood tall, but now she was like an insignificant passerby,pletely disregarded by everyone.

    Atst, it was Xu Tao who calmly took the microphone from the spaced out hosts'' hands and said unhurriedly, "Dear all, good evening! We''re very honored to have received the organizer''s repeated invites to attend the promotional ceremony for ''The World''¡­"

    When he heard Xu Tao''s words, Wang Haojun who was backstage almost spat blood out.

    Xu Tao! Mother! F*cking! Bullsh*t! Since when did I repeatedly invite you?

    Was he crazy? Would he have invited Ning Xi?!

    "CEO Wang, what do we do now? With everyone watching, we can''t just chase her off-stage!" The public rtions director had his brows beaded with sweat.

    "Get the people up-front to brace themselves! She''s just a has-been female star! What''s the panic?" Wang Haojun snarled.

    "Yes¡­ Yes¡­" The subordinate wiped off the sweat on his forehead, then his gaze could not help but fall onto the woman beside Xu Tao. At the same time, he muttered to himself, "Outdated female star?"

    However, once this outdated female star went on stage, she had actually made Han Zixuan, who had all eyes on her just a moment ago, look stupid.

    Earlier, even they were not rmed first. Instead, they lost herself in her by instinct.

    At the same time at a certainrge-scale arcade in Imperial.

    Jiang Muye wore flip flops while he sucked on a lollipop. His facial hair was unkempt while his hair was messy like a bird''s nest.

    With his looks at the moment, even if he bumped into a fan directly, he would not be recognized.

    GAME OVER!

    When he saw the bright red words shing on the screen, indicating that the game had ended, the man exasperatedly hammered a fist on the machine.

    Hey! He was still flighty and impatient¡­

    Today was the promotional event by that group of idiots¡­

 Chapter 1839: Her Existence Itself Was The Highlight

    <h4>Chapter 1839: Her Existence Itself Was The Highlight</h4>

    Jiang Muye scratched his head. With his pair of slippers, he casually sat in a pile of colorful balls.

    After hesitating for some time, he finally switched his phone on.

    As expected, his news feed was all about the press conference today, speaking about how grand it was, and about it being a reunion after two years. There was a slogan of "No Changge Without Zixuan", and he even saw an article titled "Return of The Man: Will Jiang Muye Issue An Apology and Reconcile with Han Zixuan"?

    Screw that! No apology! What reconciliation!?

    Damn this all!

    Jiang Muye was so angry that he almost smashed his phone.

    At that moment, the big screen in the arcade switched channels as the staff had switched it to the web-streaming of the press conference of "The World".

    "Wow! My goddess Xuan Xuan!"

    "Right! ''The World'' is having an event at the exhibition centre. Too bad I couldn''t get a ticket!"

    "Why''s the screen so dirty today!? My goddess is so beautiful! She just fulfills my desire fully!"

    ¡­

    The disy on the big screen attracted the attention of many people.

    Jiang Muye was staring at it too.

    Hehe, I am going to see just how stupid these people can be!

    On the screen, Han Zixuan had a striking red outfit on and was performing a simted fight with a staff. The fans and onlookers around the game centre were impressed.

    Jiang Muye held his chin as he swung on top of a wooden pony and rolled his eyes.

    Half a year of training? Nonsense! With those half-assed movements, it was, at most, a quick three-day training! It looked great because the staff she fought with was skilled. What an act!

    "Did everyone notice? There''s still one other person who''s not here today!"

    "I heard that thiste guest has something to say to our Zixuan!"

    "Wow! Really? Let''s have this guest up onstage quickly then!"

    ¡­

    When the hosts finished talking, Han Zixuan''s fans booed unhappily and the onlookers at the game center were talking about it before the big screen too.

    "Hmph, that shameless bastard! I''d never forgive him!"

    "That''s right! He''s just the worst! I liked him quite a bit before but I can''t even forgive him when I look at his face now!"

    ¡­

    Jiang Muye''s expression changed when he heard the hosts.

    What is happening!? I am right here! What are they talking about?

    What are these bastards doing?

    Damn you, Lei Ming, if you made decisions for me without asking¡­

    Jiang Muye''s murderous intent almost burnt a hole through the big screen.

    After a short while, a person finally went on stage.

    It was not Lei Ming, but Xu Tao.

    Why this guy?

    Did thepany send him because they knew Lei Ming was not daring enough?

    Jiang Muye felt rage boil inside him, then he took out his phone and was about to make a call.

    As he was looking for a number, he saw from the corner of his eyes¡­ in the stream, Xu Tao had carefully extended his hand to the back. It seemed like there was still someone there.

    There was a brief white transition, then a silhouette slowly came out of the dark following Xu Tao''s lead,ing out on to the stage¡­

    A in white qipao , dreamy hair, and a stunning facial appearance¡­

    She did not need an extravagant outfit or any luxurious essories. She did not even need any words. Her existence itself was the highlight.

    "What¡­ the heck!?"

    When he finally saw who was on screen, Jiang Muye clumsily fell off the wooden pony¡­

 Chapter 1840: Who Is The One And Only Main Character?

    <h4>Chapter 1840: Who Is The One And Only Main Character?</h4>

    At the exhibition centre.

    After a round of chaos, things finally went back to order and they were about to set things straight.

    As an outdated star, if she was willing to go there and humiliate herself to add some highlights to their show, why not?

    However, right after the organizers calmed down, the fans started to make a big fuss.

    The discussions were getting more and more out of hand in the venue. Everyone was jostling around crazily, while the security guards were threatening the crowd with batons and kept on blowing their whistles, but it was all futile. There were cries and screams of people being pushed in the crowd¡­

    "Uhh, I understand everyone''s excited, but please control yourself a little!"

    "Right, everyone please be quiet!"

    ¡­

    The hosts tried to calm the crowd, but no one listened to them. They looked at Han Zixuan and Zheng Anru helplessly.

    Zhen Anru''s expression was stormy as Ning Xi''s appearance had caused such a bigmotion.

    Having already calmed down, Han Zixuan picked up the microphone and said gently, "Can my fans please keep it down? Thank you, everyone!"

    If it had moments before, with their idol''s request they would have listened instantly, but these people had already lost their mind and were still pushing around like mad.

    "My God! Is that really Ning Xi?"

    "Ah, don''t push! Stop pushing!"

    "Could the organizers have found another imitator somewhere?!"

    ¡­

    The whole venue was echoing with the name "Ning Xi". With the fans getting more and more aggressive, the organizers were a mess and the scene was about to go out of control.

    Suddenly, there was a voice from the microphone. "Shh."

    A familiar voice then emerged within the mess. "Can the gentlemen here please take care of the girls around them and not let them be pushed, please?"

    It was not a loud voice. It was a warm and harmless one, which was almost drowned out within the crowd, yet it yielded some mysterious power.

    The men in the crowd suddenly stopped. Not only did they stop pushing around, they also stopped the others from nudging, at the same time, protecting the girls around them by putting up their arms. The simrly once-crazy girls suddenly acted like genuinely femininedies when they heard Ning Xi.

    In just three seconds, order had returned to the venue and it was quiet.

    This powerful¡­ and stunning influence¡­

    The PR Director of Starlight looked terrible.

    He suddenly remembered that Ning Xi''s fans were famous for being orderly. Her events always seemed to be under military-grade management. In fact, it was usually the most orderly one among all artistes.

    While Han Zixuan took on most of Ning Xi''s fanbase, they did not maintain this same trait. The moment Ning Xi returned, the fans that Han Zixuan could not control suddenly became obedient.

    This was¡­

    The two hosts who had been busy trying to calm the crowd, looked at each other awkwardly when the fans hushed.

    After a short moment of silence, the both of them returned to their senses and quickly arranged seats for the guests.

    Han Zixuan was the one and only main character today, but they had to change the tide no matter what¡­

 Chapter 1841: Live PK!

    <h4>Chapter 1841: Live PK!</h4>

    "Uhm, I believe everyone didn''t expect us to invite the national goddess of the former days, Ning Xi, to attend today. Everybody must be surprised!"

    "Even the hosts were shocked! Ning Xi has left the industry for a year after all!"

    ¡­

    After receiving signals from Zheng Anru, the hosts looked passionate but were talking with hidden motives behind their words. Then, suddenly they took a sharp turn. "Ms. Ning, what do you think about Zixuan''s performance earlier? The fans and audience were really satisfied with Zixuan''s acting as Meng Changge!"

    This question¡­

    The host said that the fans and audience were satisfied. If Ning Xi said otherwise, would she not be going against the fans?

    If she replied that she was pleased with it, it would indicate that Han Zixuan''s actual performance was worth looking forward to.

    As long as Ning Xi tried to be a little bit humble, it was easy to imagine how they would take advantage of it. The article titles would revolve around the lines of "Ning Xi Was Impressed By The Live Performance", "The New Generations Are Taking Over", and be a stepping stone¡­

    Ning Xi did not bat an eye to the trap set by the hosts. She just said, "The eyes of the fans and audiences are never wrong."

    Zheng Anru smiled sarcastically as Ning Xi had fallen into the trap.

    It was unexpected for Ning Xi to appear here, but it would be beneficial!

    "Thank you, Senior, I still have lots to learn," replied Han Zixuan humbly.

    But the term "Senior" she used was full of sarcasm.

    No matter the hosts or Han Zixuan, they had deliberately used the terms "formerly", "Senior", "once"¡­ Constantly reminding that Ning Xi was a past tense¡­

    Zheng Anru spoke up casually, "Zixuan still has a lot of room for improvement. Since it''s a rare asion that Senior Ning Xi is here today, why don''t we have a short battle here and give Zixuan a lesson?"

    "That''s right, Ms. Ning, give us a performance! Everyone must be looking forward to it, right, everybody?" The hosts went along.

    Xu Tao''s expression changed before Ning Xi could say anything."Nope, Ning Xi''s not feeling welltely. She might not be able to take it."

    Zheng Anru felt even gleeful as Xu Tao rejected. She would never let this chance slip away.

    Ning Xi had been a stuntwoman before. With her extraordinary capabilities, she had herself a huge fan base, but she must have be rusty after a whole year out of the industry. So what if her face had not changed? The character Meng Changge needed something more than just an appearance!

    Judging by her weak and gentle demeanour, it was obvious that she could not handle it.

    If Ning Xi''s image were to be destroyed in front of all the fans here, Zixuan''s future would be tightly secured!

    "Ah¡­ I see! How unfortunate! But it''s just a short one, so it should be fine, right? Ms. Ning''s Meng Changge was loved by everyone after all, so I''m sure there are a lot of old fans here who''d love to witness Ms. Ning''s performance once again!" The host insisted, driving the point that they would not let her go until she performed.

    "Bro Tao is too worried. It''s alright. Is there a pike here?" Ning Xi did not seem to mind and asked.

    Xu Tao looked concerned as he remembered that Liang Feixing had reminded him that Ning Xi was sick and had just recovered recently, so he could never let her do anything too tiring or extreme.

 Chapter 1842: Continuous Brilliance

    <h4>Chapter 1842: Continuous Brilliance</h4>

    Xu Tao''s expression sunk. He was about to continue when Ning Xi shot Xu Tao a look. She gave him a consoling gaze, indicating that she knew what to do.

    When Xu Tao saw that Ning Xi looked at ease, he could only hold back for now. However, his back had tensed up and he was ready to handle an emergency at any time.

    However, even if he had already been vignt enough, he never would have thought that the other party would be shameless to this extent¡­

    Earlier, that staff who had sparred with Han Zixuan held a pike each in both hands. He stood far away and then actually tossed one of the pikes towards Ning Xi with force¡­

    An average person would definitely have not been able to catch that immense force of a toss. In fact, by reflex, they would dodge it in a sorry manner.

    It was clear that this was the effect that the other party hoped to achieve. The cameramen were probably already ready to capture the shot of Ning Xi embarassing herself¡­

    Xu Tao was so mad that he could puke blood. Just as he was about to rush up and stop the pike, he saw that Ning Xi did not even blink. She moved back slightly to dodge, then with a slim and fair hand, she steadily caught the pike.

    Through the screen''s magnification, all the fans off-stage could clearly see the speed of that pike, and when the spike was caught deftly by the girl''s hand, the pike had violently trembled.

    "Wow!"

    The ce was instantly filled with sounds of surprised cries and there was apuse all around.

    Zheng Anru''s expression darkened. It was just catching a pike. What were they shouting for, making a fuss about nothing!?

    The staff''s brows furrowed. There was a sh of surprise in his eyes. After he received Zheng Anru''s re, he immediately raised the pikes in his hand and attacked Ning Xi swiftly.

    Earlier, when he had sparred with Han Zixuan, Zheng Anru had already bragged that he was a professional martial arts actor. These past six months, he had been training Han Zixuan, and he did indeed have some skills up his sleeves.

    When Ning Xi saw that he was aggressivelying for her, she stood where she was and the pike spun in her palm like it had a life of its own, then with a bam, it met the other person''s pike and sparks flew.

    It was only a short sparring session, and the martial arts actor instantly knew that Ning Xi was not like Han Zixuan who was attractive butcked substance. Instead, she was the real deal, thus he suddenly did not dare to lower his guard.

    At the start, he was still thinking about how to embarass her without batting an eyelid, and to do so subtly, but in the end, he already had no mood to think about these tricks at all. He could only go all out to handle her styles that were bing increasingly tricky¡­

    Damn it!

    This woman could actually handle the pike beautifully. Previously, he did not believe it when Guo Qisheng had said that Ning Xi had personally executed all the stunts in the movie, but now¡­

    Apart from crying out in rm from time to time, all of the fans off-stage and the hosts had fixed their eyes on them while holding their breaths. It was so intense that they did not even want to blink as if before them was not a bedazzling stage but a battlefield enveloped in mes of war, like it was not a performance, but a real battle to the death.

    Finally¡­

    With a ng, the girl hit the pike in the staff member''s hand mercilessly to the ground.

    In that instant, all of the fans present emotionally started to shriek and cry, then they whistled non-stop.

    "Oh! Ning Xi is so awesome!"

    "Amazing!"

    "That was just too brilliant! I was so tensed that I''m breaking out in cold sweat!"

    ¡­

    When she saw the fans'' reactions, Han Zixuan clenched her teeth. Her face remained smiling as she pped, while Zheng Anru''s expression that was hidden in the shadows already seemed extremely terrible.

 Chapter 1843: Final Hit

    <h4>Chapter 1843: Final Hit</h4>

    This useless thing! Rubbish!

    This professional stunt double that she had hired at a high sry had actually lost to a woman on the spot.

    After that receiving Zheng Anru''s fierce gaze, the staff''s body subconsciously shook. In the next second, there was a malevolence in the man''s eyes as he suddenly picked up the pike by his feet and attacked Ning Xi who was off-guard without warning.

    Swoosh!

    At this second, the pike in Ning Xi''s hand had flown out at lighting speed and brushed past his neck. With a loud bang, it pierced the wall behind him.

    In the screen that erged the action on-stage, the pike had chopped off some hair by the man''s ears. The pike had pierced into the wall and was stuck there upright, while the martial arts actor''s body had stiffened. His extremely frightened expression was magnified just like that on the huge screen, creating an immense visual impact¡­

    "Ahhhhhhhhh!" The venue fell silent for three seconds, then came the shrieks and whistling that went through the roof.

    "You let me win." Ning Xi casually handed the pike in her hand over to the staff on the side and slowly took her seat once again.

    There was no striking red outfit or heroic look using makeup. Even if she was currently in a demure qipao and had a bun on her head, no one doubted that at that moment, the soul in her body was Meng Changge''s!

    Even if there would be one day when that person returned to civilian life, even if one day that person''s body decayed, she would still be Meng Changge!

    "Changge! Changge! Changge!" The old fans present started to shout out. They were so emotional that they could not speak.

    "Ning Xi, is your body doing okay?" Ning Xi had just returned when Xu Tao asked worriedly like an amah .

    "I''m fine." Ning Xi shook her head. There was already a thinyer of sweat on her forehead and her wrist was also swollen with pain, but it was a good thing that it had not taken too long earlier, so there was not much of an issue.

    At this moment, as she watched the reaction of the crowd, Zheng Anru clutched her fingers tightly. She was ashen-faced.

    It was over¡­

    There was no way to redeem this¡­

    Initially, she was ready to destroy the image of Ning Xi in the fans'' hearts, but instead she had proven that she could not be surpassed.

    This was practically digging her own grave!

    No!

    She definitely could not let this happen!

    Once such an impression was made for the fans, it would all be over!

    "Senior, you''ve proven yourself to be worthy of being a senior. Indeed you''re old but still vigorous. Our Zixuan is still very young. It looks like she''s still too inexperienced!" Zheng Anru smiled insincerely as she pped and praised Ning Xi, but she had intentionally emphasized on the word "old", giving prominence to Han Zixuan''s youth.

    In reality, Han Zixuan was about the same age as Ning Xi.

    When Zheng Anru said this, she forced a smile and skimmed those emotional fans present, then she said unhurriedly, "It''s a pleasant surprise that Senior Ning Xi could attend today. However, it''s even more so a surprise, right?

    "After all, Senior Ning Xi has already retired a year ago. Back then, your fans were very sad!

    "Today, after Senior has left for more than a year, you''ve suddenly appeared once again. Isn''t there some anything that you want to exin to your fans?"

    Zheng Anru sneered, her every sentence meant to instigate. There was no doubt that she was trying to incite the fans'' resentment and the conflict between Ning Xi and her fans in this long one year.

    Silly fans, have you forgotten how cruel this woman was back then? How she had irresponsibly vanished without a word?

    Such a person¡­ Is she really still worthy of you people continuing to like her?

    With Zheng Anru''s words, the fans, who had been still emotionally cheering earlier, instantly fell silent.

    Among the fans who hade today, most of them were Han Zixuan and Jiang Muye''s fans.

    Almost all of Han Zixuan''s fans and a part of Jiang Muye''s fans had been Ning Xi''s loyal fans back then¡­

    On stage, Ning Xi sat there quietly and she remained silent for a good while.

    Xu Tao''s heart instantly tightened. The thing he worried most about had still happened¡­

 Chapter 1844: Shine In All Its Splendor With You

    <h4>Chapter 1844: Shine In All Its Splendor With You</h4>

    As they watched the fans'' reaction, Zheng Anru on stage and Wang Haojun backstage were both relieved.

    "Zheng Anru is still the creative one!" Wang Haojun looked delighted.

    On the side, the PR directormented, "After all, she''s considered the one who knows Ning Xi best. Obviously, she knew where her vulnerable spot was!"

    At this moment, the entire hall was deathly still.

    It was not sure how long had passed.

    The atmosphere became increasingly stifling like the calm before the storm.

    Just as a gloom was about to gradually spread across the crowd like a gue, there was finally the sound of a woman''s voice in their ears.

    "I''m very sorry¡­ to have let everyone worry, to have let everyone wait¡­ for so long¡­"

    The fans off-stage were still in absolute silence.

    "There are many things to say¡­ that I don''t know how to begin¡­"

    In the quiet hall, the girl continued, "Let me¡­ Let me sing a song for you!" The girl looked up and smiled, yet her eyes were filled with grief.

    Still, no one said anything.

    Ning Xi leaned over and said a few things to Xu Tao softly. Xu Tao looked momentarily hesitant, then he nodded and left to go backstage.

    Zheng Anru and the rest did not stop them. They all just watched coldly. Haha, to sing at such a moment? Was it meant to divert attention? How hrious! Was she thinking about switching industries and bing a singer?

    They did not believe that she could turn things upside down! Even if she did, they would have a way to turn things upright! She should see whose turf she was on today!

    Momentster.

    Boom!

    The entire stage suddenly dimmed. There was only one source of light and it shone onto the girl who wore a white qipao and stood in the middle of the stage.

    The girl retrieved her gaze as she sat there upright and extremely quietly.

    The prelude started to y.

    " Thank you¡­" The girl held the microphone, her gaze falling onto all the fans below the stage. She continued to sing softly, " For the glory you''ve given me¡­"

    " I want to bow deeply to you¡­ because, my hard work, there are people who understand¡­ "

    The instant the girl''s voice was heard, the gaze of the fans suddenly tightened slightly.

    " Thunderous apuse, overwhelmed with emotions

    This is the beginning, not the end

    When you have pped hard for me

    What should I pay back with? You are a soft spot¡­ "

    With the girl''s every word and line, the screen behind the girl suddenly lit up.

    The screen presented a girl, who wore a red outfit and smiled shyly as she signed her autograph for a few fans. This was her first time giving out autographs.

    "Thank you, everyone¡­

    Thank you for the glory you''ve given me

    I was once so normal

    It was you who brought my dreams to its peak ¡­"

    The screen cut to another scene where Ning Xi wore a dashing male outfit and was with other filming crew members. She was surrounded by a huge crowd of enthusiastic fans, and the girl was in high spirits. She smiled and said to the security guards, "Be more gentle to my women¡­"

    " That one minute, in my heart

    Felt too much; it''s hard to describe,

    No matter how hard it gets, I won''t rx

    To prove that your choice is extraordinary¡­"

    On the screen, the girl''s face was tear-stained. She walked alone in the dense and deste forest with the heavy rain pouring. Then, there were behind-the-scenes bloopers. However, because the girl was too exhausted, she had justid on the ground, falling asleep in her clothes. She looked so beautiful¡­

    " This is a glory that belongs to us

    I already know what path I should take¡­ "

    The girl wore a red gown and as she received the Golden Film Award on the stage with all eyes on her, she gave her speech with tears in her eyes.

    " This is a glory that belongs to us

    This is a joyous ode to you

    Every one of you is my great heroes¡­ "

    With the girl''sst line of the song with her raspy voice that started to choke with emotion, the images on the screen stopped. In the audience, everyone''s faces were already tear-stained.

    On the other hand, the girl, who had been quietly singing on stage, already had tears streaming down her face¡­

 Chapter 1845: No Ning Xi, No The World

    <h4>Chapter 1845: No Ning Xi, No The World</h4>

    The girl, who had been quietly singing on stage, already had tears streaming down her face¡­

    The moment the music stopped and the lights were turned back on, the girl bowed to everyone.

    Flooded with their memories of Ning Xi, countless pairs of bloodshot eyes and everyone''s tear-stained faces looked back at her.

    Among the crowd, someone spoke up and broke the silence.

    "Xi fans are everywhere. Bro Xi is irreceable!"

    This familiar slogan of the fans suddenly sparked something within people''s hearts.

    Suddenly, like a huge wave, everyone started shouting together.

    "Xi fans are everywhere. Bro Xi is irreceable!"

    "Xi fans are everywhere. Bro Xi is irreceable!"

    "Xi fans are everywhere. Bro Xi is irreceable!"

    ¡­

    In the VIP seat, Zhuang Keer stood up as her eyes watered. She led the crowd and shouted, "Never forget our first aspiration! We''ll follow you to your brightest."

    Suddenly, everyone followed, "Never forget our first aspiration, we''ll follow you to your brightest!"

    Zhuang Rongguang wiped his tears beside Zhuang Keer and he shouted loudly, "No Ning Xi, no ''The World''!"

    "No Ning Xi, no ''The World''!"

    "No Ning Xi, no ''The World''!"

    "No Ning Xi, no ''The World''!"

    ¡­

    Until Ning Xi bowed and left, the crowd still shouted unanimously. Their voices echoed through the whole venue as they watched the girl leave.

    That was their idol, their belief, their youth¡­

    So what if she left before?

    We are here! We are always here!

    Below the stage, there was a chubby girl crying on her friend''s shoulder.

    The friend patted her back andforted her, "Alright now. Bro Xi is back now, isn''t it?!"

    "I''m not crying about that!"

    "Then, what are you crying about?"

    "I''m crying about why I was so stupid to betray Bro Xi, and changed myself to like that imposter Han Zixuan. I don''t deserve to be Bro Xi''s fan!"

    "Uhh, don''t be upset! A lot of people are stupid too!"

    The chubby girl smiled and her eyes brightened. "There are some people who reappear and teach me what''s irreceable¡­"

    At the same time.

    Han Zixuan''s face turned pale. Zhang Anru was really frustrated. She should not have let Ning Xi sing. The two hosts had no idea what to say now. They did not know how to set things straight.

    The investors in the VIP seats were dumbfounded, and backstage, Wang Haojun was looking at the fans still crying and yelling their slogan. He almost passed out when he saw Han Zixuan''s fans shouting Ning Xi''s name.

    He had spent so much money inviting all the media here but in the end¡­

    It had be aeback show for Ning Xi.

    The new version of "The World" was pushed to the back. The fans had all returned to Ning Xi just because of a song.

    Now, he understood that Glory World Entertainment was here to mess things up! They had messed it thoroughly too! The whole stage was destroyed!

    The PR Director hid somewhere as he looked at the excited fans outside. He was impressed.

    He thought that Han Zixuan was really not surpassable, but once the original returned, no matter how popr and good looking Han Zixuan was, it would all be mediocre.

    The light of a firefly could neverpare to the sun.

 Chapter 1846: Who Said That I Wasnt Here To Mess Things Up?

    <h4>Chapter 1846: Who Said That I Wasn''t Here To Mess Things Up?</h4>

    Inside the arcade.

    At that moment, countless onlookers were watching the screen. Just like the audience in the stream, their eyes teared as they shouted the slogan together.

    Besides that arcade, in restaurants, on the streets, inpanies, homes¡­

    People saw the stream. The fans saw Ning Xi and they heard her song. They heard the uniform slogan¡­

    The stream continued even after Ning Xi left.

    "Ning Xi, are you making aeback this time?"

    "Ms. Ning, why did you reappear today after a year? Just because the organizers invited you?"

    "You know about Jiang Muye''s incident, don''t you? We''re waiting for Jiang Muye''s apology today. Jiang Muye was supposed to attend, but why did it be you instead? Is it because Jiang Muye is unwilling to apologize, so Glory World wanted you toe?"

    "You really grabbed the spotlight today! Are you just trying to seek attention? While it''s nice to say that you''ve been invited, you''re just here to mess up the event, aren''t you?"

    "Ms. Ning, can you please answer?"

    ¡­

    Numerous reporters surrounded Ning Xi as she came out.

    Facing the bombardment of questions, Ning Xi suddenly stopped and faced the reporter who questioned Ning Xi about being a troublemaker.

    The reporter freaked out a little and backed off a step.

    Ning Xi then raised her eyebrows and said in a humorous tone, "Who said¡­ that I wasn''t here to mess things up?"

    The reporters were speechless.

    Jiang Muye startedughing on the wooden pony as he watched the stream.

    The reporter, who was trying to embarrass Ning Xi, could not give a retort when he saw Ning Xi''s indifferent expression. "Aren''t you being too much and bullying your junior? Don''t you know how terrible Jiang Muye is? And you''re still protecting him? You''re no goddess! You''re the same as that trash!"

    "Did you get that down?" Ning Xi did not reply. She turned to Xu Tao instead.

    Xu Tao nodded and waved his phone. "Got it! We don''t have to do it actually. There''re plenty of people streaming! Everyone is watching!"

    The reporter looked flustered. "I''m just telling the truth. What? I can''t even say the truth now?"

    Xu Taoughed. "Truth or defamation, mywyer will let you know real soon."

    Ning Xi gazed at the group of reporters and said, "As for Senior Jiang''s matter, I already know about it. I also know that the organizers wanted Senior Jiang to issue a public apology, and that''s right, I also think there should be a public apology."

    The reporter thought that Ning Xi was admitting defeat and put up a triumphant face. "Ms. Ning, it''s toote to change¡­"

    The next moment, Ning Xi''s eyes turned sharp. "But it should be the organizers apologizing to Senior Jiang."

    The group was startled when they heard Ning Xi.

    What? Apologize to Jiang Muye? Had Ning Xi gone mad?

    There was also arge group of reporters who thought that there might be some hidden agenda with Ning Xi''s firm tone.

    Ning Xi left with thatst sentence and ignored all the other questions. She got into the car under the protection of Xu Tao and the bodyguards.

    In the arcade.

    Jiang Muye just stared at the big screen. He watched how the girl supported him and said bossily, "Who said that I wasn''t here to mess things up?" He felt a warm, indescribable feeling inside him¡­

 Chapter 1847: Strong Support

    <h4>Chapter 1847: Strong Support</h4>

    In the car.

    Xu Tao was in an extremely jovial mood. "Ning Xi, your singing just now was great! In addition to the video I brought, it made the whole scene so emotional! Even I cried like an idiot! Now, that''s really efficient! I was still thinking about how to exin to the fans¡­"

    Xu Tao then remembered how Ning Xi went against the reporter just now, then he said worriedly, "Um, but Ning Xi, don''t you think that what you told the reporters just now was a little inappropriate? Jiang Muye''s matter is really troublesome! I understand that you want to help Jiang Muye, but saying such words in public might get you dragged into it too!"

    "They will apologize." Ning Xi''s tone was firm.

    Ning Xi then took out her phone and made a call.

    Xu Tao looked over curiously, wondering who she had called.

    It did not matter who she looked for on this matter, did it?

    That photo was everything!

    Unless Chen Mian rified it personally¡­

    But it was impossible!

    Chen Mian treated that movie as his life. Because of that, Jiang Muye had not uttered a word until now.

    Even with Ning Xi''s rtionship with Chen Mian, it was pretty impossible to convince him.

    "Hello, Director Chen, long time no see!"

    Xu Tao then noticed Ning Xi really had called Chen Mian after all!

    "You¡­ Ning¡­ Ning Xi?" Chen Mian sounded like he just went through a horrifying experience. "Damn! I just saw the stream! I thought I was having hallucinations! Are you really back? Heck, it''s been a year and three months! I thought you''ve gone back to space!"

    "Ah, I''m honored that the renowned Director Chen still remembers me," said Ning Xi.

    Chen Mian realized that Ning Xi''s tone held some tightness, then he coughed lightly, "Well, you called me because¡­"

    "Jiang Muye," Ning Xi straightforwardly stated Jiang Muye''s name, "Director Chen, aren''t you being really irresponsible about this?"

    Chen Miang sounded awkward. "Ah, I know, I know it must be really tough on Jiang Muye! But I''m a victim too!

    "I''ve been carefully keeping it a secret. I didn''t expect there''d be a leak!

    "I don''t know if they told you about it, but my movie revolves around a sensitive topic and can never be released here. I''m aiming for an international movie festival!

    "Well¡­ My movie is going through the screening process at the moment. If I reveal it now, my higher-ups would surely forbid me from joining an international event, then who should I go to? The movie would go to waste then!"

    "So, you''re letting Jiang Muye bear all the consequences?"

    Chen Mian was struggling. "Ning Xi, I know you feel unjust on behalf of Jiang Muye. I''ve worked with him in many movies and know him well. I''m really grateful that he''s been so kind to me. After I''m done with the screening process and confirm my entry, then I''ll rify it instantly. Is that okay?"

    "It would be toote by then!"

    "B-But it''s the only way now! If not, what do you want me to do?" Chen Mian sounded helpless.

    "rify everything now."

    "My dear Lord, aren''t you giving me a hard time? If I rify now, my movie will be destroyed!"

    "I''ll give you one back if it''s destroyed."

    "Okay! I''ll rify right away!" There was a quick change of tone from Chen Mian.

 Chapter 1848: Amazing, My Queen!

    <h4>Chapter 1848: Amazing, My Queen!</h4>

    On the side, Xu Tao had vaguely heard their conversation and almost spurted blood out!

    Bloody hell! This Chen Mian¡­ he reallycked integrity! The way he changed his tone was just¡­

    Ning Xi did not expect that Chen Mian would change his mind so quickly too. She looked at her phone and her mouth twitched.

    "Ning Xi, you said so yourself. You said you''llpensate me with another movie, so I''m booking you in advance for the next movie''s female lead. If the female lead won''t do, then I can schedule you to be the male lead too! You can''t go back on your word!" Chen Mian had been pretending to be all miserable earlier, yet now his tone sounded like he looked forward to the movie being ruined.

    Ning Xi could not help but chuckle. "Got it! When have I ever broken a promise to you?"

    "Hahaha¡­ Good! Then, I''ll go rify right now! You just wait for it!" Chen Mian giddily answered.

    On the side, Xu Tao was astonished, watching this from the start to the end. He was not prepared at all. "Uhh¡­ It''s resolved then¡­?"

    Amazing, my queen!

    "Tsk, but you''ve really let that Chen Mian guy take advantage of you! The first movie after youe back out of retirement? Man, you let him booked you just like that! Let me tell you. After Chen Mian finished filming that ''Dream Chaser'' with you, even though the other two movies he shot after that were pretty good, they still couldn''tpare to ''Dream Chaser''.

    "Probably because people kept saying that he could not surpass ''Dream Chaser'', he''s bing quite irritable. He actually took a risk out of desperation and got Han Zixuan to shoot a movie that he knew would be banned within the country. He wanted to bag an international award." Xu Tao could not help but roast the guy.

    ¡­

    At the same time, the International Exhibition Centre was already deserted.

    Wang Haojun, Zheng Anru, Han Zixuan, and all the investors exchanged looks backstage. The atmosphere was morose.

    At that moment, the person who felt the most awkward there, apart from Han Zixuan, was Starlight Entertainment''s Vice CEO, Ning Xueluo, who hade in her best clothes.

    Tonight was supposed to be a premeditated opportunity that she had waited for a long time to happen. She had especially decided to appearst and wanted to grab the chance to rid of her past. Even the idea of inviting the original cast as guests was her idea to seize an opportunity.

    Yet, who would have thought that Ning Xi, who had disappeared for so long, would be like a time bomb? She had appeared without warning and exploded in her world with a loud bang.

    The incident back then had initially been forgotten with Ning Xi''s retirement. With the sess of her career, she had even gradually started to take the route of an encouraging goddess. She was no longer denounced for her identity as an adopted daughter. Instead, she had received sympathy and the understanding of some people in the lower rungs of the society.

    However, once Ning Xi appeared within everyone''s line of sight, all of those things that humiliated her, that she hated the most, and that she did not want people to find out about the most had entirely surfaced again.

    As long as Ning Xi was around, everyone would remember clearly that Ning Xi was the real heiress while she was just a counterfeit who was reaping where she had not sown.

    Even if she already had everything today, she could not get rid of this damned shadow over her¡­

    "When Glory World''s side agreed to it, why didn''t you guys check properly?" As sophisticated as Ning Xueluo was, she was agitated at the moment as her blood boiled

    "I''m asking you! Why didn''t you check properly?!" Wang Haojun rebuked angrily.

    The public rtions director, who was forced to be the scapegoat, looked miserable. "I''ve asked clearly. They confidently said that they''d definitely give us a proper exnation. How would I have known that Glory World woulde up with this? I never would''ve thought for the life of me that Ning Xi would show up¡­"

    Glory World was rubbish already struggling at death''s door. Forget about this higher management, actually, everyone did not pay attention to Glory World either, which was why they had lowered their guards and how such a huge mess had happened.

    The public rtions director continued, "In fact, from the way Ning Xi answered those reporters, they had¡­ clearly nned¡­ to intentionallye and mess things up¡­"

 Chapter 1849: Want To Change?

    <h4>Chapter 1849: Want To Change?</h4>

    "You don''t say! Do we need you to tell us that?" Wang Haojun''s anger rocketed.

    His event had been crashed and he had even paved the way for her!

    At this moment, some of the investors muttered among themselves. One of them represented everyone else and stood up to say, "Uhh, actually¡­ from the way today went¡­ the line-up of actors for our movie¡­ can actually still be revised¡­"

    Zheng Anru''s expression instantly changed when she heard that. "CEO Qian, what are you trying to say?"

    CEO Qian stood with his beer belly and chuckled, "Today, all of you saw for yourselves this Ning Xi''s poprity and the way she was such a hot topic. We''ve invested so much money in this movie. Obviously, we hope to get the highest return, don''t you think?"

    Zheng Anru obviously understood what he was implying. She instantly looked very upset and said, "Zixuan''s contract has already been signed. Don''t tell me you still want to change it? To swap her for an outdated female star who has retired for so long?

    "CEO Qian, CEO Lee, CEO Cui, you guys don''t understand the entertainment industry well enough. That''s why you were deceived by tonight''s scheme. The fans couldn''t help but be a little emotional because Ning Xi had appeared after being gone for so long. This is just short-lived!

    "If you really let her y the leading role, do you really think she could do it? She''s now without opportunities, without connections, and still at that damned Glory World. What does she have topete against Zixuan? She''s not even worthy enough to carry Zixuan''s shoes!"

    Zheng Anru had rattled all this out, causing CEO Qian and the few investors to exchange nces. Suddenly, they were hesitating again.

    Wang Haojun quickly took the opportunity to say, "Please, everyone, keep calm and don''t be impatient! Manager Zheng is the most outstanding gold-ted manager in the industry. She''s definitely right! Our Starlight has invested the most this time, and we wouldn''t dig a hole for ourselves!"

    Ath this moment, a well-groomed, middle-aged man on the side grumbled, "You think that we don''t know anything, that we wear ten-dor hats on a five-cent head. Even if Ning Xi ispletely unpopr today, her appearance today haspletely destroyed all the promotional campaigns that we''ve been doing for so long!

    "The movie ''The World'' is an existence that can never be surpassed in the audience''s hearts! Even if we keep throwing money at it, it''d be useless! Things are already like this. Even the original can''t be surpassed. Do you still think you can surpass ''Nine Realms''? Are you dreaming?

    "With what? With your so-called popr queen, Han Zixuan? Han Zixuan who can''t even control her own fans?"

    Tonight, Han Zixuan''s fans changing sides had, in the end, no doubt been a p in the face for her.

    At the moment, as she was being criticized by the investors, Han Zixuan was so furious that she trembled. After she had be popr, she would always be chased after and ttered no matter where she went. She had never been subjected to such petty annoyances.

    Just as Han Zixuan almost lost control, Ning Xueluo piped up from the side, "CEO Lee, what you''re saying is wrong. You ought to know that not all the fans who came tonight were Zixuan''s fans. At least half of them were Jiang Muye''s die-hard fans.

    "The way someone was so loud today, whether it was authentic or whether someone had deliberately arranged and incited to put up a show to achieve their hidden agenda, and even¡­ steal the role¡­ CEO Lee, you know the entertainment industry well. I''m sure you know the intentions of this, don''t you?"

    When CEO Lee heard Ning Xueluo, he frowned. He was listening atst, and indeed he could not guarantee the authenticity, but based on his instincts, he did not think that tonight''s incident could have been faked. After all, even he as a spectator had been moved and was convinced by Ning Xi.

 Chapter 1850: Thought Too Highly of Her

    <h4>Chapter 1850: Thought Too Highly of Her</h4>

    Wang Haojun and Ning Xueluo had finally calmed the investors down when, on the other side, something had happened.

    The public rtions director, Liu Wenliang, had his forehead slick with sweat as he ran over with his phone. "C-CEO Wang¡­ Vice CEO Ning¡­"

    "What is it now?" Wang Haojun huffed impatiently.

    On the side, Ning Xueluo, Han Zixuan, and Zheng Anru frowned and looked over when they saw him arriving flustered.

    Facing everyone''s gazes, Liu Wenliang''s pale face had scrunched up like a fried dough twist , he gulped and said with much difficulty, "Chen¡­ Chen¡­ Chen¡­"

    "Chen, what Chen?" Wang Haojun cursed.

    "Chen Mian!" Liu Wenliang finally blurted out the name, then he peeked at Han Zixuan and Zheng Anru. "Chen Mian has just posted on Weibo to rify that Zixuan and Jiang Muye''s kissing picture is a movie still!"

    "What did you say? That''s impossible!" Zheng Anru''s face suddenly changed in color and she was clearly displeased.

    Liu Wenliang looked miserable and said, "It''s true. Chen Mian has even released the details of the movie to prove it!"

    "Is Chen Mian crazy? Does he know what he''s doing?" Zheng Anru gaped in disbelief as she started to shriek at the top of her lungs.

    Han Zixuan''s expression changed too, but her tone was calm when she said, "There must be some misunderstanding. Director Chen definitely wouldn''t do that!"

    Chen Mian would be the person who did not want this to be exposed the most, which was why they had leaked the picture earlier without any worry at all.

    Han Zixuan quickly took her phone out to click on Chen Mian''s Weibo.

    However, in the next second, she saw the eye-grabbing Weibo that Chen Mian had currently pinned to the top¡­

    [I would like to rify something for everyone here. This picture is a still from a new movie, "Manchuria Chaos" that I shot not too long ago. In fact, I shot it with the illusion of position. Because of my selfishness, I did note out to rify even though I knew the truth. I''ve let innocent people be affected and implicated, so I''d like to express my deepest regret about this!]

    Below these words, he had attached the detailed stillparisons and information on the movie, even including some sensitive content.

    Han Zixuan was suddenly stunned.

    Chen Mian had indeed gone mad.

    In fact, he was really mad!

    Zheng Anru''s expression sunk, then she said sternly, "We definitely can''t just let this matter go! What is up with Chen Mian? Even if he''s gone mad, he can''t drag our Zixuan down too. Doesn''t he know how important this movie is to our Zixuan!? At this crucial moment, he''s actually exposed his own movie! And made it public, so everyone knows! Wasn''t he afraid that the higher-ups would ban it?"

    Liu Wenliang cleared his throat. "I think this matter isn''t as simple as that. Chen Mian wouldn''t have done this for no reason¡­"

    "You don''t say! Do you need to spell it out? It''s definitely Glory World pulling tricks!" Wang Haojun said angrily.

    Liu Wenliang frowned. "But¡­ with Glory World''s abilities right now¡­ How would they be able to persuade Chen Mian into making such a huge sacrifice and personally step forth for Jiang Muye?"

    "Ning Xi¡­" At this moment, Ning Xueluo, whose eyes were dark and gloomy, muttered a name from the side.

    Even though Zheng Anru hated Ning Xi, she did not quite agree with Ning Xueluo. "Does Ning Xi have such power? Vice CEO Ning, you''ve thought too highly of her!"

    Wang Haojun was in terrible shape. "Enough! No more nonsense. Now, the question is how should we resolve this!? Liu Wenliang, I''m asking you! You''ve caused one mess after another. What are you doing as the public rtions director? No wonder they keep saying you''re always number two, forever pushed down by Liang Feixing!"

 Chapter 1851: The Missing Person Returns

    <h4>Chapter 1851: The Missing Person Returns</h4>

    Liu Wenliang''s expression darkened as he harbored his rage inside him after being annoyed for the whole day.

    How was that my fault?

    If Liang Feixing is professional, then get him over here!

    "CEO Wang, if it wasn''t for Zheng Anru leaking the photo on her own ord and promising me that things wouldn''t go wrong, today wouldn''t have happened! When did she ever see me as the PR Director? Now that trouble has arisen, what can I do?"

    "What do you mean by that, Liu Wenliang? If it wasn''t for your ipetence, would I need to think of ideas myself? You didn''t say anything back then when the feedback was positive, did you?"

    "What else could I have said when you''ve already gone ahead to do it? I told you that suchpact rounds of promotion would make the fans get tired. Keep a suitable distance and mysterious aura around her, but did you listen to me?"

    "I brought Zixuan up to this point. Do you think I need you to teach me? You know nothing about promoting at all!"

    "You¡­"

    ¡­

    As the people of Starlight were having a war between themselves¡­

    At the same time, at Glory World Entertainment.

    A group of interns and artistes who were avable watched the live streaming of the press conference of "The World" together. They were so excited that they almost jumped.

    No matter if it were those who were on amicable terms with Ning Xi or those who did not like her, they were all really excited to see Ning Xi appear again.

    If Ning Xi''s debut could save Glory World, then they would be saved too!

    "Oh my God! Bro Xi! It''s really Bro Xi! Bro Xi is back!"

    "So, Glory World has hope now?"

    "Maybe not? Glory World is a lot more different than before as Bro Xi has retired for a year after all¡­"

    "So what? Bro Xi was really cool, messing up that press conference! She totally overpowered Han Zixuan! Now, it''s just a matter of time!"

    ¡­

    As the group of artistes was discussing it, someone looked in the front and screamed.

    "Ah!!!"

    The crowd then saw Xu Tao leading a person into thepany. The person beside Xu Tao was exactly the person they were discussing.

    "Bro Xi!"

    "Bro Xi, we missed you! Where have you been for the past year?"

    "Bro Xi, you''re really back!"

    "Bro Xi, is your manager Bro Tao now?"

    ¡­

    Ning Xi looked at the familiar and strange faces and smiled at each and every one of them as she replied everybody.

    "Yes, Bro Tao is my manager now."

    "No way! You have to reconsider, Bro Xi! If he misleads you¡­" The people around started to tease Xu Tao, not really meaning ill at all.

    Xu Tao''s mouth twitched. "Hey, you bastards! What are you guys talking about in front of my queen? Do you guys want to die?"

    Everyoneughed.

    As Ning Xi was surrounded by everyone, a person rushed out from the group and snatched Ning Xi like a kidnapper.

    "Ah, Bro Xi! Who''s that?! What''s happening?"

    "Stop him!"

    ¡­

    "It''s alright. It''s Senior Jiang."

    Ning Xi turned her head around and exined as Xu Tao almost kicked the person.

    Everyone was speechless.

    The missing person Lei Ming had been crying for had finally returned¡­

 Chapter 1852: Not So Thirsty

    <h4>Chapter 1852: Not So Thirsty</h4>

    In an empty corridor, they both stared at each other.

    Ning Xi gawked at Jiang Muye''s haggard features andughed, "Tsk, time is really a killer¡­"

    Jiang Muye''s heart was racing when he saw the girl''s smile. Blood rushed to his head and he was dumbfounded.

    Ever since Ning Xi had fallen into aa, he had never seen her again after that time at the sanatorium.

    Despite it being a year, the girl in front of him still reminded him of the first time he had seen her in America.

    The feeling of his first love¡­

    Jiang Muye scratched his head in annoyance and pressed his chest. Stop, heart! You useless thing!

    After calming himself down, Jiang Muye clenched his teeth. "Damn you, Ning Xiao Xi! What are you talking about?! I''ve been staying cool for way too long and I just wanted to experience what it''s like being a mortal, okay?"

    Ning Xi tried not tough and nodded sagely. "As expected of your wisdom, Senior Jiang!"

    Jiang Muye was blinded by the girl''s smile, so he avoided her eyes and cursed to himself. "You¡­ When you did wake up?"

    "Uhh¡­" Ning Xi sounded a little hesitant and then replied, "Well¡­ It has been some time¡­"

    Jiang Muye was incensed "What?! You''ve woken up for some time already and you didn''t tell me about it? Ning Xiao Xi, do you take me as your brother?"

    Ning Xi smiled cheekily. "If I''d told you earlier, you''ll never be surprised!"

    "I''m not happy with the surprise at all!"

    His butt had almost broken into half when he had seen her on the screen!

    "Also, I never thought of you as my brother, but I''m taking you as my nephew!"

    Jiang Muye''s features twisted. "Stop that nephew nonsense!"

    Jiang Muye suddenly went silent as he thought about something.

    After a while, he spoke up, "I saw the live stream just now, and Chen Mian''s Weibo¡­"

    Jiang Muye looked a little frustrated. "I don''t need a woman to clean up my mess! What did you promise that old fox Chen Mian?"

    Ning Xi replied, "I just said I''ll pay him back with a movie."

    Jiang Muye''s expression changed. "Damn! No wonder! That sly fox!"

    "I suggested it myself. I have to star in movies aftering out of retirement anyway. Plus, it was great working with him thest time too."

    Jiang Muye''s expression did not look very good when he listened to Ning Xi''s exnation.

    Ning Xi smiled and said, "Senior Jiang, when I just joined in the industry¡­ I know you never said it and always messed with me, but you''ve helped me a lot behind my back. What happened this time was mostly because of me too¡­ It''s time for me to help you back this time, Senior Jiang!"

    Jiang Muye blushed and he turned his face away. "Bastard, why are you suddenly reminiscing about the past? I''m having goosebumps!"

    Jiang Muye then asked doubtfully, "You¡­ How did you know those photos were fake? Did Lei Ming tell you?"

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows. "Do I need Bro Ming to tell me?"

    "Then, how did you know?"

    It was solid proof after all. A lot of fans gave up on him after they saw the photo.

    Ning Xi spread her palms open. "I think¡­ although you don''t have much integrity, you wouldn''t be this thirsty."

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    Who was the one who had poor integrity!?

 Chapter 1853: Be Good, Call Me Aunt!

    <h4>Chapter 1853: Be Good, Call Me Aunt!</h4>

    As Jiang Muye and Ning Xi were talking, a hefty person rushed over at the speed of light.

    "My Lord! You''re finally back! Oh my God, why are you like this? If your fans saw you¡­"

    Lei Ming felt his heart ache when he saw Jiang Muye''s miserable look at that moment.

    You need to look good for your career, my Lord!

    "What if they saw me?" Jiang Muye narrowed his eyes as he demanded threateningly.

    "Um, they''ll surely still love you as always!" Lei Ming changed his tone quickly.

    Lei Ming then told Jiang Muye happily, "Muye, did you see Weibo? Chen Mian rified the truth on behalf of you. The Inte is in a chaos now. Everyone is apologizing to you and saying that you''re a real man for keeping promises.

    "Your fans were crying because they misunderstood you. They were heartbroken about what you''ve through!

    "The best part was that Director Liang had arranged for his team to lead the discussions and targeted Han Zixuan¡­"

    "Targeted her?" Jiang Muye raised an eyebrow.

    "Yes! Think about it! Chen Mian made the movie in secret, so who would''ve leaked it?"

    Ning Xi then said, "The biggest beneficiary, of course."

    "Yes! And the biggest beneficiary here is Han Zixuan!" Lei Ming said.

    Jiang Muye did not seem impressed. "Would the fans believe it? That woman is kinda normal at acting, but she''s an expert at tricking her fans!"

    Lei Ming sounded confident. "With Director Liang behind this, they''d at least think about it even if they don''t believe it fully. It''d be enough as long as someone doubts it!

    "Most importantly, it''s impossible for Han Zixuan to get away from this unscathed. She''s the main cast after all and knew about the movie, but she hid the truth and let everyone misunderstand your rtionship with her all for her own benefit. She even allowed the organizers to demand a public apology from you. It''s a severe issue of her character; more like she''s just shameless!

    "At least, for now, your rumor with her has been cleared!"

    Jiang Muye looked better when he heard the bit that he wanted to know the most.

    Lei Ming then went closer to their ears and whispered quietly, "That''s not all! I heard thetest update about Chen Mian''s Weibo attracting so much attention that the higher-ups invited him over. His movie is probably done for! Han Zixuan''s going to reap what she sowed!"

    "Ning Xi, I''m really grateful for you this time!" Lei Ming thanked her with teary eyes, almost worshipping Ning Xi as his God.

    He had thought he was really going to die this time!

    Unexpectedly, Ning Xi had just solved all the critical issues in just a few hours!

    Ning Xi beamed at Jiang Muye, then she replied Lei Ming, "You''re wee, Bro Ming. We''re family after all."

    Lei Ming thought Ning Xi meant that they were in the samepany, thus they were a family. "Right, right, a family!"

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    "Muye, although your fans love you, you should take a shower right now! I''ll go talk to Director Liang about what happens next!" Lei Ming then went away happily.

    Strike while the iron is hot.

    Jiang Muye''s image was too wild and not mature enough, so what had happened this time was advantageous towards his change.

    More and more young men were appearing in the industry, and at Jiang Muye''s age, he should have changed his style a long time ago!

    It just showed how lucky they were to have Ning Xi!

    "Who''s family with you?!" Jiang Muye''s expression darkened and tried to argue with Ning Xi when Lei Ming left.

    Ning Xi took the wedding ring out from the ne. "Be good, call me Aunt!"

 Chapter 1854: The Real Phoenix Was Back

    <h4>Chapter 1854: The Real Phoenix Was Back</h4>

    When he saw the ring, Jiang Muye almost puked blood but it was stuck in his throat.

    This bastard had kept saying back then that she definitely would not be his aunt. The memory was still vivid in his mind.

    In the end¡­

    Bloody hell! The past was painful to recall!

    After Ning Xi finished bragging, she then carefully kept her ring and said in the tone of an elder, "Forget it! Nephew, I''ll give you some time to adapt!"

    Jiang Muye was speechess.

    Adapt, his ass!

    ¡­

    At the same time, at the Su residence.

    Ning Xueluo had sat through meetings the whole night and she had also contacted people everywhere. She was in terrible shape from the office till she reached home. The extravagant and beautiful gown on her was already wrinkled.

    Today was supposed to be the most perfect day for her, the final part of her victory.

    However, now, in just one night, her initially wlessly perfect world had started to crumble¡­

    This feeling was thoroughly terrible!

    Ning Xi! Ning Xi! Ning Xi!

    This nightmarish name had unexpectedly reappeared!

    "Xueluo is back!" When Zheng Minjun, who was sitting on the living room sofa, saw Ning Xueluo, she immediately beamed and walked over.

    "Mother, you''re not asleep yet?" Ning Xueluo forced herself to greet her.

    "I was just worried and was waiting for you toe home!" When Zheng Minjun saw that Ning Xueluo looked strange, she frowned. "Why do you look so pale? Didn''t you have an important social event today? Did something happen?"

    "Mother, I''m fine. I''m just a little tired."

    "Then, quickly sit down and rest. I got the kitchen to make some chicken soup. I''ll call for the servant to get you a bowl!" Zheng Minjun said with concern.

    Initially, Zheng Minjun''s rtionship with her had been stiff because the scandal of Ning Xueluo being a foster daughter had been exposed.

    However, with Ning Xueluo''s business doing very well in the past year plus Ning Xi''s disappearance, it had cut her thoughts of wanting to connect to the Zhuang family through Ning Xi short. Obviously, Zheng Minjun''s attitude towards Ning Xueluo changed as well. She was even nicer to her than before. To say that she was utterly providing for her in submission would not be an exaggeration.

    When she saw Zheng Minjun''s eagerly attentive way towards Ning Xueluo, Zhao Shanshan slowly walked downstairs and looked mockingly as she said in an extremely jovial mood, "Haha, tired? I think it''s more like your heart''s tired! After all, the real phoenix, Ning Xi is back! Your fantasies of bing the phoenix have been shattered again!"

    In this past year, as she watched Ning Xueluo do better in life and increasingly win the hearts of her inws, she and Su Xun were surpressed to the point that they did not even have time to take a breather. When Ning Xueluo was there, she had to take the long way around. It was living hell!

    And now, Ning Xi had returned!

    This was remarkably fortunate news!

    "What? Ning Xi is back?" When Zheng Minjun heard this, her expression changed.

    Ning Xueluo''s gloomy gaze shot Zhao Shanshan a fierce look, her brows furrowed.

    Once that slut Ning Xi was back, even Zhao Shanshan dared to speak to her like this.

    Now that Zheng Minjun knew Ning Xi was back, would she have thoughts that she should not have again?

    Zheng Minjun had returned to her senses very quickly, then she ordered the servant to get the chicken soup from the kitchen. "So what if she''s back?! What''s there to make a fuss about?! She''s just an actress who was taken as a mistress!"

    She had somewhat analyzed the pros and cons of the situaton and decided that she would not offend Ning Xueluo for Ning Xi.

    When Zhao Shanshan saw Zheng Minjun''s attitude, she was suddenly anxious. "Mother, what mistress? Those are just rumors from the external parties. Ning Xi is the granddaughter of the Zhuang family! She wouldn''t have done such things!"

 Chapter 1855: My Daughter-In-Law Is Capable Like That

    <h4>Chapter 1855: My Daughter-In-Law Is Capable Like That</h4>

    Zheng Minjun looked disapproving. "There''s no smoke without a fire. If there really wasn''t something, could such rumors have gone wild? If not, then you tell me what other reasons could she have for disappeaing for so long?"

    Zheng Minjun''s tone was incredibly certain. She had especially asked around and even had pictures as proof. In fact, she had confirmed that in this past year, Ning Xi did not have any contact with the Zhuangs.

    If Ning Xi was really rted to the Zhuangs, how could she be willing to be someone else''s mistress?

    Indeed, the Zhuang family would not even acknowledge Zhuang Lingyu, so why would they acknowledge Ning Xi?

    When she saw that Zheng Minjun did not believe her at all, Zhao Shanshan was so angry that she was about to stomp her feet.

    Damn it, Zheng Minjun had already beenpletely brainwashed by the slut, Ning Xueluo!

    When Ning Xueluo saw Zhao Shanshan''s exasperated expression, she smiled slightly without batting an eyelid.

    Want to drive a wedge between us? Not that easy!

    She had alreadypletely made Zheng Minjun believe the truth about Ning Xi bing someone''s mistress and not having any contact with the Zhuang family at all.

    She had already said that even if Ning Xi was back, it would not change anything.

    All of this was still hers!

    As for those tiny hups, even though they did annoy her, it would only take her the slightest effort to surpress them. With the current Glory World, did she still want to go against her?

    No matter what Zhao Shanshan kept saying, Zheng Minjun hadpletely ignored her. She took the bowl of chicken soup from the servant and walked to Ning Xueluo as she consoled lovingly, "Xueluo, don''t be affected by those wretched people! Come, quickly have this soup! This is very nourishing for the body. I''m still waiting to carry a chubby grandchild!"

    "Thank you, Mother!" Ning Xueluo looked moved, yet she sneered in her heart.

    She had been married for more than a year and still had not gotten pregnant. If it were not for the fact that she currently controlled the finances of Ning International, while History and Starlight became more prosperous with each passing day, just based on this fact, Zheng Minjun definitely would not have been so kind to her.

    "Right¡­"

    Ning Xueluo took out a red invitation from her bag and passed it to Zheng Minjun. "Mother, are you free tomorrow? I got an invitation from Heavenly Spring Resort. If you''re free, we can go together and meet Madam Li."

    "Really?" Zheng Minjun was overjoyed at the unexpected good news as she took the invitation. "Recently, I heard that Minister Li and his wife havee to Imperial. Many high officials and noble people, big shots, and the celebrities want to meet them but couldn''t find the right connections. Xueluo, how did you get the invitation?"

    "It''s nothing, I just have my own connections," answered Ning Xueluo.

    Zheng Minjun grinned from ear-to-ear. "My daughter-inw is so capable! Yesterday, even Madam Qiao was grumbling to me about not getting an invitation! She always brags about how her brother is some high official in the province, but she still didn''t have a way in!"

    Zhao Shanshan stood on the side. As a daughter-inw too, hearing Zheng Minjun say "my daughter-inw is so capable" felt like a p to her own face.

    Yes, this daughter-inw Ning Xueluo was capable and she was just dispensable trash!

    "What are you so happy about?" At this moment, Su Hongguang had walked out of the room.

    Zheng Minjun immediately walked over, waving the invitation to show off. "Hongguang, Xueluo managed to get an invitation from Minister Li''s wife!"

    "Really?" Su Hongguang was pleasantly surprised too. "If we can get connected to Minister Li, it''ll definitely be hugely beneficial to our Yifeng Corporation!"

    Any of the country''s projects would be worth huge checks of several billion!

    "Exactly! Xueluo is really capable! Now the entire Imperial is envious that we have such apetent daughter-inw!" Zheng Minjun looked proud.

    "Xueluo, thanks for your trouble!" Su Hongguang was gratified too.

    When Zhao Shanshan saw her father and mother-inw surrounding Ning Xueluo, her nostrils red. She was so angry that she just turned around and left.

    ¡­

 Chapter 1856: Changed At Lightning Speed

    <h4>Chapter 1856: Changed At Lightning Speed</h4>

    The next morning in Deer Town.

    Ning Xi slept until she naturally woke up. There was already no one beside her on the bed. However, from downstairs wafted the tempting, sweet scent of porridge.

    Even though she had already officiallye out of retirement, she was not that busy.

    Her priority of resolving Jiang Muye''s matter was done and whatever came after that did not need that much fretting about.

    "You''re awake? Come over and have breakfast." Lu Tingxiao had prepared breakfast as always.

    Under the morning sun, her heart raced as she watched the way the man looked in his apron as he beckoned her to go over for breakfast.

    Even though she was an expert at cooking, when she was with Lu Tingxiao, she cooked less and less frequently, while Lu Tingxiao''s culinary skills had be increasingly better. It would not be exaggerating on to say that his skill was advancing by leaps and bounds.

    Especially after she had woken up from hera, she had not stepped into the kitchen even once.

    At this moment, Little Treasure carefully carried a bowl of porridge to her. "Mommy, Little Treasure will feed you."

    Ning Xi quickly said, "Thank you, Little Treasure, Mommy can eat this myself."

    "But Mommy''s hand is hurt." Little Treasure nced at Ning Xi''s wrist, which had been thered in medication, and was still slightly red and swollen. His little face looked exceptionally serious.

    When he said this, Ning Xi suddenly sneaked a guilty peek at Lu Tingxiao.

    How could she have known? Yesterday, on stage, she had just simply yed around with the pike. She really had not felt anything then and there, yet after she returned home at night, her wrist had actually be swollen.

    Thankfully, it was not a huge problem, but the father and son duo had still scolded her.

    "Okay, okay, okay, thank you, baby Little Treasure!" Ning Xi instantly did not dare to say anything more and obediently cooperated.

    It was the weekend.

    After finishing her breakfast, Ning Xi was ying with Little Treasure when suddenly a guest appeared.

    When she saw who it was, Ning Xi was shocked. "Madam Zhuang¡­ Why have youe?!"

    Meng Ling studied the girl before her, her face revealing heartache and love for her. "I''vee to see you. Actually, I wanted toe earlier, but I was afraid of disturbing you."

    "No, Madam Zhuang, pleasee in!" Ning Xi quickly said.

    Once again, Meng Ling heard Ning Xi address her as "Madam Zhuang" and she suddenly looked unhappy and got angry, "Xiao Xi, what did you just call me?"

    "Uhh¡­" When Ning Xi heard this, she was at a slight loss.

    She had already heard from Lu Tingxiao that the Zhuang family wanted to acknowledge her as family, but to change the way she addressed her in a short time and all so suddenly was something she needed to get used to.

    It was still fine with Zhuang Keer and Zhuang Rongguang. After all, it was the same as being friends, but when it came to an elder, then it seemed to be a little awkward.

    She had been used to operating alone, so she really had no idea how to interact with elders.

    Just as Ning Xi was wondering what to do, there was suddenly a crisp voice from behind. "Grandaunt!"

    When Meng Linlnag saw the adorable little guy behind Ning Xi, she could not hold up her pretense of being angry. She broke into a smile and squatted down to hug the little guy. "Aye, good boy, Little Treasure!"

    At first, she was taking out her anger on someone else, so she detested this illegitimate child of Lu Tingxiao''s, butter on, after they interacted more, she could not help but start to fancy this child more and more.

    At the same time, there came a man''s downcast voice. "Aunty."

    Ning Xi looked at Little Treasure, then at Lu Tingxiao¡­ She was stupefied!

    The two of them had changed too quickly, had they not?!

    However, based on the way they called out to her so naturally, they had probably already started addressing her like this when she was still in aa.

    Jeez¡­

    The big bun and the little bun had already changed sides, thus obviously, Ning Xi could not be unreasonable. She could only follow Lu Tingxiao and address her politely, "Aunty."

    "Good!" Meng Ling was finally satisfied.

 Chapter 1857: A Title

    <h4>Chapter 1857: A Title</h4>

    Meng Ling was chatting happily with Lu Tingxiao after entering the house.

    Ning Xi was impressed. As expected of his sweet tongue!

    Look at her darling! How obedient of him to call her "Aunty" the moment he saw Meng Ling.

    Unlike someone¡­

    Until now, she had yet to hear the word "Aunty" from him.

    After a short chat, Meng Ling dragged Ning Xi aside to talk to her in private.

    Meng Ling took Ning Xi''s hand and asked in a serious tone, "Xiao Xi, let me ask you how are Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan treating you?"

    She was alright with Lu Tingxiao now, but she could not put her trust in the two elders of the Lu family.

    Xiao Xi was married to Lu Tingxiao after all, so it was no longer just a matter of the both of them anymore. Xiao Xi would need to face the whole Lu family. If Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan treated her the same way as before, how could she continue living in the Lu family?

    She had gone through a lot of tough times to be alive now. She would never allow her to suffer again.

    "They are treating me well," replied Ning Xi quickly.

    Meng Ling looked doubtful. "Really? You don''t have to speak well for them."

    Ning Xi said helplessly, "It''s true. They invited me over to their ce and talked to me. They apologized and have been treating me really well!"

    Meng Ling was slightly relieved when she saw Ning Xi''s genuine expression. "That''s good then. At least, they still have their conscience intact."

    Ning Xi nodded. "Mmm, don''t worry about it, Aunty!"

    Meng Ling''s heart almost melted when Ning Xi called her "Aunty". She spoke gently, "Xiao Xi, what''s your n for the future? About your career and family?"

    Ning Xi gave it some thought. "I''ve thought about this before. I was prepared to retire after I woke up this time. I want to spend more time with Tingxiao and Little Treasure because I''ve been busy working and had too little time with them. Tingxiao has been really supportive of me doing anything I want¡­"

    Meng Ling nodded. "Then? I heard from Keer and Rongguang that you''reing out of retirement."

    "Mmm." Ning Xi replied, "Something happened because of me. The most troublesome part is settled for now. While I''ming out of retirement, I''ll make sure my workload isn''t as much as before, so I''ll be able to bnce both my career and my family."

    Meng Ling looked satisfied. "That''s great! I''m actually against you retiringpletely. A woman needs to have her own career."

    Meng Ling finally brought up herrgest concern. "Then, when are you having your wedding with Lu Tingxiao? And when are you going to announce your rtionship to the public? Don''t me me for being so concerned. It was a special situation before, but the marriage between you two was too rushed! Marriage is a huge milestone for a woman!"

    Ning Xi was a little guilty. "Actually, shortly after I met Lu Tingxiao, he already proposed to me. We''ve just been dying it because of my career. Not publicizing it was also due to my work.

    "But it''s different now. My fanbase was still unstable when I just started out. News about a marriage might affect me a lot, so I wanted to wait until my career n had settled down, then I''d be able to announce the news of my marriage. It shouldn''t take too long.

    "I want to be together with him officially too!"

    Her darling had been waiting for this title for a very long time¡­

 Chapter 1858: Head Lady

    <h4>Chapter 1858: Head Lady</h4>

    Seeing that Ning Xi had nned for everything, Meng Ling was finally relieved. "As long as you have a n. If you ever feel unhappy or you''re bullied, tell me immediately! We don''t have to care about the Lu family! You can alwayse back home!"

    Come back home¡­

    Ning Xi had an indescribable feeling when she heard that phrase.

    Ning Xi felt a warm, fuzzy feeling rise within her when she saw that Meng Ling was so protective of her. "I got it, Aunty. I''ll remember that."

    "That''s more like it!" Meng Ling beamed as she patted the girl''s hand.

    As she suddenly thought about something, Meng Ling said happily, "Recently, a close friend of mine came to Imperial. I mentioned to you to her and she''s been longing to see you. This is a good opportunity. I''ll bring you to see her tonight!"

    Ning Xi sounded a little troubled. "Hmm¡­ to meet your close friend?"

    Meng Ling quickly exined as she saw Ning Xi''s troubled expression, "You don''t have to be so reserved. She''s a really good friend of mine! You have think more about yourself. You''re now the headdy and you have to face the whole family on your own. Making contacts with powerful people is beneficial to you! How else would you be able to step on top of the twisted people among the family?"

    Meng Ling felt her heart ache when she realized the girl never thought about it. "This should''ve been taught by your mother, but¡­ whatever! That blind creature! I''ll stop mentioning her! If you trust me enough, listen to me. I''d never trick you!"

    Ning Xi was really touched when she noticed Meng Ling was so considerate. She could not reject her offer, so she quickly nodded. "Of course, I trust you! I get it. I''ll go!"

    Meng Ling was satisfied. "Then, I won''t bother your family time now. I''lle over and pick you up tonight!"

    "Let me see you off!"

    ¡­

    Little Treasure went over when he saw Meng Ling was leaving. "Grandaunt, are you leaving?"

    "Mmm, Grandaunt is leaving. I''lle and visit Little Treasure THE next time."

    "Then, Grandaunt, pleasee back soon."

    "Okay, okay¡­" Meng Ling looked really pleased.

    From the beginning, she was very upset with Little Treasure even before Xiao Xi got injured for his sake. Lu Tingxiao had a child before marriage after all, which was an uneptable fact for Meng Ling who came from a military family.

    Back then in the hospital when the elder suddenly wanted Little Treasure to go to the sanatorium as well, it was not only her husband who could not ept it; she could not sit well with the decision either.

    Afterward, Little Treasure was so obedient and understanding that everyone''s opinion of him changed.

    Her husband was a straightforward person and did not think much about it, but she gave it some thought after that. She felt like something was not right.

    The elder was a brilliant person, so just what did Lu Tingxiao tell him that could make him ept Little Treasure''s existence and even treat Little Treasure this well?

    In addition to the intimacy between Little Treasure and Ning Xi, she could guess, but she never dared to confirm it.

    The elder must have had his reasons for not telling them. She did not want to force her way to get the truth as well.

    She was just curious. If things were as she guessed, why did Xiao Xi not know about it?

 Chapter 1859: Weâ€™re A Family

    <h4>Chapter 1859: We¡¯re A Family</h4>

    "What did Aunty say?" Lu Tingxiao asked after Meng Ling left.

    At this point in time, Ning Xi could somewhat guess what Lu Tingxiao was thinking about even when he did not show any emotions.

    Ning Xi could sense that his question was not as simple as it seemed.

    She carefullyforted him, "Don''t worry, she''s not trying to do anything weird. Aunty is really happy with both you and Little Treasure!

    "She just asked me how Father and Mother treating me. I told her everything''s fine. She also asked¡­ when are we having our wedding¡­ and when to announce our rtionship to the public¡­"

    Lu Tingxiao raised an eyebrow when he heard her.

    Ning Xi closed in and murmured, "I said soon! With the current situation, I just need good timing!"

    Lu Tingxiao grinned. "Thank you, my wife, for the title."

    Ning Xi coughed guiltily. "You''re most weed! I swear it''s real this time! Oh, I''m meeting a friend of Aunty''s tonight. She said that I should make contact with more powerful people."

    "Aunty is right. She''s genuinely good to you."

    ¡­

    In the evening, Meng Ling went over to pick Ning Xi up. Her eyes brightened when she saw the dress on Ning Xi.

    "Xiao Xi, your outfit looks great."

    Ning Xi was relieved. "Really? I was wondering if it might be too simple."

    Meng Ling shook her head. "Not at all. It''s great. The fashion sense in Imperialtely has been so weird. The overly colorful style is in trend, and they im that it''s true Chinese fashion.

    "While it does look nice, it can get annoying after some time. Seeing a dress like yours among them is really refreshing!"

    Especially on a beautiful girl like her niece, this simple outfit made her look like a fairy straight out of a painting.

    "If my designer heard your remarks, he''d surely be overjoyed!" Ning Xi said happily.

    "This is your own brand? Spirit?" Meng Ling asked in awe. She remembered that Keer liked this brand.

    "Yes, my designer went into a slump a while ago and thepany wasn''t doing so well. This dress I''m wearing is from a new series my designer did recently. The theme of the series is ''back to the origins''," replied Ning Xi.

    "Back to origins indeed! Your designer is really talented. While everyone is using all kinds of colors extravagantly, he jumped out of the box and reached a new level!" Meng Ling was an expert on fashion herself, so she analyzed and exined her opinion to Ning Xi.

    "If your designer is avable, can he custom make one for me too?"

    Ning Xi quickly replied, "Of course, as long as you don''t mind!"

    Soon, the car reached the venue.

    Meng Ling wore an elegant beige qipao. Her well-maintained appearance hid her real age and Ning Xi did not seem like a youngster beside her; they were more like a pair of siblings.

    "Xiao Xi, Madam Li You and I grew up together in the same military zone and we''re really good friends. Don''t be too shy towards her. Just think of her as family."

    "Mmm, I got it, Aunty." Ning Xi nodded obediently.

    Ning Xi understood her aunt''s goodwill and was also clear about Meng Ling''s intention of bringing her here.

    Just a few steps ahead was the Heavenly Spring Resort.

    The resort was located in a quiet area with beautiful surroundings. There was a naturally-formed river right in front and it was afortable ce with the cool breeze gently blowing.

 Chapter 1860: Enemies On A Narrow Road

    <h4>Chapter 1860: Enemies On A Narrow Road</h4>

    The Heavenly Spring Resort was a high-ss private clubhouse, where high officials and nobility gathered, and it was only opened at specific times.

    The resort had just been newly refurbished a few years ago, but it still looked ancient as the artistic aspect was not ruined at all.

    As Meng Ling led Ning Xi to the resort entrance, her phone suddenly rang.

    Meng Ling took a look at who it was, then she said to Ning Xi, "Xiao Xi, I have an important call. Wait for me here for a moment."

    "No worries, Aunty. You get the call," said Ning Xi, understanding.

    Meng Ling was of an extraordinary status, and many of her important calls were state secrets, so it was inevitable that she would need to step aside for a while.

    ¡­

    When Meng Ling left, Ning Xi strolled around and admired the scenery surrounding the resort.

    At this moment, at the entrance, two tall, sweet-looking female receptionists were evaluating Ning Xi from time to time.

    "What does that woman do? I''ve seen her walk around the resort for a long while. Based on her aura and looks, could she be some high official or prominent person?" One of them wondered.

    "Doesn''t look like it." The other receptionist shook her head. "Recently, the resort has beencking servants, so they''re hiring. She''s probably here to interview for the job."

    She would recognize the high officials and big shots of Imperial, and those who frequently came to the Heavenly Spring Resort.

    However, as she observed this girl, she was rather unfamiliar and she had never seen her.

    Actually, because of the resort''s reputation, many pretty girls and even those from respectable family backgrounds would try to make their way in. For receptionists, they knew theycked the academic qualifications and family background, so this position was a very reliable pedestal to move upwards.

    "Indeed, she isn''t a guest here, but she looks somewhat familiar like a very popr female celebrity from a long time ago," the female receptionist was staring at that beautiful face far away that could make any woman resent her as she said with hesitation.

    "Huh, even if she''s popr now, she wouldn''t be worthy ofing to the Heavenly Spring Resort, much less if she''s outdated!" The other person scoffed with disdain.

    The two receptionists were used to seeing these kinds of people, so they did not pay any more attention to her.

    A short whileter, a white Maserati stopped nearby.

    The elegant car door opened and a woman in a sapphire blue evening gown and a Chanel handbag in hand stepped down from the car.

    "Ms. Ning!"

    Even though the woman wore sunsses, the two female receptionists could still immediately recognize her, so they quickly went up to greet her.

    Ning Xueluo walked to the front passenger seat, opened the car door and helped a middle-aged woman down the car.

    When they saw the middle-aged woman, one of the female receptionists whispered softly, "That''s Ms. Ning''s mother-inw, Madam Zheng¡­"

    Receptionists like them knew almost all of Imperial''s high society like the back of their hands.

    "Sorry to trouble the two of you to wait for such a long time. This is my invitation," Ning Xueluo said courteously and thanked them.

    The few people made small talk for a while and were just about to walk in when¡­

    At that moment, Zheng Minjun suddenly saw a familiar figure from the corner of her eyes, far away by the river.

    That person over there was¡­

    At once, Zheng Minjun frowned and tugged on Ning Xueluo. "Xueluo, quickly look over at that person. Is that Ning Xi?"

    What? Ning Xi?!

    When she heard the dreaded name, Ning Xueluo immediately scanned the river.

    Then, her pupils abruptly shrank!

    It really was her!

    "Mother, it''s Sister alright!" Ning Xueluo said, her eyes instantly darkening.

    Who would have thought that she would really bump into that slut here!?

    What was she doing here?

    Ning Xueluo thought about it for a while and immediately understood. She was probably there to curry favor with people and make connections!

    Could that rotten old man have abandoned her so she could not continue and wanted to find a new patron again?

    Delight shed across Ning Xueluo''s face as she arranged her delicate skirt and said to Zheng Minjun, "Mother, let''s walk over and greet her! I haven''t seen Sister for so long. Now, I finally bump into her here!"

 Chapter 1861: Here To Get Connections

    <h4>Chapter 1861: Here To Get Connections</h4>

    Ning Xueluo then started walking to her as if she had just seen a close rtive.

    Zheng Minjun initially did not want to acknowledge her, but when she saw that Ning Xueluo had already made a move, she could only follow behind.

    "Sis, is that you?"

    As she reached the riverside, Ning Xueluo looked emotionally yet nervously at Ning Xi.

    When she heard the voice from behind her, Ning Xi turned around.

    Upon seeing that Ning Xueluo was approaching her, Ning Xi was stunned for a while and she raised her brows ever so slightly.

    She did not expect to bump into Ning Xueluo at the Heavenly Spring Resort. In fact, Su Yan''s mother, Zheng Minjun, was there too.

    "Sis, where did you go in this past one year? Bro Yan and I were very worried about you!" Ning Xi had just turned around when Ning Xueluo started to speak in a heartfelt tone with tears welling in her eyes.

    "Worried?" At this moment, Zheng Minjun sneered, "Xueluo, what were you worried for? Everyone knows this woman''s been taken as a mistress by a powerful and influential old man. Otherwise, could she have quit the entertainment industry? She must''ve been living the high life in this past year. Would there even be room for your concern?"

    "Mother, I believe that Sister is definitely not that kind of person." Xueluo immediately defended her.

    "Xueluo, you''re just too innocent. Mother has lived for a long time and I''ve seen all sorts of people. For glory and wealth, there are countless women who are willing to degrade themselves, be obscene and lowly, and be willing to prostitute themselves. You wouldn''t believe how dirty things can get!" Zheng Minjun shuddered at Ning Xi as if she was looking at something disgusting.

    Ning Xueluo smiled apologetically at Ning Xi. "Mother, don''t talk like that about Sister¡­"

    Ning Xi stood there, amused by this bullsh*t as she watched the two of them echo each other like idiots.

    They have not met for more than a year, and she thought that Ning Xueluo would have at least made progress, yet in the end, her tricks had not changed at all. Was she really prepared to use this trick to rule the world?

    Before Zheng Minjun could speak, Ning Xueluo pretended to smooth things over. "Sister, my apologies, Mother and I still have matters to attend to and we need to go to the Heavenly Spring Resort, so we''ll make a move first."

    Then, she pretended to carelessly remind, "Right, Sis, have youe here to see Madam Lee? You need an invitation to enter. Unfortunately, I only have two with me, otherwise, I could bring you in too!"

    Zheng Minjun instantly frowned and said, "Xueluo, enough! Is this a ce for such people to enter? Xueluo, let''s quickly go in. Don''t let Madam Lee wait on us."

    "Sis, the next time when there''s a chance, I''ll look for you again." Ning Xueluo''s goal of unting had been achieved, so she then walked away with Zheng Minjun gaily.

    When the two female receptionists saw the two of them return, one of them looked towards Ning Xi and asked a little curiously, "Ms. Ning, Madam Zheng, do you two know that woman over there?"

    Zheng Minjun immediately responded, "How could we know such a lowly woman!?"

    When the female receptionist heard Zheng Minjun''s tone, she instantly went along and corrected herself, "That''s what I thought! Based on your status, you wouldn''t know her! I just saw her walk around the Heavenly Spring Resort for a long while. She''s probably here to apply for a job to be a waitress at the resort."

    "She''s just an outdated actress. I''m afraid the person who took her in as a mistress was bored of ying with her, so she probably couldn''t stay on any longer. Maybe she''s really here to apply for a waitressing job," sneered Zheng Minjun.

    "Ah? An outdated actress? And was even taken as a mistress?"

    When the receptionists heard Zheng Minjun''s words, revulsion shed across their eyes.

    "No wonder! When I saw that woman, I just knew that she was the same as those women who want to be ygirls recently! She wants to mingle and make connections!"

 Chapter 1862: Warning

    <h4>Chapter 1862: Warning</h4>

    "No wonder! When I saw that woman, I just knew that she was the same as those women who want to be ygirls recently! She wants to mingle and make connections!"

    "What ce does she think this is? All of us ushers have high academic qualifications, and we''ve gone through strict training. Does she think she could mix in with the crowd with her looks and figure?"

    Female receptionists like them had incredible contempt for women who wanted to steal their livelihoods. In addition to that, they spoke very crudely too.

    Of course, to Zheng Minjun, and especially Ning Xueluo, such words were pleasing.

    "If she''s really here to apply for a job, don''t use her at all costs! Don''t dirty the Heavenly Spring Resort''s boundaries," said Zheng Minjun indistinctly.

    "Definitely not. Rest assured. Later, we''ll go and warn that woman! She won''t agitate all the noble guests!" The two of them responded righteously.

    ¡­

    Very soon, the two receptionists led Zheng Minjun and Ning Xueluo in, then they returned.

    They saw that Ning Xi was still nearby with no intentions of leaving.

    The two of them exchanged a nce and then walked over with hostile expressions.

    When they saw Ning Xi''s appearance at a closer distance, the two of them were instantly stunned.

    The shock of seeing her up close was far more unexpected than seeing her from afar. The girl''s fair skin was like a first-rate fine tallow jade; even her pores could not be seen. That aura, that appearance, and that figure could not evenpare to the many heiresses from family backgrounds of high officials and wealthy families.

    No wonder she thought she looked familiar from earlier¡­

    She was indeed a huge star! Was this not the female lead in the extremely popr movie, "Nine Realms", Ning Xi?

    They would never have thought that Ning Xi was a thousand times prettier in real life than on television. Even when she had not appeared on the big screen for over a year, not only had her looks and figure not suffered any damage, she looked even better than before.

    They were afraid that this woman¡­ was not abandoned. Instead, with this looks of hers, she was not willing to be just a mistress. She probably wanted to continue climbing upwards!

    As beautiful and as popr as she once was, she was just an outdated actress with a lowly status. Was she thinking about being a high official''s wife?

    A person who was never content was like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. What wild fantasies!

    Among the women who came to apply for a job at the resort, they hated those from the entertainment industry the most because that sort seemed to have the most tricks. T, they were also the biggest threat to them.

    "Excuse me, this is a private clubhouse. You''re not allowed to visit as you wish!" One of the female receptionists did not cover up the way she sized Ning Xi up as she spoke to her in an incredibly hostile tone.

    "Miss, if you''re here to apply for a job to be a waitress, then I''m very sorry. Recently, our Heavenly Spring Resort isn''tcking manpower, so you can try another ce," said the other one.

    A gorgeous but outdated female star, who had even been taken as a mistress, was there at the Heavenly Spring Resort where influential officials gathered. Did they have to ask? She was definitely looking for a new target!

    Just thinking about it made them feel disgusted!

    "Apply for a job¡­?"

    Ning Xi was stunned. She did not whether tough or cry. Did she look like she was looking for a job?

    One of them looked at the time on her phone and said impatiently, "Stop pretending. We''ve seen a lot of people like you. Quickly leave on your own, otherwise, if we still see you walking around on your own, it won''t be just a warning!"

    They still had to go in and attend to the important guest. They did not want to waste their precious time here.

    This woman had walked around alone for such a long time, so clearly, she did not have the right social connections and hade to try her luck. The management definitely would not recruit such people.

    Receptionists like them had references to ensure that their family background and identities were eptable.

 Chapter 1863: Ladys Diplomacy

    <h4>Chapter 1863: Lady''s Diplomacy</h4>

    After the two left, Ning Xi received a call from Meng Ling.

    "I''m sorry, Xiao Xi. I have an emergency here. I''ve asked someone to go and get you. Follow her inside first. I''ll be there soon!"

    "It''s alright, Aunty, don''t mind me!"

    Ning Xi did not mention what had happened to Meng Ling to avoid any conflict between her and the host. It was just a small misunderstanding of the two waitresses after all.

    After Ning Xi hung up, a waitress in the same uniform as the two girls earlier came over.

    The waitress was slightly taken aback by the girl''s appearance and aura, but she maintained her professionalism andposure.

    "Hello, Madam Zhuang asked me toe for you. Please follow me."

    "Thank you."

    On the way, the waitress peeked at the girl beside her secretly.

    Just who was this girl to Meng Ling? She had never seen her before.

    She looked like a certain celebrity, but her aura was slightly different¡­

    Maybe she just looked simr¡­

    While she was curious, it was inappropriate for her to ask in her position, so she just spected.

    ¡­

    At the same time, the smalldies-only party was bing lively within the resort.

    The two receptionists from earlier put up a huge sweet smile on their faces and walked around as they served the honorable madams.

    Madam Li was surrounded in the center andughter was all around.

    The topics among thedies mostly revolved around the same few things: clothes, essories, men, and gossip. Of course, they would also try to pass on subtle hints regarding what they intended for someone else to know.

    It was a diplomatic affair between thedies.

    Most of the time, ady''s "diplomacy" upied an important position in the field of business and politics.

    When Ning Xueluo and Zheng Minjun arrived, they saw a whole venue of elusive people there. Most of them were the headdies of prestigious families and the wives of high-ranking government officers.

    Ning Xueluo and Zheng Minjun were pretty renowned in the business industry, but they were both nobodies here.

    When they arrived, Ning Xueluo''s referral briefly greeted them and returned back to chatting.

    Nevertheless, the both of them did not mind at all as their positions were on the line after all.

    Zheng Minjun felt really proud and excited when she saw such a ssy gathering. She could not wait for the gathering to end so that she could start boasting about it to her other friends!

    Ning Xueluo looked around and started off mingling with a wife from a rich family she knew. She slowly joined in the conversations.

    While she could not find the chance to talk to Madam Li yet, she understood that it was not something to be rushed. It would be considered a sess if she could be familiar today because overdoing it might leave a bad impression.

    After a while, Ning Xueluo spotted a unique magnolia brooch on Madam Li, so she waited for an opportunity to try to strike up a conversation. "Madam Li, the brooch on you looks really special. I wonder where you got it from. I''ve been struggling to find a present for my mother''s birthday soon!"

    Because Ning Xueluo spoke up, everyone was checking her out.

    This strange girl seemed outstanding and had a gentle vibe too. She was most likely from a well-off family.

 Chapter 1864: Unrelated Person?

    <h4>Chapter 1864: Unrted Person?</h4>

    Li You seemed d when she heard Ning Xueluo''s question. She replied, "This¡­ I''m afraid you can''t get it anywhere! My son made it for me himself!"

    Ning Xueluo''s eyes brightened. She knew she hit the right button on the sweet spot and went along. "Mr. Li is really filial towards you!"

    The others started to praise Li You''s son too.

    "That''s right. Mr. Li is well-known for being a good child in the circle!"

    "Not only that, Muyan is really well-appreciated in the diplomatic field. Even that person praised his efforts! His future is immeasurable!"

    Zheng Minjun was really d when Ning Xueluo''s words pleased Li You. She offered her words of praise as well. "Madam Li, you''re so blessed!"

    Li You was in an excellent mood when her pride and joy of her son was mentioned. "You look familiar. You are?"

    Zheng Mingjun was overjoyed when Li You noticed her and even talked to her. She gave a long introduction. "My maiden name is Zheng. My husband is the president of the Yifeng Corporation. Su Hongguang, my son, is the CEO and this is my daughter-inw, Xueluo."

    "Hello, Madam Li, I''m Ning Xueluo."

    There were so many prestigious families in the Imperial, so Li You had no impression of the Yifeng Corporation or of this girl, but she made some small talk anyway. "Madam Zheng is blessed too! Such a beautiful daughter-inw!"

    While it was just a short conversation, they managed to leave an impression on Madam Li. It was worth the trip!

    Zheng Minjun started to think that it was not a wrong decision to let Su Yan marry Ning Xueluo. She had really brought blessings to the family!

    The two waitresses had keen eyes. The moment they saw Zheng Minjun and Ning Xueluo being noticed by Li You, their attitude towards them became much friendlier.

    "It''s been a long time since Ist saw Madam Li this happy!"

    "That''s right!"

    ¡­

    The two waitresses were working their way in the midst of thedies, but they suddenly saw a familiar figure nearby.

    That thick-faced actress was daring enough toe inside!

    The audacity!

    Seeing that Ning Xi was about toe inside, the waitress with a sharp chin put her work on hold and rushed over to start scolding, "Stop! Who let youe in?! Do you know where this is?"

    The other short-haired waitress red at the waitress who had brought Ning Xi in. "What''s wrong with you, Xiao Cai!? How much did she give you!? How dare you bring in someone like her inside!? Will you be responsible if you bothered the guests inside?"

    Zheng Minjun had told them that she was just an actress, so the both of them assumed Ning Xi''s position and did not think about any other possibilities at all.

    The waitress named Xiao Cai was about to exin, but she was dumbfounded when the two of them scolded her.

    This¡­ Was this woman not the one Madam Zhuang had asked her to bring in?

    Could she have brought the wrong person in?

    Then¡­ Then, she would be in deep trouble!

    The two of them reaffirmed their thoughts when they saw the freaked out expression on Xiao Cai''s face.

    At the same time, what happened outside was overheard by thedies in the room.

    "What''s happening?" Li You did not look very happy.

    "I don''t know! Seems like someone unrted has intruded¡­"

    ¡­

    Ning Xueluo had noticed what was happening outside some time ago. She was thinking how foolish and daring Ning Xi was to buy her way inside here.

    She felt a great sense of superiority when she saw Ning Xi stuck in the awkward situation.

    Zheng Minjun sat down in a seat while putting up a disgusted expression. "How embarrassing¡­"

    "How dare you, Xiao Cai?! Don''t exin it to us! Tell the manager yourself!"

    "And you! How shameless are you? We''ve told you that we''re not hiring at the moment!"

    "You''re just an actress. You''re not even clean enough to clean our toilets!"

    The two of them were saying harsher and harsher words. They were about to call the security guards over.

    The moment the sharp-chinned waitress was about to say something, there was a furious voice from behind. "How insolent!"

 Chapter 1865: Meng Linlangâ€™s Niece

    <h4>Chapter 1865: Meng Ling¡¯s Niece</h4>

    Li You was very upset that her gathering had been disturbed. Just as she was about to send her off, Meng Ling suddenly appeared and furiously yelled at the two waitresses, "How insolent!"

    "You''re asking her, Meng Ling''s niece, to clean your toilets?! How dare you?!"

    Meng Ling was from a military family, after all, so her aura was definitely intimidating when she became angry. The vibe of fury shrouded the whole venue.

    Everyone was dumbfounded by Meng Ling''s appearance and her scolding!

    The two waitresses froze and looked at each other in fear. They could not believe it¡­

    This¡­ this dirty actress¡­ was Meng Ling''s niece?

    How¡­ how was that possible!?

    Zheng Mingjun had said that she was just someone''s mistress!

    But Meng Ling''s words could not be wrong¡­

    What happened?

    Their minds totally went nk!

    The short-haired waitress was shivering. "M-Madam Zhuang¡­ It''s not like that¡­ It''s a misunderstanding¡­ W-we are mistaken¡­"

    The sharp-chinned waitress went along as well. "Yes, yes, we got the wrong person! We''re mistaken! Please forgive our ignorance!"

    Meng Ling''s expression did not soften at all while listening to their exnation. It turned worse instead as she stared at them and smiled coldly. "You''re mistaken? So, you mean Xiao Xi looks like a waitress, and someone who''s not even worthy to clean the toilets here?!"

    With her firm and sharp tone, the two waitresses had weak knees and almost fell down on the spot.

    On the other hand, the waitress Xiao Cai who was on the verge of crying earlier had led Ning Xi in , then just stood there and watched in silence¡­

    She thought she was dead for sure! The ones who were mistaken were them instead of her!

    She was almost scared to death!

    This girl had such an exceptional aura. How could she get the wrong person?

    Ning Xi saw Meng Ling was really angry, so she said gently, "Aunty, it''s fine¡­"

    It was a private gathering after all. Madam Li was Meng Ling''s close friend, and Meng Ling would be put in a tight spot if the conflict escted because of her.

    Meng Ling was treating her really well, so she did not want to cause any more trouble.

    It was the reason why she wanted to clear things up instead of making a big fuss with the two of them just now.

    Meng Ling, of course, understood that Ning Xi was enduring it for her sake. She smiled coldly. "It''s fine?"

    She then threw a sharp gaze around the room. "Li You! Is this how your Heavenly Spring Resort treats guests?!"

    Li You had no idea things would have escted this way.

    This two idiots! How could they make such stupid mistakes!?

    Just who did they think Meng Ling was!? Even as the wife of a minister, she would not be able to help if someone offended her!

    With her understanding of Meng Ling, she was really angered. It was obvious that this girl was really important to her and the Zhuang family.

    Even Li You freaked out with Meng Ling raging and the whole room was silent. No one dared to say anything.

    Li You quickly put on her shawl, then she red at the two waitresses and quickly went over to apologize.

 Chapter 1866: Apologize In Front of Everyone

    <h4>Chapter 1866: Apologize In Front of Everyone</h4>

    Li You quickly walked over. "Ling, I''m really sorry. This was a misunderstanding! If I knew this girl was your family''s Xiao Xi, even if you lent them a hundred guts, they wouldn''t have dared to say such things!"

    Li You did not know how these two girls had been possessed to utter such offensive words, but now the priority was to quickly calm Meng Ling''s anger and not to continueplicating things, causing arger ruckus.

    "You two! Quicklye over and apologize to Miss Xiao Xi!" Li You was full of anger when she saw the two of them.

    The receptionists obviously did not dare to say that they thought Ning Xi was there to apply for a job because they were jealous and afraid of their livelihoods getting stolen. More so, they did not dare to say that it was Zheng Minjun who had told them that Ning Xi was an outdated actress. Otherwise, they would not only offend Meng Ling, but they would also offend Zheng Minjun, so they could only apologize profusely.

    "Sorry, Madam Zhuang! Sorry, Miss Xiao Xi!"

    "Sorry! We really didn''t mean it!"

    ¡­

    Li You said without hesitation, "Both of you, go to the finance department yourselves and settle this month''s pay. You don''t need toe back tomorrow!"

    When they heard Li You''s words, the two of them instantly turned pale. "Madam Li, we¡­"

    To send them to the resort, their families had spent a huge amount of money and pulled many strings, yet in the end, to have lost their livelihoods just like that, and to be even personally dismissed by Madam Li would mean that their reputations were ruined.

    They wanted to beg, but when they received Li You''s sharp gaze, they instantly knew that if they spoke further, the consequences would only be even more severe, so they could only retreat looking as white as sheets.

    Xiao Cai watched from the side for a long time. Only after she confirmed that she was off the hook, she quickly retreated too.

    After she handled the two girls, Li You smiled again and walked over to cling to Meng Ling''s arm. "Ling, I''ve handled those people. Don''t be angry anymore. We''ve finally managed to gather together this time! This temper of yours¡­ Don''t you know how to give me some face in front of so many people?!"

    Li You looked slightly aggrieved.

    Meng Ling had been really mad earlier. On the other hand, a very important reason for her fury was that she wanted to take the opportunity to set up a prestigious reputation for Ning Xi.

    At that moment, she saw that her goal had been somewhat achieved. Thus, naturally, she would not be menacing. Her beautiful eyes shot her best friend a sidelong look and said, "Ah You, you understand my temper. It''s also because it''s you I''m talking to. If it were someone else, do you think I would let things go so easily?"

    Li Youughed in spite of herself. "Yes, yes, yes! I know you''ve already been gentle enough. Thank you for giving me face! Today''s matter has indeed been because we at the Heavenly Spring Resort were bad hosts!"

    The Heavenly Spring Resort was the Li family''s property after all. They were not just the banquet host that day, but the management too, so this responsibility could not be pushed aside.

    After Li You finished, she quickly changed the topic and looked like her breath was taken away as she pulled Ning Xi, who was beside Meng Ling, to check her out. "Ling, I''ve heard you talk about it often, and I thought you were exaggerating, but today when I see her for myself, I know that you haven''t been exaggerating! In fact, you''ve been too humble! Her looks and her aura among all of the heiresses¡­ I really can''t find another one!"

    Earlier, she had been rather far away, plus Ning Xi had been blocked by the few people, so she did not get a good look. However, right now, in one nce, she felt that the incident was odd.

    The two receptionists had rather precise judgment. How did they randomly determine that Xiao Xi was here to apply for a waitressing job? Even more absurd was that they even had the guts to say nonsense like she was an actress out to prostitute herself.

    Even if Xiao Xi was an actress, with her background, how could she have done those things?

    At this moment, in the same room, apart from thosedies and wives, the people who were most shocked were none other than Ning Xueluo and Zheng Minjun.

    Zheng Minjun already had a bad feeling the moment Meng Ling appeared. When she heard Meng Ling say "I, Meng Ling''s niece" in front of everyone, an explosion went off in her head. She was dumbfounded.

 Chapter 1867: For What Reason Did All of This Belong To Her

    <h4>Chapter 1867: For What Reason Did All of This Belong To Her</h4>

    When she heard Meng Ling say "I, Meng Ling''s niece" in front of everyone, an explosion went off in her head. She was dumbfounded.

    Apart from that, guilt and panic rose within her.

    Especially when Li You had dealt with the two receptionists earlier, she was afraid that the two of them would blurt out the words that she had said earlier.

    At that moment, she watched as Li You eagerly pulled on Ning Xi''s hand as her words of praise and admiration went on and on while all thedies and wives around supported her withpliments to curry favor with her. Zheng Minjun sat there stiffly. In that instance, all of her feelings of tion and pride had vanished.

    They had racked their brains to pull strings and managed to get two invitations to this event. They also tried all their means to say a few words to Madam Li, and they had been ridiculously pleased with themselves about that.

    On the other hand, just because Ning Xi was the granddaughter of the Zhuang family and the niece of Zhuang Liaoyuan and Meng Ling, she merely had to lift a finger and she could already get in contact with those upper-ss people who were hard for them to reach. Just like that, she received resources that they might never get even if they spent their entire lives working for it.

    Because of her son, their Su family initially had the opportunity to get this daughter-inw of noble status, who could bring the Su family the highest honor¡­

    To get the real phoenix¡­

    Because of Ning Xueluo''s business capability, she had already almost disregarded her family background. At this second, she finally felt a wide gap in their status!

    Everything on Ning Xueluobined was nothingpared to thisyer of status on Ning Xi.

    She had long known this fact, which was why when she found out that Ning Xi was getting close to the Zhuang family back then, she would have those inferior thoughts until Ning Xi disappeared after that and the rumors of her being a mistress came about¡­

    However, now¡­

    She would never have thought that the Zhuang family had already acknowledged Ning Xi. In fact, the way Meng Ling valued and protected Ning Xi was to such an extent!

    The way she treated Ning Xi was as if she were treating her own daughter!

    From the way this appeared, those rumors about Ning Xi being taken as a mistress was but a joke!

    Now, upon recalling those pictures and videos, all of them were unreliable proof¡­

    When she thought about this, Zheng Minjun was utterly regretful and she sat there, frightened out of her mind.

    Beside her, Ning Xueluo knew what Zheng Minjun was thinking about and her fingernails were already digging deep into her palms.

    The initial confidence and rejoice about someone else''s misfortunes had now all turned to monstrous resentment and indignation!

    For what reason!?

    For what reason did all of this belong to Ning Xi!?

    She was clearly the Ning heiress and Zhuang Lingyu''s daughter. The moment she was born, all of this should have been hers!

    The Zhuang family should have been hers too!

    For what reason had she worked so hard, yet still could notpare to Ning Xi, this wild chicken raised by a vige woman!?

    Madam Qiu, who had rmended Ning Xueluo, had a personal friendship with Zhuang Lingyu, so she knew a little about the rtionship between the Ning family and the Zhuang family.

    When Madam Qiu saw this, she could not help but ask, "Xueluo, why don''t you go over and greet Madam Zhuang?"

    When Ning Xueluo heard this, her expression stiffened. "This¡­ To hastily walk up seems a little rude."

    Of course, she wanted to, but the Zhuangs had long been bewitched by that slut, Ning Xi. They had always spoken bluntly to her, so to walk up at this moment would no doubt be inviting humiliation!

    When Zheng Minjun saw this, the imbnce that was hard to exin in her heart had been expanded to an extreme. She lowered her voice and pulled Ning Xueluo aside, gritting her teeth anxiously. "Howe the girl can do it, but not you? I''ve said a lot of things to you on the daily. Did you even take them to heart? If you were more careful, could that girl have gotten a chance? That girl''s rtionship with the Zhuang family is still ultimately because of your mother!"

 Chapter 1868: Shocking Gossip

    <h4>Chapter 1868: Shocking Gossip</h4>

    As Ning Xueluo listened to Zheng Minjun''sin, gloominess shed across her eyes. "Mother, it''s exactly because I''m close to my mother that the Zhuangs won''t get close to me! You know very well that my mother and the Zhuang family always have borne hostility towards each other!"

    "If you had listened to me earlier and advised your mother to ask her to be considerate for your sake and fix the rtionship with the Zhuang family, today Madam Li''s distinguished guest would''ve been you! You wouldn''t have fallen to the extent of having to beg around for an invitation!" Zheng Minjun red resentfully towards her for failing to meet her expectations. Her tone was filled with dissatisfaction as though she was a different person from the previously arrogant and proud woman.

    When Ning Xueluo saw Zheng Minjun speak with such a righteous tone, her heart was filled with annoyance.

    This old fellow kept bbering on and on. Did she really think she had never tried?

    If it were really that easy, how could she have not gotten in touch with the Zhuang family until today?

    However, she had always pretended like she did not want to fight and had no ulterior motives in front of Zheng Minjun. Now, if she wanted to exin, she could not refute, so she could only suppress her anger and watch helplessly as Meng Ling brought Ning Xi around beside her, wandering in the middle of those respecteddies.

    "Madam Zhuang, this is where you''re wrong. You have such an outstanding niece, yet you still kept her hidden her away. Quickly introduce her to us. What''s your niece''s name? I wonder if I''m hallucinating, but I keep feeling like this girl looks quite familiar!" One of thedies in a long champagne gown asked hesitantly.

    On the side, quite a fewdies echoed her thoughts, "She does really look quite familiar!"

    However, they did not dare to simply guess¡­

    With Meng Ling''s temper, even Li You feared her. Who else would dare to get on her bad side?

    When Ning Xueluo heard thosedies'' words, her expression turned dark as she thought on the inside, "Why wouldn''t she look familiar? She''s an actor!"

    Even if she had managed to climb up the Zhuang family''s high branches, she could not change this fact! Besides, she had recentlye out of retirement!

    When Meng Ling heard everyone''s questions, she nced at Ning Xi beside her and saw that she was remaining calm, so she felt gratified.

    Thus, she just said proudly, "Obviously, she looks familiar. My niece is Ning Xi."

    "Ning Xi¡­"

    When they heard this well-known name, quite a fewdies returned to their senses on the spot!

    Was this girl truly Ning Xi?

    That female star who had shot to fame a year ago but had suddenly vanished?

    Ning Xi was actually the niece of the Zhuang family!

    This gossip was shocking!

    "Aiya, turns out she''s really the huge star, Ning Xi! I just knew that she looked familiar! Madam Zhuang, your niece is even more beautiful and charismatic in real life! I didn''t dare to guess immediately!"

    "Miss Ning, my daughter is your loyal fan! Later on, could you give me an autograph?"

    ¡­

    As Ning Xueluo watched the wives of the high officials and the prominentdies, who usually looked down upon the entertainment industry, and theirpdog attitudes towards Ning Xi, she bitterly bit her lip.

    This slut! She''s just riding on the coattails of the Zhuang family!

    ¡­

    The gathering was still going on in the reception pavilion.

    "Miss Ning, I really like your shows! You''re just amazing at acting. Previously, I was sad when I heard that you had retired. I wonder if you''ll continue acting after this?" A certaindy looked regretful as she asked. From her expression, she seemed like she really did like Ning Xi''s work.

    Ning Xi answered as a matter-of-factly, "Most likely, I will. Actually, I''ll probably be officially announcing mying out of retirement in the next few days."

 Chapter 1869: Head Lady Candidate

    <h4>Chapter 1869: Head Lady Candidate</h4>

    "Really? That''s great!" Thedy was really looking forward to it.

    Li You could not help but tell Meng Ling, "It''s tough being an actress. Why do you let Xiao Xi suffer?"

    Li You felt that an acting career was unbefitting of someone with Ning Xi''s status, but she was straightforward about it because she was close friends with Meng Ling.

    Ning Xi said, "I quite like acting myself, so I don''t feel that way."

    Meng Ling, of course, understood what Li You was implying. She replied, "The girls from the Zhuang family can do anything they want as long as they are relying on themselves. We don''t fuss over it too much!"

    People might not care about it if it hade from someone else, but no one was about to talk back when it came out of Meng Ling''s mouth.

    With the Zhuang family''s background, what could be impossible for Ning Xi?

    There were several artistes in the industry who might not look special, but they were from families with powerful backgrounds. Most outsiders did not know about it, and only a few people were privy to this information.

    These people were on a different level from normal artistes.

    Moreover, with Ning Xi''s poprity back then, her reputation was well-maintained in the people''s hearts, which was why thesedies did not think terribly negatively about Ning Xi''s career.

    No matter how messy was the entertainment industry was, it was impossible for Ning Xi to get involved with the chaos, given her background.

    On the contrary, they realized that this girl not only had an outstanding appearance and aura, but her personality was really pleasant too.

    She had maintained herposure while facing the two rude waitresses just now. Besides that, she was also able to keep a cool head when discussing her career. She possessed the character of a daughter from a prestigious family.

    Without a doubt, she was one of the best candidates for the headdy of a family.

    Suddenly, all thedies with sons reaching the ripe age of marriage were all interested in Ning Xi¡­

    Zheng Minjun felt terrible when she noticed that everyone was interested in Ning Xi.

    When Ning Xueluo saw how everyone was treating Ning Xi and how the conversation was mixed with the intention of marriage, she could not stay there anymore. She made an excuse of feeling ufortable and left the gathering that had taken her a lot of effort to get in.

    Zheng Minjun was worried that what she had said to the waitresses would be brought up, so the both of them left together.

    Before they left, Zheng Minjun looked at Ning Xi''s direction and gave her an odd gaze.

    As everyone was trying to find out more from Meng Ling, there were footsteps outside the room. A few waitresses came into the room with delicately packaged gifts.

    Behind the waitresses was a young man in a grey suit.

    The waitresses opened a path and the man stepped forward. He called out to Li You, "Mother."

    "Muyan, why are you here?" Li You smiled when she saw her son.

    "I just finished work. I heard that you were hosting some guests here, so I just came over to say hi."

    Li Muyan then signaled the waitresses to hand out the gifts. He then apologized sincerely, "The mistakes of the Heavenly Spring Resort''s management caused disturbance to everyone here. I hereby apologize!"

 Chapter 1870: Set His Eyes On Girls

    <h4>Chapter 1870: Set His Eyes On Girls</h4>

    Seeing how the rumored son of Madam Li was being so handsome and responsible, everyone had high praises for him.

    "You''re wee, Mr. Li. It''s just a small matter and nothing much!"

    "So, this is your son, Madam Li. He looks as good as the rumors go!"

    ¡­

    After some small talk with the guests, Li Muyan went up to Meng Ling and greeted her. His tone was much more intimate than the other guests. "Aunty Lin!"

    Meng Ling''s expression softened when she saw the lovely youngster. "Muyan, you''re back!"

    "Aunty Lin, about earlier¡­"

    Meng Ling knew what he was going to say, then she interrupted him, "It''s fine. It''s already settled, so let''s forget about it. I''m not so petty over such small matters and Xiao Xi isn''t someone who''d keep a grudge as well."

    Meng Ling then called out to Ning Xi who was surrounded by a group ofdies, "Xiao Xi,e here!"

    The group ofdies was suddenly very interested in her private matters, and she almost crumbled before them.

    She was relieved when Meng Ling called her.

    "Aunty!"

    The girl came out of the crowd, heading towards Meng Ling''s direction.

    Li Muyan turned over when he heard the clear voice. In just one nce, he froze.

    The girl wore a little white dress. He skimmed her long, dark hair and her unbelievably gorgeous face, especially her eyes¡­ the smile in her eyes¡­

    A huge ray of light just exploded inside his mind.

    "Muyan, this is Xiao Xi," Meng Ling introduced, "Xiao Xi, this is Aunty You''s son, Li Muyan. He''s two years older than you, so you should call him your brother."

    Ning Xi nodded. "Hello, Bro Muyan. I''m Ning Xi."

    Li Muyan came back to his senses and managed to cover up his stunned expression. "Hello, Xiao Xi. I''ve heard about you from Aunty Lin. We finally meet today."

    While Li Muyan''s behavior was good enough to cover up and not let anyone notice, it did not escape Li You.

    It was just a brief moment, but Li You was able to detect that moment of oddness in her son''s eyes.

    Her son frequently traveled everywhere around the globe, but she had never seen any girl that caught his eye.

    His marriage was one of her most worrying dilemmas.

    Li You looked at them and said, "Muyan, I''m afraid that Xiao Xi might be a little bored talking to us here. Why don''t you bring her around the resort?"

    "Of course, if Xiao Xi doesn''t mind, I''ll be d to be the tour guide," said Li Muyan.

    Ning Xi then looked at Meng Ling.

    Meng Ling thought of something and her eyes shifted.

    Meng Ling then told Ning Xi gently, "Sure! Go walk around!"

    Her goal today was achieved. She was worried that Xiao Xi might not be able to take on so much since these things would take some time.

 Chapter 1871: Soul Mate

    <h4>Chapter 1871: Soul Mate</h4>

    Actually, Meng Ling had several regrets.

    If they had taken Xiao Xi home sooner, they would have arranged a suitable marriage for her.

    From an objective point of view, Lu Tingxiao''s status was one of the best.

    However, that was also what worried her. With Xiao Xi''s personality, she might not be able to face such a huge andplex family on her own.

    Byparison, the Li family was a suitable one.

    Their position was stable enough for the Zhuang family. It was not too high up for Xiao Xi to feel too much pressure.

    Most importantly, the family rtionship within the Li family was much simpler.

    The Li family was the richest merchant in Province S and Li You was the only daughter of the Li family. Lu Muyan was Li You''s only son as well. Not only did he inherit the career as a diplomatic officer from his father, he also had the strong financial support of the Li family, smoothening things over the path of his career.

    Coincidentally, both his parents had the same surname Li. Li You''s family was really pleased with their grandchild that had the same surname, so the whole family was really supportive of him.

    If Ning Xi were to be married to them, she would not need to worry about anyplicated rtionship matters in the future.

    Moreover, given her close rtionship with Li You, Xiao Xi would not even need to worry about her mother-inw.

    In just a short amount of time, Meng Ling had mentally gone through the whole of the Li family.

    Unfortunately¡­

    What she could do now was to help Ning Xi to gather more connections so that she would be able to utilize them if she ever needed.

    Of course, if worse came to worst, Xiao Xi could always go back to the Zhuang family.

    ¡­

    At the Heavenly Spring Resort, halfway up the mountain.

    The Heavenly Spring Resort was called "Heavenly" was because there was a renowned spring fountain in the mountain. Rumor had it that the spring water could help chase away bad luck and make one healthy.

    Being the tour guide, Li Muyan started from the origins of the resort and how it was formed, the origin of the name, the rted events and people, up until the history of the whole of Imperial. The way he exined it was much more professional than a professional tour guide.

    Ning Xi was focused. She had been staying in Imperial for several years, but after a chat with Li Muyan did she then realize that she did not know that much about the country at all.

    Lu Muyan saw how focused Ning Xi was. She gazed around the sky and the trees, and he¡­

    The man looked like he was really talkative at the moment, but his palms had started sweating.

    His heart was beating totally out of his control.

    He was not focused on being a tour guide, and he had to keep talking to stay calm.

    He had been following his father around since he was a child. His mother''s family really doted on him and everything he wore and ate was the best.

    The girls he came into contact with were daughters from prestigious families and even princesses¡­

    His experience forged his extremely picky taste, and especially on the matter of a partner, he never had much interest in it.

    The partner he wanted was someone who could touch his soul, not the people who went through the standardized education of their family. All of them looked like identical dolls to each other.

    It was just a nce and he did not even know much about her, but he was deeply attracted by her aura.

    "You didn''t grow up here?" Li Muyan asked as he observed that she was not very familiar with most things that any person in Imperial would know.

    Ning Xi shook her head. "Before I was 18, I was living in a town in Chang Chun City."

 Chapter 1872: Youre Really Interested In Xiao Xi?

    <h4>Chapter 1872: You''re Really Interested In Xiao Xi?</h4>

    A small town in Chang Chun City?

    As the niece of the Zhuang family, how could she have grown up in such a ce until she was 18?

    He did not seem to remember which of General Elder Zhuang''s daughters was married to someone from Chang Chun City¡­

    "Is that so?"

    With just one sentence, Li Muyan knew that there must be something that was best kept a secret, thus he immediately pushed the subject aside and did not ask further.

    In just a short half an hour, thedies'' gathering had ended.

    Ning Xi followed Meng Ling to bid their goodbyes and left too.

    With the sound of the springs and the tree shade with the shadows of flowers behind him, Li Muyan''s lean figure stood at the resort entrance as he looked into the distance for the car that gradually left his sight.

    As a diplomat, what he needed most was rationality, rationality, rationality.

    Whether it was in handling state matters, or with his partner, he had a pretty harsh set of standards and criterion.

    Yet, until he had met her, he realized that one day, he would also experience "love at first sight", which was a feeling that was without reason andcked rationality¡­

    The man pinched between his brows. In his eyes that had always been calm without revealing any gaps or emotions to his opponents, there was now a never-before-seen brightness.

    This feeling made him frantic and helpless; even more so was a fresh experience that had detached him from his many years of inherent ideology.

    "Muyan¡­ Muyan?" Li You looked at her son and had a thoughtful expression.

    "Mother." Li Muyan turned around.

    "You and Xiao Xi¡­" Li You paused for a moment, then she hesitantly said, "Do you want Mother to help you find out more about Xiao Xi?

    "Xiao Xi''s situation is actually a littleplicated. When she was first born, she had been carried home wrongly and for 18 years, she grew up in the countryside. Because of that, there was a huge gap of conflict between her and her biological mother, close to the point of severing ties.

    "Back then, her biological mother had severed ties with Elder Zhuang because of some things¡­

    "However, the point is that even though Xiao Xi did not keep in contact with her biological mother, the Zhuang family, from Elder Zhuang to Zhuang Liaoyun and Ling, loved this granddaughter dearly.

    "The reason Meng Ling had been so angry today was clearly not to attack our Heavenly Spring Resort. On arger degree, she was trying to support and establish power for Xiao Xi. Muyan, if you¡­"

    Li Yu was about to continue when Li Muyan just cut his mother short. "Mother, there''s no need. I don''t want a blind date that will follow a prescribed pattern. I''ll just go with the flow."

    Li You had initially just wanted to probe, but when she heard her son, she was shocked. "You''re really interested in Xiao Xi?"

    Until now, the thumping in Li Muyan''s heart had yet to calm down. He looked at his mother and said, "Mother, I''ve never felt anything like this about a girl."

    When Li You heard that her son had finally fancied a girl, she was actually very relieved. Furthermore, her family background was pretty solid, and Meng Ling was her close friend as well.

    "Even though Xiao Xi''s past history is a little bumpy, but with the Zhuang family''syer of rtionship here, her family background would bepatible with us Lis too. However, our understanding of Xiao Xi is still not very clear. How about¡­"

    "Mother, I don''t care about these things. Besides, the most meaningful part about getting along with someone is the process of really getting to know someone."

    Li Youughed helplessly. "Okay, okay, okay, Mother can''t beat you. As you wish, go with the flow. I won''t interfere."

    At the same time, in Meng Ling''s car.

    "Xiao Xi, how was your chat with Muyan?" Meng Ling pretended to casually ask.

    Ning Xi nodded. "It was pretty good. Bro Muyan is knowledgeable and he''s easy-going too."

    Meng Ling watched Ning Xi''s expression and confirmed that there was nothing odd. She thought in her heart that he most likely just had a good impression of her and that she had probably overthought it.

 Chapter 1873: Too Breathtaking

    <h4>Chapter 1873: Too Breathtaking</h4>

    At night, at History.

    On the way home, Ning Xueluo got a call from the office.

    She had just left Madam Li''s gathering feeling annoyed and perplexed when thepany called with bad news.

    Spirit, which had been silent for an entire year and had almost vanished from the Chinese fashion market after being defeated by them, had suddenly gone viral because of that white qipao Ning Xi wore at the promotional ceremony of "The World".

    Even more tricky was that riding this wave, Spirit had announced a new line of designs that would be released soon without warning. In fact, this set that was still in the pre-order stage was about to sell out.

    "What ''Back To The Origins''?! Clearly, it''s talent being exhausted and the designer doesn''t even know how to design anymore! How could this rubbish without any highlights or unique qualities have sold out?" The assistant design director was so furious that he broke out into a string of curses.

    "It''s all because of the celebrity effect, isn''t it? Wasn''t that white qipao that Ning Xi wore the other daycking any unique characteristic, yet the way she wore it¡­"

    The designer who spoke seemed to have wanted to say "so breathtakingly", but then he caught sight of David from the corner of his eyes and suddenly changed to say stiffly, "was just so-so! I think it''s all just been hyped up!"

    One of the younger male designers said weakly, "Actually, I think¡­ it''s all because everyone''s tired out by the previous Oriental aesthetics that have been so colorful with excessive ornaments. That''s why ''Back To The Origins'' suddenly exploded in poprity¡­"

    Inside the meeting room, the atmosphere was stagnant and there was a moment of silence.

    Then, someone said, "If they can do it, so can we! Spirit''s horrible designs can go viral all they want. Besides, we have the Big Boss David! They''re just a step ahead of us."

    David''s expression sunk and his gaze coldly skimmed the person who spoke. "Are you telling me to follow Spirit''s tide?"

    The person suddenly stiffened and he quickly said, "Of course, that''s not what I meant¡­ Boss David, you''ve always been a pioneer that has stood out in this industry. You''ve always been copied and never been surpassed. You don''t need to follow someone else''s trend!

    "What I''m saying is that guy''s designs are junk! This time, it''s only because we want to seize every opportunity, so we don''t have to care. Everyone will just think that that style of his is fresh for now, but it definitely won''tst for long!"

    "That''s right! Wasn''t it like this before too? That guy definitely won''t be able to hold on any longer!" The others echoed.

    David''s expression still had not softened. Even though the issue this time was not that huge, it still left him very miserable.

    At the head of the table, Ning Xueluo''s face was cloudy."Even though it''s not a very severe problem, we can''t let our guard down and ignore them. Today, you muste up with a n to resolve this for me. I won''t allow anything to happen to History!"

    She already had enough of problems recently!

    Ning Xi''s appearance was like a curse. All the bad things came one after another¡­

    Ning Xueluo clenched the pen in her hand and looked at the night scene outside her window. There was a sh of bone-chilling coldness in her eyes.

    She could almost imagine how Zheng Minjun''s attitude towards her would change in the days toe. In fact, it would be worse.

    She had spent a whole year''s effort in stabilizing her position in the Su family. Today, at the gathering, it had beenpletely destroyed.

    When David heard this, his gaze was broody as he looked at the assistant director of design beside him.

    When the assistant director received the hint, he adjusted his spectacles and looked at David. "Boss, I disagree. Now, how could you be following his style?! You''ve already discovered that the extravagant market was saturated and you were ready to change your style. You''re even almost done with your designs. Just because you haven''tpleted them, you didn''t announce to everyone. I can''t believe that we''ve let those rubbish designs that were probably rushed out in a few days to get ahead!"

 Chapter 1874: Raised Thoughts

    <h4>Chapter 1874: Raised Thoughts</h4>

    The assistant director''s tone sounded very indignant at the injustice. He looked like he could not endure it longer and was fighting for David''s justice.

    In an instant, there was a sudden buzz across the meeting room.

    "Is that so?! That''s too unfortunate!"

    "Director David''s control and sensitivity towards trends are indeed always a step ahead of us! Only you ask us to constantly improve again and again! Someone else did it before us just like that!"

    "Actually, I think we don''t have to care whether we''re following their tide or not. The question is whose design is the best! Besides, who''d think that us History, the number one in the industry, would follow the lead of a littlepany that''s been eliminated by the market?"

    "Exactly! Even if there''s any following of style, it should be them following ours!"

    ¡­

    With the words of the assistant director, everyone started to echo him.

    However, in reality, the situation was indeed as such. Even if they knew whichpany had released it first, many consumers who did not know the truth would still subconsciously think that it was the smallerpany following the trend of the biggerpany.

    In the industry, it would not be the first time such a situation happened.

    Many of the smallerpanies that started to pick up trends in the early stages would be pushed down by the biggerpanies just like that.

    The best case scenario would be that their designs got bought over. The worst case scenario would be the market beingpletely taken over by the bigpany.

    When the assistant director saw that the time was about right, he went with the flow and seized the opportunity to say, "Boss, I think you shouldn''t worry at all. Just finish the designs you have and then we''ll release a new line of designs! It''ll definitely end Spirit!"

    "I agree!"

    "I agree too!"

    ¡­

    As he listened to the sounds of agreement around him, delight shed in David''s eyes. He looked to Ning Xueluo at the head seat and said, "It''s best if we listen to CEO Ning about this!"

    Ning Xueluo only contemted for a moment, then decided, "Let''s do that then!"

    Then, just to be sure, she still asked, "You''re sure your designs are fine?"

    David said in a certain tone, "If you believe in me, CEO Ning, I definitely won''t let you down."

    This one year had been enough for him to cultivate a group of "subordinates" that he could use with assurance. As long as hebined all of their designs, even if he had just written his own name and taken credit for it, it would be their honor too¡­

    ¡­

    Late at night, at the Su residence.

    In reality, Ning Xueluo''s guess was not even a fraction off.

    Zheng Minjun immediately locked herself in the room once she reached home. Her thoughts were a mess.

    Su Hongguang had just reached home and entered when he saw Zheng Minjun walking around the room anxiously. He could not help but frown. "It''s already sote. Why are you walking around the room and not sleeping? Today, you went to Madam Li''s thing, didn''t you. How did it go?"

    Su Hongguang clearly cared about this matter, so he had especially asked.

    When he mentioned it, Zheng Minjun immediately looked to her husband emotionally. "Hongguang, you''re finally home!"

    "What happened?" When he saw Zheng Minjun looking so frazzled, Su Hongguang frowned and asked.

    Zheng Minjun said anxiously, "Today, at Madam Li''s gathering, I saw Ning Xi!"

    "Ning Xi? Hasn''t she disappeared for over a year? I heard she was taken as a mistress by some rich merchant." Even though Su Hongguang did not pay attention to such things, he knew a little about it.

    When this was brought up, Zheng Minjun''s expression changed. "It wasn''t like that at all! Ning Xi was probably with the Zhuang family in the past year!"

    "How would Ning Xi have been with the Zhuang family?"

    "Hongguang, you don''t know! Ning Xi was at the Heavenly Spring Resort with Meng Ling. She even introduced Ning Xi in front of everyone as her niece! I''m afraid the Zhuang family has already long acknowledged Ning Xi!"

    When he heard his wife, Su Hongguang''s expression instantly changed too.

 Chapter 1875: Switch To The Real Phoenix

    <h4>Chapter 1875: Switch To The Real Phoenix</h4>

    "Xueluo spent so much effort just to get two invitations, and we didn''t even speak that much there. And she had to do so much to just get noticed, but when Ning Xi went¡­ Just because of some petty matter, Meng Ling went on a rampage for her. Everyone was afraid of them. Even Madam Li was really careful with her¡­"

    Zheng Minjun did not fill in the details about how she had misspoken. Her tone was full of regret about how she had just lost what she deserved.

    "Are you for real?" Su Hongguang was shocked.

    "Why would it be fake!? I witnessed it with my own eyes! I also saw that all the otherdies were really interested in Ning Xi!" Zheng Minjun looked nervous. "We should''ve noticed back then. We were too careless!"

    Su Hongguang''s expression looked solemn. After a while of silence, he said, "Let''s stop talking about the past. It doesn''t matter what has be of Ning Xi now."

    "How does it not matter!? We were supposed to take in the real daughter of a prestigious family! If Ning Xi married Su Yan, it wouldn''t have been so tough for us to climb higher!

    "The Qi family has always been below us, but just because their son married the daughter of Officer Qin''s daughter, they suddenly rose up. Do you know how I feel every time I see Mrs. Qi''s face?"

    Su Hongguang pinched the space between his eyebrows when his wife was nagging.

    "Of course, I know, but things happen. It was us who determined that Ning Xi was not presentable and chose Xueluo even when we knew the truth. Su Yan and Xueluo have been married for over a year. Do you think it''s going to be easy?"

    Zheng Minjun fumed. "It''s not our fault! The Ning family lied to us at first. It''s not unreasonable if Su Yan divorces Xueluo and marries someone else!"

    "You think Ning Xi would still marry into our family with her current status? Stop fantasizing and messing up our family!" He would love to have marriage ties with the Zhuang family, but the reality was before him. Ning Xi was not the same person as before.

    Zheng Minjun noticed there was some space for negotiation, so she then said, "I''m pretty confident in this. You forgot how much that girl loved Su Yan back then. With Su Yan''s talent and appearance, he''s much better than most other men outside! Even if that girl has the Zhuang family behind her back, she''s still not any better than some other daughters from a prestigious family. Do you think she won''t say yes if I drop her some hints?"

    Su Hongguang was shaken up, but he said cautiously, "We need to think this through."

    ¡­

    The next day.

    While Ning Xi was resting for the day, the media, the fans, and all of the entertainmentpanies, even the whole entertainment industry went bonkers in just a day.

    Everywhere, they talked about how Ning Xi had resurfaced in the press conference of "The World" after vanishing for a year.

    At the airport.

    Su Yan had just returned from abroad. He was taking a call from thepany when he looked up and saw the big screen at the airport. He saw the girl who was singing with her teary eyes and felt as if a lightning bolt had struck him¡­

 Chapter 1876: Reason of Retirement

    <h4>Chapter 1876: Reason of Retirement</h4>

    "Xiao Xi¡­"

    Su Yan could not hear what was being said over the phone anymore. The noise around him vanished. The only thing in his eyes and his mind was the singing girl in a white qipao .

    The girl was pure and beautiful. Her image ovepped with the innocent girl singing in a floral dress in his mind as if she would just disappear in the next moment.

    When the video finished, Ning Xi vanished and the man''s heart experienced pain and was contracting rapidly.

    Xiao Xi!

    "CEO Su¡­ CEO Su¡­ Hello?" The driver asked as he did not hear a reply from his boss.

    Su Yan ignored the questions and hung up the call, then he opened the search engine.

    It did not take much effort. Just by punching in the keywords, he saw all the news about Ning Xiing out of retirement¡­

    The man finally felt the reality of it sink in after he saw the news article.

    The vanished girl had reallye back¡­

    The man held onto his phone tightly, his deeply hidden feelings suddenly erupting like a volcano.

    ¡­

    At Starlight Entertainment.

    Zheng Anru looked at her army in action and said confidently, "Don''t worry, Zixuan! Ning Xi''s just going to embarrass herself this time!"

    After the full-blown excitement about Ning Xi''seback had passed, under Zheng Anru''s lead, more and more people started questioning about Ning Xi''s disappearance.

    "Ning Xi cunningly distracted everyone in the press conference! It''s not so easy covering it up! She''s just an abandoned and old star. Everyone spitting on her would be enough to drown her!"

    Han Zixuan had been feeling really terrible for the past few days, but her expression softened a little when she saw people were starting to criticize Ning Xi on the Net.

    [Motivational Queen of the entertainment industry? Can she tell us what happened in the past year?]

    [She''s been abandoned by her man, and she remembered she can squeeze out money from her fans. She really thinks everyone are idiots, huh?]

    [To be honest, Ning Xi''s fans, don''t be angry at me. I was a loyal fan of her myself, so I can see that although the performance that day was barely presentable, it is so much different from before! She probably had it going well for the past year and stopped improving herself!]

    [Yes! We want the best Bro Xi, not a secondary used item!]

    ¡­

    At first, only a few people questioned it, but many people followed the trend. Slowly, some fans were shaken up, but most of the loyal fans and Jiang Muye''s fans stayed quiet.

    Zheng Anru looked at the coboration proposals which were increasing by the day. "After Ning Xi made a big fuss, you became even more popr now. It''s much better than after the rumor between you and Jiang Muye. They wouldn''t just leave you and go back to that old star!"

    Han Zixuan was holding her iPad and scrolled through as shevished in the onlinements. "Don''t be careless. Ning Xi''s side wouldn''t be unprepared."

    Zheng Anru did not seem to mind. "What could she do? Even if she could do magic, she can''t cover the fact that she disappeared for a whole year!"

 Chapter 1877: The End Results Will Not Change

    <h4>Chapter 1877: The End Results Will Not Change</h4>

    "She''s just a fallen woman now and she wants to make aeback? And she wants to get on top of you? Dream on! Just be obedient and make it a stepping stone! So what if that vixen can entice her fans? We got her fans the first time. We can do it the second time! Rest assured, the fans will surelye back to your side and will be even more loyal to you from now on!" Zheng Anru spoke confidently as if she was experienced.

    Han Zixuan had never regarded Ning Xi as her opponent and seeing that she was on the advantageous side, she was totally rxed. "Let''s do some fan serviceter!"

    "Don''t worry. I''ve been preparing for it. The charts for the most popr star is starting soon. We''ll ride on the waves and shoot for the stars. Let Ning Xi see who''s the top dog of the entertainment industry!"

    Han Zixuan did not seem to mind. "What''s there to prepare? Do I have to fight with her?"

    "Of course not, the end results won''t change. It''ll be our triumphant victory!"

    ¡­

    In Deer Town.

    Liang Feixing was worried sick with the nasty rumors and criticisms flying around.

    If they could note up with an eptable reason for the fans, everything they had done up till now would be wasted and Ning Xi''s future would be extremely tough.

    Just the assumption of her being a mistress and having retired would be enough to destroy her.

    In the little garden, Liang Feixing paced back and forth."Depression? Overseas study? Change of career? Even if it''s marriage¡­ No matter the reason, I can''t exin the whole year of disappearance and not tell anyone about it!"

    He understood that if they did not have a powerful reason, this would sting them forever.

    Liang Feixing sighed as he carefully nced at Ning Xi on the rattan chair.

    Actually, even he did not know the real reason Ning Xi had vanished until now.

    The Netizens were specting that she felt guilty, which was why she left without saying a word. Some even suspected that she was a cold person and had never cared about her fans at all. If not, she would not have just stayed hidden with so many people worried sick about her.

    Besides Ning Xi, Jiang Muye was also present, except that he had taken a shower. His hair and his outfit were still simr to that of a homeless old man. He did not care about his image at all and even Lei Ming had given up on him and he just hoped that he would not cause any trouble for now.

    Jiang Muye turned over and looked at Ning Xi. The girl was thinking about something intensely and she looked troubled.

    Jiang Muye rested his chin on his palm. "Why are you thinking so much about this? Just tell them the truth! You''ve been in a vegetative state for the past year, so how could you have appeared and talked?"

    "W-What!" Liang Feixing was shocked when he heard that. "Ning¡­ Ning Xi, you were in a vegetative state for the past year?!"

    He somewhat guessed it might be because of health issues, but he did not expect it to be so severe. Taking into ount Ning Xi''s rtionship with the Boss, what had happened in between might be reallyplicated¡­

    This was probably the reason why they had not announced the real reason for Ning Xi''s retirement.

    As countless thoughts passed through Liang Feixing''s mind, there were sounds of solid footsteps from behind him.

    Liang Feixing quickly turned around. "Boss!"

    Lu Tingxiao handed him an envelope and said, "Release this."

    "This is¡­" Liang Feixing took it hesitantly.

    He opened the envelope and was thrilled. "The records and diagnosis reports from the Imperial Military Hospital! With this, there shouldn''t be any problem now!"

 Chapter 1878: Suddenly Feel Like Im Very Bright

    <h4>Chapter 1878: Suddenly Feel Like I''m Very Bright</h4>

    Ning Xi looked at the thing in Liang Feixing''s hand and could roughly guess what it was. Her brows could not help but furrow.

    Lu Tingxiao knew what the girl was concerned about, so he walked to her side and slowly squatted down. Holding her hand, he said, "I''m sorry. The reason I didn''t announce it back then was that I was worried that the media would try to get to the bottom of it in their madness and disturb your recovery. Apart from that, you don''t have to worry about any other thing, whether it''s the Lu family or the Zhuang family."

    Liang Feixing nodded on the side as he listened.

    Right, right! In any case , there was Big Boss, this super strong plug-in here!

    As long as these proved her state, it was enough. As for how she had turned into a vegetative state, whether it was an ident or a car crash¡­ He coulde up with a wless reason.

    Ning Xi sighed lightly, "It''s not your fault. Actually, had it been me back then, I''d have chosen not to tell the fans the truth too."

    When Ning Xi said this, she thought about how Lu Tingxiao had lived through every day, every minute, and every second in unlimited and repeated disappointment. She felt her heart ache for him again.

    Beside them, Liang Feixing and Jiang Muye were speechless as they watched the tender couple.

    Liang Feixing mumbled, "Um, I suddenly feel like I''m a very bright lightbulb!"

    Jiang Muye calmly shook his leg to bide his time. "You''ll be fine once you get used to being this bright!"

    Liang Feixing was speechless.

    ¡­

    After they finished discussing and arranging the follow-up, Liang Feixing set the uing n for public rtions.

    For now, he could wait until the Inte hyped it up further. Tomorrow night, he would organize a press conference and officially announce Ning Xi''sing out of retirement. At the same time, he would share the truth about Ning Xi''s retirement a year ago.

    Xu Tao, who was at home, was racking his brains on how to handle the matter when he received Liang Feixing''s call and found out the reason Ning Xi had vanished. Needless to say, he was shocked too.

    "I didn''t think it''d have been like that¡­ Then, what''s the reason we should give? What do we say then?"

    "The real reason implicates a lot of people, so we can''t use that. Second Master''s end will handle the lockdown and not let any information leak out. On our end, we''ll just say it was a car crash. Even though it''s simple and a bit rough around the edges, it''s something that''s the most easily epted by the wider public."

    "Then, I''ll inform the media now to announce that we''re having a press conference tomorrow."

    "Sure."

    "Okay."

    After they finished the call, Xu Tao lit a cigarette and pondered momentarily before posting up a Weibo.

    [Tomorrow night 8 p.m. at Imperial Royal Jazz Hotel. Press conference on Ning Xiing out of retirement.]

    Clear and simple.

    This Weibo had just been put up when it caused amotion in the whole Weibomunity.

    Ning Xi was finally going to officially have a press conference oning out of retirement!

    Apart from that, they were still curious about the reason Ning Xi had vanished.

    Thements below that post were filled with questions¡­

    [What''s the reason Ning Xi retired then? Was it really because she degraded herself, and like other female celebrities, once she got slightly famous, she found herself a bankroller?]

    [We only care about the reason Ning Xi retired! Why did she just leave without saying a word!? Who did she think the fans who supported her were? She just threw them away once she was done using them!]

    [What are you guys rushing for? The official portal has already announced that they''ll have a press conference, so of course, they''ll give us an exnation! Before the matter has even been rified, you keep saying that she was a mistress and found a bankroller. There isn''t even the most fundamental level of trust. Is this all of your so-called love and support?]

    ¡­

    With the spammers, the fans who were influenced by the spammers, and some of Ning Xi''s die-hard fans who had appeared because they could not bear to watch any longer, all of thements mixed together, creating a war on there.

    Xu Tao watched the development that he had predicted unfold and posted a second Weibo: [Sometimes, the truth is best forgotten.]

    Hehe, f*ck you Zheng Anru! When I started in the industry, you were still ying in the mud somewhere! Want to y a game of inciting public discussion with me?

 Chapter 1879: Ive Given Them The Guts

    <h4>Chapter 1879: I''ve Given Them The Guts</h4>

    Liang Feixing was on the way back to the office when a notification on Xu Tao''s second Weibo popped up on his phone.

    When he saw this genteel and moving Weibo that was a huge contrast to Xu Tao''s messy old-man image, Liang Feixing was rocking betweenughter and tears.

    Based on his strong point of shamelessness, Xu Tao was quite suitable for being Ning Xi''s manager because he couldplement what Ning Xicked.

    Ning Xi was too honest. Even her previous manager, Ling Zhizhi''s style was like that too.

    One must know that Han Zixuan was someone who would post on Weibo to gain sympathy even if she just caught a cold or scraped off some skin from her arm during acting.

    As for Ning Xi, it did not matter how injured she was, or how much hard work she had put in. She had neverined about it to the fans. There was a saying that everyone would ever only see her bright and beautiful side. The media could only say that she was a rare and elusive, talented actress in the entertainment industry as if all of her achievements were only dependent on her gift.

    Liang Feixing had just knocked on the door to enter Xu Tao''s office when he noticed that Yi Xudong was there too.

    Yi Xudong'' s expression looked unusually dark. "What''s the meaning of this? Such huge news about Ning Xi returning, yet you didn''t tell me a thing? As thepany CEO, I had to hear it from other people! Now. you two, first you decide on a manager for her and then you hold a press conference! Have you even bothered to ask me first? You leave when you want to, and return when you feel like it. What do you think Glory World is?"

    Behind him, Liang Feixing raised a brow. "It turns out that you don''t hope for Ning Xi to return to Glory World, CEO Yi¡­ Don''t worry, I''ll help you pass the message!"

    Yi Xudong, who had still been unting his authority earlier, suddenly had a change in expression. "Liang Feixing, don''t try to drive a wedge here. When did I say that I didn''t want Ning Xi to return? I''m just saying that whatever it is, you should''ve first asked me, the CEO, for instructions!

    "Look at thements online right now! They''re unbearable to look at, and that''s because you two didn''t prepare anything. You just messed things up without saying anything, which is what caused us to be in such a passive position! I''m telling the both of you, from now on, everything about Ning Xi will be taken overpletely by me!

    "You''re both temporarily suspended and I want you to go home right away! What right do you have to rise above thepany and decide all of this? Who was it that gave you such guts? You''re practically revolting!"

    Yi Xudong was like the guilty party filing the suit first. He was even ready to kick them aside while he held on tightly to Ning Xi and relied on her to make hiseback.

    Xu Tao and Liang Feixing exchanged a nce. Suddenly, their expressions sunk too. Even though they expected Yi Xudong to make things difficult for them, they did not expect that this guy would be this shameless.

    If Yi Xudong really strongly interfered, they would have a lot of trouble on their side too¡­

    At this moment, there were footsteps at the door, followed by a knock. Then, the three of them saw a man in a shy light blue tuxedo leaning by the door. That delicate and dazzling face was enough to wipe out all the pretty boys in the entertainment industry.

    "I''ve given them the guts. Do you have an opinion?"

    The instant the man''szy voice finished, Xu Tao and Liang Feixing instantly looked emotional as if they had seen their savior. "Second Master!"

    Especially Xu Tao, who did not know Ning Xi and the Lu family''syer of rtionship, never would have thought that Lu Jingli would appear in the office!

    Since Ning Xi''s departure, Glory World seemed to be slowly let free by the corporation. After all, in the huge Lu Corporation, with the thousands ofpanies under its banner, Glory World was just one of Lu Jingli''s practice projects.

    When Yi Xudong saw Lu Jingli, his overbearing demeanor changed all of a sudden. He turned pale and said with a trembling voice, "Second¡­ Second Master¡­"

 Chapter 1880: So Cool

    <h4>Chapter 1880: So Cool</h4>

    Damn it! Had the Second Master not returned to the corporation? Why did he suddenlye to Glory World?! And he had appeared at such a time too!

    Yi Xudong wiped the cold sweat on his forehead away and said politely, "Second Master, it''s not what you think it is. These two people have really been behaving unscrupulously. Ning Xiing out of retirement is such a huge matter. How can they act so recklessly!?

    "This past year, Glory World''s situation hasn''t been fantastic¡­

    "However, back then, Ning Xi had suddenly gone missing. Ling Zhizhi didn''t care about thepany and just resigned too, so I could only rack my brains and find Han Zixuan, the most suitable person to rece Ning X, but who would''ve thought that Han Zixuan and Zheng Anru would be so ingratituous and take all the opportunities with them to jump to a differentpany?They even took away so many of our people. All of this was Starlight''s plot!

    "Nevertheless, Second Master, don''t worry! I''ll personally take over everything on Ning Xi''s side. I''ll definitely make Glory World return to the way it was!"

    As long as he could make aeback, all of this would not be a problem anymore¡­

    Yi Xudong expressed his loyalty as he pushed away all of the me. It was Ning Xi''s fault, Ling Zhizhi''s fault, Han Zixuan''s fault, Zheng Anru''s fault, Starlight Entertainment''s fault¡­ Whatever it was, it had nothing to do with him.

    This level of shamelessness made anyone astonished.

    Lu Jingli was all smiles as he looked at this man who was full of ttery before him. "Do I look like an idiot?"

    On the side, Xu Tao''s mouth twitched and Liang Feixing had turned his head to suppress hisughter.

    Yi Xudong''s features suddenly twisted. "No¡­ no way! Second Master, where did you get that idea!?"

    The smile on Lu Jingli''s face suddenly faded away and turned into a sharp and cold expression. "I''ve never touched thepany''s artistes, but you''ve got a huge appetite. Do you think thepany is your harem? Do you want to bestow favor upon whoever you wish? Do you want to give opportunity to whoever as you wish?"

    When he was in raging anger, Lu Jingli''s tone was on par with Lu Tingxiao''s. That huge, repressing aura hadpletely toppled Yi Xudong''s thoughts of initially wanting to get away by cracking jokes.

    Yi Xudong broke out in cold sweat as he braced himself and gave a final struggle. "N-no¡­ How could I have touched thepany''s artistes? All of those were rumors. Don''t trust them, Second Master¡­ I was really doing it wholeheartedly for thepany!"

    Lu Jingli already did not have the patience to hear this person''s rubbish. He just raised his hand and let the people behind him, who had been transferred to handle Glory World, handle Yi Xudong.

    Yi Xudong was struggling until he was taken away. He could not figure out why Lu Jingli would have suddenly appeared.

    Damn it!

    Liang Feixing! Xu Tao!

    It must be these two bastards!

    They had actually lodged aint about him behind his back!

    He would really like to see what Glory World Entertainment, which was just left with an empty shell, would turn out to be like after chasing him away.

    No matter how Han Zixuan was, he had still managed her. Did they really count on Ning Xi to defeat Han Zixuan, and even save the whole Glory World?

    What a joke!

    When he saw that Lu Jingli had handled Yi Xudong without an ounce of demure, Xu Tao let out a long sigh of relie. He did not forget to brownnose him. "Second Master, you''re indeed wise and brilliant, distinguishing right and wrong with acuity!"

    Lu Jingli said without any expression, "I''ve already helped you resolve what should be resolved. The new CEO will coordinate your work. If you need anything, just go to him."

    "Thank you, Second Master."

    "Mmm." Lu Jingli nodded and left.

    As he watched the man''s departing figure, Xu Taomented, "Having had not seen him for a year, the Second Master is like a totally different person!"

    Liang Feixing nodded too. "I heard that in the past year, there''s been much unrest in the corporation."

    Just as Xu Tao and Liang Feixing werementing about Lu Jingli''s maturity¡­

    In the car, a certain koi was impatiently taking credit on the phone. "Sis-inw, I''m telling you, I was so cool earlier! So cool that it''s enough for you to personally cook me sweet and sour ribs¡­"

 Chapter 1881: Get It Back From Her

    <h4>Chapter 1881: Get It Back From Her</h4>

    Some time after Xu Tao updated his status on Weibo.

    Zheng Anru saw it right away.

    "They''re actually having a press conference! Might as well forget about the truth! He thinks he can distract everyone by uttering some weird and ambiguous phrase? The same old trick again! He''s not going to get it easy this time!"

    "Keep an eye on them." Han Zixuan stared at Zheng Anru.

    She did not want any mistakes to happen again.

    Jiang Muye''s matter had really taken a toll on her.

    She had spent a lot of effort ying the victim as she exined to her fans that she did not tell the truth because of her work ethics, but the fans would just be angry at her as they were disgusted and had wronged Jiang Muye.

    It would not be easy to soothe the fans'' anger. Moreover, Jiang Muye''s fans were known for being aggressive.

    She lost a lot of fans who shipped Jiang Muye and her after this incident.

    More importantly, she could never create any news with Jiang Muye anymore after this, and she would need to avoid anything rted to him.

    She was going to get everything back from Ning Xi!

    "Don''t worry, Zixuan. I''ll keep an eye on them. Our people will mix among the reporters. No matter what reasons they use, I won''t let them off so easily! Think about it! Just what reason can they use to exin Ning Xi''s disappearance for a whole year? Just going with the point of her abandoning her fans is enough to ban her!"

    ¡­

    The next night, at the Royal Jazz Hotel.

    The whole entertainment industry was focused on Ning Xi''s press conference.

    Fans had flooded the hotel since that morning, and numerous media reporters were at the scene. The whole hotel was severely congested although the invitation to the press conference was extremely precious.

    Just ten minutes before the press conference, a ck car quietly parked several hundred metres across the street of the hotel.

    Inside the car, Su Yan was staring right at the hotel entrance.

    After a purring amble, a car stopped at the entrance and Ning Xi went into the hotel with her bodyguards.

    From Su Yan''s angle, he only saw a light-colored outfit, but it was enough to make his fists clench the steering wheel as his breathing was getting unstable too.

    When he found out that Ning Xi had reappeared, he went to the ce she used to stay at, including the ces she might be at, but he could not find her, which was why he waited there.

    Ever since he knew that Ning Xi was having a press conference yesterday, he had parked his car near the hotel for the entire night¡­

    At this moment, the seats in the multipurpose hall of the hotel werepletely filled up. Even the corridors were packed with reporters.

    The press conference this time was being streamed on several popr video sites. Apart from the journalists on-site, a lot of fans were waiting on the streaming sites too.

    "Is it true that Ning Xi retired because she became someone''s mistress?"

    "Ning Xi''s not motivated and fell off the poprity bandwagon. Can hereback this time pick up from her glory in the past?"

    "Ning Xi irresponsibly missed many important events, even the award ceremonies. Countless fans were worried and concerned. She''se back out for money this time. Isn''t she too disrespectful?"

    ¡­

    Soon after it started, the reporters were asking really harsh questions.

    Terrible questions and words came out on the streaming sites as well.

    "What should I do? Just ept that I have a weak heart¡­ No matter what Bro Xi''s reason is¡­ I still felt that I was abandoned¡­"

    "You''re not alone in feeling that way!"

 Chapter 1882: Truth

    <h4>Chapter 1882: Truth</h4>

    "Let''s wait and see what Bro Xi says."

    "What''s there to see? No matter what, she could''ve said something and let us know, couldn''t she? But no, there''s nothing at all!"

    "I still think Zixuan is better. She always interacts with us and it feels great! I feel like I''m being valued!"

    ¡­

    More and morements like these popped up. The spammers Zheng Anru arranged to the point of Ning Xi "abandoning" her fans, stepping on Ning Xi and at the same time, trying to boost Han Zixuan''s reputation.

    "Thank you foring to the media partners. Also, thank you to all the fans who are watching before the TV right now¡­"

    The press conference started and Liang Feixing gave a short opening. Then, he handed the mic to Ning Xi. "Ning Xi will exin the reason for her retirement a year ago to everyone."

    The venue became eerily quiet as Liang Feixing finished his sentence. Even thements section of the streaming sites paused for a while.

    Suddenly, everyone was focused on the girl in the middle of the stage.

    Even Xu Tao and Liang Feixing were a little anxious. Although they had definite proof, this step was the key.

    There was a short silence after Ning Xi took the mic from Liang Feixing. She then started talking, "I''m sorry. It''s only now that I can be here and speak to everyone¡­ The reason that I retired a year ago was that I met an ident and fell into a vegetative state. I was in aa."

    The reporters were shocked by Ning Xi''s words. After the short break, thements section on the streaming sites went crazy.

    "A vegetative state!"

    "Bro Xi became a human vegetable?"

    "Seriously!"

    "Am I hallucinating?!"

    ¡­

    Liang Feixing and Xu Tao were watching everyone''s reactions as they waited for Ning Xi to continue. They then realized Ning Xi had already put down the mic.

    Liang Feixing was distraught. She had really just exined it briefly and did not say anything else!

    Xu Tao looked helpless. He thought that from Ning Xi''s performance at the press conference of "The World", he need not worry about that night, so he had just given her some reminders.

    He finally realized that Ning Xi was really bad at acting weak to gain herself sympathy.

    Was that why she had chosen to sing in order to express herself at that time?

    Luckily, Liang Feixing and Xu Tao were great at controlling the circumstances. Liang Feixing quickly had people deliver the documents to prove to the reporters at the scene. They also put it up on the big screen behind them.

    "What''s this?"

    "I don''t know! Let me take a look¡­"

    "Gosh! It''s the diagnosis report¡­ Brain injury¡­ Vegetative state¡­!"

    ¡­

    The reporters and the fans on the streaming sites were dumbstruck by the solid proof before they had any chance to ask questions.

    At the same time, Xu Tao said with a painful expression, "Back then, when Ning Xi was injured¡­ Everyone thought a miracle would happen¡­ That this girl would surely wake up¡­

    "After all that she''s been through¡­ Putting in so much effort¡­ She finally got what she deserved¡­ She had so many¡­ so many fans who were waiting for her¡­

    "All of us believed that your thoughts, your love for her would wake her up¡­

    "So, we did everything we could to hide the news¡­"

 Chapter 1883: They Abandoned Her

    <h4>Chapter 1883: They Abandoned Her</h4>

    No one said anything after Xu Tao started talking.

    Xu Tao took a deep breath and continued, "But as time passed by, Ning Xi¡­ did not wake up¡­

    "Ning Xi''s ''Mother'' and ''Nine Realms'' aired one after another. She became so popr. We had even hoped that¡­ hoped that she could be less popr¡­ so that we could buy her more time¡­ even if it was for one more day¡­

    "In the end, we put in so much effort, but we got the worst results possible¡­

    "Three months, for three whole months, Ning Xi didn''t wake up.

    "The doctors said that in her condition, her chances of waking up was near to impossible after three months¡­"

    Xu Tao narrated what had happened back then to everyone in detail. Everyone could feel the sadness and despair emanating from her.

    Then, with a sarcastic tone, she continued, "Everyone knows what happened afterwards. From the fans rioting until Ning Xi was totally forgotten, it took just a short year¡­"

    "We''re apologizing about the fact that we''ve never told the truth about Ning Xi''s retirement to every fan who was genuinely worried about Ning Xi!"

    When he said this, Xu Tao took a sharp turn and said, "But if we had a chance to do it again, despite knowing what would''ve happened, we''d still do the same thing!

    "Because if we told the truth, Ning Xi would have to face the constant disturbance and trouble from the media reporters! She wouldn''t be at peace even when she was in a vegetative state!"

    No reporter said a thing at the scene.

    They had to admit that if Glory World broke the truth about Ning Xi''s actual condition, they would surelyb through all the hospitals to look for Ning Xi and find out about the news as soon as possible. Even after some time passed, there would still be reporters standing by, waiting for a catch.

    Ning Xi''s fingers clenched as she listened to Xu Tao. She was unaware of a lot of things Xu Tao said.

    While Xu Tao was just reciting what had happened ording to what he heard from Jiang Muye and the bunch back then, she was brought back in time. She could feel what Sis Zhizhi, Jiang Muye, and Lu Tingxiao had gone through¡­

    Xu Tao gazed at Ning Xi sincerely. "We apologized to Ning Xi about how we handled the matter and made everyone misunderstand, but Ning Xi told us that if it had been her, she would''ve chosen to say nothing."

    There was a small fuss at the venue and on the streaming sites when they heard Xu Tao.

    Xu Tao made a short pause, he sighed and continued, "Ning Xi said that instead of making everyone cling onto that tiny little spark of hope and wait for forever¡­ everyone might as well have forgotten about her¡­"

    Sometimes, the truth was best forgotten.

    So, this was the true meaning of Xu Tao''s status on Weibo¡­

    At the moment, the fans who were watching the stream were sobbing¡­

    All along¡­

    They had misunderstood¡­

    From the beginning until now¡­

    It was not Bro Xi who had abandoned them. It was they who had abandoned her¡­

 Chapter 1884: Who Gave You The Confidence?

    <h4>Chapter 1884: Who Gave You The Confidence?</h4>

    Xu Tao''s gaze swept across all the reporters who had fallen into absolute silence. Then, from the corner of his eye, he skimmed the way the fans were flooding the online stream from his phone.

    Huh, do you think it''s over?

    "Huh, a huge drawback in capabilities? Not improving herself? Deceiving fans? Ning Xiid in a vegetative state for a whole year. When she woke up, even the basic acts of walking and speaking required a whole lot of effort. Even if she persevered with the recuperation, there was no way she could''ve returned to how she was back then, yet, even so, she could still wipe out a certain person''s achievement from the so-called half a year of professional training!

    "Who''s the one that''s not improving themselves?! Who''s the one deceiving the fans?! Who''s the one that''s doing it for the money?!

    "Damn it! They can''t evenpare to a person in a vegetative state, and still, they dare to present themselves as a hardworking and diligent role model! Who gave you such confidence?!"

    Xu Tao''s voice echoed through the entire hall. His attack had unexpectedly targeted Han Zixuan directly.

    "Ning Xi already swept all of the awards a year ago. She took over the entertainment industry. She put in all her hard work. Even if God had yed a huge joke on her, even if she was forgotten by everyone in this world, she already had no more regrets.

    "At the start, Ning Xi didn''t have any ns toe out of retirement. However, some people weren''t satisfied with their small gains and kept pressing on!"

    When he said this, Xu Tao''s gaze abruptly turned cold.

    At the same time, Liang Feixing projected an edited video on the huge screen behind him.

    In the video, a reporter in a red shirt mentioned that Ning Xi''s portrayal of Meng Changge could not be surpassed by the likes of the fans of the original version. They had asked for Han Zixuan''s opinion on this.

    Up next was Han Zixuan''s answer¡­

    Every word and every sentence were insinuated with insults.

    They had even said, "Zixuan cannot be ced on par with a sub-standard person who uses her face and body to make it to the top. This is an insult to Zixuan".

    When Zheng Anru mentioned "sub-standard person who uses her face and body to make it to the top" in the video, the fans in the streaming sites instantly exploded and cursed in rage.

    Zheng Anru finally said, "I hope everyone won''t ask such insulting questions in the future. Don''t mention Zixuan''s name in the same sentence together with some unbearable people of poor moral conduct."

    The wrath of all of the fans in the streaming sites reached their peak!

    At the same time, something dawned on everyone.

    [F*ck you! Bloody hell, Zheng Anru! You actually said such things about our Bro Xi?! As a gold-ted manager, you actually ndered her in a public setting without any evidence! You even ndered the industry''s senior! Is this your professionalism, your attainment in self-cultivation?]

    [Ah! My dearest, I suddenly found out about something! Jiang Muye! It turns out that Jiang Muye suddenly left the press conference and even posted that foul-mouthed Weibo on behalf of Bro Xi!]

    [Oh my God! Really?! Jiang Muye suddenly left after Han Zixuan''s manager said all those things! That''s way too cool, man!]

    [That Weibo scolded her justly! Completely to everyone''s satisfaction!]

    [Even cooler is our Bro Xi, alright? Do you guys still remember when Bro Xi answered that reporter, "Who said that I wasn''t here to mess things up"?]

    [Oh! I want to ship XiYe forever! Han Zixuan, whatever! Buzz off!]

    ¡­

    The reporters present would never have expected such a turn of tables, especially the reporters that Zheng Anru had slipped in. They were all dumbfounded.

    Xu Tao caught them off guard one after another and they left in defeat.

    Thiseback press conference had not only rified everything. It had even savagely delivered one stinging p after another on Han Zixuan''s face¡­

 Chapter 1885: Yearned For By The Public, Irresistible Trend

    <h4>Chapter 1885: Yearned For By The Public, Irresistible Trend</h4>

    So far, Ning Xi''seback waspletely craved for by the public and became an irresistible trend, which could not be stopped by any external force.

    At the final part of the press conference, Xu Tao sneered. "The culprit of Ning Xi''s ident is still on the run."

    This sentence carried a subtle undertone. Although no one was named, it instantly pushed Han Zixuan to where the wind and the waves were the fiercest, ruthlessly implicating her.

    Once Ning Xi had disappeared, Han Zixuan had risen steadily from being a newbie in Glory World Entertainment to recing Ning Xi and bing an A-lister in the entertainment industry.

    Then, was Ning Xi''s car crash back then an ident or intentional?

    If it was intentional, who could have been the orchestrator?

    This unlimited imagination was left to those reporters who relisheding up with huge news!

    After the press conference ended, in the car, Liang Feixing smiled and raised a hand. Xu Tao raised his brows and reached out to give him a high-five to celebrate.

    Liang Feixing stared at his high-spirited manner and clicked his tongue. "Only you could ever do such shameless things! You really implicated her like an experienced thief!"

    Of course, he was an expert in inciting the will of the people too!

    Xu Tao was smug after being praised as he nodded. "Of course!"

    Then, he virtuously covered his face and turned to take credit from Ning Xi who was sitting in the back seat. "My queen, what did you think about my performance today? Have I passed the probation?"

    Ning Xi did not know whether tough or to cry. "Mmm, not bad."

    She was used to Ling Zhizhi''s way of doing things by the book, which waspletely different from Xu Tao''s style.

    However, to handle such aplicated and sticky situation such as hers right now, Xu Tao''s slick and sly way was indeed an advantageous thing too as it could make up for what shecked.

    "Hahaha, now Zheng Anru and Han Zixuan''s team must definitely be exploding in anger! And Wang Haojun, that son of a bitch too! Who told you people to steal my people?!"

    Xu Tao was ted as he felt that the resentment he had kept in for so long could finally be released.

    The most important first step had been sessfully executed, so Liang Feixing was relieved, but he still said carefully, "It''s true that this time will be enough to dampen their strength, but it''s impossible to cripple her with just this one blow."

    Xu Tao shook his leg excitedly as he stared at Ning Xi with shining eyes. "What are you afraid about? Do you doubt that my green dragon crescent de can''t beat Zheng Anru''s lousy kitchen knife?" Ning Xi was speechless.

    This metaphor of his¡­

    ¡­

    At the same time, Jiang Muye had just finished watching the live stream of Ning Xi''seback press conference.

    When he saw all the floodingments of "Jiang Muye is so manly" and "Jiang Muye and our Bro Xi are so matching", a certain blondie was in an incredibly cheerful mood.

    Jiang Muye picked up his phone and called Lei Ming. "Hello, Bro Ming!"

    "Hey, Master, what do you need?" Lei Ming asked nervously. It was always he who called this Little Master as this guy rarely looked for him first.

    "Make an appointment with a stylist for me!" Jiang Muye instructed.

    Lei Ming was shocked to hear this. "Oh my God! My Little Master, you''ve finallye around! I''ll make the appointment right away! Um, but what style do you want?"

    "You know what? I agree to change my style."

    Lei Ming was speechless.

    Was Jiang Muye unexpectedly being extremely cooperative?

    "This time, the most popr male artiste must be me. Make progress with me! Got it?" Jiang Muyemanded.

    Lei Ming had no words to reply yet again.

    Not only was he cooperative, he even wanted to improve himself!

    In the past, he had to beg him every time, pleading with him to improve himself while he looked indifferent and impatient.

    He was in disbelief. He had finally made it!

    ¡­

 Chapter 1886: Ning Xi Again

    <h4>Chapter 1886: Ning Xi Again</h4>

    There were tons of others who were paying attention to this press conference as well.

    In Glory World Entertainment, inside the practice room, the new and experienced artistes watched the live stream together and cheered emotionally.

    "Oh! Bro Tao''s dominance! Now, Han Zixuan and the others will suffer!"

    "I didn''t think that the reason Bro Xi had retired back then would turn out to be like this!"

    "Oh my God, a car crash and ended up in a vegetative state! When I saw Bro Xi performing with that spike earlier, I even said things about how her skills had deteriorated. I want to apologize to Bro Xi! Bro Xi, you don''t have to be so cool!"

    "Senior Jiang is cleaned of injustice and Bro Xi is back too! Now, our Glory World really has a chance of being saved!"

    ¡­

    Compared to Glory World Entertainment that was in high spirits, Starlight Entertainment was in an unprecedented gloom.

    The moment Ning Xi''seback press conference ended, all of Starlight''s upper management team immediately called for an emergency meeting.

    Zheng Anru was so angry that she could puke blood at the moment. "That Xu Tao! He''s extremely shameless! What did hisst sentence even mean?! He''s clearly trying to say that Ning Xi''s car crash was arranged by us! Immediately get awyer! I want to sue him for nder!"

    The public rtions director, Liu Wenliang, shot her a side look and said, "He only said that the culprit is still on the loose. He didn''t say anything apart from that. How are you going to sue them? On the contrary, it''s you, the manager, who said things without thinking. You openly said such baseless things on that past assion. ''Rely on her face and body to sell herself''? Now, you''ve given them something to use against you! Look at how they''re cursing us online!"

    Zheng Anru said coldly, "What do you mean baseless? Everyone knows that Ning Xi relied on her face and figure. Does this truly need proof?"

    Liu Wenliang sneered. "If you have proof, then show it! Is it enough to just say that everyone knows? Are such things to be uttered by a gold-ted manager? I can''tmunicate with you at all!"

    "You¡­"

    Zheng Anru was about to retort when Wang Haojun angrily cut her short. "Enough, you two! Stop arguing! Did I call you over to fight?"

    Ning Xueluo had just finished handling the issue with Spirit. Right after that, she received the news from Starlight about the drama and at this moment, she was extremely annoyed. "Didn''t thest promotional event alert you people enough? Why do such problems keep happening?"

    Damn it!

    Ning Xi! Ning Xi! Why was it Ning Xi again!?

    Zhao Wenliang said in a lowered voice, "Vice CEO Ning, it''s not that we weren''t alert. Ning Xi''s team had solid evidence. Their reason couldn''t be refuted at all. No matter how we tried to be vignt, we were caught off-guard. We didn''t think that Xu Tao would incite the fans, and even shamelessly attack us by subtly implying something!

    "Even though Xu Tao''s side doesn''t have proof, gossip is a fear monger. Once such a thing gets out, it''ll affect an artiste''s reputation hugely."

    Ning Xueluo pinched the space between her brows. "Then, we''ll just seize the fact that there''s no proof. We definitely can''t let the fans be riled up. As for Anru, post a public apology right now and be more sincere with your attitude."

    "What? Me, apologize?" Zheng Anru''s expression suddenly changed into one of disbelief. She subconsciously nced at Han Zixuan.

    Han Zixuan looked impatient with her immaturity. "If you don''t apologize, are you waiting for me to do it then?"

    Zheng Anru instantly fell silent.

    Wang Haojun held his forehead while his head throbbed. "That''s the only thing we can do now. Try our best to redeem the loss. Anru, you must take the burden for this matter. Zixuan''s image cannot suffer any damage."

 Chapter 1887: Definitely Get It

    <h4>Chapter 1887: Definitely Get It</h4>

    "I got it," said Zheng Anru unhappily.

    Ning Xueluo reminded with a solemn expression, "The voting polls organized by the ''Entertainment''s Light'' is going to happen soon. Zixuan must win the number one spot among the female celebrities!"

    "Entertainment''s Light" was the most influential magazine in the industry. They would organize arge scale online poll every year, and they would make lists. The most highlighted list would be the poprity ranking. There were also some other lists like "Celebrities You''d Like To Marry", "Neers With Strong Potential", and even "Celebrities You''d Like To Sleep With". Each year was a war among the fans as the poll heldrge influential power.

    In thest poll, Ning Xi dominated the top spot with twice as many votes as the first runner-up, which was when Ning Xi had disappeared from the public for three months.

    Zheng Anru nodded. "Don''t worry, Vice CEO Ning. We''ll definitely get it!"

    With Zixuan''s poprity, there was no doubt that she would be the top star this year.

    "Tell me and CEO Wang if there''s anything you need. We will fully support you," assured Ning Xueluo.

    Even if Ning Xi came back, the voting was going to start next month. Her current poprity now could notpare to Han Zixuan, but Ning Xueluo simply did not want any more mishaps.

    The meeting went on for two hours¡­

    After deciding on a solution, Wang Haojun said, "That''s what we''ll do then! Meeting adjourned! I have to go and talk to the investors!"

    The moment word about Ning Xi''s press conference went out, the investors of "The World" started kicking up a fuss.

    Wang Haojun was filled with regrets.

    Ning Xi was originally an artiste from Starlight Entertainment!

    If he knew that this girl had so much potential and influence, he would have killed to make her stay. Unfortunately, he now found himself in such deep trouble¡­

    Since a coboration was impossible, he would need to destroy herpletely!

    He had to protect Han Zixuan. Even if the investments could not return the estimated earnings, he had to drive Zixuan on top of Ning Xi. Pushing Ning Xi down would mean pushing Glory World Entertainment down.

    He would never give any chance to Glory World Entertainment!

    ¡­

    After the press conference ended, Ning Xi went back to the office and had a meeting with Xu Tao and the bunch.

    Her office was filled with flowers and presents from friends and fans.

    After the meeting, Ning Xi looked through all the presents one by one. She then had some staff to help her put them away.

    When she picked a flower up, a card fell out of it.

    Ning Xi picked it up and saw a familiar name at the corner.

    Li Muyan¡­?

    Aunt You''s son?

    Had the busy diplomat actually sent her some flowers?

    As her aunt said, although Li Muyan was young, he was really skilled with people.

    Ning Xi did not mind at all, but she still sent a thank you message out of courtesy.

    After five minutes, Li Muyan replied: [You''re wee. I didn''t expect that you''d notice my flowers when you have so many fans. This means that you really look through all the presents one by one. You''re indeed one idol that''s worth loving.]

    As expected of a diplomat, while he might just be ying nice, his praises were just sweet enough.

 Chapter 1888: Abandoned By Everyone

    <h4>Chapter 1888: Abandoned By Everyone</h4>

    In a ck car near the hotel.

    Su Yan remained stationary like a statue and did not move for a very long while after watching the live stream of the press conference.

    Xiao Xi¡­

    So, something of such severity had happened to her in the past year.

    And he had known nothing about it.

    There were even a few times that he had doubted her just like the others.

    The pure-hearted girl has left her hometown for him and tried to adapt to an environment she did not like for him. She had changed herself for him little by little¡­

    She had said, "Bro Yan, trust me. I can do it."

    She had said, "Bro Yan, one day, I will be standing by your side."

    She had given up many things and put in a lot of effort for their future, but in the end, he had broken the promise between them, leaving her alone as everyone abandoned her¡­

    Xueluo got everything and had everything, yet Ning Xi had to start all over again because of an ident.

    A sudden decision suddenly germinated within him and grew sky high¡­

    However, she always ignored his text messages and calls. It was impossible to call her to meet up.

    The man picked his phone up and hesitated, then he made a phone call.

    "Hello, Xiao Nuo?"

    "Ah¡­ Bro Su Yan¡­" Tang Nuo''s tone sounded a little awkward.

    He had been on friendly terms with Su Yan when Su Yan and Ning Xi were still together. He almost took him as a real brother, but ever since Su Yan got together with Ning Xueluo, they never contacted each other again.

    "Did you see the news? There''s a report about your sister," said Su Yan.

    "Huh? My sister? What''s up with her? Isn''t she studying overseas now? I''ve been preparing for my examstely and didn''t go online much!" Tang Nuo''s first impression of "his sister" was Ning Xi. There was no one else.

    ¡­

    At Glory World Entertainment.

    After Ning Xi was done and about to go home, her personal phone suddenly rang.

    The screen showed that it was Tang Nuo calling.

    Ning Xi felt a warmth in her when she saw the name, but she also felt a headacheing on at the same time.

    As expected, Tang Nuo''s nagging came over the phone the moment she picked it up. "Sis! I didn''t know that something so huge happened to you! Your assistant said that you went overseas to study and I just believed her!

    "I didn''t think about looking for you even though we haven''t been in contact for a year. I''m not worthy of being your brother. You always treat me so well, yet I couldn''t help you when you were in trouble, and even¡­"

    Ning Xi interrupted the young man helplessly. "Fine fine, it''s not your fault. It''s mine. I''m sorry that I made you worried, but don''t despair, I''m alright now!"

    "How can you be alright after you''ve been in aa for a year?! Those people are too much for spreading rumors about you!"

    "It''s okay. It''s in the past now."

    "Sis, where are you now? Can I go and look for you? Hmm, if it''s too difficult¡­ then it''s fine¡­" Tang Nua asked carefully.

    "What''s so difficult about seeing me? I''ll look for you! But it''s a bitte now. I''ll go to Chang Chun City tomorrow, alright?" Ning Xi said.

    "Uhh, Sis, I''m in Imperial now. Did you forget?"

    "Oh, right! My awesome brother is at Imperial University now!" Ning Xiughed. "I''m in mypany now. It''s pretty near to you. Give me a few minutes and I''ll be there!"

    "Are you sure? What if you cause amotion!?"

    "It''ste at night now. It''ll be fine. I''ll disguise myself too."

    "Oh okay, then I''ll wait for you at the observation tform on the school sports field!"

    "Sure!"

 Chapter 1889: His Cabbages

    <h4>Chapter 1889: His Cabbages</h4>

    "Bro Tao, I''m going to Imperial University. Can you get me an outfit that won''t attract too much attention?" Ning Xi asked Xu Tao.

    Xu Tao nodded. "Okay, my queen, but what are you going to do at Imperial University thiste at night?"

    "I''m going to see my brother," replied Ning Xi.

    "Do you want me to follow you?" Xu Tao looked like he wished he could be a foot essory of hers.

    "It''s alright. I''ll have a bodyguard nearby." Ning Xiughed.

    "Alright, give me a moment and I''ll get it for you!" Xu Tao contentedly went to serve his queen.

    After a moment, Xu Tao came back with a shirt. "Ning Xi, how about this? It definitely won''t attract attention!"

    "Uhh¡­" Ning Xi was speechless when she saw the Imperial University uniform in his hands.

    Of course, it would not attract attention. She could just disguise as a student.

    "How did you get the uniform?" Ning Xi asked.

    Xu Tao shrugged. "I don''t know. I just grabbed it from the storeroom. This should be the real thing! I checked the size and it should fit you!"

    The Imperial University uniform was known to look appealing. Even though the university did not make itpulsory to wear the uniform, most students still liked to put it on.

    "I''ll take this then. Thank you, Bro Tao!"

    Ning Xi changed in the fitting room. She then tied up her hair into a ponytail and wore a mask, swiftly finishing her disguise.

    Xu Tao''s eyes lit up like a light bulb when he saw Ning Xie out in her new outfit.

    Damn! His queen was attracting attention!

    Even a blind person would know she was a super beauty! She might as well not wear the mask!

    Oh, how worrisome! He would love to look after her tirelessly, rather than always worrying that his cabbages would be destroyed by some boars!

    ¡­

    At Imperial University.

    At night, the lights in the school were turned on. Students were strolling around, talking andughing together. Several couples were sitting by the field, and some people were also training by themselves¡­

    Wearing the uniform, Ning Xi walked in, feeling a peaceful silence within herself.

    With her grades back then, she had no problem getting into Imperial University at all, but unfortunately, because she had gone back to the Ning family, she spent most of her time trying to adapt to the so-called high-ss society and in turn, affected her grades.

    Xu Tao''s idental discovery of this uniform made her feel like she hadpleted her dream.

    Ning Xi looked around as she walked slowly towards the observation tform.

    She looked up and saw a familiar figure.

    Ning Xi sped up the stairs and walked towards Tang Nuo.

    Tang Nuo was wearing the Imperial University uniform as well, but he left the cor open and his jacket was casually slung on his shoulder.

    After a year, the young man''s face and body had clearly grown up. He looked handsome and active. Ning Xi was sure that he was probably popr among the girls at school.

    She thought to herself, "The young man of the house has grown!"

    "Xiao Nuo!"

    Tang Nuo was looking around when he suddenly saw a girl in a mask beside him, calling his name. He looked over doubtfully. "You are?"

    Ning Xi took off her mask, surprising Tang Nuo whose eyes flew wide open.

    "Sis!"

 Chapter 1890: Your Brother-in-law

    <h4>Chapter 1890: Your Brother-inw</h4>

    "But, Sis¡­ you¡­ why are you wearing our school uniform?"

    "I''m disguising as a student! Do I look like it?" Ning Xi chuckled.

    Tang Nuo nodded vigorously. "You do! I couldn''t even tell that you apart from the others!"

    "Xiao Nuo, you''ve grown much taller again, and you''re even more handsome now. I almost didn''t recognize you! How''s it going? There must be a lot of girls in school who like you! Do you have a girlfriend already?" Ning Xi teased.

    Tang Nuo instantly blushed and he scratched his head. "Sis, don''t tease me now. I just want to study properly. I''ve never thought of getting a girlfriend!"

    "Pfft¡­" When she heard the young man say that he wanted to study properly in such an earnest manner, Ning Xi did not know whether tough or cry.

    "Sis, how did youe over?" Tang Nuo asked.

    "I walked over. It''s not that far anyway."

    "Ah! How tiring was that?! Quickly sit down and rest for a while!" Tang Nuo quickly rushed over to hold her.

    Ning Xi waved her hand nonchntly. "I''m not that weak! My manager was just exaggerating at that press conference video you saw. Actually, I have a friend who concocted some medication for me and I''ve recovered pretty quickly. At least, now I''m pretty much fine."

    "Really? That''s great!"

    "Let''s go. Let''s walk around the field!"

    "Okay." Now, the young man was assured.

    The night breeze was a little cool. Tang Nuo considerately put his coat on Ning Xi''s shoulders. "Sis, don''t catch a cold!"

    Ning Xi gathered the coat around her and her face was covered in warmth. "Thanks! Good boy!"

    The two of them walked and chatted.

    Ning Xi asked in concern, "Are you adapting well to Imperial?"

    Tang Nuo fell silent for a while, then he said, "At first, I wasn''t adapting too well¡­ After all, we were from a small vige. When I was back there, the entire vige was proud of me, but I only found out when I reached here¡­ that actually I''m nothing. This feeling of disparity actually hit me quite bad¡­"

    The young man looked mncholic, but very soon he seemed fine again. "However, that was just the start! After that, I slowly adapted and now I get along quite well with everyone!"

    The young man had only mentioned it briefly, yet one could imagine the kinds of twists and turns he must have experienced back then.

    When Tang Nuo finished his reminiscing, he nced slightly wistfully at the girl beside him. "Sis, back then¡­ when you left home toe here¡­ it must''ve been like this too, wasn''t it?"

    Ning Xi sighed softly. She gazed up at the night sky above her. In front of Tang Nuo, she would not deliberately hide the truth, so she slowly said, "Yep¡­ every day¡­ every day I missed home. I wanted to go back but¡­ I can''t miss¡­ I couldn''t miss home. Since I had already made such a decision, I couldn''t go back anymore¡­"

    As he listened to the girl''s words, Tang Nuo''s fists clenched. Apart from feeling his heart ache, he did not know what to say.

    Unfortunately, he had been too young back then and could not do anything.

    "Sis, do you still hate Bro Su Yan?" Tang Nuo asked.

    Ning Xi looked at the young man who felt anguish for her. Her sparkling eyes reflected the bright starlight. "Hate? I should thank him! If it wasn''t for him, how could I have met that person?"

    When the girl said this, warmth spread across her face and there was not a hint of gloominess.

    Tang Nuo was instantly infected by the girl''s emotions too. "Sis! Are you talking about your boyfriend?"

    Ning Xi smiled and corrected him, "Not boyfriend. It''s your brother-inw. We''re already married."

    When Tang Nuo heard this, he immediately looked shocked, then he eximed incredibly joyously, "Really?"

    Probably after his experience with Su Yan, he had actually been disturbed that Lu Tingxiao was not sincere towards her, that he might have just fancied his sister''s charm and wanted to mess around or something. He would never have thought that they had already gotten married!

 Chapter 1891: Start Over Again?

    <h4>Chapter 1891: Start Over Again?</h4>

    "Yep, I''m already married and I''m very happy! Now, can you stop worrying, little monk?" Ning Xi gentlyughed, full of mirth.

    Tang Nuo nodded, finally relieved.

    "However, because of my profession, you know that the wedding can''t be held for now. When it happens, I''ll surely invite you! I still want you to piggy-back me out the door!"

    "Of course! Obviously, I''ll carry you!" Tang Nuo said emotionally.

    The brother and sister duo strolled around the field and chatted happily along the way.

    As they were chatting, an abrupt voice interrupted from behind them.

    "Xiao Xi¡­"

    The siblings instantly stopped and turned around to look.

    Behind them, they saw a man standing there in a suit, seeming rather travel-worn. He looked a little battered as fatigue weighed him down. His gaze was fixated on Ning Xi, not shifting for even a moment.

    When she saw Su Yan suddenly appear there, Ning Xi instantly frowned and her expression turned cold.

    Tang Nuo nced at Ning Xi, then looked at Su Yan. He suddenly thought of something and instantly said worriedly, "Sis, it wasn''t me¡­ I don''t know why he''s here¡­"

    Before Ning Xi could say anything, Su Yan already answered, "I intentionally waited here myself because apart from that, I really don''t know how else I could see you."

    Even before she had fallen into aa, Su Yan had been frequently contacting her. She did not think that after she woke up, he still had not given up and even used Tang Nuo¡­

    "You need something?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Can I speak to you privately?" Su Yan questioned and looked at Tang Nuo beside her.

    "Sis¡­" Tang Nuo felt troubled and turned to Ning Xi. He realized from Ning Xi''s expression that she clearly had not seen Su Yan since she woke up, yet now because of him she had toe face-to-face with him.

    He did not expect Su Yan to meet up with Ning Xi after calling him, even waiting around for her.

    When Ning Xi saw Tang Nuo''s apologetic manner, her expression softened. She consoled him, "Xiao Nuo, it''s not your fault. Just wait for me here."

    Tang Nuo could only nod obediently.

    Ning Xi then started walking towards the observation tform.

    Su Yan let out a sigh of relief and quickly followed after her.

    Tang Nuo stood below and looked a little worriedly at the two of them. He was prepared to rush over if anything happened.

    At that moment, on the observation tform, there was only Ning Xi and Su Yan.

    Ning Xi did not beat around the bush. She sharply said, "Speak."

    "I¡­"

    Probably because one tended to be timid when love is near, although he already had a whole year''s worth of words that he had kept inside of him, yet now when he finally stood before the girl, he suddenly did not know how to start.

    The girl wore an Imperial University uniform with her hair tied into a ponytail. Because she was bare-faced, she looked even younger and more tender than usual. Even at night, he could still see her delicate skin. It suddenly brought him back to their youth, his thoughts ovepping the person before him and the young girl in his memories¡­

    His girl¡­

    Su Yan did not say anything, and neither did Ning Xi. They just stood there quietly.

    The man had his arms by his side, hands clenched into tight fists that started to tremble slightly because he was too nervous.

    On the other hand, Ning Xi started to look a little impatient.

    It was not sure how long had passed until Su Yan finally said, "Xiao Xi, we¡­"

    Ning Xi looked up towards the man who was slow to speak up.

    When the girl gave him his attention, Su Yan felt the blood in his entire body about to boil and flow in counter-current¡­

    Finally, his remaining words blurted out of him instantly, "Can we¡­ start over again?"

 Chapter 1892: Who I Really Love

    <h4>Chapter 1892: Who I Really Love</h4>

    When she heard this, Ning Xi''s expressionless face finally shifted.

    She almost thought she had heard him wrongly.

    Start¡­ over?

    She could not understand this man''s thought process.

    After so many things had happened, and after he had already been married to Ning Xueluo for a year, how did he actually bring himself to say such a thing to her?

    The girl''s gaze of contempt made the bottom of Su Yan''s heart tremble.

    The man''s voice was hoarse as he said, "Xiao Xi, I know me saying this sounds ridiculous and absurd to you¡­"

    "Is it not?"

    "Listen¡­"

    Su Yan took a deep breath. "I''ve thought about it for a very, very long time¡­ I''m not saying this on impulse¡­ I really¡­ really regretted¡­ and finally understood¡­ who I really like¡­ really love is¡­"

    Ning Xi looked at this man whom she had entrusted her deepest affections in her youth, this man who had once caused her heartbreak and much grief¡­

    Listening to him finally tell her that he regretted it.

    Listening to him say that the person he really loved was her.

    She did not feel anything at all.

    If she did, it was just a through and through coldness.

    "Xiao Xi, about that incident back then, I was wrong. It was I who abandoned what we had first¡­ but at the start, I really never thought of breaking up with you¡­ until I met Xueluo¡­

    "Xueluo is so pure and vulnerable, and she suddenly got involved in that sort of unforeseen incident. After that, she constantly chatted and grumbled to me. Slowly, I just¡­ I didn''t know when it started¡­ then the feelings just started to change¡­" Su Yan''s expression was filled with anguish as he looked upset.

    Ning Xi''s thoughts were calm.

    Yeah, it was all her fault. She did not have Ning Xueluo''s skills. Ning Xueluo knew how to get sympathy, knew how toin tearfully, knew how to satisfy his desire as a man to protect.

    She was wrong for always telling him only the good things, and not the bad things. She had been afraid that he would be worried for her. She was wrong for never telling him a word even as she was repeatedly embarassed, shunned, and isted¡­

    "After that, under impulse, I did it with Xueluo. It was Xueluo''s first time¡­ I''m a man¡­ I can''t be irresponsible towards her¡­ I''ve been hiding it from you¡­ It''s because I really didn''t know how to face you¡­"

    Huh, responsible? When he wanted to be responsible for a third party, had he ever thought about her, his girlfriend then?

    Ning Xueluo''s experience was regarded as a precious first time, while she was an impure person who had unfathomably lost her virginity and was even pregnant with an illegitimate child. How could she measure up to the noble Master Su?

    "However, it was onlyter that I understood that all along, I''ve been worrying about Xueluo, yet I never thought about how you felt. You left your hometown for me, but in the end, I abandoned you and even let you encounter something like that. You were sent abroad all alone, and then after that, you returned to the country and tried to make it in the entertainment industry alone too¡­

    "Actually, I''ve always wanted to help you. I wanted to make it up to you¡­ but you''re just too tough¡­"

    Su Yan fixed his gaze on the girl before him. "You disappeared for a whole year, and I''ve missed you for a whole year too until you appeared once again¡­"

    After a momentary silence, Su Yan took a deep breath and continued, "Xiao Xi, I''ve already lied to myself for too long¡­ I don''t want to continue deceiving others and myself! I don''t want to just live my life in a lie!"

    Ning Xi''s lips curved up into a sneer. "So?"

    "I know that in my current situation I don''t have the right to say these things to you, and I definitely don''t mean to dishonor you. I will¡­ return to being a free man¡­"

 Chapter 1893: Where Did He Get His Confidence

    <h4>Chapter 1893: Where Did He Get His Confidence</h4>

    Return to being a free man?

    Ning Xi could not believe what she just heard.

    He loved Ning Xueluo so much that even when he was aware of all the things she did to Ning Xi, he could still forgive her if her tears fell.

    And this man was telling her that he regretted, that he finally understood now, and that he wanted to divorce Ning Xueluo?

    Ning Xi could not tell him how was she feeling now.

    After a while, Ning Xi''s eyes turned frosty and she said, "Su Yan, sometimes, things are like a jacket in the summer or a fan in the winter. Also, the heart changes after a person has given up."

    Su Yan''s pupils shrunk. "Xiao Xi, I know that you hate me, but I know that it''s because you love me. I know it''s already toote, but please, believe me, Xiao Xi, I mean what I just said and I''ll do it. I''ll give you a title. I''ll marry you. I''ll handle everything! You''ll still be Mrs. Su. We can start everything over!"

    "Ha!" Listening to how Su Yan was terribly determined for her to go back to him if he got a divorce, Ning Xi chuckled and did not say anything else.

    She was not sure where he got his confidence from.

    It had been so many years. It was more than enough for her to fool around again and again. What made him think that she would still wait for him?

    "Xiao Xi, just wait for me!" Su Yan left after saying that sentence.

    Ning Xi nced at the back of the man leaving. She did not do anything and of course, she would not stop him.

    She was looking forward to seeing if Su Yan would really get a divorce. If he really did throw it out there, what would Ning Xueluo''s expression be like?

    After Su Yan left, Tang Nuo quickly went over and asked worriedly, "Sis, are you alright? What did he say?"

    "Nothing. Just some nonsense. Let''s go," Ning Xi said indifferently.

    Tang Nuo felt guilty when he saw Ning Xi''s irritation. "I''m sorry, Sis. It''s my fault that you''re upset! Actually, Bro Su Yan called me and told me that you''re back, which is what triggered me to call you. I didn''t expect that he''d do it on purpose¡­"

    "It''s fine. A jerk just used you. You have nothing to do with it. Don''t me yourself¡­" As Ning Xi was talking to Tang Nuo, her phone suddenly rang.

    Her eyes softened when she saw the name "Darling" on her phone screen. She smiled and picked it up. "Hello, hubby?"

    Lu Tingxiao felt like he was wrapped by a big lump of honey when he heard that soft and sweet endearment of "hubby" from Ning Xi. His hoarse voice was unable to hide his happiness. "Mmm, are you done? I''ll go and pick you up."

    "I''m done! Are you done with your meetings too?" Ning Xi asked.

    "I just finished. There''s still some stuff left, but it''ll be quick."

    "Then, you don''t have to rush over. I''ll go over to you. Wait for me!" Ning Xi said considerately.

    "Okay." He would never reject his wife visiting him at work.

    ¡­

    "Is it Brother-inw? Is it Brother-inw?" Tang Nuo asked with bright eyes.

    "Yes, I''ll go and look for him now. You go back to your dorm!" Ning Xi smiled.

    "Mmm, be careful then. Send my regards to Brother-inw!"

    Tang Nuo was relieved when he saw the icy and pessimistic expression on Ning Xi''s face vanish after she received a call from his brother-inw.

    Fortunately, someone like him had appeared.

    He made her forget about the past and start over¡­

 Chapter 1894: Iâ€™ll Get Distracted

    <h4>Chapter 1894: I¡¯ll Get Distracted</h4>

    At the Lu Corporation.

    Cheng Feng quickly went downstairs when he heard that the Lady Boss wasing over.

    Ning Xi followed Cheng Feng and went to the top floor via the lift.

    After bringing Ning Xi to the office, Cheng Feng quickly left, but before he went away, he turned back and took a nce at Ning Xi.

    "Darling! I''m here!" Ning Xi took off her mask the moment the door shut. She happily hopped towards Lu Tingxiao.

    "You''re here¡­" Lu Tingxiao looked up from the document he was working on when he heard the girl''s voice.

    The next moment, he was taken aback when he saw the girl''s appearance. His clear eyes suddenly turned dark.

    Ning Xi was wearing a school uniform. If he was not mistaken, it was the uniform of Imperial University. Lu Jingli had shown it to him before on a magazine as a reference to theirpany uniform but he had rejected it, so he had a vague impression of it.

    The girl was wearing the uniform skirt with her hair pulled into a ponytail. She did not put on any makeup, yet she looked very beautiful. Her cherry lips, her smooth skin, and her current appearance did not look like a person who had been in the entertainment industry for a very long time. She looked just like a chaste university student.

    "Darling, I want a hug!" Since Ning Xi had been disgusted by a jerk just now, she viewed Lu Tingxiao as a cleansing spring. She went past the table and snuggled over.

    Before Lu Tingxiao could react, the girl was already in his arms.

    Ning Xi sat on the man''sp and embraced her fresh sense of security, rubbing her head against the man''s chin.

    The man carefully hugged the precious girl in his arms. He gently patted the girl''s head and asked, "Why are you dressed like this?"

    Ning Xi then realized she was still wearing the school uniform, then she scratched her head. "Ah¡­ because I went to Imperial University just now to see Xiao Nuo, I had Xu Tao find me something that wouldn''t attract attention. Then, he took a uniform out from nowhere!"

    No wonder Cheng Feng and several other workers had been staring at her weirdly when she arrived!

    Ugh, did they think she was trying to seduce Lu Tingxiao with some schoolgirl roley?

    Sadly, she had not done it on purpose!

    Well, she could do it on purpose as well¡­

    The girl let her lids fall heavily as she closed in. "Darling, do I look good like this?"

    The man''s eyes turned darker. "Yes."

    The girl was satisfied. "Hehe! I wasn''t kidding when I said you got yourself a treasure after you marry me! I wasn''t lying when I said that I''ll have you change your wife every day!"

    The girl continued wiggling around on him and Lu Tingxiao seemed like he was having a tough time. "Be good. Go over to the sofa and wait for a while. I''ll be done soon."

    Ning Xi looked disappointed. "Can''t I sit here while you do your thing?"

    "No."

    Ning Xi looked even more unhappy now. "Then, I won''t bother you! I''ll stop talking!"

    Lu Tingxiao helplessly pinched the space between his eyebrows when he looked at his wife. After a while, he sighed and guided her hand and drew it southwards¡­

    Ning Xi blinked her eyes, unsure about what was happening. In the next moment, her eyes flew wide as she felt a hard warmth¡­

    Lu Tingxiao kissed the girl''s neck and said in his hoarse voice, "I''ll get distracted."

 Chapter 1895: Itâ€™s Easy To Push You Down

    <h4>Chapter 1895: It¡¯s Easy To Push You Down</h4>

    Why distracted?

    Ning Xi wanted to protest her innocence.

    She had not even done anything. She had just talked to him¡­

    However, she was still thrilled that she could stimte the devil so easily!

    Ning Xi looked up at the man''s suffering expression. "Hmm¡­ Darling, actually¡­ my body is mostly recovered. Annie has been concocting medication for me, and the soup Mother makes for me everyday also¡­"

    So, you don''t have to endure it!

    The girl lifted her chin up and kissed the man''s thin lips.

    Lu Tingxiao''s body froze up and stopped moving after he understood what she meant.

    After a while, the girl felt him grip her hips. The man had his hand behind her head and he kissed her deeply¡­

    The chair had too little space, so Ning Xi''s hip was forced onto the office table. Feeling ufortable, she made some noises of protest.

    The next moment, she felt her body lifted into the air. The man shifted her onto therge, soft sofa in the office¡­

    Ning Xiy down on the sofa and looked at the man in front of her. His usually frigid eyes were now filled with fire. His lustful face was much sexier than he usually looked.

    She felt very satisfied when she thought about how the man was excited because of her.

    As the man lowered himself down and was about to kiss her again, Ning Xi purposely blocked him. "Hmm, didn''t you say you''re going to finish some work? Is it alright?"

    The man moved the girl''s hand away and kissed her palm. "It''s all done now."

    Ning Xi felt his light stubble make her palm itch. "So, you were lying just now¡­"

    "Are you sure that your body is alright?"

    Ning Xi smiled assuredly. "It''s alright. I''m telling you. I''m fine even if I have to fight a tiger now! And¡­"

    Suddenly, Ning Xi paused and turned around. She swiftly sat on top of the man. "And¡­ it''s easier to just push you down!"

    The moment Ning Xi said that, something awakened in the man. The beast came out of the cage, turning into mes and engulfed her.

    The long fingers went up to her cor and undid her buttons one by one.

    The man''s hot sweat was dripping onto the girl''s skin.

    His belt and trousers were being removed at a remarkable speed. At the same time, the zip on Ning Xi''s skirt was already undone¡­

    At this very moment, Lu Tingxiao''s breathing was shallow and he had sweat all over him. "Tell me¡­ if you feel ufortable¡­"

    Ning Xi felt like a mess in her head. She did not really hear what the man said, but she still nodded anyway.

    "Ah¡­" The next second, that solid phallus burrowed itself inside her with a fearsome power, making Ning Xi curl up like a little shrimp.

 Chapter 1896: Ferocious Display of Affection

    <h4>Chapter 1896: Ferocious Disy of Affection</h4>

    When he felt the girl''s body curl up, the man instantly stopped what he was doing.

    While such a pause was torture to the man, he asked hesitantly, "Does it hurt?"

    Ning Xi could barely speak.

    Why¡­ why? It''s already not the first time¡­ but it still hurts so much¡­

    Boss¡­ are you sure your¡­ your¡­ your¡­ your thing''s size is normal?

    When she saw that Lu Tingxiao still put her first at such a moment, Ning Xi''s tensed up body unconciously rxed. She smiled and rubbed against his neck. "I''m fine¡­"

    The girl''s kitten-like gentle tone and expressionpletely tore away the man''s final strand of self-control¡­

    In the huge office, all that was left between the two of them was a sweet and ambiguous rhythm¡­

    At this moment, Ning Xi''s phone that was in her bag suddenly rang.

    In her haze of pleasure, Ning Xi recovered some rity. "The phone¡­"

    However, before she could finish, she was already losing all her ability to think as the devil collided into her with increasing intensity. She could only go with his flow¡­

    ¡­

    Much, muchter on, Ning Xi finally knew how naive and ignorant she was.

    She had miscalcted!

    Even tigers were not as ferocious as the Boss!

    She had actually boasted shamelessly about how her body was awesome and that there would be no problem.

    However, the problem was that even if her body was fine, she was afraid that she could not handle the devil''s needs.

    Uhh, she was suddenly a little worried about her future¡­

    ¡­

    At the same time, in Deer Town.

    Baby Little Treasure immediately stood up. "I want to go look for Mommy!"

    He could not get through to Ning Xi''s phone, so the little guy was worried.

    At this moment, Lu Jingli had also just called Lu Tingxiao and found that he could not get through too.

    If it were just Ning Xi''s or Lu Tingxiao''s phone that was not getting through, he might have been less worried, but now that the both of their phones could not be reached, then¡­

    When he thought about this, he suddenly had a profound expression. He said, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, baby! Trust me, your mother is fine!"

    "But Mommy wouldn''t not pick up Little Treasure''s calls!" Little Treasure insisted with a stern face.

    "She must have something she can''t get away from!" Lu Jingli exined.

    He suddenly had a bad feeling that the disy of affection this time would probably be enough to stuff him to death¡­

    "Impossible! No matter what happens, Mommy wouldn''t not pick up Little Treasure''s calls!" Little Treasure''s tone was certain.

    Lu Jingli shook his head pitifully and thought to himself, "Baby, there really are some things¡­ In fact, I''m afraid that you''ll be tortured many times in the future¡­ This is just the beginning¡­"

    "Don''t worry. Let me call and ask again," said Lu Jingli, then he called Cheng Feng.

    "Hello, Assistant Cheng! Have you seen my sis-inw?" Lu Jingli straight up asked.

    "I have. Earlier the Lady Boss came to the office," answered Cheng Feng.

    "Where''s she now then?"

    "I''m not too sure about that. I''ve left work, but when I left, the Lady Boss and Boss hadn''t left." Cheng Feng thought for a while, and finally cleared his throat before hesitantly added, "Um, Second Master, if it''s not an emergency, it''s best that you don''t disturb them now¡­"

    Tsk, tsk, indeed¡­

    I am really highly intelligent!

    "Alright, got it."

    Lu Jingli hung up.

    Okay, now he did not need to worry.

    Nevertheless, on Little Treasure''s end¡­

    Lu Jingli sucked in his hot tears as he resigned to coaxing the child for a long time. Finally, he managed to calm Little Treasure down.

    Forget it, his brother had endured it for so long. It was not easy either, so he would not bother about this round of disy of affection¡­

 Chapter 1897: The Huge Temptation of Benefits

    <h4>Chapter 1897: The Huge Temptation of Benefits</h4>

    Late at night, at the Su residence.

    After Su Yan left Imperial University, he did not dy another second to get home.

    In the living room, Zheng Minjun had just finished talking on the phone with anotherdy she shared a good friendship with and was about to go to sleep when she heard a car engine rumbling outside the door. Then, with the shuffle of footsteps, she saw the return of her son who had been away for several days on a business trip.

    When she saw her son, Zheng Minjun instantly smiled. "Su Yan you''re back! Why are you sote? Shouldn''t you have been home by yesterday?"

    Su Yan did not answer. "Where''s Father and Xueluo?"

    "Your father''s in the study room upstairs. Xueluo seems to have some social event tonight. She''s not back yet!"

    "Mmm." Su Yan nodded slightly, then he walked upstairs. "I''ll go look for Dad. I have something to discuss with him."

    Zheng Minjun had been going around to get information about Ning Xi and the Zhuang family for the past few days. After waiting for Su Yan''s return for so many days, she wanted to first ask about her son''s opinions, but based on Su Yan''s hurried manner, he seemed to have an emergency, so she could only temporarily set it aside. "Oh, okay¡­ quickly go then!"

    In the study room.

    Under the tablemp, Su Hongguang was solemnly looking at and tendering file. Thisnd was extremely important to their corporation, but if there were no inside connections at the top level, it was almost impossible for them to fight with the other twopanies.

    Sometimescking in that bit of connection would make it extremely difficult to achieve most things in their industry.

    Su Hongguang''s eyes turned dark. He could not help but think about his wife''s words from the other day¡­

    Su Yan and Xueluo had been married for so long after all. The Su family and the Ning family were now inseparable, and a divorce would cause a butterfly effect, which was why he had told Zheng Minjun not to be impulsive.

    However, at this moment, if Su Yan could have married Ning Xi, the huge amounts of benefit that she could bring, as steady as he was, would be enough to waver things.

    If he could really get connected to the Zhuang family through marriage, then all the trouble brought by a divorce would just be a minor issue¡­

    Su Hongguang was deep in his thoughts when suddenly the familiar sound of his son''s voice broke his reverie.

    "Father."

    It was then that Su Hongguang returned to his senses. He looked up towards his son and said, "You''re back."

    Su Yan nodded, his expression a little unusual. "Father, there''s something I want to discuss with you."

    When he saw Su Yan behaving so oddly, Su Hongguang sat upright. "Sit down then. It''s quitete. What is it?"

    Su Yan did not sit down. Instead, he remained standing with a straight back before the study desk. As if he had just determined something, he thensaid to Su Hongguang with a confident gaze, word for word, "Father, I''m nning to divorce Xueluo."

    The instant he said that, Su Hongguang''s expression shifted to be startled. At the same time, darkness shed in his eyes.

    Su Hongguang suppressed all sorts of disorderly thoughts in his mind before he said with an extremely solemn expression as he looked at son, "Do you know what you''re saying?"

    "Father, I know that you and Mother will definitely oppose this, and you definitely won''t understand my impulsive and unreasonable actions, but¡­ about this¡­ I''m definitely not acting rashly. I''ve gone through careful deliberation. I''ve thought about it for a whole year! I''ve already made my decision!" Su Yan''s tone was unyielding.

    Instead of saying that he was there to discuss it with him, he should have just said that he was there to inform him.

    If it had been before he found out about Ning Xi''s identity, Su Hongguang would definitely be extremely angry to hear Su Yan calling for a divorce.

    Yet¡­

    Everything was a little different now¡­

 Chapter 1898: Status Is Fitting

    <h4>Chapter 1898: Status Is Fitting</h4>

    Thus, even though Su Hongguang looked solemn, relief flooded him.

    "This is such a huge matter. You have to at leaste up with a valid reason, but where has Xueluo done wrong?"

    Su Yan clenched his fists next to his body. "No¡­ It''s not where Xueluo has done wrong. It''s my fault. I owe someone too much¡­"

    Su Hongguang''s eyes lit up. "Someone¡­ Are you talking about¡­ that girl, Ning Xi?"

    When Su Yan heard, he nodded. "Father, you know about the thing between Ning Xi and Iwell enough. Back then, no matter what happened, it was I who betrayed her first, causing her to be all alone after that and suffer so much. I even just found out that in the past year, all of us have misunderstood her. She wasn''t as despicable as the rumors said. You know, the one about her being taken as a mistress. She had gotten into a car ident and fell into aa, bing bed-ridden for a whole year¡­"

    So, that was the case¡­

    Actually, Su Hongguang had more or less seen through his son.

    After all, he was a man too and he understood the thoughts of a man all too well.

    When it came to a woman like Ning Xi, he was afraid that there would be no man who would not be tempted.

    In fact, in the past when Ning Xi was unswervingly loyal to his son, he did not think much of it, yet now that she suddenlypaid him no mind, and with her breathtaking looks, it naturally gave his son this sort of ideas again.

    Furthermore, after the truth about Ning Xi''s disappearance for a year was exposed, his son''s remorse and tenderness towards her were suddenly triggered¡­

    He could understand why his son would abruptly want a divorce.

    "I know about Ning Xi''s issue too," said Su Hongguang.

    "Father, you do?" After all, Su Hongguang did not quite pay attention to the entertainment industry, so Su Yan was a little surprised.

    There was a sh in Su Hongguang''s eyes as he observed his son''s expression. "Ning Xi has already been publicly acknowledged by the Zhuang family as their niece. Her status is remarkable. How could she have done those things that the outside world has been saying?"

    When Su Yan heard his father, his expression was slightly shocked. "Father, you''re saying that the Zhuang family has already acknowledged Ning Xi?"

    "That''s right." Su Hongguang nodded. "In fact, your motherpersonally witnessed it at Minister Li''s wife''s private gathering, Meng Ling brought her along to attend the function and she even introduced her that way to the crowd."

    Su Yan said in a lowered tone, "Probably back then, during Xueluo and I''s wedding¡­ the Zhuang family already knew Ning Xi''s past history, butthey''ve always kept a low profile. That''s why no one knew¡­"

    "That''s right. That should be the case."

    Then, Su Hongguang said earnestly, "Back then, your mother and I were kept in the dark by the Ning family. After all, we didn''t know. With Ning Xi''s identity and upbringing, there was no way she could enter our Su family.

    "Now, since we already know that she is the biological child of the Ning family, and the biological granddaughter of the Zhuang family, this status matches our Su family, so it''s possible now."

    Su Yan could fathom what his father was implying and he was pleasantly surprised. "Then, Father, you''re saying¡­ you agree?"

    Su Hongguang did not answer. He asked instead, "Then, about Xueluo, how are you prepared to handle that? She doesn''t have any faults, and now you suddenly want to call for a divorce. Would Xueluo agree to it? Would the Ning family agree to it?"

    Faults?

    Su Yan thought about the things that Xueluo had done to Ning Xi back then. Even though he could not tell Su Hongguang the truth, his heart ached like it was being stabbed with needles.

    He did not know how he had been possessed back then, allowing her to do those things to Ning Xi, yet still choosing to forgive her¡­

 Chapter 1899: Getting Things Back On The Right Track

    <h4>Chapter 1899: Getting Things Back On The Right Track</h4>

    Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Back then, his heart was full of this fragile girl. He was her only person to rely on, her everything.

    She said she was too afraid to lose him which was why she had made the mistake. He had been touched and just forgave her.

    He felt that if the truth was revealed, Xueluo would be left alone, so he epted all of her and protected her from harm.

    However, the truth was that even though the truth was revealed, Xueluo was still being treated as the daughter of the family. She was well-educated and was loved by Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu. Even he betrayed Ning Xi and had gone to her side.

    As for Ning Xi, she left her foster family and was not loved by even her own parents. In the end, even he¡­

    Until time made it clear for him, he finally understood that what he did back then was very cruel to the other girl.

    He finally realized that his feelings for her had never faded when he saw how the girl shone through her efforts¡­

    How did things end up like this?

    In the end, because he was the eldest son of the Su family, even after staying in a rural area for so many years, pride still filled his bones.

    Ning Xi had been a presence of warmth for him when he was alone in the rural area, but the moment he went back to Imperial, everything reminded him of his status. Ning Xi could never fit into his society, so he slowly grew tired of her and even started to avoid her.

    At that moment, Ning Xueluo appeared and had been throwing hints at him, making it difficult for him not to fall for her when she was such a good match¡­

    Simrly, because of his pride, no matter how well-matched he was with Ning Xueluo, he felt a sting in his heart when he found out about Ning Xueluo''s true identity, especially after her real identity was exposed to the public.

    With his ego, how could he ept the pity and people rejoicing over his misfortune when they were talking crap about him behind his back! ?

    Now, he was just getting things back on the right track.

    His wife, Su Yan''s wife, should be a real daughter from a prestigious family. She should be a respectable person!

    As of now, he would do anything to get the girl who waited for him and loved him for so long back.

    He could not wait to tell her that he had be a free man already.

    He could not wait to see smiles and expressions of love from the girl''s cold face again.

    Su Yan''s eyes became more determined. "I''ll take care of Xueluo''s side, but I''ll need your help with the Ning family."

    At this moment, everything rted to the benefits that Su Hongguang could reap went through his mind. He was truly enraptured by this idea as he said slowly, "If you''ve decided, your mother and I can only help this much¡­"

    If everything went well, as long as Su Yan and Ning Xi''s rtionship was secured, he might make it in time to get that piece ofnd.

    He did not need to think about the number of benefits he would get in the future¡­

    As for Ning Xi''s side, Su Hongguang did not seem to worry about it and did not ask anything more. That girl was head over heels for his son. Now that his son was willing to get a divorce for her, she would never say no!

 Chapter 1900: Have A Child With You

    <h4>Chapter 1900: Have A Child With You</h4>

    Just as Su Hongguang thought his n was perfect, he failed to realize that all his ns were nothing but a joke¡­

    ¡­

    In the CEO office of the Lu Corporation.

    The girl was carried onto the big soft bed in the resting lounge.

    The flower in the vase above the shelf of the bed was shaking and petals slowly rained over¡­

    The girl had fully removed her uniform. Her fair skin had vapors of sweet warmth above it and was looking flushed like the flower petals as she moved along with the man¡¯s gyrations. Her undtions created a strong contrast with the tough and warm body in front of her¡­

    There was no repellence, no fear, no chaos¡­

    There were no traumatic feelings¡­

    Only the giving of each other¡­

    She felt fulfillment in her heart¡­

    Sex could feel this good and this pure¡­

    Lu Tingxiao had been holding it in for far too long. He had always been afraid of hurting the girl, but when he finally got to do it with her, the words ¡°reserve¡± and ¡°control¡± were alien to him.

    Suddenly, Lu Tingxiao thought of something and his expression changed. He then stopped his motions.

    Ning Xi fixed her messy hair and looked at the man¡¯s painful expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    The girl¡¯s gentle voice and her clear eyes made it all the worse. Lu Tingxiao¡¯s body stretched tightly like a bow as sweat beaded all over his forehead. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t have it¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± Ning Xi then quickly understood. She grinned and put her arms around the man¡¯s neck. ¡°Mmm¡­ Darling¡­ you mean, condoms?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao nodded with a darkened expression. ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Ning Xi nuzzled the man¡¯s neck. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s safe today¡­¡±

    She then looked into the man¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Actually, Darling, I want to have a child with you¡­¡±

    When he heard the girl say that she wanted to have a baby with him, at the nearly exact moment, the man¡¯s pupils shrunk and he felt a warm current flow down his spine. Then, it just came out¡­

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Lu Tingxiao cursed.

    Ning Xi trembled at the heat she felt within her. Sheughed when she heard the man¡¯s regretful cursing.

    Please, it was almost morning now!

    This body of mine is at its limit! How long did you want it tost?

    Lu Tingxiao did not pull out. He hugged the girl¡¯s body tightly. ¡°Xiao Xi, are¡­ are you sure you want to?¡±

    He was worried that what happened back then had caused trauma to her, so he never thought she would be willing to get pregnant again. He also never mentioned such questions in front of her before¡­

    Ning Xi seemed at peace as she smiled. ¡°Of course, please. We¡¯re already married, so what¡¯s wrong with me having your baby?¡±

    Ning Xi suddenly thought about something and worry filled her face. ¡°Hmm¡­ but¡­ I¡¯m afraid Little Treasure might not like it. Actually, I¡¯m contented enough with Little Treasure¡­¡±

    She said what she had just now because that was how she felt. She thought that the most straightforward way to express her feelings to him was to have a baby with him.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard the girl¡¯s words. He said with firm determination, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Little Treasure will like it, I guarantee.¡±

 Chapter 1901: Foreign Feeling

    <h4>Chapter 1901: Foreign Feeling</h4>

    After her social outing, by the time Ning Xueluo got back, it was alreadyte at night.

    Ning Xueluo was pleased to see the familiar pair of shoes at the door.

    Su Yan was back.

    She opened the door to her bedroom and saw Su Yan on the balcony as she looked through the ss window.

    ¡°Bro Yan! You¡¯re back. I missed you¡­¡±

    Su Yan¡¯s body stiffened a little when he felt the pliable body behind him. He turned around and looked at the girl. ¡°Done with work?¡¯

    Ning Xueluo nodded, seeming a little distressed. ¡°History and Starlight have been having one issue after anothertely, especially Starlight because of sister¡¯s suddeneback¡­ The press conference for ¡®The World¡¯ that we¡¯ve prepared for so long was ruined. Problems have been appearing for Zixuan as well¡­ Ah, right, Bro Yan, do you know that Sister came back?!¡±

    Su Yan nodded. ¡°I heard about it.¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s eyes darkened. She guessed that Su Yan must have found out about the truth about Ning Xi¡¯s disappearance. Intentionally, she said regretfully, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that so many things happened to Sister in the past year. Unfortunately, none of us knew and couldn¡¯t help in any way¡­¡±

    Su Yan did not reply. He just looked up into the night sky with a tight-lipped expression.

    Ning Xueluo felt a strong sense of unease when she saw his face.

    She suddenly remembered how he had disappeared for a day when he should have been back by yesterday.

    What had he done in this period of time from the airport on the way home?

    Had he really just been in the office? He did not evene backst night.

    As far as she knew, thepany had not been that busytely.

    She was not really focused on his whereabouts these few days because she had been busy. She wanted to give his assistant a call when she came home just now, but then she saw Su Yan for herself¡­

    What made her most worried was whether Su Yan knew about Ning Xi¡¯s rtionship with the Zhuang family already.

    Would he be like Zheng Minjun after knowing about Ning Xi¡¯s true identity?

    She realized that something was not right with Su Yan since a year ago. Her worries went away before her anxiety could even start since Ning Xi¡¯s disappearance a year ago, but now that Ning Xi had returned¡­

    Ning Xueluo felt agitated.

    Damn it, how could she forget about something so important and ignored Su Yan!

    Tenpanies could notpare to keeping Su Yan to herself and clinging to the Su family!

    She had been cool and calm all the way before, including facing Zheng Minjun¡¯s side because her biggest trump card was Su Yan.

    No matter how much Zheng Minjun disliked her, Zheng Minjun could not do anything against her when Su Yan was on her side. It was futile even if Su Hongguang were to say something about it.

    However, now, she did not feel the confidence when she looked at the man she had been controlling all along¡­

    The expression he wore right now felt extremely foreign to her.

    Since when did the eyes of this totally submissive, loyal man lose its former passion and fire when looking at her?

    His heart was not with her. Where did it go?

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes were filled with a light of fury. The next moment, her eyes teared up as if she had gone through something terrible. She slumped into Su Yan¡¯s arms dramatically. ¡°Bro Yan, what should I do? I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±

    Su Yan took back the words he was about to say when he saw the girl¡¯s extremely fearful expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡±

 Chapter 1902 - Struggle

    <h4>Chapter 1902 - Struggle</h4>

    ¡°Bro Yan, do you not want me anymore?¡± The girl wept as she looked up and asked.

    When Su Yan heard this, he probably felt guilty, so his heart skipped a beat. He turned stiff and could not answer.

    While Su Yan¡¯s reaction felt as if someone had sshed a bucket of icy water in her face, her fingernails stabbed deep into her palms.

    Su Yan!

    He had really thought of it!

    Ning Xueluo was filled with gloom on the inside, and the expression on her face looked even sadder. ¡°Bro Yan, do you know no matter how hard I try, Grandfather¡¯s side would never take a second look at me. They even think I have ulterior motives, but¡­ but I really just wanted to resolve the friction between Grandfather and Mother¡­¡±

    ¡°I know you have good intentions,¡± said Su Yan a little absent-mindedly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where I went wrong either. Probably because Grandfather and Mother¡¯s conflict runs so deep, and because I¡¯ve always been closer to Mother, so Grandfather speaks bluntly to me, yet¡­ yet they acknowledged Ning Xi¡­¡± When she said this, Ning Xueluo¡¯s face crumpled with despair.

    Su Yan patted the girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This has nothing to do with you. Probably¡­ it¡¯s because Ning Xi has the blood of the Zhuang family running through her after all.¡±

    When she heard this, Ning Xueluo suddenly turned pale. Sheughed bitterly. ¡°Huh, yeah¡­ Bloodline¡­ Sister is still the biological one. Who am I? Now, even Grandfather will only acknowledge Sister. I know¡­ I¡¯m not worthy¡­ but I¡¯m afraid¡­ I¡¯m really afraid¡­

    ¡°Bro Yan, you know¡­ back then, Mother was already very unhappy with me because of my identity. In this past year, I¡¯ve been working very hard with all my might. Only then did Mother be satisfied with me¡­

    ¡°But since thest time Mother saw Aunty bringing Ning Xi along to attend Madam Li¡¯s private gathering, her attitude towards me started to be worse. I¡¯m really afraid¡­ really afraid that Mother will hate me and force me to leave you¡­¡±

    As she said this, Ning Xueluo was already choking on her sobs.

    She did not mention Su Yan¡¯s change of heart, pretending to think that Su Yan was still affectionate towards her and putting on an act that she was worried that they would be broken up by his mother.

    As he watched the girl who was being skeptical and was losing her head over the fear of being separated from him, even if it was a decision that he had taken a whole year to settle on, even if earlier he had already talked to his father and had already decided on it¡­

    At this moment, Su Yan still hesitated.

    The words that he was going to say could not be uttered no matter what.

    Su Yan¡¯s brows furrowed. In the end, he just said, ¡°Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. How Ning Xi¡¯s past history is and how the Zhuang family treats her has nothing to do with you.¡±

    Initially, he had not decided on the divorce because of this. Only this fact had, on a certain level, steadied his decision.

    Even if thisyer of reasoning was not there, he would still have made this decision.

    Ning Xueluo leaned into Su Yan¡¯s embrace and cried inconsbly. ¡°Bro Yan, actually¡­ I¡¯m really tired¡­ really tired¡­ but once I think about how I can be with you, as long as I know you love me, I can endure everything¡­ I¡¯m d to endure everything¡­¡±

    Su Yan¡¯s expression was even stiffer now. His initially determined heart started to waver. Indeed, Xueluo had sacrificed much for him.

    However, his feelings at the moment were different from before. He only felt that he could not bear to do it, yet there was no hint of reluctance to part with her. Even watching the way Ning Xueluo was right now filled him with annoyance.

    At this moment, that bright and resplendent face shed across his mind¡­

    That girl had never said such things before him orined to him. When she faced him, it was forever with a lovely smile¡­

    That strong desire of winning that person over instantly calmed the man¡¯s chaotic state of mind brought about by Ning Xueluo¡¯s crying.

 Chapter 1903 - Definitely Wont Yield

    <h4>Chapter 1903 - Definitely Won''t Yield</h4>

    As he watched the woman sobbing in his arms, even though Su Yan did not immediately say what he had nned to, his decision became even firmer.

    The man lightly patted the woman in his arms. There was a dim light that shed in his eyes. ¡°Xueluo, I know you¡¯ve sacrificed a lot to be with me, and you¡¯ve suffered a lot¡­ but, actually, the real victim here, and the most innocent one here¡­ is still Ning Xi. Years ago, you even did those things to her¡­¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s body instantly turned rigid. This was her Achilles¡¯ heel!

    Damn it. If it had not been for that two useless garbage being identally found out by Su Yan, she would not have so much trouble today.

    Even though that incident years ago had crushed that slut, Ning Xi, it had, at the same time, put a time bomb between her and Su Yan, allowing the rtionship among the three of them to remain in a disadvantaged and passive position all along. Every time she saw Ning Xi, she had to look like she was ashamed and med it all on herself¡­

    It was enough!

    However, she had to resort to doing that. If Su Yan picked up on any hint that she had done that on purpose back then, it would be over!

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s tears fell like rain as she looked aggrieved with self-me. ¡°I know¡­ I always knew¡­ That¡¯s why all these years, I¡¯ve never fought for anything with Sister¡­ I can even return everything I have to her¡­ just hoping that Sister can forgive me¡­

    ¡°But, Bro Yan, you know Sister¡¯s misunderstood me too deeply. She¡¯s not willing to ept any of my attempts topensate¡­¡±

    ¡°If she was willing, would you really be willing to do anything? Willing to return it all to her?¡± Su Yan suddenly asked.

    Ning Xueluo was stunned by this question. She could not say anything for a long time as a torrent of anger surged up from the bottom of her heart!

    Slut!

    Had she already secretly hooked up with Su Yan?

    Otherwise, why would Su Yan say such things?

    What was he trying to hint?

    Return to her?

    Return what to her?

    Su Yan?!

    Dream on!

    Su Yan is my man, my husband. I¡¯m the only Madam Su!

    This position is mine and I definitely won¡¯t yield!

    Su Yan did not wait to see Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression. He just ended the topic. ¡°It¡¯s veryte. Go to sleep.¡±

    He did not mention what had happened today. It was probably best to let her mentally prepare. Wait till he settled all of the follow-up matters and prepared the divorce papers. Then, it would not be toote and it was best to save the trouble.

    In the past few years, Ning Xueluo had indeed proven results in the market. She had also received praises from those in the industry, but she was just a woman who relied on the Ning and Su family connections backing her. Otherwise, she could not have navigated through those difficult situations.

    Ning International, History, and Starlight were all heavily invested and had equity participation from the Su family. He had even transferred Starlight¡¯s shares to her. After they get a divorce, aspensation, he could give them all to her. He would not want a single cent and that way, he would not be treating her unfairly.

    Just based on those, it would enough for her to live a decent life. With Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s pampering her, she would not have too hard of a life after the divorce.

    Even when Su Yan turned around to walk towards the bathroom, Ning Xueluo still stood there nkly on the balcony.

    She had been with Su Yan for so many years. How could she not have guessed Su Yan¡¯s thoughts?

    This man! This time, he was really possessed by that slut. Even if he did not mention it today, she was afraid that she would not have been too far off.

    Divorce?

    Impossible¡­

    While Su Yan had gone to shower, Ning Xueluo dug out a box from the lowest drawer in the cupboard and took out a delicate, amber vial. Then, she lit the aromatherapy kit and poured the vial of liquid in.

    Instantly, the room was filled with a sweet but subtle fragrance¡­

 Chapter 1904 - Do You Think Im An Idiot?

    <h4>Chapter 1904 - Do You Think I''m An Idiot?</h4>

    That sweet fragrance seeped through the door gap and at the same time, slid into the bathroom¡­

    Su Yan was soaping himself as he was thinking about how to deal with all the impending problems after the divorce.

    As he thought about that silhouette that appeared in his dreams every night, when he thought about how that girl was going to return to his side very soon and belongpletely to him, not being able to be lusted after by other men, the final mercy he had left in his heart for Xueluo vanished without a hint.

    He just wanted to make up for his mistake and the damage he had done.

    The flow of water streamed down his body. Unknowingly, there was suddenly a reaction from the lower half of his body¡­

    At the same time, his mind was filled with uncontroble images of the girl from the way she wore that red gown to walk down the red carpet like a zing sun that dazzled, and the way she looked in the pure white gown like the soft crooning of an immortal fairy. Even if she wore a school uniform, her skin still glowed porcin-white like snow in the depths of the night.

    He imagined¡­ his own hand touching her¡­ kissing her¡­

    Su Yan¡¯s hand could not restrain itself as he held onto his junk.

    It was precisely at this moment that the bathroom door was suddenly pulled open from the outside with a loud crash.

    Then in the midst of the ascending vapor, Ning Xueluo stood behind him, her fingers pulling the knot on her nightgown belt apart. Her nightgown instantly fell to her feet¡­

    Before her, Su Yan¡¯s eyes instantly filled with bloodlust. Fuelled by the vapor, her body slowly looked like Ning Xi¡¯s¡­

    In the next second, he dragged the woman by her wrist and pushed her against the cold wall.

    Next came the man¡¯s almost boorish needs¡­

    And the rough panting in her ear, ¡°Xiao Xi¡­ Xiao Xi¡­¡±

    ¡­

    By midnight, Su Yan was fast asleep on the bed.

    Ning Xueluo picked up her nightgown and looked at her bruised body, her head filled with the name Su Yan had called out earlier. Her expression was as fierce as a demon.

    The times that Su Yan had shared a bedroom with her had be lesser and lesser over the weeks. For the sake of bearing his child soon, she had to use some special methods. In this past one year, she had used that special essence oil many times to liven things up.

    Even then, in the worst situation, Su Yan had never cried out another woman¡¯s name.

    Yet now, he actually¡­

    That slut who could not even watch after her own man, that good-for-nothing slut who had been raped and even impregnated with a bastard. For what reason did he have to cry out her name?

    After Su Yan was sound asleep, Ning Xi¡¯s expression was incredibly cold as she took out an outdated handphone from her secret safe and then walked to the balcony on the top floor.

    ¡°Hello?¡± When the call went through, the man on the other end sounded quite impatient.

    Ning Xueluo did not pay attention to the man¡¯s tone. Her voice was incredibly sharp as shemanded, ¡°I want Ning Xi dead! Just kill her! Now! Immediately! Right away!¡±

    After a short silence, from the other end of the phone came a sinister snort. ¡°Haha, Ms. Ning, please watch your tone! Foocking hell, do you think my people are your errandpany?¡±

    The man¡¯s fierce voice made Ning Xueluo calm down quite a bit. She slowed down and said, ¡°Money is no question as long as that womanpletely disappears from this world! I don¡¯t want you to kidnap anyone, or threaten someone to secretly do it. Mistakes can happen too easily! I can¡¯t wait for another moment! I want her to die right now!¡±

    The man¡¯s tone was even more impatient. ¡°That woman is a public figure. She has bodyguards by her side too. Do you think it¡¯s that easy to just assassinate her directly? Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t know about this woman¡¯s rtionship with the Zhuang family?

    ¡°Thest time you let me mess with Zhuang Rongguang, I was almost killed by you. Now, you want me to go kill Zhuang Zongren¡¯s niece? Haha, do you think I¡¯m an idiot?¡±

 Chapter 1905 - Most Desired Man To Be Married

    <h4>Chapter 1905 - Most Desired Man To Be Married</h4>

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s face turned ck when she heard what the man said. Her heart was filled with spite.

    Useless thing, you don¡¯t even dare to kill a person, yet you called yourself the right-hand man of the gang!

    ¡°I¡¯m busy right now. Don¡¯t bother me with such trivial matters!¡± The man then hung up.

    Ning Xueluo clenched her teeth as she stared at her phone.

    Damn it!

    If she could ignore the risk of hiring someone within the country, she would not have gone through the trouble of using a power she could not control.

    She had done so much for them, yet they decided not to help her at such a crucial moment. Unfortunately, they had undesirable information in their hands, so she could not do anything against them.

    She had made them threaten the assistant to swap the fake gun for a real one. In the end, their scheme had failed, and this time they even rejected her outright.

    That damned slut, how was she so lucky every time!

    Su Yan seemed rather determined this time. He might have even already discussed it with Su Hongguang and Zheng Minjun. Since it was impossible to eliminate Ning Xi right away, it was inevitable that he would propose a divorce.

    She understood how important the Su family was to her, History, Starlight, and especially her position at Ning International. Everything was tied to the Su family.

    How could she allow what she had currently to be taken away by that slut Ning Xi!?

    Slut, you want to fight with me and have Su Yan divorce with me, it would not be that easy¡­

    Ning Xueluo looked downwards with a darkened expression, she rubbed her tummy, it seemed like that was the only way left¡­

    ¡­

    After a few days.

    The ranking poll of Entertainment¡¯s Light officially started.

    Aside from the ranking in the entertainment industry, there were several polls that were not limited to just people in the entertainment industry.

    One of them was ¡°Most Desired Man To Be Married By Women In The Country¡±. Although most of the nominations were male celebrities, people outside of the entertainment industry could be included in the ranking as well.

    For example, the person who was always at the top of this list for many, many years was Lu Tingxiao.

    No matter how the other rankings changed and how muchpetition there was, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s name never budged from the list at all.

    Every time the voting started, his vote would shoot up at a monstrous rate, and he would end up very high on the list from the get-go.

    Ning Xiy supine on her stomach on the bed and flipped through the rankings. She was impressed when she saw her darling at the very top.

    These girls were scary¡­

    Hmm, if they knew the man they wanted to marry the most had been taken by her, what would they do?

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Lu Tingxiao kept a short distance and sat down on a chair near the bed.

    Ever since thest time, he could not bear it if she were to be three steps within his boundary. Even touching her could give him a reaction, but considering the condition of her body, he had not touched her for the past few days.

    Ning Xi turned around and sat up, showing him the phone. ¡°Look, Darling, you¡¯re number one again!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Lu Tingxiao scanned through it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? The most famous poll in the industry! You¡¯ve been in the top position as the most desired man to marry every year!¡± Ning Xi said with a stressful expression. ¡°Damn it! I have so many love rivals!¡±

    Ning Xi did not expect that soon after she said that, things would turn around.

    No one had as many love rivals as Lu Tingxiao did.

 Chapter 1906 - Rank Slaying

    <h4>Chapter 1906 - Rank ying</h4>

    Xu Tao was very focused on the Entertainment¡¯s Light poll this time. He had already formted a n for Ning Xi to win more votes.

    Unexpectedly, Jiang Muye was also really giving his all this time.

    He always thought that it was troublesome and Lei Ming had to beg him time and time again for him to cooperate a little to get more votes, but he was especially proactive this time. Not only did he change his style and agree to organize a fan meeting, he even posted a Weibo status saying that if he got all three top spots in the polls, he would give his fans a huge treat!

    While Jiang Muye was always wild, he never performed any overly sexy scenes. His photos would just show his abs at most. Posting a naked photo of him would be a treat to die for from his fans¡¯ point of view!

    The fans were so excited that Jiang Muye had been ying the rankings before the voting period even started.

    Of the three rankings Jiang Muye mentioned, apart from the most important ¡°Most Popr Male Artiste¡±, there were two other minor rankings: ¡°National Male Idol¡± and ¡°Most Desired Male Artiste To Sleep With¡±.

    He wanted to give the ¡°Married¡± ranking a try. Unfortunately, his uncle was always above him and coupled with his usual image, girls would prefer to sleep with him instead, so he stopped thinking about it.

    Because the fans only had two votes per person, Lei Ming would always prioritize the most important ranking, but after the provocation by Starlight this year, Jiang Muye decided to y the ranks!

    Since it was such a rarity that Jiang Muye was motivated this time, Lei Ming was really thrilled. He had been working really happily for the past few days.

    At the fan meeting.

    Jiang Muye changed his usual messy blonde hair look. He cut his hair short and went back to his old dark hair and wore a in ck suit. The cutting of the suit was designed to fit his slim, tapered body. His wild look started to take on a mature vibe¡­

    This was the first time he would be appearing ever since the press conference of ¡°The World¡± and his fans were all looking forward to it.

    The whole venue was heated up when everyone saw the idol with his new look.

    ¡°Ah! Muye! Muye! Muye!¡±

    ¡°Oh my God! So cool!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Muye like this. He¡¯s reached another level!¡±

    ¡°Oh my, I¡¯ve fallen in love all over again!¡±

    ¡­

    The oue was better than expected.

    Not only did the voting for the three rankings rise up quickly, even the ranking for ¡°Married¡± shot up quite a bit as well.

    Starlight recently had several young artistes, but all of them fell behind by a huge margin. Based on the prediction that they could not top Jiang Muye, they focused their resources on one of the categories but unfortunately, they could not catch up to Jiang Muye.

    Lei Ming was really excited. ¡°We finally grabbed the top spot!¡±

    Because Jiang Muye had beenzyst year, the ranking was mostly dominated by people from Starlight.

    While Jiang Muye carried his new mature vibe, his attitude turned back to his usual self the moment he got back into the car. He ruffled his hair and started shaking his leg. ¡°I told you so! If I want to, there¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t do!¡±

    They really thought he was a nobody if he did not do anything!

    Let me teach you how to do it!

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation on Ning Xi¡¯s side?¡± Jiang Muye asked with a serious expression.

    Lei Ming frowned as he looked at the data. ¡°Ning Xi¡­ seems to have a little trouble¡­¡±

 Chapter 1907 - If I Get Serious

    <h4>Chapter 1907 - If I Get Serious</h4>

    The male stars had to vie for the ¡°Most Popr Male Artiste¡±, ¡°National Male Idol¡±, ¡°National Husband¡±, ¡°Male Artiste With The Most Potential¡±, and the ¡°Most Desired Male Artiste To Sleep With¡± categories.

    The main categories for the female stars would be ¡°Most Popr Female Star¡±, ¡°National Goddess¡±, and the ¡°Female Artiste With The Most Potential¡±.

    The ¡°National Husband¡± and ¡°Most Desired Male Artiste To Sleep With¡± categories were just for kicks, but since it was rather sensitive for the females, they did not include it and used the ¡°National Goddess¡± ranking to cover them all.

    So, besides the ¡°Most Popr Female Artiste¡±, the ¡°National Goddess¡± category carried substantial weight, no less than the ¡°Most Popr Female Artiste¡± one.

    Lei Ming analyzed, ¡°With the current ranking, Ning Xi is in the fourth spot. The top two are both people from Starlight.

    ¡°The first is Han Zixuan, while the second is Yin Youyou, who was under Xu Tao before. The third one is someone from Speedy.

    ¡°The ¡°National Goddess¡± ranking isn¡¯t looking good as well. Han Zixuan is leading the top spot with votes thrice as many as the runner-up at the moment.¡±

    Jiang Muye¡¯s expression darkened as he kept quiet.

    Lei Ming continued, ¡°Starlight probably thought that they can¡¯t stop you anymore, so they didn¡¯t put much effort on your side this time, but they probably didn¡¯t expect you to be so tough to leave them with nothing.¡±

    Lei Ming paused, ¡°However, as for Han Zixuan, since so many things have happened just recently, they would surely snap the ranking up because Han Zixuan was humiliated by Ning Xi.

    ¡°If Ning Xi just stole the top spot away the moment she came back, it just means that Han Zixuan¡¯s poprity is way below Ning Xi¡¯s who just came back out of retirement. While this ranking might seem not important and be just for show, the influence that stems from the discussion of this ranking can affect a whole lot!¡±

    Jiang Muyeughed coldly like he expected it. ¡°So, Starlight would do anything to help Han Zixuan to keep these two rankings!¡±

    Lei Ming nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, and you know Glory World isn¡¯t in the best of state. If the whole of Starlight decide to help Han Zixuan to get this, it wouldn¡¯t make any difference even if we did anything! The gap is too big!¡±

    No matter how powerful Ning Xi¡¯seback this time was, or how sessful the press conference went, her spot could not overtake Han Zixuan¡¯s.

    ¡°Go and tell Xu Tao that I¡¯ll pay for Ning Xiao Xi¡¯s vote!¡± Jiang Muye growled angrily.

    Lei Ming was trapped betweenughter and tears. ¡°You don¡¯t get it. It¡¯s not about the money. The amount of votes we can get in private is very limited. Moreover, you have to ask Ning Xi¡¯s opinion, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Jiang Muye took up his phone and called Ning Xi right away.

    ¡°Hey, Ning Xiao Xi!¡±

    ¡°Hey, my nephew, looking cool today!¡± Ning Xi teased him over the phone. Obviously, she had seen his fan meeting.

    Jiang Muye was really angry at first, but the fire within him extinguished when he heard Ning Xi¡¯s teasing. He replied cheekily, ¡°Of course! If I get serious, I¡¯ll be the coolest one around! Wait, no¡­ What the heck did you call me just now?¡±

    Jiang Muye turned to avoid Lei Ming and lowered his voice to say through clenched teeth, ¡°What the heck are you calling me!? I¡¯m talking serious business with you right now!¡±

 Chapter 1908 - Im Slaying The Poll This Time!

    <h4>Chapter 1908 - I''m ying The Poll This Time!</h4>

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, Senior Jiang, may I know what it is you want to advise me about?¡± Ning Xi adapted to him and said sweetly.

    Jiang Muye immediately started to rattle on non-stop, ¡°What else can I advise you about? Do you know how important the polls this time are for youreback? Do you want to be stomped all over by that cheap counterfeit, Han Zixuan?

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you putting in more effort?! Pull up your votes!

    ¡°This time, it¡¯s not about quality goods not needing advertising. If you don¡¯t announce or promote yourself, nothing will happen. Who will care about you?! You need to change your bad habit of only knowing how to immerse yourself in acting! Didn¡¯t Xu Tao teach you? Make an unreasonable scene, roll about, and act cute. Do one of each! If you really can¡¯t¡­¡±

    Ning Xi could not help but giggle. ¡°If I really can¡¯t¡­ should I post nudes like you?¡±

    Jiang Muye instantly jumped up in horror. ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m a man, so it¡¯s fine. Later on, I¡¯ll just post half a nude and muddle my way through. You can¡¯t! In their dreams! I¡¯m saying that if you really can¡¯t, just pretend to be gentle and act coquettishly. All men are into that¡­¡±

    ¡°Pfft¡­ I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d be into that too, Senior Jiang?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying most of the men! Most!¡± Jiang Muye shouted defensively, then he unhappily scoffed, ¡°What are youughing for? This is a very serious, very proper matter. What happened to our agreement of ying the polls together?! I¡¯ve finally be serious this time. Don¡¯t you let me down at such a crucial moment!¡±

    He wanted to reach the top with her¡­ To y the polls together¡­

    If it was just him alone, then that would be meaningless!

    Having seen how Jiang Muye was finally serious and energetic to win, Ning Xi was more or less infected too. Even Jiang Muye was taking things seriously, so how could she ck off?

    She would not back down then. Since she was already back in the game, she obviously would give it her all.

    Momentster, from the other end of the phone came the girl¡¯s voice feigning nonchnce, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Senior Jiang. I¡¯m ying the polls this time.¡±

    Even though she sounded at ease, it made Jiang Muye¡¯s heart intensely pulse for a moment. Indescribably and without reason, he believed her. He believed that she could really do it.

    However, Jiang Muye still miscalcted¡­

    He never would have thought that¡­ Ning Xi¡¯s so-called poll ying¡­ would mercilessly include ying him too¡­

    ¡­

    In Deer Town.

    Lu Tingxiao did not quite understand matters of the entertainment industry, especially with all the rankings. However, because of Ning Xi, he still systematically understood it and knew that this poll was very important to Ning Xi.

    ¡°Do you need help?¡± Lu Tingxiao walked over to the girl.

    When Ning Xi heard him, she turned around and kissed Lu Tingxiao on the chin, then she smiled. ¡°No need. Don¡¯t use a sledgehammer on a nut!¡±

    How could she bother her darling to handle people of those level?

    Lu Tingxiao saw the familiar bright radiance with three parts arrogance and seven parts ease in her eyes. His pupils abruptly shrunk and the temperature of his blood instantly started to rise.

    Once some things had its gates opened, it would be incredibly hard to continue controlling it.

    Her one meaningful nce and her subtle expression were enough to break the self-constraint that he took pride in, pulverizing it into nothing¡­

    When he realized it, he had already leaned over and kissed the girl¡¯s sweet lips that were as soft as a newly bloomed flower petal.

    When he suddenly kissed her mid-speech, Ning Xi blinked, perplexed, but very soon she epted this kiss that came without a warning.

    ¡°When you¡¯re done being busy, I want to bring you somewhere,¡± said Lu Tingxiao.

    Oh, did her Darling actually want to bring her to y?

    Ning Xi immediately nodded with anticipation. She had even more motivation to work now. ¡°Okay!¡±

 Chapter 1909 - Night of Starlight

    <h4>Chapter 1909 - Night of Starlight</h4>

    At Starlight Entertainment.

    Zheng Anru let out a long sigh of relief upon seeing two of Han Zixuan¡¯s steady number one spots. ¡°It¡¯s just the first day and your votes are already so high. There¡¯s no way it can be surpassed! I told you that we don¡¯t even have to worry about that outdated star. She only knows how to y tricks. When ites topeting in strength, it¡¯s game over for her!¡±

    And the so-called strength was not solely about individual strength, but most importantly, thepany backing them, the connections, and the opportunities.

    How much did Ning Xi have?

    Han Zixuan looked unenthusiastically at her top spot on the ranking. There were no changes in her reaction as though it was just something within her expectations. Starlight definitely would not let her be toppled by Ning Xi anyway.

    However, when she saw Jiang Muye¡¯s equally high ranking, Han Zixuan looked quite sour.

    Zheng Anru noticed Han Zixuan¡¯s line of sight and knew what she was thinking about. She exined helplessly, ¡°Jiang Muye was originally very popr. After the truth was revealed this time and his scandal was rified, inevitably his poprity would rise too. Plus, this time Jiang Muye must¡¯ve eaten the wrong medicine or something. In the past years, he would not make any effort, but this time he suddenly went all out¡­

    ¡°To ensure that you can beat Ning Xi, Starlight has allocated all of its resources for you, so I¡¯m afraid the male artiste rankings can¡¯t be saved¡­¡±

    Han Zixuan was obviously aware of this logic too, but how could she stand this anger in her? The fact that Jiang Muye did not know how to appreciate her kindness, and kept making her look bad, even causing her to be scolded by his fans with no room to refute obviously led her being upset to see him do well.

    However, she knew as well that the priority was to keep Ning Xi down. She could not afford to be distracted and handle the other side, thus she could only temporarily surpress all of her feelings.

    ¡­

    The voting campaign was to go on for one week.

    In the next few days, Ning Xi increased her efforts to pull votes. With Xu Tao and Liang Feixing¡¯s careful nning, Ning Xi¡¯s votes rapidly increased. For both the categories, she managed to temporarily snag the second spot.

    Despite all that, she was still too far away from Han Zixuan who was on top of the ranks.

    Clearly, Starlight had pumped all of their resources into Han Zixuan. The number of votes were terrifying. In fact, from the way it seemed, they would not yield in either of the rankings.

    Because of Han Zixuan¡¯s firm presence, not only was it not much use for Ning Xi to climb to second ce with too much difficulty, it even seemed mocking.

    It was already thest day and there was almost no suspense in the polls.

    Such a high intensity of pulling for votes had almost squeezed the fans¡¯ votes dry, so to rely on making aeback on thest day was almost impossible.

    Even though Jiang Muye sessfully dominated three categories, he still looked very down. ¡°Bloody hell! If I knew that woman would be so sinister, I would¡¯ve just let my fans give all their votes to you!¡±

    These past few days, Han Zixuan¡¯s team had been actively moving around to pull strings, using all sorts of tricks. First, she used her status to snatch up all the extravagant jobs, bombastically promoting and pulling votes from all around. Finally, she had even pretended to faint from exhaustion on the set. Then, Zheng Anru took the opportunity to weep about how Han Zixuan was so hardworking and ved as if her life depended on it, garnering sympathy with a myriad of ways¡­

    ¡°What are you worried for? It¡¯s not even the end yet.¡± Ning Xi shot a side look at Jiang Muye who kept pacing about until her eyesight was blur.

    When he saw the way the main person involved, Ning Xi, was not worried, a certain observer was nearly furious. ¡°There¡¯s just one final day left. How can I not be worried?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still tomorrow night¡¯s ¡®Night of Starlight¡¯,¡± said NIng Xi with a hint in her eyes.

    Jiang Muye pouted and grumbled, ¡°What use would that have? Besides, if you wait till then, it¡¯ll be toote!¡±

 Chapter 1910 - Phantom

    <h4>Chapter 1910 - Phantom</h4>

    The ¡°Night of Starlight¡± was also the award ceremony of Entertainment¡¯s Light.

    Not only would it be streamed on the Inte, it would also be aired live on several major broadcast channels.

    The ceremony would start at 8p.m. sharp. After four hours, they would announce the total votes of the poll at the end of the show and hand out the awards.

    This meant that if they waited until the ¡°Night of Starlight¡±, there would only be four hours left until the deadline.

    What could be done in four hours?

    It was no wonder that Jiang Muye was worried.

    s, they could not really do anything else except for ast sprint!

    The performance they had decided on beforehand was the ssic opera show ¡°The Phantom of The Opera¡±.

    The story was about a chain of weird incidents happening in an opera house in Paris. The former lead female character of a popr opera show was almost crushed to death. There was also the constant horrifyingugh of a man echoing through the opera house, which originated from the ¡°ghost¡± in the underground maze of the opera house.

    The ¡°Phantom¡± in the title of the musical referred to this ghost.

    The phantom fell in love with the female actress, Christine, and he taught her to sing in secret. In turn, he helped her tond the role of the female lead, yet Christine fell in love with the handsome and rich manager of the opera house, Raoul. Out of jealousy,the Phantom started a huge massacre and capture of victims.

    The ending of the story was Christine reminding the Phantom of his goodness and kindness with a kiss.

    The phantom realized that his love for Christine was bing toxic, so he then let Christine and Raoul go together. Leaving his cape and mask behind, he vanished alone into the underground maze.

    It was a beautiful and mysterious opera show which had been adapted into many other forms of medium because it truly was an excellent ssic.

    Their arrangement this time was to have Ning Xi y Christine, and Jiang Muye as the handsome and rich Raoul. Because the Phantom was a difficult role and no one else from Glory World could handle it, they hired a professional opera performer to help them.

    Jiang Muye¡¯s headache became worse when he thought about this.

    Not only were opera shows highly challenging, it would also require both acting and singing. Even the veterans in the industry might not be able to put up a show worth apuding.

    Most importantly, just how many people would be interested in the opera in this era? Nobody would care even if they did well!

    They might as well follow the trend, and do a dance or sing a popr song!

    However, Ning Xi insisted on it, so he could only go along. Fortunately, he had been in a band before he started his acting career, therefore while it had been a long time since hest sang, it was enough to put on a show after some practice.

    As for the all-rounded maniac Ning Xi, he had nothing much to say about her.

    ¡­

    In Han Zixuan¡¯s studio at Starlight Entertainment.

    The room was filled with extravagant outfits and essories, dazzling one¡¯s eyes.

    Up to this point, Han Zixuan¡¯s votes had reached a point where surpassing it seemed impossible, so they were not worried at all.

    However, they could not afford to be careless at the ¡°Night of Starlight¡± the next day. Ning Xi had been the renowned ¡°Queen of the Red Carpet¡± back then.

    ¡°No way!¡± Han Zixuan looked at the expensive clothing in disdain.

    The stylist seemed troubled. ¡°These are already the best¡­ Zixuan, take a look at this. It¡¯s a centennial anniversary design. They never lend it out to anyone. I put in a lot of effort to¡­¡±

    Han Zixuan¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Are you questioning my sense of fashion?¡±

    ¡°Of course not¡­ I got it. I¡¯ll go look for more.¡± The stylist had been worked to the bone just for that one outfit, but she could only suppress her anger now.

 Chapter 1911 - Only For You

    <h4>Chapter 1911: Only For You</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The stylist packed the dresses up and grumbled to herself. Han Zixuan was way too picky!

    Just what did she want to wear? The emperor¡¯s robe?

    Ning Xi impressed everyone with just a in white qipao !

    The people make the clothes!

    If the person was simply no good, being picky about the outfit was a futile effort¡­

    Of course, she would never say something so rude, so she just went out quietly and continued looking.

    Shortly after the stylist left, Zheng Anru entered.

    Zheng Anru instantly understood what had happened when she saw the dresses strewn all around the room and Han Zixuan¡¯s expression. She went over and spoke in a lighthearted tone, ¡°You¡¯re still troubled over the dresses! Just what can they get you? Don¡¯t worry, CEO Ning has already arranged for someone to get you something from overseas. It¡¯ll arrive before tomorrow night.¡±

    Han Zixuan¡¯s expression softened when she heard her manager. If CEO Ning was helping her, then there would be no issue at all.

    Suddenly, Han Zixuan looked up at Zheng Anru and asked, ¡°Did you find out anything about Ning Xi¡¯s show?¡±

    Zheng Anruughed. ¡°I found out that they¡¯ve been practicing. It¡¯s just some old opera show. Just what are they thinking?!¡±

    ¡°Opera?¡± Han Zixuan let out a snort.

    ¡°She thought she¡¯s being unique and is just trying to act cool! Doesn¡¯t she know what era we¡¯re in now? Just who¡¯d still be interested in that kind of stuff? It¡¯ll be funny if the audience falls asleep!¡± Zheng Anru brutally mocked.

    She then said with excitement, ¡°Your dance, on the other hand, will surely surprise everyone!¡±

    ¡­

    Soon, the day came.

    In Xu Tao¡¯s office.

    A young female artiste sat on the sofa with her fingers crossed. She seemed in distress. ¡°Bro Tao¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s such a heavy responsibility¡­ If I mess it up¡­¡±

    Xu Tao tried to convince her, ¡°Qin Shuang, you¡¯ve been in the industry for so many years. I know you¡¯ve been very hardworking. You just needed a chance, and now the chance is here. Wouldn¡¯t you be a fool for pushing this opportunity away?¡±

    Qin Shuang still looked worried. ¡°Did Bro Xi suddenly change to another show, so I¡¯m recing her as the female lead? It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help. I¡¯m really worried that I¡¯m not good enough¡­ I might cause trouble to thepany¡­¡±

    She¡¯s just a little artiste who did not have the right to attend this important event and y such a key role.

    ¡°Ning Xi did not change the show. She¡¯s just ying a different character.¡± Xu Tao did not exin further and continued to convince her, ¡°What are you afraid of? If you can¡¯t believe in yourself, why don¡¯t you believe in me and Ning Xi?

    You¡¯re from a performing arts school and you¡¯ve been performing in opera shows before. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re really familiar with ¡®The Phantom of the Opera¡¯. The role is meant for you! Ning Xi mentioned to me before that she wanted you to be noticed. Your chance is here and now, you silly girl!¡±

    Qin Shuang felt even more pressured after hearing Xu Tao. ¡°I still think that I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    Xu Tao tried everything to convince her, and she still would not agree. He was close to giving up.

    This girl was sweet. She had always been a steadfast person, but her steadfast personality was what hindered her, making her too afraid to experience new things.

 Chapter 1912 - Almost Bent Sideways!

    <h4>Chapter 1912: Almost Bent Sideways!</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At this moment, the fitting room in Xu Tao¡¯s office opened from the inside. A man wearing a retro European swallow-tailed coat came out¡­

    Under the mask, the man¡¯s elegant lips started moving. ¡°What happened? Qin Shuang doesn¡¯t want to do it?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Qin Shuang looked at the ¡°man¡± who suddenly appeared in front of her. She yelled and her eyes started to turn red. Her lips started trembling and she could not say anything.

    The man in front of her wore a full white tie suit, the most expensive male outfit in the medieval European era. Wearing the ssic swallow-tailed coat, the white shirt and the tie, apanied by a shawl made out of ck goat¡¯s fur draped over the shoulder, she looked just like a real prince straight out from a fairy tale¡­

    ¡°Bro¡­ Bro Xi!¡± Qin Shuang was one of Ning Xi¡¯s most loyal fans, and she instantly recognized that the angelic man in front of her was Ning Xi in disguise.

    She never expected that Ning Xi would have given up on the female lead role to take up the highly difficult role of the Phantom instead!

    Qin Shuang looked at Ning Xi in the male outfit, feeling determined. If it was Bro Xi, she would be able to do it!

    Even her own fears and worries went away the moment she thought about having scenes with Bro Xi.

    Xu Tao was baffled the moment Ning Xi came out of the fitting room. It took some time for him toe back to his senses. He forcefully blinked his eyes which were glued on Ning Xi until just a moment ago.

    ¡°Damn! Even a straight man like me was almost bent sideways by you!¡±

    Even though he knew how formidable Ning Xi could be in a male outfit, she had appeared as a girl after a year. Not just him, almost everyone had forgotten how Ning Xi had looked like in a male outfit back then.

    Until he saw her again, that impact blew his mind away¡­

    It was easy to judge by looking at Qin Shuang¡¯s reaction.

    Xu Tao¡¯s mouth twitched and he did not seem very pleased. ¡°How lucky is it to be handsome? It¡¯s useless no matter what I say, but one word from her and you¡¯re in?¡±

    Qin Shuang blushed and gazed down, but she did not want to avert her eyes away from Ning Xi. Her little eyes stared at Ning Xi as if she was looking at her long-lost lover.

    ¡°Bro Xi, are you ying the character of the Phantom?¡± Qin Shuang asked as she looked at Ning Xi¡¯s props and the mask.

    Ning Xi nodded. ¡°Mmm, Bro Tao and I decided on it a long time ago. We¡¯re informing you on thest day because we were worried Starlight might find out about our n beforehand.¡±

    Qin Shuang¡¯s eyes shone. ¡°I see!¡±

    Ning Xi then used the white mask and covered half of her face. ¡°You¡¯re the professional one. How do I look? Is it weird?¡±

    Qin Shuang pressed her palm against her racing heart as she shook her head as hard as possible. ¡°Not at all! If I were Christine, I¡¯d surely choose you instead of Raoul!¡±

    Xu Tao¡¯s office door swung open from the outside as Qin Shuang finished her sentence. Jiang Muye, who was ying Raoul, coincidentally overheard her and was enraged. ¡°Damn! Why won¡¯t you pick me?¡±

    Jiang Muye then nced over at Ning Xi who was wearing the retro-style clothes with her face half-covered¡­

    ¡°My¡­ my eyes¡­¡±

 Chapter 1913 - Turn You Gay, In Three Seconds

    <h4>Chapter 1913: Turn You Gay, In Three Seconds</h4>

    ¡°My¡­ my eyes¡­¡± Jiang Muye covered his blinded eyes in pain like he did not want to live any longer.

    Damn it! He actually forgot this bastard¡¯s killer move.

    He knew it. Why would she suddenly have thought of doing an opera? It turned out she had long prepared such a huge trap.

    Huh! Han Zixuan could rob Ning Xi of all the resources. She could imitate everything about Ning Xi, but there was one thing that she had never dared to try.

    He could vaguely remember thatst year, there was actually once when Han Zixuan had tried the male outfit on. However, the shock factor was no less than Liang Biqin who had stolen Ning Xi¡¯s ¡°I Only Like You¡± back then. She tried to mimic her but made a fool of herself instead.

    Because the traces of imitating Ning Xi were too obvious, it had even caused the crowd to ridicule Ning Xi¡¯s group of loyal fans back then.

    Later on, Starlight had spent a huge amount of effort to cover everything up. In fact, they never had the thought of letting Han Zixuan take the route of ¡°wiping out male and females¡± ever again.

    At this moment, even though Jiang Muye¡¯s eyes were about to go blind, his gaze still could not help but look across at her.

    How infuriating!

    She was really more handsome than him!

    If he was a woman, he would want to marry her too!

    Gah, what was he thinking!?

    Jiang Muye shook the disappointing thoughts in his mind off. Even though he was extremely jealous, he still had a tough tongue. He scoffed and shot a side look over in disdain. ¡°It¡¯s not that extreme. It¡¯s just so-so, isn¡¯t it?!¡±

    When Ning Xi heard him, her brows raised up slightly and her fingers lightly grazed the white mask on her face. She unhurriedly took a step closer towards Jiang Muye and drawled indistinctly, ¡°Really? So-so?¡±

    Jiang Muye took a step back vigntly. ¡°Exactly like that!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ning Xi squinted, then she took a step closer again. ¡°Then, do you want to watch me¡­ turn you gay in three seconds?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Jiang Muye suddenly cried out and fled far away. He buried his head and hid in a corner. ¡°Big bro, I¡¯m wrong! Please have mercy!¡±

    He would not talk nonsense anymore!

    He did not want to be as pitiful as that Mo Yuxiu. He had been forcefully turned gay and could not get a hard-on with any woman anymore.

    Even though that guy deserved it, really¡­ it was too tragic!

    Qin Shuang could not help butugh out loud watching the both of them interact.

    Bro Xi and Senior Jiang are really loving. How matching!

    She almost felt like her role as the female lead was redundant.

    On the side, Xu Tao¡¯s eyes sparkled as he rubbed his hand excitedly. ¡°Enough, enough! Stop messing around. Time is limited. Quickly go and rehearse!¡±

    In the uing hours, the entire rehearsing hall was filled with Jiang Muye¡¯s angry shout.

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey, Qin Xiao Shuang! I¡¯m the male lead! I¡¯m the male lead, alright? Aren¡¯t you giving your tender-hearted gaze to the wrong person!¡±

    ¡°Christine, I am your childhood sweetheart, your love! Are you cheating on me now?¡±

    ¡°Ning Xiao Xi, that¡¯s enough of you! My female lead is being seduced by you! Can you please follow the script? Where¡¯s your professionalism?¡±

    ¡°Bloody hell! Because my charm isn¡¯t enough? Would Ick charm? Just you wait and see!¡±

    ¡­

    Finally, you can¡¯t escape responsibility for your actions!

    Jiang Muye was instantly triggered by Ning Xi as he got into his character intensely. Qin Shuang was about to be charmed by the two handsome ones until her soul left her.

    She realized that acting with Bro Xi was simply magical. She could always easily bring her into the zone, bringing out her potential.

    After the chaotic rehearsal ended, they went out for a meal and then started to put on their makeup and style themselves, preparing for the ¡°Night of Starlight¡± that was about to begin.

 Chapter 1914 - Im Just Going To Drape A Sack On Me

    <h4>Chapter 1914: I¡¯m Just Going To Drape A Sack On Me</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they were styling, Jiang Muye started to impatiently walk around Ning Xi again.

    ¡°Ning Xiao Xi, have you chosen your gown? What are you going to wear tonight? I¡¯ve just gotten information that that counterfeit is wearing some vintage gown that¡¯s been worn by some princess before and costs hundreds of millions. Just renting it for a day costs $ 8 million! There¡¯s no way our side couldpare to that!¡±

    Although Jiang Muye had spoken at length, Ning Xi only replied him with an ¡°oh¡±.

    Jiang Muye was about to puke to death. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®oh¡¯? You need to at least reply with a sentence! What are you nning to wear?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just going to drape a sack on me,¡± said Ning Xi.

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    I was being serious. Stop messing around!

    I¡¯m so tired!

    Now, he finally understood the misery of managers when facing artistes who were not cooperative.

    ¡­

    At 8 p.m, the much anticipated ¡°Night of Starlight¡± finally began.

    Everyone was glued to the live stream websites and in front of their televisions to support their beloved idols.

    On the red carpet, the stars were looking very bright. All sorts of big shots signed their autographs and made their way in one after another.

    Liu Xiaorou wore brand C¡¯s centennial anniversary gown, whichplemented her grandeur and grace.

    The host very knowinglyplimented, ¡°Xiaorou is incredibly beautiful today!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! This gown seems to be brand C¡¯s centennial anniversary design. I haven¡¯t seen anyone in the entertainment industry wear it until now!¡±

    Had it been in the past, to be praised like that would have made Liu Xiaorou happy, yet now she still sulked.

    It was true that this dress was precious, yet it had only reached her because Han Zixuan did not want it. In fact, it did not fit her image or suit her aura at all.

    She did not even get to have a choice.

    Previously, in Glory World, Xu Tao would attentively get everything in order for her. He would choose the most suitable outfit for her. To her chagrin, once she reached Starlight, all of the best resources, all of the rankings, and even the gowns, would wordlessly be given to Han Zixuan and the other A-listers.

    On the huge screen to the left of the stage, the live update of the votes was disyed.

    When she saw her name at the bottom of the list, Liu Xiaorou felt very upset.

    However, even Yin Youyou was pushed down by Han Zixuan. She could only be the number two forever, so what more could she say?

    Right at this moment, Liu Xiaorou did not expect to bump into someone.

    ¡°Senior Qin?¡± Liu Xiaorou was shocked.

    ¡°Xiaorou¡­¡± Even though she was prepared to bump into her at such an assion, Qin Shuang still looked a little uneasy.

    ¡°It really is you, huh? I thought I saw wrongly!¡± Liu Xiaorou sized up this woman wearing a dark, low-profile gown as if she was very surprised to see her attending such an assion.

    After all, with Qin Shuang¡¯s status, she was not qualified enough to be a part of this kind of function.

    ¡°Why, are you here to join the event too?¡± Liu Xiaorou asked even though she knew the answer.

    ¡°I just wanted to join in the fun.¡± Qin Shuang did not add further.

    She had entered the industry a few years before Liu Xiaorou and had even called her ¡°Senior¡±, yet until now she was still just a C-lister. She really had no face before her.

    Liu Xiaorou crossed her arms and examined Qin Shuang, shaking her head and sighing, ¡°Senior Qin, I didn¡¯t want to say this. Even though your poprity is really not all that, but because Sis Youyou and I put in a lot of good word-of-mouth for you, back then Starlight was ready to just take you along with us too.

    ¡°But you actually didn¡¯t appreciate the kindness! Now, what future do you have staying in Glory World?

    ¡°Haha, you wouldn¡¯t still be stupidly believing Xu Tao, would you? Is she still saying that your capabilities can beat the others, that your foundation is strong, and that you¡¯re even stronger than Youyou and I? That you¡¯re just one opportunity away from soaring?¡±

 Chapter 1915 - Dumbfounded

    <h4>Chapter 1915: Dumbfounded</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Liu Xiaorou scoffed, ¡°You¡¯re extremely naive! Once Ning Xi¡¯s returned, all of the opportunities will go to her obviously. Would you still have a chance to stand out?¡±

    As Qin Shuang listened to all of these cutting criticisms, she remained stubbornly silent.

    Tonight, she had a very important mission. She must not disappoint Bro Xi and Bro Tao. Furthermore, she did not want to cause more trouble.

    Liu Xiaorou was initially very upset. However, when she saw the circumstances Qin Shuang was in now, and how she did not dare to refute even when she was being ridiculed, only leaving dejectedly, she suddenly felt much better.

    On the other side, with the sound of excited cheers and shrieks from girls, Jiang Muye made his entrance.

    Compared to the more casual do at the fan meet the other day, at the moment, Jiang Muye could be said to have delicately prepared himself from head to toe. From his customized tuxedo to the watch on his wrist, to even the buttons that were from the hands of masters of the craft, his entire outfit should cost at least tens of millions.

    Jiang Muye was already a handsome bloke, but with this whole outfit toplement him, he charmed those youngdies until they wailed loudly. None of the other male artistes or pretty boys there could steal his show.

    With Jiang Muye¡¯s stunning entrance, the votes on the huge screen to the left followed suit to climb up too.

    Even though he had achieved the effect he expected, Jiang Muye was still frowning to himself.

    Earlier, he had been speaking to Ning Xi halfway when he got kicked out, so he did not know what she was wearing today.

    Pathetic! Why did he realize that he was bing more and more like a mother?

    As he was being painstakingly worried, suddenly, a sh of coldness appeared in Jiang Muye¡¯s eyes. Han Zixuan had arrived.

    Starlight Entertainment had really gone all out this time. Apart from that vintage gown on Han Zixuan, the pearls around her wrist were already tens of millions. Even that seemingly unremarkable pair of earrings she wore were valued in the millions.

    Even if an idiot wore this whole look, they would look great too. Spending so much money would naturally show the effects off.

    Han Zixuan¡¯s entrance instantly induced gasps of astonishment from the crowd.

    The host came in with hyped uppliments, detailing all the origins of the items on Han Zixuan and causing all the other female artistes present to be even more envious.

    ¡°No wonder Han Zixuan changedpanies to Starlight! She¡¯s being rich and overbearing!¡±

    ¡°Exactly, just for a ¡®Night of Starlight¡¯, they actually threw in so much money!¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s no wonder too. Ning Xi has returned and even pped Han Zixuan on the face quite a few times. If she loses again this time, where¡¯s she going to put her face? Obviously, Starlight won¡¯t allow such things to happen.¡±

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Ning Xi here yet? I wonder what she¡¯s wearing today!¡±

    ¡°Even though Glory World¡¯s capabilities can¡¯tpare to Starlight, this is Glory World¡¯s only chance of making aeback. They¡¯d probably go all out too! However, it¡¯s impossible for them topare to Starlight¡¯s huge budget. I think they¡¯re definitely going to be pushed down!¡±

    ¡­

    After Han Zixuan finished her entrance on the red carpet, everyone curiously waited to see how Ning Xi was going to make her breathtaking entrance for the night.

    Of course, that included Han Zixuan.

    This entire look had given her a sufficient boost of confidence.

    Finally, with all eyes on her, Ning Xi made her appearance.

    ¡°Next up to make her entrance is our Golden Film Award-winning actress, Ning Xi, who left us for a year¡ª¡±

    Jiang Muye craned his neck to look with anticipation, but in the next second, he was dumbfounded.

    He had thought that Ning Xi was intentionally messing with him, joking even, yet he would never have thought¡­

    This girl had really just ¡°draped a sack¡± to attend the event!

    Even though the design and cutting on her were very beautiful and flowy, was it not just a normal sackcloth skirt?

 Chapter 1916 - Too Killer

    <h4>Chapter 1916: Too Killer</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Han Zixuan sat near the stage, her face instantly turning as dark as the bottom of a pot.

    She felt like she had racked her brains and used all sorts of methods to prepare for war with an enemy, holding a huge knife and bold ax with explosives tied all over her body, while the opponent had advanced without any hurry, unarmed and defenseless, dressed in a sack¡­

    As if she was a nobody that was not worth mentioning¡­

    The magnificent outfit that had initially filled her up with confidence currently felt like it had been bound to her body by a rope, filling her with shame.

    After the crowd was startled, then came the rise and fall of sneers.

    ¡°Killer move¡­ Han Zixuan dressed to the nines while Ning Xi just came over draped in a sack!¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t pay any attention to her dressing!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not even on the same level!¡±

    ¡­

    Han Zixuan was so angry that she started to tremble. Thest time Ning Xi had stolen her limelight with a white qipao, she had never been this mad.

    As Zheng Anru watched the way Han Zixuan was about to lose control, then she quickly went over to console her, ¡°Zixuan, don¡¯t be angry. Don¡¯t be angry. Don¡¯t bother with that witch who only knows how to pull tricks, even though she humiliated us, but with her terrible looks, she won¡¯t even be able to pull the fans¡¯ votes! Our ultimate goal for tonight is still the poll! Later on, when you snag all of the top spots, we¡¯ll viciously p her in the face!¡±

    ¡°I want all of the rankings!¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡­

    After they settled into their seats, Jiang Muye shot Ning Xi a look with an indescribable expression. ¡°Who gave you this idea?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Ning Xi raised her brows.

    ¡°It¡¯s too savage!¡± Jiang Muye said it as it was.

    At this moment, a head suddenly popped in from behind. Xu Tao said unhappily, ¡°Hey, how can you say that?! Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s super awesome? We made Han Zixuan furious, and we can save money too!¡±

    Jiang Muye¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Your main point is that it saves money, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Xu Tao said earnestly, ¡°You can¡¯t say that. Everything I do is for thepany!¡±

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    Xu Tao was sharp!

    ¡°But isn¡¯t this a little toocking in taste?! Whatever it is, you should at least respect the organizer. shouldn¡¯t you?¡± Jiang Muye grumbled.

    Ning Xi leaned her head on her hand as she said nonchntly, ¡°What are you worried for? There¡¯s still the award ceremony,ter on. I¡¯ll change then.¡±

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    With that tone that said, ¡°I still have time to be cool after I win¡±¡­

    Did she have to be so arrogant?

    At this moment, the camera suddenly focused on them. Ning Xi instantly revealed a smile and greeted the fans behind the camera.

    A smile could overturn a state¡­ that was how it was done.

    On the huge screen, Ning Xi¡¯s votes were swiftly increasing.

    Han Zixuan¡¯s votes were twice the number of Ning Xi¡¯s, and could not be surpassed by Ning Xi¡¯s bit of increment. However, the votes in Starlight¡¯s hands had already all been thrown out, so they had basically reached their peak.

    Jiang Muye subconsciously looked to the side. Ning Xi¡¯s soft and cozy outfit was close to a stay-at-home look, and with her gentle hair that casually draped over her shoulders, plus that spring breeze-like smile on her face, it was actually¡­ even more breathtaking than her usual stunning and glittery look.

    There was a kind of harmless energy that warmed one¡¯s heart, making one feel that the person before them was light all over, engulfed by love, to the extent that anyone who looked at her would be infected by such a beautiful feeling.

    ¡°Your outfit¡­ Was it designed by your Imperial designer again?¡± Jiang Muye could not help but ask.

    That guy was too amazing. How could he always tap into this girl¡¯s extraordinary aura and moving elements?

    Ning Xi looked proud as she nodded. ¡°Yep, it¡¯s a new design.¡±

    ¡°So quickly? A new one again? Weren¡¯t new designs just recently released?¡± Jiang Muye was shocked.

 Chapter 1917 - Long Awaited Stage Play

    <h4>Chapter 1917: Long Awaited Stage y</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Darkness filled Ning Xi¡¯s eyes.

    When the ¡°Back To The Origins¡± became popr, History had quickly giarized it and made a simr series. They even made ims that David had spent half a year on this design series. They even had the audacity to use Spirit of giarism.

    While some rational consumers looked at the sequence of releases online and knew what was happening, it was just a very small portion of them.

    Fortunately¡­

    She continued to believe that one line. Every scheme and trick was useless before true power.

    Recently, her designer worked as if he was possessed by the God of design. Inspiration was flowing out. After the ¡°Back To The Origins¡± series, he had another series out already, which was what she wore right now, named as ¡°Love¡±.

    They could try and giarise again.

    They could y their tricks once again, but would everyone be as stupid as they thought?

    Ning Xi did not answer, but Jiang Muye understood that that designer could not have created anything when Ning Xi was not around. His inspiration came back the moment Ning Xi returned.

    It was apparent that he took Ning Xi as his Muse Goddess, his source of inspiration.

    ¡°What¡¯s the order of our performance again?¡± Jiang Muye asked Xu Tao behind him.

    ¡°Pretty up front. We¡¯re number four, so you guys can go the backstage to prepare in a bit,¡± replied Xu Tao.

    ¡°Heck! Why are we so up front? Shouldn¡¯t we go thest!?¡± Jiang Muye sounded unhappy.

    Usually, in shows like these, theter you performed indicated a higher status.

    Xu Tao rolled his eyes. ¡°Did you forget that we¡¯re here to get more votes? We need more time. Plus, being up front is advantageous to us!¡±

    Han Zixuan¡¯s side was not worried about the votes, so of course, she was prepared to gost.

    After the host¡¯s opening speech, the guest performances started.

    The performances in such events were the usual song and dance.

    As expected, the first three were just singing and dancing. The professional singer and the other two actors were not that excellent, but the audience and fans did not really judge harshly because these two were actors as long as it was not too bad¡­

    The audiences were a little numb after the first three performances ended.

    The host then announced the fourth performance, ¡°Next up, we have Jiang Muye and Ning Xi presenting us the ssic opera show ¡®The Phantom of the Opera¡¯! It¡¯s the representative work of the opera expert Andrew Lloyd Webber, the outstanding use of music, romantic story, and wonderful dances that made itself a legend within the world of opera performances. What kind of performance will the most shipped couple bring to us today?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Jiang Muye! Ning Xi!¡±

    ¡°They are finally on the same stage again! I¡¯m so happy!¡±

    ¡­

    The audiences started yelling Jiang Muye and Ning Xi¡¯s names. Even the fans on streaming sites were spamming wildly as well.

    While most of them were not a fan of opera shows, quite a number of them went up and researched upon it.

    ¡°I looked up. Muye was just made for the role of Raoul! Cool, handsome, and loving!¡±

    ¡°There seems to be a disfigured stalking ghost in it. He keeps on disturbing Christine and tried to take her away from Raoul¡­¡±

    ¡°But why an opera show? Doesn¡¯t seem interesting¡­ Thest time my colleague took me to one, I almost fell asleep!¡±

    ¡­

 Chapter 1918 - The Female Lead Has Changed?

    <h4>Chapter 1918: The Female Lead Has Changed?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A whileter, the host left the stage.

    With the start of a sound effect, the whole stage turned dark. The audience quieted down and waited for Ning Xi¡¯s appearance.

    ¡°Think of me,

    Think of me fondly,

    When we¡¯ve said goodbye.

    Remember me once in a while,

    Spare a thought for me.¡±

    With the sound of a passionate voice, the stage gradually lit up.

    The audience looked over and everyone was stunned.

    There was a girl singing as Christine, wearing arge medieval European dress, and that girl was not Ning Xi.

    ¡°Is there a problem with my eyes? Why isn¡¯t Ning Xi the female lead?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s happening? Who¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°She seems familiar. I don¡¯t remember her name! Is there a mistake? Shouldn¡¯t it be Ning Xi and Jiang Muye?¡±

    ¡­

    The audiences whispered to each other in shock, then there was a man singing.

    ¡°Can it be?

    Can it be Christine?

    Long ago, it seems so long ago,

    How young and innocent we were.

    She may not remember me, but I remember her¡­¡±

    Jiang Muye appeared.

    Because of Christine¡¯s sweet voice, Raoul overheard it and suddenly remembered the girl in front of him who was his childhood friend.

    At the moment, Qin Shuang noticed the odd expressions of the audience. She overcame her uneasiness and continued singing with Jiang Muye.

    ¡°Thinking back about the days,

    Thinking back about the times,

    Think about the things we¡¯ve never done.

    There will never be a day when I don¡¯t think of you¡­¡±

    Qin Shuang¡¯s extravagant dress was fitting to her little, palm-sized face and her singing was enchanting.

    While the audience was filled with doubts, they continued watching.

    The pair of lovers recognized each other and held each other¡¯s hands, expressing their feelings.

    Raoul, yed by Jiang Muye, could not hide his feelings and asked Christine out on a date, to which Christine agreed instantly.

    The scene on stage delivered a sweet and warm vibe.

    As Christine went back to her room to change¡­

    A hollow and mncholic tune yed in the background.

    ¡°Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation

    Darkness wakes and stirs imagination

    For Ipose the music of the night¡­¡±

    This deep voice singing had a huge impact. Not only did it attract the attention of Christine on stage, it made the uneasy fans settle down and hold their breath.

    Why was this voice so familiar?

    Everyone craned their necks to look on stage. Han Zixuan frowned as Zheng Anru ranted, ¡°These people are ying so many tricks. What are they going to do again? Getting a small-time actress Qin Shuang as the female lead? Are their heads alright?¡±

    Han Zixuan did not say anything as she felt like she had overlooked something, but she could not put a finger on it.

    ¡°Slowly, gently,

    Night unfurls its splendor

    Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender¡­¡±

    Christine was taken away by the singing and forgot about her promise with Raoul as she went towards the direction of the voice and opened the secret door. She walked down towards the underground secret room¡­

    At the moment, all the audience and fans were attracted by the storyline. They stared at Qin Shuang, waiting to see what Christine would find in the end¡­

 Chapter 1919 - Racing Heart

    <h4>Chapter 1919: Racing Heart</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Open up your mind;

    In this darkness that you know you cannot fight

    The darkness of the music of the night

    Close your eyes, start a journey through a strange new world¡­¡±

    Finally, Christine opened a door that she came to and she found herself in a mysterious kingdom of darkness!

    At the same time, the curiosity of the audience reached its peak.

    Yet, Christine suddenly fainted amidst the beautiful song¡­

    As the hearts of audience almost fell with Christine, a dark shadow shed by and she slumped into someone¡¯s arms¡­

    Wearing an English swallow-tailed coat with a furry shawl and a white mask, the half-revealed face was extremely beautiful. It was such a dignified figure, yet therey a faint scent of evil¡­

    He stared into the face of the girl who had fainted, his eyes filled with jealousy and the desire to own her, strong enough to burn everything down.

    The whole venue was quiet as if time had stopped.

    Han Zixuan finally realized what she had forgotten and her face turned pale instantly. It was toote, it was all toote.

    After the short silence, screams burst out from the audience.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°Bro Xi!¡±

    ¡°Am I dreaming!?¡±

    ¡­

    No one expected it. Even the fans who were familiar with the story of ¡°The Phantom of the Opera¡± did not see iting. Ning Xi had not yed the role of the female lead. Instead, she had taken up the role of the Phantom.

    It was the ¡°Bro Xi¡± they had not seen in so long. Their excitement was no less than when they had seen Ning Xi again at the press conference of ¡°The World¡±.

    On the huge screen to the left, Ning Xi¡¯s votes rose up sharply and Jiang Muye¡¯s eyes almost cramped looking at it.

    Damn it! That¡¯s too much!

    She just changed an outfit, didn¡¯t she? And she only revealed half her face!

    What¡¯s so amazing about that?

    Look at me, I am all gold and shiny, I am much cooler, aren¡¯t I?

    Jiang Muye, who was looking for the missing female lead, was treated as an invisible man. Not only was his woman was taken away, his fans also ignored him.

    Ning Xi was not affected at all as she fully immersed herself into the story.

    The Phantom gently put Christine on the bed and ran his long fingers along her cheek.

    ¡°Give up your worldly desires,

    Close your eyes, let the music free you off your shackles

    Until then, until then, you¡¯ll be mine¡­

    Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before

    Close your eyes, and let the music set you free

    Only then, only then, can you belong to me¡­¡±

    When Ning Xi sang the words ¡°belong to me¡±, the shrieks in the audience almost went through the roof.

    The next moment, Ning Xi took the girl¡¯s hand and put it on her chest. She gazed down and closed into the girl¡¯s lips¡­

    ¡°Floating, falling, sweet intoxication

    Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahh!¡±

    As the roof was about to be blown off by the screams, all the hearts of the girls present were beating fast and they blushed as if they were the girl who had fainted on the bed and was almost going to be kissed.

    Even the men could not avoid it. All of them were starting to blush, and they were not substituting themselves for the role of the Phantom. Instead, they felt as if they were the female lead!

    The boys had to keep reminding themselves that they were straight, reminding themselves of their goddess to keep themselves straight.

    In the end, they realized that their goddess were not as attractive as him¡­

    The worst part was when they realized their goddess was Ning Xi herself!

    Oh no, they were turning gay!

 Chapter 1920 - Bewitched

    <h4>Chapter 1920: Bewitched</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Grandeur yet demonic, mad yet restrained, her damaged appearance was still so beautiful that it shook one to the core. Ning Xi fused such a juxtaposition that was poles apart perfectly. She had given a whole new life to the ghost.

    The ghost silently watched the girl on the bed as the incredibly bewitching singing began.

    ¡°Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in

    To the power of the music that I write,

    The power of the music of the night¡­¡±

    With the charming voice akin to a siren¡¯s grotto, whether it was the fans present or the audience in front of the television and those who were watching the online live stream, regardless of whether it was man or woman, in this instant, everyone bowed before this person on stage.

    Ning Xi¡¯s singing was not bad. It was abination of the traditional way of singing with the mainstream approach. However, there was definitely still a gappared to professional singers, but the feelings within her voice were something that professional singers could notpare to. She had melded her acting skillspletely into the music.

    After some polishing, that low and hoarse voice that was a fine line between a man and woman, coupled with that demonic half-revealed face which overlooked gender was enough to make one go crazy.

    Just as the audience was bing obsessed with her, the lights on stage suddenly dimmed.

    When the lights came on again, the phantom had already vanished, Christiney in her room again as if all of it was just a dream.

    Initially, the musical did not receive much attention and was poorly epted by the audience. However, at this moment, it hadpletely enraptured everyone,. They were fully concentrated as they waited for the next performance.

    All four heads of the television channels received information almost at the same time that the viewer ratings were rapidly increasing, with the hope of breaking Night of Starlight¡¯s record in ten years. Not to mention those online live stream websites, the poprity of the Night of Starlight live stream steadily increased until it reached first ce.

    Next, Christine and the Phantom experienced a number of days together as student-teacher and friends, the Phantom taught Christine to sing in secret. In fact, he had gotten rid of all barriers for Christine. He did not spare harming people to push her all the way to the position of the female lead.

    Unfortunately for the Phantom, all of this was only exchanged with Christine¡¯s fear. While she and Raoul were bing more and more inseparable, after the incident on the stage happened, Christine and Raoul escaped to the rooftop amidst everyone¡¯s panic.

    Over there, she told Raoul about her encounter, and he expressed his affection for her that he had buried for a long time to Christine. The two of them sang a duet called ¡°All I Ask of You¡± to express their feelings for each other.

    The ghost took all of this in, feeling pained by Raoul¡¯s feelings towards Christine, and baffled by Christine¡¯s betrayal. He decided to curse them.

    Finally, he could not hold back any longer, he cursed them in anger, in fact during the ¡°Faust¡± performance curtain call, the huge chandelier fell on Christine to torrent his anger and warning.

    When the plot line reached this part, they entered the second scene of the storyline.

    Half a year passed, and the Phantom that had caused everyone anxiety never appeared again. The chandelier was fixed and the theater organized a masquerade ball to celebrate this new start.

    Christine and Raoul, who had already secretly gotten engaged, were also dancing hand in hand among the crowd.

    When the joyous asion reached a high, a customer suddenly appeared wearing a red Grim Reaper mask, shocking with this bizarre and frightening look.

    The mystery customer was the Phantom who had been lying low.

    Under the Phantom¡¯s meticulous arrangements, he disguised as someone else and managed to get the opportunity to share a stage with Christine.

 Chapter 1921: Our Bodies Entwined

    <h4>Chapter 1921: Our Bodies Entwined</h4>

    When Ning Xi appeared before the audience once again in her red attire that was so charming that it was almost demonic, the live stream websites were almost filled with thements of "licking my screen" until it almost caused a massiveg, especially when the Phantom sang the next song called "Point of No Return".

    "Dropped all defenses

    Completely sumbed to me

    Past the point of no return -

    Abandon thoughts, and let the dream descend

    What raging fire shall flood the soul

    What sweet seduction lies before us¡­"

    At the sound of the Phantom''s bewitching singing, the fans off-stage went crazy first.

    "Ah, ah, ah! Sumb, sumb! Bro Xi, I''m yours! My being, my heart, my soul, all of me is yours!"

    "I havee here

    Hardly knowing the reason why

    In my mind, I''ve already imagined

    Our bodies entwining

    I''ve decided,

    Decided

    Past the point

    Of no return¡­"

    "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Oh my Lord! Bodies entwining and all! Pleasee my way!]

    "Our passion-y has now atst begun

    Past all thought of right or wrong.

    One final question -

    How long should we two wait, before we''re one?

    When will the blood begin to race?

    When will the mes, atst, consume us?"

    "Now, now, now! Bro Xi please consume me! I''m lying down now!" The livestream was instantly flooded with suchments.

    "Say you''ll share with me

    One love, one lifetime.

    Lead me, save me from my solitude.

    Anywhere you go, let me go too¡­"

    By the time the song ended, almost everyone was infected by the Phantom''s passionately hopeless love for the female lead, even if he was paranoid, even if he had done it by hook or by crook, it still made one''s heart ache for him in a way they could not control.

    To him, the female lead was his everything, his only redemption.

    In reality, Christine loved Raoul and the Phantom too. Between the angel and the devil, she lost herself and had wavered.

    She knew that the Phantom was dangerous as he belonged to the darkness, yet she still could not help but get closer to him.

    On the Don Juan stage, they moved closer to each other and finally hugged tightly. This song was foreshadowing these two people who should not love each other but did so in the end as they were unable to avoid falling into the fire pits of love.

    Atst, when the Phantom sang that song that Raoul had pledged his love to her with, "All I Ask of You", his singing awakened Christine and she recognized him.

    When the female lead took the Phantom''s mask off then and there and saw through his identity, everyone did not let out a sigh of relief. The scene gripped their hearts instead.

    On stage, the Phantom avoided the female lead''s eyes with a sorry look. The other half of his face revealed a cruel mark of ugliness. Just like that, it waspletely exposed right before the woman he loved the most.

    All of the audience and fans felt extreme anguish in their hearts.

    Because almost everyone''s attention was on stage at this point, no one noticed Ning Xi''s votes in both categories were already catching up with Han Zixuan''s.

    Even though everyone''s votes had been squeezed dry earlier on, there was still a huge group of people who liked to vote at the veryst moment, plus under the strong stimtions of wanting to reach to the top, everyone had personally pulled votes from their parents, friends, colleagues, and even strangers. The force of the masses could never be underestimated as long as you had the capabilities.

    Finally¡­

    The Phantom hadpletely lost all rationale and he whisked Christine away to his undergroundir.

    "Why¡­ Why was the world so unfair to me? Just because I have a scary face, even my mother was not willing to look me in the face¡­" The Phantom trembled in extreme distress.

 Chapter 1922 - Kissing Scene

    <h4>Chapter 1922: Kissing Scene</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Christine whimpered emotionally, ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s not that the world is unfair to you. It¡¯s not the world¡¯s fault. It¡¯s you who imprisoned your inspiration. You didn¡¯t spare people¡¯s lives to achieve your goals. You stole other people¡¯s love. I¡¯m thankful for your help, but my feelings for you¡­ All that¡¯s left now is only hatred¡­¡±

    When he heard the woman he loved dere her hatred for him, Ning Xi¡¯s aggressive, indignant and resentful expression turned nk in an instant. She stood there all alone as if everything had lost its meaning.

    All the audience subconsciously straightened their backs and their hearts tightened as they looked incredibly tensed.

    Right at this moment, Raoul appeared.

    Jiang Muye was quite professional as he shouted loudly, ¡°Your Majesty, please let go of Christine. I¡¯m willing to do anything for you!¡±

    When he saw this man who had stolen his precious woman, the Phantom lost control once again and used a special noose tosso Raoul¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Ah!!! Don¡¯t!¡± Christine cried out in rm.

    The Phantom looked at Christine, who was anxiously crying out loud and forced her to make a decision. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll give you two choices. Use Raoul¡¯s life to exchange for your freedom. He dies, but I¡¯ll let you go; or two, put the wedding dress on and be my bride in exchange for Raoul¡¯s life!¡±

    Raoul loved Christine dearly, so when he heard the Phantom, he said without hesitation, ¡°Christine, don¡¯t promise him. Don¡¯t marry this devil! If you say you love him just to save me, then my life would end too!¡±

    At this moment, almost all the audience off-stage and the fans on the live stream thought to themselves, ¡°Damn! What¡¯s she waiting for?! Of course, she should marry the Phantom!¡±

    ¡°Marry him! Marry him!¡±

    ¡°Female lead, if you won¡¯t marry him then let hime my way!¡±

    ¡­

    As Jiang Muye heard the audience¡¯s urges, he almost puked blood.

    Do girls nowadays prefer the crazies and the perverts? Bloody hell, are you just going to watch me die?

    Where is your humanity?

    Finally, how was this hopeless situation going to be resolved?

    This outdated musical hadpletely been vested in everyone¡¯s interest by this point.

    On the other hand, a small group in the audience who knew what the uing storyline progress was was even more excited because they knew that there would be a kissing sceneing up. It was the real deal, hahaha!

    Facing the choices that the Phantom offered, Christine fell into a painful struggle.

    Atst, she still could not have her lover, Raoul, sacrifice for her.

    Her indecisive and helpless gaze suddenly became certain as she finally mustered her courage and looked up towards the Phantom.

    She was about to tell the Phantom that the force of love was strong and that the Lord would, in the end, save his mad soul.

    In the next second, Christine took a deep breath and walked a few steps up to him without warning before giving the Phantom a long kiss.

    Even though it was just an illusion of position, Qin Shuang¡¯s heart was thumping so hard that it was about to explode. She used up all of her professionalism to not forget herself then and there.

    The instant Ning Xi was kissed, everyone present was about to go crazy. The atmosphere had reached an unprecedented peak while the viewer ratings and the poprity of the live stream channels broke all of its previous records in history.

    With just a short performance, Ning Xi¡¯s votes on-screen had caught up with Han Zixuan¡¯s.

    Unexpectedly kissed by the girl he loved by her own initiative, the Phantom¡¯s wild and unruly expression suddenly turned nk.

    His initially sinister and scary expression was unexpectedly extremely adorable at this point.

 Chapter 1923 - Grand Success

    <h4>Chapter 1923: Grand Sess</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was a meaningful kiss, a kiss of salvation as if the light from the creator of all things shone upon the Phantom¡¯s closed up soul.

    Finally, the Phantom was convinced by Christine¡¯s determined love.

    At thest moment, thanks to the kiss, he finally understood that true love was not about imprisonment or taking.

    The Phantom backed off and turned around to avoid the girl¡¯s gaze. At the same time, he let go of the noose around Raoul¡¯s neck.

    After a while, he raised up his hands and waved to Christine and Raoul, signaling them to leave.

    Christine and Raoul rushed towards each other in disbelief.

    In the end, Christine ran towards the Phantom, taking the ring he gave her off and returning it to him.

    The Phantom looked down at his palm and slowly closed it. The ring was wrapped inside, then step by step, slowly, he walked towards the throne on the stage alone. He looked at the lovers leaving as he wailed on his own.

    ¡°I¡¯m so empty without you.

    What happened? You left me

    I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what to do.

    I¡¯m trying to continue but it¡¯s so difficult.

    Is it my fault or this is just a game?

    I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯d leave me,

    I can¡¯t stand it even if it¡¯s just for a day.

    I can¡¯t forget about you.

    This pain is crumbling me because we¡¯re finished.

    I just want you toe back, I need you toe back

    But I let you go

    Now everything has ended¡­¡±

    The music faded away and darkness returned to the stage once again.

    There was a huge rock in everyone¡¯s heart, making it hard to breathe.

    In thest scene, after many years, Christine passed away. When Raoul visited her grave, he noticed a ck rose with a piece of ckce tied to it on the grave.

    The end.

    Until the end of the performance, the audience was still immersed in the storyline and was not able to react.

    After some time, a thundering round of apuse was heard. The apusested for some time.

    The host came back on stage after finding the right timing. ¡°That was unexpected! Ning Xi and Jiang Muye brought us such a big surprise. The lovely singing of the female lead, Qin Shuang, surely gave us a huge impact. What a visual feast for everyone! Now, let¡¯s have our three leads up on stage!¡±

    With the host¡¯s voice of excitement, Qin Shuang and Jiang Muye went on stage one after another, still wearing their stage outfits.

    In the opera, each and every outfit worn by Qin Shuang were extremely beautiful and significantly raised points on her tiny face. A bonus point was that during her performance with the two famous artistes Ning Xi and Jiang Muye, she seemed unfazed and put up an extraordinary show. This instantly created a strong impression of her on everyone.

    Many people were already searching about her on the Inte.

    As for Jiang Muye¡¯s role today, if the Phantom was known to be the devil, Raoul would be the angel.

    He was a royal, yet he fell in love with his childhood friend, who was an orphan that grew up in the opera house.

    He loved her and went up to the rooftop to confess to her. He even went down into the grave to awaken her, ignoring his own safety to save her from the prison. Lastly, at the door of life and death, he told her to not sacrifice her life for him.

    The Phantom was crazy for Christine, but Raoul was willing to sacrifice his own life for Christine¡¯s happiness.

 Chapter 1924 - Bro Xi, Long Time No See

    <h4>Chapter 1924: Bro Xi, Long Time No See</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The two male leads in the show were superb. It was a difficult choice indeed.

    Jiang Muye¡¯s character attracted him arge group of new fans.

    Ning Xi was really outstanding. Just by revealing half of her face, everyone went crazy.

    It was a triple win!

    It took a long time to put makeup on half of Ning Xi¡¯s disfigured face. Even the removal process was a little troublesome as well. She came out slowly after Qin Shuang and Jiang Muye went up on stage.

    She was still wearing that elegant stage outfit, but she had removed the shawl and mask. After the special effects makeup was cleaned up, a breathtaking face once again appeared right before the audience again.

    ¡°Ah! Bro Xi, Bro Xi, Bro Xi!¡±

    ¡°Bro Xi, I want to have your baby!¡±

    ¡­

    Seeing how passionate her fans were, Ning Xi took the mic from the host and said gently, ¡°Thank you, everyone. Long time no see.¡±

    Four simple words were enough to ignite the passion within everyone!

    ¡°Bro Xi, long time no see !¡±

    ¡°Long time no see! We missed you, Bro Xi!¡±

    ¡°I love you, dear! I¡¯ve been keeping myself pure for you all these years!¡±

    ¡­

    After ¡°Dream Chaser¡± ended, it had indeed been a long time since Ning Xi appeared before everyone in a male outfit.

    Every time she changed into a male outfit, it felt like she had a split personality. She would transform into another person, and the vibe she exuded was fresh and new every time.

    No wonder the fans were so excited.

    As Ning Xi said the words ¡°long time no see¡± on stage, the poll on the left screen started to disy some drastic changes.

    Ning Xi¡¯s ranking had overtaken Han Zixuan¡¯s spot and was still on the rise!

    Han Zixuan and Zheng Anru had been keeping check of the rankings. Their expressions changed when they saw that their rankings had been surpassed by Ning Xi.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys?! She overtook us even when we had that many votes! Didn¡¯t Liu Wenliang prepare any contingency n?¡± Han Zixuan freaked out a little no matter how hard she tried to be calm, especially when she saw the numbers on the big screen.

    Zheng Anru started to get nervous. ¡°We started strong at the beginning, so we don¡¯t really have that many votes in hand now. It¡¯s toote to gather votes right now! Damn it! That Xu Tao bastard was treacherous! What a trick! This is the female star ranking. What does Ning Xi think she¡¯s doing? That¡¯s breaking the rules! I¡¯m going to file aint!¡±

    Han Zixuan¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°Don¡¯t you think the organizers knew about it?¡±

    It was obvious that the organizers knew what Ning Xi was going to do, but they had not stopped her. They just wanted poprity, so they would not care what the artistes did.

    They had been too careless. It was unexpected that Ning Xi¡¯s bunch would pull such a trick at the veryst minute.

    ¡°No wonder Ning Xi¡¯s performance was scheduled this early. They were waiting for us here! Our performance isst. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be toote by then! Why don¡¯t we take an earlier slot so that we have got more time to gain some votes!? Zixuan, you¡¯ve been painted in the image of a cold goddess. Your breakthrough this time with a sexy dance will surely get the men going crazy! Ning Xi had the girls. Let¡¯s get the guys!¡±

    Han Zixuan gave it some thought. While she was irritated, there was nothing else that could be done. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go with your suggestion!¡±

    Zheng Anru thought her n was going to work. She had no idea that while Ning Xi was having all the girls in her hands, the bent guys were suffering as well¡­

 Chapter 1925 - Undo Buttons

    <h4>Chapter 1925: Undo Buttons</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Each performance had a time limit. Every guest was limited to about 10 to 15 minutes, but because Ning Xibined her performance with Jiang Muye, they were able to get half an hour of stage time.

    They simplified the show to make it easier to understand, so in addition to the perfect synergy among the trio, this long half an hour show was pure enjoyment for the audience.

    Until the end, people still did not have enough of it.

    As the three of them descended from the stage, everyone¡¯s eyes did not leave them for even a fraction of a second, especially Ning Xi.

    ¡°Thank you to the three of them for bringing to us such an amazing performance. To you guys in front of the TV and the live stream sites, don¡¯t go away! More performances await, but I¡¯m not telling you just yet who¡¯s next! I wonder if anyone can guess who¡¯ll be next up on stage?¡±

    While the host was trying to create a mysterious vibe, the suspense was not as great as the attention on Ning Xi even when she was currently seated in the guest area.

    The live audience watched Ning Xi as she walked off the stage and sat in the guest area. She was busy talking to Qin Shuang and Jiang Muye beside her.

    She was not really doing anything, yet all her graceful movements made it hard for people to take their eyes off of her.

    The live audience and fans watching the streaming sites screamed in excitement when the camera caught a glimpse of Ning Xi, especially on the streaming sites. The chats were all about her.

    ¡°Ah! Mr. Cameraman, Bro Xi please!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Cameraman! I want to see my husband!¡±

    ¡°Please, Mr. Cameraman!¡±

    ¡­

    At the same time, the lights on the stage went off except for one spotlight right in the middle.

    After a moment, upbeat music echoed through the whole venue and everyone¡¯s ears as dancers gradually came out and were dancing their feet off. The vibe created just a moment ago wore off.

    Off-stage, Ning Xi sat there quietly, feeling sweat trickle down her corbone area because of the performance just now.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ What should we do?¡± There were too many requests to ignore, so the cameramen were troubled as they looked at the reaction of the audience.

    The leader made a decision swiftly. ¡°Give Ning Xi more features!¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s Han Zixuan¡¯s show next¡­¡±

    ¡°Do I really have to teach you how to do it? Don¡¯t make it too obvious! Look for loopholes! Don¡¯t you know how to find a right angle?¡± The leader of the cameraman said exasperatedly.

    The cameraman understood when they heard the orders from their walkie-talkies.

    After a short dance, there was a solid thump as a square hole appeared on the stage and someone leaped out of it.

    It was Han Zixuan.

    She was d in a tight, ck bodysuit, highlighting her slim waist and her pair of long legs, with her long, ck waves of hair.

    It was a new look from the cool goddess. How sexy and enticing!

    Her new look and sexy dance attracted the attention of the crowd, and the rate of Han Zixuan¡¯s votes sped up.

    On the ranking, Ning Xi and Han Zixuan¡¯s names were chasing one after another.

    Below the stage, Zheng Anru¡¯s heart was so nervous that it almost jumped out. She eased up slightly when she saw the expected reaction of the audience.

    She knew this trick would do the job!

    Suddenly, the no. 1 cameraman saw something that caught his eye. Since he was the closest to Ning Xi, he aimed the shot at her.

    The screen suddenly changed, disying Ning Xi and Jiang Muye. Because Ning Xi felt a little too warm wearing the stage outfit, she was slowly undoing her button as she watched the performance on stage.

    ¡°Ah! So cool! My heart¡¯s going to burst!¡±

    ¡°My hormones!¡±

    ¡°My husband is the best!¡±

    ¡°Please continue! Don¡¯t stop!¡±

 Chapter 1926 - Ning Xiao Xi, You Pervert!

    <h4>Chapter 1926: Ning Xiao Xi, You Pervert!</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Suddenly, almost all of the fans and audience suddenly had their eyes trained on Ning Xi. In fact, Ning Xi¡¯s votes started to balloon like the numbers were on a rocket.

    As for the viewer ratings, there was no need to mention that.

    When the channel director saw the soaring viewer ratings, he was so delighted that his heart could not stop racing.

    Not only did he not scold those cameramen who had cut a shot midway to take a close up of Ning Xi, instead he was full of praises. In fact, he immediately changed his mind about what he said earlier.

    ¡°No bad, not bad¡­ Ahem¡­ Actually, it¡¯s fine if it¡¯s a little obvious!¡±

    The cameramen were all originally a little worried. They did not dare to be too obvious, yet now that they had received the channel director¡¯s approval, they instantly added more screentime for her.

    When camera number 10 shot Han Zixuan, it would almost always include Ning Xi in the frame at the same time.

    Below the stage, as he watched the way her votes had suddenly risen in a way that made it hard for Han Zixuan to catch up, and the way everyone looked like they were about to go mad, Jiang Muye, who sat beside Ning Xi, had a baffled expression.

    ¡°Bloody hell¡­ What the heck!? Didn¡¯t you just undo one button? Was that necessary? Qin Xiao Shuang, don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something wrong with these fans¡¯ brains?¡±

    On the side, Qin Shuang did not respond to Jiang Muye at all.

    Jiang Muye looked over and saw that the girl¡¯s eyes already looked past him to stare at Ning Xi. She was sping her heart, and she looked like her heart was galloping so fast that she could faint at any moment.

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

    Because he and Ning Xi sat together, the two of them clearly appeared in the shots together. Still, in the end, he waspletely ignored.

    This was something that had never happened since he debuted in the industry. Every time he appeared, all of the male artistes before him would just be a supplement to his presence.

    But now, he had been defeated by a woman!

    Thus, Jiang Muye finally could not stand it. ¡°Bloody hell! Didn¡¯t you just undo a button? Who doesn¡¯t know how to do that?¡±

    Then, he quickly undid three buttons.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Muye, Muye, Muye, Muye!¡±

    Jiang Muye¡¯s fans finally noticed their idol too and all of them started to shriek.

    He had to sacrifice so much for a little bit of attention. Not only was Jiang Muye upset, he also looked very sour and jealously at a certain someone who was sitting nonchntly beside him.

    When Ning Xi noticed his gaze, she looked at the blondie beside her from the corner of her eye and suddenly revealed a pensive expression.

    Jiang Muye got goosebumps. ¡°What¡¯re you looking at?¡±

    Ning Xi leaned her head on her hand and smiled as she said faintly, ¡°I suddenly thought of how you¡¯d look like if you were a woman¡¯s outfit?¡±

    What the heck!? She was actually imagining the way he looked in a female outfit! She was insane!

    Jiang Muye suddenly exploded then and there as he held his chest in horror like a girl who had been vited and said, ¡°Ning Xiao Xi! You pervert!¡±

    Even though the fans and audience did not know the contents of Ning Xi and Jiang Muye¡¯s conversation, from their lively and lovely way of interacting with each other coupled with that expression of Jiang Muye¡¯s was clearly being bullied to the point of breaking down, the two of them were practically the perfect portrayal of a bad boy attacking and a soft boy overreacting. It virtually excited the strong emotions of the most guarded Fujoshis among the fans.

    ¡°Ahhhhh! So lovely! The way my Muye overreacts is way too cute!¡±

    ¡°The attack and reaction are so obvious! Bro Xi attacks! Muye appropriately receives!¡±

    ¡°I really want to know what they¡¯re talking about!¡±

    ¡°I know, I know! I¡¯ve recorded it and read their lips repeated times! Bro Xi said he wants to know how Muye would look like in a female outfit!¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh, oh! Bro Xi is awesome! I¡¯d want to know how my husband would look in a female outfit too!¡± ¡­

    Below the stage, Jiang Muye was on his phone looking at the live streamments. His expression was almost as ck as the bottom of a pot. ¡°What the heck?! Who¡¯s the soft boy receiving!? I¡¯m the attacker! Attack!¡±

 Chapter 1927 - Slay Ranks!

    <h4>Chapter 1927: y Ranks!</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Even though everyone was very intense with their effort to pull the votes the past few days, there was still a group of people who liked saving their votes for the event, and an evenrger group of people who just would not vote.

    However, at this moment, when their emotions werepletely riled up, the portion of the votes had suddenly all been squeezed out, not to mention the strong forces of fans personally pulling votes from all over the world.

    At this moment, Starlight was obviously trying toe up with ideas, but they could not even catch up with the speed that Ning Xi¡¯s votes were rising¡­

    On stage, Han Zixuan danced and twirled with all sorts of sexy and energetic moves until she was drenched in sweat. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that her votes hadpletely been surpassed by Ning Xi, and she saw that the audience¡¯s cheers and shrieks did not seem to be for her.

    At this moment, she suddenly realized that something was wrong.

    When she spun around, she was shocked to see that on the huge screen behind her was a close-up of Ning Xi and not her!

    Han Zixuan¡¯s expression suddenly turned pale and she messed up her footwork as she instantly missed the beat.

    When Zheng Anru noticed it off-stage, she was so anxious that her face was filled with horror.

    ¡°Damn it! What are those people doing backstage!? This is Zixuan¡¯s slot! Where are the cameras pointing?!¡±

    Then, what was even sadder was that even though Han Zixuan had made such a huge mistake, not a single person had noticed.

    They had both teased the crowd, but uponparing Han Zixuan¡¯s and Ning Xi¡¯s way, the winner was obvious.

    Zixuan was rather deliberate and overly sculpted, giving people the impression that she was dull. It was Ning Xi¡¯sck of self-awareness as though she was saying, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t even think about teasing you¡± that wiped out both the men and the women, causing everyone to go insane for her.

    Even just a small action, a slight gaze could make one¡¯s heart race.

    Finally, on the stage, Han Zixuan¡¯s performance ended.

    On the huge screen to the left, Ning Xi¡¯s votes had unexpectedly surpassed Han Zixuan by a terrifying rate of two times more.

    In fact, she was leading by a wide margin for both categories!

    This performance was supposed to be Han Zixuan¡¯s killer move to pull for votes and they had even moved her slot up, yet it had instead thrown her straight to hell.

    When Zheng Anru saw the numbers that were impossible to outdo, she immediately stood up, then nkly fell back down into her seat withplete disbelief written all over her face.

    ¡°This¡­ This is impossible! How was this possible!¡±

    ¡°So amazing! Bro Xi! Your votes made aeback! In fact, you¡¯ve outdone the others by a wide margin! And it¡¯s still rising!¡± Qin Xiao Shuang had been watching Ning Xi¡¯s votes closely and at this moment, she was incredibly excited.

    This was a miracle¡­

    This person before her always had a way to do the impossible.

    As long as she was by her side, she would feel at ease!

    Jiang Muye peeked at Qin Shuang and held his chin as his mouth twitched. ¡°Great, you¡¯ve seduced another one, you bad person!¡±

    Even though he was jealous, seeing that Ning Xi was finally dominating the ranks with him, Jiang Muye still felt quite happy.

    Tsk, tsk, tsk! The ranks would look awesome!

    Most Popr Male Artiste No. 1: Jiang Muye

    National Male Idol: Jiang Muye

    Most Desired Male Artiste To Sleep With No. 1: Jiang Muye

    Most Popr Female Artiste No. 1: Ning Xi

    National Goddess No. 1: Ning Xi

    The five most influential categories would all be dominated by Glory World Entertainment!

    As for the National Husband title that was held steady by Lu Tingxiao, he was still one of them too!

    Yet, very soon, Jiang Muye¡¯s happiness was short-lived.

    With the end of Han Zixuan¡¯s performance, the other performances began. Even in other categories that could not have been possible, Ning Xi¡¯s votes had begun to quietly increase too¡­

 Chapter 1928 - Shocking Change of Ranks!

    <h4>Chapter 1928: Shocking Change of Ranks!</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Because the huge screen on the left only showed the top ten categories, the other titles would not be disyed, so no one had noticed for now.

    The craze of the fans offline and passersby were still ambiguous¡­

    At this moment, backstage.

    Zheng Anru was stomping in fury. ¡°Damn it, Liu Wenliang, that dumbass! Why hadn¡¯t he known to have a backup!? We¡¯re watching Ning Xi¡¯s votes increase drastically and we can¡¯t do a damned thing!¡±

    Han Zixuan¡¯s rationality and poise could not be maintained anymore. She threw the mineral water bottle at her assistant.

    The assistant¡¯s head became red and swollen from the impact of the bottle. On the side, she said carefully, ¡°They must have bought votes! Otherwise, how could it have increased so quickly?!¡±

    Even though they knew that with Glory World¡¯s capabilities, there was no way they could buy these many votes, yet saying this would still make it easier for them to ept the oue rather than saying that Han Zixuan¡¯s skills could notpare to Ning Xi¡¯s.

    ¡°Then, quickly call thepany!¡± Han Zixuan cursed under her breath.

    Zheng Anru walked around frantically backstage as she quickly called the Public Rtions department and started spluttering into the phone, ¡°Liu Wenliang, quickly think of something for me! We don¡¯t care what method you use! Don¡¯t forget that CEO Wang has told you that this time for the female rankings, the number one must be Zixuan. It can only be Zixuan! You¡¯d better think about the consequences if you make a mistake this time!¡±

    On the other of the phone, Liu Wenliang was already in terrible shape at the moment. He was frantic as well because he had just been scolded by Wang Haojun and Ning Xueluo. Now, with Zheng Anru¡¯s call, he was enraged.

    ¡°Zheng Anru, do you think I¡¯m God? Ning Xi¡¯s just sitting in her guest seat and doing nothing, but her votes keep on rising tremendously. What can I do?¡±

    Just as Zheng Anru and Liu Wenliang were arguing on the phone, Zheng Anru saw that Ning Xi¡¯s votes in both categories had suddenly decelerated. There were even signs of it slowly stopping.

    Zheng Anru was suddenly overjoyed. ¡°It¡¯s stopping, it¡¯s stopping. I knew it! It¡¯s finally reached its peak! Liu Wenliang, quickly seize the opportunity and step things up!¡±

    Liu Wenliang obviously noticed this too, but he instantly grumbled, ¡°Step things up, my ass! Do you think we can surpass her just like that? Look at the margin of the votes right now! Even if it¡¯s stopped, there¡¯s no way we can surpass her either!

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to know that those number of votes were pulled in six whole days! Now, in such a short amount of time, there¡¯s no way we could pull so many votes! Instead of nitpicking at me, why don¡¯t you let Zixuan think of a way to make her fans vote for her. That¡¯d be faster!¡±

    Zheng Anru looked at Han Zixuan and her expression was dark. In such a short amount of time, what could she think of?

    Even that shocking performance earlier was useless!

    Should she ask for the organizers to give her another slot?

    Just as Zheng Anru was haggling and arguing with Liu Wenliang¡­

    On the side, the assistant stared at the huge screen and suddenly covered her mouth. She cried out in rm, ¡°Ah¡­ Oh my God! What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°What are you making a big fuss about?¡± Zheng Anru scowled impatiently.

    The assistant pointed at the numbers and said emotionally, ¡°Sis Anru, look at the male artiste list! How did Ning Xi¡¯s name suddenly appear on the male artiste ranks? Could there be a problem with the system?¡±

    Zheng Anru suddenly could not care about Liu Wenliang on the phone. She quickly went over to look and indeed, Ning Xi¡¯s name was really on the male list!

    Most Popr Male Artiste No. 10: Ning Xi!

    National Male Idol No. 9: Ning Xi!

    Most Desired Male Artiste To Sleep With No. 7: Ning Xi!

 Chapter 1929 - On The Rise

    <h4>Chapter 1929: On The Rise.</h4>

    Over the phone came the voice of Liu Wenliang, who was just slightly calmer than the frantic Zheng Anru. ¡°It¡¯s not rigged¡­ Female artistes in the male artiste list or male artistes appearing in the female artiste¡¯s list is definitely possible.

    ¡°A lot of categories were avable for both genders. Apart from the exception of the neers¡¯ category, the others are using the same nomination list.

    ¡°In the past, there¡¯ve been fans who voted that way because they thought it was fun or just wanted to pull a prank, but votes like these were very, very few. It¡¯s never affected the final results before, but this time¡­¡±

    ¡°But they can¡¯t do this! It¡¯s nonsense! Don¡¯t the organizers care?¡± Zheng Anru said angrily.

    Liu Wenliang then replied, ¡°In the rules and regtions, there aren¡¯t any that prohibits this. The organizers probably left it this way to make things more fun!¡±

    ¡°Contact CEO Wang. Tell him to pressure the organizers! use her of cheating! Or just say that she¡¯s buying votes! Make her lose her spot in all the rankings! I don¡¯t believe there¡¯s no way to counter her!¡±

    Before the issue of Ning Xi dominating the female artistes¡¯ ranking was solved, another problem had cropped up with the male artiste¡¯s ranking. Zheng Anru was thoroughly enraged.

    Liu Wenliang fully understood what the organizers were thinking. Things were not as simple as Zheng Anru thought, but since it hade to this point now, there was no harm in trying.

    The ranking this time was definitely important, even for him personally.

    If things went wrong again, he would be the first one to take the hit.

    Wang Haojun and Ning Xueluo had been invited to the event tonight. Ning Xueluo was busy with Su Yan¡¯s matter and was not present, but Wang Haojun was there in the VIP area.

    He had witnessed what happened.

    He did not need Liu Wenliang¡¯s reminder and had already gone towards the backstage secretly.

    Wang Haojun lit up a cigarette for Qin Zhen as he acted like an old buddy and put his arms over the man¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Producer Qin, having a female artiste on the male artiste list? Isn¡¯t this a little too nonsensical?¡±

    As the main producer of Entertainment¡¯s Light and the head of Night of Starlight, Qin Zhen¡¯s eyes turned a little wary when a certain someone approached him.

    It was not difficult to guess Wang Haojun¡¯s intentions, so he replied, ¡°CEO Wang, the rules for the rankings have been the same every year. I¡¯m pretty sure you know that while nothing like this happened in the past years, the rules allow it¡­¡±

    The ¡°Night of Starlight¡± had reached a new height and poprity thanks to Ning Xi. He was wholly enjoying it, so why would he put a stop on this?

    In the end, there were no friends forever in this industry. Long live benefits!

    Wang Haojun was able to guess what the sly fox in front of him was thinking, but as he was pressed for time, he clenched his teeth and shed him a number with his fingers. ¡°Remove Ning Xi from all the ranking in the name of viting the rules! After it¡¯s done, I¡¯ll give you this figure!¡±

    Qin Zhen¡¯s eyes brightened a little when he saw Wang Haojun¡¯s hand, and he was obviously shaken.

    However, as he was hesitating, he saw the real-time ranking through a crack in the door that was notpletely shut.

    He did not even know about it, so he was shocked when he found out.

    In the brief moment of exchange with Wang Haojun, Ning Xi had rushed her way into the top five in the male artiste list. She had reached top three in the ¡°Most Desired Male Artiste To Sleep With¡± category, and it was still rapidly on the rise!

 Chapter 1930 - Iâ€™ll Give Ten Times More

    <h4>Chapter 1930: I¡¯ll Give Ten Times More</h4>

    Everyone knew that Starlight had poured all their resources into Han Zixuan, so the votes on the male artiste ranking were way far behind the female artiste ranking, making it much easier to get ahead of.

    Everyone saw what was happening. As the live audience and fans on the streaming sites saw the ranking change, they started voting in the male artiste category when Ning Xi reached the top for female artiste ranking. The votes wereing in faster and faster!

    Qin Zhen was skeptical when he saw the ranking.

    The rules were set and Ning Xi had not vited it at all. If he listened to Wang Haojun and brought Ning Xi down when she had so many supporters at the moment, the public would surely spit on them to the point that they would drown!

    Wang Haojun quickly changed his figure with his fingers and raised the price!

    Qin Zhen was taken aback, his eyes full of greed.

    It was such arge amount of money that it would be enough for him to live for the rest of his life even if he quit working after this!

    As Qin Zhen hesitated, he suddenly received a phone call.

    ¡°Uhh, CEO Wang, I have an important phone call. Please wait!¡±

    Qin Zhen¡¯s expression changed when he saw who was calling him. He quickly hid in a corner after he asked Wang Haojun to wait.

    Wang Haojun had an uneasy feeling when he saw Qin Zhen¡¯s reaction.

    At this time, who could it be?

    In the corner, Qin Zhen picked up the call as he bent over although the person over the phone could not see it.

    ¡°Uhm, so¡­ what¡¯s up with the call today, Second Master? I¡¯m surprised! Really surprised!¡±

    Azy drawl came over from the other side of the phone, he went straight to the point. ¡°I don¡¯t care how much Wang Haojun offered you, I¡¯m giving you ten times more!¡±

    Damn! Ten times more!

    Qin Zhen was almost crushed by this number.

    However, there was no way he could take it!

    It was Lu Jingli himself who had called!

    Darn it, did Lu Jingli not go back to the mainpany? He had never done anything in the past year after what happened to Glory World Entertainment, so why now?

    He heard a rumor that Glory World had experienced major changes in their management. Could it be that the Lu Corporation was taking over Glory World now?

    Qin Zhen made his decision almost immediately. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re saying, Second Master. CEO Wang didn¡¯t look for me at all! Even if he did, I¡¯d have followed the rules! Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    Qin Zhen lied without any hesitation.

    What a joke! Did he really need time to choose between Starlight and Lu Corporation?

    Lu Jingliughed. ¡°You¡¯re a smart man, Producer Qin.¡±

    ¡°You tter me, Second Master¡­¡±

    After he hung up, Qin Zhen wiped the sweat off his forehead as if he had just avoided a major disaster.

    He then went back and rejected Wang Haojun.

    ¡°CEO Wang, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help you this time. You can see that everyone¡¯s supporting Ning Xi. Saying that she vited the rules wouldn¡¯t make it!

    ¡°If I really did so, how am I going to face the harsh criticisms and pressure?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, CEO Wang. I can¡¯t help you this time. We¡¯ll stay fair and stick to the rules! If Zixuan can make it on the male artiste ranking, we will treat them fairly¡­¡±

 Chapter 1931 - Tired Of Me?

    <h4>Chapter 1931: Tired Of Me?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Before Wang Haojun could say anything, Qin Zhen quickly went away with the excuse of being busy.

    ¡°Producer Qin, Producer Qin¡­ Wait¡­ Damn it!¡±

    Wang Haojun did not expect this.

    Qin Zhen had already been rattled just now, yet after a phone call, his attitude changed and he was determined to follow the rules.

    Wang Haojun kicked the wall in anger.

    Damn it! What happened?

    Glory World had already fallen, so what else could have affected Qin Zhen¡¯s decision? Or maybe his higher-ups predicted something and had warned Qin Zhen beforehand?

    Objectively speaking, the matter this time was really troublesome.

    Wang Haojun nced over at the ranking behind him and his pupils shrunk.

    Ning Xi had already reached the top three for the three male artiste categories!

    The fans were all asking people to vote for Ning Xi on the streaming sites.

    The votes came in from ces they could not see, including the huge number of fans and audience in front of the television, even people by the roadside.

    The event was about to finish, yet the programme rating was still very high up. It only showed how many people were watching it right now!

    No one expected that there would be such a huge upset in just a short four hours. Nothing could be done now.

    ¡­

    Off-stage.

    Jiang Muye was looking at Ning Xi¡¯s name speeding through the rankings at a crazy speed, and she was closing in on his top spot. Needless to say, he was stunned.

    He even started to doubt his life!

    He wished he could grab her shoulders and shake the world out of her right now. ¡°What the heck!? Ning Xiao Xi! I said we¡¯d y the rankings together, not for you open your unlimited kill mode!¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± To be honest, Ning Xi did not expect this to happen as well. She had forgotten that some categories in ¡°Entertainment¡¯s Light¡± was open to both genders. She also did not expect the fans to vote for her in the male artiste category.

    Jiang Muye had really wronged her this time.

    As they were talking, the ranking as of now was¡­

    Most Popr Male Artiste No. 3: Ning Xi!

    National Husband No. 3: Ning Xi!

    Most Desired Male Artiste To Sleep With No.1: Ning Xi!

    When Jiang Muye saw that he had been taken over, he lost it. ¡°Damn! This is not logical at all! Ever since the start of this poll, I¡¯ve always been at the top! Not only did I lose it this time, but I lost it to a woman?!¡±

    While the first two were more important, the third one was a matter of a man¡¯s pride!

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows when she saw that she had taken the first ce in the ¡°Most Desired Male Artiste To Sleep With¡± category, she tried to console him. ¡°Well¡­ At least you don¡¯t have to post a naked photo now!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather post a fully nude photo! Fully nude!¡± Jiang Muye was about to cry.

    The enraged Jiang Muye logged into the streaming site with his main ount.

    Jiang Muye had special privileges, so everyone received a colorful notification when he entered.

    Jiang Muye: ¡°Why does no one want to sleep with me anymore!? Why!? Do you people really still love me!?¡±

    Jiang Muye: ¡°Are you people tired of me now?¡±

    Jiang Muye: ¡°You bunch of heartless elves!¡±

    The fansughed when they saw Jiang Muye¡¯s messages.

    ¡°Look at you and Bro Xi. It¡¯s the same whoever gets first!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, Muye, be good and get down this time!¡±

    ¡°Well, Muye, you do seem like the bottom anyway!¡±

 Chapter 1932 - Choose Lover Over Friends

    <h4>Chapter 1932: Choose Lover Over Friends</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Even more savage was that a lot of the troublemaking fans were collectivelymenting.

    ¡°Please, husband, dress as the other gender!¡±

    ¡°Please, husband, wear a female outfit, oh, oh, oh!¡±

    ¡°As long as you wear a female outfit, my dear, we¡¯ll guarantee to let you y the female rankings!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I agree!¡±

    ¡­

    Jiang Muye read thements until his face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.

    Hey! Bottom, my ass! Female outfit, my ass!

    Who wants to wear a female outfit now?! You perverts!

    What did he need the female rankings for?! His legendary reputation was ruined!

    He would not dress like that even if it killed him!

    After Jiang Muye pathetically finished lurking the live stream websites for a while, he noticed something even more hopelessly.

    ¡°National Husband¡± ranking¡¯s number two had unexpectedly been surpassed by Ning Xi too.

    Now, Ning Xi was actually right below Lu Tingxiao in the poll!

    Ning Xi obviously saw where she was on the ranks too. After she looked at it for a long time, she suddenly thought of something and her eyes shed.

    Jiang Muye looked at Ning Xi¡¯s unusual gaze and suddenly had a bad feeling. ¡°What¡­ What are you thinking of doing now?¡±

    Ning Xi looked at Jiang Muye and sighed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°What do mean you¡¯re sorry?! What are you trying to do?!¡± Jiang Muye was about to break down.

    Sorry¡­

    For her darling¡­

    In order to be at the highest position with her darling¡­

    She had to choose her lover over her friends for once.

    Pulling out the big guns¡­

    At the same time, on stage, everyone else¡¯s performances hade to an end, and they had reached the final segment of getting votes.

    The host almost could not wait to invite all of the guests on stage!

    Now only the final fight was left!

    The artistes walked up to give their speech to ask for voters to support them ording to the number they had picked.

    ¡°Thank you, everyone, for voting for me. Even though I¡¯m not in the top spot, I¡¯m already very happy. Thank you for everyone¡¯s support! Thank you to all the fans that like me!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, everyone. Next year, I¡¯ll definitely work even harder!¡±

    ¡°As a neer, I¡¯m really very emotional that there would be so many of you who like me. I hope that everyone can continue to vote for me. I definitely won¡¯t let you all down!¡±

    ¡­

    One by one, all of them gave their speeches.

    Finally. it was Han Zixuan¡¯s turn.

    Earlier, she had been backstage for so long. Han Zixuan must have discussed their final n as they did not know what dirty trick she would pull this time.

    When they thought about this, Xu Tao, Jiang Muye, and everyone else suddenly held their breaths.

    At this moment, Han Zixuan¡¯s expression was already devoid of the panic and loss of control from earlier.

    She had returned to her goddess look and stood calmly on the stage.

    She did not ask for votes right away like the others had. Instead, she said in a calm andposed manner, ¡°I¡¯d like to borrow today¡¯s assion to share a good news with everyone.

    ¡°After ¡®The World¡¯, I¡¯ve just received Hollywood¡¯s famous producer, Jace¡¯s invite to join their new film. This also means that my career will take on a new journey! Of course, everything that I have right now wouldn¡¯t have happened without your support! Thank you very much, everyone! Without you, there would not be Han Zixuan today!¡±

    Once Han Zixuan finished, all of the fans were shocked by her dropping the name of the huge Hollywood producer, Jace.

    He was no. 1 on the Hollywood producers list and had shot many famous ssic works. In fact, he did not work with Chinese people much. Besides, this was a personal invite which meant that Han Zixuan had actually received Jace¡¯s invite.

    There was no one in the entertainment industry with such an esteemed honor!

    Even though Han Zixuan did not outrightly ask for votes, her votes had rapidly increased because of this shocking news.

    In the end, the people still subconsciously worshipped the strong ones!

 Chapter 1933: No. 1!

    <h4>Chapter 1933: No. 1!</h4>

    Trantor:EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At this moment, Han Zixuan and Zheng Anru, who were backstage, let out a slight sigh of relief as they happily watched the votes rapidly increase.

    Even if they could not join the male rankings, they had to at least surpass Ning Xi in the female categories. Even if it was the worst case scenario, they had to at least win one of them!

    Very soon, it was Jiang Muye''s turn.

    Jiang Muye''s deration for votes was very simple and crude. "Number one for three categories, and I''ll promise you anything!"

    Bloody hell, I''m going all out!

    With the sounds of shrieks, Jiang Muye''s votes indeed started to rise like mad. He had even started to make aeback to surpass Ning Xi on the "Most Desired Male Artiste To Sleep With" list.

    "Ah, ah, ah! I want to kiss, to hug, and to everything you, Jiang Muye!"

    "Can I bang you?"

    "There are so many of us¡­ Our dear would die from excessive ejaction, wouldn''t he?"

    ¡­

    When Jiang Muye saw that, he did not even care that he would be extracted dry. He looked gleefully at Ning Xi beside him.

    Huh, little guy, still want to fight with me!?

    I am your senior and I have more experience than you!

    No matter what, he had to protect his ranking and dignity first!

    Ning Xi''s speech for votes came right after Jiang Muye''s.

    Suddenly, everyone held their breaths to watch the person in the middle of the stage who turned everyone''s hearts upside down.

    At the same time, Han Zixuan and Starlight Entertainment had gone all out. Han Zixuan''s votes were trying to make aeback. Obviously, Starlight was prepared to first protect their top spot for the "Most Popr Female Artiste". The margin between Han Zixuan and Ning Xi''s votes were closing in.

    On the other hand, in the male rankings, the margin between the first, second, and third spot was minimal. Everyone was chasing one after another and thepetition was intense too.

    "Next up, we''ll invite our Bro Xi to give her speech! I wonder what Bro Xi has to say to our audience and fans!" When the hostess looked at the person beside her up close, her heart was beating very fast.

    Everyone thought to themselves, ''What would Ning Xi do? What would Ning Xi say?"

    One must know that Han Zixuan had really given it her all this time, even unexpectedly announcing such a shocking news at that moment.

    Ning Xi was still in hervish medieval English costume. However, because it was too hot earlier, she had undone two buttons. Her hair that was drenched in sweat was slightly messy too, giving her an aura of nonchnce and apathy.

    At this moment, under everyone''s nervous and anticipating gaze with their bated breaths, Ning Xi''s fingers clenched her cor and buttoned up the two buttons that were undone until she reached the first buttonhole on her cor that only revealed half of her fair and slender neck.

    It was just an extremely minute detail. With only a slight profoundness in her eyes, her entire aura instantly changed as if she had changed into apletely different persona from the reckless Phantom she yed earlier. It was as if she were a king in an ancient castle who had suppressed their desire for thousands of years waiting for their beloved.

    Then, she bent over slightly and made a noble yet elegant gentleman bow, saying to everyone softly, "Thank you!"

    After an odd three-second silence, the ce exploded into deafening shrieks!

    "A life where I can''t sleep with Bro Xi is no different from being salted fish!"

    "Hubby, I don''t want to kiss or hug or mwah mwah. I don''t even want to bang as long as you take a look at me amidst this crowd!"

    "Ah, ah, ah, just votes right? I''ll give them to you! All of them! My heart, my love, my soul, my virginity, I''ll give them all to you!"

    ¡­

    There was no provoking speech, no shocking news. It was just a tiny action and a "thank you".

    The huge screen shed.

    Most Popr Male Artiste No. 1: Ning Xi!

    National Male Idol No. 1: Ning Xi!

    Most Desired Male Artiste To Sleep With No. 1: Ning Xi!

    Most Popr Female Artiste No. 1: Ning xi!

    National Goddess No. 1: Ning Xi!

    ¡­

 Chapter 1934: This Affection Is Poisonous!

    <h4>Chapter 1934: This Affection Is Poisonous!</h4>

    Trantor:EndlessFantasy Trantion

    "This¡­ This is impossible!" Off-stage, Zheng Anru immediately stood up.

    Han Zixuan looked even paler.

    Damn it!

    Why!? Why was it that she had done everything to this extent and still she could notpare to this outdated female star who only knew how to pull tricks and be a sensationalist!?

    At this moment, as he looked at the ranks on the huge screen, Jiang Muye felt like he had been crapped on.

    Bloody hell! He did not even spare selling his body, yet he could not evenpare to her just buttoning up two buttons?

    Where was the logic?

    What kind of fraudulent species was hepeting with?

    What Jiang Muye would never have thought was that there was something even more heartbreaking after that¡­

    As the time passed and it got closer to dawn, very soon, the results of all the six main categories were out.

    The results for "National Husband" that included the entire China was ¡ª

    No. 1: Lu Tingxiao!

    No. 2: Ning Xi!

    There were 12 rankings altogether for Entertainment Light''s poll, while the top six categories were topped by:

    Ning Xi! Ning Xi! Ning Xi! Ning Xi! Ning Xi! Lu Tingxiao!

    When Jiang Muye saw those two names standing side by side, as he watched this husband and wife upy half the country, he threw up blood on the spot!

    This was definitely the most tragic incident of publicly disyed affection by the two of them since the beginning of history¡­

    This affection was poisonous!

    ¡­

    At the same time, in Deer Town.

    Lu Jingli and Lu Tingxiao were sitting in front of the television and watching the live stream. Because Little Treasure had to go to school, he reluctantly went to sleep.

    Lu Tingxiao leaned his head on his hand and stared at the screen with a focused expression.

    While Lu Jingli held popcorn and a bunch of other junk food, from time to time he wailed and howled with the fans. "Oh! It''s over, over, I''m bent! Our Sis-inw is so handsome! My dear brother, if I didn''t know your sexual orientation, I would really suspect that you were actually gay!

    "Oh, oh, oh my God! I can''t believe that our baby Little Treasure is abination of both of your genes. What do we do when he grows up!?"

    Lu Jingli kept chattering on in an anxious manner.

    Finally, after the ten-second countdown, the results of the polls were going to be officially announced.

    Lu Jingli clutched the chips in his hand and watched while holding his breath.

    When he saw the final results of the polls¡­

    His expression stiffened. He instantly threw away the chips in his hand and wept disconstely!

    "There''s no way I can live anymore! Sis-inw is too savage! She was intentional. She must be!"

    Why was he even tortured by their affection by watching an award ceremony!?

    Where was the humanity!?

    While Lu Tingxiao watched the huge screen on the television and saw the names, he watched the girl bow and thank the fans. That expression on his face was as tender as water!

    His girl¡­ She could always pleasantly surprise and move him.

    ¡­

    While watching the results, the most excited group was probably Ning Xi''s fans. They cheered excitedly in the live stream channels, including a lot of passersby who were infected by the whole atmosphere too.

    "Ah, ah, ah! Hubby is mighty and domineering!"

    "Bro Xi dominated the polls with thirty million in her harem!"

    "May I see my king lead the world in my lifetime!"

    ¡­

    Off-stage, Qin Zhen saw the shocking results of the rankings, and as he watched the audience and fans react, he let out a sigh of relief on the inside. He could not help but rejoice on the inside.

    Thankfully, he was not possessed to be swayed by Wang Haojun''s bit of money. His career had long been in a rut, but after these polls, his reputation would definitely go with the flow. Would he be worried about not being able to earn big money in the future? Not differentiating the gender of candidates list for the polls had been his idea back then!

 Chapter 1935 - Being On The Same Ranking As The Devil

    <h4>Chapter 1935: Being On The Same Ranking As The Devil</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Gosh! The results are really shocking! We¡¯ve never had anything like this before since the beginning of these polls¡­¡±

    The host was riled up with excitement.

    The winners were invited up on stage to receive their prizes, starting with the males first.

    Ning Xi alone received three of them. Yes, the three that Jiang Muye was determined to get! Jiang Muye, who did not even win a single title, was starting to doubt his life.

    ¡°What the heck? I want to quit the entertainment industry!¡±

    He had no ce here anymore!

    Lei Ming coughed lightly and startedforting him, ¡°Well, being second is okay too. Good job!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so good about being under that bastard?! Look at these little bastards in the streaming sites! Am I on the receiving end? How am I on the receiving end?¡± Jiang Muye roared.

    Xu Tao was overjoyed tonight, he looked just like a hardcore fan, ¡°Hahaha my queen is the best! The time for Xu Tao is finally here!¡±

    She was just the best artiste for him!

    ¡°Ning Xi, congrattions on beating all the guys and reaching the top of the three big male categories! You¡¯ve even grabbed the second ce in the ¡®National Husband¡¯ category. How do you feel being on the same ranking as Mr. Lu?¡± The host asked out of curiosity.

    While Lu Tingxiao would never be there to take this award, the host would never let up the chance to talk about it.

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows.

    Hmm, being on the same ranking as Lu Tingxiao¡­

    It was an indescribable feeling after all.

    Mysterious¡­

    She also felt like pping herself since she had told Lu Tingxiao she had way too many romance rivals not too long ago.

    Ning Xi phrased her words carefully and replied, ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to have my name up there together with Mr. Lu.¡±

    What she did not say out loud was: ¡°In the years toe, our name will be forever together!¡±

    While Xu Tao and Lei Ming had no idea about Ning Xi¡¯s rtionship with Lu Tingxiao, Liang Feixing and Jiang Muye were fed up with Ning Xi¡¯s public disy of affection.

    Soon, it was time to give out prizes for the female categories.

    Suddenly, Xu Tao and the bunch noticed some upsetments from the streaming sites.

    ¡°What is this?! What¡¯s Entertainment¡¯s Light doing? They let a woman win the male categories! Nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Not just that, it¡¯s unfair for the females too! The Most Popr and National Goddess titles should be Zixuan¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Zixuan is the real goddess! Are these people blind? What¡¯s so good about that half-guy, half-girl Ning Xi?¡±

    ¡­

    It was obvious that Starlight was pulling the strings behind this uproar.

    While Jiang Muye hadined about Ning Xi earlier, he changed sides when he saw thesements. ¡°Foolish humans!¡±

    He did not look worried at all. He was just waiting for these people to eat their own words.

    ¡°We¡¯ve given out the Best Neer award! Now, we¡¯re presenting the award for Most Popr Female Artiste and National Goddess! Because Ning Xi has won both awards, we¡¯re giving it together. Once again, let¡¯s have Ning Xi up on stage!¡±

    A person came out slowly as the host invited Ning Xi up.

    A white figure came out into the view of the audience from the blurry backlight and soon, everyone could clearly see the person.

    No one made a sound.

    At that moment, that high and mighty king had taken off his male outfit, and returned to her true self¡­

 Chapter 1936 - Slaying The Novice Village

    <h4>Chapter 1936: ying The Novice Vige</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xi was not wearing the sack of a dress from before. She was donning ¡ª

    One of the key highlight pieces of Spirit, ¡°Luoshen¡±!

    Jiang Muye was still a straight guy after all. His expression changed when he saw Ning Xi in her usual female outfit. In his flush of hormones, his ears were a little red and his eyes looked at her differently.

    Still, this prideful guy was still trying to hide it, so he mumbled quietly, ¡°That¡¯s no fun at all! She¡¯s just using a fully upgraded weapon to y a novice vige!¡±

    Exhibiting true strength was always the best way to shut people up.

    All the dissatisfied voices disappeared after Ning Xi appeared. The majority of the supporters flushed out the tiny amount of criticisms.

    ¡°Ah! My goddess is so beautiful! What should I do? I¡¯m not sure if I like guys or girls anymore!¡±

    ¡°May I know what brand is my goddess wearing? I¡¯ve never seen it before! It looks so much better than Han Zixuan¡¯s outfit! While what she wore looks good, but she gives a vibe of being a newly rich person!¡±

    ¡°I know, I know! It¡¯s Spirit! Goddess has always been a loyal fan of Spirit! Don¡¯t you know? She wore Spirit¡¯s key highlight piece, ¡®Beings¡¯ at Glory World Entertainment¡¯s anniversary. At the Golden Film Awards she wore the renowned work of Spirit¡¯s lead designer, ¡®Nirvana Reincarnated¡¯, and now this is the second key highlight piece of Spirit, ¡®Luoshen¡¯. It¡¯s a coboration between Spirit¡¯s lead designer and Master Song Qin!¡±

    ¡°Also! The white qipao Bro Xi wore when she just reappeared is a new series called ¡®Back To The Origins¡¯ from Spirit. I¡¯ve never seen the one she wore in the beginning before. I guess it¡¯s a new series that¡¯s not been announced yet!¡±

    ¡°I see! It¡¯s Spirit! It was quite popr back then!¡±

    ¡°A lot of their recent releases look really impressive!¡±

    ¡­

    Several fans brought up the Spirit outfits Ning Xi wore in the past, and suddenly Spirit was back in the public eye again. It was free promotion and a ster marketing strategy.

    Finally, the Night of Starlight finally ended.

    Starlight lost all their chances to turn the tables.

    At midnight, in a hospital.

    Ning Xueluo already received the news from thepany and she flopped on the sofa, irritated. ¡°What a useless bunch!¡±

    They had invested so many resources and could not even win over an outdated artiste, losing to Glory World that had nearly closed down.

    However, she had no time to solve Starlight¡¯s issue now. She had much more important things to do.

    Ning Xueluo looked at her phone impatiently while waiting for the doctor¡¯s diagnosis.

    After a while, a female doctor around fifty years old came in.

    The doctor looked at Ning Xueluo with a less-than-positive expression. ¡°Mrs. Su, your report is out¡­¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression darkened when she saw the doctor¡¯s bodynguage. ¡°I still don¡¯t have a baby?¡±

    The doctor nodded. ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    She thenforted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Su. You¡¯re still young. It¡¯s only been a year since you¡¯ve been married. Be patient and there¡¯ll be many more chances in the future.¡±

    Ning Xueluo soured and wasughing coldly on the inside.

    Be patient?

    If she kept on being patient, she would surely lose her position as Mrs. Su!

 Chapter 1937 - Seen All Kinds of Beautiful Girls

    <h4>Chapter 1937: Seen All Kinds of Beautiful Girls</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The Night of Starlight had ended, and Glory World had won the war this time.

    Of course, a lot of people did not think that way.

    In the dressing room, backstage.

    ¡°You monster! You¡¯re not human! Ning Xiao Xi, our friendship ends here!¡± Jiang Muye was fuming.

    This witch had done it on purpose! Just to show her affection, she had sold him out!

    Ning Xi was sitting in front of the dressing table. She nced back at Jiang Muye as she took her earrings off. ¡°I said I¡¯m letting you take the female category, but, no, you didn¡¯t want to!¡±

    She then started studying a certain blondie.

    Jiang Muye¡¯s facial features were rather pretty. If he put on makeup and a female outfit¡­

    Hmm¡­

    Jiang Muye could not stand Ning Xi¡¯s staring anymore. ¡°Screw you! Ning Xiao Xi, I¡¯m going to kill you if you think about that again!¡±

    Ning Xi sighed out of regret.

    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Ning Xi looked at the door.

    She was surprised to see who it was.

    The person was wearing a full ck tuxedo with a special-looking flower in his hands.

    The flowers were light pink in color and looked like a ruffled cor from the mid-European era. It seemed like a special rare flower from a botanical garden in Japan.

    ¡°Congrattions.¡± Li Muyan handed the flowers over like a gentleman.

    Ning Xi quickly stood up and took the flowers. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Li¡­¡±

    ¡°I was nearby tonight with the diplomat from Japan. I saw the live stream and found out that you had an important event tonight. I hope my uninvited visit isn¡¯t troubling you,¡± Li Muyan exined his intention of being there briefly.

    Ning Xi smiled politely. ¡°Of course not, you¡¯re wee here! I really like the flowers. Thank you!¡±

    This flower had a special scent and it smelled a little like pears with the gentleness of summer.

    ¡°These are magnolias from Japan. Because I only found out about this at thest minute, I just stole them from the Japan Embassy,¡± said Li Muyan unabashedly.

    Of course, Ning Xi knew Li Muyan was kidding, but she was still surprised. Then again, considering his career, it might be pretty normal for him to say something like this.

    When Jiang Muye saw the strange man, he turned from the usual blondie into a lion. He was on high alert.

    ¡°Right, this is my senior, Jiang Muye,¡± Ning Xi introduced them.

    ¡°Li Muyan,¡± Li Muyan introduced himself and extended his hand for a handshake, then he said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about you, Mr. Jiang. You¡¯re very famous after all, and my cousin is a big fan of yours.¡±

    That was one sweet tongue¡­

    Jiang Muye reached out for his hand half-heartedly. After a sloppy shake, he said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Li Muyan did not stay for long and left after a short conversation.

    Jiang Muye quickly asked Ning Xi the moment the man left, ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°The son of my aunt¡¯s close friend. He¡¯s a diplomat officer. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ning Xi asked back.

    Jiang Muye mumbled, ¡°Nothing, I just feel something¡¯s odd¡­ Does he like you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so! He¡¯s been all over the world and seen all kinds of beautiful girls, so it couldn¡¯t be¡­¡± Ning Xi was happily sending messages to Lu Tingxiao as she replied him.

 Chapter 1938 - Have A Date Tonight

    <h4>Chapter 1938: Have A Date Tonight</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Jiang Muye still felt like something was out of ce.

    This person spoke eloquently and he gazed at Ning Xi very normally too, but perhaps because it was too normal, he felt something amiss.

    Jiang Muye was initially prepared to continue asking further, yet he saw the text Ning Xi had sent Lu Tingxiao from the corner of his eye: [Darling, in this lifetime, our names will always, always be together!]

    Hey, hey, hey! Forget it, what was he worried about?! He was already tortured by this disy of affection, yet he was still being worried!

    This bastard only had her darling in her heart and eyes. Even if another species¡¯ eyes fell on her, she probably would not realize it!

    ¡­

    In Deer Town.

    Lu Tingxiao read the text on his phone and his eyes filled with tenderness.

    Momentster, the man got up and went upstairs.

    When Lu Tingxiao returned downstairs again, the orange juice in Lu Jingli¡¯s head had tilted to one side and spilled on his pants. His eyes almost popped out.

    Oh! So handsome, so handsome, so handsome!

    His brother was wearing the tuxedo that Ning Xi had bought him. The design was unique and it was in a rather bright color.

    Ning Xi¡¯s aesthetics had always been shier. His brother just had to put it on and he immediately looked attractive as if he was a totally different person.

    ¡°Dang! Bro! It¡¯ste at night. Where are you going dressed like that?¡± Lu Jingli instantly asked excitedly.

    Lu Tingxiao raised a hand to fix his cor. ¡°Help me watch Little Treasure. I¡¯ll be back tomorrow morning.¡±

    Tears instantly welled up in his eyes as Lu Jingli bit his fingers. ¡°Are you going on a date with Sis-inw? Sob!¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Lu Tingxiao admitted right away.

    Lu Jingli was shocked and speechless.

    The pathetic life that he had imagined had indeed begun!

    Lu Jingli sped his pierced heart like Xishi . ¡°Where are you going? How long for? When will you be back, and when youe back, will you still love me?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao shot a side look at his brother who loved acting. ¡°There¡¯re sweet and sour ribs in the fridge.¡±

    His ribs!

    His wife-protecting devil brother¡¯s cooking was getting better and better. In fact, he was about to surpass sister-inw!

    Oh! His brother did still love him!

    The little koi who was sessfully consoled by the te of sweet and sour ribs instantly corrected himself happily, ¡°Oh! Got it. I¡¯ll watch the child at home obediently. Go ahead! Have fun! It¡¯s fine if youe backter!¡±

    In fact, he thought that with his brother¡¯s capabilities, they definitely would not be back tomorrow morning.

    He was too selfless!

    Where could anyone find a brother like him!?

    ¡­

    Backstage of the event.

    Ning Xi had changed into a pastel pink and adorable dress. ¡°My nephew, you go ahead and leave by yourself! Your Aunty has a date tonight!¡±

    Jiang Muye was so jealous that he scoffed, ¡°Who wants to leave with you? I have a date too!¡±

    ¡°Oh, then have fun! Bye bye!¡±

    As he watched the figure walk further away from him, Jiang Muye¡¯s angry expression suddenly faded away like the tide. His head sank like arge, dejected dog.

    I am so handsome¡­

    Can you not even see a bit of that?

    Love has never been fair.

    ¡­

    ¡°Oh! Darling, you¡¯re so handsome!¡±

    Once Ning Xi got into the car and saw Lu Tingxiao in the driver¡¯s seat, she threw herself at him.

    The man, who was attacked by this gentleness, kissed the girl on her forehead. His eyes were filled with warmth. ¡°It might be a little far. You should sleep for a while on the way. I¡¯ll wake you up when we reach.¡±

    Ning Xi looked excited. ¡°Where are you bringing me?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao did not answer. Instead, he cleared his throat and did not seem himself.

    It was really rare to see Lu Tingxiao like this. Ning Xi kept pondering and suddenly her curiosity was stoked.

 Chapter 1939 - Try Here?

    <h4>Chapter 1939: Try Here?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Mmm, the devil¡¯s surprise¡­ What could it be?

    Ning Xi initially wanted to apany Lu Tingxiao, but because she had been busy for the whole night, she still fell asleep in a daze.

    When she woke up, the car was already slowlying to a stop.

    ¡°Mmm, have we reached?¡± Ning Xi rubbed her eyes.

    She was about to open her eyes when suddenly, a pair of warm and wide hands covered them. ¡°Close your eyes first.¡±

    Ning Xi was instantly jolted awake. She nodded obediently and her heart started to beat faster.

    The car door opened.

    She was held by the palm and carefully led as they walked step by step forward.

    The ground felt very soft beneath her feet; she was probably stepping on mud.

    The air was mixed with the fragrance of nts as the night breeze slightly chilled her. There were swooshes by her ear that sounded somewhat familiar.

    Even though her eyes were shut and it was dark before her, but because of the familiar air and temperature around her, she waspletely trusting, contentedly feeling everything around her.

    It was not sure how long they had walked for when the sensation beneath her feet seemed to change from mud to nks that were put together piece by piece. She also felt like she was being suspended mid air; it was probably a wooden bridge.

    ¡°You can open your eyes now,¡± came the man¡¯s low voice.

    Ning Xi paused her footsteps and slowly opened her eyes, then her dull eyes instantly erged.

    What she unexpectedly saw was a vast area of lush bamboo forest. Earlier, the swooshing she heard was the sound of the wind rustling against the bamboo forest.

    There were fireflies fluttering amidst the bamboo forest, creating a dream-like setting.

    Underneath their feet, the river surface mirrored the millions of stars and the reflection of them snuggling up against each other.

    In the depths of that bamboo forest, there was a simple courtyard that was currently lit up with a gentle and warm light.

    What made her even more shocked was¡­

    This was Chang Chun City. To be exact, it was the bamboo forest in Chang Chun City¡¯s Spring Breeze Town!

    That night, when she had been drugged and he was talking to her, she had mentioned this bamboo forest.

    She said that if she could roll around in bed with her loved one here in the bamboo forest, how romantic it would be.

    There had never been any buildings here. That little courtyard was definitely not here before this. Although the fireflies in the bamboo forest had been there, there were very little of them and definitely had not been as many as there were right now.

    When had he started to prepare this?

    Ning Xi could not describe her current feelings at all.

    This man who was always serious, old-fashioned and dull, had because of her, done something he was notfortable with at all.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± The man clearly sounded a little nervous.

    The instant he said that, lips as gentle as newly bloomed petals covered his thin and cool lips.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s back instantly straightened and his hand that held the girl¡¯s waist suddenly tightened. At the same time, he returned the kiss hard.

    ¡°When did you begin to prepare this?¡± Ning Xi asked.

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember. Some time when you were in thea,¡± answered Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart was mixed with sour and sweet emotions. ¡°Thank you, I really like it¡­ I really do¡­¡±

    Lu Tingxiao cleared his throat. ¡°Initially, I was prepared to¡­¡±

    Even though Lu Tingxiao did not finish, Ning Xi instantly understood.

    Her darling would not be willing to wrong her even an inch. He had probably prepared for them to share their first time here after being newly married, yet because of her uniform and her toppling him over when they did in the office first¡­

    Ning Xiughed lightly. ¡°As long as it¡¯s with you, it¡¯s the same anywhere actually! We have a lifetime together. We can try many, many ces in the future¡­¡±

    The man pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Ning Xi looked up and blinked with sparkles in her eyes. ¡°Darling, are we going to try it here today?¡±

 Chapter 1940 - Not As Handsome As Me

    <h4>Chapter 1940: Not As Handsome As Me</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The man¡¯s voice tightened as he said in a lowered voice, ¡°Next time. It¡¯s toote tonight and you should rest properly.¡±

    Ning Xi suddenly did not know what to say. Had he actually brought her all the way here in the middle of the night and just purely just to give her a surprise?

    Ning Xi thought about something and tugged on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s hand before making her way towards the courtyard in the bamboo forest. ¡°Mmm, okay! Let¡¯s rest! Let¡¯s rest together! You must be tired from driving for so long!¡±

    Hehe, wait till I get him into bed. Will I get to kiss him?

    Uhh¡­

    Why did she suddenly realize that this was the pattern of seducing a pure little bunny?

    When the two of them entered the house, Ning Xi was once again astonished.

    The roof above them in the master bedroom was made entirely of ss. They could see the bright, starry sky by lying down in the bed. Outside their window, they could hear the wind caressing the bamboo forest. The bed was made into the shape of a bird¡¯s nest and the pure white mattress was as soft as the clouds.

    Yet, all of this beauty was nothingpared to the person beside her.

    Lu Tingxiao stood in front of the bed and was undoing his buttons one by one.

    Ning Xi held her chin and watched without blinking.

    Indeed, there will be no damage withoutparison!

    Was she nothing?

    If those people saw the way the devil undid his buttons, would they not go crazy?

    Also, if they knew that their ¡°National Husbands¡± No. 1 and No. 2 were actually already off the market¡­

    Lu Tingxiao had just taken off his exterior clothing and changed when he saw that Ning Xi was already lying on the bed, waiting for him.

    When she saw him turn around, she even patted the spot beside her as if she was saying that they could both obediently sleep together.

    However, the shine in her eyes had already given her away¡­

    The corner of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s lips curled up and there was a smile in his eyes. His fingers gently caressed the girl¡¯s chin. ¡°Not tired?¡±

    Ning Xi shook her head like a rattle-drum. ¡°Please! Seeing you teasing me like this, even if I¡¯m tired as a dog I could be resurrected!¡±

    When Lu Tingxiao heard her, he did not know whether tough or cry. Did he tease her?

    The man caressed the girl¡¯s soft hair. ¡°I¡¯m older than you are. There will be a day when I¡¯m no longer attractive to you.¡±

    Wow! The devil unexpectedly had such insecure moments too!

    Ning Xi instantly raised her brows. ¡°So what!? There are many handsome guys and pretty boys in the entertainment industry! But can I eat their handsomeness? Whatever it is, even if they¡¯re handsome, they aren¡¯t as handsome as I am!¡±

    She was the officially acknowledged No. 1!

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    This reasoning¡­

    Usually, girls wouldfort the guy and say, ¡°There will be a day when I turn old too.¡± Only Ning Xi would say that as handsome as others were, they would not be as handsome as her. It was really hard to refute anything she said.

    Nevertheless, Lu Tingxiao loved her arrogant little demeanor so much.

    ¡°Mmm, my wife makes so much sense.¡±

    The manughed lightly as his long fingers held onto the girl¡¯s cor.

    The way Ning Xi¡¯s outfit was designed was that there was a row of ten buttons at the cor. In fact, every button was small and delicate, and it was very hard to undo them.

    Lu Tingxiao then started to kiss her forehead, her nose, her lips, corbone, and every inch of her skin as he unhurriedly unbuttoned every single one patiently. asionally, his fingers would brush her skin with an electrifying numbness¡­

    He was torturously slow.

    The first time, he had caused her too much damage. The second time had been too rushed. This time, he wanted to give her the best experience.

    Even if it was something that he was not good at, as long as he was willing to, this man could be the best.

    Tonight was one such example.

 Chapter 1941: Revival

    <h4>Chapter 1941: Revival</h4>

    Trantor:EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Editor:EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day, after the loving couple had their fun in the bamboo forest, the news of Ning Xi ying at the "Night of Starlight" was all over the news.

    "Night of Starlight: Ning Xi slew the polls! No one escaped!"

    "Return of the queen Ning Xi, no more ce for fake goddesses"

    "Investors of ''The World'' start pulling out"

    ¡­

    With an almost simr impact when she had won numerous awards back then, Ning Xi quickly returned to the public eye with the vast amount of news articles talking about her.

    Following the Night of Starlight, Qin Shuang, who yed the role of Christine in the y "The Phantom of the Opera", shot to fame overnight due to her professional and outstanding performance!

    At the same time, the top brass of Glory World Entertainment had a major shift. Yi Xudong was sacked and a new CEO was appointed directly from the Lu Corporation. This news spread throughout the industry very quickly.

    Yi Xudong went drinking at a pub and told everyone that Glory World Entertainment would surely fall without him. He also bragged that he had groomed Han Zixuan on his own and that no one would be able to top her!

    In the end, after a good night''s sleep, the whole entertainment industry evolved.

    Ning Xi dominated the Night of Starlight after hereback announcement, even lifting Qin Shuang!

    Damn it! This woman revived the whole of Glory World Entertainment on her own!

    Yi Xudong just sat on the sofa dumbfounded as he saw Ning Xi''s name in the headlines of every news¡­

    ¡­

    At Starlight Entertainment, dark clouds shrouded all over.

    It was not just the loss of Han Zixuan that made everyone gloomy; it was a huge blow to Starlight Entertainment as a whole.

    After they finally conquered their toppetitor Glory World Entertainment, thetter was now revived!

    In the meeting, Wang Haojun said with a dark expression, "Pass the word that ''The World'' project will go on hiatus."

    He did not go into specifics, but everyone knew that several main investors were dissatisfied with Han Zixuan''s poprity and performance. They pulled out suddenly and even Guo Qisheng had resigned from his role as director.

    Zheng Anru''s expression was pretty sour too. "I just received news that the movie Zixuan worked on with Director Chen before didn''t pass censorship."

    This meant that all their efforts put in was in vain and their ns to get an international award from the movie was ruined.

    Zheng Anru then stared at the Public Rtions Director beside her angrily and started scolding, "Liu Wenliang! Just what are you doing!? Didn''t I tell you to take care of things!? This movie can''t have any issues! Are you just a piece of decoration here? You useless idiot!"

    Liu Wenliang chuckled coldly and threw his resignation letter on the table. "I''m sorry. I''m not working here anymore! Since you''re so capable, please clean up your own mess in the future, Manager Zheng!"

    "You¡­" Zheng Anru could not say anything else.

    This trash! He chose to leave at such a time!

    "CEO Wang, are you going to do anything about this?"

    Damn it! CEO Ning was not here at such a crucial moment!

    Wang Haojun was really troubled at the moment. "We''ll just wait for the new PR Director to take over after this!"

    "What should Zixuan do now!" Zheng Anru looked worried. "Zixuan is now sick because of that witch! You have to think of something, CEO Wang!"

 Chapter 1942 - Passed Out

    <h4>Chapter 1942: Passed Out</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Actually, Han Zixuan simply did not want to attend the meeting that day because of the humiliation yesterday.

    Wang Haojun knew that. However, he just did not want to call her out. He pinched the space between his eyebrows. ¡°Release the news about Zixuan stepping into Hollywood!¡±

    Zheng Anru finally regained some confidence and she nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, CEO Wang! No matter how good Ning Xi is, she¡¯s just well known in China! Zixuan has debuted for just a year and she¡¯s already stepping into Hollywood in a big movie of one of the top producers, Jace!¡±

    ¡­

    On the other hand, Ning Xueluo was not at the meeting because Su Yan had called her in the morning and told her that he had something to talk to her about during dinner that night.

    After knowing him for so many years, she knew what it was from Su Yan¡¯s tone.

    Not only was what she did for the past few days not working, but he was further determined to divorce her!

    He was probably going to tell her about his decision that night.

    Ning Xueluo had just finished putting on her makeup in front of her dressing table. Thinking about it, her fingernails sank deep into her palms.

    Downstairs.

    ¡°Is Xueluo out yet? Didn¡¯t Su Yan say he¡¯d tell her tonight?¡±

    Zheng Minjun looked upstairs from time to time. Apparently, she knew that her son was going to tell Ning Xueluo everything that night.

    She felt a lot more confident talking to her friends when she thought about how she would be inws with the Zhuang family in the future. Deep down, she wished that everything would go smoothly tonight.

    ¡°Hongguang, do you think Xueluo will do anything?¡±

    Su Hongguang replied, ¡°Well, she¡¯ll surely try to do something! But we¡¯ve never mistreated her!¡±

    Zheng Minjun was triggered. ¡°Mistreated? Not only did we not mistreat her in the past year, we were tricked by the Ning family! Do you know what the others are saying about us?

    ¡°Just a few days ago, Shanshan¡¯s parents told me right in my face that Su Yan found a rural vige woman as his wife! Do you want Su Yan to stay humiliated his whole life?¡±

    Su Hongguang looked helpless. ¡°I didn¡¯t even say anything. Why did you bring it up?¡±

    ¡°Whatever happens, we need to fully support Su Yan. If Xueluo truly loves Su Yan, she should be considerate about his future!¡±

    As Zheng Mingjun and Su Hongguang were talking quietly downstairs, a maid¡¯s scream came from upstairs suddenly.

    ¡°Ah! Madam! Madam, what happened?! Wake up! Oh no¡­ Someone! Someone, please! Madam has passed out!¡±

    The two of them were shocked when they heard the young maid shrieking.

    ¡°What? Xueluo¡¯s fainted?¡± Zheng Minjun frowned.

    Su Hongguang¡¯s expression changed as well.

    The two of them rushed over and saw Ning Xueluo passed out beside the dressing table. The maid was on the verge of tears.

    ¡°What happened? Why would she suddenly pass out?!¡± Zheng Minjun asked.

    The maid looked terrified. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ I just came in to deliver the clothes¡­ and then I saw that Madam was already on the ground!¡±

    ¡°Quickly ask the chauffeur to send her to the hospital!¡± Su Hongguang ordered.

    He then added, ¡°Call Su Yan toe back too!¡±

    Zheng Minjun¡¯s expression looked terrible. She wanted to say something but stopped when she saw Ning Xueluo on the ground.

    She was thinking to herself, ¡°She¡¯s fainted? Why now of all times?¡±

    ¡­

 Chapter 1943 - Pregnant

    <h4>Chapter 1943: Pregnant</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At the hospital.

    Besides the members of the Su family, Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu had arrived too.

    Zhuang Lingyu was upset. ¡°What happened? Why did she suddenly pass out?¡±

    Zheng Minjun was disgruntled as well when she saw the people from the Ning family, especially when Zhuang Lingyu spoke to her in such a rude tone.

    They must have been informed by that busybody maid.

    She just fainted. What was the big deal?

    Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s expression made it seem as if the Su family had tortured her.

    She was just a fake yet they still took her seriously!

    Zheng Minjun was frustrated when she thought about how things could have been settled that night itself, but now that something like this had happened, she said coldly, ¡°Xiao Ling was exaggerating. Xueluo is probably just exhausted. She should be fine after some rest!¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu had been mocked by Zheng Minjun numerous times due to Ning Xueluo¡¯s true identity, so she had always been irked by Zheng Minjun. ¡°Do you think this is just a small matter? Xueluo is the treasure of our family! And look what happened after she went over to the Su family?¡±

    Su Hongguang spoke out to ease the fire. ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood. You know how well we treat Xueluo. If you don¡¯t believe us, you can ask her. This probably happened because of the various issues urring in herpany. Let¡¯s stop fighting now and wait for the doctor¡¯s diagnosis!¡±

    Ning Yaohua yed the good guy. ¡°That¡¯s right! What matters is Xueluo¡¯s health.¡±

    If the rtionship between the two families turned sour now, it would not bear any merit to both Xueluo and Ning International.

    On the other hand, Su Yan was trailing the doctor to get the diagnosis report.

    ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s the patient? Is it severe?¡± Su Yan asked.

    The female doctor emerged with the report and beamed brightly. ¡°It¡¯s alright, and it¡¯s something good! Congrattions! Mrs. Su is pregnant!¡±

    Su Yan¡¯s face turned pale instantly as if he could not believe what the doctor had just said.

    ¡°Doctor¡­ What did you say? Pregnant?¡±

    The female doctor thought Su Yan was too happy for words. ¡°Yes, it has been 8 weeks. She¡¯s almost 3 months pregnant!¡±

    Su Yan was stunned frozen with a pale face.

    He had spent so many days hiringwyers and drafting the divorce agreement. The only step left was to tell Xueluo about it that very day.

    He had been looking forward to being a free man again and go back to Ning Xi.

    He had never expected that before he had a chance to say anything, he would find out about Xueluo being pregnant!

    Su Yan had no idea how to take the report. He just felt like he was drowning inside an icyke. The coldness struck his bones hard.

    ¡°Su Yan¡­ Su Yan¡­ How¡¯s Xueluo? Say something!¡±

    When he heard Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s voice, he came back to his senses. He took a deep breath and forced himself to be rational again. ¡°Xueluo is alright, she¡­ She¡¯s pregnant¡­¡±

    ¡°What? Did you say Xueluo is pregnant!?¡± Zhuang Lingyu looked astonished. ¡°That¡¯s great! Really great!¡±

    Ning Yaohua was really thrilled as well. ¡°You guys have been together for a year. Now, you finally have a child!¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Xueluo? I want to see her now!¡±

 Chapter 1944 - Waver

    <h4>Chapter 1944: Waver</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua werepletely immersed in joy. They quickly went to see Ning Xueluo. In their own world, they did not notice the odd looks on the faces of the trio from the Su family.

    After the two of them entered the ward, Zheng Minjun immediately cursed under her breath, ¡°Did the hospital get it wrong? How could she have gotten pregnant now of all times!? Su Yan was already prepared to divorce her, yet she¡¯s pregnant now. What do we do?¡±

    Su Hongguang frowned and red at his wife. ¡°Softer!¡±

    Then, his expression seemed jumbled too.

    On one hand, he felt regretful. On the other hand, it was still the Su family¡¯s flesh and blood in Xueluo.

    They had been anticipating it for so long, and now the Su family finally had an heir.

    ¡°Well, you have to tell me what do we do now!¡± Zheng Minjun urged anxiously.

    When she saw that the golden phoenix in their hand was going to vanish just like that, even a grandchild could not make her any happier.

    After all, they would have a grandchild sooner orter, but from whose womb? That was a huge difference in the story!

    Su Yan¡¯s mind was nk now. He did not say a word at all.

    Atst, it was Su Hongguang who said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s best if we reconsider the divorce! Now, none of you are allowed to mention it, especially when the inws are still here.¡±

    To bring up a divorce right now would definitely make the Ning family cause a huge ruckus.

    Zheng Minjun understood this too, yet her heart was still unwilling. Nevertheless, silence was all they could resort to.

    In the ward.

    ¡°Father, Mother¡­ Why are you here? What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Ning Xi slowly came to, looking confused.

    Zhuang Lingyu held Ning Xueluo¡¯s hand gleefully. ¡°Xueluo, you¡¯re pregnant! You¡¯re going to be a mother!¡±

    Ning Xueluo went nk for a second, then she gaped in disbelief and was pleasantly surprised. ¡°Really? Mother! I¡¯m pregnant?¡±

    ¡°The doctor already said so. Could he be wrong? You! You¡¯re so thoughtless! You only realize it after three months! You even fainted at home! You made us worry!¡± Zhuang Lingyu looked distressed as she reproached her.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu suddenly thought of something and said coldly, ¡°What are you sorry for? Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know. It must be that damned brat who¡¯s causing you trouble the moment she returned! Otherwise, would you have worked this hard?¡±

    Then, she was worried that all this annoyance would disturb her, so she quickly consoled her, ¡°Now, your main duty is to nourish your fetus. Leave all thosepany matters to the others! Nothing is more important than your health and the child¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, Mother, I got it!¡±

    Then, Su Hongguang and Zheng Minjun walked in too, symbolically muttering a few caring words.

    After that, everyone else moved out to let Su Yan and Ning Xueluo be alone.

    When only the two of them were left in the ward, Ning Xueluo instantly blushed shyly and was in high spirits. ¡°Bro Yan, we finally have a child! I¡¯m so happy!¡±

    Su Yan looked at the girl on the sickbed who was ignorant of worldly affairs and was without an inkling of anything. While she was pleased about carrying his child, his heart was filled with strife.

    On both sides of the scale, one was a true love that he had retrieved with much difficulty while the other was a girl who had been by his side for so many years.

    He had already decided on giving Ning Xi a proper title, yet now at this moment, facing the present Ning Xueluo, he really could not bring himself to say the word ¡°divorce¡±.

    ¡°I¡­ am very happy too, but the way you passed out today was so dangerous! From now on, you rest well. Leave everything else to me. I¡¯ll handle them for you,¡± assured Su Yan.

    There was a hidden smirk in Ning Xueluo¡¯s eyes. Outwardly, she seemed touched and nestled against the man¡¯s embrace. ¡°Bro Yan, thank you!¡±

 Chapter 1945 - Advancing Into Hollywodd

    <h4>Chapter 1945: Advancing Into Hollywodd</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The next day.

    The news about Han Zixuan advancing into Hollywood started to dominate all the tabloid headlines.

    ¡°Han Zixuan Has Confirmed That She Will Be Acting In Hollywood¡¯s ssic Blockbuster ¡®Assassin¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Hollywood¡¯s Number One Producer Jace¡¯s Epic Work ¡®Assassin¡¯ With A Chinese¡±

    ¡°Han Zixuan: Hollywood¡¯s Chinese Pride!¡±

    ¡­

    As a movie, ¡°Assassin¡± had swept all sorts of huge awards in Hollywood 20 years ago. It had been repeatedly screened many times and brought nostalgia to all film lovers and was a true ssic. Once the news of it being remade was released, it received a huge amount of attention.

    The arrangement of this film¡¯s plot was quite in line with Hollywood¡¯s usual style.

    The female lead, Anna, was raised by an assassin organization since young. Atst, she was arranged to go on a mission to assassinate a leader of an influential family with a celebrated reputation. It was a story of conspiracy and love, interweaving with the male lead who was full of clever strategies.

    No matter what role Han Zixuan got, even if it was just unremarkable cannon fodder, as long as she has entered the crew of ¡°Assassin¡± and got herself some screentime in the movie, her status and position in the future would definitely rise together with the movie.

    The most annoying thing was that in Hollywood, they would very rarely pick two actors from China.

    This meant that if Han Zixuan sessfully partook in the filming of ¡°Assassin¡±, then the probability of Ning Xi joining the ¡°Assassin¡± crew would be reduced by more than half!

    At Glory World Entertainment.

    Xu Tao looked furiously at all of the headlines. ¡°Show, my ass! My queen has already advanced into Hollywood a year ago!¡±

    Liang Feixing shot a nce at him. ¡°Sadly, it hasn¡¯t been released up till now.¡±

    Xu Tao grumbled unhappily, ¡°Well, we can¡¯t just watch those disgusting people, can we?¡±

    Liang Feixing smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the audition for the Chinese role in ¡®Assassin¡¯ will only officially begin in a week. Han Zixuan was decided internally. I heard that they didn¡¯t even mind not getting paid. Now, to suppress Ning Xi, they¡¯ve already released this news before the audition!¡±

    Xu Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°If Ning Xi goes for the audition, she can definitely defeat her!¡±

    When Liang Feixing heard Xu Tao, he did not look optimistic. ¡°Since it was already internally decided, and in fact, Starlight¡¯s already announced it with such great fanfare, then it definitely must be already in the bag. This role isn¡¯t easy topete for. The point is¡­ I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need. It¡¯s probably just a few seconds screen time and only one line!¡±

    Xu Tao agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right. Just to be cool, any professional would know that they¡¯re being devalued in this role. They¡¯re obviously losing money just to show off! I think Ning Xi probably wouldn¡¯t agree either. Ning Xi¡¯s scenes in ¡®Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡¯ added up to more than ten minutes!¡±

    At this moment, the office door was pushed open.

    Ning Xi walked in. ¡°There¡¯s no harm. I can go for the audition.¡±

    Xu Tao instantly frowned. ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already reached this far. Obviously, I can¡¯t give up halfway. Besides, this movie is ¡®Assassin¡¯. Even if it¡¯s a few seconds¡¯ screen time, it¡¯s worth it too. I myself am actually a loyal fan of this movie. This time, I can consider it as fulfilling a dream of mine!¡± Ning Xi said.

    As Xu Tao watched his goddess being so understanding, he was so moved that tears streamed down his cheeks.

    Liang Feixing thought about it. They were so close to defeating Han Zixuan already. Indeed, they could only steal this role now. Otherwise, all that they had done before would go to waste, and the effects would be hugely discounted too.

    Visiting monks gave better sermons. The Chinese people still instinctively thought highly of Hollywood.

    ¡°By the looks of it, that¡¯s the only thing we can do. I¡¯ll go gather more information on the filming crew!¡± Liang Feixing said.

 Chapter 1946 - For Show

    <h4>Chapter 1946: For Show</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xu Tao said, ¡°I¡¯ll go arrange for the audition.¡±

    They had only chosen Han Zixuan for the Chinese market, but when it came to poprity, Ning Xi did not concede to her. As long as Ning Xi was willing, it was not impossible to seize the role.

    ¡°Okay,¡± said Ning Xi.

    After they finished discussing, Ning Xi started to prepare for the audition that would be happening in a week.

    Actually, this role was indeed purely to reveal a face as a passerby. It could not even measure up to her role in ¡°Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡± before her scenes were added.

    However, the movie ¡°Assassin¡± was special to Ning Xi, especially the female lead¡¯s role, Anna. It was one of her favorite characters.

    This time, she would use this opportunity to study this ssic once again.

    -

    A weekter, the auditions for ¡°Assassin¡± began.

    Ning Xi and Xu Tao reached the audition location on time.

    When they reached, because the manager and assistants could not enter, Xu Tao gave Ning Xi a pep talk before waiting outside.

    Ning Xi skimmed the crowd which was basically all A-listers, but their statuses were unevenly matched. The only simrity of all those here was their poprity and how much they were the talk of the tabloids.

    It was obvious that the film crew had only chosen a role for a Chinese just for the market in China.

    In the waiting room, when they saw Ning Xie, many artistes had gone up to her to politely make small talk and greet her.

    The entertainment industrymonly ttered the superiors and trampled the inferiors. Because Ning Xi had been in the limelight recently, naturally people would try to befriend her.

    However, because their rtionship with Glory World was tense, a few of Starlight¡¯s artistes just watched from a corner with indifference as they muttered softly.

    ¡°Ning Xi came too. Doesn¡¯t she know that today¡¯s audition is just for show? Zixuan has long been internally decided, and she¡¯s not even here today!¡±

    ¡°She must be unwilling to give up! This is an audition for ¡®Assassin¡¯, Hollywood¡¯s ultimate ssic! She¡¯s fighting so intensely with Han Zixuan right now, so how could she not turn up?¡±

    ¡°If you want to talk about opportunity, Starlight has Zixuan¡¯s back. Ning Xi can¡¯t catch up. In China, she has some sort of foundation, so that¡¯s fine, but to climb up further will definitely be hard!¡±

    ¡°She looks like she has ovee Han Zixuan by a little right now. Actually, it¡¯s probably the furthest she can go. I think even Yin Youyou who hopped over to Starlight has brighter prospects than her¡­¡±

    ¡­

    Amidst the whispers, a female staff who appeared Chinese walked over to announce that the audition had begun.

    ¡°Everyone, please enter ording to your numbered sequence.¡±

    Because Ning Xi had registeredter, she was arranged to best.

    Even though they knew that they were just here for show, they still could not help but have a hint of wishful thinking. All of the female artistes waiting for their turn to audition started to nervously fix their makeup.

    However, slowly, the anticipation on everyone¡¯s faces started to fade¡­

    The way the people inside kept calling out the numbers, every artiste was inside for barely ten seconds on average.

    There were even some who came out after three to five seconds.

    What kind of audition was this?

    Three to five seconds was not even enough to take a proper look at someone¡¯s face!

    ¡°Dang! Hollywood is extremely blunt now! When they say it¡¯s just for show, they really mean it! They aren¡¯t even trying to fake it a little!¡±

    ¡°They have such a huge lineup for the filming crew. It¡¯s already not too shabby that they were willing to organize an audition. What more do you want?¡±

    ¡°Sigh, after all, the ones in the audition are all of Hollywood¡¯s big shots. Today, I¡¯ll just take it asing to see them in real life, and gain some experience!¡±

    ¡­

 Chapter 1947 - Shock

    <h4>Chapter 1947: Shock</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Some of the artistes, who were still present, turned around with sympathy in their eyes when they heard Ning Xi¡¯s name being called.

    The former superstar now had toe to an audition and try her luck while knowing that the role was already predetermined.

    Ning Xi ignored their gazes and went into the audition room, following the lead of the staff.

    As Liang Feixing¡¯s intel provided, out of the three interviewers today, only the assistant director was notable.

    People with a legendary caliber like Jace might not even appear at the audition of the female lead. Moreover, this was just an audition for a minor role.

    The assistant director seemed polite when he saw Ning Xi.

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, hello.¡±

    ¡°As the rumor says, you really are an Oriental beauty.¡± His eyes shone. Apparently, he had a positive first impression of Ning Xi.

    If they had not promised to work with Starlight, he might have chosen this one in front of him.

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    The assistant director nodded with aplex expression on his face. ¡°That¡¯s all. You can go back and wait for the confirmation.¡±

    Short as expected.

    Nevertheless, there was still a chance given the assistant director¡¯s expression.

    After Ning Xi left, a discussion sparked inside the room.

    ¡°What do you guys think?¡± The assistant director asked the others.

    One of them said, ¡°The vibe Ms. Ning Xi gave off was outstanding. Her poprity is on par with Han Zixuan¡¯s in China, but as far as I know, she just came back after a year of retirement. She doesn¡¯t really have many resources on hand, and her future progression is unpredictable. I think using Han Zixuan is the safer choice!¡±

    The other person disagreed. ¡°On par? Mike, Ms. Ning Xi is a truly capable person! You should see her in ¡®Mother¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Dwight, just to be clear, this role doesn¡¯t need capabilities. It isn¡¯t even rted to the actor itself. We just need poprity and strong backup! That¡¯s how we can maximize the profit from the Chinese poption!¡±

    ¡°Glory World Entertainment has been taken back by the Lu Corporation, their potential is still unknown! Mike, you¡¯re jumping to conclusions!¡±

    ¡°You said it yourself that it¡¯s unknown. We don¡¯t need to take risks.¡±

    ¡­

    Everyone somewhat expected it when they saw that Ning Xi¡¯s audition ended swiftly too. Many of them looked at her with a sense of rejoice in her misfortune.

    They finally saw the results, and people started to leave.

    In the meantime, the assistant director was having a headache as the duo argued in front of him.

    If they could not work this out, they could just send the audition videos back and let the higher-ups decide.

    Their audition processes were all live-streamed to the higher-ups, but those people might not even watch it immediately, or they may not even care.

    Suddenly, the Chinese staff rushed into the room and asked the assistant director, ¡°Director, where¡¯s Ms. Ning Xi from earlier?¡±

    ¡°She just left. What¡¯s wrong?¡± The assistant director seemed confused.

    Thedy staff looked flustered. ¡°Jace¡­ Mr. Jace wants to see her!¡±

    ¡°What? Mr. Jace wants to see her personally?¡± The assistant director shot to his feet in shock.

    The pair beside him looked like they had just witnessed a supernatural urrence.

 Chapter 1948 - Mysterious Producer

    <h4>Chapter 1948: Mysterious Producer</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Jace had never appeared in public. Even they had never seen Jace himself, including the assistant director.

    ¡°She shouldn¡¯t have gone far! I¡¯ll give her a call!¡± The assistant director said.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll chase her,¡± replied the female staff.

    ¡­

    ¡°Ning Xi, how was it?¡±

    Xu Tao, who had been waiting outside, quickly asked her when she came out.

    Ning Xi thought about it. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got half a chance, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s awesome enough that you have some chance. Leave the rest to me and Liang Feixing. This time¡­¡±

    As Xu Tao and Ning Xi were talking and walking towards the car park, suddenly there was the sound of rushed footsteps behind them.

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, please wait!¡±

    Ning Xi turned around, surprised to see the staff from earlier.

    ¡°Ms. Linda?¡±

    ¡°Hi, Ms. Ning Xi!¡± Linda sped her chest as she panted heavily.

    ¡°Hello.¡± Ning Xi smiled and gave her a questioning gaze, unsure why she was being chased.

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, our producer would like to meet with you to discuss the movie,¡± she said very politely.

    Ning Xi was stunned before she asked, ¡°Producer? You mean Mr. Jace?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jace.¡±

    Not just Ning Xi, even Xu Tao was taken aback when they heard the affirmative answer.

    ¡°Mr. Jace wants to see Ning Xi? W-What is it about?¡± Xu Tao quickly asked.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Jace wants to see Ms. Ning Xi, but I¡¯m not sure why. Ms. Ning Xi will know once she meets him.¡± Thedy smiled nervously as if she was afraid of messing things up and not being able to bring Ning Xi over.

    Ning Xi and Xu Tao looked at each other questioningly.

    While Ning Xi was popr in China, she meant nothing to Hollywood, especially for people of Jace¡¯s caliber. He probably did not even know of her existence.

    Even Ning Xi did not expect that her trying today would lead to meeting that person.

    In the end, Xu Tao replied decisively, ¡°Please lead the way!¡±

    ¡°Alright, follow me!¡± Thedy looked relieved.

    ¡­

    After about half an hour¡¯s car ride, Ning Xi entered a high-ss private club with the staff.

    As they arrived at a room, thedy told Xu Tao, ¡°Please wait outside here, Mister.¡±

    She then made an inviting gesture to Ning Xi and opened the door for her.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Ning Xi thanked her and took a deep breath before going inside the room.

    Inside, there was an old man with a head full of white hair. He seemed to have waited for a long time.

    The old man looked like he was pondering about something, then he raised his head and looked at Ning Xi¡¯s direction when he heard sounds at the door.

    Ning Xi had been preparing herself mentally on the way here, so she looked somewhat calm. ¡°Hello, Mr. Jace.¡±

    Ning Xi took a careful look at the old man as she greeted him. It was a standard European face around 80 years old, and he looked quite kind, which was unimaginable given Jace¡¯s poprity.

    However, Jace was a mysterious person. None of the magazines dared to put Jace¡¯s picture on print.

 Chapter 1949 - Pie Falling From The Sky

    <h4>Chapter 1949: Pie Falling From The Sky</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Even though Ning Xi always kept up with Jace¡¯s news, she had never seen his face either.

    The elder looked distracted as he was reminded of something when he looked at Ning Xi. His pupils shrunk a little.

    After a while, the elder said, ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, please sit.¡±

    Ning Xi nodded and sat down. Since she was unclear about his intention of inviting her over, she patiently waited for what he had to say. Besides, she was too nervous to say anything at all.

    He was a legend in Hollywood after all; he was someone who only existed within the realm of her imagination, and now he was right in front of her!

    His eyes looked sharp as if he could see right through a person¡¯s heart. However, the way he looked at Ning Xi at the moment was devoid of pressure. He said gently, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have invited you over in a rush, but I just saw your audition video.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, but the reason you want to see me is¡­¡± Ning Xi was confused.

    ¡°I hope you can take up the role of Anna in the movie ¡®Assassin¡¯, Ms. Ning Xi,¡± Jace said straightforwardly.

    Ning Xi imagined countless possible oues, but she was stunned when she heard it directly from Jace himself.

    Anna?

    Jace had invited her to take up the role of Anna!

    Anna was the female lead for this movie!

    Jace continued, ¡°Back then, my daughter Caroline was the scriptwriter and female lead for the movie ¡®Assassin¡¯.¡±

    Ning Xi was once again astonished when she heard this. Ms. Caroline, the legendary female lead of ¡°Assassin¡± from Hollywood, was actually Jace¡¯s daughter!

    She had countless curious questions but did not dare to ask them.

    ¡°Unfortunately, my daughter Caroline passed away due to sickness when she was traveling. It has been some time, which is why I wanted to remake the movie so as tomemorate my daughter.¡± The elder¡¯s expression looked slightly depressed.

    Ning Xi was really surprised.

    When she saw the movie ¡°Assassin¡± for the first time, she loved the character portrayed by Anna whom she thought was just the coolest.

    However, Caroline only starred in the movie ¡°Assassin¡± and then vanished. There was no news about her whatsoever after that. She would never have expected that Caroline had already passed away.

    It was the first time Ning Xi found out about the story behind the movie ¡°Assassin¡±.

    ¡°My condolences.¡± Ning Xi had no idea what else to say.

    The elder then asked, ¡°I¡¯m cing a lot of importance on this character, so I hope you can give it your all!¡±

    Had he already decided on her to take up the role?

    With such a ginormous sweet pie falling from the sky, she was almost crushed.

    Ning Xi asked, ¡°As far as I know, the female lead was confirmed to be Ms. Lilian, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Jace then replied, ¡°It¡¯s not confirmed. It was just an initial shortlist. After our meeting today, I believe your aura and image suit the character very well.

    ¡°I believe you know that the settings for parts of the movie will be in China. Caroline¡¯s mother is Chinese, and she¡¯s been living here since she was a child. That was also the reason why parts of the movie were taken here.¡±

    The elder was then reminded of the past and stopped talking.

    ¡°I see.¡±

 Chapter 1950 - Miracle

    <h4>Chapter 1950: Miracle</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Besides, I trust Martin¡¯s judgment too,¡± said Jace.

    Director Martin¡­

    It had been so long since she heard that name. Ning Xi was stunned for a moment before she realized who Jace meant.

    A year ago, she joined Director Martin¡¯s movie ¡°Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡±. There were many special effect scenes in this movie, thus it had not been released up till now.

    Because of Jace¡¯s exnation about his daughter, plus his mention of Director Martin, Ning Xi could finally digest this huge pie¡­

    After that, Ning Xi discussed some small tweaks in ¡°Assassin¡± and the understanding of the plot in detail with Jace, only leaving in the evening.

    Until she walked out of the room, Ning Xi still felt like it was all very surreal.

    She would never have thought that initially wanting to just try for a cameo would, in the end, not only end up with her meeting the legendary Jace but alsond her the leading female role.

    ¡°Oh my Lord, you¡¯re finally out! How did it actually go? What did Mr. Jace say to you? Why did you leave for so long? He didn¡¯t do anything to you, did he?!¡± Xu Tao looked like a mother hen who was worried sick.

    Ning Xi was a little speechless. ¡°Nonsense! Mr. Jace was just discussing letting me take on the role of Anna.¡±

    ¡°What¡­ the heck? What?¡± Xu Tao almost bit his own tongue.

    Xu Tao had watched Hollywood¡¯s ssic movie ¡°Assassin¡± that had been honed to perfection over centuries for more than six or seven times. Naturally, he knew that the female lead¡¯s name was Anna, and she was one of the most outstanding characters in the history of Hollywood¡¯s filmography.

    ¡°Can you say that again? What role did Mr. Jace ask you to take on?¡±

    ¡°The lead female assassin,¡± replied Ning Xi expressionlessly.

    Xu Tao was stunned for about three seconds before he came back to his senses. He quivered emotionally. ¡°You got the lead female assassin¡¯s role as Anna?! Oh, my queen, please don¡¯t be joking with me. My heart isn¡¯t that great!¡±

    It was not that no huge stars made it to Hollywood in the entire Chinese entertainment industry, but no one had ever taken on the lead female role.

    Hollywood was most probably only looking for actors in China because of China¡¯s super huge market. Most of the roles offered were not even important.

    For a Chinese female star tond the role of the lead female role in Hollywood was practically unheard of.

    Even if it was the top A-lister superstar, to be able to get an important role in a Hollywood film was next to impossible.

    Up till now, only Song Lin had done that in the whole of the Chinese history, but that film director was an American Chinese, so most of the actors¡¯ line-up was Chinese too.

    Ning Xi obviously expected Xu Tao¡¯s reaction. She shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Pinch yourself for a while. If we¡¯re not dreaming right now, then this is real!¡±

    ¡°Oh, my queen, you¡¯re practically¡­ practically a miracle! Our entire Chinese entertainment industry¡¯s pride! Damn!¡± Xu Tao was so emotional that he was incoherent.

    He had never dared to imagine that in his lifetime, an artiste under him would be able to snag a lead female role in Hollywood.

    He could brag about this awesomeness for quite a few lifetimes!

    That dog crap Zheng Anru, promoting all over the ce! This time, she would really be the biggest joke!

    ¡°I¡¯ll go inform the media now. I¡¯ll immediately announce it to the world!¡±

    Once Xu Tao said that he immediately shook his head again. ¡°No, no, no, don¡¯t tell the media first. Zheng Anru¡¯s side is abuzz with the announcement. Let¡¯s wait for ¡®Assassin¡¯ to begin filming. There¡¯ll definitely be a lot of media for publicity and promotion. Let¡¯s just use Zheng Anru¡¯s publicity! Wait for a few more days till everything on Zheng Anru and Han Zixuan¡¯s end is in order. Hehehe¡­¡±

 Chapter 1951 - Obviously My Wife Can

    <h4>Chapter 1951: Obviously My Wife Can</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xi shook her head helplessly. Indeed, this was Xu Tao¡¯s way of doing things.

    This move was indeed incredibly savage.

    ¡°Ning Xi, how did you actually get chosen? In fact, Jace personally decided on you!¡± Xu Tao followed after her and asked eagerly.

    Thus, Ning Xi exined the process in detail to Xu Tao who listened without even blinking once throughout.

    ¡­

    When they left the private club, Ning Xi returned to Deer Town.

    After chatting with Jace for a long time, Ning Xi finally understood why parts of the casting for ¡°Assassin¡± took ce in China.

    ording to Jace, his younger daughter, Caroline really like China, and some settings of the storyline in ¡°Assassin¡± were actually in China.

    Of course, when ¡°Assassin¡± officially began shooting and the storylines in China were finished, she would still need to follow the crew to the other countries to continue shooting at various locations.

    ¡°How was it? Did it go well?¡± Lu Tingxiao asked.

    The old Hollywood movie ¡°Assassin¡± had once caused a sensation and Lu Tingxiao had seen it too. He also knew how much Ning Xi liked this movie. She had even studied the script for a long time for a minor role that did not have many scenes.

    ¡°Boohoo, Darling¡­ It didn¡¯t go too well. I didn¡¯t get chosen for the role that I auditioned for!¡± Ning Xi wept and sighed as she went over, seeking for caresses andfort.

    Lu Tingxiao naturally felt his heart ache for her and he quickly consoled her softly.

    Yet, the moment he finished, he saw the girl looking up to him slyly. There were no hints of sadness in her eyes at all. ¡°Hehehe, even though I didn¡¯t get chosen for the role I auditioned for, the filming team has let me take on the role of the lead female assassin.¡±

    When he heard this, even Lu Tingxiao was a little astonished.

    Initially, he thought that Ning Xi had failed at the audition. He would never have thought that she would get the role of the female lead instead.

    In Hollywood, Chinese artistes had a lower status. As everyone was aware, getting even a supporting role was hard, much less a leading role.

    ¡°Darling, do you know that today my idol unexpectedly invited me to personally meet him!?¡± Ning Xi eximed excitedly.

    ¡°Jace?¡± Lu Tingxiao asked.

    ¡°How did you know?!¡± Ning Xi pouted as she wanted to boast to Lu Tingxiao without him guessing first.

    ¡°Apart from Jace himself, who else could make you this excited?¡± teased Lu Tingxiao in a pampering tone.

    He liked seeing the way her eyes lit up when she spoke about her work.

    ¡°Mr. Jace was really such a gentleman and he¡¯s very friendly. He wasn¡¯t like what I imagined at all! He¡¯s just like a normal and very loving grandfather!

    ¡°And did you know? The female lead, Caroline, was actually Jace¡¯s daughter but sadly, Caroline has already passed away¡­¡± Ning Xi¡¯s expression shed with regret and she felt that it was a great pity. At the same time, she was even more determined to act her part well.

    ¡°Darling, I must perform this film to perfection.¡±

    ¡°Obviously, my wife can do it,¡± Lu Tingxiao said, then he suddenly thought of something, and in his eyes was an unnoticeable gloom.

    ¡­

    ¡°Assassin¡± was highly efficient. Very soon, they informed Ning Xi to go over for a costume test.

    On that day, Ning Xi arrived early.

    In the makeup room, a Caucasian with the typical Western standards of beauty walked up to Ning Xi, her dark blue eyes examining Ning Xi.

    ¡°You¡¯re the Chinese actress, Ning Xi!¡± The Caucasian girl smiled at her.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Ning Xi,¡± Ning Xi answered politely.

    ¡°I heard you seem to have been in Hollywood previously. Did you act in a movie, the one that was just released recently?¡± The Caucasian girl hurled out her hand to Ning Xi.

 Chapter 1952 - Be Careful

    <h4>Chapter 1952: Be Careful</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xi was familiar with this Caucasian girl in front of her as she was a pretty famous actress in Hollywood.

    For the filming of ¡°Assassin¡±, the line-up of actors was elite.

    The male lead was Hollywood¡¯s famous actor, Steve Weir.

    After the long chat with Jace the day before, Ning Xi already knew the line-up of the current actors. This Caucasian girl was acting as the male lead¡¯s assistant in ¡°Assassin¡±.

    ¡°You¡¯re amazing! You actually got the role of the lead female assassin, so you¡¯ll have a lot of scenes with Weir,¡± said the Caucasian girl with envy.

    Even though the outside world did not know anything yet, the fact that the female lead had been changed to be a Chinese actress exploded in the entire internal department.

    As fornding the role of the female lead, even Ning Xi herself felt that she had been incredibly lucky. After all, Ning Xi did not even dream of getting the female lead role in ¡°Assassin¡± at first.

    However, since she had already gotten it, she would obviously give it her best.

    ¡°However, Ms. Ning Xi, you should be a little careful,¡± the Caucasian girl looked around as she said in a lowered voice.

    ¡°Careful?¡± Ning Xi did not understand.

    The Caucasian girl nodded and added softly, ¡°For the role of the female lead, the filming crew initially already decided upon Lilian to take it up, but after they informed that they would be changing to you, Lilian has now been changed to be the viinous secondary female lead¡­¡±

    Lilian was a movie star that had been pretty hot in Hollywood in recent years. When ¡°Assassin¡± was about to be remade, they had already contacted Lilian and after an audition, they decided upon Lilian to y the female lead.

    However, with Ning Xi¡¯s arrival, the film producers¡¯ decision suddenly changed. Evidently, many of the higher-ups did not know why they had suddenly changed actresses either. Everyone was extremely curious about Ning Xi.

    The Caucasian woman seemed to be worried about Lilian, so she was warning Ning Xi to be more careful.

    Ning Xi already knew about this. She had also especially asked Jace about the situation, thus she did not take it to heart.

    Jace had decided on the lead female role in ¡°Assassin¡±. It was not rted to her at all and she did not even steal it herself, so with a clear conscience, she would just give it her all.

    ¡°What the hell? Lilian¡¯s role as the female lead has actually been swapped out for a Chinese actress! I don¡¯t know what the producers are thinking!¡±

    ¡°I previously heard that that Chinese actress is called whats-her-name? Ning Xi? Even though she¡¯s a little famous in China, she¡¯s not even qualified in Hollywood!¡±

    Instantly, two dark-skinned girls walked into the makeup room.

    Their gazes fell onto Ning Xi.

    One of the girls examined Ning Xi and scoffed, ¡°Chinese actresses who want to make it big in Hollywood really don¡¯t have it easy. No matter how many Hollywood movies they¡¯ve acted in, they still need to leave in the end!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯ll always be people who want to make it into Hollywood, yet in the end, almost none of them get to stay!¡±

    The dark-skinned women were clearly saying those things for Ning Xi to hear.

    Before they could continue, a few of the makeup artists finally rushed over.

    ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m the makeup artist. Today the filming crew has told us to test costumes with everyone.¡±

    The middle-aged woman who was the makeup artist had a broad smile on her face.

    When they heard her, the two women stopped their nasty banter. They sat on the chairs and were checking themselves out in the mirrors.

    The middle-aged woman walked up to Ning Xi and introduced herself, ¡°Hello, Ms. Ning Xi. My name is Lisa and I¡¯m your makeup artist.¡±

    ¡°Hello, thank you for the trouble.¡± Ning Xi nodded.

 Chapter 1953 - Female Lead of This Movie

    <h4>Chapter 1953: Female Lead of This Movie</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Let me handle this.¡± Lisa beamed.

    These professional makeup artists followed the ¡°Assassin¡± crew around the whole country.

    Lisa was Chinese and spoke Mandarin fluently. She offered to be Ning Xi¡¯s exclusive makeup artist when she found out that a Chinese was going to be the lead character.

    Shey out all her makeup on the table, yet she did not do anything for some time.

    ¡°Lisa, what¡¯s the issue?¡± Ning Xi was confused.

    Lisa looked surprised. ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, in 17 years of my career, I¡¯ve never seen anyone with skin as good as yours.¡±

    The light makeup on Ning Xi right now was already perfect. There was nothing more to be done.

    The makeup needed for the main character in the movie was not much. She just needed a style that was clean and simple.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Ning Xi humbly.

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, I think¡­ you don¡¯t need any more makeup.¡± Lisa seemed disappointed as she was keen to show off her skills. In the end, she just did some minor touch-ups.

    Several other makeup artists looked at Ning Xi¡¯s direction.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see how good her skin is. Is there a problem with her eyes?¡±

    ¡°No matter how amazing her skin is, can she be better than Caucasians?¡±

    The two dark-skinned girls stared at Ning Xi unhappily.

    ¡°Ignore them! They¡¯re being discriminated against themselves, yet they want to mock other people to feel better!¡± Lisaforted Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi smiled and did not mind.

    Lisa, on the other hand, had seen too many situations like this.

    It was not just actors from China. Many big shots from other countries would be discriminated the moment they were involved in Hollywood.

    Of course, Ning Xi¡¯s case of snatching the lead role had never happened before, so it was unbelievable.

    Lisa had heard some rumors from the crew.

    The initial decision was not to have Ning Xi as the female lead, but for some unknown reason, the production team decided to change at the veryst minute.

    ¡°Lilian, you¡¯re here!¡±

    The two dark-skinned girls looked cheerfully at the girling in.

    A Caucasian came into the dressing room with her assistant.

    Lilian was incensed when she found out her role was reced, especially when she knew that her recement was a Chinese actress.

    Her eyes were filled with a hint of darkness when she saw Ning Xi.

    ¡°Come here and sit, Lilian.¡±

    One of the dark-skinned girls quickly stood up and left the seat for her.

    Lilian¡¯s assistant nced at Ning Xi and frowned. ¡°Who is this minor actress? Is just anyone allowed in the dressing room?¡±

    ¡°This is Ms. Ning Xi, the female lead of this movie,¡± Lisa said calmly.

    ¡°Ning Xi? Who¡¯s that? I¡¯ve never heard of her before. Anyone heard of her before?¡±

    Lilian¡¯s assistant gave everyone around her a warning re.

    ¡°Nope, who¡¯s that? Never heard of that name before!¡±

    ¡°Could she the female lead spot by sleeping with some higher-ups? I know there are a lot of dirty deals going around in the Chinese entertainment industry!¡±

    The two girlsughed coldly.

    ¡°Stop saying such ridiculous things! Didn¡¯t your parents teach you any manners?¡± Lisa stared at the girls and warned them.

 Chapter 1954 - Appearance of The Master

    <h4>Chapter 1954: Appearance of The Master</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Even though Ning Xi did not care for such cheap tricks, she was very grateful for Lisa being on her side.

    ¡°Lisa, this has nothing to do with you!¡±

    The two girls frowned.

    This makeup artist was very famous within the industry. Rumor had it that she was somewhat rted to Steve Weir, so the girls were not too rude and justmented a little more.

    Lilian signaled her assistant who became quiet.

    The two girls stopped talking when Lilian stopped her assistant.

    Lisa was surprised to see Lilian¡¯s attitude.

    Lilian was definitely not a very friendly person. She thought that Lilian would surely try to intimidate Ning Xi, yet she had chosen to stop it there?

    Lisa took a nce at Ning Xi. This Chinese girl was able to get the female lead role. She must have an impressive background. Even Lilian was wary of her¡­

    Soon, Lilian¡¯s manager called her and she left.

    The other actors took a few trial shots, then everyone left around noon.

    ¡ª¡ª

    As Ning Xi was about to go back to her apartment, she received a phone call.

    She looked at her phone screen in surprise and nearly threw her phone away.

    ¡°Han Xiao?¡±

    Oh! It¡¯s the Master!

    Ning Xi quickly picked up the phone after she realized who was calling her. ¡°Hello? M-Master? Are you looking for me?¡±

    ¡°KFC on J street. Come over.¡±

    Before Ning Xi could say anything else, the call went dead.

    What the heck? The moment he spoke to her, he only brought up KFC?

    Ning Xi had no idea what was going on.

    Without any choice, Ning Xi went over.

    Since the Master called, she would go anywhere for him!

    ¡­

    Inside the shop, Ning Xi found Han Xiao who was sitting in a corner.

    Han Xiao wore a casual and loose white shirt as if he was just a harmless, young man.

    While he looked handsome, the way he was gobbling his food looked a little disturbing.

    He had a drumstick in his left hand and a beef roll in his right as he sipped the milk tea right in between both hands.

    Ning Xi had been sitting beside him for a while, yet he did not notice her presence at all.

    ¡°Do they taste good?¡±

    Ning Xi did not want to bother him and was about to wait for him to finish, but he ordered another full bucket!

    If she waited until he finished, it would probably take forever!

    ¡°Eh¡­ When did you get here?¡± Han Xiao turned around and looked at Ning Xi.

    ¡°About ten minutes ago.¡± Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Help me get the full bucket and also¡­ help me pay for it.¡± Han Xiao nodded.

    Curse you!

    Ning Xi would really love to p the soul out of this man in front of her.

    She had never talked to Han Xiao in a year, yet the first thing he told her was to help him to get a full bucket of chicken.

    And he wanted her to pay!

    She had rushed over in the car and thought something serious had happened!

    Whatever, he did save her life after all¡­

    ¡­

    Han Xiao was swigging his milk tea happily after being done with his meal.

    ¡°Long time no see. How have you been?¡±

    Han Xiao finally looked much more normal as he put the milk tea down.

    ¡°It¡¯d be better if you didn¡¯t call me,¡± Ning Xi said truthfully.

    She was almost scared to death!

    ¡°It¡¯d be bad if I don¡¯t call you,¡± said Han Xiao.

    ¡°Why?¡± Ning Xi questioned.

 Chapter 1955 - Being Followed

    <h4>Chapter 1955: Being Followed</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I¡¯m not full and I don¡¯t have enough money,¡± Han Xiao told the truth.

    Ning Xi was speechless¡­

    ¡°I see your body has recovered a fair bit now.¡± Han Xiao examined Ning Xi.

    ¡°Recovered?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you fall into a vegetative state? I thought I¡¯d never see you again,¡± Han Xiao said as he wiped the grease off his face.

    ¡°Thanks to you!¡± While the guy said that, he did not look genuine at all!

    ¡°Oh right, I have to return the favor since you bought me a meal¡­ Several people are following you.¡± Han Xiao smiled as he stared at Ning Xi.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s following me?¡±

    Ning Xi was shocked. She would not have realized it if Han Xiao had not told her.

    ¡°They came into the shop with you just now and they seemed to be trained. With your body condition as it is now, they could squeeze you to death like a little chick,¡± said Han Xiao as a matter-of-fact.

    You are the chick! Your whole family are chickens!

    Although she really was a chick in the Master¡¯s eyes¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re a popr star, yet you only put on some disguise when going out. Don¡¯t have you have any bodyguards?¡± Han Xiao shook his head.

    ¡°Bodyguards? I have you. Why do I need any bodyguards, Big Bro Han Xiao?¡±

    Ning Xi looked at Han Xiao and gave him her widest smile.

    Of course, she would never bring anyone else when she came to see Han Xiao. What if he had an emergency secret?

    Who knew? She was overthinking!

    ¡°It¡¯s useless even if you call me your father. I¡¯m full now and I want to sleep.¡± Han Xiao yawned.

    Damn it! You just ate everything I paid for and now you want to go!?

    Ning Xi really wished for someone skilled enough to beat Han Xiao up until he vomited out all the food he just ate.

    But it was impossible¡­

    Ning Xi looked around and tried to figure out who was following her and why.

    Ning Xi did not notice anything, but since Han Xiao said so, it must be true.

    ¡°One more bucket of chickens!¡± Suddenly, Han Xiao yelled.

    ¡°Damn you!¡±

    ¡°Go get it and pay!¡±

    Damn it!

    Ning Xi swore. If this man was not a monster, she would surely fight him.

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes, then smiled sweetly. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll pay, but you have to take care of the people following me.¡±

    ¡°Just for one chicken bucket?¡± Han Xiao obviously felt like he was being taken advantage of.

    ¡°It¡¯s two, alright? I paid for the one before too!¡± Ning Xi argued.

    ¡°F-Fine¡­¡± Han Xiao finally made the tough decision after some struggle.

    After another round of guzzling, Han Xiao took thest chicken drumstick in his hand and left KFC with Ning Xi.

    Two men in sunsses left after they saw Ning Xi move.

    Ning Xi drove the car to the outskirts.

    A four-wheel-drive went in their way and blocked Ning Xi¡¯s car, two middle-aged men alighting from it.

    ¡°Ning Xi, follow us.¡±

    One of the slightly chubbier men swiftly went up and caught Ning Xi¡¯s wrist firmly.

    In that brief moment, Ning Xi raised her right arm and pushed the man away.

    ¡°Ning Xi, don¡¯t cause any trouble. I¡¯m giving you another chance. Follow us or you¡¯ll face the consequences¡­¡±

    There was a sense of coldness in the chubby man¡¯s eyes.

    Ning Xi stood where she was with a grin. It was an evil little grin.

 Chapter 1956 - Seeing The Crazy Person Again

    <h4>Chapter 1956: Seeing The Crazy Person Again</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    These two people were trained. They even had guns on them.

    Nevertheless, Ning Xi was not afraid.

    On the left side of the car, there was a monster even scarier than cluster bombs.

    At this moment, Han Xiao sat in the passenger seat beside the driver, still chewing on a bit of the remaining fried drumstick.

    ¡°Look at you two big guys, bullying ady. That¡¯s not too nice, is it?¡± Han Xiao said as he looked towards the two men outside the car.

    When they heard him, the short and skinny man walked up and closed the passenger car door again. He stared coldly at Han Xiao. ¡°Eat your food. Don¡¯t go seeking death.¡±

    The orders that they had received were to take Ning Xi back with them. If Ning Xi did not cooperate, then they would resolve her quickly.

    As for any other people, it was not within their area of consideration.

    After Han Xiao finished eating the drumstick, he wiped the oil stains from the corner of his mouth and said, ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. Want to have some?¡±

    Han Xiao wound the car window down and looked the short, skinny man beside him.

    The short and skinny man had yet toe back to his senses as he asked subconsciously, ¡°Have what?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a drumstick.¡±

    Then, Han Xiao threw the chicken bones in his hand, and there was the vague sound of something slicing through the air.

    The drumstick bone was thrown right into the skinny, weak man¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ Ahh¡­¡±

    The odd object got stuck in the short and skinny man¡¯s throat. He had only taken two breaths at the most when the man¡¯s face turned ashen and his eyes bulged. In the midst of his struggle, he made crying sounds.

    ¡°Is it that yummy?¡± When he saw the short, skinny man¡¯s incredibly pained expression, Han Xiao¡¯s eyes revealed a ruthlessness.

    Momentster, with the sound of a plop, the skinny, weak man had fallen hard onto the ground. His body twitched non-stop.

    ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re looking for death!¡±

    Such a situation made the chubby man¡¯s expression instantly change. He immediately whipped out a handgun from his waist and aimed it at Han Xiao.

    Swish!

    Before he could see how Han Xiao moved, there was a white sh and Han Xiao had already appeared by the chubby man¡¯s side, five of his lean fingers casually wrapped around the gun.

    The chubby man wanted to pull the trigger by reflex.

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    The chubby man¡¯s pupils suddenly shrunk. The trigger had long been blocked by this young man¡¯s fingers, and he could not shoot at all.

    ¡°What rotten thing! Let me take a look.¡±

    In a sh, Han Xiao grabbed the gun from the chubby man¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡±

    When he saw that the ck gun muzzle had been turned on him, the chubby man¡¯s body trembled and he looked terrified.

    The two of them were well-trained assassins while this sissy who looked incredibly young contained a terrifying force that was beyond a human¡¯s understanding.

    With almost no means to retaliate, the tables had beenpletely turned in between the jokes of that man with the demonic charm.

    ¡°This lousy toy, how do you use it? Is it¡­¡±

    Bam!

    Before Han Xiao finished, a muffled noise came from the muzzle and the bullet shot through the chubby man¡¯s head.

    ¡°Argh¡­ Sorry, sorry, my hands are covered in oil. I made a mistake.¡±

    Han Xiao stared at the chubby man who had fallen to the ground and smirked faintly.

    When she saw Han Xiao¡¯s expression, Ning Xi could not help but tremble too.

    Tobel him as a monster was not exaggerating at all.

    As a friend, he would bring you an extremely intense feeling of security.

    As an enemy¡­

    She could not imagine.

    ¡°Han Xiao, you show off! Why did you kill all of them?!¡±

    When Ning Xi returned to her senses, the two men had already been killed by Han Xiao.

    It happened so quickly. Even if Ning Xi wanted to stop him, she was toote.

    ¡°I¡¯m a show off? What does this have to do with me being a show-off? I¡¯m helping you kill them. It¡¯s not my arrogance that killed them.¡± Han Xiao casually threw the gun to the side.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Ning Xi almost puked blood onto Han Xiao¡¯s face. What abilities ofprehension did this crazy person have? Hisnguage teacher must have died especially soon!

 Chapter 1957 - This Is Not Too Logical

    <h4>Chapter 1957: This Is Not Too Logical</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Initially, Ning Xi wanted to ask the duo who had died who was the one behind all of this, but Han Xiao¡­

    He did not even blink when killing them. Instead, he talked about mistakes and oily hands¡­ Who was he trying to fool?

    Did this guy know something?

    ¡°These two people¡­ Each one of them means treating me to a family bucket. Two people means two buckets. That should be about it,¡± said Han Xiao.

    Ning Xi was speechless. She could not help but pity the two assassins. In Han Xiao¡¯s eyes, their lives were only worth a family bucket.

    In fact, it was not even a luxury family bucket.

    ¡°Sure, sure, sure, I¡¯ll treat you to two hundred buckets. I¡¯ll watch you finish eating it.¡± Ning Xi was a little helpless. Han Xiao was sometimes crazy to the point of horrific, and sometimes he was like a child that could not grow up.

    ¡°Ha¡­ You said so, but I¡¯m not free tonight. I have a date. I¡¯ll look for you.¡±

    Han Xiao turned around and waved. Before Ning Xi could say anything, he had already disappeared and was nowhere in sight.

    ¡°A date¡­¡±

    Ning Xi could not help but roll her eyes.

    She had never seen any woman Han Xiao. Forget about women, she had never even seen men.

    If he was going to have an excuse, he should havee up with something more believable!

    ¡­

    Ning Xi returned to her garden home in Deer Town. She did not see Lu Tingxiao, yet Lu Jingli hade over.

    This guy seemed to being over less and less frequently. Apparently, he was too stuffed with all the public disy of affection.

    ¡°Why are you here? Hungry?¡± Ning Xi opened the door for Lu Jingli and let him in, then she raised her brows to ask.

    Lu Jingli gazed bitterly at her. ¡°Sis-inw, you¡¯re humble. What¡¯s in my stomach is enough to keep me stuffed till the next lifetime. Sis-inw, I¡¯vee to look for you because I heard my brother say that you¡¯re ying the female lead in ¡®Assassin¡¯! Are you really?¡± Lu Jingli asked excitedly.

    Ning Xi nodded. ¡°Yeah, where¡¯s your brother?¡±

    Lu Jingli walked around Ning Xi. ¡°At thepany. He¡¯s had some things to handle in thepany for the past few days!¡±

    Ning Xi wanted to call Lu Tingxiao, but when she heard Lu Jingli say that Lu Tingxiao was busy, she decided against it.

    ¡°Sis-inw, I know that one moment apart seems like three years to you, but just tell me properly. What my brother said, is it real or is it fake?

    ¡°¡®Assassin¡¯ is Hollywood¡¯s mega-ssic which has swept all sorts of huge awards. Even though you¡¯re considered a big shot and an A-lister in China, but in Hollywood, you¡¯re really not considered much. Maybe to dominate the China market, they¡¯ll let you y the supporting role. That¡¯s still possible¡­ but to let you y the female lead, and in a mega-ssic film that¡¯s anticipated by everyone, that isn¡¯t very logical¡­¡±

    Lu Jingli was definitely no stranger to the movie.

    One could even say that all those who have meddled in the entertainment industry would have watched ¡°Assassin¡±.

    Even if many years have passed, many films with high praises and attracted crowds had many scenes that paid homage to ¡°Assassin¡±.

    Now that ¡°Assassin¡± was being remade, it caused quite a stir in the entire entertainment industry in China. It was extremely hard for many of the popr artistes to get even just a small role.

    ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you. It¡¯s real,¡± said Ning Xi helplessly.

    When Lu Jingli heard Ning Xi admit it herself, he still could not believe it.

    After the remake of ¡°Assassin¡± was announced with such a never-before-seen line-up, everyone remarked how extremely rare it was.

    The male lead was even yed by the famous Steve Weir who was globally renowned as King Weir, Hollywood¡¯s top actor.

    The initial female lead, Lilian, was now one of Hollywood¡¯s most prominent female stars who should be about the same age as Ning Xi, but in Hollywood, she was already named as the top actress at such a tender age. She had even been titled with the honor of being Female Artiste of the Year.

    Previously, she had even acted with King Weir in a movie named ¡°Mystery Town of Lowe¡± which received lots of raving reviews.

 Chapter 1958 - Still Sis-in-law Who Cares About Me

    <h4>Chapter 1958: Still Sis-inw Who Cares About Me</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Even though Ning Xi was quite famous, her poprity was still only confined within the country. In Hollywood, artistes like Ning Xi could merely get a supporting role.

    It was the first time in history for a Chinese artiste to take on the role of a female lead in Hollywood.

    The film crew was the world¡¯s best too. Even some of the artistes who yed insignificant roles were also quite famous in Hollywood.

    Most importantly, the producer this time was the mysterious Jace¡­

    Based on just the situation in China, many of the big shots¡¯ managers used all sorts of methods to get a small role for their artistes. Even just being cannon fodder would be worth it¡­

    Sadly, almost none of them seeded.

    Even if Lu Jingli was extremely confident in Ning Xi¡¯s capabilities, there did not seem to be any logic in the matter.

    Thus, to guard against the unexpected, he was not assured and still asked a few more questions.

    ¡°Sis-inw, forget about how ¡®Assassin¡¯ is a remake of a mega-ssic. Even if it was a normal Hollywood movie, have you seen any Chinese female star y the lead role? Even if it was just an important supporting role, there are very few. In fact, there¡¯s almost none¡­ Hmm, how old is Jace now?¡±

    Lu Jingli suddenly thought of something and tried to change the topic without sounding stiff.

    Ning Xi obviously knew what Lu Jingli was thinking about. She straightforwardly said, ¡°At least 80 years old! Stop thinking about nonsense! Mr. Jace is a very nice person!¡±

    ¡°Then, could the old mister have lost his mind?¡± Lu Jingli muttered softly.

    ¡°Hmm?!¡± Ning Xi instantly squinted her eyes.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ I must say, this time the producers of ¡®Assassin¡¯ are indeed quite skilled. They aren¡¯t restricting themselves and dare to break through to try new things. It¡¯s considered good fortune too that they actually discovered such a super artiste such as my sis-inw. Even I¡¯m a little envious!¡± Lu Jingli immediately made a thumbs-up and corrected himself quickly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lick my boots.¡± Ning Xi immediately stuffed the apple that she had just peeled into Lu Jingli¡¯s mouth.

    As he caught a glimpse of the shiny fruit knife in Ning Xi¡¯s hand, Lu Jingli smiled to tter her. ¡°Sis-inw, what are you saying? What¡¯s my status? How could I be licking your boots? I only lick dragon boots¡­ Haha¡­¡±

    Lu Jingli changed the topic. ¡°Sis-inw, for ¡®Assassin¡¯, I remember that there¡¯s a male assassin character. I think that would suit me.¡±

    Ning Xi could remember this character clearly too.

    The old version of the male assassin was considered an important role too. Back then, Hollywood¡¯s famousedian, Marlow, had yed the character.

    Ning Xi still remembered some ssic scenes of a man wearing a female disguise.

    ¡°Forget it! Mister Lu is handsome and confident. How could you possibly act as him? Don¡¯t ruin the dreams of thousands of girls!¡± Ning Xi rolled her eyes at Lu Jingli.

    ¡°Only you are so considerate of me, Sis-inw!¡± Lu Jingli looked touched.

    At this moment, the door creaked open.

    Lu Tingxiao put his keys away and there were bags of fresh vegetables and meat in his hands.

    ¡°Bro, have you resolved thepany matter?¡± Lu Jingli promptly ran over to ask.

    Lu Tingxiao walked into the kitchen, washed his hands and then returned to the living room. He simply said, ¡°It¡¯s no bother.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good if it¡¯s fine. That¡¯s good! I won¡¯t disturb you guys. I¡¯ll leave now!¡± Lu Jingli was ready to slip away, reluctant to be force fed with their disy of affection.

    ¡°You¡¯re already here. Just stay for dinner!¡± Ning Xi said.

    ¡°Mmm, well¡­¡± In between his fear of their intimate disy of affection and the temptation of delicious food, Lu Jingli still chose to surrender to his appetite in the end.

    ¡°It¡¯s still Sis-inw who cares about me. Let¡¯s just happily decide on that then!¡± Lu Jingli instantly retreated back and sat down on the sofa to begin watching a movie.

    What a rare opportunity!

 Chapter 1959 - Wild Beast

    <h4>Chapter 1959: Wild Beast</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The whole family was intentionally letting the two of them have more private time together. Even Little Treasure was willing to leave his mother¡¯s side for the sake of his little sister or brother. Of course, it was not nice of him to always go over for meals.

    No one could understand the pain of singletons!

    ¡­

    ¡°Darling, you look so cool when you¡¯re cooking!¡± Ning Xiplimented Lu Tingxiao when she saw him so focused on cooking.

    Lu Tingxiao raised his eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯m only cool when cooking?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re cool anytime!¡± Ning Xi added.

    Lu Tingxiao smiled and kissed the girl¡¯s cheek. ¡°It¡¯s kind of greasy in here. Wait for me outside for about half an hour.¡±

    Ning Xi wanted to stay with Lu Tingxiao, but she was worried she might eat him up before the meal, so in the end, she walked out of the kitchen.

    ¡­

    After dinner, Lu Jingli wanted to go back, but Lu Tingxiao asked him to stay when he saw that it was already prettyte.

    ¡°Bro, Sister-inw, would I be bothering you by staying here?¡± Lu Jingli grinned mischievously.

    ¡°Then, you can go back now,¡± said Lu Jingli.

    ¡°I¡­ I drank some wine¡­ I¡¯m kind of sleepy. I¡¯ll go to bed first. Good night, everyone!¡± Lu Jingli swiftly sprinted to the bedroom to avoid being chased away.

    Suddenly, there was a deep and low roar from afar.

    Lu Tingxiao was taken aback and he looked out of the window.

    ¡°A wild beast?¡± Ning Xi asked.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned. ¡°Tiger.¡±

    ¡°A tiger?!¡± Ning Xi could not believe it.

    Deer Town was not developed, but for a tiger to be around here?

    ¡°That roar¡­ It¡¯s not a zoo tiger,¡± said Lu Tingxiao.

    The roar was powerful. Judging by the decibels, the creature should be about 10 kilometers away.

    ¡°Damn!¡±

    Lu Jingli rushed down from the bedroom in his shorts. ¡°What happened? Are you guys watching the Animal Discovery channel?¡±

    ¡°It should be an animal that¡¯s escaped from the zoo,¡± guessed Ning Xi.

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Lu Jingli was shocked. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right? There¡¯s nothing around here, not even a zoo! There¡¯s no zoo in town and no wild beasts too! Most of them are deer and little bunnies!¡±

    ¡°Do you think the beast would just wander around the zoo after it¡¯s escaped?¡± Ning Xi asked rhetorically.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Lu Jingli had noeback.

    ¡°Bro, Sister-inw, I think I should leave first,¡± Lu Jingli suddenly said.

    He had gone to a rtive¡¯s house when he was little and had been chased by a tiger, so he was traumatized by that experience.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not afraid of meeting it halfway, then go.¡± Lu Tingxiao stood up and brought Ning Xi upstairs.

    ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that, bro!¡±

    Lu Jingli looked out of the window. It was pitch ck and visibility was limited.

    ¡°So what if it¡¯s a tiger? I¡¯d eat it alive!¡± As he mumbled, in the end, he still went back to the bedroom.

    ¡­

    In a corner of Deer Town.

    There was a white tiger which was twice asrge as a normal tiger padding forward. Any normal person would have been shocked if they saw it.

    There was a young man on the white tiger¡¯s back and he seemed to be unconscious.

    After half an hour, the white tiger and the young man arrived at Ning Xi¡¯s house.

    Roar!

    It let out a deep roar as if it would crumble the earth, echoing through people¡¯s hearts.

 Chapter 1960 - What?

    <h4>Chapter 1960: What?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Oh my God!¡±

    Lu Jingli heard a roar just as he was about to fall asleep. He leaped out of his bed to see arge shadow outside the window engulf him.

    Lu Jingli was intimidated when he saw therge white tiger, especially with its cold eyes.

    The white tiger roared again at the terrified Lu Jingli.

    ¡°Bro! Sister-inw! It¡¯s a ghost! No¡­ It¡¯s a tiger¡­ A living tiger¡­¡±

    Lu Jingli did not even bother with his shorts. He sprinted out of the bedroom and ran upstairs.

    ¡­

    The roar just now was strong enough to crack rocks, summoning the survival instinct of fear in anyone. A fear of being below it in the food chain.

    ¡°Bro, Sister-inw, huge problem, huge problem!¡± Lu Jingli kept on yelling as he reached the second floor.

    Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi were already outside their room.

    The roar was too loud for them to ignore it, and they had not fallen asleep anyway.

    ¡°It was a tiger roar alright. The beast should be around here. Could it really be a tiger that escaped from the zoo?¡± Ning Xi thought it was weird.

    ¡°Around? It¡¯s right outside my window!¡±

    Lu Jingli was still terrified. He almost pissed himself when he saw the huge white tiger outside his window earlier.

    ¡°Go over and have a look,¡± said Lu Tingxiao.

    ¡°Bro, it¡¯s a tiger. Do you think it¡¯s a monkey?! Don¡¯t you remember that your brother, I, almost got eaten by a tiger when I was little?¡± Lu Jingli clung to Lu Tingxiao like an octopus.

    Lu Tingxiao stared at him. ¡°Get off me.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lu Jingli said pitifully.

    Ning Xi followed behind Lu Tingxiao as the three of them went into the guest room.

    The moonlight was hazy that night. A huge white tiger appeared before the effulgence.

    ¡°A white tiger¡­¡±

    Lu Tingxiao frowned. How could there be a white tiger in Imperial?

    ¡°Ghost!¡±

    Suddenly, Lu Jingli focused on the back of the tiger and goosebumps rose all over him.

    It was really a ghost this time!

    Ning Xi shivered as well.

    A white tiger appeared outside her house at midnight was already creepy enough, then Lu Jingli had to suddenly spout this word from his mouth.

    Ning Xi was never scared of anything except ghosts¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s a person.¡± Lu Tingxiao quicklyforted the girl. He looked at the back of the tiger and noticed a human figure.

    ¡°Bro, a person on the back of a white tiger? Are you kidding me? It must be a ghost!¡± Lu Jingli mumbled.

    ¡°Just what is it?¡± Ning Xi frowned.

    Lu Tingxiao went closer and finally saw who it was.

    ¡°Han Xiao,¡± said Lu Tingxiao.

    ¡°What?¡± Ning Xi thought she misheard him.

    What did her darling say just now?

    ¡°Han Xiao,¡± repeated Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi went forward.

    ¡°What the heck?!¡±

    Ning Xi was shocked when she finally took a good look at the young man on the white tiger¡¯s back. Her mind went nk.

    Han Xiao was currently unconscious and had several visible wounds on him.

    ¡°It¡¯s true¡­ He¡¯s Han Xiao, the super martial arts master!¡± Lu Jingli¡¯s mouth gaped open wide.

    Every man had a fantasy within him.

    In video games or martial arts books with knives and swords, one would fantasize about excelling in martial arts in real life.

    Lu Jingli had been looking forward to meeting Han Xiao after he found out about his existence.

 Chapter 1961: Super Cool!

    <h4>Chapter 1961: Super Cool!</h4>

    Trantor:EndlessFantasy Trantion

    However, Lu Jingli never expected that his first meeting with Han Xiao would be like this.

    He rode in on a white tiger!

    If only he was not unconscious, that would be super cool!

    "What happened?" Lu Tingxiao frowned.

    He had heard about Han Xiao from Ning Xi countless times and had even taken Ning Xi and Little Treasure from him after he saved them.

    "Impossible! The master is injured?" Ning XI could not believe it.

    Even if people around her did not know about his abilities, she understood them very well.

    The maniac who could not even be harmed by bullets was now unconscious on a white tiger''s back?!

    "Let him in now!" Ning Xi was worried.

    No matter what Han Xiao thought of her, he was not just her buddy. He was her life savior.

    If it was not for Han Xiao, Little Treasure and she could have been dead already.

    "N-No way!" Lu Jingli stopped Ning Xi in shock. "Sister-inw, how are you getting him inside? He''s on the tiger''s back!"

    Han Xiao was on the tiger''s back, so what could she do?

    Tell the white tiger to be good and let him down?

    Let the white tigere in and feed it?

    Ning Xi''s mind went nk after Lu Jingli reminded her of her dilemma. She was wondering how Han Xiao had suffered those injuries, and how he got on a white tiger''s back.

    "It''s alright. Open the door," said Lu Tingxiao.

    "Bro, are you sure?" Lu Jingli felt like Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao were going crazy.

    "This white tiger won''t hurt us," said Lu Tingxiao.

    Before Ning Xi could say anything, an atrocious phenomenon happened. The white tiger let Han Xiao down before the window, then it retreated by about 10 meters.

    "What the heck?!"

    Lu Jingli was bewildered.

    "This white tiger has such high intelligence?" Lu Jingli could notprehend it. "It''s much more intelligent than a dog¡­"

    "Is it odd that a tiger is more intelligent than a dog?" Ning Xi asked.

    "Well¡­I''ve never been in contact with a tiger, only dogs," replied Lu Jingli.

    Lu Tingxiao ignored Lu Jingli. Without any hesitation, he went out and brought Han Xiao in. The white tiger watched them from afar. It left after they took Han Xiao inside the house.

    "I''ll call a doctor over. If things get worse, we''ll send him to the hospital," said Lu Tingxiao.

    "Okay." Ning Xi nodded.

    Lu Tingxiao quickly made a phone call and had a doctor to go over while Lu Jingli was looking at Han Xiao curiously.

    This was the maniac¡­ No, the master that Ning Xi had mentioned¡­

    Impressive! He had ridden on the back of a white tiger. However, who could have injured someone like him?

    Ning Xi had said before that even guns could not do anything to him. No matter what, it still felt unbelievable to Lu Jingli.

    There should not be anyone who was not afraid of guns.

    "Sister-inw, why was this master on the white tiger just now?" Lu Jingli peered at Ning Xi.

    "I don''t know."

    "What a fresh sight for me!" Lu Jingli seemed impressed.

    "Shut up¡­"

    Suddenly, the unconscious Han Xiao spoke. His eyebrows knitted together with his eyes still closed.

    "Master, you''re awake! Are you alright?" Ning Xi quickly went over when she heard Han Xiao speak.

    "What is there not to be alright about? I''m alright as long as I''m not dead¡­" Han Xiao still did not open his eyes, but his speech seemed normal enough.

 Chapter 1962 - Super Abnormal

    <h4>Chapter 1962: Super Abnormal</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    This was Ning Xi¡¯s first time seeing Han Xiao injured.

    He was injured to the point of losing consciousness. Ning Xi dared not even imagine what had happened.

    Initially, she thought that Han Xiao was severely injured, yet she realized that he could still speak like this, so she let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°But, Master, your chest is still bleeding¡­¡± Lu Jingli pointed to Han Xiao¡¯s chest and said in shock.

    Ning Xi turned her attention to his chest for a moment and was terrified. It was obviously an injury by a cold weapon. Considering his bruise, it should have been a dagger that almost pierced through his heart.

    With such a severe injury, if it were just anyone else, without being sent to the hospital for a surgery in time, they would definitely be dead without a doubt.

    However, Han Xiao could still speak so rxed and indifferently right now.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t puncture my fatal point. It¡¯s just loss of some nutrients,¡± said Han Xiao casually.

    ¡°You¡¯re already like this and still trying to be cool. If you¡¯re alright, would you have lost consciousness on the back of a tiger?¡± Ning Xi frowned.

    Initially, Lu Jingli wanted to ask how the white tiger had brought Han Xiao over, but before he could, an elderly man in a tuxedo had knocked and entered.

    This elderly man was the private doctor that Lu Tingxiao called over.

    Upon entering, the elderly man saw Han Xiao and quickly half-knelt on the ground to check Han Xiao.

    ¡°Mr. Lu, is this the wounded person that you mentioned?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s lost too much blood. His wound is very deep. It¡¯s very close to his heart¡­¡± The more the elderly man checked Han Xiao thoroughly, the more fear bubbled within him.

    Forget the rest. The wound was caused by an extremely sharp weapon. Had it been anyone else, they would have died from the pain. Furthermore, with the huge loss of blood, if it was not treated in time, they would probably not be able to hold on much longer and have passed away.

    While this young man¡¯s expression was calm, he seemed careless about his injuries. Unfortunately, he did not have his instruments. Otherwise, he would check how strong this person¡¯s physique was.

    ¡°How¡¯s it?¡± Lu Tingxiao asked.

    ¡°Weird¡­ He looks like the issue isn¡¯t huge, but this wound¡­¡± The elderly man seemed puzzled.

    ¡°Sterilize the wound, then sew it up,¡± said Han Xiao.

    ¡°Young man, you need to get to the hospital. I can¡¯t handle this here,¡± reminded the elderly man.

    ¡°No need.¡± Han Xiao was indifferent. To him, he was the best doctor himself as he was familiar with his own body.

    ¡°Mr. Lu, what do you think?¡± The elderly man¡¯s gaze fell on Lu Tingxiao.

    This person seemed to be Lu Tingxiao¡¯s friend. If any mishap happened, he could not bear the burden.

    ¡°He¡¯s asking you to sterilize it and stitch it up. Just do as he said,¡± Ning Xi instructed quickly.

    No matter what, she still sub-consciously chose to trust Han Xiao.

    ¡°Do as he says,¡± said Lu Tingxiao.

    ¡°Then¡­ Okay¡­¡± Helplessly, the elderly man could only do as Han Xiao said. He cleaned and sterilized the wound, then sewed it up.

    After he stitched Han Xiao¡¯s wound up, the elderly man stood up and borrowed the bathroom to clean his things. Then, having advised the patient on a few things, he left.

    -

    Lu Tingxiao brought Han Xiao a set of clothes. After he changed into them, Ning Xi asked, ¡°Han Xiao, what actually happened? How did you get injured?¡±

    ¡°I was hit by someone.¡± Han Xiao looked apathetic.

    ¡°You were hit? to this extent?¡± Ning Xi looked bbergasted.

    Ning Xi was very clear about what kind of a madman was before her. How could a monster that could even evade bullets could be beaten up to this extent?!

    ¡°I was almost beaten to death. Lucky thing I¡¯m vignt enough. Otherwise, the dagger would¡¯ve pierced my heart¡­¡±

    Even though it was horrifying, seeing Han Xiao¡¯s e at me with a few more daggers¡± expression made her want to beat him up.

    ¡°Uhh, is this guy really human?¡± Lu Jingli¡¯s mouth twitched in annoyance.

    He had almost been pierced through the heart by a dagger, yet he looked just dandy right now after just being stitched up.

    Just like Ning Xi had described him, he was super abnormal.

 Chapter 1963 - Look For White Tiger

    <h4>Chapter 1963: Look For White Tiger</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Who could¡¯ve hurt you like this?¡± Ning Xi could not help but ask.

    ¡°Ah, forget about that.¡± Han Xiao seemedzy to continue discussing this.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re so talented. How could you have been hurt this severely?¡± Lu Jingli looked at Han Xiao and asked recklessly.

    ¡°Kid, I fell asleep and was ambushed.¡± Han Xiao rolled his eyes.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re so amazing. How were you ambushed?¡± Lu Jingli was incredibly puzzled.

    ¡°If I¡¯m so amazing, do you believe that I can kill you with one hand?¡± Han Xiao stared intensely at Lu Jingli.

    ¡°Master, the person that ambushed you is a bastard. As they say, an honest person does nothing underhand, especially for life or death duels between masters. How could he have used such a despicable, shameless, lowly trick?¡± Lu Jingli seemed like he detested the person. ( )

    ¡°Ning Xi, who¡¯s this?¡± Han Xiao shot Ning Xi a confused look.

    ¡°My brother-inw¡­ Earlier, he was frightened by your tiger. He¡¯s a little talkative. Don¡¯t mind him.¡± Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched.

    ¡°Right, how were you brought here by a tiger?¡± Ning Xi asked about the elephant in the room.

    ¡°That¡¯s my friend.¡± Han Xiao yawned. ¡°A Bengal white tiger¡­ He¡¯s been following me since he was young. It¡¯s been seven years.¡±

    Ning Xi was speechless. She had really guessed correctly. It was indeed a beast domesticated by this madman!

    Han Xiao suddenly realized that his tiger was not around. He swiveled and asked, ¡°Eh, where¡¯s my white tiger?¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let my white tiger in?¡± Han Xiao asked in surprise.

    Ning Xi helplessly put her hand to her forehead. ¡°Please, Master, not everyone can be as abnormal as you. That¡¯s a beast that you raised. Use your head to think. In a situation in which we know nothing of, who would dare to let a tiger enter their house?¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid about? My white tiger¡¯s even smarter than people. He wouldn¡¯t do anything to you.¡± Han Xiao immediately got up and wanted to go out to look for the tiger.

    ¡°Let him rest well,¡± said Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi nodded and quickly pulled Han Xiao back. ¡°You lie down properly. Don¡¯t torment yourself anymore, please!¡±

    The wound had just been sterilized and stitched up. He could not exercise or move around much. If he walked out and the wound got infected or opened up, it would be very troublesome.

    ¡°I will go and look for it for you.¡± Lu Tingxiao put his coat on.

    The person before him had saved Little Treasure and Ning Xi before, so it was reasonable to help to look for his tiger.

    ¡°Follow me,¡± Lu Tingxiao said to Lu Jingli.

    With such mind-blowing grievous news, Lu Jingli almost cried. ¡°Bro¡­ I can¡¯t leave the Master. Look at how severe his injuries are. What if he¡¯s thirsty or anything? I can still help out¡­¡±

    Making him walk out to find a huge white tiger in the middle of the night?! What a brother!

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes. ¡°Darling, let me go with you.¡±

    Then, she said to Lu Jingli, ¡°Stay at home to watch the Master.¡±

    Lu Jingli nodded like a rattle-drum.

    In the living room, only Lu Jingli and Han Xiao, who looked at each other in consternation, were left.

    ¡°Master, can¡­ can you teach me how to tame a tiger?¡± Lu Jingli seized this great opportunity to ask.

    Han Xiao replied, ¡°Do tigers need to be tamed?¡±

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

    ¡­

    In the dark of the night, the two of them walked all about to look for traces of the white tiger.

    If they did not find it before dawn, it would frighten the people in town when day broke and probably cause a disturbance.

    They had walked around to look for about a few minutes when on a small hillside, Ning Xi¡¯s figure stopped. She used her shlight to shine ahead and immediately pulled on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arm. ¡°Look!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao turned around and looked where the shlight shone.

    There was a huge white tiger crouching on the ground, his beady eyes staring back at Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao.

 Chapter 1964 - Darling Follow Me Home

    <h4>Chapter 1964: Darling Follow Me Home</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Careful.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao immediately pushed Ning Xi behind him to protect her.

    They knew in their hearts that Han Xiao¡¯s white tiger was familiar with humans. From the moment the tiger brought Han Xiao over and the way the tiger acted afterward, they could already tell that it was not vicious.

    However, almost out of instinct, humans would still maintain a certain level of vignce towards wild beasts who were at the top of the food chain.

    Ning Xi stared at the Bengal tiger and probed by gently calling out, ¡°Darling!¡±

    When it heard Ning Xi calling out, the white tiger clearly hesitated. It slowly got up and was waving its white tail at Ning Xi.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the white tiger and he could not help but exim in admiration.

    He had many friends abroad who reared wild beasts like brown bears, lions, tigers, and leopards, but ones that seemed to be able tomunicate with humans were incredibly rare.

    Very soon, the white tiger walked over to Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi. It was very quiet.

    ¡°Darling, don¡¯t be afraid. Follow us home.¡± Ning Xi could not help but touch the white tiger with her hand.

    The white tiger shook its shaggy body. It appeared very tame.

    ¡°Darling is superb!¡±

    She would never have thought that the way she used with Little Treasure would work with the white tiger too. Of course, most importantly, it should be because Han Xiao¡¯s odor had been rubbed on her, so it knew that she had no malicious intent and was Han Xiao¡¯s good friend.

    Ning Xi could not help but admire Han Xiao once again. How had he tamed a wild beast at the peak of the food chain like this?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao dared not rx, he protected Ning Xi on the side and they walked towards their house.

    On the way, Ning Xi could not help but turn around to look at the white tiger from time to time, if it was not for the tiger¡¯s huge size, Ning Xi wished she could pull the tiger into her embrace.

    ¡°Darling, I want to raise a tiger too!¡± Ning Xi could not help but exim.

    ¡°Only if Han Xiao helps you tame it,¡± said Lu Tingxiao.

    A normal cat or dog was fine, but it was best not to provoke animals such as lions and tigers who were at the peak of the food chain, even if they had been hand-reared since young. When the tiger grew up, if they were slightly careless, it could lead to tragedy.

    ¡°Hire him to help me tame it? I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to afford him.¡± Ning Xi shook her head. After Han Xiao helps her tame it, would it even still be hers?

    However, it was really so adorable and cute!

    As she watched the Bengal white tiger wag its long, snowy tail at her and its gentle gaze staring at her, Ning Xi felt like her heart was about to melt.

    This was not some ferocious beast. This was a super cute mythical beast!

    Forget rearing a cat or dog¡­ If she wanted to rear something, it would be a tiger!

    ¡­

    When they returned home, half an hour had passed.

    Thankfully, the building was designed with a double door, or else, with the Bengal white tiger¡¯s colossal body, it would not even be able to squeeze in.

    Even then, it was not easy for the white tiger to enter the house either.

    ¡°Oh my God¡­¡±

    Lu Jingli stared at the white tiger in the living room and felt his scalp go numb. Goosebumps erupted all over his body.

    Once in a while, when the domineering gaze of the white tiger made eye contact with him, Lu Jingli¡¯s body would shudder.

    ¡°My baby, my darling!¡±

    Since Ning Xi returned, she had been sticking to the tiger. Her hands kept stroking it. Its soft fur was just soforting!

    It was the most wonderful feeling in history!

    ¡°Shake my hand!¡±

    Ning Xi held up both hands against the tiger¡¯s giant ws and touched its soft pads, relishing the super undefeatable enjoyment¡­

    What was most astonishing was that this tiger¡¯s sharp ws had unexpectedly retreated back into its pad when ying around with Ning Xi as if it was afraid of identally hurting Ning Xi.

    ¡°My little baby, I really love you to death!¡±

    Ning Xi very soon familiarized herself with the tiger. She held the tiger¡¯s head dearly and nted a kiss on its forehead.

 Chapter 1965 - Good-for-nothing Foodie

    <h4>Chapter 1965: Good-for-nothing Foodie</h4>

    Lu Jingli was looking at Ning Xi like she was a maniac.

    She just called something so scary ¡°cute¡± and was stroking it!

    Suddenly, Ning Xi spoke to Han Xiao who was eating a peach, ¡°Han Xiao, I¡¯ve decided.¡±

    Han Xiao looked at Ning Xi. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve decided to take care of your Bengal white tiger. You don¡¯t have to thank me.¡± Ning Xi hugged the white tiger and did not want to let go.

    ¡°Take care of my white tiger?¡± Han Xiao was taken aback, unsure about what Ning Xi was talking about.

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Han Xiao¡¯s mouth twitched. She wanted his tiger and asked him not to thank her. Was she a robber?

    ¡°Big bro Han Xiao!¡± Ning Xi pleaded in a soft tone.

    ¡°No way,¡± Han Xiao declined instantly.

    ¡°Grandfather Han Xiao!¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡± There was no ce forpromise.

    ¡°A hundred KFC buckets!¡± Ning Xi grinned.

    ¡°Nope.¡± Han Xiao was not moved at all.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a whole KFC store¡­¡± Ning Xi pulled out her trump card.

    ¡°No way even if you give me ten thousand of them.¡±

    Han Xiao was even able to endure the temptation of KFC, so Ning Xi gave up.

    It was really not easy to tempt a person with a huge appetite!

    ¡­

    Lu Jingli did not sleep for the whole night. Unlike Ning Xi who was smitten with the white tiger, he could not sleep well at all.

    He was afraid that he might end up in the tiger¡¯s belly if he fell asleep.

    Han Xiao stayed for several days. Lu Tingxiao arranged everything and let Han Xiao recover in peace.

    As for Ning Xi, she enjoyed her time with the white tiger so much that she wished Han Xiao would just stay there forever.

    After a week, Han Xiao recoveredpletely and let himself out with the white tiger.

    Before he left, he made up an excuse that the white tiger needed food, so he took almost every food item and snack from Ning Xi¡¯s house.

    Ning Xi only realized it after Han Xiao left with his white tiger.

    What the heck?! Was there any tiger that ate snacks?!

    What a good-for-nothing foodie!

    ¡­

    Several dayster, Jace called Ning Xi to meet up at the private club they had met at thest time.

    It was already afternoon when Ning Xi arrived.

    Jace pulled out a seat like a gentleman when Ning Xi came in.

    Ning Xi was pleasantly surprised. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Jace.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Ms. Ning Xi. If possible¡­ well¡­ could you¡­ call me Grandfather?¡± Jace mumbled nervously.

    Ning Xi was taken aback.

    This kind and gentle old man, who was also her idol, had asked her to call him Grandfather.

    She could never turn down a request like this.

    ¡°Grandfather Jace,¡± called Ning Xi.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± There was an indescribable expression in Jace¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I wonder what it is that you want to talk to me about today?¡± Ning Xi asked.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s about the candidates for the male assassin, Carl.¡± Jace finally got to the main topic.

    Ning Xi remembered that in the movie ¡°Assassin¡±, there was a male assassin called Carl. As an important secondary character, he was an assassin who disguised himself as a woman. He was on good terms with the female lead and they always went on missions together.

    ¡°The new Carl has had some changes in his background. He¡¯s a mysterious Oriental assassin, Chinese to be exact, highly capable, and just below the female assassin in terms of skills. I think it¡¯ll be suitable to scout for a character like this in China,¡± exined Jace.

    The changes in the new ¡°Assassin¡± was minimal, and Ning Xi fully understood the changes made in this part.

 Chapter 1966: Get Me A Girl

    <h4>Chapter 1966: Get Me A Girl</h4>

    Trantor:EndlessFantasy Trantion

    "You mean you want me to rmend you a suitable Chinese actor?" asked Ning Xi.

    "Yes." Jace nodded.

    Ning Xi was surprised by how much Jace trusted her.

    Carl was an important character in the movie. Any male artiste in China would surely experience a spike in both poprity and fame if theynded the role.

    Jace had just given her such an important decision to make.

    "If it''s a cross-dressing assassin, I think the appearance and aura are very important since it involves actual cross-dressing scenes. Moreover, I''d say we need an extremely popr artiste to align with the current movies trend within the country. There is actually one suitable candidate among the artistes I know," Ning Xi said gingerly after giving it some careful thought.

    "That''s great." Jace took out a contract and handed it over to Ning Xi.

    "This is the contract. There are some details and the remuneration is inside. Go ahead," said Jace.

    Ning Xi was shocked when she took the contract.

    He¡­ he had just given it to her like this?

    Just with a few of her words?

    Was he not being too trustful towards her?

    Being cautious, Ning Xi tried to decline, but Jace trusted her and asked her for help. Ning Xi could not say no anymore, so she just took the contract.

    She was pretty confident about the person she was about to rmend anyway.

    ¡­

    After she left the club, Ning Xi drove to a certain vi straight away. She knocked on Jiang Muye''s door.

    Jiang Muye was wearing his pajamas. With his slippers on, he gripped a game controller in his hands. He was taken aback when he saw Ning Xi outside his door. Clearly, he did not expect her.

    When he realized it, he said, "Yo, Aunty, what brings you here?"

    He was still angry at her for putting her romance before him!

    Ning Xi poked her head inside and asked discreetly, "Is there¡­ anyone inside?"

    "Screw you!" Jiang Muye red at her when he realized the intention behind that question.

    Did he look like such a ridiculous person?

    "Didn''t you say you have a lot of datestely? I''m worried that I might bother your path to happiness!" Ning Xi went in after knowing that there were no girls in his house.

    Jiang Muye closed the door and sprinted back to the sofa, continuing to y his game.

    "Stop ying. I have some important matters to discuss with you," Ning Xi said as soon as she saw Jiang Muye started ying his game.

    "Later, I''ve been ying for the whole night. It''s getting to the good part!" Jiang Muye was really focused.

    "You forced me to do this!"

    Ning Xi went up to him and without considering Jiang Muye, she pulled the electrical socket of the game console.

    Jiang Muye leaped up in fury. "Ning Xiao Xi! Even if you give me a girl right now, I wouldn''t forgive you!"

    Ning Xi snarled in annoyance. "You wish! But I do have something good for you!"

    "Something good? It''d be good if you stopped messing with me!" Jiang Muye was irritated too.

    "I really have something important to talk to you about. I want you to take up a role." Ning Xi''s expression turned serious.

    "Role¡­ What role?" Jiang Muye became sober as well while he looked at Ning Xi with doubt.

    What kind of role would make Ning Xie and see him personally?

    Did he look like he wascking work?

 Chapter 1967 - Ning Xiao Xi, You Maniac

    <h4>Chapter 1967: Ning Xiao Xi, You Maniac</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°A male assassin,¡± said Ning Xi.

    ¡°A male assassin¡­¡± Jiang Muye stroked his chin. He actually fancied roles like assassins that could y it cool.

    ¡°A cross-dressing one,¡± added Ning Xi.

    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Muye¡¯s expression changed.

    ¡°A cross-dressing assassin!¡± Ning Xi exined.

    Jiang Muye jumped up and started yelling as he pointed his fingers in front of Ning Xi¡¯s nose. ¡°Ning Xiao Xi, you maniac, you haven¡¯t given up on it yet! Why must you make me cross-dress? Keep your dirty thoughts. I¡¯ll never wear a female outfit!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ning Xi narrowed her eyes.

    ¡°Really, most real of all! If I wear a female outfit, I¡¯ll be your son!¡± Jiang Muye chuckled coldly.

    ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Ning Xi shook her head. With a regretful expression, shemented, ¡°Well, I wanted to share some nice things for you, but you don¡¯t want it. Fine then!¡±

    ¡°You can keep your so-called nice things to yourself!¡± Jiang Muye looked like he was done with her.

    ¡°Sadly, I¡¯ll just have to find someone else for the role of the assassin, Carl.¡± Ning Xi turned around and was about to leave.

    ¡°What? Assassin Carl?!¡±

    Jiang Muye blocked the exit when he heard what Ning Xi said.

    ¡°You mean¡­ the Hollywood movie, ¡®Assassin¡¯?¡± Jiang Muye asked incredulously.

    ¡°Yes, what else?¡± Ning Xi nodded.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying, Ning Xiao Xi! Why would they look for a Chinese actor for such an important character?¡± Jiang Muye was really doubtful of her.

    Even if they were really looking for a Chinese actor, how was it rted to Ning Xi and why would they let Ning Xi decide on the actor?

    ¡°Take a look.¡±

    Ning Xi took the contract out and tossed it over to Jiang Muye.

    With a skeptical attitude, Jiang Muye opened the contract and read through it carefully.

    After a while, Jiang Muye¡¯s pupils shrunk.

    It really was the contract for the new ¡°Assassin¡±. More specifically, it was for the role of Carl!

    Ning Xi would never use such things to trick him.

    ¡°What the heck!? Ning Xiao Xi, how did you get this? You¡¯re the best!¡± Jiang Muye was thrilled over the moon.

    Jiang Muye was a loyal fan of ¡°Assassin¡± and had probably watched the film over a hundred times.

    Most importantly, his super idol Jace was the producer for the new ¡°Assassin¡±!

    ¡°Give it back!¡± Ning Xi snatched the contract back.

    ¡°Aunty, don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯ll do it¡­¡± Jiang Muye beamed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Not even calling me your aunt can do it!¡± Ning Xi was not buying it. ¡°Just now, someone said that I¡¯ll be his father if he¡¯s going to do it¡­¡±

    ¡°Father!¡± Jiang Muye yelled immediately as he stared at Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi was speechless. She had nothing more to say to Jiang Muye.

    He was so reluctant to take up this role and had even said some harsh words before when she asked him to take up the role.

    Yet, now he was calling her father and wanted to sign the contract desperately.

    What happened to his integrity?

    Jiang Muye smiled and tried to make his grin even more genuine. ¡°Father, I¡¯m wrong! Really!¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched and she passed the contract back to Jiang Muye. ¡°Take a good look at it. I need to reply to them.¡±

    After signing his name on it as soon as possible, he asked curiously, ¡°Ning Xiao Xi, how did you get me this character?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Jace asked me for a rmendation, so I gave your name since I think you¡¯re suitable,¡± said Ning Xi simply.

    Jiang Muye was surprised when Ning Xi mentioned Jace so casually.

 Chapter 1968 - Face Would Be Slapped Swollen

    <h4>Chapter 1968: Face Would Be pped Swollen</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°You and Jace know each other?¡± Jiang Muye was shocked.

    Ning Xi had just entered the industry for a short time. Even if it were the most famous artiste in the country right now, there was no way they would know Jace.

    ¡°How could I know him? I only met him when I went for the audition, but we kind of hit it off when we chatted and he decided on my character there and then,¡± said Ning Xi.

    ¡°Audition? Ahh, right, I haven¡¯t asked you what¡¯s your role yet!¡± Jiang Muye eximed.

    ¡°Assassin,¡± retorted Ning Xi.

    Jiang Muye instantly gaped in shock. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re ying the female lead, Anna?¡±

    Ning Xi expected that Jiang Muye would react like this. She held her chin with a hazy look in her eyes. ¡°I felt like I was dreaming too¡­ I heard that they had initially decided on Lilian internally¡­¡±

    Jiang Muye did not know what to say anymore.

    Such a ssic Hollywood movie such as ¡°Assassin¡± would use a Chinese female star to y the female lead?!

    Something like this had never happened before.

    Forget about ¡°Assassin¡±, even if it was just a normal Hollywood movie, there were very scarce important roles that would be given to Chinese artistes.

    Especially knowing that Ning Xi had reced Lilian, Jiang Muye surrendered himself in admiration.

    Lilian was currently Hollywood¡¯s youngest persona who was a great actress. She was also one of the hottest artistes in Hollywood and her status went without saying. The big shots in ¡°Assassin¡± had initially decided on Lilian to be the female lead, yet Ning Xi had now reced her. In fact, it had been decided by his super idol, Jace¡­

    Jiang Muye raised his brows with a subtle expression. ¡°Tsk, Han Zixuan and Zheng Anru¡¯s people have been bragging with great fanfare, saying that Han Zixuan has sessfully joined the ¡®Assassin¡¯ filming crew and will even act in the movie. I¡¯m afraid that they wouldn¡¯t have dreamt that you¡¯d be the female lead in ¡®Assassin¡¯ now!¡±

    This time, Zheng Anru and Han Zixuan¡¯s faces would probably be pped swollen by Ning Xi.

    ¡°Missionplete! I¡¯m leaving. If you need a female outfit, you can look for me!¡± Ning Xi smirked happily.

    When he thought about wearing a female outfit, Jiang Muye¡¯s excitement instantly turned incredibly dour.

    Bloody hell, why did he still feel like he had been tricked?

    After leaving the vi, Ning Xi drove back to Deer Town.

    When she thought about those few days of being with the tiger, Ning Xi¡¯s heart was about to melt.

    Thus, she could not help but call Han Xiao in hopes that he would bring the tiger over for her to stroke.

    Sadly, Han Xiao¡¯s phone was switched off, so she could not get through.

    The Master did indeed appear and disappear unpredictably¡­

    ¡­

    A weekter, almost all of the well-known entertainment media in the country had rushed to a certain shooting location for ¡°Assassin¡± in Imperial.

    Today the film crew was hosting a press conference to announce their decision on the actors for the respective roles.

    China¡¯s super A-list female star, Han Zixuan, had sessfully made it into the ¡°Assassin¡± team and was even acting in the movie. Naturally, all the media wanted to get first-hand information and interview her along the way.

    At the temporary base of the movie, King Weir appeared for the first time.

    He wore a ck tuxedo, whichplemented his lean figure very well.

    ¡°King Weir!¡±

    ¡°Oh my God, he¡¯s so handsome!¡±

    When they saw King Weir himself, many of the media were instantly bowled over him.

    King Weir himself was even more dashing in person than on camera.

    After he came out to greet everyone, he left quickly.

    After that, Lilian and some of the other top actors in Hollywood came out to show their faces too. They politely answered a few questions from the Chinese media before returning to the crew.

    About half an hourter, Han Zixuan had brought two assistants along, and with Zheng Anru, they appeared within the media¡¯s line of sight.

    ¡°Ms. Han Zixuan, may we know how did you manage to get a role in the movie ¡®Assassin¡¯?¡±

    ¡­

 Chapter 1969 - Brought Your Cameo

    <h4>Chapter 1969: Brought Your Cameo</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they saw Han Zixuan appear, all of the media swarmed over.

    Zheng Anru had an arrogant smile on her face as she answered the media, ¡°First of all, it¡¯s because of Zixuan¡¯s super strong acting capabilities. Secondly, the role fits her perfectly. Plus her A-lister poprity, Zixuan¡¯s getting a role in ¡®Assassin¡¯ is only natural when the conditions are right. In fact, it went very smoothly.¡±

    The reporter asked again, ¡°Then, may we ask what kind of role is Ms. Han Zixuan ying in ¡®Assassin¡¯?¡±

    Another reporter questioned, ¡°We all known that ¡®Assassin¡¯ has been revered as a sacred movie that cannot be surpassed in Hollywood. I wonder if Ms. Han Zixuan has ever felt pressured?¡±

    Zheng Anru said, ¡°Zixuan knows the movie very well. She has done a lot of homework and has even temporarily put aside her work with ¡®The World¡¯ in order to focus on acting in this movie well. We daren¡¯t talk about surpassing those before us, but we¡¯ll definitely give our best and let this role shine to reveal its brilliance.

    ¡°As for the character, even though there aren¡¯t many scenes, everyone should know that even for a normal Hollywood movie, tond a role is already extremely hard, especially for a sacred ssic such as ¡®Assassin¡¯. The fact that Zixuan could get this role, and especially that she gets to act with King Weir and Lilian, who are such great actors and actresses of Hollywood, it¡¯s already something to be proud of.¡±

    ¡°Right, we heard that Ms. Ning Xi seemed to have attended the audition for ¡®Assassin¡¯, but Glory World Entertainment had yet to reveal anything. I wonder if Starlight Entertainment has any insider information?¡± A certain female report quickly seized the opportunity to ask.

    When Ning Xi was mentioned, Zheng Anru smiled with a sh of disdain in her eyes, then she said inly, ¡°Regarding news about Glory World Entertainment and Ning Xi, we Starlight Entertainment aren¡¯t clear and we don¡¯t know anything.

    ¡°However, the movie¡¯s main characters have long been decided upon, and Glory World Entertainment hasn¡¯t revealed anything, so I think you guys can figure it out. Besides, with such a sacred ssic being remade, under usual circumstances, Hollywood will only use one actor from China for a role at most. Since Zixuan¡¯s already seeded in getting in¡­¡±

    Even though Zheng Anru did not say it explicitly, what she tried to imply was clearly very obvious.

    Ning Xi had probably failed her audition, and even more possibly, both thetest A-listers in the country, Ning Xi and Han Zixuan, had fought for the same role, but in the end, Han Zixuan had emerged as the winner while Ning Xi had failed.

    One of the reporters caught onto the main point and immediately asked, ¡°¡®Assassin¡¯ has King Weir as the male lead and Lilian as the female lead. Other roles are rtively transparent too. If Hollywood only chooses one role from China this time, that would that mean that Ms. Ning Xi and Ms. Han Zixuan fought for the same role, and in the end, Ms. Han Zixuan won, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    Zheng Anru smiled slightly. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not too sure. However, the process didn¡¯t seem not too important. The result is that Zixuan is acting in ¡®Assassin¡¯.¡±

    Even though Zheng Anru did not say it outright, her words were already very clear. All of the reporters looked like they understood too.

    As they spoke, Xu Tao brought a few assistants over and appeared with Ning Xi.

    ¡°Aye!¡± Xu Tao saw Zheng Anru and called out, ¡°Manager Zheng, did you bring your cameo to win an honor for Starlight today?¡±

    When she saw Xu Tao and Ning Xi suddenly appear there, Zheng Anru instantly sneered. ¡°Why? Have you brought your outdated female artiste who couldn¡¯t even get a cameo role here to feel a pinch of existence and get some exposure?¡±

 Chapter 1970 - Ignorant Humans

    <h4>Chapter 1970: Ignorant Humans</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°What? What did you say? An outdated female artiste who didn¡¯t get a cameo role?¡± Xu Tao made an exaggerated expression.¡±I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re old and ignorant now!¡±

    Zheng Anru looked at Ning Xi and Xu Tao, not caring to hide the disdain in her eyes, they were already at this stage, and still, they were being pretentious.

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, we heard that you auditioned for the crew of ¡®Assassin¡¯ too. You were vying for the same role as Ms. Zixuan, but in the end, you were defeated. May we know if this is real?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, does this prove that even if you¡¯ve been in the limelight recently, and even snagged five huge rankings, on an international level, you still can¡¯t beat Ms. Zixuan?¡±

    When she heard a media reporter ask such a question, Zheng Anru sneered. This question should be asked more often.

    Before Xu Tao could say anything, the official ¡®Assassin¡¯ press conference announcing the roles had begun.

    All of the reporters no longer paid attention to Ning Xi. They quickly rushed into the venue in hopes of finding the best angle for their reporting.

    Xu Tao brought Ning Xi to enter the venue from another route instead.

    ¡­

    At this moment, at the press conference, King Weir, Lilian and the rest were already seated.

    All of the characters in the new ¡°Assassin¡± had arrived.

    Cameo characters such as Zixuan did not have a seat. Every one of the seats was upied by important characters.

    ¡°Why is there one more empty seat?¡± One of the reporters was puzzled.

    ¡°Lilian¡­ Is she sitting in the seat of the secondary female lead?¡±

    An even more observant reporter noticed Lilian¡¯s seating position was not as the female lead, she sat at the secondary female lead¡¯s seat.

    ¡°Could those previous rumors were wrong? Lilian is ying the secondary female lead role and not the lead in Assassin.¡±

    ¡°Then, who¡¯s the female lead?¡±

    ¡°Should be one of the other super popr actresses in Hollywood. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s Jennifer. If not, then nchett!¡±

    ¡­

    Just as all the members of the media were guessing, Ning Xi walked into the venue.

    When he saw Ning Xi, King Weir politely stood up and pulled out the seat for the female lead.

    When they saw this, all of the media looked around as their eyes searched for the two Hollywood actresses.

    ¡°An outdated female star trying to freeload on poprity all the way here? Doesn¡¯t she care about being a disgrace to China?¡±

    When she noticed that Ning Xi and Xu Tao had entered the venue too, Zheng Anru smiled grimly.

    ¡°Exactly, but she couldn¡¯t defeat Sis Zixuan, there¡¯s nothing to be done about that. After all, it¡¯s the press conference of the ¡®Assassin¡¯. Coming over to just look around and see so many Hollywood big shots could be a sce to her failure too.¡±

    ¡°People like her can only watch Sis Zixuan with King Weir and Lilian share the same stage. What chance does she have?¡±

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t be here to crash the scene again, would she? She¡¯s so shameless!¡±

    The two assistants in front of Zixuan scoffed.

    Not only Zheng Anru and the rest, many of the local media saw Ning Xi.

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, since you¡¯ve failed to be chosen for the role, yourpetition with Ms. Han Zixuan ended in failure. As the country A-lister, you¡¯vee to Assassin¡¯s press conference venue, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little unsuitable?¡±

    More than ten reporters walked up and surrounded Ning Xi to ask, ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, may we ask how you¡¯re feeling at the moment?¡±

    ¡°Apologies¡­ Excuse me, please make way¡­¡±

    Xu Tao was toozy to deal with these people. He shielded Ning Xi and walked straight towards the stage.

    Thus, under everyone¡¯s watchful gazes, Ning Xi unexpectedly walked towards the direction of the press conference seats.

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, please have a seat.¡±

    While at this moment, King Weir, who had already helped pull open the chair, did an incredibly gentleman hand gesture indicating ¡°please¡±.

 Chapter 1971 - Stunned

    <h4>Chapter 1971: Stunned</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Ning Xi nodded and sat on the female lead¡¯s assigned seat under everyone¡¯s stunned gazes.

    Han Zixuan, Zheng Anru, several other assistants, and every reporter at the scene were totally floored.

    Zheng Anru¡¯s mocking smile froze on her face as if she was petrified.

    Ning Xi had actually walked up and sat down in the seat for the female lead of ¡°Assassin¡±!

    Lilian was ncing at Ning Xi from time to time. She could not understand what the producer was thinking!

    For a Hollywood movie, especially a remake of a ssic movie like ¡°Assassin¡±, why would they use a Chinese female star?

    However, even Director Simon was wary as he reminded Lilian with an unusual tone not to cause any trouble.

    While she was displeased, she did not do anything about it.

    Of course, if they did not reach the expected box office numbers when the movie was released, they could just me everything on the female lead.

    At this moment, all the members of the media were so shocked that they forgot about asking questions.

    A Hollywood movie had decided to use a Chinese actress as the female lead, and it was Ning Xi of all people¡­

    Every camera was aimed at Ning Xi.

    ¡°Hello, Ms. Ning Xi, are you taking up the role of the female lead, Anna?¡± A reporter asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ning Xi nodded and replied.

    Some people were still in doubt, but as soon as Ning Xi admitted it, she caused a huge ruckus in the venue.

    Zhen Anru, Han Zixuan, and the few assistants were looking at Ning Xi as their minds went nk.

    ¡°Ning Xi is¡­ the female lead? Im-impossible¡­¡±

    One of the assistants lost the shine in her eyes.

    ¡°No way!¡±

    Zheng Anru came back to her senses and there was a big shift in her expression.

    It was already a rare chance for a top star in China to y a minor role in the movie ¡°Assassin¡±. Now, to be the female lead¡­

    Was this some kind of international joke?

    ¡°Zheng Anru, resting down here with your minor character? Don¡¯t you want to have a seat up there?¡± Xu Tao went up to her and smiled.

    Zheng Anru clenched her fists tightly as her expression darkened. She could never have anticipated this.

    Ning Xi as the female lead of a huge Hollywood movie? What kind of concept was this?!

    Xu Tao grinned cheekily. Ning Xi would be an international star after her appearance in the ¡°Assassin¡± as the female lead!

    From then on, who else in the Chinese entertainment industry couldpare to Ning Xi?

    Han Zixuan? She was no different from trash!

    Except if Han Zixuan could outperform herself in ¡°Assassin¡±.

    But as a mere minor character, was it possible?

    ¡°Don¡¯t you get so cocky, Xu Tao!¡± Zheng Anru burst with rage as she saw Xu Tao¡¯s cheeky smile.

    She thought that Han Zixuan¡¯s position in the entertainment industry would be enhanced after they announced her involvement in the movie, but God knows what happened to the production team of ¡°Assassin¡± to make them decide on the female lead to be Ning Xi!

    ¡°So what if I¡¯m being cocky? Bite me! I¡¯m worried that you teeth might fall off though!¡± Xu Tao chuckled.

    Xu Tao was really enjoying himself when he saw Zheng Anru¡¯s frustrated expression.

    ¡°What are you being so happy about?¡± Zheng Anru pointed her finger at Xu Tao furiously. ¡°Who knows if your outdated artiste will get changed halfway through. Even if she doesn¡¯t, I¡¯ll see how you¡¯re going to deal with it if the movie doesn¡¯t reach the expected box office figures!¡± Zheng Anru¡¯s voice trembled.

 Chapter 1972 - I Am Ning Xiâ€™s Fan

    <h4>Chapter 1972: I Am Ning Xi¡¯s Fan</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I¡¯m going to do about it. What matters is what you¡¯re going to do now!¡±

    Xu Tao pivoted away happily and broke eye contact with Zheng Anru.

    Zheng Anru¡¯s expression darkened. She stood there and remained silent. It was a mess inside her head.

    She was freaking out for real this time.

    ¡­

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, how did you get the role of the female lead in this movie?¡± The reporters asked Ning Xi.

    Before Ning Xi could answer, the assistant director Simon Joseph replied, ¡°Simple, that¡¯s because Ms. Ning Xi¡¯s image fits the image of the female lead, Anna.¡±

    ¡°This is the first time Hollywood is using a Chinese actress as the female lead in a movie. As the most popr star in China as of now, we believe she¡¯s the best choice,¡± Weir added on.

    This was a big p on Han Zixuan¡¯s face.

    ¡°Mr. Weir, have you seen any of Ms. Ning Xi¡¯s work before?¡± A male reporter asked.

    While they were really a team now, it was still unbelievable.

    ¡°Yes, after I found out that I¡¯m going to act with Ms. Ning Xi, I looked through her work. ¡®The World¡¯ has a really strong vor of China; while I don¡¯t fully understand it, Meng Changge¡¯s character is fantastic, and the blind mother she yed in the movie ¡®Mother¡¯¡­ She really expressed humanity and motherhood to the fullest.

    ¡°As for Ms. Ning Xi¡¯s performance in the male outfit in the movie ¡®Dream Chaser¡¯, it further proved that she has the capability to handle the role of Anna in a male outfit!¡± Weir analyzed carefully, showing that he was really informed about Ning Xi¡¯s past work.

    Actually, Weir had watched Ning Xi¡¯s work and was really fond of her performance.

    ¡°In a way, I¡¯m a fan of Ms. Ning Xi¡¯s. I¡¯m really looking forward to work with her.¡± Weir smiled.

    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Weir,¡± Ning Xi said to Weir.

    It was out of Ning Xi¡¯s expectation to receive such a high praise from Weir.

    ¡°It¡¯s surprising that Mr. Weir would be a fan of Ms. Ning Xi¡¯s.¡± The reporters were shocked after they listened to Weir¡¯sment.

    ¡°Thank you for your answer, Mr. Weir. I have another question. If you had a choice, would you rather be in a scene with Ms. Ning Xi or Ms. Han Zixuan?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Weir was confused.

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi and Ms. Han Zixuan: who would you prefer to work with¡­¡±

    The reporter thought Weir did not catch his words, so he repeated it again.

    ¡°I understand what you mean, but¡­ the Ms. Han Zixuan you mentioned¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve never noticed her before,¡± Weir said.

    Top international stars like him would never sugar coat their words at public events.

    If they knew, they knew, and they would just admit so if they did not.

    The expressions on Zheng Anru¡¯s and Han Zixuan¡¯s faces were darker than the bottom of a kettle at the moment.

    The assistants were starting toin.

    ¡°Mr. Weir, Ms. Han Zixuan is also a top star in our country. Well, her poprity is on par with Ms. Ning Xi¡¯s.¡± The reporter sounded awkward.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve only see the works of Ms. Ning Xi before and don¡¯t know about Ms. Han Zixuan. If any chance arises in the future, I¡¯ll definitely look at them and answer your question by then,¡± Weir replied.

 Chapter 1973 - Capability To Crossdress

    <h4>Chapter 1973: Capability To Crossdress</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Weir!¡± The reporter nodded and ended his stream of questions.

    Everyone¡¯s expression at the scene was indescribable.

    Nevertheless, they soon they came back to their senses and continued with the questions.

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, the old version of ¡®Assassin¡¯ has already be a ssic. Would you feel pressured by challenging such an important role?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give it my best shot. Of course, there¡¯ll be some pressure, but¡­¡±

    As Ning Xi was replying, Jiang Muye was entering with his manager and assistant.

    Ning Xi red at him when she saw that he had arrived. This kid was actuallyte for this important event today!

    A lot of cameras were facing him following his sudden appearance.

    ¡°Sorry, really sorry. The car broke down halfway.¡± Lei Ming bowed his head in apology. He would never admit that this guy was too excited and had overslept!

    Jiang Muye went up to Simon Joseph and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Director Simon.¡±

    ¡°Take a seat.¡± Simon Joseph waved his hand.

    After Jiang Muye had received the contract from Ning Xi, he had gone to the producer¡¯s team and met Jace. He had also familiarized himself with the rest of the crew.

    He was usually not serious, but once he got fired up, it was hard for people to dislike him. Very soon, he was getting along with the crew.

    When people saw Jiang Muye take a seat at the chair with the card ¡°Carl¡± in front, some people screamed.

    ¡°Damn! Is Jiang Muye acting as Carl?!¡±

    ¡°Although Carl doesn¡¯t have that many scenes, his poprity is not any lesser than the main lead¡¯s!¡±

    ¡­

    The artiste, who yed the cross-dressing assassin Carl, had now became an international star.

    He was currently one of the highest paidedians in Hollywood.

    Lei Ming looked around, then he went up to Xu Tao and smiled. ¡°Thanks to Ning Xi. She gave Muye such a big chance!¡±

    Xu Tao chirped happily, ¡°My queen is the best, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    This was the first time Hollywood had selected three Chinese actors. Even if Han Zixuan¡¯s minor role was not included, Ning Xi and Jiang Muye as the main lead of the movie and the other being an outstanding secondary character was simply unimaginable.

    ¡°But, Mr. Jiang Muye, I¡¯ve never heard about you going for the audition! How did you get this role?¡± A certain female reporter looked at Jiang Muye with doubt.

    Jiang Muye nodded and replied, ¡°You¡¯re right, I didn¡¯t go for the audition.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡± the female reporter asked.

    ¡°Ning Xi helped me get it,¡± Jiang Muye told the truth.

    It was not just the female reporter who asked, everyone else who heard Jiang Muye¡¯s reply were surprised.

    Ning Xi helped him get it? What did he mean?

    Suddenly, everyone looked at Ning Xi.

    ¡°I just made a rmendation. It¡¯s mainly Senior Jiang¡¯s own capability.¡± Ning Xi beamed.

    Jiang Muye was annoyed when he heard Ning Xi¡¯s reply.

    Capability to cross-dress?!

    This person was hiding her true words!

    The members of the media once again fell into silence.

    All along, they had beenparing Han Zixuan to Ning Xi. By the looks of things now, it was nothing but a joke.

 Chapter 1974 - Chinas Pride In Hollywood

    <h4>Chapter 1974: China¡¯s Pride In Hollywood</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xi had be the leading female assassin, and then rmended Jiang Muye, making him clinch the ssic role of Carl in ¡°Assassin¡±.

    Look at Han Zixuan again. How hard had she prepared for such a long time, yet she had only gotten a minor role?

    Jiang Muye did not even attend an audition. Just because of Ning Xi¡¯s word, he had gotten the contract to y Carl!

    What was going on right now?

    King Weir only knew Ning Xi and had called himself Ning Xi¡¯s fan. When Han Zixuan was mentioned, he looked confused and had not given her face at all. He straight up said that he did not know her.

    Ning Xi sat in the seat of the female lead and was interviewed by various members of the Chinese media.

    After Han Zixuan received the minor role in ¡°Assassin¡±, Starlight Entertainment had been promoting it all over, so the title of Chinese pride was everywhere.

    On the other hand, Ning Xi had not promoted anything at all. She just waited for ¡°Assassin¡± to begin shooting in China before she walked right up to the sit of the female lead.

    Han Zixuan did not even qualify to go on stage right now. She could stand off-stage and look up at Ning Xi¡­

    What was disparity?

    No need to make it explicit. This was the disparity.

    Withoutparison, there would be no damage!

    ¡­

    ¡°Mr. Jiang Muye, can you share what you understand about Carl¡¯s role?¡± A reporter asked.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Jiang Muye nodded. He pondered for a moment before answering, ¡°Carl and the female lead, Anna, are from the same organization. The two of them always execute assassination missions. On one of the missions, Carl disguises as a woman¡­¡±

    ¡°Then, Mr. Jiang Muye, what are your thoughts about disguising as a woman? Can you personally ept such arge role?¡± The reporter immediately asked again.

    Obviously, the other reporters were also very curious and hungry for gossip about this question.

    Jiang Muye wished he could p the reporter dead, yet he just replied, ¡°I¡¯m a loyal fan of ¡®Assassin¡¯. I like the role of Carl very much too. To be able to y Carl is my utmost honor. As for disguising as a female, it¡¯s also a need of the storyline.

    ¡°As a professional actor, I should be trying a diversity of roles, and constantly challenging myself. The point is I will y this role diligently.¡±

    Jiang Muye looked at all of the shes down below and felt a huge headache.

    If it were just a normal Hollywood movie, he definitely would not have hesitated and would have rejected such characters that needed him to disguise as a woman.

    However, as a loyal fan of ¡°Assassin¡±, it was hard for him to resist the temptation of remaking a ssic, so he just braced himself.

    The questions from the Chinese entertainment media continued. Most of them surrounded Ning Xi, King Weir and the rest.

    Minor roles such as Han Zixuan¡¯s had beenpletely ignored by the members of the media.

    A certain reporter looked at Ning Xi and eximed, ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, you¡¯re really China¡¯s pride in Hollywood, the glory of China!¡±

    This time, after the press conference ended, Ning Xi was immediately crowned the title of ¡°China¡¯s Pride¡± in Hollywood that Han Zixuan had been previously bragging about.

    ¡­

    At Starlight Entertainment.

    Wang Haojun slumped onto the wide real leather seat, his expression defeated.

    ¡°How could this be?¡±

    Initially, his worst expectation had been that Lu Jingli would use the Lu Corporation¡¯s rtionship to help Ning Xi steal the role.

    Even if this was the result, he could still turn the tables when it happened by saying that Ning Xi¡¯s team had used tricks to steal Han Zixuan¡¯s role and by using the public¡¯s opinion to attack her.

    Who would have thought that Han Zixuan¡¯s role would not be stolen? Instead, Ning Xi had gotten the female lead role directly. Even Jiang Muye had joined the cast as an important character.

    This was already a hopeless situation!

    With this victory Glory World Entertainment finally made theireback. From this day onwards, he did not dare imagine how Starlight Entertainment would be like¡­

 Chapter 1975 - Be Closer To Her

    <h4>Chapter 1975: Be Closer To Her</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At this moment, there was a knock at the door.

    When he saw who it was, Wang Haojun immediately got up. ¡°CEO Su, why have youe?¡±

    After Su Yan had transferred all his shares to Ning Xueluo, he rarely asked about things on this end.

    Could Ning Xueluo have asked him toe?

    It must be!

    What if they borrowed some of the Su family¡¯s power?

    There was a glimmer of hope that suddenly shed in Wang Haojun¡¯s eyes. ¡°CEO Su, this time, the subordinates handled things poorly and they lost such an important coboration. I have to bear the me! But the priority right now is to quickly think of a way to make it up. I wonder if you have any brilliant ns, CEO Su?¡±

    Su Yan looked at the newspapers on Wang Haojun¡¯s work desk.

    Sshed across the front pages were pictures of Ning Xi sitting in the seat of the female lead of ¡°Assassin¡± as she was being interviewed. The headlines read: ¡°China¡¯s Pride In Hollywood: Ning Xi¡±.

    Su Yan looked at that picture, a blunt aching in his gaze, suddenly appearing.

    His girl¡­

    He should have gone to look for her to give her a reply.

    However, now, he could only break his promise to her once again and sorrily evade her.

    ¡°CEO Su¡­ CEO Su?¡±

    Su Yan retrieved his gaze from the newspaper. ¡°The artistes under us are not as skilled as the others. How do we make up for that?¡±

    Wang Haojun was stunned when he heard him. ¡°Um, in any case, Han Zixuan is now Starlight¡¯s top female artiste. She¡¯s their front face. This time, we¡¯ve been toppled by Ning Xi like this. It really doesn¡¯t look good on us!¡±

    ¡°Natural selection. If she can¡¯t change, let her capabilities do the talking.¡±

    Wang Haojun was stumped by Su Yan that he was rendered speechless.

    However, even though Su Yan¡¯s words were unpleasant, he actually made sense.

    The roles had already been decided. What was done could not be undone. This could not be changed.

    Now that Han Zixuan was being pushed down like this, Starlight could not just put all their resources into one basket.

    ¡°I understand what you mean, CEO Su,¡± said Wang Haojun.

    ¡°Mmm, Xueluo hasn¡¯t been feeling too well recently. If there¡¯s anything, just contact me directly,¡± said Su Yan with a hint of bitterness in his eyes.

    He could only use this way to get closer to her now.

    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Wang Haojun nodded.

    Now that Su Yan had reced Ning Xueluo in managing Starlight, even though he could not reverse the current state of things, he could only console himself that whatever it was, he had extra support behind the scenes.

    Su Yan had just left not too long ago when Zheng Anru rushed into Wang Haojun¡¯s office like she was on fire.

    ¡°CEO Wang! You must demand justice for our Zixuan! Zixuan¡¯s so angry that she¡¯s in the hospital right now! We don¡¯t know what sly tricks that slut Ning Xi used. How did she get the leading role from thin air? This was clearly a result of her dirty tricks! How can our Zixuan be a supporting role to someone like that? Isn¡¯t that¡­¡±

    Wang Haojun irritatedly interrupted Zheng Anru¡¯s rant, ¡°Enough, don¡¯t me everything on someone else. I¡¯ve put all of our resources on her. How else can I demand justice for her? She¡¯s the female lead for a movie that Jace is personally producing. Do you think it can be done with just dirty tricks?¡±

    Even if the Lu Corporation had pulled any strings, the actor themselves would still need to have sufficient capabilities to persuade the filming crew, even Jace himself. This was even harder to achieve than just pulling strings!

    After all, Jace definitely would not ruin his own reputation.

    If Wang Haojun was only slightly regretful before, at this moment he was so immensely regretful that he started to doubt his life.

    If Ning Xi had continued to stay on in Starlight, this miracle, this huge honor would have all been Starlight¡¯s, while his name would forever remain in the history of the entertainment industry.

 Chapter 1976 - Warning

    <h4>Chapter 1976: Warning</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he thought about this, Wang Haojun was even more annoyed. He said in a low tone, ¡°Now that the situation is already like this, if she¡¯s dissatisfied with this role, and doesn¡¯t want to go, I¡¯ll arrange for someone else!¡±

    ¡°CEO Wang, that¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Zheng Anru quickly said. She meant that she wanted to snatch the female lead role, and not outright quit the filming crew.

    Wang Haojun said in a hostile tone, ¡°Then, prepare well. Since she¡¯s sick, let her stay at home to recover now, but polish and refine her acting skills at the same time! Now, thepetition is very intense. She¡¯s not the only artiste in thepany!¡±

    Zheng Anru obviously understood such a clear warning. She wanted to say something more, but she was afraid that it would made Wang Haojun even more upset, so she just mumbled to herself as she walked out.

    Zheng Anru had actually predicted this oue too, but she was really unwilling to let go!

    How was it that the most popr female star in the entertainment industry that had been single-handedly managed by her could be overthrown by an outdated Ning Xi to such an extent?

    ¡­

    After the press conference ended, Han Zixuan¡¯s team had lost face. She returned at turtle speed and did not dare to brag anymore.

    On the other hand, Glory World Entertainment had organized a lively celebration dinner.

    Everyone was overjoyed and their hope was restored again.

    After all, from Qin Shuang and Jiang Muye¡¯s matter, they could see that Ning Xi was not the kind of person who would dominate resources. On the contrary, from the moment Ning Xi made hereback, she had never forgotten to help them to seek opportunities.

    In an instant, Ning Xi¡¯s credit among the people had reached its pinnacle in all of the hearts of Glory World Entertainment¡¯s staff and artistes.

    Not long after that, ¡°Assassin¡± entered an intense phase of filming.

    At the filming location, Ning Xi held the script all the time. Whenever she had some free time, she would study it in detail.

    Harder toe by was Jiang Muye. He was almost living with the filming crew and was so serious to the point of obsession.

    It really moved Lei Ming to the point of tears. His little cub had finally grown up!

    The plot in China only took up about a week, then they were done shooting.

    Ning Xi and Jiang Muye followed the filming crew to travel to Europe and continue shooting at several locations.

    ¡­

    At the same time, China¡¯s financial market had, in a short amount of time, suddenly been attacked by a huge impact.

    Most of China¡¯s financial index, including short-term interest rates, foreign currency assets, stocks and bonds, real estate, and even some of the listedpanies were affected, creating a worsening domino effect.

    The one bearing the brunt of depreciating stocks was China¡¯s Lu Corporation.

    The Lu Corporationpanies were all over Asia and they paved the direction for China¡¯s economic system as they controlled almost all of Asia¡¯s economic lifeline.

    Inside the meeting room, Lu Tingxiao abyssal eyes were all gloom and doom.

    ¡°Bro, what¡¯s the situation actually?¡± Lu Jingli quickly rushed to the meeting room and coincidentally saw that Lu Tingxiao had not left.

    Lu Tingxiao studied theplicated data on theputer screen and said, ¡°There¡¯s someone manipting this from behind.¡±

    Now that China¡¯s economy was a mess, it looked extremely simr to the economic bubble in the past. Once the bubble burst, the oue would be unthinkable.

    And if someone wanted to copse China¡¯s economy, they had to very first deal with the Lu Corporation.

    ¡°But what kind of person could have such capabilities? This is impossible!¡±

    The other person¡¯s target was not one or twopanies, but the entire China. How huge of a force would be needed to achieve that?

    Now, some of Lu Corporation¡¯srge and small shareholders had announced to the world that they would be letting go of their shares by dumping .

 Chapter 1977 - That Woman Bewitched You

    <h4>Chapter 1977: That Woman Bewitched You</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In just a night, the shares were all bought up by a mysterious finance group.

    If the Lu Corporation fell into the hands of an outsider, a virtual bubble economy would be formed. In a short amount of time, it would cause a reaction that could destroy the whole Chinese economy.

    Lu Jingli had goosebumps all over him as he had these thoughts.

    It was surely a conspiracy!

    Not just the Lu Corporation, several other powerful organizations faced a simr fate as the Lu Corporation. It was exactly the same circumstances!

    ¡°This means that we are not the only target. The opponent wants to control the economy of the whole of Asia?!¡±

    Lu Jingli stared at Lu Tingxiao in horror.

    A huge amount of underground forces hid behind the economy of Asia. If the Asian economy was destroyed, handling the underground forces would be extremely easy. Whether it was to disband them or to use them, it would not be a difficult task.

    ¡°Just who could it be? I thought it was that Yun bastard again, but now that I think about it, that guy couldn¡¯t have gone this far!¡± Lu Jingli¡¯s brain was going haywire.

    After a while, Lu Tingxiao blurted out two words, ¡°European King.¡±

    Lu Jingli was shocked when he heard those two words. ¡°Damn¡­ Seriously? We¡¯re not even rted in any way. What does that old guy want, stepping over his boundaries? And I feel that he¡¯s especially against us this time!¡±

    If the Lu Corporation could hang in there, the current situation could still be controlled. However, once the Lu Corporation fell, the consequences would be catastrophic.

    The powerful organizations in the country would surely fall along with the Lu Corporation like a stack of dominos.

    It was worrisome enough to have Yun Shen around, then this external enemy had stormed right in¡­

    ¡­

    At night, in a certain old house in Imperial.

    In the dark came the cold voice of the white-haired man, ¡°You¡¯re really lucky, aren¡¯t you, Uncle Qiao?¡±

    Uncle Qiao¡¯s expression was unusually calm when facing this person who had abandoned his duty for revenge and for his family. ¡°Shen, you¡¯ve been too obsessed. That woman bewitched you, so I can forgive you just this once.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Yun Shenughed as if he had just heard a joke.

    ¡°I¡¯m giving you yourst chance now. Work together with me. This is our only chance at overturning the Lu family!¡±

    Yun Shen gazed upon the man. ¡°It seems that your patron is pretty powerful this time. Why do you still need me?¡±

    Qiao Yi was angered by his indifferent tone. ¡°Bastard! Your mother is not avenged yet! And you¡¯re here wasting your time. Think about it. What have you done in the past year?!¡±

    ¡°What did I do?¡± Yun Shen¡¯s eyes brightened a little.

    He did not really do anything in the past year, yet it was the time that he felt the most alive.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to get you out of your slump!¡± Qiao Yi sounded determined.

    Yun Shen guffawed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I might betray you and help Lu Tingxiao, in the end ruining all your ns?¡±

    ¡°You dare to?!¡± Qiao Yi was frustrated when Yun Shen mentioned the one sensitive thing.

    Yun Shen raised his eyebrows. ¡°With your powerful patron around, does anything I do make a difference?¡±

    ¡°Good that you know! No matter what, the Lu family have to die this time! If you work with me, I can pretend that all those things from before never happened!¡±

 Chapter 1978 - Dear Brother

    <h4>Chapter 1978: Dear Brother</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qiao Yi mellowed his tone and tried to convince Yun Shen, ¡°If you really love that woman, that¡¯s not a big deal. Wait until the Lu family is finished, then you can just grab her!¡±

    ¡°Ye, see the guest off,¡± Yun Shen lost his patience and said coldly.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Qiao Yi frowned when Yun Shen did not let up. ¡°Shen, I don¡¯t have time to waste with you! I¡¯m giving you two choices now: one, work with me and we¡¯ll fight as a family. If not, we¡¯ll be enemies in the future.¡±

    Yun Shen grinned. ¡°Oh, I thought we already are enemies!¡±

    ¡°You¡­ You¡­ Sure! Okay! Fine!¡± Qiao Yi stood up angrily.

    ¡°Don¡¯t me me since you¡¯re going against me and the European King!¡± Qiao Yi stopped trying to convince Yun Shen and left.

    Tang Ye took his order seriously and sent the guest off.

    Qiao Yi looked back at Tang Ye. ¡°Ye, please talk to him about it. I¡¯ve done everything for him! Even I can¡¯t help him by the time the European King takes over the whole Asian economy!¡±

    Tang Ye did not say anything. He had a lot to consider, standing in between Yun Shen and Qiao Yi.

    It was unexpected. Not only did the Master escape, he was even working with the European King. As far as he knew, even at the peak of the organization, they could never have worked with them.

    This matter seemed to be shrouded in mystery.

    Who had rescued Master? How did hee into contact with the European King?

    The Chinese economic crisis was actually rted to Master.

    While Master was not capable ofpleting such a feat, but when the European King stepped in¡­

    Not just China, the whole Chinese economy would be destroyed.

    ¡­

    The moment Qiao Yi left, another person dropped by.

    Tang Ye was surprised to see the new guest.

    Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Ever since Ning Xi had fallen into aa, Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao had never met each other, but they cooperatively maintained a bnce between their forces.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s visit tonight must be about the European King.

    Their bnce was at risk as the intervention of the European King loomed near.

    Both the Lu family and Yun Shen would be affected.

    No one could escape it.

    As Master said, the European King was keen on the Asian forces. If they did not work with the European King, the first target after obliterating the Lu family would most probably be them.

    Tang Ye kept his tangled thoughts to himself as he reported the arrival of the guest to Yun Shen and brought the guest up.

    Inside the room.

    Yun Shen popped his feet up on the coffee table. He tilted his head and said lightheartedly, ¡°Ah, what a night! I have a lot of important guests. Please sit!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao sat opposite of the white-haired man on a single-seater sofa. He did not mince his words. ¡°Coborate.¡±

    Yun Shenughed. ¡°My dear brother, your way of convincing people is really special. Do you know that my uncle told me just now that if the Lu family is done for, then¡­¡±

    Yun Shen did not finish his sentence, but Lu Tingxiao could already guess what Qiao Yi would have said based on his personality. Lu Tingxiao¡¯s calm eyes were filled with a sharp light.

    Yun Shen¡¯s eyes turned cold as well. He suddenly said, ¡°Actually, you want to kill me, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Just as he wanted to kill him too.

 Chapter 1979 - You Get Lu Family, Iâ€™ll Get Tang Xi

    <h4>Chapter 1979: You Get Lu Family, I¡¯ll Get Tang Xi</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Every day, every moment, he thought about it.

    However, he endured his impulse because of a certain ungrateful brat.

    He surprised himself by being able to endure it for this long.

    Of course, the man opposite was doing the same too.

    ¡°You declined Qiao Yi,¡± Lu Tingxiao said confidently.

    Not only had he predicted that Qiao Yi would have dropped by, he also expected Yun Shen to decline Qiao Yi¡¯s offer.

    Yun Shen sounded annoyed. ¡°Just because I declined him then I have to ept you? I¡¯m worried about your logic, brother!¡±

    ¡°You know about the truth of what happened very well,¡± Lu Tingxiao said suddenly.

    Yun Shen¡¯s pupils shrunk. ¡°So what? Everyone involved deserves to die! Including the Lu family!¡±

    ¡°At the end of this matter, I¡¯ll leave the Lu Corporation,¡± Lu Tingxiao continued.

    Did he just say he would give up on the huge Lu Corporation so easily?

    Yun Shen narrowed his eyes as Lu Tingxiao had just said something emotionlessly. He did not feel pleased at all. He smiled coldly. ¡°Why don¡¯t we trade? You get the Lu family, and I¡¯ll get Tang Xi!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°She¡¯s not a tradeable item.¡±

    He then left after saying those words.

    Behind him, Yun Shen¡¯s cold and sharp expression turned empty.

    ¡°Tsk, boring¡­¡±

    ¡­

    Half a monthter, Ning Xi and Jiang Muye returned to the country.

    The filming in Europe had gone smoothly.

    As the crew members still doubted Ning Xi at first, all of them shut their mouth after witnessing Ning Xi perfectly y the role of Anna.

    While Hollywood was not the most cordial ce towards the Chinese, they were respectful towards people with true capabilities.

    Even Lilian was on amicable terms with Ning Xi now.

    There was news that Ning Xi was shopping with Lilian in Europe and that they even stayed at the same hotel.

    ¡­

    Ning Xi received a call the moment shended.

    ¡°Hello, dear, have you reached yet?¡± There was the sweet voice of a woman over the phone.

    ¡°Yes, Lilian, I just got off the ne,¡± Ning Xi replied.

    ¡°Oh! My dear! You know what? I just finished your movie ¡®The World¡¯. You¡¯re so awesome as Meng Changge! If that were in Hollywood, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll get an Oscar award!¡± Lilian¡¯s excited voice came through the phone.

    Ning Xi could even hear some ssic lines of Meng Changge in the background.

    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating, Lilian!¡± Ning Xiughed.

    ¡°Alright, my dear, I¡¯m at ease now that you¡¯re back safely. Call me soon!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will!¡± Ning Xi smiled.

    For half a month in Europe, Lilian and she had the most scenes together. They faced each other from dawn till dusk, and without realizing it, the both of them turned into good friends. It was a far cry from the tensed rtionship they began with.

    Ning Xi walked out of the airport after she hung up.

    She could not wait to go back home.

    She would soon travel to other countries for more filming. During this period of rest, she wanted to spend time with her darling and Little Treasure.

    As she thought about something, there was a sense of worry in her eyes.

    Recently, she had been filming while being cut off frommunication. She had just only found out there were huge tremors of economic crisis within the country with the Lu Corporation bearing the most damage.

    She wondered how things were with Lu Tingxiao¡­

    ¡­

    Ning Xi went into the car and rushed back to Deer Town. Suddenly, her phone rang.

    It was Han Xiao.

 Chapter 1980 - Guaranteed Financial Support For The Rest of Its Life

    <h4>Chapter 1980: Guaranteed Financial Support For The Rest of Its Life</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As this was the second time receiving the Master¡¯s call, Ning Xi was already less shocked. She just raised her brows ever so slightly and thought to herself, ¡°He would not be asking her to go settle his bills again, would he?¡±

    ¡°Little girl!¡±

    ¡°Master, which KFC are you at? I¡¯ll go settle the bill right way,¡± said Ning Xi very cleverly.

    ¡°No need to settle any bills,¡± said Han Xiao on the other end of the phone.

    Could her luck be so fortunate this time around?

    Ning Xi was shocked. ¡°Then, why are you looking for me?¡±

    ¡°Take my tiger away,¡± said Han Xiao.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ Huh? What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°This guy eats up half a year of my food expenses in a day. These few days, when I eat KFC, I can¡¯t even afford the family bucket. I can only get a drumstick. I can¡¯t even have milk tea,¡± Han Xiao sighed. He was filled withints.

    Imperial was not a forest. To raise a tiger was indeed difficult, especially for someone like Han Xiao, who could barely even feed himself. Forget about feeding the tiger well.

    She realized that even though the Master was amazing, his capabilities of maintaining a livelihood and taking care of himself was practically negative. She really did not know how he had stayed alive until now.

    Ning Xi said, ¡°So, what¡¯re you saying?¡±

    ¡°Help me take care of it for a few days!¡± Han Xiao said with no trace of courtesy.

    Ning Xi was speechless and did not want to say anything at this point.

    The first time, he made her settle his bills. The second time, he just let her be his financial support, and it was to financially support a tiger with a huge appetite!

    Thankfully, this request was exactly what Ning Xi wanted!

    Oh! Her cute tiger!

    ¡°No problem. Just send it over! I¡¯m in that little town I was in thest time!¡±

    Not too long after she hung up, Han Xiao sent the tiger to Deer Town.

    Thankfully, Deer Town was remote and was considered an undeveloped area, plus it was already night time. Otherwise, the appearance of this tiger would surely cause panic.

    When she saw the white tiger beside Han Xiao, Ning Xi¡¯s eyes immediately shone. ¡°Master, what does it usually eat?¡±

    ¡°Just feed it whatever!¡± Han Xiao yawnedzily, then he just waved and left.

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched. She sighed and stroked the white tiger¡¯s head. ¡°Your master is too unreliable. Next time, you should just roll with me! I guarantee I¡¯ll feed you well!¡±

    ¡°Mommy!¡±

    Ning Xi was speaking with the tiger when suddenly, there was a soft bump on her leg. A delicate little rice ball had run up to her.

    ¡°Oh! Baby Little Treasure! I miss you so much! Quickly let Mommy kiss and hug you!¡±

    Little Treasure stuck to Ning Xi¡¯s embrace and was delighted. At this moment, when he saw the white tiger beside Ning Xi from the corner of his eye, his eyes widened. ¡°Mommy! Careful!¡±

    Then, the little guy quickly squeezed his way in between Ning Xi and the white tiger, making a blocking gesture. He red at the tiger opposite him like a little tiger cub himself.

    Ning Xi was so moved that she rubbed the little guy¡¯s head. ¡°Little Treasure, don¡¯t worry. This is Mommy¡¯s friend, he won¡¯t hurt people.¡±

    ¡°Mommy¡¯s friend?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    When he heard Ning Xi say that, Little Treasure was relieved.

    After he was no longer vignt, he started to observe the huge white tiger curiously.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and y. Don¡¯t frighten the neighbors.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Thus, Ning Xi led the little bun and the white tiger into the house.

    When Lu Tingxiao heard the sound of the front door, he knew that Ning Xi had returned. He subconsciously looked over at the entrance.

    When he saw the familiar white tiger by Ning Xi¡¯s side, Lu Tingxiao was slightly taken aback. ¡°Han Xiao came by?¡±

    Ning Xi shrugged. ¡°No, that guy said that he can¡¯t afford to raise it. He¡¯s asking me to help him take care of it for a few days! This master is unreliable!¡±

 Chapter 1981 - Trespassing A Tigers Lair

    <h4>Chapter 1981: Trespassing A Tiger¡¯s Lair</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Lu Tingxiao heard this, he looked doubtful.

    Han Xiao seemed like someone who was not into the affairs of the world, yet he still felt like this person was not that simple.

    Everything that he did seemed to be strange and absurd, yet actually, there was meaning to them. Even though he could not make out his intentions, he could confirm that he was a friend and not a foe.

    On the other side, Ning Xi and Little Treasure were already ying with the tiger.

    The two of them fed the tiger one mouthful at a time.

    When he saw that the white tiger was satiated, it wagged its snowy white tail andy on the ground with its belly up, letting Little Treasure snuggle against it. Ning Xi found this terribly cute.

    ¡°Come over for dinner.¡± Lu Tingxiao looked helplessly at the big and the small ones lying on the ground.

    Perhaps he could consider letting them have a pet¡­

    ¡°Oh! Coming!¡±

    Ning Xi then reluctantly removed her gaze from the white tiger and prepared to have dinner. At this moment, the tiger suddenly sat up straight, his feline eyes fixed straight outside the door. Then came a low rumble from his throat that sounded like a warning.

    Bam!

    A crisp sound was heard and the huge door was crashed open.

    Two men in ck with masked faces suddenly rushed in.

    ¡°Follow us¡­¡±

    Before one of the men could finish, he suddenly saw the Bengal white tiger beside Ning Xi.

    Based on his professionalism andmon sense, it was enough for him to know what this living thing before him meant.

    This was not amon white tiger from the zoo!

    The man stood stunned for about three seconds.

    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯ve gotten the wrong ce!¡± One of them reacted more quickly, he tugged on hispanion and wanted to leave.

    Yet, the white tiger roared at the top of its lungs. It shot to its feet like feathered arrows and blocked the door.

    Its roar caused Ning Xi to trembled all over and she was perturbed.

    In the wild, a single roar from the white tiger could move mountains. Furthermore, they were experiencing it so up close.

    As for one of the ck-clothed men, the tiger¡¯s roar made his legs shake and he almost fell straight to the ground.

    When they saw that the tiger had not immediately pounced on them, the two men quickly ran for their lives.

    Very quickly, two of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s subordinates rushed in, panting, ¡°Boss! Are you okay?!¡±

    One of them saw the white tiger at the entrance and was frightened. ¡°This¡­ This is¡­¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Lu Tingxiao asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Some people trespassed, but they were clearly professional hires. When we realized it, they had already gotten close!¡± The subordinate med himself.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned slightly. Deer Town was a residential area after all. He could not have defenses that were too strict.

    In fact, even if they had tighter security, as long as the other party sent out high-level people, there would definitely be a possibility of an invasion.

    He had done the most for the surrounding security, which proved that these two trespassers¡¯ ranks were at least A-rank.

    There was no need to guess who were forces that could hire mercenaries of A-rank.

    The white tiger surrounded Lu Tingxiao¡¯s two subordinates and vigntly hovered. When Ning Xi saw its protective behavior, she quickly pulled the white tiger back. ¡°Baby,e back! They¡¯re not enemies!¡±

    ¡°Big White,e!¡± Little Treasure waved at the white tiger.

    It seemed to have understood Ning Xi and Little Treasure as the white tiger then swung his tail and walked towards Little Treasure who held a piece of beef in his hand.

    At this moment, Ning Xi gazed out and frowned slightly.

    It seemed like things would not be that peaceful.

    Previously, she had already bumped into a stalker once, whom Han Xiao resolved.

 Chapter 1982 - Trick A Master To Be Bodyguard

    <h4>Chapter 1982: Trick A Master To Be Bodyguard</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Previously, Ning Xi was afraid that Lu Tingxiao would be worried about the stalker incident, so she had not told him.

    Tonight, someone had invaded Deer Town and broken through their door.

    Thankfully, Han Xiao¡¯s white tiger was there this time. Otherwise, even if she and Lu Tingxiao could handle the two people, Little Treasure was there too. If there was the slightest mishap, she dared not imagine the consequences.

    With the white tiger there, there should not be any issue for now.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get Tang Lang toe over. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t leave the house for the next few days,¡± said Lu Tingxiao.

    Ning Xi nodded. ¡°Mmm, send Little Treasure to the old residence! You too, be very careful!¡±

    The other party¡¯s target was clearly there. Obviously, Lu Tingxiao could be implicated along too.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡­ They were undisturbed for two days. The other party did not seem to have ns of ambushing again; they were probably preparing for the next attack.

    Instead, it was Han Xiao who came uninvited.

    When the white tiger saw Han Xiao, it was very excited. It immediately ran towards Han Xiao.

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯ve been eating quite well!¡±

    When he saw that white tiger had ample energy, Han Xiaoughed.

    ¡°Well, that depends on who¡¯s taking care of it. Why don¡¯t you just give it to me to raise? That way, it doesn¡¯t need to brave the winds with you!¡± The longer Ning Xi looked after it, the more she was reluctant to part with it.

    ¡°That can¡¯t do.¡± Han Xiao shook his head.

    Ning Xi was just casually mentioning it as she knew that Han Xiao definitely would not agree to it.

    ¡°Hehe, Master!¡± Suddenly, Ning Xi pulled Han Xiao¡¯s arm.

    ¡°What? Do you want to treat me to a meal?¡± Han Xiao shot her a look from the corner of his eye.

    Ning Xi instantly choked.

    Could he stop only thinking about eating? It really affected his glorious image!

    ¡°It¡¯s like this, Master. I¡¯ve been targeted by assassins. The night before, someone even invaded Deer Town to ambush me¡­ Master, please protect me, please!¡± Ning Xi said with sparkling eyes.

    ¡°I can¡¯t. I still have things to do,¡± Han Xiao rejected firmly.

    ¡°Is it an emergency?¡± Ning Xi thought that if it caused trouble for him, she obviously would not push it further.

    ¡°KFC has released a new set meal. I want to go line up for it,¡± said Han Xiao with a straight face.

    ¡°What?! Master, please don¡¯t mess with me anymore. In fact, how can you not keep your word?!¡± Ning Xiined.

    ¡°Not keep my word?¡± Han Xiao was confused.

    Ning Xi dug around and immediately took out the whistle that Han Xiao had given her back then. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say then that you would agree with me on one thing? To consider returning me a favor! Then, you gave me this whistle!¡±

    Thankfully, this whistle was still around. After the incident, Lu Tingxiao had helped her retrieve it back.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already return the favor? I saved you thest time!¡± Han Xiao said.

    ¡°No.¡± Ning Xi shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t blow the whistle thest time.¡±

    ¡°So what if it wasn¡¯t you that blew it? I still saved you.¡± Han Xiao¡¯s expression was very matter-of-fact.

    Han Xiao thought about it earnestly, then he said, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Since it wasn¡¯t me who blew the whistle, and it wasn¡¯t me who asked you to save me¡­ then how can this favor be considered returned? Master, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Ning Xi grinned, her expression even more justified.

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Han Xiao said subconsciously.

    ¡°Master, I knew you were reasonable!¡± Ning Xi instantly praised Han Xiao endlessly.

    If she could let Han Xiao guard the area, she would not need to be afraid of any assassins!

    So, no matter what, she had to trick the Master to stay!

    Han Xiao had wanted to argue, yet he was tongue-tied.

    Ning Xi was not wrong at all. The whistle had not been blown by her, and she had not begged for him to save her.

    ¡°It still doesn¡¯t feel right¡­¡± Han Xiao stared nkly at this girl opposite him.

    Ning Xi said, ¡°I¡¯ll get people to line up and buy you the new set meal right away. I¡¯ll send it over within half an hour!¡±

    Han Xiao responded instantly, ¡°Okay!¡±

 Chapter 1983 - Have Fun With The Master

    <h4>Chapter 1983: Have Fun With The Master</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At the same time, Tang Lang came over to Ning Xi¡¯s house in a floral shirt and a pair of sandals.

    ¡°Boss, do you need me?¡± Tang Lang asked as he went into the house.

    Ning Xi poked her head out and took a nce. ¡°You¡¯re here, Second Senior Brother! I did, but not anymore.¡±

    ¡°So, what was it?¡± Tang Lang was speechless. Was she pranking him?!

    ¡°It¡¯s been unsafe recently after the assassins attacked the night before yesterday, so I was thinking of asking you to stay over,¡± Ning Xi exined.

    ¡°Assassins¡­¡± Tang Lang then nced over at Han Xiao who was nearby.

    Tang Lang¡¯s heart jumped. ¡°What the heck!? Why is he here? Is he the assassin?!¡±

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I invited the Master here to protect me.¡±

    Tang Lang was relieved.

    If this guy was the assassin, probably no one could escape. Their existence was practically bug-like.

    ¡°You¡¯ve already found someone. Why do you need me then?!¡± Tang Lang was shocked. He wished he was at home indulging in watermelon under this hot summer!

    ¡°Kiddo,e here and y with me.¡± Suddenly, Han Xiao stretched his back and asked Tang Lang to go over.

    Ning Xi then smiled. ¡°Of course, you¡¯re going to be useful her, Second Senior Brother. Go have some fun with the Master!¡±

    ¡°Damn! Ning Xiao Xi, you sold me out again! No way!¡± Tang Lang shook his head.

    What kind of joke was this!?

    He could not even get near Han Xiao when he attacked together with Tang Ye!

    ¡°Well¡­ If you don¡¯te, I¡¯ll punch you to death.¡± Han Xiao sounded really bored.

    Tang Lang¡¯s expression said that he did not want to fight even if he were to die.

    ¡°Come on now. I¡¯ll just use a finger to fight you.¡± Han Xiao smiled.

    ¡°What?!¡± Suddenly, there was a glimmer in Tang Lang¡¯s eyes.

    That was too much!

    One finger?!

    Who was he talking to?!

    ¡°I said, I¡¯ll fight you with one finger.¡± Han Xiao extended just a finger of his.

    ¡°Second Senior Brother, do you mean you can¡¯t even beat a finger?¡± Ning Xi sighed.

    ¡°What a joke!¡± Tang Lang was enraged. ¡°Alright, one finger it is then! If I can¡¯t even beat one finger, I¡¯ll call you my grandfather!¡±

    Tang Lang then sank into his stance and charged towards Han Xiao.

    Han Xiao remained stationads as he put his left hand behind his back and faced the attack with just a finger.

    As Tang Lang closed in just half a step away, Han Xiao thrusted his finger mid-air.

    Whoosh!

    An airstrike-like sound echoed through the house.

    Han Xiao¡¯s thrust emitted a strong wind.

    Before his finger could eve emitted Tang Lang, the force generated from his finger impacted the man first.

    Han Xiao¡¯s speed was so swift that not only Ning Xi could not see it; even Tang Lang was not able to detect his movements clearly.

    In that brief moment, his fingernded on Tang Lang¡¯s abdomen.

    Bang!

    Before even realizing what happened, Tang Lang was already on the ground.

    Tang Lang¡¯s expression looked horrible. He stared at thezy-looking Han Xiao unbelievably.

    This man had just casually pointed at him, but he had not been able to do anything against it¡­

    If this man had actually tried, could Tang Lang be dead by now?

    Tang Lang had always been talented in martial arts, and he was very proud of it.

    However, there were always more skilled people, and he was impressed.

    Tang Lang tried tofort himself that he was still a normal person, and that he should notpare himself to this monster!

 Chapter 1984 - Instant Kill

    <h4>Chapter 1984: Instant Kill</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I lost¡­¡± Tang Lang sighed, humans can never win against monsters!

    ¡°That was no fun, again,¡± Han Xiao wanted another round.

    Tang Lang knelt down on the floor and said, ¡°No more please, grandfather!¡±

    Han Xiao seemed to have lost interest as well, he nced over at Ning Xi, ¡°You want to have a go?¡±

    Ning Xi shook her head violently, ¡°Just like you said Master, I¡¯m just like a little chick, please ignore me!¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Han Xiao sat back on the sofa, he turned on the television and started watching cartoon.

    Yes, cartoon¡­

    When Lu Tingxiao came back home from work, he was surprised to see Han Xiao.

    Ning Xi grabbed Lu Tingxiao aside and told him about how she made Han Xiaoe over.

    Lu Tingxiaoughed afterwards.

    As he looked at the seemingly indifferent man, his judgment on him was not wrong after all.

    Han Xiao probably predicted something might happen, he left the white tiger here on purpose.

    ¡­

    Midnight.

    There were some movements outside the house.

    The living room was dark, Tang Lang watched a whole day of cartoon with Han Xiao, the both of them enjoyed it.

    ¡°Grandfather, someone¡¯s here.¡± Suddenly, Tang Lang looked outside, aloof.

    He had no problem calling Han Xiao his grandfather at all.

    ¡°Go and get the door then,¡± Han Xiao said.

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Tang Lang got up and opened the door.

    ¡°Wee!¡±

    The several assassins were dumbfounded.

    The leader of the assassins frowned and fired a shot in the direction of Tang Lang.

    With Tang Lang¡¯s quick reaction, he already shifted away the moment the man raised his arm, avoiding the shots.

    ¡°Grandfather, someone¡¯s being disrespectful here!¡± Tang Lang yelled to Han Xiao. When he looked at the sofa, Han Xiao had already disappeared.

    ¡°Damn, what kind of speed is that?¡±

    Tang Lang shivered as he stared at Han Xiao before the door.

    ¡°Can this thing really kill people?¡± Han Xiao stood before the men and looked into the dark gun muzzle.

    ¡°Die!¡± The man looked at him with cold eyes before he pulled the trigger as he aimed at Han Xiao.

    Bang!

    A loud noise echoed throughout the house.

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    The assassins looked at each other. Thezy-looking man had just used a finger and made the gun point in another direction.

    Not only did the man fail to kill Han Xiao, he even killed apanion of his.

    ¡°This is why little kids shouldn¡¯t y with guns. Look now, an ident¡¯s happened.¡± Han Xiao shook his head.

    The others pulled out their guns simultaneously.

    ¡°Let me take a look.¡± Han Xiao grabbed a gun from one of them.

    Bang!

    Han Xiao fired several shots consecutively.

    Each of the shotsnded on the thighs of the assassins.

    Screams echoed amidst the dark night.

    ¡°Sorry¡­ I aimed at the wrong ce. Let me do it again.¡±

    Han Xiao raised the gun and pulled the trigger as he aimed at their heads.

    Bang!

    Bang!

    Bang!

    ¡­

    The assassins were all killed on the spot after the bullets went through their brains.

    ¡°I got it right this time.¡± Han Xiao looked at the corpses on the ground, then he threw away the gun.

    ¡°They¡¯re annoying. Clean them up.¡±

    Han Xiao went back to the sofa, opened a bag of chips and continued watching cartoons.

    ¡°Alright, Grandfather.¡±

    Tang Lang dragged the bodies outside.

 Chapter 1985 - I Donâ€™t Need A Foot Accessory

    <h4>Chapter 1985: I Don¡¯t Need A Foot essory</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qiao Yi had sent a few dozen people to Deer Town recently.

    However, he lost contact with all the people who went there as if they had vanished into thin air.

    ¡°Uncle Qiao, it seems like the Lu family is well prepare. Only two of the assassins we sent returned, and they said they saw a white tiger in Deer Town.¡±

    Feng Jin was deep in thought.

    ¡°White tiger?¡±

    Qiao Yi was doubtful. Could the assassins he sent all been killed by the white tiger?

    ¡°Uncle Qiao, I think we should ask the European King for help,¡± said Feng Jin.

    Qiao Yi shook his head.

    It would be inappropriate if they could not even handle something this trivial and had to rely on the European King¡¯s power.

    ¡°Send a few more batches of assassins over to Deer Town.¡±

    Cold sparks lingered in Qiao Yi¡¯s eyes.

    If they failed again, he would go there himself personally.

    No matter what, he would kill Lu Tingxiao and the bunch!

    ¡­

    Han Xiao had been staying in Deer Town for a few days, and all the assassins that came were handled by him effortlessly.

    Tang Lang just sat on the sofa and munched on watermelon everyday. He watched how the assassins came and gave up their lives, then he would do some cleaning up, enjoying a rather easy-going life.

    ¡°Come and y with me, kid!¡±

    Han Xiao yawned, then said to Tang Lang who was eating a melon, ¡°Please don¡¯t, Grandfather. Want a melon?¡±

    Tang Lang handed him a slice of watermelon with a cute expression.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Han Xiao nodded and munched on the melon given by Tang Lang.

    Ever since thest time, Tang Lang never fought against Han Xiao anymore.

    He was only human and could not have endured the monster¡¯s attack. It was enough for him to try harming himself once. Only idiots would try it the second time.

    At midnight, Ning Xi went to the living room and reported, ¡°Someone¡¯s broken through the defenses of Deer Town¡­¡±

    ¡°Master, someone¡¯sing again. They know that you¡¯re here, yet they still keeping. I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re thinking, but if it were me, I¡¯d surely rip them into pieces,¡± Tang Lang looked at Han Xiao and joked.

    Han Xiao crossed one leg over the other as if he did not hear Tang Lang.

    After a while, Han Xiao took another slice of watermelon. ¡°You guys go out somewhere cool!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s air-conditioning in the house. Surely it¡¯s much cooler than outside,¡± said Tang Lang.

    However, his expression changed right after he finished his sentence.

    Probably a lot of assassins hade. It would be terrible if a gun fight broke out.

    Ning Xi and him were not monsters like him. What if bullets ran through them?

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Grandfather. It is cooler outside¡­¡±

    Tang Lang dragged Ning Xi and left the house.

    ¡­

    After an hour, sounds of gunshots came from the house.

    After five minutes, Ning Xi and Tang Lang returned when the noise had died down.

    Han Xiao was still munching on watermelon slices on the sofa.

    Bodiesy strewn in the living room in and outside¡­

    ¡­

    Han Xiao nced wordlessly at Tang Lang.

    ¡°I get it, Grandfather¡­¡±

    Tang Lang smiled and worked like a bee, moving the bodies away from the house and cleaning up.

    ¡°Master, please let me hold your leg!¡± Ning Xi looked at Han Xiao, impressed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need a foot essory,¡± replied Han Xiao.

    ¡°By the way, when can I leave?¡± Before Ning Xi could say anything, he asked her as he threw the watermelon rind into the bin.

    Ning Xi shed an odd smile and stared at Han Xiao.

    She would not let him get away that easily!

    ¡°Until there are no more assassins.¡± Ning Xiughed.

    Han Xiao sighed annoyingly.

    He had finally be a babysitter.

    At least, the food here was good!

 Chapter 1986 - First Senior Brother Was Cheated On

    <h4>Chapter 1986: First Senior Brother Was Cheated On</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    There were a few times that Han Xiao had wanted to leave. However, he had been held back each time by Ning Xi¡¯s timely temptation of delicious food.

    As for Ning Xi, this Master could be settled with just a few delicious meals. If she found it troublesome, she could order a few sets of luxurious family buckets, and even save the hassle of cooking.

    ¡­

    ¡°Little baby, darling!¡±

    The second day, Ning Xi waved a piece of raw imported beef to tease the white tiger in the living room.

    The tiger instantly stood up, seeming like it was in great spirits as it wagged its huge, snow-white tail and walked towards Ning Xi.

    ¡°Hold w-w!¡± Ning Xi enticed.

    The tiger tilted its head to one side and stared adorably at Ning Xi.

    ¡°Not bad!¡±

    Ning Xi was about to feed the tiger when suddenly, Han Xiao appeared and snatched away the few bags of imported beef beside Ning Xi.

    ¡°Master¡­ This is the tiger¡¯s food¡­ It¡¯s still raw!¡± Ning Xi did not know whether tough or cry.

    ¡°Boy.¡±

    Han Xiao tossed the beef to Tang Lang who was not far away.

    ¡°Okay, Grandfather, please wait!¡±

    Tang Lang eagerly ran to the kitchen and swiftly pan fried the beef until it was medium well.

    ¡°What the heck?! You two¡­¡±

    Ning Xi looked at Han Xiao, then at Tang Lang.

    These two people were colluding!

    Especially Tang Lang! Bloody hell, he had actually cooked for Han Xiao¡­ Cooked!

    Suddenly, she felt like her First Senior Brother was being cheated on¡­

    ¡°This tastes horrible.¡±

    Han Xiao took a bite and instantly lost interest.

    At this moment, the tiger walked up to Han Xiao, his gaze fixated on the beef in Han Xiao¡¯s hand.

    When he saw this, Han Xiao just tossed the beef to the ground.

    The white tiger shook its snowy white tail and swallowed the beef in a gulp.

    Unfortunately, it only took about two breaths when the beef was spat out by the tiger again.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad, is it?¡± Tang Lang undid his apron and looked awkward.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    ¡­

    At the same time, in Deer Town.

    An European elderly man with a walking stick looked at the middle-aged ck man behind him and said calmly, ¡°Yorick, is it going well?¡±

    The ck man was expressionless. ¡°Just some useless people. It looks like the defenses around this ce is rather mediocre.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too careless either. Since the higher-ups will get us to make the move, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that simple,¡± said the European elder.

    These two were the top assassins in the ¡°Original Sin¡± assassin rankings.

    ¡°The people that Qiao Yi sent out were useless.¡± The ck man who was called Yorick used a paper to wipe away the blood stains on his hand.

    ¡°If the European King¡¯s forces didn¡¯t want to dominate Asia, how could they have been interested in Qiao Yi as the controller? He can¡¯t even handle this little thing and need us to take action. What a joke!¡± Yorick squatted down and wiped away the dust on his leather shoes.

    ¡°It¡¯s best to be more careful. Being a mission from the higher-ups, we cannot fail.¡±

    The European elder smiled slightly and walked towards the direction of the garden house.

    ¡­

    About half an hourter, Yorick pulled out a submachine gun in front of the house.

    ¡°Yorick, don¡¯t be so crude. We¡¯re here to visit,¡± said the elder.

    Yorick shrugged and put his gunt away.

    ¡°Is there anyone there?¡±

    The European elder knocked very politely.

    Very soon, Ning Xi opened the door.

    As she stared at this kind elder, Ning Xi was puzzled.

    ¡°Hello, please forgive us for boldly disturbing you.¡± The European elder looked at Ning Xi and smiled faintly.

    ¡°And you are?¡± Ning Xi asked.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Tang Lang held half a watermelon and walked up to the door too.

    ¡°Hello, may we know if thisdy is Miss Ning Xi?¡± The European elder smiled and asked.

    ¡°I am Ning Xi.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Miss Ning Xi,¡± the European elder continued, ¡°Do you have anyst words?¡±

    Then, the European elder took out a surgical de as the peaceful smile on his face turned wider.

 Chapter 1987 - Give People Some Dignity

    <h4>Chapter 1987: Give People Some Dignity</h4>

    When she saw the European elder before her suddenly pull out an extremely sharp surgical de, Ning Xi reflexively moved backwards.

    Even if she had reacted slower than she preferred, at this moment it was clear that this European elder and the ck man beside him were assassins.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Doctor Death on Original Sin¡¯s assassin top ten list!¡±

    Tang Lang frowned.

    ¡°Little guy, you know me?¡± The European elder smiled and asked.

    When he heard the European elder admit his identity, Tang Lang gasped.

    ¡°Doctor Death¡± was the old guy¡¯s nickname. This old European guy before the had once shocked the underground powers of Europe and America. When he was younger, he had been an extremely prestigious surgeon.

    Later on in his life, he had used his surgical de to cut off his daughter and wife¡¯s heads. He was aplete madman!

    From then on, he became an assassin, and the outside world had christened him the title of ¡°Doctor Death¡±.

    Tang Lang trembled on the inside. Since this old guy was ¡°Doctor Death¡±, then the ck man beside him should be his partner, number seven on the Original Sin assassin rankings, ¡°Bacteriophobic Ripper¡± Yorick.

    To be able to send two people from the Origin Sin¡¯s top ten on an assassination in China could only be the work of the forces from European King.

    ¡°The both of you, do you have any morest words? If you don¡¯t, then we can begin,¡± Doctor Death smiled and said.

    At this moment, Tang Lang¡¯s eyes widened and he shouted, ¡°Grandfather! Someone¡¯s not giving you face. Bloody hell, they¡¯vee to challenge you!¡±

    Very quickly, with one hand holding a drumstick and a greasy mouth while wearing Ning Xi¡¯s slippers on his feet, Han Xiao ran to the door as he ate.

    ¡°Old guy, if you have the guts, don¡¯t run. My grandfather ising. Just wait!¡±

    When Tang Lang saw the man in slippers going over, the solemn expression on his face finally dissipated. He started to chew on the remaining watermelon in his hand.

    ¡°Who¡¯s it?!¡±

    Han Xiao walked to Ning Xi¡¯s side.

    ¡°This ck guy and this old fart!¡± Tang Lang chomped on his watermelon as he pointed at ¡°Doctor Death¡± and ¡°Bacteriophobic Ripper¡± Yorick.

    ¡°You two, who are you?¡±

    Han Xiao snatched a piece of watermelon from Tang Lang and asked as he ate.

    When she saw Tang Lang and Han Xiao eating melons like spectators, Ning Xi waspletely floored.

    Bloody hell! These were Original Sin¡¯s top ten assassins. Could they give people some dignity?! Just a bit of dignity!

    When he saw Han Xiao appear, the perverted madness in the European elder¡¯s eyes instantly faded away.

    Especially Yorick, who quickly put his submachine gun away. His initially grave and stern face suddenly had a ttering smile, ¡°Oh, Master Xiao! Howe it¡¯s you, Senior?!¡±

    Yorick¡¯s forehead broke out into a cold sweat.

    This¡­ Were the higher-ups ying an international joke?!

    No one had told them that the madman Han Xiao was here!

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Han Xiao ate his melon and asked.

    ¡°Master Xiao, look at your memory¡­ I¡¯m Yorick¡­¡± Yorick quickly smiled obsequiously.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Han Xiao thought about it for a while, but his memory failed him.

    ¡°Last time, I didn¡¯t know and offended you, but you were merciful. You broke one of my legs. After that, it was fixed by a friend.¡± Yorick looked nervously at the European elder beside him.

    About two years ago, he and ¡°Doctor Death¡± had received an assassination mission. On the way, they had met Han Xiao.

    In the end, they had almost been beaten to death by Han Xiao.

    Yorick had had one of his legs broken, andter on it had been fixed by ¡°Doctor Death¡±.

    ¡°You¡¯re pointing at me with the surgical de, so what are you implying?¡± Han Xiao looked at the European elder.

    ¡°Oh¡­ I¡­¡± The European elder¡¯s body wavered, then he quickly swept the surgical de across his chin. ¡°Master Xiao, don¡¯t misunderstand. I¡¯m just shaving¡­¡±

 Chapter 1988 - Extortion

    <h4>Chapter 1988: Extortion</h4>

    ¡°Eh, I¡¯m shaving. I haven¡¯t shaved for a few days now. The stubble is hard to bear¡­¡±

    The European elder shook his head, the sharp surgical de continuing to move back and forth his chin.

    ¡°Your chin is bleeding,¡± Tang Lang ate his watermelon as he blinked and said.

    ¡°Oh¡­ No problem, no problem. It¡¯s a small issue!¡± The elder lifted his hand and used his sleeve to wipe off the blood traces.

    ¡°Do you want me to help you shave?¡± Han Xiao asked.

    ¡°No, no, no¡­¡± The elder quickly shook his head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy.¡± Han Xiao tossed the watermelon rind straight into Yorick¡¯s face.

    When he saw that Yorick was slightly stunned, Han Xiao frowned and asked, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°No problem, no problem at all. I wonder where the watermelon rind flew from. It¡¯s a small issue,¡± assured Yorick.

    Han Xiao shrugged, then he took the European man¡¯s surgical de.

    ¡°Stand properly and don¡¯t move. Otherwise, I¡¯ll cut you¡­¡±

    Han Xiao finished and started to help the elder shave.

    When he finished shaving his beard, Han Xiao did not stop. He unexpectedly shaved off all of the elder¡¯s hair, shaving his head bald.

    ¡°Grandfather, why did you shave off his brows too?¡± Tang Lang asked mirthfully.

    ¡°It¡¯s pleasantly cool!¡± Han Xiao answered.

    ¡°Does it feel pleasantly cool?¡± Then, Han Xiao turned to ask the European man.

    ¡°Cool! Very fresh and cool!¡± The European elderly repeatedly nodded, he was afraid that if he said anything wrong, he would offend this madman.

    When he heard, Han Xiao felt satisfied, he held the surgical de and walked to Yorick¡¯s side.

    Without any exnation, Yorick¡¯s thick mustache, brows, and hair had also been shaved clean.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel pleasantly cool?¡± Han Xiao looked at Yorick and asked with a smile.

    ¡°Cool! Thanks for the trouble, Master Xiao, I¡¯ve wanted to shave it all off for a long time. It feels really good.¡± Yorick¡¯s face shed with a ttering smile.

    ¡°Thank you, everyone, that will be US$ 500 each.¡± Han Xiao hurled out his hand.

    Yorick and the European elderly came back to their senses, they quickly searched themselves.

    ¡°Master Xiao, I didn¡¯t bring any money with me.I only have US$ 300¡­¡±

    ¡°I only have US$ 400¡­¡±

    Yorick and the European man took out all of the US dors on them and handed it over to Han Xiao.

    ¡°You owe me US$ 100, you owe me US$ 200,¡± Han Xiao counted and then said.

    ¡°How about this? Let¡¯s follow China¡¯s bank interest rates to calcte. Don¡¯t forget to return me the money then,¡± Han Xiao put the US$ 700 into his pocket.

    ¡°Okay, okay, okay¡­ Master Xiao, we still have some things to do, so we¡¯ll leave first. Later on, we¡¯ll send you the money¡­¡±

    Yorick pulled away the European elder who was frozen where he was, wishing his parents had given him a few more pairs of legs to flee. He almost rolled and crawled out as they ran out of the house.

    ¡­

    ¡°Dude, buy more watermelons and get some meat.¡± Han Xiao threw the US$ 700 at Tang Lang.

    ¡°Okay, Grandfather,¡± Tang Lang nodded and said.

    Ning Xi stood on the side. She was thoroughly impressed and bowled over inplete admiration.

    She had shaved off the brows, hair and moustache of the two assassins who were in the top ten Original Sin¡¯s rankings, plus he had even extorted US$ 700 from them.

    In the end, he had asked Tang Lang buy more watermelons and meat.

    US$ 700?! Bloody hell! How much watermelon and meat could that buy.

    Ning Xi finally understood that Han Xiao was an idiot through and through¡­

    ¡°Grandfather, why did you let them go? You should¡¯ve just kill them!¡± Tang Lang kept the money in his pocket and grinned at Han Xiao to say.

    ¡°Kill them?¡± Han Xiao was stunned. He looked at Tang Lang with a puzzled expression. ¡°Who were they?¡±

    When they heard him, Tang Lang and Ning Xi almost puked three liters of blood.

    They had done all that for so long, shaved all their hair and had even asked for US$ 700¡­

    In the end, Han Xiao actually did not know who the booth of them were and what they hade for¡­

    Suddenly, Ning Xi felt bad for the two assassins.

    It really was not easy for them!

 Chapter 1989 - A Miracle

    <h4>Chapter 1989: A Miracle</h4>

    An enraged voice came through the other side of the phone.

    Yorick then hung up the phone.

    Qiao Yi was confuse. He had no idea why Yorick was so angry.

    What was with that US$ 300?

    Moreover, the forces of the European King had issued this order. How was that rted to him?

    No matter what, Qiao Yi was not an idiot. If ¡°Doctor Death¡± and Yorick were not able to finish the job, Lu Tingxiao might indeed have someone incredibly strong there.

    ¡°Might we need to use that person?¡±

    Feng Jin frowned while Qiao Yi remained silent.

    The person Feng Jin mentioned was not well-known. Still, he was the strongest assassin in the European King¡¯s force. It was not an exaggeration to call him the best in the world.

    Qiao Yi contacted the European King¡¯s force once again and requested them to send someone stronger.

    ¡°Qiao Yi, do you mean you want us to use Xiao Zhan?¡± Asked a low and deep voice.

    ¡°If Xiao Zhan is willing to, then there¡¯ll be no problem.¡±Qiao Yi smiled.

    ¡°Do you know that Xiao Zhan tried to assassinate Han Xiao thest time and was injured? He¡¯s currently still recovering.¡±

    ¡°Han Xiao?!¡±

    Qiao Yi was taken aback when he heard the name Han Xiao.

    While he had never seen him before, he was well aware of Han Xiao.

    Several years back, the European King had betrothed his youngest daughter to Han Xiao.

    However, Han Xiao did not want to get married, so his rtionship with the European King broke down.

    Over the years, the European King had sent dozens and dozens of assassins to kill Han Xiao, yet none of them were able toe back alive.

    Qiao Yi had heard some news about Han Xiao as well.

    It was said that he was a genius from a renowned family, and that he was so strong thatmon sense did not apply to him.

    ¡°Xiao Zhan¡­ survived?¡± Qiao Yi asked.

    In Qiao Yi¡¯s mind, Han Xiao was equivalent to the word ¡°invincible¡±.

    Probably only the legendary Qin Wentian would be able to have a fair fight with Han Xiao.

    People of their calibre only existed in legends. No matter how strong Xiao Zhan was, he was still not at their level.

    ¡°Just a little more and Han Xiao would have been dead! Too bad¡­¡± There was the sigh of a deep voice.

    Xiao Zhan¡¯s assassination skills were top of the world; even Han Xiao almost got done in.

    ¡°Xiao Zhan is incredible¡­¡± Qiao Yimented.

    Just a little bit more and he could have killed Han Xiao! What a miracle! Even though he failed, he was still able to injure Han Xiao.

    ¡°Qiao Yi, let me tell you, Yorick called me just now. Do you know who¡¯s guarding the Lu family right now?¡± The other side of the phone asked.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Qiao Yi asked.

    ¡°Han Xiao.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Qiao Yi gasped.

    The person in Deer Town was Han Xiao?!

    How was that even possible?!

    Just what kind of rtionship did Han Xiao have with Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi? Why would he be helping Ning Xi in Deer Town?!

    Qiao Yi had no idea that Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi knew Han Xiao.

    ¡°No matter how powerful your assassins are, it¡¯s all futile. Even the top killer of the Original Sins, Li Suifeng, was killed by Han Xiao effortlessly. It¡¯s no wonder Yorick wouldin about it. We¡¯ll let Xiao Zhan go!¡±

    Before Qiao Yi had a chance to speak, the call was hung up.

 Chapter 1990 - This Assassin Is Tough

    <h4>Chapter 1990: This Assassin Is Tough</h4>

    In Deer Town.

    It was a dark night, and the stars and the moon were nowhere to be seen.

    Han Xiao was eating a watermelon while squatting, and his white tiger was sleeping beside him.

    They were supposed to be facing attacks from groups and groups of assassins, yet in the end, it had be more like a vacation instead.

    She was really pleased that she got to spent a lot of sweet time with Lu Tingxiao at home.

    After Han Xiao was done with the watermelon, he threw the rind away in the bin and stared at the three on the sofa.

    Han Xiao then stood up and turned off the game console.

    ¡°Grandfather, what are you doing? I almost killed Ning Xiao Xi!¡± Tang Langined.

    Ning Xi was speechless. ¡°Dream on! Master saved you!¡±

    ¡°Go to sleep, lock your doors,¡± instructed Han Xiao.

    Tang Lang was taken aback. Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao looked at each other.

    It was the first time Han Xiao used such a tone.

    Could it be that the assassin tonight had been tough?

    ¡°Sleep then!¡±

    Tang Lang was not worried at all. He was very confident of a certain maniac, so he put on his slippers and went back to his bedroom.

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao as he gave her aforting gaze then they went upstairs together.

    Han Xiao would never say something meaningless. If he asked them to go to bed, then they would just have to cooperate.

    After Ning Xi and the bunch went to bed, Han Xiao turned off all the lights, theny down on the sofa.

    ¡­

    The night was quiet till past midnight.

    A skinny-looking man appeared inside the house like a phantom.

    The doors were all locked, so no one knew how he got inside. It was as if this skinny man had been hiding there long ago.

    ¡°Han Xiao, you were lucky thest time. Tonight, you have to die,¡± the skinny man blurted. There was no emotion in his eyes.

    He took out a dagger and went near the sofa, staring at the snoring Han Xiao.

    Some time ago, the skinny man had tried to assassinate Han Xiao in China and had almost seeded.

    No matter what, he had to kill Han Xiao.

    The man whipped out a shining dagger.

    Whoosh!

    The dagger went straight to Han Xiao¡¯s heart without any hesitation.

    At the same time, Han Xiao suddenly opened his eyes and raised his right arm.

    Pa!

    Han Xiao grabbed the skinny man¡¯s wrist.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    The skinny man was dumbfounded, unable to believe it.

    ¡°Xiao Zhan, it¡¯s reallyte right now. What business do you have with me?¡± Han Xiao stared at the skinny man and said expressionlessly.

    ¡°Impossible! How did you notice me?¡±

    Xiao Zhan could not believe it.

    ¡°Why do you think I let Yorick go back?¡± Han Xiao grinned.

    After Yorick and ¡°Doctor Death¡± left, they would surely have told the European King¡¯s force about him being in Deer Town.

    Knowing that he was in Deer Town, the European King force would then surely get Xiao Zhan to assassinate him.

    Han Xiao was well-prepared and would not make the same mistake again.

    He had been waiting to catch this man ever since he almost died thest time!

    ¡°Xiao Zhan, it¡¯s true that your assassination skills are top-notch. However, even your master will need to be respectful to me. As for you, you¡¯re naughty!¡±

    Han Xiao mustered strength in his right arm, then tossed Xiao Zhan away.

    Bang!

    A loud thud echoed through the house.

 Chapter 1991 - You Guys Are Too Cruel!

    <h4>Chapter 1991: You Guys Are Too Cruel!</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The loud bang woke the three people upstairs up. They quickly rushed out of their bedrooms and went to the living room.

    As Xiao Zhan was thrown out, he did not give up, he kicked the wall with his feet and then aimed the dagger at Han Xiao¡¯s heart again.

    In that brief moment of time, Han Xiao flicked his finger and hit Xiao Zhan¡¯s right hand.

    Xiao Zhan screamed in agony as the dagger flew somewhere far away.

    ¡°Xiao Zhan, you were naughty thest time. See if I¡¯ll still let you live today!¡± Han Xiao grinned. It was an evil grin.

    He then grabbed Xiao Zhan¡¯s neck.

    At this urgent second, Han Xiao turned over to peer at the three people on the stairs. ¡°How should I deal with him?¡±

    ¡°Grandfather, beat him to death!¡± Tang Lang yelled.

    Ning Xi blinked. ¡°Mmm, I don¡¯t see an issue with that.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao went along. ¡°Agreed.¡±

    Han Xiao was taken aback and stared at them in shock. ¡°You guys¡­ How¡¯re you guys so cruel? Talking about killing people so casually! Could you kill me one day too?¡±

    Suddenly, there was a crack.

    Xiao Zhan¡¯s neck had been crushed by Han Xiao.

    Han Xiao was shocked, he looked at the dead Xiao Zhan, and then looked back at the three people upstairs, ¡°What happene? Did you guys kill him?¡±

    Upstairs .

    Tang Lang¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Grandfather, you killed him¡­¡±

    ¡°I killed him? Are you sure?¡± asked Han Xiao.

    Tang Lang was annoyed. ¡°If I didn¡¯t see wrongly, Grandfather, you killed him¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you killed him. His neck¡¯s been crushed. It¡¯s really cruel¡­ I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be this way. Master. I was wrong about you!¡± Ning Xi said.

    ¡°It should be you who killed him,¡± Lu Tingxiao said.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I think my hand slipped. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose!¡± Han Xiao said as he looked at Xiao Zhan who was dead by now.

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at Han Xiao. She had seen a lot of shameless people, but not one of them were as shameless as Han Xiao.

    It was obvious that he wanted to take revenge for what had happened thest time, so he crushed that skinny man on purpose and acted innocent.

    Not only that, Han Xiao wanted to me them even though he killed the person.

    They were all on the stairs, how could they kill, with psychic powers?!

    ¡°I think Master Han Xiao is really shameless. What do you guys think?¡± Ning Xi smiled and looked at Tang Lang and Lu Tingxiao.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be rude, Third Junior Sister. Don¡¯t talk about my grandfather like that or I¡¯ll get angry! While he¡¯s a little shameless, shameless people are invincible¡­ My grandfather is the best. What he¡¯s saying makes sense!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Lu Tingxiao said.

    ¡°I want to eat watermelon!¡± Han Xiao ignored them and plopped down onto the sofa.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get it, Grandfather!¡±

    Tang Lang went into the living room swiftly and took out the ice cold watermelon for Han Xiao. He then dragged Xiao Zhan¡¯s body outside.

    Ning Xi went downstairs and sliced up the watermelon, then she handed it to Han Xiao with glittering eyes.

    ¡°Master, you let Yorick and the doctor leave on purpose, didn¡¯t you? You did so to lure this man out!¡± Ning Xi eximed.

    ¡°Yorick¡­¡± Han Xiao stared at Ning Xi. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    Ning Xi was speechless.

 Chapter 1992 - Have Supper Before You Go?

    <h4>Chapter 1992: Have Supper Before You Go?</h4>

    Han Xiao yawned, then he snapped his fingers loudly towards a room. The white tiger swayed out from the room and strolled to Han Xiao¡¯s side.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± Han Xiao walked out as he waved to the three of them.

    Ning Xi was suddenly stunned. ¡°Ah! Master, are you leaving?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that if no other assassin dares toe, I can leave?¡± Han Xiao said with an expression that seemed to say, ¡°Are you trying to trick me again?¡±

    Tang Lang nodded repeatedly on the side. ¡°Grandfather is right. Xiao Zhan is already the ultimate!¡±

    Even Xiao Zhan had died here. Unless someone was crazy, no one would take on the mission to throw away their lives.

    Suddenly having to part after being together for the past few days, Ning Xi felt quite sad and at a loss. ¡°It¡¯s already sote¡­ How about having supper before you go, Master?¡±

    Han Xiao did not hesitate to turn around and say, ¡°Okay!¡±

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Ning Xi¡¯s parting sorrow had instantly vanished.

    -

    Late at night.

    ¡°Darling, would your end have any problems?¡± Ning Xiid in bed, unable to sleep.

    ¡°Are you not confident in me?¡± The man¡¯s low and raspy voice rang above her head.

    Ning Xi pounced on him with a kiss. ¡°Of course I¡¯m confident!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao kissed the top of the girl¡¯s head. ¡°You focus on doing your thing well. Take care of your health.¡±

    What remained was his battle¡­

    -

    After Han Xiao left, no one other assassin came to Deer Town. Everything returned to calm as if nothing had happened.

    However, several days after that, an additional pure white tiger cub that was extremely cute had appeared in Deer Town.

    As for the outside world¡­

    When the other party knew that this move of sending assassins did not work, in a short amount of time, the entire Asian economy and underground powers started to see ups and downs. Lu Tingxiao became incredibly busy while Ning Xi¡¯s career returned to its pinnacle, back to her heydays!

    -

    ¡°YLD ¡ª turn back time, fixate on the most beautiful version of you!¡±

    On the screen of Imperial¡¯s Central za where there was the busiest human traffic, Ning Xiy in the midst of flowers akin to the Garden of Eden. Each inch of her skin that was not covered in cosmetics appeared delicate.

    The dreamy scene made all the passersby pause in their steps.

    ¡°Whoa! Ning Xi¡¯s skin is just amazing! I heard that when she shot thismercial, she didn¡¯t put on any makeup at all!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen Ning Xi up close in real life. She¡¯s definitely even more amazing than how themercials show it! The word ¡®turn back time¡¯ is really fitting!¡±

    ¡°They actually got Ning Xi to be their spokesperson. I feel like YLD is bing ssier and ssier!¡±

    ¡°Previously, I¡¯ve always used the SS brand, but when I get my sry, I¡¯ll go buy a set of YLD to try!¡±

    ¡­

    At YLD¡¯spany building.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done well this time.¡± In the video conference, the American CEO was in a jovial mood and hadplimented her.

    This time, YLD¡¯s product did not only surpass SS in the Chinese market; even America¡¯s sales had followed suit and had increased quite significantly.

    Parker reviewed thetest season¡¯s sales figure and heard his boss¡¯s praise. Naturally, he was as pleased as punch.

    After being suppressed by SS for so many years, they had finally avenged their past shame!

    At the start, when they switched Liu Xiaorou out and had chosen Ning Xi instead, the decision was wise!

    Who would have thought that Ning Xi¡¯s momentum would be so quick and strong after hereback? She had surpressed Han Zixuan to the point that they could not retaliate, instantly pulling up YLD¡¯s ss.

    To sign on an artiste in their rising phase was much more profitable than just signing on an artiste that was currently famous.

    After Parker finished his video conference meeting with the upper management, he instantly called Xu Tao to make friendly contact, at the same inviting Ning Xi to join YLD¡¯s fashion banquet.

 Chapter 1993 - Poach

    <h4>Chapter 1993: Poach</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At Starlight Entertainment.

    Wang Haojun stared at all sorts ofplicated data on theputer screen and felt a terrible headacheing on.

    Glory World Entertainment¡¯s market share was catching up to surpass Starlight¡¯s at a terrifying speed. Their stock price had been rising too while Han Zixuan and Starlight¡¯s end were already powerless in reversing the situation.

    First, she had joined the cast of ¡°The World¡±, then the event was crashed by Ning Xi. At the Night of Starlight, she had straight up in the ranks. When she finally got the opportunity of acting in a Hollywood blockbuster, yet she became a prop to Ning Xi. Even her ambassadorship for SS skincare productsmercial had been crushed by the YLD brand that Ning Xi was a spokesperson for.

    ¡°Cheng Yibin! Liu Xiaorou! What are you two doing? If I remember correctly, shouldn¡¯t YLD¡¯s spokesperson be Xiaorou? How did it be Ning Xi in the end?¡±

    There were so many concerns in thepany. He could not possibly be watching every single one of them. By the time he found out, it was already toote.

    Not only did they lose an A-list ambassadorship, but they had even let Han Zixuan be crushed once again.

    Liu Xiaorou was mad, but she did not dare to express it. She could only grit her teeth silently.

    Cheng Yibin wiped the sweat on his forehead away, his expression ttering as he said, ¡°CEO Wang, you really can¡¯t me me for this! Initially, we were already going over to sign the contract that day, but who¡¯d have thought that midway, Xu Tao would bring Ning Xi over to snatch it away from us!? I couldn¡¯t do anything either!

    ¡°Xu Tao was probably taking revenge on Xiaorou jumping ships. This is all the fault of the conflict between the two of them privately. It really has nothing to do with me at all!¡±

    Liu Xiaorou looked in disbelief at the manager beside her. She almost cried out in anger, ¡°This ambassadorship had been settled on before I joined thepany. How was it that I was fine before I joined thepany, yet I fell through once I entered!? How could this be my fault?¡±

    Cheng Yibin¡¯s expression suddenly turned dark. ¡°Xiaorou, what are you implying? Are you saying that we ruined your spokesperson gig?¡±

    These days, she had endured a lot in Starlight and had watched helplessly as Qin Shuang, who had formerly been ridiculed by her, start to steadily rise up. It was a stark difference from before. Liu Xiaorou could not stand it anymore, so she cried and yelled on the spot.

    ¡°Cheng Yibin! Don¡¯t go too far with the bullying! You know well enough how you¡¯ve been treating me ever since I joined Starlight! You don¡¯t let me fight for opportunities. You only know how to make me drink with people all day! For a crappy B-list ambassadorship, you made me sleep with an old fart!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with sleeping with them? Who in this line of work doesn¡¯t do that? Are you the only noble one? I let you sleep with him to fight for your opportunities!¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough! The two of you, shut up! Look at how you¡¯re behaving!¡±

    After he chased Cheng Yibin and Liu Xiaorou who were quarreling endlessly out, Wang Haojun¡¯s head hurt even more now.

    Now, he could only put all of his hope onto Su Yan.

    He waited until the evening when Su Yan finally arrived slowly.

    Wang Haojun quickly greeted the person at the door. ¡°CEO Su, you¡¯re here! Come in!¡±

    Su Yan nodded slightly, then he sat down on the sofa. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Wang Haojun looked troubled. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know about how thepany has been doing recently. Ning Xi¡¯seback is increasingly affecting ourpany. I¡¯ve asked you toe because I wanted to discuss if you have any solutions, CEO Su!¡±

    When Su Yan heard this, the light in his eyes sparkled. ¡°Since you can¡¯t crush her, why don¡¯t you offer a symbol of peace?¡±

    Wang Haojun was stunned when he heard his boss. ¡°CEO Su, are you saying that we should just poach her?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Su Yan asked in return.

    Wang Haojun looked troubled by this. ¡°Um, CEO Su, you¡¯re clear about Ning Xi¡¯s dispute with your wife previously. Back then, Ning Xi had been forced away by us. How could she be willing toe back to us now? Even if she was, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be hard to exin to Xueluo too¡­¡±

 Chapter 1994 - Ill Definitely Be Responsible

    <h4>Chapter 1994: I¡¯ll Definitely Be Responsible</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Xueluo. As for Ning Xi, I¡¯ll talk to her personally,¡± said Su Yan, his voice tightening in a way that was not easily discerned.

    When Wang Haojun heard him, his eyes instantly lit up. ¡°If you make that move, then that would be awesome, CEO Su! As long as Ning Xi is willing toe over, we can promise to give her all the best resources thepany has. We can even establish a standalone studio for her. Her manager cane over too!¡±

    Even though Glory World had progressed very quickly recently, they still could notpare to Starlight, plus if Su Yan personally talked to her, their odds of sess were still quite high.

    ¡­

    The next day, Xu Tao rushed into Liang Feixing¡¯s office very angrily. ¡°Wang Haojun, f*ck you!¡±

    Liang Feixing raised his brows. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had such a unique taste.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding! Bloody hell! I just got insider news that that bastard Wang Haojun is trying to poach my Ning Xi!¡±

    ¡°Ah, poach Ning Xi?¡± When Liang Feixing heard this, he revealed a rather subtle reaction.

    ¡°Bloody hell! Now, what do we do? What if¡­ What if the queen really gets poached?! Then, I don¡¯t want to live either!¡± Xu Tao looked like he would kill himself if Ning Xi left.

    Liang Feixing¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Can you calm down? Do you think Ning Xi is someone like that?¡±

    ¡°Of course she isn¡¯t! The main point is that Wang Haojun¡¯s team has too many underhanded tricks. Bloody hell, they poached so many of the seedlings that I raised one after another. I¡¯m traumatized now!¡± Xu Tao was about to fall apart.

    Liang Feixing said in a rxed tone, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, anyone can be poached, but in no way will it be Ning Xi.¡±

    ¡°How can you be so certain?¡± Xu Tao¡¯s eyes were gleaming with tears.

    This guy now viewed Ning Xi as being even more important than his own life, plus with the betrayal by so many of the artistes under him, he probably had been traumatized.

    Liang Feixing speechlessly rolled his eyes when he saw his aggrieved manner as if afraid of being abandoned again.

    Of course, he was certain about the fact that Ning Xi was not only Glory World¡¯s artiste, but she was also Glory World¡¯s Lady Boss.

    Have you ever heard of someone poaching someone else¡¯s Lady Boss?

    ¡°Whatever it is, just trust me. Rest assured and go do your thing. Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild,¡± advised Liang Feixing.

    Xu Tao still looked upset. ¡°Then, if the queen abandons me, will you be responsible?¡±

    ¡°I will, I¡¯ll be responsible! If you get abandoned, I¡¯ll definitely be responsible, ok? Get lost! I still have things to do!¡±

    Liang Feixing spoke until his mouth was about to fall off. Finally, he managed to send away the vociferous Xu Tao.

    ¡­

    At the YLD fashion banquet.

    Ning Xi was present by invitation. Mid-way, she was taking a breather in the garden when she unexpectedly bumped into Su Yan whom she had not seen for many days.

    Thest time after meeting her once at the Imperial University, Su Yan did not look for her again. This was actually within Ning Xi¡¯s prediction.

    Su Yan could not beat Ning Xueluo.

    She recently heard that Starlight had been taken over by Su Yan, which was the reason Ning Xueluo was so under the weather.

    She knew Ning Xueluo very well. There was nothing that would make her hand over her power.

    Unless¡­

    It was a cool night. Ning Xi wore a long, silver-white gown, and her jet-ck hair was twisted in a loose bun on the back of her head. She looked contented holding a ss of red wine and sitting on the swing.

    The scene before him was so beautiful that it was surreal.

    Su Yan¡¯s heart beat crazily. ¡°Xiao Xi¡­¡±

    As if worried that the person before him would avoid him once again, he quickly said, ¡°Xiao Xi, this time I¡¯m looking for you for an official matter.¡±

    ¡°An official matter?¡± Ning Xi tilted her head slightly. There was a hint of insobriety in her misty eyes. She was clearly so innocent, yet she could seduce him like an alluring spirit in the dark of the night.

 Chapter 1995 - You Only Care About Your Darling

    <h4>Chapter 1995: You Only Care About Your Darling</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Yan felt his throat run dry. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, then he said, ¡°Xiao Xi,e over to Starlight!¡±

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows when she heard Su Yan. She did not expect him to be there to recruit her.

    Su Yan¡¯s gaze was gentle. ¡°Xiao Xi, you¡¯ve been struggling on your own for so many years. Even though you¡¯re doing well now, no matter how much Glory World prioritizes you, it¡¯s still a mary rtionship between you and them. If you¡¯re in Starlight, at least, I can take care of you.

    ¡°Or if you¡¯re tired, you can always take a break and you won¡¯t need to push yourself¡­¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Ning XIughed. ¡°CEO Su, do you mean that you want me to be your mistress?¡±

    Su Yan¡¯s expression changed and he quickly replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that, Xiao Xi! I just want to take care of you!¡±

    ¡°CEO Su, please take care of your wife and son. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    Su Yan¡¯s face turned pale when he heard Ning Xi. ¡°You know about it¡­¡±

    Su Yan looked at the girl in front of him and tried to exin. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie to you, Xiao Xi. I went back and already had thewyers draft the divorce papers. I asked Xueluo out to talk to her, but that night, Xueluo suddenly fainted and was admitted into the hospital. Then, the results came out. She¡¯s pregnant¡­

    ¡°I really couldn¡¯t bring myself to tell her under those circumstances. I know I let you down again, Xiao Xi. Wait for me. Give me more time, okay?¡±

    Su Yan then gazed at the girl nervously, but she closed her eyes as she rested her head on the rope of the swing. She seemed to be asleep.

    This scene¡­

    As if Su Yan was under a spell, he walked over to the girl uncontrobly.

    Just moments before his hand touched the girl, someone suddenly dashed out and blocked Su Yan¡¯s hand as he stood in front of Ning Xi.

    Jiang Muye¡¯s eyes were icy cold. ¡°CEO Su, as someone else¡¯s husband, I¡¯m afraid this isn¡¯t appropriate.¡±

    The word ¡°husband¡± made Su Yan seem unwell. ¡°Xiao Xi is drunk. Please ask her assistant toe over to take care of her.¡±

    Jiang Muye scoffed, ¡°It¡¯s none of your damned business!¡±

    He then stared at Ning Xi who was sleeping peacefully at the moment, then he helped her get up.

    Stupid girl! Please be more aware of your surroundings!

    Ning Xi opened her eyes. ¡°Blondie¡­¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to control your drinking?! Why did you drink so much?!¡± Jiang Muye roared at her.

    Ning Xi pinched the space between her eyes. ¡°I only drank a ss¡­¡±

    After waking up from hera, her body had mostly recovered, but of course, there were some residual effects. She found out that her tolerance to liquor had be much lower.

    Jiang Muye quickly left the little garden with her angrily. ¡°That Su bastard almost had you just now, do you know?¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you should thank me! You must have done something really good in your past life to have me as your ex-boyfriend! I¡¯m going to be so pissed off with you if youpare me to that trash again!¡±

    ¡°Of course not! You¡¯re my nephew!¡±

    ¡°Say it again, who am I? Do you think I won¡¯t just leave you here?¡±

    ¡°Bro! Bro¡­ About what happened today, please don¡¯t tell my darling¡­¡±

    ¡°You only care about your darling!¡±

 Chapter 1996 - Youâ€™ll Never Abandon Me, Will You?

    <h4>Chapter 1996: You¡¯ll Never Abandon Me, Will You?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xi noticed that something had not been right with Xu Tao recently.

    He lingered around by her side and made a lot of little gestures such as greeting her more frequently and serving her drinks more often.

    While Xu Tao had been sweet to her before, it was especially obvious these few days. He also had several moments where he looked like he was about to say something but stopped himself.

    Ning Xi could not help but ask him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Bro Tao? Be straightforward with me!¡±

    It took Xu Tao some time before he mumbled, ¡°My queen, you¡¯ll never abandon me, will you?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ning Xi was confused.

    ¡°It¡¯s all because of that bastard, Wang Haojun! He¡¯s trying to get something he¡¯s unworthy of. He wants you to go over to Starlight!¡± Xu Tao raged.

    Ning Xiughed. ¡°Well, you already said that he¡¯s unworthy, so why would I go to him?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m insecure¡­¡±

    Suddenly, Liang Feixing came in and dragged Xu Tao aside. ¡°Why are you doing acting like a child? I¡¯ve got goosebumps! Didn¡¯t I ask you to not bother Ning Xi? Get to work!¡±

    He then turned to Ning Xi. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, Ning Xi. He¡¯s on his period and is having some emotional distress.¡±

    Ning Xi was helpless. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Bro Tao. Su Yan did look for mest night, but I¡¯ve rejected him.¡±

    ¡°Damn! That shameless bastard! He even used Su Yan!¡± Xu Tao scowled in frustration.

    However, Xu Tao was finally able to be at ease after he heard that his queen had rejected the offer, so he went back to work happily. ¡°Then, my queen, I¡¯ll head over to fetch you to the Imperial TV Station Annual anniversary!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure when the event in the evening will end. My program is near the end anyway. Bro Tao, you should go over with Qin Shuang first. I¡¯ll go over there myself after the event,¡± said Ning Xi.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Xu Tao answered, totally revived.

    The goddess was just so kind and considerate!

    ¡­

    At night, Xu Tao brought Qin Shuang backstage.

    They went into their designated dressing rooms.

    They soon realized that someone was already inside. Xu Tao then noticed that he had gone into the wrong room.

    Inside the room were Yin Youyou and her manager, two assistants, a makeup artist, two bodyguards, and practically a vige was helping Yin Youyou with her makeup.

    Ever since she had gone to Starlight, Yin Youyou was really focused on her image as if she was afraid people did not know how well she was doing after she switchedpanies.

    A sharp-chinned assistant of Yin Youyou¡¯s saw someonee into the room. She yelled angrily at Xu Tao and Qin Shuang, ¡°Who allowed the two of you toe in? This is Youyou¡¯s exclusive dressing room!¡±

    Xu Tao was about to leave with Qin Shuang when he noticed he had entered the wrong room. However, having met an old enemy, he snorted at the sharp-chinned assistant. ¡°Huh, exclusive dressing room? Is your name on there?¡±

    The assistant looked at Xu Tao with a mocking attitude. ¡°Xu Tao, you were a top manager back then. Although you almost became homeless, you shouldn¡¯t really act like a hobo, should you?¡±

    This assistant was the one who had pped Xu Tao and humiliated him in public. Consequently, Xu Tao became the joke of the industry after this incident was published in the papers.

    A former top manager had been pped by a minor assistant in public¡­

 Chapter 1997 - Small-Time Extra

    <h4>Chapter 1997: Small-Time Extra</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Afterward, it was exactly because of this that she was regarded highly by Yin Youyou who was satisfied with her performance.

    With such a great opportunity, the assistant would never let it slip away.

    ¡°Haha, the one who¡¯s really homeless is someone else, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xu Tao nced over at Yin Youyou.

    Yin Youyou¡¯s back suddenly straightened and her expression changed as well.

    Xu Tao was mocking her!

    A year ago, when she was at her absolute worst, she really had slept on the streets. Xu Tao had found her and cultivated her to be a big star in Glory World.

    The assistant had heard about Yin Youyou¡¯s past before and she knew Yin Youyou must be really upset. She went up to the two of them. ¡°I¡¯ve already said this is Yin Youyou¡¯s exclusive dressing room. Do you dogs not know how to listen to the humannguage?¡±

    At this moment, some staff of the TV Station came over when they heard the fuss.

    ¡°May I know what¡¯s happening?¡±

    A bearded middle-aged man and a young woman entered.

    The sharp-chinned assistant quicklyined, ¡°Director Chen, well, you know this is Youyou¡¯s exclusive dressing room. Every time Youyoues, she always uses this. The other rooms are too small! But these two people insisted on staying here unreasonably and want to take Youyou¡¯s dressing room!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± The director looked at Yin Youyou who was doing her makeup, then nced at Qin Shuang and Xu Tao.

    The industry would usually pick on the weaker ones, and Yin Youyou was infamous for being a bully.

    On the other hand, there was Qin Shuang. While she became popr overnight, she was not at a level that could bepared to Yin Youyou.

    It was really unnecessary to offend Yin Youyou because of Qin Shuang.

    After a short moment of consideration, the director already had his answer. He turned to Xu Tao and Qin Shuang. ¡°This dressing room is Ms. Yin¡¯s exclusive dressing room. Why don¡¯t the two of you follow me somewhere else?¡±

    The assistant looked really cheeky when she heard that the director was on her side. ¡°Did you hear that?¡±

    Qin Shuang did not want to give Xu Tao any trouble, so she whispered to him, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Bro Tao. Let¡¯s go somewhere else!¡±

    Xu Tao did not say anything, his expression seemed eerie instead.

    The assistant became impatient when the two of them did not move. ¡°Youyou¡¯s program is starting soon. Are you going to be responsible if it¡¯s dyed?¡±

    It was not really a big deal, but this assistant just wanted to make them look bad.

    Director Chen nced at the time. Because he was rushing, he used a harsher tone. ¡°Please leave and don¡¯t bother the other artistes who¡¯re going on stage.¡±

    The assistant gave a signal to the two bodyguards, then she taunted with her shrill voice, ¡°Get lost! Just how shameless are you to take our dressing room, bringing a small-time extra with you?!¡±

    As she spoke, the two bodyguards were on their way to chase them out.

    At the same time, there was a voice behind Xu Tao and Qin Shuang. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m a small-time extra?¡±

 Chapter 1998 - Ning Xiâ€™s Exclusive

    <h4>Chapter 1998: Ning Xi¡¯s Exclusive</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When the familiar voice rang out, not only did the bodyguards froze in their movements, the assistants, Yin Youyou, Director Chen, and the other staff all looked towards the entrance.

    They then saw Ning Xi in an evening gown. She seemed to have juste over from an event.

    The arrogant sharp-chinned assistant had fear flitting across her face. ¡°I meant Qin Shuang, not you, Ms. Ning!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ning Xi did not look at the assistant, but nced at Qin Shuang and asked.

    Qin Shuang exined, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Bro Xi. We just went into the wrong room, so they want us to leave.¡±

    The assistant felt righteous and interrupted. ¡°Went into the wrong room? The two of them are here to take the dressing room by force! Why don¡¯t you look in the mirror and see how you look like?! You¡¯ve just been popr for several days and you¡¯ve already forgotten your ce!¡±

    Ning Xi did not have any expression when she heard the assistant. Instead, she walked slowly towards Yin Youyou¡¯s direction.

    Yin Youyou unconsciously stood up as Ning Xi appeared.

    Ning Xi stretched her hand, then she dragged the chair behind Yin Youyou out and sat down, her long legs crossed beneath the high-slit skirt. She put her arms on the back of the chair and tilted her head as she scanned everyone in the room. She said slowly, ¡°I want this dressing room.¡±

    Yin Youyou¡¯s expression darkened and she stared at Ning Xi coldly.

    The assistant was anxious. ¡°But, Ms. Ning, this is Youyou¡¯s dressing room!¡±

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrow. ¡°Oh? Her dressing room? Is her name on it?¡±

    The assistant did not expect Ning Xi to say the same thing as Xu Tao, and she looked troubled.

    She could scold Xu Tao however much she liked, but she dared not use the same attitude towards Ning Xi. In defense, she took on the victim¡¯s role. ¡°This is really Youyou¡¯s dressing room. You can ask Director Chen if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll do that.¡± Ning Xi then turned towards Director Chen and asked, ¡°Director Chen, I¡¯d like to know¡­ whose dressing room is this?¡±

    Director Chen wiped the sweat off his forehead. After a short silence, he replied, ¡°This¡­ This, of course, is Ms. Ning Xi¡¯s exclusive dressing room. It¡¯s yours!¡±

    He then signaled the female assistant beside her.

    ¡°What?¡±

    The assistant could not believe it. Just as she was about to retort something, she noticed that the female assistant beside Director Chen had gone out.

    She came back soon, and she had a white card with her.

    Several big words were written on it: Ning Xi¡¯s Exclusive Dressing Room!

    ¡°Did you see that?¡± Ning Xi¡¯s expression did not change at all except for her eyes that were turning colder and colder.

    ¡°You¡­ you guys¡­¡± The assistant looked at this scene in front of her and the director¡¯s attitude. Apparently, she was frustrated.

    Yin Youyou was so angry that her body started trembling. She almost died on the spot out of fury.

 Chapter 1999 - Payback

    <h4>Chapter 1999: Payback</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    That was not all. Director Chen turned to Yin Youyou¡¯s team and said, ¡°Ms. Yin, I think you guys have made a mistake. Please change to another dressing room now!¡±

    What!? A mistake!?

    Had it now be their mistake?

    They had been here much earlier!

    Youyou had been using the dressing room here!

    However, it was obvious that Director Chen did not want to offend Ning Xi and was doing it on purpose.

    ¡°Please!¡± Director Chen urged them.

    The assistant did not dare say anything else. She might still be able to run her mouth if Ning Xi had not meddled. However, it was apparent Ning Xi wanted to help Qin Shuang. What could she say as just a mere assistant?

    Yin Youyou had never been humiliated to this extent before. Her nails dug deep into her palms and she almost lost herposure then and there.

    She used up all her self-control to calm down. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Yin Youyou¡¯s group quickly packed up their things inside the room.

    As they went to the entrance and passed by Xu Tao and Qin Shuang, the sharp-chinned assistant was still frustrated. She growled in a mean tone, ¡°Do you think you¡¯ve won? You guys are just using Ning Xi!¡±

    The assistant was not being soft, so of course, Ning Xi heard it. Ning Xi¡¯s expression turned cold as Xu Tao and Qin Shuang¡¯s faces soured.

    Suddenly, Ning Xi stood up and went towards Qin Shuang and Xu Tao. ¡°Bro Tao, Shuang Shuang, follow me to the dressing room upstairs.¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s dressing room had originally been arranged to be upstairs.

    Yin Youyou¡¯s dressing room was impressive, but the most extravagant room that was made for people of high international standards was the one upstairs.

    Qin Shuang nodded obediently.

    Yin Youyou¡¯s expression turned even worse when she heard that they were going upstairs.

    At this moment, a TV station staff came over panting, ¡°Ms. Yin, your programme is about to start! Please get into position!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± The assistant¡¯s expression changed. ¡°But Youyou¡¯s makeup is just halfway done!¡±

    The assistant was scatter-brained as she panicked. ¡°Since Ms. Ning Xi is going to another dressing room and isn¡¯t using this room, then let us use it!¡±

    She then rushed in.

    Ning Xi grinned, then she nced at the card that said ¡°Ning Xi¡¯s Exclusive Dressing Room¡±.

    ¡°Did I allow you to use the room?¡±

    Not only did she want it, even if she was not using it, she would not allow them to.

    Director Chen was skilled at observing others, so of course, he noticed Ning Xi¡¯s intentions. He then said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. This is Ms. Ning¡¯s exclusive dressing room. No one can enter without her permission. Please go somewhere else. The public dressing area is just opposite here.¡±

    ¡°What!? You want Youyou to go there!? And why can¡¯t we use it even when it¡¯s empty?¡± The assistant could not believe it.

    Director Chen said emotionlessly, ¡°We reserved this room for Ms. Ning. It was your mistake from the start. We can¡¯t do anything about it. If you guys can¡¯t make it, then I¡¯ll get the other programs to go on.¡±

    What a bully!

    The assistant was frustrated.

    However, they could not do anything about it. If they dyed any further, their program would be scrapped.

    In the end, Yin Youyou¡¯s team went into the public dressing area and finished the rest of the makeup under the odd gazes of the other artistes.

 Chapter 2000 - Not The Same Level

    <h4>Chapter 2000: Not The Same Level</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yin Youyou was not herself as she rushed on-stage with unstable emotions. Her singing went horribly, and she could not reach several of the high-pitched notes.

    Yin Youyou went back stage with a darkened expression. Just then, she heard people gossiping.

    ¡°Gosh! Who gave Yin Youyou the courage to pick up singing?¡±

    ¡°Haha, there are so many news about artistes faking their singing recently. At least, she proved that she isn¡¯t faking it!¡±

    ¡°Huh? You can do that too?¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not the main point, alright? Do you know what situation Yin Youyou is in now? Why did she use the public dressing area with us just now? Doesn¡¯t she have her own exclusive dressing room?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I know! I heard that Xu Tao and Qin Shuang went to the wrong room. Yin Youyou picked on them and used them of trying to take the dressing room by force. She even had people chase them out!¡±

    ¡°And then, and then? How did it be Yin Youyou getting chased out instead?¡±

    The female artiste who imed to know all about it then continued, ¡°Then, Goddess Ning Xi arrived! What happened afterwards? You don¡¯t need me to spell it out, do you?¡±

    ¡°Ning Xi is really sweet. I heard she¡¯s very protective of artistes from the samepany as her! Aside from Qin Shuang, I heard there are several others as well!¡±

    ¡°Yin Youyou always acts arrogantly just because she¡¯s slightly more popr. It¡¯s karma! She always bullies the weak. She should go and fight Ning Xi then!

    ¡­

    Yin Youyou was frustrated when she heard them. ¡°Are you guys done?¡±

    They were all shocked and quickly acted being busy as if nothing had happened. They were afraid of this emerging typhoon.

    The group convened together again after Yin Youyou stormed off angrily.

    ¡°What do you think Yin Youyou will do? People who¡¯ve offended Yin Youyou before faced tragic consequences!¡± Someone asked.

    ¡°Are you kidding? It¡¯s Ning Xi! Ning Xi is on a whole different level than Yin Youyou! Look at how the TV station treats her!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that there¡¯s Han Zixuan above Yin Youyou too! Aren¡¯t they good friends? Even though Han Zixuan is usually selfish and self-centered, she takes special care of Yin Youyou!¡±

    Someone rolled their eyes. ¡°Han Zixuan¡¯s being suppressed herself. She can¡¯t even hold up for her own!¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s a little too early to make a conclusion. Given Glory World¡¯s capability and Han Zixuan¡¯s poprity, I think there¡¯s still a chance!¡±

    ¡­

    At night, at a luxury superclub.

    Han Zixuan and Ning Xueluo were sitting opposite each other at a table beside a small pond.

    Han Zixuan looked frustrated and helpless. Han Zixuan asked her the most important question, ¡°Vice President Ning, you¡¯ve been taking care of me and helping me out, but ever since you left, I really feel like I can¡¯t stay in thepany anymore. When are youing back?¡±

    Ever since Su Yan had taken over thepany, she was being suppressed more and more. She could not just sit around and do nothing, which was why she had asked to meet Ning Xueluo tonight.

    Opposite her, Ning Xueluo listened to her pleas and shrugged helplessly. She sounded like she was having some unspeakable issues. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Zixuan, I don¡¯t have any power now. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help you¡­¡±

    Han Zixuan¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Vice President Ning, I don¡¯t understand. Why did you suddenly leave thepany?¡±

 Chapter 2001 - I Canâ€™t Protect Myself

    <h4>Chapter 2001: I Can¡¯t Protect Myself</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    An evil intention passed right through Ning Xueluo¡¯s eyes, yet her face looked innocent as ever. She pasted a bitter smile on her face and shook her head.

    ¡°Why would I leave if I could make the decision? I¡¯ve been in Starlight for so long that it has be my second home. You¡¯re just like my sister. I wanted to stay in thepany too, but¡­¡±

    Halfway through her sentence, Ning Xueluo suddenly sighed, the wry smile on her face worsening by the second.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. The fact is that I¡¯ve left. Nothing else I say will change the situation, but now, because of me, you¡¯re affected.¡±

    Ning Xueluo stopped and looked at Han Zixuan oddly as if she had just said something she should not have.

    Han Zixuan was not stupid. It was obvious that Ning Xueluo had something else to say and that it was rted to her. She would never let this go, so she quickly held Ning Xueluo¡¯s hand tenderly. ¡°Vice CEO Ning, what happened? You¡¯re the one who brought me up. Can¡¯t you trust me?¡±

    Ning Xueluo shook her head. ¡°Zixuan, you¡¯re like my sister. There¡¯s no way I don¡¯t trust you. It¡¯s just that the times have changed. In the past, I could protect you no matter what happened, but now¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to tell you because I don¡¯t want to involve you. After all, I can¡¯t even protect myself now.¡±

    What?!

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s words shocked Han Zixuan. Ning Xueluo was now the daughter-inw of the Su family. With her position, who could pose a threat to her?

    Unconsciously, Ning Xi¡¯s face shed through in Han Zixuan¡¯s mind. Was Ning Xi the reason for Ning Xueluo¡¯s retirement? Could it be¡­

    Han Zixuan looked at Ning Xueluo in doubt. She hesitated for a while, then asked, ¡°Is it Ning Xi?¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s shoulders trembled when Han Zixuan mentioned the name Ning Xi. She lowered her head and put on an expression as if she had suffered a lot and was just surviving it.

    Ning Xi again?!

    Han Zixuan was determined that it was rted to Ning Xi based on Ning Xueluo¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°That witch messed with you? You were the top star back in the days. If it weren¡¯t for her, you¡¯d never have to quit. You¡¯re already out of the industry and she¡¯s still pestering you?! Just how shameless is she?!¡± Han Zixuan responded angrily. She was not exactly sympathizing with Ning Xueluo; it just so happen that theirmon enemy was Ning Xi.

    Her anger was real.

    Ning Xueluo observed Han Zixuan¡¯s reactions. Obviously, she knew what Han Zixuan was thinking about, but she did not show it. She looked up with a bitter smile and peered at Han ZIxuan with her helpless and lonely eyes as she patted her t stomach with her hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s not her fault. It¡¯s my own problem. I got pregnant some time ago. Su Yan is worried that I might be too tired, which is why he wanted me to leave Starlight and focus on the baby.¡±

    Ning Xueluo hesitated with a lonely and forlorn vibe lying in her tone.

    ¡°You¡¯re pregnant?¡± Han Zixuan¡¯s eyes flew wide open. She quickly changed to a joyful tone. ¡°Congrattions, Vice CEO Ning is really blessed! CEO Su loves you so much and you¡¯re having his baby now. CEO Su must be treasuring you even more from now on. I¡¯m envious!¡±

 Chapter 2002 - Youâ€™ll Not Survive

    <h4>Chapter 2002: You¡¯ll Not Survive</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xueluo was shaken up inside, yet she still put up a gentle front. ¡°This child came upon us quite suddenly. I¡¯m overjoyed about it, but Su Yan said he¡¯s been pretty busy with Starlighttely and rarelyes back home¡­¡±

    Busy?

    Han Zixuan was a little taken aback.

    Because of Ning Xi¡¯s return, Starlight¡¯s artistes had been a little pressured recently, butpared to their peak period, there was nothing big going on. As thergest shareholder of Starlight, Su Yan did not need to involve himself with the small stuff, so just how busy was he to ignore his pregnant wife?

    Actually, the only action Su Yan took in thepany was¡­

    Han Zixuan came up with a shocking hypothesis in her mind. She tried to act calm and asked, ¡°Vice CEO Ning, did you know that CEO Su wanted Ning Xi toe to Starlight?¡±

    Jealousy shed in Ning Xueluo¡¯s eyes, but she put up an innocuous act and looked shocked. Her eyes widened and she looked at Han Zixuan in disbelief.

    ¡°What? He¡­ He wanted Ning Xi toe to Starlight?¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s reaction astounded Han Zixuan.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you know? I felt that it was odd. Why would CEO Su want Ning Xi toe back? She was chased out back then. Now that we recruit her back, isn¡¯t it telling everyone one that we don¡¯t have anyone talented in Starlight?¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression worsened and she looked down.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t she let Su Yan go?¡±

    ¡°Vice CEO Ning! Ning Xi, she¡­ She¡­ She and CEO Su¡­¡± Han Zixuan was floored once again.

    Ning Xueluo realized she had said too much. She covered her mouth and looked at Han Zixuan. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s nothing. She just knew Su Yan a long time ago. While Ning Xi loved Su Yan, it was a very long time ago. They are unrted now¡­ There¡¯s nothing between them now¡­¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s voice was bing smaller and smaller. The helplessness in her tone could make a person weep.

    Han Zixuan never expected the truth to be like this!

    Ning Xi and Su Yan had known each other from before?

    And Ning Xi was fond of Su Yan?

    This series of news was shocking for Han Zixuan. She remembered Su Yan¡¯s repeated attempts to invite Ning Xi over as she linked it to Ning Xueluo¡¯s pregnancy and Su Yan¡¯s excuse of not going back home¡­

    ¡°Ning Xi is too much! You¡¯re pregnant now! And she¡¯s seducing CEO Su! Is she even human? Not only did she force you to retire, now she wants to break you and CEO Su apart!¡± Han Zixuan seemed mad, but she was happy on the inside.

    I thought you¡¯re something Ning Xi, yet you are just a shameless witch!

    Han Zixuan took a nce at the gap in the sofa. The dim reflection passed through her eyes under the light. It was a camera that she had prepared beforehand. She wanted to dig some dirt from Ning Xueluo, and¡­ she now had something unexpectedly big.

    Ning Xueluo looked like she was on the verge of crying. She bit her lip and shook her head at Han Zixuan.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. Su Yan¡­ He won¡¯t treat me like that. He¡¯s really busy, not¡­ not because of Ning Xi¡­¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s voice started to waver, her expression telling everyone that she had been suffering from all these emotions all along.

    Han Zixuanforted Ning Xueluo as she plotted an evil n.

    Ning Xi, I don¡¯t believe that you will survive this time!

    As for Ning Xueluo who was beingforted, she hid her wicked expression as she lowered her head.

 Chapter 2003 - Who Did I Seduce Again

    <h4>Chapter 2003: Who Did I Seduce Again</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Han Zixuan sent Ning Xueluo out of the club afterforting her, then she returned and took out the hidden camera. She yed the video under the dim light.

    With Ning Xueluo¡¯s sobbing in the video, the wickedness in Han Zixuan¡¯s eyes burned.

    ¡°Ning Xi, I¡¯m going to see that if you can turn this around!¡±

    ¡­

    The next morning.

    A phone call disturbed the morning peace. Ning Xi finally picked up the phone when she saw the name Xu Tao on the screen. She popped her head out of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arms and picked up the phone in one hand. ¡°Bro Tao, what¡¯s up this early in the morning?¡±

    Before Ning Xi could finish her sentence, the other side of the phone went berserk.

    ¡°My queen! Go take a look on Weibo! Things are chaotic!¡±

    Weibo?

    Ning Xi was confused by Xu Tao¡¯s roaring, but she went to herputer with the phone still on the call. She then logged onto her Weibo.

    The moment she logged in, a massive amount of notifications bombarded theputer.

    On the hot topic lists in Weibo, ¡°Ning Xi Seduces Someone Else¡¯s Husband¡± topped the list.

    ¡°Who did I seduce again?!¡±

    Ning Xi stared at those words. Rumors like these had never stopped ever since she entered the industry.

    Ning Xi thought it was the same situation as before and just something small, but Xu Tao was really nervous.

    ¡°Ning Xi! It¡¯s really bad this time. Go and take a look. The video is up online. Liang Feixing and I have been trying to suppress it, but it¡¯s not effective. Obviously, someone is pulling the strings behind this!

    ¡°The topic has be more and more popr. We can¡¯t hide it anymore. Look at the video ande over to thepany. We have to discuss how to deal with it!¡±

    Xu Tao¡¯s long-winded orders were really quick. Things were really bad.

    There was even a video?

    What video?

    Ning Xi frowned as she followed Xu Tao¡¯s advice and clicked on a status on the top. The video was in the link.

    Ning Xi opened the video and she frowned harder.

    The video clearly showed the faces of Han Zixuan and Ning Xueluo. The two of them were in some club. At first, everything seemed normal, but things took an odd turn after that.

    When Han Zixuan mentioned the name ¡°Ning Xi¡±, Ning Xueluo¡¯s tone changed. Everything she said sounded sad and lonely. She had even mentioned the past between Ning Xi and Su Yan ambiguously.

    This status had a very impactful title:

    ¡°Renowned actress Ning Xi is so shameless that she seduced someone¡¯s husband. She doesn¡¯t care about the wife being pregnant and even caused the husband to neglect the pregnant wife. Now, thedy is in such a stressful situation. How shameless!¡±

    While the status did not mention the names of the couple, it was not difficult to spot that the crying woman in the video was the retired Ning Xueluo!

    Weibo totally went crazy.

    Thements under this status went past hundreds of thousands in just one night!

 Chapter 2004 - Trash Man Cheap Woman

    <h4>Chapter 2004: Trash Man Cheap Woman</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    [I really didn¡¯t think that Ning Xi would be such a slut. Ning Xueluo has already quit her career for a long time, and she¡¯s still not letting her off!]

    [Back then, didn¡¯t Ning Xueluo quit because Ning Xi used lowly tricks to force her out? Now that I think about it, Ning Xueluo has really endured quite a lot. She hasn¡¯t done anything outrageously harmful, and being carried home wrongly from the hospital isn¡¯t her fault. In the end, a certain someone keeps arguing about this point to death, forcing her until she can¡¯t even stay on in the entertainment industry. Now that I think about it, their social circle is really scary!]

    [Look at Ning Xi¡¯s vixen face. just one look and it¡¯s obvious she¡¯s up to no good. Doesn¡¯t she have a lot of scandals? Now, she¡¯s even more shameless. She¡¯s even seducing Ning Xueluo¡¯s husband! I feel bad that Ning Xueluo was persecuted to the point of forfeiting her past sesses. Now, she just wants to be a good wife and be distant from worldly affairs, yet even that¡¯s hard to do. She already has to suffer nine months of pregnancy, and now even her husband¡¯s being seduced!]

    [Not long before, weren¡¯t there rumors that Starlight wants to poach Ning Xi? If I remember correctly, Su Yan¡¯s shares were already transferred to Ning Xueluo. Ning Xueluo ispany¡¯s Vice CEO, but not long before Ning Xueluo was suddenly pushed out of thepany for no reason and Su Yan took over. Now, Su Yan had taken over, yet he wanted to poach Ning Xi. Tsk tsk, it¡¯s really scary when you think about it!]

    [Trash man and cheap woman!]

    ¡­

    Rows and rows of name calling covered the entirements section at the speed of light.

    Under the popr keyword searches, all sorts of hurled abuse and scoops emerged.

    Ning Xi¡¯s fans exploded too. There was no way that they would believe that Ning Xi would do such a thing. When they saw the hurled abuses online, the true fans that supported Bro Xi immediately rolled their sleeves up and entered the battleground to tear things apart.

    It was just one morning, and the entire Weibo had been turned into a battlefield by name callers and true fans. Despite the true fans¡¯ intense fighting of pitting one against ten, they still could not block the hoards of astroturfers and masses who were unaware of the truth that kept bombarding them like mad.

    The hashtag ¡®#GetLostFromEntertainmentNingXi¡¯ had, in a sh, risen to number two on the rank of trending topics!

    Ning Xi looked at the rows of name calling and true fans protecting her on her screen. Her expression was suddenly¡­ a little bemused.

    Her and Su Yan?!

    Lu Tingxiao had walked up to Ning Xi from behind. His profound eyes skimmed across the swear words on theputer that were an eyesore. He raised his hand and was ready to shut theptop.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pollute your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Darling, did I wake you up?¡± Ning Xi immediately reached out to hold the screen. She first caressed Lu Tingxiao¡¯s neck and asked for a good morning kiss without saying anything, then she indifferently smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve seen all sorts of storms. This is child¡¯s y.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything, yet he kept his hand on theptop.

    Ning Xi leaned back slightly and leaned against Lu Tingxiao¡¯s long legs. She raised her hand and pointed at thement thread that survived in the gaps among the hurled abuses.

    [Nonsense! Would our Bro Xi fancy Su Yan, that soft egg? Does he think that he¡¯s invisible just because he has some stupid money? He really thinks that he¡¯s a rich man and loved by all!]

    [Ning Xueluo acted so horribly. No wonder back then, she couldn¡¯t continue in the movie and television industry. What else does a woman upying someone else¡¯s ce know apart from some crocodile tears to get sympathy? Just say if you¡¯re jealous of my Bro Xi. She¡¯s really going all out by using her husband to defame someone else!]

    ¡°Look, these are my true fans. This fighting strength, this sharpness¡­ Tsk tsk, they¡¯re tough!¡± Not only was Ning Xi not angry because of the hot topic, she was unexpectedly contented and started admiring her fans¡¯ fighting spirit in tearing the idiots apart.

 Chapter 2005 - Scandals Hero and Heroine

    <h4>Chapter 2005: Scandal¡¯s Hero and Heroine</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    [Ning Xi¡¯s idiotic fans, are you guys deaf? The wife has already said herself that back then, Ning Xi had been adoring and lusting after Su Yan. She¡¯s been conspiring to go after Su Yan! If these two people don¡¯t have any secrets between them, why would Su Yan suddenly push his wife out of thepany? In fact, the first thing he does after taking over is to poach Ning Xi.]

    [Who¡¯s the one deaf here!? I think some people aren¡¯t just blind. In fact, they¡¯re brainless! Ning Xueluo already said herself that it¡¯s because she¡¯s pregnant. So, to let her rest at ease, Su Yan let her step down from Starlight!

    The poaching thing was only brought up by Han Zixuan herself. How do we know that Han Zixuan wasn¡¯t intentionally inciting things and wanting to get Ning Xueluo to help her go against Ning Xi?

    Our Bro Xi is clearly staying in Glory World perfectly all right. Her work recently has beening in non-stop!]

    [Han Zixuan¡¯s been crushed by our Bro Xi so tragically. Clearly, she can¡¯t win, so she just started to hinder her behind her back! Otherwise, why would she meet up with Ning Xueluo and even specially record that in secret? Obviously, she was prepared from the start! How can you trust the words of someone like this?]

    [Our Bro Xi has been ndered since she made her debut. She¡¯s seen too much of such lowly tricks!]

    ¡­

    A certain high-end vi in Imperial.

    When Han Zixuan saw thosements online questioning the matter, hostility and ridicule filled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s already gone to this extent, yet they¡¯re still trying to justify it!¡±

    On the side, Zheng Anru said delightedly, ¡°This time, they¡¯re toast! Ning Xi definitely doesn¡¯t know that we have even more shocking revtions with us! Zixuan, let¡¯s post the things right now! When the evidence is posted, we¡¯ll see what else they have to say!¡±

    Han Zixuan grinned as she happily painted her nails and said unhurriedly, ¡°What are you rushing for? Let them jump around for a little while more. The more they¡¯re defending Ning Xi now, the more disappointed they¡¯ll be when they find out the truth.¡±

    This time, their luck was just amazing. Not only did they get such a huge handle on Ning Xi from Ning Xueluo, they had even caught a video that would consign Ning Xi to eternal damnation.

    Zheng Anru immediately nodded excitedly. ¡°Right! When that happens, all of the fans will turn ugly! When I think about the way she¡¯ll be berated by her own fans, it feels so good, it¡¯s almost orgasmic!¡±

    ¡­

    That night, the two parties¡¯ fight reached a climax.

    The other parties¡¯ astroturfers were everywhere. Even though Ning Xi¡¯s fans were not as many as the astroturfers, but they had a strong fighting spirit. When it reached nightfall, they had even faintly suppressed quite a number of the opposition.

    It was at this moment when Han Zixuan posted another Weibo.

    [Initially, I really couldn¡¯t watch how a certain someone was behaving so shamelessly. I didn¡¯t want innocent people to be hurt, but I didn¡¯t think that it would raise so many malicious assumptions! Even a passerby wouldn¡¯t be able to stand a certain someone¡¯s disgusting manners. I¡¯ve just received an anonymous email about the truth. May everyone make their own judgement!]

    This Weibo was attached with a few more photos.

    The photo clearly showed the address as a certain luxurious hotel in Imperial. Not too far away, one could vaguely see YLD¡¯s logo. The banquet hall was filled with elegant clothes and gorgeous hair with wine goblets and gambling chips intertwined. It seemed to be YLD¡¯s fashion banquet.

    In the garden behind the banquet hall, on the swing sat a woman, and beside her was a man.

    Even though it was at night and the lights were dim, from this angle of the photo, one could clearly see the two people¡¯s faces.

    These two were, to everyone¡¯s bewilderment, the scandal¡¯s hero and heroine, Ning Xi and Su Yan!

 Chapter 2006 - Clean Up

    <h4>Chapter 2006:Clean Up</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Once these photos were released, the Inte instantly set off into torrential waves. Everyone was shocked.

    Ning Xueluo and Han Zixuan¡¯s fans were instantly like hungry wolves that had been starved for days as they pounced over the pictures with bloodlust-filled eyes.

    [F*ck! What an adulterous couple! Ning Xi¡¯s moronic fans, what do you have to say now!? This is cold hard evidence! Who else dares to say that our Zixuan is starting rumors and creating trouble?]

    [Seducing a married man, bewitching him to take back all of the authority the wife has, poaching her over, and leaving a pregnant woman all alone at homete at night while the two of them hide alone in the little garden to secretly meet up and whisper sweet nothings! How shameless!]

    [Zixuan was just fighting for her friend¡¯s justice, and she got attacked by Ning Xi¡¯s stupid fans! Thankfully, justice will always be served!]

    [Initially, I still thought that Zheng Anru¡¯s words had gone a little overboard, but now that I think about it, she really said it too lightly. Topare someone like this to our Zixuan is really an insult to Zixuan!]

    [Isn¡¯t she just someone who climbed up thedder with her looks and body? She hid it too well before and deceived everyone! Now, the truth is finally out!]

    [Ning Xi¡¯s brainless fans, why aren¡¯t you guys saying anything anymore? Come out and justify, won¡¯t you?!]

    ¡­

    At Glory World Entertainment.

    Liang Feixing and Xu Tao were closely monitoring the way things had progressed online.

    Xu Tao sneered, ¡°Tsk, Han Zixuan did indeed prepare backup!¡±

    Liang Feixing looked up and shot him a look. ¡°No sh*t? Otherwise, would she have dare dto immediately tear things apart?¡±

    Xu Tao yawned and was bored stiff as he said, ¡°Boring! Now, do we just post up the things from our end?¡±

    When Liang Feixing heard him, he looked towards Ning Xi on the sofa opposite him. ¡°Ning Xi, what do you think?¡±

    Ning Xi retrieved her gaze from theputer screen. One of her hands lightly supported her tilted head while the fingers on her other hand tapped on the arm of the chair. ¡°We¡¯ll obviously post it, but not that soon!¡±

    When she said thest words, there was an ice-cold glint that shed in Ning Xi¡¯s eyes.

    Xu Tao quickly asked, ¡°My queen, what do you mean?¡±

    Ning Xi stopped what her fingers were doing, then she looked towards Xu Tao and said word for word, ¡°Clean up.¡±

    Previously, because she had woken up, everything had to start from scratch and Glory World was in a terrible state too, so she could only choose to passively face attacks. However, now, it was time to get rid of Han Zixuan.

    When Xu Tao heard these domineering words, his eyes instantly lit up. ¡°Your Majesty, you¡¯re formidable and powerful! You¡¯re right! Forget it after ndering someone? Not that easy!¡±

    On the side, Liang Feixing said in a lowered voice, ¡°I¡¯ve been secretly investigating Han Zixuan in this period of time. However, she¡¯s been very careful. It¡¯s been so long, yet I didn¡¯t manage to find anything useful.¡±

    Otherwise, he would have made a move topletely get rid of her by now. There was no way he would let her continue messing around.

    Xu Tao nodded and echoed, ¡°That is indeed so. There¡¯s a lot of dirt on Han Zixuan, but without evidence, it¡¯d be useless no matter what we say!¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes fell onto Xu Tao. She asked, ¡°Bro Tao, aren¡¯t you forgetting Yin Youyou?¡±

    When Xu Tao heard her, he was confused. ¡°Yin Youyou?¡±

    What did this have to do with Yin Youyou?

    ¡°With Han Zixuan¡¯s personality, why was it that after she jumped ships, she was nice enough to watch out for Yin Youyou?¡± Ning Xi asked.

 Chapter 2007 - Leave It To Me

    <h4>Chapter 2007: Leave It To Me</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xu Tao¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°This matter¡­ is really odd. The two of them weren¡¯t really close with each other when they were in Glory World, but after they went to Starlight, Han Zixuan not only suppressed the artistes from Starlight, but she also made sure to keep an eye on artistes who transferred to Starlight from Glory World. She would never allow anyone to surpass her position!

    ¡°Someone of Yin Youyou¡¯s level was a big threat to her. Common sense dictates that their rtionship should be like cat and dog.

    ¡°However, on the surface, Han ZIxuan is very friendly with Yin Youyou. Han Zixuan even brought Yin Youyou to important events together.¡±

    Liang Feixing started to catch on. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. I remember there was once when Yin Youyou snatched a role from Han Zixuan, but Han Zixuan did not say anything about it. She even told the media that she rmended the role to Yin Youyou, but everyone in the industry knew that Han Zixuan had been aiming for that role¡­¡±

    At this point, Xu Tao jumped up. ¡°Is it possible that Yin Youyou has secret information on Han Zixuan?¡±

    ¡°Very likely!¡± Liang Feixing nodded.

    Xu Tao was impressed by Ning Xi. ¡°My queen, you¡¯re the best. I never thought of it!¡±

    Ning Xiughed. ¡°I¡¯m just watching it from a third person¡¯s point of view, so it¡¯s all just guesswork. I¡¯ll still need Bro Tao to do the work.¡±

    Xu Tao then replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave it to me!¡±

    Ling Feixing sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve adapted a narrow vision and keep thinking about checking Han Zixuan and neglected the others. I think Ning Xi¡¯s guess is correct. Most likely, that¡¯s the case, and the information Yin Youyou has is definitely important. It¡¯s enough to destroy Han Zixuan¡¯s career in the entertainment industry. However, Yin Youyou would never give something like that to us!¡±

    Xu Tao raised his eyebrows and said confidently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s a small issue!¡±

    Liang Feixing raised his eyebrows as well. ¡°Alright then, I forgot we have an expert swindler on our side!¡±

    Ning Xi smiled. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll wait for your good news, Bro Tao.¡±

    ¡­

    Late at night, in a room in a restaurant.

    Yin Youyou threw her purse on the table and crossed her arms. She red at the man opposite her impatiently. ¡°Talk! What do you want?¡±

    Xu Tao was being polite but his eyes seemed nervous. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you sote at night!¡±

    Yin Youyou scoffed, ¡°Forget it if it¡¯s about Ning Xi! She¡¯s going to die!¡±

    Yin Youyou was really angry as she remembered the humiliation she suffered backstage at the TV station the other day. She would never give up the chance to mock Ning Xi, which was also the reason why she epted Xu Tao¡¯s invitation.

    She would love to see Xu Tao being in a dire state.

    ¡°Sigh, you deserve my sympathy, Bro Tao. You just held onto someone so dependent, yet so soon she¡¯s turning into mud, haha¡­¡±

    Xu Tao¡¯s expression looked desperate. After a while, he then said, ¡°Youyou, it doesn¡¯t matter what¡¯s happening to me. The one who¡¯s losing the most now is you¡­¡±

    Yin Youyou looked disgruntled. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? What do I have to lose?¡±

    Xu Tao looked at her in surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡±

 Chapter 2008 - Being Suppressed

    <h4>Chapter 2008: Being Suppressed</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Know what?¡± Yin Youyou chuckled coldly. ¡°Know that your artiste is falling? Or that you¡¯re going back to training a group of newbies again?¡±

    Xu Tao looked at Yin Youyou who was mocking him, but he was not angry at all. He just shook his head sadly.

    ¡°Youyou, I don¡¯t care how you want to mock me. I¡¯m here today not because of Ning Xi. It¡¯s because of you.¡±

    ¡°Because of me?¡± Yin Youyou scoffed and looked at Xu Tao in disbelief. ¡°I should really appreciate your concern. However, instead of me, you should put more thought into cleaning up after Ning Xi¡¯s mess. No matter how powerful Glory World is, there¡¯s nothing you can do now. Try to think of who you can cultivate now to avoid being homeless soon!¡±

    Xu Tao was really patient facing Yin Youyou who kept mocking him. He put on a bitter smile. ¡°Ning Xi¡¯s matter isn¡¯t easy to solve. I looked for you today because I was reminded of the days you were in Glory World¡­

    ¡°When you just came, I already knew that you have the potential to be popr. Even though you went to Starlight afterwards, while I was disheartened that someone I cultivated was being taken away, I¡¯m d that you¡¯re doing well.¡±

    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little toote to y this card right now?¡± Yin Youyou was not touched at all.

    Xu Tao smiled bitterly, ¡°I¡¯ve just not been in the best of moods recently and needed someone to rant to. Although you¡¯re not in Glory World anymore, we were once colleagues, and I hope that you can sympathize with me and just have a chat with me.¡±

    Yin Youyou frowned. She felt that Xu Tao was behaving oddly today, but she remembered how¡¯re had bragged when he was with Ning Xi. She would love to revel in the miserable side of Xu Tao.

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m not really that cold-blooded. Say whatever you want!¡±

    Xu Tao smiled, but there was a certain degree of coldness in his eyes. Of course, he knew that Yin Youyou just wanted to see how miserable he had be.

    ¡°Youyou, you¡¯re really talented. Glory World picked you back then because we wanted someone to hold the fort at the top, but¡­ you¡¯re doing pretty well at Starlight. While Han Zixuan is above you, you¡¯re doing alright.¡±

    Xu Tao¡¯s casual remark sounded very sarcastic but Yin Youyou heard it.

    Yin Youyou had chosen to go over to Starlight because she hoped Starlight would support her and push her all the way to the top. However, Han Zixuan was hogging the top spot, causing Yin Youyou¡¯s ascent in Starlight toe to a halt.

    Some time ago, Ning Xi had returned and faced Han Zixuan head-on. Her poprity decreased and Starlight was about to shift the resources onto Yin Youyou, but¡­

    Yin Youyou suddenly frowned. Starlight had decided to assign her the resources because Han Zixuan was being suppressed by Ning Xi, but if Ning Xi fell, then no one could stop Han Zixuan anymore!

    Yin Youyou was so smug that Ning Xi was going to be eliminated, but now that she thought about her own situation, she was not pleased at all.

 Chapter 2009 - Chances of Rising

    <h4>Chapter 2009: Chances of Rising</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    If Ning Xi survived, Han Zixuan would never get the chance to win. Starlight would surely shift all their resources to Yin Youyou, but if Ning Xi fell, as much as Yin Youyou hated Ning Xi, Han Zixuan would make hereback. Yin Youyou would then never reach the top of Starlight.

    Yin Youyou did not realize the existence of this issue, but after Xu Tao reminded her about it, she felt that it was too early for her to be celebrating.

    If it was not for the dirty evidence she had on Han Zixuan, she would definitely be the first one to be removed!

    She clearly understood that, at the most, the evidence could do was to get Han Zixuan to leave her alone.

    She lived in Starlight in fear everyday, begging like a dog and hoping that she could get some scraps left from Han Zixuan¡¯s leftover food. She hoped that Han Zixuan would spare her some scarce resources.

    She was one of Starlight¡¯s artiste after all, so if she leaked the evidence, Han Zixuan would be over, but so would she.

    Furthermore, I f thepany found out that she ratted out a fellow artiste, she would definitely be cut off.

    Han Zixuan was aware of this and realized that she would not release those information, so they had maintained an odd bnce up until now.

    Ning Xi¡¯s appearance had given her a sense of hope. If Ning Xi were to fall now, then things would return to how it used to be.

    Han Zixuan would be more and more powerful, and this information she had would be weaker over time. On the other hand, if Ning Xi was removed, Han Zixuan would surely treat her as a sore thumb and think of ways to deal with her.

    Xu Tao coughed lightly when he saw Yin Youyou deep in thought as her face was bing pale. ¡°Ning Xi is really in trouble now. She was already exhausted going head-on against Han Zixuan. If Ning Xi goes down, Han Zixuan will just be better.

    ¡°Anyhow, if someone is destined to rise up, I¡¯d rather it be you. After you¡­ If you were to rise higher, I can still brag that I once cultivated you¡­¡±

    Yin Youyou¡¯s expression turned worse.

    If Ning Xi fell, what were her chances of rising in Starlight?

    She understood Han Zixuan very well. In the short span of half a year after Han Zixuan came over to Starlight, it did not matter if it were artistes from Starlight itself, or artistes who went over to Starlight from Glory World, she suppressed all of them even when they just tried a little to overtake her.

    Ning Xi¡¯seback held Han Zixuan down, and the higher-ups in Starlight dropped her hints that they would like to promote her more. Han Zixuan would never be left out on such information, so she was probably hating her already. If Han Zixuan were to stay, Yin Youyou would surely face a tough time given Han Zixuan¡¯s jealous personality.

    Xu Tao carefully observed the changes in Yin Youyou¡¯s expression, and he kept up his act on the outside while smiling on the inside. Dramatically, he sighed, ¡°Poor Qin Shuang! She was able to gain some exposure due to Ning Xi¡¯s help. If Ning Xi¡¯s done for, she¡¯s probably going to face the same fate too.

    ¡°Xiaorou has already vanished. Among the people I brought up, only you¡¯re still around. Sometimes, I think that your decision to leave Glory World was correct. It was my fault that I couldn¡¯t provide you the best resources. If it were now, I probably can get you the same amount of resources as Ning Xi. I¡­ Ah¡­ Look at me, talking nonsense again. Just forget about what I just said!¡±

    The same amount of resources as Ning Xi?!

    Yin Youyou¡¯s eyes brightened up.

 Chapter 2010 - Impatient

    <h4>Chapter 2010: Impatient</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The current Glory World was not the same as the one before. Even if Ning Xi went down, all of Glory World¡¯s resources right now would not vanish.

    If she exposed that secret and toppled Han Zixuan, even if Starlight wanted to ban her, if she could return to Glory World again, she would not have any worry at all!

    The standard of Ning Xi¡¯s current resources were quite a few ranks higher than Han Zixuan¡¯s at her peak in Starlight!

    Once Ning Xi fell, Glory World would be without a leader. With her qualities, as long as she turned back, there was no one in Glory World who couldpare to her. In order to topple Starlight, Glory World would definitely raise a new A-lister in the shortest amount of time, and no one would be more suitable than her!

    One after another, the visions for the future crossed Yin Youyou¡¯s mind. She looked at Xu Tao who sighed in despair with greed in her eyes. Her delicately made-up face suddenly broke with a gentle smile. ¡°Bro Tao, you¡¯ve been having it hard in this period of time too. I remember the way you treated me well in Glory World back then. It was all thanks to Glory World¡¯s cultivation back then that I have today. I won¡¯t forget that. Even though we¡¯re not in the samepany right now, we can keep in touch more in the future. After all, the bond is still there.¡±

    Xu Tao was filled with disdain, yet his face showed a deeply moved smile.

    ¡°Youyou, with these words of yours, I feel contented. It¡¯ste now. You had better get going. Let¡¯s keep in touch more in the future!¡±

    Yin Youyou consoled Xu Tao again, then she pretended to leave reluctantly.

    ¡­

    After she went home, Yin Youyou almost immediately threw her bag aside to rush to the vi attic.

    Bam!

    After she locked the door, Yin Youyou anxiously overturned trunks and boxes until she finally took a safe box out from a hidden drawer.

    Yin Youyou keyed the password in and took out a little silver USB.

    Yin Youyou stared at the USB and the look in her eyes was unpredictable. After momentarily hesitating, she held the USB tightly in her hand and her gaze became increasingly sinister.

    You have pushed me down for so long. It¡¯s time you moved!

    ¡­

    On the other side, Xu Tao hummed a song and swung his car keys as he reached his apartment. He felt refreshed as he showered and sashayed to his study room to switch hisput at on.

    Because of the second video that Han Zixuan had posted, all of the abuses hurled at Ning Xi online hadpletely drowned out all the other voices.

    Scandals like being the third party in a rtionship attracted the most hate, especially when Ning Xueluo was pregnant too. Furthermore, previously Ning Xueluo ending her career had some rtion to Ning Xi as well. The discussions online already exhibited a one-sided state. Any passerby who did not know the truth had also joined the battlefield because of Ning Xueluo¡¯s image as the weakling.

    If they did not have enough strong evidence, it was hard for Ning Xi to turn the situation around.

    Xu Tao was leisurely catching up on thosements when suddenly, on the bottom right of hisputer, there was an email notification.

    Xu Tao moved his mouse and then clicked it open.

    After he had a good look at the email contents, Xu Tao¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up and the side of his mouth curved up.

    ¡°Huh¡­¡±

    He had thought that he would need to wait till the next morning at the most before Yin Youyou would make a move.

    Who would have thought that she would be this impatient?

    It seemed like Yin Youyou¡¯s hate for Han Zixuan was no less than her scorn for Ning X. He guessed that she must have really been suppressed a lot by Han Zixuan in Starlight.

    Actually, whether or not Yin Youyou would take the bait this time relied on whether the bait was huge enough. This time, the bait he had thrown out was definitely tantalizing enough.

    There were two videos in his inbox.

    One was shot in the office while another was in the car.

    The shock factor of this was enough to make the old driver gasp in amazement.

    Tsk tsk, Yin Youyou did not let him down!

 Chapter 2011 - Just Worried That You Would Not Pretend

    <h4>Chapter 2011: Just Worried That You Would Not Pretend</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The night passed. Across all the huge websites¡¯ popr content, in all the magazines, and sshed in the newspaper headlines were Han Zixuan¡¯s expos¨¨.

    In just one day, the gossip of Ning Xi stepping in as the third party anding in between Su Yan and Ning Xueluo was like an atomic bomb, startling the entire entertainment industry.

    ¡°Hey, have you heard of Ning Xi¡¯s scandal?¡±

    This almost became the first thing on everyone¡¯s lips when people in the industry met each other.

    ¡°Of course, I did. Is there anyone who doesn¡¯t know about it right now?¡±

    ¡°I really never would have thought that Ning Xi would have such a rtionship with Su Yan! Initially, I still quite pitied and admired Ning Xi, but it turns out that she¡¯s not all that good either. I thought that everything she has today was achieved on her own. s, she¡¯s just another person who sells herself!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t insult those who sell themselves. She¡¯s going after someone else¡¯s husband. She won¡¯t let go even after they got married, and even secretly made Su Yan push his actual wife out thepany to let her in! Besides, she clearly knew that Ning Xueluo was pregnant! Such people are so disgusting!¡±

    ¡°Ning Xi just received the role as the female lead of ¡®Assassin¡¯. The shoot is already halfway through and something like this had happened. I think she definitely won¡¯t be able to keep that female lead role!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re joking, right? The female lead? Once something like this is out, would she still want to continue in the entertainment industry? She can forget making aeback forever!¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, once Ning Xi falls, Han Zixuan will make aeback, won¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Who can she me? You can only me Ning Xi for her own bad morale and in turn, let someone else¡¯s seize the great opportunity!¡±

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, this entertainment industry is going to change again!¡±

    ¡­

    At a certain charity banquet, everyone gathered around to chat.

    As they were gossipping intensely, someone suddenly looked excitedly towards the entrance.

    ¡°Quickly look! It¡¯s Han Zixuan!¡±

    With Han Zixuan¡¯s manager apanying her, she wore an elegant champagne fishtail evening gown and was entering the banquet hall slowly.

    Han Zixuan had just appeared when she immediately attracted a huge group of reporters.

    Everyone lifted their cameras and instantly surrounded Han Zixuan.

    A reporter asked, ¡°Zixuan, may we know what you think about the news of Ning Xi seducing a married man?¡±

    Another reporter questioned, ¡°Zixuan, why did you decide to expose this scandal?¡±

    ¡­

    Facing the questions of the reporters, Han Zixuan paused her steps, a hint of disdain filling her delicately made-up face. ¡°Ning Xi¡¯s matter has nothing to do with me. Miss Ning Xueluo is both my superior and my friend, and what I hate most in life is third parties that wreck other people¡¯s home. This time, I just really couldn¡¯t stand to see it, so I decided toe out with it.¡±

    ¡°Zixuan, can you reveal a little about how¡¯s Miss Ning Xueluo currently doing? She¡¯s pregnant right now. Wouldn¡¯t this news affect her pregnancy?¡±

    Han Zixuan did not answer right away. Instead, she said, ¡°I believe that to any woman, something like this is a fatal strike. I just hope now that even if it is just for the sake of the child, a certain someone can stop while they can, and not continue to hurt innocent people!¡±

    ¡°Zixuan¡­¡±

    Han Zixuan did not continue answering the questions after that. With the protection of her bodyguards, she quickly entered the banquet hall.

    Yin Youyou followed closely after Han Zixuan, standing not too far away and silently watching as Han Zixuan was revolved by the crowd of reporters. While she listened to her justly condemnations, she sneered on the inside.

    Huh, continue pretending! I was just worried that you wouldn¡¯t do this!

 Chapter 2012 - Once On The Red Carpet

    <h4>Chapter 2012: Once On The Red Carpet</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Han Zixuan had just entered the banquet hall when a huge group of artistes immediately surrounded her. Everyone was over-friendly and passionately making small talk with her.

    After all, everyone knew that once Ning Xi went down, the entertainment industry would be under Han Zixuan¡¯s rule again.

    ¡°Zixuan, what you¡¯ve done this time is so satisfying for everyone!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve long thought that Ning Xi wasn¡¯t a decent person, but I never would¡¯ve thought that she¡¯d be even more disgusting than we thought!¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Zixuaning out to uphold justice, we don¡¯t know how long would we have been deceived by her!¡±

    Han Zixuan was surrounded by everyone speaking all at once. Facing the crowd¡¯s praises, she said with an expression that feigned nobility, ¡°Different people have different aspirations. In order to climb up thedder, some people will do just anything. However, no matter what the others do, it has nothing to do with me. I have my own principles and my own bottom line.¡±

    ¡°Zixuan, how can someone like that bepared to you? She relies on such dirty tricks to rise up; even if she climbed up high, no one would respect her!¡±

    ¡°The entertainment industry is ruined by such people!¡±

    At this moment, a small artiste nced around and said excitedly, ¡°Oh, I heard that for today¡¯s charity banquet, Ning Xi is on the invitation list too. Why haven¡¯t I seen her?¡±

    The others immediately sneered, ¡°Such a scandal has alreadye out. How would she dare to appear? Isn¡¯t she afraid that she¡¯d drown to death from everyone¡¯s saliva spitting at her?!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s definitely hiding at home and daren¡¯t meet anyone! Besides, today our Zixuan is here too. Wouldn¡¯t she hide far, far away?!¡±

    ¡­

    The crowd was ridiculing her back and forth, then suddenly there was a mor from the entrance of the banquet hall.

    Everyone slowly looked towards the direction of the entrance. In the next second, a stunning silhouette appeared under the shing lights of the media.

    When the crowd surrounding Han Zixuan had a clearer look at the figure, they could not help but gasp.

    They saw Ning Xi standing alone on the red carpet in a ck gown. Her wless face attracted everyone present, and numerous cameras were fixed on her at this moment, greedily catching her alluring manner between her every little move.

    The pure ck dressplimented her face which was beyond breathtaking akin to the dark night skyplimenting thousands of stars. It was dazzling.

    Beyond everyone¡¯s expectations, not only was Ning Xi not absent, she had even arrived punctually. She was not even in dire straits or as wan and sallow as they had imagined. Once she stepped onto the red carpet, she instantly wiped out all of the female artistes who were present.

    Han Zixuan looked at all the reporters shooting Ning Xi¡¯s pictures like crazy and saw that on the red carpet, Ning Xi appeared radiant as always. Her eyes were filled with intense jealousy.

    The female artistes around Han Zixuan only returned to their senses after a while. Apart from shock, all of their eyes were also filled with envy simr to Han Zixuan¡¯s.

    ¡°Ning¡­ that¡¯s actually Ning Xi!¡±

    ¡°Oh my God! It really is her! She actually has the dignity toe! If it was me, I would just kill myself!¡±

    ¡°Sluts are just that shameless! Is there anything she won¡¯t do?¡±

    As Han Zixuan listened to all the ridicule around her and when she thought about how Ning Xi would end up from then on, she calmed herself down again. She quietly watched Ning Xi enter and was immediately surrounded by a group of frenzied reporters.

    ¡°Miss Ning Xi, regarding the expos¨¨ about you online recently, is there anything you¡¯d like to rify?¡±

    ¡°Miss Ning Xueluo said that you¡¯ve been admiring Mr. Su, and hopelessly muddled with him. Is this true?¡±

    ¡°The video of you and Mr. Su¡¯ste-night tryst, is that true? Did you really get in between Mr. Su and Miss Ning Xueluo¡¯s marriage?¡±

 Chapter 2013 - Dogfight

    <h4>Chapter 2013: Dogfight</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Facing the harsh questions and the mocking gazes from everyone else, Ning Xi was not fazed at all. She scanned through them with her cold eyes, and the voices lowered down a little. Ning Xi then said, ¡°Today is the charity dinner organized by LA. It¡¯s not my personal press conference. If there are any questions, I¡¯ll answer them after the event is over. Now, please don¡¯t disrupt the event. Thank you.¡±

    The people around were disappointed when they heard Ning Xi¡¯s reply.

    Ning Xi¡¯s well-rounded answer made the reporters speechless, but they had to back down for now.

    She had promised to give them answers after the event anyway. They would never let this chance go.

    When they saw Ning Xi dy the issue, thedies around Han Zixuan started mocking her. ¡°She¡¯s still trying to act tough at this moment!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d really like to see what she¡¯s going to say after the event ends!¡±

    ¡°The proof is solid. She can¡¯t twist the truth that she destroyed a loving family and bullied a pregnant woman!¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Good evening, dear guests. The annual LA charity dinner is officially starting now. To kick off, we have our most anticipated auction.¡±

    With the host¡¯s opening speech, the auction started swiftly.

    Usually, the atmosphere was lively in this section, but today everyone could only focus on one person.

    In the first row, Ning Xi concentrated on listening to the auctioneer¡¯s exnation. She chatted with her manager and raised her tag to bid from time to time.

    Her rxed aura did not appear like she was just involved in such a big scandal or that she might be cut off from the industry after tonight.

    In the corner, Han Zixian took a nce at Ning Xi¡¯s direction and she frowned a little.

    ¡°Could she have something else?¡±

    If not, why was she so calm about this?

    Zheng Anru scoffed, ¡°Impossible! Ning Xueluo said the words herself, and there¡¯s even proof of it. If she really had a solution, she¡¯d have used it by now. Why would she wait?

    ¡°From my experience, her appearance today must be Xu Tao¡¯sst trump. He probably hasn¡¯t given up yet. Firstly, he wants to test the reaction of the media. Secondly, he wants to create a better image for her by getting her to attend a charity event! I know all about his cheap tricks!

    ¡°How naive! He thought he¡¯s a manager that can turn the world around. It might work if it were some other scandal, but cheating, drugs, and politics are the three dead zones. There¡¯s no chance for her to turn around now! Don¡¯t worry about it, Zixuan!¡±

    Han Zixuan acted indifferently after that.

    She had nothing to worry about. If there was anything, she should worry about Ning Xueluo.

    Ning Xi was so cool probably because Su Yan had promised her something in private. Maybe, she could just go to Su Yan after her career was finished.

    Now that the whole matter was released to the public, her reputation was ruined and she could no longer work in the entertainment industry. Even if Su Yan was in love with her, would the Su family take her in?

    Moreover, there was still Ning Xueluo.

    Without even doing anything, the Su family and Ning Xueluo would never let her go!

    At this moment, Yin Youyou was sitting right beside Han Zixuan, and she totally agreed with Zheng Anru¡¯s words.

    ¡°Sis Anru¡¯s right, Zixuan. Ning Xi¡¯s over this time!¡±

    And then¡­ it will be your turn, Han Zixuan!

    She was really looking forward to seeing the fierce, bloody dogfight between Ning Xi and Han Zixuan.

 Chapter 2014 - Too Irresponsible

    <h4>Chapter 2014: Too Irresponsible</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was just a short two-hour auction, yet it felt like forever for everyone.

    Nearing the end, even the auctioneer was distracted. The times between each bid confirmation kept getting shorter, and even the usual formal phrases were omitted.

    ¡°Number 39, $5 million once. Number 39, $5 million twice. Number 39, $5 million thrice! Deal!¡±

    Bang! With the sound of the auctioneer¡¯s gavel mming down, everyone was relieved.

    The final item of the night had been sold and the charity dinner had finallye to an end.

    ¡°The LA Charity Night has finally ended. Thank you for everyone¡¯s participation. The funds we raised tonight will all be used to help children with leukemia! Thank you, everyone! Thank you!¡±

    Following the host¡¯s closing speech, there was a weak round of apuse.

    After that, none of the guests left their seats. Everybody was looking towards a certain direction.

    Han Zixuan was not worried. She just stood by and waited. She would love to see how the high and mighty goddess, the most popr female star, would get chased out of the entertainment industry right in front of her!

    After the auction ended, before Ning Xi could even stand up, the reporters had already surrounded her as if they were afraid of her running away.

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, can you answer our questions now?¡±

    ¡°Ning Xi, are you here at the charity night tonight to rebuild your image?¡±

    ¡°Do you still want to stay in the entertainment industry after something like this has happened?¡±

    ¡°You never said anything since this incident happened. Don¡¯t you have anything to say to the victim, Ms. Ning Xueluo, and all your fans? Or even towards your rival Ms. Han Zixuan? Your unfairpetition is a humiliation to her!¡±

    ¡­

    Ning Xi grinned coldly when she saw all these people criticizing her.

    Han Zixuan kept on waiting for Ning Xi to eat her own words. Ning Xi¡¯s silence made her feel that she was just faking her serene front.

    Han Zixuan narrowed her eyes as wickedness passed right through them. She suddenly spoke up as everyone was unable to get Ning Xi to say something. ¡°Ning Xi, you promised that you¡¯d give everyone an answer after the event. I hope you can keep your promise, and I hope you can apologize to the victim! Since I¡¯m already involved in this matter, I¡¯ll definitely see this to the end!¡±

    Han Zixuan did not bother keeping her voice down. Everyone heard her loud and clear.

    Her sarcastic tone made a lot of people nod in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s one of the top artistes in the entertainment industry, and she¡¯s not giving anyments aftermitting such things. That¡¯s so irresponsible!¡±

    ¡°People like her don¡¯t even have basic moral principles. Do you still expect her to be responsible?¡±

    ¡°So what if she¡¯s good at acting? Her character is the worst. She¡¯s just way too lowlypared to Han Zixuan!¡±

    ¡°I can only say that she just disguised herself well. Now that her disguise is finally revealed, she¡¯s be shameless!¡±

    ¡°Even if she can¡¯t survive in the entertainment industry, she can still go and steal the position of the headdy of the Su family!¡±

 Chapter 2015 - Indescribable Scene

    <h4>Chapter 2015: Indescribable Scene</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Han Zixuan finally got to release her anger as everyone was taunting Ning Xi.

    She faked a disappointed expression as she watched Ning Xi. ¡°Ning Xi, I respected you as my senior. I didn¡¯t want to do this, but I didn¡¯t expect you not to give everyone an answer. Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s a mistake for you to be a mistress and destroy someone¡¯s family? I really feel disgusted about being in the same room as someone like you.¡±

    Han Zixuan was assuming the role of a moral officer, being on Ning Xueluo¡¯s side and criticizing Ning Xi. No one would feel her words were too harsh, and many even agreed with her.

    Ning Xi still remained seated. She supported her head with an arm as she looked at the Han Zixuan who was fuming in the name of justice. She simply smiled and put on a sympathetic expression. ¡°You want an answer? Then, I¡¯ll give you one.¡±

    Ning Xi then signaled Xu Tao.

    Xu Tao was already impatient. The moment he finally got permission from his queen, he happily dashed up on-stage like a bird being let out of its cage.

    Everyone was revealed expressions of doubt and whispered to each other when they saw Xu Tao going up on-stage.

    ¡°What trick is Xu Tao trying to pull again?¡±

    ¡°Xu Tao is the best at brainwashing the fans. Could he im that it¡¯s true love between Ning Xi and Su Yan? That¡¯ll be disgusting!¡±

    ¡°Wanting to save your reputation after being a witch?¡±

    ¡°Or maybe he¡¯ll announce her retirement right away?¡±

    ¡­

    Off stage, Han Zixuan and Zheng Anru looked at Xu Tao coldly as he went up on stage. All the reporters had their cameras aimed at Xu Tao as well.

    At this moment, Xu Tao spoke with the host, then he fiddled with the projector.

    Soon, the big screen lit up again.

    Without any preparation!

    Without any warning!

    An extremely X-rated, indescribable video entered everyone¡¯s line of sight.

    ¡°Mmm¡­ Ah¡­ Quicker¡­ Deeper¡­ Deeper¡­ You¡¯re the best, CEO Yi¡­ I want more¡­¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± A certain reporter who was in the midst of drinking water spit it all out on the reporter in front of him.

    A female artiste who was touching up her makeup dropped herpact mirror on the floor. The host who had just wanted to see some gossip almost had his eyes pop out of their sockets.

    ¡°Oh my God! Filthy! What is Xu Tao doing? Is he mad?¡±

    ¡°Did he get the wrong drive? Xu Tao¡¯s taste is pretty heavy! Does he like such a wild idol?¡±

    ¡­

    As everyone wasughing and reprimanding the video, no one noticed that in the corner¡­

    Han Zixuan stood there as if thunder had just struck her.

    Fueled by the moaning from the video, Han Zixuan¡¯s face turned pale very quickly. Even her makeup could not hide her greenish face now.

    How did it be like this!?

    Stop!

    Stop it!

    Han Zixuan was roaring internally, but as the crowd was watching the video, her blood froze. She felt her whole body stiffen and she could not even make a sound.

    Shut it down! Quickly!

    God did not listen to Han Zixuan¡¯s wish. As the next scene came on, a familiar face appeared in the video.

    d in a sexy ck lingerie and with long waves of hair tumbling down, the one who was enjoying herself¡­ was Han Zixuan!

    The man from the video was clearly identified as well. It was the ex-CEO of Glory World Entertainment, Yi Xudong!

 Chapter 2016 - Really Done For This Time

    <h4>Chapter 2016: Really Done For This Time</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    On the huge screen, the instant her own face clearly appeared before everyone, Han Zixuan¡¯s heart that was suspended mid-air crashed down hard. Her figure wavered and her rmed expression suddenly turned nk.

    Apart from the man¡¯s rough panting and the woman¡¯s indulgent moans, their conversation was unbearable to listen to as well. It surprised everyone.

    ¡°Ah¡­ Faster¡­ Faster¡­ Don¡¯t stop¡­ CEO Yi, you¡¯re amazing¡­¡±

    ¡°You slut! Why are you so slutty? Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Then, do you like me like this?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I do!¡±

    ¡°Then, do you like me more, or do you like your wife more?¡±

    ¡°How can that fat womanpare to you? Don¡¯t mention that disgusting woman right now!¡±

    ¡­

    On the huge screen, the video was still going on. The lengths that the two people went in the imagery wasparable to an adult film, and it stupefied everyone.

    No one would have thought that Han Zixuan, who had always assumed the role of a noble and cold goddess, would be so unrestrained in bed.

    Off-stage, the crowd who had finally returned to their senses from the shock all looked at each other. They were bbergasted.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Oh my God¡­ Did I see wrongly? Is the person in the video¡­ Is that¡­ Han Zixuan?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Han Zixuan and Yi Xudong! In fact, they even messed around in Yi Xudong¡¯s office!¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Yi Xudong have a wife?¡±

    ¡°Not only a wife, he even has children!¡±

    ¡°Oh my God! I already can¡¯t keep up¡­ This¡­ What is happening?¡±

    At this moment, the scene changed and cut to another part of the video. The scale of this video was no less than the previous one.

    Earlier, the setting of that video was the office, while this one was in thepany car.

    The video camera first recorded the car te number, then it went for the car.

    There was no one around as the two of them kissed intensely, starting to take each other¡¯s clothes off and climbing into the car.

    Very soon, the car started to bounce up and down.

    Inside the car, Han Zixuan was half-naked, while her bottom half was pushed up against Yi Xudong.

    The sound of their coption and their conversation could vaguely be heard from the speakers.

    ¡°Mmm¡­ Ahh¡­ Xudong¡­ Don¡¯t be like this¡­ What if someone sees us? Let¡¯s go to a hotel¡­ Mmm¡­ Ahh¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of? Even if someone sees us, who¡¯d dare to expose me?¡±

    Yi Xudong¡¯s eyes were filled with corrupted indulgence. Roughly, he said as he gripped Han Zixuan¡¯s slim waist, ¡°Slut, let¡¯s switch positions!¡±

    Han Zixuan was like a sea snake as her body twisted and she said annoyedly, ¡°Don¡¯t! You didn¡¯t even do what you promised yet! You said you¡¯d let me debut this month.¡±

    Yi Xudong scoffed proudly, ¡°Huh, debut? You underestimate me! That woman Ling Zhizhi can¡¯t adapt to the circumstances. She keeps going against me. Wait till I chase her out of thepany, then all of Ning Xi¡¯s resources will be yours! In the future, you¡¯ll be the top female artiste in Glory World!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Han Zixuan¡¯s eyes lit up, filled with unsubtle ambition.

    ¡°Well, of course, you¡¯re so pretty! You canpletely copy Ning Xi and take the same route as her. When that happens, all of the resources under her can be transferred to you!¡±

    ¡­

    When both the videos finished, the screen returned to pitch ck.

    It was absolutely silent with a deathly stillness.

    That was such a sudden expos¨¨. In fact, one was more shocking than the other, catching everyone unaware and causing them to be confused and disoriented.

    Han Zixuan seemed to havepletely fallen into an ice cave. She trembled all over as an unprecedented swamp of hopelessness engulfed her and her mind went nk.

    This was impossible! Impossible!

    How did it end up like this?

    Done for¡­

    This time, she was really done for¡­

    Off-stage, Ning Xi¡¯s indifferent gaze fell onto Han Zixuan beside her. Herzy eyes were mixed with fragments of coldness that could make one shiver all over. She said with gloomy eyes, ¡°Han Zixuan, are you satisfied with this exnation?¡±

 Chapter 2017 - Eye-opener

    <h4>Chapter 2017: Eye-opener</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    One wave had barely subsided when another rose.

    Everyone would not have thought that Xu Tao would release shocking news that was a hundred times more shocking than the one Han Zixuan had exposed.

    Even more unexpectedly was that in just a few short minutes, all of those things Han Zixuan had said stripped her naked, thoroughly exposing the unknown side of her under the sun.

    After Ning Xi retired, Han Zixuan had reced her and became famous at the speed of light. She had always sold her image as being ¡°unique¡±, parading herself as a ¡°fresh drink of water in the entertainment industry¡±, and for being a super popr and encouraging goddess. The history of her rising to fame was so ¡°marvelous and outstanding¡± that in reality, it may bepared to a melodrama.

    ¡°Today¡¯s trip was really worth it! It really was an eye-opener!¡±

    ¡°Yi Xudong is a married man. Han Zixuan should know better about selling her body and sleeping around as the third party, yet she could still demand fairness for Ning Xueluo in such a justified manner! The funniest thing is that earlier, she actually said that she hated third parties who wrecked homes the most!¡±

    ¡°It turns out that she had intentionally imitated Ning Xi back then, stolen Ning Xi¡¯s resources, and stepped on Ning Xi to make it to the top. However, she keeps telling the others that she¡¯s unique, and doesn¡¯t care about beingpared to Ning Xi.¡±

    ¡°I really gained some knowledge and experience today! There are mountains beyond mountains! Her face is really as thick as the city walls!¡±

    ¡°Who said that Han Zixuan¡¯s acting skills aren¡¯t as good as Ning Xi¡¯s? Han Zixuan is practically the ¡°queen actress¡± in the entertainment industry who deserves an award!¡±

    ¡­

    At the same time, all of the reporters had left Ning Xi¡¯s side to rush to Han Zixuan.

    ¡°Miss Han Zixuan, is the person in the video you?¡±

    ¡°May we know if you really seduced your superior who¡¯s married, and relied on dirty tricks to rise to the top?¡±

    ¡°Do you know that Yi Xudong already has a wife?¡±

    ¡°You pose yourself as righteous, yet you did the thing that you kept saying was shameless. What do you have to say about this?¡±

    ¡­

    Earlier, all of the questions that had been thrown to Ning Xi were now being asked to Han Zixuan.

    Han Zixuan bit on her lip. There were insanity and darkness in her eyes. The deathly gaze she shot Ning Xi said that she wished she could swallow her whole.

    She took a deep breath and used up all of her energy to force herself to be calm. Then, she said with an expression that feigned a clear conscience, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you guys are talking about. The woman in this video isn¡¯t even me!¡±

    Zheng Anru quickly echoed, ¡°Where did they find some despicable porn star? How dare they pretend to be our Zixuan? Ning Xi, I want to sue your people for nder and infringement of the right to one¡¯s reputation! Do you think that smearing Zixuan can get you in the clear? No matter what, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re dirty and lowly!¡±

    Xu Tao seemed to have expected that they would say this, so he unhurriedly sneered, ¡°Huh, earlier the video was clear enough. Han Zixuan and Yi Xudong did such indescribable things in Glory World Entertainment¡¯s office, and in Han Zixuan¡¯spany car. Entering Glory World Entertainment requires fingerprinting. We don¡¯t need any further exnation for Zixuan¡¯s privatepany car either. Can this be a fake? You should fake it for me to see!¡±

    As Xu Tao spoke, a few extremely clear screenshots appeared on the huge screen instantly. There was a picture was of Yi Xudong¡¯s office, while another was the car te number of thepany car, and the scene of Han Zixuan holding the car key to open the car door.

    Shining evidence had once again pped their face hard. At this moment, everyone¡¯s gaze at the two people had reached the peak of contempt.

 Chapter 2018 - What A Dogfight

    <h4>Chapter 2018: What A Dogfight</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Dang, she¡¯s still pretending right now! She¡¯s really broken the record of my bottom line!¡±

    ¡°Shameless people are unrivaled! Earlier, I was still speaking good things about her, saying that she was defending justice! I was really blinded! Han Zixuan, get lost from the entertainment industry!¡±

    ¡°Han Zixuan, get lost from the entertainment industry!¡±

    ¡­

    Previously, the degree of perfection Han Zixuan had pretended to be was the same extent to which the crowd was angry and shocked right now.

    Every sentence of sneers and mockings, plus the shouting hoots for her to get lost from the entertainment industry, and all those microphones and shing lights crazily shoved at her were amplified.

    Han Zixuan¡¯s hair was a mess. Her delicate makeup was smudged, her elegant gown was wrinkled from being squashed, and even one of her heels hade off. All the while, she kept repeating the words, ¡°not me, not me¡±.

    ¡°Don¡¯t shove! Don¡¯t shove anymore! Security! Where¡¯s security?! If you guys are like this, I¡¯ll have to call the police¡­ Ahh¡­¡± Zheng Anru was hit on the head by someone with a bottle of mineral water, and she shrieked.

    The entire scene was chaotic.

    It was the age of inte. Unlike before, when huge news broke out, one would need to wait till the second day when the public would know after newsrooms worked overtime to publish them in the papers.

    Everything that just happened then was posted online right away by all the media present. They had even done a live stream of the whole process.

    All the earlier incidents from Han Zixuan and Yi Xudong¡¯s wild video on-screen, and the scene of Han Zixuan looking disheveled upon being chased down by everyone had very quickly spread to every corner of the entire Inte, causing a huge ruckus!

    At the Su residence, inside the luxurious bedroom.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s darkened face was reflected off theptop¡¯s dim light, and her eyes were filled with menace.

    ¡°Useless thing!¡±

    She had already handed the knife over to Han Zixuan, yet she could still mess things up. Ning Xi had gotten such an important handle against her, but she did not even know about this. Useless person!

    At this moment, Ning Xueluo¡¯s phone suddenly rang. The screen showed it was Zheng Anru.

    Ning Xueluo looked at it from the corner of her eye, then she immediately rejected the call without hesitation.

    With such a video released, Han Zixuan was definitely done for this time.

    There was no point keeping such a useless person like this. She had already achieved her goals anyway.

    Ning Xueluo took a deep breath before she picked up her phone and made a call. She said with an extremely annoyed tone, ¡°Am I paying you to be a spectator? Don¡¯t forget your mission today! No matter what happens, you can¡¯t let Ning Xi expose this!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, CEO Ning. Don¡¯t worry, Ning Xi won¡¯t be able to run away, just watch!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯d better be that way!¡±

    ¡­

    At the venue of the charity banquet.

    When Han Zixuan and Zheng Anru were chased by everyone, suddenly a voice piped up from the crowd. ¡°Huh, what a dogfight! Ning Xi, is this the exnation that you promised to give us? Even if Han Zixuan murdered andmited arson, what does that have to do with you? Could that still change the fact that you seduced Su Yan and coerced Ning Xueluo, a pregnant woman?¡±

    Once the tall reporter reminded them of that, the crowd who felt indignant at the injustice suddenly turned their attention to Ning Xi who was leaning back in her seat.

    ¡°Exactly! What are you trying to do? Distract us? Fool us like idiots?¡±

    ¡°Such people aren¡¯t worth pitying. She deserves to be have her fans and resources stolen by Han Zixuan!¡±

    ¡°I think she¡¯s even more malicious than Han Zixuan. She won¡¯t even let go of a pregnant woman. When she was found out, she didn¡¯t apologize or give the public an exnation. Instead, she rushed to pull someone else down. This girl is really astonishing!¡±

 Chapter 2019 - A Satisfactory Answer

    <h4>Chapter 2019: A Satisfactory Answer</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The tall reporter yelled, ¡°Ning Xueluo is really unlucky. She was innocently caught in between the matters of these two witches!¡±

    Many people agreed with him. ¡°I¡¯m getting more and more disappointed in this industry. The innocent, kind-hearted people are being chased away, but the cunning, shameless people still survived!¡±

    ¡°Get lost from the entertainment industry!¡±

    ¡­

    The artistes were yelling inside the hall, and all the exits were blocked. The reporters were condemning them while surrounding both Ning Xi and Xu Tao.

    Amidst the chaotic situation, Yin Youyou carefully hid herself within the raging crowd.

    Everything went on ever so smoothly as she expected. Her body was trembling in excitement.

    It was over¡­

    Han Zixuan was over¡­

    Ning Xi was over¡­

    She never had to be wary of Han Zixuan anymore. She need not be so desperate for those scarce resources anymore as the top resources would be made avable for her soon. She might even be able to take Ning Xi¡¯s ce in ¡°Assassin¡±. Without Ning Xi and Han Zixuan, she would be the one left with the most poprity.

    She could not wait for all this to end and to look for Xu Tao afterwards. She even started to n her future career.

    As for Han Zixuan, while the reporters were surrounding Ning Xi, she hid at the back with her messy hair. She stared at Ning Xi directly and suddenlyughed with a crazed expression.

    ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­ Ning Xi¡­ Why is it you can do it but not me? How is your worth more than mine? You seduced someone with a wife to promote yourself, so why are you acting right now? Even if I were to fall, you¡¯re not going to stand that tall! You¡¯ll die with me together¡­ Haha¡­¡±

    ¡­

    Things went out of control inside the room as the bystanders took out their phones and started streaming it live. The reporters¡¯ professional cameras also streamed the live situation to the media and streaming sites.

    All the rted websites were filled up instantly.

    Apart from the reporters on scene, the chat room on the streaming sites were filled with curses and insults as well.

    Under such an intense amount of pressure, Han Zixuan was already a mess and seemed mentally unstable.

    Ning Xi was still in her long ck gown. Along with her dark, silky hair, his eyes were not shaken at all. She had been sitting elegantly where she was all along.

    The tall reporter was cheeky when he saw Ning Xi feign calmness. He became even angrier and yelled, ¡°As reporters, we have to find out the truth for the public. We¡¯re here to speak for the weak, it¡¯s our responsibility! This matter isn¡¯t going to be wiped away! You¡¯re not going to divert our attention, Ning Xi! If you don¡¯t give us an satisfactory answer today, there¡¯ll be no end to this!¡±

    His words ignited the wrath in many others. ¡°Right! There¡¯ll be no end to this! Ning Xi! Apologize to the public! To the innocent victim!¡±

    ¡°Apologize! Apologize!¡±

    The tall reporter continued, ¡°If apologies are effective, what are the police useful for?! Not only is she going to apologize publicly, she deserves to be banned forever!¡±

    ¡­

    As the tall reporter was getting all fired up, Ning Xi¡¯s cold gaze met his eyes.

 Chapter 2020 - As You Wish

    <h4>Chapter 2020: As You Wish</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    While her gaze seemed gentle, it closed in on his throat like an icy cold de as if blood would gush out the next moment, a sense of danger shrouded his whole body. He suddenly stopped talking; it was more like he could not even say a word.

    When the reporter came back to his senses, he noticed that his undershirt was drenched with sweat.

    Damn it. She was just an actress who became popr because she used some underhanded tactics. There was no reason to be afraid of her.

    The next moment, Ning Xi averted her gaze away from that reporter and looked coldly at a camera right in front of her.

    The cameraman held his breath and steadily operated the camera. The cameras from the other angles were all aimed towards Ning Xi too.

    Ning Xi looked right into the lens. She was not directing her intimidating gaze to the cameraman, but she was looking at someone else through the lenses.

    At this moment, Ning Xueluo was waiting for Ning Xi¡¯s fake calmness to break down. She wanted her to fall into the the deepest of abysses, yet when her eyes met with Ning Xi¡¯s on screen, her back straightened and felt sheer coldness travel up her spine.

    ¡°As you wish,¡± Ning Xi said those words towards the camera.

    Suddenly, voices from a conversation came out of the room speaker.

    ¡°Xiao Xi!¡±

    ¡°Sis, it wasn¡¯t me¡­ I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s here¡­¡±

    ¡°I intentionally waited here myself because apart from that, I really don¡¯t know how else I could see you.¡±

    ¡°Do you need something?¡±

    ¡°Can I speak to you privately?¡±

    ¡°Sis¡­¡±

    ¡°Xiao Nuo, it¡¯s not your fault. Just wait for me here.¡±

    ¡­

    Because it was at night, the visual was very dark. Three figures appeared. They were a woman, a young man, and a slightly taller man.

    The woman¡¯s voice was obviously Ning Xi. The one who called Ning Xi ¡°sister¡± was probably her brother Tang Nuo, then who was the other person?

    ¡°Speak.¡± It was Ning Xi¡¯s voice.

    The man said, ¡°Xiao Xi, can we¡­ start over again?¡±

    As people were having doubts, they were shocked to hear this.

    Start over?

    Did Ning Xi just share her own personal matter?

    As everyone was still confused, the man continued, ¡°Xiao Xi, I know me saying this sounds ridiculous and absurd to you¡­¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°Is it not?¡±

    ¡°Listen, I¡¯ve thought about it for a very, very long time. I¡¯m not saying this on impulse. I really, really regretted, and finally understood who I really like, no, really love is¡­

    ¡°Xiao Xi, about that incident back then, I was wrong. It was I who abandoned what we had at first, but at the start, I really never thought of breaking up with you until I met Xueluo.

    ¡°Xueluo is so pure and vulnerable, and she suddenly got involved in that sort of unforeseen incident. After that, she constantly chatted and grumbled to me. Slowly, I just¡­ I didn¡¯t know when it started, but the feelings just started to change.¡±

    The crowd finally knew who was the one talking.

    The man was Su Yan!

    Did Su Yan just say he betrayed his rtionship with Ning Xi?

    What was happening?

    The conversation continued.

    ¡°After that, under impulse, I did it with Xueluo¡­ I¡¯ve been hiding it from you¡­ because I really didn¡¯t know how to face you¡­

 Chapter 2021 - Fake Princess, Real Mistress

    <h4>Chapter 2021: Fake Princess, Real Mistress</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°However, it was onlyter that I understood that all along, I¡¯ve been worrying about Xueluo, yet I never thought about how you felt. You left your hometown for me, but in the end, I abandoned you¡­¡±

    ¡­

    Su Yan continued to repent for what he did, and apologized to Ning Xi. He also said that he did not want to lie to himself anymore.

    Everyone was shocked after hearing the conversation.

    Oh God!

    Could Ning Xi be Su Yan¡¯s initial partner, but halfway through he had abandoned Ning Xi to be with Ning Xueluo, at the same time forcing Ning Xi to leave the country?

    And now, Su Yan regretted and wanted Ning Xi back, but from the tone of Ning Xi¡¯s voice, it was obvious that she did not want to see him, so he had to use her brother to see Ning Xi.

    The said wife was initially the mistress, and the misunderstood mistress was the girlfriend at first!

    What a twist! Everyone was taken aback.

    The video continued. ¡°I know that in my current situation, I don¡¯t have the right to say these things to you, and I definitely don¡¯t mean to dishonor you. I will¡­ return to being a free man¡­¡±

    In the end, Ning Xi¡¯s emotionless voice under the moonlight came through the speakers.

    ¡°Su Yan, sometimes, things are like a jacket in the summer or a fan in the winter. Also, the heart changes after a person has given up.¡±

    No one said a thing. It was a dead silent.

    The reporters from earlier had their eyes and mouth wide open as their faces went pale and they could not say anything, especially the tall reporter who insisted on Ning Xi apologizing to Ning Xueluo. His expression right then was horrible.

    ¡°How¡­ How did it turn out like this?¡±

    ¡°Leave me alone, my brain is confused!¡±

    Everyone just looked at each other.

    Someone suddenly spoke up, ¡°What¡¯s there to be confused about? Su Yan made it clear. He was in a rtionship with Ning Xi. She went there because of him, and then Su Yan met Ning Xueleo. Because Ning Xueluo acted pitiful in front of him, Su Yan had sex with her and betrayed Ning Xi, so Ning Xi went overseas out of heartbreak and came back several yearster to start her life over in the entertainment industry¡­¡±

    ¡°Damn! This couple is inhumane! Especially Ning Xueluo, not only did she steal Ning Xi¡¯s parents, she even took away the boyfriend, forcing Ning Xi to be alone while being away from her hometown.

    ¡°And after Ning Xi came back recovered and wanted to start her life over again, Ning Xueluo has been pressuring her in all sorts of ways. She had to take on all the small and minor roles for one whole year even when she had such excellent acting and high potential. In the end, Ning Xueluo even used her of hurting others and got Starlight to ban Ning Xi. Fortunately, Glory World helped her and she started to get better after she went over.

    ¡°Not only that, Ning Xi put in so much effort to reach where she is today. She was even at death¡¯s door, whereas Ning Xueluo used the Ning family¡¯s name and Ning Xi¡¯s man to turn herself from a chicken into a phoenix, from a mistress into the wife!

    ¡°She has everything now, but still didn¡¯t want to let Ning Xi go. She misinformed Han Zixuan and said that Ning Xi doesn¡¯t want to let go of Su Yan, almost making everyone misunderstand Ning Xi!¡±

 Chapter 2022 - Through Thick and Thin

    <h4>Chapter 2022: Through Thick and Thin</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The crowd that had been puzzled from the start slowly began to recover their senses. They started to analyze matters one by one.

    It was better if they did not analyze things, because in the end, after deeper thought, it became frightening.

    ¡°Bloody hell! I really thought Ning Xueluo was innocent. Now that I think more about it, this girl was a maniptive prostitute! What encouraging goddess? Everything that she has today was clearly all stolen from Ning Xi! Without the Ning family, would she have been able to make it in the entertainment industry? If she didn¡¯t hook up with Su Yan, which rich and powerful family would take in a wild fowl?¡±

    ¡°Han Zixuan, Ning Xueluo¡­ No wonder these two people have such a close rtionship! Indeed, birds of a feather flock together!¡±

    ¡°Ning Xi was really f*cked up! Since she was a baby, she was carried home wrongly. She¡¯s a proper heiress who became stranded amongmoners, forcing her to have a home she couldn¡¯t return to. And just when she finally thought she found true love, she was betrayed. Someone who was supposed to be the person she loved most hurt herpletely!¡±

    ¡°Still, Ning Xi had never once used her background or personal matters to gain pity. Instead, she relied on her own capabilities without a word and climbed to what she is today!¡±

    ¡°Instead, it was certain people, who weren¡¯t satisfied with stealing people¡¯s parents and boyfriend. She even wanted to force people to their doom! She¡¯s already pregnant. Doesn¡¯t she know to cultivate some good karma for the child in her womb?¡±

    ¡­

    At this moment, Ning Xueluo stared at the live stream on herptop, her initially pure little face twisted into a wicked expression.

    ¡°Xiao Xi, I regret it and I finally understood who I really like, no, really love is¡­¡±

    ¡°Xiao Xi, I¡¯ve already lied to myself for too long. I don¡¯t want to continue deceiving others and myself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a title, I¡¯ll marry you. I¡¯ll handle everything! You¡¯ll still be Mrs. Su. We can start everything all over again!¡±

    Su Yan¡¯s every word and sentence, all thements from the media and the spectators made Ning Xueluo tremble violently. Her sharp nails stabbed into her palms until fresh red blood started to drip onto the ground.

    What did they mean by a mistress climbing to the top!?

    Su Yan liked her. He loved her!

    Ning Xi was the third party that had wrecked their marriage! Ning Xi was the shameless slut that stole her man!

    Now, the entire world knew that Ning Xueluo¡¯s man had pestered Ning Xi, and even wanted to divorce her for Ning Xi.

    Such humiliation was about to drive her crazy!

    ¡°Ning Xi¡­¡±

    Ning Xi!

    How dare you!?

    I want you dead!

    I want you to die horribly!

    In the charity dinner hall, the reporters had surrounded Ning Xi once again.

    ¡°Miss Ning Xi, how did Ning Xueluo get in between you and Su Yan back then? What was the actual situation? Could you tell us?¡±

    ¡°Ning Xi, from the conversation, we can tell that Su Yan has already regretted it, and even wanted to get a divorce for you. Would you get back together with Su Yan?¡±

    ¡°Ning Xi, Starlight has been trying to poach you. Would you choose to leave? After all, putting aside all of the personal elements, given their capabilities, wouldn¡¯t Starlight be better for your career?¡±

    ¡­

    Regarding the personal matters, Ning Xi did not answer. Her gaze skimmed everyone present, and then she said, ¡°Since all the friends of the media and my fellow artistes of the industry are here, I¡¯d like for everyone to be my witness.¡±

    When they heard Ning Xi, all the media and artistes instantly held their breaths and waited for Ning Xi¡¯s next words.

    Ning Xi paused, then she looked towards the camera and continued, ¡°I, Ning Xi, today swear that in living, I am Glory World¡¯s artiste. In death, I am also Glory World¡¯s ghost. As long as I¡¯m still in the entertainment industry, I definitely won¡¯t leave Glory World. I will be with Glory World through thick and thin.¡±

 Chapter 2023 - Never Been Defeated

    <h4>Chapter 2023: Never Been Defeated</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°I will be with Glory World through thick and thin.¡±

    Just a short sentence had surged a sensation in everyone¡¯s hearts.

    In fact, this sentence meant that she rejected Su Yan and that she definitely would not get together with him.

    On the live stream sites, a torrent ofments surged.

    ¡°My Bro Xi is so cool!¡±

    ¡°Through thick and thin! Nice one! Bro Xi is such a boss!¡±

    ¡°She kept being ndered, and still she has never been defeated!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t regret in this lifetime. I only love Bro Xi!¡±

    ¡­

    As for Xu Tao who was beside Ning Xi, when he heard his queen¡¯s words, he was so moved that he almost cried.

    At this moment, a certain koi fish who was watching the livestream was about to bawl too.

    He had automatically reced Ning Xi¡¯s two words ¡°Glory World¡± with his brother¡¯s name in his head. In the end, he was served with this public disy of affection.

    In life, she was her brother¡¯s woman. In death, she would still be her brother¡¯s ghost and what not! Oh!

    After Ning Xi finished, she nodded slightly to the crowd and then got up to leave.

    Everyone automatically opened up a path and their eyes followed this girl who would forever only show her strong side to everyone no matter when and no matter how much suffering and nder she encountered.

    What kind of man would bepatible with such a girl?

    Amidst the crowd, Han Zixuan stood with a nk expression as she copsed to the ground. She never would have expected that the truth would be like this.

    The only person consigned to eternal damnation was her.

    From now on, Ning Xi would be an existence that she could never reach and could only look up at.

    Hiding in the corner, Yin Youyou who felt victory within her grasp was dumbfounded too. She turned pale and looked on in disbelief.

    How could this be!? How could this be!?

    Did Xu Tao not say that they did not even have a solution to help Ning Xi clear herself of the matter?

    How could it have turned out like this in the end?

    Even though Han Zixuan was done for, not only was Ning Xi not chased out of the entertainment industry but from then onwards, her poprity would be boosted even more!

    As for her, what was she supposed to do now?

    Han Zixuan and Zheng Anru would definitely have guessed that it was her, and Starlight definitely would not let her go!

    ¡­

    In the car park, Xu Tao rushed excitedly towards Liang Feixing who had been in thepany car, watching everything from a distance. ¡°Liang Zi, did you hear that earlier?! Did you hear that?! The queen said she wants to go through thick and thin with me!¡±

    Liang Feixing¡¯s mouth twitched and he pushed him away with a p.

    Brother, you think too much!

    Lady Boss¡¯s words earlier were clearly meant for the Boss, dude!

    Xu Tao did not care that he was pped away. He was still ted and immersed in his happiness. ¡°This time, we¡¯ll have to thank those paparazzi because if it weren¡¯t for them being such busybodies and trying to get ckmail material on Ning Xi, they wouldn¡¯t have gotten this recording!¡±

    These paparazzi had been stalking Ning Xi at Imperial University then and they recorded Ning Xi and Su Yan¡¯s conversation, but they were discovered in time by Ning Xi¡¯s bodyguards who managed to get the recording from them.

    They never would have thought that this thing woulde in handy like this in the end.

    Ning Xi had always hated mixing her personal matters with work. However, this one time, it implicated the entire Glory World¡¯s reputation, thus she did not hesitate using this recording.

    ¡°Be careful, my queen!¡± Xu Tao kindly helped Ning Xi to open the car door.

    As he was about to get into the car, footsteps rushed up from behind.

    ¡°Bro Tao! Wait up!¡±

    The person who rushed after them between pants was Yin Youyou.

    Xu Tao raised his brows slightly. ¡°Ah Youyou, looking for me?¡±

    Yin Youyou¡¯s eyes were filled with anger, but at the moment, she could only suppress it. ¡°Bro Tao, there¡¯s something I need to talk to you about.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Xu Tao simply agreed, then he told Ning Xi and Liang Feixing to leave first.

    Ning Xi looked outside the car window and she frowned slightly.

    Liang Feixing started to drive off without minding them. ¡°Lady Boss, don¡¯t worry. Yin Youyou is no match for that fox, Xu Tao!¡±

 Chapter 2024 - Playing Dumb

    <h4>Chapter 2024: ying Dumb</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xu Tao poured himself a cup of tea leisurely, looking pleased. ¡°The Xihu Longjing here is not bad¡­¡±

    Yin Youyou did not have the mood for tasting tea right then. Her phone had been ringing off the hook since earlier.

    The person who called first was Han Zixuan, then Zheng Anru. After that was her manager, and even Wang Haojun had personally called.

    Yin Youyou did not dare to answer any of them or even reject their calls. She could only put her phone on silent as she looked as white as a sheet, panicking to see her phone screen that kept shing.

    Xu Tao naturally saw that Yin Youyou kept getting calls too, so he pretended to be considerate and said, ¡°Youyou, it looks like you¡¯re quite busy. How about we meet on another day?¡±

    When she heard Xu Tao, although Yin Youyou had actually calmed down slightly earlier, now she looked emotionally at Xu Tao and said, ¡°Bro Tao, didn¡¯t you say before that about Ning Xi, Glory World didn¡¯t even have a solution to resolve it?¡±

    Xu Tao sipped his tea and seemed grateful as hemented, ¡°Indeed, it was very tricky! This time, we were just lucky. Thankfully, after that, we got evidence from the paparazzi that could prove Ning Xi¡¯s innocence.¡±

    Yin Youyou was suspicious. She still felt that something was odd, but she was distraught with anxiety at the moment and could not deliberate on it further.

    Damn it! Initially, once Ning Xi fell, all of Glory World¡¯s resources should be hers. Who would have thought that now she just switched from being suppressed by Han Zixuan to being suppressed by Ning Xi?

    However, no matter what, she was only left with one way out through Xu Tao.

    If Xu Tao dared to forget this favor and neglect her after this, she would not be one to mess with!

    Yin Youyou inhaled a deep breath as she pushed the jitters in her heart aside. ¡°Then, Bro Tao, when are you going to get me to be signed back on with Glory World?¡±

    Xu Tao instantly looked shocked and even pretended to panic as he looked around and lowered his voice. ¡°What? Sign you back on with Glory World? Youyou, you can¡¯t simply say things like this! You¡¯re doing well in Starlight right now. Why would you suddenly have such thoughts?¡±

    Yin Youyou jumped, puzzled by Xu Tao¡¯s question. ¡°Xu Tao, what do you mean?¡±

    Xu Tao feigned innocence. ¡°Youyou, I really don¡¯t know why you would suddenly say such things.¡±

    Yin Youyou could not believe it. She instantly mmed the table and got up. ¡°Xu Tao! You incited me to help you topple Han Zixuan. Now, you want to go back on your word after using me?¡±

    Compared to Yin Youyou¡¯s outburst of rage, Xu Tao sat calmly on the chair opposite her. He continued to annoy her by ying dumb. ¡°Uhh¡­ You helped me topple Han Zixuan? Youyou, why don¡¯t I understand you at all?¡±

    Yin Youyou was about to die from anger. At the same time, she finally understood everything.

    ¡°Xu Tao, you clearly knew that I had something against Han Zixuan with me. You first misled me, making me think that Ning Xi was really going to quit the entertainment industry this time, and then you incited me by telling me that as long as I toppled Han Zixuan, you¡¯d sign me back to Glory World and promised to give me all of Ning Xi¡¯s resources! Now, I¡¯ve sent you Han Zixuan¡¯s video and helped you topple her, but you want to turn your back on me?!¡±

    ¡°Youyou, are you saying that you sent those anonymous videos?¡± Xu Tao pretended to be appalled.

    His acting skills were probably enough to make it into the entertainment industry.

    ¡°Xu Tao! Are you still pretending!? I¡¯m telling you, when I¡¯m pushed to the edge, I¡¯ll let everyone know your true colors!¡± Yin Youyou snarled with malevolence.

 Chapter 2025 - What Are You?

    <h4>Chapter 2025: What Are You?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Xu Tao leaned back on his chair as he rested an arm on the armrest andughed. ¡°I was just having a bad mood the other day. I had no idea you¡¯d have thought so much about it. I really didn¡¯t expect you to have something so huge on Han Zixuan and to even send it to me! Ah, why are you so silly, Youyou? Didn¡¯t you know that if this thing came out, you¡¯d be over?¡±

    Nonsense! Of course, she knew!

    She thought that Ning Xi would be over this time and that Xu Tao had promised her he would take her back into Glory World!

    At this moment, Yin Youyou finally realized she had been following Xu Tao¡¯s n. She had fallen into the trap of this cunning old fox.

    Yin Youyou was frustrated. ¡°Xu Tao, if I¡¯m banned, you don¡¯t ever have to bother working in this industry anymore. If Glory World or Ning Xi knew you met with me, an artiste from Starlight, under those circumstances, and even tried to scout me over, what would they think?¡±

    Xu Tao shook his head with a painful expression. ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t believe girls nowadays are so sly. Why are you like this? Oh right, I forgot to tell you that, the other day when I was talking with you, I recorded our conversation.¡±

    Xu Tao then took out his phone and yed the audio file.

    The voices of their conversation started ying¡­

    Yin Youyou listened from the beginning to the end as her face turned pale.

    That bastard Xu Tao, he did not leave a single hint or evidence at all. All along, he used a reminiscing tone as if he was worried about her.

    If this audio was leaked, not only it would not cause Xu Tao any harm, it would be the biggest evidence that she had sent Han Zixuan¡¯s video to Xu Tao.

    Yin Youyou sat back down on the chair behind her. ¡°Xu Tao, you¡¯re taking revenge on me¡­¡±

    Xu Taoughed. ¡°Haha, you¡¯re not that important for me to put in this much effort.¡±

    He was just doing it for his queen.

    Yin Youyou started sobbing when she remembered how Xu Tao used to put in a lot of effort for her too.

    ¡°Bro Tao, I¡¯m wrong¡­ I know it¡¯s my fault¡­ I was blinded and cheated¡­ Starlight told me that they¡¯d let me and Han Zixuan be at the same position¡­ Starlight would never let me get away this time¡­ Please save me¡­¡±

    Xu Tao did not say anything. He took a final look at the girl whom he had brought into the path of stardom and then left.

    ¡­

    In a meeting room at Starlight Entertainment.

    Wang Haojun¡¯s expression was dark like thunderclouds as he mmed the table. ¡°Yin Youyou, are you the one who sent Xu Tao those videos?¡±

    ¡°I gave it to them. What about it?¡±

    Everyone thought Yin Youyou would deny it, but unexpectedly, Yin Youyou did not give any excuses and admitted to it.

    ¡°Witch!¡± Han Zixuan went up to her and pped Yin Youyou¡¯s face.

    Yin Youyou felt the stinging on her face, reminding her of all the times when she was bullied by Han Zixuan and the despair she experienced after she handed the videos over to Xu Tao.

    She had nothing left¡­

    Absolutely nothing¡­

    If Han Zixuan had not been such a bully, she would not have had to go this far!

    After several seconds of silence, Yin Youyou looked back up and raised her arm, returning a p.

 Chapter 2026 - Itâ€™s Too Late

    <h4>Chapter 2026: It¡¯s Too Late</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Han Zixuan covered the part she struck in disbelief, her eyes shing furiously. ¡°Witch! You hit me! Who do you think you are to p me!?¡±

    Yin Youyouughed coldly. ¡°Haha¡­ Han Zixuan! That¡¯s what I should be saying! Who do you think you are? The cancer within the industry, Ning Xi¡¯s recement, do you think you¡¯re still the top artiste of Starlight? You¡¯re just a shameless witch! What makes you think that you can always act like my superior? I¡¯m telling you now, I¡¯ve had enough of you!¡±

    ¡°I dare you to say it again, Yin Youyou! Who do you think you are?! You¡¯re just a dog beside me!¡±

    The two of them continued the argument and even started pulling each other¡¯s hair.

    Several people went up and dragged them apart atst.

    ¡°All of you, shut up! Are you guys trying to make things worse?¡± Wang Haojun bellowed.

    He thought that after Ning Xi¡¯s fall, Han Zixuan and Starlight would have no more obstacles and that he had no more worries after that.

    No one expected things to take a turn like this.

    Not only Ning Xi was out of the mess, Han Zixuan was involved in such a huge scandal.

    Han Zixuan was totally ruined by the two videos. She was the core artiste in whom they had invested so much on and now that she was crushed entirely, there was nothing to be done. He could only sit and watch as thepany shares dropped sharply.

    When he found out from Han Zixuan that it was an artiste from his ownpany that had sent the videos to Xu Tao, a broiling murderous intent brewed within him.

    ¡°Yin Youyou, do you know how much damage you caused to thepany by doing so? Where are your work ethics?¡± Wang Haojun released all his anger on Yin Youyou.

    Yin Youyou faced Wang Haojun¡¯s anger with a sarcastic, coldugh. ¡°When Han Zixuan was enjoying her time at the top, why didn¡¯t thepany think about the promise made to us, about the damage caused to us? I don¡¯t care if you want to ban me or whatever. I don¡¯t care! I¡¯ve had enough of this industry already!¡±

    She finally understood just how foolish her betrayal had been back then.

    If she had not betrayed Glory World, she would not have ended up like this.

    At this moment, she regretted it. After she saw through everything, she finally realized the essence of the saying ¡°greed is so destructive that it destroys everything¡±.

    However, it was toote now.

    Yin Youyou took a deep breath and left despite her manager¡¯s restraints. She ignored both Wang Haojun¡¯s anger and Han Zixuan¡¯s insults.

    ¡­

    Late at night.

    Ning Xueluo was sent to the hospital due to a sudden pain in her abdomen.

    The Ning and the Su families were both informed about what had happened at the charity event.

    Zhuang Lingyu growled, ¡°Zheng Minjun! Su Hongguang! Look at what your son has done! If anything happens to Xueluo, I¡¯ll never let you guys get away!¡±

    Zheng Minjun felt a little guilty because everyone knew that Su Yan was about to divorce Ning Xueluo, but now that she heard Zhuang Lingyu scold his son, she nearly lost it.

    Those words were supposed to being from her!

    Look at what your daughter did!

    What did Su Yan say wrongly? If it had not been for her daughter¡¯s seduction methods, would Su Yan have broken up with Ning Xi back then?

    If it had not been for Ning Xueluo¡¯s interference, they would have already been inws with the Zhuang family.

    If it had not been for Ning Xueluo spouting lies in front of the artiste, how could people post it up online and let everyone know? The Sus had lost all their reputation now!

 Chapter 2027 - Blame

    <h4>Chapter 2027: me</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    There was no other choice. Ning Xueluo still had the precious baby of the Su family. The check-up had previously even revealed that it was a boy. If they pressured Ning Xueluo too much under such circumstances, her precious grandson might be gone.

    After all, Su Yan had to face the issue of the other child, Su Xun, so it would be more advantageous to him if he were to have a sessor sooner.

    No matter what, Ning Xueluo had to give birth to that child first.

    Zheng Minjun held her tongue and used a gentle tone. ¡°You can¡¯t really me Su Yan for this! You know how Su Yan is like. Their rtionship has always been solid. He would never cheat on her! If Ning Xi had not seduced Su Yan, he would never have done so!

    ¡°Even if she said those flowery words, they were all part of a trick. That girl leaked the video online all for her own benefits. How are our families supposed to conduct ourselves in public from now on?¡±

    Zheng Minjun was aggrieved when she thought about how Ning Xi rejected her son so coldly. Had it not been for the Zhuangs, Ning Xi would just be a mere actress.

    Zheng Mingjun med everything on Ning Xi.

    Zhuang Lingyu became even angrier when Ning Xi¡¯s name was mentioned. ¡°Just what did I do in my past life to give birth to someone like her? Why is she always onto Xueluo and never letting go of the Nings?¡±

    Ning Yaohua was worried when he saw Zhuang Lingyu being really worked up. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Lingyu. Be careful of your health!¡±

    ¡°Look at what that brat has done! How can I not be angry? She¡¯s taking revenge on us. She¡¯s never considered us!¡±

    Just as Zhuang Lingyu was weeping, Su Yan arrived.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s pregnancy had hit him hard. In addition to Ning Xi¡¯s rejection, he felt depressed and he had made an excuse to go overseas as an escape, but unexpectedly, such a huge fiasco had happened back in the country.

    When he found out Ning Xi was misunderstood and criticized by the public, he was worried and jumped on the first flight home.

    However, before he could do anything, he saw the live stream of the charity night the moment he touched down.

    His first reaction was to look for Ning Xi, yet he received a call from his family informing him that Xueluo was hospitalized because of abdominal pain and wanted him to go there.

    ¡°How¡¯s Xueluo?¡± Su Yan asked while panting.

    Zhuang Lingyu looked sharply at Su Yan, clearly unhappy with him. ¡°Do you still think of Xueluo as your wife?¡±

    Su Yan clenched his fists and looked downwards ashamedly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Zheng Minjun went up and gave Su Yan a nudge. ¡°It¡¯s alright now. I know you were deceived by Ning Xi. Go take a look at Xueluo and talk to her. Don¡¯t let her misunderstand¡­¡±

    ¡°Mother, I¡­¡± Su Yan frowned.

    Zheng Minjun shot Su Yan a look to prevent him from keep talking, then she pushed him into the ward and continued talking to Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua.

    ¡°It¡¯s normal for married couples to have some arguments. If we get involved too much, things might get worse. They even have their own child now. How could they get a divorce? Even if Su Yan insists, there¡¯s still Hongguang and me! Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t let Xueluo suffer!¡±

 Chapter 2028 - Endure For Now

    <h4>Chapter 2028: Endure For Now</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Su Hongguang echoed along from the side, ¡°As for Su Yan, he has long figured things out. The problem that you are worried about definitely won¡¯t happen.¡±

    When she saw Zheng Minjun and Su Hongguang¡¯s attitude, Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s expression softened.

    After all, the main culprit of this incident was still Ning Xi, that damned brat!

    Zhuang Lingyu sighed, ¡°We can obviously see how you and Su Yan have been treating our Xueluo, but now that the matter has reached this stage, how¡¯s our Xueluo supposed to face everyone from now on? How can she still establish herself in this circle from now on?¡±

    Su Hongguang quickly assured, ¡°That isn¡¯t a problem. Even if Ning Xi and Su Yan had started dating first, it was still something that happened before they got married. Xueluo and Su Yan have already been married for so long, and they even have a child now. As long as Su Yan and Xueluo still love each other, everyone will only talk about this for a few days at the most. Later on, I will chat with Su Yan and tell him to make a statement. I¡¯ll definitely handle this matter well. Please don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua nodded, satisfied.

    ¡­

    Before Su Yan entered the ward to see Ning Xueluo, Su Hongguang called him aside to speak.

    ¡°Father.¡±

    Su Hongguang looked at his son and sighed, ¡°Su Yan, this matter is can be quite grave. You must know that as an heir of a family n, marriage is extremely important to your image.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Su Yan nodded with fatigue.

    ¡°Now, everyone already knows about Xueluo being pregnant. Even if it was exposed that back then it was Ning Xi who dated you first, but to divorce Xueluo right now¡­ abandoning a pregnant woman, if word gets out, it will definitely affect our Su family¡¯s reputation significantly.

    ¡°Now, on Xueluo¡¯s side, we must calm her down first. As for Ning Xi, to avoid arousing suspicion, it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t get too close,¡± reprimanded Su Hongguang with a stern tone.

    Clearly, now was definitely not the best time for a divorce.

    When Su Yan heard his father, his pupils shrunk slightly. Initially, Xueluo¡¯s pregnancy had already made him ashamed to face her. This time, because of him, Ning Xi was almost pushed off the edge. How could he be not in the least concerned?

    Su Hongguang patted his son¡¯s shoulder and consoled him with a hint, ¡°Su Yan, I understand how you feel. Those who do big things must understand how to exercise patience. Now, everything must wait until Xueluo safely gives birth to the child. Do you understand?¡±

    Su Yan took a deep breath as he suppressed the emotions in his heart and said, ¡°Father, I understand.¡±

    In the ward.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s eyes were red as she leaned back on the bedhead, looking absent-minded.

    When she heard the familiar sounds of footstep from the entrance, Ning Xueluo slowly turned to look over. The instant she saw the man, the tears that she had kept in for a long time suddenly fell at once. ¡°Bro Yan¡­¡±

    As he looked at this girl who was carrying his baby, Su Yan avoided her gaze like a sorry figure. He was silent for a long time, but he finally mustered the strength to say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    She heard Su Yan¡¯s apology and how he did not defend himself at all, just admitting to everything.

    Ning Xueluo tightened her fists that were under her nket. She disguised the malevolence in her eyes and her expression became even more miserable. She forced augh and said, ¡°Actually, I knew¡­ I should¡¯ve known. Sister is so beautiful, so excellent. No matter what, I chase I can¡¯t catch up to her. There will be a day when you will return to her side¡­

    ¡°Whether it was in the past or right now, I¡¯ve never thought of fighting for anything with Sister. If I could, I would be willing¡­ willing to matchmake the two of you¡­¡±

 Chapter 2029 - Final Struggle

    <h4>Chapter 2029: Final Struggle</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she said this, Ning Xueluo choked on her tears and her trembling fingers stroked her lower abdomen. ¡°Bro Yan, as long as you can be happy, I can do anything¡­ but, Bro Yan, I can¡¯t¡­ Our child¡­ What do we do with our child?¡±

    Su Yan sat on the side of the bed and wiped the girl¡¯s tears away, yet his heart was numb and there was no emotion in his tone. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Xiao Xi and I are impossible.¡±

    There was once when every time Ning Xueluo cried before him, he would have an unlimited amount of energy and desire to protect her. He would have protected her regardless of anything.

    Now, his tears were akin to an abyss filled with poison that shackled him. He could not breathe and only wanted to break free.

    When she heard Su Yan¡¯s words, Ning Xueluo did not look any better. Instead, she turned even paler.

    Was it just because he and Ning Xi were not possible anymore?

    What if he and Ning Xi still had a possibility?

    What if she was not pregnant?

    Or maybe he was just waiting for after she gave birth to their child.

    Would he immediately kick her aside and impatiently marry Ning Xi?

    When she thought about this, the fingers that Ning Xueluo used to stroke her underbelly suddenly tightened and her eyes were gloomy.

    ¡­

    Two days after that, Su Yan posted a Weibo.

    In the same boat under wind and rain .

    He attached a picture of his and Ning Xueluo¡¯s hands with their fingersced together.

    These past two days, Ning Xi¡¯s fans and some passersby had already scolded Su Yan and Ning Xueluo until they were totally crushed helplessly. Ning Xueluo was still a pregnant woman after all, and they had been married for so long. Now, Su Yan stated that he had chosen his family.

    Even if everyone felt unjustified for Ning Xi, it would not be kind of them toment too much on someone else¡¯s family matters.

    The recrimination online slowly faded away.

    In this period of time, Yin Youyou suddenly posted a statement announcing that she would be quitting the entertainment industry forever.

    If this news had been released in an isted manner, it would be enough to cause a hugemotion in the entertainment industry. However, because the headlines of Han Zixuan being banned dominated, the incident of Yin Youyou quitting the entertainment industry only caused a small ssh. Very quickly, the public¡¯s focus returned to Han Zixuan.

    This time, Han Zixuan¡¯s image waspletely destroyed. She was banned by the entire entertainment industry. Even if she did not give up and ran about to knock on doors, now even the worst entertainmentpany was not willing to take her. Ning Xueluo could not be contacted at all.

    At Imperial Central za.

    Han Zixuan wore a huge pair of shades and wrapped herself tightly as she walked to the car.

    Yi Xudong had suddenly sent her a text message and asked to meet up.

    Now, Yi Xudong was no longer the CEO of Glory World Entertainment. He started his own entertainmentpany, but he had note up with anything and had been running it at a loss. If it were not for his wife providing him with money, it would have long closed down.

    Han Zixuan despised Yi Xudong, but at this moment, she was desperate. All of her savings that she had since she debuted all went into paying for the penalty of ending her contract. Even the properties under her name had been taken by the court. She had been used to a life of luxury and could barely make it these days without any money.

    Zheng Anru wanted to treat her like a prostitute and sell herself cheaply to those newly rich bosses that she looked on in disdain back then. How could she have endured that?

    Han Zixuan looked around carefully and then quickly walked towards the restaurant not too far away.

    However, she had just gotten down the car and walked for a while when she suddenly met two ck pirs.

    She looked up and saw two mean-looking big guys blocking her way with hostility.

    Han Zixuan¡¯s expression changed as she took a few steps backwards. ¡°You¡­¡±

 Chapter 2030 - Ill Let You Take It All Off

    <h4>Chapter 2030: I¡¯ll Let You Take It All Off</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At this moment, the two mean bodyguards stepped aside, and a fat woman dressed in elegant clothing walked from behind. Her gaze skimmed Han Zixuan like a de. ¡°Are you Han Zixuan?¡±

    When she saw that the person who hade was Yi Xudong¡¯s wife, Jiang Manli, Han Zixuan¡¯s first reaction was to turn around and flee.

    However, she had only managed to take a step before her hair was yanked on and she was immediately dragged right back. She was ruthlessly flung to the ground. ¡°Slut, still want to run?¡±

    Jiang Manli was strong. With a jerk of her fleshy hand, her scalp was almost torn apart

    From above, she looked at the woman who fell to the ground. Observing how she was gorgeously dressed and how slim her waist was, she thought about those unsightly scenes in the video and about her conversation with Yi Xudong. The two b*tches had actually called her a disgusting fat woman!

    Jiang Manli¡¯s expression turned extremely brutal. ¡°Slut, you like to take off your clothes, don¡¯t you? I¡¯ll let you take it all off! Take off this witch¡¯s clothes! Let everyone see her slutty ways!¡±

    When the bodyguards received the orders, they instantly rushed up to her savagely.

    ¡°Ah! Don¡¯t! Go away! Go away! What are you guys trying to do?¡± Han Zixuan screeched her head off in fear and held her clothes down.

    She had always been set up high on a pedestal in the public¡¯s eyes. She had always been a goddess who could only be seen from afar and not disrespectfully messed with. When had she ever been humiliated like this before?

    The bodyguards did not havepassion for her. When they saw her resisting, they immediately pped her in the face.

    She had worn very light clothing today. That material could not withstand the tugs and very quickly it started to be torn apart, bing fragments that hung on her.

    It was lunch time then and people came and went to the za. Passerbys stopped walking one by one.

    ¡°Wow! What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably the first wife hitting the mistress!¡±

    Themotion was enough to attract a huge crowd of spectators. When the bodyguard pped the shades off from Han Zixuan¡¯s face¡­

    When they saw Han Zixuan¡¯s face, there were suddenly huge gasps from the crowd.

    ¡°Whoa! Isn¡¯t that Han Zixuan?¡±

    ¡°Dang! Oh my God! It really is! That¡¯s Han Zixuan!¡±

    ¡°That fatdy looks like Yi Xudong¡¯s wife!¡±

    ¡°Bloody hell, this is so shocking! Quickly record a video! Record a video!¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Argh!!! Help¡­ Help me¡­ Help¡­ Help me call the police¡­ Ahh¡­¡±

    Everyone around was taking pictures and recording videos. They watched on eagerly and no one stepped in.

    They loved watching scandals like a wife tearing the mistress apart was. It was lucky for Han Zixuan that they did not join in. They would not be meddling in other people¡¯s business.

    ¡°Slut, who gave you the courage? You dare to mess with my man, I¡¯ll mess with you to death today!¡± Jiang Manli said that as she suddenly pulled someone out from the corner. ¡°What? Seeing your little lover being so pitiful, do you feel sorry for her?¡±

    Yi Xudong broke out in cold sweat on the forehead. ¡°My wife, I¡¯m wrong! How could I feel sorry for a woman like this who sleeps with anyone? Back then¡­ Back then, I was drugged by her. I wasn¡¯t willing! I was forced! My wife, please trust me! Don¡¯t you know how I feel about you? How could I fancy a prostitute like her!¡±

    When Han Zixuan saw Yi Xudong appear, a sliver of hope appeared. At that moment, when she watched this man speak shamelessly, she was stupefied.

    ¡°Yi Xudong, are you still a man!?¡±

    How had she not seen back then that this man was a spineless coward who was afraid of his wife to such an extent?

 Chapter 2031 - I Believe You

    <h4>Chapter 2031: I Believe You</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Han Zixuan red at Yi Xudong. She was begging for forgiveness on the ground in desperation. ¡°Mrs. Yi, it¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m sorry¡­ Please forgive me just this once¡­¡±

    Of course, Jiang Manli was not an easygoing person. She had someone get her a chair and she sat on it before she gestured to Yi Xudong to massage her shoulders as she ordered her henchmen to continue.

    The fuss continued until the police got involved.

    passersby took photos and videos of what happened and it was shared with every corner of the Inte.

    Han Zixuan had no idea how she escaped the nightmare. Out of fear, she rushed into an underground car park.

    A car came around the corner quickly and braked, causing a loud screech before it stopped right before Han Zixuan.

    The driver quickly came out of the car to see what had happened, then he realized that it was a girl in a mess.

    The man was taken aback when he saw the girl¡¯s face. ¡°Han Zixuan?¡±

    Han Zixuan was stunned when she saw that it was someone she knew. ¡°C-CEO Su¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Su Yan frowned.

    Han Zixuan could not say anything. She broke down and started crying.

    Su Yan looked at Han Zixuan who had scratches all over her body and somewhat guessed what had happened, but he did not point it out.

    After all, if Han Zixuan had not decided to release the video of her conversation with Ning Xueluo, things would not have ended up like this. Ning Xi¡¯s misunderstanding of him would not have gone any further.

    He certainly did not have a favorable impression of Han Zixuan.

    Su Yan gave her his coat and then left in his car.

    Han Zixuan clutched onto the coat tightly as she stared at the car with hateful eyes.

    ¡­

    At Spirit Studio.

    ¡°Wow! Big news! Look at this, Boss. Han Zixuan was stripped naked and beaten up by Yi Xudong¡¯s wife in public! It¡¯s all over the Net now! How satisfying!¡± Han Momo skipped over to Ning Xi gleefully, her face brimming with a big smile.

    Ning Xi only nced at her and then looked away. Her eyes focused back on Gong Shangze¡¯s drafts.

    ¡°The two bastards, Ning Xueluo and Su Yan, are really frustrating. They still dare to post pictures of them being lovey-dovey!¡± Han Momo looked unsatisfied.

    Ning Xi looked helpless. ¡°Stop looking at gossip all day. Lorraine International Fashion Week is happening next month. Have you arranged the schedule?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all done. I¡¯ll never be behind on my work!¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°History is so shameless. They copied our style again and again, then even used us of giarizing then. We¡¯ll defeat them for sure this time!¡± Han Momo said angrily.

    Ning Xi put the drafts down and walked over to Gong Shangze as he was quiet the whole time and seemed unfocused. ¡°Ze, what are you thinking about?¡±

    Gong Shangze seemed like he wanted to say something, but then he shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Boss.¡±

    Ning Xi narrowed her eyes and asked, ¡°Does David still have your drafts?¡±

    Gong Shangze bit his lip. ¡°I thought about it. There shouldn¡¯t be any left, but I can¡¯t be sure if I left something out.¡±

    Ning Xi understood Gong Shangze¡¯s worries. His biggest challenge was to surpass himself.

    Gong Shangze pursed his lips, then he looked at Ning Xi. ¡°Boss, will you be there?¡±

    Ning Xi nodded. ¡°Of course, how can I not be present at such a crucial moment? I should be at Lorraine filming at that time. I¡¯ll be sure to head over.¡±

    Gong Shangze¡¯s uneasy expression faded away after he heard Ning Xi¡¯s reply. His eyes brightened up. ¡°Boss, I won¡¯t let you down!¡±

    Ning Xi smiled. ¡°I believe you.¡±

    Gong Shangze then asked, ¡°Boss, during this time, is it alright if I stay over at your ce in Deer Town for several days?¡±

    Ning Xi replied swiftly, ¡°Of course, you can! Your inspiration really flowed well there, didn¡¯t it? Even I miss that ce a lot!¡±

    Gong Shangze did not exin. He just nodded. ¡°Mmm.¡±

 Chapter 2032 - Fate Made Me Meet Mother

    <h4>Chapter 2032: Fate Made Me Meet Mother</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In Deer Town.

    ¡°Ah, what should I do? It¡¯s vomiting milk again!¡± Ning Xi had a milk bottle in one hand and a white tiger cub in another.

    Little Treasure freaked out as well. He almost cried as he saw the white tiger cub suffering.

    Lu Tingxiao pinched the space between his eyebrows. ¡°Let me do it.¡±

    He carefully took the cub and patted its back, then he changed positions and continued feeding it.

    This time, the white tiger cub finally gulped the milk smoothly.

    How loving!

    Ning Xi was impressed. ¡°Darling, did you feed Little Treasure like this when he was little?¡±

    Before Lu Tingxiao could answer, Little Treasure shook his head wildly. ¡°He has never fed me milk.¡±

    Ning Xiughed. ¡°How do you know? Do you remember the things that happened when you were little?¡±

    Little Treasure continued with his offense in a determined tone. ¡°It¡¯s a reasonable spection.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his child and coughed lightly with a helpless expression, yet he could not say anything.

    Well, he had been really busy back then, and¡­ he had no feelings for this son who had not been part of his life n.

    Little Treasure looked up at his mother. ¡°The heavens had ns for me. My will would be burdened, my body would be worked, my stomach would be starved. I had to empty myself and cleanse myself through thoroughly. Fate must¡¯ve made me undergo those experiences to meet you, Mommy.¡±

    Ning Xi was feeling bad for him, yet Little Treasure¡¯s eyes lit up and told her those words with such an honest pair of eyes. She hugged the little guy and gave him a kiss. ¡°Baby, how are you so cute?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    Burden his will, work his body, starve his stomach? Was he torturing him?

    He felt oddly wronged¡­

    At the same time, by thekeside, deer were drinking from theke and a flock of birds flew past.

    Gong Shangze was sitting on the grass with theke behind him as he focused intently on the loving family. He held paper and pen in his hand, and his eyes were glittering.

    As if blessed with life, the pen tip was dancing swiftly across the draft papers.

    Lu Jingli hid from Ning Xi and his brother. He held half a watermelon in his hand and was eating it with a spoon as he watched Gong Shangze work.

    After a long time, the sweetness in the air was almost suffocating but Gong Shangze still did not move one bit.

    Lu Jingli could not hold it in anymore. He looked at Gong Shangze like how a person would look at God and said, ¡°Bro, you¡¯re¡­ really courageous!¡±

    It was the first time he had seen someone request to watch people disy their affection to each other and even watched it so seriously.

    Gong Shangze gave him a doubtful look. He did not understand what Lu Jingli was talking about. ¡°Second Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Lu Jingli patted his shoulder. ¡°As a single person, don¡¯t you feel your heart ache watching them?¡±

    Gong Shangze looked at Lu Jingli in surprise. ¡°Why? I¡¯m very happy.¡±

    Lu Jingli¡¯s mouth twitched.

    The mind of a genius was very different from others!

 Chapter 2033 - Iâ€™m Focusing

    <h4>Chapter 2033: I¡¯m Focusing</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As the entertainment industry was still gossiping about the topic of cheating and mistresses, the international market experienced drastic changes each day. All the magazines and economy sections of newspapers were talking about it.

    For the Lu Corporation, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s name almost appeared as much as Ning Xi¡¯s name in the entertainment section.

    The man, who was supposedly controlling the fate of China, was now holding the hand of his wife and trimming her nails.

    His phone rang but Lu Tingxiao was busy with his hands, so he signaled to Ning Xi to pick it up for him.

    Ning Xi held the phone with her free hand and ced it next to Lu Tingxiao¡¯s ear.

    Lu Tingxiao polished his wife¡¯s nail cleanly as he spoke to the other person on the phone, ¡°You¡¯re giving me too much credit. As a citizen of China, it¡¯s my responsibility¡­¡±

    Lu Tingxiao used a lot of technical terms rted to economics, so Ning Xi understood nothing about them, but she felt that his tone was a little odd.

    ¡°Change your hand,¡± reminded Lu Tingxiao.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ning Xi swapped her hand. Lu Tingxiao continued to polish the other hand which had been holding the phone earlier.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression became gentler as the person on the phone said something. He replied, ¡°My wife.¡±

    After the call ended, Ning Xi¡¯s fingernails were polished like artistic artifacts.

    ¡°Darling, who called you just now?¡± Ning Xi asked.

    Lu Tingxiao gave her a name.

    ¡°Damn!¡± Ning Xi almost vomited blood. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be more focused!?¡±

    He had been on the call with that person while polishing her nails!

    She felt her nails were burdened with great sin!

    With that person calling him thiste at night, it seems that things were really tough.

    It was not exactly a bad thing. At least, Lu Tingxiao was not alone, the country was with him.

    ¡°I¡¯m focusing.¡± The man kissed the girl¡¯s finger.

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    Focused on polishing her nails?

    Ning Xi was lifted airborne and they went upstairs into the bedroom.

    Little Treasure was in the next room and was already fast asleep.

    ¡°Do you have to be up early tomorrow?¡±

    At the same time, the man put the girl gently on the bed, then he used his long fingers to unbutton her qipao .

    Herorbonewas revealed and the man¡¯s eyes darkened. The next moment, he was kissing her skin.

    Ning Xi trembled a little. ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t have work tomorrow¡­ but I¡¯m helping Jiang Muye for his feminine image¡­¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± the man replied.

    In the end¡­

    The sun was already rising and the chirping of birds came through the window.

    In the bedroom, Ning Xi¡¯s hair was all damp with sweat and she had no more stamina, yet the man in front of her was still energetic.

    When Ning Xi woke up, it was not morning or afternoon. In fact, it was already evening and the sky was getting dark.

    Ning Xi scratched her head and took a look at her phone. As expected, Jiang Muye had called her countless times.

 Chapter 2034 - My Poor Eyes

    <h4>Chapter 2034: My Poor Eyes</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xi changed and walked downstairs with soft footsteps.

    From afar, she saw that Little Treasure was taking care of the tiger cub while a certain someone held a newspaper in his hands. He wore casual home clothes as his forehead tilted forward while he sat on the rattan chair under a rack of flowers in the manner of an immortal without a trace of mundanity.

    Ning Xi ran over and then red at him angrily.

    Lu Tingxiao instantly gulped at the way his wife¡¯s beautiful eyes were spurting fires of rage. He put the newspaper in his hands down and hurled out a hand to pull her to his knees. His wide palm started to massage her aching lower back with the right amount of strength. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Massage a little higher!¡± Ning Xi asked with a darkened expression, ¡°How dare you ask? I already told you I had something to do today!¡±

    ¡°I only did it once.¡±

    When she saw his innocent expression, Ning Xi exploded. ¡°Then, did I feed it to the dogs the few times after that?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s lips curled. ¡°The few times after that, you asked for it, my wife. Did you forget?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    Shoot! It really was her who had asked for it¡­

    Bloody hell, the problem was that he made the first move to seduce her, so how could she resist?

    Now, she finally knew why there were so many incapable rulers who were charmed by lust in history.

    ¡­

    Whatever it was, when Ning Xi had rushed to look for Jiang Muye, it was alreadyte at night.

    Ning Xi managed to console the little master with all of her might.

    ¡°Don¡¯t waste time anymore. Quickly go change!¡±

    When he saw Ning Xi¡¯s impatient manner, Jiang Muye was even angrier. This dude wanted to see him in a female outfit so much, yet she could still bete for an entire day and only woke after sleeping till the afternoon. He could already guess with the tip of his toes about what she had been doingst night.

    Ning Xi waited anxiously in the living room as Jiang Muye dillydallied for about half an hour before his bedroom door finally opened.

    ¡°Have you changed?¡± Ning Xi impatiently looked over.

    In the next second, Ning Xi covered her eyes and rolled in suffering on the sofa. ¡°Crap! My poor eyes!¡±

    When Jiang Muye saw Ning Xi¡¯s reaction, he was so angry that he stomped over in his high heels aggressively. ¡°Ning Xiao Xi, what do you mean?¡±

    Jiang Muye wore a red dress with a pair of 12-centimeter high heels. His hair was tousled in golden waves and he had smoky-eye makeup and ming red lips.

    This scene¡­ was just¡­

    Ning Xi was dying as she held her chest in fits ofughter. ¡°Even if I waste, you can¡¯t take revenge on me like this!¡±

    Jiang Muye frowned. ¡°Do I look that terrible? But I was just following Carl¡¯s image!¡±

    Ning Xi opened her eyes with much difficulty and looked at Jiang Muye. ¡°The person who yed Carl in the original version was smaller than you. His features weren¡¯t as sharp as yours too. Of course, this look is fine, but for you topletely imitate him is too shocking!¡±

    ¡°Then, what do you suggest I do?¡±

    Soon, they would be going to Lorraine to shoot and his scene in the female disguise wasing up very soon. Even though he had already read the script through and through, the challenge for this character this time was huge and he was really not confident.

    When the time came, the filming crew would have professionals do his makeup. However, before that, he needed to have a foundation himself, which was why he had pulled Ning Xi over for advice. Initially, Lei Ming had said he would arrange a professional stylist for him, but he had firmly rejected the offer.

    Ning Xi pinched the space between her brows. ¡°Enough, change out of all your clothes. I¡¯ll help you do your makeup again too! You really don¡¯t know how to use things sparingly!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you can?¡± Jiang Muye looked at her a little worriedly.

    ¡°Believe my judgment, alright? I¡¯m just worried that you¡¯ll fall in love with yourselfter!¡±

    Jiang Muye was speechless.

 Chapter 2035 - Not Alone Anymore

    <h4>Chapter 2035: Not Alone Anymore</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    With long and straight jet-ck hair, the figure strutted in in a ck sequinned skin-tight dress paired with a leather jacket. Dashing and confident in Dr. Martens, without deliberating using feminine make-up, Ning Xi only deepened the eyeliner slightly and adjusted the lip color.

    Even though it portrayed the image of a female, it maintained Jiang Muye¡¯s own characteristics, his wildness, and his unruliness.

    When Jiang Muye opened his eyes, this was who he saw as himself.

    It was unexpectedly not as hard to ept as he had imagined.

    Ning Xi held her chin and looked with glittering eyes at this beauty before her. ¡°Oh, my! Jiang Muye! The way you look right now makes me willing to climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a deep fryer for you!¡±

    Jiang Muye red helplessly at this girl who was using a tone that she used to pick up girls with him. ¡°Shut up!¡±

    ¡°The way you look when you say ¡®shut up¡¯ is so cute!¡±

    ¡°Ning Xiao Xi!¡±

    The good thing was that with Ning Xi messing around with him, he actually felt much more assured. His masochism was bing more and more severe!

    Ning Xi suddenly thought of something. ¡°What now? Let¡¯s go test out this result!¡±

    Jiang Muye looked rmed at the way she looked like she was up to no good. ¡°How do we test it out?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make a trip to the bar! If any man hits on you, that means you¡¯ve seeded!¡±

    ¡°No thanks! From your gaze, I can tell that I¡¯ve already seeded!¡± Jiang Muye firmly rejected.

    Ning Xi found hiseback regretful.

    ¡­

    In Lorraine, America.

    Lorraine¡¯s International Fashion Week was near. Ning Xi had rushed over in advance because she was shooting ¡°Assassin¡±.

    A few days after, Spirit¡¯s team had also flown to this city of fashion, preparing to face the uing week of their most important battle.

    Lorraine was renowned for its beauty and fashion This city was the sacred ce in the hearts of women all over the world who chased fashion. It was also the birthce of many excellent designers.

    Fashion Week was part of the history of the city of Lorraine. Up till now, Lorraine¡¯s Fashion Week was still highly influential to all top designers from all over the world.

    Lorraine Fashion Week possessed the supreme position in the fashion world. It decided fashion trends for the year and the next. Every year, designers from all over the world would appear in close to hundreds of fashion shows within seven days, delivering thetest in fashion trends to fashionistas globally.

    Now, one of the most symbolic brands of oriental fashion, History, had made their name when they radiated brilliance on the Lorraine Fashion Week stage back then. They instantly became a representative of the Oriental style in the international fashion circle, revered by all fashionistas in China.

    Last year, History had participated as well. Even though it was not as breathtaking as the first time, their performance was worthy of praise too.

    As for Spirit, this would be their first time appearing on an international stage.

    This time, in Lorraine, most of the scenes were Jiang Muye¡¯s. Ning Xi¡¯s shooting schedule in Lorraine was very easygoing.

    On the day after she finished her shoots, she rushed to the airport to greet them.

    From afar, she saw Gong Shangze, Qiao Wen, and Han Momo.

    ¡°Boss! Here!¡± Han Momo waved vigorously with both hands amidst the crowd as she rushed over to Ning Xi cheerfully.

    Gong Shangze was a few steps behind. He pulled a trolley with him and looked nkly at the sky above them in Lorraine, lost in thought.

    Lorraine¡­

    This city that had given him unlimited life and hope was the same one that had thrown him into the abyss.

    He had finally stepped onto thisnd again. He had finally returned.

    ¡°Ah Ze, let¡¯s go!¡± A warm voice was heard.

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Gong Shangze looked at the people beside him as his floating thoughts started toe back, turning into an unlimited force.

    This time, he was not alone anymore.

 Chapter 2036 - Why Dont They Die?

    <h4>Chapter 2036: Why Don¡¯t They Die?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Boss, the airne wasn¡¯t good. I¡¯m so hungry!¡± Han Momo said with teary eyes.

    Ning Xi rubbed the little girl¡¯s hair. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to eat something yummy first!¡±

    After they put their luggage into the car, Ning Xi drove the three of them to a local famous Michelin restaurant.

    ¡°Wow! Three Michelin stars! Will it be very expensive?¡±

    Ning Xi broke out intoughter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your boss won¡¯t go broke from your eating just yet!¡±

    The four of them found a quiet corner by the window to sit. Han Momo started to order with full focus, while Qiao Wen started to report about work to Ning Xi.

    Gong Shangze looked out of the window at a corner not too far away. Suddenly, he said, ¡°That ce used to be mine.¡±

    Ning Xi turned to where Gong Shangze stared at and saw a ck beggar lying there asleep, sprawled out on his back.

    Ning Xi was stunned for a moment, then she smiled. ¡°What a coincidence! Geez!¡±

    The first time she met Gong Shangze was right there. Less than 300 meters away was a History boutique.

    That day, she had finished shopping for clothes from History when she met the nitpicking Gong Shangze on the streets.

    ¡°What, what? That¡¯s the ce when Boss picked up our Director Gong?¡±

    When Han Momo heard this, she immediately became interested and started to ask Ning Xi and Gong Shangze for details of when they first met. Qiao Wen looked over with interest too.

    ¡°Exactly, too long has passed. I didn¡¯t remember immediately¡­¡±

    The four of them were speaking happily when the restaurant door was pushed open. A line of seven to eight people walked in one after another.

    The leading one was a sly-looking, squat, old man of about thirty odd years. Following behind him was someone in an Armani couture tuxedo with a Patek Phillipe on his wrist. It was someone familiar.

    ¡°Whoa! Isn¡¯t that David? Enemies really meet on narrow roads! How did we even bump into them like this?¡± Han Momo was suddenly emotional.

    Those people were History¡¯s design team.

    The person leading them was called Liu Minghui, he was David¡¯s right hand man, History¡¯s vice director of design, to use Han Momo¡¯s words would be to call him David¡¯s henchman.

    David and the rest were speaking to each other, so they did not notice them. Then, the few of them sat down in a half-closed room not too far away.

    Even though they could not see them, their loud arrogant voices could be clearly heard by Ning Xi and the group.

    ¡°This time the Boss¡¯s work is amazing. You can definitely amaze those foreigners!¡± One of them eximed in an excited tone.

    ¡°Boss is amazing. You actually came up with such a creative idea! It will definitely be very popr!¡± The person who spoke was Liu Minghui.

    ¡°The workmanship and skills are top-notch! There¡¯s no way it could be made without at least a year or more! The boss must¡¯ve prepared in advance, yet he hid it from us and didn¡¯t tell anyone!¡±

    ¡­

    When she heard those pompous praises from across, Han Momo pouted in disdain. ¡°They¡¯re so good at bragging! Why don¡¯t they just die?!¡±

    Ning Xi smiled and did not say anything.

    Seeing David once again, Gong Shangze was no longer as emotional as he was in the past.

    However, when he listened to those isted phrases, his brows had knitted slightly.

    When he went back, he had gone through all of David¡¯s released works andpared it with his design drafts that had been stolen to confirm that there was nothing he missed.

    He knew that apart from this design team that David had to show, he had personally recruited a group of people, including many experts. He was not sure how David had gotten them to be used willingly. Otherwise, there was no way David would be able to survive till now.

    The works that he would be exhibiting this time would probably be the handiwork of that group of people.

 Chapter 2037 - The Circle Which Was A Class Lower

    <h4>Chapter 2037: The Circle Which Was A ss Lower</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Two dayster, Lorraine Fashion Week officially started.

    The gathering of stars and world-famous designers was not just a moment longed by fashion hobbyist and models. It was also the best time for new designers to carve their name in the international fashion industry.

    At the moment, the entertainment sections of the Chinese newspapers were filled with news about the Lorraine Fashion Week. It was either about a certain celebrity being invited or how gorgeous a certain person looked at the show.

    Many celebrities posted photos of them appearing at the event on their social media ounts.

    Actually, being an international fashion show, guests had to have received invitations from renowned brands or investors.

    During the fashion week, 40% of the invitations would be given to top fashion media; 30% for famous fashionistas and buyers; 10% for special guests; 10% for top clients; and thest 10% was kept for special reservations.

    In other words, celebrities from the entertainment industry represented only 10% of all the guests, and most of them would not be ced in the front seats.

    Where you sat symbolized your position in the fashion industry. Everyone who sat in the first row would be the most valued guests.

    Many people who posted photos and seemed like they were invited, but in actual fact, they did not even have a seat there. They paid their way there and just hung around the entrance to take some photos, deceiving people who were not familiar with the regtions.

    The official venue was the Lorraine Pce.

    On the ceiling of the pce were crystal lights which lit up the venue like stars of gxies. The in hall was modified and formed a T-shaped stage. On either side of the stage were the guests.

    Celebrities who were invited put in effort in their outward appearances and strutted the red carpet elegantly. They unted their assets and presented their best selves to the cameras, then they proceeded to their seats.

    International fashion shows did not use to be publicized, but with the normalcy of live streaming, everyone could see what was happening in their homes.

    A certain popr site in China received an exclusive right to live stream the whole event. Everyone was looking at it as they were impressed by the appearance of internationally well-known celebrities one after another,menting on their appearances and clothing.

    ¡°Oh! I saw my idol, Ondo. He¡¯s so handsome! His floral shirt is so flirty!¡±

    ¡°Damn, what is Xu Jiaojiao wearing? Did she just put on a nket and walk out? How weird!¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s giving their all just for a bit more of attention!¡±

    ¡°Did I just see Ning Xueluo? Didn¡¯t she leave the entertainment industry a long time ago? She¡¯s sitting in the first row! I think in the whole of China, only Song Lin has the right to be in the first row. She¡¯s the Chinese representative in LA! However, she¡¯s already half-retired and she¡¯s not even attending the event this time!¡±

    ¡°Ning Xi¡¯s position should be worthy too! Unfortunately, Ning Xi¡¯s never endorsed any clothing brand. Could it be that she¡¯s not invited?¡±

    ¡°Aside from guests, the first row of seats are reserved for people within the industry. While Ning Xueluo¡¯s not an artiste anymore, she¡¯s the founder of History!¡±

    ¡°No wonder!¡±

    ¡­

    Under the envious gaze of Chinese actresses at the scene, Ning Xueluo wore a History dress made for pregnant women and also donned Winston jewelry. She slowly sat down on her designated seat.

    So what if she left the entertainment industry?

    She never cared about the circle which was a ss lower anyway.

 Chapter 2038 - Nothing

    <h4>Chapter 2038: Nothing</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A journalist from China greeted her warmly, ¡°CEO Ning, this is the third time History has appeared in an international fashion week representing China. How do you feel?¡±

    Ning Xueluo smiled sweetly. ¡°I¡¯m honored to have History recognized by professionals. I¡¯m also very happy to represent our country to demonstrate the unique colors of our country to the world on this international stage.¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s reply was well-received by patriotic members.

    ¡°Taking her personality aside, she¡¯s pretty capable!¡±

    ¡°She did contribute to our country¡¯s international presence!¡±

    At the same time, the designer David was being interviewed by the media too.

    ¡°Mr. David, History¡¯s design shocked the world two years ago. It even created an Oriental fashion fever in the fashion industry, yet the performancest year was pretty nd. Will History be bringing us some surprises this year?¡±

    David looked proud as he was interviewed by foreign journalists, but his facial expression froze a little when he heard thement about the performancest year being ¡°pretty nd¡±, He replied confidently, ¡°I spent two years on this uing work. I believe it won¡¯t disappoint everyone!¡±

    Suddenly, many journalists turned towards the direction of the entrance.

    The chatroom in the streaming sites was spammed.

    ¡°Ah! Bro Xi, Bro Xi, Bro Xi!¡±

    ¡­

    In contrast to the other female stars wearing extravagant outfits, Ning Xi wore a simple champagne two-piece vest and dress. Aside from a few stitches on the dress and cor area, there were no extra ornaments. It was very clean and sleek, very much different from what everyone expected.

    During international fashion weeks, guests were there to watch the shows, yet more and more people turned from seeing the shows to walking the shows, transforming the event into an attention-seeking contest. The situation was much worse back in China.

    Ning Xi¡¯s simple and neat appearance gave a positive impression to many foreign journalists and people from the fashion industry.

    In addition to the news of Ning Xi starring in ¡°Assassin¡±, she had a lot of exposure internationally, so many foreign journalists interviewed her, breaking the ss ceiling of China¡¯s artistes being neglected.

    Fans were really excited to see her on the live stream.

    With Ning Xi¡¯s appearance, Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression darkened. However, she looked relieved when Ning Xi walked towards the row in the back.

    While Ning Xi had a lot of endorsements, she had never endorsed any clothing brands. It was impossible for her to receive an invitation from big brands. Invitations received from magazines would usually be for back row seats, or she might not even have a seat herself.

    Ning Xueluo sat on the first row as she nced at Ning Xi walked to the veryst row.

    So what if you are at the top of the entertainment industry?

    In here, you are nothing!

    Ning Xueluo was chatting with several industry experts happily, but in the next second, she was stunned.

    After Ning Xi greeted Qin Shuang sitting in thest row, she walked towards the first row and sat down in an empty seat.

 Chapter 2039 - Rainbow Feathers

    <h4>Chapter 2039: Rainbow Feathers</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xueluo did not look very pleased, but her expression soon turned mocking.

    Who knows what she had done to get here?

    She was the so-called top star of China, after all, so she was supposed to do these things.

    She was obviously unqualified yet she still forced herself here. While she could deceive the ignorant fans, the people in the industry could tell something was off.

    On the stage, the host announced the start of fashion week and everyone focused on the T-stage.

    All the big brands brought out their new releases for the summer and it was a grand feast for the eyes.

    The audiences in the streaming sites were impressed. At the same time, they were looking forward to the appearance of the Chinese brands.

    ¡°When¡¯s History¡¯s turn?! I¡¯m really excited!¡±

    ¡°I took a look at the schedule. It¡¯s today and there¡¯s also MOON from China too!¡±

    ¡°MOON is alright, but it doesn¡¯t really carry a unique Chinese style. I still like History better!¡±

    ¡°I heard that Spirit is in too!¡±

    ¡°Huh! You mean the one that¡¯s been following History¡¯s style?¡±

    ¡­

    In fashion week every year, the brands that represented their country held a certain amount of influence in their own country. To be able to represent a whole nation, the designers needed to be at the top level within the country.

    They could only receive official invitations after the assessment of the judges.

    There were three brands from China that passed the assessment. One was the brand MOON under Qu Guanyang, also known as the top designer in China, one was History, and the other one was Spirit.

    Qu Guanyang was the first Chinese designer to receive attention on an international stage. However, his style was more catered towards the taste of international audiences. History was the first brand to demonstrate the beauty of Chinese element in fashion.

    In the beginning, Spirit was still on par with History, but after a year of inactivity, not only internationally, they had even almost vanished in China. Now, it was slowly returning to the market with the two recent series.

    Unfortunately, Spirit was assumed to just be the side dish of the show, or even thought to be a brand chasing after History¡¯s style. It stood shrouded under the tall and dark shadow of History.

    It was normal that in this industry, everyone only remembered the first ce.

    All the fans and fashion hobbyists from China, who were watching the live stream, were waiting for brands from their country to appear, including overseas professionals who were interested in the growth of Chinese fashion.

    After Qu Guanyang¡¯s MOON finished, the name ¡°History¡± appeared on the big screen.

    Everyone focused on the stage. Even the Fashion Guru Adam straightened his back and focused intently.

    With the sound of zither music, models appeared donning History¡¯s garments.

    When the first model walked out, she took everyone¡¯s breaths away.

    They were absolutely beautiful!

    The zen vibe from the traditional culture of China was expressed thoroughly. Each and every garment gave off the vibe of a strong Oriental vor.

    Each thread and each embroidery¡­ None of them failed to present the beauty of the Chinese element.

    Most importantly, these Rainbow Feathers showed the world of the ancient wisdom of China. K¡¯o-ssu, Su embroidery, and Gold embroidery were all traditional crafts.

 Chapter 2040 - Heart-wrenching Pain

    <h4>Chapter 2040: Heart-wrenching Pain</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Oh my God! This is mind-blowingly beautiful!¡±

    ¡°Is this the legendary craftsmanship of China?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m seeing it correctly, these few sets of outfits use the k¡¯o-ssu 1technique that dated back to the Tang dynasty. The craftsmanship is extremelyplicated. Just a few meters will cost an artisan a few months!¡±

    ¡°How unique! Such magical Chinese culture!¡±

    Those present who were in this line of work and even the designers who had a prejudice against Chinese style had, at this moment, been stunned by the gorgeous and exquisite Rainbow Feathers clothing on the model.

    At this moment, all of the fans from China were emotional in the live streams. All of them were filled with pride.

    ¡°Oh! Pretty, pretty, pretty! China¡¯s culture is just stunning!¡±

    ¡°Too awesome! History didn¡¯t let us down! Shaking, aren¡¯t you!? This is the traditional culture from the distant past of China!¡±

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m about to be a Ning Xueluo fan!¡±

    ¡­

    Amidst the overwhelming praises, no one noticed that in a certain corner where the lighting was dim, a delicate-looking young man had turned pale. His trembling lips were almost bitten till they bled.

    Rainbow! Feathers!

    His Rainbow Feathers!

    His Rainbow Feathers that he had spent half a year drafting designs of, and then another two whole years personally learning the skill from an old artisan before he finished it on his own with every needle and thread!

    The Rainbow Feathers series that David had lied to him back then about how it had been destroyed in the sample room¡¯s huge fire!

    Yet at this moment, it had appeared at the Lorraine International Fashion Week¡¯s T-shaped stage right before his eyes.

    It was not the joy of regaining a loss. Instead, it was a torrential fury and hatred that bubbled up in him. It was the heart-wrenching pain of his flesh and blood being forcefully stolen by someone else!

    Gong Shangze¡¯s eyes shed with bloodlust. The veins on his forehead popped and his chest heaved increasingly intensely. His handsome face turned almost sinister as the blood in his entire body seemed to be flowing in reverse.

    Not too far away in her seat, Ning Xi had a bad feeling the instant History¡¯s work appeared. Her first reaction was to observe Gong Shangze¡¯s reaction.

    What she saw was indeed Gong Shangze seeming worse and worse. The young man¡¯s expression clearly showed that he was on the edge of breaking down.

    Ning Xi had never seen Gong Shangze this stirred up.

    Crap¡­

    When Ning Xi saw this, she frowned.

    It looked like David¡¯s so-called heartfelt work of two years was actually Gong Shangze¡¯s design.

    In fact, it was probably not just the design. This so-called product might have even been personally handmade by Gong Shangze himself!

    She remembered that more than once, she had heard Gong Shangze mention that the most perfect work of his life had been destroyed in a fire.

    That set of clothes were called ¡°Rainbow Feathers¡±.

    Could it be¡­

    History¡¯s work had the world¡¯s breath away once again. All the journalists rushed up to interview the chief designer, David.

    A certain foreign journalist asked, ¡°Director David, this time your work is stunning. I wonder where your inspiration came from.¡±

    David smiled and said arrogantly, ¡°Obviously, ites from China¡¯s 5000-year culture!¡±

    A certain Chinese journalist looked moved. ¡°Director David, you¡¯re amazing! May we ask which of the ancient designs have these clothes utilized? Apparently, you¡¯ve handmade all of it yourself. Is that true?¡±

    David nodded. ¡°I used K¡¯o-ssu, Su embroidery, Gold embroidery, and other techniques. Ipleted the design drafts myself, but the production waspleted by my team. We¡¯ve all equally contributed.¡±

    ¡°Director David, you¡¯re too humble. Everyone knows that the design is the soul of a clothing! Other than that, Mr. David, this time, your design is even more outstanding than the ¡®Spring Garden¡¯ show two years ago. I wonder what your series theme this time is called.¡± The journalistplimented.

    David answered, ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®Rainbow Feathers¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 2041 - Its My Design

    <h4>Chapter 2041: It¡¯s My Design</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The instant she heard those two words, Ning Xi¡¯s pupils suddenly shrunk and there was a bone-chilling coldness in her eyes.

    It really was ¡°Rainbow Feathers¡±

    David had even been so arrogant that he did not change a single word of the name.

    No wonder Gong Shangze would react like that.

    Ning Xi studied the young man who was burning like raging mes in the dim corner and pondered for a moment before she picked up her phone. She typed a text message before clicking ¡°send¡±.

    Gong Shangze felt the buzz of his phone. He braced himself and unlocked his phone, his vision blurry as he clicked on the message.

    The moment he saw that message, it was as if the charging anger inside that dizzied him was like a wild beast that had been consoled. It instantly quieted down.

    The ce was filled with unceasing high praises. The live stream continued to be refreshed. David, who was surrounded by the media, was still going on about the journey of his process.

    In the corner, a young man slowly took the mask on his face off. He stood up straight in the crowd as he said word for word, ¡°Rainbow Feathers is my design. It¡¯s my work that Ipleted myself!¡±

    This voice was akin to sshing a bucket of cold water into the raging ze. The warm atmosphere suddenly fell silent and there was pin-drop silence.

    Everyone¡¯s gazes instantly moved away from David to that young man with a darkened gaze.

    The young man had a delicate and handsome face, yet his face was as pale as a sheet while the fire in his eyes could set the whole pce on fire.

    David was enjoying both the glory and the benefits when he suddenly heard this nightmarish voice as if a sudden thunder had struck down from the heavens.

    When he rigidly turned over and had a good look at that young man¡¯s face, he was instantly stunned.

    Gong¡­ Gong Shangze!

    He had actually seen Gong Shangze!

    Impossible, how could it be Gong Shangze!?

    This was impossible!

    He had been clearly begging on the streets of Lorraine. Obviously, he should have gone crazy and died in some dismal alley.

    How could he be dressed so neatly and appear at Lorraine International Fashion Week!?

    Everyone else¡¯s gazes were fixed on Gong Shangze at the moment. They did not notice the peculiar expression that shed across David¡¯s face.

    All of the media and guests present exchanged looks in confusion. Momentster, they finally returned to their senses.

    One of the journalists asked with hostility, ¡°Excuse me, Sir, who are you?¡±

    Gong Shangze was the worst at interacting with people. He even had to put on a face mask and wrap himself tightly when attending such an event before feeling a sense of security, what more speaking when so many eyes were on him.

    The young man¡¯s palms were sweaty until he noticed the radiant gaze amidst the crowd that had been illuminating him throughout.

    ¡°Spirit¡¯s chief designer, ZX. My Chinese name is Gong Shangze!¡± The young man enunciated word for word clearly.

    The instant he finished, the crowd started to discuss in disbelief again.

    ¡°Spirit¡¯s chief designer?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Turns out he¡¯s that legendary designer from Spirit that has never shown his face, ZX!¡±

    ¡°But what did his words earlier mean? He actually said¡­ Rainbow Feathers was his design and that he hadpleted it himself? Isn¡¯t that preposterous? How could History¡¯s work have beenpleted by Spirit¡¯s designer?¡±

    ¡­

    David stared straight at the young man that he had not seen for two whole years.

    Not only did the young man not show a single trace of being in dire straits, instead, he had dressed up fittingly. Even the usual cowering in front of the public was gone, which was why he almost could not recognize him at first look.

 Chapter 2042 - Stolen Design Draft

    <h4>Chapter 2042: Stolen Design Draft</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Even more unexpectedly, Gong Shangze was actually the chief designer of Spirit!

    It turns out the person who had been going against him was this fellow!

    No wonder¡­ No wonder!

    No wonder Spirit¡¯s design style was so simr to Gong Shangze¡¯s. It had really been him! He was really lucky!

    There was a fierceness in David¡¯s eyes. The initial shock and panic slowly turned into disdain and fearlessness.

    Haha, Ah Ze, we haven¡¯t seen each other for two years, yet you are still naive as you have always been!

    You think that just based on Spirit, you can topple me?

    You think that just because you said Rainbow Feathers was your design, everyone would believe you?

    Everything was just as David had expected.

    Not only did the crowd look at Gong Shangze with odd gazes, even the Chinese fans in the live stream channels started to say tantly mean things.

    ¡°Wow! Where did this person pop up from!? He¡¯s probably gone insane from wanting to be famous. Forget that they¡¯ve always been copying History¡¯s style! Now, he actually straight up said that these clothes¡¯ designs are his and that he made them himself?¡±

    ¡°How shameless! If it were not for History exposing the Chinese style to the world, how would Spirit have a chance to leech on and be invited to an international fashion week?!¡±

    ¡°So humiliating all the way abroad! Quickly get lost from Fashion Week. Don¡¯t humiliate us anymore!¡±

    Among the scoldings, some rational Netizens pointed out suspicions.

    ¡°Is there some kind of inside story? Even if Spirit¡¯s designer had the slightestmon sense, they wouldn¡¯t have said such baseless things at an event like this, would they?¡±

    ¡°Actually, Spirit¡¯s clothes are quite nice too. This time they managed to get an invitation to Lorraine Fashion Week, which means that Spirit has been internationally recognized. There¡¯s really no reason for them to do something like this, is there?¡±

    Discussions simr to those were very quickly been shot down by History¡¯s supporters.

    ¡°Do you think a counterfeit copycat designer would have a thing such asmon sense? He¡¯s foolish himself, and he really thinks we¡¯re fools too!¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t design anything for a whole year. Recently, all their works have been following History¡¯s style. Even their design that won the Golden Award back then copied and referenced History!

    ¡°Once the counterfeit has had a taste of sess, they won¡¯t be satisfied with small wins now. They straight up said that History stole his works! How can there be such a shameless person?¡±

    ¡­

    At the moment, discussion was abound at the venue too. They looked at Gong Shangze with strange gazes.

    One reporter asked, ¡°Mr. Gong, earlier you said that Rainbow Feathers is your design. What do you mean by that?¡±

    Gong Shangze replied, ¡°It means what it says. Rainbow Feathers is mine. David stole my work. Not just Rainbow Feathers, ¡®Spring Garden¡¯ was my design too.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± The journalist was utterly confused.

    Did he just say that ¡®Spring Garden¡¯ that David had stunned the international fashion industry with two years ago was his design too?

    ¡°Lotus Flower Breaks The Surface, Forest, Late Autumn¡­¡± Gong Shangze listed out more than ten of History¡¯s themed series at a go, and every series¡¯ timeline of release. Finally, he said, ¡°All of these were from the design drafts that David has stolen from me!¡±

    In the corner, when David heard Gong Shangze¡¯s words, he almostughed out loud.

    That expression of his spelled pity and regretful as if he was looking at a pitiful creature making the final struggle even though he knew he was about to die.

    Huh, he just knew that this idiot was not one to be afraid of. He did not even need to make a move. He could already y himself to death.

    Today, this designer from Spirit named Gong Shangze had said things that were terribly shocking.

    He was saying that the leading figure of Oriental style, the one that even the fashion guru had praised was a genius designer, David, and all of his ssic works were actually stolen?

 Chapter 2043 - If I Can Prove It

    <h4>Chapter 2043: If I Can Prove It</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The journalist continued with the questions. ¡°If what you said is real, why didn¡¯t you say it before, and do you have proof that David stole the design drafts from you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± replied Gong Shangze.

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±

    The people at the scene were speechless.

    Scoldings and criticisms almost flooded the server of the streaming site.

    ¡°Gosh! Idiot! A real idiot!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s giarism because you said it. It¡¯s stealing because you said it. It¡¯s yours because you said it¡¯s yours. Can your father be mine just because I said so?¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have to use him like that when he¡¯s just jealous, does he?¡±

    ¡°How did this tiny brand get selected? How shameful!¡±

    ¡­

    David scoffed andughed coldly when he saw the crowd¡¯s reaction. He was extremely thrilled.

    He really had to thank this guy for ending himself. He had no more troubles to worry in the future anymore.

    ¡°Director David, what do you have to say about Mr. Gong¡¯s usation?¡± The journalists asked David.

    David sighed with a painful expression, then he looked at Gong Shangze and said, ¡°Director Gong, it isn¡¯t the first time people have talked about you imitating my style, but as Chinese designers who have simr styles, I respect your effort to promote Chinese culture and have never said anything about it, yet now you turn the facts around and attack me like this. Why are you doing this?¡±

    David¡¯s words directed the unhappy emotions all towards Gong Shangze.

    Even the officials could not just stay still anymore.

    The president of the Lorraine Fashion Society, who was a respectable senior within the industry, Akas, spoke up, ¡°Mr. Gong, as far as I know, each and every draft of David was trademarked and there¡¯s no way they are fake. It¡¯s impossible that he stole and giarized other people¡¯s work unless you have proof.¡±

    Gong Shangze remained silent and did not say a thing.

    David had robbed everything from him: design drafts,puters, and the pen name that they shared. After all, David was the one who worked on trademarking at that time.

    Even if he were to redraw the drafts again, David had trademarked them, so he would be used of stealing David¡¯s design.

    Akas¡¯s expression became sterner when he saw Gong Shangze¡¯s expression. He warned, ¡°You might be unhappy with History always being above you, or you could be angry that people are criticizing you of giarizing History¡¯s design.

    ¡°However, you¡¯re using another person of a serious offense under such circumstances. Do you know what the consequences are? If you can¡¯t give me an eptable excuse, we will remove Spirit¡¯s participation right away. You¡¯ll also be cklisted in the industry!¡±

    ¡°What if I can prove what I said is real?¡± Facing the criticisms from the officials and insults from everybody, the young man was not shaken at all.

    Akas was taken aback by those determined eyes. He then said, ¡°If you can prove that what you said is real, I¡¯ll give you a fair judgment on behalf of the society.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Gong Shangze nodded.

    David stood there casually. He did not seem worried at all.

 Chapter 2044 - Gong Shangze!

    <h4>Chapter 2044: Gong Shangze!</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He knew all about the inspiration and creation process behind all the design drafts. He knew nearly as much as Gong Shangze. If he were to prove it this way, he might be being too naive.

    Gong Shangze looked at the models wearing ¡°Rainbow Feathers¡±, then he looked back at David. ¡°Before I prove myself, I¡¯d like to ask Director David a question.¡±

    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±

    ¡°These six sets of clothing used a lot of traditional Chinese techniques. The embroidery is especially excellent. I heard all the embroidery was done by you personally. Is it true?¡± Gong Shangze asked coldly.

    David raised his eyebrows.

    Haha, this guy wasying a trap right here!

    David then said, ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s extremely difficult, which is why I did it personally. If you don¡¯t believe me, I can prove it to you right now.¡±

    Gong Shangze, do you think I can really stay in this industry without knowing some tricks?

    Some people within the industry started discussing when they heard Gong Shangze¡¯s question.

    ¡°Does Gong Shangze think David didn¡¯t create these clothing himself?¡±

    ¡°Gong Shangze is going to fail. David is really good at embroidery, especially Su embroidery. Su embroidery technique was applied to these garments.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, even if he proved David wasn¡¯t the one who made these clothing, he can¡¯t prove that he didn¡¯t design them, can he?¡±

    ¡­

    Gong Shangze ignored the whisperings around him. He replied, ¡°No, it¡¯s alright.¡±

    Listening to the discussion, David smiled gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s normal to have some doubts here.¡±

    David then looked at the clothing and said in reminiscence, ¡°The Chinese fashion culture is deep and wide. The techniques are a cut above the rest. It¡¯s always been my dream to bring our culture onto an international stage, which is why, aside from design, I¡¯ve involved myself in researching on handcrafts. Creating an item based on a design from paper is a very meaningful process to me!¡±

    ¡°While good designers do not necessarily have to be a good tailor, a designer with knowledge of the craft would help to deepen the understanding of fashion design.¡±

    David¡¯s words were well-received by his colleagues.

    Gong Shangze had remained silent from the beginning until now.

    When David finished his words, the young man moved and walked slowly towards the center of the T-shaped stage.

    The sharp gazes of strangers were focusing on his back. The socially-anxious young man took each step as if he was going through a path of icy des. However, he knew that he could not stop or turn around.

    Someone was looking at him.

    Everyone looked at him oddly when he went up on stage.

    People were starting to get impatient.

    ¡°What is he doing now?¡±

    ¡°A good international show has now been ruined by this clown!¡±

    ¡°Someone should¡¯ve chased him out just now!¡±

    ¡­

    More and more voices of dissatisfaction came from the crowd. Gong Shangze went beside a model who was wearing the ¡°Rainbow Feathers¡±.

    His white fingers slowly folded the extrarge sleeve up and he turned the sleeve inside out.

    The next moment, the young man looked at David with his sharp eyes.

    ¡°Then, here¡¯s my second question. I¡¯d like to know why did you embroider my name on your own work?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± David¡¯s expression changed.

    High-definition cameras closed in.

    On therge screen at the back was the inside of the sleeve. There were clearly three Chinese characters embroidered: Gong Shangze!

 Chapter 2045 - Shocking Twist

    <h4>Chapter 2045: Shocking Twist</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The camera clearly showed each detail of the embroidery on the screen.

    The name ¡°Gong Shangze¡± was embroidered with gold thread and was clearly shown to everyone at the scene as well as all the people who were watching on the streaming sites.

    There were professional trantors all around the area.

    When they heard Gong Shangze¡¯s words and saw the three words on the big screen, many overseas partners started asking their Chinese partners around.

    ¡°What is that? Those Chinese characters? Did that designer say that¡¯s his name?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Those are Chinese characters and that¡¯s really that designer¡¯s name!¡±

    ¡°God! That¡¯s impossible!¡±

    ¡­

    Within the industry, many people knew that designers liked to leave some unique markings on their favorite work. It might be a symbol or their initials.

    However, no one ever heard of a designer leaving the name of someone else on their work.

    David was staring at the big screen as if he had just seen ghostse alive. His forehead was filled with sweat and his heart was racing quickly.

    ¡°Uhh, what¡¯s happening? Why is Gong Shangze¡¯s name on David¡¯s work?¡±

    ¡°Did someone y some trick?¡±

    ¡°Gong Shangze asked David just now if he embroidered the clothing himself. David replied ¡®yes¡¯ confidently!¡±

    ¡°Oh my gosh! What a twist¡­ Could David have really stolen the ¡®Rainbow Feathers¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Then, all other designs from David are suspicious too!¡±

    ¡­

    David¡¯s limbs went numb as he listened to the discussions around him. He unconsciously looked towards a certain direction.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression seemed terrible.

    Damn it!

    How could it be!?

    Gong Shangze was just an idiot who was not aware of him at all. How could he have thought of embroidering his name on the clothing back then!?

    How could he not have noticed it after he checked them over and over again!?

    That brat hadid a trap for him just now and made him say that he embroidered all these clothes himself.

    He could not change it now!

    David¡¯s brain was going to explode.

    The president of Lorraine Fashion Society, Akas, went up on-stage to take a look for himself.

    After careful inspection, all six clothing had Gong Shangze¡¯s name at a hardly noticeable spot on the inside of the sleeves.

    The crowd went wild!

    Everyone who was watching the live stream was shocked too.

    What was happening?

    Why was Gong Shangze¡¯s name on ¡°Rainbow Feathers¡±?

    On the stage, after checking all the clothing, his eyes fell on David. ¡°Director David, can you provide us with an exnation?¡±

    David came back to his senses. He tried to act calm and put on a surprised expression. Angrily, he said, ¡°How could it be!? That¡¯s impossible! Why would I embroider the name of another designer on my work? I didn¡¯t do that!¡±

 Chapter 2046 - Unique Technique

    <h4>Chapter 2046: Unique Technique</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Akas¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°But earlier you¡¯ve admitted yourself that youpleted all the clothing¡¯s embroidery on your own.¡±

    David said without a change in expression, ¡°Indeed, that is so, but I really don¡¯t know why the three words ¡®Gong Shangze¡¯ would appear in my work!¡±

    David was determined to deny it until the end.

    The crowd present could not decide in that instance.

    ¡°Uhh, could these clothes have been secretly tampered with afterwards?¡±

    ¡°I think there¡¯s a possibility!¡±

    ¡°It must be like that. Otherwise, it doesn¡¯t make sense at all!¡±

    ¡­

    Compared to Gong Shangze who was unknown in the international fashion industry, everyone would subconsciously believe David more.

    Because of David¡¯s hints, everyone naturally wondered if the clothes had been tampered with.

    When Akas heard, he pondered too, ¡°Indeed we can¡¯t rule out the possibility that these characters had been embroidered on afterwards without your knowledge.¡±

    When David heard the replies that had been within his expectations, he instantly let out a long sigh of relief.

    Still, before the corner of David¡¯s lips could curl up into a smile, he saw that the young man beside Akas had said with a certain voice and without expression, ¡°Impossible.¡±

    Suddenly, everyone¡¯s gazes fell onto the young man again.

    Akas frowned and asked, ¡°Why is that impossible?¡±

    Because of the huge twist earlier, this time, no one spoke rashly. Everyone held their breaths and waited for the young man¡¯s answer.

    Gong Shangze folded up one of the sleeves and answered word for word, ¡°Because, for this part of the embroidery, I used the technique of double-sided three-fold embroidery.¡±

    Double-sided three-fold embroidery?

    What was that?

    When they heard this incredibly alien term, the crowd started to buzz with discussion again.

    ¡°Uhh, what¡¯s double-sided three-fold embroidery?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never even heard of it!¡±

    ¡°I have heard of double-sided embroidery. It¡¯s a very hard embroidering technique. Single-sided embroidery only needs the front to look delicate. However, the threads going on the other side could be neglected, while double-sided embroidery requires both sides to be equally neat and well distributed.¡±

    ¡­

    Even Chinese people did not understand what Gong Shangze had mentioned. For the Chinese in the industry to only know a little, what more the foreigners? At the moment, everyone was baffled.

    Right at this moment, a middle-aged man in a white x lounging outfit walked up onto the stage.

    When the crowd saw they instantly cried out excitedly, ¡°It¡¯s Qu Guanyang!¡±

    ¡°Right! Teacher Qu will definitely know!¡±

    ¡­

    Akas had been troubled earlier, but when he saw Qu Guanyang walk over, he instantly let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Qu, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to trouble you about this!¡±

    ¡°President Akas, you¡¯re too courteous.¡± Qu Guanyang nodded and shared greetings with Akas before his insightful eyes skimmed the young man beside Akas.

    The first time he saw this young one was at the Golden Awards. His design style had been used of copying David, yet in the end, he had with true capabilities bagged that year¡¯s Golden Award with a full score.

    He never could have imagined that they would meet again in a situation like this.

    Gong Shangze¡¯s clear and clean gaze calmly returned the middle-aged man¡¯s nce.

    Under everyone¡¯s nervous and curious gazes, Qu Guanyang very quickly retrieved his gaze and started to closely inspect every part of the clothes where the characters ¡°Gong Shangze¡± had been embroidered.

    Time passed by¡­

    Qu Guanyang finally put the clothes hem in his hand down.

 Chapter 2047 - It Was All Over

    <h4>Chapter 2047: It Was All Over</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qu Guanyang looked at everyone, then he said slowly, ¡°Chinese embroidery is usually single-sided, yet there is another more difficult embroidery technique called the double-sided embroidery.

    ¡°Double-sided embroidery is one of China¡¯s excellent ethnic traditional crafts. It¡¯s a type of variant embroidery, also called ¡®Both Sides Shine¡¯. It¡¯s on the same material. Through the same embroidery process, images are embroidered on both sides with exactly the same outlines, and the images are equally delicate, both to be admired.¡±

    ¡°Teacher Qu, then what is the double-sided three-folded embroidery that Gong Shangze mentioned?¡± Someone asked impatiently.

    Qu Guanyang continued to exin, ¡°In double-sided embroidery, there¡¯s still a rtively unknown type called the double-sided multi-colored embroidery. As the name goes, it means that on both sides, the same motif is embroidered, but the colors will be different.¡±

    When he said this, Qu Guanyang paused. His tone was slightly emotional as he said, ¡°Extremely few people know that there¡¯s still one more even more difficult embroidery technique, which is what designer Gong mentioned earlier: the double-sided three-fold embroidery!

    ¡°Double-sided three-fold embroidery was invented on the foundation of the double-sided multi-colored technique. The embroidered product will have different shapes, different needlework, different colors on both sides. Then, both sides have different motifs, different needlework, and different coloring. Different design, different needles, different colors, thus called double-sided three-folded embroidery!¡±

    ¡°Ahh, is that so!?¡±

    ¡°How magical! The fact that both sides can embroider different patterns at the same time!¡± The crowd eximed.

    Everyone was immersed in the exquisite Chinese traditional technique that Qu Guanyang had just talked about.

    At this moment, Qu Guanyang concluded, ¡°I¡¯ve taken a look earlier. The character designs for these six sets of clothes used the double-sided three-fold embroidery method. That means this part of the embroidery was definitelypleted at the same time. There¡¯s no possibility of it being added onter on!¡±

    The instant Qu Guanyang finished, everyone abruptly came to their senses. Their faces showed that they all suddenly realized something.

    ¡°That means that this embroidery was definitely done all at once. There¡¯s no possibility of it being tampered at all!¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that David is lying?!¡±

    In the corner across, David¡¯s expression had long already changed the moment Gong Shangze said the words ¡°double-sided three-fold embroidery¡±. The moment when he heard Qu Guanyang¡¯s words, he waspletely frozen there. He could not hold the calm on his face much longer and his forehead broke out in cold sweat which dripped onto the polished floor.

    Under more and more scrutiny, David did not care about his image anymore. He rolled up his sleeves and wiped the sweat off his forehead. His lips trembled as he said, ¡°Act-actually, these words were indeed embroidered by me! I like designer Gong¡¯s designs, so I¡¯ve just embroidered his name on to motivate myself!¡±

    Right! It was like that!

    So what if his work had Gong Shangze¡¯s name?

    Whoever¡¯s name he embroidered on his work was up to him!

    When he heard David¡¯s defense, Qu Guanyang instantly sneered, ¡°Double-sided three-fold embroidery is currently the highest level of skill in the world of embroidery. Even among the hundreds of thousands ofdy embroiders in Su embroidery¡¯s homnd, State S, there are very few with such a skill. Since Director David said that this double-sided three-fold embroidery was done by you, how about you prove to us right here and now?¡±

    Earlier, had he not been the one who said to Gong Shangze that he could prove on the spot that the embroidery was personally done by him?

    The instant Qu Guanyang finished, thest chord in David¡¯s head finally snapped. He looked defeated and could not stand straight anymore. His knees gave way as he fell to the ground¡­

 Chapter 2048 - The Truth Revealed

    <h4>Chapter 2048: The Truth Revealed</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    At this moment, the Chinese fans, who had been defending History earlier and crazily tearing Gong Shangze apart, were dumbfounded.

    ¡°What¡­ What¡¯s happening?! Rainbow Feathers isn¡¯t even from David? It¡¯s Gong Shangze¡¯s work instead?¡±

    ¡°Oh my God! David has actually been lying from the start. He really stole Spirit¡¯s designs. Even all of his famed works were Gong Shangze¡¯s design! How did this happen!? My world is turned upside down!¡±

    Among the shockedments, there were some who still did not give up. ¡°Even if it¡¯s proven that Rainbow Feathers wasn¡¯t made by David himself, that can¡¯t prove that the other designs weren¡¯tpleted by him!¡±

    Such opinions immediately received bacsh from many.

    ¡°Some people keep calling others a fool. I think they¡¯re the real fools! It¡¯s already gone to this extent and they¡¯re still trying to justify David¡¯s actions. If Ranbow Feathers design wasn¡¯t done by Gong Shangze, then would Gong Shangze be able to create these clothes from thin air?¡±

    ¡°Clearly, the clothes weren¡¯t done by him. He could still pretend to be virtuous and im fame in the eyes of the world, even boasting about how good his skills were. When he saw that the clothes had Gong Shangze¡¯s name on them, he still didn¡¯t repent. He continued to unchangingly frame someone else by saying they tampered with the clothes.¡±

    ¡°After being exposed on the spot that the double-sided three-fold embroidery can¡¯t be tampered with, he actually shamelessly came up with the hrious reason that he embroidered Gong Shangze¡¯s name onto the clothes to motivate himself! Only when he was pped on the face by Qu Guanyang on the spot, he finally shut up!¡±

    ¡°As the chief designer of a brand and the so-called leading figure in the international Oriental style, his words and actions are so inconsistent. From the start till the end, he¡¯s been lying. Can such a person¡¯s words still be trusted? Whether or not his past works were his original creation is really worth being suspicious about! Whatever it is, this time, I stand on Gong Shangze¡¯s side!¡±

    After that, many people asked, ¡°But why would Gong Shangze¡¯s designs be stolen by David? Not only were the design drafts trademarked by David, even the finished clothes fell into David¡¯s hands. This is weird!¡±

    ¡­

    It was not just the audience watching the live stream who asked this. Even wondered all the guests and industry figures present had the same question on their minds.

    Suddenly, everyone¡¯s gazes, including Akas¡¯s and Qu Guanyang¡¯s, fell onto Gong Shangze.

    Facing the looks from all over the world, Gong Shangze was emotional. He had waited and endured it for so long. Finally, people were willing to hear him tell this secret. He finally had the chance to speak.

    The young man took a deep breath and then started slowly.

    ¡°Back then, David and I started up a fashion studio together. We called it Neon. Because I¡¯m not good at socializing andworking, I was in charge of designs while David was in charge of the studio operations.

    ¡°Our studio began from a ce where no one was interested untilter on when more and more people knew about it. Later on, our studio opened up abroad and we started to look for a wider market. Slowly, many investors started to want to coborate with us.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always seen David as the most trustworthy partner. I¡¯ve never asked anything about the studio¡¯s matters. I only focused on creating. All of the designs were passed to him for safekeeping.

    ¡°I never would¡¯ve thought that he had been secretly trademarking all of my designs with his name. When I had transferred all of my designs, he stole everything from the studio, signed a contract with an investor alone, andpletely erased any trace of me. He erased Neon¡¯s existence and established History!¡±

 Chapter 2049 - Final Struggle

    <h4>Chapter 2049: Final Struggle</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°As for the ¡®Rainbow Feathers¡¯, I spent two yearspleting it, thinking that one day I could use it to participate in an international fashion show. Back then, a fire happened in the sample room. David told me that the ¡®Rainbow Feathers¡¯ was destroyed¡­ until I found out today that he stole them!¡±

    The venue was quiet. Everyone focused on the young man¡¯s angry and trembling voice, their feelings wavering along with his rant.

    Gong Shangze took a pause, then he continued, ¡°Maybe I should be grateful for his greed. If not, I could never have proven my innocence, and no one would have believed me. When he became the lead designer of History and shocked the world with ¡®Spring Garden¡¯, as he became the leader of the industry, as he became the pride of China, I was dirt poor and was begging on the streets of Lorraine. Who would believe the words of a beggar?

    ¡°Afterwards, I became the lead designer of Spirit, but because History was created first and David had been using my design, everyone assumed that I giarized History¡¯s style.¡±

    Everyone was already very mad at this point.

    ¡°God! This¡­ This is so shameless!¡±

    ¡°No wonder Spirit¡¯s design style is so simr to History¡¯s! I never expected the truth to be this! History is Gong Shangze¡¯s design, so of course, they look simr!¡±

    ¡°Damn! I even criticized Spirit for giarizing before!¡±

    ¡­

    Qu Guanyang listened to the young man and felt his sorrow.

    He experienced an odd sensation back then during the Golden Top Award. Why were the designs of History and Spirit so simr? They were not just simr. They were so identical that they could have been designed by the same person.

    His judgment back then was not mistaken. They were made by the same person after all.

    Afterwards, History kept their original style, but somehow something wascking. The stolen drafts had probably been used up and their work after that was not from Gong Shangze anymore.

    The president of Lorraine Fashion Society, Akas, stared at David. ¡°David, do you have anything else to say about Gong Shangze¡¯s usation?¡±

    David had a horrid expression as his breath quickened.

    No¡­ He could not just let things end like this¡­

    Even if he lied, even if ¡°Rainbow Feathers¡± was not made by him, he still had a chance, but if there was proof that all the other designs were not from him, then he would really be done for!

    David yelled loudly, ¡°He¡¯s lying! I created History. Each and every draft was made by me personally. Because the technique involved with ¡®Rainbow Feathers¡¯ was tooplicated, I hired an outsider toplete the embroidery. I can apologize for that lie!

    ¡°However, I didn¡¯t expect the person hired would be Gong Shangze and I fell into his trap. Not only did he leave his name on the clothing, he even used me of stealing all his designs. How ridiculous! History¡¯s been around for three years. How many designs could I have stolen to keep History as the top brand in China?!¡±

 Chapter 2050 - A Big Liar

    <h4>Chapter 2050: A Big Liar</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Akas went deep in thought when he heard David.

    He was the one who had brought up David and introduced him to Adam back then. He was also responsible for bringing David into the society and giving him important roles.

    He would have to bear the responsibility if what Gong Shangze said was true.

    Akas carefully confirmed with Gong Shangze again, ¡°Mr. Gong, can you prove that ¡®Rainbow Feathers¡¯ is yours and that David stole all your other designs?¡±

    In her seat, Ning Xueluo was a little relieved when she saw there was a change of events.

    Somewhere else on the first row of seats, Ning Xi put her finger against her forehead and smiled. ¡°They are really stubborn¡­¡± Ning Xi mumbled to herself and then quietly sent a message from her phone.

    Soon, a staff member went up to Akas swiftly and whispered something to him. Akas frowned and stayed silent. In the end, he still nodded.

    After a while, as if waiting for David¡¯s final struggle, countless design drafts appeared on the screen in the back.

    Everyone looked over. David stared right onto the screen, an uneasy feeling filling his chest¡­

    On the big screen, there was a series of History¡¯s work.

    David¡¯s drafts were on the right. Another set of simr drafts were there too, but with Gong Shangze¡¯s signature on them.

    While the drafts on the right looked simr, after closer inspection, there were very slight differences, and those differences made everything clear.

    People in the industry already knew what was happening. David had taken those halfpleted drafts, and now these halfpleted drafts werepleted by the original designer, Gong Shangze.

    It did not end there.

    Soon, David¡¯s design in the past year shed on the screen. While the style looked simr, it was obvious even to amateurs that something wasckingpared to the designs before.

    Identical designs appeared beside the drafts again, and the signatures on the drafts were all of different names.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°Simr design, but different signatures? What does that mean?¡±

    ¡­

    David¡¯s face went pale and started to freak out when he saw the same drafts appearing with different people¡¯s signatures¡­

    Before he could react, a video popped up. There was a man wearing a face mask.

    The man¡¯s secretive voice echoed in the hall, ¡°Since a year ago, David had me look for arge group of designers and have them submit drafts every month. He¡¯ll pick the drafts he likes the most and pay a hefty sum of reward!

    ¡°Designers who took on the job were mostly designers without connections and money, so work like this a gift to them. These are the bank transactions between David and I. He bought all the designs in the past year from me.¡±

    A huge scandal was just exposed before everyone¡¯s eyes.

    History¡¯s lead designer was actually a thief, a liar, and did not even know about design. He was a liar who only stole other people¡¯s work!

 Chapter 2051 - Future of Chinese Style

    <h4>Chapter 2051: Future of Chinese Style</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After a moment of dead silence, everyone started talking about it. They looked at David in rage, and the audiences back in the country were absolutely furious.

    ¡°Damn you, David! Scum! Monster! You¡¯ve disgraced our country!¡±

    ¡°Liar, I¡¯m going to burn all the clothes from History in my wardrobe! Disgusting!¡±

    ¡°What a shameless person! You¡¯d better stay overseas for the rest of your life. If youe back, I¡¯ll beat you up again and again!¡±

    David¡¯s face turned beet red with all the scoldings.

    Akas looked troubled as well. The proof was right in front of him, so he had nothing more to say. He then announced on the spot that David would be kicked out of the society and would be cklisted forever.

    As everything was revealed and after Akas announced those words right before everyone in the huge Lorraine Pce, David suddenly started yelling, ¡°So what if I used his designs!? If it was not for me, his work would just be rotting somewhere!

    ¡°His talent is already all used up. Except for those work, he can¡¯t design anything anymore. He just wants to use me as a stepping stone now! If it wasn¡¯t for me, his works would just be a bunch of trash! Worthless! He¡¯s a trash himself! Trash!¡±

    David¡¯s rambling just made everyone hate him even more. Even Ning Xueluo could not stand him. Her expression was so appalled that she hoped she could throw him out of the ce herself.

    The venue finally became quiet again after the security guards took David out.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, the show was ruined because of me,¡± Gong Shangze said apologetically.

    Akas looked a little awkward. He was ming himself. ¡°It¡¯s our fault for not knowing people better. We almost let a shameless bastard infect the fashion industry. It¡¯s the responsibility of the society.¡±

    At this moment, Akas suddenly remembered that a long time ago, he received multiple emails from the same person reporting that History¡¯s lead designer David had stolen his work.

    However, he ignored it because the person was not able to provide any evidence.

    He never expected that the matter would be exposed today in this manner.

    The vice president, Said, went up on stage to clear up the awkward atmosphere. ¡°Having such a horrendous liar into the sacred fashion hall is an insult to the whole of the fashion industry! We¡¯ll surely punish the thief ordingly, and at the same time, protect those who truly love fashion, and protect the rights of talented designers!¡±

    The crowd gave a grand round of apuse.

    The vice president was relieved, then he quickly added on, ¡°This time, Spirit brought us some of theirtest work. Let us look forward to the treasured designer who brought us amazing surprises and the demonstration of the beautiful Chinese culture. What sort of surprise will he bring us again!?¡±

    As the vice president spoke, the T-shaped stage was ready and the show resumed.

    Everyone focused on the stage. All the Chinese live streaming members held their breaths and stared at their screens nervously.

    Many people knew that initially, Spirit did have a lot of great works, but they had been on hiatus for quite some time.

    Could it really be as David said, that Gong Shangze¡¯s talent hade to an end?

    Could it really be the end of the trend for the Chinese style here?

 Chapter 2052 - Endless Treasures

    <h4>Chapter 2052: Endless Treasures</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Below the stage, some of those who were in the industry started to discreetly analyze.

    ¡°Ever since David used ¡®Spring Garden¡¯ which led to a massive trend of Oriental style, many designers have started to add some Oriental elements on their designs in the recent years. There¡¯re been too many brands that followed that trend to count on my fingers. All of the elements that could be used have been used up!¡±

    ¡°Indeed so! Innovating anding up with something new and different is extremely hard!¡±

    ¡°But now that it¡¯s confirmed that David¡¯s previous designs were all from him, that means all of David¡¯s sess will return to the original owner. As long as he exhibits his talent, as usual, it¡¯ll be enough for him to take his ce in the international fashion industry.¡±

    ¡­

    At this moment, all of the lights around dimmed. The crowd¡¯s discussion instantly stopped too.

    Finally, on the T-shaped stage, the first model slowly floated from the backstage.

    It was a gown in a primary tone of navy blue with a wide cloak fanning out at the back. The warm sunset orange and inky color constructed an extravagant scene that was truly majestic.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Dunhuang!¡± Someone instantly cried out from the crowd.

    The colors and pattern elements on the ready-made outfit were from China¡¯s treasure trove that was thergest scaled and the most abundant in ssical cultural art. It was also a world-famous Buddhist art centre ¡ª the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang!

    Very quickly, the second outfit appeared before the crowd.

    This outfit was a rich gold in color. The gown was embroidered with two soaring dragons that leaped high. As wasmon knowledge, the totem of a dragon symbolized China.

    Between the dragon patterns were embroidery of colorful clouds that had auspicious messages. On the train of the dress, there seemed to be rolling waves as if everyone¡¯s ears were filled with the sound of roaring seas to mean ¡°eternal peace and prosperity¡±!

    The third outfit made use of China¡¯s even more ssic Qinghua porcin element. The entire gown¡¯s patterns perfectly copied a Qinghua porcin vase from the Song Dynasty. It was apanied with entangling branches of Qinghua, a dragon, qilin , phoenix, magpie, and more as ornaments.

    The fourth set was a body-hugging gown with a train in red. The gown was embroidered with a red-crowned crane and plum blossoms, instantly transporting everyone into China¡¯s vast wondend.

    The fifth outfit, the sixth, the seventh¡­

    One after another, ready-made outfits appeared before the crowd. Every set represented China¡¯s ancient and unique elements, stunning everyone until they gasped in amazement.

    No one would have predicted that this designer that appeared so gentle and harmless had such a shocking force within him. It was not just one outfit, but ten whole outfits that took everyone¡¯s breaths away!

    Off-stage, all the intuitive well-known buyers were already been wildly trying to find a way to contact Spirit. They were prepared to snap up Spirit¡¯s work this season as all the superstars around the world were already anticipating to put on these unique gowns.

    ¡°This is unfathomable!¡±

    ¡°Mad beautiful! Every outfit! Every outfit is so unique and unmatched!¡±

    ¡°With this standard of design, even just one outfit would take several months. There are ten whole outfits here. How in the world did he do it?¡±

    ¡­

    Spirit¡¯s show ended with a high note of praise.

    Facing more and more exims of admiration, Gong Shangze said, ¡°Why, almost all designers would meet with the predicament of dried up inspiration! However, I¡¯ve always felt blessed being a Chinese designer because in China¡¯s 5000 years of culture, there are endless inspiration and treasures to be unearthed!¡±

    The instant Gong Shangze finished, the crowd broke into a thunderous apuse.

    Those far away in China were even moved to tears.

    In the live stream channels, Gong Shangze¡¯s and Spirit¡¯s names stered the screens!

 Chapter 2053 - So Angry She Could Go Mad

    <h4>Chapter 2053: So Angry She Could Go Mad</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Spirit! Spirit! Spirit!¡±

    ¡°Gong Shangze spoke so well!¡±

    ¡°This is the kind of design that should be representing China on the international stage!¡±

    ¡°Counterfeits will be counterfeits! We¡¯ll see what that thief, David, has to say now!¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, which blind boss was the one who coborated with David back then and invested in History?!¡±

    When this topic was mentioned, many people started toment, ¡°Who else could it be?! It¡¯s Ning Xueluo, that fake heiress! Previously, I almost turned into her fan!¡±

    ¡­

    Spirit¡¯s show was the finale.

    After the show finished, the reporters swarmed over to interview Gong Shangze, while another huge group of reporters immediately blocked Ning Xueluo.

    Ning Xueluo did not want to stay for even a moment longer. Initially, she wanted to leave once the show ended, but the reporters would not let her go. Before she could get up, she was already surrounded.

    ¡°Miss Ning! The chief designer of History is actually a thief who steals other people¡¯s work. What do you have to say about this?¡±

    ¡°David¡¯s work for the whole year has been nothing but secret purchases of other designers¡¯ designs while pretending they were his. Did you know nothing about this?¡±

    ¡°Back then, when you and David coborated to start History, did you not first get to know the other person¡¯s character?¡±

    ¡°As History¡¯s CEO, yourpany is now involved in such a scandal now and has even affected the reputation of entire China. Is there anything you have to say to everyone about this matter?¡±

    ¡­

    One after another question came, and they sounded worse than before. Ning Xueluo really wanted to strangle David to death at this point.

    This Lorraine Fashion Week should have been her proudest moment. It should have been History¡¯s time to shine. With the breathtaking effect of the Rainbow Feathers outfit, after Fashion Week, History¡¯s entire scale would have expanded tremendously and their international market would have widened even more.

    She was even prepared to increase the number and scale of their gship stores overseas when she returned to China. When that happened, History would have been China¡¯s number one fashion brand, while she would be this brand¡¯s worthy founder!

    However, now, it was ruined. It was all ruined!

    Ning Xueluo was overwhelmed with bubbling fury. She was so angry that she could go mad.

    She had used up all of her might to restrain and suppress herself. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Setting up a fashionpany with an Oriental style has always been my n. I¡¯ve prepared for that for a long time and I¡¯ve been looking for a suitable designer.

    ¡°Back then, the reason I chose to coborate with David was that I was simply attracted to his designs. Mr. Gong Shangze¡¯s designs were incredibly beautiful and soulful. I immediately realized that these designs would definitely be popr, and could definitely turn fashion with unique Chinese characteristics to be widely epted by the world, and that fact was proven after our sess.

    ¡°However, I never could have imagined that all of David¡¯s designs were stolen from Mr. Gong because, at that time, David could provide proof that all his design drafts were his original work, so I knew nothing about it at all. I was only excited about his talent for designing and wanted to help him achieve his dreams.

    ¡°Of course, as the founder of History, I was poor at judging people. There¡¯s no one but me to take the me for this!

    ¡°For this, I would like to sincerely apologize to all those in the industry: guests, fashion hobbyists, and all the lovers of fashion in China!¡±

    As Ning Xueluo said this, she took a deep bow towards the camera, then she looked extremely cross and said, ¡°As for David¡¯s poor conduct, History will not be tolerant of it. From this moment onwards, he¡¯s no longer a designer at History. Everyone, rest assured! Of course¡­¡±

 Chapter 2054 - Poach!

    <h4>Chapter 2054: Poach!</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she said this, Ning Xueluo¡¯s gaze suddenly turned towards Gong Shangze¡¯s direction. She appeared sincere as she said, ¡°History wees all designers who are truly gifted, talented, and passionate! Personally, I really like and admire Mr. Shangze¡¯s work. Now that the truth is revealed, you could even say that back then, I actually built History for Mr. Gong!¡±

    Listening to Ning Xueluo¡¯s words, she was actually casting an opportunity to Gong Shangze.

    The reporters were instantly excited. ¡°CEO Ning, do you mean that you¡¯re interested to invite Mr. Gong Shangze to join History?¡±

    Ning Xueluo nodded. ¡°History has always been devoting our efforts to the Oriental style. Even harder toe by is the fact that History ispletely Mr. Gong¡¯s style. Our core and soul is Mr. Gong too. If Mr. Gong is willing to join History, we can definitely achieve more glorious sess for the Chinese!¡± Ning Xueluo spoke and was suddenly a little moved.

    No matter what, History was still one of the very best listedpanies with Chinese style in China, while Spirit was just a little studio. How could theypare to History?

    As long as Gong Shangze had the slightestmon sense, he should know which to choose.

    As long as she poached Gong Shangze over, the scandal this time could just be an old story. History could still make aeback, and even take it a step further than when David had been around!

    When they heard Ning Xueluo, all the reporters turned to Gong Shangze again.

    ¡°Mr. Gong, what do you think about History¡¯s offer?¡±

    ¡°Now that David has already received his deserving punishment, Director Gong, would you consider joining History?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Gong Shangze¡­¡±

    ¡­

    The reporters¡¯ questions came non-stop while Ning Xueluo¡¯s gaze was even more scorching and tant. Ever since Gong Shangze had walked onto the stage, he had actually been forcing himself to brace it. Now, the truth was revealed and all the issues were resolved. Even Spirit¡¯s show was sessfully executed too. He finally did not let Ning Xi down!

    Suddenly relieved, the strength that he had used to brace himself had finally vanished. He only felt his hands and legs turned cold and his head was buzzing, the entire world seemed to spin.

    He could hear what Ning Xueluo had stated, and what those reporters surrounding him had said, yet he did not know what they were talking about¡­

    Just as Gong Shangze finally reached his breaking point, at this moment, suddenly a warm and strong arm that steadily held him up from his shoulders.

    That familiar force and air that assured him had suddenly appeared by his side.

    ¡°It¡¯s Ning Xi!¡±

    Ning Xi had suddenly stood up from her seat and walked to Gong Shangze¡¯s side. Suddenly, all the reporters¡¯ gazes shifted to this figure that attracted everyone no matter when she appeared.

    Everyone had been initially asking Gong Shangze about whether he was interested in joining History, but at this moment when they suddenly saw Ning Xi, they exchanged nces. They did not know why Ning Xi had suddenly walked over at this moment.

    Ning Xi stood by Gong Shangze¡¯s side, and her clear eyes glittered, slowlynding on Ning Xueluo.

    When Ning Xueluo suddenly met Ning Xi¡¯s gaze, she felt her heart tighten.

    This witch! What was she trying to do now!?

    Could she want to hit her when she was down!?

    Under everyone¡¯s watchful gaze, Ning Xi lowered her eyes and softlyughed. Then, she looked up and said, ¡°CEO Ning¡­ You¡¯re poaching my guy right before me. Isn¡¯t that too inappropriate?¡±

    At this moment, when he heard Ning Xi¡¯s voice, Gong Shangze¡¯s muddled head finally cleared up. He looked with shining eyes at the person beside him. ¡°Boss¡­¡±

 Chapter 2055 - Founder of Spirit

    <h4>Chapter 2055: Founder of Spirit</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    What!?

    W-What did she mean?

    Ning Xi¡¯s casual remark caused a ripple of shock among the reporters as well as the crowd around.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s face turned pale all of a sudden.

    What did Ning Xi say?

    Poach her guy!

    Did Gong Shangze even call her¡­ Boss?!

    How was that possible!?

    She must be mistaken!

    Something must be wrong!

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi! What does your remark mean?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by CEO Ning poaching your guy right in front of you?¡±

    ¡°Could it be¡­ You¡¯re Spirit¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡­

    As the reporters surrounded Ning Xi frantically, Gong Shangze¡¯s deep voice boomed in the chaos.

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi is my boss. She¡¯s the founder of Spirit!¡±

    Everyone was stunned by Gong Shangze¡¯s confirmation.

    ¡°Damn! The owner of Spirit is Ning Xi?¡±

    ¡°How shocking!¡±

    ¡°No wonder Ning Xi never took on any endorsements for clothing brands! She has her ownpany!¡±

    ¡°The spokesperson for Spirit has always been Qiao Wen, and since she works under Qin Shengyue, I¡¯ve always thought that Spirit¡¯s owner was Qin Shengyue!¡±

    ¡°Not only did Ning Xi take away Qin Shengyue¡¯s best subordinate, she even found a genius like Gong Shangze!¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Mr. Gong, you mean that Ms. Ning is your boss and the founder of Spirit?¡± A reporter asked him in disbelief.

    Gong Shangze nodded and replied, ¡°Back then, nobody believed what I said. With all hope lost and begging on the streets in Lorraine, Boss found me and believed in me. She brought me back to China and set up Spirit. She¡¯s supported me all the way till today¡­¡±

    The reporters continued with the questions. ¡°So, that¡¯s how it was?! How did you and Ms. Ning Xi meet?¡±

    Gong Shangze pursed his lips. As though it was a fond memory of his, he said gently, ¡°Back then, she bought a lot of clothes from History. When she passed by me, she gave me a sandwich because I kept staring at her¡­

    ¡°I noticed the clothes and realized that one of them was an unfinished draft of mine, but there were too many ws, so I pointed them out. I was filled with anger and rage when I saw my half-finished work stolen. I criticized the clothing with a very bad attitude.

    ¡°No one would listen to a beggar saying such bad things¡­ but Boss listened to me from the beginning till the end. She even listened to my whole story¡­¡±

    Gong Shangze¡¯s eyes turned red when he thought about his past.

    Everyone was attracted by the young man¡¯s story.

    Gong Shangze took a deep breath and continued, ¡°After that experience back then, I gave up hope. I couldn¡¯t design anything anymore, but the appearance of Boss gave me hope.

    ¡°On the way back to the country, as I thought I could never design anymore, I created the first work after going back. It was called ¡®Nirvana Reincarnated¡¯. I received an award for it, giving me a whole new start¡­¡±

    Everyone started to recognize the name. ¡°Ah! So ¡®Nirvana Reincarnated¡¯ had such a story behind it! No wonder it packs so much power and impact!¡±

 Chapter 2056 - Like Owner, Like Dog

    <h4>Chapter 2056: Like Owner, Like Dog</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qu Guanyang nodded like he expected it.

    He could feel that there was a strong story behind the clothes, but he just did not expect it to be much worse than he thought.

    ¡°Afterwards, when we were starting out, there were a lot of issues faced by the studio. From registering the name to selecting a ce, we hired a professional marketing director, and finally, we got our very first gship store¡­

    ¡°Boss told me that one day, she¡¯d help me rify in front of the whole world. She also told me that any tricks are useless against true power. Until the day when Spirit is strong enough to speak for itself, people would believe me even if I have no proof! These words have been encouraging me all along¡­¡±

    Suddenly, Gong Shangze¡¯s face fell. ¡°Everything was going well until that incident happened to Boss¡­¡±

    The crowd then realized that Gong Shangze was talking about the incident whereby Ning Xi had gone into a vegetative state for a year.

    ¡°Boss isn¡¯t only my supervisor. She¡¯s also my belief. It¡¯s because of her that I found confidence in design and inspiration again. I¡¯m back not because of just myself, but I also want to prove to her that she didn¡¯t choose the wrong person. I want to make her proud of me!

    ¡°However, during the year of Boss¡¯ disappearance, I lost my direction. I thought I was being abandoned again. All the insecurities and uneasiness came back to me, including the loss of my faith. I couldn¡¯t design anything at that point of time¡­ until¡­ she came back¡­¡±

    Now, everyone understood what happened.

    No wonder¡­

    No wonder Gong Shangze had no new work for almost a year. No wonder Spirit released several new series right after Ning Xi returned.

    ¡°Back To The Origins¡±. That was exactly Ning Xi¡¯s circumstance!

    The inspiration behind the series hade from Ning Xi too!

    No wonder Ning Xi always looked so glittering when she wore Spirit¡¯s clothes. It felt like those clothes had been designed for Ning Xi exclusively!

    Of course! Ning Xi was his source of inspiration after all!

    Gong Shangze¡¯s words surprised everyone. At the same time, everyone¡¯s hatred towards David grew even more.

    The people who had almost been brainwashed by Ning Xueluo just now woke up too.

    This woman was allowing David to do whatever he wanted, yet she could still turn the truth around and shamelessly say that History was made for Gong Shangze.

    History was the one who had left him in despair, almost ruining such a talented designer!

    The audience back in China started spamming the chat rooms after hearing Gong Shangze¡¯s story.

    ¡°As expected of Bro Xi!¡±

    ¡°Unique taste, urate sense!¡±

    ¡°This story is really lovely. I almost cried when I listened to Gong Shangze! It¡¯s so touching!¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t just boss and employee. They are the best partners!¡±

    As people were admiring the Ning Xi-Gong Shangzebination, they were outraged at Ning Xueluo.

    ¡°Damn! Ning Xueluo is really shameless! She even tried to take Gong Shangze for herself!¡±

    ¡°Not only did Ning Xueluo take Ning Xi¡¯s parents and boyfriend, now her subordinate has stolen her design drafts too! Like owner, like dog!¡±

    ¡­

 Chapter 2057 - Torturing Little Elf

    <h4>Chapter 2057: Torturing Little Elf</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Soon, the news of Lorraine Fashion Week spread back into the country.

    The sickening news of the lead designer of History leaked out. He was cklisted by the International Fashion Society on the spot. Having put on an amazing show, all the media covered the story of Spirit and people within the fashion industry were impressed.

    Suddenly, Spirit became the new favorite of the fashion industry. Orders came in like waves.

    As for History, the negative news shook them up. Their shares plummeted the next day, and all their partners canceled their contracts. Ning Xueluo went back overnight and tried to do something about it, but it was futile¡­

    At a certain famous filming spot in Los Angeles.

    ¡°Assassin¡± was finally finished.

    With the final passing order from the director, all the crew members cheered and hugged each other, preparing for their farewell.

    Ning Xi was still feeling mncholic about finishing ¡°Assassin¡± and bidding farewell to the others when she heard a goosebump-inducing voice behind her.

    ¡°Hi! My dear Xi Xi! You¡¯re finally done! Congrattions!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Senior Ondo!¡± Ning Xi wanted to avoid him, but it was toote.

    Ondo went over and blocked her way at the entrance. His glittering eyes stared at her intently. ¡°My dear, so you¡¯ll be free tonight then?¡±

    Ning Xi pinched the space between her eyebrows. ¡°Well, I have dinner with everyone tonight.¡±

    Ondo looked disappointed. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s too bad. What about tomorrow? Is tomorrow alright?¡±

    Ning Xi was troubled. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m going out with Lilian tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°The day after tomorrow?¡± Ondo was persistent.

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Ning Xi was having a headache just listening to him.

    Recently, there had been news that ¡°Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡± was going to air soon. In addition to her being in Los Angelestely, Director Martin had invited her over for some meetings, so it was inevitable that she would meet Ondo.

    Ever since Ondo had identally shot her a year ago, he had been trying to contact her, but he was not aware that Ning Xi had been unconscious for a year. She only found out some time after she woke up that he had been sending her a mountain of apology emails.

    After they met each other again, Ondo treated her to a meal and apologized again.

    The truth behind the swap of the gun was revealed, and of course, Ning Xi did not mind since it was not Ondo¡¯s fault.

    Things should have ended there. However, Ondo the Casanova was fixated on her. Ever since that day, he had been waiting for her outside her hotel. Now, he even went to the filming location.

    Since she would have to work with Ondo in the promotion for ¡°Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡±, Ning Xi could not be too mean to him. Then again, Ondo was too insensitive to realize Ning Xi¡¯s true intention after several rejections.

    Ning Xi almost broke down as she was facing the longing eyes of this man being known as the ¡°Little Elf¡±.

    This guy was really torturing¡­

    As Ning Xi was figuring out an excuse to reject Ondo¡¯s invitation, she heard the sound of footsteps behind her.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you. Why are you here alone?¡±

    Jiang Muye had long, ck hair up until his waist with a pair of crystal-clear eyes and cherry lips. Dressed in a ck suit, tight ck pants, and Doc Marten boots, he spoke impatiently as he was scowling at Ning Xi and Ondo beside her.

 Chapter 2058 - Ears Blinded

    <h4>Chapter 2058: Ears Blinded</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    If it had been in China, a woman at Jiang Muye¡¯s height that was above 1.8 meters would be overwhelming.

    However, in America, there were many women this tall among themoners. Many of those goddess-level supermodels in the industry were this tall too. In fact, those supermodels with pixie-like features were all t-chested.

    Jiang Muye¡¯s female outfit did not deliberately fill in anything in the chest area. It was his natural figure. He only did some slimming down and lost some weight. The effect was unexpectedly impressive, brilliantly embodying a beauty that was hard to distinguish between male or female.

    At this moment, Ondo obstructed the door while Ning Xi looked helpless. Jiang Muye¡¯s brows instantly shot up as his arrogant gaze shot a sh of hostility towards Ondo. However, it was only for a split second before he retrieved his gaze. He looked at Ning Xi and said, ¡°The Director¡¯s calling for you!¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh, oh! I¡¯ll go right away! Senior Ondo, I¡¯ll go to work first. We¡¯ll talk another day!¡± As if Ning Xi had received a general pardon, she quickly sped off with Jiang Muye.

    When they were slightly further away, Jiang Muye warned Ning Xi unhappily, ¡°Stay further away from that guy! That¡¯s guy¡¯s infamous in the circle for being a yboy!¡±

    When Ning Xi heard him, her mouth instantly twitched as she mumbled, ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day I would hear such things from you¡­¡±

    After all, a certain someone had been one of those infamous yboys!

    ¡°I¡¯m being serious right now. Did you hear me? This guy likes to provoke Chinese artistes the most! He¡¯s definitely up to no good!¡± Jiang Muye shot her a look.

    Ning Xi nodded profusely. ¡°I got it, I got it. I¡¯ll be going back in a few more days anyway. I just have to evade him for these next few days!¡±

    Ning Xi then stared at Jiang Muye as she covered her chest and pretended like her heart was racing. ¡°Baby, don¡¯t stare at me like that! You¡¯re too seductive!¡±

    ¡°Ning Xiao Xi, f*ck off! I dare you to say that again!¡± A certain blondie who was being teased instantly exploded.

    ¡°Oh my, my, the way you look when you¡¯re angry is even cuter!¡±

    ¡°Ning Xiao Xi! Don¡¯t you dare run!¡± Jiang Muye was so mad that he chased after her when he suddenly felt a scorching gaze on him, yet when he turned around, he did not see anyone, so he just suspiciously retrieved his gaze.

    ¡­

    When everything with the filming crew was wrapped up, Ning Xi packed her stuff and started to walk out.

    She had just reached the carpark when she saw Ondo whom she thought had left. In fact, it seemed like he had been waiting for her for a long time.

    Ning Xi was about to break down inside.

    ¡°Uhh, Senior Ondo, the day after tomorrow¡­¡±

    ¡°Xi Xi!¡± Before Ning Xi could speak, Ondo suddenly pulled Ning Xi¡¯s hands and he seemed so ted as if he had managed to get all the girls in the world.

    ¡°Uhh, what¡¯s up?¡± Ning Xi was a little frightened by Ondo¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Earlier, that ck rose! Who was that ck rose!?¡±

    ¡°Huh? ck rose?¡±

    What the heck!?

    Ning Xi was confused.

    ¡°The one earlier with long, ck hair and a ck jacket with leather pants!¡± Ondo exined with waving hands as he described excitedly.

    ¡°Ah¡­ You mean¡­¡±

    Could Ondo be talking about Jiang Muye?

    ¡°Right, her! Her nose is gorgeous, and her skin is porcin smooth. Her eyes are especially pretty like they can speak, and her lips are especially suitable for kissing¡­¡±

    Ning Xi watched the way Ondo spoke as it progressed in a weirder direction. Suddenly, she was confused. Why did she feel like¡­ something was weird?

    As she muttered to herself, she heard Ondo say very excitedly, ¡°Xi Xi! I¡¯ve fallen into the river of love again! I¡¯ve fallen in love with the ck rose!¡±

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    What did she just hear?

    Her ears were probably blinded¡­

 Chapter 2059 - Amazing, My Blondie!

    <h4>Chapter 2059: Amazing, My Blondie!</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    This¡­ This guy was saying that he has fallen in love with Jiang Muye!

    The instant Ondo finished, Ning Xi stood stunned there like an idiot.

    Also, what the heck did he mean by falling into the river of love ¡°again¡±?

    How could someone say such a thing so openly, and before a girl that he had been chasing just a second before!?

    Where was his integrity!?

    ¡°Xi Xi, she¡¯s your friend, isn¡¯t she? Can you give me a way to contact her?¡± Ondo said as he looked a little shy. ¡°Can you? I¡¯m sincere!¡±

    Right! You are sincere! You are sincere to every girl¡­

    Ning Xi was still immersed in the shock that Ondo actually fancied Jiang Muye and did not say anything for a long time.

    Ondo thought that Ning Xi was worried and was alreadying up with all sorts of excuses to persuade her. ¡°Xi Xi! I swear! I¡¯m really sincere! She¡¯s beautiful! Earlier, when I saw her looking at me, her gaze was like lightning!¡±

    What the heck was this lightning-like description?

    Earlier, Jiang Muye had been clearly shooting him a look of hostility.

    Uhh, to be fair, when Jiang Muye stared at people in his female disguise, it was indeed quite¡­

    That little gaze was filled with an arrogant and unbridled wildness, which definitely could trigger all men¡¯s desires to conquer ¡°her¡±.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a girl before! She¡¯s incredibly unique!¡±

    Ning Xi thought to herself, ¡°Of course, you¡¯ve never seen such a person before because he isn¡¯t even a girl!¡±

    ¡°XiXi, if I can¡¯t be with her, I¡¯ll definitely rather die than live! My life would have no meaning at all! Like a barren desert! Please, please help me?¡± Ondo looked like his heart ached terribly as if he was about to die in the next second.

    Ning Xi expressed that she was in a tight spot

    This time, should she sell Blondie out, or sell Blondie out?

    Ning Xi contemted for three seconds before she quickly nodded. ¡°Okay! This is her handphone number. The number is¡­ Forget it, I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t remember. I¡¯ll just write it for you!¡±

    Ning Xi did not hesitate as she quickly jotted Jiang Muye¡¯s phone number down at lightning speed and passed it to him.

    Ondo clutched that little slip of paper dreamily. ¡°Xi Xi! Thank you! If we get married, you must join our wedding!¡±

    Ning Xi was speechless. She almost puked three liters of blood.

    Bloody hell! This was just their first time meeting and he had already thought about marriage?

    She never would have thought that Jiang Muye in a female disguise could have such immense charm that even the veteran yboy Ondo was this crazy for him.

    Amazing, my blondie!

    At this moment, Jiang Muye who was in the changing room suddenly could not stop sneezing. ¡°Hey! Who¡¯s cursing me?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, Little Junior Sister, you just stabbed your brother in the back with two knives just like that! Is that appropriate?¡± Tang Lang who was waiting for Ning Xi in the car had just witnessed the scene earlier, and he expressed his amazement.

    This time, Tang Lang had gone along as a bodyguard with her to Lorraine. Every time Ning Xi had a shoot, he would follow. Obviously, he had seen Jiang Muye in a female disguise, so earlier when Ondo spoke, he already knew who the ck rose Ondo was referring to.

    She had finally gotten rid of Ondo, so Ning Xi was in a jovial mood. She beamed. ¡°No! I¡¯m clearly helping out a buddy. Hasn¡¯t Blondie beencking confident about his female disguise? I¡¯m helping him regain confidence right now!¡±

    ¡°I think he doesn¡¯t need this kind of things¡­¡± Tang Lang tsked with sympathy.

 Chapter 2060 - How About We Hug Too?

    <h4>Chapter 2060: How About We Hug Too?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Without Ondo¡¯s nagging, Ning Xi¡¯sst few days in Lorraine City was spent feeling exceptionally free and contented.

    Spirit had long been prepared to be a listedpany. Everything was in order. This time, riding the wave of shining at Lorraine Fashion Week, in a spurt of energy, they sessfully made their mark in Wall Street.

    On that day, Tang Lang strongly hinted to Ning Xi to treat him to a nice meal.

    ¡°CEO Tang! It doesn¡¯t make sense if you don¡¯t treat me to this meal, does it?¡± Tang Lang held his chin and looked like he was determined to rip her off.

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I will treat you! Of course! But where¡¯s the fun in just the two of us having a meal together!? I heard Third Senior Sister say that she and First Senior Brother are in Lorraine too. How about we call them over too? We haven¡¯t gotten together in a long time!¡±

    Tang Lang shrugged. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve no opinion. The two bosses up there are temporarily agreeing now, so what else do we little bandits have to say?¡±

    Previously, because Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen¡¯s rtionship was tense, to avoid arousing suspicion, they had almost never met up in secret, and now, no one knew what the two sides had secretly reached an agreement on, but they actually surprised everyone by making peace.

    ¡°Hehe, then I¡¯ll call them over!¡± Ning Xi happily called Feng Xiaoxiao.

    On the other end of the phone, when Feng Xiaoxiao heard that Ning Xi wanted to treat them to a meal, she quickly agreed and even promised to bring First Senior Brother along too.

    Half an hourter, the fellow apprentices met up at a crossing.

    ¡°Oh! Little Junior Sister! Come here, let me hug you! Senior Sister has missed you so much!¡± Once Feng Xiaoxiao went over, she immediately ran to Ning Xi and gave her a huge bear hug.

    ¡°Third Senior Sister, I really missed you too!¡± Ning Xi had emotionally hugged her back.

    On the side, Tang Lang raised his brows as he watched Ning Xi and Feng Xiaoxiao embrace. He faintly smiled to Tang Ye across him who wore his gold-framed spectacles and seemed expressionless as always. ¡°First Senior Brother, how about¡­ we hug too?¡±

    Then, he slyly opened up his arms.

    As expectedly, what came as a reply was Tang Ye¡¯s gaze as if he had just seen an idiot.

    Tang Lang clutched his chest and pretended to be hurt. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m devastated¡­ It looks like First Senior Brother didn¡¯t miss me at all¡­¡±

    The instant he finished, Tang Lang suddenly took a step forward and held the shoulders of the man across him and pulled him into an embrace. ¡°Even though First Senior Brother is so heartless, I still do miss him a lot¡­¡±

    Tang Ye¡¯s expression turned stiff in an instant. Almost reflexively, he was about to make a move, but in the end, his hand hung mid-air, then he put down his hand as if topromise.

    Tang Lang seemed to have expected this. He grinned, knowing that he got away with it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll bring you guys to eat a super fancy meal! It¡¯s my treat today, so feel free to order as you wish!¡± Ning Xi said happily.

    Feng Xiaoxiao rubbed Ning Xi¡¯s fair and tender little face. ¡°Oh, Little Junior Sister, you are so capable! You became a CEO, married Mr. Perfect, and reach life¡¯s pinnacle! Wait till I abandon the life of an ouw, then I can roll with you!¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡±

    The four of them walked in a line as they chatted and made their way towards a certain high-ss restaurant in Lorraine.

    On the way there, Tang Lang had his arms slung sloppily over Tang Ye¡¯s shoulders as he chatted. Suddenly, someone stuck a leg out before his feet, and he did not notice, so he tripped and almost fell.

    ¡°What the heck!? Who¡¯s this!?¡± Tang Lang instantly shouted angrily.

    In the corner of a wall stood a man who was unkempt and looked like a beggar. The man used a newspaper to cover his face. It was his lean, long leg that had tripped Tang Lang earlier.

    Tang Lang rolled up his sleeves and was about to settle the score with that person when¡­

    A wind blew past and the newspaper on the man¡¯s face suddenly fell, revealing an extremely beautiful face.

    Tang Lang instantly widened his eyes as if he had just seen a ghost. ¡°Damn it! Grandfather! You¡­ Why are you here?¡±

 Chapter 2061 - Listen To Whoever Wins

    <h4>Chapter 2061: Listen To Whoever Wins</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Master!¡± When she saw the certain someone leaning on the corner of the wall, Ning Xi was shocked too.

    ¡°Second Senior Brother, since when did you get a grandfather?¡± On the side, Feng Xiaoxiao studied them with suspicion, and then her eyes instantly lit up too. ¡°Dang! Second Senior Brother, your grandfather is so handsome!¡±

    After Tang Ye had a clear look at the man¡¯s face, the murderous air around him instantly expanded and he was all tensed up too.

    Ning Xi quickly ran over to smooth things over. ¡°Ah, no, no! This is my friend. It¡¯s that Master that I¡¯ve told you guys about before. First Senior Brother, can your expression be not so frightening?!¡±

    Then, she walked to Han Xiao in bewilderment. She looked at his mystical appearance as a beggar paralyzed on the streets and said, ¡°Master, why are you here in Lorraine?¡±

    Han Xiao held part of his underbelly and looked like he was dying.

    Ning Xi thought he was hurt and she immediately looked worried. ¡°Master, are you¡­¡±

    In the next second, she heard the guy mournfully say, ¡°Hungry¡­¡±

    Ning Xi was baffled. Master was indeed amazing. His survival skills were indeed zero, and she was not sure how he had survived till today.

    However, to meet a friend in a foreign ce was still a joyful urrence, so Ning Xi quickly invited him. ¡°Master, we¡¯re just about to go eat, want toe along?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Han Xiao immediately jumped up. ¡°Kentucky?¡±

    Ning Xi replied, ¡°Huh? No¡­¡±

    From the size, Tang Lang said earnestly, ¡°Grandfather, don¡¯t keep thinking about those garbage fried food. Today we¡¯re going to eat fancy!¡±

    Han Xiao frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t like fancy-schmancy.¡±

    Tang Lang continued to coax him, ¡°Grandfather, I guarantee that after you try it, you¡¯ll definitely like it. In fact, you won¡¯t want to eat Kentucky or McDonald¡¯s again!¡±

    Han Xiao just replied, ¡°Let¡¯s fight. We¡¯ll listen to whoever wins.¡±

    Tang Lang instantly turned to look at Ning Xi. ¡°Little Junior Sister, let¡¯s have Kentucky!¡±

    Ning Xi, Feng Xiaoxiao, and Tang Ye were speechless.

    Fine, they would not be able to defeat him anyway.

    In the end, the fancy meal that Tang Lang kept thinking about turned into fried food just like that.

    Even more tragically was that there was no Kentucky nearby. Atst, they could only watch as they were about to reach their initial restaurant, but they switchednes and finally found a branch very far away.

    ¡­

    Inside the small store, the five of them were miserably sitting around a small table.

    ¡°Master, what have youe to Lorraine for this time?¡± Ning Xi asked.

    A certain Master held a piece of chicken in his left hand and a burger in his right. He was munching happily and could not even hear anyone.

    As he watched the anticipated fancy meal vanish, Tang Lang muttered in a lowered voice to Ning Xi, Tang Ye, and Feng Xiaoxiao, ¡°Hmm, how about the four of us attack together!? Maybe we could win!¡±

    Ning Xi eagerly passed the Master a drumstick as she shook her head like a rattle-drum. ¡°If you want to die, go alone! Don¡¯t drag me in!¡±

    Feng Xiaoxiao looked like she wanted to try her luck. ¡°If he¡¯s really that good, I really want to try!¡±

    Ning Xi warned her with a stern expression, ¡°First Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother joined hands and they couldn¡¯t win!¡±

    ¡°Uhh, then forget it¡­¡± Feng Xiaoxiao made a discerning judgment and gave up.

    Ning Xi was not sure how long Han Xiao had not eaten for, but he vacuumed everything up into his mouth. Ning Xi and Tang Lang were used to this, while Feng Xiaoxiao and Tang Ye were dumbfounded.

    Especially Tang Ye, who initially still had a stern and vignt expression, but now Han Xiao¡¯s image in his mind had probably crumbled¡­

 Chapter 2062 - A Bunch of Sheep

    <h4>Chapter 2062: A Bunch of Sheep</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As the four of them were watching the Master eat, there was suddenly a loud sound at the entrance. Someone kicked the door in.

    A group of big and muscr American men in ck sleeveless shirts came into the shop. They surrounded Ning Xi¡¯s table and then yelled fiercely at others, ¡°All you unrted people, get lost!¡±

    They held guns and the other customers all left screaming while the staff hid under the tables.

    Ning Xi had a chicken wing in her hand. She blinked her eyes and looked at them. ¡°R-Robbery?¡±

    Tang Lang was eating an ice cream. ¡°Of course not, they are here for you!¡±

    ¡°Except this woman, all of you get lost! Don¡¯t butt into this! If not, don¡¯t me me if you¡¯re hurt!¡± The man who looked like the leader had a skull ne around his neck. He kicked a nearby chair away and threatened them.

    Tang Lang licked his ice cream while Feng Xiaoxiao put on an eerie smile. Tang Ye just sat there emotionlessly, and Han Xiao was still focused on eating, not even looking up.

    Their reactions angered the guy. ¡°Messy hair! Yellow pig! Weakling! And you, sissy! I¡¯m talking to you guys! Did you hear me! Do you want to die?!¡±

    Messy hair Tang Lang, yellow pig Feng Xiaoxiao, weakling Tang Ye, and sissy Han Xiao were all speechless.

    ¡°Pfft! Cough¡­¡± Ning Xi choked on her c and started coughing.

    Damn¡­

    You¡¯re really tough, bro. You just offended four gods of death¡­

    The atmosphere around the table changed the moment the man said those words.

    ¡°Messy hair¡­¡± Tang Lang touched his curly hair that he was proud of. His eyes were as sharp as knives at the moment.

    A cold light glinted off Tang Ye¡¯s gold-framed sses.

    Feng Xiaoxiao mmed the table hard. ¡°What the heck did you say just now?!¡±

    Han Xiao was the most rxed one. He was focused on eating his second family bucket.

    The man looked ferocious as his bloodlust had be stronger. ¡°Since all of you are asking for it, don¡¯t me me for not warning you guys! Get them!¡±

    Ning Xi ducked beside the Master, then she covered her eyes.

    Probably because Tang Lang seemed annoying, the man attacked Tang Lang first.

    Tang Lang did not move an inch until a punch swooshed right before his forehead, then he grabbed it tightly with his palm.

    A terrifying bone-crushing sound came from under his knuckle.

    ¡°Ah!¡± The man roared painfully.

    On Tang Ye¡¯s side, the others attacked him because he wore a pair of sses and looked weak. The end result was so bloody that Ning Xi did not even want to nce at it.

    Screams came from all over the shop. It was chaotic hell.

    The group of men knelt on the floor and begged for mercy desperately. The man with the skull ne was kicked far away by Tang Lang, but Feng Xiaoxiao received him and kicked him back. The man was being yed like a football.

    Ning Xi shook her head.

    These people¡­ Could they be idiots?

    They were just like a bunch of juicy sheep walking right into the wolves¡¯ den¡­

 Chapter 2063 - Boss, Youve Finally Returned!

    <h4>Chapter 2063: Boss, You¡¯ve Finally Returned!</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Just like that, Ning Xi and the rest held the gang leader and those rogues down before making their way towards Solomon.

    On the way, Tang Ye muttered to himself, ¡°If the Solomon they¡¯re talking about is the same one that I know, this Solomon should be the one that was once Europe¡¯srgest organization, but after that, they slowly waned. The current leader is the weakest one in the history of their chiefs. Back then, his assistant almost seized the throne. Tang Xi, how did you get involved with Solomon¡¯s people?¡±

    Ning Xi shrugged innocently. ¡°I¡¯m really confused too! I don¡¯t know when could I have provoked them!¡±

    On the side, Feng Xiaoxiao waved her hands indifferently. ¡°Won¡¯t we know when we catch that idiot gang leader out to grill him?¡±

    They reached the entrance to the headquarters.

    Tang Lang kicked the man with the skull ne on the door, making a huge sound.

    Very quickly, there were sounds disarrayed footsteps. The people inside were startled and came out.

    ¡°Who is it!?¡± A hefty Caucasian guy at least two meters tall rushed out. When he saw the man lying on the ground twitch, his expression darkened. ¡°Jason! What¡¯s happening?!¡±

    Then, his gaze looked at Ning Xi, Tang Ye, and the rest at the entrance with hostility. ¡°Who are you people!? You dare to even touch Solomon¡¯s people! Do you want to die?¡±

    When Jason heard his words, he instantly trembled with fright. ¡°Joseph, softer¡­ Softer¡­¡±

    Then, he leaned into the guy¡¯s ear and muttered a few things softly, appearing terrified.

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    When he saw the two people keep muttering to each other, Tang Lang impatiently yawned. ¡°Who¡¯s your leader? Get him toe out to speak!¡±

    When he heard Jason¡¯s words, Joseph¡¯s gaze was much more cautious now. ¡°Do you think you can just meet our leader as you wish? The few of you, who are you? Report your names!¡±

    Feng Xiaoxiao waved the whip in her hands. ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to know my name.¡±

    When Joseph saw the whip in Feng Xiaoxiao¡¯s hand, his expression suddenly changed. In the next second, after he noticed the gold-framed spectacles on Tang Ye, he turned a few degrees paler. After he saw Tang Lang¡¯s almost symbolic curly hair too, his knees started to give way. ¡°You¡­ Could you be¡­ Could you guys be¡­¡±

    Crap!

    Could these people be the legendary ¡­

    From their features, their aura, everything fit!

    It seemed like they only missed the ¡°Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand¡± Tang Xi¡­

    Uhh, could that beautifuldy who looked weak be Tang Xi in disguise?

    Who was that long-haired man beside the beauty then?

    If they were really the four, then would the man traveling with them not have an even more terrifying identity?

    Joseph almost did not dare to continue thinking about it.

    Right at this moment, behind them came the pattering of heavy footsteps. A few people walked out withrge steps.

    The person who walked right in front was a middle-aged man, and beside him was a bald man.

    ¡°Boss!¡± When they saw the middle-aged man, Joseph, Jason, and all the rogues immediately lowered their heads to call out respectfully.

    When Tang Lang saw theirmander walk out, he raised his brows and asked, ¡°You¡¯re Solomon¡¯s leader?¡±

    The middle-aged man had a stormy expression as he skimmed the five people who were clearly here to cause a scene.

    As he was about to speak, his gaze fell onto the girl who wore a pink dress and looked adorably delicate. In the next second, his expression suddenly changed.

    It was as if the middle-aged man had been split into half by a thunderbolt. His eyes widened and stared straight at Ning Xi, then his initially vicious eyes unexpectedly teared up akin to an abandoned pet that had seen its owner. He was emotional as he stared at Ning Xi and gasped, ¡°Boss! Boss, you¡¯ve finally returned!¡±

 Chapter 2064 - That Idiot Is You!

    <h4>Chapter 2064: That Idiot Is You!</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Boss! You¡¯ve finally returned!¡±

    Following the shout of that teary-eyed middle-aged man, Tang Lang, Tang Ye, Feng Xiaoxiao, and Han Xiao all looked at Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi turned her white fingers and pointed at her nose inplete bafflement. ¡°Huh? Are you referring to me?¡±

    At this moment, the bald-headed guy beside the middle-aged man rushed out with snot and tears too. ¡°Boss! I thought that you didn¡¯t want us anymore!¡±

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    What?

    Ning Xi only reacted after a long while. She spoke with suspicion in her voice, ¡°Wait, wait, wait¡­ Speak properly! Who¡¯s your leader? Did you guys get the wrong person?¡±

    When the middle-aged man heard her, he looked as if Ning Xi was a heartless rat. ¡°Boss! Did you forget me? I¡¯m Zeus!¡±

    The bald-headed guy quickly added on, ¡°I¡¯m Bardy! Boss, you saved our lives back then when Jeffrey dominated the whole of Solomon. It was you who destroyed their oldir. Without you, there wouldn¡¯t be Solomon, Boss. Did you forget all of this?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Ning Xi was confused by what she heard. She still had no impression of this at all.

    What Bardy? What Zeus? What Jeffrey?

    She did not know any of them!

    Right at this moment, Feng Xiaoxiao, who was beside Ning Xi, suddenly smacked her head in realization. ¡°Oh, what the heck?! I remember now! Little Junior Sister, they¡¯re telling the truth! Back then, I was there too! Remember that time when you came to St. Bernard to look for me and I wasn¡¯t home? When you reached my ce to look for me, you bumped into a group of assassins. Atst, you followed those assassins to this useless leader¡¯s house. Back then, he was almost killed by the subordinates of the guy who stole his throne. It was you who saved him along the way, and in the end, you went to Jeffrey¡¯s oldir together¡­¡±

    As she listened to Feng Xiaoxiao go on about those memories from ages ago, Ning Xi finally remembered some of it, then she did not know whether tough or cry. ¡°Oh my gosh! I think such a thing did happen!¡±

    Jeffrey seemed to have something against Feng Xiaoxiao previously, so he had acted recklessly and hired assassins to ambush and assassinate Feng Xiaoxiao. Finally, because she was worried about Feng Xiaoxiao¡¯s safety, she followed those assassins to Zeus¡¯s house and saved this useless man who brought her to find Jeffrey. Atst, when she rushed to Jeffrey¡¯s oldir, Feng Xiaoxiao had arrived at the same time too, and they ruthlessly destroyed Jeffrey and the group of people.

    This incident had happened rather long ago, so Ning Xi hadpletely forgotten about it. While Feng Xiaoxiao¡¯s enemies were more numerous than the fishes in the sea, if this had not been brought up, she would probably have long forgotten about it.

    ¡°Boss! You finally remember!¡± The bald guy called Bardy sniffed emotionally.

    The useless leader wiped his tears away. ¡°Boss, when you weren¡¯t around, we¡¯ve been working hard to expand the gang! We¡¯ve been waiting for the day of your return!¡±

    When Ning Xi heard these two people keep calling her their boss, she felt a headacheing on. ¡°Wait, hold on! That¡¯s not right! Even if I identally saved you guys, when did I be your leader?¡±

    She remembered that back then, the useless leader seemed to have said something to her about how Solomon ¡°honored the strong ones¡±. Plus, she had saved them, so they had wanted to appoint her as the new leader.

    However, she had clearly rejected it on the spot back then!

    ¡°Ever since you saved us, in our hearts, you¡¯ve already be our leader!¡± Bardy said matter-of-factly.

    The useless leader Zeus nodded earnestly to agree. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right!¡±

    On the side, Tang Lang snorted andughed out loud before he said slyly, ¡°Oh, my my, Little Junior Sister¡­ It turns out¡­ that the idiot is you!¡±

    Ning Xi snapped, ¡°Shut up!¡±

    She was clearly getting implicated for simply being there!

 Chapter 2065 - Which Idiot Hired You?

    <h4>Chapter 2065: Which Idiot Hired You?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zeus took a nce at Feng Xiaoxiao whom he had seen once that day, and then looked at the others and said emotionally, ¡°Boss, I¡¯m sure that these few people beside you must be the legends from the Tang faction!¡±

    The instant he finished, the group of rogues and the little gang leader were all dumbfounded.

    What was going on?

    The person they had attempted to kill was actually Solomon¡¯s leader, while these few bystanders were all Tang faction¡¯s legendary assassins?

    Jason felt his legs tremble and he immediately knelt down. ¡°S-sorry, Boss, I didn¡¯t know¡­ I really didn¡¯t know it was you and these superiors¡­¡±

    ¡°Boss, what¡¯s happening? Did something happen?¡± The moment Zeus noticed Jason and the rest react in fear, he could not help but frown.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Earlier, when we were eating, these people suddenly popped out of nowhere and wanted to kill us.¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s single casual sentence shocked Zeus and Bardy silly.

    ¡°Boss, what did you say?!¡±

    ¡°These bastards wanted to kill you guys?¡±

    Jason looked like he was about to cry. ¡°Boss Zeus, listen to me exin! It¡¯s not what you think! I¡­ I secretly took an order. The other party wanted the Chinese artiste, Ning Xi¡¯s life. I didn¡¯t know¡­ I really didn¡¯t know this person¡¯s identity was actually¡­¡±

    When Ning Xi heard him, her brows shot up. ¡°Oh? Someone wants my life?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes, they offered $10 million. I¡­ I was momentarily bewitched by the money¡­¡±

    When Jason said this, Tang Lang clutched his stomach andughed until he almost rolled on the ground. ¡°Pfft, hahaha¡­ I¡¯m dying! Someone actually offered $10 million to assassinate the legendary Thousand-Face Ghost Hand Tang Xi and the assassin they hired was even of such a ranking!¡±

    Damn! Thousand-Face Ghost Hand Tang Xi¡­

    The way Jason looked at Ning Xi, one could tell he was horrified.

    Was Tang Xi not a man?

    When she saw Tang Lang rejoicing in her misfortunes, Ning Xi¡¯s expression was dark as the bottom of a pot. ¡°That¡¯s enough from you! Is it so amazing that your head is worth more?¡±

    ¡°Heh, little sheep, which idiot hired you?¡± Feng Xiaoxiao asked with a giggle.

    Jason looked troubled. ¡°Well¡­ Well¡­ Superior, you know how the industry works¡­¡±

    If he mentioned the client¡¯s name, he would not need to roll in the industry anymore.

    The moment Jason said that, Bardy viciously kicked him to the ground. ¡°Sh*t! You idiot! Motherf*cker, do you have sh*t as your brains?!¡±

    Jason was booted until his bones almost cracked. At the same time, he was finally clear-headed. He could barely save his own life. Who cared about the rules of this stupid industry?

    Ning Xi waved indifferently and smiled. ¡°Enough. He doesn¡¯t need to say it but I probably know who.¡±

    With Master Han Xiao keeping watch by her side, no one would be so stupid to still daree for her.

    These little fishes and shrimp might just bemoners who were not in the circle.

    Lorraine Fashion Week had just ended not too long ago when she was attacked. Furthermore, she connected it to the incident in the ¡°Thunderbolt¡± filming crew when the fake gun was swapped for a real one.

    Ning Xi probed, ¡°Let me ask you. Did your client once make you kidnap a Chinese student who was studying abroad, then threaten his sister to do things for you?¡±

    Seeing that the previous incident had been exposed, Jason¡¯s little figure trembled. He was giving everything up! ¡°Yes, yes¡­ Boss, I don¡¯t dare anymore! I¡¯ll just send this offer back! I won¡¯t be involved with that person anymore!¡±

    Ning Xi smiled mysteriously to herself. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±

 Chapter 2066 - You Do It Then

    <h4>Chapter 2066: You Do It Then</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Uhh, no need? Boss, what do you mean?¡± Jason asked in a weak tone.

    ¡°Do you want a chance to redeem yourself?¡±

    Jason¡¯s eyes brightened. He never thought that he would still have a chance to live after his head was nearly separated from his neck.

    After that, a certain useless boss apologized and cried to Ning Xi to prove his loyalty. He also promised to listen to whatever she said. Otherwise, she could throw him into the sea.

    Ning Xi nned to leave after things cleared up, but the sharp-thinking Bardy seemed to have observed Ning Xi¡¯s group carefully. He noticed that the bored-looking long-haired man who seemed impatient was the top among the group. Having done his research, he forced several kitchen staff from Kentucky to go over and cook. He even bought several KFC in Los Angeles and gave it to them as a gift until Ning Xi finally agreed to stay.

    Ning Xi¡¯s group all stayed over at Solomon for a night.

    Master Han Xiao left swiftly after he was done with his meal. Ning Xi also then parted ways with Feng Xiaoxiao and Tang Ye.

    Two dayster, her job at Los Angeles was done and she went back home.

    The trip to Los Angeles this time had so many surprises in store for her¡­

    ¡­

    At the Ning Residence in China.

    After they returned, Ning Xueluo made up an excuse and went back to her own house. She could not take Zheng Minjun¡¯s sarcasm anymore.

    She had given Zheng Minjun an invitation card to the Lorraine Fashion Week too, so she was there the whole time when the incident happened.

    She thought History would be able to shine this time, but who knew that things would have turned out like this?

    Zheng Minjun felt so embarrassed that she went back alone. Her attitude towards Ning Xueluo became much worse, and from time to time, Zheng Minjun alwayspared her to Ning Xi.

    In addition to History¡¯s worsening situation, she was really in a pinch.

    Ning Xueluo plonked herself down on the sofa. After a while, she heard footsteps outside the door. Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu had returned.

    Zhuang Lingyu seemed overjoyed to see Ning Xueluo. ¡°Xueluo is back!¡±

    She then looked at her and frowned. ¡°Have you gotten skinnier? You¡¯re pregnant! How could that happen?¡±

    Ning Xueluo gazed down with a glum expression. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m alright. It¡¯s just that thepany has been busytely¡­¡±

    Ning Yaohua spoke up, ¡°History¡¯s matter is not your fault. Don¡¯t me yourself so much.¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu held Ning Xueluo¡¯s hand and sat down on the sofa. ¡°I told you that damned girl just likes to go against us! Now, you should believe me! If she hadn¡¯t do it on purpose, why was it that of all designers, she hired that one?! And she even humiliated Xueluo in front of so many people!¡±

    Ning Yaohua knew that Ning Xi was on good terms with the Zhuang family and they wanted to take advantage of that, but now they could not say anything about it. ¡°Xiao Xi has really crossed the line this time! We¡¯re still a family anyhow. Why does she have to make things turn out like this?! Moreover, Xueluo is pregnant. Isn¡¯t she afraid it might affect Xueluo¡¯s baby?¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu then said, ¡°That¡¯s what she hoped for!¡±

    Ning Xueluo put on a miserable expression. ¡°Mother, you can¡¯t me Sister for this. It¡¯s my fault for hiring the wrong person¡­ but, Mother, I feel really bad. History is all I have, but now¡­ it¡¯s ruined¡­¡±

 Chapter 2067 - Double Joy

    <h4>Chapter 2067: Double Joy</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhuang Lingyu was in anguish when she saw Ning Xueluo being so gloomy. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Xueluo. Don¡¯t be sad anymore. It¡¯s just a clothing brand. It¡¯s not a big deal even if you lose it! What you should focus on now is to give birth to your child and everything else can start over again!¡±

    Ning Yaohua went along. ¡°Your mother is right. Nothing is more important than your child.¡±

    This was her key to stay in the Su family.

    With the Su family backing her up, it was just a trivial thing for her to start anotherpany in the future.

    As Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua wereforting their daughter, a strangedy who looked like a nanny carefully carried a bowl of soup out from the kitchen. ¡°I see you¡¯re back, Madam Zhuang. The tocolysis soup is done. Please drink it while it¡¯s still warm!¡±

    Tocolysis soup?

    Ning Xueluo was acting like she endured all the humiliation from Ning Xi out of concern for Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua, but her expression went nk for a second when she heard the nanny.

    Was she mistaken?

    Did the nanny say¡­ tocolysis soup? For Madam Zhuang?

    The nanny went ahead and then realized there was someone else besides Zhuang Lingyu. She then eximed, ¡°This must be your daughter! As expected, she¡¯s as lovely as you are, Madam! I heard that you¡¯re pregnant as well. I¡¯ve made a little extra. Please have some as well!¡±

    Ning Xueluo was stunned. She had no idea what was happening. ¡°Mother, this is¡­¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu did not expect the nanny toe out suddenly and even meet Ning Xueluo. She unconsciously touched her stomach and her expression seemed a little awkward as she struggled to speak up.

    Ning Yaohua seemed stiff as well. He coughed lightly and then said while blushing a little, ¡°Xueluo, this is a nanny we¡¯ve just hired. She specializes in making food for pregnantdies. Your mother¡­ She¡¯s pregnant¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s words struck her like a thunderbolt.

    Ning Xueluo realized that her reaction was a little exaggerated, so she calmed herself down and acted surprised. ¡°Father, what did you say? Mother is¡­ pregnant?¡±

    Ning Yaohua held Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s hand and said in excitement, ¡°Yes! Well, Xueluo, you know that your mother has been weak which is why we haven¡¯t been able to have other children. It¡¯s one of our biggest regrets. Actually, in the past year, we¡¯ve been trying surrogate pregnancy, but it never worked, and just as we were about to give up, your mother became pregnant herself!¡±

    Ning Yaohua could not hide his excitement while Zhuang Lingyu looked really blissful as well.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s mind went nk when she heard her father¡¯s words. A burning anger took over her heart.

    Zhuang Lingyu was pregnant!

    At this very moment, Zhuang Lingyu was pregnant!

    Ning Yaohua thought Ning Xueluo was just too surprised, hence he did not notice the evil intent from her. He was very much in his own happy little world. ¡°You were busy some time back then, so we didn¡¯t really tell you about it! Xueluo, you really are the lucky star of our family. The Ning family is having double joy!¡±

    Double joy!

    What a double joy indeed!

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s internal organs felt like they were burning to the point that she felt pain on the inside.

 Chapter 2068 - Forcing Her Onto The Path Of Death

    <h4>Chapter 2068: Forcing Her Onto The Path Of Death</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Yaohua had no idea about what Ning Xueluo was thinking about. ¡°Xueluo, it¡¯s been hard for you all these years. You¡¯ve had to put in so much effort for thepany. Your brother will be able to share the burden with you after he grows up and takes over thepany!

    ¡°Before this, I was worried that you¡¯d be alone, but now, after your mother and I pass away, you siblings will be able to stay by each other¡¯s side. We¡¯ll be at ease!¡±

    Ha¡­

    Brother¡­

    Of course!

    The two of them must¡¯ve checked and confirmed that it was a boy, a sessor the Ning family has been waiting for. If not, they wouldn¡¯t be this ecstatic!

    Ning Xueluo was really outraged by Ning Yaohua¡¯s words.

    Wait until her brother grows up and takes over thepany!?

    She had spent so much effort to drive Ning Xi away and make herself the only daughter left, getting all the attention and care from them. Now that they had a biological son, did her ce in the family still matter?

    They nned to discard her once they had a son. He actually sugar-coated it by saying that Ning Xueluo would have someone be by her side in the future, and even to share her burden.

    They just wanted to chase her away and never considered her at all.

    Her ce in the Su family was already difficult, and now Zhuang Lingyu was pregnant with a boy. The future heir of the Ning family was forcing her onto the path of death!

    Ning Xueluo sucked it up and forced a surprised smile. ¡°That¡¯s great, really great. Congrattions, Father and Mother!¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu held Ning Xueluo¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you, Xueluo. Don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t neglect you because of your brother. You¡¯ll forever be my treasured daughter!¡±

    Ning Xueluo scoffed inside. However, she put on a happy act. ¡°Of course, I know, Mother! I¡¯ve always hoped to have a younger brother. He can help both of you out, and even support me in the future!¡±

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s uneasiness disappeared when he heard Ning Xueluo. ¡°That¡¯s for sure! Who would your brother support if not you?!¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu was worried that Ning Xueluo would be displeased, so she was relieved when she saw Ning Xueluo¡¯s attitude at the moment. In a gentle tone, she said, ¡°Stay at home for a few days! I¡¯ll make some tonic for you!¡±

    Ning Xueluo smiled brightly. ¡°You too, Mother. You have to take care of Brother! My baby can be Brother¡¯s ymate too!¡±

    Ning Yaohua nodded happily when he saw the loving mother-daughter pair. ¡°Xueluo, I¡¯ll be taking extra care of thepany. Don¡¯t worry about it. Stay at home and rest with your mother.¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s back straightened up as her fingernails pressed deep into her palms.

    It had taken her so much effort to chase Ning Xi away, and she even got herself the shares from Ning Yaohua and Ning Yaobang, finally gaining control of thepany.

    However, now he was trying to take back the power because of an unborn child? Trying to pave a path for him in the future already?

    What a kind father!

 Chapter 2069 - Blondie Is Going To Kill Me

    <h4>Chapter 2069: Blondie Is Going To Kill Me</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Thank you, Father. You¡¯re incredibly good to me. If there¡¯s a next life, I definitely want to be your daughter again!¡± Ning Xueluo looked touched and her expression feigned innocence as if she did not notice anything.

    ¡­

    In the garden house in Deer Town.

    Dong, dong, dong!

    The dawn¡¯s peaceful silence was suddenly broken by the morous sound of someone knocking on the door.

    The person outside the door yelled earth-shatteringly at the top of their lungs, ¡°Ning Xiao Xi! Ning Xiao Xi,e out! Don¡¯t hide inside and not make a sound! I know you¡¯re at home! Quickly roll right out!¡±

    When Ning Xi, who was being chummy with Lu Tingxiao in the garden, heard this voice, she instantly spat her tea out and carefully leaned on Lu Tingxiao¡¯s shoulder to peer. ¡°It¡¯s over! I¡¯m exposed! Blondie is probably going to kill me this time!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao looked outside the yard door. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°Uhh, well¡­¡± Ning Xi forced a smile.

    ¡°Ning Xiao Xi! If you can betray me, then you can open this door! Open it!¡± Jiang Muye was still calling from the outside.

    Ning Xi cleared her throat and exined, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t do anything. Well¡­ Do you still remember Ondo?¡±

    When he heard this name, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes instantly narrowed. ¡°I do.¡±

    Obviously, he did.

    How could he not remember someone who once coveted for his wife?

    He had kept some records in his heart.

    Clearly, this little notebook of records was very thick¡­

    Thanks to Big Boss Lu¡¯s extraordinary memory that could remember everything.

    ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t ¡®Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡¯ going to be in theatres soon? This time, when I went to Lorraine, I inevitably bumped into Ondo when working, and that yboy was at it again. When I thought about how we still have to work together, after all, I didn¡¯t want to make our rtionship too awkward. Just as I was worried about this, guess what happened after?¡±

    When Ning Xi arrived at this point, her eyes shined like she was keeping him in suspense.

    ¡°What?¡± Lu Tingxiao¡¯s fingers stroked the girl¡¯s fine hair. His gaze was focused on watching the girl¡¯s animated expressions.

    Ning Xi said excitedly, ¡°Then, Ondo came to the filming location of ¡®Assassin¡¯ to look for me, and bumped into Jiang Muye! He bumped into Jiang Muye in a female disguise!¡±

    Ning Xi had especially emphasized thest sentence.

    Lu Tingxiao raised his brows. ¡°Was it love at first sight?¡±

    Ning Xi pped her thigh. ¡°Darling, you¡¯re so smart!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao did not know whether tough or cry. This progress was indeed¡­ hard to imagine¡­

    ¡°Darling, you don¡¯t know it. After Ondo saw Jiang Muye in a female outfit, he said that he had fallen into the river of love, then he begged me to help him connect them, and even said that he¡¯d definitely invite me when they get married in the future! He said it so sincerely. Obviously, I had to agree to him¡­ Hehehe¡­¡±

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    Ning Xi was delighted when her fair chin was suddenly gripped lightly by a slightly calloused hand, followed by a deep, sentimental kiss.

    Suddenly being kissed by the devil, Ning Xi widened her eyes and blinked. She was startled. Why did he suddenly kiss her?

    However, it did not matter. Ning Xi was only momentarily stunned before she returned the kiss.

    Momentster, Lu Tingxiao was short of breath as he mumbled against the girl¡¯s lips, ¡°Reward.¡±

    Ning Xi took three seconds before she realized what Lu Tingxiao meant.

    Mmm, was Darlingmending her for obediently getting rid of his love rivals?

    She really admired her ownprehension skills!

    At this moment, outside the yard entrance.

    A certain bachelor was still miserably barking, ¡°Ning Xiao Xi, you choose your lover over humanity! Our friendship has reached the end!¡±

    Ning Xi softly muttered, ¡°Ah, we can¡¯t be buddies anyway, but I can still be his aunt¡­¡±

 Chapter 2070 - Love Rival Too Abnormal

    <h4>Chapter 2070: Love Rival Too Abnormal</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Atst, a certain Blondie who acted like he had rabies still rushed in.

    ¡°Ning Xiao Xi, if you dare, don¡¯t hide behind my uncle!¡±

    Ning Xi pouted. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid enough not to hide?¡±

    Then, she started to pry. ¡°Hey, Jiang Muye, what did Ondo do to you to make you this angry?¡±

    Jiang Muye clutched his chest and almost puked blood. ¡°I¡¯m clearly pissed off by you!¡±

    Ning Xi weakly grumbled, ¡°Please, you¡¯re a grown ass man! What do you have to be afraid of!? Can he eat you!? The meeting of the two trash must have a victor! I think that based on your skill, you can definitely wipe him out!¡±

    Jiang Muye fumed with rage between gritting his teeth. ¡°Bloody hell, I¡¯ll have to thank you for having such confidence in me!¡±

    ¡°Plus, Ondo¡¯s far away in America anyway¡­¡± Ning Xi attempted a final struggle.

    ¡°My ass! The day after tomorrow, ¡®Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡¯ will be in theatres. That guy will be in the country for this period of time!¡± Jiang Muye looked like he was about to break down.

    Ning Xi instantly realized something. She patted her chest andmented as if she had received a new lease on life. ¡°Right! Oh my, thank God, thank God¡­¡±

    Thank God, Jiang Muye had helped her evade this cmity!

    ¡°Ning Xiao Xi!¡± Jiang Muye was beginning to explode again. This bastard had indeed intentionally made him her shield.

    Ning Xi was yelled at until her hair was about to be blown away¡­

    Right at this moment, Lu Tingxiao hugged his wife and said to Jiang Muye, ¡°Your mother called me earlier.¡±

    The instant Lu Tingxiao told him that, Jiang Muye became defensive. ¡°What?! My mother! What did my mother say to you?!¡±

    Every time his mother looked for Lu Tingxiao, it would not be a good thing!

    Indeed, Jiang Muye was just pondering about that when Lu Tingxiao said, ¡°To discuss with me about your marriage matters.¡±

    ¡°What the heck?!¡± Jiang Muye instantly cursed under his breath. Could his own mother not calm down?

    He clearly knew that he was most afraid of his Uncle Lu Tingxiao, so every time, she would use Lu Tingxiao to control him and force him to get married.

    ¡°I helped you reject it. Now that you¡¯re busy with your career, you don¡¯t have to rush to get married.¡±

    Jiang Muye initially looked ashen, but when he suddenly heard this he felt like he was illuminated by Buddha. He was so moved that he almost teared up. ¡°Right, right, right! Uncle, you¡¯re so right!¡±

    One must know that no matter who it was, saying eight hundred of the same thing to his mother would not be as useful as a single word from Lu Tingxiao.

    With Lu Tingxiao¡¯s words of wisdom, he would not be forced into marriage for at least the next year!

    Jiang Muye carefully considered this deal. He felt like he had not lost out in the deal!

    ¡°Hmph, forget it! This time, I¡¯ll just be loyal as a friend and help you block him!¡±

    Bloody hell! Back then, he had also been a well-known figure among the yboys. He had seen all sorts of girls without getting entangled with them. He could definitely handle that Ondo!

    ¡°Oh, Darling, you¡¯re so amazing!¡±

    Jiang Muye felt better when he saw a certain someone already hugging her darling and kissing him.

    Please! I am the one being sacrificed and you¡¯re the one helping to sacrifice me too!

    Bloody hell, forget it¡­

    How sad!

    Jiang Muye looked at these two old ones disying their affection before him and he was so angry that he ground his teeth.

    At this moment, he suddenly thought of something. Jiang Muye¡¯s expression suddenly turned nk.

    He was not sure when it had begun.

    When he saw the two of them together, he already stopped feeling so bitter and distressed. He just felt like he was seeing them as friends and even rtives.

    Huh, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes were too sharp too!

    He had probably long seen that he had given up on her, which was why he had so kindly helped him reject the marriage setups!

    Great, his love rival was abnormal! Heck, the person he liked was even more abnormal. He really could not lose with a temper¡­

    ¡­

 Chapter 2071 - An Accident Happened

    <h4>Chapter 2071: An ident Happened</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Two days after, ¡°Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡± was released in theatres worldwide.

    It was just the first day when all the film enthusiasts, who had finished watching the entire movie, were shocked.

    What seven seconds?! What irrelevant character?! What cameo?!

    Ning Xi had acted a total of 15 minutes in the movie. In fact, her character was extremely outstanding. There was even an ambiguous romance plot with Ondo and a foreshadowing of her at the end of the movie. There could very possibly a sequel when Ning Xi would be revived and joined the filming.

    All of a sudden, all the fan groups were abuzz and Ning Xi¡¯s fans were ted.

    ¡°Oh, oh, oh, Bro Xi¡¯s red qipao in the movie was so pretty!¡±

    ¡°Duh! Even I as a woman watched it until I wanted to lick the screen! Especially Bro Xi¡¯s scene with Ondo which was so full of love! I¡¯m so excited for the sequel!¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow I want to go watch it for the second time!¡±

    ¡°This time, who dares to say that my Bro Xi¡¯s ¡®Assassin¡¯ was gotten through connections and dirty tricks? I will p them to the wall and stick them there until they can¡¯t be pulled out! Bro Xi already entered Hollywood since a year ago! Her real abilities and foundation are all right here!¡±

    ¡°And Ning Xueluo¡¯s moronic fans who still haven¡¯t given up were previously saying that Bro Xi stole Ning Xueluo¡¯s role in ¡®Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡¯! Please, back then when Ning Xueluo hadn¡¯t quit the industry, she only got a seven-second storyline. When it reached our Bro Xi¡¯s hands, Bro Xi immediately became an important character! This was how huge the gap was!¡±

    -

    Inside the dim room.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s face reflected the cold light of herptop screen. The Inte was currently covered with news about the release of ¡°Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡±. It was nothing but ttery all around for Ning Xi.

    It was hers¡­

    ¡°Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡± should have been hers!

    Everything Ning Xi had today should have been hers!

    All those eyes on her, all the apuse, those ttering words¡­

    Su Yan, the Ning family¡­

    But, soon, very soon, it would all end.

    Ning Xueluo took the blood-red wine ss in her hand and downed it. ¡°Ha, Ning Xi¡­ Enjoy everything that you have right now. I¡¯ve said it before¡­ The higher you stand, the uglier your fall will be¡­¡±

    -

    In a certain luxury shopping mall in Imperial.

    Zhuang Lingyu had just finished browsing the baby shops and had a fruitful trip. She even wanted to continue although the two maids and the chauffeur beside her all had an assortment of bags in their hands.

    ¡°Madam, we¡¯ve been out for a long time today. Let¡¯s go home! Otherwise, Master will be worried!¡± One of the maids quickly advised.

    ¡°It¡¯s only been an hour. Don¡¯t listen to him, always making a fuss about nothing,¡± said Zhuang Lingyu with a dampened spirit.

    The maid smiled. ¡°Master¡¯s just worried about you because he cares about you. After all, Madam, your child didn¡¯te along easily!¡±

    When the child was mentioned, Zhuang Lingyu touched her underbelly by reflex and her eyes were filled with tenderness.

    She was eager to excel. She had never said in front of anyone and had always treated Ning Xueluo like her biological daughter, yet the fact that her flesh and blood was so unbearable had been something that she could not get over.

    Ning Xi was thergest stain in her life. No matter how she tried to sever ties, she could not change the fact that in her blood flowed in her veins.

    She urgently wanted to prove that the dirty stain had nothing to do with her, so she had given all of her care towards Ning Xueluo.

    She was obviously quite satisfied with Ning Xueluo, but if only she could get pregnant with another child, to have her own flesh and blood that would enable her to start over again, she would naturally be happy.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zhuang Lingyu was in a chipper mood, so she did not fuss over the minor matter and just answered them matter-of-factly.

    The few of them felt relieved. They quickly guarded Zhuang Lingyu and walked towards the carpark.

    Just as they were helping Zhuang Lingyu into a car, an ident happened.

 Chapter 2072 - Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 2072: Chaos</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Just as they were helping Zhuang Lingyu into a car, an ident happened.

    A roaring ck motorbike rushed right towards their direction from afar.

    ¡°Madam, be careful!¡±

    The chauffeur protected Zhuang Lingyu by dragging her aside.

    Just as they were about to feel relieved, the bike changed directions and then went towards them again. More specifically the bike went straight towards Zhuang Lingyu!

    It was too fast, so Zhuang Lingyu could not avoid it this time.

    When the maids and the chauffeur realized what happened, Zhuang Lingyu was already knocked down. She fell unconscious as shey in her own blood.

    The bike had already left before anyone could take a good look at it.

    ¡°Ah! Murder¡­ Murder! It¡¯s a murder!¡±

    ¡°Madam!¡±

    The two maids screamed and the chauffeur was stunned. He ran over quickly after a while. ¡°Madam! Make a call! Call President Ning and Ms. Ning! Hurry!¡±

    The bystanders were shocked as well. They surrounded them and were discussing the ident. Things became messy.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Seems like she got hit by a bike!¡±

    ¡°I heard that there are some cases of bike robberies reportedtely, but I¡¯ve not heard of it causing deaths!¡±

    ¡°It looks like she¡¯s pregnant! The child is probably done for¡­¡±

    ¡°The ident was really violent. Even the adult might be dead, what more the child¡­¡±

    ¡­

    In the VIP room of the hospital.

    The middle-aged woman on the bed was wilting, her face pale white.

    Zhuang Lingyu opened her eyes and she felt her body copsing. Her torso was throbbing with pain signals constantly.

    She took a quick nce around the room.

    Ning Yaohua, Ning Xueluo, Su Yan, Zheng Minjun, Su Hongguang, as well as the two maids and the chauffeur who had been with her just now were present in the room.

    The atmosphere in the room was oddly stifling. Ning Xueluo was sobbing and Ning Yaohua¡¯s expression looked terrible. The three people from the Su family seemed indifferent while the two maids and the chauffeur looked pale and were shivering.

    ¡°W-What happened to me?¡± Zhuang Lingyu asked.

    She remembered what happened the moment she asked about it. She had just finished shopping and was about to go home, but she was suddenly hit by a bike and lost consciousness¡­

    Zhuang Lingyu was in fear when she saw everyone¡¯s expressions and noticed that she was in the hospital. She quickly put her hand on her stomach. ¡°The child? How¡¯s my child? Is the child alright?¡±

    Ning Xueluo could not take it anymore. She cried right before Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s bed. ¡°Mother! Don¡¯t be too sad! It¡¯s alright if the child is gone as long as you¡¯re fine!¡±

    The child is gone¡­

    These four words were like a lightning bolt that struck her. Zhuang Lingyu almost fainted. ¡°Xueluo, what did you say just now?! What did you say?! The child is gone! How can the child be gone?!¡±

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s eyes were red and his body was shaking. Apparently, he was furious. He turned around and kicked the chauffeur. ¡°Bastard! How are you guys taking care of Madam?! How could she get hit by a bike while shopping?!¡±

    Gone! His son was gone!

    The son he had been looking forward to, his sessor, was gone just like that!

 Chapter 2073 - Everything Was Done For

    <h4>Chapter 2073: Everything Was Done For</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    His biggest regret in his life was not having a son, then he finally had one, and it was even Zhuang Lingyu who had gotten pregnant.

    Once the child was born, he would be the legitimate sessor. The shareholders who questioned Ning Xueluo¡¯s identity would have nothing to say this time, and he even nned to use this child to get closer to the Zhuang family.

    However, now everything was done for!

    Ning Yaohua almost went berserk when he heard the news!

    With such a big incident as the Madam¡¯s child gone, the two maids quivered. They were too scared to say anything.

    President Ning and Madam had been very concerned about this child. They were going to be dead!

    The chauffeur¡¯s expression was as pale as a sheet. He still had blood stains on his hands and body. He started mumbling after being kicked by Ning Yaohua. ¡°President Ning¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ I really don¡¯t know how it turned out like this¡­ We were already preparing to go back home, then suddenly a bike rushed towards us and hit Madam!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! There were so many people around! Was the biker blind?¡± Ning Yaohua was enraged.

    Ning Xueluo then said angrily, ¡°With so many of you around, yet you all couldn¡¯t protect Mother!¡±

    Ning Xueluo sounded like it was their negligence that had caused this incident as she med it all onto them.

    The chauffeur quickly denied, ¡°It¡¯s not like that! It¡¯s not our problem! It¡¯s that biker. He just rushed towards us! I already dragged Madam aside to avoid it, but that person changed directions on purpose and then went straight towards Madam!¡±

    ¡°On purpose? What do you mean?¡± Ning Xueluo frowned.

    The two maids calmed down, they then spoke up too, ¡°I think that guy did it on purpose! All of us stood nearby each other, and of all people, he rushed towards Madam¡¯s direction!¡±

    The other maid also exined, ¡°The person moved too fast for us to react. There wasn¡¯t even time for us to shield Madam! That person seemed to aim specifically at Madam¡¯s stomach!¡±

    Ning Xueluo turned to Ning Yaohua. ¡°This¡­ Could it have been nned?!¡±

    The driver¡¯s tone was much more confident now. ¡°It must be. If it had been a robbery then he would¡¯ve taken bags, but he didn¡¯t do anything else! And his initial target was Madam! If not, he wouldn¡¯t have changed directions and gone straight for Madam even after I dragged her away!¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu was crying hysterically, ¡°My child¡­ Why? Who? Why do this to me?¡±

    ¡°Who dares to make a move on us Nings?!¡± Ning Yaohua roared.

    Zheng Minjun tried to butt in as she put up an angry front. ¡°It even happened under broad daylight! How dare they!?¡±

    Su Yan calmly analyzed, ¡°ording to their description, it doesn¡¯t seem to be just an ident.¡±

    Su Hongguang looked at Ning Yaohua and asked, ¡°Yaohua, did you make enemies with anyone recently?¡±

    Ning Yaohua gave it some thought, but he rejected it quickly, ¡°Impossible! Everything is going smoothly in thepany!¡±

    Even if there were some arguments over the business, with Ning International¡¯s current scale and their rtionship with the Su family, no one would be bold enough to make a move on people from the Ning family.

 Chapter 2074 - Personal Grudges

    <h4>Chapter 2074: Personal Grudges</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zheng Minjun actually felt relieved deep inside when she saw everyone¡¯s expressions of despair and Zhuang Lingyu crying on the bed.

    Zhuang Lingyu had long been chased out by the Zhuang family, yet she still acted all high and mighty in front of everyone else. Her attitude became even cockier after she got pregnant.

    Ha, look at her now!

    Of course, what made her wariest was the child inside Zhuang Lingyu.

    The biggest reason she agreed to Su Yan and Ning Xueluo¡¯s marriage was that Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu only had one daughter. Now that they suddenly had a son, who knew if the two of them would take the shares back from Ning Xueluo in the future?

    Things might not be so bad when the child was little, but Ning Yaohua would surely intend for his son to take over thepany once the child grew up!

    Then, what about the Su family?

    Not only did they get a fake daughter, but even their rights to thepany were also lost.

    Was this not a scam?

    The Ning family had constructed such a grand n and thought they were idiots, yet the Su family still had to endure it as long as Ning Xueluo had the child in her stomach.

    However, karma yed its part. Zhuang Lingyu had probably done too many bad things and her child was now gone.

    Of course, Zheng Minjun might think this way, but she could never show it on the surface. She sighed with concern, ¡°Lingyu, did you offend anyely?¡±

    Before Zhuang Lingyu could reply, Ning Xueluo answered, ¡°Mother has always been kind. Her friends are really nice to her. Recently, she¡¯s been staying at home to care for the baby. How could she offend anyone? Even if there are some tiny arguments, it wouldn¡¯t reach the point of wanting to kill her!¡±

    Everyone then remained silent.

    Ning Xueluo had trails of tears all over her face as if she was the one who had lost her child. ¡°That person purposely harmed the child in Mother. Who¡¯s so wicked to take a child¡¯s life away?! Who would do such cruel things to take revenge?¡±

    Su Hongguang gave it some thought, then he analyzed, ¡°If they did something to you or Xueluo, it might still be because of a business conflict, but to aim Lingyu, and even her child, it must be out of spite! The possibility of a personal grudge is very high!¡±

    Suddenly, one of the maids said weakly, ¡°Miss¡­ Actually, I think I¡¯ve seen that bike somewhere before¡­¡±

    ¡°What? Where?¡±

    Everyone all looked towards the maid.

    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure, I might be wrong!¡± The maid seemed to be afraid to tell.

    Ning Yaohua yelled at her, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re mistaken. Tell us where you¡¯ve seen it before!¡±

    The maid then said in her shivering voice, ¡°That¡¯s not an ordinary bike. It¡¯s a heavy bike that¡¯s specially tuned forpetitions. I¡¯ve worked at a house near Ms. Ning Xi¡¯s ce before¡­ I saw people riding simr bikes park outside Ms. Ning Xi¡¯s house¡­ One of them looked just like the one that hit Madam¡­¡±

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Ning Xi?! You said you saw this bike at Ning Xi¡¯s ce?¡±

 Chapter 2075 - Set Her Mind On

    <h4>Chapter 2075: Set Her Mind On</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they heard the name ¡°Ning Xi¡±, everyone present had different reactions of their own.

    Su Yan, who had not said anything throughout, frowned. ¡°Can you be sure that it¡¯s the same bike?¡±

    The little maid cowered and shook her head. ¡°Because the bike was too fast, I didn¡¯t get to have a proper look, so I can¡¯t be sure. I¡¯m just saying that I¡¯ve seen something simr near Ms. Ning Xi¡¯s ce¡­¡±

    Before the few of them coulde up with a conclusion, Zhuang Lingyu, who was on the bed, turned nk for a few minutes. Suddenly, she was extremely emotional as she sat up. ¡°Ning Xi! It¡¯s her¡­ It¡¯s that damned brat¡­ It must be her¡­ Apart from her, who else would hate me this much? Hate the child in me this much¡­¡±

    When Ning Xueluo saw that Zhuang Lingyu had already set her mind on Ning Xi and did not care what the others said after the maid had just simply said a few words, the corner of her mouth faintly curled up. She quickly pretended to console, ¡°Mother, calm down. It¡¯s just the maid¡¯s one-sided story. In fact, she¡¯s said that she¡¯s not sure! I think that even though Sister has some misunderstanding with us, she wouldn¡¯t go to the extent of doing something so terrifying¡­¡±

    Since Zhuang Lingyu heard those words from the maid and heard Ning Xi¡¯s name, she had already tuned everything else out.

    ¡°Who else could it be if not her!? She wouldn¡¯t go to that extent? Hasn¡¯t she done a lot of those evil and scary things? Xueluo! Did you forget how she treated you! She ruined your career, your reputation, and yourpany one step at a time! She pushed you to the edge! It¡¯s not enough that she¡¯s ruined one of my children, but now she was here to ruin my second child!

    ¡°I¡¯ve already said that she¡¯s intentionally going against me. She just doesn¡¯t want me to live a good life. She wants to torment us Ning family so that we¡¯ll never have a day of peace before she¡¯s satisfied!¡± Zhuang Lingyu was getting more and more stirred up. Her mournful shouts echoed in the ward.

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s face seemed to tremble and at this moment, he looked extremely sorrowful too. ¡°That brat wouldn¡¯t have such guts!¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu scoffed. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t? She¡¯s very capable now! And she knows so many ruffians from everywhere. Is there anything she wouldn¡¯t do? If she didn¡¯t have the guts, could Xueluo be treated so unjustly to the point that she¡¯s at today?¡±

    Ning Xueluo pretended that she was not willing to believe it. Her eyes teared up as she shook her head. ¡°No, she won¡¯t¡­ Sister wouldn¡¯t do such a thing. I know Sister hates me¡­ I always knew that¡­ but if she hates me, she can juste for me! I¡¯ll let her do whatever she wants!

    ¡°But why? Why did she have to put the hate onto Mother!? Mother, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong! In fact, you¡¯re her biological mother, and the one in you was her biological brother! How could she have done such a thing?!¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s words seemed to be defending Ning Xi, yet every word solidified the suspicions in Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua¡¯s hearts.

    Ning Xueluo looked like she was in pain as she med herself. She wiped her tears away and stood up. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault¡­ if it weren¡¯t for me, Sister wouldn¡¯t have taken the wrong path¡­ It¡¯s all my fault¡­ I want to go look for her and talk it out!¡±

    When they saw Ning Xueluo emotionally rushing out of the room, Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu were worried.

    ¡°This child! Why is she so impulsive?! She¡¯s still pregnant too! Su Yan, quickly get Xueluo back!¡± Ning Yaohua said anxiously.

    Su Yan nodded before he immediately rushed out of the ward to chase her.

 Chapter 2076 - Go Home To Be Stuffed With Displays of Affection

    <h4>Chapter 2076: Go Home To Be Stuffed With Disys of Affection</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Su Yan ran out to chase her, he was already toote. Ning Xueluo had already gotten into a taxi and the car made a turn, very quickly disappearing into the flow of traffic.

    Su Yan cursed under his breath before he quickly drove to catch up.

    ¡­

    At the Spiritpany building.

    In the CEO office, Han Momo was looking sullen and was vigorously asking Ning Xi to let her work overtime.

    ¡°Boss! Please! Please! Arrange for me to work overtime! Saturday, Sunday¡­ Pack every night fully for me!¡±

    Ning Xi put the documents in her hands down and pinched between her brows. She did not know whether tough or cry as she looked at this girl before her. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard such a fresh and extraordinary request!¡±

    Han Momo was so anxious that her eyes were already teary. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m serious!¡±

    ¡°Okay, tell me, why do you want to work overtime?¡±

    Han Momo kept it in and did not say anything for a long while, before finally crying out sadly, ¡°My parents are abusing me at home every day!¡±

    Ning Xi was stunned. ¡°Abusing you?¡±

    Han Momo instantly started to pour out all of her grievances. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m only 24 years old! I haven¡¯t even graduated for more than two years from university! I¡¯m so young! They¡¯ve already started to urge me to go look for a man, disliking the fact that I don¡¯t have a boyfriend!

    ¡°But, clearly because they were so strict with me back then, my male ssmate had juste to my house to inform me about something and his leg was almost broken by my father. Now, they start to urge me to get a man. Where do I go looking for that!?

    ¡°Worse still, the two of them keep disying their affection in front of me every day, and then mock me for being single! I can¡¯t go on like this!

    ¡°Boss, I¡¯m suffering on the inside! Please let me work overtime! I don¡¯t want to go home to be stuffed with disys of affections!¡±

    Han Momo said all of it at a go without being short of breath. Merely listening to her could make one sad and cry.

    After Han Momo finishedining tearfully and saw Ning Xi staring at her with a nk expression, there was a loneliness on her face that she had never seen before. She could not help but worry a little as she scratched her head and asked carefully, ¡°Boss, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Ning Xi returned to her senses and shook her head. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Just listening to the little details of Han Momo¡¯s interactions with her parents made her suddenly feel a little¡­ rueful¡­

    At this moment, Han Momo¡¯s phone suddenly rang.

    When Han Momo saw who it was, she looked like she was about to face a battle. She looked at Ning Xi and seemed like she was about to cry. She quickly took her phone aside and started speaking in a low voice.

    ¡°Mother¡­ No! I really need to work overtime! I¡¯m not lying to you! If I lie to you, I¡¯m a dog! I¡¯m not calling you a dog! I¡¯m referring to myself! Okay, okay¡­ Since I really need to work overtime anyway¡­¡±

    Ning Xi sat behind her desk. She was not worried as quietly watched Han Momo speak on the phone.

    When she saw the way the girl seemed like she was weeping, sheughed softly and waved at her, telling her to pass the phone to her.

    Han Momo hesitated for a while before handing the phone over.

    ¡°Hello, Aunty Han, I¡¯m Momo¡¯s boss.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± On the other end of the phone, Mother Han was still nagging her daughter, but she suddenly stopped when she heard Ning Xi¡¯s voice. She changed to an extremely friendly tone. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Momo¡¯s boss! Hello, hello! Is Momo causing trouble for you? Or did she do anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, Momo is very hardworking and she¡¯s doing very well too. I¡¯m preparing to promote her, so in this period of time, she might have a little more work,¡± said Ning Xi gently.

    ¡°Ah! No worries, no worries! Young people should be hustling. The fact that you value her is Momo¡¯s honor! That girl is too carefree. Does she always make mistakes? If she does, Boss, you don¡¯t have to be courteous. Just ruthlessly criticize her. That way, she¡¯ll remember!¡±

 Chapter 2077 - Miss You, Miss You, Miss You

    <h4>Chapter 2077: Miss You, Miss You, Miss You</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    On the side, Han Momo blushed when she eavesdropped on her mother¡¯s words. ¡°I didn¡¯t, Mother! Don¡¯t simply say things!¡±

    Ning Xiughed lightly without minding at all. ¡°Momo is great and she¡¯s beautiful. She¡¯s very popr in the office.¡±

    ¡°Aww, really?¡± Mother Han was being humble, but just from her tone, you could tell that she was delighted.

    Ning Xi and Mother Han chatted for quite a while before she hung up. She even made Mother Han forget the thought about urging her to get a boyfriend. Han Momo shed tears of gratitude, wishing she could devote her life to her.

    ¡°Bro Xi, thank God you¡¯re not a man. Otherwise, the youngdies in our office would fight at least once a day!¡±

    Ning Xi watched the bouncing little girl¡¯s figure leaving andughed as she shook her head.

    While she had been at the Tang residence, because they valued men over women, she basically had the same existence as someone invisible. The fact that she did not get ditched and managed to survive was already very fortunate. When she returned to the Ning family, she was finally no longer invisible, but she had to live extremely cautiously under harsh and probing gazes¡­

    It seemed like she had never experienced how normal people lived like, and how to interact with parents¡­

    She was in a daze when suddenly, there was a text notification on her phone.

    Lu Tingxiao, who had just gone abroad to Country F for work that morning, had sent quite a few texts in a row.

    [This morning, the temperatures dipped. I¡¯ve told Wan Wan to send clothes to you. Remember to wear it. Don¡¯t start enjoying the cold.]

    [I¡¯ve brewed some bird¡¯s nest for you. You just have to put it in and set it to automatically stew. Do remember to eat it.]

    [I¡¯ve taken a look at that script. It suits you very well, so you should take it.]

    [Miss me?]

    When she saw thest couple of words, the corners of Ning Xi¡¯s mouth could not help but curve up.

    Please! They just had not seen each other for five hours and he should have just alighted from the ne.

    Ning Xi sprawled across the table as she smiled and replied with a text. ¡°In the first second that you left, I missed you. In the second second that you left, I missed you and missed you. In the third second that you left, I missed you, missed you, missed you¡­ I¡¯ve already missed you eighteen thousand times¡­¡±

    ¡­

    In the lobby of Spirit, there was a morous noise of discussion.

    A group of staff looked over when they heard themotion.

    ¡°Miss Ning, we¡¯re sorry. You can¡¯t enter without an appointment!¡±

    ¡°Miss Ning! Stop trying to charge in! Please don¡¯t make things hard for us!¡±

    ¡°Miss Ning¡­ Miss Ning¡­¡±

    They saw that the receptionist was blocking a woman, who was unexpectedly the boss of History, Ning Xueluo.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why¡¯s Ning Xueluo on our turf?¡±

    ¡°Huh! Is she still thinking of tearing down our store?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it! If she was tearing down our store, why would shee alone?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s she doing again!? Whatever it is, it¡¯s definitely nothing good!¡±

    The crowd saw that Ning Xueluo seemed very emotional. No matter how the receptionist pleaded with her, she would not listen. She just kept repeating, ¡°I have an emergency to see Ning Xi about! Please get her toe out to see me!¡±

    The staff still did not let her in. Ning Xueluo was already very stirred up and continued to charge in. ¡°Sister! Don¡¯t avoid me! What¡¯s between us should have settled already! Back then, no matter what you did to me, I can handle it, but this time, you¡¯ve gone overboard! If you have any hatred, feel free toe for me. I¡¯ll take it all! Why did you have to take it out on Mother?! You didn¡¯t even let go of an innocent child!¡±

    There was an overload of information in Ning Xueluo¡¯s words, and all the surrounding stuff were instantly stupefied.

    ¡°What¡¯s that Ning Xueluo saying?¡±

    ¡°Seems like she¡¯s saying that our boss did something to her mother? And she even said that Boss didn¡¯t even let go of a child?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably nonsense!¡±

 Chapter 2078 - Acting Skills

    <h4>Chapter 2078: Acting Skills</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The Spirit staff knew that Ning Xueluo was pregnant and did not dare to touch her, so they just let her barge in.

    The receptionist was worried and quickly called Ning Xi. ¡°CEO Ning, Miss Ning Xueluo suddenly came over to look for you without an appointment. We tried to stop her, but she seems very agitated. She said some odd stuff, then barged inside when weren¡¯t noticing!¡±

    There was a short silence over the phone, then Ning Xi¡¯s soothing voice came through. ¡°What did she say?¡±

    The receptionist sounded a little hesitant. ¡°She said that¡­ matters between the both of you should be settled and questioned why you harmed your own mother¡­ and how you even harmed an innocent child¡­ I¡¯m sorry. She¡¯s pregnant, so we¡¯re worried something might happen and didn¡¯t force her out¡­¡±

    ¡°I understand. Get everyone back to their positions.¡±

    ¡°Got it, CEO Ning.¡±

    After a small hup, thepany returned back to normal.

    Ning Xi hung up the phone in her office.

    Ning Xueluo hade to look for her and kicked up such a big fuss?

    This was not like her at all¡­

    Harmed Mother?

    An innocent child¡­

    She heard the news about Zhuang Lingyu being pregnant, but Ning Xueluo¡¯s words seemed to indicate that the child was gone.

    There was some noise outside the door. Someone pushed through the door and entered.

    The few security guards looked troubled as they stood behind Ning Xueluo. ¡°Boss, she¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You guys can go back now.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± The guards were relieved and then left.

    Suddenly, therge office room was only left with the two of them.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s hair looked messy and her makeup was smudged too. She looked miserable as a whole, and she seemed like she was about to break down anytime. She knelt on the floor before Ning Xi. ¡°Sister, I beg you, no matter how much you hate me, juste at me. Don¡¯t hurt anyone else¡­¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched. She felt that the Oscars owed her an award.

    The way she acted like she was in pain and med herself for her mother¡¯s loss of her child, no one would doubt her for not being a filial daughter.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. There isn¡¯t anyone else in here. You don¡¯t have to show me how skilled you are at acting.¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression changed suddenly and she became oddly calm out of a sudden.

    She stood up slowly and carefully tidied her messy hair as she smiled. ¡°CEO Ning, it¡¯s really tough to meet you today.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Miss Ning?¡±

    Her address of ¡°Miss Ning¡± sounded extremely sarcastic and Ning Xueluo was taken aback.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m here to see how great you¡¯re doing!¡± Ning Xueluo¡¯s face darkened like an endless abyss. ¡°Ning Xi, you must be very happy now, aren¡¯t you? You forced me out of the entertainment industry and let everyone know that I¡¯m just a daughter from a rural area, and you even told the whole world about Su Yan¡¯s intention to divorce me! And now, you¡¯ve even destroyed History. My reputation is all gone. I have nothing left. Aren¡¯t you happy now?¡±

    The only thing she had left was her identity as Mrs. Su. If it were not for the child in her womb, the Su family would have abandoned her a long time ago.

    This witch¡­

    She had actually pushed her to such lengths!

 Chapter 2079 - Solid Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 2079: Solid Evidence</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xi acted surprised. ¡°Should I be proud that I smashed a tiny bug?¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Ning Xueluo clenched her fists as her body was trembling, but she soon returned to her elegant self as she smiled and said, ¡°Ning Xi, I initially wanted to leave a path for you¡­¡±

    Outside the door, there were sounds of footsteps. It seemed like Su Yan was there.

    Ning Xueluo looked at the ss of water on the coffee table, then she stered a creepy smile across her face.

    Without Ning Xi realizing it, there were three white pills in Ning Xueluo¡¯s palm. She dropped those pills into the water and they quickly dissolved.

    Ning Xueluo picked the ss of water up. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault that you want to go down the path of death¡­ then¡­ you shouldn¡¯t me me¡­¡±

    She then chugged the ss of water.

    The next moment, Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression changed. The ss broke as it dropped onto the floor and caused a loud crash.

    Blood frothed out from Ning Xueluo¡¯s mouth as she clutched her stomach and started rolling on the floor.

    ¡°Xueluo!!!¡± Su Yan heard the noises from inside the room and barged in. He was horrified to find Ning Xueluo on the ground with the broken ss beside her, and the growing pool of blood on her lower body.

    Ning Xi was sitting at her table. She did not move an inch during the whole fiasco.

    Ning Xueluo gripped her stomach and stared at the broken ss. ¡°This water¡­ Sister¡­ you¡­ you¡­¡±

    Ning Xi grinned. Before Ning Xueluo could say anything, she interrupted her. ¡°I know you want to use me of poisoning you. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have security cameras in here. If not, you¡¯d have solid proof. However, the ss isn¡¯t worth a thing, so you can take it.¡±

    Ning Xueluo froze when she heard Ning Xi¡¯s sarcastic words, but then she soon switched into a painful expression. ¡°Sister¡­ I came here today to discuss things with you¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter what you want to do to me¡­ I just hope that¡­ you don¡¯t hurt other innocent people¡­

    ¡°Why? Why are you so stubborn? The one in my womb¡­ is Bro Yan¡¯s child¡­ The child is innocent¡­ Mother¡¯s child is already gone¡­ Is that not enough? Why?¡±

    ¡°Xueluo! Xueluo!¡± Su Yan quickly held up the unconscious Xueluo, then he looked at Ning Xi with a mixed expression before he dashed out.

    Su Yan held Xueluo and ran through the staff area and the lobby, sparking a lot of discussion.

    In the office, Ning Xi looked at the direction Su Yan left in, contemting something.

    In Ning Xi¡¯s house in Deer Town.

    Ning Xi made two phone calls immediately after she reached home.

    She soon got replies from both sides.

    The first call was to Shi Xiao, who confirmed that Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s child was gone and that it happened after someone hit her on purpose on a motorbike.

    She would probably be med, but they did not have evidence. If not, Zhuang Lingyu would have already sent her to jail and Ning Xueluo would not havee to thepany to put on the act, even getting rid of her own child to frame her as well.

 Chapter 2080 - Come Prepared

    <h4>Chapter 2080: Come Prepared</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The second call was an overseas call.

    As she expected, Jason said that after he failed thest time, Ning Xueluo never called him again. Otherwise, Solomon would have contacted her if Ning Xueluo made any move andtely, there had not been anything going on.

    Ning Xi sat on the sofa and gave it some thought. Then, she made a third call and asked Tang Lang for a favor.

    After ten minutes, Tang Lang replied and told her no one on the streets had picked up the order for Zhuang Lingyu.

    There was no doubt that Ning Xueluo was definitely rted to the person who had knocked Zhuang Lingyu down. She could prove Ning Xueluo was the mastermind if she could find this person, then the truth would be made clear.

    However, this person seemed non-existent. No traces were left. Ning Xueluo had not used anyone from Solomon and she also did not hire an assassin as well.

    Everyone now knew that Ning Xueluo had gone to her office. She had been fine when she came, but her child was gone after she left. Moreover, Su Yan had been at the scene as a witness.

    No wonder Ning Xueluo had made such a big scene and was so high profile about it. What a simple and direct way to frame her! She hade fully prepared so that Ning Xi would not be able to dodge the guilt this time.

    Ning Xi tapped her fingers on the coffee table gently and weighed the matter.

    The next day, as if not affected by the incident at all, she invited a famous race driver for a match.

    In the afternoon, she met Director Martin, the scriptwriter, and the special effects artist to discuss the movie sequel.

    At night, her personal phone rang.

    It was much sooner than she thought. How exciting¡­

    It was her grandfather who called.

    ¡°Hi, Grandfather.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Xi¡­ you¡­ well,e to the hospital now!¡±

    ¡°I got it, Grandfather, I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±

    With such a big incident, Ning Xueluo would, of course, have Grandfather back her up. Not only him, but she would also probably have the whole family there as a witness.

    Ning Xi changed outfits and went to the Imperial First People Hospital alone.

    As she expected, inside the big VIP room, everyone was there.

    The Ning family, the Su family, Grandfather¡­ even Ning Qiutong had rushed back from overseas.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s face looked pale and in despair as shey down on the bed. Zhuang Lingyu was sitting in a wheelchair beside the bed with a grievous expression on her face. Ning Yaohua¡¯s expression was dismal and the Su family was just sitting on the sofa on the other side of the room.

    Everyone seemed very solemn.

    Besides them, there were also a sizeable group of distant rtivesforting Ning Xueluo.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so sad, Xueluo. The elder will surely be on your side!¡±

    ¡°Xueluo, you¡¯re the eldest daughter-inw of the Su family after all. The child you carried was part of the Su family, and we Su family aren¡¯t ones to be bullied!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! We won¡¯t let this go if we don¡¯t get a satisfactory answer!¡±

    ¡­

    The elder sat beside the window with his walking staff in his hand and he looked exhausted.

    The Ning family had suddenly lost two children. The elder must be the one who was impacted the most.

    It was a serious matter. Obviously, Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Xueluo had called everyone in the room to be their witnesses.

    Ning Xi understood that Grandfather could not really stand up for her under these circumstances.

 Chapter 2081 - Kneel To Heaven, Earth and Parents

    <h4>Chapter 2081: Kneel To Heaven, Earth and Parents</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When Ning Xi appeared at the entrance of the ward, suddenly, everyone turned to her, firmly ring at her.

    ¡°Xiao Xi, quicklye over!¡± Only Ning Qiutong looked rxed and at ease. When she saw Ning Xi, she eagerly greeted her.

    When she saw Ning Qiutong, Ning Xi¡¯s frown slowly rxed. First, she called out to her grandfather and greeted him, then she walked towards Ning Qiutong. ¡°Aunty.¡±

    Ning Qiutong carefully looked at her with concern. Momentster, she let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Not bad! You¡¯ve be a little chubby. You finally have some meat on your face!¡±

    When he saw that Ning Xi hade and unexpectedly started to reminisce with Ning Qiutong, Ning Yaohua was so angry that his face twisted in fury. ¡°Animal! Kneel down right now!¡±

    Noticing Ning Yaohua¡¯s resentful gaze as if he was looking at garbage, Ning Xi scoffed indifferently. ¡°I will kneel to heaven, kneel to earth, and kneel to my parents. I wonder on what basis are you asking me to kneel down for, Chairman Ning?¡±

    Ning Yaohua was furious. ¡°You¡­ you inhumane animal! Up until now, you¡¯re still trying to be clever!¡±

    On the side, some of Ning family¡¯s rtives looked repulsed as they whispered to each other, ¡°Look what this girl is saying! Is this not her father?¡±

    ¡°She dares to say such disgraceful things. Isn¡¯t she afraid of getting struck by lightning!?¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu had long wanted to run up and kill her the moment she saw Ning Xi. At this moment, her expression was even fiercer as she screeched, ¡°Ning Xi! You cruel animal! You won¡¯t even let go of children! Back then, when I gave birth to you, I should¡¯ve just strangled you then and there!¡±

    Ning Xueluo wept until she was slightly breathless. She seemed absent-minded. ¡°It¡¯s my fault¡­ All my fault¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have clung onto Father and Mother¡¯s warmth¡­ I¡¯ll return it to you¡­ I¡¯ll return it all to you¡­ Can you give me back my child, please? Return my child to me¡­¡±

    ¡°Xueluo, Xueluo, my unfortunate daughter¡­ It¡¯s not your fault¡­ It¡¯s Mother who didn¡¯t protect you well. Back then, I should never have brought this animal back¡­¡±

    As they watched the mother and daughter¡¯s misery and suffering, everyone around looked at Ning Xi with even more spite.

    ¡°Sinful! Killing two children at a go!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s so pretty, but who would have thought she¡¯d be this malicious?!¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Everyone, silence!¡± The elder thumped his staff hard.

    The mor in the ward then gradually hushed down.

    ¡°Xiao Xi, tell us what happened.¡± The elder asked in a quiet tone.

    Ning Yaohua pressed angrily. ¡°Father, why are you still asking her this right now? First, she hired the murderer that killed Lingyu¡¯s child. Xueluo rushed to expose her, then she flew into a rage and poisoned Xueluo¡¯s water, wanting to kill Xueluo¡¯s child too!

    ¡°This animal probably intended to harm Xueluo as well! The doctor said that it was an extremely strong medication to induce abortion. She even put three times the dosage, but Xueluo survived because she was lucky! She¡¯s practically inhumane!¡±

    With every word that Ning Yaohua uttered, all the ruthless pairs of eyes fell on Ning Xi.

    Seeing Ning Xi being condemned and attacked by everyone, Ning Xueluo leaned weakly in Su Yan¡¯s embrace, the corners of her mouth strangely curled up. Her eyes fearlessly challenged Ning Xi to provoke her and inside her heart, she sneered madly.

    Ha, Ning Xi, defend yourself! Exin! This will be your final struggle!

 Chapter 2082 - Admit

    <h4>Chapter 2082: Admit</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Say that I put those pills in myself! Say that I want to harm my own child!

    Say it, then look around this room to see who will believe you?

    Who would believe that I would swallow those pills and kill my own child?

    On the side, Ning Qiutong frowned. She was about to say something, but Ning Xi stopped her.

    Ning Xi¡¯s gaze swept across everyone with ease as the edges of her mouth curled up, outlining a cold smile. ¡°So what if it was me? Forget about the child. Even if I wanted to poison her to death as well, what can you guys do to me?¡±

    The instant Ning Xi said that, everyone in the room¡¯s expression changed.

    Su Yan, who had been having mixed feelings, suddenly looked startled as he was in disbelief. ¡°Xiao Xi, you¡­ It was really you who did it all¡­¡±

    Even though the truth was right before him, after listening to Ning Xi admit it herself, he still could not ept it.

    Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua were like savages who just saw fresh blood spilled. They wanted to rip her apart. ¡°You animal! Animal! What sin did our Ning family do to create such an evil, shameful thing!? You won¡¯t even let go of your own brother!¡±

    ¡°Oh my God! She actually dared to admit it!¡±

    ¡°Otherwise? There¡¯s solid evidence. She can¡¯t run away!¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t even look remorseful after doing such a thing. She¡¯s even so arrogant, she¡¯s too much!¡±

    At this moment, not only Zhuang Lingyu and Ning Yaohua, but Zheng Minjun and Su Hongguang seemed aghast too.

    Zheng Minjun rushed out to start scolding, ¡°You cruel woman! Even if you like our Su Yan that much and want to enter the Su family, you can¡¯t kill Su Yan¡¯s child! This is Su Yan¡¯s flesh and blood! Now, you¡¯re just taking it out on the child. If, in the future, you really became part of the Su family, if anything doesn¡¯t suit your taste even a little, are you going to harm me too!?¡±

    Su Hongguang did not expect that, as the heir of the Zhuang family, Ning Xi¡¯s morale would stoop to this poor extent.

    This was not a small matter of jealousy. This was murder!

    After she killed someone, she could still appear so remorseless and at ease. How terrifying was this woman?

    Zhuang Lingyu gripped her chest that began to ache from rage. ¡°You¡¯re worse than a beast! You¡¯re despicable and lowly. You¡¯re not even a millionth of Xueluo, yet you¡¯re still deluded about marrying into the Su family. You¡¯re deluded about stealing Xueluo¡¯s husband! Look at yourself! Do you think you¡¯re even qualified in the least?¡±

    Su Hongguang¡¯s expression was solemn as he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yaohua. Even though Ning Xi is your daughter, she has implicated a human life. I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t just let things go so easily.¡±

    Zheng Minjun immediately shouted emotionally, ¡°She killed my grandchild. Of course, we have to report her to the police!¡±

    When Ning Xi heard this, she raised her brows slightly. ¡°Oh, report me to the police?¡±

    Upon seeing Ning Xi¡¯s fearless attitude, Ning Yaohua became madder. ¡°Animal! I don¡¯t care who you have backing you or who¡¯s supporting you! If this matter isn¡¯t resolved, don¡¯t think about going anywhere!¡±

    Initially, he had still been a little wary of the Zhuang family, but when he thought about the Zhuang family¡¯s strict ways, if they knew what Ning Xi had done, they would be the first ones to not spare her.

    Zhuang Lingyu sneered. ¡°You look so sure about being backed up. You¡¯re probably relying on a gold mine that you have!¡±

    For Zhuang Lingyu to say so as her mother, everyone else in the house judged Ning Xi with an even stranger expression.

    ¡°There were already rumors that she was taken in as a mistress. It turns out that it¡¯s real!¡±

    ¡°Someone like this actually thought of marrying our Su Yan. What a joke!¡±

    ¡°Now, all the little celebrities really aren¡¯t self-aware at all. All of them just want personal gain and they rack their brains, thinking about marrying into a rich family. They¡¯ll dare to use all sorts of tricks, but they won¡¯t consider what trash they are!¡±

 Chapter 2083 - Not Interested In Re-marrying

    <h4>Chapter 2083: Not Interested In Re-marrying</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As he listened to the surrounding Su family¡¯s rtives mocking and ridicule Ning Xi, Ning Yaohua¡¯s face turned ashen. He only hoped that this dirty stain would immediately vanish from this world forever.

    Initially, he had still been a little hesitant. He thought that they should not air their dirtyundry. If word ever got out, it would still be him who would be humiliated.

    But, at this moment, he was already determined to send Ning Xi to jail. He wanted topletely eradicate this evil creature from everyone¡¯s line of sight. Otherwise, in the future, he would not know how many more embarrassing things would arise.

    When Zheng Minjun saw that Ning Xi was definitely done for this time, fueled by the anger from her grandchild being killed, she ripped her apart on the spot. ¡°Ning Xi, don¡¯t have an ounce of wishful thinking. For a woman like you, as long as I¡¯m around, you don¡¯t have to think about marrying Su Yan in this lifetime!¡±

    When she heard those words, Ning Qiutong was about to explode in anger. If Ning Xi had not held her down, she would have walked off in a rage.

    She knew that Su Yan was Ning Xi¡¯s greatest wound. Originally, she was worried about Ning Xi, yet she saw that Ning Xi was not angry and was smiling instead. She was gazing down as the corners of her lips curled up. That smileplemented the girl¡¯s extraordinarily quiet and elegant face, making her look extremely breathtaking¡­

    Ning Xi looked down andughed softly, then she looked up at Zheng Minjun. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have high standards. I¡¯m afraid your son doesn¡¯t make it into my line of sight. Besides, I¡¯ve already gotten married two years ago, and I¡¯m not interested in re-marrying, Madam Su. You¡¯re overthinking.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ really have the chit to talk big!¡± Zheng Minjun¡¯s temper red on the spot. This witch was actually boasting of her high standards and saying that she did not fancy their Su Yan.

    The second she finished, the second half of Ning Xi¡¯s sentence suddenly sunk in and she was stunned. ¡°What did you say? You¡¯re married?¡±

    The instant Ning Xi spoke up, Su Yan¡¯s expression abruptly changed too.

    Ning Xi was already married?

    In fact, she had already been married two years ago?!

    Su Yan did not care to think twice. He just blurted out, ¡°Xiao Xi, what do you mean? You¡¯re married? How could this be?!¡±

    Ning Xi shrugged indifferently at Su Yan. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do I need to report my getting married to you?¡±

    Everyone else in the room seemed to not have expected this too. They all exchanged nces in shock as they buzzed.

    ¡°No way! Ning Xi¡¯s already married? I¡¯ve never heard of that!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t say! The people in the entertainment industry need to keep things like this a secret! Once they¡¯re married, they¡¯re worth nothing! Besides, who knows which old fellow she¡¯s married to! Would she want to announce that?¡±

    ¡°This girl is so fearless. Could her brazenness be because of that husband of hers?¡±

    ¡°Pfft, she¡¯s just a small actress! Besides, she wasn¡¯t that popr two years ago. What good family could she marry into? It¡¯s most likely just a newly-made rich guy!¡±

    ¡­

    When Ning Xueluo heard that Ning Xi was already married, she was clearly startled too. However, she very quickly returned to ridiculing her internally.

    She¡¯s just a worn-out good that¡¯s been married before! She can forget about fighting for Su Yan with me.

    Ning Yaohua looked at her despicably with disdain. ¡°Ning Xi, I¡¯m telling you! I don¡¯t care what trash you¡¯re married to, or what backing you have. Even if God himself came today, it would be useless!¡±

    Right at this moment, there was the sound of steady footstepsing closer from afar.

    Almost the instant Ning Yaohua finished with his roar, the ward door was pushed open by long, slender fingers.

    The person who entered had a tall figure and an icy face. The air around him was extremely cold as if he had swept a world of ice and snow along with him. His cold, pit-like eyes with a chilly gaze skimmed everyone in the ward. His low and raspy, frosty voice rang in everyone¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

 Chapter 2084 - H-Holding Hands?

    <h4>Chapter 2084: H-Holding Hands?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The man wore a gray slim-fit suit. His cor revealed his inner white shirt and the shiny, ck buttons on the sleeves gave off a cold light.

    The VIP room was spacious enough to gather all the rtives and friends around, but as the man entered the room, the room seemed to be so small and crowded as though it was not enough to contain the aura he gave off.

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s arrogant expression was petrified as if he could not believe his own eyes. ¡°Lu¡­ Lu¡­¡±

    He was so shocked that he could not say the next word after ¡°Lu¡±.

    The rtives from the two families who had mocked Ning Xi just now were now silent. They could not believe that the person who only existed in legends and casual chats, who was so high and mighty that even prestigious families like them might never meet him even once in their life, had just appeared before their eyes¡­

    They did not even recall how he looked like some years ago until recently, about two years ago, Lu Tingxiao started appearing in public. His picture was framed up in the room of many girls in Imperial. With the title of ¡°National Husband¡±, his poprity was even higher than some of the male celebrities in the country.

    The man¡¯s actual face was much better-looking than those blurry photos and videos, especially the aura he gave off, which was breathtakingly impactful.

    He had a ck windbreaker on top of his suit and an aloof assistant was behind him while two fully armed bodyguards were right outside the room.

    A strong killing intent was in the air¡­

    ¡°G-gosh¡­ It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s Lu¡­ Lu Tingxiao¡­ I¡¯m not dreaming¡­¡± After some time, someone came back to their senses.

    The others reacted as well. ¡°Someone, pinch me!¡±

    ¡°Oh, so¡­ so handsome! He¡¯s much better-looking than in the pictures!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going crazy! What¡¯s happening? Why is Lu Tingxiao here?¡±

    ¡­

    Not just these people, Ning Xi was pretty surprised herself. She never expected Lu Tingxiao to appear here, moreover, in such a high profile manner.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ Aren¡¯t youing back the day after tomorrow?¡± Ning Xi asked.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s frigid eyes melted like snow in the spring when he looked at Ning Xi. He did not reply, instead, just frowning at the girl.

    He took off his windbreaker and went up to her.

    He touched the girl¡¯s hands, then spread the windbreaker over her shoulders. He sounded grumpy. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that the temperature¡¯s been getting lower recently?¡±

    Ning Xi nced at the long woolen dress she had on. ¡°I¡¯ve put on a lot ofyers already¡­¡±

    Lu Tingxiao squeezed the girl¡¯s hands. ¡°Your hands are cold.¡±

    Ning Xi was speechless. This was probably a new type of cold - ¡°her-darling-thinks-she-is-cold¡± cold.

    Everyone else in the room was stunned.

    They¡­ they held hands!

    Lu Tingxiao had even taken his windbreaker off and put it on Ning Xi. The sweetness and intimacy between their exchanges of words were enough to melt anyone!

    Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi?

    This was crazy!

    W-what was happening?

    What happened next would astound them even more!

 Chapter 2085 - High Up In The Sky

    <h4>Chapter 2085: High Up In The Sky</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lu Tingxiao held Ning Xi¡¯s hand, ignoring everyone¡¯s gazes as he walked through a path opened up by the crowd. He went straight to the elder.

    He then called, ¡°Grandfather.¡±

    Grandfather!

    What did Lu Tingxiao just call the elder?

    The elder was really thrilled to see his grandson-inw. ¡°You¡¯re back! Come and sit down!¡±

    Ning Yaohua could not hold it in anymore. He rushed up to Ning Zhiyuan. ¡°Father, this¡­ What is this? You¡­ you know Mr. Lu?¡±

    The elder peered at his son and the rtives around unhappily. ¡°What are you guys being so shocked about? Can¡¯t I know my own grandson-inw?¡±

    Grandson-inw!

    Everyone was stunned.

    ¡°Xiao Xi did actually get married to Tingxiao two years ago.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Ning Yaohua was floored.

    ¡°When Xiao Xi had just returned to the country, the two of them were already together. Naturally, they got married, but due to Xiao Xi¡¯s career, they didn¡¯t announce it to the public,¡± the elder said matter-of-factly.

    ¡°But¡­ Father, how could you not tell me of such a huge thing?!¡± Ning Yaohua almost broke down.

    ¡°Why should I tell you?¡± The elder retorted back and Ning Yaohua felt like he wanted to die.

    As they heard Ning Zhiyuan and Ning Yaohua¡¯s conversation, everyone in the room were astounded.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Oh¡­ Oh my god! Ning Xi¡¯s husband is Lu Tingxiao?! Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Lu Tingxiao called the elder his grandfather. It can¡¯t be fake!¡±

    ¡°So, the rumored girlfriend of Lu Tingxiao¡­ is Ning Xi!¡±

    They stared at each other, then the rtives of the Ning family looked at the Su family oddly.

    Ning Xi had gotten married to the Lu family long ago, so how could she be into Su Yan?

    Suddenly, a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed man came in grinning. He said casually, ¡°Well, my sister-inw said so. She has high standards!¡±

    This person was Lu Tingxiao¡¯s brother, Lu Jingli.

    Lu Jingli had always been high-profile, and since he had been working in the entertainment industry before, almost everyone knew how he looked like.

    Everyone¡¯s expressions darkened when they heard Lu Jingli¡¯s words.

    Please! This was not just high-standard! This was high up in the sky!

    They thought that Ning Xi had just been trying to brag, but actually¡­ she was already being humble.

    The rtives from the Su family looked horrified as they had mocked Ning Xi for using all sorts of methods to try to get into the Su family, especially Zheng Minjun. Her face reddened as if she had just been pped hard and she could not say anything at the moment.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s smile was like a blooming flower. He went up to greet the elder, then he went beside Ning Qiutong and said, ¡°You must be the beautiful aunt my sister-inw mentioned! Hello, Aunty, I¡¯m Lu Jingli!¡±

    Ning Qiutong was ttered. ¡°Hello, thank you for looking after Xiao Xi!¡±

    She knew a little about Xiao Xi¡¯s matters and had reminded her many times to be careful, but she never expected Xiao Xi¡¯s husband to be Lu Tingxiao.

 Chapter 2086 - Not Worthy

    <h4>Chapter 2086: Not Worthy</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    In the corner, Su Yan just gawked on nkly at what had just happened.

    From the moment Lu Tingxiao went up to Ning Xi and held her hands, his mind went nk. He stared at the pair of lovebirds, having lost the ability to think.

    As for Ning Xueluo, whoy on the bed, she remained silent the whole time.

    She looked at Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi holding hands, then she noticed the ring around Ning Xi¡¯s neck which she had not noticed before. She saw how Lu Tingxiao was greeting the elder politely, and how Lu Jingli was striking a conversation with Ning Qiutong. The poison known as jealousy had now spread through her whole body and corroded all her internal organs¡­

    How is that possible?

    How is that possible!?

    The person Ning Xi is married to ¡­ is Lu Tingxiao!

    Lu Tingxiao!

    ¡°Second Master, I¡­ I¡¯m Ning Yaohua, Xiao Xi¡¯s father! We¡¯ve met each other before. Thest time, you came to pick Xiao Xi up!¡± Ning Yaohua quickly grabbed this chance as he thought that Lu Jingli was easier to speak to.

    Damn it, no wonder Lu Jingli came to pick Ning Xi up personally during the dinnerst time!

    He thought that Ning Xi had something with Lu Jingli, but he never expected it not to be Lu Jingli, but Lu Tingxiao instead!

    He was so penitent that he almost wanted to smash his head into a wall.

    Ning Qiutong looked at Ning Yaohua as sheughed coldly. ¡°You always think that your treasured fake daughter got married into a good family and have always boasted about i. Are you regretting now that Xiao Xi got married into an even better family?¡±

    Ning Yaohua calmed himself down. ¡°What is there to regret about? Xiao Xi got into a good family, so I¡¯m happy for her as well.¡±

    Ning Qiutong chortled out loud. ¡°I wonder who insisted on calling the police just now, and even said that no one would affect his decision?¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu could not hold it in anymore. ¡°She did something so wicked. Are we really at fault here?¡±

    She then looked at Lu Tingxiao. ¡°CEO Lu, no matter how powerful your family is, you can¡¯t just ignore thew. It remains a fact that Ning Xi took two lives!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Suddenly, Ning Xueluo clenched her stomach and groaned.

    Everyone shifted their attention back to Ning Xueluo and surrounded her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Xueluo?¡±

    ¡°My stomach¡­ It hurts¡­¡± Ning Xueluo appeared pale and exhausted just like a wilting flower, gaining sympathy from everyone.

    ¡°The poison is too strong. The doctor mentioned it¡¯ll be painful. Hold on!¡±

    ¡°How miserable¡­¡±

    The crowd¡¯s gaze towards Ning Xi changed slowly when they saw Ning Xueluo¡¯s condition.

    Ning Xi was having such a good life, yet she had made Ning Xueluo suffer, and now she even started bullying her just because she married Lu Tingxiao. This was too much.

    Zhuang Lingyu went beside the bed, full of worry and pain.

    Zheng Minjun then said, ¡°CEO Lu, I¡¯m afraid that you don¡¯t know it yet. This woman is really wicked. She harmed the child of her own mother and even poisoned the offspring of our Su family all just because of a tiny conflict! She¡¯s not worthy of marrying into the Lu family! What a humiliation!¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s face was filled with despair, yet in the dark, she was staring at Ning Xi¡¯s direction with the evil eye.

    Great¡­ Just great, Ning Xi! I will make you lose everything. I will have you taste the feeling of falling into the pits of hell from the peaks of heaven!

    Lu Tingxiao did not even look at the people around him. He just focused on his wife. ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s not worthy.¡±

    Zheng Minjun thought Lu Tingxiao was going to consider her words, but in the next moment, Lu Tingxiao continued, ¡°The Lu family and I aren¡¯t worthy of Xiao Xi.¡±

    Everyone was speechless.

    Lu Jingli knew this would happen.

 Chapter 2087 - Like Something So Exciting

    <h4>Chapter 2087: Like Something So Exciting</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she saw Lu Tingxiao¡¯s attitude, Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression changed abruptly. Her fists balled in an iron grip. In the next second, when she looked up, she already had an expression of extreme sorrow on her face.

    ¡°CEO Lu, I understand that based on your rtionship with Sister, you¡¯ll naturally be biased towards her. But I really hope that you can take a clearer look at the people beside you. Maybe she¡¯s not even who you think she is.

    ¡°It was I who wronged Sister first. No matter what Sister does to me, I can take it, but what about Mother? What did Mother do wrong!? I definitely won¡¯t allow anyone to harm my family, even if it¡¯s Sister! CEO Lu, if you don¡¯t trust us, you can ask the police to investigate! When you find out the truth, I believe you¡¯ll definitely have a fair judgment!¡±

    Ha! Ning Xi, your hands are stained with the blood of two lives. I would like to see whether you can stay secure in your position as the headdy!

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s words made everyone nod in agreement. At the same time, theymented Ning Xueluo¡¯s filial piety.

    Lu Jingli stroked his chin and he clicked his tongue in disgust. His view of the world had broadened. He had never seen someone this shameless. No wonder she could coax the two fools of the Ning family despite having no blood rtions. Someone so lowly was unrivaled.

    In fact, with Sister-inw¡¯s drama this time, it was a little tricky¡­

    Ning Xi looked up and exchanged looks with the man beside her.

    Next up is my battle.

    Just one look and the man understood what she meant, so he nodded slightly.

    Facing everyone¡¯s gazes ready to punish her, Ning Xi acted like she was in her own garden. She seemed calm and at ease as her glittering eyes looked towards Ning Xueluo on the sick bed who was demanding justice for her mother with righteous indignation. She said unhurriedly, ¡°What a coincidence! I have some things here that I also wanted to let the police have a look at.¡±

    When she heard Ning Xi, Ning Xueluo¡¯s eyes squinted slightly. However, she very quickly returned to feeling secure in her demands. ¡°Sister, you can just be frank. I think everyone would like to hear your exnation too.¡±

    Huh, what exnation? No matter what she came up with in this situation, it would only make things worse.

    ¡°I just found something¡­ interesting¡­¡± Ning Xi faintly smiled and revealed a surprised expression. ¡°I never thought that Ms. Ning, who¡¯s always such a properdy, would like something so exciting like riding a motorbike?¡±

    When Ning Xueluo heard that, her gaze tensed up.

    Ning Xi continued, ¡°Not too long ago, I got to know a well-known retired racer. I was chatting with him when I unintentionally heard him mention that Ms. Ning had actually learned to ride motorbikes for quite a long time.¡±

    Ning Xueluo reacted as if something sad had been brought up. She looked heartbroken as she caressed her t underbelly. ¡°For pregnant people, no matter our tastes of hobbies, there will be some very weird changes that even we don¡¯t understand ourselves. I was bored at home all day then. Suddenly, I saw it on television and thought that riding a motorbike looked quite cool, so I just casually wanted to learn about it. I wonder why you¡¯d suddenly bring this up.¡±

    Ning Xi only smiled slightly. ¡°Is that so?¡±

    The surroundingdies who were married before all indicated that they agreed and nodded at Ning Xueluo¡¯s words. At the same time, they did not understand why Ning Xi would suddenly change the topic to somethingpletely unrted.

    Zhuang Lingyu looked at the way her daughter was so mncholic and instantly frowned. She shot Ning Xi a re. ¡°Ning Xi, don¡¯t change the topic here and stall for time!¡±

 Chapter 2088 - This Was Impossible

    <h4>Chapter 2088: This Was Impossible</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xi lightly touched her phone. ¡°I was just a little curious. I didn¡¯t expect that pregnant people would have such weird interests. Put aside the fact that someone so gentle anddylike like Ms. Ning would suddenly be interested in motorbikes¡­ While being pregnant, you still wandered outside the city ale at night on the bike.¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s calm expression finally showed a crack. Her face twitched intensely, but it was just a heartbeat before she returned to her wlessly sad and grieving expression. ¡°Sister, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I was just curious, so I learned more about it from a professional just for the fun of it. How could I have gone to ride it myself and even go out in the middle of the night?¡±

    Ning Xueluo sneered in her heart. Ha, Ning Xi, want to trap me? You think I¡¯m that dumb!?

    When Zhuang Lingyu saw that Ning Xi was getting more and more nonsensical, she looked even more upset. ¡°Ning Xi, what are you trying to say with all this absurdity?! Even if Xueluo rode a motorbikete at night, what¡¯s that got to do with you?!¡±

    Ning Xi shrugged, then she said carelessly, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s got nothing to do with me. After all¡­ who she hit¡­ was not my child.¡±

    The instant Ning Xi said that, the whispers in the room suddenly fell to a dead silence and Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s expression froze too.

    ¡°Darling, please turn off the lights for me.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s long hand stretched out and then the room was instantly pitch ck.

    In the next second, Ning Xi lightly tapped on the phone in her hands, and a video was projected on the wide, white wall behind everyone.

    There was no audio from the video. It was probably at night, so the lighting was very fuzzy. The video was static for three seconds, then a ck motorbike appeared in the projection.

    The instant she saw that motorbike, Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s pupils abruptly shrunk. ¡°That bike¡­ It¡¯s the one that hit me¡­ It¡¯s the one that hit me!¡±

    Even though the entire ident had happened in a split second, she would definitely not forget how that bike looked like.

    When they heard Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s words, there was amotion. Suddenly, everyone fixed their gazes on the wall.

    The scene seemed to show an uninhabited junkyard for cars. The owner of the bike first got down and then took off all the clothes she wore, even her gloves and helmet. Then, she kicked the motorbike down and threw a lighter towards it¡­

    Bam! Everything vanished into the mes.

    At the same time, the rising mes all at once illuminated the face of the bike¡¯s owner.

    That was not a man, but a delicate-looking woman¡­

    That was¡­ Ning¡­ Ning Xueluo!

    The instant they had a clear look of the face, everyone in the ward was stunned. Everyone stared in disbelief towards Ning Xueluo who was on the sick bed.

    Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s mouth was even wide open as she stared at the screen. She did not return to her senses for a long while.

    ¡°What¡­ What is this? How could this person be Xueluo!?¡±

    ¡°But that face is Ning Xueluo! Earlier, when the fire was burning, you could see it clearly! After she took off her clothes outside, you could even tell from her belly!¡±

    ¡°Impossible¡­ Impossible! This is impossible!¡±

    ¡­

    The instant the projection on the wall lit up with this familiar scene, Ning Xueluo¡¯s expression had already changed. Within just a few short seconds of the video, she felt as if she had walked through hell. When her face was illuminated by the mes and appeared before everyone, she felt her soul leave her.

 Chapter 2089 - Where Did She Go Wrong

    <h4>Chapter 2089: Where Did She Go Wrong</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As if there was a ball of fire burning in Ning Xueluo¡¯s breath, she quickly said in a hoarse voice, ¡°It¡¯s fake! This video is forged! Ning Xi! Why did you do something like this to nder me!? Why would I hurt Mother¡¯s child!?¡±

    Ning Xi did not refute at all. She just nodded. ¡°Right, I forged this video. Not only is this video fake, I even forged your fingerprints and blood samples. Ms. Ning, do you want to see it?¡±

    Ning Xueluo turned pale.

    If there were fingerprints and blood samples, then she definitely could not worm her way out of this.

    But this was impossible!

    She had already destroyed all the traces. Where did she get that!?

    She even managed to get the security footage!

    She had previously confirmed in every possible way that that ce definitely did not have any security cameras!

    Where did she go wrong?

    Lu Tingxiao¡­

    Could Lu Tingxiao have helped her?

    ¡°Darling, give me the items,¡± Ning Xi looked over to Lu Tingxiao and said gently. Then, she looked down at the woman on the sick bed who was clearly slowly breaking down, her eyes filled with taunt.

    Lu Tingxiao nodded as he passed a brown case file to her.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s body trembled violently. The way Ning Xi looked at her now was as if she was the devil demanding for her life¡­

    She stared at the brown case file in Ning Xi¡¯s hands as her breathing quickened. Indeed! Indeed it was Lu Tingxiao!

    Just as Ning Xi was taking something out from the file, Ning Xueluo saw Ning Xi¡¯s pejorative expression, and then she caught a glimpse of Lu Tingxiao icy gaze. Finally, thest sliver of hope she had was gone too. She closed her eyes and shouted, ¡°It was me! I hit her! I hit and killed that child! So what if I did it?!¡±

    Her voice was sharp and ear-piercing, causing difort to everyone¡¯s eardrums.

    Inside the entire ward, there was dead silence. Only Ning Xueluo¡¯s shout rang out and she looked like a devil with disheveled hair and a sinister expression.

    Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s lips trembled as she cked out, then Ning Yaohua quickly supported her and put pressure on her sr plexus before she slowly regained consciousness. She looked ashen as she trembled. ¡°Xueluo¡­ What are you saying? Don¡¯t frighten Mother¡­ You were just simply saying that, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯sugh was exceptionally horrifying. ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­ Mother¡­ Madam Zhuang¡­ When did you be my mother? Aren¡¯t you the mother of that son inside of you?¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu had never seen such a strange and scary expression on Ning Xueluo. She gasped emotionally, ¡°Xueluo, what are you saying? Of course, I¡¯m your mother! Tell me that you didn¡¯t do all of this! You didn¡¯t do this, did you?!¡±

    At this moment, the gentleness on Ning Xueluo¡¯s face hadpletely vanished and was reced with malevolence and bitter resentment. It was the reckless insanity of being pushed to the edge. ¡°It was me! Of course, I did it! Because I hate you! I hate every one of you people in the Ning family! I¡¯m the heiress of the Ning family. Ever since I was born, I was thedy of the Ning family! Everything of the Ning family is mine! Why did you have to take Ning Xi, that wild chicken, back?

    ¡°I¡¯ve finally chased that wild chicken away, and now you guys actually came up with another son to fight for the inheritance with me. The child hasn¡¯t even been born and already you¡¯ve begun to impatiently take away all the privileges I have! Why!?

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t settle Su Yan, what would you Nings have today? Now that you have a son, you want to kick me aside!? I¡¯m afraid your abacus has been calcting quite loudly! Did you really take me for an idiot?¡±

 Chapter 2090 - How Terrifying

    <h4>Chapter 2090: How Terrifying</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhuang Lingyu was dumbfounded. She could not believe it. Ning Yaohua was shocked as well. He could not believe the girl in front of him right now was Ning Xueluo, the sweet and obedient daughter of theirs.

    He could not believe that she had been harboring thoughts like those!

    ¡°G-gosh¡­¡± No one expected such a twist and they were all stunned.

    Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s child was not harmed by someone else. It had been killed by her filial daughter, Ning Xueluo.

    Moreover, she had driven the motorbike herself, almost killing the mother who had been treating her like a real daughter for the past twenty-odd years.

    She was just a daughter of a vige woman, who got to enjoy all the privileges over the years because of a mistake. These were all not hers to begin with. Without the Ning family, she would just be another ordinary girl from a rural area, yet she took everything from the Ning family for granted. She felt that everything from the Ning family should be hers.

    Just because Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s son might take the inheritance away from her, she had killed the child.

    What was really scary was that she had been taking on the role of the victim, even trying to me everything on Ning Xi.

    Everyone felt chills run down their spine.

    This woman had tricked everyone. Just how cunning could she be?

    How terrifying!

    Ning Yaohua was shocked to his core. He was very enraged by Ning Xueluo¡¯s ridiculous reasoning. ¡°You monster! The Ning family took care of you for twenty over years. We¡¯ve never asked for your gratitude, yet you repay us with such evil behavior!¡±

    Ning Xueluo cackled as if she had just heard a joke. ¡°Haha, gratitude? What should I be thankful for? I got everything I had today because of myself! And just what did Ning Xi do!? She just has some blood of the Ning family inside her. She didn¡¯t even do anything and this old geezer gave her 10% of shares. I didn¡¯t even get any!¡±

    Ning Yaohua yelled at her, ¡°But I¡¯ve transferred all the shares I have to you! You already have 20% in your hands. Are you not satisfied!?¡±

    Ning Xueluoughed sarcastically, ¡°President Ning, don¡¯t make it sound so kind. The reason you gave me the shares was all for the marriage with the Su family. Could you really say that you¡¯d still give them to me if you had a son?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you killed your mother¡¯s child!?¡± Ning Yaohua shrieked.

    Ning Xueluo did not have any sense of remorse in her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t me me when you¡¯re forcing me into a corner! This child should have never existed!¡±

    ¡­

    Ning Xi stood aside watching the three of them attacking each other.

    She then interrupted, ¡°Sorry to interrupt, but I¡¯d like to ask Ms. Ning, did you¡­ really do it?¡±

    Ning Xueluo red at Ning Xi. ¡°Stop pretending you don¡¯t know already, Ning Xi!¡±

    Ning Xi put up an innocent expression. ¡°But I really did fake the video. The ce where you destroyed the evidence had no security cameras at all, don¡¯t you know? I asked the special effects artist from the ¡®Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡¯ to help me remake the scene. It¡¯s pretty rough around the edges, so I didn¡¯t expect you to believe it¡­ Oh right, the fingerprints and blood samples¡­¡±

    Ning Xi nced at Lu Tingxiao.

    He opened the brown folder and there was no evidence inside. It was all¡­ pictures of a wedding in a cathedral¡­

 Chapter 2091 - Itâ€™s Not Over Yet

    <h4>Chapter 2091: It¡¯s Not Over Yet</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Ning Xi! Ning Xi! I¡¯m going to kill you! I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±

    Ning Xueluo was stunned for a whole second, then she screeched. She had not even been this crazy when she saw the evidence just now.

    She stopped trusting people ever since the people from Solomon kept on failing her. Furthermore, she was uneasy about hiring someone within the country too as the consequences would be dire if Ning Xi found out.

    Which was why she had decided to do it herself this time.

    It was her first time, after all, so she was pretty anxious about it. She had really been freaking out when she was destroying the clothes and the motorbike. Of course, she could not remember that many details at that moment. Moreover, Ning Xi¡¯s video looked so real that she believed it when she saw those familiar scenes.

    As for the fingerprints and blood samples, she might still have doubted it if Ning Xi had taken it out herself, but it was from Lu Tingxiao.

    Lu Tingxiao had handed them over to Ning Xi.

    With Lu Tingxiao¡¯s power, he could turn the impossible into possible.

    She had believed it almost instantly!

    She never expected that she had fallen into Ning Xi¡¯s trap from the very beginning!

    Ning Xi had been bluffing from the start. The video was fake, and so were the fingerprints and blood samples!

    This witch! Witch!

    Ning Xi watched Ning Xueluo who just kept on screaming. ¡°I told you it¡¯s fake, but you didn¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Lu Jingli was totally impressed by what he just saw.

    So sick!

    What a drama! Plot twists all around! A huge production! And in the end, she just had to show everyone how lovey-dovey they were with those church pictures¡­

    However, things were not over yet.

    ¡°While those are fake, I have something real with me.¡± Ning Xi tapped her phone and then projected an A4 paper onto the wall.

    Under closer inspection, it was a DNA report.

    The report indicated that the child in Ning Xueluo¡¯s womb had no blood rtion to Su Yan at all.

    ¡°T-this is a DNA report!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a DNA report of Xueluo¡¯s child with Su Yan!¡±

    ¡°Oh my God! Xueluo¡¯s child isn¡¯t Su Yan¡¯s?¡±

    People were making a fuss in the room.

    Ning Xi looked at Ning Xueluo. ¡°A tiger would never hurt its child no matter how fierce it is. I¡¯m pretty sure you understand how important the child was to you, Ms. Ning, so I¡¯ve been wondering why you¡¯d frame me by killing your child.¡±

    Ning Xi took a pause, but she soon continued, ¡°I thought about it and it only led to one conclusion, that is¡­ this child cannot exist. Then, what¡¯s the reason for it? That¡¯s really worth considering, am I right, Ms. Ning?¡±

    Although it had just been two days, she had done a lot of work.

    She had people investigate the tapes of Zhuang Lingyu being hit. She tracked the motorbike¡¯s movement, and then investigated Ning Xueluo¡¯s activities in the past few months.

    She then visited the racer personally and asked the special effects artist from ¡°Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡± for help.

    Besides, she also had people secretly take Su Yan¡¯s hair and the dead child¡¯s blood to conduct a DNA test.

    The test results were only sent to her about half an hour ago in her inbox. Everything was as she expected. Ning Xueluo¡¯s child was not Su Yan¡¯s.

 Chapter 2092 - Darling, Letâ€™s Go Home

    <h4>Chapter 2092: Darling, Let¡¯s Go Home</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Some people still did not understand what Ning Xi said.

    ¡°The child in Ning Xueluo¡¯s womb wasn¡¯t Su Yan¡¯s child! No wonder! If not, she wouldn¡¯t have killed it! It must¡¯ve been because she was afraid that the truth woulde out after it was born, so she decided to kill two birds with one stone. Not only did she kill the child, but she also framed Ning Xi!¡±

    ¡°Su Yan almost divorced her back then, but because of this child that the divorce didn¡¯t happen, yet this child¡­oh my God!¡±

    ¡°This woman kept saying that she loves Su Yan, but in the end, she bore the child of another man!¡±

    ¡­

    The tongue-tied Zheng Minjun rushed straight to Ning Xi and wanted to wrench her phone away. ¡°What are you talking about!? How is it possible that the child in Xueluo¡¯s womb isn¡¯t Su Yan¡¯s!?¡±

    Ning Qiutong huffed impatiently, ¡°The child probably hasn¡¯t been cremated yet. If you don¡¯t believe her, go and do a test yourself!¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s true nature was already exposed, so of course, Zheng Minjun believed it. She was stunned for a moment before she started attacking Ning Xueluo right away. ¡°You dirty slut! I was wondering why you kept urging us to cremate the child soon. You even said something about how you hoped the child could be reincarnated into a better family! You were just trying to destroy the evidence all along!¡±

    Zheng Minjun was really frustrated that her daughter-inw had cheated on her son and that the truth was exposed to so many people.

    ¡°Zheng Minjun, don¡¯t speak as if the Su family is so prestigious! If you two old-timers hadn¡¯t urged Su Yan to divorce me and marry Ning Xi to get closer to the Zhuang family, I wouldn¡¯t have been forced to do so!¡±

    It was already such a huge mess anyway, so Ning Xueluo counter-attacked her right back. However, her physical state was still weak after the miscarriage. Her body and face soon became covered in scratches by Zheng Minjun.

    Su Hongguang could not stand it anymore. He dragged Zheng Minjun away and roared, ¡°Enough! Is it not embarrassing enough?!¡±

    He had had enough!

    Zheng Minjun¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Embarrassing? What do I have to be embarrassed about!? Look at Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s daughter! A dirty, wicked woman! She ruined the Su family! The Ning family should be the one who¡¯s embarrassed!¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Ning Yaohua was already raging and he almost fainted when Zheng Minjun mocked him.

    Zhuang Lingyu was staring nkly as her mouth kept mumbling, ¡°Impossible, impossible¡­¡±

    The two families had a war inside the room and needless to say, it was chaotic.

    Ning Qiutong looked at Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu with pity. ¡°I told you guys to carefully look at who you¡¯ve been taking care of all these years, yet you were both tricked by her and now, you have to face the consequences. You deserve it! Unfortunately, an innocent child was sacrificed!¡±

    Zhuang Lingyu was triggered when she heard the word ¡°child¡± and she jumped onto Ning Xueluo. ¡°You witch! Witch! Why did you do that to me?! Why?! Give me back my child! Give me back my son!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao frowned when he saw this chaotic scene, then he pulled Ning Xi into his arms and blocked her from this unsightly view.

    Ning Xi suddenly felt refreshed as if she had just returned to a peaceful little haven for herself. She said gently, ¡°Darling, let¡¯s go home.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Xiao¡­ Xiao Xi¡­¡± Ning Yaohua scampered outside when he saw that Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao had left. He seemed like he was about to say something.

    Nevertheless, in the end, he could not say anything.

 Chapter 2093 - Not Xiao Xis Fault

    <h4>Chapter 2093: Not Xiao Xi¡¯s Fault</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zhuang Lingyu was initially going to seize this opportunity to demand justice for Ning Xueluo, and thenpletely remove Ning Xi¡¯s name from the family n, which was why she had especially called over so many rtives, yet she never would have thought that the truth would shatter her world.

    At this point, the rtives did not feel that it was right to continue staying and watch the show. Every one of them eventually made excuses and left.

    The elder was physically and emotionally exhausted. He did not want to care about his eldest son¡¯s grievances anymore. With the help of the servant, he left with a faltering figure.

    Back then, he had already done his best to advise them and he had said all he could. They made all the choices themselves. Now, it would be up to them how to resolve this as well. He already did not have the strength to care anymore.

    Suddenly, only Ning Yaohua, Zhuang Lingyu, Zheng Minjun, Su Hongguang, Su Yan, and Ning Xueluo were left.

    Obviously, Zheng Minjun could not stand the fact that the son she was so proud of had been cuckolded, while her dearest grandchild that she had been anticipating was actually illegitimate. After those people left, she did not care about anything anymore. She pointed at Ning Xueluo and started to curse incoherently, ¡°We Sus were really blind to let Su Yan marry such a fake, rotten good!

    ¡°Who knows which man she¡¯s messed around with outside? And when she got pregnant, she still dared to say that it¡¯s our Su Yan¡¯s! Divorce her! Get lost from our Su family immediately! Also, don¡¯t think about taking a single thing from us with you!¡±

    Ning Xueluo could not hold back her guffaw. ¡°Haha¡­ Did you really think this Ning Xi was all that pure? She was impregnated at 18, and she even said that it was Su Yan¡¯s. I¡¯m much better than she is!¡±

    If it were not for the way Zheng Minjun did not give up on urging Su Yan to remarry after finding out about Ning Xi¡¯s rtionship with the Zhuang family at Madam Li¡¯s gathering, she would not have slept with that fat and disgusting tycoon to pull in investments and stabilize her position.

    If it were not for Su Yan¡¯s soul being seduced away by that witch and not wanting to have a child with her at all, she would not have risked keeping the illegitimate child in her!

    All of it was Ning Xi, that witch¡¯s fault! It was the Su family¡¯s fault!

    When she heard Ning Xueluo¡¯s words, Zheng Minjun was stunned. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said¡­ Back then, when Ning Xi that slut was still dating Su Yan, she had already been messing around outside. She even fooled about with two gigolos. When she got pregnant, she said it was Su Yan¡¯s. If it were not for that car ident, she would¡¯ve probably given birth to the bastard¡­¡±

    Then, she looked mockingly towards Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu like she was delighted at her revenge. ¡°Hahaha¡­ Don¡¯t believe me? If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Director Ning or Madam Ning! Ask them whether their real daughter is even more lowly, more wanton than I am?¡±

    When Ning Yaohua and Zhuang Lingyu saw that Ning Xueluo had actually blurted out the Ning family¡¯s most shameful scandal in front of the Su family, their faces instantly turned pale.

    Before this, they had erased all traces of this incident, yet they still could not erase its existence.

    This incident was like a nightmare to them¡­

    Right at this moment, in the corner of the ward, suddenly came a man¡¯s lowered and trembling voice. ¡°Enough¡­¡±

    When she heard this voice, the reckless smile on Ning Xueluo¡¯s face suddenly stiffened in an instance.

    ¡°Not Xiao Xi¡­ That incident back then wasn¡¯t Xiao Xi¡¯s fault at all¡­¡±

    Su Yan clenched his fists as he looked embarassed. With clear difficulty, he admitted, ¡°Xiao Xi didn¡¯t betray me from the start to the end. She didn¡¯t mess around with other men¡­ She didn¡¯t¡­ Someone forced himself on her¡­ She was set up by someone else¡­¡±

 Chapter 2094 - Heartbreaking Truth

    <h4>Chapter 2094: Heartbreaking Truth</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°What did you say?¡± The absent-minded Zhuang Lingyu was suddenly stunned.

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s expression suddenly changed too. ¡°Su Yan, what did you just say? Xiao Xi was set up by someone?¡±

    Ning Xueluo stared straight at Su Yan who was speaking up for Ning Xi, her eyes filled with resentment. Su Yan, now even you want to go against me, do you!?

    Ning Xueluo chuckled softly, seeming very reckless at this point. ¡°That¡¯s right, I set her up. It was I who put aphrodisiac in that slut¡¯s drink. It was I who prepared the two men for her. So what? Isn¡¯t she just a slut who¡¯s been impregnated by two gigolos? Hahaha¡­¡±

    ¡°Ning Xueluo! What did you say?! Say that again! It was you who drugged Xiao Xi, and you who hired someone to rape Xiao Xi!?¡± Ning Yaohua could not believe his ears. At this moment, his body trembled violently. Even when he discovered that Ning Xueluo had killed Zhuang Lingyu¡¯s child and found out that Ning Xueluo had cheated, he had not been this furious.

    His daughter did not mess around, but had actually been raped!

    Ning Xueluo clutched her stomach that began to hurt from all theughing. ¡°Hahaha¡­ I¡¯m dying fromughter! Ning Xi, that hillybilly! She couldn¡¯t even differentiate real from fake branded clothe¡­ She would just obediently wear whatever I gave her. I lied to her that the lemon water for washing hands was to be drunk, and she just drank it like the dim-wit she was!

    ¡°That idiot, I¡¯m afraid she didn¡¯t even know what a gigolo was! Would she have ordered them to enjoy herself? Of course, even dumber were you two fools! You actually believed it, hahaha¡­¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s words were intertwined with her ear-piercingughter that echoed in the deadly silent ward. Zhuang Lingyu was stupefied as her mouth hung wide open, yet she could not utter a single word.

    This was not real¡­

    All of this was not real¡­

    What had she done to her own daughter for an animal?

    It was not Ning Xi who had ruined her two children. It was Ning Xueluo! It was Ning Xueluo who had ruined her two children!

    Killed her son and ruined her daughter!

    Ning Yaohua stared at this woman before him who seemed extremely foreign to him. She was like a poisonous snake. As he listened to all that she had done to his own blood and flesh, every word lingered like a foul stench on him. He charged towards Su Yan with fury. ¡°Su Yan! Speak! What actually happened!? You knew about all of this, didn¡¯t you?!¡±

    Su Yan lowered his head in anguish. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s my fault. Years ago, I wasn¡¯t healthy and I already knew Xiao Xi long ago in the vige. Before I met Xueluo, Xiao Xi and I had already been dating. It was I who betrayed Xiao Xi, doing something with Xueluo that let her down¡­

    ¡°Back then, my entire focus was on Xueluo. When I exposed the things that Xueluo did to Xiao Xi, I thought that she was just momentarily muddled because she was young. I thought that she was sincerely remorseful, so I helped her keep this secret.

    ¡°I lied to Xiao Xi. I said that the person that night was me, but Xiao Xi didn¡¯t intentionally want to keep that child because¡­ because she thought the child was mine. She had been waiting for me to return¡­ to give her a proper title¡­ yet I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I let Xiao Xi down¡­ I ruined her entire life¡­¡±

    When he finished listening to all of this, Ning Yaohua¡¯s body quivered violently, his eyes filled with bloodlust. ¡°Animals! Both of you, animals!¡±

    He had actually ruined his daughter¡­ his own blood and flesh to this extent!

    His mind kept recalling what happened over and over again. Years ago in the hospital, after the girl met with a car ident and had a miscarriage, she kept hopelessly trying to exin to him. He recalled the way he had reprimanded and scolded her with harsh words. He recalled the five years when he had heartlessly sent her abroad and showed no interest in her¡­

    He recalled how after she returned to the country, that cold gaze Xiao Xi had every time she faced him¡­

    He recalled the way Ning Xi said, ¡°Father, are you fitting?¡±

    He did not fit¡­ He was not fit to be her father at all¡­

    He had single-handedly tossed his daughter into a bottomless abyss¡­

 Chapter 2095 - Devil In Human Disguise

    <h4>Chapter 2095: Devil In Human Disguise</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Zheng Minjun and Su Hongguang, who did not expect such an inside story, both had chills travel down their spine when they heard this.

    How malicious was this woman that she couldmit such atrocities those years ago at such a young age!?

    ¡°Oh my God¡­ What disaster did our Su family partake in? Su Yan, how could you have been so silly!? How did you get involved with a woman like this!?¡± Zheng Minjun bawled.

    Su Yan smiled dismally. ¡°Back then, the ones who forced me and Xiao Xi to separate were you guys. The ones who matchmade Xueluo and me were also you guys¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Zheng Minjun was suddenly tongue-tied. It was useless to say or regret anymore now.

    Whatever it was, they had to get a divorce! He must get a divorce from this woman!

    She could not endure this poisonous snake-like woman staying in the Su family for another moment!

    Ning Yaohua roared, ¡°Animal! I want you to die horribly!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha¡­ I¡¯d like to see how, Director Ning! How can one hanging with an empty shell with not a single share make me die horribly?¡±

    Ning Yaohua¡¯s pupils shrunk as his eyes were filled with doom. ¡°You!¡±

    Ning Xueluo had just finished mocking them when she smiled wickedly towards Zheng Minjun and Su Hongguang. ¡°Oh, right, you guys too! Want to make me and Su Yan get a divorce? Sure, then I won¡¯t mind showing the judge more interesting things when the court is in session such as evidence of the Yifeng Corporation bribing!¡±

    ¡°You dare?!¡± Su Hongguang suddenly changed in expression. He never would have thought Ning Xueluo would have gotten hold of such a thing.

    Zheng Minjun waspletely dumbfounded too and she turned pale.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, you want me to get a divorce?! Never in this lifetime! Unless I die, the position of Madam Su will forever only belong to me, Ning Xueluo!¡±

    The woman¡¯s fierce voice was like a poisonous snake, entwining and binding everyone in the room.

    All these years, the kind and innocent daughter whom they had doted on, the capable daughter-inw whom they had felt proud of from the start till the end was just a devil in human disguise¡­

    -

    Inside a ck Maybach.

    Lu Jingli was excitedly rambling on all the way, ¡°Sis-inw, you¡¯re soooo cool! I watched until the blood in my whole body boiled! Those acting skills, wow! Even I was deceived by you! I thought those proof were real! Also, also, did you and my brother n to collude in advance?¡±

    In the back seat, Ning Xizily leaned in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s embrace, her brows arching. ¡°Do my darling and I need to n in advance? We have telepathy! Right, darling?¡±

    The corner of Lu Tingxiao¡¯s lips curled up slightly. ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Lu Jingli was speechless. Just pretend I didn¡¯t ask!

    Ning Xi recalled the incident earlier and analyzed, ¡°Actually, this was a psychological battle. The video was made with special effects and with my acting skills, I was probably 70% certain that I could deceive Ning Xueluo. However, once my darling arrived, I knew that I would definitely win.¡±

    Ning Xueluo would have underestimated her, but she would definitely believe Lu Tingxiao. Thus, she would definitely be fooled.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes were brimming with tears, then he was stuffed with a disy of public affection again.

    ¡°Sigh, now that everything¡¯s exposed, the Ning family and Ning Xueluo will have a fighting. After all, Ning Xueluo holds so many of the Ning family¡¯s shares!¡± Lu Jingli said.

    Ning Xi said inly, ¡°Do you think Ning Yaohua is easy to handle?¡±

    Lu Jingli blinked. ¡°You¡¯re right! Ning Xueluo was so arrogant. She was just using her powerful connections to intimidate people by relying on the Ning and the Su families¡¯ influence, but now that she¡¯s burnt the bridge with both sides, does she really think she can make aeback?¡±

 Chapter 2096 - Nothing To Do With Each Other

    <h4>Chapter 2096: Nothing To Do With Each Other</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xueluo was shocked. She rushed over and grabbed Han Zixuan¡¯s hair, dragging her out from behind Su Yan. ¡°You slut! How dare you seduce my man?!¡±

    ¡°Ah!!!¡± Han Zixuan¡¯s hair was being pulled as she screamed, but she soon retaliated and yelled, ¡°What¡¯s there that I won¡¯t do now?! Vice President Ning! You think you¡¯re really still the almighty person in Starlight just because I called you Vice President! Slut! So what if I¡¯m a slut? You¡¯re even worse than a slut!¡±

    Ning Xueluo was enraged. ¡°Witch! What did you say!? I¡¯m tearing your mouth apart!¡±

    Han Zixuan did not even care that she was naked at the moment. She proudly presented the love marks on her generous bosom. ¡°Huh! What did I say? Are you afraid of people talking about it after you¡¯ve done it? Everyone in the industry knows about it already. Not only are you greedy for power and harmed your foster mother and her son, you even cheated on Su Yan and had the child of another man! You¡¯re even dirtier than a slut!¡±

    Many people had been at the hospital the other day. While they did not dare tell people about Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao, the news about the Ning family, the Su family, and Ning Xueluo had already spread far and wide. Everyone now knew that Su Yan was a cuckold.

    Ning Xueluo never imagined that she would one day be insulted by someone who was known to be dirty by everyone, and the very same woman was even in bed with her husband.

    Ning Xueluo stared at the silent man. ¡°Are you mad, Su Yan? Getting together with a woman like this! Do you know how many men she has slept with before!¡±

    Han Zixuan provocatively rubbed her breast on the man¡¯s arms. ¡°So what if I¡¯ve slept with many men before? I have the skills and Bro Yan likes it!¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Ning Xueluo did not expect Han Zixuan to be so shameless. She almost passed out before she pounced onto Han Zixuan.

    The two of them were fighting ruthlessly.

    ¡°Ah¡­ Bro Yan save me!¡± Han Zixuan asked for help.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Ning Xueluo!¡±

    Su Yan shoved Ning Xueluo away.

    Ning Xueluo fell onto the floor and looked at him in disbelief. She could not say the word ¡°Bro Yan¡± because Han Zixuan had called him that just now and she felt so disgusted by it that she could not use it at the moment.

    ¡°Su Yan, you yelled at me because of this witch? How could you do this to me!? Are you insulting me, or insulting yourself?!¡±

    Could it be¡­ because this woman was a little simr to Ning Xi?

    Because of that, he was willing to do it with her? And didn¡¯t even want to touch me?

    Ning Xueluo was really mad.

    Su Yan casually put on his pajamas, his eyes seeming cloudy and tired. His usually gentle face had was reced with impatience. ¡°Ning Xueluo, I can give you the position of Mrs. Su if you want, but that¡¯s all. From today onwards, we have nothing to do with each other!¡±

    ¡°Nothing to do with each other¡­¡± Ning Xueluo bit her lip to the point that she almost bled.

 Chapter 2097 - Little Treasure Hit Someone

    <h4>Chapter 2097: Little Treasure Hit Someone</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She loved him so much that she was willing to cling onto the position even when everyone hated her.

    However, he said he wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

    ¡°Su Yan¡­ You¡­ You¡­¡±

    Ning Xueluo stood back up and then ran out. Before she could reach her parking spot, a big group of reporters came out of nowhere and swarmed her.

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xueluo, what do you have to say about harming the child of your mother and also being unfilial?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Ning, who¡¯s the father of your child? Rumors said that it¡¯s CEO Wang from Starlight Entertainment. Is it true?¡±

    ¡°Even if the child isn¡¯t Su Yan¡¯s, it¡¯s still yours. Could you still feel at ease after killing your own child?¡±

    ¡°I heard that you nned to frame Ning Xi for the deaths. You¡¯ve been trying again and again to frame her. Was it out of jealousy and inferiorityplex?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Go away! Go away! I¡¯m not epting any interviews!¡± Ning Xueluo wanted to break through the crowd, yet the reporters and arger group of fans closed in on her.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Someone threw a rotten egg onto her, slimy liquid sttering on her face and hair.

    Then, more eggs, water bottles, and even rotten cabbage leaves were flung at her¡­

    ¡­

    At the Lu residence.

    Yan Ruyi scowled. ¡°Your parents are really terrible. How can they be this silly?!¡±

    Ning Xi did not seem to mind. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mother. It¡¯s all in the past now.¡±

    Yan Ruyi held Ning Xi¡¯s hands tenderly. ¡°Little girl, use the name of the Zhuang family. If it¡¯s not appropriate, use the name of the Lu family. See who dares to bully you!¡±

    Yan Ruyi then asked hesitantly, ¡°Um, Xiao Xi, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s birthday ising soon. You¡¯ll definitely have to attend as the headdy of the family.¡±

    While she had been on good terms with Ning Xi, she was still worried that Ning Xi might avoid appearing as the headdy.

    Ning Xi did not think too much of it, and with her current status in the entertainment industry, it was alright to announce it to the public. It was just an issue of timing.

    Ning Xi replied, ¡°Sure, Mother, I¡¯ll prepare for it.¡±

    ¡°Great, that¡¯s great!¡± Yan Ruyi was relieved. ¡°You don¡¯t really have to do anything. We¡¯ll arrange everything for the banquet. You just have to dress up and show up!¡±

    Suddenly, there was an anguished wailing from the direction of the garden as Ning Xi was talking to Yan Ruyi.

    It was probably from the little fatty Chi Shuai.

    Chi Shuai and Little Treasure had not been on friendly terms before, but now he loved to follow Little Treasure. He always bugged Little Treasure to teach himkung fu . The little guy was active all the time, vastly different from the always quiet Little Treasure, but they two of them were supposed to be on good terms now.

    ¡°Oh! Grandmother Yan! Master hit me!¡± The little fatty covered a bruised eyes and ran over as he cried.

    ¡°What happened? Why did Little Treasure hit you?¡± Yan Ruyi was surprised.

    Ning Xi was surprised when she saw the bruise too. Little Treasure was never a child who would use violence without reason.

 Chapter 2098 - Heart Jabbed, Baby

    <h4>Chapter 2098: Heart Jabbed, Baby</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    She saw Little Treasure standing far away at the door, Ning Xi waved at the little guy. ¡°Little Treasure,e here.¡±

    Little Treasure pursed his lips, his hands by his side tightened into fists. Then, he walked slowly to Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi rubbed the little bun¡¯s lowered head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, baby? Why did you hit Chi Shuai? Did Chi Shuai do something wrong?¡±

    On the side, Chi Shuai almost started crying from being wronged. ¡°Aunty, I didn¡¯t! Aunty, I was even praising you! But Master suddenly hit me!¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± When Chi Shuai said that, Ning Xi found it even odder. ¡°You even praised me?¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­ Fatty Chi! How did you praise her?¡± From behind them came Lu Jingli¡¯s chuckle.

    Chi Shuai shot Lu Jingli an angry look. ¡°Don¡¯t call me Fatty Chi! I really praised Aunty. I said she was beautiful!¡±

    Lu Jingli looked at Little Treasure, then turned back at Chi Shuai again. ¡°Oh? How did you say it?¡±

    Chi Shuai tried to recall. ¡°I said¡­ I said to Master¡­ Your stepmother is so beautiful! Right, I said it like that!¡±

    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Lu Jingli sighed and shook his head. ¡°Fatty Chi, you deserved to be hit! Who told you to jab the baby¡¯s heart?!¡±

    Chi Shuai was still confused. He only felt better when Yan Ruyi brought some snacks over to console him.

    Ning Xi seemed to have realized something, so she pulled Little Treasure to a corner. ¡°Why did you hit Chi Shuai? Can you tell Mommy?¡±

    Little Treasure jumped into Ning Xi¡¯s embrace all of a sudden. ¡°Mommy¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±

    ¡°Mommy!¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not¡­ not stepmother! You¡¯re Mommy!¡± The little guy¡¯s clear eyes were filled with stubbornness.

    Ning Xi¡¯s heart felt like it was being chewed on by a green fly as she felt dense pain. She patted the little guy¡¯s back softly and her voice was extraordinarily gentle. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m Mommy.¡±

    -

    Inside the study room.

    Lu Jingli ran to tell Lu Tingxiao what had happened. ¡°Ah, Fatty Chi said something wrong. He said ¡®stepmother¡¯ and jabbed his heart, so in the end, he ate Little Treasure¡¯s fist. Now, he¡¯s run to Ning Xi for caress andfort.

    ¡°By the looks of it, Little Treasure still minds. I think the little guy hasn¡¯t been in too good of a mood recently, but what can we do? When Ning Xi¡¯s identity goes public, there will be even more talk like this. In the eyes of other people, Ning Xi is Little Treasure¡¯s stepmother¡­¡±

    When Lu Tingxiao heard his brother¡¯s opinion, he looked up from the pile of documents and seemed a little dazed.

    Momentster, Lu Tingxiao spoke in a low and raspy voice, ¡°How¡¯s the investigation of that mattering along?¡±

    Lu Jingli looked solemn. ¡°Bro, you predicted it correctly. The security footages from years ago were indeed tampered with, that¡¯s why I was puzzled how could there not be a single trace left behind. I investigated until I was about to go crazy. It turns out that person had sneakily edited a few minutes in the middle. I¡¯ve now found a group of experts to recover it the best they can. It shouldn¡¯t be too huge of a problem. It¡¯s just a matter of time.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao hesitated for a moment, then he asked, ¡°Then¡­ Bro, when the thing with Little Treasure is rified, are you going to tell the truth to Sis-inw? About Little Treasure¡¯s history, and that it¡­ was you¡­¡±

    A long while after, Lu Tingxiao nodded indistinctly. ¡°Mmm.¡±

    -

    Time flew past and very soon it was Lu Tingxiao¡¯s birthday.

    This time, the birthday banquet was organized at Imperial¡¯s top private venue, Heavenly Spring Resort. In fact, preparations had long begun since a few months ago.

 Chapter 2099 - Gossipy Heart Ignited

    <h4>Chapter 2099: Gossipy Heart Ignited</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Guests who hade from afar would stay in the resort. The next day, the entire banquet would be held al fresco on the widewn behind the resort. The main venue had been set up with a dance floor, a small band, a huge LED screen, and all sorts of delicious food and good wine.

    There was a racing track, a swimming pool, a golf course, and other entertainment facilities nearby, providing guests with rxing activities to past the time.

    There were not many guests present, yet everyone one of them were top aristocrats and came from influential families, including some of the more well-known nobilities from abroad.

    Ning Xi had actually arrived earlier. She wanted to help around, but Yan Ruyi was afraid she would be worn out, so she did not let her get involved.

    Meng Ling had been worrying that Ning Xi would not be able to handleplicated matters such as the Lu family¡¯s n, but Ning Xi did not meet with any issues. Not only had Yan Ruyi never demand anything from her, she even kept saying to her that she was the youngdy of the Lu family house and that since she was married into the family, but she should also be loved and pampered. She urged her to leave all theplicated matters to the servants. Otherwise, why would they keep them for?

    Thus, Ning Xi had actually be the most rxed one there. She held her cup of fruit juice and found a quiet ce to sit while waiting for the banquet to officially begin.

    The ce Ning Xi waited at was near the shooting range. She watched the group of young men anddies shooting not too far away.

    ¡°Xiao Xi, you¡¯re here too! Where¡¯s Aunty Lin?¡± Not too far away, someone suddenly walked towards her and greeted her in a slightly surprised tone. It was very cordial, yet not abrupt. Instead, it was just right.

    Today, Ning Xi had rarely dressed more high-profile and wore a long maroon gown thatplemented her so splendidly.

    No matter where she sat, even if she did not do anything, she would be a sight that people could not tear their eyes away from.

    Even if it were someone as unflustered as Li Muyan, he already could not disguise the stunned look in his eyes right now.

    ¡°Mr. Li.¡± When she saw who it was, Ning Xi politely greeted him. ¡°Aunty isn¡¯t here yet. I came over first.¡±

    ¡°In that case, want to go over and join us?¡± Li Muyan invited.

    ¡°Bro Muyan!¡± At this moment, a female voice interrupted their conversation.

    A Caucasian girl who seemed rather sweet in appearance and donned a light yellow dress had run over very quickly before clinging on to Li Muyan¡¯s arm possessively. She sized up Ning Xi with much vignce. ¡°So, it¡¯s you who¡¯s charmed Bro Muyan silly until he¡¯s ignoring me?¡±

    Li Muyan frowned unhappily. ¡°Lisa, don¡¯t be nonsensical. This is¡­¡±

    ¡°I know! She¡¯s the huge celebrity, Ning Xi, isn¡¯t she? Everyone knows her! Bro Muyan, I was wondering how high your standards were, yet you fancied a woman like this who only has good looks?¡± The girl appeared unconvinced.

    ¡°Eliza! Xiao Xi is my friend!¡± Li Muyan emphasized as he looked like he was really furious.

    The girl called Eliza then pouted and did not say anything, but she still was not willing to give up. ¡°Ning Xi, let¡¯spete. I heard your fans say that your marksmanship is excellent and that you personally did all the shooting scenes in ¡®Assassin¡¯. Want topete? Ten bullets and we calcte the total score. Bro Muyan will go to whoever wins!¡±

    Li Muyan looked embarrassed. He walked to Ning Xi¡¯s side and softly exined, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xiao Xi. Liza has been pampered silly by her family since she was young, so she¡¯s a little headstrong, plus she¡¯s been educated abroad since she was little. She¡¯s more straightforward, but she doesn¡¯t actually have any ill intentions.¡±

    Not too far away, Lu Jingli was initially decorating the venue when he saw what was going on nearby from the corner of his eye. Suddenly, his gossipy heart was ignited and he instantly video called Lu Tingxiao.

 Chapter 2100 - Someone Wants To Steal Your Wife Again

    <h4>Chapter 2100: Someone Wants To Steal Your Wife Again</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey! Bro, guess who I saw today?! Today at such an assion, there¡¯s actually a love rival here that dares to crash your party! And it¡¯s even Minister Li¡¯s son! Hahaha, Bro, your love rival has even leveled up! Each one ranks higher than the one before!¡±

    At the moment, Lu Tingxiao was still busy in the office, but when he received Lu Jingli¡¯s call and saw the video on his phone, his gaze could not tear away from the screen.

    His girl¡­ was amazingly beautiful today¡­

    ¡°Bro¡­ Bro¡­ Are you listening to what I¡¯m saying?¡± Lu Tingxiao saw his brother¡¯s expression in the video, then he was tortured by his silent disy of affection.

    ¡°Hey! I know your wife is very beautiful today, but please can you move your gaze a little to the side and feel a little for the crisis at hand? Someone wants to steal your wife again!¡±

    He could not even bear to use the word ¡°again¡±¡­

    On the other end, facing Li Muyan¡¯s apology and exnation, Ning Xi did not say much. ¡°No worries.¡±

    When Eliza saw Li Muyan speak softly with Ning Xi, she was even more incensed. ¡°Hey, are you going topete or not!? I hate people who dillydally and still want to fight with others the most. Let¡¯s decide who wins or lose once and for all. The loser has to quit. Whatever you want topete in: the art of tea, horse riding, or swimming, you can decide!¡±

    Li Muyan never would have thought that Eliza would bump into Ning Xi today and even say so many things that were inappropriate. He was already feeling very anxious at the moment, concerned that it would affect the image that he had been keeping up in front of Ning Xi for such a long time.

    However, he was actually secretly anticipating¡­ anticipating to see whether Ning Xi would mind. Initially, with his capabilities, he couldpletely resolve this conflict. However, he did not stop Eliza. Instead, he wished to use the opportunity to get a reaction out of Ning Xi

    ¡°Ms. Eliza seems to have misunderstood something. Mr. Li and I are just friends. In fact, I¡¯m already married.¡± Ning Xi did not want to cause any misunderstanding, so she just exined frankly.

    Eliza suddenlyughed. Everyone knew that Ning Xi was single. How could she be married?

    Every single action by a top celebrity like her would be watched closely by numerous eyes. If she was really married, she would not have been able to keep it as a secret for long.

    ¡°What? Afraid of humiliating yourself, so you intentionally say such things to save your face? Okay, I¡¯ll just pretend you¡¯re married, but just ¡¯cause you¡¯re married doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not interested in Bro Muyan. If you have nothing to hide, then justpete once with me! If I lose, I will stop caring whatever transpires between you and Bro Muyan!¡±

    Ning Xi lightly swirled the ss in her head as she looked at Li Muyan who did not seem to have intentions of restraining Eliza.

    At this moment, more and more people started to surround them to watch.

    She waited for a moment, and when she saw that Li Muyan still did not seem to speak up, Ning Xi¡¯s thin lips parted to say, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s shoot.¡±

    When he heard this, Li Muyan¡¯s pupils suddenly shrunk. He seemed not to have expected Ning Xi to agree to it.

    As for Ning Xi saying that she was already married, he had subconsciously presumed that she had only used that as an excuse to avoid conflict with Eliza.

    Eliza only knew that Ning Xi was skilled at shooting, but she did not know that Ning Xi was Elder Chief Zhuang¡¯s granddaughter. He had heard Meng Ling mention more than once that Ning Xi¡¯s marksmanship was close to perfection and that she was even more talented than Zhuang Rongguang.

    ¡°What!? Sis-inw agreed!¡± Lu Jingli was still not doing his proper duties and live streaming for his brother.

 Chapter 2101 - Competition

    <h4>Chapter 2101: Competition</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lu Tingxiao sounded upset. ¡°Camera.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong about the camera?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s tilted.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯ll aim it at your wife now, alright!?¡±

    Lu Jingli was a little annoyed. ¡°How can you not be worried at all?! Your wife is so talented at shooting that she even beat Guan Ziyao! While I¡¯d love to see Xiao Xi Xi win, winning in this situation would make it feel like she¡¯s into Li Muyan! This is so frustrating!¡±

    The people around the shooting range surrounded them and stayed for the drama.

    The circles Meng Ling brought Ning Xi to were mostly to meet the headdies and madams of different families. She wanted her to learn how to behave as a headdy. Only a small group of people knew about Ning Xi¡¯s rtionship with the Zhuangs. Among the group of onlookers right now, everyone except Li Muyan only knew Ning Xi as the hottest celebrity in China.

    Popr events like today would usually invite some celebrities to lighten up the mood. As the most sessful artiste under Glory World Entertainment, it was not odd to invite her over.

    However, something like what had happened between Ning Xi and Li Muyan was unusual.

    Even with Ning Xi¡¯s current status in the entertainment industry, along with her identity as the owner of Spirit, aiming for Li Muyan was still too far-fetched for her.

    ¡°Eliza is really good at shooting. She wouldn¡¯t have suggested it otherwise. She¡¯s used this to chase several romantic rivals away already!¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have opponents in any other field too. Eliza is great at everything!¡±

    ¡°How could an actress possibly win over Eliza who¡¯s a true royalty? Eliza¡¯s mother is a descendant of the royal family from France!¡±

    ¡­

    Li Muyan was not moved at all when he heard thements about Eliza. He had seen too many girls like her who received elite training since she was a child. While they had multiple talents and skills, their souls were boring to the very end.

    Li Muyan then looked at Ning Xi. He gripped his fists a little as he thought about how she was willing topete for him.

    He had been trying to win her over slowly in the past few months. He had never broken the invisible wall between them because he never had the confidence.

    It was an unexpected reward for him even though Eliza had kicked up such a fuss today.

    As Li Muyan was deep in thought, thepetition started.

    Everyone focused on the two of them.

    Each person would shoot one after another until all ten shots were fired, then the final score would be calcted.

    First shot: Eliza, 9.7 points; Ning Xi, 9.6 points.

    Second shot: Eliza, 9.6 points; Ning Xi, 9.5 points.

    Third shot: Eliza, 9.8 points; Ning Xi, 9.7 points.

    Ning Xi fell behind on the first three shots as everyone expected. Li Muyan unconsciously straightened his back. Maybe Ning Xi was still warming up, but there were still seven shots left!

    Thepetition continued.

    Fourth shot: Eliza, 9.2 points; Ning Xi, 9.1 points.

    Fifth shot: Eliza, 8.9 points; Ning Xi, 8.8 points.

    Sixth shot: Eliza, 9.4 points; Ning Xi, 9.3 points.

    ¡­

    Everyone was stunned by the scores.

 Chapter 2102 - I Lost

    <h4>Chapter 2102: I Lost</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    No one really noticed anything odd at first, but after the sixth shot, everyone was starting to be doubtful.

    Was it not too much of a coincidence that Ning Xi was always 0.1 points lower than Eliza?

    By the seventh shot, Eliza was probably affected psychologically, so she only got 3.4 points, and Ning Xi quickly fired a shot, earning 3.3 points.

    Everyone was speechless.

    Was it their imagination? Or was Ning Xi losing on purpose?

    It must be a mistake! Hitting 0.1 points lower every time was much more difficult than hitting 10 points every time!

    Thepetition went on¡­

    Eighth shot: Eliza, 9.8 points; Ning Xi, 9.7 points

    Ninth shot: Eliza, 5.5 points; Ning Xi, 5.4 points

    On the tenth shot, Eliza made a mistake and only got 1 point. Ning Xi shot out of range and got 0 points!

    ¡­

    On the tenth shot, everyone saw Ning Xi just fire into the air.

    Everyone was speechless.

    They were probably blind if they had not seen that Ning Xi was losing on purpose.

    Ning Xi turned the safety lock on and handed the gun to a waiter beside her before she looked over at Eliza and shrugged. ¡°I lost.¡±

    The girl in the red dress then left.

    ¡°You! You did that on purpose!¡± Eliza was frustrated and her face turned red.

    Li Muyan just remained stationary. His worked-up feelings had now fizzled out and the fire inside him was extinguished.

    Lu Jingli was impressed as he streamed the whole scene for his brother. ¡°Damn! Sister-inw was amazing! Even though she lost, it¡¯s aplete victory over that Eliza!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± Lu Tingxiao left him with these few words and then hung up the call. He did not want to wait any longer; he just wanted to see her.

    The sky turned dark and almost all the guests had arrived. The atmosphere was getting more and more lively with fairy lights starting to light up on the grass, resembling stars in the sky and filling up the venue with a sense of fantasy.

    ¡°Wow, so beautiful! Lu Tingxiao¡¯s birthday banquet used to be usually organized in hotels, which were so rigid and boring! It¡¯s suddenly so romantic this time!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably for Mrs. Lu!¡± One of the girls said with an envious expression.

    ¡°I heard Mrs. Lu is appearing tonight too. Is that true? I don¡¯t believe it. I can¡¯t believe it! Could it be that Lu Tingxiao is really married?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to believe it too, but my sources are reliable and it shouldn¡¯t be mistaken. Actually, there were rumors for a very long time ago before. It¡¯s just that the Lu family has been so low-profile that until now, no one knows who Mrs. Lu is! I tried to find out from Lu Jingli. He told me personally that his sister-inw will being tonight!¡±

    ¡°God! I¡¯m going to be heartbroken!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just you. Do you know how many more other women are going through heartbreak? I wonder who¡¯s so lucky, or who¡¯s so powerful to tame a man like Lu Tingxiao. Rumor has it that Lu Tingxiao was really doting to that woman¡­¡±

    ¡­

    Eliza was still angry about being embarrassed just now, so she ignored Li Muyan¡¯s actions to stop her and she stomped up to Ning Xi angrily. ¡°Ning Xi, what were you trying to do just now? Are you insulting me and Bro Muyan?¡±

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows, acting confused. ¡°Insult? You¡¯re the one who won, Ms. Eliza. How is that an insult?¡±

 Chapter 2103 - Thank You, Milady

    <h4>Chapter 2103: Thank You, Mdy</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    It was Eliza¡¯s provocation that had triggered this. Moreover, if Li Muyan had taken action earlier, this whole fuss would not have happened in the first ce.

    She had been pretty busy a while back then and had been spending most of her free time with Lu Tingxiao, so she never noticed anything odd about Li Muyan since he never did anything overboard. She only thought of him as the son of her aunt¡¯s good friend.

    Only just now did she feel like something was wrong with the way Li Muyan looked at her.

    Eliza¡¯s attitude and tone of speaking further confirmed her guess.

    If Li Muyan stepped up and resolved the issue, she would not have needed to pull this off. She could just find a chance in the future and exin it to him.

    However, Li Muyan chose to do nothing about Eliza¡¯s provocation. Therefore, she could only use her own method to solve the issue.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Eliza could not say anything back to her.

    Eliza did not want to admit defeat. She merely wanted to regain her pride somewhere else.

    She then judged Ning Xi¡¯s gorgeous appearance tonight. ¡°Today is Mr. Lu¡¯s birthday. The spotlight should belong to Mr. Lu and Mrs. Lu. Aren¡¯t you being rude for dressing so extravagantly?¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s outfit for tonight was indeed very high-profile and attractive.

    Ever since she appeared, many people had been secretly judging her, especially the young girls at the venue. Of course, all the men were checking her out too.

    The crowd suddenly felt that she was inappropriately dressed as well after Eliza pointed it out.

    Events like these would usually invite celebrities to lighten up the mood; Ning Xi was not the only celebrity there. All the other celebrities tried to avoid being the spotlight and wore more inly, except Ning Xi, who wore a very attention-grabbing, bright red dress.

    Red was the color that represented China. Usually, only the host would wear this color and the guests would all avoid it.

    Ning Xi¡¯s outfit was indeed unseemly.

    Several girls came together and started discussing. ¡°Ning Xi is being a little too high-profile, isn¡¯t she? Is she trying to embarrass Mrs. Lu?¡±

    ¡°Well, she¡¯s just an actress, after all, so she wouldn¡¯t know about all these rules, would she?¡±

    ¡­

    At this moment, loud voices came over from the entrance. It seemed like the main person of the night had arrived.

    Lu Tingxiao, who usually wore dark colors, had actually put on a maroon suit today, appearing more fresh-looking than usual.

    Probably because of his birthday, he seemed to be in a jovial mood. The man¡¯s face was not as cold as usual and he looked more lively.

    ¡°CEO Lu!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Lu, happy birthday!¡±

    ¡°Happy birthday!¡±

    Amidst the well wishes, the man nodded and made some small talk with the guests. At the same time, he walked towards the center of the venue.

    The man did not stop until he reached in front of a girl in a long, red gown. He appeared before the girl like a bright sun in the sky.

    The man stood before the girl, his arm casually wrapped around the girl¡¯s waist before he lowered his face and left a precious kiss on the girl¡¯s soft, petal-like lips.

    The girl¡¯s face bloomed into a smile as she gently murmured, ¡°Happy birthday.¡±

    The frigid man melted and he smiled back. ¡°Thank you, mdy.¡±

 Chapter 2104 - Prince Charming Is Taken

    <h4>Chapter 2104: Prince Charming Is Taken</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Above them was a sky full of stars. All around, the colorfulnterns lent thewn ayer of dreamy brilliance.

    In the middle of the venue, the handsome man and the girl before him, who was just as splendid and moving as a zing sun, had quietly fixed their sights on each other.

    This scene was as beautiful as a fairy tale.

    When they saw Lu Tingxiao¡¯s gentle kiss as he embraced Ning Xi, and heard Lu Tingxiao murmur that extremely loving word ¡°mdy¡±, those heiresses, who were nit-picking on Ning Xi¡¯s outfit earlier, were all dumbstruck.

    Eliza was initially still bitter over Ning Xi overestimating her capabilities and stealing her man, but at this moment, her sweet and delicate little face looked as if she had just seen a ghost. She stared nkly at the two people who were being intimate as if nothing coulde between them.

    In the meantime, behind them, Li Muyan had an expression that did not need to be borated upon.

    The woman with Lu Tingxiao on whom he doted, that legendary Madam Lu¡­ was actually¡­ Ning Xi!

    Earlier, Ning Xi¡¯s words were not an excuse to get out of trouble. She was really, really¡­ married¡­

    After a short silence, there was amotion.

    ¡°Oh my God! Ning¡­ Ning Xi is Madam Lu!¡±

    ¡°Lu Tingxiao¡¯s wife is Ning Xi? This is extremely shocking!¡±

    ¡­

    In that instant, everyone seemed to have suddenly understood why Ning Xi would wear such a vibrant color tonight.

    She was the wife of the esteemed guest!

    Apart from her, no one else would have the right to wear such a color and such an outfit!

    The funny thing was that all of them had even deliberately dressed carefully, afraid of stealing the Madam¡¯s limelight although no one truly had the capability to steal this Madam Lu¡¯s limelight.

    Lu Tingxiao naturally let the girl hold on to his arm, and his gaze swept across everyone present before announcing the start of the banquet, ¡°Thank you, everyone, foring today. It¡¯s the honor of my wife and I. We hope everyone has a delightful night.¡±

    Delightful¡­

    When they saw that their Prince Charming was taken, they were really delighted.

    The fangirls who had especiallye over to see Lu Tingxiao were all forcefully stuffed with the disy of affection, so much so that they were about to weep from the torture.

    To the public eye, Lu Tingxiao had always been distant from women¡¯s charms. He had an untouchable image, and there was even a time when many people thought that he liked men.

    Who would have thought that after all the silence woulde such a huge surprise? He had been keeping it in for the big move to publicly disy his affection. It was such a savage move that it terrified everyone!

    ¡°How could this be?! How could it be Ning Xi?!¡±

    ¡°Even though Ning Xi is very beautiful, yeah, I admit that, but to consider her identity and her family background, she wouldn¡¯t be a match for Lu Tingxiao, would she?¡±

    ¡°Exactly! If it were the Second Master¡¯s wife, I could still sort of understand, but this is the position of the headdy of the Lu family!¡±

    Helplessly, no matter how unconvinced they were, this was already a fact that was set in stone.

    Even if they were unwilling to admit it, the pair of the fine-looking couple in front of them really looked pleasing no matter how they gawked.

    A group of heiresses was still mumbling skeptically when some murmurs rippled from the entrance.

    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s Elder Chief Zhuang!¡± Someone cried out.

    The elder¡¯s hair was silver white, yet he appeared healthy with a hearty spirit. Even if he was not wearing his military uniform, he still had a natural air of hardship on him that came from the battleground. While the middle-aged man beside him had a simr aura, he was even sharper and colder, and his eagle eyes had a terrifying luster in them.

    On the left of Zhuang Zhongren was Zhuang Liaoyuan, and on the right was Meng Ling in a qipao , looking elegant and graceful with an outstanding aura as always.

    Behind them, there was also theposed and beautiful Zhuang Keer in a couture gown from Spirit, and Zhuang Rongguang who stood tall and straight in his military uniform.

    One could say that this family was excellent at attracting eyeballs. Instantly, everyone¡¯s gazes turned towards them.

 Chapter 2105 - Its the Lu Familys Blessing

    <h4>Chapter 2105: It¡¯s the Lu Family¡¯s Blessing</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°It looks like the entire Zhuang family is here!¡±

    ¡°Wow, really? Since when did the Zhuangs be this close to the Lu family? Lu Tingxiao¡¯s just celebrating his birthday, but the entire Zhuang family hase?¡±

    As the crowd thought about how strange it was, they started to doubt it. ¡°It really is a little weird. These two families¡­ one¡¯s in the army and the government, while the other is in business. Usually, they would just have a nodding acquaintance, wouldn¡¯t they? Especially Elder Zhuang¡­ He would never get close to anyone, especially businessmen, what more attend the birthday banquet of someone from the younger generation?¡±

    ¡°But we can¡¯t say for sure. Now that the Lu family does have an existence that even the higher-ups have to fear, I¡¯m afraid the Zhuang family are bound by convention!¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡±

    On the other side, Zhuang Keer had immediately seen Ning Xi who was the most dazzling person amidst the crowd. She immediately ran over to Ning Xi and greeted extremely intimately, ¡°Xiao Xi!¡±

    ¡°Keer, you guys came too!¡± When she saw Zhuang Keer, Ning Xi instantly shed a sincere smile.

    Zhuang Rongguang who was formidable-looking in his military uniform rushed up to Ning Xi like a monkey and said with an expression as if he was showing off his treasures, ¡°Bro Xi! Quickly look! Tell me, do I look handsome in this? Am I handsome or not?¡±

    As Ning Xi watched this young man who was bing more and more energetic, her eyes were filled with admiration. She was not stingy with her praises. ¡°Indeed, you¡¯ve be much more handsome now!¡±

    When Zhuang Rongguang heard the words he wanted to hear, he was instantly overjoyed.

    Meng Ling helplessly shot her son a look, then she noticed Ning Xi¡¯s outfit and her eyes lit up. ¡°Girl Xi, this outfit is gorgeous! Child, you usually dress a little too simple. Someone of your age should wear more bright colors like this. Don¡¯t wait till you¡¯re my age. You can¡¯t wear them even if you wanted to anymore!¡±

    When they saw this scene unfolding, all of the heiresses instantly had mixed expressions.

    ¡°Why are all the Zhuangs so close to Ning Xi?¡±

    ¡°Is that even a question? She¡¯s definitely benefiting by association with the Lu family! In any case, she¡¯s the wife of the young master of the Lu family now. She¡¯s the headdy!¡±

    ¡°What!? What luck is this!? She really increased her status by climbing up this tree! It¡¯s so unfair! Which one of us here wouldn¡¯t be miles better than her in terms of family background? What¡¯s the Lu family thinking, letting someone of such status marry him? Even if they don¡¯t think for themselves, they should think about the future generations¡¯ genes and bloodline, shouldn¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°This Ning Xi doesn¡¯t match Bro Lu at all!¡±

    ¡­

    The heiresses immediately felt even more resentful seeing Ning Xi being so close the Zhuang family. They started to group together and mutter.

    Only Li Muyan who knew the inside story was filled with bitterness.

    Zhuang Zongren could hear these voices and his expression soured. The elder was known to be hot-tempered, plus this matter involved his most beloved granddaughter. Thus, he growled angrily with a scowl on the spot, ¡°Who says my Xiao Xi doesn¡¯t match the punk from the Lu family!?¡±

    His worn and honest voice rang in everyone¡¯s ears.

    The second Zhuang Zongren¡¯s slightly furious voice reverberated, the entire venue was immediately enveloped with an overbearing aura. Those heiresses who had been muttering among themselves suddenly did not dare impose. At the same time, they exchanged nces while looking shocked.

    What did Elder Chief Zhuang just say?

    My Xiao Xi¡­?

    At this moment, Yan Ruyi smiled and walked up to smooth things over. ¡°Elder, look at you. Xiao Xi is your granddaughter. Even Master Xuan Jing said that Xiao Xi was good luck and would bring a happy family and prosperity. To be able to have a daughter-inw like Xiao Xi is our Lu family¡¯s blessing from another lifetime!¡±

 Chapter 2106 - She Was A Phoenix

    <h4>Chapter 2106: She Was A Phoenix</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When they heard Yan Ruyi, all thedies from prestigious and wealthy families, who had bragged about how their family backgrounds surpassed a certain someone, were well and truly stunned.

    ¡°Elder¡­ Elder Zhuang¡¯s granddaughter?!¡±

    ¡°Ning Xi is actually Elder Chief Zhuang¡¯s granddaughter?¡±

    ¡°What!? How¡¯s this even possible!?

    So¡­

    Ning Xi had not flown up a branch and be a phoenix !

    She was actually already a phoenix?

    This was Imperial¡¯s number one aristocrat family. They were first-rate aristocrats in the army and the government for generations. Which of the heiresses present couldpare to her status?

    Eliza imed that her maternal side had the blood of Country F¡¯s royalty running through her veins, but everyone knew that the so-called royal family sounded more like a tiger¡¯s roar. However, they did not actually have any real authority. The ones with real authority were the military!

    As Eliza listened to the discussions around her and how her name was beingpared to Ning Xi, her initially insufferably arrogant expression had, at this moment,pletely transformed into disbelief.

    This woman¡­ and the Zhuang family¡­ How was this possible!?

    No one would have thought that this girl, who had encountered crisis after crisis since she debuted and had climbed one step at a time to her position today, would have such a powerful identity and background. Furthermore, she had even married into a family like the Lu family!

    ¡°This Ning Xi is really unpredictable! She¡¯s been hiding a little too securely, hasn¡¯t she!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! Who would¡¯ve thought that she and the Zhuang family would have thisyer of rtionship?!¡±

    When they said this, the heiresses looked at her with a renewed expression.

    If Ning Xi had wanted to use her connections a little to make her way to the top, it would have been easy, yet she had maintained a low profile up till now.

    Just as the words Ning Xi had once said at Noble perfume¡¯s audition.

    ¡°True elegance and nobility aren¡¯t about the luxury brands between her words. It isn¡¯t the precious jewelry on her wrist or boasting about their own good looks, knowledge, and aplishments. True elegance is that even if in ragged clothes, with messy hair and a dirty face, the aura of elegance cannot be concealed.

    ¡°True elegance, is that even if she conceals her identity and never highlights it, the bloodline in her bones cannot be erased.¡±

    Some of thedies and dames in the circle who were present that day seemed to have known about the rtionship between Ning Xi and the Zhuang family. At that moment, they were making small talk with Meng Ling and Ning Xi. They were very amiable and good-natured to Ning Xi, seeming as if they were close to her.

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan also loved their daughter-inw dearly; that went without saying.

    As matters stood, those heiresses were all done with their temper. ¡°Enough, everyone, stop sulking. They¡¯re truly the ideal couple with families that are well-matched. They are a match made in heaven!¡±

    Yan Ruyi¡¯s words earlier had calmed Elder Zhuang¡¯s fury, but he still looked a little cross.

    Once this elder, who had been in the military for half his life, got angered, no one could calm him down.

    Just as Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan fidgeted awkwardly, when even Ning Xi, Lu Tingxiao, Zhuang Keer, and the rest were at a loss, from the side came a soft voice. ¡°Great-grandfather!¡±

    When the elder saw the obedient and cute little baby, his anger instantly evaporated and he beamed broadly. That cold face turned warm and loving. ¡°Little Treasure! Come, quicklye to Great-grandfather!¡±

    The fully automated portable fire extinguisher, baby Little Treasure, walked over obediently. The old man and the young boy started to chat happily, and it was an extremely harmonious atmosphere.

    When they saw that the elder was finally not angry anymore, Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao exchanged a smile in relief.

    Zhuang Rongguang was grinding his teeth with jealousy. Why did this little child from a previous rtionship get to be doted on!?

 Chapter 2109 - All These Images

    <h4>Chapter 2109: All These Images</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A birthday song started to y as a tall birthday cake with more than ten tiers was presented. Lu Jingli and Zhuang Rongguang pushed it out together on a cart.

    The crowd gave a round of apuse as they sang the birthday song together and celebrated Lu Tingxiao¡¯s birthday. They also gave their blessings to the family of three.

    Little Treasure and Lu Tingxiao wore pairing outfits today. The father and son duo wore a simr color to Ning Xi¡¯s, and the three of them looked amazing together.

    With candlelight and music as the background, pictures started appearing on the huge LED screen. All of them were memories of the daily lives between Ning Xi, Lu Tingxiao, and Little Treasure.

    Most of the pictures had been taken by Lu Jingli. Even Ning Xi had been unaware of when the photos were taken.

    There were pictures of Lu Tingxiao wearing a bright blue suit for the first time, Ning Xi cooking in the kitchen, Little Treasure and Lu Tingxiao helping her, and even the costume party at Little Treasure¡¯s school. Ning Xi had gone as the Little Red Riding Hood while Little Treasure and Lu Tingxiao became the small wolf and big wolf respectively, amusing everyone

    No one could imagine that the aloof Lu Tingxiao would do something like this. Never would they imagine him wearing a cute wolf outfit and even attending his son¡¯s costume party!

    The girl looked gentle and lovely while the child looked cute. The usually emotionless man looked genuinely warm and content in the photos.

    Lu Jingli was really excited to see everyone¡¯s shock.

    He could finally let everybody get a taste of all the images he had been seeing until now!

    All the singles at the party were really hurt as Lu Jingli wished.

    ¡°Second Master! That¡¯s enough!¡±

    ¡°Stop it! Are you still human!?¡±

    ¡°Leave us singles alone!¡±

    ¡­

    Everyone looked envious. ¡°The three of them look just like a real family. It doesn¡¯t look like Ning Xi is a stepmother at all!¡±

    ¡°This woman is really something. She can even deal with that child! That child isn¡¯t an easy person to please!¡±

    Aside from envy, there were also some negative voices in between. ¡°While the two of them look good together, I bet Ning Xi¡¯s life is going to be tough from now on. The stepmother always has it rough!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true! Being a stepmother at such a young age and in that sort of huge family¡­ If she doesn¡¯t deal with things well, huge conflicts might ur. She¡¯s not his biological mother, after all.¡±

    ¡­

    While these words were expected, they still sounded oddly annoying.

    Lu Jingli saw the expression of the little bun change. He quickly changed to another disc and yed some cute pictures of his brother when he had still been little, trying to lighten the mood.

    The LED screen darkened, then the photos of the three of them disappeared, but it soon lit up again and started ying another set of photos.

    Lu Jingli grinned. ¡°Bro, there¡¯s a picture of you butt naked when you were little¡­¡±

    Lu Tingxiao slowly turned his head over at his brother threateningly.

    Lu Jingli was terrified. ¡°No! At most, it¡¯s just showing your belly button! I know that only your wife can see those pictures! Don¡¯t worry, Sister-inw, I¡¯ll send them to youter!¡±

 Chapter 2110 - Those Photos

    <h4>Chapter 2110: Those Photos</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes. However, she was pretty interested to see pictures of Lu Tingxiao when he was young; she wanted to see if he really looked like Little Treasure.

    Everyone looked over at the big screen as Second Master had mentioned that there would be photos of little Lu Tingxiao.

    A photo appeared and the setting seemed to be in a hospital. There was a signage saying ¡°Department of Gynecology¡± and a pregnant girl sat on the long bench.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s expression changed the moment this photo appeared.

    Because the pregnant girl in the photo¡­ was Ning Xi!

    While the girl¡¯s face looked much younger, it was obvious that was her.

    In just a moment, countless photos shed through the screen, all of them showing Ning Xi pregnant, in the hospital, on the road, in the park¡­

    ¡°Hmm? W-what¡¯s happening!¡±

    ¡°The person in the photo is Ning Xi, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°She looks young in there, but that sure is her! But why is Ning Xi sitting in front of the department of gynecology with a bulged tummy?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Damn!¡± Lu Jingli¡¯s expression darkened and he wanted to take out the disc, yet he was stopped by arge palm.

    If they stopped it right now, it would only attract more rumors and things would be really messy by then.

    Ning Xi¡¯s face already went pale when she saw those pictures. She panicked.

    After Lu Tingxiao stopped Lu Jingli from taking out the disc, he put his arms over the girl¡¯s shaking shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±

    Lu Tingxio focused intently on the photos, observing how Ning Xi was pregnant, walking alone, shopping alone, going to the hospital alone. His grip on the girl became tighter and tighter¡­

    ¡°Hahahaha¡­¡± Suddenly, there was the sharpughter of a woman among the crowd.

    A woman in a waitress¡¯s outfit rushed below the big screen and then screamed, ¡°Daughter of a prestigious family, a prouddy! This woman got pregnant by a stranger when she was 18, yet she¡¯s still acting all pure in front of everyone! She¡¯s just trash! A shameless slut!¡±

    The crowd was stunned to see Ning Xueluo.

    ¡°Ah¡­ That woman, isn¡¯t that Ning Xueluo?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s her! She¡¯s the foster daughter of the Ning family! The one who was chased out recently!¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s matter was too high-profile to be ignored, so many people recognized her almost instantly.

    Everyone believed the pictures when they heard Ning Xueluo¡¯s words.

    It was perfectly normal for Ning Xueluo to know Ning Xi¡¯s secrets, so she hade here for revenge!

    No one expected such a big scandal would be revealed at Lu Tingxiao¡¯s birthday banquet¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s wife, the headdy of the Lu family, had such a huge scandal.

    An out-of-wedlock pregnancy at 18?!

    ¡°Oh god! No way! Is Ning Xueluo telling the truth? Ning Xi got pregnant with a stranger¡¯s child at 18?¡±

    ¡°Does the Lu family know about this? Does Lu Tingxiao know?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! They wouldn¡¯t have gotten married if they knew! That¡¯s so scary! As expected, the private lives of women in the entertainment industry are incredibly messy!¡±

    ¡­

 Chapter 2111 - Little Treasure Is The Child of Ning Xi and I

    <h4>Chapter 2111: Little Treasure Is The Child of Ning Xi and I</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    More and more discussions sparked.

    Lu Tingxiao looked at these so-called ¡°scandalous photos¡± and did not even bat an eyelid. He just looked calmly at Ning Xueluo who was in maniac mode. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Ning, for bringing these precious memories up for Xiao Xi.¡±

    What?

    Precious memories?

    Ning Xueluo was dumbfounded. Lu Tingxiao continued, ¡°The stranger you mentioned was none other than me.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s eyes popped out after a short moment of silence.

    ¡°Huh? W-what!¡±

    ¡°What does Lu Tingxiao mean?¡±

    ¡°The stranger is him¡­¡±

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s mind was thrown into chaos as fear filled her eyes. ¡°What are you saying? CEO Lu, the child inside this woman¡¯s womb was an illegitimate child! How¡­¡±

    Lu Jingli rolled his eyes andughed coldly. ¡°Miss, first, you said my brother is a stranger. Then, you use my nephew of being an illegitimate child. Wow, I¡¯m impressed by your courage!¡±

    Lu Jingli¡¯s words caused another big wave of shock.

    ¡°Little Treasure? Does Lu Jingli mean that the child Ning Xi had was Little Treasure?¡±

    ¡°What! Little Treasure¡¯s biological mother is Ning Xi?¡±

    ¡°Ning Xueluo said Ning Xi was pregnant at 18. If I calcte following the time, it¡¯s correct!¡±

    Among the noisy gossip, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s icy cold gaze scanned everyone.

    That immense aura of his hushed everyone. No one said a word.

    After a while, Lu Tingxiao said, ¡°I apologize for causing some unnecessary misunderstanding. Ning Xi and I knew each other since a long time ago, but we separated for several years because of some misunderstanding. We¡¯ve gotten back together again ever since Xiao Xi came back.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao took a pause, then continued, ¡°Little Treasure is the child of Ning Xi and me.¡±

    Ning Xueluo was stunned at first, then she could not stop giggling. ¡°Hahaha¡­ CEO Lu, I didn¡¯t expect for you to lie and say that illegitimate child is yours! How impressive!¡±

    Lu Jingli could not believe how stupid she could be. ¡°Miss, your stupidity is what impresses me the most. How could my brother not know what he did? Due to some procedural necessity before, my sister-inw and Little Treasure did a DNA test. Do you think everyone is as stupid as you?¡±

    ¡°T-this is impossible! Definitely impossible!¡± Ning Xueluo straightened her back and her tone sounded determined.

    Lu Jingli raised his eyebrows. ¡°Oh? Impossible, how are you so determined that it¡¯s impossible?¡±

    Ning Xueluo could not say anything. Of course, she could not.

    She was the one who had drugged Ning Xi and arranged the two male gigolos!

    How was that possible?

    W-wait¡­

    The gigolos mentioned that Ning Xi had gone into the wrong room¡­

    She had done it with a stranger¡­

    Could it be!?

    Could that man be Lu Tingxiao!?

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s face went pale. Her body was trembling as if she had just found out something oddly terrifying.

    This possibility was utterly shocking to her!

    Suddenly, an old man stepped out from the crowd.

 Chapter 2112 - That Child Didnt Die

    <h4>Chapter 2112: That Child Didn¡¯t Die</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Right this second, an old man suddenly stepped out of the crowd. The old man¡¯s gaze looked viciously at Ning Xueluo as he said with a stern tone.

    ¡°Miss, how could you start rumors and create trouble at such a young age, ndering other people¡¯s innocence baselessly?! Back then, I was the one who did Madam Lu¡¯s and Little Treasure¡¯s DNA test myself. Little Treasure is 100% Madam Lu¡¯s flesh and blood. If anyone has any doubt, feel free to look for me!¡±

    The person who had spoken up was the head of Imperial¡¯s military hospital. As the person who had the head of state as his patient, his words were no doubt a symbol of authority.

    Once Dr. Zhao stepped out, everyone¡¯sst hint of doubt was dispelled. Instead, sudden realization dawned on them.

    When Zhuang Liaoyuan saw Dr. Zhao step forth and was so calm throughout, he finally knew how Lu Tingxiao had persuaded the elder in the hospital back then, and how Lu Tingxiao had so easily epted Little Treasure.

    So, it turned out that this was the case¡­

    Finally, the simrities between Little Treasure and Ning Xi, the intimacy of the mother and child bond, and Little Treasure¡¯s shooting talent that mirrored the Zhuangs now all had an exnation.

    The buzz around them suddenly turned louder. Everyone did not expect the truth to be like this. At the same time, the way they looked at Ning Xueluo had changed.

    ¡°It really is true! Little Treasure¡¯s biological mother is really Ning Xi!¡±

    ¡°Jeez! No wonder! I was just saying how could this mother and son pair get along so well. They are just like biological mother and son, but he turns out to really be her son?¡±

    ¡°This Ning Xueluo is hrious! She tried to drive a wedge between them without knowing anything, and even called Lu Tingxiao a strange man! She called the little prince an illegitimate child!¡±

    ¡°Ning Xi¡¯s quite pitiful too. Putting aside the fact that she was carried home wrongly, she even got involved with such a shameless person upying her ce and her parents are unreliable too! No wonder the Zhuang family only acknowledge Ning Xi and pay no heed to the Ning family and Ning Xueluo!¡±

    ¡°Would they heed her? People like her should get hit by a car when she walks out of the door! It really is my first time seeing such an evil woman! She¡¯s still not happy having killed her foster mother¡¯s fetus. Now that she sees Ning Xi leading a good life, she¡¯s so bitter and even came here to continue hurting Ning Xi. On such an assion today, she came to create such malicious rumors! She keeps pestering her without wanting to let go. How disgusting!¡±

    Everyone around gawked at her with detest and disgust. Those looks she received was as if they were looked at a disgusting pile of garbage with maggots all over.

    Ning Xueluo¡¯s face was nk. Her knees gave way and she fell to the ground like mud.

    Back then, she had racked her brains to get the Ning family and to fight over Su Yan, yet in the end¡­

    In the end, she had identally matchmade Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi.

    Back then, the person who had slept with Ning Xi was actually Lu Tingxiao!

    What smacked her further into disbelief was the fact that Ning Xi¡¯s child did not die from a car crash years ago!

    How did it be like this?

    How could the child have survived?

    How could it have not died!?

    How did this happen?

    She could not figure out how it had ended up like this.

    Initially, she had been prepared to pull Ning Xi down with her, which was why she had recklessly caused a ruckus with the risk of offending the Lu family. She was now left with nothing, after all. She could not just watch Ning Xi take in the position of Lady Lu so easily!

    But now¡­

    Over¡­

    It was all over¡­

    At the venue entrance, a few uniformed policemen appeared solemn and respectful as they walked straight towards Ning Xueluo.

    ¡°Miss, you¡¯ve been suspected of smuggling drugs and participating in many illegal activities outside these borders. Pleasee with us!¡±

 Chapter 2113 - To Everyones Delight

    <h4>Chapter 2113: To Everyone¡¯s Delight</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lu Tingxiao knew that Ning Xi cared about kinship. Previously, for the sake of her foster parents, he was not ruthless to Ning Xueluo.

    Yet, that woman still did not know how to be remorseful until now. Since Ning Xi could not make the move, then he would take action!

    ¡­

    Late at night, the guests had dispersed. This birthday banquet of many twists and turns had finally ended.

    Once the banquet concluded, Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan immediately pulled Lu Jingli aside.

    ¡°Jingli, what actually happened?! Is Ning Xi really Little Treasure¡¯s mother?¡± Yan Ruyi asked impatiently.

    Lu Jingli nodded with a serious expression. ¡°That night seven years ago, the girl that my brother was with, was actually Sis-inw. At that time, Sis-inw had been drugged by Ning Xueluo, who had initially arranged for people to ruin Sis-inw¡¯s innocence. Sis-inw had identally entered the wrong room and entered Bro¡¯s room instead¡­¡±

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan exchanged nces as they listened to him. They never would have thought that there would be such a coincidence in this world.

    ¡°Huh, you guys know the rest of the story too. Back then, Bro was also drugged. At that time, he and Sis-inw were both made delirious by the drugs, so they had no memory of that night at all. Bro and I only found out about the truth around two years ago. Later on, our hunch was confirmed by the DNA test. Our guess was right. That night, the person who was with Bro was indeed Sis-inw!

    ¡°However, because the incident years ago had caused too much damage to Sis-inw, Bro didn¡¯t dare to admit that the person was him. That¡¯s why he never came out with the truth until today, Ning Xueluo came to cause trouble¡­¡±

    Then, Lu Jingli exined to the two elders about how Ning Xi got pregnant, and the reason why she did not abort the child.

    Yan Ruyi and Lu Chongshan became angrier as they listened.

    ¡°That Ning Xueluo is insane! Thankfully it was your brother. If¡­¡± Yan Ruyi dared not imagine.

    ¡°This incident was too huge of an impact to Sis-inw. She¡¯s been living with the trauma all these years. Back then, the reason she kept rejecting Bro was not even ¡®to loosen the reins, only to grasp them better¡¯ as you thought. It was because of this incident that she wasn¡¯t willing to ept any man,¡± said Lu Jingli with a solemn expression.

    When they heard their son¡¯s words, Lu Chongshan and Yan Ruyi looked ashamed with guilt. Yan Ruyi sighed, ¡°Xiao Xi is a good girl. Even if something like that had really happened to her, it¡¯s not her fault.¡±

    Then, her expression turned joyful again. ¡°Now, that¡¯s great actually! It turns out to everyone¡¯s delight! Xiao Xi is Little Treasure¡¯s biological mother. How amazing! Little Treasure will be so happy!¡±

    When Lu Chongshan heard this, he frowned and said with a lowered tone, ¡°But Jingli said earlier that Xiao Xi hated that man from those years ago. Now that she knows the person was Tingxiao¡­¡±

    When they heard this, suddenly, all three of them fell silent.

    -

    In the garden of their house in Deer Town.

    It was only when they reached home that Ning Xi finally had a chance to speak with Lu Tingxiao privately.

    In the garden, the two of them stood quietly under a rack of Japanese roses.

    Ning Xi looked fatigued. Today was her first time making an official appearance as Madam Lu. She never would have thought that so many things would happen, but thankfully it was resolved without any mishap.

    Ning Xi sat down on the chair at the side. ¡°Lu Tingxiao, how did you get Dr. Zhao to help you?¡±

    After she woke up from hera, Dr. Zhao had been attending to her recuperation apart from Annie, so she was quite familiar with him too. She knew he valued his reputation and professional integrity, so he definitely would not falsify anything for someone else.

    Lu Tingxiao must have spent a lot of effort to convince him.

 Chapter 2114 - Im Sorry, That Person Was Me

    <h4>Chapter 2114: I¡¯m Sorry, That Person Was Me</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Facing Ning Xi¡¯s question, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s fists tightened as he fell silent and did not say anything.

    He had expected that even if everyone believed that Little Treasure was her biological son, Ning Xi would think that he had arranged all of this.

    After all, with regards to this fact, Ning Xi would be the only one who would not believe this.

    ¡°Darling?¡± When she saw the man still not speaking, Ning Xi looked at him doubtfully.

    At this moment, the air around the man had already frozen into ice, yet his body seemed as if it had been injected with surging and boiling volcanicva, almostbusting him to nothing.

    Ning Xi noticed Lu Tingxiao was being odd. Her expression started to turn solemn. ¡°What? Did something happen?¡±

    The Japanese roses above their heads wilted one by one in the night breeze. Some time passed when¡­

    The man finally spoke, ¡°Xiao Xi, I didn¡¯t arrange it. Dr. Zhao¡¯s words are true.¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s mind went nk for a second as if she could not immediately understand what Lu Tingxiao meant. ¡°What¡­?¡±

    ¡°I did get you and Little Treasure to do a DNA test. The DNA test results are real too¡­¡± Lu Tingxiao took a deep breath. He took a report out and gave it to the girl. ¡°Xiao Xi, you are Little Treasure¡¯s biological mother.¡±

    Ning Xi nkly took the report from Lu Tingxiao and she slowly looked at the conclusion right at the bottom of the report. In the next second, her pupils shrank and her mind went nk.

    To sum up, the aforementioned examination of the 19 STR genes¡¯ results show that Ning Xi¡¯s tested heredity genes match the gic criterion to be Lu Qingyu¡¯s biological mother. The probability value of their parent-child rtionship is calcted at 99.9999%¡­

    Based on the DNA analysis, it supports Ning Xi as Lu Qingyu¡¯s biological mother¡­

    ¡°How¡­?¡±

    How could this be?

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth was wide open, yet she could not utter a word.

    As if Lu Tingxiao was afraid that he would lose the courage to speak again, he immediately continued, ¡°Xiao Xi, Little Treasure is our child. The child of you and I.¡±

    Actually, the fact that Ning Xueluo could so easily appear was more or less a result of his allowing it. He wanted to use this as a way to force himself from evading anymore.

    Ning Xi felt like she was dreaming. In the dream, everything was turned upside down, causing her mind to be all messed up. She could not tell whether this was a dream or reality.

    ¡°How could this be?! My¡­ My child¡­ Back then, my child¡­ died¡­ already died¡­¡±

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s thin lips tensed up. ¡°Even though I¡¯m currently unsure why, but the fact is that he didn¡¯t die. He is Little Treasure.¡±

    ¡°He is Little Treasure¡­ That child is Little Treasure¡­ Little Treasure is¡­ my child?¡± Ning Xi was in a daze.

    Lu Tingxiao confirmed, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s our child.¡±

    ¡°Ours¡­¡±

    Lu Tingxiao closed his eyes. Then, he said with a slightly trembling voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xiao Xi¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I already knew about this more than a year ago. But¡­ I couldn¡¯t tell you¡­ that the person who hurt you¡­ the culprit who made you suffer and be in despair for so long¡­ was me¡­

    ¡°I was afraid that you¡¯d leave me¡­¡±

    That proud man had, at this very moment, said the words ¡°afraid¡± to her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That person was me.¡±

    When he finished, he stood there silently while the radiance surrounding him dimmed as if he was a person waiting for a death sentence. In that instant, all signs of life were removed from him.

 Chapter 2115 - Best Thing Ever

    <h4>Chapter 2115: Best Thing Ever</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Time passed.

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression turned paler by the second and his blood was getting colder as well. His hands had already clenched into fists without him even realizing it.

    Suddenly, a sweet fragrance covered him and came into contact with his cold lips. That warm voice echoed through the endless night.

    ¡°I¡¯m d¡­ I¡¯m d that it¡¯s you. There¡¯s nothing better than this in the whole world.¡±

    The mes were extinguished as ash fell onto the soil and flowers started blooming¡­

    Lu Tingxiao hugged the girl tightly and gave her a deep kiss. How he wished the two of them could merge together!

    Those were the most touching words he had ever heard in his life.

    His girl, bringing him touching and surprising moments again and again¡­

    The two of them stayed beside each other under the moonlight.

    ¡°Sorry, I should¡¯ve told you earlier.¡± Lu Tingxiao kissed the girl on the top of her head.

    Ning Xi nodded in agreement. ¡°Right, if you had told me earlier, then you wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it for so long! You didn¡¯t even mind when I told you about myself, so why would I leave you for this? Moreover, it¡¯s not just anyone else. It¡¯s you, my husband. I¡¯m really happy. Anyhow, it¡¯s Lu Jingli¡¯s fault anyway!¡±

    Lu Jingli, who was eavesdropping in a corner, burst out, ¡°Why am I being med without even doing anything?!¡±

    Fine, it was such a touching moment, so me him all she wanted!

    Luckily, Xiao Xi Xi did not divorce his brother. If not, he would really be dead.

    Lu Tingxiao felt as if his whole body was immersed in warm water. His burning organs were now all healed and he was relieved. ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡±

    Ning Xi could fully understand what Lu Tingxiao felt. No matter how smart a person was, one would fall into such a state if they cared about another person too much.

    ¡°There was also another reason why I didn¡¯t tell you yet.¡± Lu Tingxiao¡¯s tone sounded duller than usual.

    ¡°What?¡± Ning Xi could feel that what Lu Tingxiao was about to say was really important.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been investigating this matter¡­ about who sent Little Treasure to the Lu family and what his purpose was.¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°Have you found out?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s tone sounded dull. ¡°Not yet, but we¡¯re chasing an important clue. I noticed the hospital security camera footage had a section removed. We¡¯ll find out who it is after recovering the lost footage. I nned to tell you after I found out about everything. If there are no issues, the footage should bepleted in several days.¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s expression looked serious. ¡°Who could it be?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao remained silent. He had no idea who it could be too.

    ¡°Mommy¡­¡±

    There was a voice behind them.

    Ning Xi quickly turned around to see Little Treasure standing behind her and staring right at her.

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes teared up when she saw the little bun. ¡°Baby¡­¡±

    Little Treasure rubbed his eyes with the back of his wrists, then he jumped onto his mother. ¡°Mommy¡­ Are you really Little Treasure¡¯s mother? Did you give birth to me?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, yes, I¡¯m Little Treasure¡¯s mother. I gave birth to you¡­¡± She then felt some wetness on her shoulder and Ning Xi¡¯s heart twitched painfully.

    ¡°Is it true?¡± Little Treasure looked at his father, his eyes seeming as fragile as ss.

 Chapter 2116 - Calling Father For The First Time

    <h4>Chapter 2116: Calling Father For The First Time</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lu Tingxiao squatted down and patted his son¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s true. You¡¯re the child of your mother and me.¡±

    The eyes of the little guy sparkled when he received an affirmative answer from his father. ¡°I knew it! Since the first time I saw Mommy, I knew Mommy was really my mother!¡±

    Ning Xi teared a little as she looked at the adorable little bun. She gave him a big hug. ¡°Baby, quickly pinch me and tell me that I¡¯m not dreaming! How could I have given birth to such a cute and smart child that¡¯s loved by everyone!? I¡¯m so amazing!¡±

    The little bun did not pinch Ning Xi. Instead, he just kissed Ning Xi on her cheek. ¡°I think I might be dreaming too. The mother who¡¯s as sparkling as a princess and as beautiful as roses is actually my mother! I¡¯m really happy! I¡¯m amazing too!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao grinned as he looked at the mother-son pair, then he smiled with a gentle expression.

    As for Lu Jingli at the corner¡­

    He felt horrible. Damn! That was really enough! Did you guys have to say it out loud?

    He was so worried that he was fully prepared for an emergency rescue, yet this had happened¡­

    Well, there were two more fires back at home waiting for his rescue. He had better go and report the good news now!

    Late at night in the bedroom.

    Ning Xi sang and put the little bun to sleep. The little guy grabbed onto her shirt and was not letting go.

    Ning Xi kissed his forehead. ¡°Go to sleep. Mommy will stay by your side. Good night.¡±

    The little guy mumbled, ¡°Mmm, goodnight, Mommy¡­¡±

    The little bun rubbed his eyes and turned over to look at Lu Tingxiao. Then, he mumbled again, ¡°Goodnight¡­ Father¡­¡±

    Lu Tingxiao was stunned when he heard Little Treasure call him ¡°Father¡±. He did not seem to expect it.

    Ning Xi raised her eyebrows andughed when she saw Lu Tingxiao¡¯s awkward reaction. ¡°Darling, don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s the first time Little Treasure has called you ¡®Father¡¯?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    That was the first time indeed!

    Ning Xi could not stopughing. ¡°Really? The first time?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything.

    Yes, he was in such a terrible state.

    Ning Xi held herughter in and kissed Lu Tingxiao. ¡°Get over it. I¡¯m sure Little Treasure will start calling you ¡®Father¡¯ from now onwards!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao kissed her back. ¡°Mmm, thanks to you.¡±

    Ning Xi blinked as she looked at the man beside her. She suddenly said, ¡°Lu Tingxiao, let¡¯s go public about us.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao was a little taken aback.

    ¡°Mmm, I mean exactly that. Let¡¯s tell everyone about it.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao seemed nervous. ¡°Are things alright on your end?¡±

    Ning Xi analyzed, ¡°My fans are pretty stable now and I can start changing my style soon. Announcing my marriage now wouldn¡¯t have too much of an effect on me, and it¡¯ll help in my change of style too.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao replied, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Ning Xi grinned and kissed her darling¡¯s cheek. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll start preparing now. Without any issues, we can n it after I¡¯ve signed the movie contract with Chen Mian!¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the title.¡±

 Chapter 2117 - Clouds of Doubt

    <h4>Chapter 2117: Clouds of Doubt</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After the birthday banquet, Ning Xi invited Tang Lang, Tang Ye, and Feng Xiaoxiao out to treat them to a proper meal.

    Well, the meal was just an excuse. The true purpose was to boast that she had given birth to such an adorable child.

    Besides, she also needed help from the three of them. She wanted them to check if they could find out who had sent Little Treasure to the Lu family back then.

    No one else could probably do it since even Lu Tingxiao could not, but she wanted to feel more hopeful about it.

    Afterwards, Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao got back on their busy schedule. At the same time, they waited for news from Lu Jingli.

    There had been some issues with the recovery of the video and the progress had gotten stuck. In addition to Little Treasure being down with a fevertely, Ning Xi was somewhat affected.

    She could not rest easy as the matter was still unclear. They still did not know if it was an ally or a foe who had done it and what their intentions were.

    Howe that person knew that Little Treasure was Lu Tingxiao¡¯s son when even she and Lu Tingxiao had no inkling of it?

    Why did that person send Little Treasure to the Lu family?

    If that person had just done it out of goodwill, there was no need to hide his or her identity.

    There were too many unexined doubts waiting for an answer.

    As Ning Xi was deep in her thoughts, she gently caressed Little Treasure. She became more anxious when she took a nce at the thermometer. ¡°38.5, that¡¯s still a little high.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao put his arm over Ning Xi¡¯s shoulders andforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The doctor said that children fall sick easily in this season. It¡¯s just a small matter.¡±

    Ning Xi nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±

    It was difficult for her to not be affected with that matter still unresolved.

    Lu Tingxiao sighed when he saw Ning Xi had so much to worry about. He regretted telling her too early. ¡°Jingli told me that the video will bepleted in three days.¡±

    Ning Xi took a deep breath. ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Three more days, and everything would be revealed.

    However, before they got to see the results from Lu Jingli¡¯s side, something happened to Little Treasure.

    What they thought to be just a normal flu and fever did not get better even after several days.

    Little Treasure had been in a simr condition before because of psychological trauma, but he had been fine ever since Ning Xi appeared.

    However, now that the same situation happened again, his fever was not getting any better.

    Nothing worked this time, even with Ning Xi staying by Little Treasure¡¯s side all the time.

    Everyone in the room looked worried.

    Lu Jingli scratched his head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. Little Treasure just found out Xiao Xi Xi is his mother and he¡¯s really happy about it. It¡¯s not possible for him to get sick because of psychological reasons!¡±

    Dr. Zhao then said, ¡°I¡¯ve already conducted a thorough check up with Little Treasure. Everything seems normal and nothing¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°Then, how is his fever not going down? Something must be wrong!¡± Ning Xi was really anxious. The little guy was breathing rapidly with a red face. He seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness, spending more and more time sleeping in the past few days.

    Dr. Zhao thought about it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much about it. It¡¯s not umon for children to be like this. If the fever still doesn¡¯t go down by tomorrow, bring him to the hospital for another check up again.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao replied, ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 2118 - Sister-in-law Doesnt Trust Me?

    <h4>Chapter 2118: Sister-inw Doesn¡¯t Trust Me?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi stayed by Little Treasure¡¯s side for the whole night.

    The next day, Ning Xi suddenly opened her eyes and realized that she had fallen asleep. She quickly went over to Little Treasure and asked, ¡°How¡¯s Little Treasure?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The fever¡¯s gone already,¡± Lu Tingxiao said.

    Ning Xi was relieved. ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes darkened. While he seemed to be thinking about something, heforted Ning Xi with a rxed expression, ¡°You¡¯re being too anxious about it.¡±

    Ning Xi nodded. ¡°I guess so¡­¡±

    She felt too pressured with so much to consider about.

    Little Treasure did not seem to be very energetic even after his fever went down. Thankfully, the fever did note back and things were fine for two days.

    However, Little Treasure¡¯s condition unexpectedly worsened on the third day.

    While he did not have a temperature, he fell unconscious and his body was really weak.

    Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao quickly sent him to the Imperial Military Hospital that night.

    The results of the second full body checkup still showed no sign of illness.

    Ning Xi¡¯s hand trembled when she took out her phone as she looked at Little Treasure hooked up to a venttor. ¡°Let me ask Annie to take a look at him!¡±

    She thought it was just a normal fever and did not expect things to turn out this way.

    As Ning Xi was about to make a call by the door, there was a voice behind her. ¡°The brat is sick?¡±

    ¡°Yun Shen¡­¡± Ning Xi was surprised to see who it was.

    The man looked as arrogant as usual. He had a ck shirt on; the contrast made his fine skin appear even whiter than usual.

    When he saw Ning Xi¡¯s surprised expression, the man raised up his right middle finger which was bandaged. ¡°I got injured by a needle. Annie wasn¡¯t around and Ye forced me toe to the hospital!¡±

    He sounded aggrieved.

    Not just Tang Ye and Feng Xiaoxiao, even Tang Lang was there as well. Ever since Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao ceased their war, Tang Lang had been hanging out with Tang Ye.

    Tang Ye had his usual stoic sses on.

    Feng Xiaoxiao and Tang Lang crossed their arms and just stood there, their mouths twitching.

    Ignoring the fact that he was suddenly injured by a mere needle, why did he sounded so aggrieved?He had a medical condition whereby he would profusely bleed if he was injured!

    ¡°Hmm? Little Treasure is sick?¡± Feng Xiaoxiao took a peek into the room.

    ¡°What happened? Hasn¡¯t Little Treasure¡¯s fevere down yet?¡± Tang Lang asked.

    Ning Xi did not look well as she shook her head. ¡°At first, the fever didn¡¯t go down. It finally went away two days ago, but now he¡¯s suddenly fallen unconscious. The body checkups showed nothing odd. I was about to call Annie over to take a look at Little Treasure¡­¡±

    Yun Shen nced over at the little bun. He narrowed his eyes and mumbled, ¡°This condition¡­ seems familiar¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ning Xi suddenly became nervous. ¡°You¡¯ve seen it before? Where?¡±

    ¡°I have to take a look at the brat to confirm,¡± Yun Shen said.

    Ning Xi frowned, apparently not very trusting of this guy. She never heard of him knowing about illnesses.

    ¡°Seems like Sister-inw doesn¡¯t trust me? Fine then¡­¡±

    Suddenly, Lu Tingxiao said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Let him take a look.¡±

    Ning Xi then nodded with ease. ¡°Oh, go ahead then!¡±

    Yun Shen was speechless. He suddenly did not feel like helping anymore!

 Chapter 2119 - Only One Day Left

    <h4>Chapter 2119: Only One Day Left</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Atst, he still walked into the ward reluctantly.

    Ning Xi and the rest stood nervously on the side as they waited for Yun Shen¡¯s examination result.

    Yun Shen casually asked some questions about Little Treasure¡¯s condition, then he pulled Little Treasure¡¯s shirt up to take a look. He squinted. ¡°The little brat isn¡¯t sick. He¡¯s been poisoned.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Ning Xi and Tang Lang instantly look horrified. Tang Ye was a little shocked too.

    Onlu Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes looked exceptionally deep in thought, almost as if he seemed to have expected this oue¡­

    ¡°What poison is it? How do you know? Why would Little Treasure suddenly be poisoned?¡± Ning Xi asked all at a go.

    Yun Shen pulled Little Treasure¡¯s shirt down and said, ¡°Neither can I be sure about how he was poisoned, nor do I know what poison it is, but I can be sure that he was poisoned.¡±

    Listening to Yun Shen¡¯s answer, Ning Xi almost died from fury. He might as well have not answered anything.

    Yun Shen seemed to have fallen deep in thought about a certain memory. He slowly said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen someone who was poisoned like this. At first, they also had a fever repeatedly. The interesting thing was that they would have a fever the first day, get well the second, get a fever the third day, and then recover the next day again. Every time, the fever would cause them to be weaker and weaker, and their spirits would worsen too. In fact, the cause was so mysterious as if the perpetrator was torturing the victim for fun, giving someone hope and then instantly making them hopeless. It repeats like this, and these victims have one distinctive feature on them, that is, some red color blood specks would appear on their skin slowly¡­¡±

    When she heard Yun Shen, Ning Xi quickly took a closer inspection at Little Treasure¡¯s body. Indeed, there were many red color specks, which were there from the start, but there had been very few amd she thought that it was just amon allergy or a rash caused by the fever, but now that she looked again, it seemed like those red specks had begun to multiply with Little Treasure¡¯s fever.

    ¡°Who would poison a child like this?¡± Tang Ye frowned.

    Tang Lang¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°This obviously torturous way of poisoning is clearly to avenge something. However, Little Treasure¡¯s usually protected so well. Previously, because of Master Han Xiao keeping watch, all those people were frightened away. When could he have been poisoned? Especially in a way that all of us did not notice at all¡­¡±

    Tang Lang was pondering about this when he suddenly had a brazen thought. ¡°Would this poison be rted to the person who sent Little Treasure back to the Lu family years ago?¡±

    Feng Xiaoxiao subconsciously looked at Yun Shen, then she chose her words carefully. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve heard about this poison too. I heard that it can be nted inside someone¡¯s body for a long period of time. It can even hibernate for three to five years before it breaks out.

    ¡°So, there¡¯s a huge possibility that when Little Treasure was just sent to the Lu family years ago, this poison was already nted in him, but it only red up recently. If this really is the case, then it makes sense!¡±

    Ning Xi never would have thought that this matter would pan out like this. Because the matter involved Little Treasure, she was extremely worried as she listened to Feng Xiaoxiao¡¯s analysis. Her mind was a mess at this point and she could not think straight at all.

    ¡°How many days has the little brat been like this?¡± At this moment, Yun Shen suddenly asked.

    Lu Tingxiao answered, ¡°Six days.¡±

    Something shed in Yun Shen¡¯s eyes. ¡°Six days¡­ I know that from the day they re up, victims of this poison will die of sudden death on the seventh day.¡±

    Yun Shen¡¯s words instantly made Ning Xi¡¯s heart plummet into an endless abyss!

    Ning Xi panicked. ¡°How¡¯s this possible?! Doesn¡¯t that mean Little Treasure only has less than a day?! Could you be mistaken? If I calcte to when Little Treasure begun having the fever, it¡¯s already the sixth night now!¡±

    Did this not mean Little Treasure would not make it to the next morning?

    This oue was like a bolt from the blue, exploding in Ning Xi¡¯s mind.

 Chapter 2120 - How Could It Be!?

    <h4>Chapter 2120: How Could It Be!?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Yun Shen frowned slightly before saying with a lowered voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about this poison. I¡¯m just telling you my judgment based on past situations.¡±

    Suddenly, everyone fell silent.

    Ning Xi already did not have time to think further. Her fingers trembled as she quickly made a call to Annie. ¡°Hello, Annie?¡±

    ¡°Bro Xi, you finally called me. I was afraid you¡¯re busy, so I didn¡¯t dare to disturb you¡­¡± From the other end of the phone came Annie¡¯s joyful voice.

    Ning Xi interrupted Annie apologetically, ¡°Annie, I¡¯m sorry, where are you right now? Can you make a trip to Imperial Military Hospital? I have something urgent that I need you for.¡±

    ¡°Hospital? Bro Xi, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Annie quickly asked with concern.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t me. Juste over first.¡±

    When she heard that Ning Xi was alright, Annie let out a sigh of relief and answered, ¡°Okay, I¡¯lle over right away, but I¡¯m now in City A. I might not be able to rush over so quickly.¡±

    From beside Ning Xi came Lu Tingxiao¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange for a helicopter to get her.¡±

    Ning Xi immediately said, ¡°Send me your location. I¡¯ll get someone to pick you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After she hung up, Ning Xi¡¯s body gave way and she was about to copse.

    Lu Tingxiao held the girl in his embrace, ncing at the time on his watch with his solemn eyes.

    From City A to Imperial, even if it were by helicopter, it would take more than an hour to and fro.

    Time passed by and the atmosphere became increasingly heavy¡­

    Feng Xiaoxiao hugged Ning Xi as she consoled her, ¡°Little Treasure will definitely be fine. That Satan¡¯s probably trying to mess with you again, deliberately scaring you!¡±

    Ning Xi closed her eyes and did not say anything.

    Even though Yun Shen was not quite reliable most of the time, when it came to matters like these, if he did not haveplete certainty, he would not have said what he did.

    So, she could basically be sure that what he said was true¡­

    Earlier, Lu Tingxiao had been concentrating on operating a certainplex software on his phone as if he was directing something.

    It was not sure how long had passed when the deadly silent corridor suddenly echoed with the sound of a handphone ringing. It was Lu Tingxiao¡¯s phone.

    Lu Tingxiao immediately clicked to answer. ¡°Hello? Okay, send it to me now.¡±

    Ning Xi suddenly changed in expression. ¡°Why? Has the footage been recovered?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. ¡°It has.¡±

    ¡°What footage?¡± Feng Xiaoxiao asked with confusion.

    Tang Lang exined simply the whole situation as best as he could. He finished by saying, ¡°If the footage is recovered, then we can find out who it was that had quietly taken Little Treasure away from the hospital and sent him to the Lu family!¡±

    At this moment, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s phone was receiving a file.

    The progress bar advanced bit by bit. Momentster, with a beep, the file was finally transferred sessfully.

    Everyone held their breaths with their eyes locked onto Lu Tingxiao¡¯s phone screen.

    Ning Xi¡¯s fists were clenched even more tightly¡­

    Who¡­?

    Who was it?

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s long fingers quickly clicked to open the security footage.

    The scene in the security footage had a cold, deathly stillness. It was clearly in the hospital morgue.

    The door opened and a staff carried a bundled baby in, putting it into a freezer, then turning to leave.

    The instant she saw that thing in the staff¡¯s arms, even though you could only vaguely see that it was a baby that had turned purple, Ning Xi¡¯s heart subconsciously jumped.

    Was that Little Treasure?

    As she thought about this, the door of the morgue was pushed open once again. A thin figure in a ck outfit with a cap had walked in.

    Because that person¡¯s back was facing the camera, they could not get a better look at the face.

    ¡°This should be the person!¡± Tang Lang eximed emotionally.

    That person opened the freezer and carried the dead baby that the staff had just put in. Then, he or she very quickly closed the freezer and turned to leave.

    In the next second, when that person turned around¡­

    Ning Xi, Tang Lang, Tang Ye, Feng Xiaoxiao, and even Yun Shen who were fixed on the video¡­ all had a change in their expressions.

    ¡°Annie!¡±

    How could it be?

    How could it be Annie?

 Chapter 2121 - Instant Change

    <h4>Chapter 2121: Instant Change</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Annie¡­¡± Tang Lang and Feng Xiaoxiao were stunned as they called out her name.

    Tang Ye was shocked. Even Yun Shen did not expect this as well.

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth was wide open as she stared at the face in the picture. She could not say anything.

    Annie¡­

    How could it be Annie!?

    However, the girl in the frame looked young and almost no different from Annie. All of them recognized her in one nce.

    Annie had a small frame. She was skilled in healthcare and was an expert at skin care. She never really changed ever since Ning Xi knew her.

    Ning Xi never expected that after spending so much time to recover the security footage, it would reveal such jaw-dropping information to her!

    Before this, she had imagined countless possibilities and guesses, and Annie was never a part of any of them.

    ¡°T-this is impossible! It cannot be my cute Annie!¡± Feng Xiaoxiao swiftly snatched the phone away from Lu Tingxiao and yed the video again.

    No matter how many times she yed it, it still showed the ever-so-familiar face of the little sister everyone loved, Annie.

    ¡°Damn! Boss, are you sure this is reliable?¡± Tang Lang scratched his head.

    Lu Tingxiao did not say a word, but his expression answered the question for him.

    He had personally led a team of professionals to work on the video for two weeks to recover it, so there was no way it could be a mistake.

    As everyone was shocked by the results¡­

    The door of the elevators at the end of the corridor opened and the pattering of footsteps came closer.

    ¡°Bro Xi!¡±

    The cute little girl wore a cotton dress and she called out to Ning Xi when she saw her, walking swiftly towards their direction.

    Ning Xi¡¯s back straightened when she saw Annie.

    The expressions on Tang Lang, Tang Ye, and Feng Xiaoxiao¡¯s faces changed. Tang Lang unconsciously stepped forward and stood before Ning Xi, putting up a defensive stance.

    Annie noticed that something was not right. She paused a few steps before Ning Xi, her eyes seeming hesitant. ¡°Bro Xi, Bro Ye, Sis Xiaoxiao¡­ What¡¯s wrong? Oh, Bro Xi, who¡¯s sick?¡±

    Tang Lang and Feng Xiaoxiao looked at each other in the eyes.

    Tang Ye pursed his lips, having no idea what to say.

    No one said a word as an odd silence crept over the corridor.

    Then, Lu Tingxiao took his phone back from Feng Xiaoxiao before going to Annie and handing the phone to her.

    ¡°Mr. Lu?¡± Annie took the phone and then looked at it.

    The footage of the hospital morgue was rolling¡­

    When Annie looked at it, she saw the exact moment the person turned around.

    At the exact moment, the expression of this cute little girl changedin front of all of them¡­

    She still had that innocent and naive face, yet the expression on her face was sheer chilly. A dark aura engulfed her eyes as a murderous intent flooded out from her, filling the whole corridor with bloodlust!

 Chapter 2122 - This Matter Has Nothing To Do With You

    <h4>Chapter 2122: This Matter Has Nothing To Do With You</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Tang Lang, Feng Xiaoxiao, and Tang Ye triggered their defensive instincts the moment they saw the change in Annie.

    It was simr to when they were facing dangerous threats from a highly skilled opponent. It was an unconscious behavior that was drilled into them.

    They could actually feel the intense threat from the usually weak and gentle Annie!

    At this moment, the phone Annie was holding was already cracked. The screen had gone all dark.

    The girl gazed upon Lu Tingxiao with her animalistic eyes. ¡°The new head of the Lu family sure isn¡¯t someone I should underestimate.¡±

    He had actually done the impossible.

    She was confident that no one could see what was wrong with the footage, and that it would be impossible to recover.

    However, now her identity was revealed, and at such a time too.

    Ning Xi and Tang Lang were stunned to see Annie speaking with such a bold attitude.

    She¡­ admitted it?

    The person in the video was really her!

    Yun Shen slowly walked out from behind Tang Lang. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that my little fish would have so many secrets.¡±

    She had tricked everyone.

    Ning Xi forced herself toe back to her senses. She used up every ounce of her strength to take a deep breath, then she asked the question she was most concerned about at the moment. ¡°Annie, are you the one who poisoned Little Treasure?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the girl admitted without any hesitation.

    All of them were stunned once again.

    Ning Xi realized that there was not much time left. She did not want to know about the whys and hows of it right now. She asked directly, ¡°What do I need to do for you to give me the antidote?¡±

    Annie¡¯s expression was frigid. ¡°Ning Xi, this has nothing to do with you.¡±

    Ning Xi clenched her fists. ¡°How can this have nothing to do with me!? I¡¯m Little Treasure¡¯s mother! You knew, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Annie had no expression on her face. ¡°Then, you should know well enough that this child should¡¯ve been dead long ago. I let him live until today and now I¡¯m just taking back what I gave.¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s body was trembling. No words coulde out of her lips.

    It was true that Little Treasure had been announced dead by the doctor back then, therefore they put him into the morgue.

    Annie had probably brought Little Treasure¡¯s body away and revived him.

    ¡°You saved Little Treasure back then, but why did you poison him?¡± Ning Xi asked.

    ¡°I already said that this matter has nothing to do with you,¡± Annie repeated.

    At this moment, Lu Tingxiao stepped up and said, ¡°Since you have a grudge against the Lu family, I¡¯m the head of the family n. You can do whatever you want to me. Why hurt an innocent child?¡±

    Given Annie¡¯s attitude, something had probably happened between her and the Lu family.

    For some reason, Annie¡¯s cold face suddenly had a slightly maniac smirk. ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­ Innocent? Your son is innocent¡­ but wasn¡¯t Bro Qingze innocent too? If I let him live, who¡¯s going to let my Bro Qingze go?!¡±

    Annie¡¯s bloodlust spiked sharply with thatst sentence.

    Bro Qingze¡­

    All of them were wondering who that person was. Even Lu Tingxiao had not heard of this name before.

    Who was this Qingze she mentioned?

    Only Yun Shen reacted when he heard this name from Annie as if he recalled an old memory of his. He mumbled, ¡°Qingze¡­ Yun Qingze?¡±

 Chapter 2123 - Weâ€™re The Same

    <h4>Chapter 2123: We¡¯re The Same</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    He then looked at Annie. ¡°Are you¡­?¡±

    Annie smiled coldly. ¡°That¡¯s right, I am.¡±

    Tang Lang was confused. What were they talking about? Who exactly was Annie? Who was Yun Qingze? He had the same surname as Satan. How were they rted?

    Tang Ye then said, ¡°Yun Qingze¡­ I think that¡¯s the grandson of the elder from the Yun family¡­ Satan¡¯s cousin¡­¡±

    At the same time, Yun Shen stared at Annie confidently. ¡°You¡¯re Yun Qingze¡¯s godsister, Luoling.¡±

    Annie did not deny it. She smiled and then looked at Lu Tingxiao coldly. ¡°All the people involved back then¡­ They were all dead, and now, only the Lu family is left. All of you will die with Bro Qingze!

    ¡°Innocent? I¡¯m going to let the Lu family have a taste of how helpless a person can be when they can¡¯t do anything to help a dying loved one!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao quickly remembered some fragmented memories of the conflict between the Lus and the Yuns. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, the Yun family wanted to use Yun Qingze¡¯s death as an excuse to coborate with two other families to go against the Lu family, but afterwards, further investigation revealed that Yun Qingze¡¯s death was unrted to the Lu family.¡±

    The word ¡°unrted¡± triggered Annie. ¡°Unrted?! If it were not for the Lu family, if it were not for you, Lu Tingxiao, Bro Qingze wouldn¡¯t have died! Back then, the family sent me to assassinate you. I declined the mission and they killed Qingze. They told me that you killed Qingze. They thought by doing so, I¡¯d take revenge! If it were not for you, Bro Qingze wouldn¡¯t have died!¡±

    Annie repeated her usation of Lu Tingxiao killing Bro Qingze.

    Ning Xi¡¯s brain was trying to process all these information. She frowned. ¡°So, the Yuns and the Lus were at war. The Yun family sent someone to assassinate the head of the Lu family, Lu Tingxiao, and you declined because missions like this usually involved seductions and using your body.

    ¡°To make youply and to have a reason to go to war, the head of the Yun family killed his own grandson, Yun Qingze, then he med everything on the Lu family! However, in the end, you found out the truth¡­¡±

    Ning Xi had a clearer idea of what happened at this point. ¡°Since you know Yun Qingze wasn¡¯t killed by the Lu family, then why are you ming the Lu family and harming Little Treasure for it?¡¯

    Yun Shen¡¯s eyes darkened as he heard Ning Xi¡¯s words. He had a cold aura around him. ¡°Is it so difficult to understand? Because all of them deserve to die! Everyone who was involved in her death deserve to die.¡±

    Ning Xi was surprised when she heard that Yun Shen was on Annie¡¯s side.

    Who was the ¡°her¡± Yun Shen mentioned? It was not Yun Qingze, was it?

    Yun Shen then smiled at Annie. ¡°I see¡­ No wonder the little fish stayed by my side and helped me, so¡­ We¡¯re the same?¡±

    Ning Xi frowned. She had just cleared things up, but now her head was in a mess again. Why was Yun Shen involved?

    What did he mean by they were the ¡°same¡±?

    Yun Shen grinned. ¡°That old geezer, Yun Jie, loved tricks of seduction and assassination. So what if he had to sacrifice an unimportant grandchild? He could even send his only daughter in the bed of his enemy¡­¡±

 Chapter 2124 - How Youre Going To Be Unkind To Me

    <h4>Chapter 2124: How You¡¯re Going To Be Unkind To Me</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When she heard this, Ning Xi¡¯s mind jolted. She instantly thought about Yun Shen¡¯s mother, Yun Lan, and Lu Chongshan¡¯s personal grudges.

    Could it be¡­ that years ago, Yun Shen¡¯s mother and Lu Chongshan were actually rted?

    Yun Shen¡¯s mother¡¯s fate was like Annie¡¯s. They had both been sent by the head of the Yun family¡¯s old ns, Yun Jie, to assassinate someone from the Lu family, but her target was Lu Chongshan!

    ¡°Little fishy, you¡¯re much smarter than that silly woman¡­¡±

    Yun Shen smiled faintly and looked towards Lu Tingxiao. ¡°That silly woman gave herself, her heart, and even her life while you¡­ You want everyone¡¯s lives!

    ¡°Before this, I couldn¡¯t understand who the Yun family was detroyed by, and had even done so right before my eyes¡­

    ¡°It turns out that it was you! I¡¯m guessing it was also you who poisoned those people from the Lu family?¡±

    When she heard this, Ning Xi finally understood.

    No wonder Yun Shen said that he recognized the poison.

    And the silly woman that Yun Shen was talking about was probably his mother, Yun Lan!

    Years ago, Yun Shen¡¯s mother had probably fallen for Lu Chongshan. Otherwise, she would not have given birth to Yun Shen.

    However, as the head of the Lu n, and with the way Lu Chongshan would sacrifice anything for the ns¡¯ benefit, if he had found out about Yun Lan¡¯s identity¡­

    You could already imagine the tragedy that came after.

    Annie did not deny a single thing. She only looked at Yun Shen with an exceptionally cold gaze. ¡°You abandoned your conviction!¡±

    When Yun Shen heard her usation, he immediatelyughed out loud. ¡°Haha¡­ conviction? What¡¯s my conviction? Like you, to kill off everyone who was rted to that incident back then?¡±

    Indeed, he once shared the same thoughts as Annie even if he knew that his mother had atst died in the hands of his own grandfather, and was killed by his own nsmen because of shame.

    However, when he had finally gathered all the forces and wanted to take revenge, he realized that the Yun family had long been wiped out by someone overnight.

    From then on, killing Lu Chongshan and destroying the Lu family had be his only reason to live.

    Until¡­

    Yun Shen¡¯s gaze fell a little dazedly onto the girl beside Lu Tingxiao¡­

    It was only an instant before the man very quickly retrieved his gaze and looked towards Annie again. ¡°Previously, you were by my side helping me. Because we had the same enemy, and now, I¡¯ve unexpectedly coborated with my enemy, Lu Tingxiao, so you turned to Qiao Yi?¡±

    Tang Lang immediately revealed a shocked expression. ¡°Could it be that Qiao Yi was rescued by Annie?¡±

    At this moment, Tang Ye, Feng Xiaoxiao, and the rest were all utterly puzzled when they heard this.

    They never would have thought that Little Treasure¡¯s matter back then would actually involve so much, including even the grudges and grievances of two generations.

    Yun Shen¡¯s mother and Lu Chongshan, Qiao Yi, Annie and Lu Tingxiao, Yun Qingze¡­

    At this moment, there was suddenly an rm that sounded from the ward.

    The nurse rushed out in panic. ¡°Not good! The patient just went into shock! I¡¯ll go get the doctor!¡±

    ¡°Little Treasure!¡± Ning Xi¡¯s face was filled with dread. She immediately rushed into the ward with Lu Tingxiao.

    ¡°Forget it! Let¡¯s just talk after getting the antidote!¡± Tang Lang looked towards Annie with murderous intent. ¡°I don¡¯t care what your reason was. If you have any grudges then let¡¯s fight an open and honorable match. Using such a lowly trick and even troubing a child, are you even a man?!¡±

    After Tang Lang said that, he realized that Annie was not a man, but he could not care much. He continued, ¡°Hand over the antidote right now. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being cruel!¡±

    When Annie heard, she chuckled. ¡°I wonder¡­ How are you going to be cruel to me?¡±

 Chapter 2125 - Three Little Fishes

    <h4>Chapter 2125: Three Little Fishes</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    On the side, Feng Xiaoxiao advised in a low tone too. ¡°Annie, don¡¯t persist on your misguided course. Hand over the antidote, or else, you won¡¯t be able to leave today!¡±

    Annie¡¯s gaze swept across Tang Lang, Tang Ye, and Feng Xiaoxiao indifferently. She suddenly sneered. ¡°Just you three little fishes? You might as welle at me together.¡±

    ¡°Altogether? And even calling us little fish! Wow! Little brat! You really talk big!¡± Tang Lang was so angry that heughed.

    Bloody hell, she really looked down on him!

    Even if Annie might be skilled, he could feel that familiar air from her which meant that they were the same kind, yet she had said such words. Was she not being too arrogant?

    As Little Treasure was being resuscitated inside and his condition became more and more critical, Tang Lang could not care much. He immediately charged towards Annie.

    In the next second, there was a loud sound. Bam!

    Tang Lang¡­ flew to the wall from a p.

    Tang Lang held his chest that was in pain. ¡°What the f*ck?¡±

    A single-move wipe out?

    Feng Xiaoxiao and Tang Ye were dumbfounded when they saw this. They only reacted after a few seconds and quickly followed up to charge.

    In the end, barely ten seconds had passed when the fight ended.

    Feng Xiaoxiao spit out a mouthful of blood. Eeven Tang Ye had to take three steps back as he clutched his chest that was struck by her palm.

    Tang Lang¡¯s eyes almost popped out. ¡°Bloody hell! What the f*ck?! How did that happen?¡±

    This was illogical!

    The three of them could guess that Annie was quite skilled, but they never would have thought that she could be strong to this extent.

    In just a little over ten seconds, she had dealt with Tang Ye, Tang Lang, and Feng Xiaoxiao, the three first-rate masters altogether. What was going on?

    When Ning Xi came out and saw that Tang Ye, Tang Lang, and Feng Xiaoxiao had allbined forces, yet were defeated, her expression changedpletely.

    No one here could handle Annie!

    Then, what were they going to do about Little Treasure¡¯s antidote?

    Because Ning Xi was so anxious, there was a burning pain in her chest. She quickly said, ¡°Annie, you said that this matter has nothing to do with me. Okay, I won¡¯t care about you and the Lu family¡¯s grudges, but Little Treasure is my son. I can¡¯t just watch him die and do nothing. Now, it¡¯s a matter between the two of us. What do we need to do for you to hand over the antidote?¡±

    ¡°You want the antidote? Sure.¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes had just lit up when she heard Annie continue, ¡°Defeat me.¡±

    Tang Lang held his chest that was burning from pain as he cursed under his breath, ¡°Bloody hell, what¡¯s the difference whether you said that or not?¡±

    Ning Xi clenched her hands into fists. ¡°Okay! Defeat you? I¡¯ll fight with you!¡±

    Tang Lang cried out, ¡°Little Junior Sister, are you insane?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression changed ever-so-slightly. ¡°Xiao Xi.¡±

    Yun Shen frowned too.

    There was no hint of warmth in Annie¡¯s eyes at all. ¡°You¡¯re no match for me.¡±

    Ning Xi slowly took off the outeryer of clothing on her and casually threw it to the ground. ¡°How would you know if we don¡¯t try?¡±

    Annie was silent as she looked straight at her for three seconds and then finally said, ¡°Okay, take three blows from me. If, after three hits, you can still stand upright, I¡¯ll give you the antidote.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Tang Lang immediately cried out in rm, ¡°What?! Bloody hell, Tang Xi, are you trying to die?! Her one strike almost killed me. Your little body is going to be crushed by her one hit!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression instantly darkened when he heard this. ¡°Xiao Xi, don¡¯t mess around.¡±

    ¡°Lu Tingxiao, I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t obey you this time.¡± Ning Xi¡¯s gaze was extremely earnest as she looked towards the man before her. ¡°You know this is the only way.¡±

    Little Treasure was on the verge of death. Annie could leave anytime and none of them could stop her.

 Chapter 2126 - Dont Make Me Hate You

    <h4>Chapter 2126: Don¡¯t Make Me Hate You</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xi finished, then she took a long look at Little Treasure inside the ward through the window pane. She walked right up to Annie. ¡°Begin!¡±

    ¡°Do you want to die?!¡± Ning Xi had just steadied herself when Yun Shen pulled her away.

    Ning Xi fought back and pulled away from Yun Shen¡¯s grip. ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way!¡±

    ¡°F*ck!¡± Yun Shen was so angry that he stared with fire in his eyes towards Lu Tingxiao beside him. ¡°Do you still have a say in this?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s thin lips pursed, he looked extremely miserable. ¡°Xiao Xi¡­¡±

    The man was about to speak when Ning Xi interrupted him, ¡°Lu Tignxiao, don¡¯t make me hate you!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao instantly turned pale and he could not utter a word.

    Next, Ning Xi¡¯s eyes swept across everyone who was there. ¡°No one is allowed to do anything!¡±

    She was running out of time already!

    Then, she immediately looked to Annie andmanded, ¡°Annie, begin!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Annie walked step by step to the girl. Her figure struck Ning Xi at the speed of lgiht.

    ¡°Pfft!!!¡± Ning Xi¡¯s entire body was like a kite that had its string cut. She flew quite a few meters away and hit the cold wall hard. Then, she spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.

    ¡°Little Junior Sister!¡±

    ¡°Xiao Xi!¡±

    Everyone cried out in rm.

    Ning Xi held out a hand and stopped everyone from going up to her. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Tang Lang was about to go crazy. What!? How could she be fine!? He had felt Annie¡¯s blow and he understood her strength all too well!

    ¡°Continue!¡± Ning Xi staggered towards Annie.

    Bam! Came another strike.

    This time, Ning Xi was struck to the ground. She did not move at all as the blood from her mouth dripped onto the cold floor.

    She used up all of her might before she could finally brace herself into kneeling halfway, then she wavered as she stood up again.

    However, her figure looked like she would copse any second now.

    She definitely could not handle a third strike!

    She would really die!

    ¡°Dumbass! Are you insane?!¡± Yun Shen could not hold back anymore and he started to rush up to Ning Xi.

    Ning Xi shouted, ¡°Lu Tingxiao, hold him back!¡±

    Almost the instant Ning Xi said that, Lu Tingxiao held out his hand and blocked Yun Shen who was about to rush over.

    Yun Shen looked at this man in disbelief. ¡°F*ck! She¡¯s going mad?! Are you being crazy with her too?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao stood tall and unmoving in front of Yun Shen like a weathered thousand-year statue. He did not move, apeparing indestructible, yet in reality, he could be crushed into pieces in the next second¡­

    While Lu Tingxiao held Yun Shen off, Ning Xi dragged her heavy footsteps as if she was lugging a mountain with her and she returned extremely slowly to Annie again. ¡°Last hit.¡±

    Annie did not say anything. She just stared at Ning Xi unmoving.

    It was not sure how long had passed before Annie finally said, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s hearts were in their throats. Tang Lang, Tang Ye, and Feng Xiaoxiao were all ready to charge in to stop her.

    Finally, Annie made her move. That palm strike that seemed as if bore the force of a thunderbolt swiftly made its way towards Ning XI¡­

    When Tang Lang and the rest noticed how powerful the force was, the speed of the strike was too quick and they were toote to stop it.

    Thus, they could only watch helplessly as Ning Xi endure this blow¡­

    The entire hospital corridors were dead silent.

    Yet, in the next second¡­

    The thing that they had expected to happen never happened.

    As the strikended, Ning Xi did not topple over!

    Annie¡¯s palm was close to Ning Xi¡¯s chest area. With a closer look, one would realize that it looked like she had hit her but there was actually an extremely minute gap. She had not hit her.

 Chapter 2127 - Pair of Maniacs

    <h4>Chapter 2127: Pair of Maniacs</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Under everyone¡¯s gaze, Annie slowly retracted her hand.

    The final attack did notnd!

    ¡°Ning Xi, you saved me before. This is my repayment. If there¡¯s a next time¡­¡± A strong sense of bloodlust oozed out from Annie¡¯s eyes.

    At the same time, a small medical pouch fell out of her hand.

    Ning Xi extended her hand and the medical pouch tumbled right into her palm.

    Ning Xi looked at the pouch. ¡°This is¡­¡±

    Annieughed coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. It¡¯s not quite the antidote. It¡¯s just medicine to dy the symptoms.¡±

    She then turned around and left!

    Ning Xi was surprised, then she yelled, ¡°Will you really give me the antidote if someone beat you?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t go back on my promise.¡±

    Annie then disappeared at the end of the corridor¡­

    At almost the exact moment Annie disappeared from her eyes, like a copsing tower, Ning Xi fell over.

    She fell into a warm embrace¡­

    Ning Xi looked up saw the man with a worried expression on his face. She smiled faintly. ¡°Thank you, darling.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s body was trembling. How he wished he could embrace her tightly, yet he was controlling his strength like he was holding a fragile ssware. ¡°Just this once!¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡± The girl nodded, then the aura she had moments ago was all gone.

    She knew that she definitely could not take the third blow from Annie, but she was betting that Annie would not kill her.

    Fortunately, she won the bet.

    Fortunately, Lu Tingxiao believed in her.

    Yun Shen was boiling mad. ¡°You pair of maniacs!¡±

    ¡°Right, give these to Little Treasure!¡± Ning Xi wanted to go into the ward.

    Tang Lang quickly took the medical pouch from Ning Xi. ¡°My Grandfather Xi, let me call you my grandfather! Don¡¯t move around. I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯m so done with you!¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes brightened slightly when she heard the ever so familiar term of ¡°grandfather¡± from Tang Lang. She slowly took out a silver whistle from her pocket and whispered, ¡°This might be the Little Treasure¡¯sst chance.¡±

    Yun Shen nced at the whistle. ¡°Is this the Insect Whistle?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s an Insect Whistle?¡± Ning Xi had no idea.

    ¡°An insect is usually inside the whistle. Offspring are ced inside a specially designed whistle. The insect will get up whenever it¡¯s blown, sending a message to the mother insect, letting her know the position of the offspring,¡± Yun Shen exined, ¡°Old methods like this have been abandoned eight hundred years ago. Taking so much time to design this, you might as well just buy a GPS system!¡±

    Ning Xi had no words to say.

    However, this was not just a whistle to her. It was an important item signifying the favor Han Xiao owed her, a life repayment.

    Finally, Ning Xi blew the whistle. She then lost all her strength and fell unconscious¡­

    ¡­

    It was already the next morning when Ning Xi woke up.

    She felt torture all over her body. ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s painful¡­¡±

    Tang Lang was sitting on a sofa opposite her crunching on an apple. He heard her voice from the bed. ¡°What are you whining for?! Feng Xiaoxiao broke two bones, First Senior Brother got three broken, and I got six broken! You didn¡¯t even break any! Not even any internal damage! Just some lung bleeding! I haven¡¯t even startedining! Shut up!¡±

    Ning Xi then touched her chest area, her eyes seeming gentle.

 Chapter 2128 - The Master Is Here

    <h4>Chapter 2128: The Master Is Here</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Tang Lang was getting more and more furious just thinking about it. ¡°Just why!? Why did First Senior brother get three broken, Feng Xiaoxiao had two broken, you didn¡¯t break any, and I got so many broken bones!? Just how did she gauge how many to break? I usually treat her pretty well, don¡¯t I? That girl is biased!¡±

    Tang Lang looked so downcast.

    Ning Xi rolled her eyes at him.

    Could he stop cing the focus on the wrong things?

    ¡°How¡¯s Little Treasure?¡± Ning Xi asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s stabilized now. Grandfather is here and is now with Little Treasure!¡± Tang Lang said.

    ¡°Master is here? I want to go over!¡± Ning Xi quickly got up.

    In Little Treasure¡¯s ward.

    Han Xiao was checking on Little Treasure when Ning Xi and Tang Lang came over.

    Ning Xi did not disturb him when Han Xiao was focusing.

    Han Xiao checked his pulse, then looked throughout his whole body. He did not seem impressed. ¡°It¡¯s a simr method with the Qin family. You guys offended a descendent of the Qin family, didn¡¯t you? But they are really cruel, aren¡¯t they, harming a child?¡±

    ¡°Master, do you know what poison it is?¡± Ning Xi quickly asked.

    Even though Yun Shen has heard of such poison before, he had no idea where it came from.

    ¡°This poison came from an ancient martial arts family. It¡¯s a special secret recipe from the Qin family,¡± replied Han Xiao.

    ¡°Do you know how to cure it?¡±

    Han Xiao shook his head. ¡°Nope, I told you before I can only treat external wounds and know nothing else. Moreover, the poison in him was nted right about when he was born, so it¡¯s deeply rooted inside his bone marrow. Also, the poison inside him is slightly different from the version I know. It went through mutation, so nothing will help even if I get you the cure of the version I know of. It can only be cured by the person who used this poison.¡±

    ¡°How could it be like this?¡± Ning Xi fell into despair.

    Han Xiao was in doubt. ¡°This is odd. I checked him just now. Under normal circumstances, the poison should¡¯ve been triggered two years ago. Why would it have been dyed until now?¡±

    ¡°This¡­ I don¡¯t know too¡­¡± Ning Xi was confused.

    Lu Tingxiao handed Han Xiao a tiny fragrance pouch. ¡°Is it because of this?¡±

    Ning Xi was surprised to see that fragrance pouch. ¡°Is that the fragrance pouch Annie gave Little Treasure two years ago?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Han Xiao smelled the fragrant pouch and squinted his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s because of this. This is simr with the medical pouch earlier, but this lost its effectiveness because it¡¯s been too long.¡±

    The reason for thete development of the poison was finally revealed.

    However, Ning Xi had more questions. ¡°Why would Annie give me this fragrance pouch to dy Little Treasure¡¯s poison?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not time yet?¡± Tang Lang guessed.

    Ning Xi kept quiet as she tried to remember what had happened when Annie first met her in Imperial.

    When Annie found out about her rtionship with Lu Tingxiao, she seemed very against Lu Tingxiao, and had even warned her about the cons of being a stepmother. She kept trying to convince Ning Xi to leave Lu Tingxiao.

    Afterwards, she realized that Ning Xi was genuinely in love with Lu Tingxiao and Little Treasure, and with Little Treasure being so adorable, she changed her attitude, even giving Little Treasure this fragrance pouch.

 Chapter 2129 - Trash Scraps?

    <h4>Chapter 2129: Trash Scraps?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Even though Annie¡¯s true identity shocked her, Ning Xi believed that Annie had started to develop feelings for all of them after being with her for so long.

    This was the reason why she had taken the gamble.

    Annie would dy Little Treasure¡¯s poison. Was it because she realized that Ning Xi was together with Lu Tingxiao, so she wavered?

    She would never find out. Her current top priority was to get the antidote.

    Ning Xi took a deep breath, then she looked at Han Xiao. ¡°Master, I need a favor from you.¡±

    Tang Lang interrupted, ¡°Grandfather! Let me tell you! That woman is really mighty! Damn it! She KO-ed me in just one hit and broke six of my ribs! Before she left, she said that she¡¯ll give the antidote to whoever that can beat her! Grandfather, the bets are all on you this time!¡±

    Ning Xi looked at Han Xiao. ¡°Can you please help?¡±

    Han Xiao did not seem interested and lookedzy. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll help you since you used that whistle, but it¡¯s no fun that I always have to fight trash.¡±

    Trash?

    He had six ribs broken!

    If Annie was trash, what was he?

    Trash scrap?!

    Trash scrap no.1 Tang Ye¡­

    Trash scrap no.2 Tang Lang¡­

    Trash scrap no.3 Feng Xiaoxiao¡­

    Tang Lang then spoke up, ¡°Not trash at all. She¡¯s damned talented. All of usbined couldn¡¯t even beat her! I think her level might be on par with yours!¡±

    Han Xiao looked at him. ¡°In this world, someone who¡¯s on par with me probably hasn¡¯t existed yet. The three of you are as weak as ants. I can destroy you all with just a finger.¡±

    Han Xiao yawned and locked his gaze onto the KFC chicken bucket that Ning Xi had prepared.

    Tang Lang, Tang Ye, and Feng Xiaoxiao were speechless.

    They would really love to beat him up!

    However, they would surely lose.

    As they were discussing about when to meet Annie again, there were suddenly hurried footsteps outside the door.

    Lu Jingli and an assistant from Yun Shen¡¯spany came inside the room panting.

    Lu Jingli said, ¡°Bro, it¡¯s bad! Take a look at our stocks!¡±

    Yun Shen¡¯s assistant also cried, ¡°Boss, ours are plummeting as well!¡±

    A heavy atmosphere shrouded the room.

    Lu Jingli then continued, ¡°Baron Rothschild contacted both of our sides and asked for a meeting!¡±

    An aggressive move!

    Tang Lang then replied, ¡°Meet him then! We have so many people on our side. Even Master is here, so there¡¯s nothing to be afraid about. Let¡¯s see what that bastard wants!¡±

    Lu Jingli coughed lightly. ¡°Also, the person who gave me the message was Annie.¡±

    Everyone went silent for some time.

    Even though they already expected that Annie and Qiao Yi were helping the European King, they still found it difficult to ept it when they heard the news.

 Chapter 2130 - Surfaced

    <h4>Chapter 2130: Surfaced</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The European King¡¯s forces had finally surfaced.

    The origins of the Rothschilds, Europe¡¯s oldest aristocratic family, could even be traced back all the way to the Middle Ages of Western Europe.

    From the 17th century onwards, every one of the Rothschild¡¯s ns head held the title of ¡°European King¡±.

    This n controlled almost all of Europe¡¯s underground imperial governments. They were even the ones behind some of the war-torn countries.

    The Rothschild family was incredibly mysterious, even today, in an age where media was all over, none of the channels had ever reported any news rted to the n.

    Not just themon people, even some of those forces with strong backing might have never heard of the Rothschild n.

    But the Rothschilds existed after all, and they were like a tall mountain that reached through the clouds; they were insurmountable.

    Even Lu Tingxiao had never had any interaction with the Rothschild n.

    ¡°Sigh, Annie the cutie¡­¡± Feng Xiaoxiao sighed, suddenly not knowing what to say.

    Lu Jingli looked grave. ¡°This time, the Rothschilds aree clearlying with ill intentions!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s deep eyes did not show any change in emotions. ¡°Address.¡±

    ¡°Heavenly Spring Resort,¡± Lu Jingli answered.

    When Lu Jingli received the news, he had already done his investigation.

    The entire Heavenly Spring Resort had been booked by someone, who did not leave any traces behind, so he could not find out whose forces it was.

    But now it was clear as day that the Heavenly Spring Resort had been booked by the Rothschilds.

    ¡°They only invited our two parties,¡± Lu Jingli continued.

    After all, as long as the Lu Corporation and the Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group were toppled, then they could advance into Asia unopposed. They could march right in as some of the little fish in there would not be worth noticing.

    ¡°What are we afraid of? If it doesn¡¯t work out, then we¡¯ll kill of them. They won¡¯te out alive!¡± Tang Lang scoffed.

    Tang Lang¡¯s real idea was that since Han Xiao was here anyway, when the time came, they could just drag him along. Even if it were a Feast at Hongmen , there was nothing to be afraid of.

    Before Lu Jingli could speak, his phone started to ring incessantly.

    The Lu Corporation¡¯srge and smallpanies as well as all of the many listedpanies that had coborations with the Lu Corporation were about to bombard his phone from all the calls with regards to the economical impact this time. Everyone felt insecure and they all wanted to see Lu Tingxiao.

    Yun Shen¡¯s end of the situation was simr.

    While Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen were discussing the details, Ning Xi and Tang Lang exchanged a look, then with the both of them taking a side each, they dragged Han Xiao to a corner.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Han Xiao hugged his KFC family bucket with grease all over his mouth and he looked quite upset at Ning Xi and Tang Lang for disturbing his meal.

    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Tang Lang rubbed his hands gleefully. ¡°Grandfather, let¡¯s go to Heavenly Spring Resort to eat tonight. What¡¯s so nice about these chickens?¡±

    ¡°Why? Afraid of the Rothschild n?¡± Han Xiao shot the two of them a look. That thought of theirs could not be hidden from him.

    ¡°Hehe, with Grandfather around, we¡¯d feel more secure¡­¡± Tang Lang smiled tteringly.

    Han Xiao sneered with madness in his eyes. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll go¡­ It¡¯s rare for the Rothschild n to be willing to step out of their oldir.¡±

    It was also time to settle the new and old grudges between Han Xiao and the Rothschild n.

    Years ago, Qin Youge¡¯s death and the Rothschild family werergely rted. This was an old grudge.

    In the recent years, the Rothschild family was afraid that Han Xiao would take revenge. They sent out numerous assassins to ambush him, which led to the new grudges.

    ¡°Grandfather, do you and the Rothschild family¡­ have previous grudges?¡± Tang Lang could see from Han Xiao¡¯s expression that there was something out of the ordinary.

 Chapter 2131 - Darling Was Just Too Cute

    <h4>Chapter 2131: Darling Was Just Too Cute</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Did you forget that the Rothschild family had once sent assassins to go after the Master?¡± reminded Ning Xi.

    When he heard that, Tang Lang suddenly came to a realization. Previously, in Deer Town, the Master had suffered severe injuries as a result of the ambush by the people the other side had sent.

    As for Han Xiao¡¯s past, forget about Tang Lang, even Ning Xi was not clear about it.

    The only thing they could be sure of was that Han Xiao and the Rothschild family had grudges between them.

    As for what grudges they were, the fact that the Rothschild family continuously sent assassins out to kill Han Xiao provided them some food for thought.

    However, ording to Ning Xi and Tang Lang¡¯s thoughts, they both agreed that Han Xiao must have once offended the Rothschild n.

    After all, when it came to people like Han Xiao, who liked to stir up trouble and find someone topare fighting notes with when he was bored, yet actually did start to fight for real, offending the Rothschilds was not out of the ordinary for him.

    However, this was to them no doubt a good thing.

    After all, Ning Xi had already used her whistle to get Han Xiao to help defeat Annie and retrieve the antidote.

    As for the Rothschilds, Ning Xi already had no way of getting Han Xiao¡¯s help again.

    ¡°Hehe, with Grandfather around, so what if it¡¯s a Feast of Hongmen? We¡¯ll still eat and drink when we¡¯re there!¡± Tang Lang feltpletely assured now.

    ¡°What? I¡¯m going to kill people there.¡± Han Xiao grinned.

    When he saw Han Xiao¡¯s grin, Tang Lang could not help but shiver. This was the first time he and Ning Xi had seen such a smile on Han Xiao¡¯s face. It was extremely strange like the calm before the storm.

    -

    When Lu Tingxiao finished settling everything, the sky had already darkened and it was getting closer to the time that the Rothschild n had set on.

    Lu Tingxiao looked to Ning Xi and sternly said, ¡°You stay here.¡±

    It was rare for Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao to be of the same opinion. ¡°Women should stay at home. Don¡¯t be an inconvenience.¡±

    The Rothschild n was extremely terrifying even in China. This time, it was clearly a Feast of Hongmen, thus naturally Lu Tingxiao did not want her to take the risk.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m going too,¡± Ning Xi said with determined eyes.

    How could she let Lu Tingxiao face the danger alone?

    In fact, tonight, Annie would definitely be going too. How could she feel assured without getting Little Treasure¡¯s antidote?

    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous,¡± Lu Tingxiao frowned and said.

    Ning Xi put her palms together. ¡°I guarantee that this time, I¡¯ll be very good and I¡¯ll do as you say. Okay?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lu Tingxiao¡¯s tone did not show any signs of backing down.

    Ning Xi¡¯s beautifully dazzling eyes suddenly turned misty. In the next second, her tears started to fall and she thrust herself into Lu Tingxiao¡¯s embrace, her little face sticking close to his chest. Her tone sounded extremely pitiful. ¡°But I¡¯ll be worried about you! If I stay here alone, every minute and every second would be torture to me, darling. Let me go with you, okay?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao replied, ¡°Okay.¡±

    On the side, Yun Shen instantly exploded, ¡°Hey!¡±

    Dude! Could you have a little more principles?

    This damn brat was clearly acting. Was this guy so blind that he could not tell?

    Ning Xi was actually a little puzzled too. Her darling was just too cute! She had not even used a tenth of her skills and he already agreed!

    Lu Tingxiao reminded with a stern expression, ¡°Remember what you said. No matter what happens, you¡¯re not allowed to act recklessly.¡±

    He knew that once Ning Xi made her decision, no one could make her change her mind.

    Besides, for the meeting this time, he had already been putting things in order and he had made thorough preparations.

    Ning Xi nodded extremely obediently. ¡°Mm-hmm!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandfather and the Rothschild n have grudges, so this time he¡¯ll be going to the meet up with us. Let¡¯s just sit back and wait to watch a good show!¡± Tang Lang looked delighted, clearly riding on someone else¡¯s power.

    When they heard this, Feng Xiaoxiao and Tang Ye were secretly relieved too. With Han Xiao around, they felt that a lot more assured.

 Chapter 2132 - Exceptionally Obedient

    <h4>Chapter 2132: Exceptionally Obedient</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Half an hourter, Lu Tingxiao and the group of them drove up to Heavenly Spring Resort.

    Heavenly Spring Resort did not seem to be any different from how it usually was at this moment, yet in reality it had long been under the control of the Rothschild n.

    Under the calm appearance was a turbulent undercurrent.

    ¡°Mr. Lu, Mr. Yun, this way.¡±

    Outside the resort, an Asian elder immediately recognized them and brought all of them in.

    ¡°Please make yourselves at home.¡± After the elder brought them into the resort, he left.

    Inside the elegant and scenic little garden were two round tables, which were filled with all sorts of delicious delicacies.

    Han Xiao stared at the table full of exotic foods and did not have any intentions of being courteous. He immediately picked a table, sat down, and started to pig out.

    ¡°Master, don¡¯t eat it! What if it¡¯s poisoned?¡± Feng Xiaoxiao quickly said.

    Han Xiao was their main force this time. If he were poisoned to death because of his gluttonous ways, it would not be logical for them to attackter.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, since Grandfather dares to eat them, then it¡¯s definitely not poisoned!¡± Tang Lang had an unnamed confidence in Han Xiao.

    Han Xiao looked sloppy like an idiot who had zero survival skills, yet he was actually meticulous in thought.

    Han Xiao and Tang Ye guzzled away, but Feng Xiaoxiao and Tang Ye insisted on remaining alert. It was best to be cautious.

    Han Xiao, Tang Lang, Tang Ye, and Feng Xiaoxiao sat on one table while Ning Xi, Lu Tingxiao, Yun Shen, and Lu Jingli sat down on the other.

    Lu Jingli kept examining his surroundings as he looked around with suspicion. ¡°Just this?¡±

    There did not seem to be anything out of the ordinary with Heavenly Spring Resort. Even the Rothschild nsmen did not appear.

    What were they trying to do?

    As they were wondering, there were sounds of harried footstepsing closer from afar.

    ¡°Mr. Yun, Mr. Lu, I¡¯m very happy that the two of you could make it. I¡¯m extremely honored.¡±

    In extremely fluent Mandarin, a man walked out from the resort as he was surrounded by others. He strolled over to the table where Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen were.

    The man had the standard face of a Westerner and he was dressed luxuriously and had an extraordinary manner. His face showed a gentle smile.

    However, from his light blue eyes, a hint of malice hid.

    Surrounding the man were some respectful-looking men and women in formal clothing. They looked like the higher management and elite team of thepany.

    ¡°Everyone, please sit!¡± The man took a seat, then he smiled and looked towards Ning Xi charismatically. He exchanged the conventional greeting. ¡°This must be Madam Lu. Indeed, it is as the legend says, she¡¯s a beauty.¡±

    Ning Xi blinked. Apart from a standard smile, she did not utter a word and just stood beside Lu Tingxiao, feigning obedience.

    On the neighboring table, Tang Lang, Tang Ye, and Feng Xiaoxiao exchanged a look. They were constantly maintaining their guard.

    As for a certain Master, as usual, he kept eating and did not look up at all¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re the European King?¡± Yun Shen looked at the man and sized him up for a moment, then he smiled profoundly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that the person in charge of the Rothschild n, whose name shocked the entire Europe, would be this young?¡±

    His words were clearly undermining the identity of this man before them.

    The man did not mind. He smiled and answered politely, ¡°Mr. Yun, it¡¯s not like that. The European King was just a title that was passed down. I¡¯m no European King.¡±

    On the side, Lu Tingxiao said with an indifferent tone, ¡°Everyone¡¯s here, Third Master. You can be frank.¡±

    When he heard Lu Tingxiao address him as ¡°Third Master¡±, the man¡¯s light blue eyes instantly showed a hint of astonishment.

 Chapter 2133 - Not Afraid of Taking In Too Much?

    <h4>Chapter 2133: Not Afraid of Taking In Too Much?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The current head of the Lu family was no ordinary man.

    Everything about the Rothschild family was kept confidential. No one had ever seen any child of the European King before.

    Yet the person before him now had been able to find out his true identity¡­

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re really well-informed, Mr. Lu.¡± The man smiled.

    He was not the European King, but the third son of the European King.

    ¡°Your point?¡± Lu Tingxiao was straightforward with him.

    The man said politely, ¡°Mr. Lu, Mr. Yun, I invited the both of you today for some business matters.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yun Shen asked indifferently.

    The man did not seem to mind Yun Shen¡¯s attitude. He wiped his hands with a napkin. ¡°I hope that I can¡­ acquire the Lu Corporation and the Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group.¡±

    An Europeandy then ced two thick documents on the table right before Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen.

    ¡°This is the initial contract. Mr. Yun and Mr. Lu, you may take a look at it first. We can modify it if there¡¯s anything you¡¯re doubtful of or not satisfied with.¡±

    Yun Shen nced at the two contracts. He snorted, ¡°Ha, acquire ourpanies? That¡¯s really bold of you! Aren¡¯t you afraid of taking in too much?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao did not say anything. He quickly browsed through the contract, then he put it down and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t agree to your proposal.¡±

    The man was not surprised by Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen¡¯s refusal. ¡°Mr. Lu, is it because the remuneration isn¡¯t good enough? It¡¯s alright. This is just an initial contract. We can continue discussing it. Mr. Lu, you can feel free to tell me what you want.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao looked at the man in his eyes.

    Lu Jingli walked up from behind Lu Tingxiao, taking two contracts out as well. He smiled wryly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look at the contracts we have, Mr. Rothschild?¡±

    The man nced at the contract¡¯s contents, his expression darkening.

    Were these two nobodies trying to acquire hispany? What an insult!

    ¡°Mr. Lu, Mr. Yun, I came all the way to Asia only to acquire yourpanies. Your attitudes are making things more awkward than it needs to be!¡± Baron Rothschild¡¯s gentleman-like attitude was nowhere to be seen now. His eyes looked cold.

    ¡°Oh? What do you want to do now?¡± Yun Shen smiled coldly.

    The man looked at them ruthlessly. ¡°I just want the two of you to sign the contract. If not, I¡¯m afraid¡­ you guys will never leave Heavenly Spring Resort.¡±

    Yun Shenughed out loud. ¡°Would you believe if I say that you¡¯ll never be able to leave China?¡±

    The man grinned questionably. ¡°What will happen to me in China?¡±

    ¡°No matter what, I¡¯m a little disappointed that your father isn¡¯t here¡­¡± Han Xiao, who had been busy eating in the corner, spoke up. He looked at Baron as he licked his lips.

    ¡°Han Xiao?!¡± Baron was stunned to see who the person at the corner was. He never expected Han Xiao to be present and his surprise was apparent.

    The only people he had focused on there were Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao. He had ignored all the others, but who knew Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen would be able to ask him for help!?

    He knew that Han Xiao was helping Lu Tingxiao, but he never expected that Han Xiao would get involved like this.

 Chapter 2134 - Settle All The Grudges

    <h4>Chapter 2134: Settle All The Grudges</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Unfortunately, thest time he had sent Xiao Zhan to assassinate him, but not only did he fail, Xiao Zhan even died in China.

    His expression worsened when he saw Han Xiao who had always foiled his ns.

    ¡°Hahaha, are you surprised? It¡¯s fun, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tang Lang seemed very cheerful when he saw Baron¡¯s stunned face.

    Baron stared at Han Xiao, his expression souring ,and he did not say a word.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s really rare for you toe out. It saves me time to look for you guys in Europe.¡± Han Xiao stood up and yawned, not seeming motivated.

    Baron grinned, then he shed a cold smile with the intention to ridicule. ¡°Haha, I didn¡¯t expect that Grandfather Xiao has fallen to the state whereby you¡¯re being ordered around by two little fish. The Grandfather Xiao back then was¡­¡±

    Baron looked at Han Xiao as he continued talking, but he was frustrated by Han Xiao¡¯s behavior. Han Xiao was not listening at all, and was discussing something with the bunch.

    ¡°Do you think his father wille out if I tie him up?¡± Han Xiao looked at Tang Lang.

    ¡°Master, that might not happen!¡± Tang Lang touched his chin sagely.

    ¡°The European King has so many children. I think it might not work too,¡± Feng Xiaoxiao joined in.

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Tang Ye nodded.

    ¡°So, he¡¯s worthless¡­ Then, should I kill him or tie him up?¡± Han Xiao looked troubled.

    Ning Xi wanted to join the group as well. She poked her head in and suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we tie him up first?¡±

    Tang Lang then said, ¡°Grandfather, I think let¡¯s kill him. Let him know how amazing you are!¡±

    Feng Xiaoxiao was on Ning Xi¡¯s side. ¡°I agree with Little Junior Sister. Let¡¯s tie him up and force the European King to show up!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with either choice,¡± said Tang Ye.

    Baron was infuriated.

    These people were discussing if they should kill him or tie him up right in front of him!

    Who was he? He was the future European King!

    ¡°Han Xiao, don¡¯t get too full of yourself!¡±

    With Baron¡¯s words, several hundred well-trained and fully-equipped forces surrounded the resort. Looking around, there were also a lot of snipers camping out!

    All of them looked cautious when they noticed the presence of the snipers.

    These were not ordinary snipers. They were snipers who had undergone special training from the Rothschild n. Aside from Han Xiao, everyone else could possibly die here.

    Tang Ye, Tang Lang, and Feng Xiaoxiao were on guard. A familiar voice came from behind and their expressions changed.

    ¡°Third Master, everything is ready.¡±

    Qiao Yi led a group of trained assassins and was walking towards them. These assassins were all the elites he had. Today was all he had been waiting for.

    Ning Xi looked behind Qiao Yi and did not see Annie, so she frowned.

    Was Annie not here?

    Or did she not want to face them directly?

    The atmosphere turned extremely heavy all of a sudden.

    Baron was determined to acquire both the Lu Corporation and the Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group, so he would do anything to achieve his goal.

    ¡°Long time no see, Master!¡± Tang Lang¡¯s blood started boiling when he saw Qiao Yi. His features darkened as well.

    ¡°You traitor!¡± Qiao Yi yelled in rage when he saw Tang Lang.

    The usual sloppy attitude was nowhere to be seen in Tang Lang. ¡°What a coincidence! We¡¯ll settle all our grudges here today! I told you in the hospitalst time that I¡¯d never go easy on you the next time!¡±

 Chapter 2135 - Is This Reason Enough?

    <h4>Chapter 2135: Is This Reason Enough?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Qiao Yi looked to Baron and said, ¡°Third Master, I¡¯m sorry. I have to settle some internal matters first.¡±

    Baron rxed as he was in control of the situation. ¡°Please do as you wish, Mr. Qiao.¡±

    Qiao Yi looked at Tang Lang and his eyes turned murderous. ¡°I¡¯ll finish you today!¡±

    Tang Lang narrowed his eyes, then he looked at Qiao Yi and confirmed that his body had not suffered from any consequences even after going through those cruel treatments from Lu Tingxiao.

    It was probably thanks to Annie.

    Well, he was not the kind of person to take advantage of others anyway.

    Tang Ye and Feng Xiaoxiao looked at each other. They had worried about it beforeing here, yet their worries still came true in the end.

    Tang Lang and Qiao Yi started engaging each other. The both of them were unleashing deadly attacks at each other.

    They each knew each other too well, so it was difficult to dere the winner at the moment.

    However, ten minutester, the situation changed.

    Tang Lang looked like he was unsealed. His attacks were suddenly getting fiercer and he forced Qiao Yi into a bad spot.

    Ning Xi was surprised. ¡°Eh? Those are Master¡¯s techniques!¡±

    Han Xiao had a rare affirmative expression on his face. ¡°Not bad, that¡¯s about 0.01% of what I have.¡±

    Ning Xi, Tang Ye, and Feng Xiaoxiao were speechless.

    All of a sudden, Tang Lang aimed at Qiao Yi¡¯s soft spot and attacked.

    It was obvious that Qiao Yi would die from that attack, but suddenly someone interrupted them and took Tang Lang¡¯s attack head-on.

    Tang Lang and Tang Ye stepped back because of the recoil.

    Tang Lang¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. He was frustrated that he was so close to killing Qiao Yi but was stopped by Tang Ye. ¡°Get lost!¡±

    Tang Ye threw his sses away. ¡°You know it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only saying it for thest time!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Tang Ye asked.

    ¡°Why? Why!?¡± Tang Lang had gone manic. ¡°Because he killed my whole family! Everyone! Is this reason enough?!¡±

    Not only that, he had shamelessly taken him in as his disciple, making him work for someone who killed his whole family.

    Not just Tang Ye, even Feng Xiaoxiao and Ning Xi were stunned when they heard Tang Lang¡¯s words.

    Master had killed Second Senior Brother¡¯s family? How was that possible?

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao, his eyes revealing to her that it was the truth.

    What Tang Lang had asked Lu Tingxiao to investigate was this?

    Tang Lang wasughing. ¡°Haha¡­ Tang Ye! Do you know why I can always beat you? Do you really think that I¡¯m talented? It¡¯s because those skills originated from the Tang family! I have the blood of the Tang family within me. No one suits these skills better than I do!¡±

    Tang Ye¡¯s expression turned pale. He could not say anything as he looked at the person whom he respected like a father. ¡°Master¡­¡±

    He hoped this was all a misunderstanding.

    Qiao Yi did not seem to waver when his past bad deeds were revealed. He did not even try to defend himself. ¡°Those skills will just waste away in the hands of that trash Tang Zhan. I kept his descendants and passed his skills on, so he should be thankful to me!¡±

    Tang Lang¡¯s eyes reddened. ¡°Then, receive your gratitude in hell!¡±

 Chapter 2136 - Grandfather, Mine!

    <h4>Chapter 2136: Grandfather, Mine!</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°You evil creature, if I didn¡¯t take you in years ago ¡ª¡±

    Before Qiao Yi could even finish, Han Xiao started to look impatient. He suddenly walked past Tang Lang and went right up to Qiao Yi.

    ¡°Hello.¡± Han Xiao had a strange smile.

    When he saw this strange man before him, Qiao Yi was stunned for a second. He knew about Han Xiao, yet he had never met him persoanlly, so he had not recognized him.

    Before Qiao Yi could speak, the shadow of a palm suddenly shed right before his eyes.

    The palm had not arrived when the wind from it hit his skin first. It was akin to the force of howling winds and torrential rain. Qiao Yi was dumbstruck as he turned ashen.

    Qiao Yi had not seen when the man had made his move and he was not sure what had happened.

    In an instant, there was the sound of his skull shattering!

    Blood poured out of Qiao Yi¡¯s eyes, ears, mouth and nose!

    ¡°What? I¡¯m greeting you here, yet you ignored me¡­ I hate rude people the most. Apologize to me,¡± insisted Han Xiao.

    ¡°Oops, my apologies. I went too hard on you¡­¡± Han Xiao stared at Qiao Yi¡¯s corpse and feigned innocence.

    At once, Qiao Yi¡¯s body had slumped to the ground with a rumble as if he were mud.

    Even when he was dead, Qiao Yi never knew how he had died.

    Was it only because he was rude¡­ and did not greet this evil-looking man in time?

    At this moment, Tang Lang, who had been deranged earlier, waspletely stunned on the spot.

    ¡°Mine¡­ mine, Grandfather, mine!¡±

    Tang Lang was stirred up as he gestured wildly. Qiao Yi should have died in his hands. That was logical¡­

    The emotions he had mulled over for so long¡­ He was just about to fight it out with Qiao Yi, but bloody hell, Han Xiao had just hacked Qiao Yi to death with one palm, making him feel like he was f*cked over.

    However, the instant Qiao Yi died in Han Xiao¡¯s hands, his subconscience actually felt rxed and he was relieved.

    If Han Xiao had not made the move, he would not have been able to avoid this fight with Tang Ye.

    On the side, Tang Ye and Feng Xiaoxiao were dumbstruck too. They both did not expect that Han Xiao would suddenly make such a move.

    Qiao Yi had unexpectedly died¡­ just like that¡­

    Tang Ye¡¯s vision blurred and he clenched his fists tightly. In the end, he still did not utter a word.

    Maybe this¡­ was already the best ending¡­

    ¡°Why are you making a big fuss? How rude.¡± Han Xiao looked at Tang Lang.

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± When Tang Lang thought about Qiao Yi¡¯s ending, his speech was choked off. He dared notin anymore.

    ¡°Han Xiao, aren¡¯t you being too arrogant?!¡± When he saw that Han Xiao had been so haughty as to kill his people in front of him, Baron¡¯s expression was so cold that it could almost drip with water.

    Huh, it was just Qiao Yi. If he was dead, then so be it.

    After Baron finished, the corners of his mouth curled up in a demonic manner. ¡°Han Xiao, I¡¯m sure you recognize this person!¡±

    Then, an elder in a ck robe with a chief staff walked out unhurriedly from the crowd.

    ¡°Han Wuying?¡± Han Xiao looked at the elder in the ck robe and frowned.

    It was Han Wuying, the Han family¡¯s n leader.

    ¡°Han Xiao, because of a girl, you cheated your master and betrayed the n. Today, I will clean our faction.¡± Han Wuying¡¯s hoarse voice had hints of hostility.

    Because of a girl, you cheated your master¡­

    Tang Lang and Ning Xi were slightly shocked.

    They had thought that the Master did not like women¡­

    ¡°Huh, I was wondering why the Rothschild fellow would be so calm when he saw me. It turns out that he¡¯s got your support.¡± Han Xiaoughed under his breath. ¡°Han Wuying, I¡¯ll advise you not to overestimate your capabilities. You should know that in this world, only Qin Wentian is qualified to pick a fight with me.¡±

    It was not egoistical, but a fact. Even if the Han family¡¯s n leader was here in person, he was no match for him.

    Han Wuying¡¯s expression darkened. He did not refute. Unfortunately, Qin Wentian was nowhere to be found. Otherwise, if he joined forces with him, they could definitely take this evil creature down.

 Chapter 2137 - Younger Generations Will Surpass Us In Time

    <h4>Chapter 2137: Younger Generations Will Surpass Us In Time</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Evil creature! I only need to stall you. When Baron¡¯s settled his matters, I¡¯d like to see how you get along alone!¡± Han Wuying shouted coldly, transforming into a dark shadow and charging towards Han Xiao.

    The two of them instantly engaged in a battle.

    When Baron saw Han Xiao was being stalled, he immediately ordered, ¡°Kill them!¡±

    The snipers who hid in the dark instantly aimed their barrels at Yun Shen, Lu Tingxiao, and the rest.

    ¡°You really thought this was your turf?¡± Yun Shen¡¯s face had a cold smile.

    Lu Tingxiao was expressionless as always. His gaze fell to a certain dark corner.

    Suddenly, hundreds of people surged in from outside the resort and met head-on with the Rothschild family¡¯s forces.

    Baron was not afraid at all. He appeared confident with insufferably arrogance. ¡°If the snipers that I arranged in hiding wanted to kill all of your people, it would¡¯ve only taken a few seconds.¡±

    Tang Lang and everyone else¡¯s gazes instantly searched around the hidden ces, trying to find out the hiding spots of those snipers.

    However, how would the Rothschild family¡¯s professional ambush snipers be so easily found out?

    Those snipers were like a time bomb¡­

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s no use for regret now.¡± Baron¡¯s smile tightened. ¡°Now!¡±

    The moment he said that, a sigh came from not too far away.

    ¡°When children grow up, they¡¯re ready to spread their wings.¡± A white-haired elder started to walked towards the crowd.

    When they saw the elder, the Rothschild family¡¯s forces were stunned, including Baron.

    However, Ning Xi was the one who was most shocked. She looked at the elder and subconsciously blurted out, ¡°Grandfather Jace?¡±

    ¡°Xiao Xi, long time no see.¡± Jace looked gentle and loving with his smile.

    ¡°Father¡­ Why? Why have youe?¡± Baron¡¯s expression changed again.

    Father?!

    Ning Xi was stunned on the spot.

    Jace was unexpectedly¡­ Baron¡¯s father¡­

    Did that not mean¡­ that Jace was the European King?!

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded by this revtion.

    This feeling was close to finding out that the monk who swept the floor in a temple was actually a top-notch master.

    ¡°Baron, you¡¯ve disappointed me.¡± Jace shook his head with the imposing manner of a leader, rendering Baron to involuntarily quiver slightly.

    Yun Shen and Lu Tingxiao exchanged a nce. They could understand what the European King was implying.

    It seemed like the person who wanted to swallow Asia whole was not the European King himself.

    ¡°Father, hear me out. I¡¯m doing this¡­¡± Baron¡¯s forehead hadyers andyers of cold sweat as he tried to exin himself.

    However, he could only speak halfway when he was interrupted by Jace¡¯s wave of hand.

    ¡°The snipers who are in hiding, all of you,e out,¡± ordered Jace coldly.

    Subsequently, the air was silent. There was no sound at all. Momentster, there were rustling sounds and a few people walked out.

    Unexpectedly, there were only three people!

    Jace frowned. There was no way these people would go against his orders. Where were the rest then?

    Jace pondered for a moment, then he suddenly understood. He looked at Lu Tingxiao and Yun Shen as hemented, ¡°The younger generations will surpass us in time.¡±

    His son had meticulously arranged for everything, yet it had long been seen through by the other party and they had even ruined a huge chunk of his ns.

    Baron looked at the three remaining snipers, then at his father again. At this moment, he was at aplete loss.

    Damn it! Father has been so focused on his movie. He hadn¡¯t gotten involved with the n matters for a long time, so how did hee to realize all of this?

    ¡°Father, if we annihte Asia, we Rothschilds¡­ will be even richer and more powerful,¡± said Baron unwillingly.

    ¡°Is this the reason you¡¯ve disobeyed me behind my back?¡± Jace scolded, ¡°Is it actually the Rothschild family getting stronger, or you, Baron, getting stronger yourself!?¡±

 Chapter 2138 - Such A Past

    <h4>Chapter 2138: Such A Past</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Back then, all these years, what kind of shady business have you been doing behind my back? Did you think I really wouldn¡¯t know? Kid, you¡¯re too ambitious!¡± Jace¡¯s gaze was exceptionally stern.

    ¡°Father¡­ I¡­!¡± Baron was already drenched in sweat as he tried hard to exin.

    ¡°Get lost!¡±

    Jace¡¯s terrifying aura was enough to swallow Baron whole. ¡°As strong as you may be, the position of the head of the Rothschild n won¡¯t be yours. Go right back now. For the next ten years, you¡¯re not allowed to leave the house at all!¡±

    ¡°Ten years?!¡± Baron was in disbelief.

    ¡°Take him away. If anything goes wrong, you people will have to be responsible for the consequences!¡± Jace red at the group of people from the n in the resort and said coldly.

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    An European elder immediately waved his hand. ¡°Bring Third Master back and watch him stringently.¡±

    ¡°Father, I don¡¯t want to¡­ I don¡¯t want to! My capabilities are clearly the strongest. Why?!¡± Baron¡¯s hysterical voice became further and further away until it vanished.

    ¡°My Rothschild family¡­ iscking capabilities the most,¡± Jace sighed softly, his eyes showing a hint of iciness in them.

    ¡°Mr. Lu, I¡¯m very sorry. I didn¡¯t teach my son well and have caused so much trouble for you all.¡± Jace walked up looking apologetic.

    When Han Wuying saw that Baron had lost his power, he immediately withdrew and retreated.

    If he continued to fight with Han Xiao, he would definitely be defeated without a doubt.

    Now, the European King had appeared himself and even Baron had been taken away to be locked up. Han Wuying could not beat Han Xiao; there was no chance of winning at all.

    ¡°Not fighting anymore?¡± Han Xiao stared at Han Wuying and said.

    ¡°Huh!¡± Han Wuying scoffed, and in a sh, his figure left the resort.

    ¡°Running away because he couldn¡¯t win, how rude!¡± Han Xiao felt quite unamused, then his gaze fell on the European King.

    ¡°Old fart, you¡¯ve finally showed yourself!¡± Han Xiao¡¯s usually nonchnt eyes suddenly lit up with a sinister fierceness.

    ¡°Mr. Han Xiao.¡± Jace looked at Han Xiao. ¡°Regarding that incident years ago, I¡¯m very sorry. Even though I¡¯ve admired the ancient Han family for a long time and your talents too, I wanted you to marry my youngest daughter, but I¡¯ve never insisted on it. Back then, it was because your family wanted to force you to marry my daughter that they killed Miss Qin Youge. It has nothing to do with the Rothschild n. Besides, haven¡¯t you already taken out the murderer who killed Miss Qin Youge back then?¡±

    When he heard this, Han Xiao was stunned. ¡°Old fart, you really know how to talk!¡±

    Jace Rothschild was not angry, instead he had very calmly stated, ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡±

    Through Han Xiao and Rothschild¡¯s words, Ning Xi, Tang Lang and the rest finally knew Han Xiao¡¯s identity.

    The ancient Han family¡¯s most evil and charming genius caught the admiration of the European King. Initially, he wanted to let Han Xiao marry his youngest daughter, yet in the end, he had indirectly killed a girl named Qin Youge.

    ¡°It turns out that Grandfather has such a past!¡± Tang Lang was shocked.

    ¡°GE¡­¡±

    At this moment, Ning Xi came to a sudden realization. That fashion brand ¡°GE¡± was Han Xiao¡¯s design.

    At the start, Ning Xi did not know the meaning of ¡°GE¡±.

    Now, she realized that ¡°GE¡± referred to ¡°Ge¡±. Han Xiao had created it tomemorate that girl¡­

    Swoosh!

    At this moment, a pitch-ck figure suddenly appeared in the resort. He came close at the speed of light and used his or her palm to hack out at Han Xiao without warning.

    ¡°Careful, Grandfather!¡± Tang Lang could not help but cry out.

    The figure¡¯s speed was incredibly breakneck.

    At this moment, Han Xiao¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°I hate ambushes the most.¡±

    Then, Han Xiao did not even turn his head as he gripped that little palm that had struck out.

    Bam!

    Han Xiao¡¯s figure wavered as he straight up flung the figure far away.

    ¡°Annie!¡± Ning Xi cried out in rm.

 Chapter 2139 - Jealous of The Master

    <h4>Chapter 2139: Jealous of The Master</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Annie¡¯s movements were extremely agile. She stabilized herself mid-air andnded safely. She had actually taken a hit from Han Xiao and got away unscathed!

    Tang Ye, Tang Lang, and Feng Xiaoxiao were stunned. Even Ning Xi was surprised, but at the same time she was relieved as well. She would go crazy if Han Xiao identally killed another person again.

    ¡°It seems like I have to do it myself¡­¡± Annie nced past everyone, her murderous face devoid of expression.

    Initially, she wanted to use Baron and Qiao Yi¡¯s power to destroy the Lu family, but she did not expect the European King to show up and foil all her ns.

    ¡°Grandfather, she¡¯s the one that poisoned Little Treasure! Beat her and we¡¯ll get the antidote!¡± Tang Lang reminded quickly.

    However, something did not seem right with Han Xiao.

    The usually indifferent Han Xiao suddenly brightened when he saw Annie. The extent of shock on his face told a story.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ Grandfather knows Annie?¡± Tang Lang was confused.

    ¡°Past grudges?¡± Feng Xiaoxiao mumbled.

    Before they could react, Annie¡¯s expression changed when she saw Han Xiao¡¯s face as well. She looked like she wanted to skin him alive.

    Tang Lang seemed to have understood. ¡°So, it¡¯s really past grudges?¡±

    Annie stared at Han Xiao¡¯s face as if he had done something unforgivable to her. Her whole body was shaking in anger. ¡°How can you look so much like Bro Qingze? Who allowed¡­ who allowed you to use Bro Qingze¡¯s face!?¡±

    Annie¡¯s attitude was sheer cold and her eyes were filled with bloodlust.

    The next second, Annie charged at Han Xiao. In the blink of an eye, five unusually sharp projectiles appeared in her hand as she wanted to sh the human mask off Han Xiao¡¯s face.

    Han Xiao stood right there as if he was rooted to the ground. His soul seemed to be on the other side of the world.

    Tang Lang freaked out. ¡°Grandfather! Be careful!¡±

    Damn it! Just what did he do that she had to disfigure his face? Was she jealous of the Master?

    Ning Xi screamed as well, ¡°Master!¡±

    As the sharp des almost reached Han Xiao, his figure disappeared like a phantom. Annie did not even reach his clothes.

    Annie then continued on her offense, and miraculously Han Xiao chose to be on the defensive side, not attacking her.

    Ning Xi was confused. ¡°What¡¯s happening? The Master seems to know Annie, but from the way he looks at her, it doesn¡¯t feel like he¡¯s holding a grudge. Annie doesn¡¯t seem to know Master. What did she mean by Master appearing like her Bro Qingze? Do they look alike?¡±

    Yun Shen then said, ¡°I left the Yun family since I was ten. I¡¯ve never seen anyone from the Yun family ever since. I don¡¯t know what my cousin looks like, but the Yun family has good gene. He should look pretty okay.¡±

    Ning Xi was speechless. ¡°Just okay? He looks like the Master! That¡¯s definitely way above average, alright?¡±

    She could feel the temperature around her dropping, so Ning Xi quickly added, ¡°Of course, no matter who, no one is more handsome than my darling!¡±

    In the short time that Ning Xi was talking, the two of them were battling furiously.

    To be exact, Annie was fighting furiously.

    Han Xiao¡¯s expression did not change from the beginning. He just looked at the girl¡¯s face and allowed her to keep attacking him.

 Chapter 2140 - Display of Affection?

    <h4>Chapter 2140: Disy of Affection?</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Tang Lang felt that something was amiss. ¡°Is it my imagination? Why does it feel like Grandfather dotes on Annie? I¡¯m getting diabetic from their sweetness¡­¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±

    Tang Lang pointed out, ¡°Look, look at that! Annie almost fell after thatst attack and Grandfather quickly helped her! Don¡¯t think that you moved fast enough so I can¡¯t see it¡­ Ah, Annie fell into Grandfather¡¯s arms. He purposely moved a step forward¡­ Look! He held her hand¡­¡±

    Ning Xi was dumbfounded. ¡°Stop it! We¡¯re not blind.¡±

    All of them could see that Han Xiao was being unusual towards Annie. He was just defending all the way as if he was treating a unreasonable lover¡­

    After half an hour of their ¡°disy of affection¡±, Han Xiao suddenly halted the girl¡¯s movement. He blocked her left hand with an arm, then he held her right hand, applying pressure on some of her acupuncture points. As a result, all the weapons Annie held in her hands fell to the ground.

    The next moment, Han Xiao held the girl¡¯s hand and led it to his face.

    Annie¡¯s expression froze when she felt the warmth of the man¡¯s skin. In shock, she mumbled, ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s not a mask¡­¡±

    This face was real?

    How could it be?

    How could this person be so alike to Bro Qingze even though their aura was different?

    Annie looked confused, but her face soon turned back into coldness. ¡°No one is worthy to have the same face as Bro Qingze!¡±

    Han Xiao still did not say anything. He just looked at the girl quietly as she was ring angrily at him. He hugged the girl tightly.

    ¡°Grandfather pulled a great move¡­¡± Tang Lang said.

    ¡°Wow, why does it feel like they make such a good pair?¡± Feng Xiaoxiao said.

    ¡°Master, I asked you to get the medicine for me!¡± Why are you flirting around now?

    Annie¡¯s expression changed. ¡°How dare you¡­?¡±

    The next moment, the man¡¯s voice reached her ear. ¡°Youge¡­¡±

    Youge¡­

    Annie¡¯s expression went nk for a second when she heard the name. ¡°Why¡­¡±

    Why was this name so familiar¡­

    Why did she want to push this man away so much, but her body was resisting it as if it found this hug very familiar?

    Could it be this person looked too much like Bro Qingze?

    However, she could tell them pretty clearly that the familiarity she felt was not just because of his face. It was everything about this man.

    She knew that she should push him away and kill him, but this hug felt like a curse on her, controlling her consciousness. She could not resist it at all¡­

    Everyone else was stunned when they heard Han Xiao called her ¡°Youge¡±.

    ¡°Wait! What did Grandfather called Annie just now? Youge?¡±

    Ning Xi nodded. ¡°Seems like it¡­¡±

    Tang Lang was shocked. ¡°Isn¡¯t Youge dead?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea too¡­¡± Ning Xi replied.

    ¡°Damn! If Annie is Youge, wouldn¡¯t I have to call her Grandmother?¡±

    Ning Xi was speechless. Could he please stop focusing on the wrong things?

 Chapter 2141 - Honey Trap

    <h4>Chapter 2141: Honey Trap</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Han Xiao held the girl tightly as if he was clinging onto his own life. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ It¡¯s my fault¡­ I couldn¡¯t find you¡­¡±

    Annie had no expression on her face, yet she could not control her tears. She was not sure why she was crying. The moment he heard the man say that, her tears flowed out¡­

    ¡°Follow me, I¡¯ll help you remember everything.¡± Han Xiao took the girl¡¯s hand and left quickly.

    Ning Xi almost went crazy. ¡°Master! Wait! A-antidote!¡±

    Han Xiao paused in his steps, then he looked at the girl who was just being dragged along. ¡°Youge, where¡¯s the antidote?¡±

    Annie looked at the man in the eyes. As if her soul was being controlled, she took out a small medicine pouch.

    Han Xiao took the medicine pouch and tossed it over to Ning Xi, then he picked up the exhausted Annie. Their figures disappeared into the forest.

    Everyone was dumbfounded.

    Ning Xi mumbled as she had the antidote in her hands, ¡°The Master is sick! He got the antidote with a honey trap¡­¡±

    ¡°Just what kind of rtionship does the Master have with Annie?¡± Feng Xiaoxiao was curious

    ¡°Thatdy seems to be Mr. Han Xiao¡¯s lover, Ms. You Ge. However, she seems like she¡¯s lost her memory,¡± the European King said.

    ¡°Lost her memories¡­¡± Ning Xi tried to specte. ¡°Could it be that Youge did not die back then? The Yun family identally saved her, but she lost her memory. The Yun family was interested in her abilities, so they took her in.

    ¡°Yun Qingze looked a lot like Han Xiao. Youge, who lost her memory, developed a sense of intimacy with him. She cared about him so much that his death left asting impact on her, causing her to carry out her series of revenge¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah! No wonder Annie was so obedient just now! Han Xiao was her true love!¡± Tang Lang seemed to have realized.

    Feng Xiaoxiao mumbled, ¡°Hmm, I wonder what will happen to Annie and the Master¡­¡±

    Ning Xi held the antidote tight in her hand, then she looked in the direction that the two had left. ¡°I hope Annie can regain her memories. I believe Master will have a way to do so!¡±

    Ning Xi then turned around and thanked the European King. ¡°Grandfather Jace, thank you for your timely appearance and help today.¡±

    If it were not for Jace, even if more than half of the snipers had gone down, there would certainly have been a bloodbath today.

    ¡°It was I who caused the trouble here,¡± Jace sighed.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d¡­¡±

    Ning Xi felt amazed. A producer, who was also a kind old man, had suddenly became the legendary underground king of Europe, .

    Jace smiled. ¡°I¡¯m now just a producer who loves making movies.¡±

    Jace looked at Ning Xi and sighed again, ¡°Xiao Xi, you really look like Caroline¡­ Back then, Caroline ignored my warnings and went into acting. Simr to you, she started off being a stuntwoman. She worked hard on her own and she said acting was the one thing she loved the most. It was her life.

    ¡°She wanted to earn my recognition. Unfortunately, when I finally understood her, an ident happened in one of the shoots. Seeing you just reminds me of her¡­

    ¡°I have a lot of sons, but only two daughters. My youngest daughter ran away from home because I wanted her to marry Mr. Han. She doesn¡¯t even want to call me Father up until today. Caroline also died because of my stubborness. She wanted my recognition, which led her to her ident¡­¡±

 Chapter 2142 - Too Boring

    <h4>Chapter 2142: Too Boring</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    As she listened to this old man reminisce about the past, seeing the way he med himself, Ning Xi felt a mix of emotions.

    The elder before her was not some European King who shocked the entire underground world. He was just a regr father.

    No wonder the first time they met, he was already so friendly to her. It turned out that he had seen his daughter in her.

    ¡°Even though Miss Caroline has passed away, she left the most beautiful scene for everyone. She didn¡¯t only work hard for you. It was also for her dreams. I believe that she has never med you!¡± Ning Xi said.

    ¡°You really think so?¡± Jace¡¯s eyes suddenly glistened.

    Ning Xi nodded. ¡°If it were me.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Jace let out a long sigh as if he could finally put his burden down.

    Then, he looked at Ning Xi and said, ¡°I¡¯m returning to Europe tomorrow. Xiao Xi, if you evere to Europe, you have to contact me. Let me do the honor of being your host.¡±

    ¡°I definitely will!¡±

    With Jace¡¯s departure, the European King¡¯s people all retreated. Lu Tingxiao¡¯s and Yun Shen¡¯s people all followed suit and went back too.

    The huge Heavenly Spring Resort returned to its usual tranquility. The scenery was beautiful and it was a wonderful spring day. It was as if all the things earlier had not just happened.

    As for the huge battle this time, the only person who had died was unexpectedly¡­ Qiao Yi¡­

    Ning Xi looked at Qiao Yi, whoy on the ground and had unfortunately died in Han Xiao¡¯s hands. She felt a mix of emotions.

    Tang Ye walked step by step over to Qiao Yi. He took his jacket off and covered Qiao Yi with it, then he personally carried his corpse and left.

    Once a teacher, always a teacher.

    Even if Qiao Yi had done those sorts of things, he still could not bear to see his body exposed in the wilderness.

    Tang Lang watched Tang Ye¡¯s departing figure and did not say anything.

    ¡°Tsk, boring.¡± He did not get to fight, so Yun Shenzily yawned.

    The assistant who hade along quickly rushed up to ask for instructions, ¡°CEO Yun, what do we do on thepany¡¯s end? This time, the entire corporation was inflicted with serious damages. The people below are waiting for your response¡­¡±

    Yun Shen took a look at him and said nonchntly, ¡°Oh, then I don¡¯t want it anymore.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t want it anymore?¡± The assistant was confused.

    Yun Shen smiled and looked at him. ¡°Fron now on, you¡¯re the boss.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m the boss?¡± The assistant waspletely puzzled. ¡°Then, what about you, CEO Yun?¡±

    The white-haired man looked at the faraway horizon and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be a pirate!¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡± The assistant was stumped.

    On the side, when Ning Xi heard Yun Shen, she instantly frowned.

    Yun Shen obviously noticed her expression. He smiled faintly and said, ¡°What? Do you think I¡¯m going to resume my old trades and destroy the Lu family again? Hah, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not interested. This guy¡­¡±

    Yun Shen¡¯s gaze fell onto Lu Tingxiao with hints of disdain. ¡°Too boring.¡±

    With this girl around, their previous battle was doomed to never start.

    Ning Xi looked earnestly at the person before her. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Yun Shen¡¯s indifferent expression suddenly looked a little unnatural. ¡°Fool! There¡¯s nothing to thank me for!¡±

    Then, he turned around to leave.

    Feng Xiaoxiao quickly followed after him. She scuttled as she waved to Ning Xi and bade her farewell. ¡°Little Junior Sister, I¡¯m leaving now. When your wedding happens, remember to let me know!¡±

    When a certain someone who was walking fast ahead heard that, he turned around and gave Feng Xiaoxiao a furious look.

    Feng Xiaoxiao felt attacked by the look. ¡°Eh? Did I say something wrong?¡±

    Beside her, Tang Lang clicked his tongue and shook his head. You have stabbed his heart, Third Junior Sister!

 Chapter 2143 - Definitely Not Getting A Divorce

    <h4>Chapter 2143: Definitely Not Getting A Divorce</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After she went back, Ning Xi immediately fed Little Treasure the antidote and he started to recover day by day.

    Ning Xi tried to contact Han Xiao and Annie several times. Unfortunately, she could not get a hold of any news on them.

    As for the world outside, the Lu Corporation did not topple amidst the storm. The foreign investments withdrew from the Chinese market one after another, and the economic crisis gradually dissipated.

    Not long after that, what shocked the entire business world was that the influential Yi Lan Innovative Investment Group had chosen to entirely withdraw from China¡¯s market at their prime.

    Half a yearter.

    Arge-scale case of drugs being smuggled across international borders was about to begin court session. What everyone paid the most attention to was the fact that one of the suspects was unexpectedly a former popr female star in the entertainment industry and Yifeng Corporation¡¯s youngdy of the house, Ning Xueluo. Everyone kept crying out in disbelief.

    In a certain prison in the suburbs of Beijing.

    Ning Xueluo scoffed when she saw who hade. ¡°Huh, Su Yan! Forget it¡­ There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll divorce you¡­¡±

    Su Yan looked expressionlessly at this woman before him who was evil all over without any hint of tenderness from the past. ¡°I¡¯m not here to talk about the divorce.¡±

    ¡°Then, what do you want to say?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re married, after all. I¡¯vee to see you onest time.¡±

    Ning Xueluo frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Su Yan did not say anything.

    Ning Xueluo suddenly thought of something and her expression changed abruptly. ¡°Could it be that I¡­ No way! I¡¯ll just be charged with hiding drugs at the most, plus about those illegal activities outside of the country¡¯s borders, I just threatened a few people and attempted murder by hiring a hitman. Even if I get several charges, I¡¯ll just be sentenced to 20 or 30 years. There wille the time when I see the day of light!¡±

    Su Yan¡¯s voice did not have a hint of emotion. ¡°Not charging you for hiding the drugs, but illegal possession of drugs.¡±

    The color drained from Ning Xueluo¡¯s face instantly. She said emotionally, ¡°Illegal posession of drugs? What illegal possession of drugs?! I was just helping someone else hide the drugs! The drugs aren¡¯t even mine! This is nder!¡±

    Ning Xueluo finally panicked.

    If it was illegal possession of drugs, with the amount of drugs involved, it would be enough for her to be sentenced to death.

    No wonder Su Yan said he was not here to talk about divorcing her. Once she died, he would naturally be relieved of their marriage!

    She could not figure it out!

    No matter what, she could not figure out how the police had gotten hold of the evidence that she had hidden drugs, and how they knew everything she had done like the back of their hands, and with sufficient evidence.

    She knew that those people must have sold her out, yet she could not figure out why!

    Even if it were because those people were from abroad and their whereabouts were uncertain, even if they were exposed, the police in this country could not do anything, but hand the evidence over to the Chinese police, how did it benefit them?

    Could it be¡­ Ning Xi again!? Was it Ning Xi who had bribed them again?

    After Su Yan left, Ning Xueluo had demanded to meet herwyer.

    ¡°Am I going to be sentenced to ten or twenty years this time? How confident are you?¡± Ning Xueluo quickly asked.

    Thewyer¡¯s expression was a little vague. ¡°Well¡­¡±

    When she saw herwyer¡¯s expression, Ning Xueluo¡¯s blood turned cold. ¡°What is happening?! Tell me the truth!¡±

    She had evidence about the Su family¡¯s corruption, so why was Su Yan¡¯s tone earlier so fearless?

    Thewyer hesitated for a moment, then said, ¡°Madam Su, forgive me but my hands are tied. The Su family has people up there. For your case, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help you. It¡¯s best if you just expect the worst.¡±

    ¡°People up there? What kind of people would they have?!¡±

    Thewyer cleared his throat. ¡°You haven¡¯t heard? I thought Mr. Su has already told you¡­ Mr Su is going to marry the heiress of the Liang family from City S next month.¡±

 Chapter 2144 - Repentance That Came Too Late

    <h4>Chapter 2144: Repentance That Came Too Late</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°What did you say?!¡±

    No wonder¡­ No wonder the Su family was rushing to kill her! It turns out that she needed to give up her spot to the newdy!

    Ning Xueluo had a malevolent expression. ¡°I want to report! I want to report that Su Hongguang gives huge amounts of bribes! Even if I die, I won¡¯t let them live well!¡±

    Thewyer looked sympathetically as he sighed, ¡°Miss Ning, forget it. Did you forget about the Liang family¡¯s background? It¡¯s useless. With the Su family and the Liang family¡¯s current rtionship, all those proof you have will be blocked by someone mid-way¡­¡±

    When Ning Xueluo heard this, she turned as white as a sheet and slumped onto the cold metal chair.

    Impossible¡­

    This was impossible¡­

    Su Yan¡­ Su Yan!

    How could you treat me like this?!

    -

    A few dayster.

    At the city centre central za in Imperial, there were rushing tides of people and traffic wasing from both sides.

    All of the passersby could not help but stop in their steps to look up at therge screen above their heads.

    It was the scene of an intense fight and shoot out. The awe-inspring special effects, the ssic plot, and an incredibly familiar face to all of the people in China caught everyone¡¯s attention¡­

    After the movie trailer ended, therge screen showed a promotional banner: ¡°First Day of the Lunar Year. ¡®Assassin¡¯, the return of the king. Stay tuned!¡±

    ¡°Ah, ah, ah! It¡¯s Bro Xi¡¯s ¡®Assassin¡¯! We¡¯ve waited for half a year and it¡¯s finally going to show in theatres! But it¡¯s much faster than I expected! I thought it would be the same as ¡®Thunderbolt Secret Service Squad¡¯ and take at least one or two years!¡±

    ¡°The filming crew has enough funding. I heard that the special effects team that they hired is super awesome, so naturally they¡¯re very efficient too!¡±

    ¡°My Bro Xi is so handsome, oh, oh, oh! Right, who¡¯s that icy beauty who was fighting alongside Bro Xi in that scene? She¡¯s so beautiful!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, if I¡¯m guessing correctly, that might be our Bro Muye!¡±

    ¡°What the heck!? Jiang¡­ Jiang Muye? Are you for real? That¡¯s Jiang Muye in a female outfit? Isn¡¯t he gorgeous? Is he even letting us females live!?¡±

    ¡­

    Ning Xi had just finished having dinner with the ¡°Assassin¡± crew. When she went to get her car at the hotel car park, she unexpectedly saw someone.

    ¡°Xiao¡­ Xiao Xi¡­¡± Ning Yaohua looked uneasy as he stood across her car as if he had especially waited there for her.

    Ning Xi paused in her footsteps. ¡°Director Ning, is there anything I can help you with?¡±

    Ning Yaohua cleared his throat. ¡°Next month will be the New Year¡­¡±

    Ning Xi did not know what he was trying to say. She just stood there quietly.

    Ning Yaohua wanted to ask whether Ning Xi would go home for the New Year, yet he still could not utter the words.

    ¡°Xiao Xi, I¡­ I¡¯ve been wanting to chat with you, but you know the Ning family¡¯s situation in this half year hasn¡¯t been great. Thepany was impacted hugely. Your mother encountered that unfortunate incident and she became more and more absent-minded. She can¡¯t be left alone. I really couldn¡¯t pull myself away¡­¡± Ning Yaohua spoke without really getting to the point.

    Actually, after he had said so much, the real reason was still that he did not know how to face this daughter of his.

    Ning Yaohua took a deep breath, then he said, ¡°That incident years ago¡­ Your mother and I know the truth now, we know that it wasn¡¯t your fault, and that Xueluo had set you up.¡±

    Ning Yaohua looked quite embarassed. ¡°I know that it¡¯s toote to say anything now¡­ but I¡¯m sorry, Xiao Xi, for not believing you back then. Xueluo has been sentenced. She has already received the punishment she deserves.¡±

    Regarding Ning Xueluo¡¯s matter, Ning Xi knew a little about it. She had also just received news that Ning Xueluo had been sentenced to death.

    Countries abroad did not prohibit drugs, but China was very strict about it. Ning Xueluo had been involved with too huge an amount of drugs, and it was enough for the gauntlet to fall.

 Chapter 2145 - Pregnant

    <h4>Chapter 2145: Pregnant</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Actually, Ning Xueluo was just guilty of hiding drugs. Because the drugs were not hers, she could not be charged with illegal possession of drugs. If she got herself a decentwyer, she could avoid the death penalty.

    However, the issue was that there were people who wanted her to die.

    Although Su Yan and Ning Xueluo had not gotten a divorce yet, Zheng Minjun quickly arranged a blind date for Su Yan the moment Ning Xueluo was sent to prison.

    Su Yan¡¯s situation with Ning Xueluo was well known within their circle, so it was nearly impossible for the Su family to find another rather prestigious family to connect with.

    Unexpectedly, Su Yan had fortune on his side. Thedy of the Liang family from Shanghai fell in love with Su Yan at first sight, and said that she would only marry him if Ning Xueluo got out of the picture. Because the Liang family had rtions with the courts, they sentenced Ning Xueluo to death, and also stopped the evidence of the Sus¡¯ bribing from surfacing.

    Of course, a coin had two sides. Thisdy from the Liang family was not an easygoing person at all. She chased Zheng Minjun and Su Hongguang out before she even married Su Yan. She did not want to stay with people from the Su family because she said they reeked of business.

    They could not do anything else aside from giving in. Even then, thisdy was still unsatisfied. Every few days, she would cause a big fuss and she easily became jealous. Some time ago, she made it to the headlines of the entertainment news because she got into a fight with one of Su Yan¡¯s past lovers.

    Zheng Minjun never expected thisdy to be so difficult to be with, but it was already toote when she started to regret it.

    Ning Yaohua never expected Ning Xi to reply, so he left after leaving those words.

    Ning Xi looked at the figure of Ning Yaohua¡¯s back and thought, ¡°Even though Ning Yaohua found out about everything now, the harm has already been done. I¡¯m not generous enough to forgive them.¡±

    As she got into her car and was about to drive off, she felt an intense wave of nausea.

    She quickly grabbed a trash bin in the car and threw up. Her face looked pale.

    She drank some water and rested for about ten minutes before she finally calmed down.

    Ning Xi grinned as she touched her stomach. ¡°Your brother was so obedient back then¡­¡±

    A month ago, she frequently felt a strong urge to sleep and had a loss of appetite.

    At first, she thought she was just exhausted from work, but then she found out things were odd after the conditions persisted for a long time, so she quickly went to check at the hospital.

    She received a shocking news. She was pregnant¡­

    She nned to slow down on work after finishing the filming for Chen Mian¡¯s movie and then announce her marriage. In her rush for progress, she did not have time to notice her own body condition. She did not even notice that she had missed her period. She only went to check after she realized that her body had been acting up for nearly a month¡­

    The results totally shocked her.

    She was pregnant. Another little guy was inside her womb.

    It was an amazing feeling¡­

    However, this little one was not as obedient as Little Treasure. Everything was fine when she had Little Treasure, but this new little one gave her quite some trouble.

    Fortunately, Chen Mian¡¯s movie was already finished and the promotional activities for ¡°Assassin¡± were all done as well.

    She was about to go back to thepany to look for Chen Mian and discuss the film¡¯s promotional activities with him.

    As for Lu Tingxiao¡­

    He had gone outstation for a few days and would not be back for three days.

    She should have finished preparing everything to announce their rtionship to the public when he returned.

    Hmm, Darling¡¯s reaction was something to look forward to!

    He would definitely be very surprised!

 Chapter 2146 - This Time, I Want To Go Public

    <h4>Chapter 2146: This Time, I Want To Go Public</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xi did not want to drive on her own, so she called Xu Tao to go over and pick her up. She wanted to discuss something with him as well.

    Xu Tao rushed over soon although his phone was ringing non-stop.

    ¡°Bro Tao, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Ning Xi handed him a bottle of water as he was drenched in sweat.

    Xu Tao drank half a bottle in one go. Once he could finally talk, the first thing he did was¡­ to start crying¡­

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Ning Xi was shocked but she quicklyforted him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Bro Tao? Just what happened? Tell me!¡±

    Xu Tao had been dealing with all sorts of matters well, but she had never seen him like this before.

    ¡°Who is it!? My queen! Tell me which bastard it is!¡± Xu Tao was incensed¡­

    Ning Xi was confused. ¡°What bastard? Who are you talking about?¡±

    Xu Tao stared at Ning Xi¡¯s womb with his red eyes, ¡°The baby in your womb¡­¡±

    Xu Tao was hit by a wave of sadness, then he started crying before the steering wheel again. ¡°I¡¯m so frustrated! My queen!¡±

    Ning Xi was stunned. ¡°How did you know I was pregnant?¡±

    ¡°So, it¡¯s true¡­ It really is true¡­¡± Xu Tao¡¯s heart was breaking apart. He handed his phone over to Ning Xi. ¡°Liang Feixing sent me a message after you called me. Someone leaked the news of your pregnancy!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ning Xi quickly took a look at Xu Tao¡¯s phone.

    The Weibo status was just posted an hour ago, yet it was now on the top of the hot topic section. All the popr searches included phrases simr to ¡°Ning Xi is pregnant¡±.

    ¡°Which hospital did you go for the check up?¡± Xu Tao asled.

    ¡°The one that people usually go to.¡± Little Treasure had gone there when he was sick. In addition to the fact that Ning Xi tended to overthink a lot recently, she thought that her body was facing grave stress issues, so she did not tell anyone about it and did not go to military hospital either. She just went to a hospital that was known for maintaing people¡¯s privacy.

    Xu Tao then said, ¡°That hospital was good at keeping secrets, but your pregnancy was too big of a news. Someone probably couldn¡¯t fight the urge and leaked it¡­¡±

    Xu Yao clenched his teeth. ¡°We¡¯ll insist that you¡¯re not pregnant, and im that those results are forged!¡±

    Ning Xiughed seeing Xu Tao so mad. ¡°Bro Tao, this time, I want to go public.¡±

    ¡°What did you say!?¡± Xu Tao nearly wept again.

    Which bastard had made his queen fall in love so much that she would sacrifice her career for him!?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Bro Tao. I didn¡¯t give you any time to prepare because I only received the results today myself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point! The point is who¡¯s that bastard? Please think properly about it, my queen. This is not a small case. It¡¯ll affect you greatly if you let this go public! While the entertainment industry would be pretty lenient to you being pregnant before marriage, the fans wouldn¡¯t think so!¡±

    Suddenly, someone knocked on the window when Xu Tao was talking.

    ¡°Who is it!?¡± Xu Tao was alert.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Liang Feixing¡¯s voice came from outside.

    Xu Tao then unlocked the doors.

 Chapter 2147 - Fans Riot

    <h4>Chapter 2147: Fans Riot</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Liang Feixing went into the car and handed a thick pile of documents to Ning Xi as he said swiftly, ¡°The arrangement for the public announcement is all prepared. Now, we only need you to give me a time and I¡¯ll arrange for the reporters and the rest.¡±

    Xu Tao was stunned when he heard Liang Feixing¡¯s words. ¡°What!? Who¡¯s doing a public announcement!? I¡¯m still discussing with my queen! What is this? When did you start preparing this?¡±

    A nce at it told him that it would take at least several months to prepare, so howe this guy had started preparing for it so long ago?

    Xu Tao¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Liang Feixing, are you crazy? Look at what people are saying online! So many people were waiting for it! They keep saying that Ning Xi was just acting pure and how messy her private life is. Some even said she cheated the feelings of her fans. Think about how many people were jealous of Ning Xi and wanted to drag her down all over the years! Many people would surely aim for this chance!¡±

    As Xu Tao was arguing with Liang Feixing, his expression changed suddenly. A big group of reporters had surrounded them from all directions.

    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s there!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Ning Xi¡¯s car!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡­

    The reporters had their cameras ready as they surrounded the car. Xu Tao managed to drive the car out of the parking lot, but they could not move any further beyond that.

    The reporters risked their lives and stood right in front of the car, their cameras shing wildly into the car.

    ¡°Damn!¡± Xu Tao cursed.

    Liang Feixing did not look too great because Ning Xi was puking at the moment.

    Ning Xi¡¯s reaction just made the reporters have arger reaction. Most of them even started to live stream with their handphones.

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, do you have anything to say about your pregnancy before marriage?¡±

    ¡°Ning Xi, are the rumors about you being pregnant true? Who¡¯s the father? Is it really Jiang Muye?¡±

    ¡°Someone asked you before if you were in a rtionship, and you denied it, yet now you¡¯re three months pregnant, so were you lying to your fans and the public the whole time?¡±

    ¡­

    Xu Tao unlocked his phone and took a look on the streaming sites. The fans had all gone crazy.

    [Bro Xi is pregnant before marriage! Impossible! I¡¯ll never believe it!]

    [Please, the video just now showed Ning Xi vomiting!]

    [Can¡¯t she just be feeling unwell? THe results might be forged too!]

    [Wake up, Ning Xi¡¯s fans! Ignoring the fact whether the results are true or not, why would Ning Xi need to go for a check up at midnight? The pictures have to be real!]

    Xu Tao¡¯s expression looked worse by the minute. ¡°Liang Feixing, prepare me a new proposal right now! This matter can never be found out by the public! That bastard is irresponsible enough to let Ning Xi get pregnant before marriage. He sure is a bastard! Ning Xi isn¡¯t clear-headed enough to see that. How could you go along with her as well?!¡±

    It was so noisy outside that it made Ning Xi¡¯s condition worse. She just kept on vomiting and she could not notice anything else.

    Liang Feixing was silent as he faced Xu Tao¡¯s questioning.

    At this moment, the reporters outside also went insane. All of them were hitting the car windows. Although the hotel security guards tried to chase them away, it did not work at all.

 Chapter 2148 - Admit

    <h4>Chapter 2148: Admit</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Worse still, because someone had live streamed the incident, many fans had recognized the ce. The number of inquiring passersby and fans started to increase until the entire hotel and area nearby were fully surrounded by people¡­

    Now, they really would not be able to leave!

    The entire hotel entrance was crowded and chaotic. The security guards was busy and sounds of sirens came from all around.

    The crazy media and emotional fans were not willing to leave no matter what¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it unless Bro Xi tells us that this is true!¡±

    ¡°Yes! I don¡¯t believe it! I don¡¯t! Bro Xi is definitely not that kind of person!¡±

    ¡°To hell with it! Ning Xi¡¯s idiotic fans are still muddleheaded until now!¡±

    ¡°Who are you calling ¡®idiotic fans¡¯?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m calling whoever that¡¯s answering me right now!¡±

    ¡°You¡­ I¡¯m going to kill you! No one¡¯s allowed to insult my Bro Xi!¡±

    ¡­

    When she saw the fans rioting but she was still puking her guts out, Ning Xi looked outside the car window with a pale face and said, ¡°Bro Tao, open the door. I want to go out!¡±

    Xu Tao was shocked. ¡°What?! Ning Xi, you¡¯re crazy!¡±

    Liang Feixing, who had not said anything from the backseat of the car, quickly said, ¡°You can¡¯t! It¡¯s too dangerous!¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s eyes were cold. ¡°Open the door.¡±

    How could she watch as her fans argue and even fight for her while she sat in the car not being in the least concerned?

    ¡°But¡­¡± Xu Tao met with Ning Xi¡¯s stern gaze and was suddenly tongue-tied.

    Ning Xi was usually very kind, especially towards staff like them, but when it involved a matter of principle, no one could advise her.

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t open the door!¡± This time, Liang Feixing was on Xu Tao¡¯s side.

    There were so many people outside, and the Lady Boss was pregnant. If anything happened, he would not be able to repay with his little life.

    Just as Xu Tao was hesitating, Ning Xi had already surpassed him and clicked the control panel. Then, she pushed the door open and got down from the car.

    ¡°Ning Xi¡­¡± Xu Tao cried out. He and Liang Feixing quickly got down from the car and protected Ning Xi by her side.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to trouble everyone to please keep quiet first.¡±

    The girl looked a little weak and exceptionally pale, but those pair of eyes were akin to the sharp edge of a knife. They actually made everyone stunned for some reason, and they quieted down.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the response that you guys want now,¡± Ning Xi continued.

    The media, fans, and everyone in the live stream sites¡­ all revealed a shocked expression. They waited nervously for Ning Xi¡¯s response.

    ¡°That medical report is real. I am pregnant.¡±

    The girl¡¯s clear and melodious voice rang in the silent air. The crowd was dumbstruck for three seconds before they instantly exploded into amotion.

    ¡°Oh my God! Ning Xi admits it!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s really pregnant!¡±

    ¡°How¡­ how is this possible!¡±

    The media that had just been quiet for a moment earlier started to be stimted again¡­

    ¡°Ning Xi, who¡¯s the father!?¡±

    ¡°From what we know, you don¡¯t even have a boyfriend. Do you and the child¡¯s father have an improper intimate rtionship!?¡±

    The fans wentpletely crazy too. ¡°How could this be!? Who does the child belong to!?¡±

    Some of the haters seized the opportunity and popped up. ¡°Tsk tsk, I thought that Ning Xi was a fresh air in the entertainment industry. Who would¡¯ve thought that she would also be exposed foran unmarried pregnancy scandal!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s no different from Ning Xueluo, Han Zixuan, and people like that! For all we know, she might be even skankier in private! It¡¯s just that she¡¯s better at pretending and hasn¡¯t been found out!¡±

    ¡°For all we know, the child¡¯s father might be some married man. Otherwise, why would she have tried to cover it up?¡±

 Chapter 2149 - The Child Is Mine

    <h4>Chapter 2149: The Child Is Mine</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    When he heard those words, Xu Tao was about to break down. ¡°Liang Feixing, look at what those people are saying! Ning Xi has finally made it to this stage, and now are we going to ruin it all for a bastard?¡±

    With Ning Xi¡¯s acknowledgment, the crowd started to riot again and everyone began to push forward like mad.

    Right at this moment, behind the crowd, there was suddenly an ear-piercing sound of a car hitting the brakes. Seven to eight ck cars had stopped in uniform across the hotel.

    More than 20 well-trained bodyguards in ck got down from the car one after another. The door of the leading car was opened by a bodyguard and a tall, lofty man with an icy-cold face got down from the car.

    Someone in the crowd instantly cried out in surprise when they recognized who it was. ¡°Oh my God! It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s Lu Tingxiao!¡±

    ¡°Oh gosh! I¡¯m about to go crazy! It really looks like him! He¡¯s so¡­ handsome in person!¡±

    ¡°Why would Lu Tingxiao be here?¡±

    At this moment, the man¡¯s handsome face had a terrifying expression. Iit was as if storm clouds were approaching. He took huge strides and was walking towards the crowd.

    Those bodyguards all had a solemn expression on their faces while the man leading them had an even more terrifying aura around him as if anyone who exchanged a look with him could have their blood frozen.

    The chaotic crowd all subconsciously opened up a path.

    The further inwards the man went, the scarier his face looked. One could almost hear the sound of him stepping on ice gs wherever he walked.

    Finally, under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, the man unexpectedly walked right up to Ning Xi. His face seemed to have an incredibly turbulent storm and terrifying hostility written on it. He stared straight at this pale-looking girl and his expression darkened as he lifted the girl by her waist¡­

    ¡°Ah! This¡­¡± The crowd let out a startled cry.

    Even though Lu Tingxiao¡¯s face was extremely scary, but the way he carried the girl was beyond careful. He even seemed a little at a loss, unsure where to touch her. It was as if just touching her would hurt her. From the crowd¡¯s point of view, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s movements even seemed a little clumsy¡­

    ¡°Ah! What¡­ what¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°Oh my God! Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Apart from the media and fans, Xu Tao was probably the most shocked one. At this moment, Xu Tao watched nkly as the Big Boss carried Ning Xi. His expression was the same as a fool.

    Could it be¡­ could it be that the bastard who had impregnated Ning Xi was¡­

    Liang Feixing let out a long sigh of relief. Thankfully, the Boss had made it in time. He was about to get a heart attack!

    Amid the shocked gazes, the man¡¯s cold eyes swept everyone present. ¡°The child in Xiao Xi is mine.¡±

    Everyone was speechless.

    Uhh¡­ what did they just hear?

    This sentence was like an atomic bomb, exploding in the dense crowd.

    There was a momentary strange silence from the crowd when suddenly someone cried out loud, ¡°What the heck!? This is crazy!¡±

    ¡°Ning¡­ Ning Xi¡¯s child is Lu Tingxiao¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°I am indeed a married man,¡± the man continued to say.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Before the crowd¡¯s shocked and taunting gazes towards Ning Xi could start, they heard the man continue, ¡°Ning Xi and I have already been registered for two years, six months and 17 days.¡±

    Everyone was speechless yet again.

    They must be dreaming¡­

    This was the entertainment industry¡¯s heaviest-duty, most shocking, big news of the year!

    The queen of movies, Ning Xi was pregnant, and the child¡¯s father was unexpectedly the executive director of the Lu Corporation, Lu Tingxiao. The two of them had already registered two and a half years ago, and had kept their marriage a secret until now!

 Chapter 2150 - Calm Down Okay, Darling

    <h4>Chapter 2150: Calm Down Okay, Darling</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Still, he was not finished. Lu Tingxiao followed up to say, ¡°As for getting pregnant before marriage, there was indeed such a thing.¡±

    When they heard this, the crowd was dumbfounded. Even Xu Tao was worried. He subconsciously wanted to rush over to stop him, yet he was pulled back by Liang Feixing, who quickly muttered something into his ear.

    Then, Xu Tao became confused. ¡°What?!¡±

    At this moment, the fans and media who did not know the truth were stillpletely puzzled.

    ¡°What?! Ning Xi has really gotten pregnant before marriage before?¡±

    ¡°Why would Lu Tingxiao even expose such a thing?!¡±

    ¡°He clearly knew that Ning Xi had gotten pregnant before marriage and still he¡¯s staying with her?¡±

    ¡­

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s eyes swept the crowd. Instantly, it was as if someone had pressed on the ¡°keep quiet¡± switch for everyone amd the crowd returned to its pin-drop silence.

    Lu Tingxiao said, ¡°But the person at fault in this matter is me, back then, Xiao Xi hadn¡¯t entered the entertainment industry either, so there shouldn¡¯t be anything that she needs to exin to everyone.¡±

    Damn! The person at fault was Lu Tingxiao. What did that mean?

    Could it be what they thought?

    Could it be that the legendary little prince of the Lu family was¡­

    Lu Tingxiao continued, ¡°Ning Xi is my son¡¯s biological mother.¡±

    The child inside Xiao Xi, is mine.

    Ning Xi and I have registered for two years, six months, and 17 days.

    Ning Xi is my son¡¯s biological mother.

    Lu Tingxiao had just appeared for a few minutes and yet with just a few short sentences, he had shocked the entire entertainment industry, and all of China¡¯s citizens, then he left the stunned crowd and carried his wife home¡­

    Inside the car.

    Ning Xi was still in Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arms in the backseat.

    Ever since thetter had gotten into the car, he did not say a word and he seemed extremely unhappy.

    Ning Xi looked at her fingers and admitted to her wrongdoings., ¡°Mmm, Darling, sorry¡­ Actually, I wanted to give you a surprise¡­¡±

    Lu Tingxiao was speechless.

    Yeah! He was surprised enough! His entire soul almost left him from being frightened by her!

    ¡°I¡­¡± Ning Xi was about to speak again when she felt the urge to puke.

    ¡°Drive slower!¡± Lu Tingxiao frowned.

    Cheng Feng, who was driving up front, was speechless.

    I am already driving the Maybach like an electromobile, Boss¡­

    Forget it, he will take the challenge and go for a bicycle¡¯s speed¡­

    Lu Tingxiao patted the girl¡¯s back lightly, seeming like he was about to go into battle. ¡°Go to the hospita!¡±

    Ning Xi quickly waved her hand. ¡°Ahhh, no need. This is just the normal reaction of vomiting during pregnancy. If I have to go to the hospital for this, then wouldn¡¯t I need to stay in the hospital?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao replied, ¡°You can.¡±

    ¡°Calm down, okay? Darling¡­¡±

    Lu Tingxiao took a deep breath but he still could not calm down.

    Ning Xi looked at the man¡¯s tensed up expression from being overly nervous and said helplessly, ¡°We¡¯ve already had Little Treasure before. This isn¡¯t our first one. Why are you still so tensed!¡±

    Just tensed?

    When he had heard the news of her pregnancy from someone else, he wished he could put on wings and fly to her side.

    The sound of an urgent ringtone rang and Lu Tingxiao picked the phone up. ¡°It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s beside me and we¡¯re on the way home. Okay.¡±

    ¡°Call from home?¡± Ning Xi asked.

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. ¡°We¡¯re going to the old residence first. Father and Mother knows.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ning Xi did not know why but she had a bad feeling about this¡­

    When they reached the Lu family¡¯s old residence.

    Ning Xi got down the car and was dumbstruck when she reached the entrance. She almost could not recognize the ce.

    From the yard outside all the way to the door, the floor was covered by a thickyer of soft rug. The door¡¯s hard frame and the walls were all wrapped with ayer of pad. Not too far away on the pebble path, Little Treasure was directing for a few robots to take out the pebbles one by one, and then covered it again with soil¡­

    Ning Xi gulped. She turned to Lu Tingxiao and said, ¡°Darling, sorry, I used you wrongly earlier.¡±

 Chapter 2151 - Itâ€™s A Massacre

    <h4>Chapter 2151: It¡¯s A Massacre</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The reaction from the Lu family was even more exaggerated than Lu Tingxiao¡¯s. Even Little Treasure was involved.

    ¡°Mommy!¡± Little Treasure dashed over when he saw a familiar figure by the entrance.

    The little guy would usually pounce onto Ning Xi for a hug. However, he stopped several steps away from her out of consideration for the baby in his mother. He stared at Ning Xi¡¯s stomach earnestly. ¡°Mommy, is there¡­ really a sister inside?¡±

    Ning Xi chuckled. ¡°We still don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a sister or a brother.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll like it as long as it¡¯s Mommy¡¯s child!¡±

    After a while, Yan Ruyi, Lu Chongshan, and the other elders such as Jiang Muye¡¯s mother all came out.

    ¡°Xiao Xi¡¯s back! Come in, be careful¡­¡±

    Moments after Ning Xi went into the house, a military Jeep swiftly parked outside the entrance of the Lu residence.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the Lu family is very reliable. There was no prior preparation for Xiao Xi¡¯s pregnancy. Just how dangerous was the situation today? If Xiao Xi got injured¡­¡± As Meng Ling wasining, she then noticed that everything around the Lu family¡¯s home was padded with soft mats. Even the chairs and tables were covered with ayer of leather.

    Zhuang Liaoyuan coughed lightly. ¡°Xiao Xi only received her results today. The news was probably leaked before she could tell anyone.¡±

    ¡°Stop talking so much. I want to see how Xiao Xi is now!¡± Zhuang Zongren urged.

    The two families gathered in the living room.

    ¡°Do you feel terribly unwell?¡± Meng Ling was worried when she saw Ning Xi looking rather pale.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m feeling much better now. The nauseaes in short waves!¡± Ning Xi had a headache when she saw so many people in the house. She was just pregnant. Everyone was simply too tensed!

    Ning Xi looked over to Lu Tingxiao for help. However, it was obvious that Lu Tingxiao was on their side.

    ¡°Xiao Xi is even having her second child now, so when is the Lu family arranging the wedding?¡± Zhuang Zongren grumbled.

    Yan Ruyi quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve been preparing for it since a year ago. Everything is already done and can be arranged anytime. Xiao Xi doesn¡¯t have to worry about anything. As long as her work is alright, we can have the wedding anytime she says so.¡±

    Zhuang Zongren¡¯s expression softened when he heard Yan Ruyi¡¯s words. ¡°What do you think, Xiao Xi? Your wedding can¡¯t be dyed any further! If anyone dares to say anything about it, I¡¯ll have a word with them myself!¡±

    Ning Xi quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Grandfather. Mypany will deal with it. Actually, I¡¯ve been preparing to announce it to the public. It¡¯s just that a little ident happened today, but it¡¯s fine. Why don¡¯t we make it next month?¡¯

    Meng Ling thought about it. ¡°Next month is fine. Have your wedding before the new year. If it¡¯s dyed further, your pregnant belly will make you more ufortable.¡±

    Yan Ruyi was immensely d. ¡°I¡¯ve checked the calendar. The eighth of the next month is a good day! What do you both think?¡±

    ¡°As long as Xiao Xi is fine with it,¡± Lu Tingxiao said.

    ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t have a problem with it,¡± replied Ning Xi.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s decided then!¡±

    At the same time, in the backyard of the Lu residence.

    A little koi fish was squatting on the stone staircase. He slung his arm over a certain blondie who was beside him. ¡°This isn¡¯t just torture anymore. It¡¯s a massacre! I want to run away from home. Do you want to join me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Second Uncle,¡± replied Jiang Muye.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Lu Jingli was surprised.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already booked my flight ticket.¡±

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

 Chapter 2152 - They Told The Whole World About It

    <h4>Chapter 2152: They Told The Whole World About It</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao¡¯s wedding was decided very quickly.

    The next day, the rtionship between Lu Tingxiao and Ning Xi was publicized on the headlines of all printed media and the Inte. They were sshed across not just the entertainment section, but also the business section.

    As the Zhuang family insisted on it, Ning Xi¡¯s true identity was highlighted as well. The business papers discussed the strongbination of the Lu Corporation with the Zhuang family.

    It was not exaggerating to say that everyone was talking about it.

    People started to recall details that they neglected after their rtionship was revealed.

    ¡°Oh my God! My friends and I are so shocked! Ning Xi is actually Lu Tingxiao¡¯s wife and their kid is already so big!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really surprising! However, there¡¯ve been some hints here and there! Do you guys remember Ning Xi¡¯s entrance during the Golden Film Award? Lu Tingxiao walked in with Ning Xi. We¡¯ve always thought that the other star, who was supposed to attend with her, decided to pull out at thest minute and she got lucky. On hindsight, it wasn¡¯t a coincidence, was it?¡±

    This fan¡¯s words sparked the interest of many others. Suddenly, everyone became Sherlock Holmes and tried to look for more clues.

    ¡°Also, there was Ning Xi¡¯s ending speech. In herst sentence, she said she wouldn¡¯t forget about her original aspiration and would keep going on for her dream, for the person she loved! Damn, a lot of people suspected that it was a confession to a certain someone! She was just confessing to Lu Tingxiao on the spot, wasn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right! Because there was no other reason that the low-profile Lu Tingxiao would suddenly participate in a film awards ceremony. It was because his wife was receiving an award!¡±

    ¡°Oh, and during Glory World Entertainment¡¯s anniversary, coincidentally, Lu Tingxiao¡¯s first dance was with Ning Xi, and it was decided by drawing lots. Su Yimo was still at the top of Glory World Entertainment back then and she even called herself the futuredy boss. She would¡¯ve definitely tried to rig it to suit herself, wouldn¡¯t she? Yet, under those circumstances, Ning Xi still got it¡­¡±

    ¡°Lu Tingxiao even said on that day he didn¡¯t know her at all! He was trying to prove his loyalty in front of his girlfriend!¡±

    ¡°Damn! Stop talking about it. My heart is being tortured right now!¡±

    Suddenly, people felt so tortured that they almost cried.

    They were so aggressive at showing affection to each other! And people still thought that Lu Tingxiao was low-profile!

    The two of them had already announced it to the world; everyone just did not realize it!

    ¡­

    At Glory World Entertainment.

    All the artistes were really excited.

    ¡°Oh gosh! The idiots from Starlight Entertainment are really funny. They tried to scout Bro Xi! They actually tried to scout our Lady Boss!¡±

    ¡°Bro Xi is really low-profile! Ning Xueluo¡¯s just a fake daughter, yet she always tries to create an image of her being a winner at life. The boss didn¡¯t even know about Su Yimo but she always assumed she was the Lady Boss. Han Zixuan¡¯s much worse. She¡¯s just a downgraded imitation of Bro Xi! Look at our Bro Xi, a true descendant of a prestigious family, the biological mother of the little prince, and our real Lady Boss! The truth has onlye to light now!¡±

 Chapter 2153 - I Can Take Their Affection Anytime

    <h4>Chapter 2153: I Can Take Their Affection Anytime</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Bro Xi¡¯s the real deal anyway. She only needs herself and doesn¡¯t need to rely on anyone else!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    As the bunch was happily gossiping, someone suddenly yelled in the direction of the entrance, ¡°Bro Xi!¡±

    ¡°Oh! Goddess!¡±

    ¡°Lady Boss!¡±

    Someone called Ning Xi ¡°Lady Boss¡±, then everyone else followed after that.

    Ning Xi felt funny about how hyped up they were. She smiled and greeted everyone, then she went upstairs to meet Xu Tao.

    As she was about to walk up, there were sounds of hurried footsteps behind her.

    ¡°Oh my God, it¡¯s Big Boss!¡±

    ¡°A real living Boss!¡±

    Suddenly, all the working staff stared behind her and screamed. Ning Xi turned around and saw that it was Lu Tingxiao.

    ¡°Uhh, what¡¯s up?¡± Ning Xi looked at him.

    ¡°Scarf.¡± Lu Tingxiao had amb-wool scarf in his hand. He gently wrapped it around her neck.

    Ning Xi touched the warm scarf. ¡°It¡¯s alright. There¡¯s air conditioning in the office.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao then took a carefully-packaged meal box from Cheng Feng.

    Ning Xi quickly epted it. ¡°Oh, I forgot about this! I¡¯ve been quite sleepy recently. My brain power is running low!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao frowned. ¡°Do you still remember how to take medicine and nutritional supplements?¡±

    Ning Xi scratched her head. ¡°I think so.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you one more time¡­¡± As Lu Tingxiao was about to tell her, he stopped and pinched between his eyebrows. ¡°Forget about it.¡±

    He looked at Cheng Feng and instructed, ¡°Dy the meeting today.¡±

    ¡°Huh? But, Boss, it¡¯s been dyed once already¡­¡± Cheng Feng¡¯s eyes met with the sharp eyes of his boss, then he changed his tone. ¡°I got it! I¡¯ll let them know now!¡±

    There was nothing more important than the Lady Boss now. Even if thepany was going down, the Boss probably would not even bat an eyelid.

    Ning Xi was worried when she heard Lu Tingxiao dying his meeting. ¡°You can go back to work. I¡¯ll be fine on my own, really!¡±

    ¡°Change the date for the observation this afternoon too.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Boss!¡±

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    In the end, Lu Tingxiao postponed all the work he had that day and followed Ning Xi upstairs.

    At this moment, all the working staff at Glory World Entertainment gushed.

    ¡°I¡¯m so done!¡±

    ¡°I can take their affection anytime!¡±

    ¡°The Boss is really crazy when protecting his wife! I want to rant on Weibo! Where¡¯s the Protection Society for Single People!?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Hmm, darling, I think Bro Tao would be scared if you follow me!¡± Ning Xi mumbled before entering Xu Tao¡¯s office.

    As Ning Xi expected, after they pushed the door open and when Xu Tao saw the Big Boss, he almost wet himself.

    He felt guilty after all! He had said so many bad things about the Boss yesterday!

    ¡°B-boss!¡±

    Ning Xi made Lu Tingxiao sit down on the sofa nearby while she sat in front of Xu Tao¡¯s table. ¡°Bro Tao, just ignore him. We¡¯ll talk about the leftover work.¡±

    Before her wedding, she had to finish some jobs.

    At this moment, Xu Tao was on the verge of crying!

    The Boss had such a looming presence that it was impossible to ignore him.

    Xu Tao eased up slightly when Lu Tingxiao was not noticing him and just talked to the assistant. He started arranging some of the leftover work for Ning Xi at this stage.

 Chapter 2154 - Unavoidable

    <h4>Chapter 2154: Unavoidable</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°There isn¡¯t really much work left. The only one that requires traveling overseas is the new productunch for LG in America¡­¡±

    The Boss then spoke up, ¡°Tell them toe to China.¡±

    Xu Tao gulped, ¡°Uhh, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible?¡±

    ¡°Cheng Feng,¡± called Lu Tingxiao.

    Cheng Feng replied, ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll contact them. After all, LG is a partner of the Lu Corporation.¡±

    ¡°Any more problems?¡± Lu Tingxiao asked.

    Xu Tao shook his head. ¡°Nope!¡±

    As expected of the Boss!

    Xu Tao flipped through the schedule. ¡°Next up is the premiere event for ¡®Assassin¡¯. We have to go. Although there might be a lot of people on that day, the security will surely be tight!¡±

    ¡°Clear my schedule on that day,¡± Lu Tingxiao told Cheng Feng.

    ¡± Yes!¡± Cheng Feng quickly noted it down in his notebook.

    Xu Tao was speechless.

    Boss, if you were to go on that day, the situation would only be worse!

    Moving on, Xu Tao reported all of Ning Xi¡¯s uing work, and Lu Tingxiao cleared his schedule ordingly.

    Ning Xi wanted to say something at first, but in the end, she gave up.

    Ning Xi felt a little sleepy after a long discussion, she yawned.

    Lu Tingxiao halted the discussion. ¡°Sleepy? Go and take a nap.¡±

    Ning Xi rubbed her eyes. ¡°But I still have a meeting to attend toter.¡±

    Xu Tao nodded. ¡°Boss, there is indeed a meetingter.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao went up to Ning Xi. ¡°Go to sleep. I¡¯ll attend the meeting for you.¡±

    Ning Xiughed. ¡°How are you going to attend the meeting for me?¡±

    ¡°Is there any rule that family can¡¯t represent you in a meeting?¡± Lu Tingxiao asked.

    ¡°Well, not really¡­¡± Xu Tao replied.

    Even if there were such a rule, you are the Boss. Would there be anyone to tell you off?

    Xu Tao felt exhausted. Just as he was about toin about it on thepany group chat, he realized that everyone had their fair share.

    Lu Tingxiao really represented Ning Xi at the meeting.

    Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye were speechless when they saw the group chat.

    Again!

    In the end, Lu Jingli¡¯s n to run away from home failed. To add salt to the wound, his mother made him decorate the wedding venue.

    As for a certain blondie, he could avoid the preparation at first, but he could never avoid the real deal after all.

    He still needed to be back and attend the wedding.

    To avoid any external disturbances, Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao organized their wedding on a small ind that he owned.

    There was a fantasy-like church on the ind which was designed by Lu Tingxiao. Built two years ago, the whole ind was shrouded with the aura of love.

    Anyone could see that the ind was made just for their wedding.

    ¡°Is everything ready? Wait! Not this earring. This is for the toast. Where¡¯s the pearl one?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s here! I¡¯m busy at the moment!¡±

    Zhuang Keer and Ning Tianxin had been busy helping Ning Xi since 5 a.m. in the morning. While most matters were prepared beforehand, things still went a little out of hand on the day itself.

    In addition to Ning Xi being pregnant now, they needed to take extra precaution.

    Lu Tingxiao came in through the door in his wedding suit. He wore a ssic groom¡¯s breastpin on his chest and he looked very eye-catching.

 Chapter 2155 - Wedding 1

    <h4>Chapter 2155: Wedding 1</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    The man frowned at his exhausted wife the moment he stepped in. ¡°Are you alright? Should we postpone the wedding to another day?¡±

    What was he saying now? A whole ind full of guests were outside and he wanted to dy the wedding?

    Ning Xi sighed, ¡°Darling, can you please calm down?¡¯

    Lu Tingxiao leaned over to his beautiful wife in her wedding dress. ¡°I can¡¯t. When I think about how you¡¯re having my baby, about how we¡¯re going to be together forever¡­¡±

    Ning Xi giggled. ¡°Kiss me.¡±

    Lu Tingxiao would never reject such request. He kissed the girl¡¯s forehead tenderly.

    Ning Xi smiled. ¡°I¡¯m all fine now. I¡¯m not tired anymore!¡±

    Lu Jingli saw this exact moment when he came in and his manly tears fell. ¡°Bro, are you done now? All the guests are waiting!¡±

    ¡°Are First Senior Brother and Third Senior Sister here already?¡± Ning Xi asked.

    Lu Jingli shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t really see them.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ning Xi seemed disappointed.

    She had contacted Tang Ye and Feng Xiaoxiao. Tang Ye¡¯s bunch was wandering somewhere as their schedule was always unstable, while Feng Xiaoxiao was probably carrying out a mission at the moment and was most likely not able toe.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯ll be here.¡± Lu Tingxiao patted the girl¡¯s head.

    At that very moment, there was the sound of a loud chopper outside the window as a helicopter slowly descended from the sky. A person jumped straight out of it, not waiting for the helicopter tond. The figure came into the room through the window.

    With a sexy body, long, wavy hair, and a cool style, the person greeted, ¡°Baby!¡±

    ¡°Third Senior Sister!¡± Ning Xi was surprised.

    Feng Xiaoxiao startedining the moment she saw Ning Xi. ¡°Damn, Little Junior Sister! Your husband is really something. He sent someone to take out my target and abducted me on a helicopter. I was dumbfounded and thought I got betrayed! But they told me that I was invited to your wedding! How exciting!¡±

    Ning Xi nced over at Lu Tingxiao. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She thought that Lu Tingxiao was justforting her when he said that they would be there.

    Feng Xiaoxiao went over and gave Ning Xi a big hug. ¡°Happy marriage! You look really beautiful today!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Ning Xi felt a warmth spark in her heart.

    She did not have many friends, but each and every one of them was extremely important.

    After resting for a short while, Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao went outside to greet the guests.

    ¡°Congrattions!¡±

    ¡°Congrattions to the both of you!¡±

    The friends and families of both parties, Xu Tao, Liang Feixing, Qin Shuang, Qin Mufeng, Jiang Muye, and Mo Lingtian arrived one after another.

    ¡°Xiao Xi, where¡¯s your brooch?¡± Ning Tianxin looked at Ning Xi¡¯s chest and asked.

    Ning Xi looked down. ¡°Uhh¡­ It was still here just now!¡±

    ¡°Maybe you dropped it somewhere, but it¡¯s alright. There are some spares in the house. I¡¯ll go and look for one.¡±

    Ning Tianxin quickly went back to get another brooch. In her haste, She identally bumped into a person with a strong tobo smell.

    Ning Tianxin quickly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    The person she bumped into did not say a thing.

    Ning Tianxin looked up and was stunned.

    Mo Lingtian¡¯s cigarette fell to the floor as he looked at the girl in front of him. ¡°Tianxin¡­¡±

 Chapter 2156 - Wedding 2

    <h4>Chapter 2156: Wedding 2</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Xiao Xi¡¯s lost her brooch. I¡¯m helping her to get a spare one. Why¡­ are you here alone? Everyone¡¯s at the front,¡± Ning Tianxin said.

    Mo Lingtian came back to his senses. ¡°I¡­ I hung around with them a little tootest night and didn¡¯t really get a good night¡¯s sleep, so I¡¯m looking for a ce to rest.¡±

    ¡°There are some guest rooms upstairs.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    He had nothing else to say.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get on with my errand.¡± Ning Tianxin nodded and passed him.

    Mo Lingtian still remained stationary after the girl left. He tried to recall the girl¡¯s face, her voice, and her expression as she spoke to him just now.

    She had really moved on¡­

    That was great¡­

    As the wedding was about to start soon, Ning Xi was making some final preparations in the dressing room when Tang Lang barged right in.

    ¡°Little Junior Sister, look who¡¯s here!¡±

    Ning Xi doubtfully turned around and her eyes brightened in the next moment. ¡°Master!¡±

    Besides, there was a girl beside Han Xiao. While there were some pretty drastic changes about her aura and the way she dressed, she easily recognized her.

    ¡°Annie¡­¡±

    ¡°Happy marriage.¡± The girl seemed strange, yet a sense of familiarity appeared in her eyes.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ning Xi could not find the right words to say at the moment. While the person before her was Annie, at the same time, she was not Annie.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The girl looked down ashamedly. ¡°I remembered everything a while back. Although I did lose my memories, I did something very hurtful.¡±

    Tang Lang tried to soften the mood. ¡°It¡¯s a happy day today. Don¡¯t mention those unhappy stories!¡±

    Ning Xi alsoforted, ¡°Let the past stay in the past! As long as you¡¯re happy with the Master now!¡±

    Ning Xi was relieved when she knew that Annie now remembered everything.

    ¡°Hey Youge, when are we getting married?¡± Han Xiao asked.

    The girl replied coldly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say marriage is such a troublesome thing that you¡¯d never do it in your life?¡±

    Tang Lang and Ning Xi were speechless.

    Master, how could you say that?! How could you?

    A certain Master feigned innocence. ¡°Really? Did I say it was troublesome? Aside from you, I¡¯ll never want anyone else!¡±

    They were once again speechless.

    As expected of the Master!

    We were wrong!

    ¡­

    With the sound of the waves crashing against the beach, the church bells started ringing and wedding music started ying.

    The wedding had finally begun.

    Everyone was focused on the attractive lovebirds of the day.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes teared up. ¡°I¡¯m so touched! My brother is finally married!¡±

    Jiang Muye handed over a packet of tissues with a disgusted expression. ¡°Worry about yourself more! After he¡¯s done, we¡¯ll be next!¡±

    Lu Jingli was speechless. He swore to himself he would run away from home after this wedding!

    Behind the church, no one noticed a man with white hair.

    The man¡¯s usual casual wear was nowhere to be seen. He was wearing a full formal suit and his hair was alsobed up. He held a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

    At this moment, he was looking at the girl walking towards the priest with another man¡­

    He had flowers and dressed up formally¡­

    Just to miss it¡­

    The man seemed impatient. He thrust the flowers into the hands of a man beside him. ¡°So troublesome! Who made the rule that people must give wedding presents? Give them the stuff we just grabbed!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Tang Ye.

    Those were not something they ¡°just¡± grabbed at all. It was all the best loot they had this year.

    Like a dragon protecting its treasure, he was now willing to give all of them away.

    A man who never knew the meaning of love finally realized it because of one girl.

    The wedding went on as the pair of lovebirds stood before the priest.

    ¡°Mr. Lu Tingxiao, are you willing to take Ms. Ning Xi as your wife? Do you pledge to love her, swear loyalty to her, and even in poverty, illness, and challenges, you¡¯d stay by her side until the end of your life?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Ning Xi, are you willing to take Mr. Lu Tingxiao as your husband? Do you pledge to love him, swear loyalty to him, and even in poverty, illness, and challenges, you¡¯d stay by his side until the end of your life?¡±

    Ning Xi gazed at the man before her quietly. This was the man who insisted on marrying her the first time he saw her, the man who was always by her side no matter what happened, and the man who still married her even when he was alone¡­

    Luckily¡­

    Luckily, this time, she did not leave him alone.

    There was a hint of glistening tears in the corner of the girl¡¯s eyes. Her tone was heartfelt like never before as if she was handing her life over to him.

    ¡°I do.¡±

    -THE END-

 Chapter 2157 - Wedding Night 1

    <h4>Chapter 2157: Wedding Night 1</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    After the wedding, the guests started to leave.

    However, it was not all over yet. Feng Xiaoxiao had a little bit too much to drink and she brought a big bunch of friends to have some fun in the bridal room.

    As the groom Lu Tingxiao arrived at the door, a group of girls led by Feng Xiaoxiao gathered there and blocked the path.

    Feng Xiaoxiao crossed her arms andughed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, CEO Lu. On behalf of the Little Junior Sister¡¯s family, if you want to enter this room, you have to pass our trial!¡±

    Lu Xinyan went along. ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s not going to be so easy to take our Bro Xi away!¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Annie said.

    ¡°Damn! Annie, why are you messing around with Feng Xiaoxiao!?¡± Tang Lang was speechless.

    Lu Jingli was speechless as well. ¡°Xinyan, shouldn¡¯t you be on our side?¡±

    Lu Xinyan stuck her tongue out. ¡°I¡¯m always on Ning Xi¡¯s side!¡±

    On Feng Xiaoxiao¡¯s side, there were eight girls including Zhuang Keer, Ning Tianxin, Annie, and Lu Xinyan. All of them were hardcore fans of Ning Xi, and some even thought of Lu Tingxiao as their rival. On Lu Jingli¡¯s side, there were Lu Jingli, Jiang Muye, Tang Lang, Mo Lingtian, and Qin Mufeng.

    ¡°What¡¯s the trial?¡± Lu Tingxiao smiled, probably because it was a happy day, so he did not seem to mind them messing around and just let them be.

    Feng Xiaoxiao then said, ¡°There will be three levels in total! You need to pass all three levels to get the girl!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the first level?¡± Lu Jingli asked cautiously.

    Feng Xiaoxiao had an evil grin. ¡°The first level is called ¡®Take A Guess¡¯. We¡¯ll give you three questions. You¡¯ll pass if you get all correct. The first question is what am I thinking about right now?¡±

    Tang Lang thenined, ¡°You¡¯re really too much! Do you know how important it is of a day like this to a man? I can¡¯t continue this anymore!¡±

    Lu Jingli frowned. ¡°How are we suppose to guess? You can just deny anything we say!¡±

    Jiang Muye and Qin Mufeng nodded in agreement. ¡°This question is bugged!¡±

    ¡°As long as she doesn¡¯t say that our answer is correct, then we¡¯ll never pass!¡±

    All of them looked over at Lu Tingxiao.

    Feng Xiaoxiao acted cheekily. ¡°What now? Are you guys giving up on the first question already? If that¡¯s the case, we¡¯ll have fun with Little Junior Sister tonight!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about men!¡± Tang Lang tried.

    Feng Xiaoxiao wagged her finger. ¡°Wrong!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about marrying someone?¡± Lu Jingli tried as well.

    ¡°Wrong!¡±

    ¡°Damn! Give it a try, Qin Mufeng! Aren¡¯t you a psychiatrist?¡±

    ¡°So what if I¡¯m a psychiatrist? Even if I can read her mind, she can just deny whatever I say!¡±

    ¡°What should we do? The first question is already so tricky¡­¡±

    Suddenly, the quiet Lu Tingxiao spoke up, ¡°You¡¯re now thinking that you don¡¯t want to let us in.¡±

    Feng Xiaoxiao was smiling. Just as she was about to call his mistake out, she was stunned when she realized what was Lu Tingxiao saying.

    ¡°CEO Lu! You¡¯re trying to trap me!¡±

    If she said that it was wrong, then it would mean that she wanted to let them go in! They could just skip the rest of the levels and she would then have to let them in.

    If she said that it was right, then they would pass this question¡­

    Lu Jingliughed. ¡°As expected of my brother!¡±

    Feng Xiaoxiao clenched her teeth. ¡°Fine, you¡¯re right!¡±

 Chapter 2158 - Wedding Night 2

    <h4>Chapter 2158: Wedding Night 2</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Who else?! Who¡¯s giving the second question?¡± Tang Lang suddenly got excited.

    Feng Xiaoxiao looked among the girls and picked Zhuang Keer. ¡°Keer,e!¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ Me?¡± Zhuang Keer walked out hesitantly. ¡°Let me think for a bit!¡±

    After a while, Zhuang Keer said, ¡°Hmm, my question is what¡¯s the dress that Xiao Xi wore during the Golden Film Awards?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao did not even need to think about it. ¡°Nirvana Reincarnated series in maroon.¡±

    Zhuang Keer nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Feng Xiaoxao was stunned. ¡°That¡¯s it? Keer, you¡¯re too soft! That¡¯s too easy!¡±

    Tang Lang seemed annoyed. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re the weird one? Do you think all girls are like you?¡±

    Zhuang Keer then said, ¡°This question isn¡¯t easy at all. Even a hardcore fan of Xiao Xi¡¯s might not be able to remember each and every dress Xiao Xi wore at different events.¡±

    Feng Xiaoxiao gave up, so they passed.

    There was only one more question left in the first level.

    Feng Xiaoxiao looked over at Ning Tianxin. ¡°Third question. Take a guess at what Tianxin¡¯s favorite painting is! You have to guess it right on the first try!¡±

    Tang Lang protested, ¡°What¡¯s the difference between this and the first question!?¡±

    Feng Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t be a bully anymore! I¡¯ll get Tianxin to prepare an answer and I¡¯ll definitely let you guys pass if you get it correct!¡±

    Lu Jingli mumbled, ¡°That¡¯s very difficult too!¡±

    Feng Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows. ¡°Please! Think about who¡¯s inside the room! The top beauty of China, the National Goddess! It¡¯s worth that little bit of difficulty, okay?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao nodded. ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Lu Jingli was speechless. Which side was his brother actually on?!

    He was really worried about his brother losing his own principles!

    Lu Jingli asked Qin Mufeng, ¡°Hey Dr. Qin, you¡¯re the closest to the prettydy here. Do you know the answer?¡±

    Qin Mufeng seemed troubled. ¡°I know she likes M, but there are so many paintings of his. I don¡¯t know which one she¡¯d like!¡±

    Lu Jingli fell into despair. ¡°Oh no, I don¡¯t think my brother has a solution for this too!¡±

    ¡°Time¡¯s up! Are you guys done discussing?¡± Feng Xiaoxiao had a little paper with Ning Tianxin¡¯s answer in her hand.

    ¡°Quick! Anyone?¡± Lu Jingli asked around.

    Qin Mufeng seemed worried. This was rted to a certain devil¡¯s happiness. If he messed it up, would he end up dead?

    ¡°Sunrise? Pic by the Graze? Or Sleeping Lotus? Sleeping Lotus seems to have a big chance¡­ but I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Qin Mufeng slowly closed in on Ning Tianxin. ¡°Tianxin, can you give us some hint?¡±

    Ning Tianxin seemed troubled. ¡°Well¡­¡±

    Feng Xiaoxiao created a gap between them. ¡°What are you doing?! No seduction! Be more serious about it! I¡¯ll give you guys a ten-second countdown. You¡¯ll lose if there¡¯s no answer! Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait! Let us think!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t we get any hints for this?¡±

    Suddenly, there was a hoarse voice among the crowd ¡ª

    ¡°Zero¡¯s ¡®Prison Cage¡¯.¡±

    It was Mo Lingtian.

 Chapter 2159 - Wedding Night 3

    <h4>Chapter 2159: Wedding Night 3</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    A dead silence rang in the room as Mo Lingtian gave his answer and everyone looked over at him.

    His tone was extremely certain.

    Lu Jingli was worried. ¡°Bro Tian! Are you sure?! Don¡¯t just give a random answer! Who¡¯s Zero? What¡¯s Prison Cage? I¡¯ve never even heard of it before!¡±

    Qin Mufeng looked at Mo Lingtian with aplicated expression. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard Tianxin mention it either.¡±

    ¡°Lucky bastard! You¡¯re right!¡± Feng Xiaoxiao clenched her teeth again as she looked at the answer on the scrap of paper.

    ¡°What?! That¡¯s correct? How did you do that? Do you really know how to read minds?¡± Tang Lang was impressed.

    Mo Lingtian¡¯s eyes looked at the girl at the opposite and he did not say anything.

    Lu Jingli and Jiang Muye, who knew about their rtionship, studied him oddly. Qin Mufeng frowned slightly.

    Lu Tingxiao nced over at Mo Lingtian too, but he was not surprised. He turned to Feng Xiaoxiao and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the second level?¡±

    Feng Xiaoxiao suddenly got excited. She touched her chin and scanned all the men with ascivious smile.

    ¡°Hehehe, the second level¡­ Pick anyone from your group and wear a female outfit. You¡¯ll pass if all of us agree that the person is pretty!¡±

    Suddenly, everyone set their eyes onto¡­ Jiang Muye.

    Jiang Muye had been dragged over by Lu Jingli. He just wanted to stay in a corner but who knew that he would be involved in such a way!?

    ¡°Hey! Why are you guys looking at me? Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Jiang Muye felt so ufortable when everyone was staring at him.

    ¡°You¡¯re one of us! Time for you to contribute!¡± Lu Jingli said.

    Tang Lang went along as well. ¡°It¡¯s just acting like a girl! How easy! It¡¯s not your first time anyway!¡±

    Jiang Muye¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°If it¡¯s so easy, then you guys do it!¡±

    ¡°The problem is that we need to impress the girls. That¡¯s very difficult. Only you can do it!¡±

    ¡°ttery doesn¡¯t work on me!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao then said, ¡°I¡¯ll owe you one.¡±

    Jiang Muye¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Really? Anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    It took three seconds for Jiang Muye to change his stance. ¡°Deal!¡±

    Having Lu Tingxiao owe him one would mean he could avoid his mother forcing him to get married!

    After some time, Jiang Muye finally came back.

    ¡°Ah! So beautiful!¡±

    ¡°Oh my God, how pretty!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any more regrets now!¡±

    While it was a big sacrifice, he did get very excellent feedback. All the girls were satisfied.

    Even the picky Feng Xiaoxiao had nothing toin about. ¡°That¡¯s unfair! You look even better than me!¡±

    ¡°Is that enough? Did we pass?¡± Jiang Muye was annoyed.

    Feng Xiaoxiao waved her hand. ¡°Pass!¡±

    Only thest level was left.

    The men looked at each other and thought that thest level was going to be extremely difficult.

 Chapter 2160 - Wedding Night 4

    <h4>Chapter 2160: Wedding Night 4</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°The first and second levels were both schrly based. For the third one, we¡¯ll be testing your physical abilities!¡± Feng Xiaoxiao coughed lightly. ¡°The content for the third level is¡­¡±

    Annie then dered, ¡°Defeat me.¡±

    Lu Jingli and Tang Lang were speechless after they heard Annie.

    This was not just difficult!

    It was impossible!

    ¡°Uhh, is this girl really that good?¡± Qin Mufeng asked.

    ¡°Not just good! She¡¯s a walking killing machine!¡± Tang Lang gulped as he unconsciously felt pain in his chest area.

    ¡°Even all of you together can¡¯t defeat her?¡± Qin Mufeng asked again.

    Tang Lang nodded. ¡°We can¡¯t beat her even if everyone here attacked together!¡±

    Suddenly, Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes lit up as he thought of something. ¡°Right! We can look for help! Where¡¯s Master Han Xiao?¡±

    Tang Lang scratched his head. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s gone to buy food.¡±

    ¡°Ah, looking for me?¡± A long-haired man came in through the door with bags of food in his hand.

    Tang Lang quickly went over. ¡°Yes! Great timing! These women are blocking the path! We have to pass three levels! We¡¯ve passed two and thest level is to defeat Annie! So, we can only rely on you now, Grandfather!¡±

    Han Xiao walked over to Annie and looked at Tang Lang like he was an idiot. ¡°Why would I harm my girl?¡±

    ¡°Uhh, ording to the rules, you should be on our side!¡± Tang Lang was getting anxious.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Han Xiao then continued, ¡°Just assume that I¡¯ve surrendered myself to the enemy!¡±

    Everyone was speechless.

    He surrendered so easily¡­

    Their only hope was gone!

    ¡°Hahaha! Good job, Annie! The Master is with us now! You guys, prepare to die!¡± Feng Xiaoxiao put her hands on her hips as if she had just achieved total victory.

    ¡°Give me a minute.¡± Lu Tingxiao took out his phone and made a call.

    Everyone was curious and looked at Lu Tingxiao¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Is my uncle calling someone else for help?¡± Jiang Muye had just finished changing out of his female outfit.

    Lu Jingli scratched his head doubtfully. ¡°Probably?¡±

    Tang Lang touched his chin. ¡°How do I not know this? Does Boss have someone better than Annie?¡±

    Everyone was getting even more curious now and all of them were focused on the door.

    After several minutes, there was the sound of footsteps near the door.

    Tang Lang straightened up. ¡°These footsteps sound solid. It¡¯s definitely a practitioner! Hmm¡­ but why does it feel like this person¡¯s center of gravity is a bit¡­ low¡­¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± asked Lu Jingli.

    ¡°It means it¡¯s probably someone short!¡± replied Tang Lang.

    As the two of them were discussing, Feng Xiaoxiao was on cautious mode. Could Lu Tingxiao really have someone strong she did not know about?

    Finally, the person opened the door and came in.

    The cute little bun appeared before everyone.

    Lu Jingli¡¯s eyes popped out when he saw it was Little Treasure.

    ¡°Oh my God! Little Treasure!¡±

    Tang Lang was stunned. ¡°Disciple! Why is it you?!¡±

    No wonder his center of gravity was low!

 Chapter 2161 - Wedding Night 5

    <h4>Chapter 2161: Wedding Night 5</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Lu Jingli gulped, ¡°Bro, don¡¯t tell me that the person you looked for help from is Little Treasure?¡±

    Tang Lang sympathized with his disciple. ¡°He¡¯s your real father indeed¡­¡±

    Little Treasure ignored his uncle and master. He went up to Annie and looked at her in the eye. ¡°Sis Annie!¡±

    Annie¡¯s expression softened when she saw it was Little Treasure. ¡°Little Treasure!¡±

    She had always hadplicated feelings towards Little Treasure.

    She had hidden herself around Lu Tingxiao for so many years and did not find any chance to prate his defenses, but just as she was about to give up, she found out about the existence of this child. She then nned a seven-year-long revenge.

    She had saved this child who was just a cold, near-death baby so many years ago. Now, he was beside Ning Xi and his pure, bright eyes almost blinded her.

    Even now, she did not understand why had she given him the medical pouch back then to dy the poison. She was not sure if the time was not right or if she was just unable to do it¡­

    This child did not know anything and he still looked up to her as a respectable sister.

    Little Treasure stood before Annie and clenched his fists. ¡°Sis Annie, I¡¯ll be fighting you. Thank you in advance for the match!¡±

    Annie squatted down before the little guy. She looked at him so lovingly and then said, ¡°I concede defeat.¡±

    Without Little Treasure, there would be no future for her. She would not have met Han Xiao or recovered her memories. Neither would she have found herself and she would forever live in a life of lies.

    She was willing to do anything to make it up to this child.

    Little Treasure looked troubled. ¡°Then, it¡¯s unfair.¡±

    Annieughed. ¡°Not at all! You beat me with your charm! I admit defeat on my own!¡±

    Cold rays shot out of Han Xiao¡¯s eyes when he heard Annie. He stared at Little Treasure. ¡°Little guy, we¡¯ll fight.¡±

    Annie red at a certain childish person behind her.

    Little Treasure pursed her lips. ¡°Thank you, Sis Annie!¡±

    Feng Xiaoxiao¡¯s jaw dropped as she thought there was no way they would have passed level three. ¡°What the heck?! How can this happen?! Lu Tingxiao, you¡¯re cheating! This is cheating!¡±

    Lu Jingliughed. ¡°Hahaha! As long as it works! Little Treasure is the real deal! We won it fair and square!¡±

    Tang Lang went along. ¡°We should be the one saying that. We¡¯ve passed all levels now. Don¡¯t go back on your promise!¡±

    Feng Xiaoxiao leaned against the door frame. ¡°No way! I want my Little Junior Sister! What happened to our promise of being together forever?¡±

    Tang Lang dragged Feng Xiaoxiao over. ¡°That¡¯s enough now. Be careful. Little Junior Sister will kill you if you spoil her fun tonight! I, Second Senior Brother, will buy you some drinks!¡±

    ¡°Get lost! Who¡¯d want to drink with an old man?! No!¡±

    Tang Lang touched his handsome face and felt hurt. ¡°I¡¯ll find you a piece of young, fresh meat alright?¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Two of them!¡±

    ¡°Deal!¡±

    ¡­

    After Feng Xiaoxiao was taken away, everyone else left too.

    If they continued on with the mess, the devil would get mad no matter how happy and patient he was today.

 Chapter 2162 - Finally, Wedding Night

    <h4>Chapter 2162: Finally, Wedding Night</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Mmm¡­ darling¡­¡± Ning Xi rubbed her eyes on the bed when she heard the door open.

    Lu Tingxiao frowned and helped her back on the bed as he saw the girl looking sleepy. ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to sleep first? Why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡±

    Ning Xiughed and dangled her arms around the man¡¯s neck. She rubbed her forehead against his. ¡°You were fighting a bloody war outside. How could I be sleeping!? Of course, I¡¯m going to wait for your triumphant return!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s heart melted and heughed as well. ¡°Thank you for your hard work!¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I really did wait long!¡± Ning Xi epted the praise shamelessly, then she asked curiously, ¡°Based on my understanding of Third Senior Sister, she surely used Annie for thest level, didn¡¯t she? And Han Xiao would never help you guys! How did you guys pass thest level? I thought I¡¯d have to wait until midnight!¡±

    ¡°We have Little Treasure,¡± replied Lu Tingxiao.

    ¡°Little Treasure?¡± Ning Xi was dumbfounded for a moment, then she grinned. ¡°Little Treasure sure is amazing! Annie can never resist his cute little face! Good job!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao gently touched the girl¡¯s hair, then he took his coat off. ¡°Go to sleep earlier.¡±

    Ning Xi suddenly grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Darling!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao turned over. ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Ning Xi stared at him. ¡°What? Tonight is our wedding night! It¡¯s time for a priceless memory!¡±

    The man¡¯s expression darkened when he saw the girl¡¯s flirtatious expression. ncing at her in her bright red pajamas, he took a deep breath and averted his eyes away. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember we¡¯ve set three rules?¡±

    Ning Xi looked unhappy. ¡°First rule, don¡¯t do anything dangerous. Second rule, don¡¯t eat anything I shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±

    As she reached thest one, Ning Xi¡¯s expression was sour. ¡°Third rule, I can¡¯t flirt with you! Hey! Not even on our wedding night?¡±

    Lu Tingxiao¡¯s expression did not waver. ¡°No.¡±

    Ning Xi crossed her arms across her chest. ¡°God, how could you ce such a vision beside me when I can¡¯t do anything? How cruel!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao smiled and he looked very tempting at the moment.

    Ning Xi was enraged. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?! Why can¡¯t I flirt with you but you can flirt with me?¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡± The manughed.

    ¡°You did and you¡¯re doing it again!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his wife¡¯s cute little face. ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡±

    Ning Xi snuggled into Lu Tingxiao¡¯s arms. ¡°Darling, would you like a boy or girl?¡±

    The man kissed her forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll like it as long as it¡¯s yours.¡±

    Ning Xi smiled. ¡°I love to make babies for you!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao pinched between his eyebrows. ¡°Rule number three!¡±

    ¡°What did I do now?!¡± Ning Xi felt so wronged.

    Lu Tingxiao, of course, knew what was she thinking about. ¡°Be good, at least after these few days. You¡¯re too tired today and need a lot of rest, and¡­¡±

    Lu Tingxiao took a pause, then he looked at the girl passionately. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I might lose control tonight.¡±

    The man¡¯s words were the biggest praise to her.

    Ning Xi was delighted. ¡°Alright, alright!¡±

    A certain someone was getting better and better at flirting. He even dealt perfectly with a pregnantdy like Ning Xi, so she stopped making a fuss and went to sleep peacefully.

 Chapter 2163 - Naming The Little Princess

    <h4>Chapter 2163: Naming The Little Princess</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    One day, at a friendly gathering.

    They still had not decided on the name yet even though the baby was going to be due soon.

    Lu Jingli, Jiang Muye, Tang Lang, Zhuang Keer, and the big bunch gathered together to think of a name.

    Lu Jingli touched his chin. ¡°It¡¯s been practically ten months already. How is there not a name yet!? Is it that difficult? Little Treasure¡¯s name is Lu Qingyu, so grand and cool. The second kid¡¯s name has to be something simr as well! Why not call him Lu Qincang? It¡¯s uniform and cool together! Lu Aotian works as well!¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Stupid! The doctor said it¡¯s a girl! It¡¯s a girl, alright?¡±

    Lu Jingli was unhappy. ¡°Who said that girls can¡¯t be called Lu Aotian!?¡±

    Ning Xi¡¯s mouth twitched and she forced a kind smile. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll use that name for your future daughter! We¡¯ll see if she¡¯ll calls you father in the future!¡±

    Lu Jingli thought about it carefully, then he kept quiet.

    Zhuang Keer gave it some thought. ¡°How about Lu Jinghao? Quiet and good!¡±

    Tang Lang suddenlyughed as he was munching on some peanuts. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay for Little Junior Sister¡¯s daughter to use such ady-like name?¡±

    Ning Xi red at him dangerously. ¡°Tang Lang! What do you mean?! What¡¯s wrong with my daughter?!¡±

    Tang Lang replied immediately, ¡°Only the name of Lu Yuetian would be worthy of your daughter!¡±

    Ning Xi almost cursed, but she nced at Lu Tingxiao and forced herself to stop talking.

    ¡°All the names you guys have thought of are useless! Look at mine!¡± Jiang Muye showed Ning Xi the names he had been thinking about and had written down on a piece of paper.

    Ning Xi took it doubtfully. Her eyes were blinded by the names Jiang Muye wrote.

    Lu Yuyan, Lu Nangzhuo, Lu Fengqu, Lu Biejin, Lu Chulei¡­

    ¡°What the heck?! I don¡¯t know any of the words!¡±

    Jiang Muye snapped his fingers. ¡°That¡¯s the point, with a name like these, I¡¯m sure no teachers would call her to answer questions! Terrific!¡±

    Ning Xi was speechless.

    She was really worried for their daughters in the future¡­

    They could not reach a conclusion after a long discussion. In the end, Lu Jingli said, ¡°Let my brother decide. He¡¯s among the top three graduates from Chang Chun Teng University with a double Masters degree. The names he¡¯ll think of will surely be great!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao was holding a paper in his hand, unfazed by the noisy group at all.

    On his paper should be the names he thought of.

    Everyone looked over curiously. They wanted to see what kind of names he thought of.

    They then saw the list of names the devil had picked: Lu Aixi, Lu Lianxi, Lu Muxi, Lu Buli, Lu Buyu, Lu Weiyi¡­

    No one said a thing.

    Lu Jingli stared at the list of names for some time. ¡°Well¡­ I take back what I said¡­¡±

 Chapter 2164 - My Heart Belongs To You

    <h4>Chapter 2164: My Heart Belongs To You</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    Summer arrived and the long-awaited little princess was finally born.

    In the end, Ning Xi thought of a name herself after she lost all hope in the others.

    The mountain was covered in trees and branches were all over. My heart belongs to you, yet you have no clue.

    When Ning Xi read this poem to her husband, his eyes were charmed with affection.

    Their lives were really full of challenges. Her husband had put in so much effort to get closer to her, yet he did not know Ning Xi had already fallen for him a long time ago. She had just avoided revealing herself because of her past.

    ¡°Lu Yuexi¡± indicated Ning Xi¡¯s path and also her love towards her husband, killing two birds with one stone.

    After the name was set, they were troubled by her nickname. They thought of ¡°bun¡±, ¡°steamed bun¡±, and ¡°spring rolls¡±, but they could not decide on a suitable one.

    However, as the little princess grew up, everyone thought of one word: tangyuan 1 !

    She was fair and round just like a tangyuan ! How cute!

    There was a point that Lu Tingxiao, Ning Xi, and the Lu family were very worried about. Little tangyuan seemed a little too quiet.

    The two elders were especially afraid that little tangyuan would be like Little Treasure, so they always tried to make herugh.

    Nurtured by their concern and love, the little princess turned three years old.

    No one in the family was worried about little tangyuan having autism anymore.

    On a certain day with clear skies.

    There was an enraged voice of a maning from within tinum Pce ¡ª

    ¡°Lu Yuexi! Come out! I promise I just want to talk!¡±

    Lu Jingli was holding a destroyed carrot and looked furious. He stepped into his brother¡¯s house. ¡°Where¡¯s tangyuan ? Where¡¯s that little demon?! Bro, Sister-inw! Don¡¯t hide her. Give her to me!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao was not even surprised by Lu Jingli¡¯s behavior.

    Ning Xi sighed as she was sipping on tea on the sofa, ¡°What now?¡±

    Lu Jingli caressed his carrot. ¡°What now? Look at this! My carrots! My cabbages! They were all ruined by your little demon! I wantpensation!

    ¡°This little bastard broke my multi-colored zed ssware a few days ago and killed half of my koi fish yesterday. Now, even my vegetable farm has fallen! Come out! Tangyuan ! Show yourself! I know you¡¯re home!¡±

    Ning Xi was helpless. Did he really have toe here every day?

    Back then, she had been worried that tangyuan was too inactive. Now, she wished she could lock tangyuan up with a chain.

    She could not stay still for even a second and she had conquered everyone at home.

    Ning Xi looked at Lu Tingxiao worriedly when she saw Lu Jingli going upstairs to look for tangyuan. ¡°Lu Jingli treasures his vegetable farm the most . Tangyuan will really get it this time. Don¡¯t stop Lu Jingliter. Teach the girl a lesson!¡±

    Lu Tingxiao looked at his wife calmly. ¡°Mmm, I won¡¯t.¡±

    Ning Xi was surprised. Lu Tingxiao doted on little tangyuan the most, but now he agreed not to stop his brother?

    Lu Jingli went around the whole house until he finally found little tangyuan in Little Treasure¡¯s room.

    When Little Treasure saw Lu Jingli grab his sister away, he did not try to help at all. He was as calm as his father.

 Chapter 2165 (END) - My Little Heart

    <h4>Chapter 2165: My Little Heart</h4>

    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion

    ¡°Second Uncle, Second Uncle¡­ Put me down¡­¡± Little tangyuan cried out in her baby voice.

    Lu Jingli looked determined. ¡°No way! I¡¯m telling you even if God were here today, He wouldn¡¯t be able to save you!¡±

    Little tangyuan begged pitifully, ¡°Second Uncle, I know I¡¯m wrong! Please don¡¯t be angry, okay?¡±

    Lu Jingli was not moved at all. ¡°Don¡¯te at me with this. You¡¯ve already said such things over eight hundred times!¡±

    Little tangyuan then said, ¡°Second Uncle, you can¡¯t be angry!¡±

    Lu Jingli then replied, ¡°Why can¡¯t I be angry? I¡¯m about to be angered to death by you!¡±

    Solemness filled the tangyuan ¡®s delicate little face as she said earnestly, ¡°Even though you look very handsome when you¡¯re angry, Second Uncle, you look even more handsome when you¡¯re not angry!¡±

    Lu Jingli¡¯s fury had calmed down a little although he was still angry as he shot her a side look. ¡°Are you telling the truth? How handsome?¡±

    Little tangyuan immediately said without hesitation, ¡°More handsome than my father!¡±

    Lu Jingli¡¯s fire of fury was instantly extinguished by half. ¡°At least you¡¯ve got good judgment! But don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll let you go this time just because you said that. Your father and your mother can¡¯t bear to hit you, but this time I will still give you a lesson. You¡¯re too naughty, do you know that? You won¡¯t be able to escape my spanking this time. Give up!¡±

    Little tangyuan was so frightened that her neck shrunk. ¡°Then¡­ then before you spank me, can you help me find something, Second Uncle?¡±

    Lu Jingli nced at her with rm. ¡°What do you want to find?¡±

    Little tangyuan answered weakly, ¡°There¡¯s something I left at your ce, Second Uncle!¡±

    ¡°Who told you to run around?! It¡¯d be weird if you didn¡¯t misce anything! What did you leave at my ce? Is it something very important?¡± Lu Jingli asked unhappily.

    ¡°Very important!¡± Little tangyuan blinked her big, teary eyes and nodded vigorously. Then, she used her little hands to make a little heart-shaped sign as she said in her baby voice, ¡°My little heart¡­ I left it at your ce, Second Uncle!¡±

    Then, she kissed Lu Jingli¡¯s cheeks lightly. ¡°Tangyuan likes Second Uncle the most¡­¡±

    Lu Jingli was speechless.

    Half an hourter.

    Lu Jingli sent all those vegetables that the little demon wrecked to Lu Tingxiao¡¯s ce. Then, he happily led the little tangyuan to his other vegetable garden.

    Inside the vi, when he saw the duo walk out happily, Little Treasure sighed helplessly.

    Sigh, why was his Second Uncle so forgetful?

    He knew it was useless¡­

    Ning Xi held her forehead with dread. ¡°Who does little tangyuan actually take after? She¡¯s so good at seduction!¡±

    Lu Jingli had already been tortured by her thousands of times, yet he still treated her like a little baby. It was not only Lu Jingli; she subdued almost everyone around.

    Beside her, when Lu Tingxiao heard his wife, he looked at her meaningfully.

    When she received her darling¡¯s meaningful look, Ning Xi cleared her throat awkwardly. ¡°Okay, okay, it¡¯s my fault, my fault¡­¡±

    Lu Tingxiao walked slowly to his wife. He leaned forward and kissed lightly on her forehead. ¡°My wife gave birth to such a cute pair of son and daughter. How are you at fault?¡±

    Ning Xi was speechless when she was caught off-guard by this flirt.

    Hehe, this little tangyuan¡¯s genes were definitely not her fault alone!

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